INSIDER
At 103, Sister Jean publishes memoir of faith and basketball
Read full article: At 103, Sister Jean publishes memoir of faith and basketballShe’s known simply as Sister Jean -- the Catholic nun who captured the sports world’s imagination as chaplain for the Loyola Chicago men’s basketball team that reached the NCAA Final Four in 2018.
McKinney goes deep, A's avert sweep in 4-1 win over Phillies
Read full article: McKinney goes deep, A's avert sweep in 4-1 win over PhilliesBilly McKinney homered and Daulton Jefferies and four relievers combined on a three-hitter to lead the Oakland Athletics past the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 for Mark Kotsay's first win as a big league manager.
Picked last, Oregon State now Elite after beating Loyola
Read full article: Picked last, Oregon State now Elite after beating LoyolaOregon State won 65-58. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)INDIANAPOLIS – Picked to finish dead last in the Pac-12, Oregon State instead might be the last one standing. Then the Ramblers, who failed to take advantage of their defense, proceeded to miss 11 consecutive shots as Oregon State flip-flopped between man-to-man and zone defenses. Oregon State built on Warith Alatishe's buzzer-beating bucket to end the first half by getting some shots to go in the second. Oregon State has never played Syracuse, but it beat Houston in the 1966 West Region semifinal and again in the 2009 CBI Tournament.
Nun-and-done: Loyola Chicago stuns top-seeded Illinois 71-58
Read full article: Nun-and-done: Loyola Chicago stuns top-seeded Illinois 71-58And if Sister Jean didn’t have any plans for next weekend, well, she does now. Loyola Chicago carried out its 101-year-old superfan's plans to a T on Sunday, moving to the Sweet 16 with a 71-58 win over Illinois, the first No. To anyone outside of Champaign — or now holding a freshly obliterated bracket — it’s hard to argue this Loyola team isn’t the breath of fresh air this tournament-in-a-bubble sorely needed. But there’s nobody quite like Sister Jean to put the whole thing in perspective. The point guard sparked Loyola’s national-championship run in 1963 — a win, of course, that Sister Jean watched on an 11-inch TV loaned to her by a friend.
The Latest: Appleby cleared to play for Florida
Read full article: 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 Sunday’s 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.
Police contacted after Ohio State's Liddell receives threats
Read full article: Police contacted after Ohio State's Liddell receives threatsLiddell received following the Buckeyes' NCAA Tournament loss on Friday. The Atlantic Coast Conference’s down year now includes a bumpy start to the NCAA Tournament. The league got seven bids, but four of those teams – ACC Tournament champion Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson and North Carolina – lost in Friday’s first round. We had a lot of good teams.”BRACKET BUSTERSAny fan holding an unblemished NCAA Tournament bracket has reason to brag. Appleby was hit by an inadvertent elbow early in the second half while playing defense against Virginia Tech.
Sister Jean gets the vaccine and seat at the NCAA Tournament
Read full article: Sister Jean gets the vaccine and seat at the NCAA TournamentThe best COVID-19 vaccine shots in America just might be the two that went into Sister Jean’s arm. The breakout star and model for the most coveted bobblehead of the 2018 NCAA Tournament is now eight months beyond her 101st birthday and still serving as chaplain for the Loyola Chicago basketball team. 1 seed Illinois, is bound to provide a much stiffer test of Sister Jean’s faith. AdYet her celebratory fist bump at the buzzer was one of the signature moments of the first full day of an NCAA Tournament canceled a year ago due the pandemic. 8 North Carolina hardly qualified as an upset, unless you count Tar Heels coach Roy Williams’ first-ever loss in a tournament opener.
No. 8 seed Loyola holds off No. 9 seed Georgia Tech, 71-60
Read full article: No. 8 seed Loyola holds off No. 9 seed Georgia Tech, 71-60(AP Photo/AJ Mast)INDIANAPOLIS – Loyola Chicago might be the only team that feels as though little has changed about the NCAA Tournament. 9 seed Georgia Tech at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Georgia Tech wiped it right out by making eight of its first 11 second-half shots. The Ramblers clogged up the paint to prevent drives to the basket, forced Georgia Tech into long jumpers and made life difficult for its perimeter players. UP NEXTThe Ramblers play the top-seeded Fighting Illini for a spot in the Sweet 16.
The Latest: 12th-seeded Oregon State upsets No. 5 Tennessee
Read full article: The Latest: 12th-seeded Oregon State upsets No. 5 Tennessee(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)The Latest on the first round of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):___6:50 p.m.Another first-round upset as 12th-seeded Oregon State defeated No. 9 seed Georgia Tech 71-60 on Friday to mark a triumphant return to the NCAA Tournament. Senior guard Bubba Parham, who is 5-10, got the start instead as Georgia Tech went with a guard-heavy look. AdIllinois will face eighth-seeded Loyola Chicago or ninth-seeded Georgia Tech in the second round of the Midwest Regional on Sunday. Ad___2:10 p.m.Players from several NCAA Tournament teams took a knee during the playing of the national anthem before their first-round games.
68 teams punch their ticket. Now comes the hard part
Read full article: 68 teams punch their ticket. Now comes the hard part"Testing, practice, getting on the bus in Philadelphia, waiting for that reply, that response time to say, ‘We’re all negative here. More about that bracket: A few bubble teams are coming from unexpected places, namely UCLA and Michigan State. Teams like Louisville, Saint Louis, Colorado State and Mississippi would gladly trade places with them. In one of many first-of-its-kind moves made to accommodate a one-of-a-kind tournament, the NCAA put team Nos. 3 seed in the West and Virginia, the defending champion (from 2019), is the fourth seed in the same region.