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Pirates’ Jared Jones to miss his next start because of elbow issues

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jared Jones is missing his next spring training start because of elbow discomfort. Jones went 6-8 with a 4.14 ERA last season, combining with Paul Skenes to form an impressive rookie tandem on the mound in Pittsburgh, but now his status is uncertain just over a week before the season opener for the Pirates. “He’s not going to make his next start in spring training,” manager Derek Shelton told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday. “That’s for sure. I think with that being said, we’re going to have to look at what ...

Broome and Flagg are unanimous picks to lead AP All-America team

NEW YORK (AP) — One is a fifth-year senior who began his career at a mid-major, the other a first-year wunderkind recruited by everyone. The first is a now leading a program on the rise, while the other is the unmistakable star for a traditional power. Johni Broome of Auburn and Cooper Flagg of Duke do have something in common, though: The forwards were unanimous first-team picks for The Associated Press men’s college basketball All-America teams released Tuesday. They were joined on the first team by Alabama star Mark Sears, Purdue’s Braden Smith and Walter Clayton Jr. of ...

Notre Dame looks to dynamic backcourt to regain momentum for March Madness

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Early in the season, Notre Dame built a sparkling resume with victories against two eventual No. 1 seeds — USC and Texas — and a pair of No. 2 seeds in UConn and Duke. The end of the season was a different story. After losing three of their last five games, the Fighting Irish enter the NCAA Tournament with a No. 3 seed. Notre Dame (26-5) takes on No. 14 seed Stephen F. Austin (29-5) in the first round in South Bend on Friday. If Notre Dame is to regain its magic and make a run to the Final Four, it will start with a dynamic backcourt regarded as one of ...

Michigan State’s Fears thankful to play after shooting

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears is one of the most thankful players in the NCAA Tournament. Fears was relegated to watching March Madness last year, recovering from getting shot. “Grateful,” Fears said. “I’m just happy to be in this position and thank God because I could not be playing basketball. “Sometimes when I think about it and look back, it’s crazy that it actually happened. Now, I’m back and playing. It just seems like a bump in the road, basically over a year ago.” Fears had a 3-hour surgery to remove a bullet from his ...

Michigan’s Goldin reunited with parents from Russia

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan’s Vladislav Goldin, holding a bouquet of flowers, stood alongside his fiance at Detroit Metropolitan Airport as he waited a little longer for a moment he had been looking forward to for five years. Goldin reunited with his parents, whom he left in Russia to pursue his dreams, and hugged them in a breathtaking moment. “When the door opened and I saw them walking to me, it was like I lost all the oxygen in my lungs,” he said. Goldin’s mother and father could not believe what his life is like at Michigan. “Everything is like a dream to ...

Transfer portal and NIL making a three-peat even more difficult

NEW YORK (AP) —Florida had a dominating team in 2005-06, winning 33 games on its way to the program’s first national championship. The Gators returned nearly everyone the following season and did it again, becoming the seventh team to win consecutive national titles. Their three-peat bid fell short the next year. The key players from the title teams were all gone and the Gators didn’t even make the NCAA Tournament, proving just how difficult it is to win three straight national championships. “It’s just hard to win in general,” said former Florida coach Billy Donovan, now ...