McDermott passes Bird as Creighton routs ‘Nova

Villanova coach Jay Wright said it was like a broken record. Same matchup, same result — practically. The last time Creighton met Villanova, the Bluejays poured in a Big East-record 21 3-pointers and cruised to a 28-point victory in Philadelphia. Bluejays forward Doug McDermott let the Wildcats know immediately Sunday night that no revenge would […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Two Irish regulars enjoy homecoming at BC

BOSTON — Notre Dame guard Paul Connaughton and forward Zach Auguste both heard loud applause from a road crowd when they were introduced before Sunday’s game. With good reason. They are both local products — and they both helped the Fighting Irish to their first road victory of the season, a 73-69 Atlantic Coast Conference […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Irving guides East to record-setting All-Star win

NEW ORLEANS — Defense in an NBA All-Star Game is such a missing commodity it probably belongs on a milk carton, but this was video-game scoring gone wild. Behind 31 points and 14 assists by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving and 30 points on a record eight 3-pointers by New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
NBA All-Star Game: East 163, West 155

NEW ORLEANS — Defense in an NBA All-Star Game is such a missing commodity it probably belongs on a milk carton, but this was video-game scoring gone wild. Behind 31 points and 14 assists by Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving and 30 points by New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, the East All-Stars obliterated a […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Syracuse escapes NC State with perfect record intact

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Another day, another buzzer-beating finish for the No. 1-ranked Syracuse Orange. A goaltending call on North Carolina State’s Ralston Turner in the final seconds gave undefeated Syracuse a 56-55 victory over the Wolfpack on Saturday night in an Atlantic Coast League game before 31,572 fans — the fourth crowd of more than […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Silver: 20-year-old age requirement ‘something we had on table’

NEW ORLEANS — Concerned about the “one-and-done” reality in which college basketball players bolt to the NBA after their freshman season, new NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday night he is committed to continued negotiations with the NBA Players Association to establish a minimum age of 20 to play professional basketball. Speaking at a press […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Wall, Eastern Conference rule in dunk contest

NEW ORLEANS – Shaquille O’Neal sat beneath the basket on a king’s gold throne and then watched as Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore soared over his head for a spread-eagle, right-handed, tomahawk dunk that brought the crowd at the Smoothie King Center to their feet on Saturday night. The dunk prompted Shaq to jump to […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  15 Oct 2021
Florida tops Kentucky for 17th straight win

LEXINGTON, Ky. — After No. 14 Kentucky held Florida to 10-of-30 shooting from the field in the first half, point guard Andrew Harrison said the Wildcats played their best half defensively of the season to date. Florida point guard Scottie Wilbekin figured it out, though, and led the No. 3 Gators through the wilderness and […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  26 Jan 2022
Texas handles West Virginia

AUSTIN, Texas — In the last 10 games, the Texas Longhorns have evolved from a team hoping to pull out of a recent slump to taking care of business near the top of the Big 12 standings. No. 19 Texas dominated the paint and cooled off the hot West Virginia Mountaineers 88-71 on Saturday night […]

Jeff Hawkins  •  07 Aug 2024