Day: March 16, 2017

Indiana fires Tom Crean after 9 seasons (Sports Betting News)Indiana fires Tom Crean after 9 seasons (Sports Betting News)

FILE - In this Feb. 2, 2016, file photo, Indiana head coach Tom Crean walks the court beside his bench in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Michigan at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. Crean has been fired after five seasons. Athletic director Fred Glass announced the decision Thursday, March 16, 2017, as the NCAA Tournament was beginning. (AP Photo/Tony Ding, File)

Tom Crean put Indiana basketball back in the national conversation. Nine years after taking over a team mired in turmoil following an NCAA scandal, Crean was fired Thursday after missing the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in his tenure. ”Tom Crean brought us through one of the most challenging periods in IU basketball history, led his players to many successes in the classroom and on the court and represented our university with class and integrity,” Glass said.

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A look at Thursday’s opening day of the NCAA Tournament (Sports Betting News)A look at Thursday’s opening day of the NCAA Tournament (Sports Betting News)

Villanova NCAA college basketball head coach Jay Wright gestures before boarding a bus as the team departs Villanova, Pa., on Monday, March 13, 2017, for a game in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, in Buffalo, N.Y. Teams chasing a college basketball title are contending with an unexpected wrinkle that's making last-minute travel plans even tougher: the anticipation of a storm bearing down on the Northeast that's expected to dump snow and wind. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Villanova comes into the tournament not only as the overall No. 1 seed but as defending champion. No champion has repeated since Florida in 2007. ”I think pressure is pressure, so you want to embrace it and try to allow it to make you better,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said.

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Report: Fernandez was likely operating boat in deadly crash (Sports Betting News)Report: Fernandez was likely operating boat in deadly crash (Sports Betting News)

FILE - In this Sept. 25, 2016, file photo, investigators inspect an overturned boat as it rests on a jetty after a crash off Miami Beach, Fla. Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez was the

Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez was the ”probable” operator of a speeding boat that crashed into a Miami Beach jetty on Sept. 25, killing the baseball star and two other men, according to a report issued Thursday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which investigated the accident. The 46-page report included a seating chart that had Fernandez at the helm, based on ”physical evidence” collected during the investigation, including the pitcher’s fingerprints and DNA on the steering wheel and throttle and projection of his body as he was thrown from the boat. Fernandez’ 32-foot Sea Vee hit Miami’s Government Cut north jetty at 65.7 mph just after 3 a.m. on Sept. 25, the report said.

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Vikings nab ex-Raiders RB Latavius Murray in late-night deal (Sports Betting News)Vikings nab ex-Raiders RB Latavius Murray in late-night deal (Sports Betting News)

FILE - In this Nov. 27, 2016, file photo, Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray (28) runs against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif. The draft remains the most significant means by which to build and fortify a franchise. Yet, as the salary cap increases exponentially each year under the 10-year labor agreement reached in 2011, the lure of veterans on the open market can be powerful. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar, File)

The Vikings have signed former Oakland Raiders running back Latavius Murray, the latest signal that the Adrian Peterson era has ended in Minnesota. Murray was a sixth-round draft pick out of Central Florida in 2013 who rushed for 2,278 yards and 20 touchdowns over four years with the Raiders, including 788 yards and 12 scores last season while missing two games because of a toe injury. Murray played in the Pro Bowl the year before, when he became Oakland’s lead ball carrier and topped the 1,000-yard mark.

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