NCAA MEN’S TOURNAMENT
Four teams have moved into the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament by winning Thursday.
No. 9 Florida State rode Terance Mann's 18 points to a 75-60 stunner against No. 4 Gonzaga. C.J. Walker and Braian Angola added 9 points as Florida State advanced to the regional finals for the third time in school history. The Seminoles entered the tournament having gone just 9-9 in the ACC before dropping its opening game of the conference tourney.
Ninth-seeded Kansas State pulled out a 61-58 victory against No. 5 Kentucky. Barry Brown provided a tiebreaking layup with 19 seconds left to put Kansas State one win away from reaching the Final Four for the first time since 1964. K.U. pulled out the win without Xavier Sneed, who scored 22 points before fouling out with 1:14 remaining. Kentucky had a chance to force overtime until Shai Gilgeous-Alexander missed a potential tying 3-pointer at the final buzzer, leaving the Wildcats at 26-11.
No. 3 Michigan moved on in Los Angeles by shooting 62 percent from the floor in a 99-72 rout of seventh- seeded Texas A&M. Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman scored 24 points and Moe Wagner added 21 to send the Wolverines to the Elite Eight for the third time in six years. Abdur-Rahkman also chipped in four 3-pointers, five rebounds and seven assists. Michigan hit 10 of their 14 3-pointers by halftime and stretched its winning streak to 12 games.
No. 11 Loyola-Chicago has continued its Cinderella run through the tournament by beating 10th-seeded Nevada, 69-68 in Atlanta. The Ramblers were clinging to a one-point lead until Marques Townes hit a 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds to play. Townes finished with 18 points, including the huge 3 that negated Caleb Martin's 3-pointer seconds later. Loyola closed the first half on a 20-4 run to take a 28-24 lead into the break. Martin had a game-high 21 points for the Wolf Pack, who finished 29-8.
Top-seeded Villanova faces off against No. 5 West Virginia and No. 11 Syracuse will take on second-seeded Duke Friday.
Elsewhere In College Basketball
Basketball Coach Dan Hurley is staying in New England but moving about 55 miles Northwest.
Hurley is leaving the University of Rhode Island to become head coach at Connecticut, replacing Kevin Ollie.
Hurley was 113-82 in six seasons with the Rams, including a 26-8 mark and a berth in the second round of the NCAA Tournament this season. He guided Rhode Island to its first Atlantic-10 regular-season championship this season and its second straight NCAA tourney appearance.
Ollie led the Huskies to the 2014 national championship, but the program has posted consecutive losing seasons and was 14-18 this year.
Also in college basketball:
Miami Hurricanes sophomore guard Bruce Brown Jr. has decided to declare for the NBA draft but won't retain an agent, leaving him the option of continuing his college career. Brown is considered a potential first-round pick even though he had a disappointing season that ended after 19 games because of a left foot injury requiring surgery. He averaged 11.4 points and shot 27 percent from 3-point range.
Former Colorado State assistant Niko Medved is returning to Fort Collins to lead the Rams men's basketball program after spending a year as Drake's head coach. Medved replaces Larry Eustachy, who stepped down last month amid a "climate assessment" of the program led by athletic director Joe Parker.
NCAA WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT
Top-seeded UConn will face off against No. 5 Duke and 11th-seeded Buffalo will go against No. 2 South Carolina at the Times Union Center in Albany Saturday.
NBA
The Philadelphia 76ers have taken another step toward their first playoff berth in six years.
The Sixers have clinched their first non-losing campaign since 2012 and moved a season-high 11 games over .500 by whipping the Magic, 118-98. Joel Embiid had 17 points and nine rebounds in just 20 minutes as the 76ers moved a half-game ahead of the Pacers for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Embiid and J.J. Redick combined for 10 points in a 12-0 run put the 76ers ahead 70-47 just before halftime.
Ersan Ilyasova finished with 18 points in Philadelphia's fifth consecutive win.
Checking out Thursday's other NBA action:
James Harden scored 10 of Houston's 12 points in overtime and finished with 21 as the Rockets held off the Pistons, 100-96. Harden was just 2-for-16 shooting in regulation before heating up in time to lead the Rockets to their seventh straight win.
Donovan Mitchell dropped in 26 points and the Jazz bounced back from Wednesday's loss to the Hawks by winning for the 10th time in 11 games, 119-112 at Dallas. Ricky Rubio scored 22 points and Joe Ingles added 18 with 10 assists to help Utah move into a tie with the Timberwolves for seventh in the West.
Anthony Davis capped a 33-point performance with two clutch free throws and a game-sealing steal in the final seconds to secure the Pelicans' 128-125 win over the Lakers. Rajon Rondo had 24 points and 10 assists for New Orleans, which erased an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit while playing for the fifth time in six nights.
Kemba Walker nailed 10 3-pointers while scoring 46 points in just three quarters of the Hornets' most lopsided win in team history, a 140-79 thrashing of Memphis. The 61-point blowout came as Charlotte center Dwight Howard served a one-game suspension for earning his 16th technical foul the previous night.
Justin Jackson scored 11 of his season-high 20 points in the third quarter of the Kings' 105-90 win against the Hawks. The start of the game was delayed due to protesters who were locked arm-in-arm around the arena following the shooting death of Stephon Clark by police.
Elsewhere On The Court
The Milwaukee Bucks say Giannis Antetokounmpo is doubtful for Friday night's game against the Chicago Bulls with a sprained right ankle.
The All-Star forward got hurt in the second quarter of Wednesday's 127-120 loss to the Clippers when he appeared to trip over teammate Shabazz Muhammad under the Bucks' basket. Antetokounmpo is fourth in the league in scoring at 27.3 points a game.
The Bulls say guard Antonio Blakeney will miss the remainder of the season because of a broken bone in his left wrist suffered in Monday's loss to the Knicks. Blakeney averaged 7.9 points in 19 games this season.
NHL
The Tampa Bay Lightning have opened up a six-point lead over Boston in the NHL's Atlantic Division, although the Bruins now have two games in hand.
J.T. Miller scored twice and Brayden Point added a goal and two assists while the Lightning were building a 7-3 lead in a 7-6 victory over the Islanders. Anthony Cirelli, Mikhail Sergachev and Victor Hedman each added a goal and an assist to help Tampa Bay withstand New York's three-goal third period.
Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 35 shots and managed to preserve the lead after the Isles scored three times in the first 4 ½ minutes of the third period.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
The Predators were on a 14-0-1 run until James van Riemsdyk and Mitchell Marner each had a goal and an assist to send the Maple Leafs to a 5-2 win at Nashville. Auston Matthews also scored after missing Toronto's previous 10 games with a shoulder injury.
Nashville's lead in the West is down to six points after the Golden Knights went into overtime before losing to the Sharks, 2-1. Logan Couture scored 39 seconds into OT to push San Jose within seven points of the Pacific Division-leading Knights.
The Capitals were 1-0 winners at Detroit behind Philipp Grubauer's 39-save effort. Brett Connolly scored the lone goal on a third-period breakaway to send Washington to its sixth win in seven games.
Anze Kopitar has 33 goals this season after erupting for four more in the Kings' 7-1 dismantling of the Avalanche. Tobias Rieder added a pair of goals as Los Angeles moved one point ahead of Anaheim for third place in the Pacific Division.
Sergei Bobrovsky claimed his fifth shutout of the season and the Blue Jackets picked up their 10th straight win by cooling off the Panthers, 4-0. Cam Atkinson had a goal and an assist to support Bobrovsky's 33-save performance and help Columbus move into a second-place tie in the Metropolitan Division, four points behind the Capitals.
The Flyers are a point behind Columbus after Travis Konecny scored twice and Claude Giroux set up three goals in a 4-3 verdict over the Rangers. Jakub Voracek had a goal and an assist as Philadelphia won for just the fourth time in 12 games.
Jeff Skinner had two goals and an assist, including the winning tally with 1:58 left to send the Hurricanes past the Coyotes, 6-5. Valentin Zykov scored two goals, the second tying it with 10:14 remaining.
Bo Horvat scored his 20th goal and had an assist in the Canucks' 5-2 victory at Chicago. Alex Edler scored twice and Jacob Markstrom stopped 39 shots for Vancouver.
Connor McDavid delivered two goals and two assists as the Oilers ripped the Senators, 6-2. Cam Talbot stopped 33 shots and blanked Ottawa until the third period.
Elsewhere in the NHL
Former NHL forward and Coach Eddie Olczyk says he is cancer-free after months of treatment.
Olczyk was diagnosed with colon cancer last summer and had surgery. He says he was told on March 14 that his scans were clear.
Patrice Bergeron, of the Bruins, has a doctor’s appointment Friday. The top-line center has not played since Feb. 25 due to a foot fracture, and if all goes well Coach Bruce Cassidy says he could meet the team in Minnesota as they take on The Wild Sunday.
MLB
Mets right-hander Rafael Montero probably will miss the season after tearing a ligament in his pitching elbow. New York said Thursday that the 27-year-old has a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament and will likely need Tommy John surgery.
Montero was 5-11 with a 5.52 ERA in 18 starts and 16 relief appearances last year. He gave up 13 runs — nine earned — and 12 hits in nine innings during spring training.
In other MLB news:
Outfielder Rajai Davis has earned a spot on the Indians' opening-day roster after attending training camp on a minor league contract. The Indians enter the season needing outfield depth with Michael Brantley and Brandon Guyer not fully recovered from surgeries. The Indians intend to release first baseman Mike Napoli and re-sign the 36-year-old to a minor league contract unless he can work out a deal with another team.
The Reds have claimed slugger Kennys Vargas off waivers from the Twins. The 27-year-old Vargas batted .253 with career highs of 11 home runs and 41 RBIs in 78 games last season.
Athletics right-hander Jharel Cotton has had Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament his pitching elbow. Cotton was 9-10 with a 5.58 ERA in 24 starts last year.
The Tigers have reassigned veteran catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia to their minor league camp. The Tigers brought the 32-year-old back on a minor league contract on March 9 to add depth behind James McCann and John Hicks.
NFL
A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that NFL active rushing leader Frank Gore has agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins.
Gore has rushed for 14,026 yards in 13 NFL seasons, including 961 yards for the Colts last year. He spent his first 10 seasons with the 49ers after being taken in the third round of the 2005 draft out of the University of Miami.
Gore turns 35 next month and hasn't missed a start since the end of the 2010 season.
In other NFL news:
The Giants have traded defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to the Buccaneers for a third-round draft pick and a swap of fourth-rounders this season. Pierre-Paul is a former first-round draft choice whose career was interrupted by a fireworks accident in 2015 that severely damaged his right hand.
The Eagles have agreed on a one-year contract with wide receiver Mike Wallace. The 31-year-old Wallace spent the past two seasons in Baltimore and had 52 catches for 748 yards and four touchdowns last year.
Free agent wide receiver Deonte Thompson has signed a one-year contract with the Cowboys. Thompson has played 53 games for Baltimore, Buffalo and Chicago. Grabbing 77 passes for 1,032 yards and four touchdowns.
The Bears have re-signed linebacker John Timu to a one-year contract. Timu has made nine starts and has 53 tackles in three seasons with Chicago.
The Vikings have signed guard Tom Compton, who spent last season with the Bears.
The Falcons have re-signed defensive end Derrick Shelby to a one-year contract, about three weeks after releasing him.
The Oakland Raiders have re-signed backup quarterback EJ Manuel and signed free agent tackle Breno Giacomini.
The Seahawks are bringing back running back Mike Davis after a strong conclusion to the 2017 season. Davis led all Seattle running backs with 240 yards last season, playing six games after being promoted from the practice squad in November.
Free agent safety Eric Reid says he is not planning to protest during the national anthem this upcoming season. Reid has been among the NFL's most visible protesters since former San Francisco teammate Colin Kaepernick decided not to stand for the national anthem in 2016.
PGA
Phil Mickelson stayed alive in the Match Play with the biggest comeback of the week at Austin Country Club.
Mickelson was 4 down through eight holes before beating Satoshi Kodaira. Lefty won the last three holes of the match, sandwiching birdies around a par-saving shot from the bunker.
Rory McIlroy bounced back from Thursday's loss to beat Jhonattan Vegas.
World No. 1 Dustin Johnson was eliminated with a 4-and-3 loss to Adam Hadwin.
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