“THE SCOREBOARD”
INDIANA BOYS SEMI-STATE
CLASS 4A
NORTH (AT ELKHART)
SOUTH BEND RILEY (22-4) VS. FISHERS (28-0), 10 A.M.
HOMESTEAD (22-5) VS. CROWN POINT (22-2), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
SOUTH (AT NEW CASTLE)
TERRE HAUTE NORTH (21-5) VS. LAWRENCE NORTH (21-6), 10 A.M.
JEFFERSONVILLE (21-5) VS. MT. VERNON (21-5), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
CLASS 3A
NORTH (AT LOGANSPORT)
MACONAQUAH (21-5) VS. SOUTH BEND SAINT JOSEPH (24-3), 10 A.M.
EAST CHICAGO CENTRAL (20-8) VS. DELTA (17-7), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
SOUTH (AT SOUTHPORT)
PRINCETON (24-2) VS. CRISPUS ATTUCKS (20-6), 10 A.M.
NEW PALESTINE (25-3) VS. BROWNSTOWN CENTRAL (24-2), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
CLASS 2A
NORTH (AT MICHIGAN CITY)
GARY 21ST CENTURY (20-6) VS. WAPAHANI (26-1), 11 A.M.
MANCHESTER (23-2) VS. JIMTOWN (16-10), 1 P.M.
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8:30 P.M.
SOUTH (AT WASHINGTON)
PARKE HERITAGE (24-4) VS. FOREST PARK (19-6), 10:30 A.M.
UNIVERSITY (18-9) VS. LINTON-STOCKTON (21-6), 12:15 P.M.
CHAMPIONSHIP, 7:30 P.M.
CLASS A
NORTH (AT LAFAYETTE JEFF)
KOUTS (23-4) VS. MONROE CENTRAL (19-6), 10 A.M.
TRITON (23-4) VS. CLINTON PRAIRIE (24-2), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
SOUTH (AT SEYMOUR)
ORLEANS (22-4) VS. HAUSER (24-3), 10 A.M.
LIBERTY CHRISTIAN (18-8) VS. CLAY CITY (25-1), NOON
CHAMPIONSHIP, 8 P.M.
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
FLORIDA 86 TENNESSEE 77
MEMPHIS 84 UAB 72
MICHIGAN 59 WISCONSIN 53
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL SCOREBOARD
NOTRE DAME 7 CLEMSON 3
BELMONT 9 BUTLER 5
INDIANA 14 OHIO STATE 3
ILLINOIS-CHICAGO 4 PURDUE 0 (CANCELLED BOTTOM 4)
NORTHERN KENTUCKY 20 PURDUE FT. WAYNE 5
BALL STATE 8 TOLEDO 7
TOLEDO 6 BALL STATE 3
INDIANA STATE 12 PACIFIC 2
MURRAY STATE 17 SOUTHERN INDIANA 6 (GAME 1)
SOUTHERN INDIANA 8 MURRAY STATE 7 (11)
SAMFORD 13 EVANSVILLE 1
INDIANA COLLEGE SOFTBALL SCOREBOARD
UCLA 7 PURDUE 5
BUTLER 9 PROVIDENCE 6
IOWA 6 INDIANA 5
VALPO AT INDIANA STATE CANCELLED
NORTHERN IOWA 12 EVANSVILLE 9
INDIANA COLLEGE MEN’S LAX
NO GAMES SCHEDULED
INDIANA COLLEGE WOMEN’S LAX
LINDENWOOD 14 BUTLER 8
NBA SCOREBOARD
PHILADELPHIA 130 DALLAS 125
ORLANDO 108 CLEVELAND 103
LA LAKERS 107 PHOENIX 96
PORTLAND 105 TORONTO 102
BROOKLYN 122 ATLANTA 114
MINNESOTA 128 UTAH 102
LA CLIPPERS 123 CHARLOTTE 88
OKLAHOMA CITY 121 MILWAUKEE 105
NHL SCOREBOARD
DETROIT 3 VEGAS 0
COLORADO 4 DALLAS 3
EDMONTON 3 NY RANGERS 1
NY ISLANDERS 4 FLORIDA 2
ST. LOUIS 7 ANAHEIM 2
UTAH 3 VANCOUVER 1
WINNIPEG 3 SEATTLE 2
MLB SCOREBOARD
NY YANKEES 7 TAMPA BAY 5
BOSTON 6 MINNESOTA 5
BALTIMORE 7 DETROIT 1
PHILADELPHIA 12 BALTIMORE 1
TAMPA BAY 11 WASHINGTON 5
PITTSBURGH 4 NY YANKEES 3
TORONTO 6 ATLANTA 2
MIAMI 11 ST. LOUIS 5
HOUSTON 5 NY METS 0
SAN FRANCISCO 7 LAS VEGAS 3
CHICAGO WHITE SOX 7 TEXAS 6
SEATTLE 8 CINCINNATI 3
KANSAS CITY 10 COLORADO 2
MILWAUKEE 8 CLEVELAND 2
SAN DIEGO 4 LA ANGELS 2
ARIZONA 5 SAN DIEGO 4
MLS SCOREBOARD
NASHVILLE 3 PHILADELPHIA 1
PORTLAND 1 LA GALAXY 1
MIAMI 2 ATLANTA 1
TOP NATIONAL HEADLINES
MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
TOP 25 ROUNDUP: FLORIDA TAKES DOWN TENNESSEE TO WIN SEC
Walter Clayton Jr. scored 22 points and No. 4 Florida outclassed No. 8 Tennessee 86-77 on Sunday to win the Southeastern Conference tournament title at Nashville.
Will Richard added 17 points as the second-seeded Gators (30-4) earned the SEC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Florida was awarded a No. 1 seed when the bracket was revealed later Sunday.
Alex Condon recorded 13 points and nine rebounds, Thomas Haugh tallied 11 points and Alijah Martin had 10 points for the Gators, who won their first SEC tournament title since 2014. Clayton was named tournament MVP.
Jordan Gainey scored a season-best 24 points for fourth-seeded Tennessee (27-7), which landed a No. 2 seed in the NCAA field. Zakai Zeigler added 23 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals for the Volunteers, who lost to the Gators for the second time in three meetings this season.
No. 16 Memphis 84, UAB 72
Dain Dainja registered a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds, and the Tigers pulled away from the Blazers to win the American Athletic Conference tournament in Fort Worth, Texas.
PJ Haggerty scored a team-high 23 points for top-seeded Memphis (29-5), which secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Colby Rogers added 15 points.
Yaxel Lendeborg scored 19 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to lead third-seeded UAB (22-12). Efrem Johnson finished with 17 points to go along with six rebounds.
No. 22 Michigan 59, No. 18 Wisconsin 53
Tre Donaldson scored all 11 of his points in the final 8:35 as the Wolverines rallied from an 11-point deficit to defeat the Badgers for the Big Ten tournament championship in Indianapolis.
Donaldson gave third-seeded Michigan (25-9) its first lead of the second half when he drilled a 3-pointer with 1:54 to go. Donaldson also handed out eight assists while Vlad Goldin added 11 points for Michigan, which claimed their fourth Big Ten tournament title. Goldin was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.
John Blackwell paced fifth-seeded Wisconsin (26-9) with 18 points and Max Klesmit added 12 as the Badgers finished as tournament runners-up for the second year in a row. John Tonje, who scored 32 points in Saturday’s upset of top-seeded Michigan State, finished with nine points on 1-for-14 shooting.
Auburn is the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, with Duke, Houston and Florida joining the Tigers on the No. 1 line in the March Madness brackets released Sunday.
The NCAA selection committee favored the regular-season champs of the record-setting Southeastern Conference despite three losses in their last four games, along with a loss to Duke back in December.
The Tigers (28-5) and Gators were two of the 14 SEC teams to make the field, which are the most for a conference in the history of the tournament.
It’s Florida, which captured the SEC tournament by winning three games with an average margin of 15 points, that opens as a slight favorite to win it all at the Final Four in San Antonio on April 5 and 7, according to BetMGM Sportsbook.
In something of a surprise, both North Carolina and Texas slid in off the bubble, while Indiana, West Virginia and Boise State did not.
The 68-team bracket starts whittling down on Tuesday with preliminary games, and the main draw kicks off on Thursday and Friday, with 32 games at eight sites around the country.
A tribute, then a bracket with plenty to talk about
The selection show began with a heartfelt tribute to the late Greg Gumbel, the CBS stalwart who oversaw the bracket unveiling for decades.
Then, just as Gumbel would have preferred, it was about the basketball – and this time there was plenty to talk about.
North Carolina looked all but out, a victim of a 1-12 record against so-called Quad 1 opponents and part of a conference (ACC) teetering on the verge of a historically bad season. But the Tar Heels were the last team in, thanks maybe to a strong nonconference slate, while Texas was also in — its seven wins against Quad 1 teams outweighing its overall 15 losses.
The Carolina inclusion was certain to fuel some conspiracy theories. The chair of the selection committee was Tar Heels athletic director Bubba Cunningham, who said rules state he cannot be part of any debate about his own team.
“As vice-chair, I managed all the conversations we had about North Carolina, and we had quite a few,” said Sun Belt Conference commissioner Keith Gill, who, in an unusual move, was brought onto the CBS bracket show to discuss Carolina.
The SEC’s 14 teams were followed by the Big Ten with eight and Big 12 with seven. The ACC, meanwhile, ended up with four teams, barely avoiding its worst showing since 2000, back when the conference was half the size it is now.
Even in a down cycle, the ACC has Duke, and Duke has arguably the best player in the country in freshman Cooper Flagg, a 19-point, 7.5-rebound-a-game freshman whose ankle injury, the school says, will not keep him out of March Madness.
Bracket gives Pitino and St. John’s a long and interesting road
Elsewhere in the bracket, coach Rick Pitino leads his unprecedented sixth program into the tournament, and what a road he would have to take to get to the Final Four.
First, he will travel to Providence, the same building where the coach led the Friars to a surprise Final Four trip back in 1987, to lead St. John’s in a first-round game against Omaha. Pitino’s second game could come against Arkansas and John Calipari in what would be a titanic matchup between two of the game’s biggest coaching names.
Another coaching icon, Tom Izzo, leads Michigan State to its 27th straight tournament. The Spartans are seeded second and will face America East champion Bryant in its opener.
And Gonzaga is in for the 26th time, though extending its streak of making the second weekend to 10 years will be tough. The Bulldogs, after an “off” year in which they still won the West Coast Conference, are seeded eighth and could face Houston in the second round.
SEC regular season repeat in store?
The biggest quirks in this year’s bracket all involved the SEC:
–There are three potential second-round games between SEC teams – the sort of matchups the committee is asked to avoid, but that became inevitable with 14 of its teams in the bracket.
–The SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 captured 42.5% of the spots, which leads to questions about whether the tournament really needs to expand to bring even more big-school teams into the mix. Then again, Cunningham said had this been a 76-team tournament, West Virginia, Indiana and Ohio State would have made the cut.
–And now that the SEC has officially established itself as a hoops conference comes the question of whether the league can capture its first national title since 2012 when Kentucky won it all.
MIDWEST REGION: TOP SEED HOUSTON LOOKS PRIMED FOR FINAL FOUR RUN
The top-seeded Houston Cougars have been knocking on the door in recent seasons and now appear primed to make a championship run.
Houston has reached the Sweet 16 the past five times the NCAA Tournament has been played. That includes a Final Four appearance in 2021 and the Elite Eight in 2022.
Last season’s run was sabotaged when All-America point guard Jamal Shead badly sprained his right ankle and missed the final 26 1/2 minutes of a 54-51 loss to Duke in the Sweet 16.
This season, the Cougars feel more battle-tested than ever after going 19-1 in the Big 12 regular season and then winning three more games to claim the conference tournament title. They won at least 30 games for the fourth straight season and are the class of this region.
The second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers were one of the better teams in a Southeastern Conference that was full of top-flight teams. The Volunteers run into offensive hiccups at times, so they clearly fall in line below Houston.
No. 3 seed Kentucky, No. 4 seed Purdue and No. 5 seed Clemson are also in this bracket. And you can’t overlook No. 8 Gonzaga, which has made nine straight Sweet 16s.
Purdue lost to UConn in last season’s title game but doesn’t have the same pizzazz, though they still have the same passing wizard in point guard Braden Smith.
TOP SHOT
The old-school coaching methods of Kelvin Sampson resonate with the Cougars, who play their traditional tough defense along with a team-first offensive approach. Four Cougars score in double digits — led by L.J. Cryer’s 15.2 average — and Houston ranks second nationally in scoring defense at 58.5 points per game.
Tennessee will go as far as point guard Zakai Zeigler (13.8 ppg, 7.3 assists) can take the club, because leading scorer Chaz Lanier (17.7) is prone to inconsistency. Kentucky beat a lot of good teams but is short-handed as point guard Lamont Butler (shoulder) is ailing and shooter Jaxson Robinson (wrist) is done for the season.
Guess who doesn’t want to be asked about his first opponent being a double-digit seed? That would be Purdue coach Matt Painter, who saw his Boilermakers lose to such seeds in three straight NCAA tournaments (twice in the first round) prior to last season’s dash to the title game.
GAMES TO WATCH
No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 High Point
There was the embarrassing loss to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson in 2023, the humiliating setback against No. 15 Saint Peter’s in 2022 and the improbable defeat against No. 13 North Texas in 2021. Even back in 2016, there was the stunning double-overtime loss to No. 12 Little Rock. Rest assured High Point wasn’t overly mad to get pitted against Purdue for its first-ever NCAA Tournament game.
The Panthers overcame a 15-point deficit in the second half in the Big South title game while rallying to beat Winthrop. High Point has won 14 consecutive games and hasn’t lost in two months, so the players have the proper confidence level to slay a Big Ten program known for taking low-caliber opponents lightly.
No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Georgia
It will be a battle of Bulldogs in this affair with the Gonzaga edition falling a couple notches from its perch in recent seasons. However, the Zags were hot down the stretch with four straight wins and nine of their past 10. Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference tournament title by playing the game at Saint Mary’s (sloooow) level.
Georgia won four straight games late in the season — including an upset of a Florida team that earned a No. 1 seed — so a first-round SEC tournament loss to Oklahoma had no effect on its NCAA hopes. The presence of star freshman Asa Newell gives Georgia a strong chance at beating the Zags.
No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Utah State
UCLA went 4-4 to close the season and was routed by Wisconsin in its first game of the Big Ten tournament. The Bruins torched Southern California by 27 in its regular-season finale, so there’s no telling which version might show up. A strong game by Tyler Bilodeau, who leads the Bruins with 13.6 points per game, would help their chances.
Utah State is in the tournament for the third straight season under a third different coach. That alone is pretty impressive. The Aggies also went 4-4 down the stretch with the last three setbacks coming by 17 points to Boise State and 27 and 11 points to red-hot Colorado State. Ian Martinez (78 3-pointers) loves to fire away.
GET TO KNOW
Braden Smith, Purdue
The Big Ten player of the year has top-level instincts as a point guard and holds the school record of 732 assists though he is only a junior. Smith also is second on the team in scoring at 16.1 points while making a team-high 78 3-pointers.
Otega Oweh, Kentucky
The 6-foot-4 guard averages a team-best 16.2 points and has notched 12 20-point outings. He’s always looked to in the clutch and drove the length of the court against three defenders for a buzzer-beating basket to slay Oklahoma (his former program) in the second round of the SEC tourney.
Tre Johnson, Texas
He is viewed as a for-sure Top 10 NBA draft pick and possibly top five thanks to a strong freshman campaign in which he is averaging 19.8 points to go with 85 treys, both team bests. The Longhorns can win their First Four matchup in Dayton against Xavier with a team effort, but they would need a big performance from Johnson to slay Illinois.
Asa Newell, Georgia
The 6-foot-11 post player also is viewed as a Top 10 pick in the NBA draft, and the freshman is averaging team highs of 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds. Scouts will be watching closely to see how he fares against Gonzaga big man Graham Ike.
Tayton Conerway, Troy
The 6-foot-3 guard does it all with averages of 14.3 points, 4.8 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 steals. He was superb in Troy’s run through the Sun Belt tournament by averaging 20.3 points in the three games.
Kyler Filewich, Wofford
The 6-foot-9 center averages 11.9 points and 9.4 rebounds but has a horrid 31.8 free-throw percentage. Now his free throws are must-see because he recently converted to shooting them underhanded. Famous underhand free-throw shooter extraordinaire Rick Barry came to campus to show him the technique, and Filewich is fully onboard.
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No. 4 Purdue (-8.5) vs. No. 13 High Point
The betting line appeared to fluctuate between 7.5 and 10.5 points in the early hours after the selections were announced. With the Boilermakers’ reputation for struggles against lower-seeded foes, take these points and expect the Panthers to play Purdue close even if they fall short. The Boilermakers have lost six of their last nine while High Point has been reeling off victories. Still, Purdue can’t do the big el floppo again, right?
No. 5 Clemson (-7.5) vs. No. 12 McNeese
The possibility of the 12 vs. 5 certainly exists with the Cowboys having won 11 consecutive games and 22 of their past 23. McNeese played in last year’s tournament and was badly spanked by Gonzaga but that experience can come in handy. The Tigers advanced to the Elite Eight last season and won 15 of 16 games this season until falling to Louisville in the Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals. Expect Clemson to take this one.
No. 7 UCLA (-4.5) vs. No. 10 Utah State
Two squads that had issues down the stretch signal one thing for bettors. Lunge for the points and don’t look back. The Aggies have been a stellar program over the past three seasons with 80 wins and would surely like to knock off a UCLA program that once was the dominant program in the West. The Bruins have consistency issues on offense that could hurt in this matchup. Totally up-for-grabs game.
OUT OF THE MIDWEST
There is no real evidence that any team other than Houston will win this region. The Cougars have won 13 straight and 26 of their last 27, and they have the look of a title-game participant. Forward J’Wan Roberts (ankle) is expected back for the tournament, so Houston should be running on all cylinders.
WEST REGION: INTRIGUING COACHING MATCHUPS LOOM IN EARLY ROUNDS
When the NCAA Selection Committee members filled out the West Region bracket, they must have been looking ahead to potential coaching matchups in the second round.
How else to explain this:
Todd Golden, the coach of top-seeded Florida, has never won an NCAA Tournament game. If he gets the first one, he could face Danny Hurley and two-time defending champion UConn, the eighth seed, in the second game. Of course, the Gators will need to beat No. 16 Norfolk State in Raleigh, N.C., in its opener, and the Huskies must get past No. 9 Oklahoma.
In the bottom half of the bracket, Rick Pitino of No. 2 St. John’s is the first head coach to lead six schools to the NCAAs (Boston, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville and Iona are the others). He might go up against his former assistant, John Calipari of No. 10 Arkansas, next weekend. The Red Storm open with No. 15 Omaha, while the No. 10 Razorbacks will have a tough assignment against No. 7 Kansas.
There’s plenty of star power in the bracket, with Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, St. John’s RJ Luis Jr., Memphis’ PJ Haggerty, Omaha’s Marquel Sutton and Drake’s Bennett Stirtz all earning their respective conferences’ player of the year awards. Maryland’s Derik Queen and UConn’s Liam McNeeley were named freshmen of the year in their leagues and are both considered potential NBA draft lottery selections, along with Oklahoma point guard Jeremiah Fears, an SEC all-freshman pick.
TOP SHOT
Florida (30-4) is one of a record 14 Southeastern Conference teams headed for the NCAA Tournament. The Gators claimed their first SEC tourney title since 2014, beating No. 8 Tennessee 86-77 on Sunday as Walter Clayton Jr., a first-team all-conference selection, scored 22 points. Florida beat No. 21 Missouri and No. 5 Alabama just to get to the Volunteers in the conference tourney. The Gators’ 90-81 victory at then-No. 1 Auburn in early February was one of the most impressive wins in the country this season.
St. John’s (30-4) left no doubt after its selection was stranded on the NCAA bubble last season. The Red Storm won both the Big East Conference’s regular season and tournament titles, beating Creighton 82-66 Saturday in the finale as Luis scored 29 points. It was the first outright regular-season title for St. John’s since 1985 and its first tourney title since 2000. The Red Storm went 6-1 against ranked teams; the only loss was against Baylor in double-overtime in the Bahamas.
GAMES TO WATCH:
No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas
The Jayhawks were an overwhelming No. 1 in the preseason poll, but things never quite meshed despite having a two-time All-American in Hunter Dickinson. Transfers AJ Storr and Rylan Griffen didn’t make the expected impact and Kansas finished sixth in the Big 12 standings and lost in the tournament quarterfinals. Coach John Calipari’s move from Kentucky to Arkansas was the biggest story of the offseason, but the Razorbacks have been decimated by injuries. Boogie Fland suffered what was thought to be a season-ending thumb injury in January, but word is he’s going to try to play in the NCAAs.
No. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State
Memphis coach Penny Hardaway hasn’t reached the second weekend of the NCAAs in his seven seasons, and his chances this year could depend on the health of first-team American Athletic Conference selection Tyrese Hunter, who sustained a left foot injury in the semifinals of the AAC tourney on Saturday. He was in a walking boot and missed Sunday’s championship victory against UAB. The Tigers will need Hunter if they are to slow Colorado State’s Nique Clifford, a first-team All-Mountain West Conference pick. The Rams have lost just three times, all on the road, since the calendar turned to 2025. They beat Boise State 69-56 in the Mountain West title game.
No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 11 Drake
The Tigers are back in the NCAAs after their injury-ravaged team went 0-18 in Southeastern Conference play last season. Duke transfer Mark Mitchell and Iowa transfer Tony Perkins have fit in seamlessly with Caleb Grill, who missed most of last season, to form one of the best offensive teams in the nation (fifth in adjusted efficiency). The Tigers have impressive wins over Kansas, Alabama and Florida. The Bulldogs lost coach Darian DeVries and his son Tucker, the two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year, to West Virginia last offseason, but Ben McCollum has worked wonders and was named the MVC’s coach of the year. Bennett Stirtz, who followed McCollum from NCAA Division II Northwest Missouri State, was the league’s player of the year and newcomer of the year.
GET TO KNOW:
JT Toppin, Texas Tech
Toppin was named the Big 12 Conference’s player and newcomer of the year, the first to be awarded both. The 6-foot-9 forward, a transfer from New Mexico, averaged 18.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. He exploded for 41 points on 17-of-22 shooting in a 111-106 double-overtime victory against Arizona State last month.
RJ Luis Jr., St. John’s
The Big East player of the year averaged 18.4 points, 7.2 points and 2.1 assists for coach Rick Pitino and the Red Storm. A 6-foot-7 junior who can play both guard and forward, he scored a season-high 30 points in an 80-68 victory against Villlanova in mid-January at Madison Square Garden.
PJ Haggerty, Memphis
The 6-foot-3 sophomore guard was named the American Athletic Conference’s player of the year after averaging 21.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. He matched a tourney-record 42 points in an 83-80 victory against nemesis Wichita State in the AAC quarterfinals, then helped the Tigers overcome Tyrese Hunter’s injury to beat UAB 84-72 in the title game.
Derik Queen, Maryland
WNBA star Angel Reese dubbed Queen as “Baby Jokic,” referring to NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, on social media Saturday while watching him play in the Big Ten tourney. The 6-foot-10, 250-pounder was named the conference’s freshman of the year after averaging 16.3 points and nine rebounds this season. He was second in the conference with 13 double-doubles.
Liam McNeeley, UConn
The 6-foot-7 forward was named the Big East freshman of the year after averaging 14.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He is considered a potential NBA lottery. He scored 38 points in a 70-66 victory at Creighton last month, showing his range with five 3-pointers.
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No. 4 Maryland (-11.5) vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon, coached by NCAA legend Bryce Drew (remember his last-second shot and dive on the floor after Valparaiso’s victory over Ole Miss in 1998), is ranked 67th in defensive efficiency and has a history of upsets, including taking out Saint Mary’s in the first round last year. Maryland is uber talented, but this line might be a bit high.
No. 8 UConn (-4.5) vs. No. 9 Oklahoma
It’s a pretty slim margin for UConn, the two-time defending NCAA champs, but their defensive efficiency has slipped from the top 10 down into the 90s this season. The Sooners struggled in their first season in the Southeastern Conference, but have a potential NBA lottery pick in Jeremiah Fears and could keep it close.
No. 12 Colorado State (-2.5) vs. No. 5 Memphis
There seems to be a 12-vs.-5 upset every March, but this wouldn’t really qualify since the Rams are favored. Keep an eye on whether the Tigers’ Tyrese Hunter is wearing a walking boot or a basketball shoe on his injured left foot. That could decide the outcome of this game.
OUT OF THE WEST:
St. John’s won’t be scared of the spotlight. The school is based in Queens, N.Y., played half of its home games at Madison Square Garden, appeared on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon after winning the Big East’s regular-season title and has been followed all season by Vice TV for a reality show. The Red Storm aren’t necessarily flashy on the court, with a middling offense that shoots 30.4 percent from 3-point range. But they are No. 1 in the KenPom defensive ratings and are a carbon copy of the 2012-13 Louisville team that coach Rick Pitino led to the NCAA title.
SOUTH REGION: DESPITE RECENT STRUGGLES, AUBURN IS NO. 1 OVERALL FOR A REASON
The top overall seed, Auburn, lives here. Even though the Tigers wobbled a bit at the end of the regular season and Southeastern Conference tournament with three losses in four games, they still amassed a whopping 16 Quad 1 wins from a 28-5 worksheet.
They might have the nation’s best player in Johni Broome, excellent depth and a great motivational tool — the memory of their first-round loss last March to Yale in Spokane. Auburn’s best appears to be a bit better than everyone else’s best.
Which is not to say others can’t win in this region. Michigan State has excellent balance and a coach (Tom Izzo) who knows a little bit about winning in March. Iowa State will suffocate you with defense, and Texas A&M will rebound and defend you into the floorboards.
Three SEC teams are among the top six seeds, with Ole Miss in there at six. There’s even the potential for one of the most intriguing First Four games in recent memory on Tuesday night when San Diego State tangles with North Carolina for the right to play Ole Miss.
TOP SHOT
If there is an area of concern about Auburn, it’s a recent reliance on Broome. He averaged 26.7 points per game in the last three games and took 28 shots against Alabama on March 8. Guys like Chad Baker-Mazara, Miles Kelly and Tahaad Pettiford need to step up sooner instead of later.
Michigan State played this season like a program with something to prove for the first time in a while. What it proved is that it can make the Final Four, even without a true go-to guy. But it might have to make better than 30.8 percent of its 3-pointers – 325th in Division I — to hand Izzo his second national title.
GAMES TO WATCH
No. 8 Louisville vs. No. 9 Creighton. The Cardinals’ comeback season after a few years in hell finds them in the first round against the Bluejays and 7-foot-1 center Ryan Kalkbrenner. Louisville coach Pat Kelsey will need a lot from a high-scoring backcourt of Chucky Hepburn and Terrence Edwards Jr.
No. 11 North Carolina vs. No. 11 San Diego State. Many bracketologists had neither one in the field after they stumbled in their conference tournaments. Instead, the Tar Heels and Aztecs meet Tuesday night in Dayton for what could be one of the better First Four games in a while.
No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 UC San Diego. The Tritons give America’s Finest City two NCAA Tournament teams. Well-drilled, well-coached and efficient on both ends, they face a supreme test in the Big Ten tournament champs and their twin 7-footers, Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin.
GET TO KNOW
Johni Broome, forward, Auburn. The guy who might be the national Player of the Year averaged 18.9 points on 51.3 percent shooting, along with 10.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 blocked shots. No player nationally affects the texture of a game like him.
Sean Pedulla, guard, Ole Miss. After helping Virginia Tech win its first ACC tournament title two seasons ago, Pedulla has quietly backed that up with two more good years. In his first season with the Rebels, he leads the team in scoring and assists while helping them commit the third-fewest turnovers in Division I.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, UC San Diego. The team that co-leads Division I in fewest turnovers is led by this guy. Tait-Jones was the Big West Player of the Year after averaging 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He canned 57.6 percent of his shots from the field.
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No. 11 North Carolina is a 3.5-point favorite against San Diego State in the First Four Tuesday night. The Tar Heels have played well down the stretch, albeit against some bad ACC teams. It’s tempting to take them and give the points, but the Aztecs have two wins (Houston, Creighton) that are better than any of North Carolina’s this season. It almost feels like a sucker bet either way.
No. 4 Texas A&M weighs in as a 7 1/2-point favorite against Ivy League champion Yale. The Aggies aren’t the best shooting team around so their games tend to be close. The Bulldogs proved last year in their upset of Auburn they can play with anyone on any day. Don’t be afraid to say boola boola and take the points.
No. 2 Michigan State is favored by 18.5 points in its first-round game with Bryant. While the Bulldogs are more athletic than your average America East outfit with St. John’s transfer Rafael Pinzon and Memphis transfer Earl Timberlake, they’re prone to turnovers. That doesn’t work too well against Sparty.
OUT OF THE SOUTH
Some are wondering if Auburn’s recent slide is indicative of what it will do in the tournament. Don’t overthink this, gang. The Tigers are the No. 1 overall seed for a reason, and they’ll show it by cutting down nets at the end of the month to make the Final Four for the second time under coach Bruce Pearl.
EAST REGION: NO. 1 DUKE’S CHANCE FOR TITLE RUN GOES THROUGH COOPER FLAGG
A decade has passed since Duke won its most recent of five national championships, the longest title drought for the program since claiming its first in 1991. All five of those titles came under the direction of legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Duke has the firepower in 2025 to end an excruciating wait and for Coach K’s successor, Jon Scheyer, to truly launch a new era of Blue Devils basketball.
Before he is expected to go No. 1 overall in this summer’s NBA draft, sensational freshman forward Cooper Flagg is the linchpin of Duke’s national title aspirations. Flagg’s recovery from an ankle injury sustained in the ACC tournament looms over the Blue Devils as they begin the road to San Antonio against the winner of a First Four matchup on Wednesday between American University and Mount St. Mary’s.
East Region No. 1 seed Duke plays its opening weekend as close to home as possible while still requiring the Cameron Crazies to leave campus. Games on Friday and presumably March 23 are in Raleigh, N.C., practically within Kon Knueppel’s shooting range away from Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham.
The virtual home game may be the only favor the selection committee gave Duke, however. The East is loaded with contenders — and not just among the top seeds. No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Wisconsin and No. 4 Arizona are all intriguing picks to advance to the Alamodome.
Coach Dana Altman’s teams routinely exceed expectations in March, making fifth-seeded Oregon a team to watch. Sixth-seeded BYU was playing some of the best basketball in the country over the final weeks of the regular season, and NCAA Tournament fixture Saint Mary’s is a matchup nightmare with the seventh seed’s methodical offense and stifling defense.
Even double-digit seeds like Vanderbilt (No. 10), which made noise in the stacked Southeastern Conference, and Atlantic 10 champion VCU (No. 11) have qualities that make them intriguing Sweet 16 possibilities.
The East is also rife with star power, boasting explosive scorers in Alabama’s Mark Sears, Wisconsin’s John Tonje and Arizona’s Caleb Love. The region also comes with a clear A-1 star, though.
For the rest of the field, the East is an extended game of capture the Flagg — so long as the Duke phenom is at 100 percent health.
Top shot
ACC champion Duke (31-3) features a 2025 lineup remarkably similar to its 2015 national championship team, combining freshman standouts in Flagg, Knueppel and Khaman Maluach with veterans capable of taking over in a pinch. Tyrese Proctor has been a steady upperclassman leader and could be this Duke team’s version of Quinn Cook from the last Blue Devils championship.
Despite some late-season losses in the deep SEC, Alabama (25-8) deservedly hovered around the nation’s No. 1 ranking much of the season. The 2024 Final Four team returned the explosive Sears and versatile forward Grant Nelson, and at times has looked like the best team in the nation.
The trio of offensively proficient Wisconsin, Arizona and BYU can score with anyone in the East region. Defending at a level comparable to Duke — which already held Arizona to 55 points in a November win and led the ACC in both points scored (82.7 per game) and fewest allowed (61.9) — is another matter.
Games to watch
4 Arizona vs. 13 Akron
While not quite at the level of the 1990 UNLV-Loyola Marymount Elite Eight matchup, Arizona and Akron have the potential to deliver the highest-scoring contest of this year’s March Madness.
The Wildcats average 81.7 points per game, while the Zips put up 84.6 points per contest. What’s more, both have depth and no shortage of scorers capable of going off, with seven Zips posting between seven and 14 points per game, and seven Wildcats producing from 7.1 to 16.6 points per game.
Their similar offensive styles promise a high-tempo, exciting matchup.
6 BYU vs. 11 VCU
The first round does not feature more of a clash of styles than BYU’s potent offense against VCU’s stifling defense.
BYU broke out late in the Big 12 Conference season, scoring 85-plus points in six of eight games, including wins at Arizona (96-95), at Iowa State (88-85, double-overtime) and vs. Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament (96-92). With his 43.3 percent 3-point shooting, Richie Saunders is a threat to take over any game from beyond the arc.
However, VCU’s 62.4 points per game defensive yield — the ninth-lowest in all of Division I — includes holding opponents to 29.9 percent shooting from outside.
7 Saint Mary’s vs. 10 Vanderbilt
The East’s 7-10 matchup is not a contrast quite as stark as the 6-11 pairing, but Saint Mary’s and Vanderbilt are teams with much different profiles. First-year Commodores coach Mark Byington brought the same up-tempo approach that carried James Madison into the second round last season to his new post with similar success.
Vanderbilt averages 79.6 points per game with an offense ranked No. 30 nationally in adjusted efficiency per KenPom.com metrics. Saint Mary’s counters with the nation’s eighth-ranked adjusted defensive efficiency, continuing the longstanding tradition of tough-nosed Randy Bennett-coached teams.
Six-foot-10 Mitchell Saxen is a defensive presence on the glass, posing a potential mismatch problem for an undersized Commodores lineup.
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Cooper Flagg, Duke
Much depends on the outlook for his return from an ankle injury sustained in the ACC tournament, but Flagg has the game to join the exclusive company of freshmen to win the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player — a club that includes Tyus Jones from Duke’s last title run.
Mark Sears, Alabama
The star of Alabama’s 2024 Final Four run is back, looking to finish the job in 2025. Sears is streaky, evident in his late-season performance with 31 points combined over the Crimson Tide’s final three contests. When he’s on, however — evident in a 30-point game on March 5 against SEC tournament champion Florida — Sears is as dangerous as any scorer in the country.
John Tonje, Wisconsin
An uncharacteristically high-scoring Wisconsin offense (80.5 points per game) starts with the dynamic John Tonje. He followed up a 6-of-6 3-point shooting performance in the Big Ten tournament vs. UCLA with a 32-point outing in the semifinal win over Michigan State. His 41-point performance against fellow East region team Arizona on Nov. 15 ranks among the best individual efforts of the entire 2024-25 season.
Caleb Love, Arizona
An All-American in 2023-24, Love opted for another season at Arizona after a disappointing Sweet 16 exit last year to Clemson. The Wildcats thrive through their balance but still very much go as Love goes.
Nate Bittle, Oregon
Seven-footer Nate Bittle returned from an injury that held him out much of the 2023-24 season to lead Oregon in scoring and rebounding in 2024-25. His versatility, able to score both with his back-to-the-basket down low and step out beyond the arc, makes Bittle especially difficult to game-plan for, helping open the floor for perimeter scorers Jackson Shelstad and Keeshawn Barthelemy. Bittle has played some of his best games against Oregon’s toughest opponents — like East region counterpart Alabama, which the Ducks beat during the Players Era Festival over Thanksgiving weekend.
Augustas Marciulionis, Saint Mary’s
It once seemed impossible to note Augustas Marciulionis without adding that he is the son of Lithuanian National Team legend and longtime Golden State Warrior Sarunas Marciulionis. As the engine driving Saint Mary’s, Augustas Marciulionis is making his own name — and can take it further with a big NCAA Tournament. He is an outstanding combo guard, averaging a team-high 14.3 points per game and is among the best passers in the field with 6.1 assists per game.
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6 BYU (-2.5) vs. 11 VCU
After opening at BYU -3.5 across most major sportsbooks, VCU moved to a +2.5-point underdog by the deadline of this column. Early bettors were obviously bullish on the Rams, opting to support their defensive approach over the free-flowing Cougars. If the line continues moving in VCU’s favor, there could be significant value in BYU.
5 Oregon (-6.5) vs. 12 Liberty
Every March Madness features seismic 12-over-5 upsets. With Altman-coached teams being undefeated in the first round, and this Oregon team causing size matchup problems for Conference USA champion Liberty, don’t expect it to be this one.
4 Arizona-13 Akron over/under 166.5
With nine 100-point games between them, Arizona vs. Akron figures to be a track meet. Given the winner could reasonably be pegged to reach the mid-90s, this one should clear the 166.5-point over/under with room to spare.
Out of the East
Duke faithful held their breath when Flagg went down in the ACC tournament. The response of the rest of the Blue Devils to finish the dual regular-season and postseason conference championship should inspire confidence, though, that this team is not a one-man show.
Certainly, Duke needs Flagg near 100 percent to navigate the toughest of the four regions. Alabama matches up well with the Blue Devils, and a potential Flagg-Grant Nelson showdown in the Elite Eight could be a blast. Yet the Tide need to lock down defensively to overcome a potentially deadly 3-point shooting barrage from Wisconsin to have a shot at a return Final Four trip.
10 PLAYERS PRIMED TO BECOME HOUSEHOLD NAMES IN NCAA TOURNAMENT
The last time a freshman was the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Tournament was 2015, when point guard Tyus Jones piloted Duke to its fifth national championship.
Jones — and Jahlil Okafor, another freshman — came up big for the Blue Devils, and Duke beat Wisconsin for the national title with tournament averages of 13.0 points, 4.5 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game.
Duke is the No. 2 overall seed in the 2025 tournament and freshmen will likely lead them to San Antonio should head coach Jon Scheyer guide this group back to the Final Four for the first time since Coach K’s farewell in New Orleans in 2022.
Already a household name, Duke All-American Cooper Flagg’s status is up in the air for the first round and beyond due to a left ankle injury. But Scheyer’s cast is deep, talented and proved a threat without Flagg in the ACC semifinals and championship game.
Will Flagg or Kon Knueppel make this tournament their shining moment? Here are 10 players who stand a reasonable chance to become a household name this month.
Johni Broome, Auburn
Playing for the No. 1 Tigers in the rugged SEC, Broome was a marked man all season. That didn’t matter. He delivered a Player of the Year-type season with 18.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game and the 6-foot-10 forward came up huge in the biggest moments. Broome can bang with his back to the basket and drill a 3. His one weakness is free-throw shooting. Broome shot 60.7 percent in 2024-25.
Walter Clayton Jr., Florida
His 11th game this season with 20-plus points came in the SEC tournament championship game. Clayton scores at will, fearlessly attacking the rim with a smooth stroke. He made 13 triples in the Gators’ three-game run through the conference tourney.
Nique Clifford, Colorado State
He has 15 double-doubles in 34 games this season and averaged 19 points per game for the Rams. At 6-6, 200 pounds, Clifford can be a matchup challenge because he gets to the glass and plays an attacking — but unselfish — brand of basketball.
L.J. Cryer, Houston
He had 13 20-point games last season and returned as a graduate student in 2024-25 with 10 more 20-point outings entering his final NCAA Tournament. Already a national champion at Baylor as a freshman, Cryer is a seasoned winner who wants the ball with the game on the line and can finish it: He posted a career-best 91.5 FT percentage this season.
PJ Haggerty, Memphis
Already anointed AAC freshman of the year in 2023-24, Haggerty was conference player of the year as a sophomore. He’s the hot hand for Memphis with 83 points — a 42-point night against Wichita State in the AAC quarterfinal was one shy of the league record — in the conference tournament. He has 23 games with 20-plus points this season.
Kasparas Jakucionis, Illinois
A 6-6 freshman with triple-double skills, Jakucionis controls the tempo for the high-octane Fighting Illini. Paired with veteran backcourt mate Kylen Boswell, Jakucionis is a capable spot-up shooter and a dynamic playmaker who can get to the rim.
Kam Jones, Marquette
Jones is a prolific scorer and All-American because of his production and efficiency. He was fifth in Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.31) and turned in the kind of enormous effort in the regular-season finale that puts players on the marquee in the tournament with 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists vs. St. John’s.
RJ Luis Jr., St. John’s
He had a pair of 4-of-18 shooting nights in the final six games prior to the Big East tournament final. He had 20-plus points in the other four. Luis is so much more than a scorer for the Red Storm, averaging 7.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.4 steals. In the OT win and duel with Jones at Marquette in the regular-season finale, Luis scored 28 points with 11 rebounds.
Augustas Marciulionis, Saint Mary’s
Named West Coast Conference Player of the Year, Marciulionis already registers household-name status in some parts. The son of Sarunas Marciulionis has slick handles, a sweet stroke and no fear attacking the teeth of a defense. He averages 6.1 assists per game and is capable of getting 30 if you need it.
Bennett Stirtz, Drake
Stirtz, the MVC Player of the Year, rung up his 18th 20-plus point game this season with 24 in the conference championship game. He’s the only player in Division I entering the tournament with 600 points (631), 180 assists (188) and 70 steals (71).
IOWA STATE LOSES G KESHON GILBERT TO INJURY BEFORE NCAA TOURNAMENT
Iowa State’s run in the NCAA Tournament will come without standout senior guard Keshon Gilbert, who has been ruled out because of a groin injury, coach T.J. Otzelberger announced Sunday.
The Cyclones (24-9), ranked No. 12 in the nation, are seeded third in the South Region with a first-round game Friday against 14th-seeded Lipscomb (25-9) in Milwaukee.
“With Keshon, we decided that he needs to focus on his rehab and getting his body back right, so he won’t be available as we move forward,” Otzelberger said. “He’s just got to focus on him getting back healthy and getting back to being him.”
Gilbert was an All-Big 12 third-team selection in what apparently will be his final season. He averaged 13.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals and led the team with 4.1 assists and 31.6 minutes per game. A second-team pick last season, Gilbert started 28 of the 29 games he played this season.
He missed four of the team’s last seven games, playing on Wednesday in the conference tournament win over Cincinnati. He was limited to 11 minutes and was 1-for-2 from 3-point range for three points. Gilbert didn’t play in the Cyclones’ 96-92 loss to No. 17 BYU in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Gilbert posted on social media on Sunday, “love/appreciate all of your support! I want yall to (know) that there is nothing more to the situation. I’m battling an injury that just can’t seem to get better while playing on it. But enough about me! We a 3 seed in Milwaukee .. (I know) the guys are going to make you all proud!”
Otzelberger said junior guard Tamin Lipsey is expected to return to action after sustaining a lower-body injury against Cincinnati.
“He’s progressing well and each day he’s getting better, so we fully anticipate he’ll be ready to go for our game on Friday,” Otzelberger said.
Lipsey was voted to the All-Big 12 third team and to the All-Defensive Team. He averages 10.8 points and 2.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals in 32 games (all starts).
SMU, DAYTON AMONG TOP SEEDS IN NIT AS TEAMS DECLINE BIDS
SMU, Dayton, UC Irvine and San Francisco are the No. 1 seeds in the 2025 National Invitation Tournament, organizers revealed Sunday night.
Only four of the 32 teams in the field — SMU, Stanford, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma State — hail from one of the five power conferences, marking a potentially sharp decline in quality for the traditional second-tier tournament.
The programs that declined tournament invites included Indiana, Northwestern, Rutgers, Wake Forest, Pitt, LSU and South Carolina. Indiana was among the first four teams out of the NCAA Tournament field. For contrast, LSU (3-15 in Southeastern Conference play) and South Carolina (2-16) were the only two SEC teams out of 16 to miss the NCAA Tournament.
There were meant to be exempt bids for two teams from the ACC and SEC. SMU and Georgia Tech represent the ACC.
This also marks the first year the NIT faces competition from the College Basketball Crown, which was promised two teams from the Big Ten, Big East and Big 12 conferences in its inaugural 16-team field.
As for the NIT, teams will play on campus sites before the semifinals and finals are held in Indianapolis. Games begin this Tuesday.
SMU will open against Northern Iowa and could face No. 4 seed Oklahoma State in the second round, as the Cowboys face Wichita State.
Dayton will host former NCAA Tournament darlings Florida Atlantic in the opening game for their region, which also includes No. 2 seed George Mason, an Atlantic 10 rival. George Mason came close to stealing the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament from VCU on Sunday.
UC Irvine finished 28-6 this season and fell to UC San Diego in the Big West tournament final. The Anteaters open against Northern Colorado and could draw No. 4 seed Georgia Tech in the second round.
San Francisco will face Utah Valley and could face a regional rival in the second round, No. 4 seed San Jose State. Stanford is also in this West Coast-focused region, a No. 2 seed opening against Cal State Northridge.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UCLA GRABS NO. 1 OVERALL SEED IN WOMEN’S NCAA TOURNAMENT
For nearly a monthlong span, UCLA wasn’t the best team in its own city, losing twice to Southern California in conference play.
But after defeating USC in the Big Ten championship, the Bruins (30-2) regained Los Angeles bragging rights — and on Sunday, they earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Women’s Tournament for the first time in program history.
South Carolina (30-3) is a No. 1 seed in the Women’s NCAA Tournament for the fifth consecutive season as it seeks back-to back national championships. The selection committee, which huddled in Indianapolis, gave the Gamecocks the No. 2 overall seed.
Joining the Bruins and Gamecocks on the top line, revealed Sunday night on the tournament selection show, are overall No. 3 Texas (31-3) and No. 4 USC (28-3).
A case could be made for the committee installing South Carolina as the No. 1 overall seed, but committee chair Derita Dawkins told ESPN the group had two deciding factors.
“One was the head-to-head matchup and the other was — one of our criteria was competitive in losses — and South Carolina suffered a 29-point loss to UConn. Those were the two key differences in those results.”
Then-No. 1 South Carolina lost to then-No. 5 UCLA 77-62 on Nov. 24 in Los Angeles.
Questions likely also will be asked about why USC took the No. 1 seed over UConn, which was seeded No. 2 in the same quadrant. The two conceivably could meet in a regional final for the second straight year, as they did when the Huskies won in 2024.
First-round games begin Friday at the home venues of the top 16 seeds — one through four in each of the four regional brackets — with second-round games also being played at those arenas. Regionals will be played in two neutral sites once the Sweet 16 begins, with half the teams headed to Birmingham, Ala., and the remainder to Spokane, Wash.
The Final Four is set for April 4 in Tampa, Fla., with the championship game to be played April 6.
Dawkins said her committee seeded the No. 1 teams as they deserved without considering how they might line up in case all four No. 1s advanced.
UCLA was assigned to the Spokane 1 Region and USC to the Spokane 4. South Carolina is in the Birmingham 2 Region, and Texas in the Birmingham 3.
The winners of the regions in each city will square off in the Final Four, meaning UCLA and USC — and South Carolina and Texas — could meet again for the fourth time.
Dawkins said she wasn’t concerned the fans would be bored by such rematches.
“Fans want to see good basketball and they’re going to see that,” Dawkins said. “I think the teams deserve to be seeded and bracketed according to the work they’ve done all year on the court, and that’s what we did.”
Six teams are making their debut in the NCAA Tournament: Arkansas State, FDU, George Mason, Grand Canyon, UC San Diego and William & Mary.
Selection Sunday also spelled the continuation of the tournament run for one legendary program and the end for another.
Tennessee, an eight-time national champion from 1987-2008, has appeared in every NCAA Tournament since the event’s debut in 1982 — the only program to do so. The Volunteers (22-9) earned a No. 5 seed and will meet No. 12 South Florida on Friday in Columbus, Ohio.
Stanford, a three-time national champion (1990, 1992, 2021) saw its 36-year streak of tournament play end. The Cardinal, who finished 16-14 in their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, had played in every tournament since 1988.
10 PLAYERS POISED TO BECOME HOUSEHOLD NAMES IN NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT
March Madness gives college basketball’s best players the stage to become transcendent.
In recent years, Sabrina Ionescu of Oregon’s run to the 2019 Final Four, and the 2023 national championship game matchup between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have launched these names into the stratosphere.
The 2025 NCAA Women’s Tournament field includes a variety of standouts poised to break out in their own right. If you are reading this, we’ll assume you have consistent internet access and thus have not been living in a cave, so you are already familiar with JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers.
College basketball’s two biggest superstars in 2025 can certainly solidify their name recognition by leading either Southern California (Watkins) or UConn (Bueckers) to a national championship. But aside from the two megastars, the following 10 NCAA Tournament ballers have the game to become household names.
Georgia Amoore, Kentucky
Huge talent sometimes comes in small packages. Kentucky combo guard Georgia Amoore is living proof.
Improving on her double-figure scoring average each year, the 5-foot-6 senior leads Kentucky with 19.1 points per game. Amoore also drives the Wildcats’ offense as one of the top distributors in the nation, averaging 6.9 assists.
The guard’s dual playmaking ability at her size is reminiscent of current South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley during Staley’s University of Virginia playing days.
Lauren Betts, UCLA
The team that might be the biggest threat to South Carolina’s national championship reign is Big Ten tournament champion UCLA. At the center of the Bruins’ title aspirations is Lauren Betts, a dominant 6-foot-7 force in the paint.
Betts is averaging just shy of a double-double with 19.6 points — on an outstanding 63.4 percent field-goal shooting — and 9.7 rebounds. Beyond her ability to score in the interior and control the glass, however, Betts can take over a game entirely on the defensive end.
She put an exclamation point on her Big Ten tournament Most Valuable Player selection and UCLA’s title with four blocks and four steals, while helping limit USC’s JuJu Watkins to 9-of-28 shooting (32.1 percent) from the field.
Kendall Bostic, Illinois
Double-double machine Kendall Bostic leads Illinois’ dreams of a Cinderella run as a No. 8 seed. With Bostic on the court, the Illini have the building block to compete with any opponent, including the Birmingham region’s No. 1 seed, Texas.
Bostic averages 15.9 points and 11.1 rebounds per game and has also established herself as a rigid defensive rim protector. While Bostic’s game suggests she’s an old-school post presence, she has stepped out to the perimeter offensively more this season to help open up the floor. That added element to her game makes Bostic all the more dangerous.
Alyssa Durazo-Frescas, Grand Canyon
What’s March without Cinderella stories? A year after its men’s program nearly advanced to the Sweet 16, it’s the Grand Canyon women’s turn — and key to an Antelopes run is prolific 3-point shooter Alyssa Durazo-Frescas.
With a career 43.5 percent average from beyond the arc, including her role as a specialist for NCAA Tournament teams at UNLV, Durazo-Frescas is shooting an incredible 47 percent on 8.5 attempts per game for Grand Canyon.
Her 124 made 3-pointers in 31 games this season leads Division I, and she has 11 games in 2024-25 where she knocked down at least five. If Durazo-Frescas gets hot in the Tournament, Grand Canyon will be a real threat to move onto the second weekend.
Azzi Fudd, UConn
After a sensational freshman season, injuries limited Azzi Fudd to just 17 combined games in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. She returned to full strength in 2024-25 as a dangerous deep weapon for the Huskies, knocking down 43.4 percent of her 5.2 3-point attempts per game.
Fudd heads into the NCAA Tournament coming off UConn’s Big East Championship win over Creighton, where she knocked down three treys. With defenses forced to key in on Bueckers, Fudd’s sharpshooting from beyond the arc positions her as a potential breakout sensation in the Huskies’ pursuit of a 12th national championship.
Kiki Iriafen, Southern California
Watkins, the frontrunner for National Player of the Year honors, was predictably sensational when USC completed a regular-season sweep of rival and No. 1-ranked UCLA on March 1. Following the game, though, coach Lindsay Gottlieb lavished effusive praise on the veteran savvy and physical tenacity of Kiki Iriafen.
A perfect complement to Watkins, the 6-foot-3 Iriafen handles a lot of the dirty work on the interior — but makes it look good. Her ability to go for 20-10 takes a ton of pressure off Watkins, which is good for the Trojans’ national championship prospects.
Chloe Kitts, South Carolina
Powerhouse South Carolina isn’t built on individual stardom, so Chloe Kitts’ season averages of 10.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game are not as eye-popping as some of the other players who appear here.
Thriving within the balanced framework of coach Staley’s approach, however, Kitts has the ability to shine brighter than anyone else on the court. Her SEC MVP performance, including a 15-point, nine-rebound and three-assist showing in the conference title rout of Texas, proved that Kitts doesn’t need to put up the biggest individual numbers to take center stage — as long as the Gamecocks continue to roll as a team.
Olivia Miles, Notre Dame
Notre Dame heads into this NCAA Tournament with a pair of bonafide stars in 24.2-point-per-game scorer Hannah Hidalgo and senior combo guard Olivia Miles.
With Miles beginning her final college stretch before entering the WNBA as a potential top-five pick, this tournament is her opportunity to put a final stamp on Notre Dame’s illustrious legacy.
One of the best all-around players in the nation, Miles averages 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game. She’s posted three triple-doubles this season, and feeding off Hidalgo, don’t be surprised if Miles posts another in March Madness.
Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Aneesah Morrow traded in a spot as the clear-cut star at DePaul to play a role in LSU’s pursuit of a repeat a season ago. Fast forward a year, and Morrow has returned to the starring role, this time delivering the same kind of standout play that made her the Blue Demons’ A-1, now while in purple and gold.
Morrow is the nation’s leading rebounder at 13.6 per game and LSU’s second-leading scorer at 18.5 points per game. Adding more than two steals, Morrow’s vital to all phases of the Tigers’ title hopes.
Hailey Van Lith, TCU
A budding star at Louisville, Hailey Van Lith seemed to be sometimes lost in the shuffle after transferring to LSU. At TCU, Van Lith has reached new heights in leading the Horned Frogs to an all-time great season in program history.
Her sensational combination of scoring and distributing offensive game powers TCU’s 77.6-point-per-game output. Van Lith’s 17.9 points and 5.3 assists lead the Birmingham region’s No. 2 seed in pursuit of the program’s first-ever Final Four appearance.
EIGHT TEAMS MOST LIKELY TO MAKE WOMEN’S FINAL FOUR
Some teams are riding the momentum of having won their conference tournament championship.
Some are hoping the break after the conference tournaments enables them to regain their season-long form after experiencing some slippage down the stretch.
And everyone is hoping to be as healthy and rejuvenated as possible for the NCAA Women’s Tournament.
The 68-team bracket was released Sunday night and revealed eight teams most likely to make it to Tampa for the Final Four:
South Carolina (30-3)
It’s not just that the Gamecocks are the defending national champions, though head coach Dawn Staley’s program’s pedigree is a significant asset.
What’s more significant is the way South Carolina finished the season to clinch a No. 1 seed. After an 87-58 home loss to UConn last month, the Gamecocks won their last seven games by an average of 22 points.
Chloe Kitts was the MVP of the SEC tournament, but it’s South Carolina’s balance with Sania Feagin, MyLasia Fulwiley, freshman Joyce Edwards and others that is one of the team’s biggest advantages.
UCLA (30-2)
Only one team has been able to beat the Bruins this season, and crosstown rival Southern California did it twice in the regular season. But UCLA rebounded from those games and defeated the Trojans in the Big Ten tournament championship game, holding them to 22 points in the second half.
Center Lauren Betts and an experienced supporting cast have everything they need to bring the school to the NCAA Final Four for the first time.
Betts has been a dominant force for the No. 1 overall seed on both ends of the floor, being named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and the league tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Southern California (28-3)
Somewhere along the line, the two L.A. rivals could easily meet again. If so, it would be in the Elite Eight in Spokane, Wash.
The Big Ten regular-season champion Trojans had won nine straight games before the loss to UCLA and earned a No. 1 seed. Sophomore star guard JuJu Watkins, who averages 24.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists, has what it takes to lead her team to Tampa.
UConn (31-3)
It wasn’t that long ago that the Huskies would automatically be penciled in for a trip to the Final Four — and probably for a national championship. But head coach Geno Auriemma’s program hasn’t won a title since 2016.
No. 2 seed UConn has had bad luck with injuries as Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd have both missed dozens of games during the last four seasons. But their availability and the arrival of standout freshman forward Sarah Strong have the Huskies positioned to make a deep run.
TCU (31-3)
At the start of the season, the Horned Frogs were unranked and would have been a long shot at best to be on this list. But they made it easily as a No. 2 seed after winning the Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles, defeating Baylor in their last game.
Hailey Van Lith, a transfer from LSU/Louisville, and fellow senior Sedona Prince lead TCU, which has won its last 10 games and is one of the better defensive teams in the country.
Texas (31-3)
The Longhorns, a No. 1 seed that split two regular-season games with South Carolina, won 15 games in a row between their regular-season setback and the loss to the Gamecocks in the SEC tournament title game.
Texas, which tied South Carolina for the conference regular-season title, definitely has the defense to contend for the national championship. If sophomore forward Madison Booker can lead a more consistent offense — after the Longhorns finished 10th in scoring (71.3 ppg) and last in 3-pointers made (48) in 16 SEC games — they could more easily wind up in Tampa.
Notre Dame (26-5)
The Fighting Irish wound up a No. 3 seed despite losing three of their last five games, including a semifinal loss to eventual champion Duke in the ACC tournament.
Their perimeter play, led by sophomore guard Hannah Hidalgo’s 3-point prowess and senior guard Olivia Miles’ leadership, will put them in position to make a deep run as long as the frontcourt does its part.
LSU (28-5)
The third-seeded Tigers might have the largest space between their potential ceiling and their potential floor, depending on the ability of their star players to stay healthy.
They held guard Flau’Jae Johnson out of the SEC tournament because of shin soreness and they lost fellow All-SEC first-team player Aneesah Morrow, the nation’s leader in rebounding average and double-doubles, after she aggravated a mid-foot sprain in a semifinal loss to Texas. Even short-handed, they hung with the then-No. 1-ranked Longhorns before losing 56-49, giving both players another day to heal and rest.
Head coach Kim Mulkey said both players will be ready to go for the NCAA Tournament.
CAN SOUTH CAROLINA REPEAT IN NCAA WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT?
South Carolina has found extra incentive going into the NCAA Women’s Tournament.
Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said she felt slighted by the selection committee’s decision to give South Carolina (30-3) the No. 2 overall seed.
What matters is where they end up on the season’s final weekend. But for now, the defending champion Gamecocks might be playing the disrespected card.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing. it really is,” Staley said of not getting the tournament’s top seed for the first time since the 2021 season. “I’d like to get some feedback on how they came to that conclusion.
“Because we put together, manufactured a scheduled that if done right, it should produce the overall No. 1 seed.”
South Carolina is behind only UCLA (30-2) in the seeding. The Bruins beat the Gamecocks 77-62 on Nov. 24 in Los Angeles.
Still, the Gamecocks have a favorable geographic route. Plus, they’re the No. 1 seed in the Birmingham 2 bracket.
To repeat, the Gamecocks won’t even have to leave the Southeast.
After opening at home for two games, the path would take them to Birmingham, Ala., where the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 rounds will be contested. The Women’s Final Four will be played in Tampa.
The Gamecocks begin against 16th-seeded Tennessee Tech (26-5) on Friday. The winner of a Utah-Indiana matchup (seeds 8 and 9) would be the second-round opponent.
“The draw is the draw,” Staley said. “We’re going to play each game like it’s our last. And, hopefully, that leads us to a place that, hopefully, everybody in this room wants us to be.”
Aside from the UCLA result, South Carolina’s other setbacks came against visiting UConn and at Texas. The Gamecocks lost to the Longhorns, 66-62, but they own two victories against Texas by an average of 18 points.
South Carolina was the regular-season co-champion with Texas in the Southeastern Conference, then topped the Longhorns in the SEC tournament final.
The Gamecocks have 12 victories against ranked opponents. That seemed to be a sticking point for Staley.
“Obviously, I think we did much more than probably any other overall No. 1 seed,” she said. “We outdid ourselves even from last year with the amount of quality wins that we had, but I guess that the committee was looking at something else.”
In the Big Ten tournament final, UCLA avenged its losses to Southern Cal by beating the Trojans.
In some ways, the Gamecocks might not look as dominating as they once did. South Carolina was unbeaten when entering the 2023 and 2024 tournaments.
The Nos. 2 and 3 seeds in the Birmingham 2 bracket are Atlantic Coast Conference rivals Duke and North Carolina, respectively. The Gamecocks beat visiting Duke 81-70 in the ACC/SEC Challenge in early December.
South Carolina’s seven-game winning streak includes two blowouts of Vanderbilt, which is No. 7 in the bracket.
In its portion of the Birmingham bracket, the Gamecocks are 4-0 against teams they’ve played this season.
Aiming for a third national title in four years, South Carolina is unpredictable for defending teams — relying on five different leading scorers in their past six games.
Staley insisted Sunday night that she must express her opinion, but she won’t harp on the seeding aspect to generate motivation.
“It’s hard enough to win a national championship,” she said. “We don’t need a chip on our shoulder.”
FOOTBALL NEWS
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Paul Flatley, the 1963 Associated Press NFL rookie of the year for the Minnesota Vikings who piled up more than 3,000 receiving yards over five seasons, has died at the age of 84, the team announced Sunday.
The team said he died Saturday, but no additional details were provided.
Shifting from halfback to flanker at Northwestern, Flatley was a fourth-round pick (44th overall) by Minnesota in the 1963 draft, joining a team in just its third season. He had five catches for 72 yards in the season opener and started all 14 games in his debut season, finishing with 51 catches for 867 yards and four touchdowns.
He ranked eighth in the league in receiving yards and was the only rookie to land in the top 10. He won the AP honor over Baltimore tight end John Mackey.
Flatley said he was lucky to start his career under coach Norm Van Brocklin.
“He had been an all-star quarterback and knew the passing game very well,” Flatley said in 2020, according to the Vikings. “And I had a quarterback by the name of Fran Tarkenton who could keep the ball alive, and I could run several patterns on the same play call, and he would find me. I learned the game because of those two people, and I was very fortunate to be a Minnesota Viking.”
Over five seasons with the Vikings, Flatley played in 64 games and had 202 catches for 3,222 yards and 17 touchdowns. After his playing career, he was a color commentator for the University of Minnesota football broadcast team for years.
NASCAR NEWS
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Josh Berry raced to the first Cup Series victory of his career, taking NASCAR’s oldest team to victory lane Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Berry, in his first season driving the famed No. 21 for Wood Brothers Racing, had the first victory for a Ford team through five races this season. William Byron opened the year with a Daytona 500 victory in a Chevrolet and Christopher Bell in a Toyota won the next three races.
Berry, meanwhile, had to run down Daniel Suarez following a restart with 19 laps remaining to take control. Although Harrison Burton won at Daytona last summer for the Wood Brothers, Berry’s victory is the first not at a superspeedway since Ryan Blaney won for the team in 2017 at Pocono.
It was the 101st victory for the organization spanning 20 drivers.
Suarez in a Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing finished second, followed by Ryan Preece in a Ford for RFK Racing. Byron was fourth for Hendrick Motorsports, followed by Ross Chastain of Trackhouse, Austin Cindric of Team Penske and Alex Bowman of Hendrick.
AJ Allmendinger of Kaulig Racing was eighth and Hendrick drivers Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott rounded out the top 10.
Joey Logano had late control of the race until Las Vegas native Noah Gragson hit the wall with 25 laps remaining to bring out the ninth caution of the race. Berry was in second when the caution came out and second behind Suarez on the restart.
Berry won in his 53rd Cup race and just his fifth race with the Wood Brothers, the team that signed him when Stewart-Haas Racing shuttered at the end of last season.
The 34-year-old Tennessee driver was a 40-1 underdog to win Sunday’s race and his win put the Wood Brothers back into the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
Bell to the back
Bell came to Las Vegas on a three-race winning streak with an opportunity to become the first driver since Jimmie Johnson in 2007 to win four consecutive Cup races.
But his chance to extend his streak was stymied when Joe Gibbs Racing had to change the throttle body on the No. 20 Toyota after Bell qualified 13th and the penalty dropped him to the back of the field for the start of the race.
He never recovered in what was an overall subpar day for the four-driver JGR contingent.
Bell, who complained about the handling of his car most of the race, finished a team-high 12th. Only eight drivers have won four straight Cup races in the modern era of NASCAR that began in 1972.
Chase Briscoe was 17th and Ty Gibbs, who rolled a sprint car Saturday night at the dirt track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, finished 22nd. Denny Hamlin, winner of more than $200,000 over two nights of playing slots in the Las Vegas casino, couldn’t convert his luck to the track and finished 25th.
Up Next
The Cup Series races next Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a track that had been in the playoff rotation the last three years but has now been moved to a spring race. Tyler Reddick won last October and Bell won in 2023.
NBA NEWS
NBA ROUNDUP: MAGIC HALT CAVS’ TEAM-RECORD 16-GAME WIN STREAK
Paolo Banchero had 24 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as the visiting Orlando Magic snapped Cleveland’s franchise-record 16-game winning streak, beating the NBA-best Cavaliers 108-103 on Sunday.
Franz Wagner scored 22 points and Anthony Black added 17 off the bench for Orlando (32-37), which handed Cleveland just its fifth home loss of the season. Wendell Carter Jr. had 16 points and 14 rebounds, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 15 points.
Orlando scored six straight points to end the game after Max Strus hit a 3-pointer with 1:02 remaining to put the Cavaliers ahead 103-102. After the Magic regained the lead on Banchero’s jump shot, Caldwell-Pope and Wagner made four consecutive free throws to seal the victory.
Donovan Mitchell returned following a two-game absence and scored 23 points for Cleveland (56-11), which lost for the first time since Feb. 4. Jarrett Allen had 20 points and 12 rebounds, Darius Garland added 19 points, Ty Jerome had 12, and Strus chipped in 10.
76ers 130, Mavericks 125
Quentin Grimes led seven Philadelphia scorers in double figures with 28 points, and the 76ers snapped a three-game losing skid with a road win over Dallas.
Sunday marked Grimes’ fifth game with at least 28 points this March. Ricky Council IV posted a double-double for Philadelphia with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Guerschon Yabusele added 14 points, and Jalen Hood-Schifino, Jeff Dowtin Jr. and Oshae Brissett scored 19, 14 and 13 points off the bench.
P.J. Washington led Dallas with game-highs of 29 points and 12 rebounds. Klay Thompson scored 21 points, shooting 3 of 7 from 3-point range. Max Christie, who scored 18 points off the bench, shot 4 of 6 from long distance. The rest of the Mavericks were just 3 of 21 from outside.
Lakers 107, Suns 96
Luka Doncic had 33 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, Austin Reaves added 28 points and host Los Angeles snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Phoenix.
Jaxson Hayes matched his season high with 19 points and Dorian Finney-Smith added 10 for the Lakers, who led by as many as 20 and held the Suns to 39.3 percent shooting, including 9 of 41 (22 percent) from 3-point range.
Kevin Durant led Phoenix with 21 points and nine rebounds. Devin Booker scored 19 points, Ryan Dunn had 13, Nick Richards added 11 and Royce O’Neale chipped in 10. The Suns have lost three of their last four games.
Nets 122, Hawks 114
Cameron Johnson scored 28 points as host Brooklyn rallied late in the third quarter and took control late in the fourth to beat Atlanta for the Nets’ second win in 12 games.
Johnson shot 7 of 16 from the field and produced his highest point total since Dec. 26. The forward hit all 10 free throws and handed out seven assists. Keon Johnson added 17 of his 22 in the second half when the Nets outscored the Hawks 66-52.
Trae Young collected 28 and 12 assists but the Hawks dropped their second straight following a four-game winning streak. Onyeka Okongwu added 21 and 15 boards for Atlanta, which shot 46.7 percent but made just 11 of 37 3-point attempts.
Trail Blazers 105, Raptors 102
Anfernee Simons scored 22 points and Toumani Camara added 21 points and seven rebounds to fuel host Portland past Toronto.
Simons sank six 3-pointers and Camara had five for the Trail Blazers, who outscored the Raptors by a 28-20 margin in the fourth quarter. Deni Avdija contributed 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Shaedon Sharpe had 17 points to help Portland snap its five-game skid.
Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl collected 19 points and eight rebounds, and Ochai Agbaji scored 19 points in his first game since Feb. 28 due to a left ankle sprain. Scottie Barnes had 16 points, six boards, six assists and six steals for the Raptors, who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt.
Timberwolves 128, Jazz 102
Anthony Edwards scored 41 points on 16-for-27 shooting, and Minnesota cruised past Utah in Minneapolis.
Jaden McDaniels added 20 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota, which won its eighth game in a row. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo scored 11 points apiece.
Collin Sexton netted 22 points on 9-for-18 shooting to lead Utah. Walker Kessler posted 15 points and 19 rebounds.
Thunder 121, Bucks 105
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 31 points and eight assists to help Oklahoma City post a victory over host Milwaukee.
Isaiah Hartenstein scored a career-high 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting and collected 12 rebounds as the Thunder won their third straight game and 10th of their past 11. Oklahoma City set a franchise record for most road wins (27) in a season. Isaiah Joe made five 3-pointers and scored 19 points off the bench for Oklahoma City. Chet Holmgren added 16 points and eight rebounds and Alex Caruso had 10 points for the Thunder.
Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists for his seventh triple-double of the season and 52nd of his career. Damian Lillard scored 19 points, Gary Trent Jr. added 12, Kevin Porter Jr. had 11 and Kyle Kuzma tallied 10 for the Bucks, who lost for the fourth time in the past six games.
Clippers 123, Hornets 88
James Harden scored 31 points with 10 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard added 23 points as Los Angeles continued its March surge with a victory over Charlotte at Inglewood, Calif.
Ivica Zubac had 17 points, 14 rebounds and a career-best eight assists as the Clippers won for the sixth time in their last seven games, while extending their winning streak over the Hornets to 14 games. They also have a 15-game home winning streak against the Charlotte franchise going back to 2010.
Mark Williams scored 18 points with 15 rebounds and seven assists as the Hornets lost in a game originally scheduled for Jan. 11 but was postponed because of deadly wildfires in the Los Angeles area. LaMelo Ball scored 16 points for Charlotte, which concluded a 2-2 road trip.
NHL NEWS
NHL ROUNDUP: DYLAN SAMBERG’S OT GOAL LIFTS JETS PAST KRAKEN
Dylan Samberg had a goal and an assist, scoring the winner at 1:47 of overtime, as the Winnipeg Jets rallied to defeat the host Seattle Kraken 3-2 Sunday night to regain first place in the NHL’s overall standings.
Cole Perfetti also had a goal and an assist, Kyle Connor tallied and Vladislav Namestnikov had two assists for the Jets, who won their third in a row and broke a tie with Washington in the Presidents’ Trophy race that goes to the team with the best regular-season record.
Jets backup goaltender Eric Comrie got the start to give Connor Hellebuyck a night off. But Hellebuyck was forced into action just 3:15 into the game after Comrie was involved in a collision and left to be checked for a concussion. Comrie returned with a clean bill of health 10:10 later, after Hellebuyck allowed the game’s opening goal. Comrie went on to stop 14 of the 15 shots he faced and Hellebuyck was credited with five saves on six shots.
Jani Nyman and Mikey Eyssimont scored for the Kraken, who went 2-0-1 on their three-game homestand. Netminder Joey Daccord made 23 saves in the loss.
Islanders 4, Panthers 2
Marc Gatcomb, Maxim Tsyplakov and Noah Dobson scored in a span of a little more than six minutes in the third period for New York, which stormed back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Florida in Elmont, N.Y.
Gatcomb began the comeback by collecting his own rebound and scoring on a wraparound at the 6:29 mark of the third. New York tied the game with 8:44 left when Mike Reilly sent a clearing pass through the neutral zone to a streaking Tsyplakov, who nudged a shot through Vitek Vanecek’s legs to cap the breakaway.
Sam Reinhart scored one minute into the second period and Aleksander Barkov doubled the lead at the 4:48 mark for the Panthers, who lost for the second time in as many nights and for the third time in four games (1-3-0).
Red Wings 3, Golden Knights 0
Petr Mrazek, making his third start since he was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, made 18 saves for his first shutout of the season and host Detroit blanked Vegas.
Rookie defenseman Albert Johansson scored his second career goal. Lucas Raymond and Marco Kasper also scored for the Red Wings, who had lost seven of their previous eight games.
Ilya Samsonov made 24 saves for the Golden Knights, who have lost four of their last five games. They finished off a four-game road trip with a 1-1-2 mark. Vegas gave up a tying goal with 14 seconds remaining and lost a shootout at Buffalo on Saturday afternoon.
Avalanche 4, Stars 3 (OT)
Cale Makar scored 34 seconds into overtime and Colorado recovered to beat Dallas after blowing a two-goal lead late in the third period in Denver.
Valeri Nichushkin and Jonathan Drouin each had a goal and an assist, Martin Necas also scored, Makar had added two assists and Scott Wedgewood made 19 saves for the Avalanche. Colorado extended its point streak to nine games (8-0-1) and moved within two points of the Stars for second place in the Central Division.
Jason Robertson, Mavrik Bourque and Matt Duchene scored and Jake Oettinger made 32 saves for Dallas, which has lost three of four since the March 7 trade deadline (1-2-1).
Oilers 3, Rangers 1
Viktor Arvidsson scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins assisted on each Edmonton goal as the visiting Oilers beat New York.
Leon Draisaitl extended his career-high point streak to 18 games with an assist on Corey Perry’s first-period goal. Stuart Skinner (21 saves) was stout for the Oilers, who also killed off all three Rangers power plays. Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid scored on his first shot of the night with 3:25 left in the game to extend his point streak to 11 games.
Will Cuylle scored for the Rangers, who failed to record a third consecutive win. Fighting for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, New York has now earned one point in its last three home contests.
Blues 7, Ducks 2
Dylan Holloway and Jake Neighbours each had a goal and an assist as St. Louis rolled past visiting Anaheim.
The Blues won their 10th straight game against the Ducks and improved to 9-2-2 overall in their last 13 games. Brayden Schenn, Pavel Buchnevich, Radek Faksa, Mathieu Joseph and Oskar Sundqvist also scored for St. Louis. Jordan Kyrou earned three assists and Justin Faulk had two.
Cutter Gauthier had a goal and an assist, Nikita Nesterenko scored and Mason McTavish earned two assists for the Ducks, who lost for the fifth time in seven games. Lukas Dostal allowed five goals on 14 shots in two periods for Anaheim before Ville Husso replaced him.
Utah Hockey Club 3, Canucks 1
Logan Cooley’s goal 5:08 into the third period broke a tie and Utah came from behind to defeat host Vancouver.
Kevin Stenlund and Clayton Keller also scored for Utah, which had lost four of its last six and is battling to remain in playoff contention. Vancouver and the St. Louis Blues are tied on points for the final Western Conference wild-card spot, and Utah moved to two points back. Nick Schmaltz had two assists and Karel Vejmelka stopped 18 shots for Utah.
Defenseman Quinn Hughes provided the goal for the Canucks, who had won their last two. Kevin Lankinen made 20 saves.
BASEBALL NEWS
SPRING TRAINING ROUNDUP: JESUS LUZARDO STRONG IN PHILLIES’ WIN
Left-hander Jesus Luzardo struck out six in four innings and Edmundo Sosa drove in three runs as the visiting Philadelphia Phillies hammered a Baltimore Orioles split squad 12-1 on Sunday in Sarasota, Fla.
Luzardo (1-1), whom the Phillies acquired from the Miami Marlins in December, surrendered one run and four hits with no walks. Felix Reyes, Kody Clemens and Robert Moore drove in two runs apiece.
The Orioles’ run came on Ramon Laureano’s first spring homer. Baltimore finished with six hits to 13 for the Phillies, who had a six-run third inning and a five-run eighth.
Baltimore starter Zach Eflin (0-1) also went four innings. He surrendered five runs, three earned, on six hits and two walks. He struck out four.
Orioles 7, Tigers 1
Dylan Carlson notched three RBIs and starter Albert Suarez (2-0) gave up one run in five innings as the other Baltimore split squad routed host Detroit in Lakeland, Fla.
Colton Cowser hit his second spring homer and Jackson Holliday tripled and scored twice for the Orioles, who outhit the hosts 11-6.
Detroit starter Jack Flaherty (0-1) was tagged for six runs on seven hits and two walks in four innings. He walked two and struck out six. Kerry Carpenter singled home the Tigers’ run.
Rays 11, Nationals 5
Jake Mangum homered twice and collected four RBIs and three teammates also went deep as visiting Tampa Bay’s split squad turned back Washington in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Tanner Murray had a home run among three hits and drove in two runs, and Josh Lowe also homered and had two RBIs for Tampa Bay. Starter Connor Seabold (1-0) picked up the win despite yielding four runs on four hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings. He fanned three.
James Wood homered for the fourth time this spring and drove in two runs for the Nationals. Starter Michael Soroka was bombed for six runs in four innings. He allowed five hits and walked six.
Yankees 7, Rays 5
A New York split squad banged out three homers among 16 hits in defeating Tampa Bay’s other split squad in Port Charlotte, Fla.
Ben Rice (two RBIs) and Jasson Dominguez each hit their third spring homers, and Oswaldo Cabrera went deep among his three hits. Sean Boyle (1-0), the Yankees’ third of four pitchers, gave up one run in four innings.
Christopher Morel homered for Tampa Bay, and Nathan Wiles (0-1) took the loss when he surrendered two runs in the top of the ninth inning on J.C. Escarra’s tiebreaking single and Marshall Toole’s double.
Pirates 4, Yankees 3
Darick Hall’s two-run homer in the top of the ninth broke a 2-2 tie as visiting Pittsburgh defeated New York’s other split squad in Tampa, Fla.
Isaac Mattson (1-0) pitched two scoreless, hitless innings of relief to get the win, and J.C. Flowers got the save despite giving up a solo home run to Dominic Smith in the bottom of the ninth.
The Yankees’ Rob Zastryzny (0-1) gave up Hall’s blast. Trent Grisham also homered for New York, and Smith and Cody Bellinger each had two hits and one RBI.
Blue Jays 6, Braves 2
Jose Berrios struck out seven in six shutout innings as host Toronto dispatched Atlanta in Dunedin, Fla.
Berrios (1-0) scattered four hits and didn’t walk a batter. Andres Gimenez homered and Alan Roden drove in two runs for the Blue Jays.
Atlanta starter Grant Holmes (0-1) held Toronto to two runs despite giving up six hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings. He struck out three.
Astros 5, Mets 0
Cam Smith launched a two-run homer among his two hits and also scored twice as Houston blanked New York in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
Seven Astros pitchers teamed for the shutout, with Steven Okert (1-0) striking out four in a 1 2/3-inning start and Logan VanWey and James Hicks each going two innings to close out the game. Jeremy Pena and Yainer Diaz also had two hits apiece for Houston.
Mets starter Tylor Megill (0-2) yielded four runs on six hits in five innings. He had no walks and struck out six. New York managed just two hits, a double by Hayden Senger and a single by Jose Azocar.
Red Sox 6, Twins 5
Boston built a 4-0 lead and held off host Minnesota in Fort Myers, Fla.
Rob Refsnyder belted a two-run homer and Connor Wong and Ceddanne Rafaela added solo shots among Boston’s 11 hits. Left-hander Garrett Crochet (1-0) struck out seven in four innings. He gave up a run on two hits and a walk.
Nate Baez and Austin Martin drove in two runs apiece for Minnesota. Starter Pablo Lopez (0-4) went six innings and fanned eight. He gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk, and his spring ERA stands at 7.98.
Marlins 11, Cardinals 5
Host Miami scored four runs in the second inning and five more in the third en route to walloping St. Louis in Jupiter, Fla.
Xavier Edwards had two hits and four RBIs and Jonah Bride hit a two-run homer for the Marlins. Cal Quantrill (2-0) gave up one hit and two walks in three scoreless innings.
Cardinals starter Sonny Gray (0-2) surrendered eight runs on six hits and five walks in three innings. He struck out five. Luken Baker hit a solo home run for St. Louis; it was his fourth blast of the spring.
Padres 4, Angels 2
Dylan Cease struck out eight in 4 1/3 scoreless innings and a San Diego split squad edged host Los Angeles in Tempe, Ariz.
Cease (1-0) worked around three hits and three walks. Jose Iglesias had two of the Padres’ nine hits and drove in a run.
The Angels managed just five hits, including an RBI triple by Matthew Lugo, who came home when the center fielder misplayed his drive. Kyle Hendricks (2-1) went five innings, yielding two runs on five hits and two walks. He also struck out two.
Diamondbacks 5, Padres 4
Visiting Arizona built a five-run lead and held on to defeat San Diego’s other split squad in Peoria, Ariz.
Diamondbacks starter Brandon Pfaadt (2-0) struck out seven in five scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits and no walks. Garrett Hampson and Jesus Valdez drove in two runs apiece, and Jordan Lawlar had three of Arizona’s 11 hits.
Luis Campusano hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning for San Diego, which was held to four hits. Lefty starter Kyle Hart (0-1) gave up two runs on five hits and two walks in three innings. He fanned three.
Mariners 8, Reds 3
Rowdy Tellez homered among his three hits and Bryce Miller struck out seven in five strong innings as visiting Seattle lit up Cincinnati’s bullpen in Goodyear, Ariz.
Miller (1-0) gave up just two hits and walk, and he needed only 62 pitches to finish his outing. Austin Shenton had two hits and two RBIs for the Mariners, who out-hit the Reds 15-4.
Cincinnati starter Brady Singer surrendered just one run in 4 1/3 innings, striking out five. He gave up four hits and a walk. Five Reds relievers gave up seven runs in 4 2/3 innings. Dominic Pitelli and Ruben Ibarra hit solo homers in the ninth for Cincinnati.
Giants 7, Athletics 3
Hayden Birdsong pitched five dominant innings for host San Francisco, which defeated the Athletics in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Birdsong (2-0) fanned eight and scattered two hits with no walks. He lowered his spring ERA to 0.75. Free agent acquisition Willy Adames hit a two-run homer, his third bomb of the spring, and Wilmer Flores and Max Stassi also went deep for the Giants.
Left-hander Jeffrey Springs (1-2) was touched up for four runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings for the Athletics. Logan Davidson hit a two-run homer in the seventh.
White Sox 7, Rangers 6
Tristan Gray hit a two-run homer and Matt Thaiss had two doubles, a single and two RBIs as visiting Chicago eked out a win over Texas in Surprise, Ariz.
Jordan Leasure (1-0), the second of eight Chicago pitchers, worked a scoreless inning to get the win. Bryce Collins held on for his first save after Texas scored four against Joseph Yabbour and Collins in the ninth.
Rangers starter Jack Leiter gave up two runs on four hits and three walks in four innings. He struck out four. Hoby Milner (0-1) took the loss on an unearned run in the fifth. Josh Smith hit an RBI triple and Frainyer Chavez delivered a run-scoring double for Texas.
Royals 10, Rockies 2
Hunter Renfroe hit two doubles and a triple and brought home five runs as visiting Kansas City routed Colorado in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Harold Castro also drove in two runs. Royals starter Cole Ragans (2-1) didn’t make it out of the third inning, surrendering two runs on eight hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. He fanned four.
Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland (1-1) was torched for seven runs on five hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out five. Evan Bouchard hit his third homer of the spring for Colorado.
Brewers 8, Guardians 2
Sal Frelick homered and drove in three runs and Jackson Chourio added two RBIs as host Milwaukee blasted Cleveland in Phoenix.
Andruw Monasterio finished with three hits, three runs and an RBI for the Brewers. Brandon Woodruff appeared in his first spring training game and worked a scoreless inning with a walk and a strikeout. He missed all of last season due to shoulder surgery. Jose Quintana (1-0) followed him with two scoreless innings.
Jhonkensy Noel hit his second spring homer and Juan Brito added his third for the Guardians. Starter Ben Lively (2-1) gave up four runs in 3 2/3 innings.
Cubs 4, Yomiyuri Giants 2
Matt Shaw’s two-run single capped a four-run fifth inning as Chicago won in the Tokyo Dome.
Jameson Taillon (1-0) held the Giants to one run on four hits and two walks in 4 1/3 innings. He struck out four. Gage Workman also drove in a run.
Former Kansas City Royals pitcher Foster Griffin (0-1) gave up four runs on five hits and three walks in five innings for the Giants. He fanned six.
Tigers prospects 6, Braves prospects 3
Bryce Rainer had two hits and three RBIs as visiting Detroit defeated Atlanta in Venice, Fla.
Lefty Jake Miller gave up a run in two innings for the Tigers. Drew Compton and Will Verdung drove in one run apiece for the Braves. Starter JR Ritchie (0-1) gave up five hits and two runs in three innings.
Mets prospects 5, Nationals prospects 1
Ryan Clifford hit a two-run homer, Boston Baro added a solo shot and Nick Morabito drove in two runs as visiting New York defeated Washington in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Starter Jonah Tong (1-0) pitched around one hit and two walks to go two scoreless innings, fanning three.
Nationals left-hander Alex Clemmey (0-1) went three innings, striking out six. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk.
Rockies prospects 3, White Sox prospects 1
Adael Amador slugged a two-run homer and Kyle Karros tripled in an insurance run as visiting Colorado got past Chicago in Glendale, Ariz.
Lefty Welinton Herrera (1-0) picked up the win despite allowing Chicago’s run. Jaden Hill and Zach Agnos each worked a scoreless inning and combined for four strikeouts to close out the victory.
The White Sox managed just three hits and scored their run on Edgar Quero’s sacrifice fly.
MLB BETTING PRIMER: TOP PICKS FOR FUTURES MARKETS
It’s finally upon us: the start of another season of Major League Baseball.
It’s time for the Boys of Summer to play and for stats nerds like me to analyze all the data I can muster to figure out how I want to bet on some of the many MLB futures markets.
One of the beautiful aspects of this game is the sheer number of markets we can bet on. It would take a massive article to touch on each one. So, I’ll stick to many of the big ones and my favorites.
World Series
No one would fault you for betting on the Dodgers (+290), Braves (+750) and Yankees (+850). They were three of the best teams in baseball last season and will be this season, too.
However, no team has repeated as champs since the Yankees won three in a row (1998-2000), which gives me pause about Los Angeles. The Yankees no longer have an ace with Gerrit Cole out for the season and are a little too reliant on the long ball for my taste.
I’ve got nothing against the Braves, so I’m putting a little on Atlanta to win along with my dark horse — the Texas Rangers (+2500). A year after winning the World Series, they slipped to 78-84. Maybe it was the World Series hangover, injuries or just poor performance, but the roster is healthy and the talent is there. At +2500, I like the value.
NL MVP
Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Los Angeles Angels (+170)
At this point, I’m a little surprised that Shohei Ohtani didn’t open as a heavy favorite. The man has only won MVP in three of the last four seasons. With all that he brings to the table, it will be hard to beat him if he stays healthy enough to finish the season.
AL Cy Young
Jacob deGrom, RHP, Texas Rangers (+1400)
Tarik Skubal (+380) is a beast, but no one has repeated as a Cy Young winner since my pick to win the AL award this season — Jacob deGrom. He won it twice during his time with the Mets (2018, ‘19). Had the rest of his ‘24 season mirror his three starts before getting hurt (1.69 ERA, 14 Ks), Skubal would have at least had some serious competition.
If the Rangers are going to be a contender, deGrom will need to have an award-worthy season.
AL Rookie of the Year
Tomoyuki Sugano, SP, Baltimore Orioles (+2000)
It’s a dark horse pick, but I love this guy’s story. Sugano is a 35-year-old rookie who has been an absolute stud while playing in Japan. Pitching in the States is not the same, of course. However, several pitchers from Japan have excelled in the league, and he’s on a good team.
The competition will be tough, and a lot of things will need to go his way. But if they do…
Wins
Oakland Athletics, OVER 71.5 (-110)
They improved dramatically last season, going 39-37 in the final three months (69-93 overall). If the rotation additions pan out and the lineup does not take a step back, the Athletics will improve by at least three wins.
St. Louis Cardinals, UNDER 77.5 (-105)
The Cardinals were an 83-win team last season, didn’t do anything to improve the roster, and let Paul Goldschmidt, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn walk. With their questionable pitching staff and the improvements other NL Central teams made, it doesn’t look good for the Cards.
Houston Astros, UNDER 87.5 (-115)
After winning 88 games last year, it will not take much of a dip for them to fall under their total. However, with the talent exodus in Houston during the offseason (Kyle Tucker, Alex Bergman, Justin Verlander, etc.), it will be surprising if their total only dips one game.
Playoffs?
Milwaukee Brewers to Make Playoffs (+125)
I am surprised their odds are this long. They’ve won the division in three of the last four seasons and made the playoffs in six of the last seven. St. Louis will not make a push, and Pittsburgh probably will not, either. Expectations are high for the Chicago Cubs, but the Brewers have a solid roster.
GOLF NEWS
RORY MCILROY, J.J. SPAUN HEADED FOR MONDAY PLAYOFF AT PLAYERS
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — World No. 2 Rory McIlroy and overnight leader J.J. Spaun will take The Players Championship into a Monday playoff after they both ended a weather-delayed final round Sunday level at 12-under-par 276.
It is the ninth time the Players Championship has spilled over into a Monday finish, and the first since 2022 when Australian Cameron Smith claimed the title.
McIlroy and Spaun will play a three-hole aggregate playoff consisting of Nos. 16-18, set to begin at 9 a.m. local time. Sunny skies and windy conditions are forecast for Monday with peak gusts close to 30 mph.
Northern Irishman McIlroy, who had been three ahead with six holes to play at TPC Sawgrass, closed with a 4-under 68 while Spaun rebounded from a sketchy first 11 holes with a strong finish to return a 72.
McIlroy, in pursuit of his second Players Championship title, was boosted by a sizzling birdie-eagle start but he squandered good birdie opportunities on Nos. 15 and 16 that would have given him much-needed breathing room.
Spaun drew level with birdies of his own at Nos. 14 and 16, where he conjured a superb chip from just below the front of the green to within a foot of the cup.
“I felt like it got a little dark with a couple of holes to go,” said McIlroy, who is bidding for his 28th PGA Tour victory, and his second this season following his success at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in early February.
“I hit two great shots into 15. I didn’t convert. Hit a good putt. It looked like it was going to go left to right to me, and it didn’t. Then on 16, as well, same sort of thing, sort of struggled to read it. It was getting a little darker.”
McIlroy, winner at the TPC Sawgrass in 2019, missed a birdie putt from 8 feet at the 15th, and another from 14 feet at the 16th as the tension heightened.
Spaun, who earned his lone PGA Tour win at the 2022 Valero Texas Open after 147 career starts, came desperately close to sealing victory on the 18th green but his birdie putt from 30 feet came up 3 inches short.
Prior to that, he had rebounded from three bogeys and a lone birdie in his first 11 holes with superb golf over the closing stretch.
“I just tried to just fight back,” said the 34-year-old Californian, who had led by one shot after the third round of the PGA Tour’s flagship event. “I kind of went with the odds. I had nothing to lose. Now I’m trying to catch Rory, and I can’t really control what he does, but I can control what I do, and I just started committing to my shots and my swing and trusting it more.”
Tom Hoge mixed seven birdies with a lone bogey en route to a 66 to share third place at 10 under with Akshay Bhatia (70) and Lucas Glover (71).
Danny Walker (70), Bud Cauley (74) and Canada’s Corey Conners (71) were a further stroke back in a tie for sixth.
Final-round play was suspended for four hours at 1:15 p.m. ET as a storm system slowly tracked across the course from the southwest.
After play eventually resumed, McIlroy extended his lead to three shots by recording his fourth birdie of the day. He struck a superb approach at the par-4 12th to 14 feet and coolly drained the putt to get to 13 under.
However, McIlroy stumbled with a bogey at the par-4 14th where he missed the fairway to the right off the tee and ended up behind trees from where he was unable to reach the green in two. Thereafter, he was unable to make up any further ground as Spaun fought back to draw level.
“I’m happy to be in the position that I am, but also I feel like I had chances there on the back nine to close the door, and I didn’t quite do that,” said McIlroy. “A little bit of both. But I’m excited for the opportunity tomorrow.
“I’d like to think that I can fall back on my experience and maybe have a little bit more than J.J., but then at the same time, tomorrow is all just about execution and getting up there and, as I said, making five good swings.”
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler’s quest for an unprecedented third successive Players victory ended in disappointing fashion as he closed with a 73 for a 4-under total and a tie for 20th.
“The conditions were pretty tough with the wind and then we had the big delay there,” Scheffler said after signing off with a bogey at the par-4 18th. “I just didn’t do enough really today or this week.
“Today I just didn’t give myself enough opportunities and didn’t hole enough putts. I felt like I was putting from distance most of the day. Overall, I feel like I’m close, just a little bit off this week.”
TOP INDIANA HEADLINES
INDIANA PACERS
The Indiana Pacers will conclude their final three-game road trip of the season with a matchup in Minnesota.
On Monday at Target Center, the Pacers (37-29) will face the Timberwolves (39-29) for the first of two times in a week.
After Monday’s game, the Pacers will only have four road games remaining on their 2024-25 schedule: a two-game trip from March 27-29 and single road contests on April 6 and 13.
The Pacers and Wolves aim to rack up wins over the next five weeks.
Indiana continues to jockey with the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons for the four through six spots in the Eastern Conference, while the Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors are battling for sixth in the Western Conference.
Minnesota will be playing on the second leg of a home back-to-back against the Pacers, as the Timberwolves host the Utah Jazz on Sunday.
The Wolves have a record of 7-5 in games with no days rest this season but have beaten the Pacers in six straight games. Before Sunday’s results came in, Minnesota was riding a seven-game winning streak.
Despite a spirited come-from-behind effort, the Pacers enter Monday’s contest coming off a 126-119 loss to the Bucks on Saturday.
Milwaukee led by as many as 21 points in the final frame until the Pacers got their deficit down to three with 13 seconds remaining.
Down the final stretch, however, the Bucks hit their free throws to get revenge for Tuesday night’s loss to the Blue & Gold.
Indiana wing Aaron Nesmith scored a career-high 30 points on 11-for-16 shooting in the loss, while Pascal Siakam continued his All-Star season with 26 points, and Tyrese Haliburton logged 24 points and 15 assists.
Haliburton has recorded nine straight points/assists double-doubles, which is tied for the most in his career and matches his Pacers franchise record set last season.
Indiana will see a much different Minnesota team this season, as the Timberwolves traded All-Star Karl Anthony-Towns to the New York Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo right before the start of the season.
Randle is averaging 18.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists this season as the starting power forward, and DiVincenzo is putting up 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists off the bench nightly.
What hasn’t changed for Minnesota is the rising stardom of Timberwolves shooting guard Anthony Edwards, who is averaging 27.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals.
Last season, Edwards scored 37 points in his first game against the Pacers and 44 in game two with the Blue & Gold.
After the Pacers take on the Timberwolves, they will return to Indianapolis for a five-game homestand, starting with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
Projected Starters
Pacers: G – Tyrese Haliburton, G – Andrew Nembhard, F – Aaron Nesmith, F – Obi Toppin, C – Myles Turner
Timberwolves: G – Mike Conley, G – Anthony Edwards, F – Jaden McDaniels, F – Julius Randle, C – Rudy Gobert
Injury Report
Pacers: Johnny Furphy – questionable (illness), Tyrese Haliburton – questionable (sore lower back), Aaron Nesmith – questionable (left ankle injury management), Myles Turner – questionable (left hip contusion), Isaiah Jackson – out (torn right Achilles tendon), Pascal Siakam – out (personal reasons)
Timberwolves: Leonard Miller – out (G League assignment
Last Meeting
March 7, 2024: In a down-to-the-wire game, the team with the league’s No. 1 rated defense outlasted the highest-scoring team.
Trailing by two points with six seconds left in regulation, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards blocked a shot attempt by Indiana’s Aaron Nesmith to help his team to a 113-111 win.
Indiana shot 51.2 percent from the field to Minnesota’s 46.9 percent, but the Pacers were outscored 66-60 in the paint and outrebounded 48-39 by the visitors.
Edwards led all scorers with 44 points on 18-for-35 shooting (3-for-7 from 3-point range), center Rudy Gobert scored 18 points and pulled down 14 rebounds, and Jaden McDaniels finished with 11 points, eight rebounds, and six assists for the Wolves.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 24 points, Tyrese Haliburton logged 23 points and 13 assists, and Jalen Smith added 14 points off the bench. The Pacers were missing their leading scorer off the bench, as Bennedict Mathurin was sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Noteworthy
Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton was teammates with Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards for USA Basketball during the both the 2023 FIBA World cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Pacers will play the Timberwolves at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 24 to complete their regular season series.
Timberwolves guard Mike Conley is a graduate of Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis. He had a combined record of 103-7 during his high school career, alongside future No. 1 overall draft pick Greg Oden, including winning three straight state championships at LN.
Broadcast Information (TV and Radio Listings >>)
FanDuel Sports Network – Chris Denari (play-by-play), Quinn Buckner (analyst), Jeremiah Johnson (sideline reporter/host)
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan – Mark Boyle (play-by-play), Eddie Gill (analyst), Pat Boylan (studio host)
INDY FUEL
FISHERS- The Fuel finished their weekend at home on Sunday with an afternoon game against the Fort Wayne Komets. Despite outshooting them by a wide margin, the Fuel fell to the Komets, 4-2 on Sunday afternoon.
1ST PERIOD
Fort Wayne Matt Murphy took a tripping penalty at 14:27 to put the Fuel on the first power play of the game, however the Komets quickly killed it off.
At 18:11, Cam Hausinger and Fort Wayne’s Jermaine Loewen took offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties that would carry over into the second period.
Komets captain Jack Dugan took a slashing penalty about twenty seconds later that put Indy on a long 4-on-3 power play.
At the end of the first period, the Fuel were outshooting the Komets 15-3.
2ND PERIOD
All penalties were killed off before Jack Gorniak scored for Fort Wayne just 43 seconds into the second frame.
At 3:50, Indy’s Ty Farmer scored to tie it up, 1-1. Jordan Martin and Ethan Manderville claimed the assists on that goal.
Nick Grima put the Fuel back on the penalty kill with an interference penalty at 5:05.
Less than thirty seconds later, Kirill Tyutyayev scored on the power play to give Fort Wayne the 2-1 lead.
Manderville headed to the box for high sticking at 6:01 to give the Komets another power play opportunity.
Tyutyayev scored again on the power play at 7:32 to give the Komets a 3-1 lead over Indy.
The Fuel headed back to the penalty kill after Jordan Martin took a holding penalty at 13:11.
Lucas Brenton scored at 15:47 with the help of Kevin Lombardi and Jarrett Lee to make it 3-2.
At 17:52, Alex Aleardi and Hausinger took offsetting minor penalties for hooking and embellishment respectively.
Fort Wayne’s Noah Ganske took a cross checking penalty at 19:35 that would carry over into the third period.
After two periods, the Fuel were outshooting Fort Wayne 26-11 despite the 3-2 lead for the Komets.
3RD PERIOD
Kyle Crnkovic scored at 9:41 to put the Komets up 4-2 in the third period. Dugan claimed his third assist of the night on that goal.
Time ticked down on the rest of the period relatively quickly before Indy pulled the goaltender, Ryan Ouellette from net in favor of the extra skater with about two and a half minutes to go in regulation.
Both teams had a few more chances before time expired. The Komets took the 4-2 victory over the Fuel.
INDIANA BASEBALL
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Baseball team (11-9, 4-2 B1G) scored seven runs in the first two innings, jumping out to a commanding 7-0 lead it would never relinquish on Sunday (March 16) afternoon at Bart Kaufman Field. IU needed just seven innings to close out a dominant 14-3 victory over Ohio State and complete the weekend series sweep on its home field.
Ohio State threatened to get back in the game but seven fantastic innings from IU’s pitching staff made sure that didn’t happen. Senior southpaw Deron Swanson (W, 1-0) turned in his second great start of the week and recorded seven strikeouts over 3.1 innings of work. Redshirt senior pitcher Gavin Seebold allowed one run in 2.1 innings of action before turning the ball over to redshirt junior lefty Grant Holderfield for the final four outs.
The Hoosiers put the game to bed in the bottom of the fifth with a seven spot on the board. Redshirt sophomore center fielder Korbyn Dickerson and freshman designated hitter Hogan Denny each hit home runs while sophomore outfielder Andrew Wiggins laced a two-run double into the gap.
Sunday’s win was the fifth run-rule victory of the season and the third in Big Ten play. It was the ninth time this season that IU has scored at least 10 runs in a game. All three contests against Ohio State finished without going exactly nine innings. Two finished in run-rule fashion while the second game Friday went to extra innings.
The weekend sweep over Ohio State gave head coach Jeff Mercer his ninth Big Ten sweep (series of at least three games) since taking over the program in 2019. Two of those (2023, 2025) have come against the Buckeyes at Bart Kaufman Field.
IU wraps up its brief four-game homestand against Evansville on Tuesday (March 18) evening before making the trip west to face red-hot UCLA in Los Angeles. After the weekend series at UCLA (March 21-23), IU will play the ensuing nine games in Bloomington.
Scoring Recap
Bottom First
IU got a trio of runs in an unconventional manner in the first inning. On what looked like a routine ground ball to end the inning, Ohio State’s third baseman threw well of the bag at first to allow Devin Taylor to score the game’s opening run. Hogan Denny took advantage in the next at-bat with a RBI single that skipped through the legs of the right fielder. Both Jake Hanley and Jake Stadler scored on the play.
Indiana 3, Ohio State 0
Bottom Second
The home team cushioned its advantage with four runs in the second. Taylor smoked a bases-loaded single into right field to score a pair of runs. Korbyn Dickerson followed that up by hitting a chopper that bounced off the pitcher and landed for a RBI single. Stadler reached on a fielder’s choice to extend the inning and score a fourth run.
Indiana 7, Ohio State 0
Top Fourth
Ohio State made a dent in IU’s lead with a two-run blast from Ohio State left fielder Matthew Graveline.
Indiana 7, Ohio State 2
Top Fifth
Graveline came back up and made IU pay again. He singled into left field to bring home Lee Ellis.
Indiana 7, Ohio State 3
Bottom Fifth
IU put the game to bed in the fifth. Andrew Wiggins smoked a 2-0 fastball into the gap in left-center field to score Tyler Cerny and Cooper Malamazian. Dickerson hit his 10th home run of the season, a three-run blast to the opposite field. To put the finishing touches on the game, Denny hit a two-run home run to bring the run-rule into effect in the later innings.
Indiana 14, Ohio State 3
Top Hoosier Performers
#20 Dickerson, Korbyn
2-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI
#12 Denny, Hogan
2-3, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR
#41 Swanson, Deron
3.1, 3 H, 2 R, 7 K
Inside the Box Score
• The IU pitching staff allowed just three walks – the seventh time this year with three-or-fewer walks.
• IU’s defense committed zero errors for the fourth-straight game.
• The offense worked seven walks and struck out just eight times.
• IU racked up 10+ hits for the 14th time this campaign.
Notes to Know
• Indiana completed the first Big Ten sweep of the season and the ninth in the tenure of head coach Jeff Mercer. In the last three seasons, IU has swept four different Big Ten series inside the friendly confines of Bart Kaufman Field. That includes two separate series sweeps of Ohio State in Bloomington.
• Redshirt sophomore center fielder Korbyn Dickerson hit his 10th home run of the season, and second of the weekend, in the commanding Sunday victory. He’s the quickest IU player to 10 home runs (20 games) since former catcher Matthew Ellis (18 games) in 2022.
• Senior pitcher Deron Swanson and redshirt senior pitcher Gavin Seebold each pitched at least two times this weekend. The pair of veterans combined to throw 13 full innings while allowing just five earned runs. They recorded 16 strikeouts to just five walks.
• Freshman designated hitter Hogan Denny recorded multi-hit games in all three contests this weekend. In the last 10 games, he’s hitting .550 (11-20) with three home runs and nine RBIs. He’s slugging 1.150 in that time and has scored 10 runs for the Hoosiers.
• IU’s defense was fantastic all weekend on its home field. The Hoosiers made zero errors in three games. It was the first time IU went a whole Big Ten weekend series without making a defensive error since 2019 (0 – at Michigan, May 10-12).
Up Next
A mini four-game homestand finishes on Tuesday (March 18) with a visit from Evansville. IU will look to avenge a loss from last season against the Purple Aces. It will be streamed on B1G+ while Austin Render will have the call on the Indiana Sports Radio Network via IUHoosiers.com/Audio.
INDIANA SOFTBALL
INDIANA MEN’S TENNIS
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –– Indiana men’s tennis dropped a 4-1 decision on Sunday (March 16) to No. 20 Illinois at the IU Tennis Center.
Illinois took an early edge with doubles wins on court 1 & 2 to earn the match’s opening point. The Illini won both matches 6-3.
In singles, the two teams split the first two matches to finish with Illinois’ Zach Viiala winning at No. 5 singles (6-2, 6-1) and Indiana’s Ben Pomerants taking No. 3 singles (6-1, 6-2).
The Fighting Illini then won on the No. 1 and No. 6 courts to finish out the match. Kenta Miyoshi won 7-6, 6-1, at No. 1 singles and Mathis Debru gained the No. 6 singles match 6-3, 6-3.
Indiana will continue its homestand with matches against Michigan State and Michigan on Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23, respectively.
ILLINOIS 4, INDIANA 1
Singles competition
1. Kenta Miyoshi (ILL) def. Jip Van Assendelft (IUMT) (7-6, 6-1)
2. Deacon Thomas (IUMT) vs. William Mroz (ILL) (6-7, 2-5, unfinished)
3. Ben Pomerants (IUMT) def. Jermy Zhang (ILL) (6-1, 6-2)
4. Braeden Gelletich (IUMT) vs. Tyler Bowers (ILL) (4-6, 5-3, unfinished)
5. Zach Viiala (ILL) def. Karan Raghavendra (IUMT) (6-2, 6-1)
6. Mathis Debru (ILL) def. Matteo Antonescu (IUMT) (6-3, 6-3)
Doubles competition
1. Kenta Miyoshi/Tyler Bowers (ILL) def. Jip Van Assendelft/Ben Pomeranets (IUMT) (6-3)
2. Zach Viiala/William Mroz (ILL) def. Sam Scherer/Matteo Antonescu (IUMT) (6-3)
3. Braeden Gelletich/Karan Raghavendra (IUMT) vs. Jermy Zhang/ Mathis Debru (ILL) (5-5, unfinished)
Order of finish:
Singles: 5, 3, 1, 6, 2 (unfinished), 4 (unfinished)
Doubles: 1, 2, 3 (unfinished)
INDIANA WOMEN’S TENNIS
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana Women’s Tennis clinched their first conference win on Sunday (March 16) afternoon against Rutgers, 4-2.
The Hoosiers took the doubles point by winning on the No. 1 & 2 courts, getting off to a dominant start.
Indiana dropped the first two singles points to Rutgers, but Sophomore Elisabeth Dunac battled hard for the win to tie the match at 2-2.
Freshman Marina Fuduric gave the Hoosiers the lead, winning her match in three sets. The team win was sealed with an exciting third-set victory from senior Lara Schneider.
The Hoosiers head to the west coast to take on Oregon on Friday, Mar. 28, then Washington on Sunday, March 30.
INDIANA 4, RUTGERS 2
Singles competition
Lara Schneider (IUWT) def. Mai Nguyen (RU) (7-5, 4-6, 6-1)
Zuzanna Frankowska (RU) def. Nicole Teodosecu (IUWT) (6-4, 6-4)
Marina Fuduric (IUWT) def. Minchae Kim (RU) (6-4, 3-6, 6-2)
Li Hsin Lin (IUWT) vs. Karina Jumazhanova (RU) (7-5, unfinished)
Jackie Lopez (RU) def. Nicole Sifuentes (IUWT) (6-1, 6-2)
Elisabeth Dunac (IUWT) def. Naomi Karki (RU) (7-6, 6-3)
Doubles competition
Lara Schneider/Nicole Teodosescu (IUWT) def. Mai Nguyen/Naomi Karki (RU) (6-3)
Li Hsin Lin/Nicole Sifuentes (IUWT) def. Zuzanna Frankowska/Zeynep Ilker (RU) (6-3)
Karina Jumazhanova/Jackie Lopez (RU) def. Elisabeth Dunac/Marina Fuduric (IUWT) (3-6)
Order of finish:
Singles: 5, 2, 6, 3, 1, 4 (unfinished)
Doubles: 3, 2, 1
PURDUE WOMEN’S TENNIS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – In the Sunday matinee at Schwartz Tennis Center, the Purdue women’s tennis team (9-3, 2-2 Big Ten) shut down Maryland’s (9-7, 2-2 Big Ten) attempted comeback, 4-2. With the win, Purdue remains undefeated at home with a perfect 9-0 record this season.
With Maryland knocking on the door of an upset, senior Juana Larrañaga clinched the match for the Boilermakers. As one of two courts remaining, the senior took Set 1 6-2. In Set 2, she fought back in Set 2 to even it, 6-6 and finally in the tiebreak sealed it, 7-6 (5). It was the third time this season the Tandil, Argentina native secured the team’s win under the wire.
In doubles, the Boilermaker duo of Fatima Gutierrez and Kathryn Wilson made quick work of the Terps with a 6-3 win, however a tight battle at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions led to a tiebreak on both courts with the No. 1 duo of Carmen Gallardo Guevara and Tara Katarina Milic finishing first with a 7-6 (3) victory to secure the team point.
Later this week, the squad will travel for a pair of matches in the pacific northwest. First, Purdue will take on No. 19 Washington in Seattle on Friday at 4 p.m. ET before heading to Oregon for a Sunday afternoon showdown in Eugene.
Doubles
Carmen Gallardo Guevara / Tara Katarina Milic (PUR) def. Kallista Liu / Ema Kovacevic (UMD): 7-6 (3)
Fatima Gutierrez / Kathryn Wilson (PUR) def. Danielle Hack / Diya Challa (UMD): 6-3
Ashlie Wilson / Ida Clement (PUR) vs. Tamari Gagoshidze / Oliwia Orlinska (UMD): 6-6 (5-6) Unfinished
Singles
Carmen Gallardo Guevara (PUR) def. Kallista Liu (UMD): 6-4, 6-3
Ida Clement (PUR) vs. Ema Kovacevic (UMD): 7-5, 3-6, 2-4 (Unfinished)
Danielle Hack (UMD) def. Fatima Gutierrez (PUR): 7-5, 6-4
Juana Larranaga (PUR) def. Oliwia Orlinska (UMD): 6-2, 7-6 (5)
Ece Gencer (PUR) def. Tamari Gagoshidze (UMD): 6-2, 7-5
Diya Challa (UMD) def. Kathryn Wilson (PUR): 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish
Doubles: 2, 1
Singles: 5, 1, 3, 6, 4
PURDUE SOFTBALL
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Purdue drops to 15-12 after falling 7-5 in the series finale to No. 6 ranked UCLA. The Boilermakers move to 0-3 in Big Ten play as they head to Oklahoma City to take on Wisconsin and Maryland.
The Boilers combined for eight hits, the same as UCLA, while scoring in each of the first three innings. Khloe Banks led off the game with a triple, while Sage Scarmardo earned two hits.
BOILER BITS (at #6 UCLA)
Offensive Highlights:
Khloe Banks: 2-for-4, 3B, RBI, R
Sage Scarmardo: 2-for-3, 2 R
Jordyn Ramos: 1-for-2, R
Moriah Polar: 1-for-2, 2 RBI
Alivia Meeks: 1-for-2, RBI
Pitching Breakdown:
Madi Elish: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 BF
Kendall Klochack (L, 5-3): 2.0 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 9 BF
Emma Bailey: 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 BF
Julia Gossett: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 14 BF
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Boilermakers, for the second day in a row, scored a run in the top of the first inning due to the bat of Kyndall Bailey. Banks led off the inning with a triple, before Moriah Polar earned her way on base with a walk. K. Bailey then scored Banks with a sacrifice fly to right field to put Purdue ahead early.
In the bottom of the first, UCLA answered the Boilers with a run of its own, after two singles, a fielder’s choice and a hit by pitch, which brought Julia Gossett to the mound for the Boilermakers. Gossett worked out of the inning with pop up and a fielder’s choice, after conceding one run.
In the second, the Boilers continued to work, with a lead off single from Jordyn Ramos, followed by another from Scarmardo. Alivia Meeks was hit by a pitch to load the bases which allowed Polar to hit a two-out, two run RBI single to put Purdue ahead 3-1.
Purdue added two runs to its lead in the third inning, beginning with a single from Gossett. The Boilers loaded the bases again with a walk from Ramos and a single from Scarmardo, her second of the day. A bloop single from Meeks plated the first run, before Banks added the second run on another single to left. UCLA was able to make it out of the inning on a throw to the plate which caught Meeks trying to advance to home.
The Bruins continued to fight, plating two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning on a home run and an RBI walk, to bring the lead back to two runs. UCLA then tied the ball game in the bottom of the fourth, with a two-run homer that brought the score to five a piece.
UCLA took the lead in the bottom of the fifth, on another solo homer, and added on one more in the sixth, after an error from Purdue. The Boilermakers were unable to overcome the deficit in the top of the seventh.
UP NEXT
Purdue will travels to the home of USA Softball, Devon Park, to take on two more Big Ten opponents in Maryland and Wisconsin.
NOTRE DAME MEN’S TENNIS
The men’s tennis team concluded their spring break week with a pair of matches against top-15 ranked teams in #9 Stanford and #15 California in the Golden State. Both matches were strongly contested with the Irish claiming the doubles point to start both duals. However, the home teams would respond to win overall by 4-1 and 4-3 scores respectively.
Doubles continues to be a strong point in the Irish lineup as they have won 14 of the 18 doubles points this season. Four of those team points have come against to-25 ranked teams in the country while playing on the road(#9 Stanford, #15 California, # 20 Illinois, #23 Clemson ). Sebastian Dominko leads the team in doubles wins with a 14-2 overall record, having played with 6 different partners at all spots in the lineup. He has secured a win with each of his Irish teammates. Peter Nad is right behind with 13 victories and Chase Thompson sits with an 8-3 record. Noah Becker is 5-1 overall and Luis Llorens is 5-0 in completed matches with another 5 unfinished as his teammates clinched the doubles point. Senior duo Jamie Corsillo and Yu Zhang have posted wins against ranked doubles teams including most recently against the #7 ranked Stanford team. This is their second top-40 ranked win as a duo on the year.
Against Stanford, Dominko was leading the #16 ranked player in the country 3-2 in the third set when play was stopped. On Sunday, the junior lefty found himself down 6-3, 5-2 against the #49 player in the country from California before he fought his way back to even the match. In the third set at 4-4, his hobbled opponent retired with the Irish junior one point from breaking serve and have the racket on his string to serve out. Dominko continues to impress on the singles court as he undefeated in his last 8 matches including all 6 ACC matches to start conference play. The only match that was not completed was Stanford this weekend. He moves to 13-2 in singles this spring with all his matches coming at the top of the lineup.
Thompson is 10-2 on the season after splitting his matches this weekend. Coming off of an injury and missing the previous 3 matches, the Irish sophomore lost a tough 6-4 6-4 match against Stanford before dismissing his opponent in straight sets at Berkeley. Peter Nad split sets on Sunday in a close three-setter match while Luis Llorens at #6 singles played two close sets with a chance for a third that just slipped away in a tiebreak in the second.
Up Next:
Notre Dame will return home to the Eck Tennis Pavilion next weekend with a trio of matches including two top-5 ranked ACC teams. Wake Forest comes into the Friday match as the #1 ranked team in the country and undefeated on the year. North Carolina State is ranked #5 and the match with the Wolfpack will take place Sunday the 23rd at noon. The Irish will round out the weekend with a 5pm match against St. Bonaventure.
Friday Box Score
#55 Notre Dame 1 #9 Stanford 4
Doubles
Dominko/Thompson(ND) def. Basing/Godsick(STAN) 6-3
Corsillo/Zhang(ND) def. #37 Banerjee/Razeghi(STAN) 6-2
Nad/Llorens(ND) vs. Barki/Kang(STAN) 5-4 DNF
Order of Finish(2, 1)
Singles
#34 Dominko(ND) vs. #16 Banerjee(STAN) 6-3, 1-6, 3-2 DNF
#71 Basing(STAN) def. Zhang(ND) 6-4, 6-1
Kang(STAN) def. Thompson(ND) 6-4, 6-4
Nad(ND) vs. Rivera(STAN) 6-7(13), 0-4 DNF
Razeghi(STAN) def. Corsillo(ND) 6-2, 6-4
Godsick(STAN) def. Magimay(ND) 6-2, 6-1
Order of Finish (6, 2, 5, 3)
Sunday Box Score
#55 Notre Dame 3 #15 California 4
Doubles
Dominko/Thompson(ND) def. Chang/Overbeck(CAL) 7-5
Chen/Dean(CAL) def. Corsillo/Zhang(ND) 6-3
Nad/Llorens(ND) def. Lechno/Wasiutynski/Wright(CAL) 6-3
Order of Finish(3, 2, 1)
Singles
#34 Dominko(ND) def. #49 Chang(CAL) 3-6, 7-5, 4-4 ret(inj.)
#36 Dean(CAL) def. Zhang(ND) 6-1, 6-1
Thompson(ND) def. Stepanov(CAL) 7-6(4), 6-4
Chen(CAL) def. Nad(ND) 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Lechno-Wasiutynski(CAL) def. Corsillo(ND) 6-1, 6-2
Mesa(CAL) def. Llorens(ND) 6-4, 7-6(7)
Order of Finish (2, 5, 3, 6, 2, 1)
NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S TENNIS
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The 23rd-ranked Notre Dame Women’s Tennis team completed their two-game road trip to Florida with a come from behind victory 4-3 over Florida State on Sunday, bouncing back after dropping Friday’s matchup to Miami. The Irish are now 13-3 on the year and 3-2 in ACC play.
Notre Dame fell behind after dropping the doubles point and at one point in the match was down 3-2 with its backs against the wall.
Bianca Molnar got the first point of the day for Notre Dame, winning 6-3, 6-1 in straight sets at No. 2 singles. Rylie Hanford got the second Irish point at No. 6 singles, winning 6-1, 6-4.
Nibi Ghosh had a huge win at No. 4 singles, grinding out a first set win of 7-6 (6), 6-2 to tie the match at three and keep the Irish in it.
Bojana Pozder clinched the win over the Seminoles in singles play. After dropping her first set 4-6 at No. 3 singles, Pozder battled back to win the final two sets 6-1, 6-3. It was the tenth win of the spring for the junior.
Notre Dame returns to the home courts on Sunday, March 23rd when the Irish host the Louisville Cardinals at 3:00 p.m. inside the Eck Tennis Pavilion. Admission to all Notre Dame tennis matches is free.
#23 Notre Dame 4, Florida State 3
Singles
1. Eva Shaw (FSU) def. #64 Akari Matsuno (ND) 7-6 (8-6), 6-4
2. Bianca Molnar (ND) def. M.B. Deatherage (FSU) 6-3, 6-1
3. Bojana Pozder (ND) def. Kristyna Lavickova (FSU) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
4. Nibi Ghosh (ND) def. Millie Bissett (FSU) 7-6 (8-6), 6-2
5. Maria Parra Romero (FSU) def. Carrie Beckman (ND) 6-4, 6-1
6. Rylie Hanford (ND) def. Tina Li (FSU) 6-1, 6-4
Doubles
1. #84 Eva Shaw/Maria Parra Romero (FSU) def. Carrie Beckman/Maria Olivia Castedo (ND) 6-3
2. Millie Bissett/Kristyna Lavickova (FSU) def. Rylie Hanford/Nibi Ghosh (ND) 6-4
3. Laura Putz/Maelie Monfils (FSU) vs. Bianca Molnar/Akari Matsuno (ND) 5-5, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (2,5,6,1,4,3)
NOTRE DAME BASEBALL
CLEMSON, S.C. – The Notre Dame baseball team led from start to finish in a 7-3 win over No. 10 ranked Clemson on Sunday afternoon.
The Irish jumped on the scoreboard in the top of the first in a big way. Jared Zimbardo blasted a lead-off solo home run the opposite way to get things going while collecting his 200th career hit. Bino Watters drew a walk and moved to second on a failed pick-off attempt. Two batters later, Estevan Moreno added a two-run shot to left field to put Notre Dame ahead 3-0. Carson Tinney drew a walk, and Jayce Lee was hit by a pitch as the Tigers made a pitching change. Nick DeMarco worked a full count before drawing a walk to load the bases before the inning came to a close with the Irish ahead 3-0.
The Irish used a 4-6-3 double play, and Rory Fox dialed up a strikeout to end the first. Rory Fox struck out the first batter of the second inning and induced a soft pop up in foul territory for Nick DeMarco with runners on first and second to record the second out of the stanza. Fox then sat down the third out of the inning with his second strikeout of the frame to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard.
Another double play by the Notre Dame defense gave the Irish two outs, and Rory Fox used his fourth strikeout of the contest to move things ahead to the fourth inning.
Nick DeMarco drew a lead-off walk, and DM Jefferson put down a sacrifice bunt to move DeMarco to second. An excuse-me swing followed by an error saw Jared Zimbardo reach safely. Zimbardo stole second, and a grounder to the first baseman by Bino Watters drove in DeMarco for the 4-0 lead. Parker Brzustewicz bounced a single up the middle to drive in Zimbardo to put the Irish ahead 5-0.
The game was halted due to lightning in the area for approximately 26 minutes. The Tigers plated a run in the bottom of the fourth, but a slow grounder was easily handled by Brzustewicz for the third out to force Clemson into stranding a pair of runners on base.
Chase Van Ameyde came on in relief in the bottom of the fifth for the Irish and retired the lead-off batter with a three-pitch strikeout. The freshman right-hander added a second strikeout two batters later. Van Ameyde closed the door on the Tigers with a two-out strikeout with a pair of runners on base to preserve the 5-1 lead through five complete.
DM Jefferson drew a lead-off walk and stole second base to get into scoring position quickly. Jared Zimbardo punched a single through the left side, and Jefferson came around from second to score to put the Irish ahead 6-1. Parker Brzustewicz drew a full-count walk while Bino Watters moved to second with an out gone. Estevan Moreno was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the Irish. Watters then came in to score on a wild pitch for a 7-1 advantage midway through the sixth.
Chase Van Ameyde picked up his fourth strikeout of the game, and a 5-4-3 double play by the Irish defense made quick work of the Tigers in the bottom of the sixth inning.
With a pair of runners on base, Brady Gumpf made a big catch at the wall in left field for the first out of the inning in the seventh. The Tigers, however, pushed a pair of runs across to make it a 7-3 game heading into the eighth.
Bino Watters went the other way for a single before Parker Brzustewicz drew a walk to put a pair on base as the Tigers made their sixth pitching change of the contest. Notre Dame was unable to add to their lead, however, as Clemson got back-to-back outs to end the top of the inning.
The Notre Dame defense locked down on Clemson in the eighth as Tobey McDonough and the Irish defense forced the Tigers into stranding a runner. McDonough opened the bottom of the ninth with a strikeout before inducing a fly out to center field for the second out of the frame.
Rory Fox went four complete with five strikeouts while scattering six hits. Chase Van Ameyde went 2.1 on the mound and earned the win after an effective relief performance as the freshman struck out four. Ricky Reeth added a strikeout in 1.1 on the mound, and Tobey McDonough closed out the final 1.1 with two strikeouts and did not allow a hit.
Jared Zimbardo posted his 200th career hit after going 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, and two runs scored. Estevan Moreno added a two-run home run to collect a pair of RBI. Bino Watters posted a hit, an RBI, and scored twice. Nick DeMarco tallied a hit and scored once while drawing two walks. Parker Brzustewicz collected a hit and an RBI. Brady Gumpf had a hit, and DM Jefferson scored once in the victory.
The Irish (11-6, 1-5 ACC) return to South Bend for their first home game of the season on Tuesday when they host Butler at 4:30 p.m.
BUTLER WOMEN’S LAX
The Butler women’s lacrosse team fell on the road against Lindenwood 14-8 at Hunter Field. Elise Latham was the highlight on offense scoring four goals, which was the most by a Bulldog in a single game this season.
The Bulldogs began the game on top after an early goal by Maggie Lewis. Lindenwood would then fight back to take a 3-2 lead at the end of the first quarter. Goals by Chloe Hall and Elise Latham helped Butler regain the lead 4-3.
Lindenwood then went into halftime with the lead at 6-5, but Latham netted two more goals to give Butler a 7-6 lead. The Lions would then find another gear scoring five straight to take a 11-7 and eventually closing out the game 14-8.
Inside the Box Score
Elise Latham netted a team-high four goals on six shots
Maggie Lewis returned to the field after missing the last three games scoring twice and earning one caused turnover
Patricia Lynn added three draw controls and is now just one draw control away from moving up to third on Butler’s all-time list in career draw controls
Alyssa Lentz made nine saves in the game
Up Next
The Bulldogs are set to play their first conference game of the season at home against Marquette on Saturday, Mar. 22 starting at 1 p.m.
BUTLER SOFTBALL
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Butler softball team took the BIG EAST series with Providence on Sunday after a, 9-6, game-three victory. The Friars (6-16, 3-3 BIG EAST) tied the back-and-forth affair in the fifth inning, but the Bulldogs (16-7, 5-1 BIG EAST) scored three in the sixth, highlighted by an Olivia Moxley home run, to seal the win.
Game 3: Butler 9, Providence 6 (7 innings)
In the top of the first, back-to-back home runs from Makena Alexander and Paige Dorsett gave Butler the early lead. Alexander’s bomb also brought Cate Lehner home. The 3-0 lead was short-lived.
In the bottom of the second, Providence cut into the lead with a two-run double. One inning later, the Friars added two more and took a 4-3 lead.
In the top of the fourth, the Dawgs used two singles and an error to tie the game, 4-4. With two runners on, Hailey Conger hit a double to right-center field and pushed two more across. The 6-4 lead held until the bottom of the fifth, when Providence tied the score at 6-6.
In the sixth, an RBI-double from Dorsett gave the Dawgs the lead. One batter later, Olivia Moxley homered and also brought Dorsett across. Butler was up, 9-6.
Gwen Baker (4.1-IP, 4R, 7H, 4BB, 5K) started in the circle for Butler and lasted into the third. She re-entered in the top of the sixth, finished the game, and picked up her second save of the season. Katie Petran (4-3) entered in the bottom of the third inning, tied 3-3, with runners on first and third and one out and pitched through the fifth inning. In 2.2 innings, she allowed two runs on three hits and a walk, and she was credited with the win.
Bulldog Bits
Makena Alexander’s home run was her seventh of the season and tenth of her career.
Paige Dorsett’s home run was her first of the season and the fifteenth of her career. Her double was her sixth the season and the 28th of her career.
Olivia Moxley’s home run was her first of the season and the fifth of her career.
Hailey Conger’s double was her fourth of the season and the ninth of her career.
Katie Petran’s win in the circle was her fourth this season and 19th of her career.
Gwen Baker’s save was her second of the season.
Up Next
Butler hosts Ball State for a midweek non-conference contest on Tuesday, March 18, and then hosts St. John’s for a BIG EAST series Friday through Sunday, March 21-23.
BUTLER BASEBALL
Belmont picked up two more wins against Butler on Sunday, taking game one 9-5 and then the nightcap 17-5. The Bulldogs move to 6-13 on the year while the Bruins improve to 8-13.
Belmont jumped in front of Butler 4-1 in the first inning of the first game and would enjoy a 7-2 advantage after three full innings. The contest ended after seven with the home team on top 9-5.
Jack Moroknek and Jack Bello were each 3-for-4 from the plate with Moroknek adding a double. BU home runs went to Danny Barbero and David Ayers.
The loss went to Tate Foxson while the win was credited to Jake Timbes.
In game two, Belmont scored 17 runs off 17 hits to register an 11-run victory. The Bruins scored four in the fourth, nine in the fifth and three in the sixth to take complete control of the game.
Moroknek once again led Butler with a 2-for-3 performance from the plate. He and AJ Solomon each hit a double while Harry Carr led the team with three RBIs.
Marcus Goodpaster was tagged with the loss, and the win went to Logan Brock.
BU will return to action on Tuesday afternoon with a 4:30 contest at Notre Dame.
BALL STATE BASEBALL
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State baseball team trailed on three separate occasions in the middle game of a series with Toledo but came back with two runs in the ninth to beat the Rockets 8-7 on a Garrett Arnold walkoff on Sunday afternoon at Shebek Stadium.
The game was a continuation of Saturday’s contest which had been suspended in the bottom of the eighth inning due to weather. Toledo (6-12, 2-4 Mid-American Conference) salvaged the series with a 6-3 win in the regularly scheduled Sunday game against the Cardinals (14-6, 5-1 MAC), which snapped an eight-game winning streak for the hosts.
“Great come-from-behind walk-off win in game one to win the series,” Ball State head coach Rich Maloney said. “Boys showed a ton of grit. Law of averages caught up with us in the nightcap after winning eight in a row, we fell a little short.”
Game 2 of Series: Ball State 8, Toledo 7
Down 7-6 entering the bottom of the ninth, the Cardinals rallied for a pair of runs and walked it off on a single by Arnold to clinch the series win.
Houston King singled with one out before Grant Miller pinch ran for him and scored the tying run on Dylan Grego’s RBI double to left center field. Arnold stepped up to the plate with two down and launched a ball to center that nearly left the yard before celebrating with his teammates.
Both Caden Konczak of Toledo and Ball State’s Alex Richter hit leadoff home runs early in the afternoon on Saturday. The hosts kept the power going with a three-run shot by Nick Husovsky in the third inning and a solo blast by Blake Bevis in the fourth to gain a 5-2 edge. Korbin Griffin continued the trend on a 2-1 pitch in the sixth frame that cleared the left field fence and made the score 6-4 in favor of the Cardinals.
Toledo plated single runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings to take a 7-6 lead before Ball State rallied in the bottom half of the ninth frame.
Grego went 3-for-5 in the game, while Arnold and Bevis each had two knocks.
Garrett Harker (1-0) struck out four while allowing two runs in 2.1 innings to be credited with the win. Ball State starter Jacob Hartlaub had five punchouts in 5.2 frames of four-run ball.
Toledo’s Logan Jones (1-1) gave up the two runs in 1.1 innings to be hit with the loss.
Game 3 of Series: Toledo 6, Ball State 3
The Cardinals got five strikeouts in 6.0 shutout innings from starting pitcher Connor Hutchinson, but the visitors rallied late to avoid being swept.
Clay Jacobs brought home Korbin Griffin on an RBI fielder’s choice in the fourth frame to get the scoring started. That was the only run scored in the first six innings, and the Rockets would score six unanswered with a pair of tallies in the seventh and four in the eighth to build a 6-1 advantage.
Ball State scored on a double play in the eighth and an Alex Richter home run in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough as the Cardinals fell for the first time in two weeks.
Toledo’s Nathan Leininger (2-3) was credited with the win in 3.0 shutout innings out of the bullpen, while Ball State’s Alex Burden suffered the loss after allowing two runs in a third of an inning.
Up Next
Ball State is set to host 3 p.m. games with Valparaiso on Tuesday and Butler on Wednesday to wrap up a nine-game homestand.
BALL STATE WOMEN’S TENNIS
MUNCIE, Ind. — Ball State women’s tennis christened the 2025 Mid-American Conference campaign with a victory Sunday afternoon at the Ball State Tennis Facility. The Cardinals (7-4, 1-0 MAC) soared to a 6-1 win against Western Michigan (9-7, 0-1 MAC), marking the fifth-consecutive season in which the red and white have opened league play with an addition to the win column.
The Cardinals’ win also avenges a pair of tightly contested losses (3-4 and 2-5) to the Broncos last season.
The Sunday MACtion opened with a doubles point that required all three matches to conclude for the doubles point to be awarded. Ball State’s No. 2 doubles pairing of Isabel Tanjuatco and Sarah Shabaz were the first off court as the tandem posted a 6-1 victory. Tanjuatco and Shabaz have now won four of their past five matches at the second doubles spot.
Western Michigan answered Ball State’s charge by securing a win at No. 3, making the No. 1 position the decisive court. The Cardinals’ top pairing of Alana Bristow and Chloe Brown battled to a tiebreaker, and despite an early deficit in the race to seven, they prevailed and earned the red and white the doubles point.
After a strong showing in doubles, Shabaz maintained her momentum in singles play. The Minnesota native cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory at the No. 3 slot and was off the court in less than an hour, boosting the Cardinals’ lead to 2-0.
Not far behind Shabaz was Elena Malykh on court one. Malykh earned a 6-1, 6-2 win, her most decisive victory this season atop Ball State’s singles lineup, and put the Cardinals just a point away from a team win.
Bristow later earned the fourth and decisive point at No. 6 singles for Ball State to secure the conference-opening victory. After the match had been decided in the Cardinals’ favor, Jemima Williams-Phillips and Brown each collected comeback, three-set victories on courts two and four, respectively, to cap off the 6-1 victory.
Western Michigan earned its sole singles win at the No. 5 position, where Marielou Baudouin defeated Tanjuatco 6-3, 6-4.
The Cardinals will aim to maintain their unblemished start to league action in their pair of matches next weekend. Ball State is set to host Northern Illinois on Friday, March 21, at 1 p.m., and will travel to Eastern Michigan Sunday, March 23, for a road match beginning at 1 p.m. to conclude the slate.
Doubles
No. 1: Alana Bristow/Chloe Brown (Ball State) def. Lola Glantz/Audrey Smitek (Western Michigan), 7-6
No. 2: Sarah Shabaz/Isabel Tanjuatco (Ball State) def. Polina Khotko/Frida Weijerman (Western Michigan), 6-1
No. 3: Christine Gouws/Marielou Baudouin (Western Michigan) def. Ella Hazelbaker/Elena Malykh (Ball State), 6-4
Singles
No. 1: Elena Malykh (Ball State) def. Lola Glantz (Western Michigan), 6-1, 6-2
No. 2: Jemima Williams-Phillips (Ball State) def. Christine Gouws (Western Michigan), 4-6, 6-3, 1-0(5)
No. 3: Sarah Shabaz (Ball State) def. Polina Khotko (Western Michigan), 6-0, 6-1
No. 4: Chloe Brown (Ball State) def. Frida Weijerman (Western Michigan), 3-6, 6-2, 1-0(2)
No. 5: Marielou Baudouin (Western Michigan) def. Isabel Tanjuatco (Ball State), 6-2, 6-4
No. 6: Alana Bristow (Ball State) def. Audrey Smitek (Western Michigan), 6-1, 7-6(2)
BALL STATE MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
HONOLULU, Hawaii – No. 12 Ball State men’s volleyball defeated No. 19 Penn State 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 25-12, 20-25, 15-10) in the final match of the Outrigger Tournament Saturday afternoon in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Rajé Alleyne was a major difference maker for the Cardinals both, offensively and defensively. At a .371 clip, Alleyne added 17 kills and three aces for the Ball State offensive efforts. He also recorded four blocks and four digs to help shut down the Nittany Lions.
Other impact players from the night included Patrick Rogers and Braydon Savitski-Lynde. Rogers totaled 14 kills and generated five aces at the service line. Savitski-Lynde hit a .750 (9-0-12) and recorded four blocks at the net.
It was a slow start for the Cardinals, as the Nittany Lions opened set one with five straight. A kill from Patrick Rogers put Ball State on the board and the team was able to add two more, closing the gap at 3-5. The Cardinals continued to trail through 13-15 before putting together a six-point run, taking a 19-15 advantage. Ball State closed set one on a 25-20 Nittany Lion service error.
The Cardinals led the first half of frame two, pacing Penn State through 14-13. However, a kill and an ace from Penn State gave the Nittany Lions their first lead of the match since the opening point. Penn State was able to hold on to the advantage, holding the Cardinals at 20 and tying the match at a set apiece.
With Peter Zurawski at the service line to open the third set, Ball State went on a dominant six-point run. It was all Cardinals the rest of the frame as the team saw another intense rally with Alleyne at the line, recording two aces among seven straight points. Ball State secured the set at 25-12 on a kill from Ryan Bartz.
Set four remained close through a 6-6 tie before the Penn State offense was able to put together enough points to slowly pull away. From a 7-6 Penn State kill, the Nittany Lions held on to the lead through the rest of the set. The Cardinals were shut down at 20-25, forcing a fifth set.
Ball State opened the fifth set with three in a row, causing Penn State to call a timeout. The Nittany Lions got one point right out of the break before the Cardinals added three more on a kill and back-to-back aces from Rogers to put the team ahead 6-1. Maintaining the lead, Ball State solidified the victory and defeated the Nittany Lions 15-10 in the final frame.
The Cardinals were able to hit .297 over the Nittany Lions who produced a .242 clip. Ball State also led at the service line, recording nine aces in comparison to Penn State’s five.
Despite Penn State leading the overall record against the Cardinals 21-10, Ball State is now 6-4 in the last 10 matchups.
The Cardinals will return to conference play next week and travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to take on Queens University. Match one will be on Thursday, Mar. 20 with a 6 p.m. first serve and the second match will take place on Saturday, Mar. 22 for a 2 p.m. start.
INDIANA STATE BASEBALL
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State secured the series win over Pacific on a wind-chilled, blustery day at Bob Warn Field as the Sycamores topped the Tigers on Sunday afternoon, 12-2.
The Sycamores (9-11) and Tigers (10-11) battled near freezing temperatures with random snow flurries throughout the game as the teams went through the entire weather gamut over the weekend series ranging from upper 70s (Friday) to upper 30s/low 40s on Sunday afternoon.
The weather didn’t affect the Indiana State bats early as the Sycamores took advantage of a pair of RBI triples off the bats of Andrew Ortiz and Carlos Pena in building a 7-0 lead through the first two innings. Carter Beck added a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth, while Ortiz connected on a bases-loaded, two-run single in the same inning to stretch the Indiana State lead to 11-1.
Pacific put the game at 11-2 in the top of the seventh inning on JT Waldon’s sacrifice fly scoring Rylan Evans keeping the Tigers ahead of the 10-run mercy rule. The Sycamores’ were unable to end the game in the bottom of the seventh, but loaded the bases against Pacific reliever David Andrus in the bottom of the eighth.
Keegan Garis started the inning with a leadoff single through the left side of the infield. Eli Gipson and Ortiz both drew walks to load the bases with none out bringing Mason Roell to the plate. The freshman third baseman connected on the first pitch from Andrus with a grounder just to the right of the pitcher’s mound. The Pacific defense was unable to make a play on the ball in time to keep Garis from scoring for the walk-off RBI single securing the 12-2 win.
All nine Indiana State batters in the lineup reached base in the game as the Sycamores connected on 10 hits on Sunday afternoon. Beck, Thomas Emerich, and Ortiz all posted multi-hit games, while Ortiz drove in a career-high four RBIs. Pena added three RBIs and two runs scored, while Beck and Garis scored three times each in the win.
Gavin Morris (2-2) picked up the win going 4.2 innings in an extended relief appearance. The senior right-hander allowed three hits and a run while striking out three in picking up his second victory of the season. Ty Brooks went the first 3.1 innings allowing two hits and striking out five, while walking five batters.
Rylan Evans and Jarryd Wood combined to record four of Pacific’s five hits in the contest. Jake Tandy added a single in the Tigers’ loss.
Logan Drummond (1-1) took the loss allowing two hits and three runs over the first inning of the contest. Jakob Guardado worked 4.2 innings in relief allowing six hits and eight runs (six earned), while Jackson Lux and Andrus went the rest of the way on the mound.
How They Scored
Indiana State took the early lead in the bottom of the first as Carter Beck scored on a wild pitch from Pacific starter Logan Drummond to give the Sycamores the 1-0 edge.
Andrew Ortiz followed the wild pitch with a two-run triple down the right field line bringing home Keegan Garis and Carlos Pena to give Indiana State the 3-0 lead after the bottom of the first.
Carlos Pena cleared the bases in the bottom of the second inning with a three-run triple down the right field line scoring Thomas Emerich, Beck, and Jackson Taylor to give Indiana State the 6-0 lead.
Keegan Garis followed with a sacrifice fly to left as Pena slid into home ahead of the throw making it a 7-0 contest after the bottom of the second.
Pacific took one back in the top of the fourth inning as the Tigers loaded the bases with one out. Diego Davis beat out a fielder’s choice allowing DJ Scott to score on the play before Gavin Morris retired the final batter to keep it a 7-1 ballgame.
Carter Beck added to the Indiana State lead in the bottom of the sixth inning as the sophomore centerfielder connected on a two-run home run just over the wall in right field scoring Sean McGurk to make it 9-1 Sycamores.
Andrew Ortiz brought home two more with an RBI single back up the middle scoring Emerich and Garis to give Indiana State the 11-1 lead after six innings.
Pacific kept the game alive in the top of the seventh as JT Waldon brought home Rylan Evans with an RBI sacrifice fly to right field to make it an 11-2 ballgame.
Mason Roell’s bases-loaded walk-off infield single scored Keegan Garis in the bottom of the eighth to end the 12-2 contest at Bob Warn Field.
News & Notes
Andrew Ortiz connected on his team-leading second triple of the 2025 season and second of the week following his first at-bat on Sunday afternoon. Ortiz’s triple marked the Sycamores’ sixth triple of the 2025 season, equaling the team’s total from 2024.
Carlos Pena connected on a three-run triple in the bottom of the second inning for his first triple of the 2025 season.
The Sycamores’ two triples marked the first time Indiana State has had multiple triples in the same game since March 24, 2024, when Parker Stinson and Grant Magill both tripled against Missouri State.
Sean McGurk drew his first start of the 2025 season behind the plate. The junior catcher was on the base paths twice after getting hit by a pair of pitches and scored one run.
The Sycamores secured their second series win of the 2025 season after bouncing back from Saturday’s loss to Pacific.
The 12-2 run-rule win marked Indiana State’s first run-rule shortened win since May 18, 2024, with the 15-4 win at Valparaiso. The earlier 16-6 and 36-6 wins over Wagner earlier this season were played the complete nine innings in Gastonia, N.C.
Indiana State’s 12 runs in the game marked the Sycamores’ first game to breach the double-digit run mark since their 12-4 win at Bethune-Cookman on February 25.
Gavin Morris became the third Sycamore pitcher to reach two wins on the mound this season joining Max McEwen and Colby Morse to achieve the feat.
The Indiana State offense has homered in six consecutive games dating back to March 8 at Southeast Missouri State, marking the longest stretch of consecutive games with a home run in 2025.
Up Next
Indiana State returns to the road for a midweek Tuesday night game in Champaign, Ill. against Illinois. First pitch at Illinois Field is set for 7 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on the Big Ten Network and 105.5 The Legend.
PURDUE FT. WAYNE BASEBALL
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Northern Kentucky defeated the Purdue Fort Wayne baseball team 20-5 on Sunday (March 16) afternoon in seven innings.
Braydon Rogers drove in six including a grand slam in the sixth inning for the Norse.
Justin Osterhouse and Grant Sawa each had two hits for the Mastodons. Ryan Jenkins knocked in two with an RBI double in the two in the fourth to make the score 10-2. Augusto Schroeder drove in Grant Sawa and Colton Shirley with a single in the fifth inning.
Northern Kentucky scored seven runs in both the first and sixth innings.
Rex Stills got the loss for the Mastodons. Aaron Boster earned the win for the Norse.
The ‘Dons fall to 1-17 (0-3 Horizon League). NKU improves to 12-6 (3-0 Horizon League). The ‘Dons are at Bowling Green on Tuesday (March 18).
EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The University of Evansville baseball team fell in its final game against the Samford Bulldogs in a 13-1 loss.
The Purple Aces had a tough time in their final game against Samford on Sunday afternoon. UE’s offense connected on four hits with five walks while the pitching staff had five strikeouts. Four separate Evansville players had a hit while catcher Matt Flaherty (Lake Zurich, Ill. / Bellarmine) had the only extra-base hit with a double.
The Purple Aces struck first on Sunday afternoon as right fielder Harrison Taubert (Casper, Wyo. / Northeast CC) reached on a fielding error and second baseman Cal McGinnis (Kimberly, Wis. / Bradley) singled up the middle. Taubert scored on the next at-bat as left fielder Charlie Longmeier (Seymour, Ind. / Seymour HS) had his second straight game with a hit on a long single to right center.
The Bulldogs responded immediately, scoring five runs in five at-bats in the bottom of the first. Samford hit two home runs off UE starting pitcher Kevin Reed (Martinsville, Ind. / Martinsville HS) for four runs while a double to left center scored the lead-off walk. After the home runs Reed settled in for Evansville getting a popup and two strikeouts to end the first.
Flaherty had a big start to the second inning for the Aces with only his second double of the season. UE loaded the bases with two walks but with two outs on the board, Evansville didn’t find the hit to bring a run in as McGinnis ground out to second. Samford made it a six-run ballgame in the bottom of the second with a sacrifice fly and a third home run. The Aces made a pitching change to close out the second as right-hander Drew Fieger (Fort Mitchell, Ky. / Lincoln Trail CC) helped get two putouts for UE.
Designated hitter Aaron Nehls (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) had Evansville’s fourth hit of the day in the top of the third after the inning began with two outs. Nehls had a single to short and reached second base on a wild pitch. A dropped third strike stranded the sophomore at second to go to the bottom of the third inning.
The Bulldogs added their eighth run in the bottom of the third on two singles a ground out and a fly out. The Aces had a walk and a stolen base in the top of the fourth while the defense shut down Samford with its first three up and three down inning of the game. UE’s defense also took down the Bulldogs without a run in the fifth on its eighth double play of the year. Evansville’s offense went down in order in the top of the sixth while Samford added two more runs.
Heading into the seventh down by nine runs the Aces were facing a shortened game. UE started the inning with center fielder Ty Rumsey (Evansville, Ind. / North HS) getting hit by a pitch to get on base. Rumsey made it around to third on a wild pitch and a passed ball as Evansville’s next two batters struck out. The Aces got two more runners on to load the bases but as happened in the second a groundout ended UE’s chance at scoring.
Evansville made defensive changes in the outfield as Rumsey’s hit by pitch earlier was a hard hit to the leg. The Aces defense began the bottom of the seventh with a lineout to shortstop Drew McConnell (Blue Springs, Mo. / Blue Springs HS). But the Bulldogs took the game in its next three at-bats as their fifth home run of the game scored three runs.
UE returns to its home state for a midweek game on Tuesday at Indiana. Evansville will take on the Hoosiers in the first game of a home-and-home series on March 18. First pitch from Bart Kaufman Field is set for 5 p.m. CT.
EVANSVILLE SOFTBALL
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – For the second game in a row, the University of Evansville softball team staged a late rally, but Northern Iowa fended off the challenge to take a 12-9 win over the Purple Aces at Tri-State Orthopaedics Field at Cooper Stadium.
Evansville rallied twice in the late innings, however, a grand slam in the sixth lifted UNI to the win. UE finished the day with 10 hits as Niki Bode went 3-4 with three runs and two RBI. Jess Willsey was 2-5 with a home run.
Picking up four walks in the top of the first, UNI took the early 1-0 lead. It did not take long for the Purple Aces to respond as they scored three runs to take the lead. Taylor Howe and Niki Bode each singled while Jess Willsey reached on an error to load the bases with one out. Eliza Piggott brought in the first run of the game on a ground out before a 2-run double by Brooke Voss made it a 3-1 game.
UNI bounced back to retake a 7-3 lead in the second frame as Drew Hinrichs hit a 3-run home run and Katelyn Callahan added a 2-run shot both with two outs. Willsey got UE a run closer with a solo home run in the third and the Aces looked to get closer as two runners reached with two outs in the fourth before the Panthers got out of the inning unscathed. Northern Iowa hit its third homer of the game when a solo shot pushed the lead to 8-4 in the fifth.
Bode and Willsey led off with singles in the fifth before Voss reached on a 1-out walk to load the bases for Miriah Powell. Powell reached on a single off the pitcher to bring in Bode to make it an 8-5 game. Unfortunately, Northern Iowa belted a grand slam in the sixth to put the game out of reach.
Despite the deficit, UE continued to battle as Bode add an RBI double while Eliza Piggott hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 5-run game. In the seventh, Morgan Adams and Bode had RBIs as UE looked to rally once again, but UNI hung on to take the 12-9 win. Anna Wischnowski tossed a complete game for the Panthers on the way to her 7th win of the season. Elle Jarrett took the loss allowing five runs, two earned, in 1 2/3 innings of work.
Up next for UE is a 3-game series at Missouri State next weekend.
SOUTHERN INDIANA MEN’S GOLF
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Men’s Golf gets the main portion of its spring championship schedule into high gear at the Missouri State University Twin Oaks Intercollegiate Monday and Tuesday.
The tournament will consist of three rounds at Twin Oaks Country Club in Springfield, Missouri. The course is a par 71 at 6,760 yards. Teams will play two rounds with a shotgun start on Monday at 8:30 a.m. The final 18 holes will also start at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
In addition to Southern Indiana and host Missouri State, other participating schools include Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Bradley University, Southern Utah University, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Lindenwood University, Evangel University, Western Illinois University, University of Northern Iowa, University of Nebraska at Omaha, and Eastern Illinois University.
The Screaming Eagles are coming off a match-play victory on Friday against the University of Evansville. USI Men’s Golf teamed up with USI Women’s Golf for an overall victory against Evansville in a three-hole playoff. Senior Jason Bannister won a singles match, while senior Sam Vertanen and freshman Tye Boone won their four-ball match. Freshmen Chandler Ornelas and Coen Bauschek halved their four-ball match.
USI’s last tournament appearance was at the Kentucky Wesleyan College Bill Crabtree Invitational, where the Screaming Eagles finished fourth out of 14 teams. The fourth-place finish was USI’s best as a team during the fall. USI shot a team score of 584 (285-299) over the two-day tournament.
Junior Carter Goebel topped the scorecard for the Screaming Eagles with a 142 (71-71) for his highest finish of the fall in 11th place. Bannister also earned a top-15 finish for the fifth time during the fall, scoring a 143 (70-73). Vertanen placed inside the top 25 for the fourth time during the fall with a 146 (69-77).
Bannister ended the fall slate at one-under par after 16 rounds played with a scoring average of 70.88. Vertanen and Goebel also played all possible 16 rounds during the gall schedule, totaling two-over par and averaging nearly 73 per round. All three players had sub-70 low rounds in the fall.
For the Twin Oaks Intercollegiate, USI will send out Bannister, Goebel, and Vertanen alongside sophomore Hunter Reynolds and freshman Alex Peck. Reynolds and Peck scored six-over par for their respective fall rounds, averaging nearly 78 per round. Reynolds played nine rounds in the fall, while Peck played in four.
SOUTHERN INDIANA BASEBALL
MARION, Ill. – University of Southern Indiana Baseball walked it off the nightcap in the 11th to earn a double-header split with Murray State University Sunday afternoon at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Illinois. The Screaming Eagles lost the opener, 17-6, but bounced back to win the nightcap 8-7 in 11 innings.
USI is 8-11 overall after the doubleheader, while Murray State goes 12-4 this year. The doubleheader was originally scheduled at the USI Baseball Field, but was moved due to rain.
Game 1:
The Screaming Eagles rallied to within a run in the bottom of the fifth, but lost momentum and lost the opening game, 17-6. USI allowed a combined 10 runs in the sixth and seventh after shrinking a five-run deficit with four in the fifth to close to within 7-6.
USI was led by junior first baseman Kannon Coakley, who was two-for-three, including a three-run double in the four-run fifth. USI sophomore second baseman Parker Martin and sophomore rightfielder Cameron Boyd also had a pair of hits each in the loss.
On the mound, junior right-hander Blake Kimball started and took the loss for USI. Kimball (2-3) allowed seven runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out three in four innings of work.
Game 2:
USI rallied from two runs down in the 11th inning to walk off an 8-7 victory and earn the split. Sophomore third baseman Anthony Umbach capped off the 11th-inning rally with a walk-off single, scoring sophomore rightfielder Cameron Boyd with the game-winner.
After Murray State scored twice in the top of the 11th to take a 7-5 lead, USI junior designated hitter Cole Kitchens led off with a double and closed the deficit to 7-6 by scoring on an RBI single by junior leftfielder Hunter Miller. Miller would score the tying run one batter later when junior shortstop Clayton Slack converted a two-strike suicide squeeze and set the stage for Umbach.
The Eagles spotted the Racers a 3-0 lead in the opening frame, but rallied with three of their own in the second inning and took the lead 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth. The Racers would knot the game up with a tally in the top of the sixth, 4-4.
USI took the lead to 5-4 with a tally in the bottom of the eighth before Murray State scored the tying run to send the game into extra innings tied, 5-5.
Eagles’ sophomore right-hander Jay Kennedy picked up the win in relief. Kennedy got the final out of the 11th in relief of freshman right-hander Sage Stout, who went 2.2 in relief and allowed three runs.
Up Next for the Eagles:
The Eagles are on the road for the five games with visits to Austin Peay State University (March 19); Western Illinois University (March 21-23); and Ball State University (March 25). The three-game series with WIU is the start of the OVC schedule in 2025.
First up on the road swing is APSU, who saw its record go to 13-7 after falling in the series finale to Lipscomb University, 8-6. USI defeated APSU for the first time in the history of the series last Tuesday at the USI Baseball Field, 6-4.
USI returns home to the USI Baseball Field March 28-30 when the Eagles host the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for a three-game OVC series.
USI Schedule Update:
USI has rescheduled a pair of games that were postponed due to weather. The Screaming Eagles will visit Saint Louis University on April 22 at 5 p.m. in a game that was postponed from March 5 and will host the University of Evansville May 13 at 6 p.m. for a game that was postponed February 22.
Due to the ever-changing weather in March, USI encourages fans to watch for potential schedule changes on USIScreamingEagles.com, X, and Facebook.
INDIANA SMALL COLLEGE WEB SITES
UINDY ATHLETICS: https://athletics.uindy.edu/
MARIAN ATHLETICS: https://muknights.com/
INDIANA WESLEYAN ATHLETICS: https://iwuwildcats.com/
EARLHAM ATHLETICS: https://goearlham.com/
WABASH ATHLETICS: https://sports.wabash.edu/
FRANKLIN ATHLETICS: https://franklingrizzlies.com/
ROSE-HULMAN ATHLETICS: https://athletics.rose-hulman.edu/
ANDERSON ATHLETICS: https://athletics.anderson.edu/landing/index
TRINE ATHLETICS: https://trinethunder.com/landing/index
BETHEL ATHLETICS: https://bupilots.com/
DEPAUW ATHLETICS: https://depauwtigers.com/
HANOVER ATHLETICS: https://athletics.hanover.edu/
MANCHESTER ATHLETICS: https://muspartans.com/
HUNTINGTON ATHLETICS: https://www.huathletics.com/
OAKLAND CITY ATHLETICS: https://gomightyoaks.com/index.aspx
ST. FRANCIS ATHLETICS: https://www.saintfranciscougars.com/landing/index
IU KOKOMO ATHLETICS: https://iukcougars.com/
IU EAST ATHLETICS: https://www.iueredwolves.com/
IU SOUTH BEND ATHLETICS: https://iusbtitans.com/
PURDUE NORTHWEST ATHLETICS: https://pnwathletics.com/
INDIANA TECH ATHLETICS: https://indianatechwarriors.com/index.aspx
GRACE COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://gclancers.com/
ST. MARY OF THE WOODS ATHLETICS: https://smwcathletics.com/
GOSHEN COLLEGE ATHLETICS: https://goleafs.net/
HOLY CROSS ATHLETICS: https://www.hcsaints.com/index.php
TAYLOR ATHLETICS: https://www.taylortrojans.com/
VINCENNES ATHLETICS: https://govutrailblazers.com/landing/index
“SPORTS EXTRA”
TODAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1899 In Charlotte (NC), the Phillies take the field wearing new sweaters trimmed with green to commemorate St Patrick’s Day. The look is a preview of the team’s uniform colors this season, featuring white suits trimmed in green, a white cap with a green peak, and stockings of two-inch stripes of white and green.
(Ed. Note: Philadelphia abandons the new style next season before returning the color green for the 1910 season. -LP)
1907 After yesterday’s alleged vicious attack on the groundskeeper’s wife by Ty Cobb, Tigers owner Frank Navin makes an all-out effort to trade his troubled outfielder. Indian skipper Nap Lajoie turns down a straight swap for former league batting champ Elmer Flick, calling the ‘Georgia Peach’ a problem player.
(Ed. Note: A’s owner and manager, Connie Mack, given his already strong outfield, shows only a passing interest in obtaining the troubled outfielder.- LP)
1936 Twenty-one-year-old Joe DiMaggio makes his Yankee debut in a big way, collecting four hits, including a triple, in an 8-7 exhibition loss to the Cardinals at Miller Huggins Field in St. Petersburg (FL). The two-time American League MVP and future Hall of Fame outfielder will play 13 seasons with the Bronx Bombers, appearing in ten Fall Classics, in which the team wins nine World Championships.
(Ed. Note: Jolting’ Joe did not play in the major leagues from 1943 through 1945 due to military service. -LP)
1940 At Plant Field in Tampa, a capacity crowd sees the National League beat the AL in an interleague exhibition all-star game. The charity contest, which is heard nationally on the Mutual Broadcasting System, raises over $20,000 to help feed, clothe, and house the non-combatant citizens of Finland, whose country was recently attacked in November by the Soviet Union.
1946 In Dayton Beach, the only city that allows him to play, Triple-A Montreal Royals’ infielder Jackie Robinson makes his preseason debut at City Island Ball Park, which the municipality renamed after him in 1990. In the first-ever integrated spring training game, the former Negro League standout goes 0-for-3 against the Dodgers but is encouraged by the crowd’s reception.
1953 The Braves’ spring training game against the Yankees in Bradenton (FL) will prove to be the team’s last full one representing the city of Boston. During the sixth inning of tomorrow’s exhibition contest, the club learns of the National League’s approval of its shift to Milwaukee, unlike the Junior Circuit’s decision two days ago denying Bill Veeck permission to move his Browns to Baltimore due to the short amount of time left before Opening Day.
1953 The Milwaukee County Board, which oversees the County Stadium, ends its three-year deal with the American Association’s Milwaukee Brewers and offers the newly-built venue to their parent team, the Boston Braves, at the reduced rate of $1,000 for the first two years. The city would receive five percent of the gate receipts and most of the ballpark’s concession sales for the first three seasons.
1965 Continuing to break barriers, Jackie Robinson becomes the first black to join a national network broadcasting team when he signs on to announce games with ABC. The Hall of Fame infielder will debut at Fenway Park, teaming with Merle Harmon, the radio voice of the Milwaukee Braves, doing color analysis for the Game of the Week telecast.
1966 Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale play hardball when negotiating with the Dodgers. The duo signs movie contracts, showing they are serious about retiring from baseball if Los Angeles doesn’t agree to their salary demands.
1969 The Braves trade Joe Torre, a spring training holdout publicly feuding with team GM Paul Richards, to the Cardinals for 1967 National League Most Valuable Player Orlando Cepeda. The All-Star catcher/infielder will play six years in St. Louis, compiling a .308 batting average for the Redbirds, including a major league-leading .363 in his 1971 MVP season.
(Ed. Note: The Mets actively sought to obtain the 28-year-old Brooklyn-born backstop but declined the trade when Atlanta GM Paul Richard asked for Amos Otis and Nolan Ryan. -LP)
1976 All clubs will comply within forty-eight hours with Commissioner Kuhn’s orders to open spring training camps as soon as possible, ending the 17-day work stoppage. The lockout, initiated by the owners over their concerns about free agency and the free-entry draft, will not impact the start of the regular season.
1977 In a decision seen as one of the most influential and precedent-setting cases in American jurisprudence regarding professional sports, a federal court rules in favor of Bowie Kuhn’s decision to void Charlie Finley’s 1976 sale of A’s players. The Oakland owner sued the commissioner for illegal restraint of trade when his deals to send Joe Rudi and Rollie Fingers to the Red Sox for $2 million and Vida Blue to the Yankees for $1.5 million were invalidated “in the best interests of baseball.”
1978 On St. Patrick’s Day, the Reds wear green uniforms, becoming the first team to start a tradition many other clubs will copy. After taking batting practice in their usual garb, Cincinnati, not promoting their green surprise, stun the Yankees and the spring training crowd taking the field sporting their iconic Irish look.
1986 During a Cactus League contest, an official scorer credits Carney Lansford with an unusual two-run inside-the-park homer in the fourth inning of the A’s 5-3 victory over the Indians in Phoenix. The infielder circles the bases when Mel Hall’s shirt gets stuck on the fence, preventing the outfielder from playing the ball, which is barely out of reach. Shortstop Julio Franco, closest to the play, is unable to help because he is so incapacitated with laughter.
1999 In a rare dismissal of a manager in spring training, the Blue Jays fire Tim Johnson after deciding he had lost all his credibility, replacing him with Jim Fregosi. After claiming he had seen combat in Vietnam in the offseason, the former Toronto skipper reveals he lied about his military service, causing many players on his team to lose all respect for him as their field boss.
2001 Joe Randa agrees to a two-year contract extension, keeping him in Kansas City until the 2003 season. The Royals’ third baseman batted .304 and drove in 106 runs for the Royals in 155 games last season.
2005 During 11+ hours of the Committee on Government Reform hearing concerning the use of steroids in major leagues, Mark McGwire refuses to talk about the past and does not deny taking performance-enhancing drugs. Other players testifying included Curt Schilling, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro, and former big leaguer Jose Canseco, whose recent book prompted the congressional hearing.
2008 The Dodgers lose to the Astros, 12-10, in their last contest at Dodgertown, the team’s spring training home since 1948. Eighty-one-year-old Carl Erskine, who pitched the first game at Holman Stadium 55 years ago, plays the national anthem on his harmonica before the contest.
2010 In a rare spring training ruling, Major League Baseball suspends a player due to an incident in an exhibition game. Cliff Lee, the Mariners’ much-hyped acquisition, is fined and suspended for the first five games of the regular season after throwing a pitch over the head of Chris Snyder in a Cactus League contest against Arizona.
2020 An Oakland fan named Justin, who tweeted a picture of himself wearing an A’s hat while in a hospital bed after testing positive for the Coronavirus, receives an invitation from team president Dave Kaval to throw out the first pitch on Opening Day at the Coliseum. In his Twitter post, the 39-year-old COVID-19 patient issued a plea to take the pandemic seriously, saying, “Don’t be a moron; stay home!
2023 Appearing as a pinch-hitter with one out in the ninth inning, Brown University’s Olivia Pichardo becomes the first woman to play NCAA Division I baseball. The southpaw-swinging first-year utility player from Queens (NY) grounds out to first base on the first pitch she sees in the team’s 10-1 loss to Bryant University at Murray Stadium in Providence (RI).
TODAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
March 17
1897 — Bob Fitzsimmons knocks out Jim Corbett in the 14th round to win the world heavyweight title in Carson City, Nev. It’s the first boxing match photographed by a motion picture camera.
1908 — Tommy Burns knocks out Jene Roche in 80 seconds at the Royal Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, to retain the world heavyweight title.
1939 — Villanova wins first game of the men’s NCAA basketball tournament, defeating Brown 42-30 in Philadelphia. Ohio State beats Wake Forest 64-52 in the second game of the doubleheader.
1940 — For the first time in NHL history, one line — The Kraut Line of Milt Schmidt, Woody Dumart and Bobby Bauer — finish 1-2-3 in NHL scoring when the Boston Bruins score five goals in the third period to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 7-2.
1955 — Canadien fans riot in the streets of Montreal protesting NHL President Clarence Campbell’s suspension of Maurice “Rocket” Richard the previous day. The Canadiens forfeit the game to the Detroit after a smoke bomb goes off in the Forum and crowds spill into the streets, setting fires, smashing windows and looting.
1961 — Manhattan District Attorney Frank S. Hogan arrests two professional gamblers, Aaron Wagman and Joseph Hacken, and implicates Hank Gunter and Art Hicks of Seton Hall in a collegiate point shaving scandal.
1993 — Dallas snaps a 19-game losing streak with a 102-96 win over visiting Orlando. The Mavericks were one game away from tying the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers for the longest single-season losing streak in NBA history.
2001 — Connecticut cruises to a 101-29 win over Long Island University in the first round of the East Regional, the best defensive effort in the history of the women’s NCAA tournament. Connecticut’s 72-point victory also ties the second-biggest margin in tournament history.
2006 — Jermaine Wallace hits a fadeaway 3-pointer with a split-second left, and little Northwestern State pulls off a shocker with a furious rally, beating No. 3 seed Iowa 64-63 in the first round of the men’s NCAA tournament.
2012 — Lindsey Vonn sets a women’s record for the most World Cup points in a season after finishing eighth in a slalom won by Austria’s Michaela Kirchgasser at Schladming, Austria. Vonn reaches 1,980 points to beat the mark of 1,970 set by Janica Kostelic of Croatia in 2006.
2016 — Little Rock advances with an out-of-nowhere comeback that leads to an 85-83 double-overtime victory over Purdue in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
2018 — The UConn Huskies open their NCAA Women’s Tournament with a record-setting 140-52 rout of Saint Francis (Pa.). The tournament’s top seed sets a record for points in a tournament game and all-time NCAA records for points in a period (55 in the first) and a half (94 in the first).
2020 — French Open becomes first Grand Slam tennis tournament to be postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic.
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March 18
1945 — Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the first NHL player to score 50 goals in a season during a 4-2 triumph over the Boston Bruins in the final game of the season.
1950 — CCNY beats Bradley 69-61 for the NIT championship.
1953 — Don Schlundt scores 30 points to lead Indiana to a 69-68 victory over Kansas for the NCAA basketball championship.
1990 — Jeff Fryer’s 41 points leads Loyola Marymount to a 149-115 victory over defending national champion Michigan in the highest-scoring game in NCAA tournament history.
1993 — Santa Clara beats Arizona 64-61 to become the second 15th-seeded team to win a first-round game in the NCAA tournament.
2001 — Indiana’s Reggie Miller becomes the first player in NBA history to accumulate 2,000 3-pointers after hitting four in a 101-95 win over Sacramento.
2008 — The Houston Rockets’ 22-game winning streak comes to an end. Kevin Garnett scores 22 points and Paul Pierce adds 20 as the Celtics beat the Rockets 94-74, stopping Houston’s remarkable run.
2009 — New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur breaks Patrick Roy’s NHL record for career wins by a goaltender. Brodeur records his 552nd win in a 3-2 decision over the Chicago Blackhawks.
2013 — LeBron James and the Miami Heat escape Boston with their 23rd win in a row, the second longest win streak in NBA history. James scores 37 points and makes the go-ahead basket with 10.5 seconds left in Miami’s 105-103 victory.
2015 — Lindsey Vonn wins the World Cup downhill title for the seventh time, winning the last race in the discipline at the World Cup finals in Meribel, France.
2016 — Middle Tennessee State sends a big shock through the men’s NCAA Tournament, topping second-seeded Michigan State 90-81 in the first round. Middle Tennessee never trails the Spartans (29-6) in one of the biggest upsets since the tournament began seeding teams in 1985.
2016 — Thomas Walkup scores 33 points and 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin takes down West Virginia’s full-court pressure with some of its own in-your-face defense, pulling off a 70-56 first-round upset of the third-seeded Mountaineers in the NCAA Tournament.
2017 — Kalani Brown scores 21 points and top-seeded Baylor overwhelms much smaller Texas Southern 119-30, the most lopsided women’s NCAA Tournament game. The 89-point margin breaks the previous record 74-point win by Tennessee over North Carolina A&T (111-37) in 1994. Baylor’s 119 points are the most scored in regulation of a women’s NCAA Tournament game, surpassing the previous record 116.
2017 — Texas A&M pulls off the biggest comeback in women’s NCAA Tournament history, rallying from a 21-point deficit for a 63-61 victory over Penn to close out the first round of the NCAAs. The fifth-seeded Aggies finish the game on a 25-1 run to beat the 12th-seeded Quakers.
2018 — Tennessee loses for the first time at home in women’s NCAA Tournament history. Marie Gulich has 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead sixth-seed Oregon State to a 66-59 win. The third-seeded Lady Vols had been 57-0 at home, with most of those victories coming under late Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt.
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March 18
1945 — Maurice Richard of the Montreal Canadiens becomes the first NHL player to score 50 goals in a season during a 4-2 triumph over the Boston Bruins in the final game of the season.
1950 — CCNY beats Bradley 69-61 for the NIT championship.
1953 — Don Schlundt scores 30 points to lead Indiana to a 69-68 victory over Kansas for the NCAA basketball championship.
1990 — Jeff Fryer’s 41 points leads Loyola Marymount to a 149-115 victory over defending national champion Michigan in the highest-scoring game in NCAA tournament history.
1993 — Santa Clara beats Arizona 64-61 to become the second 15th-seeded team to win a first-round game in the NCAA tournament.
2001 — Indiana’s Reggie Miller becomes the first player in NBA history to accumulate 2,000 3-pointers after hitting four in a 101-95 win over Sacramento.
2008 — The Houston Rockets’ 22-game winning streak comes to an end. Kevin Garnett scores 22 points and Paul Pierce adds 20 as the Celtics beat the Rockets 94-74, stopping Houston’s remarkable run.
2009 — New Jersey’s Martin Brodeur breaks Patrick Roy’s NHL record for career wins by a goaltender. Brodeur records his 552nd win in a 3-2 decision over the Chicago Blackhawks.
2013 — LeBron James and the Miami Heat escape Boston with their 23rd win in a row, the second longest win streak in NBA history. James scores 37 points and makes the go-ahead basket with 10.5 seconds left in Miami’s 105-103 victory.
2015 — Lindsey Vonn wins the World Cup downhill title for the seventh time, winning the last race in the discipline at the World Cup finals in Meribel, France.
2016 — Middle Tennessee State sends a big shock through the men’s NCAA Tournament, topping second-seeded Michigan State 90-81 in the first round. Middle Tennessee never trails the Spartans (29-6) in one of the biggest upsets since the tournament began seeding teams in 1985.
2016 — Thomas Walkup scores 33 points and 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin takes down West Virginia’s full-court pressure with some of its own in-your-face defense, pulling off a 70-56 first-round upset of the third-seeded Mountaineers in the NCAA Tournament.
2017 — Kalani Brown scores 21 points and top-seeded Baylor overwhelms much smaller Texas Southern 119-30, the most lopsided women’s NCAA Tournament game. The 89-point margin breaks the previous record 74-point win by Tennessee over North Carolina A&T (111-37) in 1994. Baylor’s 119 points are the most scored in regulation of a women’s NCAA Tournament game, surpassing the previous record 116.
2017 — Texas A&M pulls off the biggest comeback in women’s NCAA Tournament history, rallying from a 21-point deficit for a 63-61 victory over Penn to close out the first round of the NCAAs. The fifth-seeded Aggies finish the game on a 25-1 run to beat the 12th-seeded Quakers.
2018 — Tennessee loses for the first time at home in women’s NCAA Tournament history. Marie Gulich has 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead sixth-seed Oregon State to a 66-59 win. The third-seeded Lady Vols had been 57-0 at home, with most of those victories coming under late Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt.
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March 19
1942 — The Thoroughbred Racing Associations of the United States is formed, with John C. Clark president.
1950 — Babe Didrikson Zaharias shoots a record 298 and beats Clair Doran by eight strokes to capture the U.S. Women’s Open.
1950 — The Rochester Royals win their 15th consecutive game, 97-66 over the Baltimore Bullets to set an NBA record for consecutive victories to close a season.
1955 — San Francisco wins the NCAA basketball championship with a 77-63 victory over La Salle.
1955 — Dick Ricketts and Si Green combine for 56 points to lead Duquesne to a 70-58 triumph over Dayton in the NIT championship.
1956 — The Minneapolis Lakers defeat the St. Louis Hawks 133-75 for the biggest rout in NBA playoff history.
1960 — Ohio State wins the NCAA basketball title with a 75-55 victory against California.
1960 — Mach Herndon’s 26 points leads Bradley to a 88-72 triumph over Providence for the NIT title. Lenny Wilkens scores 25 points for the Friars.
1966 — Texas Western, starting five black players, wins the NCAA basketball championship with a 72-65 upset of all-white Kentucky.
1966 — BYU beats New York University 97-84 for the NIT championship.
1972 — The Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women holds its first basketball championship and Immaculata beats West Chester State 52-48.
1972 — The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors 162-99 for the most lopsided victory in NBA history.
1987 — Bonnie Blair skates ladies’ world record 500 m (39.43 sec)
1994 — Hartford’s Brian Propp reaches the 1,000-point mark with a goal in a 5-3 win over Philadelphia.
1995 — Chicago’s Michael Jordan returns from his 17-month retirement. Wearing No. 45, he shoots 7-of-28 from the field and scores 19 points in the Bulls’ 103-96 overtime loss at Indiana.
1998 — The U.S. women’s soccer team sustains the worst loss in its 13-year history, falling 4-1 to reigning World Cup champion Norway in the Algarve Cup.
2006 — Tennessee’s Candace Parker is the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game, jamming one-handed on a breakaway 6:12 into the second-seeded Lady Vols’ 102-54 victory against an Army team that was making its NCAA tournament debut.
2011 — Duke gives coach Mike Krzyzewski his 900th career victory, a 73-71 win over Michigan, and the Blue Devils advance to the round of 16 for the 12th time in 14 years.
2014 — Chris Eversley scores 19 points to help Cal Poly become the first team in 59 years with 19 losses to win an NCAA Tournament game, beating Texas Southern 81-69 on in the First Four.
2015 — Lindsey Vonn wins the final super-G of the season and with it her 19th crystal globe trophy — equaling the record of Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark.
2015 — R.J. Hunter’s 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds remaining caps a comeback from a 12-point deficit and lifts 14th-seeded Georgia State over third-seeded Baylor 57-56 in the NCAA Tournament.
2015 — William Lee scores the last four points for 14th-seeded UAB in its 60-59 upset of Iowa State.
2019 — Houston Rockets guard James Harden becomes first player in NBA history to score at least 30 points against all 29 opponents in a single season with 31 in a 121-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
2022 — LeBron James moves past Karl Malone (36,909) into second on NBA’s all-time scoring list with 38 points in LA Lakers’ 127-119 loss to Washington Wizards.
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March 20
1897 — Yale beats Penn 32-10 in New Haven, Conn., in the first men’s intercollegiate basketball game.
1918 — The Toronto Arenas (who would become the Maple Leafs) are the first NHL team to play in the Stanley Cup Final. Toronto’s Reg Noble scores two goals with an assist in the first period of a 5-3 win over Vancouver of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.
1939 — In a game of unbeaten teams, Long Island U. defeats Loyola of Chicago 44-32 to win the National Invitation Tournament title.
1954 — In the first televised NCAA championship game, La Salle defeats Bradley 92-76 and sets a record for most points in the title game.
1965 — Gail Goodrich’s 42 points lead UCLA to a 91-80 victory over Michigan in the NCAA basketball championship.
1965 — St. John’s sends Joe Lapchick out a winner, as the Redmen beat Villanova 55-51 to win their fifth National Invitation Tournament championship.
1965 — Bill Bradley scores 58 points to lead Princeton to a 118-82 rout of Wichita State in the NCAA third-place game. UCLA beats Michigan 91-80 to win its second National championship.
1968 — Dave Bing of the Detroit Pistons finishes the season with a league-leading 27.1 average, becoming the first guard in 20 years to lead the NBA in scoring.
1969 — Less than two months after she becomes the first woman to ride in a pari-mutuel race in America, Diane Crump rides her first winner at Gulfstream Park.
1976 — Boston’s John Havlicek becomes the first NBA player to score more than 1,000 points per season for 14 consecutive years.
1988 — Mike Tyson knocks out Tony Tubbs in the second round to retain his world heavyweight title in Tokyo.
2005 — Liz Johnson becomes the first woman to advance to the championship match of a Professional Bowlers Association tour event, but loses by 27 pins to Tommy Jones in the final of the PBA Banquet Open.
2005 — LeBron James, 20, becomes the youngest player to score 50 points in an NBA game, when he scores 56 in the Cavaliers’ 105-98 loss to the Raptors.
2006 — Japan beats Cuba 10-6 in the title game of the inaugural World Baseball Classic.
2010 — Northern Iowa pulls off one of the biggest NCAA upsets in years by knocking No. 1 overall seed Kansas with a 69-67 win. Ali Farokhmanesh buries an open 3-pointer with the shot clock still in the 30s to give the Panthers a four-point lead with 35 seconds left.
2014 — Bernard Tomic loses the shortest completed ATP match on record, lasting only 28 minutes at the Sony Open in his first tournament since having surgery on both hips. Ending a two-month layoff, Tomic wins just 13 points and loses to Jarkko Nieminen 6-0, 6-1. It’s the quickest match since the ATP started keeping such records in 1991.
2020 — After 20 years with the New England Patriots, six-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Tom Brady officially agrees to move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
TV SPORTS MONDAY
| MLB SPRING TRAINING | TIME ET | TV |
| NY Mets vs Miami | 1:10pm | MLBN |
| LA Angels vs Arizona | 4:10pm | MLBN |
| Cincinnati vs Cleveland | 9:05pm | MLBN |
| NBA REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Miami Heat vs New York Knicks | 7:30pm | ESPN MSG Fanduel Sports Sun |
| Indiana Pacers vs Minnesota Timberwolves | 8:00pm | FanDuel Sports IND FanDuel Sports North |
| Detroit Pistons vs New Orleans Pelicans | 8:00pm | YGCSNES FanDuel Sports DET |
| Philadelphia 76ers vs Houston Rockets | 8:00pm | NBCS-PHI SCHN |
| Chicago Bulls vs Utah Jazz | 9:00pm | CHSN KJZZ |
| Denver Nuggets vs Golden State Warriors | 10:00pm | ESPN NBCS-BAY ALT |
| Memphis Grizzlies vs Sacramento Kings | 10:00pm | NCBS-CA FanDuel Sports MEM |
| Washington Wizards vs Portland Trail Blazers | 10:00pm | MNMT Rip City |
| Toronto Raptors vs Phoenix Suns | 10:00pm | AFSN Sportsnet |
| San Antonio Spurs vs Los Angeles Lakers | 10:30pm | Spectrum Fanduel Sports SW |
| NHL REGULAR SEASON | TIME ET | TV |
| Buffalo Sabres vs Boston Bruins | 7:00pm | ESPN+ MSG-BUF NESN |
| Philadelphia Flyers vs Tampa Bay Lightning | 7:00pm | ESPN+ FanDuel Sports Sun NBCS-PHI |
| New Jersey Devils vs Columbus Blue Jackets | 7:00pm | ESPN+ MSGSN FanDuel Sports Ohio |
| New Jersey Devils vs Columbus Blue Jackets | 7:30pm | ESPN+ Sportsnet |
| Los Angeles Kings vs Minnesota Wild | 8:00pm | NHLN FanDuel Sports West FanDuel Sports North |