UNDATED (AP) β The Elite Eight are set in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and it will be Duke against Gonzaga in the South final and Louisville versus Michigan State in the East. Duke is in the regional finals for the 14th time under coach Mike Krzyzewski (shuh-SHEHF’-skee) following a 63-57 triumph over Utah. Gonzaga beat UCLA 74-62, Louisville downed North Carolina State 75-65 and Michigan State pulled out a 62-58 triumph against Oklahoma.
UNDATED (AP) β St. John’s and Tennessee are in the market for new men’s basketball coaches. The Red Storm says the school and Steve Lavin (LAV’-ihn) have mutually agreed to part ways after five seasons, one week following the team’s first-round loss in the NCAA tournament. Donnie Tyndall (TIHN’-dihl) is out after one year with the Vols as the NCAA investigates his two-year stay at Southern Mississippi.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) β Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant will miss the rest of the regular season and the playoffs. The NBA’s reigning MVP will have bone graft surgery in his right foot next week, just over a month after he had surgery to replace a screw in the foot he broke in October. The team expects Durant to return to basketball activities within the next four to six months.
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) β Joey Logano has captured the pole for Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway. Logano had a lap of 98.461 mph as the reigning Daytona 500 champion seeks his first career victory at Martinsville. Ryan Newman was second in qualifying and will start alongside Logano, just in front of Martin Truex Jr. and Jeff Gordon.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) β Jimmy Walker shot a 5-under 67 in the PGA’s Texas Open yesterday to take a one-stroke lead into the third round of his hometown event. Walker overtook first-round leader Charley Hoffman with three straight birdies late in his round. Walker is 6-under at the midway point, one ahead of Hoffman and Aaron Baddeley (BAD’-eh-lee).
