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THROUGH MARCH 27

THROUGH MARCH 27

A record set by former Arizona track star and Tucson native Michael Bates in 1991 was rewritten by current UA senior and fellow Tucsonan Trayvion White-Austin, who clocked in at 10.14 in the 100 meters Saturday at the annual Willie Williams Classic at Drachman Stadium. The event showcased athletes from numerous colleges and universities and at least 17 local high schools.

 

Houston is playing in its fifth Sweet 16 in a row, its best March Madness run since making three consecutive Final Four appearances in the Phi Slama Jam era four decades ago. The Cougars were Big 12 regular-season champions this season after making the move into that power conference. They play blueblood Duke on Friday night at the home of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, about 250 miles from the Houston campus. Another Atlantic Coast Conference team, No. 11 seed North Carolina State, takes on second-seeded Marquette and former Texas coach Shaka Smart in the first Dallas game.

North Carlina State's Sweet 16 game against Stanford in the women's NCAA Tournament is bit of a harbinger of what's to come. That's because next season the perennially talented Cardinal are headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Second-seeded Stanford plays No. 3 seed N.C. State on Friday night in the Portland 4 Region, before top-seeded Texas plays No. 4 seed Gonzaga. Stanford is among five Pac-12 teams — most of any conference — that have advanced to the Sweet 16 as the league's days dwindle due to conference reallignment.

The NCAA transfer portal not only challenges college basketball programs to find the right players to fill roster vacancies but also keep that vast talent pool from becoming deeper with their own players. Smaller schools from lower-profile conferences face an even tougher task in convincing players to stay as bigger schools offer greener pastures -- with name, image and likeness (NIL) endorsement opportunities sweetening the pot in a way they can't. Programs such as Morehead State and Montana State have made it work on the men's side. Drake and top-ranked South Carolina have done so on the women's side.

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As a gambler, Mathew Bowyer bet big, often unsuccessfully, listing nearly half a million dollars in losses to two Las Vegas casinos in his 2011 bankruptcy. As bookmaker, the Orange County man wagered that a client’s relationship with baseball phenom Shohei Ohtani would pay off by boosting Bowyer’s reputation in the gambling world. Bowyer, who turns 49 next week, instead, ended up at the center ...

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