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Proud pop: Wisconsin’s Dick Bennett beams as son leads Virginia to title

April 10, 2019 Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Dick Bennett has a difficult time watching his son, Tony, coach Virginia. He rarely attends games. “I’m not a model of decorum or poise,” said Dick Bennett, the former longtime high school and college basketball coach. “But I needed to be here.” The Cavaliers didn’t make it easy on the elder Bennett, […]

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Virginia beats Texas Tech to win 1st NCAA title

April 8, 2019 Associated Press

Virginia won the first men’s basketball championship in school history, getting a career-high 27 points from De’Andre Hunter and clutch play from Kyle Guy to beat Texas Tech 85-77 in overtime. The first No. 1 seed out a year ago is the last one standing this year. Hunter drained a 3-pointer with 12.9 seconds left […]

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A guide to the teams, players and coaches at the Final Four

April 5, 2019 Associated Press

The NCAA Tournament needed a little time to warm up. There were a few upsets, some close games and breakout performances, but not the usual wow factor we expect in the early rounds. Once the bracket hit the Elite Eight, the madness returned to March. All four games were close, two went to overtime and […]

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FINAL FOUR: 3 newcomers, one standby arrive in Minneapolis

April 5, 2019 Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Tom Izzo certainly knows his way around the Final Four, even if the longtime Michigan State coach had never toured U.S. Bank Stadium until the Spartans arrived for practice Thursday. The rest of his coaching compatriots? They could probably use a road map. It’s not just getting around that is challenging, though […]

Final Four Michigan Villanova Basketball

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Final Four runs don’t mask problems in college sports

April 5, 2019 Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — One team’s coach got kicked out of the sport for three years, and two of his assistants have been named in bribery scandals. Another team’s coach is the most high-profile name in an athletic department scarred by its handling of a massive sex-abuse scandal. Few would argue Auburn’s Bruce Pearl and Michigan […]

SPORTS NEWS

Light-filled stadium creates complex Final Four conversion

April 3, 2019 Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The losses last weekend by Duke, Gonzaga, Kentucky and Purdue pulled the curtains on their seasons, one painful game short of the Final Four. Those teams that made it to Minneapolis? The guys from Michigan State, Texas Tech, Auburn and Virginia will be greeted, literally, by giant drapes inside the building where […]

NBA

Money, opportunity part of one-and-done’s winding past

April 3, 2019 Associated Press

Spencer Haywood set the stage, Michael Jordan made it bigger and Kevin Durant super-sized it when he helped usher in the one-and-done era. Decades after those players made their groundbreaking departures from college, March Madness and the NBA’s mega-millions have taken all the novelty out of leaving early for the pros. In the present era […]

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Coaches gearing up for demands of the Final Four

April 1, 2019 Associated Press

Dick Bennett’s fingerprints will be all over this year’s NCAA Tournament. The former longtime coach has ties to three of the four coaches in Minneapolis this week, one by blood. Bennett’s son, Tony (pictured above), coaches Virginia. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl used to coach against Bennett while at Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Even bought one of Bennett’s videotapes […]

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Gustafson, Iowa blow past Missouri and into Sweet 16

March 25, 2019 Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Megan Gustafson and the surging Hawkeyes are off to the Sweet 16. Iowa might evolve into a true Final Four contender if Gustafson can get the kind of help that she got from her teammates on Sunday. The junior, Gustafson (pictured above, pointing), a Port Wing, Wis., native, had 24 […]

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Morant’s triple-double leads Murray St upset over Marquette

March 22, 2019 Associated Press

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — The game was in hand for Murray State and sensational point guard Ja Morant, who dominated Marquette in every way. With a chance to make some NCAA Tournament history, Morant’s coach told him to hit the boards and grab the rebound that would push him to an elusive triple-double. Morant went […]