NCAA-DUKE-MARYLAND
Old ACC foes Duke and Maryland set to meet in Sweet 16
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) β It took traveling across the country for a couple of old ACC foes to be reunited.
So much for conference realignment getting in the way of a good rivalry like Duke and Maryland.
The top-seeded Terrapins will take on the No. 4 seed Blue Devils on Saturday in the round of 16, just the second time in 80 previous matchups that Duke and Maryland will get together in the NCAA Tournament.
Maryland (32-2) has won 26 straight games, its last loss coming against Notre Dame the first week of December. The Terrapins ended the undefeated run of Ivy League champion Princeton with an 85-70 win in the round of 32.
Duke (23-10) stumbled at the end of the season, losing four of six before the NCAAs began. The Blue Devils then squeaked past No. 13 seed Albany 54-52 in the first round before knocking out Mississippi State.
NORTH CAROLINA WRAPUP
North Carolina’s season ends in NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16
At times this season, North Carolina looked like a team that could battle with, and even beat, just about anybody.
At others, the Tar Heels were prone to concentration lapses, wavering intensity and turnovers at critical times.
It’s why the season that ended with Thursday’s loss to Wisconsin was such a mixed bag.
The Tar Heels (26-12) reached the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament final and earned their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 since 2012, but there’s also the feeling that they could’ve accomplished more.
The 79-72 loss to the Badgers marked the fifth time UNC had lost after leading by at least seven after halftime.
Junior Marcus Paige says next year’s returnees will “try to come together even more” and “make something special out of it.”
PANTHERS-MOVES
Panthers claim offensive tackle Jonathan Martin off waivers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) β The Panthers have claimed offensive tackle Jonathan Martin off waivers from the San Francisco 49ers.
The move was announced Friday.
The 6-foot-5, 315 Martin was the primary victim in the Miami Dolphins’ bullying scandal involving Richie Incognito in 2013.
Martin, a former second-round pick by Miami in 2012, started 32 of 38 games in three NFL seasons with Miami (2012-13) and San Francisco (2014). He played left and right tackle.
Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman says in release Martin “brings quality experience to our offensive line.”
It’s unclear where Martin fits.
The Panthers signed free agent Michael Oher this offseason to play left tackle, and Mike Remmers played well last year at right tackle.
The Dolphins traded to San Francisco in 2014 after the bullying scandal became national news.
PANTHERS-BOYKIN
Panthers sign Packers free agent WR Boykin to 1-year deal
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) β The Carolina Panthers have signed free agent wide receiver Jarrett Boykin from the Green Bay Packers to a one-year contract.
Financial terms of the deal were not released Friday. Boykin has appeared in 39 games with 11 starts in three seasons for the Packers, recording 57 catches for 731 yards and three touchdowns.
His best season came in 2013 when he had 49 receptions for 681 yards and three TDs.
The 6-2, 215-pound Boykin joins Ted Ginn Jr. as the second free agent wide receiver the team has signed this offseason.
The Packers decided not to tender Boykin, a restricted free agent, a right-of-first-refusal contract worth $1.542 million in March, allowing him to become a free agent.
Boykin played his prep football at Butler High in Charlotte.
NASCAR-MARTINSVILLE-QUALIFYING
Logano wins Martinsville pole; Elliott to start 27th
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) β Joey Logano won the pole for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, and Chase Elliott earned the right to make his debut in the series by qualifying 27th.
Logano turned a fast lap at 98.461 mph in the third round of qualifying, edging Ryan Newman (98.328), to win the 10th pole of his career and the second this season. It’s his first at Martinsville. Martin Truex Jr. (98.018), Jeff Gordon (97.613) and Jimmie Johnson (97.583) complete the top five.
Gordon and Johnson have each won eight times on the oldest, shortest oval in NASCAR’s top series.
Elliott will replace the retiring Gordon at Hendrick Motorsports in 2016. Sunday’s race will be the first of five in the series he hopes to run this season.
NASCAR-MARTINSVILLE
NASCAR topic: Cheating with tire pressure, or just hot air?
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) β Several NASCAR drivers think tire tampering is a real problem.
NASCAR has confiscated tires from teams after the last two races. It took tires from red-hot points leader Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano after the race at Phoenix two weeks ago, and declared them fine a few days later. It took tires from Harvick, Kurt Busch, Paul Menard and Ryan Newman last weekend.
Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon figures the suspicions are true. He says NASCAR has cautioned crew chiefs against altering tire pressure in meetings, and he says “that tells me it’s being done.”
Denny Hamlin agrees. He says anyone caught manipulating air pressure during a race “should be gone forever.”
