EDDIE PELLS

AP National Writer
Attorney Jeffrey Kessler arrives at federal court on Monday, April 7, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Objectors have final say and $2.8 billion NCAA lawsuit settlement goes to judge for a decision
The $2.8 billion settlement that will reshape college athletics is now before a federal judge for a final decision.
 
Florida's Walter Clayton Jr. celebrates after Florida beat Houston in the national championship at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 7, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Two courts: NCAA’s present (Gators!) and future play out 1700 miles apart on the same day
A thrill-a-minute NCAA title for the Florida Gators in San Antonio has reminded us all of what’s so good about the games these college athletes play.
 
Florida celebrates with the trophy after their win against the Houston in the national championship at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 7, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
Walter Clayton Jr.'s defensive stop gives Florida its 3rd national title with 65-63 win over Houston
Florida and Walter Clayton Jr. somehow overcame Houston’s spirit-crushing defense Monday night to will out a 65-63 victory in an NCAA title-game thriller not decided until Clayton’s own D stopped the Cougars from taking a game-winning shot at the buzzer.
 
College soccer player Lexi Drumm leaves federal court during a hearing for a landmark $2.8 billion settlement impacting NCAA college athletics on Monday, April 7, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Judge wants range of issues addressed in $2.8 billion NCAA settlement before final approval
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken has asked attorneys in the landmark $2.8 billion House settlement to come up with solutions for issues raised at a hearing in Oakland, California, before she grants final approval.
 
Houston's J'Wan Roberts (13) reacts during the first half in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Houston, Florida play for title and put a different spin on the underdog role to wrap March Madness
Whoever said there were no great underdog stories left in March Madness, or that the title would go to whoever spends the most money — or amasses the best collection of big names from the transfer portal — clearly never checked out Houston.
 
Houston's L.J. Cryer (4) celebrates with teammates after Houston beat Duke in the national semifinals at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Houston rallies to beat Duke 70-67 in the Final Four, will face Florida for the NCAA title
Houston’s suffocating defense wiped away a 14-point deficit over the final eight minutes and erased Cooper Flagg and Duke’s title hopes Saturday in a 70-67 stunner over the Blue Devils at the Final Four.
 
Florida guard Walter Clayton Jr. (1) celebrates their win over Texas Tech in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
For Florida’s Clayton, spiking football and saying so long to Pitino leads to the Final Four
Most people thought Walter Clayton Jr. would play football in college. He chose hoops. And when following Rick Pitino after the coach moved from Iona to St. John’s seemed like a good choice, Clayton chose Florida instead.
 
Duke forward Cooper Flagg shoots during practice at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
At Final Four, Houston slowing Duke’s Cooper Flagg could come down to a stopper named Joseph Tugler
Pretty much every basketball fan has heard of Duke’s Cooper Flagg. Nowhere near as many have heard of Houston’s Joseph Tugler.
 
Duke forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after Duke beat Alabama in an Elite Eight round NCAA college basketball tournament game, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)
AI vs. pro gambler’s $1 million March Madness bet coming down to Duke and Houston
The $1 million March Madness wager between a pro gambler and an artificial-intelligence site will be decided by the winner of the Duke-Houston game in the Final Four.
 
Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson celebrates his team's victory over Tennessee in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Sunday, March 30, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Once pariahs, now winners, Final Four coaches Pearl, Sampson a reflection of a changing game
A decade ago, Bruce Pearl of Auburn and Kelvin Sampson of Houston were looking to resurrect their careers after being handed show-cause penalties by the NCAA for recruiting violations. This week, they’re coaching at the Final Four.
 
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File)
SafeSport knew of allegations against former cop before hiring him as investigator
People at the U.S. Center for SafeSport knew a former police officer was the subject of an internal investigation at his former job but hired him anyway. That’s according to details of a letter sent from the center to Sen.
 
Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton watches his team during the second half of the Atlantic Coast Conference second round NCAA college basketball tournament game against Virginia Tech, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in Washington. Black coaches in the top six men's college basketball leagues are still facing a tough climb in going from assistant to the head job. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)
Why college basketball coaches say the game no longer has the same appeal
Coach after coach, from Miami’s Jim Larrañaga to Virginia’s Tony Bennett to Villanova’s Jay Wright, have walked away from college basketball, saying it no longer holds the appeal it once did.
 
Duke forward Cooper Flagg (2) cuts a piece of the net after Duke defeated Alabama in an Elite Eight round NCAA college basketball tournament game, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Flagg, Broome, Clayton are among the Final Four players to watch in a showdown between No. 1 seeds
Fittingly for an NCAA Tournament in which big schools from big conferences took record numbers of spots in the first week, then hogged them all for the second week, the Final Four will bring four teams seeded No. 1 to the sport’s biggest stage to play for the title.
 
Duke center Khaman Maluach (9) holds up at the East Region championship trophy after Duke defeated Alabama in an Elite Eight round NCAA college basketball tournament game, Saturday, March 29, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Duke’s great D sends Blue Devils to their 18th Final Four with an 85-65 win over Alabama
Duke’s stream of NBA-ready standouts used smothering defense and other options on offense to paper over Cooper Flagg’s rough shooting night and lift the Blue Devils to the program’s 18th Final Four with an 85-65 victory over Alabama.
 
Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) reacts during the second half of a Sweet 16 round NCAA college basketball tournament game against Brigham Young, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
3s please, and wide-open offense on display when Duke plays Alabama with Final Four trip at stake
When Alabama faces Duke for a trip to the Final Four on Saturday, hoops fans will witness what some say is the future of college basketball. Others might call it a byproduct of nobody putting up a fight on defense.
 
Duke forward Cooper Flagg (2) reacts after making a three point basket against Arizona to end the first half of a Sweet 16 round NCAA college basketball tournament game, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Flagg flies in March Madness and Duke wins 100-93 over Arizona to reach the Elite Eight
Duke stud Cooper Flagg put on a skills clinic and overcame an onslaught from Arizona and Caleb Love, finishing with 30 points, six rebounds and seven assists in a 100-93 NCAA Tournament victory that pulled the Blue Devils within one win of the Final Four.
 
Russian Kamila Valieva competes in the women's free skate program at the 2023 Russian Figure Skating Grand Prix, the Golden Skate of Moscow, Nov. 26, 2023, in Moscow. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
Valieva’s attorneys accuse WADA of ‘procedural fraud,’ ask court to revisit her doping case
Attorneys for Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva are taking her doping case back to court. They argue the World Anti-Doping Agency withheld and altered evidence that could have proven her contamination claim during the hearing that resulted in her four-year suspension.
 
Arizona guard Caleb Love reacts after a basket against Oregon during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 23, 2025 in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Love affair back on at March Madness. Now with Arizona, Caleb Love takes on Duke again
If there’s a single player Duke or any of its fans would love to not run into when the stakes are this high, Caleb Love would be that player. Love used to play for Duke’s biggest rival, North Carolina. Now he plays for Duke’s next opponent, Arizona.
 
West Liberty basketball heard coach Jim Crutchfield directs his team during college basketball practice on the campus of the Division II school in West Liberty, W.Va, Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011. (AP Photo/Mark Stahl, file)
Big fish, different pond: March Madness is Nova SE’s time thanks to a coaching giant in Division II
The coach with the best winning percentage in college basketball history won’t be anywhere near San Antonio when the Final Four rolls around next week. By then, Jim Crutchfield might be celebrating another Division II title with Nova Southeastern.
 
SIU Edwardsville guard Declan Dillon, looks to pass around Houston guard L.J. Cryer (4) during the first half of a first round game of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Wichita, Kan. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
When March Madness meets the transfer portal, the world’s biggest scouting combine erupts
They’re playing for more than trips to the Final Four and a chance to cut down nets at March Madness. It’s also a chance to see and be seen – by other teams.
 
Shelby Houlihan, of the United States, competes in the women's 3000 meters final at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, Saturday, March 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)
US runner Shelby Houlihan earns silver medal in return to big stage after 4-year burrito ban
American runner Shelby Houlihan returned to the big stage after a much-debated four-year doping ban and won a silver medal in the 3,000 meters at the world indoor championships.
 
Brigham Young forward Richie Saunders, center, drives between Wisconsin forward Steven Crowl, left, and guard Max Klesmit during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
In March Madness, BYU gets a stop, then gets to go ... to Sweet 16 with 91-89 win over Wisconsin
BYU withstood a ferocious charge from Wisconsin’s John Tonje to hold off the Badgers for a 91-89 victory that sends the program to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011.
 
Brigham Young head coach Kevin Young is seen on the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Houston in the semifinal round of the Big 12 Conference tournament, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
BYU brings an NBA coach and a pro look to college and March Madness
Instead of fighting college basketball’s trend to looking more like a pro sport, BYU took a logical step: It hired a coach straight out of the NBA. Kevin Young’s move from the association to the NCAA is paying dividends right away for the Cougars.
 
Texas A&M guard Wade Taylor IV (4) cheers after a defensive stop against Yale during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Texas A&M avoids an Ivy League upset by beating Yale 80-71 in NCAA Tournament
Texas A&M snuffed out hope of another Ivy League upset, sending Yale back to class with an 80-71 victory behind 25 points and 10 rebounds from big man Pharrel Payne in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Yale forward Casey Simmons, right, drives to the basket as Texas A&M guard Wade Taylor IV, left, defends during the first half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/John Leyba)
Texas A&M avoids an Ivy League upset by beating Yale 80-71 in NCAA Tournament
Texas A&M snuffed out hope of another Ivy League upset, sending Yale back to class with an 80-71 victory behind 25 points and 10 rebounds from big man Pharrel Payne in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Wisconsin forward Carter Gilmore reacts after hitting a 3-point basket against Montana during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Thursday, March 20, 2025, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Wisconsin back in March Madness win column, 85-66 over Montana
Wisconsin grinded its way back into the March Madness win column, getting double-digit scoring from five players on the way to an 85-66 victory over Montana. This was the first victory in the NCAA Tournament for the third-seeded Badgers since 2022.
 
Yale head coach James Jones celebrates while helping to cut down the net after defeating Cornell in an Ivy League tournament championship NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Yale, Ivy League and other March Madness upset seekers face uncertain future amid college upheaval
Nobody does the underdog thing at March Madness better than the Ivy League. These days, that means nobody does it better than Yale.
 
Two basketballs sit on the floor before a second round game between UCLA and Oklahoma in the NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, March 20, 2023, in Los Angeles, Calif. (AP Photo/Kyusung Gong, File)
Can AI help you win your March Madness bracket? One disruptor bets $1 million on ‘yes’ (and Houston)
Perhaps the surest sign that artificial intelligence really is taking over the world will come the day it wins your favorite March Madness bracket pool. The day could be coming soon.
 
UConn guard Paige Bueckers (5) reacts after making a basket while being fouled during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Creighton in the finals of the Big East Conference tournament, Monday, March 10, 2025, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
In March Madness, the women still have more stars and perhaps more people watching too
The two biggest names in college basketball these days will be playing in the women’s tournament when March Madness gets into full swing.
 
Auburn guard Miles Kelly (13) reacts to play against Tennessee during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the semifinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
March Madness bracket anything but sleepy as Auburn, Tar Heels picks highlight wild Selection Sunday
Auburn is the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, with Duke, Houston and Florida joining the Tigers on the No. 1 line in the March Madness bracket.
 
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