AP Sports Summary for March 23rd, 2024.
MLB investigating gambling, theft allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball has opened a formal investigation into illegal gambling and theft allegations involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Mizuhara was let go from the team Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and claims from Ohtani's attorneys that the two-way Japanese star had been the victim of a "massive theft." Ohtani and the Dodgers were in Seoul, South Korea, for their opening series against the San Diego Padres when reports were published about alleged ties between the 39-year-old Mizuhara and an illegal bookmaker.
Titans finalizing deal with Chiefs to acquire cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, AP source says
A person familiar with the negotiations says the Tennessee Titans are finalizing a deal to send a pair of draft picks to Kansas City for cornerback L'Jarius Sneed. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Friday night on condition of anonymity because the deal still requires Sneed to pass a physical and a new contract for the cornerback who the Chiefs placed the $19.8 million non-exclusive franchise tag on earlier this month. ESPN.com first reported the trade agreement. Kansas City has been unable to come to terms on a long-term deal. Tennessee would send its third-round pick in the 2025 draft and also flip seventh-round selections next month with the Chiefs.
March Madness: Another year without a perfect NCAA men's bracket
Another year without a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket. Three people picked the first 28 games correctly in ESPN's contest but all three got knocked out of the competition when James Madison beat Wisconsin on Friday night. Long shots Yale, Oakland and Duquesne also did some damage on the tournament's second day. Only 1,825 perfect brackets survived Thursday's games in ESPN's Tournament Challenge. The odds of picking a perfect bracket at random are 1 in 9.2 quintillion. A record 22 million brackets were entered in ESPN's contest. One person had the distinction of predicting every single winner incorrectly until Colorado squeaked past Florida 102-100.
Caitlin Clark, No. 1 seed Hawkeyes take steady approach to NCAA Tournament
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The first two rounds of the women's NCAA Tournament are the last chances for Iowa's Caitlin Clark to play at home, and the last opportunity for Clark and fellow starters Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin in the postseason. But they prefer not to think of it that way. Clark says they're taking a businesslike approach. "We are here to win," she says. The Hawkeyes, the No. 1 seed in the Albany 2 Regional, face 16th-seeded Holy Cross in Saturday's first-round game. No. 8 seed West Virginia faces ninth-seeded Princeton in the other first-round game.
Ivy League does it again as No. 13 seed Yale takes down No. 4 seed Auburn 78-76
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — John Poulakidas scored 28 points, Samson Aletan made a key block during a wild scramble in the final seconds, and 13th-seeded Yale beat No. 4 seed Auburn 78-76 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. For the second straight year, the Ivy League Tournament champion took down one of the pre-tournament favorites. The Bulldogs won an NCAA Tournament game for just the second time in school history, rallying from a 10-point deficit midway through the second half. Johni Broome led Auburn with 24 points and 13 rebounds.
Grand win for Grand Canyon as 12th-seeded Antelopes take down No. 5 seed Saint Mary's 75-66
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Tyon Grant-Foster scored 22 points, and Grand Canyon earned its first NCAA Tournament victory as the 12th-seeded Antelopes knocked off No. 5 seed Saint Mary's 75-66. Grand Canyon became the second No. 12 seed to pull a late-night upset after James Madison took down Wisconsin. The Antelopes did it with style, slashing and shooting their way to expose the No. 2 scoring defense in the country. Grant-Foster was the instigator but he had help. Gabe McGlothan had 12 points and 11 rebounds and Ray Harrison scored 17 points. Mitchell Saxen led Saint Mary's with 14 points. Aidan Mahaney added 13, but the regular season and tournament champions of the West Coast Conference were bounced.
James Madison pulls first 12-5 upset of March Madness by knocking off Wisconsin 72-61
NEW YORK (AP) — Terrence Edwards Jr. scored 14 points and James Madison pulled off the first 12-5 upset of the NCAA Tournament by beating Wisconsin 72-61. The 12th-seeded Dukes will face fourth-seeded Duke on Sunday in the second round of the South Regional in Brooklyn, where the JMU fans made themselves right at home. The Dukes, who had not been in the tournament since 2013, are into the second round for the first time since 1983 — bringing with them a 14-game winning streak that is the longest in the nation. Max Klesmit kept fifth-seeded Wisconsin kept the Badgers within striking distance with 18 second-half points.
Aryna Sabalenka wins Miami Open match 4 days after death of former hockey player she dated
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Playing four days after the death of a former hockey player she dated, Aryna Sabalenka beat Paula Badosa 6-4, 6-3 on Friday in the second round of the rain-soaked Miami Open. Sabalenka has asked for privacy for herself and the family of Konstantin Koltsov, the 42-year-old Belarusian who died in Miami on Monday. Miami-Dade Police said it was an apparent suicide. The second-ranked Sabalenka is a 25-year-old also from Belarus who won the Australian Open in January. She received a first-round bye. Rain delayed the start of the day's play by six hours, then more rain wiped out the rest of the scheduled play early in the evening. U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff moved on to the third round, beating Nadia Podoroska 6-1, 6-2.
Bauer wants to return to major leagues, says he is focused on Mexican League
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Trevor Bauer says while he wants to return to the major leagues, he's concentrating on his brief stint with Mexico's Diablos Rojos. Bauer was introduced by the Diablos Rojos on Friday and is to pitch Sunday in the opener of a pair of exhibition games against a New York Yankees split squad. The 33-year-old Bauer was given an unprecedented two-season suspension without pay by baseball Commissioner Rob Mandred in 2022 for violating the league's domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy after a San Diego woman said he beat and sexually abused her, an accusation the pitcher denied.
Capitals' Tom Wilson suspended 6 games for his stick to the face of Maple Leafs' Noah Gregor
WASHINGTON (AP) — The NHL has suspended Washington Capitals winger Tom Wilson six games for his stick to the face of Toronto Maple Leafs forward Noah Gregor. The league's department of player safety matched the longest suspension of any player this season after a Zoom hearing with Wilson on Friday. It's the sixth time he has been suspended since 2017 and his first since being banned seven games for boarding in 2021. His absence for a huge chunk of games down the stretch is a significant blow to the Capitals as they try to make the playoffs after missing last year.
AP-Scorecard
Here are the scores from yesterday's sports events:
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INTERLEAGUE
Atlanta at Minnesota 1:05 p.m. (Canceled)
Pittsburgh at Baltimore 6:05 p.m. (Canceled)
Washington at Houston 6:05 p.m. (Canceled)
Final Detroit 4 Philadelphia 3
Final N.Y. Yankees 5 N.Y. Mets 3
Final Seattle 3 Arizona 3
Final Colorado 3 Texas 2
Final Milwaukee 4 Seattle 4
Final Oakland 8 Cincinnati 6
Final Milwaukee 11 Kansas City 5
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
Minnesota at Tampa Bay 1:05 p.m. (Canceled)
Final Toronto 5 Boston 1
Final L.A. Angels 2 Chicago White Sox 0
Final Cleveland 10 Texas 0
Final Chicago White Sox 8 Oakland 2
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
St. Louis at Miami 6:40 p.m. (Canceled)
Final San Francisco 7 Chicago Cubs 3
Final San Francisco 13 Chicago Cubs 12
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final Boston 129 Detroit 102
Final Oklahoma City 123 Toronto 103
Final New Orleans 111 Miami 88
Final Minnesota 104 Cleveland 91
Final Memphis 99 San Antonio 97
Final L.A. Clippers 125 Portland 117
Final Indiana 123 Golden State 111
Final L.A. Lakers 101 Philadelphia 94
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Final SO Washington 7 Carolina 6
Final Dallas 4 Pittsburgh 2
Final Colorado 6 Columbus 1
Final OT Arizona 2 Seattle 1
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (1)UConn 91 Stetson 52
Final (2)Houston 86 Longwood 46
Final (3)Purdue 78 Grambling St. 50
Final Yale 78 (7)Auburn 76
Final (8)Marquette 87 W. Kentucky 69
Final (13)Duke 64 Vermont 47
Final (14)Baylor 92 Colgate 67
Final Grand Canyon 75 (15)Saint Mary's (Cal.) 66
Final (19)Alabama 109 Coll. of Charleston 96
Final (20)Utah St. 88 TCU 72
Final James Madison 72 (23)Wisconsin 61
Final (24)San Diego St. 69 UAB 65
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TODAY'S SPORTS SCHEDULE
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INTERLEAGUE
Tampa Bay at Atlanta 1:05 p.m.
Philadelphia at N-Y Yankees 1:05 p.m.
Boston at Pittsburgh 1:05 p.m.
Houston at N-Y Mets 1:10 p.m.
Cleveland at Arizona 4:10 p.m.
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AMERICAN LEAGUE
N-Y Yankees at Detroit 1:05 p.m.
Baltimore at Tampa Bay 1:05 p.m.
Detroit at Toronto 1:07 p.m.
Texas at Kansas City 3:05 p.m.
L-A Angels at Oakland 3:05 p.m.
Seattle at Chi White Sox 4:05 p.m.
Toronto at Baltimore 6:05 p.m.
Minnesota at Boston 6:05 p.m.
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NATIONAL LEAGUE
Washington at St. Louis 1:05 p.m.
Milwaukee at Chi Cubs 4:05 p.m.
Colorado at Cincinnati 4:05 p.m.
Arizona at San Francisco 4:05 p.m.
Miami at Washington 6:05 p.m.
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Brooklyn at New York 1 p.m.
Sacramento at Orlando 7 p.m.
Charlotte at Atlanta 7:30 p.m.
Boston at Chicago 8 p.m.
Phoenix at San Antonio 8 p.m.
Toronto at Washington 8 p.m.
Utah at Houston 8 p.m.
Denver at Portland 10 p.m.
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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Boston at Philadelphia 1 p.m.
Winnipeg at N-Y Islanders 1 p.m.
St. Louis at Minnesota 2 p.m.
Detroit at Nashville 5 p.m.
Edmonton at Toronto 7 p.m.
Ottawa at New Jersey 7 p.m.
Florida at N-Y Rangers 8 p.m.
Calgary at Vancouver 10 p.m.
Chicago at San Jose 10:30 p.m.
Columbus at Vegas 10:30 p.m.
Tampa Bay at Los Angeles 10:30 p.m.
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TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
(25)Washington St. at (4)Iowa St. 6:10 p.m.
Michigan St. at (5)North Carolina 5:30 p.m.
Texas at (6)Tennessee 8 p.m.
Dayton at (9)Arizona 12:45 p.m.
Duquesne at (10)Illinois 8:40 p.m.
Oregon at (11)Creighton 9:40 p.m.
(18)Gonzaga at (17)Kansas 3:15 p.m.
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MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER
Chicago at New England 2 p.m.
Miami at New York 2 p.m.
Real Salt Lake at Vancouver 7:30 p.m.
Columbus at Charlotte FC 7:30 p.m.
New York City FC at Cincinnati 7:30 p.m.
Austin FC at Orlando City 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta at Toronto FC 7:30 p.m.
LA Galaxy at Sporting Kansas City 8:30 p.m.
D.C. United at St Louis City 8:30 p.m.
Houston at Colorado 9:30 p.m.
Nashville at Los Angeles FC 10:30 p.m.
Philadelphia at Portland 10:30 p.m.
Seattle at San Jose 10:30 p.m.
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