Sports

March Madness wraps in Florida-Houston matchup pitting tourney’s best defense vs best clutch player

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — The national title game between Florida and Houston could come down to the NCAA Tournament’s best clutch player against the country’s best clutch defense. Walter Clayton Jr., leads the Gators into the final against a long-armed Cougars defense that has snuffed out every team it has seen over this run to its first title game since 1984. Houston has never won a title. The Gators are one win away from their third and first since they went back-to-back in 2006-07.

Practice is suspended at the Masters because of rain and a threat of severe storms

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Practice at the Masters was suspended late Monday morning and spectators were pulled off the golf course because of worsening rain and the threat of thunderstorms. Augusta National had planned to close the course to fans earlier in the morning, but with only light rain falling, spectators were allowed onto the grounds for about 3 1/2 hours. Forecasts called for storms throughout the afternoon, with the potential for severe weather, and 1 to 2 inches of rain. However, the forecast for the rest of the week looked promising, with mostly sunshine and high temperatures in the 70s Fahrenheit.

WNBA mock draft: Paige Bueckers goes No. 1 to Dallas and Seattle selects French star Malonga 2nd

NEW YORK (AP) — There’s no doubt who’s going first in the WNBA draft next Monday with Paige Bueckers the consensus top pick. After that it gets interesting with Olivia Miles’ decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal instead of the draft. The Washington Mystics, with a new coach and general manager, control the direction of the draft with the third, fourth and sixth pick. Here’s a look at how the first round could look on April 14.

Hearing begins for $2.8 billion NCAA settlement, could lock in seismic changes for college sports

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A federal judge has opened the final hearing for a landmark $2.8 billion settlement that will impact every corner of college athletics by saying she will not be granting formal approval on Monday. The settlement calls for paying more than $2.7 billion in damages to athletes who say the NCAA and five biggest conferences prevented them from earning money off their celebrity status. It also would clear the way for each schools to begin sharing up to $20.5 million with their athletes.

One combined Final Four? Talks of a joint NCAA Tournament showcase for the men and women resurface

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The conversation around a joint men’s and women’s Final Four has resurfaced. Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman sees a world where both premier events happen in the same place. It’s not a new conversation, but Ackerman believes the exponential growth of women’s basketball in a college basketball landscape long dominated by the men makes now an ideal time for a joint Final Four.

Alex Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record brings joy to hockey and beyond sports

NEW YORK (AP) — Alex Ovechkin’s pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s NHL goals record became the talk of the league a time of the season usually reserved only for playoff races. The “GR8 Chase” was a bigger deal because the Stanley Cup gets handed out once a year, and this record stood for 31 years until Ovechkin scored his 895th goal Sunday in the Washington Capitals’ game at the New York Islanders. The charismatic Russian superstar going after one of hockey’s hallowed records held by the “Great One” even transcended the sport and became a global story of joy with the world witnessing history.

Great starting pitching stretches not enough for the White Sox and Reds early this season

The Cincinnati Reds and Chicago White Sox both got brilliant stretches from their starting rotations — and largely wasted them. Chicago’s starters did not allow an earned run through the first four games of the season, but the White Sox split those games and then lost five in a row once their rotation came back to earth. The Reds lost three straight games 1-0 from Tuesday through Thursday. The only other team in the live ball era to lose 1-0 in three straight games was the 1960 Philadelphia Phillies.

McLaren can be beaten, but Verstappen must be perfect: 5 takeaways from F1’s Japanese Grand Prix

McLaren remains the team to beat in Formula 1, but Max Verstappen’s victorious drive for Red Bull at the Japanese Grand Prix Sunday proves only excellence is good enough. 2nd and 3rd placed Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri still have the fastest all-round car for McLaren on the F1 grid. Verstappen’s win has shown just how hard it is to beat them. The four-time champion had to do almost everything perfectly in both qualifying and the race. Even then, McLaren came painfully close to taking the lead when Norris drove over the grass at the pitlane exit while trying to get past Verstappen.

UConn finishes season at No. 1 in AP women’s basketball poll for first time since 2021

UConn has capped its season at No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 women’s basketball poll one day after winning its 12th national championship. The Huskies received all 31 votes after beating South Carolina 82-59 for the title. The Gamecocks, who started the season at No. 1, were the unanimous second choice. UCLA, Texas and Southern California round out the top five. A record five teams held the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 this year.

Women’s college basketball looking for next star with no Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins injured

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Women’s college basketball has been on the rise these last few years, riding the wave of iconic players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins. With Clark and Reese in the WNBA, Bueckers headed to the league and Watkins sidelined for the foreseeable future with an ACL injury, who will pick up the torch? Could it be UCLA’s Lauren Betts, UConn freshman Sarah Strong or South Carolina freshman Joyce Edwards. Or it could even be the high school sensation Aaliyah Chavez, who who will be playing at Oklahoma next season. While ratings for the tournament leading into the title game didn’t match last year’s record numbers, they were still better than nearly every other year in NCAA history.