OAKLAND, Calif. -- A multi-billion-dollar legal settlement with the potential to reshape the business of college sports inched closer to its fast-approaching finish line during a federal court hearing Monday.

Judge Claudia Wilken declined to provide final approval of a deal between the NCAA and plaintiff attorneys representing past, present and future Division I athletes, but she directed lawyers to address a short list of her remaining concerns within one week.

"I think it's a good settlement," Wilken said while wrapping up the seven-hour hearing, before quickly adding, "Don't quote me."

The NCAA has agreed to pay roughly $2.8 billion in damages to past and current athletes to settle three federal antitrust lawsuits that claim the association's rules have limited the athletes' earning potential in various ways. The deal, commonly referred to as the House settlement after lead plaintiff Grant House, would also create a new system for schools to pay players directly starting this summer.

In exchange, the NCAA will be allowed to limit how much each school can spend on its athletes per year -- an effective salary cap that is expected to start at roughly $20.5 million per school and increase annually during the 10-year lifespan of the deal. The deal also gives the industry's most powerful conferences an increased ability to police the name, image and likeness deals between athletes and boosters, which is intended to keep teams from using their boosters to circumvent the $20.5 million cap.

Wilken, who has ruled on several cases that have reshaped the NCAA's rules in the past decade, specifically asked lawyers from both sides to rethink one provision that would place a limit on how many athletes could be on a school's roster for each sport and to provide more details on how future athletes could object to the terms of the deals once they enroll in college.

Several objectors who spoke Monday asked Wilken to reject the settlement because it could lead to the elimination of thousands of roster spots on Division I teams across the country. The NCAA's current rules place limits on the number of scholarships that each team can give to its players. That rule will go away if the settlement is approved, meaning a school can provide a full scholarship to every one of its athletes if it chooses to do so.

To keep the wealthiest schools from stockpiling talent, the NCAA has proposed to instead limit the number of players each team can keep on its roster. Many teams will have to cut current athletes from their rosters to comply with the new rule if the settlement is approved. Gannon Flynn, a freshman swimmer at Utah who spoke at the hearing, said his coaches told him that he will not have a spot on the team next season specifically because of the settlement.

"We're not here for money. We just want to play and compete," Flynn told the judge. "On paper, this settlement might look good ... but thousands of people are losing their spots."

Wilken suggested Monday that any current athlete should get to keep their spot even if it puts a team over the new roster limit.

"My idea there is to grandfather in a group of rostered people. There are not that many. It's not that expensive. It would generate a lot of good will," Wilken said.

Judges are not allowed to mandate specific changes to a settlement, but Wilken can make suggestions for how the attorneys could resolve problems that might otherwise keep her from blessing the deal.

"We are standing by our settlement. We think it's fair. If the NCAA wants to grandfather it in, that's up to them," said Steve Berman, one of two co-lead attorneys for the plaintiffs.

Attorney Rakesh Kilaru, lead counsel for the NCAA, said he needed to speak to his clients about any potential change to the roster limit terms but he remained optimistic the settlement would be approved.

Other objectors Monday raised concerns that the $2.8 billion in damages were being divvied up in a way that is unfair to women athletes. Men, especially football and basketball players, are expected to receive at least 90% of the damages payments.

Others argued that the settlement creates a new antitrust violation by capping how much each school can spend on athletes. Professional sports leagues set legal salary caps by negotiating those limits in a collective bargaining agreement with a players union. Wilken said that while a collective bargaining agreement "might be a great idea," the case in front of her did not give her the authority to rule on whether athletes should be able to negotiate in that fashion.

Berman said he is hopeful that it will take only a few more weeks for Wilken to grant final approval to the deal. Schools are planning to begin paying their players directly in July. Fellow plaintiffs attorney Jeffrey Kessler said he is confident that Wilken will make her ruling in plenty of time to keep the plans to pay athletes in the coming year on track.

Men's March Madness has delivered on its namesake promise, from early-round upsets to Final Four comebacks.

The road finally ends in San Antonio, where 1-seeds Florida and Houston are facing off at the Alamodome for the 2025 men's NCAA championship.

From tipoff to when the nets are cuts down, follow along as our reporters on the ground and editors from coast to coast track all the action as it happens.

Florida vs. Houston live tracker

CLEVELAND -- Donovan Mitchell will sit out the Cleveland Cavaliers' game against the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday night after the All-Star guard sprained his left ankle during the second half of Sunday's game against Sacramento.

Mitchell stepped on the foot of Sacramento's Keon Ellis near midcourt before losing his balance and rolling his left ankle. The 6-foot-3 guard was writhing in pain while being tended to by trainers before limping to the locker room.

Mitchell eventually returned after sitting out nearly seven minutes of game action. He played the final 15:02 of the Cavaliers' 120-113 loss. He was limping around the locker room after the game.

"I want to get the 1 seed and go from there. If I'm able to go, I'm able to go," said Mitchell, who had 19 points in the loss. "A little hobbled after the first adrenaline rush or probably the first five to 10 minutes. But I'm trying to win and help my team win any way possible.

"I'm not going to assess the future until we figure out what's ahead. I'm going to be smart and figure it out when it gets to it."

Mitchell leads the Cavaliers in scoring, averaging 24 points. He is the only player in the league averaging at least 24 points in 32 minutes or less.

Mitchell has sat out only four games this season because of injury, including three last month because of left groin soreness.

Cleveland has a 62-16 record and needs one more win or a Boston loss to wrap up the best record in the Eastern Conference for the fourth time in franchise history.

SEATTLE -- Houston Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti broke his right thumb when he was hit by a line drive while playing catch in left field before Monday night's game against the Seattle Mariners.

Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters Arrighetti was being evaluated during his pregame availability. The team announced the injury about an hour before its series opener against the Mariners.

The 25-year-old Arrighetti is 1-1 with a 5.59 ERA in two starts this season. He allowed five runs and three hits in 3 innings during Saturday's 6-1 loss at Minnesota.

Arrighetti, a sixth-round pick in the 2021 amateur draft, went 7-13 with a 4.53 ERA in 28 starts and one relief appearance as a rookie last year.

BOSTON -- Boston Red Sox catcher Connor Wong left in the top of second inning of Monday's 6-2 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays after fracturing his left pinkie, manager Alex Cora said.

Wong was called for catcher's interference an inning earlier after George Springer's bat hit his glove with two outs in the first.

Cora and a trainer came out of the dugout to check on Wong. He took a few warmup pitches from starter Richard Fitts, stayed in the game, but was later replaced by Carlos Narvaez.

Cora said Wong will be headed to the injured list but is unsure how long he'll be out.

"We're gonna have to make a move," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

PHOENIX -- Baltimore Orioles reliever Albert Suárez was transferred to the 60-day injured list because of a shoulder issue, the team announced Monday.

The right-hander has made only one appearance this season, throwing 2 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 28. Orioles manager Brandon Hyde said Suárez wasn't expected to need surgery.

"It's going to be months," Hyde said. "Hopefully just a few months, but it's really unfortunate news."

The 35-year-old Suárez was a big part of the pitching staff last season, compiling a 3.70 ERA over 133 innings in 32 appearances, including 24 starts.

"It's a big blow for us because he was throwing the ball really well in spring training and did so many things well for us last year," Hyde said.

Also on Monday, the Orioles acquired left-handed pitcher Grant Wolfram from the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league outfielder Daz Cameron and cash. Wolfram was put on the 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A Norfolk after Suárez was moved to the 60-day IL.

Former US Open champion Medvedev has dropped out of the top 10 after a difficult start to the season.

He has not won a title since the Rome Masters in 2023, which was also on clay, and hasn't reached a final since Indian Wells last year.

Medvedev has frequently said he does not like playing on clay, external and reminded the crowd after his victory against Khachanov, saying: "It's the first match on clay - it's not my favourite surface.

"I don't think Karen hit one ace and he's a big server. So, it was pretty slow, but I'm happy with my level in general and looking forward."

Medvedev will face France's Alexandre Muller in the second round.

Seventeen of the men's top 20 singles players will feature in Monte Carlo, including Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Britain's Jack Draper.

Meredith Gaudreau, the widow of late NHL player Johnny Gaudreau, announced the arrival of the couple's third child.

Carter Michael Gaudreau was born on April 1, seven months after Johnny and his brother, Matthew, suffered fatal injuries when they were struck while cycling by a suspected drunk driver.

"I had our third baby! 4/1/25," Meredith posted Monday on Instagram, noting that the child has the same middle name and the "exact same" size (20.5 inches) and birthweight (8 pounds, 3 ounces) as his father.

"He looks exactly like his daddy too," she wrote alongside photos of her and the baby and their two other children, daughter Noa and son Johnny. "I love you so much my baby! We are going to have so much fun. I can't wait to give you the best life, my special boy forever."

Meredith Gaudreau announced her pregnancy at her husband's memorial service on Sept. 9. The Gaudreau brothers were killed on Aug. 29 in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, where they had traveled to attend their sister Katie's wedding scheduled for the following day. Johnny was 31 and Matthew was 29.

Johnny Gaudreau was a seven-time NHL All-Star who played 11 seasons, the first nine with the Calgary Flames and the last two with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He tallied 743 points (243 goals, 500 assists) in 763 games.

Leicester City have become the first Premier League team to lose eight Premier League games in a row without scoring a single goal.

Their latest defeat, a 3-0 loss to Newcastle United at the King Power Stadium in which they were two goals down inside 11 minutes, left them above only already-relegated Southampton in the table.

Leicester will be relegated if 17th-placed Wolverhampton Wanderers win their next two games, or the Foxes lose their next two.

The soon-to-be Championship side brought in Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy in November as they looked to halt their slide towards the drop, but the Dutchman was unable to improve upon the results that got his predecessor Steve Cooper the sack.

Leicester have not found the back of the net in the division since Bilal El Khannouss' strike in their 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in north London on Jan 26.

They have not scored a goal at home since Bobby De Cordova-Reid scored a 91st-minute equaliser to earn Leicester a point against Brighton & Hove Albion on Dec. 8.

Leicester are the only team to lose eight consecutive games without scoring in the top-flight since Sunderland managed it in 1976-77.

One reason for optimism arrived in the 74th minute of Monday's game when Jeremy Monga (15 years, 271 days) became the second-youngest player to feature in a Premier League match. Only Arsenal forward Ethan Nwaneri (15 years, 181 days) has played in the league at a younger age.

Monga took to the pitch in a sponsorless kit as his age means he is unable to advertise the services of Leicester's shirt sponsor "BC.GAME" -- an online cryptocurrency gaming platform.

Information from ESPN's Global Sports Research contributed to this report

HENDERSON, Nev. -- Speaking to reporters for the first time since being traded from the Seattle Seahawks to the Las Vegas Raiders, quarterback Geno Smith highlighted his relationship with coach Pete Carroll as one of the biggest reasons for wanting to wear the Silver and Black.

"I think there is unfinished business," Smith said Monday. "And I think, when people think about my story, Coach Carroll was a big part of that. He gave me an opportunity when not many people would have."

Smith played four of his five seasons with the Seahawks under Carroll. Smith served as a backup for two seasons before emerging as the team's starter after Russell Wilson was traded to the Denver Broncos in 2022.

"I'll run through a wall for him, and he knows that."

Geno Smith, on coach Pete Carroll

While serving as a backup, Smith said he always believed that he could be a starter. So did Carroll. Smith played in 37 games under Carroll and threw for 8,641 passing yards, 55 touchdowns and 21 interceptions while making two Pro Bowl appearances.

"I mean, not weeks, I'm talking for years playing behind Russell [Wilson], and he just never let up on that thought. And it was so impressive to me," Carroll recalled. "As soon as we had the opportunity to put him in a position to take the lead, I couldn't wait. And he's been a winner ever since."

Carroll's belief in Smith has created a bond between the two that seems unbreakable. Smith called Carroll "legendary" and believes the 73-year-old's willingness to let players be themselves and track record for winning makes him an attractive coach to play for.

"I'll run through a wall for him, and he knows that," Smith said.

"I want to say, I might hit that wall before you get there," Carroll responded.

When Carroll saw an opportunity to trade for Smith, the team didn't hesitate to get a deal done. The Raiders sent a 2025 third round pick to Seattle for Smith, who said he has no hard feelings about how things ended with the Seahawks.

Smith has since signed a multiyear extension with the Raiders. Terms were not disclosed by the Raiders on Monday, but a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter last week that Smith received a two-year, $75 million extension that can be worth up to $85.5 million and includes $66.5 million in guaranteed money.

In Las Vegas, Carroll said Smith provides "instant stability" at quarterback after three straight losing seasons and having six players start at quarterback since moving on from Derek Carr after the 2022 season.

Despite Smith's final season in Seattle being considered a down year after he threw 15 interceptions, he finished fourth in passing yards (4,320) and fifth in completion percentage (70.4%).

"Not in a cocky or arrogant way, but I just feel that I'm one of the better quarterbacks in the NFL," Smith said. "I'm out to go out there and prove it."

Carroll is not the only one excited about Smith's arrival to Vegas. General manager John Spytek said he's thrilled to have Smith as the quarterback because the veteran's journey could be a great resource to the rest of the team.

Smith even had a facetime call with Tom Brady once the trade had been finalized and was invited to the minority owner's home.

"I went to his home and got a chance to just spend about an hour and just talk ball with him and just talk about life," Smith said. "... I want to learn as much as I can from him, the greatest quarterback to play the game. I mean, there's so many things that you can learn. I think the main thing is that I'm here to win, and I'm here to do the right things for my teammates, just as he did."