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Canada advanced past the first round of the World Baseball Classic for the first time, beating Cuba 7-2 Wednesday in a winner-take-all game at San Juan, Puerto Rico, behind Abraham Toro's homer and Otto Lopez's two-run single.

Brothers Bo Naylor and Josh Naylor drove in runs, Owen Caissie had two RBIs and reliever James Paxton struck out six over 2 2/3 scoreless innings for Canada (3-1), which eliminated the Cubans (2-2) and won Group A over Puerto Rico (3-1). Cuba was knocked out in the first round for the first time.

Canada and Puerto Rico will play quarterfinals in Houston this weekend.

Cuba finished with three errors, and left fielder Ariel Martinez allowed Toro’s catchable fly starting the seventh to fall for a double. The Canadians broke open the game with a three-run sixth inning that included a dropped popup, a foul pop that fell, a wild pickoff throw and a catcher's interference call on Andrys Perez, whose passed ball led to Canada's first run.

Later Wednesday, Mexico and Italy were to play at Houston in a Group B game that will determine whether the U.S. advances.

Cuba escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first when Matt Davidson hit an inning-ending popout off loser Livan Moinelo, but Canada went ahead in the third on Caissie's sacrifice fly. Toro homered in the fifth on a splitter from Yariel Rodríguez, a 420-foot drive to right.

Cuba scored in the bottom half on Yoelkis Guibert's run-scoring groundout off winner Cal Quantrill, who allowed an unearned run and two hits over five innings.

Canada opened a 3-1 lead in the sixth on Bo Naylor's RBI double.

Martinez drove in a run in the bottom half with his third hit and Josh Naylor had an RBI single in the seventh on a soft fly to left that popped up of the glove of Martinez, who tried for a sliding catch.

Cuba went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Adam Macko escaped a bases-loaded jam in the sixth when Yiddi Cappe swung over a curveball and James Paxton struck out Moncada in the seventh to leave runners at the corners.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jamichael Stillwell had 17 points and 15 rebounds, Riley Kugel added 15 points, and eighth-seeded UCF rallied to beat ninth-seeded Cincinnati 66-65 in overtime on Thursday and advance to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament.

John Bol scored 13 points for the Knights (21-10), who trailed by as many as 12 in regulation, then watched as the Bearcats' Jalen Celestine missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in overtime to earn a date with top-ranked Arizona on Thursday.

Moustapha Thiam had 18 points and 16 boards to lead the Bearcats (18-15). Day Day Thomas had all of their seven points in overtime and finished with 15, while Celestine had 11 points and Keyshuan Tillery finished with 10.

The Knights won despite going 3 of 24 from beyond the 3-point arc.

Cincinnati had taken control with about 10 minutes to go, when Thomas was fouled by Kugel about 30 feet from the basket and the shot-clock running out. His two free throws gave the Bearcats a 46-37 lead, and Stillwell immediately picked up his fourth foul at the other end, sending the Knights' best rebounder to the bench.

UCF still faced a 58-50 hole with about two minutes to go when Stillwell hit a soft jumper in the lane. Cincinnati proceeded to turn the ball over on three straight possessions, and Kugel's driving layup tied the game 58-all with a minute to go.

The Bearcats had the final shot of regulation, but Thiam didn't appear to realize the clock was about to expire. Cincinnati coach Wes Miller frantically called timeout from the bench, but there was only 0.8 seconds left — time enough for an airballed 3-point try.

Up next

The Knights lost their only game to the top-seeded Wildcats in mid-January.

Cincinnati must hope a first-round win over Utah in the Big 12 tourney will get it off the NCAA Tournament bubble on Sunday.

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For as hard as it is to make the NCAA Tournament, it’s really easy to take yourself out of it.

Auburn, one of the most polarizing March Madness bubble candidates, was on the brink of kissing its chances goodbye in the opening round of the SEC tournament. The Tigers were shaken by Mississippi State in the first half with a 10-point deficit, not looking remotely close to a unit that should hear its name called on Selection Sunday.

March Madness live bracketology: NCAA Tournament bracket updates today

But to their credit, Auburn recovered and played like its life was on the line. It was a night-and-day performance coming out of halftime with a dominant final 20 minutes to avoid the upset and advance.

Projected to miss the tournament in the latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology, It’s not a win that will drastically move the 17-15 Tigers into the field. Yet, it wouldn’t be possible without it.

Auburn is as confusing as it comes. You can argue why it should be in with some major wins and tough schedule, or shouldn’t be in with all of the losses. No matter which way you lean, everyone could agree it needs to impress in the SEC tournament. A Quad 3 loss and Auburn would’ve surely been out of consideration. Instead, there is hope.

The work is far from over since a win over the Bulldogs doesn’t move the needle much. However, what’s ahead surely will.

Auburn now has one of the biggest bubble games of the season in the second round against Tennessee. A win over the Volunteers would be monumental and could alter the projected field completely. Advancing to the quarterfinals against Vanderbilt and winning that could silence the critics.

But it has to get Step 1 done first and beat Tennessee. Auburn got a second life to keep its tournament hopes alive, and it cannot waste it as it leads the tournament watch winners and losers from Wednesday’s action.

March Madness bubble winners

NC State

A team trending in the wrong direction, NC State ended the regular season with four straight losses with a couple of ranked beatdowns and bad losses. The Wolfpack weren’t in danger of missing the tournament, but needed to show something to not fall into a possible No. 11 seed situation.

Against Pittsburgh in the ACC tournament second round, early it looked like a devastating Quad 3 loss was on the horizon. However, Will Wade’s offense kept pace and used a strong second half start to avoid the collapse.

It’s not an impressive victory, but one NC State needed to calm the waters. Now there really won’t be a worry for Selection Sunday, and it can just focus on moving up the seed line. It gets a chance against Virginia in the quarterfinals.

March Madness bubble losers

Cincinnati

The late push for Cincinnati all came crashing down with a stunning collapse that all but keeps the Bearcats out of the NCAA Tournament.

Up by eight with just over two minutes left, Cincinnati looked like it was closing in on a major victory over Central Florida. Then came the shocker. It couldn’t stop turning the ball over and it allowed UCF to tie the score and send it to overtime. The Bearcats were rattled and couldn’t regroup in the extra period, with UCF ending the last seven minutes on a 15-6 run to win.

It’s a devastating outcome as seven wins in nine games brought Cincinnati into the conversation for a bid. In the First Four out, it needed the win to keep trending up. Now the season ends in missing the tournament for the sixth straight season.

SMU

Get ready for a couple of stressful days, SMU, since it was unable to boost its resume in the ACC tournament.

After finally ending a four-game skid with an opening round victory over Syracuse on Tuesday, the Mustangs needed more and had a chance against Louisville. For the majority of the day, SMU looked like it could take down the Cardinals and get a massive victory. However, it didn’t score in the final two and a half minutes and Louisville powered through for the win.

SMU is one of the last four in, but can now only hope no other team steals bids and pushes them down the line. Had the Mustangs won, they could have secured their selection. It’s a miserable feeling being unable to do anything about it, but it’s the price to pay for having such a rough end to the season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness bubble winners, losers: Auburn up, SMU, Cincinnati down

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Kevin Overton scored 22 points, including 15 in the second half, as No. 12 seed Auburn rallied past No. 13 seed Mississippi State 77-61 on Wednesday in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

The win helps Auburn’s NCAA Tournament chances under first-year coach Steven Pearl. The Tigers entered the SEC Tournament on the bubble after finishing as the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament on their way to the Final Four a year ago.

Auburn (17-15) erased a 33-30 halftime deficit and dominated after the break, outscoring Mississippi State 47-28.

Overton led the charge with six 3-pointers and five assists as Auburn found its rhythm from the perimeter in the second half. KeShawn Murphy added 15 points and nine rebounds, while Keyshawn Hall finished with 14 points and Tahaad Pettiford contributed 11.

Mississippi State (13-19) saw its streak of three straight NCAA Tournament appearances come to an end.

Josh Hubbard finished with 22 points on 8-of-25 shooting for the Bulldogs. Jayden Epps added 14.

The Tigers gradually took control midway through the second half as Overton connected on consecutive 3-pointers to turn a tight game into a multi-possession lead. Auburn pushed the margin into double digits down the stretch.

Up next

Auburn faces No. 5 seed Tennessee on Thursday in the second round.

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CHICAGO (AP) — Zoom Diallo had 22 points and 11 assists and scored the go-ahead basket in overtime as Washington defeated USC 83-79 in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday.

The 12th-seeded Huskies (16-16) will take on fifth-seeded Ohio State in a quarterfinal on Thursday.

Diallo scored 15 points over the second half and overtime despite staying on the floor after picking up his fourth foul with nearly 13 minutes left in regulation. Quimari Peterson made five 3-pointers for his 15 points and Wesley Yates III also scored 15. Hannes Steinbach, who scored 24 and 22 points in Washington's two regular-season wins over the Trojans, finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Kam Woods scored 24 points with seven assists for the 14th-seeded Trojans (18-14), who lost their eighth straight. Jacob Cofie added 14 points, Jordan Marsh had 13 and Ezra Ausar and Ryan Cornish 10 each.

Diallo’s bucket with 2:18 left in overtime gave the Huskies the lead and Peterson added a 3-pointer with a minute to go. Woods completed a three-point play to get the Trojans within a point and forced a turnover by Diallo with 24.2 seconds left. But Woods missed on a drive and fouled Diallo, who made two free throws for an 82-79 lead. USC called timeout with eight seconds remaining but Marsh missed an awkward 3 and Hannes Steinbach made 1 of 2 free throws.

USC led by as many 13 in the second half then Washington went on a 20-4 run to go up 64-61 with six minutes left in regulation. The game was tied at 71 with a minute left but Diallo and Woods missed jumpers on their teams' final possessions.

Up next

Washington beat Ohio State at home 81-74 on Jan. 11.

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BODO, Norway (AP) — The Champions League’s Cinderella club Bodø/Glimt wrote another chapter Wednesday in its fairytale run through the competition.

The homely Norwegian club won 3-0 against Sporting Lisbon in the first leg of a round-of-16 clash at its tiny Aspmyra Stadium.

Sporting became the latest favored team to travel far north and struggle inside the Arctic Circle this year.

Manchester City and Inter Milan were each beaten 3-1 on the artificial turf field since Bodø/Glimt began the year looking sure to fall short of reaching the knockout rounds.

It is now a remarkable five straight wins in the Champions League — all during the offseason in Norway. The country's domestic league does not start until this weekend.

Bodø/Glimt led in the 32nd minute when Sondre Brunstad Fet scored with a penalty kick, deceiving Sporting goalkeeper Rui Silva who dived right as the ball went low to his left.

Ole Blomberg added a second in first-half stoppage time, sliding in a low shot after the ball bounced through to him.

Center forward Kasper Høgh added a third in the 71st being strong in the goalmouth to connect with Jens Petter Hauge’s hard-driven low cross. It was Høgh's fifth goal in the five-win streak.

None of the goalscorers has even played for their national team. Fet at age 29 and the 25-year-old Blomberg are yet to be selected for Norway which is soon going to its first World Cup in a generation.

Høgh, also 25, has not been picked for Denmark, which is in a World Cup qualifying playoffs bracket this month.

The team from the Norwegian Sea fishing town would be the most unlikely Champions League quarterfinalist of recent years. APOEL from Cyprus reached the last eight in 2012 and was beaten by Real Madrid.

The winner after the return game in Lisbon next Tuesday will advance to play either Arsenal or Bayer Leverkusen who drew 1-1 Wednesday in the first leg in Germany.

The entire population of Bodø, just 55,000 people, could all fit inside Arsenal’s stadium.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The Golden State Warriors have lost three consecutive games and 10 of 15 since All-Star guard Stephen Curry went down with a right knee injury.

The team, for at least the short term, will continue to be without the 37 year old.

Golden State issued an update indicating that Curry was reevaluated Wednesday, March 11 for patella-femoral pain syndrome/bone bruising in the injured knee. The Warriors said Curry continues to “make good progress” and that he has been going through individual on-court workouts, which will intensify over the coming days as he improves. Golden State added that Curry will be reevaluated in 10 days.

Curry suffered the injury Jan. 30 in a contest against the Pistons and has missed the following 15 games.

What does Stephen Curry’s injury mean for the Warriors?

It’s a continued blow for the Warriors, who are in danger of falling outside of the play-in picture. Golden State is currently 32-33 and in ninth place in the Western Conference.

The team, and the offense in particular, has struggled significantly in Curry’s 15-game absence. Over that span, the Warriors rank 21^st in offensive rating, generating 111.7 points per 100 possessions.

Curry’s injury compounds what has been a tough season for Golden State. The Warriors have also been without forward Jimmy Butler (torn anterior cruciate ligament) since Jan. 19, and new addition Kristaps Porziņģis has made just three appearances for the team.

The Warriors only have 17 games remaining in the 2025-26 regular season, but the good news is that the No. 11 seed in the West, the Grizzlies, are well behind the play-in picture, currently 8 ½ games back of Golden State. Four teams, the ones finishing from seeds No. 7 through 10, are the ones that qualify for the Play-In Tournament.

For Golden State to have any chance to make some noise in the play-in — and the playoffs, if they qualify — it will need Curry to be fully healthy, so taking a measured approach with his health makes perfect sense.

Curry, though, thrives on off-ball movement and is one of the hardest-working players in the NBA who travels a significant distance in an average game, so his playing style is not without its toll.

Stephen Cury stats

In 39 appearances this season, Curry is averaging a team-high 27.2 points per game on 46.8% shooting. Curry has also recorded 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stephen Curry injury update: Warriors reveal latest status on star

The Oklahoma City Thunder finally arrived as an NBA powerhouse with a championship run in 2025, defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the NBA Finals. This year, they look equally dominant – and they are gaining plenty of respect from sportsbooks as a result. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Thunder as +130 to win their second consecutive title, -135 to win the Western Conference, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as +135 to be NBA Finals MVP. But is the market respect deserving? Using FTN’s NBA StatsHub, we can take a deeper look at Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder, and whether the Spurs, Nuggets, or another team out west has a chance to dethrone them.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has put up strong numbers since coming back from an oblique injury that sidelined him through the All-Star break – averaging 30.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 8.4 assists. That said, the underlying metrics suggest that his recent production has been more volume-driven, rather than efficient. Overall, this season, Gilgeous-Alexander has a 7.3% Field Goal Percentage Over Expectation, which ranks third among players averaging 30-plus minutes per game. His +3.0 Points Over Expectation trails only Nikola Jokić, Kevin Durant and Luka Dončić. Since returning from injury, Gilgeous-Alexander has a -2.5% FGOE and -1.4 PTOE. The scary thing? Oklahoma City is 5-0 during that span, with wins over the Nuggets (twice) and the Knicks – both of which are widely regarded as teams that could make a deep playoff run.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Through the close of play Tuesday, Oklahoma City (+9.5) leads the NBA in FTN’s Model Team Ratings. They are 3.2 points better than the next-best team in the Western Conference – the San Antonio Spurs.

Similar to last year, their dominance has been driven primarily by a defense that is significantly better than any other team in the NBA. During the 2024-2025 campaign, the Thunder finished the regular season with a 106.6 defensive rating. The next-best team was the Orlando Magic, a distant second with a 109.1 defensive rating. This season, Oklahoma City once again leads the league in defensive rating (106.2), despite having to navigate injuries to some of their best defensive players. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren, Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein are four of the team’s top defenders, per our FTN Player Ratings – they have all missed 10-plus games.

Put another away, the Thunder have decisively been the best team in the NBA this season by most advanced metrics, despite not having their core contributors available for a considerable portion of their games.

Thunder, or the field?

All of that said, is there any realistic probability that another team – perhaps the Spurs or Nuggets, could dethrone the Thunder in the Western Conference? San Antonio is the only non-Thunder team in the Western Conference that ranks in the top-five in our FTN’s Model Team Ratings. They are also the only team that has proven capable of causing matchup issues for the Thunder this year. The Spurs have played the Thunder four times this year, winning three times – twice by convincing margins:

• Dec. 13: Spurs defeated Thunder 111-109
• Dec. 23: Spurs defeated Thunder 130-110
• Dec. 25: Spurs defeated Thunder 117-102
• Jan. 13: Thunder defeated Spurs 119-98

The Nuggets have struggled in their head-to-head meetings this season:

• Feb. 1: Thunder defeated Nuggets 121-111
• Feb. 27: Thunder defeated Nuggets 127-121
• March 9: Thunder defeated Nuggets 129-126

Denver has struggled in general lately, too, which isn’t a great sign as the postseason draws near. Since Nikola Jokić returned from injury Jan. 30, the Nuggets are 7-10 overall, ranking 15th in Net Rating. They have suffered losses against the Clippers and Warriors in that span – fringe playoff teams. They have also struggled against the Jazz and Grizzlies, a pair of teams that are aggressively participating in this year’s NBA tankathon.

The Takeaway

If ranking the top teams in the NBA with a month remaining in the regular season, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence that the Thunder are in their own tier at the top of the league. In the Western Conference, in particular, Oklahoma City has a sizable lead over San Antonio and Denver in FTN’s Model Team Ratings – and that’s with the Thunder missing a number of their core pieces for significant periods of time. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hasn’t looked as good post-injury, in terms of (FGOE) and (PTOE), as he did pre-injury, but the Thunder have still been dominant with a slightly less efficient version of their best player. Right now, it’s the Thunder, followed by a big gap, then everybody else.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves head to Inglewood tonight as they take on the surging Los Angeles Clippers. 

My Timberwolves vs Clippers predictions target another big outing on the boards for Julius Randle, who remains a key contributor to Minnesota's title chances. 

Get the lowdown with my free NBA picks for Wednesday, March 11. 

Timberwolves vs Clippers prediction

Timberwolves vs Clippers best bet: Julius Randle Over 6.5 rebounds (-120)

Julius Randle has been strong on the boards for the Minnesota Timberwolves lately, averaging 8.8 rebounds per game so far in March.

Although Rudy Gobert is always going to be the prime candidate to rack up boards for the visitors, Randle is a worthy sidekick — and he’s nailed this prop in five straight games.

The Los Angeles Clippers were outrebounded 51-36 in Monday’s victory over the Knicks, and that’s a weakness that Minnesota can attack tonight.

Timberwolves vs Clippers same-game parlay

The new-look Clippers are rolling, and they’re 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games. With Minnesota on the second night of a back-to-back set, I’ll take the L.A. moneyline and pair it with standout efforts from Darius Garland and Derrick Jones Jr.

Garland is finding his feet with the hosts, dishing 21 dimes in his last three games, while Jones Jr. has had consecutive 16-point performances.

Timberwolves vs Clippers SGP

• Clippers moneyline
• Darius Garland Over 6.5 assists
• Derrick Jones Jr. Over 12.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Counting on the Klaw

The Kawhi Leonard vs. Anthony Edwards showdown should be spectacular, and I’m banking on The Klaw to continue his steady scoring after sinking the Knicks with 29 points earlier this week.

A turnover-prone T-Wolves team should also be easy prey for Leonard on the defensive end.

Timberwolves vs Clippers SGP

• Kawhi Leonard Over 28.5 points
• Kawhi Leonard Over 3.5 assists
• Kawhi Leonard Over 1.5 steals
• Clippers moneyline

Timberwolves vs Clippers odds

• Spread: Timberwolves +1.5 (-110) | Clippers -1.5 (-110)
• Moneyline: Timberwolves +100 | Clippers -120
• Over/Under: Over 226.5 (-110) | Under 226.5 (-110)

Timberwolves vs Clippers betting trend to know

The Timberwolves are 2-7 ATS in their past nine games. Find more NBA betting trends for Timberwolves vs. Clippers.

How to watch Timberwolves vs Clippers

Timberwolves vs Clippers latest injuries

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