Wichita State upsets OSU for Final Four trip

LOS ANGELES | Cleanthony Early kept stealing glances down at the hat in his hands while he waited for his turn to climb the stepladder, scissors in hand. The Wichita State forward seemed stunned at the words embroidered on his brand new ballcap: "Final Four Atlanta."

Ohio St. faces Wichita St. for trip to Final Four

LOS ANGELES | During Ohio State's journey to the Final Four last season, Aaron Craft learned the importance of focusing on the next 40 minutes, not the three-week trip.

Busch avoids Hamlin-Logano wreck in Fontana finish

FONTANA, Calif. | Denny Hamlin was airlifted to a hospital Sunday after colliding with Joey Logano on the last lap while NASCAR's newest rivals raced for the win in a thrilling finish at Fontana.

Tony Stewart hoping for more good luck at Fontana

FONTANA, Calif. | A few hours after putting his footprints and signature in drying concrete on Fontana's walk of fame, Tony Stewart hopped on his jet with Kyle Larson and flew 400 miles north to Stockton, Calif., where Larson beat him in a dirt-track race.

Matt Kenseth holds off Kahne to win in Vegas

LAS VEGAS | Matt Kenseth won on his 41st birthday in just his third start for the Joe Gibbs Racing, barely holding off Kasey Kahne at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday for his 25th career victory.

Hamlin fined $25k by NASCAR for criticizing new Gen-6 race car

LAS VEGAS | Denny Hamlin was fined $25,000 by NASCAR on Thursday for criticizing the new Gen-6 race car after last week's race at Phoenix, and the furious driver said he won't pay.

Blackhawks crash LA Kings' party with rout

LOS ANGELES | The Blackhawks raised their own Stanley Cup championship banner just two seasons ago, so their core players already know it's tough to go back to work after a pregame party.

Pete Rose preaches patience to tarnished stars

LOS ANGELES | Pete Rose recently went to Cooperstown to film an episode of his upcoming reality television show. His fiancée got choked up when baseball's career hits leader had to watch the Parade of Legends and other Hall of Fame festivities as just another face in the crowd.

Notre Dame reigns atop college football again

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The postgame roars from Notre Dame's locker room echoed right through the Coliseum's thick cement walls and metal beams Saturday night, moving around the 89-year-old arena like a long-absent force of nature.

Briscoe holds off teammate Power to win in Sonoma

SONOMA, Calif. | Ryan Briscoe got past Penske teammate Will Power out of a pit stop Sunday and held off the two-time defending Sonoma champion for his first IndyCar victory since 2010.

Kings celebrate Stanley Cup with parade, rally

LOS ANGELES | Dustin Brown stood on a flatbed truck and raised the big silver trophy above his head once again. The air in downtown Los Angeles filled with a blizzard of silver-and-black confetti.

Kings keep it cool with Stanley Cup in sight

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. | Jonathan Quick remembers eating ice pops with his friends and watching their beloved New York Rangers win the Stanley Cup on television in 1994. Dustin Brown vaguely recalls Joe Nieuwendyk bringing the Cup to Ithaca, N.Y., but can't remember if he got to see it up close.

Kasey Kahne confident he'll turn around his season

FONTANA, Calif. | Kasey Kahne waited nearly two years between signing with NASCAR's winningest team and finally climbing into his new ride.

Bulls' season starts Rose-y

LOS ANGELES | Derrick Rose drove the lane and lofted home a smooth floating shot for the winning points in the Bulls' opener, just in case anybody doubted the youngest MVP in NBA history can shoulder the expectations that come bundled with that shiny new trophy and a huge contract extension.

Bourjos' bases-loaded RBI drives Angels past White Sox

ANAHEIM, Calif. | Peter Bourjos drove a single through a drawn-in infield with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the White Sox 5-4 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight victory.

Shaun White edges rival for X Games skate title

LOS ANGELES | Shaun White won the X Games skateboard vert competition Saturday night, dramatically edging rival Pierre-Luc Gagnon on their final run.

Bruins batter Luongo's Canucks to force Game 7

BOSTON | The Boston Bruins put Roberto Luongo and the Stanley Cup back on the shelf.

Canucks edge Bruins, move to brink of NHL title

VANCOUVER, British Columbia | With a fortunate bounce and a flawless goalie, the Vancouver Canucks are heading back to Boston with the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time.

Stanley Cup finals show NHL still struggling with violence

BOSTON | Two players made two bad decisions in an instant, something that happens fairly often in the NHL. Boston's Nathan Horton watched his pass an instant too long, and Vancouver's Aaron Rome checked him an instant too late.

Canucks' Burrows scores fast in OT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia | In a mere 11 seconds, Alex Burrows used the strengths of the Boston Bruins' two best defensive players against them.

Canucks, Bruins show creativity can win Cup

VANCOUVER, British Columbia | When Daniel and Henrik Sedin streak down the ice, exchanging crisp passes in a display of their jaw-dropping offensive creativity, it's easy to forget the Vancouver Canucks were the NHL's best defensive team this season.

Dunn's 4 hits lead WSox's late rally past Angels

ANAHEIM, Calif. | Alexei Ramirez scored the tiebreaking run from third base when Angels reliever Kevin Jepsen threw a wild pitch during an intentional walk in the 10th inning, and the Chicago White Sox rallied from a late three-run deficit for a 6-4 victory over Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

Dirk blasts Lakers again, sends Mavs to 2-0 lead

LOS ANGELES | Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points, Shawn Marion added 14 and the Dallas Mavericks stunned the erratic Los Angeles Lakers 93-81 in Game 2 on Wednesday night, taking a 2-0 second-round lead over the two-time defending champions with consecutive road wins.

UConn earns Final Four bid, edges Arizona

ANAHEIM, Calif. | With nine pressure-packed victories in 19 days, Connecticut has been on an exhausting sprint through the postseason for nearly three weeks now.

Clippers' Griffin leaps car to win dunk contest

LOS ANGELES | With a gospel choir at midcourt encouraging him to fly, Blake Griffin soared over a car and threw down a two-handed dunk.

Unbeaten TCU stops Wisconsin

PASADENA, Calif. | Andy Dalton threw a touchdown pass and ran for a score, linebacker Tank Carder swatted down a 2-point conversion pass attempt with 2 minutes to play, and No. 3 TCU completed a perfect season with its first Rose Bowl victory, 21-19 over fourth-ranked Wisconsin on Saturday.

Irish hold off USC to end 8-game rivalry skid

LOS ANGELES | Robert Hughes scored on a 5-yard run with 2:23 to play, and Notre Dame rallied to snap an eight-game losing streak in college football's best intersectional rivalry with a 20-16 victory over Southern California on Saturday night.

Historic USC-Notre Dame rivalry gets next chapter

LOS ANGELES | Although Brian Kelly is new to Notre Dame's rivalry with Southern California, the best intersectional matchup in college football isn't new to him.

Lakers hold off Bulls for 5th straight win

LOS ANGELES | Shannon Brown tried not to take it personally when his hometown team showed no real interest in him last summer during free agency.

David Ortiz wins HR Derby with 11-homer final

ANAHEIM, Calif. | Boston slugger David Ortiz won his first Home Run Derby title Monday night, hitting 11 homers in the final round to beat Florida's Hanley Ramirez at Angel Stadium.

Dramatic Hollywood sequel

LOS ANGELES | The Los Angeles Lakers won their 16th NBA championship, dramatically rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 83-79 Thursday night in Game 7 of the NBA finals.

Lakers edge Celtics in Game 7, win 16th title

LOS ANGELES | The Los Angeles Lakers have won their 16th NBA championship, dramatically rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit to beat the Boston Celtics 83-79 Thursday night in Game 7 of the NBA finals.

Celtics get past Lakers, even finals

LOS ANGELES | The Boston Celtics evened the NBA finals with Ray Allen shredding the Lakers from the 3-point line -- and Rajon Rondo doing everything else from everywhere else.

Butler holds off underdog Murray State 54-52

SAN JOSE, Calif. | Butler's Gordon Hayward instinctively left his man for a double-team, deflected a freshman's desperate pass and slammed Murray State's storybook shut.

Butler wins with second-half surge

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- When Shelvin Mack made a steal and quickly hit a 3-pointer in the opening minute of the second half, he had a good feeling Butler could shake its opening-game jitters.

United ... and on a mission

VANCOUVER, British Columbia | Angela Ruggiero launched a wrist shot over Kim Martin's too-late glove and gratefully raised her hands to the roof, finally certain her U.S. women's hockey team wouldn't allow another Swedish surprise at the Olympics.

Chargers blow another playoff chance

SAN DIEGO | When Vincent Jackson swung his foot at the New York Jets' challenge flag with 3 minutes left, every fan in the stadium felt his frustration.

Rothwell lurking for upset of Velasquez at UFC 104

LOS ANGELES | While Cain Velasquez patiently waits his turn for a shot at the UFC heavyweight title, Ben Rothwell thinks he can sneak up and take that place in line. After all, he's been waiting a whole lot longer.

Bulls get Miller, Salmons from Kings

The Bulls acquired center Brad Miller, a Purdue product, and John Salmons from the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday in exchange for four players, including forwards Drew Gooden and Andres Nocioni.

Bulls get Miller, Salmons from Kings

The Bulls acquired center Brad Miller and John Salmons from the Sacramento Kings in exchange for four players, including forwards Drew Gooden and Andres Nocioni.

Old friend foils Blackhawks

SAN JOSE, Calif. | The San Jose Sharks opened their six-game homestand with a literal bang when Jody Shelley landed a board-rattling, crowd-inciting hit on the enforcer's first shift with his new club.

Ellis comes up big for Warriors in win over Pacers

OAKLAND, Calif. | Monta Ellis scored nine of his 29 points during a fourth-quarter comeback, and former Golden State disappointment Mike Dunleavy missed a key free throw for Indiana in the final moments of the Warriors' 106-101 victory Sunday night.

Bloom grad Young all but ready to retire with 49ers

SANTA CLARA, Calif. | Bryant Young is still being the consummate team player right to the very end of his career.

New QB Hill Sparks Niners

SAN FRANCISCO | The third quarterback was the charm for the San Francisco 49ers.

It's all in the footwork for Mayweather

LAS VEGAS | Floyd Mayweather Jr. clicks the jump rope rhythmically beneath his feet, barely moving anything but his wrists in the classic boxer's exercise.

Mays takes a ride before Giants' All-Star game

SAN FRANCISCO | Willie Mays stepped out of the pink convertible in a narrow alley behind the left-field line, and one of baseball's greatest living players exhaled with a smile.

Nelson uncertain on future with Warriors, but team's optimism high

OAKLAND, Calif. | Coach Don Nelson isn't sure he'll return to guide the Golden State Warriors through the next stage of their resurgence.

Warriors search for solution to Jazz back at home sweet home

OAKLAND, Calif. | Baron Davis and the Golden State Warriors have learned there's a big downside to having pulled off perhaps the biggest upset in NBA playoff history in the first round.

Red Wings advance to conference finals

SAN JOSE, Calif. | Chris Chelios and Niklas Lidstrom spent nearly all of Game 6 alternating turns on the ice, desperately grinding on their aging legs to keep the Detroit Red Wings ahead.

Rematch could be big deal for Mayweather, De La Hoya

LAS VEGAS | Floyd Mayweather Jr. had been looking forward to Sunday morning for months. He was confident he would wake up that day as an unbeaten, retired champion who could take his four kids out for pizza in peace any time he wished.