College basketball bubbles brewing Seating area at Bankers Life Fieldhouse as media and staff mill about in Indianapolis after the Big Ten Conference With the coronavirus pandemic already forcing changes for college basketball, a bubble may be brewing in Indianapolis. Indiana Sports Corp. released a 16-page proposal Friday that calls for turning the city convention center’s exhibition halls and meeting rooms into basketball courts and locker rooms. There would be expansive safety measures and daily COVID-19 testing. The all-inclusive price starts at $90,000 per team and would cover 20 hotel rooms per traveling party, testing, daily food vouchers ranging from $30-$50 and the cost of game officials. Sports Corp. President Ryan Vaughn said the price depends on what offerings teams... 

Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott The Pac-12 university presidents and chancellors will meet Friday and be presented options for staging a fall football season, but Commissioner Larry Scott says a vote by the CEO Group is not expected. “(Friday) is a chance to get everyone caught up on what’s been a very dynamic and rapidly changing series of events over the last 24 to 48 hours,” Scott told The Associated Press on Thursday. “We’ll obviously have to decide soon, but I’m not necessarily expecting a decision (Friday).” A day after the Big Ten changed course from its decision to postpone fall sports becaise of the pandemic and set a late October start for football, the Pac-12 appeared headed toward a similar move. The Mountain West is trying to do the same and there... 

North Dakota State Stanley Jones hoists the trophy after beating Eastern Washington in the FCS Football Championship. The NCAA Division I Council has proposed a framework to conduct a season in the Football Championship Subdivision, with teams allowed to play up to 11 games from this fall into next spring and a playoff bracket reduced from 24 to 16 teams. The regular season would span 13 weeks through April 17, followed by playoffs through May 15. The recommendations, voted on Wednesday, will be forwarded to the Division I Board of Directors for approval. None of the 13 FCS conferences are playing league games this fall because of the coronavirus pandemic and nearly 800 games involving FCS teams were canceled. The Missouri Valley, Ohio Valley, Southern and Southland are allowing... 

Indiana’s Turon Ivy Jr. and Nathanael Snyder celebrate Now that the Big Ten has a rescheduled kickoff weekend, coaches and players can start the sprint to opening day. Expect a wild ride. After canceling spring football, limiting and sometimes pausing offseason workouts, shutting down full-contact practices and eventually postponing the season, the league’s 14 university presidents and chancellors have given teams five weeks to accomplish what typically takes months — getting into football shape by late October for the start of a most unusual season. “We’re going to be ready to play on (October) the 24th,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said, referring to the new opening weekend. “You know, the ramp up to that, and the 20 hours (of weekly practice), and putting... 

NCAA logo on a college basketball court The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball season will begin Nov. 25, the day before Thanksgiving. The Division I Council voted Wednesday to push the start date back from the originally scheduled Nov. 10 as one of several precautions against the spread of coronavirus. The later start date coincides with the decision most schools made to send students home from Thanksgiving until January out of concern about a potential late-fall and early-winter flareup of COVID-19. Closed campuses could serve as a quasi bubble for players and provide a window for nonconference games. “The fact our campuses will be clearing out, it will be possible to just further control the exposures, and the 25th gives us that opportunity,” said Division I Council... 

Fans can only hope the NCAA will crown a champion in 2021 after Virginia and Tony Bennett won it in 2019 A few days ago, I saw the idea the Atlantic Coast Conference was floating in regard to the 2021 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. The ACC is proposing that everyone — all eligible Division I teams — go to the Big Dance, whenever they decide to hold it. My first thought upon seeing it was, “Gee, that’s stupid!” But upon reviewing it a little deeper, my response was, “Gee, that is really stupid!” I can appreciate the ACC wanting to get all 15 of its teams into the NCAA Tournament. I’m sure the fans of Pittsburgh and Boston College want to go dancing. But allowing every team in the country into the tournament isn’t just watering down the event, it’s... 

Kevin Warren. Players were pumped. Coaches were stoked. Fans seemed relieved. Even the president was pleased. The Big Ten is going to give fall football a shot after all. Less than five weeks after pushing fall sports to spring in the name of player safety during the pandemic, the conference ran a reverse Wednesday and said it plans to open its football season the weekend of Oct. 23-24. “Let’s goooooo!!!” Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields tweeted. Amid the celebration, a word of caution: This is still not going to be easy. All 14 teams will be scheduled to play eight regular-season games in eight weeks, plus have the opportunity to play a ninth game on Dec. 19 when the conference championship game is played. The College Football Playoff selections are scheduled for... 

Lightning Anthony Cirelli (71) shoots against Islanders Ryan Pulock (6) y Cup PlayoffsTampa Bay LightningAnthony Cirelli scored in overtime to send the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup Final with a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final Thursday night. Cirelli returned in the third after injuring his right knee in the second. Trade deadline pickup Barclay Goodrow set him up for the goal 13:18 into overtime. Tampa Bay ended each of its three series victories in overtime and goes on to face the Dallas Stars for the title. Only New York lasted more than five games, pushing the Lightning to their limits before their talented core got them into the final. They’re four wins from the Cup despite being without captain Steven... 

Lakers’ Anthony Davis (3) reaches for a rebound against the Nuggets Anthony Davis had 37 points and 10 rebounds, LeBron James added 15 points and 12 assists, and the Los Angeles Lakers rolled to a 126-114 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. Slow starters in the previous two rounds, the top-seeded Lakers put this one away in a hurry, opening a double-digit lead in the first half that they easily extended in the third quarter. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 18 points and Dwight Howard rejoined the rotation with 13 in a powerful return to the conference finals for the Lakers, who hadn’t been to the NBA’s final four since winning their last championship in 2010. Los Angeles dropped Game 1 against both Portland... 

Heat’ Jae Crowder (99) and Goran Dragic (7) after winning game two of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics Goran Dragic scored 25 points, Bam Adebayo led a big third-quarter rally to finish with 21, and the Miami Heat pulled off another comeback to beat the Boston Celtics 106-101 and take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals Thursday night. Duncan Robinson scored 18 points, Jimmy Butler had 14, Jae Crowder 12 and Tyler Herro 11. The Heat were down by 17 in the second quarter and trailed by 13 at halftime. They had been 0-21 in playoff games when trailing by at least that many at intermission. They’re 1-21 now, and two wins away from their first NBA Finals since 2014. “We like to make it hard on ourselves,” Butler said. “We like being down...