Rick Pitino won his first Big East Coach of the Year award and RJ Luis Jr. took Player of the Year honors after they propelled a resurgent St. John’s program to its best regular season in almost four decades.

UConn forward Liam McNeeley was selected the league’s Freshman of the Year despite missing eight games with a high ankle sprain.

In his second season at the school, Pitino guided sixth-ranked St. John’s (27-4, 18-2) to its first outright Big East regular-season title in 40 years after the team was picked fifth in the preseason coaches’ poll. A winner of national championships at Kentucky and Louisville, the 72-year-old Hall of Famer became the first coach to lead five programs to regular-season conference crowns. He is the winningest active Division I basketball coach with 881 victories.

NBA

Jazz Fined $100,000 >> The NBA fined the Utah Jazz $100,000 for violating the league’s player participation policy after failing to make leading scorer Lauri Markkanen available for recent games.

The league said it was penalizing the team for failing to make Markkanen available at Washington on March 5 as well as other games the past few weeks.

The 7-footer from Finland had not played since a win over Houston on Feb. 22.

NFL

Rams release Kupp >> The Los Angles Rams cut Super Bowl 56 MVP Cooper Kupp after being unable to find a trade partner for their former No. 1 wide receiver.

The Rams officially moved on from the 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year at the start of the league year.

Kupp announced last month that the Rams were trying to trade him despite his desire to remain with the team. But with him being owed $20 million this season, no other team was willing to make a trade.

Ravens’ Pierce retires on Podcast >> Ravens defensive lineman Michael Pierce says he’s retiring.

“I’ve decided to call it a career,” Pierce said on the Sports Spectrum podcast. “It’s been a beautiful, beautiful, beautiful nine years. I’ve had so many people help me along the way.”

Pierce spent seven of those NFL seasons in two stints with Baltimore, sandwiched around time with Minnesota. Pierce opted out of the 2020 season. Pierce provided a highlight near the end of last season when the 355-pounder intercepted a pass against Cleveland, then was mobbed by teammates.

Bills re-sign Hamlin >> Safety Damar Hamlin is returning to Buffalo, and the Bills also continued restocking their defensive front by agreeing to sign tackle Larry Ogunjobi.

The Bills announced reaching an agreement to sign Hamlin to a one-year contract.

Hamlin, a pending unrestricted free agent, returns to Buffalo after starting 14 games last season in continuing a remarkable comeback for a player who had a near-death experience two years ago.

Soccer

Champions league >> Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid in a Champions League penalty shootout — again — to keep its title defense alive Wednesday and advance to the quarterfinals.

Defender Antonio Rudiger scored the decisive spot-kick in a 4-2 shootout win after two Atletico players missed. Marco Llorente’s shot struck the bar after Julian Alvarez’s score after he slipped was disallowed because the ball struck his right foot twice.

Madrid moves on to the quarterfinals to face Arsenal, which also advanced Wednesday along with Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund.