Category: Basketball

The Detroit Pistons lost Cade Cunningham to what was later diagnosed as a collapsed lung two games ago. He was out within five minutes of that first game, so effectively, two games minus their All-Star and most important player. They are 2-0. Or maybe they just played the Washington Wizards twice. The Golden State Warriors are no great shakes, and they are also missing their star in Steph Curry. But they are also not the Washington Wizards. As we move forward for the next couple of weeks, especially absent any kind of return timeline for Cunningham, every game becomes a test. Can this team pass the Warriors test if they only play as good as they did against the Wizards? I’m not so sure. But I also think they have a lot of room for improvement, even within their limited offensive skillset. There have been positives — Jalen Duren is a monster and Kevin Huerter is doing all the little things (big thing he’s still not doing — hitting 3s). Tobias Harris has stepped up as a rebounder, and it’s good to have Ausar Thompson back and healthy. Still, Daniss Jenkins is struggling, the lack of point guard play is hurting tertiary guys like Javonte Green and Ron Holland the most, and now the aforementioned Huerter and Duren are questionable with ankle and shoulder issues, respectively. The end of the season is going to be a roller coaster. Strap in.

Game Vitals

When: 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
Watch: Fan Duel Sports Network Detroit
Odds: Pistons -5.5

Projected Lineups

Detroit Pistons (50-19)

Daniss Jenkins, Duncan Robinson, Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, Jalen Duren

Golden State Warriors (34-38)

Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, Gui Santos, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis

NASHVILLE, TN. — Most coaches are focused on one March Madness bracket. High Point University assistant coach Katie Clayman is living in two.

Clayman’s husband, Flynn, is the head coach of the High Point men’s team. March 19, the Panthers pulled off a 12-over-5 upset against Wisconsin. Clayman brought her son, Quinn, to Portland, Oregon, from North Carolina to watch his dad coach in the men’s matchup.

As if caring for a 19-month-old wasn’t already a full-time job, Clayman is traveling between tournament sites to support her husband while also helping lead her team into a matchup against No. 2 seed Vanderbilt in the women’s tournament.

“One thing I honestly believe is family first,” High Point women’s head coach Chelsea Banbury said. “She should be there.”

Of the 136 teams across both NCAA tournaments, only 30 schools have both their men’s and women’s programs in the field. Clayman has a stake in both sides of one of them.

For her, one round is done and it’s on to the next. And as she travels to Nashville, she’ll be working on setting up the High Point women for a Round 1 repeat.

“It's obviously long travel days,” Banbury said. “There's not any direct flights, but she'll get here this evening. I've been in touch with her. She's watching film. I've given her a task of what I want to see when she gets here and what to have broken down by the time she is.”

Both sets of Panthers are looking to make deep tournament appearances. And, for Quinn, it’s a front-row seat to both of his parents chasing history.

Katie Fryburger is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

LENS, France (AP) — Florian Thauvin scored one and made two and Odsonne Edouard grabbed a double as Lens beat Angers 5-1 to leapfrog Paris Saint-Germain and return to the top of Ligue 1 on Friday.

Lens is seeking a first French title since 1998 but its challenge has faltered in recent weeks with losses to Lorient and Monaco.

However, it made its intentions clear in a comprehensive win over a side that has lost five of its last six league matches.

Thauvin set the ball rolling in the 13th minute with his fourth goal in six games.

Then he set up Edouard to make it 2-0. Mamadou Sangare added the third just before halftime.

Edouard scored a fourth three minutes into the second half after taking a perfectly weighted pass from the outstanding Thauvin. Although Lanroy Machine pulled a goal back for Angers 14 minutes later it was no more than a consolation.

Matthieu Udol restored Lens' four-goal cushion with a spectacular fifth.

The result took Lens two points clear of PSG, which has two games in hand.

Angers, meanwhile, was in 12th place, far from the fight from European places but well above the relegation zone.

___

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

BOURNEMOUTH, England (AP) — Bruno Fernandes got a goal and an assist and Harry Maguire marked his return to the England squad by getting a red card as Manchester United drew 2-2 at Bournemouth in the Premier League on Friday.

After a dull first half, Fernandes, so often United’s saviour, put the visitor ahead from the penalty spot an hour in.

Ryan Christie equalized for Bournemouth with a perfectly executed low shot six minutes later.

Fernandes’ in-swinging corner was headed into his own goal by James Hill under pressure from Maguire at the far post.

Then with 12 minutes remaining Maguire — who hours earlier was named in Thomas Tuchel’s squad for pre-World Cup friendlies against Uruguay and Japan — was red-carded for bringing down Evanilson in the box.

Teenage Bournemouth forward Junior Kroupi converted the penalty to make it 2-2.

The home side threw everything at its more illustrious visitor during a frantic final push but could not get a winner. Instead, it was a fifth consecutive draw for the Cherries, whose unbeaten run clicked on to 11 matches.

“I’m happy for the performance — it’s a decent point always when you face United," Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola said. "But in the big picture it’s five draws in a row. It doesn’t give you a lot in the standings. Probably, especially at the end, we were looking for a win.”

Bournemouth was 10th in the table.

United remained in third place, six points behind Manchester City, but captain Fernandes could not hide his disappointment at not taking all three points.

“We were in front two times, we gave it away,” he said.

___

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

Be sure to follow USA TODAY Sports' live updates keeping track of all of NCAA Tournament's Friday first round games.

There's nothing like spending your Friday night with some madness.

The 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament first round continues with eight more games tonight.

Will anything match the drama of Otega Oweh's banked-in buzzer-beating 3-pointer that kept Kentucky's season alive against Santa Clara?

Did Santa Clara get hosed? Officials missed Herb Sendek timeout on Otega Oweh buzzer-beater

Guess we'll find out. Tonight's remaining schedule is below.

Here's who plays in Saturday's second round.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Lakers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

With LeBron James set to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, he’ll have all of the options on the table regarding what his future in basketball will be.

He can negotiate a new deal with the Lakers, take his talents elsewhere, or call it a career after 23 seasons in the NBA.

LeBron has made it clear he isn’t sure what the future will be, leaving everyone wondering how much of his career is left and where that ending will take place.

For our SB Nation Reacts survey this week, we asked, what does the future hold for LeBron James?

The results are in, and 40% of fans believe he will be joining the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now, 40% is a big number, but it makes sense given LeBron’s history. After all, he’s the kid from Akron and what better way to end his career than where it all started?

While the Cavs option did win the poll, the Lakers were a very close second at 38%. Since LeBron joined the Lakers, there has been speculation about his exit. However, he’s been here for eight years, his longest stint in one place in his career. So, how appropriate would it be if he closed things out here while everyone speculates about a change?

LA looks like a good team with LeBron, and if they can figure out a contract that allows the Lakers to pursue other players, James’ return might be best for all involved.

It would allow them to keep an All-Star player, improve as a team and celebrate LeBron as he calls it a career.

The front office has consistently stated that they would love for James to return next year.

Tied for last are the options of LeBron retiring or joining another team. It’s surprising that retiring is so low given his age and the years on his body, but then again, until he leaves, it’s probably always going to feel like he’ll play.

Only 11% voting for a different team makes sense. This late into his career, playing somewhere else might seem like a lot of change just to wrap it up in a season or two.

Another question in our SB Nation Reacts survey asked who should win the MVP this season.

It’s important to note that this was asked last week before Luka Dončić went off and scored 60 against the Heat.

In our poll, Victor Wembanyama was the winner with 39% of the vote.

Wemby has had a great year, averaging 24.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, and three blocks per game. Considering he’s leading the Spurs to their best season in years, he has a valid argument for MVP.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting 34% of the vote also isn’t a shock. He won the MVP last year and his team is destined to be the No. 1 seed in the West, yet again.

Nikola Jokić got 15% of the vote and Cade Cunnigham came in last at 12%.

With Luka Dončić leading the league in scoring and the Lakers currently sitting at No. 3 in the West, he’s also putting himself in the MVP race.

On FanDuel, Luka’s MVP odds are at +1500, so it seems that the betting markets agree that he is a top candidate.

There’s still a month of basketball to go, so we’ll see if Luka improves his odds and makes this a compelling MVP race. And as far as LeBron’s future, it looks like that’s going to be more of a wait-and-see game.

You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88 or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social.

SAN DIEGO – Inside the Arizona Wildcats’ locker room after their 92-58 victory against Long Island University, players leaned back in their chairs, stretched their long legs and scrolled through their phones.

Yawn.

They had just dominated their opponent in a first round Men’s NCAA Tournament game with so much firepower that it almost looked easy. They seemed relaxed.

“No, it was not easy,” Arizona freshman forward Ivan Kharchenkov told USA TODAY Sports afterward on Saturday, March 20.

Say what?

No. 1-seed Arizona jumped out to a 27-point lead in the first half and got at least 14 points from three freshman starters, including Kharchenkov, who scored 14 with 10 rebounds.

“The game starts 0-0,” Kharchenkov explained. “We don’t start with a 20-point lead or anything.”

Yet they still pretty much did. They led 38-18 with 7:21 left in the first half and looked every bit the part of a potential Final Four team while advancing to the second round Sunday against No. 9 seed Utah State, who beat Villanova, 86-76.

Pizza night in San Diego for Arizona

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd still pushed the same message in his postgame news conference before he was even asked a question.

“These games are never easy,” said Lloyd, whose team improved to 33-2 this season. “You never take them for granted.”

It’s the kind of mindset the Wildcats are trying to keep as they stay on upset alert as a fashionable pick to win this tournament. They’ve been to the NCAA Tournament 19 times since 2001 but never reached the Final Four since then, when the late Lute Olson was still coaching the team.

This time the team carried the hopes of the thousands of red-and-blue-clad fans who packed Viejas Arena here on the campus of San Diego State. Many of them drove 400 miles west from Tucson. Some even joined Lloyd for pizza Wednesday night at local restaurant owned by former Arizona guard Matt Othick.

“He told anybody that had any affiliation with the Arizona Wildcats to show up…,  Lloyd said. “I was expecting a small little get-together of a few players. But man, the place was hopping.”

'I don't look at them as freshmen,' Arizona coach says

It was hopping at Viejas too, especially with 15 seconds left. The crowd loudly chanted “U of A! U of A!” after Arizona’s freshmen led the way once again. Five freshmen for Arizona combined for 55 points, led by guard Brayden Burries, who scored 18, including four 3-pointers in the first half.

Burries himself was playing in front of family who made the trip roughly 100 miles south of his hometown of San Bernardino.

“Especially being back in Cali – I hadn’t been back in a minute,” Burries told USA TODAY Sports. “Being back here, the weather’s great. Got to see my people. So it was great.”

They all had the pleasure of seeing what the Wildcats are capable of in a key sequence in the first half. After Burries drained a 3-pointer, senior guard Jaden Bradley got the rebound on the other end and skipped a one-bounce pass to Kharchenkov, who rolled to basket for a left-handed layup. The bucket put Arizona up 47-20 with 3:46 left before halftime — a feat that is definitely not easy to do for just any group of freshmen. These rookies are different, though.

“I don't look at them as freshmen, you know what I mean?” Lloyd said. “I just look at them as really good basketball players. These guys, they have high IQs. They have great character and obviously they're talented basketball players. And they put the work in.”

The win overshadowed the remarkable turnout of 16^th-seed LIU under coach Rod Strickland, the former NBA player. Three years ago, the Sharks were the nation’s worst team and won just three games. They finished at 24-11 with the loss.

“We knew it was going to be a tough game,” Strickland said. “That team (Arizona) is predicted to win the tournament.”

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Arizona's first round NCAA win wasn't as 'easy' as it looked

Rick Barnes and Travis Steele weren’t the only coaches on the court for Tennessee’s matchup against Miami (Ohio) in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was sitting courtside for the meeting between the Volunteers and RedHawks on Friday, March 20.

Nick Sirianni watches college basketball pic.twitter.com/dswd1dwJyC

— Cole Adams (@coleadamss) March 20, 2026

REQUIRED READING: March Madness scores: See the big shots, moments, highlights in today's first round

Xfinity Mobile Arena, the site of the game and the home venue of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, is a short walk across 11th Street in South Philadelphia from Lincoln Financial Field, where Sirianni’s team plays its home games.

Sirianni has no connection to either school, though he did play college football at Mount Union, a Division III powerhouse in Alliance, Ohio, about 260 miles across the state from Miami’s campus in Oxford, Ohio.

Sirianni is entering his sixth season as the Eagles’ coach. He led the franchise to a pair of Super Bowl appearances, including the franchise’s second-ever Super Bowl victory, though his teams have been wildly erratic from year to year. Philadelphia finished 11-6 last season and lost at home to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is Nick Sirianni at Tennessee vs Miami Ohio basketball in March Madness?

ST. LOUIS – No one in America got a better view of March’s maddest moment so far than Mark Pope, who stood mere feet away from his leading scorer as Otega Oweh saved Kentucky’s season.

He might have done even more than that.

Hands on his hips as Oweh rose and fired, Pope stood almost precisely on the spot where an invisible line could be drawn through him, Oweh and the first S in the March Madness logo at midcourt of the Enterprise Center. As an arena held its breath, Pope heard his star bark out, “That’s a bucket.”

And it was.

In what has at times been a trying, stressful season in Lexington, the player who more than any other defines the first two years of Pope’s tenure leading his alma mater delivered a moment to erase all kinds of frustration and pain. Oweh’s banked-in 3 extended into overtime No. 7 Kentucky’s 89-84 first-round NCAA Tournament win against Santa Clara on Friday.

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The Toronto Raptors will try to pad their three-game winning streak tonight when they take on the Denver Nuggets in the Mile High City. 

I'm taking advantage of this evening's showdown with a three-leg same-game parlay centered on the shiftiness of Immanuel Quickley. The lightning-fast guard is poised to have his way with Denver's defenders, leading to plenty of dimes and a W for the visitors. 

This parlay has been BOOSTED from +2300 to +2800 by our friends at bet365.

Raptors vs Nuggets same game parlay for March 20

Toronto Raptors vs  Denver Nuggets

• Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
• Location: Ball Arena
• TV: NBA League Pass, SN, ALT2

Tonight's matchup against Denver sets up extremely well for Immanuel Quickley and his assists prop, which is why I’m targeting a massive alternate Over on this line. This is far and away my favorite assists props on the board for Friday.

Jamal Murray is expected to be Quickley’s primary defender, and he tends to struggle against quick, shifty guards—exactly Quickley’s profile. On top of that, Murray carries a significant offensive load, which likely limits his defensive impact.

There’s also a schematic edge working in Quickley’s favor. With Nikola Jokić playing higher in coverage to take away pull-up threes, it opens the door for Quickley to attack downhill. That allows him to use his snake dribble, get into the lane, draw help from defenders like Aaron Gordon, and create easy dump-off opportunities.

I’m also pairing Quickley with RJ Barrett, as no teammate has converted more of his assists over the last five games. Barrett has finished 10 of Quickley’s assists during that stretch. If Quickley is piling up assists, it means his teammates are knocking down shots, which puts the Raptors in a strong position to compete on the road.

Read our full Raptors vs. Nuggets prediction for even more analysis ahead of tip-off tonight.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

The sheer volume of moves made by the Cleveland Browns this offseason has been less than in previous seasons, but it is still a lot. That doesn’t include a final decision by OL Joel Bitonio at this point. Bitonio’s contract voided on March 11th, but no other decision or announcement has been made.

The Browns also spent much of their resources in replacing much of their offensive line, along with other moves:

• OT Tytus Howard in a trade with the Houston Texans
• OL Zion Johnson from the Los Angeles Chargers
• LB Quincy Williams from the New York Jets
• OL Teven Jenkins has re-signed with the Browns
• OL Elgton Jenkins from the Green Bay Packers
• TE Jack Stoll from the New Orleans Saints
• P Corey Bojorquez has re-signed with the Browns
• CB D’Angelo Ross has re-signed with the Browns
• DT Kalia Davis from the San Francisco 49ers
• CB Trey Avery has re-signed with the Browns
• WR Tylan Wallace from the Baltimore Ravens
• DE Julian Okwara re-signing with the Browns
• S Daniel Thomas from the Detroit Lions
• DE AJ Epenesa from the Buffalo Bills

Cleveland has only lost four players so far in free agency:

• LB Devin Bush to the Chicago Bears
• DE Cameron Thomas to the Atlanta Falcons
• RB Jerome Ford to the Washington Commanders
• OL Wyatt Teller to the Houston Texans

Kevin Cole ranked the additions of Howard, Johnson, and Jenkins among the top 10 improvements with players changing teams this offseason:

It is important to note that Cole’s process is all about improvement. With Howard replacing what Jack Conklin, KT Leveston, Cornelius Lucas, and others provided last year for the Browns, the uptick was going to be pretty big. Cole’s projections also do not give any credit for players who are retained, because that is not considered improvement.

With that in mind, Cleveland has improved among the most in all of the NFL this offseason:

It is unsurprising to see some of the worst teams in the NFL near the top of the list. On the other hand, the Minnesota Vikings (Kyler Murray in for Carson Wentz/JJ McCarthy) and the Los Angeles Rams (acquiring CB Trent McDuffie in a trade) jump out of the group at the top, given their recent history of success.

Do you really think the Browns have improved signficantly or is it just a testament to how bad the team’s offensive line was last year?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below

NBA scouts and executives are keeping an eagle eye on the start of the Men's NCAA Tournament this week, hoping that one of the stars eligible for the NBA draft falls in their lap and changes their fortunes overnight.

One thing is for sure: Those same scouts and executives are happy because they don't have to look at their own teams for the next two weeks and can really concentrate on finding the next superstar, so they won't routinely find their teams on lists like this.

There are more than enough intriguing college players to consider with the No. 1 pick, including Darryn Peterson of Kansas, BYU's AJ Dybantsa (the nation's leading scorer), Duke's Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson of North Carolina.

Without further ado, this week's edition of Tank Watch, featuring the best of the worst the NBA has to offer.

There’s only one way out of this thing, and in the shocker of all shockers, it involves throwing money at the problem. 

Not just $5 million in go-away money for North Carolina coach Hubert Davis, but huge, nasty cash to fix it once and for all. 

Because if you’re North Carolina and you’ve committed tens of millions of dollars to Bill Belichick and his plan to rescue your football program, what’s the price to resuscitate your suddenly stale yet still iconic basketball program?

Armour: One day in and March Madness already its usual marvelous self

More: Where VCU's epic March Madness comeback vs. UNC ranks in history

Let me give you a hint: a hundred million or more commitment. 

This is big business, people. We’re talking about one of the three biggest college basketball brands struggling to not only reach the NCAA Tournament, but avoid disaster in the first round.

Iowa State started its March Madness run already with a scary incident.

Star forward Joshua Jefferson was injured early in the first-round matchup against Tennessee State on Friday, March 20.

The Cyclones player landed landed awkwardly after going up for a layup attempt less than three minutes into the contest, appearing to twist his ankle as he landed. He had to be helped off the floor by support staff as he was unable to put any weight on his left foot. Jefferson went straight to the locker room after the incident.

Iowa State's Joshua Jefferson was helped off the floor after an apparent ankle injury pic.twitter.com/R4xaFzgsJU

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 20, 2026

Joshua Jefferson injury update

Jefferson has not return to the game against the Tigers, and it doesn't look like he will.

Around the 11-minute mark in the first half, the broadcast showed Jefferson on crutches going into a room in the arena.

It's unknown the severity of the injury but it can be a brutal one for an Iowa State team trying to reach its first Final Four since 1944. Jefferson is a dynamic player for the Cyclones, averaging 16.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. He has two triple doubles this season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joshua Jefferson injury update: Iowa State star hurt in March Madness