News Category: NCAAB

UConn’s stifling D meets Alabama’s torrid offense in Final Four

GLENDALE, Ariz. — UConn is two games away from back-to-back NCAA men’s basketball championships, and the Huskies have history on their side as they prepare to face Alabama in the second national semifinal Saturday night. UConn (35-3), the top-ranked team in the nation, is 10-1 in Final Four and championship games all-time. No program has a better mark. The Huskies own a 69-32 record in the NCAA Tournament, and they won both their meetings with

Purdue, NC State seek title game return after 40-plus years

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Purdue has reached the NCAA Tournament in 15 of coach Matt Painter’s 19 seasons on the bench, but one enormous goal — a trip to the Final Four — has eluded the Boilermakers in that span. Purdue hasn’t reached the Final Four since 1980, in fact, but a big reason for their success this season is 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey, the reigning Naismith national Player of the Year. And he’ll take center

Top seeds Seton Hall, Indiana State battle for NIT crown

After getting left out of the NCAA Tournament, Indiana State and Seton Hall have spent the past three weeks turning lemons into lemonade. The Sycamores and Pirates will try to put an exclamation point on their NIT journeys Thursday when they square off in the tournament title game in Indianapolis. Indiana State (32-6) and Seton Hall (24-12) are both No. 1 seeds and certainly have looked the part over the last four games. The Sycamores

Purdue, Tennessee in rare air with Final Four trip on the line

DETROIT — Expectations were very high for Purdue coach Matt Painter and his team all season long. Sunday afternoon, they have a chance to achieve something the Boilermakers haven’t done in 44 years. Top-seeded Purdue faces No. 2 seed Tennessee in an Elite Eight, Midwest Region matchup attempting to reach the Final Four for the first time since 1980. “It would be huge,” Painter said of making the Final Four. “It’s been our goal to

Alabama, Clemson vying for first trip to Final Four

LOS ANGELES — Saturday’s NCAA Tournament West Regional final matchup pitting No. 4 seed Alabama against No. 6 seed Clemson comes with a guarantee to be a landmark moment for either program, as each is vying for its first Final Four spot in school history. “Alabama and Clemson playing in L.A.,” Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said on Friday at Crypto.com Arena. “Most people think (they must be) playing in the Rose Bowl.” The reference

Top-seeded UConn bracing for tough test vs. No. 3 Illinois

BOSTON — Even though top-seeded UConn has put together a dominant NCAA Tournament run, it isn’t expecting to walk right by third-seeded Illinois when the teams meet in the Elite Eight on Saturday. The Huskies (34-3) have won their first three games of the tourney by an average of 28.7 points, most recently recording an 82-52 blowout over fifth-seeded San Diego State on Thursday in the Sweet 16. However, UConn coach Dan Hurley isn’t taking

Alabama’s defense tasked with containing RJ Davis, UNC

LOS ANGELES — Hubert Davis’ three seasons as head coach at North Carolina have made for one wild ride. North Carolina reached the national championship game in Davis’ first season in 2021-22 after he replaced three-time national title winner Roy Williams, but the Tar Heels missed the tournament altogether a year ago. Now, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region finds itself two wins shy of the Final Four when it faces

Tennessee prepares for stern battle vs. Creighton

DETROIT — Tennessee and Creighton have made the NCAA Tournament a combined 51 times, but neither team has reached the magical Final Four. A pair of victories in Detroit this weekend in the Midwest Region would change that narrative for one of the programs. They’ll meet in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. Tennessee (26-8), the No. 2 seed, has one Elite Eight appearance on its resume, in 2010. The Volunteers reached the Sweet 16

Zach Edey, Purdue renew acquaintances with Gonzaga

DETROIT — Purdue and Gonzaga don’t play in the same conference, and their campuses are nearly 2,000 miles apart. When the teams tip off against each other in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night, they’ll still be familiar foes. The Boilermakers and Bulldogs have faced each other during the regular season for two consecutive seasons. The stakes will be much higher in the Midwest Region semifinals. The top-seeded Boilermakers (31-4) have

Bandwagon filling up as upstart NC State braces for Marquette

North Carolina State appeared ready to call it a season when it dropped its last four regular-season games. A swift reversal ensued, and now the Wolfpack are surprisingly stationed in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Next up, No. 11 seed NC State (24-14) will look to run its winning streak to eight games when it battles second-seeded Marquette (27-9) on Friday night in the South Region in Dallas. Wolfpack big man DJ Burns