Sports

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — Nick Smith Jr. is a potential NBA lottery pick who has faced high expectations since signing with Arkansas. The freshman guard was the USA Today Boys Basketball Player of the Year and 247Sports’ top prospect. Knee injuries limited his playing time this season. Then his

By BRIAN HALL Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns is set to return Wednesday night for the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing 51 games with a right calf strain. Towns, a three-time All-Star, has been out since Nov. 28. Towns was averaging 20.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 21 games before the injury.

LYON, France (AP) — Lyon’s chances of a seventh Women’s Champions League title in eight years were hit by losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the first leg of the quarterfinals. Guro Reiten’s curling strike in the 28th minute puts Chelsea in control against the defending champions heading into the second leg next week at Stamford

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Both editions of March Madness have proven to be must-see TV for basketball fans. The first two rounds of the women’s tournament averaged a record 391,000 viewers, a 28% increase over last year. The men’s first round on March 16-17 averaged 9.2 million viewers on CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. The

CHICAGO (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden has been ruled out for the team’s game at Chicago because of left Achilles soreness. Harden played almost 47 minutes during Monday night’s double-overtime loss to the Bulls, finishing with five points on 2-for-14 shooting and 12 assists. He is averaging 21.4 points and an NBA-high 10.8

By JAMES ROBSON AP Soccer Writer MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani has stepped up his attempt to buy Manchester United by stating his intention to make a second bid for the iconic soccer team. The chairman of Qatar Islamic Bank has said he wants to return the club to the

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Aly Khalifa scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half, Montre’ Gipson made three 3-pointer in the second half, and No. 3 seed Charlotte held off No. 8 seed Eastern Kentucky 71-68 on Wednesday night in the championship game of the College Basketball Invitational. Charlotte (22-14) finished the

By JOHN MARSHALL AP Basketball Writer LAS VEGAS (AP) — Arkansas coach Eric Musselman and UConn’s Dan Hurley have fiery demeanors, just like their fathers. The coaches’ sons will meet in the Sweet 16 in Las Vegas, pulling them one step closer to college basketball’s ultimate goal. Musselman absorbed everything from his father, Bill, as

By MARK LONG AP Sports Writer Don’t expect Danny or Brian White to talk any trash this week even though the brothers will be behind opposite benches in the Sweet 16 at Madison Square Garden. The athletic directors for Tennessee and Florida Atlantic, respectively, insist the stakes are too high for them to be anything

By BERNIE WILSON AP Sports Writer SAN DIEGO (AP) — Brian Dutcher will always be known as the guy who spent all those years at Steve Fisher’s side, winning the NCAA title at Michigan in 1989 and recruiting the Fab Five before helping to build San Diego State into a West Coast power. It’s a

LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo says his difficult second spell with Manchester United made him a better man. Ronaldo opened up briefly about his troubles at the English club ahead of Portugal’s match against Liechtenstein in qualifying for the European Championship on Thursday. He is set to break the all-time record for appearances with

EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms with two free agents: wide receiver Brandon Powell and linebacker Troy Reeder. Both Powell and Reeder were on the Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams team in the 2021 season with current Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell. He was the offensive coordinator there. Powell is

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic is returning from a five-game injury absence, but fellow star Kyrie Irving is out for the Dallas Mavericks in a key game against Golden State. Doncic missed two weeks with a left thigh strain. Irving is sidelined again by a right foot injury that was aggravated in the previous game

By MARK ANDERSON AP Sports Writer HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The Las Vegas Raiders signed tight end Austin Hooper and cornerback David Long Jr. on Wednesday. Hooper caught 41 passes for 444 yards and two touchdowns last season with the Tennessee Titans. He is the potential replacement for Darren Waller. Hooper is a two-time Pro

By KRISTIE RIEKEN AP Sports Writer HOUSTON (AP) — The Houston Texans don’t yet know who their quarterback will be next season and beyond. But whoever it is will be well protected with left tackle Laremy Tunsil signing a three-year $75 million extension that makes him the highest-paid left tackle in the NFL and will

LYON, France (AP) — Guro Reiten’s first-half goal helped Chelsea beat Lyon 1-0 to put the London club a step closer to the semifinals of the Women’s Champions League. The Norway international’s curling strike in the 28th minute puts Chelsea in control against the defending champions heading into their quarterfinal second leg next week at

By TOM WITHERS AP Sports Writer CLEVELAND (AP) — A person familiar with the deal tells the AP the Cleveland Browns acquired wide receiver Elijah Moore in a trade from the New York Jets. The Browns are sending the No. 42 pick in this year’s draft to the Jets for Moore and the No. 74

By STEVE DOUGLAS AP Sports Writer The proposed fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk to become the first undisputed world heavyweight champion since 2000 is on shaky ground with the boxers seemingly unable to agree to rematch terms. Usyk promoter Alex Krassyuk says the Ukrainian’s team ended negotiations because Fury was “putting so many

By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Some may consider Florida Atlantic as one of the Cinderellas left in the men’s NCAA Tournament field. But the ninth-seeded Owls aren’t looking for a slipper to wear at the Sweet 16 dance in the East Region. The team from Boca Raton, Florida, that plays