CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — Bryce Harper has been playing catch-up since his free agency carried over into spring training.

Don't let the brackets fool you. College football is in full swing, too.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Mfiondu Kabengele had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Florida State held off a barrage of 3-pointers from 13th-seeded Vermont in a 76-69 victory Thursday in the opening round of the NCAA West Regional.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Skylar Mays hit four free throws in the final 15 seconds to help embattled LSU slip past 14th-seeded Yale 79-74 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Minnesota won its first NCAA Tournament game in six years behind 24 points from freshman Gale Kalscheur as the 10th-seeded Gophers rolled past Louisville 86-76 in the opening round of the East Region on Thursday.

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — The PGA Tour event that doesn't have Tiger Woods this year instead has the Leaping Cougar.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — College basketball fans are lining up at casinos and racetracks and furiously tapping smartphone screens to get down bets on March Madness, in many states where it is legal for the first time.

The Latest on the first round of the NCAA Tournament (all times Eastern):

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Kentucky coach John Calipari says in a tweet that leading scorer and rebounder PJ Washington has a sprained foot and will miss the second-seeded Wildcats' NCAA Tournament opener against No. 15 seed Abilene Christian.

TOKYO (AP) — Ichiro Suzuki was showered with cheers and chants while taking what appeared to be his final bow in a magnificent career that lasted nearly three decades Thursday night when the Seattle Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 5-4 in 12 innings.

SAITAMA, Japan (AP) — Defending champion Nathan Chen upstaged two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu on Thursday to lead the short program at the figure skating world championships.

TOKYO (AP) — Ichiro Suzuki started for the Seattle Mariners on Thursday in what the Japanese news agency Kyodo is reporting will be his final major league game.

Jakub Voracek was psyched at the mere suggestion the Philadelphia Flyers might play an NHL game in his native Czech Republic.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — John Calipari has tweeted that his "plan and desire" is to retire at Kentucky, quashing the latest rumor in what has been an annual ritual linking him as a candidate for vacant coaching jobs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Andrei Vasilevskiy made a franchise-record 54 saves, Nikita Kucherov scored twice and the NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning won their sixth consecutive game by beating the Washington Capitals 5-4 in overtime Wednesday night in a potential playoff preview.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout and the Angels announced their 12-year contract, a record deal that ties baseball's top player to Los Angeles for what likely will be the rest of his career.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid had 37 points, 22 rebounds and a key block on Kyrie Irving with 35 seconds remaining, and Jimmy Butler scored 15 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to lead the streaking Philadelphia 76ers over the Boston Celtics 118-115 on Wednesday night.

DAVENPORT, Fla. (AP) — Gregg Berhalter prepares for U.S. national team matches like a CEO getting ready for a deal.

Bryce Harper got his first hit of spring training.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — As the Kentucky Wildcats went through a casual shoot-around the day before their opening game of the NCAA tournament, complete with a blaring band and thousands of blue-clad fans watching every move, something was missing.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — It seems as though coach Tom Izzo has Michigan State poised to make a Final Four run nearly every year.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Roger Federer has won one trophy so far in 2019, which puts him in a tie for the ATP lead — with 18 other players.

DETROIT (AP) — John Engler's front-row interest in Michigan State University basketball has led to a war of words over the former school president's availability to speak to investigators about the Larry Nassar scandal .

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Penn State is poised to send out another senior class as four-time national champions and cement its status as the college powerhouse of the past decade.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A federal judge has approved an agreement for Wells Fargo Securities to pay an $800,000 civil penalty to end a lawsuit by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over Rhode Island's failed $75 million deal with former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's video …

PALM HARBOR, Fla. (AP) — Dustin Johnson is peaking. The Masters is nearing. And he was talking Wednesday about an injury from the stairs.

BOSTON (AP) — Somehow, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora looked at Mookie Betts' MVP season and saw room for improvement.

TOKYO (AP) — Ichiro Suzuki drew the loudest ovation back home in Japan and Domingo Santana delivered the biggest hit, launching a grand slam that led the Seattle Mariners over the Oakland Athletics 9-7 Wednesday in the Major League Baseball opener.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Danica Patrick will join NBC Sports' inaugural coverage of the Indianapolis 500 as an analyst alongside host Mike Tirico.

TOKYO (AP) — Talk about a serious home-field advantage.

TOKYO (AP) — Jay Bruce of the Seattle Mariners has gotten the first hit of the 2019 Major League Baseball season and Oakland's Stephen Piscotty has connected for the first home run.

DAVENPORT, Fla. (AP) — Christian Pulisic has a vision of a transformed U.S. soccer team, a red-white-and-blue power that gives opponents sleepless nights similar the nightmares that plague players on the eve of facing Brazil or Germany.

HOUSTON (AP) — A person with direct knowledge of the situation says Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros have agreed on a $100 million, six-year deal that keeps the All-Star third baseman under contract with the team through 2024.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Kevin McClain scored 29 points and led the decisive second-half run as Belmont got its first NCAA Tournament win, pulling away to an 81-70 victory Tuesday night and ending Temple coach Fran Dunphy's career in the First Four.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Giants President and CEO Larry Baer will not face charges following a physical altercation with his wife this month that led to him taking a leave of absence from the team.

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders have signed linebacker Vontaze Burfict.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Stephen Curry scored 22 of his 36 points in the third quarter and Klay Thompson pitched in with 28 points, giving the Golden State Warriors more than enough production to beat the fading Minnesota Timberwolves 117-107 on Tuesday and regain first place in the Western Conference.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Doc Rivers denied rumors on Tuesday night that he's interested in leaving the Los Angeles Clippers to coach the Lakers.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Darnell Edge scored a career-high 33 points, and Fairleigh Dickinson rallied to win its first ever NCAA Tournament game, taking down Prairie View A&M 82-76 in the tourney opener on Tuesday night.

DAVENPORT, Fla. (AP) — After the worst moment of his soccer life, after his own goal at Trinidad and Tobago helped cost the United States a World Cup, Omar Gonzalez called Gregg Berhalter.