AP National Sports

By JOHN WAWROW AP Sports Writer ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Doctors described Damar Hamlin’s neurological function as “excellent” Saturday, as the Buffalo Bills safety continued making progress in his recovery after having to be resuscitated on the field in a game at Cincinnati on Monday. In providing their daily update on Hamlin, the Bills

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Matthew Cleveland scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and Florida State won its fourth game in its last six beating Georgia Tech 75-64. Georgia Tech built a 16-7 lead in a little more than the first four minutes of the game before Florida State went on to outscore the Yellow

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Even having club soccer’s richest owners cannot improve Newcastle’s pitiful record in the FA Cup. Newcastle was humbled by a lower-league opponent in the third round of the famous old competition for the second straight year under its Saudi owners when losing at third-tier Sheffield Wednesday 2-1. At the

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Led by Curtis Jones’ 19 points, the Buffalo Bulls defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies 80-62 on Saturday. The Bulls improved to 8-7 with the victory and the Huskies fell to 4-11.

RICHMOND, Va. — Led by Adrian Baldwin Jr.’s 19 points, the VCU Rams defeated the Davidson Wildcats 89-72 on Saturday. The Rams improved to 11-5 with the win and the Wildcats fell to 9-7.

By DANIELLA MATAR AP Sports Writer MILAN (AP) — Juventus has stretched its winning streak to eight matches with a narrow 1-0 win over Udinese in Serie A. Danilo scored four minutes from time thanks to a fabulous assist from Federico Chiesa. Massimiliano Allegri’s team has also not conceded a goal in its past eight

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Armando Bacot scored 21 points with 13 rebounds, Caleb Love added 18 points and North Carolina defeated Notre Dame 81-64. Love and Bacot combined for 25 points in the first half when North Carolina built a 13-point lead on its way to its sixth victory in seven games. The Fighting

By JOSEPH WILSON Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Villarreal has beaten Real Madrid 2-1 in a vibrant Spanish league match that will help rehabilitate the reputation of former Barcelona coach Quiqué Setién. Yeremy Pino put Villarreal ahead in the 47th minute. A handball by Villarreal’s Juan Foyth allowed Karim Benzema to momentarily level with

By DAVID BRANDT AP Sports Writer If you enjoy high-stakes professional football combined with scoreboard watching and slightly convoluted tiebreakers, then the NFL’s Week 18 slate of games is a must-watch. It’s been an eventful week for NFL players and fans, who watched in horror Monday night as Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida State standout defensive end Jared Verse is staying in school for another season. Verse announced his decision on social media Saturday. He earned first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors after leading Florida State with 14 1/2 tackles for loss, including 7 1/2 sacks. That’s despite missing one game because of injury

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers coach Greg Schiano has gone to Minnesota to find a coordinator again. Schiano says Kirk Ciarrocca is the Scarlet Knights’ new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Ciarrocca held the same position last season with the Golden Gophers. A year ago, Rutgers tapped Joe Harasymiak to be their defensive coordinator. Harasymiak

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — Jadeveon Clowney will not accompany the Cleveland Browns on their trip to Pittsburgh for the season finale. The defensive end was sent home from practice Friday after making biting remarks about the organization and coaching staff. The Browns officially downgraded Clowney to out for their last

WINTERBERG, Germany (AP) — Kaillie Humphries of the U.S. remained in the World Cup monobob season points lead Saturday, after finishing second to Germany’s Laura Nolte in the first race of 2023. Nolte got her second consecutive win, both times with Humphries finishing second. Humphries is the only woman who has medaled in all four

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Alexis Mac Allister and Harry Kane have slipped back into action in English soccer seamlessly after the World Cup. Mac Allister starred for Argentina in its run to the title in Qatar and was a halftime replacement for Brighton after his extended break back home to celebrate. He scored

By STEPHEN WHYNO AP Hockey Writer ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — The Washington Capitals say center Nicklas Backstrom and winger Tom Wilson are ready to play. Backstrom and Wilson are expected to make their respective season debuts tomorrow when the Capitals host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Backstrom had offseason hip resurfacing procedure on a nagging injury,

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer Chelsea’s second transfer window under its American ownership is proving to be as busy as its first. Two more players have been signed: Ivory Coast forward David Datro Fofana and 18-year-old Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos. They follow on from the purchase on Thursday of France defender Benoît Badiashile. The

PARIS (AP) — Marseille has coped with an early sending off to win at fourth-tier Hyères 2-0 in the French Cup round of 64. Central defender Eric Bailly was sent off in the 15th minute for a dangerous challenge. But veteran striker Alexis Sanchez converted a penalty in first half stoppage time and striker Bamba

RIVER FOREST, Ill. (AP) — A suburban Chicago college has postponed two men’s basketball games after a rigorous workout sent five players to the hospital. The Chicago Tribune reports that Concordia University Chicago also temporarily removed coach Steve Kollar. Athletic director Pete Gnan sent a letter to parents saying that the team was put through

SIGULDA, Latvia (AP) — Dajana Eitberger of Germany won the women’s luge World Cup race on Saturday, and host Latvia swept the gold medals in the men’s and women’s doubles races. Latvia’s Anda Upite and Sanija Ozolina won the women’s doubles race and fellow Latvians Martins Bots and Roberts Plume had the best time in

WINTERBERG, Germany (AP) — Kaillie Humphries of the U.S. remained in the World Cup monobob season points lead Saturday, after finishing second to Germany’s Laura Nolte in the first race of 2023. Nolte got her second consecutive win, both times with Humphries finishing second. Humphries is the only woman who has medaled in all four