Las Vegas – Syndication Server

Former Notre Dame guard wins NBA Cup with Milwaukee Bucks

Congrats, Pat!

Former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] won the 2021 NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks. Four seasons later, his role with the Bucks has greatly diminished. However, he still is collecting hardware with them.

The Bucks defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 97-81, in Las Vegas to win the 2024 NBA Cup, culminating the second such competition. So Connaughton now has two different championships since arriving in Milwaukee.

Connaughton had not played in 10 of the Bucks’ past 12 games, a consequence of falling out of the Bucks’ rotation. However, he did log over 12 minutes of playing time in this game. He missed his lone shot, a 3-point attempt, but recorded an assist, and he’s done at least once in every game he’s played in this season.

It’s hard to tell what the future holds for Connaughton, who turns 32 in early January and has only one year left on his contract. At least he’ll have this highlight this season.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Short golf course near Las Vegas strip is closed, new operator hopes to re-open soon

The course, designed by Robert Cupp, was previously known as the TaylorMade Golf Experience, and sits on 42 acres.

A short, lighted golf course within view of the Las Vegas strip and the Harry Reid International Airport has shut down, but a new owner is hoping to reopen within weeks, according to a report.

The Las Vegas Golf Center canceled its lease with the airport and has shut down operations.

The course, designed by Robert Cupp, was previously known as the TaylorMade Golf Experience, and sits on 42 acres.

More: Golfweek’s Best Top 25 public-access short, par-3 and non-traditional courses

According to a story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the new operator is hoping to have the establishment back up in running soon, but there are no concrete plans as of now.

An airport spokeswoman said a request for proposals would be issued for a new tenant.

The airport acquired the land at the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Sunset Road in 2023 for $135 million. The acreage, previously owned by Urban Land Investment, falls within the airport’s runway protection zone.

Airport officials have discussed developing one of two multimodal centers in a massive airport expansion and modernization project farther south of the golf course near Hidden Well Road.

Aside from the short course, a 113-stall two-tier driving range with both synthetic and natural turf hitting areas sits near a putting and short-game area.

Photos of Notre Dame men’s basketball loss to Creighton in Las Vegas

See how the Irish concluded their time in Sin City.

Notre Dame’s appearance in the inaugural Players Era Festival in Las Vegas could have gone a lot better. Not only did it lose all three games, including an 80-76 decision to Creighton on the final day, but [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] suffered a knee injury in the first contest that will keep him out for an undetermined amount of weeks. One can’t help but think Sin City would have been kinder to the Irish had that not happened.

That said, the Irish were in every single game up until the end or close to it, including against a ranked Houston team. That’s encouraging for a team that was missing its best player almost the entire time. While we don’t know if things will get any better without that player, it’s nice to see that there’s enough available talent to at least keep games exciting.

Here are some photos of the Irish in action during this loss to the Bluejays:

Notre Dame men’s basketball doomed by poor shooting in loss to Houston

Another late night, another loss in Vegas.

When the Notre Dame men’s basketball team looks back on this season, it can proud of it played No. 6 Houston. While it resulted in a 65-54 defeat during the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, it was a testament to how the Irish could respond to adversity.

[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] was ruled out indefinitely with a knee injury earlier in the day. But that didn’t mean the Irish (4-3) just folded against the Cougars (4-2). In fact, their biggest deficit didn’t come until the very end of the game, which shows they were in it almost the entire time.

The problem for the Irish was that they shot 38.8% from the floor, making only 19 field goals. Over eight minutes elapsed between field goals at one point in the second half. It also didn’t help that the Cougars used their suffocating defense to score 11 points off 12 Irish turnovers.

Emanuel Sharp led the Cougars with 17 points. Milos Uzan scored 10 points and finished within an assist of a double-double.

Terrance Arceneaux had 13 points off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting. That alone was a far better showing than the entire Irish bench, which collectively was shut out in this game while missing all three field-goal attempts.

[autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] led all scorers with 22 points and tied for the game high with eight rebounds. Although [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] scored 16 points, he shot 4 of 13 from 3-point range, perhaps an indicator that he’s trying to make up for Burton’s absence.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Notre Dame can’t overcome loss of Burton, falls to Rutgers in overtime

This will sting in more ways than one.

The Notre Dame men’s basketball team will remember its first game of the Players Era Festival for a lot of reasons. Unfortunately, it won’t be for a victory it lost an 85-84 overtime thriller to Rutgers in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] was lost to a knee injury early in the game, and it’s unknown how serious it is right now. If he’s lost for a long period, it could derail the Irish’s season.

But even without him, the Irish (4-2) engaged in what became a back-and-forth affair with the Scarlet Knights (5-1), featuring 10 ties and 16 lead changes. It only was appropriate that [autotag]Matt Allocco[/autotag] hit a game-tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime.

The Knights appeared to have the game won when they went up six with 57.3 seconds left. Instead, Allocco made 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to tie score at 84. The Irish suddenly had a shot at double overtime.

However, [autotag]Cole Certa[/autotag] lost track of the situation and immediately fouled future NBA first-round pick Dylan Harper, who split two free throws to put the Knights back up one. After a pair of Irish timeouts with 3.8 seconds on the clock, Allocco fired up a prayer from 3-point range for a last-second heroic, but he missed, and the Irish had suffered a tough defeat.

Harper set the freshman scoring high for college basketball so far this season with 36 points and also dished out a game-high six assists. Jordan Derkack scored 16 points off the bench. Jerem Williams scored 10, as did future NBA first-round pick Ace Bailey.

Allocco played the entire game and achieved a double-double of 24 points, which included six 3-pointers, and 10 rebounds. He also led the Irish with five assists.

[autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] scored 16 points but shot 6 of 20 from the field, including 3 of 13 from 3-point range. [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] had 15 points but committed a game-high seven turnovers.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Notre Dame standout guard Markus Burton leaves game with knee injury

Losing him long-term would be a brutal blow to the Irish.

(This story has been updated to correct a typo.)

Disaster struck for Notre Dame only a few minutes into its Players Era Festival opener against Rutgers in Las Vegas. As standout guard [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] drove to the basket for a short field goal, he fell down, and Scarlet Knights forward Emmanuel Ogbole landed on his knee.

Burton got up but clearly was in pain and headed for the bench, then to the locker room. When he reemerged, he was out of his uniform and in his sweatsuit with his leg elevated on a chair. It was a clear indication that he would not return to the game.

Burton was last year’s ACC Rookie of the Year and entered this game second in the ACC in scoring with 21.4 points a game. He also leads the Irish in assists (5.2), steals (1.6) and minutes (33.2).

Burton’s absence hurt the Irish’s chances against the Knights, but it could be disastrous for the team if he’s out for an extended period. Hopefully, that’s not the case. Keep reading here for any updates.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Prock sets single-season qualifying record in Funny Car at Las Vegas

Funny Car points leader Austin Prock broke John Force’s record for most No. 1 qualifiers in a single season on Saturday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, powering to his 14th top spot of the year at the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals. Brittany Force (Top Fuel), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also qualified No. 1 in the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

Prock just missed a track E.T. record on Saturday in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS, going 3.817-seconds at 327.98 mph to secure his 14th No. 1 position in 19 races for John Force Racing.

It was a thrilling moment for Prock, who has seven wins this season, and it has a chance to be an event bigger weekend for the points leader. He’ll open eliminations against Tim Gibbons on Sunday, with a chance to also clinch his first career Funny Car world championship. Prock will take a 148-point lead over Jack Beckman into Sunday. If he finishes three rounds ahead of Beckman, he will clinch the championship in Las Vegas.

“It’s really special for the team, my dad, Thomas, and Nate Hildahl have been doing a great job,” Prock said. “I don’t really feel it’s fair that I get all the glory. Those are the guys that made it happen. They gave me a great race car to drive all 14 of those races, and I’m really happy to get the job done for them.

“We have a great car. We have one of the best cars on the property right now, and we have a potential to do really good tomorrow. The job’s not finished. We’re close, but there’s a long ways to go, so we just have to keep fighting. I’ve been driving really good this weekend and they’ve been doing a great job tuning so we just got to do that tomorrow.”

Beckman made a strong run in the final session under the lights, going a career-best 3.821 at 330.47 to qualify second. Paul Lee took third after going 3.845 at 327.35.

Force went even quicker on Saturday, securing a double-up in qualifying for John Force Racing with a pass of 3.660 at 334.98 in her Chevrolet Accessories dragster. It also handed Force her fifth top spot of the season – and the third in the past four races – and the 51st in her career, and the two-time world champion made a pair of stellar runs on Saturday.

That bodes well for Sunday, as Force looks for her first win since the 2022 campaign. She’ll open eliminations against Josh Hart, looking for yet another Las Vegas triumph. Force dipped into the 3.60s three times in qualifying and with favorable temperatures on Sunday, the standout would love to have four runs in that range during eliminations.

“David Grubnic, John Collins, this entire Chevrolet team we’re very happy with our performance this weekend,” Force said. “We qualified No. 1 and three out of the four runs we got down there in the .60s, so that’s pretty outstanding. That’s what our team used to do, so we’re definitely getting back to our older team.

“After not getting this team to a winner’s circle, now two years, and to do it here at a racetrack where we’ve had success, would be great. I have a lot of good memories here, not just wins, but No. 1 qualifiers, watching my sisters win here, my dad win here, so to get a win here, that’s what we’re chasing now. We’ve been chasing a win all season long. We have two races left our team. All we want to do is get to that winner’s circle. My dad’s here this weekend, so I know we’re all fighting for that.”

Shawn Langdon qualified second with a 3.672 at 328.30 in the final session under the lights, while defending world champion Doug Kalitta made a big move in the fourth session, qualifying third with a 3.674 at 334.57. Points leader Justin Ashley qualified seventh and will take a 44-point lead into raceday over Antron Brown and a 65-point advantage over Langdon, who gained 11 points in qualifying.

In Pro Stock, Greg Anderson enjoyed an even better day in what he has deemed a must-win weekend, going even quicker as he clinched the No. 1 qualifying spot with a run of 6.596 at 206.89 in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. That came during the opening session on Saturday, giving the five-time champ his seventh No. 1 spot this season and 131st in his career.

It has a chance to be a great weekend for the winningest driver in class history on Sunday, but Anderson will need to go four rounds for that to be the case. He’ll start raceday against Chris McGaha, looking for his first win since April. More importantly, it’s a chance to track down KB Titan Racing teammate and points leader Dallas Glenn, who will open raceday with a 48-point advantage over Aaron Stanfield and 84 points more than Anderson, who made up six points in qualifying.

“We made three great runs before the last one so my race car in on point,” Anderson said. “Tomorrow is going to be a hell of a battle. This late in the year the intensity is ratcheted up and by the end of the day, my season will either be alive or over. I like pressure. I live for these moments and I need four 20-point rounds tomorrow to stay in this. When I wake up, I hope I feel like an 18-year old kid and I hope I drive like one.

“It’s so much tougher to win now. There are 16 cars qualified and it wouldn’t be a shock to see any of them win. Right now, [the competition] is the best it’s ever been and it’s great to be a part of it.”

David Cuadra secured the second spot with a run of 6.605 at 206.51 and Stanfield took third after a run of 6.609 at 205.66. Points leader Glenn qualified fifth.

Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Gaige Herrera made a strong move on Saturday as he looks to get closer to a second straight world championship, taking the No. 1 position with a run of 6.813 at 198.20 on his RevZilla/Mission Foods/Vance & Hines Suzuki. That gives the points leader his ninth No. 1 qualifier of the season and his 23rd over the past two seasons. He made the quickest run in both sessions on Saturday, taking back any advantage Matt Smith had on Friday.

Herrera will open eliminations against Kahea Woods, adding to his points lead on Saturday. He’s now 63 points ahead of Smith and the two standouts could be headed for a final-round showdown in Las Vegas on Sunday.

“We struggled a bit yesterday with an engine malfunction in Q2, so when we came out this morning and ran 6.81 I was a little shocked,” Herrera said. “That run actually felt slow. We did score some little [qualifying] points. We gained one point on Matt and that’s big.

“We always say we don’t count points and I try not to take it too seriously but at the end of the day, we all want that grand prize. It’s hard to block out but your do your best. I’ve been enjoying this year a lot more than last. I’m trying to have fun and the championship is a bonus at the end of it.”

M. Smith qualified second with a 6.822 at 198.70 and Angie Smith took third after a run of 6.850 at 197.59.

Eliminations for the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals begin at 11 a.m. PT on Sunday at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

JFR grabs both nitro No. 1s in Vegas on John Force’s return to the track

With John Force returning to the track on Friday for the first time since his crash in June, team drivers Brittany Force and Austin Prock both went to the top in Top Fuel and Funny Car, respectively, securing the provisional No. 1 spots at the 24th …

Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) are also the provisional No. 1 qualifiers at the 19th of 20 races during the 2024 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season and the fifth of six races in the Countdown to the Championship playoffs.

B. Force powered to an impressive run of 3.675s at 336.74mph in her Chevrolet Accessories dragster, putting the two-time world champion in line for her fifth No. 1 qualifier of the season and 51st in her career. Las Vegas has treated the standout driver well over the years and a win this weekend would certainly be a memorable one.

“Coming into this weekend, we knew it was going to be special, because my dad had planned to come out, and I think everyone was really looking forward to seeing him, especially me,” B. Force said. “I’m so excited for him. I think it’s great for him. This is just the best medicine for him.

“We’re always excited to come back to Las Vegas where we’ve had so much success in the past. We’re really looking to close out the season strong and get into the winner’s circle for our sponsors.”

Shawn Langdon is currently second after going 3.706s at 333.74mph and reigning world champ Doug Kalitta is third with a pass of 3.707s at 330.96mph.

In Funny Car, Prock delivered a standout run of 3.843s at 333.33mph in his Cornwell Tools Chevrolet Camaro SS, as John Force Racing teammate Jack Beckman ran a stellar 3.859s at 332.43mph in the lane next to him. With J. Force looking on, the two drivers put on a thrilling side-by-side show, with Prock going to the top.

Should Prock, who held a commanding 147-point lead over Beckman heading into the weekend, qualify No. 1, he would break J. Force’s single-season record with his 14th No. 1 spot.

“That was a great way to welcome him back,” Prock said. “All three John Force Racing cars made tremendous runs and it was a good way to say, ‘Welcome back, boss.’ It’s just nice to have John back at the racetrack for the first time since Richmond. I’m glad that he’s back. I wanted to cry when I saw him this morning.

“That first run was really stout, obviously low of the session. We’ve got two more shots at it tomorrow, and conditions are going to be probably better. I don’t believe that 3.84s will hold. I think we’re going to have to improve on that”

Following Beckman in third is Ron Capps, who went 3.860s at 330.96mph.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1430]

Calling it a must-win weekend in Las Vegas, Pro Stock veteran Greg Anderson enjoyed a strong start in qualifying, taking over the No. 1 spot in the second session with a run of 6.597s at 207.02mph in his HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro. That would give Anderson seven No. 1 qualifiers this season if it holds and 131 in his career, but Anderson knows he needs a victory to stay in championship contention.

He entered the weekend third overall and 90 points back of KB Titan Racing teammate Dallas Glenn. Anderson, a five-time world champ, picked up a handful of points on Glenn on Friday, but knows he’ll need much more this weekend to stay alive.

“Without a doubt I need to win this race,” Anderson said. “That’s all I can do at this point. Even if I do win the last two races that might not be enough to get [the championship] done. Our plan is to set the ladder up so it’s favorable but there is no happy spot on a Pro Stock ladder. At least I still have a shot and that’s all you can ask for.

“Things could change if I drop the ball. If that happens, I’ll do everything I can to help Dallas with the championship. I’ll do what’s best for the KB Titan team. That pole is not safe. The conditions figure to be a little better tomorrow and it’s supposed to be overcast so it’s not safe.”

David Cuadra’s 6.605s has him second, while Aaron Stanfield’s 6.609s at 205.66mph puts him third. Glenn is in fourth after running 6.615s at 205.29mph.

Need a big result to stay in the championship hunt, Pro Stock Motorcycle’s Matt Smith couldn’t have asked for a better Friday, making the best run in both sessions on his Denso Auto Parts/Matt Smith Racing Buell, including a run of 6.822s at 198.70mph in the second session. It would be Smith’s sixth No. 1 qualifier this season, but more importantly, he gained four points on leader and defending world champ Gaige Herrera.

That puts him 58 points back of Herrera heading into Saturday and the six-time world champ will look to make another move before a likely must-win situation on Sunday in Las Vegas.

“Our mindset this weekend is to just have no bad luck because we’ve had a lot of it lately,” Smith said. “In Reading I had a bad fuel pump and then in St. Louis we lost a crank trigger and in Dallas the bike wouldn’t shift. Those are three races we should have won and that would have been 60 points. We should be leading right now so I’m not asking for good luck. I just don’t want any more bad luck.

“We never quit. I know that I’m No. 2 and we’ve got the second best bike but we’re still in this. I do see this race as must win unless Gaige has some bad luck, which hasn’t happened yet.”

Herrera, the defending event winner in Vegas, is currently second after going 6.846s at 196.99mph and Angie Smith took third with a run of 6.850s at 197.59mph.

Qualifying continues at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Duke basketball schedules a 2027 trip to Las Vegas for a game against Arizona

The Duke Blue Devils play the Arizona Wildcats and play a game in Las Vegas this fall. In November 2027, they’ll do both at the same time.

The Duke men’s basketball team will head out west again at the start of the 2027-28 season.

A Sunday announcement revealed that the Blue Devils will play the Arizona Wildcats at Allegiant Stadium, the home of the Las Vegas Raiders. That game, part of the Hall of Fame Series, is scheduled for November 12, 2027.

Duke hosted the Wildcats at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the second game of the 2023-24 season, losing 78-73 after five different Arizona players scored at least 10 points. The Blue Devils travel to Tucson for the second half of that home-and-home on November 22 in what should be the final game against former North Carolina Tar Heel Caleb Love, one of the biggest villains in program history.

Love, who transferred to the Wildcats ahead of last season, scored 11 points and added three assists and three rebounds in Arizona’s victory over Duke last year.

Duke plays a game in Las Vegas this November as well, albeit in a different stadium. The Blue Devils battle the Kansas Jayhawks, who start the season atop the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, at T-Mobile Arena on November 26.

The Jayhawks will also participate in the Hall of Fame Series in 2027, playing the Indiana Hoosiers in the other half of the doubleheader.

Notre Dame linebacker Jack Kiser named Campbell Trophy finalist

Congrats, Jack!

Notre Dame is proud of its academic reputation as well as its athletic excellence. It does its best to make sure those two things go together rather than be independent of each other. While some Irish fans think those academic standards make it difficult to attract top football talent, the university simply will not compromise itself in this way.

Case in point, Irish linebacker [autotag]Jack Kiser[/autotag] has been named one of 16 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, the college football award given to the player who best combines their on-field performance with their academic performance and community service.

Just for being named a finalist, Kiser will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship to continue his education. If he wins the award, and he’ll find out Dec. 10 at the prestigious Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, that scholarship will be bumped up to $25,000.

Knowing of the friendship between Kiser and former teammate [autotag]JD Bertrand[/autotag], a 2023 award finalist, the Irish chose to have Bertrand give Kiser the news:

Congratulations to Kiser on this wonderful honor.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89