AP Sports SummaryBrief at 12:05 a.m. EDT

AP Sports SummaryBrief at 12:05 a.m. EDT

March 21, 2026Updated: March 21, 2026
AP nullBy AP null

Number of perfect March Madness brackets dwindles to a precious few in Day 2

The dreams of a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket have already gone bust for the vast majority of those hoping to go an improbable 63-0. ESPN reported that 423 unblemished brackets remained with four games left to play on the second day of the tournament. A good two-thirds of those who entered ESPN's women's bracket challenge had also seen their hopes of perfection gone with the tournament just a few hours old. Prediction market outfit Kalshi says there were 83 remaining perfect brackets as Day 2 began in its $1 billion bracket contest. The odds of not missing a pick during the tournament start at one in 120 billion.

After Santa Clara and Kentucky trade 3s in thrilling finish, 'a tough one to swallow' for Broncos

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Santa Clara may have lost to Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, but few will forget the way everything unfolded at the end of regulation. The two teams each hit a 3-pointer in the last 2.4 seconds, forcing them to play another five minutes in a game that the seventh-seeded Wildcats won, 89-84. The Broncos hit the first of them to take a 73-70 lead, only for Kentucky's Otega Oweh to answer at the buzzer from right in front of his own bench to tie the game. It was a crushing loss for Santa Clara, which was making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since Steve Nash was playing there 30 years ago.

Florida begins title defense with 59-point rout of Prairie View, 2nd-biggest margin in NCAA tourney

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Florida began its national title defense with the second-largest victory margin in NCAA Tournament history, pounding Prairie View A&M 114-55. Boogie Fland scored 16 points to lead seven players in double figures for the top-seeded Gators, whose 59-point margin fell short of only Loyola Chicago’s 111-42 win over Tennessee Tech in 1963. Florida advanced to face No. 9 seed Iowa in the South Region's second round on Sunday. Florida went on runs of 18-0 and 17-0 in the first half to turn a 15-all tie into a 60-21 lead at the break. The Gators shot 75% before halftime and 64.3% for the game.

Trump issues executive order requiring CFP to avoid broadcasting conflicts with Army-Navy game

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has issued an executive order barring College Football Playoff and other postseason games from airing during the annual Army-Navy matchup in December. Trump directed the commerce secretary and the FCC chairman to coordinate with the playoff committee, the NCAA and media rights partners to ensure an exclusive broadcasting window for the storied rivalry traditionally played the second Saturday each December. Trump’s order makes reference to potential expansion of the CFP that likely would require an earlier start for the playoff. In the first two years of the 12-team format, the first-round games were the weekend after Army-Navy.

Purdue's Braden Smith breaks Bobby Hurley’s Division I career assist record in NCAA tourney opener

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Purdue guard Braden Smith broke former Duke star Bobby Hurley’s Division I assist record with 12:11 to go in the first half of the Boilermakers’ NCAA Tournament game against Queens on Friday night. Smith picked up his second of the game and the 1,077th of his career with a feed to Trey Kaufman-Renn. The All-American already was the only player in NCAA history with at least 1,500 points, 1,000 assists and 500 career rebounds, and Smith is one of two players along with Southern’s Avery Johnson to have had at least 300 assists in two different seasons. He was a second-team AP All-American this season.

Otega Oweh's buzzer-beater saves Kentucky in 89-84 overtime win over Santa Clara in March Madness

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Otega Oweh rescued Kentucky with a buzzer-beater from just inside half court to force overtime, then hit the tiebreaking free throws in the extra period as the seventh-seeded Wildcats beat No. 10 seed Santa Clara 89-84 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Santa Clara’s Allen Graves drained a 3 from the right wing with 2.4 seconds left to put the Broncos ahead 73-70. Oweh took the inbound pass and got his shot off just in time, and it banked in for the tie. Oweh scored a career-high 35 points for the Wildcats, who will face No. 2 seed Iowa State, a 108-74 winner over 15th-seeded Tennessee State, in the second round in the Midwest Region.

Guardians won't have to pay Clase, Ortiz while MLB continues gambling investigation and trial looms

NEW YORK (AP) — The Cleveland Guardians won’t have to pay indicted pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz while Major League Baseball’s investigation continues into allegations of pitch-rigging for gamblers. Ortiz was placed on paid leave last July 3 and Clase on July 28, and they received their salaries while they didn’t pitch for the remainder of the season. They were indicted on federal charges on Nov. 9 and a trial is scheduled for May 4 but could be delayed. Clase has a $6 million salary in 2026, the final guaranteed season of a $20 million, five-year contract. Ortiz does not have enough service time for arbitration and makes around the minimum salary of $780,000.

A landmark 7-year WNBA labor deal moves forward with a signed term sheet

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA and its players union have reached the next step in their new collective bargaining agreement, signing a term sheet. Now they wait for ratification by the players and approval from the league’s Board of Governors. The new seven-year CBA, which will begin this season and run through 2032, represents a transformational landmark labor deal.

From a campus steakhouse to a mock airplane cabin for students, High Point is no ordinary Cinderella

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — High Point’s bracket-busting NCAA Tournament upset has put the spotlight on the private school in North Carolina that offers some unusual perks for its student body. The campus, home to some 6,300 students, has a steakhouse that’s part of the meal plan where reservations are required. There’s also a mock airplane cabin on campus where students can rehearse talking up executives during a flight. In other words, Cinderella’s slipper might not fit for this school. High Point describes itself as a “life skills university” that teaches students the know-how to be successful.

Alabama's Tyler Fay pitches no-hitter against Florida for Tide's first in a complete game since 1942

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Tyler Fay pitched Alabama’s first nine-inning, complete-game no-hitter in 84 years, striking out 13 in a 6-0 victory over Florida. Fay retired the last 10 batters. Brendan Lawson flew out to left to end the game. Fay had never pitched more than seven innings in college. He threw a career-high 132 pitches, 85 for strikes. The redshirt junior from Doniphan, Nebraska, issued a walk in the second inning and another in the sixth. Fay came into the season as Alabama’s No. 1 starter and entered the game with a 3-2 record and 5.43 ERA.

One flown to hospital after multi-vehicle crash in Madison

One flown to hospital after multi-vehicle crash in Madison

Huskers moving on from first tournament win, locking in on Vanderbilt

Huskers moving on from first tournament win, locking in on Vanderbilt

'What it's all about': Huskers ready for March Madness opener vs. Troy

'What it's all about': Huskers ready for March Madness opener vs. Troy

Second victim dies after crash near Pilger

Second victim dies after crash near Pilger

Sen. Pete Ricketts holds roundtable for future progress of AG

Sen. Pete Ricketts holds roundtable for future progress of AG

Fundraising effort launched for Norfolk Freedom Point Memorial

Fundraising effort launched for Norfolk Freedom Point Memorial