w Page 12 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

UFC to issue 85K free tickets for White House card
The UFC plans to give away 85,000 tickets for an outdoor viewing experience of its live event at the White House on June 14, promotion CEO Dana White announced.,Freedom Fights 250 is believed to be the first pro sporting event ever held at the White House. ,"The way that the White House is laid out,...

Kansas State tabs Belmont's Casey Alexander as coach
Kansas State hired Belmont's Casey Alexander on Friday as head coach of the men's basketball team.,Alexander, who coached his alma mater for the past seven seasons, agreed to a five-year contract with the Wildcats. The deal will pay Alexander $3.3 million in 2026-27, and he will receive a $50,000 ba...

Falcons GM: Tua Tagovailoa to compete with Michael Penix Jr.
The Falcons brought in Tua Tagovailoa to compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting quarterback role, Atlanta general manager Ian Cunningham confirmed Friday.,"For Tua coming in here, he knows he's coming in to compete," Cunningham said during a virtual news conference, per ESPN. "Just like Mic...

Senators seeking to start new points streak vs. Ducks
The Ottawa Senators will try to start another point streak when they host the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday afternoon.,The Senators are coming off a 3-2 loss to the visiting Montreal Canadiens in the opener of a three-game homestand on Wednesday.,Ottawa had a 2-1 lead after the first period but was shut...

Red Bulls coach Michael Bradley makes return to Toronto
Michael Bradley spent a decade as a midfielder with Toronto FC and captained the 2017 team to an MLS Cup title.,After a long and productive playing career, Bradley went into coaching and returns to Toronto leading the youthful New York Red Bulls into a Saturday afternoon contest with his longtime te...

CB Jamel Dean signs 3-year deal with Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers signed cornerback Jamel Dean to a three-year contract on Friday.,The team did not announce the terms, but Spotrac reported it is worth $36.75 million with $12 million guaranteed.,Dean has spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who selected him in th...

Rangers sign lefty reliever Jalen Beeks to 1-year deal
The Texas Rangers signed left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks to a one-year contract on Friday. Terms were not disclosed.,The Rangers designated right-hander Alexis Diaz for assignment to make room on their 40-man roster.,Beeks, 32, made a team-high 61 appearances (two starts) for the Arizona Diamondbac...

Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz agrees to extension
Saint Louis head coach Josh Schertz is getting off the college basketball coaching carousel.,Athletic director Chris May confirmed Friday that Schertz has agreed to a contract extension to remain with the Billikens. Schertz, 50, was expected to receive calls from most of the power conference teams w...

Cowboys sign ex-Rams CB Cobie Durant to 1-year deal
The Dallas Cowboys agreed to a one-year, $5.5 million deal with cornerback Cobie Durant, his agent said Friday.,Durant, 28, intercepted a team-high six passes for the Los Angeles Rams last season, including three during the playoffs.,He returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown in a Week 12 ...

Ducks D Radko Gudas faces disciplinary hearing
Anaheim Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas faces a disciplinary hearing Friday after injuring Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews with a knee-on-knee hit Thursday night.,According to TSN, the hearing with the NHL Player Safety department will be over the phone, meaning Gudas cannot be suspended for m...

Providence fires basketball coach Kim English after 3 seasons
Providence College dismissed basketball coach Kim English on Friday after three seasons and a sub-.500 record.,English's teams were 48-52 (23-37 Big East) during English's tenure, which ended Thursday night with an 85-72 loss to top-seeded St. John's in the Big East tournament quarterfinals.,The Fri...

F Diego Fagundez returns to Revolution as free agent
Veteran forward Diego Fagundez returns to where his MLS career began in 2011, signing a free agent deal with the New England Revolution for the rest of the season.,The agreement announced Friday includes a club option for the 2027 season for the 31-year-old Uruguay native.,The club's first-ever home...

Big 12 tourney replaces 'slippery' LED glass court
Concerns about slipping prompted the Big 12 to swap out its innovative LED glass court for traditional hardwood for the remainder of the conference tournament in Kansas City, Mo.,The switch was made before the start of Friday's semifinal matchups featuring No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 7 Iowa State and No. ...

No. 5 Houston rides late surge into clash vs. No. 14 Kansas
No. 5 Houston and No. 14 Kansas each showed their mettle in their respective Big 12 tournament openers on Thursday.,Neither finished the regular season how they wanted -- both lost three of their last six games -- and both found themselves locked into late battles before escaping with victories on T...

Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. expected to return vs. Oklahoma
History-making Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. is back.,Oklahoma may just be getting started.,Acuff is expected to return when the No. 17 and third-seeded Razorbacks (23-8) meet 11th-seeded Oklahoma in the quarterfinals of the Southeastern Conference tournament Thursday in Nashville, Tenn.,The Soone...

UCLA out to exact revenge in rematch vs. Michigan State
UCLA endured its second-worst setback of the season when it was mauled by Michigan State on Feb. 17.,The Bruins have recovered to win five of six games. They will get another look at the third-seeded Spartans when the teams play in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals on Friday night at Chicago.,UCL...

Oilers eager to shake off big loss on visit to Blues
The Edmonton Oilers will look to get their Pacific Division title quest back on track when they visit the streaking St. Louis Blues on Friday.,Edmonton is only 4-7-0 in its past 11 games, hardly the look of a team rounding into playoff form. The Oilers won the first two games on their current four-g...

After 'ugly' win, No. 1 Duke sets sights on Clemson in ACC semis
CHARLOTTE -- No. 1 Duke and Clemson have something in common going into the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinals.,Both teams escaped the quarterfinals with one-point victories to set up Friday night's meeting.,The scores of both of their games Thursday night were 80-79.,"We're going to wo...

New-look Clippers aim for continued success vs. visiting Bulls
After scoring a season high in points and making a bit of NBA history in the process, the Los Angeles Clippers will carry plenty of momentum into a matchup against the Chicago Bulls on Friday at Inglewood, Calif., ,In a 153-128 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, the Clippers moved...

Cavaliers start quest for consecutive wins in clash vs. Mavericks
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks will play the first half of a home-and-home set Friday night in Texas, with the foes possessing different outlooks in the final month of the regular season.,The second part of the set will be Sunday afternoon in Cleveland. ,The Cavaliers have dropped four...