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Big Ten struggles early after earning 9 NCAA Tournament bids

The Big Ten hasn’t started out the NCAA Tournament looking nearly as imposing as it seemed throughout the regular season. Ohio State is already gone. So is Purdue. Michigan State couldn’t make it out of the First Four. Those three results all were decided in overtime but still raised at least a little suspicion about the strength of the Big Ten after the league led all conferences with nine NCAA Tournament bids. The Big Ten is chasing its first national title since Michigan State’s 2000 championship.

Pulling NCAA upset can change trajectory of coach's career

A bracket-busting NCAA Tournament victory can change the trajectory of a coach’s career. With a 75-72 overtime stunner of second-seeded Ohio State on Friday, Oral Roberts coach Paul Mills’ stock likely went soaring. The Golden Eagles pulled off one of the rarest tournament upsets. Oral Roberts became the ninth No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2 since the tournament expand to 64 teams in 1985. Four of the last five coaches to win in the NCAA Tournament with a No. 15 seed jumped to another job in a bigger conference within three seasons of that upset.

Spa shootings could be first test of Georgia hate crimes law

The murder case against a white man accused of shooting and killing six women of Asian descent and two other people at Atlanta-area massage businesses could become the first big test for Georgia’s new hate crimes law. The 21-year-old told police that the attacks Tuesday weren't racially motivated and claimed to have a sex addiction. Because most of the victims were women of Asian descent, there’s skepticism of that explanation and public clamoring for hate crime charges. Some lawmakers and legal experts say using the law is important for the victims and the community and to show how to prove violence motivated by bias.

Advocates urge transparency in Biden priest investigation

A prominent victims advocate group on Friday urged Santa Clara University in Northern California to release details about unspecified allegations against its president, a Jesuit priest who presided over an inaugural Mass for President Joe Biden and is now under investigation. The university says the Rev. Kevin O’Brien allegedly “exhibited behaviors in adult settings, consisting primarily of conversations, which may be inconsistent with established Jesuit protocols and boundaries.” He is currently on leave from the Catholic university. The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests says university officials need to be more transparent. O'Brien gave the Mass for Biden before the inauguration ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.

Boeheim pours in 30, No. 11 seed Orange rout Aztecs 78-62

No. 11 seed Syracuse held sixth-seeded San Diego State without a field goal for nearly a quarter of the game and sweet-shooting Buddy Boeheim hit seven 3-pointers and finished with 30 points as the Orange cruised to a 78-62 victory and into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Marek Dolezaj added 11 points as Syracuse moved on to play third-seeded West Virginia. Jordan Schakel had 17 points for the Aztecs but the nation’s third-best 3-point shooter was just 5 of 13 from beyond the arc. Matt Mitchell also had 17 points on 8-of-19 shooting.

Sources: Feds have no evidence yet for GA hate crime charge

Two law enforcement officials tell The Associated Press that federal investigators have not yet uncovered evidence that clears the high bar for federal hate crime charges against a man who has been accused of killing eight people at three Atlanta-area massage businesses. Seven of the eight people killed were women; six were of Asian descent. The crime has stitched together stigmas about race, gender, migrant work and sex work. But in order to prove a federal hate crime, investigators usually need a direct link showing that the victims were expressly targeted, and look for evidence to prove the suspect was expressing racism in text messages, in internet posts or to witnesses.

NCAA apologizes to women's teams for weight room inequities

NCAA basketball administrators apologized to the women’s basketball players and coaches after inequities between the men’s and women’s tournament went viral on social media. Administrators vowed to do better. NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt spoke on a Zoom call Friday morning a day after photos showed the difference between the weight rooms at the two tournaments. 

Pistons hand Rockets franchise-worst 19th straight loss

Frank Jackson had a season-high 23 points and the Detroit Pistons handed the Houston Rockets their franchise-record 19th straight loss, 113-100 on Friday night. Winless since Feb. 4, Houston struggled to find answers for Detroit’s ball movement and Jackson’s shooting. Jackson was 5 of 5 from 3-point range and 7 of 10 overall. Jerami Grant added 18 points, Josh Jackson had 15, and Isaiah Stewart 13. The Pistons won consecutive games for the first time since mid-February. The Rockets were playing just their fourth game of the season where Christian Wood, Victor Oladipo and John Wall were all available. Wall had 21 points and seven assists, Oladipo had 19 points, and Wood 18 points and 11 rebounds.    

Bucks land PJ Tucker from Rockets for playoff push

P.J. Tucker says a move to the championship-contending Milwaukee Bucks offers the 35-year-old veteran a breath of fresh air and a chance to turn around a frustrating season. Tucker practiced with his new team Friday after the Bucks officially announced they had acquired the 6-foot-5 forward along with guard Rodions Kurucs from the Houston Rockets The Bucks sent guard D.J. Augustin plus forward D.J. Wilson to Houston. The Bucks also gave up their 2021 and 2023 first-round picks and got back their own 2022 first-round pick and the Rockets’ 2021 second-round selection.

No. 4 Oklahoma State survives No. 13 Liberty 69-60 in NCAA

Avery Anderson III scored 21 points, Cade Cunningham added 15 after a rough start and No. 4 seed Oklahoma State outlasted No. 13 Liberty 69-60 in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region first round. Cunningham is the Cowboys’ All-American freshman guard and Big 12 Conference player of the year. He struggled for most of his NCAA postseason debut. But he hung in to score nine consecutive points in the final minutes to give OSU breathing room. Elijah Cuffee had 16 points and Darius McGhee 12 for the Atlantic Sun champion Liberty, which had won their previous 12 to tie for the nation’s third-longest surge.

Ovechkin scores 2 in final 7 minutes, Capitals beat Rangers

Alex Ovechkin scored twice in the final seven minutes to continue his goal streak and rally the Washington Capitals to a 2-1 victory against the New York Rangers. It's the Capitals' seventh win in a row. Ovechkin tied it on a rebound with 6:42 left and put the Capitals ahead on a nearly identical play with 3:33 remaining. He has scored in five consecutive games and has seven goals in the past seven games. Artemi Panarin extended his point streak to four games with his eighth goal of the season.

Wisconsin routs UNC, Williams falls to 29-1 in NCAA openers

North Carolina coach Roy Williams lost his first opening-round NCAA Tournament game in 30 tries as ninth-seeded Wisconsin blew out his eighth-seeded Tar Heels 85-62. Brad Davison scored 29 points for the Badgers, who negated North Carolina’s size advantage by draining 13 of 27 3-pointers. The Badgers had lost four of five entering the tournament. D’Mitrik Trice scored 21 points for Wisconsin, which advanced to play the South Region’s top seed, Baylor, on Sunday. Williams had won all 14 of his first-round games with Kansas and his first 15 with UNC. North never won more than three games in a row all season.

Los Angeles TV crew injured in SUV crash, driver arrested

A FOX 11 reporter and photographer were among five people seriously injured when an SUV crashed into a building in Hollywood. The driver has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. The TV station’s crew members were working on a story Friday about the famous El Capitan Theatre and Los Angeles County’s partial reopening this week. The SUV crashed into a glass storefront on West Hollywood Boulevard around 3 p.m., striking several pedestrians. The reporter and photographer were among the five people taken to the hospital. At least four of them were considered to be in serious to critical condition.

Sources: Feds have no evidence yet for GA hate crime charge

Two law enforcement officials tell The Associated Press that federal investigators have not yet uncovered evidence that clears the high bar for federal hate crime charges against a man who has been accused of killing eight people at three Atlanta-area massage businesses. Seven of the eight people killed were women; six were of Asian descent. The crime has stitched together stigmas about race, gender, migrant work and sex work. But in order to prove a federal hate crime, investigators usually need a direct link showing that the victims were expressly targeted, and look for evidence to prove the suspect was expressing racism in text messages, in internet posts or to witnesses.

Oregon State takes down Tennessee 70-56 as No. 12 seed

Oregon State played up the underdog role all season and is now the latest No. 12 seed to win an opening-round NCAA Tournament game. Roman Silva scored 16 points and the Beavers took advantage of Tennessee’s icy perimeter shooting to beat the fifth-seeded Vols 70-56 in the Midwest Region. Oregon State became the first Pac-10/12 school to win the conference tournament after being picked to finish last and is now the 51st 12-seed to take down a five-seed since the NCAA Tournament bracket expanded in 1985. The Vols shot 5 for 26 from the arc while shooting 33% overall.

Playmakers wanted: Defending champ Alabama replacing stars

Alabama opened spring practice seeking replacements for three of college football’s top offensive weapons. The good news for the defending national champions, as usual, is there are prized recruits among those waiting in the wings to replace those stars. The competition commenced Friday with the opening of spring practice for the potential successors to Heisman Trophy-winning wide receiver DeVonta Smith, quarterback Mac Jones and tailback Najee Harris. Jones and Harris also finished in the Top 5 in Heisman voting on the most program’s most explosive offense.

State: Water may be unsafe at Texas site for migrant teens

Texas’ environmental regulator has barred most uses of the water at an oilfield camp converted into a holding center for immigrant teenagers. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Friday ordered federal agencies to stop using water at the site for anything other than flushing toilets or washing clothes. The decision raised alarms about the safety of more than 400 youths detained there. President Joe Biden’s administration hastily converted a “man camp” for oilfield workers into a site for teenagers that opened Sunday night. It’s unknown how many teenagers may have drunk from taps or used it otherwise.

The Latest: NHL lists 9 players in COVID protocol

The NHL has nine players listed in its COVID-19 protocol, matching the most since Feb. 24. The Boston Bruins had four players added to their list, which resulted in the league postponing their next two games. Boston’s David Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk, David Krejci and Craig Smith joined Sean Kuraly, who entered the protocol a day earlier. The five players on one team are the most since the Philadelphia Flyers had five on Feb. 23. Also added was Vegas forward William Karlsson. A total of 153 players have spent at least one day in the protocol since the NHL season began publishing its list in mid-January.

Marquette fires coach Steve Wojciechowski after 7 seasons

Marquette has fired basketball coach Steve Wojciechowski after seven seasons in which he posted no NCAA Tournament victories. The dismissal Friday comes after Marquette went 13-14 for its first losing season since Wojciechowski's debut season of 2014-15. The former longtime Duke assistant went 128-95 overall and 59-68 in Big East competition at Marquette. The Golden Eagles earned two NCAA Tournament appearances in his seven seasons. They likely would have received a bid in 2020 as well if the pandemic hadn't halted the season.

No. 8 seed Loyola holds off No. 9 seed Georgia Tech, 71-60

Lucas Williamson scored 21 points in a dynamic performance by the defensive whiz, All-America forward Cameron Krutwig added 10, and eighth-seeded Loyola Chicago beat No. 9 seed Georgia Tech 71-60 on Friday to mark a triumphant return to the NCAA Tournament. Loyola advanced to play top-seeded Illinois on Sunday. Jordan Usher scored 15 points, Michael Devoe had 14 and Jose Alvarado 13 for the Yellow Jackets, who were forced to play without ACC player of the year Moses Wright after the big man tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week.

5 White House staffers lose jobs over drugs, marijuana use

Five White House staffers have been fired because of their past use of drugs, including marijuana. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday "there were additional factors at play in many instances for the small number of individuals who were terminated.” Marijuana has become a delicate issue for President Joe Biden's administration because 15 states and Washington, D.C., allow for recreational usage, despite a federal prohibition. Psaki says the administration has tried not to automatically penalize potential staffers for legal behavior in their communities by developing a more flexible policy. Hundreds of aides in the 2-month-old administration have cleared the suitability review by career staffers handling security issues.

A look at Cuomo aides' sexual harassment allegations

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is facing allegations that he sexually harassed or behaved inappropriately toward several women who have worked with him. The accusations range from unwanted kisses and other physical gestures to unwelcome personal questions about sex and dating. The Democratic governor has said he “never touched anyone inappropriately” and “never made any inappropriate advances” and that “no one ever told me at the time that I made them feel uncomfortable.” He has said some allegations are false. Democratic State Attorney General Letitia James has appointed a former federal prosecutor and an employment lawyer to investigate.

Freshmen who graduated early gain NCAA tourney experience

Players like UCLA's Dominique Darius are not only gaining a head start and valuable experience in their college basketball careers as early enrollees out of high school, they have been counted upon to help women's teams across the country keep their seasons going when players are held out for COVID-19 protocols. Now, some will make their March Madness debuts on the stage in the NCAA Tournament. At Oregon State, the Hemisfair Region eighth-seeded Beavers are getting a boost from Talia von Oelhoffen. Saylor Poffenbarger is doing the same for Connecticut, the River Walk Region No. 1 seed and second seed overall.

Wise takes three-shot lead at midway point of Honda Classic

Aaron Wise is making PGA National look easy. Wise shot his second consecutive round of 6-under 64 on Friday, moving to 12 under through two rounds of the Honda Classic. His 128 is the lowest 36-hole score at PGA National since the tournament moved there 15 years ago — and marks the first 36-hole lead of Wise’s PGA Tour career. He had a pair of eagles to highlight the day, his first two of 2021, and is three shots clear of Brandon Hagy (62) and first-round leader Matt Jones (70).