Category: Sports News

This past Saturday, the NCAA men’s basketball committee released its ranking of the top 16 teams, ostensibly providing a template to help professional and amateur observers visualize what the final bracket might look like in a few weeks. Within mere hours of that reveal, the template was effectively broken as half of the committee’s top 10 teams lost. As if we needed a reminder, this is why the term March Madness is so engrained in the sport’s vocabulary.

In any event, we’ve had to reexamine the committee’s order and come up with a new template for our latest bracket projection. Duke, now topping the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, strengthened its case for the No. 1 overall seed with its neutral-site victory against Michigan. Arizona also has an argument, with its win at Houston adding to an impressive list of high-end triumphs away from home. Michigan remains well-positioned as a top regional seed. Iowa State holds down the fourth No. 1, as its recent decision against Houston helps offset Saturday night’s loss at Brigham Young.

Houston is still very much in the No. 1 conversation but remains a 2 for now after a loss to Kansas on Monday. We also differ with the committee on Florida, which was outside the top 10 but projects as a No. 2 seed in our bracket. Purdue and Connecticut round out the second line.

Illinois, which lost a third consecutive overtime contest, might have missed out on its shot at heading a regional and slips to the third line along with Nebraska, Texas Tech and Gonzaga. The middle portion of the bracket wasn’t drastically altered by the weekend’s results, but there was a change on the fringe of the at-large pool as UCLA, thanks to its buzzer-beater against Illinois, replaces rival Southern California in the field.

March Madness bracketology: NCAA Tournament projection

March Madness last four in

TCU, New Mexico, UCLA, Santa Clara.

March Madness first four out

Southern California, California, Virginia Commonwealth, San Diego State.

NCAA tournament bids conference breakdown

Multi-bid leagues: Big Ten (10), SEC (10), ACC (8) Big 12 (8), Big East (3), West Coast (3), Mountain West (2).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness predictions: Latest men's NCAA tournament bracketology

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, February 24th. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 36-22 and host the New York Knicks tonight. The last time they played the Knicks was in New York on Christmas Day. Since then, the Cavs have turned the corner and are playing like a new team.

New York still stands as one of the Cavaliers’ biggest obstacles in the Eastern Conference. This game can give them valuable intel into how James Harden changes the dynamic of this matchup.

Also, I’m hoping to see a bounce-back game from Evan Mobley.

Today’s Game of the Day

• Boston Celtics at Phoenix Suns – 9 PM, NBA League Pass

The Celtics are in the middle of their West Coast road trip. They previously dismantled the Los Angeles Lakers and now face a scrappy Suns squad. This could make for a fun matchup as both teams have surpassed expectations this season.

Boston is a dark-horse contender in the East this year and should be on the mind of every Cavs fan. Especially if Jayson Tatum returns before the playoffs. This isn’t a team to ignore.

The rest of the NBA schedule

• Philadelphia 76ers at Indiana Pacers – 7 PM
• Oklahoma City Thunder at Toronto Raptors – 7:30 PM
• Washington Wizards at Atlanta Hawks – 7:30 PM
• Dallas Mavericks at Brooklyn Nets – 7:30 PM
• Miami Heat at Milwaukee Bucks – 8 PM
• Golden State Warriors at New Orleans Pelicans – 8 PM
• Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls – 8 PM
• Minnesota Timberwolves at Portland Trail Blazers – 10 PM
• Orlando Magic at Los Angeles Lakers – 10:30 PM

It’s a stacked night for the NBA.

Cavs links of the day

• 10 Passes that show James Harden as a legendary playmaker – Fear the Sword
• Sneak Peek of Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center – Akron Beacon Journal

NBA links

• What NBA Players will make in 10 years – Yahoo Sports

MILAN (AP) — Inter Milan must overturn a two-goal deficit against Bodø/Glimt in Tuesday's Champions League playoffs if it is to avoid becoming the latest giant to be cut down by the tiny Norwegian team.

Bodø/Glimt leads 3-1 after the first leg and has its sights on the round of 16.

Inter — the beaten finalist in two of the last three seasons — plays the second leg at home but is in danger of suffering one of the biggest upsets in the competition's history.

“We should have done better, and there’s a lot of disappointment,” Inter coach Cristian Chivu said. “But we’ve reset and I’m now interested in our approach and our confidence, being the best version of ourselves and knowing we can turn it around.”

Bodø/Glimt's victory last week in Norway saw it follow up back-to-back wins against Manchester City and Atletico Madrid at the end of the league phase.

“We feel we can compete with most teams but at the same time we have nothing to lose,” Bodø/Glimt midfielder Patrick Berg said.

Atletico has work to do after drawing at Club Brugge 3-3.

Newcastle appears to be cruising into the next round after a 6-1 win in Qarabag, while Bayer Leverkusen is in control against Olympiakos following a 2-0 win in the first leg.

___

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

Let me set the scene for you in Sunday’s game against the Denver Nuggets.

The Warriors were down on starpower. Steph Curry was out. Draymond Green got ruled out before tip-off. Kristaps Porzingis? Nope. Jimmy Butler III? Not available. You’re essentially running a nine-man road crew against Nikola Jokic, who just posted his 185th career triple-double like it was a grocery errand.

And third-year Golden State guard Brandin Podziemski? He was 1-for-10 through three quarters, couldn’t hit the side of a barn with a beach ball. The kind of performance that makes trade rumors feel justified. Then the fourth quarter happened.

Podziemski scored 15 points on 6-for-6 shooting to fuel a 20-2 run that buried Denver 128-117. He finished with 18 points, a career-high 15 rebounds, and9 assists. One assist away from a triple-double and a plus-19 in 37 minutes. On National TV!

That’s some damn good clutch play.

The historical context here matters deeply, because a Basketball Reference query shows Podziemski’s 18-15-9 line against Denver makes him just the 28th entry in Warriors franchise history to post at least 18 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists in a single game. The names above him on that list? Wilt Chamberlain, Nate Thurmond, and Draymond Green. That is the full list of Warriors players who have done something in this neighborhood. Brandin Podziemski is 22 years old and carved his name into that wall Sunday afternoon.

The heavy.com report from December noted the Warriors had shifted from treating him as “untouchable” to being “more open than ever” to moving him before the trade deadline. That’s a real tension that exists around this young man that I see around Podz in the fanbase; and performances like these make believers.

This is the version of Podziemski that had Mike Dunleavy Jr. telling him “you’re ours” when teams were calling with draft picks during the offseason. This is the version Joe Lacob saw when he believed him to be a future All-Star. And 15 rebounds from the guard feels rather Prime Westbrookian, amirite? They say if you can’t score, find other ways to contribute, don’t let your shot drag down your game. Those boards represent effort and will to affect the game in multiple ways.

Here’s what I keep coming back to from what Podziemski said in October that stuck with Dub Nation. He talked about wanting Curry and Green to be able to leave the franchise with him, to go to Joe Lacob and say “he’s the one.” But Sunday against Denver was Brandin answering that challenge without saying a word. Podziemski was ice cold for three quarters and then he willed them to a win against the fourth-best team in the Western Conference.

That’s not just promise; that’s character. As to whether Podziemski is catching his stride, and the answer has to be: he’s catching something. Call it confidence. Call it clutch gene. Call it the beginning of a player materializing the understanding of what he’s capable of when the lights get bright.

The baton metaphor he used in October looked premature when December came around. Sunday it looked like a sneak peek at a very favorable future in the Bay.

HOUSTON (AP) — Rockets forward Kevin Durant will be less than two months shy of his 40th birthday when the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics begin, but he said Monday night he told USA Basketball Managing Director Grant Hill he’d like to be considered for the U.S. men’s team when the time comes.

“I didn’t want to just take my name out of consideration just because of the simple fact that I’m older and I did it before,” Durant said after scoring 18 points for Houston in a 125-105 win over the Utah Jazz. “Grant understands my love for Team USA. That’s my family. The level of love I have for Team USA and the whole organization over there is unmatched, so I’d love to be part of it until I’m done playing.”

Durant has played in the last four Olympics, becoming USA men’s basketball’s career scoring leader in the process, but he says he doesn’t want to just be handed a spot on the 2028 team. He wants to earn it.

“I understand how tough that decision is for Grant, and how many great players are going to emerge the next year and a half, and I’m also very old compared to a lot of these players,” Durant said. “I know I've got my work cut out for me to make that team.”

During the 2024 Paris games, Durant became the first American player to win four Olympic gold medals in men’s basketball. United States stars Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird won five gold medals in women’s basketball, but Durant says joining that club is not his motivation for wanting to go through another Olympic cycle.

“I just love playing for Team USA. I love representing my country. That’s the first and most important thing — it’s putting that USA across my chest and representing where I come from,” he said.

Durant is averaging 25.9 points per game on 50.7% shooting in his 18th NBA season.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Sacramento Kings (13-46, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Houston Rockets (35-21, third in the Western Conference)

Houston; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Western Conference foes Houston and Sacramento face off on Wednesday.

The Rockets have gone 20-16 against Western Conference opponents. Houston averages 114.5 points and has outscored opponents by 5.1 points per game.

The Kings are 9-30 in Western Conference play. Sacramento has a 5-29 record in games decided by 10 points or more.

The Rockets average 114.5 points per game, 6.5 fewer points than the 121.0 the Kings give up. The Kings are shooting 46.2% from the field, 0.6% higher than the 45.6% the Rockets' opponents have shot this season.

The teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Kings won the last matchup 111-98 on Jan. 12. DeMar DeRozan scored 22 points to help lead the Kings to the win.

TOP PERFORMERS: Kevin Durant is averaging 25.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists for the Rockets. Jabari Smith Jr. is averaging 18.6 points over the last 10 games.

Russell Westbrook is scoring 15.1 points per game and averaging 5.5 rebounds for the Kings. Malik Monk is averaging 1.7 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Rockets: 6-4, averaging 107.3 points, 45.3 rebounds, 24.0 assists, 9.6 steals and 6.3 blocks per game while shooting 46.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 106.4 points per game.

Kings: 1-9, averaging 109.3 points, 43.4 rebounds, 24.9 assists, 8.6 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 43.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 122.8 points.

INJURIES: Rockets: Jae'Sean Tate: out (knee), Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle).

Kings: Domantas Sabonis: out for season (back), Dylan Cardwell: out (ankle), De'Andre Hunter: out for season (eye), Zach LaVine: out for season (finger), Devin Carter: day to day (back).

___

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

According to Sarah Todd, it appears that Vince Williams Jr. may have suffered a season-ending injury in the Jazz’s game against the Houston Rockets.

If you haven’t seen the play, Williams took a shot from Tari Eason coming down the court, and his knee appeared to hyperextend sideways.

After the game, it looks like Keyonte George let Tari Eason know what happened and Eason looked like he felt bad about what had happened.

It’s a really unfortunate injury for Williams, who was looking like he was trending in the direction of being a potential rotation player next season with his size, length, defense, and ability to run the point. Now, Williams will obviously find out the extent of the injury and begin the recovery process. Let’s hope that it’s not as bad as it looked and that it’s just a severe strain and not something that requires any sort of reconstructive surgery, as likely as that seems.

The Jazz fell to the Rockets, 105-125, in a defeat that was all but assured ever since the opening quarter. Not that Jazz fans are complaining; with the next two games being against the Pelicans, where losses are far from guaranteed, an easy and relaxed addition to the teams ping pong balls versus Houston is a pleasant and successful evening.

The Jazz’s woes this game were not new to this team; yet again, their opponent displayed three point shooting well above their typical standard. Against the Jazz, the Rockets shot 10 more threes than their per game average, and knocked down a very healthy 45%. Kevin Durant, Reed Sheppard, and Jabari Smith Jr. were the main culprits, and the defense wasn’t quick to adjust – they did their damage on open three after open three.

Transition defense was another problem that the Jazz simply had no answer for. Amen Thompson, always a speed-demon, created a semi-transition opportunity after nearly every Jazz miss. In those opportunities, the Jazz veterans were too slow to keep up and the Jazz youngsters kept up but always in the wrong direction. Cody Williams and Ace Bailey showed activity in getting back on defense, but the Rockets were surgical in consistently finding the open man.

Lauri Markkanen and Brice Sensabaugh were the offensive bright spots. While Lauri’s three pointers weren’t dropping tonight (it did feel like sometimes he settled for tough, movement jump shots), he matched and exceeded the Rocket’s physicality in the paint, which is no small accomplishment. He finished 9-13 on two point shots, dealing with contact on nearly all of them. Brice continued to do Brice things – shoot jump shots early in the shot clock that seem like they can’t be the most efficient form of offense, but they go in at a respectable rate nonetheless. While much of his scoring came in the 4th quarter, when the game was over in all aspects but time on the clock, it wasn’t as if the Rockets perimeter defenders had thrown in the towel. Since the New Year, he’s averaging nearly 17 points per game at around 47% from the field and 35% from three. He is blossoming into a legitimate playoff-level scorer to close out the year.

A bit of bad news that needs monitoring – Vince Williams Jr. was carried off the court by two trainers after a rough collision with Tari Eason that seemed to injure Vince’s left knee. This injury will likely lead to both (a) some more 48 minute outings from Isaiah Collier and (b) increased playing time for Elijah Harkless, who impressed me tonight with his signature defensive tenacity. Attached below is a video of the injury – it isn’t pretty, so some viewer discretion is advised.

The Jazz will be back at it at Thursday at 7 in a home game against the Pelicans.