LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The 2020 Kansas team may have been the best coach Bill Self has ever put together. It never had a chance to prove it because the NCAA Tournament was canceled in the pandemic. Two years later, a few members of that team are headed to the Final Four with a chance to win it all. There are also veteran players on Duke, North Carolina and Villanova getting the same chance. Kansas and Villanova face each other on Saturday night in the national semifinals at the Superdome.
UNDATED (AP) — March Madness has taken a power turn as it turns to the Final Four. No more plucky underdogs. This year’s semifinalists are Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Villanova, four powerhouses with 17 national championships among them. The first game on Saturday night in New Orleans puts Villanova up against Kansas, the lone No. 1 seed still in the field. The nightcap is one of the best rivalries in sports: Duke vs. North Carolina, who have played each other 257 times. This will be their first matchup in the NCAA Tournament.
NEW YORK (AP) — Quenton Jackson scored 18 points and Texas A&M advanced to the NIT championship game with a 72-56 rout of Washington State. Henry Coleman III had 16 points and Manny Obaseki added 14 for the Aggies in the second semifinal at Madison Square Garden. They will play for the title Thursday night against Xavier, an 84-77 winner over St. Bonaventure in the doubleheader opener. Tyrell Roberts led Washington State with 14 points. He was the only Cougars player to score double figures. Efe Abogidi had nine points and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes.
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — There was a time, not that many years ago, when predicting who would win the women’s NCAA Tournament was not that difficult. UConn or Tennessee, or Baylor or maybe Stanford, depending on the year, dominated the season and the tournament. But this year is not a year like that. South Carolina comes into Minneapolis as the favorite, but Stanford, UConn and Louisville have all been there before and each had to fight this season to get back to the top, as parity in women’s basketball continues to surge.
PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) — The NFL is modifying a rule many fans believe was unfair. Each side will now get the ball in playoffs. Concerned that the coin toss to begin the extra period has too much impact on postseason game results, the owners have voted day to approve a proposal presented by the Colts and Eagles. Beginning this season, if the team possessing the ball first in overtime scores a touchdown on that series, the opponent still gets a possession.
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars have reupped their commitment to playing annually at Wembley Stadium in London. The Jaguars received formal approval at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, to move forward with a three-year contract to play at Wembley. The deal gives the small-market franchise exclusivity at one of the United Kingdom’s most iconic venues. The Jaguars will be in charge of ticketing, merchandise sales and game-day management.
OWINGS MILL (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens have signed coach John Harbaugh to a three-year contract extension through 2025. Harbaugh is entering his 15th season at the helm. Baltimore went 8-9 in 2021 for only the second losing record of his tenure. Injures derailed what looked like a promising season. The Ravens are 148-96 under Harbaugh, plus a Super Bowl victory at the end of the 2012 season. He also guided Baltimore to the AFC title game in 2008 and 2011. In nine visits to the postseason, Harbaugh is 11-8. He was the AP’s NFL coach of the year in 2019.
ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is downplaying the team's interest in dealing for former Houston Texan Deshaun Watson before the quarterback accepted a trade to Cleveland. Blank says more investigation into the sexual misconduct allegations made by nearly two dozen women against Watson while he was with the Texans would have been necessary before Atlanta’s interest could have become more serious.
METAIRIE, La. (AP) — Saints general manager Mickey Loomis says the club has signed veteran quarterback Andy Dalton. The move gives New Orleans a second experienced signal-caller behind returning starter Jameis Winston. The 34-year-old Dalton is a former starter in Cincinnati who is now with his fourth team in four years after spending his first eight with the Bengals. Dalton played for Dallas in 2020 and for Chicago last season.
UNDATED (AP) — The next U.S. Olympic swimming team will be decided in a football stadium. USA Swimming announced that its trials for the 2024 Paris Games will be held at Lucas Oil Stadium, the massive home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. The decision marks the end of Omaha’s long run as host of the event. The last four U.S. trials were held in the Nebraska city’s downtown arena, which seated about 14,500 fans after the temporary pool was installed. USA Swimming is going for a much bigger show in Indy, which will have seating for up to 35,000.
UNDATED (AP) — The arrival of Olympic champion Sunisa Lee, new, relaxed rules on athlete compensation and better exposure on TV are fueling interest in NCAA women's gymnastics. Attendance figures have spiked at several schools this season, including Auburn, where Lee is a freshman. Women's gymnastics as a whole is thriving, with several schools preparing to join at the collegiate level in coming seasons. Lee says college gymnastics is a “positive” place that plays in contrast to elite gymnastics, which has struggled to find a way forward since sordid allegations of physical, mental and emotional abuse.
TUESDAY SCORES
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Chicago 107 Washington 94
Final Milwaukee 118 Philadelphia 116
Final Dallas 128 L.A. Lakers 110
Final Brooklyn 130 Detroit 123
Final L.A. Clippers 121 Utah 115
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final N-Y Rangers 3 Pittsburgh 2
Final N-Y Islanders 4 Columbus 3
Final Toronto 6 Boston 4
Final OT Tampa Bay 4 Carolina 3
Final Florida 7 Montreal 4
Final Minnesota 4 Philadelphia 1
Final Nashville 4 Ottawa 1
Final Colorado 2 Calgary 1
Final Dallas 3 Anaheim 2