Duke’s Flagg sprains ankle, may not play in ACC semis

NEWS+NOTES

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Duke forward Cooper Flagg sits on the bench during the second half against Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament on Thursday in Charlotte, N.C. Flagg was injured in the first half. CHRIS CARLSON — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

The roof of Tropicana Field shows damage the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the region, on Oct. 10. MIKE CARLSON — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, FILE

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Duke coach Jon Scheyer said it’s a “real longshot” that freshman star Cooper Flagg will be able to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals because of an ankle sprain.

The 6-foot-9 Flagg rolled his left ankle in the first half of the top-ranked Blue Devils’ 78-70 quarterfinal win against Georgia Tech on Thursday. He hobbled off the court before heading to the locker room, then returned to the bench for the second half but didn’t play again.

Scheyer said Flagg was already dealing with swelling and said he’d “have to be really convinced we should even consider seeing if he can go” in the semifinals on Friday night. Scheyer said X-rays showed no fracture for Flagg.

Golf

Villegas and Glover among those sharing Players lead >> Lucas Glover had nine birdies in his round of 6-under 66 at The Players Championship, leaving him tied with Camilo Villegas and J.J. Spaun, who managed to get around the TPC Sawgrass without a bogey.

Max McGreevy, who tied the tournament record for the highest score two years ago with an 89, had a chance to join them. He was at 5 under and faced a 15-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole when play was suspended by darkness.

Rory McIlroy made four birdies from tee shots that found the rough or the pine straw, including the 18th hole when he punched a shot off the pine straw and out of the trees to 7 feet, putting him in the group at 67.

Baseball

Rays withdraw from planned $1.3B ballpark >> The Tampa Bay Rays withdrew from a $1.3 billion project to construct a new ballpark adjacent to Tropicana Field, citing a hurricane and delays that likely drove up the proposal’s cost.

The team issued a statement by principal owner Stuart Sternberg saying “a series of events” in October, which included severe damage to the Trop and financing delays, led to what he called “this difficult decision.”

Displaced from the Trop in St. Petersburg, the Rays are set to play their home games this season across Tampa Bay at the New York Yankees’ spring training home, 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field.

Red Sox pitcher Giolito to open season on IL >> The Boston Red Sox will open the season with three starting pitchers on the injured list after right-hander Lucas Giolito strained his left hamstring.

Giolito left his first spring training start against Philadelphia after one inning when his hamstring tightened.

Giolito will join fellow starters Brayan Bello (shoulder) and Kutter Crawford (knee) on the injured list ahead of Boston’s March 27 opener at Texas.

Mets’ McNeil to open season on IL >> New York Mets All-Star infielder Jeff McNeil will open the season on the injured list because of a strained right oblique.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said that the 2022 big league batting champion has a low grade strain. McNeil won’t participate in baseball activities for a week to 10 days and likely will be sidelined for three to four weeks.

The 32-year-old McNeil hit .238 with 12 homers and 44 RBIs last year.

Olympics

NBC, IOC sign $3B media rights deal >> NBC will now be the champion of Olympic broadcasting in the United States through at least 2036.

The IOC said it signed its long-time United States broadcast partner to a $3 billion renewed deal for the 2034 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2036 Summer Games.

The International Olympic Committee’s statement said the agreement elevates Comcast NBCUniversal to being a strategic partner instead of just a media rights holder, promising “innovative joint strategic initiatives and projects” and involving the streaming platform Peacock.

The 2036 host has yet to be decided with interest shown by Olympic officials in countries including India, Qatar, Turkey, Hungary and Indonesia.

Journalism

John Feinstein dies at 69 >> John Feinstein, one of the country’s foremost sports writers and the author of numerous bestselling books, died unexpectedly. He was 69.

Feinstein was a full-time reporter for The Washington Post from 1977 to 1991 and a commentator for outlets such as NPR, ESPN and the Golf Channel. He remained with the Post as a contributing columnist, and he also hosted satellite radio programs on SiriusXM.

Feinstein was comfortable writing about an array of sports, but he was best-known for his connection to college basketball because of his groundbreaking book “A Season on the Brink.”