NCAA:
UConn begins its quest for a 10th national title as the top overall seed in the women's NCAA Tournament. UConn will open against St. Francis, Brooklyn, which is making its first tournament appearance. The Huskies will play on their campus in the first two rounds. UConn baring an upset will play in Albany, New York at the Times Union Center when the Tournament hits the Final Four.
The Siena Saints women's basketball team will face Stony Brook in the Women's Basketball Invitational for their fifth postseason appearance and first in 12 years
In men's college basketball, NJIT beat out UNH 84-77 in the CIT.
No. 13 UAlbany will play No. 4 Duke in Durham, North Carolina at noon on Friday. No. 8 Syracuse will take on No. 9 Nebraska at 7:30 p.m. on Friday in Columbia, South Carolina. No. 12 Quinnpiac will see No. 5 Oklahoma at 4 p.m. on Saturday in Stanford, California.
NBA:
In the NBA, Brooklyn beat Minnesota 122-106, Boston trumped Philadelphia 108-89, Miami bested Cleveland 106-92, Utah topped Charlotte 94-66, Washington won against Portland 105-97, Toronto defeated Indiana 117-98, Memphis bested Denver 92-81, Utah defeated Charlotte 94-66, Dallas topped Oklahoma City 119-115, Atlanta beat Sacramento 110-103, and it was Golden State over the Lakers 108-105.
NHL:
Over on the ice, Washington edged Buffalo in a shootout 4-3, Tampa Bay doubled up Montreal 4-2, Edmonton bested Toronto 4-1, and it was Los Angeles over Arizona 1-0.
The suddenly injury-plagued New York Rangers will be without veteran forward Martin St. Louis for 10 to 14 days due to a right knee ailment. St. Louis was injured late in New York's 2-1 home victory over Florida on Sunday night.
NFL:
Nose tackle Vince Wilfork has signed with the Houston Texans after playing his first 11 seasons and five Pro Bowl appearances with the New England Patriots. He joins a unit led by Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt and featuring last year's No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. The 6-foot-2, 325-pound Wilfork had 53 tackles while starting all 16 games for the Patriots last year.
The San Francisco 49ers say linebacker Chris Borland tells ESPN he is retiring following his standout rookie season because of concerns about head trauma. The 24-year-old Borland had a team-leading 108 tackles, with one sack and two interceptions for the 2014 Niners.
Oakland has released Matt Schaub less than one year after acquiring him to be their starting quarterback. Schaub was beaten out for the starting job by rookie Derek Carr last year and was let go just days after Oakland signed Christian Ponder as a backup.
Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow has worked out for the Philadelphia Eagles and left their training facility without discussing a contract. That's according to two people familiar with the tryout. Tebow has not been on an NFL team since the 2012 season.
High School:
A western New York school district will do away with its Redskins mascot and nickname after lacrosse teams in the region said they would boycott games because of it.
The Lancaster Central School Board voted to retire the longtime symbol Monday during a special session after three districts with Native American students canceled lacrosse matches.
The term Redskins is considered by many to be a racial slur against Native Americans.
While supporters of the nickname say it was never meant to offend, high schools and universities throughout the country have dropped the name in recent years.
Lancaster has been phasing out images for the last few years. Monday's vote to retire it altogether was met with shouts of opposition from Redskins supporters, many of whom wore uniforms with the mascot's image.
Boston 2024:
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and legislative leaders are moving toward the hiring of an outside expert to advise state government on Boston's bid to land the 2024 Olympics. House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stan Rosenberg say they discussed plans for bringing in a paid consultant during a private meeting with the governor yesterday.
MLB:
Mets right-hander Zack Wheeler has a torn elbow ligament and will likely need surgery that will cost him the upcoming season. The club says Wheeler will be in New York to "confirm the diagnosis" and discuss with team medical director Dr. David Altchek on how to proceed.
Cliff Lee has been placed on the 60-day disabled list by the Philadelphia Phillies to attempt to rehabilitate an elbow injury without surgery. Lee has a torn common flexor tendon and was told last week to stop throwing in spring training. The Phillies say surgery has been recommended for the 2008 Cy Young Award winner.
The new owners of the Pawtucket Red Sox have said moving the team to Providence — and building a new ballpark there — would stimulate the local economy. But sports economists are challenging those assertions, saying new stadiums are rarely the boon investors claim.
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred confirms that Pete Rose has submitted a new request to be reinstated to baseball. Manfred says he intends to work with Rose's representatives on how to handle it.
The career hits leader agreed to a lifetime ban in August 1989 following an investigation by Major League Baseball that concluded he bet on the Cincinnati Reds to win while managing the team. He applied for reinstatement in September 1997 and met in November 2002 with Commissioner Bud Selig, who never ruled on the application.
Manfred also says addressing the Oakland Athletics' desire for a new ballpark is a top priority, though he's unsure what influence his office can have on the matter. Manfred says Major League Baseball will continue to be involved but prefers to let the A's and city of Oakland find a solution.
In baseball spring training, Boston beat the Mets 4-3, Baltimore crushed Philadelphia 16-4, the Dodgers bested Oakland 10-5, Arizona tripled up the White Sox 6-3, the Angels topped Texas 5-3, Kansas City slid past Cleveland 6-5, San Diego blanked the Cubs 7-0, Washington beat Houston 2-1, St. Louis shut out Detroit 1-0, Atlanta tied Houston 2-2, and it was Cincinnati over San Francisco 10-4.
PGA:
Rory McIlroy will take the place of Tiger Woods on the cover on EA Sports’ video game PGA Tour, now named, “Rory McIlroy PGA Tour.”
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