Proctor, Knueppel carry No. 1 Duke past No. 13 Louisville 73-62 for 2nd ACC title in 3 years
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Tyrese Proctor scored 19 points on six 3-pointers, Kon Knueppel added 18 points and No. 1 Duke defeated 13th-ranked Louisville 73-62 on Saturday night to clinch its second Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship in three seasons under Jon Scheyer. It was Duke’s 23rd ACC title overall, the most of any team in conference history. Sion James added 15 points for Duke, which played its final two tournament games without ACC player of the year Cooper Flagg and Maliq Brown due to injuries. Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 29 points on five 3s for Louisville, which was playing in its first ACC final since joining the league in 2014.
Clayton scores 22 as No. 4 Florida beats No. 5 Alabama 104-82 in SEC semis
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Walter Clayton Jr. scored 22 points, and No. 4 Florida pulled away from No. 5 Alabama for a 104-82 victory in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals. Alijah Martin and Will Richard each had 16 points for the 29-4 Gators in their fifth consecutive win. Next up for Florida is Sunday’s SEC championship game against No. 8 Tennessee, which beat No. 3 Auburn 70-65 in the first semifinal. The second-seeded Gators led the Crimson Tide 47-45 after a first half that featured 10 lead changes. But Clayton and company really turned up their play down the stretch. Chris Youngblood had 14 points for third-seeded Alabama.
No. 6 St. John’s beats Creighton 82-66 for 1st Big East Tournament crown in 25 years
NEW YORK (AP) — RJ Luis Jr. scored all but two of his 29 points after halftime and No. 6 St. John’s made 14 straight shots from the field in the second half to beat Creighton 82-66 for its first Big East Tournament title in 25 years. Zuby Ejiofor added 20 points for the top-seeded Red Storm, who reached 30 wins for the third time in program history. They earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, making 72-year-old Hall of Famer Rick Pitino the first coach to take six schools to the Big Dance. Pitino also became the first coach to win the Big East Tournament at two schools. Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 15 for Creighton.
Alex Ovechkin scores 887th goal to move within 8 of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s record
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored his 887th career goal Saturday to move within eight of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record. Ovechkin deflected a shot from Martin Fehervary past Georgi Romanov with 9:06 remaining in the third period. Romanov is the NHL-record 182nd goalie that Ovechkin has scored on. The 39-year-old Russian star has 34 goals on the season. He remains on pace before the end of this season to pass Gretzky’s mark of 894 that long seemed unapproachable before the end of this season.
J.J. Spaun takes the lead at The Players Championship on windy day that wrecked rounds
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — J.J. Spaun survived a wild, windy and round-wrecking Saturday at The Players Championship. His 25-foot par putt swirled all the way around the cup on the 18th hole for a 70 and a one-shot lead over Bud Cauley. Lucas Glover was three shots behind and his final hour about summed up the day. He went double bogey, eagle, double bogey. Trouble was everywhere on the TPC Sawgrass with 25 mph wind. Rory McIlroy was four behind after a birdie on the final hole. Two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler bogeyed two of his last three holes and was seven shots behind.
Vikings acquire RB Jordan Mason from 49ers and give him a new 2-year deal, AP source says
SANTA CLARA, Calf. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings acquired restricted free agent running back Jordan Mason from the San Francisco 49ers and rewarded him with a two-year deal worth up to $12 million. Two people familiar with the deal confirmed the trade that sends a 2026 sixth-round pick to San Francisco on Saturday night. They spoke on condition of anonymity because neither team had announced the move. There is also a pick swap in 2025 with the Niners flipping the 187th overall pick for the 160th. ESPN first reported the trade.
Rising to the occasion, Shohei Ohtani hits 2-run HR in return to Japan against Yomiuri Giants
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese star Shohei Ohtani showed off some prodigious power in his return to the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night. In an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, the three-time MVP belted a two-run homer 391 feet to right field in the third inning to give the Dodgers a 4-0 lead, setting off a roar from the roughly 42,000 fans in attendance. The Dodgers put on quite a power display in the third with Michael Conforto, Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández all going deep to give Los Angeles a 5-0 advantage.
Dick Vitale tears up on ACC Championship broadcast while talking about recent cancer battle
Dick Vitale became emotional Saturday night while talking about his most recent cancer battle while announcing top-ranked Duke’s 73-62 victory over No. 13 Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship. The 85-year-old ESPN college basketball analyst announced in December he was cancer-free. It was his fourth battle in just more than three years with the disease. Vitale teared up as he looked into the camera while sitting between fellow announcers Dave O’Brien and Cory Alexander.
Draper knocks off 2-time defending champion Alcaraz to reach Indian Wells final
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Jack Draper toppled two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the BNP Paribas Open final. The 13th-seeded Draper will face 12th-seeded Holger Rune on Sunday. Rune beat fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev 7-6, 6-4 in the first semifinal for his 150th tour-level victory. In the women’s final Sunday, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka will play 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva. They won semifinal matches Friday night in chilly conditions. Draper ended Alcaraz’s 16-match winning streak in the ATP Masters 1000 event in the California desert. The 23-year-old English left-hander — set to break into the top 10 in the world for the first time Monday — won last year in Vienna and Stuttgart for his lone tour titles. Alcaraz was seeded second.
Jimmie Johnson has texted Christopher Bell after his 3 victories this season. Bell wants a 4th text
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Christopher Bell geeks out when his phone lights up with a new congratulatory text message from Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson. The texts have come three weeks in a row and Bell hopes Johnson hits that send button again Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Bell has the chance to become the first driver since Johnson in 2007 to win four consecutive Cup Series races — an accomplishment that only eight drivers have achieved in the modern era of NASCAR that began in 1972.
The 49ers bring back Kyle Juszczyk days after cutting him, AP source says
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Fullback Kyle Juszczyk is returning to the San Francisco 49ers on a two-year, $8 million contract just days after being cut, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal, which was first reported by ESPN, hadn’t been announced. The 33-year-old Juszczyk was one of the first players signed after coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch took over in 2017 and has been a key part of the offense since then thanks to his versatility.
Chargers sign Super Bowl champion guard Mekhi Becton
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Chargers beefed up their offensive line by signing guard Mekhi Becton. The 6-7, 363-pound Becton started 19 games at right guard last season for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, helping pave the way for running back Saquon Barkley to rush for 2,504 yards and 13 touchdowns. Becton was the No. 11 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the New York Jets out of Louisville. The Chargers also agreed to terms with linebacker Del’Shawn Phillips. The 28-year-old played for Houston last season on a one-year deal. Phillips has appeared in 72 career games with the Texans, Baltimore, New York Jets and Buffalo.