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🏀 Five things to know Monday
- Women’s Final Four set with every No. 1 seed. Texas and South Carolina posted lopsided victories in the Elite Eight last night to join UCLA and UConn heading to Phoenix for the Final Four of the Women’s NCAA Tournament. Texas thrashed Michigan, 77-41, and will take on UCLA in the second semifinal on Friday and South Carolina, which routed TCU, 78-52, will take on undefeated UConn in the opener. Our Lindsay Gibbs says we’re in for a real clash of the titans and March Madness is all the better for it.
- Joey Wiemer tied an MLB record. Wiemer, a career .205 hitter, tied Carlos Delgado’s 2002 record by reaching base on his first 10 plate appearances of the season. The Nationals right fielder did not break the record, ultimately ending the night going 2 for 4 with a walk.
- Replacement officials coming to the NFL? The NFL has authorized the hiring of replacement officials to be hired and trained beginning May 1. The news comes as the threat of a lockout appears more likely by the day, a situation that has team owners “alarmed” ahead of next season.
- NBA coaches on the hot seat. With the NBA season winding down, there are many coaches on the hot seat. We ranked eight of them, with Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley sitting in the unfortunate top spot.
- Cowboys uncertain if George Pickens will attend offseason workouts. Dallas placed the nonexclusive franchise tag on Pickens in the offseason. As the team and star wideout continue to work toward a long-term deal, the Cowboys are unsure whether Pickens will attend offseason workouts with the team.
⚾ Do not miss this: Where things stand one week into MLB season
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The MLB season is the definition of “marathon, not a sprint,” but who has time for patience in evaluating where things stand? One week into the season, there’s plenty to break down. As a White Sox fan, I’m not expecting much from the season, but Munetaka Murakami has been an exciting part of a fun, young offense, even if the team ranks second to last in our latest MLB Power Rankings.
We also have takeaways from the opening weekend of the season, including how ABS is impacting the game, with hitters and pitchers able to challenge calls on balls and strikes.
- Mike Axisa: “Here are two examples of how ABS challenges can really impact a game. On Friday, Aaron Judge challenged a 1-0 pitch with a runner on second and no outs. The 1-1 count was overturned into a hitter-friendly 2-0 count, then Judge hit a two-run homer that gave the Yankees all the runs they’d need that afternoon.
” … On Sunday, the Angels did not challenge a 2-2 pitch to Isaac Paredes with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning of a tie game. Statcast indicates the pitch nicked the zone, but neither pitcher Drew Pomeranz nor catcher Logan O’Hoppe challenged. Paredes ripped the very next pitch for a go-ahead two-run double that won the game.”
🏀 March Madness is as magical as ever
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As NIL money and transfer portals continue to reshape the structure of college sports, there have been worries that those sports would be changed into something unrecognizable. Instead, college football has remained compelling and this year’s NCAA basketball tournament has delivered on plenty of drama.
Most recently, UConn pulled off a dramatic last-second comeback to bounce No. 1 seed Duke. Duke’s Cayden Boozer admitted that his turnover in the final moments of that game “let our team down.” It was the second straight season where a Duke collapse ended the school’s run in the tournament, leaving the Blue Devils to look to retool ahead of next season. Meanwhile, the 19-point collapse is the most recent example of how being a No. 1 seed is no guarantee for success in the tournament. Zachary Pereles wrote that the tournament may, in fact, be getting better in the modern era.
- Pereles: “The idea of there being no ‘blue bloods’ due to the influx of money and European talent isn’t 100% true, nor is it 100% a bad thing. If anything, it makes the on-court product better and increases parity. The greatness of a tradition-rich program still matters. But it’s not all that matters. This year was the first since 1954 that none of Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina or UCLA was among the final 16 teams left.”
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
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- Despite retiring from wrestling last year, John Cena revealed that he is the official host of WrestleMania 42.
- The plan to relocate the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun to Houston advanced Monday with the team announcing the $300 million deal. The sale must now be approved by the WNBA’s Board of Governors.
- The Maple Leafs fired GM Brad Treliving ahead of a critical offseason for Toronto.
- Is it ever too early to think about college football games? We don’t think so, and put together predictions for several Week 1 games.
- NC State has made the decision to hire Tennessee assistant Justin Gainey as coach, bringing the former Wolfpack guard back to his alma mater.
- Neff Giwa, the Irish rugby player with zero football experience, has committed to South Carolina after his workout video went viral.
- Shedeur Sanders has a new jersey number, taking the No. 2 as he competes for the starting job in Cleveland after his tumultuous rookie season.
- The Browns backed out of their plans to sign former Bills pass rusher A.J. Epenesa after a failed physical.
- The Fever only have three players locked in for the upcoming season, and superstar Caitlin Clark says the team’s “first priority” should be to re-sign Kelsey Mitchell in free agency.
- The boxing schedule got a big upgrade with the announcement of Xander Zayas vs. Jaron “Boots” Ennis for Zayas’ two junior middleweight titles in June.
- Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald says he’s not worried about how losing Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III will affect the team next season.
- The Bulls have cut former top-five pick Jaden Ivey after Ivey’s anti-LGBT rants on social media.
- After suffering a vicious knockout loss at UFC Fight Night on Saturday, Maycee Barber released a statement informing fans that she is doing well.
- The NFL announced plans to create a professional flag football league for men and women.
- Christian McCaffrey‘s workload will be reduced in 2026, per coach Kyle Shanahan, so who will fill the 49ers‘ No. 2 running back role?
- The Rams have expressed interest in signing Kirk Cousins to serve as Matthew Stafford‘s backup QB.
📺 What we’re watching Tuesday
⚽ FIFA World Cup qualifying: Italy at Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2:45 p.m. on FS1
⚾ Nationals at Phillies, 6:40 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ International friendly: Portugal at United States, 7 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Knicks at Rockets, 8 p.m. on NBC
⚾ Yankees at Mariners, 9:40 p.m. on TBS
🏀 Trail Blazers at Clippers, 11 p.m. on NBC
