MORE FROM Mike DeCourcy

Cowboys' Cunningham says he never feared NCAA Tournament ban

For those who remember the headlines of last summer, it seems at least curious, perhaps downright baffling, to see Oklahoma State preparing to compete in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

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The NCAA Tournament selection committee had a better opportunity to balance the strength of the four regions in the 2021 event than at any point in nearly two decades because contesting the entire event in the state of Indiana meant geography no longer was a concern.

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March Madness bracket 2021: Upset predictions, Final Four pick in West Region

Sporting News offers its take on the West Region of the NCAA Tournament, from upset watches and the all-region team to its Final Four pick.

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March Madness: Upset predictions, Final Four pick in Midwest Region

Sporting News offers its take on the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament, from upset watches and the all-region team to its Final Four pick.

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East breakdown: Sizing up threats to Michigan

Sporting News offers its take on the East Region of the NCAA Tournament, from upset watches and the all-region team to its Final Four pick.

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March Madness: Upset predictions, Final Four pick in South Region

Sporting News offers its take on the South Region of the NCAA Tournament, from upset watches and the all-region team to its Final Four pick.

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When one is dealing with the supernatural, it’s hard to know what sort of powers are at work.

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12 figures who helped turn Indiana into a hoops hotbed

With all 67 NCAA Tournament games to be played in Indianapolis and its vicinity this March, the state of Indiana will become the center of the basketball world. To which those who of us live in Indiana might say: What else is new?

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Remembering the1984-85 Villanova Wildcats, the lowest-seeded team ever to win the NCAA Tournament.

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If it’s Gonzaga or the field, take the field.

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One official tested positive for COVID-19 and five others were impacted by contact tracing after the group went to a restaurant upon arriving to Indianapolis.

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Georgetown's miracle run complicates committee's seeding plans

The Hoyas made the NCAA Tournament with a 13-12 record but also four wins in four days in the postseason. What seed should that get them?

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Kansas' predicament shows there are no easy answers with this March Madness

The alarmism, the search for the simplest of answers to the most complex of problems — it’s not helping anything.

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Virginia may be on the worst NCAA Tournament bubble ever.

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Duke's season ended without a defeat, but the Blue Devils still lost big

It’s not the that the 2021 Duke Blue Devils suddenly were going to morph into the 1991 Blue Devils. It's that the 2021 Blue Devils were starting to look like themselves — what the scouts and analysts suggested they'd be, what their coaches imagined was possible, what their fans hoped would emerge.

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March Madness bubble watch: Can Syracuse play its way into the field?

Those teams aspiring to enter the NCAA Tournament that are considered to be on the bubble and are competing today have got to be delighted with that circumstance.

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Staging the conference tournament in the Garden means different things to athletes of different backgrounds.

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The secrets of Bob Huggins' success, from those who know him best

Those who have played or worked with Huggins got a view of what drove him to his standing among most successful of all Division I basketball coaches.

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Zags set up for perfection

It seemed as if Gonzaga might make it to March Madness lacking knowledge on how to deal with adversity. That changed against BYU in the West Coast Conference Tournament final.

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Each of Sporting News' 2020-21 All-America teams contains exceptional players who accomplished extraordinary things. But it was obvious who were this season’s best.

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Juwan Howard is the boss of Big Ten champion Michigan, a presumptive No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed — and Sporting News' 2020-21 College Basketball Coach of the Year.

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Cade Cunningham's loyalty to Oklahoma State has been rewarded. Sporting News has chosen Cunningham as its Freshman of the Year.

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The only other men to win it in consecutive years were Oscar Robertson (1958, 1959, 1960), Jerry Lucas (1961, 1962) Bill Bradley (1964, 1965), Bill Walton (1972, 1973, 1974) and Michael Jordan.

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March Madness bubble watch: MSU, Memphis have tough week

The Spartans have an opportunity to upend the Wolverines in a Sunday afternoon matchup and strengthen their case for the dance.

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Can North Carolina make the NCAA Tournament? Breaking down Tar Heels' odds

There is an old saying among those who follow North Carolina basketball, so popular they put it on T-shirts: If God is not a Tar Heel, why's the sky Carolina Blue?

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Can Duke make the NCAA Tournament? Breaking down Blue Devils' odds

The last time there was an NCAA Tournament without the Duke Blue Devils, well, none of the current Blue Devils had been born.

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March Madness bubble watch: Big Saturday for Big East

The conference once set a record for most schools in an NCAA Tournament, but that was lots of changes ago. The 2021 version is scrambling to get teams into the dance.

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March Madness bubble watch: A big night for Michigan State

Here’s an essential truth about those teams that have found themselves on the March Madness bubble: Sooner or later, they’re going to tell you whether they really want to play in the NCAA Tournament.

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Life on the March Madness bubble is a challenge for a college basketball fan. Every game your team wins feels more like relief than achievement. Every defeat seems calamitous.

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March Madness bubble watch: Duke in new territory

Here’s what the Blue Devils and other bubble teams are up against tonight.

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We suspect this will be a happier March for all who love college basketball than the one we endured 12 long months ago.

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How late can the NCAA replace a tournament team? We cover that and more.

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Blue bloods bring aristocratic feel to scramble for NCAA Tournament bids

These college basketball bluebloods, for various reasons in this most unusual college basketball season, find themselves fighting for the last few NCAA Tournament bids that will be awarded on Selection Sunday.

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There have been only four other men’s Division I coaches who reached the pinnacle Williams is approaching.

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Is Missouri positioned for Selection Sunday disappointment?

Mizzou was the last of the 16 teams included on the selection committee’s bracket preview, and that was the best moment of its past two weeks.

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The conference continues to be proactive as works to ensure that its qualifying teams can play in the men's NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis.

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Conference tournament opt-outs could have long-term effects

Every capable college basketball team faces seven obstacles on the road to an NCAA championship this season: the standard six opponents that must be defeated in a 68-team bracket, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

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At least some of those whose literal job it is to decide who merits an NBA roster position and who does not believe that departing a team at this stage of the season is, to say the least, unimpressive.

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Five takeaways from March Madness 'Bracket Preview'

The March Madness "Bracket Preview" suggests NET will be a top factor in the NCAA Tournament selections.

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Roy Williams has been watching both the news and sports this week.

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Indiana, Maryland struggles ignite debate over inclusion of .500 team in NCAA field

This has been a college basketball season without precedent, so will the selection committee be interested in breaking most or all the precedents that governed its choices over the past four decades?

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Mahomes' run of sheer genius ends abruptly

Patrick Mahomes made it all look easy for three years. It is not easy, though, even for the most gifted and most determined athlete.

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Comment: Reid makes all-time blunder with timeout gamble

The Chiefs coach knew Tom Brady was on the other side of the field and still gave him extra seconds to move the ball.

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Why are Kentucky, Duke struggling? We count the reasons

There are multiple reasons why the Wildcats and Blue Devils are where they are this season. SN examines four of those reasons in depth.

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Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool believes at the close of the 55th Super Bowl that the team standing amid all that flying confetti and holding up the Lombardi Trophy will be … Wait. He’s allowed to have an opinion, right?

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The past year in sports has been very kind to Tampa Bay — and Vitale has loved it.

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We've attempted to do more than look at the names and measure one’s legend against the other’s. We've also examined what that specific player’s value was in that particular season and how the two stacked up against one other.

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Head coach Bruce Arians said that having to wait so long for his first opportunity to be an NFL head coach made him want to provide opportunities to others who might be overlooked.

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Remembering John Chaney: So much more to his story than one moment

The Hall of Fame coach was so much more than a fiery competitor who became best known for his postgame run-in with John Calipari.

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The greatest challenge for selecting Sporting News’ annual mid-season All-America team was not so much choosing the 15 most deserving players but deciding what, precisely, constitutes the mid-season in 2020-21.

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NCAA lays out strict COVID-19 protocols for March Madness

The protocols will start before teams reach Indiana for the NCAA Tournament, according to a document obtained by Sporting News.

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A generation of basketball fans must cope with the sudden loss of Kobe Bryant. It's common for these fans to feel as connected to their hero as I did to mine.

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Brady-Mahomes QB matchup unprecedented in Super Bowl history

At its core, Super Bowl 55 between the Bucs and Chiefs is the GOAT and the player who could supplant him being on the same field.

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NFC title game will say so much about how Aaron Rodgers' career is remembered

The NFC championship game will say so much about how Aaron Rodgers' career is remembered.

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To allow Ben Roethlisberger to consume 23 percent of next season’s salary cap is to engage in a wishful fantasy.

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You’re no longer going to need a second screen or a seat in a sports bar to see all the action — just a really comfortable chair and a stocked fridge.

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What is the worst rule in sports?

A controversial touchback ruling played a big role in the Browns' crushing loss to the Chiefs and ignited a lively discussion on Twitter: Is it actually the worst rule in sports?

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All-Indy NCAA Tournament should make for better bracket

The NCAA Tournament seeding system is only as perfect as the people implementing it. In 2021, at least, it has one fewer obstacle to the best bracket possible: geography.

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Chase Claypool's brutal week continues

It has been a brutal week for Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool.

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This likely is college basketball’s greatest climb since Robinson rose from freshman star at D-III power Williams College to senior regular on Michigan’s 2018 Final Four team.

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How OSU's title hopes vanished in one series

The score may indicate a blowout but, for one moment, Ohio State nearly made the CFP championship an actual game. It squandered the opportunity — and with it, its title hopes.

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Lewis has interviewed at least twice for NFL head coaching jobs this winter, and there is reason to believe those conversations, this time, were more than ceremonial.

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Texas' Andrew Jones marks anniversary of leukemia diagnosis with game-winning 3

Jones marked the three-year anniversary of his leukemia diagnosis in the best way: by making the game-winning 3-pointer for the Longhorns against West Virginia.

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To make changes based solely on the Eagles’ loss would be an overreaction. If other teams perceive the league’s current silence as approval, though, they will be tempted to follow a similar course next season.

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However Mike Tomlin wakes up each day, his first activity always is the same: worrying about COVID.

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Eagles' QB decision with playoff berth at stake doesn't pass smell test

Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson told reporters he was trying to win when he replaced rookie Jalen Hurts with little-used Nate Sudfeld. NFL media weren't buying that.

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Fields showed championship guts as he put a hurting on Clemson

The Buckeyes quarterback played hurt for more than two quarters after absorbing a hit that was ruled illegal. In that time, he inflicted tons of emotional pain on his foe as payback.

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The Steelers are locked into the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the AFC playoff bracket. So is there a legitimate reason to play full-strength against the Browns in Week 17?

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The Steelers and “Renegade” have become inextricably linked.

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With spectators still not allowed in college basketball arenas, someone’s got to generate the hype.

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JuJu Smith-Schuster’s pregame dances on the opposing team’s logo when playing on the road, recorded for the social media site TikTok, have become a motivator for opponents during the Steelers' losing streak.

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Bearcats' perfection in 2020 will have to be its own reward

The No. 9 Bearcats figure to get no love from the committee when the CFP field is chosen because, well, they're Cincinnati and they don't play in a Power 5 conference.

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Sermon's legendary performance saves the day for Buckeyes

The Buckeyes needed all of Sermon's brilliance to mount a comeback against Northwestern.

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The College Football Playoff selection committee will likely hope for Clemson to beat Notre Dame in Saturday's ACC title game — preferably by a narrow margin.

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Calling college football's postseason a playoff is conveying a legitimacy that the CFP hasn’t earned and doesn’t warrant.

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What would pausing the NCAA basketball season mean for the athletes who currently are playing? Would they remain on campus and continue practicing? There would seem to be no utility in that.

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The number of people who expected, at any point this autumn, that the Steelers would finish the 2020 regular season undefeated almost certainly was smaller than the select group of family members gathered at Heinz Field late Monday to bear first-hand witness to the end of that dream. Neither, though, did many expect that it would be the Washington Football Team who would do the honors.

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If there were not panic from Lexington to Leitchfield, from Campbellsville to Caneyville, from Hazard to Hardinsburg and Wingo to West Liberty, this would not be college basketball season.

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Power 5 have no reason to adopt puffed-up Knight Commission's football 'solution'

The Knight Commission suggested a new governing body for programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision, separate from the NCAA — but only in that single sport. Say what now?

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Answering questions about Steelers' defense after Dupree injury

Pittsburgh remains the NFL’s only undefeated team, but now it must pursue perfection — and a potential Super Bowl title — without a second significant starter lost from its highly regarded defense.

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I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending.

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Seriously. A former QB and current NFL analyst on an all-sports network said this.

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Looking at the biggest takeaways from the Champions Classic:

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It’s always been a selfish conceit for fans or journalists to insist that superstar athletes playing well past their peaks are damaging their legacies. Brady should play as long as he wishes, and as long as someone is willing to pay him. No one should expect it to be the same.

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Of Mike Tyson's 56 fights to date, these were the most memorable and impactful over the course of his career.

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There will be a season. There will be March Madness.

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We have firmly established the 2020 NBA Draft will not be one of the most productive in the league’s history in terms of generating future stars. So acing this test wasn’t like scoring a 1550 on one’s SATs. But this might turn out to be a draft deeper than many in terms of rotation-type NBA players.

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Biggest steals, worst reaches of 2020 NBA Draft first round

The 2020 NBA Draft wasn't deep in talent, but there were players who represented good value in Round 1. Which teams were best and worst at finding those players?

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Our final big board of 2020 NBA Draft prospects takes an in-depth look at the players likely to be selected inside the lottery, plus a comprehensive ranking of the top 60 players overall.

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Tomlin neglected one major detail before employing his MAC analogy.

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“Obviously, we all know that people are going to compare him ... to Luka. He’s not Luka.”

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If Merrill’s shooting touch were a stock — and that’s how NBA Draft analysts treat such qualities — it would have risen in value every day the playoffs continued. And as the 2020 NBA Draft approaches Wednesday, it would appear still to have great worth.

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Here’s what we know now about plans for March Madness in 2021 after the NCAA's announcement that the tournament will take place inside a "controlled environment" at one central location, most likely Indianapolis.

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Gavitt: 'Fully confident' Division I season will start on schedule

Since early September, the opening day of the NCAA Division I basketball season has been established as Nov. 25. And that is when college basketball season will begin.

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To succeed in the playoffs, Pittsburgh must make substantial improvements in a number of areas.

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Pittsburgh abided by the accepted NFL protocols for avoiding a coronavirus outbreak, but that does not mean it was the right choice.

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This is the story of March 7 and its immediate aftermath, told through the experiences of those who made it so extraordinary, and, certainly not by choice, enduring.

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Tom Izzo: 'No clue' how I got COVID-19; people need to 'stick to' protocols

The Spartans' Hall of Fame head coach says he has "no clue" about how he contracted the virus, but he says the protocols that are in place to limit its spread should be followed.

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Pitino said the role gives him the opportunity to “recruit at a really high level — believe it or not, just as high as Louisville.”

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Berhalter might not be the sort of coach whose approach will have a player aching to run through a wall, but it appears that he can get the players he wants to wear the U.S. Soccer crest on their jerseys.

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Had the Panthers not blown games against N.C. State and Boston College and were sitting at 5-2, would he be making the same decision? One can surmise the answer almost certainly is no.

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“The committee on infractions, by punishing the student-athletes, is sending the message out … that we had cheated. And, obviously, we didn’t."

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If you’re a college basketball fan looking for assurances from on high, now isn’t a bad time to hear from Coach K.

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Mike Krzyzewski has demonstrated he is willing to put his basketball team in the hands of a freshman. So long as it’s the right freshman. And he earns it.

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Safety is an indispensable consideration for those competing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not optional. Convenience, though, is no more than a convenience.

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MLB's analytics revolution is striking out with many who love the game

Crash Davis was right: Strikeouts are boring. They're also having a toxic impact on the viewing experience.

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We have seen enough over the past decade to recognize Villanova’s players value hard work and preparation, but more than ever they are appreciating the chance to prepare for the 2020-21 college basketball season. Especially sophomore Bryan Antoine.

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Ohio State needs to be perfect on, off field to get into CFP race

Already, such teams as Clemson, Alabama and Notre Dame have played at least four games and won them all. That’s a lot of ground for the Buckeyes to make up in a short time.

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One might think this is a loopy way of annointing the greatest player in the history of basketball, but hey, that’s sort of how we are going to determine who runs the country for the next four years.

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College athletes inch closer to goal of earning while competing

A new rule would mean they can earn money with far fewer restrictions while they are active college athletes.

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The NCAA announced on Sept. 16 the approved date for the start of regular-season competition, as well as the limit of 27 games, and still few conferences have announced their schedules and almost no teams have finalized non-league play.

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If the goal was to obtain the most amount of money in exchange for the least amount of football, then certainly Le’Veon Bell scored big.

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Lakers' title as legit as any other, if only because of the journey

LA spent three months in the Orlando bubble before reaching their goal of being the last team standing in the playoffs. This was a unique achievement that should not be dismissed.

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LeBron looked a lot like MJ in passing up final shot

LeBron James made the correct play, something he says he always tries to do, when he passed to a wide-open Danny Green. The pass looked very much like a couple that helped win titles for MJ's Bulls.

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Accusations against Marshall aren't total shocker

As shocking as the allegations against him are, anyone who works in college basketball knows Marshall’s sometimes-difficult disposition hardly was a secret.

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The COVID-19 pandemic now is the fourth-worst mass casualty event in U.S. history, behind only the Civil War, the 1918 flu pandemic and World War II. Governmental indifference could push COVID into the top three.

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With the Heat on the verge of extinction if not elimination two days earlier, Butler had authored a majestic, 40-point triple-double that injected the possibility of genuine suspense into this series. Davis erased that Tuesday night.

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When the conference reversed course and decided to play in 2020, something surprising happened. Players who had previously opted out began opting back in, and for the loveliest of reasons.

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A freaking nightmare, indeed. There have been so many.

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“We have to stick up for what we believe in.”

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How the Heat can recover from Game 1 blowout

Erik Spoelstra is one of the rare coaches who has won the NBA title — multiple times, in fact — after dropping Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

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Three years ago, the Indiana Pacers hit on an idea for a marketing slogan and instead found they’d conjured a phrase that defines an entire state: “We Grow Basketball Here.”

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There has been no competition since the afternoon of March 12, when Creighton and St. John’s were informed that their Big East Tournament was over after they’d played the first 20 minutes. Louisville coach Chris Mack chose to fill that void with a video Tuesday evening.

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The NBA no longer is a center’s league. And yet, the crucial matchup of the 2020 NBA Finals is at center.

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Mike Leach does not get it. He is paid millions, literally as part of the higher education system in the state of Mississippi, and yet he chooses to remain uninformed.

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LeBron James has won the GOAT debate

The debate probably ought to have been settled when James turned the city of Cleveland into a champion for the first time in five decades, but it persists.

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The film’s narration ends with a simple line: “When they think of him, it’s not how he died that they remember. It’s how he lived. How he did live.” The words were written about Piccolo then. They apply to both him and Sayers now.

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There was no self-aggrandizing phrase conjured to advertise the reconstruction of the Heat when they were through dominating the early part of the previous decade.

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How LeBron made major impact on final play of Game 2

Let's be totally honest about what happened Sunday night. LeBron James won a game for the Lakers by standing still.

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Weston McKennie's move to Juventus is not the first stunning development in his career

It has been a dizzying ascent for the young soccer player.

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This is the best day for college hoops in a long time.

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The Buckeyes wanted a chance to safely compete for a national championship this fall. The'll have it now, albeit it with the implied stipulation that anything less than perfection will be insufficient.

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While Ben Roethlisberger missed 90 percent of 2019 with an injured elbow, the Steelers replaced him with two quarterbacks who entered the season with zero NFL snaps between them. It looked for a while against the Giants as though their coaches had become nostalgic for those days.

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Coaches would appreciate getting word on this concept soon because it would aid with planning for the season as well as recruiting.

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Messi says he will stay at Barca, but 'lately I have not found happiness within the club'

At his home in a pair of shorts and flip-flops, not quite relaxed or at ease but certainly in his element, Lionel Messi made it clear in an exclusive conversation with Goal that he adores Barcelona as a city and FC Barcelona as a club as he plans to remain for a 16th season.

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Heat's Erik Spoelstra starting to wear the look of elite coach

Spoelstra looks too young to be wise, but check his work instead of his hairstyle.

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Always making a Messi

When things become most difficult, with club or country, Messi wants out.

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Trump's comments about Big Ten football seem like a political Hail Mary

The Big Ten Conference has said there is no game. But the president of the United States insists the ball is “on the one yard line!”

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Remembering Georgetown legend John Thompson

It may seem too convenient to declare, “He was a giant,” but how often does one get to say those words and have it be true in every sense?

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Remembering Lute Olson, an underrated coaching legend

There was little that Lute Olson did not accomplish as a college basketball coach and few honors he did not attain.

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Why NBA players' call to continue season is the right move

In the continuing fight for racial justice, NBA players have one hell of a platform. Their decision to continue is essential for that reason and some even more acute.

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Bill Nunn was 89 years old when he passed from this Earth on May 6, 2014, so he certainly gave everyone plenty of opportunity to fully acknowledge his greatness while he still was around to appreciate the recognition.

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There isn't any doubt Anthony has struggled on multiple levels in the late stages of his career, but his greatness shouldn't be questioned.

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Wright will turn 59 during the course of the next college basketball season. In decades past, that might have meant having another good four or five years in him, but the experience of Jim Boeheim, Mike Krzyzewski and Roy Williams suggest he easily could coach beyond age 70.

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Our big board of 2020 NBA Draft prospects takes an in-depth look at the players likely to be selected inside the lottery, plus a comprehensive ranking of the top 60 players overall.

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UCL final: Only Davies has the speed to get this far, this fast

Sunday, at age 19, Alphonso Davies will play for the right to lift the most prestigious trophy in club sports.

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How crazy was it for 12 teams to ignore Michael Porter Jr.?

How crazy was it for each of the 12 teams to ignore Michael Porter Jr.? We rate them.

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UCL quarters: Davies, Bayern show their superiority against Messi, Barca

The Canadian teenager made big contributions to the German titlists' 8-2 humiliation of the crumbling Spanish side in their Champions League quarterfinal match.

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A grassroots movement has gained momentum, which was underscored Thursday when the NABC introduced the Coaches’ Voter Engagement Playbook, a 12-page document offering ideas and guidelines.

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Adams in select company after netting UCL match-winner for Leipzig

Adams' first goal for RB Leipzig couldn't have been much more important.

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If Nebraska really had wished to challenge the Big Ten in order to preserve a 2020 football season, it would have meant abandoning the opportunity to play games against Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State in perpetuity for a single autumn of games against whatever schools are still competing and engaging in out-of-conference competition.

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What does the Heisman do if roughly half the players are active in the fall and the rest in the spring?

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Damian Lillard’s 61-point performance shows college didn’t hurt his 'upside'

Analytics are telling teams that the age of players entering the league matters relative to their success, but there are ways to make numbers tell the story you want.

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In delaying season, Pac-12 at least provides tangible date

The Pac-12 included college basketball in its statement canceling all sports until the end of the calendar year. That, at least, provides a target date for the 2020-21 season.

Mike DeCourcy

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Big Ten's bearer of bad news

None of the issues that have plagued the college sports landscape since March is the fault of Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren. It's still on him to deal with the fallout, especially in his conference.

Mike DeCourcy

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This season, a football field might be the safest place for players

One certainly could argue that football players always would be safest not playing football, but if we’re talking strictly about the pandemic, that might not be the case.

Mike DeCourcy

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After a five-month break, the Champions League is back as the Round of 16 continues. Here's everything you need to know about the restart.

Mike DeCourcy

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MLS is Back knockout round schedule: Dates, times, TV channels

The MLS is Back tournament moves to the elimination rounds; here's the schedule all the way to the championship match.

Mike DeCourcy

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It’s a lot easier to find the winners in this circumstance, but there are some teams on the opposite side of the ledger.

Mike DeCourcy

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There was an extraordinary gravity to each development in those two games because of the tightened time frame.

Mike DeCourcy

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Request to remove Rupp's name from UK arena leads to 'complicated' discussion

Was Adolph Rupp such a horrific racist to warrant the same posthumous treatment as a Confederate leader such as Robert E. Lee or Stonewall Jackson?

Mike DeCourcy

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The Sporting News Player of the Year is one of the rare talents to return to college following the coronation.

Mike DeCourcy

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MLS is Back tournament updated schedule

Here's a guide to the MLS is Back tournament, including a full schedule with TV channels plus what to know about the format and groupings.

Mike DeCourcy

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Dosunmu needs to focus on development as much as title in return to Illinois

Dosunmu probably won't get the championship or the lucrative draft position he desires without toning up his jumper.

Mike DeCourcy

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MLB is learning how to deal with COVID-19, but it may be too late to save season

Baseball has begun to realize that hope is not an effective plan to stage a season in the age of COVID-19. One wonders if the adjustments made are arriving too late to realize MLB's planned conclusion.

Mike DeCourcy

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College programs in all sports that wish to promote the Black Lives Matter movement or make another social justice statement no longer are constricted by NCAA rules.

Mike DeCourcy

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What to watch for as the NBA season resumes

Even with eight games of the regular season and a full 16-team playoff ahead of us, who doesn’t believe we’re on a collision course with Bucks vs. Lakers?

Mike DeCourcy

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At the core of everything that happened, beyond the scheming admissions counselors and the megalomaniacal parents, there are the coaches who agreed to sell out their sports for money.

Mike DeCourcy

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MLB failed in all areas in this circumstance, which is not how it has worked to date in other sports that have returned to competition.

Mike DeCourcy

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What does a dugout reporter do when not allowed near the dugout?

Mike DeCourcy

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Comment: Senators ooze hypocrisy in criticizing NBA's dealings with China

The two lawmakers seem to be emphasizing appearance over principle.

Mike DeCourcy

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You could spend a significant portion of your life in Cincinnati and never fully understand the Opening Day phenomenon.

Mike DeCourcy

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Comment: HBO's one-sided piece on college sports and COVID was predictable

HBO has done some important sports journalism over the years, but its track record on coverage of college athletics is predictable and abysmal.

Mike DeCourcy

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Gonzaga’s Filip Petrusev isn’t waiting around for the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline — or even for the NBA Draft. He is going pro. Now.

Mike DeCourcy

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It would be fair to say France Football’s condescension has turned it into the Ballon de Farce.

Mike DeCourcy

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The profound influence on the game of basketball exerted by the Hurley family now may extend to a third generation.

Mike DeCourcy

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If NFL is bold enough to force out Snyder, it must do better job vetting his replacement

Washington’s NFL team has been an embarrassment on the field. Many in the media have declined for years to use its nickname. Fans have evacuated by the thousands. And, as it turns out, the worst aspect of the operation was not fully revealed until this week.

Mike DeCourcy

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Kuminga 'pathway' decision boosts pressure on NBA

No player is going to excel at the game’s highest level without accepting and comprehending what it means to compete.

Mike DeCourcy

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Field of 96? How a one-off expansion of NCAAs in '21 could be justified

A larger field would reduce the pressure on the selection committee to decide among teams whose records are abbreviated and parochial.

Mike DeCourcy

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In a roundtable conversation with former New York Giants star Victor Cruz, Browns wideout Odell Beckham and Rams running back Todd Gurley on a YouTube program called “The Bigger Picture,” the new Patriots QB declared that he is undaunted in replacing Brady.

Mike DeCourcy

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Explaining the challenges college basketball could face amid COVID-19

If college basketball were to be placed in a circumstance where there were few or no non-league games to help establish how much comparative value there is in winning a conference game, the NCAA's Dan Gavitt said he believes the selection committee is well-positioned to select, seed and bracket a tournament field.

Mike DeCourcy

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Patriots receiver Julian Edelman, the MVP of Super Bowl 53, offered to accompany Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson to the Holocaust Museum and Learning Center in Washington to help facilitate a “conversation” after Jackson posted false and anti-Semitic statements on social media earlier this week.

Mike DeCourcy

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In its return to competition through the MLS is Back Tournament, Major League Soccer found another profound means of expressing support for minority citizens in their fight for equality.

Mike DeCourcy

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Why NFLPA's case against NFL is an incomplete pass

Players Association president J.C. Tretter of the Browns makes some good points, but also engages in needless hyperbole.

Mike DeCourcy

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Why FC Dallas' removal shouldn't cause MLS is Back to be shut down

The Florida bubble still looks to be MLS's best option for resuming play even as one of its teams is forced out of action because of a large number of positive tests.

Mike DeCourcy

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The former Manchester United and Portugal standout says his was decision "always was to come to this tournament."

Mike DeCourcy

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Vela did participate in training once teams were allowed to return to work in June. But his wife is pregnant, and he made the decision to remain home with her and their 3-year-old son.

Mike DeCourcy

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Because 'hope is a good thing,' hoops writer keeps counting down to season

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, who is as in love with the sport of college basketball as anyone is in love with any sport, believes in the power of hope.

Mike DeCourcy

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The official Premier League champions of this season, Liverpool, will take on last season's champs, Man City, in a game that will be about their personal competition.

Mike DeCourcy

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9 FC Dallas players, 1 coach test positive for COVID-19

With the MLS is Back Tournament set to begin July 8, FC Dallas currently is preparing without nine players and one coach who tested positive for coronavirus.

Mike DeCourcy

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2020 champions will deserve your enduring respect, not your asterisk*

Winning a title in 2020 could be called one of the toughest championships ever won. Players will have had to compete with limited training and life in a bubble, while playing during a pandemic and fighting for Black Lives Matter.

Mike DeCourcy

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Michigan State, Bates could be in for a long engagement

There are lots of potential distractions for Emoni Bates — the top 2022 recruit in high school basketball, perhaps the best since Anthony Davis — before he formally enrolls at MSU.

Mike DeCourcy

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Latest Patriots punishment feels like it's meant to be a joke

The Patriots were caught cheating. Again. But the NFL's lenient punishment only reinforces the team's win-at-any-cost approach.

Mike DeCourcy

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All players kneel for national anthem as NWSL returns

Members of the Portland Thorns and North Carolina Courage unanimously took knees as the Star-Spangled Banner was played in advance of Saturday's game.

Mike DeCourcy

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The first game is not for another two weeks, but already Tommy Thompson and his teammates with the San Jose Earthquakes are inside “the bubble” at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex.

Mike DeCourcy

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Indy 500 plan for fans shows it's possible to move too fast in auto racing

Opening to 50 percent capacity seems a needless exercise in hubris.

Mike DeCourcy

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Liverpool fans waited so long for title; now there's plenty of time to enjoy it

Now that Liverpool has secured its first true Premier League title, fans are going to have plenty of time to bask in the victory.

Mike DeCourcy

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Comment: NCAA needs to spare Oklahoma State after Cunningham's decision

For the sake of justice, it always was important that the members of the NCAA infractions appeals committee remove the one-year ban on postseason play installed earlier this month against the Oklahoma State basketball program. Now, for the sake of those who follow the game, it’s essential.

Mike DeCourcy

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Famous NBA fathers and sons

To celebrate Father’s Day, we look at a dozen of the most prominent active father-son duos (or trios, as the case may be).

Mike DeCourcy

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If MLB wishes to dismiss the threats from fans to abandon the game for good if there is no clear solution to the 2020 season, or no solution soon, it does so at its own peril.

Mike DeCourcy

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