Afternoon Headlines for March 14th

The Texas Tech Women’s basketball team awaits their NCAA Tournament fate as the pairings for the 64 team field will be announced tonight at 6 p.m. Texas Tech fans will have an opportunity to watch live free streaming of the Women’s Basketball team - as they gather together to watch the 2011 NCAA Championship Selection Show. The Lady Raiders will meet at the Texas Tech Club at Jones AT&T Stadium and starting at 5:15 fans can watch Tech behind the scenes on TexasTech.com - as they await the tournament announcement. The Lady Raiders finished the year 22-10 overall and 8-8 in Big 12 play. The NCAA Championship selection show will air live on ESPN from 6 to 7.

Texas Tech senior Darrell Roddick finished up his career as a Red Raider with an All-America honor in the triple jump on the final day of the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. Roddick had his best jump on his third attempt with a mark of 52’-10.75” (16.12M). He finished in eighth place to earn first team All-America honors, and became just the second Red Raider in school history to be named All-American in the triple jump. Roddick also competed in the men’s high jump but was unable to clear on his three attempts, earning an All America honorable mention status.
Texas Tech sophomore Shade Weygandt earned honorable mention All-America honors in the pole vault. While team mates Kelly Closse and Ifeatu Okafor both picked up second team All-America honors in the women’s shot put.

In other Texas Tech news the 11 and 6 Red Raider baseball team will return to the diamond tomorrow after winning three of their last four games, to wrap up the Texas Tech Invitational. The Red Raiders will host the Islanders of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi with first pitch scheduled for 1 o’clock from Dan Law Field. After tomorrow’s contest the Red Raiders will set out for their first games away from Dan Law Field as they open up a three game weekend series against the Baylor Bears beginning Friday evening with 6:30 first pitch time.

In NCAA men’s basketball news the University of Oklahoma has decided to part ways with head coach Jeff Capel. In five seasons as the Sooners head coach, Capel assembled a 96 and 69 (.582) overall record, including a 37 and 43 Mark in Big 12 play, and 2 NCAA Tournament appearances coming in 2008 and 2009.

In NFL news an April 6th hearing date has been set in the federal antitrust lawsuit filed by players against the National Football League. The players filed a request last week for an injunction that would keep the NFL and the teams from engaging in a lockout, which took effect at midnight Friday. The hearing is scheduled to be in front of U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson in Minnesota.

In the NBA the Houston Rockets are in action tonight from home as the Phoenix Suns are in town. The visiting Suns will look to earn their eighth straight win over the Rockets when tip-off gets underway at 7:30, but will have to do so with out their star point guard in Steve Nash, who’s expected to miss his second consecutive game with an injury. The Suns enter tonight’s contest having lost two straight, dropping them a game and a half behind the 8th place Memphis Grizzlies for the final western-conference playoff spot. Again tip-off between the Suns and Rockets is scheduled for 7:30 from the Toyota Center.

The other Texas team in action tonight will feature the NBA best San Antonio Spurs on the road facing the Miami Heat. The 45 and 21 Heat enter tonight’s contest having won two straight, and currently sitting three games behind the first-place Celtics, and 2 and half games behind the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Playoff race. The Spurs will put their 54 and 12 overall record, and three game wining streak on the line when tip-off get underway at 7 from the American Airlines Arena.

In LCU news the 5th ranked Lady Chap softball team began play today in the Tucson Invitational. LCU opened play up with a 7 to 4 loss to Vanguard University, but were able to bounce back in their second and third game defeating Missouri Valley College by a final score of 8 to 0 in game 2, and Midland University 4 to 3 in their third game of the day.