EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsBOSTON -- There's been a tongue-in-cheek mantra for UConn over the past two seasons: The Huskies can't win close games.In reality, it's not that they can't win one- or two-possession games -- it just rarely comes down to the final minutes for Dan Hurley's team. Earlier this season, the Huskies set the record for most consecutive nonconference victories…

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsLOS ANGELES -- Grant Nelson converted a go-ahead three-point play with 38 seconds remaining, and Alabama beat top-seeded North Carolina 89-87 on Thursday night to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament for the second time in school history.Nelson finished with a season-high 24 points, 19 in the second half, and he blocked RJ Davis' attempt at…

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWhile college athletics undergoes sweeping changes, Notre Dame's desire to remain independent is constant, as Notre Dame leadership feels "as secure as ever" in its football status, first-year athletic director Pete Bevacqua told ESPN on Thursday.Bevacqua, who began his new role on Monday following the retirement of longtime athletic director Jack Swarbrick, cited multiple reasons for the athletic…

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNew York Jets owner Woody Johnson used social media Thursday to rebut a claim by an NFL Network host that he and coach Robert Saleh engaged in a "very heated conversation" earlier this week at the NFL's annual league meeting in Orlando, Florida."All this nonsense about a heated argument between Coach Saleh and me at the league meeting…