SportsLine's model simulated Michigan Wolverines vs. Arizona Wildcats and revealed its college basketball picks for this NCAA Tournament 2026 Final Four matchup on Saturday

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (AP) Lauren Coughlin continued her strong play at Shadow Creek even in windy conditions Friday that played havoc with the second-round scores at the Aramco Championship to shoot a 3-under 69 and open a five-shot lead.Coughlin was 8 under. Hyo Joo Kim kept alive her hopes for a third straight LPGA Tour tournament victory, shooting 73 to match Leona Maguire (71) at 3 under.Coughlin entered the day in a three-way tie for the lead after opening with a 67, but now has created clear separation. She nearly won here last year when it was a match-play event before falling to Madelene Sagstrom in the final pairing.Now Coughlin is close again. Even with a sizable lead, though, she isn't ready to celebrate.There is a lot of golf to be played, Coughlin said. As you can see, you can make big numbers really easily. So just try to stick to what Ive been doing the last two days and see what happens.Wind gusts of 20 mph and higher made for a difficult round. A day after 26 players posted red numbers, that total was 11 on Friday, making the picturesque but demanding course almost hidden from the lights of the Las Vegas Strip even more difficult.Its almost bordering on a U.S. Open-style setup, Maguire said. You see how few people are under par. It feels a little bit like a major without being a major.Miyu Yamashita got to experience that full effect. Sitting at 5 under with two holes to play, she went in the water on the par-3 17th and then took three shots to get on the green. The triple bogey put her at 2 under with second-ranked Nelly Korda (74) and Nanna Koerstz Madsen (70).Korda, who won this event two years ago, struggled over the final nine in the second round. She bogeyed two holes and had a double on the par-4 first.The top 20 players in the world signed up for the Aramco Championship, no doubt attracted to the $4 million purse in the first year that this tournament is strictly stroke play. This event is co-sanctioned with the Ladies European Tour.Coughlin birdied Nos. 7, 8, 10 and 12, holing a 50-foot putt on No. 8. But she bogeyed the par-4 14th and 15th to halt her momentum and bring her back to the field. Coughlin then rolled in a 25-foot putt on the par-5 16th for an especially timely birdie.Yeah, definitely kind of helped smooth things out there towards the end, Coughlin said. Felt like I was playing good, especially those two holes before that. I think the easiest way to describe this golf course, especially when it gets windy, its so easy to make bogey. One little thing and youre making bogey. Maybe even worse.Amelia Garvey made the largest leap, answering an opening 79 with a 69 even with a triple bogey on the par-3 17th. That got her to 4 over, enough to make the cut of 7 over.I actually played really well yesterday, Garvey said. I just couldnt putt. Was putting a bit like Stevie Wonder out there.___AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

A pair of NBA head coaches defended Memphis and its culture Friday following criticism by Lakers star LeBron James that the Grizzlies should just relocate.

Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer in the third inning, and Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman went deep, as well, as the Los Angeles Dodgers pummeled the Washington Nationals 13-6 on Friday. Andy Pages also homered for the Dodgers, but it was the top of their order which had been struggling that really broke out. Ohtani hadn't driven in a run all season before hitting a drive to right field that tied the game at 3-all. Betts' two-run shot later that inning put Los Angeles ahead to stay. It was 9-4 after Freeman's two-run homer in the fifth. Tucker's first home run as a member of the Dodgers was a solo shot that made it 12-4 in the seventh. Miles Mikolas (0-2) allowed a career-high 11 runs on 11 hits in 4 1/3 innings. Emmet Sheehan (1-0) gave up a three-run homer to CJ Abrams in the first, but the Nationals only scored once more in his 5 2/3 innings. Washington lost its home opener for the fifth straight year. This was the most runs the Nationals have allowed in a home opener since moving to Washington in 2005. Sheehan allowed four runs and seven hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Ohtani extended his on-base streak to 38 games dating back to last season. He was able to keep it going despite being just 3 for 18 entering Friday's game. After his home run, Ohtani added a single the following inning and a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who hit an RBI double in the fifth, was taken out after striking out in the sixth. Hernandez and Tucker each had three hits. Tyler Glasnow (0-0) starts for the Dodgers on Saturday against Washington's Jake Irvin (1-0). Reporting by The Associated Press.

Minerva Academy FC from Punjab stunned Liverpool FC with a 6-0 win at the Mediterranean International Cup, marking a historic moment for Indian youth football.

Geno Auriemma's team lost for the first time in 55 games on Friday, and he lost his cool at the buzzer

HOUSTON (AP) Kevin Durant scored 25 points and the Houston Rockets won their fifth straight game, beating the Utah Jazz 140-106 on Friday night.Durant shot 8 of 12 from the field and added five assists. It was the 45th time this season he's scored 20 or more points while shooting 50% or better. Thats second among NBA players behind Oklahoma City star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has done it 47 times. Amen Thompson had 21 points and Alperen Sengun scored 19 for the Rockets (48-29), who clinched a playoff spot Thursday. They are a game behind Denver for fourth place in the Western Conference.Cody Williams led the Jazz with 27 points and 11 rebounds, but they shot just 5 of 27 from behind the 3-point line.Utah (21-57) has lost eight consecutive games and 12 of 13.Houston scored the first five points and never trailed. Tari Eason capped an 11-3 run with less than three minutes left in the first quarter to push the lead to 10, and the Rockets led by 12 after 12 minutes.Utah scored the first five points of the second, but the Rockets answered with a 12-2 burst to push their lead to 17. The margin grew to 23 before Houston took a 19-point lead into halftime.The Jazz whittled the lead down to 14, but the Rockets used a 19-4 run in the final 3:20 of the period to take a 29-point advantage into the fourth.Up nextJazz: At the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.Rockets: At the Golden State Warriors on Sunday.___AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The NBA is investigating the Bucks' handling of Giannis Antetokounmpo, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania, after the star forward told reporters Friday that he is being held out despite being healthy enough to play.

The 2026 UFL season continued Friday with the DC Defenders TKTK the Columbus Aviators to kick off Week 2. Next, the Louisville Kings face the Orlando Storm on Saturday, while the Birmingham Stallions take on the Houston Gamblers on Sunday. Week 2 concludes Tuesday with the St. Louis Battlehawks battling the Dallas Renegades. Here are the results from Week 2: DC Defenders 44, Columbus Aviators 26 Key players: Defenders QB Jordan Taamu (8-for-11 for 99 yards, one touchdown), RB Deon Jackson (11 carries for 97 yards, three touchdowns); Aviators QB Jalan McClendon (23-for-37 for 157 yards, two touchdowns), RB Jalan McClendon (eight carries for 55 yards, one touchdown). Game recap: Both teams came out swinging in this one, rattling off touchdowns on each of their first drives. The Defenders went 60 yards in eight plays before hitting pay dirt, while the Aviators took 13 plays to go the same distance. Nonetheless, it was tied 7-all headed into the second quarter. The Defenders cashed in for a field goal on their next drive to take a 10-7 lead, while the Aviators missed from 51 yards on their ensuing possession. DC then took charge with back-to-back touchdowns to make it 24-7. Both of them came on the ground, with running back Xazavian Valladay first punching in a 10-yard score and Jackson adding a 12-yard touchdown. A muffed punt on the next drive gave the ball right back to Columbus, which answered with a rushing score of its own to make it 24-14. The last first-half possession for both teams was an interception, so it remained a 10-point game at halftime. Chaos ensued in the second half for the Aviators, who fumbled the ball twice in the third quarter. The Defenders scored twice off those miscues, extending their lead to 38-14 midway through the frame. Columbus was able to add a touchdown late in the third quarter to cut into DC's lead, but it was too little too late. The Defenders added a field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it a 21-point game, 41-20, and the Aviators were never able to catch up. Another fumble, turnover on downs and an interception sealed Columbus' fate and sent the Aviators to 0-2 on the season. Up next: In Week 3, the Defenders host the Gamblers on Saturday, and the Aviators are on the road vs. the Renegades on Sunday. Louisville Kings at Orlando Storm Stay tuned for updates. Up next: In Week 3, the Kings and the Storm are back at it again on Friday, but this time Louisville is hosting. Birmingham Stallions at Houston Gamblers Stay tuned for updates. Up next: In Week 3, the Stallions are on the road vs. the Battlehawks on Sunday, and the Gamblers are on the road vs. the Defenders on Saturday. St. Louis Battlehawks at Dallas Renegades Stay tuned for updates. Up next: In Week 3, the Battlehawks are hosting the Stallions on Sunday, and the Renegades are hosting the Aviators on Sunday.

Jos Buttler has backed young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to dominate the sport for the next decade, stating that "the world would be at his feet."