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March 25, 2026

At this Sweet 16, the coaches supply the star power. We rank them 1-16

If the performance matches the coaching talent, then this Sweet 16 will be elite.

This NCAA Tournament didn't give us much in the way of Cinderella. Instead, we'll see a who's who list of coaches from Power conferences this week. As good as players like Darius Acuff Jr. and Cameron Boozer are, the coaches supply the top star power in this March Madness.

Here's my ranking of the Sweet 16 coaches, with the caveat there's no true weak link on this list:

16. Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska

Commission the statue in Lincoln, Nebraska. Hoiberg led the Huskers to their first NCAA win in program history. Two days later, they got their second tourney win. Basketball looks good on Nebraska all of a sudden. Hoiberg’s NBA foray was a bust, but he was quite good at Iowa State and now historic for Nebraska. No shame being No. 16 on this list of luminaries.

15. TJ Otzelberger, Iowa State

It’s a testament to the Sweet 16 coaching talent that Otzelberger ranks this low. Iowa State won just two games the year before his arrival. Insert Otzelberger. He won 22 games in his first season, then continued winning more and more with blue-collar teams that defend the heck out of you. His tournament record is 7-6. Polish that a smidge, and Otzelberger will keep trending up.

14. Ben McCollum, Iowa

If you needed any more proof McCollum can flat-out coach, he just bested wunderkind Todd Golden, and his Hawkeyes stunned No. 1 Florida. McCollum won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State, then turned Drake into a Cinderella success story, and now he’s in the Sweet 16 in Year 1 at Iowa. Buy your stock in McCollum, 44, now.

13. Brad Underwood, Illinois

Underwood restored a program that had lost its way into top-20 status, where it belongs. He’s an NCAA Tournament regular, dating to his years as a Cinderella at Stephen F. Austin. A hard-nosed, high-intensity coach, he’s starting to develop a calling card for signing and developing international talent. Consider his latest team the Euro-Illini.

12. Sean Miller, Texas

Miller’s career winning percentage tops .700, and he’s made the Elite Eight four times. Pretty good. Two critiques, aside from that whole corruption scandal at Arizona: His resume lacks a Final Four, and his predecessors were better (Thad Matta at Xavier and Lute Olsen at Arizona). At age 57, he’s got time to make Texas his best stint yet.

11. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona

Lloyd’s record in five seasons at Arizona sparkles, and he’s a couple of wins away from having his national profile skyrocket. His Wildcats smoothly pivoted from the Pac-12 to the Big 12. Why not rank him higher? Well, Lloyd hasn’t advanced past the Sweet 16. Past teams didn’t live up to their NCAA seed. His latest team could change how we look at Lloyd.

10. Rick Barnes, Tennessee

Barnes should’ve made more than one Final Four at Texas. He endured a few tourney fizzles at Tennessee, too. He’s no shark in March. That’s a familiar critique. The upsides are clear, though. His teams always play defense. He thrives in the shadows at football schools. He’s an NCAA Tournament regular. He’s a no-drama coach seeking a third straight Elite Eight.

9. Matt Painter, Purdue

Painter gets consistent results without signing McDonald’s All Americans. You could focus on what he isn’t — a national champion — or you could credit his consistent success, even if his teams come up short of the pinnacle in March. Gene Keady became a Purdue legend. Painter has been a notch better than Keady. Some might call that legendary, too.

8. John Calipari, Arkansas

No mystery as to Calipari’s strategy. A recruiting dynamo with ample funding, he’s going to assemble McDonald’s All Americans, roll the ball out, and let the freshmen play. That strategy worked until it didn’t at Kentucky. A change of scenery to Arkansas suited him. He’s two wins away from becoming the first coach to take four schools to the Final Four.

7. Jon Scheyer, Duke

A legend’s succession plan doesn’t often unfold as smoothly as this one did. Scheyer kept Duke humming, and so Mike Krzyzewski can enjoy retirement. Duke is a recruiting machine, and credit Scheyer for getting return on that investment. Just 38 years old, he’s gotten better each season. After last year’s Final Four, the next task is obvious: National title.

6. Nate Oats, Alabama

Oats’ teams have an established identity. His Crimson Tide will shoot a lot of 3s. And they’ll make a lot of 3s, consistently ranking among the nation’s most prolific offensive teams. He’s a force of consistency, too, with four straight Sweet 16s, including the program’s first Final Four in 2024. He turned a football school into a basketball force.

5. Tom Izzo, Michigan State

Call it a rite of spring. Mister March is back in the Sweet 16 for the 17th time. Izzo’s 2000 Spartans remain the last Big Ten team to win a national title, and just when it had started to look like he’d entered the twilight of his career, he’s enjoyed a renaissance, with 57 wins the past two seasons.

4. Dusty May, Michigan

Others on this list have a longer list of career accomplishments, but there aren’t many coaches you’d rather have in this moment than the 49-year-old May. He took Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023, and Michigan is roaring in his second season. He’s 120-26 the past four seasons. Superb.

3. Kelvin Sampson, Houston

Sampson’s teams consistently rank among the nation’s best defensively. He’s an excellent in-game tactician, too. The 70-year-old Sampson gets better with age. He’s won 30-plus games in five straight seasons. He came oh-so-close to his first national title last season. Perhaps, these Cougars will give him that final line on the resume.

2. Rick Pitino, St. John’s

How many rings would Pitino have if he’d never left Kentucky? Big Blue Nation must wonder. As it is, he’s got two rings. Pitino and John Calipari are the only coaches to lead three schools to a Final Four. Now, he’s got St. John’s into its first Sweet 16 since 1999. Pitino’s NCAA Tournament record is 57-22. Insanely good.

1. Dan Hurley, UConn

If nice guys finish last, what’s the opposite of that? Guys who throw temper-tantrums finishing first. No matter what you think of his antics, there’s no denying Hurley’s success. He just keeps winning, with a chance at three national titles in the past four seasons. Hurley elevated UConn to blue-blood status.

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: Ranking college basketball Sweet 16 coaches, Dan Hurley to Fred Hoiberg

March 25, 2026

Rick Pitino is back in Sweet 16: Examining St. John's coach's secret sauce to success

SAN DIEGO – Before he had even turned 45 years old, coach Rick Pitino published a book in 1997 that included his advice about aging.

“The older we get, the more we must change,” said the book entitled Success is a Choice. “Change is what keeps us fresh and innovative. Change is what keeps us from getting stale and stuck in a rut. Change is what keeps us young.”

Nearly 30 years later, we can see what he means. Pitino, now 73, is taking St. John’s to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men's basketball tournament on Friday against No. 1-seed Duke. It’s the fourth school he’s taken to the Sweet 16. It’s also the fifth decade he’s taken a team this far.

So how does he do it?

Part of it relates to that advice in his book. But there’s more. And much of it was on display in San Diego recently, when his team won two NCAA Tournament games. Here are five traits that set him apart, backed by evidence and anecdotes from the past weekend:

1. Rick Pitino adapts and adapts again

Fellow Hall of Fame coach Bill Self of Kansas made an observation about Pitino the day before his team lost to St. John’s in the second round March 22. He said he was especially impressed by coaches who evolved to master changes in the game, including the introduction of the shot clock (1985) and 3-point shot (1986). Pitino was hired at Providence before either and then took Providence to the Final Four in 1987.

“I think that he's done that as well as anybody maybe ever has,” Self said.

More recently, the NCAA allowed unlimited annual player transfers in 2024 after decades of restrictions. Pitino has built his St. John’s team around transfer players and had the No. 1 transfer class in the nation for 2025, according to 247Sports.

2. Rick Pitino reinvents and rehabilitates himself

He was the head coach at Kentucky and Louisville, two archrivals. He was the head coach of Boston University and the Boston Celtics. Now he’s the head coach of St. John’s University of New York after previously serving as head coach of the New York Knicks.

It takes some personal reinvention to take on such starkly different jobs in the same cities or regions. It also took some self-awareness to put himself in exile and rehabilitate his image after a rash of scandals at Louisville, where he was fired in 2017.

He left the country to coach in Greece until 2020 and then came back to the U.S. to coach at Iona. He won enough at both places to put the scandals in his distant past and get hired at St. John’s in 2023.

He wasn’t even asked about those controversies in four news conferences while his team was in San Diego.

3. He keeps pulling the lever, encourages players to do same

Like with a slot machine at a casino, you can’t win the jackpot if you don’t keep pulling the lever. But you also risk big losses if you do. He takes this risk.

For example, St. John’s guard Dylan Darling had played poorly against Kansas on Sunday, missing all four shots he took. Then he had the audacity to ask Pitino for the ball on the final play with the score tied at 65-65 in the final seconds. Pitino let him do it despite Darling’s lack of production before then. Darling then won the game with a buzzer-beating layup.

Likewise, Pitino has emphasized 3-point shooting as a big key to success for his team in this tournament so far. If the shots don’t fall, he wants the players to keep shooting until they do. In the first half against Kansas, St. John’s hit just 7 of 23 3-point attempts.

"I kept telling them… every time out, 'Look, you're going to make five in a row; you're going to make six in a row,'" Pitino said afterward. "They didn't believe a word I was saying, but I was telling them you gotta keep shooting it. It was the only way we were going to win tonight."

St. John’s outscored Kansas in 3-point shooting, 33-15.

4. He’s cool and has swagger

In this regard, he’s somewhat like Deion Sanders, the football coach at Colorado. Both have been relevant in their sports since the 1980s. Both were innovative enough to pioneer the art of flipping a team roster with transfer players in 2023, when hardly anybody else was doing it. Both have a flair with fashion — Sanders with his sunglasses and jewelry, Pitino with his Armani suits and ties (while other coaches are mostly wearing athleisure gear).

What does any of this matter?

It signals confidence in their craft built over time while still daring to be different.

A cool head helps, too, avoiding exhaustion in a game of so many ups and downs. Did you see Pitino’s reaction to Darling’s game-winning layup against Kansas? Instead of exploding with joy in reaction to it, Pitino looked like his number was just called after waiting in line at the DMV.

5. Rick Pitino hates Christian Laettner

OK, he never said he hated the hated legend from Duke. But on the eve of another game against Duke, the memory is still fresh for Pitino, who was the coach at Kentucky in 1992 when Laettner hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer to beat Kentucky and lift Duke to the Final Four.

The flashback still seems to make him edgy. He said Sunday he was "so sick of commercials with Christian Laettner hitting that shot over and over and over."

He said friends recently convinced him to watch a show on Hulu called “Paradise” but then learned Laettner’s shot is referenced in that, too.

"That’s cruel," Pitino said.

He got his own buzz-beater from Darling Sunday. Now it’s on to Duke in Washington, D.C.

“You win some, you lose some,” Pitino said. “And I'm hoping we can get Duke at the buzzer next to make up for that Christian Laettner shot.”

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

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How St. John's basketball coach Rick Pitino just keeps winning

March 25, 2026

How every World Series champion fared on Opening Day

How every World Series champion fared on Opening Day originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

An MLB season is a marathon, not a sprint. Still, it never hurts to get off to a fast start.

Opening Day marks the starting line for 30 teams on their 162-game race to the postseason. A win is obviously the goal, but a loss to start the season isn’t the end of the world. Just look at some of the teams that have lifted the Commissioner’s Trophy.

In the 123-year history of the World Series, a majority of champions have started their title runs with an Opening Day win. However, a handful of recent World Series winners have proven that an Opening Day defeat is more than surmountable.

Let’s look back through over a century of MLB history and see how eventual World Series champions fared on Opening Day.

How many World Series winners lost on Opening Day?

Forty-one of the 121 World Series winners lost their first game of the season.

It was not a common trend in MLB’s early days. Between 1903 and 1934, six teams lost on Opening Day and went on to win it all.

The impact of a team’s Opening Day result noticeably dropped at the turn of the century. Since 2000, eventual World Series winners are just 15-11 on Opening Day.

What is the worst start to the season for a World Series winner?

The Atlanta Braves made history in 2021 by becoming the first MLB team to start a season 0-4 and wind up winning the Fall Classic.

Five other teams in MLB history overcame 0-3 starts to a season on their way to a championship. Six more started 0-2.

The remaining 109 World Series champions either won on Opening Day or picked up a victory in the second game of the year. That includes the 1933 New York Giants, who remain the only World Series winners to tie their season opener.

How every World Series winner fared on Opening Day

Here is the Opening Day result for every World Series winner in MLB history:

1903 Boston Americans: Won 9-4 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1905 New York Giants: Won 10-1 vs. Boston Beaneaters
1906 Chicago White Sox: Won 5-3 vs. Detroit Tigers
1907 Chicago Cubs: Won 6-1 vs. St. Louis Cardinals
1908 Chicago Cubs: Won 6-5 vs. Cincinnati Reds
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates: Won 3-0 vs. Cincinnati Reds
1910 Philadelphia Athletics: Lost 3-0 vs. Washington Senators (won next game)
1911 Philadelphia Athletics: Lost 2-1 vs. New York Highlanders (started 0-3)
1912 Boston Red Sox: Won 5-3 vs. New York Highlanders
1913 Philadelphia Athletics: Won 10-9 vs. Boston Red Sox
1914 Boston Braves: Lost 8-2 vs. Brooklyn Robins (started 0-3)
1915 Boston Red Sox: Lost 2-0 vs. Philadelphia Athletics (won next game)
1916 Boston Red Sox: Won 2-1 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1917 Chicago White Sox: Won 7-2 vs. St. Louis Browns
1918 Boston Red Sox: Won 7-1 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1919 Cincinnati Reds: Won 6-2 vs. St. Louis Cardinals
1920 Cleveland: Won 5-0 vs. St. Louis Browns
1921 New York Giants: Won 10-8 vs. Philadelphia Phillies
1922 New York Giants: Lost 4-3 vs. Brooklyn Robins (won next game)
1923 New York Yankees: Won 4-1 vs. Boston Red Sox
1924 Washington Nationals: Won 4-0 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1925 Pittsburgh Pirates: Lost 8-2 vs. Chicago Cubs (won next game)
1926 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 7-6 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
1927 New York Yankees: Won 8-3 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1928 New York Yankees: Won 8-3 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1929 Philadelphia Athletics: Won 13-4 vs. Washington Senators
1930 Philadelphia Athletics: Won 6-2 vs. New York Yankees
1931 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 7-3 vs. Cincinnati Reds
1932 New York Yankees: Won 12-6 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1933 New York Giants: Tied 1-1 vs. Brooklyn Dodgers
1934 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 7-1 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
1935 Detroit Tigers: Lost 7-6 vs. Chicago White Sox (won next game)
1936 New York Yankees: Lost 1-0 vs. Washington Senators (started 0-2)
1937 New York Yankees: Lost 3-2 vs. Washington Senators (won next game)
1938 New York Yankees: Lost 8-4 vs. Boston Red Sox (won next game)
1939 New York Yankees: Won 2-0 vs. Boston Red Sox
1940 Cincinnati Reds: Won 2-1 vs. Chicago Cubs
1941 New York Yankees: Won 3-0 vs. Washington Senators
1942 St. Louis Cardinals: Lost 5-4 vs. Chicago Cubs (won next game)
1943 New York Yankees: Won 5-4 vs. Washington Senators
1944 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 2-0 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
1945 Detroit Tigers: Lost 7-1 vs. St. Louis Browns (won next game)
1946 St. Louis Cardinals: Lost 6-4 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (won next game)
1947 New York Yankees: Lost 6-1 vs. Philadelphia Athletics (won next game)
1948 Cleveland: Won 4-0 vs. St. Louis Browns
1949 New York Yankees: Won 3-2 vs. Washington Senators
1950 New York Yankees: Won 15-10 vs. Boston Red Sox
1951 New York Yankees: Won 5-0 vs. Boston Red Sox
1952 New York Yankees: Won 8-1 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1953 New York Yankees: Lost 5-0 vs. Philadelphia Athletics (won next game)
1954 New York Giants: Won 4-3 vs. Brooklyn Dodgers
1955 Brooklyn Dodgers: Won 6-1 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
1956 New York Yankees: Won 10-4 vs. Washington Senators
1957 Milwaukee Braves: Won 4-1 vs. Chicago Cubs
1958 New York Yankees: Won 3-0 vs. Boston Red Sox
1959 Los Angeles Dodgers: Lost 6-1 vs. Chicago Cubs (won next game)
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates: Lost 4-3 vs. Milwaukee Braves (won next game)
1961 New York Yankees: Lost 6-0 vs. Minnesota Twins (won next game)
1962 New York Yankees: Won 7-6 vs. Baltimore Orioles
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers: Won 5-1 vs. Chicago Cubs
1964 St. Louis Cardinals: Lost 4-0 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (won next game)
1965 Los Angeles Dodgers: Won 6-1 vs. New York Mets
1966 Baltimore Orioles: Won 5-4 vs. Boston Red Sox
1967 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 6-0 vs. San Francisco Giants
1968 Detroit Tigers: Lost 7-3 vs. Boston Red Sox (won next game)
1969 New York Mets: Lost 11-10 vs. Montreal Expos (won next game)
1970 Baltimore Orioles: Won 8-2 vs. Cleveland
1971 Pittsburgh Pirates: Won 4-2 vs. Philadelphia Phillies
1972 Oakland Athletics: Won 4-3 vs. Minnesota Twins
1973 Oakland Athletics: Lost 8-3 vs. Minnesota Twins (started 0-3)
1974 Oakland Athletics: Won 7-2 vs. Texas Rangers
1975 Cincinnati Reds: Won 2-1 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
1976 Cincinnati Reds: Won 11-5 vs. Houston Astros
1977 New York Yankees: Won 3-0 vs. Milwaukee Brewers
1978 New York Yankees: Lost 2-1 vs. Texas Rangers (won next game)
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates: Lost 3-2 vs. Montreal Expos (won next game)
1980 Philadelphia Phillies: Won 6-3 vs. Montreal Expos
1981 Los Angeles Dodgers: Won 2-0 vs. Houston Astros
1982 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 14-3 vs. Houston Astros
1983 Baltimore Orioles: Lost 7-2 vs. Kansas City Royals (won next game)
1984 Detroit Tigers: Won 8-1 vs. Minnesota Twins
1985 Kansas City Royals: Won 2-1 vs. Toronto Blue Jays
1986 New York Mets: Won 4-2 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
1987 Minnesota Twins: Won 5-4 vs. Oakland Athletics
1988 Los Angeles Dodgers: Lost 5-1 vs. San Francisco Giants (won next game)
1989 Oakland Athletics: Won 3-2 vs. Seattle Mariners
1990 Cincinnati Reds: Won 8-4 vs. Houston Astros
1991 Minnesota Twins: Lost 7-2 vs. Oakland Athletics (won next game)
1992 Toronto Blue Jays: Won 4-2 vs. Detroit Tigers
1993 Toronto Blue Jays: Lost 8-1 vs. Seattle Mariners (won next game)
1995 Atlanta Braves: Won 12-5 vs. San Francisco Giants
1996 New York Yankees: Won 7-1 vs. Cleveland
1997 Florida Marlins: Won 4-2 vs. Chicago Cubs
1998 New York Yankees: Lost 4-1 vs. Anaheim Angels (started 0-3)
1999 New York Yankees: Lost 5-3 vs. Oakland Athletics (won next game)
2000 New York Yankees: Won 3-2 vs. Anaheim Angels
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks: Won 3-2 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
2002 Anaheim Angels: Lost 6-0 vs. Cleveland (won next game)
2003 Florida Marlins: Lost 8-5 vs. Philadelphia Phillies (started 0-2)
2004 Boston Red Sox: Lost 7-2 vs. Baltimore Orioles (won next game)
2005 Chicago White Sox: Won 1-0 vs. Cleveland
2006 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 13-5 vs. Philadelphia Phillies
2007 Boston Red Sox: Lost 7-1 vs. Kansas City Royals (won next game)
2008 Philadelphia Phillies: Lost 11-6 vs. Washington Nationals (started 0-2)
2009 New York Yankees: Lost 10-5 vs. Baltimore Orioles (started 0-2)
2010 San Francisco Giants: Won 5-2 vs. Houston Astros
2011 St. Louis Cardinals: Lost 5-3 vs. San Diego Padres (started 0-2)
2012 San Francisco Giants: Lost 5-4 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (started 0-3)
2013 Boston Red Sox: Won 8-2 vs. New York Yankees
2014 San Francisco Giants: Won 9-8 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
2015 Kansas City Royals: Won 10-1 vs. Chicago White Sox
2016 Chicago Cubs: Won 9-0 vs. Los Angeles Angels
2017 Houston Astros: Won 3-0 vs. Seattle Mariners
2018 Boston Red Sox: Lost 6-4 vs. Tampa Bay Rays (won next game)
2019 Washington Nationals: Lost 2-0 vs. New York Mets (started 0-2)
2020 Los Angeles Dodgers: Won 8-1 vs. San Francisco Giants
2021 Atlanta Braves: Lost 3-2 vs. Philadelphia Phillies (started 0-4)
2022 Houston Astros: Won 3-1 vs. Los Angeles Angels
2023 Texas Rangers: Won 11-7 vs. Philadelphia Phillies
2024 Los Angeles Dodgers: Won 5-2 vs. San Diego Padres
2025 Los Angeles Dodgers: Won 4-1 vs. Chicago Cubs

March 25, 2026

March Madness upset predictions: Ranking 5 most likely Sweet 16 surprises

While the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament delivered mostly chalk results, there are a few surprises in the Sweet 16, led by No. 11 seed Texas and No. 9 Iowa.

The Longhorns, while not much of a Cinderella due to its school's stature as one of the most well-known brands in college sports, has already won three games in the Big Dance, after taking down NC State in the First Four before upsetting No. 6 BYU and No. 3 Gonzaga to set up a bout with No. 2 Purdue.

No. 9 Iowa, meanwhile, has the upset of the NCAA Tournament so far. The Hawkeyes defeated No. 1 Florida 73-72 on a game-winning 3-pointer from Alvaro Folgueiras for a spot against Big Ten-foe Nebraska in an all-Midwest matchup (in the South Region) — The Battle for the Corn.

Three No. 1 seeds — Duke, Arizona and Michigan — still remain. Will one of them be knocked off before the Final Four?

Here's a look at our five most likely upsets of the Sweet 16:

Ranking 5 most likely Sweet 16 upsets in Men's March Madness 2026

5. No. 11 Texas over No. 2 Purdue

BetMGM odds: Purdue (-6.5)

Texas runs into a tough Sweet 16 matchup against Big Ten tournament champion Purdue, winners of 10 straight.

Why Texas will upset: Chaos? The Longhorns have already beat two teams in a row that were favored against them, why not make it three in a row? Texas will need a huge performance from Dailyn Swain, who leads the team in points (17.4), assists (7.5), rebounds (3.5) and steals (1.7) this season. Seven-foot sophomore Matas Vokietaitis can also match up with Purdue's frontcourt, and he's averaging 18.3 points and 11 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament so far.

Why Texas won't upset: Purdue has too much offense and is peaking at the right time. Star guard Braden Smith was held to 3-of-12 shooting for 12 points against Miami in the second round, but Fletcher Loyer was there to pick up the slack with 24 points on a wildly efficient 6-of-7 shooting. Any of Smith, Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn and even center Oscar Cluff can cause fits for an opposing defense.

4. No. 4 Arkansas over No. 1 Arizona

BetMGM odds: Arizona -(7.5)

Two high-powered offenses meet for a spot in the Elite Eight after Arkansas fended off Cinderella-hopeful No. 12 High Point in the second round.

Why Arkansas will upset: Darius Acuff Jr. proves he's the best player on the floor. Acuff Jr. is already one of John Calipari's best freshman guards ever and is on a postseason heater, coming off a 36-point, 6-assist performance against the Panthers in the second round. The former five-star prospect can take over games, having scored 30 or more in three of Arkansas' last five games, all of which were wins.

Why Arkansas won't upset: Arizona is simply a wagon right now and looks like arguably the best team in the country. The Wildcats have everything, from a veteran guard in Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley, to a giant frontcourt with Motiejus Krivas and Koa Peat, and a pure bucket-getter in Brayden Burries.

3. No. 6 Tennessee over No. 2 Iowa State

BetMGM odds: Iowa State (-4.5)

Tennessee already has an upset under its belt this NCAA Tournament beating No. 3 Virginia in the second round. The Vols aren't a typical No. 6 seed, having now reached the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive season.

Why Tennessee will upset: Iowa State being without Joshua Jefferson. If All-American forward Joshua Jefferson is out against Tennessee, it gives the Vols an advantage. There's no doubt he's Iowa State best player. Senior guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie has been impressive through two games, with 50 combined points and 15 assists against Miami (Ohio) and Virginia, making him capable of taking over a game.

Why Tennessee won't upset: Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey. The fourth-year player has started all 136 games in his career and is coming off a career-best performance against Kentucky, scoring 26 points with 10 assists and five steals. The hometown kid from Ames, Iowa, is a pesky defender, having made three straight All-Big 12 defensive teams. Gillespie vs. Lipsey will be a guard matchup to watch.

2. No. 5 St. John's over No. 1 Duke

BetMGM odds: Duke (-6.5)

Legendary St. John's coach Rick Pitino proved 2025 was a fluke after the Red Storm were upset by No. 10 Arkansas as a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season, surpassing the first weekend in 2026 with wins over Northern Iowa and Kansas on a game-winning layup by Dylan Darling.

Why St. John's will upset: Rick Pitino. St. John's has one of the greatest game planners in college basketball history on its sideline. Duke also wasn't impressive in the first weekend, trailing No. 16 Siena by 11 points at halftime before starting slow against No. 9 TCU in an eventual 81-58 win in Round 2. The Johnnies can also match up with Cameron Boozer in the frontcourt, led by Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins.

Why St. John's won't upset: Duke found something in the second half against TCU, outscoring the Horned Frogs 43-24 in the second half. Everyone knows Duke boasts one of, if not the most talented roster in college basketball, and Cayden Boozer has filled in admirably since entering the starting lineup, with 19 points and five assists against Siena, along with nine points and another five assists against TCU.

1. No. 9 Iowa over No. 4 Nebraska

BetMGM odds: Nebraska (-1.5)

Iowa and Nebraska have already faced twice this season, splitting the regular-season series. The Hawkeyes defeated Nebraska 57-52 in February behind Bennett Stirtz' 25 points, and they're obviously playing their best basketball of the season right now after upsetting Florida.

Why Iowa will upset: It defeated Florida despite Stirtz not being at his best. He was 5-of-16 shooting against the Gators for 13 points, despite averaging 19.7 points with 2.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. Iowa also has first-year coach Ben McCollum, who's proving himself as a March weapon with three NCAA Tournament wins in his two Division I seasons at Drake and Iowa.

Why Iowa won't upset: Nebraska's hot shooting has been an issue through two rounds, especially with its home crowd taking over arenas. The Cornhuskers could very well turn Toyota Center in Houston into a home-court advantage again like they did at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, and it's clear the fans were a boost to Nebraska's chances.

Sweet 16 predictions: Who will advance to Elite 8?

∎ USA TODAY Sports staff made their picks. Check them out here.

∎ How'd we do in our original predictions? We grade our selections.

Who will advance to Final Four?

Some of us have revised our Final Four predictions after Florida's loss to Iowa busted our brackets.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ranking 5 most likely March Madness upsets in NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

March 25, 2026

Sweet 16 bold predictions: Which No. 1 seed is most at risk? Who makes Final Four?

Well, that was a fun first weekend. What other craziness is in store for the second one?

Sixteen teams remain in the Men's NCAA Tournament, and by the end of the weekend, four of them will be left and heading to Indianapolis. March Madness 2026 has delivered with some incredible finishes. There's every reason to believe the trend will continue in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

Some of the bold predictions from the start of the tournament didn't materialize, but there were a few that did come true. So, it's time to take another swing and share the bold predictions of what will happen in the last push to the Final Four.

Arizona-Arkansas, Michigan-Alabama light up scoreboard

Get ready to watch points galore with some incredible offenses going against each other.

Of the 16 teams left, four of them are in the top 13 of scoring, and even better, they'll play each other. The nation's top offense in Alabama (91.6 ppg) faces Michigan, which is ninth (87.4). Both teams scored at least 90 points in their first two games, and they will surely pass that.

In the West, the second-best scoring team in Arkansas (90.2 ppg) goes up against Arizona, 13th in the country (86.1 ppg). Given how the Razorbacks' scoring defense ranks 331st out of 365 teams, the Wildcats are going to be scoring at-will, and Arkansas has the talent to match it. As a result, we get two games where both teams pass the century mark.

Don't blink in these two matchups, or you'll miss a flurry of points.

Another No. 1 seed goes down

The chance at an all-No. 1 seed Final Four is gone. Three remain. Expect another to get knocked out.

Arizona and Michigan have looked nearly perfect, but clearly have to deal with potent offenses that can be overwhelming. Also, Duke has to face a red-hot St. John's team. There's a storm brewing for one of the top seeds, and as a result, only a maximum of two will get in.

As a bonus: the team that gets bounced first will be the Blue Devils, who clearly have some holes that can be exposed by the Red Storm or its Elite Eight opponent, extending the search for Jon Scheyer's first championship as coach.

Dan Hurley costs his team

You know the court gets hot when Hurley is on the sideline, but he may raise the temperature too much for his team to survive.

Connecticut will be in a classic against Michigan State with the game hanging in the balance in the final minutes. Something will happen, whether it's a foul call or missed one, that will get Hurley fuming at the officials. Referees try to be lenient when its the postseason, but the coach will go too far and get a technical foul, and possible double-T to giving the Spartans critical free throws that will make the margin too difficult for the Huskies to overcome.

Michigan State pulls through and the questions afterward will be if Hurley is to blame on the loss. Be on the lookout for a memorable press conference.

Houston cruises to Final Four

No team has a better draw to Indianapolis than Houston. Not only do they get a favorable path in facing Illinois and either Nebraska or Iowa, but the Cougars get to play in their own city. It doesn't get much better for Kelvin Sampson's team, which has looked completely dominant so far.

With all the momentum and great matchups, Houston doesn't just win, but does it easily with double-digit victories in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight. The blowout wins make it one of the most impressive runs to the Final Four as it's on a warpath to get back to the title game.

Last season finally broke Houston's second weekend struggles, where it was eliminated for three straight seasons before finally getting back to the Final Four. The Cougars get back-to-back appearances for the first time since "Phi Slama Jama" rocked the world.

Rick Pitino makes more history

No matter where he goes, success always finds Pitino. Now in 2026, he etches his name further as one of the best coaches of all-time.

St. John's has flipped the script from the beginning of the season to looking like a bona fide title contender, playing with a sense of swagger needed this time of year. The Red Storm not only take down top overall seed Duke, but they get past the Elite Eight to make their first Final Four since 1985. With the achievement, Pitino becomes the first coach to get four programs to the semifinals.

The path to the first national championship looks tough, but it will cap off the remarkable turnaround in New York City.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness Sweet 16 bold predictions: Which top seed will get upset?

March 25, 2026

10 of the Sweet 16 teams left haven't won a national title. We rank their chances

Six teams still alive in the Men’s NCAA Tournament know what it’s like to hang a banner.

Connecticut has won six national championships during the tournament era, most recently with a back-to-back run in 2024, to tie North Carolina for the third-most in Division I history.

Duke has won five, most recently in 2015. Michigan State has won a pair, including under current coach Tom Izzo in 2000 — still the most recent title for the Big Ten. Arizona (1997), Arkansas (1994) and Michigan (1989) have one.

That leaves 10 potential first-time champions in the Sweet 16, including recent powerhouses such as Houston, historically successful programs such as Purdue and Illinois and some dark-horse underdogs, led by traditional football power Nebraska.

Looking at each team’s Sweet 16 matchup and what opponents could await in the Elite Eight and beyond, let’s rank which of these 10 contenders has the best chance of joining the champions club:

10. Texas (21-14)

The West Region's 11-seed, Texas, has already won three tournament games to reach its second Sweet 16 since 2008. To keep going, the Longhorns would need to handle Purdue’s experience, potentially Arizona’s NBA-heavy roster just to reach the Final Four. If so, they’d become the third team to go from the play-in round to the national semifinals.

9. Iowa (23-12)

Iowa, the 9-seed in the South, is an underdog against the Cornhuskers and would be even bigger underdogs in a matchup with Houston or Illinois — let alone against the winner of a loaded East region in the Final Four. Then again, the Hawkeyes did just beat the Gators, so anything is possible.

8. Nebraska (28-6)

The fourth-seeded Cornhuskers’ magical run has included the first tournament win in school history and a dramatic 74-72 win in the second round against No. 5 Vanderbilt. Nebraska next draws rival Iowa after splitting the season series. It has a terrific chance at reaching the Elite Eight but would be very hard-pressed to knock off Houston, though Nebraska did beat Illinois on the road earlier this year.

7. Tennessee (24-11)

As mentioned, Tennessee’s outlook looks much better if Joshua Jefferson is unable to go for ISU. A few more days of recovery time should also help freshman forward Nate Ament, who had 16 points in the win against No. 3 Virginia. But in addition to not resembling a title team at virtually any point this season, the sixth-seeded Volunteers are battling coach Rick Barnes’ checkered tournament history. In 39 seasons, Barnes has made just one Final Four.

6. Alabama (25-9)

Midwest Region's No. 4 seed, Alabama, has a seemingly unfavorable matchup in the Sweet 16 against Michigan, which has the guard play, the beef in the frontcourt and the playing style to outgun the high-scoring Crimson Tide. On the other hand, the Tide have advanced past the Sweet 16 in each of the past two years and have a formula that’s proven to work in the postseason.

5. Illinois (26-8)

The biggest issue for 3-seed Illinois is the matchup against Houston in what should be unfriendly territory. With the Cougars looking like one of the top favorites for the national title, it’ll take a huge effort from the Illini just to reach the Elite Eight, let alone advance all the way to the program’s first championship.

4. Iowa State (29-7)

The one hangup for No. 2 seed Iowa State in the Midwest region is the injury to All-America forward Joshua Jefferson, who missed the second round against No. 7 Kentucky but is battling to get back for Tennessee in the Sweet 16. If so, the Cyclones are an obvious title contender. If not, ISU might not get past the Volunteers.

3. Purdue (29-8)

No. 2 seed Purdue is getting hot at the right time. After beating Michigan to capture the Big Ten tournament, the Boilermakers have dispatched No. 15 Queens and No. 7 Miami to set up a Sweet 16 pairing with Texas. While it’ll need better play from Braden Smith, who had eight turnovers against the Hurricanes, Purdue has Final Four potential.

2. St. John’s (30-6)

Rick Pitino is the head coach. Is there more that needs to be said? Already the first coach to reach a Sweet 16 in five separate decades, Pitino is looking to lead his fourth program to the Final Four, having done so at Providence (1987), Kentucky (1993 and 1996-97) and Louisville (2005 and 2012-13). The fifth-seeded Red Storm have one of the nation’s best big men in Zuby Ejiofor and the physicality to handle No. 1 Duke in the East Region semifinal. From there, it’s either No. 3 Michigan State or a rematch with the No. 2 Huskies.

1. Houston (30-6)

Houston has an enviable path back to the Final Four in the South Region after finishing as the runner-up to Florida last April. While the Sweet 16 matchup with Illinois will be a challenge, the No. 2 Cougars won’t get Florida, which was upset by Iowa. With a win, UH would take on either the Hawkeyes or the Cornhuskers. Better yet, the regional semifinals and final are being played at the Toyota Center in Houston.

March Madness predictions: Who will win Sweet 16, Elite 8, reach Final Four?

∎ USA TODAY Sports staff made their picks. Check them out here.

∎ How'd we do in our original predictions? We grade our selections.

∎ Some of us have revised our Final Four predictions after Florida's loss to Iowa busted our brackets.

Sweet 16 schedule, game times

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

7:10 p.m.: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas (West), CBS
7:30 p.m.: No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa (South), TBS/truTV
9:45 p.m.: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas (West), CBS
10:05 p.m.: No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois (South), TBS/truTV

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

7:10 p.m.: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John's (East), CBS
7:35 p.m.: Texas Tech/Alabama winner vs. No. 1 Michigan (Midwest), TBS/truTV
9:45 p.m.: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State (East), CBS
10:10 p.m.: No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee (Midwest), TBS/truTV

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which Sweet 16 team has best chance at winning first NCAA national title

March 25, 2026

Preview: Limping, Moody-less Warriors head home to face Nets

NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 29: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors looks to pass the ball during the game against the Brooklyn Nets on December 29, 2025 at Barclays Center in New York City, New York. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

Let’s be direct about what this game actually is, Dub Nation. Tonight isn’t a playoff preview or a statement game. It’s a wounded franchise trying to squeeze one more W out of a season that has been operating on prayers, backup wings, and Coach Steve Kerr’s sheer refusal to accept complete irrelevance.

Golden State Warriors vs. Brooklyn Nets

When: Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | 7:00 PM PT

Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA

TV: NBC Sports Bay Area

Radio: 95.7 The Game

The Warriors (34-38) sit 10th in the Western Conference, one game behind Portland. That’s the math. The equation gets uglier when you catalog the casualties: Steph Curry has been out 22 consecutive games with a persistent right knee issue. Jimmy Butler shredded his ACL in January. Al Horford is nursing a calf strain. And now Moses Moody, who was quietly building the most convincing argument all season for why the Two-Timeline philosophy isn’t a joke, tore his patellar tendon in Dallas on Monday night during an overtime win. He won’t be back this season. Probably not for the opening stretch of next one either.

Genuinely just feel awful for the Warriors and Moses Moody.

Just by the look on Steph’s face he’s devastated. This has been an awful year. https://t.co/L3YQyLkSeS pic.twitter.com/fSBdTrMAeo
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) March 24, 2026

The opponent tonight? A Brooklyn Nets squad (17-55) that is professionally, enthusiastically, strategically losing basketball games. Toumani Camara just dropped a 35-point career night on them from Portland two nights ago. They committed 22 turnovers. Their best players are either injured, on other teams, or named Tyson Etienne. I don’t believe Brooklyn is trying to beat anyone right now. They’re trying to beat Indiana and Washington to the first overall pick.

That tension is the real storyline. The Nets need to lose. The Warriors desperately need to win, with a roster held together by Draymond’s vocal cords and whoever Kerr can locate in the training room. Every game remaining on this schedule is existential. The play-in window is still cracked open, but a loss to a tanking Brooklyn team would be the kind of L that echoes into the offseason, into roster decisions, into the ongoing conversation about whether this championship core has finally exhausted its last comeback narrative.

Nets tanking so hard they told half the team to stay home 😭 pic.twitter.com/1zoeF2Qqpa
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) January 9, 2025

With the offense running through whoever is still breathing, who on the Dubs will showcase their ability to orchestrate possessions and bring sustained defensive intensity? If Golden State can impose physicality on a banged-up Nets squad that just played last night in Portland, the talent gap should tell.

But basketball isn’t spreadsheets. The Warriors have been running a relay race with a broken baton all season. Tonight they hand it to whoever’s still standing.

Win this game. Figure out the rest later.

March 25, 2026

March Madness top players: These 10 hope to deliver Final Four dreams

While college basketball’s coaching old heads are having a generational reckoning in the Sweet 16, the sport’s stars on the court for the next round of the Men’s NCAA Tournament are a peppered mix of veterans and projected one-and-done phenoms.

Arkansas coach John Calipari, 67, is youngest among the quintet of Calipari, Tennessee’s Rick Barnes (71), Michigan State’s Tom Izzo (71), Houston’s Kelvin Sampson and St. John’s Rick Pitino (73).

Duke’s Cameron Boozer, a consensus top-five projected NBA lottery pick this summer, won’t turn 19 until July 18.

Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg and UConn’s Alex Karaban both turn 24 this fall.

That trio is just three of 10 players who will help dictate Final Four dreams and season-ending nightmares in these upcoming games.

A look at the players to know in the Sweet 16:

Darius Acuff Jr., Arkansas

No player anywhere in college basketball has done more to elevate his game — and his draft profile — in March Madness than has the freshman guard for Calipari’s Razorbacks. The 6-3, 190-pounder from Detroit scored 60 points in the tournament’s opening weekend on 20 of 41 shooting from the floor and hitting 15 of 17 free throws. He’s scored 24 or more points in every game of his team’s current six-game winning binge, which included an SEC tournament title.

Cameron Boozer, Duke

The ACC’s player and rookie of the year, Boozer had a workmanlike pair of double-doubles as the Blue Devils survived Siena and dispatched TCU in their opening pair of games. He closed with 41 points and 24 rebounds combined. The 6-9, 250-pounder also proved clutch from the free-throw line, where he made 18 of 19 free throws in his NCAA Tournament debut.

Jayden Bradley, Arizona

While freshmen Brayden Burries and Koa Peat garner the majority of NBA chatter on the Wildcats roster, it is Bradley whose game-winner in the semifinals of the Big 12 tournament helped sustain an Arizona winning streak now at 11 games. Bradley owns 73 starts in his 109 career games across one season at Alabama and now two with the Wildcats. His 13.3 points and 4.4 assists per game now in his junior year are both career bests.

Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State

A starter in all 36 games in which he’s appeared this season, the redshirt sophomore Fears has been the catalyst for Michigan State. He’s scored as many as 31 points in a game this season and dropped off a career-best 17 assists in Jan. 26 win against Maryland. Since a late-January road game at Rutgers, Fears has logged 32 or more minutes in every Spartans game save one. Those seemingly indefatigable legs carry Michigan State’s Final Four navigation this weekend.

Kingston Flemings, Houston

On a roster with no shortage of older veterans, it’s the freshman Flemings who helps this Cougars squad encapsulate the essence of Sampson. He’s fearless, hard-nosed and does the little things well, as evidenced by the guard’s care for the ball — just three turnovers in nearly 60 minutes last weekend. Flemings shoots 84.3% from the free-throw line.

Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Tennessee

With Vols star forward Nate Ament operating at less than 100% and managing his way through various injuries per Barnes, Gillespie now carries an even greater load for a Tennessee program seeking its first Final Four berth. Preparing for his 129^th career college game after prior stops at Belmont and Maryland, Gillespie carries two of his finer performances with him into this round: He scored 50 points and had 15 assists as he played all but six minutes combined in the tournament's first two games.

Alex Karaban, UConn

Closing in on 150 career games and already UConn’s all-time winningest player, Karaban enters the Sweet 16 off a career-best 27-point outing. It prompted one of the tournament’s best quotes from Huskies coach Dan Hurley.

“He’s not going down without firing all of his bullets.”

Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan

After a quiet first-round game in Michigan’s win against First Four survivor Howard, Lendeborg regained form to help send Dusty May’s Wolverines to the Sweet 16 with 25 points in just 32 minutes. It marked his eighth game this season of 20 or more points, but it doesn’t fully illuminate his value. Lendeborg added six boards and didn’t commit a turnover in either game.

Labaron Philon Jr., Alabama

The 6-4, 185-pound combo guard had a 35-point game, collected 10 boards in an early-season clash against Arizona and then delivered 12 assists in the Crimson Tide’s Sweet 16-clinching beatdown of Texas Tech.

With second-leading scorer Aden Holloway continuing to be absent following his felony arrest, Philon must carry even more of the Tide’s scoring load. He’s averaged 22.67 ppg across his past half-dozen games — despite scoring just nine to pair with his 12 assists against Texas Tech.

Bennett Stirtz, Iowa

Already a standout player previously in his career at Drake, Stirtz followed coach Ben McCollum to the Hawkeyes and has found another level. He played every minute in each of Iowa’s first two tournament games — an astounding measure of endurance he’s replicated 16 times this season. Stirtz didn’t score a much last weekend; just 29 points total, but he’s exploded for a career-best 36 in a Big Ten game against Northwestern and showed he’ll volume-shoot if necessary in a 23-shot effort against Michigan. That game marked one of the six this season in which Stirtz hoisted 20 or more field-goal attempts.

Dailyn Swain, Texas

Like Stirtz, Swain followed his coach — Sean Miller — from his previous school, Xavier, and has further elevated his play. He engineered the Texas offense with a half-dozen assists in each game but showed he can be an ultra-efficient scorer when he hit 11 of 19 shots. Swain had just one turnover in his 73 minutes in helping Miller keep alive his quest for a first Final Four berth and what would the first for the Texas program since Barnes delivered the Longhorns a spot in 2003.

When does Sweet 16 start? Next March Madness games, schedule, tip times

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

7:10 p.m.: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas (West), CBS
7:30 p.m.: No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa (South), TBS/truTV
9:45 p.m.: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas (West), CBS
10:05 p.m.: No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois (South), TBS/truTV

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

7:10 p.m.: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John's (East), CBS
7:35 p.m.: Texas Tech/Alabama winner vs. No. 1 Michigan (Midwest), TBS/truTV
9:45 p.m.: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State (East), CBS
10:10 p.m.: No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee (Midwest), TBS/truTV

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness top players to watch in Sweet 16

March 25, 2026

Oilers visit the Golden Knights after McDavid's 2-goal game

Edmonton Oilers (35-28-9, in the Pacific Division) vs. Vegas Golden Knights (32-26-14, in the Pacific Division)

Paradise, Nevada; Thursday, 9:30 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Edmonton Oilers visit the Vegas Golden Knights after Connor McDavid's two-goal game against the Utah Mammoth in the Oilers' 5-2 win.

Vegas is 32-26-14 overall and 10-5-4 against the Pacific Division. The Golden Knights have a +five scoring differential, with 224 total goals scored and 219 allowed.

Edmonton is 11-5-3 against the Pacific Division and 35-28-9 overall. The Oilers have scored 250 total goals (3.5 per game) to rank third in the league.

The matchup Thursday is the third time these teams square off this season. The Oilers won 4-2 in the previous matchup.

TOP PERFORMERS: Mitchell Marner has 19 goals and 51 assists for the Golden Knights. Pavel Dorofeyev has five goals and four assists over the past 10 games.

McDavid has 40 goals and 78 assists for the Oilers. Zach Hyman has four goals and two assists over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Golden Knights: 3-7-0, averaging two goals, 3.4 assists, 4.4 penalties and 11.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

Oilers: 5-4-1, averaging three goals, 4.7 assists, four penalties and 9.2 penalty minutes while giving up 3.4 goals per game.

INJURIES: Golden Knights: William Karlsson: out (lower body), Carter Hart: out (leg), Jonas Rondbjerg: out (lower body).

Oilers: Curtis Lazar: out (undisclosed), Leon Draisaitl: out (lower-body), Colton Dach: out (undisclosed), Trent Frederic: out (undisclosed), Mattias Janmark: out for season (undisclosed).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

March 25, 2026

Flyers and Blackhawks square off in out-of-conference matchup

Chicago Blackhawks (27-31-13, in the Central Division) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (34-24-12, in the Metropolitan Division)

Philadelphia; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: The Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks take the ice in a non-conference matchup.

Philadelphia has a 15-12-8 record at home and a 34-24-12 record overall. The Flyers have a 5-5-8 record in games decided by one goal.

Chicago has a 14-15-6 record in road games and a 27-31-13 record overall. The Blackhawks have gone 22-6-7 in games they score three or more goals.

The matchup Thursday is the second time these teams meet this season. The Flyers won 3-1 in the last meeting.

TOP PERFORMERS: Trevor Zegras has scored 22 goals with 34 assists for the Flyers. Owen Tippett has five goals and one assist over the last 10 games.

Tyler Bertuzzi has 29 goals and 23 assists for the Blackhawks. Frank Nazar has five goals and six assists over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Flyers: 6-3-1, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.1 assists, 4.6 penalties and 11 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.

Blackhawks: 4-3-3, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.1 assists, 3.9 penalties and 8.8 penalty minutes while giving up 3.1 goals per game.

INJURIES: Flyers: Rodrigo Abols: out (ankle), Tyson Foerster: out (arm).

Blackhawks: Shea Weber: out for season (ankle), Andrew Mangiapane: out (undisclosed), Oliver Moore: out (lower body), Sacha Boisvert: day to day (not injury related ), Matt Grzelcyk: out (upper-body).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

March 25, 2026

‘I wanted the rollercoaster of being emotionally invested’: Ian Bell on coaching, England and the 2005 Ashes WhatsApp

Five-times Ashes winner has since had a varied coaching career and believes the red ball is still fundamental to the modern player

It’s a sunny spring afternoon, a new season looms, and just a short stroll down the road from Knowle & Dorridge Cricket Club, Ian Bell is in his local stressing the importance of County Championship runs. One of the purest Test batters England has produced this century, Bell is also about to fly to the Indian Premier League for a spell of coaching.

Not that the two are necessarily a contradiction. Bell is excited to be joining Delhi Capitals as their new assistant coach before the IPL that starts on Saturday – a significant opportunity in his second career. But as much as T20 has transformed the sport, Bell insists that time batting against the red ball is still fundamental to the modern player.

March 25, 2026

Game Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies

MEMPHIS, TN - JANUARY 6: Dylan Harper #2 of the San Antonio Spurs drives to the basket during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 6, 2026 at FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

The Memphis Grizzlies have been a disaster this season. It’s been an even worse season for Ja Morant, as he’s only managed to play in 20 games due to a litany of injuries. Morant, who was looked at a few years ago and one of the young star faces of the league, has had a difficult time staying healthy in his career. He hasn’t played since suffering a UCL sprain in his elbow in a loss to the Atlanta Hawks back on January 21st. With Morant injured once again, Memphis made the decision to send former DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr. out before the trade deadline, effectively setting the franchise up for a rebuild. Now without their two best players and nothing to play for in the bottom in the West, Memphis has been in freefall and are just 2-11 in the month of March.

The San Antonio Spurs, meanwhile, have been the story of the West’s second half. At 54-18 and still sitting just three games behind Oklahoma City for the top seed, the Spurs have won 9 out of 10 and have won six straight. They’re coming off a stunning display of what their peak might look like in their demolition of the Miami Heat in South Beach on Monday night. As the season has played out, the Spurs have gotten noticeably better at taking care of their business and winning games that they’re expected to win. With the Grizzlies coming into this one with an injury report that’s 10 players deep coming compared to just 1 player on San Antonio’s, tonight is one of those games.

San Antonio Spurs (54-18) vs Memphis Grizzlies (24-47)
March 25 2026 | 6:00 PM CT
Watch: FDSS | Listen: WOAI (1200 AM)

Spurs Injuries: David Jones-Garcia, OUT

Grizzlies Injuries: Ja Morant, elbow (OUT), Brandon Clarke, calf (OUT), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, finger (OUT), Zach Edey, ankle (OUT), Scotty Pippen Jr, toe (OUT), Santi Aldama, knee (OUT), Ty Jerome, ankle (OUT), Jaylen Wells, toe (OUT), Jahmai Mashack, ankle (OUT), Javon Small, back (QUESTIONABLE)

What to watch for

Victor Wembanyama put on quite a display Monday night, making a Miami team that’s been great this season under Erik Spoelstra look like a high school team at times. Memphis by comparison doesn’t have even a quarter of the personnel or coaching that Miami has. This is especially true in the middle, where both the trade of JJJ and a season ending injury to Zach Edey leaves them devoid of great talent at center to contend with Wemby. If he was able to put on that show that was on in South Beach, what can he do tonight against a Grizzlies team that’s deploying small line-ups with no one over 6’9 to start games?
The Spurs’ bench, which has been a bright spot all season long, is coming off a massive game where they accounted for 68 of San Antonio’s 136 points in the win against the Heat. Dylan Harper followed up his impressive first career start with a return to the bench, but that didn’t stop him from being just as impressive with a second consecutive 20 point performance. San Antonio is probably going to win most games when they get a combined 40 points between the duo of Harper and Keldon Johnson. Against such a mediocre Memphis defense, anything is possible.
The Grizzlies are among the worst teams in the league at guarding the 3 point line. San Antonio has been middle of the pack in all aspects of three point shooting as far as league rankings go, but they’ve been very productive out there since the beginning of February, making an elite 38% of their shots from distance compared to their 35% mark for the season. For context, that 38% mark would be good for 3rd behind only the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks

If you’d like to, you may follow along with the game on our Twitter profile (@poundingtherock) or visit our Game Thread!

March 25, 2026

New Zealand wins the toss and bowls in the deciding T20 against South Africa

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand won the toss and chosen to bowl Wednesday in the fifth and deciding Twenty20 against South Africa at Hagley Oval.

After a run of low-scoring matches, the series is level at 2-2. South Africa won the first match by seven wickets, New Zealand won the second and third by 68 runs and eight wickets, respectively, and South Africa won the fourth by 19 runs.

Both teams named unchanged lineups for the first time this series.

South Africa has retained spinner Prenelan Subrayen, who made an impressive debut in the fourth match at Wellington on Sunday.

____

Lineups:

New Zealand: Tim Robinson, Katene Clarke, Dane Cleaver, Nick Kelly, Bevon Jacobs, Jimmy Neesham (captain), Cole McConchie, Josh Clarkson, Zak Foukes, Kyle Jamieson, Ben Sears.

South Africa: Tony de Zorzi, Wiaan Mulder, Connor Esterhuizen, Rubin Hermann, Dian Forrester, Jason Smith, George Linde, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj (captain), Prenelan Subrayen, Ottneil Baartman.

___

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

March 25, 2026

How every World Series champion fared on Opening Day

How every World Series champion fared on Opening Day originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

An MLB season is a marathon, not a sprint. Still, it never hurts to get off to a fast start.

Let’s look back through over a century of MLB history and see how eventual World Series champions fared on Opening Day.

How many World Series winners lost on Opening Day?

Forty-one of the 121 World Series winners lost their first game of the season.

It was not a common trend in MLB’s early days. Between 1903 and 1934, six teams lost on Opening Day and went on to win it all.

The impact of a team’s Opening Day result noticeably dropped at the turn of the century. Since 2000, eventual World Series winners are just 15-11 on Opening Day.

What is the worst start to the season for a World Series winner?

The Atlanta Braves made history in 2021 by becoming the first MLB team to start a season 0-4 and wind up winning the Fall Classic.

Five other teams in MLB history overcame 0-3 starts to a season on their way to a championship. Six more started 0-2.

How every World Series winner fared on Opening Day

Here is the Opening Day result for every World Series winner in MLB history:

1903 Boston Americans: Won 9-4 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1905 New York Giants: Won 10-1 vs. Boston Beaneaters
1906 Chicago White Sox: Won 5-3 vs. Detroit Tigers
1907 Chicago Cubs: Won 6-1 vs. St. Louis Cardinals
1908 Chicago Cubs: Won 6-5 vs. Cincinnati Reds
1909 Pittsburgh Pirates: Won 3-0 vs. Cincinnati Reds
1910 Philadelphia Athletics: Lost 3-0 vs. Washington Senators (won next game)
1911 Philadelphia Athletics: Lost 2-1 vs. New York Highlanders (started 0-3)
1912 Boston Red Sox: Won 5-3 vs. New York Highlanders
1913 Philadelphia Athletics: Won 10-9 vs. Boston Red Sox
1914 Boston Braves: Lost 8-2 vs. Brooklyn Robins (started 0-3)
1915 Boston Red Sox: Lost 2-0 vs. Philadelphia Athletics (won next game)
1916 Boston Red Sox: Won 2-1 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1917 Chicago White Sox: Won 7-2 vs. St. Louis Browns
1918 Boston Red Sox: Won 7-1 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1919 Cincinnati Reds: Won 6-2 vs. St. Louis Cardinals
1920 Cleveland: Won 5-0 vs. St. Louis Browns
1921 New York Giants: Won 10-8 vs. Philadelphia Phillies
1922 New York Giants: Lost 4-3 vs. Brooklyn Robins (won next game)
1923 New York Yankees: Won 4-1 vs. Boston Red Sox
1924 Washington Nationals: Won 4-0 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1925 Pittsburgh Pirates: Lost 8-2 vs. Chicago Cubs (won next game)
1926 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 7-6 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
1927 New York Yankees: Won 8-3 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1928 New York Yankees: Won 8-3 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1929 Philadelphia Athletics: Won 13-4 vs. Washington Senators
1930 Philadelphia Athletics: Won 6-2 vs. New York Yankees
1931 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 7-3 vs. Cincinnati Reds
1932 New York Yankees: Won 12-6 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1933 New York Giants: Tied 1-1 vs. Brooklyn Dodgers
1934 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 7-1 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
1935 Detroit Tigers: Lost 7-6 vs. Chicago White Sox (won next game)
1936 New York Yankees: Lost 1-0 vs. Washington Senators (started 0-2)
1937 New York Yankees: Lost 3-2 vs. Washington Senators (won next game)
1938 New York Yankees: Lost 8-4 vs. Boston Red Sox (won next game)
1939 New York Yankees: Won 2-0 vs. Boston Red Sox
1940 Cincinnati Reds: Won 2-1 vs. Chicago Cubs
1941 New York Yankees: Won 3-0 vs. Washington Senators
1942 St. Louis Cardinals: Lost 5-4 vs. Chicago Cubs (won next game)
1943 New York Yankees: Won 5-4 vs. Washington Senators
1944 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 2-0 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
1945 Detroit Tigers: Lost 7-1 vs. St. Louis Browns (won next game)
1946 St. Louis Cardinals: Lost 6-4 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates (won next game)
1947 New York Yankees: Lost 6-1 vs. Philadelphia Athletics (won next game)
1948 Cleveland: Won 4-0 vs. St. Louis Browns
1949 New York Yankees: Won 3-2 vs. Washington Senators
1950 New York Yankees: Won 15-10 vs. Boston Red Sox
1951 New York Yankees: Won 5-0 vs. Boston Red Sox
1952 New York Yankees: Won 8-1 vs. Philadelphia Athletics
1953 New York Yankees: Lost 5-0 vs. Philadelphia Athletics (won next game)
1954 New York Giants: Won 4-3 vs. Brooklyn Dodgers
1955 Brooklyn Dodgers: Won 6-1 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
1956 New York Yankees: Won 10-4 vs. Washington Senators
1957 Milwaukee Braves: Won 4-1 vs. Chicago Cubs
1958 New York Yankees: Won 3-0 vs. Boston Red Sox
1959 Los Angeles Dodgers: Lost 6-1 vs. Chicago Cubs (won next game)
1960 Pittsburgh Pirates: Lost 4-3 vs. Milwaukee Braves (won next game)
1961 New York Yankees: Lost 6-0 vs. Minnesota Twins (won next game)
1962 New York Yankees: Won 7-6 vs. Baltimore Orioles
1963 Los Angeles Dodgers: Won 5-1 vs. Chicago Cubs
1964 St. Louis Cardinals: Lost 4-0 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (won next game)
1965 Los Angeles Dodgers: Won 6-1 vs. New York Mets
1966 Baltimore Orioles: Won 5-4 vs. Boston Red Sox
1967 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 6-0 vs. San Francisco Giants
1968 Detroit Tigers: Lost 7-3 vs. Boston Red Sox (won next game)
1969 New York Mets: Lost 11-10 vs. Montreal Expos (won next game)
1970 Baltimore Orioles: Won 8-2 vs. Cleveland
1971 Pittsburgh Pirates: Won 4-2 vs. Philadelphia Phillies
1972 Oakland Athletics: Won 4-3 vs. Minnesota Twins
1973 Oakland Athletics: Lost 8-3 vs. Minnesota Twins (started 0-3)
1974 Oakland Athletics: Won 7-2 vs. Texas Rangers
1975 Cincinnati Reds: Won 2-1 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
1976 Cincinnati Reds: Won 11-5 vs. Houston Astros
1977 New York Yankees: Won 3-0 vs. Milwaukee Brewers
1978 New York Yankees: Lost 2-1 vs. Texas Rangers (won next game)
1979 Pittsburgh Pirates: Lost 3-2 vs. Montreal Expos (won next game)
1980 Philadelphia Phillies: Won 6-3 vs. Montreal Expos
1981 Los Angeles Dodgers: Won 2-0 vs. Houston Astros
1982 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 14-3 vs. Houston Astros
1983 Baltimore Orioles: Lost 7-2 vs. Kansas City Royals (won next game)
1984 Detroit Tigers: Won 8-1 vs. Minnesota Twins
1985 Kansas City Royals: Won 2-1 vs. Toronto Blue Jays
1986 New York Mets: Won 4-2 vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
1987 Minnesota Twins: Won 5-4 vs. Oakland Athletics
1988 Los Angeles Dodgers: Lost 5-1 vs. San Francisco Giants (won next game)
1989 Oakland Athletics: Won 3-2 vs. Seattle Mariners
1990 Cincinnati Reds: Won 8-4 vs. Houston Astros
1991 Minnesota Twins: Lost 7-2 vs. Oakland Athletics (won next game)
1992 Toronto Blue Jays: Won 4-2 vs. Detroit Tigers
1993 Toronto Blue Jays: Lost 8-1 vs. Seattle Mariners (won next game)
1995 Atlanta Braves: Won 12-5 vs. San Francisco Giants
1996 New York Yankees: Won 7-1 vs. Cleveland
1997 Florida Marlins: Won 4-2 vs. Chicago Cubs
1998 New York Yankees: Lost 4-1 vs. Anaheim Angels (started 0-3)
1999 New York Yankees: Lost 5-3 vs. Oakland Athletics (won next game)
2000 New York Yankees: Won 3-2 vs. Anaheim Angels
2001 Arizona Diamondbacks: Won 3-2 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
2002 Anaheim Angels: Lost 6-0 vs. Cleveland (won next game)
2003 Florida Marlins: Lost 8-5 vs. Philadelphia Phillies (started 0-2)
2004 Boston Red Sox: Lost 7-2 vs. Baltimore Orioles (won next game)
2005 Chicago White Sox: Won 1-0 vs. Cleveland
2006 St. Louis Cardinals: Won 13-5 vs. Philadelphia Phillies
2007 Boston Red Sox: Lost 7-1 vs. Kansas City Royals (won next game)
2008 Philadelphia Phillies: Lost 11-6 vs. Washington Nationals (started 0-2)
2009 New York Yankees: Lost 10-5 vs. Baltimore Orioles (started 0-2)
2010 San Francisco Giants: Won 5-2 vs. Houston Astros
2011 St. Louis Cardinals: Lost 5-3 vs. San Diego Padres (started 0-2)
2012 San Francisco Giants: Lost 5-4 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (started 0-3)
2013 Boston Red Sox: Won 8-2 vs. New York Yankees
2014 San Francisco Giants: Won 9-8 vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
2015 Kansas City Royals: Won 10-1 vs. Chicago White Sox
2016 Chicago Cubs: Won 9-0 vs. Los Angeles Angels
2017 Houston Astros: Won 3-0 vs. Seattle Mariners
2018 Boston Red Sox: Lost 6-4 vs. Tampa Bay Rays (won next game)
2019 Washington Nationals: Lost 2-0 vs. New York Mets (started 0-2)
2020 Los Angeles Dodgers: Won 8-1 vs. San Francisco Giants
2021 Atlanta Braves: Lost 3-2 vs. Philadelphia Phillies (started 0-4)
2022 Houston Astros: Won 3-1 vs. Los Angeles Angels
2023 Texas Rangers: Won 11-7 vs. Philadelphia Phillies
2024 Los Angeles Dodgers: Won 5-2 vs. San Diego Padres
2025 Los Angeles Dodgers: Won 4-1 vs. Chicago Cubs

March 25, 2026

Cleveland hosts Miami following Mitchell's 42-point showing

Miami Heat (38-34, 10th in the Eastern Conference) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (45-27, fourth in the Eastern Conference)

Cleveland; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cavaliers -3.5; over/under is 241.5

BOTTOM LINE: Cleveland takes on the Miami Heat after Donovan Mitchell scored 42 points in the Cleveland Cavaliers' 136-131 win over the Orlando Magic.

The Cavaliers are 29-17 in Eastern Conference games. Cleveland is 2-5 in games decided by 3 points or fewer.

The Heat have gone 22-20 against Eastern Conference opponents. Miami is the Eastern Conference leader with 46.7 rebounds per game led by Bam Adebayo averaging 9.8.

The Cavaliers are shooting 47.9% from the field this season, 1.9 percentage points higher than the 46.0% the Heat allow to opponents. The Heat average 5.3 more points per game (120.2) than the Cavaliers give up (114.9).

The teams play for the third time this season. The Cavaliers won the last matchup 130-116 on Nov. 13. Jarrett Allen scored 30 points to help lead the Cavaliers to the victory.

TOP PERFORMERS: Evan Mobley is scoring 18.3 points per game and averaging 8.9 rebounds for the Cavaliers. James Harden is averaging 22.7 points and 5.2 rebounds over the last 10 games.

Adebayo is averaging 20.3 points and 9.8 rebounds for the Heat. Tyler Herro is averaging 2.5 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cavaliers: 7-3, averaging 119.1 points, 43.4 rebounds, 26.9 assists, 6.2 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.5 points per game.

Heat: 5-5, averaging 121.9 points, 43.4 rebounds, 29.0 assists, 8.7 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.4 points.

INJURIES: Cavaliers: Craig Porter Jr.: out (groin), Jaylon Tyson: out (toe), Jarrett Allen: out (knee).

Heat: None listed.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.