LEXINGTON, Ky. — Jack Crowder pitched eight innings, giving up just one run on three hits with five strikeouts as Illinois beat Indiana State 4-1 on Friday in the Lexington Regional. The Fighting Illini collected its first NCAA Tournament win since 2015 and will move on to face Kentucky, seeded second nationally, in the winner’s bracket on Saturday. Randal Diaz …
John Calipari is expected to become the next head coach at Arkansas, and Kentucky needs a new men’s basketball coach. Bruce Pearl, Auburn head coach: We have long heard that Barnhart would not be interested in hiring someone who has served a three-year NCAA show-cause penalty, but he’s among the multiple SEC coaches who did more than Calipari with less. …
American teenager Coco Gauff overcame some shaky serving on Wednesday to beat No.2 seed Aryna Sabalenka 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 and reach the Top Seed Open quarterfinals with her third career victory over a top-15 opponent. Gauff was able to hang in there with steady baseline play against the hard-hitting Sabalenka, who had 14 double-faults, including four in one game. It …
