A third straight national title for UConn may be improbable, but it’s still possible.
Bryant guard Earl Timberlake gives the Bulldogs their One Bloody Moment in March Madness
Earl Timberlake's toughness is no secret to his Bryant teammates. Facing Michigan State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament late Friday night, Timberlake offered a glimpse of it to the rest of the college basketball world. The senior guard and American East Player of the Year took an elbow to the forehead from Spartans center Carson Cooper that left Timberlake's face awash in blood.
Panthers wrap up road trip against Capitals as division leaders clash in DC
A long and grueling road trip for the Florida Panthers will finally come to an end on Saturday in Washington D.C.
Despite averaging less than two goals per game, the Panthers have squeaked out a couple of wins so far and can close out the trip with an even .500 record if they can take care of business against the Washington Capitals.
That will be no easy task.
Washington has been leading the Eastern Conference basically the entire season, currently holding a 12-point edge over second place Carolina in the Metropolitan Division and 13 points clear of Florida, who leads the Atlantic Division.
The Capitals are also playing some very good hockey this month.
They are currently riding a 8-1-0 stretch, with their most recent win clinching the Caps’ spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Even with all the success, much of the focus this season has been on star forward Alex Ovechkin as he chases down history.
Entering play Saturday, Ovechkin has 888 career goals. He needs only seven more to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record of 894.
Here’s a fun fact: there is only one active NHL goalie who has allowed more goals to Ovechkin than Sergei Bobrovsky.
Marc-Andre Fleury has been scored on by Ovie 28 times, the most of any goaltender, active or retired.
Bobrovsky has seen Ovechkin score on him 16 times.
Florida’s backup goalie, Vitek Vanecek, has never been scored on by Ovechkin, at least not in an NHL game.
The two were teammates for a couple seasons in Washington, but practice goals don’t count toward this historic total.
Florida is not expected to have any lineup changes from Thursday’s win in Columbus.
Here are the Panthers projected lines and pairings for Saturday’s battle with the Caps:
Carter Verhaeghe – Sasha Barkov – Sam Reinhart
Mackie Samoskevich – Sam Bennett – Evan Rodrigues
Eetu Luostarinen – Anton Lundell – Jesper Boqvist
A.J. Greer – Nico Sturm – Jonah Gadjovich
Gus Forsling – Seth Jones
Niko Mikkola – Tobias Bjornfot
Nate Schmidt – Uvis Balinskis
Scratches: Tomas Nosek, Brad Marchand, Dmitry Kulikov
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James Harden scores 30 as red-hot Clippers pick up their fifth straight win
The high-level competition the Clippers faced this week allowed them to gauge themselves against some of the NBA's best teams.
The Clippers have proven they can go toe-to-toe with elite teams and they've done so without coach Tyronn Lue, who has missed five of the last seven games because of back pain.
And the Clippers displayed their grit again Friday in a 128-108 blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies at the Intuit Dome.
The seventh-seeded Clippers not only moved to 2½ games behind the fifth-place Grizzlies with their fifth consecutive win, but they also swept the season series 3-0. The Clippers (40-30) are just one game behind sixth-place Golden State.
Read more:Clippers continue playoff push against formidable opponents
“We want to focus on ourselves and win as many games as we can,” said Clippers center Ivica Zubac, who had another double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. “But at the same time, every night I’m watching the games, watching the teams in front of us, teams that are behind us in the standings, hoping they lose — I’m being a hater. ... But now, we’re trying to win as many games as we can, focus on us and see where that takes us.”
James Harden led the Clippers with 30 points and nine assists. He was five for 10 from three-point range, giving him 202 on the season. He joined JJ Redick and Paul George as the only players in franchise history to make at least 200 threes in a season.
Kawhi Leonard had a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Norman Powell got back in the groove, scoring 14 points. Powell, who was one for two from three-point range, has made 448 three-pointers with the Clippers, pushing him past Lou Williams for seventh on the team's all-time list.
“Obviously we’re playing our butts off and finding the rotations, who is playing well and going with that,” Harden said. “We got a full roster. We’ve been waiting on this moment the entire year and now we’re here to where we actually see some good Clipper basketball. So, for us it’s just figuring out who is playing well, what works and what doesn’t work and in the midst of that trying to win games.”
With Lue at home, Clippers assistant coach Brian Shaw was at the helm. The Clippers are 5-1 under his guidance.
Before the game, Shaw was asked how being in charge of a team is different from being an assistant.
“A lot less sleep,” Shaw said, laughing.
Shaw led the Clippers to an impressive win Tuesday night over the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the best record in the NBA. On Sunday in Inglewood, the Clippers meet an Oklahoma City Thunder team that has the best record (58-12), and Shaw will be ready.
Read more:No coach, no problem as Clippers rise up to beat NBA-leading Cavaliers
"Every game is a must-win for us," Zubac said. "So, we’re feeling good, we’re playing good. I think we’re in a good rhythm right now and it’s obviously going to be a challenge. I think that’s the best team in the league throughout the whole year. ... I don’t know if it’s going to show where we’re at, but it’s going to be a good challenge for us.”
Assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy missed his second straight game dealing with a family medical issue. He won’t return to the Clippers for at least a couple of weeks, the team said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Michigan State basketball proves it can stay cool, calm after stressful start
After finding an energetic Bryant team, Michigan State basketball proves it can stay cool, calm after stressful opening half.
March Madness 2025: Chalk has ruled the NCAA tournament so far. Is that a blip or a sign of the times?
Top-four seeds clinched a perfect 16-0 record in the first round of the men’s NCAA tournament this year. So, what gives?
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The Pitinos made history in the first round of the NCAA tournament with their respective wins.
Michigan State rolls to 87-62 victory over Bryant in March Madness
Coen Carr came off the bench and had a career-high 18 points and nine rebounds as second-seeded Michigan State rolled to a 87-62 victory over No. 15 seed Bryant on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Jase Richardson added 15 points for coach Tom Izzo's Spartans (28-6), who trailed for most of the first 15 minutes before taking control. Michigan State, which has one of the deepest squads in the 68-team field, had five players score in double figures.
Lewis Hamilton lands first win for Ferrari in Chinese F1 Grand Prix sprint race
- Seven-time world champion opens account with Formula One team
- Oscar Piastri finishes second, Max Verstappen third in 100km race
Lewis Hamilton celebrated his first Formula One win for Ferrari after leading a Chinese Grand Prix sprint from start to finish in only his second race for the Italian team on Saturday.
The seven-time world champion, on pole position, managed his tyres superbly to take the chequered flag 6.889 seconds clear of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen finishing third in the 100km race.
Continue reading...UConn holds on to beat Oklahoma, 67-59, advances to second round of NCAA Tournament
UConn’s improbable bid for a third straight national title continued when Alex Karaban came through with a critical three-pointer and a floater in the lane during a late run that helped the Huskies hold off Oklahoma 67-59 on Friday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
UConn shows championship DNA, hold off Oklahoma
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz and former Big 12 player of the year Marcus Morris Sr. react to the two-time defending national champion's gritty win against the Sooners -- and discuss if UConn has a chance in the second round against Florida on Sunday.
Riley scores 22 as No. 6 seed Illinois defeats Xavier 86-73 in NCAA Tournament
Will Riley couldn't connect on any of the first three shots he attempted. Riley scored 22 points while shooting 8 of 12 from the floor in Illinois' 86-73 NCAA Tournament triumph over Xavier on Friday night. The extent of Riley's shooting prowess became apparent with under two minutes left when he made a shot from the final “s” of the “March Madness” logo just before the shot clock expired.
George Foreman – a life in pictures
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Continue reading...Oweh scores 20 points as third-seeded Kentucky beats Troy 76-57 in the NCAA Tournament
Oweh added eight assists and six rebounds, and Amari Williams grabbed 13 boards for Kentucky.
NCAA tournament: UConn fends off Oklahoma rally to keep 3-peat hopes alive
For now, the Huskies can still dream about cutting down the nets for a third straight season.