Category: Sports

Matt Painter was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and he grew up in Muncie in the days when Bob Knight had the Hoosiers humming like a college basketball juggernaut. So, it makes sense that Painter would have rooted for the crimson-and-cream as a youngster.

“I know that’s sacrilegious now,” Painter said with a smile.

Well, Purdue fans have long forgiven him.

After spending four years playing point guard for Boilermakers legend Gene Keady, and eventually succeeding him as the head coach, Painter has turned Purdue into a juggernaut of its own. He has the black-and-gold headed back to the Sweet 16 after a 79-69 win over Miami (Fla.) in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday that also gave Painter his 500th win at the school.

[March Madness: 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Highlights]

“These guys — I know coaches talk about it — but they’ve put in so much in all areas to be the best they can be,” Painter said afterward. “That’s how you end up getting a lot of victories, because you have really good players that are committed.”

The Boilermakers will play No. 11 seed Texas on Thursday night in the West Region semifinals in San Jose, California.

“It’s awesome,” said Purdue guard Braden Smith, who has been part of 116 of Painter’s wins. “Coach Painter is the reason we’re here, because of who he is and how he conducts himself. Five-hundred wins is a huge accomplishment.”

Painter improved to 525-328 for his career, which includes a single season at Southern Illinois in which the Salukis when 25-5 and he was voted the Missouri Valley coach of the year. The Boilermakers quickly tapped him to be Keady’s successor, and after a transitional year spent as the associate head coach, Painter took over for good for the 2005-06 season.

The success wasn’t sudden — Purdue won just nine games his first year — but it did come quickly and consistently.

The Boilermakers made their first NCAA Tournament under Painter the following season, the first of six straight in which they won at least one game. Their current tournament streak is 11 in a row, which includes seven trips through the opening weekend, an Elite Eight appearance in 2019 and the Boilermakers’ first title game appearance since 1969 just two years ago.

They still have never won a national championship. But behind Smith, now the NCAA’s career assists king, and veterans like Fletcher Loyer and Trey Kaufman-Renn, they have a good shot at cutting down the nets in a couple of weeks.

The Final Four, by the way, will be played in Indianapolis.

It all started for Painter in the early 1970s, with games shown on TV in the family home in northern Indiana.

“The first thing that I remember is Indiana winning the national championship when I was 6 years old,” Painter said of Knight’s 1976 team, the last unbeaten to win the title. “So then, like, you just kind of followed it ever since.”

Painter grew up on the Ball State campus, though, and he’d go to games there as a kid. He also remembers watching Jim Valvano run around the court after N.C. State beat Houston for the 1983 title, and he loved Georgetown in the days of Patrick Ewing.

“But I grew up watching the Big Ten,” Painter said, “and seeing, before cable hit — like, you’d have the three channels, then you would have that fourth one that was kind of fuzzy. That was the Big Ten channel, Channel 4. And so we would always watch the games.

“When I had a chance to play in the Big Ten,” he continued in a moment of reflection, “like, that was very, very surreal for me because I wasn’t somebody — I grew a lot in high school. I wasn’t that great of a player when I was younger.”

He’s become a heck of a coach.

Five times Painter has been voted the Big Ten’s best. He’s guided the Boilermakers to five regular-season conference championships, and a win over Michigan — a No. 1 seed in this NCAA Tournament — last weekend gave him three Big Ten tourney titles, too.

Painter needs just 12 more wins to match Keady for the most in school history.

He might be able to pick up a few of those before this trip through March Madness is over.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

LIV Golf today announced the dates for LIV Golf South Africa 2027, confirming its return to the region next year. The event will take place from April 22-25, 2027, and once again be hosted at The Club at Steyn City as it builds on the more than 100,000 fans welcomed to this week’s debut event, marking the highest attended professional golf event in South African history.

The announcement was made ahead of Sunday morning’s final round during a press conference with South Africa Minister of Sport, Art and Culture Gayton McKenzie, LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil, Southern Guards GC General Manager Richard Glover representing the South African home team, and Steyn City Properties CEO, Steven Louw.

LIV Golf South Africa has quickly established itself as a flagship event on the LIV Golf calendar, with capacity crowds taking in the event’s first three days at Steyn City. The world-class competition and entertainment continues today with a marquee leaderboard and headline concert acts including St. Lucia and GoldFish for the fourth day of globally-acclaimed entertainment.

Across its 14-event global schedule, LIV Golf events have generated more than $1 billion in economic impact for host cities worldwide, supporting tourism, hospitality and local communities while delivering international broadcast reach of more than 900 million. 

The 2026 inaugural edition of LIV Golf South Africa concludes today when the 57-player international field finishes the four-round event. Immediately following the trophy ceremony, LIV Golf After Play presents the fourth day of live concerts when internationally acclaimed artists St. Lucia and GoldFish perform for a celebratory crowd to close the event. Admission is included with a Grounds ticket with additional hospitality options available.

Tickets for the final round of LIV Golf South Africa 2026 are sold out after record demand. For ticket-holders attending today’s final round, it is highly recommended to secure parking passes prior to the event, as parking passes are not available for purchase on site. Passes are available for the official Park & Ride Service with seven locations conveniently located around Johannesburg. For fans traveling by Uber or Bolt, rideshare vehicles will be directed to official drop-off and pick-up points.

This piece is in partnership with LIV Golf.

The Philadelphia Phillies have agreed to a new six-year contract with Opening Day starter Cristopher Sánchez.

The deal announced Sunday for last season’s NL Cy Young Award runner-up begins in 2027 and will run through 2032 with a club option for 2033.

Terms were not made immediately available by the team. However, the deal will include $103 million in new money, ESPN reported.

Sánchez had been pitching under a $22.5 million, four-year contract that was through the 2028 season.

He went 13-5 with a 2.50 ERA in 32 starts last season and struck out a career-high 212 batters. He’s 30-21 overall in four full big league seasons.

Originally signed by the Tampa Bay Rays as an amateur free agent in 2013, Sánchez was acquired in a trade by the Phillies on Nov. 20, 2019, for infielder Curtis Mead.

Mead played in just 41 games for the Chicago White Sox last season, while Sánchez has blossomed into one of the best pitchers in baseball and helped key the Phillies’ run to consecutive NL East titles in 2024 and 2025.

The Phillies want to keep their postseason run going — four straight appearances headed into 2026 — and have locked up all veteran members of their staff to long-term deals.

Jesus Luzardo earlier this month finalized a $135 million, five-year contract that starts in 2027. Zack Wheeler has a $126 million deal through the 2027 and Aaron Nola a $172 million, seven-year agreement through 2030. Rookie Andrew Painter is under team control through 2031 and earned the fifth starter spot in the rotation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

A big-time performance — or a key injury — can be the difference for teams in March Madness, which is already upon us.

Keeping track of notable injuries, news and happenings across men’s and women’s college basketball as the 2026 NCAA Tournament ensues.

Mar. 22

Syracuse hires Gerry McNamara

Syracuse has reportedly hired Gerry McNamara as its next head coach less than two weeks after firing Adrian Autry. McNamara spent two seasons at Siena, leading the Saints to a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2026. He also has deep Syracuse ties. He spent 12 years as an assistant between 2011-2023, and was a former Syracuse basketball player from 2002-2006, winning a national championship with the Orange in 2003 as a freshman alongside Carmelo Anthony. He will now take over his alma mater. 

Joshua Jefferson injury update

Iowa State star forward Joshua Jefferson was ruled out for the No. 2-seeded Cyclones’ second-round game against No. 7 seed Kentucky. Jefferson sustained an ankle injury in Iowa State’s game against Tennessee State on Friday, and was unable to recover in time for Sunday. If the Cyclones advance to the Sweet Sixteen, Jefferson will have five days to recover and prepare for the next opponent, which would be No. 6 seed Tennessee or No. 3 seed Virginia. 

Mar. 20

The Yellow Jackets announced that they’ve hired Troy and former UT Arlington coach as their new head coach. Cross leaves Troy, which was a No. 13 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament before losing to No. 4 seed Nebraska on March 18, after posting a combined 125-99 record over seven seasons in his respective position. He takes over a Georgia Tech program coming off a season that saw it record an 11-20 overall record and a 2-16 record in ACC play; head coach Damon Stoudamire was fired after three seasons on the job, failing to produce a winning season.

Mar. 18

Belmont hires Evan Bradds as its next head coach

Belmont reportedly hired Evan Bradds as its next head coach on Wednesday. Bradds was most recently an assistant coach at Duke, where he spent one season. He played at Belmont for four years from 2013-17, averaging 20 points per game as a senior. Bradds also spent multiple seasons as a coach with the Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz. 

Bradds, 31, becomes the second-youngest active head coach in Division I basketball, behind just Nicholls coach Tevin Saddler. He follows former Belmont coach Casey Alexander, who spent seven seasons at Belmont, leading the Bruins to three Missouri Valley Conference regular-season titles, before taking the position at Kansas State on March 13.

Mar. 17

The Cardinals’ star freshman will miss the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament due to an ongoing back injury, the school announced.

“I just don’t feel 100%,” Brown said in the locker room, according to The Associated Press. “I don’t feel like I can play to our standard.”

Brown hasn’t played since Feb. 28. Through 21 games this season, Brown is averaging 18.2 points, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 41.0/34.4/84.4.

Louisville is a No. 6 seed in the East Region of the tournament and faces No. 11 seed South Florida in the first round on Thursday.

Mar. 16

Alabama’s Aden Holloway arrested on felony drug charge

The second-leading scorer for the Crimson Tide was arrested on Monday morning, days before the NCAA tournament. 

He was booked after agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force searched a home near the Alabama campus. It was there they found and “recovered more than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash” that belonged to Holloway, according to police spokesperson Stephanie Taylor’s email to The Associated Press.

Following the arrest, Holloway was reportedly “removed from campus” and will not be with the team as the UA Office of Student Conduct investigates his case, the school announced Monday.

Holloway has had his best season, averaging 16.8 points, shooting a prolific 43.8% from beyond the arc. This could hurt Alabama in their NCAA tournament matchup on March 20 at 12:15 PM ET against Hofstra. 

Matta retiring from coaching

Longtime college basketball coach Thad Matta announced Monday he is retiring after a career that included 13 NCAA Tournaments and a national title game appearance with Ohio State.

Matta spent the past four seasons at Butler, his second stint at the helm of his alma mater. The Bulldogs suffered a season-ending 91-81 loss to Providence in the Big East Tournament.

Matta, 58, will remain on staff as a special counselor to President Jim Danko and athletic director Grant Leiendecker. Butler officials said they have begun searching for his successor.

“The love my wife, my daughters and I have for Butler is what brought us back four years ago, and it feels especially meaningful that I conclude my coaching career here,” he said in a statement. “Butler has always meant more to us than just basketball — and that connection is why I’m grateful to continue working with the university and offering my help in any way I can. I want this program to compete at the highest levels of the Big East and national landscape, and I am excited to be part of what we continue to build here.”

Matta finishes his head coaching career with a 502-223 record, winning eight conference regular-season titles at three different stops — Butler, Xavier and Ohio State. He led the Buckeyes to two Final Fours, losing to Florida in the 2007 title game. He is Ohio State’s winningest coach, compiling 337 wins over 13 seasons.

Mar. 13

Billikens extend coach Josh Schertz

Second-year Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz has agreed in principle to a long-term contract extension, athletic director Chris May announced Friday before the Billikens’ game in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament.

The Billikens (27-4) tied with Virginia Commonwealth for the A-10 regular-season championship and were the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.

May locked up Schertz as the coach’s name was bandied for a number of jobs in power conferences.

Saint Louis entered Friday one win away from tying its season record, and in January the Billikens made their first appearance in The Associated Press Top 25 since 2020-21. They were ranked as high as No. 18 and appeared in seven straight polls before dropping out Monday.

Saint Louis hired Schertz away from Indiana State in 2024 after he led the Sycamores to their first Missouri Valley regular-season championship since 2000.

The Billikens were 19-15 with an appearance in the National Invitation Tournament last season.

Pitt keeping embattled Capel

Athletic director Allen Greene announced Friday that Jeff Capel will be back for a ninth season with Pitt despite a disappointing 13-20 mark this year, that ended with a 98-88 loss to North Carolina State in the second round of the ACC tournament.

“I believe our best path forward is leadership continuity paired with clear expectations and a willingness to evolve,” Greene said in a statement.

Capel, who has four years left on the contract extension he signed in 2024, is 127-127 at Pitt. The Panthers have made the NCAA tournament just once during Capel’s tenure, when the 2022-23 team won 24 games and advanced to the second round.

Pitt narrowly missed the tournament in 2024 and saw a 12-2 start to the 2024-25 season turn into a sluggish 17-15 finish. Things weren’t any better this winter, leading to a dwindling of fan support and speculation about Capel’s job security.

Greene put that speculation to rest, for now anyway. He pointed to the way the Panthers played down the stretch while winning four of their final seven games as proof that all is not lost.

“They fought until the end and represented this university with toughness,” Greene said. “Effort alone is not enough. We must be better going forward. I know it. Jeff knows it.”

Mar. 12

Syracuse introduces Bryan Blair as new AD

Syracuse University hired Bryan Blair as its athletic director on Thursday, at a time the ACC school is searching to regain relevance and with its once-proud men’s basketball program in transition.

The 40-year-old Blair takes over after spending the past four years holding the same job at Toledo, where in 2022 he was nation’s youngest AD. And Syracuse is counting on Blair’s youth and familiarity with the NCAA’s changing revenue landscape to guide Orange athletics into the future.

“Bryan Blair is the athletics leader for this moment and for the future of Syracuse University,” Syracuse chancellor-elect Michael Haynie said in a release. “He is a fierce competitor who knows how to build winning programs, a visionary who approaches the business of college athletics with genuine creativity and ingenuity.”

He will be replacing John Wildhack, who had previously announced his retirement in July following a 10-year tenure. One of Wildhack’s final decisions was firing men’s basketball coach Adrian Autry on Wednesday. Autry was fired after three largely unsuccessful seasons in which he struggled in replacing Jim Boeheim.

Anderson slips, injured on Big 12 tournament glass floor

Texas Tech guard Christian Anderson strained a muscle while slipping on the new glass floor at the Big 12 Tournament, leaving the all-conference player to watch from the bench as No. 7 Iowa State beat the No. 16 Red Raiders 75-53 on Thursday.

Anderson was hurt on an inbounds pass when his foot slipped near his own free throw line with about 8 and a half minutes remaining in the game. He immediately grabbed at his groin area while Iowa State proceeded to score a basket and play was stopped.

Anderson limped over to the end of the Texas Tech bench, was examined by a trainer and spent the rest of the game there.

“I’m feeling good,” Anderson said afterward. “Obviously the floor is a bit slippery, so I think I just kind of misstepped or did a movement that caused me to slip and kind of ended up in a little unnatural position. That’s what it was.”

The innovative glass surface has drawn mixed reviews during the Big 12 women’s tournament last week and the first two days of the men’s tournament this week. It has been praised by coaches and players alike for its glitzy ability to display graphics and hype up the fans, but numerous players in both of the events have complained about its relatively slick nature.

Mar. 11

Arizona State parts with Bobby Hurley

The Sun Devils will be pivoting in another direction as Bobby Hurley’s coaching tenure at ASU has finished after 11 seasons, according to Chris Karpman. He will be sent on paid administrative leave for the rest of his contract in June. 

Previously an NBA player, Hurley took his talents to the whiteboard in 2010, assisting his brother at Wagner College, 12 years after his time in the league. He then transitioned to a head coaching position at the University of Buffalo in 2013, before taking his most recent gig with the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2015. 

With the Sun Devils, Hurley went 185-167 overall and held a conference game record of 90-115.

Syracuse fires Adrian Autry

The Orange are turning the page at head coach, as they’ve fired Autry after three seasons at the helm, according to CBS Sports. Syracuse lost to SMU in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday night, 86-69. This season, they went 15-17 overall and 6-12 in ACC play, good for 14th in the conference. Over Autry’s three seasons at Syracuse, the Orange went a combined 49-48.

Autry, who played four seasons at Syracuse (1990-91 season to 1993-94 season) and was a two-time All-Big East honoree, was an assistant coach at Syracuse under Jim Boeheim for 13 seasons before succeeding his former head coach in 2023.

Mar. 10

Injuries rock Duke

Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer revealed that junior guard Caleb Foster suffered a fracture in his right foot and is out for the foreseeable future following recent surgery for the matter, per ESPN. Scheyer also announced that sophomore center Patrick Ngongba II will miss this week’s ACC Tournament due to foot soreness.

This season, Foster is averaging 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, while shooting 44.2/40.2/58.5. Meanwhile, Ngongba is averaging 10.7 points, six rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, while shooting 60.2% from the field. Duke (29-2, 17-1) is the No. 1 seed in the ACC.

Mar. 6

UNC’s star freshman forward broke his right thumb in a non-contact drill at practice on Thursday and will need surgery. As a result, Wilson’s season is officially over. Wilson previously sustained a fractured left hand during the team’s loss to Miami (Fla.) on Feb. 10. Through 24 games this season, Wilson averaged 19.8 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game, while shooting 57.8% from the field.

Mar. 3

Pelphrey is out after his seventh consecutive losing season ended with the Golden Eagles failing to qualify for the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament. Pelphrey, 55, posted a 79-138 record that included a 13-18 mark this season. 

Tennessee Tech was the third head coaching stop for Pelphrey, who owns an overall record of 228-264 in 16 seasons. He posted an 80-67 record at South Alabama (2002-07) and went 69-59 at Arkansas (2007-11) before his seven-year run at Tennessee Tech. Pelphrey reached the NCAA Tournament with South Alabama in ’06 and with Arkansas in ’08.

Michigan considers options at point guard

Michigan lost the best backup point guard in college basketball, according to coach Dusty May, when L.J. Cason tore a knee ligament as the team clinched an outright Big Ten title with a win at then-No. 10 Illinois. 

The Wolverines will certainly miss the smooth-shooting sophomore, who averaged 8.4 points and more than one 3-pointer per game, but May said the injury will give guards an opportunity to play larger roles. Starting point guard Elliot Cadeau plays about 25 minutes a game, a number that may increase if he can avoid foul trouble. Freshman Trey McKenney, sixth-year player Nimari Burnett and senior Roddy Gayle each average about 20 minutes a game — and all of them will have a chance to be on the court more without Cason.

Rutgers fires women’s basketball coach

Coquese Washington is out after Rutgers ended the season with 11 consecutive losses and failed to win 10 games for the second time in three years. Rutgers was 9-20 this season; its 1-17 Big Ten record was the worst in program history in conference play. Washington succeeded Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer, who retired in 2022. A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately, Keli Zinn, Rutgers’ athletic director, said. 

Mar. 1

The USC men’s basketball team announced that guard Baker-Mazara is no longer a member of the program on Sunday. He sustained an injury during the Trojans’ loss to Nebraska. It was USC’s fifth consecutive loss as it continues to fall off the NCAA Tournament bubble. 

Baker-Mazara dealt with multiple injuries this season. He sustained a knee injury in a Feb. 3 game against Indiana, which kept him out three games. He returned for USC’s games against Oregon and UCLA before getting re-injured against Nebraska and parting ways with the team. That said, there’s no specific reason — injury or otherwise — that’s been released as the cause of his departure. 

Baker-Mazara was a fifth-year senior, so this could mean the end of his college basketball career. His journey included multiple different spots — Duquense, San Diego State, Auburn and one season at the junior college level.

Feb. 27

Tarleton State coach Billy Gillispie won’t return

Gillispie, who has been away from the bench for more than a month because of medical issues, won’t return next season, the school announced Friday. Glenn Cyprien was named acting head coach on Jan. 30, about two weeks after Gillispie stepped away. The 66-year-old Gillispie said earlier this month that he was dealing with heart and blood-pressure issues that have plagued him for years. The former Kentucky coach had a kidney transplant in 2018.

Feb. 18

Toppin was doing his usual work in the paint Tuesday night, pouring in buckets and grabbing rebounds against Arizona State in a tough road environment. Then, late in the second half, the junior forward drove to the basket before going down in a heap, holding his right leg. Toppin stayed down for a few minutes before needing assistance to gingerly limp off the court. The school announced on Feb. 18 that Toppin suffered a torn ACL, ending his season.

Toppin finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four blocks, and the Red Raiders were obviously shaken when he left the floor. He sat on the bench for a brief period before going back to the locker room.

Texas Tech was trailing 61-56 at the time of the injury and fell behind 67-56 over the next few minutes. The Red Raiders regrouped and pulled to 70-67 in the final seconds, but Christian Anderson turned the ball over, costing them a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer.

Lavin is out as the Toreros’ head coach after three-plus seasons. In four combined seasons, San Diego went 46-79 under Lavin, including 11-17 this season. He had previous head-coaching stints at UCLA and St. John’s.

Feb. 16

Huff will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 regular-season because of a left knee injury sustained in practice on Jan. 14. He was given an original timeline of 4-to-8 weeks, which meant there was a chance he’d return before the end of the regular season. However, on Feb. 16, Bulldogs coach Mark Few said that his return will likely be at least eight weeks, meaning he won’t return until after the West Coast Conference Tournament concludes. 

Feb. 15

K-State fired Tang on Sunday “for cause,” per the athletic department, citing Tang’s “public comments and conduct, in addition to the program’s overall direction.” 

Moreso, athletic director Gene Taylor filed this statement as a reason to fire Tang for cause: 

“There’s language in his contract that addresses certain things that can potentially bring embarrassment,” Taylor said. “Basically, his comments about the student-athletes and the negative reaction to those comments from a lot of sources, both nationally and locally, is where I thought we needed to make the decision.”

After K-State’s 91-62 loss to Cincinnati on Feb. 11, Tang said his players “do not deserve to wear this uniform.”

“There will be very few of them in it next year,” Tang added. “I’m embarrassed for the university, and I’m embarrassed for our fans, our student section. It is just ridiculous. We’ve got practice at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, and we will get this thing right. I have no answer and no words. … Right now, I’m like pissed.”

Tang defended those comments in a statement. “I am deeply disappointed with the university’s decision and strongly disagree with the characterization of my termination,” he wrote. “I have always acted with integrity and faithfully fulfilled my responsibilities as head coach.”

Tang coached at K-State for the better part of four seasons. He led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight in 2023, his first season. Following that year, Kansas State rewarded him with a seven-year contract extension, starting with a $3.6 million base salary, including a $100,000 increase each year, and an $18.7 million buyout. The Wildcats were 10-15 overall at the time of Tang’s for-cause firing. 

Feb. 14

BYU forward Richie Saunders sustains season-ending injury

Saunders sustained a torn ACL during the Cougars’ win against Colorado on Valentine’s Day. The injury effectively ends the senior’s college basketball career. He has played all four seasons at BYU and leads the team with 64 made 3-point shots this season. The Cougars had dropped four of their past five games previous to a 90-86 overtime victory against Colorado. They had also lost senior guard Dawson Baker to a season-ending ACL injury earlier this season. Saunders’ injury is another obstacle contributing to BYU’s dwindling national championship chances.  

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Outfielder Randy Arozarena insists everything is cool between him and his Seattle Mariners teammate Cal Raleigh after he made expletive-laden comments about the star catcher during the World Baseball Classic. Arozarena also apologized for the remarks he made about Raleigh.

“I understand that with Opening Day a few days away, I don’t want it to be a distraction. Cal and I have talked and I apologized for what I said after the game,” Arozarena said in a statement provided by the Mariners on Saturday. “Nothing in the WBC takes away from the fact that we are brothers and teammates. He’s family, and we are both focused on helping the Mariners win the World Series.”

Raleigh also expressed his appreciation for Arozarena following the Mariners’ 7-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs in their Cactus League game on Saturday night.

“We talked it out, and everything went great,” Raleigh said. “Randy knows that I love him, and he’s a brother, and it’s in the past and none of us are carrying this forward. We’re in a good spot. We talked it out. We were both sorry, and we both got in a good place and we’re both happy to be here, too. It was really good walking in the door and seeing everybody. As fun as [the WBC] was, it was nice to feel back here. It feels like the family’s all back together in a way.”

The drama between the two Mariners teammates was sparked by a moment during Team USA’s win over Mexico in pool play of the World Baseball Classic. During the March 9 matchup, Raleigh (playing for Team USA) turned down a handshake from Arozarena when he went up to the plate for Mexico. 

Following the game, Arozarena used profane language when discussing Raleigh’s actions in an interview with Mexican journalist Luis Gilbert. Arozarena said Raleigh could “f— off” and “go to hell” in Spanish. 

Arozarena opted not to speak about his comments when he returned to the Mariners this past week, saying “the WBC is behind us now.” Raleigh also downplayed his teammate’s remarks when he met with reporters the day after Arozarena made them. The star catcher iterated that there was “no beef” between the two and apologized to Arozarena if he felt disrespected by the situation. 

Now, Arozarena and Raleigh will look to lift the Mariners to back-to-back AL West titles and another deep postseason. Arozarena hit a career-high 27 homers in his first full season with the Mariners in 2025, adding 76 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. As for Raleigh, he made history with his 60 home runs last season, which marked the most ever for a catcher in a single season. 

The Mariners will open their season with a four-game home series against the Cleveland Guardians beginning on Thursday. 

 

 

Darlington was good to Denny Hamlin in 2025. 

In the spring race, he took the checkered flag, and when the Cup Series went back in the fall, he finished seventh.

Presently, the momentum seems to be all his, as he comes into this weekend’s race after holding off the field for a big win at Las Vegas.

However, Tyler Reddick’s got momentum, too, after winning the first three races of the season and capturing the pole for Darlington.

Can Reddick get his fourth win of the year or will Denny get into Victory Lane (3 p.m. ET, FS1)?

Here are the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of March 22.

This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.

GOODYEAR 400

Tyler Reddick: +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total)
Kyle Larson: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Denny Hamlin: +750 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
William Byron: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Ty Gibbs: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Brad Keselowski: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Bubba Wallace: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
Chase Briscoe: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Ryan Blaney: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Chase Elliott: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total)
Chris Buescher: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Christopher Bell: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Carson Hocevar: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Kyle Busch: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Joey Logano: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Erik Jones: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)

Austin Cindric: +4000 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Ross Chastain: +4500 (bet $10 to win $460 total)
Ryan Preece: +6500 (bet $10 to win $660 total)
Austin Dillon: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Daniel Suarez: +10000 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Justin Allgaier: +13000 (bet $10 to win $1,310 total)
Josh Berry: +13000 (bet $10 to win $1,310 total)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)
Michael McDowell: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)
Connor Zilisch: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)
Zane Smith: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
Shane van Gisbergen: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
Riley Herbst: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
John Hunter Nemechek: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
AJ Allmendinger: +30000 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total)
Todd Gilliland: +40000 (bet $10 to win $4,010 total)
Noah Gragson: +50000 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Ty Dillon: +70000 (bet $10 to win $7,010 total)
Cole Custer: +70000 (bet $10 to win $7,010 total)
Timmy Hill: +100000 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)
Cody Ware: +100000 (bet $10 to win $10,010 total)

Here’s what to know about the oddsboard:

The Favorite: Tyler Reddick’s start to the 2026 season has been electric and historic. He won the first three races of the year, captured the pole at Darlington and sits first in the standings with 112 laps led and 37 stage points. In the spring of 2025, he led 42 laps at this race and finished fourth.

Denny’s Day Again?: Denny Hamlin won this race in the spring of 2025 and is off to a solid start in 2026. He’s got three top-10 finishes and two top-fives. And as noted above, he was able to hold off Chase Elliott toward the end of the race at Las Vegas to get his first win of the year. He has also led 152 laps so far this year and has an average finish of 12th. 

One to Watch: William Byron is one that fans will be watching at Darlington. The Hendrick driver tends to run strong at this track. In the spring of last year, he had the fastest lap (29.39) and finished second behind Hamlin. And like Hamlin, Byron has some momentum coming into this race. He finished third last weekend at Las Vegas after starting ninth and leading 26 laps on the day.

What a finish in Johannesburg, with two of the best golfers in the world taking center stage.

Bryson DeChambeau held off Jon Rahm, taking down the Spaniard in a playoff for his second straight LIV Golf win. Rahm was electric on Sunday with an 8-under round, but he couldn’t finish it off against DeChambeau.

Here are the takeaways:

1. LIV Golf’s biggest stars provide the fireworks

Fans in Johannesburg were treated to an electric Sunday.

DeChambeau started the day at 21-under par, three shots ahead of Rahm. The two-time major champion shot a 63 in the final round, though, to force a playoff.

The pair played the 18th hole again, a 651-yard par-5. Both are big hitters, but it was DeChambeau who tapped in for birdie to seal his second LIV Golf victory in as many weeks.

2. DeChambeau finishes international events red-hot

Two weeks ago, DeChambeau only had one top-15 finish through the first three LIV events of 2026. Now, he has two wins.

DeChambeau posted three of his five best rounds in 2026 this week in Johannesburg, starting hot at 21-under through three rounds. If it wasn’t for Rahm’s hot Sunday, he would have cruised to victory.

DeChambeau is now second in the points standings behind Rahm, who has four top-two finishes this season (his other finish was fifth in Singapore last week). LIV Golf’s two biggest stars are clear of the field through five events.

3. Anirban Lahiri delivers for Crushers GC

It looked like Southern Guards GC, a team of four South Africans, was going to have a feel-good story this week in its home country.

And then Anirban Lahiri happened on Sunday.

Crushers GC finished the week at 76-under, one stroke better than Southern Guards. The driving force on Sunday was Lahiri, who shot an 8-under 63. DeChambeau shot a 66, while Paul Casey and Charles Howell III also delivered solid 67s.

Lahiri delivered by far his best finish this week at T9. He shot 8-under on both Saturday and Sunday to get to a 20-under finish after starting with a pair of 2-under rounds.

Crushers GC moves into third with the win, trailing Ripper GC in first and 4Aces GC.

4. What a week in Johannesburg

LIV Golf welcomed more than 100,000 fans to Steyn City this week, which was a great way to cap the international start to its season that began in Asia and ended in South Africa.

The Club at Steyn City will again host LIV Golf South Africa in 2027, although it will be in late April next year.

 “Our return to South Africa in 2027 is a proud moment for LIV Golf,” LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil said. “The success of this week’s inaugural event reaffirmed what we’ve long known — South Africa is home to a vibrant golf culture, world‑class talent, and fans whose passion elevates the game.”

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Coen Carr recorded his first career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Jeremy Fears Jr. had 16 assists as Michigan State advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 17th time under coach Tom Izzo, beating Louisville on Saturday 77-69 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Fears added 12 points on 3-for-13 shooting but did the most damage for Michigan State with his precision passing. The country’s assists leader, who came in averaging 9.2 per game, became the first Big Ten player with 10 or more assists in each of the first two games of an NCAA tourney. He had 11 in the Spartans’ first-round win over North Dakota State.

Fears also broke Magic Johnson’s longstanding record for most assists by a Michigan State player in a single game in NCAA Tournament history. Johnson had double-digit assists in four NCAA Tournament games during the Spartans’ run to the 1979 national title, before assists became an official stat.

Third-seeded Michigan State will play the winner of Sunday’s game between No. 2 seed UConn and No. 7 seed UCLA in the East Region semifinals on Friday night in Washington.

Carr, a high-jumping, 6-foot-6 junior forward, reached double-digit rebounds for the first time and came within one point of his best scoring game.

Trey Fort contributed 12 points off the bench for Michigan State, and Jaxon Kohler had 10 points.

Ryan Conwell led No. 6 seed Louisville (24-11) with 21 points and Adrian Wooley scored 17. The Cardinals were seeking their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2015, when they reached the Elite Eight under Rick Pitino.

Michigan State used a 17-5 spurt to take a 10-point lead on Cooper’s 3-pointer midway through the first half. Louisville got within a basket twice after that but never evened the score.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson is a long shot to play in the No. 2 seeded Cyclones’ game against No. 7 seed Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday after the All-American arrived at the arena for practice with a boot still on his sprained left ankle.

The Cyclones’ second-leading scorer and top rebounder was hurt about 2 1/2 minutes into Friday’s 108-74 rout of Tennessee State when he landed awkwardly on his ankle following a layup. Jefferson needed help from their training staff to leave the court, and while X-rays were negative, the 6-foot-9 forward wound up watching the rest of the game from the bench.

He was still using crutches to help him get around as the Cyclones practiced Saturday at Enterprise Center.

“Right now, we’re continuing to evaluate,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “It appears unlikely, but you never want to rule out anything. We’ll just continue to do what we can in his best interest, and we’ll be prepared to go either way.”

Jefferson said he was doing “as much rehab as I can,” but time is not on his side.

“A lot of compression and then moving it around,” Jefferson said, when asked what he can do to help his recovery. “The best thing right now is to get it moving as much as I can, and then start to be able to walk again.”

Jefferson is averaging 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Cyclones, who matched the best NCAA seed in school history and are trying to reach their first Final Four since 1944. Those across-the-board numbers are a big reason why Jefferson was a second-team AP All-American this season, missing out on the first team by a single point in voting.

“It definitely affects us. What he does is special. Not a lot of people can do what he does,” Cyclones guard Jamarion Batemon said, “but the preparation we put in — we’ve got a deep bench, and players are ready to step up when their number is called.”

Iowa State has experience playing without one of its most important players. Tamin Lipsey missed multiple games after getting hurt during the Players Era Festival early in the season; the veteran point guard also hurt his groin in the Big 12 Tournament.

“So that allowed us to play with some different lineups,” said Blake Buchanan, whose interior presence will be counted upon even more should Jefferson be unable to play. “Our staff does a good job of having confidence in us and knowing what we can do.

“It’s unfortunate with J-Jeff,” Buchanan said, “but they have confidence that, yeah, he’s out, but we have other guys that can play.”

Kentucky coach Mark Pope said the Wildcats would prepare as if Jefferson would play on Sunday. But he also said what the Cyclones do probably won’t change a lot regardless of who Otzelberger is able to put on the floor.

“They have such an ingrained identity of who they are,” Pope said. “He’s a special player, don’t get me wrong, but Iowa State is going to be Iowa State whoever T.J. rolls out on the court. He could grab five guys from the rec center and come out in a week and be an incredibly intense defensive juggernaut, and find ways to score. We’ll prepare for who Iowa State is.”

Jefferson, a senior from Las Vegas, began his career at Saint Mary’s, where his sophomore season was cut short by an injury. Once he transferred to Iowa State, he flourished into a team leader, helping the Cyclones reach the second round of the NCAA tourney last year.

Jefferson’s fervent hope is the Cyclones can go at least one more step, and give him another opportunity to suit up this season.

“The fact that he did get injured early (Thursday) allowed some guys who haven’t played as much to expand their role a little bit. That was good that way,” Buchanan said. “Obviously, we hope he can be out there with us; he’s an All-American and a big part of our team. But T.J. just told us to honor him in everything we do if he can’t be out there.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.