Andy Murray erased a championship point Sunday and rallied past David Ferrer

Andy Murray erased a championship point Sunday and rallied past David Ferrer 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1) in a grueling, dramatic final at the Sony Open. One point from defeat in the last set, Murray skipped a forehand off the baseline to stay in the match. He then dominated the tiebreaker, while Ferrer appeared to cramp and collapsed to the court after one long exchange. The match was filled with grinding baseline rallies, including at least ...

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Florida wins 62-50 to end FGCU's NCAA run

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — SEC champion Florida is going to its third straight NCAA regional final, while the improbable tournament journey for Florida Gulf Coast is over. The Eagles, the No. 15 seed few people even knew of on Selection Sunday, had their season ended just before midnight Friday with a 62-50 loss to one of the big schools from Florida. The high-flying team from "Dunk City" jumped out to an early 11-point lead. But the No. 3 seed Gators (29-7) and their roster filled with NCAA tourney experience were just too strong and too good. FGCU ...

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Pat Riley to Danny Ainge: Shut up

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Miami Heat President Pat Riley has added another chapter to his rivalry with the Boston Celtics. After LeBron James complained about calls and Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge chided him for it, Riley lashed back Friday night. Riley's response: "Danny Ainge needs to shut the (expletive) up and manage his own team." This saga started Wednesday after Miami's 27-game winning streak ended in Chicago. James told reporters that night that he does not believe some of the hard fouls he takes are "basketball ...

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Burke leads improbable Michigan rally over Kansas

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Trey Burke scored all 23 of his points after halftime, including a long, tying 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation, and Michigan rallied to beat Kansas 87-85 in the South Regional semifinals Friday night. The fourth-seeded Wolverines wiped out a 10-point Kansas lead in the last 3 minutes of regulation, and Burke gave them their first lead since early in the game with another long 3 to open Michigan's scoring in overtime. Michigan (29-7) reached the regional finals for the first time since the Fab Five era 19 years ago, the last time they were ...

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What if: Women's coaches weigh in on 1-on-1 games

Baylor coach Kim Mulkey laughed at the idea. Then, after giving it a little thought, declared herself the winner of a mythical NCAA women's tournament in which coaches played 1-on-1 to determine the winner of each round. Like her Lady Bears, who are four games away from winning a second straight national championship, Mulkey feels she'd be a heavy favorite to win a coach versus coach tourney as well. She might have a tougher time than Baylor, as there would be some really stiff competition from LSU's Nikki Caldwell and South Carolina's Dawn Staley, ...

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Coaches survive show-cause orders

Few words are less welcome to college basketball coaches than "show cause," shorthand for the NCAA penalty designed to keep those sanctioned for misconduct at one school from quickly jumping to another campus. Yet an Associated Press review of infractions cases since 2000 found that show-cause orders tend to have a sharply uneven impact. Of the 44 former men's basketball coaches given show-cause orders since 2000, at least 25 found other basketball jobs, usually after the orders expired. Some remained involved with big-time programs, while others ...

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Griner has 3 dunks, Baylor women rout Florida St.

Brittney Griner certainly knows how to provide a farewell to remember — and an embrace Baylor coach Kim Mulkey will likely never forget. There were three impressive dunks on a night Griner almost could have had more in her final home game. "Tonight felt like senior night. Tonight was better," Griner said. " The three dunks. Just going out the way we did. Not everybody's lucky, and we were. We gave the crowd a good game." Griner had 33 points and a career-high 22 rebounds, along becoming the first woman with three dunks in a game, as the defending ...

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Tampa Bay Lightning fire coach Guy Boucher

The Tampa Bay Lightning fired coach Guy Boucher on Sunday. Assistants Martin Raymond and Dan Lacroix will share coaching responsibilities for Sunday night's game at Winnipeg. "Guy has poured his heart and soul into the Lightning organization for these past three years and we appreciate all the work he has done," general manager Steve Yzerman said in a statement. "But ultimately I am not satisfied with the direction we are heading and I believe making a change today is in the best interest of our franchise." Tampa Bay is next to last in the Eastern ...

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Haas shoots 66 to take early lead at Bay Hill

Bill Haas wanted to make up for his bad finish in the opening round at Bay Hill. He did that and more Friday. Haas kept bogeys off his card for a 6-under 66, taking a one-shot lead among the early starters in the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Haas not only hit 15 greens in regulation, he didn't have a putt for par longer than 4 feet. He was at 9-under 135 going into the weekend, one shot head of John Huh, who had a 66. Justin Rose, the first-round leader after a 65, and Tiger Woods were among those playing in the afternoon as the temperatures ...

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UPDATE 1-Golf-European Tour Malaysian Open scores

March 22 (Infostrada Sports) - Scores from the European Tour Malaysian Open at the par-72 course on Friday in Kuala Lumpur holes played rounds -10 Kiradech Aphibarnrat (Thailand) 9 65 -9 Wu Ashun (China) 18 67 68 Charl Schwartzel (South Africa) 18 67 68 -8 Edoardo Molinari (Italy) 5 66 -6 Liang Wenchong (China) 18 70 68 Scott Jamieson (Britain) 18 66 72 Lee Slattery (Britain) 18 68 70 Alexander Noren (Sweden) 5 69 Gregory Bourdy (France) 3 66 -5 Rafael Cabrera-Bello (Spain) 18 72 67 Prom Meesawat (Thailand) ...

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Donald struggles in Malaysia, Thai Kiradech leads

Luke Donald's Malaysian Open debut got off to a feeble start on Thursday with the world number three, the biggest name in the $2.75 million European Tour event, carding an opening round two-over-par 74 in Kuala Lumpur. Big-hitting Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat, battling a thyroid problem, sank four birdies on each nine for a seven-under-par 65 to grab the lead before lightning forced an early end to play. Donald arrived from the U.S. on Tuesday morning following his tied fourth place finish in last week's Tampa Bay Championship and playing his back nine ...

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QB Manning considers reworking contract for Cruz

Quarterback Eli Manning will consider reworking his contract if it will help keep leading receiver Victor Cruz on the New York Giants. The two-time Super Bowl MVP indicated Wednesday at a sponsor event that the Giants haven't asked him to redo his contract to open cap space. However, he said he would consider anything that helps the team. "I want Victor back with the Giants," Manning said, adding that he checks the newspapers every morning to make sure that Cruz has not signed with another team. "It is nerve-racking. He is anxious. He has been dealing ...

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NCAA investigating Syracuse; Report

Syracuse has been under investigation for possible NCAA violations, mostly in its basketball program, for at least a year, according to two media reports. CBS Sports.com, citing an unidentified source, reported Wednesday that the school has received a letter of preliminary inquiry from the NCAA. The Post-Standard reported NCAA investigators have been conducting interviews with Syracuse employees and former employees. The newspaper said the investigation includes the handling of former player Fab Melo's academic eligibility. In 2012, the star center ...

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'Only one playboy at Playboy, and that's Hef'

Welcome to BracketRacket, the one-stop shopping place for all your NCAA tournament needs. Today, we have The Rock, the world's ugliest tie, the sneakiest coaching move of the season — from France; what, you were expecting John Calipari? — and the answer to the question on everyone's mind with the games that matter still two days away: Will Hef be watching in a smoking jacket surrounded by Playboy bunnies? But first, we simulate the entire tournament so you don't have to. ___ HAZARDOUS DUTY When Associated Press sportswriter Noah Trister volunteered ...

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