Thailand Faces Looming Tourism Crisis as Rising Costs and Global Instability Disrupt Travel Flows: Everything You Need to KnowThailand tackles...
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Milan Bergamo Airport Increases Capacity for Summer 2026, Adding New Flights Across Europe and Beyond, Get the Details HereMilan Bergamo...
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Oxford Park and Ride Service Extension: Free Bus Journeys to Reduce Congestion and Support Sustainable TravelOxford's Park & Ride free...
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Mexico Joins Venezuela, Panama, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Others in Strengthening Anti-Vaping Laws with Strict Enforcement in Mexico City, Cancún,...
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Samsung’s next flagship phone, the Galaxy S27 Ultra, is already getting attention because of its expected powerful performance. Like earlier Galaxy S Ultra phones, it will likely use a top Qualcomm processor. Now, a new leak suggests that the device may come with the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 chip.
According to a well-known tipster, Digital Chat Station, both the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Gen 6 Pro will be made using TSMC’s advanced 2nm technology. This means the chips can run faster while using less battery. This is good for users because it can improve overall phone speed and battery life at the same time.
Also, the tipster shared that these chips may use a new CPU design called “2+3+3.” This setup includes two very powerful cores for heavy tasks, three cores for normal daily use, and three smaller cores that help save battery during light tasks.
The Pro version is expected to be more powerful than the standard one. It may come with a newer Adreno 850 graphics unit and more graphics memory, along with support for faster LPDDR6 RAM. On the other hand, the regular version may include the Adreno 845 graphics unit and support LPDDR5X RAM.
Compared to the current Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, these new chips could offer better speed, smoother gaming, and improved performance. If these leaks are correct, the Galaxy S27 Ultra could be a big upgrade for users. Stay tuned for more information.
The post Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra could feature Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro for massive speed boost appeared first on Sammy Fans.
The Selfix case aims to turn your iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max into an all-in-one vlogging system. It can also come in handy if you shoot video with an action camera or a drone. The case is currently on Kickstarter. The key selling point – and the reason behind the name – is the display on the back of the case. It allows you to use the main cameras for selfie photos and videos while getting the framing just right. It’s a 1.6” OLED display with 480 x 480px resolution. And yes, it’s round. This seems odd at first, but there’s actually a good reason for it – it preserves compatibility...
A recent report revealed that Apple was planning to introduce ads in Maps. The company has now officially confirmed the move as part of its new Apple Business platform. In a press release, Apple announced its new Apple Business platform, which will allow businesses to create local ads on Apple Maps. The service is set to roll out later this summer for businesses in the US and Canada. Ads will appear at the top of search results based on user queries. Maps will also introduce a new Suggested Places feature, offering recommendations based on various factors. The company added that ads...
The world’s biggest soccer event is inching closer, yet tension hangs in the air long before the first whistle blows. FIFA has confirmed that its long-awaited “last-minute” ticket window for the 2026 World Cup is officially scheduled, even as supporters voice fierce opposition to soaring prices.
The governing body insists that demand is unprecedented, framing the upcoming sales phase as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. Fans, however, fear it may be little more than another rushed scramble in a process already marked by frustration. Despite the excitement surrounding a World Cup hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, many supporters feel sidelined.
Reports of heavy financial burdens, obscure terms, and unpredictable ticket costs have continued to overshadow the buildup to the final sales wave. Critics say loyal followers of the game, especially those traveling long distances, face a system that rewards speed, luck, and deep pockets rather than devotion.
At the heart of the controversy is the price of entry to soccer’s most iconic matches. Consumer associations in Europe have gone as far as filing a formal complaint, claiming FIFA’s methods constitute an abuse of monopoly power. For fans hoping to follow their national team across three countries, the ticketing landscape has become something of a minefield rather than a celebration.
Just before the next major phase unfolds, FIFA has clarified when the final sales will open to the public, a date many supporters instantly recognized, not for its convenience, but for its symbolism. And that date is April 1, the day FIFA opens general access to the final sales window.
According to FIFA’s official statement, “tickets will be available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, April 1.” The Last-Minute Sales Phase launches immediately after the final six qualifying spots are determined, with four European play-off winners and two intercontinental finalists rounding out the tournament field.
This marks the final opportunity for supporters to secure seats for the largest World Cup in history, featuring 48 teams and 104 matches across the three host nations. FIFA highlighted that, for the first time in this cycle, fans will be allowed to select specific seats, departing from the previous system of rigid four-tiered categories.
Additionally, “those who have already purchased tickets will be able to see their assigned seat locations from April 1,” a change intended to add clarity after months of uncertainty. Yet while choice has expanded, so too have concerns over the cost of that choice.
Mark your calendars! Last Minute Sales for #FIFAWorldCup tickets begin April 1!
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) March 25, 2026
🗓️ Wednesday, April 1
⏰ 11AM ET/5PM CET
🎟️Tickets are available now on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. All ticket sales are final. Terms apply.
The Soccer Supporters Europe group has spearheaded a major pushback, calling FIFA’s pricing model “a monumental betrayal.” The organization accused the governing body of “opaque and unfair purchasing conditions,” arguing that fans are left with only two options: “pay up or lose out.”
With final tickets reaching $4,185 at face value and resale listings exploding to $190,000 per seat, supporters say affordability has all but vanished. Dynamic pricing, described by Gianni Infantino as a reflection of “high demand”, has become the primary target of complaints. Critics argue that the model lacks safeguards, allowing prices to surge without warning.
Meanwhile, a small allocation of $60 tickets has offered little relief, as FSE claims they were “virtually sold out before sales opened to the general public.” European regulators are now assessing the formal complaint filed with the European Commission.
Lionel Messi established as the most important player in FC Barcelona’s recent era. Through his impact on the pitch, the Argentine became the club’s all-time top scorer and its most decorated player in history. While many fans and players consider him the greatest soccer player of all time, president Joan Laporta chooses to pass on him, selecting Johan Cruyff instead.
“He has been the most aesthetically pleasing soccer player I have ever seen in my life… We praise Johan (Cruyff) the coach a lot because he was a revolution, but Johan the player, for those of us who saw him, has been the best player in history for me. With all due respect to figures like Pelé, Maradona, Ronaldinho or Leo Messi, Johan had it all. And he also had leadership,” Laporta said, via Esport3.
While Joan Laporta’s words may sound like a subtle dig at Lionel Messi, he is aiming to elevate the legacy of Johan Cruyff, who is often comparatively overlooked in soccer history. Throughout his professional career, the Dutchman led Ajax to three UEFA Champions League titles, earning three Ballon d’Or awards. In addition, he captivated fans with his elegance on the pitch, defining an era.
Even though Laporta’s arguments being well-founded, his remarks contradict his previous statements. Over the course of his tenure as Barcelona president, he has repeatedly referred to Lionel Messi as the GOAT, even describing him as the most impactful player in the club’s history. For this reason, his shift in narrative could indeed reflect his tense relationship with the Argentine.
Unlike Real Madrid, Barcelona have not been a dominant team since their founding, winning their first UEFA Cup in the 1991–92 season. Consequently, Johan Cruyff’s arrival in 1973 did transform the team’s fortunes, boosting its competitiveness. However, the real impact came when he became the Blaugranas’ coach in 1988, establishing a style that elevated the team’s global influence.
Cruyff transformed the ‘total football’ style pioneered by Rinus Michels, emphasizing control of the game, and introducing a new way of viewing the game. In doing so, he inspired legends such as Frank Rijkaard, and Pep Guardiola. While Lionel Messi is the most outstanding player, without the Dutchman’s impact, the Blaugranas would not be such a dominant team.
Throughout his career, Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that Johan Cruyff is the most transformative figure in soccer history over the last 50 years: “There is no one who has given as much to soccer as both a player and a coach… The Barcelona that has dominated Europe and the world could not be understood without his arrival,” he said, as per RTVE.
Lionel Messi’s legacy does not compete with or seek to diminish Johan Cruyff’s legacy. Far from competing with him, the Argentine became the player who best embodied his style of play. Not only did he score 672 goals, but he also contributed 303 assists. Furthermore, he led the most successful era in Barcelona’s history, winning numerous titles that brought his legacy into sharper focus.
With his immense impact, the Argentine stands out as Barcelona’s GOAT, having led the team to legendary success. Not only is he the all-time leading scorer and assist provider in the team’s history, but he is also the most decorated player in the Blaugranas’ history. For this reason, Joan Laporta’s words came as a shock to the fans, as Messi’s arrival is equally historic.
Galatasaray Başkanı Dursun Özbek'i doğum gününde mesai arkadaşları unutmadı. Sarı-kırmızılı kulüp, Başkan için özel bir mesaj yayınladı.
Galatasaray'da kulüp başkanı Dursun Özbek'in doğum günü, teknik ekip ve futbolcuların katılımıyla kutlandı.
Sarı-kırmızılı kulüpten yapılan açıklamaya göre başkan Dursun Özbek'in 77. yaş günü, Kemerburgaz Metin Oktay Tesisleri'nde akşam antrenmanı öncesinde kutlandı.
Kutlama için teknik ekibe ve futbolculara teşekkür eden başkan Dursun Özbek, "Lucas Torreira'yla aşağı yukarı aynı yaştayız, aramızda 1 yaş var. Şu anda sadece şampiyonluğa odaklandık. İnşallah hep beraber şampiyonluk kutlamasını da yaparız. Sizlere güveniyorum. Hem taraftarlarımızı hem de camiamızı mutlu etmek için şampiyonluk kutlamasında da hep beraber olacağız." ifadelerini kullandı.
Galatasaray Spor Kulübü Başkanı Dursun Aydın Özbek’in doğum gününü kutladık. pic.twitter.com/rAhD3GlhhL
— Galatasaray SK (@GalatasaraySK) March 25, 2026
2026 FIFA Dünya Kupası Avrupa Elemeleri play-off turu yarı finalinde Türkiye'ye konuk olacak Romanya'da oyuncu Radu Draguşin, Tüpraş Stadı'nda düzenlenen basın toplantısında açıklamalarda bulundu.
Basın toplantısına katılan Rumen futbolcu Radu Draguşin ise "Bunu bir final maçı olarak görüyoruz, bunu da yarın akşam göstereceğiz. Çok büyük taraftar baskısı olacak. Burada kulüp takımıyla oynadım. Türk seyircisi çok iyi baskı yapıyor ama biz alışığız. Böyle bir şey olacağını bekliyoruz. Kendimizi hazır hissediyoruz. Mental olarak çok iyi hazırlandık. İki maçı da başarıyla geçeceğimizi sanıyorum. Taraftarlarımız da bizi 12. adam olarak destekliyor. Bu başarıyı onlarla birlikte yakalamaya çalışacağız." ifadelerini kullandı.
Romanya Milli Takımı'nda sakatlığı bulunan oyuncularla ilgili bir soruya Draguşin, "Önemli olan futbolcular değil, biz grup olarak çok iyiyiz. Başarılarımızı grup olarak kazandık." cevabını verdi.
Arda Güler'in yanı sıra Türk Milli Takımı'nda çekindiği bir futbolcu olup olmadığı yönündeki soruya Draguşin, cevap vermek istemediğini söyledi.
2026 FIFA Dünya Kupası Avrupa Elemeleri play-off turu yarı finalinde yarın Türkiye ile İstanbul'da karşılaşacak Romanya'da milli futbol takımı teknik direktörü Mircea Lucescu, iki ekibin de Dünya Kupası'na katılmayı hak ettiğini söyledi.
Karşılaşmanın oynanacağı Beşiktaş Park'ta düzenlenen basın toplantısında konuşan Rumen teknik adam, "Türkiye'ye her zaman sevinçle geliyorum. Türkiye'de her zaman her maçta çok güzel atmosfer yaşadım. İki takım da Dünya Kupası'na gitmeyi hak ediyor ama ikimizden biri gidecek." dedi.
Lucescu, yarınki karşılaşmayla ilgili olarak, "Çok iyi hazırlandık. Elimizden gelenin en iyisini yapacağız. Türkiye'yi çok seviyorum. Burada çok büyük başarılar kazandım. Türk Milli Takımı için bir sürü futbolcu buldum. Şimdi direkt oynuyorlar. Beşiktaş'tan ayrıldıktan sonra 2 sene daha mukavelem vardı. Mukaveleyi feshettikten sonra para almadım. Kalan parayı stadın büyütülmesi için feda ettim. Çok güzel, Avrupa'nın sayılı statlarından biri oldu. Yarın herkes kazanmak için oynayacak. Her iki takımın da değerli futbolcuları var. Herkes elinden geleni yapacak ve kazanmak için maça çıkacak." diye konuştu.
Türkiye'nin Arda Güler'den başka yıldız isimlerinin de olduğunu dile getiren Lucescu, "Arda Güler gibi bir sürü futbolcu var. Kenan, Zeki, Merih gibi birçok oyuncu bulunuyor. Arda da diğer futbolcularla birlikte var. Onlar Arda'ya destek verirse Arda güzel işler yapıyor. Türk Milli Takımı'na saygı duyuyorum. Montella'yı da tanıyorum. Türkiye'de saygı duyduğum bir başka teknik direktör de Fatih Terim. Türk futbolu için büyük işler yaptı. Türk futboluna Rumen futbolcular getirdi. Türkiye'nin değerini biliyorum ama bizim de çok değerli bir takımımız var. Sakatlıklarla ilgili problemler yaşadık ama iyi bir maç çıkaracağımıza inanıyorum." değerlendirmesinde bulundu.
19 yaşadək futbolçulardan ibarət Azərbaycan millisi (U-19) bu gün Avropa çempionatının seçmə mərhələsinin ilk raunduna start verib.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, B Liqasının 6-cı qrupunda yer almış millimiz ilk görüşünü meydan sahibi Litva yığmasına qarşı keçirib.
Kaunasdakı “Raudondvario” stadionunda təşkil edilmiş qarşılaşmanı Moldova və Ukraynadan olan hakimlər briqadası idarə edib. Matç Azərbaycan yığmasının 0:4 hesablı məğlubiyyəti ilə başa çatıb.
Xatırladaq ki, U-19 millimiz növbəti görüşünü martın 28-də Şimali İrlandiya yığmasına qarşı keçirəcək.
Avropa çempionatının seçmə mərhələsi
B Liqası, 6-cı qrup
24 mart
Litva – Azərbaycan 4:0
Baş hakim: Yon Orliç (Moldova).
Baş hakimin köməkçiləri: Anatolie Basiul (Moldova), Semen Şlonçak (Ukrayna).
Dördüncü hakim: Viktor Kopiyevski (Ukrayna).
Kaunas, “Raudondvario” stadionu.
“Bayern”in 32 yaşlı ingilis hücumçusu Harri Keyn futbol üzrə Almaniya Bundesliqasında fevral ayının ən yaxşı oyunçusu seçilib.
Arena.az bu barədə Almaniya Bundesliqasının mətbuat xidmətinə istinadən məlimat verir.
Keyn səsvermədə Luis Dias, Ozan Kabak, Edmond Tapsoba, Yan Diomande və Alexandro Qrimaldo kimi futbolçuları qabaqlayıb.
Keyn fevral ayında Bundesliqa çərçivəsində meydana çıxdığı 4 oyunda 8 qol vurub, 1 məhsuldar ötürmə müəllifi olub.
Xatırladaq ki, Keyn cari mövsümdə üçüncü dəfə oxşar mükafata layiq görülür. İngilis forvard sentyabr və dekabrda da ən yaxşı seçilmşdi. Onun komanda yoldaşı Makyl Olise də 3 dəfə (avqust, noyabr və yanvarda) ayın ən yaxşı oyunçusu elan edilib. Oktyabrda isə “Ayntraxt”ın mərkəz hücumçusu Yonatan Burkardt fərqlənmişdi.
Harri Keyn “Tottenhem”in yetirməsidir. İngilis hücumçu 2023-cü ilin avqust ayında 100 milyon avro məbləğ müqabilində elə, London klubundan “Bayern”ə keçib. Harrinin Münhen klubu ilə müqaviləsinin müddəti 2027-ci ilin iyun ayının sonuna qədər qüvvədədir.
Cari mövsümdə Keyn “Bayern” üçün bütün yarışlarda 40 oyuna çıxıb, 48 qol və 5 məhsuldar ötürmə ilə fərqlənib.
Harri Keynin Almaniya nəhənginin heyətində çıxışının ümumi mənzərəsi 136 oyun, 133 qol və 31 məhsuldar ötürmədən ibarətdir.
Keyn 2015-ci ilin mart ayında debüt etdiyi İngiltərə yığma komandasının heyətində 112 oyuna 78 qol və 19 məhsuldar ötürmə ilə fərqlənib. Keyn İngiltərə yığmasının ən sərrast qolçusudur.
“Transfermarkt” internet-portalı 32 yaşlı ingilis hücumçunun transfer dəyərini 65 milyon avro məbləğində qiymətləndirir.
Leon Goretzka will be a free agent this summer, so Napoli are the latest contenders for his signature, joining Milan, Inter and Arsenal.
The 31-year-old is only under contract with Bayern Munich until June 30, and does not seem to have any intention of signing an extension.
This is making the Germany international into one of the most appetising figures on the transfer market, and several Serie A sides have already shown an interest.
Milan and Inter are ready to duel, but the Corriere dello Sport now confirms that Napoli are keeping a close eye on the situation too.
It would be the second consecutive summer picking up a veteran for free, after they snapped up Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City.
Other clubs intrigued by Goretzka include Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Arsenal.
Napoli’s midfield is in flux, as Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa and Scott McTominay are both discussing new contracts, while De Bruyne just returned from a long injury lay-off.
Stanislav Lobotka’s current deal runs to June 2027, but there is a release clause worth a reported €25m.
Gennaro Gattuso confirms Italy practiced penalties ahead of the World Cup play-off against Northern Ireland, and they have one specific player ready to step up to the spot.
The semi-final of the play-off is in Bergamo on Thursday at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).
Whoever wins that will go on to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final on March 31 for a place at the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
There is the possibility of extra time, and then if the teams still cannot be separated, they go to a penalty shoot-out.
This has crossed the mind of coach Gattuso, who confirms he had his team drilled in that art during training.
“We practiced yesterday, everyone did three penalties each, so we know this is a possibility, and we tried them out,” confessed the coach.
If Italy do receive a penalty during the match, who is the designated player to step up?
“Mateo Retegui has taken the most recent penalties, he is the taker.”
The Al-Qadsiah striker does have a decent record, although he did fail to convert for Italy in a 3-1 World Cup qualifying win away to Estonia in October 2025.
He converted the other two attempts for the Nazionale, both of them were against Israel in October 2024 and October 2025.
When it comes to penalty shoot-outs, Italy have won their last two, in the semi-final and final of EURO 2020 to defeat Spain and England on their way to lifting the trophy.
That is a significant improvement, as the Nazionale had famously lost their first four penalty shoot-outs in 1980, 1990, 1994 and 1998.
They above all celebrated when beating France this way to win the 2006 World Cup.
Gennaro Gattuso had all but one of his Italy national team players available for training on the eve of the crucial World Cup play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland in Bergamo according to the latest updates, and Alessandro Bastoni was spotted working with the group.
Italy will host Northern Ireland at Atalanta’s New Balance Arena on Thursday evening, and the winner of that tie will go on to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away from home on March 31: A one-legged decider for a spot at the final tournament.
Gattuso initially announced a squad of 28 players, but has already had to make an alteration following the withdrawal of Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa earlier this week. Bologna’s Nicolo Cambiaghi has been called in to replace him.
There have been doubts surrounding the availability of Inter centre-back Bastoni heading into the Northern Ireland game, given that he has not featured since picking up an ankle injury in the Derby della Madonnina against Milan earlier in March.
Bastoni was still running individually while the rest of his Italy teammates trained earlier this week, but according to the latest updates, the Nerazzurri defender was part of the group that trained went out to train on the New Balance Arena pitch on Wednesday evening, the night before the Northern Ireland game.
It still remains to be seen whether he will be thrown immediately into the starting line-up against Northern Ireland on Thursday.
In fact, according to TMW, only one Italy player was not part of the group that trained on the pitch in Bergamo on Wednesday. Atalanta striker reportedly Gianluca Scamacca worked individually just before Gennaro Gattuso conducted his pre-match press conference.
Italy have the all-clear for Riccardo Calafiori, Matteo Politano and Gianluca Mancini against Northern Ireland, with important updates on Alessandro Bastoni and Gianluca Scamacca.
The play-off semi-final for a spot at the 2026 World Cup kicks off in Bergamo on Thursday at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).
Coach Gennaro Gattuso spoke in his pre-match press conference today and gave some crucial information on the injury situation within the squad.
While Roma defender Mancini and Arsenal’s Calafiori arrived from club duty carrying knocks, Politano was spotted with a large bandage on his shin and did not fully participate in the first training session.
“Mancini, Politano and Calafiori are fine, there’s nothing wrong with them, and they are available,” confirmed Gattuso.
Question marks remain over just two players, namely Inter defender Bastoni and Atalanta centre-forward Scamacca.
“Bastoni did 30-35 per cent of the training with the team yesterday, he did a bit of the game between ranks, we’ll try him again tonight,” added Gattuso.
“Scamacca is a bit further behind, he’s doing some things, but the only players who need to be evaluated are Bastoni and Scamacca.”
It had been assumed that Atalanta striker Scamacca would be released back home, along with Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa, but he wants to be ready if Italy reach the final against either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 31.
“At the start of the training camp, three, four or five of them could barely stand, but they held on. Scamacca didn’t want to go back home,” said the coach.
Gennaro Gattuso admits the World Cup play-off is ‘the most important game of my career’ and warns Italy they ‘cannot underestimate’ Northern Ireland, but has crucial injury updates.
The semi-final with Northern Ireland kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo on Thursday at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).
Whoever wins that will go on to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away from home on March 31 for a spot at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
“I’d be lying if I said when I put my head on the pillow at night, I didn’t hear the voices saying ‘take us to the World Cup, take us to the World Cup, take us to the World Cup,’” smiled Gattuso in his press conference.
“I hear it, and I also hear that this is certainly the most important game of my career, even if I’ve been coaching for a few years now.
“Having said that, I am prepared, and believe me I am not thinking about what happens if things go badly. I want to think positive, to think big. Tomorrow we will certainly play our game, and then we’ll see.”
What do the Nazionale have to look out for against Northern Ireland in Bergamo?
“You need experience on the field, but tomorrow we must be ready to suffer when Northern Ireland systematically pump the ball into the box, remember that any free kick will see their goalkeeper smack a long ball forward with eight or nine players showing incredible hunger fighting for the loose ball and rebound.
“We know all of this, we’ve been talking about dinners for months with the players, but I also make phone calls with them, and modern players are evolved, they are capable of studying tactical systems. We’ve been doing video lectures for two days.
“They know what they need to do, to sniff out danger, believe in every single ball. We’ve also got to be wary on set plays. I’m not saying long balls is the only way they play, but it is their primary characteristic, and they do it very well.”
Considering Gattuso used to struggle to sleep before big matches when he was a player, how has he been resting now he is in this situation as a coach?
“Fortunately, our doctors are slipping me a few pills. I used to be allergic to these things as a player, but I’ve got better at accepting help, otherwise at 4.30am I have my eyes wide open like a bat!”
Marcello Lippi said that Gattuso is one of his best pupils and expressed confidence that he will succeed.
“I read that and I cannot deny, it was emotional for me. I speak to him often, we shared so much together, and I thank him.”
There are still some doubts over the fitness levels of several players, although it is good news for others.
“Gianluca Mancini, Matteo Politano and Riccardo Calafiori are fine, there’s nothing wrong with them, and they are available,” confirmed Gattuso.
“Alessandro Bastoni did 30-35 per cent of the training with the team yesterday, he did a bit of the game between ranks, we’ll try him again tonight.
“Gianluca Scamacca is a bit further behind, he’s doing some things, but the only players who need to be evaluated are Bastoni and Scamacca.”
It had been assumed that Atalanta striker Scamacca would be released back home, along with Liverpool’s Federico Chiesa.
“At the start of the training camp, three, four or five of them could barely stand, but they held on. Scamacca didn’t want to go back home. I liked that spirit, I even managed to joke around with them a bit in training, but everyone knows their place and we need that on the field.”
There is the possibility the play-off could go to penalties, in which case who is the first choice taker for Italy?
“Mateo Retegui has taken the most recent penalties, he is the taker. We practiced yesterday, everyone did three penalties each, so we know this is a possibility, and we tried them out,” confessed Gattuso.
Does the coach have a message for the Italian fans who haven’t been represented at a World Cup since 2014?
“It’s up to us. If we are out there and give the sensation that we’re focused, then the rest will come as a consequence of that. We cannot ask anyone for anything, we are in charge of our own destiny.
“We need to be calm and aware that we’re up against players with blood pumping through their veins. People say we have no identity, and that’s fine for them to say that. We’ve got to prove ourselves ready. Easy games no longer exist.”
Nazionale supporters can be forgiven for losing patience and faith in their team after so many recent setbacks.
“It’s true, but the responsibility is not on the fans, they suffered two huge disappointments. This is not the time to talk about the past. We must go to this World Cup, because it is fundamental for us. The objective is to get back where we were for many years, and to do it as protagonists too.”
Italy have bad memories of the World Cup play-offs, losing to on paper much weaker teams in both 2018 and 2022, so has Gattuso watched those back for research?
“I didn’t need to, I already had them in my head. Besides, the truth is that if Jorginho had scored that penalty at the Stadio Olimpico, we’d have been at the World Cup already.
“When I won the Champions League with Milan in 2003, if Massimo Ambrosini hadn’t invented that flick out of nowhere, we would’ve been out in the quarter-final.
“Good luck is an important component of football, but what’s in the past is done, we have to focus on tomorrow.”
There are three strong strike options for Italy in Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui and Francesco Pio Esposito, but could the choice against Northern Ireland also depend on who would start in the play-off final on March 31?
“I am not thinking of March 31, but of tomorrow. And I am well aware that I have some great strikers,” replied Gattuso.
The former midfielder was chosen partly because he was in that Italy squad that won the 2006 World Cup, so how important is this game compared to that?
“It was a whole other world back then. It’s been so long that I can’t even remember the matches I played in. Yes, this game is the most important of my career, considering the amount of responsibility that I feel on my shoulders, it doesn’t compare.”
Italy missing a third consecutive World Cup would be unthinkable.
“I don’t like telling the players what I experienced, because they’ve got to feel it for themselves. You cannot underestimate your opponents, they got this far because of passion and determination, they act like every ball is the first and last of their lives, and we cannot do any less than that.
“There are two games within the game, one on the ball and one without it. We’ve got to be ready to suffer when we don’t have the ball, and when we do, we need to use our pace and get into their final third with quality,” concluded Gattuso.
Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with clubs like Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United monitoring him.
According to Football Insider, the 21-year-old has impressed in Ligue 1, and the two English clubs would be prepared to make a move for him in the summer. He will cost around £34.5 million, and the two clubs have the financial muscle to get the deal done.
Tottenham need an upgrade on Guglielmo Vicario, and the Italian has been linked with a return to Italy. He has been quite inconsistent and error-prone since joining Tottenham. They need an upgrade if they are serious about fighting for trophies. A top goalkeeper can make a huge difference, and the 21-year-old could prove to be an excellent acquisition. He has been rock solid for Lens, and they are second in the league table this season. Risser has been one of the main reasons why they are pushing for the league title. He has 10 clean sheets this season.
The opportunity to move to England could be tempting for him in the summer.
Similarly, Newcastle are looking to bring in an upgrade on Nick Pope. It remains to be seen whether they can convince the player to join the club. The 21-year-old needs to join a club with an ambitious and exciting project. Both clubs could be tempting destinations for him. It remains to be seen where he ends up eventually.
Lens will secure qualification for the UEFA Champions League next season, and the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle will not be able to provide him with that opportunity. It remains to be seen whether the player is prepared to accept that and move to England.
The post Tottenham & Newcastle set for transfer battle over £34.5m Ligue 1 star appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Arsenal are looking to sign a quality right back in the summer, and they have identified Wesley Franca as a target.
The explosive Brazilian has established himself as a key player for AS Roma, and he will cost around €35 million. He is also a target for clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester City. According to reports from Spain, the South American footballer has a contract with Roma until 2030, and Arsenal will have to pay the asking price if they want to get the deal done.
The 22-year-old is excellent, going forward, and he could add a new dimension to the Arsenal attack as well. The North London club is expected to sanction Ben White’s departure in the summer, and Franca could be the ideal replacement. He could contribute at both ends of the pitch.
The Brazilian is quite young, and he will only improve with coaching and experience. He has all the attributes to develop into a star for Arsenal in future. At 22, he has plenty of room for development, and he could easily justify the investment. The €35 million deal could even look like a bargain in future.
It remains to be seen whether Arsenal can beat Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Trent Alexander-Arnold is yet to make the desired impact, and it is no surprise that the Spanish club is keen on the Brazilian. At Manchester City, they have been using. Matheus Nunes as the makeshift right back. They need a more specialist option in that area of the pitch, and Wesley would be an outstanding addition.
All three clubs have the financial muscle to pay the asking price, and it will be interesting to see where the Brazilian ends up.
The post Arsenal plot €35M raid for one of Brazil’s brightest talents, face Real Madrid & Man City battle appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah has confirmed that he will leave the club at the end of the season, and they are now looking at potential replacements.
According to reports from Spain, they want to sign the PSG attacker Bradley Barcola as a replacement for the Egyptian International. The 23-year-old has done quite well for PSG, helping them win the league title and win the UEFA Champions League final.
He has carried his impressive form into the season as well, with 12 goals and six assists across all competitions. The talented young attacker could prove to be an excellent long-term investment for Liverpool. He can operate on either flank, and he will add goals, creativity, pace, and flair to the team. He is likely to improve with coaching and experience, and Liverpool could help him develop into a top-class player. The opportunity to join Liverpool could be tempting for the French attacker. He is likely to get regular opportunities at the Premier League club, and it could help him improve further. At PSG, he is more of a squad player.
It will be interesting to see if PSG is willing to sanction his departure in the summer. They need more cutting-edge in the final third, and he is an important first-team player. They are one of the wealthiest clubs in the world, and convincing them with a lucrative proposal could be difficult for Liverpool. It remains to be seen how the situation develops. They have also been linked to players like Anthony, Gordon and Yan Diomande.
It is evident that they are looking at multiple options, and it remains to be seen who they end up with.
The post 18-G/A Champions League winner emerges as top target for Liverpool to improve key area appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Liverpool striker Alexander Isak has been linked with a move away from the club at the end of the season.
According to reports from Spain, the 26-year-old is unhappy at Liverpool and wants a fresh start. He believes that his progress has stopped at Liverpool due to injury problems, and he’s looking to move on. Isak has played just 781 minutes for Liverpool, scoring 3 goals.
He wants to join Barcelona in the summer, and it remains to be seen how the situation develops. Liverpool paid €140 million to sign the striker, and they will look to recoup most of that. Barcelona are facing financial difficulties, and it is extremely unlikely they will be able to afford the Swedish international.
It is no secret that they need more quality in the final third, especially with Robert Lewandowski, leaving at the end of the season. Isak would be an excellent replacement for the Polish international, but his valuation could be a huge problem for Barcelona.
The report further claims that negotiations could intensify in the coming weeks regarding the player’s exit. It remains to be seen whether Barcelona come forward with an acceptable offer for the player.
Liverpool are under no pressure to sell the player. He has a long-term contract with them, and they will want to keep him at the club for as long as possible. Also, it seems extremely unlikely that the player will force an exit after just one year at the club. He will want to prove himself at Liverpool and justify their investment in him.
Isak went on a strike at Newcastle United to force a move to Liverpool, and it would be extremely surprising if he decided to do the same at Anfield.
The post Report: Liverpool star regrets big move already, dream transfer destination emerges appeared first on CaughtOffside.
The post Best Crypto to Invest in as Bitcoin Bounces 5% to $71,000 on Iran Pause and Pepeto Presale Keeps Growing appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Bitcoin jumped above $71,000 after Trump postponed strikes on Iran, and the entire crypto market followed with a relief rally that pushed altcoins up 5% across the board. When the market sells off on fear and bounces the moment tension eases, that tells you demand never left.
The best crypto to invest in right now is not the large cap that is already priced in the bounce. It is the presale where more than $8 million has been committed money is already positioned for what comes after the recovery.
Bitcoin climbed above $71,000 on March 23 after Trump said the U.S. would pause strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, according to Bloomberg.
The move filled the CME gap from the weekend selloff and erased losses from the fear driven drop to $68,200.
CoinDesk reported more than $400 million in liquidations hit in 24 hours, with most being short positions as the bounce punished bearish bets. The Altcoin Season Index at 49 signals the market is approaching the rotation point where capital moves beyond Bitcoin.
An early entry built for serious growth does not appear every cycle, and the window between discovery and listing is where the real returns live. The wallets that found the right presale before the listing are the ones every article references six months later. The best crypto to invest in is never obvious when you find it. It becomes obvious after the listing proves it.
Pepeto collected more than $8 million while the market shook out panic sellers, and committed wallets verified the team and contracts before entering. The cofounder who built the original Pepe coin to $7 billion with zero products is now building a full exchange, with a former Binance expert on the dev team driving that launch.
SolidProof completed the audit before the presale opened. PepetoSwap removes the fees that bleed your capital on every trade, and the bridge sends tokens across chains at zero cost so what you send is what arrives. These tools run today, protecting wallets that entered early. Staking at 194% APY compounds daily while positions grow for every holder inside.
The presale sits at $0.000000186, and the same 420 trillion supply, the same cofounder, and a working exchange Pepe never had give the community calling for 1000x from this level the math to back it up. The Binance listing approaching permanently erases this price, and the wallets entering now are building the positions the rest of the market will spend this cycle wishing they had taken.
Bitcoin trades at $70,916 after the Iran pause rally, according to CoinMarketCap. Strategy holds 762,099 BTC and filed a $42 billion program to buy more. BTC needs to clear $72,600 to $75,000 to confirm a reversal.
A move to $100,000 is roughly 40% and requires months of macro cooperation. The recovery is real, but life changing returns from $70,916 are measured in years.
XRP sits at $1.43 after a modest weekly recovery, according to Yahoo Finance. The DTCC integration and institutional partnerships keep the long term case alive. A move back to its all time high of $3.84 is roughly 2.7x from current levels.
XRP is building real connections to traditional finance, but that timeline does not compete with a presale entry that compresses the entire return window into a single listing event.
The recovery is here, Bitcoin filling the CME gap confirms the demand was only waiting, and the investors who understand cycles know the best crypto to invest in is always found before the crowd arrives. The cofounder who built Pepe to $7 billion is building Pepeto with better infrastructure, the same supply, and a presale closing faster every week.
This is the second chance for anyone who missed the original Pepe entry, and the wallets loading positions on the Pepeto official website right now are the same type that made millions by moving early in the last cycle. The listing erases the presale price permanently, and the wallets that hesitate will spend this recovery watching from outside while the ones who moved celebrate from within.
Click To Visit Pepeto Website To Enter The Presale
Which altcoins offer the strongest setup as the crypto market recovers?
The best crypto to invest in is Pepeto, with more than $8 million raised, a former Binance expert on the team, and a Binance listing approaching during the recovery.
What projects show real conviction beyond large cap recovery in 2026?
Pepeto is the best crypto to invest in with committed capital flowing through every presale stage while BTC and XRP offer limited percentage gains from current levels.
How does Pepeto compare to Bitcoin and XRP during the bounce?
BTC at $70,916 targets 40% to reach $100,000. XRP at $1.43 targets 2.7x. The Pepeto official website gives presale access before a Binance listing where the return window compresses into days.
The post Bitcoin Price Prediction: Can BTC Break $73K or Drop Again? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Bitcoin is showing signs of a short-term recovery, with price action attempting to push higher toward the $73,500 level. However, analysts warn that the current move may not mean a full bullish reversal, but rather a temporary rebound within a broader corrective structure.
Recent market activity shows that Bitcoin climbed steadily before encountering resistance near the $71,550 zone. This level has been a critical barrier, having acted as a rejection point multiple times in recent sessions.
Despite the upward momentum, the move is being viewed as a counter-trend rally, meaning it could face renewed selling pressure. While the price action remains constructive in the very short term, the broader structure still lacks clarity.
For bullish momentum to continue, Bitcoin must break decisively above the $71,550 resistance. A successful breakout could open the door for a move toward the $73,500 range, which is currently seen as a near-term target based on technical projections.
On the downside, support is forming around $70,400. Holding this level is crucial for maintaining upward momentum. A break below it would not necessarily trigger a sharp decline, but it could signal a shift in structure and increase the likelihood of further consolidation or downside movement.
Zooming out, the broader trend shows Bitcoin may still be navigating a corrective phase following a previous decline. Analysts point to the possibility that the current upward move is part of a larger wave structure, rather than the beginning of a sustained rally.
The resistance range between $73,500 and $74,800 is being closely monitored. This zone could act as a strong ceiling, where sellers may re-enter the market and trigger another downward leg.
The post Inside Outset Media Index (OMI) and How Its Proprietary Metrics Change Media Performance Analysis appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Outset Media Index (OMI), which recently entered the soft launch phase, introduces a standardized way of benchmarking media performance. It helps marketing, media, and PR teams, as well as advertisers and researchers, understand expected results, working conditions, and cost efficiency across more than 340 publications. At this stage, these include crypto-native, finance, tech, and broader news platforms that report on cryptocurrency.
OMI’s signals are also used by Outset Data Pulse (ODP) to reflect regional crypto media trends, with both being part of the emerging Outset PR ecosystem.
Out of 37 overall metrics, the index introduces a set of proprietary indicators:
These are designed to capture what traditional data tends to miss.
Conventional metrics start with traffic, how many people saw a story and where it appeared – but often stop there. OMI brings that missing layer into view and shows what that attention turns into once the content is published.
The platform structures traffic through indicators such as Average Traffic (3M), Total Traffic (3M), and monthly changes, covering both scale and short-term movement. But it goes quite a bit deeper than that.
What follows looks closer at OMI’s in-house parameters, how they fit alongside traditional ones, and how to make sense of them together.
OMI’s proprietary metrics address what media and PR teams are really trying to figure out, which usually comes down to a few key questions:
Total visits can seem impressive at first glance, but they’re often driven by the same audience coming back repeatedly. Unique Score brings attention to outlets that regularly reach fresh readers, rather than depending on returning ones.
Meanwhile, Composite Score merges both relative and absolute traffic shifts to indicate whether an outlet is gaining steady traction or just experiencing brief surges in interest.
Reading Behaviour gets at whether people stay or pass through, because reaching on its own doesn’t mean much if no one sticks around.
Then there’s what happens after a story goes live. Some outlets just publish and move on, while others see their content picked up or resurface elsewhere. That’s what Reprints and Reprints Score are meant to catch.
Not everything comes down to the audience, though. Some of it is operational. Editorial Rigidity, for example, gives a sense of how easy it is to submit guest content to a given outlet.
From there, the way the data is explored becomes just as important as the data itself. Inside OMI, users can:
OMI’s metrics are designed to be read together. Individually, each one highlights a specific aspect of performance. Combined, they show how an outlet behaves in real-world scenarios.
For example, high traffic, strong domain authority, and a high Reprints Score reflect both credibility and active redistribution, signalling a good syndication opportunity.
Sometimes OMI and traditional metrics might not line up, and when that happens, it usually means the results aren’t as straightforward as they appear.
An outlet might show strong traffic, but if distribution signals are weak, that attention tends to peak and stop there instead of spreading further. In other cases, traffic may look more modest, but strong reprints and aggregator presence suggest the content keeps circulating well beyond the initial release.
There will also be situations where visibility seems solid on the surface, but engagement trends tell a different story – people arrive, but don’t stay. Then, there are operational trade-offs: fast turnaround paired with high editorial rigidity often means third-party content can be published quickly, but with limited flexibility.
These differences often explain why similar-looking outlets perform differently in practice.
Different campaign goals require prioritizing different combinations of metrics.
For a quicker overview and easier benchmarking, OMI combines these and other metrics into two weighted scores: the General Score and the Convenience Score. These determine each outlet’s position in the corresponding rankings within the index: the General Rating and the Convenience Rating.
Represented as single numbers from 0 to 100, the General Score answers how strongly an outlet performs overall, and the Convenience Score shows how easy it is to actually run a campaign with that outlet.
Outset Media Index allows coverage to be viewed not just within one category of media, but across different types of outlets where the same story can appear in a different context and order of publication.
Where standard analytics tend to stop at visibility, OMI extends that view. That changes how impact is understood. Instead of being tied to a single moment, it becomes something that develops over time – shaped by how content moves, how long it stays visible, and how consistently it performs across outlets.
As media discovery continues to spread across platforms, aggregators, and AI-driven tools, this kind of measurement becomes more important. The real value of media coverage is no longer just about where it appears, but how it continues to circulate and hold attention beyond the initial release.
Kai Havertz is determined to “lead the way” for Germany at the World Cup after an injury-strewn season. Havertz has made just 14 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal this season, having suffered a knee injury on the opening day of the season. However, he has settled back into the team since his return in […]
The post Havertz intent on ´leading the way´ for Germany in World Cup after injury struggles appeared first on Soccer News.
The post Havertz intent on ´leading the way´ for Germany in World Cup after injury struggles appeared first on Soccer News.
It wasn't long after the start of free agency that word came out that the Pittsburgh Steelers planned to sign safety Darnell Savage Jr. Then things went very quiet and rumors started to surface that there were issues with Savage being able to pass his physical and this was holding up the transaction. Now, according to Savage's agent, via NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, Savage still does intend to sign with Pittsburgh and looks forward to playing with the Steelers.
2026 marks Savage's eighth season in the NFL. He spent the first five years with the Green Bay Packers, where he played under Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy. Since leaving Green Bay. Savage bounced between the Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders. Savage appeared in 12 games in 2025 and had one start.
Veteran safety Darnell Savage Jr. intends to sign with #Steelers, per veteran agent Seth Katz. Katz told @KPRC2 Savage is making preparations for 2026 season. 'Darnell is looking forward to playing for the Steelers,' Katz said. pic.twitter.com/7thdBzVXP3
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 25, 2026
The Steelers' interest in Savage, along with the signing of Jaquan Brisker, could be a sign that the Steelers have no intention of re-signing Kyle Dugger. While we are good with Brisker coming on, replacing Dugger after how well be played last year with Savage feels like a serious downgrade.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Darnell Savage still plans to sign with Steelers per his agent
FC Barcelona is blessed with many players that can take over a game. SofaScore recently posted an eye-opening stat that underscores this.
The Catalan club has the most different players scoring a hat-trick this season, with 5. The second place is a tie between Madrid and Chelsea, and two behind, with 3.
🎩 | Hat-trick dominance
— Sofascore Football (@Sofascore) March 25, 2026
Only ten teams across Europe's top 5 leagues have multiple hat-trick goalscorers across all competitions this season:
• Barcelona (5)
• Real Madrid (3)
• Chelsea (3)
• Arsenal
• Atlético Madrid
• Bayern
• Brentford
• Lyon
• PSG
• Villarreal… pic.twitter.com/vG7DvbmDv7
Robert Lewandowski, Fermín López, Ferran Torres, Lamine Yamal, and Raphinha have all registered one game scoring thrice. That includes the team’s three starting forwards, plus a substitute, and their most prolific scoring midfielder.
The other La Liga giants and a Premier League side are the biggest competition on this front. Kylian Mbappé, Federico Valverde, and Gonzalo García have scored a treble of goals in a game for Madrid this season. João Pedro, Pedro Neto, and Cole Palmer did it for Chelsea.
There are several clubs in Europe’s top 5 leagues with two players scoring a hat-trick. Perhaps most interesting is Paris Saint-Germain. It’s not their Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé or Georgian star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia getting the hat-tricks. Instead, it’s their central midfield pairing – João Neves and Vitinha – who are teammates for Portugal as well.
How does the Indianapolis Colts' free agent class compare to the rest of the NFL?
ESPN's Ben Solak recently ranked how every NFL team fared during the free agency period. And while the Colts were quite active, Solak isn't a big fan of how things have unfolded.
Out of the 32 NFL teams, the Colts are No. 27 in Solak's rankings.
Two of the moves that Solak liked were the Colts being able to retain Alec Pierce and using the transition tag on Daniel Jones.
"The Colts rightfully prioritized the young rising star wide receiver and let the injured mercenary quarterback "test the market" on the transition tag," Solak wrote. "Although Pierce's $28.5 million per year has some sticker shock at first, it will quickly be outstripped by an ever-rising wide receiver market."
He continued, "Jones' two-year deal is extremely cuttable after one season, giving the Colts the flexibility they need as they navigate his Achilles recovery."
Pierce is known for his big-play abilities, but he has developed into a more well-rounded wide receiver over the years. With Jones, the Colts made it clear since the offseason began that their intention was to re-sign him. The belief is that the success he had prior to his injury can be replicated.
As far as what Solak does not like about the Colts' free agency approach, it is their plan -- or lack thereof -- at the linebacker and safety positions.
"This is about as thin of a linebacker and safety room as I've seen in the post-free agency, predraft space," Solak wrote. "The current projected starters at linebacker are Austin Ajiake, Jaylon Carlies and Davis-Gaither. At safety, Hunter Wohler will replace Nick Cross. The Colts have tried to find viable starters on minimum contracts in Juanyeh Thomas and Jonathan Owens, but it's a bleak outlook in the back seven for Indianapolis. Without a first-round pick, the Colts will struggle to fill all of their current gaps."
Beyond those two positions, the depth at wide receiver and along the offensive line isn't in great shape either.
GM Chris Ballard also hasn't found that high-impact presence at defensive end to pair with Laiatu Latu. Rather, he has instead added two defenders in Arden Key and Micheal Clemons, who would be better suited for more rotational roles.
Relative to the rest of the NFL, the Colts have a good amount of cap space, but we are well past the point of finding a true difference-maker. Then, as Solak notes, the Colts are without a first-round pick and have just two selections in the top 100.
So while Ballard has been active, it's fair to wonder how much -- if at all -- the Colts have actually improved over the last few weeks; hence their position in Solak's rankings.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: NFL free agency: Colts' 2026 roster moves ranked by expert
The Philadelphia Eagles continue to tighten their roster. They recently added Elijah Moore on a one-year deal, and now, the competition at wide receiver is already tightening. With another acquisition, another capable body joins a room that was already beginning to take shape. At the top, nothing changes. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith remain the headliners. We'll see what happens with the former. Meanwhile, Marquise Brown slots in (pun intended) as a dangerous complement.
Behind them? That's where things get interesting. Second-year wideout Johnny Wilson is expected back after an injury-shortened 2025 season, and the organization has shown more belief in him than many outside the building.
That alone could make him a strong bet to stick. Then there's Darius Cooper, who earned a roster spot as an undrafted rookie last season, along with familiar names like Britain Covey and Quez Watkins. Danny Gray adds yet another layer to the mix. And the numbers don't lie. The Eagles might be approaching gridlock at the position. Most teams carry six wide receivers on the 53-man roster. If Brown, Smith, and Marquise Brown are locked in, and if Wilson is as valued internally as it seems, that may leave just two spots up for grabs.
Now add Moore into that equation.
He brings experience, versatility, and legitimate upside, making him far more than just another camp body. Suddenly, players who may have felt secure are anything but. Oh, and by the way, there's an NFL Draft approaching. Philadelphia has already shown interest in several incoming receivers, meaning another addition isn't out of the question.
The result? A numbers crunch before offseason workouts even begin. For the Eagles, that's by design. For everyone else in that room, it's a message: nothing will be given—everything must be earned.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Elijah Moore's signing further heats up the Eagles' crowded WR battle
In Saturday’s 72-63 loss to Syracuse, Iowa State’s Audi Crooks did everything humanly possible to will her team to a win. She scored 37 points, shooting 68% from the field. But for the third time in her three seasons with the Cyclones, her season was over in the first weekend of the NCAA tournament.
In wondering what’s next for one of the nation’s best scorers, could the WNBA draft be a possibility? Under the previous CBA, Crooks is WNBA-draft eligible, as she will turn 22 in December. She told ESPN earlier this year that she wants to finish college first, but Iowa State’s finish in the tournament and the new CBA that will pay rookies well could change things.
Crooks has also not answered questions about whether she will definitely stay at Iowa State. After the loss, she said she was still processing things with her team. It’s not impossible that Crooks could follow the lead of two players on this list below. Both Olivia Miles and Cotie McMahon transferred before the final year of their college careers and thrived with their new teams.
If Crooks were to declare for the WNBA draft scheduled for April 13, she will be an intriguing prospect. Standing 6-foot-3, she’s shorter than most centers, but her ability to score while absorbing contact has to interest WNBA coaches.
Crooks' future is still unknown, but other players who are expected to be in the draft had successful first weekends of the tournament.
Azzi Fudd was already one of the top prospects heading into the draft before the tournament started, but her game against No. 9 Syracuse in the second round only bolstered her resume. In her final game for No. 1 UConn at Gampel Pavilion, Fudd scored 34 points in 27 minutes, shooting 72.2% from the field. She made eight 3-pointers, including six in the first half. It’s not just that she played well; she played efficiently and made the most of her time on the court.
Azzi Fudd was on a Gampel burner last night 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IEVq9tSUSj
— UConn Women’s Basketball (@UConnWBB) March 24, 2026
If WNBA scouts were judging Raven Johnson solely on this past weekend’s games, her stock would take a hit. She scored a total of 12 points and dished out eight assists over two games. Her trademark defense was still there, and her minutes were limited because South Carolina won both games in a blowout. The good news for Johnson is that the No. 1 Gamecocks will need her to show off what she can do in their Sweet 16 matchup with No. 4 Oklahoma, and the odds are good she’ll rise to the occasion.
If WNBA scouts judged prospects by their joy on the court, Flau’jae Johnson scored high in that category in her final games in Baton Rouge. Her ability to creatively get to the basket is just fun to watch, and she makes sure all of her teammates are in on the party. She scored 24 points against No. 7 Texas Tech in the second round and had two steals, showing the kind of guard she can be in the WNBA.
No. 5 Ole Miss was in a tight game with No. 4 Minnesota in the fourth quarter of their second-round game, and Cotie McMahon was the key to how well the Rebels were playing. She had 15 points and was making big, physical plays on defense. Unfortunately, those same plays got her into foul trouble, and she fouled out with four minutes left in the game. Minnesota came back to win the game on a memorable last-second shot that gave us one of the most exciting games of the first weekend.
There’s no way to know if McMahon’s presence in the game would have changed the course of it, but it was easy to see that the fifth foul call was really close. Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin said after the game that she thought the call was incorrect, and McMahon’s physicality is what will help her translate to the next level:
“The SEC is the baby WNBA and in the WNBA you're playing with grown women, and so there is a component that if you're not physical enough, you won't be able to succeed,” McPhee-McCuin said. “That's why Cotie is going to be a first-round pick, because she's physically fit for the next level.”
It’s unlikely that fouling out dinged McMahon’s draft stock, but she’s the only player on this list who won’t be playing the second weekend of the tournament. If anything hurts her, it’s that she won’t get a chance to show off her skills again.
No. 3 TCU didn’t have an easy path to the Sweet 16, as the Horned Frogs needed overtime to knock out the No. 6 Washington Huskies in the second round. But Olivia Miles’ play stood out in that win and the team’s first-round win over UCSD. Against Washington, she posted a double-double, scoring 18 and grabbing 10 rebounds. She was even more impressive in the first round, getting a triple-double with 12 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists. She showed off passing prowess early in the game, setting up her teammates with fancy passing.
This play during UCLA’s 96-43 win over Cal-Baptist shows exactly why Betts is expected to go so highly in the WNBA draft.
She makes the pass for Kiki Rice, then sets a pick for her just outside the 3-point line as Rice uses the space Betts made to attempt a shot. When Rice’s shot fails, Betts is already in the paint to make the putback. She knows how to use her size to set up her teammates, but has the ability to move around the court quickly so she can score, too. What WNBA doesn’t need that?
Averaging 27.5 minutes per game, Rice had a decent enough weekend that it didn’t likely affect her draft stock either way. She scored 18 points in the first round and 10 in the second. But there’s another stat that jumps out with Rice: she made 16 out of 16 free throws over the weekend. That kind of consistency from the line — and ability to get to the line that often — are really compelling attributes for a player looking to jump to the next level.
The Cleveland Guardians have chosen their twenty-six players for Opening Day in Seattle.
Catchers: Bo Naylor, Austin Hedges, David Fry
Infielders: Kyle Manzardo, Rhys Hoskins, Brayan Rocchio, Gabriel Arias, Jose Ramirez and Daniel Schneemann.
Outfielders: CJ Kayfus, Steven Kwan, Chase DeLauter and Angel Martinez.
Starting Pitchers: Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Slade Cecconi, Joey Cantillo, and Parker Messick.
Bullpen: Peyton Pallette, Colin Holderman, Connor Brogdon, Tim Herrin, Matt Festa, Erik Sabrowski, Shawn Armstrong, and Cade Smith.
Hunter Gaddis, Andrew Walters and George Valera all open the year on the 15-day IL.
Johnathan Rodríguez was designated for assignment today. Condolences to CTC site user Ray Fosse.
What do you think about the roster choices? Let us know in the comments below
According to Sky Germany's sources, Nick Woltemade and Kai Havertz are “guaranteed to be on the plane to the US if they're fit” for Germany's 2026 World Cup campaign.
It's believed Nagelsmann recently spoke to Woltemade on the phone and expressed his full confidence in him despite the rough patch he's going through at Newcastle United.
Meanwhile, Havertz is another player Nagelsmann particularly appreciates. He can play both as a striker and as a number 10, giving the team some attacking flexibility.
Despite enjoying the best season of his career at VfB Stuttgart, Deniz Undav still needs to prove himself to the German head coach to be part of the World Cup squad.
His role under Nagelsmann is less clear than at the Baden-Württemberg club, as the national team's style of play differs vastly from that of Stuttgart's according to Sky.
Furthermore, Nagelsmann is also planning to call up either Niclas Füllkrug or Tim Kleindienst, with a classic target man who is strong aerially seen as crucial for final stages of a match.
Füllkrug's advantage is his experience in major tournaments. Kleindienst is sidelined after knee surgery, but still has World Cup hopes. Nagelsmann recently spoke to both strikers
Bleacher Report Ranks Red Sox Lineup In MLB Top 10 Ahead Of Opening Day originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Bleacher Report has dropped its full rankings of every MLB lineup for the 2026 season, slotting the Boston Red Sox at No. 10 overall.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report broke it down this way: “Newcomers Willson Contreras and Caleb Durbin, along with a full season of rising superstar Roman Anthony, should make the Red Sox a better overall lineup even after Alex Bregman walked in free agency. If Marcelo Mayer can live up to his top prospect billing while settling in as the primary second baseman, there won't be a hole in the lineup."
Optimism surrounding the Red Sox lineup centers on depth and Anthony's star power. Contreras brings proven pop from the catcher spot, Durbin adds infield versatility and contact skills, and Anthony finally gets a complete, uninterrupted campaign after flashing elite tools in limited action last year.
The loss of Bregman in free agency stung, yet the pieces in place appear ready to fill any gaps. Mayer’s development at second base is the final variable; if the former top prospect stabilizes there, Boston could boast one of the most balanced attacking groups in the American League.
Manager Alex Cora has repeatedly praised the chemistry between the new additions and holdovers like Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela. No major injuries have surfaced to derail the plan.
While rankings are just projections, this No. 10 placement suggests Boston’s offense will not be a weakness in 2026. If the young core delivers as expected, the Red Sox could push well beyond last year’s 89-win total and make noise in a highly competitive AL East.
More MLB: Meet the New Red Sox: What's Changed — and Why It Matters in 2026
The Miami Dolphins decided to rip off the bandage earlier this month, releasing quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and moving forward with Malik Willis, Quinn Ewers and Cam Miller at the position heading into their offseason program.
Tagovailoa quickly found a new home, signing with the Atlanta Falcons and getting an opportunity to compete alongside Michael Penix for the starting job.
Speaking with the media this week, Tagovailoa addressed his struggles at the end of his tenure with the Dolphins.
"I don't want to get too much in depth with things that were going on," Tagovailoa said. "[This issue was] more so in terms of players-to-coaches than it was players-to-players. It was unique in a sense... in a lot of ways."
Tagovailoa's comments appeared to spark something in those around the Dolphins, including former tight end and current radio broadcaster Joe Rose, who ripped the quarterback on his radio show.
"We paid that bum $200 million for one year of good play. $200 is gonna be the number when this year is over. We're going to be looking at, in guaranteed money from his rookie signing bonus and the amount of money he just got that was guaranteed on that $200+ million contract," Rose said. "And, he's coming out with some kind of weak 'It wasn't players and players.' Because he doesn't want any of the players taking shots at him, because, they will, so he says the coach thing?
"The only coach I can think of is a guy that treated him better than anybody he's ever had treat him in his freaking life, Mike McDaniel. You can get on Mike, whatever you don't like, but he treated that guy better than anybody. He changed and did as many things to give that guy a chance to be successful. He comes out, and people are going to think that was a Mike McDaniel thing. Man, I have to tell you, for a guy that had a bad hip coming in and played like you know what last year to the point that they finally had to bench him after a Monday Night Football game, all his conversation should have been about second chance, playing for the Falcons and shouldn't have been any of that stuff except 'I didn't play very well, last year.' That's it."
Tagovailoa dealt with a lot during his time with the Dolphins, but McDaniel never put him a bad situation, and was constantly building him up. Unless there was some real issues going on between the two behind the scenes, this seemed to come out of nowhere.
More Dolphins: Dolphins hosting 20-sack NFL draft prospect for top-30 visit Wednesday
This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Dolphins broadcaster rips Tua Tagovailoa after critical comments
Mar 24, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) reacts to scoring an open net goal against the Utah Mammoth during the third period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
Rob Gray/Rob Gray-Imagn Images
SALT LAKE CITY — Connor McDavid kept a straight face while making a curious revelation to a group of reporters after surpassing 400 career goals.
“Goal scoring is something that has not come easy to me,” the Edmonton Oilers star said after scoring twice in a 5-2 win over Utah, giving him 401.
“It’s something that I work at, something that I focus on,” McDavid added. “I set a goal at the beginning of the year: trying to shoot more pucks.”
Jack Roslovic, who also had two goals in the win, couldn’t believe McDavid’s claim that he’s not a natural at scoring. When asked if he agreed, Roslovic looked incredulous and scoffed: “No comment.”
Roslovic says his team, which moved into second place in the Pacific Division, follows the longest tenured captain in Oilers history even if he doesn’t say a lot.
“It’s just the hustle. Everyone watches him, knows what he’s doing, and it’s inspiring, humbling, motivating,” the center said.
McDavid became the fifth player in Oilers history to reach 400 goals when he took a feed from Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard and beat Karel Vejmelka with 7:53 left in the second period.
The go-ahead goal was his 39th of the season and put Edmonton in front 3-2. He scored his 401st goal and 40th of the season on an empty-netter with 7.5 seconds remaining.
McDavid is a three-time winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s MVP — one of only two unanimous winners, along with Wayne Gretzky — and is known for his extraordinary quickness, recently hitting a top on-ice speed of 24.61 mph in a game.
“Of course, there’s his speed, but I don’t think he gets enough credit for his shot,” Oilers coach Kris Knobaluch said. “He is dangerous when he gets off the circles and he’s got a great release and is so difficult to check. He’s so determined to get to the net.”
McDavid considers himself more of a playmaker. He now has 1,200 points in his career — the third-fastest player to reach the mark behind Gretzky and Mario Lemieux — and needs just one assist to reach 800.
“It’s a big number, obviously, and I feel like I got a lot of great years ahead of me still, which is exciting,” said McDavid, the No. 1 draft pick in 2015. “These milestones are just a nice time to reflect and I’m just very grateful to have played with so many great players.”
Some of them say it’s difficult at times to not sit back and watch the show McDavid puts on.
“He’s amazing,” Roslovic said. “Just really cool for him, obviously, to do that, and then for us to be able to be a part of it and to be able to watch is special.”
The NBA playoff picture will come into clearer view each day between now and the end of the regular season on April 12. In the meantime, we will provide detailed daily updates on the landscape, including magic numbers, remaining schedules and the stakes for every day's slate of games.
In the Eastern Conference, the Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics, New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, in some order, appear bound for the top four playoff seeds and home-court advantage in the opening round. The Pistons, who hold a five-game lead on the Celtics and Knicks, are almost certain to capture the East’s No. 1 seed, barring a complete meltdown in the absence of injured Cade Cunningham (collapsed lung).
Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season
Who, exactly, those four teams will play in the opening round is entirely up for grabs, as just two wins separate the fifth seed from the 10th seed. The Toronto Raptors, Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat are all jockeying for position down the stretch of a season that has surpassed 70 games.
Technically, the Milwaukee Bucks and Chicago Bulls are still alive for postseason contention, though they are locked in a different kind of race — one for lottery odds.
Record: 52-19 | Net rating: 8.0 (2nd)
Clinched playoff berth
Magic number for No. 1 seed: 6
Remaining schedule: ATL, NOP, @MIN, @OKC, TOR, MIN, @PHI, @ORL, MIL, @CHA, @IND
Highest possible finish: No. 1 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 4 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Record: (47-24) | Net rating: 7.8 (3rd)
Magic number for No. 2 seed: 11
Remaining schedule: OKC, ATL, @CHA, @ATL, @MIA, @MIL, TOR, CHA, @NYK, NOP, ORL
Highest possible finish: No. 1 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 10 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 2 seed and home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Record: 48-25 | Net rating: 6.8 (5th)
Magic number for No. 3 seed: 8
Remaining schedule: @CHA, @OKC, @HOU, @MEM, CHI, @ATL, BOS, TOR, CHA
Highest possible finish: No. 1 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 8 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 2 seed and home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Record: 45-27 | Net rating: 4.3 (8th)
Magic number for No. 4 seed: 7
Remaining schedule: MIA, MIA, @UTA, @LAL, @GSW, IND, @MEM, ATL, @ATL, WAS
Highest possible finish: No. 1 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 10 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round.
Record: 40-31 | Net rating: 2.0 (12th)
Magic number for No. 5 seed: 11
Remaining schedule: @LAC, NOP, ORL, @DET, SAC, @MEM, @BOS, MIA, MIA, @NYK, BKN
Highest possible finish: No. 2 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 10 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 5 or 6 seed and a guaranteed playoff berth.
Record: 40-32 | Net rating: 1.7 (13th)
Magic number for No. 6 seed: 9
Remaining schedule: @DET, @BOS, SAC, BOS, @ORL, @BKN, NYK, @CLE, CLE, @MIA
Highest possible finish: No. 2 seed
Lowest possible finish: Out of the postseason
What’s at stake: The No. 5 or 6 seed and a guaranteed playoff berth.
Record: 39-33 | Net rating: -0.8 (19th)
Magic number for No. 7 seed: 10
Remaining schedule: CHI, @CHA, @MIA, @WAS, MIN, DET, @SAS, @HOU, @IND, MIL
Highest possible finish: No. 2 seed
Lowest possible finish: Out of the postseason
What’s at stake: The No. 5 or 6 seed and a guaranteed playoff berth.
Record: 38-34 | Net rating: 0.7 (17th)
Magic number for No. 8 seed: Do not control own destiny
Remaining schedule: SAC, @TOR, PHX, ATL, @DAL, @NOP, DET, MIN, @CHI, @BOS
Highest possible finish: No. 3 seed
Lowest possible finish: Out of the postseason
What’s at stake: The No. 5 or 6 seed and a guaranteed playoff berth.
Record: 38-34 | Net rating: 4.7 (6th)
Magic number for No. 9 seed: 10
Remaining schedule: NYK, PHI, BOS, @BKN, PHX, IND, @MIN, @BOS, DET, @NYK
Highest possible finish: No. 3 seed
Lowest possible finish: Out of the postseason
What’s at stake: The No. 5 or 6 seed and a guaranteed playoff berth.
Record: 38-34 | Net rating: 2.4 (11th)
Magic number for No. 10 seed: 3
Remaining schedule: @CLE, @CLE, @IND, PHI, BOS, WAS, @TOR, @TOR, @WAS, ATL
Highest possible finish: No. 2 seed
Lowest possible finish: Out of the postseason
What’s at stake: The No. 5 or 6 seed and a guaranteed playoff berth.
Record: 29-42 | Net rating: -5.5 (25th)
Record: 29-42 | Net rating: -4.3 (23rd)
What’s at stake: Whichever team finishes with a worse record will receive a 20.3% chance at a top-four pick and a 4.5% chance at the No. 1 pick. And whichever team finishes with a better record will get a 13.9% shot at top four and a 3% shot at No. 1.
However, if the Bucks do ultimately land the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery — or any selection higher than the New Orleans Pelicans — it will convey to the Hawks.
Out West, the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are bound for the top two seeds, with OKC holding a considerable lead for the league’s No. 1 overall seed.
The Los Angeles Lakers, with their recent nine-game winning streak, moved in as heavy favorites to capture the conference’s No. 3 seed. Beyond them is anyone’s guess.
Zero losses separate the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Houston Rockets, who are all but guaranteed the West’s final three guaranteed playoff spots. Only one of those three teams will earn home-court advantage in the first round.
The conference’s play-in tournament field is also all but set. The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors appear headed for the Nos. 7 and 10 seeds, respectively. And the L.A. Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers will duke it out for the Nos. 8 and 9 seeds.
Record: 57-15 | Net rating: 11.1 (1st)
Clinched playoff berth
Magic number for No. 1 seed: 8
Remaining schedule: @BOS, CHI, NYK, DET, LAL, UTA, @LAL, @LAC, @DEN, PHX
Highest possible finish: No. 1 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 2 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Record: 54-18 | Net rating: 7.7 (4th)
Clinched playoff berth
Magic number for No. 2 seed: 2
Remaining schedule: @MEM, @MIL, CHI, @GSW, @LAC, @DEN, PHI, POR, DAL, DEN
Highest possible finish: No. 1 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 4 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 2 seed and home-court advantage in the Western Conference semifinals.
Record: 46-26 | Net rating: 1.2 (14th)
Magic number for No. 3 seed: 8
Remaining schedule: @IND, BKN, WAS, CLE, @OKC, @DAL, OKC, @GSW, PHX, UTA
Highest possible finish: No. 2 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 8 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 3 seed and home-court advantage in the first round.
Record: 45-28 | Net rating: 4.4 (7th)
Magic number for No. 4 seed: 9
Remaining schedule: DAL, UTA, GSW, @UTA, SAS, POR, MEM, OKC, @SAS
Highest possible finish: No. 2 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 8 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round.
Record: 44-28 | Net rating: 3.6 (10th)
Magic number for No. 5 seed: 10
Remaining schedule: HOU, DET, @DAL, @DET, @PHI, CHA, @IND, @ORL, @HOU, NOP
Highest possible finish: No. 2 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 9 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round.
Record: 43-28 | Net rating: 4.0 (9th)
Magic number for No. 6 seed: 7
Remaining schedule: @MIN, @MEM, @NOP, NYK, MIL, UTA, @GSW, @PHX, PHI, MIN, MIN
Highest possible finish: No. 3 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 10 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round.
Record: 40-33 | Net rating: 1.0 (15th)
Magic number for No. 7 seed: 7
Remaining schedule: UTA, @MEM, @ORL, @CHA, @CHI, HOU, DAL, @LAL, @OKC
Highest possible finish: No. 3 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 10 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 7 seed and home-court advantage against the No. 8 seed in their opening game of the play-in tournament.
Record: 36-36 | Net rating: 1.0 (16th)
Magic number for No. 8 seed: 9
Remaining schedule: TOR, @IND, @MIL, POR, SAS, @SAC, DAL, OKC, @POR, GSW
Highest possible finish: No. 3 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 10 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 8 seed and two chances to secure a playoff berth.
Magic number for No. 9 seed: 9
Remaining schedule: MIL, DAL, WAS, @LAC, NOP, @DEN, @SAS, LAC, SAC
Highest possible finish: No. 5 seed
Lowest possible finish: No. 10 seed
What’s at stake: The No. 8 seed and two chances to secure a playoff berth.
Magic number for No. 10 seed: 3
Remaining schedule: @DAL, BKN, WAS, @DEN, SAS, CLE, HOU, SAC, LAL, @SAC, @LAC
Highest possible finish: No. 6 seed
Lowest possible finish: Out of the postseason
What’s at stake: The No. 10 seed and a berth in the play-in tournament.
Record: 24-47 | Net rating: -3.8 (22nd)
What’s at stake:Lottery odds!
Spurs at Grizzlies, 8 p.m.
MEM is eliminated from postseason contention with a loss or a GSW win
Rockets at Timberwolves, 9:30 p.m.
Nets at Warriors, 10 p.m.
GSW is locked into the play-in tournament with a loss, a MEM loss and a HOU win
Los Angeles Lakers (46–26) vs. Indiana Pacers (16–56) | Game 73 of 82
WHERE TO WATCH AND WHAT TIME
Date: Wednesday, March 25
Tip-off: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse—Indianapolis, Indiana
TV: NBA TV, Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: ESPN LA 710 / 1330 KWKW
GAME PREVIEW
The Lakers (45–25) take on the Pacers (16–56) for the final matchup of their six-game road trip.
Los Angeles snapped their nine-game win streak on Tuesday in Detroit in a three-point loss against the Pistons. It was the Lakers' first loss since March 5.
The Lakers look to bounce back in the win column against the Pacers, who have the worst record in the NBA without their star point guard, Tyrese Haliburton, all season.
Dončić had yet another 30-point game, finishing with 32 points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
Dončić has put up 30 or more points in the Lakers' nine-game win streak, including two triple-doubles.
LeBron James failed to score a bucket in the first half in Detroit but still impacted the game in other ways, as he was one rebound shy of a triple-double with 12 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds.
Rui Hachimura (right calf soreness) and Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) were out of the lineup in Detroit but both could make their returns in Indiana with upgrades on the injury report.
Smart is probable and Hachimura is questionable.
The Pacers snapped a 16-game losing streak in their previous contest in a two-point win in Orlando on Monday.
Tonight’s matchup marks the second and final regular-season meeting between the teams this season.
The Lakers are 23-14 on the road, while the Pacers are 6-31 at home.
The Lakers still sit at No. 3 in the West at 46-26, with the Nuggets (45-28) right behind them by one and a half games.
L.A. has to stack wins to secure the third seed with now nine games left.
The Lakers' scouting report on Indiana will be limiting Pascal Siakam.
In 57 games this season, Siakam has been the Pacers' leading scorer at 24 points per game. He is coming off a 37-point performance and their success rides on him.
Andrew Nembhard is another guy to look out for who runs their backcourt offense, averaging 17.1 points and 7.4 assists. He had a season-high 14 assists in Orlando.
Getting the 3-ball going.
In the Lakers' loss in Detroit, the Lakers shot 28% from 3, making just eight of their 28 shot attempts from deep.
The Pistons have been the best team at not allowing teams to get hot from 3, allowing the least amount per game this season. The Pacers are right behind as the second-best team in 3-pointers allowed per game.
The Lakers have to avoid another cold night from 3-point range.
The Pacers' current ranking:
second-worst (109.5) in offensive rating
26th (118.2) in defensive rating
Other rankings:
PTS — 27th (111.6)
FGM — 28th (40.5)
FG% — 27th (45.4%)
3PM — 28th (48%)
3P% — 20th (35.1%)
REB — 26th (41.8)
SEASON SERIES
Game 1 — Lakers 128-117 win vs. Pacers on March. 6
INJURY REPORT
Lakers:
Rui Hachimura (right calf soreness): Questionable
Marcus Smart (right ankle soreness): Probable
Adou Thiero (left knee soreness): Questionable
Pacers:
Obi Toppin (right foot injury management): Probable
Andrew Nembhard (right calf contusion): Probable
Aaron Nesmith (right ankle injury management): Probable
Pascal Siakam (right knee sprain): Probable
Ivica Zubac (fractured rib): Out for season
Johnny Furphy (torn right ACL): Out for season
Tyrese Haliburton (right Achilles surgery): Out
THREADS FOR THE GAME
The Lakers will wear their purple Statement Edition uniform on the road, while the Pacers will wear their gold Statement Edition uniform.
NEXT MATCHUP
The Lakers head home with their next three games at Crypto.com Arena against Brooklyn, Washington and Cleveland.
Malachi Smith is sticking around a little longer.
The Nets announced Wednesday they’ve signed Smith to a second 10-day contract, keeping the 26-year-old guard in Brooklyn after a productive first stint that included one of his best nights yet as a pro.
Smith signed his first 10-day on March 14. In six games with the Nets, he averaged 6.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 19.6 minutes per game while shooting 50.0% from the field and 50.0% from 3-point range.
The highlight came March 22 at Sacramento, when Smith posted a career-high 18 points, added two rebounds and four assists, and set a career high with three steals in 29 minutes. For a player who arrived as a call-up, it was a noteworthy performance and an impressive stretch.
Smith’s path to Brooklyn has been the typical G League grind. He joined the Nets from Long Island, where he played 39 Tip-Off Tournament and regular-season games, including 18 starts. He averaged 14.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 28.7 minutes per game, production that put him on the short list for a midseason opportunity.
“Yeah, I don’t want him to overthink it,” Nets head coach Jordi Fernández said of Smith. “I mean, he knows enough of what we’re trying to do. He’s a great, great guy. He’s been in the system, very good teammate, played really hard, played the right way, so I just don’t want him to think too much. His first experience was very positive. That group was great — down 28 to taking the lead is very impressive, how connected they were, how they competed, and that’s the brand of basketball we’re going to play.”
That opportunity has also reflected well on Long Island coach Mfon Udofia, who has now had three players earn NBA call-ups this season, including Smith and Grant Nelson with Brooklyn, and Jeenathan “Nate” Williams, who landed a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors.
Smith has bounced around the G League before settling into this shot. He spent the previous two seasons in the NBA G League with the Rip City Remix in 2023-24, the Wisconsin Herd in 2024 and the Memphis Hustle in 2024-25. He came to pro basketball after going undrafted in 2023 following a final college season at Gonzaga, where he earned West Coast Conference Sixth Man of the Year honors.
Before Gonzaga, Smith played two seasons at Tennessee Chattanooga from 2020-22 and was named Southern Conference Player of the Year as a junior. He began his college career at Wright State in 2018-19 and made the Horizon League All-Freshman Team.
For the Nets, the second 10-day is simple. Smith produced in his minutes, defended with activity and gave them reliable ballhandling while the roster has churned through injuries and constant rotation experiments. The first deal got him in the door. In his second deal, he has a chance to potentially carve out a future role.
Looking for family fun close to home? Mississippi is home to one of the best minor league baseball parks in the nation. It's a great place to catch a professional game, just a short drive away.
Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi offers a top-class stadium with good food next to a beautiful beach. It's home to the Biloxi Shuckers.
"When catching a game, fans can choose from around 4,500 seats ranging from suites to spots right behind home plate. Fans can also head to the right field beach area, which features a tiki bar, splash pad, and beach chairs," USA TODAY wrote.
Editors and topic experts pick a handful of the most-nominated events or places. Then fans from across the country vote on the 10Best list. This is the second year it made the list.
What makes Keesler Federal Park a fan favorite? It has plenty of seating options, fun theme nights, great food and more. And it's all right on the Gulf Coast.
Keesler Federal Park seats about 6,098 people. It has a 1,472-square-foot scoreboard.
Seating includes:
Field dimensions are:
It's at 105 Caillavet St., Biloxi. It's just across from Beau Rivage Resort & Casino.
The Biloxi Shuckers are a Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. It's part of the Southern League, which started in 1885.
The Biloxi Shuckers started as the Hunstville Stars. The team moved from Alabama to Mississippi after the 2014 season, according to MLB.com.
The new name celebrates Biloxi's strong ties to the seafood industry.
Other names considered included:
Before that, Biloxi had one minor league team in its history. The Gulfport-Biloxi Sand Crabs only played the 1907 season.
The Shuckers won South Division titles in 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2025.
The team also plays at the King Cakes or the Biloxi Beach Chickens, a reference to the area's many, many seagulls.
Schooner, the team mascot, is a gray and white seagull with blue face feathers and a bright yellow beack.
It was called MGM Park when it opened in 2015. MGM Resorts International withdrew its naming rights in 2023 and returned them to the city.
Keesler Federal Credit Union got naming rights to the park in 2024.
The 2026 season runs from April to mid-September. Get tickets online at biloxishuckers.com.
Gates open 65 minutes before the first pitch.
Or you can take a tour. It's $6 per person with a 5-person minimum. The behind-the-scenes looks include the press box, suite level and a chance to walk on the field. During the off season, it can include the clubhouse and batting cages.
Tours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and must be scheduled a week in advance.
More: Delta Hot Tamale Festival ranks best in US. People love the food, fun
Restaurant options include several grills where you can get tacos, burgers, pizza and other game-day favorites. Some treats come with a souvenir bowl or helmet.
Local flavors include chargrilled oysters, grilled Conecuh sausage, red beans and rice or gumbo.
Check out the Biloxi Bayou Bomber at Catch of the Game. It's a prime shrimp burger with andouille sausage, fried crawfish and Cajun sauce.
Or snag a Big Chief Queso Crunch from the Biloxi Breeze Taco Stand. It's a hot dog wrapped in a tortilla, then covered in cheese sauce, pico de gallo and cilantro.
The team's website lists where you can find gluten-free options.
Two Banana Ball teams will take the field in Biloxi this fall.
Firefighters and the Loco Beach Coconuts will face off on Sept. 25 and 26, 2026.
Tickets are by lottery. The more information at thesavannahbananas.com.
More: Savannah Bananas baseball is coming to Mississippi in 2026. Here's how to get tickets
What are the best minor league parks in the country? Here's what USA TODAY readers picked.
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with USA TODAY Network. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Love baseball? Mississippi has one of Top 10 best minor league parks
Proposed blockbuster Rangers trade sees Texas land $4.7 million All-Star, 30 SV closer as major upgrade over Robert Garcia originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Texas Rangers are going into the 2026 season with what looks like a closer-by-committee, and Robert Garcia as the first option. If they want to compete, getting a guy who can shut down the other team to win a game is a must.
Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller believes so as well, and proposes that the Rangers make a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers for their All-Star closer, Trevor Megill. The Brewers are known for trading their star closer a couple years before a payday, and Megill fits that bill as well.
The trade would look like this:
Rangers get: RHP Trevor Megill
Brewers get: TEX No. 2 prospect RHP Caden Scarborough
“One big thing at the heart of the Milwaukee Brewers' staying power on a budget has been A) their ability to develop All-Star closers and B) their willingness to trade away those closers with 1-2 years remaining before they walk for nothing in free agency. They did it with Josh Hader. They did it with Devin Williams. Maybe next they'll do it with Trevor Megill, who has a 2.60 ERA and has saved 51 games over the past two seasons, named an All-Star in 2025…On the Rangers side of things, not having a reliable closer was their undoing in 2025…Thus, it's looking like it'll be Robert Garcia as the first option in a bullpen by committee. But they could address that with one phone call to the Brewers,” Miller wrote.
This past season, Megill had a 6-3 record, a 2.49 ERA, 60 Ks, a WHIP of 1.128, and 30 saves in 50 games. He also earned his first All-Star nod, which solidifies him as a top closer in the MLB.
He’s set to make $4.7 million this season, and still has another year of arbitration as well. If he brings success to the Rangers in those two seasons, there’s no reason not to re-sign him.
Hopefully, the Rangers realize what a good deal this is, and get to work on a proposal right away.
MORE MLB NEWS
Tennessee’s linebacker room has generated plenty of buzz this offseason, ignited by the return of Arion Carter. The Volunteers didn’t exactly need another number in the room, but they weren’t going to turn Carter away after he reversed his decision to enter the 2026 NFL Draft.
Penn State veteran Amare Campbell joins him at the position, following his defensive coordinator to Knoxville.
And yet, maybe the most physically gifted player in the room sits on the depth chart beneath those two veterans. Jadon Perlotte, a former 4-star prospect entering his second season with Tennessee, turned plenty of heads down the stretch of last season. His speed brought a completely different element to the defense, which forced his way onto the field in some sub-package situations.
“Just him continuing to learn,” linebackers coach William Inge said on Wednesday of Perlotte. “As you get into, let’s say, Year 1, it’s always going to be knowledge and understanding, you learning everything. Well, now you go into Year 2, now this is truly going to be about performance enhancement and understanding how to take care of your body and take care of your team.”
Perlotte, like the rest of the linebackers not named Amare Campbell, will be learning a new defensive system under Jim Knowles. The 6-4, 210 pound Peach State product posted 13 tackles, one tackle for loss, two fumble recoveries and a quarterback hurry as a true freshman. Perlotte appeared in every game last season, but really made his presence felt late in the year with added playing time.
He possesses some things you can’t teach, like elite athleticism. Watch the ground he covers here chasing down Taylen Green. Green ran a 4.3 at the NFL Combine, for reference.
I think my favorite this about Jadon Perlotte is the fact that he plays with ZERO regard for his own bodypic.twitter.com/xEaK7KJXXl
— Joey Petersen (@joeypetersen8) March 24, 2026
“So that’s what it’s going to be for him as we refine some of his skills,” Inge said. “Some of his abilities, now being able to go make some of the plays that he wasn’t in a position to be able to make a year ago and eliminate some of the errors that he had that he created a year ago, and being able to be in a position to be able to help our defense be even better this year.”
The Tennessee linebacker group is loaded with as many as eight legitimate guys who could see action. Edwin Spillman is with Perlotte in that second platoon group, along with Jeremiah Telander. Jaedon Harmon could also be in the mix, while big-time prospects TJ White and Braydon Rouse settle in as true freshmen.
One thing is for sure — Jim Knowles and William Inge will have plenty of versatility with this unit this fall. For my money, Perlotte is the most exciting one in the group.
Ohio State pro day live updates, highlights from Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles, Carnell Tate, Caleb Downs and others 2026 NFL Draft workout originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
A program's "Pro Day" is the last group workout before the draft for most prospects. The NFL Scouting Combine was last month and anyone who did not workout in Indianapolis, this is the day circled for most of those remaining prospects.
Short of individual workouts and an NFL team's allotted "30 visits", this is the last chance to impress scouts. Many players choose the Pro Day over the Combine due to familiarity. The home facility, but also the familiarity of players working out with their teammates as opposed to relative strangers.
Ohio State will have 17 draft eligible players in attendance. LB Arvell Reese, EDGE Caden Curry, S Caleb Downs, WR Carnell Tate, RB CJ Donaldson Jr, CB Davison Igbinosun, DL Ehtan Onianwa, LB Joey Velazquez, DL Kayden McDonald, CB Lorenzo Styles, TE Max Klare, LB Sonny Styles, DL Tywone Malone Jr, TE Will Kacmarek, as well as a few specialists.
The following will information will include drills, measurements and timed tasks (ie 40 yard dash, vertical jump, etc):
| Name | Pos | 40 Time | Vertical | Broad | S Shuttle | 3-Cone |
| Arvell Reese | LB | |||||
| Caden Curry | DL | |||||
| Caleb Downs | S | |||||
| Carnell Tate | WR | |||||
| CJ Donaldson Jr | RB | |||||
| Collin Johnson | LS | |||||
| Davison Igbinosun | CB | |||||
| Ethan Onianwa | DL | |||||
| Jayden Fielding | K | |||||
| Joey Velazquez | LB | |||||
| John Ferlman | LS | |||||
| Kayden McDonald | DL | |||||
| Lorenzo Styles | CB | |||||
| Max Klare | TE | |||||
| Sonny Styles | LB | |||||
| Tywone Malone Jr | DL | |||||
| Will Kacmarek | TE |
Jayden Fielding getting Pro Day started by pouring one in from 55. He just connected from 60, as well.
— Spencer Holbrook (@SpencerHolbrook) March 25, 2026
Sure! pic.twitter.com/qQIRYp5sE8
Back in the building supporting the squad during Pro Day 🗣️@jacksawyer33 x @JT_Tuimoloaupic.twitter.com/mlf19CBG9k
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) March 25, 2026
Getting us started in the weight room ➡️ pic.twitter.com/TDks2ktW5I
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) March 25, 2026
Man in the arena. https://t.co/cLCjQt4ne4pic.twitter.com/vTsQ6kgkfc
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) March 25, 2026
Even when Jeremiah Smith is not draft eligible, he still draws a crowd of interested parties.
Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith taking in some of the #Buckeyes’ pro day today.
— Brendan Howe (@bybrendanhowe) March 25, 2026
He’ll be pretty popular around this time next year. pic.twitter.com/7xRsl6PQ9J
FearBuck: Kevin Porter Jr. tells Deshae Frost’s chat he’s trying to beat Bam Adebayo’s 83 points for the respect of Kobe Bryant. “Now that Kobe got beat, I gotta beat Bam just for the respect of Kobe”
Kevin Porter Jr. tells Deshae Frost’s chat he’s trying to beat Bam Adebayo’s 83 points for the respect of Kobe Bryant.
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) March 25, 2026
“Now that Kobe got beat, I gotta beat Bam just for the respect of Kobe” pic.twitter.com/at8sib0l11
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Kevin Porter Jr. says he will try to beat Bam Adebayo's record out of respect for Kobe Bryant
Anthony Slater: The Warriors are signing center Ömer Yurtseven to a second 10-day contract, per source. He played 56 minutes off the bench for them on his first 10-day contract in a depleted frontcourt. Al Horford remains out with a calf strain.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Warriors to sign Omer Yurtseven to second 10-day contract
Legion Hoops: Jaylen Brown calls out players and fans who’ve switched up on the 65-game rule: The contrary in the past was that guys would be playing 40-50 games and be up for All-NBA, and their numbers would be better versus somebody who played 68-72 games… You basically came to work half the time and got awarded for it.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The contrary in the past was that guys would be …
Governor Bob Ferguson: For two decades, Washingtonians have mourned the loss of our Sonics. Today’s vote is a milestone in the effort to bring NBA basketball back home. The time is right. The state-of-the-art Climate Pledge Arena already hosts professional basketball and hockey with the Storm, Kraken, and Torrent in front of a dedicated fanbase. And we know we have the best fans in the NBA. Bringing the Sonics back is a top priority, and the state will be a strong partner in this effort. I plan to be there at tipoff with thousands of fellow fans when the Sonics return.
Breaking: The NBA's Board of Governors has approved a vote for the league to explore bids and applicants for expansion teams exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle, sources tell ESPN. A bidding process is expected to generate offers in the $7-10 billion range for each team. pic.twitter.com/yEaLPjnTVf
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 25, 2026
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The time is right. The state-of-the-art Climate Pledge …
Jordan Walsh knew that his Celtics team was going to be just fine. In the offseason, when many in the media and the public predicted the Celtics would end up a lottery team, Walsh could only laugh. “As soon as I started hearing people talking about losing and tanking and all that stuff, I immediately knew that that was never gonna be us,” Walsh told CelticsBlog at a PIMCO-sponsored dinner at the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “As soon as I started hearing people talking about …
The discourse around the Celtics tanking was particuarly wild for the 22-year-old to digest. “What is that? What does that mean purposely lose? Like, try not to win? Walsh said. ”There’s never going to be a situation where I feel like the Boston Celtics are not going to try to win — especially with Joe as the head coach.” “Nobody in our organization wants to lose. I don’t care what it’s for – from Brad [Stevens] all the way down to me, nobody ever wants to lose.”
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: “Nobody in our organization wants to lose. I don’t …
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Anthony Edwards was on the court after Wolves …
Anthony Chiang: Cavs injury report for tonight vs. Heat on second night of back-to-back: Out: Jarrett Allen, Craig Porter Jr., Olivier Sarr, Max Strus and Jaylon Tyson. Questionable: Larry Nance Jr. So, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley all expected to play tonight.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Out: Jarrett Allen, Craig Porter Jr., Olivier Sarr, …
Anthony Chiang: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra after shootaround in Cleveland today: "This is a great opportunity still in front of us. Our guys are looking forward to getting out there and competing, doing it together. The game can't come fast enough.”
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "This is a great opportunity still in front of us. Our …
Omari Sankofa II: Jalen Duren (right knee soreness) and Tobias Harris (left hip soreness) have been added to the injury report tonight and are both probable. Javonte Green (left ankle sprain) is questionable). Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser remain out.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Jalen Duren (right knee soreness) and Tobias Harris …
Dave McMenamin: Rui Hachimura (right calf soreness), Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) and Adou Thiero (left knee soreness) are all out, per the Lakers. Deandre Ayton (back soreness) has been added to the injury report and is questionable for tonight.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Rui Hachimura (right calf soreness), Marcus Smart …
The Cincinnati Bengals have brought back Joe Flacco for the 2026 NFL season, but this ti͏me he will s͏it in͏ the͏ bench. The 41-year-old quarter͏back ha͏s signed a͏ one͏-͏year deal worth $6 million, with incentives tha͏t could push it to͏ $9 million. It is a backup role, but Flacco’s clear it’s not his first choice.
In the ͏2025 season, the Be͏ngals took Fla͏cco after Joe Burrow ͏went d͏own with a turf t͏oe injury. He steppe͏d i͏n͏ and gave Cincinnati a͏ s͏trong stretch at quart͏erb͏ack͏. In six starts, he completed 60.3%͏ of͏ ͏his ͏passe͏s for 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. That r͏un͏ ͏helped͏ keep the Bengal͏s moving, and it also͏ show͏ed͏ he ͏ha͏s something to p͏rove.
MORE: ESPN’s Ryan Clark rips Cam Newton ‘loyalty’ for Jason Whitlock interview
Even so, Flacco expected more from the rest of the league this offseason. He said teams passed on him when he believed he could still start.
“Believe me, I wish I was a guy somewhere,” Flacco said. “And I think teams are dumb for not having me be that guy.” He also admitted the situation bothered him a little, saying, “Not being one of those guys to go sign somewhere, yeah, it pisses me off a little bit. But at the same time, I’m very happy to be here.”
Joe Flacco did not hold back when I asked him about how this year’s QB cycle played out without him landing a realistic shot of being a starting QB. pic.twitter.com/FafIVcbrmn
— Ben Baby (@Ben_Baby) March 25, 2026
Flacco did not hide his frustration, but he also did not sound bitter for long. He said he knows he cannot control how teams think. Still, he added that he feels he has “unfinished business.”
That is why his return to Cincinnati matters. Burrow is expected back, and the Bengals want stability behind him. Flacco gives them that. He also gives them a veteran who still believes he can help a winning team.
“I don’t see this as the end,” Flacco added. “I feel like I can help a team win.”
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Traveling American golfers have long been beneficiaries of what are mostly private golf clubs around the world opening their doors and limited space on their tee sheets to non-members. In England, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and beyond, many clubs with world-class courses resisted the urge to wall off access — think Royal Dornoch, Ballybunion, even Royal Melbourne as examples. The revenue generated from traveling golfers didn’t hurt as these clubs developed. This model of a welcoming operation is frequently referred to as the United Kingdom model.
Count the owners of the relatively new Broomsedge Golf Club in Rembert, South Carolina, as fans of this model. The club has emphasized an operational openness by recently partnering with Michael Keiser Jr. — co-developer of the popular Sand Valley Resort in Wisconsin among other new properties — who will serve as a senior advisor as Broomsedge grows. The club also brought in Baker Thompson, who worked with Keiser Jr. to develop Sand Valley and other properties, to serve as the CEO and managing partner of Broomsedge.
Broomsedge calls this a “welcoming private club” model, and it could serve as a great example for other American private clubs interested in creating a more inclusive environment that better utilizes the clubs’ course and amenities. Broomsedge has allowed a limited amount of outside play since it opened in 2024 – conversations about a day of golf for non-members begin with a portal on the club’s website. Thompson said that open mindset will be part of Broomsedge’s continued development that will include the construction of cottages and possibly a second course.
“I think there is a lot of camaraderie around sharing with others,” Thompson told Golfweek.
Thompson and Keiser Jr. have known each other since they were young boys. They met near the shore of Lake Michigan where Keiser Jr.’s father, Mike Keiser, built his first course at the Dunes Club in Michigan. Mike Keiser later and famously developed Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon. Mike's sons, Michael Jr. and Chris, developed Sand Valley. Thompson went on to work in real estate financing after college, eventually joining what came to be known as Dream Golf at Sand Valley and beyond.
“I think there’s an energy in having member and non-member play,” said Thompson, who was exposed to the atmosphere at Bandon Dunes early in his golfing life. “I don’t want to play an empty golf course. I want to see other golfers out there enjoying it and then ending up back in the bar talking about the five-footers that were missed or made, or the pin placement on No. 17, whatever it is.”
The vast majority of great private clubs in the United States take a different tact. Their tee sheets are open to members and their invited guests only, perhaps with a few one-day charity events sprinkled in to give outsiders a taste and generate a small bump in revenue. John Q. Public can’t just call up the pro shop and ask to play, even if his pockets are loaded.
A few American clubs with elite courses bucked that ultra-private mindset, though, and embraced the UK model, notably the classic Pasatiempo in California and the much newer Lido at Sand Valley. Pasatiempo allows a limited amount of outside play on its Alister MacKenzie-designed masterpiece. The Lido, which was developed in recent years as a private club within a popular resort, also allows a limited amount of resort guests to sample the re-creation of a C.B. Macdonald classic on Long Island that was shuttered decades ago.
Thompson and Keiser Jr. didn’t want The Lido, which sits across a two-lane highway from the main Sand Valley property, to be walled off entirely. Not every guest of the resort gains access on demand, but limited slots are available for resort guests if the tee sheet isn’t full. The Lido is ranked by Golfweek's Best as the No. 26 modern course in the United States.
If all this sounds familiar, there are similarities to the common American operating model of semi-private clubs. Members of most semi-private clubs typically have priority, and guests fill in the tee sheets. But there are significant differences, too, with the UK model. There are fewer tee times available to non-members in the UK model, and preferred days — sometimes weeks or even months — are reserved for members. At The Lido and at Broomsedge, there are no online booking portals where non-members select their tee times and pay, and there are no third-party vendors selling access. The clubs retain much tighter control of the tee sheet than at a traditional semi-private club. At the elite courses that embrace this model, a tee time can demand a hefty fee, but a determined golfer has a chance.
As Broomsedge looks to expand with cottages, new food and beverage offerings and possibly that second course, Thompson’s experience in real estate development and club operations at The Lido could prove invaluable. His embrace of the UK model at Broomsedge is certainly refreshing in a region where several new private clubs have opened in recent years and generated significant interest among even those players who might never gain access to the courses.
Broomsedge was designed by Mike Koprowski and Kyle Franz, and its rolling and sandy terrain attracted Keiser Jr. and Thompson for site visits even before the course opened. The course has received numerous accolades and is a lock to appear on various upcoming Golfweek’s Best course-ranking lists in 2026, particularly among the top courses in South Carolina. As it is welcoming outside play, it will appear among the rankings of public-access courses even though it is mostly a private club, much in the same way The Lido and Pasatiempo appear among various public-access rankings. The Golfweek’s Best model states that if a course allows public access without being a direct guest of a member, then that course will appear on the public lists. This classification is intended to let non-members know they have a chance.
Thompson said he was inspired by the UK model years ago on a graduation trip to Northern Ireland with his father. They played Royal County Down, a mostly private club considered by many golf architecture aficionados to have perhaps the best course in the world. After their round, the father and son were welcomed into the clubhouse by members.
“It’s a big piece of the puzzle, and I would love to see North America and the U.S. embrace that even more,” said Thompson, who was appointed to be the first captain of The Lido by Keiser Jr. “That was part of the mission at The Lido, and it’s part of the mission here at Broomsedge to embrace that.”
Thompson has lived at Sand Valley for three years as it has expanded to include new courses and real estate options, but Thompson said he and Keiser Jr. knew that Thompson eventually would look to expand his role, possibly elsewhere. When the opportunity to join Broomsedge came along late in 2025, Keiser Jr. encouraged Thompson to take it and employ his knowledge gained at Sand Valley. In his role as senior advisor, Keiser Jr. can use his depth of experience and his staff at Dream Golf operations to benefit Broomsedge, too.
“It was our intention from the start at The Lido to bring a new accessibility to top-tier American golf,” Keiser Jr. said in a media release announcing the partnerships. “Americans have always benefitted overseas from the welcoming nature of clubs in the British Isles. There’s no reason that won’t work here. We were thrilled when Broomsedge opened with enthusiastic acceptance of non-member play. That’s a large part of what makes Baker the perfect person to take their club and facilities to the next level.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Broomsedge welcomes limited outside play along with new partnerships
The Mets announced their 26-man roster for Opening Day earlier today. The Mets are carrying 13 pitchers and 13 position players, and there are no real surprises on the list, though the make-up of the bullpen has a somewhat unexpected choice or two.
Starting Pitchers:
Clay Holmes (RHP)
Sean Manaea (LHP)
Nolan McLean (RHP)
Freddy Peralta (RHP)
David Petesron (LHP)
Kodai Senga (RHP)
Relief Pitchers:
Huascar Brazobán (RHP)
Luis Garcia (RHP)
Richard Lovelady (LHP)
Tobias Myers (RHP)
Brooks Raley (LHP)
Luke Weaver (RHP)
Devin Williams (RHP)
Catchers:
Francisco Alvarez (R)
Luis Torrens (R)
Infielders:
Brett Baty (L)
Bo Bichette (R)
Francisco Lindor (S)
Jorge Polanco (S)
Marcus Semien (R)
Mark Vientos (R)
Jared Young (L)
Outfielders:
Carson Benge (L)
Luis Robert Jr. (R)
Juan Soto (L)
Tyrone Taylor (R)
The Mets also officially updated their current major league injured list.
Reed Garrett (60-Day, right elbow sprain)
Justin Hagenman (60-Day, rib fracture)
Tylor Megill (60-Day, right elbow sprain)
A.J. Minter (15-Day, left lat surgery)
Dedniel Núñez (60-Day, right elbow sprain)
And with the roster set, that means that infielder Vidal Bruján, left-handed relief pitcher Bryan Hudson and catcher Ben Rortvedt were all designated for assignment.
Freddy Peralta will start the first game of the season tomorrow against the Pirates at Citi Field at 1:15pm. LGM.
Nobody expected Ja Morant to return to the court this season, but now it is official.
Morant is out with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his left elbow and will now receive a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection to help speed the healing process, the team announced. That will sideline him for the rest of the season.
The @memgrizz today announced the following medical updates for Ja Morant, Brandon Clarke and Zach Edey: pic.twitter.com/gV8rLPlwbs
— Grizzlies PR (@GrizzliesPR) March 25, 2026
Morant will have played in 20 games this season.
The Grizzlies explored the trade market for Morant at the deadline but didn't find a deal to their liking. He is expected to be back on the trade market and likely to be moved this offseason.
Also in that release, the team says centers Zach Edey and Brandon Clarke will be out for the remainder of the season as well. Edey hasn't played since December following ankle surgery (which was expected to keep him out the rest of the season), but now he has undergone a procedure to alleviate lingering discomfort in his left elbow. Clarke has only played in two games this season, missing the start of it recovering from knee surgery, then returning for two games before straining his calf. That calf injury continues to keep him out.
Memphis, 24-27, is headed to the lottery and currently has the seventh-worst record in the league. That would give them a 31.9% chance of landing a top-four pick in the draft and guarantees them a top-10 spot.
Gennaro Gattuso confirms Italy practiced penalties ahead of the World Cup play-off against Northern Ireland, and they have one specific player ready to step up to the spot.
The semi-final of the play-off is in Bergamo on Thursday at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).
Whoever wins that will go on to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final on March 31 for a place at the tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
ROME, ITALY – JUNE 19: The Italy new head coach Gennaro Gattuso attends the press conference at Hotel Parco dei Principi on June 19, 2025 in Rome. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
There is the possibility of extra time, and then if the teams still cannot be separated, they go to a penalty shoot-out.
This has crossed the mind of coach Gattuso, who confirms he had his team drilled in that art during training.
“We practiced yesterday, everyone did three penalties each, so we know this is a possibility, and we tried them out,” confessed the coach.
If Italy do receive a penalty during the match, who is the designated player to step up?
“Mateo Retegui has taken the most recent penalties, he is the taker.”
UDINE – OCTOBER 14: Mateo Retegui of Italy celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Israel at Stadio Friuli on October 14, 2025 in Udine. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
The Al-Qadsiah striker does have a decent record, although he did fail to convert for Italy in a 3-1 World Cup qualifying win away to Estonia in October 2025.
He converted the other two attempts for the Nazionale, both of them were against Israel in October 2024 and October 2025.
When it comes to penalty shoot-outs, Italy have won their last two, in the semi-final and final of EURO 2020 to defeat Spain and England on their way to lifting the trophy.
That is a significant improvement, as the Nazionale had famously lost their first four penalty shoot-outs in 1980, 1990, 1994 and 1998.
They above all celebrated when beating France this way to win the 2006 World Cup.
Travis Kelce shared a light moment involving Taylor Swift before signing his new Kansas City Chiefs contract, adding another chapter to their widely followed relationship.
The tight end was seen walking through Arrowhead Stadium as he prepared to put pen to paper on his new deal.
What happened next quickly caught fans’ attention.
Kelce was captured as he walked past an image of Taylor Swift from her Eras Tour inside Arrowhead.
He acknowledged the picture with a gesture, appearing to say hello as he made his way through the hallway.
The interaction added a personal touch to what was otherwise a major professional moment.
It also reflects how closely his public image is now tied to Swift’s presence.
Travis Kelce’s new deal with the Kansas City Chiefs is worth $54.7 million over three years, securing his place as a key figure in the team’s offense moving forward.
The structure of the contract has drawn attention, with reports indicating it functions more like a short-term deal with flexibility built in.
Alongside the contract, speculation around Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift has continued, including discussion about potential long-term plans.
However, there has been no confirmed announcement regarding any wedding timeline ahead of the upcoming NFL season.
For now, the focus remains on his return to the field, even as off-field interest continues to follow him closely.
Read more:
Thursday’s game will be broadcast on TBS and truTV with Kevin Harlan, Robbie Hummel, Stan Van Gundy and Lauren Shehadi on the call. The game will be available online at NCAA March Madness Live and on HBO Max.
Thursday’s game will be carried on the Huskers Radio Network with Kent Pavelka and Jeff Smith on the call, including KLIN (1400 AM) in Lincoln, KCRO (660 AM) and KIBM (1490 AM) in Omaha and KRVN (880 AM) in Lexington. NCAA Tournament games will not be available on Huskers.com or the Huskers app.
The Nebraska men’s basketball program looks to reach the Elite Eight for the first time in program history on Thursday evening, as the Huskers will battle Big Ten rival Iowa in the NCAA Sweet 16. Tipoff between the Huskers (28-6) and Hawkeyes (23-12) is set for 6:30 p.m. (CT) and the game will be broadcast on TBS and truTV and carried on the Huskers Radio Network. It is also available on NCAA March Madness Live and on HBO Max.
The South Regional features a trip of Big Ten teams with No. 3 seed Illinois, No. 4 seed Nebraska and No. 9 seed Iowa joining No. 2 seeded Houston at the Toyota Center this week. In all, the Big Ten put six teams into the Sweet 16 and posted a 13-3 record over the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
Nebraska (28-6) comes off a thrilling 74-72 win over Vanderbilt in the second round. Braden Frager‘s go-ahead basket with 2.2 seconds remaining were the decisive points in a game that wasn’t decided until Tyler Tanner’s heave from beyond midcourt rolled out at the buzzer. Frager and Pryce Sandfort led four Huskers in double figures with 15 points apiece, as the Huskers shot 56 percent from the field, including 9-of-19 from 3-point range. The Husker defense held a high-powered Commodore offense to 41 percent shooting and its lowest total point since Feb. 21.
The Huskers are led by Sandfort, as he enters the Sweet 16 averaging 17.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. In Nebraska’s two NCAA games, he is averaging 19.0 points per game on 55 percent shooting, including 10-of-18 from 3-point range.
The Hawkeyes stunned defending national champion Florida, 73-72, as Alvaro Folgueiras’ 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds left gave Iowa the lead for good. Tavion Banks led four Hawkeyes in double figures with 20 points and six rebounds, while Bennett Stirtz added 14 points and guided an Iowa attack that shot 51 percent.
Thursday’s matchup will mark the third meeting between the schools since Feb. 17. The two teams split the regular-season series with Iowa winning 57-52 in Iowa City and the Huskers recording an 84-75 overtime win in Lincoln on March 8.
Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich takes his role as captain of the German national team very seriously.
So, when he was questioned about Real Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger’s role on the national team and whether or not he was still a starter ahead of Jonathan Tah and Nico Schlotterbeck, Kimmich stepped outside his normal boundary of responses.
“This is a question for the coach. But generally speaking, Toni is an important player. I have the feeling that we, in Germany, sometimes forget what Toni has delivered in the past 3-4 years. He’s a starter at Real Madrid and plays the latter stages of the Champions League every year. He’s a player you can always rely on. He’s proven that he can make perform at the highest level. It’s important to have players like him,” Kimmich said (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).
While maybe no longer a starter for Germany, the 33-year-old likely still has a valuable role on the squad given his experience. As captain, Kimmich seems ready to vouch for that.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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Contender Series prospect and UFC signee Levi Rodrigues Jr. was issued a nine-month suspension by the Nevada Athletic Commission on Wednesday after he was flagged for using a banned substance surrounding his fight this past October.
The undefeated Brazilian scored a brutal first-round knockout over Freddy Vidal to earn his UFC contract but that victory has now been overturned to a no-contest after the failed drug test.
Rodrigues tested positive for 19-norandrosterone, a metabolite of nandrolone, which is an anabolic steroid banned at all times for athletes. As a result he was issued the nine-month suspension, which expires on July 14 and he also has to pay a fine, which includes prosecutor fees.
The UFC hasn’t addressed Rodrigues’ positive drug test and the suspension or if this result potentially changes his future with the promotion now that his win has been overturned to a no-contest.
Rodrigues scored a victory on the long running competition show and got his contract afterwards from UFC CEO Dana White. He hasn’t fought since then but his fight night drug test was flagged, which could have played a part in his absence since his Contender Series win.
Now Rodrigues is looking at a suspension running through the middle of the summer while awaiting word if that positive drug test could potentially affect his future in the UFC.
Three NHL teams moved up in the playoff races during a busy 15-game schedule on Tuesday, March 24.
The surging Buffalo Sabres can do the same during Wednesday night's two-game schedule.
Buffalo has a chance to move into the top seed in the Eastern Conference when it hosts the Boston Bruins, passing the idle Carolina Hurricanes if it wins.
The Sabres have gone 33-6-5 since Dec. 9. They replaced general manager Kevyn Adams with Jarmo Kekalainen two games into that run as they try to end a record 14-game playoff drought.
The Sabres lead the Tampa Bay Lightning by two points in the Atlantic Division race and will have played two more games by the end of the night.
Tuesday night, the Ottawa Senators moved into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, and the Edmonton Oilers (Pacific) and Columbus Blue Jackets (Metropolitan) moved into second place in their respective divisions. They would have home-ice advantage in the first round if they finish the season that way.
Here's what to know about the NHL standings, tiebreaker procedures and playoff field for the 2025-26 season:
Eastern Conference: None
Western Conference: Colorado, Dallas
No team can clinch today. But the New York Rangers will be eliminated from playoff contention if they lose to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
As of March 24. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Metropolitan Division
Atlantic Division
Wild card
Sitting out of playoff position: New York Islanders (85), Detroit Red Wings (84), Philadelphia Flyers (80), Washington Capitals (79), New Jersey Devils (74), Florida Panthers (73), Toronto Maple Leafs (73), New York Rangers (65)
As of March 24. x-clinched playoff spot. z-eliminated
Central Division
Pacific Division
Wild card
Sitting out of playoff position: Los Angeles Kings (74), Seattle Kraken (72), Winnipeg Jets (72), San Jose Sharks (70), St. Louis Blues (69), Calgary Flames (67), Chicago Blackhawks (67), z-Vancouver Canucks (50)
Here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on March 24.
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: M - Metropolitan Division. A - Atlantic Division. WC - wild card
Here is how the Western Conference playoff bracket would look if the season ended on March 24.
The winner of the first series would play the winner of the second in the second round. The winner of the third series would play the winner of the fourth. Key: C - Central Division P - Pacific Division. WC - wild card
If two teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, here are the tiebreakers:
The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 16, with six games.
The NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs are expected to begin on Saturday, April 18.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NHL playoff standings, latest 2026 bracket, tiebreaker scenarios
One player cannot replace Gareth Bale – Wales' greatest is simply irreplaceable – but Harry Wilson is giving the impossible job a pretty good go.
It is difficult to overstate the void Bale left. More international goals and appearances than any other Welshman, and the stats only hint at the transformational effect the former Real Madrid forward had on his country.
Coping without Bale has had to be a collective effort. Wilson, however, has stepped up more than most.
Since Bale retired in 2023, Wilson has scored more goals than any of his countrymen. In fact, 12 of his 17 career international goals have come during that time.
Many have been spectacular, adding to a showreel of long-range strikes to rival Bale's back catalogue.
Most have come with Wilson's left foot too, a source of magic akin to the one Bale possessed.
There is even a slight suggestion of a physical resemblance. Well, maybe that's pushing the comparison, but Wilson's flowing locks now require an Alice band like Bale's. A nod to the hair apparent?
Where Wales used to rely on Bale in their most important moments, now they turn to Wilson.
Craig Bellamy's side face Bosnia-Herzegovina in their World Cup play-off semi-final in Cardiff on Thursday and, if they are victorious, they will host Italy or Northern Ireland in the final the following Tuesday.
When Wales beat Austria and Ukraine in play-offs to reach the 2022 World Cup, Bale scored all three goals.
Could Wilson do similar this time?
"We can't replace Bale," he tells BBC Sport Wales. "He was our best ever player.
"He carried us through games, he got us to major tournaments and the performances he put in in those tournaments were incredible.
"I never saw it as 'I have to replace Bale', I just knew along with the other attacking players we've got massive boots to fill, a big void to fill. As a collective we have to do that.
"I'm really happy with the way I've played and my numbers since Gaz left. But it definitely wasn't the case of me replacing him because no-one can do that."
Given Bale's heights for club and country, you can understand the reluctance to make the comparison.
Whereas Bale's career was almost a linear surge towards the very top, Wilson's journey has been a slow slalom to his current status as one of the most in-form players this Premier League season.
Like Bale, Wilson became his country's youngest ever international at 16. But he could not make the transition from academy starlet to first team at Liverpool. Six different loan moves saw him make intermittent impressions before finding a home at Fulham.
Even then, in his first three seasons after a key role in helping the club to the Premier League, more than half his appearances were from the bench.
Unthinkable now given his 10 goals and six assists have had some of the very best taking notice, especially with speculation over his next move gathering pace given his Fulham deal ends this summer.
"There will be other clubs looking at him because everything good about Fulham comes through Harry Wilson," said Match of the Day pundit Wayne Rooney following Wilson's weekend goal against Burnley. "His goals, his assists, his vision, everything about his game has been brilliant.
"He's been outstanding all season, but it makes me wonder why is it coming now? Why haven't we seen it consistently throughout his career?"
It may be down to injuries and opportunities - or lack of given he rarely started more than three Premier League games in a row for Fulham before last season.
Or it may just be a mixture of coincidence and confidence.
"Sometimes it just clicks for a player," says Wales head coach Craig Bellamy.
"The older you get, not just as a footballer but as a person, the wiser you become, the smarter you become.
"His football IQ is very high. His positioning, his understanding of the game I see has definitely gone on to another level."
Wilson's Wales team-mate Ethan Ampadu adds: "I'm not sure why it's taken others so long to realise it because he's always been at those levels and for us it's no surprise.
"Everyone has known his qualities, but this year it's been nice to see the wider audience speak about him more because we know what he can do with the magic of his left foot."
That is something Wilson has been able to showcase more and more this season, when he has often conjured something out of nothing.
His highlight reel and a December goal of the month award for the outside of the boot strike against Crystal Palace back up such thinking, as do the statistics that show only Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo has outscored his xG (expected goals) by as much as Wilson. In other words, he scores goals he has no right to.
Which brings us back to Bale.
As former Wales captain Barry Horne puts it: "Let's not compare him to a recent, previous goalscorer and creator who shall remain nameless, but he is Wales' creative heartbeat at the moment. Free-kicks, open play, he's the man we'll be looking to to make things happen for us."
As will his team-mates.
"For us to achieve what we want it will be about the collective, players, staff, fans," says Ampadu.
"But when you look at a player who can create a moment of magic from nothing it's definitely a confidence booster."
Remind you of anyone?
According to recent reporting from Boston Globe beat writer Adam Himmelsbach, the Boston Celtics are planning to re-sign big man Charles Bassey to a second 10-day contract. Bassey, who signed the first of his now two 10-day deals with the Celtics earlier this month, got on the radar of fans of the team with a standout performance with the Sin City Celtics in this past offseason at the NBA's 2025 Las Vegas Summer League.
The Lagos, Nigeria native put up 2.0 points and 1.0 rebounds with Boston over two games played with the Celtics to date. Bassey shot 66.7 percent from the field overall, and did not play enough to get to the free throw line nor take a shot from beyond the arc (which he tends not to do in general).
The Western Kentucky alum was initially signed not just due to a thin frontcourt rotation with veteran big man Nikola Vucevic sidelined with a broken finger, but also to keep Boston abreast of minimum roster size rules in the NBA.
The timing of his being re-signed by the Celtics is no coincidence either, with Boston needing to sign a player -- Bassey or otherwise -- by today to remain in complience to those rules.
The moves (along with converting 2025 draftee Max Shulga to a full roster slot and, briefly, two way guard John Tonje earlier) have been part of a push for the team to remain below the luxury tax this season as part of a two-season effort to reset the repeater tax in a way that would give the front office leeway to spend heavily thereafter.
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This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Report: Celtics planning to re-sign big man Charles Bassey
Jon Jones has found some unexpected support as his feud with the UFC drags on.
After a reported $15 million offer led him to request his release from the promotion, Tom Aspinall was one of the first to speak up in support of ‘Bones’.
Other prominent names in MMA who have voiced their backing include Joe Rogan, Ronda Rousey and Francis Ngannou.
This isn’t the first time Ngannou has shown support for Jones, but he made it clear during an interview on Tuesday that he feels strongly about the issue. Asked if Jones should be earning more than $15 million per fight, he didn’t hesitate.
“Of course, Jon Jones deserves that,” Ngannou said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “Jon Jones has been with this organization for how long? Jon Jones has been the champion since he was 23, which is 15 years. Over 15 years?
If there is somebody that deserves something nowadays, like just even to pay him tribute, it’s Jon Jones. Jon Jones needs to get paid maybe not only for the fight that he’s fighting but what he has done for the sport. For where he has taken the sport.”
“Aren’t they out there bragging that he’s the GOAT? Man if the GOAT is not respected then who should we respect?” Ngannou continued.
Jon Jones may be weighing up his next move, but Francis Ngannou has a clear path forward.
Ngannou’s last appearance came at PFL Super Fights in October 2024, where he stopped Renan Ferreira.
Since then, he’s moved on from the PFL and signed with Most Valuable Promotions.
The 39-year-old will face Philipe Lins on the debut MMA event put together by Jake Paul’s company.
The main event of that card features Ronda Rousey against Gina Carano, taking place in Inglewood, California, on May 16.
Nate Diaz and Mike Perry are also set to meet on what is shaping up to be an entertaining 11-fight lineup.
Read more:
You might think Purdue vs Texas isn’t much of a basketball rivalry. For those unfamiliar with Purdue basketball lore, it seems like a standard Sweet 16 matchup between two random teams without much in common other than the desire to survive and advance. When the Longhorns stuck the final knife in Gonzaga’s season, I started grinding my teeth. I have a deep and personal hatred of Texas basketball that started in 1990 when eight-year-old Drew’s heart was broken when the 10-seed Longhorns knocked off the 2-seed Boilermakers, 73-72, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament when Texas center Guillermo “Panama” Myers clearly (in the eyes of 8-year old Drew at least) goal-tended Tony Jones’s attempt at the game winner.
That grave injustice not only ended the Boilermakers’ season but also ended the Purdue careers of Tony Jones and Steve Scheffler. Those guys also happened to be my first sports “heroes”. I didn’t know the difference between a post-up and a pick-and-roll, but I’m not sure I’ve ever been more disappointed by the outcome of a sporting event. Keep in mind, I’ve been a lifelong Boilermaker fan, and I graduated from Clemson; I’ve seen more than my fair share of epic sports disasters, but at eight, I hadn’t formed a sports callus yet. It was a cruel indoctrination into the “real world,” and I’m still bitter.
The Boilermakers and Longhorns have played several times since that ill-fated game, with their last meeting occurring in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Purdue won that game 81-71, and then famously (or infamously, I suppose), lost in the Sweet-16 to Saint Peter’s. For some reason, I blame Texas for that loss as well. As I said, I’m still bitter.
Maybe this game can help scab over the oozing wound in my sports psyche that has been festering for the last 36 years?
Maybe the 2-seeded Boilermakers knocking off the 11th-seeded Longhorns in 2026 will heal my wounded sports heart?
I highly doubt it.
Some wounds aren’t meant to heal, but I’d still appreciate it if Coach Painter and company dispatched the tormentors of my youth. It would only be fitting. Matt Painter was on the bench for the 1990 loss as a little-used freshman guard; Coach Painter will be on the bench in 2026 as one of the best in the coaching game. The Boilermakers not only should win this game, but they need to win this game for me. I don’t think I could handle the Longhorns also ending the Purdue careers of Tony Jones, Steve Sheffler, Braden Smith, Fletcher Loyer, and TKR. Thinking about it makes me break out in a cold sweat.
In order to avoid disaster and get a game closer to the ultimate goal of playing in the Final 4 in Indianapolis, there are a few key areas the Boilermakers need to win Thursday night.
(All stats from KenPom.Com – National Rank in ())
Purdue Offense: 38.8% (8)
Texas Defense: 35.1% (253)
Thoughts:
Purdue’s swoon down the stretch of the Big 10 season feels like a distant memory. The team that dropped four of its last six games heading into the Big 10 tournament doesn’t even resemble the Purdue team on its current six-game heater in elimination games, and the 3-point line has a good bit to do with the Boilermakers turnaround.
Here’s how they’ve shot the ball from deep in NCAA Tournament games
vs Queens: 14-24 (58%)
vs Miami: 8-14 (57%)
That’s what I call a heater, andFletcher Loyer is providing the gasoline. He’s one of the streakiest shooters I’ve ever had the frustration/joy of watching, and he’s currently in the midst of an epic run of shooting form. He’s 8-12 from deep in the NCAA Tournament, which is crazy. What’s even crazier is he’s 34/66 (52%) in the month of March, dating back to his 5/9 performance in Purdue’s loss to Ohio State.
In addition to Loyer’s incendiary shooting,CJ Coxhas also come up big for the Boilermakers. Purdue’s guard lets his play talk for him on the court, and recently, his play has been talking crazy. He’s 6/8 from distance in the tournament, including his late first-half outburst against Miami that saw him drain 3 consecutive deep balls in the last 2 minutes of the half to help steal any momentum from the Hurricanes heading into halftime.
CJ would have more than 8 attempts in the tournament, but as we all know, his knee buckled on a drive to the basket in the second half of the Miami game. He spent most of the second half in the locker room and then, thankfully, on the Boilermaker bench without ice or a brace. I get the feeling that he would have played if Purdue needed him down the stretch. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case, and Purdue’s combustible sophomore guard was able to take the night off and rest up for the Sweet 16. From every account I’ve read, he should be good to go against Texas. That’s good for Purdue, because they’re going to need to keep up the 3-point shooting pace against a Longhorn team that collapses to protect the paint at the slightest provocation, leaving shooters open on the perimeter. If you leave a Purdue shooter open, the Boilermakers happen to have the most prolific assist man in NCAA history pulling the strings in Braden Smith. When Purdue throws down on the block to Trey Kaufmann-Renn, the Boilermakers get even more dangerous from the outside, because Braden is a knock-down catch-and-shoot guy as well when his shots are falling; double-team Trey at your own peril.
While Purdue has been historically hot from behind the arc, the Longhorns’ perimeter defense has significantly improved in tournament play.
vs NC State: 6-16 (38%)
vs BYU: 4-22 (18%)
vs Gonzaga: 4/16 (25%)
It’s no surprise that the closest game they’ve played in the tournament was their 68-66 win over NC State in the play-in game. Texas struggles when they give up 3-pointers, and they haven’t been giving up 3-pointers in the tournament.
In fact, after Arkansas and Oklahoma combined to hit 18/39 (46%) in consecutive March conference losses, the Longhorns have only given up 15 3’s in their last 4 games. They even held Ole Miss to 1/11 3-point shooting in their upset loss in the SEC Tournament.
Purdue is on an epic 3-point binge, and Texas’s defense has been shutting teams down from behind the arc after struggling to do so in the regular season.
I don’t see a way forward for Texas if Purdue stays hot from outside. I don’t think they can score enough points to beat a hot shooting Boilermaker squad.
If Texas can maintain its suddenly stifling perimeter defense, the 11th-seeded Longhorns have more than enough firepower to end Purdue’s run to Indianapolis and further solidify my long-simmering hatred of the Longhorns that started with the Panama Myers goaltend (I swear it was a goaltend, no need to go back and watch the film.)
Purdue’s Defense Rebounding: 26.7% (30)
Texas’s Offensive Rebounding: 35.4% (38)
Thoughts:
If I had to pinpoint one reason the Longhorns have defied their seeding while knocking off NC State, BYU, and Gonzaga, it’s their work on the offensive glass.
vs NC State: 13 (36.1%)
vs BYU: 14 (41.2%)
vs Gonzaga: 5 (17.9%)
Granted, they weren’t anything special on the boards in their upset over the Zags, but they also made more of their first attempts, with a tournament high .558 effective field goal percentage. I’m going to make a not-so-bold statement and say that Purdue is significantly better than any of the teams the Longhorns have faced in the tournament thus far, at least in terms of their offense.
Texas will need to get up as many shots as possible to try to counteract Purdue’s hot shooting and crushing offensive efficiency. They are one of the worst teams in the nation at creating turnovers (352nd), and I’m willing to bet that Braden Smith doesn’t turn the ball over 8 times as he did against Miami.
If Texas wants to get up extra shots, they are going to have to corral their own misses.
In a strange way, this is a “proof of concept” game for Matt Painter and the Boilermakers. Purdue’s 2025 season ended in the Sweet 16, in large part because Houston dominated them on the offensive glass. It’s hard to win a game when you give up 16 offensive boards.
Coach Painter went into the offseason with the express goal of improving Purdue’s defensive rebounding. Oscar Cluff was the best rebounding big man in the portal, and the Boilermakers swooped in and secured the Aussie big man’s services. That investment, as well as Trey moving back to his natural power forward spot, has improved Purdue’s defensive rebounding from 29.7% (176) to 26.7% (30) in 2026.
At the same time, teams have managed to get at the Boilermakers on the offensive glass in the tournament.
Queens: 8 (24%)
Miami: 14 (40%)
The Miami game, in particular, showed the Longhorns the blueprint. The Hurricanes swarmed the glass with their athletic front court and wings. Trey Kaufmann-Renn and Oscar Cluff can hold their own on the boards, but things get more difficult when the opponent can send a wing like 6’6”, 240-pound wing to offense glass, as Miami did with Shelton Henderson. The Boilermakers are going to give up the occasional offensive rebound to players like Malik Reneau and Ernest Udeh. When the opponents’ wings get involved in offensive rebounding, things get significantly more difficult because Purdue doesn’t have the size or athletic ability to match on the perimeter. Braden, Fletcher, and CJ combined for 4 defensive rebounds against Miami, while Henderson and fellow Hurricane wing Tru Washington combined for 5 offensive rebounds.
Texas doesn’t have the same type of wing players as Miami. That’s no knock on the Longhorns; physically, Henderson is an NBA wing playing college basketball. They do, however, have plenty of size to throw at the wing position with 6’7”, Purdue defector Camden Heide, and 6’8” sophomore Nic Codie at their disposal. They can also shift 6’5” senior guard Tamon Mark from shooting guard to small forward and have him attack the offensive glass as well. Purdue’s back court has to do a good job at keeping their guys off the glass, because if I’m Sean Miller, I’m sending at least three to boards on every shot and hoping that the transition defense holds.
If Cluff and Trey stay out of foul trouble, they should be able to handle the Texas front court of Matas Vokietaitis and Dailyn Swain. If either gets in foul trouble, which isn’t super unusual for either player, especially early, Purdue’s lack of interior depth could play a factor in this game. I don’t like Trey trying to rebound against Vokietaitis if he has to shift down to center to replace Cluff. I don’t like Jack Benter’s matchup with Dailyn Swain if Jack has to play extended minutes in place of Trey. The thought of Daniel Jacobsen attempting to bang with Vokietaitis on the boards makes me break out in a cold sweat.
Purdue’s starting front court needs to stay on the court because I’m not sure the reserves are going to get it done. If Texas finds a way to secure 14 offensive boards like Miami did in the last round, the Boilermakers will find themself in a dog fight down the stretch with an 11th seed.
Purdue has more paths to victory than Texas. If the Boilermakers can continue to shoot the lights out from distance and compete on the boards, I don’t see a way forward for the Longhorns. However, if Texas can slow Purdue down from behind the arc or get after them on the offensive glass, things get dicey.
KenPom predicts an 82-74 Purdue victory. If that’s the score, it means Purdue hit outside shots and handled their business on the glass.
The Longhorns need to play this game in the 70s, or, even better, in the 60’s like they did against NC State. That means Sean Miller read this preview and should get me a chunk of his game check.
Purdue has more paths to victory, but the Longhorns aren’t without recourse.
If this game comes down to the last possession and Vokietaitis goal tends a Braden Smith floater to secure the Texas victory, I may never recover.
Here’s hoping the Boilermakers do the job and keep my Thursday night relatively stress-free and uneventful. It’s been a rough year, and it’s only March; I could use this one.
Bruins Reveal James Hagens' Jersey Number For Professional Debut originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
James Hagens will wear some new digits during his stint with the Providence Bruins.
Hagens, who signed an amateur tryout agreement on Tuesday and was assigned to AHL-Providence, will make his debut for the club in No. 12 against the Springfield Thunderbirds on Wednesday.
🧊 Taking the ice in 1️⃣2️⃣ 🧊 pic.twitter.com/UxPtmLNUg9
— Providence Bruins (@AHLBruins) March 25, 2026
Hagens, who cannot join the big club until he signs his entry-level deal, knows that he might be sticking around at the lower level for a while...
"Nothing's given, everything's earned," Hagens said following practice on Tuesday. "So it's just knowing that you have earn a spot wherever you go. So that's going out there, it's working your hardest. It's trying to show everything you worked for."
Hagens wore No. 10 with Boston College, but had to go with his second choice as his collegiate number is currently being worn by Georgii Merkulov with the P-Bruins. The B's currently have Riley Tufte in No. 10, so perhaps the new set will stick around for a while.
More NHL: Bruins Sign James Hagens To AHL Amateur Tryout Agreement
This may just be his third NBA season, but it’s safe to declare that Victor Wembanyama is the best defensive player in the league. His defensive impact is far greater than any statistic can measure. But Tracy McGrady believes there is attack a way to attack the Frenchman without giving much away.
Wembanyama has appeared in 57 games this season and has led the team to a 54-18 record. His elastic-like frame has proven to be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenders. However, his biggest factor in the game is his defensive impact. The 22-year-old currently leads the league in blocks with 3.0 per game. At this rate, this would be his third straight season as the league leader in that category.
Moreover, with Wembanyama on the floor, the opposing team’s points per possession decrease by 12.9 points, which is in the 99th percentile. He also has a huge impact on opposing eFG, which decreases 5.2% with him on the court, according to Cleaning The Glass.
He is constantly hovering on the court, looking to make a defensive stop. Consequently, Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter discussed how they would attack Wembanyama if he were guarding them. McGrady revealed the ideal position he would want Wemby in if he were on offense.
“Me personally, I want to be able to see him. [If he is] guarding me one-on-one, if I get by him, he can still recover. I need him to be in my vision. So if I’m on the weak side and I’m driving to the basket and he’s coming, I want that. I can make the adjustments,”* McGrady __[said](https://youtu.be/MKnMbEOC-44?si=luw6-q_PlIfTo8PQ&t=1610)__ on Cousins.*
Carter listened intently to his former teammate’s rationale. However, he would immediately reveal wanting to take the opposite approach.
“I feel like I got a chance if he’s chasing me,” Carter stated. *“I’m just going to slow down [and absorb the contact].”*
McGrady immediately clowned Carter by saying, “He’s going to send that s ** up to the stands.”* That very well may be true. Wembanyama has gotten the best of many of the league’s best offensive players when they attack the rim. It’s important as an offensive player to continue to never settle in those situations.
Carter and McGrady understand that sentiment very well, considering they played in an era filled with defensive enforcers. Carter had plenty of shots blocked by Dikembe Mutombo, but eventually got the best of the iconic shot blocker with a memorable poster dunk. Resilience is the main key, which more players need to have when it comes to going headfirst at Wembanyama.
The post “Meet Me at the Rim”: Tracy McGrady Deliberates Over Where He’d Want Victor Wembanyama to Guard Him appeared first on The SportsRush.
Freya Jensen’s time with the Iowa State women’s basketball team didn’t last long.
The freshman who sparingly played during her first season with the Cyclones is transferring, she told The Des Moines Register on Wednesday, March 25.
The 5-foot-100 guard from Denmark played in just 11 games this past season, averaging just 1.6 points per contest.
Jensen competed for the 2024 U18 European Championship and averaged 16.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2 assists per game while shooting 35% from beyond the arc.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women's basketball guard Freya Jensen will transfer
If you've been assuming the Raiders will select quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft next month, you're certainly not alone.
Las Vegas has reportedly taken another step in the process of making that widely held assumption become reality.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, the Raiders will host Mendoza for a top-30, pre-draft visit in two weeks.
It has not been reported whether Mendoza has taken other visits or will meet with other teams. But it would be a stunner if the Raiders were to pass on Mendoza at No. 1 overall.
Mendoza is slated to work out at Indiana's Pro Day on April 1, which will represent another step for him on the path to the draft. But everything seems to be shaping up for Mendoza to become the next QB1 in Las Vegas.
UConn has shooters and slashers, its offense an array of moving parts all in sync.
The central cog is big man Tarris Reed Jr.
The 6-foot-11, 265-pound senior has been punishing opposing teams at a record rate, giving the Huskies a huge inside advantage that they’re more than happy to take advantage of as they climb through the NCAA Tournament bracket.
“This guy’s a total monster and today he was a real grizzly bear,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said after Reed opened the NCAA Tournament with 31 points and 27 rebounds against Furman.
The NCAA Tournament is down to a Sweet 16 void of mid-majors for the second straight season.
NIL and the transfer portal have played significant roles in the recent downturn in March Madness upsets.
Being a bully has also helped.
One of the biggest advantages power-conference programs have over mid-majors is their heft, and they’ve been throwing it around a lot more.
Power conferences have gone 27-4 against mid-majors in this year’s bracket, outscoring them by an average of 7.7 points in the paint. Florida had the largest margin inside, punishing Prairie View A&M by a whopping 64-10 in the paint for a 114-55 win — the second-largest margin of victory in NCAA Tournament history.
Arkansas also scored 64 paint points in its opening 97-78 win over Hawaii.
Power programs have grabbed 9.3 more rebounds per game against mid-majors, topped by Illinois’ 48-25 advantage in its 105-70 blowout of Penn.
The bigger programs also are averaging 12.1 offensive rebounds and 13.1 second-chance points against mid-majors. Illinois had 29 second-chance points on 20 offensive rebounds against Penn, and Arizona converted 16 offensive rebounds into 22 second-chance points in its blowout win over Long Island.
In other words, the Sweet 16 got big.
“I do think you’re seeing more of it,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “I think the trend will go back to what it’s supposed to be, and that’s a balance between inside and outside.”
The perimeter game had been the way to go, thanks to the success of Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
College basketball often mimics the NBA and the Warriors’ run of three titles in four years by virtue of Curry and crew’s 3-point shooting trickled down.
Based on the notion that three is more than two, college teams started spreading the floor — sometimes with all five players outside the lane — in search of the best shot from the arc. Villanova perfected the style while winning two championships under Jay Wright and Baylor used a similar tactic to win the 2021 title.
But spreading the floor and relying on 3-pointers negates some of the size advantage power-conference programs have over mid-majors. One cold shooting night or the opposing team getting hot and that’s it in the one-loss-and-done NCAA Tournament — as college basketball fans saw with the rash of March Madness upsets the past few years.
Working inside-out creates a dilemma for opposing defenses: play the big man straight up or double team, opening up the perimeter game?
“That was kind of the wave for a couple years, teams that sold themselves as playing a ‘pro-style’ offense and spread out, but when you play that way, you allow a lot of volatility to enter the equation,” Florida coach Todd Golden said. “When you have the opportunity to recruit bigger, stronger, faster athletes and play a style that allows you to raise your floor with high two-point field goal percentage and get on the glass, that just gives you a better chance to be consistently successful.”
The proof is in the teams still left standing.
Midwest No. 1 seed Michigan has 7-3 Aday Mara roaming the paint. West No. 1 seed Arizona likes to get the ball to 7-2 Motiejus Krivas early in games and force teams to make a decision. Illinois has the biggest team in the country, anchored by 7-foot twins Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic.
UConn won consecutive national championships with 7-2 Donovan Clingan drawing attention inside and Purdue coach Matt Painter rode the massive shoulders of 7-3, 305-pound center Zach Edey into the 2024 national title game.
“I think the big men are resurging again,” Izzo said. “Give Matt Painter and that monster (Edey) credit for that.”
Now Izzo has to face another monster, grizzly bear, or whatever you want to call him.
Reed joined Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan as the only players to have 40 points and 40 rebounds through two games of the NCAA Tournament, so stopping him will be priority No. 1 for Izzo on Friday if the Spartans want to reach the Elite Eight.
On Monday, it was announced that Ole Book would become Borussia Dortmund’s new sporting director. He started work at BVB today, Wednesday. “The first three hours were certainly intense. We first had the opportunity to welcome the staff and coaching team. A few players were also there. I’ve also already had the chance to meet many members of the administrative staff. It was great fun and has left me wanting more.” At midday, the official presentation to the press took place in the press conference room at SIGNAL IDUNA PARK.
“Many more meetings will follow. The most important thing right now is getting to know all the people, the processes and the procedures. It’s a wonderful task that I’m looking forward to. Then we’ll get straight into the sporting side of things,” said Book. “I’m delighted to be able to get started with these positive first impressions at the club close to my heart, right here in my home region.”
Although Book moved to Dortmund from Elversberg in Saarland at short notice, the relocation was the least of his concerns as the new sporting director is originally from Beckum. His family remained there even during his time in Elversberg, so the journey to his new workplace isn’t too long: “It took about half an hour this morning, which was fine.”
Ole Book on his connection to BVB:“That connection goes back as far as I can remember. My first defining moment was narrowly missing out on the league title on the final day of the 1992 season. A little later, I went to the stadium for the first time with my father. I was given a shirt every two or three years. There were also lots of posters in my room.”
… the release clause for BVB in his contract with Elversberg: “It was a professional goal to work successfully at Borussia Dortmund and to get stuck in here with all the staff. And yes, it was certainly a sign of self-confidence.”
… the approach from BVB: “I’ve been a fan all my life, my father is a fan, as are my son and most of the people I know. So, of course, it’s special. On the other hand, I’ve been doing this job for over eight years now. Lars, Carsten and I quickly realised that we’re on the same wavelength. What Borussia Dortmund want in terms of team spirit and working together aligns with what I have to offer.”
… finding gems from the second division and the Bundesliga:“Good footballers are good footballers regardless of the league they play in. Of course, the standard is different, but I know the Bundesliga and Borussia Dortmund well. I’ve also been following international football very closely over the last few years. At the end of the day, it always comes down to what fits together, what fits with the team, and what fits with how the manager wants to play. We want to work closely together to find gems that will help Borussia Dortmund. The approach is very similar. I now have other options in scouting and analysis. It’s a bit more of a team effort.”
… his approach: “Fundamentally, I have always been and remain committed to bold, attacking football. At the end of the day, however, we want to analyse the squad as a team and go through in detail what we are capable of, what we have to offer, and how we intend to be successful. The most important thing, and what takes precedence above all else, is the success of the team and of Borussia Dortmund. This means success in the short, medium and long term. I feel responsible for all these perspectives and I want to do justice to all of them. That is why we should not be expected to look only for the youngest players in the world, although that is also an element that is important for further development. We want to find players who fit into our system, who fit in with our coaching team and who fit in with the values that the club embodies. The right fit is the decisive factor for all players. Then, we will work together to see what this new path might look like.”
… the settling-in period:“It should definitely be very quick. I feel absolutely ready to hit the ground running. I’m aware that, in terms of public perception, there’s quite a gap between Elversberg and Dortmund. You can’t do more than acknowledge that beforehand; the rest I’ll have to experience for myself. I have an experienced team around me who can support me and help me.”
… his way of working:“First and foremost, it’s about analysing the squad, and everyone has a part to play in that. It involves close collaboration with the coaching staff, the analysts, the scouting team and all my colleagues. And, of course, I’ll be bringing my own ideas and input to the table. We will use this analysis to plan a strong squad down to the last detail. We want to send a team onto the pitch where every cog operates cohesively with the next. That requires very clear and detailed work. Diligence is the foundation of scouting, and scouting is the foundation of squad planning, and squad planning is the foundation of Borussia Dortmund’s success. That’s why we should start with diligence.”
… working with the coaches: “I spoke to Niko on the phone for the first time yesterday. I have a good feeling about it and I also believe he’s looking forward to working together. I’m certainly really looking forward to it. The relationship between the sporting director and the head coach is one of the most crucial aspects of any football club. I think it's very important that we build a strong relationship based on trust and that we communicate openly and transparently with one another.”
Carsten Cramer, spokesperson for the board of directors, and sporting director Lars Ricken also used the press conference to thank Sebastian Kehl once again. “On behalf of Borussia Dortmund, I would like to say a very heartfelt thank you to Sebastian Kehl, not only for his work as sporting director but also for everything he achieved on the pitch in the club shirt. There is hardly any other player or person who has committed themselves to Borussia Dortmund as much as Sebastian Kehl,” said Cramer.
Carsten Cramer on the reorganisation: “In recent weeks and months, we have shown that we want to summon a great deal of courage, that we are keen to make Borussia Dortmund even better. The decision to make a change in this role – not just to press the reset button, but to really start an update – shows that we want to send a signal that we at Borussia Dortmund have big plans. I feel that, in Ole, we have brought someone on board who embodies the new BVB. Ole is the missing piece of the puzzle.”
Lars Ricken on Ole Book: Lars Ricken on Ole Book: “The future is sitting right next to me. It really feels like a fresh start. Ole is, of course, known for his eye for young talent but just as much for building a squad that is successful. He has done an extremely good job and has built up an excellent network as a result. The fact that he has a certain affinity for BVB was certainly not a negative factor for us. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to sign him at such short notice, because he had a release clause included in his contract specifically for Borussia Dortmund. Of course, that also demonstrates self-confidence and foresight.”
… the future strategy: “I’m delighted that, following Niko Kovac, we once again have someone from outside the club who brings fresh impetus and new ideas. I’m convinced that his eye for talent, his ability to build a squad and his personality as a team player mean that we have found the best possible sporting director for Borussia Dortmund. We won’t be playing with an Under-21 team in future. We have great players in our youth ranks, but they will need the necessary time to reach their highest level. That’s why it’s important to have a two-pronged strategy with experienced players whom the young players can look up to and develop alongside. That has always been part of Borussia Dortmund’s DNA.”Christina Reinke
Google Analytics launched Scenario Planner and Projections to help advertisers forecast performance, optimize budgets, and plan cross-channel media spend more strategically.
The post Google Analytics Launches Scenario Planner and Projections appeared first on Search Engine Journal.
Forza Horizon 6’s system requirements are a breath of fresh air for PC gamers Playground Games has officially released its PC system requirements for Forza Horizon 6, and it’s great news for PC gamers. On PC, the newest Forza game will be highly scalable, supporting platforms as low-end as Valve’s Steam Deck and ASUS’ entry-level […]
The post Is your PC ready for Forza Horizon 6? PC Requirements Released appeared first on OC3D.
Getly is an independent marketplace for buying and selling digital products like templates, design assets, music, video, courses, and AI prompts. Creators keep 80% per sale, accept Stripe or stablecoins, and deliver instant downloads to buyers. The platform offers creator stores, analytics, marketing automation, bundles, and a Pro subscription with unlimited downloads from a curated catalog. Shoppers can browse thousands of items, filter by price and rating, and checkout securely worldwide.
Feevio turns your voice notes into polished invoices and quotes so you can bill clients before details fade. Speak what you did, who it was for, and time or rates, and it drafts clear line items, handles totals and tax, and applies your branding. Use it on phone or desktop to capture jobs, tidy the draft, and email a professional PDF in minutes. Track revenue and outstanding invoices, keep client records together, and bulk-download PDFs when it’s time to share paperwork.
newnity is a crowdfunding platform built on Base (Coinbase's L2) where creators launch campaigns and backers fund them in USDC. Every campaign uses on-chain escrow with all-or-nothing settlement: if the goal is met, the creator receives the funds. If not, every backer is automatically refunded. No middleman holds your money.
Supporters earn XP for every campaign they back, building reputation across the platform. Creators can run campaigns for games, music, digital art, and more. Transaction fees on Base are fractions of a cent. Currently live on Base Sepolia testnet, with mainnet launching in Summer 2026.
American Airlines and Korean Air Disrupt Travel Across South Korea as Two Key Flight Cancellations Hit Routes from Seoul Incheon...
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Egypt Faces Energy Crisis: Visa Increases, Shortened Hours, and Power Cuts Impact Tourism Over Easter HolidaysEgypt's tourism is facing changes...
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Tourism Kimberley to Close Visitor Info Services at Kimberley Visitor Centre, Exploring New HorizonsTourism Kimberley announces the closure of visitor...
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Jetstar Expands Regional Connectivity with New International Service Linking Newcastle to Singapore and Bali, Offering Convenient Travel Options for Passengers...
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Last year, Oppo released the Watch X2 in March and followed that up with the Watch X2 Mini in April. History may repeat itself – the Oppo Watch X3 was released earlier this month and Evan Blass just posted the first image of a Mini version. With no further details, we can only speculate about the Oppo Watch X3 Mini. The X3 is a 47mm watch and the X3 Mini should be a 43mm watch. At least that was the case with the two X2 models. Oppo Watch X3 Mini (leaked image) Last year, the X2 was a rebadged OnePlus Watch 3 and the X2 Mini was closely related to the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm. Except...
For the March friendlies against France and Croatia, Carlo Ancelotti decided not to include Neymar in the Brazil squad, which reduces his chances of being part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The head coach spoke on the matter and sent a message to those who criticized his decision.
“I observe and hear everything that is said about Neymar,” Ancelotti began, during the pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday’s game against France, shared by Diario AS. “It’s normal. Everyone can have an opinion on soccer. There is no clear science. I have to respect everyone’s opinion.”
Many expected Neymar to have the chance to return to the national team during this March FIFA break, after two and a half years away. However, the coach decided not to call him, arguing that he is not in optimal physical condition, while clarifying that there is still a chance Ney could join ahead of the World Cup.
Among the critics of that decision are several icons of Brazilian soccer, including Romario, who sent a strong message to Ancelotti: “I want to make it clear that while I am fully in favor of Neymar going, I will continue to support the pursuit of the ‘Hexa’ even if he doesn’t. But the message is clear: Pay attention, mister!”
Segundo dia de treino concluído com sucesso aqui em Orlando 🇧🇷💛
— brasil (@CBF_Futebol) March 25, 2026
📸 Rafael Ribeiro/CBF pic.twitter.com/wgYvOoh5OU
Similarly, Fabinho also defended Neymar’s inclusion in the Brazil roster. “He can make a difference at any moment, so he can be very important in a World Cup. If he is in good form and physically ready, he is the best,” said the former Liverpool star during an interview with L’Equipe.
In the same press conference, Carlo Ancelotti reviewed his first months in charge of the Brazil national team, which is his first international coaching experience. “Many of us regret that there is little time to train, and we have to focus on the quality of training sessions, meetings… It’s more a matter of quality than time,” he explained.
Regarding the next challenge against France, Ancelotti admitted he has not yet finalised the lineup and spoke about his priorities when planning strategy. “We want to play a good game by controlling the match and maintaining balance,” said the coach. “Playing against France is an important game, especially against a team that is a favourite to win the World Cup. We want to show good attitude and quality.”
After Carlo Ancelotti, it was Vinicius’ turn to face the press in the conference room. The Real Madrid winger was also asked about Neymar’s absence and did not hesitate to praise his teammate.
“Ney is one of my idols. He is doing everything possible to be at 100%, to return to the national team… Now, the decision is in the hands of the coach,” Vini said, placing the responsibility for the decision on Ancelotti.
After nine years, Mohamed Salah has decided to leave Liverpool at the end of the season. While he had a contract through 2027, both parties reached an agreement for him to leave as a free agent. While his current season has drawn criticism, the Egyptian has left a historic legacy in the Premier League, prompting legend Jamie Carragher to rank him ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo in the league’s history.
“In the pantheon of overseas attacking players to have excelled in England, only Thierry Henry eclipses Salah’s output and consistency. While many will argue the merits of players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Eden Hazard, Gianfranco Zola, Dennis Bergkamp or Eric Cantona, none of them produced the same devastating numbers as consistently, season-after-season, as the Egyptian,” Carragher said, via The Telegraph.
Cristiano Ronaldo has built a legendary career, playing a central role in the GOAT debate. While he has won a Ballon d’Or and multiple Premier League titles, he made a far greater impact in LaLiga with Real Madrid, netting 450 goals and contributing 131 assists. In his six-year tenure at Manchester United, he tallied 145 goals and 73 assists, being frequently overtaken by Wayne Rooney.
While Cristiano has made a significant impact on soccer history, Salah has been more influential in the Premier League. He has become the highest-scoring foreign player with 191 goals and ranks fourth among all-time Premier League scorers, behind Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, and Alan Shearer. In addition to this, he led an historic era within Liverpool, winning multiple trophies.
Mohamed Salah has become one of the most legendary figures in Liverpool’s history. Alongside Steve Gerrard, the Egyptian has emerged as the player with the greatest impact on the team’s recent modern era. He not only made his mark as a goal-scorer but was also part of the legendary attacking trio featuring Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mané that competed with Manchester City for several years.
While Firmino and Mané left the team, the Egyptian remained with the Reds, continuing to shine for several more seasons. In fact, Salah was the top scorer in the most recent Premier League season with 29 goals. As a result, he has demonstrated impressive consistency that has led Liverpool for nearly a decade, cementing his status as a true legend.
Unlike Cristiano Ronaldo, Mohamed Salah experienced his peak performance in the Premier League, making history as a goalscorer and at Liverpool FC. Moreover, the Egyptian played a key role in lifting the Reds from a difficult period to becoming one of the top teams in England.
| WHO | Real Madrid vs Barcelona |
| WHAT | Women’s UEFA Champions League |
| WHEN | 4:00pm ET / 1:00pm PT • Wednesday, March 25, 2026 |
| WHERE | Fubo, Paramount+, CBS Sports Network and ESPN Deportes |
| STREAM | WATCH NOW |
A trip to the semifinals is at stake as Real Madrid prepare for a massive quarterfinal test against domestic rival Barcelona. Madrid come in riding confidence after surviving a demanding battle with Paris FC, proving their resilience and setting the stage for a potential breakthrough performance on Europe’s biggest stage.
The face a Barcelona side that dominated the league phase to secure the top spot, reinforcing their status as one of the tournament’s top contenders and a team accustomed to deep runs. With pride, momentum, and a place in the final four all hanging in the balance, this rivalry clash has all the ingredients of a must-watch showdown.
The potential unification showdown between and has been doused with uncertainty, as mandatory challenger Shakhram Giyasov demands that justice is served. Despite Giyasov’s status as the WBA ‘interim’ champion, it is now approaching three years and he is still yet to secure his shot at Romero’s world title. Instead, the WBA welterweight champion has been […]
The post Devin Haney vs Rolly Romero hits snag as mandatory challenger calls for ‘justice’ appeared first on Boxing News.
Futbol üzrə Türkiyə millisinin sabiq üzvü Kolin Kazım Riçards İngiltərənin “Kroli Taun” komandasına baş məşqçi təyin edilib.
Arena.az bu barədə klubun rəsmi saytına istinadən xəbər verir.
Gənc mütəxəssislə 2025/2026-cı illər mövsümünün sonuna qədər nəzərdə tutulmuş müqavilə imzalanıb. O, bu təyinata qədər “Arsenal”ın gənclərdən ibarət komandasında məşqçi kimi fəaliyyət göstərib. Bu, 39 yaşlı sabiq futbolçunun baş məşqçi kimi ilk işi olacaq.
İngiltərənin səviyyəcə 2-ci Liqasında mübarizə aparan “Kroli Taun” 31 xalla 21-ci sırada qərarlaşıb.
Xatırladaq ki, Kolim Kazım karyerası ərzində Türkiyənin “Fənərbağça”, “Qalatasaray”, “Fatih Karagümrük”, “Bursaspor”, İngiltərənin “Beri”, “Brayton”, “Şeffild Yunayted”, “Bləkbörn”, “Derbi Kaunti”, Braziliyanın “Koritiba”, “Korintians”, Meksikanın “Lobos”, “Verakrus”, Niderlandın “Feyenoord”, Şotlandiyanın “Seltik”, Fransanın “Tuluza”, Yunanıstanın “Olimpiakos” kimi klublarında forma geyinib. O, Türkiyə yığmasında 37 oyun keçirib, 2 qol və 5 məhsuldar ötürmə müəllifi olub.
“Ştutqart”ın sağ vingeri Ceymi Levelinq aldığı əzələ zədəsi səbəbindən Almaniya milli komandasının düşərgəsini tərk edib.
Arena.az bu barədə Almaniya mətbuatına istinadən xəbər verir.
Levelinq martın 27-də İsveçrə və martın 30-da Qanaya qarşı keçiriləcək yoxlama görüşlərində iştirak edə bilməyəcək. Almaniya Futbol İttifaqından verilən məlumata görə, Ceyminin əvəzinə yığmaya yeni oyunçu dəvət olunmayacaq.
Xatırladaq ki, Almaniya yığmasında daha əvvəl Aleksandr Pavloviç və Feliks Nmeça da zədə səbəbindən sıradan çıxmışdı. Onları “Ştutqart”ın digər təmsilçiləri Kris Führix və Ancelo Ştiller əvəzləmişdi.
2023-cü ildən “Ştutqart”da çıxış edən 25 yaşlı Ceymi Levelinq cari mövsümdə 41 matçda 11 qol və 9 məhsuldar ötürmə ilə yadda qalıb. Almaniya millisinə ilk dəfə 2024-cü ildə dəvət almış futbolçu yığmanın heyətində keçirdiyi 4 oyunda 1 qol vurub.
Peşəkar karyerasına “Qroyter Fürt”də başlamış Levelinq “Union Berlin”də də çıxış edib.
“Barselona”ya rəhbərlik edən almaniyalı mütəxəssis Hansi Flik İspaniya La Liqasında 2026-cı ilin mart ayının ən yaxşı məşqçisi seçilib.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə turnirin mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.
“Barselona” mart ayında ölkə çempionatı çərçivəsində keçirdiyi 3 oyunun hamısında qalib gəlib. Flikin komandası bu matçlarda “Atletik” (1:0), “Sevilya” (5:2) və “Rayo Valyekano”nu (1:0) məğlub etməyi bacarıb. Kataloniya təmsilçisi hazırda La Liqanın turnir cədvəlində 73 xalla 1-ci pillədə qərarlaşıb.
Hansi Flik cari mövsümdə ilk, karyerası ərzində 4-cü dəfə La Liqada ayın ən yaxşısı seçilir. O, daha öncə 2024-cü ilin avqust, oktyabr, 2025-ci ilin fevral aylarında da oxşar mükafata layiq görülmüşdü.
Cari mövsümdə İspaniya La Liqasında ilk belə mükafatı “Real”ı çalışdırarkən Xabi Alonso qazanıb. O, avqust ayının ən yaxşısı seçilib. Sentyabrda “Elçe”ni çalışdıran Eder Sarabiya fərqlənib, oktyabrda “Rayo Valyekano”ya rəhbərlik edən İnyiqo Peres, noyabrda “Vilyarreal”ı çalışdıran Marselino Qarsiya Toral, dekabrda “Espanyol”un sükanı arxasında olan Manolo Qonsales, bu ilin yanvarında “Real Sosyedad”a rəhbərlik edən Pelleqrino Matarasso, fevralda Manuel Pelleqrini (“Betis”) ayın ən yaxşı məşqçisi elan edilib.
“Roma”nın niderlandlı mərkəz hücumçusu Donyell Malen İtaliya A Seriyasında fevral ayının ən yaxşı futbolçusu seçilib.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə A Seriyasının rəsmi saytı məlumat yayıb.
27 yaşlı futbolçu azarkeşlər arasında keçirilmiş səsvermədə Lautaro Martines (“İnter”), Domeniko Berardi (“Sassuolo”), Marko Karnesekki (“Atalanta”), Federiko Dimarko (“İnter”), Moyze Kin (“Fiorentina”), Ueston Makkenni (“Yuventus”) kimi oyunçuları qabaqlayıb.
Malen ötən ay komandasının heyətində A Seriyasında çıxdığı 4 matçda 4 qol vurub.
Xatırladaq ki, A Seriyasında avqust ayının ən yaxşısı “Yuventus”un türkiyəli hücumçusu Kenan Yıldız seçilmişdi. Sentyabrda “Milan”ın amerikalı legioneri Kristian Pulişiç ən yaxşı elan edilmişdisə, oktyabrda “Napoli”nin kamerunlu mərkəz yarımmüdafiəçisi Frank Anqissa, noyabrda “Kremoneze”nin forvardı Ceymi Vardi, dekabrda “İnter”in hücumçusu Lautaro Martines, yanvarda Federiko Dimarko (“İnter”) fərqlənmişdi.
“Roma” Donyell Maleni bu ilin əvvəlində İngiltərənin “Aston Villa” komandasından icarəyə götürüb. “Canavarlar” cari mövsümün sonunda niderlandlı futbolçunun transfer hüquqlarını satın almaq hüququna da malikdir. İtaliya klubu Malenin yarım mövsümlük icarəsi üçün “Aston Villa”ya 2 milyon avro ödəyib. 27 yaşlı forvard “Roma”nın heyətində indiyə qədər 12 oyuna çıxıb, 8 qol və 1 assist müəllifi olub.
Donyell Malen “Ayaks”ın yetirməsidir. London “Arsenal”ının da sistemindən keçmiş forvard peşəkar karyerasına PSV-də başlayıb. O 2021-ci ilin iyul ayında məhz PSV klubundan 30 milyon avro qarşılığında Dortmund “Borussiya”sına keçib. “Aston Villa” isə bu futbolçunu 2025-ci ilin yanvarında 25 milyon avro müqabilində heyətinə qatmışdı. O, İngiltərə klubunun heyətində 46 matça çıxıb. Hücumçu bu görüşərdə 10 qol vurub, 2 məhsuldar ötürmə müəllifi olub.
Malen Niderlandın müxtəlif yaş qrupları üzrə yığmalarında oynadıqdan sonra 2019-cu ilin sentyabr ayında əsas millidə debüt edib. O, Niderland millisində də 49 oyuna çıxıb, 13 qol vurub, 9 məhsuldar ötürmə müəllifi olub.
Mateo Retegui insists ‘pressure is not the right word’ to describe what Italy feel in the World Cup play-off with Northern Ireland, and he flew in a week early to be prepared.
The semi-final with Northern Ireland kicks off at the New Balance Arena in Bergamo on Thursday at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).
Whoever wins that will go on to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away from home on March 31 for a spot at the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
Retegui was the first to arrive at the Coverciano training camp last week to start work with coach Gennaro Gattuso after his experience with Al-Qadsiah.
“I arrived a week early, because as soon as I found out I had some free days in Arabia, I asked to come here to Coverciano and start training,” the former Atalanta striker told Sky Sport Italia.
“It seemed the most logical thing to do, to be here with the Nazionale and in Italy a bit early. I thank the coach and the fitness coaches who came to work with me early.”
The Azzurri are feeling strong pressure preparing for yet another play-off, having failed at this stage and missed the World Cup in both 2018 and 2022.
“I don’t know if pressure is the right word for what I feel right now,” insisted Retegui.
“As soon as the game with Norway ended, we all wanted to play this game, so there is the desire to win, to prove to everyone the team is ready. We want to prove that we are in good shape for this decisive challenge.”
Italy had reshuffled their tactics quite a few times between Gattuso and predecessor Luciano Spalletti, but seem to have settled on a 3-5-2 formation against underdogs Northern Ireland.
“We know it is a match that will be won by the team with the most determination,” added Retegui.
“It is going to be a battle, we must fight to the end and we are not alone, because the crowd in Bergamo really pushes you on.
“We’ve got to focus on doing what we prepared in training, we know there is no other alternative but to win, so we’ve got to take the game in hand.”
145 Serie A representatives will be involved with their respective national sides during the March international break. Here is a look at all of them.
Italy are in action on Thursday evening, hosting Northern Ireland in Bergamo for the crucial World Cup play-off semi-final. 21 of the 28 players called up to Gennaro Gattuso’s squad are currently based in Serie A.
Croatia is the next-best represented nation in Serie A in terms of international call-ups with eight. Belgium, Scotland, Serbia, Norway and the Netherlands all have five Serie A players in their current squads, while France, Denmark, Albania, Switzerland and Turkiye have four each.
Atalanta and Juventus are the best represented Serie A sides with 14 senior internationals each in March, which is more than Inter and Napoli with 12 apiece and the 10 each from Milan and Torino.
All 20 Serie A sides have at least two senior players taking part in the March international break. Parma are the least-well represented with two senior call-ups. Cremonese, Fiorentina, Pisa and Udinese have three each.
Atalanta: Berat Djimsiti (Albania), Charles De Ketelaere (Belgium), Sead Kolasinac (Bosnia), Mario Pasalic (Croatia), Kamaldeen Sulemana (Ghana), Marco Carnesecchi (Italy), Giorgio Scalvini (Italy), Gianluca Scamacca (Italy), Odilon Kossounou (Ivory Coast), Nikola Krstovic (Montenegro), Nicola Zalewski (Poland), Lazar Samardzic (Serbia), Isak Hien (Sweden).
Bologna: Jhon Lucumi (Colombia), Nikola Moro (Croatia), Nicolo Cambiaghi (Italy), Torbjorn Heggem (Norway), Martin Vitik (Czechia), Lewis Ferguson (Scotland), Remo Freuler (Switzerland).
Cagliari: Ibrahim Sulemana (Ghana), Elia Caprile (Italy), Marco Palestra (Italy), Adam Obert (Slovakia), Semih Kilicsoy (Turkiye), Joseph Liteta (Zambia).
Como: Nico Paz (Argentina), Maximo Perrone (Argentina), Martin Baturina (Croatia), Ivan Smolcic (Croatia), Tasos Douvikas (Greece), Megrim Vojvoda (Kosovo), Assane Diao (Senegal), Noel Tornqvist (Sweden).
Cremonese: Emil Audero (Indonesia), Morten Thorsby (Norway), Antonio Sanabria (Paraguay).
Fiorentina: Marin Pongracic (Croatia), Moise Kean (Italy), Luis Balbo (Venezuela).
Genoa: Mikael Ellertsson (Iceland), Johan Vasquez (Mexico), Leo Ostigard (Norway), Justin Bijlow (Netherlands), Ruslan Malinovskyi (Ukraine).
Inter: Petar Sucic (Croatia), Marcus Thuram (France), Nicolo Barella (Italy), Alessandro Bastoni (Italy), Federico Dimarco (Italy), Pio Esposito (Italy), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Stefan de Vrij (Netherlands), Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands), Piotr Zielinski (Poland), Manuel Akanji (Switzerland), Hakan Calhanoglu (Turkiye).
Juventus: Lois Openda (Belgium), Bremer (Brazil), Jonathan David (Canada), Juan Cabal (Colombia), Pierre Kalulu (France), Andrea Cambiaso (Italy), Federico Gatti (Italy), Manuel Locatelli (Italy), Edon Zhegrova (Kosovo), Teun Koopmeiners (Netherlands), Francisco Conceicao (Portugal), Filip Kostic (Serbia), Kenan Yildiz (Turkiye), Weston McKennie (USA).
Lazio Elseid Hysaj (Albania), Gustav Isaksen (Denmark), Oliver Provstgaard (Denmark), Adam Marusic (Montenegro), Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Nigeria), Petar Ratkov (Serbia), Boulaye Dia (Senegal).
Lecce: Ylber Ramadani (Albania), Matiasa Perez (Chile), Omri Gandelman (Israel), Oumar Ngom (Mauritania), Sadik Fofana (Togo).
Milan: Koni De Winter (Belgium), Alexis Saelemaekers (Belgium), Luka Modric (Croatia), Pervis Estupinan (Ecuador), Fikayo Tomori (England), Mike Maignan (France), Adrien Rabiot (France), Strahinja Pavlovic (Serbia), Adron Jashari (Switzerland), Christian Pulisic (USA).
Napoli: Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Rasmus Hojlund (Denmark), Alessandro Buongiorno (Italy), Alex Meret (Italy), Matteo Politano (Italy), Leonardo Spinazzola (Italy), Eljif Elmas (North Macedonia), Billy Gilmour (Scotland), Scott McTominay (Scotland), Vanja Milinkovic-Savic (Serbia), Stanislav Lobotka (Slovakia), Mathias Olivera (Uruguay).
Parma: Alessandro Circati (Australia), Zion Suzuki (Japan).
Pisa: Rosen Bozhinov (Bulgaria), Felipe Loyola (Chile), Michel Aebischer (Switzerland).
Roma: Wesley (Brazil), Kostas Tsimikas (Greece), Bryan Cristante (Italy), Gianluca Mancini (Italy), Niccolo Pisilli (Italy), Evan Ndicka (Ivory Coast), Neil El Aynaoui (Morocco), Donyell Malen (Netherlands), Jan Ziolkowski (Poland), Zeki Celik (Turkiye).
Sassuolo: Tarik Muharemovic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Ismael Kone (Canada), Jay Idzes (Indonesia), Arijanet Muric (Kosovo), Woyo Coulibaly (Mali), Kristian Thorstvedt (Norway), Giacomo Benvenuti (San Marino).
Torino: Ardian Ismajli (Albania), Guillermo Maripan (Chile), Nikola Valsi (Croatia), Saul Coco (Equitorial Guinea), Gvidas Gineitis (Lithuania), Sergiu Perciun (Moldova), Daniel Tonica (Moldova), Marcus Pedersen (Norway), Che Adams (Scotland).
Udinese: Lennon Miller (Scotland), Jesper Karlstrom (Sweden), Maduka Okoye (Nigeria).
Verona: Rafik Belghali (Algeria), Victor Nelsson (Denmark), Andrias Edmundsson (Faroe Islands), Moatasem Al-Musrati (Libya), Tomas Suslov (Slovakia).
* List does not include youth team call-ups
While reports in Spain suggest Barcelona are preparing a €60m offer for Alessandro Bastoni, it will take a lot to prise the Italy international away from Inter.
The rumours have been gaining intensity over the last few days, with Barcelona seemingly identifying the central defender as the ideal reinforcement for next season.
Sport claim that a package worth €60m is being prepared to convince Inter into a sale, potentially adding a player in part-exchange.
Bastoni fits the bill perfectly as a ball-playing, left-footed centre-back who is not afraid to push forward and join the attack.
However, it is by absolutely no means to be taken for granted that this move will go through.
His current contract with Inter runs to June 2028 and a meeting to discuss a new deal is expected at the end of the season.
If they were to consider a sale, then the Nerazzurri are looking for closer to €70-80m before sitting down to really talk about it.
According to FCInterNews, the only reason Bastoni might be prepared to evaluate leaving Inter is if the loud jeers from opposition fans in Serie A continue for a long time.
Those started a few weeks ago when he apologised publicly for simulating contact and then celebrating as he got Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu sent off.
It was a second yellow card, so the protocol prevented VAR from intervening to correct the error.
If he was to go abroad, then Bastoni would have no shortage of options, as Liverpool are also keeping a close eye on his career path.
The Italian turns 27 next month and was a product of the Atalanta youth academy, moving to Inter for €31m in 2017.
The Italian Referees Association has confirmed it was the correct decision not to award a penalty for handball in Fiorentina 1-1 Inter, despite President Beppe Marotta’s assertion.
The incident happened just nine minutes into the Serie A match at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday, with Inter already 1-0 up.
The ball struck Fiorentina defender Marin Pongracic on the arm, but the referee and VAR waved away what were even at the time quite timid appeals.
When he was called to speak on DAZN’s Open VAR programme to represent the AIA (Italian Referees’ Association), Mauro Tonolini was clear on the decision.
“The referee read it correctly on the field, as from an excellent viewing position, he appropriately evaluates the incident,” said Tonolini.
“The ball bounces in front of Pongracic, who tries to play it with his heel, then the contact happens with the arm, which is in a natural position for the movement he is making.
“It is absolutely not a situation that can be punished with handball and a penalty.”
The show also played audio of the discussion within the VAR booth between Fabio Maresca and Davide Massa.
“I agree, he tries to pull the arm away. The ball bounces, the dynamics say this is not a penalty. The ball changes direction when it bounces off the ground.”
Speaking to the media after the 1-1 draw that opened up the Scudetto race, Inter President Marotta had suggested a majority of television pundits thought this was a penalty.
“I read various pundits and experts who said the Marin Pongracic handling offence was a penalty,” insisted Marotta.
“We don’t want to act like victims here, we just want there to be uniformity in refereeing and evaluation, for the good of football as a whole.
“I generally believe that all clubs complain during the season, and overall errors balance each other out. I don’t want this to become an alibi, because this is sport and errors are always around the corner. We must be stronger than the refereeing errors.”
DAZN pundit Luca Marelli had made clear immediately he did not feel this was a spot-kick, while various others at best noted that this kind of handball had been given this season, so there needed to be more clarity in the rules.
The AIA also confirmed correct decisions were taken in Serie A last weekend to award a Juventus penalty for the Jay Idzes handling offence, and to Torino for Milan defender Strahinja Pavlovic grabbing Giovanni Simeone across the face.
The post Midnight Deal With Monument Could Drive Massive TVL Growth, Says Hoskinson appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
In a move that shows the growing convergence between traditional banking and blockchain technology, Monument Bank has announced plans to introduce tokenised retail deposits using blockchain infrastructure.
The initiative, developed in collaboration with the Midnight Foundation, aims to allow customers to hold digital versions of their bank deposits while maintaining the same protections and benefits as conventional savings accounts.
Unlike cryptocurrencies, these tokenised deposits are not separate assets. Instead, they act as digital representations of funds already held within the bank. Each token is backed one-to-one by traditional deposits, meaning customers can still redeem their holdings in pounds sterling while earning interest as usual.
This is one of the largest deals we've ever done and could bring hundreds of millions to billions of TVL to the Midnight ecosystem. I'm extremely proud of @F_ZK_Now and his team at the @midnightfdn for the hard work they put into the negotiations with Monument.
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) March 25, 2026
Midnight is the… https://t.co/T98Z1jVEQR
The project is expected to begin with a rollout of up to £250 million in deposits. This marks an early step in what could become a broader transformation in how banks manage and deliver financial products using blockchain systems.
Beyond simple tokenisation, the bank is planning a phased expansion of services. Future stages may introduce access to tokenised investment products, including asset classes such as private equity and commodities. Traditionally, these opportunities have been limited to institutional investors or high-net-worth individuals, but tokenisation could make them more widely accessible.
Another planned feature includes the ability for customers to borrow against their tokenised assets. This approach would allow users to unlock liquidity without needing to sell their investments, reflecting services typically associated with private banking.
An important component of the initiative is the use of privacy-focused blockchain technology. The infrastructure is designed to ensure that sensitive financial data remains accessible only to authorised parties, addressing regulatory concerns around transparency and data protection in decentralised systems.
The development comes as financial institutions worldwide continue to explore tokenisation as a way to improve efficiency and expand access to financial markets. While many projects have focused on institutional use, this approach places retail customers at the centre, potentially marking a shift toward more mainstream adoption of blockchain-powered banking solutions.
The post Bitcoin Stabilizes Around $70K — What Will It Take for the BTC Price to Break Out? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
The Bitcoin price has started to stabilize around the $70K region after a sharp pullback, with signs of easing sell-side pressure and improving ETF flows. The immediate downside momentum has slowed, but the recovery still lacks conviction.
Spot volumes remain muted, and overhead supply continues to cap upside moves. This puts BTC in a familiar position—stabilizing, but not yet breaking out. The next move depends on whether fresh demand steps in or if the price remains stuck in a broader range. Below is the on-chain data from Glassnode, which suggests that the breakout may not be nearby.
This heatmap tracks where short-term holders accumulated Bitcoin, essentially showing where supply is concentrated across price levels. Right now, a significant portion of that supply sits above the current price, particularly in the $75K–$90K range. This creates a clear overhead resistance zone. Many of these holders are currently at a loss, and as the price moves higher, they are likely to sell at breakeven. That’s what makes upside moves slow and difficult to sustain.
On the other side, the $65K–$70K range is starting to build as a support cluster. This is where newer buyers have stepped in and are holding their positions, preventing further downside for now. So the structure is quite clear—Bitcoin is trading between a strong support base below and heavy supply above. Until that overhead supply gets absorbed or cleared, any rally is likely to face resistance, keeping the price stuck in consolidation.
This chart tracks how much of the market is sitting at a loss over time. Right now, unrealized losses are starting to rise again, which means a growing number of participants are holding Bitcoin below their entry price. This typically happens during pullbacks, when recent buyers get trapped.
In earlier cycles, sharp spikes in this metric marked capitulation phases, where weak hands exited and strong hands accumulated. However, the current levels are still relatively moderate compared to those extremes. The trade set-up suggests that some pressure is building, but not enough to signal a full market reset. This explains the current price action. Bitcoin is stabilizing, but without a strong flush or aggressive accumulation, momentum remains limited.
Perpetual funding rates have flipped negative across exchanges, showing that short positions are gaining dominance in the market. This shift reflects weak sentiment and a lack of aggressive long positioning. Earlier, positive funding showed aggressive long positioning during the uptrend. But the shift to negative funding suggests that confidence has dropped, and the market is no longer chasing upside.
At the same time, persistent negative funding can act as a setup for short squeezes, but only if spot demand returns. Without that, it simply confirms bearish pressure. So the setup is clear—sentiment has turned cautious, but positioning is starting to get crowded on the short side. This keeps Bitcoin in a range for now, but also leaves room for sharp moves if sentiment flips.
Options data highlights significant negative gamma exposure around the $70K–$75K range, indicating strong dealer hedging pressure. This creates resistance on upward moves and increased volatility near key levels. When gamma is negative, it tends to amplify price moves. On the upside, it creates resistance as dealers hedge by selling into rallies. On the downside, it can accelerate drops as selling pressure increases.
In simple terms, even if BTC attempts to push higher, derivatives positioning may slow the move unless strong spot demand absorbs it. The current range is heavily controlled by derivatives’ positioning, making breakouts harder in the short term. Until this gamma pressure eases or gets absorbed, Bitcoin is likely to stay volatile but range-bound around these levels.
Bitcoin is not in a breakdown, but it’s also not in a confirmed recovery. The market is clearly waiting for liquidity.
For the rest of the quarter, BTC is likely to remain range-bound unless a strong demand catalyst emerges. A breakout above resistance would require sustained spot inflows, while failure to hold support could bring another leg lower. Right now, Bitcoin price is in a transition phase—not a bearish collapse, but not bullish expansion either.
The post Was the XRP Lawsuit Meant to Shake Out Retail Investors? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
The long-standing legal saga surrounding XRP is once again under scrutiny after analyst Jesse from Apex Crypto Insights shared views hinting the case may not have been what it seemed.
In a recent discussion, Jesse described the lawsuit involving Ripple Labs as potentially strategic rather than purely legal, stating that his initial belief was that the entire episode might have been orchestrated.
“To me, I’ve always said I think this was a coordinated plan… maybe to scare retailers out and justify a low price for a while,” Jesse said.
According to Jesse, one possible explanation behind the lawsuit was to temporarily suppress XRP’s price. This, he suggested, could have allowed time for institutional partnerships and ecosystem development without excessive retail speculation.
He described the situation as a “teeter,” implying a controlled balancing act rather than a full-scale attack.
“I always thought it was just all teeter… to justify a low price so they have time to incentivize partners,” he added.
However, Jesse acknowledged that his perspective shifted after reviewing what he referred to as newly surfaced documents, which hinted at the possibility of a more deliberate attempt to target XRP.
“When the files came out… showing they were trying to attack XRP, I started to think maybe it wasn’t just a teeter,” he said.
Despite this, he remains uncertain, estimating only a “20% chance” that the lawsuit represented a fully genuine regulatory action rather than a coordinated move.
The XRP lawsuit has had a profound impact on the cryptocurrency’s price, adoption, and regulatory perception since it began. While parts of the case have moved toward resolution, discussions like Jesse’s show that questions around intent, fairness, and broader implications remain far from settled.
Whether viewed as a calculated strategy or a legitimate enforcement action, the XRP case continues to shape how regulators and investors approach the wider crypto market.
The post Bittensor (TAO) Price Heats Up — Why Reaching $500 Could Be Just the Start of a Bull Run appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
Bittensor (TAO) price is starting to build momentum again, with price holding a steady uptrend and recently breaking above the key $310 resistance zone. The move signals renewed strength, especially as the broader AI narrative continues to gain traction.
At the same time, activity within Bittensor’s subnet ecosystem is beginning to stand out. Subnets, where actual AI models and compute are deployed, are slowly attracting more attention as the core value layer of the network. Yet, a large portion of TAO remains passively staked on Root, leaving subnets relatively unused.
This creates an interesting setup. Price is gaining strength, while the ecosystem still has room to unlock capital efficiency. If momentum sustains and subnet adoption picks up, TAO could be entering the early stages of a much larger move.
A large portion of TAO is still not actively deployed, where value is being created. Current data shows that only around 19% of TAO is allocated to subnets, while nearly 48% remains staked on Root, sitting in a more passive position. This imbalance is important. Subnets are where actual activity, incentives, and competition are building, yet most capital is still not positioned there.
If even one subnet starts scaling aggressively—potentially moving toward a $1 billion valuation—it could act as a trigger. That’s when capital on roots may begin rotating into subnets in search of higher returns. The key point here is that this shift wouldn’t require new money entering the ecosystem. Even existing TAO moving from passive staking to active subnet allocation could create localized demand and faster upside moves.
That said, this remains a conditional setup. The rotation depends on subnets proving sustained value, not just short-term momentum.
TAO is finally pushing out of a multi-month descending channel, and that alone makes this move worth watching. Price has reclaimed the $350–$370 zone, which was acting as resistance, and is now trying to flip it into support. After a long series of lower highs, TAO is now attempting to break that pattern. The move is also backed by volume expansion, which suggests this isn’t just a weak bounce. At the same time, price is reclaiming the 0.382 Fibonacci level (~$374)—a key pivot that often decides whether a move continues or fades.
The $440–$450 zone (0.5 Fib + prior rejection area) is the next major barrier. This is where sellers stepped in before. If TAO manages to break through this cleanly, the path toward $500 opens up quickly, and that’s where momentum can accelerate. On the flip side, rejection here would mean this breakout turns into another lower high, keeping TAO stuck in a broader range.
With this, the price has reached a decisive point. The OBV has just rebounded from the lows, while the Supertrend has flipped bullish. This suggests the beginning of an ascending trend as the TAO price has broken the structure and the momentum is picking up. With the confirmation of a breakout to the next resistance, the fear of rejection may haunt the rally.
But for now, the bulls have gained control and a decisive breakout above the immediate resistance at 0.5 FIB at $450; a rise beyond $500 could be imminent. Rising above this range could push the token into a bullish range, paving the way for a fresh bull run.
Lyria 3 is now available in paid preview through the Gemini API and for testing in Google AI Studio.We are bringing Lyria 3 to the tools where professionals work and create every day.Top tips and best practices for collaborating with Ads Advisor and Analytics Advisor
The tush push lives to see another day in the NFL.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the controversial play will not be discussed during next week’s NFL owner’s meetings. Last month, Competition Committee co-chair Rich McKay said that no team had come forward with a proposal to alter or ban the play.
That doesn’t mean the topic will go away forever.
“I don’t know that it’s the end of the debate,” McKay said, via Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein. “I think there’s still people who are concerned with the whole pushing element.”
Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season
The play has drawn plenty of criticism, and multiple attempts to ban it, in recent years after teams — notably the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills — have found incredible success with it.
Last season was incredibly contentious, and the Green Bay Packers pushed the proposed ban during offseason meetings in 2025. But 10 teams ended up voting against that ban, and it was two votes short of passing. In order for a rule change, the NFL requires approval from at least 24 of its 32 franchise owners. Eagles owner Jeffrie Lurie was among those fighting to keep the play in the league during discussions last time around.
According to ESPN, there were 112 attempted tush pushes during the 2025 season — which is 11 more than the 2024 campaign. The Eagles attempted the most (27) and the Bills were second (17). In total, teams successfully converted a first down on a tush push about 77% of the time.
The Tush Push is still alive and well in Philly 👀
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 21, 2025
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/g0eDiw8eax
There was plenty of outrage over the play this past season, too. The Eagles, for example, scored a touchdown on a tush push despite officials clearly missing a false start on the play during their game in September. The Jacksonville Jaguars were completely unable to stop Bills quarterback Josh Allen on an attempt in the playoffs. Allen ended up going 10 yards before he was brought down, and former official-turned-rules analyst for NBC and Amazon Terry McAuley lit up the league for it.
"I very much hope the NFL competition committee addresses this in the offseason," McAuley wrote last month. "This just cannot be a legal play any more. Now, only pulling a runner is illegal. All pushing, pulling or lifting a runner by a teammate should be illegal."
Per Schefter, five proposals were sent to the NFL Competition Committee for discussion.
Permit the kicking team to declare an onside kick at any time during the game.
Eliminate the kicking team’s incentive to intentionally kick the ball out of bounds when kicking off from the 50-yard line.
Modify the kickoff alignment requirements for the receiving team in the setup zone.
Allow League personnel to consult with on-field officials when considering disqualifications for both flagrant football acts and non-football acts without being called on the field.
For one year only, allow the NFL Officiating Department to correct clear and obvious misses by on-field officials that impact the game, in the event of a work stoppage involving the game officials represented by the NFL Referees Association.
I don’t know if you’ve been down to Clearwater lately, but the programs smell weird. It’s like a pulpy garbage smell that is very distinct, and it’s continued since at least 2022 when I smelled it the first time. It must have something to do with the printing process, which is a guess I am making with absolutely no evidence or further knowledge. Somebody could be dipping each individual program in Florida puddle water for all I know, but I’m giving the Phillies the benefit of the doubt for some reason.
But I can promise you this: If you are looking for reading material this spring that doesn’t smell weird, I’ve got just the book for you: “Summer of the Cheap Wieners: What the 1941 Phillies were doing while Joe DiMaggio was making history.”
Who are you?
Ha ha, what is this, an email from my publisher? But seriously folks, I’m a last-gen Phillies writer (maybe two gens ago now) who wrote here on The Good Phight in the 2010s, ran the site briefly into the ground, and left. I also worked on the Philadelphia Inquirer/Daily News sports desk before everybody got laid off, and I’ve been writing at Baseball Prospectus pretty much ever since. Here are some TGP articles of mine of which I am particularly fond:
The Good Phight and its talented, illustrious staff have permitted me to come back to my old stomping grounds to talk about my book, like one of those cool kids from your hometown who regularly comes back to visit their old high school while everyone whispers to each other.
What are you doing here? It’s opening day, we’re busy.
Yeah, sorry. I have a book and I’m bad at promoting it. My wife keeps reminding me that offering to buy people beers if they take a free copy from me in the airport isn’t actually getting us any closer to a screened-in porch. Especially when so many wonderful people have been so willing to buy it.
After swearing I was going to write a Phillies book it was a mere 10-12 years later that I stuck to my word. “Summer of the Cheap Wieners” is on bookstore shelves and the internet now!
Why did you write about such a bad team?
Like many first-time authors, I have several other and better book ideas that remain unwritten and/or unpublished. For anyone familiar with my past work, writing about a team that lost 111 games isn’t really surprising. For me it’s like going through a collection of soiled boxes in a dilapidated attic. Think of the gross and horrible secrets we can find by looking for them in places no one else even wants to look!
In fact, one of the collectors with whom I spoke about potentially using photographs seemed genuinely disgusted that the 1941 Phillies were even on my mind. To be honest, I don’t know how they got there exactly either, but it was probably while I was researching an episode of The Dirty Inning (A podcast about the dumbest, funniest, and most obscure innings in Phillies history) for the Hittin’ Season Patreon and, as usual, got easily distracted. Once the gimmick of chronicling them alongside DiMaggio’s much more well-known 1941 achievements came to me—as well as the title—I felt like this was an idea with legs.
Generally, my instinct to tell a story no one else is telling—which can be hard to do in sports, given the severe oversaturation of some topics—often leads me to teams that lost, sucked, or died. This sport is ridiculous, and can get even more so the further back in history you go. But even more than that, there’s a part of me that feels that since Joe DiMaggio will never not be famous, guys like Nick Etten, Doc Prothro, and “Dangerous Dan” Litwhiler deserve to be remembered too. They weren’t nothing.
Somebody once asked why Trevor Strunk and I do a podcast about the “worst” innings in Phillies history and not the best. The answer is because most of the “best” stories you already know, and there is still joy to be found in losing, as long as you’ve had a few decades to get over it.
Is the book boring?
Not on purpose! Another motivation for it was that as a kid, my mom would bring home old baseball books for me from fairs and sales and such. As I tore through the stories of baseball in the thirties and forties, I noticed that the Phillies didn’t really get a lot of love. History squeezes out the details the longer ago it gets, and we’re left with only the most recognizable milestones. I’m sure you are probably aware that the Phillies didn’t do much in that time to get noted on the historical record—but only if you think good things are only what makes up history. It makes sense, but I wanted to read about the Phillies whether they’d been doing things “worthy” of being read about or not. This book is my childlike effort to correct that.
But to actually answer your question and not tell an unrelated story for no reason: No! I really don’t think so. Some of it, maybe, to a non-baseball fan will be, you know. About baseball. But the idea was also to connect the worlds of baseball history—an at times stodgy, self-serious place—and the average reader. While I used countless articles and books by skilled researchers and historians to write it, I did not want “Summer of the Cheap Wieners” itself to be a reference material, but rather a source of entertainment and humor built on other people’s hard work.
What will your next book be about?
Given my constant relevance, skilled topic-selecting, and finger-on-the-pulse writing, I will of course be trying to get something published about Gene Mauch.
All right, thanks. You can go.
Yep, got it. Thanks for reading. I spent the winter imagining all the ways the Phillies could sag this year, but with training camp going so smoothly (You can read my micro-diary from the last few days down in Clearwater tomorrow on Baseball Prospectus!) I can’t help but pick them to win the World Series. And I’m looking forward to the All-Star Game, the Field of Dreams game, Justin Crawford, the return of Zack Wheeler, Bryce Harper finally going on a tear, and a good old fashioned carnival of terrors when Bo Bichette comes to town, even though I’m not even mad anymore.
We didn’t ask.
Right, sorry. Thanks.
Ed Carpenter has been confirmed for a one-off run at the 110th Running of the Indianapolis 500.
The CEO and co-ownerof ECR, Carpenter will be making his 23rd attempt at his hometown race, piloting a #33 SlimFast Special Chevrolet that was unveiled with the backdrop of Monument Circle on Wednesday morning. AES Indiana, Indianapolis’ primary retail electric service provider, has also joined ECR.
Carpenter’s car, in particular, will support Hoosier charitable organizations HATCH and Riley Children’s Foundation.
“We’re proud to share Ed Carpenter’s #33 SlimFast® entry for this year’s Indianapolis 500, a race that means so much to our team and our hometown," said Ted Gelov, owner of ECR and Heartland Chairman and CEO.
"The addition of SlimFast® to the Heartland family reflects a continued focus on health and wellness adding an effective and delicious way to increase protein in your daily diet while helping you reach your weight management goals. With SlimFast® joining Splenda® and Java House® on our cars this May, we’re excited to showcase our entire portfolio of iconic brands on the biggest stage in racing.”
Carpenter’s #33 will feature the iconic red of SlimFast, a trusted protein and meal replacement brand that has helped millions of people on their weight-management journeys for decades. SlimFast was recently acquired by Heartland Food Products Group and is now headquartered in Carmel, Indiana. The company will be relaunching the brand later this year, with updated, smooth and improved formulas and modernized packaging on their ready-to-drink shakes.
AES, which provides service to 500,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Indianapolis and other portions of central Indiana, will also be prominently displayed on the #33 entry
“AES Indiana has been part of the fabric of Indianapolis for more than a century, and the Indianapolis 500 is one of the traditions that makes this a great community to live, work, and visit,” said Brandi Davis-Handy, President of AES Indiana.
“Partnering with ECR and supporting Ed as he competes in his hometown race is a powerful reflection of who we are—local, invested, and proud to help power moments that matter to this city.”
Increasing the Hoosier connections is the charitable arm of the entry. HATCH, headquartered in Carmel, IN, will be the Official Hunger-Relief Partner of ECR and have branding on Carpenter’s car. HATCH connects farmers and protein producers to food-insecure individuals and families through food banks. Last year saw HATCH deliver more than 102 million protein-rich meals across 43 states and partnered with over 121 food banks to ensure reliable access to nutrient-dense food.
ECR will also continue its long-time support of the Riley Children’s Foundation, Indiana’s leading foundation that is dedicated to supporting children’s health.
Carpenter made his first Indy 500 start in 2004, and has since sat on the pole three times (2013, 2014, and 2018), becoming just the 10th driver to collect three or more Indy 500 poles in the event’s illustrious history.
“There is always so much motivation to win the Indianapolis 500, both for myself as a driver and for ECR as a whole,” said Carpenter, 45. “I’ve been fortunate to run this race many times now, but it means a little more every time you get the chance to compete in it. To represent SlimFast, AES Indiana, and many other Indiana partners is something I take a lot of pride in.”
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Everyone is looking for the next unheralded receiver prospect that can be drafted in the late rounds. Not only is it satisfying for teams to find that player, but the price to have them on your team is significantly less than signing someone in free agency or using an early-round draft on him.
So, Pro Football Focus' Lauren Gray broke down mid-to-late-round receiver prospects who fit the profile of other NFL stars who were drafted after the first round. She compared Missouri wideout Kevin Coleman Jr. to Cooper Kupp, the Los Angeles Rams' legend who was a third-round pick out of Eastern Washington in 2017. Kupp now plays for the Seattle Seahawks.
While Coleman and Kupp are opposites in size and college production, both were slot stars. Coleman finished his college career with two consecutive seasons of at least 60 catches and 700 yards receiving in the SEC (Missouri and Mississippi State). In 2024, his best season, he caught 74 passes for 932 yards and an 80.1 PFF receiving grade.
Coleman earned an elite 97.6 PFF slot receiving grade over the past three seasons (second best), hauling in 149 of 200 slot targets for 1,863 yards (third most), eight touchdowns and 88 first downs (second most). Coleman ranks in the top three in missed tackles forced (47) and explosive gains from the alignment (42).
He was effective against both coverage schemes in 2025, notching 70.0-plus PFF receiving grades against man (70.1) and zone (74.4). Finally, his 88.1% separation rate over the past three seasons ranks in the 94th percentile.
If a team is looking for a receiver that fits a similar build and skillset to Kupp, then snagging Coleman in the middle rounds might be the right move. At the very least, they'll get a cheap look at a potential star at the slot position.
Could the Rams make this type of move? Potentially. L.A. has the No. 13 pick, where they might want a blue-chip prospect, but the Rams also have the No. 93 pick and some sixth- and seventh-round picks they could use to move up and take a receiver in the middle rounds.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFL draft: Late-round WR prospect compared to Rams legend
The Red Storm are a third of the way to the mountain-top following their electric Second Round victory over Kansas, in which Dylan Darling scored the game-winner at the buzzer. Now, their climb will become as challenging as it gets. Awaiting them in their first Sweet Sixteen appearance in 27 years is the number one overall seed Duke Blue Devils (34-2), who are strong, yet not prohibitive favorites by seven points.
The Athletic currently gives St. John’s a 10% chance of reaching its first Final Four in 41 years, about the same probability that Cal Baptist had of defeating Kansas. It’s possible, but the odds are long.
While St. John’s is a top-25 team, all signs point to Duke ending the Red Storm’s season in Washington, D.C., on Friday (7:10 p.m., CBS). Simple math shows that 1-seeds hold a 39-11 record over 5-seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Even if the Johnnies play amazingly, the Blue Devils are superior in almost every facet. They have a top-ten adjusted offense, the number-one defense in the country, rank in the top ten in both offensive and defensive rebound rates, and, oh yeah, they have the future Naismith Player of the Year in Cameron Boozer.
That all may be too much to handle for St. John’s, especially if they fall into foul trouble trying to stop Boozer, slip into another scoring drought as they’re prone to do, or get beaten up on the glass as they did in the final three minutes against Kansas, when they allowed four offensive rebounds and six extra points off those clutch possessions.
Yet, March Madness is never orderly. It is not a fair playoff system in which teams have the sample size of a seven-game series to decide who’s better. Forty minutes is not enough time to balance out the chaos of a sudden-death matchup. Sometimes, a team gets hot at the right time, like we are seeing with this St. John’s team, and the margins might not be as wide as we think.
When I last broached the Red Storm’s tournament ceiling, the Red Storm’s BartTorvik rating dating back to January slotted them among the ten best teams in the country since January 4, the start of their run of winning 21 of their last 22 games. Dating back to the start of March, St. John’s is the third-best team in the country in Torvik rating, three spots ahead of Duke. That stretch also includes games when Duke had a healthy Caleb Foster, who has missed his last five contests due to a fractured foot. Head coach Jon Scheyer signaled Foster isn’t totally ruled out for Friday night, despite the fact that his type of injury requires a month of recovery, at minimum.
Assuming Foster doesn’t have a Wolverine-esque healing factor, the Blue Devils will be without their best outside scoring threat, who hits 40.2% from three on the season. Since Foster went down, the Blue Devils are shooting just 30% from deep, ranking 148th in the country in that time. Against 16-seed Siena, they were a miserable 5-of-26 on deep-range looks. St. John’s is coincidentally one spot ahead of the Blue Devils in three-point percentage during that stretch. Duke is also dealing with a less-than-100-percent Patrick Ngongba, who returned from a foot injury in the Second Round versus TCU and had as many points as personal fouls (4).
The window to an upset over Duke is larger than one would expect. They haven’t been as convincing in their recent wins, escaping by one point over 18-win Florida State in the ACC Tournament, and they might not have survived facing Siena if newly-minted Syracuse head coach Gerry McNamara didn’t play all of his starters for forty minutes. If the Johnnies can frustrate the Blue Devils’ offense and keep it a low-scoring affair, they can swing the game in their favor with just one play.
St. John’s has shown it has the closers who can come through in big moments. Zuby Ejiofor was in control in the paint, scoring 18 points and pulling down nine rebounds against Big 12 defensive player of the year Flory Bidunga, and craftily picked a steal off Darryn Peterson to halt Kansas’s progress during their late rally. Bryce Hopkins is suddenly transforming into a serious three-point threat. He’s 8-of-17 from range over his last three played from deep, and he swished a half-dozen treys against Kansas, including a clutch long-range bomb to give the Johnnies a four-point lead late in Sunday’s contest. It could even be Ian Jackson to make magic happen, who is becoming an explosive weapon in transition with his buttery smooth ball-handling and touch at the rim.
If they pull it off on Friday, the Red Storm match up even better against the two remaining teams in the East Region. Michigan State can be leaky, surrendering 80 or more points in its final three games heading into the tournament, including 87 to offensive juggernaut Rutgers at home, and can be turnover-prone, which would be music to the ears of a press-heavy Red Storm defense. Rick Pitino has the formula to beat Connecticut. St. John’s is 4-1 versus their rivals up north over the last two seasons, and won two of three meetings this season. The Red Storm are capable of taking a potential fourth meeting if they can run the Huskies off the three-point line and make Silas Demary, Jr. uncomfortable on the ball as they did in the Big East championship.
The Red Storm’s chances of being the last team standing in the East Region look slim, but if the last two months and change have indicated anything, it’s to count them out at your own peril.
Opening Day for the Atlanta Braves may be a couple of days away but since it’s technically the first day of the regular season for baseball as a whole, now is apparently the perfect time to reveal the official 26-man roster for Opening Day.
Your 2026 Atlanta Braves Opening Day Roster!#BravesCountrypic.twitter.com/vS5mcpZR0g
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) March 25, 2026
We’ll have more to come shortly…
Matchroom confirmed today that sluggers Conah Walker and Sam Eggington will headline a May 2nd DAZN show in Walker’s hometown of Wolverhampton.
Walker (17-3-1, 8 KO) has been on an absolute tear since narrowly falling to Lewis Crocker in 2024, rattling off four straight wins. That run includes a British and Commonwealth title-winning finish of Harry Scarff, but his latest feat was his most impressive to date, as he hammered Pat McCormack into submission this past December.
A potential rematch with Crocker fell by the wayside when the IBF ordered their newly minted champion to face mandatory challenger Liam Paro, so he’ll face action man Eggington (36-9, 20 KO) at a catchweight the press release doesn’t specify. Eggington stands at 8-2 in his last 10, both losses coming via majority decision to Dennis Hogan and Abass Baraou.
“My dream is to fight for a World Title,” said Walker.
“That dream was so close to being a reality for this fight – but the next best thing was a homecoming in Wolverhampton.
“I’d like to thank my manager Sam Jones, Eddie Hearn and Frank Smith for making it a reality. And the opponent in Sam Eggington couldn’t be more fitting. It will be a special fight for the fans.
“Look I’m a 147lbs fighter, Sam is a 154 fighter – but we’ve made it happen for the fans and we will put on an amazing spectacle on May 2. But there’s only one winner and that’s me.”
Eggington said: “Lee Cutler and Joe Pigford both picked me for the away corner. Different fighters, different venues. Same result incoming. Conah Walker, you are next.”
Speaking of the British and Commonwealth belts, super welterweight titlist Bilal Fawaz (11-1-1, 3 KO) will make his inaugural defense against Ryan Kelly (20-6-1, 8 KO) in the co-feature. Kelly is 1-2-1 in his last four, but that run includes a split decision loss to Kieron Conway at 160 and a majority decision loss to Caoimhin Agyarko. Fawaz, 37, took down Ishmael Davis for his belts in February.
Conway (23-4-1, 7 KO) sees action as well, moving from 160 to 168 to face Mark Jeffers (20-2, 7 KO), while 19-year-old super-prospect Tiah May Ayton (5-0, 4 KO) meets Stevi Levy (15-4, 2 KO) and Junaid Bostan (10-1-1, 8 KO) takes on TBA.
College hoops may be the king of March sports, especially with strong performances from both Virginia’s men’s and womens’ teams. This month will also see the beginning of the 2026 United Football League season. Virginia fans tuning in will have the chance to see some of their favorite players from past UVA football teams take the field in the professional ranks.
The UFL begins its season this weekend on Friday, March 27th with five Virginia Cavaliers on UFL rosters hoping to turn a strong performance this spring into a spot in the NFL. The Columbus Aviators lead the league with three ‘Hoos on their roster, with the Louisville Kings and St. Louis Battlehawks each having one on their team. The league has become a viable option for players to continue their pro football aspirations, with multiple players making the jump from the spring league stars to key contributors on fall Sundays.
Ryan Nelson started on Virginia’s offensive line from 2018 through 2022 at both tackle and guard, with the Hoos reaching bowl eligibility in three out of those four seasons. Nelson proved highly versatile and productive at both tackle and guard, protecting Bryce Perkins and Brennan Armstrong during their most productive seasons in Charlottesville.
After brief stints with the New York Giants and the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Nelson has found consistent playing time and success in spring football. In 2023 with the Michigan Panthers, Nelson appeared in eight games with two starts. In 2024, Nelson started all ten regular season games at right guard and helped the Panthers reach the postseason. 2025 saw continued success for Nelson and the Panthers, with the team reaching the UFL Championship Game and Nelson spending time at left tackle.
Nelson will be donning a new uniform this year, with UFL discontinuing the Michigan Panthers and transferring players under contract to the new Columbus Aviators. Nelson will be aiming to maintain his high level of play in this spring in Columbus.
Entering his 4th season of professional football, Ryan Nelson has established himself as a quality professional offensive lineman. The relative stability of spring football leagues in the 2020s has provided players like Nelson the ability to play pro football at a high level and keep the dream of playing on fall Sundays alive. With NFL rosters constantly churning and teams always on the lookout for players who can immediately contribute on a 53-man roster, another season of quality play might be exactly what Nelson needs to make the jump to the NFL.
The Columbus Aviators roster includes another Cavalier who played a key part in ending Virginia’s Commonwealth Clash drought in 2019, with Chris Glaser joining the Aviators this January.
Glaser entered professional football as an un-drafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022. Glaser joined the Jets for the majority of the 2022 season after being released by the Chiefs prior to the season. Glaser saw limited action in parts of the 2022 and 2023 season with the Jets, starting his first NFL game with in 2023. Glaser signed with the Bears practice squad in 2024 and remained with the team until he was released during final roster cuts prior to the 2025 season.
For Glaser, the UFL presents an opportunity for the most consistent playing time he has seen since he entered professional football, and a successful season could see him back in the NFL in 2026. Team chemistry on the offensive line should lead the league with Glaser and Nelson back on the same team, and both will be eager to put their skills on display for both fans and the scouts.
Rounding out the Aviators roster is long snapper Payton Bunch, who arrived in Charlottesville in 2024 after 5 seasons at Coastal Carolina University. Bunch was Virginia’s primary long snapper for the 2024 season and enters his first season of professional football with Columbus.
The UFL has developed a history of getting specialists to the NFL, most notably kickers Brandon Aubrey and Jake Bates, but also long snappers Rex Sunahara and Mitchell Fraboni who both made NFL rosters after stints in the UFL. A successful season for Bunch could very well land him on an NFL roster this fall and hopefully a long career in the NFL.
Bryce Hall was a critical part of Virginia’s resurgence in the late 2010s. Hall was one of the best corners in the ACC and all of college football in 2018 and the first half of his senior year in 2019 when unfortunate ankle injury sidelined Hall for the back half of the season. Hall’s impact on the field was only matched by his leadership, which set the tone for the ‘Hoos performances even after his injury in 2019.
The New York Jets selected Hall in the 5th round of the 2020 draft. Hall’s biggest contributions to the Jets came in 2021, starting in all 17 games with 16 pass breakups. Outside of 2021, Hall served mainly in a reserve role with the New York before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024. Hall was sidelined by an ankle injury in week one of the 2024 season and served on Tampa Bay’s practice squad in 2025.
This spring season with the Louisville Kings is a chance for Hall to play consistent snaps at corner and display the skills that Virginia fans saw on display every Saturday during his time in Charlottesville. A productive and healthy spring could see Hall play himself right back into a significant role in the NFL this fall.
Tyler Neville arrived in Charlottesville in 2024 after three productive seasons with the Harvard Crimson at tight end. Neville’s best performance in orange and blue came in Virginia’s week two thriller in Winston-Salem against Wake Forest, going for 68 yards on four receptions and scoring two touchdowns.
Neville went un-drafted in 2025 before signing with the Dallas Cowboys as an un-drafted free agent. Neville caught three passes for 11 yards in the preseason before his release prior to the regular season.
The St. Louis Battlehawks signed Neville prior to the 2026 spring season and this spring will be an opportunity to prove that Neville was overlooked by the NFL last season. The Battlehawks have been one of the best spring football franchises of the 2020s, with success and high levels of fan support throughout the 2020s. With a successful spring season, Neville could see himself competing for a roster spot this fall in the NFL.
Bill Self retirement rumors: What to know with the latest news on the Kansas Jayhawks coach originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Bill Self retirement rumors: What to know about the latest news about Kansas Jayhawks coach
The Kansas Jayhawks were bounced in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament by St John's this past weekend. But the biggest story isn't what's next for projected top overall NBA Draft pick Darryn Peterson.
Many are starting to speculate what's next for Bill Self. The longtime Jayhawks' coach told reporters he would weigh his options about returning next season, citing health as the main concern.
"I'll get back and get with family and visit and see what's going on," Self said after the Jayhawks lost 67-65 on a buzzer-beater. "I love what I do, I need to be able to do it where I'm feeling good and healthy to do it fairly well. I'll get back home, and it'll all be discussed."
Self, 63, hasn't had a clean bill of health in recent years.
According to ESPN, "In 2023, he underwent a "standard heart catheterization" after complaining of chest tightness and missed that postseason. In July 2025, he was hospitalized after experiencing "some concerning symptoms," then underwent a procedure to have two stents inserted into his heart two days later."
Self was taken to the hospital out of an "abundance of caution" due to being under the weather this past January. Kansas was ready to make a road trip to play Colorado. Self stayed behind in Lawrence and rejoined the team when they returned home.
The rumors about Self's health have been flying rapidly. But what's the truth?
"There are some loose rumors out there in CBB circles this morning that Bill Self could announce his retirement from today but a source close to Self tells CBS Sports this is "bad information" and not on the table as of now," CBS Sports' Matt Norlander wrote on X.
More:Phil Jackson to UNC viral fake rumors dupe fans about Hubert Davis' replacement
It's clear Self is taking time to reflect about everything going forward, along with enjoying some down time.
Self has a 634-167 record since taking over at Kansas in 2003, winning two national championships.
Is NC State men's basketball coach Will Wade about to get his old job back at LSU?
According to college basketball reporter Jon Rothstein, LSU is working to hire McNeese State's Heath Schroyer in an administrative role. This move likely foreshadows the university hiring Wade back to the job he previously held from 2017-2022.
LSU fired Wade for cause in 2022 after allegations of Level 1 NCAA violations surfaced. That controversy resulted in punishments for both LSU and Wade.
After his dismissal, Wade worked his way back up the coaching ranks at McNeese State and NC State, making his likely LSU return possible. We'll see if Wade seals the deal to get his LSU job back.
LSU would have to fire current Tigers coach Matt McMahon first before any Wade move could be official.
Sources: LSU is working to hire McNeese's Heath Schroyer as a Senior Administrator.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 25, 2026
The Tigers' head coaching job is not open, but LSU President Wade Rousse & Schroyer both previously hired NC State's Will Wade at McNeese & are on the verge of bringing him back to Baton Rouge.
What a turn of events this would be after Wade's firing just four years ago.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Is LSU hiring Will Wade back for men's basketball job? What we know
The New York Giants finished the 2025 NFL season with an unimpressive 4-13 record. To followers of the team, they didn't seem much like a 4-13 outfit last year.
That is because they had stretches where they dominated opponents. The Giants were competitive in many of their 17 games, winning four outright and losing seven by less than one score.
What sticks in the craw of fans were the five games in which the Giants blew fourth-quarter leads. Five road games stand out (in Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans, and Denver) that were emblematic of years of subpar coaching and leadership.
They were undisciplined, poorly constructed depth-wise, and were not conditioned to compete for 60 minutes most weeks.
But that did not always translate on the field. The Giants had enough talent to compete most weeks. A stat compiled by NFL analyst Warren Sharp revealed the Giants held the lead for 377 snaps, more than 15 other teams, including Dallas, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, and John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens.
offensive snaps with a lead in 2025:
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) March 24, 2026
66 - New York Jets
126 - New Orleans Saints
140 - Las Vegas Raiders
156 - Tennessee Titans
178 - Carolina Panthers
214 - Washington Commanders
228 - Cleveland Browns
258 - Arizona Cardinals
278 - Dallas Cowboys
285 - Kansas City Chiefs
294 -…
With a new coaching staff, improvements on defense, upgrades up and down the roster, and a dedication to things such as conditioning and depth, the Giants can easily be one of those teams that make a significant turnaround in the standings this year.
Just like the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots did in 2025.
Patriots and Bears division-winning formula in 2026: Second year QB and coach in his first year with the team. Immediate turnaround. Giants will try the same combo with Harbaugh and Jaxson Dart.
— Gary Myers (@GaryMyersNY) January 17, 2026
Let's not forget that the Giants played the 2025 season with many key players out or reduced by injuries. They lost their No. 1 wideout, Malik Nabers, to a knee injury. Their top running back, rookie Cam Skattebo, had his season ended by an ankle injury after eight games.
Leading tackler Micah McFadden was lost to a foot injury on opening day, and defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was severely hampered by a lingering elbow issue that dated back to 2024.
All of those players are back and should be near 100 percent this summer. The Giants have the fifth and 37th pick in the 2026 NFL draft and plan on taking players who can make an immediate and long-term impact.
There is a lot of optimism with John Harbaugh coming in as the head coach. The days of bad football could be gone. All signs are trending upward for this franchise.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Could New York Giants be a surprising turnaround team in 2026?
The Cincinnati Bengals approach the final stretch of NFL draft prep with much to do.
Duke Tobin and the Bengals continue to put their finishing touches on the draft board before the event gets started on April 23. That includes popping up around the country at pro days and taking top 30 visits with prospects.
As always, the Bengals project to attack every level of the defense right from the No. 10 overall pick and throughout seven rounds.
Here’s a live-updating look at reported and documented meetings between the Bengals and NFL draft prospects during this critical stretch.
Source: The Cincinnati Bengals will host Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis for a 30 visit.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) March 17, 2026
Name to know in a wide open QB class.
Source: Indiana RB Kaelon Black has visits set up with both the Cincinnati Bengals & Vegas Raiders.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) March 19, 2026
Senior Bowl week standout & a name to know in the Day 3 RB bucket.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love having a conversation at Pro Day. pic.twitter.com/K2pHHsCnBe
— Matt Freeman (@mattfreeman05_) March 24, 2026
McDonald, a top prospect, told Sports Illustrated's Justin Melo he had a formal visit with the Bengals and this: "I’ve been on Top 30 visits. I have one with the Bengals, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins, Washington Commanders, Ravens, Bears."
Cincinnati linebacker Jake Golday (@GoldayJake) tells us he has met with the Bengals.
— Neil Meyer (@MeyerNeil6) March 24, 2026
States he has a top-30 visit coming up with the Bengals in the upcoming weeks. @FrontOfficeNewspic.twitter.com/GFle5Y6Qah
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals NFL draft prospect meeting, pro day tracker
The Chicago Bears have plenty of needs to address heading into the 2026 NFL Draft, and general manager Ryan Poles will have to make some important decisions on how to approach this draft.
Poles has always taken a best-available approach, which landed Chicago wide receiver Luther Burden III last season, but there's also an array of needs where Poles can't afford to simply go best-available. Luckily, the Bears have four picks in the top 89 selections, including an additional second-round pick after trading receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills.
ESPN's Field Yates unveiled a new two-round mock draft, where he had the Bears overhauling the defense at key positions of need. Let's break down each of those three selections in the first two rounds:
The Bears have needs across the defensive line heading into the draft, where defensive tackle and edge rusher feel like safe bets in the first round. Chicago would have their pick of defensive tackles at No. 25 in this mock, so it's surprising that they elect to go edge in a draft class where Ryan Poles said he believes edge rusher is deeper than defensive tackle. Still, landing an explosive edge rusher like Zion Young, who plays with violence and could thrive in Dennis Allen's defense.
Here's what Yates had to say about the selection:
The Bears need to keep investing in edge rushers after tying for the worst pass rush win rate in 2025 (28.8%) and not signing any big-time free agents. Young would be a good fit here because of his play style. He uses heavy, power hands and his 6-6 frame to engage and run through offensive tackles.
Young also has some versatility to reduce down inside on sub downs and rush effectively because his sturdy frame can withstand contact. He had 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2025.
The Bears' starting linebackers could look different in Week 1 following Tremaine Edmunds' release and with T.J. Edwards recovering from a fractured fibula suffered back during the wild-card playoffs in January. While Chicago has made moves to address linebacker in free agency with Devin Bush, re-signing D'Marco Jackson and bringing back Jack Sanborn, the allure of Jacob Rodriguez would be hard to pass up. He plays with toughness and has great instincts and would be a a playmaker in the making in Dennis Allen's defense.
Here's what Yates had to say about the selection:
Chicago's defensive overhaul this offseason included the release of Tremaine Edmunds and an overall focus on getting faster. Rodriguez would help with the latter in Edmunds' place. Making him an even better fit is that he's the best ball disrupter in the class; he forced an astonishing seven fumbles and had four interceptions in 2025. The Bears led the NFL in takeaways last season (33).
The Bears have a glaring need at safety following the departures of starters Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker in free agency. Chicago did land one of the top safeties in Coby Bryant, but they still need to find him a running mate for the 2026 season and beyond. Treydan Stukes is a versatile defensive back who would likely slot into that safety spot for Chicago. Stukes has great ball-tracking skills and is a ballhawk with his five interceptions in 2025.
Here's what Yates had to say about the selection:
Stukes is a hybrid player who can effectively impact the running game (28 tackles on designed rushes in 2025) and produce in coverage (four INTs). He's an older prospect at age 26, but he'd be a useful addition to a Chicago safety room that lost Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker in free agency.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears 2026 mock draft: Breaking down Chicago's picks in ESPN's latest
Spring is in full swing at the high school athletic level and with more sports than the fall or winter, there are plenty of athletes putting up eye-popping performances.
It's Athlete of the Week time where you vote for your favorite performance of the week.
Simply read the accomplishments of the five candidates and cast your vote at the bottom of this article at desertsun.com.
But before we look at this week's honorees, let's look back at last week and see who you voted for. It was a spirited race, but in the end it was Xavier Prep golfer Christian Starke logging the most votes. The Saints star is off to a fast start this season.
Now let's look at this week's candidates. Don't forget, we love getting submissions or reccommendations so if you know an athlete that is excelling at any of the spring sports, please email us any pertinent information to sports@desertsun.com.
Here are this week's candidates in alphabetical. Whoever has the most votes at noon on Saturday will be declared the winner. Happy voting!
What she did: Drumheller helped the Rajahs to a perfect 4-0 record at a weekend tournament, which included a home run in each of the final two games and a 3-for-3 game with three doubles in the second game of the event. She's hitting over .450 on the year.
What she did: Esqueda launched a personal best discus throw of 126 feet, 4 inches to win the varsity competition at the Asics Laguna Beach Trophy Invitational. Esqueda's throw was 12 feet farther then her nearest competitor. She was the only desert girls' athlete to take first place in the 50-team event.
What he did: Penny picked up the championship in the 300 hurdles varsity competition at the 50-team Asics Laguna Beach Trophy Invitational with a season-best time of 38.54 seconds. He also finished third in the 110-meter hurdles in a personal-best time of 15.08 seconds.
What he did: Perrego has been a consistent performer for the Rattlers all season. He fired a 36 and was match medalist in a victory over Patriot at the Mission Hills North Course early in the season and bested that with a 1-under 35 in a win over Hemet West Valley.
What he did: Rodriguez has helped the Knights to a 3-0 start to DEL paly including a pair of nail-biters in the last week. He went 2-3 with two runs scored and was the winning pitcher, going 5 innings yielding one earned run and striking out six in a 5-3 win over Palm Desert. Then he went 2-3 with a run scored in a 6-5 win over Rancho Mirage.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: It's time for you to vote for Desert Sun Athlete of the Week
The NFL is not currently considering any proposals to ban the tush push, but Competition Committee Co-Chairman Rich McKay says the legality of the play could continue to be the subject of discussions around the league.
"I don't know that it's the end of the debate," McKay said. "I think there's still people who are concerned with the whole pushing element."
McKay added, however, that the play might decline in part because defenses are getting better at stopping it. In fact, McKay said the league's data shows that the success rate on traditional quarterback sneaks is now higher than the success rate on the tush push.
For now, McKay said the league's priority is making sure the play is officiated as consistently as possible, including blowing the whistle at the right time on a play where it's often hard to identify when forward progress has stopped.
Swerve Strickland and Will Ospreay have created magic together in the ring, and it seems that their chemistry inside the squared circle is down to the respect they have for each other, which was evident in Strickland's effusive praise of Ospreay.
Ospreay recently returned to AEW television at the Revolution pay-per-view after a long layoff due to serious neck injuries. Strickland said in an interview with "WhatCulture Wrestling" that he kept tabs on Ospreay's progress and also spoke passionately about the friendship he has with him.
"I was keeping up with him like every step of the way, the last couple of months. I've seen him come through time and time again. But once again, it's always like, it felt like he was never left in my mind because every time I see him, it's like right back to where we were like at All In in Texas," he began. "He's someone I care deeply about, as far as like more than just a professional wrestler, but as a friend and like a younger brother and he looks up to me the same way. I knew when I seen him when he was like 18 years old in the UK, he was going to take over the world, and it sucks that a possible like career-altering injury could have, you know, halted all that momentum."
Strickland credited Ospreay's discipline and hard-working nature for his swift return to the ring, noting how the British star pushed hard to return ahead of schedule.
"But he's such a freak of nature of an athlete and a hard worker and so disciplined that I knew that it wouldn't — he was going to come back stronger, faster, and like really, really pushed the recovery time ahead. Really pushed forward and that's just a matter of, like, that shows you how you know special of a performer he really is."
Ospreay, on his return to AEW, attacked Jon Moxley and the Death Riders after Moxley had retained the AEW Continental Championship against Konosuke Takeshita.
Read more: AEW Stars: Meet Their Spouses & Partners
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Read the original article on Wrestling Inc.
Baseball begins today! The season kicks off with Opening Night between the Yankees and Giants. The Royals open the season tomorrow in Atlanta against the Braves.
With the season beginning, it is time to put out the predictions. Earlier this week we asked readers to give their predictions on the season, and over 200 of you responded with your selections. Here are the results, plus the selections of our current and former writers.
You can also review all of our predictions from last year. How did we do?
Reader vote:
Royals wins:
More than 90: 16.7%
85-89: 65.6%
80-84: 13.7%
75-79: 1.8%
70-74: 1.8%
Less than 70: 0.4%
Royals position player WAR leader: Bobby Witt Jr. 90.7%, Maikel Garcia 5.3%, Vinnie Pasquantino 1.3%
Royals pitcher WAR leader: Cole Ragans 55.9%, Kris Bubic 21.1%, Michael Wacha 6.6%, Seth Lugo 5.7%, Noah Cameron 5.3%, Matt Strahm 2.2%, Lucas Erceg 1.8%
Less than five percent of voters think the Royals will less than 80 wins, that may be a record here! Bobby is the runaway winner for most valuable Royals hitter, no surprise there. Someone did vote for Jonathan India. REVEAL YOURSELF!
Reader vote:
AL East: Blue Jays 41.1%, Yankees 32.7%, Red Sox 22.0%, Orioles 3.3%, Rays 0.9%
AL Central: Royals 56.5%, Tigers 38.8%, Guardians 3.9%, White Sox 0.9%
AL West: Mariners 84.6%, Astros 7.5%, Rangers 6.5%, Athletics 0.9%, Angels 0.5%
AL Wildcards: Yankees 54.6%, Red Sox 44.8%, Tigers 41.3%, Royals 33.9%, Blue Jays 33.5%, Orioles 26.5, Astros 20.4%, Guardians 10.0%, Rangers 9.6%, Mariners 7.4%, Athletics 7.0%, Rays 6.1%, Angels 3.0%, Twins 1.3%, White Sox 0.9%
Every writer but Matthews has the Royals in the playoffs, and over 90 percent of readers have the Royals playing in October.
Reader vote:
NL East: Phillies 48.9%, Mets 32.9%, Braves 16.4%, Marlins 0.9%, Nationals 0.9%
NL Central: Cubs 48.6%, Brewers 40.5%, Reds 6.8%, Pirates 3.2%, Cardinals 0.9%
NL West: Dodgers 94.5%, Padres 3.2%, Giants, 0.9%, Diamondbacks 0.9%, Rockies 0.5%
NL Wildcards: Padres 51.7%, Braves 39.6%, Brewers 35.7%, Mets 35.2%, Phillies 34.8%, Cubs 24.3%, Giants 22.2%, Diamondbacks 18.3%, Reds 14.8%, Pirates 12.2%, Dodgers 6.1%, Cardinals 2.2%, Nationals 1.3%, Rockies 0.9%, Marlins 0.9%
Not many believers in the team across the state – the Cardinals. Can anyone unseat the Dodgers?
Reader vote:
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr., KCR 71.1%, Aaron Judge, NYY, 13.4%; Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., TOR 4.1%; Julio Rodriguez, SEA 2.6%; Roman Anthony, BOS 2.6%, Cal Raleigh, SEA 2.0%
AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal, DET 44.5%; Cole Ragans, KCR 23.3%; Garrett Crotchet, BOS 15.0%; Framber Valdez, DET 3.5%; Hunter Brown, HOU 2.6%; Max Fried, NYY 2.2%; Jacob deGrom, TEX 2.0%
AL Rookie: Carter Jensen, KCR 71.3%; Munetaka Murakami, CHW 8.1%; Trey Yesavage, TOR 6.3%; Kevin McGonigle, DET 5.4%; Kazuma Okamoto, TOR 4.0%; Samuel Basallo, BAL 2.7%
The Royals could be in the running for some hardware at the end of the season. Carter Jensen does have pretty good odds to win Rookie of the Year at most sportsbooks.
Reader vote:
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, LAD 65.1%; Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL 10.3%; Juan Soto, NYM 8.2%; Fernando Tatis, Jr., SDP 4.6%; Kyle Tucker, LAD 3.1%; Alex Bregman, CHC 2.2%; Elly de la Cruz, CIN 2.2%
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes, PIT 68.4%; Yoshinobu Yamamoto, LAD 11.6%; Logan Webb, SFG 5.3%; Chris Sale, ATL 2.7%; Zach Wheeler, PHI, 2.7%; Blake Snell, LAD 2.2%
NL Rookie: Konnor Griffin PIT, 32.7%; Nolan McLean, NYM 21.8%; JJ Wetherholt, STL 13.6%; Bubba Chandler, PIT 12.7%; Carson Benge, NYM 5.9%; Bryce Eldridge, SFG 4.1%
No one believes MJ Melendez can win MVP with the Mets, huh?
Reader vote
American League pennant: Royals 33.3%, Mariners 19.7%, Yankees 14.5%, Red Sox 11.8%, Tigers 8.8%, Blue Jays 8.3%
National League pennant: Dodgers 73.2%, Phillies 6.1%, Cubs 5.3%, Mets 4.4%
World Champion: Dodgers 45.4%, Royals 27.3%, Mariners 7.9%, Red Sox 3.1%, Yankees 3.1%
Should we prepare Union Station for another championship rally?
Any other predictions you’d like to put out there before the season begins?
For a detailed explanation/FAQ regarding this tournament, click here.
For the First Round results, click here.
For the Second Round results, click here.
For the Sweet Sixteen results, click here.
For the Elite Eight results, click here.
For the Final Four results and Championship Preview, click here.
Well folks, it’s all been leading up to this. Welcome to the Mets Madness Championship Series, a matchup between the scrappy 2013 underdogs — who will look to further channel the 2015 N.L. Champions by getting stellar starting pitching and timely power hitting — and the heavily-favored, star-studded 2006 squad, looking to fulfill their destiny and earn a title at long last. If you haven’t checked out the “Ten Key Storylines” ahead of the Championship round, I highly recommend doing so for maximum immersion. Without further ado, let’s play ball…
2006 (2) vs 2013 (11)
GAME 1
Come one, come all, settle in as we kick off the Championship with a legendary pitchers’ duel between Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez and The Dark Knight Matt Har—sorry, I’m being informed that this event has been canceled due to a number of baseballs soaring into the stands. The first was from Carlos Beltrán, who capitalized on a critical Daniel Murphy error at second base by crushing a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. The next came courtesy of Harvey himself, who clubbed a solo homer to lead off the top of the third, before Lucas Duda hit an opposite-field, game-tying, two-run homer later in the inning. The score remained knotted at 3-3 for a brief time. Martínez ran into trouble in the top of the sixth, but Beltrán bailed him out by robbing fellow Gold Glove Award winner Juan Lagares of what appeared to be a go-ahead extra-base hit in the left-center field gap. In the bottom of the frame, Matt Harvey pitched himself into a corner by drilling ’06’s David Wright to load the bases with nobody out. These are the moments where Harvey might have bore down and pulled off an escape act earlier in the tournament, but these are also the kinds of clutch moments that the ’06 lineup craves. Shawn Green promptly hit a two-run double to left field, and the rattled Harvey then threw a wild pitch to score yet another run. Aside from the three-run third inning, Martínez allowed nothing, completing eight innings on 105 pitches before handing the ball off to Billy Wanger for the ninth. Wagner induced a trio of groundouts off the bats of Travis d’Arnaud, Justin Turner, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis to end it, with Wright fittingly firing to Carlos Delgado at first to seal the victory and put the ’06 Mets three wins from glory.
Result: 6-3, ’06
GAME 2
An all-southpaw showdown between Tom Glavine and Jon Niese, this game at first seemed more of a pitchers’ duel than Game 1’s high-profile matchup. Neither team scored through the first three innings, until Lucas Duda crushed an opposite-field homer (this one traveling 451 feet) for the second straight day to give the ’13 Mets a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth. The following frame, ’06 answered with a Paul Lo Duca two-out, two-RBI single to snatch a 2-1 lead. Lo Duca came up in a big spot again in the bottom of the sixth, with the bases loaded and one out against Niese. The ’06 catcher ripped a ball to the hot corner, where the veteran Wright somehow snagged it and fired home to record the forceout, but d’Arnaud’s throw to Josh Satin at first was just barely too late to double up Lo Duca and end the inning. There is no replay review in 2006 settings, but it certainly appeared to be one the ’13 Mets might have challenged if they were able. How costly would that call be? Mets Madness’ premier masher Jose Valentín stepped up to the plate next and rocketed a bases-clearing double just over the leap of Lagares in center. Even if the ’13 Mets had managed to get out of the inning unscathed, it wouldn’t have ended up mattering all too much since Tom Glavine was unstoppable, tossing a complete game while allowing one run, four hits, and no walks. On just his 95th pitch of the game, he fired a fastball past the bat of Josh Satin to give the ’06 Mets a commanding 2-0 lead as the series shifted to Citi Field…
Result: 5-1, ’06
GAME 3
Pete Alonso is the Mets’ all-time home-run king. Everyone knows that. But did you know that Lucas Duda is Citi Field’s all-time home runs leader among left-handed batters? That fact, combined with his opposite-field homers in two consecutive games to open the Championship Series (Duda was always a rather streaky hitter) made a big moment from the big man seem rather inevitable. Duda appeared to have delivered on that promise, driving an offering from Orlando Hernández deep to left field with two on and one out in the bottom of the first inning…but something even more inevitable happened: Endy Chávez sprinted back, timed his jump perfectly, and leaped on the warning track to reel it in. Even if it didn’t quite match his marvelous NLCS Game 7 catch (it’s unclear if he actually robbed Duda of a three-run homer or just a go-ahead extra-base hit), it still saved multiple runs. The two catches have something else in common: they didn’t hold for long. The next pitch Hernández threw was sent soaring high into the air by the tournament’s fairytale hero Andrew Brown, sending Chávez back to a near-identical spot just right of the left-field foul pole — only this time, the wall-scraper landed just past Chávez’s reach. With Brown’s simulation-enhanced power having been activated, another unexpected slugger saw his cue. In the top of the second, Valentín demolished a two-run homer onto the Shea Bridge. There are no bat flips in OOTP, but if there were, you can bet that was a blast that earned it. The ’13 Mets responded with a pair of runs on RBI from Murphy and Wright in the bottom of the second, while ’06 got one back on a pinch-hit single from 47-year-old Julio Franco in the top of the fourth. The score held at 5-3 in ’13’s favor until the top of the seventh, when a Jenrry Mejía meltdown allowed Lastings Milledge and José Reyes to score thanks to a wild pitch and balk (it’s not difficult to imagine the disgruntled cries echoing from around the Citi Field stands). The ’13 Mets needed another clutch hit from an unlikely hero, and they got it, as Ike Davis delivered a two-run double down the first-base line off guaranteed champion Pedro Feliciano in the bottom of the seventh. Murphy tacked on one more with an RBI single, and Bobby Parnell got ’06’s Wright to ground out with runners on in the ninth to put the ’13 Mets in the win column with a wacky thriller.
Result: 8-5, ’13
GAME 4
With hopes of a series sweep behind them, the ’06 Mets got to work early against Dillon Gee, scoring two runs in the first three innings on RBI singles from Delgado and Wright. The ’13 Mets got on the board with a shock solo homer from Rubén Tejada in the bottom of the third, but ’06 immediately got the run back on a solo homer from…you guessed it…Valentín. In the bottom of the fifth, with the ’13 Mets trailing 3-1, their scrappy bats struck once again to compile an inning the 2015 team would have been proud of. Tejada, apparently Jon Niese’s kryptonite, drilled an RBI double which rolled all the way to the wall just in front of the 7-Line Army in right-center before Kirk Nieuwenhuis dunked a two-run single into center to put ’13 ahead 4-3. The inning only finally came to an end when Beltrán gunned down Nieuwenhuis at the plate. Gee settled in and Scott Rice delivered strong relief to keep the ’06 lineup at bay. In the top of the eighth, the fearsome Valentín stepped to the plate against Vic Black with two men on, but the right-hander threw a 93 mph fastball to induce a pop out before getting Chávez to ground out to second and end the threat. Wright and Lagares drove in a pair of insurance runs for ’13 off Aaron Heilman in the eighth, and the series was suddenly evened at two games apiece.
Result: 6-3, ’13
GAME 5
Okay, let’s try this again. Welcome, one and all, to the great pitchers’ duel between Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez and The Dark Kni—oh, you’ve got to be kidding me. Harvey nearly escaped trouble in the first, but what should have been an inning-ending double play became a critical error by Duda at first, eventually causing three unearned runs to score after a well-placed flare by Green and a seeing-eye single from Valentín. It felt like the ’13 Mets absolutely had to win their final home game — their final Harvey game — to have a fighting chance with the series headed back to Shea. They needed a hero, and the 30-year-old captain David Wright did everything he could to play the part. In the bottom of the first, Wright responded with a monster 424-foot, two-run homer into the second deck off Martínez. Even after Harvey couldn’t stop the bleeding, surrendering an opposite-field homer to Beltrán and RBI hits to Valentín, Chávez, and Reyes, the ’13 captain hung in, hitting his second homer of the day (another 400+ foot blast, this time a solo shot) to bring the score to 8-3 in ’06’s favor. Brown chipped away at the deficit some more with an RBI single in the sixth, making it 8-4. After a rather tense edition of Lazy Mary during the seventh inning stretch as the ’13 Mets struggled to rally, they finally got their golden opportunity in the bottom of the seventh: bases loaded, nobody out, and the heart of the order coming up against a tiring Martínez. But unlike in the 2003 ALCS, Martínez was relieved just in time, and the ’06 bullpen dispensed of Murphy, Wright, and Duda without even one run scoring. With Chad Bradford on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, the ’13 team used their final gasps to put two men on before Wright came to the plate with two outs. ’06 manager Willie Randolph might have intentionally walked Wright, who had hit two homers earlier in the night, but even a three-run homer would have put ’13 one run from tying it. Instead, Wright was wrung up on a check swing call while flailing after a curveball in the dirt. The ’13 Mets were one loss from elimination. The ’06 Mets were on the verge of a championship.
Result: 8-4, ’06
GAME 6
It was 49 degrees and partly cloudy, with no winds and no room to spare on the 7 Train as virtual fans arrived at a virtual Shea Stadium for a virtual Game 6. Can you guess which of those details wasn’t specified by the video game’s box score?
Tom Glavine may not have the best track record when it comes to first innings in potentially-clinching games, but this time the damage was limited to just one run. Juan Lagares hit a leadoff single to right, advanced on a groundout, and scored on a Satin double to give Jon Niese and the ’13 Mets a hopeful 1-0 lead. Niese kept the ’06 lineup off the board for two innings before Reyes scorched a one-out single to right, stole second base, and scored on a Delgado double in the bottom of the third. The score remained tied at 1-1 until the bottom of the fifth, when a 23-year-old Wright stepped up to the plate for an at-bat that would prove to be the final tip of the scale after 63 series of Mets Madness. With two outs and a runner on second, Wright displayed a vintage piece of opposite-field hitting, sending the ball into the right-field grass and giving ’06 a 2-1 advantage. The ’06 Mets had opportunities to score after that point, most notably in the bottom of the sixth when Reyes grounded the ball to ’13’s Wright with the bases loaded and two outs, but they never did. In the top of the seventh, it seemed ’13 had finally broken through. With one out and Turner on second base, Murphy slashed an apparent go-ahead single to left — but Chávez had one more game-saving moment left in him, firing a bullet to Lo Duca at the plate and nailing Turner before he could tie the game. The captain Wright came to the plate next, hoping to mimic his Game 3 heroics, but instead he grounded out to his old friend Reyes to end the inning. The score held. And held. And held. On came Billy Wagner for the top of the ninth with the bottom of ’13’s order due up. d’Arnaud nubbed an 0-1 pitch back to Wagner, who flipped it to Delgado for the first out. Young Jr. flew a 1-2 fastball into the glove of Green in right. Turner slashed a 1-2 pitch towards the right side, where Valentín slid to snatch it and fire it to first. Cue the Bachman-Turner Overdrive. The Team. The Time. The Simulated Champions.
Result: 2-1, ’06
The 2006 METS win Mets Madness.
ONE LAST TROPHY
As the 2006 Mets celebrate their Mets Madness victory in front of a euphoric Shea Stadium crowd, we must once again crown an MVP — only this time, the stakes are higher, and the field feels wider. There’s Tom Glavine, who won two of the ’06 team’s four games in the series by tossing fifteen innings and allowing just two runs. There’s Carlos Beltrán, who erased any memories of hip-buckling curveballs by crushing two tone-setting homers off ’13’s ace starter Matt Harvey en route to wins in Games 1 and 5. There’s Endy Chávez, who backed up his status as the most clutch reliever in Mets’ history by making a pair of spectacular plays, including the outfield assist which preserved ’06’s lead in Game 6. And, of course, there’s David Wright, who after notching a walk-off hit against Edwin Díaz in the Sweet 16 and recording another to send ’06 to the Final Four came through yet again with the decisive go-ahead hit in Game 6 of the Championships.
But let’s not kid ourselves. If you’ve been paying attention, you know who this trophy belongs to. I wrote in the Championship Preview that his nine homers were almost certainly a tournament record, and he brought that total up to 11 in this series while also driving in nine runs and posting a 1.114 OPS. He’s not just the tournament’s Most Valuable Player; he’s its most maddening, chaotic, and memorable character. It’s my honor to present the Most Mad Met award to José Valentín.
A FEW LAST WORDS
Some say Mets fans are numb to failure, or that to be a true Mets fan is to be devoid of hope entirely. But in my own experience, Mets fans time and again prove themselves to be some of the most deliriously hopeful fans around. I’d argue that being a Mets fan isn’t necessarily about learning to accept disappointment; it’s about learning to laugh through it. It’s finding the joy in watching players who might not be All-Stars (heck, they might not even be replacement-level) and then turning them into fan favorites. It’s recognizing the genuine humor in times of embarrassing defeat, and remembering with some twisted fondness even the most frustrating moments of sheer heartbreak. It’s loving a 120-loss team not because they’re losers, but because you couldn’t help but love them if you tried — an origin story from which all 64 seasons of Mets history have sprung.
While the rounds upon rounds of simulating and writing occurred, it became increasingly clear to me that the most rewarding aspect of this project from a fandom perspective wasn’t so much the thrill of seeing star-studded matchups as it was the celebration of specific players and teams that never got the chance to properly celebrate in reality. The simulation gods certainly forced this dynamic through their almighty power, with upsets knocking out the more legendary squads as a team led on offense by Josh Satin, Anthony Brown, and Eric Young Jr. moved into the Championships. The seemingly endless carousel of nostalgia-inducing names made me feel as if I was suddenly rooting, by instinct, for certain teams at certain moments. Meanwhile, the occasional unfamiliar name never failed to act as an intriguing research prompt. Imagining those forgotten players on the diamond again sparked as much excitement (if not more) than imagining certain greats whose highlights frequent the Citi Field hype-up videos each year.
But the elephant in the room in all of this — the bright neon rally parakeet perched not-so-subtly on the infield netting — is that we knew who would go home a winner: the Mets. Regardless of who, when, where, and how, it was guaranteed that one of the many iterations of the Amazins’ would emerge victorious from the virtual tournament. For all the artificial information packed into this seven-part series, perhaps that plain fact is the most fantastical of all.
As a chapter closes on simulated Mets history, so too does a new, far realer journey begin: the 2026 season. No matter the optimism surrounding new acquisitions, no matter the encouraging projections or well-endorsed predictions, and no matter the list of logical evidence pointing to a successful season in Flushing, there are never any guarantees that it will yield a happy ending. But no matter what joy or heartbreak the 2026 season provides, I hope that we can all still appreciate it for the things we’ll one day grow to miss — things which might not include a championship (they hardly ever do), but can still be celebrated nonetheless. If this tournament was a testament to anything beyond the fun of a wacky offseason rabbit-hole, I hope it’s that the good, the bad, and the mundane moments as Mets fans may all be magical in their own way; even if, unlike in Mets Madness, that magic can only ever be experienced one uncertain moment at a time.
With that being said, the 2026 Mets should absolutely go and win the World Series. Why not, right?
Thank you for following along on this adventure. Congratulations again to the 2006 Mets. Put it in the books.
Joan Garcia has been in impressive form since joining Barcelona from rivals Espanyol in the summer transfer window.
The goalkeeper has made countless important saves so far and has been asked which he thinks has been his best in Barca colors.
Garcia was in no doubt that his stop against former team-mate Pere Milla for Espanyol is at the top of his list.
“I think my best save is the derby at Espanyol. That’s good. Not only technically, but also because of the moment of the game in which it was and what it meant to be able to continue with a draw. Also I made it against Pere, and we like to rib each other,” he told El Larguero.
Garcia was in sublime form against Espanyol, earning huge praise from Hansi Flick after the match.
“We didn’t deserve it, I will be honest. I have to say thank you to Joan García because he played unbelievable. He’s one of the best goalkeepers in the world,” he told reporters afterwards.
Garcia’s form this season has seen him earn a first call-up to the Spain squad, and he’ll be hoping he can make his international debut in the upcoming friendlies against Egypt and Serbia.
Manchester United’s summer rebuild appears to be gathering momentum, with several intriguing names emerging as part of a strategy that feels both urgent and calculated. As reported by Sky Sports, the club are preparing for a window that could define their trajectory as they aim for a return to European competition.
There is a clear acknowledgement within Old Trafford that the midfield requires significant surgery. “An ideal summer window would include at least two midfielders signed,” the report states, a line that captures both ambition and necessity.
Brighton’s Carlos Baleba remains on the radar, despite last summer’s failed pursuit. “Brighton have always been adamant they will demand a high fee for Baleba,” yet a dip in form may soften that stance. Alongside him, Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is described as an “ideal” No 8, though interest from Manchester City complicates matters.
Joao Gomes is also under consideration, particularly with Wolves facing relegation. In a market shaped by circumstance as much as strategy, United may find value where others see instability. As one might frame it, “relegation can reshape the market as much as elite competition.”
United’s search for attacking reinforcements reveals a tilt towards youth and versatility. RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande stands out, a 19 year old with “10 goals and seven assists” this season, marking him as one of Europe’s emerging talents.
“Iliman Ndiaye and Yan Diomande are among the names Manchester United are considering,” the report notes, with Ndiaye’s recent form underlined by his goal in Everton’s 3-0 win against Chelsea.
Photo IMAGO
Diomande, described as fitting the mould of a right footed left winger, appears to align with a broader recruitment philosophy, players who can evolve within a system rather than merely fill gaps.
Attention has also turned to the left flank, both in defence and attack. Newcastle’s Lewis Hall has impressed enough to earn England recognition, while Eintracht Frankfurt’s Nathaniel Brown offers another youthful option.
With Luke Shaw’s contract running until 2027 and Tyrell Malacia expected to depart, the need for depth is clear. This is not simply about replacing players, it is about recalibrating balance across the squad.
One of the more telling insights is United’s intent to move early. “The club will try to secure deals early on,” particularly with the World Cup looming. The absence of Cameroon from the tournament makes Baleba an appealing early target.
In modern football, timing often dictates success in the transfer market. United appear determined not to be reactive, but proactive.
From a Manchester United perspective, this feels like a window loaded with both promise and risk. The emphasis on midfield reinforcements is long overdue. For too long, United have lacked control in central areas, relying on moments rather than structure.
Elliot Anderson as an “ideal” No 8 is particularly interesting. He brings energy, intelligence, and a willingness to progress the ball, qualities United have lacked since their most coherent midfield periods. Yet the looming presence of Manchester City raises familiar concerns about losing out on key targets.
Yan Diomande is arguably the most exciting link. A 19 year old producing “10 goals and seven assists” in the Bundesliga signals genuine potential. United supporters will hope this represents a shift towards smarter recruitment, rather than reactive spending.
There is also cautious optimism around the left back situation. Lewis Hall offers dynamism and modern full back attributes, something that could elevate United’s build up play. However, questions remain about squad balance and whether these additions will be part of a cohesive plan.
Ultimately, this window must be about identity as much as personnel. As one fan might put it, “we do not just need better players, we need a clearer idea of how those players fit together.” If United get that right, this could be the foundation of something meaningful. If not, it risks becoming another cycle of near misses.
One major offseason question for the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team is now answered.
After several rumored candidates, Gerry McNamara will be the Orange’s next head coach. After underwhelming endings for the program in the last five years under Jim Boeheim and Adrian Autry, McNamara will look to be the person at the helm who can turn the trajectory pointing back up.
All that said, there’s another big-time uncertainty looking ahead, and it’s a word that came up plenty of times during this brief, but active, coaching carousel for Syracuse: NIL.
When the news first broke via Pete Thamel of ESPN, one line in his article really stood out concerning Syracuse’s investments into NIL.
“Syracuse officials stressed during the process a commitment to NIL that projects in the top third of the ACC, sources said.”
As the staff at TNIAAM noted in our group chat, the last bit of the sentence stands out the most. The phrasing is most important to note.
On the one hand, improving NIL is clearly a major theme regarding the state of Syracuse University Athletics.
In the time period leading up to finding the next athletic director to take over for John Wildhack, money making was a top priority. SUA’s newest man in charge, former Toledo Athletic Director Bryan Blair, clearly brings a reputation from his previous school as a money raiser and someone with a sharp eye for finding new opportunities to bring in revenue.
And during his introductory press conference, Blair made that point loud and clear, using phrases like “modernize our enterprise” and “attacking revenue generation and NIL.”
Bryan Blair is officially introduced as the 12th Athletic Director of Syracuse University.@NunesMagicianpic.twitter.com/hcuxGZWKRu
— Christian De Guzman (@CTDeGuz) March 19, 2026
On the other hand, going back to the Thamel line earlier, there is clearly a lot of progress left to be made.
Syracuse’s NIL situation came up when a report came out that University of South Florida coach Bryan Hodgson turned down the Syracuse job. The program’s finances came up in the national media spotlight repeatedly during the search for a new coach, with figures like Jeff Goodman blasting the Orange for its resources not being “where they need to be.”
Previous reporting suggests Syracuse’s roster costed around $8 million for the 2025-26 season. That figure includes both revenue share and third-party NIL. One year prior, it appears the amount of money spent was 25% of the 2025-26 figure.
Now, go back to the Thamel line from earlier. Notice the phrasing at the very end of the sentence. It didn’t say top-3 or top-5 in the conference. It wasn’t a detailed projection.
Instead, it says “top third in the ACC.”
While that shouldn’t be a concern, let’s put that into context.
On3 recently cited a study, which found the Power Four schools are spending between $7 million and $10 million on average for their rosters. Prior to this year, 10 P4 schools were already reportedly spending at least $10 million. Those averages are most definitely higher this season and will continue to grow larger in the coming years.
Top third in the ACC compared to recently history is, to be fair, a small step in the right direction.
But in the bigger scheme, there will need to be a lot of those smaller steps to get to a point of competing at a strong level again. In this day and age of college basketball, a coach can only do some much. Bringing in highly-ranked recruits can only do so much.
If there’s any saying that accurately depicts where Syracuse basketball goes from here, it’s this: “you have to spend money to make money.”
So yes, likely adding on Gavin Doty to the team and retaining some of the key names from the 2025-26 roster is a start. And yes, maybe extra money could come from familiar figures like Adam Weitsman, who invested in McNamara during his two-year stint at Siena. Maybe the answer comes from Blair’s vision with SUA.
Wherever it is, that’s the biggest key to being successful this decade and going forward. A coach is only the beginning of returning to glory, if that ultimately is the objective.
It’s that time of year again…Purple Row staff predictions!
Today marks Opening Day of the 2026 season with the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants square off at 6:05pm MT on Netflix. The Rockies, on the other hand, have to wait until Friday to start their redemption tour from their historic 2025 campaign. They once again will open in Florida, but this time they start in Miami against the Marlins. They’ll play three games there before heading north of the border to take on the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays. Once they finish their six-game opening series, they’ll return for the Home Opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 3rd.
With that all said, turning the page to 2026, here’s what the Purple Row staff thinks will happen during this baseball season:
Last year, the majority of the staff predicted the Rockies would go 62-100 — and boy were we wrong. Not only did the Rockies finish 43-119, but they also fired nearly all of their staff to clean the slate.
This year, our staff was still relatively pessimistic — nobody predicted fewer than 94 losses — but the most pessimistic person still predicted a 14-win jump to 57-105. The majority (3) predicted 60-102, while 62-100 and 63-99 weren’t far behind with two votes apiece. The most optimistic person predicts 68-94.
In 2025, the Purple Row staff once again unanimously predicted that the back-to-back reigning-champion Los Angeles Dodgers would win the NL West, and they did. This year, however, one person thinks the San Diego Padres will finally break through and dethrone the mighty Dodgers.
In a flip from last year, 50% of the staff predicts that the Chicago Cubs will reclaim the NL Central crown. 40% believe the Milwaukee Brewers will retain the crown, and one person believes in the Cincinnati Reds.
In 2025, 70% of staffers believed the Philadelphia Phillies would be victorious in the NL East, and they were correct. However, last year the remaining 30% was split between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets. This year, the minority are united with the Mets.
As far as Wild Cards go, the majority of the staff (40%) was split four ways between the Braves, Cubs, Padres and San Francisco Giants.
Switching leagues, the answers were a little more concise this year than last.
In the AL West, 10 out of 10 respondents believe the Seattle Mariners will repeat as champs.
The AL Central was our most sporadic division in 2025 with four different teams receiving votes, but this year, the staff appear more united in their predictions. 80% of them believe the Detroit Tigers will reclaim their crown, while 20% believe the Kansas City Royals will surprise everyone.
The AL East proved to be as divisive as the NL Central. Six respondents think the Toronto Blue Jays will repeat, while three think the New York Yankees will take the crown. One person thinks the Boston Red Sox will be victorious.
As far as Wild Cards go, the vast majority (7) believe the Royals will make the postseason. The next closest is the Red Sox with five votes, and then there’s a three-way tie between the Blue Jays, Yankees and Baltimore Orioles for the final spot.
The pennant races are where things get more divided. In the NL, it’s not surprising that four of 10 respondents think that the Dodgers will go for a three-peat. Two folks believe in the Phillies, while the Brewers, Mets, Padres and Giants each received one vote.
On the AL side, six folks think the Mariners will break through this year. Three think the Blue Jays will make another run, and one person believes in the Red Sox.
Overall, the Dodgers edged out the Mariners as favorites to win the World Series by a vote of 4-3. The other three teams receiving one vote each were the Padres, Brewers and Red Sox.
As far as individual awards go, Shohei Ohtani (LAD) continues his domination as the favorite to win NL MVP, receiving 70% of the vote. Juan Soto (NYM) received two votes, while Elly De La Cruz (CIN) received one.
On the AL side, things were a little more divided. Aaron Judge (NYY) still received the majority of the votes (3) but the rest was split between Bobby Witt Jr. (KC), Vlad Guerrero Jr. (2), Cal Raleigh (1), Julio Rodríguez (SEA), and Roman Anthony (BOS).
For the Cy Youngs, the staff was equally confident in Paul Skenes (PIT) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD). Logan Webb (SF) and Tarik Skubal (DET) also received one vote each — which must mean that someone is predicting that Skubal will be traded midseason to the Dodgers!
On the AL side, Skubal just edged out Garrett Crochet (BOS) by a vote of 5-4. Paul Skenes also received a vote, so maybe the Tigers will trade Skubal for him!
Rookies of the Year can be difficult to predict, but the majority believe that Konnor Griffin (PIT) will win in the National League. Nolan McLean (NYM) and TJ Rumfield (COL) each received two votes, while JJ Wetherholt (STL) and Charlie Condon (COL) each received one vote.
On the AL side, Kazuma Okamoto (TOR) and Munetaka Murakami (CWS) each received two votes. Carter Jensen (KC), Dylan Beavers (BAL), Kevin McGonigle (DET), and Trey Yesavage (TOR) each received one. Two people did not vote.
Now is the fun part of the staff predictions! 2026 will be a very interesting and important year for the Rockies — given all they went through last year and all the changes they’ve made — so let’s see what people think!
Here are some of our Rockies-specific predictions:
And others to watch around MLB:
Some of these bold predictions will come true, and we’ll all wish we had come up with them ourselves. But either way, baseball is back everyone! Stay tuned for our community predictions later this afternoon!
Happy MLB Opening Day!
Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!
Moises Caicedo was the outstanding choice as Chelsea’s player of the season not long ago – things are changing fast according to the stats.
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A glance at the WhoScored list of top rated Chelsea players shows Moises Caicedo in 5th place. Not long ago, he was miles clear at the top, with his stats backing up what fans were saying – that the midfielder is one of the best in the league.
But the eye test has made it clear his form has fallen off a cliff, and the data backs it up.
Of course you can’t put that much into these ratings. It’s all subjective interpretation of data, and even that data will never be able to cover the full breadth of what a player contributes.
But in a general sense it gives you an idea of how an individual performs, and it’s been very notable to watch Caicedo drop down from miles clear at the top of this list to just a shade ahead of 6th place.
He has played an insane amount of football in the last two years, and the injuries to Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia proved to be the final straw.
Chelsea are not going to be getting their £100m back for Enzo Fernandez if they sell him, according to one pundit.
Levi Colwill’s return could be coming up in the next few weeks according to speculation from the Sun.
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Check out the latest edition of Simon Phillips’ SPTC podcast here:
Back in the golden age of football (2013), Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund met each other in a Champions League final at Wembley stadium. Mario Mandžukić and Arjen Robben scored to secure Jupp Heynckes a record breaking treble. Thomas Müller was among those lifting the trophy that night, while Jurgen Klopp and Mats Hummels looked on in despair.
Now, thirteen years later, the three men reminisce about the UCL final and the refereeing on the night. The full video (in German) can be found here on YouTube. Reddit user u/OilOfOlaz transcribed the German into English for us:
Müller: […]Pierluigi Collina[…]
Klopp to Hummels: That’s the guy that named the ref, that gifted Bayern the 2013 CL final.
Müller: NO! No! For the cup final I agree Mr. Meyer (ref) didn’t see that Hummels scored [Hummels header was scraped “off the line” by Dante, that was a legit goal] …
Klopp: We never even talked about that!
Müller: But we can!
Müller: In the Champions League…
Klopp: That was a red card.
Müller: Its not a card you have to give…
Klopp: Second Yellow!
Müller: You don’t have to give that, you don’t have to give that!
Klopp: Are you mad?!?
Müller: You don’t have to! [points at Hummels]
Hummels: From a defender’s perspective you have to give it.
Müller [starts laughing]: Mats himself told me once, that it was okay for him to leave it at the yellow.
Hummels: Actually there are two situations…. Franck (Ribery) vs. Lewy (Lewandowski) [Ribery elbowed Lewandowski during a duel, could have been a red]
Müller: Franck generally could have been sent off after 10 mins in every final, for potential violent conduct “potentially”, you know that’s the … [Klopp interjects]
Klopp: Met Collina in the stadium…
Müller: …tact, the fine feeling you need to have, because we don’t want to destroy the final…
Klopp: …and told him, that he gave us a bum as a ref…
Müller: No, no, no, Rizzoli was his name, not Bum.
Klopp: HE REMEMBERS THE REF’S NAMES!
Hummels: He was so bad, you remember the name.
Müller: Nonono… he was an excellent ref on a world class level!
Klopp: Oh, I’m sorry… [for going off track]
Host: You don’t have to be…
Klopp: What was the question again?
The conversation was overall rather lighthearted. After thirteen years, it would be tough to still hold a grudge. Müller, Klopp, and Hummels will be on German TV together as pundits for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, we can expect more banter moments from them in the future.
Tottenham Hotspur may have received a big boost in the race to sign Anderlecht midfielder Nathan De Cat in the summer window.
The 17-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Spurs in recent weeks, while Bayern Munich are also thought to be interested.
Spurs are close to the relegation zone in the Premier League, and their survival is at stake with seven games left to play.
The young midfielder has been enjoying a breakthrough campaign at the Belgian club.
His meteoric rise has been noted by top clubs, including Tottenham, which are showing keen interest as it looks to revamp its squad in the summer.
It has been reported that Anderlecht could demand up to £30.4m for the young midfielder.
The youngster has made 38 appearances across all competitions this season for Anderlecht, scoring three goals and providing five assists, and widely regarded as a gem of a talent.
Meanwhile, Tottenham are unlikely to sign Joao Palhinha permanently from Bayern.
The midfielder joined Spurs last summer on loan, and Spurs have an option to sign him. However, he is likely to return to his parent club.
Christian Falk has informed CFBayern that, while Bayern do like the youngster, they are not currently in the race.
Bayern are focused on bringing through young players from their own academy, and right now several fantastic young players are ready to play for the senior team.
The Bavarian giants have enough depth in midfield, and they may not even need to look for elsewhere to replace Leon Goretzka, who will leave the club for free in the summer.
The news should come as a boost for Spurs, although a lot will depend on where they finish at the end of the season.
If Tottenham suffer relegation, they could see a mass exodus of top players, and would struggle to attract top talents, including De Cat.
“It is NOT TRUE: Bayern Munich are planning to sign Nathan De Cat in the summer. So, I have some good news for the Premier League!
“Bayern Munich won’t go for Nathan De Cat any more. The Premier League can go for him. FC Bayern find the player interesting, that’s very much true. However, there just isn’t a free space in the midfield for any more midfielders of his playing style.”
Max Clark was never going to make the Opening Day roster, and no doubt wasn’t thrilled with some of his work in spring camp, but none of that matters now. The precocious 21-year-old center fielder broke out in a big way in 2025, and is well ahead of pace to reach the major leagues. It may take him until the second half of the season, but Clark will almost certainly play in the major leagues this year and unless Parker Meadows turns things around at the plate this year, Clark is the odds on favorite to be the Tigers starting center fielder in 2027 and for many years to come.
The Tigers, somewhat controversially, selected Clark as the third overall pick in the 2024 amateur draft. The Franklin, Indiana prep star was certainly projected to go roughly that high, but in the process the Tigers passed on Florida outfielder Wyatt Langford, who then went to the Texas Rangers instead. Langford reached the majors in his first pro season in 2024 and had an excellent rookie campaign, then backed it up with 22 homers and a 4.1 fWAR season as a right-handed hitter corner outfielder in 2025. Clark has a solid chance of outpacing Langford in time, but it certainly would’ve benefited the Tigers to have a right-handed power-hitting corner outfield on the roster for their two postseason runs.
On the other hand, the Tigers saved roughly $650,000 in signing Clark underslot, while Langford cost the Rangers an overslot bonus of $8 million. The Tigers could’ve signed Kevin McGonigle either way, but those savings made it possible without completing punting on the rest of the draft. Of course, none of that has anything to do with Max Clark.
Clark was very well known on the high school circuit, playing in many showcases and USA Baseball tournaments. He was a notable high school receiver, and in baseball won the Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year award when he was still just a sophomore. He won the national version of the award as a junior as well, and then was named Gatorade’s overall national Player of the Year in any sport as a senior. He also led the 18U National Team to a gold medal at the 2022 WBSC World Cup, hitting a game-tying home run against Canada and then recording three hits in the finals over Chinese Taipei. His gregarious, coachable nature, combined with his work ethic and baseball intelligence, have always drawn high makeup grades from coaches and scouts.
On draft day, what Clark brought to the table was an advanced hit tool and high end speed and athleticism, with the potential to approach average power. There was some question about the raw power projections, as Clark’s 5’11” frame was already pretty well muscled. However, he’s proven that wrong already by building himself up with another 10-15 pounds of good muscle since draft day, checking in at 205 pounds officially. He’s pretty close to average raw power now, and in 2025 he learned to use it to better effect in games.
Clark handled Single-A ball with ease in 2024, after getting a brief run of 11 games post-draft the summer prior. He ran into a little more trouble at the High-A level, struggling some with left-handed pitching, but he also started pulling the ball in the air more as the season progressed after spraying a lot of line drives to the opposite field in the first half. He hit seven homers in Lakeland, and added two more in a 34 game stint in West Michigan to end the year. He also racked up 29 stolen bases on the year, and continued to show excellent plate discipline. His strikeouts did spike with the Whitecaps, but the season ended before he really had much time to adjust back.
Heading into 2025, the goals were pretty straightforward. Clark needed to shore up his performance against left-handed pitching, improve his reads and routes in the outfield, and continue working toward his average power projections. He managed all of it, walking 19.2 percent of the time with the Whitecaps with a strikeout rate of just 17 percent and cracking seven home runs in 68 games. His power is still heavily tilted toward his work against right-handed pitching, but he walked as much as he struck out against southpaws and made plenty of hard contact. After a solid start in April and May, he really picked up the pace by mid-June and tore the cover off the ball in July. That earned him a promotion to Erie alongside fellow top prospects Kevin McGonigle and Josue Briceño.
Clark stumbled a bit in his first few weeks in Erie, but the adjustments came more quickly this time and he smacked another seven homers in 43 games for the SeaWolves, and cut his strikeout rate down even a bit from his marks in West Michigan. He stole 19 bases on the year total, and more importantly, his jumps and route running in centerfield really started to come together over the course of the season. People tended to overlook this element because of his speed, but he really wasn’t that good a center fielder in 2024. His speed made up for a lot, but throughout the 2025 season projections of plus center field defense looked far closer to present reality than they did the year prior.
Clark entered camp this spring tracking like an above average center fielder with a pretty good arm who gets on base a ton and grinds out at-bats, likely to contribute something like 15 HR/25 SB a season throughout his prime years. And there is still room for improvement without anything crazy required. He’s started to scratch away at that 108 mph exit level scouts use as the average raw power mark, indicating that the raw power is close to MLB average levels. While he’s probably lost a step from the double-plus speed he had in high school due to adding more muscle, he’s still a better than plus runner who covers a lot of ground in the outfield and is much more polished these days.
Reports from the back fields suggest that Clark has continued to beat up on even upper level pitching in minor league camp, and the Tigers were confident enough in his bat to send him straight to Toledo to begin the year in Triple-A. While Kevin McGonigle is the prodigy in terms of hitting, getting to Triple-A just after your 21st birthday is still a very advanced pace and another feather in Clark’s cap.
It’s worth remembering that he’s a bit younger than McGonigle and Briceño. There’s still power and defensive upside left to unlock in his game, and he’s already pretty good. Clark spent the offseason working hard to maximize it, taking a lot of BP breaking balls and working against left-hander’s angles to improve his ability to create better bat paths to drive those pitches, rather than just taking them or trying to serve them for singles.
Of course we would be remiss if we didn’t get into Clark’s social media presence, and the minor, albeit ridiculous storm of nonsense that briefly followed him early in camp. Since he was a notable young player in high school, Clark has been documenting his life and training for social media, and has 384 thousand followers on Tik Tok and another 452 thousand on Instagram. From taking his young fanbase behind the scenes at events, to training content, to general lifestyle vlogging, Clark has built himself into a major social media presence in youth baseball.
This is still fairly uncommon in baseball, particularly in America, though that will presumably be changing fast in the years to come. Not only does it irritate some people, it also makes Clark a target of a certain brand of ragebait merchant around the internet. He got a dose of what’s coming after losing a pair of fly balls in the sun while playing left field in game back in early March. Of course, we see a few of these every spring, but as mention of him is already guaranteed to attract tons of views, criticism of him was a popular way to pile up clicks for a week or so, but it went fully on into some pretty grotesque character assassination in some quarters as well. While Clark rebutted criticism of his jewelry, his eyeblack, and much more importantly, his character and commitment to his game, the very fact that he felt the need to defend himself that way illustrated the problem. He’s going to need a little thicker skin at the major league level, where every mistake is already heavily scrutinized.
On the plus side, just the fact of his long-term social media presence no doubt helps with this. He’s heard most of this stuff before, and that does help to innoculate one to unfair criticism. He’s not at all shy about standing out, and fair or unfair, it’s just the reality of the situation that he’s going to remain a target. There’s just a steeper learning curve in terms of perception and fan criticism at the MLB level. Fortunately, from everything I’ve seen, Clark is a very smart, hard-working player who lives in the gym and is baseball obsessed to a degree you don’t see from many young players. He’s unlikely to be distracted from his goals.
MLB teams typically do not like players saying too much, and Clark may have to become a little less of an open book, at least until he’s established at the big league level. We’ll see how he navigates all of this, but there is no shortage of smarts, work ethic, or confidence here, and he’s just an impressive kid all around. I suspect in a few years time as the next generation starts taking over the game, this will just seem like a weird subject to even come up in a scouting report.
The Tigers have already announced that Clark will start the season in Triple-A. Look for him to play plenty of center field, but also to work some in the corners to help improve his positional flexibility. He may take over center field in Comerica Park at some point, but he also may be playing the corners alongside Meadows, who, assuming he puts 2025 behind him, remains the somewhat superior defender, while Clark’s more accurate arm plays in right field well.
For now, Clark just needs to keep refining his all around game. He’ll see a few more crafty lefties at the Triple-A level, and they’re still the type most likely to give him some trouble by junkballing him with good command. He handles velocity pretty well already, and his breaking ball recognition is good. He’s close, but sometimes those last short steps to the major leagues can take a while. One way or the other, he’ll almost certainly play in the major leagues at 21, and compete for an everyday job next season. He’s tracking like an above average hitter and center fielder, and if he can tune things up a little more and maximize his power production he’ll be a regular All-Star in the years to come.
BCB’s front-page writers have done several of these roundtable discussions previewing Cubs seasons and postseasons, so here we are again to kick off the 2026 season. Josh, Sara, Thomas, Duane and I had a lively online conversation Tuesday afternoon. The online chat has been lightly edited for clarity. Ashley was unable to join us for this discussion.
Al Yellon: First, I’d like to know how each of you feel about the upcoming season. Personally, I am hopeful and excited. This should be a really, really good team.
Josh Timmers: I’m cautiously optimistic.
Sara Sanchez: Agreed, cautiously optimistic.
Thomas Smith: Agreed. I think, at least regular season-wise, this team is excellent.
Duane Pesice: I am guardedly optimistic. The team’s floor is pretty high but you’ll need above-average years from nearly everyone.
Sara Sanchez: A lot can happen in a long season.
Al Yellon: Which is the case every season, of course.
Josh Timmers: Yeah. Good and bad.
Al Yellon: Who is the most important player on this Cubs team?
Sara Sanchez: Justin Steele — him coming back as Justin Steele makes the rotation a lot deeper later in the season.
Thomas Smith: I think Cade Horton is the most important player. They need someone to front the rotation.
Josh Timmers: Important? He’s not the best, but the Cubs have a ton riding on Edward Cabrera being a strong No. 2 starter this year.
Sara Sanchez: Same idea, Thomas. I think this rotation is okay but thin and I’m very VERY concerned about Taillon.
Al Yellon: For me, PCA having a full season like last year’s first half is the most important thing. Thomas, I agree that Horton could wind up being that ACE that the team has needed for a long time.
Thomas Smith: I like their pitchers, I just think Horton is the only one who has that next level.
Josh Timmers: Horton’s relatively low strikeout rate puzzles me. it should be a lot higher with his stuff. But his pure stuff does read potential ace.
Al Yellon: I think I read that Horton held back some of his best stuff last year, but this spring he’s been hitting 98 consistently.
Josh Timmers: It’s possible. His fastball isn’t his best pitch anyway. What’s remarkable is how far his change has come since he was drafted and he barely had one.
Thomas Smith: I know the Verducci rule has lost its luster. But you don’t ignore the rapid build of innings either. Can he perform as that increase occurs?
Josh Timmers: I think the Verducci rule was always nonsense. Pitchers get hurt. Some in their second year.
Thomas Smith: I’ve always thought it was something you wanted to be careful with.
Al Yellon: I know some are worried about Boyd and Imanaga falling off. To me, Shōta looks like the 2024 version, despite the home runs. If he can keep guys off base — and he really doesn’t walk many — at least the HR will only be solo jobs.
Sara Sanchez: I’m going to hold my judgement on Shota until after the regular season gets going. Boyd is just a health question to my eye. If he’s healthy he should be fine. Then again, I thought he only had 80 healthy innings in him last season…and I was wrong about that.
Duane Pesice: I am very concerned about Shōta.
Josh Timmers: Obviously Taillon is the guy to be worried about with how he looked in spring. Imanaga, on the other hand, has looked pretty good. He’ll always give up home runs. So did Bert Blyleven. Just do it with the bases empty.
Thomas Smith: Hopefully Imanaga and Taillon are slotting 4/5 in the rotation. you get some clunkers, but you also have two guys who can battle and have ace mentality.
Sara Sanchez: Honestly, I think Taillon is going to hit the IL to work some things out any day now and I hope Colin Rea and Javier Assad are ready to step in
Thomas Smith: You could hopefully also get contributions from Steele, Rea, Brown and Assad. They don’t lack choices.
Josh Timmers: Good point, especially on Rea. The guy is just an overlooked workhorse. A nice weapon for Counsell to have in reserve.
Al Yellon: What about the bullpen? There are a lot of new faces, but all of them have had MLB success. Plus, Daniel Palencia has his WBC experience to build on. He was almost unhittable for Venezuela
Josh Timmers: I’m not worried about Palencia being able to handle the pressure of closing big games! (Not that I ever was.)
Sara Sanchez: I think the bullpen is great. I’ve liked Harvey for a long time. I think Maton tinkered his way to some interesting things in Texas last year and I love Palencia.
Thomas Smith: Let’s hope Palencia carries it forward. He flashed it last year too for a bit. He’s a fun guy to watch if he can get into that groove.
Josh Timmers: I think Sara summed it up well. Maton and Harvey are the keys here.
Al Yellon: Also, I think Ben Brown is a great weapon to have there, throwing 98 for an inning or two at a time.
Sara Sanchez: Yeah, Ben Brown could be elite in high leverage out of the pen.
Josh Timmers: Brown could be a lot of things, good and bad. Such a hard guy to figure out.
Sara Sanchez: Agreed, Josh.
Al Yellon: Offensively, I think this team can be even better than last year — with the caveat, of course, of being healthy.
Josh Timmers: The team is already scrambling to cover for Suzuki.
Thomas Smith: They have a lot of depth. They can survive a normal amount of injuries.
Al Yellon: I think Suzuki is going to miss minimal time.
Josh Timmers: Bregman isn’t the hitter that Tucker is, but he fits into the Cubs lineup better. I don’t think they’ll miss Tucker all that much.
Thomas Smith: They were so good in the first half last year. How many guys build on that and how many of them were flukes?
Al Yellon: And Bregman is such a good defender, and clubhouse leader
Sara Sanchez: I’m less sure about this. Tucker is a better bat than Bregman. Bregman does seem to want to be a dude, though. I think the key here is: Are Bregman and Ballesteros > Seiya and Shaw? And I think the answer to that is yes, but I am a Moises Ballesteros truther.
Josh Timmers: I’ve been screaming for the Cubs to get a third baseman in free agency. First Matt Chapman and they didn’t listen to me. Then Bregman and they didn’t listen to me. Then Bregman again and they did listen to me.
Al Yellon: I was unconvinced about Ballesteros before I saw him often this spring… the man just hits and hits and hits. He might not be much of a defensive catcher but, oddly, he seems really good at ABS challenges.
Josh Timmers: Mo Baller is going to hit. There’s no doubt. And calling ABS pitches was the one thing he was really good at in Iowa.
Sara Sanchez: I just love his hit tool so much. Mo Baller rules!
Josh Timmers: I think Mo Baller hits 40 doubles this year.
Al Yellon: Assuming he plays enough, yes, he could.
Thomas Smith: Unless I’ve forgotten someone, Shaw is immediately better than any bench player the Cubs had last year
Al Yellon: For sure, having Shaw on the bench improves it over (checks notes) Jon Berti and Vidal Bruján.
Sara Sanchez: Oh, the bench was unusable last year.
Thomas Smith: Exactly.
Sara Sanchez: Dylan Carlson is better than any bench player they had last year
Al Yellon: I think Carlson has a real possibility to be an excellent acquisition. He was very good as a rookie with the Cardinals, then had a lot of injury issues. If he’s healthy…
Josh Timmers: Carlson could be the new Patrick Wisdom. A former Cardinals bust who wanders around MLB before finding a home in Chicago as a solid but not great player.
Thomas Smith: Does Conforto have any value at this point in his career?
Josh Timmers: The guy I saw in LA last year didn’t. The guy in SF the year before had a little, but not much.
Al Yellon: It’s possible Conforto doesn’t make it to May with this team. Or maybe he suddenly remembers what he was six years ago. Hard to tell. I like Carlson better, and he’s a switch hitter.
Sara Sanchez: I think Seiya is getting time to get to 100% precisely to answer the Conforto question. It’s a bummer for Alcántara though. He had a great spring.
Thomas Smith: Who backs up Busch? And does he finally get the bulk of the vs. lefty PA?
Sara Sanchez: Michael Busch should not be in a platoon and I will die on this hill.
Al Yellon: I agree, Busch should play almost every day. They were using Carson Kelly at 1B for a few games in spring training and I think he’s the backup.
Josh Timmers: The idea was that Tyler Austin was going to back up Busch. But there’s always Jonny Long down in Iowa if things get desperate. He’s actually a good platoon partner for Busch.
Sara Sanchez: I do like Long a lot.
Al Yellon: This team has another strength — elite defense. It’s possible the Cubs could have SIX Gold Glove winners this year — the entire infield plus Happ and PCA.
Sara Sanchez: I’m still not sure Happ is the best left fielder in the league, but sure.
Thomas Smith: Defense turns average pitchers into very good ones.
Sara Sanchez: That’s very true, Thomas.
Josh Timmers: There are no really good defensive left fielders. There’s a reason they’re in left field.
Sara Sanchez: Precisely, Josh. Happ is fine. He looks better because PCA covers the gap.
Thomas Smith: No doubt about that, Sara. That San Diego playoff series was won by the defense
Josh Timmers: Yeah. Happ deserves to be a Gold Glove left fielder if that’s the way they’re going to give out the awards.
Thomas Smith: A million years ago Josh used to talk to me and explain just how much lower level pitchers are hurt by poor defenders. death by a million paper cuts.
Josh Timmers: Yes. Some of them really are. The lower minors are even worse these days.
Al Yellon: I saw that even in Spring Training… balls that Nico or Dansby would have got to, got through when minor leaguers were playing 2B or SS
Sara Sanchez: Anyway, this is part of my weird “Gold Gloves have too much incumbency bias in them” rant and that’s a post for another day.
Josh Timmers: I love how Happ still thinks he’s a second baseman although he always adds “Not for the Cubs.”
Sara Sanchez: ha ha ha ha. 100% Thomas.
Thomas Smith: I was remembering Happ the third baseman this winter playing an MLB sim.
Al Yellon: When he was younger he was okay at 2B. Not now, though.
Sara Sanchez: There was a hysterical story about Lester coming in to cuss out Rizzo for taking a day off at 1B when Happ was a rookie and standing right there as the backup 1B at Cubs Con.
Duane Pesice: Happ is going to lead the teams in homers. I don’t know why I think this, but I do.
Al Yellon: What else haven’t we covered yet?
Josh Timmers: Nico Hoerner.
Al Yellon: What an outstanding player and human being he is, Nico
Thomas Smith: Nico! My favorite current Cub.
Sara Sanchez: Extend Nico!!!!
Josh Timmers: And Nico is kind of the heart and soul of this team.
Al Yellon: Yes, absolutely, and you definitely want to keep guys like that around
Sara Sanchez: I’m a big fan of Nico and feel like a deal for him shouldn’t be terribly pricey
Al Yellon: Hopefully they do that next
Thomas Smith: Yeah. Nico seems to want to be here.
Sara Sanchez: Defense and contact seems cheaper these days than power.
Josh Timmers: On the one hand, extend Nico. On the other hand, Jefferson Rojas looks like he might be a stud. Still, extend Nico. What did Ketel Marte sign for? Becuase that’s the comp, even though they’re different kinds of players, they’re the two top 2B in the league.
Al Yellon: Looks like 6/116 for Marte, and a 7th year option.
Josh Timmers: If Nico would sign that, give it to him.
Al Yellon: For sure.
Sara Sanchez: I think you can get Nico cheaper because Marte has 30 HR seasons under his belt.
Josh Timmers: The difference is that I believe Marte signed his extension far before he got near free agency. Prices go up the closer it arrives.
Al Yellon: Regarding Jefferson Rojas, the man can hit. Defense… not so much. Personally I like Pedro Ramirez better… that guy has a great glove and the bat plays.
Josh Timmers: I like Ramirez too, but I like Rojas better. It’s going to be something to watch in Knoxville and Des Moines this year.
Al Yellon: Oh, for sure. Two potential stars. Meanwhile, the PCA extension is great news. Have not seen terms yet, though. The team hasn’t officially announced it yet, either.
Thomas Smith: I loved them locking up PCA.
Josh Timmers: Still hearing the deal is dependent on a physical. Like he’s going to fail that.
Thomas Smith: PCA was not physically capable of sitting still long enough to complete a physical. Also, I like that a bunch of these players seem to have an unfinished business mindset.
Al Yellon: For sure. The playoff experience last year got this group wanting more.
Sara Sanchez: Absolutely.
Thomas Smith: Who challenges the Cubs in the Central? Experts don’t seem too high on the Brewers. But the Brewers seem to have found whatever it was that the Cardinals lost.
Al Yellon: The Reds might be better than you think.
Sara Sanchez: I mean, it’s the Brewers and the Reds to my eye
Thomas Smith: I’ve seen one person already pick the Reds to win it. But they always seem to underachieve.
Al Yellon: I don’t think the Brewers are going to be as good this year. There was a LOT of pixie dust in those two long winning streaks
Josh Timmers: With Hunter Greene already out? I’m not so sure about the Reds.
Sara Sanchez: The Pirates have some interesting talent in the minors and did sign Ryan O’Hearn to the largest free agent hitter deal in franchise history.
Al Yellon: The Pirates do have great pitching
Josh Timmers: The sneaky pick in the NL Central is the Pirates.
Thomas Smith: I’d be really happy for the Pirates to see a winning season.
Sara Sanchez: I think the Cubs are better than the Reds or the Pirates, to be clear. I don’t know about the Brewers. I think their return for Peralta was sneaky good and their pitching is deep.
Al Yellon: Meanwhile, the Cardinals could lose 100 games this year. That team is just bad.
Josh Timmers: The Cards finally gave up and agreed to a rebuild, even if they won’t call it that.
Sara Sanchez: Yes, it’s not the Cardinals.
Al Yellon: Which, sometimes teams need to do that. It’ll be weird not seeing Willson Contreras there.
Thomas Smith: i’m sure Cards fans will be entirely reasonable and supportive of the process.
Josh Timmers: Well, a lot of Cubs fans didn’t handle 2021 and 2022 well either.
Thomas Smith: Touché.
Al Yellon: Any final thoughts to wrap this up?
Thomas Smith: Michael Busch finally leads the team in homers
Josh Timmers: I think anything less than the NLCS is a failure for this year’s team. And let’s hope it’s the WS.
Duane Pesice: Agreed. It’s NLCS or bust.
Sara Sanchez: Daniel Palencia is my closer. I cannot wait to hear Gasolina in the ninth. Moises Ballesteros RoY candidate. Cade Horton gonna change people’s minds about him as an ace this season. Go Cubs!
Al Yellon: This team can definitely get to the WS. They certainly would have given the Dodgers a more competitive NLCS than the Brewers did, and I look for a Dodgers/Cubs NLCS. That would be great fun
Josh Timmers: Still think Mo Baller hits 40 doubles.
Sara Sanchez: I love watching that kid hit. I loved that Craig Counsell told the hitting coaches to stay away from him.
Al Yellon: Amazing he can hit that way and he’s only 22.
Thomas Smith: He is unfazed by the moment.
Sara Sanchez: Totally.
Josh Timmers: The Dodgers are aging. Probably not fast enough, but they are starting to get old.
Sara Sanchez: I actually thought the Cubs were very well positioned to beat the Dodgers in the NCLS last year. They absolutely could take them this year.
Josh Timmers: Cubs starting pitching was a complete mess by the Brewers series though. That’s the Dodgers advantage. They have about 15 starters.
Al Yellon: That’s something Hoyer has started to address, now he has Assad in Triple-A as the No. 7 starter and who knows? Maybe we see Jaxon Wiggins later this year. And it’s supposed to be 74 degrees on Thursday! I promised I’d try to pack some of the AZ heat in the car and bring it back.
Thomas Smith: I’m waiting for them next week here in Tampa.
Al Yellon: The Rays home opener at the renovated Trop!
Thomas Smith: Yeah. I’m going to game 2.
Al Yellon: Excellent. Thanks everyone for doing this, and go Cubs!
Josh Timmers: Everyone take care.
Spring practice is underway for the Michigan Wolverines, and we can’t wait to hear more about how some of the new players are fitting into the program. Head coach Kyle Whittingham and company brought in several players from the transfer portal and did a pretty good job retaining some of Michigan’s top recruits in this year’s class.
Of all the new players on the team, here are five newcomers we can’t wait to hear more about this spring.
Tony Alford’s work with the running backs has been impressive since he’s been in Ann Arbor, and it looks like he’s found another potentially great player in Savion Hiter. Hiter was a five-star and was among the best overall players in the 2026 class. Pair that with what Alford has been able to do with the running backs over the years, and we might have a pretty great backfield in the fall. When you get a player with this much talent, it’s tough not to get excited about what’s being said about him in the spring.
Michigan has a great duo returning in Underwood and wide receiver Andrew Marsh, but the Wolverines have also added another player to the mix. While JJ Buchanan was listed as a tight end at Utah, he’s officially on the roster as a wide receiver. He had 26 catches for 427 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman last year. His talent is clear when you watch his highlights, and it’ll be exciting to hear more about how he and Underwood are connecting on and off the field. This might be the first time in a while that the offense seems like it could be a bigger threat than the defense in some time.
While Salesi Moa is technically a transfer, he entered the portal quickly after enrolling at Utah to follow Whittingham to Michigan. The former four-star recruit was the No. 1 player in Utah and played both ways at a high level in high school. There are a lot of bodies in the secondary right now, so his best chance at seeing the field early is at wide receiver. Whittingham has already named him one of the top-four wide receivers on the team, which is only going to amplify the hype that was already around him.
Michigan’s defensive line needs to improve in 2026. The Wolverines will have a much harder schedule and if they can’t win at the line of scrimmage, we’re going to be in for a long season. Getting defensive tackle Jonah Lea’ea to transfer in is pretty huge. He made his first start last season and finished with 38 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. While there’s hope he’ll come away with a few more sacks in 2026, it’s still good to add that experience at a position of need. Let’s hope we hear some positive things from the coaching staff in the weeks ahead about him.
While the Wolverines are bringing back guys like Jyaire Hill and Zeke Berry, cornerback Smith Snowden will also play a huge role this year. The coaching staff have him listed as a corner on the roster, but he’s also made plays on offense and special teams. Snowden had 37 tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass breakups last year. It’ll be nice to hear more about him this spring and see what he can do on April 18 during the spring game.
Who are some of the newcomers you’re most looking forward to hearing more about? Let us know in the comments below!
Bullock’s Film Room (subscription)
On the roster: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Rachaad White, Jeremy McNichols, Jerome Ford
Short term need: Medium
Long term need: Medium/High
Analysis: One of the surprises of this offseason to me was that the Commanders allowed Chris Rodriguez to leave. He was a restricted free agent, so they could easily have tendered him at a relatively cheap rate and retained him as part of their rotation for 2026. Instead, they opted against tendering him and he immediately went and signed with the Jaguars on a two-year, $10 million contract.
That surprised me because entering the offseason, I said I would be fine with a running back room of Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols, which is what the team ended the season with. Rodriguez and Croskey-Merritt could split the bulk of the carries and provide a nice one-two punch with Rodriguez providing the thump and Croskey-Merritt the explosiveness. McNichols, meanwhile, would retain his spot as the third down back with the capability to fill in other spots when needed. It wasn’t necessarily the most spectacular plan, but they all had clear roles and could play well enough to sustain the offense.
But with Rodriguez gone, that left the Commanders with just Jacory Croskey-Merritt on the roster entering free agency and the running back spot became a big need. Washington went on to fill out the room with a few solid veteran options. Rachaad White and Jerome Ford were signed and Jeremy McNichols re-signed too, but all signed just one-year deals and none of them cost more than $2 million. There’s no long term option there and frankly, on those contracts, none of them are guaranteed to make the initial 53-man roster come the start of the regular season.
Now, if they had a game tomorrow, they could get by with that group. Croskey-Merritt would have to become the lead back and White would be the third down back, with McNichols and Ford filling in when needed. That could be ok for some games but there’s risk there. Croskey-Merritt is unproven as a workhorse back and he struggled when elevated into that role last season. He started the year off strong as the change of pace back but when he was handed a larger role he started hunting for big plays instead of just taking what was given and ultimately ended up missing out on yards. He did come back stronger later in the year but it would be tough to rely on him as your only option as the workhorse back.
White and McNichols I think are very similar. Both are strong pass protectors, which is an underrated part of playing the running back position. Both are good pass catchers out of the backfield too, so they both fill that third down back role nicely. Both are also capable of taking some of the workload and filling in as a runner when needed, but at this point in their respective careers, it feels like both are third down backs more than anything else.
So it feels to me that the team is light at running back. They could make this current room work and I think if there is a position to go cheap and try to mix in some different guys it is the running back position. With a strong offensive line, a quarterback that is a threat to keep the ball and run himself, and a renewed commitment to running the ball from a new offensive coordinator, the run game should improve regardless of who is carrying the ball. But if the team wants to double down on that commitment, I think they will be looking to find another back.
That could well be with the seventh overall pick if Jeremiyah Love is there. I’ve typically been against drafting a running back that high but in a draft class that is lacking elite talent, Love could be in play. It could also be another mid-late route draft pick. I’m sure they will add some undrafted free agents into the mix for training camp too. There are some veteran options still available and others that could be cut after the draft that could improve the room as well. However it comes, I think they will be adding at least one more back to this group at some point this offseason.
With four backs on the roster, the team could make it work so it’s not a desperate need, but they are a bit imbalanced and at risk of it turning into a big need with one injury. So I’m setting the need level at medium in the short term, and medium/high in the long term as only Croskey-Merritt is under contract beyond 2026. Drafting another running back, especially one as high as Love, would fill that need and bring it down to low in both the short and long term categories.
Commanders Wire
Schefter told Sheehan, “This is, let me spell it out…connecting the dots, okay? Jeremiyah Love, in my mind, is going to be a top ten pick. I don’t believe a month out, ‘don’t think, not reporting’, (I) don’t believe or think that he (Love) will go 4. I’m skeptical he will go 5. I don’t think he’ll go 6.”
Adam Schefter sets the record straight on his Jeremiyah Love and Commanders comments with Kevin Sheehan pic.twitter.com/hi7cGKsNO1
— The Team 980 (@team980) March 24, 2026
“I think Washington, and let me be very clear, I’ve never spoken to Washington about Jeremiyah Love, never once, okay? But I’ve spoken to a lot of people about Jeremiyah Love and the kind of player he is. I also know that Washington has been in the running back market. Ah, they’ve been in the running back market. We’ve got a great player. There’s a real chance he may get past 4 or 5, and 6. If that real great player gets past 4 (through 6), wouldn’t it make sense to take him at 7?”
Schefter was not ‘reporting’ Monday nor Tuesday regarding a Commanders consensus. Sorry, he was only providing ‘his opinion’ of where things in his mind seem to be heading. That’s all it was, Commanders fans.
There is an important distinction needing to be maintained between ‘thinking’ and ‘reporting.’ Glad to see Schefter keeping that distinction front and center with his followers.
"I just can't imagine John Harbaugh … would pass on someone as talented as Jeremiyah Love."
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) March 24, 2026
—@RealTannenbaum on where Love could land in the NFL draft 👀 pic.twitter.com/4YTgRYwbKB
RB Jeremiyah Love said he won’t feel success until:
— Talia Baia (@taliaontv) March 24, 2026
– he’s on his third NFL contract
– he’s got a gold jacket
– and he’s made the Pro Bowl 5+ times
A man with goals 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/YpgtSUWK4L
Commanders Wire
The Washington Commanders signed an offensive tackle, [Foster Sarell], on Tuesday.
In fact, a few of you will recall his name, seeing that he has been with the Commanders previously.
Just about one year ago (March 18, 2025), the Commanders signed Sarell to a one-year $1.1M contract. Sarell (6-6, 322) was with the team through training camp and the preseason. He was then released on August 26, as NFL teams were trimming their rosters to the 53-man limit.
From there, Sarell was signed by the Chargers, released, brought back, and played in six regular-season games for Los Angeles last season. Playing in 41 regular-season games, Sarell has started four games over his NFL career, dating from the 2022-2025 seasons.
Turning 28 in August, general manager Adam Peters likes Sarell enough that he is willing to give him another opportunity to make the team.
A to Z Sports
The Commanders only have two players under contract after the season, and it’s Oweh and Javontae Jean-Baptiste, who probably won’t make the roster cuts after the new additions.
The Commanders could very well have just one player for the long haul at EDGE, and that’s why I could see them drafting another with the No. 7 overall pick, or at least later in the draft for more depth.
Sure, the Commanders could just re-sign Chaisson or Omenihu after the season, but they still wouldn’t have much long-term security, and not another sure starter opposite of Oweh. We don’t know the team’s plans with Dorance Armstrong after a significant knee injury last year, and how much that impacts him getting a new contract.
Deatrich Wise and Drake Jackson are easily replaceable after the season as well, but they can also be replaced in the NFL Draft if the opportunity presents itself. Don’t rule the Commanders out on taking David Bailey or Rueben Bain Jr. with the No. 7 overall pick if one falls, despite a lot of the projections going towards Jeremiyah Love and Carnell Tate now.
If they pass on one in the first round, I’d love to see them target Dani Dennis-Sutton or Gabe Jacas with the No. 71 overall pick, and the quality at EDGE drops significantly on Day Three of the draft. Yes, the Commanders did address the position, but they could be right back in the same situation after the season if they don’t add more long-term security.
Commanders.com
He’s been one of the most productive safeties since 2024.
Cross had to wait his turn to become a starter on the Colts’ defense. It wasn’t until Lou Anarumo took over as their defensive coordinator in 2024 that Cross was elevated to the lineup as their strong safety.
Once he got there, he cemented his status as one of the league’s better young players at the position. Since 2024, Cross has recorded 266 tackles — the second-most in that span for a safety behind Budda Baker — to go with four interceptions.
“He’s been a force,” Anarumo told Colts.com. “We’re counting on him to be that way and can continue to be disruptive when we blitz him … So, we like what he’s about, we like where he’s heading and we’re going to continue to use him in that manner.”
Cross was the second-most utilized safety last season with 1,111 snaps, and the Colts put him all over the field, from free safety to in the box and the slot. He had the third-most solo tackles at his position, and he generated the second-most pressures behind Nick Emmanwori.
Commanders.com
Settle left the Commanders looking for more opportunity back in 2022. He was a key piece of the rotation at defensive line, but the team had four first-round picks up front, including Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. He spent two seasons with the Buffalo Bills and another two with the Houston Texans, where he was finally part of a starting lineup with 23 starts in 29 games. It was his most successful stretch since the 2019-20 season with Washington, as he recorded six sacks with 46 tackles.
Opportunity is calling Settle’s name again, only this time it’s back where he began his NFL career. The Commanders had one of the league’s worst defenses in 2025, particularly against the run. They ranked 30th in yards allowed per game, 27th in yards per attempt and 26th in rushing first downs allowed per game. Like the end of the 2024 season, it remains one of the Commanders’ top priorities to shore up their defensive front, as general manager Adam Peters said he wants the team to get younger and faster across the board on that side of the ball.
Settle might not be faster, but he’s certainly younger — he’s still only 28 despite having eight years of experience — and was one of the better run stoppers on the market this offseason. He helped the Texans rank sixth in run-stop win rate last year, and he’s coming off his highest-graded season, according to Pro Football Focus.
And this time around with Washington, he expects to be a bigger part of the team’s plans.
“I’m coming to control the middle of the field,” Settle said. “I think I’m gonna be used in a really good way, and I’m gonna be used definitely to help the defense, just being able to penetrate and do what I’ve been doing in the past in my career.”
🎙️Guest: Marvin Lewis. The longtime Bengals HC has numerous connections with these Commanders. Insightful chat.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) March 23, 2026
🏈 Daronte Jones was on his Cincy staff
🏈 Overlapped at ASU with Jayden Daniels, Rachaad White (and Aiyuk)
🏈 Coached K'Lavon Chaissonhttps://t.co/RzP5kXoQ0L
Blogging the Boys
Here’s what the four curves look like:
The first thing that stands out is that we see actual evidence for the “second-year jump”. The difference between the rookie season curve and the 2nd season curve is 0.3 eAV points at the end of the draft, climbs to 0.5 eAV points in the bottom of the fourth round, increases to 0.8 eAV at the top of the second round, and maxes out at +1.7 eAV points for the first pick. That may not sound like much, but for the 104th pick (where the blue line hits 2.0 eAV in the chart above), the jump from 2.0 to 2.6 eAV points is an increase of +26%, for the 254th pick (0.6 to 0.9) that’s a jump of 47%, and even for the 12th pick (from 5.4 to 6.5), that’s still an improvement of 20%.
We can also see that the 3rd-season eAV is almost identical to the second-season eAV, while the 4th season dips slightly, most likely due to injuries and more players getting released/cut.
With the eAV now established, we can begin to compare Cowboys draft classes against expectations. I’ll illustrate what that looks like with the 2022 Cowboys draft class.
Overall, this is quite a strong draft class. Despite picking “only” 24th, the Cowboys rank 7th overall in the NFL with their +30.7 eAV surplus points. Standouts DaRon Bland and Tyler Smith rank as the 18th and 21st best players in the 2022 draft class across the league in terms of eAV surplus. Jake Ferguson ranks 31st overall and is the second-ranked TE behind Trey McBride. Damone Clark may be a surprise for some, but he was a full-time starter in 2023, earning eight AV points in just that one season.
A disappointment relative to eAV is Sam Williams, but he had to sit out a complete season in 2024 and struggled to regain his form in 2025. Matt Waletzko saw spot duty over three seasons and didn’t get a single point of AV. Devin Harper was waived after just one season, but the eAV counter ticks mercilessly for four years, even if the player didn’t play four seasons.
Now that we’ve established what an individual draft class looks like, we can look at how all Cowboys draft classes since 2013 compare to the rest of the NFL.
[T]he Cowboys draft success (No. 3 overall since 2013!) is driven largely by their first-round picks. Those first-round picks account for 158.8 points of the entire 211.5 eAV surplus, the highest value in the league and 75% of the total surplus. Add in Dak Prescott with a 49.3 eAV surplus and we’re at 208.1, which means the entire Cowboys draft “success” is driven by their first-round picks plus Dak Prescott. Remove the underperformers among the first-rounders and you’re left with these players driving the entire draft success of the Cowboys:
when Prescott got injured in 2024, the Cowboys issues became plain for everyone to see. Mismanaged contract negotiations and two successive uninspiring drafts (2023 & 2024) left the Cowboys offense with few weapons and a shaky offensive line, and a defense full of holes that wasn’t held together by Dan Quinn anymore, and the bottom fell out on the 2024 season. Add another botched draft in 2025 along with another mismanaged contract negotiation that saw the Cowboys lose their best defender, and it’s no surprise the Cowboys strung together two losing seasons.
The Cowboys consider themselves a draft-and-develop team, except that they haven’t been drafting well for quite a while, which makes their stubborn refusal to participate in free agency even more baffling.
The front office is sitting on a decaying roster of their own making and is refusing to make any changes to the way they operate. Is anybody in the building looking at their abysmal draft record over the last three seasons and challenging the process? Is anybody challenging their personnel acquisition strategy? No way, Jose. The Cowboys are comfortable with the way things are, way too comfortable.
Nobody holds the Cowboys front office accountable. They are not held accountable if their boards are wrong, or if the players that they like can’t play, or if they don’t want to pay the players they like. Outside of the coaches, nobody’s job is in jeopardy. And if you occasionally get lucky in the draft, you are considered an expert talent evaluator.
The Cowboys have always been a stars & scrubs team, so that isn’t really new. But if you struggle to draft starter-level players outside of the first round, you’re hollowing out your roster. Fail to fill those gaps in free agency, and you will fail to beat teams with a better roster quality, and these are teams you regularly meet in the playoffs.
NFL.com
“I think we did a really good job of setting ourselves up to be able to draft natural and draft pure, which is what you want to do,” he said Tuesday from the University of Texas pro day, via the team’s official website. “You don’t want to have to be forced to reach for a player, that’s when you make mistakes.”
On offense, the Cowboys franchise tagged George Pickens, re-signed Javonte Williams and added some depth to the offensive line. The defense underwent significant, needed changes with the trade for Rashan Gary and the signings of defensive backs Cobie Durant, Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke, among other moves.
The defensive side of the ball remains the focus heading into the draft. Upgrading the defense, one of the worst units in football last season, should remain the goal in Dallas as the Cowboys own two first-round picks (Nos. 12 and 20) in April’s draft.
ESPN
The 41-year-old quarterback has agreed to a one-year deal to stay with the Cincinnati Bengals, his agent, Joe Linta, told ESPN. Sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler the contract is for $6 million, but could be worth up to $9 million with incentives.
Flacco began last season as the Cleveland Browns’ top quarterback. But after four starts, he was benched in favor of Cleveland rookie Dillon Gabriel.
Around the same time, the Bengals needed a starting quarterback following Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury and Jake Browning’s struggles. Cincinnati sent the Browns a 2026 fifth-round pick in exchange for Flacco and a 2026 sixth-round pick. Browning signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this offseason.
Flacco was more than serviceable for the Bengals. He made six starts in Burrow’s absence. In nine total appearances with the Bengals, Flacco completed 61.7% of his passes for 1,664 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. Playing with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder, Flacco threw for a career-high 470 yards in a loss to the Chicago Bears.
NFL.com
The 36-year-old David, a one-time Super Bowl winner, All-Pro and Pro Bowl linebacker, announced his retirement Tuesday after 14 seasons in the NFL.
“Fourteen years of playing football, to come to this moment, I never thought I’d be in this situation,” David said at his retirement news conference. “I never thought I’d be here. Growing up, playing the game of football at 6 years old, I always did it for the fun of it, did it for the love of it. Never cared about what came with it just because it was built in me a different way. … My 14-year career has come to an end. I feel it’s time to move on and find a different path. … At the end of the day, I’ll always be a Buccaneer. As always, it’s Bucs for life.”
David started all 215 games he played for the Bucs since he was selected in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Just how long David would keep playing has long been an offseason quandary. In the spring of 2025, he inked his third straight one-year deal with Tampa Bay.
Pro Football Talk
Here was the key question, from Mike Jones of The Athletic: “How quickly do you think that these owners are going to ask you guys to come to the table?”
“Uh, now, because they can ask, right?” Tretter said. “They could call me tomorrow and ask. The answer is no. We’re not in a position to do that. . . . We’re not willing to do that. In the end, those are decisions that will be made by our players, our executive committee, our board. They just hired the director. I need to come in and make sure that this organization stabilizes. I think David [White] did a great job. Kudos to David White for stepping in in a really difficult time and stabilizing the organization. I need to continue that, and I need to start building us forward. And the time for stabilizing has really ended. We’ve stabilized now. We need to start building up to do the things we need to do.
“That’s what I’m tasked with. It’s looking forward to doing that. . . . But we’re not going to start [negotiating] until we’re ready to start, because if we start before we’re ready, we’re not going to succeed in our job. . . . I’m sure they’ll ask. I’m sure they’ll poke around. That’s not surprising. They’ve been kind of poking around publicly, at least for a while, but that’s fine. It’s their job to ask. Our job is to be ready. Our job is to be prepared, and our job is to succeed. That’s what we’re focused on doing.”
[T]he NFL is surely ready to move. The NFL has enjoyed stability during the union’s extended run of chaos. The NFL, made up of some of the richest and most powerful businesspeople in the world, has a plan. That plan is soon going to be put into motion. And Tretter will have to decide whether he’s willing to take more now or less later.
As PFT reported the day after Super Bowl LX, there’s still no firm date for Super Bowl LXII in Atlanta. It’s unheard of to be within two years of a Super Bowl with no specific date for it. The convention center needs to be booked for a full week of media events, the NFL Experience, and other activities. Thousands of hotel rooms must be reserved.
They’ve waited, as we’ve reported, to pick a specific date for the Super Bowl to be played in little more than 22 months because of the possibility that, come 2027, the regular season will be extended to 18 games.
So, yes, it’s coming. Tretter can try to refuse to engage. That won’t stop the NFL from making the union an offer it can’t refuse that entails 18 games in 2027, because refusal will result in lesser terms and lesser terms and lesser terms and ultimately a set of terms the players will accept as they stand on the brink of missing game checks.
ESPN
The changes would only apply if the NFL hires replacement officials, a process it began preparing for earlier this month by reaching out to mostly small-college officiating supervisors in an effort to develop a list of 150 replacement candidates. The NFLRA’s current CBA is set to expire May 31.
If a work stoppage were to continue into the regular season, the new rules would create a type of centralized officiating that the league hopes would help avert the chaos encountered in 2012, when replacement officials worked the first three weeks of the season. While each game would still be officiated from the field, staff members in the league’s Art McNally GameDay Central command center in New York would be permitted to weigh in on a wide variety of called and uncalled penalties and would take on additional roles following the two-minute warning and in overtime.
NFL owners will discuss and possibly vote on the changes next week at their annual meeting in Phoenix. All rule changes require approval from at least 24 of the league’s 32 teams.
According to verbiage the NFL released Tuesday, league staff members could alert a replacement referee if they see clear and obvious evidence of an uncalled foul for roughing the passer, intentional grounding or an act that would normally lead to disqualification.
Those staff members would also be permitted to alert replacement referees that a flag shouldn’t have been thrown if there is clear and obvious video evidence that “at least one element of the foul called is not present,” according to the verbiage. Fouls eligible for this alert include: twisting, pulling, or turning the face mask; roughing the passer; intentional grounding; horse-collar tackles; illegal contact; pass interference; and disqualification.
In 2019, the NFL conducted a one-year experiment that subjected pass interference to replay review. The effort bogged down amid a muddled standard for overturning an on-field decision. In Tuesday’s proposal, the competition committee limited league staff member’s involvement only to circumstances where “there was inadvertent tangling of feet when both players were playing the ball or neither player was playing the ball.”
In addition, after the two-minute warning or in overtime, the list of called or uncalled penalties that league staff members could provide referees with would expand to include unsportsmanlike conduct based on punching or kicking at an opponent. During kicks, league staff members could also consult on the leverage and leaping rules.
Finally, throughout a game, league staff members could assist on discerning whether a foul should be classified as roughing or running into the kicker.
[There are no proposals this year to ban the ‘Tush Push”]
2026 Playing Rule Proposal #2 is obvious to implement. Multiple head coaches were exploiting this loophole last season. pic.twitter.com/qCtjsM4OX3
— Nick Korte (@nickkorte) March 24, 2026
his hustle is second to none 🦊 pic.twitter.com/RSO7en8wPC
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) March 24, 2026
Big Commanders contingent at the Ohio State Pro Day, as you would expect given their pick and the number of possible players they could take at 7 (or later). GM Adam Peters, asst GM Lance Newmark, HC Dan Quinn and both coordinators (David Blough; Daronte Jones) among attendees.
— John Keim (@john_keim) March 25, 2026
Another guy Washington likes/has interest in. 7 is too high; 71 is too low. Could trade back and acquire more picks or land in a spot where it’s more of a possibility. https://t.co/m5dcmtiQYL
— John Keim (@john_keim) March 24, 2026
Here's my evaluation of Carnell Tate. pic.twitter.com/dfgEeKMtQB
— Greg Cosell (@gregcosell) March 23, 2026
Confirming that the Commanders recently worked out USC WR/potential top 10 pick Makai Lemon, as @RapSheet reported.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) March 24, 2026
Washington *needs* another outside receiver. That's not Lemon, but he is electric with the ball. YAC machine.
Wrote about how interest in Lemon or Carnell Tate could lead to a potential bidding war at 7 with Saints (8), Chiefs (9), Dolphins (11) or Rams (13) involved.https://t.co/IAXOELEVwi
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) March 24, 2026
Crazy stat of the day:
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 25, 2026
Mansoor Delane allowed 10 completions all season for 119 yards.
Mansoor Delane scouting report from @HuntPalmer88: "If you turn on the tape, he was unbelievable…He's in that tier with Stingley and Peterson..In 11 games he allowed 2 first downs…He's as strong a cover corner that has come through LSU."
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) March 24, 2026
Here in Columbus, Ohio today for the Ohio State Buckeyes' Pro Day along with plenty of Washington Commanders front office and coaching staff presence.
— David Harrison (@DHarrison82) March 25, 2026
There are 17 members of the 2025 Ohio State team expected to be at the facility taking part in Pro Day:
Curry, Caden –…
Busy week for pro days. Been wondering if they’ve been splitting up visits this week, but makes sense to take the whole crew to Ohio State when they have so many top prospects https://t.co/0QUgWqTBHy
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) March 24, 2026
#Commanders best unit in 2025 was its kick/punt coverage team
— Full Command (@FullCommandShow) March 25, 2026
Percy Butler, Tyler Owens, Jeremy Reaves, and Nick Bellore were mainstays all year. Tress Way was also outstanding and made his third Pro Bowl, and Kain Medrano had real flashes
Dan Quinn described the battle for… pic.twitter.com/XwBd6jV0xO
Falcons sign RB Brian Robinson to one-year, $2.5M deal. (via @RapSheet) pic.twitter.com/4mZufKdwWk
— NFL (@NFL) March 24, 2026
careful where you click this draft season https://t.co/ffNMNuRzAJpic.twitter.com/hzQkQp2amj
— Mike Wright (@FFHitman) March 24, 2026
Well folks, today is Opening Day. Now granted, it’s only for two teams, it’s a night game and it’s on Netflix of all platforms, so it’s basically like Week 0 in college football. Sure, tonight’s game between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants counts and everything but it’s not the same as when the rest of baseball (sans our Atlanta Braves and the Kansas City Royals) gets things going tomorrow.
However, the season does start tonight so that means that right now is as good of a time as ever to unveil our staff predictions for the upcoming season. A group of the writers here have come together to make some predictions and also give a comment or two on how they feel like the season is going to go. We encourage you to join in with your predictions either in the comments or in The Feed so we can all laugh at each other once all of our predictions go hilariously awry as the season progresses.
So yeah, here’s our predictions for the 2026 season!
AL East: Yankees
AL Central: Royals
AL West: Mariners
AL WC 1: Blue Jays
AL WC 2: Red Sox
AL WC 3: Tigers
NL East: Braves
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL WC 1: Mets
NL WC 2: Phillies
NL WC 3: Pirates
WS: Dodgers over Mariners
AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr.
NL MVP: Juan Soto
AL Rookie of the Year: Carter Jensen
NL Rookie of the Year: Konnor Griffin
AL Manager of the Year: Matt Quataro
NL Manager of the Year: Don Kelly
Comments: “I picked the Braves to win the NL East because I’m a homer and an optimist. Any one of the top 3 could win the division this year, which does nothing to help me sleep easier at night about this upcoming season. Ultimately, the Dodgers are still the cream of the crop and I wouldn’t be shocked if we’re all furious about them winning it all again as we head into the uncertainty of the upcoming offseason. Also, it’ll be very cool to see the Pirates make it back if only to see all the Jolly Roger flags and the fans wearing all black again. That was sweet the last time it happened.”
AL East: Blue Jays
AL Central: Royals
AL West: Mariners
AL WC 1: Yankees
AL WC 2: Tigers
AL WC 3: Orioles
NL East: Braves
NL Central: Brewers
NL West: Dodgers
NL WC 1: Phillies
NL WC 2: Cubs
NL WC 3: Pirates
WS: Blue Jays over Dodgers
AL Cy Young: Max Fried
NL Cy Young: Chris Sale
AL MVP: Bobby Witt, Jr.
NL MVP: Ronald Acuña, Jr.
AL Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle
NL Rookie of the Year: Konnor Griffin
AL Manager of the Year: Craig Albernaz
NL Manager of the Year: Don Kelly
Comments: “Yes, a repeat of the 2025 World Series but it is hard to pick against the Dodgers in the NL. Blue Jays also add at the deadline and get over the hump.”
AL East: Blue Jays
AL Central: Royals
AL West: Astros
AL WC 1: Yankees
AL WC 2: Mariners
AL WC 3: Tigers
NL East: Braves
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL WC 1: Phillies
NL WC 2: Brewers
NL WC 3: Diamondbacks
WS: Atlanta Braves vs Yankees
AL Cy Young: Garrett Crochet
NL Cy Young: Chris Sale
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr.
NL MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr.
AL Rookie of the Year: Munetaka Murakami
NL Rookie of the Year: Konnor Griffin
AL Manager of the Year: Matt Quataro
NL Manager of the Year: Walt Weiss
Comments: “Hopefully the Braves predictions are correct. Everything else will be so wrong more than likely.”
AL East: Blue Jays
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Mariners
AL WC 1: Orioles
AL WC 2: Yankees
AL WC 3: Red Sox
NL East: Braves
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL WC 1: Giants
NL WC 2: Mets
NL WC 3: Phillies
WS: Dodgers over Tigers
AL Cy Young: Skubal Threepeat
NL Cy Young: Skenes repeat
AL MVP: Aaron Judge
NL MVP: Juan Soto (everybody gets tired of Ohtani)
AL Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle
NL Rookie of the Year: Konnor Griffin
AL Manager of the Year: Craig Albernaz
NL Manager of the Year: Tony Vitello
AL East: Red Sox
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Mariners
AL WC 1: Blue Jays
AL WC 2: Orioles
AL WC 3: Guardians
NL East: Braves
NL Central: Brewers
NL West: Dodgers
NL WC 1: Cubs
NL WC 2: Reds
NL WC 3: Giants
WS: Dodgers over Mariners
AL Cy Young: Hunter Brown
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes
AL MVP: Roman Anthony
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
AL Rookie of the Year: Munetaka Murakami
NL Rookie of the Year: Didier Fuentes
AL Manager of the Year: Dan Wilson
NL Manager of the Year: Dave Roberts
AL East: Blue Jays
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Mariners
AL WC 1: Yakees
AL WC 2: Red Sox
AL WC 3: Royals
NL East: Braves
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL WC 1: Phillies
NL WC 2: Mets
NL WC 3: Pirates
WS: Dodgers over Mariners
AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani
AL Rookie of the Year: Kevin McGonigle
NL Rookie of the Year: Didier Fuentes
AL Manager of the Year: AJ Hinch
NL Manager of the Year: Walt Weiss
Comments: “The East divisions were the hardest as 4 teams in the AL and 3 in the NL have real shots of claiming the division, and the wildcards reflect that with only Baltimore being left out. I have the surprise Pirates sneaking into the final NL Wildcard after they added some offensive firepower, getting the spot over Arizona and the Padres. In the AL I picked KC to get it over the A’s as I just don’t know if Las Vegas/Oakland/Sacramento has enough pitching to do it. The awards were pretty easy though it was hard to pick Acuna not to win- though Ohtani’s two way play will likely give him the edge with the voters. As for ROY, McGonigle was an easy choice and with the way he’s looked this spring, mixed with the opportunities in front of him with the injuries and injury threats in the Braves rotation, Didier Fuentes gets the nod as I’m not sure Konnor Griffin is up in time to claim the award.”
(Welcome to one of our newest staff members!)
AL East: Blue Jays
AL Central: Tigers
AL West: Astros
AL WC 1: Mariners
AL WC: Royals
AL WC 3: Orioles
NL East: Braves
NL Central: Cubs
NL West: Dodgers
NL WC 1: Brewers
NL WC 2: Dbacks
NL WC 3: Mets
WS: Blue Jays v Dbacks (Jays win in 5)
AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes
AL MVP: Vlad Guerrero Jr.
NL MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr.
AL Rookie of the Year: Samuel Basallo
NL Rookie of the Year: JR Ritchie
AL Manager of the Year: Craig Albernaz
NL Manager of the Year: Don Kelly
The 2026 NFL draft is approximately four weeks away. The New York Jets, owners of two first-round picks, are busy analyzing the prospects. It's that time of year when franchises hold pre-draft visits, private workouts, pro day interviews, and virtual meetings with prospects.
Clemson linebacker Wade Woodaz enters the 2026 NFL draft as a two-year starter. In a recent interview with NFL Draft On SI, Woodaz confirmed the Jets held a formal interview with him at the NFL Combine.
"I had formal interviews at the NFL Combine with the Houston Texans and New York Jets," Woodaz said.
Woodaz registered 152 tackles, 3.5 sacks, three fumbles forced, and an interception across 2024-25 as a starting linebacker at Clemson. In that same interview, Woodaz said the Jets have scheduled a second meeting with him via Zoom.
"I met with the Texans for a second time virtually, and I have a second meeting with the Jets [virtually]," Woodaz added. "I’ve also had numerous meetings with the Los Angeles Chargers."
The Jets may see Woodaz as a potential special teams ace. He fits that profile. Demario Davis and Jamien Sherwood are the best linebackers on the Jets' roster. If Woodaz is drafted, or joins the team via undrafted free agency, he would compete with Mykal Walker and Kiko Mauigoa for a rotational role.
This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets hold several pre-draft meetings with Clemson LB
Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong becomes the latest Gatorade endorser.
GatoradeJust ahead of Opening Day, Chicago Cubs superstar outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has joined the Gatorade roster of athletes.
Fresh off his 6-year, $115 million contract extension with the Cubs, Armstrong becomes the first MLB addition to the Gatorade roster since Seattle Mariners centerfielder Julio Rodríguez was added in 2023.
Financial terms and contract length were not disclosed.
“I’ve been drinking Gatorade since my Little League days, so it’s surreal to join their iconic athlete roster,” said Armstrong. “It’s especially meaningful because Gatorade doesn’t just sponsor athletes – they really understand what we need to perform at our best. After a recent hydration assessment, I was told I’m the saltiest sweater on the team, so I always keep a Gatorlyte in my bag.”
PCA was a key player in the recent World Baseball Classic for Team USA. In nine games, he hit .364 with 12 hits, nine runs, and three triples.
As part of the endorsement deal, Armstrong will work with fellow Chicago-based Gatorade on various projects, including a social content series distributed by the MLB, the 2027 MLB All-Star Game coming to Wrigley Field in July 2027, and more.
“PCA is a real rising leader in the MLB – electric speed, game-changing defense and a high-energy presence on and off the field,” said • Jeff Kearney, Global Head of Sports Marketing at Gatorade. “As a Chicago-based brand, we’re excited to partner with one of the city’s brightest young stars – together fueling the next era of baseball.”
The German government has approved a new sports funding law which has been named a "milestone" in the bid to be more successful again at major events such as Olympic Games.
The law agreed upon on Wednesday must now pass the lower house Bundestag and the upper house, the Bundesrat, before coming into effect.
“Our goal: more German medals at international competitions,” said State Minister for Sport Christiane Schenderlein said in Berlin.
“We are overhauling the system, with a stronger focus on performance, potential and transparent decision-making.”
At the heart of the reform is a new elite sport agency, which is to be established as an independent institution. The agency is to be based in Leipzig.
Schenderlein spoke of "a milestone for German sport" and said structural changes were needed "to strengthen the performance of German elite sport."
She spoke of a law for the athletes, with direct individual funding enshrined in law for the first time.
There has been criticism from the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) regarding the composition of the agency’s board of trustees, with six of the nine members appointed by the political side and only three by the DOSB.
"We don't want to have state dominated sports in the end," DOSB board member Otto Fricke told broadcasters ZDF.
The Athletes Germany group said that athletes have hardly any saying and are only represented in an advisory board which has no decision making power.
“The message being sent here is: We want to make decisions about athletes, but not with athletes,” the group's managing director Johannes Herber told ZDF.
The German medal count at Olympics has steadily declined since reunification in 1990, even though funding risen to now €350 million ($406 million) in 2026.
This could be a familiar Final Four in the women’s NCAA Tournament.
UConn, South Carolina, UCLA and Texas reached the Final Four last year. They’re the top four seeds this season. And they’ve all won convincingly through the first two rounds of this tournament.
That creates the possibility of the first repeat Final Four since 1996, when Tennessee, UConn, Georgia and Stanford all made the national semifinals for a second straight year. UConn captured the title in 1995, while Tennessee won it all in 1996.
While the results have been relatively predictable, aside from Virginia’s rise from the First Four to the Sweet 16, there have been plenty of notable performances. Here’s one statistical nugget you need to know about each team remaining in the women’s bracket heading into the Sweet 16.
Vanderbilt: Mikayla Blakes’ 891 points this season are the most ever by a Division I sophomore. Aari McDonald previously owned the record after scoring 890 points for Arizona in 2018-19. Blakes has a Division I-leading 27 points per game.
Notre Dame: Through the first two rounds of this tournament, Hannah Hidalgo has collected 16 steals — more than twice as many as any player in the field. For the season, Hidalgo ranks third in Division I in scoring (25.2) and first in steals (5.6).
UConn: Only one of UConn’s victories during its 52-game winning streak had a single-digit margin. That one close call was a 72-69 triumph over Michigan on Nov. 21. UConn’s 31 wins since the Michigan game have all been decided by at least 14 points. Each of their last eight contests had margins of 32 points or greater.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels have allowed NCAA Tournament opponents to shoot just 5 of 38 from 3-point range. North Carolina will face a much greater challenge dealing with the outside shooting of UConn, which has made 20 3-pointers through the first two rounds to tie for first place among all Sweet 16 teams.
UCLA: The Bruins have outrebounded their first two NCAA Tournament opponents by 21.5 boards per game, which constitutes the best rebound margin for anyone in the 68-team field. UCLA ranks second to LSU among all Division I teams in rebound margin this season.
Minnesota: The Gophers have gone 13 of 27 from 3-point range through the first two rounds for the best NCAA Tournament 3-point percentage of anyone still playing. Mara Braun has gone 7 of 10 from beyond the arc.
LSU: The Tigers have scored at least 100 points in 16 games this season, including each of their two NCAA Tournament contests. That breaks the Division I record formerly held by Long Beach State, which had 15 games with at least 100 points in 1986-87. Next up is Duke, which has allowed 65 points or fewer in each of its last five games. LSU won 93-77 at Duke on Dec. 4.
Duke: In the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, opponents have shot just 27.9% from the floor against Duke. In Duke’s regular-season loss to LSU, the Tigers shot 59.7%.
Michigan: The Wolverines head into their regional semifinal matchup with Louisville already owning a 3-0 record against Atlantic Coast Conference schools. Those three wins all came against NCAA Tournament teams: Notre Dame, Syracuse and N.C. State. On the other hand, Louisville has faced Michigan twice before in the NCAA Tournament (2019 and 2022), and the Cardinals won both meetings.
Louisville: The Cardinals’ second-round win over Alabama marked the first time all season that Louisville hadn’t outscored its opponent in points off the bench. Louisville entered that game ranked second among all Division I teams with 33.8 bench points per game.
Texas: Madison Booker has shot at least 50% in each of her last six games and has shot at least 60% in four of them. Her 40 points in a second-round victory over Oregon represented the highest NCAA Tournament single-game total by any player in the history of Texas’ program.
Kentucky: Clara Strack’s 29 rebounds through the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32 are the most for any player in the Sweet 16.
South Carolina: The Gamecocks’ 17 steals in a second-round win over Southern California represented their highest total ever in an NCAA Tournament game. Now they face Oklahoma, which is coming off a 23-turnover performance in a victory over Michigan State. Then again, South Carolina produced 13 steals and forced 21 turnovers against Oklahoma on Jan. 22, and the Sooners still won that game 94-82 in overtime.
Oklahoma: Raegan Beers has recorded double-doubles in each of her five NCAA Tournament games with Oklahoma since transferring from Oregon State. The 6-4 senior is averaging 18 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks through the first two rounds of this tournament. She had 18 points and 14 rebounds when Oklahoma beat South Carolina during the regular season.
TCU: Olivia Miles is one of only three players ever to have two career NCAA Tournament triple-doubles. The others were Sabrina Ionescu at Oregon and Nicole Powell for Stanford. Miles’ first triple-double came against UMass in her NCAA Tournament debut with Notre Dame in 2022. Her second came Friday when she had 12 points, 16 rebounds and 14 assists against UC San Diego. She was two assists shy of a triple-double in TCU’s second-round overtime win over Washington.
Virginia: Kymora Johnson ranks third among all Division I players in 3-point attempts this season with 274, but she's also shown a knack for getting to the foul line in this tournament. Johnson has gone 22 of 26 on free-throw attempts and 11 of 30 from 3-point range while averaging 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and five assists through Virginia’s three NCAA Tournament games.
___
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
Among the proposed rules changes that NFL teams will consider for the 2026 season is one concerning the physically unable to prepare list.
Under current rules, players placed on the list before the start of the regular season must miss four weeks of practice before they can be designated to return to action. The proposed change would cut that time in half.
The Competition Committee has proposed allowing players to resume practicing with teams after the second game of the season. Players would still have to miss four games before they could be activated, but the tweak would allow for more time for players to ramp up before teams can decide on putting them back into the lineup.
As with all rule changes, 24 of the league's 32 teams must approve the change in order for it to take effect.
Siena guard Gavin Doty plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal, he told On3.
The 6-foot-5 sophomore scored 21 points against Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. On the season, Doty averaged 18 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, shooting nearly 46% from the field. He was also named First Team All-MAAC and MAAC Tournament MVP. As a freshman, Doty averaged 11.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
Doty’s head coach at Siena, Gerry McNamara, was recently announced as the next head coach at Syracuse. McNamara won a national title as a player with the Orange in 2003 alongside Carmelo Anthony. He was also a longtime assistant at the school before becoming head coach at Siena. This season, McNamara led the Saints to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 16 years, nearly upsetting No. 1 seed Duke. Siena finished the season 23-12 overall.
"He will be coming back won't he?"
That was how eight-year-old Mo Salah superfan and club mascot Isaac reacted to the news that his footballing hero would be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season.
Isaac, who has a genetic condition called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome which affects his mobility and learning, was surprised at his school by Salah and team-mate Virgil Van Dijk in November 2024.
Melissa, Isaac's mum, told the BBC: "They were so caring towards Isaac. They were so genuine, I couldn't have wished for anything better, really."
She added: "They were lovely. We were all treated like we had known them for a long time."
Despite a lacklustre final season Salah is set to go down as one of the finest players in the history of the club, scoring 255 goals in 435 appearances across his nine years at Anfield.
But his departure, announced on his personal Instagram page on Monday, was felt particularly keenly by young fans who have met him in person.
Isaac, who lives not far from the Reds training facility in Kirkby, bumped into Salah while watching the team train a couple of weeks ago and the Egyptian star took a few moments to chat.
Melissa said: "He was asking Isaac, how was school, has he been going to the game, things like that, so that was really nice."
When told that Salah was leaving, Isaac seemed reluctant to accept his hero would not be turning out at Anfield again.
But Melissa said the hunt was now on to track down tickets for Salah's final home game.
"I believe that he's done a lot for the fans and things that people would never even know about, that he does behind closed doors sort of thing," she said.
"So I think it's just going to be a massive loss and it's going to be a really, really sad day that last game of the season and stuff, it's going to be devastating."
Leigh, 34, is another parent whose children have memories of meeting Salah to treasure.
Her three children Evie, nine, Paisley, seven, and Louis, five, all have Type 1 diabetes, and were invited to the training ground in August last year due to their work raising awareness about the condition.
"It was a bit of a dream come true especially for Paisley because he's Paisley's favourite player but the three kids were pretty taken away when he walked in," she said.
"He's a massive hero in our house for the kids. Obviously he's a big part of Liverpool and he's done a lot while he's played for Liverpool as well."
The news of his departure sparked an emotional reaction from Paisley in particular.
"Last night, when the kids found out, they were gutted," Leigh said.
"Paisley was nearly crying, she was holding back tears trying not to get upset."
Leigh said Salah's struggles this season would not affect their memories of him.
"He's part of the club," she said.
"He's a legend, he's done a lot for Liverpool.
"Obviously he's not had the best season this year, but it's a whole team. It's not just one person that it's down to.
"We're just wishing him the best of luck going forward."
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It truly was a weekend of mixed outcomes for Paul Tait and Keith Southern. Firstly, the Everton Under-18s took on Newcastle at Finch Farm at their regularly scheduled lunchtime slot on Saturday while Paul Tait’s Under-21 team made the long journey to the South Coast to take on Brighton at the peculiar time of 4pm on a Sunday afternoon.
Jake Doughty put the Blues ahead after 12 minutes, followed by goals from winger Charlie Stewart, Jonathan Nsangou and another from Doughty making it 4-0 after 43 minutes. Kean Wren (pictured right below) was the architect of both Doughty goals.
Newcastle pulled two goals back inside the first 20 minutes following the restart but the Toffees deserved their victory.
Southern was full of praise for his side after the result, and was hugely impressed with the first-half performance which saw them leapfrog Newcastle into 3rd place in the league table behind the two runaway Manchester clubs.
“They obviously scored twice in the second half, so they were probably the better side then, but our first half display was really, really terrific. I couldn’t have asked for any more.
“We played as well as we’ve played all season in the first half. We really were outstanding.
“In the second half, we had to show a different side of it. They had the better of the the second half in terms of territory and opportunities. We had to defend, and the lads, credit to them, stuck at it, defended the box, defended set pieces.”
Meanwhile the following day, the U21s, significantly without leading goalscorer Braiden Graham (18 goals cross-age and cross-competition), lined up as below against Brighton. They still had the experience of captain Reece Welch to call upon and a pair of 20 year-olds on the bench:
To be fair the Toffees held the score at 0-1 till the second half when the hugely experienced and talented over-age player Solly March (pictured below) came on to heavily assist the second half onslaught. He has 266 first team appearances for Brighton although he hasn’t been a regular since 2023 due to injuries. It’s a bit like us throwing the game know-how of Seamus Coleman onto the pitch against 17 year olds!
So Paul Tait’s team conceded in the 42nd and 59th minutes and when the 3rd went in after 86, the game was clearly over. More worrying was the capitulation in the first minute of added time when Brighton scored two goals inside a minute to make it an absolute rout at 0-5.
The result means that the Blues are now out of the top 16 teams who go on to a knockout phase of the campaign. They slumped to 19th having looked comfortable a few weeks ago. There are 2 games left so the maximum points they can get is 27 and the 16th (qualifying team) are currently Aston Villa on 24 points, so it is still possible to progress to the knockout stage but, especially with the goal difference damage of the last result, it’s looking more likely that the season will, disappointingly, end early on April 17th.
Next up for the U21s is a must-win game away to lowly Birmingham City on April 3rd and for the U18s it’s an away game against Blackburn Rovers on April 11th.
Cesar Azpilicueta will forever be remembered as an all-time Chelsea great by the club's supporters.
Making over 500 appearances and winning nine major honours in his 11 years at Stamford Bridge, the Spaniard transitioned from being a back-up right-back to one of the club's most successful players - all with the help of a sleep coach.
Dr Vinay Menon was brought to Chelsea by former owner Roman Abramovich and spent nearly 14 years leading a recovery revolution at the club's Cobham training facility.
"Vinay, I will always be grateful for because he was a big part in my career, 100%," Azpilicueta told BBC Sport.
At 36, Azpilicueta is still going strong with La Liga side Sevilla after notching more than 800 career games for club and country.
"Now you try to do everything you can to prepare your body and your mind to sleep well because it's a big part of the performance," Azpilicueta added.
"I believe that you have to train yourself to have a good sleep and to recover."
Although Azpilicueta was among the main beneficiaries of Menon's work, it was three years prior to his £7m arrival where Indian sleep guru Menon first made his breakthrough.
"When I came into the football world Didier Drogba gave me the chance," Menon told BBC Sport.
"I still remember when we were having lunch, he asked me 'what you do?' and that he wanted to try. After that training, I never looked back. He was always a leader and he's a great guy, he supported me.
"Initially when I was doing it people were thinking: 'is Vinay doing some voodoo or something? People are coming to me and they are sleeping.'"
By the time Azpilicueta arrived from Marseille, fellow Spaniard Juan Mata had already spent a year working with Menon. Joe Cole, John Terry, Frank Lampard and current Blues captain Reece James have all worked with Menon to improve their sleep and mental recovery.
"I used to have regular players who would come, sometimes as a group, but regular one-to-one sessions," Menon explained.
"They played much better with clarity and less injuries."
During sleep, hormones are released that support different bodily functions, including our growth, strength, and other aspects of our physical development.
The body uses this time to repair tissue and restores energy levels - improving coordination, boosting reaction times, increasing mental and physical stamina, and even making us faster.
The NHS says good sleep also helps to recover faster from injury, boost our immune system and maintain weight.
Sleep also improves memory and learning, with a lack of sleep making it harder to concentrate and retain information.
"If you want to push the mind, you need to detoxify your mind. How do you detoxify? You can only detoxify with a good sleep," said Menon.
"Sleep makes all the difference. When they get onto the pitch or the training, we can see the decision-making scale, clarity, and even the way they breathe - everything changes.
"The timing, the sense, the teamwork - everything comes with this deep state of clarity. That is the mental detoxification. The proper brain detoxification only can come through sleep."
Sleep specialists, like Menon, say they can identify players who have not slept well or not recovered properly simply by their appearance.
At an elite level where marginal gains can make the difference between winning and losing, wellness coaches are being brought in to educate players and find an edge.
The NHS says adults require between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, but Menon and other coaches say duration alone is not the most important part of sleep hygiene.
"Sleep, it's not about the time, [it is about] the quality. The day you are not sleeping well, your creativity is missing," Menon says.
"Football is all about creativity and [the] uncertainty is so high because the lifespan of the footballer is very short. Even the manager. Because if [the manager] is not performing, he is out. If the team is not performing, [the manager] is out.
"If one player is getting injured, all the stress is coming to the medical team and the manager is also getting the stress because my specific player is not available."
Azpilicueta knows all too well about the importance of sleep, saying: "It's a big part in performance and now you try to get every detail and the competitive advantage on the highest level. The margins are very thin and it's very tight, so every club wants to make the most of it."
It is common for footballers to play late at night and also travel back home after away matches. Azpilicueta cites one game in particular as an example, when he thought he'd scored the winner in a 4-4 draw against Ajax in 2019.
"Really bad," Azpilicueta said of his sleep that night. "Because it was my first time I scored two goals in a Champions League game.
"The comeback, after all the emotions and the red cards and more than the goal, you have the emotion and that emotion doesn't go away from you.
"And then just being disallowed by VAR, that gives you a bit of the momentum. But [after] that, it's harder to sleep at night."
Azpilicueta and Mata, 38, now in Australia, are two of Menon's prodigies who are still turning out professionally.
Azpilicueta says that the sessions and work he did with Menon still benefit him.
"Discipline helped me to go through every moment and to help me in my career," he told BBC Sport. "Before it was more ice baths and stretching, but with him and his work, we went a step further in terms of stretching [and] in terms of mentally trying to recover and to help me to be ready for the highest level in football."
Menon, who also had a brief spell of working with Belgium's national team, was a rarity in being a sleep coach in football when he first joined Chelsea 17 years ago. Now, Arsenal, West Ham, Brentford and Coventry City are among the teams who use, or have used, sleep coaches.
"In 2009, sleep was just a resting phase, [football clubs didn't] give that importance to sleep," said Menon.
"They want to recover. They use that recovery word, but in that time, recovery was just limited to a massage and some type of stretching and maybe some of them go to do hot and cold plunges. Now everything has changed."
One of the most notable names linked to the New Orleans Saints for much of the early pre-draft process was Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love. With the Saints desperately needing an addition to the room initially, it seemed like a great fit, but then his stock rose immensely, and New Orleans brought in Travis Etienne on a substantial contract. The talks quieted in the media, as Love has been more recently linked to the Tennessee Titans.
However, that being said, Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier was still in attendance for the Notre Dame pro day and was spotted speaking to Love during the event.
So, is there any real world where the Saints even consider taking Love if he were to make it to pick No. 8? Or is this the team just ensuring they fully research every available option just in case? Well, if Alvin Kamara were to leave or retire, it certainly leaves a gap to add there potentially, and in that mentality, Love and Etienne do have relatively different skillsets. Love is a home-run hitter, Etienne is patient and works the field effectively, which could make for an absolutely ridiculous pairing, especially with Love's receiving capabilities.
Saints OC Doug Nussmeier chatting with RB Jeremiyah Love at @NDFootball Pro Day 🤝 pic.twitter.com/rAJ34vMRkN
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) March 24, 2026
That all being said, the team has significantly more pressing needs than adding for flash, and with talent at the top of the draft being pretty strong at many of those spots, they will likely be focusing heavily on positional needs, as much as talent factors in as well.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Saints OC Doug Nussmeier meets Jeremiyah Love at Notre Dame pro day
Have Iowa and Nebraska played in March Madness before? The history of the Heroes Game rivalry originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Ahead of their Sweet 16 matchup, this marks the first time that the “Farmageddon” rivalry between Nebraska and Iowa will take place in a postseason setting. In history, the two bitter rivals have never met in a Big Ten tournament or March Madness game.
Both the Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers kept things close in the regular season, each taking a win on their respective home courts. Iowa won 57-52 in their first meeting, while Nebraska won 84-75 in overtime in round 2.
This marks Nebraska’s first ever trip to the Sweet 16, while this will be Iowa’s ninth appearance in the second weekend of the tournament.
Iowa has owned the 33-game series against Nebraska, going 21-12 against them. They average an even 77 ppg while allowing 70.7 ppg in the series all time.
More: Oregon Ducks star guard Jackson Shelstad makes final decision before next season
In their more recent meetings, it’s been Iowa in control, winning seven of their last 10 head-to-heads.
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Opening Day in the Majors brings a marquee matchup in San Francisco, but this one sets up as a difficult spot for the Giants against a pitcher they struggled to handle all last season.
With Max Fried on the mound and San Francisco’s well-documented issues against left-handed pitching, my Yankees vs. Giants predictions and MLB picks expect New York to create separation, making the runline a strong play for Wednesday, March 25.
The 2026 MLB season begins with two aces toeing the rubber, with Max Fried facing off against Logan Webb.
The New York Yankees ace will be a problem for a San Francisco Giants lineup that struggled against left-handed pitchers last season.
Fried is coming off a year where he owned a 3.38 xERA while the Giants had the third-worst wRC+ and were dead last in OPS against lefties, and didn’t do much to address that in the offseason.
I love backing slight road favorites on the runline at plus money, and the Yanks have plenty of value on Opening Day.
COVERS INTEL: Logan Webb is the Giants' ace, but he was hit hard and often last season, ranking in the 38th percentile or worse in expected batting average and average exit velocity.Aaron Judge is coming off his third MVP season in the last four years, where he led the majors in batting average, slugging, and OPS while swatting 53 dingers and 114 RBIs.
Simply put, he’s one of the greatest hitters of all time and has a solid track record against Giants’ starter Logan Webb (more on that later).
Another guy with good numbers against Webb is third baseman Ryan McMahon from his time with the Colorado Rockies. McMahon has a career .310 expected batting average in 46 career plate appearances vs. Webb.
All rise!
There’s no other place we should start the season with our home run bets than with the greatest home run hitter of this generation.
Judge has whacked 210 dingers over the last four seasons, including 53 last season.
So, of course, the three-time MVP has great numbers vs. Webb. He’s 3-for-7 with two homers in his career vs. Webb, who has been prone to giving up hard contact.
It would be cool to see Judge plunk one in McCovey Cove on Opening Day.
The Yankees hit the Team Total Over in 18 of their last 23 away games last season for +12.40 Units and a 46% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Yankees vs. Giants.
| Location | Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA |
| Date | Wednesday, March 25, 2026 |
| First pitch | 8:05 p.m. ET |
| TV | Netflix |
| Yankees starting pitcher | Max Fried (0-0, 0.00 ERA) |
| Giants starting pitcher | Logan Webb (0-0, 0.00 ERA) |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.
The NBA's board of governors has approved a vote for the league to explore bids and applicants for expansion teams exclusively in Las Vegas and Seattle. All 30 owners voted in favor of exploring Las Vegas and Seattle expansion, sources told ESPN. A bidding process is expected to generate offers in the $7-10 billion range for each team, according to sources. Sources told ESPN last week that the league is targeting the 2028-29 season for the two expansion franchises to start playing.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: NBA targeting 2028-29 for Las Vegas, Seattle expansion teams to start playing
The vote starts the NBA's process of expanding to 32 teams. Multiple high-ranking officials have termed expansion as "when, not if." "Today's vote reflects our Board's interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle -- two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball," NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Wednesday. "We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties."
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: "Today's vote reflects our Board's interest in …
Silver will hold a news conference later Wednesday to discuss next steps. The league said investment bank PJT Partners has been brought on "as a strategic adviser to evaluate prospective markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure, and the broader economic implications of expansion." The league will examine Seattle and Las Vegas bids over the next several months, and whether to execute the new franchise purchases in 2026 or in a few years. There will be a potential final vote later this year to finalize the transactions to 32 teams. In both voting rounds, 23 of 30 governors must vote in favor.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The league will examine Seattle and Las Vegas bids …
NBA Communications: The following has been released by the NBA regarding NBA expansion.
The following has been released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/SRIvFMcnlF
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) March 25, 2026
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: The following has been released by the NBA regarding …
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Players in blue jerseys as Sixers shootaround opens …
Damian Lillard rejoined the Blazers this past offseason after a couple of years as Giannis Antetokounmpo’s running mate with the Bucks. Injuries kept those two from making an honest run together, and when Dame tore his Achilles in the first round of last year’s playoffs, it spelled the end of their time together.
The Bucks made the controversial decision to waive Dame and stretch his contract out so that they could sign Myles Turner, and it’s fair to say that hasn’t worked out for them. It’s been great for Dame though, since he was able to go back to the team he’d spent his first 11 seasons with. He’s been rehabbing his Achilles this season with an aim on returning at full strength next year.
Dame has accomplished a lot in his career. He was the 2013 Rookie of the Year and the 2024 All-Star Game MVP, and he’s won the 3-Point contest three times. He’s a nine-time All-Star and seven-time All-NBA player, and he was also named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. Despite all that, Patrick Beverley doesn’t think Dame is a Hall-of-Famer.
“Hell no,”he said. “I love Dame. I love Dame, I promise you, I love Dame, and it’s no ill will, no beef with Dame at all. First off, I feel like too many people get in the Hall of Fame, let me start off with that.”
“Second off, Hall of Fame has to be a combination of points, rebounds, assists. It has to be a combination of wins … playoff appearances … and championships. How are we going to say no to D-Rose getting MVP and say yes to Dame Lillard? If he get a chip, for sure, but scoring a lot of points on OK teams, I don’t think that gets you into the Hall of Fame,” he explained.
There’s a lot to break down here, so let’s start with the obvious. Beverley claims that too many people make the Hall of Fame, but if that’s the case, how are we all of a sudden going to start limiting who makes it? How is that fair to current players that are better than some previous inductees?
Bringing up Derrick Rose isn’t the most informed argument, either. Yes, Rose won an MVP, becoming the youngest winner ever, in fact, but injuries derailed his career and limited his prime to about three years.
He made three All-Star teams. So should he get in because he has an MVP, even though the rest of his career paled in comparison to Dame’s? If the answer to that is yes, then let’s just make a rule that MVPs automatically get in.
Beverley also minimized Dame’s accomplishments by saying he scored a lot of points on OK teams but surely that cannot be on him. Dame carried the Blazers to the 2019 Western Conference Finals. His career is full of clutch moments and buzzer beaters. In fact, he’s the only guy other than Michael Jordan with more than one series-clinching buzzer beater.
You can’t make the 75th Anniversary Team and not make the Hall of Fame. It’s just not possible. Every eligible player on that team is in, and anyone who isn’t will be once they retire. Regardless of what Dame does the rest of his career, he’s getting in whether Pat Bev likes it or not.
The post Damian Lillard Doesn’t Deserve to be a Hall-of-Famer Yet: Patrick Beverley appeared first on The SportsRush.
In recent weeks, Barcelona have been linked with signing a new goalkeeper during this summer’s transfer window. Marc-Andre ter Stegen is projected to leave if an opportunity presents itself, while Wojciech Szczesny may choose 2026 as the right time to retire – this time, for good.
In that case, Barcelona would need a new goalkeeper, given that Inaki Pena is unlikely to be seen as an ideal backup to Joan Garcia. Club officials have identified a leading candidate ahead of the summer, that being Real Sociedad and Spain star Alex Remiro.
Barcelona sporting director Deco has already held talks with Remiro’s representatives, and the man himself has now been asked about this speculation. As per La Sexta (via Sport), he did not close the door on a possible move to the Spotify Camp Nou.
“I’ve heard something on the networks, but now I’m very focused on La Real. We have the Copa del Rey final and we are very focused and excited about winning it. Barça? You never know.”
If he were to join Barcelona, Remiro would be going up against Garcia for the starting spot. He is also competing against the 24-year-old for a place in Spain’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, a battle that he is relishing.
“He sees himself at the World Cup and I see myself too. Whatever happens, Spain will have three great goalkeepers. If he says that I am a cat, he will be a panther or something much better. He is barbaric. I am happy to coincide with him to train, learn, take the good things from him. It is a pleasure to be able to train with him because he is very good between the sticks, with his feet, he is a leader…”
It will be interesting to see whether Barcelona move for Remiro in the summer, but the La Real goalkeeper certainly appears open to the move, which will be encouraging for Deco and co.
Once upon a time, in the delightfully chaotic 1990s, web copywriting was all about exact-match keywords and relentless meta tag stuffing. As algorithms matured, so did SEO copywriting.
Now, with proposition-based retrieval systems, writing like you’re in the business of tricking a crawler into seeing relevance through keyword repetition is no longer a viable strategy.
Below is a playbook for generative AI-friendly copywriting, broken down into self-contained, high-density concepts.
Large language models (LLMs) don’t seek less information. They seek higher information density. Google’s Gemini operates on a limited budget of retrieved information, according to research by DEJAN AI, which analyzed over 7,000 queries.
The grounding budget is roughly 1,900 words per query, split across multiple sources. For an individual webpage, your typical allocation is around 380 words. You’re competing for a tiny slice of a fixed pie, so being precise helps the AI’s matching process.
If Schema.org is the external scaffolding of a building, structured language is the load-bearing internal frame. Language itself is the structure we provide machines, such as “semantic triplets” (subject → predicate → object). When a copywriter moves structure inside the language, the sentences become inherently machine-readable.
Google’s passage ranking, AI Overviews, and third-party LLMs like ChatGPT all evaluate content at the passage level using similar retrieval infrastructure. A sentence that works for one works for all of them.
A properly structured sentence fulfills four strict data criteria:
| Feature | The marketing fluff | Structured language (GEO-friendly) |
| Example | “Our revolutionary platform makes managing your team easier than ever. It is affordable and comes with great support.” | “The Asana Enterprise Plan [Entity] streamlines [Relationship] cross-functional project tracking [Specifics] for teams over 100 people [Condition], starting at $24.99 per user [Data].” |
| Machine utility | Low (Vague, hard to extract) | High (Decomposable into atomic claims) |
Traditional copywriting flows like a row of dominoes. When an AI “chunks” your page, it snaps those dominoes apart. If your sentences aren’t load-bearing on their own, the logic collapses.
Ensure every single sentence explicitly names its subject. Vague pronouns like “this,” “it,” or “the above” become dead bits when extracted.
Keyword stuffing introduces inference errors. Effective structured language explicitly states the relationship between nodes.
Provide anchorable statements instead of fluff: dense passages equipped with clear claims and specific evidence.
The gold standard example:
Research shows LLMs reliably extract claims near the beginning or end of a text. Adding more content often dilutes your coverage.
Here’s the four-step formula for citation bait.
Clear headings above a paragraph can improve its mathematical relevance (cosine similarity) to AI systems by up to 17.54%.
Developed by Ramon Eijkemans, this scoring system measures the likelihood of content being cited:
Here’s a table of the most common pitfalls when it comes to extractability:
| Pattern | Example | Problem |
| Unresolved pronoun (what?) | “It features a 120Hz display” | What device? |
| Vague demonstrative (what + what?) | “This gives it an advantage” | What gives what an advantage? |
| Context-dependent (which?) | “The above specs outperform the competition” | Which specs? Which competition? |
| Stripped conditions (when? how much?) | “The price has dropped significantly” | From what? To what? When? |
| Assumed knowledge (what? who?) | “The popular supplement helps with recovery” | Which supplement? Recovery from what? |
| Relative claim (how much? compared to what?) | “Our fastest-selling product” | How fast? Compared to what? Over what period? |
To ensure your high-value pages are programmatically extractable, run these four stress tests on your mid-page copy.
The action: Select a single sentence completely at random from the middle of a webpage and read it in total isolation.
The goal: If the sentence relies on preceding paragraphs to make sense or uses vague pronouns (e.g., “This allows for…”), the page has a utility gap. Every sentence should be self-contained.
The action: Scroll down twice on a homepage so the hero banner and primary H1 disappear, then start reading from wherever your eyes land.
The goal: If a reader (or a machine “chunking” that section) can’t immediately identify the product or service without the top visual layout, the mid-page text fails the context test.
The action: Read a mid-page sentence out loud and ask: Could this apply to the deforestation of the Amazon or a steamy romance novel?
The goal: If a sentence is wildly generic (e.g., “We empower our clients to achieve more”), an LLM will struggle to map it to your specific entity. Specifics prevent misinterpretation.
The action: Run the live URL through an LLM agent or NotebookLM.
The goal: If convoluted JavaScript, heavy code bloat, or aggressive bot protection prevents an agent from “seeing” the raw text, generative search engines may skip the content entirely.
Here are answers to common questions about optimizing content for AI search.
Yes. Formalized by researchers at the University of Washington and Columbia, it focuses on optimizing for “citation frequency” through dense, condition-preserving sentences.
Traditional SEO relies on bolt-on machine-readable code to make human narratives SEO-worthy. AI search optimization requires embedding explicit entity relationships and structure directly inside your copy.
Open with a dense 40-60-word declarative statement. Information buried deep in long paragraphs is rarely retrieved.
Yes. Because Google uses vector embeddings to evaluate content at the passage level, structuring language for an LLM improves traditional visibility.
No. Density beats length. Pages under 5,000 characters see a 66% extraction rate, while pages over 20,000 characters plummet to 12%.
The AI inverted pyramid means abandoning the slow, conversational introduction and placing your core entities, exact claims, and specific conditions in the very first sentence to guarantee flawless machine extraction.
The content creator is now a machine-readability engineer. Our job is to build narratives that are persuasive to humans while being programmatically extractable for neural networks.
If your content lacks explicit entity relationships, perfectly self-contained sentences, and highly “anchorable” citable claims, the machines will simply look right through you.
Google released the March 2026 spam update less than 24 hours ago and it is already done rolling out. The update finished today at 10:40 a.m. ET.
Why we care. This is the second Google algorithm update announced in 2026. It’s unclear what spam it targeted, but if you see ranking or traffic changes in the next few days, the Google March 2026 spam update could be the cause.
More on spam update. Google’s documentation says:
“While Google’s automated systems to detect search spam are constantly operating, we occasionally make notable improvements to how they work. When we do, we refer to this as a spam update and share when they happen on our list of Google Search ranking updates.
For example, SpamBrain is our AI-based spam-prevention system. From time-to-time, we improve that system to make it better at spotting spam and to help ensure it catches new types of spam.
Sites that see a change after a spam update should review our spam policies to ensure they are complying with those. Sites that violate our policies may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all. Making changes may help a site improve if our automated systems learn over a period of months that the site complies with our spam policies.
In the case of a link spam update (an update that specifically deals with link spam), making changes might not generate an improvement. This is because when our systems remove the effects spammy links may have, any ranking benefit the links may have previously generated for your site is lost. Any potential ranking benefits generated by those links cannot be regained.”
Impact. This update should only impact sites spamming Google Search, so hopefully you didn’t see any major negative impact.
Kali Linux 2026.1 lands with a fresh look, a Linux 6.18 kernel, and a batch of new pentesting tools – but the standout is a nostalgic BackTrack mode that recreates the classic desktop for longtime users. It's a relatively light release, yet one that blends practical updates with a throwback twist security pros seem to appreciate.
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Samsung is working on a new foldable phone, reportedly called the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide. Unlike the usual tall foldable phones, this one is shorter and wider. The phone folds like a book, but when open, it looks more like a small tablet. Now, new renders show what it may look like and its size.
OnLeaks, in collaboration with Android Headlines, shared renders and new information about Samsung’s Wide foldable, which has a completely new shape.
These renders of the phone look wider, like a small tablet when open, and thicker than Samsung’s regular Fold phones. People think Samsung might be doing this to match Apple’s upcoming foldable iPhone, which is also expected to be wider in shape.
The leaks also say Samsung will use a simpler camera setup on this model. Instead of three or more cameras like on other top phones, this Wide foldable might only have two cameras on the back. This could make it less powerful for photos, but it might help keep the phone thinner or cheaper.
Image via Android Headlines
The most important differences are in the size and shape. The size of the Wide Fold is different from the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The Fold 8 is taller and narrower, while the Wide Fold is shorter and wider. Here are the leaked dimensions:
Galaxy Z Fold 8
Galaxy Z Fold 8 “Wide”
This shows that the new Wide Fold is not much wider, but it is shorter in height and a little thicker. The screen will feel more square when unfolded.
Samsung has not said when the Wide Fold will be released. Right now, these are only leaks, so some details may change. The Wide Fold seems to be Samsung’s answer to Apple’s rumored foldable iPhone. Stay tuned for more information.
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Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 have been officially launched today. These are new mid-range smartphones that come with improved features and a refreshed design. Here you can check when these devices will be available.
The Korean Tech giant has confirmed that both the Samsung Galaxy A57 and Samsung Galaxy A37 will be available starting April 10. The phones will be released in regions including Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Ahead of that, consumers in the US will be able to purchase. It will be available from April 9, which means a day before global release.
Both smartphones bring several upgrades compared to last year’s models. They now have brighter displays, which makes them easier to use in sunlight and outdoor conditions. They also come with an IP68 rating. This makes them more durable for daily use.
The Galaxy A37 comes with a faster Exynos 1480 processor and an improved main camera. On the other hand, the Galaxy A57 has more advanced features. It includes a new Exynos 1680 processor, improved camera quality, a slimmer design, and more.
Both phones come in different color options. The Galaxy A57 is available in Navy, Gray, Icy Blue, and Lilac, while the Galaxy A37 comes in Lavender, Charcoal, Graygreen, and White.
However, these improvements come with a higher price. The Galaxy A57 starts at €529, while the Galaxy A37 starts at €429. Stay tuned.
The post Samsung Galaxy A57 and A37 release timeline revealed appeared first on Sammy Fans.
At a time when smartphones ship with the bare minimum of essentials, vivo posts a video showing off the vivo X300 Ultra retail package and the photographer’s kit, which look absolutely lavish with an impressive number of accessories. People who buy the Photography Edition Kit will get a box within a box. Starting with the regular X300 Ultra box, it contains not only a 100W charger, but also a nice case. The vivo X300 Ultra retail package The Kit’s box has that plus a whole drawer full of camera gear. There is another case, which serves as the mounting point for all the...
Xiaomi has published its full-year 2025 financial report. The company shipped a total of 165.2 million smartphones, which generated revenue of CNY 186.4 billion. Based on Omdia stats, Xiaomi had 13.3% of the global market share, ranking it in the Top 3 for the 5th consecutive year. Focusing on mainland China, the company was #2 with a share of 16.6% (up 7 percentage points compared to the previous year). Xiaomi’s product mix is shifting towards more premium offerings. Phones costing CNY 3,000 ($435) or higher accounted for 27.1% of all Xiaomi phones sold, which is a new record. Meanwhile,...
With Robert Lewandowski’s form on the decline, Ferran Torres has established as Barcelona’s starting striker. However, the Spaniard’s performance has dipped, and his contract renewal is now in doubt. Given this situation, his departure could potentially pave the way for Julián Álvarez to join the Blaugranas, as he could be transferred amid Atlético Madrid growing interest.
According to a report by Fernando Polo and Roger Torello in Mundo Deportivo, the Blaugranas have put Ferran’s renewal on hold, as they believe he is already earning a good salary and do not plan to offer him a higher one. With his current contract set to expire in 2027, the Spaniard could be transferred this summer. In light of this, Atlético Madrid are showing interest in his talent.
The Colchoneros have set their sights on Ferran Torres, as sporting director Mateu Alemany supports his signing, having already brought him to Barcelona in 2021, reports Mundo Deportivo. As a result, the Blaugranas would be open to his departure, aiming to raise funds to pursue Julián Álvarez. They are even considering including him as part of a deal for the Argentine.
As a cornerstone of Atlético Madrid, and after Antoine Griezmann’s move to Orlando City, they are reluctant to let Julián Álvarez leave, which could further complicate negotiations. Despite this, the possibility of signing Ferran Torres could help unlock talks, but it would still need to be accompanied by a significant transfer fee, as they reportedly value the Argentine at €150 million.
Looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, Barcelona appear to have clarified their objectives for the striker spot. As per president Joan Laporta, they continue to view Robert Lewandowski’s contract extension as a priority, as they consider him essential. With Ferran’s potential departure and the difficulty in securing Julián Álvarez, the Blaugranas are reportedly keeping Victor Osimhen as an alternative.
According to Sergi Solé, via Mundo Deportivo, Victor Osimhen is emerging as the top candidate to bolster the attack. With a contract with Galatasaray running through 2027, the Nigerian could command a hefty transfer fee, meaning negotiations would not be straightforward. However, he has scored 56 goals in 70 games, so he would also be a signing with an immediate impact.
Cristiano Ronaldo Jr., just 15, has stepped into the spotlight after training with Real Madrid’s academy, a moment that has naturally reignited speculation about what such a move could mean for the family. For a forward whose father still dominates headlines at 41, the timing could not be more intriguing.
Ronaldo Jr. has been developing his game at Al-Nassr, following the path his father set in Saudi Arabia. Now, with these first sessions for Real Madrid’s U-16s, the young striker appears to be entering a decisive new phase. And because the Ronaldo name has always carried weight in one club in particular — Real Madrid — whispers about the future have intensified.
But while fans are already imagining the teenager in white, the attention has also drifted toward what this could represent beyond the boy’s development. Cristiano Ronaldo Sr., still scoring freely and still chasing his 1,000-goal dream, has long insisted he is focused on the present. Yet a move of this nature touches the past, the present, and the future all at once.
It is more than a simple youth training session; it reconnects Cristiano Ronaldo’s family to the club where he built the most dominant years of his career. And as that connection reopens, so too does another question, one tied closely to the young player’s trial and revealed only now: whether this development hints at a return to Spain for Cristiano Ronaldo himself.
According to The Athletic, Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. trained with Real Madrid’s U-16 side as part of an ongoing evaluation process. The report notes that the teenager took part in at least two sessions at Valdebebas, where coaches were “impressed” with both his attitude and his adaptability. AS added that staff described him as “super humble and polite,” praising his “perfect first impression.”
Ronaldo Jr., who currently plays in Al-Nassr’s academy, has already built an impressive résumé at youth level. He previously spent time at Manchester United and Juventus, mirroring his father’s journey. Internationally, he has represented Portugal at U-15 and U-16 level, scoring in the Vlatko Markovic International Tournament — a competition his team went on to win.
During his Real Madrid sessions, he was deployed primarily as a winger, showcasing his speed and technical ability. The Cadete A squad he trained with is one of the strongest youth teams in Spain, currently top of their league with 19 wins and one draw in 20 matches. Integrating into such an elite environment—even temporarily—signals how highly he is regarded.
The club’s interest is said to be genuine, and more sessions are planned. Should everything progress smoothly, Ronaldo Jr. is expected to formally join La Fábrica, making him the latest in a growing list of sons of legends currently in Madrid’s academy.
The possibility of Cristiano Jr. joining Real Madrid naturally brings attention back to his father’s ties to the club. Cristiano Ronaldo Sr., the all-time leading scorer in Real Madrid history with 450 goals, remains under contract with Al-Nassr until 2027. Yet AS and Marca both acknowledge that such a move “inevitably sparks speculation.”
And for good reason. Ronaldo Sr. still maintains strong emotional and professional connections to Madrid. He visits the city often, owns property there, and recently purchased 25% of La Liga club Almería. A return to Spain in a sporting or ambassadorial capacity has always seemed like a question of when, not if.
His current football reality complicates things only slightly. Ronaldo stands at 964 career goals, still working toward the mythical 1,000-goal milestone. He is thriving in the Saudi Pro League with 22 goals and 4 assists in 26 matches this season, keeping Al-Nassr at the top of the table. Leaving now appears unlikely.
But if his son were to settle in Madrid? The timeline begins to shift. Multiple reports suggest that while Ronaldo will honor his Al-Nassr contract, a return to Spain is “expected at some point” — whether as a club figure, a mentor, or simply to remain closer to his family’s footballing trajectory.
Beşiktaş derbisi hazırlıklarını sürdüren Fenerbahçe günü çift antrenmanla geçirdi.
Trendyol Süper Lig'in 28. haftasında 5 Nisan Pazar günü Beşiktaş'ı konuk edecek Fenerbahçe, günü çift idmanla tamamladı.
Sarı-lacivertli kulüpten yapılan açıklamaya göre Fenerbahçe Can Bartu Tesisleri'ndeki antrenman, teknik direktör Domenico Tedesco yönetiminde gerçekleştirildi. Sabah saha idmanı yapan futbolcular, akşam ise salonda çalıştı.
Milli futbolculardan yoksun çalışan sarı-lacivertli takım, Beşiktaş maçının hazırlıklarına yarın devam edecek.
A Milli Futbol Takımı yarın oynayacağı Romanya maçının hazırlıkları tamamladı.
A Milli Futbol Takımı, 2026 FIFA Dünya Kupası Avrupa Elemeleri play-off turu yarı finalinde yarın Romanya ile oynayacağı maçın hazırlıklarını tamamladı.
TFF Hasan Doğan Milli Takımlar Kamp ve Eğitim Tesisleri'nde teknik direktör Vincenzo Montella yönetiminde ilk 15 dakikası basına açık olan antrenman, ısınma hareketleriyle başladı. Pas ve top kapma çalışmasıyla devam eden idmanın basına kapalı bölümünde Romanya maçının taktiksel organizasyonu üzerinde duruldu.
Antrenmanda Zeki Çelik bireysel çalışma yaparken Merih Demiral'ın tedavisine devam edildi.
Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu (TFF) Başkanı İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu ile TFF Başkan Vekili Mecnun Otyakmaz, idmanı yerinde takip etti.
Hacıosmanoğlu, idman öncesi Vincenzo Montella bir süre sohbet etti.
Ay-yıldızlılar, yarın 20.00'de Beşiktaş Park'ta (Tüpraş) Romanya ile karşılaşacak.
Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu başkanı İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu, A Milli Futbol Takımı'mızın Romanya ile oynayacağı maça dair açıklama yaptı.
Türkiye A Milli Futbol Takımı'nın yarın Romanya ile oynayacağı Dünya Kupası play-off maçı öncesi Türkiye Futbol Federasyonu (TFF) Başkanı İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu açıklamalarda bulundu.
Hacıosmanoğlu'nun açıklamaları şöyle:
-Hep istiyoruz, millet olarak istiyoruz. Cenabı Allah, yarından başlayıp iki sınavı başarıyla geçmeyi nasip etsin. Dünya Kupası bizi bekliyor. İnşallah gidip orada başarılı oluruz ve başarılı olacağımıza inanıyoruz."
-Büyük konuşmak iyi bir şey değil ama Romanya, Kosova ve Slovakya'yı yenemedikten sonra Amerika'ya gitmeyelim.
-Hep söyledim, bazı arkadaşlar alınıyor ama kimseye karaktersiz demiyorum, çok iyi bir takımımız var kalite ve karakter yapısı olarak. Her şeyi hak ediyorlar. Çok güzel bir kura çektik Amerika'da. Cenabı Allah, şu iki maçı kazasız atlatmayı nasip etsin.
-Orada da Türk milletini ve İslam alemini, sadece 80 milyon olarak düşünmeyelim, bir sürü İslam ülkelerinden federasyon başkanı, "Başkanım, 80 milyon olarak düşünmeyin. Biz başarınızı bekliyoruz, gurur duyacağız." diyor. Cenabı Allah nasip eder ya bu kadar beklenti varken.
Despite an IMF warning regarding the potential risks, the Marshall Islands is proceeding with a partnership which could expand its digital sovereign bond to institutional markets.
A UK review led by Philip Rycroft recommended a temporary moratorium on crypto political donations until stronger safeguards and statutory guidance are in place.
STS Digital said the platform offers institutional clients access to options-based strategies through predefined crypto investment products.
Bitcoin is beating gold during the Iran war, but its dependence on liquidity cycles keeps the safe haven narrative in question.
Bitcoin traders agreed that BTC price action needed to retake $72,000 to open up the odds of further upside as gold and US stocks gained.
CBDCs bridge the 1.3 billion unbanked cash-digital divide. Governments must actively promote them as trusted, low-cost gateways to formal financial inclusion.
The ECB’s Piero Cipollone said the central bank wants key technical standards for a possible digital euro locked in by this summer so banks and merchants can prepare for the rollout.
Bitcoin bounced back above $71,000 after US President Donald Trump’s administration sent a proposal to Iran aimed at ending the war.
Bhutan moved 519 Bitcoin from its state-linked wallet, extending a March drawdown that has cut its sovereign stash far below 2024 levels.
Azərbaycanın U-21 millisinin Avro-2027-nin seçmə mərhələsində Portuqaliyaya qarşı keçirəcəyi oyunun hakimləri açıqlanıb.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, Bakıda baş tutacaq oyunu Yunanıstandan olan hakimlər briqadası idarə edəcək. Baş hakim Xristos Vergetis olacaq. Ona yan xətt hakimləri Andreas Fotopoulos və Konstantinos Staikos kömək edəcəklər. Dördüncü hakim funksiyasını isə Aleksandros Katsikogiannis yerinə yetirəcək.
Martın 27-də, “Dalğa Arena”da keçiriləcək matça saat 15:00-da start veriləcək.
“FIFA Series – 2026” beynəlxalq turniri çərçivəsində martın 27-də Mehdi Hüseynzadə adına Sumqayıt şəhər stadionunda keçiriləcək Azərbaycan – Sent Lüsiya oyunu öncəsi təşkil olunacaq mətbuat konfransının vaxtında dəyişiklik edilib.
Futbolpress.az martın 26-da baş tutacaq mətbuat konfranslarının və açıq məşqlərin vaxtını diqqətinizə çatdırır:
26 mart
Sent Lüsiya milli komandası
18:15. Mətbuat konfransı (Mehdi Hüseynzadə adına Sumqayıt şəhər stadionu)
18:30. İlk 15 dəqiqəsi mətbuat üçün açıq məşq (Mehdi Hüseynzadə adına Sumqayıt şəhər stadionu)
Azərbaycan milli komandası
18:30. Mətbuat konfransı (“Dalğa Arena”)
19:00. İlk 15 dəqiqəsi mətbuat üçün açıq məşq (“Dalğa Arena”)
Fabio Cannavaro won the 2006 World Cup with current coach Gennaro Gattuso as a teammate, but warns Italy ‘risk throwing away our football culture, which for a long time the entire world envied.’
The Azzurri missed out on both the 2018 and 2022 editions of the biggest tournament in football, and now have to get through the play-offs, starting with the semi-final against Northern Ireland on Thursday.
If they win that, then the final will be against either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 31, as only one team can make it to the competition in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
“Winning a World Cup is the dream of every footballer, of every age and era. As the years go by, you appreciate that success even more,” Cannavaro told The Mirror newspaper.
“Since July 9, 2006, the day we won the final against France in Berlin, we, Italy’s World Champions, have been seen as legends. Even today in Italy that triumph is often cited as an example, amplified by the fact that Italian football is currently going through a significant crisis.
“Italy did not participate in the 2018 World Cup nor the 2022 one. And participation in the 2026 World Cup is not yet certain. There is a risk of throwing away our football culture, which for a long time the entire world envied.”
It is precisely because of his role in the squad that lifted the trophy in 2006 that Gattuso has been picked as their current coach, with Gigi Buffon in his management staff.
He took over in June 2025 when Luciano Spalletti was sacked two games into the World Cup qualifying campaign, having already lost 3-0 away to Norway.
They were always chasing the top of that group and it was already practically impossible to overturn the goal difference when they went head-to-head in a 4-1 home defeat in November 2025.
Although Italy have not participated in the last two editions of the World Cup, they did win silverware in that time, securing the EURO 2020 trophy.
Italy legend Fabio Cannavaro will be at the 2026 World Cup as coach of Uzbekistan. ‘I like to broaden my horizons, I don’t want to stick to the usual ideas and concepts. The Uzbek people are fighters at heart.’
The Azzurri are trying to get into their first edition of this tournament since 2014, and are preparing for the play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland on Thursday.
Meanwhile, one of their 2006 World Cup winners will be there as coach of a different nation, as Cannavaro was hired by Uzbekistan in October 2025.
It is their first ever edition of the World Cup and they had already qualified when looking to bring in the Italian tactician.
“I’ll tell you what I always repeat to my players: for the first time you will play in a World Cup, you have nothing to lose,” Cannavaro told The Mirror newspaper.
“Approach every match with maximum calm, enjoy yourselves as much as possible, and if you feel anxiety, let it be positive anxiety.”
Football is a new frontier for Uzbekistan, although he does insists the “country’s passion for sport is enormous, especially for combat sports such as boxing. Uzbekistan is often ranked first in the world.
“This means that the Uzbek people are fighters at heart—they never give up. In terms of character, they are, in fact we are, second to none.”
Their group opponents in the World Cup will be Colombia, Portugal and a third side yet to be decided in the play-offs.
The leaders are investing heavily in development and state of the art facilities, which is why they brought in Cannavaro.
“The national team had just secured qualification for the first World Cup in its history, a result that made an entire country, an entire people, proud,” said Cannavaro.
“The federation was looking for a new head coach with international experience. I saw the facilities, visited the new sports centre, beautiful and modern, and understood their desire to open up to the world and their need to keep growing.
“Many things impressed me, but the federation and its leadership’s desire to emerge was fundamental. I saw enthusiasm, ambition, and capability. To be honest, I immediately fell in love with the people and the project.
“The federation is investing heavily in the Academies—in terms of effort, ideas, and, of course, financially. In football, technical development is at a good stage, and we are working on the tactical side.”
It is not a new experience for Cannavaro, who has been coaching all over the world since retiring as a player in 2012.
He had various roles at Al-Ahli in the UAE, clubs and national team positions in China, Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr and Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia.
Any Italian spells were short-lived, lasting 17 games in Serie B with Benevento in 2022-23, then only six matches to end the season at Udinese in 2024.
“Since Marcello Lippi wanted me in China with him, I have worked in many countries across Asia and the Middle East,” he said.
“It has been a fundamental journey to understand football from different perspectives, not only the European one, which I had experienced solely as a player. I like to broaden my horizons—I don’t want to stick to the usual ideas and concepts.
“All of this has prepared me to be ready for the Uzbekistan bench, a stimulating experience at the highest level. The federation consults with me frequently and asks for my help in developing the entire football movement. That makes me particularly proud,” concluded Cannavaro.
Looking at the last Italy team to play in an official World Cup match, it becomes clear just how much time has passed since the Azzurri were represented on the biggest stage.
The Nazionale will face Northern Ireland in the World Cup play-off semi-final on Thursday at 19.45 GMT (20.45 CET).
If they win that fixture, then can go head-to-head with either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina in the final for a spot at the 2026 tournament in Canada, Mexico and the USA.
Italy failed in the play-offs to reach both the 2018 edition in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, so the last time they actually played in football’s biggest tournament was 2014.
Their most recent match was a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay on June 24, 2014 that saw them eliminated in the group stage.
Claudio Marchisio was sent off in that game, before Diego Godin scored a late header on a corner.
Of course, had VAR been in use at the time, then Luis Suarez also would’ve seen red for biting Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder at the 79th minute, when the score was still 0-0.
The coach at the time was Cesare Prandelli, and of the starting XI, only Mario Balotelli, Ciro Immobile, Matteo Darmian and Marco Verratti are still active professionals.
Gigi Buffon and Leonardo Bonucci are now members of Gennaro Gattuso’s staff, while Andrea Pirlo, Thiago Motta and Alberto Aquilani are all coaches.
When this match was played, current Nazionale striker Francesco Pio Esposito would’ve been watching on television, four days before celebrating his ninth birthday.
Italy’s last World Cup team: Buffon; Chiellini, Bonucci, Barzagli; Darmian, Marchisio, Verratti (Thiago Motta 75), Pirlo, De Sciglio; Balotelli (Parolo 46), Immobile (Cassano 71)
Bologna are weighing up a permanent move for Portuguese right-back Joao Mario after the January loan signing has impressed sufficiently to convince the club’s hierarchy to pursue a full transfer from Juventus this summer.
The right-back has made eight appearances since joining on loan in the winter window, scoring once, and has shown enough quality in both defensive and attacking phases to persuade Vincenzo Italiano’s staff that he merits a longer-term commitment.
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Combined with his 13 appearances in the first half of the season with Juventus, Mario has accumulated over 20 outings across all competitions this campaign.
According to Sportmediaset, via CalcioMercato, Bologna are now seriously exploring the possibility of opening formal negotiations with Juventus for a permanent deal.
The timing works in their favour, Juventus are understood to have no plans to reintegrate Mario into their first-team setup despite having paid Porto €11.4 million plus €1.2 million in additional costs just last summer.
The Turin club are willing to listen to offers and have set a valuation of around €10 million, a figure that would allow them to avoid a significant loss on their books while freeing up a squad place.
For Bologna, the deal represents an opportunity to secure an internationally experienced full-back with room to develop further, at a price that feels manageable.
Mario is contracted to Juventus until June 2030, giving both clubs a strong incentive to resolve his future decisively this summer rather than allow uncertainty to drag into another season.
Liverpool director Michael Edwards has reportedly been in contact with Xabi Alonso ever since first eyeing him up to be Reds manager in 2024.
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That’s according to a report from Bild, who suggest it looks increasingly likely that Alonso is set to replace Arne Slot at Anfield next season.
The Spanish tactician was first targeted by Liverpool chief Edwards after the tremendous work he did at Bayer Leverkusen, though he ended up taking over at Real Madrid.
Now, however, Alonso is available again and is back on Liverpool’s agenda after Slot’s disappointing second season in charge, according to Bild.
Slot arguably deserves a bit more time after winning the Premier League title in his first season in charge of LFC, but we know the nature of the modern game means things can change very quickly.
The reality is that Liverpool now look up against it to qualify for the Champions League, and may well finish the season without any silverware.
And despite Slot doing so well in his first season in charge, there has been a huge dip in performances despite the Dutch tactician being given a lot of expensive new signings to work with.
Alonso’s availability also means it’s tempting to start to think about how else to approach working with this current squad, particularly Florian Wirtz.
Alonso and Wirtz worked well together at Leverkusen, and that’s been one major issue for Slot this season.
Liverpool invested a lot in signing the Germany international, but he hasn’t looked at home in Slot’s system, and getting the best out of such an expensive signing will be crucial.
Alonso could work his magic with Wirtz again, as well as with another of his former Leverkusen players Jeremie Frimpong.
The post Michael Edwards has maintained contact with dream Liverpool manager target since 2024 appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Politics has wormed its way back into football, and Reform UK are thrilled – or furious, depending on who you ask.
In a busy week for the far-right political party, leader Nigel Farage has stoked controversy with his visit to Ipswich Town FC. Despite previous claims that we should “keep politics out of football”, Farage seems very keen to plaster shots of himself in an Ipswich shirt all over social media.
At the same time, Reform MP Suella Braverman is embroiled in a dispute with the Football Association (FA) over their plans to create more coaching opportunities for people from Black, Asian, mixed or other ethnic backgrounds – plans the former-Conservative described as “woke nonsense”.
The club at the centre of the storm is desperate to prove that it is apolitical. Ipswich Town FC has stated that it “does not support or endorse any individual or party” and has “hosted representatives from a range of political parties” over the years.
Still, in a bid to stem the wave of criticism from fans, the club reiterated that it “is proud to be an inclusive, diverse and welcoming organisation that supports all members of the local and wider community. This commitment remains unchanged”. Does that count as “woke nonsense”, as well? Reform UK have yet to clarify.
If you’re looking at Farage smugly holding up his new shirt and thinking, ‘don’t they all do this?’, you’re not wrong. Politicians love to prove that they’re just like us – and, in the UK at least, that means loudly voicing support for a football team any chance they get. Current and former Labour Party leaders Keir Starmer and Jeremy Corbyn are both die-hard Arsenal fans; Corbyn once went so far as to back a parliamentary motion to have the Gunners officially declared the “best football team in the world”.
Of course, there have also been a fair few politicians whose football-fan credentials are…more questionable. Former Prime Minister David Cameron notoriously forgot which team he supported, urging people to back West Ham, despite having previously sold himself as an Aston Villa fan. When asked about the blunder, the then-Tory MP said it was “just one of those things”.
Likewise, Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wound up the crowd at a Manchester hustings event by saying that he hoped Southampton, his local club growing up, would beat Manchester United that weekend – even though the Saints were actually scheduled to play Leicester City. Not to be out-done by the big two parties, Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey made sure to get a – painfully staged – photo of him celebrating the Lionesses’ win in the 2023 World Cup.
Well, because the fans aren’t asking Ipswich Town to be apolitical; they’re asking the club they love not to endorse a particular flavour of politics. One Ipswich fan summarised it as a “horrendous look for our so called [sic] family club to allow the leader of a party that champions division, hatred and bigotry to parage around our gaff like he’s lord of the manor”. Similarly, the Ipswich’s LGBTQ+ fan group, Rainbow Tractors, said they feel “let down” by the club.
Fans are making it clear; their response isn’t apolitical, but deeply political.
To follow a team – really follow it, not like Rishi Sunak – you need to be dedicated, and fiercely loyal; you sit through disappointing matches and heart-breaking losses. That means you know how to get behind a cause.
An incredible example of how this energy and passion can turn political is Liverpool fans’ tireless campaigning for the introduction of the Hillsborough Law, and long-running boycott of the Sun newspaper, in the wake of the appalling response to the Hillsborough disaster.
Likewise, fans quickly rallied behind Manchester United football star Marcus Rashford in his efforts to pressure the government to take action on food poverty.
Football has never existed in a bubble. It infects, and is infected by, every aspect of culture. That back-and-forth is how England anthem “Three Lions” became one of the best-selling UK singles of all time, and why we now hear Eurodance hit “Freed from Desire” chanted at so many football games. Football is in everything, and everything is in football.
That means sometimes politics is in football, whether the clubs – and the politicians – like it, or not.
The post Backlash against Ipswich Town shows why football can’t be apolitical appeared first on CaughtOffside.
Arsenal have been given an exciting opportunity in the transfer market as the race hots up for Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga.
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As first reported for the Daily Briefing, a well-connected source has been in touch with me again to provide an update on something we discussed a few days ago, and it could have major repercussions for the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool, as well as potentially Chelsea and Manchester United.
For now, the Reds have the most advanced interest in Camavinga, having had two rounds of talks with his entourage, though I should stress that that does not mean we’ll necessarily see this develop into any direct negotiations with Real Madrid.
However, clubs are aware that Camavinga is available this summer for around €50m, and I’m told that Arsenal have now been contacted to be offered the France international’s services.
With Camavinga’s future in doubt, it makes sense that his representatives are sounding out clubs to see if there’s any interest. This kind of thing happens all the time.
Crucially, however, my source, who has asked to remain anonymous to protect relationships, insists it’s clear-cut that Camavinga will only move to a club playing in the Champions League.
This gives Arsenal a clear edge – for now – over Liverpool and Chelsea, who are struggling and not looking guaranteed to qualify for Europe’s top club competition next season.
This could yet lead to Manchester United also entering the conversation, but that’s not straightforward either.
“Arsenal are keen to move away from a model they used in the past where they’d sign players because of availability or relationships with key agents or intermediaries,” my source explained.
“They’ve been offered Camavinga but they’ll only go for it if they’re convinced it’s right for them. For now, they have other preferred targets.”
It’s also well-established that this is the case for Manchester United, with both clubs considering Sandro Tonali and generally favouring moving for players already proven in the Premier League.
Relationships between clubs do matter, though, and we’ve seen before that Arsenal and Real Madrid are prepared to do business together. This led to loan moves for Dani Ceballos and Martin Odegaard, the latter of which of course became permanent.
We’re not at that stage yet, but I wouldn’t rule out Arsenal exploring the option of signing Camavinga on loan at some point in the window.
This will depend, however, on whether or not they can land a preferred target before that, and of course if Camavinga himself is still available or been snapped up by someone else.
An interesting situation, which looks very much open and a major opportunity for top clubs if they want to take it. I’ll keep you posted as and when I hear more.
The post Sources: Arsenal “offered” chance to sign Liverpool target as clear preference revealed appeared first on CaughtOffside.
The agent of Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali is keen for his client to seal a transfer to a Premier League club this summer.
The Italy international has been linked with Arsenal, Manchester United, and Manchester City in recent times after surprise talk of a possible exit from St James’ Park on Deadline Day in January.
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A deal was never likely to materialise for Tonali at that moment, but the story has set the tone for the summer transfer window, with the feeling seeming pretty clear that the player and his representatives are gearing up for a big move.
And despite some talk of Tonali himself being keen to return to Serie A, where there is reported to be some interest from Juventus, it seems he’s perhaps more likely to stay in the Premier League.
Tonali will likely be too expensive for any Italian club, both in terms of his transfer fee and wages, so staying in England seems the most likely thing for the 25-year-old.
The former AC Milan man would likely command a regular starting spot for United and City, and could perhaps be a useful option for Arsenal after the recent dip in form of Martin Zubimendi, and with the lack of a rotation option for Declan Rice in Mikel Arteta’s midfield.
Reports in Italy suggest that Tonali’s agent has recently been to watch Arsenal’s game against Brighton, and is doing his bit to stir up Premier League interest in his client.
Newcastle surely won’t be keen to sell Tonali, however, especially after the lengthy saga that eventually saw them lose Alexander Isak to Liverpool last summer.
It’s vital for this NUFC project to keep key players like Tonali around, and that could mean he’s going to prove too expensive even for the top Premier League clubs this summer.
The post Agents want Newcastle star to leave for Premier League rivals appeared first on CaughtOffside.
The post Bitcoin Price Drops Despite Low Miner Selling, Demand Crisis Deepens appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
The Bitcoin price isn’t crashing because miners are dumping. That’s the easy narrative and right now, it’s wrong. Since early 2025, the Miner Supply Ratio has been sliding lower, meaning miners are actually sending less BTC to exchanges like Binance. Normally, that should ease selling pressure. Prices should stabilize… maybe even bounce. But instead? Price first climbed, then sharply rolled over. Not exactly the script bulls were hoping for.
Miners known as consistent generators of fresh BTC supply and clearly onchain data shows that they aren’t the ones hitting the sell button aggressively. The declining Miner Supply Ratio shows they’ve pulled back.
Why? Its definitely costs. Analyst PelinayPA highlighted that mainly electricity, hardware, operations, financing these all things adds up. After the halving, the pressure has intensified. In 2026, large efficient miners operate around $34K–$43K, while the broader industry sits closer to $75K–$87K. That puts a big chunk of miners either at break-even… or even underwater.
So instead of selling, many simply can’t afford to keep their process running.
Well, when miners stop selling, supply tightens. That’s usually bullish in the short term.
But practically reduced supply doesn’t matter if demand has faded in thin air.
Despite weaker supply pressure, the Bitcoin price continues trending down. That tells that it isn’t a supply problem anymore but it’s a demand vacuum.
If miners aren’t the sellers, then who is? Spot investors, ETF flows, whales, macro conditions not one can be picked as poison, multiple reasons making it a deadlier poison at this time. The market’s being dragged down by broader forces, not by mining desks unloading coins.
And right now, demand just isn’t stepping in the way it should that’s what keeping the market from recovering.
Market predictions from platforms like Kalshi suggest that most people are betting further downside toward $48K, while technical structures that analyst washigorira highlighted that appears like a continuation flag pattern is pointing even lower, around $39K. So, its not a guaranteed collapse ahead and definitely this is not panic either. That’s just math meeting weak demand.
So, the next thing is what really could uplift market back at this point. So for any real bottom to form, buyers need to show up. Not narratives. Not hope. Actual capital and that’s straight the market needs.
Until then, the Bitcoin price analysis shows that it remains vulnerable. Supply is tightening, sure but it seems without demand, it’s like closing a leaking tap while the tank is already empty.
The post Siren Coin Back Above $2.2 After Surging 116% In 24H. Will This Memecoin Reach $3.5? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
On Wednesday, SIREN coin, a BSC-based memecoin, surged by more than 110% after falling from $2.5 to a low of $0.79. The fall came after an analyst on Bubblemaps revealed a possible price manipulation and dump. It was seen that SIREN supply has a wallet cluster controlling 644 million of 728 million circulating tokens (88%), and 90% of its accumulation was on a group of wallets.
But today, SIREN reacted inversely against the market prediction of further slide down. The price is currently trading at $2.21 with trading volume at -16%.
This altcoin is clearly under the FOMO stage among the crypto traders. Per the data on Coinpedia Markets, the trading volume was down 40% and at the time of writing is nearly 16%.
Usually the price surge supported by rising trading volume shows its conviction and organic growth, but in the case of SIREN crypto the volume moment indicates a bearish concern in future sessions.
As we see the SIREN/USDT Day Chart and 4 hour chart, this memecoins Ichimouku Indicator that shows direction of price states a neutral to bullish statement. The price trading above and below the cloud, presenting a neutral to bullish approach.
The momentum indicator has turned from negative to positive for the day at 1.5 above the zero line and is at -1.3 for the 4-hour frame with upward direction, reflecting a short-term correction or reversal.
These pattern movements represent a stable buying pressure with holders, buyers’ sentiment still positive on the coin crossing being $3.
The Coinglass Data for Siren coins open interest continues declining at press time after falling nearly 40% in 24 hours.
This pattern, where the assets’ open interest is declining, and the price is above 100% up, shows traders aren’t opening new ones, but closing the positions.
Also shows that no fresh capital is coming from leveraged traders; instead, the old positions are holding all the base. This is riskier for future price moments.
Also, the negative funding rates since 14 March for SIREN coin are a big blow to new participants. Negative funding rates meant the short position holders are paying longs, indicating a bearish sentiment.
The live chart movement for SIREN coin prints a sold reistacne at $2.37 that is a 0.5 Fibonacci retracement and a support at $1.8.
If the Volume turns green and one green close, do Derivates markert will change the market sentiment, beginning fresh capital. A further close below $1.8 will drive the rally near $1.
SIREN coin will gain potential to break above the resistance at 0.5 Fibonnaci, $2.92 is the next resistance, and if social Media sentiment continues stronger, we can see $3 on the cards for Siren memecoin cryptocurrency.
The post SUI User Growth Surges as Price Hits a Key Turning Point — What’s Next? appeared first on Coinpedia Fintech News
The Sui platform is seeing a sharp rise in user activity, with both daily active users and new accounts spiking in recent weeks. At one point, new users surged close to the 800K mark, highlighting a sudden wave of attention on the network. But the price isn’t reflecting that strength—at least not yet.
In the past few weeks, the SUI price has been consolidating within a tight range. The token is up by just 1.36%, reaching $0.96, while the volume has hit back by 4.7%. This creates a clear divergence. User growth is picking up, but price remains stuck at a critical level. Whether this turns into a breakout or another rejection is what makes the current setup worth watching.
SUI’s on-chain data shows a sharp increase in both daily active users and new users, with recent spikes pushing new user inflows close to the 800K mark. Active users have also climbed toward the 250K–300K range, signaling a strong surge in network participation.
Another key observation is the gap between new users and active users during peak periods. While new user numbers jump significantly, active user retention does not scale at the same pace, indicating that a portion of these users may not be staying engaged with the network.
Overall, SUI is clearly capable of attracting large bursts of attention, but the data points to volatile and uneven growth. For this trend to support a sustained price move, the network will need to show more consistent user retention and stable activity levels rather than isolated spikes.
SUI price action still doesn’t confirm the strength seen in its on-chain data. On the weekly chart, the token remains in a broader downtrend, marked by consistent lower highs after its previous rally.
Right now, price is sitting inside a key demand zone between $0.80 and $1.00. This level has held multiple times, which makes it important—but not bullish on its own. The current candles show consolidation rather than a strong reversal, suggesting buyers are active but not in control yet.
Momentum indicators are starting to shift. The RSI is hovering near oversold levels, while the MACD is flattening after an extended bearish phase. This points to weakening downside pressure, but not a confirmed trend change.
For any meaningful recovery, SUI needs to reclaim higher levels. The first key resistance sits near $1.50, followed by a stronger supply zone between $2.00 and $2.20. A move above these levels would signal a shift in structure. Until then, this remains a wait-and-watch setup. If the $0.80 support breaks, the downtrend could extend further. If it holds and momentum builds, this zone could turn into a base for the next move.
SUI price is currently sitting at a critical junction where fundamentals and price are telling two different stories. The $0.80–$1.00 range continues to act as a strong base. As long as this level holds, the possibility of a recovery remains intact. However, for any meaningful upside, SUI needs to reclaim the $1.50 level, which would be the first indication that buyers are stepping back in with strength. A move beyond that could open the path toward the $2.00–$2.20 range.
For now, SUI is not in a confirmed uptrend—but it is no longer weak either. The next move will likely depend on whether rising network activity can translate into sustained demand. Until then, this remains a classic wait-for-confirmation setup.
An overview of how Google is accelerating its timeline for post-quantum cryptography migration.
Sporting Club Jacksonville added two more players to its inaugural men’s team. The club signed midfielder Jack Proctor and defender Ryan Edwards pending league and federation approval.
“They are both incredible players and have already contributed a lot to the practices and the team,” said Sporting JAX Head Coach Liam Fox. “They’re fitting right in with the rest of the team, and it’s fun to watch.”
Proctor’s signing marks the first signing from Sporting JAX Academy. The 17-year-old Proctor spent the last year in the UPSL with DME Academy in Daytona Beach. “It’s obviously a big jump for me, but one that I’m excited to make,” said Proctor. “I’m learning a lot from the veteran guys and the level at which they play is much more competitive than what I’ve seen in my career so far, but it’s something that I think I can be a part of and make a contribution in whatever way I can.”
Ryan Edwards brings veteran experience to the club. Edwards previously spent time in the Indian Super League, where he captained Chennaiyin FC for two seasons, and in the Scottish Premiership, where he played for Falkirk FC.
“This is a good group,” said Edwards. “Mark [Warburton] and Liam [Fox] have put together some incredible players, and I’m just happy to be a part of it. Being on the very first roster of a new team is something every player dreams of, so this has been a great experience so far.”
Sporting JAX will take on Miami FC on March 25 at UNF’s Hodges Stadium. The men’s team will then travel to Pittsburgh to face Pittsburgh Pitthounds SC.
Tickets for Sporting JAX games are on sale now.
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You need just one hand to count them all.
Sonny Styles has missed three tackles in two years while starring in the middle of the Ohio State defense, emerging as one of the best players in the 2026 NFL Draft with a stat line that only tells part of his impressive story.
"Just watching him around the other prospects here this week - and right now they haven't even stepped on the field - he's the one you notice," one NFL scout told NorthJersey.com and The Record. "The vibe he gives off is just, 'I'm the leader, follow me.'"
ART STAPLETON NFL MOCK DRAFT:Our latest projection on players who will be New York Giants
Styles arrived at the NFL Combine last month somewhat under the radar, given the star power of his Ohio State teammates Vell Reese and Carnell Tate, the edge rusher and wide receiver who had been projected as consensus Top 10 picks.
But it was Styles that left the event as the most talked-about prospect on and off the field. He was already wowing people, the New York Giants included, and they came away from their formal interview with the 6-foot-4, 245-pound linebacker extremely impressed, two sources told NorthJersey.com and The Record.
Giants brass is set to get another closer look at Styles and his Buckeye teammates on Wednesday in Columbus at the Ohio State Pro Day with general manager Joe Schoen and defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson, among others, expected in attendance.
The fact that John Harbaugh might be enamored with an inside linebacker is certainly not a surprise.
"That meeting was awesome," Styles said during his media interview with the Giants at the Combine, namedropping Harbaugh and linebackers coach Frank Bush.
The history in Baltimore at the position during Harbaugh's 18-year tenure speaks for itself. He had All-Pros in Ray Lewis and C.J. Mosley in the middle of talented defenses. The Ravens also had Patrick Queen, a first-round pick, and when that did not pan out to the level the Ravens hoped, they went and traded for another All-Pro in Roquan Smith.
The Giants signed Tremaine Edmunds at the position in free agency and brought back Micah McFadden on a one-year deal, but the idea of adding Styles as a game-altering presence on this defense is certainly appealing.
Asked for what he sees in the players at the top of this draft thus far in his evaluation, Harbaugh quipped: "A lot of good players. A lot of good players. I mean, there's gonna be a great one there at No. 5. I promise you that. It's gonna be a guy that can really help us be better, for sure. That's 100%, for sure."
If there is a constant to the Harbaugh defenses, it's the man in the middle - and Styles is the best in this class.
"At the end of the day, you just got to get as many good football players that play the way you want to play on the field," Harbaugh said at the Combine. "You’ve got to put as many good football players as you can out there, so you don't want to sacrifice a really good player because it's not a need or a value position. They're all important. You know? The inside linebacker isn't always considered a value position, but you can't stop the run without an inside linebacker making tackles in the middle. Right? You can't do it. So, you know, that becomes pretty important."
Styles was long considered one of college football's premier athletes, but last season he emerged as one of the sport's savviest defenders. He learned how to study offenses and used his versatility and athleticism to adapt to different packages used by former NFL coach and respected defensive mind Matt Patricia, whose unit played off of Styles' ability to consistently put himself in position to make stops against both the run and pass. His instincts and diagnostic skills were off the charts.
"I want to show [teams throughout the evaluation process] that I’m aware of what I need to get better at," said Styles, 21. "I want to show them I’m an intelligent football player and I’m not just a guy that’s just out there running and hitting. That’s part of the game too, but you got to be a smart football player, especially in the NFL and them be able to talk about I think I’m a very versatile linebacker, I think I can do a lot for a defense from that second level."
Styles can move sideline-to-sideline in coverage while also flashing a strong desire to fill gaps in the run game. He is strong enough in his fundamentals to shed blockers and knows how to match up against running backs, tight ends and receivers alike going back to his safety days.
How does a kid named Alex earn the nickname by which he is now commonly referred? A short fuse that led to a fiery temperament as a child prompted his parents to call their oldest son, "Sonny," after James Caan's hot-headed Sonny Corleone character in "The Godfather."
"He's imposing at 6-4 and 245 pounds, no question," one NFL coach said of Styles, who ran a 4.46 at the Combine. "But he moves like he's 220 and hits like he's 260."
The Giants promise they won't be prisoners of positional value, which opens up their first-round path to placing a priority on football production over traits if all things are equal.
"No matter what pick I go, I do believe I can make a difference, whatever that role may look like," Styles said. "Whatever club I get to, figure out what my role is and just be a champion at that role. All that takes is being consistent, showing up and working hard each and every day."
ESPN analyst Jordan Reid sees a lot of 49ers All-Pro Fred Warner in Styles' game, while the player himself called Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Luke Kuechly as a linebacker someone he idolizes.
"During the fall, I travel the country and I'm seeing all these players up close," Reid told NorthJersey.com and The Record. "He's the most impressive from a physical standpoint that I've seen when I was on the road. Just talking about who he could be on the next level and stylistically who he reminds me of, because of how he moves around, is Fred Warner. He only had one missed tackle all of last season, which is hard to fathom. That's a true MIKE linebacker if there ever was one."
With Styles and substance, the Giants might be on the verge of welcoming another inside linebacker to the franchise.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How Sonny Styles would fit with NY Giants if he's the pick at No. 5
In a press conference on Wednesday morning (25) in Orlando (USA), coach Carlo Ancelotti emphasized the importance of the Brazilian National Team’s friendly against France this Thursday at 5 p.m. (Brasília time) in Boston. He said his team model is built around four attackers and made it clear that he wants the team to have a few well-defined characteristics: balance, attitude, and quality.
“In recent months, I have been thinking about the best game model for the team, taking into account the players’ characteristics. We believe the game model we want to implement is with four up front. Against France, an important test, we want to play a good match, controlling the game, trying to defend well, which is very important, having balance, and playing well with the ball, showing the quality that the front four have,” he said.
He added that Marquinhos will not play because of pain in the hip area, and that he hopes to have him available for the next friendly, against Croatia, on the 31st. Ancelotti skillfully avoided questions about the lineup for Thursday’s clash with France, but made an exception by revealing the names of three of the four defenders who will be on the field against the French: Wesley, Léo Pereira, and Douglas Santos. One spot in central defense therefore remains open.
"We have three new center backs: Léo Pereira, Bremer, and Ibañez, and we want to evaluate them. Not so much their physical condition, but how they fit within the group. Obviously, all three have the qualities to be at the World Cup. At the World Cup, we will bring four or five center backs, considering that one of them could, in some matches, play as a right back."
Ancelotti said Marquinhos will not play against FranceCredits: Rafael Ribeiro / CBF
Regarding the national team’s long list of absences, mostly due to muscle injuries, Ancelotti said the problem is also affecting other national teams.
“It is that stage of the season (regarding the number of injuries). It is a complicated FIFA window for everyone. For us, it is an important test, against a team that could be one of the favorites for the World Cup. We want to show good attitude and quality.”
He praised France and mentioned the threat posed by Mbappé, who will require special attention. “They are players everyone knows. Very strong players, with a lot of quality. Mbappé scored many goals last year. Now he is an opponent. We have to defend well against him. He is a very fast player, with quality, very clinical in finishing. France is a team with quality in every aspect. They have quality up front, speed. It is very important for the national team to play with balance. Then, we are focused on the quality of our own team, which is considerable. Brazil can also play on the counterattack, with possession, and can play very well.”
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
The 2026 NCAA tournament continues on Thursday and Friday with eight more exciting matchups, including potential Houston taking on an offensive powerhouse in Illinois and Rick Pitino's St. John's team facing No. 1 seed Duke.
The first rounds of March Madness saw plenty of favorites win — all 16 teams won on Friday for the first time since 1992 — but also its share of upsets (see: Iowa beating No. 1 Florida).
What's in store for the Sweet 16?
Below you'll find the favorite wagers for all the games from our college basketball handicappers — Corbie Craig, Matt Jacob, Matt Russell and Frank Schwab.
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All odds courtesy of BetMGM.
No. 11 Texas vs. No. 2 Purdue (-6.5, 148.5)
Russell: Texas, the last team that should be labelled as some sort of Cinderella, has made an improbable run, but the Longhorns' road from Dayton to Portland to Austin to San Jose, has benefitted from teams that were some combination of less talented, less deep and shakier coached than them.
Purdue is none of those things.
The Longhorns edged NC State on a late basket after they almost kicked away a lead built off of taking some of the least-efficient possessions imaginable from the Wolfpack offense, and by beating the 76th-ranked defense by Ken Pom. Then they went on to top BYU’s two-man team, using Matas Vokietaitis to dominate a team with poor interior defense (61st overall in KenPom). The 7-footer was able to match Gonzaga’s best player, under-sized big man Graham Ike, allowing a talent disparity on the wings to find an edge in another game decided by a late, difficult shot.
The Boilermakers have the combination of head coach-instituted infrastructure and a veteran group with the most efficient offensive metrics in the country taking on the Longhorns’ 81st-ranked defense, while also having enough size (6-10 Oscar Cluff) defensively so that Vokietaitis won’t be as effective as he showed against teams with far more holes.
With a spread projection of -8.4 at THE WINDOW, we’ll take the value with the favorite, created by a nice run for Texas against unspectacular teams.
Bet: Purdue -6.5
No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 4 Nebraska (-1.5, 132.5)
Russell: Iowa pulled off the upset of the tournament in knocking off the defending champion and 1-seed Florida, but it’s always a challenge to back that up — especially when you’re not sneaking up on the next team. This will be the rubber match for a pair of Big Ten teams that look similar on the surface, but true to their seeding, Nebraska is the better side, capable of withstanding more things that could go wrong.
The Huskers know that everything runs through Bennett Stirtz for the Hawkeyes, and that the Iowa star will almost definitely be playing 40 minutes, so look for Fred Hoiberg to make Stirtz play on defense, in an attempt to tire his shooting legs on the other end. To its credit, Iowa was able to overcome a poor shooting effort from Stirtz, but that’s a thin tight rope to walk.
As a team, Nebraska shoots the ball from 3 better than Iowa, and the Hawkeyes were among the bottom teams in the Big Ten on the glass. So, while these two met twice down the stretch playing closely in both, give Nebraska more than the 1.5 points of credit for being the better, more-versatile team.
Bet: Nebraska -1.5
No. 4 Arkansas vs. No. 1 Arizona (-7.5, 166.5)
Craig: The glaring concern with this Arkansas team is the defense, but context matters. When trailing, this group actually locks in defensively.
The urgency ramps up, the pressure increases and it allows their offense to open up into a much more dangerous transition attack. We’ve seen it before: down 10 vs Texas Tech before storming back for a neutral court win. We’ve also seen the counter opposite: up 9 late vs Duke proceed by a collapse and lose by 9. Game script matters here.
[Check out all of Yahoo's sports betting content here in our new betting hub]
Most will look at this matchup and ask: Can Arkansas hang around? I see the opposite. They’re far more dangerous playing from behind than protecting a lead and against an Arizona team that’s likely to control stretches, and actually plays into Arkansas’ identity. Add in their size and athleticism to match up better than expected, and this game won't be nearly as lopsided as the line suggests.
Bet: Arkansas +7.5
No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston (-2.5, 139.5)
Schwab: This might be the best matchup of the Sweet 16. The Illini were in the running for a No. 2 seed but four overtime losses ended that. Houston earned its No. 2 seed and is one of the best programs in the sport. The Cougars are coming off back-to-back 31-point wins to start the tournament, reminding everyone they can win it all. The matchup comes down to Illinois’ offense (No. 2 at KenPom) vs. Houston’s defense (No. 4 at KenPom). Illinois is on the same tier as Houston, so the spread seems a little high for what should be an evenly matched game.
Bet: Houston -2.5
Former Georgia Bulldogs defensive back Derion Kendrick has signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Kendrick spent the 2025 campaign with both the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks. Now, the former Georgia star will compete to have a major role in the Cowboys’ secondary next season.
Kendrick struggled at times last season despite recording two interceptions (a career-high) in the first three weeks of the season during his stint with the Seahawks. He ended the year with the Rams, but did not make much of an impact for Los Angeles in the playoffs.
The talented defensive back had a career year with the Rams in 2023. Before then, Kendrick was sidelined with a torn ACL for the entire 2024 campaign. The defensive back will look to get back on track with Dallas next season, as Kendrick will enter 2026 in arguably the healthiest shape of his entire NFL career.
Derion Kendrick was nothing short of a star throughout his one and only season at Georgia in 2021. The talented cornerback won a national championship at both Clemson and Georgia, as Kendrick played a critical role in the Dawgs’ College Football Playoff run in 2021. He recorded a pair of interceptions in Georgia's playoff semifinals win over the Michigan Wolverines.
Kendrick recorded 41 tackles, two TFL and four interceptions over 15 appearances with the Bulldogs. The star defensive back was drafted by the Rams in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL draft following a stellar season at Georgia.
Kendrick will now turn his attention towards his role in the Cowboys’ secondary next season following the announcement of his one-year deal. The former Georgia star will look to bounce back in 2026 now that his torn ACL is two years behind him. Kendrick is expected to enter his first season in Dallas fully healthy for the first time since 2023.
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This article originally appeared on UGA Wire: Former Georgia DB signs with the Dallas Cowboys
With NFL free agency mostly behind us, let's put together a still way-too-early 53-man roster prediction for the Jacksonville Jaguars' 2026 NFL season.
It was a quiet free agency period for the Jaguars, but in the last few weeks, Jacksonville did re-sign Montaric Brown, Quintin Morris, and Dennis Gardeck, along with adding Christian Rodriguez. Those moves, of course, will impact what this roster looks like.
Then, with the draft still having to take place, and the Jaguars owning 11 selections, the roster going into training camp is going to look fairly different than what it does today.
However, what this exercise does highlight are the needs that still exist and need to be addressed this offseason.
Trevor Lawrence, Nick Mullens
Some teams roster three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, but last year under Liam Coen, the Jaguars kept only two. So we will go that route.
Bhayshul Tuten, Chris Rodriguez, LeQuint Allen, Ja'Quinden Jackson
Something to watch here is that we did see the Jaguars regularly carry four running backs last season.
Brian Thomas Jr., Jakobi Meyers, Parker Washington, Austin Trammell, Tim Jones
Travis Hunter will, of course, be a part of this room. Trammell and Jones can provide added help on special teams. We saw the Jaguars attempt to bolster the depth here by signing Jake Bobo, so we should expect another addition -- or two -- at some point to compete for a roster spot.
Brenton Strange, Quintin Morris, Hunter Long, Patrick Herbert
Tight end is an under-the-radar need for the Jaguars. Not so much for the 2026 season, but more so for 2027 when Morris and Long are free agents. An addition in the NFL draft could boost competition for that fourth roster spot and also help the Jaguars plan ahead for next offseason.
Cole Van Lanen, Ezra Cleveland, Robert Hainsey, Patrick Mekari, Anton Harrison, Walker Little, Wyatt Milum, Jonah Monheim, Chuma Edoga
The Jaguars didn't experience any roster turnover here this offseason. However, don't be surprised if Coen again leans into creating competition for snaps, just as he did last summer, in an effort to get more out of the run game.
Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker, BJ Green, Danny Striggow, Arik Armstead, DaVon Hamilton, Matt Dickerson, Maason Smith, Keivie Rose
Depth is a huge need here. Between the defensive tackle and end positions, these nine players are the only defensive linemen currently on the roster.
Dennis Gardeck, Foye Oluokun, Ventrell Miller, Branson Combs, Jalen McLeod, Jack Kiser
James Gladstone recently highlighted the Jaguars' plan at linebacker without Devin Lloyd, and all six of these players were mentioned. An addition in the draft is still very much in play, however.
Travis Hunter, Montaric Brown, Jourdan Lewis, Jarrian Jones, Christian Braswell, Jabbar Muhammad
Re-signing Brown added stability to the cornerback room, but the Jaguars likely will still attempt to bolster the competition at this position.
Eric Murray, Antonio Johnson, Caleb Ransaw, Rayuan Lane, Cam'Ron Silmon-Craig
Another unit, like cornerbck, that is positioned well, but could use more competition on the back end of the depth chart.
Logan Cooke, Ross Maticsik, Cam Little
No mystery here.
This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: NFL free agency: Prediction Jaguars 53-man roster after moves
One position the Los Angeles Rams have yet to address this offseason is backup quarterback. Matthew Stafford is locked in as the starter again after announcing his return for Year 18 in February, but the Rams don’t have a reliable backup behind him.
Their options in free agency are beginning to dry up, too.
On Tuesday alone, four backup QB moves were made official. Zach Wilson signed with the Saints, Joe Flacco re-signed with the Bengals, Trevor Siemian (yes, he’s still in the NFL) signed with the Falcons and Andy Dalton’s trade to the Eagles became official.
The good news is that Jimmy Garoppolo remains available, which is a fairly surprising development. Sean McVay even said earlier this offseason that he expected Garoppolo to have a strong market, potentially even heading to Arizona to join Mike LaFleur on the Cardinals’ roster. But instead, the Cards signed Gardner Minshew, seemingly taking them out of the Garoppolo sweepstakes.
Nate Atkins of The Athletic reported recently that the Rams are still "interested in bringing back Jimmy Garoppolo," an indication that that ship hasn't sailed. But his market is "fluid."
The Rams don’t seem to be in any rush to sign Garoppolo (or another backup quarterback) at the moment, which begs the question of what their plan is. Do they like Stetson Bennett enough to make him the QB2 behind Stafford? Do they plan to draft someone to compete for the job with Bennett? Are they waiting for Garoppolo’s price to come down?
It’s hard to imagine Garoppolo being too expensive for the Rams after signing one-year deals in each of the last two offseasons. So maybe it’s Garoppolo who’s waiting to see if there’s an opportunity for him to compete for a starting job. Last year, they agreed to a deal with Garoppolo on March 10, and he signed on March 19 the year prior, so they got him under contract fairly early in free agency the last two years.
Other available options for Los Angeles now include Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson and Tyrod Taylor. Cooper Rush is also available after being cut by the Ravens. Garoppolo would be a better choice than all of them, given his familiarity with the Rams’ offense.
It’s not urgent that the Rams sign a backup quarterback right now because there is still the draft, but the options behind Stafford are becoming somewhat limited after Wilson, Flacco and Siemian came off the board. It’s not a “run” on backup quarterbacks, per se, but teams besides the Rams are clearly addressing the position right now.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFL free agency: Backup QB options drying up for LA Rams
BLACKBURN, England (AP) — A man who posted racially abusive online messages about England Women soccer player Jess Carter received a suspended jail sentence on Wednesday.
Nigel Dewale, a 60-year-old man from Great Harwood in Lancashire, northern England, sent two posts from his TikTok account during last year's Women's European Championship.
He sent them in response to a news article about police investigating online racial abuse received by Carter earlier in the tournament following England’s matches against France and Sweden.
The messages were later traced to Dewale, who was arrested and charged.
He was sentenced at Blackburn Magistrates’ Court to six weeks in custody, suspended for 12 months, having previously pleaded guilty to sending a grossly offensive message via a public communications network.
The 28-year-old Carter plays her club soccer for Gotham FC in the United States. She stopped using social media following the racist abuse and has spoken out about the stereotypes facing Black women in Britain.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Florida State will be holding one of its biggest events of the year this weekend. It will be their Legacy Weekend, which means a plethora of their top targets will be in attendance.
This is also a chance for FSU to host players who have already pledged to the program in an effort to further convince them that they made the right choice. They'll have their top commitment of the 2027 class on campus for the festivities in four-star safety Mehki Williams.
"IN FSU THIS WEEKEND! 🍢🍢🍢🍢," Williams said on social media.
Although he's committed to the Seminoles, Williams is being heavily pursued for a flip by schools like Miami, Wisconsin, and Maryland. During the summer, he has official visits to each school, but he'll also take an official visit to Florida State on June 5. So, this is a very important trip for head coach Mike Norvell and his staff as they try to keep Williams committed.
The 6-foot-2, 165-pounder is the No. 180 recruit and the No. 16 safety in the nation per the 247Sports composite rankings. He's also the No. 20 prospect in the state of Florida.
Contact/Follow us @FSUWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida State news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Matthew on X @StarConscience
This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU Football: Florida State to host safety commit Mehki Williams
NASCAR took Carson Hocevar's No. 77 car to the R&D Center after the Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway. Following a strong run at Darlington, the sport had a closer inspection of Hocevar's vehicle; however, did the Spire Motorsports driver receive any penalties?
Hocevar's No. 77 car had no issues at the NASCAR R&D Center, which is the best result from further inspection. In previous years, NASCAR has found issues that cost a race team and driver over 100 points and more, so Hocevar receiving the green light is excellent news.
Going into Martinsville Speedway, Hocevar sits 13th in the point standings behind Ryan Preece with 20 races left in the NASCAR regular season. The driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports hopes to carry his momentum into Martinsville, as the Chase bubble is already a topic of conversation in 2026.
More: 23XI Racing provides big update on Tyler Reddick's future beyond 2026
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: NASCAR reveals status of Carson Hocevar's No. 77 car at R&D Center
Returning production, per ESPN's Bill Connelly, is the idea that "the more continuity and experience you return from last season, the more likely you are to improve," so if a team brings back a large portion of starters from last year, one would expect them to be better than last year.
After a 2-10 and 5-7 season for Florida State fans, they are sure hoping this rings true. They might have a reason for hope if they were looking at this metric.
Nationally, there are 138 FBS teams now, and Florida State ranks out at No. 48 in returning production. With a returning production of 57% overall, this is in the same zip code as Jacksonville State, Liberty, Auburn, and Cincinnati. The Seminoles have both an offensive and defensive returning production rate of 57%. They are ranked No. 58 nationally in returning offensive production and No. 47 defensively.
Nationally, Connelly goes on to explain that returning production is lower than ever: "The extreme rise in transfers is dragging down returning production averages pretty significantly", he says. "Returning production reached an all-time high in 2021 after the NCAA gave everyone involved in the 2020 COVID season an extra year of eligibility, but instead of regressing toward the pre-COVID mean of around 62%, we've slid way past that," he adds.
Florida State will look to use its returning production to the fullest when they welcome the New Mexico State Aggies to Tallahassee on Aug. 29 to open the 2026 season.
Contact/Follow us @FSUWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida State news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jacob on X at @jsmith_sports.
This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU Football: Seminoles rank 48th in returning production
Kai Havertz and Antonio Rüdiger returned to team training on Wednesday and are set to make their German national team comebacks from lengthy injury lay-offs.
Germany visit Switzerland in Basel on Friday and host Ghana in Stuttgart three days later in tune-up matches for the World Cup in summer.
Arsenal forward Havertz and Real Madrid defender Rüdiger are considered key players by coach Julian Nagelsmann. Havertz last played for his country in November 2024 and Rüdiger last September due to injuries.
Havertz told a news conference after training that he is ready to play a leading role in the run-up and at the June 11-July 19 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, where Germany play debutants Curacao, Ivory Coast and Ecuador in the group stage.
"“I bring a bit of experience from a few matches and hope that, as the tournament approaches, I can step up and help the lads perform to the best of their ability on the pitch,” the 55-times capped Havertz said.
“I don’t think anyone would deny that I’m not the kind of player who gives rousing speeches in the dressing room. But there are also players who lead by example through their performance – and I count myself among them.”
Havertz was sidelined for months with a knee injury and then suffered a muscle injury setback but he has been playing regularly at the Premier League leaders Arsenal over the past weeks.
"It was a difficult time," he said, adding that he needs a few more full games to be back at 100%.
Brooklyn Nets guard Malachi Smith got his first opportunity to play at the NBA level when the Nets signed him to a 10-day contract two weeks ago to bolster the backcourt depth. Despite the rough start to his tenure in Brooklyn, Smith has found his stride as of late and now, the team is rewarding him with a chance to continue building on his rookie campaign.
The Nets signed Smith to a second 10-day contract, according to a report from HoopsHype's Michael Scotto on Wednesday, prior to a matchup at the Golden State Warriors. Now that Smith remains on the Nets' roster, he should be good to play until Apr. 4 when he presumably would have to sign a deal for the rest of the season which ends for Brooklyn on Apr. 12.
Smith, 26, is having a solid start to his NBA career as he's averaging 6.2 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game while shooting 50.0% from the field and 50.0% from three-point land. With rookie guard Egor Demin out for the rest of the season due to left plantar fasciitis, Smith has been part of a backcourt rotation including rookies Nolan Traore and Ben Saraf.
"All very positive. He's gotten better. We've seen great things from from him," Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said of Smith prior to Monday's 134-99 loss at the Portland Trail Blazers. "I would say the number one thing is, how good of a teammate he is, how good of a basketball player, like overall. Basketball players just got a great feel for the game."
Heading into Wednesday's game at the Warriors, the Nets will not only be missing Demin, but they will also be missing Traore (rest), creating more of a need for Smith to be on the roster. Smith will presumably be the backup point guard off the bench for Brooklyn on Wednesday and now that he's signed for another 10 days, he can continue showing what he's made of during this rebuilding season.
With Malachi Smith returning to the Nets, he will continue to occupy the 15th and final roster spot. Assuming that Smith was signed to his second 10-day contract today, he should be on the team until April 4th. Smith received praise from Nets HC Jordi Fernandez the other night. https://t.co/Ftmy0GMZ9V
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) March 25, 2026
Prior to last night's loss at the Trail Blazers, Nets HC Jordi Fernandez said this of Malachi Smith:
— Sharif Phillips-Keaton (@SharifKeaton) March 25, 2026
"We've seen great things from him. I would say the No. 1 one thing is, how good of a teammate he is, how good of a basketball player [he is], just got a great feel for the game." https://t.co/dqhos3s2K5
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Report: Nets sign G Malachi Smith to second 10-day contract
The 2026 Cleveland Browns’ DBN Big Board got off to a heated start with the top five, as 460 people cast a vote. The 1-5 slots for the Browns’ DBN Big Board are as follows:
WR Carnell Tate – 1217 total points
QB Fernando Mendoza – 906 total points
S Caleb Downs – 720 total points
LB Arvell Reese – 677 total points
OT Monroe Freeling – 556 total points
This ended up being a darn-near identical scenario as a year ago,when Abdul Carter was ranked No. 1 and Cam Ward was ranked No. 2, despite Ward out-pacing Carter in first-place votes. This year, it was between WR Carnell Tate and QB Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza led the way with 170 first-place votes, but had almost no support from other fans when you look at the second-fifth place votes (by contrast, Ward still had some support there a year ago). Tate only had 135 first-place votes, but almost everyone had him somewhere in their Top 5, which puts him atop the big board.
From there, Ohio State remains a popular team to pick from, with S Caleb Downs and LB Arvell Reese locked in at the third and fourth spots. For the final spot, there was a battle between OT Francis Mauigoa and OT Monroe Freeling, with Mauigoa having the early lead. Eventually, Freeling pulled ahead, but the margin between them was pretty thin.
Remember that you are supposed to weigh a combination of talent, need, character, positional value, etc. for each player you vote for in relation to how they would fit with the Browns.
Now it’s time to vote for the players who will be in the 6-10 slots on the Browns’ DBN Big Board. Remember that you are supposed to weigh a combination of talent, need, character, positional value, etc. for each player you vote for in relation to how they would fit with the Browns.
If there are any players you wanted to vote for but who were missing from the list, please let us know in the comments section so we can include them in the next round. Please vote only once, and let us know in the comments below what you picked as your next 5 players, in order.
The New York Yankees are one of the most fascinating teams to watch with Major League Baseball’s return — not because of what they are, but what they refused to become. An uncharacteristically slow offseason from GM Brian Cashman either shows ultimate faith in the foundation the Bronx Bombers have built, or an unbelievable sign of hubris. Which way the needle falls is anyone’s guess. Check out where the Yankees land on our Opening Day power rankings.
“Restraint” isn’t typically a word that fits in the Yankees’ lexicon, especially after a successful season. 2025 was a major victory for New York, even in light of their ALDS loss. It was supposed to be a lost year, taken away before it began with Gerrit Cole’s Tommy John surgery — and yet, the Yankees managed to rally on the back of successful moves to register the same 94-68 record as the year prior. Signing Max Fried to big money paid off, with the free agent sliding into Cole’s role without missing a beat, posting a 19-5 record and a 4.4 WAR in his first year in the Bronx. Similarly, the addition of Paul Goldschmidt, the team’s other major signing, also reaped rewards as the veteran finished third on the team in hits behind Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger, proving there was life left in the 37-year-old.
Instead of making the distinctly Yankee move of throwing more gasoline on the fire, backing the wheelbarrow up once more, Cashman instead chose to play with house money. He re-upped Bellinger, gave Trent Grisham the qualifying offer, extended Goldschmidt, and more of less called it a day.
Cashman ostensibly traded one brand of risk for another. Rather than rolling the dice on a big-name free agent who would have made the team better on paper, but potentially alter the chemistry — he’s instead gambling on his belief that his foundation is the correct one. That’s much riskier than it might sound, and requires a lot to go right.
No. 1: Gerrit Cole needs to be back to (almost) his old self
Any discussion of the Yankees begins with their ace. When healthy, Cole is one of the best pitchers in MLB — but he’s also aging, and Tommy John surgery recovery is the biggest mystery in baseball. There’s ample statistical and medical evidence that players who come back from the surgery aren’t the same as they were before, which casts a shadow on his future.
The question becomes: If Cole takes a step back, are the Yankees good enough with Fried as their ace? After all, Fried was signed initially as their second lights-out pitcher to accompany Cole, not replace him. While the Yankees managed to eek out the same result in 2025 as the year prior with Fried on the mound, there’s a host of challenges that enter the picture when you’re trying to integrate a recovering player into the lineup — especially one who won’t return until May. That’s accompanied by questions whether Carlos Rodón can keep up his staggering 2025 turnaround for another year.
If Cole is able to come back close to where he left off, then the Yankees will be a team to watch, and probably one that can win the AL East. If not, they’re going to take a step back.
No. 2: The prospects come up roses
There are really three guys to watch when it comes to the Yankees farm system, and they help define the lack of offseason moves a little more.
George Lombard Jr. is pencilled in as the heir apparent at shortstop, bringing an immeasurable amount of hype with him. A first-round pick in 2023 is pencilled in to start the season in Double-A, with the team is taking a cautious approach in bringing him up too quickly. That said, there is a possible scenario that if Anthony Volpe returns from injury and struggles, then perhaps he could be called up to fill the void.
The two players after Lombard Jr. are the ones who figure the most into this season. It’s a tale of two pitchers with Carlos Lagrange and Elmer Rodriguez both seeming ready to make the jump. Lagrange would bring something entirely different to the table for the Yankees with a four-seamer that was clocked at 103.1 mph this spring training. That’s heat the lineup doesn’t really have right now, and would be a huge boost if he can handle the load. Meanwhile Rodriguez has been tantalizingly close to a major league debut, and could be best used as a relief pitcher to start his time in the majors.
If these three players pan out, then Cashman would be a genius for holding off on making a big move.
No. 3: The Jays and Red Sox take a step back
There’s no doubt Boston got a big pitching boost in signing Ranger Suarez, but they’re also losing the bat of Alex Bregman in free agency. Similarly, the Jays spent big on Dylan Cease but lost Bo Bichette. That’s a lot of big-player movement inside the AL East, and the Yankees will hope that staying pat proves to the right move while their two main rivals made big moves, but perhaps upset their balance in the process.
That might seem more like hope than a plan, however — which makes things a little nervewracking.
What Cashman has done this offseason has cast the team’s lot with the players already in the building, and believing that injury returns will get them through. There’s very little redundancy built into the roster, and while the teams’s starters are strong, their bench is very shaky.
If you assume that Cole can come back well, then the Cole/Fried/Rodon lineup is as good as you’ll find in baseball. If the prospects can add to that at all, well, the Yankees could be downright scary. That said, it feels like continually mounting “and ifs..” on this team when it comes to determining if they will be back or not.
Either way, this is a fascinating moment for the Yankees when it comes to the Cashman era. It’s defined by playing it safe and belief in themselves. All that’s left to do is see if they’ll soar, or plummet to the earth like Icarus when the sun comes out.
Alex Cora Sends Johan Oviedo Message After Red Sox Put Him In Bullpen originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Red Sox acquired Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason. He was expected to earn the final rotation spot, but the team is deciding to start him in the bullpen, allowing Connelly Early to get a shot in the rotation to start the year.
While Oviedo not earning a starting job may be seen as a disappointment, he is not locked into a bullpen role. Alex Cora explained what went into the decision to start Oviedo in the bullpen and when he could actually make his Red Sox debut.
“(Having Oviedo in the bullpen) is about length and where we’re at with Ranger,” Cora said, per The Boston Globe's Alex Speier. “I think it makes sense to have him there, and whenever we deploy him, we deploy him. We’re kind of targeting Monday in Houston (for Oviedo, when Suarez is scheduled to start), but you never know what can happen before that.”
The Red Sox will reassess Oviedo's role after two turns through the rotation, hoping Suarez is stretched out for a full workload by then. However, in the meantime, Oviedo will be needed as a piggyback option. While the plan is to keep him paired with Suarez, he may be needed earlier if Early struggles against the Cincinnati Reds.
Regardless of when he's used, having him in the bullpen keeps some of the one-inning arms rested for the other days. The interesting conversation will happen if Early dominates in his first two turns through the rotation. Would the Red Sox consider keeping Oviedo as a long reliever?
More MLB: Roman Anthony Stat Projections For 2026: What Red Sox Fans Should Expect From Boston’s Rising Star
Morning, all!
Shawn McFarland completes his prospect countdown at number 1 with Sebastian Walcott, who became the first teenager to start at shortstop in Frisco since Jurickson Profar… and if that’s not a good omen, I don’t know what is.
McFarland also has the best pitches in the Ranger rotation as voted on by the Ranger players.
what might the 2031 Ranger rotation look like if it were staffed only by players currently in the system?
Kevin Sherrington wonders if the era of the Rangers as a pitching first franchise will lay to rest a franchise legacy of pretty “meh” run prevention.
Skip Schumaker approaches everything with intentionality, as seen when he informed Carter Baumler in the middle of an inning that he had made the major league roster.
Schumaker says that he just wanted to make the moment memorable and special for Baumler, which is a pretty good attitude for a manager to have.
The Rangers are optimistic that Joc Pederson is going to turn it around in 2026 despite a pretty flacid spring.
Jack Leiter often struggled to put batters away with two strikes in 2025 but has shown increased efficiency so far this spring.
Evan Grant breaks down the Rangers schedule and puts them at 86 wins and a wild card berth.
Shawn McFarland looks at the organization’s minor league pitching and says that the quality doesn’t end at the major league level.
We came up with our list of the Enquirer Player/Athlete of the Year in several winter sports among the city/area high school teams.
Then we asked you for your opinion in our Battle Creek Enquirer poll.
After all the votes were in, you have given us your answer.
The "Reader's Choice" Player/Athlete of the Year in their respective sports are as follows as of that sports deadline.
'Reader's Choice' High School Boys Basketball Player of the Year: Clark Erwin - Marshall (poll deadline was March 16)
'Reader's Choice' High School Girls Basketball Player of the Year: Kyleria Guest - Battle Creek Central and Aaliyah Smith - Lakeview in statistical tie for first place (poll deadline was March 20)
'Reader's Choice' High School Wrestler of the Year: 'Other' finished with most votes with most of those votes going to Onalee Taylor of Union City; Jack Terpening of Bellevue had most votes on list (poll deadline was March 17)
'Reader's Choice' High School Boys Swimmer or Diver of the Year: Easton Dale - Marshall (poll deadline was March 23)
Contact Bill Broderick at bbroderi@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on X/Twitter @billbroderick.
This article originally appeared on Battle Creek Enquirer: Enquirer 'Readers' Choice' Player/Athlete of the Year in each winter sport
Formula 1 is set for the final instalment of its short, early season leg in Asia this weekend as the Japanese Grand Prix will host round three of the 2026 campaign.
This follows the season-opening Australian and Chinese grands prix, which were both won by Mercedes - clearly dominating the latest regulation switch so far.
Whether that superiority continues this weekend remains to be seen, but there are also lots of talking points throughout the grid following the first two rounds.
So, here are five things to look out for at Suzuka, which’ll be the final race before Miami in May as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were both cancelled due to the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict.
When Mercedes came out of the blocks firing during pre-season testing, George Russell instantly became the heavy favourite for the 2026 F1 title and with good reason. The 28-year-old is now in his eighth season, so has built up a lot of experience. And, if the Silver Arrows do dominate, Russell’s biggest competition would be his teenage team-mate Kimi Antonelli, entering year two in F1.
So by all metrics, Russell should have the better of his stablemate and he backed that up at the Melbourne opener by dominating the Australian Grand Prix from pole in a Mercedes 1-2. But then the script flipped in Shanghai with Antonelli claiming his maiden victory in another 1-2, and it was impressive how the Italian calmly managed everything from the front, streaking clear of the competition.
Read Also:
Question of the week: Can anything or anyone stop Mercedes from winning both F1 titles in 2026?
The only question now is whether he can deliver on a consistent basis and actually challenge Russell for the championship. There are no question marks over the Briton, who clearly showed that he’s ready for a title charge last season, it’s just whether or not Antonelli is ready himself.
Suzuka will be a good place to find out if he has improved on the inconsistency he showed as a rookie, or if in fact, Russell does still have supreme dominance over his team-mate and will likely romp towards his first crown.
Although Mercedes claimed a 1-2 in both grands prix this year, it didn’t come without a threat from its nearest challenger Ferrari. Charles Leclerc took the lead at the start of the Australian GP as Russell was slow off the line and the two engaged in an early to-and-fro before the Scuderia failing to pit under a VSC resigned it to third and fourth.
Then in Shanghai, Lewis Hamilton replicated Leclerc’s efforts, though dropped back within five laps and Antonelli was left unchallenged. So, the opportunities have been there for Ferrari and if it is to actually make a genuine attempt at winning the title, it needs to make the most of them and fast, otherwise Mercedes will just streak clear.
That begins at Suzuka, where the flowing, medium-to-high speed corners should actually favour the SF-26, which has impressed with its cornering speed. It means there might finally be a genuine multi-team battle for pole, though achieving that this weekend is probably of less importance than in previous years due to how these nimbler cars have caused ‘yo-yo’ style racing with overtakes in places never seen before.
So even if Ferrari beats the Silver Arrows to pole, holding it off on Sunday is another matter as that Mercedes engine is highly efficient with its energy and it isn’t exactly easy to harvest battery power at Suzuka.
The early season dominance from Mercedes and Ferrari shows it’s not been a great start to the title defence from McLaren, which has crashed back down to earth so far in 2026. The Woking outfit is third in the standings with 18 points - 80 behind Mercedes - eight of which came in the Shanghai sprint as it’s only had one car start a grand prix.
That was Lando Norris in Melbourne with the reigning world champion finishing fifth, as the opener saw his team-mate Oscar Piastri crash out on the reconnaissance lap. The Aussie failed to start again a week later as part of a double DNS for McLaren; an electrical problem ruled Norris out of the Chinese GP, while Piastri’s MCL40 simply failed to fire up.
Read Also:
McLaren has the third-best 2026 car, but can't yet rely on one of its strongest assets
So hopefully, Piastri will finally get to start a grand prix this weekend and if he does, it’ll come with a base expectation of squabbling Norris for fifth in the order as McLaren is comfortably third in the standings. That means the Woking outfit needs to take any positives it can at the moment, and that is especially true for Piastri after the way in which he lost the 2025 title.
It feels like a lifetime ago that he actually had a successful weekend, arguably Zandvoort in August, so this is a rot he needs to stop and show whether or not he has improved upon last year and can once again be a match for his team-mate.
“The whole weekend we’ve been off,” said Max Verstappen. “The car is completely undriveable. I cannot even put a bit of a reference in. Every lap is like survival.”
Those were the words of the four-time world champion amid a disastrous Shanghai weekend for Red Bull, which until then had enjoyed a relatively positive start to 2026 showing signs of challenging McLaren.
But then reality struck in China, as the Austrian outfit suffered a double non-points finish in the sprint before claiming four measly points via Isack Hadjar on Sunday, as Verstappen retired after a sudden loss of power.
His thoughts on the new regulations are well documented, but it obviously doesn’t help the Dutchman that the RB22 is failing to match his talents with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff even claiming that Verstappen is in a "horror show”.
The problems were all over in Shanghai, but there is one that keeps cropping up, and that is race starts. The procedure under the 2026 rules is now more complex, as the removal of the MGU-H means drivers must rev their engines high for at least 10 seconds to spool up the turbo for a smooth getaway.
But both Red Bull drivers are yet to enjoy a good start this year, as they’ve suffered from a lack of battery power for lights out leading to Verstappen losing a combined six spots on lap one this year. So that’s obviously a big problem which needs fixing, otherwise achieving fourth in the standings might not be easy as it seems.
Read Also:
The race starts problem that is costing Max Verstappen in F1 2026
Everything was looking rosy at Audi. The German marque is making its F1 debut this year and was competitive from the off with Q3 and points for Gabriel Bortoleto in Melbourne, before his team-mate Nico Hulkenberg qualified and finished 11th a week later. So although there were no points in China, the pace was still there.
It has therefore shown signs of fighting the likes of Haas, Alpine and Racing Bulls at the front of the midfield with the Audi power unit being particularly impressive, especially as it is its debut and the German outfit hasn’t got customer teams to collect data from.
But the squad has since hit a bump: Jonathan Wheatley announced his resignation as team principal with his former boss Mattia Binotto assuming the role. Wheatley only joined at the beginning of last year, when it was known as Sauber, but was instrumental in turning around the operational side of the team allowing it to go from just four points in 2024 to 70 in ‘25 - which included a podium for Hulkenberg at Silverstone.
What Wheatley also represented was a settled management structure, something the team was previously lacking, and had Audi going in the right places, but his shock exit now threatens to undo all of that terrific progress. It does feel like the German marque is back to square one, so there’ll be questions about it this weekend and it’ll be interesting to see how Binotto copes.
Read Also:
Jonathan Wheatley officially leaves Audi, before replacing Adrian Newey at Aston Martin
To read more Motorsport.com articles visit our website.
Welcome back to regular season baseball! The Milwaukee Brewers are set to kick off their 2026 season with a visit from the White Sox in Milwaukee beginning Thursday afternoon. Coming off another busy offseason, the Brewers’ biggest change comes in the rotation, with Freddy Peralta with the Mets. Other key subtractions include Caleb Durbin in Boston, and Isaac Collins and Nick Mears in Kansas City. They’ve also added plenty of young talent, including new pitchers Brandon Sproat and Kyle Harrison, acquired from the Mets and Red Sox, respectively.
The lowly White Sox did make a few offseason moves to try to improve on their 102-loss season in 2025. They added pitchers Seranthony Domínguez, Erick Fedde, and Jordan Hicks, as well as position players in Luisangel Acuña, Munetaka Murakami, and Austin Hays (though they did lose Luis Robert Jr. in the trade for Acuña). The White Sox regulars also include Edgar Quero behind the plate, youngsters Chase Meidroth and Colson Montgomery up the middle, Miguel Vargas at third, and Andrew Benintendi with Hays and Acuña in the outfield. Murakami is presumably their everyday first baseman after signing this offseason — the Japanese star slugged 246 homers over 892 games with the Yakult Swallows, including a 56-homer season in 2022 as he won his second MVP award (his first coming in 2021).
Thursday, March 26 @ 1:10 p.m.: Jacob Misiorowski (5.40 spring ERA, 4.36 2025 ERA, 3.62 2025 FIP) vs. Shane Smith (10.13 spring ERA, 3.81 2025 ERA, 4.10 2025 FIP)
Milwaukee’s young star Jacob Misiorowski will be on the hill to open the season Thursday afternoon, as he’ll make his first Opening Day roster. Miz made 15 appearances (14 starts) in 2025, pitching to a 4.36 ERA and 3.62 FIP with 87 strikeouts in just 66 innings. He also had a strong postseason in a long-relief role, appearing in three games spanning 12 innings with three runs allowed (two earned) and 16 strikeouts. Given that he debuted after Milwaukee’s series with the White Sox last year, this will mark his first career start against them.
Opposite Misiorowski will be another Brewer farmhand in Shane Smith. Smith, an undrafted free agent by Milwaukee out of Wake Forest back in 2021, was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the December 2024 Rule 5 Draft. He spent all of last season in the majors with the White Sox, making 29 starts with a solid 3.81 ERA, 4.10 FIP, and 145 strikeouts over 146 1/3 innings as he was selected to the AL All-Star team. He did make a start against Milwaukee last season, spanning five innings with three runs allowed (one earned) and four strikeouts in a no-decision.
Saturday, March 28 @ 6:10 p.m.: Chad Patrick (11.68 spring ERA, 3.53 2025 ERA, 3.53 2025 FIP) vs. Sean Burke (4.58 spring ERA, 4.22 2025 ERA, 4.92 2025 FIP)
Patrick, another pitcher coming off a solid rookie season, will get the ball in the second game of the series. After a myriad of injuries hit the Brewers’ pitching staff early in the season, Patrick stepped into the rotation, making 27 appearances (23 starts) with a 3.53 ERA and a matching 3.53 FIP. He struck out 127 across 119 2/3 innings, ultimately finishing in seventh in NL Rookie of the Year voting. He took a loss against the White Sox last season, allowing three runs and striking out four over 5 2/3 innings.
Burke was a third-round pick out of Maryland by the White Sox in 2021, debuting in 2024 and finding a regular spot in the rotation last season. Over 28 appearances (22 starts) in 2025, Burke totaled 134 1/3 innings with a 4.22 ERA, 4.92 FIP, and 133 strikeouts. He started opposite Patrick last season, picking up the win with six scoreless frames and five strikeouts.
Sunday, March 29 @ 1:10 p.m.: Brandon Sproat (3.46 spring ERA, 4.79 2025 ERA, 2.80 2025 FIP) vs. Anthony Kay (4.95 spring ERA, 1.74 2025 ERA in Japan)
Sunday’s series finale should be a fun one, as we’ll get to see Brandon Sproat make his Brewer debut opposite Anthony Kay, who hasn’t made an MLB appearance since 2023. Sproat, 25, was acquired in the Freddy Peralta trade this offseason. He made four starts with the Mets last year, pitching to a 4.79 ERA and 2.80 FIP with 17 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings. This will mark his first career appearance against Chicago.
Kay, 31, spent four seasons with the Blue Jays before splitting 2023 between the Cubs and Mets. He then went overseas to Japan, making 50 appearances over two seasons, pitching to a 2.79 ERA with 259 strikeouts over 303 1/3 innings. He’s struggled in MLB though, pitching to a career 5.59 ERA, 4.86 FIP, and 88 strikeouts over 85 1/3 innings as a reliever (he made 44 appearances with seven starts). Kay made just one appearance against Milwaukee, coming in 2023 while with the Cubs. He didn’t record any outs but didn’t allow any runs as he gave up a hit and a walk in that one.
Thursday, March 26: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Saturday, March 28: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
Sunday, March 29: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)
It’ll be a fun weekend as we get to see three Brewers youngsters on the mound. Anything less than a 2-1 series win would be a disappointment, but I think the Brewers will get the sweep to begin the season.
When the Philadelphia 76ers take on the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday, Kelly Oubre Jr. will remain sidelined. He has not played since March 10 due to a left elbow sprain and the Sixers could use the services of the 11-year veteran out of Kansas as they look to make a run into the top 6 in the East.
Oubre is averaging 14.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting 36.1% from deep. He has been a consistent player for Philadelphia all season long and it needs his versatility out on the floor.
Oubre posted a meme of the Dragonball Z character Goku in the healing chamber on his Instagram story. This indicates that he is close a return to the floor. He also had "soon" as a comment on the post.
Kelly Oubre Jr. posted this picture on his Instagram story. It appears he’s close to a return. #Sixerspic.twitter.com/SvNR5PYi4l
— Ky Carlin (@Ky_Carlin) March 25, 2026
With 10 games remaining, the Sixers are only a game back of the Atlanta Hawks for the No. 6 seed which represents the final guaranteed playoff spot in the East. This race looks like it will come down to the wire.
This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Sixers' Kelly Oubre Jr. hints at return from injury on social media
On Wednesday morning, a report from the New England Football Journal came out that UConn assistant Luke Murray has been offered a contract to be the next men’s basketball head coach at Boston College.
Yet another coaching search update for BC MBB:
— Kevin J. Stone (@kstone06) March 25, 2026
Luke Murray was in fact offered a deal by BC. I do not know if Larranaga was.
Feels like it’s now Murray’s job if he wants it. We could all just be waiting on the UConn season to wrap up at this point.@BCEagleAction
UConn is still alive in the NCAA tournament’s Sweet Sixteen, facing off against Michigan State in Washington DC on Friday March 27th at 9:45PM ET. If Murray is intent on accepting the offer from BC, he may be waiting until UConn’s season is wrapped up so that his players are not distracted in the midst of an NCAA tournament run.
Hiring Murray would be a promising start for a new era of basketball at Boston College, nabbing one of the top assistant coaches in the country from a local rival. You can read more about Murray’s background in our post from last week here. We will continue to keep track of the situation in anticipation of his acceptance. Or rejection! Go Eagles.
As Mohamed Salah prepares for his Anfield swansong in May 2026, he leaves behind a legacy of attacking brilliance that few in Premier League history can rival.
While the ‘Egyptian King’ has found the net against nearly every opponent he has faced, a select group of clubs has suffered more than most.
For these teams, the sight of Salah cutting inside onto his left foot has become a recurring nightmare, and they will no doubt breathe a collective sigh of relief as their greatest modern-day tormentor finally moves on.
No opponent has suffered more at Salah’s hands than Liverpool’s fiercest rivals. With 16 goals in all competitions, Manchester United are his favourite victim.
His dominance over the Red Devils peaked in October 2021, when he became the first visiting player in Premier League history to score a hat-trick at Old Trafford.
Level with United are Tottenham Hotspur, against whom Salah has also netted 16 goals. His record against Spurs further highlights his big-game pedigree.
From the iconic solo goal at Anfield in 2018 – where he slalomed through the entire Spurs defence – to his crucial early penalty in the 2019 Champions League final, Salah has been a constant thorn in the side of the North London club.
West Ham United have also struggled to contain the Egyptian, conceding 13 goals to him over the years. Salah has emerged victorious in 16 of his 19 career meetings with them.
Perhaps most impressive, however, is his record against Manchester City. Scoring 13 goals – and providing eight assists – against the most dominant English side of the last decade is no small feat.
Rounding out this list are Bournemouth, who have been breached 12 times in 14 matches by Salah.
Back in August, he scored in the 94th minute of a 4–2 victory to become the first player in Premier League history to reach 10 goals in season openers.
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Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs visit the Memphis Grizzlies tonight at the FedExForum, with tip-off scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
Second-year guard Stephon Castle has been in his bag, and my Spurs vs Grizzlies predictions expect him to show out.
Read more in my NBA picks for Wednesday, March 25.
While Victor Wembanyama gets a ton of credit for the San Antonio Spurs’ success, other pieces have also been key to their rise to the second-best team in the Western Conference.
Stephon Castle is a perfect example.
The 21-year-old is averaging 16.5 points per game, cashing the Over in points in five of his last seven contests.
Castle has hit the Over in two of his last three road outings, also scoring 23 last week against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Memphis Grizzlies are an easier matchup for shooting guards, allowing 22.8 ppg to the position.
Also, Castle’s backcourt mate, De’Aaron Fox, won’t play in Memphis due to back soreness. That means the young guard will have a heavier workload for the Spurs.
In nine games without Fox, Castle has averaged 18.9 points.
Wemby just dropped 26 against the Heat, and he’s cashed the Over in five of his last nine appearances. The big man is averaging 24.3 ppg overall and 26.6 per outing in March.
Wembanyama already erupted for 30 earlier in the campaign vs. Memphis, and he’ll also benefit from Fox’s absence with more offensive workload.
Dylan Harper is a sparkplug off the bench for the Spurs, and he’s one of their better playmakers. Harper is averaging 3.8 dimes per game, and he just dished out six assists on Monday evening.
The Rutgers product had finished with five dimes in four of five games before Monday, and without Fox — an elite facilitator — he’ll be tasked with stepping up as a passer.
The Spurs are averaging 119.2 ppg this season, which ranks third in the Association. They’ve cashed the Over in three of their last four, and San Antonio just scored 136 against the Heat.
They’ve hit the Over in team points in two of the last four meetings with Memphis, who is 22nd in defensive rating.
Keldon Johnson has cashed the Over in triples in back-to-back contests and in three of his last four appearances. He’s 5-for-9 from downtown across his last two games alone.
The Spurs have hit the moneyline in 27 of their last 40 away games (+29.25 Units / 32% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Spurs vs. Grizzlies.
| Location | FedExForum, Memphis, TN |
| Date | Wednesday, March 25, 2026 |
| Tip-off | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | FDSN-SW, FDSN SE-MEM |
Not intended for use in MA.
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Under contract with Paris Saint-Germain until June 2028, Marquinhos (31) is already looking to the future. And the ten-time French champion seems to have already thought through a meticulously crafted plan.
“I still have two years left on my contract with PSG and then we’ll see. I’d be happy to return to Brazil,” the São Paulo-born player told UOL. “And in Brazil, there’s a lot of pressure, especially at the club I’d like to return to, which is Corinthians. It’s the club that opened doors for me, where it all began. I’m very attached to it and I’d be delighted to wear that shirt again.”
Having come through the ranks at São Paulo’s academy, Marquinhos made his professional debut there in 2012. However, his time there was short-lived, despite winning the Copa Libertadores, as he soon moved to Italy to join AS Roma, where the 2012–13 season was the first and only one he spent in Serie A during his career.
Scouted by PSG, he moved to France in the summer of 2013 and has remained there ever since, gradually becoming a true legend at the Parisian club, for whom he has now made over 500 appearances and won no fewer than 38 trophies.
Although he is now used less frequently by Luis Enrique, the Brazilian international, who has 103 caps (seven goals), remains a key member of the Spanish manager’s squad, who continues to place his full trust in him in the Champions League (10 starts in 11 appearances this season).
Real Madrid staff reportedly made a bizarre error when assessing Kylian Mbappe’s knee injury.
According to The Athletic, one of the club’s medical staff performed an MRI scan on the wrong leg when assessing the striker’s injury complaints back in December.
Mbappe’s knee injury dates back to early December after Madrid’s 2-0 La Liga defeat to Celta Vigo. He took a knock in that game but still played the entire 90 minutes.
The French international subsequently needed an MRI, but the medical staff made a bizarre error by scanning his right knee rather than the injured left.
When they found no problem with the uninjured right knee, Mbappe was allowed to play three more games for Madrid before the mistake was realised and rectified.
Despite pushing through discomfort that had not yet been properly diagnosed, he scored in each of those three games and helped Los Blancos claim crucial victories against Alaves, Sevilla, and Levante.
There were signs of inflammation in his left knee, but the error means it wasn’t detected. It wasn’t until a follow-up examination on the correct knee that the problem was revealed.
The medical staff then discovered a partial tear in the posterior ligament, which means the injury was more serious than they first feared.
Madrid described the problem as a knee sprain and opted for a more cautious recovery plan.
Mbappe eventually ended 2025 with his name in the history books after equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s record of scoring 59 goals in a calendar year.
The Frenchman has struggled with injury problems this season. But he has also been spearheading Madrid’s title challenge this season, scoring 23 goals in 24 La Liga games.
An additional 13 goals in the Champions League and two in the Copa del Rey have taken his overall tally to 38 goals in 35 games across all competitions.
Mbappe has now travelled with the France squad to the United States ahead of their two friendly fixtures against Brazil and Colombia.
Over the weekend, the inaugural KASSO Skate & Sound Fest took place in Long Beach, California on Saturday and Sunday. The two-day festival features professional skaters and puts a spin on traditional game shows by combining high-level skateboarding and obstacle course challenges.
The competition features 28 professional skateboarders competing on various obstacle courses. Skaters who fail to complete a segment of the obstacle course or record the slowest time for that segment of the course are eliminated.
Although there are eliminations in the competition, skaters have described the atmosphere as collaborative rather than competitive.
“KASSO is super different because it’s not like your average contest,” two-time Thrasher Skater of the Year Jamie Foy said, per Redbull. “You’re not competing against the person next to you. You’re just competing against the course and yourself because there could be multiple winners. It’s whoever finishes all the courses together. So it doesn’t really matter who does it the best or the fastest or anything. It’s just something that is different, and something that people are really excited to see. I’m stoked to be a part of it. You get a little piece in there, and have everyone try to skate.”
KASSO Skate & Sound Fest is available to watch on Redbull TV. This will be a re-run of the skateboard competition that took place over the weekend.
The competition features professional skateboarders and Red Bull athletes like Foy, Cordano Russell, Jiro Platt, CJ Collins, Torey Pudwill and Gavin Bottger.
There were four different courses that skateboarders attempted to complete: MT FUJI, RailCoaster Big Boy Foy Rail, The Grasshopper and MILLION JUMP.
Photo Credit: Anthony Acosta / Red Bull Content Pool
Steelers praised for 6 offseason moves to help 2026 season while waiting for Aaron Rodgers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't just wait around to see what Aaron Rodgers would do as far as retiring or returning to be their starting QB again.
They were busy when NFL free agency opened up, and in the trade market, too.
All told, it earned them the No. 1 spot in ESPN's rankings of free agent accomplishments in the entire NFL.
ESPN's Ben Solak pointed to six moves:
All told, it was a lot to like.
MORE: Eagles' new signing flew himself as a pilot to Philadelphia
It starts with Pittman, a great pairing for DK Metcalf and another thing potentially enticing Rodgers to return.
"The Colts were always going to trade him after they re-signed Alec Pierce, so they didn't have a ton of leverage," Solak writes. "And because Pittman is a true possession receiver, he needed to go to a team with a ton of targets to give out. There aren't many such teams. But Pittsburgh is a great fit for him, as he pairs well with DK Metcalf (who is definitely a Steeler in 2026) and Aaron Rodgers (who is probably a Steeler in 2026). The Steelers signed Pittman to an extension after the trade that guarantees him some money, which was an unnecessarily early commitment to his future on the roster, but a sixth-seventh pick swap for a starting receiver is great business."
Solak then had a section to his piece where he asks the question of what he didn't love about a given offseason.
His answer for the Steelers? "Nothing."
"It was a ton of doubles for Omar Khan and the Steelers' brass," writes Solak, referencing two-base hits in baseball in the article released on Opening Day. "Dowdle has consistently proved he can moonlight as an RB1 if needed, and he has receiving chops in a committee. Dean is coming off a career year, but the Steelers didn't pay him like he's a CB1, so they might get a nice bargain there. Joseph-Day is a perennially valuable rotational defensive tackle, and Samuel looked healthy in the limited time he played last season. Brisker is a low-risk gamble on another health question mark in a secondary that needs depth to maximize Jalen Ramsey's versatility. Great work this year."
The Rodgers outcome will still have a lot of bearing on Pittsburgh's season. But otherwise, the Steelers did everything right.
As the 2026 NFL Draft approaches, the New Orleans Saints and all 31 other NFL teams will be granted 30 visits with draft prospects where they could interview, perform medical examinations, and have meetings with the players.
Stay up to date on all the latest as Canal Street Chronicles keeps you updated on the Saints’ top 30 visits in this live tracker.
Louisville WR Chris Bell & Alabama OL Jaeden Roberts
Couple draft things …
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) March 10, 2026
– The Saints are hosting Louisville WR Chris Bell for a predraft visit
– Set up a meeting with Alabama OL Jaeden Roberts for after his pro day
Washington RB Jonah Coleman
Washington RB Jonah Coleman has a private workout with the #Saints scheduled for Thursday, per league sources.
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) March 24, 2026
Coleman is coming off a strong 2025 season, posting 758 rushing yards and 15 total TDs, while adding 31 receptions for 354 yards as a receiver out of the backfield. pic.twitter.com/fxqdxfWnVg
LSU CB Mansoor Delane
LSU CB Mansoor Delane clocked in a 4.35 on his 40-yard dash⚡️
— Conner Patterson (@conner_p1) March 23, 2026
Delane, 22, had 45 total tackles and 2 interceptions last season. At 6’0”, 187 lbs, he is viewed as the top corner in the draft class and a top-10 pick.
Notable pre-draft top-30 meetings: Dolphins, Saints, Cowboys pic.twitter.com/7szqZKBbEI
USC WR Makai Lemon
USC WR Makai Lemon, one of the Draft’s top players at his position, is working out for the #Saints (Pick No. 8) today and has already worked out for the #Commanders (Pick No. 7).
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 24, 2026
Lemon visited the #Browns (6 and 24) last week and has the #Titans (4) this week. pic.twitter.com/LJXcCQ2AG9
SMU TE Matthew Hibner
SMU @SMUFB tight end Matthew Hibner, one of fastest rising #NFLDraft prospects at position, excelled at Pro Day after 4.57 40-yard dash, 29 bench reps at #NFLCombine today, short shuttle 4.35 3-cone 7.37, 9-7 broad jump, vertical 37 inches at 6-4 1/4 250 pounds
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 23, 2026
Dinner #Saints…
Ohio State players Caleb Downs, Tywone Malone, Kayden McDonald, Arvell Reese, Carnell Tate, and Sonny Styles.
Sonny Styles, Carnell Tate and Rell Reese were also there. https://t.co/GTfQzhyvUd
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) March 25, 2026
Georgia TE Oscar Delp
Source: The #Saints hosted Georgia TE Oscar Delp for dinner the night before his Pro Day.
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) March 21, 2026
It wasn't the first time that New Orleans met with Delp, who could be selected as early as Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft.https://t.co/LpqQzMgGeD
Georgia State WR Ted Hurst
Source: Georgia State WR Ted Hurst has visits scheduled with the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and Miami Dolphins.
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) March 20, 2026
Dynamic three level threat was a standout of Senior Bowl week.
Texas Tech WR Reggie Virgil
Source: Texas Tech WR Reggie Virgil is scheduled to meet with the #Saints, #Cowboys, and #Lions before his Pro Day next week.
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) March 21, 2026
Virgil already met with all 32 teams several times, and my understanding is that his position on team draft boards is stronger than the media suggests. pic.twitter.com/YgdtnCjmnP
North Dakota State WR Raja Nelson
North Dakota State slot receiver Raja Nelson talked with #Saints, #Giants#Vikings at Pro Day. Private workout #Eagles Saturday.
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 20, 2026
Had 28 catches, 404 yards, four touchdowns, 21.0 yards per return
Key contributor to national championship runs. Described as a Swiss Army knife due… pic.twitter.com/4KTMnb0tcn
Utah TE Dallen Bentley
Source: The #Saints and #Lions have expressed “significant” interest in Utah TE Dallen Bentley.
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) March 22, 2026
Bentley met with all 32 teams and also had multiple interviews with the following:
🏈 49ers
🏈 Bears
🏈 Broncos
🏈 Buccaneers
🏈 Colts
🏈 Cowboys
🏈 Dolphins
🏈 Jaguars
🏈 Raiders pic.twitter.com/ny9DTyJ7vG
Although every player matters, some have greater potential than others to swing the fantasy baseball standings in one direction or another. Here are the players who are most likely to make an enormous impact on leagues this season.
Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season
The range of outcomes for Acuña is massive. He could be the biggest first-round bust if he plays in fewer than 100 games for a third straight season. Or, he could combine his tremendous plate skills (.935 OPS in 2025) with a renewed base-running aggressiveness to challenge Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani for fantasy supremacy. The Braves addition of first base coach Antoan Richardson, who is credited with keying the Mets’ base- stealing aggressiveness last year, is another reason to believe that Acuña is on the cusp of a memorable bounce-back season.
This is the year that Witt puts it all together and wins an AL MVP award. The 25-year-old was amazing at the dish in 2024 (.977 OPS), which allowed him to finish second on every voter’s ballot. From a fantasy perspective, it was unfortunate that his offensive excellence that season also included a year-over-year steals dip from 49 to 31. He recovered some of that base-running aggressiveness when he swiped 38 bags in 2025, and this year he will get back to the 40-steal plateau. The smaller dimensions at Kauffman Stadium, combined with reaching an age that is typically synonymous with peak production, will enable Witt to collect 35 homers and 40 steals, while batting .300 and reaching triple digits in runs and RBI.
Make no mistake — Skubal is a man on a mission this season. The largest contract given out to a pitcher in MLB history was the $325 million commitment from the Dodgers to Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Skubal will not only surpass that deal when he reaches free agency next winter, but he has a real chance to be baseball’s first $500 million pitcher. After the Tigers tried to low-ball the lefty in his final year of arbitration, Skubal is going to have a walk year for the ages, which will result in a third straight Cy Young award while also leading many fantasy teams to titles.
There is no doubt that Anthony is going to be a superstar. After less than a full season in the majors, he is already regarded by many as Boston’s most valuable position player, and by the end of this year, he’s going to be viewed as one of the top performers in the American League. His batting average will be high, and he will easily score 100 runs. But to create fantasy production that matches his real-life value, Anthony will need to start tallying counting stats at a higher rate. After all, in his debut season, he recorded just eight homers and four steals in 71 games. High expectations are already baked into his ADP (45.6).
Ragans is currently the 12th pitcher off the board by ADP, which is a fair reflection of a talented hurler who made just 13 starts last season. But make no mistake — the lefty has upside that can be matched by only a few pitchers. His swing-and-miss skills are absurd, and last season his 38.1% strikeout rate was beaten only by Mason Miller among pitchers who threw at least 60 innings. Ragans has logged a sub-3.00 FIP in each of the past two seasons, and last year he produced a respectable 1.18 WHIP despite battling through an unfortunate .357 BABIP that would have ranked last in baseball if he had enough innings to qualify.
There are two outcomes for Ragans — he’s a bust who misses significant time due to injury, or he makes 30 starts and joins Skubal, Paul Skenes and Garrett Crochet in the top tier of starters.
Griffin will by no means be the only impact rookie. JJ Wetherholt, Kevin McGonigle, Justin Crawford, Carson Benge and Chase DeLauter should all play on Opening Day. But with all due respect to the other talented youngsters, no one can match Griffin’s potential for fantasy dominance. After hitting .333 with 21 homers and 65 steals as a 19-year-old last season, baseball’s best prospect has proven to have the skill set that fantasy managers drool over. If the Pirates allow Griffin to debut sooner rather than later, he could be a top-50 player in his rookie year, which would make him a major value pick at his current ADP (191.6). Of course, there is also a chance that he is still in the minors on Memorial Day, which would mean that his managers would have wasted a bench spot for at least two months.
I chose McLean as a placeholder for an exciting group of young pitchers. This is the last time that we will see McLean, Jacob Misiorowski, Trey Yesavage, Chase Burns and Bubba Chandler bunched in ADP. All five youngsters have less than a full season of experience but have a draft season ADP between pick 100-150, thanks to their sky-high ceilings. Some of them will thrive this year, carrying their fantasy teams to glory and boosting their 2027 draft stock inside the top-50 picks. And others will falter, driving their managers crazy and making us wonder why we used premium picks on unproven players at the riskiest position.
A man who sent racially abusive messages on social media about England footballer Jess Carter has been sentenced to six weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months.
Nigel Dewale, 60, made the comments under his username "Bogeyman" during the Women's Euro 2025 tournament in which England successfully defended their trophy.
The messages included a derogatory reference to Carter's race and made baseless claims of a link between race and crimes including murder and grooming.
Dewale, of Great Harwood, Lancashire, was also sentenced to 10 days' community work, given a four-year football banning order, a three-month curfew, and fined £239 at Blackburn Magistrates' Court.
At a previous hearing, Dewale admitted sending a malicious message via a public communications network between 19 and 23 June 2025.
He also admitted the possession of an offensive weapon, namely an extendable baton, in a private place in February.
Central defender Carter plays her club football in the United States for Gotham FC in the National Women's Soccer League, having previously represented Chelsea and Birmingham City in the UK.
The 28-year-old, from Warwick, previously said she was stepping away from social media after she was subjected to racist abuse online during last year's Women's Euros.
The court heard Dewale was "in drink" at home when he responded to a news article about police investigating online racial abuse received by Carter following England's games against France and Sweden in the tournament.
In addition to making racist comments, he wrote: "Women's football is diabolical. Should not be on national TV" and "Waste of airtime".
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham released a statement condemning the "disgusting racism" faced by Carter in the wake of July's abuse.
The court was told Carter decided to stop looking at social media last summer and hand control of her accounts over to her sister.
The abuse left Carter feeling anxious and not wanting to leave her hotel, the court heard.
Lancashire Police said the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) traced the messages to Dewale, who was arrested in August.
The UKFPU said Dewale admitted making the comments when interviewed.
Cheshire's Chief Constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs' Council's football policing lead, said: "[Dewale's] comments were totally abhorrent, they caused emotional distress for Miss Carter and her family, and I welcome the sentence handed to him today."
The FA welcomed the the decision of the court "to hold Nigel Dewale to account for the disgusting messages to Jess Carter".
A spokesperson said: "We are determined to assist the police and authorities in ensuring anyone responsible for such vile hate is made to face justice."
Sport England chairman Chris Boardman also said: "For too long, online misogyny and racism have gone unchecked by big tech.
"But consequences create change, and today's sentence sends a clear message: we value women's sport, the toxic abuse of female athletes will not be tolerated, and there will be consequences."
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Mar. 25—Rhianna Pigman smacked three doubles in three at bats and drove in seven runs to lead Miamisburg softball Tuesday in a 15-14 win against Middletown Madison.
Miamisburg plated three runs in the bottom of the sixth for the rally win.
Pigman struck out seven in six innings.
Softball
Springboro 17, Edgewood 5: Bella Miller went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and five RBIs for Springboro (2-0). Riley Lucas and Ava Palcic each added a home run in the win.
Lakota West 10, Talawanda 6: Jordan Beimesche and Paige Kopp plated a pair of runs apiece to lead Lakota West.
Badin 9, Monroe 4: Phebe Kiefer struck out 10 over seven innings and went 2-for-3 with a double and triple for Badin (3-0).
Ross 12, Butler 1: Paige Baker smacked two doubles and drove in five to lead Ross. Taylor Bertram picked up the win with eight strikeouts.
Troy 11, Wayne 1: Troy picked up a second win in as many days, each over a GWOC opponent.
Ben Logan 7, Sidney 2: Nevaeh Fogle and Brielle Kline batted in two runs apiece to help Ben Logan win its season opener.
Urbana 4, Tri-County North 3: Urbana rallied with three runs in the bottom of the seventh to win in walk-off fashion.
Greeneview 13, Hillsboro 3: Gabbie Burkett struck out seven for the win and helped her cause by driving in two runs. Greeneview improved to 2-0.
Covington 12, Northmont 5: Whitney Burns, Emalyn Johnson, Jayda McClure and Kylie Palsgrove each swatted a home run for Covington.
Twin Valley South 17, New Miami 2: Paityn Cross hit for the cycle for Twin Valley South, going 4-for-4 and driving in six runs.
PREP RESULTS
Boys Basketball
STATE TOURNAMENT
Finals
Division I
Princeton 59, Hilliard Bradley 28
Division II
Massillon Washington 68, Westerville North 63, OT
Division III
Trotwood 48, Steubenville 47: T: Dennis 17, Reaves 10, Taylor 9, Shumate 6, Dawson 2, Trigg 2, Arnold 2.
Division IV
Wyoming 73, Cle. Glenville 48
Division V
Lutheran East 50, Col. Academy 36
Division VI
Berlin Hiland 54, Marion Local 51, 2OT: ML: Kremer 22, Moeller 9, Hess 7, Ahrens 7, Mescher 6.
Division VII
Delphos St. John's 56, Kalida 47: DSJ: C. Elwer 28, A. Elwer 9, E. Elwer 6, Klaus 5, McClain 4, Kroeger 2, Wiechart 2.
Softball
Tuesday's Results
Badin 9, Monroe 4: B: Kiefer W 10 K, 2-3 2B 3B RBI, Ponatoski 1-2 HR 2 RBI, Canupp 2-4 2B 2 RBI.
Bellefontaine 10, Riverside 8: R: Robinson 2-3 3 RBI.
Ben Logan 7, Sidney 2: BL: Fogle 1-2 2 RBI, Kline 2-4 2 RBI, Gregg W 7 K.
Celina 3, Marion Local 2
Covington 12, Northmont 5: C: Palsgrove 3-3 2B HR 4 RBI, Burns 3-4 2B HR 2 RBI, Johnson 2-3 HR RBI, McClure 2-3 3B HR 2 RBI.
Eaton 5, Dixie 4
Fairbanks 10, Elgin 0
Fort Loramie 6, Coldwater 3
Greeneview 13, Hillsboro 3: G: Burkett W 7 K, 1-3 2 RBI, Sutton 2-3 3 RBI, Christian 1-4 2B 2 RBI.
Greenville 13, Stebbins 0
Houston 9, Lehman Catholic 0
Indian Lake 6, Minster 5: M: Schmiesing HR. IL: Miller 3-4 2B 3 RBI, Rapp 2-3 2B RBI.
Kenton Ridge 4, Miami East 0: KR: Cammon 1-3 HR 2 RBI, Fincham 1-3 RBI, Fyffe 2-4 RBI.
Lakota East 7, Little Miami 4: LE: Offner 1-4 2B 2 RBI, Sudnik 1-2 RBI, Damen 1-3 RBI.
Lakota West 10, Talawanda 6: T: Cobb 2B 2 RBI, Porchowsky 2B 2 RBI.
London 14, Miami Trace 4
Miamisburg 15, Middletown Madison 14: Mia: Pigman 3-3 3 2B 7 RBI, Johnson 2-3 3 RBI, Siney 1-3 2 RBI.
North Union 23, Mechanicsburg 1
Ross 12, Butler 1: R: Bertram W 8 K, Baker 4-4 2 2B 5 RBI, Webb 1-2 3 RBI.
Southeastern 13, Xenia 0
Spencerville 5, New Knoxville 4
Springboro 17, Edgewood 5: S: Miller 4-5 2 2B 5 RBI, Lucas 1-4 HR 2 RBI, Palcic 2-5 2B HR 3 RBI. E: Clemmons 2-3 2B 3B 4 RBI.
St. Henry 3, Anna 2: A: McClain HR.
Tri-Village 20, Russia 1
Troy 11, Wayne 1
Twin Valley South 17, New Miami 2: TVS: Cross 4-4 2B 3B HR 6 RBI, Suggs 4-4 5 RBI.
Urbana 4, Tri-County North 3: U: Fox 1-2 2B RBI, Packer 1-2 3B RBI, Wooten W 11 K.
Valley View 11, National Trail 1
Versailles 11, Mississinawa Valley 5
Waynesfield-Goshen 12, Jackson Center 2
Monday's Results
Badin 15, Middletown 0: B: Kent 3-4 2B 3B 6 RBI, Albrinck 2-3 RBI, Canupp 2-3 RBI.
Belmont 23, Trotwood 3
Brookville 17, Dixie 2: B: Eagle W 5 K, 3-4 3 2B 5 RBI, Hemmerich 1-3 2 RBI, Brooks 2-4 2B 2 RBI.
Clinton Massie 13, Cin. Christian 3: CM: Sandlin 3-4 HR 6 RBI, Penewit 2-3 3 RBI, Jodrey W 7 K.
Covington 8, Arcanum 5: A: Hein 2-3 RBI, Laux 2-3 RBI. C: Hartwig 2-5 2B 3 RBI, Johnson 3-5 HR 3 RBI, McClure 2-5 2 2B 2 RBI.
Greeneview 7, Fairfield Leesburg 6: G: Burkett W 3 K, Sutton 2-3 3 RBI, Christian 2-4 RBI.
Lakota East 8, Western Brown 2: LE: Crawford W 3 K, 2-3 HR RBI, Damen 1-4 HR 2 RBI, Morath 1-4 HR RBI.
Lakota West 7, Colerain 2: LW: Gilbert W 15 K, 2-2 3B RBI, Anderson 3-3 RBI, Guth 1-1 2B RBI.
Minster 8, Elida 7: M: Wolf HR, Schmiesing HR.
New Miami 28, Deer Park 15
Riverside 11, West Liberty-Salem 6: R: Manahan W 4 K, Robinson 3-3 2B 2 RBI, Carman 1-3 2B 2 RBI.
Ross 5, Fairfield 4: R: Commins 1-1 HR 2 RBI, Gorsuch 2-2 RBI, Baker W 3 K.
Springboro 26, Butler 0
Stivers 23, Meadowdale 17
Talawanda 9, Sycamore 2: T: Hilbert 2-4 2B HR 4 RBI, Cox 2-4 2 2B 3 RBI, Griffin 2-3 2 RBI.
Troy 10, Northmont 6
Boys Volleyball
Tuesday's Results
Carroll 3, Chaminade Julienne 1
McNicholas 3, Badin 2
Monday's Results
Badin 3, Lakota West 0
Boys Lacrosse
Tuesday's Results
Lakota East 15, Sycamore 6
Lakota West 10, Oak Hills 5
Monday's Results
Xenia 16, Monroe 6: X: Kerschbaum 8 goals, Janowiecki 4 goals.
REPORTING RESULTS
Contact Dayton Daily News, Springfield News-Sun and Journal-News with scores and results as soon as possible after varsity high school athletic contests by email only at COPSports@coxincn.com. Please include any details from your contest that you would like published along with a contact name and phone number.
For the second straight offseason, the Chicago Bears will have a competition at left tackle that features some new and familiar faces, including four-year veteran Braxton Jones, who signed a one-year deal to return to Chicago this season.
While it's not a complete surprise that Jones is back, the expectation was that he would depart in free agency. But that likely changed when Ozzy Trapilo ruptured his patellar tendon during the team's wild-card playoff win over the Green Bay Packers. Now, Trapilo is expected to miss most of the 2026 season, and Chicago is preparing for a battle between Jones, Theo Benedet and newcomer Jedrick Wills Jr. So why did Jones elect to return to the Bears?
"Early on [there were] talks at the Combine [about possibly signing elsewhere], but when it came down to it, the Bears in the situation we have here is the best for myself," Jones told ChicagoBears.com. "I'm not choosing comfortability but knowing I've been here for the last four years … putting that all into the picture kind of made the decision itself."
Jones feels like the early front runner after serving as a three-year starter as a former fifth-round pick. But he was benched early last season following struggles as he returned from injury, where he was replaced by Benedet, who was replaced by Trapilo. But after an offseason to get healthy, Jones is ready to show he can get back to his best.
"Being able to re-sign with the Bears for another year and just the opportunity that is presented is amazing," Jones said. "I'm extremely grateful. I'm excited to show that I can go out and be full go."
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears LT Braxton Jones explains why he re-signed with Chicago
The Butler Bulldogs are hiring one of their own as their next head coach. According to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, they are hiring former point guard Ronald Nored as their next head basketball coach.
Nored played for them from 2008-12, helping lead them to back-to-back national championship games in 2011 and 2012. He was named the Horizon Defensive Player of the Year twice before starting his coaching career.
While he has been coaching since 2012, he has minimal experience at the collegiate level, serving as an assistant coach at Northern Kentucky from 2015-16. He has spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks and has also worked with the Boston Celtics (2014-15), Charlotte Hornets (2018-21), and Indiana Pacers (2021-23) at the NBA level.
His only head coaching experience came at Brownsburg High School in 2012 and 2013, and with the Long Island Nets in the NBA G League from 2016-18. He also worked with the Maine Red Clams from 2013-14.
Nored is replacing Thad Matta, who retired after the end of the 2025-26 season. Butler is coming off back-to-back losing seasons and has not finished above .500 in the Big East since 2020. They have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2018, their longest drought since the early 1990s.
Contact/Follow@College_Wire on X and@College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: College Basketball: Ronald Nored hired as Butler's head coach
Hugo Gonzalez Reveals How Real Madrid Stint Has Helped Him Excel With Celtics originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Boston Celtics have enjoyed an unexpectedly successful 2025-26 campaign. There are several reasons for that being true, but one of the more under-the-radar contributors to this team has been rookie guard Hugo Gonzalez, who has immediately carved out a role in head coach Joe Mazzulla's rotation, even with Jayson Tatum now being back on the court.
The No. 28 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, many folks figured that Gonzalez would spend most of his time this year in the G-League. Instead, he's suited up for 66 of Boston's games, showing off his potential in the process. After spending much of his youth career playing for Real Madrid in Spain, Gonzalez revealed just how big an impact the team and his former teammates have had on him as he's transitioned to the NBA.
“There are people that help me a lot," Gonzalez said when speaking to reporters recently. "Lucky for me, I've played with a lot of players that had (an) NBA career. Everybody got their own story, everybody got their own experience. And I was blessed that they were always really, really encouraged to help me and try to (help) me to be as good as I can.”
Gonzalez's per-game numbers don't jump off the page (4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.6 APG, 46.7 FG%), but his tenacity, particularly on the defensive end of the floor, has been tough to ignore. Despite being just 20 years old, Gonzalez isn't afraid to mix it up with whoever he finds himself going up against, which has quickly won over Mazzulla.
There's no doubt that Gonzalez's game is still quite raw, but he's done significantly more than fans could have realistically expected this year. With a playoff run looming, Gonzalez figures to remain a key piece of the rotation, and there's no doubt that this experience under the bright lights should serve him well moving forward.
More NBA: Brad Stevens Makes Decision on Tar Heels Job Rumors
Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter expects hooker Joseph Dweba to force his way back into his side soon.
The South African summer signing from Stormers has been the Chiefs' first-choice this season, starting eight Prem games.
But the 30-year-old has featured just once since the end of January in the 66-14 Prem Rugby Cup final loss at Leicester.
Dweba was given an extended break over the Six Nations to go home to see his family, but his return was hit by travel disruption caused by the conflict in the Middle East.
"I think he's been one of the factors in improving large parts of how we played over the season," said Baxter.
"I think without doubt I think Joe knows he was a bit off the pace in the Prem Cup final.
"Ideally we would have picked him the week before and maybe given him a couple of games, but the travel disruption meant that obviously he came into that game after a period of not just disrupted playing time, but disrupted training time.
"But he's back on it now, he's working hard, doing lots of extras. He's going to get sharp again and he'll be back in the side relatively quickly."
Here are some notes, quotes, stats, trends and other odds & ends I emptied out of the old notebook after Tuesday's 84-69 UNM Lobos win over Saint Joseph's in the quarterfinal round of the NIT in the Pit:
Buljan blows up
If Tomislav Buljan's games in the Pit are over — and based on his transfer portal value to a deep-pocketed power conference team now that it sounds assured he will get another year of eligibility, they very well could be — the 23-year-old first-year college player from Split, Croatia, went out with a bang.
Not just Tuesday — 27 points, 11 rebounds — but over the three-game NIT stretch for the Lobos.
In UNM's three wins, the 6-foot-9 forward hat the following averages:
*
Points: 21.0
*
Rebounds: 10.0
*
2-pt FGs: 62.9% (22-35)
*
3-pt FGs: 75.0% (3-4)
LOUD NOISES!!! #GoLobos
ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/voPNNUbqdd
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) March 25, 2026
He started his season off brilliantly in the Pit back in November and ended it brilliantly in the Pit in March.
Tuesday, his 27 points/11 rebound double-double was against the A-10 co-Defensive Player of the Year, Saint Joseph's Justice Ajogbor and Sunday's 14 points, nine rebounds and seven drawn fouls game was against A-10 All-Defensive team big man Rafael Castro.
And in both cases, things got pretty physical in the post for Buljan, leaving him with some visible marks on his arms and face while doing a postgame press conference on Tuesday.
"I mean, when you play rough like that, you get some (scratches and bruises) from couple games," Buljan said. "I mean, they foul sometimes. Sometimes they don't call it, but you should rather play through everything. Doesn't matter, scratch or whatever."
In all three games, Buljan didn't just sit back and let the physical play come to him. He attacked the rim regularly.
Charging Buljan! #GoLobos
ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/YO3TmaTeqI
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) March 25, 2026
Buljan even got to show off his improved outside shot over the past week, hitting three 3-pointers after having hit just 4-of-19 of them from beyond the arc over the first 31 games he played.
Second 3⃣ of the night for the Croatian! #GoLobos
ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/jTIryDSrUF
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) March 25, 2026
"Right now, I feel like very confident," Buljan said of his 3-point shooting. "I got to give the shout out to our assistant coach, Mikey (Howell), who I've been working with lately."
The gamer
Here's the gamer I filed from the Pit on Tuesday night:
• UNM surges past Saint Joseph's and into NIT semifinals
Up next/Updated NIT bracket
Onward!
The Lobos are on to the NIT semifinals — the "Final Four" term is trademarked, of course, by some other college basketball tournament going on right now.
UNM will play Tulsa next Thursday, April 2, in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
We will see you in Indy, @UNMLoboMBB! pic.twitter.com/73k2Xf0tAl
— NIT (@NITMBB) March 25, 2026
The winner of that game plays in the April 5 NIT championship in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the home of the Indiana Pacers.
Here is the updated NIT bracket through half of the quarterfinal games — the ones played Tuesday and before the Wednesday quarterfinals, which include fellow Mountain West program Nevada with former Lobo coaches Steve Alford and Craig Neal, who would certainly be warmly welcomed back to Indiana where they were high school stars.
UNM's NIT semifinal game history
*
2026: Semifinals vs. Tulsa on April 2
*
1990: UNM lost to Saint Louis, 80-72 (March 26, 1990)
*
1964: UNM beat NYU, 72-65 (March 19, 1964)
An April first (on April 2)
No, this isn't an April Fool's joke. When the Lobos next take the court, in the April 2 semifinal game against Tulsa, it will be the first game the UNM Lobo basketball program has ever played in the month of April.
(h/t Steve Kirkland for letting me know that one!)
Jake's latest record
Another game, another record for Jake Hall.
The Lobos freshman guard's 3-pointer (naturally) with 18:22 left in the first half were his third, fourth and fifth points of the game, and 564th, 565th and 566th of the season. That set a new freshman season scoring record for the Mountain West, breaking the old mark of 564 set by UNLV's Anthony Bennett in the 2012-13 season.
(All that guy did was go on to become the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft a few months later)
The @MountainWest has a new king of freshman scorers! With 566 points (and counting) @jake_hall7 has broken Anthony Bennett’s record of 564 points by a MW freshman! #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/jufX3HTRWV
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) March 25, 2026
Hall ended the game with 24 points and now has 585 points this season through UNM's 36 games (16.3 points per game). That's now more than 100 points more than any other Lobo has ever scored in their freshman season (Kenny Thomas had 484 points in 33 games in the 1995-96 season).
Mountain West: Most points scored by a freshman
585* — Jake Hall, New Mexico (2025-26)
564 — Anthony Bennett, UNLV (2012-13)
559 — Brandon McCoy, UNLV (2017-18)
511 — Cameron Oliver, Nevada (2015-16)
464 — Dedan Thomas, UNLV (2023-24)
UNM: Most points scored by a freshman
585* — Jake Hall (2025-26)
484 — Kenny Thomas (1995-96)
445 — JT Toppin (2023-24)
449* — Tomislav Buljan (2025-26)
406 — Kendall Williams (2010-11)
*NOTE: UNM has one or two more games to play.
On FIRE @UNMLoboMBB
ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/Al87kVBoJY
— NIT (@NITMBB) March 25, 2026
And here's the latest update on the star-studded list of most 3-pointers ever scored by a freshman:
NCAA D-I made 3-pointers
*
132 — Antoine Davis, Detroit (2018-19)
*
122 — Stephen Curry, Davidson (2006-07)
*
118 — Trae Young, Oklahoma (2017-18)
*
116* — Jake Hall, New Mexico (2025-26)
*NOTE: UNM has one or two more games to play.
A Halluva day for the Halls
Big brother couldn't let his little bro have just one day to get all the love?
Jake Hall's big win Tuesday night and breaking the Mountain West freshman scoring record wasn't the only huge hoops news of the day for the Halls.
Dax Hall, Jake's younger brother and a UNM Lobo recruit who has been offered a scholarship by Eric Olen, was named on Tuesday the San Diego Section Player of the Year for his standout season for Santa Fe (California) Christian.
BREAKING:
2026 G Dax Hall (Santa Fe Christian) has been named San Diego Section Player of the Year. @Daxhall_1 pic.twitter.com/t1PVMogfFe
— Aaron Burgin (@FullTimeHoops1) March 25, 2026
Those scores!
The Lobos' three NIT scores:
*
UNM 107, Sam Houston 83 (24 points)
*
UNM 86, George Washington 61 (25 points)
*
UNM 84, Saint Joseph's 69 (15 points)
The Lobos are the first team since the San Diego State Aztecs in 2016 to advance to the NIT semifinals with three-consecutive 15 points or more.
Those starts!
Last Wednesday, in the first round of the NIT, the Lobos outscored Sam Houston 16-7 in the first four minutes of the game. It was the most points UNM had scored by the 16:00 mark of the first half all season.
Tuesday, they almost matched it.
The Lobos led 15-9 at the 16:00 mark against Saint Joseph's, the second most points UNM has had in the first four minutes of a game all season.
UNM's most points at 16:00 1H
*
16 — March 18 vs. Sam Houston (16-7)
*
15 — Tuesday vs. Saint Joseph's (15-9)
*
12 — Jan. 27 at UNLV (12-4)
*
10 — five times
NIT kill shot counter!
Just for good measure, the Lobos started the second half on Tuesday even better than that first half mentioned above.
After the Hawks scored the first bucket of the second half, UNM went on a 10-0 kill shot run, the fourth kill shot in the NIT for UNM.
NIT kill shots for UNM
*
vs. Sam Houston: 1 (0 for the Bearkats)
*
vs. George Washington: 2 (0 for the Revolutionaries)
*
vs. Saint Joseph's: 1 (0 for the Hawks
That kill shot early in the second half was actually part of a larger game-changing 34-12 mid-game run from the 2:17 mark of the first half when the Hawks led 39-31 to the 9:31 mark of the second half when a Jake Hall 3-pointer made it 66-51, Lobos.
No bull: It's bull riding time
As I was pounding away on my laptop in the Pit media room on Tuesday night, the sounds of fork lifts, front end loaders, work crews and more were buzzing on the Pit ramp, breaking down the court and starting the prep of the PBR Ty Murray Invitational bull riding event that makes its highly-popular stop in Albuquerque this week.
Initially, it was believed the handover of the Pit to the PBR was going to prevent UNM from hosting a quarterfinal round game, but Assistant AD Matt McKernan (and a lot of people working their tails off to make the overnight transition work so tons of dirt can start getting dumped in first thing Wednesday) and the PBR made it happen, giving the Lobos, and their fans, one last hoops treat on Tuesday night.
And that wasn't something overlooked in the postgame press conference by UNM coach Eric Olen after he thanked fans for showing up for three games the past week.
"Also, in addition to the fans, our administration and all the people who — I'm not even sure I can understand all the work that's going into pushing the rodeo back and and that setup that's allowing us to play here today," Olen said. "We would have been in Philadelphia if they hadn't done that. I think that's part of what makes this place special, is the kind of support that our program gets and the willingness to do anything to help us and put us in position to be successful.
"So we couldn't be more appreciative of another opportunity to play here at home. Not every place in the country is going to make that effort to get us a home game here and not have to fly across the country. This was a community effort to get this done, and we just are really appreciative of everyone and all their efforts to make that happen for us."
Rick is Wright!
One last game in the Pit for the season, a return to the NIT semifinals for the first time in 36 years and second in 62 years.
What do all three have in common?
Rick Wright was along for the ride for all three! (well, sort of).
He was a fan of the 64 team as a youngin, writer at the Journal for the 1990 team and has been, to all of our benefit, a pretty regular columnist once again the latter part of this season sharing perspective only he can on a fun Lobos ride to the NIT semifinals.
Here is his column from Tuesday's quarterfinals win:
• WRIGHT: A remarkable season just gets more fun-damental — 'Smart wins,' as Olen put it
I love what Olen said in the postgame presser, as an answer to Rick's question about where in overall recruiting picture he and his staff place the importance of fundamentals.
"We’re always looking for that. Just knowing how to play. It’s described a lot of different ways. Feel, basketball IQ. There a lot of adjectives for it.
"We try to evaluate that. It’s hard, because it’s not something that’s objective. ... I think smart wins, and I think we have a smart basketball team."
Uriah finding ways
The statline wasn't as glowing has the last couple games for Uriah Tenette, but make no mistake he was still playing high-level point guard on Tuesday night.
He had seven points, four rebounds, drew five fouls, one assist, one turnover and one steal.
And this beauty of an and-1...
The @uriahtenette spin-and-one! #GoLobos
ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/nw8yT1erup
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) March 25, 2026
Steve Kirkland Stat of the Night
In this edition of the world famous Steve Kirkland Stat of the Night...
Tomislav Buljan's 27 points and Jake Hall's 24 combined for 51. That is the most points by a Lobo duo in a postseason tournament (NCAA or NIT) since 1987 when Hunter Greene (29) and Kelvin Scarborough (29) combined for 58 in a first-round NIT loss to Oregon State.
Pit stop for two former Lobos
Lobo legend Donovan Dent, who took a pit stop this season at UCLA, made a more fitting Pit stop on Tuesday night and was at the Lobos game.
UNM honored him during a first-half media timeout as new Athletic Director Ryan Berryman presented him with his 2025 Mountain West championship ring from last year.
UNM Lobo legend Donovan Dent, who took a pit stop this season at UCLA, is taking a more natural Pit stop tonight in ABQ where AD @RyanDBerryman just presented him with a 2025 Mountain West championship ring. pic.twitter.com/MdB3T3IR85
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) March 25, 2026
Braden Appelhans, Dent's close friend and former Lobo teammate, was also at the game and was given his championship ring by UNM earlier in the day.
UNM chose not to do a public ceremony for him at the game because Appelhans, who played at Drake this past season, has another year of eligibility and has announced he plans to enter the transfer portal when it opens April 7 and UNM did not want any potential compliance issues to come up as a result.
2x Mountain West Champion has a nice ring to it!
Congrats @AppelhansBraden! pic.twitter.com/85Ne77X2xj
— Nolan Murphy (@papamurph42) March 24, 2026
He said it
Saint Joseph's head coach Steve Donahue on the Pit:
"I think I've been here five times. I was here as an assistant at Penn, head coach at Cornell, head coach at Penn, and now. I told them, it's arguably the best — outside of, I love the Palestra (Penn's home arena in Philadelphia, known as the "CaCathedral of College Basketball"). Part of the Pit's charm is the people are nuts about Lobo basketball. That's part of it. And then I talked about the Final Four game here, Jim Valvano running around after they beat Phi Slamma Jamma and all the history.
"And obviously it hurts right now. It stings that we lost. But they're going to remember that experience."
Faces in the crowd
I love zooming in on crowd shots at sporting events and seeing what I can find, what reactions are caught on people's faces, who's looking at their phones, or whatever. I'm a dork like that, but it's fun and me and my 6-year-old daughter enjoy it.
So, I thought I'd share one from Tuesday's game for no journalistic reason whatsoever. (this does require some zooming in, so good luck with that depending on what device you're reading this ETN).
Attendance...
The announced attendance for Tuesday's Saint Joseph's at New Mexico NIT game in the Pit: 8,054
Cya in The Pit next season. Go Lobos! pic.twitter.com/VlAtCIzqWv
— Eric Romero (@evromer1) March 25, 2026
UNM Lobos's three NIT games:
*
9,207 — Sunday vs. George Washington
*
8,054 — Tuesday vs. Saint Joseph's
*
7,286 — Last Wednesday vs. Sam Houston
That's a three game total of 24,547. The 23 other games in the NIT thus far (there are two quarterfinal games on Wednesday) have had total of 54,644.
NIT attendance comparison
*
8,182 — UNM 3-game NIT average
*
2,376 — NIT's other 23 games average
Series notes
The Lobos now lead the Hawks 2-1, all-time. All three games have been played in the Pit, and here's a look at the previous two, both of which were in the now defunct Lobo Invitational:
*
Dec. 19, 1969 — UNM 78, Saint Joseph’s 77: Lobo legend Willie Long went off for 36 points, 10 rebounds and hit 14 of 16 free throws, and they needed every one of them to hold off the combined 55 points scored by Saint Joseph's dynamic one-two punch of Dan Kelly (27 points, four rebounds) and Mike Hauer (28 points, 13 rebounds).
*
Dec. 30, 1999 – Saint Joseph’s 81, UNM 76: Four Hawks scored in double figures, led by 17 from Marvin O'Connor, who hit four of Saint Joseph’s 11 3-pointers to beat first-year Lobos coach Fran Fraschilla's squad. UNM hit 26 of 38 2-point shots (68.4%) but just 3 of 17 3-pointers (17.6%) and squandered a 10-point halftime lead and a 20-point, eight-rebound, three-blocked shot game from Damion Walker.
Plus/minus...
Here are the plus/minus numbers for Tuesday's game with minutes in parenthesis:
NEW MEXICO
*
+20 Tomislav Buljan (31:33)
*
+12 Jake Hall (37:55)
*
+12 Uriah Tenette (34:27)
*
+11 Deyton Albury (15:13)
*
+10 Antonio Chol (14:47)
*
+10 Tajavis Miller (19:20)
*
+6 Luke Haupt (34:35)
*
-1 Timeo Pons (3:43)
*
-5 JT Rock (8:27)
SAINT JOSEPH'S
*
+3 Jaden Smith (5:37)
*
+3 Khaafiq Myers (23:54)
*
0 Jaiden Glover-Toscano (28:26)
*
-1 Mekai Johnson (00:43)
*
-6 Dasear Haskins (30:59)
*
-13 Justice Ajogbor (32:26)
*
-15 Anthony Finkley (13:31)
*
-18 Derek Simpson (37:16)
*
-28 Austin Williford (27:08)
Line 'em up...
The UNM Lobos played nine players and used 13 unique lineup combinations on Tuesday. The Hawks played nine players and used 14 unique lineup combinations.
Here's a look at some of the Lobos lineup combinations, starting with the starters.
The final starting 5⃣ in The Pit this season. #GoLobos pic.twitter.com/zZzAJX4B5V
— Lobo Basketball (@UNMLoboMBB) March 25, 2026
STARTING LINEUP
*
WHO: Uriah Tenette, Deyton Albury, Jake Hall, Luke Haupt, Tomislav Buljan
*
POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +7 (27-20)
*
TIME ON COURT: 9:40
*
NOTE: Deyton Albury was back in the starting lineup and so, too, was the Lobos super fast start to the game (and the second half). Three of the team's 10 turnovers wasn't great by the starters, but three steals, four assists, efficient offense — it was a good run for the starters, for sure.
BEST LINEUP
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WHO: Uriah Tenette, Jake Hall, Tajavis Miller, Luke Haupt, Tomislav Buljan
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POINT DIFFERENTIAL: +6 (21-15)
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TIME ON COURT: 9:00
*
NOTE: I went with this combination as the "best" of the game even though this and the starting five were both quite good for essentially 19 of the 40 minutes of the game. This grouping didn't have any turnovers, though, and was scoring at a 1.35 points per possession clip, so I gave it the nod, but really we're splitting hairs. The only difference here between the starters and this group was Tajavis Miller in here for the ailing Deyton Albury, who started and played well despite that illness.
WORST LINEUP
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WHO: Uriah Tenette, Jake Hall, Tajavis Miller, Luke Haupt, JT Rock
*
POINT DIFFERENTIAL: -4 (2-6)
*
TIME ON COURT: 1:50
*
NOTE: Not a ton of court time here, but it was enough to see that the offense wasn't clicking with this group. Any sample size under two minutes isn't worth looking too deeply at.
AND THEM?
*
NOTE: The Hawks' starting five, which has played a ton of minutes in the past week of NIT games, looked like a group that had played a ton of minutes in the past week. Saint Joseph's starting five — Derek Simpson, Dasear Haskins, Jaiden Glover-Toscano, Justice Ajogbor and Austin Williford — was outscored 28-18 in the 10:23 they shared the court together. In that time, more than 25% of the game, they had four turnovers, scored under a point per possession and allowed UNM's quick starts to both halves.
VIDEO: UNM coach/players; St. Joe's coach/players
Here's the postgame press conference with UNM coach Eric Olen, Lobo players Tomislav Buljan and Luke Haupt, Saint Joseph's coach Steve Donahue and Hawks players Derek Simpson and Justice Ajogbor:
Pregame from the Pit
Here's a look back at the pregame show, for those interested in watching/hearing how wrong I probably was about everything that was about to happen in the game.
Around the NIT
Here are the quarterfinal NIT scores and schedule:
TUESDAY
*
Tulsa 83, Wichita State 79
*
New Mexico 84, Saint Joseph's 69
WEDNESDAY
*
Illinois State at Dayton, 5 p.m. MT (ESPN2)
*
Nevada at Auburn, 7 p.m. MT (ESPN2)
Stats and stats...
Here is the postgame stat sheet I posted after Tuesday's game: New Mexico 84, Saint Joseph's 69
Final stat sheet: New Mexico 84, Saint Joseph's 69 pic.twitter.com/CAsXkl69zj
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) March 25, 2026
And if you prefer the digital version, here you go: New Mexico 84, Saint Joseph's 69
So long, Pit...
It was a 17-3 season in the Pit for the UNM Lobos. Not bad. Not the best ever, but not bad at all and getting a chance for the team and fans to do a unique one-week, three-game send off they way things turned out with the three NIT wins was pretty special, too.
And, for the last time this season, video of the second half light show, something that's become a cool little UNM tradition in the Pit (they do it at University Stadium, too, but the Pit version is the best, even here when it was 8K in attendance and not the more customary 14K of the regular season.
Announced attendance for Tuesday's Saint Joseph's at New Mexico NIT game in the Pit: 8,054 pic.twitter.com/soZkT8LRp4
— Geoff Grammer (@GeoffGrammer) March 25, 2026
Reach Geoff Grammer at ggrammer@abqjournal.com or follow him on Twitter (X) @GeoffGrammer.
The line that composer Herman Hupfeld penned back in 1931, then was sung by Sam to a pensive Elsa 11 years later in “Casablanca” before Rick so rudely cut him off, is as true now as it was then.
The fundamental things still do apply.
The New Mexico Lobos defeated Saint Joseph’s 84-69 Tuesday night at the Pit, sending UNM to the National Invitation Tournament’s final four (note the lower case; it’s nice, but it’s still only the NIT and not the Big Dance).
Big Dance? Back in November, Lobo fans had no reason, maybe even no right, to expect this team to be within sniffing distance of the NCAA Tournament — or to be 26-10 and one of 14 Division I teams (out of 365) still playing as of this writing. First-year coach Eric Olen, the new kid in school, had to assemble a completely new roster.
Yet, here they are.
How have they done it?
Clearly, the roster Olen assembled bristles with talent. Just as clearly, Olen and his staff have coached them well.
So, yes, the Lobos are good at basketball. They can shoot, run, jump, bang bodies in the paint. All of that — but there’s more.
What’s that sound I hear? It’s there, if you listen carefully.
It’s the sound of fundamentals.
Let’s start with Tomislav Buljan, UNM’s principle low-post threat. Buljan’s tenacity in the paint, combined with the sophisticated low-post moves he likely developed back home in Croatia, produced the majority of his season-best 27 points against St. Joe’s.
But Buljan, who was 5-of-23 shooting 3-pointers this season before Tuesday — hoisting them only as a last resort — was 2-of-2 on 3s vs. the boys from Back East. He also hit a nice little turnaround “jumper” that gave the Lobos a 13-point lead, 72-59, with 5:43 left in the game.
“Jumper” is in quotation marks here advisedly, because Buljan’s feet barely left the floor when he took those shots.
Essentially, they were one-hand set shots — the shot that coach Jerry Maier taught us in fifth grade at Sandia Base Elementary in the ‘50s; the man was a stickler for fundamentals. It was the shot that ruled college basketball back when Mr. Hupfeld was writing his songs in the ‘30s.
Whatever works, fundamentally speaking.
“Right now I feel very confident,” Buljan said. “I have to give a shout out to our assistant coach, Mikey (Howell). He’s been working with me (on shooting from outside the paint).”
Correct me if I’m wrong — I’m not — but European basketball players tend to be more fundamentally sound than their American counterparts. Nikola Jocic is Exhibit A, but Buljan’s gaining ground.
After the game, I asked Olen where he’s placed fundamentals in the overall picture of recruiting a roster, whether this season at UNM or in past years at UC San Diego.
“We’re always looking for that,” he said. “Just knowing how to play. It’s described a lot of different ways. Feel, basketball IQ. There a lot of adjectives for it.
“We try to evaluate that. It’s hard, because it’s not something that’s objective … I think smart wins, and I think we have a smart basketball team.”
Lobos senior Luke Haupt, after all, is a coach’s son. Freshman Jake Hall plays like one.
Hall, a record-setting 3-point shooter, was 3-of-7 on 3s Tuesday. It was a 3-pointer he didn’t make, though, that stands out in this discussion.
With the Lobos up by 10 with 1:54 left, almost in the barn but not quite, Hall was being guarded on a defensive switch by 6-foot-10 St. Joe’s shot-blocking phenom Justice Ajogbor.
Hall, trapped on the baseline, gave Ajogbor one of his patented shot fakes — can’t get much more fundamental than that— put up a shot that hadn’t a prayer of going in but drew a foul and hit three free throws. Game over.
The season isn’t over, and that’s a tribute to all concerned — the players, the coaches, the 24,547 Pit fans who put aside their NCAA Tournament longings and came to watch three NIT games.
As time goes by, this team just gets fundamentally more interesting.
The Minnesota Vikings are probably in the market for a young defensive tackle, so it made sense this week when Ohio State rookie Kayden McDonald mentioned the purple team as one of the teams that sought him out for a pre-draft chat.
Minnesota’s pre-draft interest points to a real need at nose tackle.
McDonald is expected to fly off the draftboard in less than 30 days somewhere late in Round 1 or early in Round 1. Put him on your Vikings bingo board.
Is it time for Minnesota to put its foot down and get a true nose tackle?
McDonald Reveals His List of Teams That Met with Him
McDonald spoke with SI.com this week, and he didn’t keep any secrets.
He told Justin Melo, “I feel like I’ve been meeting with pretty much every NFL team. It’s a total blessing. Formal interviews, Zoom meetings, it really feels like it’s been every team.. I had formals at the NFL Combine with the Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, and a few others.”
“I’ve been on Top 30 visits. I have one with the Bengals, New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders, Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins, Washington Commanders, Ravens, and Bears. Every team that needs a physical defensive tackle has been in touch with me.”
In a crowded field, the Vikings were present.
The Scouting Report
At 6’3″ and 326 pounds, McDonald checks every box for a true nose tackle. He clogs space up front, holds firm at the point of attack, and moves with surprising quickness for a player built like that.
Our Janik Eckardt on his scouting profile: “Kayden McDonald is a powerful, productive interior defensive lineman with a strong foundation as a run defender. His leverage, recognition, and ability to disrupt plays at the line of scrimmage make him a consistent presence against the run.”
“While his pass-rush upside remains limited and areas such as hand usage and pad level require refinement, his production and physical traits provide a strong base for NFL development. McDonald projects as a late first-round to early second-round prospect with the potential to become a reliable starting defensive tackle in the right system.”
Last year, the Vikings “reached” a bit for offensive tackle Donovan Jackson from the same school. McDonald would follow the pattern.
Eckardt added, “McDonald projects as a late first-round to early second-round selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, with value tied to his run defense, production, and interior presence. His ability to control the line of scrimmage and consistently impact the run game makes him an appealing option for teams seeking a foundational defensive tackle.”
“He fits best in defensive systems that utilize interior linemen to control gaps and disrupt blocking schemes, particularly in even-front alignments. His ability to play as a nose tackle or interior defender adds flexibility to defensive rotations.”
The Departures of Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave
The Vikings have a sudden draft need at defensive tackle, and they’re not shy about it. The club released Allen and Hargrave two weeks ago, two starters from the 2025 squad. In fact, former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made Allen and Hargrave his keynote free-agent splashes on defense in 2025, and the two just didn’t live up to expectations. Allen signed with the Cincinnati Bengals, and Hargrave decided to become a Green Bay Packers, of all teams.
For now, Minnesota is slated to give most DT snaps to Jalen Redmond, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins. Unless the Vikings sign free agent Christian Wilkins, for example, an interior defensive lineman will likely be a target early in the draft.
That’s why the McDonald meeting feels so relevant.
Other Round 1 Options
If McDonald is not the pick and the pre-draft meeting was just for due diligence, the Vikings could explore a player at the same position, such as Clemson’s Peter Woods or Florida’s Caleb Banks. Safety is a need, too, making Dillon Thieneman of Oregon a mock-draft darling, in addition to Toledo’s Emmanuel McNeill-Warren.
The Vikings also always need cornerbacks, with Tennessee’s Jermod McCoy and Clemson’s Avieon Terrell as two common-sense targets in the 1st Round.
Or — the club could swerve in the mindset of “best player available” and draft a player like Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq.
All things considered, McDonald would be a pretty “safe” pick. The Vikings haven’t drafted a defensive tackle in the first couple of rounds of the draft in 13 years. They’re probably overdue for a pick like McDonald.
The draft is 29 days away.
Casemiro is in the final few months of his contract with Manchester United and he has already announced that he will leave this summer. The Brazilian has been excellent of late under caretaker manager Michael Carrick, prompting talk of a possible contract extension.
The Red Devils are gearing up for a massive summer transfer window, where the focus is likely to be in the middle of the park. The English giants are third in the league table after 31 games and look set to return to the Champions League next season.
United are subsequently preparing to upgrade the squad over the summer to help fight on four fronts next campaign. With Casemiro expected to leave, the Red Devils are now in the market for an able replacement who can fill the Brazilian’s shoes.
United abandoned former head coach Ruben Amorim’s controversial 3-4-3 system after his abrupt departure in January this year. Casemiro was an assured presence alongside Bruno Fernandes in the two-man midfield pivot under Amorim for the first half of the campaign.
When United switched to a 4-2-3-1 system under Carrick, Kobbie Mainoo was stationed as the Brazilian’s new partner, but it did not impact his performances. Instead, the 34 year old played a key role in the Red Devils’ recent rise under Carrick, helping them pick up seven wins and two draws in the last 10 Premier League games.
Casemiro has scored seven goals and set up two more in 30 appearances in all competitions this season, all but two of which have been starts.
Source: Transfermarkt.
The Brazilian’s ability to snuff out danger and shield the back four has been indispensable for the team of late. However, Casemiro has also been a force in the final third, especially from set pieces.
Recent reports have subsequently suggested that the English giants are considering the veteran midfielder’s extension, albeit on reduced terms. Meanwhile, there has also been talk of interest from Juventus and AC Milan, and it now appears that another Serie A club has joined the race.
According to Globo Esporte, Inter Milan have entered the race to sign Casemiro for free this summer. The report adds that there is also interest in the veteran midfielder’s services from the Middle East as well as the US.
The Brazilian’s entourage are considering their options carefully, as they are aware that the next contract could be the last big deal of his career. Casemiro is one of the highest earners at the Theatre of Dreams, which is perhaps why United are reluctant to hand him an extension.
Understandably, the Brazilian will have to take a pay cut to secure a move to Italy, as the Nerazzurri lack the finances to match his €18 million net salary. GOAL points out that Inter president Beppe Marotta specialises in signing free agents, and adds that any club looking to sign the experienced midfielder may have to agree to a two-year deal worth €5-6 million per year.
Casemiro’s vast experience could help any incoming midfielder this summer, but unless an agreement can be reached for a reduced contract, a stay appears unlikely. A move to Serie A, meanwhile, could tempt the Brazilian, as it would enable him to continue his stay in European football.
Featured image Ryan Pierse via Getty Images
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Chelsea are not happy with Alejandro Garnacho’s performances, according to an update from Mick Brown of Football Insider.
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Things have turned sour at Chelsea and individual players are getting criticised now. According to former Manchester United scout Mick Brown, winger Alejandro Garnacho is one of the players who is not pleasing the sporting directors with his showings.
“Chelsea are concerned about Garnacho’s performances,” Brown is quoted as saying by Football Insider.
“There were issues with him during his time at Man United that it seems are coming up again now at Chelsea, both on and off the pitch.”
“In the final third, he’s wasteful, he’s not giving anywhere near the end product you would hope for a player who was bought for £40million.”
Garnacho has 21 starts and has racked up 11 G/A in that time, which is actually a great return. However, four of those came in the EFL Cup, and it’s true he’s not delivered in the Premier League to the same degree.
There are others struggling more, but we’d be lying if we said we were delighted with Garnacho’s efforts in Blue so far.
Fabrizio Romano insists that Moises Caicedo is happy at Chelsea and won’t be pushing for a move like his teammate.
Liam Rosenior is struggling in charge of Chelsea and the players might be turning against him says former Blue Craig Burley.
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Senny Mayulu has emerged as one of the most promising young players in the Paris Saint-Germain squad, and despite being just 19, he is already attracting serious interest from Arsenal. The Gunners are reportedly keen to strengthen their squad at the end of the season, targeting both youth and experience as part of their recruitment strategy.
Arsenal’s approach reflects a long-term vision, with the club aiming to secure some of the best emerging talents in European football before they become unattainable. Mayulu fits that profile perfectly, having developed into one of the standout teenagers currently playing at a high level. His technical ability and composure have marked him out as a player with significant potential.
The club is actively working on plans to bring in several new players, and Mayulu has reportedly become a priority target. As reported by Sport Witness, Arsenal are now focusing their efforts on securing his signature in the next transfer window, underlining how highly they rate his potential.
Arsenal believes he could offer long-term value and become an important part of their future squad. His age and development trajectory make him an attractive option, particularly for a team that is looking to build sustained success over multiple seasons.
However, Arsenal are unlikely to have a clear path to completing the transfer. Several other clubs are expected to show interest in Mayulu, while PSG will be determined to retain one of their most promising young players. The French side is likely to resist any approach and attempt to protect his long-term future at the club.
Despite this, Arsenal remain confident about testing PSG’s resolve. The Gunners are expected to make changes to their squad at the end of the season, and this could include offloading certain players to create space for new arrivals.
Such adjustments would be necessary to ensure Mayulu has the opportunity to play regularly and continue his development, should he make the move to North London.
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Butler named Ronald Nored as its next men's basketball coach Wednesday, March 25.
Nored, 36, will be the 25th coach in program history, replacing Thad Matta after his retirement following the 2025-26 season. Nored is first coach hired by athletic director Grant Leiendecker, a former Butler basketball player who took over for outgoing AD Barry Collier in December of 2024.
Nored told the Atlanta Hawks, where he was an assistant coach, Wednesday morning, Leiendecker sharing a photo of the moment on Twitter.
"The term ‘dream job’ doesn’t do justice to how I feel about the opportunity to lead the Butler program," Nored said in a release. "Butler is an incredibly special place. As a player, I poured blood, sweat and tears into this program. No one appreciates both the responsibility and the potential that comes with this position more than me. Passionate fans, Hinkle Fieldhouse, the Big East, storied tradition, a world-class education, a thriving city … there is incredible momentum at Butler right now and I can’t wait to hit the ground running as we elevate Butler to new heights."
Nored emerged as a candidate to replace Matta due to his strong relationship with Leiendecker. Nored and Leiendecker played together at Butler for three seasons, including Butler's back-to-back national championship runner-up teams in 2010 and 2011. Of the potential coaching candidates, Nored was the only one without head-coaching experience at the college level, but his relationship with Leiendecker provides a level of familiarity and comfort for the AD.
“In a rapidly evolving college basketball landscape, our priority was identifying the absolute best leader to spearhead the future of Butler Basketball. Ronald Nored is that leader,” Leiendecker said.
“Ron is a relentless worker with an elite basketball IQ and a proven track record of developing talent at the highest level of basketball. He is the ultimate competitor, and he will cultivate that same quality within his team and staff. He is a gifted relationship builder who commands respect through his character and his craft. While he understands the soul of this university, we didn't hire him for his history here — we hired him for his vision of what we can become and how we will get there. His experience in the NBA provides us with a distinct competitive advantage as we navigate this new era of college basketball. He will attract an elite staff and student-athletes and build deep relationships within the Butler and Indianapolis communities. I have total confidence that Ron will put his own fingerprints on this program, set a new standard for our student-athletes, and elevate Butler Basketball to new heights.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler hires Ronald Nored as next men's basketball coach
The Los Angeles Rams are the team that has everything. Quarterback? Check. Offensive line? Check. Skill position players? Check. A rock-solid defense top to bottom? Check.
Not having any obvious needs makes predicting what they'll do in the 2026 draft hard. The Rams could go for luxury picks, find long-term replacements, or just add depth at any point in the draft. Considering what the Rams have done this offseason already, though, it stands to reason general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay will want to make a splash in the first round of the draft.
The Athletic's Vic Tafur went in this direction with this newest mock draft, less than a month before the first round takes place. He had the Rams trade up from No. 13 to the Cincinnati Bengals' No. 10 to draft Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate. All it took was adding the Rams' third-round selection (No. 93) to move up three spots.
Tate is the first receiver taken in this mock, meaning Tafur considers him the best fit for L.A. — hence the trade up. The OSU pass-catcher caught 51 passes for 875 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025, a year after he caught 52 passes for 733 yards and four scores. He would be a quality big-bodied third receiver for Matthew Stafford and the potential heir to Davante Adams' role whenever the veteran retires or leaves the Rams.
While this move leaves the L.A. with limited draft capital, it's an all-in move that would ensure the Rams get a player they feel is the best fit for the team. The Rams don't have many needs, so they don't need more picks. They just need the best players. Plus, Snead and company are excellent at identifying late-round players, so the price to move up is worth it if a team has faith in its ability to scout talent in the later rounds.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFL mock draft: Rams make bold trade for offensive playmaker
The 2026 NFL regular season is still more than five months away from starting, but the oddsmakers are busy at work making some future bets available and that includes the 2026 NFL Coach of the Year odds.
And new Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak has some steam going.
According to our friends at FanDuel Sportsbook, Kubiak is priced at 14-1 to win with the award. It is currently the sixth lowest (best) odds available in the category. New New York Giants coach John Harbaugh is the favorite at 8-1.
The fact that Kubiak has fairly low odds to open is not much of a surprise. He fits the profile. he’s in his first year with a team, the team had poor results last season, the team looks to be improved and Kubiak has enjoyed success as an assistant coach.
So, backing Kubiak makes some good betting sense if sports betting is your thing.
In other Raiders’ news:
The Baltimore Ravens don’t have to rush into a decision on Zay Flowers. Here's something worth mentioning, though. The longer they wait, the more interesting the conversation becomes. He has established himself as a core player on the roster, someone they would like to build around. His relationship with the franchise is certainly worth developing. To do that, discussions will eventually shift to a well-deserved pay raise.
Everyone has their opinions about what he'll make and what he is worth. Two of the more interesting projections certainly advanced him into another tax bracket.
Spotrac pegs his market value at roughly three years and $92.9 million. That's obviously an average of about $31 million annually. That would place him comfortably among the league's top 10 highest-paid receivers, but not quite at the very top tier.
Then there's the more aggressive outlook. Shortly after Jaxson Smith-Njigba's record-setting extension, Bleacher Report tried its hand at predicting who the next wide receivers are who will reset the market.
Gary Davenport projects a four-year, $134 million deal. That's closer to $33.5 million per season and inching toward elite, market-shifting territory. So, here's the million-dollar question (pun intended). Which dollar amount is more realistic? The answer likely lies in timing, a salary cap that expands each year, and the expectation of overpaying.
Here's a theory. Don't be shocked if Flowers' annual salary exceeds the $33.5 million threshold, but there is time. Baltimore still holds control thanks to the fifth-year option, which would keep Flowers under contract through 2027 at a relatively reasonable number for a No. 1 receiver. That gives the organization flexibility, but it also introduces risk. Waiting could drive the price higher, especially as the receiver market continues to explode.
Recent deals around the league have only reinforced that trend. As top receivers reset the market, young, ascending players like Flowers naturally benefit. And with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, including a career-high 1,211 yards in 2025, his trajectory suggests his best football may still be ahead.
That's what makes this a delicate balance.
The Ravens can wait, evaluate further, and potentially pay more later. Or, they can act early and attempt to lock in a deal that looks team-friendly in hindsight. For a franchise still building around Lamar Jackson, those decisions carry long-term implications. One thing feels certain. Whether it's closer to $31 million or pushing beyond $33 million annually, Flowers' next deal won't come cheap, and if we're being honest, it probably shouldn't.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Examining Zay Flowers' market value on a contract extension
Now that free agency has officially started, we can look ahead toward the 2026 NFL Draft with renewed focus. This weekly series will take a closer look at some of the prospects the Carolina Panthers could select in the 2026 iteration of the Draft. In this series, we’ll only be looking at prospects the Panthers could seriously consider. This week our profile will focus on Texas A&M Aggies wide receiver KC Concepcion.
The Charlotte native began his collegiate career with the NC State Wolfpack in 2023. He burst onto the scene, notching 71 catches for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 41 rushes for 320 yards. After a disappointing sophomore season, Concepcion transferred to Texas A&M and began rebuilding his reputation as a dynamic receiver and added the return game to his repertoire as well with two punt return touchdowns.
Concepcion has always been an explosive player. His acceleration and fluidity allow him to create separation quickly and make moves after the catch, as evidenced by his 15.1 yards per catch in 2025. He also plays bigger than his 6’0”, 200 lb frame would suggest, winning contested catches and providing physicality to beat press coverage. He also has a natural feel for zone coverage, adding to his YAC potential.
While his athleticism allows him to get open, he does struggle with drops. He also does not have a huge catch radius to begin with, so an accurate quarterback will be necessary for him to succeed at the next level. Also, he is a bit of a project in terms of blocking. Though he is willing, he is often impatient and his technique leaves a lot ot be desired.
Concepcion definitely rebuilt his reputation at Texas A&M and has been getting some first round buzz lately. The big play potential in the receiving and return games will be tempting for NFL front offices. He does have some red flags, but those are mostly coachable issues (concentration drops, blocking technique, etc). Offenses that get the ball into his hands on jet sweeps and quick screens will allow him to really showcase his game breaking ability.
The Panthers have spent their last two first round picks on wide receiver, so a third might be out of the box thinking. Still, Concepcion would provide the explosiveness both after the catch and downfield that this offense has been missing. Jalen Coker has cemented himself as a slot monster, but Concepcion could be the more gadget/motion player that Jimmy Horn Jr became at the end of the season for the Panthers.
What do you think, Panthers fans? If KC Concepcion is available when the Panthers select in the 2026 NFL Draft, should they take him? Sound off in the comments!
Influencer content isn’t just a brand awareness play. It’s showing up in Google SERPs, Google AI Overviews, and AI answers, making keyword strategy an essential part of every influencer brief.
When we brief an influencer, we assign them a keyword. Not as a nice-to-have, but as a required part of the strategy, usually woven into the script, the caption, the on-screen text, and the hashtags.
That might sound like an SEO team overreaching into an influencer team’s lane. But in 2026, the lane lines don’t exist.
Social content is search inventory. If your influencer marketing program isn’t built around that reality, you’re leaving a significant and measurable share of voice on the table.
For most of search’s history, optimization meant ranking on Google. That’s still important, but it’s no longer the full story.
Today, nearly half of U.S. consumers (49%) use TikTok as a search engine. Gen Z may lead that adoption, but it cuts across generations.
Over a third of consumers now prefer to start their search journey with AI tools like ChatGPT over Google. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and Pinterest have also become primary discovery engines for product research, how-to queries, and purchase decisions.
This is what search everywhere may look like in practice:
Each of these touchpoints is a search moment, and there’s a strong chance they involve influencer content. The brands showing up at every step are the ones treating influencer marketing content as search content from the beginning.
Ross Simmonds, CEO of Foundation Marketing, shared with me:
Dig deeper: Why creator-led content marketing is the new standard in search
This is where things get concrete.
Google’s What people are saying SERP feature is a carousel that appears directly in search results and surfaces user-generated and creator content from platforms like YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Reddit for relevant queries.
It’s now a default feature in U.S. search results and consistently shows up for mid- to bottom-of-funnel keywords, exactly where purchase decisions are made. A brand can appear in this SERP feature (either directly or indirectly via an influencer) without ranking in the traditional Top 10 results.
Additionally, the Short videos SERP feature is another prime spot for your influencer content to take up shelf space on Google. This means an influencer video optimized with the right SEO keyword can surface in multiple spots on Google for a commercial query your brand’s own site might never rank for.
It’s not theoretical. It’s happening now.
Meanwhile, AI answers are pulling from social content at scale. An analysis of 40 million AI search results found Reddit to be the single most-cited domain across ChatGPT, Copilot, and Perplexity. Ahrefs research confirms that YouTube mentions and branded web mentions are among the top factors correlating with AI brand visibility in ChatGPT, AI Mode, and AI Overviews.
Samanyou Garg, CEO of Writesonic, shared with me:
The more creators talk about your product with consistent language, the more confident AI becomes in recommending you. So if your influencer content doesn’t contain the SEO keywords your audience is actually searching for, it won’t be surfaced in all the places that matter.
Dig deeper: Short-form, big impact: What creators can teach performance marketers
Keyword research should be a standard step in every influencer campaign. Start by identifying your target keyword from data across three sources:
Once the keyword is identified, embed it into every element of the creator’s content:
Don’t confuse this with keyword stuffing. It’s modern content architecture.
There’s a big difference between a creator naturally saying, “If you’re searching for the best running shoes right now…” versus a brand clunkily forcing a phrase into otherwise natural content. The influencer brief sets the requirement, yes, but the creator’s job is to incorporate their unique voice.
Ashley Liddell, co-founder and Search Everywhere director at Deviation, shared:
Once the content is live, track whether the creator’s post is surfacing for the target keyword across:
Screenshot and log positions immediately (because rankings can quickly shift). This data tells a story clients aren’t used to seeing from an influencer program.
There’s a reason this matters beyond any individual campaign. Google organic CTRs have declined dramatically, by as much as 61% on queries where AI Overviews appear.
With Google SERP features increasingly highlighting video and social content, traditional web content is losing surface area on the SERPs. Social content, conversely, is gaining traction, and we cannot ignore this.
For brands, influencer content has taken on a much stronger value: scalable, authentic, human-first search inventory distributed across platforms where their audiences spend time. It doesn’t replace a traditional SEO program, but it extends reach into channels where creator voices tend to outperform brand-owned content.
Younger audiences search socially first. In some categories, a meaningful share of consideration-stage audiences see creator content before they ever search for your brand. If your influencers don’t use the language your audience searches, you’re invisible in the moments that matter most.
Search everywhere optimization comes down to one thing: showing up where your audience actually searches with content worth stopping for.
Dig deeper: Why social search visibility is the next evolution of discoverability
The biggest barrier to building keyword optimization into influencer programs is structural. SEO and influencer teams often sit within different parts of an organization, owned by different teams with different KPIs, and little reason to collaborate.
Even when those teams are close, a common hesitation remains: adding a keyword requirement to a creator brief may make the content feel scripted or inauthentic. That concern is valid, but somewhat misplaced. A keyword isn’t a constraint on creativity — it’s a topic signal.
Creators integrate talking points, product messaging, and brand language into their content all the time. A search term is no different, as long as the brief gives them room to use it in their own voice.
Closing that gap requires a few concrete changes.
Influencer content has always shaped brand perception. Today, it also shapes search visibility across social platforms, Google’s evolving SERP features, and AI-generated answers.
Brands that recognize this apply a search strategy to a channel that, until recently, operated without it. You treat every influencer video as search content — briefing keywords and reporting on search performance as you would for other organic channels.
Influencer content is search inventory. The only question is whether you’re optimizing it.
Does schema markup really benefit AI search optimization? Some suggest it can 3x your citations or dramatically boost AI visibility. But when you dig into the evidence, the picture is far more nuanced.
Let’s separate what’s known from what’s assumed, and look at how schema actually fits into an AI search strategy.
Search is shifting from surfacing a SERP with blue links to AI Overviews, generative answers, and chat‑style summaries that collate content in addition to links.
To get your content to appear in this model, your site has to be understood as entities — singular, unique things or concepts, such as a person, place, or event — and the relationships between them, not just strings of text.
Schema markup is one of the few tools SEOs have to make those entities and relationships explicit and understandable for an AI: This is a person, they work for this organization, this product is offered at this price, this article is authored by that person, etc.
For AI, three elements matter the most:
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offeredBy, worksFor, authoredBy, and sameAs schema tags).When schema is implemented with stable values (@id) and a structure (@graph), it starts to behave like a small internal knowledge graph.
AI systems won’t have to guess who you are and how your content fits together, and will be able to follow explicit connections between your brand, your authors, and your topics.
Dig deeper: Why entity authority is the foundation of AI search visibility
Two major platforms have confirmed that schema markup helps their AIs understand content. For these platforms, it is confirmed infrastructure, not speculation.
We don’t know how these platforms use schema yet. They haven’t publicly confirmed whether they preserve schema during web crawling or use it for extraction. The technical capability exists for LLMs to process structured data, but that doesn’t mean their search systems do.
Dig deeper: When and how to use knowledge graphs and entities for SEO
Here are a few studies that show how schema can benefit AI search.
A December 2024 study from Search/Atlas found no correlation between schema markup coverage and citation rates. Sites with comprehensive schema didn’t consistently outperform sites with minimal or no schema markup.
This doesn’t mean schema is useless, it means schema alone doesn’t drive citations. LLM systems appear to prioritize relevance, topical authority, and semantic clarity over whether content has structured markup.
A February 2024 Nature Communications study found that LLMs extract information more accurately when given structured prompts with defined fields versus unstructured “extract what matters” instructions.
Put differently, LLMs perform best when you give them a structured form to fill out, not a blank canvas. When models are asked to extract into predefined fields, they make fewer errors than when told to simply “pull out what matters.”
Schema markup on a page is the web equivalent of that form: a set of explicit entity, brand, product, price, author, and topic fields that a system can map to, rather than inferring everything from unstructured prose.
This tells us that LLMs have the technical capability to process structured data more accurately than unstructured text.
However, this doesn’t tell us whether AI search systems preserve schema markup during web crawling, whether they use it to guide extraction from web pages, or whether this results in better visibility.
The leap from “LLMs can process structured data” to “web schema markup improves AI search visibility” requires assumptions we can’t verify for most platforms.
For Microsoft Bing and Google AI Overviews, schema likely improves extraction accuracy, since they’ve confirmed they use it. For other platforms, we don’t have confirmation of actual implementation.
Dig deeper: Entity-first SEO: How to align content with Google’s Knowledge Graph
AI search is so new — for example, ChatGPT search only launched in October 2024 — that companies haven’t disclosed their indexing methods. Measurement is difficult with non-deterministic AI responses. There are significant gaps in what we can verify.
To date, there are no peer-reviewed studies on schema’s impact on AI search visibility, or controlled experiments on LLM citation behavior and schema markup.
OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity, and other platforms besides Microsoft or Google haven’t published their indexing methods.
This gap exists because AI search is genuinely new (ChatGPT search launched in October 2024), companies don’t disclose indexing methods, and measurement is difficult with non-deterministic AI responses.
In traditional SEO, many implementations stop at adding Article or Organization markup in isolation. For AI search, the more useful pattern is to connect nodes into a coherent graph using @id. For example:
Organization node with a stable @id that represents your brand.Person node for the author who works for your organization.Article node authoredBy that person and publishedBy that organization, with about properties that declare the main topics.{
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@graph": [
{
"@id": "https://example.com/#organization",
"@type": "Organization",
"name": "Example Digital"
},
{
"@id": "https://example.com/#person-jane-doe",
"@type": "Person",
"name": "Jane Doe",
"worksFor": { "@id": "https://example.com/#organization" }
},
{
"@type": "Article",
"@id": "https://example.com/blog/schema-markup-ai-search",
"headline": "Schema Markup for AI Search",
"author": { "@id": "https://example.com/#person-jane-doe" },
"publisher": { "@id": "https://example.com/#organization" }
}
]
} That connected pattern turns your schema from a set of disconnected hints into a reusable entity graph. For any AI system that preserves the JSON‑LD, it becomes much clearer which brand owns the content, which human is responsible for it, and what high‑level topics it is about, regardless of how the page layout or copy changes over time.
| Aspect | Traditional SEO schema | Entity graph schema |
| Structure | Single @type object per page | @graph array of interconnected nodes |
| Entity ID | None (anonymous) | Stable @id URLs for reuse across site |
| Relationships | Nested, one‑way (author: “name”) | Bidirectional via @id refs (worksFor, authoredBy) |
| Primary benefit | Rich snippets, SERP CTR | Entity disambiguation, extraction accuracy for AI |
| AI impact | Minimal (tokenization often strips) | Makes site a unified knowledge graph source if preserved |
| Implementation | Easy, page‑by‑page | Requires site‑wide @id consistency |
Dig deeper: How structured data supports local visibility across Google and AI
For AI search, the best way to position schema right now is to:
Use schema markup for:
However, don’t expect:
Priority schema types (based on platform guidance) include:
Organization (brand entity identity).Article or BlogPosting (content attribution and authorship)Person (author authority and entity connections).Product or Service (commercial entity clarity).FAQPage (Q&A content formats).Dig deeper: The entity home: The page that shapes how search, AI, and users see your brand
Schema markup is infrastructure, not a magic bullet. It won’t necessarily get you cited more, but it’s one of the few things you can control that platforms such as Bing and Google AI Overviews explicitly use.
The real opportunity isn’t schema in isolation. It’s the combination of structured data with proper entity relationships, high-quality, topically authoritative content, clear entity identity and brand signals, and the strategic use of @graph and @id to build entity connections.
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