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Ohio State takes a gut punch

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — David Punch provided some bulletin-board material this week when he told the Columbus Dispatch that TCU would beat Ohio State “nine times out of 10” because of its athleticism. On Thursday, Punch and the Horned Frogs backed up his bold talk. Punch delivered a textbook entry pass to Xavier Edmonds, who converted a layup to beat the shot clock with 4.3 seconds left as No. 9 seed TCU held off a furious second-half rally by eighth-seeded Ohio State for a 66-64 victory to open the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Bruce Thornton’s half-court heave at ...

Miami’s wave of success

DAYTON (AP) — Travis Steele heard the murmurs inside the arena burst into a rock-concert explosion of noise as 27 lithe men — wearing nothing but Speedos, goggles and swim caps — bum-rushed the stands behind the basket and waved their arms to provide a nearly-nude distraction on opposing free-throw attempts. With Miami (Ohio) already riding a wave of popularity as one of college basketball’s darlings, the swim team’s Speedo stunt added a ripple of excitement during the RedHawks’ March Madness opener. Steele coached the RedHawks to a 31-0 regular-season record that almost ...

James ties games played record

MIAMI (AP) — The King has tied The Chief. LeBron James started for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Miami Heat on Thursday night, making it the 1,611th regular-season game of his career and tying Robert Parish’s all-time NBA mark. Parish — dubbed “Chief” during much of his playing career — held the record for nearly 30 years. It belongs now to James, someone who has had the “King” moniker for much of his basketball life and now has yet another record on what seems like an endless resume of accomplishment within the game. “I think he understands the importance of ...

BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

Cavaliers beat Bulls without Mitchell CHICAGO (AP) — James Harden scored 36, Evan Mobley added 26 points and 14 rebounds and Cleveland hung on to beat the Chicago Bulls 115-110 on Thursday night even though Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell missed the game because of a bruised left eye. Harden nailed seven 3-pointers. Jaylon Tyson chipped in with 18 points and 11 rebounds, and the Cavaliers hung on after a 29-point lead in the third quarter dwindled to one in the game’s closing minutes. Chicago’s Tre Jones cut it to 103-102 when he made two free throws with 3:33 remaining. Sam ...

Threes gone wild

(AP) — No team has made more 3-pointers, nor launched more, than Alabama in the past four seasons. And nothing will shake coach Nate Oats from believing they’re at the core of building a winner in modern basketball. Teams might struggle to match the Crimson Tide’s sheer volume heading into March Madness, but they’re leaning into those long-distance shots, too. “Finding efficient shots is at the top of what we do,” Oats said recently. “It’s at the top of what everybody in the NBA is looking at is generating efficient shots. And if you’re not thinking about how to get ...

WBC may move to midseason

MIAMI (AP) — Aaron Judge walked slowly back and forth in the United States dugout Tuesday night while Venezuelan players shed tears and fell to their knees to celebrate the country’s first World Baseball Classic title. Other players from the Americans’ $320 million roster stood frozen for several minutes before receiving their silver medals. Bryce Harper, who hit a tying homer in the eighth inning, went over to shake hands with Team Venezuela players before leaving the field. “In those moments, it’s like the Olympics or anywhere else,” Harper said. “I’m really happy ...