NBA:
In the NBA, Dallas beat Charlotte 107-96, Chicago topped Toronto 109-107, Miami won against Denver 124-119, Washington bested Detroit 124-81, Houston blasted Memphis 130-81, Oklahoma City defeated Portland 128-94, Phoenix edged Minnesota 107-104, Utah trumped Cleveland 94-85, and it was Golden State over the Pelicans 125-107.
NHL:
In the NHL, the Islanders edged Florida 3-2, Anaheim bested New Jersey 7-1, Los Angeles blanked Chicago 5-0, Nashville skated by Edmonton 3-2, Calgary won against St. Louis 7-4, and it was Winnipeg over Vancouver 5-2.
NCAA:
UConn's run for a fourth straight national championship will begin at Storrs. The Huskies are the top overall seed in the women's NCAA tournament. They face Robert Morris in the first found on Friday. UConn conceivably won't have to leave Connecticut until the Final Four since the Huskies are in the Bridgeport regional.
Meanwhile No. 12 UAlbany goes up against No. 5 Florida on Friday at noon. It’s the Great Danes' best seed in the tournament to date. No. 4 Syracuse takes on No. 13 Army on Friday at 2:30 p.m. No. 2 Maryland will see No. 15 Iona at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The NCAA men's basketball tourney tips off Tuesday with the first two of the "First Four" games tonight in Dayton. That's where Florida Gulf Coast takes on Fairleigh Dickinson and Vanderbilt plays Wichita State in a doubleheader. The following evening on the same court Holy Cross is playing Southern followed by Michigan against Tulsa. The winners advance to the main portion of the NCAA Tournament which begins Thursday afternoon. The Final Four is in Houston this year the weekend of April 2 with the championship game Monday night, April 4.
In other college news:
Johnny Dawkins has been fired after eight seasons coaching the Stanford men's basketball team. The school says a national search for a replacement is under way. Dawkins guided the Cardinal to the Sweet 16 of the 2014 NCAA Tournament and NIT championships after the 2012 and '15 seasons. Stanford went 15-15 this season and finished ninth in the Pac-12 Conference at 8-10. Dawkins went 156-115 overall.
— Trent Johnson has been fired as men's basketball coach at TCU after four seasons. The Horned Frogs had a record this season of 12-21. His overall mark was 50-79 overall and only 8-64 in regular-season conference games. Those Big 12 losses were by an average of more than 15 points.
— Matt Brady is out as the men's basketball coach at James Madison. He led the Dukes for eight seasons and leaves with a record of 139-127. In 2013 Brady guided the school to the Colonial Athletic Association championship and a spot in the NCAA tournament.
MLB:
The Red Sox lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Fort Myers yesterday, 3-1, in spite of a homer by Pablo Sandoval -- his first home run of the spring. Dustin Pedroia also had two hits while Red Sox right-hander Joe Kelly threw four scoreless innings. The Red Sox face the Yankees this evening.
J.D. Martinez hit a three-run homer to lead Detroit past the New York Mets yesterday, 9-2. Seth Lugo filled in for the scheduled Mets starter Jacob deGrom and threw two scoreless innings. Wilmer Flores also sent 3-for-3.
Shortstop Jhonny Peralta is back in camp with the St. Louis Cardinals after undergoing surgery on his left thumb. There's still no updated timetable for the shortstop's return from the procedure. Peralta says he'll be in the cast for two weeks and then stitches will come out. Before the surgery Wednesday, the team estimated he'd be out two to three months.
NFL:
The New York Jets have re-signed tight end Kellen Davis, according to people with knowledge of the decision. Davis signed a one year deal on Monday, with wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins also signing his restricted free agent tender.
Before a congressional committee, NFL executive Jeff Miller has acknowledged a link between football-related head trauma and the brain disease CTE. It's the first admission by a league official that there is such a relationship.
The NFL has suspended Pittsburgh wide receiver Martavis Bryant for at least one year for violating the league's substance abuse policy. This is the second league-mandated discipline for Bryant. The 24-year-old was suspended for the first four games last season and spent a portion of that time in Houston with John Lucas, the former NBA player and coach who operates a substance abuse facility. Bryant caught 50 passes for 765 yards and six touchdowns when he returned in Week 6.
The Chicago Bears retained a pair of tight ends, agreeing to a two-year contract with Zach Miller and a one-year deal with Rob Housler. Miller re-established himself in Chicago last year after injuries sidelined him for the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons. He played in 15 games while setting career highs with 34 receptions, 439 yards receiving and a team-leading five touchdown passes. Housler was in the final four games for Chicago last season and had three catches for 27 yards. He has appeared in 65 games with 27 starts over five seasons with Arizona, Cleveland and the Bears.
Elsewhere:
— The Vikings have signed free agent safety Michael Griffin. He spent all nine years of his NFL career with Tennessee, where he made the Pro Bowl twice. He is expected to compete with Andrew Sendejo for the starting spot opposite standout Harrison Smith.
— Arizona has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with tight end Jermaine Gresham and re-signed defensive tackle Red Bryant to a one-year deal. Gresham, coming off back surgery a year ago, played in 15 regular-season games with the Cardinals last season, 12 as a starter; while Bryant, an eight-year NFL veteran, appeared in the final six games after signing with the Cardinals last season.
— Defensive tackle B.J. Raji says he is taking a hiatus from the NFL and will not play in 2016 following seven seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He does not rule out a return to the field.
— Safety Eric Weddle and the Ravens have agreed to terms on a four-year free agent contract. Weddle has spent his entire nine-year career with the San Diego Chargers and was named to the Pro Bowl three times.
The San Diego Chargers have agreed to terms of a three-year contract with former Green Bay Packers cornerback Casey Hayward. Hayward was a second-round draft pick of the Packers in 2012. He played in 51 games with 20 starts in four seasons.
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