MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have committed to moving forward with J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback this season after deciding not to offer Aaron Rodgers a contract, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Vikings were not commenting publicly on their plans. Rodgers was released last week by the New York Jets. The departure of Sam Darnold left the Vikings ready to turn their offense over to McCarthy. He was the 10th pick in the 2024 draft whose rookie year was spent rehabilitating from knee surgery.
DENVER (AP) — Perhaps the surest sign that artificial intelligence really is taking over the world will come the day it wins your favorite March Madness bracket pool. The day could be coming soon. A successful CEO-turned-disruptor is running a $1 million March Madness bracket challenge that pits his AI programmers’ picks against those belonging to one of the world’s best-known sports gamblers. 4C Predictions CEO Alan Levy says he's willing to wager the million because he's convinced the data crunching his AI programmers can do is better than what gambler Sean Perry can produce. Levy's AI program picks Houston to win it all. Perry is going with Duke.
WASHINGTON (AP) — As the annual NCAA tournament kicks off, some Americans are skipping March Madness — or at least they aren't trying to predict who'll win. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults say they “never” fill out a bracket for the NCAA men’s or women’s basketball tournament. This group leans more female: About 6 in 10 bracket avoiders are women. Some bracket avoiders plan to watch tournament games but won’t predict winners, while others won't be paying attention to the tournament at all.
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Marcus Foster scored 22 points and Zach Freemantle added 15 while overcoming foul trouble as Xavier rallied past Texas 86-80 in a First Four game at Dayton. The Musketeers erased a 13-point deficit in their biggest comeback win this season and advanced into the main bracket of the NCAA Tournament to play No. 6 seed Illinois on Friday night in Milwaukee. Tre Johnson led the Longhorns with 23 points in a matchup of No. 11 seeds. Tramon Mark scored 16. Freemantle hit a turnaround jumper to break a 78-all tie with 1:48 remaining and his two free throws extended Xavier’s lead to 82-79 with 1:09 left. Dailyn Swain’s putback upped the margin to five with 20 seconds to play.
TOKYO (AP) — There was the crack of Shohei Ohtani’s bat, the roars from the Tokyo Dome crowd and the beeps from the credit card machines at the massive merchandise center selling boatloads of Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs gear. It all must have been music to the ears of Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. The 2025 season couldn’t have had a much better start for the sport, which showcased its international appeal over the past week in Japan. The Tokyo Dome hosted a capacity crowd of roughly 42,000 for all four games, including two exhibitions against Japanese teams and two regular-season games. It’s all part of MLB’s winning streak as it barrels toward its domestic opening day on March 27.
COSTA NAVARINO, Greece (AP) — A new president of the IOC will be elected Thursday as just the 10th leader in its 131-year history after one of the most open Olympic elections in decades. The winner will get an eight-year mandate with key issues including steering the Olympics on a smooth path in politics and sports toward the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. The new president will also oversee the selection of a host for the 2036 edition that could go to India or the Middle East. Seven IOC members are chasing an absolute majority for victory from about 100 eligible voters at a resort near the site of Ancient Olympia.
SHANGHAI (AP) — Ex-Formula 1 team owner and media personality Eddie Jordan has died. He was 76. He ran his own Jordan team in the 1990s and 2000s in F1. He became a popular pundit on TV after selling the team in 2005. Jordan had been undergoing treatment for what he had called “quite aggressive” cancer of the bladder and prostate which spread to his spine and pelvis. Jordan gave seven-time champion Michael Schumacher his first race in F1 in 1991. F1 president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali says Jordan was “a protagonist of an era of F1 and he will be deeply missed.”
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Dola Adebayo and Jedy Cordilla each scored 22 points as Mount St. Mary’s defeated American University 83-72 in an NCAA Tournament matchup of No. 16 seeds at the First Four in Dayton. The Mountaineers earned a date with No. 1 seed Duke on Friday in an East Region game at Raleigh, North Carolina. American lost its leading scorer, Matt Rogers, to a right knee injury in the first half. Rogers scored seven points in eight minutes. Geoff Sprouse led American with 18 points on six 3-pointers off the bench.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The hopes of No. 1 seed Houston of cutting down the NCAA Tournament nets might rest on J’Wan Roberts’ ailing right ankle. Or Duke star Cooper Flagg’s left one. Or injuries to Texas Tech, Iowa State and other teams that could not only shape the tournament but should shape the brackets of millions of Americans on the eve of March Madness. In the case of Roberts, he is hoping to play against SIU-Edwardsville on Thursday, while the Blue Devils are hopeful Flagg can play against the American-Mount St. Mary's winner on Friday.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 31 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in just three quarters of work, and the Los Angeles Lakers routed the Denver Nuggets 120-108 in a matchup of injury-depleted Western Conference contenders. Austin Reaves scored 22 points for the Lakers, who have won nine consecutive home games and three straight since finishing their 0-4 road trip last Friday with a loss at Denver. Aaron Gordon scored 26 points for the Nuggets, who played without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. The Lakers scored a season-high 46 points in the first quarter led by Doncic, who scorched Denver for 21.
WEDNESDAY SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
L.A. Dodgers 6, Chicago Cubs 3
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Wednesday, March 19 At UD Arena Dayton, Ohio
Mount St. Mary's 83, American 72
Xavier 86, Texas 80
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Houston 116, Orlando 108
Indiana 135, Dallas 131
Detroit 116, Miami 113
Oklahoma City 133, Philadelphia 100
San Antonio 120, New York 105
New Orleans 119, Minnesota 115
Utah 128, Washington 112
Phoenix 127, Chicago 121
Sacramento 123, Cleveland 119
Portland 115, Memphis 99
L.A. Lakers 120, Denver 108
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Toronto 2, Colorado 1
Minnesota 4, Seattle 0