Sports

By The Associated Press March Madness is coming up fast. Here is what to know along with some key games to watch and who’s on the bubble ahead of Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament: KEY DATES All eyes will be on the conference tournaments this week: — The ACC Tournament is rolling March 7-11

IRVING, Texas (AP) — Houston senior guard Marcus Sasser is the American Athletic Conference player of the year after a vote of the league’s 11 coaches. Ninth-year Houston coach Kelvin Sampson was picked by his peers as coach of the year. The No. 1 Cougars are 29-2 and just won their second consecutive regular-season title.

By PAT EATON-ROBB AP Sports Writer HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A pair of basketball players from Brown are alleging in a federal lawsuit that the Ivy League’s policy of not offering athletic scholarships amounts to a price-fixing agreement that denies athletes proper financial aid and payment for their services. The suit was filed Tuesday in

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer Kimi Räikkönen will again enter a NASCAR Cup Series race, this time at Circuit of the Americas, where the Finnish driver scored the final victory of his Formula One career in 2018. Räikkönen will again race for Trackhouse Entertainment Group in its special Project91 entry that is designed

By MITCH STACY AP Sports Writer The Cincinnati Reds are counting on a trio of young pitchers for 2023 and they can be a solid foundation for the long-term future. Right-handers Hunter Greene and Graham Ashcraft, and lefty Nick Lodolo experienced rookie struggles last year with stunning flashes of brilliance mixed in as the poor-hitting

BRUGGE, Belgium (AP) — Scott Parker has been fired by Club Brugge after less than three months in charge of the Belgian champions in the wake of Tuesday’s 5-1 loss at Benfica in the Champions League. In 12 matches with Brugge, Parker managed just 2 wins. Brugge lost both matches in its last 16 tie

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — José Pekerman has left his role as Venezuela’s national team coach after being in charge for only 15 months and 10 matches. The South American country’s soccer federation says it has terminated the contracts of the 73-year-old Argentine coach and his agent Pascual Lezcano, who also worked as a director of

TAICHUNG, Taiwan (AP) — The 20-team World Baseball Classic got underway after a six-year absence with Panama defeating Taiwan 12-5 for its first win in tournament history and the Netherlands beating Cuba 4-2 in the opening Group A game as Didi Gregorius drove in the tying run and scored the go-ahead run. Play in Group

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A coalition of Wisconsin business, tourism and health care leaders, former office holders and others says it is working to find a bipartisan solution to keeping the Milwaukee Brewers in the state. The Home Crew Coalition, which announced its formation Wednesday, comes as Democratic Gov. Tony

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is hoping he and his team have learned something from the humiliating 7-0 loss to Liverpool. The Dutchman wants an instant reaction when his team hosts Real Betis in the Europa League and his starting lineup could offer an

By STEPHEN WADE AP Sports Writer TOKYO (AP) — Everyone in Japan seems to be a fan of Shohei Ohtani, and the buzz even extends to his teammates. That includes St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar — the first to play for Japan’s national team because of ancestry. His mother Kumi was born in Japan.

PARIS (AP) — France coach Corinne Diacre says she is the victim of a smear campaign amid reports she could be replaced before the Women’s World Cup. Diacre faces opposition from several players. She says in a statement from her lawyer to The Associated Press that she has been shocked by the “violence” and “dishonesty”

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer GENEVA (AP) — French soccer club Marseille is facing a one-year transfer ban from FIFA. Marseille went to court Wednesday in its dispute with Watford over the 2020 signing of Senegal midfielder Pape Gueye. The Court of Arbitration for Sport says Gueye is attending the two-day hearing. He faces

By MIKE CORDER Associated Press THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A soccer hooligan who ran onto the field during PSV Eindhoven’s Europa League match against Sevilla and punched the Spanish club’s goalkeeper in the face has been sentenced to two months in prison. The 20-year-old was convicted of assaulting goalie Marko Dmitrovic and breaching a