Zakai Zeigler scored 20 points as No. 8 Tennessee held off regular-season champion and third-ranked Auburn 70-65 to reach the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship for the first time since 2022.

The fourth-seeded Volunteers (27-6) got revenge both for their Jan. 25 loss at Auburn and their 2019 loss to the Tigers in this tournament’s title game.

Tennessee will play either fourth-ranked Florida or No. 5 Alabama on Sunday for the tournament title. The Vols and the winner of that semifinal likely wind up with No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament — only fitting for the nation’s best league.

Jordan Gainey added 15 points for the Vols, and Chaz Lanier had 12.

The Tigers (28-5) go home losers of three of their last four games.

No. 18 Wisconsin tops No. 7 Michigan St. >> Jon Tonje scored 32 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help No. 18 Wisconsin beat No. 7 Michigan State 77-74 in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament.

John Blackwell added 14 points as the Badgers (26-8) won for the third time in four days. They will play No. 11 Maryland or No. 22 Michigan for the tournament title on Sunday.

Baseball

Ohtani hits homer in Japan >> Japanese star Shohei Ohtani showed off some prodigious power in his return to the Tokyo Dome.

In an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, the three-time MVP belted a long two-run homer to right field in the third inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 4-0 lead, setting off a roar from the roughly 42,000 fans in attendance.

The 30-year-old is just 4 1/2 months removed from surgery on his left shoulder but has recovered remarkably fast. His big swing at the Tokyo Dome is another sign that he’s feeling good heading into his eighth big league season, his second with the Dodgers.

Pirates’ Skenes gets opening day start >> Paul Skenes is going to start for the Pittsburgh Pirates on opening day.

Pretty easy call for manager Derek Shelton.

Skenes is coming off a dominant performance in his first season in the majors. The 22-year-old right-hander went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 starts for Pittsburgh in 2024, winning the NL Rookie of the Year award.

The Pirates posted a video on social media on Saturday that showed Shelton informing Skenes of his decision.

Padres’ Waldron suffers oblique strain >> San Diego Padres right-hander Matt Waldron suffered a mild oblique strain while warming up before entering a spring training game Friday.

Waldron was scheduled to come in and throw against the Texas Rangers before the injury. He could miss the start of the season.

The 28-year-old Waldron went 7-11 with a 4.91 ERA in 27 appearances — 26 starts — for the Padres last season. He’s competing for the fifth spot in the rotation.

Rangers’ Gray fractures right wrist >> Texas Rangers pitcher Jon Gray fractured his right wrist when he was hit by a line drive in a spring training game against Colorado, manager Bruce Bochy told reporters.

Gray left in the fourth inning on Friday after being struck by a 106.4 mph comebacker off the bat of Rockies slugger Michael Toglia.

Gray is coming off an injury-marred 2024 season in which he was 5-6 with a 4.47 ERA. He spent time on the injured list last year because of a strained groin before his season was cut short by a bothersome right foot issue.

NFL

Titans cut Awuzie >> The Tennessee Titans released Chidobe Awuzie after signing the veteran cornerback to a three-year contract last spring.

Awuzie was guaranteed $23 million in the deal that could have netted him up to $36 million as the Titans spent big in 2024 trying to plug major holes, especially in their secondary.

According to Spotrac.com, Awuzie got $19 million at signing.

NBA

Nets’ Thomas out for season >> Cam Thomas, the Brooklyn Nets’ leading scorer, is expected to miss the rest of the season with a strained left hamstring.

The Nets said Saturday that Thomas was injured during their loss at Chicago on Thursday, when he had his first career double-double, getting 24 points and a career-best 10 assists. The team said it was unlikely he could appropriately recover with the amount of time left in the season.

Brooklyn has less than a month left before the regular season ends April 13.

Thomas averaged 24 points, with a team-high six 30-point games, but was limited to just 25 appearances. He missed 37 games with an injury to the hamstring after initially hurting it in November.

Racing

Norris takes pole >> McLaren locked up the front row in Melbourne for Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix, having dominated its rivals, including Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari — whose drivers, Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, will start from seventh and eighth on the grid.

Lando Norris set a searing final qualifying lap to secure pole position, his first at Melbourne’s Albert Park, and milestone 10th overall, in front of his teammate Oscar Piastri, and a record Saturday crowd of 136,347 at Albert Park.

Norris went into Q3 on the back foot after his first lap was deleted for a track limit infringement at turn four, where he put all four wheels off the track. But he delivered when it mattered with his one run.

Soccer

Chelsea wins Women’s league cup >> Chelsea’s quadruple bid in women’s soccer is up and running.

A 2-1 win over Manchester City in the Women’s League Cup final on Saturday earned Chelsea its first piece of silverware this season.

Chelsea — still unbeaten in all competitions — leads the Women’s Super League by eight points with six games remaining in its title defense, is in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and has reached the FA Cup semifinals.