KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. finished a double shy of the cycle, Kyle Isbel and Maikel Garcia hit back-to-back home runs, and the Kansas City Royals routed Minnesota 11-0 on Sunday to avoid a second straight season-opening sweep by the Twins.

Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer and finished with four RBIs, and Nelson Velázquez had the last of five homers for Kansas City, which gave Brady Singer (1-0) plenty of run support on a day in which he hardly needed it.

Singer, trying to bounce back from a rough 2023, allowed three hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out 10.

“The offense was incredible,” Singer said with a smile. “It makes it a lot easier to stay in the zone and trust yourself.”

The Royals got their homers from five different players, matching a franchise record last done on July 27, 2020, in Detroit. And the 11-run victory margin was their biggest since an 11-0 win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 13, 2020.

“To get out to a lead today was nice,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said, “just how we started the last two games.”

Bailey Ober (0-1) retired just four batters for Minnesota, allowing eight runs on nine hits and a walk. Kody Funderburk wasn't much better, allowing two more runs on three hits and a walk while retiring five.

“He had a great spring,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of Ober, whose importance to the rotation has only increased after the club lost Anthony DeSclafani to season-ending flexor tendon surgery this week. “We have high expectations for him.”

Ober wasn't able to replicate the way Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan had shut down Kansas City, though. Its offensive outburst Sunday came after a club that lost 106 games last season managed only two runs on 10 hits and four walks — while striking out 19 times — in dropping the first two games of the season to its AL Central rival.

“It was a little payback today,” Quatraro said.

Perez provided the first big blow in the first inning, when he sent a three-run homer into the left-field bullpen. But it was a six-run second, highlighted by consecutive homers for Isbel and Garcia, that gave the Royals some breathing room. Witt added a triple to his first-inning single and Perez drove in another run before MJ Melendez knocked Ober from the game.

By the time new second baseman Adam Frazier added a two-run double, the Royals were cruising with a 9-0 lead.

Witt added his 434-foot shot in the third, and all that was left to see was whether he could hit for the cycle. Nobody had done it for Kansas City since Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett accomplished the feat on July 25, 1990, in Toronto.

In the fifth, Witt struck out on a slider by Daniel Duarte. With one last chance in the seventh, the 23-year-old phenom worked a 3-1 count against Cole Sands before fouling off a pitch and swinging hard through a 95-mph fastball to end the inning.

“I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself,” Witt said. “I got a couple of pitches I should have hit.”

The Twins have a day off before RHP Louie Varland starts the opener of a two-game series in Milwaukee on Tuesday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr. finished a double shy of the cycle, Kyle Isbel and Maikel Garcia hit back-to-back home runs, and the Kansas City Royals routed Minnesota 11-0 on Sunday to avoid a second straight season-opening sweep by the Twins.Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer and finished with four RBIs, and Nelson Velázquez had the last of five homers for Kansas City, which gave Brady Singer (1-0) plenty of run support on a day in which he hardly needed it.Singer, trying to bounce back from a rough 2023, allowed three hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out 10.“The offense was incredible,” Singer said with a smile. “It makes it a lot easier to stay in the zone and trust yourself.”The Royals got their homers from five different players, matching a franchise record last done on July 27, 2020, in Detroit. And the 11-run victory margin was their biggest since an 11-0 win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 13, 2020.“To get out to a lead today was nice,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said, “just how we started the last two games.”Bailey Ober (0-1) retired just four batters for Minnesota, allowing eight runs on nine hits and a walk. Kody Funderburk wasn't much better, allowing two more runs on three hits and a walk while retiring five.“He had a great spring,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of Ober, whose importance to the rotation has only increased after the club lost Anthony DeSclafani to season-ending flexor tendon surgery this week. “We have high expectations for him.”Ober wasn't able to replicate the way Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan had shut down Kansas City, though. Its offensive outburst Sunday came after a club that lost 106 games last season managed only two runs on 10 hits and four walks — while striking out 19 times — in dropping the first two games of the season to its AL Central rival.“It was a little payback today,” Quatraro said.Perez provided the first big blow in the first inning, when he sent a three-run homer into the left-field bullpen. But it was a six-run second, highlighted by consecutive homers for Isbel and Garcia, that gave the Royals some breathing room. Witt added a triple to his first-inning single and Perez drove in another run before MJ Melendez knocked Ober from the game.By the time new second baseman Adam Frazier added a two-run double, the Royals were cruising with a 9-0 lead.Witt added his 434-foot shot in the third, and all that was left to see was whether he could hit for the cycle. Nobody had done it for Kansas City since Hall of Fame third baseman George Brett accomplished the feat on July 25, 1990, in Toronto.In the fifth, Witt struck out on a slider by Daniel Duarte. With one last chance in the seventh, the 23-year-old phenom worked a 3-1 count against Cole Sands before fouling off a pitch and swinging hard through a 95-mph fastball to end the inning.“I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself,” Witt said. “I got a couple of pitches I should have hit.”UP NEXTThe Twins have a day off before RHP Louie Varland starts the opener of a two-game series in Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Witt falls double shy of cycle, KC hits 5 homers and routs Twins

By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Info

he door has been knocked on only once in its storied program history but Season 56 produced the ram rod as the top ranked Barton Community College men's basketball team captured the NJCAA Division I National Championship at the Hutchinson Sports Arena with an 88-73 victory over Triton College.

Making the most of just its 5th tournament appearance after being snubbed as an at-large berth last season, the Cougars completed the mission on its 27th straight victory to claim the College's 60th team national title and second in less than thirty days following the women's track and field's indoor title earlier in the month.

Barton completes the year at 36-1 tying for the most wins in program history while Triton finishes at 34-3 in their first ever Division I title appearance while as a team earning the Charles Sesher Sportsmanship Award.

Hometown product Myles Thompson led the Cougars for the final time with his 7th double-double performance of the year on a game high 27 points and 13 rebounds while Lajae Jones added 14 points and 13 rebounds for his 15th double-double in just twenty-two minutes in earning the 2024 Tournament MVP. The son of Cougar legend Jackie Jones finished the tournament with 66 points, 43 rebounds, and two double-doubles in the four games despite being saddled with foul trouble in a pair of contests.

Arguably a co-MVP with his week-long performance, Thompson also landed on the All-Tournament team as did Ring Malith after canning 4-of-7 from deep for 22 points and three steals.

Cooper Jackson added 14 points with 6 assists and 2 steals with Mozae Downing-Rivers dishing out a game high 7 dimes with 4 rebounds.

Four Tritons also reached double digit scoring despite being held nineteen points below their season average. Canning 5-of-6 from long distance, Dior Connors led with 24 points with Amar Augillard scoring 23 points despite an off-night 1-of-11 beyond the arc. Scoring 10 points each were Dylan Williams and X-factor AJ Dixon before fouling out with ten minutes remaining. Tolu Samuels led all players with 16 rebounds.

Barton won the rebounds by 12 while outshooting Triton 43.3% to 38.1% including 50% from three-point going 11-of-22 while the Trojans were just 8-of-28.

Both teams started off on fire by scoring in each of their first four possessions, Thompson answering the Trojans' opening triple with a trey followed by Jones arc buster answering Triton's conversion of an And-1. Thompson would again answer a Trojan jumper with an inside bucket and following another Triton basket, Jackson's three-pointer gave the Cougars' their first lead at 11-10 with 17:15 on the clock.

After Barton grabbed the lead, the Trojans fired right back with seven straight for their biggest lead of six at the 15:45 mark.

A Jones bucket and Malith's first of a trio of treys cutting the margin to one, Triton sank all three charity tosses after being fouled on a three-pointer pushing the gap back out to four.

Malith continued to stay hot tacking on seven straight points including another arc buster as Barton would never trail again for the final 28 minutes.

The game was tied just three more times with Malith's third triple followed by Thompson's jumper breaking the sixth and final deadlock.

Following a Triton trey slicing the deficit to two, Barton strung seven straight in a little over two minutes for its largest first half lead of nine coming at 39-30 with 2:26 remaining.

Triton would battle back to trail by just five twice but reserve Amiri Ndayisaba's triple with twelve seconds left in front of the Trojan bench swung the momentum to the Cougars' in a 46-39 lead to halftime.

A 12-4 stretch out of the locker room extended Barton's lead to twelve but was immediately sliced in half after Triton's six-pack answer.

Jackson's offensive rebound putback among the trees followed by Keandre Kindell's triple and Brent Moss' 1-of-2 trip to the line pushed it back to twelve with thirteen minutes left.

Three minutes later Barton had its largest advantage of fifteen after a pair of Kindell tosses and consecutive inside jumpers from Thompson for a 69-54 lead with 9:21 left on the clock.

Triton hung around and as the clock ticked under six to play, cut the deficit under double-digits and trailed by just five at 78-73 after Connors' three-pointer with 3:48 left.

Thompson, a 50% free throw shooter entering Saturday, buried a perfect two tosses on his 8-of-8 afternoon from the stripe then after Triton turned the ball over on the inbounds, muscled his way inside for another macho man signature style bucket.

Following empty possessions from each team, Jackson's step-back triple pushed the gap back to double-digits with 2:24 remaining.

Thompson's drive through the lane with eighty-six seconds left capped the squad's field goals on the day with Jackson's 1-of-2 trip to the line with forty-nine seconds put a lid on the scoring as Triton was held scoreless for the last 3:48 including a classy last possession of idle dribbling draining the remaining thirty seconds on the clock.

Lajae Jone (William French Most Valuable Player) - Barton (KS) G So.

Bradyn Hubbard - Connors State (OK) F So.

Jimmie Williams - Wallace State (AL) G Fr.

Tavion Banks - Northwest Florida State G/F So.

Myles Thompson - Barton (KS) F So.

Bud Obee Outstanding Small Player Award: Dylan Williams - Triton (IL) G So.

Charles Sesher Sportsmanship Award: Triton (IL)

Coach of the Tournament: Jeremy Coombs - Barton (KS)

- The 2024 Tournament was Barton's fifth appearance in program history – the first since 2018

- Barton's championship game appearance was just the program's second (1999)

- Triton was making their first Division I Championship appearance since becoming a DI school five seasons ago

- Triton was making their 18th overall tournament appearance and third straight including second straight semifinal game

- Triton's 34-3 record tied the most wins in team history

- The Championship appearance was Triton's third overall between DI and DII.

- 215 career steals *2nd most – 103 behind Eric Bush's 319 (1999-01)

- 401 career assists *3rd most – 52 behind Gene Butler's 453 (1990-92)

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711884368743.jpeg" alt="Barton Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Barton Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>By TODD MOORE Barton Sports Infohe door has been knocked on only once in its storied program history but Season 56 produced the ram rod as the top ranked Barton Community College men's basketball team captured the NJCAA Division I National Championship at the Hutchinson Sports Arena with an 88-73 victory over Triton College.Making the most of just its 5th tournament appearance after being snubbed as an at-large berth last season, the Cougars completed the mission on its 27th straight victory to claim the College's 60th team national title and second in less than thirty days following the women's track and field's indoor title earlier in the month.Barton completes the year at 36-1 tying for the most wins in program history while Triton finishes at 34-3 in their first ever Division I title appearance while as a team earning the Charles Sesher Sportsmanship Award.Hometown product Myles Thompson led the Cougars for the final time with his 7th double-double performance of the year on a game high 27 points and 13 rebounds while Lajae Jones added 14 points and 13 rebounds for his 15th double-double in just twenty-two minutes in earning the 2024 Tournament MVP. The son of Cougar legend Jackie Jones finished the tournament with 66 points, 43 rebounds, and two double-doubles in the four games despite being saddled with foul trouble in a pair of contests.Arguably a co-MVP with his week-long performance, Thompson also landed on the All-Tournament team as did Ring Malith after canning 4-of-7 from deep for 22 points and three steals.Cooper Jackson added 14 points with 6 assists and 2 steals with Mozae Downing-Rivers dishing out a game high 7 dimes with 4 rebounds.Four Tritons also reached double digit scoring despite being held nineteen points below their season average. Canning 5-of-6 from long distance, Dior Connors led with 24 points with Amar Augillard scoring 23 points despite an off-night 1-of-11 beyond the arc. Scoring 10 points each were Dylan Williams and X-factor AJ Dixon before fouling out with ten minutes remaining. Tolu Samuels led all players with 16 rebounds.Barton won the rebounds by 12 while outshooting Triton 43.3% to 38.1% including 50% from three-point going 11-of-22 while the Trojans were just 8-of-28.Both teams started off on fire by scoring in each of their first four possessions, Thompson answering the Trojans' opening triple with a trey followed by Jones arc buster answering Triton's conversion of an And-1. Thompson would again answer a Trojan jumper with an inside bucket and following another Triton basket, Jackson's three-pointer gave the Cougars' their first lead at 11-10 with 17:15 on the clock.After Barton grabbed the lead, the Trojans fired right back with seven straight for their biggest lead of six at the 15:45 mark.A Jones bucket and Malith's first of a trio of treys cutting the margin to one, Triton sank all three charity tosses after being fouled on a three-pointer pushing the gap back out to four.Malith continued to stay hot tacking on seven straight points including another arc buster as Barton would never trail again for the final 28 minutes.The game was tied just three more times with Malith's third triple followed by Thompson's jumper breaking the sixth and final deadlock.Following a Triton trey slicing the deficit to two, Barton strung seven straight in a little over two minutes for its largest first half lead of nine coming at 39-30 with 2:26 remaining.Triton would battle back to trail by just five twice but reserve Amiri Ndayisaba's triple with twelve seconds left in front of the Trojan bench swung the momentum to the Cougars' in a 46-39 lead to halftime.A 12-4 stretch out of the locker room extended Barton's lead to twelve but was immediately sliced in half after Triton's six-pack answer.Jackson's offensive rebound putback among the trees followed by Keandre Kindell's triple and Brent Moss' 1-of-2 trip to the line pushed it back to twelve with thirteen minutes left.Three minutes later Barton had its largest advantage of fifteen after a pair of Kindell tosses and consecutive inside jumpers from Thompson for a 69-54 lead with 9:21 left on the clock.Triton hung around and as the clock ticked under six to play, cut the deficit under double-digits and trailed by just five at 78-73 after Connors' three-pointer with 3:48 left.Thompson, a 50% free throw shooter entering Saturday, buried a perfect two tosses on his 8-of-8 afternoon from the stripe then after Triton turned the ball over on the inbounds, muscled his way inside for another macho man signature style bucket.Following empty possessions from each team, Jackson's step-back triple pushed the gap back to double-digits with 2:24 remaining.Thompson's drive through the lane with eighty-six seconds left capped the squad's field goals on the day with Jackson's 1-of-2 trip to the line with forty-nine seconds put a lid on the scoring as Triton was held scoreless for the last 3:48 including a classy last possession of idle dribbling draining the remaining thirty seconds on the clock.All-Tournament TeamLajae Jone (William French Most Valuable Player) - Barton (KS) G So.Chris Mpaka - Indian Hills (IA) F So.Bradyn Hubbard - Connors State (OK) F So.John-Paul Ricks - Hutchinson (KS) G So.Jabari McGhee - South Plains (TX) G So.Malique Ewin - South Plains (TX) F So.Jimmie Williams - Wallace State (AL) G Fr.Tavion Banks - Northwest Florida State G/F So.Willie Lightfoot - Odessa (TX) G So.AJ Dixon - Triton (IL) G Fr.Amar Augillard - Triton (IL) G So.Ring Malith - Barton (KS) G So.Myles Thompson - Barton (KS) F So.Bud Obee Outstanding Small Player Award: Dylan Williams - Triton (IL) G So.Charles Sesher Sportsmanship Award: Triton (IL)Coach of the Tournament: Jeremy Coombs - Barton (KS)GAME NOTES- The 2024 Tournament was Barton's fifth appearance in program history – the first since 2018- Barton's championship game appearance was just the program's second (1999)- Triton was making their first Division I Championship appearance since becoming a DI school five seasons ago- Triton was making their 18th overall tournament appearance and third straight including second straight semifinal game- Triton's 34-3 record tied the most wins in team history- The Championship appearance was Triton's third overall between DI and DII.Individual Record Book ImpactCooper Jackson- 215 career steals *2nd most – 103 behind Eric Bush's 319 (1999-01)Mozae Downing-Rivers- 401 career assists *3rd most – 52 behind Gene Butler's 453 (1990-92)

Mission complete, top ranked Barton Co. Cougars win 1st ever National Title

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Byron Buxton drove in the tying run in the eighth inning, Christian Vázquez drove in the go-ahead run to start off a four-run ninth, and the Minnesota Twins rallied for a 5-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.

Griffin Jax (1-0), who earned the save on opening day, picked up the win with a scoreless eighth inning for Minnesota. Brock Stewart handled the ninth this time, working around a single by MJ Melendez to put the Twins on the brink of a second straight season-opening sweep of their AL Central rivals.

“I mean, up and down the lineup, fantastic. Almost every guy in this lineup did several things to help us win the game,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Our pitching staff ... had a fantastic day. The bullpen came in and just shut things down.”

Will Smith (0-1), whom the Royals signed to a $5 million deal to close out games, had a debut to forget. He hit Ryan Jeffers with one out in the ninth, walked Willi Castro on a full-count pitch, then watched Vázquez drive in the go-ahead run.

Alex Kirilloff added a sacrifice fly and Buxton a two-run double later in the ninth.

“If we continue to pitch like that,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said, “we’re going to be fine.”

The Royals' bullpen ultimately wasted six brilliant innings from Seth Lugo, whom they signed to a $45 million, three-year deal in the offseason. Lugo allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out four in a dominant first outing for Kansas City.

“My goal is to pitch as deep as possible,” said Lugo, who also hit a batter — before his bullpen proceeded to hit three more. "Weak contact and ground balls, that’s my game plan.”

The Twins didn't exactly do any favors for Joe Ryan, either.

The right-hander retired the first 10 batters he faced and was still cruising along until Bobby Witt Jr. legged out a double in the sixth. Steven Okert came in and, after getting a groundout and intentionally walking Salvador Perez, Melendez singled through the left side to give Kansas City the 1-0 lead.

It was still that way after the Royals' John Schreiber escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. But Edouard Julien led off the eighth with a double off James McArthur, and Buxton followed two batters later with a tying double of his own.

“We didn't put a bunch of runs on the board but we had some good swings. We just couldn't get the right swing at the right time,” Baldelli said. “We got some baserunners and we took advantage of it late in the game and separated in a good way.”

Twins INF Royce Lewis went on the injured list with a “severe quad strain” and could miss more than a month, said Derek Falvey, their president of baseball operations. Lewis hurt it on opening day Thursday rounding the bases. He had homered and singled in his two at-bats. “He's going to have some significant time down,” Falvey said.

UTIL Austin Martin was called up from Triple-A St. Paul and is prepared to make his big league debut. He had about 10 friends and family members fly into Kansas City with the hopes of seeing him play this weekend.

Twins RHP Bailey Ober will start the series finale on Sunday. RHP Brady Singer will face him for Kansas City.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Byron Buxton drove in the tying run in the eighth inning, Christian Vázquez drove in the go-ahead run to start off a four-run ninth, and the Minnesota Twins rallied for a 5-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.Griffin Jax (1-0), who earned the save on opening day, picked up the win with a scoreless eighth inning for Minnesota. Brock Stewart handled the ninth this time, working around a single by MJ Melendez to put the Twins on the brink of a second straight season-opening sweep of their AL Central rivals.“I mean, up and down the lineup, fantastic. Almost every guy in this lineup did several things to help us win the game,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Our pitching staff ... had a fantastic day. The bullpen came in and just shut things down.”Will Smith (0-1), whom the Royals signed to a $5 million deal to close out games, had a debut to forget. He hit Ryan Jeffers with one out in the ninth, walked Willi Castro on a full-count pitch, then watched Vázquez drive in the go-ahead run.Alex Kirilloff added a sacrifice fly and Buxton a two-run double later in the ninth.“If we continue to pitch like that,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said, “we’re going to be fine.”The Royals' bullpen ultimately wasted six brilliant innings from Seth Lugo, whom they signed to a $45 million, three-year deal in the offseason. Lugo allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out four in a dominant first outing for Kansas City.“My goal is to pitch as deep as possible,” said Lugo, who also hit a batter — before his bullpen proceeded to hit three more. "Weak contact and ground balls, that’s my game plan.”The Twins didn't exactly do any favors for Joe Ryan, either.The right-hander retired the first 10 batters he faced and was still cruising along until Bobby Witt Jr. legged out a double in the sixth. Steven Okert came in and, after getting a groundout and intentionally walking Salvador Perez, Melendez singled through the left side to give Kansas City the 1-0 lead.It was still that way after the Royals' John Schreiber escaped a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. But Edouard Julien led off the eighth with a double off James McArthur, and Buxton followed two batters later with a tying double of his own.“We didn't put a bunch of runs on the board but we had some good swings. We just couldn't get the right swing at the right time,” Baldelli said. “We got some baserunners and we took advantage of it late in the game and separated in a good way.”TRAINER'S ROOMTwins INF Royce Lewis went on the injured list with a “severe quad strain” and could miss more than a month, said Derek Falvey, their president of baseball operations. Lewis hurt it on opening day Thursday rounding the bases. He had homered and singled in his two at-bats. “He's going to have some significant time down,” Falvey said.ROSTER MOVESUTIL Austin Martin was called up from Triple-A St. Paul and is prepared to make his big league debut. He had about 10 friends and family members fly into Kansas City with the hopes of seeing him play this weekend.UP NEXTTwins RHP Bailey Ober will start the series finale on Sunday. RHP Brady Singer will face him for Kansas City.

Buxton, Vázquez deliver timely hits as Twins rally for victory over Royals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Pablo Lopez pitched seven sparkling innings, Royce Lewis homered before leaving with an injury, and the Twins beat the Royals 4-1 to begin defense of their AL Central crown. 

Carlos Correa added three hits and two RBIs for Minnesota. That was plenty of support for Lopez, who gave up a homer to Maikel Garcia, the first batter he faced, but little else on a warm and sunny afternoon. He allowed four hits and struck out seven without a walk. 

Cole Ragans struck out nine, a Royals record for opening day, but still took the loss after pitching six strong innings..

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711667585037.jpeg" alt="Kansas City Royals' Maikel Garcia celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)" />
 <figcaption>Kansas City Royals' Maikel Garcia celebrates after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins Thursday, March 28, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Pablo Lopez pitched seven sparkling innings, Royce Lewis homered before leaving with an injury, and the Twins beat the Royals 4-1 to begin defense of their AL Central crown. Carlos Correa added three hits and two RBIs for Minnesota. That was plenty of support for Lopez, who gave up a homer to Maikel Garcia, the first batter he faced, but little else on a warm and sunny afternoon. He allowed four hits and struck out seven without a walk. Cole Ragans struck out nine, a Royals record for opening day, but still took the loss after pitching six strong innings..

⚾ Lopez shuts down Royals as Twins begin defense of AL Central title with 4-1 win

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Royals owner John Sherman said jokingly that he doesn't sleep very well under normal circumstances, so just imagine how his nights are going these days, with opening day on deck and a key vote for a downtown ballpark coming up next week.

The Royals play AL Central rival Minnesota on Thursday in their opening three-game series. After an offseason spending spree resulted in a revamped starting rotation, rebuilt bullpen and revitalized lineup, expectations in Kansas City are the highest in years for a club that lost 106 games last season.

“I'm trying not to play the expectation game,” Sherman said Wednesday before a public workout at Kauffman Stadium, the 51-year old building affectionately known as “the K” that the Royals want to replace with a downtown ballpark by 2028.

“We've done a lot to make this team better,” Sherman said. “I'm particularly encouraged by the mix of veterans in the clubhouse, the energy, setting an example for the younger guys. I would say my expectations are high. Time will tell.”

The biggest additions were starters Seth Lugo, who signed a $45 million, three-year deal, and Michael Wacha, who got a $32 million, two-year contract. They will fill out an rotation headlined by opening day starter Cole Ragans, who arrived last year in a trade with Texas, along with Brady Singer and Alec Marsh, who won the final job in spring training.

More money was spilled on the bullpen, where the Royals signed left-hander Will Smith — a three-time World Series champion — to a $5 million deal to close out games, and right-hander Chris Stratton to a $4 million deal to hold onto leads.

The biggest lineup addition is outfielder Hunter Renfroe, who signed a $13 million, two-year deal to provide some pop.

In all, just seven players are left on the 26-man roster from the club that struggled so mightily lsat season.

“That's a pretty significant revamp,” Sherman said.

One of those seven back? Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals' brilliant young shortstop, who committed to their future by signing an 11-year deal worth more than $288.7 million guaranteed to serve as their cornerstone going forward.

That deal also sent notice to weary Royals fans, many of whom will vote Tuesday, that they are serious about winning.

On the ballot in Jackson County, Missouri, is the renewal of a 3/8-cent sales tax that has been paying for the upkeep of Kauffman Stadium and neighboring Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the Super Bowl-champion Chiefs.

The Royals want to use their share of future money to help pay for a $2 billion ballpark and entertainment district in a section of Kansas City known as the Crossroads, just south of the T-Mobile Center and Power &amp; Light District. The Chiefs plan to use their share to help with an $800 million renovation to Arrowhead Stadium after the 2026 World Cup is played there.

“What keeps me up at night? It's really thinking about this decision, this process for our ownership group,” Sherman said. “This is the most important thing we'll probably do while we are the stewards of this franchise.”

Neither the Royals nor the Chiefs have said what they would do should the ballot measure fail. But Sherman is doing his best to allay concerns among voters, which range from traffic to parking to what would happen to current Crossroads businesses. He spent last weekend knocking on doors, attending a church service and taking part in a neighborhood meeting in the 18th &amp; Vine district, which is near the Crossroads and home to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

“I've got my ear to the ground,” said Sherman, who joked that his wife went to a restaurant in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City recently and “she had four yeses, three nos and a couple of maybes" in her informal polling.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro made his opinion clear, wearing a shirt Wednesday that read “Vote Yes on 1.”

“When you travel around to different cities in the league, the downtown ballparks put a ton of energy into the city. The players enjoy it. The fans soak that kind of thing in,” Quatraro said. “And what a new ballpark could bring our team — the amenities, the facilities underneath (Kauffman Stadium) are smaller. The operation is continuing to grow, and players need certain things that are hard to provide here. From a player-development standpoint, I think it would be a great thing for the team.”

In the meantime, Quatraro is much like Sherman in that his expectations are high for a better season in Kansas City.

“We came into last year with great expectations as well. We don't come into any season thinking it's not going to be good,” he said. “From a team concept, we expect these guys to go out and try to win every game.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705687592823.jpeg" alt="File Photo- (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)" />
 <figcaption>File Photo- (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Royals owner John Sherman said jokingly that he doesn't sleep very well under normal circumstances, so just imagine how his nights are going these days, with opening day on deck and a key vote for a downtown ballpark coming up next week.The Royals play AL Central rival Minnesota on Thursday in their opening three-game series. After an offseason spending spree resulted in a revamped starting rotation, rebuilt bullpen and revitalized lineup, expectations in Kansas City are the highest in years for a club that lost 106 games last season.“I'm trying not to play the expectation game,” Sherman said Wednesday before a public workout at Kauffman Stadium, the 51-year old building affectionately known as “the K” that the Royals want to replace with a downtown ballpark by 2028.“We've done a lot to make this team better,” Sherman said. “I'm particularly encouraged by the mix of veterans in the clubhouse, the energy, setting an example for the younger guys. I would say my expectations are high. Time will tell.”The biggest additions were starters Seth Lugo, who signed a $45 million, three-year deal, and Michael Wacha, who got a $32 million, two-year contract. They will fill out an rotation headlined by opening day starter Cole Ragans, who arrived last year in a trade with Texas, along with Brady Singer and Alec Marsh, who won the final job in spring training.More money was spilled on the bullpen, where the Royals signed left-hander Will Smith — a three-time World Series champion — to a $5 million deal to close out games, and right-hander Chris Stratton to a $4 million deal to hold onto leads.The biggest lineup addition is outfielder Hunter Renfroe, who signed a $13 million, two-year deal to provide some pop.In all, just seven players are left on the 26-man roster from the club that struggled so mightily lsat season.“That's a pretty significant revamp,” Sherman said.One of those seven back? Bobby Witt Jr., the Royals' brilliant young shortstop, who committed to their future by signing an 11-year deal worth more than $288.7 million guaranteed to serve as their cornerstone going forward.That deal also sent notice to weary Royals fans, many of whom will vote Tuesday, that they are serious about winning.On the ballot in Jackson County, Missouri, is the renewal of a 3/8-cent sales tax that has been paying for the upkeep of Kauffman Stadium and neighboring Arrowhead Stadium, the home of the Super Bowl-champion Chiefs.The Royals want to use their share of future money to help pay for a $2 billion ballpark and entertainment district in a section of Kansas City known as the Crossroads, just south of the T-Mobile Center and Power &amp; Light District. The Chiefs plan to use their share to help with an $800 million renovation to Arrowhead Stadium after the 2026 World Cup is played there.“What keeps me up at night? It's really thinking about this decision, this process for our ownership group,” Sherman said. “This is the most important thing we'll probably do while we are the stewards of this franchise.”Neither the Royals nor the Chiefs have said what they would do should the ballot measure fail. But Sherman is doing his best to allay concerns among voters, which range from traffic to parking to what would happen to current Crossroads businesses. He spent last weekend knocking on doors, attending a church service and taking part in a neighborhood meeting in the 18th &amp; Vine district, which is near the Crossroads and home to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.“I've got my ear to the ground,” said Sherman, who joked that his wife went to a restaurant in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City recently and “she had four yeses, three nos and a couple of maybes" in her informal polling.Royals manager Matt Quatraro made his opinion clear, wearing a shirt Wednesday that read “Vote Yes on 1.”“When you travel around to different cities in the league, the downtown ballparks put a ton of energy into the city. The players enjoy it. The fans soak that kind of thing in,” Quatraro said. “And what a new ballpark could bring our team — the amenities, the facilities underneath (Kauffman Stadium) are smaller. The operation is continuing to grow, and players need certain things that are hard to provide here. From a player-development standpoint, I think it would be a great thing for the team.”In the meantime, Quatraro is much like Sherman in that his expectations are high for a better season in Kansas City.“We came into last year with great expectations as well. We don't come into any season thinking it's not going to be good,” he said. “From a team concept, we expect these guys to go out and try to win every game.”

⚾ Royals ready for opening day, key vote next week to help fund downtown ballpark

LOS ANGELES (AP) - JuJu Watkins&nbsp;scored Southern California's first seven points of the game, giving her team a shot of confidence.

The stellar freshman finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and the top-seeded Trojans led all the way in defeating Kansas 73-55 on Monday night to reach the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament.

Watkins raced over to the student section at Galen Center and high-fived her way down the front row in celebration, wearing the scratch on her face like a badge of honor.

“I really wouldn't want to be anywhere else,” she said.

McKenzie Forbes hit a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 20 points for the Trojans (28-5), who will face fifth-seeded Baylor (26-7) in the Portland Region 3 in Oregon on Saturday.

USC last went this deep when it reached the Elite Eight in 1994, 10 years after the school won the second of its back-to-back national championships.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-usc-texas-am-corpus-christi-score-93dd62ab3b84ec67ad9a3ee01bd7425f">The Trojans</a>&nbsp;beat 16th-seeded Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi in the first round.

“It's just been really fun to see this place come back to life,” said Forbes, a graduate transfer from Harvard. “We didn't want to leave the court. They had that place jumping.”

Freshman S’Mya Nichols scored 22 points for the Jayhawks (20-13). Taiyanna Jackson had 10 points and 18 rebounds. Kansas fell to 0-6 all-time when facing a No. 1 seed in the tournament.

After Kansas got within one in the third, the Trojans took over with a 17-2 run that carried over into the fourth. Watkins had nine points and Kayla Padilla hit a 3-pointer that extended USC's lead to 64-48.

Clarice Akunwafo, who at 6-foot-6 equaled Jackson's height, disrupted the Kansas center with a career-high six blocks among USC's 10 in the game and even did a little scoring down the stretch.

“Their physicality not only wore down Taiyanna, but wore down our team a little bit,” Jayhawks coach Brandon Schneider said. “Even when we could get to the rim it was hard to finish.”

The Jayhawks outscored USC 22-20 in the third, scoring nine in a row to close to 47-46. Watkins closed the quarter by hitting a 3-pointer and making a pair of free throws before picking up her third foul. Forbes stole the ball and Akunwafo got fouled, making 1 of 2 to keep the Trojans ahead 53-46.

Kansas rallied from 10 points down in the fourth quarter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-michigan-kansas-women-score-1e45b5170df7f4a7a2c1c4a79b4bed10">to force overtime against Michigan</a>&nbsp;in the first round but was completely taken out of it in the fourth by the Trojans.

Watkins got off to a sizzling start with the crowd chanting “USC! USC!” The Trojans ran off 12 straight points over the end of the first and start of the second quarter, capped by Watkins' 3-pointer that extended USC's lead to 24-9.

“Ju was spectacular,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “They had to change and go to zone because of her attacking early on.”

The Trojans forced 12 Kansas turnovers that led to 16 points for them in the first half, which ended with USC ahead 33-24. The Jayhawks made just one 3-pointer in the half. They started the game shooting 3 of 14 from the floor.

“The difference in the game was points off turnovers,” Schneider said. “Uncharacteristically, we turned the ball over quite a bit in the first 15 minutes of the game.”

Among the USC supporters were Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller, former NBA player John Wall, former USC quarterback Matt Leinert and football coach Lincoln Riley.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711447177488.png" alt="Photo Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) - JuJu Watkins&nbsp;scored Southern California's first seven points of the game, giving her team a shot of confidence.The stellar freshman finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and the top-seeded Trojans led all the way in defeating Kansas 73-55 on Monday night to reach the Sweet 16 of the women's NCAA Tournament.Watkins raced over to the student section at Galen Center and high-fived her way down the front row in celebration, wearing the scratch on her face like a badge of honor.“I really wouldn't want to be anywhere else,” she said.McKenzie Forbes hit a career-high six 3-pointers and scored 20 points for the Trojans (28-5), who will face fifth-seeded Baylor (26-7) in the Portland Region 3 in Oregon on Saturday.USC last went this deep when it reached the Elite Eight in 1994, 10 years after the school won the second of its back-to-back national championships.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-usc-texas-am-corpus-christi-score-93dd62ab3b84ec67ad9a3ee01bd7425f">The Trojans</a>&nbsp;beat 16th-seeded Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi in the first round.“It's just been really fun to see this place come back to life,” said Forbes, a graduate transfer from Harvard. “We didn't want to leave the court. They had that place jumping.”Freshman S’Mya Nichols scored 22 points for the Jayhawks (20-13). Taiyanna Jackson had 10 points and 18 rebounds. Kansas fell to 0-6 all-time when facing a No. 1 seed in the tournament.After Kansas got within one in the third, the Trojans took over with a 17-2 run that carried over into the fourth. Watkins had nine points and Kayla Padilla hit a 3-pointer that extended USC's lead to 64-48.Clarice Akunwafo, who at 6-foot-6 equaled Jackson's height, disrupted the Kansas center with a career-high six blocks among USC's 10 in the game and even did a little scoring down the stretch.“Their physicality not only wore down Taiyanna, but wore down our team a little bit,” Jayhawks coach Brandon Schneider said. “Even when we could get to the rim it was hard to finish.”The Jayhawks outscored USC 22-20 in the third, scoring nine in a row to close to 47-46. Watkins closed the quarter by hitting a 3-pointer and making a pair of free throws before picking up her third foul. Forbes stole the ball and Akunwafo got fouled, making 1 of 2 to keep the Trojans ahead 53-46.Kansas rallied from 10 points down in the fourth quarter&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-michigan-kansas-women-score-1e45b5170df7f4a7a2c1c4a79b4bed10">to force overtime against Michigan</a>&nbsp;in the first round but was completely taken out of it in the fourth by the Trojans.Watkins got off to a sizzling start with the crowd chanting “USC! USC!” The Trojans ran off 12 straight points over the end of the first and start of the second quarter, capped by Watkins' 3-pointer that extended USC's lead to 24-9.“Ju was spectacular,” USC coach Lindsay Gottlieb said. “They had to change and go to zone because of her attacking early on.”The Trojans forced 12 Kansas turnovers that led to 16 points for them in the first half, which ended with USC ahead 33-24. The Jayhawks made just one 3-pointer in the half. They started the game shooting 3 of 14 from the floor.“The difference in the game was points off turnovers,” Schneider said. “Uncharacteristically, we turned the ball over quite a bit in the first 15 minutes of the game.”Among the USC supporters were Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller, former NBA player John Wall, former USC quarterback Matt Leinert and football coach Lincoln Riley.___

🏀 March Madness: USC tops Kansas for trip to women's Sweet 16

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Tameiya Sadler scored all 10 of her points in the second half to lead a balanced scoring attack and No. 5 seed Colorado beat four-seed Kansas State 63-50 on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16.

The Buffaloes (24-9) will face the winner of Monday's game between No. 1 seed Iowa and No. 8 seed West Virginia Saturday in Albany, N.Y.

This was the first home sellout for Kansas State since they hosted No. 1 UConn on Dec. 11, 2016.

Colorado, which had six players with nine or more points, used an 11-2 run in the third quarter to grab its largest lead of the game at 48-41. The Buffaloes outscored K-State 19-7 in the third quarter to take a 52-42 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats (26-8) had multiple chances to trim the deficit to three in the fourth quarter, but couldn't get the shots to fall.

Gabby Gregory scored 12 points to lead Kansas State. Ayoka Lee added 10 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks.

Neither team could grab control in the first half. The first quarter ended with the score tied at 14. Kansas State used an 8-0 run early in the second quarter to open a 22-15 advantage, the largest by either team to that point.

Serena Sundell hit a 3-pointer later in the quarter and sank an accompanying free throw to give K-State a 33-24 lead. But Colorado responded with a 9-0 run to tie the game at 33-33.

Colorado: The Buffaloes were not intimidated by the partisan crowd. Every time K-State grabbed the momentum and the crowd got louder, the Buffs responded.

Kansas State: The Wildcats will be totally different next year without Lee, who anchors the middle on offense and defense. With 13 assists, K-State set a school record for assists in a season with (631). And with eight blocks, the Wildcats established a school record for blocks in a season 178.

Colorado: The Buffaloes will go to Albany to play the winner of Monday's game between No. 1 seed Iowa and No. 8 West Virginia.

Kansas State: The Wildcats are done for the season.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711313286627.png" alt="Photo K-State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo K-State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Tameiya Sadler scored all 10 of her points in the second half to lead a balanced scoring attack and No. 5 seed Colorado beat four-seed Kansas State 63-50 on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16.The Buffaloes (24-9) will face the winner of Monday's game between No. 1 seed Iowa and No. 8 seed West Virginia Saturday in Albany, N.Y.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">OFFICIALLY SOLD OUT‼️<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KStateWBB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KStateWBB</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="https://t.co/r3DO2SF6tL">pic.twitter.com/r3DO2SF6tL</a>&mdash; K-State Athletics (@kstatesports) <a href="https://twitter.com/kstatesports/status/1771619297392992405?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>This was the first home sellout for Kansas State since they hosted No. 1 UConn on Dec. 11, 2016.Colorado, which had six players with nine or more points, used an 11-2 run in the third quarter to grab its largest lead of the game at 48-41. The Buffaloes outscored K-State 19-7 in the third quarter to take a 52-42 lead into the fourth quarter.The Wildcats (26-8) had multiple chances to trim the deficit to three in the fourth quarter, but couldn't get the shots to fall.Gabby Gregory scored 12 points to lead Kansas State. Ayoka Lee added 10 points, 11 rebounds and six blocks.Neither team could grab control in the first half. The first quarter ended with the score tied at 14. Kansas State used an 8-0 run early in the second quarter to open a 22-15 advantage, the largest by either team to that point.Serena Sundell hit a 3-pointer later in the quarter and sank an accompanying free throw to give K-State a 33-24 lead. But Colorado responded with a 9-0 run to tie the game at 33-33.THE TAKEAWAYColorado: The Buffaloes were not intimidated by the partisan crowd. Every time K-State grabbed the momentum and the crowd got louder, the Buffs responded.Kansas State: The Wildcats will be totally different next year without Lee, who anchors the middle on offense and defense. With 13 assists, K-State set a school record for assists in a season with (631). And with eight blocks, the Wildcats established a school record for blocks in a season 178.UP NEXTColorado: The Buffaloes will go to Albany to play the winner of Monday's game between No. 1 seed Iowa and No. 8 West Virginia.Kansas State: The Wildcats are done for the season.___

🏀 March Madness: Colorado ends season for Kansas State WBB 

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gonzaga played a nearly perfect second half, busting open a back-and-forth game with a 15-0 run Saturday to pull away from Kansas for an 89-68 win and extend its nation-best streak of trips to the Sweet 16 to nine.

Anton Watson shot 8 for 11 for 21 points on an afternoon when basically everyone in a navy jersey was a star, especially after halftime.

The fifth-seeded Zags (27-7) made their first five 3-pointers of the second half, not missing from long range until 1:30 remained and the game had long entered extended garbage time.

Mark Few's team will make its regular trip to the second weekend to play the winner of Sunday's game between Purdue and Utah State.

Nolan Hickman finished with 17 points for the Zags, and big man Graham Ike had 15 points and nine rebounds, going toe to toe with KU’s Hunter Dickinson, who finished with a quiet 15 points. Making all the Bulldogs look good was Ryan Nembhard, who blew off a rough shooting night (1 for 6) and finished with 12 assists.

While Gonzaga was cruising, parts of this looked painfully familiar to fans of the fourth-seeded Jayhawks (23-11), who have struggled with depth, shooting, consistency and injuries — leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee) was out for the tournament. During Gonzaga’s 15-0 run, the Jayhawks missed 10 straight shots and never got within single digits again.

A few of those misses looked strangely ugly, including when Dickinson grabbed a rebound under the bucket and looked poised for an easy bucket but could barely get the ball to the rim.

For 22 minutes, at least, this game lived up to its billing — a rare showdown between much-adored power programs. There were eight lead changes. At one point late in the first half, the teams combined to make nine straight shots from the field, trading leads almost every time down.

It ended abruptly when Ike made a turnaround jumper, then Watson took a dish from Ben Gregg on the next possession for an easy layup. It was the start of a 15-0 run that expanded to 32-4 and pushed the lead as high as 27.

Gonzaga won both its games in Salt Lake City by 21. The opener against McNeese might have been expected. That the second one was such a breeze, even against a flawed KU team, was a surprise.

Lamar Simpson,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-samford-foul-call-c37a66fd1b8235c6ad308061062c43ea">the official who called the phantom foul</a>&nbsp;that helped KU lock up its opening-night win over Samford, watched both games from press row as the alternate official.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711229956196.png" alt="Photo Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Gonzaga played a nearly perfect second half, busting open a back-and-forth game with a 15-0 run Saturday to pull away from Kansas for an 89-68 win and extend its nation-best streak of trips to the Sweet 16 to nine.Anton Watson shot 8 for 11 for 21 points on an afternoon when basically everyone in a navy jersey was a star, especially after halftime.The fifth-seeded Zags (27-7) made their first five 3-pointers of the second half, not missing from long range until 1:30 remained and the game had long entered extended garbage time.Mark Few's team will make its regular trip to the second weekend to play the winner of Sunday's game between Purdue and Utah State.Nolan Hickman finished with 17 points for the Zags, and big man Graham Ike had 15 points and nine rebounds, going toe to toe with KU’s Hunter Dickinson, who finished with a quiet 15 points. Making all the Bulldogs look good was Ryan Nembhard, who blew off a rough shooting night (1 for 6) and finished with 12 assists.While Gonzaga was cruising, parts of this looked painfully familiar to fans of the fourth-seeded Jayhawks (23-11), who have struggled with depth, shooting, consistency and injuries — leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee) was out for the tournament. During Gonzaga’s 15-0 run, the Jayhawks missed 10 straight shots and never got within single digits again.A few of those misses looked strangely ugly, including when Dickinson grabbed a rebound under the bucket and looked poised for an easy bucket but could barely get the ball to the rim.For 22 minutes, at least, this game lived up to its billing — a rare showdown between much-adored power programs. There were eight lead changes. At one point late in the first half, the teams combined to make nine straight shots from the field, trading leads almost every time down.It ended abruptly when Ike made a turnaround jumper, then Watson took a dish from Ben Gregg on the next possession for an easy layup. It was the start of a 15-0 run that expanded to 32-4 and pushed the lead as high as 27.Gonzaga won both its games in Salt Lake City by 21. The opener against McNeese might have been expected. That the second one was such a breeze, even against a flawed KU team, was a surprise.ON THE SIDELINELamar Simpson,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-samford-foul-call-c37a66fd1b8235c6ad308061062c43ea">the official who called the phantom foul</a>&nbsp;that helped KU lock up its opening-night win over Samford, watched both games from press row as the alternate official.___

🏀Gonzaga plays near-perfect 2nd half to dispatch Kansas

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Zakiyah Franklin scored 22 points, including&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessWBB/status/1771627653616865626">a tying 3-pointer that bounced on the rim and dropped</a>&nbsp;with 12 seconds left in regulation, and Kansas beat Michigan 81-72 in overtime in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

“My coach said you must be living right,” Franklin said, grinning.

Wyvette Mayberry and S'Mya Nichols added 15 points each and Taiyanna Jackson had 14 points and eight rebounds for the eighth-seeded Jayhawks (20-12).

“March is about getting everyone's best basketball,” Nichols said. “It was exciting, back and forth, not easy.”

The Jayhawks rallied in the fourth quarter, when they outscored the Wolverines 23-14. Then Kansas stepped up its defense and controlled the five-minute extra session, 14-5.

“They never fragmented,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said. “They just stayed the course and made some really big plays that were preceded by stop after stop.”

Lauren Hansen's 3-pointer pulled the Wolverines within 75-72. Franklin missed, but the 6-foot-6 Jackson grabbed the rebound. Nichols scored and drew the foul, extending the Jayhawks' lead to 78-72.

Franklin stole the ball with 22 seconds left and Nichols got fouled and made both.

The Jayhawks advanced to a second-round game against either No. 1 seed Southern California or 16th-seeded Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi.

Cameron Williams scored 18 points to lead ninth-seeded Michigan (20-14). Laila Phelia added 16 points.

“I thought they were by far the best team for three quarters,” Schneider said of Michigan. “Williams in particular did some things to us.”

Williams went to the bench after picking up her third and fourth fouls early in the fourth. Phelia made the first of two free throws for a 58-48 lead.

After Franklin's tying 3-pointer, Hansen's potential game-winning 3 missed for Michigan.

“We run this play all the time when it's late clock,” Franklin said. “We felt we were still having time to play.”

The Jayhawks got within 65-62 on a free throw by Jackson. With Kansas pressuring and the shot clock winding down, Phelia raced in for a layup that extended Michigan's lead to 67-62.

Jackson scored again and Phelia's offensive foul turned the ball over with 1:16 to play. But the Jayhawks couldn't take advantage and Nichols was called for an offensive foul.

Williams scored 10 points in the third when the Wolverines led 53-44.

The Jayhawks had a six-point lead when the Wolverines outscored them 14-5 to go into halftime leading 32-29. Jordan Hobbs and Elissa Brett hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Williams added four points in the spurt.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711229750953.png" alt=" Zakiyah Franklin-photo Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption> Zakiyah Franklin-photo Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) — Zakiyah Franklin scored 22 points, including&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessWBB/status/1771627653616865626">a tying 3-pointer that bounced on the rim and dropped</a>&nbsp;with 12 seconds left in regulation, and Kansas beat Michigan 81-72 in overtime in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Saturday.“My coach said you must be living right,” Franklin said, grinning.Wyvette Mayberry and S'Mya Nichols added 15 points each and Taiyanna Jackson had 14 points and eight rebounds for the eighth-seeded Jayhawks (20-12).“March is about getting everyone's best basketball,” Nichols said. “It was exciting, back and forth, not easy.”The Jayhawks rallied in the fourth quarter, when they outscored the Wolverines 23-14. Then Kansas stepped up its defense and controlled the five-minute extra session, 14-5.“They never fragmented,” Kansas coach Brandon Schneider said. “They just stayed the course and made some really big plays that were preceded by stop after stop.”Lauren Hansen's 3-pointer pulled the Wolverines within 75-72. Franklin missed, but the 6-foot-6 Jackson grabbed the rebound. Nichols scored and drew the foul, extending the Jayhawks' lead to 78-72.Franklin stole the ball with 22 seconds left and Nichols got fouled and made both.The Jayhawks advanced to a second-round game against either No. 1 seed Southern California or 16th-seeded Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi.Cameron Williams scored 18 points to lead ninth-seeded Michigan (20-14). Laila Phelia added 16 points.“I thought they were by far the best team for three quarters,” Schneider said of Michigan. “Williams in particular did some things to us.”Williams went to the bench after picking up her third and fourth fouls early in the fourth. Phelia made the first of two free throws for a 58-48 lead.After Franklin's tying 3-pointer, Hansen's potential game-winning 3 missed for Michigan.“We run this play all the time when it's late clock,” Franklin said. “We felt we were still having time to play.”The Jayhawks got within 65-62 on a free throw by Jackson. With Kansas pressuring and the shot clock winding down, Phelia raced in for a layup that extended Michigan's lead to 67-62.Jackson scored again and Phelia's offensive foul turned the ball over with 1:16 to play. But the Jayhawks couldn't take advantage and Nichols was called for an offensive foul.Williams scored 10 points in the third when the Wolverines led 53-44.The Jayhawks had a six-point lead when the Wolverines outscored them 14-5 to go into halftime leading 32-29. Jordan Hobbs and Elissa Brett hit back-to-back 3-pointers and Williams added four points in the spurt.

🏀Kansas women get past Michigan in overtime in March Madness

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Gabby Gregory had 22 points and Ayoka Lee scored 21 to lead Kansas State to a 78-65 win over Portland in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Friday.

The fourth-seeded Wildcats built a big first-half lead and then kept the No. 13 seed Pilots at an arm’s reach the rest of the game. They led 25-10 after one quarter and 34-14 at one point, but the Pilots closed the gap to 40-28 at halftime.

“I think we needed a game like this,” Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie said. “I thought we got off to a great start today. I thought our players were playing extremely well. I feel like the ball was moving. I thought we were getting the ball to some really really good spots of the floor.

"But we couldn’t run away from Portland.”

K-State will face the winner of the Colorado vs. Drake game on Sunday in the second round.

Serena Sundell added 16 points for Kansas State (26-7).

While the Wildcats were not pleased with their inability to put the game away, they were thankful they had the cushion.

“There are some people on the team that play with a lot of emotion,” Gregory said. “But there are some people on the team that don’t really do that. But we saw some of that (emotion) today.”

Portland (21-13) was led by Maisie Burnham, who had 17 of her 21 points in the second half. The Pilots also got 12 points from Kianna Hamilton-Fisher.

“Once we started scoring, we could get into our pressure a little bit,” Portland coach Michael Meek said. “I felt like the tempo became a little bit more in our favor. I couldn’t be any more proud of the fight that our team put forth.”

The game became chippy in the second half as there were 10 fouls called before the midway point of the third quarter. There were 15 total fouls called in the third quarter.

“Playing in the Big 12 prepares you to play against very physical teams," Gregory said. “That was just another game of physicality.”

Lee, who was 7 of 8 from the free-throw line but could have gone even more often, added, “I don’t think it was anything we hadn’t seen before. Down the stretch just came down to us being smart.”

Lee, who finished with nine rebounds, had 11 points in the third quarter as the Wildcats maintained a 12-point lead.

K-State shot 26 of 51 from the field, including 7 of 16 on 3-pointers. The Wildcats, however, only made 65.5% of their free throws.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711159819886.png" alt="Photo KState Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo KState Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Gabby Gregory had 22 points and Ayoka Lee scored 21 to lead Kansas State to a 78-65 win over Portland in the first round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Friday.The fourth-seeded Wildcats built a big first-half lead and then kept the No. 13 seed Pilots at an arm’s reach the rest of the game. They led 25-10 after one quarter and 34-14 at one point, but the Pilots closed the gap to 40-28 at halftime.“I think we needed a game like this,” Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie said. “I thought we got off to a great start today. I thought our players were playing extremely well. I feel like the ball was moving. I thought we were getting the ball to some really really good spots of the floor."But we couldn’t run away from Portland.”K-State will face the winner of the Colorado vs. Drake game on Sunday in the second round.Serena Sundell added 16 points for Kansas State (26-7).While the Wildcats were not pleased with their inability to put the game away, they were thankful they had the cushion.“There are some people on the team that play with a lot of emotion,” Gregory said. “But there are some people on the team that don’t really do that. But we saw some of that (emotion) today.”Portland (21-13) was led by Maisie Burnham, who had 17 of her 21 points in the second half. The Pilots also got 12 points from Kianna Hamilton-Fisher.“Once we started scoring, we could get into our pressure a little bit,” Portland coach Michael Meek said. “I felt like the tempo became a little bit more in our favor. I couldn’t be any more proud of the fight that our team put forth.”The game became chippy in the second half as there were 10 fouls called before the midway point of the third quarter. There were 15 total fouls called in the third quarter.“Playing in the Big 12 prepares you to play against very physical teams," Gregory said. “That was just another game of physicality.”Lee, who was 7 of 8 from the free-throw line but could have gone even more often, added, “I don’t think it was anything we hadn’t seen before. Down the stretch just came down to us being smart.”Lee, who finished with nine rebounds, had 11 points in the third quarter as the Wildcats maintained a 12-point lead.K-State shot 26 of 51 from the field, including 7 of 16 on 3-pointers. The Wildcats, however, only made 65.5% of their free throws.Portland shot 44% for the game.

Kansas State defeat Portland in women's NCAA Tournament first round

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nicolas Timberlake of Kansas swears he got fouled. If he did, Samford’s A.J. Staton-McCray insisted, then “I guess Casper hit him.”

The fourth-seeded Jayhawks took advantage of what looked like a phantom foul in the waning seconds Thursday night that set up two key free throws by Timberlake for a 93-89 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The 13th-seeded Bulldogs used their frenetic press and deep bench to trim a 22-point deficit to one with less than a minute left. They were trapping KU in the backcourt when Timberlake took a long pass in stride as he was streaking toward the basket.

As he went up to dunk, Staton-McCray came from behind and blocked the shot, appearing to touch nothing but ball.

The whistle blew and Timberlake calmly made both free throws with 14.7 seconds left to help Bill Self's team push the lead to three and set up a second-round meeting against Gonzaga.

“I was definitely fouled on the breakaway,” Timberlake said.

Well, maybe not, according to Staton-McCray.

“I feel like it was a great play by me,” he said “Terrible call.”

The debate will play out for about a day back in Lawrence, where bigger things await, but will linger longer in Birmingham, where tiny Samford, champion of the Southern Conference, was denied the first tournament victory in program history.

“I thought A.J. made an incredible play, you know what I’m saying?” Samford coach Bucky McMillan said. “I’m not faulting the call. You can see it different ways. But I was really proud of our guys’ ability to go make a play.”

The call certainly didn't detract from the game Hunter Dickinson had for Kansas.

Playing with a sleeve on to protect his recently dislocated right shoulder, the KU center finished with 19 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks. KJ Adams Jr., led the Jayhawks with 20 points, while Timberlake finished with 19 after his two game-deciding free throws.

Self’s team came into the tournament slumping — a popular pick to go down early without leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee) and having lost four of its last five.

The Jayhawks play on. But the Kansas coach wouldn't play into the good call-bad call debate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/3/1711079287013.png" alt="Photo Kansas Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Kansas Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure>SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nicolas Timberlake of Kansas swears he got fouled. If he did, Samford’s A.J. Staton-McCray insisted, then “I guess Casper hit him.”The fourth-seeded Jayhawks took advantage of what looked like a phantom foul in the waning seconds Thursday night that set up two key free throws by Timberlake for a 93-89 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.The 13th-seeded Bulldogs used their frenetic press and deep bench to trim a 22-point deficit to one with less than a minute left. They were trapping KU in the backcourt when Timberlake took a long pass in stride as he was streaking toward the basket.As he went up to dunk, Staton-McCray came from behind and blocked the shot, appearing to touch nothing but ball.The whistle blew and Timberlake calmly made both free throws with 14.7 seconds left to help Bill Self's team push the lead to three and set up a second-round meeting against Gonzaga.“I was definitely fouled on the breakaway,” Timberlake said.Well, maybe not, according to Staton-McCray.“I feel like it was a great play by me,” he said “Terrible call.”The debate will play out for about a day back in Lawrence, where bigger things await, but will linger longer in Birmingham, where tiny Samford, champion of the Southern Conference, was denied the first tournament victory in program history.“I thought A.J. made an incredible play, you know what I’m saying?” Samford coach Bucky McMillan said. “I’m not faulting the call. You can see it different ways. But I was really proud of our guys’ ability to go make a play.”The call certainly didn't detract from the game Hunter Dickinson had for Kansas.Playing with a sleeve on to protect his recently dislocated right shoulder, the KU center finished with 19 points, 20 rebounds and four blocks. KJ Adams Jr., led the Jayhawks with 20 points, while Timberlake finished with 19 after his two game-deciding free throws.Self’s team came into the tournament slumping — a popular pick to go down early without leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee) and having lost four of its last five.The Jayhawks play on. But the Kansas coach wouldn't play into the good call-bad call debate.“I thought Nic attacked the basket well,” Self said. “He’s a much better athlete than what a lot of people think. He attacked it strong, just like he should.”That he had legs left to do that was a feat, given the way Samford played fullcourt basketball for 40 minutes, slowly wearing down a KU rotation that had essentially been reduced to six players.Achor Achor had 23 points and eight rebounds for Samford, including a tomahawk jam with 38 seconds that cut the Bulldog deficit to two.Dickinson then hit Adams with a long pass for a dunk, but Jaden Campbell (18 points) answered with a 3-pointer for the Bulldogs to set up the crazy finish.Kansas, and the refs, walked off the court to lusty boos from the rowdy Samford contingent, many of whom stuck around, calling up replays of the foul call on their phones.The Jayhawks won this game, but they were forced to do it Samford’s way. The Bulldogs rushed Kansas into tying its season high with 18 turnovers.The tradeoff was that Kansas shot 60% from the floor and made this look like a dunk contest at times. Of KU's 35 field goals, 14 were layups and eight were slamsThe biggest shot, though, was the one that didn’t go in by Timberlake.“I’m not blaming the whistle (but) if there is no whistle, we’re going to have the numbers advantage going the other way to advance to round two,” McMillan said. "That’s how close the game was and that’s how well our guys played when we were down 22.”UP NEXTThe first tipoff Saturday in Salt Lake City will be at 10:45 a.m. local time between Arizona and Dayton, with the Kansas-Gonzaga matchup to follow. This will mark the third matchup between the programs; they split the last two.MYSTERY TECHA technical foul on the Samford bench gave Kansas two easy points in the first half that turned out to be important in a game this close. Samford officials said they weren't told which coach was slapped with the ‘T,’ which was officially charged to the bench.