News Category: Football

No. 2 seed Marquette hoping Tyler Kolek returns vs. Western Kentucky

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No. 2 seed Marquette is hoping to get a big boost as it opens NCAA Tournament play Friday against No. 15 seed Western Kentucky in Indianapolis. Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart is hoping to have star guard Tyler Kolek back after he missed the final three regular-season games and all three games in the Big East tournament with a strained oblique. “The plan is for him to play,” Smart said. “But he’s got to

No. 3 Baylor’s balance may be too much for No. 14 Colgate

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MEMPHIS — To Baylor coach Scott Drew, seeds mean nothing at NCAA Tournament time. “Throw it out the window,” he said. “You’d better be ready to play. The best team doesn’t always win. It’s about who’s best for that 40 minutes.” Drew’s third-seeded Bears are focused on the next 40 minutes against 14th-seeded Colgate when the teams tip off Friday in a first-round West Region matchup in Memphis, Tenn. Baylor (23-10) is a top-three seed

No. 6 seed BYU, No. 11 Duquesne determined for NCAA breakthrough

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Duquesne is part of the NCAA Tournament field for the first time since 1977 but making plans to avoid a quick end to its rare taste of March Madness. The 11th-seeded Dukes (24-11) haven’t experienced an NCAA tourney victory in 55 years and plot to change that when they oppose sixth-seeded BYU (23-10) in the first round of the East Regional on Thursday at Omaha, Neb. Duquesne has rattled off eight straight victories and claimed

Denied trip to big dance, Kansas State faces Iowa in NIT opener

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With thoughts of making the NCAA Tournament gone, Kansas State and Iowa return to the hardcourt Tuesday night for a first-round game in the NIT in Iowa City, Iowa. K-State (19-14) had plenty of Quad-1 victories to hold out hope for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. But too many close wins in the lower quadrants, combined with an unusual number of bid thieves, eliminated any chance of the Wildcats making the field of

No. 4 North Carolina braces for stern test vs. NC State in ACC final

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WASHINGTON — This time a year ago, North Carolina was wondering if it would crack the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday. The Tar Heels didn’t, becoming the first team ranked No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press poll to miss the field since it expanded to 64 teams. And what a difference a year makes. North Carolina hit the reset button in the offseason, reshuffling its roster after a disappointing campaign. Those pieces have proven

No. 7 Iowa State stands in way of No. 14 Baylor’s title quest

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — No. 14 Baylor, the third seed in the Big 12 tournament, and No. 7 Iowa State seeded second, match up in a high-profile date Friday with a spot in the conference title game at stake. In Thursday’s tournament quarterfinal, Baylor defeated 11th-seeded Cincinnati 68-56 after Iowa State knocked off Kansas State — the 10th seed — 76-57. The top four seeds have made it to the semifinals. No. 1 Houston, the

Pitt, looking to get off the bubble, takes on No. 4 North Carolina

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Pitt has been making its case for inclusion into the NCAA Tournament. The Panthers could just about end any concerns on that topic with another victory, and that would have to come against No. 4-ranked North Carolina when the teams meet in the Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals Friday night in Washington, D.C. “As long as we keep winning, then we increase our chances of getting in,” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said. Top-seeded North Carolina (26-6)

No. 14 Baylor bids to bolster NCAA resume in clash vs. Cincinnati

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No. 14-ranked Baylor will attempt to improve its NCAA Tournament seeding on Thursday night when it battles upstart Cincinnati in the final quarterfinal game in the Big 12 Conference tournament in Kansas City, Mo. The winner of Thursday’s clash will face either second-seeded Iowa State or surprise quarterfinalist Kansas State, the 10th seed, in the late semifinal on Friday. The Bears (22-9) are the third seed in the league tournament and received a bye into

Kansas State braces for stern test vs. No. 7 Iowa State

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas State knows it has to keep winning to keep alive its chances for an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats will get another opportunity to do just that on Thursday night when they face seventh-ranked Iowa State (24-7) in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Conference tournament. Tenth-seeded Kansas State (19-13) overcame a 10-point halftime deficit to record a 78-74 victory over Texas in the second round on

No. 20 BYU, No. 25 Texas Tech look to continue surprise run

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Texas Tech finished the regular season with a flourish to gain a double bye at the Big 12 Conference tournament and will need to rely on that momentum to hang around at the postseason party in the toughest league in the land. The 25th-ranked Red Raiders (22-9) begin tournament play with a major challenge when they tangle with 20th-ranked BYU on Thursday in Kansas City, Mo. The Cougars (23-9) earned that chance with an impressive