Sports
No. 1 seed Michigan locks in as restless Howard embraces moment
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) reacts being called a personal foul against him during the first half of Big Ten Tournament final against Purdue at United Center in Chicago on Sunday, March 15, 2026. Losing will not be not an option for Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg when the No. 1 seed Wolverines take the court in Buffalo to open the NCAA Tournament.
That’s the mindset the Wolverines preached after Howard beat UMBC on Tuesday night to claim the No. 16 seed in the Midwest Region. That sent the Bison to a Thursday afternoon first-round date with the Big Ten regular-season champions.
“Everybody is a threat. For them to get here, they have to win the championship,” Lendeborg said. “I’ve been in that predicament before when I was a mid-major.”
Michigan (31-3) ranks in the top six in offensive and defensive efficiency, a balance that invites plenty of people filling out brackets to pencil the Wolverines in for a Final Four trip to Indianapolis. But head coach Dusty May, who coached Florida Atlantic to the Final Four prior to his arrival in Ann Arbor, doesn’t believe his 6-3 record coaching in the NCAA Tournament has any bearing on what’s to come for either side.
If anything, May strolls into Buffalo wondering if the long string of routs on Michigan’s resume could work against the Wolverines.
“This year we had so many blowouts. We weren’t in very many close games so we didn’t get to learn as much about ourselves as we did in the Big Ten tournament,” May said, pointing to his team’s 80-72 conference tournament loss to Purdue.
“Obviously we’re still doing deep dives into when we’ve played well and when we haven’t and what’s been the difference. I think we’ve been getting 10 to 20 possessions less over the last month of the season than we got before that. So teams have slowed down tempo, teams have tried to restrict our freedom of movement, they’ve tried to get more physical with us. So we haven’t adjusted to that rugged play as well as we need to if we’re going to be as good as anybody in the country.”
Lendeborg led the Wolverines in scoring (14.6 points per game), just ahead of Illinois transfer Morez Johnson, a beast on the glass with agility and a jumper. Johnson averages 13.1 points per game and team-high 7.2 rebounds, narrowly in front of Lendeborg’s average (7.0 per game). Both are 6-foot-9 but play a vastly different style.
Howard (24-10) found its way through the First Four with a tightly contested win over UMBC in Dayton, Ohio. Head coach Kenny Blakeney said nobody owes his team an apology for the early workout in Buffalo hours after wrapping the 86-83 win in the First Four. Bryce Harris, who had 19 points, 14 rebounds and helped seal the win with a turnaround jumper with 12.7 seconds left, said the Bison pride themselves on being adaptable.
What might it take to slay top-seeded Michigan?
“I think it’s just staying composed. Aside from our coach’s extensive experience in the NCAA Tournament, I’ve actually been in this position before. We played Kansas my sophomore year as a 16 seed in Des Moines and one of the biggest things coming into the game, looking at the older guys, was just how composed they were,” Harris said.
“We talk about the lights kind of being a distraction, understanding you’re playing in the NCAA Tournament. It’s like, yeah, but it’s still a basketball game. You know what I mean? Rather than shying away from the energy and the hypeness around the game, you should embrace it. Embrace it, understand that you’re prepared for the moment.”
Harris and Cedric Taylor III each average 17.1 points per game entering the First Four. But they’re part of a starting lineup with only one player (the 6-7 Taylor) over 6-6.
Blakeney, who won a national title as a player with Duke, is no stranger to the stage awaiting his team. But slowing down Michigan will not be a simple task. Their three losses by a total of 16 points came against No. 2 seed Purdue, No. 5 seed Wisconsin and the top seed in the tournament, Duke.
Blakeney was present at the Duke-Michigan game in February after Howard played earlier in the day. He said he took a break that included a few tequila shots at a cigar bar before checking out the big boys in a sold-out setting in Washington, D.C.
“Instead of looking at the game like a coach, I wanted to just veg out and look at the game like a Cameron crazy,” Blakeney said. “So I was there as a fan cheering my brains out, enjoying my day, and just kind of taking it all in to be a fan.
“I saw they were big as hell. I was really impressed how fast they were in transition. Not really seeing them this year, I’m seeing 6-9. 6-10 guys sprint to the 3-point line, and then seeing them knock down threes. That was as high a level a game as I’ve seen in person in a very long time, just as a fan and as a spectator.”
The clock is ticking for Blakeney and Howard to transition into challenger mode, taking on Michigan less than 48 hours after beating UMBC.
“For us, it’s going to be certainly a challenge, but I think we’ll have fun trying to figure out the puzzle,” Blakeney said.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Jannik Sinner sees record set streak snapped, advances in Monte Carlo
Mar 29, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Jannik Sinner of Italy hits a backhand against Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic after beating him in the final of the men’s singles at the Miami Open at the Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images No. 2 Jannik Sinner saw his record streak of consecutive sets won at ATP Masters 1000 events snapped at 37, but the Italian still managed to beat Czech competitor Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-7 (3), 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters on Thursday.
Sinner, whose streak was 13 sets longer than any other since the 1000 series began in 1990, overcame committing more unforced errors (30) than winners (23) by winning 47.2% of his return points and by creating 11 break-point opportunities and converting seven of them.
He lost consecutive service games in the second set to fall behind 5-2 but rallied to force the tiebreaker which he lost handily to see his streak snapped.
“In the second set, I struggled a bit with trying to find the right energy. This can happen. I tried to push myself through, which I’ve done,” Sinner said. “Even when you don’t feel the best, I’m trying to find ways. That was the case today. I’m happy.”
He’ll face No. 6 Canadian Felix-Auger Aliassime for a semifinal spot after the latter’s 7-5, 2-2 victory over No. 9 Casper Ruud of Norway, who retired due to an apparent calf injury.
World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz survived a very sloppy second set to defeat Tomas Martin Etcheverry of Argentina 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 in third-round action.
Of the Spaniard’s 47 unforced errors, 23 of them came in the second set. He finished with 45 winners and was never really in danger in the third set, breaking to open up a 3-0 lead and serving out the match from there in two hours and 24 minutes.
“I was playing really well in the first set. I was feeling the ball 10/10,” Alcaraz said. “Then I started pretty well in the second set as well and had a chance to break his serve in the second game, but I didn’t take it. When you don’t take the opportunities at this level, you have to run back. He played more aggressive after that, but I would say it was a great fight in the end.”
Alcaraz, who is in danger of losing his World No. 1 spot should Sinner win this event, will face eighth-seeded Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan for a semifinal spot.
Bublik had an easier time on Thursday, needing just 75 minutes to beat No. 11 Czech Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 7-5. While Lehecka had seven aces and no double faults, he was not able to force a single break point on Bublik, who won 40 of 51 service points (78.4%).
No. 3 Alexander Zverev of Germany is also through to the quarterfinals after a 6-2, 7-5 win over Belgium’s Zizou Bergs. No. 5 Alex de Minaur of Australia outlasted Belgian qualifier Alexander Blockx 7-5, 7-6 (4).
In the first of two matches between unseeded competitors, 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca coasted past Italian wild card Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-2 in 73 minutes.
Also, local competitor Valentin Vacherot rallied for a 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-4 win over Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz to advance to the quarterfinals. It’s the deepest run a Monegasque player has ever made in Monte Carlo.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Athletics' Jeffrey Springs dominates Yanks in 1-hit shutout
Apr 9, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Athletics pitcher Jeffrey Springs (59) pitches against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images Jeffrey Springs allowed one hit in seven outstanding innings to lead to the visiting Athletics to a 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees on Thursday afternoon.
Springs (2-0) took a no-hit bid into the seventh before Ben Rice cleanly singled to right field following a one-out walk to Giancarlo Stanton. The veteran left-hander allowed only Rice’s hit, struck out six and walked two.
Springs threw 60 of 93 pitches for strikes and only allowed four baserunners. He struck out Aaron Judge on a called third strike to end the third with two on and retired Austin Wells on a fly ball with two on to end the seventh.
The A’s won their first series over the Yankees in New York since getting a three-game sweep April 19-21, 2016. The A’s did not score until Max Muncy tripled and trotted home on a single by Tyler Soderstrom off New York starter Ryan Weathers (0-1).
The A’s won for the fifth time in eight games after dropping their first four contests and finished with eight hits.
After Springs finished, right-hander Justin Sterner retired Judge on a groundout with a runner on first to end the eighth. Left-hander Hogan Harris struck out Rice to cap a perfect ninth and notched his first save.
The A’s earned the win after losing right fielder Brent Rooker to right flank discomfort on a swing in the opening inning.
The Yankees were held to one hit for the first time since Aug. 15, 2023, at Atlanta. The A’s allowed one hit for the first time since April 11, 2024, at Texas when JP Sears lost a no-hit bid in the seventh.
Weathers allowed one run on seven hits in a season-high seven innings. The left-hander struck out seven, walked none and threw a career-high 101 pitches.
The Yankees lost for the third time in four games and had three at-bats with a runner in scoring position. New York has not scored since taking a two-run lead on Luis Severino in the first inning of Wednesday’s 3-2 loss.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Austrian teen Lilli Tagger stuns No. 3 Liudmila Samsonova in Linz
Lilli Tagger celebrates winning her first-round match over Varvara Gracheva of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, Calif., Thursday, March 5, 2026. Tagger, just 18-years-old, marked her first-ever WTA 1000 event win. Local wild-card competitor Lilli Tagger pulled off a 6-2, 7-6 (11) defeat of No. 3 Liudmila Samsonova of Russia on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Upper Austria Ladies Linz in Linz, Austria.
Tagger, who turned 18 in February, converted three of five break-point opportunities while winning 22 of 32 second-return points (69%). She staved off four set points in her final service game of the second set before clinching after a marathon second-set tiebreaker to reach her first clay-court semifinal on the WTA Tour.
Next up for Tagger is fellow Austrian Anastasia Potapova, who blew past Germany’s Tamara Korpatsch for a 6-2, 6-1 victory in 91 minutes, converting seven of her 14 break-point opportunities.
No. 2 Ekaterina Alexandrova of Russia was also ousted from the tournament in the second round, thrashed by unseeded Czech competitor Karolina Pliskova 6-1, 6-3 in 60 minutes.
Croatia’s Donna Vekic also advanced to the quarterfinals via walkover as Ukraine’s Anhelina Kalinina was forced to withdraw due to illness. She’ll face Pliskova for a semifinal on the side of the bracket which has no seeded players left after Thursday’s two upsets.
–Field Level Media
Jannik Sinner sees record set streak snapped, advances in Monte Carlo
Athletics' Jeffrey Springs dominates Yanks in 1-hit shutout
