NCAA:
In women’s college basketball, No. 1 UConn crushed Rutgers 91-55 and will see No. 5 Texas at noon on Saturday. Joining the Huskies in Albany will be No. 3 Louisville when they take on No. 7 Dayton at 2:30 p.m.
University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy announced today that Ryan Bamford has been named the UMass Director of Athletics. Bamford becomes the seventh permanent Director of Athletics at UMass after spending the previous four years at Georgia Tech including the last two as Senior Associate AD.
Bamford will officially be introduced on Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 PM in the Football Performance Center’s James & Ellen Hunt Hospitality Suite.
"Ryan brings the right mix of devotion to the student-athlete, a winning tradition in a broad range of sports, and intimate knowledge of FBS football---just what we were looking for,” said Subbaswamy. “He brings great energy to our Department of Athletics and is someone who we think can help elevate us to the next level. Those we spoke with about Ryan were all of the same mind in that they think he is one of the top young administrators in the country.”
“I am humbled by the opportunity to join the UMass family as its director of athletics. I would like to thank Chancellor Subbaswamy, Vice Chancellor John Kennedy and the search committee for providing me the opportunity to serve the Commonwealth’s flagship university,” said Bamford. “As a New England native, I have witnessed the University’s ascent to its position as one the leading public research institutions in the nation. In addition, UMass offers a world-class athletics experience. I am excited to work with a strong group of student-athletes, coaches and staff to build UMass into a nationally recognized program.”
NBA:
In the NBA, Boston beat Brooklyn 110-91, Memphis topped New York 103-82, Chicago bested Charlotte 98-86, Houston won against Indiana 110-100, Minnesota edged Utah in overtime 106-104, and it was Golden State over Washington 107-76.
NHL:
Over on the ice, Los Angeles topped New Jersey 3-1, Dallas bested Buffalo 4-3, Minnesota won against Toronto 2-1, Chicago beat Carolina 3-1, Calgary defeated Colorado 3-2, Ottawa routed San Jose 5-2, and it was Winnipeg over Edmonton 4-1.
NFL:
The NFL named an overseer for player discipline on Monday, just as one of the league's former stars was sentenced. Todd Jones has been hired by the NFL to handle player discipline, just days after he resigned as director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Jones' duties will include fining and suspending violators. The league has had several high-profile issues with player conduct and its investigative processes recently.
The NFL will not block any games from local television during the upcoming season, saying team owners voted for a one-year suspension of the blackout policy for preseason and regular-season games.
There were no blackouts last season, and just two in 2013. The decision is considered a gamble on the part of the NFL, with low ticket sales in Jacksonville, Oakland and San Diego, among other cities.
NFL owners are considering a proposal to stop games when a medical adviser sees a player displaying obvious signs of disorientation.
The proposal was a late addition by the competition committee at the owners' meetings that began on Monday. It would allow a medical spotter upstairs to communicate with the officiating crew when a player appears unstable. The game would be halted to remove the player, who would then undergo sideline examination at the very least.
MLB:
In baseball spring training, Washington beat the Yankees 7-6, Pittsburgh slid past Tampa Bay 7-6, the Mets crushed Miami 12-3, Philadelphia blanked Minnesota 3-0, Atlanta won against Houston 14-10, San Diego topped the White Sox 10-4, the Dodgers bested Arizona 7-4, San Francisco beat Kansas City 8-3, Cleveland won against Oakland 8-3, Colorado defeated Milwaukee 5-1, the Angels blanked Seattle 5-0, and Cincinnati tied Texas 6-6 in 10 innings.
The St. Louis at Boston game was cancelled due to unplayable conditions.
©2015 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.