Teams coming off long runs in their league tournaments have a short window to regroup ahead of March Madness. Bigger conferences after waves of expansion have led to longer runs through league tournaments on the eve of the NCAA Tournament. Now it's common to see teams having to play four games in four days in conference tournaments. Then they have a few days for players to recover and recharge ahead of the NCAAs. Big Ten champion Purdue faces that challenge after playing four games in four days to win that title.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Iran’s Embassy in Mexico has suggested that the country is negotiating with FIFA to move Iran’s World Cup matches from the U.S. to Mexico after President Donald Trump discouraged the team from attending the tournament, citing safety concerns.It was unclear whether such talks are happening with FIFA, which did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Iranian officials have previously said it is up to FIFA and the U.S. to keep the team safe during the World Cup.The Embassy posted a statement attributed to Iranian Football Federation President Mehdi Taj saying Iran wants to move its group stage matches from Los Angeles metropolitan area and Seattle to ensure the safety of players and officials.
MIAMI (AP) — Criticized for their cool, American players head into the World Baseball Classic championship also appreciating opponents’ flamboyant flair. U.S. captain Aaron Judge’s controlled composure has filtered through the clubhouse ahead of Tuesday night’s final against Venezuela. That’s not to say the Americans don’t appreciate the theatrics of Latin American players such as Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Nolan McLean, a 24-year-old rookie right-hander with eight games of major league experience, will start for the U.S.
MIAMI (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr., Maikel Garcia and Luis Arraez hit run-scoring, two-out singles in a seventh-inning rally that led Venezuela over Italy 4-2 and into its first World Baseball Classic championship game. Venezuela overcame a 2-0, fourth-inning deficit after climbing out of a three-run hole to beat defending champion Japan in a quarterfinal and reached the final for the first time after losing to South Korea in its only previous semifinal appearance in 2009. It meets the United States for the title on Tuesday night and appears likely to start Eduardo Rodríguez against the Americans’ Nolan McLean.
MIAMI (AP) — Italy’s remarkable 2026 World Baseball Classic run is over after losing to Venezuela in the semifinals. The Azzurri stunned with a 5-0 start to reach their first WBC semifinal, putting a spotlight on a soccer-crazed country where baseball is less popular than in many of the other participating nations in the tournament and providing an exciting foundation to build on for the future. Italy blew a 2-1 seventh-inning lead Monday night when Michael Lorenzen allowed consecutive run-scoring singles with two outs to Ronald Acuña Jr., Maikel Garcia and Luis Arraez.
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Jets have agreed to a trade that will send quarterback Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs, a person familiar with the deal has told The Associated Press. The Jets will receive a sixth-round draft pick in 2027 for Fields and pick up $7 million of his guaranteed $10 million salary for this upcoming season, the person told the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams didn’t announce the trade. The deal, first reported by ESPN, is pending a physical. The 27-year-old Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal with New York last March. Fields was benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor in November.
NEW YORK (AP) — Another marathon negotiating session between the WNBA and its players union didn’t end with a new collective bargaining agreement. For the seventh consecutive day the two sides met for over 12 hours and while they said progress was being made heading into Monday’s negotiationing session, there was still work that needed to be done when the sides ended discussions for the night around 3:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday morning. Revenue sharing continues to be the big sticking point between the sides.
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama guard Aden Holloway has been arrested on a felony drug charge just days before the start of the NCAA Tournament. A Tuscaloosa County police spokesperson says the 21-year-old Holloway was arrested Monday after agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force searched a residence near Alabama’s campus and recovered more than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash. The Crimson Tide’s No. 2 scorer, Holloway was arrested on a first-degree charge of marijuana possession. The charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $15,000. The university says it’s aware of the allegations and Holloway has been removed from campus pending further investigation.
There was a time when the NCAA men’s tournament was wildly unpredictable. Hard as it may seem to believe, there was one season where a No. 4 seed, two No. 5 seeds and a No. 9 seed all reached the Final Four. And a year later, a No. 11 seed got to the national semifinals as well. Ah, 2023 and 2024 feel so long ago. Last year's tournament saw four No. 1 seeds get to the Final Four and the way this bracket looks, it's not hard to envision the same thing happening this year. That's good news for Michigan, Duke, Florida and Arizona.
UConn looks like the safest pick to win the women’s NCAA tournament, but the real key in bracket pools is nailing early upsets. Brackets start to match by the second weekend, since lower seeds rarely reach the Sweet 16. For those looking to find some dangerous No. 11 seeds: Fairfield faces Notre Dame, Rhode Island plays Alabama, and South Dakota State meets Washington. But in the end, it's hard to not think the No. 1 seeds get to the Final Four.
Finals
INTERLEAGUE
Final Toronto 5 Miami 4
Final Atlanta 11 Tampa Bay 2
Final Minnesota 5 Pittsburgh 1
Final Detroit 13 Philadelphia 6
Final Chicago Cubs 5 Cleveland 2
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Athletics 3 L.A. Angels 0
Final Texas 3 Chicago White Sox 2
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final San Diego 3 San Francisco 1
Final Arizona 11 Cincinnati 6
Final Milwaukee 24 L.A. Dodgers 9
Final Washington 12 N.Y. Mets 6
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Los Angeles 4 N-Y Rangers 1
Final Detroit 5 Calgary 2
Final OT New Jersey 4 Boston 3
Final Utah 6 Dallas 3
Final Pittsburgh 7 Colorado 2