Kaufman-Renn tips in game-winner to send No. 2 seed Purdue past 11th-seeded Texas 79-77 in Sweet 16
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Trey Kaufman-Renn tipped in a miss by Braden Smith with 0.7 seconds left, and No. 2 Purdue edged hobbling Texas star Tramon Mark and the 11th-seeded Longhorns 79-77 on Thursday night in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Texas (21-15) tied it moments earlier when Dailyn Swain made a driving layup, was fouled and converted the three-point play with 11.9 seconds to go. Smith had scored on his own drive with 38 seconds remaining and finished with 16 points. Kaufman-Renn hit his first seven shots on the way to 20 points. He was mobbed by teammates right after the final buzzer sounded at SAP Center.
Ninth-seeded Iowa continues improbable March run, beating Nebraska 77-71 to reach Elite Eight
HOUSTON (AP) — Alvaro Folgueiras converted a critical three-point play when Nebraska only had four defenders on the floor, and ninth-seeded Iowa continued its unpredictable NCAA Tournament run under first-year coach Ben McCollum, beating Nebraska 77-71 in a South Region semifinal. Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points and Folgueiras had 16 for the Hawkeyes, who knocked off top-seeded Florida in the second round and will face Big Ten rival Illinois on Saturday for a spot in the Final Four. McCollum, who won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State, has now led Iowa to its fifth Elite Eight and first since 1987.
Illinois clamps down on Houston for a 65-55 March Madness win to reach Elite Eight
HOUSTON (AP) — David Mirkovic had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and third-seeded Illinois flexed its defensive muscles to eliminate last year’s national runner-up from the NCAA Tournament, beating Houston 65-55 in the South Region semifinals. Next up is a meeting Saturday with ninth-seeded Iowa to see which Big Ten team will advance to the Final Four. It will be the 11th Elite Eight appearance for Illinois and its second in three seasons under Brad Underwood. The second-seeded Cougars were thrilled to be playing a game just over two miles from their campus. But their poor shooting gave Houston fans little to cheer about.
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm sues his parents, accuses them of misusing his money
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm is suing his parents for milllions of dollars, accusing them of siphoning large amounts of his money into financial accounts they managed for him and then using some of the cash to pay their own expenses. Bohm’s lawsuit, filed Wednesday in a Philadelphia court, comes after he began to review his personal and financial affairs in recent months, and said that his parents refused to give him access to the accounts or provide him with the information he sought about them. Bohm’s parents, Daniel and Lisa Bohm, denied doing anything wrong. The 29-year-old Bohm has a $10.2 million contract with the Phillies for the 2026 season.
Federal judge denies NCAA’s restraining order request to make DraftKings stop using ‘March Madness’
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday denied the NCAA’s motion for a temporary restraining order to stop DraftKings from using registered trademarks associated with its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. The complaint for trademark infringement was filed in the Southern District of Indiana last week. The NCAA requested that DraftKings stop using March Madness, Final Four, Elite Eight and Sweet Sixteen and variations of those terms to promote its business. Judge Tanya Walton Pratt ruled the NCAA did not show how the online sports wagering platform’s use of the terms would cause irreparable harm.
Italy beats Northern Ireland 2-0 in World Cup playoff semifinal. Gyökeres gets hat trick for Sweden
Italy finally won a match in the World Cup playoffs. Now the four-time champion needs to win one more to avoid failing to qualify for a third straight time. The Azzurri beat Northern Ireland 2-0 in the European semifinals. Sandro Tonali broke the deadlock with a half-volley early in the second half for Italy at home in Bergamo and then set up another goal for Moise Kean. Also advancing to the playoff finals on Tuesday were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Poland, Turkey, Kosovo, Denmark and the Czech Republic. Italy next visits Bosnia needing another victory to reach the upcoming tournament in North America.
Tom Brady says he’s weighed coming out of retirement, but the NFL doesn’t like the idea
Tom Brady says he has thought about returning to the NFL, but the league isn’t a fan of the idea. In an interview released on Thursday, Brady told CNBC he has asked about the eligibility rules for a minority owner. He says the NFL wasn’t too receptive and he’s also very happily retired. Brady owns a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders. Brady first retired in the 2022 offseason, then returned after 40 days. He retired again in February 2023. He recently turned heads in a Fanatics flag football event.
F1 hiatus upcoming: Japanese GP will be the last race for 5 weeks due to the Iran war
SUZUKA, Japan (AP) — The Japanese Grand Prix is only the third race of the new Formula 1 season, but it will be the last one for five weeks with events in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia called off because of the war in Iran. The next GP is not until May 3 in Miami. Here’s what we’ve learned so far from Australia and China. Mercedes and Ferrari have adapted best to Formula’s 1 most radical change in power and chassis in more than a decade. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have won each of the first two races, and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc have flip-flopped finishing third and fourth.
Pirates ace Paul Skenes gets chased in the 1st inning by the Mets on opening day
NEW YORK (AP) — Paul Skenes didn’t even get through the first inning on opening day. The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner gave up five runs and got only two outs against the New York Mets, putting the Pittsburgh Pirates in an early hole at Citi Field. Hurt by shoddy defense from Oneil Cruz in center field, Skenes was pulled by manager Don Kelly after throwing 37 pitches as the Mets batted around. The 23-year-old right-hander allowed four hits and two walks. He also hit a batter with a pitch in what was by far the shortest of his 56 major league starts. The five runs Skenes permitted matched his career high.