Opening day is here: Juan Soto debuts, Paul Skenes vs Sandy Alcántara, and more
NEW YORK (AP) — Juan Soto, Blake Snell and Clay Holmes debut for new teams. Paul Skenes makes his first opening-day start at age 22 and Sandy Alcántara returns from Tommy John surgery. A week after the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers swept an opening two-game series over the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, 26 other teams get underway Thursday on opening day in the U.S. and Canada. One day later the Rays and Rockies become the final clubs to take the field, given extra time while Tampa Bay moved into the New York Yankees’ Steinbrenner Field, its temporary home this season after Hurricane Milton destroyed Tropicana Field’s roof.
Alabama makes March Madness record 25 3s and romps past BYU 113-88 to reach Elite Eight
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Alabama broke the 35-year-old March Madness record for 3-pointers with 25 and Mark Sears scored 30 of his 34 points on 3s in an 113-88 victory over BYU in an NCAA Tournament East Region semifinal. The Crimson Tide made 25 of 51 3s to break the record of 21 set by Loyola Marymount in 1990. Coach Nate Oats' sharpshooting squad moves on to face either Duke or Arizona for a spot in the Final Four. Sears’ 10 3s were one short of the record set by Loyola Marymount’s Jeff Fryer in a memorable 149-115 second-round win over Michigan.
Led by Mark Sears, Alabama breaks the record for 3-pointers in a March Madness game with 25
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Led by Mark Sears, Alabama broke the 35-year-old record for 3-pointers in an NCAA Tournament game, making 25 in a 113-88 victory over BYU in an East Region semifinal. Sears finished 10 for 16 from 3 to help the Crimson Tide knock Loyola Marymount’s high-octane 1990 team out of the top spot. Sears fell one short of the individual record set by Loyola Marymount’s Jeff Fryer in a memorable 149-115 second-round win over Michigan. Alabama also broke a week-old record for 3-point attempts in March Madness with 51. Texas Tech shot 46 last week in a first-round win over UNC-Wilmington.
Will Richard and top-seeded Florida run away from Maryland's 'Crab Five' for 87-71 March Madness win
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Will Richard scored 15 points, Alijah Martin added 14 points and seven rebounds, and top-seeded Florida played a steady second half to run away from No. 4 seed Maryland and into the NCAA Tournament’s West Region final with an 87-71 win. Walter Clayton Jr. contributed 13 points and four assists as Florida’s Big Three seniors and their deep supporting cast took down the Maryland “Crab Five” starters. Freshman sensation Derik Queen scored 27 points to lead Maryland in what might have been coach Kevin Willard’s final game guiding the program. Florida will play either Texas Tech or Arkansas for a spot in the Final Four.
Auburn's Pearl says his March Madness call for hostage release was about 'survival,' not politics
ATLANTA (AP) — Auburn coach Bruce Pearl says he wasn’t mixing politics with sports last week when he called for the release of an American hostage in Gaza. Pearl says his comment was about “survival” when he called for the release of Edan Alexander, the last living American being held hostage in Gaza by Hamas. No. 1 seed Auburn will play No. 6 seed Michigan in an NCAA Tournament regional semifinal on Friday night. Auburn is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019. Auburn players Dylan Cardwell and Johni Broome say they support Pearl's right to speak out.
Josh Giddey's halfcourt heave at the buzzer gives Bulls 119-117 win over the Lakers
CHICAGO (AP) — Josh Giddey made a halfcourt heave at the buzzer to cap perhaps the wildest finish in the NBA this season, giving the Chicago Bulls a 119-117 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Patrick Williams and Coby White hit back-to-back 3-pointers in the closing seconds for the Bulls, who trailed by five points with 12.6 seconds remaining. Giddey finished with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists. White scored 26 points and Kevin Huerter added 21 as the Bulls won for the ninth time in 11 games. And this one was easily their wildest in recent memory.
Don't write off future Cinderellas just because it's an all-power conference Sweet 16, coaches say
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Nearly every year there’s at least one lovable underdog that rises from obscurity in the NCAA Tournament to capture the hearts of basketball fans and bust their brackets. Not this year. All 16 regional semifinalists are from power conferences for the first time since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The popular theory is that the transfer portal has led to a concentration of the best players at the big schools paying the most NIL money and, soon, the most through revenue sharing. Coaches say don't write off future Cinderellas because there is so much talent.
Scottie Scheffler 2 back of a 4-way tie for the lead at Houston Open. Rory McIlroy 5 behind
HOUSTON (AP) — Ryan Gerard and Keith Mitchell are part of a four-way tie for the lead at the rainy and windy Houston Open. They each shot 65. Scottie Scheffler is two behind after a bogey-free 67, while Rory McIlroy was never too far away from his umbrella and shot a 70. Scheffler and McIlroy are playing a final tournament before the Masters. This didn't look like a lot of fun with the rain and wind coming and going for so much of the day. Gerard had the best round going until a bogey-bogey finish. Mitchell did well late with an eagle putt.
Flyers fire coach John Tortorella in midst of another losing season
The Philadelphia Flyers fired coach John Tortorella on Thursday with nine games left in another losing season for a franchise that hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2020. The decisive blow came when the Flyers were blown out by Toronto 7-2 on Tuesday night. Tortorella, who won a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004, said after the game he was not “really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where we’re at right now.” The Flyers named Brad Shaw the interim coach, then went out and beat Montreal 6-4 on Thursday night to end a six-game losing streak.
Ovechkin leads entire Capitals team in tribute to Wild's Fleury with special postgame handshake line
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin initiated a memorable moment on the ice in Minnesota even though he went scoreless for Washington in a 4-2 loss. Ovechkin hustled over toward the tunnel behind the bench after the horn sounded to make sure all of the Capitals came back on the ice to shake hands with retiring Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Ovechkin was the first to greet Fleury at mid-ice as they shared a hug and a laugh. Fleury is in his 21st and assuredly final season in the NHL. Ovechkin had 28 goals in 47 games against Fleury for his most against any goalie.
