Tourney talk: Local sports execs heap praise on city leaders
Check back here for the latest stories, plus tidbits about the NCAA tournament in Indianapolis.
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Video: Jim Morris talks about the origins, success of the Indianapolis sports strategy
IBJ Publisher Nate Feltman talks with Morris about the history of the city’s sports strategy and what it has meant for the Indy economy.
College athletic directors concerned NIL compensation will skew competitive balance
Not everyone in college sports believes it’s for the better as athletes get closer to earning money from third parties for use of their names, images or likenesses.
Gonzaga beats determined UCLA on last-second shot in overtime to stay undefeated
The Zags now face Baylor in the championship game on Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Bearing down: Baylor routs Houston 78-59 to reach title game
Led by Jared Butler and the rest of their brilliant backcourt, a defense that refused to give Houston an inch, and a coach intent on making the most of his first trip to the Final Four, the Bears roared to a 78-59 victory Saturday night in their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament semifinals in 71 long years.
5 Indiana connections to this weekend’s Final Four (other than location)
Indiana teams were noticeably absent from the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament this year—only Purdue even made the field of 68 teams. But there are still some Indiana-related reasons to watch the Final Four. Here are five of them.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson gets emotional talking about his father
John W. “Ned” Sampson, the longtime coach of Pembroke High School in North Carolina, once went toe-to-toe with members of the Ku Klux Klan.
Four numbers that will decide the men’s Final Four
Gonzaga is chasing a perfect 32-win season. That’s not the only number worth focusing on for this year’s Final Four. Here are a few more that are sure to factor into the chase for the national championship.
Montieth: Hiring Woodson was the right choice for IU—despite what detractors say
He’s not just an IU guy; he’s a state of Indiana guy, an Indianapolis native and a Broad Ripple High School graduate who never lost contact with his homeland.
Will pandemic’s tourism slump return after NCAA Tournament ends?
Hospitality leaders say no, although it will be some time before occupancy rates are back to normal.
Players hear ‘a lot of talk’ from NCAA’s Emmert about Title IX, NIL
A trio of men’s basketball players asked NCAA President Mark Emmert to abide by, and enforce, Title IX gender equity rules and to create a waiver that would let college athletes start earning money from use of their names, images and likenesses this year.
The last perfect team: Recalling Indiana University’s 1976 title run
The 1975-76 IU Hoosiers refused to let anything—injuries, pressure, a brutal schedule or distractions— derail them from going undefeated. Forty-five years later, Gonzaga (30-0) needs two more wins to duplicate the accomplishment.
Survey of athletic directors shows worries about women’s college sports
The most striking of the results: 94% of respondents said it would be somewhat or much more difficult to comply with Title IX gender equity rules if their school were to compensate athletes in the biggest money-making sports.
Supreme Court skeptical of NCAA’s case for withholding benefits from student athletes
In 90 minutes of arguments held via teleconference, justices across the ideological divide grilled the NCAA’s lawyer and repeated criticisms that the organization invokes its defense of amateurism as a way to increase profits while keeping its labor cost low.
Big Ten ends up big flop by getting shut out of Final Four
The Big Ten Conference, regarded as the nation’s best basketball conference this season, sent a conference-record nine teams into NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament play. None are left.
Drews finally make Final Four run after nearly 2,000 games
Homer Drew soaked in the celebration Monday night. He had every reason. After coaching more than 1,000 basketball games and watching his two sons, Scott and Bryce, coach almost another 900, the family finally had its first ticket to a Final Four.
Juzang sends No. 11 seed UCLA past Michigan to Final Four
The Wolverines missed their final eight shots, including a 3-pointer by Mike Smith with a couple of seconds left and another by Franz Wagner at the buzzer that sent the Bruins (22-9) flying off the bench in a wild celebration.
Women’s coaches group asks NCAA for independent review
The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association sent a letter to NCAA President Mark Emmert saying the external review he proposed to look into potential gender equity issues wasn’t good enough.
Gonzaga’s bid for a perfect season moves on to Final Four
Gonzaga (30-0) has been an offensive juggernaut rarely seen in college basketball. Fast moving and free flowing, the ultra-efficient Zags have steamrolled everyone in their way, winning a Division I-record 27 straight games by double digits.
Supreme Court case could change the nature of college sports
If the former college athletes who brought the case win, colleges could end up competing for talented student athletes by offering over-the-top education benefits worth tens of thousands of dollars.