Update on the latest sports
APNCAA-MONDAY
March Madness kicks off the week
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The change in the March Madness schedule brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic will give basketball fans a first-of-its-kind experience — eight games on a Monday.
The second-round matchups will be played in Indianapolis, starting with a lunchtime (or coffee break) affair between Oregon and Iowa and concluding with a game between USC and Kansas that should wrap up after midnight in the east.
The NCAA condensed the tournament schedule ever so slightly this year, packing 67 games into 19 days instead of the usual 21, as it brought all 68 teams to Indiana in an attempt to create a safe environment in which to play all the games.
NCAA TOURNAMENT
Big upset day in NCAAs
UNDATED (AP) — Four upsets in eight second-round games at the NCAA Tournament may be a sign the mid-major revolution is on. Or maybe not. It’s too soon to draw conclusions, but there’s few who doubt the little guys had a good day Sunday and four more mid-majors will pick up the banner in games today.
No. 11 seed Loyola and No. 15 Oral Roberts are headed to the Sweet 16 after stunning top-seeded Illinois and seventh-seeded Florida, and neither cares much for the “Cinderella” label. ORU coach Paul Mills says, “We are not capitulating to anybody here.”
NCAA-SWEET 16-DOUBLE-DIGIT SEEDS
Again, Syracuse makes Sweet 16 as double-digit seed
UNDATED (AP) — For the third time since 2016, Syracuse is headed to the Sweet 16 as a double-digit seed. In all, nine double-digit seeds have reached the regional semifinals in that time span — so the Orange have accounted for one third of them.
Later on Sunday, 15th-seeded Oral Roberts and 12th-seeded Oregon State joined that list as well. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim once again made it past the first weekend after barely qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
The Orange edged third-seeded West Virginia after knocking off San Diego State in the first round.
NCAA-CUNNINGHAM’S FUTURE
NBA likely next stop for Oklahoma State freshman Cunningham
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Cade Cunningham’s college career appears to be over.
The 6-foot-8 freshman point guard scored 24 points in Oklahoma State’s 80-70 loss to Oregon State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
The first-team AP All-American is expected to be a high draft pick. He didn’t commit either way when asked if it was his last game but he spoke as though he’s looking beyond college.
NCAA-POISED FRESHMEN
Freshmen show no signs of jitters in women’s NCAA Tournament
UNDATED (AP) — Several freshmen showed no jitters on the opening day of the women’s NCAA Tournament. In fact, they embraced the bright lights of the Big Dance.
It came as no surprise that Iowa’s Caitlin Clark began a run of impressive performances in the first game of the tournament. She was the nation’s leading scorer during the regular season.
There were others. Anaya Boyd averaged only eight minutes a game for Georgia Tech. She made major contributions down the stretch to help the Yellow Jackets avoid being upset in the first round.
US SUPREME COURT-BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING
Court could reimpose Boston Marathon bomber’s death sentence
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will consider reinstating the death sentence for Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, presenting President Joe Biden with an early test of his opposition to capital punishment.
The justices have agreed to hear an appeal filed by the Trump administration, which carried out executions of 13 federal inmates in its final six months in office. The case won’t be heard until the fall, and it’s unclear how the new administration will approach Tsarnaev’s case.
The initial prosecution and decision to seek a death sentence was made by the Obama administration, in which Biden served as vice president. But Biden has pledged to seek an end to the federal death penalty.
OLY-TOKYO-VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers from abroad ruled out for Tokyo Olympics
TOKYO (AP) — Volunteers from abroad will not be allowed into Japan for the postponed Tokyo Olympics when they open in four months.
The announcement comes two days after Tokyo organizers said they would ban international fans from coming into Japan. A limited number of volunteers might be allowed to enter if they have special skills.
Olympic organizers had planned to use about 80,000 unpaid volunteers. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government had lined up 30,000 more. Most are from Japan. It’s not clear how many will be used this time.
