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Midwest/Regional Sports Headlines: 3/28/18

Sports

March 28th, 2018 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

PELLA, Iowa (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kyle Korver joined his two remaining brothers in comforting their parents during a funeral on Monday for their youngest brother. Kirk Korver died March 20 of a sudden illness. The Des Moines Register reports that Kyle Korver stood at a church in Pella, Iowa, with his brothers and told their parents that life without Kirk will be different but they’ll “always have four sons.”

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) — Penn State’s Zain Retherford for the second straight year has won the Hodge Trophy, given to the nation’s top college wrestler. The three-time NCAA champion received 35 of 48 votes from a panel of journalists, former winners and retired coaches. Retherford finishes his career with a record of 126-3.

ATLANTA (AP) — Some of the nation’s top recruits gathered in Atlanta to play in the McDonald’s All-American game say they’ve kept a close eye on the FBI investigation that’s rocked college basketball this season. Three Duke signees and one Kansas signee have used a network of family, coaches and friends to avoid unwanted contact from anyone who could possibly put their careers in jeopardy.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The question of who is the best NBA prospect differs from who is considered college basketball’s best player. Freshmen like Duke’s Marvin Bagley III and Arizona’s Deandre Ayton are considered candidates to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft with their size and athleticism. Villanova’s Jalen Brunson is in the Final Four and a leading candidate to be named the national college player of the year. For years, those two things seemed intertwined, but recently that has not been the case.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska athletic director Bill Moos says coach Tim Miles will be back for a seventh season and talks about a contract extension will begin after the NCAA Final Four. Miles is 97-97 with one NCAA Tournament appearance in six years. The Huskers went 22-11 and tied for fourth in the Big Ten this season. Moos said he measures the program’s success by how it fares in the Big Ten, not how often it plays in the NCAA Tournament.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Kansas guard Lagerald Vick is part of a group of players who could play critical roles in determining who wins the NCAA title at this weekend’s Final Four. That group of players beyond each team’s top scorers and best talents include Villanova’s Phil Booth, Michigan’s Zavier Simpson and Loyola-Chicago’s Ben Richardson. Vick started fast but slipped during Big 12 play, but he has seven straight double-figure scoring games as the Jayhawks enter their first Final Four since 2012.

UNDATED (AP) — The AP All-America team has three freshmen on the first team for the first time in its 70-year history. Oklahoma’s Trae Young, Deandre Ayton of Arizona and Duke’s Marvin Bagley III were all named first-teamers in the All-America team announced on Tuesday. They were joined by Villanova’s Jalen Brunson and Kansas guard Devonte’ Graham on the team selected by the same 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly AP Top 25.