March 20, 2025 4:20 am
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Marcus Foster scored 22 points and Zach Freemantle added 15 while overcoming foul trouble as Xavier rallied past Texas 86-80 in a First Four game at Dayton. The Musketeers erased a 13-point deficit in their biggest comeback win this season and advanced into the main bracket of the NCAA Tournament to play No. 6 seed Illinois on Friday night in Milwaukee. Tre Johnson led the Longhorns with 23 points in a matchup of No. 11 seeds. Tramon Mark scored 16. Freemantle hit a turnaround jumper to break a 78-all tie with 1:48 remaining and his two free throws extended Xavier’s lead to 82-79 with 1:09 left. Dailyn Swain’s putback upped the margin to five with 20 seconds to play.
March 20, 2025 4:22 am
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Dola Adebayo and Jedy Cordilla each scored 22 points as Mount St. Mary’s defeated American University 83-72 in an NCAA Tournament matchup of No. 16 seeds at the First Four in Dayton. The Mountaineers earned a date with No. 1 seed Duke on Friday in an East Region game at Raleigh, North Carolina. American lost its leading scorer, Matt Rogers, to a right knee injury in the first half. Rogers scored seven points in eight minutes. Geoff Sprouse led American with 18 points on six 3-pointers off the bench.
March 20, 2025 4:23 am
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have committed to moving forward with J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback this season after deciding not to offer Aaron Rodgers a contract, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Vikings were not commenting publicly on their plans. Rodgers was released last week by the New York Jets. The departure of Sam Darnold left the Vikings ready to turn their offense over to McCarthy. He was the 10th pick in the 2024 draft whose rookie year was spent rehabilitating from knee surgery.
March 19, 2025 4:31 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pierre Engvall scored the tiebreaking goal in New York’s four-goal third period, and the Islanders rallied to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2. Kyle Palmieri had a goal and two assists, Noah Dobson added a goal and an assist, and Simon Holmstrom also scored to help New York get four goals in the third after trailing 2-0 for the second straight game. Ilya Sorokin finished with 20 saves. Sidney Crosby scored his 24th goal, Joona Koppanen got the first of his NHL career and Tristan Jarry stopped 34 shots for the Penguins, who snapped a four-game win streak.
March 19, 2025 4:27 am
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Amarr Knox’s layup with a second left lifted Alabama State to its first NCAA Tournament win, 70-68 over Saint Francis (PA) in a matchup of No. 16 seeds at the First Four. Knox scored 16 points to help the Hornets earn a date with No. 1 overall seed Auburn on Thursday in a South Region game at Lexington, Kentucky. Saint Francis, which lost its season opener at Dayton, made an unlikely return to the same arena as the 19th team to enter the NCAA Tournament with a losing record. Those teams are now 0-19. Juan Cranford Jr., playing in his hometown, led Saint Francis with 18 points. Valentino Pinedo had 17 for the Red Flash, who led by as many as nine.
March 19, 2025 4:29 am
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — RJ Davis scored 26 points and went 6 of 6 from 3-point range to help North Carolina silence some skeptics with a 95-68 victory over San Diego State in their First Four matchup. Davis’ six 3-pointers tied Caleb Love’s program record for an NCAA Tournament game, and the Tar Heels set a school mark with 14 in all. North Carolina was a controversial NCAA selection on Sunday, but the Tar Heels played like a team with something to prove and certainly looked as though they belonged. Seth Trimble added 16 points as 11th-seeded UNC advanced to play No. 6 seed Mississippi on Friday in Milwaukee.
March 18, 2025 10:21 am
TOKYO (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw five strong innings, Shohei Ohtani had two hits and scored twice and the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs 4-1 in Major League Baseball’s season opener at the Tokyo Dome. Playing in front of their home country, Yamamoto and Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga both pitched well in the first all-Japanese starting pitching matchup on opening day in MLB history. Imanaga threw four scoreless innings. Ohtani finished 2 of 5 at the plate, including a double in the ninth.
March 18, 2025 4:28 am
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — March Madness tips off with the First Four in Dayton, with a mix of bubble teams who made the cut and smaller schools hoping to be this year’s Cinderella. North Carolina was a controversial selection, but the Tar Heels can silence some skeptics with a win over San Diego State on Tuesday night. Xavier and Texas meet for the fourth time in the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday night. Saint Francis of Pennsylvania, the 19th school to qualify with a losing record, faces Alabama State. Washington D.C. area schools American and Mount St. Mary’s will play for the 71st time.
March 18, 2025 4:34 am
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The NCAA will abandon a rule that stopped athletes from negotiating potentially lucrative endorsement deals before enrolling in a specific college, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti says as he announced a proposed settlement in a lawsuit over the policy. Skrmetti announced the deal Monday. He and a handful of attorneys general had sued the NCAA over its name, image and likeness recruiting ban, arguing the rule violated antitrust laws. The settlement must still be approved by a federal judge. The agreement, if approved by the court, will allow college athletes to negotiate compensation for name, image and likeness deals before enrolling in a specific school.
March 18, 2025 4:31 am
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek are back for another go-around with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers have re-signed both veteran wide receivers to new deals. Miller agreed to a one-year contract. Skowronek’s deal is for two seasons. Both receivers were minor role players for Pittsburgh in 2024. Skowronek caught five passes for 69 yards while becoming a fixture on special teams. Miller also caught five passes for 69 yards, though he bounced between the 53-man roster and the practice squad at the end of the season.
