AP Sports SummaryBrief at 1:09 a.m. EDT

League tournaments can be a long grind. That could impact which teams advance in March Madness

Teams coming off long runs in their league tournaments have a short window to regroup ahead of March Madness. Bigger conferences after waves of expansion have led to longer runs through league tournaments on the eve of the NCAA Tournament. Now it's common to see teams having to play four games in four days in conference tournaments. Then they have a few days for players to recover and recharge ahead of the NCAAs. Big Ten champion Purdue faces that challenge after playing four games in four days to win that title.

Venezuela rallies past Italy 4-2 with 3-run 7th and will face US for World Baseball Classic title

MIAMI (AP) — Ronald Acuña Jr., Maikel Garcia and Luis Arraez hit run-scoring, two-out singles in a seventh-inning rally that led Venezuela over Italy 4-2 and into its first World Baseball Classic championship game. Venezuela overcame a 2-0, fourth-inning deficit after climbing out of a three-run hole to beat defending champion Japan in a quarterfinal and reached the final for the first time after losing to South Korea in its only previous semifinal appearance in 2009. It meets the United States for the title on Tuesday night and appears likely to start Eduardo Rodríguez against the Americans’ Nolan McLean.

Criticized for their cool, American players head into the WBC final appreciating opponents' flair

MIAMI (AP) — Criticized for their cool, American players head into the World Baseball Classic championship also appreciating opponents’ flamboyant flair. U.S. captain Aaron Judge’s controlled composure has filtered through the clubhouse ahead of Tuesday night’s final against Venezuela. That’s not to say the Americans don’t appreciate the theatrics of Latin American players such as Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Nolan McLean, a 24-year-old rookie right-hander with eight games of major league experience, will start for the U.S.

Jets agree to trade quarterback Justin Fields to Chiefs to serve as Mahomes' backup, AP source says

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Jets have agreed to a trade that will send quarterback Justin Fields to the Kansas City Chiefs, a person familiar with the deal has told The Associated Press. The Jets will receive a sixth-round draft pick in 2027 for Fields and pick up $7 million of his guaranteed $10 million salary for this upcoming season, the person told the AP on condition of anonymity because the teams didn’t announce the trade. The deal, first reported by ESPN, is pending a physical. The 27-year-old Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal with New York last March. Fields was benched in favor of Tyrod Taylor in November.

WNBA and players' union report progress in CBA talks as key issues remain

NEW YORK (AP) — Both the WNBA and players’ union feel progress is being made toward a new collective bargaining agreement, but they both say there’s still work to be done to get a deal to the finish line. In-person talks entered a seventh consecutive day Monday afternoon after the previous session ended around 3 a.m. in the morning. It’s been a long week of discussions with the WNBA and union meeting face-to-face for more than 75 hours since the first in-person bargaining session on Tuesday. None of the sessions have ended before midnight.

Alabama's Aden Holloway, the Tide's No. 2 scorer, is arrested on a felony drug charge

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama guard Aden Holloway has been arrested on a felony drug charge just days before the start of the NCAA Tournament. A Tuscaloosa County police spokesperson says the 21-year-old Holloway was arrested Monday after agents with the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force searched a residence near Alabama’s campus and recovered more than a pound of marijuana, paraphernalia and cash. The Crimson Tide’s No. 2 scorer, Holloway was arrested on a first-degree charge of marijuana possession. The charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $15,000. The university says it’s aware of the allegations and Holloway has been removed from campus pending further investigation.

March Madness tips off with First Four in Dayton, with Miami (Ohio) in the field and close to home

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — March Madness tips off with the First Four, featuring one of this season’s best stories in Miami (Ohio) and a matchup of formerly embattled head coaches in Texas’ Sean Miller and NC State’s Will Wade. Coming off their only loss of the season, the RedHawks have a chance to silence some skeptics against fellow No. 11 seed SMU (20-13) on Wednesday night. The RedHawks, who are back in the tournament for the first time since 2007, were rewarded with a game in Dayton, roughly 43 miles from campus. There are two games Tuesday night to open the tournament.

Picking the NCAA men's bracket: Michigan beats Duke for the national championship

There was a time when the NCAA men’s tournament was wildly unpredictable. Hard as it may seem to believe, there was one season where a No. 4 seed, two No. 5 seeds and a No. 9 seed all reached the Final Four. And a year later, a No. 11 seed got to the national semifinals as well. Ah, 2023 and 2024 feel so long ago. Last year's tournament saw four No. 1 seeds get to the Final Four and the way this bracket looks, it's not hard to envision the same thing happening this year. That's good news for Michigan, Duke, Florida and Arizona.

Picking the NCAA women's bracket: UConn beats Texas for another national championship

UConn looks like the safest pick to win the women’s NCAA tournament, but the real key in bracket pools is nailing early upsets. Brackets start to match by the second weekend, since lower seeds rarely reach the Sweet 16. For those looking to find some dangerous No. 11 seeds: Fairfield faces Notre Dame, Rhode Island plays Alabama, and South Dakota State meets Washington. But in the end, it's hard to not think the No. 1 seeds get to the Final Four.

NBA owners will work on expansion again next week with Vegas and Seattle the targets, AP sources say

The NBA may move a step closer to adding teams in Seattle and Las Vegas next week when expansion will be again discussed by the league’s board of governors, two people with knowledge of the matter tell The Associated Press. It is expected that a vote on whether to go forward with those two cities as the sole targets for expansion at this time takes place next week as well, the people said. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because those were not released publicly. It would take a three-fourths majority of governors to go forward.