NCAA:
Last-in Syracuse wins its first NCAA Tournament game. Freshman Oshae Brissett had a double-double and led Syracuse's second-half comeback, and the Orange, the last team to make the NCAA Tournament, held on for a 60-56 victory over Arizona State in the First Four. The 11th-seeded Orange plays No. 6 seed TCU on Friday in Detroit in the Midwest Region.
No. 2 Duke will face No. 15 Iona today at 2:45 p.m. on CBS. No. 8 Seton Hall takes on No. 9 NC State at 4:30 p.m. on TBS.
In the South Region, No. 4 Arizona goes head-to-head with No. 13 Buffalo today at 9:40 p.m. on CBS. On Friday, No. 1 Virginia will take on No. 16 UMBC at 9:20 p.m.
The women’s NCAA tournament kicks off tomorrow.
The NCAA Tournament leads to a different kind of March Madness away from the court for successful coaches in smaller leagues. Coaches like Rhode Island's Danny Hurley often find their names pop up in the rumor mill when a job opens up at a larger school. Hurley says he'd be lying if he didn't hear the chatter but does his best to block it out, pointing out that if his name is being mentioned then it means the Rams have had a good season.
Duke's freshman-laden roster of young stars will be tested when the Blue Devils face experienced Iona. The Gaels have eight upper classmen on the roster. Duke has just two. Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski says his team has matured as the season has progressed, particularly on defense. Iona is making its third straight NCAA appearance but getting to the tournament and winning are two different things. The Gaels are 1-12 all-time in the NCAAs.
NIT:
Markus Howard scored 22 points, and Marquette held on to beat Harvard 67-60 in the first round of the NIT despite three turnovers in the final minute. The Golden Eagles held a seemingly comfortable nine-point lead with 1:20 left when the Crimson's pressure defense created three steals.
WNIT:
In the Women’s NIT, Marist will take on St. John’s today at 7 p.m. in Queens, New York. Tomorrow at 7 p.m., UAlbany will face Penn in Philadelphia.
NBA:
Bradley Beal scored 34 points, including a three-point play with 1:25 left in the second overtime, and the Washington Wizards beat the short-handed Boston Celtics 125-124. Jayson Tatum missed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer that could have won it for the Celtics, who were without six players and missed several opportunities to put away the Wizards.
NFL-SIGNINGS AND TRADE ANNOUNCEMENTS:
— A person with knowledge of the deal says the Seattle Seahawks are turning to former first-round pick Barkevious Mingo to try to address a growing need on defense. The person said Mingo and the Seahawks agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $10.1 million on Wednesday.
— The Chicago Bears have agreed to contracts with linebacker Sam Acho and cornerback Prince Amukamara. Meanwhile, quarterback Mike Glennon, receiver Marcus Wheaton and defensive back Marcus Cooper were released on Wednesday. At the same time, quarterback Chase Daniel indicated on Twitter that he is headed to Chicago. Daniel played for Kansas City and has spent time with New Orleans and Philadelphia.
— A person with knowledge of the deal says the Minnesota Vikings are negotiating a trade with the Denver Broncos to acquire quarterback Trevor Siemian. He would give the Vikings a capable backup who started 24 games for the Broncos over the last two seasons.
— A person familiar with the negotiations says the New York Giants have an agreement with offensive tackle Nate Solder, who will be the NFL's highest-paid lineman. The 29-year-old was considered the top offensive lineman available in free agency.
— The Cincinnati Bengals have confirmed that they swapped first-round draft picks with the Buffalo Bills to get offensive tackle Cordy Glenn.
—People with direct knowledge the decision confirm that the Buffalo Bills have agreed to sign free agent defensive end Trent Murphy to a three-year contract. He spent the past four seasons in Washington. Also, the Bills agreed to a two-year contract with quarterback A.J. McCarron, who backed up Andy Dalton in Cincinnati for the last four seasons.
— A person familiar with negotiations says the Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to a contract with free-agent cornerback D.J. Hayden. The person says the Jags have also agreed to a contract with free-agent safety Don Carey. Carey spent the last seven years in Detroit.
— The Philadelphia Eagles and linebacker Nigel Bradham have agreed on a five-year contract.
— A person familiar with the negotiations says the Cleveland Browns are expected to sign free agent running back Carlos Hyde. Also, the Browns star left tackle Joe Thomas has retired after 11 seasons in the NFL. The 10-time Pro Bowler was injured last season.
— The Panthers announced they have re-signed free agent defensive end Julius Peppers to a one-year contract. The 38-year-old Peppers, a nine-time Pro Bowl selection, will be entering his 17th NFL season, including his 10th with the Panthers. Peppers' 154 ½ sacks are the fourth-most in NFL history.
— Five-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh has been released by the Miami Dolphins and the team announced trades to acquire defensive end Robert Quinn and send Jarvis Landry to the Cleveland Browns. Miami also released tight end Julius Thomas.
— The Detroit Lions have released Eric Ebron on a quiet first day of free agency. Poor hands and inconsistent play made him a target for boos at Ford Field.
—The Washington Redskins say they've completed their trade for veteran quarterback Alex Smith. He joined the Skins from the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a third-round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller. Smith replaces Kirk Cousins as the Redskins' No. 1 quarterback.
In other NFL news:
—The man convicted of manslaughter in the 2016 road-rage shooting death of former NFL running back Joe McKnight faces sentencing in Louisiana. Fifty-six-year-old Ronald Gasser could get up to 40 years in prison when court convenes Thursday in suburban New Orleans.
NHL:
Mika Zibanejad scored the tying goal late in the third period and then got the winner 2:53 into overtime to rally the New York Rangers to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Chris Kreider had a goal and three assists for his first career four-point night, and Jesper Fast also scored to help the Rangers get their second straight win after a three-game skid. Neal Pionk had three assists and Alexandar Georgiev, making his second consecutive start, finished with 37 saves.
Blake Coleman scored twice, Michael Grabner and Nico Hischier each had a goal and an assist, and the New Jersey Devils beat the Vegas Golden Knights 8-3. Taylor Hall, Travis Zajac, Stefan Noesen and Kyle Palmieri also scored for the Devils, who improved to 9-6-0 in their last 15 and moved one point ahead of idle Columbus for the top wild card in the Eastern Conference. Keith Kinkaid stopped 39 shots.
MLB:
After yet another medical setback that will stretch his layoff from the major leagues past two years, New York Mets captain David Wright hopes to start baseball workouts in May. The seven-time All-Star has been limited to 75 regular-season games during the past three years. New York also said star left fielder Yoenis Cespedes had a cortisone injection in his injured right wrist.
Neil Walker doubled twice in four at-bats in his first game action since signing with the New York Yankees. The switch-hitting second baseman hit twice from each side and doubled both right-handed and left-handed in a minor league camp game Wednesday. Walker is to take part in a simulated game Thursday and appear in his first big league spring training game Friday against Houston.
Tennis:
Ernie Els and Jim Furyk have received a special exemption to play in the U.S. Open this year at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island, New York. Els is a two-time U.S. Open champion. He won the Open at Oakmont in 1994 and at Congressional in 1997. This will be his 29th consecutive U.S. Open. Furyk won the 2003 U.S. Open at Olympia Fields.
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