U.S./World Sports category, Page 343

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The part of every college basketball season players and coaches covet looms in less than a month. For Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, the NCAA Tournament doesn’t even register as he tries to cope with a fatal accident that occurred with him at the wheel. Boeheim struck and...

HAMPTON, Ga. — Christopher Bell led all but 20 laps while routing the field Saturday to win the Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. It was the first victory for the Supra that Toyota is using this season in NASCAR’s second-tier series. “First Supra win in the Xfinity Series,...

HAMPTON, Ga. — NASCAR was long overdue for an added punch to its racing product and eagerly awaits the results from a new competition package designed to increase the entertainment factor for the troubled series. The new rules debut Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where the prevailing opinion is the...

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — No matter the outcome, Jim Boeheim needed this. Three days after the Hall of Fame coach of the Syracuse Orange struck and killed a pedestrian on a darkened highway that leads out of town, he returned to the bench Saturday night. Boeheim’s first public appearance since the...

Ric Flair not only had a hard time “holding these alligators down,” he had a hard time holding the tears back Friday. “The Nature Boy,” as he was commonly known as during his days in the squared circle, was surprised with a 70th birthday celebration in Atlanta, with attendees ranging...

HAMPTON, Ga. — NASCAR rolled into Atlanta Motor Speedway ready to begin a new era of racing shrouded in unknowns. Will it be racier? That’s the point. Will it make Sunday’s event at Atlanta exciting? That remains to be seen. “We don’t have that answer. I can tell you that...

He’s got a first name that crackles almost as much as his game, rooted in biblical history, which roughly translates to “highest point,” a fitting description of Duke’s freshman sensation, Zion Williamson. He’s the biggest college star in years, a next-generation blend of power, size and immortal hops, and when...

Sean Knapp was walking his dog in Oakmont late Thursday afternoon when he learned the U.S. Amateur Championship will return to Oakmont Country Club for a sixth time in 2021. Knapp said he let out a “woo-hoo” before thinking, “Too bad it’s not this year. I’d be exempt.” Knapp, who...

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Court documents say a former volunteer volleyball coach at the University of Kansas stole dozens of pairs of underwear from players and catalogued them in labeled plastic storage containers. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the police affidavit released Wednesday says that a search of 23-year-old Skyler Yee’s...

NEW YORK — Nike says it’s investigating why Duke freshman Zion Williamson split a shoe open during a game against rival North Carolina. But the sportswear giant says it’s an “isolated occurrence.” The Beaverton, Oregon-based company says it’s concerned and says quality and performance of its products are of “utmost...

DURHAM, N.C. — Zion Williamson blew out his shoe, and then No. 8 North Carolina blew out top-ranked Duke. Luke Maye took full advantage of a freak injury to the freshman sensation, finishing with 30 points and 15 rebounds to help the Tar Heels rout Duke, 88-72, on Wednesday night....

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Syracuse men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim struck and killed a man walking on an interstate late Wednesday night as he tried to avoid hitting the man’s disabled vehicle, police say. Syracuse police say 51-year-old Jorge Jimenez had been in a car with three others before midnight Wednesday...

DURHAM, N.C. — Freshman sensation Zion Williamson was knocked out of the North Carolina-Duke rivalry game by a knee injury after his Nike shoe blew out during the top-ranked Blue Devils’ opening possession. Williamson grabbed his right knee in pain after slipping awkwardly and falling when his left shoe fell...

MEXICO CITY — Two small openings on both sides of a tree-covered path were packed with fans young and old, some with caps they wanted signed, others holding phones to capture the moment. They were screaming one word that translates in any language at the Mexico Championship. “Tiger!” Tiger Woods...

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — Kevin Love relaxed on the beach under the warm Caribbean sun during the All-Star break. He hopes it finally shines on him and the Cavaliers in the second half of a depressing, gloomy season. Offering optimism about his future and Cleveland’s, Love returned to the practice floor...

For once, file away the doom and gloom. Well, at least for the time being. This NASCAR season, more than any other in recent history, is pivotal. The sport’s iconic stars — including Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick — are mostly, if not all, gone. TV ratings...

Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon is investing $250 million in the Alliance of American Football. Dundon also will serve as chairman of the fledgling eight-team league that began play Feb. 9. His involvement came together in a matter of days last week, according to Dundon and Alliance co-founder Charlie Ebersol,...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Michael McDowell was still digesting his fifth-place finish at the Daytona 500 when Joey Logano appeared at the front of his car, angrily pointing at the Ford logo. He was questioning McDowell’s loyalty to the brand. “He shows up pointing at the Ford emblem, pushing on the...

MEXICO CITY — For a brief moment, Jordan Spieth had reason to believe he finally caught a good break with a bad shot. He was trying to hit a hard, low draw on the fifth hole of the final round at Riviera into a strong wind and a light rain....

DENVER — America’s suburbs are today’s great political battleground, long seen as an independent pivot between the country’s liberal cities and conservative small towns and rural expanse. But it’s not that simple. It turns out that these places in-between may be the most politically polarized of all — and when...

BEAUMONT-SUR-OISE, France — Master Yoda, dust off his French, he must. It’s now easier than ever in France to act out “Star Wars” fantasies, because its fencing federation has borrowed from a galaxy far, far away and officially recognized lightsaber dueling as a competitive sport, granting the iconic weapon from...

NEW YORK — Duke has reclaimed the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 poll. The Blue Devils earned 58 of 64 first-place votes in Monday’s poll to earn a third stint at the top this season. Duke climbed one spot to replace Tennessee, which had spent four weeks...

LOS ANGELES — A marathon finish was only part of the challenge facing J.B. Holmes. He also had to contend with a four-shot deficit against Justin Thomas on greens that were increasingly bumpy with so many footprints over nine hours and wind that made Riviera tougher than ever. With one...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Denny Hamlin came to the Daytona 500 determined to honor his late car owner with a victory. He delivered in a storybook tribute for Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin won NASCAR’s biggest race for the second time in four years Sunday, leading JGR in a 1-2-3 sweep...