Michigan State's Fears, Florida's Haugh headline Associated Press preseason All-America team

Thomas Haugh returned to Florida for a chance to win a second national title. Jeremy Fears Jr. put off the NBA in hopes of leading Michigan State to its first national championship in 27 years.

The two stars' decisions made their teams among frontrunners to cut down the nets next spring and earned them preseason All-America honors from The Associated Press.

Fears received 57 votes from a 58-person media panel on the team released Wednesday and Haugh earned 56. Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner (43 votes), Illinois forward David Mirkovic (24) and Arizona big man Motiejus Krivas (17) rounded out the team.

Fears had a superb second season as Michigan State's starting point guard, averaging 15.2 points and a nation-leading 9.4 points on a team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16. The 6-foot-2 guard from Joliet, Illinois, initially declared for the NBA draft before withdrawing.

Fears' return and a loaded roster earned the Spartans a No. 6 ranking in the preseason Top 25 poll. He was a second-team All-American last season.

“I think we have the pieces” Fears said. “We've kind of got a lot of everything and my job is to get them the ball.”

Haugh played a key role in Florida's run to the 2025 national title and was the Gators' leading scorer last year at 17.1 points per game, earning third team AP All=America honors.

The 6-9 forward from New Oxford, Pennsylvania, postponed his chances of becoming an NBA lottery pick to remain in school with his two brothers and chase another national title with close friend Alex Condon. With a core of Haugh, Condon, Rueben Chinyelu and Denzel Aberdeen — all members of that championship team — Florida was the runaway choice as No. 1 in the AP preseason poll.

“It’s national championship or bust for this team,” Haugh said. “But we’re mature enough. We have a really old group now, so I think we’re going to be really comfortable coming in this season.”

Tanner was one of the nation's best guards last season, earning third-team AP All-America honors after becoming the only player in the nation to average 19 points (19.5), 5.0 assists (5.1) and 2.0 steals (2.1) for the season.The 6-foot guard from Brentwood, Tennessee, also tested the NBA waters before opting to return, helping Vandy earn its first preseason ranking since 2015 at No. 24.

“There’s not a more valuable player in the country,” Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington said. “Just everything that he can do on the court, off the court, what he means to me, what he means to Vanderbilt. I’m glad we got year three with him.”

Mirkovic had a strong first season after moving over from SC Derby of the European ABA League, averaging 13.3 points, a team-high 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists on a team that reached the Final Four for the first time since 2005. The 6-9 forward from Niksic, Montenegro, will likely be eased into the season after offseason foot surgery, but his return with twin brothers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic earned the Illini a No. 3 ranking the AP preseason poll, highest since they were No. 3 in 2001.

“He’s got great charisma and great sense of humor, when you get to know him, you find out how intelligent he is, an unbelievable quick wit to him,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. "Then you step across the line and he’s that guy that just wants to rip your throat out and compete. I’m excited for the world to get to know him.”

Krivas was a dominant force inside during Arizona's first Final Four run in 25 years last season.

The 7-2 Lithuanian averaged 10.4 points and a team-leading 8.2 rebounds a year ago. He had an even bigger influence on defense, finishing 17th nationally with 73 blocked shots while teams shot 36.7% while he was on the floor, lowest in the country, according the CBB Analytics.

Krivas was projected as a late first-round pick in this year's NBA draft, but opted to remain in Tucson to continue rounding out his game and hopefully lead the Wildcats back to the Final Four.

“He’s got more experience now and he’s had more success, which comes with more confidence," Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. "This team needs that out of him. We’re going to need him to be a double-double type of guy on a nightly basis.”

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FILE - Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner (3) plays during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Arkansas in the final of the Southeastern Conference tournament, March 15, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)

FILE - Illinois forward David Mirkovic celebrates after scoring against VCU during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, March 21, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)

FILE - Arizona center Motiejus Krivas (13) grabs a rebound during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Arkansas, March 26, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

FILE - Florida forward Thomas Haugh (10) looks to pass as South Carolina guard Mike Sharavjamts (55) defends during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Feb. 17, 2026, in Gainesville, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris Watkins, File)

FILE - Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) looks to shoot as UConn guard Silas Demary Jr. (2) defends during the first half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, March 27, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market rose Wednesday following strong profit reports from SpaceX, Capital One Financial and other big companies.

The S&P 500 added 0.6% and pulled within 0.8% of its all-time high set earlier this month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 360 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.1%.

SpaceX helped lead the market and climbed 7.8% after reporting a stronger profit for the summer than analysts expected. Elon Musk, who runs the company that makes money from artificial-intelligence technology, rockets and other businesses, also said that SpaceX took a step to consider a possible merger with Tesla, his electric-vehicle company.

Tesla rose 3.4% and was one of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500.

Other stocks rallying on profit reports that topped analysts’ expectations included Capital One Financial, which rose 2.5%, and Winnebago Industries, which climbed 10.7%.

Expectations are high for profit growth for all kinds of companies during the summer, and they need to meet them to justify the big runs their stock prices have made despite worries about high inflation, higher interest rates and other challenges weighing on Wall Street.

Winnebago was able to report a more resilient profit than expected even as high fuel prices and frustration among U.S. shoppers restrain interest in recreational vehicles, for example. CEO Michael Happe said its more expensive towable RVs are a tougher sell, but customers are interested in its “more accessible” offerings.

On the losing side of Wall Street was Netflix, which fell 5.3% even though the streaming service reported a stronger profit than analysts expected. Investors focused instead on worries that Netflix’s momentum may be slowing. The company’s forecast for revenue growth in the final three months of the year fell short of analysts’ expectations.

AT&T fell 6.4% even though it likewise delivered a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It gave a forecast for growth this year in an underlying measure of earnings before income taxes and some other things that fell short of some analysts’ expectations.

Among AI stocks, which have been at the center of the market’s action in recent weeks, the movements remained unsettled.

After leading the rest of the market for years because of the frenzy around AI, stocks in the industry have become shaky on worries that the build out of data centers may slow because of how much more expensive it’s become to borrow money.

CoreWeave, which has borrowed money to buy AI chips that it rents out to customers over the cloud, has been particularly volatile. Its stock bounced between an early gain of nearly 4% and a drop of 4.5% Wednesday morning before finishing with a dip of 0.5%. A day earlier, it careened between a gain of 5% and a drop of more than 6%.

Other AI-linked stocks were more resilient, and Nvidia’s rise of 2.5% was the strongest force lifting the S&P 500.

Besides SpaceX’s profit report showing strength for AI spending, another encouraging signal for the industry came from Super Micro Computer, which sells AI servers and services. It said it expects to report stronger revenue for the summer than it had earlier forecast because of “increased demand for AI platforms,” and its stock rallied 9.5%.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 44.60 points to 7,757.17. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 360.21 to 52,856.09, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 278.04 to 26,702.86.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury erased an early dip and climbed back to 5.12%, where it was late Tuesday.

It swung with oil prices, which remained unsteady. The price for a barrel of Brent crude drifted between $108 and $111 before settling at $108.82.

It’s been yo-yoing between $97 and $112 through October on uncertainty about when the war with Iran will allow the global energy industry to return to normal.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 3.3% for one of the world’s biggest moves as AI stocks regained strength.

AP Business Writers Michelle Chapman and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

A general view shows the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - Signs at the intersection of Broad and Wall Streets stand near flags flying from the New York Stock Exchange on Sept. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. Dollar and South Korean Won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader talks with her colleague near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. Dollar and South Korean Won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A person looks at an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A screen shows the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), the foreign exchange rate between U.S. Dollar and South Korean Won, SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics Co. stock price at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)