April 5, 2026 7:33 am
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Dan Hurley had UConn ready for another Final Four fight night. Once again, his Huskies scored a knockout. Fabulous freshman Braylon Mullins made another last-minute 3-pointer — his only basket of the second half — and the Huskies muscled their way past Illinois 71-62 on Saturday to reach their third national championship game in four years. Tarris Reed Jr. had 17 points and 11 rebounds and Mullins finished with 15 points as the Huskies (34-5) rode strong inside play and tough defense to their 19th straight victory in the Sweet 16 or later rounds of the NCAA Tournament. They’ll face Michigan with a chance to win their seventh national title, all since 1999, as Hurley tries to become the only active coach with more than two championships.
April 5, 2026 7:00 am
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tobias Harris scored 19 points, and Daniss Jenkins added 16 points and 14 assists as the Detroit Pistons beat the Philadelphia 76ers 116-93 Saturday night to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The last time the Pistons (56-21) were the top seed in the East was in 2006-07. They have already clinched the Central Division title for the first time since 2007-08. Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with 23 points. Paul George scored 20 points, and VJ Edgecombe added 19.
April 4, 2026 10:41 am
PHOENIX (AP) — Dawn Staley and South Carolina are back in the NCAA Tournament title game after knocking off unbeaten UConn and Geno Auriemma in a physical contest that ended with a heated exchange between the game’s most recognizable coaches. Ta’Niva Latson scored 16 and Agot Makeer added 14 points and South Carolina played stifling defense to beat UConn, 62-48, Friday night, ending the Huskies’ 54-game winning streak. The Gamecocks have now reached the NCAA championship game in four of the last five seasons, including the past three. They will be looking to win a fourth national title Sunday when they face UCLA.
Lauren Betts hit the play button over and over, forcing herself to watch last year’s Final Four blowout loss to UConn 10 times during the offseason. The two-time All-American made sure there wasn’t a repeat performance in this year’s Final Four, swooping in for the biggest play in a game that sends the Bruins into the NCAA national championship game for the first time. Heeding her coaches’ persistent advice to sprint back on defense, Betts swatted fellow All-American Madison Booker with 20 seconds left, allowing UCLA to withstand a late charge by Texas for a 51-44 win in the Final Four on Friday night.
April 4, 2026 6:19 am
President Trump has signed an executive order aimed at fixing college sports that would give federal agencies authority to cut funding at schools that don’t comply with mandates covering transfers, eligibility and pay-for-play in the rapidly changing industry. The order is a laundry list of proposed fixes that lawmakers and college leaders have been pushing for. Among the notable parts of the order was a call to establish “clear, consistent and fair eligibility limits, including a five-year participation window.”
April 3, 2026 10:34 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Teenager Konnor Griffin made a splash in his major league debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 19-year-old shortstop delivered an RBI double in his first at-bat to lead Pittsburgh to a 5-4 win over Baltimore. Griffin also drew a walk and handled all of his defensive chances with ease as the Pirates won their third straight. Jared Triolo had two hits and drove in a run for Pittsburgh. Mitch Keller worked six innings to pick up his first win of the season. Gunnar Henderson had three hits for Baltimore, including a solo home run in the ninth.
April 3, 2026 4:00 am
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Anthony Cirelli registered his second career hat trick, Nikita Kucherov had a goal and three points, and the Tampa Bay Lightning moved into first place in the Atlantic Division after a 6-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Zemgus Girgensons scored his 100th career goal and Brayden Point scored his second in 14 games for Tampa Bay, which improved to 7-1-2 in the past 10 games. Jake Guentzel and Gage Goncalves both had two assists while Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 21 saves. The Penguins remain in second place in the Metropolitan Division, three points ahead of the New York Islanders. Cirelli scored Tampa Bay’s first two goals and he added an empty-netter for his first hat trick since Jan. 17, 2020.
April 3, 2026 4:23 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates are calling up 19-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin, the top prospect in baseball, before the club’s home opener against the Baltimore Orioles. A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press the club is making the move because Griffin is the best shortstop in the organization. Griffin hit .438 with three doubles, an RBI and three stolen bases at Triple-A Indianapolis. Griffin’s arrival comes less than two years after the Pirates selected him with the ninth pick in the 2024 draft. He rocketed through the lower minors last season, hitting .333 with 21 homers, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases.
April 3, 2026 4:26 am
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Kirk Cousins has agreed to a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. His agent announced the agreement on Thursday morning. Cousins gives them a veteran quarterback to help ease the expected selection of Fernando Mendoza with the top draft pick. Cousins posted “The Autumn Wind…” in a nod to the Raiders’ theme that is played before every home game and was made famous by NFL Films. Raiders coach Klint Kubiak and general manager John Spytek telegraphed this kind of move, saying they wouldn’t want to throw a rookie quarterback into the starting lineup.
April 2, 2026 10:49 am
It’s official, the Pirates are promoting MLB’s top prospect Konnor Griffin. The 19 year old shortstop will make his major league debut at Friday’s home opener at PNC Park. He was selected ninth overall by the Pirates in the 2024 draft out of Jackson Prep High School in Jackson, Mississippi. He played in just five games with Triple-A Indianapolis and had seven hits in 16 at bats with three doubles.
April 2, 2026 2:38 am
CINCINNATI (AP) — Oneil Cruz had a three-run homer, his third in two games, Paul Skenes allowed one run in five innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-3 to take the three-game series. Eugenio Suárez had a pinch-hit, two-run shot in the sixth inning for the Reds. Cruz then connected on a 2-1 curveball that was over the bottom part of the plate and drove it 407 feet over the wall in right field. Skenes returned to his All-Star form after giving up five runs in two-thirds of an inning in last Thursday’s opener against the New York Mets. The reigning NL Cy Young winner allowed three hits, walked two and struck out five.
