It’s a battle of blue bloods in Philadelphia on Sunday night, as the 2-seed UConn men’s basketball team takes on Mick Cronin and the 7-seed UCLA Bruins for a spot in the Sweet 16. UConn survived 15-seed Furman’s best punch Friday night for an 82-71 win to make it to the second round, while UCLA fought off a late comeback from 10-seed UCF to hold on for a 75-71 win. Now, the two historic programs with 17 men’s basketball titles between them will square off at 8:45 p.m. ET on TNT for the right to take on 3-seed Michigan State next weekend in the Sweet 16 in Washington, D.C.

FanDuel has UConn as a 4.5-point favorite over the Bruins on Sunday night, with the Huskies odds to win outright at -194. The over/under for the game is set at 136.5, down from the opening odds at 137.5. If history is to say anything about matchups between Cronin’s teams against UConn dating back to his Cincinnati days, Sunday night figures to be a physical affair where points could be at a premium. For more NCAA tournament odds and futures, be sure to check out FanDuel.

A win for the Huskies would give them three Sweet 16 appearances in the last four seasons and be the 20th Sweet 16 in program history. In order for UConn to get there, here are three keys for the Huskies to take down the Bruins.

Get Healthy

UConn was without starting point guard Silas Demary Jr. and sixth man Jaylin Stewart for the win over the Paladins. While Stewart has missed the last seven games with a knee injury, Demary Jr. injured his ankle in the Big East Tournament Championship against St. John’s and missed his first game of the season Friday night.

Both players were sorely missed in the First Round, as Dan Hurley and the Huskies had to go a little deeper into the bench than usual to try and compensate for having two key players unavailable. While Malachi Smith and Alec Millender stepped up to help UConn get the win, Demary Jr.’s scoring ability and defensive skills were sorely missed. The same can be said for Stewart’s versatility.

Both are still questionable for Sunday night. Fortunately for UConn, UCLA seems to be a little banged up too. Cronin said Tyler Bilodeau — the Bruins’ leading scorer at 17.6 points per game — remains questionable after not playing against UCF in the First Round.

Monitor the midrange

Analytics have modernized basketball, especially on the offensive end, where teams have focused and refined their offenses solely around layups and 3-pointers and basically nothing in between. This UCLA squad is a bit of a throwback in that the Bruins are comfortable taking plenty of midrange jumpers. Per KenPom, UCLA’s average 2-point distance is 7.8 feet from the basket — one of the highest marks in all of college basketball.

The midrange jumper might not be the most analytically smart shot, but against defenses built to primarily stop teams from getting easy looks at the rim and run offenses off the 3-point line like UConn has, the midrange can be wide open. Teams like Seton Hall and Arizona took advantage of this against the Huskies to varying levels of success this season. While it’s a risk — it’s still worth two points, but harder to make than a layup — UConn will need to contest these shots to ensure the Bruins don’t get too many clean looks.

Hit some shots

There’s no other way to put it; UConn has been ice cold from three. The Huskies were 5-25 from three against Furman, and just 3-19 in the Big East title game against St. John’s. That’s 18.2 percent in the last two games. Outside of Alex Karaban, who has five of those eight makes, the rest of the Huskies’ normally solid shooters have been ice cold.

Despite the struggles, Hurley doesn’t seem to be worried. While shots aren’t falling, UConn continues to get consistently open looks. He believes in the shooters he has put together, and that eventually things will start to turn around.

I would be a lot more concerned if we weren’t generating really good shots, like if we were missing really hard shots, really difficult, contested. The offense isn’t generating open looks. I think we’re generating looks that we’re more than capable of making and getting hot and getting on a run here. It’s like the law of averages, right? At least that’s what we keep — that’s what we kind of keep talking about,“ Hurley said at media availability. ”The guys are such excellent shooters. Solo Ball is an excellent shooter. You watch him shoot, he’s one of the best shooters in the country, Braylon Mullins, he’s an incredible shooter of the basketball. They just get that first one to go in or get one of those early ones to go in, and you could have a team here that’s ripping them off.“

Mullins in particular has struggled from deep in March. The star freshman is 5-38 (13.1 percent) from three in five games this month. It’s an unfortunate and unlikely shooting slump for Mullins, who has already demonstrated the ability to shoot the ball effectively. A strong performance Sunday night would put the slump to rest and reignite his 2026 NBA Draft stock.

After advancing through the first round, VCU faces Illinois on Saturday in the 2026 NCAA Tournament with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.

MORE:5 bold March Madness predictions for 2026 NCAA Tournament

How to Watch VCU vs Illinois

• Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026
• Time: 7:50 PM ET
• TV Channel: CBS
• Live Stream: Fubo (try for free)

The NCAA Tournament continues on Saturday, as teams look to advance to the Sweet 16, setting the stage for another day of dramatic finishes. With eyes set on a national title, the tournament always promises the chaos and excitement that make March Madness one of the best events to follow in sports.

– Watch VCU vs Illinois on Fubo –

In one of the more intriguing second‑round games, No. 11 VCU arrives after one of the biggest first‑round comebacks of the tournament, escaping with an 82–78 overtime win over North Carolina thanks to late‑game heroics, while No. 3 Illinois cruised with a resounding 105–70 victory over Penn, getting a 29‑point, 17‑rebound effort from Mirkovic to assert its offensive dominance.

The Illini’s efficient scoring and rebounding advantage set up a classic contrast with the Rams’ gritty, high‑energy style, making this a showdown where Illinois’ size and execution will be challenged by VCU’s belief and momentum.

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MARCH MADNESS: 5 bold March Madness predictions for 2026 NCAA Tournament

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New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo took to Instagram on Saturday to apologize for recent remarks calling CTE as an “excuse” and labeling asthma as “fake.”

“I recently did an interview and had a lapse in judgment which resulted in making a tasteless joke about CTE and asthma,” Skattebo wrote on Instagram. “It was never my intention to downplay the seriousness of head trauma or asthma. I sincerely apologize to anyone that was offended by my remarks, and I assure you that I’ll be more mindful and respectful going forward.”

Skattebo’s insensitive remarks certainly did not come off as a joke. This should be a lesson for Skattebo, and a reminder to all athletes to be careful about what platforms they appear on and what topics they delve into.

If those are things Skattebo truly believes, perhaps he should spend some time with families who have suffered with former players who have dealt with Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, and with people live with conditions like asthma.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Zach Benson had a goal and an assist and the Buffalo Sabres continued their white-hot play with a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.

Tage Thompson, Sam Carrick and Rasmus Dahlin also scored for the Sabres.

Carrick and Dahlin scored 59 seconds apart midway through the third period, and Benson added an empty-netter to give the Sabres their fourth straight win and 12th in the past 13 outings. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 26 saves.

Buoyed by significant and vocal support despite being the visitors, the Sabres continued their push for an Atlantic Division title as they are on their way to ending a 14-year playoff drought, the longest in the NHL.

Artemi Panarin scored, picking up a point for the fifth straight game. Anze Kopitar tied Marcel Dionne for the Kings franchise record for points on home ice, and Anton Forsberg made 28 saves.

Los Angeles came into the day as the second wild card in the Western Conference but dropped behind the Nashville Predators, who won 4-1 over the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Kings started off strong. Panarin continued the productive start to his Kings tenure by opening the scoring with a power-play goal midway through the first period. He has five goals and 11 assists in 13 games for Los Angeles. It was the first goal the Sabres had allowed on the road in 176 minutes of game action, including consecutive shutouts at Vegas and San Jose.

But Buffalo came back to control the final two periods, with a failed coach's challenge by Los Angeles for a high stick in the build up before Carrick's slick backhand leading to Dahlin's power-play goal.

Up Next

Sabres: Visit Anaheim on Sunday.

Kings: Visit Utah on Sunday.

___

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

This comes after a 3-3 draw at home against fellow relegation and club rivals Borussia Mönchengladbach on Saturday afternoon.

Internally, the strongest two options are a promotion of assistant coach René Wagner and the so-called “Feuerwehrmann” Friedhelm Funkel. 

Funkel served as a last resort option in the 2024-25 2. Bundesliga season, when Köln needed wins in successive final games to get promotion to the Bundesliga. 

Due to this, the Köln board have faith in him and his stability he brings to the club as well as solid relations with personnel.

At 72-years-old, this would be the third time the experienced German coach has come out of retirement to save Köln's season and help them get over the line at the end of a Bundesliga or 2. Bundesliga campaign.

Köln's sporting director did not 100% confirm anything following the draw which left the Billy Goats only two points off 16th with St. Pauli playing on Sunday against Freiburg at home.

There is still madness in March. There are buzzer beaters. Upsets. Postgame tears. “Wait, what?” moments that go viral and become part of NCAA Tournament lore.

The chaos that makes the tournament such a captivating three-week spectacle is just getting a little harder to come by these days. And that might not be changing any time soon.

For every High Point and VCU — which shredded perfect brackets by the millions while pulling first-round stunners over power-conference schools — there is an ever-increasing helping of chalk as favorites crush the dreams of potential Cinderellas before they even catch a glimpse of a glass slipper.

The top four seeds in each region went 16-0 across an opening two days that were only occasionally compelling and competitive, just as the top four seeds did a year ago. The average margin of victory in the first round was 17.4 points, the highest ever since the tournament expanded to 64 (and then 68) teams. Fourteen games were decided by at least 20 points, a record, and Florida won by 59 — the second-biggest margin in tournament history.

And while there is increasing parity in women's basketball at the top, higher-seeded teams also had little trouble during first-round contests.

Transfers and NIL increase the gap between haves and have-nots

It's not a coincidence that this run of dominance has come nearly in lockstep with the easing of transfer rules and the ability of athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness.

Saint Louis was one of the rare lower-seeded teams to make it to the round of 32 when the ninth-seeded Billikens raced by eighth-seeded Georgia on Thursday. Less than 48 hours later, they were run off the floor by top-seeded Michigan.

Wolverines forward Yaxel Landenberg, so coveted in the transfer portal that he told the AP he was up to $9 million by Kentucky before choosing Michigan, had 25 points and six rebounds in the win.

“I think the talent gap at the top is more significant than it was,” Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz said. “I think NIL has created that, where just the size and physicality, the differences between the top five or 10 teams and everybody else ... I do think there’s a chasm.”

That chasm may be difficult to navigate in the short term, and maybe the long term, as major college athletics endures a Wild West phase following the House settlement that allowed schools to pay athletes directly.

The math is easy: The bigger the school, the bigger the budget. The bigger the budget, the easier it is to attract top talent, including raiding the rosters of schools lower on the food chain.

“These teams that don’t have the resources, it’s just hard to keep anyone longer than one year,” Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland said. “If you’re great, it’s like, you’re in a catch-22. If you play great, you’re gone because there’s people with more resources.”

Players shine at small schools, and then leave

Alabama coach Nate Oats became one of the hottest commodities in the late 2010s while at Buffalo, leading the Bulls to 32 wins in 2018-19 behind guard C.J. Massinburg. Back then, players who transferred had to sit out a year before being eligible at their new schools.

That rule is no more, leaving Oats to wonder if he'd have been able to hold on to Massinburg for four seasons in the current climate. Rare in 2026 is the player who sticks and stays from signing day to graduation day.

“I’m sure he would’ve loved to stay and play for me, but it’s going to be hard for him to turn down the amount of money he would have been offered,” Oats said.

The trickle-up effect is real. There was a time not so long ago when the blue bloods recruited the best high school players and threw them into the fray right away, while the lower-tier teams that became tournament darlings grew together over time.

Not so much anymore.

“The big, high-major schools are no longer throwing freshmen and sophomores, highly-rated, talented players out there against the low to mid-majors with the fifth-year seniors,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said.

That's in part because so many seniors now find themselves in the big leagues after playing their way up the ladder.

“(Schools are) going out and purchasing a ready-made roster of grizzled, talented veterans,” Hurley said. “So the art of program-building in colleges is over.”

Mid-majors complain the power schools won't play them

Mid-major schools are also struggling to put together a schedule that prepares them for the step up in competition that awaits in March.

It can sometimes lead to ugly mismatches like the ones peppered across this year's opening round.

High Point wasn't one of those teams. The Big South champion Panthers more than held their own in fending off fifth-seeded Wisconsin on Thursday, continuing a long tradition of 12th-seeded bracket busters.

Still, Panthers coach Flynn Clayman said would like to see things “tweaked” so power-conference programs are incentivized to hit the road or play on a neutral court every once in a while against strong mid-majors.

“Fans deserve to see High Point versus a good team in the nonconference,” Clayman said. “You can run down the list. Look at Santa Clara (against Kentucky), what a game that is. They deserve to get games."

Purdue's Matt Painter understands the frustration but isn't sure those games will happen with any regularity. The Boilermakers played three mid-majors this season, all at home. Any true road or neutral-site nonconference games will likely be saved for other power-conference programs as schools try to boost their NCAA Tournament resumes.

And that could make the brackets even chalkier as the years go on.

Still, all it takes is one thunderclap moment by an underdog for the chalk to be washed away.

That remains the ultimate lure of March. For now.

“I think there was some teams that ducked us this year,” High Point forward Cam'Ron Fletcher said. “But, I mean, like coach Flynn say, we’re here now, so ... there’s no ducking anymore.”

In the tournament, for better or worse, there never is.

___

AP Sports Writers Dan Gelston, John Wawrow, Dave Skretta, Doug Feinberg and Brett Martel contributed to this report.

___

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

Chelsea are in freefall after their latest defeat - 3-0 at Everton - and now have a two‑week international break during which to stew on 10 damaging days.

After suffering an 8-2 aggregate loss to Paris St‑Germain in the Champions League last 16, Chelsea's defeat at the hands of Beto and Ilman Ndiaye on Saturday means back‑to‑back Premier League losses and no wins in four in all competitions.

This has led to increasing scrutiny of head coach Liam Rosenior and the club as a whole, not least from vice‑captain Enzo Fernandez, who said Chelsea had lost "identity, structure and direction" since former boss Enzo Maresca left the club in January, adding the players did not understand why he left.

Although Fernandez went closest to scoring and embraced Rosenior after the match, his comments paint a worrying picture.

Once again on Saturday, Chelsea were outrun, error‑prone and tactically open, as Everton played through them for a comfortable win at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The result leaves Chelsea sixth in the Premier League, still just one point behind fifth‑placed Liverpool in the race for Champions League qualification.

However, Everton are now seventh and only two points behind Chelsea, part of a group of sides capable of leapfrogging the struggling giants with seven matches left to play this season.

"I don't focus on the noise," Rosenior told BBC Match of the Day. "I know the reality of where I'm at and where we are at as a club and what we can achieve, which is still some amazing things.

"It's been a really testing period for these lads. We've had a lot of setbacks and we have to dust ourselves down and make sure we come back fighting."

Does Rosenior know his best squad?

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live that Chelsea are "not getting the best" out of their players at present.

"You need to find out why that's happened," he said. "That can't be allowed to happen in the Premier League."

Rosenior has faced criticism for his level of rotation, with no club having made more changes than Chelsea's 99 in the Premier League from match to match.

That rotation has increased under the 41-year-old, who says he does not have a recognised number one goalkeeper, with Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen in rotation.

Sanchez's form has dipped as a result, with further mistakes against Everton. He was caught in possession early on by Beto but was rescued by defender Jorrel Hato, before allowing a shot from the striker to slip through his fingers in the second half.

There was further criticism for others, including defender Wesley Fofana, while even star attackers Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro struggled to create as Chelsea went goalless for a third consecutive match.

"What I need to do better is make better decisions in terms of team selections, how we freshen up the team and rotate the team to make sure we are competitive in these games," Rosenior told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Having the international break has probably come at a perfect time for us to gather and restock. We also have some clear weeks to get on the training pitch to work on what we want."

Who is to blame?

Before large numbers of the travelling Chelsea supporters left Everton's stadium before the full-time whistle, they were singing anti-ownership songs. Rosenior approached the remaining fans to apologise and thank them for their support but some see his appointment as symptomatic of wider problems in the hierarchy.

After home matches against Port Vale in the FA Cup quarter-final and a home match against Manchester City, fans of Chelsea and Strasbourg, who are also owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, will march on Stamford Bridge before the home game with Manchester United (Saturday, 18 April).

"In every area of the game, Everton fought and battled in such a way that has shown Chelsea up," Nevin added.

"Are they not buying into the manager? Is it that they are exhausted after the season they've had? Have they just been beaten on the day?"

Winning start helps Rosenior

Defeat by Everton means Chelsea have lost three of their past four Premier League matches - as many defeats as in their previous 18 games in the competition.

They have also failed to score in three consecutive matches in all competitions for the first time since September 2023 despite attempting 52 shots (16 on target) across those fixtures.

That profligacy in front of goal has been matched by defensive issues, with Chelsea conceding the opening goal in four consecutive Premier League games for the first time since November 2023.

There is also the well‑publicised statistic that Chelsea have been outrun by every Premier League opponent in every match this season.

"We have played 10 Premier League games in my time here and have 17 points," Rosenior told Match of the Day.

"We are not in as bad a place as the noise suggests - but we need to come out of it very quickly."

Indeed, since Rosenior replaced Maresca, Chelsea are fourth in the Premier League form table, winning five of their 10 games.

Only Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City have picked up more points in this period.

How crucial is Champions League return?

There are many reasons Champions League football is so important for Chelsea. The most obvious is prestige.

Without it, Chelsea risk being unable to attract key transfer targets. Striker Liam Delap is believed to have chosen a move to Stamford Bridge over Manchester United for the chance to play in the Champions League.

Meanwhile, there is also the issue of revenue. Qualification for the competition is the single biggest way for a major club to boost its bottom line. TV income, prize money and matchday revenue are far greater than those generated in the Europa League or Conference League.

It is especially important for Chelsea, who still lack a long‑term front‑of‑shirt sponsor and whose stadium, Stamford Bridge, lags behind the bigger and more modern grounds used by many of their league rivals.

It's for all these reasons that before the season, the primary club target for former boss Maresca was to qualify for next season's Champions League.

And for Rosenior, who was expected to bring stability, that is the continued expectation.

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It seems that Denny Hamlin has never been surer of his NASCAR endgame. And right now, all signs point toward 2027 being his final season as a full-time driver in the NASCAR Cup Series.

The Joe Gibbs Racing veteran is in his 21st full-time Cup season, and while he has dropped hints before, the clearest signal came shortly after signing his most recent contract extension last year ahead of the July race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Asked whether it would be his final extension, Hamlin replied simply, “most likely,” — a phrase that landed with the quiet finality of a 45-year-old man who had already begun doing the math.

Hamlin’s Personal Rain Cloud

Since then, Hamlin has become NASCAR’s version of Joe Btfsplk — the famously unlucky character from the long-running comic strip Li'l Abner created by Al Capp who wanders through life with a permanent dark rain cloud hovering overhead. Hamlin watched perhaps his best shot at a first Cup title slip away by just a few laps last November at Phoenix Raceway when he lost out to Kyle Larson. Then, in the offseason, real-world tragedy struck when his father was killed in a house fire.

Back Behind the Wheel

There were legitimate questions about whether Hamlin would even return this season. But return he did — perhaps as a way to heal, to move forward, to rediscover some version of normal life at 190 mph. Even so, the cumulative weight of those moments has made the idea of stepping away when his current contract ends feel more tangible than ever.

At Darlington Raceway on Saturday, Hamlin admitted he isn’t certain how much recent events have shaped his long-term thinking. What he does know is that the process has already begun.

“I think that I've given Gibbs enough of a heads up that they're working on the plans for beyond,” he said. “So as long as those all go as planned, I would, I still assume that the end of ‘27 is it. I just don't want to go to my last half of the year or year just like, can't wait to get out. If I could end on notes like we have like seasons like this one is starting, then that would be a successful last year for me.”

One thing he is certain about is the idea of a farewell tour.

“No, no, I’m good on that,” he said.

Victory and Tears in Vegas

Last Sunday, Hamlin won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It was an emotional first victory of the season, coming at the same track where he last visited Victory Lane in 2025 — a win he had dedicated to his father, who was still alive at the time but in declining health.

The most recent Las Vegas triumph marked the 61st of his career, breaking a tie with Kevin Harvick and giving Hamlin sole possession of 10th place on the all-time wins list in NASCAR’s top series. Next ahead is Kyle Busch with 63 victories.

“I think it's pie in the sky, realistically, I think that, you know, given the runway, Kyle's (Busch) career - he's still got more years to go than I will,” Hamlin said. “He's capable of running and winning long after I'm gone.”

What’s Left to Chase

Catching Busch isn’t necessarily the objective. After three Daytona 500 victories among his 61 career wins, Hamlin’s bucket list has narrowed to the sport’s biggest prizes.

“I think I'm kind of where I'm at, and where I think I will be, but you just never know,” he said. “I mean, each win stacks up and, you know, 50 was a goal at one point. So, you just keep moving, keep moving the bar as far as you can. I think that I've certainly got more wins than what I would have imagined. It's just now can we, can we get the big prizes at the end of the year? That's the only goal left to have other than the Brickyard is certainly one that still is mindful of me personally, of where I'm at.”

Steering Toward the Finish Line

For now, Hamlin appears to be slowly steering toward the exit, preparing to climb out of the No. 11 Toyota when his contract expires at the end of 2027. But as any veteran racer will tell you, retirement plans in NASCAR are often written in pencil — especially when there are still trophies, and championships, left on the table.

“Well, I mean, things always change,” he said. “You just never know, but it's what I would like, but again, I don't know all the moving parts and pieces beyond what happens between now and bout 20 months from now. So, you just don't know, but I thought that was a good enough timeline and enough heads up that, that they could make plans.”

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Christian Dvorak scored a tiebreaking goal early in the third period and added an assist, Dan Vladar made 24 saves and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Saturday to complete a three-game West Coast sweep.

Owen Tippett scored in the second period and defenseman Travis Sanheim and Noah Cates added empty-net goals in the final two minutes as the Flyers won their third straight and for the fifth time in six games. Philly was coming off a 3-2 overtime win over Anaheim on Wednesday and 4-3 shootout victory over Los Angeles on Thursday. The Flyers completed a California sweep for the second time in franchise history and extended their road winning streak to seven games.

Dmitry Orlov scored for San Jose, which lost its fourth in a row and for the seventh time in nine games. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 24 of 26 shots.

After a scoreless first period, Tippett got the Flyers on the board with his 24th of the season 2:26 into the second. Tippett took a pass from Trevor Zegras, got past the Sharks' Nick Leddy and beat Nedeljkovic with a shot to the glove side.

Orlov evened the score with his third of the season on a power play at 13:12 with a shot from the slot off a feed from William Eklund. Macklin Celebrini also assisted.

Dvorak put the Flyers ahead 1:47 into the third, scoring on the power play after San Jose's Mario Ferraro was sent off for roughing. The assists went to Travis Konecny and Matvei Michkov, who picked up the 100th point of his NHL career.

The Sharks pulled Nedeljkovic late and the Flyers capitalized. Sanheim scored his eighth of the season and Cates netted his 15th, matching his career high of 38 points set in 2022-23 when he had 13 goals and 25 assists.

Up next

Flyers: Host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.

Sharks: At the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

___

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

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Unseasonably warm temperatures turned sold-out Carver-Hawkeye Arena into a sauna, and Iowa nearly melted down inside of it.

The No. 2 seed Hawkeyes (27-6) repeatedly blew three-score leads and led 15th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson by just two points inside the game’s final five minutes of Saturday’s first-round NCAA Tournament game. Despite missing eight of 12 free throws over the final 83 seconds, the Hawkeyes outlasted the Knights 58-48 in an NCAA tournament first-round game.

Record-breaking temperatures soared to 88 degrees in Iowa City, making for stifling conditions inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which does not have air conditioning. Courtside temperature reached at least 80 degrees at game’s end.

The heat perhaps impacted the Hawkeyes, who cruised to a 20-5 lead early in the first quarter. But a bevy of turnovers and poor shot selection, coupled with Fairleigh Dickinson’s sizzling perimeter shooting, turned the game into a competitive matchup. In the end, there was too much Ava Heiden, who notched a career high with 29 points. Heiden, a sophomore, hit 11 of 16 from the field and connected on all seven free-throw attempts. She added seven rebounds.

Heiden’s performance masked Iowa’s overall deficiencies at the free-throw line. The Hawkeyes were just 10 of 22 from the line, which kept the Knights within striking distance throughout the game. Fairleigh Dickinson hit 10 3-pointers while Iowa connected on just 1 of 13 3-point attempts. But the Knights missed their last six shots and attempted just two free throws during the game.

Iowa moves onto Monday’s second-round game, where it will face 10th-seeded Virginia (21-11), which beat No. 7 seed Georgia 82-73 in overtime. Fairleigh Dickinson (30-5) had won 22 straight before falling to the Hawkeyes. No. 2 seeds are now 127-0 against No. 15 seeds in the women’s NCAA tournament.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Iowa Hawkeyes, Women's College Basketball

2026 The Athletic Media Company

Nenê has played for several traditional clubs in Brazil and Europe.

But he boasts few trophies in his career.

At 44 years old, the veteran midfielder has become the main attraction for Botafogo da Paraíba this season.

And this Saturday (21), he celebrated winning the Campeonato Paraibano.

This was only the fourth "major" title in Nenê's career celebrated on the field. 

After a 2-1 win in the first leg, Belo held Souza—the then reigning two-time champion—to a 0-0 draw to take the trophy.

Botafogo hadn't celebrated since 2019. As for Nenê, not since 2016, when he won the Campeonato Carioca with Vasco.

The midfielder had only won titles of lesser significance during that gap.

Such as the Taça Rio in 2017 (Vasco) and 2021 (Fluminense), and the Gauchão do Interior with Juventude last year.

Belo has now reached its 33rd Paraibano title, extending its dominance, as the second biggest winner is Campinense (22). 

The trophy came with a coaching change, as Lisca took over after a 4-1 loss to Campinense in the fifth round. 

Botafogo improved its performance, secured a spot in the semifinals, and eliminated Serra Branca before facing Sousa. 

The focus will now shift to the Copa do Nordeste and the Série C of the Brazilian Championship.

Leaving the third division is the main goal of the season. 

The squad also includes, for example, Henrique Dourado, formerly of Palmeiras, Fluminense, Flamengo, and Cruzeiro.

Nenê's Achievements 🏆

Nenê came up through Paulista, which at the time was called Etti Jundiaí.

It was there that he celebrated twice in 2001 by winning the A2 of the Paulistão and the Série C of the Brazilian Championship.

He went trophyless at Palmeiras, Santos, Mallorca, Alavés, Celta, Monaco, Espanyol, Al-Gharafa, and West Ham.

He played for PSG, which would become French champions in 2012/2013, but he was already playing in Qatar when the trophy was lifted in Europe. 

His title drought on the field only ended with the aforementioned Vasco in 2016.

In addition to Fluminense and Juventude, he also played for São Paulo before arriving in northeastern football. 

And now, he celebrates another trophy.

At 44 years old. 

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo has walked back insensitive comments he made about CTE and asthma on a recent podcast.

In an Instagram story, Skattebo has apologized for "a lapse in judgment, which resulted in me making a tasteless joke about CTE and asthma. It was never my intention to downplay the seriousness of head injures or asthma."

On a recent episode of the Frank Dalena podcast Bring the Juice, Skattebo said he didn't believe CTE was real and that the serious brain disease is "an excuse."

He also said asthma is an excuse and joked that people suffering from it should just breathe air normally.

Apology from #Giants RB Cam Skattebo on IG. pic.twitter.com/5LiT1jGCVP

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 21, 2026

Those comments were obviously boneheaded, so we're glad to see Skattebo apologize for them.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Cam Skattebo apologizes for 'tasteless' CTE, asthma joke

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo is coming forward with an apology after some stunning comments made during a podcast appearance on Bring The Juice with Frank Dalena.

Skattebo was asked about his thoughts on Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), when he shared his thoughts that CTE is “fake” and used as “an excuse.” He also claimed asthma was fake, and if kids are “huffing and puffing,” that they are just soft.

“You’re soft. Just literally breathe air,” the NFL star said.

MORE: Giants star Cam Skattebo receives NFL backlash over outlandish CTE take

After catching heat for his comments, Skattebo took to social media on Saturday to issue an apology.

“I recently did an interview and had a lapse in judgment, which resulted in me making a tasteless joke about CTE and asthma,” Skattebo wrote on X. “It was never my intention to downplay the seriousness of head injuries or asthma.

“I sincerely apologize to anyone that was offended by my remarks, and I assure you that I’ll be more mindful and respectful going forward.”

Not only were Skattebo’s comments tasteless, but they were factually incorrect. According to a report from the Boston University CTE Center in 2023, 91.7 percent of the former NFL players it studied were diagnosed with CTE.

— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories on The Big Lead —

MARCH MADNESS: Predicting winners for March Madness round of 32 Saturday games

NFL DRAFT: New Mel Kiper NFL mock draft shows major impact of free agency

MLB: Dodgers announce Shohei Ohtani’s spring training pitching debut

NHL: Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl out for regular season with lower-body injury

ENTERTAINMENT: Is ‘Bachelorette’ still airing amid Taylor Frankie Paul domestic dispute allegations?

VIRAL: Livvy Dunne shares ‘Baywatch’ training with BTS swimsuit, set photos

Everyone wants to get reps with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. 

Free agent wideout DeAndre Hopkins accidentally fired up Bengals fans with the idea over the weekend. 

Now it’s Davante Adams’ turn.

Adams, appearing in a social media video for the Fanatics Flag Football Classic on Saturday, said the following about Burrow: “I’m passing the phone to somebody who I wish I had the chance to play with…” 

Of course, this was just Adams responding in kind after Burrow said something similar during the draft before the flag football event: 

"This is a guy I've always wanted to play with... Davante Adams." - Joe Burrow 👏

Joey B selects Tae in the @Fanatics Flag Football Classic presented by @DICKSpic.twitter.com/NWF8KWmiXi

— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) March 19, 2026

It’s more game recognizes game than anything else. The Bengals were never a realistic option for Adams while he was a member of the Green Bay Packers and they dialed in on Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. 

Now with the Los Angeles Rams, there were rumblings that the Rams were interested in a trade for A.J. Brown, which could always signal the end of Adams’ time in LA. 

Even if that were to happen, though, the Bengals wouldn’t be realistic players in any Adams market for many reasons, chief among those the fact he’s 34 and averages $22 million per year right now. 

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Davante Adams turns heads with Joe Burrow comment

It has been over three decades since Arsenal last triumphed in the League Cup, and I have had a look back at that winning team and where they are today.

David Seaman

Looked into taking his coaching badges, but was put off by it being compulsory to work with outfield players.

Went down the reality TV route before creating his own podcast.

David O’Leary

Managed Leeds’ exciting young squad that got to two European semi-finals.

Last worked in management in 2011 in Dubai.

67-year-old speaks at corporate / after-dinner events.

Tony Adams

Attempted management, most recently getting relegated at Granada in Spain.

Formed the Sporting Chance Clinic in 2000, which supports athletes with a variety of mental/emotional needs.

Andrew Linighan

The match winner in the FA Cup final later that year walked away from the sport after retiring in 2001.

He set up his own plumbing company in 2002.

Nigel Winturburn

Briefly, Blackburn’s defensive coach under Paul Ince, who was sacked after 6 months.

Worked in the media in the early years of BT Sports and with Arsenal TV.

Ray Parlour

Has now worked for talkSPORT for over a decade. Currently mostly part of their breakfast coverage.

Paul Merson

Has worked with Sky Sports for two decades, mostly on their Soccer Saturday show. Since retirement, he has spoken openly about his battles with addiction.

Paul Davis

Worked in Arsenal’s youth setup for 7 years. Now helps coach England’s under-17s.

Provides courses for the FA for players who want their UEFA A and Pro licences. This includes teaching a certain … Mikel Arteta.

Steve Morrow

After managing in America, he held several technical roles with Arsenal (developing the likes of Saka and Smith Rowe), the FA and now FIFA.

Currently works with Mr Wenger in helping less-developed nations nurture young talent.

Ian Wright

For over two decades has been one of the UK’s most favourite pundits, working with the BBC, ITV and on the Stick To Football Podcast.

Still works closely with Arsenal, especially when Adidas wants to advertise merchandise.

Kevin Campbell

The only Gunner from this squad is no longer with us.

After retirement, did punditry/commentary for SONY TEN and ASTRO SUPER SPORT.

The striker’s son, Tyrese, currently plays for Sheffield United.

Dan Smith

_____________________________________________________________________________________________ADMIN COMMENT

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You agree not to give any personal abuse to other Arsenal fans. Everyone is allowed to hold their own opinions even if you disagree with them. It COSTS NOTHING TO BE POLITE TO OTHER ARSENAL FANS.

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More Stories / Latest News

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21 March 2026, 21:00

Today’s Seiya Suzuki news: Here

Saturday notes…

• SATURDAY CUBS ROSTER MOVES: The Cubs returned BJ Murray Jr., Jefferson Rojas and Jeff Brigham to minor league camp. The current camp roster has 41 players, comprised of 22 pitchers (four non-roster invitees), four catchers (one non-roster invitee), eight infielders (two non-roster invitees) and seven outfielders (three non-roster invitees).
• TODAY’S TIME SCHEDULE: The Spring Breakout game at Sloan Park begins at 8:05 CT and the Cubs vs. Mariners game at Peoria begins at 8:10 p.m. CT.
• CUBS SPRING BREAKOUT ROSTER:Here are the 27 Cubs players eligible to play tonight. Almost all of them have appeared in some MLB Spring Training games.

Here are today’s particulars.

Cubs lineup at Peoria:

Mariners lineup:

Cubs Spring Breakout lineup:

Padres Spring Breakout lineup:

Colin Rea will start for the Cubs at Peoria.

Will Sanders will start the Cubs Spring Breakout game.

George Kirby will start for the Mariners.

Luis Gutierrez will start for the Padres in the Spring Breakout game.

Here’s the broadcast schedule for tonight. Both games will have TV and radio broadcasts.

Cubs vs. Mariners: Mariners TV/Marquee (streaming only), WSCR The Score

Cubs vs. Padres Spring Breakout game: Marquee Sports Network/Padres TV, KWFN 97.3

MLB.com Gameday for Cubs vs. Mariners

MLB.com Gameday for Cubs vs. Padres Spring Breakout game

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

Please visit our SB Nation Mariners site Lookout Landing and Padres site Gaslamp Ball. If you do go there to interact with Mariners or Padres fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

As we have done in the past, we’ll have a first pitch thread at five minutes to game time and one overflow thread, 90 minutes after game time. For today, that will be 8 p.m. CT and 9:35 p.m. CT.

These threads will not post individually onto the front page; instead, you can find links to them in the box marked ”Chicago Cubs Game Threads” at the bottom of the front page. There will also be a StoryStream on the front page with all the game thread links, as well as the recap after the game is over. The pitcher photos and regular-season stats will return on Opening Day.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

SAN DIEGO—Arizona has played 35 games this season, and along the way it has seen it all. Zones, presses, doubling and switching from opposing defenses, and all manner of player movement on the offensive side.

Utah State may actually try to do all of that in Tuesday’s second round game at Viejas Arena in its quest to pull off arguably the biggest upset of the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

“We’ll throw everything at the Cats,” Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun said Saturday. “It’s a 40-minute game. I think there’s going to be so much made of Arizona, rightfully so. But we have 29 wins for a reason.”

The ninth-seeded Aggies (29-6) are seeking their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1970, when the NCAA field only included 25 schools. Friday’s 86-76 win over Villanova was just the program’s third in the last 50-plus seasons.

No. 1 Arizona (33-2) is among the betting favorites to win it all, or at least get to its first Final Four since 2001. The Wildcats are favored by 11.5 points, per FanDuel Sportsbook, the biggest spread they’ve had in a second round game under Tommy Lloyd, but as a team ranked in the Top 30 in KenPom that won both the Mountain West regular season and conference tournament titles, that No. 9 seed is horribly misleading.

“I’m not an expert at where people should be seeded, but from my experience, no matter who is in that 8/9 game, it’s always a tough game,” Lloyd said. “You’re playing a really good program.”

Lloyd experienced that firsthand in this same arena four years ago, when a ninth-seeded TCU team took his Wildcats to overtime.

Utah State has one of the best offenses in the country, scoring 82.6 points per game on 50 percent shooting, and though it was just 2 of 16 from 3 against Villanova for the season it makes 35.4 percent of its 3s. To offset the poor outside shooting in the first round, the Aggies made 26 of 35 2-point shots including 13 layups and five dunks.

Arizona is second-best in the country in 2-point defense, allowing 43.5 percent. Only eight teams have made half their shots from inside the arc, but those were sizable opponents like Alabama, Florida and UConn. Utah State is not known for its girth, and at 32 percent it’s one of the worst teams left in the tournament at preventing offensive rebounds.

“The challenge with these guys is their size,” Calhoun said. “We’ve got to use our quickness against their size.”

Utah State will employ a matchup zone, but also switch back and forth between that and man. It could be possession by possession or within the possession. Throw in a lot of pressing—the Aggies are 17^th nationally in defensive turnover rate—and there’s a lot for Arizona to contend with.

“We’ve seen a lot of defenses, I don’t know if we’ve seen one in particular quite like this,” Lloyd said. “Conceptually there could be some similarities. I think what they’ve done a really good job of is being able to change defenses and being able to mix in some presses, and kind of like get you out of your rhythm a little bit. They do a great job at that. To me, we’re going to have to get out there and get a feel for it on the court tomorrow on how we can get comfortable moving the ball and moving our bodies and playing against it. Obviously it’s got our full attention. Definitely a unique system, and it’s going to present a lot of challenges.”

The second round has traditionally been one of the most successful for Arizona. The Wildcats last failed to win the second game of the opening weekend in 2006, falling to Villanova in Philadelphia as a No. 8 seed, and the 2000 team was the only of the UA’s No. 1 seeds that didn’t make the Sweet 16.

Gerard Martín wasn’t high on anyone’s list a few months ago, but now he’s starting big games and looking settled. FC Barcelona boss Hansi Flick is full of praise. “Gerard is an example that with mentality, effort and attitude, everything is possible. He is doing very well.”

Back when Flick first arrived, Martín was in a different position. The squad needed a left-back and the coaching staff went digging through reports from Barça Atlètic, and conversations with Deco and Bojan Krkić pointed them in the direction of Martín. He ended up staying with the first team.

“From the first day we saw that he enjoyed playing with the ball and that he had very good characteristics. He gave us a good impression and he stayed,” Flick said.

The role he’s carved out since then wasn’t obvious. He’s no longer used out wide as a fullback. Injuries opened a door in central defense and he stepped through it, now lining up regularly next to Pau Cubarsí.

There’s a calmness to how he plays there, even when games get messy.

His numbers have started to get attention too. According to DataMB, he’s winning 98.4% of his aerial duels. That holds up across the season and puts him right alongside names like Virgil van Dijk and Antonio Rüdiger in that specific area. The rest of his profile is steady across the board, and importantly for Flick’s system, he’s good at passing and at positioning in the line.

He’s already past 2,200 minutes this season, which says a lot.

Martín’s moment shone brightly against Newcastle United. He had been the only outfield player yet to register a goal or assist this season. That changed. He drifted to the far post from a Raphinha set piece and set up Marc Bernal for the finish. And now? Every outfield player in the squad has now contributed directly to a goal.

Last season he ended up with seven goal contributions. This year took longer to get going in that sense, but his role has shifted, so that it is not too relevant.

“I’m not going to say much more. But without a doubt Gerard is an example that everything is possible if you work. His performance is fantastic and we are delighted,” Flick said.

Alaska's ASAA boys basketball Class 3A championship: live updates from Barrow vs. Mt. Edgecumbe originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, March 21 — Alaska's ASAA boys basketball championships are taking place Saturday in Anchorage.

The Class 3A state championship game will feature the Barrow [Utqiagvik, AK] Whalers will take on the Mt. Edgecumbe [Sitka, AK] Braves. Barrow enters the game with an 18-8 record while Mt. Edgecumbe is 19-5.

The championships continue later in the evening with the Class 4A title game wrapping up Alaska's prep basketball season.

STREAM:Watch Barrow vs. Mt. Edgecumbe on the NFHS Network

__________

Refresh for updates

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FIRST QUARTER

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Coming soon! Game time is set for 7 p.m. EST/3 p.m. AST local!

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How can I watch Barrow vs. Mt. Edgecumbe?

• Date: 7 p.m. EST/3 p.m. AST local, Saturday, March 21
• STREAM:Watch Barrow vs. Mt. Edgecumbe on the NFHS Network

MORE HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

• The latest SN High School Girls Basketball Top 25
• The Sporting News High School Boys Basketball Top 25
• South Carolina's SCHSL boys basketball state champions
• Mississippi's MHSAA boys basketball state champions
• Washington D.C.'s DCSAA boys basketball champions

Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli stepped up to the penalty spot in the final game of the 2024-25 season last May. With his team’s Champions League hopes were hanging in the balance, he took about as cold-blooded penalty as we’ve seen from a Juve player in a few years. The moment, the stakes, everything that came with it certainly ran through his head before making contact with the ball. But on that nice in Venice, he was nails.

Fast forward to Juve’s final game before the international break 10 months later, the same cannot be said about that same player stepping up to the penalty spot.

Of course, that was in the season finale. This penalty kick came with eight games on the schedule still to play. But it’s hard not to think of the ramifications of what Locatelli absolutely flubbing his 87th-minute attempt from the penalty spot and ultimately sending Juventus to a 1-1 draw against a Sassuolo side that they absolutely hammered all of 2 1/2 months ago. With the team directly in front of Juventus still to play this weekend, Luciano Spalletti could very much be watching his team fall three points behind Como by the time lunchtime is over on Sunday.

No matter how you feel about the penalty — and it certainly looked far from conclusive considering the angles and replays that we were given during the lengthy VAR review — it was a golden chance for Juventus to get a go-ahead goal with only minutes to go.

And they completely whiffed on it.

Some may say that the ball don’t lie. That is true. Others will also say that this result was more a by-product of Juventus not putting Sassuolo away when they had the chance in the first half and then looking completely out of whack following the equalizer all of a few minutes out of halftime. Both parts are very much the truth — and it all added up to Juve dropping points in a game in which they couldn’t knowing who Como has on the schedule this weekend.

So as much as Juve and Como are even on 54 points right now, it feels like a pretty hallow situation.

Are you really sitting there thinking Pisa, a team that will be relegated in a couple of months, is going to pull off one of the more surprising results we’ve seen against a Como side that looks like its truly picking up steam?

I’m not. When I wake up Sunday morning, I am fully expecting a Como win and for Juventus to be three points off fourth place with eight games to play. Maybe I’ll be wrong. Hell, I’ll pour myself a drink before 10 a.m. if Pisa can take points off Como and actually give Juventus a standing chance of somehow overtaking them over the final eight games.

But at this point … I dunno, man. You aren’t going to jump into fourth place playing like this. The more you drop points, the more you’re going to demand that you need to be near-perfect over the course of the final eight games. And if there’s one thing this Juventus squad have proven to us both this season and in previous iterations, long winning runs is not something that they can do on a regular basis.

In the end, though, it pretty much is just a microcosm of Juventus’ struggles up front this season. They had eight shots on goal and scored just once. Sassuolo had seven shots — total. I’m guessing you won’t be surprised to hear the news that Juve allowed a goal on Sassuolo’s first shot on target on Saturday. You know, the kind of thing that Juventus have been doing all season long.

This game should have been put away well before any sort of last-minute penalty might have been needed. But outside of Kenan Yildiz’s 10th goal of the Serie A season, Juventus were unable to convert much of anything. While it’s true that Sassuolo goalkeeper Arijanet Muric hulked up and kept his team in the game, the lack of Juve putting another team away came back to bite them right in the culo.

We don’t know if it will end up costing them a spot in the Champions League next season just yet. But it’s hard not to think that they are only so many get of jail free cards left for this team before they are in even more serious of danger than they may well be right now.

Juventus can’t afford to drop many more points this season — and this has been the case for weeks now. Yet, on Saturday night, they weren’t able to get more than a single goal during a first half in which they were clearly the better side and then it came back to haunt them. Not exactly the best way to go into an international break that is already going to be tense as hell for pretty much every person with Italian heritage.

RANDOM THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS

• Just when you think they might be starting to snap out of whatever the hell was wrong with them in February, Juve go and drop this kind of result on us. Not great, Bob!
• Boy, I sure didn’t expect to be feeling this kind of way when I saw Juve go coast-to-coast in the span of 12 seconds and take a 1-0 lead through Yildiz. That looked the beginning of something good. Instead, it turned out to be the high point before things just took a complete nosedive.
• A whooping cough outbreak within the squad? Are we back in 2020 again? Or is this just a weird kind of second edition of all the madness that 2020 proved to be?
• You can’t beat a team that is short-handed because of said whooping cough outbreak and is rolling into Turin on back-to-back losses? Not great, either, Bob!
• Maybe whooping cough would have been better than watching that second-half performance. I think it’s still up for debate. Feel free to prove me otherwise. I’m all ears at this point.
• What in the yellow hell is that Sassuolo away kit? I’m glad we don’t have to see that again?
• What was worse to look out: Sassuolo’s away kit or Juventus’ second-half performance? Yeah, hard to pick!
• Juventus’ first shot on goal was a wide-open header from Locatelli. Just as we all predicted it would be. (Was a good save on it, too — credit where credit is due because that’s what we do here.)
• Then again, it was a much better header than whatever the heck that penalty kick attempt was.
• I will say, though, I have no problem Locatelli taking the penalty kick. The sample size of him taking PKs is still small, but he’s been good up until this point. Yildiz has barely taken any PKs as a professional. Dusan Vlahovic was out for four months and probably rusty as all hell when it comes to those pressure-packed situations no matter how much his league-high salary may tell us otherwise. It was Locatelli’s chance to be The Man and live up to the captain’s billing. Instead, he sent a pretty easy shot right at Muric.
• Spalletti is out here throwing on guys who hadn’t played in four months and 700 freakin’ days to try and get a goal. If that doesn’t tell you all you need to know about Juventus’ striker situation as we hit the final two months of the season, I don’t know what does.
• Juve needed a goal and Jonathan David and Loïs Openda were nowhere to be found. I repeat, Arek Milik, who hadn’t played in almost two full seasons, was a better option in Spalletti’s eyes than either one of those two summer signings. What’s the use of spending so much money on these new attackers then? Spalletti clearly has lost faith in David and Openda and it’s hard to see a way forward with them beyond this season if this is how it’s going to be the next two months.
• Yes, that being said, if you’re going to spam the ball into the box, then guys like Vlahovic and Milik who are better in the air is the right call. Just didn’t expect Milik to make his triumphant return in such a desperate kind of situation where Juve needed to score.
• It’s good to hear the reception those two guys but especially Milik got as they came on. Man has been through it and deserved a warm welcome back onto the field.
• Who would have thought that the midfielder in which Juventus spent €60 million on two summers ago would end up being the last man back as they chased a late winner against a mid-table team. Not me, that’s for sure. But here we are. That is what Teun Koopmeiners’ role has turned into with this team.
• I miss the happiness that came with that counterattack on Yildiz’s goal.
• That outlet pass from Mattia Perin was a thing of beauty. I honestly didn’t know he had that in him.
• The run from Francisco Conceição? Wonderful. The one-time finish from Yildiz? Beautiful.
• That was supposed to be the ignition point and what we all hoped would become another win. Nope, we were all wrong. Juventus’ bad side came back to play. I hate it all.
• Weston McKennie ran close to 6 km in the first half alone. Dude is a madman.
• Credit to Khephren Thuram for playing 70 minutes after passing a late fitness test. But man, there were some moments and turnovers in this game that had you wondering just how fit he actually was.
• Also, I’m a little worried about Bremer. He didn’t look very good on the Sassuolo goal. Not at all.
• I don’t want to talk about this game anymore. I’m going to go outside and do something that won’t make me want to throw things or yell bad words. The cat is trying to nap. Cheers to the weekend — it can’t get much worse than how Juventus played in the second half, I’m guessing.

The NCAA tournament is primed for satirical cartoons, with much of the March Madness rush to the Final Four presenting editorial fodder both on and off the court—domestic and abroad.

From U.S. presidents to Vladimir Putin to a lack of office productivity to an even greater lack of TP, here are some of the best March Madness editorial cartoons in recent history…

March Madness cartoons

March Madness cartoons

March Madness cartoons

March Madness cartoons

March Madness cartoons

March Madness cartoons

March Madness cartoons

March Madness cartoons

This article originally appeared on The List Wire: NCAA tournament editorial cartoons to alleviate the March Madness

Cameron Boozer stats today: Blue Devils star off to slow start against TCU in second round of March Madness originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Duke Blue Devils are taking on the TCU Horned Frogs in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils took a four-point lead into halftime, but when you look at their production, something has been lacking. 

Cameron Boozer is Duke's best player, and is expected to be one of the first picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. He is a candidate for the 2026 Wooden Award after averaging 22.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game during the season. 

Boozer played 15 of 20 minutes in the first half, but went into the locker room at the break with just two points. To add to the head-scratching performance so far, the Duke star only attempted one shot the entire first half, and missed it. In the first half his two points came from his making two free throws. 

Here is more on Boozer's uncharacteristic slow start against TCU in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. 

MARCH MADNESS HQ:Live NCAA bracket | TV schedule | Latest news and more

Cameron Boozer stats today

Here is a look at Boozer's first-half stats from Saturday's game against TCU.

• 15 minutes
• 2 points
• 6 rebounds
• 2 assists
• 1 steal
• 1 turnover
• 2 fouls
• 0-1 FG
• 0-0 3FG
• 2-2 FT

Duke went into halftime holding on to a four-point lead. Boozer had a surprisingly bad first half, attempting just one shot. You'd wonder if he was hurt if he hadn't logged 15 minutes and come down with six rebounds. 

HISTORY OF UPSETS BY SEED:
16 vs. 1 | 15 vs. 2 | 14 vs. 3 | 13 vs. 4 | 12 vs. 5

Luciano Spalletti confirmed Kenan Yildiz wanted to take the penalty against Sassuolo, but Manuel Locatelli was given the ball, leading to the third consecutive failed Juventus spot-kick.

The Bianconeri were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Sassuolo this evening, which has significantly damaged their chances of qualifying for the Champions League with a top four finish.

Kenan Yildiz had scored the opener, cancelled out by Andrea Pinamonti, and Dusan Vlahovic’s header struck Jay Idzes on the arm for a late penalty.

What happened before Juventus penalty

TURIN, ITALY – MARCH 21: Manuel Locatelli of Juventus has a penalty saved during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and US Sassuolo Calcio at Allianz Stadium on March 21, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

What the cameras perhaps did not capture was the conversation going on when the VAR call was being made, as Yildiz was standing near the spot, hoping to be given the ball.

Instead, Spalletti called Locatelli over to the touchline, and after a brief conversation, the midfielder went over to inform Yildiz of the decision.

It didn’t pay off, as Locatelli’s weak and central penalty was smothered by Arijanet Muric.

“Locatelli came over and told me he felt ready to take it,” confirmed Spalletti to DAZN Italia.

“There were two or three players who wanted to step up, but Locatelli is the designated taker. It’s fine, anyone can miss a penalty, we are just disappointed about not bringing home the victory.”

TURIN, ITALY – MARCH 21: Arijanet Muric of US Sassuolo Calcio celebrates with teammates after saving a penalty from Manuel Locatelli of Juventus during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and US Sassuolo Calcio at Allianz Stadium on March 21, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

This means Juventus have now failed to convert three consecutive Serie A penalty kicks with three different players.

Jonathan David got it wrong in another stalemate with Lecce, while Yildiz was denied in a 5-0 victory over Cremonese.

In total, the Bianconeri have received seven Serie A penalties this term, converting four of them.

TURIN, ITALY – JANUARY 03: Jonathan David of Juventus misses a penalty attempt during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and US Lecce at on January 03, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Locatelli remains their best taker, converting two out of his three, while Kenan Yildiz has a 50 per cent rate.

Vlahovic scored his only attempt too, but made his comeback today for the first time since injury at the end of November.

When Thomas Tuchel named his England squad on Friday for upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan there was one omission that became even more glaring the following day.

That's because the player with the most goals by an Englishman in the Premier League this season hit a double as Brighton beat Champions League-chasing Liverpool.

Danny Welbeck may be 35 but he is showing age is just a number after scoring his 11th and 12th league goals of the season.

While he may not be able to show Tuchel what he can do on the international stage before the German coach decides on his squad for this summer's World Cup, he appears to be doing all he can at club level.

If he was frustrated at not impressing Tuchel enough yet for a call-up, he didn't show it after his man-of-the-match display against Liverpool.

"Control what I can control," he told BBC Match of the Day on being in the conversation for a call-up.

"It's really nice that my name is being mentioned. That's a positive for me.

"I don't like to give energy to things I can't control. For me, I'm just happy, I'm enjoying my football and I focus on what I can control."

• Welbeck scores twice as Liverpool suffer 10th loss
• One final experiment? Unpicking Tuchel's latest England squad

Why 'valuable' Welbeck is in such good form

Welbeck's statistics this season are certainly impressive.

His two goals for Brighton took his tally in the league this season to 12, his outright most in a single campaign.

Indeed, it's the third time he's netted more than one goal in a league game this term, also his outright most in a season.

Key to Welbeck's scoring form this season is just how clinical he is. His first six goals of the season came from just seven shots on target and against Liverpool he had two shots on target, scoring both.

But for Seagulls manager Fabian Hurzeler, the veteran offers much more than just the goals.

He said: "Not only scoring goals - he is in brilliant shape of course - but also being there as a team-mate, finding good connections between team-mates, creating a good togetherness.

"He is a great connector, he is so valuable on and off the pitch and he can help every team in the world, including England."

Former England striker Wayne Rooney praised Welbeck's all-round play, saying: "He scores goals, he works really hard, he links the play really well.

"He's certainly an option for England."

Why is he currently overlooked for England?

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane is enjoying an incredible season, having scored 47 goals in all competitions for the German side, and will lead the line for England in North America.

The question is who acts as his deputy?

Dominic Calvert-Lewin was the joint top-scoring English player alongside Danny Welbeck on 10 goals before the latter got his double and he has been called up to Tuchel's squad.

The Leeds striker had an impressive run of form with seven goals in six games towards the end of 2025 but went into Saturday's game against Brentford on the back of one goal in his previous eight games.

Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke was also called up but he has just three Premier League goals this season and is working his way back from a long injury lay-off.

Both have the profile to replace Kane but don't have the form that Welbeck finds himself in.

"Welbeck is very unfortunate not to get the call-up," Rooney added. "He's 35 years of age but is showing no signs of slowing down.

"I think it was probably between him and [Dominic] Calvert-Lewin so he's just missed out - but he's having a fantastic season."

Match of the day pundit Alan Shearer added:"He can count himself really unlucky he's not in the squad considering the form he is in and the number of goals.

"Solanke has got three goals, Calvert-Lewin has got two in the last 12. I think he's really unlucky not to be in that 35-man squad."

Despite his omission, Hurzeler believes Tuchel will make the right call when it comes to naming his England World Cup squad.

"England have a really good German coach and he will make the right decisions," he said.

He said it is vital to judge Welbeck on his importance "beside the pitch" and in creating "group togetherness", adding: "That can be crucial for a World Cup."

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Joe Philon, a four-star power forward in the 2026 class, has committed to UCLA, he told On3.

The 6-foot-8 senior out of Montverde Academy (FL) chose the Bruins after considering Ohio State, South Florida, UNLV, and Xavier.

Philon, a native of Tampa, Florida, is the No. 56 overall player in the 2026 class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking — the average of all three recruiting media companies (Rivals, ESPN, 247Sports). He’s also No. 7 ranked power forward and the No. 6 player in Florida.

Philon on why he chose UCLA

Philon went in-depth on why he chose to play for Mick Cronin and the Bruins.

“It wasn’t just any one thing,” he said. “My dad and I share a deep love for college basketball and my dad has to taught me the history of the game. UCLA is one of the iconic brands of the game and it would be cool to be a part of their storied history. My mom also has a career in academics and because of her I value getting my education a great deal. It’s hard to imagine a better elite basketball and academic school than UCLA. I felt comfortable there on my visit and the type of basketball they stress, hard nosed defense, is particularly attractive to me.”

His trust in the coaching staff

Several factors led to Philon’s belief and trust in Cronin and the staff.

“I mentioned the defensive thing. A couple years ago they had the defensive player of the year as a wing, and the staff believes that I could accomplish the same thing. It was something that they focused on in their recruitment. And the way Coach Cronin values defense fits my own talents as well. I also think the coaches really understand my game, they gave me some tips on my visit that when I got home I started applying and it helped. All of that shows me that they will be able to develop my game for the next level and really coach me up.”

The type of player UCLA is getting

Philon describes his game and what UCLA is getting in him as a player.

“A basketball coach I really respect once told me that I remind him of Corey Brewer from the Florida Gators. I try to play incredibly hard all the time, racing everywhere, high level of competitiveness, and I think more about winning than scoring. I think I can make plays with the ball as a handler and passer. I can be very effective in transition both with the ball and racing ahead, and I love to pass more than people probably realize. I can also be a playmaker with my passing skills. I’m looking forward to developing all of those things as well as my overall perimeter shooting at UCLA.”

His message to UCLA fans

Philon shares a message for UCLA fans.

“One thing I know is that Los Angeles is a basketball town. And people there really love and appreciate the game like I do. They are getting a Floridian who respects the game, plays the right way, and wins. I won’t have to tell them anything more about me, they’ll see it when I play for UCLA. I don’t know any other way to play the game than giving incredible effort to try to win possessions. Right now I’m locked in trying to win a national championship next month for my team at Montverde Academy but after that I can’t wait to get to Los Angeles and start my career as a Bruin!”

Scouting Report

Rivals National Recruiting Analyst Jamie Shaw has evaluated Philon on multiple occasions and shared the following thoughts on his game:

JoJo Philon has excellent length with a twitchy and fluid athletic disposition. He is capable of guarding all five positions at this level, sliding his feet, opening his hips, and guarding down a lineup. He is going to have to find how he can become an offensive weapon. In this setting they use him as the primary initiator, and that’s just not his game at this point. Streamlining things is next for him, there is some very intriguing production in there, especially with his ability to affect the game on the defensive end.

A lengthy and fluid player. His highest presence was on the defensive end here, showing an ability to switch and slide. Figuring out his offensive game are the next steps, but he shows flashes of touch and handle. 

Texas vs. Gonzaga 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. 11 Texas Longhorns face the 3-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament West Region on Saturday. 

Texas was a First Four team before upsetting BYU 79-71 in the first round on Thursday. On the other hand, Gonzaga downed No. 14 Kennesaw State 73-64. The Bulldogs (23-3), who won the WCC championship at 16-2 and 12-1 against non-conference opponents this season. 

Here is a look at the box score from Saturday's second round West Region in Portland.

Texas vs. Gonzaga March Madness box score

Texas stats

Gonzaga stats 

More college basketball news:

• Hubert Davis buyout, contract details as UNC Tar Heels coach
• Seven championship worthy teams in 2026 NCAA men’s basketball bracket
• John Calipari says college athletics is broken — Here’s his plan to fix it
• Fact check: AJ Dybantsa was paid $7 million-plus at BYU
• Where Arkansas Darius Acuff Jr. ranks among John Calipari's best NBA guards

Duke vs. TCU 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. 9 TCU Horned Frogs meet the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament East Region on Saturday. 

Jamie Dixon's team advanced with a 66-64 win over eighth-seeded Ohio State on Thursday. As for Duke, the opening-round scare from No. 16 Siena might light a spark in this game. The ACC champs went 33-2 on the season, but enter this game without Caleb Foster (foot), while center Patrick Ngongba (foot) is questionable. 

Here is a look at the box score from Saturday's second round East Region in Greensboro.

TCU vs. Duke March Madness box score

Duke stats 

TCU stats 

More college basketball news:

• Hubert Davis buyout, contract details as UNC Tar Heels coach
• Seven championship worthy teams in 2026 NCAA men’s basketball bracket
• John Calipari says college athletics is broken — Here’s his plan to fix it
• Fact check: AJ Dybantsa was paid $7 million-plus at BYU
• Where Arkansas Darius Acuff Jr. ranks among John Calipari's best NBA guards

When does a game become legendary? Is it when everyone can remember where they were at the time of the match? When the game has its own Wikipedia article? When the game marks a turning point in football?

Exactly 22 years ago today, there was a match that fulfilled all three of these criteria for Roman or even Italian football fans. The "Derby del bambino morto" (literally, "Derby of the Dead Child"), to be precise. 

The signs leading up to the Rome derby were far from ideal. Both clubs were in severe financial trouble. Moreover, the situation between the police and the fans had been extremely tense for quite some time. Even before this derby on March 21, 2004, there were clashes between police and fans. 

After the match kicked off as normal and the first half was played, things became increasingly restless in and around the Stadio Olimpico at halftime. Within minutes, a rumor spread that the police had run over a child outside the stadium and that the child had possibly died. Fans had reportedly seen a child lying under a white sheet, as various media later reported.

As the rumor spread like wildfire, leading figures among the Roma fans reacted and climbed onto the pitch in the 47th minute, as reported by 'Der Spiegel' two days after the derby. The supporters of the capital club went to Roma legend Francesco Totti and demanded, in no uncertain terms, that the players and officials immediately abandon the match. Totti later went to his then-coach Fabio Capello and uttered the legendary sentence: "If we keep playing now, they'll kill us." 

📸 AFP - 2004 AFP

After lengthy deliberations and a phone call between referee Roberto Rosetti and the then vice president of the Italian league, Adriano Galliani, the match was officially abandoned 20 minutes later. But the real chaos was just beginning. 

Both the Roma fans and their rival Lazio supporters packed up their things and, despite their enmity, launched a joint attack on the police. The clashes between fans and police, described by eyewitnesses as resembling civil war, continued late into the night. Despite repeated announcements in the stadium that no child had been harmed, the spiral of violence could no longer be stopped. 

In the end, up to 174 police officers and 21 fans were injured. Due to the massive use of tear gas and the fear of being registered by the police in nearby hospitals, it is believed that the actual number of injured fans was much higher. 

And what about the child under the white sheet? According to various media reports and accounts, the boy under the sheet had previously been injured by the tear gas used and was under the white cloth to be protected from the tear gas lingering in the air. As it later turned out, there was never a dead child.

Afterwards, some observers, including the police, suspected a full-blown conspiracy, but this could never be proven. Roma and Lazio fans were accused of having planned everything to demonstrate their power against the state apparatus. The conspiracy charges were dropped in court three years later, after a lengthy legal review. 

📸 STR - 2004 AFP

Nevertheless, this match marked a turning point. Security measures in Italian stadiums were massively tightened afterwards, which further strained the relationship between fans and police. Video surveillance in stadiums, multiple checks, as well as personalized and non-transferable tickets were some of the measures taken that affected fan life in Italy.

Books have been written about the match in retrospect. It is one of those games that everyone present still remembers to this day—the Wikipedia entry is, of course, obligatory. Although much went wrong that day, it became a legend. A legend that also serves as a memorial.

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I have an alternative solution for the rising price of oil. 

What if we powered everything on the collective rage surging from the sidelines when the No. 2 UConn Huskies face the No. 7 UCLA Bruins in the Round of 32?

Respective head coaches Dan Hurley and Mick Cronin are tiny bald balls of hate and among the most intense leaders in all of college hoops.

Our UCLA vs. UConn predictions see that fury trickling down through their teams when the ball goes up on Sunday. My March Madness picks believe points will be at a premium in Philadelphia.

UCLA vs UConn prediction

Who will win UCLA vs UConn?

UCLA: This is a tough one. My bracket has the UCLA Bruins advancing but that all depends on the status of Bruins big man Tyler Bilodeau (questionable). If he plays, it helps UCLA out on both ends of the floor against a burly UConn Huskies squad.

UCLA vs UConn best bet: Under 136.5 (-116)

Both UCLA and UConn thrive in the half-court, playing with patience that ticks deep into the shot clock.

There’s a ton of motion, away screens and off-ball movement, which takes time to set up. Neither is an explosive 3-point attack, nor do they thrive on fastbreaks or tempo.

There are injuries to watch for each team: UCLA big Tyler Bilodeau and UConn guard Silas Demary Jr. 

While these guys can score, I believe they have a bigger impact on defense, considering the matchups. Bilodeau helps handle the Huskies’ size and Demary deals with the Bruins’ talented backcourt.

COVERS INTEL: Sub-140 totals were 1-5 Over/Under through the first two days of the NCAA Tournament. Going back to last year’s Big Dance, sub-140 totals have gone Under in 13 of 18 games.

UCLA vs UConn same-game parlay

Trent Perry is a constant green light on offense. The ball goes in. It doesn’t come back out. He can get to the rim and knock it down from outside. He’s scored 15 or more in three straight outings.

Alex Karaban could be a problem on the glass in Bilodeau doesn’t play. He’s often crashing the offensive boards from the outside, which makes him tough to box out.

UCLA vs UConn SGP

• Under 136.5
• Trent Perry Over 13.5 points
• Alex Karaban Over 5.5 rebounds

Our Big Dance SGP: California Roll

The Bruins' backcourt duo of Perry and Donovan Dent remains extremely dangerous, and they should keep UCLA in a close contest with Connecticut.

Perry has eclipsed this points O/U in three straight contests, while Dent has surpassed 7.5 assists in six of his last eight games when logging 20+ minutes.

UCLA vs UConn SGP

• UCLA +4.5
• Under 136.5
• Trent Perry Over 13.5 points
• Donovan Dent Over 7.5 assists

UCLA vs UConn odds

• Spread: UCLA +4.5 | UConn -4.5
• Moneyline: UCLA +165 | UConn -200
• Over/Under: Over 136 | Under 136

UCLA vs UConn betting trend to know

UConn has covered the spread in just six of its last 20 games (-9.40 Units/-43% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for UCLA vs. UConn.

How to watch UCLA vs UConn

UCLA vs UConn key injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

North Carolina men’s basketball coach Hubert Davis’ future is in doubt just days after the Tar Heels’ upset first-round loss to VCU in the NCAA Tournament, as key boosters and university leaders weigh whether to move on from him, according to a CBS Sports report.

Almost all major Carolina boosters have “lost faith in the program,” CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander reported, and a core group of donors met with university officials late Friday afternoon to consider whether retaining Davis is the right path forward. 

The report said that if Davis remains in charge, funding for next season’s roster construction would likely be scaled back and fall well short of the $14 million invested in this year’s team. Adding to the uncertainty, Davis did not communicate with his staff for nearly 24 hours from Friday morning until a previously scheduled team meeting on Saturday.

Athletic director Bubba Cunningham said the school is evaluating the program in the wake of the season’s end.

“Every year at the end of the season, it’s important to evaluate all facets of the program and look for ways to improve,” Cunningham told CBS Sports. “The chancellor, incoming athletic director Steve Newmark and I are doing that together now and will continue to have discussions over the coming days.”

North Carolina, which finished 24-9, was riding high just last month after a buzzer-beating win over then-No. 4 Duke that pushed the Tar Heels to 19-4. But two injuries to Caleb Wilson — the second a season-ender — hurt Carolina down the stretch, and continued issues with perimeter defense and free-throw shooting proved costly. 

The Tar Heels closed 5-5 with a three-game losing streak that included a loss to Duke in the regular-season finale, a one-and-done exit against Clemson in the ACC Tournament and an overtime collapse against VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after leading by 19 with 14 minutes left in regulation.

This is the third time in the last four NCAA Tournament trips that UNC has gone one-and-done, a skid that dates to Roy Williams’ final season in 2020-21. Since UNC’s run to the national title game in 2022 in Davis’ first season, the Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament in 2023, bounced back with a Sweet 16 in 2024, then crashed out with back-to-back first-round exits the past two seasons. 

The last time that happened was from 1978-80, when the Tar Heels lost their first game three straight years. That slump came during what was then the worst NCAA Tournament stretch in program history, with UNC dropping its opener in four of five seasons from 1976 to 1980.

If a coaching change comes, attention will quickly turn to potential candidates for the job and whether North Carolina can keep five-star point guard Dylan Mingo, who has committed but not signed with the Tar Heels.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: CBS Sports reports a big factor in UNC basketball decision

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Hugo Cuypers scored a goal for the fourth consecutive game, Jonathan Bamba also scored a goal, and the Chicago Fire beat the Philadelphia Union 2-1 on Saturday.

Chris Brady had three saves for the Fire (2-2-1).

Philadelphia (0-5-0), which won the 2025 Supporter's Shield, extended its club record for consecutive losses to open a season five. Andre Blake stopped to shots for the Union.

Robin Lob lofted an entry pass from the right side to the back post, where Bamba slammed home a volley that gave Chicago a 2-1 lead in the 58th minute.

Cuypers scored his fourth goal of the season in the third minute of first-half stoppage time that gave Chicago a 1-0 lead, but Milan Iloski answered with a header for his first goal of the season about four minutes later that made it 1-1 at halftime.

Malik Jakupovic, a 16-year-old forward, made his MLS debut for the Union when he replaced Cavan Sullivan in the 62nd minute.

Chicago’s Philip Zinckernagel left the game (concussion protocol) and was replaced by Maren Haile-Selassie after a collision with the Union’s Jesús Bueno in the 31st minute.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

The big news of the FCS offseason has been the departure of North Dakota State to the FBS. With the Bison gone, the Missouri Valley Conference title race became the most intriguing one practically overnight. Gone are the days of the green and gold dominating the league and, naturally, the question of who will step up and take over that top spot is now getting asked. Several teams have the ingredients to get it done in 2026 and almost every game in the conference will be a big one this fall. These four in particular, though, could be the deciding showdowns in what will surely be the most competitive conference again.

4. South Dakota at Illinois State – November 21

So much is always on the line come the regular season finale and such will be the case when South Dakota rolls into Illinois State to close out the season this year. The defending national runner-up Redbirds are hoping for another run like last year, only with a conference title in hand this time around. Although QB Tommy Rittenhouse is gone, ISU still should have a pretty solid bunch in 2026. Receiver Dylan Lord is back as is running back Victor Dawson along with the Niekamp brothers on defense; all key pieces in their run to Nashville last year. If ex-USC signal caller Gage Roy works out, then Brock Spack’s team could be right there again. South Dakota, meanwhile, is a big question mark right now after also losing their star quarterback Aidan Bouman. If one or both of these teams is still alive for the conference crown by this point, this game will be a must-win. It may also very well decide who gets in and who doesn’t as far as the postseason is concerned.

3. Southern Illinois at North Dakota – November 21

There’s a lot of reasons to be hopeful for the Southern Illinois faithful this year and perhaps the biggest is D.J. Williams. The Salukis dynamic quarterback is coming into his redshirt senior season in Carbondale and that means one last chance to make a playoff push that has eluded SIU for a couple of years now. Williams might be the most lethal dual-threat QB in the country and, if he stays healthy, Southern Illinois is certainly a contender to win the conference. North Dakota, however, is nothing to scoff at either and with guys like QB Jerry Kaminski and receiver Korey Tai back, UND should, at the very least, be a playoff squad once more. The Hawks will host Williams and SIU in the final regular season game and it looks as though it could be one with a whole awful lot riding on it.

2. South Dakota at South Dakota State – October 31

The “South Dakota Showdown” rivalry will now be the premier one in the Missouri Valley now that the Dakota Marker has gone by the wayside and this season’s iteration on Halloween should have a lot to say about the eventual league standings when the dust settles. This year it is South Dakota that must go on the road but it will be South Dakota State who will be looking to enact revenge for last year’s 24-17 loss. Jackrabbits quarterback Chase Mason did not play in that game but should in this one if he is healthy and wideout Lofton O’Groske is a budding star at the position. For USD, the team will look drastically different than it did a year ago when it made a run to the quarterfinals. Matt Vitzhum makes his head coaching debut after being promoted earlier this offseason. The winner here will not only secure in-state bragging rights but will also have a big leg up in the push for a league title.

1. Youngstown State at South Dakota State – October 24

The de-facto conference championship game might just be in late October when South Dakota State welcomes in Youngstown State. The Jacks and the Penguins both look to be frontrunners and it should be a battle of the two best quarterbacks in the league. Mason is clearly a difference maker for SDSU as was evident last season by his absence when he was hurt. Beau Brungard on the other side took home the Walter Payton Award and had YSU in the playoffs as well. Had it not been for an epic collapse against Yale, Youngstown State would have been at least a second-round team. South Dakota State, who actually was a second-round team, should be better in Dan Jackson’s season in charge. It is not at all a stretch to say that the Missouri Valley trophy will reside on one of these two campuses when all is said and done. If that is indeed the case, then whoever wins in Brookings when they meet will more than likely win the conference.

The Golden State Warriors haven't had their two-time MVP Stephen Curry suit up in a game for them since January 30. But newfound life has been breathed into the Bay Area and the lungs of Warriors fans.

Curry was injured in a Jan. 30 loss to the Detroit Pistons, aggravating his right knee. He's missed the previous 20 games due to patella-femoral pain syndrome, a bone bruising in his right knee.

Warriors team personnel told USA TODAY Sports that Curry's injury is "pretty much runner's knee" and that he'd be re-evaluated.

Following Curry's evaluation, the team announced in a Saturday news release that the four-time champion and 2022 Finals MVP has been progressing along and is inching closer to a return to the court, as the regular-season begins to come to a close.

"The re-evaluation indicated that Curry continues to make good progress. He has intensified his individual on-court workouts and, as next steps, he will be incorporated into live action and team practices in the coming days," the team said. "He will be re-evaluated again after the team returns home next week."

Warriors struggling without Steph Curry

The Warriors have slid in the standings with Curry out. The team has lost 15 of its last 21 games and sit at the No. 10-seed and final play-in spot with 12 games remaining in the regular season.

Golden State caps their road trip with a visit to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, March 23. The Warriors return home to the Bay Area for the week, including two games against the Brooklyn Nets on March 25, and Washington Wizards on March 27.

Curry, who is averaging a team-leading 27.2 points per game, is expected to be reevaluated during the upcoming week. However, he isn't the only injured Warrior to receive an update.

Additionally, the team announced that fourth-year guard Moses Moody is on his way back to the lineup as well, after participating in shooting drills.

Moody has missed the last nine games since suffering a sprained right wrist against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 2. He was also reevaluated Saturday, along with Curry.

"The re-evaluation indicated that Moody is making good progress," the team announced in a news release. "He has intensified his on-court work and will be incorporated into live action in the coming days. He will be re-evaluated again on Tuesday."

The Warriors will be severely undermanned as they face the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta on Saturday in the first game against Jonathan Kuminga since the former Warrior was traded to Atlanta with Buddy Hield for Kristaps Porzingis on Feb. 5.

The injury list is extensive including Curry (knee), Seth Curry (adductor strain), Jimmy Butler (torn ACL), Al Horford (right soleus), Moses Moody (right wrist) and Porzingis (back). Listed as questionable is Draymond Green (lower back), De'Anthony Melton (left knee), Gary Payton II (right knee), Quinten Post (right foot) and Malevy Leons (right wrist).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Stephen Curry injury: Warriors provide update on timeline, return

Texas A&M vs Houston 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 10th-seeded Texas A&M Aggies battle the second-seeded Houston Cougars in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Texas A&M advanced after defeating seventh-seeded Saint Mary's 63-50 on Thursday, while Houston cruised past 15th-seeded Idaho 78-47. 

The Aggies (22-11), who tied for fourth in the Southeastern Conference at 11-7, have won three of their last four games. The Cougars (29-6), who finished second in the Big 12 Conference at 14-4, have won six of their last seven.

Here is a look at the box score from Saturday's second round South Region game in Oklahoma City.

Texas A&M vs Houston State March Madness box score

Texas A&M stats

Houston stats

More college basketball news:

• Hubert Davis buyout, contract details as UNC Tar Heels coach
• Seven championship worthy teams in 2026 NCAA men’s basketball bracket
• John Calipari says college athletics is broken — Here’s his plan to fix it
• Fact check: AJ Dybantsa was paid $7 million-plus at BYU
• Where Arkansas Darius Acuff Jr. ranks among John Calipari's best NBA guards

Watch PHLY Flyers Postgame

The Philadelphia Flyers are a tired hockey team.

On the third game of a late-season west coast road trip with a short-handed lineup, the Orange & Black visited Macklin Celebrini and the San Jose Sharks on Saturday evening, in what was a more-physical-than-expected contest that saw a couple of fights, a number of big hits, and a bunch of long scrums and battles along the boards.

Owen Tippett continued his strong run, playing noticeably throughout the game, using his speed and handles to create a number of chances, cashing one in to open the game’s scoring. Christian Dvorak ended a long drought of his own, as well as for the whole team’s power play. Dvo hadn’t scored in 8 games and had only tallied once in his last 19 before scoring the go-ahead goal in the third on the power play, ending an 0/20.

With a couple of empty-netters to end the game, and a very strong final 20 minutes from Dan Vladar, the Flyers wrap up their California adventure with three straight wins, and didn’t even need OT to do it today!

First period

Highlight: There were a few exciting Owen Tippett sequences, including a pair of short-handed chances that didn’t quite go, plus a big hit or two on Macklin Celebrini, but I’m giving the highlight of the period to Garrett Wilson. Playing in his second NHL game since 2019, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms did what he could to inspire his exhausted teammates, dropping the gloves with Ryan Reaves. Decent scrap, especially considering the combined age of the combatants was 74. I’ll give the slight edge to Reaves, but Wilson stood in there and landed a few. Good stuff.

What I want to see next period: I know they just want to get away today, and playing Emil Andrae as the de facto 4C, and it’s a 1PM puck drop in California, but I just want to see them wake up a bit. Tippett was everywhere in the first period, creating chances, throwing the body, but outside of a few other shifts, nobody really stood out. Allowing six shots in a period is ok. Getting six SOG through 20 minutes isn’t enough against a goaltender making his third start in four days, after allowing 10 goals on the last 53 shots he faced.

Second period

Highlight: After a much better start to the period with Travis Konecny and Christian Dvorak doing a lot of work down low to keep the possession alive, Owen Tippett opened the scoring the following shift, accepting a pass as he entered the San Jose zone, dragging the puck around Nick Leddy on arrival and ripping a shot by Alex Nedeljkovic to put the Flyers up 1-0. After being the lone player who appeared to have his legs on Philly’s bench in the first, he just looked like he’d get (at least) one today.

What I want to see next period: Much more entertaining period overall, including a lot of physicality. Barclay Goodrow laid one of the biggest hits of the period on Trevor Zegras as Zegras turned around on the wall, walking right into a big shoulder. Noah Cates fought Goodrow after the hit (and din’t get an instigator!), for the second fight of the game. Both teams have turned up the intensity. I just want to see the Flyers hold on, as it certainly seems like the Sharks have identified throwing the body around to possibly wear down the tired Flyers. And, of course, NO OVERTIME! PLEASE!

Also, let’s see a little something from Matvei Michkov. After a very quiet five minutes of ice time in the first period, he looked a little better in the second. It would be cool if he could put a stamp on this game in the third.

Third period

Highlight: A POWER PLAY GOAL! Christian Dvorak scored after Garnet Hathaway laid a big hit on Celebrini, drawing a retaliation penalty by Mario Ferraro 1:14 into the third period. On the play, Michkov picked up career point #100, and the Flyers ended an 0-for-20 power play drought, scoring on their fourth advantage of the game. Philadelphia had not scored on the power play since March 9th, and had only tallied twice in the month of March when up a man (or two).

Final note: Say what you will about this Flyers team, but they’re still fighting. Ultimately it still feels like their 3-8-4 stretch leading into the Olympics will keep them out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs but they’ve battled this condensed schedule and a short roster in March and they’ve done it well. This is an impressive stretch for a team that felt DEAD just a few weeks ago.

Watch PHLY Flyers Postgame

A disastrous first inning did the Huskies (10-12) in on Friday night against San Jose State, as their evening was over before it really even started. The Spartans’ eight first-inning runs were more than UConn scored the entire game, as the Huskies were mercy ruled by the Spartans in seven innings, 16-6.

Husky starter Charlie West took a beating over two innings of work. He was removed without recording an out in the third inning, in which the Spartans put up another six runs. In total, the left-hander surrendered 12 runs (seven earned) on three home runs and three doubles on 10 hits. The junior’s ERA ballooned from 4.97 to 6.91.

Despite scoring just one run after the third inning, the Spartan offense was relentless in the early going.

After two of their first three batters reached base, Jake McCoy, who had walked it off earlier in the day in the team’s 3-2 extra innings win over San Diego State, slapped one over the left field fence. UConn outfielder Chase Taylor turned his back and waited for a ricochet off the wall that never came, as McCoy put three runs on the board.

Three out of the next four batters again reached, one on an error as the Huskies’ defense did the struggling West no favors. That round of runners culminated in a pair of RBI hits: a Neil Jansen double as part of a 3-for-3 game and an Alex Fernandes single up the middle. After an RBI base hit from Peyton Rowles, the Huskies were facing a seven-run deficit.

The Huskies made it a ball game again at the top of the second. Along with a Jackson Marshall RBI double from an inning earlier, UConn took advantage of RBI singles from Peyton Jemison and Tyler Minick, and a run-scoring groundout from Rob Rispoli to cut the Spartan lead to four.

That wouldn’t last long. The first Spartan batter in the bottom of the frame, JC Osorio-Agard, sent a big fly of his own over the fence in left field. An inning later, a Fernandes home run to center field, just right of the batter’s eye, made it an 11-4 ballgame. Run scoring hits from Brent Cota (two runs), Alan Ramirez, and Jansen left the Spartans up by more than 10 runs.

With their grave officially dug, the Huskies tried to climb out just a bit in the sixth inning. After a Nater Wachter single and a double from Evan Menzel that advanced the runner to third, Chase Taylor swatted a sac fly to left to make it 15-5.

The Huskies nearly avoided the mercy rule in the seventh inning, as Chris Polemeni continued his hot season with a homer to left center to bring the deficit back into the single digits. 

The Spartans were seemingly set on going home early after their long day at the office, however. For the second time of the day, San Jose St. walked it off, this time under slightly different circumstances. Dylan Jackson sent the final pitch of the game deep to left field and over the fence to end it at 16-6.

The Huskies will look to get a little revenge tomorrow as they get another chance at San Jose State (9-12) later. For now, they’ll shift their focus to San Diego State (11-11), who they play today at 3 p.m. EST.

After a dramatic First Four win over the NC State Wolfpack and a convincing Round of 64 win over the BYU Cougars, the Texas Longhorns face their toughest challenge of the postseason — taking on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in what is effectively a home game.

The Bulldogs have been a perennial power under Mark Few, claiming yet another West Coast Conference regular season and tournament title on their way to the NCAA Tournament. Led by its front court, forward Graham Ike sets the pace for Gonzaga, averaging 19.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, the offense flows through his size and skill down low.

They seemingly took a hit to the lineup when their other star forward, Braden Huff, went down with a knee injury earlier in the season. At the time, he was averaging 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in his 18 starts.

Gonzaga has been a blowout artist this year as well, with the nation’s best average scoring margin of +18.8 points per game. Despite that, Texas is just a 6.5-point underdog according to FanDuel. A close matchup would be a welcome change from the last time these two teams squared off — a 19-point drubbing in favor of Gonzaga in the 2022-23 season.

After Texas closed the regular season and conference tournament in a lackluster fashion, many were convinced that they wouldn’t even be among the field for the big dance. However, after putting together a dramatic win over NC State and looking like the better team against a loaded BYU Cougars squad, Texas may turn itself into a Cinderella Story when its all said and done.

Much like Friday’s game, the Huskers piled up the hits while not converting as many as they would’ve liked into runs.

But this time, it wasn’t for a lack of effort, especially in the later innings. Clinging to a 3-1 lead, at least until Jordy Frahm lowered stress levels by coming on in relief in the 5th, the Huskers did what they could to extend it.

In addition to racking up 12 more hits and working for 3 walks, in the final 3 innings Nebraska lined out six times and at that point, you just have to keep swinging away and hoping a few of the damn things find some carpet.

Like against UCLA next weekend.

And even though a couple of those wins weren’t as pretty as everyone would have liked, they still came away with a sweep of the outmanned Spartans to move to 6-0 in conference play after the first two weekends.

For about third time this season, Rhonda Revelle made a last second switch in starting pitchers, this time electing to go with Kylee Magee over the currently much better performing Hannah Camenzind who most recently threw four shut-out innings vs Michigan. (If you read the Michigan State weekend preview under HUSKERS LINEUPS, then you know I warned you this might happen.)

It was probably her best start in a Husker uniform and going against the much weaker Spartan lineup certainly helped, but danger still reared its head in the 2nd inning (2 hits, a walk, a hit batsmen, 2 wild pitches), but she escaped disaster only surrendering 1 run and then effectively getting through the next two innings before Frahm entered to close the door.

Before that first run scored, however, Alexis Jensen had already scrambled home on a Kacie Hoffman groundout for a 1-0 lead. They then took the lead in the top of the 3rd, first thanks to a Jesse Farrell solo home run to dead center. Then, after the Huskers loaded the bases, it was Jensen scoring again on a Hannah Coor infield single for a 3-1 lead.

It should have been 4-1, except when Ava Kuszak, running on the crack of the bat and not slowing down when the ball skittered away from the Spartan shortstop, appeared to have avoided the tag on the throw home. Revelle was immediately out of the dugout and, after likely confirming with Kuszak that she was untouched, challenged the play. Even the B1G camera angles showed she was not touched as she reached around the glove.

But the Big 10 is gonna Big 10 sometimes and the call was upheld.

The ensuing innings were scoreless until the 7th when Kuszak singled in Camenzind to extend the lead. The bottom of the 7th suddenly had some drama when Michigan State’s freshman sensation Zoie Bernard doubled into the left field corner to put runners on 2nd and 3rd base and bring the tying run to the plate. However, when Kendall Smiley tried to runny-slap a line-drive over a pulled-in Kuszak, Ava went up the ladder to snag it and the Huskers had a 4-1 victory.

In earning her 7th save of the season after recording 3 scoreless innings of relief, Frahm tied the Nebraska single-season school record in the category matching Coach Revelle’s effort from her playing days.

At the plate three Huskers accounted for 9 of the 12 hits – Coor (4), Kuszak (3) and Jensen (2) – with Coor becoming the second Husker to rack up a 4-for-4 day after Kacie Hoffman reached it the opening game.

With the sweep of the Spartans, the Huskers improved to 24-5 on the season and ran their conference record to 6-0. Today’s victory was their 13th straight.

Corn Nation PLAYERS of the GAMES

I figured I’d just bundle them all here this weekend – here you go:

Game 1 – Jordy Frahm – when the clutch hitting failed, Frahm made sure it didn’t become an issue by throwing a 7-inning 2-hit shutout for her 8th win of the season, striking out 12 while walking only 2. Just as well unreasonably expect from her.

Game 2 – Alexis Jensen – Jensen matched Jordy’s performance with a 6-inning 1-hit shutout for her 11th win, striking out 7 and walking 4. She also had a 2-for-4 day at the plate with a double, a home run and 3 RBI’s. On a day where multiple players were in the POTG running for their hitting, it was Jensen’s pitching which pushed her over the top.

Game 3 – Ava Kuszak – This was a tough one – you saw the hitters above in today’s game. What pushed it over the top for Ava was defense for the game-ending snag with two runners in scoring position.

CONGRATS TO ALL

The Huskers return to Lincoln next weekend for a three-game set with #7 UCLA, which could very well determine the regular season Big 10 Championship. The opening game – for whatever weird reason – will be Friday night at 8pm CST.

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Bill Self and Rick Pitino have been gatekeepers of the bracket for many years. Yet Sunday’s Round of 32 meeting between the No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks and No. 5 St. John’s Red Storm will only be the second time these coaches have clashed.

Oddsmakers expect a close one, giving a slight nod to Pitino and the Johnnies. But my St. John’s vs. Kansas predictions will eschew the points and roll with the Jayhawks to move on to the Sweet 16. 

Read on for my March Madness picks for Sunday, March 22.

St. John's vs Kansas prediction

Who will win St. John's vs Kansas?

Kansas: The spread has the St. John's Red Storm favored by -3.5, but game models have this as close as a 1-point finish. I believe the Round of 64 results are skewing things, and that the Kansas Jayhawks can come out on top in San Diego.

St. John's vs Kansas best bet: Kansas moneyline (+140)

In a close game, which this sets up to be, there are factors I weigh heavier than others. The Kansas Jayhawks check those boxes.

First, Kansas is the better 3-point shooting team while St. John’s outside touch is as consistent as the weatherman.
 
Second, Darryn Peterson is the best player on the floor, and proved his worth by exploding my surefire KU 1H TT Under in just 47 seconds Friday.

Finally, Kansas hits its free throws. In a physical game with two teams that attack, fouls will mount. The Jayhawks are 35th in FT%, and those freebies add up.

COVERS INTEL: Few teams can match St. John’s combo of size and athleticism. But Kansas is bigger and just as athletic, with Flory Bidunga, Bryson Tiller, and Paul Mbiya standing 6-foot-10 or taller.

St. John's vs Kansas same-game parlay

Public perception after the Round of 64 pushed the Johnnies’ price higher than it should have been. Kansas may have stumbled into the postseason, but this Jayhawks team is battle-tested out of the Big 12 and is a tough matchup for the Red Storm.

Peterson had 28 points with just under six minutes left on Friday, and then didn’t touch the ball for the remainder of the game. He still set a season high in attempts, with 24 FGAs over 37 minutes, and was efficient with 11 makes — four coming from beyond the arc.

Flory Bidunga has to own the glass, especially on the defensive end. St. John’s is good at crashing the offensive boards, but Bidunga is just as big and athletic. He had only six rebounds in the Round of 64, but averages more than nine. Projections call for 10 boards.

St. John's vs Kansas SGP

• Kansas moneyline
• Darryn Peterson Over 23.5 points
• Flory Bidunga Over 8.5 rebounds

Our Big Dance SGP: Star search

Peterson will do a better job of getting to the foul line against St. John’s and go Over his total once again.

The projected No. 1 overall pick is set to solidify his spot atop the NBA mock drafts with a marquee performance in the Round of 32.

St. John's vs Kansas SGP

• Kansas moneyline
• Darryn Peterson Over 23.5 points
• Darryn Peterson Over 1.5 assists
• Darryn Peterson Over 4.5 rebounds

St. John's vs Kansas odds

• Spread: St. John's -3.5 | Kansas +3.5
• Moneyline: St. John's -170 | Kansas +145
• Over/Under: Over 144.5 | Under 144.5

St. John's vs Kansas betting trend to know

Kansas has cashed on the moneyline in 18 of its last 25 games (+6.75 Unit /6% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for St. John's vs. Kansas.

How to watch St. John's vs Kansas

St. John's vs Kansas key injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Oklahoma’s Jaylin Williams and Washington’s Justin Champagnie were ejected following an altercation late in the first half of the matchup between the Thunder and Wizards on Saturday night.

Following a basket by Washington’s Anthony Gill, Williams and Champagnie began shoving each other under the basket. Gill and Oklahoma City’s Ajay Mitchell became involved and the altercation quickly escalated and spilled into the seating area behind the basket before order was restored.

After a lengthy review by the officials, Champagnie and Williams each received two technical fouls and were ejected. Mitchell and Cason Wallace of the Thunder each received one technical foul and were also ejected.

------

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

This is the live blog for Michael “Venom” Page vs. Sam Patterson, the welterweight feature fight at UFC London on Saturday at the O2 Arena in England.

A Bellator staple for a decade, Page finally made the move to the UFC in 2024, where he’s had a curious run. After winning his debut against Kevin Holland, “MVP” dropped a decision to Ian Machado Garry, putting him well away from the welterweight title picture. Page then won a pair of fights up at 185 pounds, including a decision win over former title challenger Jared Cannonier, but instead of pushing for a title shot at middleweight, now MVP is back in his old stomping grounds, taking on an unranked contender.

After earning his spot in the UFC through Contender Series, Patterson made his promotion debut in 2023, but has been perfect since then, stringing together four consecutive first round finishes. Most recently, Patterson knocked out Trey Waters in September, getting him this opportunity to move into the welterweight rankings.

Follow along with the Page vs. Patterson live blog below.

Preamble

Walkouts and Prefight

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Official Decision

Post Fight

DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — The NASCAR team co-owned by NBA legend Michael Jordan continued its strong 2026 start in the Cup Series, locking up the top two starting spots Saturday at Darlington Raceway.

Daytona 500 winner Tyler Reddick, the first driver in NASCAR history to win the season’s first three races, qualified first for Sunday’s 400-mile race with a 169.152 mph lap on the 1.366-mile oval.

The 23XI Racing driver captured his 13th pole position despite smacking the wall with his No. 45 Toyota as he struggled with a new package that makes driving harder with higher horsepower and lower downforce.

“I tried to take it easy and just overdid the throttle,” Reddick said. “I kind of knew I was in trouble about a third of the way through, so I just had to hit the wall at that point.

“Just really proud of everyone at 23XI. It was a huge focal point with the adjustments to the engine and downforce to stay as strong as we have been the last couple of years. I knew it would be a huge challenge in qualifying today, and it was. I damn near wrecked.”

Teammate Bubba Wallace qualified second at 168.434 mph in his No. 23 Toyota for 23XI, marking the second front row sweep for the team founded by Jordan and NASCAR star Denny Hamlin. Reddick and Wallace are also ranked 1-2 in the points standings through five races.

“That’s Reddick for you,” Wallace said. “He pushes it to the limit. That was a hell of a lap. Just proud of the efforts of the team. Continue to ride the momentum from Race 1 to now and Darlington’s super tough. This package is a handful.”

Wallace dedicated the lap to his newborn daughter, who was born Thursday.

Chase Elliott qualified third after his No. 9 Chevrolet failed inspection twice before the session, resulting in the loss of pit selection and the ejection of car chief Matt Barndt.

Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five in qualifying.

Chris Buescher qualified sixth, but his No. 17 Ford also failed inspection twice. The team lost its pit selection and car chief Josh Sisco for the race.

___

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

The dream of a perfect bracket, at least on the men’s side of things, is just about over.

After starting the second round with six Yahoo Sports users still undefeated so far in the NCAA tournament, only five brackets were still left standing just two games into play on Saturday.

All six users had Michigan rolling into the Sweet 16, something the Wolverines have now done in their past seven NCAA tournament appearances. Michigan, the top seed in the Midwest Region, beat Saint Louis 95-72 to start the day.

It was the second game, though, that knocked one user out. Michigan State fended off Louisville to grab a 77-69 win and reach the Sweet 16. The Cardinals were playing without star Mikel Brown Jr., who was dealing with a back injury. One of the six brackets that started the day had the Cardinals making it into the Sweet 16, something they’ve not done since 2015 when Rick Pitino was still their head coach.

All five of the remaining brackets have Duke, the top overall seed in the tournament, advancing past TCU in the third game of the day. If the Horned Frogs can play spoiler, we could be finished early.

Busted brackets filled first day

Less than 700 Yahoo Sports users even entered the second day of play still perfect after a slew of upsets on Thursday — including TCU’s win over Ohio State, High Point’s win over Wisconsin and VCU’s comeback win over North Carolina. They fell quickly into single digits on Friday, too. Kentucky’s wild overtime win against Santa Clara cut the number nearly in half to start the day. Then Utah State, Tennessee and UCLA all helped get that figure down to the six users that survived the opening round. 

By comparison, the women’s side of things was much, much slower. About 30% of users made it through the opening day of play on Friday, but that figure was finally sliced on Saturday afternoon after Virginia knocked off Georgia in what was the first upset win of the tournament. That brought the figure down to just 0.7%. 

Auburn women's basketball redshirt freshman Arek Angui has announced her plans to enter the transfer portal, via Talia Goodman of On3.

One of the tallest players in college women's basketball at 6-foot-9, Angui only saw the floor in 20 games this season, averaging 1.4 points per game, 2.6 rebounds per game, and 10 blocks. She only took 34 total shots from the previous season.

The redshirt freshman transferred in from the University of Central Florida after just appearing in three games for the Knights in the 2024-25 season. Angui redshirted that season; she will have three years of eligibility moving forward with her collegiate career.

She is the second to announce their plans to enter the transfer portal after one year on the Plains; she joins Harissoum Coulibaly in entering the portal. Another young piece lost to the portal for first-year head coach Larry Vickers.

NEWS: Auburn’s Arek Angui plans to enter the transfer portal, she told @On3.

The 6-9 redshirt freshman center averaged 1.5 ppg this season.

TRACKER: https://t.co/wYv1Ze6704pic.twitter.com/fJEnLATZhT

— Talia Goodman (@TaliaGoodmanWBB) March 21, 2026

Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on  X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Jac on Twitter@Jac_Myrick

This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Auburn center Arek Angui plans to enter transfer portal

A young girl was reportedly struck by a golf cart Saturday at the 2026 Valspar Championship.

NBC and Golf Channel analyst Smylie Kaufman was walking with the pairing of Brooks Koepka and Danny Walker during the third round at Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Florida, when he reported that a girl had been hit by a golf cart and pinned beneath it near the 15th hole.

Kaufman said Koepka ducked outside the ropes and went over to comfort the girl, who was quickly evaluated by medical staff. No injuries were immediately reported.

“She’s going to be okay after medical evaluation. Very scary moment,” Kaufman said on the broadcast. “I'm sure Brooks Koepka’s head is still spinning a little bit.”

Koepka went on to par the 15th but double-bogey the 16th en route to a round of even-par 71 Saturday at the Valspar Championship.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Girl struck by golf cart at PGA Tour Valspar Championship

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza spoke after the team's 5-3 loss to the Astros on Saturday afternoon and touched on a number of topics...

Position players still in the mix for Opening Day

The Mets made a few decisions regarding the Opening Day roster in recent days. They laid out their five-man starting rotation to start the season, which doesn't include Sean Manaea. Instead, the southpaw will begin the regular season in the bullpen as a piggyback to the starters. 

New York also optioned right-hander Austin Warren to Triple-A -- along with Kevin Herget and Robet Stock. Warren was in the mix for a bullpen spot.

But how about the position players?

The big story heading into camp was who would start in right field. Prospect Carson Benge seemingly had the inside track and has backed it up with a big spring, but veterans like MJ Melendez and Mike Tauchman were competing for a spot. Melendez was optioned earlier this week, and Tauchman exited Saturday's game with knee soreness. He'll undergo an MRI.

Although Mendoza didn't have an update on Tauchman, the Mets skipper was asked whether Benge's spot is all-but-assured with this latest development. 

"Can’t say," Mendoza said. "We don’t know. Just gotta wait."

On a follow-up, Mendoza was asked which of the position players are still in contention for a roster spot, and the third-year manager was honest about the situation.

"From the guys who are at camp, here. You got Jared Young, you got [Vidal] Brujan. There’s a lot of versatility here," Mendoza answered. "Carson’s pretty much in the mix as well. We’re looking at three, four guys for two spots."

Young hasn't produced at the plate this spring, hitting 3-for-30 (.150), but he offers that versatility Mendoza mentioned. He's played first base as well as left and right field in his six-year career.

Brujan has been better offensively this spring. He's batting .273 with seven walks, four stolen bases in 14 games. But Brujan offers more versatility than Young, having major league experience at six different positions, including all three outfield spots. 

Jorge Polanco's throwing error

Polanco is one of two new Mets who are learning a new position and the veteran infielder's inexperience at first base showed on one play during Saturday's game.

In the eighth inning, Polanco ranged far to his right to get to the ball, but made a poor underhand throw to the bag, resulting in a throwing error.

Mendoza was asked about the play and what Polanco can learn from the moment. 

"A very good learning opportunity," he said. "Not an easy play when he has to go that far. He’s diving for that ball, and not an easy angle for that 3-1 feed. Glad that it kinda happened, so he can learn from it. If he’s going to go underhand, continue to move your field or treat it like an infielder, which he’s done his whole career. You have that short throw, but it’s a moving target from that angle. It’s a tricky play. Because of who he is, he went long ways for that ball. You’re looking at a position where not too many first basemans are able to get to that ball. Learn from it and glad that happened today." 

The second day of the tournament is underway for the women’s NCAA Tournament.  Few upsets so far as Georgia has been the only higher seed to lose so far. But lots of strong performances have been on display.

Follow along for highlights from the day:

No. 6 Notre Dame 79, No. 11 Fairfield 60

Up next: No. 3 Ohio State

One of the most highly-anticipated second-round matchups is officially set, as No. 3 seed Ohio State and No. 6 seed Notre Dame will meet in Monday’s second round in Columbus. It will pit two of the nation’s most elite point guards, Ohio State’s Jaloni Cambridge and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo, against each other.

Hidalgo, the ACC Player of the Year and Notre Dame’s do-it-all guard, put on a clinic in the Irish’s 79-60 victory over Fairfield with an NCAA Tournament program-record eight steals. That feat came on top of 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. She entered the tournament ranked second nationally with 807 points this season.

and we add another and @HannahHidalgo now has EIGHT https://t.co/WGpasD2aXm

— Notre Dame Women’s Basketball (@ndwbb) March 21, 2026

Meanwhile, Cambridge, a sophomore, ranked seventh nationally with 751 points this season. She reached the 1,000-point career mark this year in just 54 games, one of the fastest paces in program history. Cambridge had 21 points, two steals and two blocks in the Buckeyes’ first-round win Saturday morning over Howard.

Both reached All-America stature, though, because they are more than just scorers.

Cambridge’s speed is a difference-maker for Ohio State’s high-tempo offense and full-court press defense. She leads the Buckeyes in assists and ranks third as a rebounder, averaging 5.2 per game, the most among Ohio State guards.

Hidalgo exceeds any limits on the court. She leads the country with 173 steals and ranks second on the team in rebounding, as well.

The two aren’t strangers, either, playing with and against each other in the Team USA system.

“Another phenomenal guard like Jaloni, and to be able to go head-to-head with her, it’s going to be a fun game,” Hidalgo said. “Two quick guards too, she’s extremely fast, she ran track, so the foot speed is going to be crazy.”

This is the type of matchup the NCAA Tournament is known for, but it doesn’t often come this early in the tournament. It’s something, though, that Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said is good for the sport. “It’s great to grow the game,” Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. “People want to watch women’s basketball, they want to see the great products on the floor. I think we have two of the best players on the floor.”

But Cambridge versus Hidalgo isn’t the only familiar matchup. Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff and Ivey have been linked together for years

McGuff, who spent time as an assistant at Notre Dame from 1996-2002, coached Ivey in her time playing for the Irish. Ivey called McGuff a mentor, but their lives have stretched beyond basketball. Ivey is the godmother to one of McGuff’s six children and is best friends with his wife Letitia. “He’s family,” Ivey said. “He’s somebody that I love, I love their whole family.”

That will bring a familiarity to Monday’s matchup, amplifying the intensity on the floor.

Notre Dame and Ohio State want to dictate the pace of play with their defense. Ohio State is 17th nationally with 706 turnovers forced, Notre Dame is 36th and forced Fairfield into 19 turnovers.

“I knew it was going to be an incredible game,” Ivey said. “Two dynamic guards and again a system that I’m familiar with.” — Cameron Teague Robinson

No. 10 Virginia 82, No. 7 Georgia 73 (OT)

Up next in Round 2: Winner of No. 2 Iowa vs. No. 15 Fairleigh Dickinson

It took 20 games, but the 2026 NCAA Tournament finally produced its first upset: No. 10 Virginia took down No. 7 Georgia to keep one double-digit seed alive. It took a seven-point comeback in the fourth quarter, a midrange jumper that was just short at the regulation buzzer and an entire extra session for the Cavaliers to pull away and advance to the second round for the first time since 2018.

Virginia is the second First Four team to win a game in the Round of 64, joining No. 11 Mississippi State in 2023, but the Cavaliers were also the highest-seeded First Four team in the 68-team era, earning a slightly easier first-round matchup.

No Virginia player had ever suited up in the NCAA Tournament in a Cavaliers uniform, but they had plenty of experience at previous stops. LSU transfer Sa’Myah Smith won a national championship as a freshman and was a starter on an Elite Eight team last season (she missed the 2024 tournament with a knee injury). She was a steadying force for Virginia with 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting, 11 rebounds and three assists. Smith had five points in the overtime as the Cavaliers pulled away.

Tabitha Amanze, who has played in the tournament twice for Princeton, and Romi Levy, who made her NCAA Tournament debut in 2025 for South Florida, had important defensive efforts for Virginia on Mia Woolfolk and Riley Theuerkauf. Levy also hit the game-tying 3 in regulation on an absurd banker.

That veteran presence should help the Cavaliers in the second round, likely a road game against No. 2 seed Iowa. Smith is no stranger to facing the Hawkeyes, and a familiar foe from 2023, Hannah Stuelke, awaits.

But the leader for Virginia was the homegrown Kymora Johnson, who has dazzled in her first March Madness. Johnson had the game-winning 3-pointer in the First Four against Arizona State to top off a 17-point, 10-rebound, five-assist night. The junior followed that up with 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists against the Bulldogs with only one turnover. It has been a star turn for the Charlottesville, Va., native who hasn’t had the opportunity to play on national television much but has certainly made some new fans over the last three days.

The Cavaliers had outscored the Bulldogs 13-6 over the final seven minutes of regulation, then finished the game on a 7-0 run.

Record-breaking temperatures soared to 88 degrees in Iowa City, which brought a little extra warmth to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The building does not have air conditioning and was built 43 years ago inside a local crater. Courtside temperature approached the mid-70s at game’s end.

It’s been one of the wildest weather weeks in the region. On Selection Sunday, a blizzard gripped Eastern Iowa, sending temperatures to near zero with extra wind and several inches of snow. Virginia plays either second-seeded Iowa or 15th seed Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday, which has an expected high temperature of 53 degrees. – Sabreena Merchant and Scott Dochterman

Zoe Brooks’ availability uncertain

NC State coach Wes Moore said it was “hard to say at this point” whether junior Zoe Brooks will be available for the seventh-seeded Wolfpack’s second-round game against second-seeded Michigan on Sunday. The guard injured her foot midway through the third quarter in a first-round win over Tennessee on Friday evening and didn’t return to the game.

“Some of it may come down to just how she feels tomorrow,” Moore said on Saturday. “She won’t be practicing today. Taking all precautions with a boot, crutches, trying to keep weight off it.”

Brooks is the Wolfpacks’ second-leading scorer, and their leader in assists,  steals free throws. The junior has started 72 games during her career and has the highest usage of any NC State player this season.

If Brooks is unable to go, Moore will likely turn to freshman Destiny “Ky’She” Lunan as a ballhandler. Moore called on her after Brooks’ injury against Tennessee, and she played 23 minutes, the fourth-most of her career. Lunan has appeared in 30 games this season, averaging 4.5 points and 1.2 assists per game in 17 minutes of play.

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in her, and I think the other players do as well,” Moore said of Lunan. “Still not the same as having Zoe out there, a junior with her experience and all that she’s done, but either way we’ll be ready to play.”

With the hit to its backcourt, NC State would likely try emphasizing the paint more, highlighting senior Khamil Pierre and exposing a potential mismatch against Michigan forward Sofilkanich. Pierre, a Vanderbilt transfer, has led the Wolfpack in scoring and rebounding this season, averaging a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double.

Especially with a homecourt advantage, the Wolverines already had the edge going into Sunday but given Michigan’s talent and depth across its backcourt — Olivia Olson, Syla Swords, Mila Holloway and Brooke Quarles Daniels — replacing a veteran like Brooks with any freshman dampens the Wolfpacks’ chances at an upset. — Chantel Jennings

Day 1 highlights

You can read our first-day takeaways here. The most noteworthy events of the day included:

• Tennessee’s futile effort to extend its season, leaving the tournament on an eight-game losing streak of historic proportions.

• Minnesota’s 30-9 fourth quarter comeback at The Barn.

• Skylar Jones’ departure from Louisville.

• Duke withstanding a 36-point scoring barrage from Charleston’s Taryn Barbot.

How to watch

Here’s Saturday’s guide for watching the rest of the first-round games.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Virginia Cavaliers, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, North Carolina State Wolfpack, Ohio State Buckeyes, Georgia Lady Bulldogs, Alabama Crimson Tide, Women's College Basketball

2026 The Athletic Media Company

A championship ring is, by design, a glittering tribute to a season well won.

But Gotham FC’s 2025 ring, a sequel to its 2023 edition, does more than commemorate a second title. It gestures, with swagger, towards a future still under construction.

“If the ring could speak, what would it say? That’s the challenge. You can’t rely on words, so the design itself has to carry the story” says Ryan Ford, vice president of professional sports sales at The Champions Collective, the company that designed both of the club’s championship rings.

For more than 70 years, the 129-year-old jewelry maker has produced championship rings, beginning with the one it created for the Detroit Lions’ 1952 NFL title. That established an enduring American sports tradition: jewelry that symbolizes on-pitch success.

The company made all six of the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl rings and admits it is more challenging to make those items when teams win titles in quick succession.

“It’s a good problem to have,” Laura Petro, the vice president of brand marketing and fan experience, tells The Athletic. “We just won a championship in 2023, and we’d love to keep that going every year.

“But the challenge was making this ring feel distinct — building on the idea of a dynasty in the making. We wanted that second star front and center, and the team really ran with that brief. The result is something that looks meaningfully different from the 2023 ring — an exciting evolution that reflects our growing list of championships.”

Gotham’s first ring marked the club’s 2023 NWSL championship, its inaugural title.

Unveiled in April 2024 at a home game against the Kansas City Current, the sovereign-style design featured the club crest set in diamonds, the date of the victory (11.11.2023) and the inscription “Walk with me, win with me” inside the band. It told the story of a breakthrough season.

The 2025 campaign, however, was a study in resilience.

Gotham secured a playoff berth for the third consecutive year, then surged through the postseason, defeating the top-seeded Orlando Pride in the semifinals before beating the Washington Spirit 1-0 in the championship match at PayPal Park in San Jose, California. A late strike by Rose Lavelle sealed the victory, making Gotham the lowest-seeded team in league history to win the title.

The new ring, crafted from sterling silver, diamonds and sky-blue gemstones, captures that journey while pointing ahead. A second star rests atop the first at its center, marking the club’s latest championship.

But what makes this ring special is the message it carries on one of the sides. A banner wraps around Gotham’s two trophies, made of diamonds, bearing the team’s new ethos, which reads less like a victory lap and more like a statement of intent: “Always building, never finished”.

As with the first ring, players were involved in the design process. The Champions Collective presented several concepts, incorporated feedback and finalized the piece, which typically takes four to six weeks to complete once the model is ready. Rings are customized to each player and sized and shipped in February. 

The cost of such rings remains undisclosed; by policy, neither the company nor Gotham discuss pricing. Teams cover the expense and decide who receives them. In Gotham’s case, that extends beyond players to include the club’s staff.

“If you were to ask anyone who receives one, from employees to players, they all contribute in their own way,” Ford adds. “When they receive the ring, it has a value that really is priceless.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Gotham FC, NWSL, Women's Soccer, Culture

2026 The Athletic Media Company

Chelsea failed to take advantage of another Liverpool stumble in the race to qualify for next season's Champions League on Saturday, thumped 3-0 by Everton to remain outside the top five.

Champions Liverpool had slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Brighton in the early kick-off -- their 10th loss of a dismal Premier League title defence.

But Chelsea's thumping reverse at the Hill Dickinson Stadium gives renewed hope to a clutch of clubs below them, including Everton themselves, Brentford and Fulham.

The top five teams in the Premier League are almost guaranteed to play Champions League football next season due to the strong showing of English clubs in Europe.

Arsenal are hot favourites to land the Premier League title for the first time since 2004, with second-placed Manchester City well clear of city rivals Manchester United in third. 

United, who drew 2-2 at Bournemouth on Friday, are four points clear of fourth-placed Aston Villa, who host struggling West Ham on Sunday.

Liverpool arrived on the sunny south coast after a morale-boosting 4-1 aggregate win over Galatasaray at Anfield in midweek to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.

But they were well beaten by Fabian Hurzeler's hungry Brighton, for whom evergreen forward Danny Welbeck scored twice, either side of Milos Kerkez's well-taken goal for the visitors.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot pointed to key injury absentees and a swift turnaround from Champions League commitments to explain the damaging defeat.

The Dutchman was without goalkeeper Alisson Becker and forward Mohamed Salah at the Amex Stadium, while top-scorer Hugo Ekitike limped off early.

Defeat left the reigning champions with only one point from the past nine after they conceded late goals in a 2-1 loss at bottom club Wolves and last weekend's 1-1 draw at home to relegation-threatened Tottenham.

"Brighton away, that's a difficult game for any team, especially if you miss out on a few very influential players," said Slot.

"Of course now, looking at the league table, this loss hurts a lot and it should hurt us a lot."

Brighton's Welbeck, who made his Premier League debut for Manchester United in 2008, is enjoying his highest-scoring season in the league, though was not included in Thomas Tuchel's latest England squad.

Liverpool are still alive in the Champions League and the FA Cup but face the real prospect of ending the season trophyless, with daunting quarter-finals to come against Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.

- Chelsea slump -

Chelsea collapsed to their fourth straight defeat in all competitions against Everton, giving new coach Liam Rosenior a major headache as he tries to salvage their season.

With United drawing and Liverpool losing, Chelsea had the chance to go fourth, four points behind the Red Devils, but they blew it in spectacular style.

Everton's win, courtesy of two goals from Beto and a curler from Iliman Ndiaye, lifted them within three points of neighbours Liverpool with a home Merseyside derby to come next month.

Rosenior, who replaced Enzo Maresca in January, must now find a way to lift his expensively assembled squad, who won the Club World Cup and the UEFA Conference League last season.

Chelsea are still in the FA Cup but were humiliated 8-2 on aggregate by PSG in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Fulham leapfrogged Brighton, moving to within five points of Liverpool, after coming from behind to beat relegation-bound Burnley 3-1.

Zian Flemming gave the Clarets a shock lead at Craven Cottage, but Fulham hit back through Joshua King, Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez.

Burnley are nine points adrift of safety with just seven games remaining.

jw/ea

Carlos Cuesta made no attempt to deflect responsibility after Parma’s damaging home defeat to Cremonese, accepting personal blame and acknowledging that his side produced a performance well below the standards that had made them one of Serie A’s more compelling stories in recent months.

The result is a serious blow to Parma’s survival hopes.

Having gone five games unbeaten and given genuine cause for optimism, back-to-back defeats to Torino and now Cremonese have left Cuesta’s side looking over their shoulder with eight fixtures remaining and the gap closing in.

The Spanish coach was forthright in his assessment.

“We have not yet spoken in the dressing room, but the feeling is clear, we did not live up to expectations,” he said, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb. “We need to analyse and work to get back to the dynamic we had until two weeks ago.”

NAPLES, ITALY – JANUARY 14: Head coach Carlos Cuesta of Parma Calcio 1913 gestures during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Parma Calcio 1913 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on January 14, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

Parma 0-2 Cremonese – Cuesta accepts blame for disappointing loss

He was equally direct when identifying where things went wrong, pointing to a lack of sharpness in pressing and duels rather than any issue with attitude.

“The first person responsible is me, I need to look at myself carefully to help the players in the best possible way.”

Cuesta also highlighted a structural problem that has lingered throughout the season, the difficulty in connecting play through the midfield to the forwards.

“If you cannot involve the midfielders and progress the ball forward, everything becomes harder,” he said. “Even when we win the ball back, we need to be more precise in exploiting the spaces before the opposition reorganises.”

With the international break now arriving, Cuesta was clear about the priority.

“Above all we need clarity, the objective has not been reached and we know how difficult the remaining calendar is,” he said. “We must focus on ourselves, improve in every area, and concentrate on the most important points to get a result against Lazio.”

Adding depth to the offseason tight end room, the Arizona Cardinals signed Teagan Quitoriano to a one-year veteran qualifying contract worth $1.24 million.

The deal includes a minimum base salary of $1.215 million, of which $1.075 million counts against the salary cap. There is also a $25,000 workout bonus that creates a salary-cap charge of $1.1 million.

The signing added nothing to the current team salary cap because the offseason top 51 cutoff is now $1.206 million.

Quitoriano signed his contract on March 18, three days after his 26th birthday. A fifth-round pick by the Houston Texans in 2022, he was signed by the Atlanta Falcons in 2025 after the Texans did not tender him as a restricted free agent. This year, he became an unrestricted free agent on March 11.

In 2025, he played all 17 games for the Falcons with one start and participated in 133 offensive snaps (12 percent) and 239 (54 percent) on special teams.

His career total of nine receptions for 146 yards (16.2 average) and two touchdowns all came during the first two seasons with the Texans.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Arizona Cardinals TE Teagan Quitoriano contract details, cap hit

JR Motorsports will lead the NASCAR O'Reilly Series starting lineup for the race at Darlington Raceway in March. Kyle Larson won the pole for the 2026 Sports Clips Haircuts 200 at Darlington this weekend. Christopher Bell will join Larson on the front row for Saturday evening's event. It is Larson's first pole position of the 2026 O'Reilly Series season.

Carson Kvapil and Justin Allgaier will follow the two drivers on the second row. Most notably, Anthony Alfredo, Ryan Sieg, Jeb Burton, Nick Sanchez, and Patrick Staropoli all qualified 20th or worse for Saturday's event. Matt DiBenedetto was the only driver to miss the event.

The full NASCAR O'Reilly Series starting lineup at Darlington in March 2026 is below!

NASCAR O'Reilly Series starting lineup at Darlington (March 2026)

1. No. 88 Kyle Larson
2. No. 19 Christopher Bell
3. No. 1 Carson Kvapil
4. No. 7 Justin Allgaier
5. No. 99 Parker Retzlaff
6. No. 41 Sam Mayer
7. No. 18 William Sawalich
8. No. 20 Brandon Jones
9. No. 9 Ross Chastain
10. No. 2 Jesse Love
11. No. 21 Austin Hill
12. No. 17 Corey Day
13. No. 00 Sheldon Creed
14. No. 24 Harrison Burton
15. No. 54 Taylor Gray
16. No. 28 Kyle Sieg
17. No. 92 Josh Williams
18. No. 8 Sammy Smith
19. No. 32 Rajah Caruth
20. No. 5 J.J. Yeley
21. No. 96 Anthony Alfredo
22. No. 39 Ryan Sieg
23. No. 44 Brennan Poole
24. No. 0 Garrett Smithley
25. No. 27 Jeb Burton
26. No. 31 Blaine Perkins
27. No. 25 Nick Sanchez
28. No. 48 Patrick Staropoli
29. No. 45 Lavar Scott
30. No. 51 Jeremy Clements
31. No. 87 Austin Green
32. No. 07 Josh Bilicki
33. No. 26 Dean Thompson
34. No. 91 Alex Labbe
35. No. 30 Myatt Snider
36. No. 02 Ryan Ellis
37. No. 55 Joey Gase
38. No. 42 Nathan Byrd

This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: NASCAR O'Reilly Series starting lineup at Darlington in March 2026

Two Compelling Reasons Brad Stevens Should Depart Celtics If North Carolina Job Opens originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

North Carolina was one of the biggest stories in the first round of the NCAA tournament when it squandered a 19-point lead to VCU on Thursday. Now, there’s a chance the Tar Heels will be searching for a new head coach this offseason, and could Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens be a strong candidate?

As of Saturday, North Carolina has not made any decision to part ways with its head coach, Hubert Davis. However, there is growing speculation that the Tar Heels might consider a change.

Stevens hasn't coached at the college level since the 2012-13 season, when he spent six successful years at Butler, leading the Bulldogs to two national championship appearances. He then became the head coach of the Celtics. Despite this break from college coaching, he is still highly respected in the college basketball community, and here are two reasons Stevens should consider taking the Tar Heels' head coaching job.

Get Back To Coaching

Stevens hasn’t been a head coach since the 2020-21 season, when he wrapped up his final year as Boston's head coach before moving into his front-office role.

The 49-year-old coach may want to return to the sidelines, but that opportunity with the Celtics is unlikely to come around again. Since Stevens already coached one of the greatest NBA franchises of all time, he might be looking to lead one of the top college basketball programs in history.

North Carolina is at the pinnacle of college basketball, alongside Kentucky, Duke, UCLA, Kansas and Connecticut. Holding one of those prestigious coaching positions is often considered a mark of being an icon in the sport.

If Stevens could lead Butler to back-to-back national championship appearances while competing in the Horizon League, imagine what he could achieve by bringing the top players in the country to play for him at North Carolina and the resources it has.

Winning A Championship

Another reason Stevens might want to be the head coach at North Carolina is that it could give him the best opportunity to win a title in that role.

Stevens won a championship with the Celtics in the 2023-24 season, but he wasn't in the head coaching role at that time. Despite all his successes with both Boston and Butler, there’s still a chance that not winning a title as head coach could be weighing on him.

It’s not guaranteed he'll win a title at North Carolina. Still, his chances would increase dramatically, since the Tar Heels have claimed six championships, with three of those victories coming in the last 21 years: 2005, 2009 and 2017.

It would be difficult for Stevens to step away from his position with the Celtics, but North Carolina could offer him every opportunity he desires as head coach.

More NBA: Celtics Reporter Calls Jaylen Brown One Of NBA's 'Five Most Impactful Players'

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said Saturday the school is evaluating “all facets” of its tradition-rich men's basketball program after another early exit from the NCAA Tournament under Hubert Davis.

Cunningham said in a statement he is working with UNC chancellor Lee Roberts and executive associate AD Steve Newmark — who will take over as Cunningham's successor in the coming months — in that review.

“Every year at the end of the season, it’s important to evaluate all facets of the program and look for ways to improve,” Cunningham said. "The chancellor, Steve and I are doing that together now and will continue to have discussions over the coming days.”

Davis closed his fifth season Thursday as successor to retired Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams with an overtime loss to VCU in the South Region, coming after the Rams rallied from 19 down for the biggest comeback in first-round history.

The program with six NCAA titles and a national-record 21 Final Fours now has just three March Madness wins in the four seasons since an unexpected run to the 2022 national title game in Davis' debut season. That includes reaching the round of 32 only once in that span, a Sweet 16 appearance two years ago as a No. 1 seed that lost in an upset to Alabama.

Davis signed a two-year extension last season running through 2029-30. The school would owe Davis $5 million in base salary payments for the remaining years of his deal plus, additional payments for the remaining months of the 2025-26 season.

___

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

Shanelle Dyer (116) vs. Ravena Oliveira (116.5)

Round 1

Round 2

The Official Result

Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (156) vs. Shaqueme Rock (156)

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

The Official Result

Brando Pericic (264) vs. Louie Sutherland (264)

Round 1

The Official Result

Mantas Kondratavicius (185) vs. Antonio Trocoli (185)

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

The Official Result

Felipe Franco (227) vs. Mario Pinto (257)

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

The Official Result

Losene Keita (146) vs. Nathaniel Wood (146)

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

The Official Result

Mason Jones (156) vs. Axel Sola (156)

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

The Official Result

Kurtis Campbell (145) vs. Danny Silva (145)

Round 1

Round 2

The Official Result

Roman Dolidze (186) vs. Christian Leroy Duncan (186)

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

The Official Result

Iwo Baraniewski (206) vs. Austen Lane (205)

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

The Official Result

Michael Page (171) vs. Sam Patterson (170)

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

The Official Result

Michael Aswell (145) vs. Luke Riley (146)

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

The Official Result

Movsar Evloev (146) vs. Lerone Murphy (145)

Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

Round 4

Round 5

The Official Result

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Tennessee's TSSAA boys basketball Division I Class 4A championship: live updates from Bartlett vs. Walker Valley originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

MURFREESBORO, Tennessee, March 21 — Tennessee's TSSAA boys basketball championships continue Saturday with the Bartlett [TN] Panthers set to take on the Walker Valley [Cleveland, TN] Mustangs

The game will decide the Volunteer State's top-level Division I Class 4A state championship. Bartlett has spent most of the season in the national rankings, and they enter this game ranked No. 14 in The Sporting News High School Boys Basketball Top 25.

The championships continue later in the evening with the Division I Class 1A title game serving as the nightcap.

STREAM:Watch Bartlett vs. Walker Valley on the NFHS Network

__________

Refresh for updates

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FIRST QUARTER

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__________

Coming soon! Game time is set for 5 p.m. EST local!

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How can I watch Bartlett vs. Walker Valley?

• Date: 5 p.m. EST local, Saturday, March 21
• STREAM:Watch Bartlett vs. Walker Valley on the NFHS Network

MORE HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

• The latest SN High School Girls Basketball Top 25
• The Sporting News High School Boys Basketball Top 25
• South Carolina's SCHSL boys basketball state champions
• Mississippi's MHSAA boys basketball state champions
• Washington D.C.'s DCSAA boys basketball champions

World number two Jannik Sinner and fifth seed Jessica Pegula won on Saturday to reach the third round at the ATP and WTA Miami Open.

Reigning Wimbledon champion Sinner dispatched 76th-ranked Damir Dzumhur of Bosnia and Herzegovina 6-3, 6-3 on the Florida hardcourts.

"First-round matches are never easy, so I'm very happy and let's see what's coming," the 24-year-old Italian said.

He will next face France's 31st-ranked Corentin Moutet, who outlasted Czech Tomas Machac 6-0, 1-6, 6-4.

Four-time Grand Slam winner Sinner, who won the 2024 Miami crown, captured his 25th career ATP title by beating Daniil Medvedev in the Indian Wells final last weekend.

He is trying to become the first man to sweep the "Sunshine Double" by winning at Miami and Indian Wells since Roger Federer in 2017.

Sinner broke for 2-0 lead when Dzumhur sent a backhand long and the Italian held serve from there to take the first set in 34 minutes, saving a break point in the seventh game with an ace.

In the second set, Sinner broke for a 2-1 lead and broke again on match point with a backhand winner to end matters after 70 minutes, dropping only eight points on his serve in improving to 14-2 on the year.

"Starting off with a break straight away, I tried to be a bit aggressive," Sinner said. "At times it worked very well, at times I made couple of unforced errors. But I didn't have a lot of time to adjust here. It's very different than in Indian Wells."

Former number one Medvedev struggled early but took a fightback victory over Japanese 19-year-old wildcard Rei Sakamoto 6-7 (10/12), 6-3, 6-1 to reach the third round.

Medvedev needed two hours and four minutes to subdue Sakamoto, who was playing only his seventh tour-level match and facing his first top-10 opponent.

Medvevdev, the ninth seed, saved five set points and Sakamoto saved one before the teen broke through to capture the first set in just under an hour when Medvedev sent a forehand wide, his 17th unforced error of the set.

In the second set, 2021 US Open champion Medvedev saved four break points in the third game then took the first break of the match for a 4-2 lead when Sakomoto hit a backhand volley wide, then held on to force a third set, which the Russian dominated.

Canadian seventh seed Felix Auger-Aliassime advanced by defeating Hungary's Marton Fucsovics 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, into a third-round matchup with France's Terence Atmane, who beat countryman Arthur Rinderknech 7-6 (7/4), 6-3.

- Gibson ousts Osaka -

On the women's side, Jessica Pegula advanced to the third round in only 38 minutes after Britain's Francesca Jones retired due to illness trailing 6-1, 3-0.

"I was just trying to focus on myself, stay in there every point, stay super positive," Pegula said.

Pegula, last year's Miami runner-up, will next face Canadian 26th seed Leylah Fernandez, who eliminated fellow left-hander Oksana Selekhmeteva 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 6-1 in two hours and 25 minutes.

Japanese 14th seed Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam winner, was ousted by Australian qualifier Talia Gibson 7-5, 6-4.

Gibson, a first-time WTA quarter-finalist at Indian Wells, next faces 18-year-old American 18th seed Iva Jovic, who eliminated Spain's Paula Badosa 6-2, 6-1 in 76 minutes.

js/bb

The Philadelphia 76ers have continued to lean heavily on rookie VJ Edgecombe when considering all of the injuries to their main pieces at this stage of the season. It's a lot to ask of a 20-year-old, but Edgecombe has certainly stepped up to the challenge as he had a career-high 38 points and a career-high 11 assists in Tuesday's win over the Sacramento Kings.

Until guys like Tyrese Maxey, Kelly Oubre Jr., Paul George, and Joel Embiid can return, the Sixers will look to Edgecombe to continue playing this well to keep Philadelphia in the race for the top 6 in the East.

Former Kings All-Star DeMarcus Cousins hopped on "Run it Back" and he gave a lot of praise to Edgecombe"

Everything about this kid shows that he's a potential superstar in this league. I love everything he brings to the game. The tenacity. The aggressiveness. The way he flies around on the floor. This is a superstar in the making.

"He's a superstar in the making." 🤩

76ers rookie VJ Edgecombe went off for a career-high 38 points last night in Sacramento. @boogiecousins sees a future superstar in Philly. pic.twitter.com/ikEesZv562

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) March 20, 2026

The Sixers will continue to lean on Edgecombe to be the guy for now until the Big 3 can return to the floor. He has done enough to keep them afloat and very much alive in the playoff race in an effort to get back into the top 6 and earn a guaranteed playoff spot in the East.

This article originally appeared on Sixers Wire: Former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins has praise for Sixers' VJ Edgecombe

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates debut for highly touted 19-year-old prospect Konnor Griffin will have to wait.

Griffin was reassigned to minor league camp on Saturday after the shortstop spent the last few weeks showcasing the skills that have made him baseball’s No. 1 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

Manager Don Kelly called the decision to leave Griffin off the season-opening roster “extremely difficult.”

“The talent that you see, I think he handled himself really well professionally,” Kelly told reporters. “We talk about the maturity level as a 19-year-old in big league camp. Really excited about him being a Pirate and what that means for the future of Konnor Griffin and the Pirates.”

Griffin homered four times and had nine RBIs in 16 Grapefruit League games, but he batted just .171 and struck out 13 times in 41 at-bats. After Griffin garnered so much attention this spring because of his status as one of the game’s top prospects, Kelly believed a return to the minors could allow the infielder to reassert himself.

“I think you see a young kid that was maybe pressing just a little bit and trying really hard,” Kelly said. “Konnor Griffin the person is elite. Allowing him to go and get back to basics and being Konnor Griffin out there (could help). We know there’s an elite talent level that comes with him. Just looking forward to him being in Pittsburgh whenever that time comes.”

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

BUFFALO, NY — Michigan State is headed back to the Sweet 16.

Coen Carr had 21 points and 10 rebounds as the No. 3 Spartans beat No. 6 Louisville 77-69 in the second round of the East region to book a trip into the second weekend for the 17th time under coach Tom Izzo.

Michigan State will next face the winner of Sunday’s matchup between No. 2 Connecticut and No. 7 UCLA.

Point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. had 12 points and 16 assists for Michigan State. Forward Jaxon Kohler had 10 points and 6 rebounds. Guard Trey Fort (12 points) also scored in double figures.

Louisville was led by Ryan Conwell’s 21 points on 7 of 15 shooting. Adrian Wooley added 17 points and 4 rebounds.

After an early feeling-out period, the Spartans took a 19-12 lead with 11:55 to go in the first half after Kohler nailed a 3-pointer and a short jumper. At this point, 10 of Louisville’s 14 attempts from the field were from deep, with two makes.

While not able to get their own transition game working, some good ball movement in the halfcourt set helped the Spartans hang on for a 36-31 halftime lead. MSU had 12 assists on 13 made field goals and was shooting 46.4% from the field, though the offense was hampered by nine turnovers.

Louisville made just 12 of its 36 attempts in the first half, including 4 of 18 from deep, but was able to capitalize with nine points off MSU turnovers.

Louisville close within 50-47 eight minutes into the second half thanks to a corner 3 by 7-foot center Aly Khalifa. The Spartans responded with a 3 of their own by Fort, who went 3 of 5 from behind the arc, to lead 53-47 with 10 minutes left. The Spartans went into this final stretch having led for nearly 28 of the game’s 30 minutes.

The Cardinals and Spartans would continue to trade defensive stands for about the next two minutes, with a 3 by Wooley leaving MSU in front 55-50 with 8:20 left.

But in a crucial sequence, MSU would take its first double-digit lead since going ahead 22-12 in the first half after Louisville big man Vangelis Zougris was called for flagrant foul while trying to block a Kohler layup attempt.

Kohler would make both free throws and then hit a 3 from the wing on the ensuing possession, putting the Spartans up 63-50 with 6:41 to play. This came amid a cold spell for the Cardinals, who scored only 3 points in a five-minute span.

MSU then slowed down its offensive pace while Louisville trimmed the lead to single digits at 68-59 on another Khalifa make from beyond the arc. But the Cardinals were unable to get over the hump thanks in part to the Spartans’ success at the free-throw line.

MSU made four in a row from the line to keep Louisville at bay and delivered a punctuation mark on an alley-oop from Fears to Cooper with 1:54 left to lead 72-59.

In addition to 17 Sweet 16 appearances, the Izzo-led Spartans have made eight Final Four trips and reached two national championship games, winning it all in 2000.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan State vs Louisville score: Coen Carr leads Spartans to Sweet 16

Liverpool's big trouble

There's a reason why FSG initially pursued the multi-club idea. There's also a reason why Edwards was keen to return to the fold in order to front it.

"Edwards has long since viewed it as crucial to ensure Liverpool can compete for young talent on a level playing field," is the line in the Athletic's piece.

It's an important one as the battle for young talent has never been fiercer. Chelsea and Manchester City lead the way in that regard, having long had other clubs to farm talent out to.

Notre Dame women’s basketball entered its first-round NCAA Tournament game against Fairfield as big favorites, and that’s exactly how it went.

The Irish started off fairly slow, up just 17-12 after the first quarter, and held a 36-24 lead at the break. Notre Dame would score 26-points in the third quarter, its most in a single period in the game, then cruised to a 79-60 victory.

As she often does, Hannah Hidalgo was the star for the Irish, scoring 23-points with 9 rebounds, 6 assists and breaking the single-game program record for steals in an NCAA Tournament game with eight. That effort puts her at No. 2 in ACC history, a record that will be in her sights next season as she chases Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry’s 481, back just 16 back from the conference mark. It’s highly unlikely that she’ll break the NCAA record, as he’s behind almost 200. However, Hidalgo most likely will finish in the top-5, cementing herself as one of the best ever in South Bend.

Notre Dame will now take on regional host Ohio State, who defeated Howard earlier in the day. The Irish are 4-0 all-time against the Buckeyes, with their last meeting being a 99-76 victory in 2017. The two teams will play on Monday, with the time yet to be released.

IRISH WIN!!#GoIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/LOc03UH4eM

— Notre Dame Women's Basketball (@ndwbb) March 21, 2026

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame women hoops dominate its first-round NCAA Tournament game

With wide receiver/return specialist Greg Dortch moving on this year to the Detroit Lions, the Arizona Cardinals are hoping Devin Duvernay will be his replacement. Duvernay, who was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2020 draft, played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024 and the Chicago Bears last season.

He signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals as a free agent. We have the details of his contract.

Devin Duvernay contract details

Duvernay signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals worth $1.85 million and has $550,000 of guaranteed money. That includes a $300,000 signing bonus and $250,000 of his $1.215 veteran minimum base salary.

The deal also has $15,000 per-game active roster bonuses for a max total of $255,000 and an $80,000 offseason workout bonus. The salary-cap charge is $2.35 million.

The 28-year-old Duvernay (29 on Sept. 12) played 17 games last season and participated in 40 offensive snaps (4 percent) and 209 on special teams (46 percent)

He had two receptions for 26 yards, 21 punt returns for an 11.0-yard average and 40 kickoff returns for 1,069 yards (26.7 average) with a long of 56.

In 89 career games, Duvernay has 107 receptions for 1,003 yards (9.4 average), 109 punt returns for 1,284 yards (11.8 average) and 127 kickoff returns for 3,231 yards (25.4 average) and two touchdowns, including one for 103 yards.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire's Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Cardinals WR Devin Duvernay salary, contract details, cap hit

West Virginia's WVSSAC boys basketball Class AAA championship: live updates from Chapmanville vs. North Marion originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

CHARLESTON, West Virginia, March 21 — West Virginia's WVSSAC boys basketball championships continue Saturday with the Chapmanville [WV] Regional Tigers set to take on the North Marion [Farmington, WV] Huskies.

Earlier in the day, the Wheeling [WV] Central Catholic Knights defeated the Wyoming East [New Richmond, WV] Warriors to claim the Class 2A trophy. The Tug Valley [Williamson, WV] Panthers also took the Class A crown in a 64-54 win over the Greater Beckley Christian [Prosperity, WV] Crusaders.

The championships continue throughout the day at the Charleston Coliseum with theClass 4A title game still to come.

STREAM:Watch Chapmanville vs. North Marion on the NFHS Network

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• Date: 5 p.m. EST local, Saturday, March 21
• STREAM:Watch Chapmanville vs. North Marion on the NFHS Network

MORE HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

• The latest SN High School Girls Basketball Top 25
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• Mississippi's MHSAA boys basketball state champions
• Washington D.C.'s DCSAA boys basketball champions

Notre Dame will advance to the round of 32 after beating the Fairfield Stags in the first round, 79-60. To be honest, the game was never really in doubt for Notre Dame, but they kind of slow rolled themselves into halftime. Hannah Hidalgo was incredible, and despite not getting a double double — she did flirt with a qudruple double.

Irish Roll Past Fairfield In NCAA Tournament First Round Win, 79-60

COLUMBUS, Ohio –  The biggest stars shine brightest on the biggest stage and Hannah Hidalgo is a certified star. The junior phenom led Notre Dame to a 79-60 win over the No. 11 seed Fairfield in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon inside the Schottenstein Center.

The Fighting Irish will take on No. 3 seed Ohio State in a second round matchup on Monday in Columbus with the winner advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in Fort Worth next weekend.

Hidalgo was masterful in all facets of the game, flirting with a quadruple double. The guard finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, eight steals and six assists to lead the Irish to the victory over the Stags.

Iyana Moore was the second-leading scorer in the contest, finishing with 18 points on the afternoon.

Cassandre Prosper also had a big game, scoring 17 points off 7-of-12 shooting to go along with eight rebounds. The 17 points are the most the senior has scored in an NCAA Tournament game in her career.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Irish built a five-point advantage over the first 10 minutes of action, leading 17-12 at the end of the first quarter. Notre Dame scored eight of the first 10 points coming from two made buckets apiece from Hidalgo and Prosper. Hidalgo paced the offense with seven points in the first frame.

Notre Dame quickly pushed its lead to double figures, scoring seven of the first eight points of the second stanza to make the score 24-13 with just under 7 minutes left in the half.

Fairfield managed to cut the Irish lead to seven at 29-22 with 2 minutes remaining in the half but Notre Dame closed by scoring seven of the final nine points to take a 36-24 lead into the halftime intermission.

Hidalgo had 13 points, seven rebounds, five steals and five assists at the break. Moore also helped carry the offensive load with 10 points.

The Fighting Irish took complete control of the game over the first 5 minutes of the third quarter, outscoring the Stags 11-2 to take a 21-point lead at 47-36. Notre Dame led by as many as 23 in the third quarter (54-31) before taking a 19-point advantage into the final 10 minutes of play at 62-43.

The Irish and Stags both scored 17 points in the fourth quarter as Notre Dame cruised to the 79-60 victory to move on in the tournament.

NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE GAME

The Irish dominated down low, outscoring the Stags 44-22 for points in the paint.

NOTRE DAME NOTES

• Notre Dame improves to 76-28 in the NCAA Tournament in program history, including a mark of 27-4 in first round contests.
• The Irish improved to 2-0 against Fairfield in the all-time series.
• Notre Dame improves to 25-6 all-time in the ACC Tournament and has advanced to the semifinals 11 times in 13 appearances.
• With eight steals, Hidalgo passed Dawn Staley (454) for second place in the ACC record books for career steals, as Hidalgo now has 460 in her career.
• Hidalgo’s eight steals are a program record for steals in an NCAA Tournament game.
• Hidalgo has scored 20 or more points in eight straight games, marking the third time in her career she has recorded at least eight straight games with 20+ points.
• With 23 points, Hidalgo has scored 20+ points in 26 games this season and 77 games in her career, which is the program record.
• Hidalgo has finished in double figures in the scoring column in all 100 games of her career, the longest streak in program history and the longest active streak in the country.
• Hidalgo is one of five players this century to post multiple NCAA Tournament games of at least 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals.
• Moore moved into the top five in program history for made three pointers in a season with 77.
• Moore knocked down four shots from beyond the arc and has achieved the feat 11 times this season.

UP NEXT

The Irish will take on the No. 3 seed Ohio State Buckeyes on Monday, March 23 inside the Schottenstein Center in Columbus in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line. The game will air on one of the ESPN family of networks.

still more to play!#GoIrish ☘️ pic.twitter.com/n8G9YVfES0

— Notre Dame Women's Basketball (@ndwbb) March 21, 2026

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While the spread may suggest it, Alabama and Texas Tech will meet in the NCAA Tournament in a game that’s not a coin flip.

Alabama remains without Aden Holloway, and Tech has the defensive profile to keep the Tide from rolling — literally.

My Texas Tech vs. Alabama predictions and March Madness picks break down why I like Texas Tech to head to the Sweet 16 on Sunday, March 22. 

Texas Tech vs Alabama prediction

Who will win Texas Tech vs Alabama?

Texas Tech: They put a chokehold on Alabama in transition and will keep them from scoring regularly in the halfcourt. Nate Oats schemes well enough for a long portion of the game, but eventually the damn breaks and Alabama can’t defend well enough on the other end.

Texas Tech vs Alabama best bet: Texas Tech moneyline (-127)

The Texas Tech Red Raiders’ attack-and-kick offense ranks No. 1 in the country. Every drive-and-kick is producing an open look, and Tech has the shooters to make the Alabama Crimson Tide pay all afternoon.

Alabama wants to play in transition, but doing so without Aden Holloway forces the team to rely even more on transition plays, limiting their halfcourt options. The Red Raiders' top-tier transition defense, which allows just 1 point per possession, could be a deciding factor.

Given Alabama's shorthanded roster, I don’t think they can score enough in the halfcourt to keep pace. 

COVERS INTEL: Alabama is yet again a team with one of the highest 3-point rates in the country (fifth nationally), while Texas Tech allows the 47th-lowest 3-point rate in college basketball.

Texas Tech vs Alabama same-game parlay

One reason Texas Tech has one of the best attack-and-kick offenses in the country is that they have one of the best 3-point shooters in the land.

Donovan Atwell enters this game shooting over 45% from deep on high volume. Alabama has struggled against spray-outs all season, so this pairing fits nicely. 

Texas Tech vs Alabama SGP

• Texas Tech moneyline
• Donovan Atwell Over 3.5 threes

Our Big Dance SGP: Anderson Gets in the Act

With both teams capable of putting up points, my projection of 163 signaled value on the Under.

I paired that with Christian Anderson exceeding his assists total, as he should get plenty of opportunities on attack-and-kick threes, tying back to Tech's offensive strengths. 

Texas Tech vs Alabama SGP

• Donovan Atwell Over 3.5 threes
• Christian Anderson Over 7.5 assists
• Texas Tech -1
• Under 165

Texas Tech vs Alabama odds

• Spread: Texas Tech -1 | Alabama +1
• Moneyline: Texas Tech -120 | Alabama +100
• Over/Under: Over 165 | Under 165

Texas Tech vs Alabama betting trend to know

Alabama has hit the 1H Under in 11 of its last 17 games (+4.05 Units / 21% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Texas Tech vs. Alabama.

How to watch Texas Tech vs Alabama

Location	Benchmark International Arena, Tampa, FL
Date	Sunday, March 22, 2026
Tip-off	9:45 p.m. ET
TV	TBS

Texas Tech vs Alabama key injuries

Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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Buffalo, N.Y. — Michigan State is onto the Sweet 16.

On a record-breaking day as point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. dished 16 assists to set a school NCAA Tournament record, No. 3 seed Michigan State led the entire second half in a 77-69 win over No. 6 seed Louisville. Despite 15 turnovers, five from Fears, 3-for-13 3-point shooting and Fears’ crafty playmaking won the weekend for the Spartans.

The win puts Michigan State in its second straight Sweet 16 and its 17th under head coach Tom Izzo. The Spartans take on the winner of No. 2 seed UConn and No. 7 seed UCLA. That UConn-UCLA game is 8:45 p.m. Sunday in Philadelphia (TNT).

BOX SCORE: Michigan State 77, Louisville 69

Coen Carr led Michigan State (27-7) with 21 points and hauled in a career-high 10 rebounds of a 39-32 advantage on the glass. Teammates Jaxon Kohler and Trey Fort added 10 and 12, respectively.

For Louisville (24-11), guards Ryan Conwell and Adrian Wooley combined for 38 points — 18 of 31 points in the first half.

Michigan State pulled away with just under eight minutes to play in game. Out of a timeout, an and-one layup from Carr stretched the lead to 58-50 with 7:42 to play on Fears’ 12th assist of the game — passing his 11 from the first round win over North Dakota State. At the other end, Carr leapt up to swat a shot and got the rebound for a sequence that sent Kohler to the line for free throws after a flagrant foul by Vangelis Zougris.

As Kohler hit the foul shots, then hit a 3 off Fears’ 13th dish after Carr fought hard for an offensive rebound. The Spartans’ starters built a 63-50 cushion with six minutes to go, a difference maintained by Carr’s own 3-pointer on another dish by Fears.

Fears broke Magic Johnson's record of 14 assists against Western Michigan on March 16, 1978, on a fastbreak feed to Carson Cooper with 1:54 to play through heavy contact.

Michigan State led 36-31 at halftime paced by strong 3-point shooting, then opened that up to 42-33 in the first 1:40 of the second half. Two dunks by Carr, one off his own steal and both assisted by Fears, forced Louisville coach Pat Kelsey to call timeout and put the crowd on its feet.

The timeout calmed down the Cardinals, who drew within 42-37 off a Conwell jumper and a tip-in for forward Sanandra Fru. The score stayed there after a minute of scoreless hoops, the Spartans on a three minute drought, turnovers the root cause.

Fears ➡️ Carr 🔨 pic.twitter.com/Y7Wa3vl7X5

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

Carr broke that drought at 15:10 with a second-chance layup dancing through two defenders off a well-placed feed by Fears, his ninth helper of the game. 

Fears’ hands were imperfect, with four turnovers by the time his scramble for a loose ball saw it go out of bounds with just over 12 minutes to go, the score 50-44 MSU. But Michigan State wanted it in the Cousy Award finalist’s hands all the same. He dished his 11th assist to Fort for a big 3 with 11:17 to play after Louisville drew within three off a shot from 7-foot Aly Khalifa — dubbed the “Egyptian Magician” by his coach.

The sixth year senior Fort provided another strong flame off the bench with three big 3s to that point in the game. Still, Louisville hung around. Michigan State’s lead sat at 53-47 halfway through the final frame, a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line and each side huffing and puffing from a hard-fought game. Fort drew a foul and swiped a steal with an extended run on the court, subbing out for Teng at 9:09 to applause from Michigan State fans. 

As they had in the first half, Conwell and Wooley gave Louisville its best threats of the second half. With just over eight minutes to play, Conwell dribbled at the top of the key and dribbled back and forth through his legs, a quick burst opening up a corner 3 from Wooley. He hit it, and the Cardinals pared the MSU lead back down to 55-50. But led by Fears’ hand, Carr and Kohler combined to pull away with a 13-point lead.

A pair of 3s from Wooley and Conwell got the difference back to 10 points, and a couple of missed shots opened a door for Louisville to get closer. But Michigan State got the stops it needed to secure the win. Carr almost had sole possession of the record on a dunk by Carr, but he was fouled, and Fears soon went to the line himself where he hit two shots to make it 70-59. Dealing with heavy contact on the break, he hit Cooper for a bucket that made it 72-59 with 1:54 to go.

COEN CARR SOARS FOR THE JAM 😱 pic.twitter.com/G56QuIj8kO

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

Louisville drew a 4-0 lead operating inside the arc as Michigan State went empty on its first three possessions, but the Spartans tied that up at 7 with 15:43 to play as Carr hit a 3 to open the scoring. A 9-0 run sparked by Carr and aided by Ward and Teng off the bench gave Michigan State a 14-7 lead just past five minutes in.

Key to Michigan State’s lead was its strong 3-point shooting, with six players combining for seven 3s on 14 tries in the first half. Teng hit two off the bench to lead, and Kohler hit one as part of a personal 5-0 run that staved off a Louisville push to within one shot. But even unlikely sources hit big shots for the Spartans.

Just past the midpoint of the half, center Cooper made his second career 3-pointer — his first in the NCAA Tournament — at the end of the shot clock. With gauze plugging his nose, he celebrated a shot that made it 22-12, the largest lead of the half.

As Michigan State threatened to pull away, Conwell and Wooley found answers to keep Louisville in proximity. Conwell hit a 3 in the middle of a 7-0 run that made it 22-19 MSU with 8:37 to play. They each had a fastbreak layup to make it 27-23 with 4:31 to play. In the final 5:26 of the half, Conwell and Wooley scored all 12 of Louisville’s points. Nine Michigan State turnovers, 3 each from Fears and Cooper, led to nine of Louisville's 31 points by halftime.

If there was one area Michigan State struggled in the first half, it was on its own glass, where Louisville grabbed six offensive boards by halftime. Michigan State only gave up two points off those, however, with strong gap defense from Kohler and good help by Carr giving Louisville fits in the halfcourt, the Cardinals shooting 12-for-33 from the floor in the first half. Defense travels, and it made an extended stay in Buffalo.

Still, Louisville paced in range too close for comfort for Michigan State. Fort’s and-one 3 at 3:47 — his arms spread in celebration after it fell — gave Michigan State an eight-point lead, and a 3 from Fears kept it there at 2:17. Michigan State led 36-31 at halftime.

This is a developing story. Come back soon to detroitnews.com for more on this game.

cearegood@detroitnews.com

@ConnorEaregood

This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan State turns back Louisville to dance into NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Steven Stamkos had two goals and an assist to lead the Nashville Predators to a 4-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday.

Stamkos opened the scoring 40 seconds in and added a power-play goal in the first two minutes of the second period as Nashville raced to an early three-goal lead. Tyson Jost and Ryan O’Reilly also scored for the Predators, who won their third straight and for the fourth time in six games. Justus Annunen made 39 saves and improved to 8-9-2.

With his second goal of the game, the 36-year-old Stamkos broke a tie with Brendan Shanahan and moved into sole possession of seventh place in the NHL with 238 career power-play goals. Phil Esposito is sixth overall with 246 man-advantage goals. Stamkos has 33 goals and 55 points this season.

Shea Theodore scored for Vegas, which lost its third in a row and for the sixth time in eight games. Akira Schmid stopped 16 shots.

Vegas carried the play throughout, outshooting Nashville 40-20. But, the Predators made the most of their shots with leads of 3-0 and 4-1 in the second period. The Golden Knights had a 20-4 edge in shots in the first period and a 10-5 advantage in the scoreless third.

Stamkos scored in the opening minute after Ryan O’Reilly won a faceoff and delivered a perfect feed in the slot.

Stamkos scored his 33 of the season on the power play at 1:24 of the second, with assists going to Filip Forsberg and Erik Haula. Tyson Jost made it 3-0 with the Predators' third short-handed goal of the season at 11:56. O'Reilly has the team's other short-handed scores this season.

Theodore got Vegas on the board at 13:10 of the second with a power-play goal before O’Reilly restored a three-goal lead for Nashville with a power-play score at 14:53, on a deflection of a shot by Stamkos.

Up next

Golden Knights: At the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

Predators: At the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.

___

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

TORUN, Poland (AP) — Armand Duplantis won another pole vault world title after he was pushed all the way by Greece's Emmanouil Karalis on Saturday.

Duplantis won his fourth consecutive world indoor championships with a tournament record vault of 6.25 meters, a 10 centimeter improvement on his winning height a year ago in Nanjing.

The pair left behind the field at 6.05.

Duplantis cleared his first attempts at 6.10, 6.15 and then 6.25, when he wobbled the bar.

Karalis passed at 6.10 and 6.15, and missed his attempts at 6.25, finshing runner-up for a second straight year.

Duplantis put away his pole, foregoing attempts at 6.32 to break his world record of 6.31 that he set last week at the Swedish meeting named after him, the Mondo Classic.

Karalis was runner-up at 6.05 and Australia's Kurtis Marschall third with a personal-best 6.00, marking the first time in history that three vaulters surpassed six meters in the same indoor contest.

Simon Ehammer of Switzerland reclaimed the heptathlon title with a world record score of 6,670, adding 25 points to the previous high set in 2012 by Ashton Eaton of the U.S. Ehammer was the world indoor champion in 2024 and runner-up last year.

Also, Zaynab Dosso of Italy won the women's 60-meter final — Olympic 100 champion Julien Alfred was third — Christopher Morales Williams of Canada and Lurdes Gloria Manuel of the Czech Republic won the men's and women's 400, and Josh Kerr of Britain the men's 3,000 six months after tearing his calf in the world outdoor 1,500 final in Tokyo.

Louisville vs Michigan State 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 sixth-seeded Louisville Cardinals face the third-seeded Michigan State Spartans in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Louisville advanced by beating South Florida 83-79 in the first round on Thursday, while Michigan State convincingly defeated North Dakota State 92-67. 

The Cardinals (24-10), finished sixth in the ACC at 11-7, are 3-6 against ranked opponents this season. The Spartans (26-7), tied for the second best record in the Big Ten standings at 15-5, are 5-4 against ranked opponents this year.

Here is a look at the box score from Saturday's second round East Region game in Buffalo.

Louisville vs Michigan State March Madness box score

Louisville stats 

Michigan State stats

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• Hubert Davis buyout, contract details as UNC Tar Heels coach
• Seven championship worthy teams in 2026 NCAA men’s basketball bracket
• John Calipari says college athletics is broken — Here’s his plan to fix it
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Manchester United remain third in the Premier League table after 31 games, despite dropping points against Bournemouth on Friday, 20 March. The Red Devils have managed seven wins and two draws in their 10 games under caretaker boss Michael Carrick, which has bolstered their chances of a top-four finish.

The English giants appear to have recovered from their turbulent spell under former head coach Ruben Amorim, who was removed from his position in January this year. A permanent appointment is expected this summer, with Carrick also in the running for the full-time job.

United are also expected to further invest in their squad after finding success with their transfer business last summer. The midfield remains a priority, with the Red Devils looking to sign an able replacement for the departing Casemiro. It now appears that they have identified a Besiktas star for the job.

United want Orkun Kokcu

According to Fanatik, United are interested in Besiktas captain Orkun Kökçü. The Istanbul-based club signed the Turkey international last summer from Benfica, and he was handed the armband in October last year.

United were previously interested in Kökçü, but the move never materialised. The player has turned his career around since joining the Turkish club and has registered seven goals and eight assists in 32 appearances across competitions.

Orkun Kokcu stats: 2025/26 Season

Source: Transfermarkt.

United are pleased with the 25 year old’s recent performances, but will face competition from Tottenham Hotspur in the race for his signature. The report adds that both English clubs sent scouts to watch Kökçü during Besiktas’ 2-1 win over Kasimpasa in the league earlier this week.

The Turkey international was at his inspirational best in the game, scoring one goal and setting up another. The Red Devils are looking for a dynamic midfielder before the start of the new campaign, and Kökçü fits the bill. However, prising him away from Istanbul will be no walk in the park, especially since he is under contract until 2030.

Besiktas likely to demand a premium fee

The report adds that Besiktas are likely to demand at least €50 million (£43.44 million) to part ways with Kökçü. The Turkish club consider the player a key part of their plans and are in no hurry to let him go.

Besiktas, however, are not averse to his departure, but it will only be possible for the aforementioned price. Meanwhile, the player’s efforts have already earned him admirers in Serie A, with Inter Milan reportedly eyeing him with interest as well.

Kökçü is good with the ball at his feet and is press-resistant, making him a superb replacement for the outgoing Casemiro. United have benefited from the Brazilian’s leadership qualities and his experience, so his departure could open up a gaping hole in the dressing room.

Kökçü, though, is also a natural leader, so he could help address the veteran midfielder’s departure in more ways than one.

Final Thoughts

United may be tempted to sign two midfielders this summer, especially since Manuel Ugarte’s future also hangs in the balance. The Red Devils are likely to invest heavily in a Premier League-proven name to bolster the middle of the park, but a move for Kökçü could also turn out to be a smart bit of business.

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No. 6 seed Louisville entered its second-round matchup against No. 3 Michigan State Saturday at a significant disadvantage without injured All-ACC guard Mikel Brown Jr.

That disadvantage proved too much to overcome against a tough and tournament-tested Michigan State team as the Spartans pulled away for a 77-69 win to advance to the Sweet 16.

All Big Ten point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. guided the MSU victory while tallying 12 points and 16 assists against a Louisville team that was clearly missing its own floor leader. Fears’ 16 assists matched the total produced by the entire Louisville roster. His 16 assists were the most ever by an MSU player in an NCAA tournament game.

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Michigan State opened up a 22-12 early lead that it never relinquished. Louisville managed to keep things close and cut MSU’s lead to as close as 55-50 with 8:20 remaining. But without their star guard, the Cardinals weren’t able to mount a challenge to the Spartans.

A veteran team with significant NCAA tournament experience and a championship-winning head coach in Tom Izzo, Michigan State advances to a regional semifinal matchup against either UCLA or UConn and will be a threat to make it to the Final Four and beyond.

Freshman forward Jordan Scott has been elevated to the starting lineup for Michigan State. But he’s surrounded in the starting lineup by veterans Fears, Jaxon Kohler, Coen Carr and Carson Cooper, each of whom have three-plus years of NCAA experience and played on last season’s team that advanced to the Elite Eight.

Guided by a Hall of Fame coach in Izzo, Michigan State will enter the second weekend of tournament play with as much poise and experience as any team in the field.

This story will be updated.

As she wraps up her decorated college career this weekend, Wisconsin Badgers defender Caroline Harvey has added another accolade to her already-long list of achievements in women’s hockey.

Just one month after she was named tournament MVP while capturing a gold medal with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the 23-year-old was named the 2026 winner of the Patty Kazmaier Award on Saturday. The award, which is presented by USA Hockey, honors the year’s top player in NCAA Div. I women’s ice hockey.

In 2025, Harvey was named a top-three Patty Kazmaier finalist, along with two of her teammates. The award went to senior forward Casey O’Brien, who went on to be selected third overall by the New York Sirens in the 2025 PWHL Draft. The third finalist was junior hybrid forward/defender Laila Edwards, who was named a top-10 finalist once again in 2026.

This year, Harvey’s fellow top-three finalists were also U.S. gold medalists: senior forwards Tessa Janecke of Penn State University and Abbey Murphy of the University of Minnesota.

Murphy’s Golden Gophers finished the season ranked fifth in the nation, and fell to No. 4 Northeastern in last weekend’s regional championship stage of the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Janecke’s Nittany Lions, who are hosting the Frozen Four, finished at No. 3 and put a good scare into the Badgers in Friday’s tournament semi-final. In front of a record-setting crowd of 5,176 fans, Janecke gave the home side an early lead just 1:52 into the first period. After 20 minutes Penn State was up 2-1. Then after the defending champions scored twice in the middle frame, Janecke added her second of the game to force overtime with 4:59 remaining in regulation.

The Badgers needed just 50 seconds of sudden death to punch their ticket to their fourth-straight Frozen Four final. After being awarded an early power play, Edwards and Harvey used only eight seconds with the extra-player advantage to set up Kirsten Simms for the winning goal.

Sunday’s rival will be familiar. The Ohio State Buckeyes are back in the final for the fifth-straight year. They finished as the top-ranked program in the nation this year and reached the final with a pair of dominant wins, beating Yale 6-1 and Northeastern 5-0.

Buckeyes forward Joy Dunne, a junior, was her team’s only top 10 finalist for the 2026 Patty Kazmaier Award. She was also named to the top 10 last season.

Familiar Foes

In 2022, in coach Nadine Muzerall’s sixth year at the helm of the Buckeyes program, Ohio State captured its first Frozen Four title at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Penn. with a 3-2 win over the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The next three years have been showdowns between the Buckeyes and the Badgers. The two sides have been alternating wins, both by 1-0 scores in 2023 and 2024.

In 2025, top-seeded Wisconsin claimed its eighth championship in tournament history thanks to another overtime winner by Simms. Mark Johnson, who was a member of the 1980 Olympic gold-winning Miracle on Ice team, has been at the helm of the Badgers’ program since 2002, just four years after women’s hockey made its Olympic debut in 1998. He delivered Wisconsin’s first two national titles in 2006 and 2007.

PWHL Future Stars

The NCAA’s Class of '26 is rich with talent that should make an immediate impact in the PWHL next season. That list starts with Harvey and includes several of her Wisconsin teammates. Edwards, Simms and fifth-year forward Lacey Eden were all top 10 Patty Kazmaier finalists. Defender Vivian Jungels should also attract attention.

And while Ohio State Olympian Joy Dunne is a junior who is expected to return to college next season, Buckeyes who are expected to declare fo the 2026 PWHL Draft include defenders Emma Peschel, Sara Swiderski and Brooke Disher, forward Sloane Matthews and goaltender Hailey MacLeod, who has been all-but-unbeatable of late.

Other top prospects for 2026 include the Patty Kazmaier top three finalists Janecke and Murphy along with top 10 finalists Tia Chan of Connecticut (goaltender), and Izzy Wunder of Princeton (forward).

How To Watch The 2026 Frozen Four Final

If the history between these two teams is any indication, we’re in for another thriller in the 2026 Frozen Four final.

Catch the Ohio State Buckeyes and Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday, Mar. 22 at 4 p.m. ET. on ESPNU and the ESPN app in the U.S. and on TSN+ in Canada.

Columbus conquers The Throne taking down defending champion Long Island Lutheran, 66-55, in the title game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, March 21 — The Throne tournament will wrapped up Saturday afternoon with the defending champion Long Island Lutheran [Brookville, NY] Crusaders taking on the defending Sporting News national champion Columbus [Miami, FL] Explorers in the finale.

And it turned out to be Columbus – competing as Los Exploters – taking home the hardware this year behind a 28-point effort from Caleb Gaskins in his final high school game.

Long Island Lutheran won the title a year ago, but Columbus is also a previous champion at The Throne event, having won the title in 2023. They also captured Florida's FHSAA Class 7A title last week and entered the game ranked No. 23 in The Sporting News High School Boys Basketball rankings.

STREAM:Watch Columbus vs. Long Island Lutheran on NBA.tv

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Refresh for updates

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FINAL — Columbus 66, Long Island Lutheran 55

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27 seconds to play, and Long Island Lutheran cans a three to trim this to eight points at 63-55.

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39 seconds to play, it's 63-52, Columbus.

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1:30 to play, it's 62-51, Columbus. They've pretty much controlled most of this game, and they're on the verge of collecting their second trophy in two weeks.

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Under five to play, Columbus still up 10 at 58-48.

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The fourth quarter is under way!

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END OF THIRD QUARTER — Columbus 53, Long Island Lutheran 37

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Under four to play, it's 46-32, Columbus.

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Under six, Columbus is firmly in control at 43-29.

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The third quarter is under way!

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END OF SECOND QUARTER — Columbus 37, Long Island Lutheran 27

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Final 30 seconds, it's 37-27, Columbus.

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Inside three, Columbus threatening to blow this wide open, up 35-21 now.

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Under four, and Columbus has its first double-digit lead at 31-21.

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Under five before haltime, and Columbus has opened up its biggest lead at 28-21.

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Closing in on six minutes, it's 20-18, Columbus.

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The second quarter is under way!

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END OF FIRST QUARTER — Columbus 15, Long Island Lutheran 13

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Under three, it's 13-9, Columbus.

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Approaching five to play, it's 9-7, Columbus.

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Approaching the six-minute mark, it's 3-all.

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The game is under way!

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The girls championship game has gone to overtime so that's going to push back the start of the boys game.

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Coming soon! Game time is set for 3 p.m. EST local!

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How can I watch Columbus vs. Long Island Lutheran?

• Date: 3 p.m. EST local, Saturday, March 21
• STREAM:Watch Columbus vs. Long Island Lutheran on NBA.tv

MORE HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL

• The latest SN High School Girls Basketball Top 25
• The Sporting News High School Boys Basketball Top 25
• South Carolina's SCHSL boys basketball state champions
• Mississippi's MHSAA boys basketball state champions
• Washington D.C.'s DCSAA boys basketball champions

Premier League teams relegated 2026: Which clubs are going down to EFL Championship for next season? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

For teams in the richest domestic football competition in the world, relegation from the Premier League is a catastrophic outcome that clubs look to avoid at all costs and expense.

Leicester City, Ipswich Town, and Southampton going down in 2024/25 meant all three promoted clubs were sent straight back down for a second consecutive season, leading fans to believe that it is harder than ever for smaller clubs to establish themselves in the highest division full of rich and powerful clubs.

The burden, therefore, was on Sunderland, Leeds United, and Burnley to break the trend and find a way to stay up. It appears at least one of them — Sunderland — has established a foothold, while the other two battle the drop.

The Sporting News takes a full look at the current relegation picture to review who will be sent down to the Championship next season.

MORE:The last time each of the 'big six'  clubs in England were relegated

Premier League teams relegated 2026: Who is going down?

Even with their recent positive results, Wolves and Burnley are almost certainly going down at the end of the 2025/26 season.

The real race is for the final relegation place. West Ham occupied the third relegation spot at the start of March, but there are other contenders in Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, and, sensationally, Tottenham.

It's likely this goes right to the wire.

Table updated following all matches on Saturday, March 21, 2026. Percentage chance via Opta.

MORE:When was the last time Tottenham was relegated?

Which clubs are most likely to be relegated in 2027?

Down in the Championship, Coventry City have opened up a significant lead at the top of the table, gunning for automatic promotion with a five-point lead through 35 games.

Behind them is Middlebrough who are hoping to hang on to the second-place position and secure automatic promotion for themselves, even if the league title is out of reach.

Below the automatic promotion places are those hunting for the playoff positions. Ipswich Town and Millwall lead the pack, with Hull City right behind them. Wrexham have a decent lead in the final position, with Southampton, Derby County, and Watford giving chase.

GLENDALE– The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Las Vegas A’s, 4-3, at Camelback Ranch on March 21st, 2026 and The Sporting Tribune’s Jessica Cryderman was there to capture the following TST Images.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Santiago Espinal (21) running to first base during an MLB spring training baseball game against the Las Vegas A’s on March 21st, 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Athletics outfielder Denzel Clarke (1) at bat during an MLB spring training baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 21st, 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Alex Freeland (76) celebrating a home run during an MLB spring training baseball game against the Las Vegas A’s on March 21st, 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers fans catch a home run during an MLB spring training baseball game against the Las Vegas A’s on March 21st, 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Joe Vetrano (95) sliding into first base safely due to an athletics error during an MLB spring training baseball game against the Las Vegas A’s on March 21st, 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan (80) pitching during an MLB spring training baseball game against the Las Vegas A’s on March 21st, 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Alex Freeland (76) returning a ground ball to first during an MLB spring training baseball game against the Las Vegas A’s on March 21st, 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Athletics shortstop Leo De Vries (83) at bat during an MLB spring training baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 21st, 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Athletics shortstop Leo De Vries (83) returning to the dugout during an MLB spring training baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on March 21st, 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers fan celebrating a double during an MLB spring training baseball game against the Las Vegas A’s on March 21st, 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Alex Freeland (76) throwing to first base for an out during an MLB spring training baseball game against the Las Vegas A’s on March 21st, 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

Jessica Cryderman - The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Hyeseong Kim (6) ignoring second base and throwing to first base to end the inning during an MLB spring training baseball game against the Las Vegas A’s on March 21st, 2026 in Glendale, AZ.

River Plate has announced the list of players called up by Eduardo Coudet to travel to Córdoba and visit Estudiantes de Río Cuarto for the 12th round of the 2026 Torneo Apertura.

Giuliano Galoppo is not included among those called up, as he is out due to a minor sprain in his left ankle.

The young Cristian Jaime returns to the list to take Galoppo's place, having been called up by Coudet for the first time since he took charge.  

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

There's currently a million questions surrounding the UNC men's basketball program, perhaps none greater than if Hubert Davis should remain head coach.

The Tar Heels (24-9, 12-6 ACC), who once looked like a National Championship contender, steadily fell out of contention when Caleb Wilson suffered a season-ending thumb injury. Reports pointed to Wilson returning for the Duke rematch, but he fractured his thumb – and North Carolina lost its first of three straight.

There's hope Wilson returns to the Tar Heels for another season, but he's a projected lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. According to basketball insider Jake Fischer, there's talk of Wilson possibly leap-frogging fellow freshman stars AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer and/or Darryn Peterson.

“I don’t think anyone is taking Wilson No. 1 overall," Fischer said. "But, I think every team is going to have him above one of those other three guys.”

When healthy, Wilson was one of the best players in college basketball. He averaged 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, breaking Tyler Hansbrough's UNC freshman record for 20-point games. Wilson can throw down a highlight-reel dunk at any time, he's long enough to make jump shots over taller defenders, while he can lock down opposing big men in the paint.

Some teams are expected to have Caleb Wilson rated as a top-three prospect, and he could potentially leapfrog Dybantsa, Peterson, or Boozer, per @JakeLFischer

“I don’t think anyone is taking Wilson No. 1 overall. But I think every team is going to have him above one of those… pic.twitter.com/YooveyRL8A

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 20, 2026

Wilson proved himself as NBA-ready from Day One in Chapel Hill, forming the country's top frontcourt duo with Henri Veesaar. When North Carolina needed someone to take over, Wilson obliged, such as single-handedly carrying his teammates in a Round One win over the Blue Devils (33-2, 17-1 ACC).

Whatever Wilson decides to do, watching him play basketball is a can't-miss opportunity. The Tar Heels are lucky to have a player like Wilson, who loves the program more than anything, to come through Chapel Hill.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC star Caleb Wilson predicted to jump fellow starts in NBA Draft

MADRID (AP) — Elche left the relegation zone in La Liga by defeating Mallorca 2-1 for its first victory of the year on Saturday.

The host scored twice in less than 10 minutes in the second half to earn the come-from-behind victory.

Mallorca went ahead with a goal by Pablo Torre in the 58th minute but Elche rallied with scores by Rafa Mir in the 62nd and Tete Morente in the 71st.

The result moved Elche to 16th place, one point above the drop zone. It hadn’t won a match across all competitions since Dec. 21. It had lost eight of its last 12 games with four draws.

Mallorca dropped to 18th place and entered the relegation zone.

Also on Saturday, Espanyol extended its winless streak in 2026 to 12 games after a 2-1 home loss to Getafe. Getafe moved to eighth place, two spots ahead of Espanyol.

Osasuna defeated Girona 1-0 with an 80th-minute goal by Ante Budimir, halting a three-game winless run.

In a match between bottom-table teams, 19th-placed Levante beat 20th-placed Oviedo 4-2 at home.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

We had a great matchup of two dominant lefties in Spring Training on Saturday, with Chris Sale facing Garrett Crochet and Sale’s former team, the Red Sox.

Sale gave up two very hard-hit balls in the first at over 104 MPH each, but only allowed a walk for a single baserunner. Sale was able to reign in the hard contact after the first and generally looked like himself, touching 97 on the radar gun and generating plenty of whiffs, despite relatively low strikeout totals. Michael Harris gave Chris an assist with a great jumping catch in the third. Sale continued to cruise his way through the game efficiently, completing 6.0 innings on 86 pitches wit 4 strikeouts, 1 walk, and 1 run allowed. That’s a solid outing for Sale, even with the relatively tame strikeout total by his standards in his final spring tune-up. Tyler Kinley took over in the seventh and allowed a single in a scoreless frame with one strikeout. Dylan Lee was the last major league pitcher to get some work on Saturday, as he worked a clean 8th inning with one strikeout.

On offense, Austin Riley continued his strong spring, blasting a 110 MPH home run off of Crochet in the second and a hard-hit double in the third.

Elsewhere on offense, Ozzie also hit a double, Olson hit a 101 MPH single in the third and a 107 MPH single in the seventh, and Eli White drew a walk. There were some additional Looney Tunes moments that resulted in a box score single for Olson and double for Riley in the fifth that were not batted balls deserving of those box score classifications. Those were the most notable performances at the plate by players expected to be on the Opening Day roster.

Join us again tomorrow at 1:05 PM ET, as Reynaldo Lopez gets his last bit of work in this spring.

Josh Kerr reclaimed the men's 3000m world indoor gold he first won two years ago in Glasgow after crossing the finish line in 7:35.56 in Poland.

The Scotsman hovered patiently behind the pack leaders, picking his moment to surge in front on the last lap.

Kerr held off a final-stretch fightback from Cole Hocker, the man who pipped him to Olympic 1500m gold in 2024.

Kerr, the 2023 world 1500m champion, sustained a grade-two calf tear in the 1500m final at last summer's world championships in Japan, leaning on his mother to work him back to top form.

"From where we were in Tokyo to right now, having another world gold medal, that's all down to coaching, it's all down to physio and my mum. That's a family win right there," Kerr told the BBC.

Kerr hovered patiently behind the pack leaders, picking his moment to surge in front with about 200 metres remaining, and managed to hold off a final-stretch fightback from Hocker, who took silver in 7mins 35.70secs, just enough to beat Schrub, who rounded out the podium one millisecond later.

Kerr said before these championships that there was a time he could not even walk himself to breakfast, but he had surprised even himself with the speed of his recovery.

The 2024 Olympic 1500m silver medallist had hoped to compete in the 3000m final at the British indoor championships last month, but was granted a medical exception, reportedly due to back issues.

Kerr was full of confidence approaching Torun, declaring himself still "the best athlete in the world at these distances".

He was not wholly pleased by how the race unfolded in Poland, nor parts of the event's execution, but was nevertheless relieved to get the job done after troubleshooting on the fly.

"For people watching, that is not how you win a world final," Kerr said. "I knew that I had to get that close right, or else I might be having a pretty tough conversation with my coach.

"I was extremely fit coming into this. Obviously I had some problems coming into British champs, but this was the main goal. From a coaching and staff standpoint, and from just general work, I just... I needed this one.”

Serge Gnabry scored twice and Harry Kane inched closer to the Bundesliga single-season goal record as Bayern Munich beat Union Berlin 4-0 at home on Saturday. 

Kane's second-half strike took him to 31 this campaign -- the same number Union have scored all season -- and 10 short of Robert Lewandowski's mark from 2020-21, with seven games to play. 

Michael Olise struck for the brilliant Bavarians. 

"It's still possible, I just have to keep doing what I'm doing," Kane told reporters about the record. 

"All it takes is a hat-trick or a couple of braces in a row and then it'll look a bit more likely."

Bayern have 97 goals this season, four short of the best mark set in 1971-72, when Franz Beckenbauer and Gerd Mueller helped the Bavarian giants tear through the Bundesliga. 

Coach Vincent Kompany made five changes from the side which thumped Atalanta on Wednesday to set up a Champions League quarter-final clash with Real Madrid, but kept Kane front and centre. 

Union, who had never beaten Bayern in 14 clashes, held out until the 41st minute, when Olise collected a punted Leon Goretzka pass and curled the ball into the top corner. 

Gnabry made it two just before the break, knocking in a rebound at the far post. 

Kane pirouetted and curled in Bayern's third just after the break, boosting his tally to 48 in 40 games in all competitions this season. 

Gnabry was again in the right place to volley in with 67 minutes gone to add gloss to another big Bayern win. 

- Wild comeback for Dortmund, Leverkusen 'speechless' -

Ramy Bensebaini scored two second half penalties as Borussia Dortmund came from two goals down to win 3-2 at home against promoted Hamburg and all but lock up second spot. 

Philip Otele and Albert Sambi Lokonga scored to put Hamburg two goals up at half-time, after Dortmund's Felix Nmecha missed a penalty just before the break. 

Bensebaini converted a penalty after 73 minutes to bring Dortmund back into the match and Serhou Guirassy hammered in a rebound while off balance five minutes later. 

With six minutes left, Jobe Bellingham tried a long-range effort which hit Miro Muheim's hand, bringing Bensebaini to the spot again. 

The Algerian nervelessly converted to bring Dortmund in front and put the hosts on track for victory. 

Second-placed Dortmund are 11 points clear of RB Leipzig in third but remain nine points behind leaders Bayern. 

Bayer Leverkusen's top-four hopes took a hit with a 3-3 draw at rock-bottom Heidenheim after leading 2-0 at half-time and 3-2 with five minutes remaining. 

The draw leaves Leverkusen sixth, four points behind Leipzig, Stuttgart and Hoffenheim, who are all level on 50 points. Stuttgart have a game in hand. 

"I'm speechless," goalkeeper Mark Flekken told DAZN. "We talked at half-time about not getting complacent."

Hoping to bounce back from Tuesday's Champions League exit at Arsenal, first-half goals to Malik Tillmann and Patrik Schick had Leverkusen on course for a routine win. 

Heidenheim fought back through a Hennes Behrens goal and a Marvin Pieringer penalty. Schick once again gave Leverkusen the lead with a header but Pieringer levelled  again from a corner with 85 minutes gone. 

Justin Njinmah scored the only goal as Werder Bremen won 1-0 at Wolfsburg to push their hosts closer to a first ever Bundesliga relegation. 

Second-last with just one victory in the calendar year, 2009 German champions Wolfsburg could be six points from safety if St Pauli beat Freiburg on Sunday. 

Elsewhere, Rhine rivals Cologne and Borussia Moenchengladbach played out a 3-3 draw. 

dwi/ea/pb

Bayern Munich beat Union Berlin in a rather dominant display with goals of Michael Olise, Harry Kane, and a brace by Serge Gnabry. At the moment, sits atop the Bundesliga table with 70 points from 27 matches, while having scored 97 goals. With 7 games left in the Bundesliga campaign, the Bavarians will surely surpass that record, unless the world suddenly disintegrates or is affected by a massive cosmic event.

In a postgame interview, Bayern Munich attacker Serge Gnabry was questioned about the record, stressing how it shows the current level of the team’s attack (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “During games, you don’t really think about records like that. Of course, when we break it we’ll be happy and see how much higher we can push it. The fact that we’re already at 97 goals is really incredible; I didn’t expect that at all. It simply shows how good our attack is.”

It’s worth noting that the current record has stood over 50 years, when in the 1971/72 campaign, Udo Lattek’s Bayern scored the aforementioned 101 goals. That season also saw legend Gerd Müller establish a 40-goal record, a mark that stood 49 years, until Robert Lewandowski broke it with 41 goals in the 2020/21 season.

If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…

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