Sports
- Cyclones take out defending champ UConn 77-64 (Yahoo! Sports)
The national champions are one and done, thanks to Iowa State. When Jim Calhoun and Connecticut will be back in the NCAA tournament is anybody’s guess. “We’re talking about tonight’s game. We’re not talking about me,” Calhoun said after Iowa State’s 77-64 victory over Connecticut in the NCAA tournament Thursday night.
- Trail Blazers fire Nate McMillan, release Oden (Yahoo! Sports)Nate McMillan came to Portland in 2005 with a mission to rebuild the Trail Blazers into a Western Conference contender and repair the once-proud franchise’s tattered image with its adoring fan base. The dignity and respect have largely been restored, but the division titles and playoff successes have proven more difficult to come by.
- Crosby’s return a hit on Broadway as Pens top NYR (Yahoo! Sports)
Sidney Crosby was on the ice for three of Pittsburgh’s five goals, and defenseman Kris Letang was out there for all of them. The Penguins are suddenly the picture of health, and the NHL’s hottest team is making the Eastern Conference playoff race a fight to the finish. Crosby returned from a 40-game absence caused by concussion symptoms, and Letang rejoined the lineup after missing the past…
- Wizards acquire Nene from Nuggets (Yahoo! Sports)George Karl was sad to see his big man traded away for more reasons than just his contribution on the court. Nene also helped the Denver Nuggets’ coach through his battle with cancer two years ago. “There’s a connection there that I hope I will always have with him,” Karl said. The Nuggets sent the talented yet often-injured Nene to Washington in a three-team deal Thursday, with…
- VCU defeats Wichita State 62-59 to advance (Yahoo! Sports)
Shaka Smart and Co. pulled off the first major surprise of the NCAA tournament. Yup, VCU is back again. Bradford Burgess hit a key 3-pointer with 1:33 left and the 12th-seeded Rams held off Wichita State 62-59 on Thursday night. Smart was one of the tournament’s biggest stars last year when he coached VCU to victories over Georgetown, Purdue, Florida State and Kansas, making the Rams just the…
- Syracuse avoids being first No. 1 to lose to 16 (Yahoo! Sports)Syracuse was missing its starting center. North Carolina-Asheville thought the Orange got help from three men in striped shirts. With Syracuse facing the kind of NCAA tournament history no team wants to make, the top-seeded Orange rallied for a 72-65 victory Thursday in the second round of the East Regional.
- Woods says he’ll be at Masters (Yahoo! Sports)Tiger Woods plans to return to practice this week after mildly straining his left Achilles tendon in a tournament on Sunday and says he will be at the Masters. Woods withdrew from the final round of the Cadillac Championship at Doral with what he described as tightness in his Achilles tendon. The next day, he said doctors told him it was a mild sprain.
- Blazers waive former No. 1 pick Oden (Yahoo! Sports)The Trail Blazers have waived center Greg Oden, ending the former No. 1 overall pick’s disappointing career in Portland. Oden was limited to just 82 games by injuries since the Blazers took him over Kevin Durant with the first selection in the 2007 draft. He recently underwent his third microfracture knee surgery, the second on his left to go with one on the right.
- Bills sign free-agent DE Williams to 6-year deal (Yahoo! Sports)New England quarterback Tom Brady might want to watch his back. The Jets’ Mark Sanchez, too. After spending the past six seasons harassing quarterbacks for the Houston Texans, defensive end Mario Williams — one of the NFL’s top pass-rushers — has found new motivation in a whopping contract and a new home in the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills.
