Category: SPORT_NCAA

The family of Ted Agu, a defensive end and pre-med student at the University of California who died while involved in a strenuous workout, has settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the school system.

Teammates of Agu said they were commanded to run up and down a steep hill ten times while holding a rope. They had never been directed to complete the drill before. They testified that Agu fell to his knees several times before collapsing into the fetal position during the final lap.

The University of California system took responsibility for the passing of Agu, who died in 2014. His family claimed he never should have been put through such rigorous physical exertion as he suffers from the sickle cell trait.

“Saying that their wrongdoing solely caused this young man’s death is certainly not enough,” said Steve Yerrid, the lead attorney representing the Agus.

In an announcement made Apr. 14, 2016, it was revealed the family of Agu settled for approximately $5 million.

“There needs to be reform and meaningful change,” continued Yerrid. “We were never going to accept just money.”

Along with the money in the settlement, UC coaches and team doctors will have to increase their education of the sickle cell trait and the medical complications thereof. Coaches will also no longer be able to use “high risk physical activity” as a punishment for players and system superiors will have to review all workout and conditioning plans.

“The university is glad to have reached a resolution with the Agu family, as it has been a difficult process for everyone involved,” lamented University of California, Berkeley spokesman, Dan Mogulof.

Russell Westbrook notched his 16th triple double this season in a Thunder victory over the Toronto Raptors.

With eight games remaining in the season, Westbrook needs only one triple double to tie the NBA single season record of 17 set by “Magic” Johnson.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are undefeated when Westbrook achieves a triple double and some have mentioned his name in the Most Valuable Player race.

“I tried to tell you guys that when we were going through it, but it was kind of blinded with the fourth-quarter losses and back-to-back losses. But I tried to tell you guys,” said superstar Thunder Teammate, Kevin Durant. “Glad you see it now. It was good to kind of figure ourselves out and what we need to do. It was kind of like a splash of water on your face — just knowing you’ve got to wake up and know the second half of the season is important.”

The Thunder have seen their low points in the season, which have overshadowed the play of Westbrook.

“I think sometimes you’ve got to go through some wounds and some scars and some hurt,” said Thunder head coach, Billy Donovan. “You’ve got to get calloused a little bit. I think as you go through a season, you’ve got to get calloused. Sometimes, the harder and the more difficult the struggle, the more calloused you get, the more hardened you get. I think the more you have a chance to learn and grow — I’ve said this about this team — I don’t think it ever needs to be easy for them. It’s got to be hard.”

Oklahoma University senior guard, Chavano “Buddy Buckets” Hield has become the greatest scorer in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament since Steph Curry for Davidson University in 2008.

Hield scored a scintillating 37 points with eight three pointers in a Mar. 26, 2016 Elite Eight match up against number one seeded Oregon University. Oklahoma would go on to win that game 80 to 68 and advance to Houston, Texas and the Final Four. Oklahoma has not been to a Final Four since 2002.

The 37 points are just his third best scoring tally in this season alone. Hield was the second leading scorer in NCAA Division One basketball at 25 points per game. He was elected a First Team All American and was first in the nation in total points, three pointers made and threes made per game. Hield did all of this while maintaining a noteworthy enthusiasm for the game of basketball.

“Buddy’s passion for the game has been well-documented,” remarked Oklahoma University head coach, Lon Kruger, of his Bahamian born superstar senior. “He’s had a passion from early on.”

Buddy Hield, in his first four games has scored 27, 36, 17, and 37 points for an average of over 29 points per game. This is the best scoring average in the NCAA tournament since NBA MVP, Steph Curry averaged 32 points per game for Davidson in 2008.

Apr. 2, 2016, in the Final Four at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, Buddy Hield and the Oklahoma Sooners will face the Villanova Wildcats at 6:10 pm ET for a chance to play in the National Championship game.

The 2016 NCAA Tournament has arrived and the first day of games has been played with teams focused on the Final Four in Houston.

In a double overtime thriller, twelve seeded Arkansas-Little Rock upset the five seed, Purdue, 85-83.

Arkansas-Little Rock trailed by 13 points with 3:33 left in regulation before going on a 12-0 run. Senior Arkansas-Little Rock guard, Josh Hagins, scored late in the clock to take the game into both overtime sessions and scored 31 points in the victory.

Arkansas-Little Rock will next face Iowa State.

Four seed Iowa State defeated 13 seed Iowa 94-81 despite a late comeback. Iowa State led by 18 in the second half but the lead was as close as seven before the Cyclones pulled away. All five Iowa State Starters scored at least 11 points in the victory.

Eleven seed, Gonzaga upset the six seed, Seton Hall, 68-52. Gonzaga, who has a history of underachieving in the tournament, achieved victory in an underdog role. Big man, Domantas Sabonis scored 21 points and had 16 rebounds and forward, Kyle Wiltjer, added 13 points for the Bulldogs.

In another upset, 12 seeded Yale defeated the five seed, Baylor, 79-75. Makai Mason scored 31 points for Yale, including six of their final nine points in the game. Yale led by as much as 13 points but had its lead dissipate to just one before pulling out the victory.

Yale, with the win, marked its first win in the NCAA Tournament since first appearing over 50 years ago. They will face four seed, Duke, in their next game.

It’s the end of an era at the University of Wisconsin.

Coach Bo Ryan has officially stepped down as head of the program where he won 747 games, his last coming against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last night, according to a New York Times report.

Ryan was a dominant force in NCAA basketball, winning more than 75 percent of his games. He started out coaching Wisconsin-Platteville in Division III before moving to Milwaukee and eventually Wisconsin, where he coached for 14 years and made the tournament 14 times — despite the fact that the Badgers had only made the tournament seven times before his arrival.

Last season was his best season, when he led Wisconsin to a 36-4 record and got the team all the way to the national championship, where they fell to Duke.

And his worst record was 19-13, coming all the way back in his first season. Ryan ends his tenure with the highest winning percentage in the history of the Big Ten, meaning his departure will shake up not only Badger basketball, but also the NCAA as a whole.

He also leaves with perhaps one of the best home records ever: with a 211-22 (.906) record at home, if you were a Badgers fan attending a game, you almost always went home happy.

With the Army Black Knights sitting at 2-9 and the Navy Midshipmen a 9-2 team and ranking 21st in the nation, there was little doubt among most who would win this game — but it wasn’t an easy victory for the Midshipmen.

Navy notched their 14th consecutive victory against Army with a 21-17 win in Philadelphia, a much closer victory than Navy probably would have wanted, according to an ESPN report.

Keenan Reynolds rushed for two touchdowns and threw a touchdown pass as well to help Navy avoid the upset at Lincoln Financial Field. As the victors, they get to hold onto the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy for yet another year.

Still, Army put up a solid fight in a game no one expected them to win. They came up just short of a comeback in the fourth quarter, starting with a missed field goal at 29 yards early in the quarter and then a lost fumble at the Navy 34 yard line on a promising drive.

Army got close enough for a Hail Mary pass to end the game, but it didn’t quite make it to the end zone.

Navy was favored by 22 points before the game started, which goes to show you never know what to expect when fierce rivals like Army and Navy go at it.

It’s one of the most popular rivalries out there: Army and Navy are getting set to face off in Philadelphia for their annual football game.

There usually isn’t much at stake on a national level for this game as the two teams are rarely even ranked, but it doesn’t seem much to matter when these two teams meet up each year.

Of course, it hasn’t been much of a rivalry lately, as Navy has absolutely dominated Army for a long time now: they have 13 consecutive victories over the Black Knights, dating all the way back to 2002, according to Bleacher Report. And that’s not likely to change this year: the Navy Midshipmen are ranked No. 21 in the country and sit at 9-2, while Army has struggled to a 2-9 record.

The winning streak has allowed Navy to take the all-time lead against Army, with a record of 59-49-7.

The game is set for 3 p.m. ET today at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, home of the Eagles.

Navy comes in as the heavy favorite. Their only two losses came to highly ranked Notre Dame and Houston. The Midshipmen are 22-point favorites over the Black Knights because of that.

Army is 2-9, but they may not be as bad as their record suggests. Six of their losses were by a single more, so maybe a few lucky bounces would have made their record look a lot better.

And, of course, this is Navy-Army. You never know what’s going to happen, and Army will certainly be looking to sully a great season by their chief rivals.

The 2015 Heisman Trophy will be awarded tonight, and it’s a three-way race between the SEC, PAC-12, and ACC conferences.

Those conferences are represented by Derrick Henry of Alabama, Christian McCaffrey of Stanford, and Deshaun Watson from Clemson, according to an AL.com report.

It will be the 81st time the trophy has been awarded, and if Henry wins, it would make it an even dozen for the SEC.

Alabama has done a great job producing top-flight players, as this is the third consecutive year they have had a player finish in the top three of Heisman voting. Their QB, AJ McCarron, came in second in 2013, and last year wide receiver Amari Cooper was third. This year, Henry will try to actually bring home the prize.

Alabama has put together a stellar season so far, and currently sit at No. 2 in the rankings behind undefeated Clemson, meaning they will get to participate in the BCS playoffs and have a shot at winning the national championship. In addition to Clemson and Alabama, Michigan State and Oklahoma also made the playoffs.

That means two of the three Heisman candidates are playing for teams that will be vying for the national championship in a few weeks. McCaffrey of Stanford won’t get that opportunity, but his team came close, finishing 6th in the standings with an 11-2 record.