Brittany Ratcliffe's scored a late goal to give the Seattle Reign a 2-1, rain-delayed victory on ...

Brittany Ratcliffe's scored a late goal to give the Seattle Reign a 2-1, rain-delayed victory on the road against the Orlando Pride on Sunday.Angel City also opened the National Women's Soccer League season with a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Stars in Los Angeles.The Reign opened the scoring in the 24th minute. Nérilia Mondésir slipped in a pass to Jess Fishlock who put on a few nifty moves to put the visitors ahead 1-0.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>In the 42nd minute, off a corner kick delivery from Jacquie Ovalle, defender Rafaelle appeared to have tied it up, but it was called back due to a foul.After a lengthy weather delay of some three hours, Haley McCutcheon would find Barbra Banda in the 51st minute for the equalizer. Orlando received a major boost when Banda was removed from the season-ending injury list early this week.Five minutes after subbing on, Ratcliffe headed home the winner in the 83rd minute, with Mondésir providing her second assist of the game.Fuller and Borges lead Angel City in season-opening routMidfielders Kennedy Fuller and Ary Borges had a goal and assist apiece in Angel City's dominant win over the Stars.Angel City FC found a breakthrough goal in the 33rd minute from Fuller. Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher went to make the save, but the ball slipped through her outstretched arms.After four successive corners, Evelyn Shores doubled the lead on an open header because of a defensive breakdown by Chicago.In the 66th minute, the Stars tried to play out of the back and paid the price. Ary Borges intercepted the pass and slot it home to make it 3-0.Sveindís Jónsdóttir found an open Maiara Niehues for the final tally.The four goals were the most ACFC has scored since a 4-3 thriller over Washington Spirit on May 2, 2025.Angel City defender Savy King returned to play for the first time since suffering a cardiac event during a game on May 9th, 2025 that led to open heart surgery. She subbed into the match in the 63rd minute.Forward Jordyn Huitema started for Chicago after being acquired in a trade this week from Seattle.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - MARCH 15: Brittany Ratcliffe #13 of Seattle Reign FC celebrates scoring her team's second goal with teammates during the NWSL match between Orlando Pride and Seattle Reign at Inter&Co Stadium on March 15, 2026 in Orlando, Florida.

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Reign, Angel City open NWSL season with wins

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells final 7-6 (6),...

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Jannik Sinner beat Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells final 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4) on Sunday, winning seven straight points to rally from a 4-0 deficit in the second-set tiebreak and claim the title without dropping a single set.The No. 2-ranked Italian beat Medvedev for the ninth time in their last 10 matches to claim his first title at the California <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/tennis">desert tournament</a>. Medvedev handed top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz his first loss of the year in the semifinals of the BNP Paribas Open.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Sinner congratulated fellow Italian Kimi Antonelli, who won Formula One’s Chinese Grand Prix earlier Sunday.“It hasn’t anything to do with tennis, but it has been a special day for Italy,” Sinner said. “Because I’m a huge Formula One fan and having a very, very young Italian, Kimi, bringing Italy back home at the top, it’s amazing. So, thanks, Kimi, thanks Formula One, and see you next year.”

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Jannik Sinner of Italy hoists the championship trophy after defeating Daniil Medvedev during their Men's Singles Finals match on Day 12 of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2026 in Indian Wells, California.

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UConn was awarded the No. 1 overall seed in the women's NCAA Tournament on Sunday and enters Marc...

UConn was awarded the No. 1 overall seed in the women's NCAA Tournament on Sunday and enters March Madness needing six more victories to complete the seventh undefeated season in school history.The Huskies (34-0) are looking for their 13th national title and becoming the first team to repeat as champions since the Huskies won four in a row from 2013-16. They are joined by UCLA, Texas and South Carolina as the other No. 1 seeds.UConn, which is led by stars Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd, opens the tournament at home against 16th-seeded UTSA and will play in the Fort Worth Regional. If seeds hold, the Huskies could face No. 2 Vanderbilt, which is coached by former UConn great Shea Ralph.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>UCLA (31-1) was just behind the Huskies as the second overall seed in the tournament. The Bruins have won 25 straight games in dominant fashion with the lone loss this season coming against Texas on a neutral court.UCLA reached the Final Four last year before losing to UConn. Cori Close's team ran through the Big Ten and has an experienced group led by center Lauren Betts looking to win the school’s first NCAA championship.The Bruins will try to win the first women's national championship for the Big Ten Conference since 1999. The Bruins are one of 12 Big Ten teams in the field. That matches the record they set last season for most teams in the tournament. The SEC has 10, the ACC nine and Big 12 eight.Other tops teams in UCLA's region are No. 2 LSU, No. 3 Duke and No. 4 Minnesota.The Longhorns (31-3) earned the third No. 1 seed after winning the SEC Tournament title. They beat South Carolina in two of the three meetings this season. Texas will play in Fort Worth Regional 3. Other top teams in Texas’ region are No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Louisville and No. 4 West Virginia.The Gamecocks (31-3) are the No. 1 seed in Sacramento Regional 4 and have been a No. 1 seed for six consecutive seasons now. They will be joined by No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 TCU and No, 4 Oklahoma.The College of Charleston won the Colonial Athletic Association to make the tournament field for the first time in school history. The Cougars are a 14-seed and are the lone first time entry in the field. Last season, there were six newcomers.Financial compensationFor the second consecutive year, teams in the women's tournament will be financially compensated, in a similar fashion to the men's field, for each round they play. "Units" are what the NCAA calls its tally of wins, automatic qualifiers and at-large bids that determine how much conferences are paid. A unit is money paid to conferences when one of its teams appears in the NCAA Tournament.This year, the NCAA is giving teams that reach the championship game and the one that wins the title extra units. That extra compensation was added to the overall pool and doesn’t decrease the overall value of the units.Tournament sitesThe top 16 seeds in the 68-team field will host first- and second-round games, with the regional rounds being played at two neutral sites for the fourth straight year. Fort Worth, Texas, will host half of the Sweet 16 and Sacramento, California, will host the other eight teams.The Final Four will be played in Phoenix on April 3 and the championship game is two days later.For the first time the NCAA revealed the 16 host schools a day early. It gave schools an extra day to sell tickets, broadcast partner ESPN a head start to move its equipment to the locations and the NCAA more time to get its marketing materials to sites.Tennessee streakingTennessee kept its streak alive of reaching every NCAA Tournament since the first one in 1982. The 10th-seeded Lady Vols, who have lost seven consecutive games, only had 16 wins this season, the fewest for an at-large team since Oklahoma also had 16 in 2018. The seed is the lowest for the storied program since Tennessee was an 11-seed in 2019.

UNCASVILLE, CT - MARCH 07: KK Arnold #2 of the UConn Huskies, Azzi Fudd #35 of the UConn Huskies, and Sarah Strong #21 of the UConn Huskies react on the bench during the BIG EAST Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal game between the UConn Huskies and the Georgetown Hoyas on March 7, 2026 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.

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MIAMI (AP) — A work stoppage that leads to canceled games during the 2027 Major League Baseball s...

MIAMI (AP) — A work stoppage that leads to canceled games during the 2027 Major League Baseball season could disrupt plans under discussion to have big league players participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.The Major League Baseball Players Association is negotiating with Major League Baseball, the IOC, the Los Angeles Organizing Committee for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the World Baseball Softball Confederation on the six-nation baseball event, scheduled for Dodger Stadium from July 13-19 during what could be an extended All-Star break.MLB and the union also are preparing for the start of bargaining in April or May for a labor contract to replaced the current five-year agreement that expires Dec. 1. A management lockout is expected to start Dec. 2.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"It can be on a separate track, but I'm sure it will come up in the course of negotiations," new acting union head Bruce Meyer said Sunday night at the World Baseball Classic. "If we're in a situation where games are being missed in '27, that could have an impact on playing the Olympics after that."Meyer said a lost 2027 season would eliminate big leaguers from the 2028 Olympics."If we don't have a season, we're not going to play in the Olympics," he said.MLB has not lost regular-season games due to a labor dispute since 1995.Insurance and player accommodations remain issues that must be resolved for MLB players to appear at the Olympics. At the WBC, costs are split proportionally among the shareholders — MLB and the union have equal stakes that are the most, and the WBSC, Nippon Professional Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization also own minority shares."The federations involved, the IOC, we still have a lot of issues to work out with the league," Meyer said. "I don't have any reason to believe that that’s going to be a significant impediment in any way, but we still do have a lot of issues to be worked out, pretty much everything other than the qualifying — issues like insurance, transportation, and a whole variety of issues. ... Housing, lodging, security is all still under discussion."Players during the regular season are entitled to "first-class jet air and hotel accommodations," according to their labor contract, and they likely would not want to stay in dormitory-type rooms commonly used at Olympics.For players not in the Olympics, discussions are exploring the possibility of having teams play exhibition games against each other or minor-league affiliates.Meyer spoke on the field at the Miami Marlins' loanDepot park before the U.S. played the Dominican Republic for a berth in Tuesday's WBC final against Venezuela or Italy.A crowd of 34,548 attended Venezuela's 8-5 upset win over Japan in a quarterfinal Saturday night. The Marlins drew 1.16 million at home last year, 28th among the 30 teams, and drew 29 crowds of less than 10,000."In this market, in Miami, you can see the the fan interest in baseball, which unfortunately is perhaps not maximized by the franchise here," Meyer said.MLB and the union are discussing the possibility of having exhibition games during an extended 2028 break for those players not at the Olympics.The Dominican Republic and Venezuela have qualified along with the host U.S. and one team from Asia and one team from Europe/Oceania can qualify from this November's WBSC Premier 12 tournament.A final qualifying tournament will be played no later than March 2028 that includes the top two non-yet-qualified teams from the latest Asia Championship, the top two non-yet-qualified teams from the latest European Championship, the highest-placed non-yet-qualified team from the latest Africa Championship and the highest-placed non-yet-qualified team from the latest Oceania Championship.Meyer was promoted to acting union head last month following the forced resignation of Tony Clark, a former All-Star first baseman who had led players since 2013. An investigation by the union’s outside counsel discovered evidence that Clark had an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law, a union employee since 2023.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 17: A "Welcome to Dodger Stadium" sign is displayed before the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 17, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.

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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Denny Hamlin returned to victory lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday for ...

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Denny Hamlin returned to victory lane at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday for his first win since he lost the NASCAR championship four months ago, and first since the death of his father in a December house fire.“I knew it took a few weeks to feel like driving,” Hamlin said after his 61st career victory. “Over the last couple weeks, I definitely regained my love of it, got refocused. These are great opportunities for us.”Hamlin's 60th career victory was at Las Vegas last October, a win he dedicated to his father as it locked Hamlin into NASCAR's championship-deciding finale. His father was in poor health and Hamlin went into the race knowing it was probably his final chance to win a championship while Dennis Hamlin was still alive.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Then Hamlin dominated last year's title-decider at Phoenix Raceway but the wrong call on the final pit stop cost him the Cup championship that has eluded the three-time Daytona 500 winner.What followed was an emotional rollercoaster: Hamlin, as co-owner of 23XI Racing, was part of the winning team in a federal lawsuit against NASCAR last December. Weeks later, his father was killed in a fire that destroyed the home Hamlin purchased to thank his parents for getting him into NASCAR.He returned for the start of his 21st season and went to victory lane as an owner with Tyler Reddick when the 23XI Racing driver won the Daytona 500 and then set a NASCAR record by winning the first three races of the year.Most of the attention went to 23XI co-owner Michael Jordan as Reddick won Daytona, Atlanta and Circuit of the Americas.Hamlin did his part at Las Vegas to put himself back in the spotlight.“It is just so satisfying, so gratifying. You just never know what can happen year over year if you still have it or not," said Hamlin. “I wasn’t totally locked in for the first few weeks. We’ve just been hitting our stride now. This is our bread and butter, these are the tracks that we know we can go win, and we executed. This is a team win. The team did it.”The 45-year-old Virginia driver overcome an early speeding penalty and drove from 31st through the field in a fairly dominating win for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota. He led a race-high 134 laps.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
No stopping that No. 11 today! <a href="https://twitter.com/dennyhamlin?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dennyhamlin</a> is heading to Victory Lane in Las Vegas! <a href="https://t.co/UCiO0ErV80">pic.twitter.com/UCiO0ErV80</a>— NASCAR (@NASCAR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASCAR/status/2033319290196083048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>Hamlin was joined by his fiancee and their three children as he collected the checkered flag, and he was sure his father was smiling somewhere.“This is a family sport. My family obviously had so much sacrifice to help me get here,” said Hamlin. “Now that I’ve grown, generations of Hamlins following me, it’s great Mom gets to see this. I know Dad’s still saying, ‘That’s my boy.’ Hell of a day.”Team owner Joe Gibbs' praised Hamlin's resilience.“He’s been through a lot. Denny seems to have the ability to continue to work through things,” said Gibbs. “Has a way of just really still being very competitive. I appreciate him so much. We’re riding Denny for about 20 years. It’s been an awful good trip for us.”Toyota has won four of the first five races.Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott and William Byron finished second and third in Chevrolets; JGR drivers Christopher Bell and Ty Gibbs were fourth and fifth to give JGR three cars in the top-five."It makes my job really easy when I can drive Toyotas that fast,” Hamlin said.Gibbs on a rollIt was the third consecutive top-five finish for Gibbs, who is a central figure in a federal lawsuit filed by JGR against former competition director Chris Gabehart. The two sides are back in court in North Carolina on Monday as JGR seeks a restraining order to stop Gabehart for working for rival Spire Motorsports.“Just don't want to be in court,” said team owner Gibbs. “But we're going to be there. I think it's important for us to follow through with this.”Gabehart has said his time at JGR became untenable in part because of preferential treatment toward Gibbs, who is the grandson of the team owner.JGR alleges Gabehart stole proprietary information before he left the team, and had a non-compete clause that prevents him from joining another team. Gabehart claims JGR stopped paying him in November and the role he now has with Spire is completely different from what he did for Gibbs.Gabehart was at the track Sunday with Spire, which at Las Vegas had its trucks parked next to the JGR trucks.Up nextThe Cup Series races Sunday at Darlington Raceway in South Carolina. Joe Gibbs Racing dominated at the track last year — Hamlin won in April and Chase Briscoe in August.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 15: Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 Yahoo! Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on March 15, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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Hamlin storms back to win at Las Vegas after early penalty

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Brian White scored two goals for the second consecutive game, ...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Brian White scored two goals for the second consecutive game, Sebastian Berhalter opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the eighth minute and added two assists, and the Vancouver Whitecaps beat Minnesota United 6-0 on Sunday.Mathias Laborda added a goal in the 22nd minute, Emmanuel Sabbi scored in the 43rd gave the Whitecaps a 4-0 lead at halftime and Cheikh Sabaly’s first MLS goal in his second career appearance capped the scoring in the 74th. Yohei Takaoka finished with four saves and had his third shutout of the season.Minnesota (1-2-1) tied the club's single-game mark for goals conceded and set the record for largest margin of defeat.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>White scored a goal in his third consecutive game in the 13th minute that made it 2-0 and converted from the penalty spot in the 54th to give Vancouver (4-0-0) a five-goal lead. White has 84 goals and 16 assists for the Whitecaps across all competitions, the first player in the club’s MLS era with at least 100 goal contributions.Sebastian Schonlau made his MLS debut when he subbed on for Edier Ocampo in the 65th minute.Drake Callender stopped two shots for Minnesota.

VANCOUVER, CANADA - MARCH 15: Brian White #24 of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC celebrates with teammates Edier Ocampo #18, Mihail Gherasimencov #29 and Emmanuel Sabbi #11 after scoring a goal against the Minnesota United during the second half of MLS action at BC Place on March 15, 2026 in Vancouver, Canada.

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World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the women’s final Sunday for...

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka beat Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (6) in the women’s final Sunday for her first Indian Wells title. Sabalenka, a runner-up in 2023 and ’25, finished off the win with a big serve that Rybakina hit long.It was a sweltering afternoon on the court as the temperatures soared into the 90s. The 27-year-old Sabalenka had a chance to close out the third set but was broken at 5-4. Rybakina found herself with a championship point in the tiebreaker, only to have Sabalenka hit a backhand winner.“I think the whole idea going into this match was to be mentally strong, to stay strong, no matter what, to show with the body language that I’m here, I’m fighting,” Sabalenka said in a post-match interview on the Tennis Channel. “You have to get a win with incredible tennis and that was the whole idea going into this one. I’m happy that it really worked.”<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>It’s been quite a stretch for Sabalenka. First, a puppy and then <a href="https://apnews.com/article/aryna-sabalenka-engagement-indian-wells-e4017ab740806d86902cfcb014120093">an engagement ring</a> from Brazilian businessman Georgios Frangulis.Now, a title in the desert.“I’ll remember it for the rest of my life,” she said.This marked the 16th time the two players have met, with Sabalenka now holding a 9-7 advantage. Rybakina of Kazakhstan beat Sabalenka at the 2025 WTA Finals championship and the Australian Open two months ago. She also edged Sabalenka in the finals at Indian Wells in 2023.“It was a very difficult match,” Rybakina said after the match as she congratulated Sabalenka.There’s not much time to celebrate for Sabalenka, who was set to leave Sunday night for the Miami Open, where she’s the defending champion.“Probably will have a couple drinks on the plane and that’s it,” Sabalenka said. “I’m defending champion there, so I have to bring my best tennis there. But with these vibes that I’m taking from here, I think I’ll be able to be there and to fight and to do my very best to defend that beautiful trophy.”___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 15: Aryna Sabalenka poses with the championship trophy after defeating Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan during their Women's Singles Finals match on Day 12 of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 15, 2026 in Indian Wells, California.

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Wes Enis scored 19 points on Sunday to help top-seeded South Florida beat...

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Wes Enis scored 19 points on Sunday to help top-seeded South Florida beat No. 2 seed Wichita State 70-55 to win the American Athletic Conference Tournament and clinch a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.South Florida (25-8) has won 11 in a row and secured its first AAC Tournament crown. The Bulls have won back-to-back conference regular-season titles.Izaiyah Nelson had 13 points, six rebound, three steals and two blocks for USF and Josh Omojafo scored 10.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>CJ Brown threw an alley-oop to Nelson for a dunk that made it 10-8 a little more than six minutes into the game and the Bulls led the rest of the way.Wichita State (22-11) twice in the second half trimmed its deficit to a point before Isaiah Jones and Enis hit back-to-back 3s to spark a 14-4 spurt that gave South Florida a 59-45 lead with 6 1/2 minutes to play.Dillon Battie led the Shockers with 15 points and Will Berg added 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Kenyon Giles, the team’s leading scorer this season (19.7 per game), finished with five points on 2-of-11 shooting, 1 of 7 from 3-point range.Wichita State had its seven-game win streak — which dated to a 66-58 home loss to the Bulls on Feb. 11 — snapped.Up nextWichita State: Awaits a potential postseason invitation.South Florida: Will be a No. 11 seed and plays Thursday against sixth-seeded Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up <a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/ap-newsletters">here</a> (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball">https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball</a>

MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE - MARCH 05: Josh Omojafo #8 of the South Florida Bulls reacts during the second half against the Memphis Tigers at FedExForum on March 05, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee.

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CHICAGO (AP) — Oscar Cluff scored 21 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 20 and No. 18 Purdue topped No...

CHICAGO (AP) — Oscar Cluff scored 21 points, Trey Kaufman-Renn had 20 and No. 18 Purdue topped No. 3 Michigan 80-72 on Sunday for the Big Ten Tournament championship.Braden Smith had 14 points, 11 assists and three steals as Purdue (27-8) added to an impressive turnaround after closing the regular season with four losses in six games. Fletcher Loyer made three 3-pointers and finished with 14 points.The Boilermakers won the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2023 and third time overall. They lost to the Wolverines in the final in 1998 and 2018.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Yaxel Lendeborg scored 20 points for top-seeded Michigan (31-3), which beat Purdue <a href="https://apnews.com/article/boilermakers-wolverines-score-18adad7af8021c8caa0984765034939a">91-80</a> in their regular-season meeting on Feb. 17. Aday Mara had 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.Wearing No. 41 after his No. 3 jersey ripped early in the game, Smith helped the Boilermakers seize control by deftly running the pick and roll with Kaufman-Renn in the second half. The senior point guard has 1,075 career assists, just one shy of Bobby Hurley’s NCAA record.Two jumpers by Kaufman-Renn off passes from Smith powered Purdue to a 55-44 lead with 12:55 left. After Elliot Cadeau scored for Michigan, the 6-foot Smith drove inside, drew a foul on the 7-3 Mara and scored, drawing a big cheer from the Purdue fans in the crowd at the United Center.Smith celebrated by pounding his chest as he walked toward a rollicking Purdue bench. He made the ensuing free throw for a 58-46 lead with 12:06 to go.The Boilermakers made nine of their first 11 shots in the second half. They shot 15 for 26 in the second half overall.Cadeau finished with 10 points and 10 assists for Michigan, which won the Big Ten tourney in 2025. Playing in his hometown, Nimari Burnett scored 12 points.Purdue used a 12-2 run to take a 38-34 lead late in the first half. But Cadeau found Mara for an alley-oop dunk and converted a tying layup in the final seconds.Up nextMichigan is likely headed for a No. 1 seed when the bracket for the NCAA Tournament is announced later Sunday.Purdue is in the mix for a No. 2 seed after its impressive performance at the United Center.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up <a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/ap-newsletters">here</a> (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball">https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball</a>

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 15: The Purdue Boilermakers celebrate after defeating the Michigan Wolverines in the 2026 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Championship game at the United Center on March 15, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois.

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Defender Brayan Ceballos scored two goals in the first half to spark New...

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Defender Brayan Ceballos scored two goals in the first half to spark New England to a 6-1 romp over FC Cincinnati on Sunday in the Revolution’s home opener.Ceballos scored in the 25th minute to tie it after Gerardo Valenzuela scored six minutes earlier to give Cincinnati a 1-0 lead.Dor Turgeman gave New England the lead in the 31st minute before Ceballos scored three minutes into stoppage time for a 3-1 advantage at the half. Ceballos had one goal in 29 appearances as a rookie last season. Turgeman has four goals and two assists in six career appearances dating to last season.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Alhassan Yusuf scored on a header in the 53rd minute for a three-goal lead. Cincinnati keeper Roman Celantano deflected but couldn’t corral a shot by Carles Gil and Yusuf took advantage for his first goal this season and his third in 44 career appearances.Valenzuela was tagged with a red card in the 69th minute, leaving Cincinnati a man down.Griffin Yow scored in the 87th minute and Peyton Miller found the net two minutes later to complete the rout after the pair subbed into the match in the second half. Yow’s first netter of the season is his fourth in 35 career matches. Miller also scored for the first time after two goals in 26 appearances last year.Matt Turner saved seven shots in goal for the Revolution (1-2-0). Turner is back with the club after making 102 appearances from 2016-22.Celantano finished with three saves for Cincinnati (1-3-0).Cincinnati posted a pair of 1-0 victories over the Revolution last season.It was the first victory for New England coach Marko Mitrović in his first season. The Revs were outscored 5-1 in a pair of road losses to begin the season.Cincinnati had posted 2-1 and 1-0 victories in its last two trips to Gillette Stadium. The venue had freshly-laid grass in preparation for the FIFA World Cup. The Revs hadn’t played on grass at home since they switched to turf in 2006.

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - MARCH 15: Brayan Ceballos #3 of the New England Revolution celebrates after scoring a goal during the first half of the MLS match between New England Revolution and FC Cincinnati at Gillette Stadium on March 15, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

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MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Miami Open with a right shoulder ...

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Miami Open with a right shoulder injury, tournament officials announced Sunday.Djokovic is a six-time winner of the Miami event and an eight-time finalist. Both those marks are tied with Andre Agassi for all-time tournament men's singles records.Djokovic, ranked No. 3 in the world, lost to Jakub Mensik in last year's Miami final. Djokovic won the tournament in 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016, plus made another trip to the final in 2009.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>The men's draw for the tournament will be released Monday.Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam tournament winner, played last week at Indian Wells and reached the fourth round in singles and the second round of doubles. He reached the final at the Australian Open earlier this year, losing to Carlos Alcaraz.___AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 11: Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a forehand against Jack Draper of Great Britain in their fourth round match of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 11, 2026 in Indian Wells, California.

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Djokovic withdraws from Miami Open with shoulder injury

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nyk Lewis finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds and No. 2 seed VCU beat fourt...

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nyk Lewis finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds and No. 2 seed VCU beat fourth-seeded Dayton 70-62 on Sunday to win a second straight Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament and clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament.VCU (27-7) will make its 21st March Madness appearance. The Rams made it all the way to the Final Four before losing in 2011.Lewis hit 4 of 5 shots from beyond the 3-point line but just 1 of 5 inside it for VCU. Reserves Terrence Hill Jr. and Michael Belle scored 14 and 12, respectively.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Javon Bennett led Dayton (23-11) with 14 points and Amael L'Etang scored 12.Hill and Barry Evans connected from beyond the arc to give VCU a 16-10 lead and the Rams never trailed again in building a 40-25 advantage at halftime.Dayton whittled the deficit to 10 early in the second half, but Belle buried a 3-pointer and Hill hit a pull-up jumper for a 48-33 lead with 15 minutes remaining.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"The early mornings, crawling through the mud, 9 new guys, we just built so much chemistry in a short period of time." Terrence Hill Jr. was visibly emotional while catching up with <a href="https://twitter.com/AJRoss_TV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AJRoss_TV</a> after they won the <a href="https://twitter.com/atlantic10?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Atlantic10</a> Conference Tournament Championship. <a href="https://t.co/EMuem7fo0e">pic.twitter.com/EMuem7fo0e</a>— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSSportsCBB/status/2033263663742611693?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>The Flyers trailed by 10 when they missed the front end of a 1-and-1 twice. Jordan Derkack made 1 of 4 foul shots before Amael L'etang sank a pair to cut it to 60-53 with 2:02 remaining, but the Flyers got no closer.Dayton, swept by VCU during the regular season, was aiming for a 20th NCAA Tournament appearance. Dayton lost to UCLA in the 1967 title game, giving Hall of Fame coach John Wooden his third championship in four seasons. Lew Alcindor led the way for the Bruins.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up <a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/ap-newsletters">here</a> (AP News mobile app). AP college basketba spurtll: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball">https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball</a>

DAYTON, OH - MARCH 06: VCU Rams Guard Tyrell Ward (15) VCU Rams Guard Michael Belle (8) VCU Rams Guard Brandon Jennings (0) VCU Rams Guard Terrence Hill Jr. (6) and VCU Rams Guard Jadrian Tracey (2) walk on the floor together in a timeout in the second half during the game between the Virginia Commonwealth Rams and the Dayton Flyers on March 6th, 2026 at UD Arena in Dayton, OH.

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VCU tops Dayton to take A-10 title, secure NCAA Tournament spot

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darius Acuff Jr. scored 30 points and handed out 11 assists, leading No. ...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Darius Acuff Jr. scored 30 points and handed out 11 assists, leading No. 17 Arkansas to its first Southeastern Conference Tournament championship and first automatic NCAA Tournament berth since 2000, beating 22nd-ranked Vanderbilt 86-75 Sunday.With the win, John Calipari became the first coach in SEC history to win tournament titles at two different programs.He won six with Kentucky with the last in 2018, including the 2017 title over Arkansas. Calipari now has 16 combined conference tournament titles in his career.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>This title game featured a duel of All-SEC guards in Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner defending Acuff, the SEC player and freshman of the year. Acuff put on a show finding teammates with passes, dropping fadeaway jumpers and 3s or layups.The Razorbacks (26-8) sealed the win with a 12-0 spurt in the final minutes to snap a skid of four straight losses in this game with the program’s second SEC Tournament title.Billy Richmond III added 18 points for Arkansas. Trevon Brazile had 16 and D.J. Wagner 11.Vanderbilt (26-8) was looking for its first title in this tournament since 2012 when the Commodores beat Calipari and Kentucky. They now are 2-1 when reaching this championship game.Duke Miles and Tyler Nickel each had 19 for Vanderbilt, and Tanner finished with 15.The Razorbacks routed Vanderbilt by 25 on Jan. 20 at Bud Walton Arena. This time, the Commodores were coming off their first win over an AP top-five team since 2012 with their largest margin of victory over such a foe in program history after routing No. 4 Florida in the semifinals.With the title on the line, Arkansas led 41-39 at halftime.AK Okereke’s 3 with 17:57 to go put the Commodores ahead 46-45, and they strung together a 9-4 spurt for their biggest lead yet at 55-49. Then they went cold missing 12 of 13 shots. Nickel’s 3 for Vanderbilt with 6:40 left tied it at 66.Then the Razorbacks took control.Up nextVanderbilt will be playing in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year with coach Mark Byington.Arkansas takes a five-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up <a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/ap-newsletters">here</a> (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball">https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball</a>

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MARCH 15: Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Arkansas Razorbacks drives around Tyler Tanner #3 of the Vanderbilt Commodores in the first half of 2026 SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship game at Bridgestone Arena on March 15, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee.

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Acuff's 30 points help Arkansas take down Vandy for SEC title

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — TJ Power scored an Ivy Madness-record 44 points and Cam Thrower hit five clut...

ITHACA, N.Y. (AP) — TJ Power scored an Ivy Madness-record 44 points and Cam Thrower hit five clutch points in overtime, lifting Pennsylvania to an 88-84 victory over Yale to win the Ivy Legue championship on Sunday.Thrower's 3-pointer with two minutes left in overtime gave the Quakers an 82-78 lead. After Yale answered with a 3, Thrower rebounded his own miss in the paint and followed up in traffic for an 84-81 lead. Power added two free throws for a five-point lead with 17 seconds left.The win sends Penn (18-11) to the NCAA Tournament for the 25th time. First-year Quakers coach Fran McCaffery, a Penn alum, is taking his fifth program to the tournament.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Power hit two 3-pointers in the final seven seconds of regulation and Penn forced overtime at 75-all. Penn had trailed since a 3-pointer by Yale's Devon Arlington made it 61-58 with nine minutes left in the second half.<figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
TJ Power forces overtime ‼️ He leads Penn with 40 points and 12 rebounds 🍿 <a href="https://t.co/4ZscKOgr1X">pic.twitter.com/4ZscKOgr1X</a>— ESPN (@espn) <a href="https://twitter.com/espn/status/2033243478113620120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>Power, who played at Duke and Virginia earlier in his career, made 14 of 26 shots overall, 7 of 14 3-pointers and 9 of 9 free throws. He grabbed 14 rebounds. Thrower scored 19 points and was Penn's only other player in double digits.Trevor Mullin scored 22 points and Isaac Celiscar had 17 points and 11 rebounds for Yale (24-6). Nick Townsend and Casey Simmons also scored 17 each.Yale led 19-16 then ran off six consecutive points to go ahead 25-16 with about 8 1/2 minutes left in the first half. TJ Power led a Penn rally with 12 of his 23 first-half points and the Quakers were up 41-39 at halftime.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up <a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/ap-newsletters">here</a> (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball">https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball</a>

ITHACA, NY - MARCH 14: Pennsylvania Quakers Forward TJ Power (12) dribbles the ball against Harvard Crimson Guard Chandler Pigge (13) during the second half of the Ivy League Semi-Final game between the Pennsylvania Quakers and the Harvard Crimson on March 14, 2026, at Newman Arena in Ithaca, NY.

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Penn earns March Madness berth after stunning Yale in OT for Ivy League title

ROME (AP) — Substitute Vitinha and Leo Ostigard scored in Genoa’s 2-0 win at last-place Verona in...

ROME (AP) — Substitute Vitinha and Leo Ostigard scored in Genoa’s 2-0 win at last-place Verona in the Italian league on Sunday as Daniele De Rossi’s side moved even further away from the relegation zone.Genoa is in 13th place with 33 points after 29 rounds, nine points above 18th-place Cremonese.Serie A leader Inter Milan was held 1-1 by Atalanta at home on Saturday, leaving the door open for AC Milan to further close the gap to its rival. Lagging eight points behind Inter, AC Milan played at Lazio later Sunday.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Vitinha scored right after coming on as a replacement for Caleb Ekuban with a powerful shot from long range around the hour mark. Ostigard made it 2-0 in the 86th minute with a header from a free kick.___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

VERONA, ITALY - MARCH 15: Leo Ostigard of Genoa CFC celebrates during the Serie A match between Hellas Verona FC and Genoa CFC at Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on March 15, 2026 in Verona, Italy.

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Genoa get more breathing room in relegation fight with win at Verona

SHANGHAI (AP) — He's been defined by being Lewis Hamilton's successor and George Russell's teamma...

SHANGHAI (AP) — He's been defined by being Lewis Hamilton's successor and George Russell's teammate. Now Kimi Antonelli is a Formula 1 race-winner in his own right, and the second-youngest in history.The 19-year-old Italian pulled clear of an entertaining battle between Russell and the two Ferraris to take a commanding win at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday and share the podium with his teammate and Hamilton, the seven-time champion he replaced last year."I'm speechless. I'm about to cry, to be honest," Antonelli said, holding back tears. "Thank you so much to my team because they helped me to achieve this dream."<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div><figure class="article-segment--embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is what it means 👏🤗<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/F1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#F1</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChineseGP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChineseGP</a> <a href="https://t.co/4ZGwYWumRG">pic.twitter.com/4ZGwYWumRG</a>— Formula 1 (@F1) <a href="https://twitter.com/F1/status/2033110049531285619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2026</a>
</blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></figure>Wolff's gamble pays offIt's a vindication of the gamble Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff took in picking the youngster, who'd joined Mercedes' junior program aged just 11, to replace an all-time great when Hamilton moved to Ferrari for 2025. There were plenty of doubters when Antonelli crashed 10 minutes into his practice debut in 2024."Many said it was just too early last year, and obviously we asked ourselves that question, whether it was too much to throw him into this pressure cooker," Wolff told Sky Sport Germany."One year with ups and downs and he's young. We have to forgive him these mistakes, and now he's in the second Grand Prix (of 2026) and brings it home ruthlessly. It's good."The 19-year-old Italian was the youngest pole-position starter and briefly lost the lead to Hamilton at the start but retook it soon after and was in control the rest of the way.Locking up a tire near the end caused him "a little bit of a heart attack," but he made it to the end to celebrate with his father, who once sneaked his then seven-year-old son into the F1 paddock hidden in a stack of tires to get closer to the action.It was another 1-2 finish for Mercedes to start the season as Russell came through a battle with both Ferraris to finish second. Hamilton was third for his long-awaited first Grand Prix podium finish for Ferrari.The only driver younger than Antonelli to win a Grand Prix was Max Verstappen, who was 18 when he took his first victory in 2016. He's the first Italian to win since Giancarlo Fisichella in 2006, five months before Antonelli was born.Russell bests Ferraris in thrillerThe new regulations again produced a dramatic fight for position between Mercedes and the fast-starting Ferraris as Russell fought his way past Charles Leclerc and Hamilton in a multi-lap battle with numerous changes of position. That allowed Antonelli to build his lead at the front.Even after Russell had pulled away to secure second place, teammates Leclerc and Hamilton kept up their own fight for third. "This is quite a fun battle," Leclerc exclaimed over the radio.Leclerc was fourth with Oliver Bearman fifth for Haas, Pierre Gasly sixth for Alpine and Liam Lawson seventh for Racing Bulls. Isack Hadjar recovered from an early spin to place eighth for Red Bull, ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. in ninth for Williams, while Franco Colapinto was 10th for Alpine to score his first point since 2024.Verstappen was running sixth when his car lost power and he had to limp back to the pits in another blow for the four-time champion, who has been a leading critic of F1's new cars.Double disaster for McLarenFormula 1 champion Lando Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri were both unable to start after encountering technical problems minutes before the race began.Piastri was due to start fifth and Norris sixth. Norris was in his car in the pits but didn't leave for the grid, before Piastri was then withdrawn from the grid.McLaren said it found "two different electrical problems on the power unit side" after an investigation. It's the second time Piastri has failed to start in 2026 after he crashed before the start of last week's race in Australia. Only 18 of 22 cars took the start, with Audi's Gabriel Bortoleto and Williams' Alex Albon also unable to make it, before both Aston Martin cars and Verstappen hit trouble in the race too.

Winner Mercedes' Italian driver Kimi Antonelli (L) and third-placed Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton (R) celebrate on the podium after the Formula One Chinese Grand Prix at the Shanghai International Circuit in Shanghai on March 15, 2026.

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Antonelli lands 1st win in China, Hamilton finally gets Ferrari podium

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Isaac Johnson scored 22 points to lead No. 2 seed Hawaii to a 71-64 victor...

HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Isaac Johnson scored 22 points to lead No. 2 seed Hawaii to a 71-64 victory over top-seeded UC Irvine on Saturday night for the Rainbow Warriors' first Big West Championship title and NCAA Tournament berth since 2016 — coach Eran Ganot's first with the program.Hawaii (24-8) led for most of the game and took the lead for good on Johnson's layup with about 10 minutes to play. UC Irvine pulled to 66-64 with 38 seconds left but Harry Rouhliadeff answered with a layup and then Dre Bullock followed with a breakaway two-hand slam dunk to help seal it for the Warriors.Rouhliadeff, who had 16 points and 10 rebounds in a 78-63 win against Cal State Fullerton in the semifinal, finished with 15 points and a season-high 12 rebounds against the Anteaters for his second double-double of the season. Bullock also scored 15 points to go with seven rebounds for the Warriors.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Jurian Dixon scored 17 points for UC Irvine (23-11). Derin Saran and Kyle Evans added 13 points apiece and Andre Henry had 12.Hawaii entered 0-3 in matchups against UC Irvine in the tournament (2013, 2018 quarterfinals and 2015 finals).

HENDERSON, NEVADA - MARCH 14: Dre Bullock #4 and Harry Rouhliadeff #14 of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors contest for a rebound against Derin Saran #13 of the UC Irvine Anteaters during the first half of the Big West Conference tournament championship game at Lee's Family Forum on March 14, 2026 in Henderson, Nevada.

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Hawaii beats UC Irvine to win Big West, clinch 1st NCAA tourney since 2016

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Isaiah Evans scored 20 points, Cameron Boozer made two free throws with 3....

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Isaiah Evans scored 20 points, Cameron Boozer made two free throws with 3.9 seconds to seal the game and No. 1 Duke defeated No. 10 Virginia 74-70 on Saturday night for its second straight Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship under coach Jon Scheyer and its third title in the past four years.Cayden Boozer had 16 points, and Tournament MVP Cameron Boozer overcame a poor shooting night to finish with 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Blue Devils extended their winning streak to 11 games heading into the NCAA Tournament, where they’re expected to be the No. 1 overall seed.Malik Thomas had 18 points and Sam Lewis had 17 for Virginia in a game in which neither team led by more than seven points and featured 16 lead changes.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>"That was a heavyweight fight," Scheyer said amid the confetti at midcourt at the Spectrum Center after the game. "And I think people know that Virginia is really good, but I don't think everybody does. So they tested us in every way. Man, I was just so proud of our guys, the competitive spirit we had down the stretch."Duke (32-2) won despite tying a season low shooting 38% from the field and Cameron Boozer, the ACC player of the year, making just 3-of-17 shots from the field.Four of his shots were blocked by Virginia center Ugonna Onyenso, who finished with nine for the game and an ACC Tournament-record 21 over three games, shattering Tim Duncan’s record of 14 which stood for 31 years. He had seven blocks in the second half."It proves that we can fight through adversity," Cameron Boozer said. "We won ugly. Obviously being down two guys (due to injuries to starters Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II) was tough, but we found a way. ... We wanted to make a statement — whether we have nine guys, seven guys or five guys, we are going to find a way."Despite the loss, the Cavaliers (29-5) were upbeat about their chances heading into the NCAA Tournament."I feel like we are going to make a run," Onyenso said.Virginia's first-year head coach Ryan Odom was proud of how his team defended Cameron Boozer and was competitive until the end after getting blown out by the Blue Devils 77-51 two weeks ago at Cameron Indoor Stadium.Odom said it is "brutal" trying to prepare a defense to stop Cameron Boozer."He's just a special player," Odom said. "He has the ability to beat you in a multitude of ways, whether it is driving against a bigger guy, his physicality as he gets closer to the rim, banging the shot from beyond the arc, getting to the free throw line or making the pass. He made several key passes where they got layups."The Cavaliers fell to 1-33 all-time against No. 1-ranked opponents — and 0-18 against top-ranked Duke teams.Virginia never looked intimidated despite last month’s blowout loss.Even after Duke threatened to pull away late in the first half after building a 36-29 lead, the Cavaliers were able to regroup and take a 4-point lead in the second half.It was back and forth from there until Cayden Boozer put back a weakside rebound to put the Blue Devils up for good at 68-66 with 2:50 left. The Cavaliers couldn’t get a shot off in time in their next possession and Duke seized the momentum with Evans, who played high school basketball 20 minutes from the arena, hitting two free throws for a 70-66 lead.Onyenso scored low to cut the lead to two and Cameron Boozer missed two free throws opening the door for Virginia. Thomas had a chance to tie the game after being fouled on the other end, but missed the front end of a one-and-one.Onyenso blocked Cameron Boozer for a fifth time, but Boozer was able to get his own rebound and wisely passed the ball back outside where the Cavaliers fouled Evans. He sank both free throws with 12.3 seconds left to put Duke up by four.Thomas made a layup and Virginia again fouled Boozer, who made amends for his earlier misses by calmly sinking two free throws to seal the win."He did a good job and never showed any (frustration)," Onyenso said of Boozer.Up nextBoth teams will await their seed in the NCAA Tournament. It's expected Duke will be a No. 1 seed and play in Greenville, South Carolina — the closest site to its Durham campus.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 14: Head coach Jon Scheyer of the Duke Blue Devils accepts the trophy after defeating the Virginia Cavaliers during the finals of the men's ACC Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 14, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Duke outlasts Virginia in thriller to win ACC Tournament title

NEW YORK (AP) — With another St. John's championship salted away, Zuby Ejiofor walked slowly to t...

NEW YORK (AP) — With another St. John's championship salted away, Zuby Ejiofor walked slowly to the sideline with seconds remaining, tears trickling down the senior forward’s face as he lowered his 6-foot-9 frame for multiple hugs.Moments later, in a fitting scene, he and Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino climbed a ladder together to cut down the nets at Madison Square Garden.No argument anymore about who owns the Big East these days. St. John’s has toppled UConn.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>Ejiofor had seven blocks, nine rebounds and three steals to anchor a tenacious defensive performance that carried No. 13 St. John’s to its second straight Big East Tournament title Saturday night with a 72-52 blowout of sixth-ranked UConn.Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins each scored 18 points for the top-seeded Red Storm (28-6), who became the first team to win consecutive Big East Tournament titles since Villanova took three in a row from 2017-19."What a beautiful moment. What a surreal moment," Ejiofor said. "We had a target on our backs all year."Adding to their resurgent rise under the 73-year-old Pitino, the Johnnies joined UConn in 1998 and ’99 as the only Big East programs to win both the regular-season and tournament crowns in back-to-back seasons.It was the fifth Big East Tournament title in school history and the first time the Johnnies have accomplished the feat in consecutive years. They are 11-1 when seeded No. 1 at MSG, one of their home courts during the regular season.“This championship means the world to us. It means the world to our fans,” Pitino said during the postgame celebration on the court. “I’m so proud of every one of our players.”Ejiofor was selected the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, his latest in a string of accolades this week that included Big East Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He’s the first player to win all those awards in the same season.Oziyah Sellers scored 14 points for St. John’s, which took two of three meetings this season between the two conference powerhouses and turned the tables after an embarrassing 72-40 loss at rival UConn on Feb. 25.“We never mentioned revenge,” Pitino said.The dominant Johnnies never trailed in the tournament, either, and won their six games in this event by an average of 16 points the past two years — all by double digits.In a matchup of the past two Big East Tournament champions, the second-seeded Huskies (29-5) were held nine points below their previous season low. They went the last 8:03 without a field goal, missing 13 straight shots while falling to 1-4 against St. John’s the last two seasons.UConn remained tied with Georgetown for the most Big East Tournament championships at eight.“I didn’t crush them in there,” coach Dan Hurley said. “They’re crushed. We laid an egg. We laid an egg in something we desperately wanted to win.”Banging away with Ejiofor down low in their beefy matchup of All-Big East big men, Tarris Reed Jr. scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half for UConn. Point guard Silas Demary Jr. was helped off the floor late with a left ankle injury, which could be costly heading into the NCAA Tournament.Hurley said he initially heard the injury was a very mild sprain and hopes “it’s not something that lingers.”With their fans in a split crowd roaring at The Garden, the Red Storm ran out to a 10-0 lead, built a 17-point cushion late in the first half and went into the break with a 40-27 advantage.It was the largest halftime deficit this season for the Huskies, who committed 11 turnovers and shot 36% from the field in the opening 20 minutes.“All credit to St. John’s. They jumped us to start the game,” Hurley said. “St. John’s is built incredibly well to play in this conference.”St. John’s extended the margin to 18 early in the second half before the Huskies responded with a 13-2 spurt that trimmed the gap to 49-42 with 12:34 left, revving up their own chanting fans. But that was as close as they got.Thinking his players looked tired, Pitino took a timeout and said he told them: “‘Johnnies don’t fatigue. Johnnies don’t surrender.’”When play resumed, Hopkins hit a jumper and Ejiofor drained a 3-pointer before scoring in the post. Dylan Darling later scored the first six points of a 13-0 surge down the stretch capped by another 3 from Ejiofor, and the Red Storm won going away.“We knew they were going to make their runs. But we knew we had to fight back and that’s exactly what we did,” Ejiofor said.It was the third time UConn and St. John’s squared off for the Big East Tournament title, after splitting matchups in 1999 and 2000. And this marked the first time the championship game featured two of the conference’s seven charter members since the Johnnies beat the Huskies 80-70 in that 2000 game.The hot-tempered Hurley was whistled for a technical foul 7:26 into the game after stamping his feet loudly on the sideline, apparently wanting a foul called as Demary made a reverse layup.St. John’s scored the first eight points in all three tournament games this week and led for more than 118 of 120 minutes.Pitino won his 16th conference tournament title, fifth in the Big East after three with Louisville. He is the first Big East coach to win back-to-back at two schools.“Three straight nights we didn’t relent at all. And that’s great going into the (NCAA) Tournament,” Pitino said.Up nextUConn figures to be a high seed in its sixth straight NCAA Tournament, which will set a program record.St. John’s is headed to consecutive NCAA Tournaments for the first time since making three straight from 1998-2000. It will be Pitino’s 25th appearance, with six schools.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 14: Joson Sanon #3 of the St. John's Red Storm and teammates celebrate after the second half of the 2026 Big East Men's Tournament Championship game against the Connecticut Huskies at Madison Square Garden on March 14, 2026 in New York City. The Red Storm won 72-52.

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St. John's dominates UConn to repeat as Big East tourney champs

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Jaden Harris and Amir Taylor combined to score 35 points and No. 6 seed K...

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Jaden Harris and Amir Taylor combined to score 35 points and No. 6 seed Kennesaw State defeated No. 4 seed Louisiana Tech 71-60 to win their first Conference USA championship and clinch a berth to the NCAA Tournament.Harris posted 18 on 4 of 6 from behind the arc. Taylor had 17, going 9 for 11 from the free-throw line, while tallying six rebounds and two steals. RJ Johnson added 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.The Owls (21-13) led 35-32 at the half, and used a 10-2 run starting with 8:42 left in the game to build up an 11-point lead inside the final four minutes.<div class="the-score-article-ad-unit"></div>This is the Owls’ second 20-win season in school history, and their first title game in the second year in the conference. They were the third-lowest seed to win the Conference USA tournament. It’s their second trip ever to the NCAA Tournament.The Bulldogs (20-14) were led by Avery Thomas II’s 10-point, 10-rebound performance. Scooter Williams Jr. had 10 points. Kaden Cooper had 10 rebounds. AJ Bates had eight assists.The Bulldogs were done in by 7% shooting from behind the arc (2 for 28). They shot 31% from the field (22 for 72). They entered Saturday’s contest with a 35-year NCAA Tournament drought.___Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up <a href="https://www.apnews.com/newsletters">here</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/ap-newsletters">here</a> (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll">https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll</a> and <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball">https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball</a>

NEWARK, DE - JANUARY 04: Head coach Antoine Pettway of the Kennesaw State Owls looks on during a college basketball game against the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens at the Bob Carpenter Center on January 4, 2026 in Newark, Delaware.

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Kennesaw State beats Louisiana Tech for C-USA title, NCAA tourney spot

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