6) Louisville Cardinals (24-10) vs. 3) Michigan State Spartans (26-7)

NCAA Tournament East Region Second Round

Game Time: 2:45 p.m.

Location: KeyBank Center: Buffalo, N.Y.

Television: CBS

Announcers: Brian Anderson (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (analysis), Allie LaForce (sideline)

Favorite: Michigan State by 4.5

Series: Tied, 6-6

Last Meeting: Michigan State won, 73-64, on Dec. 1, 2021 in East Lansing, Mich.

Series History:

Projected Starting Lineups:

Louisville

• G Adrian Wooley (6-4, 200, So.)
• G Isaac McKneely (6-4, 195, Sr.)
• G Ryan Conwell (6-4, 215, Sr.)
• F J’Vonne Hadley (6-7, 210, Sr.)
• C Vangelis Zougris (6-8, 240, Jr.)

Michigan State

• G Jeremy Fears Jr. (6-2, 190, So.)
• F Coen Carr (6-6, 225, Jr.)
• F Jordan Scott (6-7, 190, Fr.)
• F Jaxon Kohler (6-9, 245, Sr.)
• C Carson Cooper (6-11, 245, Sr.)

Statistics:

Michigan State’s Season to Date:

Relevant Videos:

About Michigan State:

There are some teams where you have to dig to figure out who they are. Michigan State isn’t one of them.

If you’ve watched a Tom Izzo team at any point over the last two decades, you already understand the foundation. They’re going to defend, they’re going to rebound like it matters more than anything else on the floor, and they’re going to make you earn every single possession. Nothing is accidental, and very little comes easy.

What’s interesting about this particular version of the Spartans is that it’s a little less star-driven and a little more about control.

The engine of everything is habitual crotch-kicker Jeremy Fears Jr., the nation’s leader in assists at 9.2 per game. Fears has improved dramatically as a scorer this season (15.2 ppg), but he still doesn’t dominate games as a scorer so much as he quietly dictates how they unfold. He plays with pace without rushing, gets Michigan State into the right actions, and consistently makes the simple, correct read. When he’s comfortable, the offense feels organized and patient. When he’s not, things can get a little more rigid and harder to generate.

That balance is important, because Michigan State isn’t built to overwhelm you with shot creation. They don’t have a roster full of guys who can go get a bucket whenever something breaks down. Instead, they rely on execution—screens set at the right angle, cuts made at the right time, and the ball moving until something opens up. It’s not flashy, but it’s effective when it’s working.

Where Sparty really shine is, per usual, on the glass. They lead the nation in defensive rebounding rate and are ninth in the same category on the offensive end. Louisville had the luxury of getting multiple cracks at scoring on many possessions against South Florida. That won’t be the case Saturday afternoon.

Tom Izzo’s vaunted frontcourt of Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper and human highlight reel Coen Carr leans into that identity. They are big, physical, active, and more concerned with positioning and effort than finesse. They’re not trying to out-skill you as much as outwork you, and if they succeed in doing that, the game starts to feel heavier with each possession.

The perimeter is where things can swing for Louisville. Michigan State will get decent looks because of how they run offense, but whether those shots fall tends to determine their ceiling. When they’re hitting from the outside, it forces defenses to stretch, which opens driving lanes and makes their halfcourt sets more dangerous. When they’re not, everything compresses. The paint gets crowded, post touches get tougher, and possessions can stall late in the clock.

There’s also a very real comfort level with playing in the mud. Michigan State doesn’t mind if a game turns into a grind. In fact, they’re usually better for it. Lower possession games, longer trips down the floor, more physical play—those are all conditions that play directly into their identity. They’re patient enough to live in that space without getting frustrated, which isn’t something every team can say.

The flip side is that they’re not at their best when the game speeds up. Teams that can push tempo, create early offense, and avoid getting stuck in halfcourt possessions can keep Sparty from fully settling in. The less time they have to set their defense and the fewer opportunities they get to crash the glass, the more you take away what they do best.

Some recent defensive issues were on full display in MSU’s last three games of the regular season, where they surrendered 90 points and 88 points in losses to Michigan and UCLA, and 87 points in a 4-point win over Rutgers.

Per usual, Michigan State is a team built around extremely solid college players, not future NBA stars. They are extremely solid, occasionally frustrating to watch, and consistently difficult to play against. They’re not built to blow you out with overwhelming talent, but they are very capable of wearing you down over 40 minutes.

And that’s really the defining trait. You don’t usually walk away from a Michigan State game feeling like they did anything spectacular. You just look up, realize you had to work for everything, and somehow they controlled more of the game than it felt like in the moment.

The good news in this one is that one of the things Michigan State isn’t is a team that likes to apply constant ball pressure and force tons of turnovers. The Spartans are forcing turnovers on 14.9 percent of their defensive possessions, just the 299th-best mark in the country. The ideal Izzo defensive possession is 28 seconds of effective guarding that ends with a difficult, contested shot from the outside and an easy defensive rebound.

Michigan State wants Louisville to take outside shots. Only 21 teams in Division-I are forcing their opponents to take a higher percentage of their field goal attempts from behind the three-point line. Obviously, this is something that could work in U of L’s favor if the Cards are creating at least halfway decent looks in halfcourt situations and … everyone say it with me … the shots are falling.

Against MSU, U of L’s best outside shooters have to be ready to pull when they have a sliver of space. You can’t afford to pass up a good shot in hopes of finding a great shot moments later, because more times than not against this team that great shot is never going to come.

Against a team that doesn’t really try to force turnovers and has some turnover issues of its own on offense, Louisville cannot afford to be as careless with the ball as they were on Thursday. In fact, winning the turnover battle should be an attainable goal and one Pat Kelsey’s team should aim to achieve.

Bring the same defensive effort you brought against USF, compete as much as you can on the glass, value the possession, win the battle for the free-throw supremacy, shoot the shit out of it from the outside, and let’s see what happens.

Notable:

—Louisville is making its 45th NCAA tournament appearance, and is making back-to-back appearances in the Big Dance for the first time since going to nine straight tournaments from 2007-2015.

—Louisville is 77-45 all-time in NCAA tournament games.

—Michigan State is making its 39th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and has an all-time record of 77-37 in the Big Dance.

—Michigan State is playing in its 28th consecutive NCAA Tournament. That streak is the longest active streak in the country and also tied for the longest in NCAA history (Kansas, 28, 1990-2017).

—Louisville is one win away from advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015.

—This is the 12th time in the last 14 tournaments that Michigan State has reached the second round, and the 16th in the last 19.

—Since 1998, the Spartans are 16-5 in their second NCAA Tournament game.

—Louisville and Michigan State have met in the NCAA Tournament four times before, with each team winning twice.

—In each of the last three tournament meetings between these two (2009, 2012 and 2015), the worse-seeded team has won the game.

—Louisville has not defeated a better-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament since the fourth-seeded Cardinals upset No. 1 seed Michigan State in the 2012 Sweet 16.

—Overall, the underdog has won four of the last six meetings between these two teams.

—Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, Michigan State has advanced to the round of 32 on 27 occasions.

—MSU has an 18-8 record in round of 32 games since 1985, including 16-5 under current head coach Tom Izzo.

—Under Tom Izzo, Michigan State is 25-9 in the second game of an NCAA Tournament weekend. Seven of those nine losses have come to No. 1 seeds or eventual national champions.

—Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey is 1-5 in NCAA Tournament games, and 0-6 against the spread in the Big Dance.

—Louisville’s NCAA Tournament win over Michigan State in 1959 sent the Cardinals to the first Final Four in program history.

—Louisville is 10-17 all-time in NCAA Tournament games when playing as the worse seed.

—Michigan State and Louisville have four common opponents this season. Both MSU (83-66) and U of L (96-88) beat Kentucky. MSU and U of L both beat Indiana, with Michigan State winning, 81-60, while Louisville won by a palindromic, 87-78. Both MSU and U of L also played Arkansas, with the Spartans beating the Razorbacks, 69-66, while the Cardinals lost, 89-80. They both lost to Duke, with MSU falling, 66-60, and U of L losing, 84-73 and 83-52.

—Louisville is 3-2 all-time in neutral site games against Michigan State.

—Michigan State forward Kaleb Glenn is a Louisville native who began his college career with the Cardinals. He is sitting out this season with a torn patellar tendon.

—A second round meeting between MSU and Louisville will be the earliest meeting in the NCAA Tournament between the pair, with previous matchups coming in three Regional Finals in 1959, 2009 and 2015, and one Regional Semifinal, in 2012.

—Louisville is a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history. The Cards are 7-3 all-time as a 6-seed. They advanced to the Sweet 16 in 1996, the Elite Eight in 1997 and the second round in 2007.

—Louisville is 4-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament games against 3-seeds.

—Louisville has won 28 of its last 39 games in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Elite Eight five times in its last 13 appearances.

—Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey has never faced Michigan State.

—Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo is 4-2 in games against Louisville.

—Louisville is 40-5 under head coach Pat Kelsey when leading at halftime.

—Louisville is 0-9 under head coach Pat Kelsey when trailing by 5 points or more at halftime.

—Michigan State is 19-1 when leading at the half this season, and just 7-5 when trailing at the half.

—Michigan State has been outrebounded just three times this season. The Spartans are 1-2 in those games.

—Michigan State is 3-4 in games this season where it allows 80 points or more.

—Louisville is 5-1 in neutral site games so far this season.

—Louisville is 12-1 in Saturday games so far this season, and just 12-9 in games played on any other day of the week.

—Michigan State is 6-1 playing on Saturday this season.

—Louisville is 11-6 all-time in East Region games.

—Louisville has hit the 100-point mark six times in a season for the first time ever.

—Louisville is 49-0 under head coach Pat Kelsey when leading with five minutes to play. The Cardinals are also 1-18 under Kelsey when trailing with five minutes to play.

—Louisville is 14-0 over the past 11 seasons when limiting opponents to no more than one three-point field goal.

—Louisville is 122-0 all-time when scoring 100 or more points in non-overtime games.

—Louisville has won 167 consecutive games when holding an opponent under 50 points.

Ken Pomeroy Prediction: Michigan State 77, Louisville 75

Box Score

The Milwaukee Brewers’ top prospects prevailed in their first Spring Breakout game on Friday evening, as they beat the Seattle Mariners’ prospects by a 7-3 final behind a big homer and a solid day from the bullpen.

With Bishop Letson on the mound, the Mariners got out to a quick lead in the first. Jonny Farmelo started the game with a single before a pair of groundouts — including an impressive play from Cooper Pratt at short — pushed him over to third. With two outs, Lazaro Montes hit a soft tapper in front of the plate, but Letson was unable to field it cleanly, and Montes reached with an RBI single, giving Seattle a 1-0 lead.

Against Ryan Sloan, the Brewers’ top prospects failed to get anything going in the first, as Jett Williams struck out, Jesús Made popped out, and Luis Peña grounded out.

Letson stayed in for the second, inducing a flyout before giving up a single and a walk. That marked the end of his day, as Brian Fitzpatrick took over. Fitzpatrick walked the next batter to load the bases with one out, but he got a 4-6-3 double play from Farmelo to escape the jam.

Milwaukee went down in order again in the second, and Bryce Meccage entered for Fitzpatrick in the third. After recording a lineout and a strikeout, Meccage gave up a single, a stolen base, and a walk to put runners at first and second. He wouldn’t allow any runs across, though, as Luke Stevenson flew out to end the threat.

The Brewers continued to struggle against Sloan in the third, going down in order for the third straight inning to begin the game.

In the fourth, the Mariners once again threatened on offense. Yorger Bautista hit a one-out triple, but he was cut down at the plate on a 4-2 fielder’s choice one batter later. After a wild pitch by Meccage, he once again got out of the inning unscathed with a strikeout.

After three perfect innings from Sloan, the Mariners replaced him with Kade Anderson. Anderson was much more to Milwaukee’s liking, as Williams doubled and Made brought him home with a single one batter later, tying it up at 1-1. Peña lined out, Made stole second, and Pratt reached on an infield single to put runners at the corners with one out. Unfortunately, Milwaukee was unable to take the lead, as Pratt was caught stealing and Jeferson Quero struck out to end the inning.

Seattle retook the lead in the fifth with some help from Milwaukee’s defense, as Michael Arroyo singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by Williams. He moved over to third on a groundout before coming around to score on a single from Montes, his second RBI of the afternoon. Meccage induced a double play one batter later, but the score was now 2-1 Seattle.

After a leadoff walk by Luis Lara in the fifth, Josh Adamczewski struck out. A passed ball moved Lara to second, and Brock Wilken followed with a walk of his own to put two runners on with one out. A bad-luck liner off the bat of Braylon Payne (it left the bat at 108.1 mph!) turned into an unassisted double play, though, as first baseman Luis Suisbel caught it and stepped on first to end the inning.

Will Childers took over for Meccage in the sixth inning with the deficit at 2-1, working a perfect 1-2-3 frame with a pair of flyouts and a groundout. In the bottom of the inning, the Mariners replaced their entire defense, and Anderson proceeded to allow each of the first four batters to reach, as Williams and Made both walked before Peña slugged a big three-run homer to right center, flipping the scoreboard to 4-2 Milwaukee. Pratt followed with a walk, and that marked the end of Anderson’s day.

Charlie Beilenson replaced Anderson and didn’t fare much better. He started with a strikeout of Quero, but he then allowed a pair of singles to Lara and Adamczewski to load the bases for Wilken. Wilken went down looking, but Payne followed with a walk to make it 5-2 before Williams popped out to end the inning.

Jaron DeBerry replaced Childers in the seventh for the Brewers, and Milwaukee also substituted a good chunk of the defense. After Aiden Taurek led off the inning with a single, DeBerry induced a double play and a strikeout to end the frame.

Mason Peters took the bump for Seattle in the seventh and, after recording a pair of outs to start the frame, he hit Brady Ebel with a pitch before walking a pair to load the bases. Unfortunately, Adamczewski struck out, and the bases were left loaded.

DeBerry worked around a single and a wild pitch in the eighth, and the Crew tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the inning with a trio of doubles by Eric Bitonti, Andrew Fischer, and Daniel Dickinson.

With a 7-2 lead, Ryan Birchard took the ninth inning, and he allowed a solo homer to Bautista but nothing else, as the game ultimately ended on a successful challenge by Brewer catcher Darrien Miller, who got an 0-2 pitch overturned from ball one to strike three.

It was a solid day all around for the prospects, as Milwaukee scored seven runs on nine hits while the pitching staff scattered three runs and 10 hits. No player finished with more than two hits for the Brewers, though five of the nine hits were of the extra-base variety, including four doubles and Peña’s homer.

On the mound, Meccage lasted the longest, spanning three frames with one unearned run allowed on four hits and a walk while striking out a pair. Childers got the win with his scoreless inning, while DeBerry went two scoreless with three strikeouts.

The Brewers’ prospects will take on the A’s prospects in their second and final Spring Breakout game on Sunday afternoon at Hohokam Stadium. First pitch in that one is slated for 3:05 p.m. CT.

Harvard-Westlake doesn't drop too many series in high school baseball these days, but if there's one coach who gives the Wolverines fits, it's Randy Thompson of Bishop Alemany. The reminder happened years ago when Harvard-Westlake had three future first-round draft picks on the same team in Max Fried, Lucas Giolito and Jack Flaherty, and Alemany defeated that powerful Wolverines team with Giolito on the mound.

On Friday, Alemany (8-3, 4-1) completed a week in which it took two of three games from the Wolverines with a 10-4 victory. Apparently success against Harvard-Westlake isn't just limited to the head coach. Thompson's son, Brody, hit two home runs and a double and finished with three RBIs. Also hitting two home runs was Chase Stevenson, who had three hits and two RBIs.

Great team win today and series win over Harvard Westlake. Went 3-4 with 2 homers, double, and a walk today. @latsondheimer@hardy03bsbl@LesLukachpic.twitter.com/AnuAcWFIy6

— Brody Thompson (@brodythompson25) March 21, 2026

Alemany had 16 hits on the day.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 5, Chaminade 4: The Knights (10-0) stayed unbeaten, with Dru Wilson's RBI single in the sixth breaking a 4-4 tie. Malakye Matsumoto had three hits and three RBIs, including a home run. Lachlan Clark threw four innings of scoreless relief with seven strikeouts and no walks. Andrew Chute had a home run and three RBIs for Chaminade.

Loyola 5, St. Francis 4: Freshman Anthony Adame closed out the win with two innings of stellar relief and three strikeouts in the eight-inning contest. Austin Junk drove in the winning run with a double.

Sierra Canyon 19, Crespi 2: Charlie Cummings had two doubles, a single and three RBIs for Sierra Canyon.

Royal 6, Simi Valley 2: Dustin Dunwoody struck out 16 in six innings for Royal.

Hart 15, Valencia 14: The Hawks survived a four-run rally by Valencia in the seventh to win a wild Foothill League game. Justin Gaisford had a home run and five RBIs for Valencia. Hart received four hits and three RBIs for Matix Frithsmith. Josh Whitson had three hits and four RBIs. The two teams combined for 49 runs and 11 errors in two games. Another game ended in a 10-10 tie.

El Camino Real 6, Chatsworth 3: RJ De La Rosa and Jackson Sellz each had two RBIs to help El Camino Real stay unbeaten in the West Valley League.

Birmingham 8, Granada Hills 2: Carlos Acuna struck out five in six innings, Aidan Martinez struck out three in one inning of relief and Julius Monroe-Truitt had three RBIs for Birmingham.

Cleveland 3, Taft 2: Ezra Preis had two hits and two RBIs for the Cavaliers.

Bell 17, Huntington Park 1: Daniel Garcia had two triples and three RBIs for 12-1 Bell.

Carson 6, Banning 4: The Colts took control of the Marine League race this week. Skylar Vinson had two hits.

St. John Bosco 13, JSerra 0: For the fifth time in seven games, St. John Bosco (7-0), ranked No. 1 by The Times, recorded a shutout. Jack Champlin started and gave up one hit in five innings. Jhett Ohira had three hits and three RBIs. Ohira was seven for 12 in the Braves' three-game sweep of JSerra.

Corona del Mar 8, Newport Harbor 1: Stevie Jones gave up one run in 6⅔ innings and Ryan Williams and Grant Horsley each had two hits.

El Dorado 4, Villa Park 2: Brady Abner had the game-tying triple and Xavi Cadena hit the winning home run.

Corona 19, King 7: Anthony Murphy had a home run, a double and two singles. He also struck out three batters in his one inning of relief. Trey Ebel added two hits and three RBIs.

Norco 7, Corona Centennial 4: Dylan Seward and Jordan Ayala hit home runs for Norco.

Corona Santiago 9, Eastvale Roosevelt 1: Striker Pence hit a two-run home run and Joshua Angulo had two hits and three RBIs for Santiago. Ayden White threw three innings of hitless relief.

Redondo Union 6, Mira Costa 2: Robby Zimmerman struck out eight in 5⅔ innings.

Cypress 7, Mater Dei 5: Austin Gerken hit a three-run home run for Mater Dei, but Drew Slevcove got the save for Cypress.

Los Alamitos 6, Edison 5: A two-run double by Willie Adams keyed the comeback win.

Bishop Amat 7, St. Paul 0: Ashton Chavez, Kevin Martin and Izaac Muniz combined on the shutout. Omar Arretche had three hits for Bishop Amat.

Royal 6, Simi Valley 2: Dustin Dunwoody struck out 16 in six innings for Royal.

Softball

Norco 14, Corona Centennial 0: Leighton Gray hit two home runs for Norco.

Sign up for the L.A. Times SoCal high school sports newsletter to get scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

After picking up a technical foul for what he called “standing on business” following a dangerous play in the Knicks’ narrow victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, backup center Mitchell Robinson challenged his teammates to play better in first quarters, a struggle the team has faced routinely in recent weeks,

“[The Nets] brought the fight to us. They came out. They wanted to prove a point obviously, so our approach has to be better,” a frustrated Robinson said in front of his locker following his 10-rebound performance against the Nets on Friday. “We can’t just look at their record and just say, ‘Alright, we’re gonna whip their ass.’ We’ve just gotta be better all together, and until we figure that part out, it’s gonna be a long road.

“Our approach in shoot around, the way we come to the game. We’ve gotta be ready to go.”

Robinson picked up a technical foul for taunting after Nets rookie guard Nolan Traore appeared to undercut the Knicks’ big man on an alley-oop with roughly three minutes left in the second quarter. Traore came crashing down to the ground, and Robinson stood over him before several Nets players approached the scene. Officials separated the two, Robinson was assessed a technical, and Traore was whistled for a common foul.

“Yall saw that s–t bro. It ain’t even a need to speak on it right now,” Robinson said after the game. “It is what it is. I don’t even wanna talk about that s–t.”

Starting Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said Robinson has every right to defend himself how he sees fit. The Knicks’ defensive anchor has undergone two surgeries to repair stress fractures in his left ankle. Plays like Traore’s lend themselves to re-injury.

“I’ve seen Mitch have moments, but I think today was one of those days where you’ve gotta protect yourself,” Towns said. “Especially if something like that happens. We need him. We need him on this team. We need him available and healthy, and that’s a play that can lead to [injury].”

The Nets, who entered the night with a 17-52 record and lost 13 straight games to the Knicks before making in 14 on Friday, won the first quarter, 22-14, behind a level of physicality Robinson said his team wasn’t prepared for.

“We’ve played them how many times this year? Three or four? This is probably the most physical they’ve gotten with us,” he said. “So we can’t just take their record and say this is an easy one. They’re grown-ass men just like us and in the NBA too, just like us. So our approach has to be better and more respectful. That’s all.”

The Knicks proceeded to outscore the Nets, 61-43, in the second and third quarters.

“We had to get physical back. That’s how it’s gonna be,” Robinson said. “Gotta stand on business about that. So f–k it.”

Brown said the Knicks haven’t struggled with physicality from opposing defenses regularly this season. He considers Friday’s result an outlier — and a loss on his personal resume against Jordi Fernandez, his former assistant coach during his tenure with the Sacramento Kings.

“Give Brooklyn a lot of credit. I thought they came out and they were extremely physical throughout the whole game and it impacted us, starting with Jordi on down,” Brown said. “Jordi out-coached me. They out-played us in a lot of areas, and we were just able to find a way to get a win.

“We have shown we’ve been comfortable with [physicality] in the past. Tonight was just one of those nights we didn’t do a good job handling their pressure. You’ve just gotta go by someone if somebody’s pressuring you cause they’re probably not gonna call the foul. You’ve just gotta go by them. You’ve gotta make the right play and if you make the right play, after going by them a couple times, the pressure will loosen up. And then whether you’re blitzed or hit, you just have to make sure you get off the ball timely. And then we had more 24 second shot clock violations tonight than the entire season. There were a lot of things that were unlike our group.”

Robinson had a different message: The Knicks have been sleepwalking against teams with losing records like the Nets. They barely beat a Golden State Warriors team without a recognizable starter in its rotation, and the Knicks have been routinely punting on first quarters and playing catch-up later in games, a habit all-but certain to come back to bite them in the playoffs.

Towns said he didn’t think the Nets were going to be a walk in the park, even though the Knicks won their last meeting by 50 points.

“They’re an NBA team, a really great team. They’ve got young talent, a great coaching staff,” he said. “There’s no part of me that thought this was gonna be an easy game. We had to meet them and exceed the physicality. Obviously they brought it today. They wanted to win the game. Like I said it was a team effort to win tonight.”

Live from Tampa, the Register's Tyler Tachman joins Chad Leistikow to break down Iowa basketball's win over Clemson on Friday.

In Ben McCollum's first season, the Hawkeyes have their first NCAA Tournament win since 2021.

Bennett Stirtz did not have his best showing, scoring 16 points on 4-of-17 from the field. But his teammates delivered. Alvaro Folgueiras and Kael Combs were in double-figures scoring. Cooper Koch hit some important free throws. Tate Sage gave Iowa some offense.

The Hawkeyes held the Tigers to just 41% shooting from the field and 35% from deep. Clemson was 4-of-19 to start the game.

For a direct link to this podcast, click here.

To watch the YouTube livestream replay, click here.

Tyler Tachman contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Dissecting Iowa basketball's NCAA Tournament win vs. Clemson | PODCAST

Carson Hocevar has spent only four years in the NASCAR Cup Series, logging 82 starts and learning the ropes the hard way. But in that time, he’s seen enough limitations to urge the authorities to allow drivers to take part in as many different racing ventures as possible.

Hocevar has experienced the impact of trimmed practice windows, where track time has been cut back, and drivers are left to make do with less time to dial in a car, feel a new tire, or find a cadence with a new track package. NASCAR continues to hold off on these limits and Hocevaris pushing for a return to more seat time.

In his view, there is no substitute for the real thing. No simulator, no replay, no data set can match the effort of running laps, hitting pit road under pressure, and reacting on the fly as the field closes in. The Cup Series drivers are permitted to compete in a maximum of 10 races in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series (formerly the Xfinity Series) and 8 races in the Craftsman Truck Series. The aim is to give others a shot, to spread the wealth and keep the ladder moving. Hocevar, however, is calling for a rethink.

“We say all the time how beneficial the sim is. Well, I much rather real life experience by all means,” he saidin an interview with Eric Estepp.

“Wanting them to reopen everything and let let us race all three series because I think we’d have a we would just race all three series,” he added, making the case for opening the gates and letting drivers run across all three tiers.

The idea harks back to a time when drivers did not pick and choose. Names like Kyle Busch would show up wherever there was a race, stacking laps across Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Trucks, keeping their edge sharp by staying in the thick of it week in and week out. It was a run-what-you-bring mindset, where more laps meant more lessons.

The Spire Motorsports driver wants that playbook back. In his eyes, the more a driver races, the more they learn, and the better they become. Sitting idle between race weekends does not move the needle. Behind the scenes, he has been beating that drum, pushing for a system that gives drivers more freedom to compete.

The post Carson Hocevar Wants NASCAR to Lift All Restrictions Over Drivers Running Different Series appeared first on The SportsRush.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Logan Thompson made 30 saves, losing his shutout bid with just 43 seconds remaining, and the Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Friday night.

Ryan Leonard scored midway through the first period, and Aliaksei Protas added an empty-netter with 1:43 remaining.

Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils, extending his point streak with three goals and four assists over his last seven games. Jake Allen stopped 26 shots.

It was the third meeting between the teams and the first that didn’t require extra time. The Devils beat the Capitals in a 3-2 shootout win on Nov. 15, but lost 4-3 in overtime on Dec. 27. Thompson and Allen covered the net in all three games. They will conclude their season series on April 2 in Newark.

HURRICANES 4, MAPLE LEAFS 3, OT

TORONTO (AP) — Alexander Nikishin scored 41 seconds into overtime to give the Eastern Conference-leading Carolina a victory over Toronto.

Nikishin fired a shot beyond goalie Joseph Woll’s blocker.

Eric Robinson scored on a penalty shot for Carolina, K’Andre Miller and Jordan Staal also had goals, and Brandon Bussi made 23 saves. Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho each had two assists.

John Tavares, William Nylander and Dakota Joshua scored for Toronto. Woll stopped 32 shots, and Matias Maccelli had two assists.

AVALANCHE 4, BLACKHAWKS 1

CHICAGO (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had three assists in Colorado’s victory over Chicago, helping the Avalanche become the first NHL team to clinch a playoff spot this season.

Martin Necas had a goal and two assists for Colorado, which had lost four of five. Nazem Kadri, Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin also scored.

The league-leading Avalanche (45-13-10) moved four points ahead of idle Dallas for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Wyatt Kaiser scored for Chicago (26-31-12), and Arvid Soderblom stopped 45 shots.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Skyy Clark flashed a gap-toothed smile and said there was only one place to put a chunk of the top front tooth that he lost during UCLA's NCAA Tournament win over UCF.

Under the pillow, of course.

There was no telling what Clark would find there in the morning — though if anyone in the Philadelphia area had the name of an oral surgeon, the Bruins guard would gladly take one.

In the locker room after UCLA beat UCF 75-71 — a win that Clark secured when he shook off throbbing pain to sink a free throw — Clark said he was at about a nine on a scale of 10.

“It definitely hurt,” he said. “I have a little lisp going on.”

Clark indeed spoke differently — teammate Eric Dailey Jr. compared him to boxer Mike Tyson — in the aftermath of the incident.

“He looked so good in the locker room,” coach Mick Cronin said. “Looks like a boxer. Keep trying to talk to these guys about my old days. He just looked tough. Looks tough. In the locker room, smiling. There’s blood.”

Clark lost the tooth late in the game when he dived for a loose ball and took an elbow to the face from a UCF defender. The tooth went flying and members of the UCLA staff scurried around to try and find it.

UCLA walk-on Jack Seidler found the tooth.

Seidler's role on the Bruins is simple: “Whatever they ask me to do, I’ll do it. Whatever helps the team.”

In this instance, Seidler — who didn't even play — had the assist of the night.

“Somebody’s got to get it, somebody’s got to get it,” Seidler said his teammates and other staff yelled as Clark got up off the court.

Seidler got it. He said his cellphone blew up with social media posts and direct messages about his 15 minutes of fame.

He gave all the credit to Clark for staying in the game and helping the Bruins hold off a late push by UCF.

“That’s toughness right there,” Seidler said. “Losing half a tooth and coming back into the game to help us get the win.”

As for that foul shot, Clark said it was all part of the game.

“I had my adrenaline going so I really didn't feel it,” he said.

Clark is part of a toothless trend of late. New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes had some teeth knocked out before he won Olympic gold in hockey for the United States.

Cronin and the Bruins — they are no March Madness Cinderellas but could still use a tooth fairy — are on to the second round. He'd like everyone to have a full mouth of teeth when they play Sunday against either UConn or Furman.

“(We) need — what is it? The dental stuff. An oral surgeon,” Cronin said. “We need a late-night oral surgeon.”

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Furman vs. UConn box score: Full stats from 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The No. 2 seed UConn Huskies look to get off on the right foot in the NCAA Tournament. Dan Hurley's team faces the No. 15 seed Furman Paladins in the first round on Friday night. 

The back-to-back title years seems like an eternity ago in Storrs. The Huskies are trying to become the first school to win three national titles in four years since UCLA and John Wooden did it starting in 1972. Furman has played the role of being a giant killer in the past. They stunned No. 4 seed Virginia in the first round in 2023.

Here is a look at the box score from Friday's first round East Region in Philadelphia.

UConn vs. Furman March Madness box score

UConn stats

Furman stats 

More college basketball news:

• Darryn Peterson situation not alarming to NBA teams, ESPN insider says
• AJ Dybantsa makes college basketball history never done by NBA stars
• John Calipari says college athletics is broken — Here’s his plan to fix it
• March Madness upset predictions for 2026 NCAA men’s basketball bracket
• Where Arkansas Darius Acuff Jr. ranks among John Calipari's best NBA guards

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Tennessee barely extended its streak of March Madness appearance and the Lady Vols' trip to the NCAA Tournament didn't last very long.

No. 7 North Carolina State ended the 10th-seeded Lady Vols’ season with a 76-61 victory in the first round Friday night.

Tennessee which has played in every NCAA Tournament since its creation in 1982 had only been knocked out twice previously in the first game of the tourney – in 2009 by Ball State and in 2019 by UCLA.

“Really not the season we wanted, but it doesn't really help us to get into that right now," said second-year Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell when asked about what happened this season. “Trying to enjoy our seniors for the last little bit that we have them.”

It was an uncharacteristic season for the Lady Vols (16-14), who closed the year with the school’s first eight-game losing streak in the modern era and went winless in March. Their last victory was Feb. 12 against Missouri.

“It was the worst year of my professional career,” Caldwell said. “Our players deserve better than that from me, and you learn from that going forward.

“There was never clear leadership on my part of hey, this is exactly what we're going to do. This is why we're going to do it. We never got consistent rotations.”

Players, some with tears in their eyes, expressed their disappointment of how the year ended.

“Of course it sucks to lose any game, but this game our season is over and it sucks even more,” said Tennessee junior forward Alyssa Latham. “We tried our best today to extend our season but it didn’t go the way we wanted to.”

Pat Summitt, who won eight NCAA championships with the Lady Vols, had 23 seasons with six or less losses. This year’s team equaled the most defeats since the 2015-16 season and had the fewest wins for an at-large team since 2018, which led to Tennessee’s worst seeding since 2019.

The Lady Vols fell behind by 19-4 early in the game and clawed back to within 48-46 late in the third quarter but that was as close as they could get the rest of the way.

“We just had a rough patch,” said senior Zee Spearman. “We just couldn't get out of it. Honestly, we tried our best. But at the end of the day, this didn't work out the way we wanted it to.”

On the eve of their first-round game, Caldwell called out her players and staff.

“Our players are very spoiled,” Caldwell said. “Our coaching staff is very spoiled. The way we do things is first class, it’s high class. It’s really remarkable at how quickly anyone can get spoiled and used to it.”

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Bailey Maupin scored seven of her 17 points in the final three minutes, and No. 7 seed Texas Tech held on to defeat 10th seed Villanova 57-52 on Friday night in the first round of March Madness.

Denae Fritz scored 13 points for Texas Tech (26-7), which went 7 of 15 from 3-point range, outshot Villanova, 44% (18 of 41) to 37% (20 of 54) and made 14 of 15 foul shots.

Fritz and Maupin both hit 3-pointers in the final 4:22 to help Tech carry a 53-47 lead into the final two minutes.

Villanova guard Jasmine Bascoe's jumper cut the Wildcats' deficit to four with 52 seconds left. But Bascoe, a slashing point guard who led all scorers with 21 points, turned the ball over when she lost her dribble off her leg with 21 seconds left.

After Maupin hit two free throws, Bascoe hit a 3 to make it a one possession game with 14 seconds left.

A Texas Tech turnover on an offensive foul by Maupin gave the Wildcats (25-8) a chance to tie it, but Denae Carter's 3-point attempt missed, Maupin rebounded and hit two more free throws to seal it.

Neither team led by more than seven points in what was a physical, defensive-oriented game.

Kelsey Joens scored 14 points and Brynn McCurry had 13 points and nine rebounds for Villanova.

The first half ended tied at 26, with both teams shooting below 42%

With Tech defenders swarming Bascoe early, Joens took shots decisively, hitting five of her first six shots, including her first four 3-point shots. But Joens attempted just two shots in the second half — both missed 3s.

Up next

Texas Tech moves into the second round on Sunday against LSU, the site host and No. 2 seed in the Sacramento 2 region, which routed Jacksonville 116-58 on Friday. The winner advances to the Sweet 16.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Cal Baptist vs. Kansas box score: Full stats from 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The fourth-seeded Kansas Jayhawks face a March Madness newcomer in the No. 13 seeded California Baptist Lancers in an East Regional first-round game on Friday at Viejas Arena in San Diego. This is the first-ever meeting between the schools. 

Kansas' season has been rocky with great wins and terrible losses. Freshman Darryn Peterson averages 19.8 points and is projected by many as the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. On the other side, California Baptist clipped top-seeded Utah Valley 63-61 for the Western Athletic Conference title. Dominique Daniels Jr. leads the Lancers with an average of 23.2 points. 

Here is a look at the box score from Friday's first round East Region game in San Diego.

Cal Baptist vs. Kansas March Madness box score

Kansas stats 

Cal Baptist stats  

More college basketball news:

• Darryn Peterson situation not alarming to NBA teams, ESPN insider says
• AJ Dybantsa makes college basketball history never done by NBA stars
• John Calipari says college athletics is broken — Here’s his plan to fix it
• March Madness upset predictions for 2026 NCAA men’s basketball bracket
• Where Arkansas Darius Acuff Jr. ranks among John Calipari's best NBA guards

Hofstra’s meteoric season came to an end on Friday, as the Pride gave Alabama all they could handle for 30-plus minutes before running out of gas against the deeper, more athletic, hot-shooting Crimson Tide.

The Pride earned a 13-seed in the NCAA Tournament after a thrilling CAA Tournament where they blew the doors off William & Mary, outlasted Towson in a classic, and gutted out a hard-fought final over Monmouth. Their reward for their efforts was Alabama, one of the nation’s best offenses that features a potential NBA lottery pick in guard Lebaron Philon.

Hofstra, though, has a couple of solid guards in its own right in the CAA Player of the Year Cruz Davis and his backcourt mate Preston Edmead, whose heroics in the conference tournament lifted the Pride to their first March Madness berth in 25 years. And, with Alabama star Aden Holloway sidelined on Friday with ongoing criminal proceedings, Hofstra felt like a Cinderella waiting to happen.

Unfortunately, the clock struck midnight on the Pride before they even finished their first dance. After taking a 10-point lead in the first half, the Crimson Tide upped the ante, finishing the frame on a 19-7 extended run before pushing their newfound advantage as far as 13 in the early stages of the second.

Hofstra competed, though. Physically, big men Silas Sunday and Victory Onuetu were up to the challenge against Taylor Bol Bowen and Aiden Sherrell, and wings Joshua DeCady and German Plotnikov did their jobs. Alabama simply won a war of attrition, grinding the Pride down with their physicality, talent, and Philon, who looked every bit the part of a future NBA star.

It was Philon who hit the dagger, for all intents and purposes. With the score at 71-66 and 4:49 remaining, the Tide hit a layup, got a Sherrill free throw, made a few stops, and set up Philon, who drained a wing three to make it 77-66 with just over three minutes to go. It spiraled from there, with an Onuetu technical foul handing ‘Bama two points and the ball before Bol Bowen added a 7-point spurt of his own. All in all, it was a late-game flurry that put the game beyond doubt, but failed to tell the whole story. Hofstra — for all their disadvantages — had this one within two possessions with less than five minutes to play.

“In a tournament like this, you pretty much have to play perfect basketball,” Claxton said postgame. “We didn’t do that. We didn’t play well enough to win this game.”

Friday spelled the end of the season that was, by Claxton’s own proclamation, legendary. Hofstra won 24 games, defeated ACC foes Pitt and Syracuse, and romped through the CAA Tournament. Oh, and Davis and Edmead became the first pair of CAA teammates ever to win Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, respectively.

“We know what we did was special,” Edmead said. “We can always look back on that. We made history. I’m proud of my teammates.”

For now, though, it’s back to the drawing board for Speedy Claxton and his beloved alma mater. His life will be made somewhat easier (maybe) by the fact that Davis and Edmead can both return. In Davis’ case, he’ll have a year of eligibility stemming from a redshirt he took years ago; for Edmead, he has a full three years remaining, and his father eased transfer rumors last week by appearing to insinuate that Edmead would return to Hofstra for his sophomore campaign. 

Of course, in this landscape, nothing is guaranteed. We don’t truly know what’ll happen until it actually does. Seasons, programs, and legacies can change in a blink.

But nothing can change what the Pride accomplished this year, even if it ended in defeat.

CHICAGO (AP) — Nathan MacKinnon had three assists in Colorado's 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night, helping the Avalanche become the first NHL team to clinch a playoff spot this season.

Martin Necas had a goal and two assists for Colorado, which had lost four of five. Nazem Kadri, Brock Nelson and Valeri Nichushkin also scored.

The league-leading Avalanche (45-13-10) moved four points ahead of idle Dallas for the top spot in the Western Conference.

Wyatt Kaiser scored for Chicago (26-31-12), and Arvid Soderblom stopped 45 shots.

The last-place Blackhawks played without defenseman Louis Crevier and forward Andrew Mangiapane because of unspecified injuries. They were hurt Thursday night in a 2-1 victory at Minnesota.

Kadri made it 3-1 with a power-play goal 36 seconds into the third period. It was Kadri's second goal in seven games since he was reacquired by Colorado in a trade with Calgary.

Nichushkin helped close it out with his 15th goal at 8:34. MacKinnon picked up his team-high 69th assist on the play.

Colorado jumped in front with two goals during a dominant first period.

Slick passes by MacKinnon and Nichushkin set up Necas for his 32nd goal at 13:19, extending his career high. Necas has 10 goals and 12 assists in his last 13 games.

Nelson added a power-play goal at 15:22. It was Nelson's first goal since Feb. 25 and No. 31 on the year.

Chicago trimmed the deficit to 2-1 on Kaiser's sixth goal 6:48 into the second. Ryan Greene found a streaking Kaiser with a perfectly placed pass, and the defenseman beat Mackenzie Blackwood through the goaltender's legs.

Up next

The Avalanche are at the Washington Capitals on Sunday. The Blackhawks host the Nashville Predators on Sunday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The women’s squad did not just show up, they took over the meet, with seven of their athletes in the top-10 during the first day of competition at the Yellow Jacket Invitational on Friday, March 20, in Atlanta, Ga.

Women’s Javelin Throw is Back! 

Skylar Ciccolini led the charge with a first place finish, launching a 57.45m throw. Right behind her, Valentina Barrios Bornacelli secured second place with her throw of 55.06m. 

Morgan Cannon, Marysa Flieg, Val Galligan and Lexi Graig all finished in fourth through seventh, flooding the leaderboard with Mizzou marks. Taylor Ciccolini added a 10th place finish, while Nora Hark took 13th. 

Men and Women’s Hammer Throw 

Garik Pozecki placed sixth overall in the men’s weight throw with his personal best of 61.72m. Following him in 10th, Clayton Kamp had a throw of 54.60m. 

Petra Gombas came out in third for the women, with a throw of 56.81m. Following her, Reagan Kimrey and Kaitlyn Morningstar with a personal best finished in third and fourth place with throws of 53.98m and 52.31m. 

Delilah Pippen came in seventh with her new personal best of 49.83m. Rounding it out for the Tigers in 10th, Tania Duncan had a personal best throw of 46.69m. 

Men’s Shot Put 

Chase Crawford opened his outdoor season with a second place throw of 17.26m. In third, Sam Albert finished with a personal best throw of 16.62m, and Clayton Kamp rounded it out for the Tigers in fifth, with a throw of 15.64m. 

Women’s Long Jump

Brianna Utecht entered her outdoor season placing third overall in the women’s long jump with a her mark of 5.57m. 

Women’s 100m Hurdles

Utecht placed sixth overall in the women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 14.06 seconds. Sofia Wydra followed her in 20th, with a time of 15.71 seconds. 

Men’s 110m Hurdles

Dillon Leacock set the stage for the Tigers by placing fourth overall in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.54 seconds.

“Dylan is brand new to the 60 hurdles, he never ran it at Houston, coming in and kind of introducing that to him this year was really exciting to see,” assistant coach Jordon Andreassen said. “He’ll run the 110 which would be super exciting. He’s born a hurdler, making the first round last year, so just to see the versatility of him as a student athlete, I think is going to be super exciting.”

Women and Men’s 1500m Race

Brianna Lee placed 11th overall in the women’s race, finishing with her new personal best of 4:31.21. Natalie Barnard followed in 23rd with a time of 4:38.39, while Elissa Barnard rounded out the Tigers’ performances with a 34th-place finish and secured a new personal best.

On the men’s side, Andrew Hauser led the way with a seventh-place finish in 3:50.52. Close behind, Ethan Hogan secured a personal best in eighth and River Hardman took ninth, clocking times of 3:50.61 and 3:50.76.

Yordanos Zelinski finished 12th, Joseph Bariola placed 15th and Andrew Simard completed the Tigers’ lineup with a 19th-place finish.

Men’s 5000m to End the Day 

Zelinski placed eighth overall in the men’s 5000m with a time of 14:57.17. Alongside him, Bariola and Hogan placed 13th and 15th with times of 15:14.30 and 15:22.53. 

Meet Results: https://live.pttiming.com/?mid=8742 

Saturday’s Slate of Events

The Tigers will do it all again starting at 11 a.m., on Saturday, March 21. They will compete in the high jump, pole vault, discus, 800m and finish the day off with the 200m races.  

To read more about Missouri’s Track and Field team, follow @Rock MNation and @SophBleedsLA on twitter/X.

Patriots Reportedly Among Top-3 Teams Interested In Electrifying College QB originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Of all 32 teams in the NFL, you could make an argument that the New England Patriots need a quarterback the least. However, Georgia Tech signal-caller Haynes King is far from just a quarterback.

The sixth-year quarterback threw for 2,951 yards in his third season starting for the Yellow Jackets. He added 953 yards on the ground, finishing the season with more than 4,000 total yards and 29 touchdowns in just 12 games played.

His efforts were good enough to earn him the ACC Player of the Year award, as well as a top-10 finish in the nation’s Heisman Trophy voting.

King is now out of eligibility and will be entering the NFL Draft in April. The Patriots are among the top-three teams showing the Georgia Tech quarterback the most interest, according to Atlanta-based reporter Miles Garrett.

“I’ve talked to a handful, especially at the Shrine Bowl and the Combine,” King told reporters at Georgia Tech’s pro day. “Recently, meetings and stuff like that, it was the Bills, the Cowboys and the Patriots. So far, we’ve had meetings. That’s going to grow here. Maybe soon. But each and every day, I’m getting new ones.”

King is currently projected as an undrafted free agent on many big boards. This would allow New England to bring in the exhilarating playmaker for next to nothing. Certainly worth keeping an eye on.

More NFL: Patriots Linked to Surprise Offensive Line Prospect After Recent Meeting

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Tyler Fay pitched Alabama's first nine-inning, complete-game no-hitter in 84 years, striking out 13 in a 6-0 victory over Florida on Friday night.

Fay retired the last 10 batters, getting Brendan Lawson to fly out to left to end the game. Fay, who had never pitched more than seven innings in college, threw a career-high 132 pitches, 85 for strikes.

The redshirt junior from Doniphan, Nebraska, issued a walk in the second inning and another in the sixth against the Gators (19-4, 3-1 SEC), who are ranked as high as No. 17. Fay came into the season as Alabama's No. 1 starter and entered the game with a 3-2 record and 5.43 ERA.

The Crimson Tide (16-7, 1-3) hadn't had a pitcher throw a complete-game, nine-inning no-hitter since Eddie Wocar did it at Mississippi on April 24, 1942.

Florida was no-hit for the first time since Jacksonville’s Tom McMillan did it in a seven-inning game June 1, 1963.

___

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

Queen’s University made its first-ever NCAA basketball tournament appearance Friday night.

Even in a 104-71 loss to the #2 seed Purdue, the small school nestled in the Queen City made fans proud as they watched on from Angry Ale’s in south Charlotte as the school made history.

“It’s great... the fact that Charlotte is out here supporting us... we’re such a small school; it’s great to be out here,” Queens graduate Zack Brusso said. “You’re such a small school... trying to compete.”

Queens earned an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the ASUN Conference tournament.

(WATCH BELOW: Hornets to retire Dell Curry’s No. 30 jersey, joining Bobby Phills’ No. 13)

Prairie View A&M vs. Florida box score: Full stats from 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The No. 16 Prairie View A&M Panthers will battle the top-seeded Florida Gators in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament on Friday night. This will be the start of the defending national champions run to repeat. Prairie View A&M is coming off a 67-55 win over Lehigh in Wednesday's First Four matchup. 

On the other hand, Florida didn't make it to the SEC Championship game. The Panthers (19-17) have won eight in a row to walk away with a SWAC title. The Gators (26-7) won 12 of their last 13 in the regular season. 

Here is a look at the box score from Friday's first round South Region game in Tampa. 

Prairie View A&M vs. Florida March Madness box score

Florida stats

Prairie View A&M stats 

More college basketball news:

• Darryn Peterson situation not alarming to NBA teams, ESPN insider says
• AJ Dybantsa makes college basketball history never done by NBA stars
• John Calipari says college athletics is broken — Here’s his plan to fix it
• March Madness upset predictions for 2026 NCAA men’s basketball bracket
• Where Arkansas Darius Acuff Jr. ranks among John Calipari's best NBA guards

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jerami Grant made a 3-pointer with 22.2 seconds left and the Portland Trail Blazers escaped with a 108-104 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.

After a timeout by the Trail Blazers, Grant took an inbound pass from Jrue Holiday and made his fourth 3 of the night from the right corner. Grant grabbed a defensive rebound at the other end and made two free throws to finish with 26 points in Portland’s third straight win.

Donovan Clingan scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his sixth straight double-double. Deni Avdija added 25 points and eight rebounds for the Trail Blazers, who moved into eighth place in the Western Conference. Holiday had 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Rudy Gobert led short-handed Minnesota with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Ayo Dosunmu added 17 points and tied a career high with 10 rebounds.

Julius Randle added 19 points for the Timberwolves, but they lost for the first time in three games without All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, who remains out with right knee inflammation. Center Naz Reid, a top bench player, missed his second straight game with a right knee sprain.

Donte DiVincenzo missed a driving layup with 11.3 seconds to play that would have tied it. Gobert missed twice on tips before Grant grabbed his fifth rebound.

The Trail Blazers led by 18 with 2 minutes left in first half, but three 3-pointers by the Timberwolves, including two by Bones Hyland, were part of an 11-2 run before intermission to get within single digits.

A fast-break layup by DiVincenzo capped an 18-7 run by Minnesota to tie it at 79 midway through the third quarter.

Portland played its third straight game without forward Vit Krejci (left calf contusion).

Up next

Trail Blazers: Finish a five-game road trip Sunday at Denver.

Timberwolves: Play at Boston on Sunday.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

DETROIT (AP) — Jalen Duren scored 23 points as the Detroit Pistons beat the Golden State Warriors 115-101 on Friday night in a game missing two of the NBA’s biggest stars.

The Pistons beat the Warriors in the first matchup of the season between the teams on Jan. 30, but that was the last game Golden State’s Steph Curry (knee) has played this season. Now, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham (chest) has joined him for an extended absence.

Golden State’s injury situation got worse in the first half when Kristaps Porzingis left the game with lower back soreness.

Daniss Jenkins, starting for Cunningham, had 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for Detroit, which has won six of its last seven games. Paul Reed added 15 points for the Pistons, who won despite shooting 23.8% (5 for 21) on 3-pointers.

Golden State, which has lost seven of eight, turned the ball over 26 times, leading to 32 Pistons points. Brandin Podziemski had 15 points to lead Golden State.

KNICKS 93, NETS 92

NEW YORK (AP) — Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points and 15 rebounds, and New York outlasted the Brooklyn for their fourth consecutive victory.

Jalen Brunson scored 17 points and OG Anunoby finished with 16 for the Knicks, who trailed by 13 points in the first half, then blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Ben Saraf had a chance to win it for the Nets at the buzzer but missed a 45-footer.

The Knicks beat the Nets for the 14th straight time, the longest winning streak for either team in the local rivalry. The Nets’ last victory over the Knicks was on Jan. 28, 2023, shortly before trading Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Josh Minott scored 22 points and Ziaire Williams added 17 for the Nets, who have lost six straight games.

ROCKETS 117, HAWKS 95

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 25 points, Jabari Smith Jr. added 23 and Houston snapped Atlanta’s 11-game winning streak.

Alperen Sengun had 15 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for Houston, which was just 4-6 in its previous 10 games and was coming off back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker led Atlanta with 21 points, but the Hawks shot just 42% from the field and 26% (9 for 35) from 3-point range. Houston shot 51% overall and 47% (14 of 30) from deep.

CJ McCollum had 17 points and Zaccharie Risacher had 16 for Atlanta, which was riding its longest winning streak in over a decade that had positioned the team for a play-in berth.

The Rockets outrebounded the Hawks 51-37.

CELTICS 117, GRIZZLIES 112

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, Luka Garza added a season-high 22 points and Boston used a fourth-quarter rally to defeat Memphis.

Payton Pritchard added 19 points for the Celtics, who have won four straight. The win kept Boston in second place in the East, 1 1/2 games ahead of the New York Knicks who held on for a 93-92 victory over Brooklyn earlier Friday night.

Tyler Burton, who signed a 10-day contract with Memphis on March 12, led the Grizzlies with 23 points, a career-high. Ty Jerome added 16 points and seven assists. Javon Small and DeJon Jarreau finished with 13 points each.

On April 1, New Mexico United will host El Paso Locomotive in the Round of 32 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at the UNM Soccer Complex. Kick off is at 7:25 p.m.

“We are excited for the opportunity to host our rival in this historic competition,” said United vice president Clint Gray in a news release. “We look forward to seeing the best fans in the league pack the stands at UNM once again for this match.”

The rivalry between New Mexico and El Paso has been a must see event since the two clubs met for the first time in 2019.

United currently leads the all-time series between these longtime rivals with a 7-8-5 record — across all competitions.

The last meetign between United and the Locomotive in the U.S. Open Cup was April 16th, 2025 in Albuquerque. El Paso advanced to the next round on penalties 4-1.

Both sides are coming off wins against lower division sides in the first round.

United played host to Cruizers FC of the NPSL and advanced to the Round of 32 with a 3-2 win thanks to a late goal by Cristian Nava.

El Paso traveled to Laredo, Texas where they beat USL2 side Laredo Heat 2-0.

Tickets for this match go on sale early next week.

After leading New Mexico to the program’s best (and most well-attended) season in years, head coach Jason Eck received a new five-year deal with a tidy $400,000 raise in December.

A few Lobo assistants got similar treatment — albeit at a smaller scale.

Three of UNM’s coaches received raises, per contracts available on the athletic department’s website, bringing the program’s on-field staff salary pool to $2,070,000.

UNM’s staff salary pool last season was $2,040,000. All of UNM’s assistants are on one-year deals with uniform incentives tied to team performance.

Defensive line coach Hebron Fangupo received the biggest raise, boosting his compensation from $150,000 to $165,000. The former Idaho assistant and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman led a room that keyed UNM’s league-best run defense (112.8 yards per game) and sack total (36) in his first year with the program

Offensive coordinator Luke Schleusner and safeties coach Clay Bignell each received $10,000 raises, increasing their salaries to $385,000 and $130,000, respectively. Schleusner’s offense averaged 27.1 points per game (sixth in the Mountain West) while Bignell’s safeties consistently produced despite injuries.

Outside of Eck, Schleusner is now the highest-paid coach on UNM’s staff.

“We have a pretty high spread between our highest-paid guys on the staff and our lowest-paid guys on the staff,” Eck said in an interview with the Journal earlier this month. “And I want that systematically, because if you can keep your coordinators in place, you know, it keeps the overall system.”

Defensive coordinator Spence Nowinsky ($375,000), offensive line coach Cody Booth ($165,000), cornerbacks coach Stanley Franks Jr. ($150,000) and linebackers coach Nate Palmer ($85,000) did not receive raises on their new deals.

Two of UNM’s new hires — associate head coach and tight ends coach Zach Lujan ($160,000) and wide receivers coach Carson Walch ($160,000) — are set to make a combined $95,000 more than their predecessors. Former tight ends coach Jared Elliott and receivers coach Colin Lockett made $115,000 and $110,000, respectively.

New special teams coordinator Erik Link ($175,000) and running backs coach Darrius G. Smith ($120,000) will make less than their predecessors, Daniel Da Prato ($250,000) and John Johnson ($145,000), respectively.

Elliott (Illinois), Lockett (UCLA), Da Prato (Minnesota) and Johnson (Iowa State) all left for jobs at Power Four programs this offseason.

Pro day participants

UNM will host two Cowboys at its pro day Monday.

New Mexico Highlands safety Trevor Romaldo and offensive lineman Joe Taase will test alongside 17 Lobos as part of UNM’s annual pro day, a showcase for NFL scouts.

Romaldo made 45 total tackles and seven interceptions as a senior with Highlands last season while Ta’ase — a Melbourne, Australia native — appeared in all 11 games last year with the Cowboys.

The list of Lobos scheduled to participate in Monday’s testing:

*

RB Damon Bankston

*

OL Nevell Brown

*

WR Michael Buckley

*

S Caleb Coleman

*

K Luke Drzewiecki

*

DL Keyshawn James-Newby

*

CB Jon Johnson

*

WR Keagan Johnson

*

OL Mason Jones

*

DL Brett Karhu

*

QB James Laubstein

*

CB Azariah Levels

*

S Ky'Won McCray

*

OL Israel Mukwiza

*

S Albert Nunes

*

OL Isaiah Sillemon

*

S Aaron Smith

Sean Reider covers college football and other sports for the Journal. You can reach him at sreider@abqjournal.com or via X at @lenaweereider.

Cleveland and Rio Rancho, the top two seeds and who have lost only one game between them in 23 tries this season, will determine the winner of the Albuquerque Metro Baseball Championships.

Volcano Vista prevented a 1-2 metro softball final.

The Hawks upset No. 1 Cibola on Friday in the semifinals, setting up a Volcano visit to No. 2 La Cueva at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Rio Rancho will visit Cleveland, also at 10 a.m.

SOFTBALL: The fourth-seeded Hawks (9-3) and new coach Melody Smith gained one of the more surprising upsets of the young season, as they went to District 1-5A rival Cibola (5-5) and beat the Cougars 6-3.

Audrianna Jim pitched a complete-game five-hitter against one of the top offenses in 5A softball.

Only one of the three runs were earned. Jim struck out five and walked two in her complete game.

Eighth-grader Madison Mazuranich delivered three of Volcano Vista’s hits in the win, and drove in a run.

At La Cueva, the Bears (5-3) and No. 3 Rio Rancho (5-4) combined for 37 hits in a wild semifinal, eventually won 14-12 by La Cueva.

The Bears didn’t secure their berth in the final until their starting pitcher, freshman Alyssa Hunt, was called back into the game in the top of the seventh with nobody out and the Rams having the tying run at first base.

But Hunt got the three outs to save the game.

Sophomore Madisyn Likar came off the bench to hit a pinch-hit grand slam in a five-run sixth for La Cueva, a home run that proved important when Rio Rancho scored three in the top of the seventh.

Elizabeth Hoggan homered for the Bears during an eight-run third inning. It was 9-2 at that point. But Rio Rancho shoved home four runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth to tie the game at 9-all.

All of La Cueva’s starters hit safely in the victory.

BASEBALL: Cleveland starter Xavier “Jacob” Vasquez was magnificent for the top-seeded Storm (12-0) in their 8-0 victory over the fourth-seeded Matadors (6-6).

The senior left-hander went the distance, striking out 15 Sandia batters while walking no one.

Anthony Del Angel swatted a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning for Cleveland. Francisco Hernandez and Caleb Budagher also added two hits apiece for the Storm.

At Rio Rancho, the Rams (11-1) downed No. 3 seed Eldorado (7-2) by a 9-2 count.

Matthew Cook pitched four innings, striking out six and yielding just one run to the Eagles.

Wyatt Tinker homered and doubled for the Rams. Cook and Anthony Knoll both had two hits and drove in a run.

James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at @JamesDYodice.

Otega Oweh etched his spot in Kentucky and March Madness lore forever on Friday afternoon as he drilled a 32-footer to send the game to overtime tied at 70.

The historic shot has come with a bit of controversy, as Santa Clara’s head coach was seen calling for a timeout before the ball was inbounded.

Allen Graves, the Broncos’ stretch-4, nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing to put his team up three, 73-70, and then Sendek was seen signaling for a timeout that was not granted by the officials, ultimately leading to Oweh’s legendary shot to tie the game.

Sendek was asked about the timeout postgame and was definitely upset that the refs didn’t see him on the sidelines.

“I unequivocally called a timeout. But they didn’t grant it,” he said.

However, it turns out that the referees’ decision not to grant Sendek a timeout was the correct call.

Former Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl commented on the situation postgame, saying that when the ball is still in the net, it’s no one’s possession. But once the Wildcats grabbed the ball and took it inbounds, it was then Kentucky’s possession.

So, because Denzel Aberdeen grabbed the ball to inbound it so quickly, that immediately meant it was Kentucky’s ball, and therefore, Sendek could no longer call a timeout. Had Sendek called the timeout before Aberdeen got the ball, then it should have been granted.

A controversial call that the Cats ended up on the right side of against Santa Clara and live to fight another day.

Be sure to add us to your “Preferred Sources” on Google to get the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views! And as always, Go CATS!!

The Boston Celtics had a tougher matchup than expected, but they found a way to get the job done in the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies. It was one of the worst games for Jayson Tatum since he returned from his Achilles injury, going just 3-15 from the field as he finished with 13 points and 9 rebounds.

Friday's win was Boston's fourth-consecutive win as they continue to pick up momentum towards the playoffs. With the Detroit Pistons being without Cade Cunningham for at least two weeks due to a collapsed lung, Boston has a chance to make a run for the No. 1 seed, although they are still four games back.

Here's a quick recap of Boston's win on Friday night:

Final score: Boston Celtics 117, Memphis Grizzlies 112

Keys to the game:

Bench contributions: While Boston didn't outscore the Grizzlies in bench scoring, both teams had major contributions from their reserves, and for the Celtics, their bench kept their heads above water. Getting a season-high 22 points out of Luka Garza and 19 from Payton Pritchard, the Celtics were able to lean on two of their top reserves while Tatum, Derrick White and Sam Hauser struggled from the floor.

Paint dominance: Although known for their identity as a three-point shooting team, there's been plenty of games this season where Boston controlled the paint to lead them to victory. Getting 52 points in the paint, while outrebounding Memphis 57-35, the Celtics had 7 players with at least 5 rebounds in the game.

Highlight of the game: Neemias Queta with the flashy assist to Jaylen Brown

Queta play PG!? 👀 pic.twitter.com/SaKQiINa0x

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 21, 2026

What's next: vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, Sunday, March 22, 8:00PM ET on NBC/Peacock

Boston will look to continue their winning streak, taking on an undermanned Timberwolves team, who are likely to be without superstar Anthony Edwards. The Timberwolves won the first of the two season matchups back in November, when the Celtics were without Jayson Tatum, on a night where Jaylen Brown scored 41 points and 7 assists. Minnesota is fighting for seeding in the very competitive and tight Western Conference, so this game will have big meaning to them as the playoffs draw near.

Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on:

Blue Wire: https://tiny.ee/CdKp

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YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3

This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Celtics survive tough fight from Grizzlies for fourth straight win

Florida State softball continues to roll, as they open yet another ACC series with a win.

Lineup

• SS – Isa Torres (JR)
• 3B – Jaysoni Beachum (JR)
• RF – Bella Ruggiero (R FR)
• CF – Kennedy Harp (JR)
• LF – Ashtyn Danley (JR)
• C – Anna Hinde (FR)
• DP – Shelby McKenzie (SO)
• 2B – Marin Heller (FR)
• 1B – Hayley Griggs (FR)
• RHP – Jazzy Francik (SO)

Recap

1st Inning

Jazzy Francik got the ball in the opening game of the series against Cal. In her first inning, she only allowed a single for the Bears.

Kiki Mashhoud took the circle for Cal, facing one of the most feared lead off hitters in the country. A infield single had Isa Torres on base, followed by a walk for Jaysoni Beachum. Beside the two baserunners, FSU was not able to score in the inning.

2nd Inning

Mashhoud got the first two outs quickly in the 2nd, bringing up the last part of the lineup. A double from Marin Heller had a runner in scoring position for the second straight inning. In the 9 hole, Hayley Griggs tripled to open the scoring.

Back to the top of the lineup, a double from Torres easily scored Griggs, to make it 2-0. A wild pitch moved her to third base, but a fly out stranded her.

3rd Inning

Francik worked a 1-2-3 inning of the Bears, using her defense for two ground outs to match her strikeout. In the bottom of the inning, Kennedy Harp singled followed by Ashtyn Danley reaching on one out error. A fly out put a second out on the board, but moved both runners up sixty feet. Mashhoud faced Shelby McKenzie, who sent a 3 run shot to make it a five run lead.

4th Inning

Francik had a lead off walk in the 4th, and bounced back with a strikeout. However, with a runner on base, she gave up a 2 run homerun to cut into the FSU lead, 5-2.

In the home half of the inning, the Seminoles faced new Cal pitcher, Tamya Waiters. Waiters walked Griggs to start the inning before facing the top of the lineup. Torres made history this inning, as she became the NCAA leader with 14 consecutive hits, with her triple.

A ground out brought home Torres, cleared the bases, and made it 7-1 for FSU. Waiters put Bella Ruggiero and Harp on base before Cal went to the bullpen. Layna Gerhard took over, and gave up a 3 run homerun to Danley, increasing the lead for the ‘Noles.

The hits kept coming, when Anna Hinde singled. With Hinde on base, McKenzie had her second multi RBI homerun of the day.

5th Inning

Back out for the 5th, Francik looked for the complete game win. She made quick work of the Cal offense, only needing six pitches to retire the side, and claim the 12-2 win.

Up Next

FSU will continue their series with Cal on Saturday March 21st at 1 pm on ACCNX

NEW YORK -- The Brooklyn Nets (17-53) had one of their toughest challenges to end the season with the New York Knicks (46-25) and their fanbase visiting Barclays Center to continue the Crosstown rivalry. Brooklyn's last matchup against New York resulted in a 54-point loss, but this time around, the Nets made sure to put forth a better effort in front of their fans.

The Nets lost to the Knicks on Friday 93-92, but it wasn't for a lack of trying as Brooklyn had everything working for them, at least when it comes to pulling off an upset over one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Forward Josh Minott had 22 points and five rebounds off the bench while forward Ziaire Williams had 17 points and four rebounds.

"The fight was great, but it comes down to the free-throw line and some of those things we cannot control. 32 to 10, but if you do your math, is 22 free throws in difference," Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said after Friday's loss to the Knicks. Brooklyn shot 40.0% from the field, but they also held New York to 41.0% shooting and that explains why the scoring was so low by the end.

Not only did Minott and Williams step up for an injury-riddled Nets team, but they also contributed to what was a complete team effort when it came to limiting Knicks guard Jalen Brunson's impact on the game. Brunson, who came into Friday's game averaging 26.3 points per game on 46.4% shooting the floor, finished the contest with just 17 points on 7-of-19 shooting (37.0%).

Brooklyn racked up as much as a 13-point lead in the first half as they did whatever they wanted to do before the Knicks came out of halftime to win the third quarter 31-15 to flip the game on its head. The Nets have been enduring some blowout losses as of late due to the amount of injuries and tough opponents, but Friday showed that Fernandez can get his players to give maximum effort on any given night.

This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Nets' Josh Minott drops 22 points in narrow 93-92 loss to Knicks

Tennessee’s season came to an abrupt, but predictable, end on Friday night as the No. 10 seed Lady Vols lost 76-61 to No. 7 seed NC State.

The loss marked Tennessee’s 14th of the year, and it ended one of the worst end-of-season stretches in the storied history of the program. Led by second-year coach Kim Caldwell, the Lady Vols exited on an eight-game losing streak and lost 11 of their final 13 games. For the first time in program history, they were winless in March.

This was only the third time in 38 tournament appearances that Tennessee dropped a first-round game, and it was the first time since 2019 when it lost to UCLA. The loss is especially jarring to long-time basketball fans who were accustomed to Tennessee’s dominance. The Lady Vols own the second-most NCAA Tournament championships with eight under Pat Summitt from 1987 to 2008.

Friday’s game, which resulted in Tennessee’s fourth straight double-digit loss, was an opportunity for Caldwell to quiet any noise about her fitness for the job. She was an unorthodox choice as a hire out of Division II, but her unique system and early returns last season provided her with some credibility as she led the Lady Vols to the Sweet 16.

Tennessee, which was projected to finish fourth in the SEC this season, started 14-3, but couldn’t keep things together down the stretch. The Lady Vols lost in the SEC tournament to Alabama and then lost to the Wolfpack on Friday, giving up a career-high 30 points to NC State guard Zamareya Jones.

It didn’t help that when Tennessee took the floor, it was without second-leading scorer and leading rebounder Janiah Barker.

Without Barker, the Lady Vols still out-rebounded the Wolfpack 41-32, but couldn’t find any consistent scoring. Talaysia Cooper led them with 24 points, but nobody else scored more than 10 as they shot 32.9 percent from the field and made just 7 of 36 3-point attempts. Tennessee led 2-0 to begin the game, but never led again.

Though the Lady Vols cut the Wolfpack’s lead to three points in the third quarter, Tennessee never looked capable of taking control, even with NC State’s second-leading scorer Zoe Brooks leaving in the third quarter with a foot injury.

Caldwell had no answer for Jones and couldn’t find anybody, other than Cooper, to score. That will leave Caldwell with a lot of questions this offseason.

Though there are some unhappy fans in Knoxville, it seems unlikely that Tennessee will fire Caldwell after her second season, considering her $4 million buyout. But an ending like this will make for an uneasy feeling entering next season.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

North Carolina State Wolfpack, Tennessee Lady Volunteers, Women's College Basketball

2026 The Athletic Media Company

There’s something steady, something unshakable about this Alabama softball team right now, and it starts in the circle with Jocelyn Briski.

On a Friday night in Columbia, the Crimson Tide once again rode the arm of their junior ace, as Briski delivered yet another complete-game performance to lead No. 6 Alabama to a gritty 2-1 win over Missouri.

And if it feels like we’ve said that before, it’s because we have...this marked the fourth time in her last five outings that Briski has gone the distance.

That’s not just consistency.

That’s dominance.

Briski was in full command from the first pitch, working with confidence, control, and efficiency.

She needed just 80 pitches to navigate seven innings, allowing only one run while striking out five.

Even when Missouri threatened late with a solo home run in the seventh, Briski didn’t flinch. With the tying run already across and the pressure building, she locked back in and got the final out, because that’s what aces do.

Alabama didn’t need a big offensive explosion to back her up, just a couple of timely swings.

Brooke Wells wasted no time setting the tone, launching a solo home run in the first inning to give the Tide an early spark

. It was her 11th of the season, and at this point, it feels like every time she steps into the box, something big is about to happen.

Then came Marlie Giles in the fourth inning.

With two outs and momentum hanging in the balance, Giles delivered a solo shot of her own, her first home run since late February, and it proved to be the difference.

In a tight SEC road game, those moments matter.

And Alabama capitalized when it counted.

Still, there’s room to grow, and this team knows it.

The Tide had multiple opportunities to break things open, leaving runners stranded in scoring position in the second, third, and fifth innings. Against tougher competition, those missed chances can come back to bite you. It’s something head coach Patrick Murphy will no doubt emphasize heading into Game 2.

But here’s what stands out: Alabama played clean, disciplined softball.

No errors.

No self-inflicted mistakes.

On the road in SEC play, that’s how you win.

Now sitting at 28-1 overall and 6-1 in conference play, the Crimson Tide will look to keep things rolling Saturday afternoon.

With freshman Vic Moten expected to get the start, Alabama will need both timely hitting and continued defensive sharpness.

Because if this team keeps pairing elite pitching with clutch moments?

That’s a dangerous combination.

And right now, Alabama looks every bit like a team built for the long haul.

Roll Tide.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Of all the interesting stats that emerged out of BYU’s ultimately disappointing 2025-26 college basketball season, a season that ended Thursday night with a discouraging 79-71 upset loss to the Texas Longhorns in an NCAA Tournament first-round game, perhaps the most telling was the difference in halves.

BYU outscored its opponents by just 15 overall points in first halves and by 265 overall points in second halves.

“We faced a lot of challenges this year, just like we did in this game. We battled back. That’s the mantra of this group. They never quit.”

BYU coach Kevin Young

“We were a big second-half team, for whatever reason,” said senior center Keba Keita.

And they were a mediocre first-half team, at best.

The disturbing trend that haunted the Cougars (23-12) almost all season continued at Moda Center in front of a largely pro-BYU crowd, as sleep-deprived Texas took a 46-37 halftime lead and increased it to 68-51 before BYU woke up and made a game of it down the stretch.

The Cougars outscored the Longhorns 34-33 in the second half, but it clearly wasn’t enough.

“I thought our guys fought their tails off in the second half,” said second-year coach Kevin Young. “In a lot of ways it was a microcosm of our season. We faced a lot of challenges this year, just like we did in this game. We battled back. That’s the mantra of this group. They never quit.”

Unfortunately, they rarely got off to great starts, either.

From the opening tip, Texas seemed to have more energy, at both ends of the floor. Oregon State transfer Jordan Pope got wide open and drained a 3-pointer on UT’s first possession. Then AJ Dybantsa, who finished with a game-high 35 points, committed the first of five turnovers. Texas took a 5-0 lead on a rebound dunk by Camden Heide and then an 8-2 lead on a triple by Tramon Mark, and the tone had been set for the rest of the half.

“I feel like we were settling a lot, and we were playing soft, and we weren’t really, like, cutting hard, crashing the glass, none of that,” Keita said.

The 6-foot-8 senior from Mali included himself in that critique, while responding to a question about why the Cougars didn’t meet expectations this season. The year began with chatter about becoming the first BYU team to make it to Final Four.

Instead, BYU’s dubious distinction of most NCAA Tournament appearances in the country without making it to the Final Four was extended to 33.

This team was supposed to be better than last year’s, with the additions of Dybantsa, Baylor’s Rob Wright, Kennard Davis Jr. of Southern Illinois and a couple of other transfers such as Idaho’s Tyler Mrus and Washington’s Dominique Diomande, who simply did not pan out. UC Riverside transfer Nate Pickens, who underwent surgery before the season began, was never able to show what he could do; returning sixth man Dawson Baker suffered a season-ending ACL injury against Miami in a Thanksgiving tournament in Florida.

“Compared to last year, where we had a mindset of going after it, we didn’t do that in the first half,” Keita said. “The second half, we did a decent job. They just made big shots, and we didn’t. So that was really the difference. And No. 8, in the first half, really killed us.”

That would be 7-footer Matas Vokietaitis, who had a double-double — 15 points and 11 rebounds — in the first half and finished with 23 and 16.

On a night when Dybantsa finished his freshman season with the third-most points, 894, for a freshman in NCAA Division I men’s basketball history, it was somehow fitting that he got very little help, while Texas’ stat sheet was filled with balance.

Dybantsa and fellow freshman Aleksej Kostic combined to go 3 of 14 from 3-point range, while Davis was 1 of 3 and Rob Wright was 0 of 4 from deep.

“If I could replay it, I would have hoped that I could have made more shots, but that’s how it is. Sometimes they fall, sometimes they don’t,” Kostic said. “But I think I gave everything I had and I can go to sleep with a clear mind. … It sucks to lose, but that’s just how it is. They played harder than us today.”

Friday, Dybantsa was named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2026 Naismith Trophy Men’s College Player of the Year, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced.

Davis, who played 38 minutes and 50 seconds, said the coaches emphasized rebounding and getting off to a fast start, and the Cougars did neither.

“I feel like we came out a little slow,” he said. “They out-rebounded us, obviously. It was really hard to box out their big guy.”

Asked if he will be returning to BYU next year for his final season of college eligibility, Davis responded affirmatively.

“Oh yeah, for sure,” he said.

As for Kostic, who saw his minutes go way up after Richie Saunders suffered his season-ending injury on Feb. 14, the Austrian said he wants to return to BYU.

“I haven’t really thought about anything about next season,” he said. “I was super locked in on this season. So we will see, but I hope so, for sure, yeah.”

Wright told the Deseret News in Kansas City that if he does not enter the NBA draft, he will return to BYU for his third season of college basketball. He reiterated that on Thursday, and Young said the goal as he and his staff constructs the roster for next season will be to surround Wright with shooters.

“I am reminded (that) there’s no substitute for shot-making, end of story,” Young said. “We were 4 of 22 from 3. … How this season impacts what we do (moving forward); I think for sure just shooting is always for me something that there’s no substitute for.”

WWE SmackDown (March 20, 2026) Key Points

• Randy Orton followed up from his heel turn last week saying he wants his legacy to be how much championship gold he put around his waist. Orton was cheered loudly as a heel while Cody Rhodes was booed.
• Jade Cargill formed an alliance with Michin and B-Fab, who attacked Rhea Ripley.
• Jelly Roll begged Randy Orton to revert to his good guy ways. Orton temporarily obliged before destroying Matt Cardona to end SmackDown.

WWE SmackDown Results (March 20, 2026)

• R-Truth and Damian Priest def. The MFTs | WWE Tag Team Titles
• MCMG def. Fraxiom
• Aleister Black def. Sami Zayn
• Carmelo Hayes def. Ilja Dragunov | WWE United States Title
• Nia Jax and Lash Legend vs. Bella Twins ends in DQ

WWE SmackDown Ratings And Viewership

• March 13, 2026 | 1.419 million
• March 6, 2026 | 1.190 million
• February 27, 2026 | 1.379 million
• February 20, 2026 | 1.113 million
• February 13, 2026 | 1.042 million

WWE SmackDown Ticket Sales On March 20, 2026

• WWE SmackDown Venue: Lenovo Center (Raleigh, N.C.)
• WWE SmackDown Ticket Sales: 12,986
• WWE SmackDown Tickets Available: 462

WWE SmackDown Results, Winners And Highlights

Jacob Fatu Goes To War With Drew McIntyre

• Drew McIntyre showed up in street clothes with his fists tape and attacked Jacob Fatu in the parking lot. McIntyre had apparently t-boned Jacob’s vehicle with his own car. Jacob was wearing all read, and Drew quickly made sure that his face matched his sweatsuit.
• After disposing of Fatu (for now), McIntyre made his way to the ring and trash-talked Fatu and Nick Aldis. McIntyre took a personal shot at Aldis’ father Donovan for "raising a corporate stooge of a son." Between Becky Lynch vs. Jessika Carr; and Drew McIntyre vs. Nick Aldis, WWE is doing side feuds with non-wrestlers but they have not led to any matches yet.
• Before Aldis could make it to the ring, Jacob Fatu bulldozed through WWE officials to get his 10 pounds of flesh. Fatu got the better of Drew McIntyre and finished him off with a Samoan Splash through the table. A wild start to SmackDown to pick up where they left off last week.

R-Truth and Damian Priest vs. MFTs Match Grade: B

R-Truth And Damian Priest Win WWE Tag Team Titles

• R-Truth and Damian Priest won the WWE Tag Team Titles when the Wyatt Sicks interfered. The Wyatts reclaimed their lantern (temporarily), and the distraction led to R-Truth hitting the AA on JC Mateo for the win. This came as a shock to everybody, including Truth himself.
• With Truth and Priest becoming new tag champs less than a month before WrestleMania, it’s likely the WWE Tag Team Title match at Mania is a multi-team match. That is, if there is one at all.

The Motor City Machine Guns Def. Fraxiom

• This match had as fast of a start as one would expect with both Fraxiom and MCMG showcasing their signature speed. Fraxiom hit a great suplex/superkick combination on Chris Sabin for a nearfall.
• The announcers played up the ongoing dissension between MCMG. Candice LeRae came out get a view of the match following their brief backstage interaction with Candice and a comatose Johnny Gargano.
• LeRae punched Nathan Frazer while he was against the ropes, leading to a rollup pin from Sabin and a win. MCMG had no idea LeRae got involved, but a win is a win.

Fraxiom vs. MCMG Match Grade: B-

Randy Orton’s Heel Promo

• Randy Orton, seated in the middle of the ring, talked about all the merchandise he’s signed for fans over the years and the love he gets from the WWE Universe. He says it put a smile on his face as this slow, southern crowd actually cheered. Orton inevitably insulted the fans as they booed. You’ve got to love the south.
• Orton said he wanted his legacy to be the amount of gold he put around his waist as fans cheered him all over again and chanted his name. When Randy brought up Cody, fans booed.
• Orton got fans to chant “RKO,” then repeated the opening lines to his Voices theme song. Orton vowed to beat Cody Rhodes to a loud pop.

Aleister Black Def. Sami Zayn

• Trick Williams interrupted before the match started and got a louder reaction than both Sami and Aleister combined. Williams ordered a drink while ringside.
• Sami Zayn became frustrated and attacked Trick Williams to a chorus of boos. Zayn then walked into a Black Mass Kick and Aleister won.

Sami Zayn vs. Aleister Black Match Grade: B

Jade Cargill, Michin And B-Fab Attack Rhea Ripley

• Jade Cargill stood on business and said she doesn’t need business. I love a proud, Black woman who stands in a WWE ring as world champion and says she doesn’t need them. This would be unheard of even 10 years ago.
• Jade told Rhea that she needs wrestling more than Jade does. Rhea said that she doesn’t need the title, but now that Jade is champion, she does. Rhea challenged Jade to a fight, but Jade walked out and said she’d do it on her time.
• B-Fab and Michin walked out appearing to be targeting Jade, who left SmackDown alongside B-Fab during a backstage segment. B-Fab and Jade then turned their attention to Rhea, and all three women beat the brakes off Rhea. This was the best segment between Jade and Rhea yet.

Carmelo Hayes Def. Ilja Dragunov

• Carmelo Hayes and Ilja Dragunov had yet another great US Title match as they remain pro wrestling soul mates. Before the match, Nick Aldis said the open challenge was closed, and Ilja would be Melo’s opponent.
• The two rivals wrestled a back-and-forth competitive match featuring a great counter where Melo turned a superplex into a cutter. Melo won with a sunset flip rollup. An Ilja heel turn is imminent.

Jelly Roll Vs. Kit Wilson In Slam Poetry

• Kit Wilson sent the opening salvo, calling him a blob of skin and roasting Jelly for using Ozempic. “Congrats on losing 300 lbs, maybe now you can see your little willy.” Raleigh was into it and very much behind Kit Wilson.
• Mr. Kit Wilson tried to destroy me. I don’t have to see my willy, your mother sees it for me, responded Jelly Roll to a bigger pop. Jelly doubled down on the jokes about fornicating with Kit Wilson’s mom before Kit attacked Jelly and laid him out with a corkscrew elbow.

Nia Jax And Lash Legends Vs. The Bella Twins Ends In A DQ

• Brie Bella looked very good despite recently returning to competition. She peppered Nia Jax with Yes kicks before tagging out. Nia caught Nikki in a super Samoan Drop for a nearfall.
• As Nia lined up for a shot on Brie Bella with the gold, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss interrupted, forcing a disqualification. It looks like there will be multiple multi-person tag team matches this WrestleMania season.
• After the match, Nia and Lash laid out both teams and broke Charlotte Flair in half with an assisted second-rope leg drop by Nia.

Nia Jax and Lash Legend vs. The Bella Twins Match Grade: C+

Randy Orton Destroys Matt Cardona

• Randy Orton attacked Matt Cardona in a backstage segment where Cardona stood up for Cody Rhodes. Orton called Matt an “indie mark” and made fun of his action figure collection. Jelly Roll cut a great promo backstage, begging Randy to be a good guy again. Randy was receptive to this advice.
• Randy called out Matt Cardona at the end of SmackDown and apologized. Cardona foolishly accepted. Randy Orton kicked Cardona in the groin and destroyed the artist formerly known as Zack Ryder to end SmackDown. Fans cheered Randy for the entire segment.
• After this segment, Drew McIntyre and Jacob Fatu battled atop an elevated trailer. They both fell off the structure as Aldis screamed for medical before SmackDown went off the air.

Kirsten Simms’ overtime winner lifted No. 2 Wisconsin to a 4-3 win over No. 3 Penn State in the Frozen Four on Friday night. The Nittany Lions potted two power play goals early in the game, but the Badgers’ power play had the final word in an instant classic. Tessa Janecke did all she could for Penn State, scoring two goals, including the game-tying goal on a third period breakaway.

First Period

Penn State struck first early in the game on the power play. Tessa Janecke fired a tough-angle shot from the left side of the net that bounced past Ava McNaughton and into the net:

The Nittany Lions disrupted Wisconsin’s breakout for most of the first period with their neutral zone forecheck, but the Badgers started to find some offensive zone time. Laila Edwards tied the game when she received a perfect pass from Kirsten Simms into the slot and backhanded a shot past Katie DeSa.

Penn State answered minutes later on their second power play. After Maddy Christian’s initial shot was stopped by McNaughton, Abby Stonehouse was parked in front of the net and poked home the puck to give Penn State the lead back:

Penn State led 2-1 after the first period.

Second Period

Wisconsin’s talent advantage and some solid adjustments from Mark Johnson allowed the Badgers to seize control of the flow of the game in the second period. Laila Edwards scored her second of the night on the power play with Katie DeSa screened perfectly to tie the game at 2.

The ice opened a bit with two minutes of 4-on-4 play, and while the Badgers could not immediately capitalize, Adela Sapovalivova tucked home the puck on a wraparound to put Wisconsin on top for the first time.

A tripping penalty against Wisconsin late in the period sent Penn State to the power play in the dying seconds of the second, but the Badgers took a 3-2 lead into the intermission.

Third Period

Penn State’s attack came to life in the third period after a flat second. Ava McNaughton made four massive saves on high-danger chances. The Nittany Lions turned the momentum of the game in their favor but could not finish just yet.

With five minutes left in regulation, Nicole Hall found Tessa Janecke cherry picking in the neutral zone. Janecke race in on a breakaway and backhanded the game-tying goal past McNaughton:

Penn State pressured Wisconsin in the closing minutes of regulation but could not finish. The game went to overtime tied at 3.

Overtime

Kendall Butze took a boarding penalty in the opening minute of overtime. Wisconsin wasted no time making Penn State pay, and a wrist shot by Kirsten Simms through traffic found the back of the net to send the Badgers to the championship game.

Scoring Summary

First Period

• PSU: Tessa Janecke (25)- Katelyn Roberts (17), Kendall Butze (28)- PP- 1:52
• WISC: Laila Edwards (11)- Kirsten Simms (32), Adela Sapovalivova (19)- 5v5- 4:31
• PSU: Abby Stonehouse (14)- Maddy Christian (16), Mikah Keller (26)- PP- 7:53

Second Period

• WISC: Laila Edwards (12)- Kirsten Simms (33), Adela Sapovalivova (20)- PP- 8:11
• WISC: Adela Sapovalivova (15)- Lacey Eden (47), Kelly Gorbatenko (21)- 5v5- 16:09

Third Period

• PSU: Tessa Janecke (26)- Nicole Hall (10)- 5v5- 15:01

Overtime

• WISC: Kirsten Simms (26)- Caroline Harvey (45), Laila Edwards (33)- PP- 0:50

Shots By Period

• WISC: 15-13-6-34
• PSU: 8-3-14-25

Individuals don’t win in March, teams do. The No. 7 seed UCLA Bruins proved that on Friday, with much of the Bruins rotation stepping up due to the absence of Tyler Bilodeau, who missed the Bruins' 75-71 win over No. 10 seed UCF due to his knee sprain.

Donovan Dent notches six steals

With no Bilodeau, all of UCF’s defensive focus turned to Donovan Dent. Dent didn’t shoot efficiently but he made a lot of winning plays for the Bruins. Dent went 4-17 from the field, scoring 10 points, but Dent added five rebounds, five assists and six steals to lead the way.

UCLA's secondary scorers stepped up

The question was, without Bilodeau, who was going to score for the Bruins? Both Eric Dailey Jr. and Xavier Booker answered the call. The duo combined for 35 points, with Trent Perry adding another 15 points for the Bruins.

UCF kept things interesting on Friday

There were several dry spells for UCLA without the game, which makes sense when you’re without your No. 1 option on offense. Even late in the second half with the Bruins so close to a win, they struggled mightily to get the game-sealing defensive stop. It wasn’t costly, as UCF ran out of time, but UCLA can’t afford to make that a habit.

DON'T COUNT THEM OUT 👀 pic.twitter.com/qT0ByWZk3v

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 21, 2026

UCLA's defense had themselves a good showing

While there were moments of poor offense, the Bruins defense had a good day. UCF shot only 38% from the field and forced 17 turnovers from the Knights. UCLA once again felt Bilodeau’s absence on the boards, getting out-rebounded 53-41.

Bruins getting it done on both ends 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xlcwjljtIg

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 21, 2026

Bruins get beasted on the board

The really concerning number for UCLA was allowing 25 offensive rebounds to the Knights. The Bruins play small ball, but they won’t stick around the tournament for long giving up that many extra chances.

There's plenty to nitpick but the real important thing is getting the win, which Mick Cronin’s team was able to do. 

This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA's lack of rebounding didn't cost them versus UCF in round one

This article originally appeared on SteelersNOW.com.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have re-signed offensive lineman Ryan McCollum to a one-year contract, the team announced on Friday.

McCollum, 28, had been a restricted free agent, but was not tendered a contract by the team before last Wednesday’s deadline. The terms of the deal were not released by the team. To retain his rights as a restricted free agent, the Steelers would have had to offer McCollum a contract worth $3.52 million for the 2026 season. McCollum played under a one-year, $1.04 million contract in 2025

The team’s backup center for the last two seasons, McCollum has made three starts in four years with the Steelers, two in 2024 and one last year, all in place of Zach Frazier.

This article originally appeared on SteelersNOW.com.

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Bradenton, FL –If there is one thing certain about the Tigers' future, it's that their tree of infielders will be bearing fruit for a long time. In one of the more exciting games of the spring, the Tigers 8-7 loss. Despite a combined five errors by both squads, Pittsburgh showed plenty of arm strength on the mound, while Detroit demonstrated patience and solid contact at the plate. Let’s take a gander at what else the Tigers have in their pipeline. 

Takeaway 1: Infield Depth

Izaac Pacheco went 2-for-4 with two ground ball singles to right field. His first hit came in the first inning at 97 mph with a 3-degree launch angle. He added an RBI single in the fifth at 98.6 mph, scoring Eduardo Valencia. Jordan Yost recorded a hit in his second pro at-bat and teamed with Jack Penney to turn a double play in the third inning. Jude Warwick added a hit as well, recording a single and contributing defensively at shortstop in the sixth.  Pacheco, who was making his spring debut is more than likely starting the season in Erie, became the all time leader in home runs for West Michigan last season. 

Takeaway 2: Joe Miller's Velocity Bump and Marco Jimenez’s impressive spring 

Joe Miller entered in the fourth inning and worked 2.1 innings, allowing just one hit while striking out five consecutive batters. Miller sat 95-96 mph throughout his outing, a notable jump from the 91-93 mph he showed last season. He is the type of pitcher who has to locate to be successful and not only was he doing that but was pounding the strikezone. Last season he split time between West Michigan and making a pair of starts in Toledo, , going 8-4 with a 2.95 ERA across 26 starts and 116 innings, striking out 101 batters.

Marco Jimenez started the game for the Tigers, registered a pair of strikeouts, was throwing 97-98 with a good sweeper. He continues to have a good spring for the Tigers. 

Other than the third inning in which the Pirates scored all eight of their runs, off Joe Minton and Carlos Lequeria, the bullpen kept Pittsburgh off the board. 

Takeaway 3: 2025 Draft Class Off To A Good Start

Even without frontline starters taking the mound, there was plenty to watch. Michael Oliveto entered as a pinch hitter in the sixth inning and put two hard-hit balls in play, posting exit velocities of 104 mph and 102.3 mph respectively, showing a clean, direct stroke for a young hitter. Cris Rodriguez, the Tigers big international signing, had an infield single and made base on an error. Despite the one bad throw, he showed a solid arm in right field. 

There was also the moment fans came to see, as Max Clark and Konnor Griffin exchanged jerseys before the game. While neither factored heavily in the box score on the day, the Tigers made clear they have star power beyond the stat line.

Follow me on "X" @rogcastbaseball 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto looked like he was Opening Day ready on Friday night for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Yamamoto worked five innings, giving up three hits, striking out seven, and walking just one as the Dodgers were playing the San Diego Padres at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. 

His night was done after those five innings. Dodgers TV showed Yamamoto running off the field and back into the Dodgers' bullpen area at Camelback Ranch.

It looked like every single pitch Yamamoto threw was entirely effective, keeping Padres hitters guessing. His four-seamer, split-finger fastball, curveball, and cutter were moving all around the plate, but not wild pitches at all.

Yamamoto showed that he was in total command. If Dodgers fans were potentially worried about whether Yamamoto would be ready for the 2026 MLB regular season to begin, then they can rest well. 

Just take a look at this highlight from Yamamoto's outing.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s day is most likely done.

5 IP / 0 ER / 2 H / 7 K / 1 BB
68 pitches/44 strikes #Dodgerspic.twitter.com/1dOebchRO3

— Adrian Medina (@AdrianMedina_16) March 21, 2026

Besides those four pitches, Yamamoto has been known to also throw a sinker, a slider, and a sweeper at times. 

With the Dodgers up 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth inning, they will look to take care of the Padres and record another Cactus League win.

Dodgers Roundtable reporter Adrian Medina will have a complete wrap-up of Friday night's game on our site.

Dodgers Play Two Games on Saturday

As Cactus League play continues on Saturday, the Dodgers will have games taking place in the Arizona desert.

The Dodgers squad will play the Athletics at Camelback Ranch. First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET. Then, the Dodgers Prospects team will hit the road and play the Chicago White Sox Prospects team. First pitch there is set for 9:05 p.m. ET.

Latest Dodgers Transactions

While many of the Dodgers' transactions have been covered here at Dodgers Roundtable, maybe some Dodgers fans haven't been keeping up with them. So, let's review some of the recent ones, with some help from MLB.com.

On March 8, outfielder Ryan Ward and left-handed pitcher Ronan Kopp were optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City; right-handed pitchers Carlos Duran, Carson Hobbs, Wyatt Mills, Jordan Weems, and Lucas Wepf were reassigned to Minor League camp; left-handed pitchers Jackson Ferris and Garrett McDaniels were reassigned to Minor League camp; catcher Griffin Lockwood-Powell was reassigned to Minor League camp; and outfielders Josue De Paula and Kendall George were reassigned to Minor League camp.

On March 16, right-handed pitcher Paul Gervase and outfielder Michael Siani were optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City; left-handed pitcher Cole Irvin, right-handed pitcher Ryder Ryan, infielder Noah Miller, and outfielders Zach Erhhard, Zyhir Hope, and James Tibbs III were reassigned to Minor League camp.

On March 17, infielder Santiago Espinal was selected to the 40-man roster; right-handed pitchers Kyle Hurt and River Ryan were optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City; and infielder Ryan Fitzgerald was reassigned to Minor League camp.

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Nia Jax and Lash Legend defeated The Bella Twins to retain the Women's Tag Team Championship during "WWE SmackDown," albeit by disqualification.

The Bellas were wrestling their first tag team match together since 2018, looking to capture a title that wasn't established until after their full-time careers with the company came to an end towards the end of the last decade. And they almost did exactly that, had it not been for some untimely interference from Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss – Flair and Bliss having held the titles throughout last year. 

Much of the bout saw Jax and Legend tormenting both their opponents as well as Flair and Bliss on the outside, with the Bellas forced to fight from underneath against the physically larger champions. Nikki locked in the Fearless Lock to Legend in the middle of the ring, appearing to be about to get the submission victory. Meanwhile, Jax went to hit Brie with a title belt on the outside of the ring, and Flair got in the way but caused a disqualification in the process, allowing Jax and Legend to retain their titles. 

The three teams fought after the match, with the champions getting the better end of things and ending the segment standing tall over their challengers. Later on, it was made official that the Bellas could get some semblance of revenge over their defeat with a tag team bout against Flair and Bliss on "SmackDown" next week.

Read more: WWE Raw Stars: Meet Their Wives & Girlfriends

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Read the original article on Wrestling Inc.

Pegula Ice Arena was bursting at the seems and the roof barely stayed on as a rabid crowd of Penn State faithful. The 5,176 fans in attendance were the most ever at Pegula Ice Arena as Penn State took Wisconsin to overtime before Kristen Simms silenced the home crowd with the winner.

Penn State captain and American national team member Tessa Janecke was a force in the game. She opened the scoring from close to the goal line beating Wisconsin's Ava McNaughton.

It didn't take long for Wisconsin to respond however as Olympic All-Star Laila Edwards took a pass in the slot from Kirsten Simms before going backhand to beat Katie DeSa.

Before the period was out however, Abby Stonehouse poked home a power play marker for the Nittany Lions to give Penn State a 2-1 lead after one.

Edwards struck again in the second with Simms and Adela Sapovalivova assisting before Sapovalivova circled the net and fired to score one of her own in the second. Wisconsin went to the final frame up 3-2.

After 15 minutes of scoreless action in the third, Swedish Olympian Nicole Hall grabbed a puck for Penn State and made a heady stretch pass to a streaking Tessa Janecke. Behind the defence, Janecke rushed in alone to beat McNaughton and sending the Pegula Ice Arena into a frenzy.

Absolute SCENES here at Pegula 🤯#WeAre#HockeyValleypic.twitter.com/rmOVZXWItG

— Penn State Women’s Hockey (@PennStateWHKY) March 21, 2026

The boisterous crowd was a factor throughout the game, but as the teams entered overtime tied 3-3, it was a familiar playoff hero for Wisconsin, American Olympic gold medalist Kirsten Simms who scored the overtime winner with Olympic MVP Caroline Harvey and Edwards picking up helpers.

Ohio State Sets Up The Rematch

Unlike Wisconsin, Ohio State cruised by Northeastern unscathed into the Frozen Four final.

Hailey MacLeod only needed to make 15 saves, and the Buckeyes skated to an easy 5-0 win over Northeastern, who upset Minnesota to reach the Frozen Four.

Joy Dunne opened the scoring for Ohio State just beyond the midway point of the first, and Ohio State opened the floodgates in the minutes that followed. Kaia Malchino scored next for the Buckeyes, followed by goals from Sanni Vanhanen and Emma Peschel before the opening period was out.

With Ohio State up 4-0, Northeastern struggled to generate any pressure firing only seven shots in the remaining 40 minutes.

Early in the third senior defender Sara Swiderski extended Ohio State's lead to 5-0, which is how it ended.

Next up is the NCAA national championship women's hockey final, a rematch of the last three title games between Ohio State and Wisconsin. Ohio State is the top seed after beating Wisconsin for the WCHA title. The Buckeyes were only 18 seconds away from a national title in 2025 before Wisconsin tied it on a penalty shot, and then won the game 4-3 in overtime. 

The WNBA and its players union have reached the next step in their new collective bargaining agreement, signing a term sheet.

Now they wait for ratification by the players and approval from the league’s Board of Governors as lawyers from both sides continue to write the new CBA.

The new seven-year CBA, which will begin this season and run through 2032, represents a transformational landmark labor deal for the league.

“This Collective Bargaining Agreement represents a defining moment in the WNBA’s 30-year history and all of women’s professional sports,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “Since its inception, the WNBA has been shaped by extraordinary athletes who believed in the league’s future. The agreement is a testament to that belief and to the tremendous progress we have achieved together.”

It will only take a simple majority of the players to approve the new CBA. That vote, and the WNBA’s Board of Governors vote, are expected to be done soon. The union has been holding information sessions with the players over the last day or so. They had a number of sessions to accommodate players competing overseas.

Here are a few key points from the CBA.

Salary cap

The salary cap for the 2026 season is expected to be $7 million with average salaries of more than $585,000. Top players can make over $1 million for the first time in the league’s history with a supermax salary close to $1.4 million. The cap could grow up to $11 million in 2032 if revenue projections go well. That would project a max salary at $2.4 million.

The salary cap can change a maximum of 10% in either direction each year with the exception of after the first season when it could up or down 13%, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because of the sensitive nature of the negotiations.

The minimum salary for this year would be $270,000 to $300,000 and rise to $380,000 by 2032. The average salary would be around $583,000 before revenue sharing in 2026 and could rise to more than $1 million at the end of the deal.

Housing

Teams will continue to pay for housing for the first three years of the deal. In 2029 and 2030, teams will pay for housing for players earning $500,000 or less. After that, teams will only pay for the housing of developmental players.

Rookies contracts

The No. 1 pick in the draft next month will earn $500,000. All existing rookie-scale contracts will also be adjusted to delivery meaningful pay increases to them. Rookie contracts will remain for four years. Players on rookie deals who earn All-WNBA honors can get the maximum salary in the fourth year of their contract if they sign a three-year extension with their team. So far Caitlin Clark would be eligible for that in 2027, Paige Bueckers in 2028 and Aliyah Boston this season.

Bonuses

There are significant increases in bonuses offered to players for awards as well as postseason success. Players on the WNBA championship team each will receive $60,000 — nearly triple what they earned last year. The MVP of the league will make a $60,000 bonus — up from $15,000. All-WNBA honors also will triple from last season with first-team players making $30,000. Those will grow starting in 2027 at the rate of the growth of the salary cap.

Other benefits

The league codified charter travel that will cost over $300 million over the life of the deal. There will be expanded first-class travel accommodations for players across league events. The WNBA will increase life insurance benefits to more than $700,000 per player and increase team contributions to 401K retirement accounts. The WNBA also will have a one-time payment to retired players and veterans that would be $100,000 for those who have played 12 years or more.

Roster construction

Teams will be required to carry 12 players on their roster and now have two developmental players. Those players don’t count against the salary cap. Starting in 2027, players with seven ore more years of service can’t be designated with a franchise tag. There’s a salary cap exception for pregnancy and child birth. A team now must obtain a player’s consent before trading a pregnant player.

Increased games

The league will expand to 50 games in 2027 and 2028 and up to 52 in 2029-32. The league will play 44 games again this season that starts May 8.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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Gold is also being impacted by rising anticipation that the US Federal Reserve won’t cut interest rates this year, while Fed chair Jerome Powell said inflation would rise.

Unlike Bitwise, Grayscale doesn’t plan to incorporate staking for its Hyperliquid ETF but hasn’t ruled out integrating it in the future.

Samsung isn’t done with the Galaxy Watch 4 yet, rolling out a new Wear OS 6 firmware update to its users.

Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic received Wear OS 6-based One UI 8 Watch as an additional update after completing firmware support. Well, Samsung is still providing security updates to the users of these watches.

Samsung has now rolled out the February 2026 security patch. It carries system security and stability improvements for the OS. Privacy layer is also strengthened by barring the rollback functionality to a previous build.

Earlier, the Korean tech giant rolled out similar OTAs to the Galaxy Watch lineups. March is about to end, yet the patch is dated February 2026. It’s old yet important to safeguard the system stability and security of your watches.

Here is the changelog:

Stability improvements applied

• • Stability-related code for device operation has been applied.

Security improvements applied

• • Security-related stabilization code has been applied.

After installing this update, security policies will be strengthened, and you will not be able to downgrade to a previous software version with lower security.

Utilize the Galaxy Wearable app to quickly update your Watch software. Navigate to Watch settings, followed by Watch software updates. Tap “Download and install” so your wrist device connects to the server and fetches an OTA.

It seems Samsung has extended the Watch 4 software support by a year, taking the total to five years. If that’s the case, expect two more minor releases (security patches) over the next six months before getting your Watch retired.

The post Galaxy Watch 4 receives new Wear OS 6 firmware update appeared first on Sammy Fans.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Logan Thompson made 30 saves, losing his shutout bid with just 43 seconds remaining, and the Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Friday night.

Ryan Leonard scored midway through the first period, and Aliaksei Protas added an empty-netter with 1:43 remaining.

Jesper Bratt scored for the Devils, extending his point streak with three goals and four assists over his last seven games. Jake Allen stopped 26 shots.

It was the third meeting between the teams and the first that didn't require extra time. The Devils beat the Capitals in a 3-2 shootout win on Nov. 15, but lost 4-3 in overtime on Dec. 27. Thompson and Allen covered the net in all three games. They will conclude their season series on April 2 in Newark.

Up next

Devils visit the Dallas Stars on Tuesday night.

Capitals wrap a four-game homestand against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday afternoon.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Long Island Lutheran survives chaotic ending to defeat No. 3 Calvary Christian Academy, 71-69, at The Throne tournament originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, March 20 — The Long Island Lutheran [Brookville, NY] Crusaders fouled up the ending, but still managed to escape with a 71-69 win over the No. 3 Calvary Christian Academy [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Eagles.

The Crusaders committed an offensive foul with just three seconds remaining on an inbound play under their own basket, giving the ball back to the Calvary Christian Academy in the same exact position. But the Eagles were forced to jack up a long three that only found air, allowing LuHi to survive a comeback bid in which Calvary Christian Academy rallied from 18 points down in the first half.

The win allowed Long Island Lutheran – competing as LuHi – to advance to The Throne championship game on Saturday where they will defend their 2025 title against the Columbus [Miami, FL] Explorers.

The loss for Calvary Christian Academy, on the other hand, ended the Eagles pursuit of something even bigger. The Eagles would have needed some help to stay ahead of the winner of the Chipotle Nationals the first week of April, but they would have been very much in the conversation for the national championship if the two teams ahead of them lost. No. Dynamic Prep [Dallas, TX] and No. 2 AZ Compass Prep [Chandler, AZ] Dragons will both compete at the Chipotle Nationals, but neither of them is a shoo-in to win it.

The No. 4 Prolific Prep [Fort Lauderdale, FL] Crew and the No. 5 Paul VI [Chantilly, VA] Panthers will also participate in the April event, and if any of those four teams wins it, they will likely win the national championship.

But Calvary Christian Academy would have been in the conversation if one of the lower-ranked teams wins the Chipotle tournament. They'll fall out of the conversation with the loss and possibly out of the Top 10, depending on how things shake out in April.

STREAM:Watch Calvary Christian Academy vs. Long Island Lutheran on NBA TV

__________

Refresh for updates

__________

FINAL — LuHi 71, Calvary Christian Academy Eagles 69

__________

The Eagles get the ball in, but Daughtry is forced to let an NBA-length three-pointer fly. It's an airball, and that's where the game ends along with Calvary Christian Academy's national championship hopes.

__________

The LuHi player who was trying to receive the inbounds pass ended up pulling the Eagles' player to the ground trying to draw a foul. That gives the Eagles the ball inbounding under LuHi's basket. The first attempt to inbound ends up in another timeout as they get a look at LuHi's defense. It's 71-69, LuHi, so they can win it with a three.

__________

Crazy potential ending. LuHi was trying to inbound the foul, and ended up committing an offensive foul which will give the Eagles the ball. And we think there's a double-technical and, possibly, an ejection as well. Trying to sort it out.

__________

LuHi allows the Eagles to drive the court in six seconds and score to cut this to 71-69. Odd decision as LuHi had two fouls to give. They'll have to inbound now, and if the Eagles can't force a turnover, they'll have to foul quickly.

__________

LuHi hits both free throws to go up, 71-67, and they call a timeout to set up their defense with nine seconds to play.

__________

Eagles are forced to foul with about nine seconds to play. LuHi heads to the line.

__________

31 seconds to play, and the Eagles score on a fastbreak with the foul. They miss the free throw, and it's 69-67, LuHi.

__________

One minute to play, it's 69-65, LuHi.

__________

Just under two to play, it's back down to 67-63.

__________

2:30 to play, it's 67-61, LuHi.

__________

Under four to play, and LuHi has gone on another run. They're back up, 63-54. The Eagles' national title hopes are on the ropes.

__________

Five to play, and LuHi clings to a 57-54 lead.

__________

The fourth quarter is under way!

__________

END OF THIRD QUARTER — LuHi 53, Calvary Christian Academy Eagles 50

__________

LuHi has re-established itself with a 53-48 lead inside a minute to play.

__________

2:37 to play, and the Eagles have come all the way back! It's 44-all!

__________

Under four, and it's down to a single point. Eagles trailing just 41-40 now. At one point, they were down 30-12, but they've outscored LuHi 28-11 since then.

__________

The Eagles have got this all the way back down to a single possession. It's 41-38, LuHi, but Calvary Christian has all the momentum.

__________

Under six to play, Calvary Christian Academy adds a free throw to pull within six at 39-33.

__________

The third quarter is under way!

__________

END OF SECOND QUARTER — LuHi 39, Calvary Christian Academy Eagles 32

__________

Calvary Christian ends the first half with a steal and a finish just before the half ends, and the Eagles have trimmed the deficit back to seven points headed to the lockers.

__________

3:22 to play before halftime, and Calvary is showing life. They've got it down to 32-22.

__________

At the 6:30 mark of the second quarter, Luhi is dominating the Eagles with a commanding 28-12 lead.

__________

The second quarter is under way!

__________

END OF FIRST QUARTER — LuHi 23, Calvary Christian Academy Eagles 11

__________

Inside three minutes, it's been LuHi setting the pace so far, leading 15-6.

__________

The game is under way with Calvary Christian getting the scoring started with a field goal for a 2-0 lead.

__________

Coming soon! Game time is set for 9 p.m. EST local!

__________

How can I watch Calvary Christian Academy vs. Long Island Lutheran?

• Date: 9 p.m. EST local, Friday, March 20
• STREAM:Watch Calvary Christian Academy vs. Long Island Lutheran on NBA TV

MORE HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

• The latest SN High School Girls Basketball Top 25
• California's CIF girls basketball championships
• South Carolina's SCHSL boys basketball state champions
• Mississippi's MHSAA boys basketball state champions
• Washington D.C.'s DCSAA boys basketball champions

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — High Point's bracket-busting NCAA Tournament upset has put the spotlight on the private school in North Carolina that offers some unusual perks for its student body.

The campus, home to some 6,300 students, has a steakhouse that’s part of the meal plan where reservations are required; there's a dress code and no cellphones are allowed. There's also a mock airplane cabin on campus where students can rehearse talking up executives during a flight.

“Their president, I got to meet this guy sometime. I mean, he goes and builds a five-star restaurant that the students go to once a week. What? I’m going to go to school there. They have an airline where they go and show you how to sit in an airplane and talk to a CEO who you happen to be next to,” Arkansas coach John Calipari said.

In other words, Cinderella's slipper might not fit for this school.

High Point, the No. 12 seed in the West Region, pulled off the biggest upset of Thursday's first-round slate, an 83-82 victory over Wisconsin. The Panthers (31-4) will face Calipari's fourth-seeded Razorbacks (27-8) in the second round on Saturday.

High Point, located outside Greensboro, describes itself as a “life skills university” that teaches students the know-how to be successful. One of its more celebrated alumni is basketball coach Tubby Smith, who led Kentucky to the 1998 national title and later coached his alma mater for four seasons, stepping down in 2022.

“All the things they do are student-driven, which means their basketball players and their students are confident because someone really cares,” Calipari said.

For some of High Point's players, the focus has been on basketball, not the fine dining experience. Guard Rob Martin and forward Owen Aquino went to to the steakhouse during their campus visits, but guard Cam'Ron Fletcher has never been there.

“It’s really nice, really nice,” Aquino said.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Braden Smith scored 26 points and became the Division I career leader in assists, guiding No. 2 seed Purdue to a 104-71 win over Queens University on Friday night in the NCAA Tournament.

The Boilermakers seized control with a pair of 10-0 runs, once in the waning moments of the first half and in the opening minutes of the second half. Trey Kaufman-Renn's basket after an offensive rebound capped the second surge and stretched Purdue's lead to 58-36 with 16:27 to play.

Purdue (28-8) led by at least 20 the rest of the way.

About eight minutes in, Smith handed out his 1,077th career assist, breaking the record previously held by Duke’s Bobby Hurley. The milestone came when Smith, wearing glittering black Nike sneakers, set up a layup by Kaufman-Renn that gave Purdue a 17-12 advantage.

Smith finished with eight assists and made 10 of 15 shots as Purdue converted at a 63% clip from the field, including 58% from 3-point range.

Kaufman-Renn contributed 25 points and nine rebounds, and Oscar Cluff had nine points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks for Purdue.

Jordan Watford and Nasir Mann, the younger brother of Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann, led the 15th-seeded Royals (21-14) with 10 points apiece.

Coach Matt Painter will go for his 500th Purdue victory in the next round of the West Region against either No. 7 seed Miami or 10th-seeded Missouri. The Boilermakers are seeking their third straight trip to round of 16 and seventh in nine years.

The other two years featured quick exits as a No. 2 seed against Saint Peter's in 2022 and as a No. 1 seed against Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023.

There was no such magic from Queens.

The 1,500-student school from Charlotte, North Carolina, which began as a women’s institute, is the smallest, by enrollment, to ever play in the NCAA Tournament. It won the Atlantic Sun tournament for a spot in the bracket in its first year of Division I eligibility.

The Boilermakers never trailed, making baskets on their first six possessions without much resistance from the nation's 349th-ranked scoring defense. Still, the Royals stayed within striking distance for much of the first half.

Purdue finally pulled away by scoring 10 straight points, including two 3s and a pair of free throws from C.J. Cox, stretching the lead to 45-30 late in the half. Chris Ashby's 3-pointer on the final possession for Queens cut the deficit to 12 at intermission. ___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Michigan State women's basketball hadn't played a game in more than two weeks.

It took a while to shake off the rust, but the Spartans did just that in the nick of time to beat Colorado State, 65-62, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night in Norman, Okla.

Michigan State (23-8), the No. 5 seed, avoided the upset by No. 12 Colorado State (27-8), the Mountain West champion that was playing in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade.

Michigan State was playing for the first time since March 5.

And it seemed to show for much of Friday night's game, starting 1-for-15 from 3-point range. For the game, the Spartans shot just 19% (4-for-21) from 3-point range.

Redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Blair (Dearborn Divine Child) led Michigan State with 18 points, including a big basket with under a minute left to extend the lead to five points, 64-59. She also had three blocks. Senior forward Grace VanSlooten added 18 points and 10 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Brooke Carlson led Colorado State with 26 points, including a 3-pointer with under 40 seconds left to pull her team within 65-62.

The Rams, who had won nine straight games, got one last look to tie the game in the final seconds, but senior guard Hannah Ronsiek's shot from the corner was off the mark as the clock struck zero.

Colorado State, looking for just its sixth NCAA Tournament win and first since 2001, led, 29-27, at halftime. The game was tied at 47 at the half, after Blair had a block and then made a 3-pointer late in the third quarter.

But Michigan State seized command early in the final quarter, with senior guard Jayla Brown making an early 3-poointer to give the Spartans a three-point lead. They never trailed again. Colorado State pulled to with three points a couple more times, but Michigan State had answers nearly every time in a game neither team led by more than six points.

The Spartans next will play Sunday, against either No. 4 seed (and site host) Oklahoma or No. 13 Idaho. They were playing in the game later Friday night. Tip time for Sunday was still TBD on Friday night.

Michigan State avoided losing to a double-digit seed for the first time. The Spartans improved to 10-0 against teams seeded 10th or worse in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State also avoided being the first 12 seed to lose to a 5 since 2023, and just the second Big Ten 5 seed to lose to a 12 (Purdue, to Notre Dame, in 1996).

Colorado State was missing its leading scorer, senior guard Lexus Bargesser, who was injured in the Mountain West tournament semifinals.

Who does Michigan State play next in the Women's NCAA Tournament?

No. 5 Michigan State will play the winner of Friday night's game between No. 4 Oklahoma and No. 13 Idaho.

When does Michigan State play next in the Women's NCAA Tournament?

Michigan State will play in the second round Sunday. The tip-off time was TBD as of 9 p.m. Friday.

What TV channel does Michigan State play on next in the Women's NCAA Tournament?

The game will be on an ESPN channel; which one still was TBD as of 9 p.m. Friday.

➤ MICHIGAN STATE WOMEN'S TICKETS: Buy MSU basketball tickets for the Women's NCAA Tournament

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tpaul@detroitnews.com

@tonypaul1984

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan State women shake off rust, avoid upset to start NCAA Tournament

UFC announced that it would be looking to the Association of Boxing Commissions for its upcoming Freedom 250 event at the White House, in a move that DC Combat Sports Commission Chairman Andrew Huff said sets a "dangerous precedent" for the industry. 

The sanctioning dispute had somewhat clouded the upcoming card on June 14, with the possibility that the fights on the card wouldn't be official. Though this announcement may not dissipate all issues. 

Providing his statement on the UFC's announcement, ABC President Timothy Shipman was quoted: "As the event is being held on federal property, there is no requirement for the UFC to select a state athletic commission to oversee the event."

He continued, "UFC expresses its commitment to ensuring that this event is among the most thoroughly regulated in the history of the sport and has requested that the ABC serve as an independent third party to assist in assembling the most qualified judges, referees, and inspectors in the world. The UFC has further confirmed that it will abide by all applicable regulatory requirements in support of this event, including all required medical examinations, pre-bout and post-bout physicals, and athlete safety protocols. All bouts on this card are officially licensed and sanctioned contests."

UFC's Chief Business Officer, Hunter Campbell, and Marc Ratner, Senior Vice President of UFC's Government and Regulatory Affairs, will collaborate with ABC on the details of he regulatory oversight for the event, per the announcement.

However, Huff told "SevereMMA" after the announcement that, "The ABC is not a sanctioning body and has no authority in the District of Columbia. While I am relieved to learn that an additional organization will maintain some sort of oversight of the UFC White House event, I am disappointed that the ABC, which represents Commissions across the United States, including in the District of Columbia, has chosen to ignore our Commission's laws and authority. It sets a dangerous precedent for all commissions and the industry as a whole."

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The reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder won't visit the White House while in Washington to play the Wizards on Saturday, citing a "timing" issue, The Athletic reported Friday.

"We have been in touch with the White House and we are appreciative and grateful for the communication we have had, but the timing just didn't work," the Thunder told The Athletic in a statement.

The team did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

NBA champion teams have been visiting the White House since the Boston Celtics made the trip in 1963, although the 2024 Celtics were the last to make such a visit, to then-president Joe Biden's White House in November of that year.

The topic of triumphant teams visiting the White House has become politically charged in recent years.

When several Golden State Warriors players expressed misgivings about a possible White House reception after winning the title in 2017, President Donald Trump tweeted that the invitation had been withdrawn.

The Warriors weren't invited when they won in 2018 but visited Biden's White House to celebrate their 2022 championship.

Various teams, including the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 2018, declined invitations or had invitations rescinded in Trump's first term.

But Trump hailed the Eagles as "incredible" when they celebrated their 2025 Super Bowl victory at the White House last year.

More recently, the US men's gold medal-winning Olympic ice hockey team was feted at the White House before attending Trump's State of the Union Address.

Trump also invited the gold medal-winning US women's hockey team, but they cited "timing and previously scheduled academic and professional commitments" in declining.

Trump had sparked criticism when he was heard in a congratulatory phone call to the men's team in Milan say he would "probably be impeached" if he didn't invite the women's team as well.

bb/jgc

The 2-seed Michigan women’s basketball team began its March Madness campaign with a win against the 15-seed Holy Cross Crusaders in Ann Arbor at Crisler Center on Friday night.

Here’s everything head coach Kim Barnes Arico, sophomore guard Mila Holloway (20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists) and senior guard Brooke Quarles Daniels (12 points) had to tell reporters afterwards, courtesy of ASAP Sports.

KIM BARNES ARICO: I was really happy with the way that our team came out of the gates. It’s been a minute since we had our last game, and we’ve been prepping for like 10 practices, so I thought we came out with great defense, great intensity, and really making shots on the offensive end. Holy Cross is a really solid team, and they were coming off a championship. It’s nice to survive and advance, be one of 32 teams left playing and moving on.

It was an unbelievable crowd. It was a great environment. It was awesome to be at home and just proud of the way our players competed.

Q. Mila, you talked a little bit at the beginning of the season about how you want to take on more of a scoring role. Now it’s March, and you put up the most points tonight and you’re really maneuvering this entire offense in that fourth quarter. Can you speak a little bit to that growth?

MILA HOLLOWAY: Yeah, with us having such great players on our team, they draw a lot of attention, so it opens up a lot of scoring opportunities for me, and I’m just glad I could deliver tonight. They found me in the right spots. I think we did a great job of just moving the basketball today, so for sure.

Q. Mila, with your scoring today, you made five three-pointers. Can you talk about how that boosts your confidence and how you’re feeling about your shot today?

MILA HOLLOWAY: Yeah, I’ve definitely been struggling with my shot in the past few games, but our confidence and belief in one another never wavers. It’s constant positive touches, constant — yeah, just our constant belief in one another just kind of boosted me to hit those shots today, I guess.

Q. For both of you, what was different about playing an NCAA Tournament game at home compared to last year?

BROOKE QUARLES DANIELS: Yeah, I think last year we really felt like the atmosphere, the environment and the crowd that was there at Notre Dame. Losing like that left a bad taste in our mouth, and we said at the end of the season just for Jordan and Greta, we wanted to come back and host this year, so we kind of took that personal. We knew what it felt like to have that environment on your side.

Q. How much do you think your defensive pressure early threw Holy Cross off their game?

BROOKE QUARLES DANIELS: I think that’s one of the things Coach Arico and our coaching staff has been challenging us on is our defensive pressure. We’re forcing a lot of turnovers, and it generates a lot of our offense, and we kind of lost a little bit of our identity the last couple of games, and that was something that we’ve been challenged in during practice to really keep it up, and I think we saw that today, and we’re back to playing how we usually play.

Q. Could you talk a little bit about the atmosphere and how that kind of affected you and helped your game?

BROOKE QUARLES DANIELS: Yeah, I think we all — me, Syla, Liv and Te, we had a meeting with Maize Rage to see how we can get more people out there, and with them showing up and having that atmosphere, our community, our alumni, it’s just nothing like no other with the Michigan atmosphere and the environment and the community. It’s a big win for us.

Q. You guys dominated tonight, especially in the first quarter. Can you talk us through what you were seeing from Holy Cross on the defensive end that allowed us to do so?

MILA HOLLOWAY: Yeah, Coach has been talking a lot about playing simple basketball and kind of slowing down and making reads, so I’d say we put emphasis on that tonight, sending cutters through, trying to draw two and hit the open person. We’ve been trying to get them into chase actions, just do a better job of playing in the flow of the offense, so I think we did a good job of that tonight.

Q. I was curious, you guys were 40-point favorites coming into this game. What do you take from a game like this?

BROOKE QUARLES DANIELS: We’re just playing Michigan basketball. We’re not really focused on any type of favorites or any outside noise. We know what we came here to do, and we know what we’re capable of, so I think just taking it one day at a time and pouring into each other and believing in our focus and our mission.

Q. You guys were able to play a lot of the bench players late in the game, got some good experience. How much does that help in a tournament run to be able to get that kind of playing time?

BROOKE QUARLES DANIELS: It means a lot. We’re all very close to each other with 14 kids on the team. We’re all pouring into each other. We hang out every day, and we kind of said before, let’s put them in a position where they can play in some of their first NCAA Tournaments, so it just means a lot to have them out there and get those touches because it’s their dream, too.

Q. Mila, Holy Cross matched your point total in that second quarter, 16-16. I was curious what you think they did well in that quarter and some things that maybe you guys hope to improve on going forward?

MILA HOLLOWAY: Yeah, we had a lot of miscommunications that quarter just in the screening actions, allowing slips, and just not playing hard enough. Coach has been harping on us doing the 1 percent more, diving on the loose balls, doing the extra for the 50/50, boxing out, and we weren’t doing that in the second quarter. Yeah, that’s something we’ve got to work out moving forward.

Q. You guys have been talking a lot about playing Michigan basketball and even before the game how you wanted to return to that Michigan basketball, that identity. How do you guys think you did that today?

BROOKE QUARLES DANIELS: I think we did it by listening to our coaches, listening to the scout, pouring into one another. I think one of the biggest things that shapes Michigan basketball right now is our versatility and our depth, and I think when we’re able to sub two and three people at a time and there’s no dropoff, I think that’s what helps us, allowing our core sophomore group to be able to get a blow sometimes.

We had five people in double digits, so that really helps our team, and multiple people with two or three steals, multiple assists. I just think Michigan basketball is our versatility and our consistency and our depth.

Q. Coach, my colleague over there already mentioned that Holy Cross was able to stick with your team for the second and third quarters. Walk us through what you guys need to improve on going forward in the tournament?

KIM BARNES ARICO: Yeah, I think Holy Cross is a really experienced team. I think they play together all the time, and at times we had lapses on the defensive end because of their reads and because of their cuts. When you have a senior-laden team like they do and you have the experience like they do — one of their players started 130 games. I mean, that’s impressive.

So I think we have a little defensive lapse in defensive communications, and it could be fatigue, it could be in the course of the game. So those type of things happen which gave Holy Cross an opportunity to score some buckets.

I think our pressure obviously was something that they’re not accustomed to, and we were able to really jump on them in the beginning, and sometimes young players have a tendency to play the score or relax and take their foot off the gas a little bit, and I don’t want to say that we necessarily did that because I think Holy Cross is a really good team, and they made us do that because of their execution.

I think it was a combination of those things.

Q. You guys scored 27 points in the first quarter, 26 in the fourth quarter. Just talk about what you saw from your offensive stats and how you were able to execute that game plan offensively?

KIM BARNES ARICO: Yeah, I just think we were able to jump on them. I think the pace at which we play, the physicality at which we play and the defense which we play really was able to jump on them right away, and that’s why we were able to get out in transition and out and score.

I think they settled, to your point, and played a little bit calmer in the second quarter, but our offense and our pace is really incredible, and we forced 20 turnovers and had about 20 points off of our turnovers.

I think we sped them up and really started the game with great pace. We have incredible, incredible scorers in Olivia Olson, who was named an All-American this week. Obviously she’s one of the best scorers in the country, and so was Syla Swords. But when you have the balanced attack of Mila Holloway having a night like day and Brooke adding contributions and then Te’Yala coming in and being another double-figure scorer, I think, like Brooke alluded to, our versatility, it’s hard to defend. Who are you putting your best defender on? Who are you putting your second best defender on? Who are you putting your third best defender on?

I think when we have an offense that’s clicking like that, it makes it really hard to stop.

Q. Besides winning the game, what were your goals you were hoping to accomplish tonight, and how close do you think you came to accomplishing those?

KIM BARNES ARICO: Yeah, I’m just trying to look at this for the first time. I know we wanted to force 20 turnovers. That’s always something. And for us the positive assist-to-turnover, 17 assists to only nine turnovers, single-digit turnovers for us is really good. Then we wanted to be plus 16 on the boards. I think we were plus 15. So pretty close.

We also wanted to hold them to 14 points a quarter, and we did that in all but one quarter. I think we were really close in achieving all of those team goals we had for tonight.

Q. Looking forward to the next game, what stands out about NC State and Tennessee?

KIM BARNES ARICO: Yeah, when you think about NC State — I think I said this the other day. When you think about NC State, you think about Kay Yow and their tradition and when you think about Tennessee you think about Pat Summitt and her legacy and their tradition, and they are two of the most basketball-rich programs ever, and they’re here hanging out in Ann Arbor. It’s pretty cool. I’m excited to watch them both play. They’re unbelievable programs, NCAA championship programs, NCAA Final Four programs, and we get to host them. That’s really cool.

Just excited to watch the game tonight, but two great teams that are here.

Q. I wanted to ask about the first quarter, the defensive pressure and speeding them up. What did you see on film that made you think that was going to work?

KIM BARNES ARICO: Well, I mean, watching them on film, they don’t really turn the basketball over a lot. I think they average maybe 10 turnovers a game, so I didn’t see them turn it over that much.

But I just think it’s who we are. It’s our identity, and it’s something that we’ve been able to do all year.

I also thought our length would be really disruptive. They are smaller than we are. Their size is a little bit different. I thought that that would — our speed and our length and our athleticism would speed them up, even though they’re not accustomed to turning it over.

That’s just how we play, and I think we were able to jump on them right away.

Q. Kim, Mila seems to play, at least tonight, unhurried. There’s a calm about her. She can change pace and so forth. I’m thinking about that end of the quarter shot, the speed dribble, the lull and wait for the screen and rise up. What does that do for the team with that kind of energy, with that kind of control on a night like tonight?

KIM BARNES ARICO: Yeah, Mila never changes demeanor, and I think as a point guard, she’s so even keel. That’s pretty special.

I think the other thing about her is we are so fortunate. I tell her every day, the things that she does, and you guys saw that tonight, are not easy and not a lot of people around the country can do that. I feel fortunate that she is our point guard.

Her ability to get open against any pressure, her ability to handle any pressure, her change of speed is phenomenal, her handle is phenomenal.

She doesn’t get sped up. When you have someone on your team that can handle that type of pressure and not get sped up, it really makes a difference, and she has been that for us for the last two years.

I mean, she’s harder on herself than anyone. She’s a great three-point shooter. She probably doesn’t take enough, and I’m glad tonight that she did. The one that she banked in, I was really teasing her about. But I guess when it’s falling for you, it’s falling for you.

But she’s just a special player, and you put her alongside those other really special players, and we got a chance to create something special, and that’s obviously why we’re here today and hosting.

Q. This past off-season you were able to pick up Ashley Sofilkanich, the 2025 Patriot League Player of the Year. She’s been able to find a lot of success in the Big Ten and she’s been a key piece for your team this season. What do you think that says about the competition of the Patriot League?

KIM BARNES ARICO: I mean, my husband played football at Lehigh. I know the Patriot League. The Patriot League is a great basketball league. It’s a great league overall, high academic league, and really talented players.

They have great teams top to bottom. I think Ashley was one of those players last year. We needed a post. She averaged like 16 points a game last year, eight rebounds a game. When she was named the Player of the Year and her team didn’t win the league, that’s always an incredible honor, as well. Usually that goes to the team that wins the league. So I knew that she would be able to help us.

I think there’s probably a lot of players in that league that can help us. I think it has to be a right fit, and Ashley was a position that we needed, and the fit was there. She has been an incredible addition to our team. She gives us that inside presence. She gives us that rebounding presence, and she gives us that Jersey toughness.

Q. Mila, again, had a great night, and just looking at her season, it’s been a lot of progression from her. What do you as a coach feel like has really spurred this progression, especially in that point scoring role?

KIM BARNES ARICO: Yeah, I mean, I think one of the things that our sophomore class last year said at the end of the season is they were staying. They weren’t going anywhere. They believed in the vision. They believed in Michigan, and they wanted to commit to improving.

Freshman year is really hard, whether you’re a great player, whether you’re a talented player, whether you’re an average player, whether you’re not even a player. Freshman year in college is really, really hard.

So I think it was an adjustment for all of our freshmen last year. So they have a year of experience under their belt. Mila Holloway was our starting point guard; we opened her freshman year playing South Carolina.

I think the competition that we’ve played — we’ve played UConn, we’ve played Vanderbilt, we’ve played UCLA, we’ve played all these top teams. We play in the Big Ten conference, the best conference in college basketball. We have prepared her for these moments, and she’s put in the work.

She loves the game of basketball. She’s driven. She’s passionate. She played Canada basketball in the summer, her and Syla played on the U-19 team. She’s a student of the game. She meets with me pretty much almost every day, where can I get better, what plays should I know, how can I get these guys in situations to be successful and where can I find my spots.

She was always a great scorer. I always tell the story I would go watch her AAU games, and she would defer, defer, defer because she had really great players around her, and then there was this one tournament where she didn’t defer. She had some family there, and she just balled out, and I said, Mila, I didn’t realize you have all of that.

So now I know she can score. I knew since she was in high school that she can score. I challenge her to find that balance every day. I think that’s an incredibly difficult things for point guards to figure out, and for her to be a sophomore and to find her spots and still have seven assists and still find her teammates, I think, is really special, and like I said, she’s a special player, and she’s a great fit for us.

Q. Syla you mentioned, she started off 5 for 5 from the field. Your sets for her off the ball were amazing, those double screen actions, getting her open. She’s so talented with the ball in her hands. How is someone like that so important for a deep run in this tournament?

KIM BARNES ARICO: Yeah, I just think Syla Swords is the most unselfish player probably in the country. We have a bunch of them on our team. But she is always deferring to everyone else, and I always have to remind her another player, what a coach’s problem, remind them, no, you have to shoot. Before every game, I’m like, okay, Syla, we have to get like 15 shots today, okay, Syla, we have to get this many shots today, because she just really truly cares only about winning the game. She doesn’t care about her statistics. She just wants to play her butt off and for Michigan to be successful.

But for us to make a deep run, the ball needs to touch her hands. I mean, Olivia Olson, as well, Mila Holloway, as well. You saw them tonight. The consistency that Olivia Olson has shown all season long has been absolutely incredible. But you get her and Syla clicking together, that’s a really dynamic duo and really hard to stop.

Then Mila has a night like tonight, you can add that to the mix, and Te’Yala Delfosse, another sophomore came in and gave us tremendous minutes off the bench.

But I think that’s the great thing is you can go deep down our roster and say that about multiple people. But Syla is just different. She was an Olympian as a high school kid for a reason. Her international experience, her basketball IQ, her quick release and her ability to shoot the ball is amazing. She has incredible, incredible touch, so we need to make sure we get her more shots, always more shots.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

NOTRE DAME, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame senior Eszter Muhari won her third career individual national title in epee and the Fighting Irish fencing team won the inaugural women's three-weapon national championship on Friday after edging Columbia 102-99.

It was the 15th national championship for the Irish after winning 14 co-ed titles, including six of the last eight. Notre Dame won the national championship last year in the final year of the combined women’s and men’s team championship.

Muhari also won epee in 2023 and 2025 to finish her Notre Dame career as the sixth woman in NCAA history to win three or more individual titles.

Harvard junior Jessica Guo won the foil for her second NCAA championship, adding to the title she earned in 2024. Guo rallied to go ahead 7-5 after the second period and secured the title with a 15-6 victory over Columbia’s Carolina Stutchbury, who earned first-team honors for the second consecutive year.

Natalia Botello became the first Ohio State Buckeye to win the NCAA women’s saber crown and the fourth individual national champion in program history, joining Katarzyna Dabrowa (epee, 2012), Eleanor Harvey (foil, 2016) and Yelena Kalkina (epee, 1997).

The men’s championships begin on Saturday with three rounds in each weapon.

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Former Falcons wide receiver DJ Chark is officially retiring from the NFL after seven seasons, he announced via Instagram on Friday evening. The 29-year-old has appeared in 76 games since entering the league in 2018, recording 216 catches for 3,100 receiving yards and 24 touchdowns.

"After much contemplation, I have decided to share a proper farewell as I navigate retirement," Chark wrote on IG. "My journey began at the age of 7 when I signed up for football, unaware of the profound impact it would have on my life. I simply loved the sport and had the unwavering support of my parents. Years later I received the support of my wife, kids, family and thousands of fans! As I write this I reflect on the challenges I've faced and overcome, as well as the rewards I've reaped. I've learned to appreciate every experience and not take any of them for granted."

Chark began his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018. After a quiet rookie season, Chark made the Pro Bowl following his breakout 1,000-yard campaign in 2019. While he had over 700 yards in 2020, Chark hasn't been the same player since his injury riddled 2021 season.

The Falcons signed Chark in training camp before the 2025 season. Despite appearing in one preseason game, Chark did not make the 53-man roster and failed to catch on with any other teams.

"As I enter this next chapter of my life, I remain committed to being an active pillar in my community, empowering the youth through charitable work," added Chark. "The possibilities ahead are endless, and that excites me. I am grateful for all my teammates, fans, and every organization I have had the privilege to play for. All glory goes to God, 1 am forever thankful."

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Former Falcons WR DJ Chark announces retirement from NFL

Todd Kirkland via Getty Images

Virginia tightened its grip on the team race Friday night at the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.

The Cavaliers benefited from a victory in the 100 backstroke from Claire Curzan, a fourth relay victory, and a plethora of championship final swims to maintain separation from the chasing pack.

Draft your Yahoo Fantasy Baseball team for the 2026 MLB Season

Cal's Claire Weinstein produced one of the biggest upsets of the meet in the 500 freestyle, setting the pace early and defeating Jillian Cox to hand the Golden Bears a crucial win. Addtionally, Torri Huske added another NCAA title to her résumé in the 50 freestyle, out-touching a loaded field.

Friday’s finals session set up an increasingly competitive battle behind Virginia as Texas and Stanford are only seprated by 29.5 points, with the Longhorns having the slight edge. Tennessee is currently fourth, with Michigan and Cal close behind.

Curzan scares Walsh’s NCAA record in 100 backstroke

Virginia’s Claire Curzan scared Gretchen Walsh’s NCAA record on her way to a second straight NCAA title in the 100-yd backstroke.

Curzan stopped the clock in 48.24 to secure the national championship, leading another strong event for the Cavaliers. The junior dominated from the start, leading the entire race and posting the second fastest performance of all time.

Behind her was a tie for second between Michigan junior Bella Sims and Wisconsin sophomore Maggie Wanezek who both finished in 49.62. Sims is putting together an impressive week. Adding a national runner-up finish to her title in the 400 IM.

NC State placed two swimmers into the championship final, led by Erika Pelaez, who tied for fourth with Cal’s Mary-Ambre Moluh in 49.95. Her Wolfpack teammate Leah Shackley followed in sixth at 49.98.

Rounding out the championship final was Pittsburgh senior Claire Jansen and Alabama senior Emily Jones who finished seventh and eighth.

Lucy Bell wins second consecutive 200 breaststroke national title

It was a night of back-to-back NCAA champions, as Stanford senior Lucy Bell made it two in a row in the 200-yd breaststroke. Bell's mark was the third fastest swim all time, following only Kate Douglass and Alex Walsh.

Bell surged to the front of the pack on the final 100 yards, posting a winning time of 2:02.38, just ahead of Virginia’s Aimee Canny. Canny took second in 2:03.09, adding another 17 points to Virginia's total while Emma Weber contributed another eleven with an eighth place finish.

Bell and Canny were followed by a tie between Duke’s Kaelyn Gridley and Louisville’s Anastasia Gorbenko who both finished in 2:05.24.

Michigan’s Letitia Sim placed fifth in 2:05.85, followed by Florida freshman Grace Rabb in sixth at 2:06.85. Rabb’s teammate Anita Bottazzo finished seventh in 2:07.13.

Bell’s victory gives Stanford a key event win, as the Cardinal are in a tight battle with Texas for national runner-up in the team race. Virginia continues to pile up points with multiple championship finalists as well as three scorers from the prelims session.

US Olympian Claire Weinstein upsets Cox in 500 freestyle

California freshman Claire Weinstein pulled off the upset in the 500-yd freestyle. Weinstein threw down one of the biggest swims of the night, surging past the field to win the 500 freestyle in 4:30.09 and upset top seed Jillian Cox.

Weinstein led from the jump, leading the field at each turn. It was a gutsy strategy that paid off, for the Cal freshman who was able secure her first NCAA championship. Cox finished second in 4:31.56.

After prelims swimmers out of the SEC were seeded first, second, and third. Weinstein spoiled the SEC sweep, winning the national title out of lane seven.

“I just wanted to [swim] passionately and do it for my team,” Weinstein said in her post-race interview. “Swimming for your team is a different feeling and I do it all for them.”

Georgia freshman Kennedi Dobson took third in 4:32.24, while Tennessee sophomore Ella Jansen followed in fourth at 4:32.82.

Florida’s Julie Brousseau placed fifth with Virginia’s Cavan Gormsen finishing sixth in 4:35.11. Michigan junior Hannah Bellard touched seventh and Virginia freshman Madi Mintenko closed out the championship final in eighth.

Weinstein’s victory delivers a major boost for California and shakes up the landscape of women’s distance freestyle.

Torri Huske wins second title, becomes second fastest performer in 50 free

Torri Huske continued Stanford’s impressive night with a win in the women’s 50-yd freestyle.

Huske delivered near perfect race to capture the NCAA title, stopping the clock in 20.66. The Stanford senior is now a two time champion in 2026, adding the 50-yd freestyle to her 100-yd butterfly title.

Virginia freshman Sara Curtis followed closely in 20.74 with Tennessee’s Camille Spink also dropping under 21 seconds to place third in 20.98.

The event had a strong underclassmen presence as Texas freshman Eva Okaro finished fourth in 21.05 and Indiana freshman Liberty Clark touched sixth in 21.25,

Louisville senior Julia Dennis took fifth in 21.15 while Michigan’s Brady Kendall and Virginia’s Anna Moesch rounded out the championship final.

Huske’s win gives Stanford another imperative victory, closing the gap with Texas in the team race. Virginia once again cashed in on another cluster of points with two swimmers in the championship final.

Virginia wins yet another relay NCAA title

Virginia closed the night with another relay victory, this time capturing the 400 medley relay title in 3:20.66 to secure another 40 points.

The quartet of Curtis, Canny, Curzan, and Moesch combined for a dominating performance, defeating the rest of the field by over three full seconds.

Tennessee's team made up of Jillian Crooks, McKenzie Siroky, Mizuki Hirai, and Spink finished second in 3:23.79, while Michigan took third in 3:24.44.

NC State Wolfpack placed fourth in 3:24.49, followed closely by Texas in fifth at 3:24.64.

California finished sixth, just ahead of Indiana and Louisville.

The Cavaliers are four for four in relays with one left to go tomorrow night. Notably, Stanford's relay finished ninth, several spots back from the Longhorns who they are battling for national runner up in the team race.

Verzyl takes 3m diving title

South Carolina’s Sophie Verzyl delivered a stunning finals performance to win the 3-meter diving title with a score of 387.90. After placing second on 1-meter by less than a point, Verzyl secured the title after six impressive dives on 3m. 

Tennessee's Desharne Bent-Ashmeil finished second with 382.25, while Minnesota junior Elna Widerstrom placed third with a score of 374.35. Prelims leader and the 1m NCAA champion Chiara Pellacani finished fourth, followed by Shiyun Lai of Kansas in fifth.

Texas junior Bayleigh Cranford took sixth, while Ohio State's Lena Hentschel and Arkansas's Maria Sanchez-Moreno finished seventh and eighth.

Verzyl’s victory earns her another 20 points for South Carolina, moving them into the top 20 heading into the final day of competition.

Saturday Event Schedule Live results

Preliminaries: 10:00 am ET, Finals 6:00 pm ET

• 200-yard individual medley

• 100-yard freestyle

• 200-yard butterfly

• 200-yard backstroke

• 400-yard freestyle relay

• Platform diving

Saturday’s competition can be streamed on ESPN+.

The Los Angeles Rams haven’t seen many of their free agents leave to sign with other teams, but a former fifth-round pick departed on Friday. The Carolina Panthers announced they have agreed to terms on a deal with former Rams outside linebacker Nick Hampton.

Hampton was a fifth-round pick by the Rams in 2023 out of Appalachian State. He played just 36 games with the Rams, making 17 total tackles with no sacks or quarterback hits. He played just 188 total defensive snaps, primarily contributing on special teams.

Hampton, who turns 26 in April, made a minimal impact with the Rams in his three seasons, even getting cut last December before being re-signed to the practice squad. He was then elevated a handful of times and wound up playing 12 games, plus three more in the postseason.

He’ll now join a Panthers defense as a depth piece, getting a fresh start close to where he grew up in Anderson, South Carolina.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: NFL free agency: Former Rams OLB Nick Hampton signing with Panthers

For the first time in five years, the Iowa men's basketball team has won an NCAA Tournament game.

The Hawkeyes led for the majority of the night in their 67-61 win over Clemson in Tampa. It was an extremely impressive performance from the supporting cast, who stepped up big on an off-night for superstar point guard Bennett Stirtz. Kael Combs led the way with 15 points, including a huge layup with a minute to play. Alvaro Folgueiras was excellent as well, finishing the night with 14 points.

Iowa advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and awaits a date with the winner of top-seeded Florida and No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M. After the first tournament win in years for the Hawkeyes, fans and media members alike were quick to heap praise on the entire team.

Social media reacts to Iowa basketball's March Madness win over Clemson

What a win for Iowa and this entire group that chose to come to Iowa. The baseline has been set for decades to come. GO HAWKS

— Rick Webster (@TheRickWebster) March 21, 2026

Ben McCollum just wins wherever he goes.

Iowa defeats Clemson. Off to the Round of 32. Hawkeyes are just scrappy enough they could make some noise.

— Owen (@Alakazam_428) March 21, 2026

YOUR IOWA HAWKEYES ARE MOVING ON IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT!

— Andrew Downs (@AndrewCDowns) March 21, 2026

Iowa knocks off Clemson, 67-61. Ben McCollum’s game plan worked from start to finish. Hawkeyes into the round of 32 where they’ll likely play Florida Sunday.

— Keith Murphy (@MurphyKeith) March 21, 2026

ITS OVER! HAWKS WIN!!!!

They take down Clemson 67-61

ONTO THE NEXT ONE! pic.twitter.com/ucNvlkZRd4

— Barstool Iowa (@BarstoolUIowa) March 21, 2026

Ben McCollum. Just an incredible coaching performance. Iowa advances.

— Jake Marsh (@JakeMarsh18) March 21, 2026

WOW! From “not deserving to be a tournament team” to the Round of 32.

Feel bad for those who weren’t able to enjoy the journey! Survive and advance!

— Ben Stan (@HawkeyeBBFan) March 21, 2026

A tall task is ahead with Florida (figuratively and literally), but a win in the NCAA Tournament in Ben McCollum’s inaugural season is something that Iowa can carry with them heading into the offseason. Big, big win.

— David Eickholt (@DavidEickholt) March 21, 2026

Ben McCollum is 1 of 2 Iowa HC, along w/ Dr. Tom Davis, in his 1st year to lead the Hawkeyes to:

• 20+ wins (now 22 wins)
• an NCAA Tourn app
• an NCAA Tourn win

Iowa has now won an NCAA Tournament game for the FIRST time since 2021.

Good start. pic.twitter.com/sHD5iSOfMj

— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) March 21, 2026

Iowa. Sharpie.

— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) March 21, 2026

Tonight is why Beth made the move she made last year. Rest of the tourney is house money now for Iowa.

— Brendan Stiles (@thebstiles) March 21, 2026

Ben McCollum is going to take Iowa places. Program looked lost this time a year ago, now they’re on to the 2nd round in his first season. Future is bright! https://t.co/H5IsbSeUXi

— Tyler Kane (@tykane13) March 21, 2026

This is as excited as I’ve been for an Iowa mens bball game since the First Four matchup with Tennessee in 2014. Hard to explain other than it’s the start of a new era and a win tonight is really going to jumpstart things.

— Chris Hassel (@Hassel_Chris) March 20, 2026

There are definitely more Iowa fans than Clemson fans in Tampa.

— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) March 20, 2026

Are the Kael Combs haters enjoying this or are they mad that they're wrong?

— Ethan Petrik (@ethan_petrik) March 20, 2026

Never been this close to Ben McCollum during a game. I thought he was crazy from the media area at Iowa. Just a few feet away here in Tampa.

Dude is a certified basketball psycho. I love it.

— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) March 20, 2026

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes and opinions. Follow Zach on X: @zach_hiney

This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Fans react to Iowa basketball March Madness win vs. Clemson

Northern Iowa vs St. John's box score: Full stats from 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The 12-seed Northern Iowa Panthers will battle the 5-seed St. John's Red Storm in a first-round matchup in the East Region of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Northern Iowa (23-12) won the MVC Tournament as the lowest seed in history.

The Red Storm (28-6) won the Big East regular-season title and conference tournament. St. John's boasts the Big East Player of the Year, Zuby Ejiofor, who averages an impressive 16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. The Panthers have won their last five games, while the Red Storm have won 19 of their last 20.

Here is a look at the box score from Friday's first round East Region game in San Diego. 

Northern Iowa vs St. John's March Madness box score

Northern Iowa Stats

St. John's Stats

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SAN DIEGO (AP) — Zuby Ejiofor had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Bryce Hopkins added 13 points and fifth-seeded St. John's beat Northern Iowa 79-53 on Friday night for its second NCAA Tournament victory since 2000.

Oziyah Sellers scored 11 points for Rick Pitino's gathering Red Storm (29-6), who have won 20 of 21 since early January in increasingly impressive fashion. With a fluid, balanced offensive effort against the nation's stingiest scoring defense, St. John's jumped to a huge early lead at Viejas Arena and never trailed the 12th-seeded Panthers (23-13).

The New York City program revitalized by Pitino ended its 25-year March Madness victory drought last season. After rolling through the Big East tournament last week, Pitino's current team is one win away from the Johnnies' first trip to the Sweet Sixteen in the 21st century.

St. John's will return Sunday to face the winner of fourth-seeded Kansas’ meeting with Cal Baptist in the East Region bracket.

Trey Campbell scored 14 points and Leon Bond III added 12 for Northern Iowa, which surprisingly snared its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016 by streaking through the Missouri Valley Conference tournament last week with four wins in four days as the sixth seed.

The Panthers' stingy defense hung in against the Big East champions' vibrant offense, but Ejiofor and the Johnnies have resembled a national title contender since shortly after the calendar flipped to 2026.

St. John’s made five straight shots while scoring the game’s first 13 points and taking an 18-point lead in the opening minutes. Northern Iowa missed nine of its first 10 shots and didn’t score 10 points until midway through the first half, eventually trailing 47-28 at halftime.

The Johnnies slumped slightly from the field after halftime, but their lead never dipped below 13 points.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

The New England Patriots gave out the third-largest wide receiver contract in free agency this offseason, signing Romeo Doubs to a four-year pact at an annual average cost of $17 million. Even though those numbers are significant, the team is likely not done adding to a wide receiver group that looked improved in 2025 but still is missing some pieces.

One of the most glaring is a true difference maker on the perimeter. The Patriots might have set their sights on a trade candidate, but they also could very well find one in this year’s draft.

If they choose to go for the latter route, Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell certainly seems like a name to keep in mind.

Hard facts

Name: Chris Brazzell II

Position: Wide receiver

School: Tennessee (RS Jr.)

Opening day age: 22 (9/22/2003)

Measurements: 6’4”, 198 lbs, 80 1/8” wingspan, 32 3/8” arm length, 9” hand size, 4.37s 40-yard dash, N/A Relative Athletic Score

Experience

Colleges: Tulane (2022-23), Tennessee (2024-25)

Career statistics: 40 games (28 starts) | 1,938 offensive snaps | 216 targets, 136 catches (63.0%), 2,072 receiving yards (15.2/catch), 16 TDs, 12 drops | 6 penalties (incl. 1 declined/offset)

Accolades: First-team All-SEC (2025), Third-team All-America (2025), Third-team All-AAC (2023)

Brazzell, whose father was drafted by the Jets in 1998 and spent three years in the NFL, was rated a consensus three-star prospect after catching 104 passes for 1,596 yards and 21 touchdowns during his prep career at Midland Legacy in Midland, TX. Receiving only modest interest, he originally committed to Florida Atlantic, but six months later flipped to Tulane.

He spent the first two seasons of his college career with the Green Wave, starting eight of 15 games and registering 45 catches for 722 yards and five TDs. However, after the departure of head coach Willie Fritz, who had already coached his dad at Blinn College in the 90s, Brazzell decided to enter the transfer portal.

He officially did so in December 2023, and immediately encountered unfamiliar levels of interest: close to 40 schools tried to bring him aboard, including some of the top programs in the country. Brazzell eventually decided to join Tennessee over, among others, Michigan, Washington and Georgia.

In two seasons with the Vols, he played 25 games with 20 starts and hauled in 91 passes for 1,350 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also was voted first-team All-SEC to cap off his redshirt senior campaign in 2025.

Draft profile

Projected round: 2-3 | Consensus big board: No. 50 | Patriots meeting: N/A

Strengths: Brazzell offers a tremendous blend of size and speed. His height and wingspan put him in the 91 and 92 percentiles, respectively, for wide receiver prospects since 1999 and he also has 89-percentile speed. His measurables show up on tape, too, and he eats up turf with his long strides, efficient movement skills and fluid lower body. This, in turn, allows him to run some crisp routes and use tempo to his advantage while still being a veritable home run threat on the perimeter.

While mostly an outside receiver at Tennessee, Brazzell can line up anywhere in the formation and take the field independently of situation. Aiding to that is his physicality and competitive spirit as a blocker in the run game. That also shows up when being pressed upon releasing into his route or when asked to box out defensive backs in contested catch situations. In general, he is an inaccuracy eraser due to his natural attributes, the massive catch radius that results from them, and his impressive hand-eye coordination.

Weaknesses: Brazzell may bring a physical mindset, but he is not the strongest player and will need to bulk up in order to duplicate some of the things he did in college as both a receiver and a blocker. Becoming more powerful should help him sustain blocks in the run game, fight through contact as a ball carrier and have an easier time disengaging from cornerbacks — all things he did at Tennessee but sometimes on an uneven level.

In addition, Brazzell is not a particularly elusive player who can easily step out of tackle attempts or shake off defenders. Furthermore, his route tree at Tennessee was limited and he has yet to show that he can execute in a more complex system after mostly running go routes and comebacks (curls or hitches). He also had some concentration drops and over his career let 8.2% of targets go through his hands.

Patriots preview

What would be his role? The Patriots used a mix of Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams on the outside in 2025, but none of them fit into the No. 1 mold quite like Brazzell would. The 22-year-old, after all, is a true size/speed athlete who can challenge teams deep but also has the potential to beat 1-on-1 coverage on the perimeter and serve as a big-bodied red zone target. That, ideally, would be what his role would look like further down the line. As for 2026, he likely would be more of a package player and spot starter.

Does he have positional versatility? Brazzell aligned split out wide on over 90% of his snaps between Tulane and Tennessee, and he was a non-factor on special teams. From that point of view, his versatility is limited. That said, skill is skill and the Patriots would find a way to put him in positions to be successful. While he would still line up outside a vast majority of time, his route running and straight-line speed might also make him a candidate to slide into a big slot role similar to how Mack Hollins was employed at times in 2025.

What is his growth potential? Even though he should be able to find a role right away, Brazzell’s room for growth is evident and realizing his potential will decide his future in the NFL. To maximize it, he will need to add some more branches to his route tree and also level up in terms of play strength. If able to do all that, he can become a high-end WR2 or maybe even a WR1 depending on the wider context within the offense.

Why the Patriots? Brazzell looks tailor-made to play with Drake Maye. He has legitimate long speed, runs routes at a high level, and can hold his own against press-man coverage. Frankly, what he does best is what Maye does best: challenge defenses deep and be a big-play threat on every down. The Patriots, even after signing Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million free agency deal, still need just that. Brazzell has the tools to fit those requirements and the potential to be a rising-tide-lifting-all-the-boats-type player for New England’s passing game.

Why not the Patriots? Unlike other receivers in this year’s class, Brazzell needs to become more polished in several areas. He is quite good and NFL-caliber to begin with, sure, but if the Patriots see him as too much of a developmental prospect they might just look elsewhere for receiver help. With Drake Maye on his rookie contract and the window just having been opened, the team might feel more comfortable going with players just that bit more ready-made to play starter-level snaps on a weekly basis from the start.

One-sentence verdict: Tall guy running fast has not necessarily been a recipe for success in the NFL lately, but Brazzell is not your typical traits-first prospect and offers a diverse skillset well-suited to make an early impact.

For more information about Chris Brazzell II and the rest of this year’s class of prospects, please take a look at Adam’s 2026 NFL Draft Guide.

Also, what do you think about Brazzell as a potential Patriots target? Do you like him? Where would you pick him? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Bennett Stirtz scored 16 points and No. 9 seed Iowa weathered his erratic shooting to hold off eighth-seeded Clemson 67-61 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night.

The Hawkeyes (22-12), making their March Madness debut under coach Ben McCollum, move on to a second-round South Region meeting against either top-seeded and defending national champion Florida or No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M.

Stirtz made two free throws with 10.9 seconds remaining help put the game away after Clemson (24-11) rallied to within 61-57 in the closing minutes. But Iowa's leading scorer had an off night, going 3 for 10 on 3-point attempts and 1 for 7 inside the arc. Kael Combs kept the Hawkeyes stay afloat with 15 points and Alvaro Foigueiras came off the bench to score 14.

RJ Godfrey led Clemson with 15 points.

Iowa led 32-25 at halftime despite Stirtz not getting off to a strong start. The 6-foot-4 senior who accompanied McCollum from Drake to Iowa misfired on four of his five 3-point attempts and was 2 for 8 from the field for eight points. The Hawkeyes, however, were able to use the one 3-pointer he made — along with a pair of them from Kael Combs — to build a 12-point lead that Clemson began cutting into before the break.

Stirtz made a long 3 to begin the second half, but Iowa proceeded to go nearly six minutes without scoring while Clemson pulled within 35-33. Stirtz stopped the surge with his third 3, Iowa methodically expanded its lead to 51-37, and Clemson never fully recovered.

The Tigers, who reached the Elite Eight in 2024, lost to McNeese in the first round a year ago.

Stirtz, Combs, Tavion Banks and Cam Manyawu were all part of the Drake team that McCollum led to an upset of Missouri in the first round of last year's tournament. This is Iowa's first March Madness appearance since 2023.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Bryce Harper has accomplished just about everything in baseball, but winning a World Series is the last thing he needs to do. Even without one, Harper will go down as an all-timer.

After coming up short with Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Harper is turning his focus back to winning his first ring at the big league level. While the WBC brought some fun to him and others in MLB, it also served as a reminder of what still has to be won.

For Harper, the mission is clear heading into the new season.

“Any time you go into any type of tournament, you want to win,” Harper said, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki. “Any time you get into any season, you want to win. We've been so close as a team. I've been so close as an individual player, as well. Obviously, that's the remaining thing on the mantle, right? Winning a gold medal in the [World Baseball Classic] would have been incredible. But winning a World Series trophy is what you play for, what you dream of. Hopefully looking forward to doing that this year.”

Despite all of his personal success, Harper is still chasing it all. He had a rough season a year ago for his standards, but added that his swing feels really good right tnow.

“I felt great the whole time,” Harper said. 

“I just felt like timing was a little off. I thought my swing felt great. I thought I was getting 3-2 [counts] a lot of the times. Definitely missing some pitches over the plate, things like that. But I think everything was about timing, more than anything, for me. If we had a week left in that tournament, I feel like I would have turned the corner and been pretty good. "So I felt good the last two days against Dominican [Republic] and Venezuela. My swing feels very good right now. I feel like my pitch recognition is pretty good right now, as well. Felt like I controlled the zone pretty well, also. Just timing.”

The Phillies have been knocking on the door. In recent years, they’ve made deep postseason runs and proven they can compete with the best teams in the league. However, each time, they haven’t been able to get the job done.

Perhaps that will change this season.

The 9-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes (22-12) defeated the #8 Clemson Tigers (24-11) 67-61 to notch their first NCAA Tournament since 2021. It was a slog of a game, as neither team exceeded 41% shooting in the game. Bennett Stirtz led the Hawks with 16 points on 4/17 shooting in an uncharacteristically inefficient game. Kael Combs (15 points on 5/7) and Alvaro Folgueiras (14 on 3/8) joined Stirtz in double digits.

After struggling to find driving lanes in the first half (the Hawks were 1/4 on layup), the were able to crack the code on Clemson’s defense with 6/6 layups in the second. Attacking with more consistency allowed Iowa to get to the line, where 17/22 shooting in the second half helped put away the game.

The Hawks also took advantage of Clemson missing center Carter Welling and their similarly slow pace to crash the offensive boards. The Hawks had 15 which led to 16 second chance points and the 46.9% offensive rebounding percentage was Iowa’s highest since playing Bucknell in December.

Kael Combs was the bell cow during the first half with 11 points on 4/4 shooting. His scoring got started on Iowa’s first possession with a 3 pointer as the shot clock ticked inside 5, which was a regular occurrence in the half. Back to back threes by Combs and Alvaro Folgueiras stretched the lead to 18-6 about 7 minutes into the game.

Stirtz looked to score early and ended up with 8 points on 2/8 shooting but just 1/5 from 3. He had 2 of Iowa’s 3 assists in the half, despite some whip-around ball movement.

Defensively, Iowa withstood a barrage of attempts around the rim by Clemson and were just 3/6 on layups/dunks before the Hawks stretched the lead to double digits. At one point, the Tigers missed 6 straight shots but 5 of them came on one possession so Iowa wasn’t really able to stretch the lead further while they were cold.

They hit their second three pointer with 3:32 remaining in the frame and made two more to end the half with the Hawks up 32-25. Iowa turned Clemson over just 3 times, which allowed the game to stay on the rails for the Tigers.

One moment I noticed throughout the frame was a cutaway to Ben McCollum after Clemson called a timeout with 8:15 remaining. Iowa missed their next 5 straight shots after that which allowed the Tigers to tighten the margin.

Iowa opened the second half with a Stirtz 3 but didn’t score again until Stirtz’s next 3 about 6 minutes later. During that timeframe, Clemson was able to get the deficit back to 2 points at 35-33.

After Stirtz’s 3, McCollum called a timeout to help Iowa lock in defensively. Tate Sage, who got a couple first half minutes, made layups on back-to-back possessions to extend the lead back to 9 at 42-33. It felt like Sage’s presence really impacted this one as he was a willing off ball mover and drove with intent when handling the ball.

Folgueiras extended the lead with a layup on a broken-ish play. He continued the good vibes as he got another and-one, an assist on a Sage layup, and a pair of FTs as Iowa got the lead up to a game-high 14.

The offense dried up for Iowa after Cooper Koch hit three free throws and Clemson was able to close it to 5 on 3 straight 3 pointers.

After Cam Manyawu missed a pair of free throws, Clemson went hack-a-Shaq and he made just 1 of 2. Clemson wasn’t able to close the gap on the ensuing possession and Iowa’s assembly line to the free throw line continued (their only scoring between the 9:21 mark and the 0:56 mark was 12 free throws).

Clemson was finally able to string together a score-stop-score to close the gap to 61-57 and then McCollum put the ball in the hands of … Kael Combs?

The junior guard was able to get a straight line drive to sink a layup with 0:56 left and put the Hawks up 63-57. After Combs came up with a huge rebound while keeping the ball inbounds on the other end, Iowa was given the ball on replay review.

Folgueiras hit his free throws with 27 seconds left after Iowa burned plenty of clock breaking the Tigers’ press. A 3 with 19 seconds left gave Clemson put the game back in range at 65-60 but the Hawks were able to successfully inbound it and Stirtz sank a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left.

Hawks win!

It’s here. Kansas is playing their first (and hopefully not last) NCAA Tournament game. If you want to learn a little more about the opponent, check out my complete preview of tonight’s game here

Rock Chalk!

The New York Yankees made a move that wasn’t loved by the fanbase, but it’s possible that it was one that won’t last for too long.

Sending Carlos Lagrange to the minors was a very hard decision, but the reaction from players in the organization and fanbase shows how many feel. For a young pitcher who has a fastball that can run up to 100-plus MPH, this is less about being ready and more about timing.

Veteran left-hander Max Fried had a lot to say about Lagrange’s talent, offering strong words about what he’s already seen.

“I’ve never seen velocity like that, consistently and doing it over a bunch of innings,” Fried said, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “He works really hard. He’s really open to a lot of information, and obviously his results speak for themselves. He’s been really good. He’ll definitely impact this team.”

That kind of praise, especially from an established arm, goes to show what this kid can do. Velocity alone isn’t enough to succeed at the big league level, but Lagrange has the other stuff, like mentality, to be a star.

Skipper Aaron Boone had a similar comment, stating that the organization views this as part of a bigger plan rather than a setback.

“That time will come when it’s meant to be,” Boone said. “I’m really excited about him and confident he’s probably going to impact us in a big way at some point.”

“He made it a difficult decision,” Boone said. “Coming into this, I wouldn’t have even thought there was a decision. He’s definitely got everyone’s attention. I love where he’s at. I would not be surprised if he is impacting us early, middle, later part of the season. “I can just tell you, we’re all very excited about his continued development and what we think he could mean to our team at some point.”

For the Yankees, this is about putting Lagrange in a position to succeed at the highest level. It’ll be interesting to see when it happens and what spot they put him in, but his time will come soon.

The No. 2 seed Michigan women’s basketball team opened its NCAA Tournament run against No. 15 seed Holy Cross, returning to form and to the second round for the second consecutive year.

The Wolverines unleashed an electrifying first quarter, powered by transition offense and paint points, to amass a 21-point lead. Michigan (26-6) deployed a balanced attack, including five players reaching double figures, to vanquish the Crusaders (23-10), 83-48.

“I was really happy with the way that our team came out of the gates,” head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “It’s been a minute since we had our last game, and we’ve been prepping for like 10 practices, so I thought we came out with great defense, great intensity, and really making shots on the offensive end. Holy Cross is a really solid team, and they were coming off a championship. It’s nice to survive and advance, be one of 32 teams left playing and moving on.”

The Wolverines imposed a dynamic offense with relentless pace early on, setting the tone and punching first. Michigan attacked the paint from its first possession, beginning with sophomore guard Mila Holloway’s pull-up jumper, amassing 10 quick paint points before Holy Cross found the net.

The Wolverines scored 18 of 27 first-quarter points in the paint, including 10 second-chance points off five offensive rebounds. They were relentless and efficient, with sophomore guard Syla Swords knocking down each of her first three shots for seven points.

And with the ball in her hand towards the end of the frame, Holloway showcased why she’s been the starting point guard since her first day in a Michigan uniform. She dribbled the ball effortlessly near the logo, and with 11 seconds left, darted past her defender to the top of the key, pulling up into a nothing-but-net three-pointer, her first of five, to close the quarter with a dominant 27-6 lead.

“Something so great and awesome about our team is that we’re able to, when we want to, is to step on people’s throats,” senior forward Alyssa Crockett said. “And I think that’s what makes it so much easier, flowing into the game. When they start to come back and then things shift, it’s always good to punch first, because you have that bridge at the beginning of the game, and then sometimes we lose a little bit of sight in either the second or the third quarter. But we’re a very-knit team, and we’re very determined to keep it rolling, and Coach Arico keeps that standard ahead of us.”

While the second and third quarters lagged behind the first — Holy Cross played the Wolverines tight and were only outscored by two points — Michigan kept the Crusaders at arm’s length. The Wolverines’ goal of limiting Holy Cross to 14 or fewer points per quarter was achieved in all but the second, in which the Crusaders netted 16. Throughout it all, though, was Holloway.

Finishing with a 20-point near-triple-double including eight rebounds and seven assists, Holloway had the ball on a string facilitating the offense. She took what she pleased from the Holy Cross defense, driving, passing, or sitting open in the corner waiting to cash in on another triple.

“I mean, she’s a great player,” junior forward Ashley Sofilkanich said. “She has such a high IQ as a basketball player as well, great ball handler and even a better shooter and teammate. I think when she can get those open shots and she can get to her pull up or even get downhill, it’s going to be a great day for the Wolverines in general. So just getting her the ball, getting her skip passes, setting her great screens, really just her reading her defense and making the right play.”

Holloway’s basketball IQ and hustle was on full display as she — in tandem with senior guard Brooke Quarles Daniels — orchestrated the press. She snagged three steals, leading the team’s total of 10, while finishing with a game-leading +/- of +28 on-court differential. Yet she was the maestro conducting the entire tempo of the game, from her defensive pressure to the tone she set offensively.

“It starts with her pace, coming up the floor, finding people in transition,” Crockett said. “If she doesn’t have anything, she’s constantly probing, trying to find other options. And then she always puts herself last. I think that’s what makes Mila so special is that she’s always attacking to score, but in her mind, the first thing is getting her teammates open and getting her teammates shots. So that’s the type of point guard you want to have.”

Holloway’s team-first mentality bolstered Michigan’s end-to-end success against the Crusaders, contributing to the Wolverines’ 14 fast-break points in a game that was never in doubt.

Following the win, the Wolverines will face the winner of No. 7 seed North Carolina State and No. 10 seed Tennessee on Sunday at a time to be determined.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have gotten better on the offensive side of the football this season, and unless something goes wrong, they should be a better team on that front than they were a season ago.

While acquiring Michael Pittman Jr. helped improve the group, depth remains a way for the Steelers to get better in. There’s also an obvious need for a better quarterback than what’s currently on the roster, but the hope is that Aaron Rodgers will be on the roster soon enough.

To help Rodgers, the Steelers definitely need to add as much talent as possible around him.

Luke Easterling of Athlon Sports predicted the Steelers would do just that. He had the Steelers taking Indiana standout Omar Cooper Jr. with the No. 21 overall pick. Cooper was one of the best players in the country last season.

“Depth was a huge issue for the Steelers last year, and even with the acquisition of Michael Pittman Jr. via trade, they should still look to load up on high-end talent at the position. 

“Cooper’s well-rounded skill set and physical playing style would be an ideal fit, and his knack for making big plays in clutch moments would be a valuable addition, no matter who ends up under center in Pittsburgh next year or beyond,” he wrote.

At points throughout last season, Cooper bailed the Indiana offense out. With Fernando Mendoza and Indiana being the best team in the country a year ago, Cooper was a big part of that, as Indiana’s offense was able to throw it up and have a guy downfield.

Pairing him with Pittman and DK Metcalf would give the Steelers a really good room. While adding a WR might come as a surprise to some, the idea makes a lot of sense. Cooper also fis what the Steelers like as a person.

"Think about what they've done over the last few years and what Omar Khan has done. They got rid of [Chase] Claypool, [Diontae] Johnson, Pickens, all these guys that are out there and not really helping the culture of the locker room," said Christopher Carter, per Steelers Nation. "[Khan] brings in Metcalf, who is a, 'Yes, sir,' [type of person], and he brings in Pittman, who is also a high character guy. So you have two guys who bring positivity to the locker room. 

“So you bring in a first-round guy who can ascend those guys, but he would do that under their tutelage."

The NCAA sued DraftKings on Friday, asking a federal court in Indianapolis for a temporary restraining order to stop the online sportsbook from using trademarks such as March Madness and Final Four to promote sports wagering.

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament began this week and there were 16 first-round games on Thursday and Friday. The tournament is typically one of the most heavily bet events on the sports calendar.

The first round of the NCAA women’s tournament started Friday.

Betting on sporting events is now legal in at least 39 states, and many professional leagues have partnerships with online sportsbooks such as DraftKings and FanDuel. The NCAA has no such deals, and the association has pushed hard to limit the types of bets sportsbooks offer on college events. Specifically, the NCAA has lobbied state and federal lawmakers to ban prop bets, which allow gamblers to wager on the performance of individual players, on college games.

The NCAA’s statement said DraftKings’ “unauthorized use of its trademarks is flatly contrary to one of the association’s most deeply held institutional values: that sports betting must not be associated with, endorsed by, or linked to NCAA championships or the student-athletes who compete in them.”

By using terms such as March Madness, Final Four, Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight in its promotional and marketing campaigns, DraftKings is falsely suggesting the NCAA is endorsing the platform, the NCAA said.

DraftKings did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The NCAA says online harassment of college athletes has dramatically increased since the legalization of sports gambling.

In a recent study, the NCAA found that almost half of Division I men’s basketball players experience online, verbal or physical abuse by fans for betting losses.

Prop bets have been at the heart of several cases that involved players allegedly manipulating games and shaving points. NCAA investigations have resulted in numerous players being ruled permanently ineligible.

A federal indictment handed down in January charged 26 men with participating in a conspiracy to bribe and manipulate college basketball games involving then-active college athletes.

The indictment alleged the existence of a gambling ring that pulled in at least 39 players across mostly low- and mid-major schools, 20 of whom were charged.

The NCAA has eased penalties and tried to loosen some of the rules around legal gambling related to college athletes and those who work for athletic programs.

Last year, the NCAA moved toward lifting a ban on legal betting of professional sports for college athletes but later pivoted and left the current rule in place.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Men's College Basketball, Women's College Basketball, Sports Betting, Betting Controversy

2026 The Athletic Media Company

The top two Seattle Seahawks players from the 2023 NFL draft are staying put in the Emerald City. On Friday evening, the Seahawks announced they were exercising the fifth year options for cornerback Devon Witherspoon and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. As first round picks, the team is awarded this opportunity to keep them on the team-friendly rookie deal for an extra year if they wish, but they must exercise after the player's third year.

Seattle exercising the fifth year options for JSN and Witherspoon was certainly predictable. Both players have far exceeded their already lofty expectations and are quickly making the case they are on their way to being some of the best Seahawks of all-time. In 2025, JSN was the first Seahawk to be named Offensive Player of the Year, as he led the entire NFL with 1,793 receiving yards, along with ten touchdowns.

As for Witherspoon, he has been a Pro Bowler in each of his first three years in the league. While he may not be lighting up the stat sheet, that is more of a result of teams generally throwing the ball away from wherever he is roaming. Still, despite his slender frame, he is among the most physical corners in the game. In fact, there is quite the case to be made he should have been named Super Bowl LX MVP, as his constant pressure of Drake Maye led to the game-sealing pick-six from Uchenna Nwosu.

The Seahawks are reportedly prioritizing getting an extension this year for JSN, and they should, as he is likely to command a salary that is at least $40 million per year. Every year they wait past this offseason will only raise his price. As for Witherspoon, he likely won't come cheap either, but I am sure general manager John Schneider and his team are hard at work trying to figure out how to keep him in the Emerald City long term.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Seahawks news: JSN and Devon Witherspoon get 5th year team options

The Furman Paladins suffered a nearly 40-year men's NCAA tournament drought after 1980, finally emerging from stasis for a brief Cinderella run in 2023. They didn't have to wait nearly as long for their next return trip.

The Paladins made a run as the Southern Conference's sixth seed to claim the league crown and a 15 seed in the 2026 bracket. The reward for their hard work? A date with Connecticut, winner of two of the last three national titles. Friday night's late game will be a massive step up in competition for Furman, who played three non-Division I opponents and zero high major teams across 34 games this winter.

Then again, so was four-seed Virginia in 2023. The Paladins took down the Cavaliers 68-67.

Furman University is located in Greenville, South Carolina

That's in the northwestern corner of the state. It's roughly 100 miles west of Charlotte, North Carolina. It's also 150 miles northeast of Atlanta, Georgia.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Where is Furman University located as Paladins play in March Madness?

A big week for Braden Smith continued Friday night. After setting the NCAA all-time career assists record, the Purdue guard signed an NIL deal with State Farm, the company announced.

State Farm announced the partnership after Smith passed Bobby Hurley for the most assists in NCAA history. He found Trey Kaufman-Renn less than eight minutes into Friday’s game against Queens for his 1,077th career dime, putting him alone atop the all-time list.

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Following the historic moment, State Farm capitalized by adding Smith – who has a $1.1 million On3 NIL Valuation – to its athlete roster. He will take part in marketing initiatives, digital campaigns and social media content through the NCAA Tournament through the insurance company’s “With the Assist” campaign.

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“I’ve always believed that the best play you can make is the one that sets up a teammate for success,” Smith said in a statement. “Teaming up with State Farm just made sense because they share that same mindset of stepping up and being there to help others.”

Friday’s announcement continued a big week of NIL deals for Smith. He also signed a partnership with Great Clips, which referenced his Big Ten assists record. That added to a portfolio which also includes 2K Sports as part of NBA 2K26’s foray into college basketball.

Braden Smith’s $1.1 million On3 NIL Valuation puts him at No. 10 in the college basketball NIL rankings and No. 32 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation. He joins a State Farm athlete roster that also includes Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, who signed with the brand while at Iowa, and USC guard JuJu Watkins.

“Braden’s selfless style of play and commitment to elevating his team make him a strong ambassador for our brand,” said Kristyn Cook, State Farm chief agency, sales and marketing officer, in a statement. “Breaking the all-time assist record is an incredible achievement, and it reflects what we stand for: Showing up with the assist when it matters most.”

Vandegrift and Bowie boys soccer faced off in the 6A district II UIL bi-district playoffs at Burger Stadium in Austin, Friday, resulting in the Vipers winning 1-0.

The Philadelphia Eagles have had a nice offseason and that should only continue in the NFL Draft.

Injuries and players retiring on the offensive line have hurt what has long been one of the better and most reliable units in the league. For a team with Super Bowl expectations, that’s not something that can be ignored. With how poorly the Eagles ran the football last season, it’s something they’ll have to fix.

Luke Easterling of Athlon Sports has the Eagles selecting Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor with the No. 23 overall pick, giving Philadelphia exactly what it needs.

“Offensive line play has been a point of pride for the Eagles in recent years, but injuries and inconsistency fueled struggles for that unit last year, and they need to bring in some reinforcements. Proctor needs a ton of technical refinement, but he’s got rare physical traits for his massive frame, giving him a ton of upside at the next level. Whether he ends up at tackle or guard, there’s All-Pro potential here in the right situation.”

Brooks Kubena of The Athletic stated that the Eagles need an offensive lineman, but they might not go that direction.

“If the Eagles were drafting purely based on needs, I’d be writing about Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor here instead. But it would be a market anomaly if Sadiq falls to the Eagles. 

“The Athletic’s Dane Brugler noted that NFL teams believe Sadiq has the talent to be a top-10 pick. Last season, the Eagles similarly scooped up linebacker Jihaad Campbell (a top-10 player on the Eagles’ draft board) when he fell within range. This pick is all the more possible after the Minnesota Vikings (at No. 18) restructured T.J. Hockenson’s contract on Monday,” he wrote.

Philadelphia has shown that it can develop offensive linemen at a high level, which makes this potential fit even more intriguing. The Eagles would need to get him up to speed quickly, but there’s no reason to think he can’t.

Philadelphia has a few different ways it can go, so it’ll be intriguing to see what happens. Howie Roseman usually gets it right.

SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Olympic and world champion swimmer Cameron McEvoy has broken the men’s 50-meter freestyle world record which had stood for 17 years.

The 31-year-old Australian posted a time of 20.88 seconds on Friday at the China Open in Shenzhen, taking 0.03 second off Brazilian César Cielo’s previous mark.

Cielo set his world record of 20.91 during swimming’s so-called “super suit” era in 2009. Those suits were later banned because they increased buoyancy and reduced drag, resulting in nearly 150 world records falling in 2009 before being prohibited in 2010.

“I knew I had a chance to do a PB (personal best),” McEvoy said. “My old PB was 21.06, so maybe 20.99? But doing ⁠20.88 is unreal. It’s crazy."

Cielo was quick to congratulate McEvoy on social media, tweeting: “Congrats, Cam. Lightning fast swim! Incredible!"

___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Sean McVay is tied for the fourth-youngest head coach across the NFL for the 2026 season. The Los Angeles Rams’ leading man has yet to turn 40, but somehow his coaching staff is already coming full circle and collecting former draft picks and players.

Brian Allen was the first former player under McVay to join the staff. This will be his second season as an assistant offensive line coach under Ryan Wendell. Allen was a fourth round pick out of Michigan State in 2018, which was McVay’s second draft in Los Angeles. He was the starting center for the team’s 2021 Super Bowl victory.

It’s wild that McVay can still be one of the youngest coaches in the league yet still have a player undergo the full course of his professional career before joining the staff. McVay also has one of the most broad coaching trees in the NFL and nearly every franchise is looking to steal some of the Rams’ thunder from a coaching or front office perspective.

The second former player to join McVay’s staff is Robert Woods, who was one of the team’s first free agent signings during McVay’s debut offseason. Similar to Allen, Woods was on the roster for both of the team’s Super Bowl appearances in 2018 and 2021. Woods did not participate in the 2021 winning effort because he suffered a season-ending knee injury midseason.

Which McVay era players should be next?

Cory Littleton

Johnny Hekker

Both Littleton and Hekker were under the stewardship of vaunted special teams coach John Fassel. The Rams haven’t been able to figure out special teams since the departure of Fassel, and this could be a way to recapture some of the magic. Hekker is still an active player and joined the Vikings this offseason.

Cooper Kupp

It’s no secret that Cooper Kupp’s success in the NFL can be attributed more to his mental game rather than athletic gifts. Kupp is a unique player on the mental side of the game and would make for a very interesting coaching hire once his playing days are done.

Eric Weddle

Weddle rejoined the Rams ahead of the 2021 Super Bowl and following a major injury in the playoffs to safety Jordan Fuller. It’s clear that Weddle and McVay are aligned from a football perspective. The former pro is currently coaching at the high school level and is a popular name on the NFL rumor mill.

The No. 9 Florida State Seminoles lost to the NC State Wolfpack 6-4 on Friday at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida. It is FSU's first ACC loss of the season and dropped them to 17-4 overall and 3-1 in conference play.

The Seminoles entered the bottom of the eighth inning down 5-4 and had a great chance to tie or retake the lead after Myles Bailey and Kelvyn Paulino Jr. both reached to start the inning. Head coach Link Jarrett had Chase Williams pinch hit for Brody DeLamielleure, but he was unable to deliver and struckout. Another groundout and a strikeout ended the threat and allowed NC State to win the series opener.

NC State took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when the leadoff hitter reached on an error by Cal Fisher at shortstop. A two-out double of Wes Mendes allowed him to score. The Seminoles answered back in the third inning when Brayden Dowd drove in Will Bavaro with a groundout to tie the game.

The Wolfpack loaded the bases to start the fourth inning, but Mendes limited the damage to just one run on a sacrifice fly. FSU took its first lead of the game in the fifth inning after Fisher worked a one-out walk and Dowd singled to put two on. Myles Bailey did the rest, hitting a three-run homer off the scoreboard to give FSU a 4-2 lead.

The lead didn't last as NC State answered with three runs of their own in the sixth inning. Three consecutive singles made it a 4-3 game and chased Mendes from the game. John Abraham allowed a two-out double, giving NC State a 5-4 lead.

Mendes allowed five runs (four earned) in 5 1/3 innings. He suffered his first loss of the season and is now 5-1 with a 1.59 ERA. Abraham pitched the final 3 2/3 innings, allowing one run on a hit and a walk with six strikeouts.

FSU finished the game with just five hits and five walks, striking out 15 times. Dowd was the only Seminole with two hits, and Bailey hit his team-high 10th homer of the season.

The Seminoles will look to even the series on Saturday against NC State. The game is set to start at 2 p.m. ET and will be on ACC Network Extra. FSU will start lefty Trey Beard (2-0, 0.54 ERA), and NC State will start righty Jacob Dudan (4-0, 2.01 ERA).

Contact/Follow us @FSUWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of FSU news, notes, and opinions.

This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU baseball loses Game One vs. NC State

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA filed a complaint in federal court Friday seeking an emergency restraining order to stop online sportsbook DraftKings from using registered trademarks associated with the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments.

The complaint for trademark infringement was filed in the Southern District of Indiana and requests that DraftKings stop using terms including “March Madness,” “Final Four,” “Elite Eight” and “Sweet Sixteen" or variations of them in sports betting products, promotional campaigns or marketing.

A message seeking comment was sent after business hours to DraftKings' general media relations address.

The NCAA said in the complaint its trademarks are used to identify, brand, advertise and distinguish the tournaments across broadcast media, digital platforms, merchandise, sponsorships and licensed commercial activities.

“On the eve of the Tournaments, DraftKings deliberately adopted and prominently began using the NCAA’s iconic NCAA Basketball Marks, including confusingly similar variations thereof, to trade on — and usurp — the immense goodwill, recognition, and consumer trust embodied in those Marks at the precise moment of peak public attention,” the complaint said.

Screenshots of DraftKings wagering platforms were included in exhibits attached to the complaint.

“DraftKings’s unlawful use quickly proliferated across its consumer-facing websites and mobile applications, embedding the marks and logos into betting menus, promotional graphics, and marketing publications, to deliberately exacerbate consumer confusion and reinforce a false association with or sponsorship by the NCAA in order to continuously capitalize on the goodwill of the NCAA,” the complaint said.

The NCAA said it avoids any appearance of affiliation with gambling companies and has declined sportsbook sponsorships, banned sports betting by athletes and staff and publicly opposed prop bets and micro-bets. The NCAA noted it has launched initiatives to prevent harassment and improper influence in college sports and preserve the integrity of its competitions.

"Every day that DraftKings continues to use these marks, millions of sports fans — and, critically, college students and young adults who are particularly susceptible to gambling harm — are exposed to the false suggestion that the Association has authorized or endorsed DraftKings’ gambling platform,” the NCAA said in a statement.

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AP March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

In the first game of the Region 2 series between Westlake and Mountain Ridge, the Sentinels performed how they thought they should by scoring 10 runs in the first inning for a dominant 15-1 win.

The victory, they hoped, was an omen for how lopsided the series would be, but Wednesday’s Game 2 left the Sentinels shocked as Westlake defended home field by winning 4-1.

Mountain Ridge head coach Brock Whitney said the loss was a result of his team getting ahead of itself, which the Sentinels made sure not to do Friday.

The adjusted focus was clear in Friday’s Game 3 as the Sentinels dominated Westlake with a 10-0 mercy rule win.

“I think our level of focus was improved, as was the intensity in the dugout, the level of respect that we had for Westlake,” Whitney said.

“That’s a good team over there. They’re going to steal some more wins in our region. They’re scrappy, and we definitely overlooked them on Wednesday, and their guys took advantage of it. Hopefully we learned from that to not overlook anybody else the rest of the year.”

Friday’s focus was most noticeable on the defensive side of the ball, as Mountain Ridge kept Westlake scoreless while not committing any errors.

It also made big plays when it needed to. In the third, fourth and fifth innings, the Thunder had multiple runners on base — including a runner on third — and each time Mountain Ridge found a way to get out of the jam without giving up a run.

A double play in the top of the third inning with runners on second and third base especially was huge, as Mountain Ridge held only a 1-0 lead at the time.

“It was big, that double play line drive from (Schaver Dixon) to our third baseman, (Alex Krasner)," Whitney said. “Westlake had all the momentum at that point, but Schaver was able to snag it and keep his composure enough to deliver a strike over to third base. It was a big-time momentum switch.”

Offensively, the player of the game was clearly Brody Garrard. In four at-bats, Garrard had a double, a sacrifice fly, a home run and a walk-off RBI single.

He tallied four RBIs in the win.

“I saw a lot of fastballs, and just trying to attack the fastball,” Garrard said. “I saw a lot of off-speed. They couldn’t really locate, but I was trying to get the fastball and just put a good swing on it, and that’s what I did.”

Garrard helped put the game away, but strong hitting throughout the lineup gave Mountain Ridge the edge.

While its defense clutched out two-out situations, its offense was also pulling in runs with multiple outs. In the fourth inning, Mountain Ridge scored four runs with two outs.

Finally, with two outs in the fifth inning, Garrard hit the RBI single for the mercy rule win.

“One through nine, we all got hits,” Garrard said. “Like we’re just competing every at-bat and have a lot of quality at-bats.

“We’re a dangerous team, and the state knows that. If we play our best ball, we’re real dangerous.”

For the second year in a row, Clemson men’s basketball seas their NCAA Tournament run end almost as soon as it began.

This time, it was Iowa that sent the Tigers home, pulling away late for a 67-60 win in the South Regional in Tampa. Clemson never fully recovered from a rough offensive start, and issues on the glass only made things tougher as the game wore on.

Iowa set the tone early and never trailed. The Hawkeyes built a double-digit lead in the first half while Clemson struggled to find any rhythm offensively. Kael Combs led the way with 15 points, while Bennett Stirtz added 14. Alvaro Folgueiras provided a major lift off the bench with 14 points of his own.

Clemson leaned on R.J. Godfrey, who finished with 15 points and seven rebounds, while Butta Johnson added 11. Jestin Porter chipped in nine points. It marked the final college game for all three.

The Tigers (24-11) dug themselves into an early hole, shooting just 5-of-20 over the opening stretch as Iowa jumped out to a 22-10 lead. Clemson did manage to settle in late in the half and cut the deficit to seven by the break, but the offense never found consistency.

Even when Iowa cooled off, Clemson couldn’t fully capitalize. The Hawkeyes went more than seven minutes without a field goal late in the second half, yet the Tigers still couldn’t break through.

A late push gave Clemson a chance. Nick Davidson finished at the rim, then Dillon Hunter, Asa Thomas and Porter knocked down three straight shots from deep to trim the deficit to five with just over five minutes to play. The Tigers later got within four, but that was as close as it would get.

Iowa controlled the game where it mattered most — on the glass. The Hawkeyes finished with 15 offensive rebounds and turned those extra opportunities into 16 second-chance points. Clemson had multiple chances late to cut further into the lead but couldn’t secure key rebounds.

After Clemson cut the deficit to two early in the second half, Iowa responded with a run that pushed the lead back into double digits. Folgueiras sparked that stretch, scoring seven straight points as the Hawkeyes built their largest advantage of the night at 51-37.

From there, Clemson was stuck chasing.

The Tigers showed flashes, especially during a brief stretch where they found some offensive rhythm and cut the lead down, but every time momentum seemed to shift, Iowa had an answer — whether it was a timely shot, a trip to the free-throw line, or another offensive rebound.

Clemson’s defense did enough to keep things within reach, but the offense never matched it. The Tigers finished just 10-of-27 in the first half and missed several point-blank looks around the rim that could have changed the flow early.

Despite taking care of the basketball with only three turnovers in the first half, Clemson couldn’t overcome the shooting struggles and rebounding gap.

Clemson wide receiver TJ Moore named a ‘most impactful’ re-signing

📸 Vincent Carchietta, Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images https://t.co/8nCHegqHm7pic.twitter.com/b4i5tYessU

— Clemson Wire (@Clemson_Wire) March 20, 2026

The loss also continued Clemson’s struggles in Tampa, where the program is now 0-4 all-time in basketball games. It marked the program’s 16th NCAA Tournament appearance, with the Tigers now holding a 14-16 record in tournament play.

Under Brad Brownell, Clemson has now made six NCAA Tournament appearances, the most in program history for a head coach, and has reached the field in three straight seasons for just the third time ever.

But this one ends the same way as last year — with an early exit and plenty of what-ifs.

Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.

This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: Clemson basketball loses to Iowa in first round of NCAA Tournament

Before his season-ending injury, Louisville WR Chris Bell was supposed to go in the first round and could have been a top-20 pick. His mix of size and athleticism is something teams around the league would easily fall in love with, but he suffered a late-season torn ACL.  This has dropped his draft stock to where the New Orleans Saints are selecting, and rightfully so, fans want him on the team. 

QB Tyler Shough and Bell were teammates in 2024, and the Saints have a need at WR2. Bell also adds a level of speed, and after the catch ability, the Saints are completely missing, so he would be the perfect pick at 42 for the team.

Now, there's an issue: He will probably be gone by 42. 

This offseason, Bell has progressed really well, and there is a strong belief that he will be healthy by training camp. A development like this could and should catapult Bell into first-round conversations, and that is out of the Saints' range. 

There have been two ideas circulating on social media about how to get the Saints' Bell: trade back or trade up to the first.

Here are the problems with those ideas. Mickey Loomis does not trade back, and getting back in the first is too expensive, especially in this draft. The WR class is really good this year, and depth-wise, that's where the strenght is. Kellen Moore can find a WR2 at 42, even if Bell is off the board. 

Yes, Bell on the Saints is a great scenario for everyone, but realistically, the team sticking and picking at 42 for a WR is the smarter move. If the Saints were able to fix more of their roster needs in free agency, maybe a trade up for Bell would make sense, but Loomis has done a great job in recent years of being passive and making small trades. 

So, if the Saints do stay at 42 and pick a WR, some of the options the team can go with instead are Alabama's Germie Bernard, Clemson's Antonio Williams, Notre Dame's Malachi Fields, Georgia State's Ted Hurst, or UConn's Skyler Bell.

The fact that these are just some of the options, and that there are still players projected to be selected in the third round that the Saints could love as well, is an excellent situation for this team. If Bell is there at 42, great; if not, there are other options. 

March Madness upsets so far: wins for VCU, High Point among biggest upsets in 2026 NCAA Tournament originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The most exciting part of the NCAA Tournament is that small programs are given the chance to play against big schools on a national stage. It gives smaller schools a chance to show they can hang with the best of the best, especially since the tournament is single-elimination.

The NCAA Tournament field comprises 68 teams, with four teams having to win play-in games to secure their spots in the bracket. The field is broken down into four regions of 16 teams each. Given that teams are ranked in descending order, there is a "favorite" and an "underdog" in every matchup. Some are close, like the No. 8 vs. No. 9 game, while others are far apart in terms of seeding and expected talent, like a No. 1 seed facing a No. 16 seed.

In the history of the NCAA Tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, the Final Four has been made up entirely of No. 1 seeds just twice. That means in all but two of the last 41 tournaments, there has been at least one upset.

The 2026 NCAA Tournament began with No. 8 Ohio State taking on No. 9 TCU. It was the Horned Frogs that emerged victorious with a 68-66 win, marking the first upset of this year’s tournament. As things played out, all four No. 9 seeds beat the No. 8 seeds.

Here is more on all of the upsets that have happened so far in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. 

MARCH MADNESS HQ:Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Latest news and more

March Madness upsets so far

Here is a look at the upsets in 2026 March Madness so far. 

No. 9 TCU beat No. 8 Ohio State

The Horned Frogs in Buckeyes met in the first game of the first round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. TCU came to play and went into halftime 39-24. Ohio State battled back throughout the second half, though, and nearly completed the full comeback. The Buckeyes scored 40 points in the second half compared to the Horned Frogs' 27, but they came just shy of the win and TCU advanced. 

The Horned Frogs were led by Micah Robinson, who had 18 points, and David Punch, who had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. 

No. 11 VCU beat No. 6 North Carolina

North Carolina went into halftime 39-28. The Tar Heels led by 19 points at one point, but the Rams battled all the way back and scored 47 points in the second half to force the game to go into overtime. VCU used that momentum to sustain them through the extra period, beating North Carolina 82-78, in what was one of the Tar Heels' worst losses in program history. 

HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
16 vs. 1 | 15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5

No. 10 Texas A&M beat No. 7 Saint Mary's

Texas A&M got out to an early lead over Saint Mary's and never looked back. The Aggies went into halftime up 11 points and maintained their lead throughout the second half. When the dust settled, Texas A&M cruised to the 63-50 victory. 

The Aggies were led by Rashaun Agee, who finished with 22 points, nine rebounds and three assists. 

No. 9 Saint Louis beat No. 8 Georgia

Saint Louis was matched up with Georgia in the first round, pitting an Atlantic-10 at-large team against an at-large team from the SEC. The Billikens took the opportunity to ball out for the mid-majors and took some frustrations out on Georgia. Saint Louis took a 17-point lead into halftime and didn't take its foot off the gas. 

The Billikens beat the Bulldogs 102-77, one of the largest point spreads at that point in the tournament. Saint Louis had five different players finish with double-digit points. 

MORE: Where loss to VCU ranks among the worst in Tar Heels history

No. 11 Texas beat No. 6 BYU

Texas was one of the last at-large teams in the NCAA Tournament, which meant it had to play in for its spot as an 11-seed. The Longhorns beat NC State in the play-in game, which may have helped them build momentum. Texas was then matched up with BYU in the first round. The Longhorns led by nine at halftime but were outscored by the Cougars in the second half, 34-33.

Texas still hung on for the eight-point win. The Longhorns were led in scoring by Matas Vokietatis, who recorded a double-double with 23 points and 16 rebounds in 33 minutes of action.

No. 12 High Point beat No. 5 Wisconsin

High Point had the biggest upset win on the first day of the first round. The Panthers entered the tournament as the Big South Champions and were given a No. 12 seed to take on Wisconsin, an at-large team from the Big Ten. High Point hung with Wisconsin throughout the game, keeping the game close. Chase Johnston, infamously known for only making three pointers during the regular season, hit his first two of the year and it ended up being the two points the Panthers needed to clinch the win. 

MORE: High Point joins list of 12 seeds to beat a 5 seed in NCAA Tournament

No. 9 Utah State beat No. 8 Villanova

Despite having a 10-point lead early in the second half, the Villanova Wildcats were unable to hold on against Utah State. The Cougars never believed they were out of the running to win this game, and their determination showed. The team shot just 12.6% (2/16) from beyond the arc today, compared to Villanova's 46.7% (14/30), so the Cougars had to adapt. Utah's guards were what pulled them away from Villanova, and helped lead the team on a 20-6 run to close out the game, largely thanks to MJ Collins Jr.

No. 9 Iowa beat No. 8 Clemson

Iowa confirmed that every No. 9 seed would advance in this year's bracket. The Hawkeyes took down Clemson, 67-61, fending off some late Tigers pushes to move forward in the South Region. Even on a day where star guard Bennett Stirtz shot just 4 of 17 from the field, Iowa built a halftime lead and held on thanks to 14 points from Alvaro Folgueiras off the bench, plus an efficient 15-point night for Kael Combs. The Hawkeyes took 31 trips to the free-throw line and out-rebounded Clemson 40-27 in the first-round matchup.

Any upsets in college basketball today?

Today is Friday, March 21 and is the second and final day of the first round matchups. 

There have been two upsets on the day, both from No. 9 seeds beating No. 8 seeds.

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