A tie atop the Sprint Cup standings makes Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway an intriguing event. Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson, the two drivers battling for this year’s championship, are both worthy racers at Texas. In NASCAR.com’s Fantasy Live game, going with both in a top-heavy assault against other teams in your league is an aggressive tactic that you should consider. Kenseth ($29) has finished 20th or better—he’s the only driver to do so—in each Texas race in the COT/Gen-6 era....

Prior to their game against Mississippi Valley State, Kent State players went into the stands and invited a fan of a different race onto the court for the playing of the national anthem as a display of racial unity. PHOTOS: Powerful anthem protests around sports “It was a special moment,” senior guard Deon Edwin said (via ESPN.com). “We all come together as one. It wasn’t about color of skin. If we can do that at a small school, everyone can do it....

Sunrise Children’s Services has a history dating back to caring for Civil War orphans and has ties to the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Formerly known as Kentucky Baptist Homes for Children, the Baptist Convention consists of nearly 2,400 churches and around 600,000 members. It views homosexuality as a sin, which is behind Sunrise’s refusal to sign the contract. The state set a deadline for June 30, and if Sunrise does not agree by then, the state has threatened to stop placing children with the agency....

Ron Turcotte, the paralyzed Hall of Fame rider, said Wednesday he couldn't get a parking spot during his last Derby Day visit to Churchill Downs, and then couldn't even get into the track to watch last year's race. The two-time Derby winner said he was so disgusted by how he was treated that he decided not to attend the 140th Run for the Roses. MORE: Saturday’s lineup, favorite | Schedule "I just couldn't believe that they would treat people like that," he said in a phone interview....

The unofficial time was 2:03.66. Commanding Curve finished second, with Danza coming home third. Wicked Strong was fourth. Next up: the 139th running of the Preakness on May 17. PHOTOS: The race | The hats | The video board | The Weir-dness | The Daily Racing Form The payouts: California Chrome—$7, $5.60, $4.20 Commanding Curve—$31.80, $15.40 Danza—$6 $2 Exacta: $340.00 $2 Trifecta: $3,424.60 $2 Superfecta: $15,383.80 The prerace favorite, California Chrome went off at 5-2....

Trojan Nation (50-1) Suddenbreakingnews (20-1) Creator (10-1) Mo Tom (20-1) Gun Runner (10-1) My Man Sam (20-1) Oscar Nominated (50-1) Lani (30-1) Destin (15-1) Whitmore (20-1) Exaggerator (8-1) Tom’s Ready (30-1) Nyquist (3-1) Mohaymen (10-1) Outwork (15-1) Shagaf (20-1) Mor Spirit (12-1) Majesto (30-1) Brody’s Cause (12-1) Danzing Candy (15-1) Odds for the 2016 Kentucky Derby have been posted in Las Vegas and offshore for months, but Wednesday evening, we’ll get morning line odds from Churchill Downs following the post-position draw for the 142nd Kentucky Derby....

Kentucky, on paper at least, looks to be well ahead of the rest of the college basketball field as the 2014-15 season begins, and if you think the Wildcats are going to win it all, they can be had for the low, low price of 9-to-5 odds at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook. When it comes to betting, of course, a low price is not a good thing. Odds so low to win a championship are virtually unheard of in Las Vegas, and a wager on Kentucky at this price is not one we’d recommend....

Here is 2014 Kentucky basketball recruit Devin Booker lip synching the first few bars of Chris Brown’s “This Christmas” in an Instagram posting submitted by Booker’s fellow Wildcats recruiting class member, Trey Lyles. So yes, if you’re going to record yourself shirtless singing a very heartfelt Christmas song, do not let it get into the hands of your technologically-savvy teammates, who will revel in broadcasting it to the world. At least Booker was a good sport about it....

The outcome of the SEC quickly became secondary news, however, after Calipari was part of an awkward and uncomfortable halftime interview with ESPN sideline reporter Holly Rowe. Following the first half — in which Kentucky overcame an 8-0 start by Tennessee to take a 33-26 halftime lead — Rowe asked Calipari about a timeout he took to stymie the Volunteers’ game-opening run. The Wildcats coach interrupted Rowe before she could finish her question, grabbing her by the shoulders so he could respond....

John Yarmuth, chairman of the House Budget Committee and a critical player in pushing for President Joe Biden’s agenda to expand the country’s social safety net, made the announcement on Tuesday. Yarmuth was first elected to Congress in 2006, when he unseated a Republican incumbent in the Louisville-area district. Both of Kentucky’s U.S. senators and the other five members of the state’s U.S. House delegation are Republicans. “The truth be told, I never expected to be in Congress this long,” he said in a video posted on Twitter....

“Florida doesn’t have a bad basketball team,” Fox declared. “Florida just has a young team, and they’re in a good league.” MORE: Latest top 25 player ratings | Coach K’s 10 best players at Duke | Best states for college hoops fans Wait, what? Isn’t Florida a member of the Southeastern Conference? The Gators didn’t up and S-E-Cede when we weren’t paying attention, right? OK, OK. Just kidding there. This treatise is being written to praise the SEC, not throw a little more dirt on its long-since buried reputation....

The 23-year-old came close to joining the European champions before eventually settling on a seven-and-a-half-year contract extension at San Mames, with a release clause of €80 million. Already a senior Spain international, Kepa has racked up 44 top-flight appearances since his 2016 debut. But the highly rated shot-stopper says the offer from Madrid was not the right choice for his future. “It was a time of much reflection and the decision was one that would have shaped the direction of my sporting career,” Kepa told the El Larguero radio show on Cadena Ser....

After the Thunder advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs with a 118-104 victory Monday night, Durant ripped Mavs owner Mark Cuban for comments Cuban made before the game about Westbrook not being a true superstar. Westbrook’s play in Game 5 (36 points, 12 rebounds and 9 assists) sent a strong statement, but Durant drove it home with three words: “He’s an idiot.” MORE: First-round photos | Why an angry Durant is great for OKC...

Surely Durant has some thoughts on the move, but if he does, he’s not sharing them with the media. As he gets ready to train with USA Basketball in Rio, Durant was asked if he’d offer his congrats to his former teammate, and said, “nah” — at least, for now. MORE: Ranking the best players to switch teams in their primes Westbrook was reportedly “angry and hurt” about Durant’s departure, but we haven’t really had a public comment from the Thunder point guard on the move (unless you count a laugh)....

The veteran’s return to the Timberwolves sparked feelings of nostalgia throughout basketball twitter. Max Preps released a video of Garnett in his high school days, and he was just as ferocious back then. Same name, same frame, same game. MORE: Chris Bosh out | Steve Blake honors Jerome Kersey | Four-team trade solves Suns’ problems Let’s see if Garnett can turn back the hands of time during his return to Minnesota....

Appearing on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Tuesday night, Hart tells a story about a time he upset the legendary basketball player. MORE: Rare photos of Michael Jordan To be fair, many people have made fun of Jordan’s mustache and pants, but not many have done it to his face. Props to Hart for addressing it, but he can’t be too surprised by the reaction he received. 

But Harvick, who had endured a series of mishaps and poor finishes in the past five weeks, took out those frustrations on the field Saturday night at Darlington Raceway, dominating the Bojangles Southern 500 and then winning a late dash to the checkered flag for his second win of the season. Harvick became the first two-race winner of the season, snapping a streak of seven different winners to start the season and gaining an advantage in the new Chase for the Sprint Cup format....

It was a convenient location — the golf course that has four of its holes inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway infield and the other 12 just outside the grandstands. MORE: Lineup breakdown | Where are all the fans? | Junior and Letarte | Weather worries Harvick, who had his 2-year-old son with him, didn’t seem all that concerned that he had finished 20th or worse in three out of the past four races....

While the sample size is far too small to make any seasonlong projections, it appears the seeds for growth have been planted in Raleigh, N.C., where Kevin Keatts has taken over as North Carolina State’s head men’s basketball coach. Keats took over the reins following a six-year stint by former coach Mark Gottfried. Gottfried went 123-86 at the helm before being fired last February. The Pack finished 15-17 and lost 10 of its last 11 to miss the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season....