Tom Izzo, Michigan State pick up another first-round win in March Madness, topping Mississippi State
Tyson Walker scored 19 points and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo picked up his 20th win in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as his ninth-seeded Spartans beat eighth-seeded Mississippi State 69-51.
Bubble teams watch mid-major women's tournaments, hoping against upsets and potential loss of bids
With most of the major conferences having their tournaments finished, there are a few anxious teams waiting to see if their names will be called for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday when the field is announced.
Mississippi St rallies to win ReliaQuest Bowl, honors Leach
Massimo Biscardi made a 27-yard tiebreaking field goal with four seconds left, Marcus Banks returned a fumble 60 yards for a touchdown on the game's last play and No. 24 Mississippi State rallied to beat Illinois 19-10 in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Georgia quarterback J.T. Daniels entering transfer portal, Stetson Bennett announces heโs staying with Bulldogs
Any uncertainty about the quarterback position with the defending national champions can be put aside. Within minutes, J.T. Daniels entered the transfer portal and Stetson Bennett IV announced that he is staying at Georgia for his senior season.
Mississippi St shuts down Vandy again for 1st national title
Will Bednar and Landon Sims combined on a one-hitter, Mississippi State scored early and built on its lead, and the Bulldogs won their first national championship with a 9-0 victory over Vanderbilt in the deciding third game of the College World Series finals.
Penny wise: Memphis wins NIT title, has bigger goals for '22
Memphis players and staff celebrate their win against Mississippi State in an NCAA college basketball championship game in the NIT, Sunday, March 28, 2021, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)FRISCO, Texas โ Memphis has its first title with Penny Hardaway as coach, and these young Tigers could be set up for more. โWe had a goal of cutting the nets down in the NCAA Tournament, but I do feel like we shouldโve been there," sophomore guard Lester Quinones said. Mississippi State (18-15) tied the game at 33-all when Andersson Garcia had a steal at midcourt and drove for a layup to beat the halftime buzzer. STYMIED BULLDOG GUARDSAfter being the first Mississippi State player with three consecutive 20-point postseason games, Stewart was 1-of-10 shooting, and 0-for-5 on 3s.
Alabama blows out Mississippi State 85-48 in SEC quarters
6 Alabama blew out Mississippi State 85-48 on Friday in an SEC quarterfinal. Alabama followed a couple of small early runs with a 17-0 surge over nearly five minutes for an eventual 43-13 cushion just before halftime. The Tide also swarmed the Bulldogs defensively, scoring 24 points off 14 first-half turnovers and holding them to 30% shooting overall. โTo get beat this badly was really, really a bitter pill,โ he said. Alabama drained 3s in bunches to put this game away early and protected the ball.
Kentucky NCAA hopes end after being bounced from SEC tourney
But things began spiraling downward for the Wildcats long before Thursday's disappointing 74-73 setback against Mississippi State that sealed their fate: No NCAA Tournament this year. AdDigesting the reality and enduring a losing season at college basketball's winningest program will make for a long offseason for the Wildcats. โBut at the end of the day, you've gotta win games and you've gotta be tough and you've got to play winning basketball. The Wildcats rebounded to win their first three SEC games, only to seesaw between a four-game skid and three-game winning streak. One of the main issues for the Wildcats was putting up points, as Kentucky ranked 200th in Division I in scoring.
The Latest: NBA's Hornets ready to welcome fans again
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, right, passes the ball over Charlotte Hornets center Bismack Biyombo, second from right, as Hornets forward P.J. (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___The Charlotte Hornets are getting set to welcome fans for home games. The Hornetsโ reopening plan has been approved by state and county authorities and allows the team to host fans at 15% capacity, approximately 3,000 per game. โWe are excited about the opportunity to welcome more fans to our outdoor venues,โ the university said in a written statement. AdTuesday nightโs game will be the first game with fans in attendance at PPG Paints Arena since last March.
No. 6 Alabama holds off Mississippi State 64-59 to win SEC
โ Jaden Shackleford scored 10 of his 15 points in the second half, and No. 6 Alabama beat Mississippi State 64-59 on Saturday night to clinch its first Southeastern Conference regular-season championship since 2002. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs had plenty of good looks in the first half that just didnโt fall. The second half began much better and they were able to get close, but couldnโt get that one key basket or stop Alabama on the glass. Mississippi State visits Texas A&M on Wednesday night.
NC State, Texas A&M move up in women's AP Top 25; UConn tops
North Carolina State returned to the No. 2 spot and Texas A&M climbed to third after South Carolina and Louisville โ the previous second- and third-ranked teams โ lost games. Coach Gary Blair's team can win the Southeastern Conference regular-season title with victories over Alabama on Thursday and South Carolina on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights play at Michigan State and Penn State this week. South Carolina, Mississippi State and Tennessee are the only teams to win the regular-season crown since the Aggies entered the conference in 2012.
South Carolina returns to top of women's basketball poll
South Carolina coach Dawn Staley confers with forward Aliyah Boston on the sideline during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss., Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021. 1 in The Associated Press women's college basketball poll. South Carolina, which originally fell from the top spot after losing to North Carolina State, beat the Huskies last season for the first time in eight tries. Here are other tidbits from the poll:MILESTONEMonday marked the 800th women's college basketball poll in the AP's history. Ad___More AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
The Latest: Nebraska-Maryland basketball game postponed
4 UConn says it also must reschedule Wednesdayโs womenโs basketball game against Seton Hall. The Villanova game was postponed because the Wildcats also are dealing with COVID-19 issues within their womenโs basketball program. ___Richmondโs menโs basketball team has paused team activities in response to the results from the latest COVID-19 testing and contact tracing. ___The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Tuesday that the Syracuse womenโs basketball game at Georgia Tech on Thursday has been postponed. ___The womenโs basketball game between No.
Mississippi governor signs law for flag without rebel emblem
Members of the Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol Honor Guard prepare to raise the new Mississippi State flag at the Capitol in Jackson, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. Tate Reeves signed a law that created the new state flag with magnolia at the center, six months after the state retired the last state flag in the U.S. that included the Confederate battle emblem. The law retiring the old flag also specified that the commission's proposed new flag would go on the Nov. 3 ballot for a yes-or-no vote. The Ku Klux Klan and other hate groups have waved the Confederate battle flag for decades. A few dozen people demonstrated on the south steps of the Mississippi Capitol in support of reviving the old flag.
Brawl mars Mississippi State's Armed Forces win over Tulsa
Members of Tulsa and Mississippi State fight after time runs out in the Armed Forces Bowl NCAA college football game Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Jim Cowsert)FORT WORTH, Texas โ A bowl victory that increased Mississippi Stateโs win total this season to four and No. Mississippi State answered with Rogersโ 13-yard throw to Griffin to go ahead 28-19. Mississippi State: The Bulldogs played in their school-record 11th consecutive bowl thanks to pandemic qualification exemptions. Mississippi State: For all of Leachโs Air Raid offenses at various stops, Rogers was his first true freshman quarterback.
Music City Bowl between Iowa and Missouri canceled
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)The Music City Bowl between Missouri and Iowa was canceled Sunday because COVID-19 issues left the Tigers unable to play. The game scheduled for Wednesday in Nashville, Tennessee, is the second bowl called off since the postseason lineup was set on Dec. 20, joining the Gasparilla Bowl. Overall, 18 bowl games scheduled to be played this season have been canceled. Missouri is the third Southeastern Conference team that has had to pull out of its bowl game, joining Tennessee and South Carolina. The Music City Bowl seemed to be in danger last week because Iowa paused football activities due to COVID-19 cases, but the Hawkeyes resumed practice this weekend.
Auburn fires football coach Gus Malzahn after 8 seasons
Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn listens to an official's call during the second half of the team's NCAA college football game against Mississippi State, Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, in Starkville, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)Auburn fired football coach Gus Malzahn, ending an eight-year run that began with a trip to the national championship game. The Tigers also were upset by a struggling South Carolina, which wound up firing coach Will Muschamp during the season. โAfter evaluating the state of the Auburn football program, weโve decided that it was time to make a change in leadership," Greene said in a statement. Auburn will owe Malzahn a $21.45 million buyout for the remaining four years of a seven-year, $49 million deal.
South Carolina No. 1 in AP preseason women's basketball poll
(AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File)NEW YORK โ Dawn Staley already has accomplished so much at South Carolina. The Gamecocks received 29 of the 30 first-place votes in The Associated Press preseason women's Top 25 released Tuesday. Arizona was seventh, the first time since 2004 that the Wildcats have been ranked in the preseason poll. RESPECTING THE CATSNorthwestern was ranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 2015, coming in at No. It's the first time since 2015 that two mid-major teams were ranked in the preseason poll.
Postponement, outbreaks: SEC takes a hit from COVID-19
The conference on Monday postponed Saturdayโs game between No. 20 Auburn and Mississippi State because of positive COVID-19 cases and quarantining within the Bulldogsโ program. 5 Texas A&M paused in-person activities after a player and a staff member tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a win at South Carolina. LSU is battling an outbreak that could put Saturday's game against No. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25.
Arkansas snaps 20-game SEC skid, 21-14 vs. Mississippi St.
Costello three times as the Razorbacks broke a 20-game SEC losing streak by upsetting No. 16 Mississippi State 21-14 on Saturday night. The Razorbacks allowed plenty of yards but made Mississippi State settle for small chunks. Mississippi State: The loud voices of praise Leach will be quiet this week. Mississippi State will head to Kentucky.
Stetson Bennett, No. 4 Georgia romp past No. 7 Auburn 27-6
Stetson Bennett threw for 240 yards and a touchdown, solidifying his hold on the quarterback job as No. Postal Service cap in an effort to get noticed, Bennett was never viewed as a starting candidate for the Bulldogs. No matter the time of year, Georgia kept the upper hand with a fourth straight victory over Auburn. Georgia star Richard LeCounte got the boot in the second period for a helmet-to-helmet collision with Auburn receiver Shedrick Jackson. His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
East vs West: No. 4 Georgia hosts No. 7 Auburn in SEC tilt
4 Georgia: Two of the SECโs four top-10 teams meet in an interdivisional matchup in prime time. Both overcame challenges to win their openers, with Georgia rallying for 32 unanswered points with two passing touchdowns by backup quarterback Stetson Bennett to beat Arkansas 37-10. 23 Kentucky for three quarters before pulling away in the fourth for a 29-13 win behind two of Bo Nix's three passing touchdowns. 13 Aggies held Vanderbilt to just 150 yards passing and registered two interceptions, including one in the fourth quarter, to preserve a narrow win. The Wildcats outgained Auburn and played the Tigers tough for three quarters before the game slipped away in the fourth.
Costello's 623 yards lead Miss. St. past No. 6 LSU, 44-34
Mississippi State quarterback K.J. Costello (3) passes in the first half an NCAA college football game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020. Costello passed for an SEC record 623 yards and five touchdowns and the Bulldogs knocked off sixth-ranked LSU 44-34 on Saturday. If we canโt, we are going to have to play more zone.โFour of Costello's touchdown passes covered between 24 and 75 yards. Mississippi State, meanwhile, has made its case to crack the AP Top 25.
New Magnolia State coaches prepare for challenging debuts
FILE - In this Monday, Dec. 9, 2019, file photo, Lane Kiffin speaks to Mississippi fans after being announced as the new head football coach during a introductory press conference in Oxford, Miss. In attendance were his children, daughters Presley Kiffin, 13, left, Landry Kiffin, 15, second from left, and son Knox Kiffin, 10. Mississippi State's Mike Leach and Mississippi's Lane Kiffin brought big names and offensive pedigrees to the Magnolia State. But they drew huge challenges for their debuts, with the Bulldogs visiting defending national champion and No. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Gators Breakdown: Stewart Reese transfers to Florida
One of the bigger questions facing the 2020 Florida Gators is how can they improve in the run game? In comes Mississippi State, grad transfer offensive lineman, Stewart Reese. David Waters is joined by Will Miles (ReadandReaction.com) to break down Reeses transfer to Florida. The two discuss how Reese fits in the offensive line and Mullens success in the transfer portal. LISTEN: Catch up on previous episodes of Gators BreakdownFollow David Waters on Twitter @GatorDave_SEC to stay plugged in, or click one of the following to tune in:Megaphone | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | Google Play | Stitcher
Auburn player tumbles into Mississippi State's bulldog mascot
Auburn's JaTarvious Whitlow gets up close and personal with Mississippi State mascot Bully. (CNN) - Mississippi State University's bulldog mascot, Bully, is resting up Sunday after a football player from rival Auburn crashed into him on the sidelines during Saturday's game. That's when Auburn running back JaTarvious Whitlow came flying towards him after scoring a touchdown. She and Bully are doing nothing Sunday but resting, Pritchard said. The outcome for Mississippi State on Saturday was less positive, however.