Arkansas holds off Kansas 79-72 in March Madness matchup of marquee coaches
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Jonas Aidoo scored 22 points to help 10th-seeded Arkansas to a 79-72 opening-round NCAA Tournament victory over No. 7 seed Kansas on Thursday night in the latest meeting between two of college basketball’s winningest coaches. Johnell Davis added 18 points, including some crucial late free throws, to help John Calipari to his first tournament victory as Razorbacks coach. Freshman standout Boogie Fland played for the first time since having right thumb surgery in January and scored six points in 24 minutes. Zeke Mayo had 18 points for Kansas (21-13), which has made 35 straight NCAA Tournaments and hadn’t lost in the first round since 2006.
Alex Ovechkin gets 888th career goal to move 7 away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin has scored his 888th career goal to move seven away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career record. Ovechkin scored in the Washington Capitals’ home game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night. The 39-year-old winger now has 35 goals this season. Ovechkin at his current pace is on track to pass Gretzky’s legendary 894-goal mark that was long considered unapproachable this spring. The Capitals have 13 games left in the regular season before starting the playoffs. Ovechkin has one year left on his current contract in case he does not get there this season.
Panama stuns US 1-0 on Waterman’s late goal, eliminating Americans from CONCACAF Nations League
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Cecilio Waterman scored a stunning goal in the fourth minute of second-half injury time, and Panama beat the three-time defending champion United States 1-0 to reach the CONCACAF Nations League final. Waterman took a pass down the right side from Adalberto Carrasquilla in front of a packed-in U.S. defense and fired a perfect right-footed diagonal shot past Matt Turner into the far left corner. Waterman’s 11th international goal, on Panama’s only shot on target on the night, advanced the Panamanians to a final Sunday against Mexico or Canada.
Former NFL, Michigan assistant coach Matt Weiss charged with hacking for athletes’ intimate photos
DETROIT (AP) — An indictment filed Thursday says that a former NFL and University of Michigan assistant football coach hacked into the computer accounts of thousands of college athletes to access intimate photos and videos. Matt Weiss was charged with 14 counts of unauthorized computer access and 10 counts of identity theft. Weiss worked for the Baltimore Ravens before joining the University of Michigan in 2021.He was fired in 2023 as Michigan’s co-offensive coordinator after failing to cooperate with the school’s investigation of his access to computers.
Freshman star Cooper Flagg is ready to go for No. 1 seed Duke in March Madness
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg said he’ll be ready to play in Friday’s NCAA Tournament opener against Mount St. Mary’s as he recovers from a sprained ankle. Flagg missed the last two games in top-seeded Duke’s run to the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title. The unanimous Associated Press first-team All-American went through the team’s home-state public practice Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina. Friday’s East Region schedule also includes Mississippi State against Baylor in Raleigh. In Cleveland, second-seeded Alabama faces Robert Morris, while Saint Mary’s faces Vanderbilt. And in Seattle, Arizona meets Akron while Oregon faces Liberty.
Will Wade’s impending departure a price McNeese is happy to pay for revived basketball program
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — McNeese President Wade Rousse had a two-year plan when he hired Will Wade as basketball coach. The goal was to make the NCAA Tournament in the first year and win a game in the second. After that, he figured it might be tough to keep Wade around. He was right on all counts. But that’s OK with Rousse because he thinks the success of the basketball team will have a long-lasting effect on campus.
No. 11 seed Drake holds on after blowing big lead and beats Missouri 67-57 in March Madness opener
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Bennett Stirtz scored 21 points and No. 11 seed Drake held on after blowing most of a 15-point lead to be sixth-seeded Missouri 67-57 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tavion Banks added 15 points and five rebounds for the Bulldogs, a team that relies heavily on Division II transfers under first-year coach Ben McCollum. They advanced to a second-round matchup with third-seeded Texas Tech or No. 14 seed UNC Wilmington on Saturday. Caleb Grill had 14 points and Tamar Bates had 10 before fouling out for Missouri. The Tigers finished the season losing five of their last six.
Oilers captain Connor McDavid misses 3rd period against Jets due to lower-body injury
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Oilers captain Connor McDavid sustained a lower-body injury and has been ruled out from playing in the third period in Edmonton’s home game against the Western Conference-leading Winnipeg Jets. The Oilers did not provide any further details on the extent of the injury. McDavid appeared to get hurt while attempting to chase down the puck in the Jets zone when he was bumped by Jets defenseman Josh Morrisey. In the second period, McDavid assisted on Jeff Skinner’s goal to extend his point streak to 13 games, in which he has combined for four goals and 15 assists.
SIUE’s Ray’Sean Taylor broke down in tears after NCAA loss. The chance to play meant that much
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — SIU Edwardsville guard Ray’Sean Taylor broke down in tears after his team was routed by Houston in the NCAA Tournament. It wasn’t that the game was lopsided, though the 78-40 margin was certainly that. It was that the opportunity to play meant that much to him. Taylor overcame two torn ACLs to lead his team into March Madness for the first time. Houston coach Kelvin Sampson says he hopes moments like that are always a part of the tournament, and that small schools from the smaller conferences always get a chance to compete, even as the power leagues explore expanding to 72 or 76 teams.