AP Sports Summary for Sunday, March 17th, 2024.
Bears trade Justin Fields to Steelers, clear way to take a QB such as Caleb Williams with No. 1 pick
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bears traded quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers a 2025 sixth-round draft pick that could potentially become a fourth-rounder this year in return. The move is a strong signal the Bears will draft a QB — perhaps USC's Caleb Williams — with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Fields figures to back up Russell Wilson, who signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh on Friday.
No. 7 Iowa State blitzes No. 1 Houston in second half, wins Big 12 tourney title 69-41
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Milan Momcilovic had 18 points and Keshon Gilbert scored 16 as No. 7 Iowa State used a big second-half to rout No. 1 Houston 69-41 in the Big 12 Tournament final. The Cyclones won their sixth championship in six appearances in the title game. Iowa State came out of the locker room on an 18-3 run to turn a seven-point lead at halftime into a blowout. The Cyclones wound up outscoring the regular-season Big 12 champs 39-18 in the second half. Jamal Shead had 10 points on 3-for-17 shooting to lead Houston, which had likely already wrapped up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament next week.
No. 2 UConn beats No. 10 Marquette 73-57 to win 1st Big East Tournament title since 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — Donovan Clingan had 22 points and a career-best 16 rebounds, Jaylin Stewart gave No. 2 UConn an unexpected boost with three second-half 3-pointers during a decisive surge and the Huskies beat No. 10 Marquette 73-57 to win the Big East Tournament championship. Tournament MVP Tristen Newton added 13 points and 10 assists as the top-seeded Huskies won their eighth title, matching Georgetown for the most in conference history. It was their first since 2011, when Kemba Walker led UConn to five wins in five days — and then a national title. Kam Jones led the third-seeded Golden Eagles, the defending tournament champions, with 13 points and eight rebounds.
Bad news for the bubble: NC State and Oregon swipe bids as wild tournament results continue
WASHINGTON (AP) — Conference tournament season took an even more chaotic turn — and that's bad news for at least a couple teams on the bubble. North Carolina State's thrilling five-wins-in-five-days march through the ACC Tournament pushed one borderline team out of the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack were a classic bid thief, snatching their league's automatic bid as the conference's No. 10 seed. And the night wasn't over yet. Shortly after N.C. State's confetti-filled celebration in Washington began, Oregon beat Colorado 75-68 to win the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. That meant another bubble team would be bumped.
Curry scores 31 in return as Warriors defeat Lakers 128-121 despite 40 points from James
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 31 points in his return to Golden State's lineup, Klay Thompson added 26 off the bench and the Warriors beat the Los Angeles Lakers 128-121 on Saturday night in a pivotal Western Conference matchup. LeBron James had 40 points, nine assists and eight rebounds for the Lakers, who had to play without Anthony Davis for the final three quarters after he suffered an eye injury. The Warriors won a game that dragged to the finish because of a pair of replay reviews — one that overturned an apparent 3-pointer by James — then a malfunctioning clock.
Xander Schauffele overcomes a 4-shot deficit to take the lead at The Players Championship
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Xander Schauffele started the day with a four-shot deficit. He had to settle for a one-shot lead over U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark at The Players Championship. Schauffele delivered another bogey-free round and shot 65. Clark was still tied until hitting some 20 yards short of the island on the par-3 17th and escaping with bogey. He shot 70. Right behind them is British Open champion Brian Harman. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is among six players within five shots of the lead on a TPC Sawgrass course where anything can happen. No one has ever won back-to-back in The Players.
NC State beats No. 4 North Carolina to win the ACC Tournament and earn an automatic NCAA bid
WASHINGTON (AP) — North Carolina State is heading back to the NCAA Tournament after beating fourth-ranked North Carolina 84-76 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament title game. DJ Horne scored 29 points and big man DJ Burns had 20 including the first 3-pointer of his college career to pull off the upset. ACC player of the year RJ Davis had a game-high 30 in defeat for the Tar Heels. UNC had already likely secured an NCAA No. 1 seed by making it to the final. N.C. State snatching an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament means trouble for other teams who are on the at-large bubble.
Wisconsin battles to 76-75 OT win over No. 3 Purdue, securing spot in Big Ten championship game
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Max Klesmit made a runner in the lane with 4.8 seconds to play in overtime and Wisconsin beat Big Ten Tournament top-seed Purdue 76-75 for a spot in the conference championship game. Klesmit's clutch shot followed his teammate Chucky Hepburn's in regulation, when Hepburn made a layup as time expired to force overtime. Hepburn finished with 22 points on Saturday. AJ Storr had 20 points and Klesmit had 12 points, five assists and five rebounds for fifth-seeded Wisconsin. Zach Edey led No. 3 Purdue with 28 points and 11 rebounds. Edey surpassed Rick Mount's school record of 2,323 career points.
KC Current hold off Portland for a 5-4 victory in their new stadium
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Vanessa DiBernardo scored the first goal for Kansas City in its new stadium and the Current held off the Portland Thorns 5-4 in the regular-season opener for the National Women's Soccer League. Debinha's rebound shot deflected off Thorns goalkeeper Shelby Hogan and fell to DiBernardo, who scored in the 22nd minute. Rookie Ellie Wheeler scored moments later and the Current built a 3-1 lead by halftime. Bia Zaneratto, Kristen Hamilton and Alex Pfeiffer added goals for the Current. Sophia Smith and Janine Beckie each had a pair of goals for the Thorns.
It's March Madness and more people than ever can legally bet on basketball games
As March Madness gets underway, more people than ever now can legally bet on sports. North Carolina became the latest state to allow online sports betting last week. A total of 38 states and the District of Columbia now allow some form of sports betting. That's up from just one state, Nevada, where people could legally wager on games before a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling cleared the way for expansion. The American Gaming Association estimates $2.7 billion will be bet on the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments through legal sports betting operators.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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INTERLEAGUE
Final Milwaukee 5 Texas 1
Final Chicago Cubs 7 Kansas City 6
Final Arizona 5 Texas 4
Final Chicago Cubs 4 L.A. Angels 3
Final San Francisco 6 Cleveland 0
Final Detroit 6 Pittsburgh 4
Final San Francisco 11 Chicago White Sox 7
Final Seattle 11 Cincinnati 7
Final Milwaukee 11 Oakland 4
Final Colorado 11 Oakland 9
Final N.Y. Mets 6 Houston 1
Final L.A. Dodgers 14 Kiwoom Heroes 3
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Baltimore 5 Boston 4
Final Minnesota 6 Tampa Bay 5
Final N.Y. Yankees 10 Toronto 9
Final Seattle 8 Chicago White Sox 2
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final St. Louis 8 Washington 5
Final Pittsburgh 4 Atlanta 2
Final Philadelphia 3 Miami 3
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Houston 117 Cleveland 103
Final New Orleans 126 Portland 107
Final Indiana 121 Brooklyn 100
Final Philadelphia 109 Charlotte 98
Final Chicago 127 Washington 98
Final Oklahoma City 118 Memphis 112
Final Golden State 128 L.A. Lakers 121
Final Minnesota 119 Utah 100
Final New York 98 Sacramento 91
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final Detroit 4 Buffalo 1
Final OT Ottawa 4 N-Y Islanders 3
Final N-Y Rangers 7 Pittsburgh 4
Final Arizona 4 New Jersey 1
Final Tampa Bay 5 Florida 3
Final Columbus 4 San Jose 2
Final Calgary 5 Montreal 2
Final Boston 6 Philadelphia 5
Final SO Carolina 5 Toronto 4
Final Dallas 4 Los Angeles 1
Final SO St. Louis 3 Minnesota 2
Final Washington 2 Vancouver 1
Final Nashville 4 Seattle 1
Final OT Colorado 3 Edmonton 2
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (7)Iowa St. 69 (1)Houston 41
Final (2)UConn 73 (10)Marquette 57
Final Wisconsin 76 (3)Purdue 75
Final NC State 84 (4)North Carolina 76
Final (12)Auburn 73 Mississippi St. 66
Final (13)Illinois 98 Nebraska 87
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Final Chicago 4 CF Montréal 3
Final Miami 3 D.C. United 1
Final tie Colorado 1 Seattle 1
Final Columbus 3 New York 0
Final New York City FC 2 Toronto FC 1
Final tie Philadelphia 2 Austin FC 2
Final Vancouver 3 FC Dallas 1
Final Houston 1 Portland 0
Final Sporting Kansas City 2 San Jose 1
Final Minnesota 2 Los Angeles FC 0
Final Nashville 2 Charlotte FC 1
Final tie St Louis City 3 LA Galaxy 3
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
Korea at San Diego 6 a.m.
Boston at Atlanta 1:05 p.m.
Atlanta at Baltimore 1:05 p.m.
Toronto at Philadelphia 1:05 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Pittsburgh 1:05 p.m.
Houston at St. Louis 1:05 p.m.
Texas at Chi Cubs 4:05 p.m.
L-A Angels at Arizona 4:10 p.m.
Arizona at Seattle 4:10 p.m.
Cincinnati at Cleveland 7:05 p.m.
Milwaukee at Kansas City 7:05 p.m.
San Diego at LG Twins 11 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
N-Y Yankees at Boston 1:05 p.m.
Baltimore at Detroit 1:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Toronto 1:07 p.m.
Chi White Sox at Oakland 4:05 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
N-Y Mets at Washington 1:05 p.m.
Miami at N-Y Mets 1:10 p.m.
Colorado at San Francisco 4:05 p.m.
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Phoenix at Milwaukee 1 p.m.
Miami at Detroit 3 p.m.
Denver at Dallas 3:30 p.m.
Boston at Washington 6 p.m.
Toronto at Orlando 6 p.m.
Brooklyn at San Antonio 7 p.m.
Atlanta at L.A. Clippers 9:30 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
N-Y Islanders at N-Y Rangers 1 p.m.
New Jersey at Vegas 3:30 p.m.
Carolina at Ottawa 6 p.m.
Detroit at Pittsburgh 6 p.m.
San Jose at Chicago 6 p.m.
Winnipeg at Columbus 6 p.m.
Anaheim at St. Louis 7 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Florida at (12)Auburn 1 p.m.
Wisconsin at (13)Illinois 3:30 p.m.
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Cincinnati at New England 2 p.m.
Orlando City at Atlanta 7 p.m.
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