UNDATED (AP) — Missouri has hired Cleveland State basketball coach Dennis Gates to help rebuild its floundering program. The 42-year-old Gates took over at Cleveland State in 2019. After winning just 11 games in his first season, he engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in Division I basketball. The Vikings went 19-8 and made the NCAA Tournament last season. They went 20-11 and lost in the first round of the NIT this season. Gates replaces Cuonzo Martin, who was fired after his third losing season in five years at Missouri.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have agreed to a $3 million contract with shortstop Adalberto Mondesi and five other players for the upcoming season, avoiding arbitration before Tuesday’s deadline for teams and players to submit numbers. The Royals also agreed to terms with right-hander Brad Keller on a $4.825 million contract, reliever Scott Barlow on a $2.4 million deal, newly acquired pitcher Amir Garrett for $2.025 million, first baseman Ryan O’Hearn at $1.3 million and backup catcher Cam Gallagher for $885,000. The Royals only have outfielder Andrew Benintendi and second baseman Nicky Lopez among their unsigned arbitration-eligible players.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas Chiefs have signed linebacker Elijah Lee and cornerback Luq Barcoo to provide depth at both positions. Lee starred in college just down Interstate 70 at Kansas State. He was a seventh-round pick of the Vikings in 2017 who spent his first three seasons with San Francisco before spending the past two with Detroit and Cleveland. Lee appeared in 16 games and had 15 tackles for the Browns last season. Barcoo was an undrafted free agent who signed with Jacksonville in 2020 after a standout career at San Diego State. He bounced through the Arizona and San Francisco practice squads before he was cut in January.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Providence was trailed by a national narrative entering the NCAA Tournament, that despite earning the Midwest Region’s fourth seed, it had been more lucky than good this season because of an 11-2 record in games decided by five points or less. The Friars used that as fuel as they held off South Dakota State and then blew past Richmond to advance to their first Sweet 16 since 1997. But despite limiting its first two opponents to just 54 points per game, Providence finds itself as an underdog against top seed Kansas.
UNDATED (AP) — The second week of the NCAA Tournament is when the Sweet 16 gets reduced to the Final Four. But those aren’t the only numbers to know heading into this week’s regional semifinals and finals. There is at least one statistic worth remembering about each of the 16 teams remaining in the field. For example, top-seeded Gonzaga leads the nation in points per game at 87.8 per game, scoring margin (21.8) and field-goal percentage (.526).
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Nick Castellanos and the Philadelphia Phillies have finalized a $100 million, five-year contract. The All-Star outfielder agreed to the deal last week after the Phillies added slugger Kyle Schwarber. Castellanos batted .309 with 34 homers, 100 RBIs and a .939 OPS last year for the Cincinnati Reds, making his first All-Star team and winning a Silver Slugger Award.
TUESDAY SCORES
NIT Quarterfinals
Final St. Bonaventure 52 Virginia 51
Final Xavier 75 Vanderbilt 73
CBI Semifinals
Final UNC-Wilmington 80 N. Colorado 64
Final Middle Tennessee 85 Abilene Christian 69
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Orlando 94 Golden State 90
Final Atlanta 117 New York 111
Final Milwaukee 126 Chicago 98
Final Denver 127 L.A. Clippers 115
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final St. Louis 5 Washington 2
Final Pittsburgh 5 Columbus 1
Final New Jersey 7 N-Y Rangers 4
Final Carolina 3 Tampa Bay 2
Final N-Y Islanders 3 Ottawa 0
Final Detroit 6 Philadelphia 3
Final Winnipeg 4 Vegas 0
Final Dallas 5 Edmonton 3
Final San Jose 4 Calgary 3
Final Seattle 4 Arizona 2
Final Los Angeles 6 Nashville 1