Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Malik Newman certainly did not envision the magnificent postseason he’s been enjoying back in December and January when he was struggling. Even before that, there was the injury-plagued freshman year at Mississippi State, the entering and pulling out of the NBA draft and finally the transfer to Kansas. He’s the Jayhawks’ leading tournament scorer with 18.3 points per game.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Duke will square off in the Midwest final on Sunday for the last spot in the Final Four _ and the stakes are huge even by Elite Eight standards. Mike Krzyzewski is looking to break UCLA legend John Wooden’s record of 12 Final Four appearances. Kansas coach Bill Self, who recently joined Krzyzewski and Wooden in the Naismith Hall of Fame, is hoping to snap a two-year losing streak in regional finals and a 2-7 personal record in Elite Eights.

ATLANTA (AP) — No. 11 seed Loyola is headed to the Final Four after beating No. 9 seed Kansas State 78-62 in the South Regional final. After three close calls in the NCAA Tournament, the Ramblers shot 57 percent and romped to a win over the defensive-minded Wildcats. So now it’s on to San Antonio for the team that has become a national phenomenon with its 98-year-old team chaplain, Sister Jean.

UNDATED (AP) — Top seeds to determine final spots in Final Four following rash of upsets on left side of the bracket. No. 1 Kansas faces No. 2 Duke in the Midwest, No. 1 Villanova against No. 3 Texas Tech in the East.

UNDATED (AP) — In an NCAA Tournament dominated by upsets, Friday belonged to the favorites. Top seeds Kansas and Villanova, along with second-seeded Duke all moved on to the Elite Eight after holding on for close wins. All three teams are on the right side of the tourney bracket. Joined by Texas Tech, the foursome alone would make for intriguing Final Four. That makes any team that emerges from Sunday a likely top contender for the national title.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Duffy made an early exit in his final spring tuneup because of shoulder tightness, but said he’s certain he will be OK to pitch on opening day. Duffy is scheduled to start the opener for the second straight year, facing the Chicago White Sox at home on Thursday. The lefty came out of the game against an Arizona split squad with a trainer in the third inning.

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Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — For the third straight year, top-seeded Kansas made its way through the Sweet 16. Getting to the Final Four has been a different story _ and the Jayhawks are on the doorstep once again. Kansas brought at least a temporary halt to the insanity this March, holding off a big comeback from fifth-seeded Clemson for an 80-76 victory. Malik Newman led the Jayhawks with 17 points in a win that won’t mean much if KU can’t finish the job in Sunday’s regional final.

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Michigan, Florida State, Kansas State and Loyola-Chicago will get their chance to earn a trip to the Final Four on Saturday. In an upset-filled NCAA Tournament, the ninth-seeded Wildcats and 11th-seeded Ramblers will play the first regional final for the South Region’s ticket to San Antonio. The second Elite Eight game will feature the third-seeded Wolverines against the ninth-seeded Seminoles in the West final.

UNDATED (AP) — In an NCAA Tournament dominated by upsets, Friday belonged to the favorites. Top seeds Kansas and Villanova, along with second-seeded Duke all moved on to the Elite Eight after holding on for close wins. All three teams are on the right side of the tourney bracket. Joined by Texas Tech, the foursome alone would make for intriguing Final Four. That makes any team that emerges from Sunday a likely top contender for the national title.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Teaira McCowan had 24 points and 15 rebounds, Victoria Vivians added 14 points and top-seeded Mississippi State routed North Carolina State 71-57 to reach the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament. Kiara Leslie had 27 points to pace the Wolfpack.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The Los Angeles Dodgers’ three-time NL Cy Young Award winner stretched his spring training scoreless streak to 21 1/3 innings with 6 2/3 innings against Kansas City in his final tuneup for Thursday’s opener against San Francisco. He allowed a leadoff single to Jon Jay and no other hits. He struck out four and walked none in a 10-0 win, the left0hander’s first appearance since turning 30 on Monday.

ATLANTA (AP) — It’s only fitting that a South Regional stripped of its top four seeds on the first weekend _ a first for the NCAA Tournament _ is left with two of the tournament’s biggest surprises to play for a Final Four berth. Tough-minded Kansas State, the No. 9 seed, has leaned on its strong defense to carve its path to the regional final against No. 11 seed Loyola-Chicago.

UNDATED (AP) — Texas Tech is headed to the Elite Eight for the first time in program history. Keenan Evans had 16 points and the third-seeded Red Raiders overcame an early first half hole and dominated second-seeded Purdue down the stretch to earn a 78-65 victory in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. Texas Tech will play top seed Villanova in the East regional final Sunday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Boston catcher Oscar Hernandez, Chicago Cubs pitcher David Garner, St. Louis pitcher Matt Pearce and Pittsburgh shortstop Andrew Walker have been suspended for 50 games each under baseball’s minor league drug program.

Hernandez, Garner and Pearce each had second positive tests for a drug of abuse, the commissioner’s office said Friday. Walker was disciplined for an unspecified violation.
The 24-year-old Hernandez played 18 games for Arizona in 2016 and four the following year. He hit .197 with eight homers and 21 RBIs in 67 games last year for Jackson in the Double-A Texas League and is on the roster of Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox of the International League.

Garner, a 25-year-old right-hander, is with the Iowa Cubs of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League. He was 4-3 with a 3.25 ERA in 35 relief appearances last year for Double-A Tennessee and Iowa.

Peace, a right-hander who turned 24 last month, was 9-12 with a 3.08 ERA in 25 starts last year for Double-A Springfield of the Texas League and Triple-A Memphis of the Pacific Coast League. He is on the Memphis roster.

Walker, who also turned 24 last month, hit .240 with no homers and 11 RBIs last season in 39 games for a pair of Class A teams. He is on the roster of West Virginia Power of the Class A South Atlantic League.

There have been 25 players suspended this year under the minor league drug program and six under the big league program: Houston pitcher Dean Deetz, Washington catcher Raudy Read, Pittsburgh pitcher Nik Turley, Kansas City outfielder Jorge Bonifacio, Toronto pitcher Thomas Pannone and Minnesota shortstop Jorge Polanco.

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OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — A man accused of killing a college basketball player in Oskaloosa says he was defending himself. Twenty-three-year-old Luke VanHemert is charged with second-degree murder, accused of stabbing to death 22-year-old Marquis Todd earlier this month. Todd played for William Penn University.

The Des Moines Register reports that VanHemert says in court documents that the stabbing of Todd “was an act of self-defense” but doesn’t provide more details.
Authorities think a car carrying Todd and two friends returned to the scene of a car crash outside VanHemert’s Oskaloosa house three times on the night of March 1, and that a fight broke out on the third trip back.

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press…

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Everything seems to be cued up yet again for Kansas, which for the second year in a row needs just two wins to make it to the Final Four. It didn’t work for the Jayhawks a year ago and winning this year’s Midwest Region could be an even bigger challenge. Top-seeded Kansas faces red-hot Clemson on Friday night in a Sweet Sixteen matchup. Duke and Syracuse play each other in the nightcap and the winners will play on Sunday for a trip to San Antonio.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Jayhawks are the top seed and will have what should amount to a home game on a neutral floor. But Clemson raised eyebrows with a 31-point thrashing of Auburn to reach the Sweet Sixteen, and the Tigers have the kind of deep and experienced backcourt that can do well in March. The two teams play Friday night in Omaha, Nebraska.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A federal magistrate won’t free before trial an Iowa youth basketball coach who’s accused of secretly recording some of his players undressing. U.S. Magistrate Kelly Mahoney ruled after video hearing Wednesday that 42-year-old Greg Stephen didn’t pose a flight risk but did pose a danger to the community. Prosecutors had asked the judge to keep the ex-Iowa Barnstormers co-director in custody. Stephen was arrested last week on a charge of knowingly transporting child pornography.

UNDATED (AP) — The first half of the Elite Eight was filled with upset picks. And more could be on the way in second half of the Sweet 16. Villanova and West Virginia headline the second slate of games on Friday night.

ATLANTA (AP) — Gritty Kansas State delivered another upset in the South Regional, eliminating Kentucky with a 61-58 victory. Xavier Sneed scored 22 points, Barry Brown Jr. scored a huge basket in the closing seconds and K-State advanced to face Loyola in the first-ever 9-vs.-11 matchup in the Elite Eight.

ATLANTA (AP) — Marques Townes scored 18 points, including a key 3-pointer with 6.3 seconds remaining, to lead Loyola to a 69-68 win over Nevada in the NCAA South Regional semifinal. The No. 11-seeded Ramblers continued their improbable NCAA run and are one victory from a Final Four appearance.

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Former Colorado State assistant coach Niko Medved is returning to Fort Collins to lead the Rams men’s basketball program after spending a year as Drake’s head coach. Medved replaces Larry Eustachy, who stepped down last month, ending a “climate assessment” of the program led by athletic director Joe Parker.

Eustachy, who was 122-79 in five-plus seasons at CSU, is on paid leave until June 30, at which time he’ll formally resign. Medved was an assistant coach at CSU from 2007-13 before spending four years as head coach at Furman and then leading Drake last season to its first postseason berth in six years.

Drake athletic director Brian Hardin said: “We are disappointed by this news but remain excited and confident about the trajectory of the Drake men’s basketball program.” Hardin asked Dave Thorson to serve as interim head coach while a national search is conducted to find Medved’s replacement.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A federal magistrate won’t free before trial an Iowa youth basketball coach who’s accused of secretly recording some of his players undressing. U.S. Magistrate Kelly Mahoney ruled after video hearing Wednesday that 42-year-old Greg Stephen didn’t pose a flight risk but did pose a danger to the community. Prosecutors had asked the judge to keep the ex-Iowa Barnstormers co-director in custody. Stephen was arrested last week on a charge of knowingly transporting child pornography.

Court documents say Stephen has admitted taking secret videos of three players disrobing in a hotel bathroom in Illinois in January. He’s told investigators he secretly recorded his adolescent players undressing in an attempt to monitor their physical development. A trial date hasn’t been set.

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