Baylor beats Arkansas 81-72 for first Final Four in 71 years
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)INDIANAPOLIS โ Baylor had been on the cusp of the Final Four twice before under coach Scott Drew, falling to the eventual champion both times. Baylor is headed there for the first time in 71 years, getting 22 points from MaCio Teague and a dominating defensive performance from Davion Mitchell to beat Arkansas 81-72 on Monday night. The top-seeded Bears (26-2) appeared to be barreling toward ending their Final Four drought with a dominating start. That left the Bears short of the Final Four dating back to when the bracket was only eight teams. He gave Arkansas all kinds of trouble on the pick-and-roll in the second half, finishing with 12 points and six assists.
What To Watch: men's, women's regional finals start Monday
... Oregon State opponents are shooting just 31.3% overall and 23.1% from 3-point range in the NCAA Tournament. That Missouri squad lost a regional final to an Oklahoma team coached by Kelvin Sampson, whoโs now at Houston. โฆ Arkansas is in a regional final for the first time since 1995, when it lost to UCLA in the championship game. โฆ Arkansasโ Justin Smith is averaging 20.3 points and 11 rebounds in three NCAA Tournament games. Arizona and Indiana are both in an NCAA regional final for the first time.
Davis' jumper gives Arkansas 72-70 win over Oral Roberts
(AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)INDIANAPOLIS โ Davonte Davis hit a short jumper with 2.9 seconds left, and Arkansas advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in 26 years with a 72-70 win over Oral Roberts in the South Region semifinals Saturday night. 15 seed to reach the Elite Eight, Oral Roberts stumbled with a series of turnovers and missed shots. Oral Roberts knew it had a chance to top it against the Razorbacks after playing them earlier in the season. Oral Roberts led by 10 at halftime in Fayetteville on Dec. 20 before Arkansas bullied the Golden Eagles in the second half for an 87-76 win. Arkansas chipped the lead down to four midway through and finally caught, then passed, the Golden Eagles into the Elite Eight.
Smith, Arkansas hold off Texas Tech 68-66 in NCAA 2nd round
Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 20 points for Texas Tech (18-11), which struggled with its shot for a long stretch only to regain its touch right as Arkansas seemed poised to pull away. The Red Raiders climbed back with an 11-0 run, which included Chibuzo Agbo banking in a straightaway 3-pointer to bring Texas Tech within 58-57 with 5:30 left. AdThe Red Raiders โ finalists in the 2019 tournament โ also had two late chances to take the lead in the final 2 minutes. โObviously kind of a classic NCAA Tournament game,โ Texas Tech coach Chris Beard said. Smith had 29 points in that one, then came through again by making 9 of 11 shots with six rebounds against the defensive-minded Red Raiders.
The Latest: Appleby cleared to play for Florida
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)The Latest on the second round of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):___7:45 p.m.Florida guard Tyree Appleby has been cleared to play and was in the starting lineup for No. 1 seed in the second round for a third time, joining the 2000 team against Arizona and the 2017 squad against Villanova. Sister Jean Delores Schmidt gave an inspirational pregame prayer to her Loyola Chicago team before the eighth-seeded Ramblers met top-seeded Illinois in Sundayโs second round. UCLA and Abilene Christian face off Monday, assuring that at least one double-digit seed will reach the Sweet 16. This is the first time four teams seeded 13th or worse made it to the second round.
LSU upsets No. 8 Arkansas 78-71 to reach SEC tourney final
Arkansas (22-6) snapped a 12-game SEC winning streak that tied the program record set by the 1993-94 team that also ended in the SEC Tournament in the semifinals. Losing hurts every time regardless, and we really wanted this game.โThe Razorbacks came in leading the SEC with 82.8 points a game. LSU took advantage after Arkansas guard Davonte Davis made a pair of free throws with 11:42 left tying it up at 52. The Tigers LSU reeled off 12 straight points to take the lead for good, and Gaines capped the spurt with a layup with 7:25 left. "I thought he played a really, really good floor game.
The Latest: Sharks back at practice, play Sat night vs Blues
San Jose Sharks defenseman Brent Burns, center, celebrates with teammates Patrick Marleau (12) and Mario Ferraro (38) after scoring a goal against Minnesota Wild during the first period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, Feb. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The San Jose Sharks have returned to practice and are set to play the St. Louis Blues as scheduled on Saturday night after having one game postponed because a player tested positive for the coronavirus. Tomas Hertl was placed on the COVID-19 list on Wednesday, leading to the team canceling practice that day and postponing Thursdayโs game against Vegas. With no other players or staff testing positive since then, the Sharks were allowed to return to practice Friday and will host St. Louis the next night. ___The Atlantic Coast Conference will expand use of KINEXON SafeTag contact tracing devices by equipping players, coaches and Tier 1 personnel for its upcoming menโs and womenโs basketball tournaments.
No. 20 Arkansasโ big run flusters No. 6 Alabama
โ It had been nearly a quarter-century since Arkansas had played a ranked team at home, let alone beaten one there. 20 Arkansas ended both those droughts Wednesday night, beating sixth-ranked Alabama, 81-66. Arkansas hasnโt lost an SEC game since. Arkansasโ big run clearly flustered Alabama, resulting in Petty picking up a technical foul after arguing a no-call with 6:55 left. AdBIG PICTUREAlabama still sits comfortably atop the SEC standings with a two-game lead over the next closest team, Arkansas.
PHCC starts wrestling program seeking homegrown talent
Martinsville, Va. Patrick Henry Community College made the spring announcement that they were developing a wrestling program. The Patriots have been moving forward with recruiting for NJCAA competition, and with a pair of local coaches on board., they plan to build the program with homegrown talent. Or were an hour away from another wrestling program, or two hours away from another wrestling program. And were right on the North Carolina line, Head coach Justin Smith said." Former Franklin County head wrestling coach Justin Smith and Cave Spring head coach Tim Nininger are building the new program at PHCC.