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March Madness at Ball Arena: Playing on Nikola Jokic’s home court? “Awesome, amazing,” UC Santa Barbara freshman says of Denver

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

Even as a 14 seed, UC Santa Barbara wasn’t “just happy to be here.” Although freshman guard Matija Belic admitted to being more than just happy to be at Ball Arena — the Serbian counts Nuggets All-Star  Nikola Jokic as one of his hoops heroes.“(It’s) awesome,” Belic told The Denver Post. “(It’s) amazing. I dreamed about it, to be able to play where (Jokic) performed every night.”The 6-foot-7 Belic, who scored four points in six minutes off the bench Friday for the losing Gauchos, said he and his family often would wake up to watch Nuggets games in the middle of the night in order to catch the NBA’s two-time MVP.“I love the way how he sees the game, how he reads the play, how he’s able to — even though he’s maybe not the best athlete on the court, even though he maybe (can’t) jump the highest, he way he reads the game, it’s unbelievable.”Former Nugget’s son OK. Creighton forward Mason Miller, son of former Nuggets guard Mike Miller, left the Blueja...

Altitude TV, Comcast settle lawsuit, but RSN remains unavailable to cable provider’s subscribers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

Altitude TV and Comcast have settled a nearly four-year-old lawsuit, but the two sides remain at an impasse that will continue to keep Avalanche and Nuggets games blacked out in Colorado.The two sides announced the settlement Friday afternoon in a joint statement, while also acknowledging it did not include an agreement to bring Altitude TV back to Comcast’s platforms.“Comcast and Altitude remain willing to discuss potential future business and distribution arrangements,” the statement read.The lawsuit, filed by Altitude TV against Comcast shortly after its carriage deal lapsed in September 2019, accused the cable giant of violating antitrust laws. The two parties entered into mediation last summer but were unable to reach a settlement until this week.Representatives for Altitude TV, owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, declined to comment when contacted by The Post late Friday. Comcast Colorado communications director Leslie Oliver told The Post in a state...

Los Angeles public schools to offer student supervision, meals during three-day strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

As the looming strike of Los Angeles Unified School District employees nears, free student supervision drop-offs and meals are being offered at schools during the strike.“Due to the anticipated lack of both teachers and school staff, it is likely we would have to close schools to students – without virtual education – until the strike ends,” said LAUSD officials.Free student supervision will be provided at select elementary, middle and high schools from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the three-day strike from March 21-23.Parents should check LAUSD’s live map for open locations. Sites, which also include recreation centers and parks, may be at capacity, so it’s best to check the website before dropping off students.Families can also pick up meals for students at Grab & Go sites on Tuesday, March 21 from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Six meals per student will be provided that will cover breakfast and lunch over three days, officials said.Additionally, 18 L.A. County Recreation and Park sites ...

Two Oakland A’s expected to be on Opening Day roster will start season on IL

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

Two players expected to be on the Oakland A’s Opening Day roster, starting pitcher Paul Blackburn and catcher Manny Piña, will instead start the season on the injured list, manager Mark Kotsay said Friday.Piña, expected to start the season as Shea Langeliers’ backup, was fitted with a brace after inflammation was discovered in his left wrist, the same one he had surgery on last May while with the Atlanta Braves. Piña began to feel discomfort during a game at the A’s minor league complex Monday.Candidates to take Piña’s spot on the season-opening roster are Yohel Pozo, Kyle McCann, and Tyler Soderstrom.Kotsay said Blackburn, an Antioch native and Heritage High School graduate, has a fingernail avulsion on his right middle finger and is unable to grip a baseball right now.In two Cactus League appearances, Blackburn had a 16.62 ERA in 4 1/3 innings, with his last outing coming on March 10. He played catch on Tuesday with no issue, but it is unclear when he’ll throw off a mound again.Bl...

March Madness: Top seed Purdue ousted, brackets in tatters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

March Madness has truly begun! By the end of the first round, a trio of top seeds were already gone — No. 1 seed Purdue, No. 2 seed Arizona and No. 4 seed Virginia — and gone with them were millions of busted brackets.Here is what to know going into the weekend of the NCAA Tournament, including the favorites and underdogs as well as key games:TOP SEEDSThe top four seeds in the tournament were given to Alabama, Houston, Kansas and Purdue. Each had its share of headaches to set up what is already proving to be a chaotic tournament and the Boilermakers were the first to fall, ousted in a first-round stunner. Here is the latest from each region:EAST REGION: The Boilermakers got a No. 1 seed for the fourth time, but Purdue was dumped by Fairleigh Dickinson in a near-historic upset. The region appears to be wide open for the likes of No. 2 seed Marquette, Duke, Michigan State and more.SOUTH REGION: Alabama, led by coach Nate Oats in a challenging season, is a No. 1 seed for the first time...

Pili, 2nd-seeded Utah dominate Gardner-Webb in March Madness

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Alissa Pili joined Utah before the season looking for a fresh start. She has flourished with the Utes, turning into a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.Pili tallied a career-high 33 points, eight rebounds and a career-high eight assists to power second-seeded Utah past 15th-seeded Gardner-Webb 103-77 Friday night in the first round of the women’s NCAA Tournament.A transfer from Southern California, the junior forward led the Pac-12 in scoring and field goal percentage during the regular season and never gave the Bulldogs a chance to breathe.“I just kind of let the game come to me and took advantage of those situations,” Pili said.Jenna Johnson added 20 points and five assists for the Utes (26-4). Pili and Johnson combined to make 22 of 31 shots as the Bulldogs struggled to keep the duo from relentlessly attacking the basket.The Utes advanced to play the North Carolina State-Princeton winner in the Greenville 2 Region.“We have so many weapons offensively, ...

March Madness: Where and what is Fairleigh Dickinson?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

Add Fairleigh Dickinson to the list of giant-killing New Jersey schools in March Madness.The 16th-seeded Knights pulled off a mammoth upset Friday night, upsetting top-seeded Purdue 63-58 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Undersized FDU played big against the Boilermakers and became only the second No. 16 seed to topple a No. 1 seed. Maryland-Baltimore County was the first, knocking off Virginia in 2018.FDU’s win blew up most of the remaining brackets. Just who are these guys?WHERE IS FDU?The school has two campuses in New Jersey: Teaneck and Florham. The school’s website list a total enrollment of 11,400 students, though U.S. News & World Report lists the number as 7,860 as of fall 2021. The Teaneck campus is close to New York City; the Florham campus is on a former country estate of socialites Florence Vanderbilt and Hamilton Twombly. FDU has owned the campus since 1958. FDU also has campuses in Wroxton, England, and Vancouver, British Columbia.WHAT’S FDU ...

DeRozan scores 49 as Bulls beat Timberwolves in double OT

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored a season-high 49 points, Zach LaVine finished with 39 and the Chicago Bulls beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 139-131 in double overtime on Friday night.Nikola Vucevic added 21 points and 11 rebounds.Minnesota All-Star Anthony Edwards left with a sprained right ankle in the first quarter, and the Timberwolves lost for the fourth time in five games.Mike Conley led Minnesota with 28 points, nailing 8 of 12 3-pointers. Rudy Gobert finished with 21 points and 19 rebounds, and Jaden McDaniels scored 25 points.The Bulls led 130-125 in the second OT before Conley hit a 3-pointer. Minnesota’s Naz Reid had a layup rim out, and DeRozan made a turnaround jumper to bump Chicago’s lead to 132-28 with 1:27 remaining.Nickeil Alexander-Walker made the second free throw after an airball to pull the Timberwolves within three, but Vucevic brought the Bulls bench to its feet with a thunderous one-handed dunk for a three-point play with just over a minute left.Reid drov...

Purdue, Painter lament another early March Madness exit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — It’s become a disturbing, familiar pattern for Purdue.Another promising season. Another putrid NCAA Tournament.For the third straight year, the Boilermakers were bounced by a double-digit seed, losing Friday night to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson, which doesn’t have a player taller than 6-foot-6 but took out the Big Ten’s best squad with surprising ease.“Obviously it hurts,” Purdue coach Matt Painter said. “It hurts bad. I don’t want to take anything away from them. They earned it. They played better than we did.”Purdue was looking to make history. Not this type.The Boilermakers are the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed, joining Virginia, which fell to UMBC in 2018.This March was supposed to be different. The Boilermakers (29-6), who haven’t made the Final Four since 1980 and have never won a title, had one of the nation’s best players in All-America center Zach Edey, shooters to support him, experience and depth.But Pur...

Aston-Reese scores 2 as Maple Leafs beat Hurricanes 4-2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:00 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Zach Aston-Reese scored twice and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2 Friday night to snap a two-game skid.Morgan Rielly had a goal and an assist, and Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews also scored to help Toronto improve to 4-2-1 in its last seven games. John Tavares and Calle Jarnkrok each had two assists and Ilya Samsonov finished with 32 saves to help Toronto increase its lead to three points ahead of third-place Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division.Martin Necas and Brady Skjei each scored for Carolina in its third loss in four games. Pyotr Kochetkov had 19 saves as the Hurricanes remained one point ahead of second-place New Jersey in the Metropolitan Division. Aston-Reese got the scoring started as he tipped Erik Gustafsson’s shot from the right point past Kochetkov 2:54 into the game.Marner made it 2-0 with 7 1/2 minutes left in the first as fired a shot from the right circle off the post and in for his 25th.Skjei got the Hurricanes on the...