US college hoops game clashes with World Cup fever in London

By KEN MAGUIRE
AP Sports Writer

LONDON (AP) — Kentucky and Michigan finally played their London game, but organizers aren’t exactly running a fast break to get back to the British capital. The Basketball Hall of Fame London Showcase was delayed because of the coronavirus, and then Sunday’s game tipped off an hour before England played Senegal in the World Cup. Basketball Hall of Fame president and CEO John Doleva says “we’ve certainly had our hurdles.” The Wildcats beat Michigan 73-69 in the marquee game at O2 Arena before 8,242 fans as part of a doubleheader that featured Marist against Maine earlier. That’s less than half the sold-out crowds of the regular-season NBA games held at the O2 between 2011 and 2019.