Sports

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Auto Racing Writer SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Formula One champion Max Verstappen gave a sarcastic answer when asked if rival Mercedes lacks pace heading into the season’s opening race in Bahrain on Sunday. Verstappen set the fastest time in preseason testing for Red Bull last week while Lewis Hamilton and his

MADRID (AP) — Spain coach Luis Enrique has dropped David de Gea and included Brentford goalkeeper David Raya in the squad for upcoming friendly matches against Albania and Iceland. De Gea played the entire match for Manchester United on Tuesday when the team lost to Atlético Madrid 1-0 and was eliminated from the Champions League

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool right back Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to miss at least two weeks because of a hamstring injury. The injury rules Alexander-Arnold out of the England squad for upcoming friendlies and raises doubts about his availability for Liverpool’s visit to Manchester City on April 10. City leads Liverpool by one point

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Defending champion Chelsea has been drawn to play record 13-time European champion Real Madrid in the Champions League quarterfinals. The first pairing drawn at UEFA headquarters sent Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti back to the London club where he won a league and cup double a

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer NYON, Switzerland (AP) — Russia’s request to freeze a FIFA ban on its soccer teams ahead of next week’s World Cup qualifying playoffs has been denied. FIFA says the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed the Russian soccer federation’s bid for an urgent interim ruling to freeze the ban

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia head coach Graham Arnold has tested positive for COVID-19 for the second time this year as he was preparing to join the Socceroos camp for two must-win World Cup qualifying matches over the next two weeks. Football Australia says Arnold returned the positive result after following national team protocols and undergoing

By JIM LITKE AP Sports Columnist If the players in this year’s tournament somehow look older, it’s not your eyesight. It’s the new normal. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic that wreaked havoc on college basketball the past three seasons, the NCAA relaxed eligibility and transfer rules and voila! — juniors and seniors are everywhere

By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer The women’s NCAA Tournament features a dozen Black female head coaches, doubling the number from last year’s tourney. While South Carolina Dawn Staley sees the increase as an indication of the success Black coaches can have when given the chance. But there has been marginal progress when it comes

By JOE REEDY AP Sports Writer ESPN has treated the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on the same level as the College Football Playoff and “Monday Night Football.” But with increased attention toward how the women’s version of “March Madness” is treated compared to the men’s tournament, ESPN’s coverage will be under the microscope. And that

By JEROME PUGMIRE AP Auto Racing Writer MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — The son of a man on death row in Bahrain has again sent a drawing to seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton. He still hopes Hamilton can help save his father’s life. Ahead of Sunday’s season-opening F1 race in Bahrain the 12-year-old Ahmed proudly

By W.G. RAMIREZ Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Evgenii Dadonov scored twice, Nic Roy got the game-winner in the third period and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Florida Panthers 5-3. Brett Howden and William Karlsson each added a goal for the Golden Knights. Logan Thompson made 33 saves as Vegas snapped a five-game

By GARY B. GRAVES AP Sports Writer INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — KJ Williams scored six of his 18 points in overtime after Murray State blew an eight-point lead late in regulation, and the seventh-seeded Racers extended their winning streak to 21 games with a 92-87 victory over San Francisco in the first round of the NCAA

By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Remy Martin had 15 points and Christian Braun 14 to lead five players scoring in double figures for top-seeded Kansas, and the Jayhawks opened their 50th NCAA Tournament with an 83-56 victory over Texas Southern. The SWAC champion Tigers had their only lead over

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Alex Nedeljkovic made 43 saves, Pius Suter scored and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Vancouver Canucks 1-0 on Thursday night to end a six-game winless streak. Nedeljkovic had his second of the season and the fifth of his career. Suter scored midway through the second period, with help from

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Anze Kopitar scored on the power play, Cal Petersen made 29 saves and the Los Angeles Kings beat the San Jose Sharks 3-0. Phillip Danault and Adrian Kempe each scored a goal, Sean Durzi had two assists, and the Kings avoided being swept in the four-game season series against the Sharks.

By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Tyger Campbell rescued UCLA from a potential upset, scoring eight straight points late in the second half as the fourth-seeded Bruins rallied for a 57-53 win over No. 13 seed Akron in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Campbell finished with 16 points and