Pac-12 Tournament: UCLA freshmen step up to help defeat Colorado  —  Amari Bailey's career-high 26 points and Adem Bona's double-double pace the Bruins in an 80-69 quarterfinal win  —  LAS VEGAS — All the talk of UCLA's ability to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament …

State boys hockey: Hermantown strikes early, throttles Luverne  — More-  —  Seventy-one seconds was all it took for Hermantown to seize control of its state quarterfinal matchup against Luverne on Wednesday at the Xcel Energy Center.  —  Senior Aaron Evjen scored at the 6:28 mark …

Yankees' Carlos Rodon to start season on injured list due to left forearm strain  —  The Yankees will have to wait to deploy their new ace.  —  Carlos Rodon will begin the season on the injured list due to a mild left forearm strain, GM Brian Cashman told reporters on Thursday at the Yankees spring complex in Tampa.

Chicago Cubs top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong's defense continues to impress: 'He's going to be one of the top-10 center fielders to ever play'  —  ExpandAutoplay  —  1 of 61  —  Trey Mancini stands in the batters box during the first inning of a spring training game against the Mariners on March 6, 2023.

Jets feeling more optimistic about landing star QB Aaron Rodgers: report  —  On Tuesday, Jets brass flew out to California to meet with Aaron Rodgers after receiving permission from the Packers to talk to the star quarterback.  Jets owner Woody Johnson, general manager Joe Douglas …

Dolphins clear cap space with Bradley Chubb restructure  —  The Dolphins signed edge rusher Bradley Chubb to a five-year extension after acquiring him in a trade with the Broncos last year and they've turned back to that contract in order to create some cap space ahead of the new league year.

Nets rally from down 22, fall short in loss to Bucks  —  Stars or no stars, the Nets remain one of the more resilient teams in all of basketball.  —  That much became clear as they clawed back from down 22 to make it a tight game down the stretch before the Bucks pulled away for a 118-113 victory over the Nets in Milwaukee.

Aaron Judge's free agency: How a small inner circle and a 3 a.m. phone call kept him a Yankee  —  At about 2 a.m on Dec. 7, a weary Aaron Judge completed his second flight in a 24-hour span, with a third coming up just a few hours later.  He had traveled from Tampa to San Diego to Stockton, Calif., 20 minutes from his home in Linden.

World Baseball Classic kicks off with Netherlands, Panama victories  —  The Dutch open the 20-team tournament defeating Cuba 4-2, then Panama routs Taiwan 12-5 in a four-hour game  —  TAICHUNG, Taiwan — The 20-team World Baseball Classic got underway after a six-year absence …

Heat can't overcome their miscues, fall 104-100 to Cavaliers as play-in odds increase  —  MIAMI — When the Miami Heat talk about competing, the approach often is expressed as a willingness to play in the mud.  —  Wednesday night at Miami-Dade Arena, Erik Spoelstra's team created its own slop, with a season-high 24 turnovers.

Judge gets first look in LF, praises Volpe  —  TAMPA, Fla. — Aaron Judge had hoped for more action in his Grapefruit League left field debut, but with pitchers Gerrit Cole and Greg Weissert largely overpowering the Cardinals' lineup, the Yankees' new captain had more time than anticipated to ponder his thoughts.