UC Irvine and North Texas meet in NIT

North Texas Mean Green (27-8, 15-5 AAC) vs. UC Irvine Anteaters (31-6, 18-4 Big West) Indianapolis; Tuesday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: UC Irvine and North Texas play in the National Invitation Tournament. The Anteaters are 18-4 against Big West opponents and 13-2 in non-conference play.

Dawes leads Utah against Butler after 21-point game

Butler ranks seventh in the Big East with 14.0 assists per game led by Jahmyl Telfort averaging 3.4. Utah ranks sixth in college basketball with 17.5 assists per game led by Miro Little averaging 3.0. Butler averages 73.8 points per game, 1.6 more points than the 72.2 Utah gives up.

Purdue Fort Wayne and Cleveland State square off in NIT

Cleveland State Vikings (26-9, 15-7 Horizon) at Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (27-8, 20-3 Horizon) Fort Wayne, Indiana; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Purdue Fort Wayne and Cleveland State meet in the National Invitation Tournament. The Mastodons are 20-3 against Horizon opponents and 7-5 in non-conference play.

Illinois State and Louisiana Tech play in NIT

Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters (18-15, 9-11 CUSA) at Illinois State Redbirds (23-12, 15-7 MVC) Bloomington, Illinois; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Illinois State plays Louisiana Tech in the National Invitation Tournament. The Redbirds are 15-7 against MVC opponents and 8-5 in non-conference play.

Knicks Notes: Mitchell Robinson, Delon Wright impact defense; Jalen Brunson gets candid about conditioning

The Knicks have the NBA's sixth-best defensive rating over the past month.

In the four-plus months prior to that, New York ranked 16th in defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions).

That's a large discrepancy.

When you ask players about the defensive jump, there's one factor they cite most often: Mitchell Robinson.

Robinson's season debut was Feb. 28, following a lengthy rehab on his surgically repaired ankle/foot.

The Knicks wanted to bring him along slowly, have him healthy and in rhythm by the time the playoffs rolled around.

It seems like things are trending in the right direction.

Robinson has had to shake off rust over the past four-plus weeks. But recently, he's shown flashes of the rim-protecting, pick-and-roll-disrupting big man the Knicks grew accustomed to over the past two-plus seasons.

"The last month and a half, he's been a monster defensively," said Josh Hart. "Blowing up screens, blowing up handoffs, like a free safety on that backside."

The Knicks' net rating is +4.8 with Robinson on the court.

They rank fifth in the NBA in turnovers and ninth in opponent three-point percentage.

"When you have somebody like that out there, then everybody gets more aggressive," Tom Thibodeau said after Sunday's 110-93 win over Portland. "... He's an elite pick-and-roll defender. His anticipation at the rim, he can cover up for mistakes. His communication is really good, and I think his understanding of what we're doing is really good."

Robinson, again, was a key factor in the Knicks' resurgence Sunday.

During his 15 minutes, New York outscored Portland by 19. He had four rebounds, two blocks and two assists.

Sunday's win was New York's third straight. The Knicks have treaded water without Jalen Brunson and -- more recently -- Miles McBride and Cam Payne. All three guards should all be back before the end of the regular season.

So New York's rotation will look different entering the first round of the playoffs. But barring injury, that rotation will still have Robinson coming off the bench. And if the past few weeks are any indication, the Knicks' defense will be stronger because of it.

Mar 30, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Delon Wright (0) dribbles as Portland Trail Blazers guard Dalano Banton (5) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Mar 30, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Delon Wright (0) dribbles as Portland Trail Blazers guard Dalano Banton (5) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

WRIGHT MOVE

One adjustment New York made that worked Sunday? Delon Wright switched to defend Anfernee Simons. Wright stifled Simons in the third quarter and helped limit him to 1-of-11 shooting in the second half.

Simons, in the first half, was defended at times by Mikal Bridges. OG Anunoby also contested a few of Simons' attempts in the first half. Bridges helped throw Simons off late in the third quarter.

Anunoby and Bridges were tremendous again on offense. Both finished with 28 points. Bridges had seven assists, and Anunoby had three steals and two blocks.

BRUNSON DOING ALL HE CAN

Brunson spoke to reporters before the game. Here is a detailed account of his comments.

One of Brunson's remarks that stood out to me was on his conditioning. He won't be in game shape when he gets back on the court.

But he has been doing conditioning work in the pool and, more recently, on the court, in an attempt to keep his conditioning at a high level.

"I've been able to do stuff to maintain, but I feel like it's definitely going to take a hit," Brunson said. "(The rehab is) not in-game reps. Out-of-game conditioning is different from just traditional conditioning, so I'm working my way back towards that.

"I feel like I've been working my ass off, so we'll see."

I still expect Brunson to play in a handful of games before the regular season ends.

New York has eight games remaining, starting with Tuesday's 7:30 p.m. tipoff against Philadelphia.

Seven ejected as Timberwolves, Pistons altercation spills into front row

Detroit Pistons v Minnesota Timberwolves

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MARCH 30: Ronald Holland II #00 of the Detroit Pistons and Donte DiVincenzo #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves fight in the second quarter. Holland II and DiVincenzo were ejected from the game at Target Center on March 30, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

Getty Images

That really escalated quickly. I mean, that really got out of hand fast.

There had been rising tension between the Pistons and Timberwolves for a few plays, with both Donte DiVincenzo and Rudy Gobert having words with Isaiah Stewart. Then, in the middle of the second quarter, Naz Ried drove the lane and was fouled by Pistons rookie Ron Holland. Reid confronted Holland and pointed at him, Donte DiVincenzo stepped in to support Reid (he didn't want a part of Stewart but jumped in on the rookie) and suddenly it was on — and spilling into the first row.

These videos show some of the tension building up, and then the fight.

After a fairly lengthy review, the referees came down hard. For Minnesota, Reid, DiVincenzo, and assistant coach Pablo Prigioni were all ejected. For Detroit, Holland, coach J.B. Bickerstaff, Isaiah Stewart and Marcus Sasser were ejected. That is seven people in total, although it's questionable what Holland did that earned an ejection (it was a common foul, then Reid and DiVincenzo escalated things).

Luke Walton took over coaching the Pistons for the rest of the game but did not pick up a win. Minnesota got the victory 123-104 behind 26 points from Julius Randle and 25 from Anthony Edwards. The Pistons were without Cade Cunningham for this one.

Fines and suspensions are coming for both teams at a time neither needs a setback. Detroit is currently the No. 6 seed in the East, with a 1.5 game lead over the Bucks to keep that spot so they are still looking to rack up wins. Minnesota may need wins more as they sit No. 7 in the West, but are just 1.5 games back on No. 5 seed Memphis, and they are just half a game up on the No. 8 seed Clippers (just three games separate the Lakers at No. 4 and the Clippers at No. 8, every team in that group needs wins to hold their position or improve it).

Knicks overcome Trail Blazers as OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges step up

The Knicks, who hope to get Jalen Brunson back from injury soon, overcame an off night by Karl-Anthony Towns as OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges combined for 56 points in Sunday's 110-93 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Takeaways

  1. Deni Avidija dropped a game-high 33 points, and the Knicks (47-27) needed someone to keep up -- especially with Towns struggling. New York got a pair of team-high scorers as Anunoby and Bridges rose to the occasion, contributing 28 points apiece. Anunoby and Bridges were a combined 23-of-38 shooting in 37 and 40 respective minutes.
  2. The same could be said with Anunoby and Bridges leading the charge on the other end of the floor in the second half, where the Knicks held Portland (32-43) to 35 points. Initially, New York trailed 58-50 at halftime and by a largest deficit of 14 points (68-54 with roughly eight minutes into the third quarter). In a game where the Knicks lacked the offensive firepower from Towns, who finished with 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting over 32 minutes despite a double-double via 11 rebounds, New York's wing-anchored defense clamped the Blazers down the decisive stretch.
  3. Totaling 14 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, Josh Hart flirted with a triple-double in 38 minutes while making the plays that mattered late as the Knicks pushed a double-digit lead into the final three minutes. New York needed Hart to hit another gear.
  4. The Knicks are 20 games over .500 for the first time since early March. They were 40-20 after their March 2 game at the Miami Heat, a 116-112 overtime win. New York ends this month with a 7-5 record in the absence of Brunson, who started missing games March 7.

Who's the MVP?

Anunoby and Bridges, who gave the Knicks the two-way play that they needed to mount their comeback and eventual 17-point win.

What's next

The Knicks return to action in Tuesday's 7:30 p.m. game against the Philadelphia 76ers.