NCAA Roundup and Sports Summary

Milos Uzan’s late bucket on inbound play sends Houston into Elite Eight with 62-60 win over Purdue

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Milos Uzan soared for an uncontested layup on a beautifully executed inbound play with 0.9 seconds left, and No. 1 seed Houston survived a late collapse to beat fourth-seeded Purdue 62-60 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Houston led 56-46 with just under eight minutes remaining but made only one field goal from there until Uzan’s tiebreaking bucket. He inbounded the ball from the baseline to Joseph Tugler, who threw a bounce pass back to Uzan, and the 6-foot-4 junior took it to the rim. Coach Kelvin Sampson’s Cougars advanced to the Elite Eight for the third time in five years. They’ll face No. 2 seed Tennessee on Sunday.

Top-seeded Auburn rallies in 2nd half, beats Michigan 78-65 in Sweet 16 of March Madness

ATLANTA (AP) — Freshman Tahaad Pettiford and senior Denver Jones turned in dazzling performances when it mattered most, rallying top-seeded Auburn to a 78-65 victory over Michigan in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers wiped out a nine-point deficit in the second half, outscoring No. 5 seed Michigan 39-17 over the final 12 1/2 minutes to advance to the Elite Eight for only the third time in school history. Auburn will face Michigan State in the South Region final on Sunday, with a trip to the Final Four on the line. Johni Broome scored 22 points to go along with 16 rebounds for Auburn. Pettiford and Jones scored 20 points apiece.

There’s less March Madness chaos this year in Spokane, with fewer teams and lessons learned

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — There’s a lot less chaos in Spokane for this year’s NCAA Tournament with fewer teams, games and fans in town. The city is hosting women’s tournament games at Spokane Arena. Top overall seed UCLA and its 6-foot-7 All-America center Lauren Betts were among the eight teams in town for the games. The area drew unwanted attention last year when there was a perfect storm of sporting events that descended on the city at the same time. There were men’s tournament games and a youth volleyball tournament with more than 700 young players. With all those teams, athletes and fans in the city at the same time, there was a shortage of suitable hotel rooms and some of the women’s teams were housed in hotels across the border in Idaho, where the Utah women’s team experienced racism.

No longer sick, Dodgers’ Mookie Betts hits a pair of ‘160-pound homers’ as he works to gain weight

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mookie Betts is no longer ailing, finally able to keep food down and eating up a storm to pack on the weight that he dropped while battling a stomach virus during the first two weeks of the season. The Los Angeles Dodgers star hit two home runs, including a three-run blast in the 10th inning that gave the defending World Series champions a come-from-behind 8-5 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Earlier Friday, the Dodgers received their 2024 World Series rings in a ceremony. The virus caused Betts to lose about 15 pounds. He’s currently 165 pounds, and his wife and personal chef are cooking all the time to help him regain another 10 pounds.

Ring bling: Dodgers show off glittering World Series rings in pregame ceremony

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers received their glittering World Series rings in a pregame ceremony. Shohei Ohtani, Clayton Kershaw and manager Dave Roberts received some of the loudest cheers as they walked a blue carpet to a stage set up between home plate and the mound. The players and coaching staff received blue boxes and hugs from owner Mark Walter and other executives. A choir opened the ceremony by singing “We Are the Champions” and a brass band closed it playing “They Not Like Us.” Inside the ring box a video plays highlights of the team’s championship run.

Brazil fires coach Dorival Júnior after worst defeat in World Cup qualifying

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s soccer confederation has fired coach Dorival Júnior after 14 months amid poor results and disappointing performances from the national team. Júnior’s sacking on Friday comes three days after a 4-1 defeat at Argentina, Brazil’s worst defeat in a World Cup qualifier. His replacement has yet to be picked. Brazil is fifth in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The top six qualify automatically.

Michigan State’s 2nd-half rally sends Spartans past Ole Miss 73-70 as Izzo wins again in Sweet 16

ATLANTA (AP) — Jase Richardson scored 24 points and Michigan State surged past Mississippi in the second half for a 73-70 victory on Friday night in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Ole Miss was denied in its bid for its first Elite Eight appearance despite leading by 10 points in the first half and by nine in the second half. Michigan State, the South Region’s No. 2 seed, rallied to keep alive coach Tom Izzo’s bid for his ninth Final Four and second national championship. The Spartans will play the winner of Friday night’s Michigan-Auburn game in Sunday’s Elite Eight.

Alysa Liu delivers the US its first women’s figure skating world championship in nearly 2 decades

BOSTON (AP) — Alysa Liu became the first American women’s figure skating world champion in nearly two decades Friday night, dethroning three-time defending champion Kaori Sakamoto with a brilliant free skate that earned her a standing ovation inside TD Garden. Liu finished with 22.97 points to cap a remarkable comeback from retirement. Sakamoto finished with 217.98. Earlier in the night, American ice dancers Madison Chock and Evan Bates led after the rhythm dance as they chase a third consecutive title. They scored a season-best 90.18 points for their “tour through the decades” program, while Canadian rivals Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier were second with 86.44. The men’s and dance competitions conclude Saturday.

A look inside the Tampa Bay Rays’ 120-hour makeover of the Yankees’ Steinbrenner Field

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Left homeless after Hurricane Milton destroyed the Tropicana Field roof on Oct. 9, the Tampa Bay Rays began their season as renters at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training headquarters for the Yankees, playing the Colorado Rockies in the final major league opener. The Rays replaced more than 3,000 images in the 11,000-capacity ballpark during a 120-hour makeover after the Yankees’ final home spring training game ended Sunday at 3:33 p.m. By the time of Friday’s first pitch shortly after 4 p.m., banners spelling “R-A-Y-S” covered the “Y-A-N-K-E-E-S” signs above the first- and third-base stands.

Deion Sanders’ contract at Colorado extended through the 2029 season

Colorado coach Deion Sanders has received a contract extension through the 2029 season after turning around a downtrodden program in just two seasons. The school said the extension increases Sanders’ yearly base salary to $10 million in 2025, making him the highest-paid football coach in the Big 12. The deal was reached with three years remaining on Sanders’ existing five-year, $29.5 million deal he signed when he was brought in from Jackson State. Sanders and the Buffaloes are coming off a 9-4 season in which they earned a spot in the Alamo Bowl.