What would the dominant baseball narratives be if this season were 17 games long.

Florida is a unanimous No. 1 in the final Associated Press men’s college basketball poll of the 2024-25 season after winning the national championship.

The end of national championship game was gritty and ugly, just the way Houston usually likes it.

Kelvin Sampson watched his Houston team come within seconds of the first NCAA title for both himself and the program.

Florida and Walter Clayton Jr. somehow overcame Houston’s spirit-crushing defense Monday night to will out a 65-63 victory in an NCAA title-game thriller not decided until Clayton’s own D stopped the Cougars from taking a game-winning shot at the buzzer.

J’Wan Roberts has been at Houston for six seasons and played in 149 wins for the Cougars.

Whoever said there were no great underdog stories left in March Madness, or that the title would go to whoever spends the most money — or amasses the best collection of big names from the transfer portal — clearly never checked out Houston.

Florida has gone from being picked to finish sixth in the rugged Southeastern Conference to playing for national championship.

Duke's push for its sixth national championship ended abruptly and in unlikely fashion with the Blue Devils squandering a double-digit second-half lead.

Houston’s suffocating defense wiped away a 14-point deficit over the final eight minutes and erased Cooper Flagg and Duke’s title hopes Saturday in a 70-67 stunner over the Blue Devils at the Final Four.

Jalen Green had 34 points, Alperen Sengun added 31 and the Houston Rockets snapped the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 11-game winning streak with a 125-111 victory Friday night.

Auburn’s season began with some real turbulence on its first trip.

A decade ago, Bruce Pearl of Auburn and Kelvin Sampson of Houston were looking to resurrect their careers after being handed show-cause penalties by the NCAA for recruiting violations.

Extreme weather is dangerous weather, and that’s particularly true for the heavy rainfall events that experts say are becoming more frequent with climate change.

Weather forecasts sometimes warn of storms that can unleash rains so unusual that they are described as 100-year or even 500-year floods.

NASA's celebrity astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams say they would fly on Boeing's Starliner capsule again.

Fittingly for an NCAA Tournament in which big schools from big conferences took record numbers of spots in the first week, then hogged them all for the second week, the Final Four will bring four teams seeded No. 1 to the sport’s biggest stage to play for the title.

Houston’s relentless defense confused and harassed Tennessee and carried the Cougars into their seventh Final Four and first since 2021, with L.

Milos Uzan soared for an uncontested layup on a beautifully executed inbound play with 0.9 seconds left, and No. 1 seed Houston survived a late collapse to beat fourth-seeded Purdue 62-60 in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Juan Soto hit his first home run with the New York Mets when he connected in the third inning against the Houston Astros.

Ryan Gerard and Keith Mitchell are part of a four-way tie for the lead at the rainy and windy Houston Open.

A Georgia bill to codify the right to in vitro fertilization got overwhelming in the state Senate and will likely go to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for his signature soon.

With a chance to make a late splash in his New York Mets debut, Juan Soto came up empty.

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson knows his team can always rely on defense to win games.

LJ Cryer matched a career high with 30 points, including two free throws with 14.2 seconds left, and No. 1 seed Houston held on to beat eighth-seeded Gonzaga 81-76 on Saturday night to reach the Sweet 16 for the sixth straight NCAA Tournament.

An Orthodox Jewish passenger says a United Airlines pilot forcibly removed him from an airplane bathroom while he was experiencing constipation.

The NHL has met with a group led by billionaire Dan Friedkin to discuss its interest in bringing an expansion team to Houston.

SIU Edwardsville guard Ray'Sean Taylor broke down in tears after his team was routed by Houston in the NCAA Tournament.

The hopes of No. 1 seed Houston of cutting down the NCAA Tournament nets might rest on J’Wan Roberts’ ailing right ankle.

A second person has been arrested in connection to a Texas midwife who is accused of providing illegal abortions at three clinics around the Houston area.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced that a Houston-area midwife has been arrested and accused of providing illegal abortions, marking the first time authorities have filed criminal charges under the state’s near-total abortion ban.

And then there were 1s.

Houston earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year and will open against first-time qualifier SIU-Edwardsville in Wichita, Kansas, on Thursday.

Khalil Mack will remain with the Los Angeles Chargers after agreeing to a one-year deal on Monday.

The Buffalo Bills signed starting middle linebacker Terrel Bernard to a four-year contract extension in locking up their defensive leader through the 2029 season.

Texas-based iHeartMedia says it settled its legal dispute with Drake over Kendrick Lamar’s dis track “Not Like Us” after demonstrating that it “did nothing wrong.”.

L.

L.

Virginia Tech Football has hired Philip Montgomery as its new offensive coordinator. Announced on Monday, this decision brings a seasoned coach with a rich history of success in collegiate football to the Hokies’ staff.

Draymond Green had just spoken for a few minutes Saturday morning about the state of the game, about how he believes it’s officiated differently than it once was, how stars don’t get the benefit of being stars like they did in the past.

Alex Bregman and the Boston Red Sox have agreed to a $120 million, three-year contract, a person familiar with the deal tells The Associated Press.

Christmas Day marked a milestone in media history, even if it's likely to be surpassed.

Houston Astros all-time saves leader Billy Wagner will have his jersey number retired.

An NFL spokesman says the league will look into allegations that Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker behaved inappropriately toward massage therapists at four spas and wellness centers in the Baltimore area.

Sixth-ranked Houston is riding a 13-game winning streak behind the stingiest defense in the nation.

The Houston Rockets have been one of the NBA’s more surprising teams this season.

J’Wan Roberts scored 24 points, including six in two overtime periods, and No. 7 Houston beat No. 12 Kansas 92-86.

Houston general manager Dana Brown says the door for re-signing free agent Alex Bregman is “cracked” open, but he acknowledges keeping the third baseman with the Astros would be a long shot.

A winter storm sweeping through the U.S. South on Tuesday was dumping snow at levels millions of residents haven’t seen before.

A rare frigid storm is charging through Texas and the northern Gulf Coast, blanketing New Orleans and Houston with snow, closing highways and grounding nearly all flights.

No. 7 Houston’s game against Utah scheduled for Tuesday night has been pushed back to Wednesday because of severe weather forecast for the Houston area.

TikTok said Sunday that it would be restoring service to U.S. users after blocking it the evening before.

The Houston Texans have waived Diontae Johnson after the beleaguered receiver played just two games for them.

A company linked to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is now offering over $7 million to buy his Infowars platforms as part of Jones' bankruptcy.

Justin Verlander and the San Francisco Giants have finalized a $15 million, one-year contract.

Houston’s D’Angelo Ross returned a blocked extra point for two points in the fourth quarter of the Texans wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Gary Ginstling has been hired as CEO of the Houston Symphony, six months following his surprise departure from the New York Philharmonic after just one year in charge.

U.S. longshoremen have reached a contract agreement with ports and shippers, averting a potential strike that could have damaged the American economy.

Vowing to stop machines from taking their jobs, 45,000 U.S. longshoremen are threatening to go on a strike that would shut ports on the East and Gulf coasts and could damage the American economy just as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Dallas guard Kyrie Irving is expected to miss one to two weeks with a bulging disk in his back, and Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said a timeline for his return was not immediately known.

Shamsud-Din Jabbar seemed smart, quiet and devout to those around him.

A strong storm system is threatening to whip up tornadoes in parts of the U.S. Southeast, a day after severe weather claimed at least two lives as twisters touched down in Texas and Mississippi.

Quarterback C.

Lamar Jackson broke the NFL career rushing record for quarterbacks in Baltimore’s 31-2 victory over the Houston Texans on Wednesday, bolstering his case for MVP as the Ravens moved closer to the AFC North title.

Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson passed Michael Vick for the most yards rushing by a quarterback in NFL history in a 31-2 win over the Houston Texans in Wednesday.

Beyoncé provided more excitement than either game during Netflix’s NFL debut on Christmas Day.

Texans receiver Tank Dell has been released after an overnight stay in the hospital and was traveling back to Houston on Sunday after sustaining a severe knee injury in Saturday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

A a person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that Gold Glove first baseman Christian Walker and the Houston Astros have agreed to a $60 million, three-year contract.

Notorious drug lord Osiel Cárdenas has been returned to Mexico after serving a U.S. sentence and was quickly re-arrested and sent to a maximum security prison to face Mexican charges.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Grant DuBose remained in the hospital but had movement in all extremities after being stretchered off the field following a scary helmet-to-helmet hit against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Miami receiver Grant DuBose was taken off the field on a stretcher after a helmet-to-helmet hit against the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Police in Houston say two teens were killed and four were injured — including a 13-year-old girl — in a shooting at a makeshift club.

Winning the NBA Cup won’t bring a championship parade to Oklahoma City or Houston or Atlanta or Milwaukee.

The Chicago Cubs have acquired All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker in a trade with the Houston Astros, paying a big price for one of baseball’s best hitters.

Golden State coach Steve Kerr said a foul call against his team that led to a loss to Houston on Wednesday night in the NBA Cup was “unconscionable” and that an elementary school referee wouldn’t have made it.

Lawyers in the Alex Jones bankruptcy case are now in discussions on what could happen next after a federal judge in Texas rejected the auction sale of Jones’ Infowars to The Onion satirical news outlet.

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press left-hander Yusei Kikuchi and the Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a $63 million, three-year contract.

Week 12 was filled with sloppy play around the NFL, leading to some upsets and surprising outcomes.

Extreme weather is making power outages longer and more frequent across the U.S. People with health conditions who depend on medical devices powered by electricity are particularly vulnerable.

Beyoncé is coming to your home on Christmas — provided you have Netflix and are tuning in to the Ravens-Texans game.

The Houston Astrodome has been in limbo, waiting for its chance at a second life since being shuttered more than 15 years ago.

The NBA Cup semifinals are set.

Kansas remained atop the first Associated Press men’s college basketball poll of the regular season after winning a matchup of basketball bluebloods.

A flight carrying the No. 11 Auburn men's basketball team was grounded shortly after takeoff on Friday after two players got into a fight onboard, according to multiple reports.

In a new video posted early Election Day, Beyoncé channels Pamela Anderson in the television program “Baywatch” – red one-piece swimsuit and all – and asks viewers to vote.

Republicans have taken the Senate majority and are fighting to keep control of the House.

Microsoft on Wednesday reported its quarterly sales grew 16% to $65.6 billion as the company sought to assure investors its huge spending on artificial intelligence is paying off.

The Indianapolis Colts are benching Anthony Richardson to start Joe Flacco at quarterback on Sunday at Minnesota, two people with knowledge of the decision tell The Associated Press.

Beyoncé has spoken at a Houston rally for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, telling the crowd: “I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician.

LaMelo Ball looked like the superstar that nagging ankle injuries have kept him from being for most of the last two seasons in Charlotte’s opener Wednesday night.

Officials say four people aboard a tour helicopter were killed when it crashed into a radio tower in Houston and burst into flames.

The New York Liberty finally have a WNBA championship after falling in the title round in their previous five appearances.

A revered soul and gospel singer and the mother of Whitney Houston, Cissy Houston’s life was celebrated nearly a week after her death at 91.

The NFL and its players association say the required steps were followed when Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was evaluated for a concussion last week at Houston and cleared to return to the game.

Some manufacturers and retailers are urging President Joe Biden to invoke a 1947 law as a way to suspend a strike by 45,000 dockworkers that has shut down 36 U.S. ports from Maine to Texas.

A former Houston police officer has been convicted of murder in the 2019 deaths of a couple during a drug raid at their home.

A fire that burned for four days after a pipeline explosion in the Houston suburbs burned out Thursday after the once-towering blaze put hundreds of nearby homes under evacuation orders.

A pipeline fire that forced hundreds of residents to evacuate in suburban Houston is burning for a third day, with no clear end in sight.

Whitney Houston’s epic concert in South Africa staged after President Nelson Mandela’s landmark election will be hitting theater screens this fall.

Caleb Williams and Chicago’s offense was bailed out by defense and special-teams scoring to get a win over Tennessee in their opener last week.