BASKETBALL

Adia Barnes to make Mother’s Day appearance on ‘SportsCenter,’ join radio roundtable | Arizona Wildcats basketball

By Elsie A. Dotson 1 week ago

“To be a mom means the world to me,” Barnes said in a promo for the segment, “but it doesn’t mean I don’t follow my dream.”

Additions to the squad

Over the past month, Arizona has added guard Taylor Chavez and forwards Koi Love and Ariyah Copeland to the roster. Barnes said she hopes to land one more transfer — a point guard.

What goes into bringing in a transfer?

Barnes said she first looks at how the player can make her team better. She examines their flaws, too.

“When I’m thinking about ways to make us a little better and fill in the gaps, and I look at the areas that we weren’t great in the tournament,” Barnes said. “We had a tough time inside. When Stanford made a conscious effort to pound the ball inside (in the national championship game), we had problems.

“Then my thing is

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College Basketball World Reacts To Baylor-UConn Women’s Finish

By Elsie A. Dotson 2 months ago
Christyn Williams #13 of the UConn Huskies drives to the basket ahead of DiJonai Carrington #21 of the Baylor Lady Bears

Christyn Williams #13 of the UConn Huskies drives to the basket ahead of DiJonai Carrington #21 of the Baylor Lady Bears

No. 1 UConn took on No. 2 Baylor in the Women’s NCAA Tournament Elite Eight on Monday night in a matchup between two of the sport’s top programs. The game between the Huskies and the Bears came down to wire, ending with a controversial no-call on one of the final plays.

On the last full Baylor possession, guard DiJonai Carrington drove to the basket before pulling up for a short jumper. Two UConn defenders were able to impede the shot and the Huskies secured the rebound, essentially locking up the 69-67 win.

But while officials reviewed the game clock following the missed jumper, viewers got a much closer look at what transpired on the play. As the Baylor guard rose up for the shot, UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards

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ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt owes debt to Justin Thomas for Alabama basketball beating Maryland

By Elsie A. Dotson 2 months ago

ESPN broadcaster Scott Van Pelt went to Maryland.

Professional golfer Justin Thomas went to Alabama.

So when Thomas appeared on “SportsCenter” with Van Pelt the night that the NCAA Tournament bracket was chosen, Van Pelt noted that Maryland and Alabama could play in the second round. The two joked about a wager on the potential game that involved Thomas’ $2.7 million purse for winning The Players Championship.

Alabama and Maryland ended up meeting Monday night in the round of 32. Alabama won comfortably, 96-77.

Van Pelt tweeted Monday night during the game, “I’m going to owe @JustinThomas34 2.7”

They settled on something more reasonable — lunch at The Masters.

Thomas replied to Van Pelt on Tuesday, “:) it’s ok. The win was enough for me. Buy me lunch at @TheMasters we’ll call it even.”

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Most popular NCAA tournament basketball bracket picks

By Elsie A. Dotson 2 months ago

The NCAA tournament is approaching fast, but you still have until noon ET Friday to make your picks. More than 10 million Tournament Challenge basketball brackets have already been entered, and you know you don’t want miss out on the fun.

Whether you take two seconds to click “autofill” and lock in your picks or take advantage of our ESPN+ Bracket Predictor and Cheat Sheet, you’ll want to fill out a bracket here and join the madness!

To whet your appetite, check out these interesting notes about the most popular NCAA tournament bracket picks:

Who is picked to win it all?

The most popular team picked to win the national title remains No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs at more than 35%. While there has been some slight fluctuation in percentages,

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