AP Sports

The women’s NCAA Tournament is having a big moment that has also been marred by missteps

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A series of missteps during the women’s NCAA Tournament — topped by a mistakenly lined court in Portland — has been a backdrop to what has been a great moment for women’s basketball. This season’s tournament has been a showcase for players like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark and USC’s JuJu Watkins, while also drawing big crowds and record-breaking ratings. But like 2022 when the women’s weight rooms became a symbol for inequity, this year’s tournament has included a number of seemingly avoidable blunders.

Spanish police arrest ex-soccer federation head Rubiales on return to country amid corruption probe

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish police have arrested former soccer federation president Luis Rubiales on his return to the country amid an ongoing corruption probe. The Civil Guard said that Rubiales was questioned by police at Madrid’s airport after he was detained on exiting the plane that brought him back home from the Dominican Republic. He was released a few hours later. An investigative judge is expected to summon him for more questioning in the coming days. Rubiales was returning to Spain amid a judicial probe into the business deal to hold the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia. Rubiales caused an international scandal for kissing Spain player Jenni Hermoso without her consent at the Women’s World Cup final last year.

Steve Clifford is stepping down as Hornets coach, AP source says

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A person with knowledge of the matter says Steve Clifford is stepping down as coach of the Charlotte Hornets when the season ends. Clifford informed the team of his decision and hopes to remain with the franchise in some capacity, according to the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because no announcement had been made. Clifford is 45-112 in his two seasons of his second stint as coach of the Hornets.

Police remove migrants from central Paris square ahead of the Olympics

PARIS (AP) — Police in Paris have removed about 50 migrants, including families with young children, from the Paris City Hall plaza as the capital prepares to mark 100 days to the start of the Olympic Games. Migrant aid groups are concerned that the police operation in central Paris on Wednesday is the beginning of a broader effort by authorities to clear out migrants and others sleeping in the rough before the Summer Games, without providing longer-term housing options. Most of the migrants removed were women and children aged three months to 10 years old. They have been sleeping beneath the ornate facade of the Paris monument for weeks. They boarded a bus that took them to temporary government housing in eastern France.

Going from assistant to top job remains a tough climb for Black coaches in major men’s conferences

Black coaches in the top six men’s college basketball leagues are still facing a tough climb in going from assistant to the top job. An analysis by The Associated Press found Black coaches holding 59.4% of assistant jobs in the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Southeastern conferences for the 2022-23 season. But the head-coach rate stood at just 29.9%. Richard Lapchick is founder of The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport. He says the percentage of Black coaches holding top jobs across all of Division I has largely been stagnant around 25% going back decades.

Southern Jaguars are pride of HBCU baseball after its upset of defending national champion LSU

In a sport committed to increasing its number of Black players, Southern University’s upset of LSU this week was a victory for all HBCU baseball programs. The level of play and coaching at historically Black colleges and universities has risen in recent years but wins over Power Five programs, let alone the defending national champion, have been rare. Southern’s 12-7 victory Monday at Alex Box Stadium was only the sixth since 2020 by an HBCU against an opponent from Division I’s top level.

IOC sets deadline of ‘early 2025’ to keep boxing in the Olympics for Los Angeles with a new partner

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The International Olympic Committee says it needs to find a suitable new international boxing body by early next year or else risk boxing dropping out of the Olympics for the Los Angeles Games in 2028. The IOC stripped the International Boxing Association of the right to run the Olympic boxing tournaments in Tokyo in 2021 and Paris this year. On Tuesday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the IOC’s decision to formally de-recognize the IBA. That in effect cuts it out of the Olympic movement altogether. The IOC has long cited concerns about the IBA’s governance and the integrity of bouts.

12.3 million: Iowa’s victory over LSU is the most-watched women’s college basketball game on record

Caitlin Clark can claim another record — the most-watched women’s college basketball game in history. Iowa’s 94-87 victory over LSU averaged 12.3 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen. Clark scored 41 points as the Hawkeyes avenged last year’s loss to the Tigers in the national championship game. It was one of the most-viewed games in any sport other than NFL football over the past year. Iowa-LSU outdrew all but of the five games in last year’s NBA Finals, along with the clinching game of last year’s World Series. The previous biggest audience for women’s college basketball was the 1983 national title game between Southern California and Louisiana Tech.

NC State’s Final Four double has Wolfpack fans howling with March Madness delight

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina State is riding an emotional wave with its men’s and women’s basketball teams both reaching the Final Four. It marks the first trip to the Final Four for the men’s team since Jim Valvano’s “Cardiac Pack” won the 1983 NCAA title by stunning heavily favored Houston. For the women, it marks the first Final Four trip since 1998 under Hall of Famer Kay Yow. Sunday’s wins marked a breakthrough moment for both programs. N.C. State is now the 11th school to have its men’s and women’s teams reach the Final Four in the same year.

NBA MVP Joel Embiid admits to ‘being depressed’ following latest time off from 76ers with injuries

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid returned to the Philadelphia 76ers lineup on Tuesday night. He made his first start nearly two months after the reigning NBA MVP had knee surgery. Embiid was cleared to return ahead of Philadelphia’s game with Oklahoma City and played for the first time since he was injured in the Sixers’ last game of January. The Sixers plummeted in the Eastern Conference standings without him. The Sixers are 14-27 overall without him this season and 11-18 since he was injured in a Jan. 30 loss at Golden State. Embiid has averaged 35.3 points and 11.5 rebounds this season.