Category: Basketball

Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida topped the bracket on Selection Sunday, while the SEC flexed with an NCAA-best 10 tournament teams and the Big 12 had three of the top eight seeds.

Treading water about midway through the regular season, the Gators began to round into form deeper into SEC play and seem very capable of repeating as national champions. UF did get blown out by Vanderbilt in the SEC tournament semifinals, though.

The Blue Devils are the tournament’s top seed after beating Virginia to repeat as ACC champs. Michigan would’ve had a case for being the No. 1 team in the bracket but lost to Purdue in the Big Ten title game.

March Madness printable bracket Fill out for predictions, picks in NCAA Tournament

March Madness snubs: Oklahoma leads teams left out of NCAA tournament

But it was bad news for teams such as Auburn and Oklahoma, who were among the first left out of the field. At 17-16 overall against a brutal schedule, the Tigers would’ve set a record for most losses by an at-large pick.

Also left out of the tournament were San Diego State, New Mexico and Belmont. One notable contender that made the cut was No. 11 Miami (Ohio), which was 31-0 against a weaker schedule before losing to UMass in the MAC tournament.

These teams lead the biggest winners and losers from Selection Sunday:

Selection Sunday winners

The SEC

While not to the level of last year’s record-setting 14 selections, the SEC led every conference with 10 teams in this year’s field, just ahead of the Big Ten with nine picks. A year ago, the SEC parlayed its deep tournament roster into seven Sweet 16 teams, half of the Elite Eight, half of the Final Four and the eventual national champion. The league’s top title contenders are Florida, No. 4 Alabama and conference tournament champ Arkansas, also a No 4 seed.

Miami Ohio

Miami will be in nearby Dayton, Ohio — about an hour’s drive from campus — and will meet SMU in the play-in round after sweating out the selection process. The issue was a schedule that ranked among the weakest nationally in nonconference play and didn’t get much tougher in MAC action, though the RedHawks did hand eventual conference tournament champ Akron its lone regular-season loss. After months of nitpicking, we’ll find out this week if there’s any real substance to Miami’s 31-1 record.

Virginia

The Cavaliers surged to the finish line of the regular season and earned the No. 3 seed in the West region after nearly taking down the Blue Devils in a highly competitive ACC final. For this, Virginia doesn’t just get a late bump in seeding but an enviable little pocket at the bottom of the region. The Cavaliers start with No. 14 Wright State, could face No. 6 Tennessee or the winner of SMU and Miami (Ohio) in the second round and then one of No. 2 Iowa State, underachieving No. 7 seed Kentucky, No. 10 Santa Clara or No. 15 Tennessee State for a spot in the Sweet 16.

Missouri

There were three pieces of good news for Missouri. For starters, the Tigers made the bracket despite spending most of the year barely on the bubble, only getting into the field thanks to a solid close and some help during conference-championship week. Secondly, Missouri avoided the play-in round and landed as the No. 10 seed in the West region. And better yet, it will meet No. 7 Miami in the opening round in St. Louis, likely drawing a favorable home crowd.

USA TODAY Sports bracketologists

Credit where credit is due: USA TODAY Sports’ crack team of highly educated and genuinely brilliant bracketologists aced the entire field in our final update. That’s all 68 teams for 68 spots — hard to better than that. (Impossible, actually.)

Selection Sunday losers

Auburn and Oklahoma

Two SEC teams ended up on the wrong side of the bubble in Auburn and Oklahoma. While Auburn could tout one of the toughest schedules in the country, the Tigers’ dismal record in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games and 16 losses eliminated them from contention. The debate over the Sooners was a little more nuanced: OU coach Porter Moser pointed to his team’s torrid end to the regular season, but nine losses in a row preceded the Sooners’ 8-2 finish and were too much to overcome.

St. John’s

The East is led by Duke, Connecticut, Michigan State and Kansas — a high-profile, highly dangerous top four consisting of teams very capable of a Final Four run, especially if KU guard Darryn Peterson proves why he’s the likely No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA draft. This top four is bad news for the lower-seeded, potential Cinderella teams such as No. 8 Ohio State and No. 11 South Florida; steering through this bracket would require something miraculous, if not a miracle outright. But no team has a bigger beef than the Big East champion Red Storm, who topped out as a No. 5 seed in this region despite winning the Big East regular-season title and closing with a flourish against UConn. They open against No. 12 Northern Iowa.

Florida and Illinois

It may not matter who the Gators play and where. But if things go according to plan and UF makes the Elite Eight, UF could face Houston in Houston in a rematch of last year’s title game. While not on the No. 1 line, No. 3 seed Illinois could take on No. 6 North Carolina in the second round in Greenville, S.C., which should have a heavy UNC presence.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA Tournament Selection Sunday winners, losers include Miami, St. John's

No NCAA Tournament means no more basketball for some college basketball teams.

It's soul crushing to not be part of March Madness, but those that just missed out on making the bracket don't have to see their seasons end with other postseason tournaments. The NIT is the most famous example, and there is also the College Basketball Crown.

REQUIRED READING: Selection Sunday live updates: March Madness bracket reveal is here

However, the disappointment of not being in the NCAA Tournament is now too much. College basketball has changed drastically with so much player and coach movement that there isn't as much of a desire to keep playing if you don't have a chance to win a national championship. The NIT used to be a solid second option, but several teams now opt-out of participating.

So who has declined the NIT so far? Here is every team deciding to end its season rather than play in college basketball's invitational.

Teams to decline 2026 NIT tournament

List as of 7 p.m. ET Sunday, March 15

• Belmont
• Virginia Tech
• San Diego State

Teams to announce it is declining NIT

Virginia Tech

The first team to announce it was not participating in the NIT was Virginia Tech. It made the decision on Friday, March 13 after it lost in the first round of the ACC tournament to finish the season 19-13.

An update from our program ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/toajanzBj2

— Virginia Tech Men's Basketball (@HokiesMBB) March 13, 2026

Belmont

The Missouri Valley Conference regular season champion was given an automatic spot in the NIT, but declined it on March 14. The Bruins finished 26-6 but coach Casey Alexander left and accepted the job at Kansas State.

San Diego State

The Mountain West runner-up declines participating in any other tournament after missing out on March Madness for the first time since 2019.

"I don't feel that playing in another postseason event would benefit us," coach Brian Dutcher said in a statement.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who declined NIT? Full list of teams opting out of tournament

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Brian White scored two goals for the second consecutive game, Sebastian Berhalter opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the eighth minute and added two assists, and the Vancouver Whitecaps beat Minnesota United 6-0 on Sunday.

The Whitecaps (4-0-0) have a plus-13 goal differential and are off to the best four-game start in club history.

Mathias Laborda added a goal in the 22nd minute, Emmanuel Sabbi scored in the 43rd gave the Whitecaps a 4-0 lead at halftime and Cheikh Sabaly's first MLS goal in his second career appearance capped the scoring in the 74th. Yohei Takaoka finished with four saves and had his third shutout of the season.

Minnesota (1-2-1) tied the club’s single-game mark for goals conceded and set the record for largest margin of defeat.

White scored a goal in his third consecutive game in the 13th minute that made it 2-0 and converted from the penalty spot in the 54th to give Vancouver a five-goal lead. White has 84 goals and 16 assists for the Whitecaps across all competitions, the first player in the club’s MLS era with at least 100 goal contributions.

Sebastian Schonlau made his MLS debut when he subbed on for Edier Ocampo in the 65th minute.

Drake Callender stopped two shots for Minnesota.

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

With the bubble for the NCAA Tournament being as messy as it has been in past years, there were bound to be a few teams left out of the NCAA Tournament.

One of those was Auburn men's basketball.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness printable bracket for predictions, picks in NCAA Tournament

Despite stressing their No. 3-ranked strength of schedule and a road win at Florida in late January in the self-promotion of their NCAA Tournament resume, the Tigers were left out of the 68-team NCAA Tournament bracket, which was released by the selection committee on Sunday.

Here's what to know:

Did Auburn basketball make NCAA Tournament?

No, the Tigers did not make the 2026 men's NCAA Tournament. It is the first year that Auburn will miss out on the NCAA Tournament since the 2020-21 season. It snaps a four-year streak of making March Madness, which featured a Final Four run last season under then-head coach Bruce Pearl, the father of current head coach Steven Pearl.

The Tigers were the second team in the "Last Four In" category of the bracket from the committee.

Why did Auburn basketball not make NCAA Tournament?

The answer was in front of everyone, outside of the Auburn program, to see since the middle of February: The Tigers didn't have a good enough resume of work to get them an at-large bid.

The Tigers picked up three notable Power Five wins in their non-conference schedule against Oregon, St. John's and NC State. They then picked up a top-15 ranked win over Arkansas for their first SEC win of the season on Jan. 10, which was the start of a five-win in six-game stretch for the Tigers, with one of those wins being that win in Gainesville against the Gators.

But since that stretch at the end of January, the Tigers, to put it bluntly, haven't been that good, with a 17-16 overall record.

They've also lost out on opportunities to help move them off the bubble: loss on the road at Mississippi State (No. 114 in NET ranking, No. 13 seed in SEC tournament), loss on the road at Oklahoma (No. 47 in NET ranking, then a non-bubble team) and then a loss at home against Ole Miss .

Auburn basketball NET ranking, Quad 1 record, WAB ranking

• NET ranking: No. 39
• Quad 1 record: 4-13
• Quad 2 record: 3-2
• Quad 3 record: 4-1
• Quad 4 record: 6-0
• WAB: No. 44

The Tigers headed into Selection Sunday with a No. 39 NET ranking (as of Saturday, March 14) and a Quad 1 record of 4-13, two important statistics that the NCAA Tournament selection committee used.

Auburn also holds a WAB ranking — Wins Above Bubble — of No. 44 (as of Saturday, March 14). WAB has been a statistical input used by the committee for a while, but has become a more important one in recent years. It measures a team's total wins and schedule against what the average bubble team would have accomplished against the same schedule.

Auburn basketball schedule 2025-26

Here's a look at Auburn's SEC schedule.

• Saturday, Jan. 3: No. 23 Georgia 104, Auburn 100 (OT)
• Tuesday, Jan. 6: Texas A&M 90, Auburn 88
• Saturday, Jan. 10: Auburn 95, No. 15 Arkansas 73
• Wednesday, Jan. 14: Missouri 84, Auburn 74
• Saturday, Jan. 17: Auburn 71, South Carolina 67
• Tuesday, Jan. 20: Auburn 78, Ole Miss 66
• Saturday, Jan. 24: Auburn 76, No. 16 Florida 67
• Wednesday, Jan. 28: Auburn 88, Texas 82
• Saturday, Jan. 31: Tennessee 77, Auburn 69
• Saturday, Feb. 7: Alabama 96, Auburn 92
• Tuesday, Feb. 10: No. 19 Vanderbilt 84, Auburn 76
• Saturday, Feb. 14: No. 21 Arkansas 88, Auburn 75
• Wednesday, Feb. 18: Mississippi State 91, Auburn 85
• Saturday, Feb. 21: Auburn 75, Kentucky 74
• Tuesday, Feb. 24: Oklahoma 91, Auburn 79
• Saturday, Feb. 28: Ole Miss 85, Auburn 79
• Tuesday, March 3: Auburn 88, LSU 74
• Saturday, March 7: No. 16 Alabama 96, Auburn 84
• Wednesday, March 11: Auburn 79, Mississippi State 61 (SEC Tournament)
• Thursday, March 12: No. 25 Tennessee 72, Auburn 62 (SEC Tournament)

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Did Auburn basketball make March Madness?

The 2026 NCAA Tournament brackets are set.

That means college basketball fans all around the country are ready to set their brackets. Part of the fun of March Madness is correctly guessing the brackets for bragging rights over friends in bracket challenges.

To achieve the highest possible score, picking the Final Four and the national champion is usually a must. However, brackets are busted in the very first round of the tournament when an unknown team pulls off a major upset in rounds one or two.

March Madness first round full schedule: NCAA Tournament dates, TV info

Printable bracket: Fill out for predictions, picks in NCAA Tournament

These bracket busters live on in infamy with major wins, as everyone remembers "dunk city" and Florida Gulf Coast, or No. 16 seeds UMBC and Fairleigh Dickinson pulling off upsets of No. 1 seeds Virginia and Purdue, respectively.

Who can pull off some major upsets in the 2026 NCAA Tournament to bust a bunch of brackets? Here's a look at some potential bracket busters: 

Saint Louis (28-5)

Another team that can light up the scoreboard, Saint Louis averages 87.2 points per game, good for seventh in the nation. The Billikens are also tied for ninth in the nation in 3-pointers per game made.

The analytics back up the Billikens, too. They ranked just outside the top 50 in offensive rating (119.5) and 41st in defensive rating (101.2). Saint Louis will need to return to its roots for its 24-1 start; however, after finishing the season with four losses in its final eight games.

Saint Louis is a real threat, but will need to beat No. 8 Georgia in the first round and then No. 1 Michigan in the second round to make a lot of noise.

South Florida (24-8)

With its 70-55 win over Wichita State in the American Conference tournament championship game, the Bulls enter the NCAA Tournament on an 11-game winning streak. Going back further, they went 17-3 in the final 20 games after starting at 8-6 on Jan. 4.

The Bulls' last loss was a 79-78 loss to Temple. In fact, all three of its recent losses have been by one possession, with two going to overtime. On Dec. 17, they even hung around with Alabama, losing 104-93 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

As an 11-seed, the matchup against No. 6 Louisville, followed by No. 3 Michigan State, will not be easy by any means. But the Bulls certainly have a shot to make noise with the draws.

High Point (30-4)

High Point has a NET ranking of 92, which would quickly dispel them as a potential bracket buster in the eyes of many who trust analytics. And while the analytics don't lie, in a one-game tournament, they can also be disregarded if a team catches fire.

The Panthers offense is explosive enough to get on a bender and threaten any higher seed it faces. They are fourth in the country with 90 points per game. The 49.1 shooting percentage from the field is tied for 20th.

Senior Terry Anderson leads the team with 16 points per game, but the Panthers have eight guys who average at least five points per game and six who average eight or more.

The Panthers will open the tournament against Wisconsin, which could be a high-scoring game, but a chance for High Point. A second-round matchup against No. 4 Arkansas gets a little tougher.

Miami Ohio (31-1)

Rated one spot below High Point, Miami (Ohio) could enter the NCAA Tournament with a lot to prove. Yes, the RedHawks' strength of schedule is nothing to write home about. But they beat the teams that were put in front of them. There is nothing more you can ask of the players.

With 90.7 points per game, Miami was second in the nation in points per game, trailing only Alabama, while 52.4% shooting from the field leads the nation. KenPom's 116.8 offensive rating ranks 70th in the country.

Obviously, Miami will need to beat SMU first in the play-in game, but a matchup against a Tennessee team that lost four of its last six games gives the RedHawks a real shot at a potential upset. A matchup against Virginia in round two could also be winnable.

VCU (27-7)

How about the original bracket buster as a potential 2026 bracket buster? In the final USA TODAY Coaches Poll, the Rams received five votes from coaches. Yet, they earned an 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Do the coaches know something the NCAA did not? Well, VCU has a net rating of 45 with a top-50 offensive net rating. Like USF, the Rams are playing their best basketball now. They started the season at 6-4 following a loss to New Mexico.

However, VCU closed the season with a 21-3 record over the final 24 games and won 16 of its last 17 games. A matchup against No. 6 North Carolina in the first round, before a potential matchup against No. 3 Illinois, sets up the Rams as well as an 11-seed can be set up.

Troy (22-11)

Of the six teams on this list, Troy feels like it would be the biggest Cinderella this year if it were able to pull off a deep run.

The Trojans are the first team to win back-to-back Sun Belt tournament titles since Georgia State did so in 2018 and 2019.

The way the bracket shakes up is the biggest reason to believe in the Trojan. Nebraska is officially on upset alert with a matchup against Troy. With McNeese, a potentially tough matchup for No. 5 Vanderbilt, a double-digit second-round matchup is completely on the table.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA Tournament upset picks, March Madness bracket busters, Cinderellas

For the teams that aren’t one of the 68 teams to make the 2026 NCAA Tournament, Selection Sunday was the start of March sadness.

Every year, teams spend all season trying to prove they belong in the bracket. Despite some hiccups along the way, they do achieve things that are worthy of being included in the field. However, there aren’t spots for everyone, and the selection committee decides to go a different route, believing there were too many bad marks in the resume to put them in.

Printable bracket: Fill out for predictions, picks in NCAA Tournament

No matter if the tournament expands or not, there’s always going to be teams that felt like they were wrongfully left out. While the at-large candidates weren’t necessarily as strong as previous years, these ones have a case for being upset with their omission.

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Oklahoma

The late surge by the Sooners was all for naught, finishing as the first team out of the field despite being one of the hottest bubble teams in the conversation. 

Oklahoma looked dead in the water when it was 13-14, but it flipped a switch with six straight wins before falling just short in the SEC tournament quarterfinals to Arkansas. What really helped was two of those wins were Quad 1 victories to boost it toward a modest 4-10 record, and despite 15 losses on the season, none of them were Quad 3 or 4 defeats, not something every bubble team can say.

The Sooners were able to show they were a completely different team to end the season, picking up momentum at the right time. They surely would’ve been a competitive team, but the selection committee valued the whole resume even though some teams that got in struggled at the end of their campaigns.

San Diego State

The Aztecs were a few minutes away from clinching the Mountain West’s automatic bid. It turns out that was the only way they were going to get in the tournament.

There may not be anything major jumping from San Diego State’s resume, it did finish second in the conference and did own a victory over champion Utah State. If you merge the Quad 1 and 2 records, it’s 9-10, a good enough mark for an at-large candidate. There was a Quad 3 loss very early in the season and the team showed it had grown exponentially since then. What’s unfortunate is the loss to Utah State in the tournament final pushed the Aztecs down two spots in the NET ranking at No. 47, below a New Mexico team it beat twice. They were also the first team right below the cutline of the WAB.

It wasn’t a good year for the Mountain West in its final season of its current group. It will only send one team to the tournament for the first time since 2017, even though the conference runner-up proved it should have been in.

New Mexico

It’s a feeling of “what if” for New Mexico, a team that picked up notable results but maybe a few plays may have decided its fate, missing the tournament for the first time since 2023.

While the Lobos had a 2-7 Quad 1 record, they beat tournament teams in VCU and Santa Clara in the nonconference slate, helping contribute to an overall 8-8 Quad 1 and 2 mark that is fairly decent. However, some of those defeats were close ones. Three of the losses to Utah State and San Diego State were by four points or loss, showing New Mexico could compete with tournament teams.

However, the committee didn’t value New Mexico’s competitiveness. The two Quad 3 losses also loomed large and maybe were too much to overlook. The Lobos are a great case of how one game can completely alter a team’s course, no matter how good it looked.

Belmont

It’s gotten tougher for mid-majors to earn at-large spots in the field, and there’s always going to be a team that didn’t get enough love in the conversation. This year, that belongs to Belmont, which had a dominant campaign as the Missouri Valley Conference champion but didn’t get the automatic bid.

The 26 wins the Bruins collected were among the most for a team that didn’t make the tournament, second to Stephen F. Austin’s 28. However, Belmont is significantly higher than the Lumberjacks in the NET rankings at No. 63. Tulsa also had 26 wins and is higher in the NET (52), but the Bruins had a Quad 1 victory while the Golden Hurricane didn’t. 

Belmont was set on being a dangerous team in the bracket, but its early exit in the conference tournament doomed its chances immediately. It’s the unfortunate reality of being a mid-major.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA Tournament snubs: These teams were left off 2026 bracket

FREIBURG, Germany (AP) — Union Berlin’s stand-in goalkeeper Matheo Raab made a last-minute diving save with his injured right hand on his top-division debut to ensure his team held on for a 1-0 win at Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday.

Union had already used all its substitutions when Raab injured his hand in a collision with Freiburg's Bruno Ogbus while diving to punch away a high ball in added time.

“In that moment I only felt pain,” Raab told broadcaster DAZN. “We couldn’t make any more changes and I wanted to somehow play out those last few minutes. There’s nothing you can do but grit your teeth, somehow get the glove back on and get this thing done.”

Raab used the same hand for an acrobatic diving save to keep out Niklas Beste's curling shot and ensure Union took the win. Jeong Woo-yeong had put the Berlin team in the lead with a low shot earlier in added time.

An injury to regular starter Frederik Ronnow meant Raab was playing in the Bundesliga for the first time since arriving at Union in July. He said he powered through with adrenaline. “I waited so long for this and didn't want it taken away.”

Union rose two places to ninth, one place behind Freiburg.

Also Sunday, Deniz Undav scored for the fifth Bundesliga game in a row as a goalkeeping blunder handed Stuttgart a 1-0 win over Leipzig to strengthen its push to qualify for the Champions League.

Leipzig goalkeeper Maarten Vandevoordt was under no real pressure in the 56th minute when he passed the ball straight to Stuttgart's Chris Führich, who played in Undav to score his 16th league goal of the season, more than any other player in the league except Bayern Munich's Harry Kane.

Stuttgart was fortunate to hold on in added time when Willi Orban was unmarked for a header which beat goalkeeper Alexander Nübel but bounced back off the post before being cleared.

Stuttgart tightened its hold on a Champions League qualifying spot in fourth, opening up a three-point gap to Leipzig in fifth. Stuttgart hasn't lost in five league games.

Mainz edged away from the relegation fight and up to 13th with a 2-0 win at Werder Bremen. Mainz scored early in each half with Paul Nebel's diving header and Lee Jae-song's close-range finish from a low cross. Bremen is 15th.

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

TORONTO (AP) — Brandon Ingram had a game-high 34 points and the Toronto Raptors defeated the Detroit Pistons 119-108 on Sunday.

RJ Barrett added 27 points and six rebounds for Toronto, which has won back-to-back games.

The win helped the Raptors hang on to sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Jakob Poeltl and Scottie Barnes each had a double-double. Poeltl finished with 21 points and a season-high 18 rebounds while Barnes added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto.

Cade Cunningham had 33 points and nine assists as the first-place Pistons had their three-game win streak snapped.

Jalen Duren had a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds while Tobias Harris scored 21 points for Detroit.

Detroit shot 64.9 percent in the first half, but cooled in the third quarter, going only 26.9 percent.

The win was one of Toronto’s best defensive efforts of the season as the Raptors overcame poor three-point shooting.

Ingram made a long 3-pointer with 2:30 left in the third to give the Raptors a 12-point lead and capped a 9-2 run.

Up next

Detroit: at Washington on Tuesday.

Toronto: at Chicago on Wednesday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Haydn Fleury scored his first goal in more than two years and added an assist, Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele each had their 31st goal and the Winnipeg Jets edged the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Sunday.

Eric Comrie made 29 saves in his career-high 21st start of the season and first since Feb. 25 to give him a personal-best 11 wins. The victory also extended the backup’s winning streak to five games, the longest for a Jets goaltender this season. Starter Connor Hellebuyck had a four-game run in October.

Fleury gave Winnipeg a 1-0 lead at 2:31 of the first period, scoring his first goal in his 64th game since signing with the Jets as a free agent in July 2024. Fleury last scored on Dec. 19, 2023, while with Tampa Bay. The assist was also the first of the season for Fleury, who has played in 25 games this season. He had seven assists last season in 39 games for Winnipeg.

Dalibor Dvorsky and Dylan Holloway scored for the Blues, who lost in regulation for the first time in March (6-1-1), snapping their seven-game points streak. Jordan Binnington stopped 13 shots.

Connor, who celebrated his 33rd birthday, scored on a delayed penalty when he beat Binnington through the five-hole with 8:07 remaining to put the Jets up 3-1.

Holloway’s 14th goal made it 3-2 with 51 seconds remaining.

Up next

Blues: At the Calgary Flames on Wednesday.

Jets: Host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 31 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Indiana Pacers 134-123 on Sunday.

Antetokounmpo also had eight assists while Bobby Portis scored 29 points and added 10 rebounds. Ryan Rollins shot 8 for 12, including 3 for 5 from beyond the 3-point line, to finish with 20 points, seven assists and three steals.

Aaron Nesmith led the Pacers with 32 points. Indiana also got 16 points and two blocks from Jay Huff.

The Bucks trailed 65-62 at halftime but turned a six-point fourth-quarter lead into an 18-point advantage with a 15-3 run to make it 119-101 with 8:45 left in the quarter.

The Pacers turned the ball over 18 times, nine more times than the Bucks.

Up next

The Bucks will host the Cavaliers on Tuesday.

The Pacers travel to meet the Knicks on Tuesday.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost one they’d probably like to have back. The Dallas Mavericks beat them 130-120. Let’s go over today’s winners and losers.

WINNER – Max Strus

I planned on giving Max Strus a winner today, regardless of the outcome. Playing in your first game since May of last year is a moral victory all on its own. That’s something to be proud of.

And then Strus hit his first three three-point attempts and set Rocket Arena on fire.

“The expectation is that he’s as close to his identity as possible,” said Kenny Atkinson before the game. “That means how hard he plays, his enthusiasm, kind of the intangibles. Those are the expectations.”

Strus blew away any expectations you might have had for him in his debut. Simply clearing the final hurdle and returning after nearly half a year of recovery would have already been enough. But Strus has taught us not to underestimate him. He always finds a way to overdeliver.

“Under promise, overdeliver,” said Aktinson. “I remember last year, he was out, I wasn’t expecting a lot, and we got way, way more than I thought.”

Today was a lightning-quick reminder of how valuable Strus is to this team. It’s not just his ability to become a human flamethrower from downtown, but also to ignite the crowd and elevate everyone else around him. He’s the ultimate teammate and someone who is impossibly easy to root for.

Welcome back, Max.

LOSER – Defensive Focus

Defensive identity is something the Cavaliers have repeatedly mentioned throughout the season. They want to be known for their defense first, offense second. But as of late, any semblance of a defensive identity they had has been slipping away.

Before their previous beatdown over the Mavericks on Friday, the Cavs had fallen to 16th in defensive rating over the last two weeks. They showed a strong effort on Friday, but reverted to some of their worst tendencies on Sunday afternoon.

How about stopping the ball before it gets to the paint? Or maybe paying attention to the play when your man doesn’t have the ball? Help defense is important. But overhelping doesn’t actually help anyone. Failing to rotate and recover is as certain a death blow as there is in sports.

The Mavericks looked comfortable all day long. That’s not a good sign for your defense. Dallas drove to the paint and sprayed the ball out for quality three-point shots throughout the game. It’s no wonder they finished the game shooting 50% from downtown.

Sure, you can say the Cavs miss Jarrett Allen. He’d patch up some of their issues in the paint. But the complete and total inability to stop penetration isn’t being solved by the bigs. And containing three-point attempts isn’t their primary job, either.

In short, Cleveland’s backcourt has some serious soul-searching to do before the playoffs begin.

Pencils down.

The regular season and conference championships for the 2025-26 men's college basketball season are now complete. With that, the 2026 men's NCAA Tournament is mere hours away from having its 68-team field revealed on Selection Sunday.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracketology live: Latest NCAA Tournament bracket updates

While some teams helped their cause with a big week — including Arkansas winning the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2000 — championship week was a likely formality for the top four teams in last week's poll. Each is likely headed for a No. 1 seed in March Madness.

Duke, of course, won the ACC Tournament and is likely cemented as the No. 1 overall seed. Despite a quarterfinal loss for No. 4 Florida, the defending champion Gators have a strong claim for the No. 1 seed with UConn losing in the Big East Conference tournament title game.

Here’s a look at the latest Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 for March 15:

USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

1. Duke (26)
2. Arizona (5)
3. Michigan
4. Florida
5. Houston
6. Iowa State
7. Connecticut
8. Virginia
9. St. John's
10. Gonzaga
11. Michigan State
12. Illinois
13. Purdue
14. Nebraska
15. Arkansas
16. Vanderbilt
17. Kansas
18. Alabama
19. Texas Tech
20. Wisconsin
21. North Carolina
22. Saint Mary's
23. Miami
24. Louisville
25. Tennessee

Others receiving votes: Miami (Ohio) 36; UCLA 25; Utah State 19; Brigham Young 14; Saint Louis 7; Villanova 6; Virginia Commonwealth 5; Akron 1; Ohio State 1; South Florida 1.

AP Top 25

This section will be updated when the poll is released.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Men's college basketball rankings: Updated Coaches Poll, AP Top 25

CLEVELAND — On paper, this was supposed to be an easy matchup to work Max Strus back into the lineup. Things didn’t work out that way as the Cleveland Cavaliers came out with no effort on the defensive end, which allowed the tanking Dallas Mavericks to run away with a 130-120 victory.

The Mavs aren’t a good offensive team. They came into this game ranked 27th in offensive rating, but you wouldn’t have known that if you just watched this game.

As has been a theme recently, the Cavs had no resistance at the point of attack. Dallas’s ball handlers were able to get two feet into the paint at will, and the help defense wasn’t there early enough to make a meaningful difference. And in the rare instance the help was there to prevent the look at the rim, the rotations weren’t crisp enough on the back end, which resulted in easy catch-and-shoot threes for the Mavs.

The Mavs established a good offensive rhythm early. They put up 35 points on 58.3% shooting from the floor and 50% from three.

Max Strus’s return helped the Cavs stay in it early on. The Cavs were down 10 when he entered the game midway through the first, and he promptly hit three triples to make it just a four-point deficit after one.

The Cavs pulled closer to make it a one-point deficit at the break, but then completely let go of the rope in the third quarter.

The Cavaliers were bad defensively all evening, but were at their worst in the third quarter. They continually allowed free runs to the hoop, which opened up the outside shot. The Mavs went 12-18 from the field (66.7%) and 6-8 (75%) from three in a 40-point third quarter.

Dallas opened the fourth quarter with a 14-point advantage and was mostly able to keep the Cavs at arm’s length from there. Cleveland never got the deficit below nine in the fourth quarter as the defense simply didn’t do enough to give the offense a chance to get back into the game.

The poor defense overshadowed a sensational game for Strus. He played one of his best performances in a Cavalier uniform as he seemingly couldn’t miss from three, going 6-7 from beyond the arc. Strus highlighted how well-rounded an offensive player he is as he was impactful on the offensive glass and as a second-side playmaker.

Strus finished the afternoon with 24 points on 7-9 shooting with eight rebounds.

James Harden played his worst game in a Cavalier uniform. He struggled to take care of the ball, coughing it up six times. He wasn’t able to make up for it with his scoring as he provided just 13 points on 4-12 shooting with seven assists.

Donovan Mitchell had a good game on the stat sheet. He supplied 26 points and 11 assists on 10-24 shooting, but it hardly ever felt like he was really impacting the game the way we’ve come to expect.

Evan Mobley had 18 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists on 8-14 shooting in the loss.

Cooper Flagg led the Mavs with 27 points and 10 assists on 10-16 shooting. It was an outstanding game from someone expected to win the Rookie of the Year.

Naji Marshall (25 points) and P.J. Washington (20 points) helped lead Dallas’s potent offense on Sunday afternoon.

The Cavs will look to pick up the pieces as they travel to Wisconsin to take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. Tip-off is at 8 PM.

With all the conference tournaments in the books, the voters in the USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll weighed in one last time before the nation turns its attention to March Madness.

Duke will enter the NCAA tournament as the top-ranked team, retaining the No. 1 spot it has held for the last three weeks after winning the ACC tournament short-handed. The Blue Devils received 26 of 31 first-place votes, but Big 12 champion Arizona nudged a bit closer. The Wildcats stay in the No. 2 spot overall with the remaining five No.-1 nods.

Michigan, still a likely top regional seed despite coming up short against Purdue in the Big Ten title game, holds at No. 3. Florida, likewise, stays put at No. 4 after falling in the SEC tournament semifinals. The Big 12 holds down the next two spots as Houston stays at No. 5 and Iowa State moves up a notch to No. 6 swapping spots with No. 7 Connecticut.

TOP 25: Complete USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll

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ACC runner-up Virginia moves up three places to No. 8, Big East champ St. John’s Vaults four spots to No. 9, and West Coast champ Gonzaga climbs two positions to round out the top 10.

The later tournament results produced only slight movement in the poll. Purdue makes the most significant leap after its run to the Big Ten final, a five-position gain to No. 13. SEC champ Arkansas moves up only a couple of places to No. 15. Tennessee sneaks back into the poll at No. 25, replacing no longer unbeaten Miami (Ohio).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball rankings: Duke leads poll ahead of March Madness

TORONTO (AP) — Raygan Kirk stopped 33 shots for her first PWHL shutout as the Toronto Sceptres beat the Seattle Torrent 2-0 on Sunday.

Blayre Turnbull scored four minutes in on a 2-on-1 rush and Sara Hjalmarsson added an empty-net goal with 7.8 seconds remaining.

Kirk was at her best in the second half of the second period when Seattle (5-1-2-11) hemmed the Sceptres (7-1-5-8) in their own end. She made nine saves during this stretch. It was the seventh time this season Kirk made 30 or more stops.

The Sceptres (3-0-2-0) have earned points in each of their five outings since the Olympic break.

The Torrent outshot Toronto 33-25. Seattle’s Hannah Murphy made 24 saves, 11 in the final 20 minutes.

Daryl Watts did not suit up for Toronto. The Canadian Olympian has been unable to shake a lingering flu bug since returning from the Winter Games three weeks ago.

United States captain Hilary Knight (knee) and Olympic teammate Hannah Bilka (upper-body) did not play.

The Sceptres increased their goal total to 41 in 21 games. Only the expansion Torrent (40 in 19 games) and Vancouver Goldeneyes (35 in 19) have scored fewer times.

Up next

Sceptres: Visit the Boston Fleet on Tuesday.

Torrent: Visit the Montreal Victoire on Thursday.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey