Illinois guard Jaylon Tate has pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery. Tate was arrested over the weekend for allegedly striking his girlfriend. The 21-year-old is free on bond but has been suspended from the basketball team.
Hardy Nickerson is the new defensive coordinator at Illinois. Nickerson spent the last two years working under new head coach Lovie Smith in Tampa Bay. He also worked with Smith in Chicago in 2007.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could soon be stripped of his power over off-the-field discipline. The “Wall Street Journal” reports league officials and the player’s association are close to a deal that would take away Goodell’s control over player punishment.
For the first time, the NFL is acknowledging a link between football and brain disease. The league’s top health and safety officer made the concession during a roundtable discussion on concussions in Washington, DC.
Kris Versteeg and Milan Lucic scored 18 seconds apart less than four minutes into the game and the Kings went on to blow out the Blackhawks, 5-0. Corey Crawford allowed all five goals on 25 shots in Chicago’s most lopsided home loss of the season. The ‘Hawks have dropped three in-a-row and host the Flyers tomorrow.
Michael Frolik scored a hat trick in the Flames 7-4 win over the Blues in Calgary. Jake Allen gave up four goals on 17 shots before being pulled. Paul Stastny had two goals for St. Louis, which had a six-game winning streak snapped. The Blues play the Oilers tomorrow in Edmonton.
Jake Arrieta tossed four strong innings in the Cubs’ 10-2 Cactus League loss to the Padres. Arrieta struck out five while allowing a run on two hits and two walks in his second start of the spring. The teams meet again this afternoon.
The Royals jumped all over Jacob Turner in a 9-3 Cactus League win over the White Sox. Turner allowed three runs and six hits during his three-inning start. The Sox will square off with the Dodgers this afternoon.
The Cardinals lost to the Twins 5-3 in Jupiter. St. Louis starter Mike Leake struck out six over four innings of one-hit ball. Greg Garcia singled in a run for and Matt Holliday had a sac-fly for the Cardinals, who are off today. They will play the Braves in Lake Buena Vista tomorrow.
The Warriors extended their NBA-record home winning streak to 49 games by plowing the Pelicans, 125-107. Steph Curry scored 27 points on his 28th birthday. At 60-and-6, the Warriors are a game ahead of the pace set by the record-setting 72-and-10 Bulls.
Doug McDermott scored 29 points and the Bulls held on to top the Raptors, 109-107. Jimmy Butler scored 13 points in his return from a three-game absence. Chicago has beaten Toronto nine straight times. The Bulls are at the Wizards tomorrow.
The NCAA Tournament tips off with the First Four tonight in Dayton. Florida Gulf Coast faces Farleigh Dickinson and Vanderbilt meets Wichita State for the right to advance to the Round of 64. Two more First Four games take place tomorrow night.
The UConn Huskies are the top-overall seed in the women’s NCAA Tournament. UConn, which is riding a 69-game winning, is seeking its fourth straight national championship. South Carolina, Notre Dame and Baylor earned the other top seeds.