Trey Bonham scored 23 points and Honor Huff hit a big 3-pointer late to lead Chattanooga to an 80-73 victory over Loyola Chicago in an NIT semifinal at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Tuesday night. The Mocs (28-9) will play UC Irvine in the championship game on Thursday. The Anteaters (32-6) set a school record for wins in a season after beating North Texas 69-67 in an earlier semifinal.
Auburn’s Broome, Florida’s Clayton and Flagg of Duke among John R. Wooden Award men’s finalists
Johni Broome of Auburn is one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the outstanding men's college basketball player. The other finalists are Walter Clayton Jr. of Florida, Duke's Cooper Flagg, Mark Sears of Alabama and Braden Smith of Purdue. Broome, Clayton and Flagg will lead their teams at the Final Four in San Antonio this weekend.
OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson lead shorthanded Knicks past 76ers, 105-91
The Knicks won for the fifth time in their last six games, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers, 105-91, on Tuesday night at The Garden.
Here are the key takeaways...
-The Knicks came into the game shorthanded in the backcourt, with Jalen Brunson, Cameron Payne, and Miles McBride all out, but they ended up being without a key piece up front as well, as Karl-Anthony Towns was ruled out just before tip-off due to left knee soreness. Mitchell Robinson got the start at center, just his second of the season.
-Early on, it was aggressive play from Robinson and OG Anunoby that set the pace. Robinson caused his typical havoc on the glass, pulling in five rebounds and adding six points in his first seven minutes before getting a breather. Anunoby led the way offensively, attacking the rim early and often and stepping outside for a pair of threes as he scored 13 points in the quarter.
In the second, Robinson picked up a loose ball around midcourt, galloped down the court and threw it down, sending the Garden crowd into a frenzy. Robinson scored 14 points and added eight rebounds and a block in the first half.
Anunoby, who had a monster and-one slam early in the fourth quarter, would go on to lead the Knicks in scoring, finishing with 27 points, five rebounds, and two assists.
Robinson, meanwhile, finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, and two blocks in 21 minutes.
-Tom Thibodeau said before the game that he knew the Sixers -- in the midst of a lost season and playing without stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey,and Paul George – would look to shoot a lot of threes, but it was the Knicks who gave them a taste of their own medicine in this one. As a team, the Knicks hit seven of their first 16 three-point attempts.
The Knicks led by 17 points at the half, but the Sixers clawed their way back in the third, as Quentin Grimes threw down a dunk to bring the Sixers within five. Mikal Bridges quickly answered with a three-pointer, which helped New York get back into rhythm, and Landry Shamet hit another from long range to push the lead back to double digits. By the midpoint of the fourth quarter, the Knicks' lead had ballooned to 21 points, thanks in part to their prowess from beyond the arc.
Overall, the Knicks shot 38.7 percent (12-of-31) from three-point range, with Shamet going 6-of-9 from three, finishing with for 20 points.
-The Knicks were down to only Delon Wright and Tyler Kolek at the point guard spot, and Wright had a strong game, pushing the pace, driving the lane, and finding open teammates.
Wright finished with 12 points, four assists, and four rebounds.
Who was the game MVP?
The trio of Anunoby, Robinson, and Shamet combined to score 61 points, but we'll give MVP honors to Anunoby.
Highlights
OG in Q1 📈 13 quick points and a steal to sweeten the deal pic.twitter.com/ftE0IZPZ8p
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 2, 2025
HAPPY ‼️ BIRTHDAY ‼️ MITCHELL ‼️ ROBINSON ‼️ pic.twitter.com/qniuobRFGl
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 2, 2025
OG GOT THE GARDEN ON ITS FEET 🔥 pic.twitter.com/r5UWHuvvCX
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 2, 2025
What's next
The Knicks take on the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers in Cleveland for the second game of a back-to-back. Tip-off on Wednesday night is set for 7 PM.
Richard Pitino relishes challenges ahead at Xavier
Richard Pitino said he needed the right situation to come along for him to leave New Mexico. Pitino was introduced as Xavier's new coach on Tuesday. With Xavier's past track record of hiring coaches who were former assistants or who had ties to the program, Pitino thought his chances of getting a call from athletic director Greg Christopher would be slim until it happened last week.
Michigan basketball lands Illinois big man Morez Johnson Jr. in transfer portal
Johnson, a 6-foot-9, 225-pound forward, averaged 7.0 points and 6.7 rebounds last season while shooting 64.2% in 17 minutes per night as a freshman.
March Madness 2025 Betting: National Champion expert picks, odds, futures including Duke, Cooper Flagg MOP
Betting on Duke in the Final Four and the Most Outstanding Player Award
Philadelphia hopes to re-sign Quentin Grimes, if they can afford to
You have to look hard for bright spots in this Philadelphia 76ers season, but Quentin Grimes is one of them. Since being traded to Philadelphia from Dallas as part of the Caleb Martin deal, Grimes has averaged 21.8 points a game while shooting 39.2% from 3, plus adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists a night.
Grimes is a restricted free agent this offseason and the 76ers hope to re-sign him, reports Marc Stein in his weekly newsletter.
The challenge is how much Grimes could make and if Philadelphia can afford it.
Grimes' market is tough to predict. Keith Smith at Spotac projects a four-year, $100 million contract, while I think that sounds high, something close to $20 million a season is a fair bet on the potential of the 24-year-old who has shown he is more than a 3&D guy. That said, only Brooklyn has the cap space to max Grimes out, and that's not the direction the Nets are looking, and it's hard to see another team coming in with an offer that Philadelphia would not match.
That said, the 76ers have their own challenges. Philadelphia is on the hook for $149.1 million next season for just their big three of Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, plus Jared McCain. That leaves the Sixers about $5 million below the salary cap number with at least 10 roster spots to fill. The real numbers to watch are the luxury-tax line (an estimated $187.9 million) and the second tax apron ($207.8 million).
Things add up quickly. The 76ers have tanked of late in hopes of retaining their first-round draft pick (they owe it to Oklahoma City, top-six protected). If Philly lands in the top six, that rookie will cost at least $8 million and up to as much as $13 million next season. Also, Grimes is not the only player the 76ers want to bring back. There is Kelly Oubre, who is expected to opt out of his $8.4 million and become a free agent, as well as unrestricted free agent Guerschon Yabusele.
The reality: Philly is likely only going to be able to bring back two of Grimes, Oubre, and Yabusele. Maybe things shake out differently, but with a top-heavy roster, it will be difficult for Daryl Morey to fill out the roster with quality players and stay below the aprons.
Whatever the 76ers choose, expect some team to step up and pay Grimes this season. The trade from Dallas to Philly could not have worked out much better for him.
When is the Final Four? Schedule, time, how to watch men’s NCAA Tournament semifinals
The Final Four is days away as all four No. 1 seeds head to San Antonio for the chance to win a national championship.
3 observations after Sixers set NBA starting lineups record in defeat to Knicks
3 observations after Sixers set NBA starting lineups record in defeat to Knicks originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
NEW YORK — The Sixers tied their season-high losing streak and dipped to 30 games under .500 Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
Their ninth consecutive loss was a 105-91 decision to the Knicks.
Quentin Grimes had 26 points, five assists and three steals for the 23-53 Sixers.
The 48-27 Knicks’ top scorer was OG Anunoby with 27 points.
Eight Sixers were out with injuries. Tyrese Maxey (right finger sprain) hasn’t played since March 3.
“He did practice (Friday). It went just medium,” Sixers head coach Nick Nurse said pregame of Maxey. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, that was great’ … but he’s still working out today. He’ll work out tomorrow. And again, we’re hoping he feels a little bit better.
“He got a splint put on there and kind of liked it, but then it was bothering him post-practice a little bit. But again, we’re working him out and trying to get him back on the court.”
The Knicks’ sidelined players included Jalen Brunson (right ankle sprain) and Karl-Anthony Towns (left knee soreness).
The Sixers will return home and face the Bucks on Thursday night. Here are observations on their loss to the Knicks:
Record-breaking night
The Sixers set a new NBA record before the game even tipped off.
Through 76 games, the injury-cursed Sixers have used an unprecedented 52 starting lineups. Tuesday’s first unit was Grimes, Lonnie Walker IV, Justin Edwards, Ricky Council IV and Adem Bona.
Lineup No. 52 was certainly not the Sixers’ best. Grimes turned the ball over on the game’s first possession and Mitchell Robinson threw down a put-back dunk on the other end. An Anunoby three-pointer gave the Knicks a 9-1 edge.
There’s many, many factors that have contributed to the Sixers’ woefully disappointing season. The simplest one is perhaps most important: Their team health has been historically poor.
Lowry back at it
Kyle Lowry got his first action since Feb. 9, checking in with Jared Butler at the 5:19 mark of the first quarter.
The 39-year-old guard has struggled with a right hip injury this year, but he didn’t plan to end it on the bench.
“He’s been dealing with this hip issue for most of the season,” Nurse said. “He’s been working hard to try to get back and it took some time. Recently, he’s been feeling better, and he wants to play.”
The Sixers made a 7-0 run late in the first quarter and Lowry had a solid stretch. He tossed a high-low assist to Bona and nabbed a steal when he ripped the ball out of Anunoby’s hands. Nurse had forecast short stints for Lowry, but he played nearly nine minutes before subbing out.
Lowry ended up logging 16 total minutes Tuesday. He had zero points on 0-for-1 shooting, two assists, two steals, a block and a rebound.
Lottery odds outlook
The Sixers only mustered 16 points in the second quarter.
They started 3 for 18 as a team from three-point range and committed 13 first-half turnovers. Giveaways by Edwards and Marcus Bagley late in the second quarter led to two straight New York fast-break dunks. The Sixers trailed by 17 points at halftime.
To the Sixers’ credit, they played a strong third quarter. Two Walker layups cut the Sixers’ deficit down to 67-62.
The Knicks restored a comfortable lead by early in the fourth quarter. Former Sixer Landry Shamet sunk wide-open jumpers, Anunoby slammed in a big and-one dunk on Walker, and New York cruised to victory.
For the Sixers, it’s yet another positive step in terms of NBA draft lottery odds. After Tuesday, here’s how things stand:
- Fourth-best odds: Pelicans (21-54)
- Fifth-best: Sixers (23-53)
- Sixth-best: Nets (25-51)
NBA futures betting 2025: Odds, expert picks, predictions including Evan Mobley for DPOY
It's nearing the end of the regular season and a few NBA awards are heating up like Defensive Player of the Year as Draymond Green, Evan Mobley, and Dyson Daniels battle it out in a three-player race.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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NBA Defensive Player of the Year: Evan Mobley (+130)
Draymond Green surpassed Evan Mobley as the favorite for the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, but I am not buying it.
There are multiple layers to why Green has surpassed Mobley, such as the Cavaliers' recent four-game losing streak that factored into the Thunder leapfrogging Cleveland for the NBA's best record, while the Warriors have gone 18-5 since acquiring Jimmy Butler, ranking second in defensive net rating during that span.
That acquisition of Butler is very important for this race. Before the trade, the Warriors were 25-26, and not one single person said Green should be the defensive player of the year or that he was in second place behind Victor Wembanyama before his injury. Since the trade, Golden State is 18-5 and in the sixth and final playoff spot -- avoiding the play-in.
Now, a lot of experts, and Green himself, are pushing this narrative that he should win his second DPOY. I don't think his self-campaign is enough and the Warriors' late resurgence makes him deserving. Butler is a much larger reason why Golden State is better defensively and winning games. Not Green, who was there for the 25-26 first-half run of the season and barely cracked the top 10-12 in defensive net rating.
Mobley leads over Green in defensive win shares (3.4 vs 3.0), net rating (108.3 vs 108.9), defensive rebounding percentage (24.3% vs 19.1%), block percentage (4.8%), blocks (106 vs 63) and team success (60-15 vs 43-31). Green does lead Mobley in steals (87 vs 53) and fouls (191 vs 129), while having one of his lowest usage rates in years (15.7%) compared to the opposite for Mobley (22.6%).
All glitter ain't gold and I think Green's DPOY campaign has a lot of glitter. Give me Mobley between +110 and +130 odds to win his first award.
Pick: Evan Mobley to win Defensive Player of the Year (1u)
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Michigan State’s Tre Holloman and Xavier Booker enter transfer portal
Gehrig Normand also entered the portal.
Florida has a knack for rallying from deficits and coming through in crunch time
Beware...these Gators bite, especially when they feel threatened.
Houston defense thrives on bringing out the ugly during latest March Madness run
In a college basketball era where faster, higher-scoring games seem to be all the rage, this Final Four seems to be all about the defense.
Why facing Houston is like having a root canal | College Basketball Power Hour
Yahoo Sports’ Caroline Fenton, Jason Fitz and basketball analyst Isis ‘Ice’ Young discuss the Cougars’ tough defensive style and why it could pose problems for opponents in San Antonio. Hear the full conversation on the “College Basketball Power Hour” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
Is this the most loaded Final Four ever? | College Basketball Power Hour
Yahoo Sports’ Caroline Fenton, Jason Fitz and basketball analyst Isis ‘Ice’ Young discuss the depth of this year’s semifinal field - only the second ever on the men’s side to feature all four number one seeds. Hear the full conversation on the “College Basketball Power Hour” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.