While there are plenty of WNBA-bound players who will undoubtedly star in the NCAA tournament, we shouldn't overlook the younger players who will be powering their teams through March Madness.
‘Three-peat’ Lynn and Gloucester-Hartpury players ready to switch on for Wales
Sean Lynn will be joined by five victorious Gloucester-Hartpury players in joining up with Wales’ Guinness Women’s Six Nations squad this week after securing an historic hat-trick of Professional Women’s Rugby titles at the weekend. The new Wales Women’s head coach masterminded a ‘three-peat’ for the Circus as they hit back from a 19-5 deficit […]
The post ‘Three-peat’ Lynn and Gloucester-Hartpury players ready to switch on for Wales appeared first on Welsh Rugby Union | Wales & Regions.
Top prospects in 2025 NCAA Tournament: Analysis, players to watch in March Madness including Cooper Flagg
Duke has three players expected to go in the top 10, but there are other teams to watch as well, such as Illinois or Colorado State.
March Madness Cinderellas: Drake, Yale highlight NCAA Tournament upset picks
Cinderella, get ready to have a ball. The NCAA Tournament is your moment. Talking about you, Drake.
How Warriors made ugly NBA history in frustrating loss to Nuggets
How Warriors made ugly NBA history in frustrating loss to Nuggets originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors made the wrong kind of NBA history in an aggravating 114-105 loss to the Denver Nuggets Monday night at Chase Center.
Golden State became the first team in league history to shoot under 25 percent from the 3-point line, under 60 percent from the free-throw line and commit 20 or more turnovers.
The Warriors tonight are the first team in NBA or WNBA history with…
– under 25% from three (on 30+ 3pa)
– under 60% from the line (on 25+ fta)
– 20+ turnovers…all in the same game. pic.twitter.com/SlOOiNjkcA
— Automatic (@automaticnba) March 18, 2025
With three-time MVP Nikola Jokić and Jamal Murray sitting in street clothes on the Nuggets bench, the Warriors blew a golden opportunity to steal a win from one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
Botched passes, poor shot selection and an inability to stop Russell Westbrook and Aaron Gordon from slicing up the defense led to a deflating loss. The turnovers gave Denver 24 free points, and with an exhausted Steph Curry unable to will himself to another strong game, Golden State squandered a chance to close the gap in the standings.
Instead of being within 2.5 games of the Nuggets for third place in the West, the Warriors now are 4.5 games back.
Golden State’s turnovers have been devastating this season. They are 0-5 when they commit at least 20 turnovers and 2-7 when they give away 24 or more points off turnovers.
Self-inflicted mistakes like those need to be rectified quickly if Golden State wants to secure a top-six seed in the conference and avoid the chaotic NBA Play-In Tournament.
With the regular season soon ending, the Warriors can ill-afford to make more dubious NBA history. Otherwise, another early playoff exit appears to be the most likely outcome.
Dallas Stars Assign Kyle Capobianco To Texas
The Dallas Stars have assigned defenseman Kyle Capobianco to the Texas Stars, AHL Transactions reported Monday.
Capobianco, who is in his first season with the Stars organziation, has split time this year between both the NHL and AHL. While being held pointless in his one appearance with Dallas, Capobiano has registered an impressive five goals and 35 points in 49 games with Texas.
Drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the third round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Capobianco has played in 74 career NHL regular season games across parts of seven seasons with the Coyotes, Stars and the Winnipeg Jets. During that span, the Mississauga, Ont., native has five goals and 12 points.
Signed through next season, Capobianco provides solid depth for a team destined to make a deep run in the playoffs. Capable of contributing at both ends of the ice, Capobianco could be a secret weapon if called upon by the Stars.
MLB Opening Day 2025: Full schedule, dates, times and matchups
MLB Opening Day 2025: Full schedule, dates, times and matchups originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It’s officially baseball season.
After weeks of spring training, MLB teams across the country are gearing up for Opening Day — and two have already played their first game over in Japan. While it may still be chilly in some cities in late March, warmer days are ahead — and baseball is a sure sign of it.
So, when exactly are the first games of the new season? Who is playing on Opening Day? And where can you watch all the games?
Here’s a preview for 2025 MLB Opening Day:
When is MLB Opening Day in 2025?
MLB Opening Day is officially scheduled for March 27, 2025.
The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs got a head start on the action with the MLB Tokyo Series in Japan, starting on March 18 with the Dodgers’ victory.
What teams are playing on Opening Day in 2025?
Twenty-eight of the 30 teams will be playing on Opening Day, including the Dodgers and Cubs.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies are the only two teams who won’t suit up on March 27. Their opening series will begin the following day at the Rays’ temporary home of George M. Steinbrenner Field.
2025 MLB Opening Day schedule, games and probable starters
Here are the 14 matchups and probable starting pitchers for Opening Day:
| Away team | Home team | Pitching matchup | First pitch time |
| Milwaukee Brewers | New York Yankees | Freddy Peralta vs. Carlos Rodon | 3 p.m. ET |
| Baltimore Orioles | Toronto Blue Jays | Zach Eflin vs. Jose Berrios | 3:07 p.m. ET |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Washington Nationals | Zack Wheeler vs. MacKenzie Gore | 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Boston Red Sox | Texas Rangers | Garrett Crochet vs. Nathan Eovaldi | 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Miami Marlins | Paul Skenes vs. Sandy Alcantara | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| San Francisco Giants | Cincinnati Reds | Logan Webb vs. Hunter Greene | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| Los Angeles Angels | Chicago White Sox | Yusei Kikuchi vs. Sean Burke | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| Cleveland Guardians | Kansas City Royals | TBA vs. Cole Ragans | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| New York Mets | Houston Astros | Clay Holmes vs. Framber Valdez | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| Atlanta Braves | San Diego Padres | Chris Sale vs. Michael King | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| Minnesota Twins | St. Louis Cardinals | Pablo Lopez vs. Sonny Gray | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| Detroit Tigers | Los Angeles Dodgers | Tarik Skubal vs. TBA | 7 p.m. ET |
| Chicago Cubs | Arizona Diamondbacks | TBA vs. TBA | 10:10 p.m. ET |
| Athletics | Seattle Mariners | Luis Severino vs. Logan Gilbert | 10:10 p.m. ET |
How to watch MLB Opening Day 2025
Two games will air nationally on Opening Day: Brewers-Yankees and Tigers-Dodgers.
The two pennant winners from last season will both host Central division interleague foes.
First up, the Brewers travel to Yankees Stadium at 3 p.m. ET with Joe Buck on the call alongside Joe Girardi and Bill Schroeder. The “Monday Night Football” broadcaster hasn’t called an MLB game nationally since joining ESPN, but he was formerly the voice of FOX’s World Series coverage continuously from 2000 to 2021.
In the nightcap at 7 p.m. ET, reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal will face the defending World Series winners. The Dodgers picked up a win in Tokyo in their season-opener with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound, but their starting pitcher for Opening Day stateside is still to be announced.
MLB Opening Day 2025: Full schedule, dates, times and matchups
MLB Opening Day 2025: Full schedule, dates, times and matchups originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
It’s officially baseball season.
After weeks of spring training, MLB teams across the country are gearing up for Opening Day — and two have already played their first game over in Japan. While it may still be chilly in some cities in late March, warmer days are ahead — and baseball is a sure sign of it.
So, when exactly are the first games of the new season? Who is playing on Opening Day? And where can you watch all the games?
Here’s a preview for 2025 MLB Opening Day:
When is MLB Opening Day in 2025?
MLB Opening Day is officially scheduled for March 27, 2025.
The defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs got a head start on the action with the MLB Tokyo Series in Japan, starting on March 18 with the Dodgers’ victory.
What teams are playing on Opening Day in 2025?
Twenty-eight of the 30 teams will be playing on Opening Day, including the Dodgers and Cubs.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies are the only two teams who won’t suit up on March 27. Their opening series will begin the following day at the Rays’ temporary home of George M. Steinbrenner Field.
2025 MLB Opening Day schedule, games and probable starters
Here are the 14 matchups and probable starting pitchers for Opening Day:
| Away team | Home team | Pitching matchup | First pitch time |
| Milwaukee Brewers | New York Yankees | Freddy Peralta vs. Carlos Rodon | 3 p.m. ET |
| Baltimore Orioles | Toronto Blue Jays | Zach Eflin vs. Jose Berrios | 3:07 p.m. ET |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Washington Nationals | Zack Wheeler vs. MacKenzie Gore | 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Boston Red Sox | Texas Rangers | Garrett Crochet vs. Nathan Eovaldi | 4:05 p.m. ET |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Miami Marlins | Paul Skenes vs. Sandy Alcantara | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| San Francisco Giants | Cincinnati Reds | Logan Webb vs. Hunter Greene | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| Los Angeles Angels | Chicago White Sox | Yusei Kikuchi vs. Sean Burke | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| Cleveland Guardians | Kansas City Royals | TBA vs. Cole Ragans | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| New York Mets | Houston Astros | Clay Holmes vs. Framber Valdez | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| Atlanta Braves | San Diego Padres | Chris Sale vs. Michael King | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| Minnesota Twins | St. Louis Cardinals | Pablo Lopez vs. Sonny Gray | 4:10 p.m. ET |
| Detroit Tigers | Los Angeles Dodgers | Tarik Skubal vs. TBA | 7 p.m. ET |
| Chicago Cubs | Arizona Diamondbacks | TBA vs. TBA | 10:10 p.m. ET |
| Athletics | Seattle Mariners | Luis Severino vs. Logan Gilbert | 10:10 p.m. ET |
How to watch MLB Opening Day 2025
Two games will air nationally on Opening Day: Brewers-Yankees and Tigers-Dodgers.
The two pennant winners from last season will both host Central division interleague foes.
First up, the Brewers travel to Yankees Stadium at 3 p.m. ET with Joe Buck on the call alongside Joe Girardi and Bill Schroeder. The “Monday Night Football” broadcaster hasn’t called an MLB game nationally since joining ESPN, but he was formerly the voice of FOX’s World Series coverage continuously from 2000 to 2021.
In the nightcap at 7 p.m. ET, reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal will face the defending World Series winners. The Dodgers picked up a win in Tokyo in their season-opener with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound, but their starting pitcher for Opening Day stateside is still to be announced.
Will Celtics get a look at healthy rotation before playoffs arrive?
Will Celtics get a look at healthy rotation before playoffs arrive? originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics have rarely been at full strength this season.
Boston’s preferred starting five of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jrue Holiday have played a little more than 300 minutes together over 20 games. Boston’s top six — adding in Al Horford — has been available just 16 times. The Celtics have had their top 10 — adding in Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, Luke Kornet, and Neemias Queta — available just 12 times over 68 games.
And it doesn’t appear those numbers will grow by very much before the playoffs arrive.
Brown is set to miss Tuesday’s visit from the Brooklyn Nets due to a knee impingement. Boston hasn’t had its preferred starting five available since February 23, a rare day when the team had its entire top nine available and leaned on that playoff core in a triumph over the New York Knicks.
Thirteen games remain after Tuesday’s tilt with Brooklyn. But that includes two back-to-backs. Boston will almost certainly rest players on both ends of those sets, eliminating four more possibilities to see the full playoff rotation. What’s more, one of those back-to-back features Orlando and New York, two teams that are two of the more likely playoff opponents, so there might be a value in playing it close to the vest then, anyhow.
Boston closes out the regular season with a home-and-home against Charlotte on April 11 and 13. Last year, in a similar setup, Boston rested much of its veterans over its final two home games, even with nearly a full week off before the playoffs due to the play-in tournament.
If Boston elects to do the same this season, that would essentially leave seven games where the Celtics could potentially trot out their top nine bodies to the finish line of the regular season:
- March 21 at Utah
- March 26 at Phoenix
- March 29 at San Antonio
- March 31 at Memphis
- April 2 vs. Miami
- April 4 vs. Phoenix
- April 6 vs. Washington
There is only one surefire playoff team in that mix: Memphis (fifth in the West). And the Grizzlies will have to balance playing the front end of their own back-to-back with a visit from Golden State looming the following night.
All of which is our longwinded way of noting that Boston isn’t going to get many more playoff-like reps for its core group. But does it matter?
It feels mildly important for the starting five to get some additional run. Boston’s preferred five has logged just 307 minutes together and has a minus-1.6 net rating in that span. The numbers have improved from a rocky start after Porzingis first returned from offseason ankle surgery, but are not nearly as glitzy as the plus-17.3 net rating that Boston posted in 265 minutes with Horford as the starting center while Porzingis was rehabbing. What’s more, a lineup with Kornet starting in place of both Horford and Porzingis has a plus-11.5 net rating in 68 minutes.
A year ago, Boston’s preferred starting five had a plus-11 net rating in 623 minutes together over 37 games. Still, Porzingis appeared in only seven postseason games, so that group logged only 82 total playoff minutes. The Horford lineup ended up playing 305 minutes over 19 games.
Internally, there is great confidence the Celtics can find their full-health mojo on short notice, even if there’s not a lot of reps to the finish line of the season. The continuity from last season should aid this team, while one of Boston’s greatest strengths has been its ability to thrive regardless of availability.
Matchups could dictate how Boston ultimately deploys personnel in the postseason. There are teams that will force the team to lean heavier into the double-big lineups that have produced some of Boston’ best basketball this season.
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY SportsWill the Celtics get Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown extra rest before the playoffs?
Still, it’s undeniable that getting the starting five at least a couple more opportunities to find last year’s swagger could be valuable. Boston is virtually locked into the No. 2 seed — a 99.9 percent chance per NBA Reference daily simulations (and that 0.1 percent chance is catching the Cavaliers for the No. 1 seed, not slipping to No. 3).
There are a few side quests that Boston could entertain at the finish line of the season. Jaylen Brown needs nine more games to be eligible for All-NBA, and a loud finish could aid his chances to muscle back into one of those 15 spots. Payton Pritchard is steamrolling towards the Sixth Man of the Year honor and will get plenty of run to make sure Malik Beasley and Co. don’t catch him at the finish line.
Can Torrey Craig use late-season reps to earn Joe Mazzulla’s confidence? It’s easy to suggest Boston will lean solely on its top nine in the postseason but, last year, Xavier Tillman made a couple of important cameos during Boston’s NBA Finals run and there will be opportunities for deeper-depth guys to put their fingerprints on the Celtics’ quest to repeat.
Holiday is averaging 12.4 points while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 35.7 percent beyond the 3-point arc since returning from his mallet finger injury in the pinky on his right shooting hand. More regular-season reps with that ailment should help, even if initial returns have been encouraging.
Recent draftees like Baylor Scheierman and Jordan Walsh, along with all of Boston’s younger players, need to embrace whatever minutes are available at the finish line of the season with hopes of making an impression.
There’s not a lot to accomplish over the next month, and the schedule might conspire against the few things that Boston yearns to do. An occasional glimpse at the playoff rotation would be helpful but, ultimately, that might just have to wait until mid-April and beyond.
March Madness: How to watch the North Carolina vs. San Diego State game tonight
Catch the First Four matchup between North Carolina and San Diego State — we've got the channel, streaming info and tip-off time.
March Madness: How to watch the St. Francis vs. Alabama State game tonight
March Madness begins this week! Here's how to catch tonight's First Four matchup between St. Francis and Alabama State.
Adames was rare Giants free-agent target not scared off by ballpark
Adames was rare Giants free-agent target not scared off by ballpark originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SCOTTSDALE — Willy Adames’ first home run at Scottsdale Stadium this spring was a towering fly ball that at first looked like it would be caught on the outfield grass. The right fielder lifted his glove before even reaching the warning track, but the ball kept carrying and carrying in the thin air and landed on the Charro Lodge deck as Adames flipped his bat toward the home dugout.
At Oracle Park, it would have been a routine fly ball, and Adames knows that’s what he signed up for. In December, he became the first free-agent position player to ever take a contract of more than $150 million from the Giants, and he’s just the third hitter, period, to sign a nine-figure deal with the organization. The first went to his new boss, Buster Posey, who was drafted by the Giants and would never leave, and the second to Jung Hoo Lee, a bat-control artist and line drive hitter who is an easy fit with Oracle Park’s dimensions.
Adames is coming off a 32-homer, 112 RBI season and has 112 homers since the start of 2021, tied with Corey Seager for the most among MLB shortstops. He brings rare power to the position, but still, he signed up to spend his prime at a pitcher’s park.
And he has no regrets.
Asked about the ballpark on Monday’s “Giants Talk” podcast, Adames smiled and pointed out that Barry Bonds spent much of his career dealing with the dimensions. So did Posey, who had the previous record contract by a Giant before Adames signed for $182 million.
“At the end of the day, it’s just the mentality that you have. If you go with that mentality that I can’t hit here, the ball doesn’t fly and this or that, I think that will eat you up,” Adames said. “I don’t really care about it. If the ball goes, it goes. I’m not trying to hit homers every time. It just happens. I’m just trying to hit the ball hard and put the barrel (on the ball) every time. I don’t really worry about if the ball flies here, I don’t care.
“I just want to win some games and I’ll do my best to help the team win. We’re not going to win by hitting homers at Oracle Park. We’ve just got to play the right baseball.”
So far this spring, Adames has looked like the perfect fit for a team that hopes to surprise outsiders. He’s hitting .361 with an OPS over 1.000 and three homers, including a loud one over the weekend that would have gone out in any park.
Adames, as expected, also has been a game-changer in the clubhouse. He has formed a quick bond with Matt Chapman, his partner on the left side of the infield, and teammates rave about the energy he has brought every morning.
The Giants are in a much better place behind closed doors than in the past two seasons, but if they are to surprise, they will need Adames to bring his usual power to the heart of the lineup. He will hit second for Bob Melvin, right between LaMonte Wade Jr. and Jung Hoo Lee. The hope is that Adames takes full advantage of having Wade, one of the game’s best at reaching base, right in front of him, along with anyone else who happens to be on. Last year, Adames was the only big leaguer with double-digit three-run homers, hitting 13 of them.
Of Adames’ 32 home runs overall, 18 came at American Family Field in Milwaukee, which was ranked eighth by Baseball Savant in terms of best places to hit homers. Oracle Park, of course, was last, but Adames has fared well in 16 career games in San Francisco, posting a .321/.381/.446 slash line with a pair of homers. He said he also is comfortable with the division.
“You don’t play 162 games (at Oracle), the division is great to hit (in),” he said. “You go to the Dodgers’ stadium, the ball flies, and you go to Petco Park and the ball flies there, and then you go to Colorado. For me, you’re going to hit what you’re going to hit at the end of the day.”
That hasn’t been the mindset of most free-agent hitters who have met with the Giants in recent years. Adames was the exception, and even if his numbers take a slight hit from all of those cold, windy nights at Third and King, the Giants know they still are going to have one of the league’s best shortstops. They also have a leader who isn’t afraid of the challenge, whether it’s taking on Oracle’s dimensions or a loaded division.
Adames has played in the postseason in three of the last four years. He signed up to spend his prime in a division that could be dominated by the Los Angeles Dodgers for the rest of the decade, but he’s ready for it.
“The big part about being the underdog is nobody expects you to win, so that’s kind of a motivation thing for the team,” he said on Giants Talk. “Obviously the boys get fired up, like, ‘Okay, let’s show the world what we’re made of.’ I think having that mentality of ‘we’re going to prove everybody wrong’ is a good mentality to have because that way you know you’re going to go every day and handle (your) business. I think we can have some of that.
“At the end of the day, a lot of people are not expecting us to win. The guys acknowledge that and have that as motivation. I think that’s a really cool spot to be in because it motivates you to work even harder and get better every day.”
March Madness First Four bracket odds for men’s NCAA Tournament
The first step in filling out a March Madness bracket is plugging in the winners of the First Four games. Here's who's favored on Tuesday, Wednesday.
Celtics games now available on Peacock with NBC Sports Boston add-on subscription
Celtics games now available on Peacock with NBC Sports Boston add-on subscription originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The NBA champions can now be watched live on Peacock.
The streamer is now offering in-market streaming of NBC Sports Boston, a regional sports network that includes live Boston Celtics games and other local sports programming, through add-on subscriptions to Peacock Premium and Premium Plus Plans. In-market blackouts may apply to certain games based on user location consistent with television availability and league policies.
The network stream will be available around the clock to users within its television territory via the add-on subscription priced at $14.95 per month.
The Celtics are set for another deep postseason run as they aim for a second-straight championship. Led by Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics are all but locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference at 49-19 with 14 games remaining in the regular season.
NBC Sports Boston’s live-game Celtics coverage includes comprehensive pregame and postgame shows. The network also offers New England Patriots programming and gameday shows, as well as live coverage of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun and the NBA G League’s Maine Celtics.
NBC Sports Boston also provides sports news, analysis and commentary programming, such as “Early Edition” and “Boston Sports Tonight.”
Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service featuring an extensive library of movies, shows and original content, offers more than 8,000 hours of live sports and entertainment programming, including NFL games and WWE events.
Peacock will also add additional NBA games beginning with the 2025-2026 season when an 11-year partnership between the league and NBC is set to begin. That will include 100 national games each regular season, with approximately 50 Peacock-exclusive national regular-season and postseason NBA games, including national Monday night games and doubleheaders.
Peacock’s in-market streaming add-on subscriptions for NBC’s regional sports markets are also available in respective television territories for NBC Sports Philadelphia ($24.95), NBC Sports Bay Area ($17.95 per month) and NBC Sports California ($17.95).
Disclaimer: NBC Sports Boston and Peacock are both owned by Comcast.
Women’s March Madness bracket predictions: These 7 stars will make a splash
Which women's basketball players could make a splash in March Madness? Here are seven possible candidates: