Sports

Transgender women athletes banned from female Olympic events by new IOC policy

GENEVA (AP) — Transgender women athletes are now excluded from the Olympics after the IOC agreed to a new eligibility policy It aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on women’s sports ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The International Olympic Committee says “eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females.” Eligibility will be determined by “a one‑time SRY gene screening.” 

Mullins Madness! Freshman’s 35-footer gives UConn a 73-72 win over Duke and a Final Four spot

WASHINGTON (AP) — Braylon Mullins sank a desperation 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to give UConn an astonishing 73-72 victory over top-seeded Duke, earning the Huskies a spot in the Final Four after they rallied from a 19-point first-half deficit. The Blue Devils led by three before UConn’s Silas Demary Jr. made one of two free throws with 10 seconds left. With Duke playing keep-away to prevent the Huskies from fouling, Cayden Boozer’s pass near midcourt was deflected, and after UConn came up with the ball, Mullins made a shot from well behind the 3-point line. It’s the second straight season to end in a huge collapse for Duke, which was the top overall seed in this year’s tournament.

The Final Four is set as UConn stuns Duke to join Illinois, Arizona and Michigan

The Final Four is set. Illinois will face UConn and Michigan will take on Arizona next Saturday, with the winners squaring off two nights later for the national title. The Arizona-Michigan game is a matchup of top seeds. UConn, after a 19-point comeback for a 73-72 win over Duke, is seeded second and will play No. 3 seed Illinois. Arizona is the early favorite to take the title next Monday night in Indianapolis, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, followed closely by Michigan. The Huskies beat Duke with a 3-pointer from the logo with 0.4 seconds left by Braylon Mullins, who grew up just outside of Indianapolis.

Gary Woodland wins the Houston Open for first PGA Tour title since brain surgery

HOUSTON (AP) — Gary Woodland is a winner again just 30 months after brain surgery. Woodland produced a moment as big as his U.S. Open title at Pebble Beach when he won the Houston Open. He led by as many as seven shots and shot 67 to win by four. Woodland had surgery in September 2023 to remove a lesion on a part of the brain that caused unfounded fears of dying. And then two weeks ago he chose to go public with his harrowing struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder in an emotional Golf Channel interview. The win gets him in the Masters.

NFL set to begin hiring and training replacement officials, AP sources say

PHOENIX (AP) — The NFL is moving forward with plans to begin hiring and training replacement officials in the next several weeks because negotiations with the referees’ union have been unsuccessful, two people with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press. Both people spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the conversations are private. The league and the NFL Referees Association have been negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement since the summer of 2024. The current CBA expires on May 31. The NFL has increased its offer to a 6.45% annual growth rate in compensation over a six-year labor deal, but the NFLRA wants 10% plus $2.5 million for marketing fees, the people said.

March Madness: Here’s a storyline to watch about each of the Final Four teams in the men’s field

Arizona, Michigan, UConn and Illinois have reached the Final Four. The Wildcats and Wolverines got there as No. 1 seeds. The Huskies are a No. 2 seed. The Fighting Illini are a No. 3 seed. This is Arizona’s first Final Four in a quarter-century since the days of late coach Lute Olson. Michigan has been humming on offense in four tournament games. UConn is in the Final Four for the third time in four seasons dating to the 2023 and 2024 title runs. Illinois is leading the remaining teams in rebounding margin and defensive shooting percentage.

Connecticut Sun reach deal to sell to Rockets owner, move team to Houston in 2027

The Connecticut Sun have reached an agreement to sell the team to Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and will move to Houston in 2027. The WNBA Board of Governors still needs to approve the sale and the move. The Sun are being sold for a record $300 million, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the sale. The team will play in Connecticut for the upcoming season before moving to Houston and becoming the Comets again.

Golden Knights fire Bruce Cassidy, replace him with John Tortorella

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Bruce Cassidy is out as coach of the Vegas Golden Knights, who fired him Sunday and replaced him with John Tortorella. General manager Kelly McCrimmon announced the move a day after the team lost three in a row and six of its past seven games. Tortorella joins Vegas for his 24th NHL season as a head coach. He was not in the league this year and was an assistant for the U.S. at the Milan Cortina Olympics when it won gold. He coached Tampa Bay to the Stanley Cup in 2004. Cassidy led the Golden Knights to the Cup in 2023 and was fired less than three years later.

Shelton’s ejection shows technology won’t take the emotions out of ABS reviews

Minnesota manager Derek Shelton got himself ejected in the ninth inning against Baltimore over a pitch review. With one on and one out and Baltimore up by two Sunday, Ryan Helsley’s 3-2 pitch to Minnesota’s Josh Bell was called a ball. Helsley tapped his hat which is the signal for a challenge and then did so again as if to drive the point home. The replay showed the pitch nicking the outside corner, the call was overturned, Bell was out, and Shelton argued. He was eventually thrown out of the game and Baltimore went on to win 8-6. Shelton told reporters afterward he didn’t think Helsley tapped his hat quickly enough.

St. John’s athletic director says coach Rick Pitino has signed new deal with contract extension

NEW YORK (AP) — St. John’s says Hall of Fame basketball coach Rick Pitino has signed a new agreement that will keep him under contract with the school through the end of this decade. Pitino was hired in March 2023 and given a six-year contract through 2029. Several outlets, citing anonymous sources, reported Sunday his restructured deal includes an additional year through the 2029-30 season and a raise that will make him the second-highest paid coach in the Big East behind Dan Hurley at UConn. In three seasons with the Red Storm, the 73-year-old Pitino has led a remarkable resurgence, coaching the Johnnies to consecutive Big East regular-season and tournament championships. St. John’s reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament this year for the first time since 1999.

Sinner follows Sabalenka’s lead with a ‘Sunshine Double,’ beating Lehecka in Miami Open final

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jannik Sinner rolled to a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Jiri Lehecka to capture the Miami Open title and complete the “Sunshine Double’’ a day after Aryna Sabalenka accomplished the same feat in a win over Coco Gauff. The last male player to complete the double — winning Indian Wells followed by Miami in the same season — was Roger Federer in 2017. Sinner became the first male to do so without dropping a set in either tournament on Sunday. The second-seeded Sinner didn’t let either of the two 90-minute rain delays slow him. He notched 10 aces in the final, and 70 in the tournament.