Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Late Monday night, we learned that Major League Baseball is looking at Phoenix, Arizona, and its spring training ballparks as a possible site for jump-starting the season as soon as May.
And on Tuesday, MLB confirmed that it has discussed the idea but has not settled on that option just yet.
Late Monday night, we learned that Major League Baseball is looking at Phoenix, Arizona, and its spring training ballparks as a possible site for jump-starting the season as soon as May.
And on Tuesday, MLB confirmed that it has discussed the idea but has not settled on that option just yet.
While it improved from an injury-riddled 2018-19 season, it’s unlikely Notre Dame would have made the 2020 NCAA tournament as aN at-large.
While it improved from an injury-riddled 2018-19 season, it’s unlikely Notre Dame would have made the 2020 NCAA tournament as an at-large team had it taken place. The Irish will take help however they can, and if a Monday report from 247Sports is any indication, help might come in a couple of years.
Santa Clara guard Trey Wertz has listed Notre Dame as one of 11 schools on his short list of schools he would like to transfer to. The Irish made the cut from an initial round of over 40 schools. They’ll have to battle it out with ACC rivals Virginia, North Carolina and NC State for Wertz’s services. Rounding out the list of finalists are Ohio State, Butler, Oklahoma, Arizona, Stanford, Vanderbilt, and Xavier.
Wertz averaged 11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists a game this past season while shooting 40.0 percent from 3-point range. It was a slight dip from the year before, in which he averaged 12.2 points and 4.7 assists a game and made the WCC All-Freshman Team.
The COVID-19 pandemic will make it difficult for Wertz to make visits, so it’s likely Notre Dame will have to rely on reputation alone to win him over. The inability for recruits to make visits during this crisis has hampered the entire athletic program, though the same could be said for other schools, too. If there’s one thing Notre Dame has going for it in this case, it’s that the university is closer to Wertz’s hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. Hey, anything is worth a shot to gain an advantage in this race.
Wisconsin stands tall again
To be sure, there was plenty of pressure on the Wisconsin Badgers to win the 2015 West Regional final in Los Angeles. It was known that this was going to be the last rodeo in the NCAA Tournament for Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky, two gifted stars who gave the Badgers their best and most formidable team of all time. This was Wisconsin’s first — and still only — No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. With such an achievement comes a great responsibility to live up to the billing. Wisconsin was not going to have nearly as good a team in the following season. Regardless of the off-court drama involving Bo Ryan in the 2015-2016 season — which wasn’t foremost on anyone’s mind in late March of 2015 — the Badgers knew they would enter a less certain, less powerful phase of their existence as soon as the 2015 NCAA Tournament ended. There was plenty of pressure on that 2015 group to maximize its abilities.
Yet, for all the pressure which rested on the Badgers’ shoulders in that 2015 Elite Eight game, the Arizona Wildcats carried more. This is rather obvious.
Wisconsin crossed the threshold one year earlier in Anaheim, beating Arizona in a 1-versus-2 Elite Eight showdown in Southern California. Wisconsin snapped a long Final Four drought (14 years). Bo Ryan got to the Final Four. The program didn’t have to wander in the wilderness anymore.
Arizona, on the other hand, had not made a Final Four since 2001. By losing to Wisconsin in 2014, this reunion in 2015 threw a massive amount of pressure on the Wildcats’ shoulders. They had to restore Arizona’s legacy. They had to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2001. They had to get revenge for the 2014 loss. Sure, Wisconsin faced a lot of pressure, but Arizona had to deal with more.
That was precisely the challenge for the Badgers, then: They had to play a high-stakes game against a team which had waited a full year to get back to the Elite Eight and get it right the second time around. The fact that Arizona got to face Wisconsin — the same team it lost to in the 2014 Elite Eight — only figured to sharpen the Wildcats’ resolve that much more. Wisconsin played a familiar and supremely motivated opponent. As was the case in 2014, playing the game in Southern California — in front of Arizona’s very large alumni base — didn’t make this game especially comfortable for UW.
It didn’t matter.
Wisconsin built an 11-point lead with 8:45 left in regulation and maintained a working margin over the next several minutes. UW still led by eight, 76-68, with 2:30 left. A slight measure of drama entered Staples Center when Arizona’s Gabe York hit a 3-pointer to trim UW’s lead to five, at 76-71, but Sam Dekker said, “I got this.” He splashed a three to build Wisconsin’s lead back to eight. A minute later, when Arizona once again crept within five, Dekker hit one more three to bury the Wildcats for good. Wisconsin had not only defeated Arizona again, it had won much more decisively than in 2014.
It played like the No. 1 seed it was. The Badgers made Final Fours in consecutive seasons for the first time in their history. Dekker and Kaminsky combined for 56 points and affirmed their greatness on a supremely large scale.
The next stop for this Badger bunch: Kentucky in Indianapolis.
We might have a thing or two to say about that game later this week.
The upset of Arizona in 2000
The Wisconsin Badgers celebrated a trip to the Final Four in the 2000 NCAA Tournament when they defeated the Purdue Boilermakers in the West Regional Final, but in order for Wisconsin to have the opportunity to reach the Final Four, they had to get to the Elite Eight first… and that required going through the No. 1 seed in the region.
Wisconsin played the Arizona Wildcats on the first weekend of the 2000 Big Dance. The Wildcats had won a national title three years earlier, in 1997. They were a No. 1 seed in 1998. Wisconsin, under Dick Bennett, was a little ol’ No. 8 seed given very little chance to reach the Final Four.
Yet, if you remember, the 2000 NCAA Tournament was a Dance made for underdogs. Wisconsin was able to join the parade of rebellious lower-seeded teams who triumphed in March of that year.
Fifth-seeded Florida knocked off top-seeded Duke and won the East Region. Eighth-seeded North Carolina knocked off top-seeded Stanford and won the South Region. Wisconsin didn’t want to be left out, but the Badgers had to take down Arizona to make a Final Four dream a distinct possibility. Wisconsin had to escape Salt Lake City in order to earn a plane ticket to Albuquerque for the West Regional and a Sweet 16 date with LSU.
The Badgers were up to the task, and they showed they were worthy at the defensive end of the floor.
The man in the photo attached to this story is Mike Kelley. He is shown in a press conference before the Wisconsin-Ohio State game on February 9 of this year. That was the game in which the 2000 Final Four team celebrated its 20th anniversary at the Kohl Center.
Kelley didn’t score the most points for the Badgers against Arizona — that honor went to Mark Vershaw, who scored 15 points — but he collected five steals on a day when Wisconsin nabbed 10 steals from a flustered, confused Arizona backcourt. Wisconsin forced 17 turnovers and held Arizona to 39-percent field goal shooting. The end result was not just a victory (as though that wasn’t a huge feat in its own right); Wisconsin became the first and only team to hold Arizona under 60 points in the 1999-2000 college basketball season.
This was a defensive clinic from Dick Bennett’s Badgers. It came at the right time during a run which transformed Wisconsin basketball history and reshaped the Badgers’ sense of what they could achieve as a program.
Former Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is exchanging Niagra Falls and Bills Mafia for the desert and the Red Sea.
NFL free agency officially opens on Wednesday, but teams and players can agree to terms before putting pen to paper.
Former Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips is exchanging Niagra Falls and Bills Mafia for the desert and the Red Sea.
Free agent #Bills DT Jordan Phillips is headed to the #AZCardinals , source said, on a 3-year deal.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 17, 2020
Phillips, drafted in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft by Miami, will be venturing outside of the AFC East for the first time in his career. With three and a half seasons with the Dolphins before being traded to the Bills four games into the 2018 season, Phillips is coming off the best season of his career.
In 2019, Phillips split starts with Bills rookie Ed Oliver. Getting nine of the 16 starts over Oliver, Phillips made the most of his time in the trenches securing 9.5 sacks, nearly doubling his career total.
In 35 starts and 76 games played Phillips has racked up 113 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, 33 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and an interception.
Details regarding Phillips’ deal have yet to be released, but the contract is reportedly set for three years.
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Analyzing the 2020 Pac-12 Tournament odds and futures, with sports betting picks, tips and best bets.
The 2020 Pac-12 Conference Tournament starts Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The tournament features four games Wednesday, and four more battles Thursday. The Oregon Ducks earned the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, while UCLA, Arizona State and USC also secured first-round byes as the next three top seeds. Below, we look at the futures odds to win the Pac-12 tournament, which has eight teams tipping off the action Wednesday.
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday, March 11 at 10:20 a.m. ET.
Regular season record: (24-7, 13-5 Pac-12)
The Ducks were the class of the Pac-12, scratching out a regular-season conference title. While that’s all well and good, they were a perfect 17-0 at home, but just 7-7 in their 14 games either on the road or on a neutral-site court. Oregon rolls into the tourney on a 4-0 straight up and against the spread run, and they’re 6-1 SU/ATS across their past seven games, with only a loss at Arizona State in the mix.
Get some action on this event or others by placing a bet at BetMGM.
G Payton Pritchard is a stud, rolling up 20.5 points and 5.5 assists per game this season. The Ducks are among the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, hitting at a 39.6% clip from behind the arc.
The FAVORITE IS WORTH A BET AT +175, as Oregon is playing better ball than anyone in the conference.
Regular-season record: (20-11, 10-8 Pac-12)
The Wildcats have rather short odds considering they stumbled hard down the stretch. Arizona dropped four of its final five regular-season games, also going 1-4 ATS during the run.
There is just no value here, as the Wildcats are ice cold. ARIZONA IS A TERRIBLE PLAY AT +340, AVOID.
Regular-season record: (21-10, 10-8 Pac-12)
The Buffaloes were at or near the top of the Pac-12 standings all season, but they ended the campaign on a four-game skid, and they failed to cover in five straight and eight of their final nine games. Confidence is EXTREMELY low they’ll win one game in the tourney, let alone a championship. AVOID.
Regular-season record: (19-12, 12-6 Pac-12)
The Bruins really got their act together down the stretch, winning seven in a row before losing a defensive nail-biter at USC in the regular-season finale. The Bruins might need a win to feel more confident on Selection Sunday, and it’s possible this team is one of the First Four teams. A conference title would go a long way in seeding, and they’re playing the second-best basketball of anyone in the conference besides Oregon. A SMALL-UNIT PLAY AT +600 IS WARRANTED.
Regular-season record: (20-11, 11-7 Pac-12)
The Sun Devils dropped three in a row at UCLA, at USC and at home against lowly Washington, splashing cold water on their momentum after a seven-game winning streak from Feb. 1-22. The Sun Devils are a very mediocre team who will be NIT-bound barring a championship. It’s not happening. AVOID.
Regular-season record: (22-9, 11-7 Pac-12)
The Trojans are a tremendous sleeper most people give little credit. They rattled off a three-game winning streak against Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA to close out the season, and if you’re looking for a mid-tier value, they’re it. They lost their only meeting against Oregon in Eugene Jan. 23, but they took the Ducks to overtime before falling 79-70. USC IS A TREMENDOUS VALUE WITH UPSIDE AT +1200.
Regular-season record: (20-11, 9-9 Pac-12)
The Cardinal split the season series with Oregon, they split with Colorado and they also had a win at UCLA, while losing an OT thriller at USC. Stanford has a strong defense, and it slows it down with a methodical offense. The Cardinal are a good 3-point shooting team when they do hoist them up, and they’re accurate from the floor. A SMALL-UNIT PLAY AT +1500 ISN’T A WASTE OF MONEY.
Regular-season record: (17-13, 7-11 Pac-12)
The Beavers topped the top-seeded Ducks by a 63-53 count, but could they do it in Vegas? They were swept by Arizona State, but played them tough, too. The Beavers can hang around and be a pain, but they’re likely one-and-done after running out of steam in the second half. AVOID.
Regular-season record: (15-16, 5-13 Pac-12)
Washington stunned Arizona State and Arizona on the road to close out the regular season, and has the talent to give anyone fits, but can they go 4-for-4 to win a title? Nah. AVOID.
Regular-season record: (16-14, 7-11 Pac-12)
The Utes ended the season on a high note, adding to Colorado’s woes. They upset USC Feb. 23, but they also lost to California, and were dusted by Oregon State. Utah is too inconsistent, thus the long odds. AVOID.
Regular-season record: (15-16, 6-12 Pac-12)
The Cougs closed the season on a 1-6 SU/3-4 ATS run in the final seven regular-season games. They have wins against Arizona State, Oregon and UCLA this season, but they were also swept by Cal and Stanford. AVOID.
Regular-season record: (13-18, 7-11 Pac-12)
The Bears won just three of their final 10 games, and they closed out the season with a 24-point loss in Oregon and 18-point loss in Oregon State. There’s a reason they have the worst odds. They’re skidding hard. AVOID.
Want some action on this tournament? Place a bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
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The following list gives a picture of the top women’s golf teams in terms of NCAA Women’s Championship titles won.
There are very few “dynasties” in women’s college golf. When it comes to national championships, however, one thing is certain: The addition of match play at the NCAA Women’s Championship in 2015 brings more teams into the mix.
The following list gives a picture of the top teams’ postseason prowess. Arizona State and Duke, with eight and seven national titles, respectively, top the list.
The NCAA only documents national champions since the 1982 season. Beginning in 1971, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women governed women’s college athletics and administered the national championship. The AIAW, as it was known, discontinued sponsorship of national championships after the 1981-82 academic year and was later dissolved. Before the AIAW’s formation, the Division for Girls’ and Women’s Sports organized women’s intercollegiate championships.
The following list mentions AIAW titles, when they are notable, but only NCAA titles make up each school’s official championship count for the purposes of this list.
Number of titles: Eight
Years won: 2017, 2009, 1998, 1997, 1995, 1994, 1993, 1990 (plus the 1975 AIAW)
Notable past players: Joanne Carner, Heather Farr, Danielle Ammaccapane, Pearl Sinn, Amy Fruhwirth, Brandie Burton, Emilee Klein, Grace Park, Anna Nordqvist, Azahara Munoz
There’s no doubt that a perfect golf formula is at work at Arizona State, from great courses to phenomenal weather to alumni support that’s both deep and visible. A strong Sun Devil history dates all the way to the 1950s when JoAnne (Gunderson) Carner became the first American woman to earn a college golf scholarship and was the first Sun Devil national champ in 1960 (though that pre-dates the NCAA). An enormous amount of credit, however, goes to Linda Vollstedt, a brilliant coach who transformed the program in the 1980s and ’90s.
Former Oklahoma defensive coordinator and secondary coach, Mike Stoops is joining Mark Stoops’ Kentucky staff.
Former Oklahoma defensive coordinator and secondary coach, Mike Stoops is joining Mark Stoops’ Kentucky staff.
Per FootballScoop, Mike Stoops will be in charge of the Wildcats’ secondary alongside current Kentucky special teams and secondary coach, Steve Clinkscale.
Previously an intern and analyst for Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama, Stoops had two stops at Oklahoma while his older brother, Bob was the head ball coach for the Sooners.
From 1999 to 2003 Mike was the associate head coach, co-defensive coordinator, and defensive backs coach at Oklahoma before taking the head coaching gig at Arizona, leaving before the Sooners’ national championship game against LSU in the Sugar Bowl.
Following eight seasons at Arizona, Stoops came back to Norman, Okla., to assume the defensive coordinator role alongside coaching defensive backs and being named associate head coach once again.
Stoops was retained by Lincoln Riley after Bob Stoops announced his retirement prior to the 2017 season, but was fired following the 2018 48-45 loss to Texas in the Red River Rivalry.
Kentucky finished 8-5 last season and kick-off the 2020 campaign against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 5.
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What’s better than spring training baseball? How about a little golf on top courses before catching a game in the Cactus or Grapefruit leagues? Both Arizona and Florida, the annual homes to Major League Baseball’s spring training, are full of great …
What’s better than spring training baseball? How about a little golf on top courses before catching a game in the Cactus or Grapefruit leagues? Both Arizona and Florida, the annual homes to Major League Baseball’s spring training, are full of great courses.
Arizona might have an upper hand, as so many of the state’s top courses are clustered near the Phoenix area, the hub of spring training there. It’s entirely possible to play a quick, early-morning round, then catch a game in the afternoon.
The baseball is more spread out in Florida, with games stretching from the Tampa area, down the southwest coast and all the way across to the Atlantic coast. Some of the best golf, such as TPC Sawgrass, isn’t very close to spring training, but for fans driving south to catch a few games, there is plenty of great golf along the way.
Check out the top-ranked courses in each state to see where golf might best mix with any baseball plans. The members of our course-ratings panel continually evaluate courses and rate them based on our 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce a final rating for each course. Then each course is ranked against other courses in its state to produce the final rankings.
Spring training games begin Feb. 21.
Previewing Thursday’s Arizona Wildcats at Oregon Ducks sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks and tips.
The Arizona Wildcats (11-3, 1-0 Pac-12) and Oregon Ducks (12-3, 1-1 Pac-12) lock horns at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene at 9 p.m. ET Thursday. We analyze the Arizona-Oregon odds and betting lines, while providing college basketball betting tips and advice on this matchup.
The Ducks are ranked ninth in the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll. The Wildcats are ranked 24th.
1. Arizona ranks eighth in the nation with 83.1 points per game (PPG) and 10th in field-goal percentage at 49.1. Defensively, the Wildcats have held the opposition to a 36.9 field-goal percentage, ranking 12th in the country.
2. Oregon isn’t as prolific offensively, ranking 41st in the country with 78.5 PPG. However, the Ducks are 11th in field-goal percentage (49.0) and seventh in 3-point percentage (39.9).
3. G Payton Pritchard does it all, leading Oregon in points (18.7) and assists (5.9). For Arizona, it’s F Zeke Nnaji, who leads in points (16.6), rebounds (8.1), field-goal percentage (69.1) and blocked shots (1.1).
Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:45 a.m. ET.
Oregon 81, Arizona 75
Back OREGON (-161) to win outright at home. There’s better value on the spread, but this is still a fine play with a $10 bet returning a profit of $6.20.
OREGON (-3, -110) is the play on home court, and Arizona (+3, -110) can be a little suspect on defense. The Wildcats are also 1-8 ATS in the past nine games on the road, and just 2-6 ATS in the past eight games overall.
For the Ducks, they’re 22-4 ATS in the past 26 games overall, and 25-10 ATS in the past 35 games at home, while going 20-6 ATS in the past 26 against winning teams. Oregon is a slam-dunk play, so enjoy!
OVER 142.5 (-110) is worth a look, as both of these teams have tremendous stars who can score the basketball early and often.
The Over is also 6-2 in Arizona’s past eight against winning teams, while hitting in four of the past five at home for Oregon. The Over is also 8-2-1 in the past 11 overall for the Ducks, and 6-2 in the past eight against winning sides.
Oregon and the Over makes for a nice little parlay.
Want some action in this one? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.
Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.
Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.
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