PHOTO VIA MSU ATHLETICS
LONCAREVIC RECEIVES OVC WEEKLY HONOR
Murray State’s Sara Loncarevic is the OVC Co-Female Tennis Player of the Week, sharing the weekly honor with Austin Peay’s Fabienne Schmidt. Loncarevic went 4-0 across singles and doubles competition on the week, refusing to drop a single set over Murray State’s two matches. She is the first Racer to earn a weekly award in 2021, and the first since Stasya Sharapova garnered the honor last March. The Racers return to action on March 13th when they host Lipscomb.
RACER FOOTBALL TEAM PREPPING FOR TTU
The 2-0 Murray State football team goes into week three’s game at Tennessee Tech tied with Jacksonville State for first place in the Ohio Valley Conference. Evident in the early going is the Racers commitment to solid defense and the ability to run the ball. Known as a passing team for years, the Racers lead the OVC in rushing offense with 185.5 yards per game. Head coach Dean Hood credits his staff and team for buying into the transformation. Kickoff time for Sunday’s game in Cookeville is set for 1:30, with airtime at 1 on FROGGY 103.7
WEDNESDAY’S MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL RESULTS
ACC TOURNAMENT
Louisville is one-and-done in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina. Duke beat the Cardinals 70-56 to send them packing. Louisville defeated Duke twice during the regular season. David Johnson had 14 points and 13 rebounds to lead Louisville. The Cards dropped to 13-and-7 and will wait until Sunday to learn if they have done enough to earn a NCAA at-large bid. In other ACC Tournament games.
Miami 67, Clemson 64
Syracuse 89, NC State 68
North Carolina 101, Notre Dame 59
CUSA
North Texas 76, Middle Tennessee 56
SEC TOURNAMENT
Vanderbilt bested Texas A&M 79-68 to open the SEC Tourney in Nashville last night. Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 22 points for the Commodores, who play Florida today.
Kentucky will face Mississippi State this morning at 11 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Earlier this season the Wildcats defeated the Bulldogs 78-73 in double overtime in Starkville led by Dontaie Allen’s career-high 23 points on 7 for 11 three point shooting. If Kentucky wins, the Cats would face SEC regular season champion Alabama in tomorrow’s quarterfinals.
GRIZZLIES RETURN WITH WIN AS MORANT SCORES 21
Jonas Valanciunas scored a season-high 29 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to help the Grizzlies beat the Wizards 127-112 at Memphis in the first game after the All-Star break. Ja Morant scored 21 points and Desmond Bane 20 for Memphis. The Grizz improve to 17-and-16 and will host the Nuggets tomorrow.
CARDINALS FALL TO NATS
The Cardinals fell 3-2 to the Nationals at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Nolan Arenado and John Nogowski drove in runs for St. Louis. Jack Flaherty allowed two runs over four innings for the loss. The Cards host the Astros tomorrow.
AREA HOCKEY ROUNDUP
The Nashville Predators play the Hurricanes again tonight at Carolina. The Preds are 11-14-1, having lost four of their last five. The NHL has suspended Nashville defenseman Dante Fabbro two games for elbowing Carolina forward Brock McGinn. The St. Louis Blues are off and will host the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday night.
TITANS RELEASE VACCARO
Kenny Vaccaro is the latest salary-cap causality for the Titans. Tennessee has released the veteran safety to save 3.9-million dollars in cap space. Cornerback Malcolm Butler was released on Tuesday, clearing 10.2-million in cap space.
BOWDEN HELPING FIGHT HUNGER
Former Kentucky football star and current Miami Dolphins player Lynn Bowden Jr. is teaming with UnitedHealthCare to fight childhood hunger in Kentucky. Volunteers filled 600 bags of food for students in Laurel County yesterday thanks to a 15-thousand-dollar donation to the Laurel County Dreambuilders Foundation and a partnership with Bowden. Students will also see a video message from Bowden encouraging them to work hard in school and make healthy choices. The program also provides weekly meals to students participating in the school’s backpack program.
NATIONAL SPORTS BRIEFS
Today is the one-year anniversary of the NBA shutting down due to the coronavirus outbreak. Commissioner Adam Silver suspended the season after learning Jazz center Rudy Gobert [[ go-BARE ]] had tested positive for COVID-19. Other pro and college sports soon followed.
The second-half of the NBA season is underway. The Grizzlies beat the Wizards 127-112 in Memphis and the Mavericks topped the Spurs 115-104 in Dallas. Eleven games are set for tonight. The regular season ends May 16th, followed by a play-in tournament, and playoffs.
The Spurs are reportedly looking to move big man LaMarcus Aldridge. According to ESPN, San Antonio is working on finding a trade partner for Aldridge and hoping to avoid a buyout. The two sides have mutually agreed the 35-year-old will not return to the Spurs.
Kansas Jayhawks athletic director Jeff Long is stepping down. It comes just days after the university parted ways with head football coach Les Miles amid allegations of inappropriate behavior with female students while coaching at LSU. Long hired Miles at KU in 2028.
The PLAYERS Championship tees off this morning at famed TPC Sawgrass. The first group starts at 6:45 a.m. Eastern in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Rory McIlroy is the defending champ after winning in 2019. Last year’s event was cancelled.
WEDNESDAY’S SCOREBOARD
NBA
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Memphis Grizzlies 127, Washington Wizards 112
Dallas Mavericks 115, San Antonio Spurs 104
NHL
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Minnesota Wild 4, Vegas Golden Knights 3
Edmonton Oilers 7, Ottawa Senators 1
Colorado Avalanche 2, Arizona Coyotes 1 (OT)
Los Angeles Kings 5, Anaheim Ducks 1
Montreal Canadiens 5, Vancouver Canucks 1
MLB Grapefruit League
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Boston Red Sox 5, Atlanta Braves 3
Philadelphia Phillies 6, Detroit Tigers 4
Minnesota Twins 6, Tampa Bay Rays 2 (F/8)
Washington Nationals 3, St. Louis Cardinals 2
Baltimore Orioles 4, Toronto Blue Jays 3 (F/7)
New York Yankees 6, Pittsburgh Pirates 5
Houston Astros 4, Miami Marlins 4
MLB Cactus League
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San Francisco Giants 7, Chicago Cubs 6
Kansas City Royals 9, Cincinnati Reds 3
Oakland Athletics 9, Milwaukee Brewers 1 (F/7)
Colorado Rockies 7, San Diego Padres 5 (F/7)
Texas Rangers 17, Seattle Mariners 5 (F/7)
Los Angeles Angels 4, Cleveland Indians 2 (F/8)
Los Angeles Dodgers 3, Arizona Diamondbacks 2 (F/8)
Top-25 College Basketball (Coaches’ Poll)
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#24 Oklahoma Sooners 79, Iowa State Cyclones 73 (Big 12 – First Round)
THURSDAY’S SCHEDULE (All times are Eastern)
NBA
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7:00 p.m. – Detroit Pistons at Charlotte Hornets
7:30 p.m. – Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets
7:30 p.m. – Atlanta Hawks at Toronto Raptors
8:00 p.m. – Orlando Magic at Miami Heat
8:00 p.m. – Philadelphia 76ers at Chicago Bulls
8:00 p.m. – New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks
8:00 p.m. – Minnesota Timberwolves at New Orleans Pelicans
9:00 p.m. – Dallas Mavericks at Oklahoma City Thunder
10:00 p.m. – Golden State Warriors at LA Clippers
10:00 p.m. – Phoenix Suns at Portland Trail Blazers
10:00 p.m. – Houston Rockets at Sacramento Kings
NHL
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7:00 p.m. – New York Rangers at Boston Bruins
7:00 p.m. – Pittsburgh Penguins at Buffalo Sabres
7:00 p.m. – New Jersey Devils at New York Islanders
7:00 p.m. – Washington Capitals at Philadelphia Flyers
7:00 p.m. – Nashville Predators at Carolina Hurricanes
7:00 p.m. – Florida Panthers at Columbus Blue Jackets
7:00 p.m. – Winnipeg Jets at Toronto Maple Leafs
7:30 p.m. – Tampa Bay Lightning at Detroit Red Wings
8:30 p.m. – Chicago Blackhawks at Dallas Stars
9:00 p.m. – Montreal Canadiens at Calgary Flames
MLB Grapefruit League
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1:05 p.m. – Baltimore Orioles at Pittsburgh Pirates
1:05 p.m. – Boston Red Sox at Minnesota Twins
1:05 p.m. – New York Yankees at Philadelphia Phillies
1:05 p.m. – Tampa Bay Rays at Atlanta Braves
1:05 p.m. – Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins
1:07 p.m. – Detroit Tigers at Toronto Blue Jays
6:05 p.m. – New York Mets at Houston Astros
MLB Cactus League
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3:05 p.m. – Oakland Athletics at Texas Rangers
3:10 p.m. – Chicago Cubs at Colorado Rockies
3:10 p.m. – Cleveland Indians at San Diego Padres
3:10 p.m. – Kansas City Royals at Milwaukee Brewers
3:10 p.m. – San Francisco Giants at Los Angeles Angels
8:05 p.m. – Chicago White Sox at Cincinnati Reds
8:05 p.m. – Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Dodgers
Top-25 College Basketball (Coaches’ Poll)
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2:30 p.m. – #2 Baylor Bears vs. Kansas State Wildcats (Big 12 Quarterfinals)
11:30 a.m. – #9 West Virginia Mountaineers vs. #14 Oklahoma State (Big 12 Quarterfinals)
2:00 p.m. – #10 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten Second Round)
12:00 p.m. – #11 Villanova Wildcats vs Georgetown Hoyas (Big East Quarterfinals)
6:30 p.m. – #12 Kansas Jayhawks vs. #24 Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Quarterfinals)
6:30 p.m. – #13 Florida State Seminoles vs. Duke Blue Devils (ACC Quarterfinals)
12:00 p.m. – #15 Virginia Cavaliers vs. Syracuse Orange (ACC Quarterfinals)
9:30 p.m. – #16 Texas Longhorns vs. #22 Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big 12 Quarterfinals)
6:00 p.m. – #17 Creighton Bluejays vs. Butler Bulldogs (Big East Quarterfinals)
3:00 p.m. – #19 San Diego State Aztecs vs. Wyoming Cowboys (Mountain West Quarterfinals)
9:00 p.m. – #22 Virginia Tech Hokies vs. North Carolina Tar Heels (ACC Quarterfinals)
8:30 p.m. – #23 USC Trojans vs. Utah Utes (Pac-12 Quarterfinals)
2:30 p.m. – #25 Oregon Ducks vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (Pac-12 Quarterfinals)
PGA The PLAYERS Championship
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The PLAYERS Championship (at Ponte Vedra Beach, FL)
