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No March Madness here: No. 1 seed Florida rolls past Norfolk State 95-69 for 7th straight win

First-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr. scored 23 points and Florida defeated Norfolk State 95-69 on Friday, ensuring all four No. 1 seeds made it out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament unscathed. Alijah Martin added 17 points for the Southeastern Conference champions, who built a 32-point lead in the first half en route to their seventh straight win. Christian Ings scored 16 points and Jaylani Darden added 15 for 16th-seeded Norfolk State (24-11).

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Austin Wells homers twice, Carlos Rodon solid in final spring start as Yankees beat Tigers

Austin Wells continued his hot hitting and Carlos Rodon was solid in his final spring start as the Yankees defeated the Detroit Tigers, 4-0, in Lakeland.

Here are the takeaways...

-Earlier in the day, Dominic Smith opted out of his contract with the Yankees and was removed from the lineup. Barring any last-minute changes, the Yankees are content with the lefties they have in the lineup/bench and it was proven right early in this one.

Wells led off the game smashing a 3-2 fastball over the right field wall. But the left-handed catcher wasn't done. After hitting a single in his third at-bat, Wells came up in the seventh and finished his night smoking a three-run bomb that had an exit velocity of 104.3 mph and went 383 feet.

Wells has hit five spring training home runs and finished 3-for-4 while driving in all four Yankees runs. It's easy to see Wells leading off for the Yankees against right-handed pitchers the way he's been swinging the bat.

Ben Rice, the other power-hitting lefty, was also very impressive smacking two doubles to go 2-for-4. Rice's place on the roster isn't confirmed, but he's now hitting .278 with an OPS of .943 this spring. It'll be hard not to include him with Giancarlo Stanton likely landing on the IL to start the season.

-Speaking of hitters trying to make the team. With Smith opting out, Pablo Reyes is a potential right-handed fit for the Yankees' bench. Unfortunately, he went 0-for-3 on Friday but is still hitting .297 with a .831 OPS this spring.

Other notable batters include Trent Grisham who finished 0-for-3 with a walk, Oswaldo Cabrera who went 0-for-4 and Oswald Peraza who was hitless in his three at-bats while striking out twice.

-Rodon had his final tune-up before starting Opening Day and he was good. The southpaw worked around trouble a bit, but when he needed an out he got one with his fastball, which topped out around 96 mph, and slider combination to the tune of five strikeouts. Rodon left after 4.1 innings (77 pitches/45 strikes) of scoreless ball, allowing three hits and three walks.

-Yoendry Gomez is looking to earn a spot in the Yankees' bullpen and he was very effective, allowing just one walk and striking out two batters in 2.1 innings of work.

Highlights

What's next

The Yankees return home to Tampa to host the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday afternoon. First pitch is set for 1:05 p.m.

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Auburn’s Johni Broome, Creighton’s Ryan Kalkbrenner centers of attention in March Madness matchup

Johni Broome and Ryan Kalkbrenner are big men with big-time experience on the March Madness stage. Just not against each other, which makes Saturday night's NCAA Tournament second-round South Region showdown between overall top seed Auburn and No. 9 seed Creighton so compelling. Plot lines abound thanks to the Tigers’ and Blue Jays’ multiple strengths, but the matchup of main men in the middle is the most intriguing.

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Julian Reese and Maryland blow out Grand Canyon 81-49 in March Madness

Julian Reese had 18 points and nine rebounds, and fourth-seeded Maryland pounded No. 13 seed Grand Canyon 81-49 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Ja'Kobi Gillespie added 16 points for the Terrapins (26-8), who will play No. 12 Colorado State on Sunday in the second round of the West Region. Derik Queen, the Big Ten freshman of the year who was averaging 16.3 points and nine rebounds a game, finished with 12 points and 15 boards, becoming the first Maryland freshman with a double-double in the tournament since Jalen Smith in 2019.

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Rick Pitino and John Calipari share a mutual respect. Just don’t call them friends

The Hall of Fame coaches will renew their occasionally acrimonious rivalry on Saturday when Pitino’s second-seeded St. John’s faces Calipari’s No. 10 seed Arkansas for the chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. The matchup has been anticipated since the March Madness brackets were announced, and sealed on Thursday when Arkansas beat Kansas and St. John’s dispatched Omaha in the first round in Providence – where Pitino hung his first Final Four banner. The two have crossed paths over the decades from summer camp to UMass – Pitino’s alma mater and Calipari’s first head coaching job – to the NBA and, most notably, to one of basketball’s most heated rivalries: Kentucky and Louisville.

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Wild Sign Defensive Prospect Stevie Leskovar To An Entry-Level Contract

ST. PAUL - The Minnesota Wild announced on Friday the signing of defensive prospect Stevie Leskovar from the Brampton Steelheads of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). 

Leskovar, 20, has one goal and five points in 33 OHL games this season. He is a very physical shutdown defenseman for the Steelheads. He has 70 penalty minutes in 33 games this year as well. 

The 6-foot-4 defenseman was drafted with the 174th pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. The 216-pound native of Cambridge, Ontario, has recorded four goals, 16 assists, 20 points, and 237 penalty minutes in 158 career OHL games across four seasons. 

It will remain to be seen what kind of career Leskovar carves out but I would imagine he becomes a solid physical defenseman for the Iowa Wild (AHL) and the Iowa Heartlanders (ECHL).