Duke star Cooper Flagg has a smooth March Madness debut in his return from an ankle injury
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg looked comfortable and unbothered in his NCAA Tournament debut as he returned from a sprained ankle. Flagg finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks in 22 minutes against Mount St. Mary’s. The Blue Devils are the No. 1 seed in the East Region and beat the 16-seed 93-49 to open their push for a sixth national title. Flagg says he had long dreamed about playing in the NCAA Tournament. So he had some jitters about that. But he says he wasn’t worried about his ankle.
Missing madness: NCAA Tournament bereft of buzzer-beaters and major upsets so far
The calendar says it’s March. Most of the madness has been missing so far. There certainly have been upsets. Just ask the owners of the 99.9956% of brackets with at least one blemish. But as the NCAA Tournament winds toward the end of the first round, the bracket has been bereft of the buzzer-beaters and major upsets that have become ubiquitous during March Madness. The best the bracket has so far is a pair of No. 12 seeds over 5s. That’s become almost expected — occurring at 35% clip, according to the NCAA. And the only buzzer-beater was in the First Four on Tuesday.
Ole Miss holds off frantic UNC comeback to beat Tar Heels 71-64 in NCAA Tournament
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Sean Pedulla made a critical 3-pointer with 52.8 seconds left, and Mississippi topped North Carolina 71-64 in the NCAA Tournament after the Rebels squandered most of a 22-point lead in the second half. Ole Miss, the No. 6 seed in the South Region, will chase its first Sweet 16 berth since 2001 when it faces No. 3 seed Iowa State on Sunday. The Rebels are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. They hadn’t won an NCAA tourney game since beating BYU 94-90 in the First Four in 2015, and they hadn’t advanced beyond the round of 64 since 2013.
Number of perfect brackets down to nearly zero through Friday’s early March Madness games
Nearly every bracket has busted. Through Friday’s early games, the number of perfect brackets in the NCAA Tournament was down to 0.0044% out of 34 million, according to the NCAA. ESPN’s tracker listed 1,098 perfect brackets remaining out of 24 million on its site following Ole Miss’ 71-64 win over North Carolina. That game also took out more than 100 brackets in Yahoo Sports’ Men’s Bracket Mayhem, leaving 81 perfect brackets. More than 85% of the brackets had Clemson advancing, but the Tigers lost to McNeese. CBS Sports had a similar attrition rate, down to 0.005% unblemished brackets following the Ole Miss win.
Rick Pitino and John Calipari share a mutual respect. Just don’t call them friends
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rick Pitino and John Calipari are a pair of basketball lifers who are more alike than they care to admit. The Hall of Famers will renew their occasionally acrimonious rivalry on Saturday when Pitino’s second-seeded St. John’s faces Calipari’s No. 10 seed Arkansas for the chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. The matchup has been anticipated since the March Madness brackets were announced. It was sealed on Thursday when Arkansas beat Kansas and St. John’s dispatched Omaha in the first round in Providence.
Pitcher Julio Urías suspended through the All-Star break by MLB under domestic violence policy
NEW YORK (AP) — Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Julio Urías has been suspended through the All-Star break by Major League Baseball under its domestic violence policy with the players’ association. The penalty was the second for Urías under the policy following a 20-game suspension in 2019. MLB said he will be reinstated from the restricted list on July 17. A 28-year-old left-hander, Urías has not pitched since Sept. 1, 2023. He was arrested two days later outside BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, where he had attended a Major League Soccer game on Sept. 3 involving Inter Miami and Lionel Messi.
Giants and quarterback Jameis Winston agree to 2-year, $8 million deal, AP source says
A person familiar with the deal says the New York Giants and quarterback Jameis Winston have agreed to terms on a two-year, $8 million contract. The 31-year-old Winston joins Tommy DeVito as the only quarterbacks on the Giants’ roster. New York has been in the market in free agency for a veteran, with Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson also mentioned as possible targets. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team didn’t announce the deal. Fox Sports first reported that Winston was joining the Giants.
Major League Baseball removes references to ‘diversity’ from MLB Careers home page
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has removed references to “diversity” from its MLB Careers home page following an executive order by President Donald Trump that could lead to possible federal action against organizations using DEI programs in contravention of his administration’s interpretation of civil rights law. MLB says in a statement “our values on diversity remain unchanged” and “we are in the process of evaluating our programs for any modifications to eligibility criteria that are needed to ensure our programs are compliant with federal law as they continue forward.”