Undefeated No. 1-ranked Kentucky can be written in Sharpie when you fill out that office bracket, but the picks that put you over the top aren’t tracing the chalk to Lucas Oil Stadium.
Basketball
Larry Eustachy was convinced, adamant, certain of his basketball team’s fate. It wasn’t false bravado, either. He truly believed.
Sportswear group Adidas will not renew its contract to supply basketball uniforms to the NBA, when it expires in the 2016-17 season, it said on Monday.
If any one player epitomizes what the NCAA Tournament means to bettors and the sports books, it’s Mamadou Ndiaye, a 7-foot-6-inch, 300-pound mountain of a man for UC Irvine.
Undefeated, top-ranked Kentucky was selected the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, while Wisconsin, Duke and Villanova received the other No. 1 seeds in the tournament.
No. 1-ranked Kentucky will take a perfect 34-0 record into the NCAA Tournament this week after thrashing Arkansas 78-63 in the Southeastern Conference tournament championship game Sunday at Bridgestone Arena.
The Rebels’ season that just concluded was way below standard — an 18-15 record, a seventh-place finish in the Mountain West and an exit in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament. There are disappointed fans and powerful boosters who want coach Dave Rice out.
It was as ugly as it gets, a grinding game about defense. But there were a few style points, and Josh Adams got the credit. He let a shot fly that was a thing of beauty.
New Mexico State’s four seniors combined for 55 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists, and the top-seeded Aggies rolled to an 80-61 victory over No. 3 Seattle in the championship game of the Western Athletic Conference tournament — the fourth straight title for New Mexico State.
Dave Rice just concluded his fourth season as UNLV’s coach, his second straight without a postseason appearance, and it is no secret that his job is in jeopardy after an 18-15 season. Rice and athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy are expected to meet this week.
The Wildcats, who have been flirting with one of the four No. 1 seeds that will be handed out Sunday for the NCAA Tournament, whipped the Ducks for the third time this season, 80-52. Former Findlay Prep star Brandon Ashley was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
After weighing the pros and cons of extending UNLV’s basketball season, coach Dave Rice and athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy cut it short Friday.
Josh Adams scored 27 points and Larry Nance 20 as Wyoming upset No. 1 seed Boise State 71-66 in overtime in a Mountain West tournament semifinal Friday at the Thomas & Mack Center. The Cowboys will play San Diego State, which defeated Colorado State 56-43, for the title Saturday.
The top-seeded Wildcats hold off UCLA 70-64 in the semifinals of the Pacific 12 Conference tournament at the MGM Grand Garden. Arizona will meet Oregon, a 67-64 winner over Utah, in the championship game at 8 p.m. Saturday.
Steve Alford won’t be climbing any ladder or cutting anything down at the MGM Grand Garden on Saturday after his UCLA team was eliminated by top-seeded Arizona 70-64 in the Pacific 12 Conference tournament semifinals Friday night.
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