Everything You May Have Missed In Sports News

The NCAA’s men’s basketball tournament saw its share of comebacks and near-misses throughout the extended weekend, and no victory was more harrowing than Duke’s.

The overall No. 1 seed got its winning basket on Cam Reddish’s basket in the lane after a missed free throw and then survived two shots that rimmed out in a 77-76 victory over Central Florida on Sunday.

The stirring comeback by Iowa came up just a bit short in its loss to Tennessee. The Volunteers led by as many as 25 in the first half but were forced to overtime, where they prevailed 81-77.

The tournament action resumes on Thursday with the top 12 seeds still alive. Three – Duke, Virginia and North Carolina – are from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Championship weekend is April 6-8.

NFL:
The league’s winter meeting is taking place in Phoenix, Arizona. Some rules changes are on the table, with discussion taking place about expanding the use of instant replay and replacing onside kicks with a fourth-and-15 play that, if successful, would allow the team attempting it to retain the ball.

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement after nine seasons with the club. He is a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer and widely considered one of the best to ever play his position.

Golf:
Paul Casey became the first player to ever win the Valspar Championship in consecutive years. Despite shooting a 1-over 72 on Sunday in Palm Harbor, Florida, he escaped with a one-shot victory over Louis Ooisthuizen and Jason Kokrak. Last year’s win at the Valspar was Casey’s first in nine years on the PGA Tour.

Elsewhere:
The Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated from NBA playoff contention, meaning LeBron James will miss the postseason for the first time since 2005. Six teams have clinched playoff berths.

Brad Keselowski led 456 of the 500 laps at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday to win NASCAR’s STP 500. Chase Elliott was second and Kyle Busch third.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman