Azzi Fudd had 21 of her 27 points in the first half as second-seeded UConn rolled to a 103-34 win over Arkansas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
No. 2 UConn routs Arkansas State 103-34 in opener as Fudd has 27 points
The Huskies had runs of 22-0, 12-0 and 13-0 in the first half as UConn won its 31st consecutive first-round game.
Last year’s runner-up, Purdue rallies into March Madness form reaching men’s Sweet 16
The win sends Purdue to the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row, the third time in four years.
Tom Izzo just as salty as Michigan State basketball fans over tip time vs. New Mexico
Michigan State will have another late start on Sunday against New Mexico, and when he found out, Tom Izzo's face said it all.
Purdue ends McNeese’s March Madness run 76-62 to get back to Sweet 16
The Purdue Boilermakers used a fast start to roll to a 76-62 win over McNeese in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
What we learned as Steph-less Warriors struggle in bad loss to Hawks
What we learned as Steph-less Warriors struggle in bad loss to Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The last time the Warriors beat the Hawks in Atlanta, Steph Curry (30 points), Kevin Durant (28 points) and Klay Thompson (27 points) combined to score 85 points in a 128-111 win at State Farm Arena.
It was Dec. 3, 2018, six seasons ago. The Warriors now have lost their last six games in Atlanta after falling to the Hawks 124-115 on Saturday without Steph Curry to start a six-game road trip.
In the final three quarters, the Warriors outscored the Hawks by eight points. But they fell behind by as many as 20 points in the first quarter, and swimming upstream the rest of the way was too hard to overcome.
Jimmy Butler led the Warriors with 25 points on 7-of-15 shooting and was 10 of 14 on free throws. Butler, plus-11, was the only Warriors starter with a positive plus/minus. Gary Payton II (plus-6) joined Butler as the only two Warriors to have a positive plus/minus.
Jimmy with the up-and-under finish 👏
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 22, 2025
Trae Young had a 25-point, 10-assist double-double, but he wasn’t the only Hawk to star offensively. They had three players score at least 20 points, including 23 off the bench from Georges Niang.
The Hawks ended up shooting 57 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from deep. They dished 37 assists and outscored the Warriors 60-44 in the paint.
Here are three takeaways from the Warriors losing once again in Atlanta.
DPOY Battle
As the Cleveland Cavaliers have lost four consecutive games, Draymond Green has risen to a neck-and-neck race with Evan Mobley as the favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. Hawks defensive ace Dyson Daniels is right there, too.
Daniels came into the day leading the NBA in total steals (194) and steals per game (3.0). Halfway through the first quarter, Daniels snuck from behind to steal the ball away from Green, drove down the court and finished with a tough layup over him.
I spy the DPOY pic.twitter.com/rPfkXl1VWy
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 22, 2025
Green roamed as he always does in Golden State’s defense. Daniels began the game guarding Butler, and also spent time on Brandin Podziemski and others. Both were effective in their own ways.
Each player had three steals, and Green added one blocked shot. Awards season is creeping closer, and both stated their case to hoist the DPOY trophy.
Hawks Slice Dubs’ Defense
Offense isn’t an issue for Atlanta. The Hawks since the start of February are top five in points per game, field goal percentage and 3-point percentage. There was no slowing them down Saturday on their home court.
The Warriors in the first quarter fell into a 17-point deficit they couldn’t fully climb back out of. Simply put, the Hawks got whatever they wanted. Atlanta tallied 40 points on 64-percent shooting, going 16 of 25 overall and 4 of 9 on 3-pointers. Everybody put up points.
Quin Snyder used nine players in the first quarter, and all nine scored. At halftime, the Hawks held a 12-point lead from shooting 60 percent (30 of 50) while handing out 23 assists and turning the ball over only three times. Onyeka Okongwu scored 18 of his 22 points in the first half.
Through three quarters, six Hawks had scored in double figures, giving them a 17-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
This was supposed to be all about containing Young. It wound up being about so much more.
Podz’s Up-And-Down Performance
Without Curry, the ball was going to be in Podziemski’s hands, and his 3-point shot was going to be needed. Well, Podziemski did bring the long ball to Atlanta.
He made two 3-pointers in the first quarter and another two in the third quarter. Podziemski made a fifth three in the fourth quarter, giving him a season high. He struggled scoring elsewhere.
Podz knocks down his fifth triple of the night 🙌
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 23, 2025
Podziemski missed numerous chances right around the rim. Whether it was a layup, tip shot, floater or getting stuck in the paint, Podziemski found himself in more trouble the closer he was to the hoop. Podziemski was 5 of 8 on threes, but 1 of 6 on 2-pointers.
Ending with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists is a strong stat line. Podziemski also was a minus-8 in 36 minus, and every opportunity for points becomes amplified when the Warriors don’t have Curry.
Another day in the life of viral McNeese manager: Chatting with Spike Lee, and his own T-shirt
Amir Khan and his sponsored boombox went viral heading into the tournament as the unlikely hype man for the even more unlikely tournament darlings from Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Huff scores 26, Chattanooga knocks off Dayton 87-72 in NIT
Honor Huff had 26 points in Chattanooga's 87-72 win against Dayton on Saturday in the second round of the NIT. Huff shot 7 for 12 (5 for 10 from 3-point range) and 7 of 9 from the free-throw line for the Mocs (26-9). Trey Bonham scored 25 points while shooting 8 for 13 (3 for 5 from 3-point range) and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line and added eight rebounds.
March Madness upset picks: What teams could surprise in Saturday men’s second-round games
Here's a look at three potential upsets in the second round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament Saturday
Young gets away with blatantly obvious travel in Warriors-Hawks
Young gets away with blatantly obvious travel in Warriors-Hawks originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Hawks star Trae Young, looking like Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. evading the pass rush, got away with a blatant travel at the end of the first quarter against the Warriors on Saturday night at State Farm Arena.
With the Hawks holding a commanding 38-23 lead, Young was double-teamed by forward Jimmy Butler and center Kevon Looney.
Young picked up his dribble at the edge of the Hawks’ center-court logo and shuffled both feet until he was at the mid-court line.
By the time Young passed the ball to teammate Georges Niang, he was holding the ball at least a foot over the mid-court line.
The missed call came back to bite the Warriors as Niang found guard Caris LeVert, who hit a jumper at the first-quarter buzzer to give the Hawks a 40-23 lead.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr has been demanding the NBA train referees to call traveling more, and he might need to make another plea to the league after Young’s shuffle across the court.
Virginia hires VCU coach Ryan Odom, whose father was a Cavaliers assistant
Virginia athletic director Carla Williams is hoping the obvious choice was the right one. Williams named VCU coach Ryan Odom — whose father was a Cavaliers assistant and who handed the program its most historic and crushing defeat in the 2018 NCAA Tournament — as the full-time replacement to Tony Bennett on Saturday. Odom’s season ended Thursday with a first-round NCAA Tournament loss to BYU.
Kings convert Isaac Jones to reported standard two-year contract
Kings convert Isaac Jones to reported standard two-year contract originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Isaac Jones has continued to grind and stay patient, and on Saturday, he was rewarded.
The Kings converted the young center’s two-way contract to a standard NBA deal, the team announced two hours before tip-off against the Milwaukee Bucks.
ESPN’s Shams Charania first reported, citing sources, that Jones’ new contract is a two-year pact.
On Wednesday, Jones reached the NBA’s maximum 50-game active limit during Sacramento’s 123-119 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jones has appeared in 31 games this season for Sacramento, averaging 8.3 minutes and 3.7 points in such contests.
In 11 games with the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, Jones averaged 20.9 points on 55.5 percent shooting, with 9.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 blocks in 32.2 minutes.
March Madness 2025: How to watch the Tennessee vs. UCLA NCAA tournament game tonight
It's UCLA vs. Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament Second Round — we've got the channel, streaming info and tip-off time.
NBA fines Pacers' Myles Turner, Andrew Nembhard and Nets Trendon Watford for altercation
The Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers play again on Saturday night, but before that happens, the league handed down fines from when these teams played on Thursday night.
The Pacers' Andrew Nembhard was fined $20,000 for "initiating the altercation," while his teammate Myles Turner, as well as the Nets' Trendon Watford, were fined $35,000 for escalating the situation, the league announced.
The fourth-quarter altercation started away from the play as Indiana's Bennedict Mathurin drove for a layup.
Things got chippy in Indiana
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 21, 2025
Trendon Watford was ejected while Andrew Nembhard and Myles Turner received a technical foul. pic.twitter.com/bDbtVAEeIz
Watford began to run back up court and bumped into Nembhard, and those two engaged in some relatively mild pushing and shoving. That's when Turner jumped in and escalated everything by shoving Watford, who pushed back, and things quickly escalated.
Nembhard and Watford were handed double technical fouls for their exchange, and the same is true for Turner and Watford for their escalation. That was two technicals for Watford, so he was ejected from the game.
Tonight's officials for the Pacers and Nets know what happened and may end up calling a tighter game to keep a lid on things.
What we learned from Michigan State separating from athletic Bryant team in NCAA Round 1
How Michigan State separated from an athletic Bryant team for an 87-62 blowout in first round of March Madness, Friday, March 21, 2025 in Cleveland.