Category: Sports News

Worldwide Sports News

Posted on

Premier League: talking points from the weekend action

Højlund finally finds the net, top-four battle hots up while Willian proves class once again

He finally scored. Rasmus Højlund broke his 21-match goal drought – dating back to 12 December – with a composed strike to put Manchester United 1-0 up against Leicester at the King Power Stadium. Having received the ball from Bruno Fernandes around 40 yards out from goal, he carried it into the penalty area before unleashing a powerful low shot into the bottom-left corner. You could just sense the relief on the striker’s face as he walked back to the halfway line for the restart. It was also a positive evening for Alejandro Garnacho, who ended his 25-game stretch without a goal, dating back to 28 November. It should give both players a much-needed confidence boost heading into the final stretch of the season. “The most important thing for me is the work they are putting in, especially defending,” Ruben Amorim said. “They live for assists and scoring goals. Rasmus, really good control right foot and then Garnacho is always trying to score a goal and he deserved that feeling.” Emillia Hawkins

Match report: Leicester 0-3 Manchester United

Match report: Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea

Match report: Manchester City 2-2 Brighton

Match report: Everton 1-1 West Ham United

Match report: Ipswich Town 2-4 Nottingham Forest

Match report: Fulham 2-0 Tottenham

Match report: Bournemouth 1-2 Brentford

Match report: Southampton 1-2 Wolves

Continue reading...
Posted on

Vibrant Six Nations leaves Andy Farrell with tricky decisions on Lions selection

England finished strong while Ireland appear to be fading, but the head coach must avoid an over-reliance on recency bias

The streets of Cardiff on Saturday night made the last days of the Roman empire look positively sedate. There were almost as many puddles of sick outside the Queens Vaults pub as England had scored tries inside the Principality Stadium, the glossy veneer of “Super Saturday” replaced by the dejected, what-just-happened stagger home. Truth be told, the pissed-up paying public weren’t looking too flash either.

What a deeply sobering weekend to be a player in red. To lose 68-14 against anyone at Test level is a nightmare; to do so under the roof at home against England is full-on zombie apocalypse stuff. An Aussie dollar or two, then, for Andy Farrell’s thoughts as he left the ground pondering his options for the British & Irish Lions series against the Wallabies this year. As things stand, representatives from Wales will be hard pressed to fill a phone box.

Continue reading...
Posted on

New Bruins prospect Fraser Minten scores hat trick for Providence

New Bruins prospect Fraser Minten scores hat trick for Providence originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

One of the best assets the Boston Bruins acquired across their NHL trade deadline deals was talented prospect Fraser Minten.

The 6-foot-2, 195-pound center was part of the trade that sent defenseman Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs on deadline day. The B’s also got a 2026 first-round pick in that deal.

Minten has been playing for the AHL’s Providence Bruins since the trade, and he put on a show in Sunday’s game against the Springfield Thunderbirds.

The former 2022 second-round pick scored his first goal with the P-Bruins in the opening period. He established good position in front of the net and capitalized on a nice pass from Georgii Merkulov to give Providence a 1-0 lead.

Minten’s second goal again came in front of the net, this time off a nice pass from Billy Sweezey. He completed the hat trick later in the second period after collecting a rebound in the slot and showing off a pretty move to beat the Thunderbirds goalie from a tough angle. This whole sequence began with a faceoff win by Minten in the attacking zone.

Check out all three of Minten’s goals from Providence’s 4-1 win in the video below. He also picked up the primary assist on Riley Duran’s third-period goal.

One of the most impressive aspects of Minten’s hat trick was his willingness to crash the net. Establishing inside ice isn’t easy, but he’s not afraid to go to the tough areas to win puck battles and score goals. He also impressed on faceoffs in this game, which is another encouraging sign for the Bruins.

Even though it would be fun for Bruins fans to watch Minten play some games at the NHL level over the final few weeks of the regular season, the best course of action is to leave him in Providence. He can play a ton of minutes in all situations down in the AHL and continue to refine his skill set, create good habits and build some confidence.

You don’t want to rush a top-tier prospect’s development. And now that he’s really settling in at Providence, it doesn’t make much sense to switch things up.

The Bruins have desperately needed good young centers for a long time. It’s a position where they’ve really struggled to draft well for many years. Minten has a bright future as a two-way center who could fill a middle-six role in the NHL fairly soon.

Posted on

San Diego State Aztecs square off against the North Carolina Tar Heels in First 4

North Carolina Tar Heels (22-13, 15-8 ACC) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (21-9, 14-7 MWC) Dayton, Ohio; Tuesday, 9:10 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tar Heels -3.5; over/under is 142.5 BOTTOM LINE: San Diego State plays North Carolina in the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament. The Aztecs' record in MWC games is 14-7, and their record is 7-2 against non-conference opponents.

Posted on

Oklahoma State squares off against Wichita State in NIT matchup

Wichita State Shockers (19-14, 9-11 AAC) at Oklahoma State Cowboys (15-17, 7-14 Big 12) Stillwater, Oklahoma; Tuesday, 9 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Oklahoma State and Wichita State meet in the National Invitation Tournament. The Cowboys are 7-14 against Big 12 opponents and 8-3 in non-conference play.

Posted on

Alabama State Hornets and Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash play in the First 4

Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash (16-17, 11-8 NEC) vs. Alabama State Hornets (19-15, 15-6 SWAC) Dayton, Ohio; Tuesday, 6:40 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Hornets -3.5; over/under is 141.5 BOTTOM LINE: Alabama State and Saint Francis (PA) play in the NCAA Tournament First Four round. The Hornets are 15-6 against SWAC opponents and 4-9 in non-conference play.

Posted on

Saint Bonaventure, Kent State meet in NIT

Saint Bonaventure is third in the A-10 at limiting opponent scoring, giving up 64.9 points while holding opponents to 42.0% shooting. The Golden Flashes are 12-8 against MAC opponents. Kent State is third in the MAC with 33.3 rebounds per game led by Delrecco Gillespie averaging 7.7.

Posted on

Betting on women’s college basketball rides post-Caitlin Clark wave as NCAA Tournament begins

Caitlin Clark not only drew lots of eyes to women's basketball when she led Iowa to consecutive national-championship games, she also attracted a lot of bettors who otherwise might have put their money elsewhere. BetMGM Sportsbook said it received 35% more money being bet on the sport this season, 39% more female bettors and 32% more customers regardless of gender. Since the 2022-23 season, when Clark first hit the national stage, BetMGM has seen an increase of 587% of money wagered on women's college hoops.