March 17, 2023 3:59 am
NCAA Tournament brackets were busted early Thursday. No. 13 seed Furman beat fourth-seeded Virginia and No. 15 Princeton defeated second-seeded Arizona. The NCAA March Madness Twitter account posted that only .065% of brackets remained perfect as the first round was still being played. In ESPN’s Tournament Challenge bracket game, 18,078 perfect brackets remained. Just more than 20 million had suffered at least one loss.
Thursday, March 16
#8 Maryland 67, #9 West Virginia 65
#13 Furman 68, #4 Virginia 65
#7 Missouri 76, #10 Utah State 65
#1 Kansas 96, #16 Howard 68
#1 Alabama 96, #15 Texas A&M Corpus Christi 75
#5 San Diego State 63, #12 College of Charleston 57
#15 Princeton 59, #2 Arizona 55
#8 Arkansas 73, #9 Illinois 63
#9 Auburn 83, #8 Iowa 75
#5 Duke 74, #12 Oral Roberts 51
#2 Texas 81, #15 Colgate 61
#7 Northwestern 75, #10 Boise State 67
#1 Houston 63, #16 Northern Kentucky 52
#4 Tennessee 58, #13 Louisiana 55
#10 Penn State 76, #7 Texas A&M 59
#2 UCLA 86,#15 UNC Ashville 53
March 17, 2023 4:02 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Chris Kreider scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and added an empty-netter, and Igor Shesterkin made 30 saves as the New York Rangers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2. Kreider scored at 11:45 by sliding the puck past goaltender Tristan Jarry with Penguins defenseman Brian Dumoulin draped all over the New York forward in the crease. Kreider then scored his 30th of the season into an empty net at 19:10 to seal the win and give the third-place Rangers a 10-point lead over Pittsburgh in the Metropolitan Division. Mika Zibanejad and Tyler Motte also scored for the Rangers, who won for the eighth time in their last 10 home games. They are 11-4-0 in their past 15 at Madison Square Garden.
March 15, 2023 12:01 am
The 68-team NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament tips off tonight in Dayton. WJPA-AM (1450) is your radio home for all the action, starting with the First Four tonight and Wednesday, and running through the National Championship Game April 3 in Houston. You can also listen online through our partnership with Westwood One and the NCAA! Our coverage includes full broadcasts of the First Four, feature games with live ‘look-ins” throughout the day for the 1st & 2nd Rounds, then expanded coverage through the national semifinals. And the Women’s Tournament comes back to WJPA starting March 24 with Sweet 16 action running through the Women’s Championship Game Sunday, April 2 in Dallas. We’ll have all three area teams (Pitt, Penn State and WVU) in live coverage for the First Four/First Round. WJPA-AM (1450) Listen Here
First Round Feature Games
Thursday, March 16
12 noon #9 West Virginia vs. #8 Maryland
3:50 pm #15 Princeton vs. #2 Arizona
7:00 pm #12 Oral Roberts vs. #5 Duke
9:45 pm #10 Penn State vs. #7 Texas A&M
Friday, March 17
12 noon #10 USC vs. #7 Michigan State
3:50 pm #11 North Carolina State vs. #6 Creighton
7:00 pm #11 Providence vs. #6 Kentucky
9:45 pm #13 Kent State vs. #4 Indiana
March 15, 2023 2:06 am
The two remaining Washington County teams in the PIAA Basketball playoffs hit the courts Tuesday in second-round matchups. The Peters Township boys lost a 10-point first-half lead but rallied late in the third then never trailed again, earning the school’s second trip to the state quarter finals. Six different Peters players had points in the fourth quarter. A turnover with seven seconds to play gave Lampeter a chance but the Pioneers missed two shots including a three-pointer at the buzzer. Jack Dunbar led Peters Township with 14 points. Jake Ziegler added 11 points, all in the second half. Peters Township will face District 3 champion Exeter Friday night.
Burgettstown hung around against perennial power Kennedy Catholic, trailing by two at the half but Bella Magestro got hot from beyond the arc, ending the Blue Devils most successful season ever. The Kennedy Catholic freshman led all scorers with 29 points, move from beyond the three-point line.
WPIAL 5A girls champion South Fayette and Bishop Canevin boys teams see Sweet 16 action Wednesday. PIAA Brackets
Tuesday, March 14, Second Round (winners to Friday)
5A Boys Peters Township 58, Lampeter-Strasburg 56
2A Girls Kennedy Catholic 56, Burgettstown 39
1A Boys Carlynton 49, Elk County Catholic 44
6A Girls Upper St. Clair 42, Pennsbury 31
6A Girls North Allegheny 57, Mt. Lebanon 34
Friday, March 17, Quarterfinals (winners to Monday)
5A Boys Peters Township vs. Exeter, 5:45 pm at Bald Eagle Area HS, WJPA-FM (95.3) Listen Here
March 16, 2023 3:55 am
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton handed Mitch Keller the opening day assignment and a celebratory bottle of bubbly. Shelton broke the news to the 26-year-old right-hander that he’ll get the nod when Pittsburgh begins the season at Cincinnati on March 30. In a video posted on the Pirates’ Twitter feed, Shelton and Keller sat down in the manager’s office and began discussing the right-hander’s side session. Shelton asked how many pitches he threw, and then asked Keller how many he thinks he’ll throw on the 30th. Keller asked what the 30th was and the manager replied, “opening day.”
March 15, 2023 3:51 am
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Jamarius Burton made a go-ahead jumper with 10 seconds left and Pitt edged Mississippi State 60-59 in a back-and-forth First Four game Tuesday night that featured 21 lead changes — most in the NCAA Tournament in five years. Mississippi State had a great chance to win at the end, but Shakeel Moore missed a wide-open 3-pointer from the corner with two seconds remaining off an inbounds play. D.J. Jeffries’ tip-in attempt was off target just before the buzzer. Nelly Cummings led Pitt with 15 points. Greg Elliott scored 13 and Blake Hinson added 12 as the Panthers (23-11) won an NCAA Tournament game for the first time since 2014. They slotted into the Midwest Region bracket as the 11th seed and advanced to face No. 6 seed Iowa State on Friday in Greensboro, North Carolina.
March 15, 2023 3:53 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Anthony Richard scored the winning goal in the third period and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-4 on Tuesday night. Montreal, which won its first game in March, has lost eight of its last 10 games overall. Josh Anderson scored an empty-net goal while the Penguins pressed for the tie. Mike Hoffman scored his 11th while Denis Gurianov, Jesse Ylonen and Joel Edmundson also scored for the Canadiens. Sam Montembeault made 39 saves. Tristan Jarry started, but allowed four goals on seven shots. It was the fourth time in five games Jarry allowed four goals and the second time he was pulled. DeSmith stopped 13 shots in relief.
March 14, 2023 3:46 am
The Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed on a two-year contract with eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be announced until Wednesday. Peterson replaces Cam Sutton, who is going to the Detroit Lions. The Steelers cut William Jackson on Friday and benched Ahkello Witherspoon last season. A three-time All-Pro, the 33-year-old Peterson spent his first 10 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and past two in Minnesota. He had five interceptions for the Vikings last season. Peterson made the Pro Bowl in each of his first eight seasons and was an All-Pro in three of his first five.
March 14, 2023 3:49 am
Jimmy Garoppolo is headed to Las Vegas for a new start with the Raiders. Sam Darnold is heading West to replace Garoppolo on the San Francisco 49ers’ roster. Mike White, Case Keenum and Jarrett Stidham have new teams, too. And Deshaun Watson is staying in Cleveland, but with a restructured deal with the Browns. Quarterbacks took front and center on Monday as the NFL free agency began with teams allowed to negotiate – and agree to deals – with unrestricted free agents.
March 14, 2023 3:50 am
NEW YORK (AP) — Joe Pepitone, an All-Star and Gold Glove first baseman on the 1960s New York Yankees who gained renown for his flamboyant personality, hairpieces and penchant for nightlife, has died at age 82. Born in Brooklyn, Pepitone helped the Yankees to their second straight World Series title, a team led by Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris and Elston Howard. Pepitone gained attention for his off-the-field conduct. In a time when most players were staid and conformist, Pepitone was thought to be the first to bring a hair dryer into the clubhouse.
