AP National Sports

By JIM LITKE AP Sports Columnist If the players in this year’s tournament somehow look older, it’s not your eyesight. It’s the new normal. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic that wreaked havoc on college basketball the past three seasons, the NCAA relaxed eligibility and transfer rules and voila! — juniors and seniors are everywhere

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer ESPN has treated the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on the same level as the College Football Playoff and “Monday Night Football.” But with increased attention toward how the women’s version of “March Madness” is treated compared to the men’s tournament, ESPN’s coverage will be under the microscope. And that

By W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Evgenii Dadonov scored twice, Nic Roy got the game-winner in the third period and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers 5-3. Brett Howden and William Karlsson each added a goal for the Golden Knights. Logan Thompson made 33 saves as Vegas snapped a five-game

By GARY B. GRAVES AP Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — KJ Williams scored six of his 18 points in overtime after Murray State blew an eight-point lead late in regulation, and the seventh-seeded Racers extended their winning streak to 21 games with a 92-87 victory over San Francisco in the first round of the NCAA

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Alex Nedeljkovic made 43 saves, Pius Suter scored and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Vancouver Canucks 1-0 on Thursday night to end a six-game winless streak. Nedeljkovic had his second of the season and the fifth of his career. Suter scored midway through the second period, with help from

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anze Kopitar scored on the power play, Cal Petersen made 29 saves and the Los Angeles Kings beat the San Jose Sharks 3-0. Phillip Danault and Adrian Kempe each scored a goal, Sean Durzi had two assists, and the Kings avoided being swept in the four-game season series against the Sharks.

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Tyger Campbell rescued UCLA from a potential upset, scoring eight straight points late in the second half as the fourth-seeded Bruins rallied for a 57-53 win over No. 13 seed Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Campbell finished with 16 points and

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Stanley Umude scored 21 points, JD Notae scored all 17 of his points in the second half, and No. 4 seed Arkansas hung on for a 75-71 victory over 13th-seeded Vermont in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Jaylin Williams scored 13 points and

By The Associated Press Forward Cecilio Waterman is back on Panama’s roster for its final three World Cup qualifiers, including a March 27 game against the United States at Orlando, Florida. The 30-year-old missed Panama’s January qualifiers after scoring last fall in qualifiers against Jamaica, Honduras and El Salvador. Tauro goalkeeper Eric Hughes also was

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid, Kailer Yamamoto and Tyson Barrie each had a goal and an assist and the Edmonton Oilers won their fourth in a row, beating the Buffalo Sabres 6-1 on Thursday night. Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse and Devin Shore also scored for the Oilers, and Mike Smith made 27 saves for

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Mya Bhinhar scored 12 points, Mariah White had 11 points and five steals and Missouri State beat Florida State 61-50 on Thursday night in a First Four game. Eleventh-seeded Missouri State (25-7) will face sixth-seeded Ohio State in the Spokane Region on Saturday. Sydney Wilson also scored 11 points for

By The Associated Press Midfielder Andrés Guardado will miss Mexico’s World Cup qualifier against the United States next week along with forward Rogelio Funes Mori and defender Julio César Domínguez. Guardado, Mexico’s captain, injured a thigh playing for Betis against Atlético Madrid on March 6. Goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera, defenders Jesús Alberto Angulo, Héctor Moreno, Israel

TORONTO (AP) — Erik Kallgren made 34 saves and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Thursday night for the rookie goalie’s second straight victory. Mitch Marner, Ilya Mikheyev and Ondrej Kase scored for Toronto. The Maple Leafs were again without NHL goals leader Auston Matthews as he served the second of

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Fredy Montero scored on a penalty kick late in the first half and the Seattle Sounders tied 1-1 with Leon on Thursday night to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals with a 4-1 aggregate victory. Seattle will play New York City FC in one of the semifinals, while Mexican teams

By THERESA SMITH Associated Press SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Joc Pederson grew up rooting for the San Francisco Giants and now is getting his chance to play for them. The 29-year-old outfielder has won World Series rings the last two years. He won with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020 and got another with the