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 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.

Jase Richardson had 21 points and seven rebounds for the Spartans (27-6). Jeremy Fears Jr. had 14 points and six assists, but he had the ball knocked away in the waning seconds as he tried to tie the score with a heave from near the midcourt logo.

No. 4 Florida beats No. 5 Alabama >> Walter Clayton Jr. scored 22 points, and No. 4 Florida pulled away from No. 5 Alabama for a 104-82 victory in the Southeastern Conference Tournament semifinals.

Alijah Martin and Will Richard each had 16 points for the Gators (29-4) in their fifth consecutive win.

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.

Gray breaks 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.