UCLA men’s basketball schedule changed
Due to varying COVID-19 protocols among the four schools and their respective basketball conferences, the matchups for Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic in Cleveland featuring North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA and Ohio State have been changed.
The No. 22 Tar Heels will face the Wildcats at 2 p.m., while the No.20 Buckeyes and Bruins will tip off at 4:15 p.m. in Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Organizers said the change was to “more closely align COVID-19 testing protocols between the competing programs and their respective conferences.” The schools come from the ACC, SEC, Big 10 and Pac-12.
Originally, Kentucky was playing UCLA and North Carolina against Ohio State.
The four schools have combined for 26 national
championships and 65 Final Four appearances.
Azusa Pacific to drop football after 55 years
AZUSA — Azusa Pacific is ending its football program this month after 55 years of Division II and NAIA competition.
Athletic director Gary Pine said the decision was prompted by other four-year schools in California dropping the sport over the last 30 years, giving Azusa Pacific fewer in-state opponents to play, which led to higher travel costs. In 2019, the Cougars had to fly to all six of their road games, making them the only Division II or III school in the country forced to do that.
Azusa Pacific is the only Division II or NAIA school in California that still had football. In 1975, there were 37 schools in the state that played football; now it’s 17. Only Chapman University in Orange in 1994 has added the sport.
High court agrees to hear NCAA athlete compensation case
WASHINGTON — For the first time in more than three decades, the Supreme Court will hear a case involving the NCAA and what it means to be a college athlete.
The high court on Wednesday agreed to review a court decision in an antitrust lawsuit the NCAA has said blurred “the line between student-athletes and professionals” by removing caps on compensation that major college football and basketball players can receive.
The case will be argued in 2021 with a decision expected before the end of June. The last time the Supreme Court heard an NCAA case was 1984. NCAA vs. the Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma changed the way college football could be broadcast on television, setting the stage of billion-dollar media rights contracts and conference realignment.
NCAA allows blanket waivers for all transfers immediately
The NCAA’s Division I Council has granted blanket waivers for all athletes to play immediately.
The NCAA’s announcement Wednesday includes all Division I sports, but is contingent on certain criteria being met.
Transfers previously were required to sit out a season unless granted a waiver by the NCAA. The NCAA had decided on waivers on a caseby-case basis, but had been more lenient during the coronavirus pandemic.
The decision should have an immediate impact on basketball programs, with some transfers becoming eligible for games on Wednesday.
VanDerveer gets historic win as No. 1 Stanford routs Pacific
STOCKTON — Tara VanDerveer became the winningest women’s college basketball coach Tuesday night, passing the late Pat Summitt with her 1,099th victory as No. 1 Stanford romped to a 104-61 victory over Pacific.
Dressed casually in all black, VanDerveer received the game ball after the final buzzer. Her dancing players chanted “Tara! Tara!” and gave her a new pullover reading “T-DAWG” to celebrate the latest milestone for the Hall of Fame coach in her 35th season on The Farm and 42nd overall as a college head coach.
Anna Wilson got Stanford (5-0) off to a fast start with an opening four-point play. Kiana Williams added seven consecutive points in the first quarter to get the Cardinal rolling.
ATP: Start of 2021 calendar includes delayed Australian Open
LONDON — The Australian Open is set to begin Feb. 8, three weeks later than planned, as part of a pandemic-altered 2021 tennis calendar released by the men’s professional tour Wednesday.
The ATP said that men’s qualifying for the season’s first Grand Slam tournament is being moved to Doha, Qatar, from Jan. 10-13.