JOHN WOODEN

When the pandemic hit last March leading to a one year postponement of the Olympics and the inability of teams to practice and play together, the U.S. women’s volleyball team devised a plan.

Jay Wright used to sell tickets to games in the long-defunct United States Football League.

Jay Wright used to sell tickets to games in the long-defunct United States Football League.

The Cougars play No. By the time the first half ended, and the Scarlet Knights had forged a 30-27 lead, Rutgers and Houston each had two regulars mired in foul trouble. AdChaney took a seat with his fourth with 15:45 left and the Scarlet Knights went on the attack. And by the time there was 10 minutes to go, the Scarlet Knights had meticulously built a 50-40 lead. UP NEXTThe Cougars play the Orange next weekend for a spot in the Elite Eight.

And if Sister Jean didn’t have any plans for next weekend, well, she does now. Loyola Chicago carried out its 101-year-old superfan's plans to a T on Sunday, moving to the Sweet 16 with a 71-58 win over Illinois, the first No. To anyone outside of Champaign — or now holding a freshly obliterated bracket — it’s hard to argue this Loyola team isn’t the breath of fresh air this tournament-in-a-bubble sorely needed. But there’s nobody quite like Sister Jean to put the whole thing in perspective. The point guard sparked Loyola’s national-championship run in 1963 — a win, of course, that Sister Jean watched on an 11-inch TV loaned to her by a friend.

– UCLA showed plenty of fight in its overtime win over Michigan State in a First Four game in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA forced overtime with Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s three-point play with 3.3 seconds to go, then pulled away in the extra session for an 86-80 victory at Mackey Arena on Thursday night. Riley was back on the floor for a crucial free throw in overtime, and the Bruins survived to make it a good start to their 50th appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They also split their four NCAA Tournament games, with UCLA winning in 1965 and 1971 and the Cougars winning in 1950 and 1981. ___More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and updated NCAA Tournament bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket

– UCLA showed plenty of fight in its overtime win over Michigan State in a First Four game in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA forced overtime on Jaime Jaquez Jr.'s three-point play with 3.3 seconds to go, then pulled away in the extra session for an 86-80 victory at Mackey Arena on Thursday night. Once overtime came around, Juzang hit the first two baskets of the extra session to give UCLA the lead. Michigan State was 16 of 18 from the foul line but missed one in overtime. They also split their four NCAA Tournament games, with UCLA winning in 1965 and 1971 and the Cougars winning in 1950 and 1981.

There, they saw a new floor with an NCAA Tournament paint job and new signage and colors around the arena mostly in blue. You know, everything is good.”The trip to a new-look Mackey is just one of several oddities about preparation for this year’s NCAA Tournament, to be played amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Shortly after selection Sunday, the Spartans moved from their Big Ten tournament hotel to their NCAA Tournament hotel, where they were in quarantined for most of the day on Monday. Outside of practice, players’ physical activity is limited to stretching sessions in a hotel hallway. But having a quick turnaround to play in the NCAA Tournament would certainly feel more normal.

Purdue has won nine straight in the series, matching the second-longest streak in school history. The Boilermakers also won nine straight from 1929-35 when future coach John Wooden was playing, plus they won 12 straight from 1908-14. It quickly cut a 29-20 deficit to 35-31 early in the second half before the Boilermakers answered with eight straight points. Starting guard Armaan Franklin missed his fourth straight game (right foot). The Boilermakers won despite going 6 of 21 on 3s and having 15 turnovers.

Rafer Johnson, who won the decathlon at the 1960 Rome Olympics and helped subdue Robert F. Kennedy's assassin in 1968, died Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. (AP Photo)LOS ANGELES – Rafer Johnson, who won the decathlon at the 1960 Rome Olympics and helped subdue Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin in 1968, died Wednesday. Johnson won a gold medal at the Pan American Games in 1955 while competing in just his fourth decathlon. Johnson, Yang, and Kuznetzov had their way with the record books between the 1956 and 1960 Olympics. Johnson won over the Soviet audience with his gutsy performance in front of what had been a hostile crowd.