Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was suspended 20 games without pay for violating the NHL and NHL Players’ Association’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, taking him off the ice for the defending Stanley Cup champions’ stretch run and start of the playoffs.

Ekblad in a statement through the NHLPA said the news that he had failed a random drug test shocked him, and he apologized for the error.

“Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel,” Ekblad said. “I have let my teammates, the Panthers organization and our great fans down. For that, I am truly sorry. I have accepted responsibility for my mistake and will be fully prepared to return to my team when my suspension is over. I have learned a hard lesson and cannot wait to be back with my teammates.”

Ekblad, 29, missed eight of nine games during a stretch in January because of an undisclosed upper-body injury. The Panthers have 18 games left in the regular season, so Ekblad would then miss the first two games of the first round before being eligible to return.

The No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft, Ekblad has played his entire career with Florida, including a prominent role in the first Cup run in franchise history. He had 33 points in 56 games this season before getting suspended.

A message sent to the Panthers seeking comment was not immediately returned. The NHL said it would have no further comment beyond the announcement.

Thompson scores twice in Sabres win >> Tage Thompson scored two goals and led the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers.

Thompson’s goals upped his team-leading goal total to 33 and Alex Tuch also scored to help the Sabres end a six-game losing streak in which they went 0-5-1. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 32 saves.

Women’s basketball

Bueckers helps UConn to its 23rd Big East crown >> Paige Bueckers scored 24 points and Azzi Fudd added 13 to help No. 3 UConn beat 22nd-ranked Creighton 70-50 to win the Big East championship.

It’s the 23rd Big East title and fifth consecutive one for the Huskies (31-3) since they returned to the conference in 2021. This was Creighton’s first time in the championship game since 2016, when the Bluejays lost to St. John’s.

UCLA back at No. 1 >> UCLA vaulted back up to No. 1 in The AP women’s Top 25 after beating USC for the Big Ten title over the weekend.

The Bruins, who spent 12 weeks atop the poll before losing to the rival Trojans in early February, received 16 first-place votes from a national panel to jump from fourth to first. It was the second time this season that the Bruins leaped over a few teams to move up to No. 1. UCLA topped then-No. 1 South Carolina before Thanksgiving to move up four places to claim the top ranking.

South Carolina knocked off previous No. 1 Texas in the Southeastern Conference Tournament championship game and moved up to second from fifth in the poll. The Gamecocks garnered nine first-place ballots.

Texas and USC going down marked just the fourth time since the 1999-00 season that the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the poll lost on the same day, according to Stats Perform. It last occurred Nov. 30, 2019, when Oregon was first and Baylor was second.

Men’s basketball

Duke climbs to No. 1 >> Duke ended Auburn’s eight-week stay at No. 1 in the AP men’s poll, while the Tigers dropped to third behind Houston as all three programs began preparing for their conference tournaments.

The Blue Devils took advantage of back-to-back losses by Auburn to ascend to the top spot for the first time since November 2021, when Duke spent a week there in Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski’s farewell season. The Blue Devils received 52 of 61 votes from the national media panel, while the Cougars picked up five and the Tigers held onto the other four.

Florida, which beat Alabama earlier in the week, moved up one spot to fourth while the Crimson Tide climbed two spots to fifth.

Soccer

Bay FC signs ex-Stanford star Paulson >> Bay FC announced it has signed forward Catherine Paulson to a one-year contract. Paulson will join the active roster after starting the preseason as a non-roster invitee.

Paulson was part of the club’s inaugural roster in 2024, joining the team as a National Team Replacement Player in August before signing a full contract through the end of the 2024 season.

Paulson played in one game for Bay FC last year. The Los Gatos native played at Stanford from 2020-23, appearing in 47 matches (eight starts) with four goals and three assists.

Neymar under fire for missing playoff game >> Neymar’s excuse for missing a semifinal with Santos was criticized because he was seen at Carnival last week.

Santos lost to archrival Corinthians 2-1 on Sunday in the semifinals of the Sao Paulo state championship, and Neymar sat on the bench for all 90 minutes. Monday, he said he had a minor injury without elaborating.

Days earlier, the striker was photographed at Rio de Janeiro’s Sambadrome, the venue for the glitzy Carnival parade.

Neymar, who rejoined his boyhood club Santos in January, attended the Carnival parade only hours after being substituted in the second half of another Sao Paulo state championship match on March 2 because of an apparent left thigh injury.

He recently recovered from an ACL tear that sidelined him for more than one year.

College football

Bowling Green hires ex-NFL star George as coach >> Bowling Green hired former NFL running back and Tennessee State coach Eddie George as the Falcons’ head coach.

George was a four-time NFL Pro Bowl running back and an All-Pro, and was the 1996 AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after winning the 1995 Heisman Trophy at Ohio State.

George was the head coach the last four years at Tennessee State, where he was named the Big South-Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year last season. George led the Tigers to a share of the league championship and a berth in the Football Championship Series playoffs. He also was a runner-up for the Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year award.

He’s the 21st head coach in Falcons’ history and replaces Scot Loeffler, who left Bowling Green after six seasons to become the Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterbacks coach.

Tennis

Chair umpire suspened for corruption >> A national-level chair umpire in the Dominican Republic, Juan Gabriel Castro, was suspended for six years and fined $6,000 by the International Tennis Integrity Agency for manipulating scoring during matches to help someone who was placing bets.

The ITIA said Castro was found to have committed 12 breaches of the Tennis Anti-Corruption Program across three matches.