Several sharp handicappers share their insights for the first round of the 2025 NCAA tournament.
NCAA launches new anti-harrassment video centered around sports betting ahead of March Madness
The video, telling fans 'Don't Be a Loser,' is part of a larger campaign meant to curb betting-related harassment against student-athletes.
Is Texas A&M on upset alert against Yale?
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz, Isis "Ice" Young, Kevin O'Connor and 13-year NBA veteran Marcus Morris Sr. preview the matchup of 4 vs. 13 seeds in the South region.
NCAA Tournament – Creighton vs Louisville Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, Betting Trends and Stats
Creighton Bluejays vs. Louisville Cardinals Game Preview
How Blues And Utah Climbed Into NHL's Western Playoff Race – And How Canucks And Flames Let Them
All season long, a handful of the NHL’s Eastern Conference clubs have been jockeying for playoff positions. By comparison, the West looked straightforward.
That has changed since play resumed after February’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
Now, four Western teams are jockeying for one wild-card spot — and the Minnesota Wild may not be safe, either.
The streaks and slumps that are happening today could flip in an instant tomorrow, then flip again a week or two from now. It’s going to be a wild ride.
With exactly one month to go in the regular season, here’s the lay of the land in the Western wild-card race as of Tuesday, March 18.
Wild Card 1: Minnesota Wild – 68 GP, 81 pts
Position at 4 Nations break: third in Central Division, 70 pts
Record since 4 Nations: 5-6-1 (11 pts)
How They’ve Fared:With Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek on the shelf, the Wild’s offense has dried up. They’re last in the NHL in goals-for per game since the 4 Nations, averaging just 1.92.
The Road Ahead: The Wild got some much-needed breathing room with their first regulation win in nearly two weeks on Monday, but they’ve played more games than most of their rivals. Final-week clashes with the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames could prove to be crucial.
Notable Quote: “You look at other teams bulk up, and it just kind of gives you a little bit of jealousy. We know next year is next year and that we’ll have that off our plate finally, but it just feels a little bit frustrating when you always want to be in that position to succeed.” - Marcus Foligno, on the Wild’s salary-cap challenges preventing trade deadline additions.
Wild Card 2: Vancouver Canucks – 67 GP, 73 pts
Position at 4 Nations break: WC2, 63 pts
Record since 4 Nations: 5-7-0 (10 pts)
How They’ve Fared:Quinn Hughes is back, and center Elias Pettersson has started to find his game. The Canucks have served up some inspiring moments, but they’ve been mixed in with disappointments as Vancouver has failed to pull away from the chase pack.
The Road Ahead: After they finish their homestand against the league-best Winnipeg Jets, the Canucks start a tough six-game Eastern road trip with a crucial game in St. Louis on Thursday.
Notable Quote: “We could have separated ourselves today, and everyone knew how big that would be. Now, we’re still in the same position we’ve been in, which is do-or-die pretty much every day. It’s exciting. It’s a nice opportunity for us to see what type of group we are.” Quinn Hughes, after Vancouver’s 3-1 loss to Utah on Sunday.
Canucks Have One Of The Most Difficult Schedules To End The 2024-25 SeasonThe Vancouver Canucks are down to their final 15 regular season games for 2024-25 and will need every point they can get in order to qualify for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Vancouver will not be getting any breaks down the stretch, as they have one of the toughest schedules over the next month. This includes multiple matchups against the Winnipeg Jets and a six-game road trip that will take them to the East Coast.
Out of Playoffs: St. Louis Blues – 68 GP, 73 pts
Position at 4 Nations break: out of playoffs, 55 pts
Record since 4 Nations: 8-2-2 (18 pts)
How They’ve Fared:The Blues rode a hot streak all the way to a Stanley Cup in 2019, and they are showing the same mojo now. Jordan Binnington has ridden Canada’s 4 Nations win to a 6-2-0 record, and the Blues are now scoring by committee in a big way. The power play is clicking at over 30 percent, and seven players have picked up 10 points or more in the last 12 games.
The Road Ahead: The Blues and Wild have played the most games of the contenders, but St. Louis has a relatively easy schedule the rest of the way. It could come down to the season finale against Utah on April 15.
Notable Quote: “We’ve sent the message that we love each other, and we want to find a way in this locker room and build for right now and the future.” Jordan Binnington, as rumors of a fire sale swirled before the trade deadline.
Bolduc's Patience, Willingness To Put In Small Details Starting To Pay Off For BluesMARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- Zack Bolduc understood this would be a process, and it would not come overnight.
Out of Playoffs: Calgary Flames – 66 GP, 71 pts
Position at 4 Nations break: out of playoffs, 60 pts
Record since 4 Nations: 4-4-3 (11 pts)
How They’ve Fared: Since upsetting Washington on Feb. 25, the Flames have gone 2-4-3, losing ground in the overall race rather than making it up. An injury to Mikael Backlund has left them thin at center, and Monday’s blowout loss in Toronto might have been the ugliest of the bunch.
The Road Ahead: The Flames have played fewer games than any team on this list. But they’re two games below .500 on the road this year and will play nine of their last 16 away from home.
Notable Quote: “It’s the biggest game of the year. It’s a must-win for us. I need more from everybody, including myself. We’ve got to get out of this, and we’re right back in a playoff spot if we win tomorrow night.” MacKenzie Weegar, looking toward Tuesday’s game at Madison Square Garden against the New York Rangers.
Out of Playoffs: Utah Hockey Club – 67 GP, 71 pts
Position at 4 Nations break: out of playoffs, 57 pts
Record since 4 Nations: 6-3-2 (14 pts)
How They’ve Fared:Utah has been an analytics darling all season and started stringing together standings points after John Marino and Sean Durzi rejoined the blueline following months-long injuries. Clayton Keller has also had one of the hottest sticks in the league, with 15 points in 11 games.
The Road Ahead: Is Ian Cole the Utahn’s secret weapon? The well-travelled veteran defenseman has made the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons, despite playing for seven different teams. He helped the Canucks bump their three-year drought last year.
Notable Quote: “We're not going to make the playoffs by looking at the standings. We're going to make the playoffs by putting together good games, finding points and winning down the stretch.” Alexander Kerfoot on Sunday.
Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
Does Michigan State have the easiest path of all the No. 2 seeds?
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz, Isis "Ice" Young, Kevin O'Connor and 13-year NBA veteran Marcus Morris discuss Sparty's path to San Antonio and the Final Four.
Stephen A calls Draymond out after Warriors' loss to Nuggets
Stephen A calls Draymond out after Warriors' loss to Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Draymond Green can talk the talk, but Stephen A. Smith wants to see the Warriors forward walk the walk, too.
Green infamously proclaimed that Golden State would win the NBA Finals this season after the Warriors acquired Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline, but one bad loss to the shorthanded Denver Nuggets on Monday night put things into perspective for the ESPN analyst.
“My eyes are on Draymond Green. Who’s the person who went on national television during All-Star Weekend and guaranteed a championship? Who’s that? That wasn’t Steph. That wasn’t Jimmy. That’s Draymond,” Smith said Tuesday morning on “First Take.” “… We know what a point-forward he is, we know how great he is at setting Steph Curry up, getting him the basketball, pushing the ball up the court, running their offense. We know how valuable Dray is on that level. But if this brother hits his threes when he is open, that changes the dynamic of everything for the Golden State Warriors.
“That’s why the guarantee matters. Because when he’s making shots, that’s a profound positive impact for the Golden State Warriors. I’m not saying you change your strategy because he’s not a shooter. But if you don’t guard him, and you leave him open, and he hits those shots, it changes everything because then they can upset somebody in the Western Conference.
“So that man that opened his mouth and guaranteed a championship, it’s literally on him. Because I know what Jimmy Butler’s going to do. We know what Playoff Jimmy is all about. We know what Steph Curry is all about. But if Draymond hits shots, it’s a different ball game. But he’s got to do it. So it’s on him, a lot of it.”
"Who's the person who went on national television during All-Star Weekend and guaranteed a championship?" 😳 @stephenasmith CALLS OUT Draymond Green after the Warriors' loss to the Nuggets 👀 pic.twitter.com/BqQftlufDV
— First Take (@FirstTake) March 18, 2025
In 54 games (52 starts) this season, Green is averaging 9.2 points on 43.6-percent shooting from the field and 33.5 percent from 3-point range, with 6.1 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks in 29 minutes per game.
While Green isn’t known for his scoring much less his shot from beyond the arc, there have been games and even stretches where the do-it-all forward knocks down a couple treys.
In last week’s win over the Sacramento Kings, Green was 4 of 7 from 3-point range and finished with a season-high 23 points. But he was just 1 of 6 from downtown over Golden State’s next two games, including going 0-for-1 from long-range against the Nuggets.
Green’s daily to-do list consists of more than just shooting the ball, but if he would do it more for the Warriors, Smith believes Green’s prediction could come true.
Dodgers vs. Cubs – MLB in Tokyo – Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats
Wednesday, March 19 the Los Angeles Dodgers (1-0) are in Tokyo for Game 2 of their series against the Chicago Cubs (0-1).
The Dodgers took Game 1 by the score of 4-1. Shota Imanaga and Yoshinobu Yamamoto started for Chicago and LA respectively in the first all-Japanese starting pitching matchup on opening day in MLB history. Although Imanaga threw four shutout innings, the Cubs' bullpen could not hold the lead. Yamamoto threw five innings of 3-hit, 1-run ball for the win and the Dodgers' bullpen was perfect over the final four innings. Shohei Ohtani picked up a couple of hits and scored two runs to spark the LA lineup that was without Mookie Betts (illness) and Freddie Freeman (ribs).
Rookie Roki Sasaki (0-0) takes the mound for the Dodgers in the series finale against Justin Steele (0-0).
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
Game details & how to watch Dodgers at Cubs
- Date: Wednesday, March 19, 2025
- Time: 6:10AM EST
- Site: Tokyo Dome
- City: Tokyo, Japan
- Network/Streaming: FS1
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Dodgers at the Cubs
The latest odds as of Tuesday afternoon:
- Moneyline: Los Angeles Dodgers (-150), Chicago Cubs (+125)
- Spread: Dodgers -1.5 (+110)
- Total: 8.0 runs
Listen to the Rotoworld Baseball Show for the latest player news, waiver claims, roster advice and more from our experts all season long. Click here or download it wherever you get your podcasts.
Probable starting pitchers for Dodgers at Cubs
- Wednesday’s pitching matchup (DATE): Roki Sasaki vs. Justin Steele
- Dodgers: Roki Sasaki
Spring Training: 2GP, 7 IP, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 7Ks - Cubs: Justin Steele
2024: 24 starts, 134.2 IP, 5-5, 3.07 ERA, 135 Ks
- Dodgers: Roki Sasaki
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Expert picks & predictions for Wednesday’s game between the Dodgers and the Cubs
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Wednesday's game between the Dodgers and the Cubs:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Dodgers on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the LA Dodgers -1.5.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the under on the Game Total of 8.0.
Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC
Dodgers vs. Cubs: Betting Trends and Recent Stats
- Shohei Ohtani was the only player on either team to pick up multiple hits
- Kyle Tucker went hitless in 4 trips to the plate
- Tanner Scott picked up 1st save with LA pitching a perfect 9th
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)
George Toia Accepts Navy All-American Bowl Invitation
Defensive lineman George Toia (Fontana, CA/ Summit High School), the four-star prosect has officially accepted his invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl.
Is Houston being overlooked in this year’s NCAA tournament?
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz, Isis "Ice" Young, Kevin O'Connor and 13-year NBA veteran Marcus Morris discuss if the Cougars are the most complete team in this year's men's tournament field.
Four-Star Elija Harmon Pledges to 2026 Navy All-American Bowl
Defensive lineman Elija Harmon (Inglewood, CA/ Inglewood High School), the four-star prosect has officially accepted his invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl.
Honor Fa’alave Johnson Commits to 2026 Navy All-American Bowl
Athlete Honor Fa’alave Johnson (San Diego, CA/ Cathedral Catholic High School), the four-star prosect has officially accepted his invitation to the 2026 Navy All-American Bowl.
France’s Peato Mauvaka cited for head-first lunge at Scotland’s Ben White
- Hooker cited for foul play after Six Nations finale
- Mauvaka had received yellow card over incident
The France hooker Peato Mauvaka has been cited for foul play after an off-the-ball incident with Scotland’s Ben White in their final Six Nations match.
Mauvaka received a yellow card for throwing himself head first into the grounded scrum-half during France’s title-clinching win in Paris on Saturday. The incident was referred for a bunker review at the time but the punishment was not increased beyond the 10 minutes in the sin-bin.
Continue reading...Sabonis ruled out for Kings-Cavaliers game with ankle sprain
Sabonis ruled out for Kings-Cavaliers game with ankle sprain originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Once again, the Kings will be without Domantas Sabonis on Wednesday night.
Sacramento’s star big man is listed as out for the team’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden 1 Center, per the latest NBA injury report, with a right ankle sprain.
Sabonis sustained the injury in the third quarter of the Kings’ 132-122 win over the Memphis Grizzles on Monday, and it was evident as he hobbled to the locker room that the incident could be serious.
Before the ankle injury, Sabonis was playing in his second game back after missing six contests with a Grade 1 hamstring strain. Disaster struck again Monday when Sabonis was driving to the rim and awkwardly rolled his right ankle as he went for the layup.
In 57 games during the 2024-25 NBA season so far, Sabonis is averaging a double-double with 19.1 points, 14.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists.
The Kings went on to beat the Grizzlies without Sabonis and snap a four-game losing streak, and they’ll have to keep things rolling without him at home Wednesday night against the NBA-leading Cavaliers.
REPORT: Islanders Prospect Dmitry Gamzin Closing In On Extension With CSKA Moscow
New York Islanders prospect Dmitry Gamzin is closing in on a two-year extension with CSKA Moscow in the KHL.
Hearing #Isles prospect goaltender Dmitri Gamzin is closing in on a two-year extension with CSKA.
— Hockey News Hub (@HockeyNewsHub) March 18, 2025
Gamzin was selected by the Islanders 118th overall in the 2024 draft.
The 21-year-old. has played 24 games for CSKA Moscow -- that's the same team that Ilya Sorokin played for -- and holds a save percentage of .928 and a goals-against average of 2.24.
Signing this extension would mean Gamzin has no plan of coming to the United States soon to play in the NHL or AHL. But, for comparison, Sorokin did not leave the KHL to play for the Islanders until he was 25. Cross-town rival Igor Shesterkin also did not leave the KHL until he was 25.
Whether it is for development purposes or other reasons, it seems like spending time in the KHL is a priority for some goalies, and Gamzin would potentially be open to coming to the NHL or AHL after this extension is up in the 2027-28 season.
Joseph LaChase wrote this story.