COLLEGE BASKETBALL
The Sweet 16 is set following a roller coaster ride of an opening weekend in the NCAA Tournament.
Fifth-seeded West Virginia rounded out the field with a 94-71 rout of Marshall in an East Region game San Diego on Sunday night. The Mountaineers will play top-seeded Villanova in the East semifinals, with second-seeded Purdue and third-seeded Texas Tech meeting in the other game.
In the Midwest, No. 1 seed Kansas will face No. 5 seed Clemson, while No. 2 seed Duke will take on No. 11 seed Syracuse. The Orange beat third-seeded Michigan State in Detroit to advance.
In the West Region, the highest-remaining seed is Michigan. The third-seeded Wolverines will face seventh-seeded Texas A&M in one semifinal, with fourth-seeded Gonzaga facing ninth-seeded Florida State in the other game.
The bracket is an even bigger mess in the South. Fifth-seeded Kentucky will face ninth-seeded Kansas State in the Sweet 16, while seventh-seeded Nevada will take on 11th-seeded Loyola-Chicago.
The NCAA says that it’s the first time in tournament history that a region’s top four seeds failed to advance out of the opening weekend.
This is also the first tourney since 2004 that two top seeds have been eliminated in the first weekend. Virginia in the South was ousted in a historic upset by No. 16 seed UMBC. In the West, Xavier lost to Florida State.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The party’s over for UMBC.
The team that made history for being the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament lost to ninth-seeded Kansas State 50-43.
Xavier Sneed had a couple big buckets late to help the Wildcats hold on for the win and move on to the Sweet 16.
UMBC will still remember this tournament for a while following its stunning 20-point win over No. 1 overall Virginia in the first round.
BASEBALL
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco has been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance, a big blow to a team that has made a series of roster-enhancing moves throughout the offseason and into spring training.
The commissioner’s office announced Sunday that Polanco tested positive for Stanozolol, becoming the sixth player to be banned this year under the major league drug program. That’s already one more than last season.
Polanco started 127 games at shortstop last year for the Twins, finishing with a .256 batting average, 13 home runs, 13 stolen bases and 74 RBIs in his first full season as a regular in the lineup. His grandfather died in June, and the switch-hitting 24-year-old struggled through the early part of the summer until being benched temporarily in late June.
HOCKEY
BOSTON (AP) - The Boston Bruins have signed Ryan Donato to a two-year, entry-level deal and say the U.S. Olympic star could play for them right away.
Donato had 26 goals and 17 assists in 29 games this season at Harvard. He led the United States with five goals and six points at the Olympics as one of its youngest players.
The 21-year-old is eligible to be in Boston’s lineup Monday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a big boost to a Stanley Cup contender down the stretch.
Donato was a second-round pick for Boston in 2014, and the team retained his rights while he played for his father, Ted Donato, a former Bruin who has been the coach at Harvard since 2004. The Boston native said at the Olympics it was always a dream for him to play in the NHL and for the Bruins, but he didn’t want to make any declarations about his future, which could soon include playoff action.
PRO FOOTBALL
NEW YORK (AP) - Danny Woodhead went from undersized and undrafted to big-time playmaker in 10 NFL seasons.
The versatile running back announced his retirement from playing in a humble and heartfelt post on Instagram early Saturday.
“10 years!” Woodhead wrote. “Wow, God had crazy plans for a small little kid from North Platte, NE! It’s been a wild ride and feel so blessed He allowed me to do what I loved for so long. But now it’s time to say goodbye to the game I love.”
The 5-foot-8, 204-pound Woodhead had 2,238 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns, along with 300 catches for 2,698 yards and 17 scores while playing for the New York Jets, New England, San Diego and Baltimore. He added an exciting element to the offenses in which he played, able to run the ball through seemingly the smallest of holes or take a short pass and turn it into a long gain.
PRO BASKETBALL
ABERDEEN, Md. (AP) - Police say former NBA player Glen “Big Baby” Davis was arrested in a Maryland hotel last month on drug possession and distribution charges.
WMAR-TV in Baltimore reports that Davis was arrested Feb. 7 at a Hampton Inn in Aberdeen. According to court records, the hotel owner smelled marijuana coming from Davis’ room.
Aberdeen police Lt. William Reiber told WMAR that police found 126 grams of marijuana and a briefcase containing $92,000 in cash inside Davis’ room.
Davis was arrested and later indicted on seven counts of drug possession and distribution.
Davis’ attorney said Davis adamantly maintains his innocence and looks forward to clearing his name in court.
Davis, a star player at Louisiana State University, went on to play for the Celtics, the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Clippers.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.