Category: NBA

Every Eastern conference matchup is a reminder of the precarity of the Raptors’ place in the playoff race. Tonight’s matchup with the Orlando Magic pits Toronto against a team pushing to get out of Play-In purgatory, as the Raps seek to tack on another win before getting back on the road. 

While Toronto is freed from the risk of falling out of the postseason, the fifth place spot that secures a playoff berth is set to be more hotly contested real estate than a rent controlled unit on Bloor Street. The first four spots occupied by the Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, and Cavaliers, seem all but impossible to dislodge, and represent a massive gulf in season success between them and all other teams in the conference. Orlando is a team that has underperformed this year. Despite a great start to the season, the Magic cooled off fast, and have had a number of hot streaks and cold runs that brought them to a 39-34 record.

While still contending with Franz Wagner’s lingering injury from early this season, the Magic have also been playing without shooting guard Anthony Black, who’s started 40 games this season. Paolo Banchero has been carrying the Magic, putting up some big statistical performances over the past three games. He’s hit thirty points in two losses and a win, most recently, in a victory at home against the Sacramento Kings.  Immanuel Quickley and Jamison Battle both being out signals a heavily depleted reserve of shooting for the Raptors, meaning more minutes and more potential impact from Ja’Kobe Walter, fresh off of an 18 point night where he took 10 threes and made 40% of them, while dishing out four assists. Toronto is lucky to have the guard depth it does in a situation like this, though the loss of firepower is never a good thing in a game that could go either way.

The Raptors have played the Magic twice already this season, beating them in December, while losing the January contest. This is a chance for the Raptors to take the season series, and cement their victory over the Florida squad. This game, and the rest leading to the end of the regular season, represent whether the Raptors will need to fight their way out of the Play-In, or maintain the luxury of a confirmed playoff spot.

Game Information and Detail

Game Time: 6:00 EDT

Watch On: TSN

Injury Report

Raptors: Immanuel Quickley (Out – foot), Jamison Battle (Out), Collin Murray-Boyles (Day-To-Day – back), Brandon Ingram (Day-To-Day – heel), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Day-To-Day – knee)

Magic: Franz Wagner (Out – ankle), Anthony Black (Out – abdomen), Jonathan Isaac (Out – ankle)

Projected Lineups

Raptors: Ja’Kobe Walter, Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl

Magic: Desmond Bane, Tristan da Silva, Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero, Wendell Carter Jr.

We risk looking foolish when we believe we know the contents of a man’s soul, but Dusty May sure seems like one of the good guys.

Nobody could deny he’s become one of college basketball’s premier coaches. He started winning big at Florida Atlantic and kept winning big at Michigan.

May did not start out a “Michigan Man.” He’s an Indiana graduate and a former student manager for Bob Knight.

These past couple of seasons, though, May became Michigan’s man. Its good man. Its winning man. Its man heading to the Final Four, in just his second season, in charge of an incredible team.

Michigan sends message: You don't want to play them

More: At Michigan, Dusty May's son is the student manager his dad once was

“They’ve become such a unit,” May said of his Wolverines, who'll head to Indianapolis with a 35-3 record. “It’s a special group.”

With a special coach.

Michigan must keep this man, too, no matter how badly North Carolina might like to have him.

UNC needs a no-nonsense basketball coach who’ll restore the program to such an elite status that you (mostly) forget all about the embarrassment of Bill Belichick and Tar Heels football.

Well, May has experience in that arena.

May and his basketball team are something fresh, something redeemable, for Michigan after the stench of Jim Harbaugh and Connor Stalions and Wolverines football cheating their way to glory.

May’s success and his team’s dominance helped Michigan provide some distance from the giant stain Sherrone Moore supplied, too.

I’ve seen more than a few pathetic coaches in my time, but I don’t know that I’ll ever see anyone look as pathetic as Moore did, sitting in a white jumpsuit in December, while a prosecutor accused Moore of terrorizing his ex-mistress before police arrested him.

“The football stuff, there's some, obviously, some poor decisions made across the board,” May said last winter, following Moore’s disgraceful exit.

True words.

As for the basketball stuff?

May made sure that corner of Michigan athletics shines a bright light.

Give Michigan credit for one good move these past few years, when it had the good sense to snap up May after his consecutive NCAA bids at FAU.

May's Wolverines left no doubt within the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan crushed four straight opponents and left Tennessee for dust on Sunday, in a win that sends Michigan to the Final Four for the first time since 2018.

If Michigan isn’t the favorite in this Final Four, it’s about as close as it gets.

“We have a sign in our locker room that says April habits,” May said on CBS after Michigan annihilated Tennessee, 95-62. “Since this group got together this summer, we’ve been training to build championship habits.”

May evolves, too. He took FAU to the Final Four with a team fueled by guard play.

This Michigan team, in contrast, bullies opponents and starts a frontcourt that goes like this: 6-9. 6-9. 7-3.

Goodnight.

If North Carolina possessed any doubts as to what it needs out of its next coach, it need only take inspiration from how May straightened out Michigan after the tumultuous Juwan Howard era, the lowlight of which was Howard punching an opposing assistant coach. Just another black eye for Michigan.

May cleaned it all up. He’d be a slam-dunk choice for the Tar Heels, if only he’d leave Michigan.

But, why should he stop being Michigan's man?

May obviously can achieve at the highest level at Michigan, without the pressure that accompanies a blue-blood job.

Anyway, UNC must try for him, and Michigan must promise to give May what he needs to stay put. May is the antidote to the disgraces that occurred within Michigan football. He's become Michigan's main man.

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan man Dusty May is just what UNC basketball needs

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Désiré Doué scored a pair of goals and France defeated Colombia 3-1 on Sunday as both teams prepare for the men's World Cup this summer.

Marcus Thuram also scored for the French before an announced crowd of 60,734 at Northwest Stadium, home of the NFL's Washington Commanders.

After starting in France's 2-1 victory over Brazil earlier this week, Kylian Mbappe came in as a substitute in the 78th minute. He remains a goal away from matching France’s all-time goal scoring record, held by Olivier Giroud with 57 goals.

Mbappe was working his way back after a knee injury that has sidelined him in matches for his club team, Real Madrid.

Mbappe and Hugo Ekitike both scored against Brazil on Thursday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Bremer scored a late goal for Brazil.

Les Bleus, the World Cup winners in 1998 and 2018, have not dropped a match since last June and are ranked second in the FIFA rankings.

Colombia, ranked No. 13, was coming off a 2-1 loss to Croatia in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday.

Doué scored in the 29th minute. Marcus Thuram added a goal off a cross from Maghnes Akliouche before halftime.

Doué's second goal came in the 56th with an assists from, Thuram, before Jáminton Campaz closed the gap for Colombia in the 77th.

France opens the World Cup in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on June 16 against Senegal in Group I. Colombia opens against Uzbekistan in Mexico City in Group K on June 17.

___

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

CHICAGO (AP) — Joey Wiemer and Keibert Ruiz homered and the Washington Nationals earned a season-opening series win with a 6-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

Jake Irvin (1-0) allowed two runs and three hits with seven strikeouts and a walk in five innings and Clayton Beeter, the last of four Washington relievers, worked a clean ninth for his first save. Washington took two of three in the series.

Alex Bregman hit two solo home runs — his first since joining the Cubs as a free agent — and Ian Happ added one.

Brady House and Daylen Lile hit consecutive two-out singles off Shota Imanaga (0-1) in the first and Wiemer followed with his second homer of the season to give Washington a 3-0 lead.

Imanaga also gave up Wiemer’s leadoff triple in the fourth, but stranded him there with three straight outs. Wiemer was 3 for 3 with a walk.

Ruiz added a two-run homer off reliever Hoby Milner in the eighth.

Bregman, who signed a five-year, $175 million contract in January, hit a solo shot to center to start the fourth and Happ added his second of the season two pitches later to make it 3-2.

Bregman added an eighth-inning solo shot to right field off Cionel Pérez.

Imanaga was pulled after walking the leadoff man in the sixth. He gave up six hits and four runs while walking two and striking out seven.

Winnipeg Jets forward Jonathan Toews, who captained the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups, threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

Up next

Nationals: at Phillies where Washington's Foster Griffin faces Philadelphia's Taijuan Walker on Monday.

Cubs: host Angels. Ryan Johnson starts for Los Angeles against Chicago's Edward Cabrera on Monday.

___

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

There’s a certain comedy in the agony for Nets fans right now, and frankly, all fans of tanking teams. There has to be. Otherwise it would really be a brutal watch… assuming you’re still watching.

Typing out this sentence feels wrong, but it’s the reality: the Brooklyn Nets need to lose tonight. And not just tonight — as many times as possible over these final eight games. Up next is a gauntlet of teams trying to accomplish the exact same thing. The Kings tonight. The Wizards next week. Milwaukee twice. The Pacers sandwiched in between. It’s a scramble to the bottom.

There is a strange beauty in it, too. These games still matter, just not in the way we’re used to. There are young professionals on the floor who are competing for future opportunities and contracts. That part is real…

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🏀 KEY INFO

Who: Sacramento Kings (19-56) at Brooklyn Nets (17-57)
When: 6:00 PM ET
Watch: YES Network

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⚠️ Injury Report

Nets

• Egor Demin
• Danny Wolf
• Michael Porter Jr
• Day’ron Sharpe
• Josh Minnott
• Jalen Wilson
• The Nets three two-ways and one 10-day are available.

Kings

• DeMar DeRozan
• Malik Monk
• Russell Westbrook
• Domantas Sabonis
• Zach Lavine
• Keegan Murray
• De’Andre Hunter
• Drew Eubanks

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💬 DISCUSSION

Share your thoughts and react, but please be respectful. NetsDaily prides itself on being a safe space for Nets and basketball fans alike to have healthy conversation. Reach out to Anthony Puccio or Net Income with any issues.

Two days with no games allowed the Lakers to fully reset as they prepare for the final stretch of the regular season and a playoff run.

They have eight games left, starting with the NBA lottery-bound Washington Wizards at Crypto.com Arena on Monday. The Lakers will play without star guard Luka Doncic because he’s serving his one-game suspension for reaching the league limit of 16 technical fouls.

The Lakers had an early practice Sunday and that gave them a chance to make adjustments with fresh bodies and minds.

Read more:Luka Doncic will serve one-game suspension for techs on Monday

“Yeah, for me, I think, based on all of them wanting to come in at 10 a.m. on a Sunday, I think it is as much mental and spiritual and emotional,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said after practice. “We didn't want to have these guys in here long today. But we got a lot done, watched some film and cleaned some stuff up. But there is these two days for us. It's a great reset for us.”

Doncic got his 16th technical foul of the season Friday night during a win over the Brooklyn Nets after an exchange with Ziaire Williams, when both were given double technical fouls in the third quarter of that game.

For Doncic, who earns $45.9 million per season, the suspension will cost him about $264,000.

If he gets two more technical fouls between now and the end of the regular season, he will be automatically suspended for an additional game.

Doncic is eligible to return for the Lakers on Tuesday night when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“I mean, he's disappointed,” Redick said of Doncic. “He wants to be there for his teammates, and again, I've talked about this all year, like he plays. He's not a guy that takes games off. He can be banged up and he's gonna play. He was like that when I was his teammate in Dallas. For tomorrow, we've gotten, I think, some great contributions from guys that haven't necessarily been in the nine-man rotation when we've been fully healthy.”

Redick spoke about how Bronny James, Jarred Vanderbilt and Maxi Kleber have all had “good moments” when they were called on for duty.

And with Doncic out, Redick said it will take a group effort to beat the Wizards.

“But we're gonna need everybody tomorrow,” Redick said.

Read more:Swanson: Bronny James has proven he deserves to be a Laker — with or without LeBron

The Wizards have the third-worst record in the NBA at 17-56. They are second to last in the league in points allowed, giving up 124 per game.

Still, this is all about the Lakers and how they get ready for the playoffs during the final few games of the season .

Half of the eight games are against teams with records below .500.

The Lakers will face a Cavaliers team that’s making a push for better positioning in the Eastern Conference. They will twice face an Oklahoma City team that has the best record in the league and a Suns team that has a 3-1 record against the Lakers.

“That's the thing I've talked about all year is you need great effort and you need great execution,” Redick said. “I think the effort part has been there very consistently for weeks now. Sometimes when the games are stacked together and travel and all that, there can be some small details, execution-wise, that can have slippage, and I think for us, especially on the defensive end, we can do some things better. But I mean, look, the last 16 games we are where we are because we've been really good on both ends.”

Etc.

Redick said guard Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) and forward Adou Thiero (left knee soreness) are in “that day-to-day camp” with their injuries.

“So we’re just kind of waiting for them to feel like they’re good enough to go,” Redick said.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

MIAMI (AP) — Owen Caissie hit a walk-off, two-run homer to give the Miami Marlins a 4-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday and complete a sweep of their season-opening series.

Javier Sanoja doubled with two outs in the ninth inning against Rockies reliever Victor Vodnik (0-1) before Caissie drilled a change-up from Vodnik over the wall in right field.

In addition to going deep, Caissie doubled twice and batted 5 for 10 over the three-game set.

Sanoja, Otto López and Xavier Edwards had two hits each for the Marlins. Michael Petersen (1-0) got the win, throwing a perfect ninth.

The Rockies struck quickly against Marlins starter Max Meyer on Jordan Beck’s three-run double in the first.

Miami chipped away at the early deficit when López hit an RBI double in the first and Austin Slater added a sacrifice fly in the second.

Rockies starter José Quintana was lifted after 4 1/3 innings and 78 pitches of two-run ball. Quintana gave up four hits, struck out two and walked four.

The 37-year-old Quintana began his 15th season with Sunday’s outing. Quintana pitched for eight previous clubs before Colorado signed him to a free agent deal in the offseason.

Meyer settled down after the first and kept the Rockies scoreless through the remainder of his five-inning outing. He allowed five hits, struck out five and walked two.

Miami’s Deyvison De Los Santos doubled in his first major league at-bat in the second. De Los Santos was recalled from Triple-A Saturday.

Up next

Rockies: RHP Tomoyuki Sugano (10-10, 4.64 with Baltimore in 2025) makes his Colorado debut in the opener of a three-game set at Toronto on Monday. Four seasons since his last major league appearance, RHP Cody Ponce will start for the Blue Jays.

Marlins: RHP Chris Paddack (5-12, 5.35 in 2025) will start the opener of a three-game home series against the Chicago White Sox on Monday. RHP Davis Martin (7-10, 4.10) will start for the White Sox.

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

The Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown (left Achilles tendonitis) and Derrick White (right knee contusion) when they face the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night. Those absences will come on the first night of a back-to-back; the Celtics will visit the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

Jayson Tatum, who was listed as questionable with right Achilles repair management, is available, as is Neemias Queta (right thumb sprain). Nikola Vucevic remains out with a right ring finger fracture he suffered on March 6th.

It’s unclear if either Brown’s or White’s injuries are cause for concern

Brown will miss his second straight game with Achilles tendonitis; Joe Mazzulla said on Friday that he was “a little banged up” and day-to-day. White is likely just taking a rest night with the Celtics playing again on Monday, though he previously missed a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder earlier this month with the same knee contusion.

With both players sidelined, Baylor Scheierman will likely remain in the starting lineup. Scheierman started on Friday in place of Brown in the win over the Hawks, his 18th start of the season. He’s averaging 4.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 17.9 minutes per game this season, while shooting 38.5% from three.

In addition, Ron Harper Jr. and Jordan Walsh could see increased minutes with the Celtics shorthanded. Harper Jr. started two games last month when Brown was sidelined, while Walsh is coming off his most extensive run in weeks, having tallied 27 minutes on Friday night.

Queta and Luka Garza will continue to anchor the frontcourt with Vucevic sidelined; Garza has played double-digit minutes in 11 straight games after previously falling out of the rotation after the trade deadline.

Celtics-Hornets tips off at 6pm ET.

For the second time in the past four years, and at the second different program, Dusty May is in the Final Four of the NCAA tournament.

This time around, the end of the path to college basketball’s preeminent event came with a little extra personal meaning.

With May’s Michigan team leading Tennessee 92-62 late in their Elite Eight matchup on Sunday, March 29 in Chicago, his son, Charlie, swished a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:02 to cap off a 95-62 victory.

DUSTY MAY'S SON GETS A BUCKET 🪣

CHARLIE MAY GREEN LIGHT 🚦#MarchMadness@umichbballpic.twitter.com/WDG0C0s02V

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2026

REQUIRED READING: Michigan sends message: You don't want to play them

A 6-foot-5 senior, the younger May is in his second season with the Wolverines after transferring over from UCF in 2024 after his father was hired at Michigan. Prior to Sunday’s win, he had scored just four career points and made one career field goal. This season, he has appeared in 18 minutes across seven games.

May’s trey sent the Michigan bench into hysteria, with the team’s biggest stars like Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara celebrating passionately.

“Mayday in Chicago!” CBS play-by-play broadcaster Andrew Catalon said after May splashed the shot.

The win against the Volunteers continued a dominant postseason run for the Wolverines, who have won their four NCAA tournament games by a combined 90 points. Only one of those victories came by fewer than 21 points.

It's the second career Final Four trip for May, who led Florida Atlantic on an improbable run to the national semifinals in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, where the Owls lost on a buzzer-beater to eventual national runner-up San Diego State.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dusty May's son swished a 3 to cap off Michigan's Elite 8 win over Tennessee

The book on Jalen Green when he arrived in Phoenix as part of the Kevin Durant deal was simple. Electric scorer, can get anywhere he wants on the floor, can create his own shot at will. The question has always been consistency. Some nights it flows, some nights it disappears, and in his short time with the Phoenix Suns, we have already seen both sides of that coin.

But when he finds it, when he locks into that rhythm, it is something different. It is smooth, it is effortless, it is the kind of scoring that makes you lean forward in your seat a little bit. Against the Utah Jazz on Saturday night, he hit that gear.

Jalen Green has the most games in the NBA this season with 30+ PTS & 0 FTA. pic.twitter.com/b2SQWGCwP8

— Real App (@realapp) March 29, 2026

31 points in 22 minutes, and it never felt forced. Threes falling, drives collapsing the defense, mid-range shots dropping in stride. It came from everywhere. That is the version of Jalen Green that reminds you why the ceiling is so high, why the flashes keep you believing, why you keep waiting to see if it can become something more consistent over time.

It is fun to watch. It really is. Because it feels a little different from what we have had in Phoenix for a while. A guard who can create his own shot, get downhill whenever he wants, and do it with real burst and athleticism. You probably have to go back to Gerald Green or Jason Richardson to find that kind of pop out of the two slot, and that is more than a decade ago. Having that on the roster adds something. It bends defenses. It pulls help. It creates space for everyone else because when Jalen Green turns the corner, the defense has to react.

But there is another side to it, and we have already seen it.

That same ability can bring a level of confidence that drifts into tough decisions. Shot selection gets a little loose. The moment can turn into a search for the spectacular instead of the simple. You see it on drives where he has a clean path. Instead of finishing quickly, the ball gets cocked back, the play stretches, and suddenly defenders have time to recover.

And it sounds funny to say, but sometimes you want the layup. Two points is two points. Is this the anti-Ayton argument, isn’t it? I can LO to the L about the thought, but it’s true. With Ayton, we pined for aggression at the basket, begging for a dunk. With Green? Just get the ball through the cylinder. This is not about asking him to be something he is not. It is about channeling what he already does into something more efficient. Finish the play, keep the pressure on, make the defense pay. Because when he does that, when he balances the flash with control, that is when it all starts to come together.

So yeah, there are holes in Jalen Green’s game, but that does not erase the potential he brings. The season is closing fast, and when you look ahead, it feels unlikely that the Phoenix Suns are going to rush into any decisions on a player set to make $36 million next season. This is something you let breathe. You gather more data, you see how the market shapes up, and you give yourself more time to evaluate what you truly have.

The path forward is still there. If he tightens the shot selection, if he finds a little more efficiency, it can unlock something real. The tools are obvious. The flashes are not subtle. It is about refining how and when he uses them.

And in the meantime, there is nothing wrong with enjoying it. Nights like Saturday, when he catches fire and everything opens up, that is part of the experience. That is the version of him that can swing a game, that can tilt momentum, that can carry a team for stretches. You take that for what it is. You appreciate it, you recognize what still needs to come along, and you understand that both can exist at the same time.

That is the story with Jalen Green right now. The peaks are real, the questions remain, and somewhere in between is the player he is still becoming.

The Washington Wizards play the Portland Trail Blazers today. Tip off is at 6 p.m. ET. Go Wizards.

CHICAGO – Michigan basketball is hitting its stride in the NCAA Tournament.

After using an explosive second half to blow out Alabama in the Sweet 16, the No. 1-seeded Wolverines carried over the momentum just two days later in a dominant 95-62 win over No. 6 Tennessee on Sunday, March 29, at the United Center.

Michigan dominated the first half, using a 21-0 run to take control of a game that Tennessee had led 16-14 with 11:22 left in the first half. In just 4:42 of game time, that score changed to a 35-16 lead for the Wolverines.

Michigan sends message: You don't want to play them

The win for Michigan advances it to the Final Four next weekend in Indianapolis. But the Wolverines also dominated the game in a nearly historic way. With 1:46 in the game, Michigan held an 92-58 lead. The Wolverines also led by 31 with just under 12 minutes left.

Yaxel Lendeborg subbed out of the game for the final time with the Wolverines ahead by 32 points. The rest of the starters were out of the game with 3:14 remaining.

How dominant was Michigan in the Elite Eight victory? Here’s what you need to know about the largest margin of victories in the Regional Final round of the NCAA Tournament:

Largest margin of victories in Elite 8

On March 14, 1964, Duke dominated Connecticut 101-54 at the Reynolds Coliseum, Raleigh, North Carolina. The Blue Devils jumped out to a 62-27 first-half lead and never looked back. 

Jeff Mullins led Duke with 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the win, while four total players finished in double figures.

In 1971, Villanova defeated Penn 90-47 in the Regional Final and in 1965 Princeton took down Providence by 40 points (109-69).

Here’s a look at the biggest blowouts in the NCAA Elite Eight round, according to BetMGM.

• 1964: Duke 101, UConn 54 (47 points)
• 1971: Villanova 90, Penn 47 (43 points)
• 1965: Princeton 109, Providence 69 (40 points)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Largest margin of victories in Elite 8 after Michigan dominated Tennessee

CHICAGO – With Tennessee already down by 19, one basket wasn’t going to make a difference. The game was effectively over, and whether Michigan won by 10 or 20, the outcome was still going to be the same.

Michigan coach Dusty May challenged the goaltending call, anyway. The Wolverines weren’t just here to win, they were here to send a message:

They’re the best team in the country, and they’ll steamroll anyone who is in their way.

"It's just people stepping up to the moment," Roddy Gayle Jr. said. "I feel like March brings out the best in people."

Toppmeyer: Dusty May so good, you almost forget Sherrone Moore — now, UNC needs him

More: Where does Michigan blowout rank among largest margin of victories in Elite 8?

It certainly has with this team.

Top-seeded Michigan routed sixth-seeded Tennessee 95-62 on Sunday, March 29, to reach the Final Four for the third time since 2013. With apologies to Moritz Wagner and Glenn Robinson III, these Wolverines have the best chance yet to win the school’s first national title since 1989.

In a span of two days, Michigan humbled the country’s top offensive team and the SEC’s best defensive team, and the Wolverines barely broke a sweat in doing so. They’ve scored 90 or more points and shot 50% or better in each of their NCAA Tournament games, and the 33-point win over Tennessee was the biggest blowout of the weekend.

And if Yaxel Lendeborg isn’t the player of the year, he’s for sure the player of March.

Lendeborg tagged Tennessee for 27 points, his third game with 23 or more, and 10 of those came during a 23-2 run in the first half that effectively sealed the game. He’s making a career’s worth of highlights every game, including his tip-in layup off his own missed 3-pointer with 11:57 left to play against Tennessee.

The Wolverines are not a one-man team, however. Four other players finished in double figures and two others were only a bucket away. Elliot Cadeau had double-digit assists (10) for the fifth time this season.

Whatever those hiccups Michigan had in the Big Ten tournament, where they struggled against Ohio State and Wisconsin before losing to Purdue in the title game, they are long gone. Michigan is rolling, and good luck to anyone who faces them.

Michigan plays fellow No. 1 seed Arizona in the Final Four in Indianapolis on Friday night, April 3.

"When this group got together, we all wanted to make it the national championship and win it," Lendeborg said. "We worked tirelessly on making sure that our mental was right, not just physical. And we all trust each other. We play hard for each other. We make extra plays for each other. We're going to do whatever we want for each other.

"So just being able to make it this far and continuing to want to get more, it means a lot."

Michigan is only two seasons removed from a team that lost 24 games. While quick turnarounds are more doable now with the transfer portal, building chemistry when there's a new coach and new players presents its own challenges.

Add in being thrust into the spotlight as a national title contender a month into the season, and Michigan very easily could have gone sideways.

"The most difficult part is that everyone starts getting so much more attention, advice. Literally everything they get more of," May said. "It's difficult not to make it about you because the people you're talking to are making it about you.

"There's just a lot of distracting information," May added. "And if you're not mature and you're not connected as a group and you're not willing to be held accountable by the staff and each other, then it's not going to work. Once it creeps in it's almost impossible to weed it out. So our guys never let it in.

"They stayed the course and stayed about each other. And that's ultimately why we're here," May said. "We weren't a super team, but these guys became super teammates."

Though Michigan’s Fab Five never won an NCAA title, they changed college basketball with their outsized personalities, baggy shorts and black socks. These Wolverines aren't going to have that kind of influence, but they’ve got a similar brand of fun.

Lendeborg is as goofy as he is good, and Gayle isn’t far behind. They all love to hype each other up — when Lendeborg said Will Tschetter deserved a shout out for his toughness, Nimari Burnett woofed in response — and their tightknit chemistry isn't forced.

They might be stealing people's souls, but they're having a blast doing it.

"That's our main thing. We say before every game to just go out there and have fun," Cadeau said. "We're not worrying about our stats, not worrying about the scoreboard."

Michigan cruised through the regular season, not losing a single Big Ten road game. Its two losses, to Wisconsin in January and Duke in late February, were by a combined eight points. They spent time at No. 1 and were never ranked lower than third after Dec. 1.

But the Wolverines didn't have their usual swagger in the Big Ten tournament. When they lost to Purdue in the title game, it wasn't even that big a surprise.

It also might have been the best thing for them.

"Watching another team cut down the nets, feeling that was something that we didn't want to feel again," Gayle said.

Message received.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan basketball makes statement with win over Tennessee in Elite 8

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The New York Knicks are being slightly undervalued on the road, even against an elite opponent like the Oklahoma City Thunder.

New York played OKC tight the last time these teams met, and my Knicks vs. Thunder predictions and NBA picks for Sunday, March 29, expect another close game tonight at Paycom Center.

Knicks vs Thunder prediction

Knicks vs Thunder best bet: Knicks +8.5 (-110)

The New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder both come into tonight’s game playing well, with New York having a seven-game winning streak before losing on Thursday, while OKC has won 13 of its last 14 contests. Both still have a lot to play for in the race for top seeds in their respective contests, and both teams are relatively healthy heading into tonight’s matchup.

That’s all to say that we’re going to get the best of both sides tonight. In the case of these teams, that means tough defense that makes every possession into a battle. The Thunder have arguably the best defense in the NBA, allowing 107.7 ppg with a league-best 104.6 defensive efficiency, but the Knicks aren’t far behind, giving up just 110.5 ppg themselves.

That showed in the first meeting between these teams, when OKC fought its way to a 103-100 victory in New York. And with two defenses playing this well, it will be hard for either team to put together big runs or pull away from the other.

As well as the Thunder have been playing, they haven’t been dominating the way their backers need lately. OKC has covered in only three of its last 14 games overall, with two of those covers coming against overmatched opponents in the 76ers and Nets.

Quality opponents like the Knicks have been able to stay in games against the Thunder, and that’s exactly what I’m expecting tonight. I’m taking New York to cover.

Knicks vs Thunder same-game parlay

This game features two of the best defensive teams in the NBA, and we’ve already seen them play once this year, resulting in a game total of 203 points.

I’m taking the Under for my SGP, and I think it’s a good straight bet as well. Let’s round out the SGP by backing Karl-Anthony Towns to pick up Over 17.5 points, a total he’s hit in four of his last five games overall.

Knicks vs Thunder SGP

• Knicks +8.5
• Under 223.5
• Karl-Anthony Towns Over 17.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Double-double trouble

Both sides have serious double-double threats in this game, and I’m targeting one from each lineup for this parlay. First, KAT has been a consistent double-double machine for the Knicks, picking up five in his last six games.

Chet Holmgren isn’t far behind for the Thunder, with 23 double-doubles on the season. I’ll round things out by taking OG Anunoby to hit at least three shots from beyond the arc tonight, as he’s coming off back-to-back games where he made five threes in each.

Knicks vs Thunder SGP

• Knicks +8.5
• Karl-Anthony Towns to record a double-double
• Chet Holmgren to record a double-double
• OG Anunoby Over 2.5 threes

Knicks vs Thunder odds

• Spread: Knicks +8.5 | Thunder -8.5
• Moneyline: Knicks +280 | Thunder -360
• Over/Under: Over 223.5 | Under 223.5

Knicks vs Thunder betting trend to know

The Thunder have covered in just three of their last 14 games. Find more NBA betting trends for Knicks vs. Thunder.

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Knicks vs Thunder latest injuries

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TORONTO (AP) — Izzy Daniel had a goal and an assist and the Vancouver Goldeneyes snapped a two-game skid with a 3-2 win over the Toronto Sceptres on Sunday.

Hannah Miller and Mannon McMahon also scored for Vancouver. Sarah Nurse had two assists.

Emerance Maschmeyer stopped 25 shots.

Blayre Turnbull scored twice for Toronto, while Elaine Chuli made 26 saves.

The Sceptres were missing forward Clara Van Wieren after she was suspended for one game for a boarding penalty late in Friday’s loss to Boston.

Turnbull put a rebound from a Renata Fast shot past Maschmeyer just 2:31 into the contest.

Three former Sceptres connected on the Goldeneyes’ response at 7:55. Miller put home a rebound on a shot from the slot by Daniel, who took a pass from Nurse.

Daniel put Vancouver ahead just 35 seconds into the second period. Off an initial miss on a tip on a Nurse shot, Daniel tucked in her own rebound.

Turnbull netted her second of the game on the power play when she took a pass from Daryl Watts by the goal line, spun and her backhand went in off the skate of Claire Thompson at 8:09 of the middle frame.

McMahon restored Vancouver’s lead with a tip-in off a Sophie Jaques shot on the power play at 8:54.

Turnbull’s power-play goal was Toronto’s first since a 6-4 loss to Seattle on Jan. 20. The Sceptres had gone 0 for 15 since, including 0 for 12 in seven games after the Olympic break.

Up next

Sceptres: Visit Calgary to take on the Ottawa Charge as part of the Takeover Tour on Wednesday.

Goldeneyes: Visit the Montreal Victoire on Wednesday.

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AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey