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Rain. Low 47F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..
Rain. Low 47F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch.
Updated: March 4, 2026 @ 6:32 pm
Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes (1) drives against Tennessee guard Nya Robertson (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Knoxville, Tenn, Sunday, March 1, 2026.
Michigan guard Olivia Olson (1) drives to the basket between UCLA defenders Angela Dugalić, left, and Gianna Kneepkens, right, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026.
Vanderbilt guard Mikayla Blakes (1) drives against Tennessee guard Nya Robertson (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Knoxville, Tenn, Sunday, March 1, 2026.
Michigan guard Olivia Olson (1) drives to the basket between UCLA defenders Angela Dugalić, left, and Gianna Kneepkens, right, in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026.
The Associated Press national player of the week in women’s basketball for Week 17 of the season:
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Colorado is extending women’s basketball coach JR Payne’s contract through the 2031 season, keeping a long-running era of success in place. On Wednesday, new athletic director Fernando Lovo announced the deal after a unanimous vote by the board of regents. Payne is in her 10th season and ranks second in program history in tenure and career wins. Colorado has five straight 20-win seasons and has beaten three ranked teams this season. Her teams also keep a strong academic record. Lovo praised her leadership and toughness. Payne has coached several program stars, including Jaylyn Sherrod, a 2024 WNBA champion.
Marseille’s long wait for a trophy continues after it twice threw away the lead against Toulouse before losing on penalties in the French Cup quarterfinals. Following a 2-2 draw Marseille lost the shootout 4-3 with 18-year-old Ethan Nwaneri in tears after missing the decisive kick. Some fans threw flares onto the field at the final whistle as Marseille’s players went off to a chorus of boos. The club has not won anything since the League Cup in 2012. In the other quarterfinal, Nice won 6-5 on penalties following a 0-0 draw.
La’Nya Foster scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds, Erica Moon added 17 points, and Georgia Tech defeated Florida State 72-60 in a first-round game at the ACC Tournament. The Yellow Jackets led for all but 2 minutes but didn’t put the game away until a 9-2 run late in the fourth quarter gave them a 70-56 lead. Talayah Walker had 16 points and seven rebounds for Georgia Tech, the No. 11 seed. No. 14 seed Florida State got 16 points from Sydney Bowles. Georgia Tech plays No. 6 seed Virginia Tech on Thursday. The winner will advance to the quarterfinals against third-seeded North Carolina.
FIFA representatives met with Mexican authorities on Wednesday to assess security for the World Cup matches to be played in Mexico. Concerns arose following violent incidents last week in several Mexican states after a military operation led to the capture and death of drug lord Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, alias “El Mencho,” leader of the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel. Mexico, the United States and Canada are co-hosting the World Cup. Mexico is scheduled to host 13 matches, distributed among three cities: Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey. Earlier, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum assured that “security is guaranteed.”
Linda Caicedo scored the lone goal in the second half and Colombia defeated Argentina 1-0 in the SheBelieves Cup on Wednesday. The United States was set to play rival Canada in the later match at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field. Caicedo, who plays professionally for Real Madrid, scored in the 64th minute to put Colombia up 1-0. It was her 18th international goal and came off an assist from Leicy Santos.
Shay Ciezki had 22 points and seven assists, Nevaeh Caffey scored nine of her 13 in the fourth quarter, and No. 13 seed Indiana overcame a 20-point deficit to beat Nebraska 72-69 in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Hoosiers play 11th-ranked and fifth-seeded Ohio State in the second round on Thursday. Indiana has won four in a row and is 7-2 following its 0-10 start in Big Ten play. No. 12 seed Nebraska has lost seven of its last nine games and may have seen its NCAA Tournament bubble burst. Amiah Hargrove led the Cornhuskers with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Britt Prince had 20 points and eight assists.
PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers made his first public comments of the offseason on Wednesday in an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” and anyone hoping for news on his playing status for the 2026 season walked away disappointed.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina was desperate for relevance.
The Los Angeles Chargers have released guard Mekhi Becton and tight end Will Dissly as they reshape the roster a week before the NFL’s new league year begins. The team also waived tackle Savion Washington. Becton started 15 of 16 games last season. Dissly started 11 games over the past two years after signing in 2024. He totaled 63 catches for 594 yards and two touchdowns in that span. He ranked third on the team in 2024 with 50 catches. Washington joined the Bolts as an undrafted free agent, but never got off the PUP list.
Lou Holtz, the college football titan whose prolific coaching career included a brief stint with the Jets, has died, his family announced on Wednesday.
Joel Dahmen lost his full PGA Tour card last year. Getting into the $20 million signature event at Bay Hill certainly wasn’t on his mind during the offseason. But Dahmen barely got into a couple of tournaments and finished in the top 10. That got him the last spot in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Dahmen says he’s an example that while the path to the PGA Tour is tougher, players still control their own destiny by shooting good scores. The 72-man field includes 19 or the top 20 in the world and the return of Justin Thomas from back surgery.
Lazio and Atalanta traded four second-half goals in a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the Italian Cup semifinals. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru took advantage of a through pass from former Atalanta midfielder Daniel Maldini to put Lazio ahead two minutes after the break. Mario Pasalic equalized four minutes later for Atalanta by knocking in a rebound. Boulaye Dia took advantage of a defensive error by Pasalic and quickly found the target from the center of the area in the 87th. And then United States international Yunus Musah equalized again for Atalanta. Como and Inter Milan drew 0-0 in the other semifinal on Tuesday. The second legs are scheduled for April 21-22.
A goalkeeper was taken to the hospital and a German soccer game was suspended for around 40 minutes after a firecracker thrown from the stands exploded near him. Rot-Weiss Essen says its player Felix Wienand was playing against Waldhof Mannheim in the German third division when the firecracker exploded “in his immediate vicinity” after being thrown from an area of the stands containing Mannheim fans. The club adds that Wienand was taken to hospital with a suspected acoustic trauma and acute stress reaction. The game was eventually resumed after a long delay. Wienand’s team won 1-0.
Two of Bayer Leverkusen’s young players combined for a breakthrough goal to beat Hamburger SV 1-0 in the Bundesliga and boost Leverkusen’s fading challenge for Champions League qualification. Leverkusen was having a frustrating game before 20-year-old midfielder Ibrahim Maza and 19-year-old forward Christian Kofane combined for the only goal in the 73rd minute. Maza drew in Hamburg players before flicking the ball on for Kofane, who lashed it into the top-left corner. Leverkusen stays sixth but closes the points gap to the Champions League places. Hamburg is 11th.
The New England Patriots have informed wide receiver Stefon Diggs that he’ll be released when the new league year begins next week, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hasn’t announced its intention. Diggs posted a goodbye on social media, thanking the Patriots for the season. Diggs led the team with 85 receptions and 1,013 yards receiving with four touchdowns in his only season in New England, helping the Patriots reach the Super Bowl.
Arsenal has moved seven points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League after scraping a 1-0 win at Brighton while its title rival drew 2-2 at home to struggling Nottingham Forest. City almost won it eight minutes into injury time when substitute Savinho had a shot cleared near the line. Right winger Bukayo Saka’s ninth-minute goal was enough for Arsenal, which has played one game more than City. Chelsea won 4-1 at Aston Villa to move into fifth place while relegation battler West Ham beat Fulham and Newcastle was hosting resurgent Manchester United in the other game.
Schools participating in the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments could face fines starting at $10,000 if they fail to submit player availability reports as required for the first time this year. Player availability reports are intended in part to combat betting-related pressure, solicitations and harassment athletes receive from bettors connected to playing status. A school would be fined up to $10,000 for a first offense and up to $25,000 for a second offense. Starting with a third offense, fines would be up to $30,000 for the school and up to $10,000 for the head coach.
The Washington Capitals have signed forward Ethen Frank to a two-year, $4 million contract extension. The team announced the move Wednesday. The 28-year-old Frank has provided good depth scoring this season with 11 goals and 12 assists in 52 games. He is tied for seventh in the NHL in goals among players averaging under 13:00 of ice time. In 76 career games with the Capitals, he has 15 goals and 15 assists. Washington signed him as a free agent in March 2023.
THE COLONY, Texas — Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey believes he’s the best kicker in the world. It’s a belief — a mantra, to use his words — that every elite athlete must possess.
Lou Holtz, the College Football Hall of Fame coach who led Notre Dame to a national championship and won 249 games over 33 seasons at six schools, has died. He was 89. Notre Dame announced on Wednesday that Holtz died in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by his family. Spokeswoman Katy Lonergan said a cause of death was not provided by the family. Holtz became the first and so far only coach to lead six different teams to bowl games during a career in which he compiled a record of 249-132-7. At Notre Dame, he went 100-30-2 in 11 seasons.
Lou Holtz, the college football staple who coached Notre Dame to the 1988 national title and captivated fans, dies at 89.
Olivia Hamlin scored 16 points, Delaney Gibb and Lara Rohkohl each had 15, and Sydney Benally added 14 as BYU beat Houston 76-66 in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament on Wednesday. After winning its first Big 12 Tournament game in its third season as a conference member, ninth-seeded BYU (21-10) will play eighth-seeded Utah in the second round Thursday. BYU outshot 16th-seeded Houston 47% to 31% but had to overcome 22 turnovers and didn’t have the game in hand until the final minutes. Shun’teria Anumele scored 17 points and TK Pitts 14 for Houston (7-23).
It’s another scandal for curling, this time at the Paralympics. Two rocks that were going to be used in the wheelchair curling event that began Wednesday at the Milan Cortina Paralympic Games have been stolen. The incident came a couple of weeks after the sport was sent into turmoil during the Olympics as the Canadian team was accused of cheating. World Curling told The Associated Press that local authorities were investigating the circumstances that led to the rocks being stolen from the Curling Olympic Stadium.
A brawl between South Alabama and Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt Tournament forced eight players to be ejected and knocked a referee to the ground. There were under six minutes left in the fourth quarter on Wednesday when South Alabama’s Cordasia Harris and Coastal Carolina’s Tracey Hueston began fighting under the basket. Harris appeared to bump Hueston slightly from behind before Hueston turned around and began pushing and swinging at Harris, who pushed back. Two referees, multiple teammates and staff members quickly worked to separate the women and a referee was knocked to the ground in the melee.
Two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Busch and a life insurance company have settled an $8.5 million lawsuit in which the driver said he was misled into purchasing policies marketed as safe retirement plans. A court filing says Kyle and Samantha Busch reached an out-of-court settlement with Pacific Life Insurance Company last week. Terms were confidential. The Busches sued Pacific Life last October and claimed they lost more than $8.5 million after being misled into purchasing life insurance policies that promised guaranteed returns. Pacific Life filed for dismissal in January and contended the Busches failed to fully fund their policies and signed documents agreeing to the terms.
Led by J.R. Konieczny’s 29 points, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles defeated the North Alabama Lions 69-58 in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament on Wednesday.
BOSTON — The Patriots plan to release wide receiver Stefon Diggs after the start of the league year, a source confirmed to the Boston Herald.
DALLAS — The Dallas Stars and general manager Jim Nill have made their first trade ahead of Friday’s deadline — addressing one of the team’s primary needs.
Aaron Judge will captain a loaded U.S. roster at the World Baseball Classic. The Americans are chasing their first title since 2017. The tournament opens Thursday at the Tokyo Dome, then moves into games in Houston, Miami, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The U.S. plans to lean on stronger pitching, with Logan Webb, Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, and Nolan McLean lined up to start. Japan, led by Shohei Ohtani. enters as defending champion with Yoshinobu Yamamoto starting Friday. The Dominican Republic brings a star-heavy lineup. Australia debuts top amateur draft pick Travis Bazzana.
Rory McIlroy says the European deal for LIV Golf players is generous and it’s a shame Jon Rahm doesn’t feel the same way. Rahm has rejected the deal in which he would have to pay previous fines, drop appeals and add two tournaments to the minimum four required for European tour membership. McIlroy says it’s a better deal than the PGA Tour offered Brooks Koepka to return. Rahm’s refusal to sign could put his Ryder Cup eligibility on the line. McIlroy says there’s a reason eight of the nine LIV players from Europe have signed the agreement.
As the Chicago Bears were rocketing toward an NFC North title and playoff run, quarterback Caleb Williams made a comment on social media about his Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman that has proven prophetic.
U.S. Biathlon head coach Armin Auchentaller is leaving the team. He ran both the men’s and women’s programs but the Americans fell short in winning their first medal in the Winter Olympics last month. Men’s team member Campbell Wright said they had problems with the ski waxing during the Games. Women’s team member Joanne Reid says combining the teams hurt women’s training and racing. No replacement was named.
Wrexham will play Liverpool in a friendly match at Yankee Stadium as part of its East Coast tour this summer, and by that time the fast-rising Welsh club will know if it has reached the Premier League. Wrexham has earned an unprecedented three straight promotions and is playing in the second-tier Championship for the first time since the 1980s. Its surge up the English soccer pyramid, documented in the Emmy-winning “Welcome to Wrexham” TV series, began in 2022 with promotion from the non-league fifth division. Wrexham’s three-match tour, announced on Wednesday, begins July 25 against Leeds at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The Liverpool game is July 29.
The Florida Panthers are back-to-back Stanley Cup champions who have gone to three consecutive trips to the final and made the playoffs six years in a row. The Toronto Maple Leafs have an nine-year streak of qualifying. They are almost certainly not making it this time. Major absences have tanked the season for these Eastern Conference mainstays, most notably Florida captain Aleksander Barkov’s torn ACL and Toronto losing Mitch Marner to a sign-and-trade last summer when he wouldn’t return. Selling at the NHL trade deadline is next, another unusual spot for them to be in.
Schedule subject to change and/or blackoutsThursday, March 5COLLEGE BASKETBALL (WOMEN’S)12 p.m.
(All times Mountain)Schedule subject to change and/or blackoutsThursday, March 5COLLEGE BASKETBALL (MEN’S)7 p.m.
Aaron Judge looks ready for his first World Baseball Classic. The U.S. captain crushed a 453-foot solo homer in the first inning of the team’s exhibition game against the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday, drawing a roar from the crowd and then “U.S.A!” chants in a packed stadium at Salt River Fields in Arizona. Judge’s no-doubter to left field was off lefty Kyle Freeland, leaving his bat at nearly 116 mph. The three-time MVP is trying to lead the Americans to their first WBC title since 2017. It’s the second of two exhibition games for the U.S. team, which will travel to Houston for Friday’s opener against Brazil. San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb will be the starting pitcher.
Right-hander Hunter Greene has left the Cincinnati Reds camp due to right elbow stiffness. Manager Terry Francona and president of baseball operations Nick Krall told reporters Greene would have an MRI in Cincinnati and would be examined by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Timothy Kremchek. Greene also will consult with Los Angeles-based Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Greene is the Reds’ ace. He went 7-4 with a 2.76 ERA last year. He helped Cincinnati earn an NL wild card for its first playoff appearance since 2020. The hard-throwing Greene was limited to a career-low 19 starts.
Jordan Speiser, Nastja Claessens and Taryn Sides led 12th-seeded Kansas State to a program-tying and Big 12 Tournament-record 17 3-pointers and the Wildcats beat 13th-seeded Cincinnati 91-66 in a first-round game on Wednesday. The Wildcats will play fifth-seeded Texas Tech in Thursday’s second round. Speiser made six 3-pointers and Sides five in each scoring 20 points. Claessens also hit five 3s and scored 18 points. The Wildcats (16-16) were 17 of 32 from the arc. The Wildcats tied the school record of 17 3-pointers made against Columbia on Nov. 27. Mya Perry made four 3-pointers and scored 23 points to lead the Bearcats (11-20).
The San Jose Sharks signed forward Kiefer Sherwood to a five-year, $28.75 million extension six weeks after acquiring him in a trade from Vancouver. The Sharks dealt 2026 and ’27 second-round draft picks and minor league defenseman Cole Clayton to Vancouver for the 30-year-old Sherwood in January and hoped to lock up the pending free agent with a long-term deal before Friday’s trade deadline. San Jose got the deal done a day after Sherwood scored his first goal in five games for the Sharks when he scored on the power play for the game-winner against Montreal.
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