(NEW YORK) -- Stocks futures traded slightly higher early Wednesday, following another volatile day for the market amid the continued rollout of President Donald Trump's tariffs on goods from top U.S. trading partners.
Dow futures were higher by 189 points or 0.46%. Both the Nasdaq and S&P 500 also appeared ready to open narrowly higher on Wednesday.
Traders are expected to be looking to Wednesday's inflation report for clues on the health of the economy amid Trump's escalting trade war. Expectations are that inflation will be up 2.9% compared to a year ago. A worse-than-expected report could add to negative stock sentiment.
Trump’s 25% tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum products came into effect overnight. The European Commission said EU member states would retaliate with duties on U.S. goods, sending European markets mostly higher.
Some economists say that while the tariffs could boost the local steel industry in the United States, they could also lead to higher prices for industries that purchase steel. Those higher prices may eventually reach consumers.
The U.S. relies heavily on imported aluminum and those costs are expected go up as well.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Anadolu via Getty Images
(LONDON) -- The prospects for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine are "in Moscow's hands," a top aide to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said following successful U.S.-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Andriy Yermak -- the head of Zelenskyy's office -- was part of the Ukrainian delegation that met with American representatives in Jeddah, where both teams agreed to pursue a 30-day ceasefire and use the pause in fighting as a launchpad for full peace negotiations to end Russia's 3-year-old invasion of its neighbor.
"Ukraine is ready to accept a 30-day ceasefire if Russia agrees," Yermak wrote on Telegram on Wednesday morning. "This is a necessary step to begin work on real security guarantees and preparing the final terms of a peace agreement."
"But now the key is in Moscow's hands -- the whole world will see who really wants to end the war and who is simply playing for time," he added.
Moscow was readying itself to hear details from Tuesday's U.S.-Ukraine meeting, with officials "scrutinizing" the publicly released statements, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
He added that Russia "doesn't want to get ahead of itself" on the potential ceasefire, saying the Kremlin will want to first get specifics directly from Washington. A "summit phone call" may be in the cards, he said.
President Donald Trump's return to office has put Ukraine in a strategic bind, no longer able to rely on the "ironclad" -- if at times hesitant, according to many Ukrainians -- American support during former President Joe Biden's time in office.
Trump has aligned with Russian narratives about the conflict, framing Ukraine as the key impediment to peace, falsely blaming Kyiv for starting the war, undermining Zelenskyy's legitimacy as president and seeking to recoup years of American aid via a controversial minerals sharing deal.
Last week, the Trump administration announced a freeze on U.S. military aid to and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. Tuesday's meeting in Saudi Arabia saw that pause lifted, officials said.
Moscow has welcomed the radical U.S. shift in rhetoric and policy, which culminated in an explosive Trump-Zelenskyy Oval Office meeting last month.
Kyiv has been striving to prove its readiness for peace, while stressing that no deal can succeed without American security guarantees to deter repeat Russian aggression. Ukrainian leaders have also cast doubt on President Vladimir Putin's readiness to end the fighting and urged their U.S. partners to be wary of the Kremlin.
Following Tuesday's talks, Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram of the 30-day ceasefire plan, "Ukraine accepts this proposal, we consider it positive, we are ready to take this step. The United States of America needs to convince Russia to do so."
"We agree, and if the Russians agree, the silence will take effect at that very moment," he added. "An important element in today's discussions is America's readiness to restore defense assistance to Ukraine and intelligence support."
"Ukraine is ready for peace," Zelenskyy wrote. "Russia must also show whether it is ready to end the war -- or continue it. The time has come for the whole truth. I thank everyone who helps Ukraine."
Speaking in Kyiv on Wednesday, Zelenskyy said he is "very serious" about a ceasefire. "For me it is important to end the war," he added.
"I want the president of the United States to see it, I want Americans to see and feel it," Zelenskyy said. "I want Europe and all to be in alliance in order to do everything to force Russia to end this war."
"As for the security guarantees, we will talk about them in more details if there is ceasefire for 30 days," the president continued. "These 30 days are given to prepare a draft. We have our proposals, but we will draft the steps that we will agree on with our allies and formats of security guarantees which Ukraine will have after the war is over."
"Today, everything depends on the fact whether Russia wants to cease fire or to continue killing people. Today, it fully depends on this country. United States of America demonstrated its steps and position. Ukraine demonstrated and outlined its positions in a very direct way, without any reservations. And Russia will have to answer to that."
"I believe that the meeting itself in Saudi Arabia ruins Russian plans to escalate relations between Ukraine and United States," Zelenskyy said. "On the contrary, there is de-escalation."
Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the administration hasn't spoken to Putin yet "with substance" regarding the ceasefire proposal.
"We haven't spoken to him yet with substance because we just found out and we just were able to get Ukraine to agree," he said. "So, we're going to know very soon. I've gotten some positive messages, but a positive message means nothing. This is a very serious situation."
Trump would not comment on whether he has a meeting with Putin scheduled.
"But we had a great success yesterday," he said.
"It's up to Russia now," Trump said. "But we've had a good relationship with both parties, actually. And we'll see. People are going to Russia right now as we speak. And hopefully we can get a ceasefire from Russia."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that Washington, D.C., will pursue "multiple points of contacts" with Russia to see if Putin is ready to negotiate an end to the war.
"The ball is truly in their court," Rubio said during a refueling stop in Shannon, Ireland, as quoted by the Associated Press. Rubio also said he hopes that Russia will end attacks on Ukraine in the coming days.
"We don't think it's constructive to stand here today and say what we're going to do if Russia says no," Rubio said, adding he would avoid statements that "are abrasive in any way."
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a statement said that "the ball is now in the Russian court."
"This is an important moment for peace in Ukraine and we now all need to redouble our efforts to get to a lasting and secure peace as soon as possible," he said in a statement on Wednesday.
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff -- who took part in the recent U.S. talks with both Ukraine and Russia -- is due to visit Moscow "in the coming days," according to a source familiar with the plans. Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency also reported Wednesday that CIA Director Jim Ratcliffe spoke by phone with Sergey Naryshkin -- the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, meanwhile, said in an interview published Wednesday that he does not believe Trump wants to provide security guarantees to Ukraine.
"He has his own view of the situation, which he regularly and directly states," Lavrov said. "This war should never have started."
Despite apparent progress in Jeddah, the fighting continues. Fierce combat is ongoing all along the front line, particularly in the western Russian Kursk region, where Moscow's forces are pushing Ukrainian troops back from positions seized in a surprise August offensive.
Overnight, both sides launched drones across the shared border. Russia's Defense Ministry reported the downing of 21 Ukrainian UAVs.
Ukraine's air force reported three missiles and 133 drones launched into the country overnight. The air force said 98 of the drones were shot down and 20 lost in flight without causing damage. Odesa, Kharkiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions were affected, the air force said.
ABC News' Kelsey Walsh, Joe Simonetti and Will Gretsky contributed to this report.
The Philadelphia Eagles are trading safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans for guard Kenyon Green and a swap of draft picks, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
The person, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because the moves can’t be official until Wednesday, the start of the new league year, said the Eagles are getting a fifth-round pick in 2026 and the Texans will receive a sixth-rounder next year.
Gardner-Johnson was a key part of Philadelphia’s No. 1 ranked defense that helped the Eagles smother Patrick Mahomes in a 40-22 victory over the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
Green, who was the 15th overall pick in the 2022 draft, started 23 games for Houston over two seasons. He didn’t play in 2023 because of a shoulder injury.
The Texans also agreed to trade star left tackle Laremy Tunsil to Washington on Monday. They have big holes up front on an offensive line that struggled to protect C.J. Stroud last season.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts wanted someone to challenge quarterback Anthony Richardson for the starting job.
They opted for Daniel Jones.
The former New York Giants starter agreed Tuesday to a one-year, $14 million contract with the Colts, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because free agents can’t sign until Wednesday, said Jones’ deal is worth up to $17.7 million.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard projected this sort of move was in the works when he told reporters at the NFL’s annual scouting combine Indy would have an “open” competition for the job.
“I think it’s good for the team, I think it’s good for Anthony,” Ballard said in late February. “Look, we drafted Anthony high, knowing it was going to take some time, and we knew there was going to be some hiccups along the way.”
Jones, the No. 6 overall pick in 2019 by the Giants who went 24-44-1 in New York with one playoff victory, will get a chance to prove he can still be a starter in the league. He finished last season as a backup for the Vikings after the Giants released him.
Minnesota appears set to start J.J. McCarthy, who missed his rookie season with a knee injury. Sam Darnold, who led the Vikings to a 14-3 record in the regular season, agreed to a deal with Seattle on Monday.
Richardson was the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft but has struggled with both injuries and accuracy in his first two NFL seasons. He’s just 8-7 as a starter and last season had the lowest completion rate, 47.7%, of any starting quarterback in the NFL. In two seasons, Richardson also has 11 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions.
Coach Shane Steichen also benched Richardson for two games after he took himself out of a game for one play because he was tired. Some teammates publicly criticized Richardson’s decision. He was reinstated as the starter when Steichen said he saw Richardson had showed the growth Steichen was seeking.
“I think consistency is the biggest thing,” Steichen said in February when asked where he wanted to see Richardson’s biggest improvement in 2025. “We’ve had these conversations, myself and him, about being consistent. He’s played 15 games, he played 11 last year and did some really good things, but we’re just looking for the consistency, right?”
Even if Richardson wins the competition, though, Jones still may get an opportunity to prove himself all over again. Richardson played only four games as a rookie before suffering a season-ending injury to his throwing shoulder, which required surgery.
He missed four additional games with injuries last season.
It wouldn’t be the first time a Colts quarterback took advantage of such a chance.
Gardner Minshew nearly led the Colts to the playoffs in 2023, made the Pro Bowl roster and then signed a free agent deal with Las Vegas.
Last season, the Colts brought in 39-year-old Joe Flacco, the 2023 AP Comeback Player of the Year. He went 2-4 in six starts and relieved Richardson in two other games.
The Colts also had four-year veteran Sam Ehlinger on the roster and undrafted rookie Jason Bean on the practice squad in 2024. Ehlinger now is a free agent.
While Ballard and Steichen each have said they believe Richardson still can fulfill the potential they saw in the strong-armed 6-foot-4, 244-pound star at Florida, they also think a real competition and a healthy offseason could expedite Richardson’s learning process.
“I know we all want to see a finished product right now,” Ballard said at the combine. “I do, you do, fans do. We all do. But I think as he continues to progress, adding competition, I think, will help up everybody’s game.”
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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The New Orleans Saints and former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Justin Reid have agreed to the terms of a three-year, free-agent contract worth about $31.5 million, a person familiar with the situation said.
The Saints also signed tight end Juwan Johnson to a three-year, $30.75 million extension that could grow to $34.5 million with incentives, agent AJ Vaynerchuk said.
The person who spoke to The Associated Press about Reid’s contract did so on condition of anonymity because it has not been formalized or announced yet.
Reid is a Louisiana native, former Stanford player and seven-year NFL veteran who spent his first four pro seasons with Houston and past three with Kansas City.
Reid appeared in three straight Super Bowls with Kansas City, winning two in the 2022 and 2023 seasons before his Chiefs fell to the Philadelphia Eagles in their title game last month in New Orleans.
New Orleans’ acquisition of Reid — who has 10 interceptions, six sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in his career — comes a day after former Saints starting cornerback Paulson Adebo agreed to a free-agent deal with the New York Giants.
Johnson entered the NFL as a receiver with New Orleans in 2020 and was converted into a tight end in 2022, when he caught a career-best seven touchdown passes.
Johnson has played in 67 games with 34 starts. He has 1,622 yards and 18 TDs receiving.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills turned to Joey Bosa to fill their pass-rush needs, agreeing with him on a one-year, $12.6 million contract, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Tuesday night.
The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the agreement won’t be official until the NFL’s new business year begins on Wednesday. ESPN.com first reported the deal.
Bosa joins the Bills after the team cut Von Miller on Sunday to free up salary-cap space.
Bosa was the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year after being selected by the Chargers with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft out of Ohio State. He played nine seasons with the franchise before being cut last week, also for salary-cap reasons.
At 29, Bosa is six years younger than Miller, though his production has dwindled because of injuries. Bosa’s 72 sacks are tied for 10th most since 2016, but he’s combined for only 14 over the past three seasons.
He played in 14 games with nine starts last season after agreeing to restructure his contract. But Bosa battled hip and back injuries, and his five sacks were his fewest in the six seasons during which he has played at least 12 games.
Bosa played 14 games total in 2022 and ’23 due to groin and foot injuries.
Bosa should fill a starting spot opposite Greg Rousseau, who had a team-leading eight sacks last season. Rousseau is entering his fifth season and last week signed a four-year, $80 million extension that locks him in through 2028.
The five-time defending AFC East champions also return edge rusher A.J. Epenesa.
Buffalo moved on from Miller after three season because his salary didn’t match his dip in production. The NFL’s active leader in sacks was limited to six sacks last year, and had none in 2023 in being slowed after having surgery to repair a right knee injury sustained in November 2022.
Buffalo finished 18th in the NFL with 39 sacks last season, down from 54 in 2023. The Bills’ defense doesn’t often blitz, instead relying on its four-man front to apply pressure.
Bosa is a five-time Pro Bowl selection and has topped 10 sacks four times, most recently with 10 1/2 in 2021. He had a career-best 12 1/2 sacks in 2017.
(WASHINGTON) -- An inflation report to be released on Wednesday will provide a fresh gauge of economic performance under President Donald Trump as markets slide and recession fears swell in response to an escalating trade war.
Economists expect the data to show that inflation eased in February.
Consumer prices are expected to have risen 2.9% over the year ending in February, which would amount to a slight slowdown from a 3% rate recorded in January.
Analysts and households alike will closely watch for movement in egg prices, which soared 53% in January compared to a year ago. Bird flu has decimated the egg supply, lifting prices higher.
The Trump administration has started investigating egg producers to learn if market practices have contributed to the price hikes, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Inflation has fallen dramatically since a peak of about 9% in 2022, but a recent acceleration of price increases has placed inflation a percentage point higher than the Federal Reserve's target rate of 2%.
If the report reveals a cooldown in February, that could soften pressure on the Federal Reserve, which bears responsibility for keeping inflation under control.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell last week said the administration's tariff plan would likely raise prices for U.S. shoppers and retailers
The scale and duration of the tariffs remain unclear, but a portion of the taxes on imports will probably reach consumers, Powell told an economic forum in New York City last week.
"We're at a stage where we're still very uncertain about what will be tariffed, for how long, at what level," Powell said. "But the likelihood is some of that will find its way. It will hit the exporters, the importers, the retailers and to some extent consumers."
The stock market has plunged since Trump imposed tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China last week, giving rise to warnings on Wall Street about a potential economic downturn. Within days, Trump delayed some of the tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
On multiple occasions in recent days, the White House declined to rule out a possible recession, saying the tariffs would require a "period of transition."
A solid, albeit disappointing jobs report on Friday exacerbated concerns among some observers.
Employers hired 151,000 workers last month, falling short of expectations of 170,000 jobs added. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1%, which remains a historically low figure.
The Trump administration slapped 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada, as well as 10% tariffs on imports from China. The fresh round of duties on Chinese goods doubled an initial set of tariffs placed on China last month.
A day later, Trump issued a one-month delay for tariffs on auto-related goods from Mexico and Canada. The carve-out expanded soon afterward with an additional one-month pause for goods from Mexico and Canada compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, a free trade agreement.
On Tuesday, Trump announced plans to add another 25% tariff on Canadian steel and aluminum, bringing the total to 50%. The move came in response to threats made by Ontario to cut off electricity to parts of the U.S., Trump said.
Hours later, Ontario Premier Doug Ford issued a joint statement with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on X announcing the suspension of the 25% surcharge on electricity sent to the U.S.
The tariffs slapped on Canada, Mexico and China are widely expected to increase prices paid by U.S. shoppers, since importers typically pass along a share of the cost of those higher taxes to consumers.
A key gauge of consumer confidence registered its largest monthly drop since August 2021, the nonpartisan Conference Board said in February.
The share of consumers who expect a recession within the next year surged to a nine-month high, the data showed. A growing portion of consumers believe the job market will worsen, the stock market will fall and interest rates will rise, the report added.
ABC News' Katherine Faulders and Soo Youn contributed to this report.
The Dallas Cowboys re-signed standout kick returner KaVontae Turpin on an $18 million, three-year contract Tuesday and are adding two former first-round picks on the defensive line in free agents Solomon Thomas and Payton Turner.
Turpin returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns last season on his way to his first All-Pro nod. The Cowboys said on their website the deal could make Turpin the highest-paid special teams player in NFL history. He was set to become a restricted free agent.
The 28-year-old Turpin joined the Cowboys in 2022 after making a splash in the USFL. The former TCU standout essentially made the team by returning a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns in the same preseason game as a rookie.
Turpin has steadily become more involved as a receiver in the Dallas offense. He caught three touchdown passes and ran for a score in 2023 before finishing with a career-high 420 yards receiving with two TDs last season.
The Cowboys are changing special teams coordinators with Nick Sorensen replacing John Fassel, but the kicking unit is staying intact. Punter Bryan Anger, who is also the holder for kicker Brandon Aubrey, agreed to a two-year deal Tuesday. The Cowboys had already reached a deal on a new contract for long snapper Trent Sieg.
Thomas, who spent the past three seasons with the New York Jets, was the first defensive player among external free agents picked up by Dallas. Turner was next, coming off four seasons with New Orleans.
The 29-year-old Thomas, who agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $8 million, was the third overall pick of the 2017 draft by San Francisco. Turner went 28th overall to the Saints in 2021, but never started a game in his four seasons.
The Cowboys kept one of their free agents in defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, signing the 2021 third-round pick to an $80 million, four-year contract. Nose tackle Mazi Smith is Dallas’ only other returning interior defensive lineman with NFL experience.
Thomas spent four seasons with the 49ers and one with the Las Vegas Raiders before signing with the Jets as a free agent.
Thomas went to high school in the Dallas area and will be reunited with former Jets defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton on first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer’s staff. Thomas missed just one game in his time with the Jets and had a total of 8 1/2 sacks over the past two seasons.
The 26-year-old Turner, who is set to sign a one-year contract, had five sacks in 31 games with New Orleans. He appeared in a career-best 16 games last season.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark wanted the league’s postseason tournament to reflect his idealized version of the league — young, hip, upscale and current — and that spilled like a bucket of paint onto the floor this week.
Goodbye, clean and traditional hardwood. Welcome, a court emblazoned with hundreds of “XII” logos that stretch from baseline to baseline and result in a polarizing Louis Vuitton-like look to some fans and an abhorrent eyesore to others.
“That court isn’t about me. It’s about our student-athletes,” Yormark said Tuesday, shortly before Cincinnati and Oklahoma State stepped onto it for the first game in the newly expanded 16-team Big 12 Tournament.
“When I first got here,” Yormark continued, “it was all about modernizing and contemporizing our brand, and connecting to the culture of current and future student-athletes, and that’s what we’re doing.”
The gray-hued floor actually debuted during last week’s women’s Big 12 Tournament, featuring black baselines and sidelines and the Big 12 logo splashed across center court. The product is cool or crass, awesome or ugly, depending on who you ask, yet there appeared to be precious little middle ground among basketball fans.
“I think the Big 12 Tournament floor is going to give me a panic attack,” hoops analytics expert Erik Haslam wrote on X, while others joked about staring at the floor long enough to see hidden messages. Some complained that it was causing problems for TV cameras trying to focus, especially for those streaming games, or that it might cause them to have a seizure.
Other fans thought it was daring and fashionable, or at least palatable.
Such avant-garde court designs certainly are the rage these days. FAU has an array of palm trees painted across its floor, slash marks cut across the floor at Memphis, and the NBA Cup has become known for its decorated playing surfaces.
The Big 12 court also reflects its partnership with trendy sportswear brand UNDEFEATED, whose “5-strike” logo runs along the baseline. The boutique is known for its collaborations with a focus on sports, art, music and street culture.
“I got here early and Iowa State practiced and the entire team said they loved it, loved being here. I think it’s aspirational. We wanted to make a profound statement,” Yormark explained. “In life, you never get it perfectly correct, but I think the people that matter the most that are weighing in love it, and that’s what matters to me.”
Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images
(LONDON) -- The European Union and Canada announced retaliatory tariffs on Wednesday after the Trump administration's metals duties went into effect, broadening a trade war with several of America's top trading partners.
The U.S. at midnight began imposing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports from all trading partners, with no exceptions or exemptions, the White House said.
Global trade tensions rattled U.S. stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 330 points, or 0.8%, while the S&P 500 dropped 0.25%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq ticked up 0.25%.
Officials representing the European Union said member states would place countermeasures on some 26 billion euros, or about $28 billion, worth of U.S. goods. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said in a statement that the EU "must act to protect consumers and business."
"Tariffs are taxes. They are bad for business, and even worse for consumers," von der Leyen said. "These tariffs are disrupting supply chains. They bring uncertainty for the economy. Jobs are at stake. Prices will go up. In Europe and in the United States."
Canada followed by announcing tariffs on about 29.8 billion Canadian dollars, or about $20.7 billion, in U.S. goods expected to be imported, government officials said. The U.S. imports more steel and aluminum from Canada than any other country.
"Our sole focus is to stand up for Canada interests, Canadian jobs and Canadian workers," Dominic LeBlanc, minister of Intergovernmental Affairs of Canada, said in a press conference in Ottawa.
The Canadian tariffs will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, LeBlanc said. They were designed to be proportional to the U.S. tariffs, he said.
The European measures were also designed to match the scope of those U.S. tariffs, which the European Union said would be worth about $28 billion. The countermeasures were expected to begin on April 1 and be fully in place by April 13, the commission said.
"In the meantime, we will always remain open to negotiation," von der Leyen said.
The countermeasures comprise two steps, the first of which is to restore on April 1 a set of previously suspended 2018 and 2020 countermeasures against the U.S. on a range of products.
For step two, member states will then put in place by mid-April new countermeasures targeting about 18 billion euros worth of U.S. goods entering the bloc.
Those new countermeasures will target both industrial and agricultural products, including steel and aluminum, home appliances, wood products, poultry, beef and other food imports, according to a fact sheet released on Wednesday.
Maros Sefcovic, the EU's trade commissioner, said European officials would continue working with their U.S. counterparts toward a "win-win" outcome, but the "unjustified tariffs on our exports will not go unanswered."
"We should be making this great relationship stronger, not weaker," he said in a statement.
ABC News' Zunaira Zaki contributed to this report.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dillon Mitchell had 18 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, Day Day Thomas scored 21 points, and No. 13 seed Cincinnati cruised to an 87-68 victory over No. 12 seed Oklahoma State to open the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday.
Josh Reed added 19 points and Dan Skillings Jr. scored 13 on an array of high-flying dunks, sending the Bearcats (18-14) into the second round against fifth-seeded Iowa State on Wednesday.
Cincinnati won 10 of its first 11 games and climbed as high as No. 14 in the AP Top 25 before struggling in conference play. The Bearcats lost their first four Big 12 games and endured another four-game skid in late January and early February.
They played more like a ranked team on Tuesday, though, in avenging a loss to Oklahoma State (15-17) in Stillwater last weekend. The Bearcats opened a 38-26 lead by halftime and never allowed the Cowboys to get within 10 the rest of the way.
Oklahoma State went most of the way without top scorer and rebounder Abou Ousmane, who played a mere nine minutes before he fouled out by drawing a technical foul in the second half. The senior finished with just four points and one rebound.
Connor Dow hit four 3-pointers and had a career-best 12 points to lead the Cowboys.
Takeaways
Cincinnati needs to pick up a couple of more wins — if not win the whole tourney — to make the NCAA Tournament field.
Oklahoma State: Steve Lutz had never lost a conference tournament game as a Division I head coach until Tuesday. The first-year Cowboys coach had been 8-0 in the Southland at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Conference USA with Western Kentucky.
Key moment
The Bearcats led 46-34 with 16:30 left when they scored nine straight points, the last four on back-to-back turnovers that led to run-out layups.
Key stats
The Cowboys picked up two technical fouls in the game. Arturo Dean got one for arguing with officials in the first half.
Up next
Cincinnati will play the 12th-ranked Cyclones in the first game of Wednesday’s second round.
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Memphis sophomore guard PJ Haggerty was named the American Athletic Conference player of the year on Tuesday, when Penny Hardaway was tabbed as the top coach in a vote by his peers after the 16th-ranked Tigers won the league’s regular-season title.
The league also recognized the late Amir Abdur-Rahim as an honorary coach of the year. Abdur-Rahim, who led South Florida to the AAC’s regular-season championship last year, died in October from complications while undergoing a medical procedure.
A vote of the league’s 13 head coaches determined the honors announced a day before the start of the postseason tournament in which Memphis (26-5, 16-2 AAC) is the top seed.
Tigers forward Dain Dainja, a transfer from Illinois, was named the league’s newcomer of the year and Florida Atlantic center Matas Vokietaitis the top freshman. FAU junior forward Tre Carroll got the league’s sportsmanship award that was renamed in honor of Abdur-Rahim.
UAB senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg was the defensive player of the year and North Texas junior forward Brenen Lorient the league’s top sixth man.
There were 10 players named to the All-AAC first team, led by unanimous picks Dainja, Haggerty, Lendeborg, North Texas senior guard Atin Wright and East Carolina senior guard RJ Felton.
Haggerty, the league’s top freshman last season, is averaging an AAC-high 21.2 points a game, which is fifth in NCAA Division I. He also averages 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Andrej Jakimovski had 18 points, Julian Hammond III added 16 and Colorado was perfect at the foul line in the final 20 seconds, allowing the 16th and last seed in the Big 12 Tournament to hold on for a 69-67 victory over No. 9 seed TCU on Tuesday.
Hammond made a pair of foul shots for the Buffaloes (13-19) with 20 seconds left for a 67-65 lead, and after TCU answered with a goal-tending call at the other end, Javon Ruffin made two more free throws with 5.8 seconds left to put the game away.
TCU (16-16) also lost to Colorado last Saturday in the teams’ regular-season finale.
The Buffaloes, who returned to the Big 12 from the Pac-12 and are playing in the league’s tournament for the first time since the 2011 season, will play eighth-seeded West Virginia on Wednesday for a spot in the quarterfinal round.
Noah Reynolds had 17 points and Trazarien White scored 13 for the Horned Frogs, who trailed 63-50 with 5 minutes to go before scoring the next 10 points, making it a tense final minute for a small but loud crowd inside T-Mobile Center.
Takeaways
Colorado is undisputedly playing its best basketball of the season. It dropped its first 13 conference games before winning three of its final seven entering the tournament.
TCU can point to slow starts to each half as the biggest reasons for the loss. The Horned Frogs didn’t make a field goal until there was 12:06 left in the first half, and they did not hit a field goal until the 15:09 mark of the second.
Key moment
Bangot Dak dunked off a nifty feed from Trevor Baskin to give TCU a 65-60 lead with just over a minute to go.
Key stats
Colorado went 18 of 24 from the foul line. TCU was just 10 of 20.
Up next
The Buffaloes will play the Mountaineers in the second round Wednesday.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez, like all football coaches, wants his players to show up on time, work hard and play their best.
Oh, and another thing: Don’t dance on TikTok.
“They’re going to be on it, so I’m not banning them from it,” he said Monday. “I’m just banning them from dancing on it. It’s like, look, we try to have a hard edge or whatever, and you’re in there in your tights dancing on TikTok ain’t quite the image of our program that I want.”
Making TikTok dance videos is a popular activity among high school- and college-age users of the social media platform. Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, Boise State star Ashton Jeanty and Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola are among college football players who have posted dance videos.
Rodriguez is beginning his second stint as Mountaineers coach. He said he has talked to his players about the tendency in society to emphasize the individual rather than the team and that banning TikTok dancing is something he can do to put the focus where he thinks it belongs.
“I’m allowed to do that. I can have rules,” he said. “Twenty years from now, if they want to be sitting in their pajamas in the basement eating Cheetos and watching TikTok or whatever the hell, they can go at it, smoking cannabis, whatever. Knock yourself out.”
As for now, he said: “I hope our focus can be on winning football games. How about let’s win the football game and not worry about winning the TikTok?”
UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Southern California have all stated their cases for No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament with their stellar play this season.
It would be surprising if they don’t all end up on the 1-line Sunday night when the March Madness bracket is revealed by the selection committee. Where they are placed and who’s the overall No. 1 seed is still up for debate. Unlike previous seasons, there’s no dominant team that is the consensus choice.
This NCAA Tournament is only the second one in the past 19 years to have no teams entering March Madness with zero or one loss. The other time was in 2022.
More of the top teams went out and played tough non-conference games. Most of the four potential No. 1 seeds as well as UConn and Notre Dame faced off against each other either in conference play or non-conference matchups.
“We finally have more good teams wanting to play really good teams in their non-conference schedule early in the year,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Because what happens then is you not only get a … Well, I think this team should be ranked No. 1, I think that team should be ranked No. 2. Based on what? I don’t know. They just look like they’re a No. 2 or they’re a No. 3.
“So now you can actually put them head to head and say this is what it looks like.”
Auriemma’s team lost to Southern California and Notre Dame, but shocked South Carolina on the road last month.
“I think more and more schools are starting to do that, which obviously makes the game better, makes the TV people happy because they’re putting on a good product on television,” He said. “The kids like it.”
Here’s a look at the resumes of the top teams vying for the No. 1 overall seed:
South Carolina
Dawn Staley’s team went 2-3 against the other top teams with two victories over Texas. The Gamecocks lost in November to UCLA and fell to UConn last month. They have no other losses and won the SEC regular season and conference tournaments. Staley feels they should be No. 1 by how tough a schedule they’ve faced.
UCLA
The Bruins have just two losses on their schedule this season, both coming to rival USC. They went through a difficult Big Ten season and came away unblemished other than the losses to the Trojans. UCLA had a convincing win over South Carolina in November that vaunted them up to No. 1 for 12 weeks.
Texas
The Longhorns’ only losses came to South Carolina twice and Notre Dame and they have that one victory over the Gamecocks. They are tied with UCLA with 14 Quad 1 victories in the Net ratings for second most behind South Carolina’s 16.
Southern Cal
The Trojans have the two wins over UCLA and a victory at UConn which bolsters their No. 1 resume. A loss at Iowa might be the one that prevents them from reaching the overall No. 1.
