March 28, 2024 4:26 am
NCAA President Charlie Baker is urging states with legal wagering on sporting events to ban betting on individual player performances. Prop bets allow gamblers to wager on statistics a player will accumulate during a game. The NBA has opened an investigation into Toronto Raptors two-way player Jontay Porter amid gambling allegations related to his own performance in individual games. Ohio, Vermont and Maryland are among the states that have removed prop betting on college athletes. The American Gaming Association estimates $2.7 billion will be bet this year on the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments through legal sportsbooks.
March 27, 2024 4:33 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists and the Penguins scored two goals on five shots in the second period, spoiling Jake Guentzel’s return to Pittsburgh with a 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Bryan Rust scored his 23rd of the season and his seventh goal in 10 games. Jesse Puljujarvi added his third of the season — and second in as many games for the Penguins. Drew O’Connor added an empty-net goal at 18:04 of the third. Alex Nedeljkovic, Carolina’s second-round draft pick in 2014, stopped 38 shots for Pittsburgh. Dmitry Orlov scored his sixth for Carolina, which lost for the second time in three games.
March 27, 2024 4:35 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Steelers are signing veteran running back/kickoff return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson to a two-year deal. The contract carries a total value of $6 million a source with knowledge of the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because it had not been announced. The versatile 33-year-old Patterson spent the past three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. A four-time All-Pro, Patterson gives the Steelers a veteran to help them adjust to the league’s new kickoff rules designed to produce more returns.
March 27, 2024 4:45 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Kickoff returns are returning to the NFL. Team owners have approved a new rule that will take what essentially had become “a dead play” and make it an integral part of the game again. The major overhaul to special teams has been in the works for years. It takes elements of the kickoff rules used in the XFL and tweaks them for use in the NFL beginning in 2024. There were 1,970 touchbacks on kickoffs last season that now could be returns. There were 92 fair catches last season that are no longer allowed. Any ball caught in the field of play must be returned.
March 27, 2024 4:30 am
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart confirms on social media that John Calipari will return as men’s basketball coach despite calls for his firing following the Wildcats’ third consecutive early exit from the NCAA Tournament. Barnhart posted Tuesday night on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he and the Hall of Fame coach have talked about the direction of the men’s program. He posted: “I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach.” Kentucky was seeded third in March Madness, but fell 80-76 to No. 14 seed Oakland in the first round on Thursday.
March 25, 2024 12:04 am
The state basketball finals ended Saturday. Monday, high school baseball and softball teams begin section play, weather permitting. The WPIAL baseball schedules include two-game, back-to-back series for most teams, with 6A sections playing three-game sets. Softball plays through section opponents twice during the six-week regular season.
Tuesday — Baseball
McGuffey at Southmoreland
Greensburg Salem at Waynesburg
Bentworth at Wash High, PPD to Thursday, 4 pm
Beth-Center at Frazier
Burgettstown at Charleroi
Avella at West Greene, PPD to Wednesday
California at Mapletown, PPD to Wednesday
Carmichaels at Jeff-Morgan, PPD to Wednesday
Tuesday — Softball
Wash High at Bentworth, PPD
OLSH at Beth-Center
Ft. Cherry at Burgettstown, PPD to Thursday
West Greene at Avella, PPD
Mapletown at California, PPD to Wednesday
Monday — Baseball
McGuffey 6, Southmoreland 0
Waynesburg 10, Greensburg Salem 3
Wash High 6, Bentworth 3
Beth-Center 5, Frazier 2
Burgettstown 9, Charleroi 0
Avella 3, West Greene 1
California 16, Mapletown 0
Carmichaels 7, Jeff-Morgan 6
Softball
Norwin 7, Canon-McMillan 6
Charleroi 13, Burgettstown 3
March 25, 2024 12:02 am
Higher seeds won 31 of the 32 first-round games in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament, but the first game of the second round saw #2 Ohio State fall to #7 Duke. Two more lower-seeded teams scored upsets Sunday. Second round action continues through Monday with the winners moving on to the Sweet 16. WJPA-AM (1450) will have coverage of several Women’s Sweet 16 games next weekend, then Elite, Final Four and the National Championship game Sunday, April 7th.
Women’s Second Round Schedule — Monday
#2 Notre Dame > #7 Ole Miss, 71-56
#3 NC State > #6 Tennessee, 79-72
#3 UConn > #6 Syracuse, 72-64
#4 Indiana > #5 Oklahoma, 75-68
#1 Iowa > #8 West Virginia, 64-54
#2 UCLA > #7 Creighton, 67-63
#1 Southern Cal > #8 Kansas, 73-55
#4 Gonzaga >#5 Utah, 77-66
Women’s Second Round Scores — Sunday
#7 Duke > #2 Ohio State, 75-63
#1 South Carolina > #8 North Carolina, 88-41
#5 Colorado > #4 Kansas State, 63-50
#3 LSU > #11 Middle Tennessee, 83-56
#3 Oregon State > #6 Nebraska, 61-51
#1 Texas > #8 Alabama, 65-54
#5 Baylor > #4 Virginia Tech, 75-72
#2 Stanford > #10 Iowa State, 87-81 OT
March 26, 2024 2:15 am
ORLANDO, Fla. _ (AP) — Russell Wilson’s resume and experience give him the edge over Justin Fields. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Monday that Wilson is considered Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback but Fields will get a chance to compete. The Steelers revamped their quarterback room earlier this month, signing Wilson to the $1.21 million veteran’s minimum after the nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback was released by Denver. Kenny Pickett, the team’s first-round pick in 2022, asked for a trade after Wilson’s arrival, Tomlin said. So, Pittsburgh sent him to Philadelphia and acquired Fields, a first-round pick in 2021, from Chicago for a conditional sixth-round choice in 2025.
March 26, 2024 4:30 am
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The NFL is eliminating the hip-drop tackle. NFL team owners on Monday unanimously approved a rule that bans players from using a swivel technique to tackle an opponent. A violation will result in a 15-yard penalty and could ultimately result in fines for players. NFL executive Jeff Miller said the hip-drop tackle was used 230 times last season and resulted in 15 players missing time with injuries. The NFL Players Association has opposed the rule.
March 26, 2024 4:29 am
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani says he never bet on sports and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara stole money from him and told lies. Ohtani held a news conference at Dodger Stadium, five days after Mizuhara was fired by the Dodgers following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well over $1 million. Ohtani spoke for nearly 12 minutes, referring to a document in front of him. He did not take questions.
