UHโs Jamal Shead finalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year
Postseason recognition continues to pour in for University of Houston senior point guard Jamal Shead as he has been named a Finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The official announcement was made Thursday morning.
HSI Houston warns fans to be aware of counterfeit merchandise, tickets during 2023 NCAA Menโs Final Four
As the city of Houston prepares to host the 2023 NCAA Menโs Final Four from March 31 through April 3, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) is cautioning fans to be on the lookout for fake NCAA merchandise and tickets to Final Four games.
Mattress Mack to send several UH students to Final Four game this weekend
Mattress Mack gives out nearly 20,000 face masks FridayHOUSTON โ In true โMattress Mackโ fashion, the business owner will send several University of Houston students to the Final Four game against Baylor this Saturday. Jim McIngvale and Gallery Furniture will also host a Coogs Pep Rally at the Gallery Furniture on North Freeway on Thursday at 11 a.m.During the pep rally, several UH students will win a round-trip charter flight to Indianapolis, tickets to the game and hotel accommodations. The public is welcome to show their Cougar pride in the parking lot of the pep rally. The lucky Final Four trip winners will board a private jet on Friday with the families of the UH coaches to attend the game.
Top takeaways from womenโs Sweet 16 and Elite 8 games
A Supreme Court case being argued this week amid March Madness could erode the difference between elite college athletes and professional sports stars. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)San Antonio is home to the NCAA Womenโs Tournament, and three Texas schools were represented in the Sweet 16. Hereโs a look at how they did on the second weekend in San Antonio:TEXAS A&MThe Aggies and Gary Blair were the earliest to lose, bowing out in the Sweet 16 to Arizona. 1 seed UConn before DiDi Richards hurt her leg. #ncaaW pic.twitter.com/amSH91IEQV โ SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 30, 2021TEXASThe Longhorns pulled two huge upsets in the second round and Sweet 16, beating 3-seed UCLA and 2-seed Maryland on their way to the Elite 8.
Supreme Court case could change the nature of college sports
A Supreme Court case being argued this week amid March Madness could erode the difference between elite college athletes and professional sports stars. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)WASHINGTON โ A Supreme Court case being argued this week amid March Madness could erode the difference between elite college athletes and professional sports stars. In 1984, the high court rejected NCAA rules restricting the broadcast of college football. Currently, athletic scholarships can cover the cost of college athletesโ attendance at college. Whatever happens at the high court, how college athletes are compensated is already likely changing.
Houston tops Oregon State, reaches 1st Final Four since โ84
INDIANAPOLIS โ Houston overcame a blown 17-point lead to hold off Oregon State 67-61 on Monday night in the NCAA Tournament, reaching the Final Four for the first time in 37 years. Grimesโ 3 from near the top of the arc finally steadied the Cougars, and Houston knocked down enough free throws down the stretch while holding Oregon State without a basket during a critical 3 1/2 minutes. AdMarcus Sasser scored 20 points to lead Houston while Grimes added 18. Fittingly, it was DeJon Jarreau -- the American Athletic Conferenceโs defensive player of the year who led the effort that stymied Oregon State star Ethan Thompson -- who was named the most outstanding player of the Midwest Region. They held the Beavers to 35% shooting in the first half before Oregon State found some openings.
Tale of the tape: Keys for UH, Oregon State for their Elite Eight matchup
The Houston Cougars are into the Elite 8, making history Saturday with a 62-46 thrashing of 11th-seed Syracuse. The Cougars are favorites to advance, but this Oregon State team wonโt be easy to knock off. Keys for the CougarsDefense is the name of the game for the University of Houston and theyโll need another stellar effort Monday night. UH has the best defensive field-goal percentage in the nation and has held opponents to just under 60 points per game. Ethan Thompson (15 ppg) has dominated on both ends and his physical play will be tested when he faces UH.
Mattress Mack places $1M NCAA bet on Houston Cougars
Houston personality and business owner Jim McIngvale placed a seven-figure bet on the Houston Cougars. The Gallery Furniture store owner known as โMattress Mackโ booked a late-night flight to Colorado, where he placed $1 million with DraftKings on the Univeristy Houston at 9-1 to win the NCAA Championship. This historic wager would net McIngvale $9 million, and follows his winning $3.46 million Super Bowl bet on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to DraftKings, McIngvaleโs bet is one of the largest March Madness wagers on record. I look forward to having skin-in-the-game for the rest of March Madness and seeing these young men compete, especially after the tournament was cancelled last season.โ
Betting sites offer software blocks for compulsive gamblers
(AP Photo/Wayne Parry)ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. โ Some sports betting companies are offering tools that allow compulsive gamblers to block themselves from most online sites. Unibet last week announced it was making software from U.K.-based Gamban available to customers in the U.S. The software blocks thousands of licensed and unlicensed gambling sites and is constantly updated to add new ones as they appear. And states including New Jersey offer state-administered self-exclusion lists where gamblers can prohibit themselves from gambling for differing periods, or permanently. โWe strongly support the ability of gamblers to self-exclude through both the operator and on their own personal devices,โ he said.
Crowded bars: March Madness or just plain madness?
The NCAA Tournament and bars were made for each other, with fans of powerhouse teams like Gonzaga and longshots like Colgate pouring in to cheer their teams. This year, the tournaments back, and bars and restaurants, some shuttered for months, are open for March Madness, though things may look a little different. This year, the tournamentโs back, and bars and restaurants, some shuttered for months, are open for March Madness, though things may look a little different. As for those who choose to watch at bars or restaurants, their experiences will vary depending on their location. AdIn Chicago, city inspectors cite bars and restaurants that violate strict capacity rules.
Life on the bubble: Brackets set for return of March Madness
(AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)(AP) โ The biggest unknown leading into a March Madness bracket reveal more than a year in the making had little to do with bubble teams or top seeds. โThere were a lot of different things about this year's selection process,โ said committee chairman Mitch Barnhart, the athletic director at Kentucky. But all it takes is a single COVID outbreak to upend the finely calibrated beauty of that plan. Like Virginia and Kansas, Duke pulled out of its conference tournament last week because of COVID-19. Players will have to produce negative tests for seven days before arriving in Indianapolis to be eligible to play.
Fewer brackets but same number plan bets on March Madness
But 8% fewer plan to fill out brackets pools because many offices remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. โ Fewer Americans expect to fill out brackets for the NCAA's college basketball tournament this year, but the overall number of people making bets on March Madness should remain about the same as the last time the tournament was held, according to the gambling industry's national trade association. The American Gaming Association released figures Sunday predicting that more than 47 million Americans plan to make a bet โ legal or otherwise โ on March Madness this year. That's about the same number that said they planned to bet on the 2019 tournament. โThe sports betting landscape has changed dramatically since 2019, and as a result, tournament betting has transformed,โ AGA President and CEO Bill Miller said.
NCAA approves plan for basketball players to access coaches
The NCAA Division I Council on Wednesday, June 17, 2020, approved a plan to allow college basketball players to start working with their coaches for the first time since the pandemic wiped out March Madness. The summer access period for men's and women's players will begin July 20. The summer access period for men's and women's players will begin July 20. The NCAA basketball tournaments were cancelled days before the fields were scheduled to be selected because of the coronavirus outbreak. It will also consider adding more activities for basketball players during the July 1-19 period.