Most of the top seeds advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.
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Arkansas forward Adou Thiero will be available for the Razorbacks in their Sweet 16 matchup against Texas Tech, head coach John Calipari said on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday. Thiero, who has not seen the floor since Feb. 22 against Missouri, is expected to play between 12 and 15 minutes against the Red Raiders. Thiero is the Razorbacks’ top scorer and rebounder at 15.6 points and six rebounds per game.
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Matt Painter has seen and done just about everything in two decades as Purdue's coach. "It's a really unique deal," the 54-year-old Painter said before last week's first-round NCAA Tournament victory. Purdue has finished among the Big Ten's top four in 10 of the last 11 seasons, been to 10 straight NCAA tourneys and reached the Sweet 16 in six of the last eight.
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Butler's agent hopes upset Heat fans exorcize anger in star's return
Butler's agent hopes upset Heat fans exorcize anger in star's return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
One of Jimmy Butler’s closest confidants hopes disgruntled Heat fans can let bygones be bygones after the star forward’s return to Miami on Tuesday night.
Butler, now a member of the Warriors, will return to Kaseya Center for the first time since the blockbuster trade to Golden State on Feb. 5, and his agent, Bernie Lee, hopes the big matchup can help heal any resentment some Heat fans might have toward Butler after his rocky exit from the organization this season.
“My hope is Tuesday is cathartic for everyone,” Lee told the Miami Herald. “If you have some anger in your heart, get it out. Get it all out. But once that’s all released, my hope is we get to the next step, which is appreciation. Appreciation for a pretty incredible five years together.
“One unfortunate aspect of sports is the amount of change. Nothing ever stays the same and everything has a time limit. We hit ours, but once we get a bit of distance from the separation, what will hopefully remain is a really immense feeling of accomplishment and the profound connection Jimmy had with this city and community at large. He was the right person at the right time. And over time, I think more and more, we will all see and appreciate that.”
Lee found himself at the center of the Butler-Heat saga when he publicly refuted a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania about the then-Heat star preferring to be traded to either the Warriors, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks or Houston Rockets.
Alright listen. I gave you a pass yesterday because I was busy but if you don’t stop putting my name on your complete and utter made up bullshit because you know you normally arent worth my time to acknowledge.. (continued) https://t.co/1KOXza9kUI
— Bernard Lee (@BernieoLee) December 11, 2024
Butler eventually was dealt to Golden State (41-30), which has gone 16-4 since his debut with the Warriors on Feb. 8, and is surging toward an NBA playoff spot.
Meanwhile, the Heat (30-41) have gone 5-17 since trading Butler and are clinging on to the final NBA play-in tournament spot.
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Mike Bibby won an NCAA title as a player at Arizona in 1997 and then starred in the NBA for 14 seasons, with his biggest success coming in seven seasons with the Kings.
Steph out for Warriors vs. Heat game with pelvic injury
Steph out for Warriors vs. Heat game with pelvic injury originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Steph Curry will miss his second consecutive Warriors game as he continues to deal with a pelvic injury.
Curry, who was upgraded to questionable for Tuesday’s contest against the Miami Heat, officially was ruled out of the team’s second game of a six-game road trip.
Steph Curry is now OUT tonight against the Heat @NBCSWarriors
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) March 25, 2025
Curry sustained the pelvic bruise when he took a hard fall to the ground during the second half of last week’s win over the Toronto Raptors. An MRI confirmed he sustained a pelvic contusion but avoided any structural damage.
He didn’t travel with the team to Atlanta for its first game of the road trip, in which the Warriors fell 124-115 to the Hawks and 7-4 while playing without their star point guard this season. Curry joined the Warriors in Miami where his status was upgraded before ultimately being ruled out.
Golden State (41-30) is in the midst of a pivotal six-game road trip as the Warriors cling to the Western Conference’s No. 6 playoff seed in a jam-packed postseason race. After Miami, they’ll face the New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Lakers before returning home to battle the Denver Nuggets.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday the team expects Curry to play against the Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
In his 16th season, Curry is averaging 24.2 points on 44.7-percent shooting from the field and 39.4 percent from 3-point range, with 4.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists through 60 games.
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For the first time since the NCAA tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1975, every team that advanced to the Sweet 16 hails from a power conference.
Niko Medved leaves Colorado State for his native Minnesota after an NCAA tournament run by the Rams
Minnesota agreed to a six-year contract with the Twin Cities-area native and former student manager for the Gophers who had the Rams within one basket of the Sweet 16.
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Watch Russell Westbrook move past Kevin Garnett into 20th all-time in points scored with logo 3-pointer
DENVER, CO - MARCH 24: Russell Westbrook (4) of the Denver Nuggets misses a three pointer as the Chicago Bulls lead 126-119 during the fourth quarter of the Bulls’ 129-119 win at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Denver Post via Getty Images
Russell Westbrook has scored a lot of points in a lot of different ways over his Hall of Fame career, but the book on defending him remains the same: If he wants to shoot a 3-pointer, let him.
As he has throughout his 17-year career, Westbrook proved that book on him wrong on Monday night, hitting a logo 3-pointer that moved him past Kevin Garnett for 20th on the NBA All-Time scoring list.
A LOGO TRIPLE TO JOIN THE TOP-20 ON THE ALL-TIME SCORING LIST
— NBA (@NBA) March 25, 2025
Incredible moment for Russell Westbrook! https://t.co/gvwwk1WXPvpic.twitter.com/uY0XVg9fz8
Westbrook should move past Celtics legends John Havlicek and Paul Pierce on that list early next season.
Westbrook is a two-time NBA scoring champion as well as the 2017 NBA MVP, a nine-time All-NBA player and All-Star who has had a legendary career. His being in the top 20 in scoring all-time just seems fitting.
Jayson Tatum leaves game with sprained ankle, says later it's "sore" but left arena without boot
Mar 24, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) lays on the ground after suffering an injury against the Sacramento Kings in the third quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Hopefully, this will not be as bad as it looked when it happened.
Boston's Jayson Tatum had to leave the game in Sacramento in the third quarter after he pulled up for a 3-pointer over Domantas Sabonis and came down on the foot of the Kings' center, rolling his ankle. Sabonis' reckless closeout took away Tatum's landing space and he was given a Flagrant 1 foul for it.
Jayson Tatum went down in significant pain after this closeout by Domantas Sabonis.
— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) March 25, 2025
Flagrant 1 on Sabonis. pic.twitter.com/Cnh0QfcQyo
Tatum left the game not to return but left the arena that night without a boot or crutches, telling ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne his ankle was “just sore.” Still, with just 10 games left in the Celtics' regular season and the team essentially locked into the No. 2 seed, there is no reason to push him to return. Expect Boston to be cautious with his return and Tatum to get some nights off to rest his ankle down the stretch of the season.
After the game, Sabonis apologized for the closeout and injury.
Domantas Sabonis feels "horrible" for the play that injured Jayson Tatum in tonight's game pic.twitter.com/nXyQYYpjt0
— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 25, 2025
Boston went on to win the game comfortably, 113-95, and Tatum was still the leading scorer with 25 points, plus he dished out eight assists. Payton Pritchard had 22 points off the bench, and Kristaps Porzingis had 16 points and eight rebounds.
This was the Kings third loss in a row and they are now just half-a-game ahead of No. 10 seed Phoenix. Zach LaVine said after the game, "The vibe is not good."
Why Kerr anticipates ‘heated atmosphere' for Butler's Miami return
Why Kerr anticipates ‘heated atmosphere' for Butler's Miami return originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Jimmy Butler’s return to Miami might get a little … heated.
At least that’s what Warriors coach Steve Kerr anticipates for Golden State’s matchup against the Heat on Monday at Kaseya Center.
“I haven’t talked to him about it,” Kerr said Monday on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard and Dibs.” ” … Tomorrow will be a heated atmosphere, no pun intended. He was such an amazing player for this franchise and meant so much to the fans. I think it’ll be very emotional for him, for a lot of people.
“But Jimmy’s an incredible competitor. That’s the main thing I’ve learned about him. I know he’s going to go out there and compete like crazy and get through it fine. Hopefully, we can get back on track here.”
It will be Butler’s first trip to Miami since the blockbuster deal that brought the six-time NBA All-Star to Golden State at last month’s NBA trade deadline.
Despite Butler bringing the organization much success, including leading the team to the playoffs five times and two NBA Finals appearances, the last few months of his Heat tenure were filled with drama and nonstop headlines that led to his eventual departure.
Nonetheless, he’s made it clear that he has a lot of love for the fans and city — even from afar.
“We had a practice today and he’s been here the last couple of days,” Kerr said. “He’s got a lot of people here who he’s connecting with. I think he’s enjoying being back.”
At the end of the day, though, Butler is one of the most competitive guys in the league. And while he might be enjoying mingling and catching up with old friends, once tip-off begins at 4 p.m. PT Tuesday, his focus purely will be on basketball and getting a dub for the Warriors.