Worldwide Sports News

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. (AP) — Top-ranked tennis player Aryna Sabalenka has announced her engagement to Brazilian businessman Georgios Frangulis.

Sabalenka posted a video of the proposal on Instagram, accompanied with the words “You & me, forever” along with a ring and heart emoji.

The news quickly drew congratulations from fellow tennis players, including Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, and Amanda Anisimova, a possible opponent for Sabalenka in the quarterfinals at the forthcoming Indian Wells tournament in the Southern California desert.

The tournament that opens on Wednesday will be Sabalenka's first since she reached the final at the Australian Open, where she lost to Elena Rybakina 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 on Jan 31.

___

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

In less than two weeks, the 2026 men's NCAA Tournament will already be underway in Dayton with the First Four.

So, buckle up.

The 68-team bracket will be revealed on Sunday, March 15 on CBS, where the 1-seed line looks to be all but locked up with Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Connecticut. Less than a week ago, Purdue and Iowa State both looked to be in the mix for the 1-seed or a 2-seed, but recent losses have dropped them down to the 3-seed.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracket predictions: No. 1 seeds to First Four of NCAA tournament

The Boilermakers and Cyclones aren't the only ones who have seen their NCAA Tournament picture take a hit of late, as the bubble continues to move like a revolving door.

Conference tournaments have already started at the mid-major level, with the Horizon League the first to begin on Monday, Feb. 2. The first automatic bid to March Madness will be secured on Saturday, March 7 with the winner of the Ohio Valley Conference.

The Big East and power conference tournaments begin next week. Here's a look at the full 2026 NCAA Tournament schedule for men's college basketball:

It is March and conference tournaments are around the corner.

In just over a week, it will be Selection Sunday for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, meaning college basketball fans are on the cusp of seeing the most exciting time of the sports calendar. Automatic bids for March Madness will start to be earned as soon as this weekend.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracketology: NCAA Tournament projection has changes on bubble

However, while some programs have already likely punched their ticket for the Big Dance as "locks" for the NCAA Tournament with resumes that cannot be denied, others are using this week and conference championship week as a last ditch effort to build their resumes.

Of course, nothing makes that sweeter than trying to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament, while concluding your season against a bitter rival. Ask Kentucky fans, as they are still very much on the bubble, but will have to travel to Gainesville, Florida, for a matchup against the Gators.

Or Auburn fans, who have seen their team meltdown have to secure a spot in the Iron Bowl of basketball against Alabama.

Here's a look at the latest NCAA Tournament preview, including bubble teams and locks to reach March Madness:

March Madness bracket bubble watch tracker

March Madness locks

Based on games through Tuesday, March 3

• Big Ten (7): Michigan, Illinois, Purdue, Nebraska, Michigan State, Iowa, Wisconsin
• Big 12 (6): Arizona, Iowa State, Houston, Kansas, Texas Tech, BYU
• ACC (6): Duke, Virginia, Louisville, North Carolina, Clemson and North Carolina State
• SEC (5): Florida, Vanderbilt Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas
• Big East (3): UConn, Villanova, St. John's
• Other (3): Gonzaga, Utah State, Saint Louis

Just as was the case a week ago, thirty teams entered play on Tuesday, March 2, with a 99.8% chance or better to reach the Tournament, according to Bart Torvik's "TourneyCast." While significant games were played in the last week, the locks did not see any new teams climb into this category.

Torvik's metrics are used in the NCAA's BPI equation, alongside third-party analyst Ken Pomeroy, also referenced as KenPom by college basketball fans.

NCAA Tournament likely ins

• Big 12 (1): UCF
• Big Ten (2): Indiana, UCLA
• ACC (2): SMU, Miami,
• SEC (4): Kentucky, Texas A&M, Texas, Georgia
• Big East (0): N/A
• Other (2): Saint Mary's, New Mexico

Entering the final week of the regular season, these are the teams that are "likely in" and have between a 70% and 98.9% chance to reach the NCAA Tournament, per Torvik.

NCAA Tournament bubble teams

• Big 12 (2): Texas Christian, Cincinnati
• Big Ten (3): Ohio State, Southern California
• ACC (1): Virginia Tech
• SEC (2): Missouri, Auburn
• Big East (0): N/A
• Other (6): LIU, Howard, Santa Clara, San Diego State, UMBC, Miami (Ohio)

The three teams that are headed in the wrong direction in their chances of making the NCAA Tournament are Auburn, USC and San Diego State. The Tigers are 1-7 their last eight games and USC's five-game losing streak puts them in more danger of missing the tournament now than they have been in previous weeks. Both likely need a deep run in their respective conference tournaments.

Meanwhile, Missouri and TCU are two teams that have helped their own cause over the last week to position themselves for a potential spot in the tournament.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness bracket tracker: Who's in, out and on NCAA bubble

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers did just enough to get past the conference-leading Detroit Pistons113-109.

If you stop Cade Cunningham, you’ll stop the Pistons. Head coach Kenny Atkinson called defending Cunningham “the key to the game,” and understandably so.

Cunningham was effective as a playmaker with 14 assists, but was held to just 10 points on 4-16 shooting with five turnovers. This led to his team losing the minutes he was on the floor by 11.

Cleveland slowed Cunningham down without the services of Dean Wade, which makes it even more impressive. Jaylon Tyson and Keon Ellis stepped up in this matchup. They both were effective picking up in the backcourt and were physical at the point of attack. It also helped that the rest of the defense was able to sell out to make him uncomfortable.

Cleveland never allowed Cunningham to finish over just one defender in the paint. That led to most of their success on that end.

The Cavs’ defensive strategy was clear; they were only worried about stopping Cunningham.

“It’s hard for coaches because you got to pick your poison,” Atkinson said before the game. “Do you want Cade Cunningham shooting? Or do you want X, Y, or Z shooting?”

Atkinson didn’t name names before the game, but it was clear who “X, Y, and Z” were afterward.

The Cavs weren’t concerned about players like Ausar Thompson or Tobias Harris offensively when they were on the floor with Cunningham. They were willing to cheat off them as much as possible if it meant being able to send an extra body Cunningham’s way.

And on this night, it worked. Just look at this play below. The Cavs truly didn’t care if Thompson and Harris were open on the strongside. And with the game on the line, Cunningham didn’t either.

Conversely, the Cavs’ role players are what won them the game. Dennis Schroder once again provided key scoring off the bench, Craig Porter Jr. was effective on the glass, Ellis was everywhere defensively, and Thomas Bryant filled in well for Jarrett Allen — who left the game in the third quarter with a knee injury.

More than that, the guy Atkinson has called “the ultimate role player,” Jaylon Tyson, lived up to the billing. He provided great defense on Cunningham on one end, and outscored him on the other as he put up 22 points on 5-12 shooting from three.

It can’t be emphasized enough how much Tyson has bought into being a role player. He has the skills and talent of an on-ball creator, but isn’t asked to do that on a team with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. And instead of trying to force it, he’s become someone who does nearly all of their damage off the ball, in support of the stars around him.

That doesn’t sound like much, but Tyson’s willingness to shift his style of play this drastically from college a few years ago is a transition that not many in his position have easily made.

Many role players now in the league have been groomed to play in a certain mold, which likely isn’t in their long-term best interest. The often talked about three-and-D shooters are an archetype that skyrocket up draft boards or are coveted in free agency, but the ones who are actually the best in that role do much more than just play defense and shoot threes. Basketball will always reward the players who can do multiple things once the ball is in their hands.

Tyson can do that. He processes the game at a high level, coming up as more of a primary scorer. He can run pick-and-rolls, attack the second side, and make quick decisions out of the short roll. Layer in becoming a lethal catch-and-shoot threat, and you have the makings of an indispensable glue guy.

The most exciting part about Tyson is that buying into this role will help him in every context he will be placed in throughout his career. You don’t want to put a limit on someone of Tyson’s skills. It’s not inconceivable that he continues to grow as a scorer and becomes a first or second option on a team down the line. But even if he does develop that way, he will still need to play off of other varied teammates. With the skillset he’s cultivated, he can easily do that.

All the while, playing this way doesn’t put a cap on who he is. The Cavs haven’t tried to put Tyson into a box. They’ve allowed him to expand his game in ways that make sense for him and the team, and he’s continually taken advantage of it.

The Cavs are a tough matchup for the Pistons, even with just one of their two star guards back in the lineup.

Harden wasn’t great by his standards on Tuesday. He provided 18 points on 5-17 shooting and turned it over five times. The lack of ball security is uncharacteristic for him. But just having someone who could command defensive attention and run the pick-and-roll besides Schroder made a huge difference.

Detroit has continually struggled to contain Cleveland’s bigs. Allen had a major effect on this game before he left with a knee injury, and Evan Mobley was once again able to get where he wanted inside. This has been a trend throughout the four games this season.

The Cavaliers aren’t a finished product. Atkinson said after the game that this wasn’t “perfect by any means,” and he’s correct. They were forced to run some weird guard lineups, given they were down two of their three starting forwards for a chunk of this game. But this is the second time in a row they’ve outplayed the Pistons in drastically different ways. And both of those games came without the Cavs’ best player, Mitchell.

The Pistons are a good team, but so far, they haven’t been able to enforce their style of play against the Cavs. They weren’t able to change the game with their offensive rebounding and creating turnovers. And Cleveland has made it difficult for their best player.

There are real concerns about whether Detroit’s style can translate to the playoffs, specifically, in a potential series with the Cavs. You don’t want to read too much into regular-season games, but at the same time, there are plenty of reasons why the Cavs should feel confident if they met in the playoffs.

I get why the anonymous Cavalier said what they did.

It's put up or shut up time for teams on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament, as the final week of the men's college basketball regular season arrives.

Those still uncertain of reaching March Madness are feeling the magnitude of the moment, as every result is heightened ahead of Selection Sunday. Most have just a few games left before conference tournaments begin, and one team is already in do-or-die mode.

Title contenders: Why these 11 teams could dominate March Madness

RedHawks' curious case: Why Miami Ohio should — and shouldn't — be in f it loses MAC

Here are the teams on the bubble in the latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology, and what's ahead of them as they try to secure a spot in the bracket.

They’re calling the posts the “KD Files”. There’s no definitive proof that Kevin Durant is the man behind the X account @gethigher77 (display name: getoffmydickerson), but if he isn’t, somebody has done a phenomenal impersonation. In various screenshots splashed across the internet, getoffmydickerson took shots at Durant’s teammates, as the player himself has done before. There was also creative and amusing trash talk, something Durant has shown a talent for. Some of it crossed the line: the account made a reprehensible joke about supplying drones (Durant invests in the company Skydio, which has provided the Israel Defense Forces with weapons)and called Durant’s teammate Jabari Smith Jr “retarded”. When asked about @gethigher77, Durant said, “I’m not here to get into Twitter nonsense” – far from a denial that he was behind it, and in the eyes of many, confirmation that he was. We’ve got people writing in-depth proofs that the account is real.

Not that getoffmydickerson is Durant’s only problem. Shortly after the tweets blew up, Boardroom, which defines itself as a “sports, media, and entertainment brand” co-founded by Durant and his agent Rich Kleiman, laid off three of its staff writers, rationalizing the move as part of a pivot to video. (An aside: what’s the point of having career earnings of half a billion dollars if you’re not willing to invest some of it to protect your media company from financial headwinds?)

Related: Trae Young gets ejected before even making his Washington Wizards debut

On the court, things aren’t much better. Durant’s Houston Rockets – picked by two of four Guardian contributors to win the title this season – had a bright start but have fallen off in the last few months. The Rockets are on course for the playoffs, but any of the million NBA podcasts out there will tell you right now that they’re not a title contender.

That’s despite the fact that Durant has mostly played brilliantly. The day after the pixelstorm over his alleged burner account, he scored 35 points. Rockets head coach Ime Udoka plays his starters for almost the entire game – Durant, who is the oldest player in the rotation, has logged more minutes this season than all but two players in the league. When asked about his playing burden, the 37-year-old sounded more than happy with his responsibilities. “That’s what I get paid to do,” he said.

And that gets to the heart of what is intriguing about Durant. While his love for basketball is more evident and pure than most players’ – he’s the kind of guy you worry for in retirement – he’s struggled with elements of his career peripheral to the game. In 2016, he left his longtime team, the Thunder, for the already-stacked Warriors, and the move came right after Golden State had beaten Oklahoma City in the playoffs. The move is as infamous as any of Durant’s on-court heroics are famous, and it essentially ruined the balance of power in the league for three seasons, until Durant departed again, for the Brooklyn Nets. There was a charitable interpretation of Durant’s decision to join Golden State – simply that he took a better job, as Barry Petchesky argued on Deadspin in 2016 – that almost nobody bought into. “Everyone criticizing Durant for joining a dominant team would leap at the opportunity to do so in their own work life,” Petchesky wrote. “But athletes? I guess they owe you something.” You could apply the same logic to the burner scandal. Bad if true, for sure, but surely most of us crucifying Durant have also talked shit about our co-workers.

NBA fans demand that players win a championship to validate their greatness; you wonder how different the discourse around Luka Dončić this season would look if he had a title or two under his belt. Despite Durant winning the NBA finals with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018, nabbing the Finals MVP both years, the work he did to earn those championships is generally regarded less highly than … well, just about any other star player’s contributions to a title-winning team. That’s not completely unfair, given that Durant joined the Warriors when they were fresh off a historically excellent 73-9 season. Still, finally landing the white whale only to be told you used the wrong weapon to do so will make a guy bitter. And giving yourself the best shot you can at a championship is understandable considering how much of it can come down to luck. Durant knows that himself: in 2021, he appeared to hit a game-winning three-pointer in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Milwaukee Bucks. It turned out he had his foot on the line. The Bucks won and went on to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Durant is honest about his bitterness, sometimes to a fault. A significant portion of Zach Baron’s 2017 GQ profile of Durant depicts the superstar’s anguish during the fallout of dissing his former Thunder teammates – “KD couldn’t win with those cats” – from his main social media account. The tone of getoffmydickerson’s posts is so consistent with things Durant has said before that it’s almost irrelevant to his reputation whether he said these things. Anyone who knew his history might have been jolted by the content of some of the messages from his alleged burner account, but they wouldn’t have been surprised that the account existed.

You get the sense that Durant wishes he could play basketball in a total vacuum sometimes, without media or narratives or maybe even fans. It’s for that reason that he’s the league’s most relatable superstar. That every NBA player doesn’t occasionally crack emotionally under the pressure of absurd, personal criticism that follows them online every day is a marvel. Fans say anything they want about players on social media, then remark at how absurd it is that those players seem to care about what other people say about them. A player with burner accounts, who lurks on Reddit, and who can’t tune out the noise? That seems like an entirely natural consequence of fame in the social media age.

One could look at Durant’s career and say that it hasn’t come together the way it was supposed to, with the phenomenal fortune in Golden State and disappointment everywhere else. (By our absurd championship-high expectations, of course.) I’d argue fans are lucky it happened this way. Such great players’ careers are rarely so honest in showing how hard it is to fulfil expectations.

LOS ANGELES — The last thing anyone would call this iteration of the Lakers is a good defensive team.

They have a defensive rating of 116 on the season, placing them 22nd in the NBA. Progress in this department has been minimal at best.

But against the Pelicans, the Lakers’ defense came up big.

Trailing by one entering the fourth and with their offense struggling, the Lakers needed their defense to help them flip this game.

The Lakers did just that as the Pelicans went 7-20 from the field in the final period and LA got the 110-101 victory. But it took a coalition of the willing for Los Angeles to shut down New Orleans.

With 7:24 left in the game, the Lakers were down seven and defensive stops were a necessity.

Zion Williams went barreling into the paint, more than willing to take on Jaxson Hayes. However, the Laker big not only held his ground but rejected the shot attempt, leading to free throws for LeBron James on the other end.

A couple of possessions later, Hayes once again got the better of Zion, drawing a charge. Then Hayes forced an airball from Murphy, leading to a 3-pointer from Austin Reaves to regain the lead.

The defensive showcase wasn’t over, though.

Hayes kept on successfully contesting Pelicans shots as Dončić and Reaves cleaned up the glass and Marcus Smart did everything but work the concession stand in the fourth quarter. He grabbed loose balls, forced turnovers and found a streaking LeBron for another highlight play for the King.

“I thought Smart was incredible tonight,” Redick said postgame. “Him and Jackson [Hayes] in the second half, when we got him back in the game defensively as well, really they helped us win the game. They changed the game.”

When it was all said and done, the Lakers went on a 14-0 run and entered clutch time with a one-possession lead.

They continued to execute on defense, forcing Zion to miss back-to-back shots. And, after a dazzling corner 3-pointer by Smart, who made the basket despite being tripped by Williams, it was clear that LA wasn’t going to lose this game.

It wasn’t a pretty game, and the Pelicans are far from a contender, but the Lakers using their defense to grind out a March win is an indicator that they may be beginning to progress in that department at the perfect time.

“I think we’ve made some strides defensively,” LeBron said. “We didn’t play much at all in zone tonight. We started the game out with it. We kind of went away from it. I thought the man-to-man defense was pretty good. Jaxson [Hayes] and Marcus [Smart] were great on that end and then everybody else trickled in as well.”

Things won’t get any easier for the purple and gold.

LA is set to play six of its next eight games against winning teams. With how tight the Western Conference standings are, their performance in these games could make or break their season.

But they now have another example they can point to which demonstrates that, when the will is there to shut down a team, they can do it.

“Nights like this can change the trajectory for teams and players,” Smart said. “Hopefully, this win and tonight in the way, the fashion that we won it, kicks our confidence up. And, we can keep this alive and going because the way we played tonight and the way we played over the last two games, it’s something that we know we’re capable of.“

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.