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UPCOMING
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BKW--MARCH MADNESS
DESCRIPTION: Text coverage of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament (tipoff times Eastern):
BKW--NCAA-TCU-Return of Miles
Olivia Miles understands why people thought she was making a dumb decision returning for another college season when she had the chance to be a top WNBA pick last year. But the playmaking guard who felt she needed another season transferred from Notre Dame to TCU, was the Big 12 player of the year, and is going to another Sweet 16 before the WNBA draft that will come after a new labor deal. By Stephen Hawkins. 650 words, photos.
Games:
Louisville, Ky.:
No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 6 Alabama, noon. By Gary B. Graves.
Iowa City, Iowa:
No. 10 Virginia vs. No. 2 Iowa, 2 p.m. By John Bohnenkamp.
Columbus, Ohio:
No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Notre Dame, 4 p.m. By Joe Reedy.
Morgantown, W.Va.:
No. 5 Kentucky vs. No. 4 West Virginia, 5 p.m. By John Raby.
Storrs, Conn.:
No. 1 UConn vs. No. 9 Syracuse, 6 p.m. By Jim Fuller.
Nashville, Tenn.:
No. 2 Vanderbilt vs. No. 7 Illinois, 7 p.m. By Teresa M. Walker.
Columbia, S.C.:
No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 9 Southern California, 8 p.m. By Pete Iacobelli.
Los Angeles:
No. 8 Oklahoma St vs. No. 1 UCLA, 10 p.m. By Beth Harris.
UPCOMING: By 03/23/2026 2:00 p.m. EDT, Text, DigitalPlans, Photo
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BKC--MARCH MADNESS
DESCRIPTION: Text coverage of the men’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament:
BKC--NCAA-Texas-Miller Time -- After a bumpy regular season at Texas where the Longhorns barely made it into NCAA Tournament, first-year coach Sean Miller has the Longhorns heading to a surprise Sweet 16 as this season’s March Madness bracket buster. By Jim Vertuno. 600 words, photos.
BKC--NCAA-CHAMPIONSHIP DATA -- A look at the key data points emerging during the NCAA Tournament after each round ahead of the Final Four. By Aaron Beard. 750 words, photos.
BKC—NCAA-Nebraska-Hoiberg -- Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg already has made history by becoming the first Cornhuskers coach to lead the team to an NCAA tournament victory — two so far this March. It’s been an unlikely run for a team that was picked to finish 14th out of 18 teams in the Big Ten this season. Hoiberg can make more history with a win over rival Iowa in the Sweet 16. By Cliff Brunt. 700 words, photos.
UPCOMING: By 03/23/2026 2:00 p.m. EDT, Text, DigitalPlans, Photo
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BBO--ABS-WHO BENEFITS
DESCRIPTION: Mookie Betts, Eugenio Suárez and Paul Goldschmidt had the most called strikes on pitches that should have been balls in the past decade, according to Statcast, while Kyle Hendricks, Aaron Nola and Kevin Gausman topped pitchers who got strike calls on balls outside the zone. By Baseball Writer Ronald Blum. 800 words, photos.
UPCOMING: By 03/23/2026 5:00 p.m. EDT, Text
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BKN--HEALTHY NUGGETS
DESCRIPTION: DENVER -- With Peyton Watson back from a pulled hamstring, the snakebit Denver Nuggets are finally at full strength for the first time since mid-November. By Arnie Stapleton. 600 words, photos.
UPCOMING: By 03/23/2026 8:00 p.m. EDT, Text
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NEW AND DEVELOPING
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CAR--NASCAR-23XI GREATNESS
Budding NASCAR powerhouse team owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan just needs short track magic
SUMMARY: Denny Hamlin likes comparing his lightning-fast assembly of 23XI Racing to solving a Rubik’s Cube. He knows there’s one critical piece left to solving the NASCAR puzzle for the budding powerhouse that he’s built with NBA great Michael Jordan — the short tracks. Hamlin said Sunday after Tyler Reddick won at Darlington Raceway for 23XI’s fourth win in the sixth of 36 races this year: “The short tracks (are) the only place where 23XI as a whole could get a little bit better. We just don’t have any weaknesses.”
WORDS: 817 - MOVED: 03/23/2026 1:19 p.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:5ce041fda08587d2dcc83368dc9d3fce&mediaType=text
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BKC--NCAA-BRACKET RESET
Bracket Reset: NCAA Tournament down to a Sweet 16 of high-majors
SUMMARY: Cinderella has been kicked out of the dance early for the second straight season. Following a madness-promising first day of upsets, the NCAA Tournament has turned into a high-major affair. The Sweet 16 invite is for power-conference programs only. The Big Ten is the big conference on the block, pushing through a league-record six teams into the Sweet 16, including three in the same region. The SEC has four Sweet 16 teams, the Big 12 three, the Big East two, the ACC one. No mid-majors made it to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season after Utah State came up just short against West Region top seed Arizona.
WORDS: 904 - MOVED: 03/23/2026 12:47 p.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:ff2f65e021742bab56793df8b6ad9a45&mediaType=text
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FBN--SEAHAWKS-SMITH-NJIGBA
Seahawks, WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba agree to 4-year, $168.8 million deal, AP source says
SUMMARY: The Seattle Seahawks and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba have agreed to a four-year, $168.8 million contract extension, with $120 million guaranteed, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract, which will make him the highest-paid wide receiver, hasn’t been finalized. Smith-Njigba, 24, set the team record for yards receiving (1,793) and receptions (119) in a single season en route to winning AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year last season and helping lead the Seahawks to the Super Bowl.
WORDS: 247 - MOVED: 03/23/2026 12:41 p.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:d47e73ce5f4787c02ab1e148d7d3dca6&mediaType=text
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BKL--WNBA-CBA
WNBA players unanimously approve a new 7-year collective bargaining agreement through 2032
SUMMARY: WNBA players have unanimously approved the new collective bargaining agreement with more than 90% participating in voting over the weekend. The seven-year CBA, which will begin this season and run through 2032, represents a landmark labor deal for the WNBA and its players. The union says the deal “delivers consequential economic progress and expanded benefits that support players on and off the court.” Once the WNBA Board of Governors approves the CBA it will become official. Then there will be a sprint to the start of the regular season on May 8.
WORDS: 299 - MOVED: 03/23/2026 11:49 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:2b56582d24d56d6cdeb0711e584cc7b9&mediaType=text
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BKC--NCAA-THE OLD SCHOOL
In the era of NIL and transfers, the Sweet 16 is filled with veteran teams that have stuck together
SUMMARY: Most of the teams that have reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament have done so behind starting lineups that have a vested interest in their coaches and their programs. That’s not necessarily what one might expect in the era of free transfers and name, image and likeness in college basketball. Yet nine of the 16 teams still alive have at least three starters who have played multiple seasons for their current coaches, and 11 of the 16 have at least three starters who have never played at another school. And their coaches are quick to point out the benefits of that when it comes to culture, teamwork and, above all else, loyalty.
WORDS: 926 - MOVED: 03/23/2026 11:27 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:04dff76d29d9a5ec5bf93ff4705c2fb5&mediaType=text
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TEN--SWIATEK COACH SPLIT
Iga Swiatek parts with coach after Miami Open shock
SUMMARY: Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek has parted company with her coach after her shock first round elimination at the Miami Open, she said. In a post on Instagram, the world No. 3 announced her split from Wim Fissette, who she had worked with since 2024 and claimed her first Wimbledon title with last year. Swiatek, who has won six Grand Slam titles, said she’d “decided to take a different path.” The 24-year-old from Poland was beaten in three sets by world No. 50 Magda Linette in Miami last week. Defeat ended her run of 73 straight opening-round wins on tour.
WORDS: 220 - MOVED: 03/23/2026 11:20 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:a214e672ba763dc08462c5fd1bc8889f&mediaType=text
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BBO--BRAVES-STRIDER
Braves starter Spencer Strider will begin season on injured list because of strained oblique
SUMMARY: Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Strider will start the season on the injured list because of a strained oblique. The club announced the decision Monday after scratching Strider from his final spring training start. The club is hopeful the 27-year-old former All-Star will be out only a couple of weeks. Strider was solid if not spectacular during a handful of spring training appearances, going 2-0 with a 3.24 ERA.
WORDS: 193 - MOVED: 03/23/2026 10:46 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:3c9d17e9119d7313fd7ddd09c29574d3&mediaType=text
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BKC--NCAA-SWEET 16-BY THE NUMBERS
Sweet 16 mixes some surprise teams with chalk favorites. Here’s 16 numbers to know about next round
SUMMARY: The regional semifinals, better known as the Sweet 16, are up next in the NCAA Tournament. One thing we know for sure heading toward the second weekend of March Madness is that there will be a new national champion. No. 9 Iowa assured us of that when it pulled the biggest upset so far by knocking out No. 1 seed Florida. Now the Hawkeyes will square off against another tournament darling, not to mention a neighborhood rival, in Nebraska. Of course, some of the biggest brands in college basketball are still alive, too.
WORDS: 570 - MOVED: 03/23/2026 10:10 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:cbceee814ab97c82f3c86cae83bf7515&mediaType=text
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BKC--NCAA-MICHIGAN-LENDEBORG
Yaxel Lendeborg finally finds the spotlight at Michigan in leading Wolverines to Sweet 16 berth
SUMMARY: It was hard to miss Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg on and off the court this past week. The graduate senior and Big Ten player of the year caused a stir before the NCAA Tournament opened by revealing he took a lesser offer in choosing to play for Michigan over Kentucky. And once play began, Lendeborg scored 25 points and punctuated the Wolverines’ 95-72 second-round win over Saint Louis with a massive dunk. Nicknamed “Dominican LeBron,” Lendeborg is one of four key offseason additions that led to Michigan already matching a school record with 33 wins. The Midwest Region’s top seed advanced to play fourth-seeded Alabama in Chicago on Friday.
WORDS: 817 - MOVED: 03/23/2026 6:00 a.m. EDT
https://newsroom.ap.org/home/search?query=itemid:3e5513243e3ce3aab80f0517314fdabd&mediaType=text
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MLB PREVIEW SPORTS EXTRA: A paginated preview of the season is in AP Newsroom by searching for “Sports Extra” or “SE” under the Graphics tab. Three versions – full broadsheet, half broadsheet and tabloid – are available. Please contact Barry Bedlan at bbedlan@ap.org with any questions.
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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 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
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BBO--ABS-EJECTIONS
Kevin Cash isn’t worried ejections will become a relic with robot umpires: “You only get two challenges, right?” the Tampa Bay Rays manager said, “That can come up in the first inning.” By Baseball Writer Ronald Blum.
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