AP Sports SummaryBrief at 11:45 p.m. EDT

By The Associated Press
Updated: March 20, 2025 - 4:05 AM
Published: March 19, 2025 - 4:00 AM

Vikings committed to J.J. McCarthy as starting QB after considering Aaron Rodgers, AP source says

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings have committed to moving forward with J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback this season after deciding not to offer Aaron Rodgers a contract, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Vikings were not commenting publicly on their plans. Rodgers was released last week by the New York Jets. The departure of Sam Darnold left the Vikings ready to turn their offense over to McCarthy. He was the 10th pick in the 2024 draft whose rookie year was spent rehabilitating from knee surgery.

Can AI help you win your March Madness bracket? One disruptor bets $1 million on ‘yes’ (and Houston)

DENVER (AP) — Perhaps the surest sign that artificial intelligence really is taking over the world will come the day it wins your favorite March Madness bracket pool. The day could be coming soon. A successful CEO-turned-disruptor is running a $1 million March Madness bracket challenge that pits his AI programmers’ picks against those belonging to one of the world’s best-known sports gamblers. 4C Predictions CEO Alan Levy says he’s willing to wager the million because he’s convinced the data crunching his AI programmers can do is better than what gambler Sean Perry can produce. Levy’s AI program picks Houston to win it all. Perry is going with Duke.

March Madness: Xavier rallies to beat Texas 86-80 in First Four

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Marcus Foster scored 22 points and Zach Freemantle added 15 while overcoming foul trouble as Xavier rallied past Texas 86-80 in the First Four at Dayton. The Musketeers erased a 13-point deficit in their biggest comeback win this season and advanced to play No. 6 seed Illinois on Friday night in a Midwest Region game at Milwaukee. Tre Johnson led the Longhorns with 23 points in an NCAA Tournament matchup of No. 11 seeds. Freemantle made two free throws to give Xavier an 82-79 lead with 1:09 left. Johnson missed a fadeaway jumper, and Dailyn Swain’s putback of Freemantle’s missed 3-pointer extended the margin to five.

March Madness: Mount St. Mary’s beats American 83-72 in First Four to earn date with No. 1 Duke

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Dola Adebayo and Jedy Cordilla each scored 22 points as Mount St. Mary’s defeated American University 83-72 in an NCAA Tournament matchup of No. 16 seeds at the First Four in Dayton. The Mountaineers earned a date with No. 1 seed Duke on Friday in an East Region game at Raleigh, North Carolina. American lost its leading scorer, Matt Rogers, to a right knee injury in the first half. Rogers scored seven points in eight minutes. Geoff Sprouse led American with 18 points on six 3-pointers off the bench.

A look at injuries that could shape the NCAA Tournament and the brackets of millions of Americans

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The hopes of No. 1 seed Houston of cutting down the NCAA Tournament nets might rest on J’Wan Roberts’ ailing right ankle. Or Duke star Cooper Flagg’s left one. Or injuries to Texas Tech, Iowa State and other teams that could not only shape the tournament but should shape the brackets of millions of Americans on the eve of March Madness. In the case of Roberts, he is hoping to play against SIU-Edwardsville on Thursday, while the Blue Devils are hopeful Flagg can play against the American-Mount St. Mary’s winner on Friday.

Trump administration suspends $175 million in federal funding for Penn over transgender swimmer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has suspended approximately $175 million in federal funding for the University of Pennsylvania over a transgender swimmer who last competed for the school in 2022. That word comes Wednesday from the White House. The Ivy League university has been facing an Education Department investigation focusing on in its swimming program. That inquiry was announced last month immediately after President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls and women’s sports. But the federal funding was suspended in a separate review of discretionary money going to universities.

Defense Department webpage on Jackie Robinson goes down, then returns amid DEI purge

A Department of Defense webpage describing baseball and civil rights icon Jackie Robinson’s military service has been restored. That’s after it was missing earlier Wednesday. The development comes after a page honoring a Black Medal of Honor winner was momentarily taken down amid the department’s campaign to strip out content singling out the contributions by women and minority groups, which the Trump administration considers “DEI.” A Pentagon spokesman says when content is removed that is beyond the scope of the directive, that is corrected. The page on Robinson includes biographical information about his Army service during World War II.

Cade Cunningham might not have called bank. His shot only added to Detroit’s turnaround season

MIAMI (AP) — Cade Cunningham insisted he called bank. “I might have whispered it,” he said. “I don’t think anybody heard that, though.” Doesn’t matter. They saw it. Everybody saw it. And the entire NBA is seeing the Detroit Pistons — last season’s league laughingstocks, losers of 28 straight during one stretch — not only looking like a sure-fire playoff team but one with a real shot at home-court advantage in the first round. Cunningham’s banked-in 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds left was the difference in the Pistons’ 116-113 win over the reeling Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

Injury in March Madness game ends storybook final season for Matt Rogers of American U.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — American University lost leading scorer Matt Rogers to a right knee injury during Wednesday night’s 83-72 loss to Mount St. Mary’s in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. The injury ended a storybook final season for a player who chose to stay at the small school in the nation’s capital instead of transferring to a bigger program. Rogers initially tweaked his knee four minutes into the game between No. 16 seeds seeking to advance to a date with top-seeded Duke. He went to the locker room, got it wrapped and was able to return. But he seemingly made the injury worse while trying to defend the post.

Wimbledon runner-up Nick Kyrgios beats McDonald at the Miami Open for his first win in 2 1/2 years

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Nick Kyrgios has won a match for the first time in nearly 2 1/2 years. The 2022 Wimbledon runner-up beat Mackie McDonald 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 at the Miami Open on Wednesday. Kyrgios was wearing a thick wrap of beige tape on his surgically repaired right wrist that he said was numb after he took five painkillers. Kyrgios is an Australian who turns 30 next month. He hadn’t come out on the right end of an official contest since October 2022 in Tokyo. Since then, Kyrgios needed operations for a torn ligament in his wrist and on his knee.