ACC EXPANSION BACK ON TABLE
The Atlantic Coast Conference is making progress toward an expansion that could grab Stanford and California from the sinking Pac-12, a person with direct knowledge of the ACC’s potential move told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
“It’s gaining momentum,” the person said about the possibility of expansion being approved.
Two weeks ago, the ACC got so far as to gather its entire board of university leaders twice in three days to consider adding Stanford, Cal and possibly SMU, the Dallas-based American Athletic Conference school. They never took an official vote, knowing they would not have had the necessary 12 of 15 votes for expansion to be approved.
How new revenue generated by adding members to the conference would be distributed has been a sticking point for several schools, among them Florida State, Clemson and North Carolina.
But the issues was never dead.
The person said Commissioner Jim Phillips has continued to work on a revenue distribution model that would direct a large portion of the money ESPN would pay the conference to cover three new members to a pool that pays out performancebased bonuses.
The person said the league was trying to arrange a meeting of its athletic directors for today, but there was no meeting of the full board of presidents and chancellors yet scheduled.
ACC leaders earlier this year agreed to a “success incentive initiative” that would allow schools to earn more money generated from their own postseason performances. Media rights revenue is shared equally in the ACC, but expansion could force a shift in that philosophy.
Stanford last week informed Pac-12 partners Oregon State and Washington State that it had told the ACC it was open to join for a drastically reduced share or even no media rights revenue for several years.
Soccer
Lionel Messi had two assists and converted a penalty kick as visiting Inter Miami rallied from a two-goal deficit and beat MLS-leading Cincinnati 5-4 in penalties in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal.
Cincinnati jumped to a 2-0 lead before Messi set up a pair of goals by Leonardo Campana, tying the game at 2. Miami moved ahead when
Martínez scored three minutes into the first extra period, but Cincinnati tied the game at 3 when Yuya Kubo scored in the 114th minute, forcing penalty kicks.
Messi made Miami’s first attempt in the shootout, and both teams were perfect through four rounds. Herons goalkeeper Drake Callender saved Nick Hagglund’s kick in the fifth round, and Benjamin Cremaschi made his PK to send Miami to another tournament final.
Bernardo Silva signed a contract extension with Manchester City, ending speculation he would join Paris Saint-Germain this season.
College basketball
Cooper Flagg, the consensus No. 1 overall recruit in the high school basketball Class of 2024 , will take an official visit to UConn this fall, his mother reportedly told 247Sports.
Duke and Kansas will also welcome the 6-foot-8, 195pound power forward from Newport, Maine, who plays high school basketball at powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida.
NHL
Toronto signed star center Auston Matthews to a four-year deal, $53 million contract extension. The deal carries an average annual value of $13.5 million, which will make Matthews the league’s highest-paid player beginning in 2024-25, surpassing Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon’s $12.6 AAV.
Phoenix signed coach André Tourigny to 3-year contract extension.
Also
John Isner will retire from professional tennis after playing at the U.S. Open, bringing an end to a career that included one Grand Slam semifinal appearance and a victory in the longest match in the sport’s history.
Reggie Chaney, a forward who was part of Houston’s Final Four team in 2021, has died. He was 23. The cause of death was unknown, but foul play was not suspected following a preliminary investigation.
The 13th-ranked USD women’s volleyball team was picked first in the 2023 WCC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll and middle blockers Leyla Blackwell and Haylee Stoner and outside hitter Amber Stivrins were named to the preseason all-conference team.