Here are the AP’s top sports stories that have moved or are planned to move today. All times U.S. Eastern. For up-to-the minute information on AP’s coverage, visit AP Newsroom’s Coverage Plan. Sports content can be found at http://newsroom.ap.org/page/APSports.

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UPCOMING

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BKW--MARCH MADNESS

DESCRIPTION: Text coverage of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. BKW--NCAA-Sacramento Preview --— UCLA and LSU will face familiar opponents when the top two seeds in the Sacramento 2 Regional try to advance to the Elite Eight. The Bruins will play Big Ten opponent Minnesota and the Tigers will go up against Duke in a ACC-SEC Challenge rematch. By Basketball Writer Doug Feinberg. Text, photos. BKW--NCAA-Fort Worth Preview -- Defending national champion and No. 1 seed UConn plays in its 32nd consecutive NCAA Sweet 16. The Huskies take on North Carolina, which hasn’t gone past that round since 2014. Two of the nation’s top three scorers will be featured when second-seeded Vanderbilt takes on Notre Dame. By Stephen Hawkins. Text, photos.

UPCOMING: By 03/26/2026 2:00 p.m. EDT, DigitalPlans, Text, Photo

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SOC--MONACO-POGBA

DESCRIPTION: Monaco’s bid for a Champions League spot next season could be boosted by the return of midfielder Paul Pogba. The former France star recently returned to light training following a lengthy injury layoff due to a persistent left calf problem. SENT.

SENT: By 03/26/2026 2:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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CAR--NASCAR-JGR-GABEHART LAWSUIT

DESCRIPTION: Joe Gibbs Racing is back in federal court seeking a restraining order that prohibits former competition director Chris Gabehart from joining rival Spire Motorsport. Court session begins at 9 a.m.

UPCOMING: By 03/26/2026 4:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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BKC--MARCH MADNESS

DESCRIPTION: Text coverage of the men’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: Previews/features: BKC--NCAA-Coaches Challenges -- This season, coaches can challenge calls, using video review to gain a strategic edge. Teams like Florida and N.C. State rely on staff with iPads to spot potential challenges, maximizing one per game. As March Madness has already seen, a single challenge can flip outcomes, turning upsets into season-defining moments. By Maura Carey. Text, photos. BKC--NCAA-East Preview -- The Sweet 16 in Washington is a collection of accomplished programs and legendary coaches. Duke, St. John’s, Michigan State and UConn take the court Friday night, with plenty of history they’ll try to add to. By Noah Trister. Text, photos. BKC--NCAA-Midwest Preview -- Top-seeded Michigan hopes for a better result in Chicago this time when it meets fourth-seeded Alabama in the Sweet 16. The Wolverines lost to Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament championship game at the United Center. Second-seeded Iowa State meets sixth-seeded Tennessee in the other matchup in Chicago. By Andrew Seligman. Text, photos. Games (tipoff times Eastern, NCAA seeds listed. Sidebars on merit): San Jose, Calif.: 11 Texas vs. 2 Purdue, 7:10 p.m. By Janie McCauley. Text, photos. 4 Arkansas vs. 1 Arizona, 9:45 p.m. By Josh Dubow. Text, photos. Houston: 9 Iowa vs. 4 Nebraska, 7:30 p.m. By Kristie Rieken. Text, photos. 3 Illinois vs. 2 Houston, 10:05 p.m. By Kristie Rieken. Text, photos.

UPCOMING: By 03/26/2026 6:00 p.m. EDT, DigitalPlans, Text, Photo

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BOX--FUNDORA-THURMAN PREVIEW

DESCRIPTION: WBC super welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora takes on former unified champion Keith Thurman.

UPCOMING: By 03/26/2026 7:00 p.m. EDT, Text

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NEW AND DEVELOPING

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BKC--LSU-MCMAHON-WADE

LSU fires men’s basketball coach Matt McMahon, is finalizing agreement to rehire Will Wade

SUMMARY: LSU has fired fourth-year coach Matt McMahon and is finalizing an agreement to rehire former Tigers coach Will Wade from N.C. State. Wade says “the opportunity to return to Louisiana State University is deeply personal. It’s a chance to go home — to a place that means a great deal to me and my family.” While LSU has yet to formally announce the coaching change, a person with knowledge of the development confirmed it to The Associated Press on Thursday. Wade’s return to LSU comes four years after his firing there over allegations of money-fueled recruiting violations.

WORDS: 989 - MOVED: 03/26/2026 1:38 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:94ce478baf8ac2a5e19f55ed899fe51c&mediaType=text

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OLY--IOC-FEMALE ELIGIBILITY

Transgender women athletes banned from female Olympic events by new IOC policy

SUMMARY: Transgender women athletes are now excluded from the Olympics after the IOC agreed to a new eligibility policy It aligns with U.S. President Donald Trump’s executive order on women’s sports ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The International Olympic Committee says “eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females.” Eligibility will be determined by “a one‑time SRY gene screening.” It is unclear how many, if any, transgender women are competing at an Olympic level.

WORDS: 1009 - MOVED: 03/26/2026 1:25 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:520cd9cee152a312767a667acf77dbc8&mediaType=text

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BKO--NCAA-PERFECT BRACKET

March Madness: An eighth grader from Pittsburgh is all alone with a perfect women’s NCAA bracket

SUMMARY: The only person left out of millions who entered men’s and women’s NCAA tournament brackets in ESPN’s competition is an eighth-grader from suburban Pittsburgh. His name is Otto Schellhammer, and you can bet the 14-year-old is enjoying his one shining moment. He is 48-0 through the first weekend of the women’s tournament, and he’ll try to push it to 56-0 when the Sweet 16 takes place on Friday and Saturday. The record for ESPN’s competition is 57-0. The exact odds of a perfect bracket are steep: Most mathematicians put the number at around 1 in 28 billion.

WORDS: 896 - MOVED: 03/26/2026 12:58 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:f45ee69a8213108c5876987400949cfe&mediaType=text

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BBO--BREWERS-CHOURIO

Brewers’ Jackson Chourio is opening the season on the injured list because of a fractured left hand

SUMMARY: The Milwaukee Brewers are opening their NL Central title defense without outfielder Jackson Chourio after he fractured his left hand during the preseason. The Brewers have placed Chourio on the injured list and say he’s expected to miss two to four weeks. Chourio’s absence represents a major blow for Milwaukee’s lineup as the Brewers chase their fourth straight division championship. The 22-year-old recorded at least 20 homers and 20 steals in each of his first two major league seasons.

WORDS: 801 - MOVED: 03/26/2026 12:53 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:48f7c783c7ca6e5f51c567bb9702b273&mediaType=text

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FIG--WORLDS

Malinin rebounds from Olympics at the worlds with a personal-best short program

SUMMARY: Ilia Malinin has a massive nine-point lead at the figure skating world championships in Prague after winning the short program with a personal-best score. Malinin is the defending two-time champion. He scored 111.29 points. He opened with a quad flip and a quad lutz and triple toe loop combo. Adam Siao Him Fa of France is second. Aleksandr Selevko of Estonia has surprised to be third. Japanese favorite Yuma Kagiyama fell while doing a lutz.

WORDS: 322 - MOVED: 03/26/2026 12:13 p.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:864314c81be84959904bebeeaa71f96a&mediaType=text

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FBO--FROM HOOPS TO FLAG FOOTBALL

Women’s flag football has basketball players trading sneakers for cleats ahead of 2028 LA Games

SUMMARY: Loryn Goodwin was a WNBA draft pick and O’Mariah Gordon an All-ACC guard at Florida State. They switched to flag football and have a shot at making the 2026 Team USA squad for world championships in Germany. Maybe even the squad when the sport makes its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Games. Flag football is so new the leaders of USA Football are searching for players in all places. Because the skills that make an elite player in hoops — athleticism, vision, eye-hand coordination — translate to the flag football field. Both Goodwin and Gordon will take part in USA Football’s two training camps this spring in California.

WORDS: 918 - MOVED: 03/26/2026 11:43 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:b72a8e64e2bc57d59d4cdb51cfb595c9&mediaType=text

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BKC--NCAA-COACH CHALLENGES

March Madness meets the iPad era: How coaches’ challenges are changing the game

SUMMARY: A new coach’s challenge rule has changed college basketball this season. The impact is also being seen in the NCAA tournaments. Teams now lean on video coordinators who scan replays in seconds. Coaches say they often save challenges for late, high-leverage moments in a close game. That happened in Iowa’s shocker over Florida, where a successful challenge with 70 seconds left set the stage for a basket and eventually a 1-point win.

WORDS: 1157 - MOVED: 03/26/2026 9:17 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:e7920e2085dd6165ab3707bd9523afe9&mediaType=text

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CAR--F1-JAPANESE GP-HAMILTON

Lewis Hamilton makes it clear he’s back in the F1 chase: ‘I’ve not lost what I had’

SUMMARY: Lewis Hamilton is back. After an abysmal first season with Ferrari in 2025 he was back on the podium two weeks ago at the Chinese Grand Prix. He’ll be among the favorites in Sunday’s Japanese Grand Prix. Not that he needs much of a boost as Formula 1’s most decorated driver. Last season his car was not good enough. This year it appears to be.

WORDS: 509 - MOVED: 03/26/2026 6:41 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:5b1b4796b8b7678208837f1037853924&mediaType=text

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SOC--WCUP PLAYOFFS-EUROPE

Italy hosts Northern Ireland in World Cup playoffs aiming to avoid third straight failure

SUMMARY: Four-time champion Italy hosts Northern Ireland in the standout semifinal of World Cup playoffs in Europe. The Azzurri are under pressure to avoid failing to qualify for soccer’s biggest event for a third consecutive time after being eliminated by Sweden in 2017 and North Macedonia in 2022. In all 16 teams are competing for four spots. Eight one-off semifinals are followed by four finals next week. The winners of the finals secure qualification. The other semifinals are Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina; Ukraine vs. Sweden; Poland vs. Albania; Turkey vs. Romania; Slovakia vs. Kosovo; Denmark vs. North Macedonia; and Czech Republic vs. Ireland.

WORDS: 131 - MOVED: 03/26/2026 5:12 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:86cce5cdf91eff771981825a89921f12&mediaType=text

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BKN--TIMBERWOLVES-COMEBACK

Timberwolves post NBA’s largest overtime comeback on record from 13 points down to stun the Rockets

SUMMARY: The Minnesota Timberwolves were missing five of their top seven players for most of their record-setting overtime rally to beat the Houston Rockets. They chose focus over frustration with a game-closing 15-0 run. The Timberwolves came back from 13 points down for a 110-108 victory over the Rockets. No other NBA team has overcome an overtime deficit that big since the league began logging play-by-play details with the 1997-98 season. The Rockets erased an 11-point deficit with 3½ minutes left in regulation to force the extra period and were on a 26-2 run until the Timberwolves started their rally.

WORDS: 717 - MOVED: 03/26/2026 2:42 a.m. EDT

https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:732aa79c269bae83117cda4a26575a48&mediaType=text

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MOVING TOMORROW

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BKC--MARCH MADNESS

Coverage of the men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament.

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BKW--MARCH MADNESS

Coverage of the women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament.

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FIG--WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Amber Glenn and Kaori Sakamoto bid for the women’s world figure skating championship title in the free skate. The ice dance event begins with the rhythm dance.

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