Minnesota Teams

No Minnesota team news surfaced in today's coverage. The Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves, Wild, Lynx, United, and Gophers weren't featured in today's headlines — check back tomorrow for local updates.

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NBA

Lakers beat Nuggets — but with a little help they shouldn't have had. The Los Angeles Lakers came back to beat the Denver Nuggets in a thriller, but the NBA has since admitted that a foul call with 9.2 seconds left in regulation was wrong. Guard Austin Reaves went to the free-throw line after what officials ruled was a foul, but the league reviewed it and said the defender actually stripped the ball cleanly — meaning Reaves never should have shot those free throws.

Marcus Smart's comeback story is worth knowing. The Lakers guard nearly lost his right hand after a self-inflicted injury involving broken glass, and he's now back on the court helping Los Angeles climb the Western Conference standings. It's one of the more remarkable comeback stories in the league this year.

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NFL

NFL free agency is shaking up the quarterback pecking order. Kyler Murray (the Arizona Cardinals' QB) appears to be on the move, and the big question is whether that makes J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix Jr. — two young quarterbacks drafted in recent years — permanent backups on their teams. It's early in free agency, so things are still moving fast.

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MLB

Spring training predictions: Can Shohei Ohtani do the impossible again? With the 2026 MLB season approaching, writers are already asking whether Shohei Ohtani (the LA Dodgers superstar who pitches and hits) can set more records, and whether outfielder Juan Soto can hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in the same season — a rare feat called a "40/40." These are bold predictions, but Ohtani has a habit of making the impossible look routine.

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NHL

The Maple Leafs are furious about a hit on their best player. Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas hit Toronto's Auston Matthews — arguably the best player in hockey — hard enough to end his season, and Toronto feels the one-game suspension handed down by the league wasn't nearly enough punishment. Expect this controversy to linger.

The Anaheim Ducks, of all teams, might win their division. The Ducks are a young, rebuilding team that nobody expected much from this year, but they're in contention to win the Pacific Division heading into the final stretch of the regular season. The NHL playoffs are about six weeks away.

A note for sentimental hockey fans: Defenseman Brent Burns, a 41-year-old veteran, is one of the most notable players who has never won a Stanley Cup. He leads a list of "old guys without a ring" that fans are quietly rooting for this postseason.

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College Sports

It's the most wonderful time of the year — the NCAA Tournament bracket is out. March Madness 2026 officially has its 68-team field, and Duke and Michigan are the early favorites to win the national championship, according to oddsmakers. Duke is typically a powerhouse, and Michigan has had a strong season.

Some bracket drama right out of the gate. The selection committee (the group that picks and seeds the teams) is already facing criticism — notably for leaving Vanderbilt out of the field, which experts are calling a big miss. Auburn and Miami (Ohio) making the field are being praised as good calls.

On the women's side, BYU sneaked in as the last team in the 68-team women's bracket, while Texas A&M just missed out. The women's bracket reveal is also happening this weekend.

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Other Sports

English soccer clubs are in trouble in Europe. In the UEFA Champions League (Europe's biggest club soccer tournament), all six English teams lost their first-leg games in the round of 16 last week. Three of those teams are down by three or more goals heading into this week's second legs — meaning they'd need a near-miracle to advance.

UFC is back this weekend. Josh Emmett takes on Kevin Vallejos at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, airing on Paramount+. If you're a casual fan looking for a Saturday night fight card, that's your option.