AP Sports

UConn concludes a dominant run to its 2nd straight NCAA title, beating Zach Edey and Purdue 75-60

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — UConn delivered the latest of its suffocating basketball beatdowns, smothering Purdue for a 75-60 victory to become the first team since 2007 to capture back-to-back national championships. Tristen Newton scored 20 points for the Huskies, who won their 12th straight March Madness game — not a single one of them decided by fewer than 13 points. UConn was efficient on offense but won this with defense. The Huskies limited the country’s second-best 3-point shooting team to a mere seven shots behind the arc, and Purdue only made one. Meanwhile, UConn allowed Zach Edey to go for 37 points on 25 shot attempts.

Purdue’s Zach Edey laid it all out in the NCAA title game. It wasn’t enough to top UConn

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Purdue’s Zach Edey finished with 37 points and 10 rebounds in a huge individual effort in Monday night’s loss to UConn in the national title game. But Edey’s big night wasn’t enough to stop UConn’s run to becoming the first repeat men’s champion in 17 years. The 7-foot-4 Edey is the two-time Associated Press national player of the year. And he had powered Purdue to its first trip to the NCAA title game since a 1969 loss to UCLA. But Edey was largely single-handed in this one, with only Braden Smith hitting double figures with 12 points.

18.7 million: Early figures from NCAA women’s title game make it most-watched hoops game in 5 years

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — South Carolina’s victory over Caitlin Clark and Iowa in Sunday’s women’s NCAA championship game had a preliminary audience average of 18.7 million on ABC and ESPN. The only sporting events in the United States to draw a bigger TV audience since 2019 have been football, the World Cup and the Olympics. The audience numbers are expected to increase when Nielsen releases its final numbers on Tuesday. Nielsen says the audience peaked at 24 million. It’s the most-watched basketball game since 2019, when the men’s NCAA title game between Virginia and Texas Tech averaged 19.6 million on CBS.

Augusta National in bloom and the conditions dry for Masters. So far

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Forget the azaleas and dogwoods at Augusta National. Players are marveling over firm and fast conditions for the Masters. How long it lasts depends on one day of rain expected later in the week. Xander Schauffele says shots into par 5s are bouncing across the turf. Tony Finau played a chip on the 11th hole he couldn’t keep on the green. Tiger Woods was out early with Will Zalatoris for nine holes. Among those who used Monday as a day of rest was Akshay Bhatia. And for good reason. He just got into the Masters by winning the Texas Open.

Golfers follow the sun. Now they are paying closer attention how to protect themselves from it

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Golfers are in the sun as much if not more than players in other sports. It can be as many as eight hours a day. And there is renewed emphasis on protecting their skin. Camilo Villegas has been using an app to analyze sunscreen ingredients. At one point he was trying three brands of sunscreen on different parts of his body. Stewart Cink took greater care after he had a basal cell carcinoma removed from his face. On the LPGA Tour, Stephanie Kyriacou is a big proponent of sleeves made of high-tech fabric that blocks out 98% of sun rays.

Analysis: All-NBA will be more like an All-World team this season, once again

The voting hasn’t taken place yet, though it’s fairly obvious that Denver’s Nikola Jokic will be the NBA’s MVP this season and therefore extend the record streak to six consecutive years in which a foreign-born player wins that trophy. That’s not the only international trend that will be continuing in award season. Jokic is from Serbia. Luka Doncic is from Slovenia. Giannis Antetokounmpo is from Greece. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is from Canada. And they’ll likely all be first-team All-NBA this season.

The NCAA women’s tourney had everything: stars, upsets, an undefeated champion. It’s just the start

CLEVELAND (AP) — The NCAA women’s basketball tournament is having a moment. Attendance and TV ratings during this year’s version of March Madness spiked thanks in part to Iowa star Caitlin Clark. Clark says she expects the growth of interest in women’s college hoops to continue even after she moves on to the WNBA. The NCAA is optimistic the women’s tournament can start to cash in on some of its newfound popularity. NCAA president Charlie Baker says the organization is exploring providing a financial benefit to the 68 teams that make the field.

NAIA all but bans transgender athletes from women’s sports. NCAA vows to ensure ‘fair competition’

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced a policy that all but bans transgender athletes from women’s sports. The NAIA is the governing body for mostly small colleges, covering about 83,000 athletes across the country. The NAIA’s Council of Presidents approved the policy in a 20-0 vote. The NAIA is believed to be the first college sports organization to take such a step. The NCAA responded by saying it remains committed to “fair competition for all student-athletes in all NCAA championships.”

50 years after Hank Aaron’s 715th homer, Hall of Fame announces statue, Postal Service unveils stamp

ATLANTA (AP) — Baseball’s Hall of Fame will unveil a bronze statue of Hank Aaron on May 23 on the first floor of its museum in Cooperstown, New York. And the U.S. Postal Service will release a commemorative stamp picturing Aaron in his batting stance wearing his Atlanta Braves uniform. Both announcements came on the 50th anniversary of Aaron’s 715th home run, which topped the record 714 hit by Babe Ruth. Aaron hit 755 home runs from 1954-76, a mark that stood until Barry Bonds hit 762 from 1986-2007, a feat assisted by performance-enhancing drugs. Aaron was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982. A 25-time All-Star, he set a record with 2,297 RBIs.

Guardians’ Shane Bieber emotional in discussing elbow injury, uncertain future with surgery looming

CLEVELAND (AP) — Shane Bieber held it together as long as he could. Cleveland’s ace became emotional when discussing the upcoming Tommy John elbow surgery that will end his season. Bieber’s voice cracked before the Guardians’ home opener as he talked about the decision to have the operation. The 2020 Cy Young winner was dominant in two starts before he succumbed to pain. The 28-year-old is in his final season under contract with Cleveland, which has offered him a long-term deal in the past. Bieber understands there are no certainties about his future, but he is more focused on recovering and getting back on the mound.