KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — North Carolina earned the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, but that’s about the only gift the Tar Heels got for the NCAA Tournament. Their path to the Final Four could include games against Kansas just down the road from the Jayhawks’ campus in Lawrence, and a matchup with second-seeded Kentucky in the regional finals.
JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Back tightness is expected to keep St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter out of the lineup until Wednesday. Carpenter first noticed the issue on Saturday, when he wasn’t scheduled to be in the lineup. The 33-year-old Carpenter hit .257 with 36 homers last season.
COMMERCE CITY, Colo. (AP) — Johnny Russell scored in the closing minutes to help Sporting Kansas City tie the Colorado Rapids 1-1. Gianluca Busio drew a foul against defender Axel Sjoberg a few yards outside the area and Russell put away the ensuing free kick, lifting it over the leaping 6-foot-7 Sjoberg and bending it inside the near post in the 88th minute.
National Headlines
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Duke, Virginia, North Carolina and Gonzaga are the top seeds in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, marking the first time one conference has produced three No. 1 seeds. Duke heads the East and is followed by Michigan State, LSU and Virginia Tech, while Gonzaga, Michigan, Texas Tech and Florida are the top four seeds in the West. Virginia, Tennessee, Purdue and Kansas State are the highest seeds in the South, and North Carolina, Kentucky, Houston and Kansas head up the Midwest.
UNDATED (AP) — Sixth-ranked Michigan State and No. 22 Auburn won their conference tournaments yesterday. Matt McQuaid nailed a career-high seven 3-pointers and finished with a career-high 27 points as the Spartans beat 10th-ranked Michigan, 65-60 after trailing by 13 in the second half. Bryce Brown scored 19 points and the Tigers won their first SEC Tournament title in 34 years by routing eighth-ranked Tennessee 84-64.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the Miami Dolphins, who were in the market for a replacement for Ryan Tannehill. The 36-year-old Fitzpatrick has a 50-75-1 record as a starter for seven NFL teams. He started seven games for Tampa Bay last year and had a passer rating of 100.4, which ranked ninth in the league.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Rory McIlroy carded a pair of late birdies and closed with a 2-under 70 to win The Players Championship by one stroke over Jim Furyk. McIlroy had to play catch-up over his final four holes after the 48-year-old Furyk closed with a birdie for a 67 that gave him a one-shot advantage. McIlroy answered with a 15-foot birdie on 15 and a two-putt birdie on the next hole before closing out the title on his 10th try.
FONTANA, Calif. (AP) — Kyle Busch has tied Richard Petty’s NASCAR record with his 200th career victory across the three national series. Busch used an impressive late surge through the field following a speeding penalty to win the Cup Series race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. He dominated the first two stages, but a pit-road speeding penalty dropped him to 18th with 73 laps to go. Logano finished second, followed by Keselowski, Kevin Harvick,. Ryan Blaney and Kurt Busch.
Sunday Scores
TOP-25 COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Final (6) Michigan St. 65 (10) Michigan 60
Final (22) Auburn 84 (8) Tennessee 64
Final (24) Cincinnati 69 (11) Houston 57
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Final N-Y Knicks 124 L.A. Lakers 123
Final Miami 93 Charlotte 75
Final Philadelphia 130 Milwaukee 125
Final Detroit 110 Toronto 107
Final Sacramento 129 Chicago 102
Final Orlando 101 Atlanta 91
Final L.A. Clippers 119 Brooklyn 116
Final Houston 117 Minnesota 102
INTERLEAGUE
Final Oakland 5 1
Final Houston 7 Atlanta 3
Final Pittsburgh 8 Boston 1
Final N-Y Yankees 7 Philadelphia 3
Final Detroit 3 Atlanta 2
Final San Francisco 7 Kansas City 2
Final Texas 7 Arizona 2
Final Cleveland 9 Cincinnati 9
Final Arizona 7 Chi White Sox 3
Final San Diego 6 L-A Angels 2
Final Oakland 6 6
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Final Boston 3 Tampa Bay 2
Final N-Y Yankees 5 Baltimore 3
Final Toronto 9 Minnesota 8
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Final Washington 10 N-Y Mets 5
Final Miami 4 St. Louis 2
Final Milwaukee 9 L-A Dodgers 8
Final Colorado 7 Chi Cubs 2