Microsoft have launched their first preview of DirectStorage 1.4 At GDC 2026, Microsoft released the public preview of DirectStorage 1.4 and the Game Asset Conditioning Library. These tools arrive as part of Microsoft’s next-generation feature set for “Project Helix“, Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox. With DirectStorage 1.4, Microsoft has officially added support for Zstandard compression. This popular […]
Google’s AI Overviews may be reducing traditional search clicks, but publishers still have meaningful growth opportunities in breaking news and Google Discover, according to new data from Define Media Group.
Organic search clicks have fallen 42% since AI Overviews began expanding in Google Search, according to Define Media Group’s analysis of Google Search Console data across its portfolio of 64 sites.
Why we care. AI-generated answers are reshaping search traffic. Evergreen content is losing clicks, while real-time news coverage and Discover distribution are emerging as stronger traffic channels for publishers.
By the numbers. Across Google Search, Discover, and Google News, breaking news traffic grew 103% from November 2024 through early 2026 in the company’s dataset. Losses were concentrated in informational and evergreen content:
Organic search traffic averaged 1.7 billion clicks per quarter from Q1 2023 through Q1 2024.
After AI Overviews launched, traffic fell 16% immediately and never recovered.
As Google expanded AI Overviews in May 2025, declines accelerated.
By Q4 2025, search traffic was down 42% from the pre-AI Overviews baseline.
Discover’s role: Google Discover, which grew 30% across the portfolio, is now the main growth engine for breaking news distribution. Discover traffic rose steadily as web search traffic fell. For the first time in the dataset, Discover and web search now drive roughly equal traffic.
Why is this happening? AI Overviews appear less often for news queries than for other topics. AI Overviews appeared for about 15% of news queries — nearly three times less often than in categories such as health and science — according to Ahrefs data cited in the report.
News queries often trigger the Top Stories carousel, which links directly to publisher articles. Searches for major developing events, such as international conflicts, typically show Top Stories rather than AI summaries.
Define Media Group suggests Google may be avoiding AI-generated summaries for breaking news because events change rapidly, accuracy stakes are high, and generative systems can still hallucinate.
Google is launching Ask Maps, a conversational AI feature that lets users ask Google Maps complex, real-world questions and get personalized, actionable answers — powered by the company’s Gemini AI models.
What’s new. Users can now ask Maps questions like “Is there a public tennis court with lights on that I can play at tonight?” or “My phone is dying — where can I charge it without a long wait?” and get a conversational answer with a customized map view.
Key capabilities include:
Personalized recommendations — Results are tailored based on your search and save history, so Maps already knows, for example, that you prefer vegan restaurants before you ask.
Trip planning — Ask for recommended stops along a route and get directions, ETAs, and insider tips sourced from over 500 million community contributors across 300 million places.
Direct action — Book reservations, save places, or share them with friends directly from the response.
On ads. Ask Maps doesn’t carry ads yet — but Google isn’t ruling them out. The Gemini team confirmed to the digital marketing veteran, Glenn Gabe, that advertising is not currently part of the experience, though given that ads are already a fixture in local search, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see them surface here eventually.
The intent-rich, planning-focused nature of Ask Maps actually makes it a logical fit — users are actively deciding where to go and what to do, which is precisely the kind of moment advertisers pay a premium to reach.
Why we care. Ask Maps changes how people find places — shifting discovery from keyword searches to AI-generated recommendations. The businesses that will get picked will be the ones with rich, accurate, up-to-date Maps profiles and strong community engagement — because that’s the data Google’s AI is drawing from to make its picks.
What to watch. Ask Maps is rolling out now in the U.S. and India on Android and iOS, with desktop coming soon.
What’s next. Advertisers and local businesses should pay close attention — when AI starts mediating how people discover places, visibility in Maps becomes more critical than ever. Keeping business listings accurate, complete, and review-rich will matter more as Gemini draws from that data to power recommendations.
Turtle Beach's VelocityOne KD3 Race Wheel & Pedal System is a top-notch mid-range racing wheel for players looking to play games on Xbox and PC with greater control and immersion, and it's now on sale for a 39% discount.
Last year, Lisuan Technology introduced its Lisuan LX 7G106 graphics card, one of the most promising GPU technologies for gamers emerging from China. Today, during the AWE 2026 stream on the Chinese BiliBili platform, the company announced that its GPUs will ship on June 18, with pre-orders starting on March 17. The 7G106 GPU is powered by a monolithic die manufactured at TSMC's facilities using the older 6 nm DUV node. This N6 node is approved for Lisuan to utilize TSMC's mature node capacity. Designed for gaming, this GPU accelerates games and 3D applications with broad API support, including DirectX 12, Vulkan 1.3, and OpenGL 4.6. While it supports DirectX 12, it does not include ray tracing, meaning there is no DirectX 12 Ultimate. However, it will support DirectX 12 games, and Lisuan notes that some of these titles include popular games on Steam, such as Cyberpunk 2077, Black Myth: Wukong, and Resident Evil 4 Remake.
Underneath the 7G106 features a SIMD engine capable of running calculations with FP32 and the new INT8 data type. The GPU has a maximum throughput of 24 TFLOP/s in FP32, placing it high in compute. The primary compute language is OpenCL 3.0. Internally, the SIMD engine is supported by a large raster graphics pipeline, with up to 192 TMUs and 96 ROPs on the silicon. In terms of memory, it offers 12 GB of GDDR6 across a 192-bit wide memory bus, although the company has not yet finalized the exact memory frequencies. The 7G106 is equipped with a modern video acceleration engine, capable of hardware-accelerated AV1 and HEVC decoding at resolutions up to 8K at 60 FPS. It also supports hardware-accelerated AV1 encoding at 4K at 30 FPS and HEVC encoding at 8K at 30 FPS. For monitor connectivity, it includes four DisplayPort 1.4 outputs with support for DSC 1.2b. The GPU does not feature HDMI outputs, likely due to the licensing costs required by the HDMI Consortium for each installed HDMI port.
Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment are proud to unleash the official Launch Trailer for John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, on Steam and Epic Games Store. Built on Saber's cutting-edge Swarm Engine—the technology powering World War Z: Aftermath and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2—this co-op shooter throws players headfirst into waves of grotesque zombie hordes and towering bosses ripped straight from the nightmares of a grindhouse legend. Fans of over-the-top '80s action-horror have been waiting for this one. Welcome to the apocalypse!
"The game is finally out. Play it," said John Carpenter. "It's good and it's fun. You may not be ready for these ghouls to attack you but when they do you better learn fast! They will overwhelm you. These ghouls are out for business! Time to kick ass!"
Samsung's Odyssey 3D monitor offers enthusiasts a renewed way to enjoy 3D gaming experiences. At the GDC Festival of Gaming 2026, the Korean company announced a major expansion of the gaming content available for the Odyssey 3D ecosystem.
Racine helps families and groups inventory belongings, capture stories, and distribute items fairly. You can invite members with roles, scan objects with automatic recognition, and let everyone privately rank their preferences before allocation. The app uses an equitable algorithm to assign items or lots, supports remote participation for scattered families, and offers flexible rules, notifications, and configuration to match how your group organizes things.
Walk into almost any cruise ship casino after dinner and you’ll hear it right away. The familiar chime of slot machines, spinning reels, and celebratory jingles when someone hits a small jackpot.
Slots have long been the backbone of cruise ship casinos. They are easy to play, require no special knowledge of rules, and allow passengers to jump in for a quick round between shows, dinners, or late-night drinks.
Interest in this format has grown alongside the expansion of digital gaming platforms.
Many enthusiasts search for guides, reviews, and discussions about where to enjoy these games safely and effectively, which is why content about crown casino online pokies often appears in conversations about modern casino entertainment and online gaming culture.
These discussions help players understand how pokies work, how different game mechanics influence potential outcomes, and how to navigate the wide variety of titles available today.
I often emphasize that knowledge enhances enjoyment: understanding volatility, bonus features, and payout structures can make the experience far more engaging.
How Pokies Evolved from Mechanical Machines
Casino slots in Victory Cruises
The earliest pokies were entirely mechanical. A lever triggered spinning reels with printed symbols, and winnings depended on simple combinations. While the concept was straightforward, it captured the imagination of players worldwide.
Key stages of evolution
mechanical machines with physical reels
electronic slots introducing digital displays
online pokies featuring advanced animations and bonus rounds
Each step added new layers of interactivity.
Features That Define Modern Pokies
Modern slot games, both onboard ships and on digital platforms, now include features designed to keep gameplay dynamic.
Some of the most common mechanics include:
Cascading reels that trigger additional spins after wins
Expanding wild symbols that increase winning combinations
Free spin rounds with multipliers and bonus mini-games
These features add an element of surprise and variety, which helps explain why slot machines remain among the most popular games in cruise casinos.
Classic Pokies vs Modern Online Pokies
Aspect
Classic Pokies
Modern Online Pokies
Visual Style
Simple symbols and limited colors
High-definition graphics and themes
Gameplay Mechanics
Basic paylines
Multiple features and bonus systems
Interaction Level
Minimal
Highly interactive
Accessibility
Physical casino locations
Available on desktop and mobile devices
Game Variety
Limited
Thousands of different titles
The table shows how dramatically the format has evolved over time.
Why Slots Remain Popular on Cruise Ships
Cruise casinos offer a mix of table games and slot machines, but slots consistently attract the largest crowds.
One reason is accessibility. Unlike games such as blackjack or poker that require learning rules or strategies, slots allow passengers to start playing immediately.
Another factor is variety. Cruise casinos typically feature a wide range of themes and game styles, from classic fruit machines to modern video slots based on movies, mythology, and adventure themes.
For many passengers, slot machines are simply another form of onboard entertainment, similar to attending a show or trying a new restaurant.
Responsible Gaming at Sea
Cruise lines emphasize responsible gaming in their onboard casinos. Passengers are encouraged to treat casino play as entertainment and to set limits on time and spending.
Most cruise casinos operate only while ships are in international waters, and they follow regulations designed to ensure fair play and transparency.
For guests who enjoy gaming in moderation, the casino can be a lively and social part of the cruise experience.
Slot machines have been part of the cruise casino environment for decades, offering an easy and entertaining way for passengers to try their luck at sea.
While the technology behind these games has evolved dramatically, the core appeal remains the same: simple gameplay, quick rounds, and the excitement of seeing the reels line up just right.
Whether played onboard a cruise ship or through modern digital platforms, slot games continue to evolve while remaining one of the most recognizable forms of casino entertainment.
Starting April 2026, the United Kingdom joins Germany, France, the United States, Portugal, and other nations as travelers face the doubled overnight tourist tax in Barcelona.
The Norwegian Luna is set to deliver an unforgettable cruise experience with its bold new features and unmatched luxury, offering guests a vacation like no other.
Cruise travel continues strong in 2026 with evolving trends, broader appeal, rising passenger numbers and sustainable itineraries shaping a dynamic future for global tourism.
Enjoy a 3-for-2 staycation offer at Cheval Maison properties in Dubai. Book now for luxury stays with stunning views, rooftop pools, and pet-friendly rooms.
WIZZ MultiPass relaunches in the UK, letting travellers lock fixed flight fares for 12 months across international routes — a new era of predictable pricing
Kenya decision to grant air service licenses to 38 operators enhances aviation capacity, boosting Nairobi role as an African hub and driving regional tourism growth.
For those looking to elevate their Myrtle Beach getaway, 2026 is the perfect time to do so. With the launch of the "Make More Myrtle Moments" campaign, travelers can now extend their stay and enjoy even more of the beautiful coastline, exciting attractions, and vibrant entertainment that Myrtle Beach is famous for.
Munich Airport introduces new restaurants at Terminal 1 Pier including ODEON by Käfer and Cucina Popolare, enhancing sustainable dining for travellers.
Samsung’s phone business might lose money this year for the first time ever. Usually, Samsung’s mobile division makes a profit, but this year could be different.
According to the latest information, the global smartphone market is having a hard time. Prices for phone parts, mainly memory chips, have gone up a lot. Experts say phone sales this year could drop even more than during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To save money, Samsung is cutting costs. One example is that executives are now being asked to fly economy instead of business class. This may seem small, but it shows the company is trying to spend less.
Not everything is bad for Samsung. Its new Galaxy S26 phones are selling better than expected. This may help the company make some profit, but it might not be enough to cover all the higher costs and lower sales in other areas.
If Samsung’s mobile division loses money, it will be a big thing. It would be the first time in the company’s history. This shows how hard the smartphone market has become, even for one of the world’s biggest phone makers.
Now, how Samsung handles this situation in the next few months will be very important. The company will need to find ways to control costs and keep customers buying its phones. The outcome could affect Samsung’s place as a top smartphone company for years to come. Stay tuned for more information.
The first Crimson Desert reviews judging performance on the PS5 Pro are rolling in. Digital Foundry praises Pearl Abyss for adding detail to every corner of the vast open world. The PS5 Pro Enhanced game mostly avoids stuttering, and a release date patch to upgrade PSSR could boost visual clarity.
Pearl Abyss has published Crimson Desert’s final PC system requirements ahead of its 19 March 2026 launch, outlining performance targets from 1080p to 4K across multiple presets.
Deal | The Metroidvania Mayhem is another new collection on Humble Bundle, and it contains a total of nine Steam Deck Verified games. They all, alongside a discount coupon, can be scored for a minimum payment of $12.
The three final designs of the 2027 Grand Seiko Global GS9 Club Exclusive Model have been revealed. Members of the GS9 Club are expected to be able to vote for their preferred design, which will have a metal case and leather strap.
Xiaomi's multi-purpose projector stand is now available in the UK. Offered at a budget price tag despite its metal build, the Projector Multi Angle Stand is compatible with third-party projectors as well as Xiaomi's own Smart Projector L1 series.
Oppo released the Watch X2 Mini globally last year running Wear OS. Offered as a cheaper alternative to the Watch X2, the Watch X2 Mini is set to be replaced with a more compact alternative to the Watch X3, according to new rumours.
The GameMT EX8 is a new retro handheld that combines a Helio G99 chipset with a 3:2 display. Priced at under $150, the new release should rival existing options like the Powkiddy RGB50 and the Ayaneo Pocket Micro with an active cooling solution and an all-glass front.
LG has finally released its new 540 Hz gaming monitor in Europe. Available across the Eurozone and in the UK, the UltraGear OLED 27GX790B can also run at 720 Hz as needed, with up to 1,500 nits peak brightness too.
The latest Yoga Slim 7i Aura Edition is now available to purchase globally. Not to be confused with its Ultra Aura Edition counterpart, the new Gen 11 model combines an Intel Panther Lake-U series processor with a large battery and three OLED display options at launch.
The Vivo X300 Ultra appears set to launch later this month. In the meantime, a Vivo executive has showcased that the X300 Ultra should be capable of capture detailed photos even at extreme focal lengths like 800 mm and beyond.
DJI is not launching its Antigravity A1 rival for another fortnight. Nonetheless, DJI has already officially presented the Avata 360 globally. At the same time, new leaks have confirmed more details about DJI's new drone, which escape official teasers.
Slay the Spire 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the hit 2019 game, Slay the Spire. It has barely been two weeks since its launch, and the game has already crushed Steam charts, boasting a peak concurrent player count of a whopping 574,000.
Omoway has introduced its OMO-ROBOT architecture and confirmed that its self-balancing OMO X electric motorcycle has entered mass production. The company also previewed a new robotics platform built on the same technology, signaling broader ambitions in intelligent mobility.
Previous leaks have suggested a largely unchanged design for the Motorola Razr 70 and now a new leak has brought more marginal improvement news. The phone is said to get a slight charging speed upgrade.
After the full-size Gravity SUV, Lucid has announced three other cheaper models designed to take on Tesla and a "distracted" Elon Musk. One of them is the Cosmos SUV, priced as a direct Tesla Model Y competitor but with better specs.
Palmer Luckey is in early talks to raise funding at a $1 billion valuation for ModRetro, as the company ramps up high-volume production ahead of its second product launch.
New information has surfaced about Apple's rumoured first foray into the world of foldable smartphones. Reportedly, Apple is planning to offer the so-called iPhone Fold with up to 1 TB of storage but with a starting price that will eclipse even the Galaxy Z Fold7. Apple is rumoured to be bringing iPadOS multitasking features to iOS, too.
Intel just unveiled its fastest gaming processors yet with the Core Ultra 200S Plus series. The series features two new CPUs that promise 15% geomean faster gaming performance than the current Core Ultra 2-series CPUs.
Upgrading your gaming PC is a daunting task in 2026 with the crazy prices of RAM and SSDs. Finding a good deal on a GPU is similarly challenging. The new Plus CPUs, however, are well priced and they support all current motherboards with an 800-series chipset.
The new Intel Core Ultra 200S Plus CPUs
The Intel Core Ultra 5 250K Plus is $200, while the Core Ultra 7 270K...
The Oppo Find X9 Ultra is rumored to launch later this month and it will be the first Find X-series Ultra phone to go global. Tipster Digital Chat Station has now shared some more specs about the device’s cameras as well as a new bit of info concerning the “Master Kit version”.
This will apparently be the Find X9 Ultra top-tier version, equipped with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage. It will also feature an exclusive design and a teleconverter kit, which has already leaked.
According to the post, the Find X9 Ultra is said to feature a quad camera setup headlined by a 200MP main camera with...
After Madrid was proposed as a possible venue for the Finalissima, the president of the Argentine Football Association spoke about another option for the clash against Spain.
The Finalissima has been at the center of the global soccer stage for days, ever since the conflicts in the Middle East seriously called into question the viability of hosting the match in Qatar, as was originally planned. In this context, Spain and Argentina have different ideas regarding the new venue to be selected.
Details have recently emerged about the idea that UEFA and Spain proposed during meetings aimed at reaching a solution. Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, home of Real Madrid, is the venue preferred by the Europeans, but Argentina and CONMEBOL reportedly rejected that option because it would not be a neutral venue.
In this scenario, the president of the Argentine Football Association spoke about the issue during an interview with the media on Thursday in Buenos Aires. “We’re going to get to work because Spain want the Finalissima to be played in Spain, and I want it to be played at the Monumental,” said Claudio Tapia.
The Monumental is the stadium of River Plate, one of Argentina’s most important clubs. Located in Buenos Aires, it is usually the home of the national team—most of their World Cup qualifier matches were played there—and it has a capacity of 85,000 spectators.
Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, and Lionel Messi.
Is Buenos Aires a possible venue for the Finalissima?
Since the chance of playing in Qatar began to be questioned, there has been much speculation about potential alternatives to host the Finalissima. Aside from Miami, most rumors pointed to European cities. Madrid progressed the most in those negotiations, but other cities such as Paris, Rome, and London were also mentioned.
Until Thursday, when Claudio Tapia brought it up, Buenos Aires had not been considered among the options. This would involve a complete logistical change for the match, considering that almost all players from Spain and Argentina play in Europe and would need to organize a long trip to South America for the game.
At the same time, this would require finding alternatives for the second friendly that both national teams will play during the March international break. These logistical challenges suggest that Tapia’s comments may not express a genuine desire but rather serve as a method to apply pressure in negotiations and definitively rule out the idea of playing the Finalissima in Madrid.
“We still don’t know,” Aimar admitted regarding the location of the Finalissima, during a recent interview with Cadena 3. However, the former Valencia midfielder made clear Argentina’s main concern at the moment: “Wherever it is safe. We want to play it, as long as it can happen.”
Argentina's Lionel Messi and Spain's Lamine Yamal.
After the incident with the ball-boy in the Champions League game against PSG, UEFA has decided to open disciplinary proceedings against Chelsea star Pedro Neto, putting his presence in the second leg in great danger.
Pedro Neto found himself at the center of controversy during Chelsea‘s UEFA Champions League clash against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, after the forward pushed a ball-boy while attempting to retrieve the ball and restart play, sparking a brief altercation between the two sides. In the aftermath, UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against the Chelsea star, putting his availability for the second leg in serious jeopardy.
PSG hosted Chelsea at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday in the first leg of the Round of 16, with the home side running out comfortable 5-2 winners. The flashpoint came in the 90th-plus-first minute, with the score still 4-2, when a ball rolled to the sideline for a Chelsea throw-in. With a ball-boy holding a spare ball and showing no willingness to hand it to the away side, Neto stepped in and pushed the youngster, sending him to the ground.
The incident sparked a brief confrontation, with PSG players immediately surrounding Neto over his actions, while referee Alejandro Hernández opted not to book the Portuguese forward. After the final whistle, Neto addressed the incident in an interview with TNT Sports:
“I want to come out and say the situation that happened on the pitch, I want to apologise to the ball boy. I already spoke with him, the emotions of the game with us losing, I want to pick up the ball, and I gave him a little push. I saw that I hurt him and straight away I apologised, I am not like this. I gave him my shirt as well. He was happy that I gave him the shirt and said sorry like, 35 times.“
Pedro Neto of Chelsea embraces a ball kid following the altercation.
Despite the apology, and despite neither the referee nor VAR intervening to issue a sanction on the night, UEFA has decided to step in and open disciplinary proceedings against the Chelsea forward. No decision has been reached yet, with a ruling expected in the coming days.
Could Neto miss the second leg against PSG?
With 42 appearances, 10 goals and six assists to his name this season, Pedro Neto is one of Chelsea’s most important players, and with the Blues needing to overturn a three-goal deficit at Stamford Bridge, losing him for the Champions League game would be a significant blow. That said, at first glance, the likely severity of any UEFA sanction may not be as harsh as it could have been.
In their statement, UEFA confirmed that proceedings have been opened for “unsporting behaviour,” a classification that already limits the potential punishment. Had the incident been framed as “assaulting another player or another person present at the match,” Neto could have faced a three-match ban.
Under Article 15 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations, which covers misconduct of players and officials, the standard sanction for unsporting conduct is a suspension of one competition match or a specified period. While UEFA noted that its disciplinary bodies “will take a decision on this case in due course,” the prospect of Neto being ruled out of the second leg at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, March 17, is looking increasingly likely.
After the problems in attack, FC Barcelona are preparing to make an important signing, seeking to recover their scoring power. Nevertheless, the Blaugranas seem to be complicating their own path, as they reportedly set a limit price tag that creates an uncertain path.
Along the 2025-26 season, Barcelona have had several problems in the scoring side, leaving Robert Lewandowski’s future in doubt. While Ferran Torres seemed to impress, he has decreased his impact. In light of this, they have supposedly decided to chase a world-class striker to reinforce Lamine Yamal. Nonetheless, the Blaugranas have reportedly settled a limit price tag, creating a difficult path ahead the next season.
According to Fernando Polo in Mundo Deportivo, the Blaugranas have decided to set a €100 million limit to pursue a world-class striker. While they are satisfied with Julian Álvarez’s statements, they will not exceed their limit to chase him. Nonetheless, Barcelona are still interested in his signing, but the Argentine will need to pressure Atlético Madridto allow his departure towards Hansi Flick’s side.
While Julián Álvarez opened the door to a summer exit, Atlético Madrid are not open to letting him join FC Barcelona under any circumstances, reports Luis Miguel Sanz in Diario Sport. Nevertheless, they would be open to letting him move to the Premier League, where Arsenal FC and Chelsea FC are pursuing his signing. Because of this, the Blaugranas could depend only on pressure from Julián, complicating his arrival.
Barcelona miss out on possible signing of Haaland and Kane
Faced with the difficulty of securing the arrival of Julián Álvarez, Barcelona have decided to keep several alternatives open. Due to his contractual situation, they have reportedly shown interest in Dusan Vlahovic. However, the Serbian’s arrival is not a priority, bringing him closer to a possible renewal with Juventus. In addition to this, they are losing out on the possible arrival of Erling Haaland or Harry Kane, their main targets.
Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick speaking to Lamine Yamal.
According to Max Eberl, sporting director of Bayern Munich, via The Independent, Harry Kane is close to renewing his contract until 2028 or 2029, ruling out his arrival to the Blaugranas. Because of this, Erling Haaland emerged as the ideal name for coach Hansi Flick, with rumors of a negotiation for a preferential purchase reaching presidential candidate Victor Font. Nevertheless, the Norwegian’s agent has ruled out this possibility.
“I have said many times that we have a lot of respect and admiration for FC Barcelona, but there has been no contact, neither with Erling Haaland nor with the board of FC Barcelona, regarding possible signings… In addition, since the player renewed his contract a few months ago, he is very happy at Manchester City… we really have nothing to discuss about a transfer,” revealed Rafaela Pimienta, via El Chiringuito TV.
Barcelona’s Hansi Flick faces uncertainty in the striker spot
While Ferran Torres seemed to emerge as the ideal solution for FC Barcelona, the Spaniard has once again been inconsistent, leading the front office to reconsider their options. While Julián Álvarez appears to be the only ideal option, the tough negotiations with Atlético Madrid could complicate his arrival. In addition, the Blaugranas do not seem to have found another target, as Omar Marmoush and Dušan Vlahović do not fully convince.
Amid this uncertainty, Robert Lewandowski’s renewal emerges as a strong possibility, as he is open to taking on a secondary role and reduce his salary income, reports Diario Sport. Although he is no longer in his prime, the Pole continues to guarantee goals season after season. Nevertheless, coach Hansi Flick is reportedly seeking a young, world-class striker, creating uncertainty ahead of next season.
The tournament, set to be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, could face an unprecedented situation in modern soccer if Iran ultimately decides not to participate.
With less than three months remaining before the start of the 2026 World Cup, uncertainty has emerged around the participation of Iran. The tournament, set to be hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, could face an unprecedented situation in modern soccer if Iran ultimately decides not to participate.
The debate intensified after remarks from Iran’s Sports Minister, Ahmad Donyamali, who questioned the feasibility of sending the national team to compete amid escalating geopolitical tensions. His comments have triggered discussions inside the world soccer governing body, FIFA, about what could happen next.
For now, the situation remains unresolved. However, the possibility that the Iranian national team might withdraw from the 2026 World Cup raises several questions: How would FIFA react, and what consequences might the federation face?
The potential withdrawal stems from escalating tensions between Iran and the United States following recent military developments in the region. The political situation dramatically changed after the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader during a series of attacks in late February.
Saman Ghoddos of Iran.
According to the Iranian sports minister, the current environment makes it impossible for the national team to participate in the tournament. These remarks came only hours after Gianni Infantino said that the U.S. president, Donald Trump, had assured him that the Iranian team would be welcomed to compete in the tournament.
What FIFA regulations say about a withdrawal
If Iran officially withdraws, FIFA’s tournament regulations provide the governing body with broad authority to respond. Under Article 6 of the 2026 World Cup regulations, FIFA has the power to determine how to proceed if a participating federation withdraws. “If a participating federation withdraws or is excluded from the FIFA 26 World Cup, FIFA will decide at its sole discretion in this regard and will take whatever actions it deems necessary,” the regulation states.
Mehdi Taremi of Iran.
The rules also clarify that the governing body may choose to replace the withdrawing team with another national association, although it is not strictly required to do so. Former FIFA regulatory director James Kitching explained that the governing body has wide flexibility in this scenario. “There’s no modern precedent for this and, according to FIFA’s own tournament regulations, they have full discretion to do whatever they want in the case of a team withdrawing,” Kitching told Reuters.
Possible penalties if Iran withdraws
Although the introduction of a withdrawal scenario might seem primarily sporting, the financial and regulatory consequences could also be significant. According to the World Cup regulations, a federation that withdraws from the tournament may face multiple sanctions:
A financial fine of roughly 250,000 Swiss francs($319,000)
The obligation to repay preparation funds and participation grants already received from FIFA, totaling about $12 million
Possible disciplinary measures, including exclusion from future competitions
FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks about the 2026 World Cup with U.S. President Donald Trump
In addition, the governing body could impose further sanctions depending on the circumstances of the withdrawal. However, some experts believe FIFA might show flexibility given the extraordinary geopolitical situation. As Kitching suggested, sanctions might not necessarily be applied if the withdrawal is clearly linked to the ongoing conflict.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh of Iran celebrates during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifiers
The PI price experienced a major spike in the buying volume, which more than doubled to $89.4 million, an 112% rise, highlighting a strong organic demand. With this, the Pi price surged by more than 10%, reaching $0.25, outperforming the broader market. The rise is believed to be fueled by recent upgrades and hype around the upcoming v20.2 protocol, and also a potential listing on one of the biggest exchanges, Kraken.
The PI price rebounded over 80% from the February lows and climbed above $0.24 after Kraken confirmed the listing.
Coming soon: $PI@PiCoreTeam Pi Network is a mobile-first Layer-1 blockchain and developer platform enabling accessible crypto mining via smartphone, with a utility-based ecosystem on an identity-verified mainnet.
The recent announcement has strengthened market sentiment around Pi Network, helping the price extend its ongoing recovery. Following a steady ascending move, PI has now surpassed the $0.25 level, which marks an important interim trend-reversal zone. Sustaining above this region indicates improving bullish momentum, with buyers attempting to reclaim higher resistance levels.
As observed on the chart, PI has also moved above the 200-day moving average near $0.22, which is now acting as a strong support base. Meanwhile, the RSI has entered the overbought territory, suggesting the rally may experience a short-term cooling phase. However, as long as the price holds above the $0.22–$0.23 support region, the broader structure remains constructive, and the asset may continue consolidating before attempting the next move higher.
Therefore, if the PI price manages to secure the $0.25 level as support, the next immediate target appears around $0.28, which aligns with the next resistance visible on the chart. A sustained breakout above this level could further extend the rally toward the $0.30–$0.32 zone, while a short-term pullback may find support again near the 200-day MA around $0.22.
In 1988, a magazine published a striking cover: a phoenix rising from a pile of burning national currencies. The accompanying article predicted that by around 2018, the world would be using a single global reserve currency, one that would eliminate exchange rate chaos, simplify cross-border trade, and be overseen by the International Monetary Fund.
Most people saw the image and moved on. A growing number of XRP researchers and analyst Jesse believe it was a blueprint.
The theory starts with a simple observation. The IMF has been trying to solve the same problem since 1969, when it created the Special Drawing Right, a synthetic reserve asset designed to give the global financial system a neutral unit of liquidity that no single country controlled. It never achieved mass adoption. The SDR remained locked inside the banking system, invisible to businesses and ordinary people, too limited to serve as the liquidity layer the world actually needed.
Then Ripple appeared. And the parallels are difficult to ignore.
XRP was built precisely to solve what the SDR could not: instant cross-border settlement, open to any institution or individual, without dependence on correspondent banking or national currency pairs. Where the SDR served only central banks, XRP is accessible to everyone. Where the SDR moved slowly through bureaucratic channels, XRP settles in three seconds.
The IMF’s own internal documents have since described a concept called the XC Platform, a proposed cross-border settlement layer built around central bank digital currencies. XC. Two letters. The same two letters that begin XRP and CBDC.
Coincidence or architecture?
Ripple itself holds around 50 billion XRP in escrow, an arrangement that one of the company’s own executives once described as potentially transferable to an institution acting as a lender of last resort. There is only one institution on earth that holds that title: the IMF.
None of this is confirmed. Ripple has never publicly claimed an IMF connection, and the IMF has made no formal announcement regarding XRP.
But the question gaining traction is not whether this was planned. It is whether the pieces have been assembling in plain sight for nearly four decades, and most people simply were not looking at the whole picture.
The phoenix on that 1988 cover had a year printed on its coin: 2018. XRP began gaining institutional traction in 2018.
Gareth Soloway, chief market strategist at VerifiedInvesting.com, is staying bullish on Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP despite recent volatility, and he says the charts are giving him a clear roadmap for what comes next.
Bitcoin: $80,000 to $85,000 in Sight
Soloway says Bitcoin is forming a classic bullish consolidation pattern. The key signal he is watching is an inside bar formation off a strong green reversal candle. As long as Bitcoin does not post a daily close below that candle’s low, the bullish structure remains fully intact.
Bitcoin recently pushed above a key trend line but failed to confirm the breakout, which Soloway says was not a bearish signal. In his framework, confirmation requires a follow-through close, not just a single push above resistance. Without confirmation, the move simply becomes part of the ongoing pattern.
With Bitcoin trading around $70,000, Soloway is now watching for a confirmed breakout. If it happens, his upside target zone sits at $80,000 to $85,000, roughly $8,500 to $13,500 from current levels.
Ethereum: Break Above $2,150 Opens the Door to $2,700
Ethereum is showing the same pattern structure as Bitcoin, a bullish flag forming inside a green reversal candle range with no daily close below support. Soloway says the level to watch is $2,150. A confirmed break above that triggers a move toward the $2,600 to $2,700 target zone.
XRP: Target Zone of $1.77 to $1.90
XRP is also setting up similarly, with a clean green reversal candle and inside bar action. Soloway’s upside target sits between $1.77 and $1.90, where a downward-sloping trend line and prior resistance converge.
His core message is simple: ignore the noise, follow the charts, and trade probability not emotion.
Vitalik Buterin walked into a cryptography conference expecting to find use cases for Ethereum. He walked out having questioned whether that was even the right way to think about it.
In a post on X today, the Ethereum co-founder described attending Real World Crypto, a conference focused on cryptography rather than cryptocurrency, as a clarifying experience. The people in the room shared values around privacy, open-source software, and censorship resistance. But they carried none of the assumptions that typically come with being inside the crypto bubble.
So Buterin tried an experiment. He asked himself: if you strip away all loyalty to Ethereum, all community identity, all existing narratives, and simply ask what this technology is genuinely useful for, what answer do you get?
The answer surprised even him.
Not Smart Contracts. Not DeFi. A Bulletin Board.
The most fundamental use case for Ethereum, Buterin now argues, is something cryptographers have needed for decades: a public bulletin board.
The concept is simple but critical. Many secure systems, including online voting protocols, software version control, and certificate revocation, all need somewhere to post data publicly that anyone can read and no one can quietly delete or alter. They do not need complex computation. They do not strictly need money changing hands. What they need, at the most basic level, is reliable data availability with no single point of control.
That is exactly what a blockchain provides. And it is a need that predates crypto entirely.
The timing of this realisation matters. Ethereum recently completed an upgrade called PeerDAS, which increased the network’s data availability capacity by 2.3x, with a roadmap to scale it another 10 to 100 times higher. The infrastructure Buterin is describing is actively being built, at a time when fees on the network are at historic lows.
Payments Second, Smart Contracts Third
Buterin did not abandon the rest of Ethereum’s value stack. He reordered it.
Payments come second in his framework, and again the framing is practical rather than financial. If you are running a permissionless service, whether it is an API, a messaging app, or a data protocol, you face a spam problem the moment you make it free. ETH-denominated micropayments, particularly through zero-knowledge payment channels, solve this without requiring users to hand over a phone number or submit to identity verification. Payment as infrastructure, not payment as a product.
Smart contracts come third. And here Buterin made his most provocative admission: technically, for almost every application that does not directly involve ETH itself, smart contracts are just a convenience. You could build the same things using the chain purely as a bulletin board, handling computation off-chain through cryptographic proofs. But standardisation is hard, and the smart contract model solves the interoperability problem elegantly enough that it remains the right practical choice.
Global Shared Memory
Buterin’s final framing is the one likely to travel furthest. Stripped of all the financial complexity and ecosystem politics, Ethereum is, in his words, global shared memory.
A place where anything can be written, everything can be read, and nothing can be unilaterally erased. Not by a company. Not by a government. Not by Buterin himself.
Most of the internet does not work that way. It runs on servers owned by someone who can change their mind. Ethereum is the rare exception, and Buterin is now arguing that the world’s developers and builders have not fully grasped how useful that exception actually is.
The bulletin board has been there the whole time. The question is whether enough people will start using it for what it was always capable of.
It’s official. Kraken posted on X just this morning: “Trading starts March 13.” The Pi Network community erupted. After years of mobile mining, a delayed mainnet launch, and a bruising 93% drop from its all-time high, PI is about to land on one of the most reputable regulated exchanges in the United States, right on the eve of Pi Day 2026.
The announcement sent PI up nearly 2% within minutes, and the token has already staged a 33% rally over the past week as speculation reached fever pitch. But the question everyone is asking: what happens next? To answer that, we need to look at where PI has been.
The Full Price History: From $0 to $2.99 and Back
Pi Network spent six years in what it called an “enclosed mainnet.” Tokens mined, but not tradeable. When the Open Network finally launched on February 20, 2025, it was one of crypto’s most anticipated debuts, backed by over 60 million app users and 19 million KYC-verified “Pioneers.”
Feb 20, 2025 — Open Network Launch + OKX Listing PI opens at $1.47 on OKX, peaks at $2.10 the same day, then closes at ~$1.01. The floor price set by the Pi Core Team was $2.00, a symbolic psychological anchor that briefly held before selling pressure broke through.
Late Feb 2025 — All-Time High: $2.99 As Bitget and other exchanges followed OKX with listings, hype peaked. PI reached $2.99, briefly valuing the network at over $25 billion fully diluted. Then the sell pressure from years of accumulated miners finally cashing out began in earnest.
Mid–Late 2025 — The Long Unwind Heavy token unlocks, over 203 million PI in a single month, combined with limited real-world utility and no Binance or Coinbase listing drove PI steadily lower. By late 2025, price had collapsed more than 90% from its peak.
March 2026 — The Recovery Begins Protocol upgrades (v19.9 completed March 8), the Pi DEX launch on March 12 via v20.2, and intensifying Kraken listing rumours ignited a 33% weekly rally, pushing PI back toward $0.23 and breaking above its 50-day SMA for the first time in months.
What Happened When OKX Listed PI
The OKX listing is the closest historical comparison we have for what might happen on Kraken tomorrow, and it’s a cautionary tale wrapped in initial euphoria.
On launch day, PI initially surged roughly 10% above its $2 reference price within the first hours of trading. Within 24 hours, it had reversed violently, dropping 21% as early miners rushed to sell. Some had been sitting on coins for years at near-zero cost basis. The pattern was textbook: listing day hype, followed by a wave of supply from long-term holders seeking liquidity for the first time.
Why the Kraken Listing Is Different This Time
Kraken isn’t just another exchange. It carries specific significance for PI that OKX, Bitget, and MEXC did not, for two reasons.
1. It’s the First Regulated US Venue for PI Spot Trading Kraken operates under US financial regulation and recently gained access to the Federal Reserve’s payment infrastructure, giving it a level of institutional credibility that offshore exchanges simply don’t have. For US-based investors who have been locked out of PI trading, this is the first accessible, compliant on-ramp.
2. It’s a Signal to Binance and Coinbase Historically, Binance watches major Western exchange listings closely. A successful Kraken debut for PI, with strong volume and no immediate collapse, could be the nudge that finally moves Binance off the sidelines. A Binance listing remains the single most important potential catalyst left for PI in 2026.
Crypto analyst Dr. Altcoin has publicly said PI could reach $0.50–$0.75 by Pi Day (March 14) driven by the v20.2 protocol completion and Kraken. That means a roughly 2–3x move from current levels in under 48 hours, aggressive but not impossible given PI’s history of violent short-term swings.
VeryAI raised $10M led by Polychain to build palm‑print biometrics and cryptographic ID infra that helps exchanges, airdrops, and DAOs filter bots, deepfakes, and Sybil attacks at scale. Identity verification startup VeryAI has raised 10 million dollars in fresh funding…
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a new banking malware targeting Brazilian users that's written in Rust, marking a significant departure from other known Delphi-based malware families associated with the Latin American cybercrime ecosystem.
The malware, which is designed to infect Windows systems and was first discovered last month, has been codenamed VENON by Brazilian
Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed details of a suspected artificial intelligence (AI)-generated malware codenamed Slopoly put to use by a financially motivated threat actor named Hive0163.
"Although still relatively unspectacular, AI-generated malware such as Slopoly shows how easily threat actors can weaponize AI to develop new malware frameworks in a fraction of the time it used to take
If you've just got a Nintendo Switch 2 for Pokémon Pokopia, it's crucial to keep your new system safe — these are the cases and screen protectors I'd recommend.
When buyers inquire about an item’s availability, sellers can use Meta AI to automatically draft replies using information from their listing, such as the description, availability, pickup location, and price.
Tinder just got a major revamp as it attempts to re-engange its user base and attract younger daters. This includes in-person events, AI enhancements, and even virtual speed dating.
The concept was a highlight of Lucid's investor day, in which the company detailed its ambitions to push deeper into autonomy while pumping out new, affordable EVs.
Fenerbahçe sahada şampiyonluk kovalıyor. Kulisler "hayalet seçim"i takip ediyor. Başkan Sadettin Saran'ın belirsiz seçim takvimi camiada "1 senelik adaylık" krizine yol açtı. Barış Göktürk ismi öne çıktı. Saran cephesinden gelen "troll ordusu" suçlamaları ve dev isimlerin bazı isimlere yönelik "veto" kararları sarı-lacivertlilerde alternatif gündem.
Fenerbahçe düşe kalka şampiyonluk yarışında kalmaya çalışıyor... ancak arka tarafta ciddi bir başkan adaylığı için çalışmalar devam ediyor. Camiada "seçim" gündemi yok... çünkü ortada ne net bir tarih ne de resmi bir süreç var. Mevcut Başkan Sadettin Saran’ın seçim kararı almasına rağmen net bir takvim yok. Buna rağmen başkan adaylarının çalışmaları tam gaz devam ediyor.
Camiadaki kanaat önderleri Saran’ın seçim kararına tepkili. Özellikle seçim tarihinin Mayıs mı Haziran mı olacağının dahi açıklanmaması belirsizliği körüklüyor. "Bir seneliğine aday mı olunur? Bu şartlarda kimse elini taşın altına koymaz" diyerek tepki gösteriyor.
Saran cephesinde bazı aday adaylarının sosyal medyada "troll" orduları tutarak yönetime saldırttığı, dernekleri ziyaret etmek yerine sadece sosyal medya üzerinden algı operasyonu yürüterek suni bir seçim atmosferi yaratmaya çalıştıkları öne sürülüyor. Bu durumun Fenerbahçe’ye büyük zarar verdiği iddia ediliyor.
Bu arada başkanlık için bir isim yüksek sesle konuşuluyor. Eski yönetici Barış Göktürk dün bile "2026'da seçim olması durumunda elimi taşın altına sokmaya hazırım" mesajını yineledi.
VAR eğitimcisi Joao Capela, "Osimhen sarı kart görmeliydi" dedi. Bunun anlamı Leroy Sane'den sonra Nijeryalı oyuncunun da ikinci kartla oyundan atılması. Abbdllah Kavukçu'ya göndermede bulunan Beşiktaş yöneticisi Murat Kılıç'a göre "bence de 8 kişi kalmaları gerekirdi. Ancak VAR eğitmenine bakacak olursa kesinlikle 9 kişi maçı bitirmeliydiler" dedi.
Beşiktaş ile Galatasaray arasında oynanan "fırtınalı" derbi sonrasında eleştiri yağmuru ve açıklamalar bir türlü dinmiyor. Özellikle Victor Osimhen’in pozisyonu ve hakem kararları etrafında dönen tartışmalar, Beşiktaş cephesinden gelen sert açıklamalarla her gün yeni bir boyut kazanıyor.
Siyah-beyazlılara göre Osimhen ikinci sarıdan kendilerine karşı derbiyi kırmızı kart görmeden tamamladı. Beşiktaş cephesine göre Nijeryalı, İnönü'deki derbide atılmalıydı. Hatta VAR Eğitmeni Joao Capela da bunu itirafı etti. Yine Beşiktaşlılara göre daha önce de Osimhen'in Emirhan Topçu’nun boğazını sıktığı pozisyon çok tartışılmıştı. O maçta da atılması gerekiyordu.
Derbiyi sarı kartla tamamlayan Osimhen için VAR eğitimcisi Joao Capela’dan şu açıklama geldi:
- Osimhen, hakem düdüğü çaldıktan sonra başını çevirip hakeme baktı ve ondan sonra topa vurdu. Bu sportmenlik dışı bir harekettir ve karşılığı sarı karttır.
Beşiktaş yöneticisi Murat Kılıç, hakem yönetimini ve VAR eğitimcisinin itiraflarını değerlendirerek Abdullah Kavukçu'ya göndermede bulundu. Galatasaray yöneticisinin "ne yapalım 8 kişi mi oynayalım" sözlerine göndermede bulunarak şunları söyledi:
- Galatasaray 8 kişi kalabilir miydi? Bence evet. Ancak VAR eğitmenine göre bile kesinlikle 9 kişi kalmalıydılar.
Beşiktaş yönetimi sahada adaletin eşit dağıtılmadığını iddia ederek Leroy Sane'den sonra Osimhen'in de eksik olması durumunda Galatasaray’ın maçı 9 kişiyle nasıl tamamlayacağını sorguladı.
Fenerbahçe yöneticisi Ertan Torunoğulları'nın Türkiye Kupası kura çekimi sırasında "maçı oynayan iki takımın birer temsilcisi de VAR odasında olsun" önerisini TFF Başkan Vekili Mecnun Otyakmaz tekrarladı. Galatasaray Başkanı Dursun Özbek'ten TFF Başkanı İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu'na "TFF'yi siz mi Fenerbahçe mi yönetiyor?" sorusu geldi.
Fenerbahçe cephesinden gelen açıklamalar, TFF koridorlarında yaşanan hareketlilik, Türk futbolunda bir kez daha "hakem" merkezli hareketliliğe neden oldu.
Türkiye Kupası kura çekiminde konuşan Fenerbahçe yöneticisi Ertan Torunoğulları, kulüp olarak "hakemlerle ilgili konuşmadıklarını" ifade etti. Ancak Torunoğulları’nın, Samsunspor maçının devre arasında hakem odasını bastığına dair haberler bizzat Fenerbahçeli sosyal medya hesapları tarafından servis edildi.
Kulüp politikasının aksine, Başkan Sadettin Saran da hakem performanslarına yönelik sert eleştirilerde bulundu.
Torunoğulları’nın kura çekimi sırasında dile getirdiği, "Müsabakada oynayan iki takımın birer temsilcisi de VAR odasında olsun" önerisi dakikalar içinde TFF tarafından tekrarlandı. Başkan Vekili Mecnun Otyakmaz da birebir aynı ifadeleri kullandı.
TFF ile Fenerbahçe'nin ağız birliği etmesi üzerine Galatasaray Başkanı Dursun Özbek, TFF Başkanı İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu’na hitaben sert bir soru yöneltti:
- Federasyonu siz mi yönetiyorsunuz, yoksa Fenerbahçe mi?
Tüm bu tartışmaların odağında yer alan "yabancı VAR" formülüne TFF’den olumsuz cevap geldi. TFF tarafından yapılan açıklamada, "Yabancı VAR konusu gündemimizde yok" denilerek mevcut sistemle devam edileceği vurgulandı.
Trabzonspor, Arseniy Batagov şokuyla sarsıldı. Sağ dizinde kısmi bağ yaralanması ve "yaygın" kemik ödemi tespit edilen Ukraynalı stoperin sahalardan 3 ila 6 hafta uzak kalacağı tahmin ediliyor. Sakatlığın ciddiyeti, riskler ve Batagov'un geri dönüş tarihi için hedeflenen kritik süreç netleşti.
Trabzonspor’da Arseniy Batagov’dan gelen sakatlık haberi moralleri bozdu. Kulüpten yapılan resmi açıklamada, Ukraynalı stoperin sağ diz arka kısmında kısmi bağ yaralanması ve kaval kemiğinin arka bölümünde yaygın kemik ödemi tespit edildiğini duyurdu.
"Yaygın" olarak nitelendirilen bu ödem, darbenin şiddetinin yüksek olduğunu ve bölgedeki dokuların ciddi baskı altında kaldığını gösteriyor.
Dizdeki kısmi bağ yaralanması stabilite kaybına yol açabilse de, tam kopuk olmadığı için şu aşamada cerrahi müdahale (ameliyat) planlanmıyor. Ancak oyuncunun sağlığına kavuşması için mutlak bir dinlenme ve özel bir rehabilitasyon programı uygulanacak.
Kemik ödemi tamamen temizlenmeden oyuncunun sahaya dönmesi, sakatlığın kronikleşmesine veya kemikte stres kırığına yol açabilir. Batagov’un sahalardan yaklaşık 3 ila 6 hafta arası uzak kalması öngörülüyor. Sakatlığı nedeniyle tedavisine hemen başlanan Batagov, Süper Lig’deki Rizespor ve Eyüpspor karşılaşmalarında kesin olarak forma giyemeyecek.
Bordo-mavili sağlık ekibi, genç oyuncuyu milli ara sürecinde yoğun bir tedavi programına alarak ligin ilerleyen haftalarındaki Galatasaray derbisine yetiştirmeyi hedefliyor. Teknik heyet, savunma kurgusundaki planlarını Batagov'un yokluğuna göre yeniden şekillendirecek.
Galatasaray yönetimi Haaland ve Mbappe klasında gördüğü Victor Osimhen için alt limiti 150 milyon euro olarak belirledi. Isak, Julián Álvarez ve Ekitiké'nin önünde gördükleri yıldız oyuncu ise Real Madrid'i Mbappe, PSG'yi ise forvetsiz oyunu yüzünden istemiyor. Al-Hilal aynı şekilde ısrar etmeye devam ederse rakam 200 milyon Euro olacak.
Galatasaray yönetiminin Victor Osimhen stratejisi çok net. Avrupa devlerinin radarından hiç çıkmayan Nijeryalı için sarı-kırmızılı kurmaylar çıtayı en yükseğe koydu.
Menajerlerden Real Madrid ve PSG'nin Osimhen'e olan ilgisini öğrenen yöneticiler, piyasa değeri konusunda "tok satıcı" rolünde... Kulüp içinden yükselen seslere göre Osimhen'in değeri diğer forvetlerle kıyaslanamayacak seviyede.
Hatta Abdullah Kavukçu'nun, "Isak'tan ne farkı var? 140 milyon euro verseler bile niye satalım?" dediği konuşuluyor. Sarı-kırmızılılar, Osimhen için kapının 150 milyon euro'dan açılması gerektiğine inanıyor. Bu rakamın altındaki teklifler değerlendirmeye alınmayacak. Yönetime göre Osimhen; dünya futbolunda şu an sadece Erling Haaland ve Kylian Mbappé ile aynı klasmanda.
Yönetim Osimhen’in; Alexander Isak, Julián Álvarez ve Hugo Ekitiké gibi isimlerden çok daha üstün olduğunu savunuyor. Piyasadaki forvetlerin durumu Osimhen’in değerini daha da yukarı çekebilir.
- Atletico Madrid, Julián Álvarez’i Barcelona’ya satması durumunda oluşacak bütçeyle 150 milyon euro'yu masaya koyabilir.
- Ekitiké’den beklediği verimi alamayan Isak'ta ise hayal kırıklığına uğrayan Liverpool’un da 150 milyon Euro'ya çıkabileceği konuşuluyor.
Yıldız oyuncu cephesinde ise durum daha farklı. Osimhen, Real Madrid’de Mbappé’nin varlığı, PSG’nin ise santrforsuz oyun sistemi nedeniyle bu iki deve sıcak bakmıyor.
Öte yandan, Al-Hilal teknik direktörü Simone Inzaghi’nin ısrarı devam ederse rakamın 200 milyon euro bandına kadar çıkabileceği belirtiliyor.
Galatasaray ile imzası 'kalbe atıldı' diyen Okan Buruk, Premier Lig devlerinin radarında! Resmi menajeri olmayan başarılı teknik adama ulaşmak isteyen İngiliz kulüpleri, ünlü menajer George Gardi üzerinden operasyonlar yürütmeye çalışıyor. Buruk'un duruşu ise çok net: Ancak Dursun Özbek ya da Mayıs'tan sonra seçilecek yönetim kendisine sözleşme vermezse yoluna bakmak.
Galatasaray taraftarının içini ferahlatacak haber Okan Buruk’un duruşuyla geldi. Son dönemde adı sık sık Avrupa ve özellikle Premier Lig ekipleriyle anılan başarılı teknik adamın, sarı-kırmızılı camiayı yarı yolda bırakıp bırakmayacağı sorusu net bir yanıt buldu: Hayır.
Sarı-kırmızılı yönetimin yeni sözleşme konusunda "çekimser" davrandığına dair iddialar konuşulsa da, bu durum Buruk cephesinde bir krize yol açmadı. Tecrübeli teknik adam, Galatasaray ile olan bağını her seferinde şu sözlerle özetledi:
- Anlaşmamız kağıda değil, kalbe atıldı.
Bu açıklama, yönetimin hamlesi ne olursa olsun Buruk'un önceliğinin her zaman Galatasaray olduğunun en net kanıtı. Buruk’un resmi bir menajerinin bulunmaması, kendisiyle temas kurmak isteyen dev kulüpleri farklı yollar aramaya itti. Özellikle Londra ekipleri Buruk'un kapısını çalmak için yoğun bir mesai harcıyor.
Buruk'un yakın dostu olan ve İtalya pazarındaki hakimiyetiyle bilinen ünlü menajer George Gardi en fazla kapısı çalınan isim.
İngiliz kulüplerinin yöneticileri, Gardi’nin İngiltere’de daha önce iş birliği yaptığı menajerler aracılığıyla Buruk’a ulaşmanın yollarını arıyor.
Şu an için görüşmeler "dolaylı yoldan nabız yoklama" seviyesinde. Ancak Premier Lig ekiplerinin ilgisi dedikodudan öteye geçti. Buruk’un çalışma şartlarını öğrenmeye çalışıyorlar.
Hakkındaki Premier Lig hayallerine ve Avrupa'dan gelen ilgilere rağmen Okan Buruk’un odağında şu an sadece Galatasaray var. Ancak Dursun Özbek yönetimi ya da Mayıs ayından sonra gelecek yeni yönetim kendisine "sana sözleşme yok" derse o zaman Buruk yoluna bakacak.
İstanbul'da oynanan maç öncesinde Galatasaray'ın Liverpool'u eleme ihtimali yüzde 20'ydi... 1-0'lık zafer sonrasında rakam yüzde 43'e yükseldi. Başkan Dursun Özbek tur primini 5 milyon euro'ya çıkardı. Juventus ve Beşiktaş primleri 27 Mart'ta yatacak. Başakşehir maçına bile prim gündemde.
Galatasaray yönetimi, Şampiyonlar Ligi ve Süper Ligde elde edilen zaferlerin ardından camianın heyecanını zirveye çıkaran futbolcuların emeklerinin karşılığını vermeye hazır.
Mart ayının son haftasında UEFA’dan gelecek ödemeyle birlikte yönetim öncelikle Juventus ve Beşiktaş galibiyetlerinin primlerini futbolcuların hesaplarına yatıracak.
Yönetimin belirlediği takvime göre Galatasaray, Liverpool’u eleyip ardından ligde Başakşehir’i mağlup etmesi durumunda, 27 Mart tarihinde takıma toplamda 10 milyon euro prim dağıtılacak.
Başkan Dursun Özbek, ligdeki kritik Başakşehir mücadelesi öncesi de özel bir prim planlıyor. Özbek’in bu maç için takıma 750 bin ile 1 milyon euro arasında değişen ek bir galibiyet primi açıklaması bekleniyor.
Bu arada sarı-kırmızılı oyuncular dev prime biraz daha yaklaştı. Liverpool maçı öncesi yüzde 20 olarak gösterilen çeyrek finale kalma ihtimali, alınan 1-0'lık galibiyetin ardından yüzde 43'e kadar yükseldi. İngiliz devinin elenmesi halinde ise oyunculara dağıtılacak rakamın kulüp tarihinin rekor seviyelerine ulaşması bekleniyor. 5 milyon euro'luk bir primden bahsediliyor.
Atalanta ve Leeds United'tan gelen teklifler yerine Gabriel Sara, Galatasaray'ı tercih etmişti... daha ilk dönemde Elano tarafından önerilen sambacı, sarı-kırmızılı formayla Brezilya Milli Takımı'na seçileceğinin umudunu taşıyordu. Şampiyonlar Ligi'nde boy gösterdi. Brezilya Milli Takımı'nda oynamaya artık çok yakın. Son hedefi olan Avrupa devine gitmek için de artık gün saymaya başladı.
Transfer edildiği dönemde Championship'ten alındığı için "2. ligden gelen adama 23 milyon Euro ödenir mi?" diye tepki gösterilmişti. Ancak Gabriel Sara son haftalarda gazı kökledi. Freni unuttu. Brezilyalı adeta "turbo"yu açarak vites yükseltmesinin arkasındaki sır; Brezilya Milli Takımıyla, Dünya Kupası'nda oynama umudu. Sara’nın performansındaki devasa artışın en somut nedenlerinden biri, yaklaşık iki hafta önce gelen kritik bir telefon oldu.
Brezilya Milli Takımı yetkilileri kendisini Liverpool maçında izleyeceklerini iletti. Çocukluğundan beri 1994 ve 2002 Dünya Kupası efsaneleriyle büyüyen yıldız oyuncu için Sambacılar forması en büyük motivasyon kaynağı haline geldi. Sara için bu telefon hayal gibiydi.
Yeni transfer olduğu dönemde "Neden Galatasaray?" sorusunun cevabı bugün daha net anlaşılıyor. Fotospor o dönemde Sara’nın Atalanta ya da Leeds United yerine sarı-kırmızılıları tercih etmesindeki 3 temel faktörü şu şekilde yazdı:
- Şampiyonlar Ligi Faktörü: Avrupa’nın en büyük sahnesinde boy gösterme isteği.
- Milli Takım Umudu: Galatasaray formasıyla uluslararası vitrine çıkma stratejisi.
- Sıçrama Hedefi: Avrupa’nın dev kulüplerine geçiş yapmak için Galatasaray en doğru basamaktı
Liverpool karşısında da devleşen Uğurcan Çakır için Fenerbahçe iddiası yeniden gündeme geldi. Buna göre Ali Koç, sezon başında Ederson ismini Jose Mourinho'nun önüne getirdi. Portekizli teknik adam menajeri ve dostu Jorge Mendes'in oyuncusu olmasına rağmen Ederson'u değil de Uğurcan Çakır'ı tercih etti. Galatasaray ise Ederson dahil görüştüğü tüm isimleri Uğurcan Çakır'ın alternatifi olarak düşündü. Muslera ilk günden itibaren Dursun Özbek'e de Okan Buruk'a da, "Uğurcan" dedi. Sonunda milli eldiven Fenerbahçe'nin değil, sarı-kırmızılıların oldu.
Muslera'yı aratmayan performasıyla Uğurcan Çakır, Trabzonspor'dan 33 milyon Euro'ya alındığında "söylemediğini bırakmayanların" yüzlerini kızım kızım kızartmaya devam ediyor. Uğurcan'ın dev maliyetinin perde arkasındaki isim de selefi Uruguaylı efsaneydi.
Muslera ayrılmadan önce Başkan Dursun Özbek ve Okan Buruk ile yaptığı görüşmeerde her seferinde kendi boşluğunu doldurabilecek en iyi ismin Uğurcan Çakır olduğunu üstüne basa basa söyledi.
Avrupa piyasasında birçok kaleci ismi gündeme gelmesine rağmen Muslera her görüşme sonrasında, "Uğurcan'ı tercih ederim" dedi.
Uğurcan Çakır da tam bir Muslera hayranı:
- Muslera, milyonlarca kaleciye ışık oldu. Onunla her zaman iyi iletişimim vardı. Onu seviyorum. Ondan sonra buraya gelmek gurur verici. İnşallah onun yakaladığı başarıları Galatasaray'da ve Milli Takım'da yakalayabilirim.
Galatasaray'da transfer döneminde Ederson'la bile "Uğurcan olmazsa" ihtimaline karşı görüşmeler yürütüldü. Asıl ilginç iddia ise menajeri ve dostu Jorge Mendes, Ederson'u önerdiği zaman Jose Mourinho, dönemin Fenerbahçe Başkanı Ali Koç'a, "Uğurcan'ı tercih ederim" dediği oldu.
Bu arada Son iki resmi maçında kalesine gelen 13 isabetli şutun tamamını çıkaran Uğurcan, Juventus'a karşı da 6 kurtarış yapmıştı.
Trabzonspor-Gaziantep FK maçında yaptığı skandal hata sonrası hakemlik görevine devam edemeyen ve istifa dilekçesini vererek farklı bir kariyer planı çizen Arda Kardeşler yaşanan sürece dair açıklamalarda bulundu. Arda Kardeşler hakemliği isteyerek bırakmadığını ifade etti.
Süper Lig'de toplam 146 maçta düdük çalan ve bu sezon Trabzonspor-Gaziantep FK karşılaşmasında yaptığı skandal hatanın ardından hakemlik kariyeri son bulan Arda Kardeşler yaşanan sürece dair açıklamalarda bulundu.
Hakemlik kariyerine nokta koyan Arda Kardeşler, HT Spor'da açıklamalarda bulundu.
Kardeşler, hakemliği bırakma kararı ile ilgili olarak, "Neden bu karar? Kendi aldığım, hemen uygulamaya sokacağım bir karar değil. Trabzonspor - Gaziantep FK maçından sonra İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu canlı yayına bağlandı, her şeyi açıkça ifade ettiğini düşünüyorum. Üzerine de süreç böyle gelişti. Hakemliği isteyerek bırakmadım." dedi.
"SAHADA HİSSETMEK MÜMKÜN DEĞİL"
Trabzonspor - Gaziantep FK maçındaki pozisyon için, "O pozisyonda hata yaptığınızı düşünüyor musunuz?" sorusuna yanıt veren Kardeşler, "Dışarıdan baktığımda çok net ben de bir hata görüyorum tabii ki ama sahanın içerisindeyken o oyuncunun o kadar önünün boş olduğunu vesaireyi hissetmek mümkün değil. Başkan öyle söyledikten sonra yani açık söyleyeyim, istenmediğiniz yerde de durmak, ne diyeyim, çok da hoş bir şey değil. Sonuçta seçilmiş bir başkan var, Türk futbolunu temsil ediyor, ben de onun altında çalışanım. O beni istemedikten sonra zorla ben burada oturacağım deyip de yüzsüzlük yapmanın da çok anlamı yok açıkçası." yanıtını verdi.
"80 VERİRİM"
Arda Kardeşler, "Hakemlikte kendinize 100 üzerinden kaç puan verirsiniz?" sorusunun ardından, "En yüksek 100 ise 80 veririm açıkçası. Benden çok daha iyileri oldu sonuçta. O yüzden onlara haksızlık etmiş olurum." cevabını verdi.
"ANLAMASI ZOR"
"Hata yaptım mı, yapmadım mı?" diye düşünüyorsunuz. Ruh haliniz nasıl olurdu? sorusu yöneltilen Arda Kardeşler, şu yanıtı verdi:
"Özellikle gençken, ne yapsak maç içerisinde doğru olarak düşünürüz. Çünkü bunu yapamazsanız sonrasında dağılıyorsunuz saha içerisinde. Genelde hep yaptığımızın doğru olduğuna inanırız maç sonuna kadar. Soyunma odasında tekrar izleyince ilk başta bazen inanmakta zorlanıyoruz.
A takımının lehine bir karar verdiğimizde sonrasında düşünmüyoruz. Doğru olduğuna inandıysak verdik ve konu kapandı. Her şey sıfırdan başlıyor. Ve bu da insanların hep diyorlar ya, "Kardeşim buraya veriyorsan buraya da vereceksin." Onu biz atıyorum %100 bir pozisyon diye veriyorsun, bu tarafa da %100 bekliyorsun. Evet bazen ona %50'yi veriyorsun, buna... Çünkü onun %100 olduğuna inanıyorsun, buna %100 inanmıyorsun. Bunu hakem olmayanların anlaması zor."
"TÜRKİYE'DE REKOR KIRDIM"
Arda Kardeşler, VAR'la ilgili, "Türkiye'de 4 kez VAR'a giderek rekor kırdım. 60-70'a kadar maç (Göztepe - Galatasaray) çok güzel gidiyordu. İyi ki VAR var dediğim maçlardan birisi. 4 kere gittim ama maç bittiğinde tüm kararlarım doğruydu. İzleyerek verdim, VAR değiştirdi ama günün sonunda adil kararlar verilmiş oldu." dedi.
GELEN ŞİKE TEKLİFİ
Kardeşler, "Bir röportajda size gelen bir şike teklifinden bahsettiniz. Bunu açıklayacak mısınız?" sorusunun ardından, "Ahlaksız bir teklif diyelim. Tabii ki de açıklamayacağım. Çünkü bu hem emniyetin kayıtlarında var hem federasyonda var. Bununla ilgili devam eden bir hukuki süreç de olabilir. Çok da şaşırmıştım açıkçası. İnsanların bu tarz bir teklifle gelebilmesine." dedi.
SÜPER LİG, ŞAMPİYONLUK YARIŞI
Arda Kardeşler, "Süper Lig'i uzun süredir izlemiyorum. Avrupa liglerini daha çok takip ediyorum. Şampiyonluk yarışında Allah herkesin gönlüne göre versin." ifadelerini kullandı.
"YALAN SÖYLER"
"Maç bittikten sonra hakem hocalarının yorumlarını izler misiniz?" sorusu yöneltilen Kardeşler, "Zaman zaman izliyordum yani. "İzlemiyorum" diyen yalan söyler." ifadelerini kullandı.
Samsunspor'da UEFA listesine eklenmeyen Elayis Tavsan ve Yalçın Kayan, statü gereği Rayo Vallecano karşısında kadroda yer alamayacak.
Sakatlıkları devam eden Jaures Assoumou ve Bedirhan Çetin de bu maçta forma giyemeyecek.
Sakatlıkları nedeniyle yaklaşık 3 aydır takımdan ayrı olan Emre Kılınç, Tanguy Coulibaly ve Afonso Sousa'nın ise iyileşmelerine rağmen kadroda yer alıp almayacaklarına teknik direktör Thorsten Fink karar verecek.
Trabzonspor, Trendyol Süper Lig'in 26. haftasında 14 Mart Cumartesi günü sahasında oynayacağı Çaykur Rizespor maçının hazırlıklarına devam etti.
Mehmet Ali Yılmaz Tesisleri'nde teknik direktör Fatih Tekke yönetiminde gerçekleştirilen antrenmanın ilk bölümünde oyuncular ısınma çalışması yaptı. 5'e 2 ile devam eden antrenman, taktiksel çalışmayla tamamlandı.
Fenerbahçe, Trendyol Süper Lig'in 26. haftasında yarın Mısırlı.com.tr Fatih Karagümrük ile deplasmanda yapacağı maçın hazırlıklarını tamamladı.
Sarı-lacivertli kulüpten yapılan açıklamaya göre, Fenerbahçe Can Bartu Tesisleri'nde teknik direktör Domenico Tedesco yönetiminde gerçekleştirilen antrenman, salonda core hareketleriyle başladı.
Sahada ısınma, çabukluk, koordinasyon ve pas çalışmalarıyla devam eden idman, taktiksel ile bireysel organizasyonlarla sona erdi.
Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadı'nda oynanacak Fatih Karagümrük-Fenerbahçe karşılaşması, yarın saat 20.00'de başlayacak.
Bu gün futbol üzrə Azərbaycan Birinci Liqasında 2025/2026-cı illər mövsümünün 18-ci turunun növbəti oyunları keçirilib.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, ikinci oyun günündə üç qarşılaşma baş tutub.
“Şahdağ Qusar” – MOİK matçında komandalar hərəyə 1 qol və 1 xalla kifayətləniblər. “Baku Sportinq” səfərdə “Difai”yə qalib gəlibsə, “Səbail” də “Mingəçevir”i minimal hesabla üstələyib.
18-ci tura martın 13-də keçiriləcək “Cəbrayıl” – “Zaqatala” oyunu ilə yekun vurulacaq.
Birinci Liqa 18-ci tur 11 mart
“Şimal” – “Şəfa” 0:2 Qollar: Emin Zamanov, 57. İbrahim Əliyev, 89. Hakimlər: Elvin Bayramov, Samir Qaracayev, Rəşad Quliyev, Rövşən Rəcəbov. Hakim-inspektor: Əmrah İbrahimov. AFFA nümayəndəsi: Anar Şıxəliyev. Şamaxı Olimpiya İdman Kompleksinin stadionu, 15:00.
12 mart
“Şahdağ Qusar” – MOİK 1:1 Qollar: Elşən Veysov, 40 – Seyxan Fərəcov, 90+4-pen. Hakimlər: Ruslan Quliyev, Səbuhi Əmrahov, Səbuhi Soltanov, Elçin Abdullayev. Hakim-inspektor: Asim Xudiyev. AFFA nümayəndəsi: Seymur Səlimli. Şamaxı Olimpiya İdman Kompleksinin stadionu, 15:00.
“Difai” – “Baku Sportinq” 1:3 Qollar: Kristian Kamta, 43-pen – Xəyyam Məmmədli, 15. Elşad Tağıyev, 50. Pablo Enrike Alveş, 62-pen. Hakimlər: Nicat İsmayıllı, Orxan İbişov, Sənan Atayev, Niyaz Əhmədov. Hakim-inspektor: Rövşən Əhmədov. AFFA nümayəndəsi: Elman Musayev. Ağsu şəhər stadionu, 15:00.
“Mingəçevir” – “Səbail” 0:1 Qol: Qurban Səfərov, 45. Hakimlər: Əli Əliyev, Vüqar Bayramov, Ruslan Babayev, Şamil İmanzadə. Hakim-inspektor: Orxan Məmmədov. AFFA nümayəndəsi: Erkin Hüseynov. Yaşar Məmmədzadə adına Mingəçevir şəhər stadionu (ehtiyat meydança), 15:00.
13 mart
“Cəbrayıl” – “Zaqatala” Hakimlər: Alik Yunusov, Qəzənfər Məmmədov, Taleh Məmmədov, Nazim Abdullayev. Hakim-inspektor: Ramil Diniyev. AFFA nümayəndəsi: İlham Əliyev. Şamaxı Olimpiya İdman Kompleksinin stadionu, 15:00.
Bu gün keçirilmiş oyunlarla Azərbaycan Basketbol Liqasında (ABL) 2025/2026-cı illər mövsümünün 19-cu turuna start verilib.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, ilk oyun günündə iki qarşılaşma baş tutub.
Hər iki görüş B qrupu çərçivəsində keçirilib. Görüşlərdən biri Sumqayıt Olimpiya İdman Kompleksində, digəri Bakı İdman Mərkəzində baş tutub. Bu matçlarda “Ordu” “Sumqayıt”ı (121:98), “Naxçıvan” isə “Sərhdəçi”ni (83:67) məğlub edib.
Tura martın 15-də yekun vurulacaq.
A qrupu: Sabah – 35. Abşeron Lions – 34. Neftçi – 27. Gəncə – 26. NTD – 20. Şəki – 20.
B qrupu: Ordu – 36. Naxçıvan – 34. Sərhədçi – 26. Sumqayıt – 26. Quba – 24. Lənkəran – 22.
Xatırladaq ki, ABL oyunları dörd dövrədən və 20 turdan ibarət olacaq. Müntəzəm mövsümün oyunları A və B qruplarına bölünməklə keçirilir. Müntəzəm mövsümdə A qrupunu ilk 3 sırada tamamlamış klublarla yanaşı, B qrupunu lider bitirmiş komanda pley-offun 1/4 final mərhələsinə vəsiqə qazanacaq. A və B qruplarında digər yerləri tutmuş komandalar isə pley-offun 1/8 final mərhələsində üz-üzə gələcəklər. Bu mərhələdə ən tez iki qələbə qazanacaq klublar 1/4 finala yüksələcəklər. Həm 1/4 final, həm də yarımfinal seriyaları 2 qələbəyə qədər davam edəcək.
Final seriyasında isə ən tez 3 qələbə qazanacaq klub Azərbaycan Basketbol Liqasının çempionu olacaq.
Qadın voleybolçular arasında keçirilən Azərbaycan çempionatında (Yüksək Liqa) bu gün 17-ci tura yekun vurulub.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, sonuncu oyun günündə daha iki qarşılaşma baş tutub.
Hər iki matç Azərbaycan Voleybol Federasiyasının idman zalında təşkil olunub.
Əvvəlcə “Abşeron” “Gənclər”i 3:0 (25:19, 25:20, 25:17) hesabı ilə məğlub edib. Ardınca isə “Turan” “Azərreyl”i 3:0 (25:14, 25:22, 25:18) hesabı ilə üstələyib.
Xatırladaq ki, ötən gün “DH Volley” UNEC-i (3:0), “Milli Aviasiya Akademiyası” “Gəncə”ni (3:2) məğlub etmişdi.
Yüksək Liqa 17-ci tur 12 mart
“Abşeron” – “Gənclər” 3:0 (25:19, 25:20, 25:17) Azərbaycan Voleybol Federasiyasının idman zalı.
“Azərreyl” – “Turan” 0:3 (14:25, 22:25, 18:25) Azərbaycan Voleybol Federasiyasının idman zalı.
Xallar: Turan – 42. DH Volley – 37. Milli Aviasiya Akademiyası – 30. Gəncə – 25. UNEC – 23. Abşeron – 20. Azərreyl – 18. Murov – 9. Gənclər – 0.
Futbol üzrə Azərbaycan millisinin sabiq üzvü Nadir Nəbiyev “Şəfa” klubunun akademiya rəhbəri vəzifəsinə təyin olunub.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə klubun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.
Belə ki, millimizin sabiq hücumçusu bundan sonra Birinci Liqa təmsilçisinin uğurları üçün çalışacaq.
Xatırladaq ki, Nadir Nəbiyev peşəkar futbolçu kimi “Neftçi”, “Turan” və “Xəzər Lənkəran” klublarının heyətində çıxış edib. O, son illərdə “Turan Tovuz” klubunun futbol akademiyasına rəhbərlik edirdi.
17 yaşadək qadın futbolçulardan ibarət Azərbaycan millisi Avropa çempionatının (AÇ-2026) seçmə mərhələsində ilk oyununa çıxıb.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, B Liqasının 3-cü qrupunda yer almış yığmamız Belçikanın müvafiq yaş qrupundan ibarət kollektivi ilə üz-üzə gəlib.
Sloveniyanın Krşko şəhərində yerləşən “Matiya Qubec” stadionunda keçirilmiş görüşü Ukrayna və Sloveniyadan olan hakimlər briqadası idarə edib. Qarşılaşma rəqibin 11:0 hesablı qələbəsi ilə yekunlaşıb.
Qrupun digər oyununda Farer adaları yığması Sloveniya millisini 4:0 hesabıylü üstələyib.
Millimiz qrupdakı növbəti matçını Sloveniya yığmasına qarşı keçirəcək. Bu görüş martın 15-də baş tutacaq.
AÇ-2026-nın seçmə mərhələsi B Liqası, 3-cü qrup 12 mart
Belçika – Azərbaycan 11:0 Baş hakim: Veronika Vasilçenko (Ukrayna). Baş hakimin köməkçiləri: İrina Qoliyak (Ukrayna), Kaya Şkrban (Sloveniya). Dördüncü hakim: Tayda Qlebeç (Sloveniya). “Matiya Qubec” stadionu, Krşko. Saat 15:00.
Fenerbahçe Başkanı Sadettin Saran, iftar organizasyonunda kongre ve adaylık sorusunu yanıtladı. Saran, bu konularla ilgili mayıs ayına kadar konuşmayacağını ifade etti.
Roma were dealt a midfield blow ahead of tonight’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Bologna, with Manu Koné ruled out of the squad entirely after failing to recover from a muscle strain.
The French midfielder will not even make the bench, instead watching from the stands as Gian Piero Gasperini’s side look to establish an advantage in what promises to be a fiercely contested all-Italian tie.
ROME, ITALY – JANUARY 10: Manu Kone with his teammates of AS Roma celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A match between AS Roma and US Sassuolo Calcio at Stadio Olimpico on January 10, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Bologna vs Roma – Kone misses out with muscle strain
He was initially named by UEFA as being on the bench but that quickly changed, and he will sit the match out completely.
Koné has been an important figure in Roma’s midfield this season, and his absence will require Gasperini to reshuffle his options in the centre of the park for a match that carries enormous weight in the Europa League.
The coach will be hoping the setback is minor enough to allow the midfielder to return swiftly, with the second leg to follow and a potentially lengthy European run still ahead.
Gian Piero Gasperini is confident Bryan Zaragoza will ‘give us a hand’ as Roma play Bologna in the Europa League Round of 16, and is not worried by recent defensive leaks.
It kicks off at the Stadio Dall’Ara at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET).
The second leg is at the Stadio Olimpico next Thursday, as it means there will be just one Italian entry into the Europa League quarter-finals.
Gasperini makes changes for Roma in Europe
ROME, ITALY – JANUARY 22: AS Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini looks on during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between AS Roma and VfB Stuttgart at Stadio Olimpico on January 22, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Roma finished eighth in the league phase of the Europa League and therefore earned direct access to the Round of 16.
That was despite not having January signings Donyell Malen and Bryan Zaragoza available, so they make their UEFA debuts in the Giallorossi jersey this evening.
“Zaragoza arrived on transfer deadline day, so naturally he needs a little time to settle in. He already participated in the few games we played since he arrived, had a very important contribution to Malen’s goal against Napoli, so naturally we expect him to give us a hand today,” Gasperini told Sky Sport Italia.
There is the temptation to split their focus, as after a 3-3 draw with Juventus and 2-1 defeat at Genoa, the upcoming showdown for fourth place in Serie A with Como could take the priority.
On the other hand, there’s no room for squad rotation, as Gianluca Mancini is suspended, with Paulo Dybala, Matias Soulé, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson injured, plus Manu Koné and Mario Hermoso not at 100 per cent.
BERGAMO, ITALY – JANUARY 03: Gian Piero Gasperini, Head Coach of AS Roma looks on during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and AS Roma at New Balance Arena on January 03, 2026 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Getty Images)
“We conceded more goals lately, but also scored more against tough opponents like Juventus and Napoli. We were missing Hermoso for a long time, Mancini is suspended today, so there were some difficulties to be expected over the course of a campaign,” added Gasperini.
Lazio have two training sessions remaining before Sunday’s clash with Milan, and Maurizio Sarri still has several fitness questions to resolve before finalising his squad.
The most significant concern is Alessio Romagnoli, who has been absent from training but is expected to undergo a fitness test on Friday afternoon, according to LaLazioSiamoNoi reports.
If he passes, he could return to the starting lineup for the weekend, but if he does not, Danish defender Provstgaard is already on standby to partner Gila at the heart of defence.
Toma Basic has made a small step forward, rejoining the group for the initial activation phase and the customary rondo exercise, though he sat out the final practice match. The next two sessions will be decisive in determining whether he is available. Should he not make it, Patric is expected to fill the regista role.
PARMA, ITALY – DECEMBER 13: Toma Basić of SS Lazio during the Serie A match between Parma Calcio 1913 and SS Lazio at Stadio Ennio Tardini on December 13, 2025 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Lazio continue to struggle through injury woes
The Romagnoli and Basic situations are compounded by the confirmed absence of Danilo Cataldi, who has suffered a minor calf injury and is unlikely to return until after the international break.
Elsewhere, the picture is clearer. Nuno Tavares holds the advantage over Luca Pellegrini at left back, with Marusic certain to start on the right.
In goal, youngster Edoardo Motta will continue between the posts following Ivan Provedel’s shoulder surgery.
Dele-Bashiru is ahead of Belahyane for a spot alongside Taylor in midfield, who was also tried in a deeper role during Thursday’s session. Up front, Sarri is not expected to make any changes, with Isaksen, Maldini and Zaccagni set to continue as the attacking trio.
Vincenzo Italiano explains his tactical choices for Bologna in the Europa League Round of 16 with Roma. ‘We are going three against three in their midfield.’
It kicks off at the Stadio Dall’Ara at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET).
BOLOGNA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 08: Vincenzo Italiano head coach of Bologna FC during the Serie A match between Bologna FC 1909 and Parma Calcio 1913 at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
“We didn’t change in the last Serie A match either, because Odgaard is starting to learn a different approach in the middle, but this system gives us guarantees, so we are going three against three in their midfield,” Italiano told Sky Sport Italia.
“Even though Roma are without Manu Koné, they still have dynamism and quality in the middle. With Tommaso Pobega and Lewis Ferguson, we can have our say too.”
Juan Miranda, Torbjorn Heggem and Charalampos Lykogiannis are not at 100 per cent, but there is no rest for Santiago Castro, who starts his eighth match in a row.
“Thijs Dallinga is not at 100 per cent, I talked to him today and told him he hasn’t played for a while, so against a tough opponent like Evan Ndicka and such an important match, it is better than Santi keeps his strong form going.
“I preferred Castro, but there are still 10 Serie A games to go and I hope more in Europe too, there will be room for Dallinga.”
BOLOGNA, ITALY – MARCH 08: Santiago Castro of Bologna reacts during the Serie A match between Bologna FC 1909 and Hellas Verona FC at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Unlike Roma, the Rossoblu had to go through the play-offs to reach this phase, eliminating SK Brann with victories home and away.
That was part of a positive run of five straight wins, ended surprisingly at the weekend by a 2-1 home defeat to Hellas Verona in Serie A.
“We have players who can take men on, cut inside and shoot, so when those wingers light up, they can change the course of a game. We have many wide players with these characteristics, including those who can come off the bench, and we hope they can make their mark tonight,” concluded Italiano.
Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Taras Mykhavko from Dynamo Kyiv, according toTEAMtalk.
The 20-year-old central defender is highly rated across Europe, and he has a bright future. He could develop into a long-term asset for all three clubs, and it will be interesting to see if they are prepared to follow up on their interest with an offer to sign the player.
Manchester United need more depth in the defensive unit, and Mykhavko could be a long-term acquisition for them. Harry Maguire is in the twilight stages of his career, and they will need to replace him properly. The young defender could prove to be the ideal acquisition.
Similarly, Chelsea will need to replace multiple defenders in the summer. They have looked vulnerable at the back, and they need to improve in that area of the pitch. Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile are expected to leave the club permanently.
As for Tottenham, Cristian Romero has been linked with top clubs, and he could be on his way out. Radu Dragusin has struggled for regular opportunities, and he might push for an exit as well. Tottenham might need to invest in multiple defenders in the summer. The 20-year-old could be a quality acquisition for them.
Mykhavko will be excited about the possibility of playing in the Premier League. It would be a major step up in his career. Regular opportunities in England could accelerate his development and help him fulfil his potential.
However, he should look to join a club that offers ample opportunities. Sitting on the bench at a big club will not benefit him. It remains to be seen whether he can find a suitable destination in the summer.
This spring, Alabama will be starting year three of the Kalen DeBoer era in Tuscaloosa, one that comes off the heels of a College Football Playoff (CFP) appearance a year ago. Alabama reached the CFP Quarterfinal a year ago, which came just a season after the Crimson Tide missed the playoff outright in year one under DeBoer.
The Crimson Tide now turn the page to 2026 with a roster that returns a number of key players from a year ago, but is also tasked with replacing numerous names at some prominent positions. This includes the likes of offensive line and inside linebacker, as well as at quarterback.
Following is a projection for Alabama's 2026 depth chart entering spring practice, which mentions both the starter and primary backup at each position.
Quarterback
Starter: Austin Mack
Backup: Keelon Russell
Quarterback is the most high-profile position battle to watch for Alabama this spring. The returning duo of Austin Mack and Keelon Russell headline the offseason competition for the Crimson Tide's newest starting quarterback, which could go either way, with the former acting as Alabama's primary backup a year ago.
Running Back
Starter: Daniel Hill
Backup: Kevin Riley
Alabama returns multiple running backs from a year ago such as Daniel Hill, Kevin Riley, and AK Dear. Hill will lead that group as the starter, a unit which also added a name to know in true freshman EJ Crowell.
Wide Receiver
Starter: Ryan Coleman-Williams, Lotzeir Brooks, Noah Rogers
Backup: Rico Scott, Derek Meadows, Cederian Morgan
Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks are prominent starters returning in 2026, while Rico Scott is a returning name to know as a potential breakout candidate. NC State transfer Noah Rogers is also a prominent name who is a candidate to start for the Crimson Tide in 2026.
Tight End
Starter: Kaleb Edwards
Backup: Marshall Pritchett
The duo of Kaleb Edwards and Marshall Pritchett both return for their sophomore seasons in 2026. Each picked up some needed experience last season as true freshmen, and Alabama's tight end room should not skip a beat this upcoming fall.
Offensive Tackle
Starter: Jackson Lloyd, Michael Carroll
Backup: Jayvin James, Ty Haywood
Michael Carroll is the lone returning starter from Alabama's offensive line a year ago at right tackle. There is likely a key competition to determine who starts at the other tackle spot between Jackson Lloyd, Mississippi State transfer Jayvin James, and Michigan transfer Ty Haywood.
Offensive Guard
Starter: William Sanders, Ethan Fields
Backup: Nick Brooks, Casey Poe
Alabama has to replace both starting guards this season, and the competition to do so is wide open this offseason. William Sanders and Casey Poe are among the returning names to know, as are a pair of SEC transfer additions in Ethan Fields and Nick Brooks from Ole Miss and Texas, respectively.
Center
Starter: Racin Delgatty
Backup: Kaden Strayhorn
The competition at center this spring is headlined by two transfer additions in Racin Delgatty and Kaden Strayhorn. Both will compete for the starting job starting this spring alongside the returning Mal Waldrep Jr..
Defensive Tackle
Starter: Terrence Green, London Simmons
Backup: Edric Hill, Kedrick Bingley-Jones
Terrence Green, a transfer addition from Oregon, steps into a key role at defensive tackle for Alabama alongside the returning London Simmons. Other returning options such as Edric Hill and Jeremiah Beaman are also candidates to start, as is Mississippi State transfer Kedrick Bingley-Jones.
Bandit
Starter: Devan Thompkins
Backup: Jah-Marien Latham
Devan Thompkins is the favorite to start at bandit after transferring from USC this past offseason. The top backup options include Jah-Marien Latham, who missed almost all of last season due to injury, as well as Fatutoa Henry.
Wolf
Starter: Yhonzae Pierre
Backup: Justin Hill
Yhonzae Pierre will be one of the college football's top pass rushers as Alabama's starting wolf. Justin Hill is also a key returning name, as is transfer addition Desmond Umeozulu.
Inside Linebacker
Starter: Caleb Woodson, QB Reese
Backup: Cayden Jones, Luke Metz
Alabama is replacing both starting inside linebackers this offseason, with a competition taking place for both starts this spring. Virginia Tech transfer Caleb Woodson is competing alongside the returning QB Reese, Cayden Jones, and Luke Metz, among others.
Cornerback
Starter: Zabien Brown, Dijon Lee Jr.
Backup: Carmelo O'Neal, Chuck McDonald III
Alabama returns both starting cornerbacks from last season in Zabien Brown and Dijon Lee Jr.. The duo should be among the best in the SEC this upcoming season.
Safety
Starter: Bray Hubbard, Keon Sabb
Backup: Dre Kirkpatrick Jr., Ivan Taylor
Safety is among Alabama's deepest defensive positions groups entering the spring. The unit returns both starters from a year ago in Bray Hubbard and Keon Sabb.
Husky
Starter: Red Morgan
Backup: Zavier Mincey
Red Morgan cemented himself as Alabama's starting husky late last season, and is back in 2026 for what could be a big year. Zavier Mincey is also a name who could make an impact at husky.
Kicker
Starter: Conor Talty
Backup: Lorcan Quinn
Alabama starting kicker Conor Talty does return this season, but the Crimson Tide also brought in Marshall transfer Lorcan Quinn at the position during the offseason. The duo will likely compete for the starting spot this spring.
Punter
Starter: Adam Watford
Backup: Alex Asparuhov
The Crimson Tide have a competition this offseason at punter to determine who replaces the departed Blake Doud. That competition is between North Alabama transfer Adam Watford and the returning Alex Asparuhov.
Long Snapper
Starter: Ethan Stangle
Backup: Alex Rozier
Lastly, there could be a competition at long snapper this offseason between the returning Alex Rozier and Ethan Stangle. Stangle is a transfer addition from Syracuse.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
The newest member of the Detroit Lions secondary is already embracing the city.
Shortly after news broke that the Lions signed defensive back Christian Izien to a one-year deal, the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defender took to social media to send a message directly to Detroit.
“Motor city what’s good?!!!! Can’t wait to get to work and keep proving them wrong! #OnePride 🦁”
The post quickly caught the attention of Lions fans, many of whom welcomed Izien to Detroit and expressed excitement about the attitude he brings to the roster.
Hungry mindset fits Lions culture
Izien’s message reflects the chip-on-the-shoulder mentality that has become synonymous with the Lions under head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes.
Detroit has built its roster around players who embrace the team’s gritty identity, and Izien’s early message suggests he’s ready to buy into that culture immediately.
A versatile piece in the secondary
The 25-year-old defensive back enters Detroit after spending the first three seasons of his career in Tampa Bay. During that span, Izien appeared in 45 games, totaling:
165 tackles
3 interceptions
5 pass breakups
3 forced fumbles
Known for his versatility, Izien has experience playing both safety and slot corner, which could make him a valuable depth option in Detroit’s secondary heading into the 2026 season.
If his message is any indication, Izien is ready to prove he belongs — and Lions fans appear ready to see what he can bring to the Motor City.
PREVIEW | Angers vs Nice - team news, lineups, predictions
Angers and Nice face each other this Saturday at the Stade Raymond-Kopa for matchweek 26 of the Ligue 1.
Angers have 32 points to their name this season and occupy 11th position in the table. In their last game, Alexandre Dujeux's team won 0-1 against Nantes (Ligue 1 2025/26).
Nice currently have 24 points and lie in 15th position. In their last game, Claude Puel's team lost 0-4 against Rennes (Ligue 1 2025/26).
The last meeting between the two teams ended with Angers winning 1-0.
For the first time since returning from an Achilles injury on March 6th, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum will be inactive. The Celtics announced that the six-time All-Star is out for the Green Team's Thursday night showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Tatum was initially listed as questionable due to right Achilles repair conditioning, which makes perfect sense given the fact that he ruptured it a little over 300 days ago and has only been back to in-game NBA action for six days. The official injury designation he received on Thursday was "right Achilles injury management." And unfortunately for the Celtics, the injury report has a few more names.
Jayson Tatum has been downgraded to OUT tonight vs. the Thunder due to Right Achilles Injury Management.
Celtics center Nikola Vucevic is out, as expected, with a right ring finger fracture and guard Derrick White is still questionable because of a right knee contusion. The veteran guard has only missed two games this season, so perhaps Thursday will be a chance for him to rest.
If that is the case, the Celtics will have their hands full. Although point guard Payton Pritchard is returning to the lineup after sitting on Tuesday night due to neck spasms, the Thunder are getting back 2026 All-Star Chet Holmgren and two-time NBA champion Alex Caruso.
Per usual, the defending champs will be led by MVP hopeful Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Celtics star Jaylen Brown will likely be tasked with leading the charge for Boston, and perhaps he can generate some MVP buzz of his own during Thursday's primetime game.
Pakistan fast bowler Salman Mirza has taken legal action after reports claimed he misbehaved with a woman during the T20 World Cup 2026 in Sri Lanka. The pacer sent a legal notice to a Pakistani news outlet and a journalist, calling the allegations “false, malicious, and highly defamatory.”
The reports alleged that the incident took place at a hotel in Kandy before Pakistan’s final Super 8 match against Sri Lanka.
According to those reports, a female housekeeping staff member raised an alarm, which led hotel staff to intervene, and the matter was later communicated to Pakistan’s media manager.
Mirza has strongly denied the claims and publicly criticised the report, saying it was irresponsible to broadcast unverified information.
Addressing the issue on Instagram, he wrote: “An absurd news is circulating in the media and I strongly condemn this sort of cheap journalism. Any media house can’t air any unverified news [sic].”
In the same post, Mirza named the journalist and the news channel and confirmed he would pursue legal action.
“#PakistanCricketBoard has already denied this baseless and fake news, and I’m going to take legal action against #ShahidHashmi (journalist) who works for ARY News. This sort of filthy reporting must be banned and #GovernmentofPakistan must take action against such people!” he added.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) also rejected the allegations and backed the player. The board demanded a public apology from the reporter and warned that it would take action if the issue was not addressed.
“Agenda-driven fake news targeting the character of our players is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The reporter must publicly apologise without delay; failing which, the PCB will take all necessary steps to tackle such malicious content firmly and nip it in the bud.”
Day two of the official start of free agency began with the Raiders making official the remainder of their previously reported free agent additions. In total, they added six free agents to the roster. These are the players along with their reported contracts:
Unlike last year's free agent class in which most players were signed to one-year deals, most of this year's class joins the Raiders on three-year deals. Signaling they are finally starting that rebuild.
Dwight Howard: So Thank you to all my fans and supporters throughout this journey I love and appreciate yall dearly because without yall it would be no me! Also thank you to the Naysayers, the haters, the snakes, and people that came into my life to try to destroy me. Because everytime yall did …it only made me stronger. When my documentary releases this year the world will know the truth about EVERYTHING! Then you will see how the sheltered little boy from college park Georgia who went to the same school from pre-k to 12th grade then straight to the NBA was taken advantage of by the world. But through it all still managed to keep SMILING 🙏🏾😁 & Since I didn’t get a chance to ever have a farewell tour I decided to create a tour not for fans to appreciate me but for me to appreciate them for supporting me all these years and giving me a reason to smile doing what I love Every 12th of the month from now on will be D12 day where I visit cities all over the world and do acts of kindness for random to people to give them a reason to Smile 😊
The big fella wasn’t a stellar foul shooter. Gilgeous-Alexander’s worst season of his past four from the free-throw line came in 2023-24, only his second year as an All-Star, when he shot 87.4 percent on 8.7 attempts — less than half as many average attempts as Chamberlain averaged during his streak. “My grandson criticizes Shai because he says that Shai seeks out fouls, that he’s the guy who’s looking to get fouled and to get to the line,” Meschery said. “I know players who have always done that. In my era of Frank Ramsey, John Havlicek, Sam Jones, they jumped into you. So did Paul Arizin. Paul had a wicked jump shot, but he was always jumping into you, and the referees were always calling him and putting him on the line. It’s not a strategy that hasn’t been used before. But what’s significant about Shai is, he doesn’t necessarily jump into you. He jumps sideways.” “That’s what you tried to do,” Hall of Famer Rick Barry told The Athletic. “When I drove, s—, I was trying to get fouled. I wanted to get fouled. I wanted contact. … Shai’s a 90 percent free-throw shooter. Why the hell would you not want to?”
Joe Maloney has seen the sausage get made — and now he’s running the kitchen. The former American Gaming Association executive recently took the reins at the Sports Betting Alliance, where he advocates for five of the biggest sportsbook operators in statehouses across the country. In this conversation with host Jeff Edelstein, Maloney unpacks the biggest policy debates in legal sports betting, from prediction markets to online casino expansion to the newly announced policy in Massachusetts concerning limits on betting.
The Miami Dolphins entered this offseason with several cornerbacks hitting free agency when the new league year officially started on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the first of them left for another team, as NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that cornerback Kader Kohou is signing with the Kansas City Chiefs.
If anything, Marquise Williams is at least back in the news again.
The oft-forgotten former North Carolina quarterback took to Twitter on Thursday to state that he will not be attending any games in Kenan Stadium this upcoming season ... and then doesn’t explain why.
I will not be attending any UNC football games this year! The things I’m hearing man I would have never thought💔
We can only guess what is happening in Chapel Hill as Bill Belichick enters his second season in charge of the Tar Heels, but until Williams comes clean about his reasoning, it will remain just that: a guess.
It might have to do with how Belichick has run things, or the fact that the coach’s May/December romance with Jordon Hudson and her control over the NFL legend has become a running joke. It’s not like Williams would want to see his former team play that badly next season if they continue playing as they did in Belichick’s first season.
And if you were wondering, Williams last played professional football in 2020 with the New York Guardians of the XFL.
The New York Giants have secured the services of right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor on a three-year contract worth $39 million, including $26 million guaranteed.
The deal, agreed to earlier this week, was officially signed by Eluemunor on Thursday at the team's facility in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The 31-year-old veteran, who joined the Giants in 2024 on a two-year, $14 million contract, proved to be a dependable starter over the past two seasons.
In 2025, Eluemunor appeared in all 16 games, logging more than 1,000 snaps while allowing just 19 pressures and four sacks, ranking 20th among 89 tackles in pass-blocking efficiency, per Pro Football Focus.
The Giants fended off interest from the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns, who pursued Eluemunor aggressively—the Browns even viewed him as a potential starting left tackle. Despite the competition, he chose to remain in New York, describing the deal as modest but exactly where he wanted to be.
Eluemunor has started all 31 games played for the Giants since arriving, providing valuable continuity to the offensive line.
Upon arriving to sign the contract, Eluemunor made a statement by wearing a custom-made suit. During a Zoom call with beat writers, he explained the significance of the choice.
"It means a lot. It's something I've been working towards my entire career, and I just wanted to show them that it's, this isn't just another day for me, it's a combination of all the days I put in, all the hard work I put in," he said. "I truly just wanted to show just how important this is. And I feel like you put on suits for important events, and this truly is an important event, and I just wanted to show whoever, like the fans, the coaches, anyone in the building, just how much this meant to me and how much I truly appreciate this.
"I feel like you have to dress for the occasion. Not everyone may do it, but for me, I truly think that it was appropriate for this situation and the day. And it's a huge day for me and my family and I wanted to show that through the suit."
Eluemunor reflected on his journey.
"I've been open about my story where I've been cut, traded, put on the p-squad, cut, benched, and I've been through all these different things that not a lot of players get to this position I'm in right now," he said.
Eluemunor added that he had the suit tailored in New Jersey by a specialist who works with NFL players, arranging it before free agency while vacationing in St. Lucia.
"I hit up my tailor and I said, ‘Hey, God willing, I'm going to sign the biggest contract of my life, and I want a suit that matches the occasion,'" he said.
Eluemunor emphasized gratitude for the opportunity, noting the moment's importance to him and his family, who were right there with him on the inside of his custom suit.
Detailed look at the inside lining of Jermaine Eluemunor’s custom suit for his Giants contract signing today featuring pictures of him and his 2 daughters. #FamilyFirst@JEluemunorpic.twitter.com/BOEk6k1IPE
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. ― Jim Furyk was a big believer as a player in advance scouting the week of a PGA Tour event.
Nothing's changed now that he's watching and analyzing shots instead of hitting them.
The 17-time PGA Tour winner and Jacksonville resident is in his second week of serving as an analyst for Golf Channel's coverage of a Florida Swing event. He debuted last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and is working again with anchor Terry Gannon for the early round coverage of The Players Championship from 1-7 p.m. ET.
Golf Channel's eight hours are more than the usual Thursday-Friday Tour coverage, so Furyk will make up for the two hours he lost on the air last week at Bay Hill because of a weather suspension. As usual, he's tackling the opportunity with the same intensity he had as a player.
He said he has a newfound appreciation for career broadcasters such as Gannon and NBC producer Tommy Roy.
"They're extremely talented," Furyk said earlier in the week from the NBC compound near the 17th hole of the Players Stadium Course. "I always knew it was a difficult job, but they make it look very, very easy. Terry, with all the moving parts of the show and the reads and stuff coming in ... I was just very thankful to start doing this with him, as good as he is, and Steve Sands and Curt Byrum ... what they do is quite incredible. It's hard to explain until you're in there. There's a lot of moving parts, a lot going on in their ear and they're smooth as silk, painting a great story."
Other First Coast pros have given TV a try
Furyk is the latest in a line of Tour players with First Coast and Golden Isles ties to give broadcasting a try. David Duval had a gig with Golf Channel until he began playing on the PGA Tour Champions full-time. Davis Love III worked with CBS for a brief time. Mark McCumber and Rocco Mediate have also had their turns, and McCumber still works for PGA Tour Radio on Sirius.
Furyk believes that his perspective as a player ― especially one who had 23 starts and five top 10s in The Players Championship ― gives him something to offer TV viewers.
"Guys like [NBC anchor] Dan Hicks and Terry set up the scene, and I see the shots and react," Furyk said. "I'm supposed to tell the viewer what's happening and why. How can I give them knowledge about the golf course, about the shot that's been hit. I think a golf professional who played competitively can do that. You just have to get comfortable with the camera and how everything works in the studio."
Furyk stepping up his pre-tournament prep
Furyk is taking it seriously. He's been walking the Stadium Course, observing where the pin positions will be, how firm or soft areas of the golf course are and any subtle changes.
Furyk said he's stepping up his preparation this week because he said the research and time he spent at Bay Hill weren't enough.
"When I was a rookie on Tour, I prepared for tournaments in a certain way," he said. "And then I realized very quickly that there were veteran players who did that better than I did, and so I would play golf with them, play practice rounds, see how they prepared, and ask questions. I learned in 10 minutes the first day on camera [at Bay Hill] that I needed to prepare a little differently. Last week went really positive, but surely I have a lot to learn, and I want to keep improving and keep getting better. It's just my nature, very competitive."
Furyk said he discussed some constructive criticism after the first round at Bay Hill with Roy and Gannon. For the most part, they stressed more eye contact with the host or camera.
Furyk said there were other areas where he got some guidance that were subtle, but would make him better.
"There's always going to be a little tidbits," he said. "I probably stepped on the on-course reporter a couple of times. The viewer wouldn't know that. But the team knows that when it might not have been my turn to speak and it took me a second or two to realize it was my turn to speak when I wasn't. But just learning those little cadence things ... it's not something I could have practiced for. That's something you pick up on the fly."
Furyk doesn’t see himself as a Johnny Miller
Furyk said he and Golf Channel will talk after The Players to see if they want to continue the relationship but he said if broadcasting turns into a second career, the one thing he will not be as an analyst is over the top with criticism, such as Johnny Miller.
"I think when I played ... I didn't mind anyone saying it was a bad shot," he said. "I'm never going to question what someone's got inside them. That's off-limits, in my opinion. I don't find myself backing off. It's really to react to what I'm seeing, try to explain to the viewer why."
Furyk’s take on 2026 Players
Furyk said this week's Players comes down to who deals best with architect Pete Dye's goal of making it more of a mental test than physical.
"Pete wants them to feel uncomfortable," Furyk said. "He wants them to be aggressive. You have to attack the golf course. Now, if you're not playing well, it's going to bite you. But if you want to win this tournament, you're going to have to attack the golf course in certain areas and off the tee surely."
Furyk said he's amused at the perception that world No. 1 and two-time Players champion Scottie Scheffler is in a slump.
"It's nuts," Furyk said. "I was thinking about it after the third round last week. He had a bad front nine, didn't play very well, missed some greens, missed a bunch of putts. It didn't look good. He was visibly frustrated. And then we went off the air, and I went home and I watched it on NBC, and he comes out, he birdies five of the next six and does Scottie-like things. We expect so much out of him, almost to be superhuman. That's the way we talk about him. We were expecting that from Tiger and that usually tends to weigh down on you. But every great player expects more out of themselves than we expect of them."
Furyk said he's not writing off his PGA Tour Champions career but injuries have curtailed his schedule in the past two years. He made one start this season, in Hawaii, and isn't sure when he will play next.
Winners of 11 of their last 13, the Thunder are hosting the Boston Celtics Thursday, March 12, just three days after Shai Gilgeous-Alexander put away the Denver Nuggets with a game-winning 3 in the final seconds. With the win, Gilgeous-Alexander created separation in the race for NBA Most Valuable Player, and the Thunder maintained their hold on the top seed in the West.
And, Thursday's game presents the chance for SGA to make history. He can break the NBA record for consecutive games with at least 20 points. He tied Wilt Chamberlain for most all-time, with 126 in a row, against Denver.
The Celtics, meanwhile, have gotten a massive boost since Jayson Tatum returned from his Achilles tendon rupture surgery. Boston has been rolling lately and is just 3½ games back of the Detroit Pistons for the No. 1 seed in the East.
Here’s everything you need to know about Thursday night’s Celtics-Thunder game:
How to watch Celtics vs. Thunder: TV channel, live stream
Start time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Location: Paycom Center (Oklahoma City)
TV channel: N/A
Live stream: Amazon Prime
Celtics vs. Thunder injury report
Boston Celtics
Payton Pritchard, probable (neck spasm)
Baylor Scheierman, available (left thumb fracture)
Considering what's at stake, tonight might be a night where homes across the state frame the box score in their living room. On a mundane March night, the Oklahoma City Thunder will have a chance to see Shai Gilgeous-Alexander make NBA history.
Gilgeous-Alexander could usurp Wilt Chamberlain for one of his mythical records. Currently tied with the basketball pantheon at 126 games, he could own the NBA's record for longest 20-point streak in league history.
We'll see what the Boston Celtics cook up, but odds are, they'll be background characters for Gilgeous-Alexander's historic night. The reigning MVP continues to build up quite the resume. Already having an MVP trophy and a championship ring under his name, he could add to his consistency mythos tonight.
To prepare for Gilgeous-Alexander's possible historic accomplishment, let's contextualize just how impressive it is to score 20 points every game for over a calendar year. Here are the top 20 20-point streaks in NBA history, courtesy of Basketball Reference:
Former Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball great Sean Kilpatrick expressed his feelings via Twitter/X about his former team, one day after UC lost in overtime to the UCF Knights in the Big 12 tournament.
"I remember recently speaking on the state of the program and being told I wasn't supporting the university the 'right way,'" Kilpatrick tweeted. "From that moment on, I washed my hands of it! I gave the University of Cincinnati and that city blood, sweat, and tears for 5 years!"
"I could've left after my sophomore or junior year, but I stayed because I felt like that was home and graduated," Kilpatrick continued. "So the idea that I can't have an opinion about the program I helped build … will forever be bonkers to me. Wishing everyone there the best."
Kilpatrick is second only to Oscar Robertson on UC's all-time scoring list. He was inducted in 2024 to the James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of Fame.
Washington Commanders offensive tackle Trent Scott (73) makes a touchdown in the 3rd quarter over the Cincinnati Bengals Monday, September 23, 2024 at Paycor Stadium. | Cara Owsley/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Washington Commanders have re-signed offensive tackle Trent Scott on a 1-year deal. Scott has been with Washington since 2023, but he was active for the least amount of games with the team last season. Washington added LT Laremy Tunsil and rookie RT Josh Conerly last year, pushing Scott down the depth chart. The 32-year old veteran returns on another 1-year deal to try to earn a spot on the depth chart. Brandon Coleman was the backup left tackle last season, filling in for the Tunsil at the end of the season. He could go back to right guard with Chris Paul still unsigned in free agency. Paul replaced Coleman as the starter aft the first two games last season. Trent Scott started three games last season, and hopefully he’s not needed as a starter if he makes the team this year.
The Commanders are re-signing veteran OL Trent Scott, per source. Back in Washington for his ninth NFL season. pic.twitter.com/KawbKf9H5U
Mist celebrates the 2026 Unrivaled championship. | Getty Images
Year 2 of Unrivaled was far from a sophomore slump as the 3×3 league continued to grow. We had two expansion teams join, another outstanding 1-on-1 Tournament and a new champion was crowned.
Now that the dust has settled on 2026 for Unrivaled, here are five takeaways from the season.
1. Business is booming
By all metrics, Unrivaled is seeing incredible growth. Tale a look at the numbers regarding the business of Unrivaled from a league press release.
League account growth from January 5 through March 4 included:
YouTube: +26,000 followers (+69%)
Instagram: +61,000 followers (+21%)
TikTok: +137,000 followers (+90%)
X: +8,200 followers (+13%)
Threads: +7,300 followers (+12%)
Facebook: +33,000 followers (+71%)
Viewership
Unrivaled continued its national broadcast partnership with TNT Sports, with games airing across TNT, truTV and HBO Max throughout the season.
Season 2 was culminated by the third most- watched Unrivaled telecast in league history, with the championship bringing in 314,000 viewers (behind only last year’s 1 on 1 Tournament Championship and the Championship game between Rose and Vinyl). The Unrivaled Playoffs sponsored by Samsung averaged 258,000 viewers for TNT/truTV simulcasts.
Ticket Sales
Fan demand for live Unrivaled events increased dramatically during Season 2, with revenue from ticket sales increasing 204% year-over-year. Unrivaled sold 249% more tickets than the inaugural season.
The increase was driven by expanded capacity at Sephora Arena and the addition of tour stops in Philadelphia (21,490) and Brooklyn (18,261).
With growth in viewership, ticket sales and social media interaction, it’s evident that the league is heading in the right direction. There were those who were skeptical if enough fans would embrace 3×3 basketball and retain interest over the years, and it’s clear that fans are enjoying the Unrivaled product and are hungry for more.
Unrivaled's night in Brooklyn ending up topping Philadelphia.
$1 million ➡️ $1.1 million in ticket revenue $400k ➡️ $405k in merchandise revenue https://t.co/2y69ah7bmW
While the WNBA and its players are shaping women’s basketball’s future with their CBA negotiations, Unrivaled has that put together.
As articulated in a recent press release, Unrivaled demonstrated that not only have they grown, but that this growth is also aligned with more money entering players’ pockets:
The league’s salary cap grew 115% from Season 1 to Season 2, with an overall cap of $21 million. Notably, the value of the player equity pool grew 290%—from $30 million in 2025 to over $120 million. Players continue to be the largest shareholder group in Unrivaled.
By all accounts, the players seemed to be on the same page with the pay in Unrivaled, given the workloads they are under. The league has figured out how to deliver a quality product, share equity with athletes and grow simultaneously. It’s been a win-win situation for everyone involved.
Allisha Gray cashed out during Unrivaled Season 2, making an extra 200k on top of her salary. 🤑
Sure, the biggest achievement in Unrivaled is the title, but one can argue that the best product they deliver is the 1-on-1 Tournament. This year, they made improvements, like having the tournament field initially organized around positional pods, which really helped avoid size-based mismatches until the end.
There were viral moments like both StudBudz going scoreless, and more serious ones like Kelsey Plum going off and Dallas Wings teammates Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Buekers facing off. But in the end, Chelsea Gray proved why she is the Point God, winning it all.
At this point, it seems even if you aren’t a big fan of Unrivaled, the 1-on-1 Tournament is wildly entertaining and should be required viewing for all basketball fans.
4. Unrivaled is developing talent
Unrivaled is quickly becoming a great place for WNBA players to develop their talent during the offseason. Cameron Brink is a prime example of this. She spent most of the 2025 WNBA season recovering from her left ACL tear, so getting a chance to gain additional reps ahead of her third W season was vital.
Brink did just that, playing for Breeze and averaging 10.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game.
Cameron Brink weaves her way to the basket for the scoop 👏
Breeze looking to position a 2H comeback against the Laces on TNT, truTV & HBO Max 📺 pic.twitter.com/UtRxCokLik
These games, even in a 3×3 setting, could help her have a huge third season with the Los Angeles Sparks. And if she does find success, it’ll likely mean other players will follow in her footsteps and pursue a season in Unrivaled instead of traveling overseas.
5. Unrivaled needs more players
While Unrivaled expanded by adding two more clubs, one way to continue growing is by extending the roster size. The developmental pool, featuring six players, was a good idea to help in the event of an injury.
The developmental pool certainly came into play for Phantom, as the club had to compete in their two playoff games without Aliyah Boston and Dana Evans. They had Aziaha James and Makayla Timpson assigned to the team, but ultimately lost to Mist in the final.
Moving forward, having dedicated players on the roster would be beneficial to all involved. So, hopefully the rosters can expand, and if the developmental pool remains, it can be used as an extreme emergency scenario instead of the first option if a player goes down.
Overall, Unrivaled is heading in the right direction. With continued growth and the right moves made to improve the product on the margins, the league could be even better in 2027.
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 17: Tino Livramento of England looks on during the UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League B Group B2 match between England and Republic of Ireland at Wembley Stadium on November 17, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Talk about a plot twist. As we were growing tired of reporting the links between Manchester City and one of Newcastle’s players, it now looks like another Premier League giant might be ahead in the race to land him.
Arsenal seems to be monitoring Magpie defender Tino Livramento ahead of the summer transfer window, adding another layer to ongoing speculation around the 23-year-old’s future who seemed to be nothing but destined to join the Cityzens before next season.
Pep Guardiola’s side had previously been viewed as the leading contenders if Livramento were to leave St James’ Park. However, The Telegraph is reporting that Arsenal are now keeping a close watch on the England international as they assess defensive reinforcements even amid a title-winning season.
“Arsenal are keeping a close watch on Newcastle United full-back Tino Livramento as they consider making a summer bid for the England international,” Luke Edwards wrote. “Livramento will have two years left on his contract at the end of the season and has not yet shown a willingness to extend it. That makes Newcastle vulnerable and has attracted the attention of Arsenal.
“Newcastle would still like to keep the 23-year-old if he is willing to discuss a new deal before the transfer window opens, but they recognise that his market value could drop if he does not agree fresh terms.”
Livramento joined Newcastle from Southampton in 2023 for around £32 million and has featured on both flanks in Eddie Howe’s system. The report states Newcastle’s valuation would be in the region of £60 million.
“Given the money invested in the defender, who is equally comfortable on the left and right sides of defence, Newcastle’s asking price would be around £60m,” Edwards wrote.
Arsenal’s interest could complicate the already-stalled contract for a Livramento extension, particularly as the defender shares the same agent as Mikel Arteta—you do the math, folks.
The Telegraph also noted that Arsenal may need to sell at least one first-team player this summer before committing to major additions, which has been widely reported of late as the Gunners might be a bit tight on the financial front.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have publicly declared their desire to retain Livramento, but his contractual situation, international presence, and likely World Cup impact, and an ever-growing external interest have positioned him as one of the club’s key summer talking points and a very possible sale candidate.
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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 3 p.m. CT and 4:30 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.
Italian media reveals brutal message from Gianluigi Donnarumma to referee Maurizio Mariani in Real Madrid defeat
Gianluigi Donnarumma had words for fellow Italian, Maurizio Mariani at the Bernabeu on Wednesday night following the penalty awarded in Real Madrid’s favour.
The confrontation occurred during a catastrophic night for Manchester City in their Champions League last-16 first-leg clash, as Federico Valverde stunned the visitors with a 22-minute hat-trick.
The second-half did not bring about much more hope either, as Gianluigi Donnarumma was judged to have brought down Vinícius Júnior in the penalty area, leading to a heated exchange between the goalkeeper and the on-field match official.
Five Things Learned: Real Madrid 3-0 Manchester City (UEFA Champions League Round of 16 First Leg)
While the 27-year-old goalkeeper redeemed himself by saving the subsequent spot-kick from the Brazilian forward, his frustration with the officiating has remained a focal point of the post-match analysis in his home country.
Decoding Donnarumma’s Clash with Mariani
As per a new report from TuttoSport, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, words from Gianluigi Donnarumma to Italian referee Maurizio Mariani at the Bernabeu have been revealed in the moments that followed the goalkeeper’s foul to give away a penalty.
“Why are you acting like a big shot? You’re acting like a big shot,” Donnarumma is claimed to have told his fellow countryman.
“Why are you giving me a yellow card”, the Manchester City goalkeeper followed having been cautioned for the attempt at clawing the ball from the onrushing Vinicius Junior.
The “big shot” comment suggests a deep-rooted frustration with Mariani’s handling of the high-octane fixture in the Spanish capital, with Donnarumma’s outburst perhaps highlighting the psychological toll of the 3-0 deficit.
Manchester City’s tactical gamble to play an ultra-high line against the Spanish giants left their No.1 goalkeeper exposed to several one-on-one situations throughout the night, ultimately leading to numerous goals conceded.
How Can Manchester City Respond to Defeat in Madrid?
Looking ahead to the return leg at the Etihad Stadium on March 17, Gianluigi Donnarumma will need to channel his apparent aggression more effectively to help Manchester City overturn the significant three-goal margin.
Before then, Manchester City have a clash against West Ham United to contend with in the Premier League, travelling to the London Stadium on Saturday night as they aim to stay within reach of Arsenal at the top of the division.
Lita holds up the WWE Women's Championship over her head after a victory over Trish Stratus in the main event of "WWE Raw." - WWE
Lita was a wrestler well-ahead of her time who debuted during the then-WWF's Attitude Era, but still managed to make a name for herself between the ropes in serious matches, not just the pillow fights and bra and panties matches of the day. She began her wrestling career in 1998 in CMLL before signing with WWE in August 1999 where she was first aligned with Essa Rios.
She became a quick fan-favorite as a member of Team X-Treme alongside then real-life boyfriend Matt Hardy and his brother, Jeff, and due to all-too-real world happenings, had a heel run alongside Edge. Over the course of her career, she held the WWE Women's Championship four times, including when it was still known as the World Women's Championship, and she had a 42-day run with the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships alongside Becky Lynch in 2023.
Lita put on plenty of exciting matches during her seven active years in the ring, and in 2014, she was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. She wrote her name in new chapters of history when she competed in the first-ever women's Royal Rumble in 2018, as well as at Evolution the same year. Some of her greatest matches in her career were alongside her real-life best friend, Trish Stratus, who she feuded with from 2000 throughout the end of Stratus' career in 2004.
She did things in the ring that not many women were doing at the time, and her high-flying, extreme style was must-see. An honorable mention to this list of Lita's greatest matches is her first championship victory over Stephanie McMahon in the main event of the August 21, 2000 edition of "Raw is War." It fails to make the proper list due to the involvement of The Rock and Triple H.
Mickie James gears up to hit a big DDT on Lita during their match for the WWE Women's Championship at Survivor Series 2006. - WWE
Lita wrestled the final match of her full-time WWE career at Unforgiven 2006 in a match against Mickie James for the WWE Women's Championship. Her retirement had been announced previously, much like her real-life friend Trish Stratus ahead of her final bout, so it came to no surprise to fans. While Lita's official send-off following the match left a lot to be desired, as Cryme Time came out "selling" her personal things, including her underwear, to humiliate her, the in-ring action itself was solid.
James took the fight to Lita to start off the bout, getting her in the corner to deliver hard strikes. The champion didn't stay down for long, but throughout the eight minute bout, the opponents were evenly matched in their aggressive styles. Lita locked in a sleeper hold, complete with body scissors to James trying to get her to tap, but the challenger was able to get to the ropes. James was then able to duck a cross body off the top rope by Lita.
Lita was able to kick out after numerous clotheslines by James and a big kick to her jaw and dodged the Stratusfaction attempt. Lita hit the moonsault, but James still held on. James was finally able to secure the win with a DDT, earning her second WWE Women's Championship of her career.
The post-match angle to put an end to Lita's in-ring career, for the time being, left a lot to be desired, but thankfully in the years following, she was able to get redemption from crowds who adored her, rather than the harsh Philadelphia crowd during her heel run. Lita dominated the field during her own time period, a notoriously difficult one for women, and would go on to prove she could still go over ten years later.
Vs. Becky Lynch, Elimination Chamber 2022
Becky Lynch puts Lita in the Dis-Arm-Her in the middle of the ring during their match at Elimination Chamber 2022. - WWE
After retiring in 2006 to a less-than-positive response thanks to the actions of Crime Time following her match with James and the storyline surrounding her affair with Edge, Lita got a second chance in the ring alongside some of the best women of today.
After she appeared in the 2022 Royal Rumble, Lita boldly challenged Raw Women's Champion Becky Lynch to a match at Elimination Chamber. The women would go on to wrestle a match just over 12 minutes long, with Lynch leading one of her heroes to a solid bout.
Lynch went for the Dis-Arm-Her early, but Lita fought it off. Lynch hit back-to-back Becksploders, but Lita dodged the third into a DDT, giving herself time to get her feet back underneath her. The women traded strikes back-and-forth, and Lynch countered the Twist of Fate into a Dis-Arm-Her attempt.
Lita planted Lynch with a powerbomb and looked for the moonsault, but Lynch rolled out of the ring. The challenger looked for another moonsault after getting Lynch back down, but Lynch was able to lock in the Dis-Arm-Her, but turned it into a Manhandle Slam when Lita got too close to the ropes. Lynch attempted a moonsault of her own, but Lita got out of the way.
The Hall of Famer was finally able to hit the Twist of Fate and moonsault, but Lynch kicked out. As Lita got her back up, Lynch hit a second Manhandle Slam for the win.
While she may not have captured the title, the match kicked off more for Lita in WWE. Following a year-long hiatus, she returned to help Lynch against Damage CNTRL, and the pair would have a run with the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships. Lita, Stratus, and Lynch would have a six-woman tag match at WrestleMania 39, marking Lita's only second-ever appearance at the event.
Vs. Victoria, WWE Raw 11/24/2003
Victoria hits a move off the ropes to Victoria during their steel cage match on "WWE Raw" in November 2003. - WWE
Lita was involved in the first-ever women's steel cage match, a bout sometimes forgotten by history, alongside Victoria, thanks to the spin of the wheel on an edition of "Raw Roulette." Lita had made the jump from "SmackDown" to "Raw," and after rejecting general manager Eric Bischoff's advances, he wanted to make her life difficult. Bischoff had Women's Champion Molly Holly spin the wheel, and it was determined Lita and Victoria would be squaring off in the cage as Lita stood in the ring.
Lita took it to Victoria the second she got into the cage, smashing her into the structure multiple times. Victoria returned the favor, sending Lita face-first into the cage before hitting her with a spinning sidewalk slam. Victoria tried to escape through the door, but Lita was on her throwing right hands.
Both women attempted to escape the cage through the top and took vicious back bumps for one another when they ripped each other from the side of the structure and went crashing down to the mat. Lita hit Victoria with a powerbomb during one escape attempt, then hit her with a moonsault. Lita then tried to escape through the door, but her then ex-boyfriend in storyline, Matt Hardy, appeared and slammed the door in her face, allowing for Victoria to escape for the victory.
While the match did involve interference by a man, the historic bout featured some good, albeit short, in-ring action between two serious women's competitors at the time, while also playing into the "escape the cage" troupe that was popular in men's cage matches in that era. Lita had also just returned a little over two months prior from a 17-month hiatus due to neck surgery, so competing within the cage was a big deal for the star.
Vs. Trish Stratus, Unforgiven 2006
Trish Stratus puts Lita in the Walls of Jericho in the middle of the ring during their match at Unforgiven 2006. - WWE
In a poetic end to their feud, WWE Women's Champion Lita lost her gold to Trish Stratus in the latter's retirement match at Unforgiven 2006 in Stratus' hometown of Toronto. Lita involved herself in her career-long rival's business in the weeks ahead of the pay-per-view when she leaked the news that Stratus was set to retire after Unforgiven. Stratus confirmed she was retiring, then challenged Lita to a match at the event for the title.
The women went to the final battle of their full-time careers in an 11-and-a-half minute match that was one of their best. Stratus tried to get a quick pin on Lita with a big clothesline, but her frenemy wouldn't stay down that easily.
When Lita left the ring, Stratus took the fight to the outside and jumped from the apron to her opponent, taking her out. The women brawled back in the ring, until a slugfest on the top rope sent them both crashing to the floor once again.
Stratus moved out of the way of a moonsault and tried to capitalize with a cover, but Lita kicked out. Stratus went for Stratusfaction, but Lita pushed her out of the ring once again. The champion had complete control of the match until Stratus rallied with a neck breaker. She hit Lita with a Stratusfaction, then a Chick Kick, but Lita kicked out again. In the end, Lita countered another Stratusfaction, but walked into a sharpshooter by Stratus and had no option but to tap.
Stratus retired a champion, and she and Lita would reunite in WWE throughout the years, with Stratus doing the honor of inducting Lita into the Hall of Fame. Their final match, the cumulation of years of work together during a time where things were difficult for women, was a memorable banger where both women put in solid work.
Vs. Trish Stratus, WWE Raw 12/6/2004
Lita hits a moonsault on Trish Stratus during their main event match for the WWE Women's Championship during a December 2004 episode of "WWE Raw." - WWE
Lita's feud with Stratus was iconic for many reasons, and their main event match for the WWE World Women's Championship on the December 6, 2004 edition of "Raw" is one of those reasons. While Lita had competed in a main event match on "Raw" a few years prior, her bout with then-champion Stratus is often considered the first time women main evented a weekly show, as they were the entire focus of the bout.
The women had been feuding for years at that point, and both had been honing their skills during an era where it was difficult for women to get any TV time when it came to matches. While their match wasn't long by any means, they proved themselves in numerous big spots.
Stratus was wrestling with a "broken nose" and protective face gear, which she used as a weapon. The women tumbled out of the ring after locking up to start, but neither seemed fazed and they were quickly back outside after Lita sent Stratus over the top rope with a back body drop. She followed up with a suicide dive and took a nasty bump, landing on her head just a few years removed from neck surgery.
The champion was back in control, but Lita met Stratus on the ropes and hit a superplex. It was Stratus who regained momentum first, however, but Lita quickly rallied with a power bomb to combat Stratus' strikes in the corner.
In the end, it was Lita to hit the Twist of Fate, then a moonsault, to pin Stratus to win her second World Women's Championship. The match is considered one of the best of the time period, and one that inspired many female wrestlers of today. It's remembered fondly by fans, especially women, of a certain age.
How Messi holds the ‘nuclear button’ that could decide Barcelona presidential elections – report
We are only a few days away from the Barcelona presidential election, which is expected to be close, even though Joan Laporta remains the clear favourite.
However, as the election nears, Font does have one last glimmer of hope, in the form of Lionel Messi
Font waiting for Messi to press the button
According to Javi Miguel, Font is waiting for a last-minute support from Lionel Messi, who is known to hold resentment against Joan Laporta due to his sudden exit in 2021.
Messi is a key figure in Barcelona, and his opinion could sway the majority of votes. Given that he is not a fan of Laporta, Font is the obvious pick for the Argentine.
However, Messi has not shown any indication of wanting to meddle in the Barcelona election or wanting a change in leadership.
Equating his decision to meddle in the election to a ‘nuclear button’, Miguel suggests that Font is waiting for the Argentine to make a move.
Will Messi appear as a last-minute saviour for Font? (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
Even if Messi does not offer complete support or endorsement for Font, simply a gesture or a hint might be enough to completely turn the election against Laporta.
After all, there has been a lot said about how the former president blocked the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner’s return in 2023 – something that has been denied by Laporta.
Even a small hint from the Argentine that what Xavi Hernandez revealed was true could end up influencing the outcome of the upcoming elections in a huge way.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - DECEMBER 21: Bryan Cook #6 of the Kansas City Chiefs warms up prior to the NFL 2025 game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 21, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Cincinnati Bengals made two solid moves by agreeing to terms with safety Bryan Cook and defensive end Boye Mafe on the first day of free agency.
Today, both of them officially signed their deals.
In his press conference, Cook shared that he’s happy to come home (he was born in Cincinnati and played at UC). He believes that he brings leadership to Cincinnati’s defense and will be an “anchor” that supports his teammates.
Meanwhile, Mafe said he was “excited” to come to Cincinnati, specifically to be part of the growth of the team. “It’s one of those teams that people are going to know about soon,” he said. He talked about the energy that he brings and how it will help his young teammates improve.
Mafe shared that he still has “untapped potential” that isn’t reflected in his production. That’s probably the mindset the Bengals’ front office had when pursuing him.
Free agency moves have dominated the NFL headlines this week, but offering a change of scenery to proven veterans is just one piece of the puzzle as teams look to improve their rosters for 2026.
There's also, of course, a huge influx of young players available via the draft, and some clubs (cough, cough) tend to put more of their eggs in that lower-budget basket rather than pay big-money contracts to guys who may have already given their best years in a different uniform.
As always, how a team navigates one pool of talent informs how they may be thinking about the other. And the Dallas brass has reportedly set up one particular meeting that is sure to raise more than a few eyebrows as observers scramble to read the tea leaves about what it might mean.
The Cowboys will reportedly host Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. on an official "30 visit," according to football analyst Ryan Fowler.
Source: The Dallas Cowboys will host Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr for a 30 visit.
That visit, one of 30 one-on-one meetings each team is permitted to schedule during the pre-draft process, is often an indicator of which prospects or positions a team might be most interested in heading into the draft. And that's what makes Cooper's reported trip to Frisco so noteworthy.
The Cowboys, as of Wednesday night's deal that sent Osa Odighizuwa to San Francisco, own picks 12, 20, and 92. Would they seriously consider using one of those first-round picks to reach for Cooper instead of a top defender that would address a far more urgent need? Or are they using up one of their precious 30 visits on some bewildering belief that Cooper could realistically fall to them late in the third round?
And perhaps most obviously... would any genuine pursuit of Cooper perhaps signal some larger plan concerning George Pickens? Pickens is currently sitting under the franchise tag. And while it's been thought that the Cowboys would try to lock him up to a longer-term deal this offseason, it's also possible that there's a Plan B that involves letting Pickens play 2026 under the tag and then letting him leave. In that scenario, selecting Cooper now and letting him work in Pickens's shadow before parting ways with the higher-priced veteran does sound like a Cowboys kind of move.
After all, it's what they did when CeeDee Lamb unexpectedly landed in their laps in 2020, when they already had Amari Cooper.
Is Omar Cooper a potential insurance policy for a Cowboys organization that's not expecting Pickens to stay long-term? (Remember that Pickens is on the non-exclusive tag, meaning another club could swoop in and make an offer Dallas isn't willing to match.) Is a Cooper meeting meant to be leverage they can use in the Pickens talks? Is interest in Cooper a hint that the Cowboys are trying to trade back in the first round (or early in the second) where they think Cooper might be a viable option that then impacts their negotiations with Pickens?
Maybe it's simply a matter of meeting with the best prospects the team can identify... but with the Cowboys' massive needs on defense, it's certainly curious that Dallas is apparently willing to use a 30 visit on a position they seem to already be set at.
While the NBA world remains absolutely flummoxed after Bam Adebayo’s 83-point inferno, we’re on the verge of another historic feat that melts the brain. On the eve of Halloween in 2024, the San Antonio Spurs did something that no team has been able to accomplish since. They “held” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to under 20 points.
I deliberately put held in quotation marks because the Spurs were getting beat so badly in that game that SGA barely needed to play in the fourth quarter. He finished with 18 points.
One hundred and twenty-six games later, Gilgeous-Alexander has a chance to pass Wilt Chamberlain for the most consecutive games with at least 20 points, a record that has stood for over half a century.
It’s a streak that has gone on for so long it began before Cooper Flagg had ever played a game at Duke.
To put Gilgeous-Alexander’s streak and his MVP candidacy into proper perspective, here are seven ways to better understand how Gilgeous-Alexander is wrecking the record books.
(Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
1. SGA’s streak is longer than the next two longest current active streaks combined: Kawhi Leonard and Joel Embiid. Actually it’s longer than the next ELEVEN highest streaks combined.
Kawhi Leonard has delivered a metronome-like scoring streak for the Clippers this season. From Nov. 28 to now, he has put up 20-plus points in 43 straight games. It’s incredible. Joel Embiid has strung together 24 straight games of his own with at least 20 points. Impressive! Tyrese Maxey has mounted 13 such games in a row. Remarkable.
Stack them all together and those superstars still don’t topple SGA’s current mark. Actually, the next 11 highest streaks — Leonard (43), Embiid (24), Maxey (13), Luka Dončić (11), Bam Adebayo (7), Trey Murphy III (5), Pascal Siakam (5), Victor Wembanyama (4), Devin Booker (4), Stephen Curry (4) and Jerami Grant (4) — have a combined 124 straight games with 20-plus points, according to Stathead.com tracking. It’s not just that SGA’s streak is better than everyone else’s, it’s that none of them can even sniff what SGA is doing right now.
2. SGA hasn’t played in 30% of the Thunder’s fourth quarters during the streak.
Perhaps the greatest threat to SGA’s record isn’t the greatness of the opponent’s defense but rather the greatness of his own team. SGA and the Thunder have been so dominant that they haven’t even needed to play the reigning MVP in dozens of fourth quarters because the game is already out of hand.
To be exact, the former Kentucky Wildcat has sat in 39 fourth quarters over the streak, making it even more impressive that the streak is alive. He’s done this while playing in a 36-minute NBA game a third of the time. Most players need all four quarters in a game to put together at least 20 points. Not SGA.
3. He has clinched the 20-point streak before the fourth quarter in 90% of his games.
This is an extension of the previous note, with a twist. Not only does Gilgeous-Alexander sit a lot in fourth quarters because his team does so well, most of the time he doesn’t even need to play the fourth quarter to keep his streak alive.
He has scored at least 20 points by the start of the fourth quarter in a whopping 113 of the 126 games, which equates to 89.6%. In only one out of 10 games is the record in jeopardy going into the final frame. Madness.
4. Stephen Curry could add 100 games to his personal longest streak, and he’d still trail Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s current run.
Stephen Curry is one of the greatest scorers in NBA history with over 25,000 points to his name. He has won four championships and changed the game forever. And yet: he has never come close to anything like Gilgeous-Alexander’s current streak. In fact, according to Stathead.com, Curry’s longest streak of stringing together 20-point games is 23. He did it across two seasons back in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
The Golden State Warrior guard has actually never rallied 20 straight games of 20-plus in any single season, which is something that SGA has done not just once, but five separate times. One reason why: the variance of the 3-point shot. Curry relies much more heavily on a shot that goes in less than half the time, which can yield some wild fluctuations. On the other hand, SGA is shooting 60% on a whopping 15 2-point attempts per game. There’s a lot of steadiness in that.
Even if we wrap around seasons, Curry’s best is 23 straight games of 20-plus points, which is still a shorter streak than …
5. At one point last season, SGA scored 20-plus points through three quarters in 26 straight games.
To reiterate: Last season, from Nov. 25, 2024, to Jan. 22, 2025, Gilgeous-Alexander ended the third quarter with at least 20 points in 26 straight games. Just three quarters of basketball was all he needed to keep the streak alive.
To put it in perspective, SGA’s 26-game three-quarter streak of 20 points or more is longer than the full-game streak of the following players’ careers:
Stephen Curry (23 games of 20-plus points)
Donovan Mitchell (22 games)
Ja Morant (22 games)
Nikola Jokić (21 games)
Kyrie Irving (21 games)
Karl-Anthony Towns (21 games)
Jalen Brunson (19 games)
Trae Young (17 games)
Just incredible consistency and greatness.
6. SGA’s individual record is almost twice as long as the NBA’s active team streak of having at least one 20-point scorer.
I know I already gave it away, but if I had asked you whether SGA’s streak is longer than NBA teams’ streaks of having at least one 20-point scorer, what would you say?
In my mind, I was quite certain there were teams that have outpaced Gilgeous-Alexander’s record. Surely a player on a team would have put up 20 in every game this season and beyond, right? If you shared my feeling on that, it turns out we’re both dead wrong. As crazy as it sounds, Gilgeous-Alexander’s personal streak is longer than any team streak of having at least one 20-point scorer in a game.
And it’s not particularly close. SGA almost laps the team competition.
If you dig into it, only one team has even had a 20-point scorer in every game this season, and you’ll never guess the team.
It’s not the Thunder, actually. On Feb. 12, a game in which Gilgeous-Alexander did not play, the high scorer for the Thunder was Isaiah Joe, who registered a mere 17 points. In every other game, the Thunder have cleared the 20-point plateau with at least one player.
But the only team to have a 20-point scorer in every game this season is not the Denver Nuggets, holders of the NBA’s No. 1 offense. Although the Nuggets do have the most 20-point games of any team this season, with 143, according to Stathead.com.
So if it’s not the Thunder or Nuggets, who is it?
It’s not the high-powered Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics or New York Knicks teams.
It’s actually not a team with a winning record either.
Stumped?
It’s the New Orleans Pelicans.
Yes, the 22-45 Pelicans have the longest team streak of having at least one 20-point scorer in each of their 67 games this season. You can look it up. They’ve had Zion Williamson and seven other players who have put up 20 in a game this season, spread out evenly enough that they’ve done it in every game.
So naturally I went back to last season. What I found was that New Orleans’ streak actually started not long before this season. If you go back to last season, the Pelicans had a 20-point scorer in only three of the team’s final regular-season games, which means that the longest active team record is … 70 games. Not even in the same ballpark as Gilgeous-Alexander AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
As crazy as it sounds, SGA’s individual record of 126 straight games with a 20-piece is almost twice as long as the longest active team record.
7. The Wizards’ longest 20-point streak this season is 12 games.
I’m not kidding. SGA’s streak is 12 times longer than the Wizards’ longest streak this season as a team. Check out this chart showing their last 126 games, snaking back to last season:
Between this chart and Bam Adebayo’s 83, the Wizards have seen a lot of red recently. Yeah, it’s been a tough week for them.
Golf may be an individual sport, but it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Time and time again, we watch groups get hot as a collective or go ice cold one after the next. We’ve even experienced it ourselves, struggling to stay focused while our buddy is having a club-throwing, bag-kicking nightmare.
PGA Tour pros are more resistant to these emotional swings, of course, but not immune, as we were reminded at the Players Championship on Thursday. Following a brief weather delay that soaked TPC Sawgrass and forced players to contend with a tricky switch of the wind, the first-round grouping of Gary Woodland, Cam Davis and Kevin Yu arrived at the infamous 17th tee. Woodland had the honors … splish. Davis came next … splash. Yu rounded out the trio … taking a bath.
As the old saying goes, misery loves company, and all three players looked to be in foul moods as they trudged to the drop zone for their thirds. Thankfully, all three players to find solid land, but the damage was done as each walked away with a double bogey to their name.
No. 17 has induced its fair share of water balls over the years, but the full sweep is a rare sighting, at least on Players week. Here’s hoping the trio grab a much-needed morale beer and clear the air after their round, because if they carry this bad juju with them into Friday, they might all be splitting a cab to the airport.
MURFREESBORO — Cookeville freshman guard Callie Gilbert didn’t have any questions for her older sister about what the TSSAA girls basketball state tournament might feel like this week.
Gilbert has been tagging along to these games for years with her family, leaving little to the imagination.
“I knew it would be really loud and fun to play in this environment,” Gilbert said.
She learned that firsthand when Cookeville’s crowd erupted after Gilbert got an assist from sister Cara Lee in transition, which was part of the Cavaliers’ key second-half run in a 55-47 comeback win over Page in the Class 4A state quarterfinals on March 12.
Cookeville (29-4) advances to the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. March 13 to play the winner of Bearden and Bartlett.
Cara Lee Gilbert finished with a game-high 17 points and Callie added 16 against Page (25-7), which led by as many as 10 in the first half before finishing 10-of-41 from the field.
Cookeville reached the state semifinals for the fourth time in five years. There has been so much familiarity within the program — much of it between families — that these big moments don’t scare anyone, Cookeville coach Jamie Gillies said.
The Gilbert sisters, as well as Gillies and her second-youngest daughter, Allie, a senior, shared the postgame podium together before scouting their next opponent.
Allie Gillies scored seven points in the quarterfinals, and her younger sister Lauren, a sophomore, scored five. Gillies has coached all four of her children at Cookeville, going back to Bailey (2022) and Jordan (2023).
The adage of teams becoming family rings true for them.
Jamie Gillies doesn’t worry about hotels selling out for the state tournament. Since her first trip to the Glass House with the Lady Cavaliers in 2022, she has preferred to rent the team a house. That year, Gillie’s daughters and a niece made a sign that said “Gillie Time.” That same sign has traveled to the state tournament every year with the team until this season, when a new one was made.
“They always want to stay together. They don’t care if we go out to eat. They always want us to bring it in,” Jamie Gillies said. “Last night our whole team went to watch (White County) play. It’s kind of like there’s always this next generation. We know what we’re doing here.”
That experience paid off as Cookeville kept Page from scoring a field goal in the second half until 1:11 remained in the fourth quarter.
“It’s fun. I mean, it’s just been a special year,” Cara Lee Gilbert said. “I’ve gotten to play with my sister the whole year. I’m just really happy we’re here.”
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
In this age of college football where rules are seemingly nonexistent, therefore leaving tampering to run wild, it's almost a foregone conclusion for the top players in college football to be contacted by coaches from other programs.
That happened to the nation's second-leading rusher, Missouri Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy, during the transfer portal period in January.
"I won’t spread any names out there or anything, but it was lot of schools from a lot of different conferences,” Hardy told On3. "The head coaches aren’t the ones calling, but the first thing that happens is somebody from that school starts following you on Instagram. Then you hear from somebody on their staff or a position coach. You’re not going to talk to the head coach until you get in the portal."
Despite that, and the large offers that were on the table for the star true sophomore running back, Hardy didn't have a second thought.
NEW: Missouri star RB Ahmad Hardy tells @Clowfb he turned down big transfer portal money to remain in CoMo to 'keep building' his legacy🐯
"I won't spread any names out there, but it was a lot of schools from a lot of different conferences."
"But it didn’t matter because I was never going to get into the portal," he said. "Didn’t need an agent. I knew what I wanted. I wanted to be a Tiger until I turn pro. Missouri has taken care of me. I wanted to keep building my legacy here."
Hardy has been at Missouri for just over a year, as he burst onto the scene with the UL Monroe Warhawks in 2024 as a true freshman. It was a complete surprise when the three-star recruit, ranked by 247 Sports Composite as the No. 153 running back in the class, ran for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns, nearly leading the Warhawks to their first .500 season since 2018 but falling one win short.
From there, he hit the portal and landed with the Tigers, where, once again, not much was expected from him in the vaunted SEC. But he flourished, grabbing hold of the RB1 spot and going on to lead the conference in rushing with 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns. Missouri went 8-5 on the season despite dealing with numerous injuries to the quarterback position, as they turned to Hardy to carry much of the offensive load.
Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz knows what he has in Hardy — one of the best players in college football — and wasn't shy in expressing it, lauding his character along the way.
"There ain’t a better running back in college football," Drinkwitz told On3. "You look at yards after contact. You look at speed metrics. You look at vision. You look at production, and he’s made of the right stuff."
Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.
The New England Patriots have signed free agents in areas of need so far, but they can still look to add to their team.
Kevin Byard, Romeo Doubs and Dre'Mont Jones fill needs in positions where the Patriots are losing pieces from last year. However, there is still room to improve the wide receiver room and the pass rush. While many of the best free agents have signed, there are still players the Patriots can target on the open market. Here are two available players the Patriots should sign.
Jauan Jennings
The Patriots made a big move to add Doubs to their offense. However, adding another talented receiver is not going to hurt them. They are reportedly still interested in A.J. Brown, but Jennings could be a cheaper addition who still helps them.
In 2024, Jennings was 25 yards short of a 1,000-yard season and was ejected in the San Francisco 49ers' final game of the season. Last season, he posted 643 yards and nine touchdowns. He started all 15 games he played in for the 49ers last season, and is still a young, talented receiver. He is 28 years old, and if the Patriots realize that trading for Brown is not a reality, signing Jennings would be wise.
Al-Quadin Muhammad
Despite not starting a single one of the 17 games he played last season, and playing under 50% of defensive snaps, Muhammad had 11 sacks on the season. That would have led the Patriots. Adding to the pass rush is one of the biggest needs for the Patriots, and signing Jones essentially replaces a departing K'Lavon Chaisson.
Muhammad would give the Patriots a double-digit sack threat. His best fit is as a designated pass rusher, and with the depth the Patriots have, he could be a great rotational piece. He has played in eight NFL seasons and appeared in 110 games. He has 26 career sacks and is coming off his best season as a professional.
The New York Jets have spent the early portion of NFL free agency revamping their lackluster defense. One of the shrewder deals completed by general manager Darren Mougey was signing cornerback Nahshon Wright to a one-year contract worth up to $5.5 million. Wright could solve one of the Jets' biggest issues in the secondary.
Wright finished tied for second in the NFL in interceptions last season with five. Wright concluded the 2025 season with a league-leading eight takeaways, consisting of five picks and three fumble recoveries, en route to being named a 2026 Pro Bowl Games alternative. The Jets famously recorded zero interceptions as a defense last year, becoming the first defense to achieve that since football began tracking interceptions in 1933.
Wright is a lanky cornerback who will almost certainly play outside on the boundary in the starting lineup. The Jets have Jarvis Brownlee defending the slot. Sophomore Azareye'h Thomas could earn the starting gig opposite Wright, and veteran Brandon Stephens is still under contract.
Pro Football Focus assigned Wright a stellar coverage grade of 63.4 last season. He allowed 60 receptions in coverage on 93 targets for 800 yards and eight touchdowns. The results were inconsistent, Wright's ability to generate turnovers is something the Jets sorely lacked last season.
The Boston Celtics have ruled Jayson Tatum out as they prepare to face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.
CLNS Media's Bobby Manning shared the Tatum intel to X on Thursday afternoon. “Celtics just scratched Jayson Tatum at the Thunder tonight. Will get his first night off since returning from Achilles surgery,” Manning reported.
#Celtics just scratched Jayson Tatum at the #Thunder tonight. Will get his first night off since returning from Achilles surgery.
Derrick White remains questionable with a knee contusion. Payton Pritchard officially back from missing Tuesday's game with neck spasms.
Tatum has played in three games since coming back, averaging 27 minutes as the team carefully manages his workload.
Despite the restrictions, Tatum has contributed notably, averaging 19.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists. His presence has been a welcome addition for a Celtics squad that has stayed competitive in the Eastern Conference all season.
Of course, facing one of the league’s best teams in the Thunder without their two-way star adds another layer of difficulty for Boston. Jaylen Brown will likely shoulder an even heavier burden.
Derrick White remains questionable due to a knee contusion, though Payton Pritchard has been cleared to return after dealing with neck spasms.
The organization is prioritizing Tatum’s long-term health as they eye a deep playoff run. Fans will hope to see him back on the floor soon in what promises to be an exciting finish to the regular season.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans (55) pitches during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
In the fantasy baseball market, I struggled with identifying bust players, as many times they come after a significant injury. I do have a much easier time fading players off career seasons or pricing in their injury risk. With the high-stakes live draft season being a week away in Las Vegas, here are five players I'm avoiding in 2026:
1 - SP Cole Ragans, Kansas City Royals
In a recent 12-team draft that I did, Ragans was the 10th starting pitcher drafted. He had a breakout season in 2024 (3.14 ERA, 1.143 WHIP, and 223 strikeouts over 186.1 innings), but a left shoulder issue cost him about 19 starts last year. Part of Ragans' failure could have been a spike in innings pitched (62.0) from 2023 (124.1). He's been in pro ball since 2016, while also having two previous TJ surgeries, and never pitching over 100.0 innings in any other year.
Athletics catcher Shea Langeliers (23) looks to the Athletics dugout against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Over the past five NFBC main events ($1,750 entry fee), Langeliers had an ADP of 52 as the 31st batter drafted. He finished 2025 ranked 60th in FPGscore (1.10) for hitters, suggesting he is over-drafted by 50 picks if he repeated his stats from last year.
I know his approach improved last year, and the A's play in an offense-favoring home ballpark, but I don't see over 550 at-bats, and Langeliers had a ton of batting average risk (.215) over his first 312 games in the majors. His one drawing card is power at catcher, suggesting at least a three-category drag in Roto formats.
3 - Bo Bichette, New York Mets
New York Mets infielder Bo Bichette (19) walks on the field during the New York Mets spring training workouts at Clover Park. | Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images
Bichette had a bounce-back season in 2025 (.311/78/18/94/4 over 582 at-bats), but he lost his edge piece feeling for me. He'll get plenty of hits with below-expectation damage in home runs (42 over his last 1,464 at-bats). Bichette no longer runs, and his edge in runs left the building in 2021 (121).
New York paid him $126 million for three seasons in mid-January, which was probably the second-worse move the Big Apple made over the past year. I view him as a steady player who goes in a draft where I'm looking for a much higher combination of power and speed. If his ADP (96) were two rounds later, Bichette would be a better fit for my plan.
I expect JJ Wetherholt to offer more fantasy value than Bichette in 2026, and he gets drafted 125 picks later.
4 - George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays right fielder George Springer (4) reacts after striking out in the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game three of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Last year, Springer could have been had well after pick 225 in all drafts. He comes off his best season (.309/106/32/84/18 over 498 at-bats - 10th-best fantasy hitter season) despite sitting out 22 games at age 35. Over the past four seasons, steals have been an asset in Springer's equation, a skill set that he had in the minors (89 stolen bases over 1,131 at-bats).
His contact batting average (.398) in 2025 doesn't look repeatable based on his previous three years (.332, .324, and .279). Springer will be a free agent in 2027. His rebound in power should be an outlier. For him to be worth his price point this year, he'll need to produce a 205 Mookie Betts-type season (.258/95/20/82/8 over 589 at-bats). From 2021 to 2024, Springer averaged these stats over 500 at-bats (.251/78 runs, 22 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 14 steals). I expect regression this year, and he has averaged under 500 at-bats over the past five seasons.
5 - Nico Hoerner, Chicago Cubs
Hoerner continues to be a head-shaker for me in drafts. He has a low ceiling in power with a three-category edge outlook (runs, batting average, and steals). I have him rated as the second-best fantasy option at second base, on a similar path as in 2025 (35th-best fantasy hitter). Unfortunately, as the fifth/sixth piece to a fantasy hitting roster, I don't see enough of an edge compared to other positions.
The New York Rangers play their 65th games of the season On Thursday night, yet it’s their first against the Winnipeg Jets. After this tilt at Canada Life Centre, the Rangers will have faced each of the 31 other teams in the NHL this season.
While that’s a scheduling oddity, a strange coincidence is that both the Rangers and Jets are 4-1-2 since the Olympic break. In New York’s case, it’s a feel-good stretch, though not anything that will affect the playoff picture, since they remain last in the Eastern Conference.
But Winnipeg (26-27-10) put itself back into the Western Conference playoff race, with 19 games remaining on its schedule. The Jets are five points out of the second wild card in the West, though need to pass four teams ahead of them in the standings.
If they fail to make the playoffs, the Jets will become the fifth team to do so in NHL history one year after winning the Presidents’ Trophy for having the most points in the League during the regular season. The Rangers also accomplished this unwelcome “feat” last season, after securing the Presidents’ Trophy in 2023-24.
The Rangers (26-30-8) seek their first three-game win streak since Nov. 24-28. That would equal their most consecutive wins this season, accomplished three other times.
The night before, the Rangers hammered the Philadelphia Flyers 6-2 on the road. Since the break, the Rangers outscored opponents 28-20. Six of those goals came on the power play, including four the past two games.
The Jets came out of the break with a six-game point streak (4-0-2), before they lost 4-1 to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. This is the second of an important five-game homestand for the Jets, who are 15-12-5 at Canada Life Centre this season.
These two teams hold a rematch at MSG in 10 days, on March 22.
3 storylines when Rangers visit Jets
Terrence Lee-Imagn Images
1. Captain close, but not ready yet
Injured Rangers captain J.T. Miller again took part in the morning skate Thursday, but won’t play against the Jets. He remains on IR with an upper-body injury.
So, how about Saturday in Minnesota against the Wild, coach?
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get it,” Mike Sullivan stated after the skate.
This will the fifth straight game Miller misses with his latest injury. The Rangers won three of the first four without their captain.
2. Moving on up
Thomas Salus-Imagn Images
With Miller still out, Adam Edstrom gets a look in the top six, skating on a line with Vincent Trocheck and Will Cuylle against the Jets. The 6-foot-7 forward primarily played on the fourth line though 90 NHL games with the Rangers over the past few seasons, including 28 this season. So, this is a big opportunity for the 25-year-old.
Edstrom missed 33 games with a lower-body injury, but plays his fifth straight Thursday. Sullivan noted that Edstrom’s gotten more comfortable and his conditioning appears to be more up to speed now. He showed plenty of jump Monday in Philly and Tuesday against the Flames, when he logged 13:30 and 10:22 TOI respectively. he has two goals and two assists this season.
Jonny Brodzinski slots back to the fourth line, and remains on the second power-play unit against the Jets.
3. On the Mark
James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images
Jets center Mark Scheifele wasn’t named to Canada’s roster for the Milan-Cortina Olympics, and he’s taken it out on the rest of the League this season. Scheifele leads the Jets with 30 goals, 48 assists, and 78 points in 63 games, averaging 21:22 TOI. It’s his second straight 30-goal season — he had 39 in 2024-25 — and fifth of his 13-year NHL career.
The 32-year-old had eight points (three goals, five assists) in a three-game point streak, before he was held off the score sheet against the Ducks.
In 20 lifetime games against the Rangers, Scheifele has 15 goals and 20 points.
New York Rangers projected lineup
Alexis Lafreniere — Mika Zibanejad — Gabe Perreault
Adam Edstrom — Vincent Trocheck — Will Cuylle
Tye Kartye — Noah Laba — Conor Sheary
Jonny Brodzinski — Juuso Parssinen — Jaroslav Chmelar
Vladislav Gavrikov — Adam Fox
Will Borgen — Braden Schneider
Matthew Robertson — Urho Vaakanainen
Igor Shesterkin
Jonathan Quick
Rangers vs. Jets: When, where, what time, how to watch
Byard revealed during his session with local media on Thursday that there is an agreement in place for him to take that number from new teammate Craig Woodson. The Patriots had several other signees reveal their new numbers, as fullback Reggie Gilliams will wear No. 44 and wide receiver Romeo Doubs will wear No. 87.
Byard will likely have to depart with some of his freshly-signed contract in order to make things official.
The Patriots introduced several other free agent signees on Thursday, with linebacker Dre'Mont Jones, offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker, and tight end Julian Hill joining Byard, Gilliam, and Doubs.
The San Francisco 49ers are not having an easy time getting an agreement on a restructured contract with left tackle Trent Williams.
The Niners and Williams have been in discussions with the goal of lowering his cap hit for the 2026 campaign.
However, Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom reports things are not going smoothly and there remains a lot of work to do. If there is no resolution, the thought around the league is that the end result could be Williams getting traded.
"The original two-year proposal they presented to Williams sent nowhere and while there has been a bit of a thawing out in the sides original stances there was still considerable work to be done to reach a conclusion," La Canfora reported.
"If the sides cannot bridge that gap by the end of the week, some rival executives believe a trade could become the likeliest outcome," La Canfora added.
Williams is up there in age at 37 years old, but he's still very much an elite left tackle.
According to Pro Football Focus, he ranked second in run-blocking grade (92.8) and 12th in pass-blocking grade (79.9) among tackles in 2025.
The Steelers have a left tackle in Broderick Jones, but he has been a disappointment over three seasons in the NFL. Making matters worse, Jones suffered a neck injury last season that required fusion surgery and his status is up in the air.
Detroit has a big hole at left tackle after the team released Taylor Decker following the two sides failing to come to terms on a reworked contract. Decker requested a release after the Lions wanted him to take a pay cut.
Even if Detroit moves Penei Sewell over to the left side, that would just open up another hole at right tackle.
In Green Bay, the Packers' starting left tackle from last season, Rasheed Walker, is a free agent and it doesn't look like he'll be back. If not, Green Bay would be forced to rely on an unproven Jordan Morgan to protect Jordan Love's blindside.
While a trade would be costly, both in terms of draft capital and money, we suspect all three of these teams would find a way to make it work considering how huge of an upgrade Williams would be.
Bologna vs Roma – Kone in the stands after muscle strain persists
Roma were dealt a midfield blow ahead of tonight’s Europa League quarter-final first leg against Bologna, with Manu Koné ruled out of the squad entirely after failing to recover from a muscle strain.
The French midfielder will not even make the bench, instead watching from the stands as Gian Piero Gasperini’s side look to establish an advantage in what promises to be a fiercely contested all-Italian tie.
ROME, ITALY – JANUARY 10: Manu Kone with his teammates of AS Roma celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A match between AS Roma and US Sassuolo Calcio at Stadio Olimpico on January 10, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Bologna vs Roma – Kone misses out with muscle strain
He was initially named by UEFA as being on the bench but that quickly changed, and he will sit the match out completely.
Koné has been an important figure in Roma’s midfield this season, and his absence will require Gasperini to reshuffle his options in the centre of the park for a match that carries enormous weight in the Europa League.
The coach will be hoping the setback is minor enough to allow the midfielder to return swiftly, with the second leg to follow and a potentially lengthy European run still ahead.
Russell won the Super Bowl with the Seahawks in 2026, defeating the New England Patriots by a score of 29-13. The 27-year-old switched positions from tight end to fullback last season. Russell saw 396 of his 454 total snaps in 2025 on special teams.
The California native has been vital for the Seahawks on special teams, finishing sixth on the team in special teams tackles in 2023 with 7, as well as first in 2024 with 10.
Russell returns to Seattle for his age-28 season in the NFL in 2026. Next season will be his fourth in the league after being signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2023.
No. 22 Texas A&M enters SEC play at an impressive 15-1, as the Aggies' only loss came at the hands of No. 1 UCLA, which is widely considered the most complete team in college baseball. So far, the Aggies have looked the part on the mound and at the plate, currently hitting .344 as a team, while the pitching staff has recorded 133 strikeouts, allowing just four walks through 16 games.
However, Texas A&M's lineup has been without its star transfer additions, Chris Hacopian, who has appeared in just three games, while Wesley Jordan made six appearances before leaving with an undisclosed injury. Hacopian's back injury, which flared up during his last appearance during the Aggies' blowout win over Virginia Tech, has kept him sidelined ever since.
Even though the Aggies have continued to overwhelm opponents on offense, SEC play will be the measuring stick that reveals just how good they are. On Thursday, just a day before the Aggies face Oklahoma on the road to open the conference slate, second-year head coach Michael Earley, during his appearance on TexAgs LIVE, revealed that Hacopian and Jordan "should" return to the lineup this weekend after weeks of rehab.
Through three games, Chris Hacopian is hitting .455 with five hits and a home run, while Wesley Jordan was on an absolute tear before his injury, hitting .474 with nine hits and two home runs, paired with a .655 on-base percentage.
Texas A&M will take on Oklahoma at 6:00 p.m for Game 1 on Friday. The game will be available to stream on SEC Network+.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.
Cardiff City striker Yousef Salech is aiming to return to action in April after receiving "positive updates" on his neck and chest injury.
Cardiff's top scorer has been absent since being carried off during the 1-1 draw with Stockport County in January.
The Dane has missed nine League One matches and will sit out at least three more, with boss Brian Barry-Murphy hoping Salech will be back in full training later this month.
"Yousef has had really positive updates from the specialist on Monday so he's back in more advanced running," said Cardiff boss Brian Barry-Murphy.
"We anticipate he'll be back in training I would say maybe at some stage during the international break, which would mean he could be available to play at some stage after the international break.
"The areas of his neck and chest that were causing concern are really improving and he's feeling great so I'm really pleased for him that he's making good progress."
Salech, who has scored 12 league goals this season from 24 starts and three substitute appearances, returned to light training last week.
Cardiff travel to Exeter on Saturday before home fixtures against Wycombe on Tuesday, March 17 and Blackpool four days later.
They were due to go to Huddersfield Town on 28 March but that game has been postponed because of international call-ups.
The Bluebirds will return to action with a trip to Peterborough on April 6, with their home fixture against Port Vale three days earlier postponed due to the Valiants' progress in the FA Cup.
Barry-Murphy, meanwhile, says Isaak Davies is "making good progress" after a hamstring injury but will not feature at Exeter.
Defender Gabriel Osho missed Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Barnsley because of illness but is expected to be available at St James Park.
Back-up goalkeeper Harry Tryer has missed the past two matches after suffering a back spasm and will again be absent this weekend.
It finally happened. After months of escapes and fortunate bounces, the Miami (Ohio) Redhawks men's basketball team lost a game.
Miami's dream season saw a team that hadn't been to the NCAA Men's Tournament in nearly two decades struggle its way to a 31-0 start. The Redhawks weren't playing good teams -- they had zero games against what the NCAA labels as Quadrant I competition (the best teams in college basketball) and only two against Quadrant II foes -- but they kept winning. As the awesome Rodger Sherman pointed out, nearly a third of their showdowns in that 31-game streak were decided by three points or fewer or in overtime.
This penchant for stove-touching ended with a burn in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals. 16-15 Massachusetts, who'd nearly escaped with a win in Ohio back in January, finally held off Miami's late-game magic. 31-0 became 31-1. Suddenly, Selection Sunday became much more interesting.
It shouldn't be, because Miami, even without a resume-defining win, has earned its place in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Not because of incredible metrics or inherent trust in a team of rising stars, but because this year's tournament bubble is one of the softest in years.
Let's look at the latest controversy stirred up by Bruce Pearl. The former Auburn coach loudly proclaimed his old team (currently led by his son) deserves an at-large bid over the Redhawks. But the Tigers are 17-15. If they're part of the at-large conversation, they'll be so as a 16-loss team. No team in NCAA history has ever gotten an at-large bid with 16 losses. Only four have ever done it with 15 (all four, coincidentally, are SEC teams. 2025 Texas, 2019 Florida, 2018 Alabama and 2017 Vanderbilt).
Auburn isn't the only team on the bubble, however. Let's look at the other power conference teams sitting on the cut line based on expert analysis cobbled together by the extremely useful Bracket Matrix:
Indiana (18-14, lost in Big Ten Tournament opening game to a Northwestern team with five conference wins)
Oklahoma (18-14, still alive in the SEC Tournament)
California (21-11, lost in the ACC Tournament opening game)
Cincinnati (18-15, lost in Big 12 Tournament second game)
Virginia Tech (19-13, lost in ACC Tournament opening round)
SMU (20-13, lost in ACC Tournament second round)
Texas (18-14, lost to 13-win Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament opening round)
Missouri (20-11, still alive in the SEC Tournament)
Texas A&M (21-10, still alive in the SEC Tournament)
That's a heaping helping of mediocrity. All these teams had the opportunity to make their case to jump Miami in the pecking order. The majority have already bowed out of their conference tournaments, mostly at the hands of mediocre teams.
Many have better NET rankings than the Redhawks -- a few more will slide up thanks to Miami's loss to 204th-ranked UMass. Even so, it's difficult to make a case that a team with a record hovering near .500 who lost to a team that won't even sniff the NIT to open up conference tournaments is more worthy than the squad that pulled miracles out of its butt for the better part of four months before finally breaking down.
The argument over whether Miami (OH) is actually good is a worthy one. The argument about whether the bubble teams who could take their spot are good largely is not. Outside of the SEC (which is only one day into its tournament at the time of writing) the teams who had an opportunity to impress the Selection Committee have instead run screaming from the stage. The opportunity has been there, the execution has not.
The data says the Redhawks don't deserve a spot, but the NCAA doesn't rely only on numbers. Miami (OH) befell the same fate as many of 2026's bubble teams by crashing out early in its conference tournament. The 31 games prior, however -- games tinged with drama and an uncanny ability to find ways to win -- proved enough to deserve an at-large spot this spring.
Phoronix tested Ubuntu 26.04 on an RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 and found that the new version performs up to 12% better on the 5090 compared to Ubuntu 25.10.
The G100 lineup from Lisuan Tech now has an official release date, with the LX G7106 being the gaming SKU with 12 GB of VRAM and a purported RTX 4060-like performance. The "LX" series of professional GPUs, likely using the G7105 silicon, were also revealed with three SKUs offering up to 24 GB of ECC VRAM.
Under the new agreement, the focus will shift to validating full process flows for nanosheet and nanostack device architectures and backside power delivery.
Although the savings are modest, Amazon’s $50 discount across most of the 2026 MacBook lineup makes these newly launched laptops slightly cheaper than buying directly from Apple.
Google redesigned the Asset Optimization section in Google Ads for Demand Gen campaigns, consolidating AI-powered creative controls into a single, cleaner interface.
Why we care. Advertisers managing creative at scale now have a centralized panel to toggle automated features on or off — making the process less manual and time consuming.
What’s new. The redesigned layout groups three key automation capabilities together:
Auto-generated shorter videos — AI trims existing video assets into shorter cuts to qualify for additional placements.
Automatic video resizing — Videos are adapted across multiple aspect ratios to maximize inventory coverage.
Landing page image pulls — Images are sourced directly from an advertiser’s landing page to generate additional creative variations.
How it works. The new panel surfaces simple toggles for features like Resized videos and Image assets, letting advertisers quickly enable or disable each automation without digging through multiple menus.
Bottom line. Advertisers running Demand Gen campaigns should head into the Asset Optimization panel now and audit which automations are enabled. Turn on video resizing and landing page image pulls if you haven’t already — these are low-effort wins that can meaningfully expand reach without additional creative production.
Also make sure your landing pages are clean and visually strong, since Google will be pulling from them directly. And as Google continues rolling out more AI-driven creative tools, start shifting your workflow toward providing high-quality source assets and letting the platform handle format and placement optimization from there.
Jeff Kaplan, of former Blizzard fame, having worked on Overwatch and World of Warcraft, has officially announced the first game in development at his newly formed Kintsugiyama studio. The Legend of California is a Western shooter with online co-op and PvP gameplay. The Legend of California is set in an alternate timeline version of California in which the state is discovered as an uninhabited island off the coast of the mainland USA. It will feature a hand-crafted world featuring real-world landmarks, like Yosemite and Death Valley, but interspersed with dynamic points of interest that will move around depending on the generated world seed.
In a recent appearance on the Lex Fridman podcast, Kaplan explains that he wants the game to feel like a world that you can live in, with gameplay mechanics often limited to survival games, like mining, exploration, crafting, and hunting. He says that the goal of the game is not to be historically accurate, but that the development team wanted to remain authentic to the aesthetic and feel of the historical gold rush time period. In terms of gameplay, Kaplan commented that the map will feature four difficulty levels, with different regions and POIs each getting a difficulty level assigned each time the world is generated anew. The Legend of California will launch in Steam Early Access in 2026, and it's so far unclear if there will be a console version.
Unity game engine is finally getting native integration and support across more gaming platforms, according to James Stone. What we are getting now is the first actual native port instead of the emulation we've been dealing with until now. Game developers using the Unity engine have been shipping Unity games on Steam. However, Steam was never an official Unity platform, and developers used Steamworks in the past to make it happen. That's now a thing of the past, as Unity is officially supporting one of the biggest gaming platforms in existence. Additionally, we are seeing ports to Steam Deck and Steam Machine, which run on the SteamOS operating system; these previously relied on the Wine and Proton translation layers to transform Unity's API calls and make Unity games work.
Now Unity is enhancing its Linux integration further to create native runtimes and reduce reliance on the translation layers that have been doing the heavy lifting. This is a positive sign for the growing recognition of the Linux gaming world, which has been steadily rising as gamers encounter Windows-related issues. Adding native integration with the Valve ecosystem is helping Unity extend its influence across the gaming community, alongside Valve hardware such as the Steam Deck, Steam Machine, and the Steam Controller. For more details and updates from Unity at GDC 2026, check out the video below.
New York Attorney General Letitia James sued Valve in February, arguing that mystery boxes in Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, and Team Fortress 2 constitute "quintessential gambling" because players pay for a chance to obtain rare cosmetic items that can carry significant monetary value and be traded for real money.
Microsoft's Windows 11 ISO is the most flexible way to install or reinstall the company's latest desktop OS, whether you're setting up a new PC, fixing a broken system, or upgrading without touching the Media Creation Tool. It lets you create a bootable USB, run an in-place upgrade, or install...
MoveAlerts surfaces market-moving news from across the web, analyzes it with AI, and delivers real-time alerts. Use the live dashboard to see sentiment, importance, and bullish/bearish scores for 10,000+ tickers, with stock-level summaries. Get Discord alerts with summaries and market sentiment, build watchlists, and track trending stocks from news and Reddit.
A looming private credit crisis risked triggering liquidity crunches that could initially suppress Bitcoin prices, but Fed interventions may ignite a major BTC rally.
The funding will support development of a programmable execution layer designed to enable faster issuance and settlement of digital assets on the network.
“This ends today,“ said CFTC Chair Michael Selig, who has been reiterating his position that the agency has exclusive jurisdiction overseeing prediction markets platforms.
Bitcoin showed early signs of overtaking gold in the market as new data outlined an opportunity based on historical returns around the US midterm elections.
New research examines how investor behavior, wallet architectures, and operational security practices determine what genuine self-custody requires in 2026.
A detailed review of A-Rosa Clea, the 140-passenger river cruise sailing the Rhine River from Frankfurt, covering cabins, dining, entertainment, pricing, and onboard experience.
Myrtle Beach introduces "Make More Myrtle Moments" to help visitors stretch their travel budgets with free lodging nights. Enjoy the stunning Grand Strand coastline.
Thailand joins Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Indonesia in a desperate fight against the exploding energy crisis as the Hormuz shutdown threatens travel.
Explore Marriott Bonvoy’s four premium resorts in Riviera Nayarit & Puerto Vallarta, offering beach, wellness, and event experiences for every traveler
Heading to Oklahoma City for 2026 March Madness? Get the full schedule, hotel tips, and must-see spots like Bricktown and the OKC Zoo in this ultimate guide!
Princess Cruises launches a new homeport in Barbados, offering year-round sailings to Southern Caribbean destinations, fueling cruise tourism growth in the region.
SamsungDisplay is becoming very important for Apple as it will supply panels for Apple’s first foldable iPhone and the iPhone 17e. The order for foldable panels has increased to 20 million units, up from an earlier estimate of 13 to 15 million. This shows that Apple trusts Samsung to make high-quality screens.
Apple’s first foldable iPhone is expected to launch in the second half of 2026. Samsung Display will start mass production of the panels in May. It will be the only supplier for these foldable screens, which means Apple can count on Samsung to deliver all the panels it needs.
The foldable iPhone will enter a fast-growing global market. Samsung has a lot of experience making foldable screens for its Galaxy phones. Apple is using Samsung’s expertise to make sure its first foldable iPhone works well and looks great.
Image via Apple
Samsung Display is also supplying panels for the iPhone 17e, which is a budget-friendly model. Samsung now controls most of the panel supply for this phone. Other companies, like China’s BOE, have faced problems making enough high-quality panels. This makes Samsung the main supplier for both premium and budget iPhones.
This shows how strong Samsung Display is in the screen market.It can make panels for both high-end foldable phones and entry-level iPhones. Apple is relying on Samsung for important parts of its phones.
By supplying panels for many Apple devices, Samsung Display is proving its skill in making screens.From budget models to advanced foldables, Samsung is now a major part of Apple’s supply chain. Its role helps Apple deliver reliable and high-quality products to customers worldwide.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra features several design improvements, including a crucial change to the S Pen, and you may have to learn how to insert the stylus back into the device.
S Pen has been a part of the Note series since the very beginning, which later succeeded the S-series’ Ultra model. This built-in accessory offers a smart experience for millions of users despite losing its Bluetooth capabilities.
However, the biggest change arrived with the S26 Ultra. You see, the Note series remained boxy til the very end, enabling a flat click-to-release button. In that case, the user can insert the Pen facing upwards or downwards without verifying its head position.
This saga continued with the S22 Ultra, S23 Ultra, S24 Ultra, and S25 Ultra, since these phones come with a proper flat bottom frame to continue the flat clicker. That changed with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, increasing the corner radius and taking the round curves all the way to the S Pen.
So, Samsung has to amend its clicker’s design with an arc to align with the new frame design. Since you no longer have that flat clicker, you will have to match its position in the right direction.
Does the wrong position matter? On the positive note, it doesn’t, the S Pen will still insert in either direction, but that will look odd. That’s one of the noticeable drawbacks of the S26 Ultra’s design, which wasn’t the case with the S25 Ultra.
However, everything moves forward, and we don’t know what the next chapter of the S Pen will bring. Once you start using the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s S Pen, it will come into your habit, or you can choose to keep the S Pen inside the phone, just like a typical Ultra user.
Samsung is reportedly working on its own credit card, the Samsung Galaxy Card. The news comes from a recent trademark application filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office on February 12. This is the first time a name for Samsung’s credit card project has been made public.
The USPTO documents describe the Galaxy Card as an “electronically encoded credit card,” which likely means it will be digital and used through Samsung Wallet. This suggests that users could manage and use the card directly from their smartphones. It is not yet clear if Samsung will also offer a physical card.
The company has not officially announced the Galaxy Card yet. Trademark approvals usually take around 10 to 11 months, so it may be some time before the card is ready.
Image via SammyGuru
Samsung has been thinking about launching its own credit card for several years. Reports from November 2025 said that Samsung has been in talks with Barclays, a UK-based bank, to launch the card. Barclays would handle the banking side of things, while Samsung could focus on adding the card to its ecosystem of phones, tablets, and apps.
The Galaxy Card would compete with Apple’s Card, which offers perks like 3% cash back on Apple products such as iPhones and MacBooks. Apple provides both a physical card and a digital one in Apple Wallet. It is still unclear whether Samsung will do the same or keep the Galaxy Card digital only.
Some reports suggest Samsung might reveal it at a future Galaxy Unpacked event, possibly in early 2027, but this is not confirmed. Stay tuned for more information.
Apple MacBook Neo performs much better than what its price tag suggests. This remains true for gaming as well, where the MacBook Neo can do quite well in native macOS games. However, the 8 GB RAM is shown to be a big limitation when it comes to emulating PC games.
Xiaomi’s Mi Home Air Conditioner Super Energy Saving Pro (Super Energy Efficiency Level 1) has been released in China. It is said to be more energy efficient than the standard model and supports HyperOS Connect.
The Very Large Telescope has recently allowed astronomers to discover a new gas cloud around the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. This discovery also helps to understand the formation of two other clouds located nearby.
Looks like Elden Ring Tarnished Edition is finally in a playable state on the Switch 2. Following its delay to 2026 and the team needing more time for optimizations, a release date announcement could be near.
The Colorful iGame M15 Origo is a 15.3-inch gaming laptop with a speedy 300 Hz QHD display. Powered by an Intel Core Ultra 9 386H Panther Lake CPU and RTX 5070 Laptop GPU, the gaming laptop is expected to arrive in the near future.
Deal | Folks looking out for an affordable portable monitor that can grant them some additional screen real estate when on the go will be quite happy with the 15.4-inch Asus ZenScreen, currently available for an all-time low price on Amazon.
Samsung's new Galaxy Book6 Ultra is a very good multimedia laptop, but it is very expensive at €3,800. Lenovo's Yoga Pro 9i 16 is also a very good multimedia laptop, which is available for €2,700 with an even brighter Tandem OLED panel as well as 64 GB RAM.
The Ugreen USB-C to USB-C lanyard cable accessory has been launched in Europe. Designed for an iPhone, though suitable for a range of devices, the braided cable supports various charging protocols.
Last week, we were graciously invited by Xiaomi India to the wonderful Vietnamese island of Phú Quốc. The purpose of the visit was to check out the cameras on the new Xiaomi 17 series phones and put them through their paces in this bustling, vibrant environment.
Our weapon of choice for this trip was the flagship Xiaomi 17 Ultra. This phone has a broad array of cameras on the back, including a 50MP main camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, and a 200MP telephoto camera with a variable 3.2x to 4.3x optical zoom. We recently did a full review of this phone, which you can check out...
Uncertainty briefly surrounded Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese superstar suffered a muscle injury at the end of February, but a new update has provided hope ahead of important international friendlies.
Uncertainty briefly surrounded Cristiano Ronaldo after the Portuguese superstar suffered a muscle injury at the end of February, but a new update has provided hope ahead of important international friendlies. With Portugal preparing for key matches as part of its build-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the fitness of the captain has become a major talking point, particularly with a high-profile meeting looming against Christian Pulisic and the United States men’s national soccer team.
Ronaldo’s injury came during his campaign with Al‑Nassr, where he remains the central figure in the club’s push for the Saudi Pro League title. The 41-year-old forward immediately began treatment and rehabilitation in Spain, prompting concern about whether he would be able to return in time for Portugal’s upcoming fixtures.
The injury occurred on February 28 during Al-Nassr’s match against Al‑Fayha, when Ronaldo suffered a muscle problem in his right thigh. Following the incident, the superstar traveled to Madrid to continue his recovery with a personal physiotherapist. Images published by the Portuguese sports newspaper A Bola showed Ronaldo using a specialized recovery device designed to accelerate muscle healing.
The device — a Cryo Sport boot produced by the recovery technology brand AVACR7, which Ronaldo invested in back in 2022 — covers the entire leg and combines cryotherapy with compression therapy.
Despite early hopes that the injury was minor, Jorge Jesus, the head coach of Al-Nassr, confirmed that the problem turned out to be more significant than initially expected. Speaking about the situation, the Portuguese manager explained why Ronaldo had traveled to Spain for treatment. “Cristiano’s injury is more serious than we first thought,”Jesus said. “The injury requires treatment in Madrid with the professional who works with Cristiano. We hope he returns quickly to help the team.”
Saudi medical specialists noted on X (formerly Twitter) that muscle injuries of this type can vary significantly in recovery time. A mild strain may require one to three weeks, while a more serious tear can sideline a player for four to eight weeks. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano suggested that Ronaldo could miss up to four weeks, which raised concerns about his availability for Portugal’s international schedule.
Portugal recieves positive update
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his recovery timeline, Ronaldo is reportedly determined to return in time to represent Portugal during the upcoming international break. According to A Bola’s report,his objective is to join the Portugal national team’s training camp at the end of March, a development that would allow him to participate in the preparation for Portugal’s upcoming friendlies.
Portugal striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
This update is considered an encouraging sign for the Selecao’s coaching staff, who are closely monitoring the captain’s condition as they prepare for matches that form part of the team’s long-term preparation for the 2026 World Cup. If Ronaldo successfully rejoins the squad, it would significantly boost Roberto Martinez’s attacking options and also set up a potential clash with the United States and their star winger Christian Pulisic.
Portugal is scheduled to face Mexicoand the United States during the March international window. The latter match carries particular intrigue, as it would pit Ronaldo against Pulisic, the captain of the American side and one of the most recognizable players in the country’s soccer history.
Cristiano Ronaldo (left) and Christian Pulisic (right)
Although Ousmane Dembélé managed to impress with his strong performances, he does not appear close to reaching an agreement with Paris Saint-Germain over a contract renewal. As a result, the 28-year-old star is reportedly chasing a move to the Premier League.
After leading a historic campaign with Paris Saint-Germain, Ousmane Dembélé established himself as the brilliant winner of the Ballon d’Or in 2025, surpassing Lamine Yamal. While this seemed to secure his professional future, the Frenchman does not appear to have his contract renewal well on track, with reported salary differences. Because of this, the 28-year-old star is reportedly looking toward the Premier League.
According to Diario Sport, Moussa Sissoko, agent of Ousmane Dembélé, recently had a meeting with Hugo Viana, the sporting director of Manchester City. With these approaches, the future of the Frenchman appears to be away from Paris Saint‑Germain despite being the reigning winner of the Ballon d’Or in 2025. Nevertheless, this meeting remained only as initial contact, and there is still a long way to go before defining his future.
While Dembélé opens the door to a possible departure, Manchester City may not have an easy path to secure his arrival. With a contract running until 2028, Paris Saint-Germain could demand a high fee for his transfer, as he remains a regular for coach Luis Enrique. The Frenchman has even managed to reverse his slow start, leading the team as its top scorer, ahead of Gonçalo Ramos, Bradley Barcola, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Not only would the Citizens have to pay a high transfer fee to Paris Saint-Germain, but they might also need to offer Ousmane Dembélé a huge salary. With this, he would approach the salary received by Erling Haaland, something that could destabilize the club’s wage structure. In addition, the Frenchman could clash with Antoine Semenyo, who holds a similar profile, potentially complicating his adaptation.
Throughout the 2025–26 season, Paris Saint-Germain have decided to keep the contract renewal of Ousmane Dembélé as an absolute priority. Despite this, both parties reportedly maintain differences regarding salary demands. While the Frenchman is already exploring options in the Premier League, the Parisians remain positive about reaching an agreement, open to a salary boost.
According to Foot Mercato, Paris Saint-Germain are open to offering a salary increase to Ousmane, giving him a contract worth €30 million per season. Nevertheless, he is seeking a salary around €60 million per season. While the French side is not willing to reach that figure, they are open to increasing the offer through variables and bonuses, leaving part of that income tied to the player’s performance.
Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain FC during the UEFA Champions League.
Amid an unstable start to the season, Inter Miami CF might receive an offensive boost from Lionel Messi. In statements to Bolavip, coach Javier Mascherano provided a positive update on Luis Suárez's fitness following his absence in previous matches.
At the start of the 2026 season for Inter Miami, they have been filled with challenges, struggling to find their best version. Despite the new signings, the absence of Luis Suárez continues to be noticeable in the attack, leaving the Herons without their scoring power. Nevertheless, Lionel Messi could soon receive the Uruguayan back, as coach Javier Mascherano gave to Bolavip key details about his physical condition for the upcoming matches.
Following the latest tie vs. Nashville SC. press conference, Inter Miami head coach revealed key details about Luis Suarez’s status to Bolavip: “Yes, he’s fine. He’s training normally, and yes, he’s available to play. Today, due to various circumstances, we felt he shouldn’t go in… But it’s not like he has any discomfort or anything like that. He’s already 100% recovered, and will surely get minutes in the upcoming games,”Mascherano said.
With the imminent return of Luis Suárez, Inter Miami CF recover a key scoring piece, as he is coming off a season with 17 goals and 17 assists. Nevertheless, he suffered a foot injury that complicated his participation, weakening Lionel Messi‘s offense at the start of the season. Although they paid €12.6 million for Germán Berterame, he has not managed to establish himself as a scoring leader, making the return of the Uruguayan is highly anticipated.
Playing only eight minutes in the loss against Los Angeles FC, Luis Suárez may have to gradually regain his physical rhythm in competition, so he might not start. Despite this, the Uruguayan could revive the offense of Inter Miami CF, which is coming off a rather unconvincing draw but could change ahead of the match against Charlotte FC, where they are seeking a victory that brings them closer to the top of the MLS Eastern Conference.
Luis Suárez #9 of Inter Miami CF.
Luis Suárez could hold a different role within Inter Miami
After shining in the historic season of Inter Miami CF, Luis Suárez renewed his contract until December 2026, which is expected to be his final season as a professional. Despite this, coach Javier Mascherano has decided to keep him as a key piece of the roster, though he could have a very different role, aiming to prioritize his physical condition and extend his best version on the field.
Unlike previous seasons, the Herons have strongly backed Germán Berterame, seeking for him to lead the attack in the coming years while occupying a Designated Player (DP) slot. With this, Suárez could play an important role in the Mexican striker’s adaptation to the roster, while also being key in the rotation. In addition, the Uruguayan’s versatility could even allow him to play alongside him in the attack, giving rest to Lionel Messi.
What’s next for Inter Miami?
Inter Miami face a demanding competitive schedule. Seeking to move closer to the top of the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference, they will visit Charlotte FC on March 14th. Afterwards, they will play the second leg of the Round of 16 in the CONCACAF Champions Cup, facing Nashville SC on March 18th. Because of this, the return of the duo Luis Suárez and Lionel Messi could be key.
Lionel Messi #10 of Inter Miami CF celebrates with Luis Suárez #9.
Pablo Aimar, an icon of the Argentina national team and assistant to coach Lionel Scaloni, spoke about the venue for the Finalissima against Spain.
Days are passing and the calendar is beginning to create pressure regarding the selection of the venue for the Finalissima between Spain and Argentina. In that context, Pablo Aimar, Lionel Scaloni’s assistant, shared details about the main concern the staff have regarding the staging of the match.
The Finalissima was originally scheduled to be played on Friday, March 27 at Lusail Stadium in Doha, Qatar. However, the political conflicts in the Middle East in recent weeks have cast doubt on the viability of organizing a sporting event of that magnitude there right now.
Amid speculation about a possible change of venue, Aimar gave an interview to Cadena 3 during an Argentine Football Association event and was asked about where the clash with Spain will be played.
“We still don’t know,” admitted the former midfielder and current Scaloni assistant. Regarding Argentina’s preference among the potential venues, Aimar delivered a clear message: “Wherever it is safe. We want to play it, as long as it can happen.”
The Finalissima will be one of Argentina’s last games before the 2026 World Cup.
Those comments reveal Argentina’s main concern at the moment: the safety of both national teams, as well as the fans who attend the match, is above any other consideration, even sporting ones, that might be made right now.
Argentina reportedly rejected a possible venue
Beyond Pablo Aimar’s comments, negotiations between Argentina and Spain, which obviously also involve CONMEBOL and UEFA, have been complicated so far. With Qatar now almost ruled out for the reasons mentioned earlier, Europe appears to be the main alternative.
In particular, the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium is the proposed option with the best chance of hosting the match. However, reports indicate that Argentina have rejected the possibility of playing Spain at Real Madrid’s stadium. The reason seems clear: it would not be a neutral venue, so they prefer other options outside Spain.
Aimar says it’s not time to think about the World Cup yet
During the same interview with Cadena 3, Pablo Aimar was asked whether Argentina already have their minds set on the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins in three months in North America and will see them face Algeria, Austria and Jordan in the group stage.
“There’s still time for that,” Aimar admitted. “There are matches, leagues and things happening minute by minute in soccer. So nobody is thinking about anything else. Things keep happening and, when the World Cup comes around, it will come.”
Argentina icon Pablo Aimar and head coach Lionel Scaloni.
Keyshawn Davis is quickly becoming one of the most intriguing fighters in the sport of boxing, and it’s not just fans he has left an impression on. The 27-year-old from Norfolk, Virginia is 14 fights into his professional career and remains undefeated. He briefly held the WBO lightweight title after beating Denys Berinchyk, but lost […]
The Ethereum price might finally be catching its breath. After weeks of brutal leverage-driven chaos, the market appears to be shifting gears away from forced liquidations and toward something far less dramatic: actual demand.
Recent data suggests the violent liquidation cycles that dominated late February are fading. Short liquidations, which previously spiked during the market’s most chaotic moments, have now dropped sharply to around 700. In simpler terms, the short squeeze fuel that once powered explosive moves has largely burned out.
And without that forced buying pressure, the market has to do something unfamiliar and that to move organically with spot demand.
Ethereum Price Leaves Liquidation Chaos
But let’s rewind a bit. Back in mid-February, leveraged traders were getting absolutely steamrolled. Long liquidations surged as overexposed positions were wiped out, sending waves of forced selling through the market.
Now that storm has calmed. Per analyst PelinayPA, current long liquidations are hovering near 1,000, dramatically lower than the aggressive flush seen earlier in the year. Meanwhile, short liquidations have also cooled, suggesting traders on both sides are finally dialing back the leverage.
That matters more than it sounds. When both long and short liquidations shrink simultaneously, it usually signals a transition phase. Less leverage means fewer forced moves. Fewer forced moves mean price action becomes… well, normal. The ETH/USD market appears to be entering that quieter stage.
Spot Demand Slowly Takes Over
Well, here’s where things get even more interesting. As seen over the past 15 days, price action has quietly climbed even while liquidation volumes continue to fall. That’s a subtle but important signal. When prices rise without massive liquidations, it usually means one thing: spot buyers are stepping in.
Not leveraged gamblers. Actual investors. Of course, the momentum isn’t screaming “bull market” just yet. The Ethereum price chart still shows a market searching for direction rather than exploding higher.
Technical indicators confirm the cautious tone. The RSI is sitting near the 50 midline, which basically screams neutrality. Meanwhile, the CMF is hovering around zero, suggesting that capital flows are balanced rather than aggressively bullish. In other words, momentum exists but it’s still tentative.
Institutional Access Changes Narrative
Moreover, A significant development just hit the market: the official launch of BlackRock’s Ethereum staking ETF, ETHB. The new fund offers investors exposure not only to the asset’s market price but also to on-chain staking yields.
And the pricing? A 0.25% fee, matching the structure of its non-staking counterpart, ETHA.
NEW: BlackRock is launching their Ethereum Staking ETF today — $ETHB. It will have the same fee as $ETHA at 0.25% bps but has a fee waiver down to 0.12% for the first year or first $2.5 billion in assets. pic.twitter.com/aR3FVRChPz
That’s not just another ETF headline. It potentially opens the door for institutional and retail investors to access staking returns through a familiar financial vehicle something traditional markets tend to appreciate.
So, what does all this mean? For now, the Ethereum price appears to be transitioning out of a liquidation-driven phase and into a slower environment defined by spot accumulation and institutional accessibility. Not explosive. But potentially far more sustainable.
Ripple has spent the past three years quietly building one of the most ambitious financial infrastructure networks in crypto, deploying more than $4 billion across custody, brokerage, payments and treasury technology. CEO Brad Garlinghouse recently hinted that 2026 could be another defining year, suggesting the buying is far from over.
“Adoption doesn’t happen overnight,” Garlinghouse posted on X after visiting Ripple offices in Dublin, London, Singapore and Sydney. “Platforms over point solutions. Meet customers where they are.” Many of the employees he met, he noted, joined through the company’s recent acquisitions.
Here is every deal Ripple has made, what it cost, and what it added to the ecosystem.
2023: Laying the Foundation
Ripple entered its modern acquisition phase with two institutional-focused deals:
Metaco acquired May 2023 for $250 million, a leading digital asset custody platform already trusted by major global banks, giving Ripple immediate institutional credibility in the custody space
Fortress Trust acquired September 2023 for undisclosed, brought critical U.S. regulatory licenses and compliance infrastructure, expanding Ripple’s ability to operate within American financial regulations
2024: Strengthening Regulated Infrastructure
Standard Custody acquired 2024 for undisclosed, a New York-regulated digital asset trust company that deepened Ripple’s custody and settlement capabilities for institutions entering the digital asset market
2025: The Biggest Year Yet
Four deals in twelve months, totalling well over $2 billion:
Hidden Road acquired in April 2025 for $1.25 billion: a major prime brokerage platform serving institutional traders, Ripple’s single largest acquisition to date
Rail acquired August 2025 for $200 million: stablecoin payments infrastructure bolstering Ripple’s cross-border settlement capabilities
GTreasury was acquired in October 2025 for $1 billion: corporate treasury management software used by multinational companies worldwide, connecting Ripple’s network to enterprise finance operations
Palisade was acquired in November 2025 for undisclosed: a London-based digital asset custody provider expanding Ripple’s wallet and asset security services into Europe
2026: The Next Move
Ripple’s acquisition strategy is already moving into its next phase. The company has plans to acquire BC Payments Australia, a firm holding an Australian Financial Services License. The deal would strengthen Ripple’s regulated payments presence across the Asia-Pacific region and expand its cross-border payment services into one of the fastest-growing digital asset markets in the world.
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FAQs
How do Ripple’s acquisitions impact XRP price?
Ripple’s strategic acquisitions strengthen its network, increasing investor confidence, which could positively influence XRP price over time.
What is Ripple’s acquisition strategy for the future?
Ripple spends billions acquiring custody, brokerage, payments, and treasury companies to expand adoption and institutional use of XRP globally.
Can Ripple’s deals boost XRP adoption?
Yes, acquisitions like Hidden Road and GTreasury enhance infrastructure for banks and enterprises, helping XRP gain wider adoption.
How might XRP price react to 2026 acquisitions?
Plans to acquire BC Payments Australia could improve cross-border payment reach, potentially boosting XRP usage and investor interest.
What is the future outlook for XRP?
With expanded financial infrastructure, regulated payments, and global partnerships, XRP’s adoption and long-term utility could grow significantly.
After months of sustained downside pressure, the Solana price appears to be stabilizing within the $80–$90 range, signaling a potential shift in market structure. The token has recently climbed above $86, supported by improving market sentiment and institutional catalysts such as growing ETF-related interest and stablecoin ecosystem expansion, which have strengthened investor confidence.
At the same time, a modest recovery across the broader crypto market and renewed rotation into major altcoins have provided additional support. With SOL price now holding above the key $84 support, a move past the $87 resistance could open the path toward higher levels. The key question now is whether bulls can sustain the momentum and push the price above the $90 barrier this week.
SOL Price Analysis: How High Can Solana Go This Week?
Recent developments within the Solana ecosystem have helped improve market sentiment around the asset. Discussions around potential ETF exposure and the expansion of stablecoin infrastructure on the network, including initiatives involving Western Union, have added to the optimism. Notably, SOL price managed to post gains during periods when Bitcoin traded relatively flat, indicating the recent strength was largely alpha-driven. Meanwhile, the Altcoin Season Index, climbing to around 39, hints at early signs of capital rotation toward altcoins.
Technically, the chart shows that the SOL price has been consolidating within the lower Fibonacci band between 0 and 0.236 for more than a month, with the 0.236 FIB near $94.8 acting as the immediate resistance. The $78–$80 zone continues to serve as the key support. During this phase, the Bollinger Bands have begun moving parallel, signaling declining volatility and a possible accumulation phase. At the same time, the RSI is gradually trending upward, indicating improving momentum.
A daily close above $94 with rising volume could confirm a bullish breakout and open the path toward $105 and $113, while failure to break this level may keep SOL consolidating near the $80 support zone.
Wrapping it Up!
Overall, Solana price appears to be in a low-volatility accumulation phase between $80 and $94. A decisive breakout above $94 could trigger the next upside move toward $105 and $113, while failure to reclaim this level may keep SOL range-bound near the $80 support in the near term.
If bullish momentum strengthens, the SOL price rally could extend toward the $121 Fibonacci level, confirming a broader recovery trend. However, a drop below the $78 support may weaken the bullish outlook and prolong consolidation.
The River price just woke up violently. After posting a sharp 25.90% intraday surge, the asset has marched straight into a major technical battlefield between $18 and $20. That zone isn’t just another resistance level. It’s the neckline of a massive inverted head and shoulders pattern that has been quietly forming ever since the brutal correction back in February.
Now the market is staring at a simple question: does it break, or does it fake out?
Because if this neckline cracks with a daily close above $20, the technical roadmap suddenly opens up. The next obvious checkpoint sits near $25.14, a level marked by a previous structural barrier on the River price chart.
And if the current momentum keeps building? Well, traders are already eyeing the next liquidity pocket closer to $37.00.
River Price Tests Key Breakout Level
Here’s the thing about neckline breakouts they tend to attract attention fast, like in this crypto asset. Right now the RIVER/USD pair is hovering inside that critical $18–$20 zone, which makes the current moment more of a decision point than a celebration. Breakouts need confirmation, not just excitement.
Still, the setup itself is hard to ignore. The inverted head and shoulders pattern is widely viewed as a classic trend-reversal formation, especially when it forms after a steep market correction like the one seen in February.
So the logic is pretty straightforward: reclaim the neckline, confirm the reversal. Fail to do that, and the breakout narrative gets a lot less convincing.
Indicators Flash Early Bullish Signals
Well, the rise is verified with price indicators and momentum felt real for now. As momentum indicators aren’t screaming “overbought panic” yet and they’re actually suggesting the move may still have room to run.
The RSI currently sits at 56.68, which places it comfortably in bullish territory but still far from exhaustion. That means traders aren’t yet dealing with the typical overheating that kills rallies prematurely.
Meanwhile, the CMF is hovering around -0.04. It’s technically still negative, but the trajectory is what matters here but it’s rising sharply from previous lows, hinting that selling pressure is fading while accumulation quietly builds.
Then there’s the whale activity. The Whale vs. Retail Delta has flipped noticeably positive, with green histogram bars printing around 11.470. In simpler terms, large players appear to be buying more aggressively than retail traders.
That kind of imbalance doesn’t guarantee a breakout but historically it often shows up right before one.
Partnership Boosts Fundamental Narrative
Of course, charts alone rarely move markets forever. The recent surge also coincides with a new partnership with DIA, where River is integrating DIA’s oracle infrastructure for satUSD across five chains. The upgrade aims to strengthen reliability for lending markets and vaults, particularly during volatile periods.
Infrastructure improvements aren’t always flashy headlines, but they matter. Markets tend to reward projects that reinforce their backbone. And traders seem to be pricing that in.
On-Chain Activity Starts Recovering
Then there’s the on-chain data quietly telling its own story. Activity on the River contract shows a V-shaped recovery in transfer counts starting in early March 2026. In short, more users are interacting with the network again after February’s slump.
Transfer volumes have also stabilized following the massive spike seen during the February sell-off. That spike likely represented redistribution, while the recent uptick hints that liquidity is flowing back into the ecosystem.
Even wallet growth is turning upward. Both unique senders and receivers have been increasing since early March, signaling that the holder base is expanding something breakouts usually need to survive.
Which brings the market back to the same question. If momentum holds and the neckline breaks, the River price may have finally found its next leg higher.
Blockchain entertainment infrastructure company Playnance will introduce G Coin on March 18, launching a utility token designed to support activity across its ecosystem of gaming and prediction platforms.
The token is intended to function as the economic layer connecting Playnance’s various digital products, including on-chain games, sports prediction markets, and financial interaction tools.
Ahead of the launch, the company reports that G Coin already has more than 200,000 holders. Approximately 13 billion tokens were distributed during the presale phase, while the project’s estimated market capitalization stands near $38 million prior to the Token Generation Event.
Within the ecosystem, G Coin enables participation by supporting gameplay activity, predictions, reward distribution, and settlement processes. The token runs on PlayBlock, Playnance’s blockchain infrastructure, which allows users to conduct fast transactions without gas fees while maintaining non-custodial ownership and transparent on-chain records.
Playnance’s platform network includes more than 300,000 registered accounts and partnerships with over 30 game studios. The company says its infrastructure currently hosts more than 10,000 on-chain games.
User activity across the ecosystem generates approximately 2 million blockchain transactions each day. The platforms also support interaction with more than 2.5 million sports events each year. According to the company, these interactions create a large-scale on-chain environment where G Coin supports activity across gaming and prediction markets.
“On March 18, G Coin will enter the market with real adoption already in place,” said Playnance CEO Pini Peter. “With more than 200,000 holders and millions of daily on-chain interactions, G Coin introduces a usage-driven token economy designed to grow alongside its expanding global community. There are many other surprises on the way to take the entertainment world to the next level.”
Playnance also pointed to several recent milestones. The company said its “Be The Boss” program has surpassed $2 million in payouts to users. Across the broader ecosystem, Playnance reports more than $5.3 million in total revenue generated so far.
The token will operate with a fixed maximum supply of 77 billion tokens and will not introduce additional minting. Circulation will be managed through a lock and release mechanism designed to regulate supply.
Tokens lost during gameplay will remain locked for 12 months before returning to circulation. Tokens that remain unsold at the Token Generation Event will be subject to a 12-month cliff followed by a 24-month linear vesting schedule.
With the launch of G Coin, Playnance is introducing the economic layer intended to connect its gaming, sports, and prediction platforms within a unified blockchain ecosystem.
Playnance will launch G Coin on March 18 to power transactions across its blockchain gaming and prediction ecosystem. Playnance is launching G Coin on March 18, introducing the token that will support economic activity across its blockchain entertainment ecosystem. The…
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Futbol üzrə İran yığma komandası bu il keçiriləcək dünya çempionatının (DÇ-2026) final mərhələsində iştirak etməyəcək.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, İranın idman naziri Əhməd Dünyamalı milli komandanın dünya çempionatında iştirak etməyəcəyini açıqlayıb:
“Korrupsiyalaşmış hökumət liderimizi öldürdükdən sonra dünya çempionatında iştirak etməyimizə imkan verən heç bir səbəb yoxdur. İrana qarşı edilən düşmənçilik hərəkətləri nəzərə alınmaqla, səkkiz ay ərzində bizə qarşı iki müharibə edildi və bir neçə min vətəndaşımız öldürüldü. Bu səbəbdən, belə bir tədbirdə iştirak etmək məqsədəuyğun deyil”, – deyə nazir DPA-ya verdiyi müsahibədə bildirib.
Yeri gəlmişkən, ABŞ prezidenti Donald Tramp İran yığmasının mundialda iştirakını arzuolunmaz hesab edir. O, bu barədə “Truth Social” sosial şəbəkəsində yazıb:
“İranın futbol yığması dünya çempionatına dəvət olunub, lakin mən hesab edirəm ki, onların orada iştirakı öz həyatları və təhlükəsizlikləri baxımından məqsədəuyğun deyil. Bu məsələyə diqqət yetirdiyiniz üçün təşəkkür edirəm”, – Tramp bildirib.
Xatırladaq ki, fevralın 28-də İsrail və ABŞ İrana qarşı hərbi əməliyyata başlayıb. Ölkədəki hərbi obyektlərə və şəhərlərə hava və raket zərbələri endirilib.
DÇ-2026-nın final mərhələsi bu il 11 iyun – 19 iyul tarixləri aralığında ABŞ, Kanada və Meksikada keçiriləcək. İran yığması Belçika, Misir və Yeni Zelandiya milli komandaları ilə bir qrupda yer alıb.
Kişi və qadın voleybolçular arasında Azərbaycan çempionatında (Yüksək Liqa) pley-off mərhələlərinin başlayacağı tarix bəlli olub.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə Azərbaycan Voleybol Federasiyasının mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.
Bildirilib ki, qadın komandalar arasında pley-off mərhələsinin oyunlarına martın 27-də start veriləcək. Kişilərin yarışında isə bu mərhələ aprelin 6-da başlayacaq.
Bürünc medal uğrunda oyunlar və final qarşılaşmaları aprelin 18-19-da keçiriləcək.
Qeyd edək ki, Yüksək Liqanın pley-off və yarımfinal oyunları 2 matçdan (ev-səfər) ibarət olacaq. İki görüşün yekununda komandaların qələbələri bərabər olarsa, “qızıl” set oynanılacaq. Bürünc və qızıl medal uğrunda isə bir oyun baş tutacaq.
İspaniyalı futbolçu, 18 yaşlı yarımmüdafiəçi Tyaqo Pitarç İspaniyanın “Real” (Madrid) klubunun tarixinə düşüb.
Arena.az xəbər verir ki, gənc futoblçu buna İngiltərənin “Mançester Siti” komandasına qalib gəldikləri UEFA Çempionlar Liqasının (ÇL) 1/8 final mərhələsinin ilk oyununda start heyətində meydana çıxmaqla nail olub.
Pitarç qarşılaşma vaxtı 18 yaş 220 günündə olub. Bu isə onu ÇL-in pley-off mərhələsində Madrid təmsilçisi üçün ilk “11-lik”də matça başlamış ən gənc ispan futbolçu edib.
Tyaqo Pitarç “kral klubu”nun əfsanəvi oyunçusu Raul Qonsalesin rekordunu qırıb. Sabiq hücumçu 1996-cı ildə 18 yaş 253 günündə “Yuventus”la ÇL görüşündə iştirak edib.
Xatırladaq ki, “Real” “Mançester Siti”ni ilk oyunda 3 cavabsız qolla üstələyib. Tərəflər arasındakı cavab qarşılaşması gələn həftə keçiriləcək.
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Roma hope Donyell Malen and Bryan Zaragoza can inspire them to Europa League success in the all-Italian derby with Bologna’s Federico Bernardeschi and Santiago Castro.
The second leg is at the Stadio Olimpico next Thursday, as it means there will be just one Italian entry into the Europa League quarter-finals.
Roma went directly into the Round of 16 as one of the top eight in the league phase, but are decimated in attack by injuries to Paulo Dybala, Matias Soulé, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson.
Gianluca Mancini also sits out a ban in defence, with Manu Koné and Mario Hermoso carrying knocks.
The French midfielder had originally been named on the bench, but was then sent to the stands at the last minute.
January signings Malen and Zaragoza finally get to play in the Europa League, as they were cup-tied for the last couple of league phase matches, with Bryan Cristante and Niccolò Pisilli providing support from midfield.
There is temptation to focus on the upcoming showdown with Como for fourth place in Serie A, coming off a 3-3 draw with Juventus and 2-1 defeat at Genoa.
ROME, ITALY – JANUARY 22: Niccolo Pisilli of AS Roma celebrates with his teammate Kostas Tsimikas after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between AS Roma and VfB Stuttgart at Stadio Olimpico on January 22, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Bologna have almost a complete squad to deal with after eliminating SK Brann in the play-offs, though Juan Miranda, Torbjorn Heggem and Charalampos Lykogiannis are not at 100 per cent.
Castro keeps hold of the centre-forward role, flanked by Jonathan Rowe and Federico Bernardeschi.
Tommaso Pobega also gets the nod in midfield.
The Rossoblu have had a very odd 2026, as after a crisis run of poor results, they put together five consecutive victories in all competition.
BOLOGNA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 23: Federico Bernardeschi of Bologna FC celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A match between Bologna FC 1909 and Udinese Calcio at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on February 23, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Roberto D’Aversa has described Friday’s home fixture against Parma as “a first match point to move closer to safety,” with the Torino head coach facing a wealth of selection decisions ahead of what he considers a pivotal Serie A clash.
The most eagerly awaited update concerned Che Adams, with D’Aversa confirming the Scottish forward is in contention to start despite not yet being able to last a full 90 minutes.
“By his characteristics he is very technical and could be vital in a game like tomorrow’s,” D’Aversa said, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.
“He doesn’t have 90 minutes in his legs, but that doesn’t mean he won’t start, within a match there are multiple phases, and my choice doesn’t depend solely on his fitness levels.”
Che Adams of Torino celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Serie A match between Torino and Cagliari at Stadio Olimpico di Torino on January 24, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Torino coach D’Aversa provides Adams & Nkounkou updates
D’Aversa was equally upbeat about Nkounkou, who has trained normally despite a minor complaint, and offered an interesting tactical distinction between two of his wider options.
“Njie is an attacking wide player who works best on the opposite flank,” he noted, suggesting the two are not direct rivals for the same position.
Cesare Casadei was identified as a player with enormous potential who has yet to fully harness it on a consistent basis.
“When he realises the quality he has, he will need to find consistency in his weekly work,” D’Aversa said, acknowledging that the midfielder has also been hampered by physical problems.
One particularly touching moment came in the coach’s assessment of Faustino Anjorin, who lost his grandmother this week but chose to remain with the squad and train throughout.
“In the space of two weeks he has grown enormously, I am starting to see the Anjorin from last season at Empoli,” D’Aversa said warmly.
With only Aboukhlal ruled out through injury, Torino go into the match with a near-fully fit squad — and a coach who, for once, has too many options rather than too few.
Giampaolo Pazzini has hailed Massimiliano Allegri’s tactical preparation after Milan’s derby victory over Inter, while insisting the title race remains firmly in Inter’s hands despite the gap narrowing to seven points.
The former Milan striker, who spent three seasons at San Siro between 2012 and 2015, spoke to Aura Sport, via PianetaMilan, in the aftermath of a result that has breathed new life into a Serie A campaign that had appeared all but settled.
Allegri himself was characteristically measured in his post-match assessment, describing the win as simply “one fewer victory needed to secure Champions League qualification,” but supporters could be forgiven for dreaming of something greater.
BOLOGNA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 03: Massimiliano Allegri head coach of AC Milan during the Serie A match between Bologna FC 1909 and AC Milan at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on February 03, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Pazzini hails Allegri preparation in Milan derby victories
Pazzini was generous in his praise for both sides. On Inter’s defeat, he acknowledged that Cristian Chivu had struggled tactically, something the Inter coach himself admitted in his post-match press conference.
“Inter’s last defeat before this was also in the derby against Milan, after which they went on a run of 14 wins and one draw,” Pazzini noted. “There is no doubt Chivu got the game wrong.”
The sharper focus of his analysis, however, was reserved for Allegri.
“You have to give credit to Milan, Allegri prepares matches perfectly,” he said. “It is no surprise that he has won both derbies this season.”
On the title race, Pazzini was clear-eyed. With Inter no longer competing in the Champions League and therefore able to dedicate full focus to the league, clawing back a seven-point deficit over the final ten matches would require something truly unexpected.
“I think the Scudetto conversation is still closed,” he said plainly.
Alessandro Bastoni could leave Inter Milan this summer, with Barcelona making initial contact over a potential move for the Italy international, according to reports in Spain and Italy.
Sporting director Deco has already held preliminary discussions with Bastoni’s entourage to sound out the possibility of a deal, according to Sport, with La Gazzetta dello Sport reporting that Inter are prepared to listen to offers, albeit only at a price they deem appropriate.
The Nerazzurri have set a minimum valuation of €70 million for the 25-year-old, who is contracted at San Siro until June 2028.
BODO, NORWAY – FEBRUARY 18: Alessandro Bastoni of FC Internazionale Milano reacts after Kasper Hogh of Bodo/Glimt (not pictured) scores his team’s third goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Knockout Play-off First Leg match between FK Bodo/Glimt and FC Internazionale Milano at Aspmyra Stadion on February 18, 2026 in Bodo, Norway. (Photo by Martin Ole Wold/Getty Images)
Inter open to selling key players like Bastoni in the summer
The broader context is important.
Inter’s hierarchy are understood to believe that a cycle has run its course and that a significant squad overhaul is required this summer, and that mentality extends even to key figures previously considered untouchable.
Bastoni, one of the finest left-sided centre-backs in European football and a cornerstone of Inter’s strong teams in recent years, falls into that category.
Any Barcelona move is closely tied to next week’s presidential election at the Catalan club, with current president Joan Laporta standing for re-election. Deco is a Laporta loyalist, meaning the viability of this pursuit depends heavily on the election outcome.
Bastoni is said to have not been entirely cold to the initial approach, though he remains strongly attached to Inter and has not ruled out extending his stay. Should no offer arrive that truly tests Oaktree’s resolve, the club may instead look to open contract extension talks with one of their most important players.
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing the PSG attacker Lee Kang-In at the end of the season.
They will face competition from clubs like Arsenal and Chelsea, who have been monitoring the 25-year-old South Korean attacker for quite some time.
The player has struggled to secure regular opportunities at the French club and needs to move on to play more often. Spurs could provide him with the platform he needs.
According to a report by TEAMtalk, Tottenham made a serious attempt to sign the player in January. It will be interesting to see if they can win the race for his signature in the summer. They need more quality and depth in the attacking unit, and the South Korean could be ideal for them. The 25 year old capable of operating on either flank and centrally. He will add goals and creativity to the team.
The opportunity to move to the Premier League will be exciting for him, especially if he gets regular opportunities. However, Tottenham are fighting for survival in the Premier League. They must keep their status as a Premier League club intact if they want to attract quality players. The South Korean will not want to compete in the Championship next season.
Arsenal and Chelsea could also use more depth in the final third. They need someone who will add pace, flair and unpredictability to the team. The South Korean could be a useful acquisition for them if he is available at a reasonable price. It will be interesting to see which of the three clubs can get the deal done.
Arsenal and Liverpool are interested in signing the VfB Stuttgart defender Finn Jeltsch.
The 19-year-old has done quite well in Germany, and he has attracted the attention of Arsenal and Liverpool scouts. They have been monitoring his progress, and they are leading the race for his signature. According to a report from TEAMtalk, he could cost around €50 million.
The report further claims that it would take an “exceptionally high” sum of money to get the deal done. It will be interesting to see if Liverpool or Arsenal come forward with an official offer to sign him.
Jeltsch has proven himself to be a reliable defender in the Bundesliga, and he has the physicality and technical attributes for English football as well. Apart from his qualities as a defender, he is calm and composed on the ball, and his distribution would add a new dimension to Arsenal and Liverpool.
The asking price seems quite expensive for a young talent like him. Arsenal and Liverpool might prefer to sign him for a more reasonable fee. It will be interesting to see how the situation develops.
The defender has been likened to Mats Hummels due to stylistic similarities. He has a bright future ahead of himself, and he could prove to be a quality long-term acquisition for the two English clubs.
The possibility of moving to the Premier League will be exciting for Jeltsch, and he will look to sort out his future quickly so that he can focus on his football. It will be interesting to see where he ends up. Both clubs could groom him into a star. They could also provide him with a platform to fight for trophies.
According to the Telegraph, Arsenal are keeping an eye on the situation around Tino Livramento and considering a move for the Newcastle fullback. Livramento has reportedly been an subject of strong interest from Manchester City for a while now, but Newcastle have been fighting to keep hold of the 23-year-old for the long-term future. However, […]
Fransa millisinin və “Barselona”nın sabiq futbolçusu Tyerri Anri maraqlı açıqlama ilə gündəmə gəlib.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, o, “Real”ın “Mançester Siti”yə qalib gəldiyi Çempionlar Liqası matçını (3:0) şərh edərkən bunları deyib:
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Malik Willis has only thrown 155 passes over the course of his NFL career, but the last 89 of them came in front of Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley and General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and they helped convince Miami to sign him to a three-year contract this week.
Willis delivered most of those passes in three Packers starts — Hafley and Sullivan were in Green Bay before being hired this January — in place of Jordan Love and his success in that role gives Willis a shot at a longer stay in the starting lineup. Willis's first chance in that role came with the Titans as a rookie and his results were not as good as they were the last two years.
Willis was asked at a Thursday press conference about waiting for another chance in that role and why he thinks he's better suited for it this time.
"I don’t think I put a timeline on it," Willis said, via Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald. "It happened when I was prepared. I think when I came into the league I wasn’t prepared. That’s not a knock towards my coaches or myself, that’s just what it was coming from the system I came from. I’ve had a chance to learn the last four years since I’ve been in the league — been through four different offenses, seen a bunch of different defenses and think I’ve grown a lot. Grateful for the opportunity once again."
The Dolphins are betting that Willis's production will translate from a sample size to a full serving well enough to make him the latest quarterback to blossom after making multiple moves around the league.
🚨Breaking: Pablo Barrios suffers another injury setback
Atlético de Madrid has officially released the medical report for the player, who is suffering from a muscle injury in his right thigh.
The bad news is confirmed for Pablo Barrios, who, at the end of Thursday's training session, suffered a muscle injury for which the club has now released a medical report.
The player left the session with discomfort, and tests have diagnosed the injury he is suffering from, although the recovery time has not been specified.
An ex-Michigan football coach is suing the University of Michigan, its athletic director, Warde Manuel, and the Board of Regents for wrongful termination from when he was fired in November of 2023.
Chris Partridge, who recently won a Super Bowl as a member of the Seattle Seahawks staff, filed a suit on Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleging Michigan “unjustly terminated Partridge’s employment and spread false and damaging information regarding his professional conduct," according to the suit filed by attorney Elizabeth Abdnour of East Lansing-based Abdnour Weiker LLP.
Partridge is seeking an undisclosed amount of money for damages.
The Free Press recently obtained the 47-page document, which claims the University failed to provide due process, which led to "subsequent devastation to Partridge's outstanding reputation as a football coach."
It continues to state despite Partridge being cleared by an NCAA report which stated there was insufficient evidence that interfered with the investigation, he's "never been able to rectify the harm that Michigan’s wrongful termination, the media firestorm against him, and Manuel’s subsequent blacklisting have caused to his career." The report says Partridge believes he can't coach in college football because of this.
When Partridge was fired, Michigan cited his failure to "abide by the University directive not to discuss an ongoing NCAA investigation with anyone associated with the Michigan Football Program" in a termination letter.
As for Partridge, the NCAA says while "questions remain about Partridge’s knowledge of the impermissible scouting scheme, there is insufficient information to reasonably conclude that Partridge attempted to influence a student-athlete to lie about it to the enforcement staff."
Partridge was in his fifth season as a member of U-M's coaching staff when he was fired. He was brought back Feb. 8, 2023, to begin his second tenure with the Wolverines when he was hired to be an analyst. Shortly after, U-M parted ways with then-linebackers coach George Helow and moved Partridge to coach linebackers.
Partridge previously served as special teams coordinator for four seasons (2016-19), before he became defensive coordinator at Ole Miss for three seasons (2020-22). He joined former Michigan defensive coordinator Mike MacDonald's staff in Seattle in February of 2024.
The suit says Partridge was used as a "scapegoat" after he told a player it might be wise to get an attorney − the suit specifies Partridge "does not deny" he had that conversation with a player. The suit says there was never a directive given not to communicate with a student-athlete during an investigation, which says any such directive would've "brought [the season] to a screeching halt if none of the coaches could talk to any of the players until the NCAA investigation was concluded."
"Contrary to misinformation communicated by the University Athletics Department and at least one member of the Board of Regents Partridge’s termination, Partridge was not fired for destroying evidence or interfering with the NCAA’s “sign-stealing” investigation," the suit states. "Nor was Partridge fired for telling a player to be dishonest in an NCAA interview.
"Despite Partridge’s unwavering commitment and success, the University of Michigan unjustly terminated Partridge’s employment and spread false and damaging information regarding his professional conduct, tarnishing Partridge’s hard-earned reputation and inflicting irreparable harm on to his career and personal well-being."
Free Press investigative reporter Dave Boucher contributed to this report.
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
The Boston Red Sox came into camp looking to determine who their No. 5 starter would be in the rotation, and Johan Oviedo was a candidate to win the job.
The Red Sox traded for Oviedo this offseason, but also acquired Sonny Gray and Ranger Suarez. Oviedo, Payton Tolle and Connelly Early quickly became candidates to be the final starter in the rotation. Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval were originally seen as options, but have yet to make an appearance in a spring training game.
Oviedo and Early are the two real candidates at this point based on their spring performances. Tolle has a 4.05 ERA in three outings and is likely to start in Triple-A.
Oviedo has yet to allow a run this spring. He has thrown 111 pitches and worked eight innings in three starts. In his spring training debut, he walked three batters, hit one batter and allowed one hit in 1 2/3 innings of work. He only threw 15 of his 33 pitches for strikes. In his last two outings, he has thrown 6 1/3 innings and has eight strikeouts. He has allowed just four hits and has thrown 57 of his 78 pitches for strikes.
Early has had a strong spring as well, but he may not have the edge over Oviedo at this point. He has made two starts in three outings and has worked 8 1/3 innings. He has a 2.16 ERA, allowing two runs on Feb. 28 coming out of the bullpen. This spring, 76 of his 117 pitches have been thrown for strikes.
Right now, it looks like Oviedo will be the fifth starter for the Red Sox. Tolle and Early will seemingly start the season in Triple-A. Garrett Crochet, Suarez, Gray, Brayan Bello and Oviedo would then be the starting rotation to start the season.
After the nightcap results from the first round of the SEC Tournament, the Texas A&M Aggies are slated for a rematch against the Oklahoma Sooners in Nashville, Tenn., on Thursday night.
This isn't the first time these squads have faced each other. In fact, this marks the third matchup between the Aggies and Sooners this season. Texas A&M secured an 83-76 victory at Reed Arena on Jan. 10 and a 75-71 decision in Norman on Feb. 21.
Contrary to their performances against the Maroon and White during the regular season, Oklahoma is riding a five-game winning streak, which includes its 86-74 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks in Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday night to advance for a third opportunity to take down Texas A&M.
The results from college basketball on Wednesday, including the Texas Longhorns' loss to Ole Miss in the first round of the SEC Tournament, have helped boost the Sooners into the First Four Out in ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi's projected field for March Madness.
Before tipoff of Oklahoma-South Carolina, Lunardi stated Oklahoma needs wins over the Aggies and Arkansas Razorbacks to secure a spot in the tournament, which adds even more motivation to send the Maroon and White back to Bryan-College Station early.
The Aggies closed the first campaign with Bucky McMillan at the helm out strong with wins over Kentucky and LSU, marking the program's fifth consecutive 20-win season. 'Bucky Ball' ranks No. 8 in the country, averaging 88.5 points per game so far this season, while also knocking down 10.9 3-pointers per game (14th in NCAA).
ThreeKeys To Victory:
Dominate the glass - Texas A&M has struggled to establish physicality inside the paint at times this season, especially when graduate forward Rashaun Agee is double-teamed or off the court. Rebounding and second-chance opportunities helped the Aggies close out the first game against the Sooners in Bryan-College Station earlier this year.
Limit Nijel Pack - The Oklahoma guard played a massive role in the team erasing a 13-point deficit entering the first half. Texas A&M must force Pack to put up inconsistent shots and prevent him from finding open looks and taking over the game, as he did against the Gamecocks with 24 points and five made 3-pointers.
Feed Agee - He wasn't named All-SEC for no reason. Agee is one of the most dominant forwards in the country, notching 15 points or more in five of the last six contests. He is coming off an outing against LSU in which he scored 24 points and 11 rebounds, marking his 12th double-double of the season. Establishing dominance inside all starts with the big man from Chicago, Illinois.
Texas A&M will face Oklahoma at 8:30 p.m. CT at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday night. The third matchup of the season against the Sooners will be broadcast live on the SEC Network.
Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Dylan on X: @dylanmflippo.
Chinese EV Giant BYD Eyes Formula 1 Entry: ReportJohn keeble - Getty Images
You may not have realized it, but Chinese automaker BYD (which stands for "Build Your Dreams") sells more electric vehicles than any other company in the world—including Tesla. And now that they dominate the EV market, they may have their sights set on dominating racetracks, as well. According to a recent report by Bloomberg, BYD is looking to enter the world of motor racing— and the company is considering everything from Formula 1 to the FIA World Endurance Championship.
People familiar with the matter told Bloomberg said that BYD is considering entering competitive motorsports in order to boost their global appeal. The company is reportedly open to building their own team from scratch, or acquiring an existing race team. It would be an unusual move for a Chinese automaker, as the country rarely fields racing organizations for international series.
One of the people familiar with the matter reportedly told Bloomberg that the cost of entering Formula 1 is a significant barrier to entry. It could cost as much as $500 million per season to run an F1 team, although the investment could pay off as a BYD team would certainly heighten brand awareness around the globe.
Beyond the price involved, getting approved to compete in Formula 1 is not an easy process. We recently saw this play out with the Cadillac Formula 1 team. General Motors and Andretti Global's application was rejected in January of 2024, and it took until March 2025 to get approved for the 2026 season. It may be quicker and easier for BYD to buy an existing team, but Formula 1 teams don’t come up for sale every day.
BYD certainly knows how to build fast cars; their Yangwang U9 Xtreme claims to be the fastest production car in the world with a top speed over 308 mph. Of course, building a competitive race car is a whole different animal. We'll have to wait and see if the Chinese automaker is able to join the ranks of Formula 1; In the meantime, we can enjoy the 2026 championship... the next round of which, coincidentally, takes place this weekend in China.
Europa League R16 official line-ups: Bologna vs. Roma
Roma hope Donyell Malen and Bryan Zaragoza can inspire them to Europa League success in the all-Italian derby with Bologna’s Federico Bernardeschi and Santiago Castro.
The second leg is at the Stadio Olimpico next Thursday, as it means there will be just one Italian entry into the Europa League quarter-finals.
Roma went directly into the Round of 16 as one of the top eight in the league phase, but are decimated in attack by injuries to Paulo Dybala, Matias Soulé, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson.
Gianluca Mancini also sits out a ban in defence, with Manu Koné and Mario Hermoso carrying knocks.
January signings Malen and Zaragoza finally get to play in the Europa League, as they were cup-tied for the last couple of league phase matches, with Bryan Cristante and Niccolò Pisilli providing support from midfield.
There is temptation to focus on the upcoming showdown with Como for fourth place in Serie A, coming off a 3-3 draw with Juventus and 2-1 defeat at Genoa.
ROME, ITALY – JANUARY 22: Niccolo Pisilli of AS Roma celebrates with his teammate Kostas Tsimikas after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between AS Roma and VfB Stuttgart at Stadio Olimpico on January 22, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Bologna have almost a complete squad to deal with after eliminating SK Brann in the play-offs, though Juan Miranda, Torbjorn Heggem and Charalampos Lykogiannis are not at 100 per cent.
Castro keeps hold of the centre-forward role, flanked by Jonathan Rowe and Federico Bernardeschi.
Tommaso Pobega also gets the nod in midfield.
The Rossoblu have had a very odd 2026, as after a crisis run of poor results, they put together five consecutive victories in all competition.
BOLOGNA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 23: Federico Bernardeschi of Bologna FC celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Serie A match between Bologna FC 1909 and Udinese Calcio at Renato Dall’Ara Stadium on February 23, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Torino coach D’Aversa gives Che Adams update ahead of Parma clash
Roberto D’Aversa has described Friday’s home fixture against Parma as “a first match point to move closer to safety,” with the Torino head coach facing a wealth of selection decisions ahead of what he considers a pivotal Serie A clash.
The most eagerly awaited update concerned Che Adams, with D’Aversa confirming the Scottish forward is in contention to start despite not yet being able to last a full 90 minutes.
“By his characteristics he is very technical and could be vital in a game like tomorrow’s,” D’Aversa said, with quotes via TuttoMercatoWeb.
“He doesn’t have 90 minutes in his legs, but that doesn’t mean he won’t start, within a match there are multiple phases, and my choice doesn’t depend solely on his fitness levels.”
Che Adams of Torino celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Serie A match between Torino and Cagliari at Stadio Olimpico di Torino on January 24, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)
Torino coach D’Aversa provides Adams & Nkounkou updates
D’Aversa was equally upbeat about Nkounkou, who has trained normally despite a minor complaint, and offered an interesting tactical distinction between two of his wider options.
“Njie is an attacking wide player who works best on the opposite flank,” he noted, suggesting the two are not direct rivals for the same position.
Cesare Casadei was identified as a player with enormous potential who has yet to fully harness it on a consistent basis.
“When he realises the quality he has, he will need to find consistency in his weekly work,” D’Aversa said, acknowledging that the midfielder has also been hampered by physical problems.
One particularly touching moment came in the coach’s assessment of Faustino Anjorin, who lost his grandmother this week but chose to remain with the squad and train throughout.
“In the space of two weeks he has grown enormously, I am starting to see the Anjorin from last season at Empoli,” D’Aversa said warmly.
With only Aboukhlal ruled out through injury, Torino go into the match with a near-fully fit squad — and a coach who, for once, has too many options rather than too few.
Europa League Liveblog: Bologna vs. Roma and Fiorentina vs. Rakow
This page will update live with the latest relevant news, no need to refresh the page!
Join us for all the build-up and action as it happens from the Europa League all-Italian derby Bologna vs. Roma, and Conference League as Fiorentina face Rakow.
We begin our Round of 16 coverage at 17.45 GMT (18.45 CET) at the Stadio Dall’Ara when the two Serie A competitors go head-to-head, meaning only one will make it to the quarter-final.
At 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET), Fiorentina go for the Conference League quarter-finals as they host Polish side Rakow.
Celtic’s new No.1 – “I’m loving every moment of it,” Viljami Sinisalo
Viljami Sinisalo has made a massive impact since taking over from Kasper Schmeichel in Stuttgart where he kept a clean sheet in Celtic’s first ever win on German soil in a competitive match…
A double header at Ibrox with a trip to Pittodrie sandwiched in between has now been negotiated successfully with Celtic restoring some pride against VfB Stuggart, fighting back form 2-0 down to take a crucial point at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership before a hard fought win up at Aberdeen and then that dramatic penalty shoot-out win after a 12 minute statement knocked the Rangers out of the Scottish Cup.
Referee Don Robertson and Viljami Sinisalo after Celtic won the Scottish Cup quarter final on Sunday 8 March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou
Sinsalo very much has established himself in those matches as a fans favourite and a clear Celtic No1. Speaking to Celtic TV as the attention turns to a long overdue home match on Saturday afternoon against Motherwell in the league, Celtic Finnish star admits that he’s loving every moment of it.
“I’m loving every moment of it. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and play, like every footballer does. I spoke with the manager about what he wants from me and what he wants from his goalkeeper in general,” Sinialo said to Celtic TV.
Viljami Sinisalo celebrates.Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou
“Obviously I’m trying to be that by showing my own personality on the pitch and doing the best I can. I think as a group, the four games that we’ve just had, it just shows the character within the changing room.
“A lot of people might write us off, but it just shows that Celtic are not going to go anywhere. We’re going to fight until the very last game and that’s what we’ve done. We’ve come away from them four really difficult away days, all within their own right, difficult in different ways. We took some positive results out of them, so yeah, I’m happy.”
Martin O’Neill, Interim Manager of Celtic acknowledges the fans following his team’s draw in the Scottish Premiership match between Rangers and Celtic at Ibrox on March 01, 2026. (Photo by WM Sport Media/Getty Images)
Asked if his performances have pleased Martin O’Neill, the Celtic keeper certainly hopes that the case, otherwise he might be back as a substitute before he knows it! “Yeah, I assume so, I hope so! I’m trying my best, obviously. It’s a continuous conversation that you always have. I’m trying to be as good as I can for him, to help the team win.
“I’m obviously trying to learn all the time I play. I’m probably my own biggest critic in terms of I’m a perfectionist, I want to be perfect, I want to do things better and better and better.
“It’s just about listening to the staff, him, Woodsy and everyone else and taking it on board and what I can do better in whatever way it is to help the team be successful at the end of the day.”
Super save from Viljami Sinisalo. Scottish Premiership. Wednesday 4th March 2026. Photograph by Vagelis Georgariou
In these four games it was probably the save from Kevin Nisbet up at Pittodrie early in the second half with the game in the balance at 1-1, that stands out for most Celtic supporters, while Liam Scales, speaking as a defender pointed out on Sunday after the game at Ibrox that it’s a huge relief having a keeper coming for cross balls and holding on to it.
On that Pittodie save Sinisalo said: “It’s funny, it’s the work you do every day, there’s so many actions like that that you do in training and you probably don’t see it. Whether it’s from you doing work and stuff and getting that power to be able to make that save.
“It’s the day-to-day work that hopefully allows you to have that moment. If you don’t do the day-to-day work then that moment just for some reason doesn’t happen.
Viljami Sinisalo of Celtic FC looks on during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Knockout Play-off Second Leg match between VfB Stuttgart and Celtic FC at Stuttgart Arena on February 26, 2026 in Stuttgart, Germany. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)
“But yeah, I remember saying after the game, I was just glad to help the team in any way I could. For a club like this it might be that one moment in the game that you’ve got to be there.
“I know that, I understand that, and hopefully I can keep doing that.”
Sinisalo has had to wait for his chance after he completed his move from Aston Villa in the same transfer window as Kasper Schmeichel, who now is set to see out his Celtic contract as a back-up to the 24 year old, 15 years younger than the Great Dane.
“Goalkeeping in general is almost like a sport within sport, there’s no position like it,” Sinisalo noted.
“The responsibility you have and how much you’ve got to be mentally strong to play in that position, especially what the modern game now requires of you, with your feet and commanding your box, which is getting more difficult as the days go because players are getting better and the delivery is getting better.
“It comes from your day-to-day work on the training pitch, to hopefully be in that position to go and help the team in whatever way it is, and that’s what I’ve done for the time I’ve been here and I’ll keep doing it as long as I’m here.”
After four successive away match in three competitions, Sinisalo is relishing the return to action at Celtic Park this weekend. “It’s been a hectic last four games for everyone, a lot of travel, overnight stays in hotels and stuff. So it’s great to get home, especially after such a positive run of four games. We’ve just got to kick on now.
“You’re only as good as the next game, that’s how it goes and we know how big these games are for us. We’ve got nine league games left and hopefully a couple more left in the cup. I’m sure we’ll be fighting right to the very end.”
The full interview with Viljami Sinialo is available now on Celtic TV to subscribers and there’s a shorter version on YouTube which you can watch below.
Falkirk boss John McGlynn says the fan disorder at last week's Old Firm match has set Scottish football back "30 or 40 years".
Celtic fans initially spilled on to the pitch in celebration after a 4-2 win on penalties in the Scottish Cup quarter-final at Ibrox before some Rangers supporters charged towards them.
Flares were thrown as police and stewards formed a barricade to separate the two groups of supporters. Nine people have been arrested in connection with the violent scenes that resulted in injuries to police officers, stewards and members of the public.
McGlynn says he feels it's a sad moment for the Scottish game when there has been so much to enjoy about this season.
"It doesn't paint a very nice picture," he said.
"It's a beautiful game, it's so cold, but there's nothing much beautiful about it.
"The game itself wasn't a great game of football and what happened afterwards, and by all accounts maybe what happened before, and all the rest of it, it's really taken us back maybe 30 or 40 years to Hampden and police horses on pitches and all that type of thing.
"It's sad. I'm football, I bleed football as you know, and it's not nice."
McGlynn hopes when Falkirk meet Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden in a few weeks there are no incidents between fans who have clashed in the past.
"I'm obviously concerned because there's bad blood between Falkirk and Dunfermline," he said.
"I'm just hoping that our game goes along and the football does the talking and there's no nonsense."
The team has already had a handful of NFL Draft top-30 visits, and now they add another wide receiver to the list as well. Already meeting with Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson and Ohio State's Carnell Tate, the Browns now also have a top-30 visit scheduled with the Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon out of USC.
Tyson, Tate, and Lemon are seen as the top consensus wide receivers in the class, so the Browns are doing more than just their due diligence at the position as they hold the No. 6 and No. 24 picks in the NFL Draft.
What Makai Lemon could bring to the Browns
As the Browns look to improve their wide receiver room, what could Lemon bring to the roster?
He is coming off a season where he racked up over 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns on 79 catches for the Trojans' offense. Predominantly a slot receiver at the college level, Lemon likely transitions there at the NFL level as well, but could play a bit of Z as well. Daft on Draft, an NFL Draft analysis site, wrote up a scouting report on the Browns' target as well.
"The football does not hit the ground when Lemon is targeted, even if Lemon is forced to make a super-human play on the football. His route running is flawless; there is no wasted movement in anything that Lemon does on the football field.
And he makes it quite simple to get the ball in his hands in the quick game, too; Lemon is a playmaker who commands manufactured touches. While he doesn’t have burners, he is fluid, creative, and decisive after he transitions from a receiver to a ball carrier."
Will the Browns target the Biletnikoff Award winner? We'll find out in just about 45 days.
Former San Francisco 49ers fifth-rounder Robert Beal is headed to the Miami Dolphins on a one-year deal. The 49ers did not offer Beal a qualifying offer, meaning he does not count toward the compensatory pick formula.
Mike McDaniel signed one of the fastest players in the league, regardless of position, in Keaton Mitchell. The running back joins the Chargers after not being tendered by the Ravens.
The Broncos officially released linebacker Dre Greenlaw with a post-June 1 designation. Greenlaw will be a popular want for fans, but the Niners may have gotten everything they could have out of Greenlaw. His weaknesses might outweigh his strengths after numerous injuries. We will see who signs him and for how much.
If the 49ers are looking to add another veteran wide receiver, options like Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, Christian Kirk, Deebo Samuel, Darnell Mooney, and Dyami Brown are available.
The safeties available are less intriguing. Jaquan Brisker, Andre Cisco, Kyle Dugger, Donovan Wilson, Tony Adams, Harrison Smith, and Geno Stone are out there.
The 49ers could sign some of their own, including Jennings, Spencer Burford, Eric Kendricks, and Luke Gifford.
We’ll have updates on any other signings throughout the day.
The wrongful termination lawsuit former Michigan assistant football coach Chris Partridge brought against the University of Michigan, its Board of Regents and athletic director Warde Manuel in U.S. District Court on Wednesday, sheds some light on an NCAA investigation into the football program and suggests Partridge was collateral damage.
An NCAA investigation into an illegal scouting scheme orchestrated by football staff member Connor Stalions was launched in mid-October 2023. The Big Ten became involved when the NCAA shared some of its findings and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti ultimately suspended then-head coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three regular-season games for a violation of the league’s sportsmanship policy.
Partridge was fired Nov. 17, 2023, and in his termination letter, Manuel said it was because the university had evidence Partridge failed to "abide by the University directive not to discuss an ongoing NCAA investigation with anyone associated with the Michigan Football Program."
Partridge and his lawyers are fighting what they described in the lawsuit as a false narrative that cost him his job. He currently is on the Seattle Seahawks staff and delayed filing while the Seahawks pursued a Super Bowl. He is hopeful this suit clears his name.
“When I got fired and people were saying all this crap about me, like destroying evidence and lying, I never said a word,” Partridge told The Detroit News on Wednesday. “I waited till after the (2023) season even to put that statement out, and then I still never talked, because even after what happened, I just always wanted to do the right thing by the players and the coaches and the team. Why I waited till now, I wasn't going to do this in the middle of the season and take away from that or the Super Bowl run. I decided to put that on hold, wait and then now's the good time to do it.”
Michigan on Wednesday declined comment regarding the lawsuit.
In an effort to challenge Petitti and the Big Ten, Harbaugh and his lawyers prepared for an injunction hearing. Two days before the hearing involving Harbaugh, whose lawyers had been collaborating with the university’s General Counsel and outside counsel to strategize, Petitti, on Nov. 15, 2023, “presented Manuel with uncorroborated, second-hand, inflammatory information and threatened to embarrass Michigan by presenting this information in open court at the injunction hearing,” the lawsuit alleges.
Petitti also suggested to Manuel, according to the suit, that Washtenaw County Circuit Court would deny Michigan's and Harbaugh’s request for an injunction so that he could resume coaching the rest of the regular season after being suspended Nov. 11 for the Penn State game. Harbaugh and the lawyers, unaware of this interaction between Petitti and Manuel, continued to prepare for the injunction hearing.
“At some point on November 15, 2023, Manuel offered to fire Partridge and to dismiss Michigan and Harbaugh’s legal claims against the Big Ten and Petitti,” Partridge’s lawsuit reads. “In exchange, Petitti agreed not to publicly disclose the sensationalized information he had shared with Manuel, to issue a positive public statement about the parties resolving their dispute, and to do nothing further regarding the NCAA’s 'sign-stealing' investigation.”
The next day, in a release, Michigan accepted the Big Ten’s suspension of Harbaugh.
On Nov. 17, Partridge was fired. Manuel met with Partridge and told him he had been informed Partridge advised a player not to be forthright with information involving the NCAA investigation.
“Partridge denied this and tried to correct Manuel,” according to the lawsuit, “but Manuel refused to let him speak.” Manuel did indicate there was no evidence Partridge was involved in Stalions’ sign-stealing scheme.
At least one athletic department employee and one member of the Board of Regents, the suit claims, “falsely” told local and national sportswriters that Partridge had been fired for destroying evidence on Stalions’ computer.
Harbaugh, after learning of Partridge’s firing, wanted in writing to make clear he was not consulted about and was involved in the decision and sent an email to Manuel.
The lawsuit said the damage to Partridge’s reputation in the aftermath of his firming made other coaches “hesitant” to hire him. According to the suit, a Division I head coach was willing to hire Partridge, and the suit alleges Manuel told the other school’s athletic director he should not hire Partridge.
In February 2024, Partridge was hired by Seattle as outside linebackers coach.
Bologna and Roma face off in the first leg of the Europa League Round of 16, a pairing that the draw has put in the path of two teams that could have gone further in the competition.
In a challenging moment for Italian football in European cups, this tricolor derby nonetheless guarantees the presence of an Italian team in the quarter-finals.
🔴 Article constantly being updated: for live text coverage, click on the match card above; to comment, click on the speech bubble at the top right.
ROMA (3-4-1-2): Svilar; Celik, N’Dicka, Ghilardi; Rensch, El Aynaoui, Pisilli, Wesley; Cristante; Zaragoza, Malen
📊 All-Italian Derby: previous encounters for both teams
For the Giallorossi, this is their fourth European encounter against another Italian team: in the past, Roma lost the 1991 final against Inter and faced Fiorentina in the two-legged tie of 2014/15, in addition to their more recent victory over Milan.
For Bologna, however, this is their absolute debut in the Europa League against a fellow Italian side, considering their only previous continental encounter to be the 1998-99 Intertoto Cup semifinal against Sampdoria.
The Phoenix Suns will look to continue their march up the Western Conference standings as they visit the Indiana Pacers tonight.
Indiana has lost 10 straight and shows no signs of turning things around, so I’m taking Phoenix to cover in my Suns vs. Pacers predictions and NBA picks below.
Suns vs Pacers prediction
Suns vs Pacers best bet: Suns -8.5 (-110)
Not only have the Indiana Pacers lost 10 straight games, but they're 0-10 ATS during that streak. Indiana is also dealing with a slew of injuries, with Obi Toppin on a minutes restriction and Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and TJ McConnell all missing time recently.
The Phoenix Suns have won five of their last six and have found some offensive rhythm behind Devin Booker. They’ve always been solid on defense, holding opponents to 111.0 ppg on the year.
I’m taking Phoenix to cover tonight against a Pacers team that looks completely uncompetitive right now.
Suns vs Pacers same-game parlay
Along with taking the Suns to cover, I’m going with two of the better-looking Phoenix props on the board tonight for my SGP. That includes taking Jalen Green to go Over 20.5 points for a fourth straight game, as well as backing Collin Gillespie to grab 5+ boards, something he’s done in four of his last five games.
Suns vs Pacers SGP
Suns -8.5
Jalen Green Over 20.5 points
Collin Gillespie Over 4.5 rebounds
Our "from downtown" SGP: Booker time
Booker has been on fire during Phoenix’s current three-game winning streak. I’m backing him to hit all his major prop totals tonight after he put up a 30-point double-double on Sunday and recorded seven assists and five rebounds on Tuesday against the Bucks.
Suns vs Pacers SGP
Suns -8.5
Devin Booker Over 27.5 points
Devin Booker Over 4.5 rebounds
Devin Booker Over 5.5 assists
Suns vs Pacers odds
Spread: Suns -8.5 | Pacers +8.5
Moneyline: Suns -400 | Pacers +300
Over/Under: Over 224 | Under 224
Suns vs Pacers betting trend to know
The Pacers are 0-10 ATS in their last 10 games overall. Find more NBA betting trends for Suns vs. Pacers.
How to watch Suns vs Pacers
Location
Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Date
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Tip-off
7:00 p.m. ET
TV
KTVK, FDSN-Indiana
Suns vs Pacers latest injuries
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DETROIT -- As the Philadelphia 76ers prepare for a showdown with the East-leading Detroit Pistons on Thursday night, they will be as short-handed as ever as they look to pick up a much-needed win.
The Sixers already knew they'd be without Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Paul George, and Kelly Oubre Jr., but there were two new injury updates after the team had shootaround on Thursday morning.
Adem Bona (back soreness) has been downgraded from questionable to out against the Pistons. The Sixers also added Andre Drummond to the injury report as he is listed as questionable due to back spasms. If Drummond can't go, then the Sixers will be down all three centers against a Detroit team that relies on physicality up front led by All-Star Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart.
2 new injury updates for tonight in Detroit:
OUT: Adem Bona (back soreness)
QUESTIONABLE: Andre Drummond (back spasms) #Sixers
The Sixers are currently the No. 8 seed in the East, but are only a game ahead of the No. 9 seeded Atlanta Hawks. If Philadelphia falls in Detroit while the Hawks take care of business against the Nets, then the Sixers will drop to No. 9 in the play-in tournament.
Tip off from Little Caesars Arena is set for 7 p.m. EDT on Thursday.
NEW DELHI: Rome wasn't built in a day. It is a proverb so weathered by time it often feels like a cliché, yet for the burgeoning cricketing nation of Nepal, it remains a North Star. Writing on his blog, the American author James Clear, famous for his work, "Atomic Habits", takes the adage further: "I think it’s better to remember the other side of this story: Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour."
For Nepal, the latest brick arrived in the form of a bank transfer. The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced that $256,154 would be funnelled into the accounts of the Cricket Association of Nepal from the 2026 T20 World Cup prize pool. While the sum may seem meagre to the giants of the sport, it exceeded the earnings of established associates like Namibia, Canada, and Oman.
"Actually, Rome is just the result; the bricks are the system," Clear further notes. "The system is greater than the goal."
Nepal’s recent campaign was a study in the "Jekyll and Hyde" nature of a rising power. There was the heartbreak of a four-run loss to England on their opening matchday, two back-to-back humblings against Italy and West Indies, and an eye-catching seven-wicket victory over Scotland.
But as the dust settles on their third World Cup appearance, a question still lingers in the air. How does a nation fueled by the world's most passionate fans turn "almost" into "always"?
The Jekyll and Hyde of the global stage
To understand Nepal’s performance, one must look past the scorecard. For Umesh Patwal, the former head coach of Nepal, the tournament was about making a statement that transcends participation.
"I always feel that to make a statement, you have to win a match," Patwal tells TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive conversation. "People only follow the champions. They finished very well in the last game on a very high note, which is a great thing."
However, the "hurdle" remains the final inch. Nepal came within the barest of margins of upsetting South Africa in their 2024 campaign and pushed England to the brink this time.
According to Patwal, the missing ingredient isn't talent, but the clarity of roles in high-pressure moments.
"Sometimes it’s just about knowing who needs to take that extra effort to finish the game," Patwal explains. "They are not sure who is supposed to be the match-winner. Once they start believing, like Sandeep [Lamichhane] is supposed to be the main bowler, and then the batting must follow. If we can get people like Kushal Bhurtel, Dipendra Airee, or Rohit Paudel to start finishing games, that gap will close. They don't have enough match-winners at the higher level yet."
Gyanendra Malla, the former captain and a titan of Nepali cricket, shares this bittersweet sentiment.
"I was expecting a bit more, actually," Malla admits. "After the first match, expectations were very high. We couldn't show our 100% potential in the middle games, but the way we played the first and last match, that is the brand of cricket we want to show the world."
Meanwhile, Nepal's captain Rohit Paudel was, on the one hand, disappointed but he called it a good exposure for his team.
"I think good exposure, good experience playing in this World Cup. We wanted to qualify for the second half, but unfortunately we could not do that. So hopefully next time," he told reporters after Nepal's historic win against Scotland. He added: "It took us 12 years to win a World Cup game. I'll place it higher."
The Nepalese structure: From Districts to Departments
If the "system is greater than the goal", Nepal’s system is a unique, tiered architecture that relies heavily on institutional support. Nepal’s talent pipeline is filtered through provinces and government "departments".
The journey begins at the sub-district level, where local teams compete in regional tournaments. From this grassroots pool, the promising talents are selected for their district teams. These district teams then face off within their respective Provinces. The standout performers from these intra-province clashes are eventually directed into a selection pool, from which the final provincial teams are formed to compete in the Prime Minister (PM) Cup.
The PM Cup is the undisputed crucible of Nepali cricket. It is a ten-team national league featuring seven provincial sides and three "departmental" giants: the Army, the Police, and the Armed Police Force (APF).
These departments act as the unofficial guardians of the sport, providing salaries and stability to players who might otherwise be forced to seek labour abroad.
Those who emerge from the PM Cup are summoned to national training camps, where raw talent is honed, and the final squad for the national team is distilled.
Nevertheless, the current structure is too short. "We need a longer season," Malla insists. "The school cricket and domestic base should be a seasoned culture, not just a 15-day tournament. We need to work on multi-day formats. That is how you build game awareness."
The money gap: passion vs profession
In Nepal, cricket is a religion and its priests are often underpaid. While the top 15 to 20 players under central contract earn a "good enough" living by local standards, the story for the rest of the pyramid is one of sacrifice.
"Most of the players are actually working as police or army, but not full-time," Malla says. "For the top tier, they earn enough to look after their families. But for the district players, they are actually putting their own money in. They are investing in themselves."
This financial precarity often forces players to seek revenue elsewhere, leading to friction with management over "distractions" like social media.
During the World Cup, head coach Stuart Law directed players to reduce their focus on social media. Patwal, however, views this as a survival mechanism.
"Social media is a part of these guys because they don't make any money," Patwal says bluntly. "When I was there for two years, we didn’t get a single penny paid as a salary. In a country like Nepal, the only way for these guys to be seen as heroes and get across is through the media. I’m happy for them if they are making some money through it."
The "champion mindset" Nepal is lacking
What is the next brick? For Patwal, it’s not just about playing more matches; it’s about changing the "environment". He argues that playing against big teams is useless if you don't understand how they think.
"I don't think just playing international matches helps. How long have New Zealand or South Africa been playing? Have they won the World Cup?" Patwal asks. "We have this poor mentality where we think playing makes you a cricketer. You have to be in the culture. My advice is that at least six of these players should be exposed to the IPL or the Big Bash."
Patwal believes that even if players like Rohit Paudel or Dipendra Airee don't make the starting XI in the IPL, "just being with the team, seeing the training part, the eating habits, the sleeping habits, that is a big churn out."
"Even Sanju Samson (Player of the Tournament in T20 World Cup 2026) credited Sachin Tendulkar for his performances," Patwal adds.
"If someone like Samson needs that help, you can understand the struggle for these Nepalese players. They don't have those local heroes to model themselves after, the match-winners who have actually been there and done it."
Malla echoes the sentiments of Patwal and believes Nepal’s geography is its greatest untapped resource.
"We are blessed to have four Test-nation neighbours, but we are not using that as a strength," Malla says. "Playing regularly against India's 'A' or 'B' sides, or even Ranji Trophy teams, would help our boys learn the thinking pattern of the big guys. We need help from the BCCI to grow as a nation and eventually become a Test nation ourselves."
A new identity unfolding
For decades, Nepal’s global identity was tied strictly to its geography, the soaring peaks of the Himalayas and the bravery of the Gurkhas. Today, that identity is shifting.
"Before this, Nepal was renowned only for mountains," Malla says with a smile. "Now, the new identity is cricket. It is uniting all the people, even through our sorrows. It’s the next big thing for our country."
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The bricks are being laid, hour by hour.
The prize money from the ICC will likely go toward the "bricks" of better nets and local travel, but the "Rome" of Nepal cricket, a Test-playing nation with a world-beating finish, requires something more.
"They have the skill," Patwal concludes. "They were the best runners between wickets, the best fielding side. They just need to sit among champions. Once they do, the finishing will come."
Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning during game five of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at T-Mobile Park. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
After reviewing the LABR AL auction results and setting up my 2026 highlighted cheat sheet, I sense offensive weakness depth. As a result, my pricing came out as $174 per team, with $86 invested for each roster on the pitching side.
AL Fantasy Baseball Foundational Hitters
The American League auction has nine foundation bats, two aces, and one elite closer based on my pricing and outlook. Here's a look at those players:
OF Aaron Judge ($49)
SS Bobby Witt ($47)
3B Jose Ramirez ($42)
OF Julio Rodriguez ($39)
C Cal Raleigh ($35)
SS Gunnar Henderson ($35)
1B Nick Kurtz ($33)
3B Junior Caminero ($33)
1B Pete Alonso ($32)
I have 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($33) rated higher than Pete Alonso, but I would rather have the higher ceiling power bat, and I like the Orioles' starting lineup better than the Blue Jays.
AL Fantasy Baseball Stud Pitchers to Target
Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Crochet (35) throws a pitch in the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at JetBlue Park at Fenway South. | Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
SP Tarik Skubal ($39)
SP Garrett Crochet ($35)
In my NFBC non-trading AL-only league, I would expect both of these stud arms to go higher than in LABR. There are 13 other pitchers expected to draw bids of $20 or more, forcing each game manager to pay up for at least one starting pitcher.
AL Fantasy Baseball Top Closers to Target in Auctions
CL Cade Smith ($26)
My price for Smith was set by the AL LABR results and supported by the quest for closers early in drafts in the NFBC in 2026. I have Andres Munoz ($23), David Bednar ($22), and Aroldis Chapman ($22), a step below due to expecting Smith to approach 70 appearances and make a run at over 100 strikeouts. Also, the Guardians' closer produced over 40 saves per season from 2022 to 2024 (42, 44, and 47), and Emmanuel Clase was on a high pace (37) last year before his suspension.
American League Fantasy Baseball Breakout Hitters
I listed only three hitters in the breakout category.
OF Roman Anthony ($27)
OF Jac Caglianone ($17)
3B Miguel Vargas ($15)
Boston Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony (19) celebrates after hitting a single during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images
Anthony is fully priced, so he must add more speed or produce a .300/100/30/100 season to become an elite bat in 2026. Most of the fantasy market understands the ceiling of Caglianone, but he still has plenty of value priced in his ADP and auction value. Next draft season, I could see him drafted in the first three rounds, so giddy up if interested. As far as Vargas, I could be on an island with him. I view him as an overlooked asset who will be much better in 2026. His for-sale sign is favorable in all formats.
American League Fantasy Baseball Deep Sleepers
I like the pricing and ceiling of Trey Yesavage ($13). The Blue Jays have hinted that his innings could be limited out of the gate, and they added another Max Scherzer this winter, giving Toronto seven starting pitching options if/when Shane Bieber returns.
I don't have Carlos Lagrange projected, but I will upgrade him this weekend. His big arm and direction put him in the deep flier zone in single league formats, so I'm paying close attention to his role and direction over the next couple of weeks.
2026 Fantasy Baseball AL-Only Auction Values & Cheat Sheet
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will start their IPL 2026 season on March 28 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
SRH has reached the IPL final three times — in 2016, 2018, and 2024 — and won the title once, in 2016. The team will aim for another strong season and hope to lift the trophy again.
The BCCI has announced that the first phase of IPL 2026 will run from March 28 to April 12. The full schedule will be shared after election dates are confirmed. 20 matches will be played across 10 cities, including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad.
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - FEBRUARY 23: Connelly Early (71) of the Boston Red Sox looks on during a spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays on February 23, 2026 at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Is it on TV?
Yes, thank Pedro. In a week when there has barely been any televised Red Sox baseball, this one is on NESN at 1:05 PM. That’s especially fortuitous since there’s no World Baseball Classic action today.
What’s the lineup?
What should we watch for?
It’s all about Connelly Early today. With exactly two weeks until Opening Day, this will be one of his final chances to force himself into the Red Sox rotation.
Reece James makes huge claim about Chelsea – PSG which most fans won’t agree with
Reece James has spoken to Chelsea website about his team’s capitulation last night, and has tried to insist it’s not over yet.
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Reece James came out and spoke after last night’s heavy defeat, trying to give fans hope that his team could come back into this game in the second leg.
“We need to put this one behind us and look forward now. We need to react, the game didn’t go our way here but it’s only half-time. There’s lots to learn from this game, we know we’ve made it super difficult for ourselves for the second leg but the game is not done, far from it,” the captain said in quotes on the club’s official website.
“This is a Champions League tie, the best competition at club level, over two legs and we need to reset and go again. I’ll say it again to everyone but especially the Chelsea fans. The game is not finished, it’s only half-time. And we will give our all in the second leg.”
Chelsea still have hope claims Reece James
The problem isn’t just that Chelsea are three goals down against a really good team – and that is enough of a problem on its own.
The issue is that the reason they’re three goals down is because they showed more ill-discipline and immaturity. That’s the deeper cause, and the real reason this team isn’t likely to win a major trophy this year.
In other news…
Some Chelsea players managed to rack up some pretty impressive stats in the game despite the defeat, and we picked out some of them here.
Liam Rosenior’s decision to use Filip Jorgensen ended up being a disaster, let’s face it. The Standard wrote about it here.
Check out the latest edition of Simon Phillips’ SPTC podcast here:
Alysa Liu, a UCLA Bruin and Olympic gold medalist, will be traveling across the United States as part of the Stars on Ice tour, which includes a stop in Southern California.
Liu, who retired from the sport and came back more than a year ago, was a child prodigy who suffered from burnout and the high standards of ice skating.
Since returning — this time on her own — she has been on one of the greatest runs in ice skating history, taking home two gold medals in Milano Cortina last month — becoming the first American to do so in more than 20 years.
Now, weeks removed from her moment in the Olympics, Liu will be at the Honda Center on May 16 for the Stars on Ice Event.
Feb 19, 2026; Milan, Italy; Alysa Liu of the United States celebrates with the gold medal in the women’s free skate during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
The news comes after she announced her absence from the World Figure Skating Championships in Prague.
She won the title in 2025, though Liu will pass on it for the tour.
“Hellooo as some of y’all already know, I withdrew from Worlds,” Liu posted on social media.
“There’s been a lot of exciting things happening since my return from Milan, so I’m taking some time for that. I will be cheering everyone on from afar. See yall next season!!”
Madison Chock and Evan Bates, who won the silver medal in the ice dancing competition, will also be in attendance for the event in Anaheim.
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA - MARCH 10: Jesús Luzardo #44 of the Philadelphia Phillies speaks with reporters about his five-year, $135M contract extension before a spring training game against the New York Yankees at BayCare Ballpark on March 10, 2026 in Clearwater, Florida. (Photo by Mark Taylor/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Masked men have interfered in The Vision's matches over the last few weeks, which Logan Paul isn't happy about, as he has asked WWE referees and management to do a better job of keeping them away.
At Elimination Chamber, one masked man was caught by Adam Pearce, who turned out to be an unidentified man. But the second one was a known face, that of Seth Rollins, who cost Logan Paul the men's Elimination Chamber match as Rollins stomped him. While speaking on his "Impaulsive" podcast, Paul aired his frustration about these unknown figures.
"Also, I actually am a bit kind of like fed up with just the organization at the moment because I feel like we know the masked men are just running around, right? And no one's stopping them. The referees aren't doing anything. The executives aren't doing anything," said Paul. "I'm on fire in the Chamber. I have three eliminations. I'm going to win. It's clear I have two guys left. One of which I've beaten before and the one I got really close. And then Seth Rollins comes in like ... [tells WWE] 'Bro, get ... Secure the perimeter.'"
One of the masked men was Austin Theory, who eventually joined The Vision, but the others were some unknown names. The masked men once again took over "WWE Raw" this past week, and one of the men behind the mask was Seth Rollins, who had used that get-up when he interfered at Elimination Chamber. It remains to be seen if WWE has more masked men appear on its shows, and perhaps one (or two) of them could be some known names who could be The Vision's opponents at WrestleMania.
Crystal Palace Starting XI vs AEK Larnaca: Confirmed Team News and Predicted Lineup
Crystal Palace Predicted Lineup vs AEK Larnaca for Conference League Tie
Crystal Palace return to Selhurst Park on Thursday evening carrying both momentum and memory. The club’s European journey continues with the visit of AEK Larnaca in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League last 16 tie, a fixture that offers Oliver Glasner’s side both opportunity and unfinished business.
Photo IMAGO
Palace lost 1-0 to the Cypriot club earlier in the competition, a result that still lingers around this tie. The latest Crystal Palace predicted lineup reflects a team intent on responding.
Recent domestic form has also sharpened the mood in south London. A convincing 3-1 victory away at Tottenham Hotspur lifted Palace ten points clear of the relegation zone and provided a reminder of the attacking cohesion within Glasner’s squad.
European Journey Continues at Selhurst Park
For Palace supporters, this campaign has carried a sense of novelty. The club’s first experience of a major European competition has brought unfamiliar challenges and moments of excitement.
The group stage demanded resilience. Palace finished tenth in the 36 team table, navigating a format that required patience as well as consistency.
Progress to the last 16 was secured through the knockout round play offs. After a 1-1 draw away at Zrinjski Mostar, Palace settled the tie convincingly in south London. Goals from Maxence Lacroix and Evann Guessand delivered a 2-0 victory that sealed qualification.
Photo IMAGO
Home form has been particularly encouraging. Palace have won three of their five Conference League matches at Selhurst Park this season, an indication of how comfortable the team has become in European surroundings.
Larnaca Defensive Strength Presents Challenge
AEK Larnaca arrive in London with a reputation built on defensive resilience. They remain unbeaten in this season’s Europa Conference League and boast the strongest defensive record in the competition.
Across the league phase they conceded only once and kept five clean sheets. That solidity will inevitably influence the approach of the Crystal Palace predicted lineup.
Larnaca have already demonstrated their ability to frustrate Palace. Their 1-0 win earlier in the competition came during the Eagles’ first European match at Selhurst Park, a result that served as a harsh lesson in continental efficiency.
For Glasner’s side, patience and composure may prove just as important as attacking quality.
Crystal Palace Predicted Lineup and Team News
Team selection for the first leg reflects both encouraging returns and a few unavoidable absences.
Maxence Lacroix is available again after serving a one match suspension. His presence strengthens a defence that has grown increasingly settled during recent weeks.
Photo: IMAGO
Jeff Lerma is also fit after recovering from a short injury spell, providing additional depth in midfield.
Photo IMAGO
Jean Philippe Mateta has returned to training following a knee injury and will feature in the matchday squad. Glasner has confirmed, however, that the striker is not ready to complete a full match.
Photo IMAGO
One defensive change is expected on the right side. Daniel Munoz suffered a shoulder injury during the weekend win over Tottenham and will miss the tie.
Photo IMAGO
Nathaniel Clyne is set to step in at right wing back. Glasner has described the experienced defender as a “great player”, an endorsement that suggests confidence in his ability to handle the occasion.
Taking these factors into account, the Crystal Palace predicted lineup points toward a familiar shape.
Crystal Palace predicted XI (3-4-2-1):Dean Henderson, Chris Richards, Maxence Lacroix, Chadi Riad, Nathaniel Clyne, Adam Wharton, Daichi Kamada, Tyrick Mitchell, Ismaila Sarr, Evann Guessand, Jorgen Strand Larsen.
Palace approach the tie aware of the challenge ahead, yet equally aware of the opportunity. A strong performance in the first leg could place the Eagles within touching distance of the Europa Conference League quarter finals.
Boost for Arsenal as their target is unhappy at Newcastle United
Arsenal have reportedly received a boost in their pursuit of Anthony Gordon as speculation continues to link the Newcastle United attacker with a possible move at the end of the season.
Gordon has established himself as one of Newcastle’s most influential players and continues to demonstrate why he is regarded as one of the most exciting talents in English football. His performances in domestic competitions and the Champions League have further enhanced his reputation, particularly as he has shown an ability to perform well against top-level opponents.
The winger’s pace, direct style, and attacking threat have made him a key figure for Newcastle. Because of his importance to the squad, the club have previously been reluctant to entertain offers for the player.
Newcastle Reluctant to Sell Key Player
Newcastle United are known for being protective of its leading stars, and convincing them to part with a major player is rarely straightforward. In the past, Arsenal have struggled to persuade the Magpies to sell important members of their squad.
Despite that history, Arsenal remain keen to bring Gordon to the Emirates Stadium. The club are believed to see him as a player capable of strengthening their attacking options and adding further quality to the squad.
Interest in Gordon is not limited to Arsenal. Several other clubs are monitoring his situation, including Liverpool, which could lead to strong competition if he becomes available on the transfer market.
Transfer Speculation Ahead of Summer Window
With multiple teams reportedly interested, any potential transfer is unlikely to be inexpensive. Newcastle would be expected to demand a significant fee for a player who has become central to their plans.
However, recent developments could influence the situation. According to Football Insider, Gordon is now believed to be unhappy at Newcastle, raising the possibility that he may consider seeking a move during the summer transfer window.
If that proves to be the case, Arsenal could attempt to take advantage of the situation as they look to strengthen their squad ahead of the next campaign.
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“Onions!” Bill Raftery, the legendary sportscaster who has become closely aligned with college basketball and whose signature catchphrase makes use of the aforementioned root vegetable, has signed with CAA for representation.
Raftery has called college basketball for CBS’ college sports coverage for years, holding forth with James Brown, Sean McDonough, Verne Lundquist, Jim Nantz, Grant Hill and Ian Eagle. He will be in place in 2026 as Paramount Skydance’s CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT and TBS air the various games of the coming March Madness tournament.
Raftery had previously been represented by RLR Associates.
Raftery, a four-time Sports Emmy winner, is also know for his many years of work as Fox Sports’ lead college basketball analyst. He also served as lead analyst for the Nets for 20 years, and began calling games for the team in 1982.
Raftery is a 2017 inductee into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame and a recipient of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame’s Curt Gowdy Media Award.
As a player, Raftery was drafted by the New York Knicks, and had a 16-year collegiate coaching career at Seton Hall and Fairleigh Dickinson.
He began his broadcasting career as co-host of ESPN’s “College Hoops Tonight” in 1980.
Raftery was the subject of “With A Kiss,” a 2016 documentary about his first time calling the FInal Four at age 71, which was produced by his son Billy and Raftery’s broadcasting partner, Grant Hill. The documentary debuted in 2016. Raftery’s daughter, Kelli, is also in the media business, working as vice president of global communications for Roku.
The Dallas Cowboys may have played an indirect role in Maxx Crosby’s failed trade to the Baltimore Ravens after a key medical review reportedly influenced the decision to cancel the deal.
The Las Vegas Raiders pass rusher appeared close to joining Baltimore before the trade collapsed during the medical evaluation process.
New details have now emerged explaining how a doctor connected to the Cowboys became involved in the review of Crosby’s scans.
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Adam Schefter reveals the Cowboys doctor’s role in Maxx Crosby Ravens trade collapse
Adam Schefter explained how the medical evaluation unfolded after the Ravens moved toward acquiring Maxx Crosby, with his comments shared online in a clip circulating on X that detailed why Baltimore ultimately reconsidered the deal.
According to Schefter, several specialists reviewed Crosby’s medical information before the Ravens made their final decision.
“My understanding is that there were multiple doctors that reviewed his MRI scans,” Shefter said. “There were doctors that examined him, including Dr. Daniel Cooper, the Dallas Cowboys doctor that performed surgery on Patrick Mahomes and Malik Nabers … many teams & players rely on Dr. Cooper’s expertise.”
The involvement of Cooper drew attention because he is widely respected across the NFL for his work with high-profile players and organizations.
Teams often seek multiple independent medical opinions during major trades involving star players, particularly when long-term health could affect a franchise-changing move. In Crosby’s case, the Ravens reportedly reviewed the scans extensively before reaching a final decision.
Maxx Crosby trade speculation grows after Cowboys doctor review
Schefter also explained that Cooper’s medical evaluation played a direct role in Baltimore’s final decision to step away from the deal.
“Dr. Cooper was one of the doctors that reviewed the images where the Ravens then felt compelled to back out of this trade,” Crosby stated.
Because Cooper is the Dallas Cowboys’ team doctor, some speculation quickly appeared online about whether the Cowboys themselves had any interest in Crosby or whether the review could somehow influence a future move.
However, there is no confirmed report that Dallas was actively pursuing a trade for Crosby at the time the Ravens deal collapsed.
Medical reviews involving independent specialists are common across the NFL, and teams frequently consult respected doctors who are affiliated with other organizations.
While the Cowboys connection sparked discussion among fans, the key point remains that the Ravens ultimately backed out after reviewing Crosby’s medical information during the trade process.
Anez Cooper #73 of the Miami Hurricanes fits into the Rams run schemes. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
With solid roster upgrade moves, Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead has positioned the team to be very flexible in next month’s NFL Draft. In conjunction Earlier this week, the NFL announced the compensatory picks for the upcoming NFL Draft. The Los Angeles Rams official slate is Rd1-#13, Rd2-#61, Rd3-#93, Rd6-#207, Rd7-#231, Rd7-#251, Rd7-#252.
With no glaring weaknesses, L.A. can realistically use those first three early picks to move on the best player available within the Top 100, no matter the position. But what of the late round picks? In keeping with past history, the Rams have a bevy of Day 3 picks.
There are a handful of guard prospects that deserve looking at. While the Rams return starters Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila, both are free agents next offseason and the backups appear to be just that. Here are six candidates that fit into the Rams current mold, over 325 lb. and big wingspans.
Consensus three-star recruit, comes out as a true junior. Dropped 55 lb., down from 405, before joining the Hurricanes and earned a starting role at guard as a true freshman. In three seasons, he played in 36 games with 30 starts. Played in college around 350 lb. and weighed in at 334 for the NFL Combine.
Even though quite tall, Cooper has a blocky, compact frame with a low-set center of balance. Nice feet and move skills for a big man. His field drills at the NFL Combine showed strong balance, agility, and change of direction. Smooth and fluid when getting to second level off combo’s, pulling, and getting out on screens, although not a great striker in space. Versus the run, did a lot of both reach blocking and 1on1 drive, proving adept at both. Doesn’t get enough consistent knee bend and plays high too often, so he doesn’t show jolting power, but does stay attached and keeps feet moving to drive defenders. Definitely a finisher, playing through the whistle. In pass protection, Does a pretty good job of using his length, but could use polish on accuracy and it would help him latch on inside to control rushers. Better as an first-move attacker than sitting back and waiting on pass rush, but quickly gets into set position with a wide base.
I like this prospect, there’s grooming to be done and with all that weight loss, play strength to be increased. But he’s young, nifty for big man, and has the reputation to work on what coaches want. Grade him late Round 4 and most outlets rate him later, I say “good value” if he falls to Round 6 or 7.
I have not watched Miami (FL) RG 73 Anez Cooper in-depth but he absolutely demolished this safety. My goodness! pic.twitter.com/SQfAsKqK7W
Three-star recruit from the 2020 class. Wright was moved to the defensive line as a freshman and lost 2021 to a knee injury. After bouncing back and fort between the offensive and defensive lines, he settled in at guard. Started every game game in his final two years, 24 straight. Named to the Senior Bowl.
Phone booth mauler. A strong run blocker who’s best grinding downhill. Wright has the nasty edge and finishes opponents to the ground. Drive power to clear out holes and shows real knockdown power in his punch. He uses a combination strike/judo throw to cast defenders aside. He’s heavy-footed, but gets to the second level off double teams, can get around the corner on pulls, and hustles downfield on screens. He lacks plus quickness, lateral agility and change of direction which hinders recovery/re-direct abilities. In the four games I watched, he was able in pass protection, but didn’t use that powerful punch to advantage enough. Too often high and outside of opposing chest plates. He doesn’t latch on to control rushers, allowing them into his chest and leading to hug/lobster blocks.
He’s only been a full-time offensive lineman for three seasons, so he’s a developmental project. Has the physical traits and aggressive demeanor pro teams look for. His technique is not bad, but his future depends on how quickly he grasps striking inside and clamping on. He has the requisite length and upper body strength, so repetition and consistency must be instilled. I grade Wright late Round 5/early Round 6, he offers a fairly high ceiling with grooming.
Highly touted recruit, received four and five star rankings from top outlets. Turns 23 in August. No matter your pedigree, unless you stand out on Day 1, at Georgia, you wait your turn. After a redshirt in 2021, Morris saw a lot of special teams and rotational work. Finally getting some starts in 2024. All told, he played in 56 games with 19 starts. Academic star.
Morris has a lot of plus traits, a nice package of size, strength, and athleticism. Shows good get-off, move skills and light feet when pulling, getting to second level, and out on screens, but is just okay when striking in space. While he shows hints of being a real terror in the power game, he constantly plays too high and stops his feet at contact, not creating the leverage to drive defenders off the line of scrimmage. He appears content to seal off opponents, but does have the upper body strength to torque them. In pass protection, Morris sets a wide base and can really drop anchor. Although his punch is powerful and he has the strong hands to latch on, landing strikes are inconsistent and can end outside on the shoulders. Doesn’t appear to have that look-for-work instinct.
Even with prototypical size, strength, and athleticism. I grade Morris as late Round 6 prospect. While there are flashes of brilliance, his film doesn’t show the year-to-year improvement track of many other candidates and at times, too often, his effort looks lackadaisical. While he tested well at the NFL Combine, it doesn’t seem outstanding enough to bump him up.
Micah Morris (6’5 346) Georgia
+ Thick frame and heavy hands + Upper body strength + Versatility with snaps logged at both guard spots and left tackle + 99.4% pass blocking efficiency throughout his career + 83.7 pass block grade in 2025 + Sturdy and consistent anchor + Just 4… pic.twitter.com/saQs84HQjy
Three-star recruit, turns 24 in December. Originally set to attend Auburn, but de-committed and signed with the arch-rival Crimson Tide. After a redshirt year, he went on to start 24 of 36 games over four seasons.
A power-based bruiser with the light feet and move skills to fit into any blocking scheme. Roberts shows flashes of being a dominant interior lineman, but a lack of mechanics has not yet been fully rectified. His film is littered with knock downs, pancakes, and blowing up opponents, but shows just as many gaffes. While he is a good linear athlete, stiffness and limited flexibility shows up in his short area agility and reaction moves. As a run blocker, Roberts squares up opponents and has good get-off, when he gets his hands on defenders, he has the upper body strength to torque them out of the hole and off their feet, as well as the lower body strength to drive them off the line. He often sticks to blocks and drives defensive linemen backwards five yards to the ground. Pass blocking is a work in progress, appears to be a bit slow in reacting to penetrating rushers and his footwork is clunky when trying to mirror them. Stiffness shows when trying to recover. His punch needs accuracy work, often allowing defenders access to his chest. When properly squared up, he does set a solid anchor to repel bullrushes.
Can NFL coaching harness Roberts’ power? A bona fide physical specimen, named to the Feldman’s Freaks List with 18% body fat and a long list of impressive weight room numbers. Minor injuries have slowed him down and he’s been studying yoga in pre-draft workouts to enhance flexibility and improve upon stiffness. I grade Roberts into mid-Round 6, with high ceiling potential, if he can get his technical basics up to par.
Jaeden Roberts (6’5 335) Alabama
+ Well built frame + Feldman Freak List with a reported 525 lb. bench press, squatted 805 lbs, power cleaned 415, and hit over 19 mph on the GPS + Grip strength + Work ethic + Arm length (near 34”) + 87.5 pass block grade in 2025 + Connecting… pic.twitter.com/uDXG3MO8O7
25 year-old former four-star recruit. Not only a high school football star, Braun played tennis and was a state tournament participant. Had a well-traveled SEC college career, 63 games. He not only played, but logged 43 starts, seven at Florida and 12 at Arkansas before settling at Kentucky with 24 consecutive starts to close out his career.
Massive prospect who doesn’t play up to his size. He’s built more like a tackle than guard with those long arms. His play style is more nail than hammer as he appears to catch and control defenders rather than drive them out. In pass protection, his strong suit, Braun does a very good job of leveraging his length and grip strength to control opponents. He shows the experience to be patient before shooting his arms to strike and it’s generally accurate and jolting, followed by clamping on. He also uses a very good long arm move to keep pass rushers at bay. Against the run, he’s not a power guy, appears to be content to tie up and seal off. He plays a little high and can’t generate the leverage to dominate the line of scrimmage. He’s nimble and moves well when pulling, off combo’s to the second level, and to reach/seal.
Likely to be drafted on his physical and athletic traits. Braun has been effective for three different SEC teams, but is he physical enough to handle bigger, longer pros? More play strength would certainly help. He’s a good pass blocker and honestly, looks pretty in duo and inside zone blocking schemes. I have him right on the cusp of a draftable grade, Round 7. At the East-West Shrine Bowl, saw reps at both center and tackle.
With Warren McClendon sticking at RT, the Rams lack depth on the OL with OT/iOL versatility.
Kentucky's Joshua Braun played at both guard spots and kicked out to tackle. Certainly a player to watch. Best reps came inside imo. pic.twitter.com/wqxAc5LmTJ
Four-star recruit turns 23 in August. After a redshirt year, El Hadi waited his turn, toiling on special teams. He took over as a starter for his final two seasons. Overall, he started 25 of 52 games. An ankle injury limited his senior year.
As of now, best suited for a zone offense. Shows good move skills and nifty feet. Did a lot of pulling at Michigan and was adept at both leading around the edge or reaching/sealing it off. Smoothly gets to second level. He hits accurately on the move. Pass protects with a wide base and good knee bend. His drive strength does not match his grip strength, which is stellar. El-Hadi felt he was pushed around too much in 2024 and put on 25 lb. for 2025. It put more sand into his pants, but he really needs pro strength/conditioning to help turn the weight gain into power. While his arm length is adequate, it is imperative that he strikes first and clamps on
El-Hadi projects as an undrafted free agent, but moves well and shows technical prowess. Not a finesse player, he’s certainly willing to mix it up. Even with the additional weight, his need to upgrade his play strength shows clearly. Let’s grade him as a camp body, with enough positives to compete for a practice squad berth and re-evaluate him in Year 2.
Giovanni El-Hadi is a balanced, flexible, and reliable offensive guard prospect with 51 games of experience throughout his @UMichFootball career@giovanni_hadi63 is a wide based knee bender who can grapple, sustain, and finish with great use of angles and body control https://t.co/xpmT4FddaQpic.twitter.com/jWVRK67qxC
While the Rams offensive line room is already interior heavy, none of the backups match girth with the starters. While size is not the be-all-end-all, there’s a certain amount of logic in having reserves that mirror the size and traits of the first unit.
Afraid that none of this group offers serious positional versatility at this stage, although all six have taken some reps on both sides of the pivot. No small-school sleepers here, all have shown well against top college competition. While there’s a developmental aspect to all of them, each fits into a downhill run game like the Rams use, even the ones that need a little more sand. They were all good college players with potential reward for low risk. What more can you ask for a late round dart throw?
Nickal: “I was fortunate to be able to compete on the first RAF card last August. It’s pretty crazy to see how far the organization has come since then. They’re doing amazing stuff, making great matchups. You know, they threw your name out to me, so we can make it happen. I heard you were wanting to get back to your roots.”
Usman: “Oh, word?“
Cejudo: “Kamaru’s too expensive, Bo.”
Nickal: “Hey, I don’t know. They got some serious funding now. They got some deals going. That would be great for the fans. They would enjoy it.”
Usman: “Okay, maybe I need … maybe it’s a phone call. I need to make a phone call.”
Colin Dorgan's perseverance might turn into one of the best sports stories in 2026.
Nearly a month after losing three family members in a mass shooting at a Rhode Island rink last month, Dorgan got to play hero for Blackstone Valley on Wednesday, March 11, at Schneider Arena in Rhode Island.
He was wearing a patch on his sweater with the initials of his fallen mother, brother and grandfather. His grandmother and a family friend were also shot and in critical condition after the shooting.
What a moment. Colin Dorgan, wearing a patch on his chest with the initials of his mom, brother and grandfather, scores the game-winning goal in double overtime, sending his team to the championship. @KaylaFishTV@coreywelch
“It’s absolutely surreal what’s been happening,” Dorgan said. “I really love my boys, my team and I think we’re really bonding together. And I think now, out of all times, is a perfect time to just bear down together and push through. And I think these goals aren’t coming just for myself. I got to get the pass before I could shoot the puck. I think it’s really a team effort, and I think we’re all there for each other truly.”
On Feb. 16, during Blackstone Valley's senior day game, a shooter — identified as Robert Dorgan, the father of Colin — opened fire on spectators at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
Officials determined that the shooter was aiming specifically for family members, while two others were critically injured. The shooter died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Division II final match against Lincoln is scheduled for March 18 at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence.
“It’s all love, absolute love,” Dorgan said. “It’s my senior year, it’s my last year of hockey and it’s really bringing me back through all my years. This is my last year, I got to show out for it."
The Patriots addressed their receiver need by signing Romeo Doubs in free agency, but that doesn't mean they're done adding to their wideout room.
In fact, according to NFL Media's Cameron Wolfe, the Doubs signing won't end New England's rumored pursuit of a trade for Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown.
"I’m told the move doesn’t end their interest in trading A.J. Brown," Wolfe said in an X post. "Need just isn’t as dire now & cap dynamics change in June."
Patriots landed WR Romeo Doubs as a younger, ascending potential replacement for Stefon Diggs.
I’m told the move doesn’t end their interest in trading A.J. Brown. Need just isn’t as dire now & cap dynamics change in June.
Brown obviously would be a huge get for the Patriots.
He remains one of the NFL's best receivers despite having a lengthy injury history. Brown's mercurial personality is somewhat concerning, but it's fair to assume that head coach Mike Vrabel knows how to handle him, given their time together with the Tennessee Titans.
In 15 games last season, Brown posted seven catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns. He eclipsed 1,000 yards in six of his first seven NFL campaigns.
Mar 11, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Jake West (3) defends against Indiana Hoosiers guard Tayton Conerway (6) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
The ‘Cats are still dancing.
With its season hanging in the balance, Northwestern decided it wasn’t ready to go home just yet, taking down the Hoosiers 74-61 to advance to the third round of the Big Ten Tournament. The ‘Cats entered the game as 6.5-point underdogs (per Draft Kings) against an Indiana team that needed a win to safely secure its spot in the NCAA Tournament. However, Chris Collins and the ’Cats had other ideas, riding a dominant 38-24 second half to their seventh straight win over Indiana.
Here are three takeaways from Northwestern’s upset win at United Center.
Nick Martinelli isn’t ready to say goodbye to Northwestern
After winning the Big Ten scoring title in the 2024-25 season, Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli thought that it might be time to retire his purple threads. Following the ‘Cats’ 70-63 loss to Wisconsin on March 13, the news quickly broke that the Glenview, Illinois native would test the NBA draft waters in the offseason and strongly consider taking his talents to the next level. For 76 long days, Northwestern faithful held its breath, unsure whether its superstar forward would return to Evanston for one more year.
Now, ‘Cats fans can be sure that Martinelli does not want to leave.
Since February 18, Martinelli has put this Northwestern team on his back, leading it to an impressive 5-2 record over its last seven games. The senior sensation has averaged 26.0 points and 5.6 rebounds per game during this stretch, heeding the call time after time in each games’ biggest moments.
Once again, on Wednesday night against Indiana, Martinelli was summoned to action. He started a bit slow, getting to the charity stripe just once and scoring just nine points in the first half. But, with the ‘Cats down one at the break, it was clear that they had a legitimate chance to win this game. That’s when Nicky Buckets once again became a “superhero.” Martinelli outscored Indiana 10-7 by himself in the first seven minutes of the second half, en route to a tally of 19 points in the second half on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 shooting from the free-throw line. He finished with 28 points and four rebounds, leading Northwestern in scoring for an eighth-straight game.
“When you come in the locker room, and this could be your last 20 minutes for this jersey… you just can’t let that slip. And we let it slip too much this year,” said Martinelli in the postgame presser.
It has been an up and down year in Evanston. Just under a month ago, Martinelli scored just 11 points in the ‘Cats’ 19-point loss to Nebraska, which punctuated a five-game losing streak that also included double-digit losses to Michigan, Illinois and Washington. It would have been easy for the ‘Cats to limp to the finish line and bow out early in the Big Ten tournament. Instead, Martinelli has decided he’s not yet ready to pull of his purple threads for a final time. Whether or not Northwestern beats Purdue on Thursday night, ‘Cats fans should always remember Martinelli’s long goodbye.
For the first time all year, Northwestern has been able to play consistent team defense. After the Hoosiers came out hot in the first frame, the ‘Cats dug in their heels coming out of the break. In the second half, Northwestern put together the best thirty minutes of defense its played all season long, holding Indiana to 25% (5-for-20) shooting from the field, while winning the rebound battle 17-15 despite being without the 6-foot-11 Arrinten Page.
Northwestern’s defense has been gradually gaining momentum since mid-February. After allowing an average of 77.3 points during its 2-10 start to 2026, the ‘Cats have limited their opponents to just 66.9 points during its 5-2 stretch starting with the Maryland game on February 18.
Chris Collins finally has his boys much more aggressively pressuring the ball, with quick help side defense ready to crash the paint and cut off any dribble drives. Even when Northwestern’s guards have beat off the bounce, the ‘Cats have rotated well enough to force tough shots in the paint. These days, to have offensive success against the Wildcats, you have to shoot the three ball well. Northwestern surrendered 11 threes in its 68-49 loss to Nebraska and nine threes to Purdue on Senior Night at Welsh-Ryan. If wanted, these perimeter looks are there for team good three-point shooting teams. However, these defensive priorities have worked for Collins’ squad against less sparky teams like Indiana, who has shot a total of 35.5% from three in its two recent losses to the ‘Cats — not bad, but not good enough.
Watch the video linked above. Just look at these boys pressure the ball! Jayden Reid and Tyler Kropp’s aggressive on-ball activity kept the Hoosiers far behind the three-point line the entire possession, as the Hoosiers could not find any space to get to the basket. Then, once Indiana’s Jasai Miles finally was able to penetrate the paint, Kropp and Mullins were there to help. Miles then tries to kick it out to Nick Dorn, but Mullins times his recovery perfectly, getting in the passing lane to prevent an open three-point shot.
According to BartTorvik.com, Northwestern’s performance against Indiana was its best defensive game of its recent winning bout. The ‘Cats achieved a 94.0 defensive rating against the Hoosiers, just its sixth best mark of the season, but its second best grade against a Power Four opponent. TEAM DEFENSE from the ‘Cats!!
Speed has been key
For much of the season, the ‘Cats lacked speed on the floor. It was most clear, perhaps, in two instances.
On January 17, Northwestern fell 77-58 to Nebraska at Welsh-Ryan. Nebraska played a fast-pace offensive style, pushing the ball in transition, whipping the ball around the perimeter and consistently burning the ‘Cats off-the-dribble. The Cornhuskers found open looks all night long, scoring 28 points in the paint and draining 11 three-pointers.
On February 8, Bennett Stirtz burned Northwestern for 36-points. The ‘Cats simply had no answer for one of the best guards in the country. Stirtz was consistently able to win one-on-one on the perimeter, and Collins’ squad couldn’t rotate fast enough to stop Stirtz in the paint on the backside.
Throughout the season, part of Northwestern’s problem may have been that it wasn’t utilizing its athleticism. In a vacuum, Reid and West — and Reid especially — aren’t known for being standout one-on-one defenders. Per BartTorvik.com, West ranks fourth on the team with a 1.42 DBPR, while Reid ranks dead last with an 0.08 DBPR.
However, Collins may have figured out how to use his two star guards. Whenever, Jayden Reid and Jake West are on the floor together, they are usually the court’s two quickest players. Recently, Collins has decided to unleash this speed. He has Reid and West aggressively pressuring the ball, getting in passing lanes, and pushing the ball in transition off of turnovers. Against the better guards in the Big Ten, the ‘Cats may have to adjust their strategy, but against the Hoosiers it worked to perfect. Indiana’s guards were overwhelmed by Reid and West’s high-motor ball pressure and were forced to live on the perimeter in the second half, unable to get inside.
Additionally, though I am still one of Arrinten Page’s greatest supporters, there’s no doubt that without him in the lineup the ‘Cats have been better rotating on defense. Singleton and Kropp are much better defending the pick-and-roll, able to use their agility to more quickly recover. Similarly, while Page is the Wildcats’ best true paint defender, Northwestern’s quicker forwards are often better at rotating into help and preventing paint touches altogether. That was certainly true against Indiana, which scored just six points in the paint in the second half.
While early in the season, it oftentimes felt like the ‘Cats lacked speed on the court, against Indiana, Northwestern’s speed was a key to this victory.
Once the confetti fell and the Big East conference champions exited the building, the hoops remained fully intact at Mohegan Sun Arena on Monday night
Connecticut famously does not cut nets for accomplishments other than a national championship, which makes plenty of sense when they come as furiously as they do for the Huskies. The bar of expectations is in the clouds, and the Huskies are solidly back in the rarest of air, to which only they have gained entry.
The reigning champs enter the NCAA tournament on the fifth-longest winning streak in NCAA history. It’s the 11th time they’re undefeated at this point; in six of those years, they won the title. Add in another six, and they’ve won a record 12 national championships since 1995. They’re odds-on favorites to make it lucky 13.
From the outside, it looks like sorcery to sustain so much success. At least, Shea Ralph thought so as a 2000 national champion and Most Outstanding Player. Then she saw behind the curtain as an assistant coach for 13 years, during a stretch that included 12 consecutive Final Fours and six championships.
“What was really cool about that whole experience to me was it’s not magic; it’s not rocket science,” Ralph, now the head coach at Vanderbilt, told Yahoo Sports’ Hoops 360. “It’s not like you go to UConn and they sprinkle magic fairy dust and bam, you’re an All-American and [win] a national championship. I know they make it look that way, which speaks volumes about what they do, because it’s really, really hard. But it’s also very simple.”
Shea Ralph (center) was both a player and assistant coach under Geno Auriemma, and carried a lot of his principles to her team at Vanderbilt. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
Jeff Zelevansky via Getty Images
For much of the 2020s, the dark arts overtook Storrs, and nothing seemed easy. Injuries decimated their rosters, limiting the crossover of back-to-back No. 1 recruits Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd. The Huskies dropped back-to-back games (gasp) for the first time since March 1993. The Final Four streak ended at 14 years, and the Elite Eight at 16.
In their absence, the concentration of power in women’s hoops moved back south. South Carolina became a Final Four regular with five straight berths beginning in 2021. The Gamecocks won the 2022 national championship in a rout of Bueckers’ UConn squad, and the 2024 trophy without losing a game while competing in the tough SEC. They became the first undefeated national champions since UConn’s record 111-game winning streak spanned the 2015 and 2016 title seasons.
The Huskies, never down for long, returned the favor and sped out to an 82-59 victory in the 2025 national championship last year in Tampa. Bueckers exited in the fog of a storybook ending that snapped the program’s nearly decade-long drought without a national championship.
Because that’s how accomplishment is measured in Storrs, the home of 27 All-Americans and 50 WNBA Draft picks. It’s not magic; it’s a recipe of elite talent, institutional experience and coaching expectations.
“There’s just a level of buy-in and simplicity that I love about the culture,” Ralph said. “It doesn’t have to be so thick and complicated with words and messages. It’s just, do you want to do this or not? And this is what it takes. And then you’ve got to get people there who will do whatever it takes.”
whether its your first or fifth or 31st, never gets old celebrating a conference title 🏆 pic.twitter.com/BuGvAAcI6o
Ralph knows better than believing in a fantasy; she helped develop that who’s who of All-Americans, an honor she also earned as a player at UConn. As an assistant, she worked with 21 WNBA Draft picks, including nine top-five picks and No. 1 overall picks Tina Charles, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart. Stewart won four titles in four years, the standard Bueckers wanted, but couldn’t reach.
She worked with Bueckers, the first freshman to sweep the major national player of the year awards, and recruited Fudd before leaving for her first head coaching job at Vanderbilt in 2021. Fudd and sophomore Sarah Strong are All-American contenders leading one of the deepest — and most certainly healthy — teams that UConn has seen in recent years.
Fudd, a redshirt senior who played sparingly while dealing with injuries, opted to stay at UConn one more year before the WNBA Draft. She came into her own in a second healthy season, becoming what most expected when she ceremoniously committed to the Huskies. The 2025 Final Four Most Outstanding Player is averaging career-highs across the board (17.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals per game, shooting 49% overall and 45.1% from 3). In the season’s tightest game, a 72-69 win over Michigan, she scored 31.
“Coming off last year … I think the confidence has just continued to grow with us individually, but as a team,” Fudd said during the Big East tournament. “So I feel like we're in a great place.”
Sarah Strong, the 2025 Freshman of the Year, was the backbone of their title run and earned both Big East Player and Defensive Player of the Year. A standout two-way player, Strong packs the box score every night, averaging 18.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 3.4 steals and 1.6 blocks in 26.4 minutes per game.
“It's a lot of God-given [talent],” Auriemma said at the Big East tournament. “How does somebody know how to hit a hundred-mile-an-hour fastball, you know? They just can. And she does things because she can. She's just really, really smart, really intuitive, and big enough that you can't bully her and quick enough that you can't out-quick her. So it's a rare combination, for sure.”
She’s shooting 60.1% from the field, 42.7% from 3 and 87.3% from the free throw line and finished the regular season a few made free throws away from the first 60-40-90 season in WNBA, NBA and college basketball history. She ranks first in each win share category, player efficiency rating and wins above replacement player, per CBB Analytics.
KK Arnold more than sufficiently stepped into the point guard role left by Bueckers, and Nika Mühl before her. The junior ranks in the 99th percentile in assist-to-turnover ratio and steals. Serah Williams, a senior transfer from Wisconsin, gives them size. Freshman Blanca Quiñonez missed a few games early, but is now averaging a fourth-best 9.9 points per game with 2 steals and 2.1 assists coming off the bench.
“It's different in that we have more ways that we can play,” Auriemma said during the Big East tournament. “We have more bodies that can contribute. And I think [the players] maybe alluded to it also, defensively we're able to be more disruptive than we have been in maybe the last 10 years, given what we've been through. So it's a much different team than it was last year.”
They led both ends of UConn’s third-most dominant scoring margin season in Division I history. They defeated opponents by an average of 37.8 points in the regular season, trailing only themselves. The 2015 UConn team leads all Division I programs at plus-40.6, and the 2016 roster averaged wins of 39.7. The most interesting conversation around UConn all year is how this roster could possibly be better without Bueckers, an all-WNBA honoree as a rookie, at the helm.
“I'm not of the opinion that we're better,” Auriemma said. “We're different. So there is no are we the same, are we better, are we worse. We're different, and we play a different style of play than we played last year. The results seem to be kind of the same as they were last year, just a different way of going about it. And when we're on our game, we're as effective as we were last year at this time, for sure.”
The Huskies collected record wins over rivals and legacy programs Notre Dame (plus-38) in January and Tennessee (plus-30) in February. The Lady Vols are the last team to beat them, 80-76, on their home court on Feb. 6, 2025. UConn’s 67-point win over DePaul in December was a season high and the most in the matchup, easily overtaking a 47-point win in 2013.
Few have given UConn a closely contested challenge. Michigan lost by three back on Nov. 21, while Louisville, Villanova and Marquette are the only others to keep within 25. The latter two were in a four-day span last month.
It’s as close to a wake-up call as can be for UConn, which won its 12th consecutive conference championship and 31st overall last week. That’s too many cut nets to spare. And it’s a luxury no other elite contender is offered.
“That’s one of the things I respect so much about UConn, actually, is that they don’t get tested at all for so many months and then they go in and play so well [in the NCAA Tournament],” UCLA head coach Cori Close said after Michigan nearly ended the Bruins’ own dominant undefeated Big Ten season. “Because I’m thinking to myself, we’re winning these games by too many points. There’s not enough pressure to [allow] our players to learn to internalize that, process that and play through that.”
The Huskies torched UCLA by 34 in the 2025 Final Four. Close and the Bruins were inexperienced on the big stage in their program’s first appearance on the final weekend. The two-time Big Ten tournament champions are now one of the Huskies’ largest obstacles, boasting a veteran top six led by 6-foot-7 center Lauren Betts, the reigning Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, and a plethora of shooters around her.
The two are expected to be the No. 1 and No. 2 true seeds, respectively, on a course to meet in the championship game on April 6 in Phoenix. Texas, the SEC tournament title winners, are projected at No. 3, leading a legion of conference talent prepared for a Final Four run. LSU and Vanderbilt, led by Ralph, could sneak into the final weekend.
And there’s South Carolina, the powerhouse that did not play UConn in the regular season for the first time since 2013-14. After the SEC title game loss to Texas, head coach Dawn Staley told her group that the last time they didn’t win it, they went on to become the final team to cut the nets. That’s all anyone truly wants this time of year, and no one has been better at it than UConn.
The Jacksonville Jaguars haven't made many big moves during free agency, with only one real signing so far this offseason. Otherwise, the focus has been on retaining talent when possible and addressing the Jaguars' salary cap.
Several free agents, most notably Travis Etienne and Devin Lloyd, signed with other teams as expected, while James Gladstone restructured the contracts for veterans like Robert Hainsey and Jourdan Lewis and re-signed others like Montaric Brown.
So far, there has only been one new addition: running back Chris Rodriguez, who will give much-needed depth to the position. Overall, the Jags' roster still looks strong, but there are a few areas of need that could still use a little more help.
Defensive Tackle/Pass Rush
From the beginning, one of the largest priorities for Jacksonville has been to bolster the pass rush. The Jaguars' defense saw massive improvement in 2025, particularly against the run, but they struggled more with pass rush.
There are still free agents available that the team could target, like DJ Reader, but Gladstone might elect to fill this position in the draft instead; this year's draft class is heavy on defensive talent, so he will have lots of options.
Linebacker
There is an obvious void needing to be filled with the loss of Devin Lloyd. Thankfully, the Jaguars still have Foyesade Oluokun, a highly talented linebacker, to anchor the unit. But otherwise, the Jags will be looking to Ventrell Miller and Jack Kiser, but both are short on experience.
Ideally, Jacksonville will find an experienced veteran free agent to take most of the snaps next to Oluokun and serve as a mentor for Miller and Kiser, both of whom have plenty of talent and potential. But there will still need to be more help to fill Lloyd's shoes.
Defensive End
This isn't a major need, as the Jaguars thankfully have Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker anchoring this position. They're both excellent players who aren't going anywhere in 2026. But the Jags do need to add some more depth here, and while it likely isn't an urgent enough need to pick someone up in free agency, this position would be a good target for the draft.
Overall, though, the fact that there are so few positions of need in Jacksonville speaks to how well James Gladstone built this roster last year, and confirms that the team is in good shape heading into 2026.
This offseason was a tough one for Andrew McCutchen, who languished on the free agent market much longer than expected.
After signing one-year deals with the Pittsburgh Pirates in each of the last three winters, he did not receive one from the Pirates this offseason as they focused on other needs. That ultimately led him to join the Texas Rangers on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training in early March, well after spring training had already started.
After arriving at Rangers camp last week, McCutchen opened up to reporters about his challenging offseason and why he chose Texas.
“Honestly, it was one of the first options for me, and also, at the moment, it was one of the only options as well,” acknowledged the former NL MVP. “I understood things were happening and there were opportunities maybe elsewhere, but I also understood there was less than three weeks (until Opening Day), too.”
Accordingly, McCutchen seized the Rangers’ opportunity, which he considered his best chance to play this season.
It was relieving for the 39-year-old DH to finally get an offer after months of waiting and uncertainty, which took an emotional toll on him.
“Emotionally, it’s been a challenge for sure…I didn’t necessarily know where I was going to end up,” McCutchen said. “I didn’t have a great understanding of where I was gonna be in the future…but there was an understanding on my end that I wanted to keep playing.”
Now, the five-time All-Star is thankful that Texas was willing to take a chance on him and give him an opportunity to prove himself.
“One door closes, another one opens. Grateful that the Rangers are giving me this chance,” McCutchen said.
Leeds Rhinos were knocked out at this stage of the competition last season, in Brad Arthur's first Challenge Cup campaign [SWPix]
Leeds Rhinos will not change their emphasis on the Challenge Cup as they look to progress to the quarter-final stage of the competition for the first time in six years.
Brad Arthur's side take on Wakefield Trinity live on the BBC on Friday (20:00 GMT) with a less than stellar record in the competition in recent seasons.
"We understand that it's make or break, there's no second chance with it and I'm sure the boys are quite aware of that," Arthur told BBC Radio Leeds.
"We just need to play our game, believe in what we do, and give it our best shot.
"[We put the] same emphasis we put on it last year, and I don't know what's happened in previous years.
"We're in a good position, we've got a good squad, we know how we want to play."
Arthur's first taste of the Challenge Cup last year ended with his side being knocked out at the fourth round stage by St Helens.
He has, however, come to realise the importance of the competition in the northern hemisphere since his arrival from Australia.
"It means something to me too. I like the format, I like the idea of it, and I want to be a part of right to the end," he added.
"We know its not easy, its tough and there's a bit of the luck of the draw along the way but I like it."
Leeds have been in impressive form this season, winning three games on the bounce headed into the tie.
One of those fixtures came against reigning champions Hull KR in Las Vegas less than two weeks ago but Arthur said his side are set to press on with their season despite their transatlantic travels.
"Our performance guys have looked after them really well before and after Vegas," Arthur added.
"We've not done a lot of training across the last couple of weeks, and will return to normal next week."
Wakefield due a big game - Powell
Daryl Powell reached the Challenge Cup final as a head coach during his time with Leeds Rhinos [SWPix]
Wakefield come into the game having beaten Hull FC last week and boss Daryl Powell has the belief his side are due a big performance.
Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, Powell said: "We've won two from four in the league which is an alright start I think. But if you look at us at the moment, I think we can play much better.
"Leeds have hit the ground absolutely flying and they'll be pretty big favourites for this game I would say.
"For us, I think there's a really good game right around the corner and you'd like to think it's in this game."
Wakefield most recently reached a Challenge Cup final in 1979 but the club have recent Wembley pedigree.
Powell led them to victory in the 1895 Cup against Sheffield Eagles and would love to steer them to the national stadium again.
"It's awesome for players to go and play at Wembley and still is. I know there's bits and bobs about crowds but that's the fans, for a player I think it's unbelievable to get to Wembley," Powell added.
"We had a taste of it in the 1895 and you've only got to look at what did to the crowd and how they came out to support the team.
"We had more there than Warrington that day I think. It's still revered, it's all about pounds, shillings and pence and how hard it is for fans to pay to go to the games.
"The challenge for us is that we had a tough draw last year and this year is a tough draw and we've got to be tough enough to get through."
CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy — Andrew Kurka raced down the slopes with a broken arm during the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics.
Forty-five minutes before taking the course for the men’s downhill race, Kurka told doctors that his arm hurt. They asked if he could move it. He said yes.
“Good luck,” Kurka recalled the doctors saying.
Kurka competed anyway and earned a fourth-place finish in the race. When he received the X-rays, he was notified he had snapped his humerus. Injury is not unusual for the sport built on speed and risk, one that has been part of the Paralympic Winter Games since its inception in 1976.
“You go into it knowing that it's not a matter of whether you're going to get hurt,” Kurka said. “It's just a matter of when.”
Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre, where Paralympians will compete in 2026, is the site of five different skiing competitions — slalom, giant slalom, super G, downhill and super combined. Vertical drops exceed 700 meters, allowing racers to reach speeds of more than 60 mph.
Although the risks are inherent, 19-year-old Para alpine skier Audrey Crowley said the fear is part of the draw. As she prepares for her first Paralympic cycle, she views the dangers as a mental hurdle to clear.
“I think it's kind of the fear that does kind of keep you going,” Crowley said. “... I think when you overcome that fear, the feeling that you get inside is like so addicting, almost. I need to do it again. It's just so fun to keep doing and doing it and doing it.”
The adrenaline masks the fear. But there comes a measurable cost with each run. One in three Paralympic Alpine skiers over the past three Paralympic Games leading up to 2026 suffered an injury, according to a recent National Institutes of Health study.
Many Paralympians face a different challenge. Sit-skiers must control both their own movements and the movements of their equipment. The FIS Council implemented mandatory airbags for its Alpine speed events at the World Cup level as of the 2024 season. The system requires a vest that deploys during high-impact crashes. Kurka does not believe they make sense in his sport.
“We have 70 pounds worth of something attached to us,” Kurka said. “And the dynamics of crashing is very different than it is for stand-up or able-bodied players.”
FIS Para Snow Sports Director Dimitrije Lazarovski agreed that airbags may not translate cleanly. Although airbags are now standard for able-bodied racers, Lazarovski notes that the FIS is still in the data-collection phase for Para athletes.
“We already understand that airbags will be only obstacles,” Lazarovski said. “That will not help them because they are already inside the bucket, where they are protected, and will not probably benefit at all from the airbag.”
The variety of impairments — including visual and limb function impairments — among standing athletes makes a one-size-fits-all airbag difficult to certify, as well. Even for Olympic athletes, the implementation of the airbags took several years of testing before it became a requirement ahead of the 2024-25 season. Those testing grounds begin for Para athletes during the 2026 Paralympics, and include consults with athletes and coaches.
It is usually required that local organizers test courses before competition. Lazarovski noted that a formal test event did not happen this year, but said the FIS ran several preliminary tests to collect athlete input.
“Athletes and coaches’ feedback are very, very carefully considered and implemented in our further steps in negotiations with the organizers before the actual event takes place,” Lazarovski said.
Standardized precautions extend to equipment and course design. Instead of airbags, Para alpine skiers rely on other regulations, with all gear — from suits to helmets — required to meet FIS certifications.
“They have made back braces mandatory for our sport and they have made pads for our sport mandatory,” Kurka said. “And I think that's their version of that. I do support that.”
On the mountain, red and blue netting line the course to slow athletes in the event of a crash.
And at the 2026 Paralympic Winter Games in Cortina d’Ampezzo, athletes are competing on the same infrastructure used for the Olympic Games at the Tofane Alpine Skiing Centre. That includes a wide buffer zone with the netting, allowing crashing athletes to halt safely, something Kurka has long advocated for installing.
“The best safety is the distance,” Lazarovski said. “If you have more distance left and right from the course ... this is the best safety.”
Each course also undergoes an inspection, team walkthrough and jury meeting with coaches and national representatives to address any final concerns.
For Kurka, who claimed the 50th anniversary of the Paralympic Winter Games will likely be his last, athlete advocacy remains essential. The stern 34-year-old, who has broken 20-plus bones in 20-plus different ways, is not afraid to confront officials for what is right.
“This is the right thing to do,” he said. “And so I'm going to do it.”
Trevor McGee is a reporter for the Paralympics Project, a partnership between USA TODAY Network and the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
Eleven more teams reach Copa Betano do Brasil fourth round
On Wednesday night (11), 11 more teams secured their spots in the fourth round of the Betano Cup of Brazil. Volta Redonda, Athletic, Fortaleza, Maringá, Goiás, Nova Iguaçu, Jacuipense, Confiança, Atlético-GO, Londrina, and Paysandu were the clubs that confirmed their places in the next stage.
Only two matchups ended in a draw. Volta Redonda and América-RN finished 0-0, and the team from Rio de Janeiro advanced by winning 5-3 on penalties. Also in a goalless duel, Londrina eliminated Manaus on penalties with a 5-4 victory.
The other games had varied results, ranging from routs to narrow wins and tightly contested battles.
This Thursday (12) will feature ten more matches valid for the third round of the Betano Cup of Brazil. The winning teams will advance to the next stage and remain alive in the knockout phase. The matchups begin at 6 p.m.
PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: WR Omar Cooper Jr. #3 of the Indiana Hoosiers looks up field after a catch during the Alabama Crimson Tide versus Indiana Hoosiers College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game on January 1, 2026, at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
According to Luca Evans of The Denver Post, the Denver Broncos are having a pre-draft top-30 visit with Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr.
Sources: Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. has a 30 visit set up with the #Broncos. He’ll be in Denver tomorrow.
Had 69 catches for 937 yards, 13 TD last year for national champs. Could be a target at No. 30 in April’s draft.
Cooper Jr. is a talented wide receiver who is rising up draft boards right now and could be in play for the Denver Broncos with their 30th overall selection in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
He was a key member of the Indiana Hoosiers National Championship-winning team and had a breakout year for them. Cooper totaled 69 receptions for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns and is now one of the top wide receiver prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Cooper is one of my favorite players to study in this year’s draft. He’s strong, reliable and explosive. He uses his lower-body strength to run through press coverage and he’s a loose/fluid route runner. He plays without fear in the middle of the field, making combat catches look easy. He can really pluck the ball and stays grounded through the catch on crossers. Also, he can elevate and play above the rim (SEE: game-winner against Penn State) when necessary. After the catch, he has the power to break tackles and enough speed to pull away. Sources at the school rave about his makeup and competitiveness. Overall, Cooper fits the exact model of wideouts finding immediate success in the NFL.
Cooper would be an excellent addition to a Broncos wide receiver room that just needs a little something more. Neither Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims, nor Pat Bryant consistently produced as a WR2, and veteran Courtland Sutton turns 31 years old later this year. So, the Broncos need to be planning for the present and future at the wide receiver position.
Adding a playmaker like Cooper would be significant for quarterback Bo Nix and the offense. He is a reliable pass catcher, something he doesn’t currently have, can create after the catch, and is a good route runner. He’s the type of player the Broncos really need on offense. He also fits the character mold that the Broncos typically look for in prospects under this current regime.
One issue here is that Cooper may not be available at pick 30. This will be a constant struggle with prospects like this throughout the draft process. Good ones like Cooper will rise up the draft board and out of the Broncos’ range. However, it’s still way too early to nail down who will and won’t be there when they pick, but if he is, I would not be surprised to see the Broncos select him.
SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO - MARCH 06: Edwin Díaz #39 of Team Puerto Rico celebrate 5-0 win against Team Colombia at Hiram Bithorn Stadium on March 06, 2026 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the World Baseball Classic beginning quarterfinal play on Friday, let’s look back to see how all the Dodgers did during pool play in the tournament. Five Dodgers on the 40-man roster played during the opening round, as well as two minor leaguers. In all, nine Dodgers were active in the WBC, representing seven countries.
Star power
Shohei Ohtani reached base nine times in 13 trips to the plate in Pool C, with two home runs, a double, four walks, six runs batted in, and four runs scored, and did not strike out, helping Japan to a 4-0 start to the tournament.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto walked more (three) than he struck out (two) on March 6 in Japan’s opening game against Chinese Taipei, but got through 2 2/3 innings without permitting a run, throwing 55 pitches.
Edwin Díaz faced seven batters in Pool A for Puerto Rico, and struck out five of them, tossing two scoreless innings with one hit allowed.
Will Smith started two of four games in pool play for the United States, and had a double and single in six at-bats, with two walks, and one RBI on a sacrifice fly.
Hyeseong Kim hit a two-run home run for Korea against Japan, but that was his only hit in 10 at-bats during Pool C. Kim drove in three, walked twice, and stole a base in his three games. He injured his left hand in stealing that base in the 10th inning on March 8 against Chinese Taipei, and did not play in Korea’s final game of the pool.
Clayton Kershaw warmed up late in Team USA’s loss to Italy, but did not pitch in Pool B.
Minor leaguers
Jake Gelof played all four games for Israel, starting three at third base. He had two hits, including a double, and three RBI in Tuesday night’s win over The Netherlands. But in the other three games he was hitless in a combined seven at-bats. Before leaving for the WBC, the second-round draft pick from 2023 got into two Cactus League games for the Dodgers, up from minor league camp, playing third base both times.
Christian Suarez, who pitched for Double-A Tulsa last year, got one out for Venezuela in his one appearance. Venezuela already has a berth in the quarterfinals, but first will play one more game against the Dominican Republic on Wednesday night to decide the winner of Pool D.
Shawndrick Oduber, who pitched in 29 games for Class-A Rancho Cucamonga last year as a 20-year-old, was in the pitching pool for The Netherlands, but did not pitch in their four games.
We’ve got a great night of hoops action. The Celtics take on the Thunder, the Nuggets face the Spurs, and what will Bam Adebayo do for an encore after his 83-point performance?
That means there are plenty of great player props on the board, and my favorites for the day include a play in that Heat game, while Paolo Banchero will pull a magic trick on the glass against the Wizards.
Those and more NBA picks for Thursday, March 12, below.
The Orlando Magic are playing their best basketball of the season. They have climbed to fifth in the East and enter tonight’s matchup vs. the Washington Wizards, as winners of five in a row.
Paolo Banchero is a big reason why. The Magic forward is putting up 25.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in his last 10 games.
I want to focus on the rebounds. Washington ranks dead last in rebounding rate and opponent rebounds per game. With Banchero hitting double-digit boards five times during that span, I like him to do it again and record a double-double in the process.
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Monumental, FanDuel Sports Network-Florida
Well, I’m actually more interested in another aspect of that performance. The Heat took 90 shots in that game. Which has been their M.O. all season long. Miami leads the NBA in pace and field goal attempts per game.
That means lots of rebounds, where they allow the third-most per game.
So, let’s go Kevin Porter Jr. Over 4.5 rebounds. Porter is questionable, but it’s a number he’s topped in four of his last five, including hauling down seven in a February 24 meeting against Miami.
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FanDuel Sports Network-Wisconsin, FanDuel Sports Network-South
Prop #3: Victor Wembanyama Over 4.5 steals & blocks
Wembanyama is averaging 4.3 blocks in 11 games since coming out of the break. Now, obviously, books have caught on, generally putting a lot of juice on the Over. But with him also averaging 1.3 steals over that stretch, there’s still value in his steals & blocks prop.
It’s sitting at 4.5 with the Over at plus money for tonight’s game vs. the Denver Nuggets. A number he’s topped in eight times during those 11 games.
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Alt, FanDuel Sports Network-Southwest
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Frazer Blake-Tracy joined Mansfield after being released by Swindon in 2024 [Getty Images]
Defender Frazer Blake-Tracy has signed a new contract to remain with Mansfield Town until the summer of 2028.
The 30-year-old was into the final three months of his existing contract, having arrived at the One Call Stadium on a two-year deal in June 2024.
The former Swindon Town, Burton Albion and Peterborough United defender has featured 62 times across all competitions for Nigel Clough's Stags.
Blake-Tracy, whose first season with the Stags was cut short by a knee injury, was ever present in their run to the fifth round of the FA Cup where they were eventually knocked out by Premier League leaders Arsenal last week.
The hope is that this all would be over. Let’s be clear, injuries are a part of the game. That’s especially the case when we are talking about pitchers. We can fill endless articles on that topic, but this isn’t the forum. The focus today is that the Houston Astros are forced to begin the 2026 season with an All-Star who is a vital part of their pitching staff. Josh Hader is now officially beginning the 2026 season on the Injured List.
Aug 5, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; Houston Astros pitcher Josh Hader (71) celebrates defeating the Miami Marlins following the game at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-Imagn Images
While it doesn’t mean we have to like it or accept it, we have become sensitized to injuries. But from the perspective of the Astros last year, things were truly next level. There were multiple reasons as to why they missed the playoffs, but health figured prominently. It’s pretty difficult to win baseball games if you don’t have healthy pitchers taking the mound.
For most of last season, though, the back end of the bullpen was a constant for the Astros. Getting there wasn’t always easy and smooth, but Bryan Abreu had the eighth inning under control and Hader took care of the ninth inning with ease.
Yes, left-handers Steven Okert and Bryan King also found success and were key parts of the bullpen, but it really was Hader and Abreu who set the stage in shortening the game. That took a detour in August when Hader was forced to the Injured List with a shoulder injury that ultimately ended his season.
This offseason:
Aug 8, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Josh Hader (71) delivers a pitch during the ninth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
So far this off-season, things have been progressing well for Hader in his rehab. Well, until they weren’t. When we got to the start of Spring Training, Hader was experiencing biceps soreness, which caused him to be shut down. While Hader is just now back throwing off a mound, there’s not enough time for him to be ramped up for Opening Day.
What the 9th inning could look like:
Sep 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Bryan Abreu (52) reacts after the final out during the ninth inning against the Texas Rangers at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Shifting Abreu to ninth-inning duties isn’t as much a concern as what will unfold in front of him. The downstream impact of pushing Okert and King back, and the fact that they are both left-handed, could create some problems.
The under-the-radar additions of Kai-Wei Teng and Nate Pearson could play into the late innings as well and could provide sneaky value. Whatever way you spin it, the injury to Hader is less than ideal. But the good news is that Hader appears to be progressing well, so the absence should be relatively short-term.
Pedro Neto facing Champions League ban after ‘unsporting’ ball boy shove
UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against Pedro Neto following an incident involving a ball boy during Chelsea’s Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain.
The incident occurred late in the match at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night.
Chelsea were chasing the game during second-half stoppage time with the score at 4-2 in favour of Paris Saint-Germain.
Neto attempted to retrieve the ball quickly for a throw-in near the touchline.
The winger pushed a ball boy standing close to the advertising boards as he tried to take possession of the ball.
The ball boy fell to the ground following the contact.
Players from both teams quickly moved towards the scene as the situation briefly escalated.
The referee, Alejandro Jose Hernandez Hernandez, paused play to speak with Neto and both team captains.
Chelsea captain Reece James and PSG captain Marquinhos were involved in calming the situation.
No booking was issued to Neto during the match.
Play eventually resumed after the brief interruption.
Paris Saint-Germain later added another goal to seal a 5-2 victory on the night.
Following the final whistle, Neto approached the ball boy to apologise.
The Portuguese international was seen hugging the youngster and handing him his match shirt.
Neto later addressed the incident publicly during a post-match interview.
“I want to apologise to the ball boy,” Neto said. “I have already spoken to him.”
The winger explained that the moment occurred during a tense period of the match.
“With the emotions of the game we were losing and I wanted to pick up the ball,” he added. “He was keeping the ball with him and I gave him a little push.”
Neto also acknowledged that the contact had caused discomfort.
“I saw that I hurt him a little bit,” he said. “I am not like this.”
The forward emphasised that he immediately tried to resolve the situation.
“I went there to apologise and gave him my shirt as well,” Neto explained. “That cannot happen and I am really sorry.”
Despite the apology, UEFA confirmed that the incident will still be reviewed.
The governing body released a statement confirming the investigation.
“Disciplinary proceedings have been instigated against Chelsea player Pedro Lomba Neto for unsporting behaviour,” the statement read.
UEFA’s disciplinary committee will now assess the case and determine whether any sanction should follow.
The situation drew comparisons with a previous high-profile incident involving former Chelsea winger Eden Hazard in 2013.
Hazard was sent off during a match against Swansea City after kicking a ball boy during a League Cup tie.
Chelsea will now await UEFA’s decision while preparing for the second leg of their Champions League tie against PSG.
More details have emerged surrounding the February arrest of Falcons star James Pearce Jr. and the subsequent charges he faces – and it doesn't look good.
Pearce Jr. was arrested on February 7 after he fled a domestic dispute and crashed his vehicle during a police chase. Now, the information from a protective order filed by Pearce's ex-girlfriend and WNBA star Rickea Jackson paints a better picture of what went down and why the incident escalated.
Rickea Jackson was "in fear of my life" during a domestic dispute with James Pearce Jr.
Jackson filed for a petition for an injunction for protection against dating violence after Pearce Jr. was arrested on five felony charges, including two counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and one count of aggravated stalking.
Jackson said in the filing that she was "in fear of my life" and that she believed that "James will kill me" without direct court intervention. She stated that Pearce Jr. had "verbally and physically abused me on more than one occasion" and threatened to injure her and kill her on different occasions.
She claims that during the incident in question on February 7, she saw Pearce Jr. following her in his vehicle as she drove home, and that she called 911 and drove to a local police station "because I knew James was going to hurt me." He reportedly chased her at high speeds, blocked her car with his own at a red light, attempted to enter her car, and jumped on top of the vehicle.
She also said Pearce Jr. struck her car multiple times in an attempt to force her to spin out, and at one point, ran her off the road. She eventually flagged down an officer as she approached the police station, while Pearce Jr. continued to ram her car, prompting the officer to attempt to arrest the NFL star before he fled.
Pearce Jr. also reportedly told Jackson he would give her "up to $75,000" to see him and "$200,000 to remain in a relationship with him" in the hours before the dispute and his arrest, and had been sleeping in his car outside her home waiting for her to leave. Pearce Jr. is still under contract with the Falcons over a month after the incident, who declined to comment on the details unveiled in the court filing.
The San Francisco 49ers have the opportunity to reunite with one of their former star defensive players. The Denver Broncos reportedly released linebacker Dre Greenlaw on Thursday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, one year after he left the 49ers in free agency.
Greenlaw played his first six seasons for San Francisco after being drafted in the fifth round in 2019. He had started 56 of 64 games over that span, where he tallied 455 combined tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, three interceptions and 14 defended passes.
As evidenced by his release, Greenlaw didn't have a great lone season in Denver after he signed a three-year, $35 million contract with the Broncos. He missed the first six weeks of the season with a hamstring injury and only played in seven games in 2025. Greenlaw finished the year with 43 combined tackles, one sack, one interception, two defended passes and one forced fumble.
The 49ers don't have a clear need at the position Greenlaw would play at the WILL linebacker position, but a familiar face would certainly be helpful for the 49ers' defense in 2025. Dee Winters stepped up admirably in Greenlaw's role this past year with 101 combined tackles, eight tackles for a loss and one interception (that was returned for a touchdown).
If Greenlaw wants to come back to the 49ers in a smaller role, a reunion makes sense. The money also needs to make sense for San Francisco, too, for this to happen. It's unclear if the 49ers or Greenlaw even want to reconvene, but the option is now out there with Greenlaw on the open market.
The Packers need some retooling of their defensive line after they traded Colby Wooden to the Indianapolis Colts for linebacker Zaire Franklin. They're also resigning Jonathan Ford for more depth up-front.
Hargrave was headed into the final year of the two-year deal he signed with Minnesota, but the Vikings chose to release him to clear salary-cap space.
Here's what else to know about Hargrave:
Javon Hargrave age
Hargrave turned 33 last month. That would make him the oldest Packers player after kicker Brandon McManus, who's 34.
Javon Hargrave height and weight
Hargrave is listed at 6-foot-2, 307 pounds.
Javon Hargrave college
The North Carolina native attended South Carolina State, a Division I Football Championship Subdivision school in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, located in Orangeburg, South Carolina. He was twice named first-team All-MEAC. The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Hargrave in the third round of the 2016 draft, with the 89th overall pick.
Javon Hargrave NFL career, stats
Hargrave played for the Steelers from 2016 through 19, then joined the Philadelphia Eagles from 2020 through 2022, the San Francisco 49ers in 2023 and 202,4 and Minnesota last year.
He's made two Pro Bowls (2021, 2023) and has 49 career sacks, with five forced fumbles, eight pass deflections, one defensive touchdown on a fumble recovery and 432 tackles overall.
He played in back-to-back Super Bowls in 2023 (with Philadelphia) and 2024 (with San Francisco), losing to Kansas City both times. He had five tackles and one tackle for loss in the first Super Bowl and had six tackles, a sack and fumble recovery in the second. He also played in an AFC Championship Game with Pittsburgh in 2017, with a sack and two tackles for loss in Pittsburgh's loss to New England.
With Philadelphia, he played for defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, now in the same role with the Packers. In 2022 under Gannon, he had a career-high 11 sacks.
With Minnesota last year, he had 3½ sacks, a forced fumble and a recovery in 16 games.
Hargrave has four playoff sacks and six playoff tackles for loss.
Javon Hargrave contract
ESPN has reported the deal is for two years and $23 million.
Packers fans will like Javon Hargrave's nickname, 'Gravedigger'
Hargrave uses the moniker "Gravedigger" on his Instagram profile, and the Vikings turned that into a comic book-style graphic on gameday against Detroit shortly after Halloween.
It's a natural nickname because of his name but also his position, and he credits college coach Mike Adams with coining it … yes, because Hargrave's play reminded him of former Packers star Gilbert Brown, himself known as "Gravedigger" during his playing days.
Hargrave was born Feb. 7, 1993, a little more than two months before the 1993 draft when Gilbert Brown was drafted … also in the third round (79th overall). Brown was taken by the Vikings and then picked up by the Packers when he didn't make Minnesota's team out of camp. The Packers have shown they like it when Minnesota moves on from a Gravedigger.
With AI-driven search and hyper-fragmented media channels reshaping how people discover brands, the “set it and forget it” approach to marketing measurement is officially dead.
Measuring impact isn’t a static check of dashboard data. Used strategically, measurement is a virtuous cycle where data informs your ad platform settings and those settings, in turn, generate better data (and business outcomes).
Here’s how to build a measurement flywheel that keeps your growth efficient.
The 4-step measurement cycle
Imagine a Bay Area SaaS company, PowerLoop, selling an AI-powered analytics platform. They’re investing heavily in Google Search, LinkedIn, and some emerging AI publication sponsorships.
Their problem? Google Ads is reporting fantastic ROAS, but their internal CRM shows a significant number of leads and opportunities that can’t be directly attributed to any specific ad campaign, making it hard to prove marketing’s true impact to the board.
1. Platform ROAS
This is your in-engine reality. Whether it’s Google Ads or Meta, platform ROAS uses pixel and conversion API data to tell you what the platform thinks happened. This might go without saying, but platforms don’t have a habit of underestimating their own impact.
The ideal: Use this for real-time optimization.
The limitation: These signals feed your tCPA (target cost per acquisition) or tROAS (target return on ad spend) bidding strategies. It’s the fastest feedback loop you have, but it’s rarely the full truth. This leads us to…
What it looks like in practice (example): PowerLoop’s Google Ads account is configured with a tCPA bid strategy for “Free trial sign-ups.”
Google Ads reports a healthy $50 CPA, well within their target. LinkedIn also shows strong engagement and click-through rates. This looks great on paper, but the unattributed leads are a nagging concern.
Platform data is optimistic. Your bank account is realistic.
Back-end ROAS, coming from your CRM of choice (Salesforce, Shopify, HubSpot, etc.), connects your ad spend to your actual CRM or internal database. It’ll likely require some data engineering work to properly map back-end performance against ad platform spend, but the effort is well worth it.
The ideal: Clean out the “noise” (refunds, fake leads, or credit card declines), and evaluate marketing efficiency based on your own first-party data.
The benefit: You can use back-end ROAS to validate your account structure. If the platform says a campaign is winning but the back end shows low-quality leads, it’s time to restructure your targeting or creative.
What it looks like in practice (example): When PowerLoop connects their ad spend to Salesforce, they find that many of the “Free trial sign-ups” from Google Ads are either incomplete profiles or come from IP addresses outside their target market and never convert to qualified sales opportunities.
LinkedIn, while showing engagement, has a lower conversion rate than expected. This insight leads them to refine their Google Ads audience targeting and adjust LinkedIn campaign objectives to focus more on high-intent lead forms.
This is the “So what?” metric. iROAS answers the question: How many of these sales would have happened even if we didn’t show the ad? This is where marketing mix modeling (MMM) and incrementality testing (geo-lift tests or holdout tests) come into play.
The goal: Identify true value and “halo effects” across channels.
The action: MMM insights tell you where to double down and where you’re just paying for customers who would have converted anyway. Use these insights to prioritize your next round of incrementality tests.
What it looks like in practice (example): PowerLoop conducts a geo-lift test by pausing Google Ads in select non-core markets for a few weeks and measuring the difference in sign-ups between dark areas and similar areas where ads are still running. They discover that while Google Ads drives some incremental sign-ups, a significant portion of those attributed by Google would have signed up organically anyway, through direct traffic or referrals.
Conversely, their MMM suggests that the AI publication sponsorships, while not driving direct “last-click” conversions, are significantly contributing to brand awareness and reducing the overall CPA across all digital channels by driving more organic searches for their brand. This reveals that the sponsorships have a higher iROAS than initially thought.
Here’s an example of overvalued and undervalued channels:
The greater the incrementality factor, the more undervalued this channel has been, such as YouTube and podcasts in this example. The lower the incrementality factor, the more overvalued these channels have been, such as paid review sites in this case.
The final frontier is understanding where to spend the next dollar. Every channel eventually hits a plateau where efficiency craters. This truism is called the law of diminishing returns. Understanding when you hit that mark is key to efficient budgeting.
The goal: Estimate the “room for growth” before hitting a performance ceiling.
The benefit: By monitoring mROAS, you know when to pull back on a saturated channel and reallocate that budget into emerging spaces.
What it looks like in practice (example): PowerLoop’s analysis shows that after spending $100,000/month on Google Ads, another $10,000 yields a marginal return of $0.80 for every dollar spent – meaning they’re essentially breaking even or losing money on additional spend.
However, for their AI publication sponsorships, every additional dollar spent is still returning $2.50 in incremental value, indicating significant room for growth. They decide to reallocate 15% of their Google Ads budget to expand their sponsorship program.
Why the cycle never ends
Marketing measurement is a work in progress because the landscape is constantly shifting. Today, you might be perfecting your Google Search strategy. Tomorrow, you’re figuring out how to measure the impact of a mention in a ChatGPT or Perplexity response.
The hypothetical PowerLoop team understands this. They’re constantly evaluating new AI-driven channels and planning how to integrate them into their measurement cycle. They know that what worked last quarter might not work this quarter and that relying solely on platform data is a recipe for wasted spend.
The goal isn’t to find a “perfect” number that stays set in stone. The goal is to use this cycle to stay agile. When your iROAS reveals that a channel is more incremental than you thought, you push your tROAS targets in the platform (Step 1) more aggressively. When mROAS shows you’re hitting a plateau, you start testing new, unproven channels to find different audiences.
Microsoft's EVP of Experiences & Devices is retiring, and four new leads are taking his place who will now report directly to the CEO instead going forward.
We have just discovered a rare discount for the Acer Aspire 14 AI, providing workers and casual PC users a chance to own a dependable AI laptop that's roughly the same price as the new MacBook Neo while offering stronger hardware.
Meta has laid out an aggressive, inference-first roadmap for its in-house accelerators, announcing four Meta Training and Inference Accelerator (MTIA) generations developed with Broadcom and due to be integrated into its data centers over the next two years. The family spans MTIA 300, 400, 450, and 500, with early units already running ranking and recommendation workloads and later designs optimized for real-time model serving. Since Meta runs some of the largest social platforms on the web, developing a fast inference accelerator is required to make social media browsing and recommendation algorithms instant. Rather than pursuing raw peak arithmetic alone, Meta emphasizes memory throughput and inference efficiency. According to the specification table, HBM bandwidth and capacity rises substantially across the series while compute grows more linearly. This means that Meta's point is increasing on-package bandwidth and capacity which can cut latency and power costs for production inference.
The MTIA chips also include hardware support for attention primitives and mixture-of-experts layers, along with low-precision formats tailored to inference to reduce conversion overhead. Software compatibility was a stated priority. Meta says the stack runs natively on common frameworks, so existing production models can be deployed on both GPUs and MTIA without major rewrites, which should ease adoption. Multiple MTIA generations are built to share the same chassis, rack, and networking, allowing upgrades by swapping modules rather than refitting data center infrastructure. That modularity helps explain Meta's fast release cadence compared with the industry norm, considering that Meta's data centers span millions of chips. MTIA chips are already running at kilowatt power budgets and PetaFLOPS of compute, so MTIA accelerators are also competing with industry-leading solutions from NVIDIA, AMD, and other hyperscalers.
As PC hardware continues to grow more powerful, builders are no longer hiding their systems under desks. The new SAMA V62 is designed for users who want their build on display, combining curved panoramic glass, bold integrated lighting, and strong cooling support in a clean, builder-friendly chassis. With seven pre-installed ARGB fans and support for large radiators, the V62 delivers both visual impact and thermal performance straight out of the box.
A Clear 270° Panoramic View
The V62 features a curved tempered glass panel that creates a sweeping panoramic view of the system's interior. The smooth curve removes harsh edges and visual breaks, offering a clean, uninterrupted look that highlights modern components and lighting setups. It's a design typically found in higher-priced showcase cases, now made more accessible for everyday builders.
Samsung is reportedly planning to bring its 2 nm process to the base die of HBM4E, its 7th-generation high-bandwidth memory. This comes just a month after the company shipped the industry's first commercial HBM4, and alongside a separate effort to redesign the HBM4E power delivery network to handle the increase in power bumps from 13,682 to 14,457 within the same footprint. Until HBM3, the base die had a somewhat passive role, sitting at the bottom of an HBM stack and handling power and signal control. Starting with HBM4, it took on a more active role by handling some compute tasks directly, making the underlying process node increasingly important. For HBM4, Samsung already had an edge here, using 4 nm logic base dies from its own foundry paired with its latest 1c DRAM, well ahead of the 12 nm (N12) process SK hynix sources from TSMC. Moving to 2 nm for HBM4E would extend that lead further, improving power efficiency, thermal management, and area utilization.
The other key players in the industry are also focusing on custom HBM4E as the next battleground, with TSMC stating it plans to use its 3 nm process for custom HBM4E, and SK hynix also working on its own variant. With its latest 2 nm node push, Samsung appears to be making a deliberate move to stay a step ahead on process technology. Standard HBM4E is expected mid-year, with custom product tape-in following in the second half of the year. The Business Korea report also points to the foundry angle. Producing HBM base dies internally helps Samsung Foundry keep fab utilization high, and the 2 nm node is expected to play a major role in ramping production at the Taylor fab in Texas. There, equipment installation is already underway, with the first wafer tape-in targeted before year-end.
Imec, a world-leading research and innovation hub in advanced semiconductor technologies, has launched a first of its kind consortium with 26 European university groups that will jointly work on the technology roadmap beyond CMOS scaling (CMOS 2.0). This initiative will focus on design automation and chip architecture research for the next generation of chips. The consortium will benefit from the NanoIC pilot line, turning academic insights into industry-focused innovations. In the future, similar consortia will be set up around advanced materials and alternative compute systems.
CMOS 2.0 refers to a new paradigm, introduced by imec, that expands the chip making toolbox beyond traditional transistor scaling and its associated scaling challenges. CMOS 2.0 allows for more design flexibility by exploiting fine-grain wafer stacking technology to improve on-chip connectivity and offer higher technology heterogeneity to the system. It will result in tailored chips comprising multiple 3D-stacked layers that fulfil smartly partitioned functions. In that way, CMOS 2.0 will provide advanced, versatile 3D stacked platforms that push the boundaries of compute performance.
Unsurprisingly, Steam Machine verification requirements will be more lenient than those for the Steam Deck, since the Machine is expected to provide roughly six times more performance headroom. Meanwhile, verification requirements for locally installed games on the Steam Frame will be stricter.
Originally unveiled in 2011 and released after years of redesign and delay in 2017, Save the World was Fortnite long before "dropping from the battle bus" entered gaming vocabulary. It was built as a four-player PvE (player-versus-environment) action-building title – a blend of base construction, resource gathering, and combat against AI-controlled enemies.
Vora is an AI health coach that connects your wearables, calendar, and logs to build personalized training, nutrition, and recovery plans. It syncs with Apple Health and 500+ platforms, tracks sets and meals with voice and photo logging, and monitors HRV, sleep, and strain by muscle group. Use Vora to follow daily plans, guided breathwork and meditation, and cycle-aware training. The iPhone and Apple Watch apps deliver real-time coaching and multi-source insights that adapt to your goals and readiness.
Repovex gives engineering teams GitHub repo scorecards across security, process, and documentation, then points directly to the fix. You can install the GitHub App in minutes, scan every repo in your organization, and get nightly checks with weekly email or Slack digests. It tracks branch protection, reviews, secret scanning, Dependabot, CI/CD, stale PRs, and key docs, letting you fix issues with one click. Start free for up to 5 repos or upgrade for unlimited repositories.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is set to revolutionize air travel with its new Air Concierge service, launching on April 1, 2026. This innovative service offers guests a highly personalized air travel experience, tailored to their specific preferences.
As the Middle East conflict escalates, key airlines like Emirates, Air India, and Qatar Airways reduce operations to major global destinations. Here’s the impact on US, UK, France, and Germany.
Ikon Pass and US Ski and Snowboard partner to offer skiers exclusive access to top US ski destinations, enhancing tourism with discounts, benefits, and behind-the-scenes experiences.
Vedant Gore joins Marriott Executive Apartments Bengaluru UB City as Front Office Manager, bringing extensive hospitality experience and leadership skills.
Discover how SeaPort Airlines' NoTSA service between Seattle Boeing Field and Spokane’s Felts Field offers quicker, hassle-free travel amid TSA delays.
Walt Disney World Resort, located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, is all set to welcome families this summer with exciting new and refreshed attractions, immersive stage shows, and an array of limited-time entertainment. As the highly anticipated Cool KIDS’ SUMMER …
There will be hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles whose leases will expire in 2026 that may put pressure on new EV sales. In addition, the galloping chip, energy, battery, and material costs may force EV makers to raise the prices of new cars.
Casio’s G-Shock x Joshua Vides collab watches, the DW-5600JV-7 and DW-6900JV-1, will reportedly launch with a $180 price tag. A Los Angeles pop-up store opens March 14-15, with global online sales scheduled to begin shortly after.
A newly discovered nova is being studied by astronomers. It is a rare type known as a hybrid nova. This discovery will greatly help scientists better understand novae.
Some gamers are refunding their Crimson Desert pre-orders. Pearl Abyss has added Denuvo DRM to its latest title, raising concerns about reduced performance and stuttering. Many buyers object to the anti-piracy protection appearing so close to the Crimson Desert release date.
Video | With the Claw A8, MSI is the only manufacturer to offer both an Intel-based handheld and the new version with AMD's Z2 Extreme. So which one is better, given that they are priced the same?
Minisforum has teased the upcoming M2 Pro mini PC once again, revealing that the Intel Core Ultra X9-powered mini PC is set to be launched soon. The Core X7 and Core X9 "Panther Lake" CPUs boast the powerful Arc B390 iGPU, allowing for impressive gaming performance without discrete GPUs.
Huawei has unveiled a new mobile hotspot device in China. Developed in partnership with China Mobile, the Huawei Mobile WiFi X has an interesting design and packs a battery suited for all-day use.
Deal | Amazon has significantly discounted one of the most popular configurations of the MacBook Pro 14, which is powered by the fast M5 chipset and comes with 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. This configuration is now almost as affordable as the former base model with half as much storage.
Have you received an email advertising some cyber security subscription or a smart ring that seems to come from GSMArena.com? We didn't send that email – it comes from a spam service that is pretending to be us.
A number of T-online.de users have reached out to us to report the spam emails, which prompted us to track down the issue. To be clear, we have nothing to do with the emails or the cyber security thing that they advertise. Here is what some of the spam emails look like:
This is what some of the spam emails look like
If you have received a spam email like the ones seen...
Google has announced Game Trials in Google Play Games. As the name implies, this feature lets you try out the full version of a paid title for free, and if you like it, you can easily purchase it and pick up where you left off, since your progress is carried over. Game Trials will be rolling out soon to select paid games on mobile, and will eventually also make it to Google Play Games for PC.
What's more, on select paid games, you can buy the title once and have access to both the mobile and PC versions of the game. "Buy once, play anywhere", Google says. This is already rolling out to the...
After recent events, the Finalissima could change venues, ruling out Qatar for security reasons. In light of this, an iconic venue has emerged as an alternative to host the clash between Argentina and Lamine Yamal's Spain, but Lionel Messi's team has reportedly made a decision.
With just a few months to go until the 2026 World Cup, the Finalissimastands out as the most anticipated event, as it is not only a clash between Argentina and Spain, but also a Lamine Yamal vs. Lionel Messiencounter. Prioritizing a neutral venue, Lusail Stadium emerged as the ideal location. However, the unstable situation in the Middle East has changed things, supposedly making an iconic stadium the new favorite host, but it reportedly faces a backlash.
According to José Félix Díaz in Diario AS, Santiago Bernabéu Stadium emerges as the favorite venue to host the Finalissima between Spain and Argentina. While UEFA considers it the best alternative, the Argentine Football Association (AFA) and CONMEBOL have not yet confirmed whether they will accept this option. In addition, Juan Felipe Sanz reported on El Chiringuito de Jugones that, if the conditions are accepted, the match would take place on March 27.
In case this venue is confirmed, the iconic clash between Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi would occur in a stadium familiar to both, boosting the event’s visibility. This would not be the first time both teams played in Spain, as they faced each other in March 2018 at Metropolitano Stadium, now known as Riyadh Air Metropolitano. Nonetheless, Argentina may not be entirely inclined to accept the proposed venue.
As reported by Gaston Edul, the AFA has decided to reject Santiago Bernabéu Stadium as the venue for the Finalissima and will soon communicate this decision to UEFA. The original idea was for the match to be played on neutral territory, which would not be the case if it took place at Real Madrid’s stadium, putting Lionel Messi’s team in a potentially hostile scenario. With this in mind, UEFA and CONMEBOL may soon consider other alternatives.
A general view of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid.
Finalissima’s Argentina vs. Spain clash reportedly hold other venues
While the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium stands as one of the most innovative and historically rich venues globally, its lack of neutrality could pose complications. For that reason, Lionel Messi’s Argentina may force to chase other alternatives. As a result, UEFA and CONMEBOL are reportedly exploring additional venues for the Finalissima, with Europe emerging as the favored location.
According to RNE Deportes, Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Portugal, and Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Italy, have emerged as other alternatives. These venues offer a neutral setting for Spain and Argentina while still being modern and capacious. Even though Wembley Stadium in London was also in consideration, the upcoming Uruguay vs. England match on March 27, ruling it outfrom the list of potential candidates.
While new venues are being debated for the Finalissima between Argentina and, Qatar are reportedly pushing to keep the Lusail Stadium as the venue, as they have paid a large sum and signed a contract, according to Aritz Gabilondo via Cadena SER. In addition, they aim to resume their domestic league soon and reopen the airspace, seeking to ensure there are no excuses. Because of this, just a few weeks before the match, the venue is still not clear.
Lionel Messi of Argentina and Lamine Yamal of Spain.
Bitcoin has always been the most liquid digital asset on the planet. What it never had was the infrastructure to actually do something with that liquidity.
Ark Labs is building to fix that. And today, Tether backed them to do it.
Tether Leads $5.2M Seed Round for Bitcoin’s Missing Layer
Ark Labs closed a $5.2M seed round today, led by Tether, to push Arkade, a programmable execution layer built natively on Bitcoin, into its next phase. Ego Death Capital, Anchorage Digital, Epoch VC, and Ralph Ho, former VP of Finance at PayPal, also joined the round. Total institutional backing now stands at $7.7M.
The number matters less than the name on the check.
Tether, the issuer sitting behind $184 billion in USDT circulation, chose Bitcoin as its infrastructure bet.
Stablecoins Were Born on Bitcoin. Tether Wants Them Back There.
USDT didn’t originate on Ethereum. It started on Bitcoin and Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino hasn’t forgotten that.
“Stablecoins were born on Bitcoin, and expanding access on the Bitcoin network remains a priority for us,” Ardoino said. “Improving access to USD₮ on the most secure and widely recognized blockchain supports greater financial inclusion, more efficient cross-border payments, and stronger global liquidity.”
Arkade enables this by settling transactions directly on Bitcoin’s base layer – no wrapped tokens, no third-party custody, no separate chain asking for your trust.
Payments, Lending, Escrow: All on Bitcoin Rails
Ark Labs CEO Marco Argentieri has been direct about the problem his company solves.
“Bitcoin is the most liquid digital asset in the world, but it has lacked the programmable infrastructure that financial applications require,” he said. “Arkade changes that.”
The platform handles payments, lending, escrow and conditional transactions on Bitcoin. It also targets autonomous commerce – AI agents that need enforceable spending rules to operate.
The Bigger Race This Fits Into
Stablecoin legislation is moving through Washington. Ethereum and Solana have owned the programmable finance conversation for years. Tether just placed a bet that Bitcoin can enter it.
Whether Arkade delivers is a question for later. But the world’s largest stablecoin issuer publicly backing Bitcoin’s programmability layer isn’t a minor development. It’s a statement about where serious money thinks this industry is heading.
Goldman Sachs appearing on the holder list of the newly launched XRP and Solana ETFs sent a ripple of excitement through crypto markets last week. A Wall Street giant owning a spot XRP ETF felt, to many, like a coronation. Bloomberg ETF analyst James Seyffart has a more sobering read of the situation — and it is worth hearing.
The Headline That Got Everyone Talking
When regulatory filings revealed Goldman Sachs had taken positions in spot ETFs tracking XRP and Solana, alongside its already known holdings in Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, the reaction was immediate. For a community that has spent years waiting for traditional finance to take crypto seriously, seeing one of Wall Street’s most prestigious names on an XRP ETF holder list felt like validation at the highest level.
The story spread fast. The interpretation was almost universally bullish. Goldman is in. Institutions have arrived. XRP is legitimate.
Seyffart’s view is more complicated.
What Goldman’s Position Actually Means
“I wouldn’t ascribe too much to seeing a name like that at the top of the holders list,” Seyffart said when asked about the filings. Goldman sits at the top of the Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF holder lists too, he noted, and nobody reads those positions as a long-term directional bet on crypto.
The more likely explanation, according to Seyffart, is that the bulk of Goldman’s ETF exposure originates from its trading desk rather than from a conviction investment. Basis trading, market making, and facilitating client orders from high-net-worth individuals are all plausible explanations for the position. None of them represent Goldman making a strategic decision to back XRP as an asset.
Millennium Management, the second largest holder of the XRP ETF, sits in a similar category. Large financial institutions appear at the top of these lists not necessarily because they believe in the underlying asset, but because trading these instruments is simply part of what they do.
Where the Genuine Conviction Actually Lives
Seyffart drew a distinction when looking at the Solana ETFs, where a handful of dedicated crypto hedge funds lead the holder rankings. Those positions, he suggested, are far more likely to represent genuine long-term conviction. Several of those funds probably helped seed the ETFs in the first place by contributing their own Solana holdings, which means their appearance on the list does not even represent net new buying of the asset.
The same logic applies across the board. When an institution converts existing XRP or Solana exposure into an ETF wrapper, it is not adding to demand for the underlying token. It is simply changing the vehicle through which it holds an existing position. On a net basis, the market impact can be close to zero.
The Uncomfortable Truth
The crypto market has a habit of reading institutional ETF filings as endorsements. Goldman’s name on an XRP ETF holder list is genuinely important, and there may well be some client money in there that is straightforwardly long the asset. But the more mundane reality, according to one of the most respected ETF analysts in the business, is that Wall Street’s presence in these products says far less about institutional conviction in XRP than the headlines suggest.
Binance has removed 21 tokens from its Binance Alpha spotlight after they did not pass updated reviews on project development, transparency, team progress, or risk metrics. The cleanup, effective March 12, 2026 at 12:00 UTC, included assets like MIRROR, SHARDS, and FST. Binance Alpha, launched in late 2024 within the Binance Wallet to showcase Web3 projects being considered for full exchange listings, conducts regular evaluations to protect users. Though delisted from Alpha, these tokens can still be traded through wallet interfaces.
A class action lawsuit filed on March 10, 2026, in California federal court alleges that JPMorgan Chase played a key role in facilitating a $328M crypto Ponzi scheme linked to Goliath Ventures. Plaintiffs claim the bank processed large suspicious transfers and ignored compliance warning signs, which helped the operation appear legitimate to more than 2000 investors nationwide. Goliath CEO Christopher Delgado, arrested in February, allegedly misused investor funds for luxury assets while repaying earlier investors with new deposits.
The CFTC has issued a new advisory on prediction‑market event contracts, telling designated contract markets to apply full Part 38 oversight, especially for sports and other sensitive bets. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has issued a new consultation…
Circle shares have surged over 120% since early February as William Blair says USDC’s market share, cross‑chain reach, and payments moat are being repriced as core settlement infrastructure. Circle’s stock has surged more than 120% since early February, with analysts…
Goldman Sachs has delayed its prediction for the first Federal Reserve rate cut to September 2026, potentially putting pressure on the crypto market. Goldman Sachs has pushed back its forecast for when the Federal Reserve could begin cutting interest rates,…
Binance has rolled out four new AI agent Skills for USD‑margined futures, margin trading, Alpha market data, and asset management, wiring automated strategies deeper into its stack. Binance has rolled out four new AI agent Skills designed to plug automated…
Ark Invest and Unchained say about 34.6% of Bitcoin—mainly early, reused and Taproot addresses—could be vulnerable if future quantum computers crack today’s cryptography. Roughly one-third of all Bitcoin (BTC) in circulation could still be vulnerable if future quantum computers break…
A new report digs dip into short-term Bitcoin price trajectory, citing the U.S. mid-term elections as a key catalyst that could spark a rally. Bitcoin (BTC) could see a strong move higher after the next U.S. mid-term elections, according to…
Vitalik Buterin reframes Ethereum as censorship‑resistant “global shared memory,” with PeerDAS scaling its data layer for voting, identity, and on‑chain coordination. Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin says the network’s real value lies in acting as a globally shared “bulletin board”…
XRP price has gone nowhere in the last 30 days as third-party data reveals that demand from Wall Street investors has stalled. Ripple (XRP) token was trading at $1.3825 today, March 12, inside a range it has remained at in…
JPMorgan faces a U.S. class action for allegedly enabling Goliath Ventures’ $328M crypto Ponzi via Chase accounts and exchange transfers. JPMorgan is facing a new class-action lawsuit in the U.S. over its alleged role in banking a $328 million crypto…
A $109 billion surge in the crypto market cap signals renewed momentum for Bitcoin and Ethereum while emerging DeFi protocols such as Mutuum Finance gain attention. #sponsored
Phishing has quietly turned into one of the hardest enterprise threats to expose early. Instead of crude lures and obvious payloads, modern campaigns rely on trusted infrastructure, legitimate-looking authentication flows, and encrypted traffic that conceals malicious behavior from traditional detection layers. For CISOs, the priority is now clear: scale phishing detection in a way that helps
Another Thursday, another pile of weird security stuff that somehow happened in just seven days. Some of it is clever. Some of it is lazy. A few bits fall into that uncomfortable category of “yeah… this is probably going to show up in real incidents sooner than we’d like.”
The pattern this week feels familiar in a slightly annoying way. Old tricks are getting polished. New research shows how
Russia's digital rights group, RKS Global, urges removing the MAX app from any device where a VPN is used, warning that other VK-developed apps are likely to include such functionality.
Microsoft is bringing Entra ID to Windows devices - but be careful, Microsoft Authenticator is scanning rooted or cracked devices and wiping credentials
Two years after revealing what its affordable next-generation EV would look like, Rivian has shared all of the pricing, colors, and performance specs for its upcoming R2 SUV. And like so many new car releases, it’s complicated.
Following the success of TikTok and Instagram Reels, Verts is designed to boost daily engagement and reach mobile-first viewers, all while increasing discovery across Disney+'s catalog.
Google Maps launches Ask Maps, a Gemini-powered conversational feature for local discovery in the U.S. and India, plus a navigation overhaul in the U.S.
İtalyan eski golcü Luca Toni, İtalyan takımlarının Şampiyonlar Ligi'ndeki performansını değerlendirdi. Toni, "Juventus, Galatasaray ile oynanan ilk maçtaki sonuçtan dolayı hayal kırıklığına uğramıştır." dedi.
Tottenham Hotspur, 144 yılık tarihinde ilk kez üst üste 6 maç kaybetti. Takım 49 yıl sonra küme düşme tehlikesi yaşıyor ancak oyunculardan biri 'zaten ayrılacağım, düşersek düşelim' diyerek umursamazlığını dile getirdi.
Bölgesel Amatör Lig'de yer alan Denizlispor, Süper Lig döneminden yabancı oyuncularından Tiago Lopes'e olan borcu yüzünden 6 puan daha silme cezası aldı. Denizlispor, gelecek sezon Süper Amatör Lig'de yer alacak.
"Gelecek vadeden en iyi özel sporcu" ödülleri bulunan, kayak müsabakalarına katılan tek otizmli ikizler olarak bilinen 22 yaşındaki Muhsin Murat ve Aliye Zeynep Bingül, 18-21 Mart'ta Fransa'da düzenlenecek VIRTUS Açık Kayak Şampiyonası'nda madalya hedefliyor
Gennaro Gattuso and his staff are preparing for the crucial World Cup play-off campaign coming up at the end of March, but the latest news regarding Marco Verratti means that Italy now have seven players currently unavailable through injury.
Which Italy players are currently unavailable through injury?
Italy will take on Northern Ireland in Bergamo in the World Cup play-off semi-final on March 26, and the winner of that tie will go on to face either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina away from home in the final on March 31: A one-off decider for a spot in the final tournament.
Should the Azzurri fail to win both matches, they will miss out on the World Cup for the third consecutive tournament cycle.
To make matters even more complicated for Gattuso and his staff, the last international break was four months ago, in November, and there has not been an opportunity for the squad to get together and train as a team since then.
Gattuso also has seven players who might have been included in the play-off squad currently unavailable through injury. They are the aforementioned Verratti, Giovanni Leoni, Matteo Gabbia, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Destiny Udogie, Nicolo Rovella and Antonio Vergara.
NAPLES, ITALY – JANUARY 31: Giovanni Di Lorenzo of SSC Napoli injured during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and ACF Fiorentina at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on January 31, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)
There is still a chance that Di Lorenzo, who has 53 caps to his name, returns in time for the play-offs. Reports in the UK indicate that Udogie could potentially return to action for Tottenham before the international break as well. It remains to be seen whether either will be called up.
Gabbia, Leoni, Rovella, Verratti and Vergara are not expected to return in time for the play-offs, though.
Moise Kean’s future at Fiorentina looks increasingly uncertain, and Milan are firmly positioned to take advantage, with Rossoneri coach Massimiliano Allegri understood to be the driving force behind the club’s renewed interest in the Italian striker.
The Italian signed a new contract with Fiorentina last summer through to 2029, rejecting several approaches in a show of commitment to the Viola project.
Seven months on, that project has faltered considerably, and with a likely restructuring ahead at the club, the suitors who were rebuffed last summer are circling once more.
According to Fabrizio Romano and Matteo Moretto, via CalcioMercato, Milan have never truly moved on from their interest, with Allegri personally requesting in January that the club make a move, a request that was ultimately impossible to fulfil at the time given squad constraints and Fiorentina’s precarious league position.
MILAN, ITALY – MARCH 08: AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri looks on during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Inter at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on March 08, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Three factors that could lead to Milan move for Kean
Three specific factors could prove decisive in convincing Kean to make the move to San Siro.
The first is personal, his close friendship with Rafael Leao, with whom he shares a passion for rap music and has even collaborated on tracks.
The second is Allegri himself, who has consistently rated Kean highly even during the striker’s most difficult periods at Juventus, and whose presence could be a significant pull. The third, and perhaps most compelling, is Champions League football, something Fiorentina simply cannot offer, with their only route to Europe running through the Conference League.
The obstacle, as ever, is financial.
Fiorentina are using a €62 million release clause as their opening valuation, a figure Milan currently consider excessive and have no intention of meeting in full. Bridging that gap will be the central challenge of what promises to be a complicated but fascinating summer negotiation.
Emiliano Martinez is among the potential goalkeeping options for Juventus approaching the summer transfer window, and the Bianconeri could reportedly seek to include loanee Douglas Luiz in negotiations with Aston Villa.
Juventus, and Inter, are both looking to address their goalkeeping situations over the summer transfer window. Michele Di Gregorio has had a disappointing season between the sticks for the Bianconeri, and is no longer the club’s guaranteed first choice, with Mattia Perin returning for opportunities over the last few weeks.
According to reports from Tuttosport and various others, Juventus will look to bring in a new stopper over the next summer transfer window.
Could Juventus snatch Emiliano Martinez away from Aston Villa?
According to Thursday’s reports from Tuttosport and Calciomercato.com, Aston Villa’s Martinez is also an option for the Bianconeri heading into the summer transfer window.
The 33-year-old World Cup winner and two-time Yashin Trophy recipient remains under contract until the summer of 2029 at Villa Park, but with financial restrictions still weighing over the Premier League side, Juventus hope there is a chance they will consider a sale under the right conditions.
Argentine and Inter forward Lautaro Martinez (L) presents Argentine and Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper at the Ballon d’Or 2024 ceremony at the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris, France, 28 October 2024. EPA-EFE/MOHAMMED BADRA
Martinez reportedly earns a net salary in the region of €5m per season at Aston Villa, and he would reportedly request a three-year contract if he were to leave Villa Park this summer.
Juventus and Villa could also seek to include Douglas Luiz in potential negotiations for Martinez.
The Brazilian midfielder is currently on loan at Villa with an option to buy from Juventus for €25m, and Thursday’s reports claim that the possibility of a ‘double deal’ can’t be ruled out at this stage.
Thursday’s reports indicate that Marco Verratti will be unavailable for Italy’s upcoming World Cup play-off campaign through injury, so who could replace the 33-year-old midfielder, and how is CT Gennaro Gattuso planning to line up in the middle of the park?
Verratti, who last played for the national team in Nations League finals in the summer of 2023, has been in line for a surprise return to the Azzurri squad for the World Cup play-off semi-final against Northern Ireland on March 26, and for the final, which will be played away against either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 31 should Italy qualify.
There were reports that the former PSG and current Al-Duhail midfielder was on Gattuso’s preliminary squad list, and that he was in line to make the final cut at the end of this month.
Those rumours have been put to bed on Thursday, as reports from various outlets claim that Verratti is still struggling with a knee injury that has kept him out of club action since January 15 and will not be included in the World Cup play-off squad at the end of this month.
Thursday’s reports indicate that 21-year-old Roma midfielder Niccolo Pisilli is the most likely candidate to replace Verratti in Gattuso’s squad.
Fortunately for Gattuso, the injury to Verratti is unlikely to impact plans on his first-choice starting XI. That is because Nicolo Barella and Sandro Tonali are widely expected to be the go-to ‘number 8s’ this month, and Juventus’s Manuel Locatelli is highly likely to be the man at the base of the Azzuurri midfield.
Which midfielders are on Italy’s radar?
BERGAMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 05: Coach Gennaro Gattuso of Italy looks on prior to the National anthems prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Estonia at Stadio di Bergamo on September 05, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)
Arsenal recently handed Bukayo Saka a bumper new contract – the problem is, he’s no longer performing like the star player his pay packet suggests he is.
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The England international is not having his best season, and it was notable how much better Arsenal looked when they subbed him off for Noni Madueke in last night’s Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen.
While goals and assists aren’t everything, they’re pretty important currency for the star attacker of a top club, and those numbers only seem to be going in the wrong direction for Saka.
Bukayo Saka’s G/A numbers continue to decline
See below as a quite clear pattern has emerged showing that Saka peaked with his output two years ago, with injuries clearly seeming to take a toll since then…
Bukayo Saka stats in recent seasons (Sky Sports)
So far in 2025/26, Saka is on nine goals and five assists in 39 games in all competitions – a distinctly average return, and perhaps more concerning as the season goes on, with the 24-year-old on just two goals and two assists in 2026 so far.
The presence of Saka means Madueke has had limited minutes, but he’s still managed seven goals and one assist in 29 appearances, only 19 of which have been in the starting XI.
Bukayo Saka not justifying huge new Arsenal contract
If Arsenal had agreed that kind of deal a year or two ago, no one would bat an eyelid, but at the moment it looks like the club may have walked into a major mistake.
Saka’s fitness has been patchy, and it’s starting to look like it’s having an effect with his on-pitch displays.
For someone who’s played so much football already at a relatively young age, it wouldn’t be surprising if we saw Saka suffer in much the same way as other explosive young forwards did.
Names like Michael Owen and Marcus Rashford come to mind as players who peaked far earlier than the standard 25-28 age bracket due to becoming important first-team regulars as teenagers.
Bukayo Saka needs a rest, but when will it come?
It looks like Saka just needs a rest right now after such a gruelling schedule in the last few years, with the winger playing at a high level every three days pretty much constantly.
Unfortunately, Mikel Arteta needs his star man to be ready to fight for the Premier League title, Carabao Cup final, and continued runs in the FA Cup and the Champions League.
While Madueke is showing himself to be a fine alternative, it seems unlikely that Arsenal are going to bench their highest earner any time soon, with every game at this stage of the season looking hugely important.
And after that, there’s the World Cup with England to think about, with Saka almost certain to be on the plane to North America, and likely to be in Thomas Tuchel’s first XI at the tournament.
Arsenal know they have an elite talent on their hands, hence the big pay day and the frequent minutes, but as time goes on it increasingly seems like those two things can’t go hand in hand comfortably together.
Having gone down to Robert Andrich’s opener, Arsenal avoided defeat in their first-leg clash with Bayer in Leverkusen through a late penalty. Referee Halil Meler from Turkey deemed this contact between substitutes Malik Tillman and Noni Madueke worthy of a spot-kick in the final minutes of the game, and it was converted for Arsenal by […]
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice and assisted another late on as Paris Saint-Germain’s 5-2 win over Chelsea left them in control of their Champions League last-16 tie. Liam Rosenior’s side will have to overturn a three-goal deficit in Tuesday’s return meeting at Stamford Bridge, after substitute Kvaratskhelia stole the show off the bench at Parc des […]
The Champions League round-of‑16 first legs played on March 10 and 11 offered the kind of drama only Europe’s premier competition can deliver. Some matches reaffirmed the quality of traditional giants, others exposed fragile foundations, and a few left us wondering how certain teams will recover in time for next week’s decisive second legs. Newcastle […]
İsveç millisində baş məşqçi Qrem Potter ilə müqavilə uzadılıb.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, bu barədə federasiyanın mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb. Mütəxəssislə müqavilə 2030-cu ilin yayına kimi artırılıb.
İsveç millisi DÇ-2026-nın pley-off mərhələsində Ukrayna ilə qarşılaşacaq. Duelin qalibi mundiala vəsiqə üçün Polşa – Albaniya cütünün güclüsü ilə oynayacaq.
I Liqada mübarizə aparan “Şəfa”da yeni təyinat baş tutub.
Futbolpress.az xəbər verir ki, Nadir Nəbiyev klubun akademiyasının rəhbəri vəzifəsinə təyin edilib. Bu barədə klubun mətbuat xidməti məlumat yayıb.
Qeyd edək ki, Nadir Nəbiyev peşəkar futbolçu kimi uzun illər Azərbaycan futbolunda çıxış edib, “Neftçi”, “Turan Tovuz” və “Xəzər Lənkəran” klublarının heyətində oynayıb, həmçinin Azərbaycan milli komandasının üzvü olub.
According to the Telegraph, Arsenal are keeping an eye on the situation around Tino Livramento and considering a move for the Newcastle fullback. Livramento has reportedly been an subject of strong interest from Manchester City for a while now, but Newcastle have been fighting to keep hold of the 23-year-old for the long-term future. However, […]
One year ago, Luke Loucks walked into the Tucker Center and told a room full of Florida State fans it was good to be home. On Thursday night, he gets to prove exactly how good it feels. Florida State enters the ACC Tournament quarterfinal against No. 1 Duke, with the ESPN Matchup Predictor giving the Seminoles just a 4.0% chance of pulling the upset at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The models say it is over before it starts. The spread says the same.
Duke is the best team in the country, but the last seven weeks of Florida State basketball say the Seminoles have not read the forecast. They never do.
The most important context for Thursday night exists in the Jan. 3 box score: Duke won 91-87 in Tallahassee. Four points. On FSU's home floor.
The Seminoles, playing at home and still early in Loucks' first season, pushed the nation's eventual No. 1 seed to the final possession. Duke is a better, more complete team than what FSU held to a four-point win in Tallahassee, but the Seminoles know what this opponent looks like.
Duke has gone 16-1 since that meeting and is now entering the ACC Tournament with a significantly diminished rotation. This is the detail that makes Thursday's matchup more nuanced than the matchup predictor suggests.
Duke will be without starting point guard Caleb Foster and starting center Patrick Ngongba II for the entirety of the ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils ended the regular season on an eight-game win streak, winning those games by an average margin of 23.1 points. That version of Duke had Foster and Ngongba. Thursday's version does not.
Whatever opportunities the Seminoles may find on offense, they will spend most of the night dealing with the most dominant individual player in college basketball.
Cameron Boozer is averaging 22.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game this season on 58.3% shooting from the field. He is the ACC Player of the Year. He is Duke's engine, its primary scorer, its rebounder, and its interior anchor.
For FSU to win, Thomas Bassong, Alex Steen, and Lajae Jones would collectively need to limit Boozer to something far below his season average. That task has proven beyond nearly every opponent Duke has faced this year.
Florida State has not been given a chance all season. The models gave Cal the edge on Wednesday night. Loucks held a 4 a.m. film session after the worst loss in program history. None of it stopped the Seminoles from finishing over .500 in the ACC for the first time since 2021 and advancing to face the nation's top team.
Wednesday night, they beat California 95-89. The Seminoles held the lead for 81% of the game against a team ESPN's models had picked to win. Now they are back on the floor 24 hours later, staring up at a 29-2 Duke team, and the models have rendered their verdict again.
Loucks will walk his team out onto the Spectrum Center floor for the biggest game of his first season as a head coach. He will do it with a program that has won 11 of its last 15 games, a point guard playing the best basketball of his career, and nothing to lose.
The college basketball world says Duke wins. The last two months say the Seminoles belong on this floor.
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The Indianapolis Colts were the first team to shake up the wide receiver landscape this offseason with a pair of moves to kick off free agency earlier this week.
First, Indianapolis managed to retain the services of Alec Pierce on a four-year, $116 million contract that places him among the top-10 highest-paid wide receivers on an average-per-year salary basis. He comes in just behind Lions star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. In order to clear space for Pierce’s new deal, the Colts had to wave goodbye to stalwart starting receiver Michael Pittman Jr., trading him in a late-round pick swap to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
From a fantasy and production standpoint, I have mostly positive but some mixed feelings about Pierce returning to Indianapolis.
What returning to Colts means for Pierce
Generally, I’m more pro players sticking with a team that’s getting the most out of them and there’s no doubt that Shane Steichen’s Colts got the best out of Pierce last season. The grass is not always greener on the other side. True No. 1 receivers can go anywhere, generally do not have to worry about being deployed in unfavorable ways and can produce in any circumstance. I’m a huge fan of Pierce’s game and have liked him ahead of consensus as a prospect and after his rookie year, but despite what the contract says, Pierce has yet to prove he’s at that level.
The Colts got the most out of Pierce last season by using him more often as a condensed X-receiver lined up closer to the line of scrimmage — which gives him more space to operate as an outside receiver — and Pierce responded by expanding his ability to win on in-breaking routes like the dig. Pierce previously hadn’t shown much on that particular pattern but that’s key in cracking modern split safety coverages to create big plays over the middle.
Upcoming free agent WR Alec Pierce's 2025 #ReceptionPerception profile is up on the site 🔥
Pierce set career-highs with: - 71% success rate vs. man coverage - 76.2% success rate vs. press (81st percentile)
A good chunk of this is Pierce developing as a player in Year 4 but you also have to credit the scheme and play-caller. Frankly, I just think it’s easier to project Pierce while staying in that familiar role, rather than taking over another team’s vertical X-receiver gig where he may be miscast.
The debate about whether Pierce can be more than what he was last year seems to center on whether he can be more than just a deep-ball receiver, aka, can he run the full route tree? I think that slightly misses the mark. Reception Perception shows that Pierce can do more than just run go routes, and that’s always been the case. He just added even more to his plate in the intermediate area. The question for Pierce is more about whether he can become a more consistently targeted player.
Last season, among 118 wide receivers who ran 200-plus routes, Pierce ranked 67th in targets per route run (17.7%). That trailed both Pittman (36th) and Josh Downs (24th) on his own team. Obviously, Pierce’s downfield and X-receiver role makes his targets more high-yield when they hit, so nobody thought anything of it when he was being used in that fashion in 2025.
Signing him to this deal significantly changes expectations and, fair or unfair, he’s now going to be judged based on his production relative to that money.
What Pittman’s departure means for Pierce, Colts offense
Pittman's moving on will open up opportunities for Pierce to inherit. Downs will likely step into the WR2 role in two-receiver sets, tight end Tyler Warren should see more targets, but the depth behind them isn’t great. My guess is that Indianapolis will replace Pittman with a Day 2 draft-and-develop wide receiver, which is what all three of these receivers were for the Colts. It’s worked for all three of them; it did not work out for AD Mitchell two drafts ago. So it’s not a lock that this hypothetical player will be good enough off the rip to inherit a big role — I’d project Pierce and Downs’ roles as pretty secure.
So really, what matters for Pierce to become a more high-volume player is a more varied role beyond just the vertical X-receiver archetype. Otherwise, he could fall into the problem that DK Metcalf (WR26 in fantasy) fell into last year as a downfield X-receiver-only player with a quarterback who didn’t consistently rip the throws he ran within the concepts. Even Courtland Sutton, another player in this archetype, proves some of the risks at play here. Sutton finished as the WR11 in fantasy, overall, but had four games last year with just one catch and was out-targeted by an inferior player in Troy Franklin, to no fault of his own. It just happens when you have a quarterback playing in chaos, as was the case for Bo Nix at times with the 2025 Broncos. They just become a little less willing and/or able to hang in the pocket and wait for the long-developing perimeter routes from the X to develop.
Volatility is fine; every receiver is going to have quiet weeks. Pierce himself had five games with one or zero catches. Two of them came with Philip Rivers starting and they were sandwiched around a four-catch, 86-yard, two-touchdown game. Again, that’s all perfectly fine when he’s a complementary X-receiver on a rookie deal. When expectations and pay changes, the way the player is used must also change. That’s where it will be on the team to use Pierce pre-snap in a different way than we’ve seen to date. I think they can but my opinion and that of the staff may not overlap — one matters much more than the other if we’re trying to guess outcomes. All of this just invites new variables for a player who was deployed flawlessly relative to his skills and traits in 2024 and 2025 as the finishing piece to a wide receiver room that featured an ideal flanker in Pittman and slot in Downs.
Going all-in on Daniel Jones comes with plenty of risk
If you talk with anyone who has played with the Colts the last few seasons — and I have — or hell, even a Colts fan, they’re all wearing some kind of scars from having to experience the immense quarterback turnover this team has endured dating back to Andrew Luck’s shocking preseason retirement before the 2019 NFL season.
That’s why when Jones played at a high level and captained them to a masterful start in the first eight weeks, it was the oasis in the desert that Chris Ballard, the longest suffering wanderer, and Co. couldn’t help but cling to. He did more than that; he went all-in on that sample and traded two first-round picks to acquire Sauce Gardner … right in time for everything to fall apart. That’s why they’re so pot committed to this build and, reportedly, never considered another option at quarterback, no matter what fun and possibly even superior fan fiction ideas existed. To Ballard and others in the organization, stability with Jones was the only answer. They crave the ecstasy of being able to say they’re walking into this NFL season with the same man under center as they planned to start last year. To them, this is the reprieve to heal the quarterback wounds they’ve carried for years.
In order to do that, they’ve put on blinders to all the perils. The reality that Jones was already starting to regress to some of his less desirable form in Weeks 9 and 10 — before he broke his leg — when he took a whopping 12 sacks in two games. The sobering truth that Jones breaking said leg and then tearing his Achilles tendon in Week 14 was just the latest in a long history of injuries for the soon-to-be 29-year-old quarterback. Never mind the fact that our recent data on quarterbacks coming back from an Achilles injury includes two miserable examples in the first year back with 2024 Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins. We haven’t even mentioned that this team has chosen to remove the most reliable wideout in the room, Pittman, from Jones’ arsenal, a guy with whom he held pristine chemistry in that magical eight-game run.
Just because they have chosen to ignore or, at the very least, accept the danger of those risks doesn’t mean that we have to when projecting this team.
My worry is that the Colts learned the wrong lesson from their excellent start to last season. In my view, and I could be way off on this, what the first half of 2025 showed us was proof of concept in demonstrating just how fantastic of an elite ecosystem this Colts offense is at its peak. The 2025 Colts had a high-end play-caller in Shane Steichen, an elite running back, a strong offensive line, a tight end who was a perfect finishing piece and a fantastic three-receiver set of Pierce, Pittman and Downs, who perfectly filled the X, Z and slot roles required a dangerous and diverse offense. You put just about any functional quarterback into that situation and you’re going to get high-caliber, efficient offensive play. The lesson was that you quarterback-proofed the offense but because of their scars and winding desert-walk searching for a franchise passer, they took a different view on the summary.
To them, Jones was and is the answer; the key that unlocked everything. If it were a fully healthy version of Jones who played as he did in Weeks 1 to 8 over a full season, I’d be on board with their conclusion. Yet, it’s just not. That doesn’t mean the Colts will lose this gamble but it without a doubt increases the volatility of everyone involved with this operation in 2026.
Let’s not overlook the impact of the Pittman trade
Lastly, I just want to emphasize that removing Pittman from the equation that added up to the elite Weeks 1 to 8 offense really does matter quite a bit. My sense from consuming other opinions about this choice to retain Pierce at $29 million and saying goodbye to Pittman’s cap hit to make it happen — a defensible decision based on Downs and Warren’s skill set overlapping with where Pittman wins and the respective age of the two wideouts — is that people have forgotten how good Pittman is at the game.
While Pittman doesn’t make big plays like Pierce down the field, he’s an excellent zone beater who gets open in the short-to-intermediate areas with a specialty at working the middle of the field. In other words, he’s a huge factor in creating layups for a quarterback and boosting efficiency.
The Colts will miss Pittman and I just couldn’t shake the thought while charting his 2025 film that he’s a perfect fit for Rodgers in a Mike McCarthy West Coast offense.
McCarthy’s offense is based on quick throws and slant-based concepts tied to the quarterback’s drop. Pittman is one of the best big receivers at winning fast off the line of scrimmage on in-breakers. As we’ve seen over and over again, Rodgers craves working with veteran receivers who know where they’re supposed to be and are in the right spots with the progression of a play. Pittman is a smart wideout who has a mastery level at this part of the position.
Awesome breakdown from Michael Pittman on what goes into beating zone coverage as a WR from diagnosing rotations to which defender you read first and why he felt like he was consistently on the same page as Daniel Jones. pic.twitter.com/Y2XGIR0cN0
The only concerning variable for Pittman is that he’ll turn 29 this year and has slowed down in back-to-back seasons after fast starts due to injuries.
If he’s healthy, Pittman’s game lines up better with the current version of Rodgers than Metcalf’s does as that volatile X-receiver on the outside. It wouldn’t shock me at all, despite their differences in annual salary, if Pittman catches more passes, if not straight out-produces Metcalf, if Rodgers is under center for 17 games with the Steelers. I don’t know if that’s enough for me to be excited about Pittman in fantasy, given the limitations of a Rodgers-based passing attack, but it will inform how I view these guys relative to consensus. For the Steelers, though, this is a shrewd move to get an ideal running mate to Metcalf, whose game is perfectly complementary and solves a WR2 problem that has haunted them for many seasons.
TAMPA, Fla. — Yankees manager Aaron Boone still brings up how blown away he was two springs ago when a pitching prospect who’d already been optioned was summoned in from the minor-league camp to make a start in Clearwater.
Luis Gil pitched 3 2/3 shutout innings with eight strikeouts facing a lot of Phillies regular that day. That led to the Dominican being picked to begin the season in the Yankees’ rotation as a fill-in starter instead of going to Triple-A, which led to 15 wins and American League Rookie of the Year.
Most spring training games are forgettable right away, but not that one.
The Yankees beating up on the Blue Jays 8-1 on Wednesday night was another exception.
This one won’t soon be forgotten, but not because Giancarlo Stanton clubbed his second and third homers in just his fourth game.
It also won’t be remembered for the late-game clubhouse excitement when pitching prospect Carlos Lagrange and several other young Dominicans in the clubhouse screamed in delight watching Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr., homer for the D.R. in its World Baseball Classic win over Venezuela.
Boone won’t forget this one because the two young fireballers unleashed on the Blue Jays put on a Grapefruit League show for the ages.
First, 2025 rookie sensation Cam Schlittler started and hit 99 mph, retiring 11 of 13 hitters with six strikeouts, while allowing one run on two hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Lagrange provided the encore. Touching 102 mph, the 6-foot-7 righty closed out the Jays with four no-hit innings. The Yankees’ No. 2 prospect fanned three and walked one while setting down 12 of 13 Jays.
Schlittler began with a close-to-immaculate first inning, three strikeouts on 10 pitches, then he fanned two more working a 1-2-3 second.
The stakes were a million times less, but Schlittler was just as good as he was last October when he struck out 12 Red Sox, pitching eight shutout innings in his do-or-die Game 3 Wild Card Series start.
“Those first two innings were about as dominant as you’re going to see,” Boone said. “Whether that’s spring training (or) any time of the year, you go 25 pitches, 20 strikes, five punches in the first two ...”
It also looks like everyone can forget about the righty’s minor back and lat discomfort. Schlittler didn’t throw off a mound for a few days, but he’s been fine for weeks and now has turned in two standout starts in a row, the other 2 1/3 scoreless in facing the Rays on March 6.
“I feel great,” Schlittler said. “No hiccups or anything. My last start was great as well. I definitely feel like I’m in a good spot while ramping up the intensity.”
While Schlittler has a spot in the Yankees’ rotation, Lagrange has set himself up to make his MLB debut at some point this season. In three outings, one as a starter and two piggybacking, the 22-year-old has allowed just one run over 9 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts, three walks and a hit batter.
“He kind of makes me look like an idiot a little bit (throwing so hard), but he’s great,” Schlittler jokingly said about Lagrange. “He’s got great stuff. I’ve seen him throw since (rookie ball) back in ’23 and he’s just gotten so much better and I’m hoping he’s competing for a spot at some point this season.”
The Yankees think LaGrange can be a frontline starter in the majors because he has a wipeout slider and changeup in addition to a three-digit fastball, but the quickest promotion route could be as a reliever.
“I still think you want to find out and dream on (starting) because the biggest upside you can have is to have an impactful starting pitcher,” Boone said. “But there’s no denying what we think he could be out of the ‘pen.
“We’re not going to certainly rush him for the sake of plugging a need, especially early on, I wouldn’t think. But as he logs some innings and (if the bullpen) becomes a real need at some point, I think anything’s possible.”
Feb 18, 2026; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Steven Pearl reacts during the second half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Tennessee will open its postseason this afternoon in Nashville, set to take on Steven Pearl’s Auburn Tigers, who are desperately looking for another win to lock into the NCAA Tournament. Auburn’s transition year to Steven hasn’t gone as planned, with the Tigers sitting at 17-15 overall and squarely on the bubble.
Today they run into Tennessee again, which is likely set to get star player Nate Ament back from an ankle injury. The 5-star freshman was on a tear before suffering the injury, pushing his average up to over 17 points per game. It remains to be seen if he’s anywhere close to 100 percent, however.
Ament scored 22 points in Tennessee’s win over Auburn back on February 1st, going to the free throw line 15 times. The Volunteers won that matchup 77-69.
Today, Tennessee and Auburn will fight for the right to advance to Friday, where the winner will take on Vanderbilt.
The Washington Commanders are entering into a pivotal offseason for a number of reasons.
The main one, of course, is that the 2025 season was a nightmare compared to the energizing 2024 campaign, and now it's time to seek a bounce back. But the other notable reason is this -- the Commanders have more than $87 million in cap space.
That ranks third-most in the NFL, according to Over The Cap, and it means the Commanders have a lot of decisions to make. They can potentially boost their roster at a number of major positions of need.
Some things can't be fixed in free agency, like Jayden Daniels' health. They'll just need that to go better.
But even his backup QB is a need, with Marcus Mariota hitting the open market.
The Commanders have been linked to available running backs, wide receivers and tight ends as they hope to boost the offense around Daniels and Terry McLaurin.
There's plenty of space for defensive upgrades, too. And one key spot that flies under the radar: The Commanders need a center. They released Tyler Biadasz and could look to shell out big money to add a new guy in the middle of the offensive line.
We'll keep track of everything the Commanders are up to right here.
10:45 a.m.: The Titans have signed LB Jacob Martin, who spent the 2025 season with the Commanders, according to The Athletic.
8:35 a.m.: Any team looking for a veteran defensive lineman with lots of history of success has at least two options left in free agency: Joey Bosa and Cameron Jordan.
6:45 a.m.: Over The Cap lists updated salary cap space for every team in the NFL -- although it's a moving target and hasn't necessarily accounted for every free agent signing or release yet. But for what it's worth, the Commanders have $66 million in space as the site stands at the start of Thursday. It appears that Odafe Oweh, Chig Okonkwo and Tim Settle's contracts haven't been factored in yet, but that should still leave some space.
WEDNESDAY
11:45 p.m.: As things wind down on the first day of free agency officially being open, there are still a lot of big-name free agents out there. The likes of Kyler Murray, Jauan Jennings, Stefon Diggs, Joel Bitonio, Joey Bosa, Jaquan Brisker, Dallas Goedert and more are still out there.
5:30 p.m.: It didn't take long for Chris Rodriguez to find a new home. He's going to the Jaguars.
4:55 p.m.: The Commanders are non-tendering Chris Rodriguez, according to CBS Sports, which makes him an unrestricted free agent. A bit of a surprising move with the RB.
3:15 p.m.: A busy window for the Commanders. They've signed Nick Cross to join their secondary as a safety, via NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
1:20 p.m.: A good reminder on X from NFL analyst Kevin Massare: "Apparently another reminder needed on NFL Free Agency. It doesn't END at 4pm. It STARTS then. There's a large list of players who are currently unsigned that will greatly help good football teams this year."
8:40 a.m.: It's worth noting that the Commanders release of Marshon Lattimore can become official today, which would allow him to sign elsewhere and also impacts cap space.
6:45 a.m.: It's a big day in the NFL free agent process. No deals are actually official yet. At 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) on Wednesday, contracts can become official and players can fully join their new teams. That's when teams will start making lots of announcements on social media. This is also the day many releases can become official across the league, which could create the potential for more deals.
TUESDAY
11 p.m.: One thing worth noting is that the Commanders could have more moves coming soon because certain releases don't actually process until the league year begins on Wednesday. That'll impact available players and cap room.
7:25 p.m.: Commanders have signed Leo Chanel, the linebacker from the Chiefs, to a three-year, $24.75 million deal, according to insider Jordan Schultz.
7:20 p.m.: The Commanders are seeking another pass rusher, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, and he names Patriots' K'Lavon Chaisson as a target.
2:05 p.m.: Deebo Samuel hasn't signed with anyone new yet. There's additional information out there about his market value that's circulating as Samuel waits, and you can read about that here.
10:45 a.m.: Something to note as the free agency tampering window continues into a second day: Things will definitely be slower today. Guys that weren't signed immediately usually weren't signed immediately for a reason. Either they really are taking their time intentionally, or they don't have the interest they want. Plenty more deals will come, but they could be stretched out over the next handful of days.
7:35 a.m.: One player who is a free agent from the Commanders and hasn't signed anywhere yet but should have a decent market is offensive guard Chris Paul. It's not obvious whether Washington could still try to bring him back.
6:45 a.m.: A couple key things to note as Tuesday gets underway. Free agency operates much the same way today as it did Monday. It's still the "legal tampering" period. Deals can't be made official until Wednesday. There are still a good chunk of free agents on the board, so more news should emerge throughout the day.
MONDAY
11:30 p.m.: Washington likely still needs a center as the free agent week goes on. Keep an eye on additional WR help, too.
4:15 p.m.: A big one for the Commanders: Odafe Oweh is signing to bolster the pass rush. The former Chargers edge player is getting $100 million on a four-year contract, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
3:40 p.m.: The Commanders are bringing back Marcus Mariota. The backup QB signs a one-year contract for $7 million, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
2:20 p.m.: News that Mike Evans is leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to sign with the San Francisco 49ers is shocking. It also officially removes Washington from possibly ending up with Evans.
1:30 p.m.: The Commanders have a signing: Amik Robertson, the cornerback, is coming to town on a two-year contract, according to The Athletic.
12:40 p.m.: The Commanders have reached a two-year, $60.2 million contract extension with Laremy Tunsil, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
12:30 p.m.: A slow first half hour, with the highlights being Alec Pierce getting $116 million to return to the Colts, and Kenneth Walker signing with the Chiefs. Lots still to be done.
12 noon: The NFL's legal tampering period opens. Reports from insiders will come soon about agreed-upon signings. Nothing can be officially signed until Wednesday.
11:10 a.m.: One to watch for Washington: Mike Evans. Reports indicate he may leave the Buccaneers, and he'd make the perfect WR2 for the Commanders alongside Terry McLaurin.
10:45 a.m.: The official negotiating window opens at 12 noon on Monday, so that's when to start expecting rumors to start humming.
10:40 a.m.: It's worth noting that division rival Dallas has already been busy this morning with the trade for Packers pass rusher Rashan Gary. The Commanders have to deal with plenty of strong edge players in the NFC East.
10:30 a.m.: The negotiating window opens at 12 noon, and the Commanders have plenty to do.
Commanders free agent signings
Another defensive lineman: Charles Omenihu comes on board in free agency from the Chiefs.
Nick Cross joins to play safety for the Commanders.
The Commanders have their TE1: Chig Okonkwo from the Titans.
Another addition to the pass rush with K'Lavon Chaisson from the Patriots.
The Commanders add a solid off-ball linebacker, Leo Chanel, from the Chiefs on a three-year contract.
Tim Settle is another D-line addition, where he'll play on the interior on a three-year deal.
Odafe Oweh is the highlight of Monday, a $100 million signing over four years from the Chargers to get after the QB.
A smart and necessary move: The Commanders are bringing back Marcus Mariota to back up Jayden Daniels again.
The Commanders get a new face with the signing of CB Amik Robertson to a two-year deal.
Not a signing, per se, but the Commanders have reached a two-year contract extension with Laremy Tunsil worth $30 million per year.
Commanders free agent losses
C Tyler Biadasz (released March 3)
CB Marshon Lattimore (released March 6)
RB Chris Rodriguez departs for the Jaguars after being non-tendered by the Commanders.
Eintracht Frankfurt have won 35 points to date and are placed in 7th position. Last time out, Albert Riera's team drew 0-0 against FC St. Pauli (1. Bundesliga 2025/26).
1. FC Heidenheim 1846 have picked up 14 points and currently lie in 18th position. In their last game, Frank Schmidt's team lost 2-4 against TSG Hoffenheim (1. Bundesliga 2025/26).
The last meeting between the two teams ended in a 1-1 draw.
Frank Schmidt has faced Eintracht Frankfurt on six occasions, recording one draw and five defeats.
TEAMS
Away from home, 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 currently has one draw in the last 13 games.
Away from home, 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 currently has one win in the last 12 games.
Away from home, 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 comes from 12 consecutive games conceding goals.
Away from home, 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 comes from six consecutive games without a win.
Away from home, 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 comes from three consecutive defeats.
1. FC Heidenheim 1846 currently has one win in the last 13 games.
1. FC Heidenheim 1846 comes from 26 consecutive games conceding goals.
1. FC Heidenheim 1846 comes from 12 consecutive games without a win.
1. FC Heidenheim 1846 comes from two consecutive defeats.
At home, Eintracht Frankfurt comes from three consecutive games scoring goals.
At home, Eintracht Frankfurt comes from two consecutive games without losing.
At home, Eintracht Frankfurt comes from two consecutive victories.
Eintracht Frankfurt currently has one defeat in the last five games.
Eintracht Frankfurt currently has two wins in the last 13 games.
Eintracht Frankfurt comes from two consecutive games without losing.
HEAD TO HEAD
Eintracht Frankfurt and 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 have faced each other six times, with Eintracht Frankfurt having the advantage: five wins, while 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 has never won.
At Deutsche Bank Park, Eintracht Frankfurt has an advantage in the clashes against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846: two wins in two games.
In the German League, five matches were held between the two teams, with four victories for Eintracht Frankfurt and one draw.
David Villa returns to Atlético Madrid in new role
Twelve years after leaving Atlético de Madrid, Spanish international David Villa is returning to the club, this time to join the new Board of Directors.
"I am very happy to be able to return to the club with new responsibilities, but with the same desire to continue helping to make Atlético de Madrid greater, season after season," Villa said on his new role.
"The club has experienced significant growth over the past few years and I hope to contribute to our continued success. I am very grateful to have been considered for this position."
Enrique Cerezo, president of Atleti, welcomed Villa: "This has always been his home. We are very pleased that he has accepted this challenge and I am convinced that with his vast experience, he will help make Atlético de Madrid even stronger."
The highest scorer in the history of the Spanish national team thus returns to the club where he reached the final of the UEFA Champions League in the 2013/14 season and where he won another La Liga medal. In that season, he played in 47 matches, scoring 15 goals and adding four assists.
The NHL has announced a modification to the Ottawa Senators’ penalty for its role in the 2021 trade of Evgenii Dadonov to the Vegas Golden Knights and the voided trade in 2022 between the Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks.
Initially, the Senators were forced to give up one of their first-round picks in 2024, 2025, or 2026. All signs pointed to the Senators losing their 2026 pick, but they had been lobbying to the NHL behind the scenes to change the penalty, as the issue arose under former ownership and management.
The modification to the penalty is that the Senators will retain their first-round pick this year, but will automatically make the 32nd selection regardless of their NHL standings position. The team will also pay a $1 million penalty to the NHL Foundation Canada.
As a result, every team slated to select behind the Senators will move up one spot, meaning the Stanley Cup champions will make the 31st overall selection. Should the Senators miss the playoffs and fall into the draft lottery, their odds will remain consistent with their actual finish, but they cannot win the lottery. Should they win, it will result in a re-draw.
In their press release, the NHL states that they will offer no further comment on the matter. Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer did have a comment.
“We fully accept the modified sanctions the League has imposed today. We are grateful for the League and commissioner keeping an open mind on this issue and modifying the penalty,” said Andlauer. “The Senators organization is appreciative the fine money will be directed to the NHL Foundation Canada, to help grow the sport in our country. We consider this matter closed and will have no further comments on the situation.”
The issue with the Dadonov trade was that he had a 10-team no-trade clause that the Senators did not inform the Golden Knights about, so when the Golden Knights attempted to trade Dadonov to the Ducks, the deal was voided.
One country will count on Boston Red Sox players continuing their World Baseball Classic domination in the knockout stage.
Venezuela manager Omar López announced that Ranger Suarez will start Friday's quarterfinal matchup against Japan, per ESPN's Alden Gonzalez. The Yakyu Cosmopolitan reported that Los Angeles Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto is expected to start for Japan.
Suarez started Venezuela's first WBC game, allowing one run over two innings in a 6-2 victory over the Netherlands. Venezuela then defeated Nicaragua and Israel before dropping a 7-5 loss to the Dominican Republic on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old southpaw began the WBC with a heftier bank account after joining the Red Sox on a five-year, $130 million deal. Suarez recorded a 3.20 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 157 1/3 innings with the Philadelphia Phillies last season.
Boston's new addition will face a steep test against a Japanese lineup led by MVP phenom Shohei Ohtani and Chicago Cubs slugger Seiya Suzuki. Suarez will also get a first glimpse of new American League corner infielders Munetaka Murakami and Kazuma Okamoto, who signed with the Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays this offseason, respectively.
Yet a new teammate was Japan's hottest hitter in pool play. Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida made his case for playing time away from the club by going 6-for-12 with two home runs in four games, all Japan wins.
The WBC quarterfinal matchup between Venezuela and Japan starts Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. The winner advances to play Puerto Rico or Italy in the semifinals on Monday night.
Five-star defensive lineman Jalen Brewster's recent visit to Gainesville indicates that the Florida football program may once again be taking steps to realign itself with the elite of collegiate sport. When the nation's No. 1 recruit journeys to your campus, it says something distinct about the trajectory of your program.
Brewster is a 6-foot-3-inch, 300-pound defensive lineman from Cedar Hill, Texas. The senior is broadly regarded as the nation's best interior defender and top overall player in the 2027 recruiting class. Alabama and Miami are among the programs that have expressed interest in the Texas Tech commit.
Securing a visit from a prospect of this stature carries weight. Recruits of Brewster's caliber rarely take time to visit campuses where they do not see well-founded potential. Hosting top-tier talent such as Brewster and four-star offensive tackle Timi Aliu gives Florida a chance to put its new culture on display — facilities and plans for development also excite would-be commits, both aspects of the program that Sumrall and his staff are passionate about selling.
The message that's being echoed around college football: Florida intends to recruit at the highest level again under Sumrall. The last time the Gators signed a No. 1 recruit was in 2010 when Ronald Powell joined the Orange and Blue as a top linebacker. The nearly 16-year gap shows how rare these opportunities.
There is no guarantee Florida gets Brewster to flip; however, being in the conversation reveals a renewed momentum under this leadership. An energy that could shape the future of Gators football for the next decade.
Jalen Brewster recruiting summary
Brewster is ranked No. 1 overall and No. 1 at his position nationally according to 247Sports composite. The On3 industry rankingalso has Brewster at No. 1. He has garnered 40 offers, including 10 SEC programs. Brewster committed to Texas Tech in October of last year.
Follow us@GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well asBluesky, and like our page onFacebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
The Boston Red Sox acquired outfielder Braiden Ward in a trade with the Colorado Rockies in November.
Now, with an opportunity for more playing time during spring training while fellow outfielders like Ceddanne Rafaela, Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu compete at the World Baseball Classic, Ward has made quite an impression.
Ward has not only played in 15 of Boston's first 17 spring training games, but the 27-year-old is making MLB history as well.
Ward -- a non-roster invitee -- recorded his 16th steal during Grapefruit League play this spring on Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers.
Mac Cerullo of The Boston Herald noted Thursday morning that Ward's total has tied a 20-year-old record, and he's got a great chance to break the mark.
"According to FanGraphs, Ward’s 16 thefts is tied for the most by any player in a single spring since 2006, matching San Francisco’s Eugenio Velez’s total from 2008 with two weeks of games still to play," Cerullo wrote.
The Boston Herald's Gabrielle Starr wrote Tuesday that the most steals by a Red Sox player over a 16-game stretch in the regular season is 18 (in 19 attempts) by Jacoby Ellsbury from May 24 to June 15, 2013.
Cerullo wrote that Ward "faces long odds" to crack the Red Sox's Opening Day roster, but "it’s not hard to imagine" the former 16th-round pick being called up to Boston at some point this season "as a late-inning pinch runner down the stretch."
"But Cora often says it takes more than 26 guys to win a championship, and if this spring has been any indication Ward will have a good chance to make his MLB debut and contribute at some point down the road," Cerullo wrote.
Ward will have a chance to break the 20-year-old spring training stolen base record on Thursday, as he's starting in right field and batting eighth in the Red Sox's lineup against the Minnesota Twins.
The Philadelphia Phillies have a lot of promise heading into the 2026 MLB season. While there are some concerns about Zach Wheeler and Bryce Harper, the team should be able to contend for a World Series.
However, the roster is going to look a bit different this season. Justin Crawford is likely the starting center fielder, while Andrew Painter likely takes a starting rotation role. That leaves Aidan Miller as the only top-3 prospect in the Phillies organization without a role for Opening Day.
But, according to John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia, the Phillies have made a final roster decision on Miller for Opening Day. With Miller still dealing with a back issue, he's not made the Opening Day roster and has been sent to minor league camp instead.
Aidan Miller won't be on Phillies Opening Day roster
"Phillies top prospect, Aidan Miller, has been sent to the minor league camp," Clark reports.
This is not a complete surprise, especially since Miller didn't get in any action during Spring Training due to a back issue that's lingered since last season.
While there is some concern about Miller's back, the chances, even without the injury, that he would make the Opening Day roster were slim.
Alec Bohm was likely to win the third baseman job, while Trea Turner and Bryson Stott weren't likely to go anywhere this offseason. And Miller wouldn't just sit on the bench.
So, the news that the Phillies are sending Miller to minor league camp, along with Andrew Bechtold, Michael Mercado, Kehden Hettiger, Mark Kolozsvary, and Caleb Ricketts.
Miller is a top prospect in all of baseball and had some incredible flashes last season in the minor leagues. The 21-year-old had 59 stolen bases with an. 825 OPS and 14 home runs in 116 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
While there's plenty of promise with Miller, the Phillies and the young prospect will have to wait for a little while longer before he makes his MLB debut.
There is panic, or least bewilderment, in the New York Giants fan base! The Giants’ idea of helping the interior of their offensive has thus far been to RE-SIGN EVAN NEAL! The Giants still have not added any interior defensive line talent to help Dexter Lawrence.
Didn’t new head coach John Harbaugh say that building the trenches was the most important step toward challenging the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East? WHAT IS HARBAUGH DOING?
The view here is that everybody, including members of the Big Blue View staff, needs to calm down. It is March 12. The regular season is six months away. The NFL Draft is six weeks away. A lot can, and will, happen before the Giants line up for a game that matters.
We looked on Tuesday, shortly before the Neal signing was reported, at how the Giants could still address their guard situation in the second wave of free agency and the draft. Those ideas all still have validity. The Giants’ right guard depth chart is currently Neal and Jake Kubas. It won’t look like that in a couple of months.
Today, let’s turn our attention to what the Giants can do in the second wave of free agency and the draft to fortify their defensive line.
The current situation
The Giants have Lawrence, Roy Robertson-Harris and Darius Alexander as the likely starters in a three-man front. Elijah Chatman, DeMarvin Leal, and Marion Tuipolotu are the other defensive linemen on the roster. Chauncey Golston also spends time on the defensive line.
Rakeem Nunez-Roches and D.J. Davidson are unrestricted free agents.
Free agency
Why haven’t the Giants added a defensive lineman yet in free agency? Go to at the free agency tracker on Over The Cap and click on the IDL tab. There are roughly 50 unrestricted free agent defensive tackle on the market, many of them still good players. Wait out the market, let the asking prices continue to come down. Find a bargain or two.
There is no reason to rush. No reason to overpay. The Giants are not awash in salary cap space. Over The Cap shows them with roughly $12 million in cap space as of Thursday morning, with many of the players they signed this week not yet figured in to that amount.
There are still moves to be made to increase the cap space, but the Giants do need to be conscious of their budget going forward.
Here are three players they could target:
Sebastian Joseph-Day — Joseph-Day might be the most obvious target. The seven-year veteran spent the last two seasons playing for now-Giants defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson with the Tennessee Titans.
The Athletic ranked Joseph-Day No. 123 on its list of the top 150 free agents, and said:
Joseph-Day is a run-stuffing nose tackle. He has quietly performed well in Tennessee over the past two seasons after he was waived by the Chargers at the back end of a big free-agent contract. Joseph-Day finished fourth in stop rate among interior defensive linemen with at least 150 run snaps. He ranked in the top 20 in combined run tackles that went for a loss or no gain. Joseph-Day added 19 pressures as a pass rusher.
For me, the 31-year-old former Rutgers Scarlet Knight would first choice. Don’t the Giants need to add a Titans player or two?
Dalvin Tomlinson — How about a reunion with the Giants’ 2017 second-round pick? The 32-year-old has long been an excellent run defender, but judging by Pro Football Focus scores (which is not always the best way) Tomlinson has had two down years in the past three. There might not be a lot of gas left in the tank.
Calais Campbell — He is 39 years old and has been playing for 18 seasons, but Campbell is still an excellent player. Pro Football and Sports Network ranked Campbell the No. 22 interior defensive lineman in the NFL last season using its ‘Impact Score.’ Campbell played for Harbaugh with the Ravens from 2020-2022
Others suggested by BBV staff members include Shelby Harris, Da’Quan Jones, D.J. Reader, and Greg Gaines
Here is the full list of available defensive tackles. Cross off one-time Giant A’Shawn Robinson, who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Robinson would have been a nice fit. Also cross off Javon Hargrave, who is joining the Green Bay Packers.
With the Giants picking at No. 5, they should not be expected to select a defensive tackle. Peter Woods of Clemson is NMDD’s 19th-ranked player, and Caleb Banks of Florida is No. 23. Unless the Giants trade well back in Round 1 or one of those two falls to No. 37 in Round 2 they won’t be in play for New York.
Players who might be in range for the Giants at No. 37:
If he is available at No. 105, or if the Giants finagle a deal and land a third-round pick, I am partial to the idea of selecting Orange if the pick is a defensive tackle. The Giants have gotten gashed by the run when Lawrence has been off the field the past couple of years. Orange is a 6-foot-4, 325-pound double-team eating nose tackle who might be able to help that.
NMDD says:
Orange’s true strength lies in his run defense, where he excels at disrupting zone runs and generating tackles for loss. His football IQ and quick recognition of blocking schemes allow him to hold the point of attack against top-tier competition in the Big 12. While he may not be a high-ceiling prospect, Orange’s high floor and dependability make him a valuable asset for any defensive line room, projecting as a late day 2 or early day 3 pick in the NFL Draft.
No one enters this offseason with more money to spend than the Las Vegas Raiders.
Free agency week has arrived, and it's safe to expect the Raiders to pursue all sorts of available free agents to join a roster that needs plenty of reshaping. They've also got the No. 1 overall pick next month, which is expected to be used on Fernando Mendoza, the QB from Indiana.
Of course, the Raiders didn't wait until free agency to get their offseason rolling. They've already traded away Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens for a pair of first-round picks. (An update: That deal has been backed out of by the Ravens as of Tuesday night.)
That expanded what was already a lot of open cap space even wider, and now the free agent world is their oyster.
There are certain spots the Raiders don't need upgrades. QB is one, with Mendoza incoming. RB is another, after drafting Ashton Jeanty last year. And TE fits that mold, too, with young star Brock Bowers.
Almost everywhere else, the Raiders can improve. That'll make the ongoing free agency particularly fascinating.
It'll definitely make sense to make moves at wide receiver, to give Mendoza the best chance of success.
We'll be keeping track of all the happenings for the Raiders right here.
8:35 a.m.: Any team looking for a veteran defensive lineman with lots of history of success has at least two options left in free agency: Joey Bosa and Cameron Jordan.
6:45 a.m.: Over The Cap lists updated salary cap space for every team in the NFL -- although it's a moving target and hasn't necessarily accounted for every free agent signing or release yet. But for what it's worth, the Raiders have $37 million in space as the site stands at the start of Thursday. It seems Quay Walker and Eric Stokes' contracts still need to be accounted for.
WEDNESDAY
11:45 p.m.: As things wind down on the first day of free agency officially being open, there are still a lot of big-name free agents out there. The likes of Kyler Murray, Jauan Jennings, Stefon Diggs, Joel Bitonio, Joey Bosa, Jaquan Brisker, Dallas Goedert and more are still out there.
10:40 p.m.: No movement on QB or Crosby the rest of the day, it appears.
5:05 p.m.: There hasn't been much new on Maxx Crosby during the day, aside from a bunch of reports indicating he'd like to stay focused on the Raiders for now. That's solid news for Vegas fans hoping to keep him.
1:20 p.m.: A good reminder on X from NFL analyst Kevin Massare: "Apparently another reminder needed on NFL Free Agency. It doesn't END at 4pm. It STARTS then. There's a large list of players who are currently unsigned that will greatly help good football teams this year."
8:40 a.m.: A follow-up on the Maxx Crosby trade and the Ravens -- they appear to be pursuing Trey Hendrickson now, which would add an odd flavor to their choice to pull out of the Crosby deal.
6:45 a.m.: It's a big day in the NFL free agent process. No deals are actually official yet. At 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT) on Wednesday, contracts can become official and players can fully join their new teams. That's when teams will start making lots of announcements on social media. This is also the day many releases can become official across the league, which could create the potential for more deals.
9:55 p.m.: One thing worth noting is that the Raiders could have more moves coming soon because certain releases don't actually process until the league year begins on Wednesday. That'll impact available players and cap room.
4:50 p.m.: The Raiders are expected "to explore veteran QBs who could be potential stopgap starters," according to The Athletic's Michael Silver, who adds that Mac Jones won't be the guy they end up with.
2:15 p.m.: The Raiders have traded Geno Smith away to the New York Jets, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. Vegas gets a sixth-round pick while also sending a seventh-rounder to the Jets.
1:50 p.m.: SI's Albert Breer broke down one reason Tyler Linderbaum was a key signing for Vegas: "The role of the center in helping to run the presnap operation is massive in new head coach Klint Kubiak’s offense. The scheme also values athletic linemen who can move on zone runs. Linderbaum’s a perfect fit on both counts, and his football IQ should help ease the transition of presumptive first pick Fernando Mendoza to the pros."
10:45 a.m.: Something to note as the free agency tampering window continues into a second day: Things will definitely be slower today. Guys that weren't signed immediately usually weren't signed immediately for a reason. Either they really are taking their time intentionally, or they don't have the interest they want. Plenty more deals will come, but they could be stretched out over the next handful of days.
9:45 a.m.: ESPN shared the stat that the Raiders dished out $283.5 million worth of contracts on Monday.
8:35 a.m.: Vegas may stay busy again on Tuesday after adding a handful of players on day one.
7:55 a.m.: The Raiders made two contract tender moves, via Over The Cap: "Raiders applied the original round RFA tender to Thomas Booker IV. Standard RFA tender for Jordan Meredith."
6:45 a.m.: A couple key things to note as Tuesday gets underway. Free agency operates much the same way today as it did Monday. It's still the "legal tampering" period. Deals can't be made official until Wednesday. There are still a good chunk of free agents on the board, so more news should emerge throughout the day.
MONDAY
11:30 p.m.: The Raiders had a very full first day of action. There are still likely more moves to come, too.
10:30 p.m.: One signing that flew past earlier: Malcolm Koonce is joining the Raiders' defense for another year, re-signing on a one-year deal, per Jordan Schultz.
6:02 p.m.: Linebacker Quay Walker joins almost immediately after Dean, leaving the Packers to come to Vegas, via Ian Rapoport.
6:01 p.m.: The Raiders get linebacker Nakobe Dean from the Eagles on a three-year contract, per Adam Schefter.
4:38 p.m.: The Raiders sign Kwity Paye to a three-year contract worth $48 million to add the pass rusher from the Colts, per Adam Schefter.
4:27 p.m.: After a few big moves, the Raiders quieted down. There's still plenty more to be done, and lots of names still available to be signed.
2:20 p.m.: News that Mike Evans is leaving the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to sign with the San Francisco 49ers is shocking. It also officially removes Vegas from possibly ending up with Evans.
2:15 p.m.: The Raiders strike again. They sign WR Jalen Nailor from the Vikings for three years and $35 million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
1:46 p.m.: The Raiders have made a splash. It's a three-year, $81 million deal with center Tyler Linderbaum from the Ravens that makes him the highest-paid interior offensive lineman in NFL history. Deal reported by Adam Schefter.
12:10 p.m.: The Raiders are keeping Eric Stokes. It's a three-year, $30 million deal to keep the former first-round in Vegas, per Ian Rapoport.
12 noon: The NFL's legal tampering period opens. Reports from insiders will come soon about agreed-upon signings. Nothing can be officially signed until Wednesday.
11:10 a.m.: Mike Evans reportedly is considering leaving Tampa Bay. He'd be an awesome target for Fernando Mendoza, if Evans was willing to take the risk to come play with a rookie QB.
10:50 a.m.: The negotiating window opens at 12 noon ET, which is 9 a.m. PT. That's when to expect rumors to start coming in quickly.
Raiders free agent signings
In the evening, Matthew Gay signs to be the Raiders' new kicker.
The Raiders re-signed Malcolm Koonce to a one-year deal.
Moments later, Quay Walker joins the mix as another linebacker, him from the Packers.
Another defensive upgrade: Nakobe Dean into the linebacker room from the Eagles.
Kwity Paye joins to bolster the pass rush from Indy.
Jalen Nailor joins the receiver corps. He was a great slot guy in Minnesota who was overshadowed by Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.
The Raiders have a center for their presumed new QB. Tyler Linderbaum from the Ravens agrees for three years and a whopping $81 million.
Eric Stokes is staying in Vegas. He got a reported three years and $30 million. The deal can't be finalized until Wednesday.
Raiders free agent losses
The Raiders traded Geno Smith away to the New York Jets on Tuesday.
While not a signing elsewhere, the trade of Maxx Crosby over the weekend leading into free agency could be a franchise-defining one for both the Raiders and Ravens. (Update: The Ravens pulled out of this deal. It's not clear what happens next).
Kenny Pickett signs with the Panthers, departing Vegas after they traded midseason to get him from the Browns.
Lonnie Johnson Jr. has signed with the Dolphins to play in their secondary.
Dylan Parham leaves for the Jets to play on New York's offensive line.
NEW YORK (AP) — The NHL has decided not to make the Ottawa Senators forfeit a first-round draft pick for their role in a 2021 trade that was later nullified.
The Senators instead will get the 32nd and final pick in the first round after the league decided their change of ownership affected what the appropriate punishment should be. The team will also pay a fine of 1 million Canadian dollars, roughly $735,000, to NHL Foundation Canada.
If Ottawa misses the playoffs and happens to win the draft lottery for one of the first two picks, it will result in a re-draw. After announcing the alteration Thursday, the NHL said it will have no further comment on the matter.
The decision was initially levied on Nov. 1, 2023, that the Senators would forfeit a first-rounder in 2024, ‘25 or ’26. New owner Michael Andlauer fired then-general manager Pierre Dorion that day and named Steve Staois as the replacement for that role.
The Senators traded forward Evgenii Dadonov to Vegas in July 2021 and failed to supply the Golden Knights with the player’s 10-team no-trade list. Vegas attempted to send Dadonov to the Anaheim Ducks in March 2022 before the move was nixed by NHL Central Registry because he had not waived his no-trade clause.
There is precedent to the NHL reducing punishment after the fact. The New Jersey Devils in 2010 were docked a first- and a third-round pick and fined $3 million for a contract with Ilya Kovalchuk that was rejected. They instead were, like Ottawa, forced to the end of the first round in 2014.
Some NBA all-time scoring records are driven by longevity, such as LeBron James' leading all-time points total. Others are about single-game performance — Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game remains the gold standard, with the Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo now surprisingly in second place after an 83-point outing in March 2026.
When it comes to nightly consistency across the grind of the NBA's regular-season schedule, arguably no record is more telling than an elite scorer's ability to drop 20-plus points on a consistent basis. With 20 points often being considered the benchmark of a good vs. great scorer, some players reach that mark far more often than others, health also permitting.
As of March 2026, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, an MVP and Finals MVP, has made headlines as he's challenged an NBA legend's record for most consecutive 20-point games.
Here's everything to know about the longest 20-point game streaks in NBA history, where Gilgeous-Alexander ranks and more.
Plenty of all-time legends grace the top of the list for most consecutive 20-point games in NBA history.
There have been 12 occasions of a player putting up 20 points in at least 60 consecutive games, accomplished by eight different players. Wilt Chamberlain had three separate streaks of at least 60 games where he scored 20-plus points, while Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar both had two.
Who has the longest 20-point streak in NBA history?
As of March 11, 2026, there is a tie for the longest 20-point streak in NBA history. Wilt Chamberlain has long owned the record at 126 consecutive 20-point games — but during the 2025-26 season, Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tied that record and will have a chance to surpass it on Thursday, March 12 against the Boston Celtics.
Chamberlain's record of 126-straight 20-point games lasted from Oct. 19, 1961 until around the midway point of the following NBA regular season, broken on Jan. 19, 1963. That, of course, wasn't the only long 20-point streak of Chamberlain's illustrious career — for decades, he also held the No. 2 spot on the all-time list of 20-point streaks, going for 92 in a row from February 1963 until March 1964. Chamberlain also had a 20-point streak of 62 games from February 1960 until January 1961.
It wasn't until the 2025-26 NBA season that Chamberlain's all-time record was being seriously challenged. In the decades prior, the closest a player had gotten to 126-straight 20-point games was 79 by Oscar Robertson, lasting from October 1963 to October 1964, along with 72 games in a row, accomplished by both Kevin Durant (between Thunder and Warriors) from November 2015 to November 2016, and Michael Jordan (Bulls) from December 1987 to December 1988.
However, it was Gilgeous-Alexander who tied Chamberlain's record on March 9, 2026. By putting up 35 points against the Denver Nuggets, Gilgeous-Alexander notched consecutive 20-point game No. 126, putting him alongside Chamberlain — also with a chance to break the record in his next game.
Here's what to know about Gilgeous-Alexander's bid for NBA history with his 20-point streak.
How did Wilt Chamberlain set the record?
Chamberlain's record of 126-straight 20-point games lasted from Oct. 19, 1961 until Jan. 19, 1963, the equivalent of around one-and-a-half full NBA seasons.
The legendary center's streak began with a 48-point outing against the Lakers in a loss, and the final leg of the streak was a 35-point game against the St. Louis Hawks in a loss.
Chamberlain's streak ended at 126 games when he played just four minutes against the Hawks on the following day: Jan. 20, 1963. He scored at least 20 points every game of the 1961-62 season for the Philadelphia Warriors — a run that also included his famous 100-point game in 1962.
SGA ties Wilt Chamberlain
On March 9, 2026, there was finally a player to match Chamberlain's all-time run of 20-point games. Gilgeous-Alexander put up 35 points against the Nuggets — including a game-winning 3-pointer — for consecutive 20-point game No. 126.
“It’s still a lot to even wrap my head around it,” Gilgeous-Alexander said postgame, per NBA.com. “To be honest with you, I try not to even think about it, especially during the season. So much is going on. So many things have to go right.”
HISTORIC NIGHT FOR SGA 🤯
35 PTS 9 REB 15 AST (career-high) 0 TO
🏆 Ties Wilt Chamberlain for the longest 20+ point streak in NBA history (126 straight games)
Over Gilgeous-Alexander's run, he's had five games of at least 50 points, including a career-high 55 points against the Indiana Pacers.
His streak began on Nov. 1, 2024, when he put up 30 points in a Thunder win over the Portland Trail Blazers. It followed an 18-point game against the Spurs for Gilgeous-Alexander, which would be the last time he was held under 20 points for well-over a year.
Chamberlain's consecutive 20-point games record is one of many NBA's all-time marks for the former center. He holds plenty of scoring, rebounding and all-around durability records, some of which are considered potentially unbreakable.
Here are some of the other NBA regular-season records held by Chamberlain:
Scoring
Most points per game in a season (50.4 in 1961-62); only player to average at least 40 points per game
Most total points in a season (4,029 in 1961–62)
Single-game scoring record (100 points on Mar. 2, 1962)
Most points scored in a half (59 vs. Knicks during 100-point game)
Most 50-point games in a season (45 in 1961-62)
Most 40-point games in a season (63 in 1961-62)
Most consecutive seasons leading NBA in PPG (tied with seven)
Career regular-season 60-point games (32)
Career regular-season 50-point games (118)
Career regular-season 40-point games (271)
Consecutive 60-point games (four during 1961-62 season)
Consecutive 50-point games (seven during 1961-62 season)
Consecutive 40-point games (14 during 1961-62 season)
Consecutive 30-point games (65 during 1961-62 season)
Consecutive 20-point games (126 during 1961-62 and 1962-63 seasons)
Highest PPG by a rookie (37.6 in 1959-60)
Single-game rookie scoring record (58 on Jan. 25, 1960, and Feb. 21, 1960)
Single-game points in NBA debut (43 on Oct. 24, 1959)
Quickest by games to following marks: 15,000 points (358), 20,000 points (499), 25,000 points (691), 30,000 points (941)
Most FGM in a season (1,597 in 1961–62)
Most FGA in a season (3,159 in 1961–62)
Single-game FGM record (36 on Mar. 2, 1962)
Single-game FGA record (63 on Mar. 2, 1962)
Most FTA in a season (1,363 in 1961–62)
Rebounding
Most career rebounds (23,924)
Highest career average in RPG (22.9)
Most seasons leading the league in rebounds (11)
Most seasons with 1,000 or more rebounds (13)
Highest RPG in a season (27.2)
Total rebounds in a season (2,149 in 1960–1961)
Single-game rebounds (55 on Nov. 24, 1960)
Most RPG by a rookie in a season (27.0)
Most rebounds by a rookie in a season (1,941)
Most rebounds by a rookie in a game (45 on Feb. 6, 1960)
Others
Most career double-doubles (968)
Most consecutive double-doubles (227 from 1964-67)
Only player in NBA history to lead the league in points and rebounds the same season (accomplished six times)
Only player in NBA history to lead the league in rebounds and assists the same season (1967-68 season)
Only player in NBA history to lead the league in points, assists, and rebounds in any season
One of two players in NBA history to record a 20/20/20 game (Feb. 2, 1968)
Only player in NBA history to record a 40/40 game (eight times)
Most 30-30 games (points and rebounds) ever (124)
Most seasons leading NBA in minutes played (8)
Most consecutive seasons leading NBA in minutes played (5)
Most career minutes played per game (45.8)
Most minutes played in a season (3,882 in 1961–62)
Most minutes played per game for a season (48.53 in 1961–62)
Most complete games in a season (79 out of 80 games in 1961–62)
Most consecutive complete games in a season (47 in 1961–62)
Most consecutive seasons leading NBA in field goal percentage (5)
Most consecutive field goals (35 from February 17–28, 1967)
Most field goals in a game without a miss (18 on Feb. 24, 1967)
LeBron James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer, also holds the mark for most career 20-plus point games, per StatMuse, with 1,315 in his career as of March 11, 2026. James surpassed Karl Malone, who had 1,134 career games with at least 20 points.
Here is the leaderboard for all-time 20-point games:
No, they're not the team that traded for Maxx Crosby, only to back out due to a failed physical. That's the Baltimore Ravens, who decided they couldn't go through with the deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Dolphins, though, have been here before.
They were involved in what turned out to be the most famous failed physical in NFL history.
It was 2006 free agency, and Drew Brees was available. Miami had the QB from the Chargers ready to sign a contract.
Then in his physical, the Dolphins deemed that Brees' right shoulder was too likely not to return to full strength. They backed out of the agreement.
Miami instead signed Daunte Culpepper to play for Nick Saban.
Brees joined the New Orleans Saints, won a Super Bowl and became a Hall of Famer and one of the best QBs in NFL history.
Not to rub it in, Dolphins fans, but that really didn't work out.
Think of all the domino effects at play, too. Saban ended up failing with the Dolphins and went to Alabama to win a bunch of national titles. And obviously there is quite the coaching and player tree coming out of Saban's time with the Crimson Tide.
The Raiders would certainly take the Saints' side of that outcome. If Crosby leads them to a Super Bowl and becomes a Hall of Famer, all of this would be a fun thing for Vegas fans to look back on.
And if that happens, the Ravens might not recall it as fondly.
The Broncos have announced Sean Payton's full coaching staff for the 2026 season.
The most significant change comes at offensive coordinator. Davis Webb is moving up from quarterbacks coach and Payton is handing the offensive play-calling duties to him as well. The rest of the offensive staff includes offensive run game coordinator/assistant head coach Zach Strief, pass game coordinator John Morton, offensive line coach Chris Morgan, running backs coach Lou Ayeni, wide receivers coach Ronald Curry, tight ends coach Austin King, quarterbacks coach Logan Kilgore, and director of game management/assistant quarterbacks coach Evan Rothstein. Kyle Kempt, JD Johnson, and Willie Snead will all be quality control coaches.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will oversee a group that includes senior defensive assistant Joe Vitt, pass game coordinator Robert Livingston, defensive line coach Jamar Cain, defensive backs coach Doug Belk, inside linebackers coach Jeff Schmedding, and outside linebackers coach Isaac Shewmaker. Brian Niedermeyer and Todd Davis are the quality control coaches on that side of the ball.
Special teams coordinator/assistant head coach Darren Rizzi, assistant special teams coach Marwan Maalouf, special teams quality control coach Zach Line, and assistant to the head coach Paul Kelly make up the rest of the staff.
In the crowded forest of sports media—where talking heads build tidy little houses of straw narratives and stick-thin hot takes—there prowls a figure with a grin sharp enough to make the room uneasy. Call him the “Big Bad Wolf” if you want. Because when Marcellus Wiley shows up, the wind starts blowing. And those houses? They’d better be built strong.
With a booming voice, a philosopher’s curiosity, and a signature toothy smile, Wiley has made a habit of huffing and puffing at the foundations of sports commentary. He questions narratives. He calls out hypocrisy. And he has never shied away from the occasional verbal tango, whether it’s stepping into disputes involving Michelle Beadle and Stephen A. Smith, face-offs with Ryan Clark and D.L. Hughley, or even acknowledging a lack of camaraderie with former colleagues. Accountability, after all, runs both ways in Wiley’s world.
Long before the media spotlight, Wiley’s story began in Compton, California, a place where the blocks could shape you as much as the books. His late mother, a striking 6’1 presence, towered over him until his college years, though athletics never defined his parents’ lives. Survival did. During a phone call with VIBE, Wiley reflects on the grounding they provided and the protection he received from his older sister—his self-described “source of strength” and “GPS” in life. “She protected me,” he recalls. “She won so many fights for me and against other people. She just didn’t play.”
In a neighborhood divided by gang lines and cultural currents, Wiley’s mind wandered beyond the block. He absorbed the soundtrack of the city—artists like N.W.A., Ice‑T, and DJ Quik—who turned Compton’s reality into global testimony. Yet Wiley’s own path would zig where many expected a zag. Instead of a traditional football factory, he chose Columbia University, determined to prove that a big kid from the West Coast could be as formidable in the classroom as on the field.
A close up of Marcellus Wiley #75 of the San Diego Chargers as he looks on from the bench during the game against the Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California. The Chargers defeated the Broncos 27-10.Donald Miralle /Allsport
Betting on himself worked. Wiley carved out a solid career in the National Football League, playing with the Buffalo Bills, San Diego Chargers, and Jacksonville Jaguars before transitioning seamlessly into sports media. His voice became a staple on ESPN, and later Fox Sports, where he appeared on the debate-driven shows SportsNation and Speak for Yourself and built a reputation as a thoughtful counterpuncher in an industry fueled by hot takes.
But Wiley’s newest den isn’t a studio—it’s the digital frontier. On his YouTube channel, his fan-favorite Hydration Situation segment mixes commentary, storytelling, and straight talk with the same fearless tone that made him a television mainstay. It’s a natural extension of the philosophy he jokingly calls Never Shut Up University—a lifelong commitment to curiosity, conversation, and saying the quiet parts out loud.
Still, the wolf isn’t just blowing down narratives. Off-camera, Wiley channels his energy into community initiatives such as Project Transition, mentoring and supporting youth in Los Angeles and beyond.
So when Marcellus Wiley strolls into the conversation—gap-toothed grin gleaming—you can almost hear the warning echo through the forest: build your arguments wisely. Because this particular wolf doesn’t just howl. He investigates, interrogates, and, when necessary, blows the whole house down.
During our sit-down, Wiley speaks about navigating the media’s evolving landscape and dismantling narratives about identity, tribalism, and what it truly means to be Black in America.
You grew up in Compton, L.A. Which section of that area are you from?
I was born at Dominguez Valley Hospital and raised to like age 6 in Compton with my grandmother. My mother had kids young, so she stayed at home with her mother. She has a duplex out there that my sister now owns since my grandmother has passed away. From there, we moved to greener pastures. We moved to the west side.
We moved to Slauson and Edgemar, like a few blocks from Compton High School. And then we moved over there in Rollin’ 60s’ hood, right off Slauson. Every weekend, I was playing sports or at my grandmother’s house, and that was just life. I didn’t think I grew up in Beirut or some third-world country.
It wasn’t anything to say you’re from Compton. Compton used to be all-white, and then they had the white flight. It wasn’t like a badge of honor; it was just Compton. People used to clown Compton ’cause the high school mascot is Tarbabes. You’ve got Kendrick Lamar and all those guys now doing it [up], but growing up, we were just trying to make it.
I mean, it was the hood, and there are tougher places, I’m sure. I saw a lot of tough things growing up, and I didn’t think it was a war story until I got to college and realized I wasn’t living the most normal of lives. That was kind of eye-opening once you had that different social experience.
Kendrick Lamar is basically the face of Compton and the West Coast to a large segment of people. Would you say that he’s an accurate representation of Compton today?
I mean, yes and no, because Compton’s changed so much. Our family still lives there, and the block looks different. It used to be a lot darker. It’s more brown than Black, and it’s just a different space. Dr. Dre came back, and I don’t know how many millions he put into it, but Compton High School is about to look like the best school you’ve ever seen. Beverly Hills on down.
So he’s a caricature, a representation because of his personality and his dimensions. Like that’s what I wanted to get out. I love that the world knew what Compton was and knew about Compton, but I didn’t love that they only knew like two lanes of it, the athletes and the rappers.
Like they didn’t know the CEOs, they didn’t know the managers, they didn’t know just the breadwinner who had a nuclear family. They didn’t know the guy who was just working, trying to get through school. They didn’t know all the dimensions of Compton. What I love about Kendrick is that he’s so vulnerable that he’s going to take you through all of that. I say yes for that, but then also no, if you think of N.W.A.’s content.
DJ Dat Dude Marcellus Wiley attends the Thuzio Executive Club and Rosenhaus Sports Representation Party at Clutch Bar during Super Bowl Weekend, on February 4, 2017 in Houston, TX. Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Thuzio
What are some Hip-Hop stories you were involved in throughout your time in the NFL?
I love music. When I got to the NFL, the first thing I did was buy DJ equipment and start DJing. One thing the NFL will always give me respect for is that I started in-stadium DJing and rap music. ‘Cause when I got to the league, they were playing nothing but soft rock or “We Will Rock You” and Queen, Bon Jovi, and Van Halen, all of that stuff. And I was like, “Man, they ain’t playing no rap.” My teammates knew I DJ’ed, and they were like, “Get one of your tapes or CDs and let them play it.” I was like, “Man, they ain’t going to play no Master P up in here. It’s 80,000 people here, and most of them don’t look like us. They ain’t playing no Master P.” They’re like, “Man, clean it up and then give [it] to them.” So then I was like, “All right, talk to the PA person.” They’re like, “Look, if you give us something that’s clean, that’s crowd-friendly, yeah, we’ll play it.” Not only did we play it, but the other team was rocking out.
And next thing you know, it started to spread. You go to a game now, ain’t nothing but a rap concert. That’s the one contribution, the music I had. The music always fueled me, man. I was super hyped before the games ’cause that music could take me to another place out of this world.
Do you think that new media is real, and where do you think that media is going as far as sports?
I don’t think new media is real. I think there’s new technology and new experiences that make it feel like new media, but it’s still about presentation, communication, [and] authenticity. It’s all the same factors. It’s just a new way to show it and do it. It’s different ways of expression. You’ve just got to roll with it, and evolve and adapt. But I think the core elements… There are only seven stories in this world, and we just find different editions of them and different ways to express them.
I love it, though. I’m a big fan of the media elements. I’m a big fan of going downstairs from my bedroom, jumping into a studio, and talking to the world. Like that’s insane to me. I’m downstairs, talking to the world, and my kids are sleeping. I’m doing it before they wake up, and then I’m taking them to school, and I’m really living. It’s just a technology that allows and enables us to do more. It’s not different, it’s uniquely the same as they say.
You had a back-and-forth with D.L. Hughley. How do you feel that your ideology is different from his?
It disappoints me that he “despises” me because I think D.L.’s funny. There was a time when, if I was on the record, D.L. was one of my favorite comedians.
[On] Comic View, D.L. [would] just look in the whole front row and light ’em up. That’s my favorite style of comedy. And I still am a fan of his. I’m not going to make him not make me respect his work, but it’s just politics. He’s one of those Black people who’s locked into acting Black instead of just being Black. I’m never going to act. I’m gonna be. And if I do it, a Black man did it, so it’s Black. He ain’t from that, so he’s lost. He’s doing a lot of stuff that is more than damaging to the people who believe in him and believe in his words; it’s misleading. It’s like, D.L., and I humbly say this, I’m an example. You want to root for me, not say “Oh, he went to the White House. And so that means he met Trump. And since he met Trump, that means he likes Trump. And since he likes Trump, we can’t like him ’cause he likes the ops.” That’s that immature ignorance that I grew up in. Where you can’t go across the street and look at the car wash. You can’t use that car wash.
You’re still living in that cage? I tell you, people are still in slavery, mentally. When you sit there and despise someone who disagrees with you, instead of just talking about it. That’s why I ain’t fighting nobody. You disagree with me, talk. I’m listening. I always talk a lot, but I listen more. But I’m not fighting, I’m not mad at you. I’m not going to disparage you. I’m going to talk about what you said. I’m going to talk about what you did. But I protect the actor, not the act. And D.L., he is a Democrat to the fullest. I don’t know what he’s doing. I know they pay people, and he got paid, and he took the money and ran. It’s unreal.
People like Ryan Clark may say that you can’t have it both ways or you’re provoking people, but you’re not willing to accept fights or fades or whatever. What would you say to that notion?
I’m not fighting you over nothing you’re talking about. Whoever you are, grow up and get more emotionally mature. I’m not letting your words escalate me. And another thing is, people have to understand that if you don’t like me, it doesn’t mean I have to hate you. You just don’t like me. I’m just going to live my way, live my day. I’m not doing fades, I’m not doing any of that stuff. If I think it’s respectful, then I’ll talk to you. People think this is brand new with Ryan Clark. Oh no, this ain’t new. We’ve been doing this since I was at Fox. A lot of people get it twisted. They’re like, “Oh, Ryan on ESPN and Marcellus ain’t on network TV. Now he’s talking about him.” No, a lot of these conversations were had, y’all just didn’t pay attention. Now they’re louder because they continue. But no, I’m not ever fighting Ryan. Every time I see Ryan, I talk to him.
He doesn’t like it. Oh well, don’t talk back, and that’s how it ends. I am a grown-ass man with four kids who leads by example. You think I’m about to fight you ’cause you’re mad at me? Never. And I mean never. So, move on.
What would you say to people who question your Blackness? And what’s your view of how Black people should conduct themselves? I know it’s a loaded question, but where’s the squeeze between you and Black America?
Black America needs to understand that the more freedom we exert, the more liberty we exercise, the better, not the worse. Stop acting Black. Just be Black. Just be.
To your question about the Black community and my relationship, it should be amazing. I know millions of people rock with me, so it’s not even a conversation. But for those who are on the other side or think that I’m not rocking with them, everything that I’m a part of, everything that I do just opens up more for us to be.
My whole goal is just to have the freedom of expression. The freedom of opportunity, the freedom to be who I am, and I want everyone to be who they are. I don’t think that’s happening right now, and we’re seeing the consequences. We see the results of people trying to fake the funk, and I’m not a kid that walks in line. I’m not a kid that stays on code. I never have, never will be.
If I wasn’t scared of the gangsters growing up, you think I’m going to be scared of a man my age or younger than me telling me, I ain’t acting right? What? Like, what are you talking about? “You’re doing the wrong thing.” Doing what? Also, I’m always greater than my greatest excuse. I’m always producing for my environment, not [as] a product of my environment. I’m just not built like that. I’ve always been this way. So, damn it, at 50, I ain’t about to stop there.
Some people see it as just commentary, but some people see it as a reflection of your character. How do you weigh that?
If something’s offensive, I need to hear it exactly as it is, like quotes. I’m not easily offended. I’m not sensitive.
Whether that’s physically because of playing sports and football, I’ve had all these surgeries or mentally, like my grandmother would undress anybody as soon as she met them. My sister got these jokes and these hands. That’s my family. I grew up around people that if you’ve got some issues and you’re sensitive about them, we’re going to work on those immediately. You couldn’t have that type of personality or character. So that’s not how I am.
Marcellus Wiley attends Verizon’s “Run the Playlist Live” at Super Bowl LVIII on February 10, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada.Jeff Schear/Getty Images for Verizon
I just think there’s a lot of punks out here now, and I don’t mean that by gender. I mean people who just don’t want to deal with the real, but they want to talk about it. We live in a world now where everybody wants to talk about somebody, but they don’t want to talk about themselves. That’s where we’re starting. I’m starting with you.
Lord knows that if someone comes to me and they’re like, “Hey, guess what I heard about so and so,” I’d be like, “You better go tell so and so, ’cause I am not going to be in the middle of that. I ain’t scared of so and so.” I’d tell so and so, “I don’t like that. I don’t like what you just did.” That’s it. It ain’t that deep.
Where does the line fall between morality and commentary?
I think the line is going to be drawn based on how real you want to be, and no one’s morality is going to be fully expressed. Your actions speak louder than your words, so you’re going to say something, but I know damn well that ain’t all you’ve been doing. And we all know that. Therefore, it’s an illusion.
Who are you to now all of a sudden say, with this illusion that we’re all kind of living by, that you’re going to draw a line in the sand? I am undefeated, and everyone is undefeated on calling somebody out who wants to take the moral high ground if you really know all about them. Everyone gets undressed. Now, the thing is, are you ashamed when you’re naked?
Do you believe in the concept of condemnation? ‘Cause that’s kind of what people want. Could you be friends with an abuser? Not to say that you witnessed it, but you know that this person [is a past] abuser. Could you be friends with a Ray Rice?
Absolutely. His wife is friends with him, and they’re still together. I’m going to hold him to a higher ground than her? What am I going to say, “You got Stockholm syndrome?” No. Stop inserting yourself everywhere that you shouldn’t be, especially when you aren’t going to insert your whole truth and nothing but the truth into this conversation. Now, I have family members who’ve been locked up in prison, locked up in jail. When they got out, they were still in my family.
Obviously, I never forget why they got locked up, but do you think they were still my family? I think everybody is connected to somebody who’s done something you’re not proud of, including yourself, if you really want to start somewhere. At the same time, people just want to say, “This is the bigger problem.” People are deeply insecure, and the only way they feel up is when somebody else is down.
I don’t feel that way. I don’t have that esteem issue. I feel up when I’m up, I feel down when I’m down, but I ain’t got nothing to do with you. People want somebody else to make them feel better by being under them, and that’s what that is. I don’t believe in condemnation. No. You can disagree to the fullest, articulate to the fullest, and even have some vigor in your voice. Go ahead. In situations when people were saying you did this and you did that, okay, is the person showing retribution? Has the person already served their time? So I don’t like that as a way of being. I don’t like that as decorum. None of it.
Marcellus Wiley attends the 13th annual NFL Honors at Resorts World Theatre on February 08, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Stephen A. Smith has teased political aspirations, or that he may run for President of the United States. Do you take that seriously, and how do you think that he’d fare on the national stage?
Oh, I take it seriously. I know some people with billions who support him and [have] a huge political pull. Intimately, I know these people, and they’re rocking with him if he wants to rock all the way and roll to an opportunity like that. He can do it. That said, he’s better than the worst we’ve had in terms of qualifications. I’m not talking about him actually being in the office and doing anything, but we have had some characters become president. Some would say right now, right? So, he qualifies. Let’s just say that. It’s a weird space because politics, simply stated, those who should do it, won’t do it.
They tear your life apart. Look what they did to Donald Trump. And this is real. I remember meeting Donald Trump in 2010 with my boy, who was a member of his club in New Jersey. And my boy was pumped to introduce us. I was pumped to meet him. The community would have been pumped. Everybody I told was pumped. They wanted to see pictures. That’s 2010. We show up, the guy’s nice.
The guy wanted to golf a little, and then we sat there and ate a little. I mean, this is not a moment that was out of this world. It was just like, “Oh, we’re meeting Trump? What!?” Then that turned into what they say about him now. I don’t dive into those weeds. I just know that the narrative shifted on that man, and I don’t know what’s real from fake.
Would you ever run for public office?
Yes. I want to be the mayor of L.A. and see how that goes. That just entered my mental space maybe within the last year.
A lot of people know how I bring people together, and hopefully, people can see I’m trying to bring people together to celebrate our similarities and our differences. But yeah, I would love to run for mayor of Los Angeles. I’m trying to stay still and raise these kids, but at the same time, help make an imprint on our city to bring us closer together and then expand that to other cities and maybe even to greater levels.
Marcellus Wiley attends Mookie Betts’ “Smash For Good” Celebrity Pickleball Challenge benefiting The 50/50 Foundation at Griffin Club Los Angeles on August 28, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.Randy Shropshire/Getty Images for The 5050 Foundation
I would love to because people were emotionally inspired by politics. Look how people hate you just because you didn’t vote their way. I’ve literally seen people not want to talk to somebody else just because they heard who they were voting for. They’re holding hands and singing songs and whistling in the wind, but when they walk into that voting booth and find out who they voted for, no one wants to speak again.
Would you run as a Democrat or a Republican?
Man, it depends on where L.A. is whenever or wherever I’m running, but right now it would be Republican.
Some things are detailed, but the macro, I don’t take the cop out of [being] independent. That’s like what Kevin Samuels said, “Look, one to 10, and you’re not at seven. Don’t say seven.” People say, “I’m independent.” No, you ain’t. Shut it. You ain’t, but it depends on the issues.
If I didn’t gang bang, if I didn’t choose Blood, you think I’m picking Democrat or Republican? I’m not loyal like that. I’m not a group. I am me, and I’m going to be me.
Do you see America going towards more public-facing politicians or celebrities?
I do because just to get the popular vote, just to get the masses, to get an audience, you’ll need to already have one built in. They don’t even really know your character as much as they think they do, but it’s the persona, it’s the personality. It’s all these things that add up to what they think your character is, so people rock with you. They feel they know you. You’re in their homes, and they’re more intimate with you at times, in terms of listening and paying attention, than they are with their own family. There are people living with somebody right now, and all they’re doing is looking at their phones. Or all they’re doing is listening to somebody talk on their phone. So, if you’ve kept that ability to capture attention, it’s just inevitable that you can translate that to different experiences, especially politics.
Marcellus Wiley attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Netflix’s series “Receiver” at Netflix Tudum Theater on July 09, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Emma Raducanu (left) is set to miss the tie as she competes in a WTA singles event in Germany in the same week [Getty Images]
Emma Raducanu and Katie Boulter will be absent when Great Britain face Australia in their Billie Jean King Cup qualifier next month.
Raducanu, the British number one and world number 24, has committed to playing the WTA 500 clay-court tournament in Linz, Austria, which runs across the same week.
Boulter, ranked 64th in the world, also misses the tie.
GB captain Anne Keothavong has instead selected Sonay Kartal, Harriet Dart, Jodie Burrage and 17-year-old Mika Stojsavljevic for the contest that will be staged in Melbourne on 10-11 April.
A fifth player can be added to the squad nearer the time.
Keothavong, who it was thought would face a tough task persuading the top British players to travel to Australia for a hard-court tie at a time when the European clay court season is getting under way, described the best-of-five encounter as "tough".
But she added: "We always embrace these weeks together as a team and will be up for the challenge.
"We've got players with great experience in this competition in our team and it's an exciting opportunity for Mika to join the senior team for the first time."
Kartal will be hoping to repeat the form that saw her reach the fourth round at Indian Wells this week before withdrawing with a lower back injury during her match against Elena Rybakina.
Australia have also named their squad. Talia Gibson, who has beaten three top-20 players at Indian Wells en route to the quarter-finals, is included alongside Maya Joint, Storm Hunter, Kimberly Birrell and Ellen Perez.
The eight-team Billie Jean King Cup finals will be held in Shenzhen in the week beginning 21 September. Great Britain reached the semi-finals last year.
Game 2 of the day in the Big East Tournament features 5th-seeded Creighton (15-16, 9-11) taking on No. 4 Seton Hall (20-11, 10-10).
Creighton’s second-half surge at Butler in its regular-season finale ended a three-game losing streak for the Bluejays and secured that No. 5 seed. After a massive upset February 18 at then No. 5 UConn, Creighton lost by 29 to St. John’s at MSG, then dropped consecutive home games to DePaul and Providence before rebounding against the Bulldogs. The Bluejays (NET ranking: 81) will need to win the Big East Tournament to extend their NCAA Tournament streak to six straight seasons and attempt to extend the current streak of ten consecutive 20-win seasons.
The Pirates ended the regular season alternating wins and losses over their last six games to finish 10-10 in the Big East. With 20 overall wins and a NET ranking of 56, Seton Hall is currently just on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament, according to most bracketologists. Due to a pair of bad losses (Providence and DePaul), the Pirates more than likely need a deep run in the Big East Tournament for a shot at an invitation to the NCAA Tournament.
Lets take a closer look at tonight’s matchup and take into consideration lineups, injuries, and other factors affecting the line and total.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds courtesy of DraftKings recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Game Details and How to Watch Live: Creighton vs. Seton Hall
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Game Odds: Creighton vs. Seton Hall
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
Moneyline: Creighton Bluejays (+130) vs. Seton Hall Pirates (-155)
Spread: Seton Hall -2.5
Total: 131.5 points
This game opened Seton Hall -2.5 with the Total set at 135.5.
Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NCAA Basketball schedule!
Expected Starting Lineups: Creighton vs. Seton Hall
Creighton Bluejays
G Fedor Zugic
G Josh Dix
G Nik Graves
F Isaac Traudt
F Jasen Green
Seton Hall Pirates
G AJ Staton-McCray
G Elijah Fisher
G Adam Clark
G Mike Williams
F Stephon Payne
Injury Report: Creighton vs. Seton Hall
Creighton Bluejays
Owen Freeman (undisclosed) is listed as questionable for today’s game
Liam McChesney (undisclosed) is listed as questionable for today’s game
Aleksa Dimitrijevic (undisclosed) is listed as questionable for today’s game
Josh Townley-Thomas (undisclosed) is listed as questionable for today’s game
Jackson McAndrew (foot) has been declared OUT of today’s game
Seton Hall Pirates
Godswill Erheriene (undisclosed) is listed as questionable for today’s game
Patrick Suemnick (shoulder) is listed as questionable for today’s game
Jahseem Felton (knee) has been declared OUT for today’s game
Important stats, trends and insights: Creighton vs. Seton Hall
Creighton is 10-20-1 ATS overall this season
Seton Hall is 18-13 ATS overall this season
The OVER has cashed in 14 of Creighton’s 31 games this season (14-17)
The OVER has cashed in 12 of Seton Hall’s 31 games this season (12-19)
Seton Hall is 10th in all of Division 1 college basketball allowing just 65.1 points per game
Creighton leads the Big East making an average of 9.9 3-pointers per game this season
Creighton is the only Division 1 school with 2 active basketball coaches at 350+ wins: Greg McDermott has 365 wins at Creighton and Jim Flanery has won 465 coaching the women at Creighton
Shaheen Holloway has the most wins (42) and conference wins (23) through two seasons of any head coach in Seton Hall hoops history
Najai Hines ranks 2nd in the Big East and 13th in the nation averaging 2.2 blocks per game
Rotoworld Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like recent performance, head-to-head player matchups, trends information and projected game totals.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projections next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for today’s game between Creighton and Seton Hall:
Moneyline: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on Seton Hall on the Moneyline
Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on Seton Hall -3.5
Total: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total OVER 131.5
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👀 Juve want Lewandowski, Barça chase Bastoni, Inter eye Koné, new Kakà 😲
Today it's the turn of the three Italian teams competing in the Europa and Conference League. The spotlight will be especially on the all-Italian blue derby between Bologna and Roma, a high-stakes challenge with enormous significance.
Keep an eye on Fiorentina as well, who must overcome the Rakow obstacle to keep their hopes alive of bringing a European trophy to Italy. Meanwhile, let's take a look at the most important news of the day.
Juve, moves for the attack: Lewa, Kolo...
While waiting to see how the situation regarding Dusan Vlahovic's contract renewal will evolve, Juventus is already starting to move to reshape next season's attack. The Bianconeri management is evaluating several profiles to strengthen the offensive department and broaden the available options.
According to Tuttosport, among the names being monitored is Randal Kolo Muani, currently at Tottenham. Also on Juventus' radar are Robert Lewandowski, whose contract with Barcelona is expiring, and Nicolas Jackson, who after his experience at Bayern Munich might not be redeemed.
Milan, Gila at the top of the list for defense
Milan continues to plan for the future, and among the priorities for next season is strengthening the defense. At the top of the Rossoneri's list is Mario Gila, a profile that management is following closely ahead of the summer transfer window.
As reported by Corriere dello Sport, the Spanish center-back is highly appreciated by Massimiliano Allegri. Gila offers versatility, being able to play both as a full-back and as a central defender in a three-man defense, and he already knows Serie A well, a factor that would ease his integration.
Inter, Spanish sources confident on Barça-Bastoni
New updates are coming from Spain regarding Barcelona's possible interest in Alessandro Bastoni. According to the Catalan daily Sport, the Blaugrana club has already taken the first steps to assess the feasibility of the deal ahead of next summer.
As reported by FcInter1908.it, Deco has met with the defender's agent to gauge the player's availability, and he would be open to a transfer. However, Inter values Bastoni at over 70 million, and the negotiation remains complex.
Napoli, Conte asks for Goretzka in June
Napoli is already looking ahead to next summer and is also considering free-agent opportunities to strengthen the squad. Among the profiles being followed is Leon Goretzka, the Bayern Munich midfielder whose contract expires in June.
According to Tuttomercatoweb, Antonio Conte has already requested him for his future Napoli, after an unsuccessful attempt in January. However, other Italian clubs are also interested in the player, and the deal remains complicated due to his high salary.
Roma, Inter to make a move for Koné in the summer
Inter continues to plan for the future while remaining focused on the race for the Scudetto. The Nerazzurri management is already studying moves for the next summer transfer window, with the idea of deeply renewing the squad and building a more physical and dynamic team.
As reported byLa Gazzetta dello Sport, among the main targets for the midfield is once again Manu Koné of Roma. Chivu is very fond of the profile, and contacts have never ceased: Inter could attempt a new move in the next transfer window.
Lazio, season over for Rovella
Niccolò Rovella's season continues to be plagued by injuries. After suffering from pubalgia, the Lazio midfielder also sustained a fractured collarbone during the away match in Cagliari, which will force him to a lengthy layoff.
As reported by Corriere dello Sport, Rovella underwent surgery on February 23 and will need about three months to recover. The rehabilitation process will begin after the period with the brace, and his return to the field is expected only in the summer.
Fiorentina, Paratici follows the new Kakà
Fiorentina continues to closely monitor the market for young talents, and among the profiles observed stands out Gustavo Zabarelli. The 2009-born player, with dual Italian and Brazilian citizenship, is considered at home to be the possible "new Kakà".
According to Nicolò Schira and the Brazilian portal Lance, the São Paulo talent is being followed by several clubs. In addition to Fiorentina, there are also Inter, Atalanta, and Milan, while Barcelona remains vigilant from abroad.
Whether you're in the thick of a fantasy basketball playoff battle or about to start, the game always throws that injured player variable to make your life more difficult. Do you hold? Do you say good riddance? The fantasy basketball playoff stretch is brutal, and nothing makes it worse than staring at an IL slot, wondering if your guy is ever coming back. Let's talk through some of the top names filling your IL spots.
Jayson Tatum, SF/PF – Boston Celtics
I’ll be the first to admit it: I was wrong. I didn’t think he was worth the pickup and Boston just threw him in there playing 27 minutes in each of the last three games. And here he is, stuffing the stat sheet despite not shooting great and still rounding back into game shape. Congrats if you have him. Oh, and the Celtics have zero back-to-backs the rest of the fantasy playoffs. That’s huge. Keep riding.
LeBron James, SF/PF – Los Angeles Lakers
He’s missed his last four games with foot and hip injuries. To be fair, he’s 41 and still playing at a high level. He’s listed as questionable for Thursday, but I expect him back by the weekend. With so much offense going through Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, there’s no point in chasing some replacement-level guy for James, because he doesn’t exist.
Stephen Curry, PG/SG –Golden State Warriors
Curry has missed a lot of time due to patellofemoral pain syndrome and a bone bruise in his right knee. Recent reports say he’s still not practicing with contact and will likely miss at least 10 more days from Wednesday. If you’ve been holding onto him, your time is running out. It’s time to make backup plans and continue to hold De’Anthony Melton.
Joel Embiid, C – Philadelphia 76ers
Embiid was ruled out for another week, but with Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre both looking at minimum three-week absences, what exactly is Philly running out there? The 76ers’ situation gets worse by the day.
I’m still holding Embiid, but a drop is likely coming in the near future. Adem Bona isn’t the answer — in deeper leagues, give Trendon Watford a shot before you write the whole situation off.
Tyrese Maxey, PG/SG – Philadelphia 76ers
Maxey has a tendon injury in his right pinkie and will be reevaluated in about three weeks. Drop him. There isn’t enough regular season left to keep him on your roster or in an IL spot. Pick up Cameron Payne, who will take on a bigger role in the backcourt.
Jalen Williams, SF/PF – Oklahoma City Thunder
There’s no timetable for his return, plus OKC isn’t sharing any updates, and honestly, it makes sense — they want to keep him healthy for the playoffs. Fantasy managers don’t have that luxury, though. Move on, because at this rate, he’s not helping in your road to a championship.
Ja Morant, PG – Memphis Grizzlies
I’ve been saying Ja’s not coming back for a while now. Marc J. Spears reported that Morant will miss at least the next two weeks, providing further evidence that he’s likely done for the season, and in Memphis altogether. It’s messy between Ty Jerome, Scotty Pippen Jr., Cam Spencer and Javon Small, but piece it together based on your schedule and matchups.
Norman Powell, SG/SF – Miami Heat
Powell hasn’t played since February 26 and keeps getting ruled out ahead of game days. The “week-to-week” timeline is holding, but it would be great to get a meaningful update. I’m running out of patience, and you should be, too. The Heat’s 3-4-3 playoff schedule doesn’t look too appealing, knowing that they’ll be playing on the biggest slates until Week 23.
Anthony Davis, PF/C – Washington Wizards
Don’t bite. AD hasn’t been ruled out for the season and a re-evaluation is reportedly coming soon. But don’t bite.
There’s not enough time left when you factor in potential minute restrictions and rest days, but the risk isn’t worth the reward. This isn’t a Tatum situation. The Wizards are one of the worst teams in basketball and are far too volatile to trust streaming anyone from their frontcourt — let alone a fragile AD.
Allen’s knee injury feels more day-to-day than looking at a prolonged absence. Don’t drop him yet — especially if your playoffs are ongoing or about to start. Give it another few days before you make any moves.
Ivica Zubac, C – Indiana Pacers
Zu is on the verge of returning, as he was upgraded to questionable ahead of Thursday. Could he see real minutes down the stretch for a Pacers team that’s tanking but also wants to evaluate what they got from the Clippers? We shall see, but I’m skeptical that he’ll be a top-100 type guy. His return would eat into Micah Potter more than Jay Huff — I’d still hold Huff either way. This doesn’t smell like a reasonable time to play Zu crazy minutes.
Isaiah Hartenstein - C, Oklahoma City Thunder
Calf injuries are concerning. Recurring calf injuries are even more detrimental. Calves are not something to play with. That’s why I’m getting out of the Hartenstein business. Injuries and surprise absences are commonplace late in the season, so freeing up any space for someone who’s playing and being productive is a wise move if you’re in survival mode.
Keyonte George - PG/SG - Utah Jazz
I think it’s a wrap, folks. George injured his hamstring in Wednesday’s game against the Knicks and did not return. If, for some reason, Isaiah Collier was dropped in your league, pick him up because with George likely out, he’s going to be one of the best assist generators in the league.
As a guy who’s had a lot of George shares, it’s a disappointing ending, but at the same time, every other starter for the Jazz has been shelved — so I guess it was inevitable?
The Florida State Seminoles have five commitments in their 2027 class. However, the running back position doesn't have a pledge at the moment. Enter three-star prospect Jayden Miles out of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
FSU offered Miles a scholarship almost two years ago in May of 2024. In June of that year, Miles attended their Elite Camp. He hasn't been back on campus since, but Florida State was listed as one of his top six schools despite the program's recent struggles.
“Knowing that Florida State is trying to get things back on track and that they view me as an important piece to help fix their needs at that position makes Florida State a real interesting option,” Miles said via Rivals.
Miles is the No. 391 overall player in the nation according to the Rivals industry rankings. He's also the No. 31 running back and the No. 13 recruit in the state of Louisiana.
Florida State is facing some stiff competition for Miles. Ohio State, LSU, Auburn, Texas Tech, and Kentucky are the other five schools that have piqued his interest. All six schools are set to host him for an official visit in the future. So, the Seminoles will have to make a good impression when he gets back to Tallahassee.
Contact/Follow us @FSUWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida State news, notes and opinions. You can also follow Matthew on X @StarConscience
ESPN's Bill Connelly has recently released a pre-spring list ranking the quarterbacks from every Power 4 college football team.
Alabama, with Austin Mack or Keelon Russell, was featured on the list at No. 28, as a decision in regard to the Tide’s starting quarterback entering the 2026 campaign currently remains unknown. Mack and Russell are expected to compete for the starting role throughout the spring, as one of the two quarterbacks will more than likely emerge as the starter in the future.
Russell was ranked as the No. 2 quarterback and the No. 2 overall player from the 2025 class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. Mack was widely regarded as a top recruit as well, as the talented signal caller had an excellent performance against Indiana during the Tide’s loss in the Rose Bowl.
Russell and Mack are both extremely fast and athletic quarterbacks that would prove to shine as Alabama’s starter in 2026, as the duo will continue competing for the job throughout the entire spring.
Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - JANUARY 25: Riq Woolen #27 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates after the NFC Championship NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026, in Seattle. The Seattle Seahawks won 31-27 against the Los Angeles Rams. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Well, the signing of Tariq Woolen on a one-year deal worth up to $15 million was not something I was expecting. There is very little middle ground with Woolen as a player. He brings a physical profile that is unprecedented at the cornerback position. He is 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, runs a 4.26-second 40-yard dash, and has outstanding length. I think Woolen is extraordinary and flawed in ways that are inextricably linked to the same underlying traits.Which, makes him a fun evaluation!
I broke down Woolen with Shane on Patreon after watching his film, so I’ve used a number of his clips. Let’s go.
Strengths
Physical Profile
I have to start here because everything about Woolen’s game flows from what he is physically. A cornerback at 6-foot-4 with 33 and 5/8-inch arms who can run with virtually any wide receiver in the NFL is not a player type that exists in abundance. It barely exists at all. That size and length combination changes the reality of throwing to his side of the field. Routes that create separation against most corners don’t create the same throwing window against Woolen, because his catch-radius disruption extends coverage in ways that shorter corners simply cannot replicate.
We will end here with the speed again. The receiver gets in front of him on scramble drill. This would be a TD against most corners, but Woolen is able to close the gap and undercut the route. pic.twitter.com/00OuNrRlNT
His 1.49-second 10-yard split is equally important because that is not just combine data. It shows up every time a receiver tries to generate separation on a deep route, and Woolen closes the cushion before the ball arrives. The recovery speed is elite, giving him a margin for error that most corners don’t have. A step of separation that beats a normal corner is not the same as a step of separation against Woolen, because his closing burst can turn a seemingly lost rep into a contested catch or a disruption at the catch point. His click-and-close is really good, which is a huge part of playing in a Vic Fangio defense. This is the exact rep I wanted to see on his film.
The Seahawks are playing pretty soft at this point in the game, but Woolen shows a nice click and close here on the curl route. pic.twitter.com/MB6KqES3zR
That recovery ability is perhaps his most practically important trait on film. Even on plays where he doesn’t get a great jam in press coverage or concedes a free release, the rep is never truly over. He has the linear speed to turn and run with essentially anyone in the NFL, and the length to play through the catch point once he closes. That is a genuinely rare combination. Honestly, just look at his recovery speed. It’s pretty nuts.
Woolen is in the slot on Nacua. He gets a good press, but Nacua gets a step on him on the crosser. But the makeup speed Woolen has is unbelievable. He undercuts the route and almost comes away with an interception.
In 2025, Woolen led all outside cornerbacks in fewest yards per coverage snap in man coverage, edging out second-place Quinyon Mitchell. When aligned in press, Woolen is sticky, physically disruptive at the line, and difficult to create clean leverage against. I think the Eagles are going to have to let him press more than they usually let their cornerbacks do, because he has such unique length.
Woolen at the bottom of the screen matched up with Ricky Pearsall in man coverage. He is extremely sticky when asked to play press man. The Eagles rarely play press man, but if they decide to, Woolen is the guy they want pressed up. pic.twitter.com/k5LQYvoeKD
His ball-tracking instincts are notably advanced for a cornerback. He high-points the football rather than simply swatting at at receivers hands. This contributed to his six interceptions as a rookie in 2022. His disruption on intermediate routes also stands out on film. When driving downhill on stops, curls, out routes, and dig routes, he uses his length aggressively and arrives at the catch point with physicality. He is not simply a deep coverage corner who concedes the underneath. As stated above, he has genuine click-and-close ability when playing off, and he uses it to disrupt the short-passing game in ways that show up in coverage metrics beyond just deep-ball coverage. That is SO important for this defense.
He doesn't make the play here, but look at the ability to drive downhill on the ball. He goes from a half turn to flying downhill in an instant. pic.twitter.com/4vgGYyojzV
However, I do think some people are downplaying the transition to a Fangio scheme. I’ve seen people online talk about how Fangio played a lot of man coverage last year, but I think that is because a lot of charting sites don’t understand how to track match coverage. The Eagles don’t play much ‘true man coverage’. However, remember that a lot of the time match zone ends up being man coverage for the boundary corner, so he still fits what Fangio wants to do.
At the bottom of the screen, Woolen does a nice job defending a slant route from outside leverage. pic.twitter.com/tN8muWkBhF
Most of the time, Woolen is aligned on the boundary in a simplified coverage structure, pressing or playing tight off with vision toward the quarterback. He functions as a boundary eraser. Routes toward his side get squeezed toward the sideline by his frame. Vertical releases get run down by his recovery speed. Contested catches get disrupted by his length.
However, I do think the Eagles can use him in different ways. Having him and Cooper DeJean in the same secondary gives you a lot of versatility. The Seattle Seahawks used Woolen against tight ends and larger slot receivers like Puka Nacua and Jauan Jennings in addition to traditional wide receiver matchups, and the flexibility to cover multiple body types speaks to the rare combination of size and speed he provides. I expect Fangio to use him in multiple ways.
Woolen is in man coverage on Trey McBride here. With his size and physicality, you can feel comfortable putting him on any TE. He is in great position here, but he often doesn't get his head around and McBride is almost able to play back through him and bring this one in. pic.twitter.com/bkcg8Zj18I
This is the most persistent and well-documented concern in Woolen’s film, and it’s all over his film. His tackling has been genuinely poor for most of his career. He is a hesitant, inconsistent open-field tackler who can avoid contact in the run game and whiff on plays where his size should make him an asset. For a player who is physically imposing enough to be a run-force factor, the disconnect between his tools and his tackling production is stark. It is a concern, so there’s no point sugar coating it.
He gets him on the ground, but this isn't how you want to see a guy try to tackle. As physical as Woolen is with receivers in routes, tackling can be really hit or miss. pic.twitter.com/eSkTyTQRnv
This matters specifically in Fangio’s defense because the system asks cornerbacks to contribute to run fits, especially with a light box. He will have to at least show enough effort to contribute, even if he is not particularly good at it.
Scheme Fit
Woolen is excellent in man coverage. He is demonstrably less effective when asked to operate in complex zone structures, particularly disguised looks that require mid-play processing and adjustment. He can become flat-footed in intermediate zones, and hesitation in his reads creates the kind of separation he doesn’t concede in man coverage.
Fangio’s system is built around rules rather than static assignments. It asks defensive backs to process and adjust at a high level, particularly against motion and scheme variation.
Great design here from the Rams, but Woolen doesn't do a very good job of recognizing it and creating space for the S to get out to the flat. It's a tough position to be in, but it would be nice to see him recognize what is happening and create a little space. pic.twitter.com/TLW8hrTaEC
Whilst that may not be Woolen’s biggest strength, he has come from a Mike McDonald defense that is hardly simple, so I do expect him to be able to transition OK.
Eye Discipline and Double Moves
Woolen’s confidence in his recovery speed is both his greatest strength and a meaningful liability. Because he knows he can close quickly, he sometimes bites on double moves, because he has a chance of recovering. That willingness to bite creates explosive play opportunities for offenses willing to set up the concept over multiple plays.
On the very next play, Woolen gets caught guessing on the inside route, gets spun around, and gives up a TD pic.twitter.com/yx0s7SkRs3
His susceptibility to slant-and-go and similar route combinations showed up clearly enough on film that it’s a tendency rather than an occasional mistake. The confidence that makes him aggressive in press man is the same confidence that sometimes gets him into trouble when receivers use his aggressiveness against him. That’s just what you get with aggressive, fast corners!
Woolen is at the top of the screen on Mack Hollins. He bites on the double move and then gets beat over the top. He is aggressive against double moves because he has the makeup speed to catch back up. He is in Hollins' hip pocket on this one, but loses at the catch point. pic.twitter.com/jSGDTcKVrp
During a rough stretch early in the 2025 season, Woolen tied for the third-most penalties among all NFL cornerbacks. Part of this is just the way he plays. He will get flagged.
At the top of the screen on Nacua again. Again, very physical at the top of the route. Nacua pushes off too so the refs let it all go. But you can see why Woolen will draw a lot of penalties (He has averaged just under 9 penalties per year since coming into the league) pic.twitter.com/rcCbPduMyS
More unusually, he was the only player in the NFL flagged for multiple taunting penalties in 2025. Some of that reflects a competitive edge that manifests poorly, but some of it reflects a lack of discipline that shows up beyond the penalty column. Everyone wants corners who are a little crazy; they have to be! But there is a line that you can’t cross.
The effort consistency issue is the trickiest one to grade and the most uncomfortable one to judge, but it is visible on film. There are reps where Woolen simply isn’t locked in and just looks a little lazy in coverage, to be honest.
Riq Woolen Film Thread
Woolen is in coverage against Puka Nacua at the bottom of the screen. He gets a good press and is in a great position to defend the in breaker. He is really grabby at the top of the route and never gets his head around. Doesn't get flagged here, but easily… pic.twitter.com/BMnyG4pWxk
Whether it is a run play, in plays away from him, or in moments that don’t require him to cover a vertical route. Whether that reflects a motivational issue, a focus problem, or simply the natural variance of a boom/bust player is ur. The one-year structure of his deal feels specifically calibrated to address exactly this question. A player on a prove-it contract is generally a more engaged player, and the Eagles are betting on that logic here. Which I like!
Eagles Fit and the Overall Picture
Fangio’s coverage, built heavily around split-safety structures, leaves outside cornerbacks on islands on the boundary a lot of the time. I expect him to thrive in this system when asked to cover a side of the field and cover vertical routes. Instead of processing a full zone coverage with multiple moving pieces, he should get to do what he does best. If Woolen is asked to align on the boundary, use his frame to squeeze the field, and rely on his elite recovery speed when receivers threaten vertically, then he will excel here. I do hope that Fangio lets him press a little bit and use his length and play some press man, too.
I’ll be honest with you, separating this move entirely from the Reed Blankenship situation is difficult. Blankenship was a communication anchor and scheme-reliable safety whose value was precisely the kind of steady, structural reliability that complements a swing-for-the-fences corner signing. I’m disappointed the Eagles let Blankenship leave, and I’d feel even better about this move if I knew we had Blankenship returning. But I know you can’t pay everyone.
Woolen’s ceiling in this defense is sky high. A 6-foot-4 corner with elite recovery speed operating in a boundary-isolation coverage structure with Cooper DeJean beside him is a difficult puzzle for opposing offenses to solve. The best version of this signing looks like one of the most imposing boundary corners in football, playing in the exact structural environment best suited to his traits. He could be unbelievably good in this system.
But the floor carries real risk. I don’t think he’s the most natural scheme fit, because he is more suited to more press man covearge. If Woolen’s zone processing issues resurface in Fangio’s complex coverage packages, if the tackling remains a liability in run fits, if the effort consistency is a recurring problem rather than a one-year deal corrective, the Eagles will be looking at a corner who cost up to $15 million and didn’t deliver the transformation they were hoping for.
This is a shoot-for-the-stars move, and the Eagles deserve credit for making it. That’s what Howie Roseman does. If you want to win it all, you have to take risks. It’s just worth understanding clearly that success isn’t guaranteed.
Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast here.If you would like to support me further, please check out my Patreon here!
Ireland lock James Ryan has been ruled out as head coach Andy Farrell makes four changes for Saturday's Six Nations Triple Crown decider against Scotland in Dublin.
Ryan started Ireland's wins over Italy, England and Wales, but he was not considered for selection to face the Scots because of a calf injury.
Joe McCarthy returns to the line-up to partner Tadhg Beirne in the second row, with Darragh Murray set to make his Six Nations debut off the bench.
Hooker Dan Sheehan and flanker Josh van der Flier also return to the pack as Ronan Kelleher and Nick Timoney drop to the bench.
Tommy O'Brien is named on the left wing in Farrell's only backline change.
O'Brien impressed after replacing the injured James Lowe on the left wing in Ireland's thumping win over England, but Jacob Stockdale was preferred for last week's defeat of Wales.
While Stockdale marked his return by scoring Ireland's opening try, Farrell has restored Leinster's O'Brien, who can also cover the right wing.
Ireland must beat Scotland (14:10 GMT) to keep their title hopes alive before leaders France face England in Paris (20:10) in the final match of this year's tournament.
Scotland, who are chasing a first championship since 1999, have made three changes for the visit to Aviva Stadium as Max Williamson and Grant Gilchrist form a new-look second row and Zander Fagerson returns at tight-head prop.
Victory would also seal Ireland's fourth Triple Crown in five years and deny Scotland their first since 1990.
Line-ups
Ireland: Osborne; Baloucoune, Ringrose, McCloskey, O'Brien; Crowley, Gibson-Park; O'Toole, Sheehan, Furlong, McCarthy, Beirne, Conan, Van der Flier, Doris (capt).
Ryan's absence is a blow for Farrell with the experienced second row having impressed in recent weeks.
While Ulster captain Iain Henderson has been called up, Farrell has placed his faith in 24-year-old Connacht player Murray, who made his Test debut in Ireland's summer tour to Georgia and Portugal last year.
The return of Sheehan and Van der Flier - who both started the thumping 42-21 win over England at Twickenham three weeks ago - also ensures the Irish pack is not short of experience.
With Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy, Jack Boyle and Jeremy Loughman all sidelined, Farrell has stuck with O'Toole at loose-head prop.
O'Toole has played most of his career as a tight-head but started in the number one jersey against Wales. Michael Milne will provide loose-head cover on the bench.
Tadhg Furlong, who endured a frustrating night against the Welsh scrum last week, is retained at tight-head with the experienced Finlay Bealham on the bench.
Alongside O'Brien in the back three are full-back Jamie Osborne, who has scored three tries in this year's tournament, and in-form right winger Rob Baloucoune
Garry Ringrose and Stuart McCloskey start together in midfield for the fifth game running while Jack Crowley and Jamison Gibson-Park continue their half-back partnership.
Bundee Aki returns after serving a ban for "verbal abuse and disrespect" towards a match official in Connacht's defeat by Leinster in January [Getty Images]
Aki returns from suspension
Farrell has opted for a five-three split of forwards and backs on the bench for the third game in a row.
Craig Casey has edged out last week's debutant Nathan Doak as scrum-half cover while utility back Ciaran Frawley is retained among the replacements.
Centre Bundee Aki is poised to make his first appearance of the tournament after returning from suspension.
Aki was available for the Wales game but did not make the matchday squad.
Scotland will arrive in Dublin buoyed by their stunning 50-40 win over France at Murrayfield last weekend.
However, Ireland have won the past 11 meetings since Scotland's last victory in 2017, while the Scots' most recent success in Dublin came at Croke Park in 2010.
How can Ireland and Scotland win title?
Ireland will guarantee the title if they secure a bonus-point win over Scotland and England overcome France.
An Ireland victory without a bonus point will be enough if France lose and only earn one bonus point.
A draw or defeat by Scotland would end Ireland's title challenge.
If Scotland beat Ireland at the Aviva Stadium (14:10 GMT kick-off), and England shock France at the Stade de France, the title will be theirs.
A Scotland bonus-point win and a regulation four-point victory for France would also be enough for a first Six Nations title.
A draw would be enough if France lose without collecting two bonus points.
Defeat by Ireland would rule Scotland out of the title race.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 10: Jaquan Brisker #9 of the Chicago Bears reacts as he takes the field prior to an NFL wild card playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field on January 10, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the first two waves of free agency behind us, it’s time to pause and reflect on what has been done and what needs remain. Our own Donald Gooch explored what needs remain just yesterday, with Safety at the top of the list of remaining needs. While Jaquan Brisker remains unsigned by any team and reports suggest he might not be a target for Dennis Allen’s defense, I am curious to hear what you all think.
Should the Bears re-sign Jaquan Brisker?
I say yes. With the majority of available starting safeties now off the market and the most recent deal for Nick Cross (2 years $14 million) and Kevin Byard III (1 year $9 million), it seems safe to say Brisker won’t cost too much. Especially when considering his concussion history and play style. However, pairing the physical Brisker with the newly acquired Coby Bryant, who is more rangy and versatile in style, sounds like a great idea to me.
Assuming he doesn’t cost more than $5-6 million per year.
Also, this would NOT prohibit me from targeting a Safety in the first three rounds if the value was there, but bringing back a home-grown talent who has embraced the city, on a team-friendly deal, makes too much sense to me.
If he can string together his first-ever consecutive healthy seasons and perform in the newly revamped Dennis Allen defense, the 26-year-old former Nittany Lion should have plenty of suitors as he enters the prime of his career.
What about you? Should we bring back Jaquan Brisker? If so, how much would you like to see him signed for? If not, why not?
Trent Alexander-Arnold makes Anfield comparison after Real Madrid victory
Trent Alexander-Arnold appeared to reference Anfield while discussing the atmosphere at the Santiago Bernabeu following Real Madrid’s impressive Champions League victory over Manchester City.
The Spanish giants defeated City 3-0 in the first leg of their last-16 tie, producing another memorable European performance at home.
After the match, the former Liverpool defender reflected on the significance of nights like that at the Bernabeu.
Speaking on CBS Sports, the England international compared the stadium with another ground famous for its European atmosphere.
Alexander-Arnold said: “I think not many people expected this result tonight… because of the way we played recently and the results we’ve been having recently.”
The right-back added that belief inside the stadium helped drive Real Madrid’s performance.
He explained: “But at the end of the day, we’re Real Madrid. We believe in ourselves and you know the special nights that happen here.”
Alexander-Arnold references Anfield atmosphere
The former Liverpool academy graduate then made a comment that clearly pointed to his experiences at Anfield.
Although he did not mention the stadium by name, the reference was obvious given his long career with the Reds before moving to Madrid.
Alexander-Arnold said: “I’ve been fortunate enough to play for two clubs who are renowned for very special nights in their home stadium.”
He then added: “And tonight I experienced another one.”
For Liverpool supporters, the comment serves as a reminder of just how closely the defender was associated with Anfield for many years.
The right-back made more than 300 appearances for the club and played a major role in several famous European nights.
A complicated relationship with Liverpool supporters
However, Alexander-Arnold’s departure from Liverpool continues to divide opinion among fans.
Many supporters were frustrated that the England international ran down his contract before leaving for Real Madrid, particularly after previously speaking about his ambition to captain the club.
Borussia Dortmund have 55 points to their name this season and occupy 2nd position in the table. In their last match, Niko Kovac's team prevailed 1-2 against FC Köln (1. Bundesliga 2025/26).
FC Augsburg currently have 31 points and lie in 9th position. Last time out, Manuel Baum's team slipped to a 2-1 defeat against RB Leipzig (1. Bundesliga 2025/26).
The last meeting between the two teams ended with Borussia Dortmund winning 1-0.
Niko Kovac has faced Manuel Baum on five occasions, recording two wins, one draw, and two losses
Manuel Baum has faced Borussia Dortmund on seven occasions, recording one win, three draws, and three losses
Niko Kovac has faced FC Augsburg on 13 occasions, recording three wins, five draws, and five losses
TEAMS
Away, FC Augsburg currently has one draw in the last 13 games.
Away, FC Augsburg currently has two victories in the last 11 games.
Away, FC Augsburg has conceded goals in 12 consecutive games.
FC Augsburg currently has two losses in the last nine games.
FC Augsburg has scored in four consecutive games.
At home, Borussia Dortmund currently has three losses in the last 18 games.
At home, Borussia Dortmund currently has one draw in the last 12 games.
At home, Borussia Dortmund has scored in four consecutive games.
Borussia Dortmund currently has five losses in the last 23 games.
Borussia Dortmund currently has one draw in the last 13 games.
Borussia Dortmund has scored in eight consecutive games.
Borussia Dortmund has conceded goals in four consecutive games.
HEAD TO HEAD
Borussia Dortmund and FC Augsburg have faced each other 30 times, with Borussia Dortmund having the advantage: 18 wins, against five victories for FC Augsburg.
At Signal Iduna Park, Borussia Dortmund has an advantage in the clashes against FC Augsburg: nine wins in 14 games. FC Augsburg has two victories.
In the German League, there have been 29 games between the two teams, with Borussia Dortmund winning 17, seven draws, and five victories for FC Augsburg.
Hamburger's Damion Downs and Yussuf Poulsen celebrate after the German Bundesliga soccer match between VfL Wolfsburg and Hamburger SV at the Volkswagen Arena. Andreas Gora/dpa
SV Hamburg will be without their captain Yussuf Poulsen again for "a few weeks" due to injury, coach Merlin Polzin said on Thursday.
Polzin said that an MRI scan revealed a thigh muscle injury the forward sustained in training on Wednesday. He named the latest setback "very, very bitter."
Poulsen arrived in summer from RB Leipzig but has already missed 13 of the 25 Bundesliga matches, having also suffered an ankle injury and muscle fibre tear.
Polzin was speaking ahead of Saturday's Bundesliga match against Cologne which brings together the two promoted sides from last summer.
Hamburg are 10th and five points above the danger zone after an important 2-1 win over second bottom Wolfsburg. Cologne have slipped to 14th and are only ahead of third last St Pauli on goal difference.
This is the biggest feature release week in Mantel history.
Since day one, our goal has been to build the ultimate ecosystem for collectors, a place where community, data, and commerce intersect seamlessly. We believe the future of the hobby isn’t just about buying and selling; it’s about understanding trends, engaging with the market in new ways, and having instant access to information.
This week, we are rolling out three major features that fundamentally change how you interact with the collectibles world.
Here is a look at what’s dropping on Mantel.
1. The Mantel Prediction Market
We are thrilled to introduce the first free-to-play prediction market built specifically for collectibles.
The hobby is full of debates. Will a specific player’s PSA 10 population double by 2026? Will a highly anticipated auction lot break a six-figure record? Instead of just arguing about it in comments, now you can stake your reputation on it.
How it Works: Using Mantel Tokens, you can bet on real-world hobby outcomes. Because prices move dynamically as bets come in, the market acts as a real-time gauge of community sentiment. If you think an outcome is likely, buy “Yes.” If the crowd is overly optimistic, buy “No.”
Market Types: Participate in both binary markets (Yes/No outcomes) and Winner Take All markets with multiple potential outcomes.
Track Your Performance: Manage your positions in a dedicated portfolio view and get notified the second a market resolves.
Compete: Prove you have the best pulse on the market by climbing the leaderboard, checking the activity feed, and sharing your positions via shareable market cards.
It’s a new, risk-free way to engage with market trends and prove your hobby knowledge.
2. The Instant Card Scanner
Identifying a card, finding comparable sales, and determining its SLAM Score used to require multiple tabs and tedious typing. We’ve fixed that.
The new Mantel Card Scanner uses your device’s camera to instantly identify sports cards with a single tap. Just snap a photo and confirm the match. Mantel immediately pulls up matching marketplace listings, average sold prices, price history, and the card’s SLAM Score.
It is the fastest way to know exactly what a card is worth across marketplaces, whether you are at a card show or sitting at your desk.
Key Scanner Features:
Batch Scanning: Have a stack of cards? Scan multiple cards at once to quickly digitize a collection.
Scan History: Keep a running history of recent lookups for quick reference later.
Text Search: The scanner also doubles as a quick search tool if you prefer to look up a card by name instead of a photo.
3. SLAM Score V2 and Marketplace Overhaul
Data is useless if it isn’t easy to understand. We have completely redesigned Mantel’s proprietary valuation system, SLAM Score V2, to give you deeper insights faster.
The new SLAM Score features a clear visual gauge with detailed score breakdowns. Crucially, we’ve added historical trend charts and indicators, showing you exactly how a card’s value has moved over time. See a card you like? Hit the new tracking button to follow it.
A Brand New Marketplace Experience Alongside SLAM V2, the entire marketplace experience has been overhauled for better usability:
Enhanced Navigation: A new filter bar, autocomplete search with recent history, and smart autocomplete suggestions make finding cards easier.
Deeper Data: Listings now feature auction countdowns, detailed sales history with price data, population counts, and related listings.
Universal Search: Search now spans the entire platform. When you type in the search bar, you’ll see results across Posts, Users, Marketplace, Topics, News, and Groups, complete with count badges.
These features are rolling out to all Mantel users this week. Update your app, start scanning your collection, and check out the Prediction Markets to place your first bets.
The Boston Red Sox made a bold move to trade for Garrett Crochet last season, and it paid off tremendously.
Crochet was one of the best pitchers in all of baseball and will be the Red Sox’s ace again in 2026. Although Crochet finished second in American League Cy Young voting last season, Red Sox analyst Trevor Hass of Boston.com predicts the left-hander will win the award this season.
“Garrett Crochet has the energy of someone who has seen it all, but in reality, he’s only 26 and is theoretically in the early stages of his prime,” Hass wrote in an article published on Thursday. “Last year was magical, as he posted an 18-5 record, 2.59 ERA, and finished second in Cy Young voting behind Tarik Skubal.
“That was only his second full season as a starter, and it was a pretty darn impressive Boston debut. Crochet dominates again in 2026, and this year, he wins the award.”
Crochet was dominant last season as he went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 32 starts for the Red Sox and was a key reason why the team made the playoffs last season.
So, if Crochet can be better or repeat that success in 2026, it will not only put him in line to win the Cy Young, but also will put Boston in a great spot to make the playoffs again.
Crochet enters the season with the second-best odds of winning the AL Cy Young Award, trailing Detroit Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal.
High school football schedules for the 2026 season are rolling out rapidly across the country, and Georgia stands out as one of the premier pipelines for college recruits. This upcoming fall is no different, with numerous programs nationwide now finalizing and releasing their complete 2026 schedules
Next up out of the Peach State to announce their 2026 high school football schedule are the Brunswick Pirates. The Pirates head into the season under a new head coach in Bryon Slack, who takes over for Garrett Grady, who stepped down as Brunswick’s head coach with an overall record of 36-10.
The Pirates graduate key starters like Florida signee Heze Kent and offensive linemen Kasiyah Charlton (UCF signee), Chase Richardson (Kennesaw State signee), but are slated to return a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in Nigel Gardner (1,205 yards, 17 touchdowns) and Josiah Gibbons (1,288 yards, 12 touchdowns), respectively.
The full Brunswick 2026 football schedule can be seen below, with official game times to be announced at a later date.
Brunswick High School, located in Brunswick, GA, is known for its strong academic programs and commitment to student success. The school offers a range of extracurricular activities, including a robust athletics program. The Pirates compete in various sports, including football and basketball, and are recognized for their spirited school culture and dedication to excellence in both academics and athletics.
How to Follow Georgia High School Football
For Georgia high school football fans looking to keep up with scores around the nation, staying updated on the action is now easier than ever with the Rivals High School Scoreboard. This comprehensive resource provides real-time updates and final scores from across the Peach State, ensuring you never miss a moment of the Friday night frenzy. From nail-biting finishes to dominant performances, the Rivals High School Scoreboard is your one-stop destination for tracking all the high school football excitement across the state of Georgia.
Jack Draper earned the biggest win of his comeback so far, defeating Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells.
Draper missed six months with a bone injury in his left arm, only returning to action last month for Great Britain’s Davis Cup tie against Norway.
That layoff meant he came into Indian Wells under some pressure as the defending champion, but the 24-year-old managed to put together a run that led to a high-profile fourth-round meeting with Djokovic.
It had been five years since their last meeting – back when Draper was just 19 – and this time he came from a set down to beat the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
After the match, Djokovic spoke highly of Draper, though they seem to have slightly different views on where the Briton’s game currently stands.
Jack Draper admits he is still working his way back after Indian Wells win
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
After Draper’s 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(5) win over Djokovic at Indian Wells, the Serb was asked what he thought of his opponent’s level in just his second tournament back.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion was full of praise for the Brit, saying he did not see much difference in Draper’s game compared to before his injury break.
“I don’t think there is any major difference in his level from what he has, you know, shown pre-injury,” he began by saying.
“I mean, he’s been playing at a great level, actually. I have watched him a little bit, had some highlights in Dubai that he has played there a few matches.
“And here, obviously defending champion, he really likes the conditions, suiting his game, and you could see that.
“I mean, he’s playing really well. I mean, he’s confident and he was always confident and physically very fit. You know, just overall a great player, great guy. I wish him all the best for the rest of the tournament.”
Despite the positive feedback from Djokovic, Draper does not feel he is close to where he wants to be yet.
Speaking after the match, the 24-year-old said: “I still don’t feel like I’m playing anywhere near the way I want to play. I came out here and I won that match through determination.”
Who will Jack Draper face next at Indian Wells?
Regardless of how he got there, Draper’s win over Djokovic has put him back into the Indian Wells quarter-finals.
Up next is two-time finalist Daniil Medvedev, who advanced by beating Alex Michelsen in the fourth round.
The only previous meeting between Draper and Medvedev was on clay at the Italian Open in 2024.
Medvedev won that match 7-5, 6-4, but both players have evolved since then.
Draper will be aiming to even the score when they meet again, this time on a hard court at Indian Wells on Thursday, March 12.
The San Francisco 49ers had been looking everywhere for an impactful defensive lineman that they could add to their roster this offseason, and after whiffing on John Franklin-Myers, they acquired Osa Odighizuwa from the Dallas Cowboys for a 2026 third-round pick.
While Odighizuwa may not be a household name around the league, he's well-respected and Cowboys fans seem to love him. They like him so much that they took to social media to share their negative opinions on the trade.
Cowboy fans are going through it after The Cowboys traded Osa Odighizuwa to the #49ers on the teams’ IG page 💀 pic.twitter.com/pfvEpN17hO
Odighizuwa played at UCLA from 2016-20 and earned All-Pac-12 honors before the Cowboys took him in the third round (No. 75 overall) of the 2021 NFL draft.
Over the last five years, he's recorded 216 tackles, 81 quarterback hits, 17 sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass defensed. Pro Football Focus gave him a 71.5 pass-rush grade for his efforts in 2025, which was good for 25th out of 134 qualified interior defensive linemen.
Now with San Francisco, Odighizuwa will likely lead a group that also includes 2025 draft picks Alfred Collins and C.J. West, forming a decent core for the next few seasons.
Gina Carano doesn’t pay attention to the ranting and raving of UFC middleweight Sean Strickland, the crybabylost boy who somehow convinced himself he’s the savior of bro culture.
“I think he’s got it a little bit twisted,” Carano said during a recent media scrum. “I don’t really pay attention to him or his words. I think they’re sadly coming from a hurt place and hurt people hurt people. I think that he’s being exploited a bit and that pain is on full display and you know, all you can really do is just pray for healing for that man.”
“I think that we should build up men to be men,” Carano added. “But don’t you want some viking-ass women in your country? I am going to defend my house, I am going to defend my kids, I am going to defend myself at the gas station if I need to. You want your nieces and your daughter … Sean Strickland would want, too. You want to be a woman and be able to defend yourself.”
Whether or not she can defend herself against Rousey on May 16 in Los Angeles remains to be seen.
Bradford City manager Graham Alexander insists there is no pressure on his side as the Bantams look to secure a second promotion in two seasons.
Wednesday's 2-0 win at Port Vale means Bradford, fourth in the League One table, are 10 points inside the play-offs with 10 games to go.
It was only City's second away win in their past nine league games.
"If there was external pressure, it was kept external," Alexander, whose side are nine points off the automatic promotion places, told BBC Radio Leeds.
"I didn't feel it on the bus or in the changing room.
"No one mentioned anything about long-term gains. We just had to focus on our performance. You don't play like that if you are distracted.
"The biggest enemy we've got right now is thinking we've got a cushion, or thinking we've got a bit of space to relax. We haven't."
The win over Port Vale made it six points from their previous two matches, but also backed up a good performance at promotion rivals Reading last month which ended in defeat in stoppage time.
Alexander added: "The last two (away) performances have been absolutely top-notch, and it's something that we've looked to address.
"They've been (playing) like we play at home, and that's all we can do really, just produce what we're good at.
"We want them to enjoy playing, there's a lot of seriousness about football and it's a business. But we want them to enjoy the competitive side, your teamwork and your team ethic.
"I think the Reading performance gave us a confidence that we are a good team home and away, but you've got to go and win to prove that."
The Bantams head to 20th-placed Wigan on Saturday, followed by the midweek visit of Mansfield Town, then a trip to 17th-placed Burton - a favourable run of fixtures on paper.
"We've got to go hell for leather," Alexander added. "When we go for it, that's us at our best, and we want to be at our best at all times.
"Saturday will be no different. We have to go into that and make sure we keep our feet on the floor, and if we do, that will put us in a good spot, but the table will be sorted in 10 games."
After the Gophers were bounced out of the Big Ten tournament Wednesday, head coach Niko Medved said the 72-67 loss to Rutgers put “some finality” on the season.
At 15-17 overall, Minnesota might have an opportunity to play in a national tournament, most likely the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), but that decision will be tabled for now.
“I think it’s too early to say,” Medved told reporters postgame at the United Center in Chicago. “Right now … I don’t know. But let’s just give these guys a few days here and just kind of see where we’re at and see kind of what the opportunity is and see if it maybe makes sense for this group.”
Because of serious injuries to three starters, the Gophers’ rotation shrank to six players for the final eight games of the season and conference tournament. The five starters have each been logging more than 35 minutes per game, and at least three of them are battling through their own injuries.
“They’ve been through a lot,” Medved said. “They’re beat up that way, so are a lot of teams. But it’s cool that maybe we’ll earn the right to have that opportunity, but let’s let the dust settle a little bit and see where it goes.”
The NCAA Tournament selection show is Sunday night, after which dominoes will fall for the College Basketball Crown and the NIT. Minnesota will learn of any opportunities starting then and determine its willingness to play more.
On Wednesday, Minnesota was one and done in the conference tournament at United Center in Chicago. With an 8-12, they finished 11th in the Big Ten and earned a first-round tournament bye but were beaten by 14th-seeded Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights advanced to play sixth-seeded UCLA on Thursday night.
The Gophers were in the middle of the Big Ten pack, averaging 10.6 turnovers per game this season, but had 15 against Rutgers. That included 10 in the second half, six coming during a decisive six-minute stretch when the Scarlet Knights took the lead for good.
“One thing we’ve been really good at this year: We haven’t turned the ball over,” Medved said. “We’ve been really good that way. You give (Rutgers) credit, too. We talked about it at halftime: They were going to ramp up the pressure. We just didn’t handle it very well.”
Gophers wing Cade Tyson, who was named all-Big Ten honorable mention this week, finished with a team-high 24 points. The senior played all 40 minutes, which was not abnormal for him this season.
“I’d say it’s definitely challenging,” Tyson said about the minutes load. “Give the credit to Rutgers. I thought they played a really good game. But I mean, of course there’s a battle that comes with it, But I feel like we’ve worked hard enough for both our bodies and our teammates’ bodies to sustain itself that 40 minutes.”
Bobby Durkin, who was seated next to Tyson inside United Center, contributed 15 points in 39 minutes Wednesday. The junior was asked to reflect on the regular season, which included wins over ranked teams from Michigan State, Iowa and Indiana.
“I think we really showed how good we can be,” Durkin said. “There was obviously stretches during the season where we dropped some games that we felt were winnable and could have come out with, but I feel like we just showed that we can really compete with anyone.”
The International Cricket Council has charged two team officials and a player with multiple breaches of anti-corruption rules linked to the 2023/24 Bim10 Tournament, escalating a widening investigation into alleged match-fixing in the Caribbean competition.
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Team owner Chitranjan Rathod, official Trevon Griffith and West Indies cricketer Javon Searles have all been charged under the anti-corruption codes of both the ICC and Cricket West Indies (CWI).
According to an ICC statement, the charges relate primarily to the Bim10 Tournament 2023/24, which falls under the jurisdiction of the CWI Anti-Corruption Code. Griffith also faces an additional charge linked to international matches that fall under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.
Rathod, owner of the Titans franchise, faces three charges under the CWI Code, while Searles has been hit with four. Griffith faces four charges under the CWI Code as well as one charge under the ICC Code.
All three have been charged with fixing or attempting to influence the result, progress or conduct of matches in the Bim10 tournament. They are also accused of encouraging players or support personnel to commit offences under the anti-corruption code and of failing or refusing to cooperate with investigators.
Searles and Griffith have additionally been charged with failing to report approaches or invitations that could constitute corrupt conduct.
Griffith faces a further charge under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code for allegedly obstructing the Anti-Corruption Unit’s investigation by concealing or tampering with information that may have been relevant to the probe.
The ICC confirmed that all three individuals have been provisionally suspended from all cricket activities with immediate effect. They have been given 14 days, starting from March 11, 2026, to respond to the charges.
The case forms part of a wider investigation into corruption in the tournament. In January, United States player Aaron Jones was also charged with five breaches of the anti-corruption codes of both the ICC and CWI.
The ICC said it will make no further comment until the disciplinary process is completed.
Stability is the watchword for the Cincinnati Bengals entering the 2026 season.
While their AFC North rivals integrate new head coaches and new systems, the Bengals are banking on familiarity with head coach Zac Taylor and returning veterans to hit the ground running. Cincinnati finished 6-11 last season, its first losing campaign since star quarterback Joe Burrow’s rookie year in 2020.
On Thursday, the Bengals made a move to ensure their left tackle will remain in the fold. Cincinnati and Orlando Brown Jr. agreed to a two-year contract extension, the team announced on X. Financial terms of the deal weren’t immediately available.
The Bengals plan to bring back their entire starting offensive line — Brown, Dylan Fairchild, Ted Karras, Dalton Risner and Amarius Mims — for the first time in the Burrow era.
A four-time Pro Bowl selection, Brown, 29, enters his ninth season in the NFL. He began his career with the Baltimore Ravens before joining the Kansas City Chiefs. He won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs at the end of the 2022 season.
The Bengals signed Brown to a four-year, $64 million contract before the 2023 season. He started 45 out of possible 51 games on the offensive line for Cincinnati.
On X, Brown posted that he negotiated the extension, which runs through the 2028 season.
Represented myself on this deal lol it’s a 2 year extension
“It means a lot to me and my family. … I just want to be able to focus on ball. Having that security there, just in terms of the number of years I’m here, it allows me to focus on that. … I just wanna win,” Brown said in a press conference.
Aston Villa look to build first leg advantage as they travel to LOSC Lille
Despite stuttering Premier League form of late, Aston Villa head into the first leg of their round of 16 knockout action as one of the competition’s hot favourites, having won seven and lost one in the league phase.
Meanwhile, LOSC Lille finished 18th in the league phase, and advanced to the round of 16 via a two legged playoff match up with Red Star Belgrade.Les Dogues managed to overturn a 1-0 first leg deficit away at Red Star, with frontman Olivier Giroud grabbing an early opener to level up the tie on aggregate, before substitute Nathan Ngoy notched the winner in extra time.
Villa come into the fixture winless in four Premier League matches, with an overall downbeat feeling most recently compounded by back to back losses at the hands of bottom side Wolves and a hit-and-miss Chelsea. The Claret and Blues have tasted success at the Stade Pierre Mauroy as recently as 2024 however, with Unai Emery’s side ultimately qualifying for the UEFA Conference League Semi-Finals with a penalty shootout win – despite losing 2-1 on the night.
Lille’s last taste of defeat came in the aforementioned first leg against Red Star, since then Bruno Genesio’s men are unbeaten in four, with three wins and a recent draw at home to Lorient.
Aston Villa will be all too aware of the threat that Les Dogues striker, Olivier Giroud, poses. With the former Arsenal and Chelsea man having bagged five Ligue 1 and four Europa League goals this campaign, despite his age at 39. The World Cup winner was missing from Lille’s latest matchday squad however, plunging his Thursday night inclusion into doubt. The French side will also continue to be without fellow goal threat Hamza Igamane and wideman Ethan Mbappe leaving them to look towards Hakan Haraldsson to add to his six goals in all competitions.
Villa likewise boast an injury list full of noticeable absentees, including Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara and Harvey Elliot. Matty Cash’s halftime withdrawal last time out at Chelsea has also left the jury out on the Polish international’s inclusionthis evening, who was reportedly forced off with a minor calf issue. On a more positive note however, club captain John McGinn has been back in full training, it is hoped he will be included in the squad that travels to France, in what is a much needed boost for Emery’s side.
LOSC Lille host Aston Villa on Thursday 12th March for a 17:45 kick off UK time. The action will be available to watch on TNT Sports.
How to watch LOSC Lille vs Aston Villa, team news, predicted line-ups and more
Aston Villa travel to face LOSC Lille in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League Round of 16 tie.
Villa will be hoping to repeat their success against Lille in 2024, when they eliminated the French side in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa Conference League after winning on penalties.
However, Villa also experienced disappointment against French opposition in Europe last season. They were knocked out of the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League by eventual winners Paris Saint‑Germain in a closely contested tie.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this game…
LOSC Lille have been in steady form recently. The French side currently sit sixth in Ligue 1 and have won three of their last four matches in all competitions.
Lille secured their place in this tie with a 2–0 away victory over FK Crvena zvezda, overturning a 1–0 defeat at home in the first leg against the Serbian side.
Aston Villa have endured a difficult run of form in recent weeks, recording just one victory in their last six matches in the Premier League.
That dip in results has placed their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League in serious jeopardy, after it previously appeared that Villa were strong favourites to secure third place in the league table.
However, the English side will look to maintain their near-flawless form in Europe this season, having finished second in the group phase after winning seven of their eight matches.
What’s been said:
Lille manager Bruno Genesio said: “I remember my clash with Lyon against Unai Emery’s PSG very well. He inspires a lot of respect in me; he has a lot of experience, has won 4 Europa Leagues with 2 different teams, and he always coaches big teams.
“I’m glad to face him, many years later. It’ll be interesting to gauge ourselves against one of the Premier League’s best teams, but I have confidence in my group.”
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery said: “Of course, it’s a massive test tomorrow. Two matches, two legs, the second leg as well, of course, we will play at home, but my expectation is very difficult and my expectation, before the matches, of course, be so focused and be trying to build our structure strong and try to feel comfortable and try to respect them.
“And everything will happen tomorrow, still 90 minutes to play at home, and of course, with our supporters, will be a second leg important for us how we can respond as well.
Iniesta waxes lyrical about Barcelona sensation – ‘Privilege and joy that he plays for Barça’
At a time when most attackers, including the likes of Ferran Torres and even Raphinha, are struggling, Lamine Yamal’s form has been critical for Barcelona as we approach the final phase of the campaign.
With just two months remaining before the season ends, Yamal, who recently scored the equaliser against Newcastle United, looks in great touch, having already been involved in 35 goals in all competitions this season.
In light of his brilliant performances and meteoric rise at Barcelona, the forward has received high praise from club legend Andres Iniesta.
What Iniesta said about Yamal
In an interview with DAZN (h/t SPORT), Iniesta has heaped praise on Yamal, stating that he has the potential to become one of the most unique players in football.
“It’s clear that Lamine has incredible talent. He has the potential to become a truly unique player,” he said.
Yamal is rated quite highly by Iniesta. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
It must be noted that Iniesta, who has made 674 competitive appearances for Barcelona, is well aware of playing with gifted players, having shared the dressing room with the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Ronaldinho.
Iniesta added that it is a joy to see Yamal being a homegrown talent rather than a foreign prodigy, as it greatly benefits Spanish football as well.
“I hope he continues to improve every year, that he keeps getting better and making the team better. For me, as a Barça fan and as a Spaniard, it’s a privilege and a joy that Lamine is a player for Barça and the national team,” he said.
It appears Iniesta is truly excited to see Yamal play for La Roja in the upcoming FIFA World Cup, where Luis de la Fuente’s men will be tagged as one of the favourites.
The former Barcelona midfielder later highlighted that it will be key for Barcelona to manage Yamal’s fitness and make sure he is not overburdened with too many matches.
UCF vs Arizona best bet: Brayden Burries Over 17.5 points (+100)
Despite a slow start to his college career, Brayden Burries now leads the Arizona Wildcats with 16.0 points per game.
The five-star freshman has been more efficient lately, averaging 19.0 ppg on 50/40/82 shooting splits over his last 12 contests. He also dropped 18 points against the UCF Knights on the road when these teams previously clashed in January.
The Knights play at a fast tempo and struggle defensively. They finished the regular season 125th in the country in adjusted defense while ranking 14th in conference play in opponent eFG% (54.6%).
UCF vs Arizona same-game parlay
With Burries getting buckets, expect him to receive plenty of passes from Koa Peat from the post or on dribble handoffs. Peat has cleared 2.5 assists in five of his last six games.
The Wildcats scored 84 points in the previous clash against UCF, despite playing on the road and going just 3-13 from deep. Their up-tempo attack will be even more productive today with the Knights tired after eking out an OT win against Cincinnati yesterday.
UCF vs Arizona SGP
Brayden Burries Over 17.5 points
Koa Peat Over 2.5 assists
Arizona Team Total Over 88.5
Our beyond the arc SGP: Burries burns UCF
Burries has also been highly productive on the glass lately, grabbing 6+ boards in three straight games while averaging 8.3 rpg over that span.
UCF vs Arizona SGP
Brayden Burries Over 17.5 points
Brayden Burries Over 5.5 rebounds
Koa Peat Over 2.5 assists
Arizona Team Total Over 88.5
UCF vs Arizona odds
Spread: UCF +16.5 | Arizona -16.5
Moneyline: UCF +1100 | Arizona -2200
Over/Under: Over 159.5 | Under 159.5
UCF vs Arizona betting trend to know
The Wildcats have gone Over their Team Total in 15 of their last 25 games (+3.55 Units / 12% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for UCF vs. Arizona.
How to watch UCF vs Arizona
Location
T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, MO
Date
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Tip-off
3:00 p.m. ET
TV
ESPN
UCF vs Arizona key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
TSG Hoffenheim have picked up 49 points and currently lie in 3rd position. In their last game, Christian Ilzer's team won 2-4 against 1. FC Heidenheim 1846 (1. Bundesliga 2025/26).
Wolfsburg have won 20 points to date and are placed in 17th position. In their last fixture, Dieter Hecking's team suffered a 1-2 reverse against Hamburger SV (1. Bundesliga 2025/26).
The last meeting between the two teams ended with TSG Hoffenheim winning 3-2.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 04: Tom Kennedy #85 of the Detroit Lions walks out of the tunnel before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field on December 04, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Per sources, the Detroit Lions are bringing back both wide receiver Tom Kennedy and linebacker Trevor Nowaske.
Both players were restricted free agent, but the Lions opted not to give them a tender, which would’ve cost the team $3.647 million each. While new contract terms are not immediately available, there’s a good chance each players’ cap hit will come under that figure.
Kennedy had a bit of a breakout year last season, his seventh season with the team. While he only played in six games in 2025—spending most of the season on the practice squad—he did find a role late as one of the team’s kick returners. In total, he took 16 kickoff returns for 447 yards—a strong 27.9 kick return average. He also fielded three punts for 50 yards, which could be a need for the Lions now that starting punt returner Kalif Raymond signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears this offseason.
Nowaske, 27, returns to the Lions for his fourth NFL season. Last year, he played in 15 games, and while he only logged 74 defensive snaps, he showed some promise in Detroit’s SAM linebacker role. Additionally, he logged 330 special teams snaps for the team.
Detroit still has some work to do at the linebacker room. Alex Anzalone has left for free agency, and Detroit only has Jack Campbell, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez, and Nowaske under contract. Meanwhile, Grant Stuard, Zach Cunningham, and Ezekiel Turner are still free agents.
The Baltimore Ravens have created major financial flexibility this offseason after restructuring the contract of star quarterback Lamar Jackson. According to reports, the move frees up nearly $40 million in salary cap space, giving Baltimore significant room to make more roster upgrades as they look to improve the team under new head coach Jesse Minter. The restructuring follows a growing trend around the league, where teams adjust massive quarterback contracts to spread out cap hits and open immediate spending power.
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) rushes the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium.
Contract restructures typically involve converting a portion of a player’s base salary into a signing bonus. The bonus is then prorated across multiple years of the contract, reducing the current season’s cap hit. For the Ravens, restructuring Jackson’s deal allows them to maintain their franchise quarterback long term while gaining the flexibility needed to improve the roster around him.
These types of financial maneuvers have become increasingly common as quarterback contracts continue to grow larger.
A Strategy Used by Other Superstar Quarterbacks
Baltimore’s move mirrors similar restructures involving other elite quarterbacks across the league. The Buffalo Bills have reworked the contract of Josh Allen to create cap space for roster improvements. Likewise, the Kansas City Chiefs have used creative contract restructures with Patrick Mahomes to maintain financial flexibility while keeping one of the league’s most valuable players under contract.
These moves allow teams to stay competitive while managing the financial realities of building a championship roster around a high-paid quarterback.
What It Means for Baltimore
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) rushes the ball against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half at Acrisure Stadium. Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Freeing up nearly $40 million in cap space gives the Ravens several options. Baltimore has consistently built its roster around a strong defense and a dynamic offense led by Jackson, and the additional cap room could help them continue to strengthen both sides of the ball.
The move also signals that the Ravens are fully committed to maximizing their championship window with Jackson as the centerpiece of the franchise.
Building Around Their Franchise Quarterback
Jackson remains one of the most electrifying players in the NFL, capable of changing games with both his arm and his legs. Ensuring the team has the resources to surround him with talent is essential for Baltimore’s long-term success.
By restructuring his contract and creating substantial cap space, the Ravens have positioned themselves to make meaningful moves this offseason. And if the additional financial flexibility leads to key roster additions, Baltimore could once again find itself among the most dangerous contenders in the NFL.
Tottenham manager Martin Ho is pleased with the progression he has overseen at Spurs this season but insists there remains plenty of room for improvement.
Ho was awarded manager of the month for February after three wins and a defeat in all competitions and has led Spurs to fifth in the Women's Super League with six games to go, after finishing second bottom in 2024-25.
With games coming up against Manchester City and Arsenal in the WSL and Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-finals, he is looking forward to testing his side against the league's best.
"We're happy with where we are at but we are not going to get too comfortable," he told BBC Radio London.
"This year is about building foundations to put a really successful team on top of and we have started to do that. There is still a bit of work to do to be ready for next season but we are moving in the right direction."
Before those matches against the WSL's big hitters, Tottenham return to action at home to Everton on Sunday. Ho disagrees this will be a defining period of the season, preferring to relish what the challenge might reveal.
"They won't define us as a team but will tell us where we're at," he said. "They will provide references for us moving forward.
"We should rise to these occasions and embrace them. The team have done that in games against those teams before and I am excited about these coming up."
This spring sale discount knocks the price of an Acer Nitro V15 gaming laptop, with a 10-core Intel CPU, RTX 5060, 16GB RAM, and a 1TB SSD, to just £799.99, one of the most affordable options with these specs available right now.
V-COLOR has started selling single DIMM DRAM kits with an extra “filler” module V-Color has officially released new “1 +1 Value Pack” DDR5 memory kits for AMD Ryzen systems. These kits include a single DDR5 DRAM module and a second “RGB Filler NON-DRAM solution”. This gives users the appearance of a dual-channel memory system with […]
A growing share of search interactions now begins inside generative systems. Users open AI tools and ask questions the same way they’d ask a colleague: in full sentences, with context, and often across multiple follow-up prompts.
Generative systems synthesize answers from sources they interpret as credible and relevant to the prompt. Visibility increasingly depends on whether a brand’s content aligns with the questions people ask AI systems, not just the keywords they type into search engines.
Traditional search results haven’t disappeared. Today’s discovery environment blends ranked results, AI-generated summaries, and conversational assistants.
This shift introduces a new research layer: prompt research. It’s quickly becoming a foundational practice for SEO and generative engine optimization (GEO).
Here’s how prompt research works, why it matters, and how to incorporate it into content planning.
How prompt-based search is reshaping discovery
Search queries are becoming more context-rich as generative AI platforms encourage users to ask questions in natural language and refine them through follow-up prompts.
Many searches now unfold as a sequence rather than a single query. A user asks an initial question, reviews the generated response, then adds clarifying prompts with new constraints, comparisons, or context.
In these environments, search behaves more like a conversation than a lookup. Each prompt builds on the previous response, creating a chain that gradually clarifies intent.
Several shifts reinforce this pattern:
AI assistants and voice interfaces encourage natural phrasing.
Follow-up prompts allow search sessions to evolve conversationally.
Multimodal inputs combine text, images, and contextual signals.
As a result, the unit of search interaction is shifting. Instead of optimizing for isolated queries, you increasingly need to understand how prompts are phrased, sequenced and refined within AI-driven search sessions.
Understanding those prompt patterns is the goal of prompt research.
Prompt research analyzes the questions people ask generative AI systems and how those prompts shape the answers those systems produce.
In practice, it functions as the AI-era extension of keyword research:
Traditional keyword research analyzes search queries, ranking opportunities, and competition within the results page.
Prompt research focuses on the prompts that lead AI systems to explain topics, compare options, or recommend specific tools, products, or brands.
This changes the research process. Instead of mapping keyword variations alone, teams need to:
Identify recurring prompt patterns.
Cluster related questions around a topic.
Anticipate how a user’s inquiry expands through follow-up prompts.
For example, someone researching email marketing software might begin with a prompt like:
“What are the best email marketing tools for small businesses?”
Follow-up prompts extend the conversation:
“Which email marketing tools are easiest for beginners?”
“How does Mailchimp compare to ConvertKit?”
“What features should small businesses look for in email marketing software?”
Prompt research identifies these patterns so you can structure content around how users explore topics through AI search.
Why prompt research changes SEO and GEO content strategy
Prompt research expands the scope of content strategy beyond ranking individual pages to clusters of related questions.
For SEO, that means ensuring content covers the full topic landscape rather than a single query. For GEO, it means ensuring content provides the context generative systems need to synthesize answers.
Several strategic priorities follow.
Topical authority
Prompt clusters reveal the full range of questions users ask about a topic. Content that addresses those related questions is more likely to rank in traditional search and surface in AI-generated answers.
Clear entity relationships
Search engines and generative systems rely on entities to understand context. Clearly referencing relevant companies, products, technologies, and concepts helps them interpret how information fits together.
Structured information
Well-organized content is easier for systems to work with. Clear headings, concise explanations, and logical sections help search engines index pages and help generative systems extract key points.
Conversational formatting
Prompt research often shows that users ask questions in natural language. Content that answers those questions directly — through explanations, comparisons, and FAQs — aligns better with search queries and AI prompts.
Together, these practices help content perform across the modern search environment.
Prompt discovery focuses on identifying the questions users ask across generative platforms and AI-assisted search.
Useful sources include:
AI chat logs and internal user research.
Community discussions and forums.
Customer support and sales questions.
AI-assisted search experiences.
The goal is to surface prompts with clear intent — especially questions that require explanations, comparisons, or recommendations.
2. Prompt clustering
Once prompts are collected, they can be grouped into intent-based clusters. These clusters reveal how users explore a topic across multiple questions.
Common prompt clusters include:
Informational prompts
“What is customer lifecycle marketing?”
“How does lifecycle marketing work?”
Comparative prompts
“Lifecycle marketing vs traditional email campaigns: what’s the difference?”
“Klaviyo vs. HubSpot for lifecycle marketing?”
Transactional prompts
“What tools support lifecycle marketing automation?”
“Which lifecycle marketing platforms are best for ecommerce?”
Strategic or multi-step prompts
“How should an ecommerce brand build a lifecycle marketing strategy?”
“What lifecycle emails should an ecommerce company send after purchase?”
Prompt clustering helps identify patterns and prioritize content topics.
3. Prompt mapping
Prompt mapping connects prompt clusters to content strategy.
This typically involves:
Aligning prompts with existing content.
Identifying new content opportunities.
Flagging gaps in topic coverage.
For SEO, this helps expand coverage across related queries. For GEO, it helps ensure content addresses the types of prompts that trigger AI-generated answers.
4. Response optimization
The final step focuses on structuring content so search engines and generative systems can interpret it clearly.
Effective response optimization often includes:
Concise explanations near the top of sections.
FAQ sections that mirror real prompts.
Supporting data, examples, or expert insights.
Reinforcing related concepts across content.
Clear, structured answers improve reader usability while increasing the likelihood that content surfaces in search results and AI-generated responses.
Risks and challenges in the new search environment
Prompt research introduces new complexities for teams working across SEO and GEO:
Limited algorithm transparency: Generative systems provide little visibility into how sources are selected or weighted in AI-generated answers. This makes it difficult to predict which content will surface in response to specific prompts.
Attribution complexity: Tracking traffic from AI assistants and generative search interfaces remains inconsistent. Referral data is often incomplete, which complicates measurement for SEO and GEO performance.
Misinformation risks: Generative systems can occasionally surface inaccurate or outdated information, even when credible sources exist. This places greater emphasis on publishing clear, well-supported content that AI systems can reliably interpret.
Strategic balance: Content strategies still need to prioritize human readers. Information should remain clear, trustworthy, and genuinely useful — regardless of whether it appears in traditional search results or AI-generated responses.
Despite these challenges, the underlying opportunity remains clear: understanding prompt patterns helps you anticipate how AI systems assemble answers.
The example below illustrates how that process can shape a content strategy.
Case example: Optimizing for prompt clusters
Consider a hypothetical SaaS analytics company looking to expand its visibility across AI-generated answers and traditional search.
Initial prompt research reveals several clusters around predictive analytics:
“What is predictive analytics?”
“How does predictive analytics improve marketing ROI?”
“What are the best predictive analytics tools for ecommerce?”
Rather than targeting these prompts with isolated pages, the company builds a content structure around the broader topic.
A foundational guide: Explains predictive analytics, how it works, and why companies use it.
Supporting articles: Explore specific applications, such as marketing attribution, customer segmentation, or demand forecasting.
Comparison pages: Evaluate leading predictive analytics tools and platforms.
Each article includes structured explanations, FAQs that mirror common prompts, and citations from industry research.
This structure supports SEO and GEO. The foundational guide captures informational search demand, while supporting and comparison content addresses follow-up prompts users ask as they explore the topic.
Over time, the content appears in both traditional search results and AI-generated answers, expanding visibility in the new search environment.
Putting prompt engineering in your search strategy
Brands that begin analyzing prompt patterns today will gain insight into emerging discovery behaviors. A practical starting point involves auditing existing content through a new lens:
Which prompts does this content answer clearly?
What follow-up questions might users ask?
How easily can generative systems interpret and synthesize the information?
Search visibility increasingly depends on how well content participates in AI-generated knowledge systems.
Prompt research helps ensure that participation happens by design rather than by chance.
Microsoft has released its latest DirectStorage 1.4 update, focusing on the technicalities behind game asset streaming. Today, the company introduced new compression and decompression technology called Zstandard (Zstd), which should improve game loading times and bring much faster game asset streaming than what was previously used. Microsoft originally developed its DirectStorage in DirectX 12 to take advantage of the quick NVMe SSDs. Powerful consumer GPUs need game assets to load incredibly fast, and DirectStorage devleopment has cut out the middle-man, the CPU, in the process of streaming these assets from storage to the GPU. Traditionally, this has been done over CPU, causing delays and latencies across teh stack.
To push Zstd even further, Microsoft has developed the Game Asset Conditioning Library (GACL), a companion tool that developers run on their assets before a game ships. The idea is that instead of simply compressing textures, GACL first conditions them to be more compressible, allowing Zstd to squeeze files down by up to 50% more than it otherwise could. It does this through a few different techniques. Shuffling rearranges data inside texture files so repeating patterns cluster together, giving Zstd more to latch onto. Block-Level Entropy Reduction (BLER) and Component-Level Entropy Reduction (CLER) then reduce texture complexity at the block and color-channel level, using perceptual quality as a guide so any changes remain invisible to the player. CLER takes this a step further by incorporating machine learning to identify exactly where that reduction can be applied without anyone noticing.
Acer Inc. (TWSE: 2353) announced its financial results for the fourth quarter of 2025 and fiscal 2025 ended December 31. In the fourth quarter, Acer reported consolidated revenues of NT$74.36 billion, up 12.6% YoY; gross profits of NT$8.59 billion, up 23.6% year-on-year (YoY) with 11.6% margin; operating income of NT$1.87 billion, up 82.3% YoY with 2.5% margin; and net income of NT$1.07 billion with earning-per-share (EPS) of NT$0.36.
For the full year of 2025, consolidated revenues reached NT$275.63 billion, up 4.1% YoY; gross profits of NT$29.99 billion, up 7.1% YoY with 10.9% margin; operating income of NT$5.14 billion, up 5.5% YoY with 1.9% margin; and net income of NT$3.78 billion with earning-per-share (EPS) of NT$1.26.
Silicon Motion Technology Corporation (NasdaqGS: SIMO), a global leader in designing and marketing NAND flash controllers for solid-state storage devices, today announced the launch of the SM8008, a PCIe Gen 5 x4 NVMe enterprise SSD controller purpose-built for data center boot drives and power-sensitive enterprise storage applications.
As hyperscale and enterprise data centers expand server deployments, boot SSDs have become a critical infrastructure component across every system node. The SM8008 addresses this growing demand with a controller architecture optimized for power efficiency, predictable performance, and enterprise-grade security at scale, while supporting the OCP Hyperscale NVMe Boot SSD Specification to meet production-ready enterprise deployment requirements.
JBL is redefining the party experience and transforming any song into a seamless karaoke experience with the expansion of its AI-powered EasySing technology across the new JBL PartyBox On-the-Go 2 Plus, JBL EasySing Mics & JBL EasySing Mic Mini. By integrating real-time AI vocal removal, pitch support and intelligent vocal enhancement directly into the brand's latest PartyBox speaker and microphones, JBL is putting fans at the center of the music they love like never before.
From a powerful party speaker to ultra-portable microphones, JBL's EasySing ecosystem uses advanced on-device AI to separate vocals from any track in real time, giving listeners the freedom to reduce or remove original vocals at the touch of a button. Combined with Voice Boost high-pitch support, natural reverb, echo and noise suppression, new EasySing technology gives users the power to effortlessly customize their experience, putting them at center stage.
JBL announces the JBL Live 780NC over-ear and JBL Live 680NC on-ear headphones, built for all-day listening without compromise. The new JBL Live series makes its official debut at SXSW inside the JBL Livebrary at 3TEN at Austin City Limits Live, a reimagined library concept designed around headphone-first listening. Within the space, guests can explore curated artist collections and dedicated demo stations that put the JBL Live series at the center of the SXSW experience.
A soundtrack for the day-to-day
Featuring 40 mm dynamic drivers for excellent audio performance, the new Live headphones bring any playlists and podcasts to life with clearer, more detailed sound. Listen uninterrupted with True Adaptive Noise Cancelling 2.0. Real-time noise filtering and upgraded processing power deliver improved noise reduction, turning down even more distractions than before.
For the past half-decade, PC enthusiasts and audiophiles like me have been fighting a phantom war inside our systems. The enemy isn't audio fidelity, which has been democratized by Realtek by serving up codecs with SNRs well above 110 dBA; it is Deferred Procedure Call (DPC) latency. As the industry rapidly shifted toward complex, heterogeneous CPU architectures, and motherboard vendors simultaneously abandoned robust audio interfaces for cheaper USB routing, we inadvertently built a latency trap.
We are currently relying on brute-force host processing and software band-aids to fix a hardware routing problem. But there is a way out. It is entirely possible to build discrete sound cards with native signal processing to bypass these DPC gremlins once and for all.
According to a court filing at Harris County District Court, plaintiff Justine Saint Amour bought a Cybertruck with the FSD package from a Florida dealership in February 2025.
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