PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Mike Tomlin is staying in touch with Aaron Rodgers and is comfortable with Mason Rudolph as the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rudolph was 3-1 for the Steelers in 2023 with the loss coming in a wild-card game against Buffalo. Pittsburgh has a new offensive coordinator since Rudolph last played for the team. The offense had mixed results under Arthur Smith last season. Tomlin, who spoke to Pittsburgh reporters a day earlier, addressed a large group of media members surrounding his table during a 30-minute availability for all AFC coaches.
ATLANTA (AP) — Johni Broome had 25 points and 14 rebounds, and Auburn took command with 17 unanswered points in the first half to beat Michigan State 70-64 and complete a sweep of No. 1 seeds advancing to the Final Four. Auburn earned its second Final Four trip. Michigan State fell short in its bid to send coach Tom Izzo to his ninth national semifinal. Auburn’s only previous Final Four appearance came in 2019, also under coach Bruce Pearl. The South Region champion Tigers are the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. They became the last of the No. 1 seeds to advance to the Final Four — joining Florida, Duke and Houston.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Houston’s relentless defense confused and harassed Tennessee and carried the Cougars into their seventh Final Four and first since 2021, with L.J. Cryer scoring 17 points in a 69-50 victory. Emanuel Sharp scored 14 of his 16 points after halftime for top-seeded Houston, which extended the nation’s longest active winning streak to 17 games. The Cougars had been eliminated as a No. 1 seed in the Sweet 16 in each of the past two years, but this time coach Kelvin Sampson’s team has a shot at the program’s first national title. The Cougars will face Cooper Flagg and five-time national champ Duke Saturday in San Antonio.
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Lauren Betts had 17 points and seven rebounds despite spending the entire second quarter on the bench, and top overall seed UCLA reached its first Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament with a 72-65 victory over LSU. The 6-foot-7 Betts added six blocks for the Bruins, who will face the winner of Monday’s game between Southern California and UConn. The Final four is Friday night in Tampa, Florida. Gabriela Jaquez added 18 points for the Bruins and Timea Gardiner finished with 15, helping to pick up the slack went Betts went to the bench after committing two first-quarter fouls.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Chloe Kitts scored 14 points and defending national champion South Carolina reached the Final Four of the women’s NCAA Tournament for a fifth straight year, beating Duke 54-50. The top-seeded Gamecocks are two wins away from becoming the first team to repeat as champions since UConn won four straight from 2013-16. South Carolina will play the winner of the Texas-TCU game that takes place Monday night. The Final Four is in Tampa, Florida, on Friday night. Second-seeded Duke was looking to get to its first national semifinals since 2006. The Blue Devils women were also looking to join the men’s program in the Final Four.
NEW YORK (AP) — New torpedo bats drew attention when the New York Yankees hit a team-record nine homers that traveled a combined 3,695 feet. Using a strikingly different model in which wood is moved lower down the barrel after the label and shapes the end a little like a bowling pin, Paul Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger, Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. homered in New York’s 20-9 rout of the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. The bats are allowed under Major League Baseball's rules.
PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix Suns All-Star Kevin Durant was helped to the locker room with 6:57 left in the third quarter against Houston on Sunday night after falling to the floor in a collision with the Rockets’ Jabari Smith Jr. Smith was called for a foul under the Phoenix basket as Durant fell to the floor. The 6-foot-10 forward eventually got to his feet, but could not put any weight on his left leg. He appeared to step on Smith’s foot. After Houston’s 148-109 victory, Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said Durant will have an MRI on his left ankle Monday and will not accompany the team to Milwaukee for a game Tuesday. The Suns also have games at Boston and New York in the next seven days.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Jakub Mensik outdueled Novak Djokovic in two tiebreakers 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4) to win the Miami Open for his first ATP title. Ranked 54th entering the tournament, the Czech Republic teenager plowed through Djokovic with poise and a stellar 130 mph serve. He collected 14 aces and got broken only once. Mensik bashed a service winner on match point and fell on his back. Mensik’s victory spoiled the party for Djokovic, who was seeking his 100th career title and a record seventh in the Miami Open.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Alex Ovechkin is now five goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record after scoring the 890th of his career in the Washington Capitals’ game Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres. Ovechkin beat James Reimer on a deflection in front. The 39-year-old is now back on pace to pass Gretzky’s mark of 894 that long seemed unapproachable this spring. He has 37 this season and is on track to reach 40 for a 14th time, also the most in league history, despite missing 16 games because of a broken left fibula.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Five players and two coaches were ejected after a fight broke out in the second quarter in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ victory over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night. Detroit lost head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, center Isaiah Stewart, forward Ron Holland II and guard Marcus Sasser. Minnesota forward Naz Reid and guard Donte DiVincenzo also were tossed, along with assistant coach Pablo Prigioni. Stewart received a technical foul just moments earlier when he bumped DiVincenzo hard after the whistle. Then Holland was called for a foul as he slapped the ball out of Reid’s hands near the baseline. The two exchanged words, DiVincenzo stepped between them and grabbed Holland’s jersey, and soon all 10 players on the court and multiple coaches were part of the scrum.
WEEKEND SCORES
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Saturday's Games
N.Y. Yankees 20, Milwaukee 9
L.A. Angels 1, Chicago White Sox 0
St. Louis 5, Minnesota 1
Baltimore 9, Toronto 5
Kansas City 4, Cleveland 3
Colorado 2, Tampa Bay 1
Houston 2, N.Y. Mets 1
Texas 4, Boston 3
L.A. Dodgers 7, Detroit 3
Athletics 4, Seattle 2
Sunday's Games
N.Y. Yankees 12, Milwaukee 3
Toronto 3, Baltimore 1
Tampa Bay 6, Colorado 4
L.A. Angels 3, Chicago White Sox 2
St. Louis 9, Minnesota 2
Texas 3, Boston 2
Cleveland 6, Kansas City 2
Seattle 2, Athletics 1
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Auburn 70 Michigan St. 64
Houston 69 Tennessee 50
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Saturday's Games
Orlando 121, Sacramento 91
Brooklyn 115, Washington 112
Miami 118, Philadelphia 95
Oklahoma City 132, Indiana 111
Boston 121, San Antonio 111
Dallas 120, Chicago 119
L.A. Lakers 134, Memphis 127
Sunday's Games
Cleveland 127, L.A. Clippers 122
New York 110, Portland 93
Golden State 148, San Antonio 106
New Orleans 98, Charlotte 94
Atlanta 145, Milwaukee 124
Toronto 127, Philadelphia 109
Minnesota 123, Detroit 104
Houston 148, Phoenix 109
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Saturday's Games
Philadelphia 7, Buffalo 4
Tampa Bay 5, N.Y. Islanders 3
St. Louis 2, Colorado 1
New Jersey 5, Minnesota 2
Vegas 3, Nashville 1
Ottawa 3, Columbus 2
Toronto 3, Los Angeles 1
Detroit 2, Boston 1
Edmonton 3, Calgary 2, OT
N.Y. Rangers 6, San Jose 1
Dallas 5, Seattle 1
Sunday's Games
Montreal 4, Florida 2
Buffalo 8, Washington 5
Winnipeg 3, Vancouver 1
Utah 5, Chicago 2
Carolina 6, N.Y. Islanders 4
Pittsburgh 1, Ottawa 0, OT
Toronto 3, Anaheim 2
Los Angeles 8, San Jose 1