February 10, 2021 3:53 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Big Ten officials have decided to move next month’s men’s basketball tournament from Chicago to Indianapolis. Games will be played March 10-14 at Lucas Oil Stadium, which also will be the site of this year’s Final Four. The Big Ten women’s tournament will be held the same week just a few blocks away at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The conference says the moves were necessary for several reasons surrounding health and safety concerns because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
February 9, 2021 3:37 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) – The Pittsburgh Steelers have hired longtime NFL assistant Mike Sullivan as their new quarterbacks coach. The move is one of three made by the team to fill coaching vacancies. Sullivan replaces Matt Canada, who was promoted to offensive coordinator last month. Sullivan is a 16-year NFL coaching veteran, winning two Super Bowl rings with the New York Giants. The team also hired Chris Morgan as assistant offensive line coach and Matt Tomsho as quality control coach.
February 9, 2021 3:40 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Fresh off their Super Bowl win, the Buccaneers are already looking at next season. Tom Brady’s coming back. So is Bruce Arians. But the challenge of attempting a repeat begins with trying to keep some key components together for next season. Brady threw three touchdowns passes on the way to claiming a record seventh NFL title with a 31-9 rout of the Kansas City Chiefs – two to Rob Gronkowski and one Antonio Brown. Both played on one-year contracts after being lured to Tampa Bay by Brady. Leonard Fournette ran for the team’s other TD. He also joined the Bucs on a one-year deal.
February 9, 2021 3:47 am
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Kansas has dropped out of The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the first time in 12 years. The Jayhawks’ record streak of 231 consecutive weeks ranked is over. Gonzaga and Baylor kept the top two spots, as they have all season, with the Bulldogs getting 55 of 63 first-place votes and the Bears getting the other eight. Michigan took advantage of Villanova’s loss at St. John’s to jump into the top three, Ohio State climbed three spots to No. 4 and the Wildcats rounded out the top 5. With Kansas and UCLA falling out, that leaves the AP Top 25 without the Jayhawks, Bruins and fellow bluebloods Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina for the first time since December 1961. It also means none of the 13 winningest Division I programs is ranked.
February 8, 2021 12:16 pm
Several teams have pulled out of the WPIAL Wrestling Section Dual Meet Championships due to COVID issues or concerns, the latest being Canon-McMillan’s withdrawal from the Section 4-AAA tournament this morning. Brackets released by the League on Thursday included Butler, Franklin Regional and Canon-McMillan. Canon-McMillan will not be replaced in tonight’s pairings. Trinity declined due to the late notice. Franklin Regional was replaced in the 1-AAA bracket by Plum. West Allegheny has taken Butler’s spot in the 3-AAA pairings. Hempfield Area told the committee last week that the Spartans were not going to participate to protect their wrestlers for the individual part of the season, starting Feb. 17. No other teams in Hempfield’s sub-section chose to participate.
We’ll have live coverage of tonight’s Section Dual Meet Championships starting at 5:50 pm.
WJPA-FM (95.3) Section 1-AA McGuffey at Burgettstown, Fort Cherry vs. Beth-Center, followed by the winners for the Section Championship — Listen Here
WJPA-AM (1450) Section 4-AAA Mt. Lebanon vs. Waynesburg, followed by the winner vs. Peters Township for the Section Championship — Listen Here
February 8, 2021 3:55 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Tom Brady was efficient and the Tampa Bay defense was devastating. The combination has led to the Buccaneers’ second Super Bowl victory. Brady threw for three first-half touchdowns and the Buccaneers stifled Kansas City’s offense in a 31-9 win over the Chiefs. Brady claimed Super Bowl MVP honors for the fifth time, throwing to Rob Gronkowski for the first two TDs and found Antonio Brown in the end zone with six seconds left in the first half. Brady was 21 of 29 for 201 yards and no interceptions in winning a Super Bowl ring for a record-extending seventh time. Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II combined for 144 yards rushing, with Fournette scoring the game’s final TD on a 27-yard run in the third quarter. Most of the Chiefs’ 350 total yards came in the fourth quarter. Patrick Mahomes didn’t go over 100 yards passing until the final minute of the third quarter. Mahomes was pressured throughout while completing just 26 of his 49 throws for 270 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. It’s the first time Mahomes has been held under 10 points or lost by double digits since becoming a starter.
February 8, 2021 3:52 am
WASHINGTON (AP) – Scott Laughton scored his first career hat trick, Sean Couturier had two goals in his first game back following a rib injury and the Philadelphia Flyers pulled away for a 7-4 victory over the Washington Capitals. James van Riemsdyk added a goal and an assist, running his points streak to seven games while helping Philadelphia overcome an early 2-0 deficit. Robert Hagg scored his first goal of the season in Philadelphia’s first win in regulation in five games. Joel Farabee had two assists, and Carter Hart made 33 saves. Alex Ovechkin scored two goals and had two assists for Washington. The Capitals lost their third straight despite outshooting Philly 37-23.
February 8, 2021 3:57 am
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Brooks Koepka chipped in from 32 yards for eagle on the 17th hole and parred the last for a one-stroke victory in the PGA’s Waste Management Phoenix Open. Five strokes behind Jordan Spieth (speeth) and Xander Schauffele entering the round, Koepka shot a 6-under 65 to finish at 19-under. The four-time major champion also won in 2015 at TPC Scottsdale for the first of his eight PGA Tour titles. Schauffele birdied the par-4 18th for a 71 to tie for second with Kyoung-Hoon Lee, who fired a 68.
February 7, 2021 7:27 am
CANTON, Ohio — Steelers Guard Alan Faneca was voted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his 6th year as a finalist. Faneca played for the Steelers from 1998 through 2007, before ending his NFL career with stints with the New York Jets and the Arizona Cardinals. The Steelers drafted him in the first round in 1998. He became a starter six games into his rookie season, and helped pave teh way for Jerome Bettis to have a 1,000 yard rushing season. Faneca missed just one game in his entire career. He was a member of the Super Bowl XL Championship Team in 2006. Faneca was selected to nine consecutive Pro Bowls, and played in 14 career playoff games, including four AFC Championship games. Faneca was also named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s.
Faneca is the most recent of several Steelers who will be honored in Canton, Ohio this summer. The Class of 2020 never had its enshrinement ceremony. That class includes: Bill Cowher, Troy Polamalu and Donnie Shell.
Many Steelers fans may not know his name, but Bill Nunn, Sr was as much a part of the team’s 1970s Super Bowl success than any on the long list of Hall of Fame players that he’s joining in Canton after being selected for the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Nunn, an inductee in the “Contributor” category, was a “super scout” for the Steelers, a legendary figure who opened the door for players from historically black colleges and universities who previously hadn’t received attention in the draft. Nunn was a trailblazer, and his impact forever changed the NFL. Nunn’s path to the Steelers included a very successful career in the newspaper business. He was a sports writer, then sports editor, and eventually the managing editor of the Pittsburgh Courier. Nearly 20 years before joining the Steelers, he was responsible for selecting the Courier’s annual Black College All-American team. He joined the Steelers on a part-time basis in 1967, and took a full-time position two years later when Chuck Noll was hired as head coach. The draft picks and player signings of the Nunn era were legendary.
February 7, 2021 4:15 am
UNDATED (AP) – The Chiefs and Buccaneers will head into the Super Bowl on Sunday relatively healthy. The Chiefs have ruled out left tackle Eric Fisher because of a torn Achilles tendon and linebacker Willie Gay Jr. due to knee and ankle injuries. Neither of them was expected to play. Tampa Bay did not list anybody as out on the final injury report. Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins was questionable along with Tampa Bay wide receiver Antonio Brown and tight end Cameron Brate. Tampa Bay linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul and defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh also did not practice Friday, though both are expected to play.
