Location set for women’s tourney
The San Antonio region will host the entire NCAA women’s basketball tournament.
The move Friday was made to help mitigate the risks of COVID-19 and matches that of the men’s tournament, which the NCAA said last month will be played in the Indianapolis area. The tournament will still feature 64 teams and will run from March 21 through April 4. The NCAA will use five sites for the opening round, including the University of Texas, which is 80 miles from San Antonio, as a venue.
“We appreciate the historical significance of moving the entire championship to one region and want to acknowledge the work by the Women’s Basketball Committee and staff, our hosts, local organizers and ESPN that has allowed us to make plans for a successful 2021 championship,” said Lynn Holzman, NCAA vice president of women’s basketball.
“We’re fortunate to be working with San Antonio, which features one of the most experienced local organizing committees in the country, and our No. 1 priority is to focus on creating and implementing safety controls in an environment for student-athletes, coaches, administrators, officials and everyone else associated with the championship.”
The Alamodome will host games for every round, with two courts in use at the building. The Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four will be played there as well as the national championship.
Freshman star Charlisse Leger-Walker helped Washington State knock off its highest-ranked opponent ever. She scored the first nine points and the final nine of the game for Washington State on Friday, as the Cougars upset No. 5 UCLA 67-63 for their first victory ever over a team ranked in the top five.
Men’s college basketball: The Portland Pilots have parted ways with basketball coach Terry Porter. Assistant Ben Johnson will serve as interim coach for the rest of this season, the team announced Friday. Porter, known for his 17-year NBA career, went 43-103 in his five seasons with the Pilots. His teams won just seven total West Coast Conference games in that span. The Pilots are 6-11 overall and 0-8 in the WCC this season. The team announced it was moving on a day after the Pilots fell 105-60 at home to BYU.
MLB: Second baseman Jonathan Schoop is staying with the Tigers, agreeing to a one-year contract. The 29-year-old hit .278 with eight home runs in the abbreviated 2020 season. He hit at least 21 homers in each of the previous four years
NFL: While Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins (calf ) is questionable for Super Sunday, he practiced fully Friday after being limited the previous two days. The full practice offers a positive sign, of course, but Watkins’ participation level is further boosted by Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s optimism about the veteran receiver’s availability. “He did good,” Reid said, via the AFC Pool Report. “I’m encouraged to have him on Sunday. I think he’ll be there.” Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson returned to work Friday after landing on the reserve/ COVID-19 list and projects to play Sunday with no signs of rust despite missing two practices in the past week.