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CHICAGO — The Big Ten is the best conference in college basketball. No, the SEC deserves that honor. And what about the Big East?

College basketball fans and media have harped over conference supremacy for much of the 2025-26 men's college basketball season: The SEC got the most teams into the Men's NCAA Tournament, with 10 teams that largely performed to their seedings — excepting, of course, defending national champion and No. 1 seed Florida.

REQUIRED READING: At Michigan, Dusty May's son is the student manager his dad once was

The Big Ten had the most teams left standing entering the Elite Eight play on Saturday, March 28, and could potentially field half the Final Four field should No. 1 seed beat No. 6 seed Tennessee on Sunday, March 29. The Volunteers are the last remaining hope for the SEC.

The four Big Ten teams in the Elite Eight beat the old record of three, which occurred in 2000, 2005 and 2019. However, no Big Ten team has won the national championship since 2000, when Michigan State cut down the nets in, ironically, Indianapolis. Could the quarter century-long curse end there on April 6?

But while talk shows and fans continue to banter on about conference supremacy, how much do the players — the ones actually playing in the games — care about that chatter?

Sometimes it feels like you know how 80% of a Celtics game is going to go.

Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are going to do half of the heavy lifting. Payton Pritchard and Derrick White will cover about another third. But it’s that other 15-20% that you’re going to get from your 5th, 6th, and down to your 9th or 10th man that’s unpredictable. Those role players just might swing a game and that game might just swing a series in the playoffs.

The Celtics roster is littered with guys like that. All year, everybody from Neemias Queta to Jordan Walsh to Hugo Gonzalez to Baylor Scheierman have won the Tommy Award.

And then there’s Luka Garza.

It wasn’t that long ago that Garza was the consensus National Player of the Year in college basketball. In 2020, he averaged 24 and 10 in his junior season at Iowa and followed that up with a First Team All-American selection.

Unfortunately, the college game doesn’t necessarily translate to the NBA. Garza persevered through four seasons with the Pistons and Timberwolves and has finally carved out a spot in Joe Mazzulla’s rotation.

With Nikola Vucevic, Boston’s major pickup at the trade deadline, on the mend, Garza is back terrorizing opposing teams’ frontcourts with his relentless work ethic in the paint, savvy screening above the break, and the occasional three-pointer that harkens back to Al Horford’s catapult-ish shot from behind the arc.

And even when Vooch returns, Celtics fans have resoundingly voted to keep Garza in the fold when the playoffs start next month. Maybe it’s just a two-minute stint in a double big lineup with Queta. Maybe Vucevic gets into early foul trouble. Maybe Mazzulla just wants to shake up the energy with the Garzilla roaming the baseline. Regardless, it’s clear that Luka has found a home in Boston.

If you want to shake up your energy, head on over to https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba.

When the Celtics and Hornets face off on Sunday night, it will be a match-up between two of the Eastern Conference’s hottest teams. And, in many ways, the two franchises are interconnected — both due to their personell and emerging styles of play.

Earlier this month, ESPN analyst Jay Williams drew the connection himself: “They’re like a younger version of the Boston Celtics,” he said of the Hornets. “Their games actually mirror each other.”

The parallels between the Celtics and Hornets are striking.

Both teams are heavily reliant on three-pointers — the Hornets have made the most threes in the NBA this season (1193), and the Celtics have made the third-most (1113). Both teams routinely win the margins, meaning they get up more shots than their opponents; the Celtics average the 4th-most offensive rebounds per game, the Hornets average the 7th-most.

And, both franchises have been a part of two of the most extreme midseason turnarounds the league has seen in recent years. The Hornets were 12 games below .500 on January 22nd. Since then, they’ve gone 23-7, completely turning their season around.

The Celtics underwent a similar turnaround in 2022 en route to their first Finals appearance of the Jayson Tatum/Jaylen Brown era. That season, they entered the All-Star break with a 20-21 record, and ended up going 31-10 the rest of the way.

What’s fueled Charlotte’s turnaround? And, why does it feel like the Celtics organization’s tentacles are all over the Hornets?

CelticsBlog caught up with Hornets guard Kon Knueppel, a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year, to dive into that question. [The conversation was part of Knueppel’s new partnership with Cheez-It; the rookie star has launched the Double Double Cheez-It Bundle, as an ode to his favorite snack flavor].

Knueppel is averaging 19 points per game and shooting 43.6% from three. He’s already set the record for most three-pointers made in a rookie season (256) and has established himself as one of the most lethal shooters in the game.

The Charlotte Hornets organization is filled with ex-Celtics

Knueppel credited Hornets head coach Charles Lee for powering the team’s success this season. Lee was Joe Mazzulla’s lead assistant during the 2024 championship, and is in his second year as Charlotte’s head coach.

“Charles has been great,” Knueppel said. “He really preaches daily improvement. So even when you know the losses were stacking up early in the season, it was really just about continuing to get better each day. And I think going into each day with that mindset, living in the present, is really good, especially for our young team.”

Lee headlines a long list of critical Hornets personnel who were previously part of the Celtics organization.

Two members of the Hornets coaching staff — Blaine Mueller and Jermaine Bucknor — also hail from that Celtics championship team. Mueller, who was the head coach of the Maine Celtics in 2023-2024, is one of Lee’s lead assistant in Charlotte.

And Bucknor, who was a player development coach in Boston, is also on the staff. Bucknor leads Hornets guard Sion James’ player development work, and oftentimes cosplays some of the NBA’s best players when the Hornets are going through scouts (Orlando Magic star Paolo Banchero is an example of a player Bucknor cosplays).

“He’s a good guy to have around,” Knueppel said. “He’s still a bucket, so whenever we need a scout team, he’s in there getting buckets. He’s great.”

The connections don’t end there: last summer, the Hornets named Patrick Chasse as new vice president of Medical and Performance. Chasse had previously been the Celtics’ head athletic trainer since 2022, and began with the organization in 2020.

Knueppel said the Hornets’ midseason turnaround could primarily be attributed to guys getting healthy.

“Brandon [Miller] missed a lot of games,” Knueppel said. “He dislocated his shoulder, or separated his shoulder, in the second game of the season. So, he missed about 20 games early, and LaMelo [Ball] missed 10 games early. So having those guys out of the lineup, obviously super important players for us. And then when they come back, they’re on they’re on minutes restrictions, and they’re not playing back-to-backs. So, getting those guys back healthy, playing full-time, was really important. And then getting guys like Grant Williams and Josh Green back back healthy as well, who are big-time role players for us, was huge.”

And, the Hornets veterans include two former Celtics: Grant Williams and Xavier Tillman. Williams was traded to Charlotte in 2024, and quickly became a key locker room presence. Knueppel named him as one of the most welcoming guys on the roster. He, Williams, and Pat Connaughton use the sauna together after every home game and chat.

“He’s been really, really good for us rookies, really good to us, making us feel comfortable, taking us out to dinner, paying for dinner when he doesn’t have to, making us feel welcome,” Knueppel said. “So, he’s been phenomenal. He’s been a really good friend.”

The Hornets are now making a playoff push, and Williams has routinely drawn from his own experiences making playoff runs with the Celtics in order to advise the younger guys who haven’t been there before.

“He talks about it a lot –  just the standard that we have to hold ourselves to, and how it’s going to be in the playoffs, committing to what we do, and our identity on a nightly basis is important,” Knueppel said. “He really, really talks about that a lot.”

The most recent ex-Celtics addition?

Tillman, who was traded from the Celtics to the Hornets at the trade deadline. Knueppel said Tillman has been a great veteran presence, and that the team has really enjoyed having his family around.

“He’s one of the best locker room presences you can have in the league,” Williams said of Tillman earlier this month. “I bet you everyone here in Boston would say the same.”

As they gear up to face the Celtics, on Sunday the Hornets are currently 39-35, good for the 10th-best record in the Eastern Conference. But, they’re only 2.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors for the 5th seed, with 7 games left to play.

And, they’ve become an increasingly daunting first-round opponent.

“We have a chance to get out of the play-in,” Knueppel said. “And so that’s really the goal at the end of the day – we have a couple of tie-breakers with teams in our division. So it’d be great to get into that.”

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The Milwaukee Bucks are getting a glimpse into a grim Giannis-less future, and a nightmare week wraps up with a visit from the Los Angeles Clippers this afternoon.

Milwaukee has lost its last three games by a combined 96 points, including a thumping against Kawhi Leonard & Co. at Intuit Dome, and my Clippers vs. Bucks predictions and NBA picks explain why a similar script is brewing for this rematch, with Darius Garland continuing his hot streak.

Clippers vs Bucks prediction

Clippers vs Bucks best bet: Darius Garland Over 18.5 points (-120)

Maybe Darius Garland has just been healthier this month. Maybe there’s some extra juice after the Cavaliers gave up on him at the trade deadline. Either way, his strong March numbers have solidified the Los Angeles Clippers as a dangerous potential first-round playoff opponent — assuming they get there.

With that in mind, the Garland points prop is the standout pick for me today. He poured in 30 points for L.A. on Friday against the Pacers, making 10 of his 19 shots, including six 3-pointers, and he’s gone past this O/U number in eight of his last 10 outings.

I’m buying into the crafty point guard’s 21.8 ppg average in March, and a lackluster Milwaukee squad is an ideal opponent. Garland is shooting better than 50% from downtown as a Clipper, and, while that’s not sustainable in the long run, don’t count on him slowing down this afternoon. After all, the Bucks have allowed 120+ points in seven of their past eight contests.

The hosts’ woeful defense isn’t likely to get any better on the second day of a back-to-back set, and we saw Stephon Castle toy with Milwaukee on the way to 22 points and a triple-double yesterday. Garland is a different kind of guard, but there’s a blueprint for attacking a Milwaukee Bucks team that’s seemingly counting the days until the offseason.

This game has blowout written all over it, but the prop line is low enough that Garland can do his damage in limited minutes.

Clippers vs Bucks same-game parlay

A healthy Garland next to Kawhi gives the Clippers a new ceiling, and I’m wagering on more hot shooting from the former Cav, who’s drilled 22 threes across his last four games.

The Clippers cruised to a 129-96 victory over the Bucks on Monday, so there’s appeal for laying the points, especially with Bobby Portis and Kyle Kuzma on the injury report for Milwaukee. Plus, the hosts are 3-7 ATS in their past 10 contests.

Clippers vs Bucks SGP

• Darius Garland Over 18.5 points
• Darius Garland Over 2.5 threes
• Clippers -14

Our "from downtown" SGP: A wrong Turn!

The Myles Turner contract is looking like a major blunder for the Bucks, and he’s shown very few signs of carrying Milwaukee during Antetokounmpo’s latest spell on the sidelines.

He had 15 points yesterday, but he’s averaging just 8.3 ppg and 3.8 rpg in March. The hosts could have done worse than stick with Brook Lopez, who’s scored 10+ points in four straight games.

Clippers vs Bucks SGP

• Myles Turner Under 10.5 points
• Myles Turner Under 4.5 rebounds
• Brook Lopez Over 9.5 points
• Clippers -14

Clippers vs Bucks odds

• Spread: Clippers -14 | Bucks +14
• Moneyline: Clippers -1000 | Bucks +650
• Over/Under: Over 221.5 | Under 221.5

Clippers vs Bucks betting trend to know

The Bucks are 1-5 ATS in their last six games without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Find more NBA betting trends for Clippers vs. Bucks.

How to watch Clippers vs Bucks

Clippers vs Bucks latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rockets fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

This week’s Rockets question asked you who thought was the biggest player loss for the Rockets. The choices were Fred VanVleet, for his effect on the offense, Dillon Brooks for the defense and as the heartbeat of the team, or Steven Adams for his toughness and offensive rebounding. Here’s your answer:

As you can see, the vast majority of you picked Fred VanVleet, and that wasn’t entirely unexpected. Houston’s offense has looked disjointed all season, and not having an experienced point guard was a big reason why. I was curious to see the percentages though, because I still maintain that losing Brooks was the biggest. Houston’s entire identity as a hard-nosed defensive force is no longer. Tari Eason and Amen Thompson are no longer the Terror Twins, there’s no in-your-face attitude, and the Rockets have gone soft. They’re KD’s team now. I don’t think that’s necessarily the case if Brooks is still in town. He got my vote.

Thanks for participating. Make sure you check out our friends over at FanDuel. The Rockets are +8000 to win the NBA Title. That’s an 8k payout on a $100 bet.

Be back soon!

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The Orlando Magic snapped a six-game losing skid on Thursday and will look to stay in the win column tonight when they visit the Toronto Raptors.

Tristan da Silva has stepped up in a big way for Orlando, and I’m looking for the forward to keep producing in my Magic vs. Raptors predictions and NBA picks for Sunday, March 29.

Magic vs Raptors prediction

Magic vs Raptors best bet: Tristan da Silva Over 10.5 points (-120)

Injuries have hampered the Orlando Magic this season, with Franz Wagner out indefinitely due to a high ankle sprain and Anthony Black also on the injury list with an abdominal strain.

But injuries often come with silver linings in the form of opportunities for other players, and Tristan da Silva has seized his.

The sophomore forward was averaging 20 minutes and change before the All-Star break, but he’s playing over 30 minutes per game this month.

Increased playing time often translates to increased confidence, and the 24-year-old is a prime example. Da Silva has seen his field-goal attempts per game jump from 6.8 in February to 9.9 in March, while his scoring has doubled to 14.3 ppg this month.

Orlando’s 2024 first-round pick has scored Over 10.5 points in four straight games and 11 of his 15 appearances this month. Considering da Silva has scored 18+ points in each of his last three contests, tonight’s line feels way too low.

Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane have been great for the Magic of late, averaging about 26 and 20 ppg, respectively, but da Silva is arguably their third-best player right now. 

He’ll top 10.5 points with ease tonight in Toronto.

Magic vs Raptors same-game parlay

The Magic have been scoring with ease of late, cashing the Over in nine of their last 11 games, and that push has largely been led by Banchero and da Silva.

Banchero has scored 30+ points in three straight games and Over 23.5 points in 10 of 15 contests this month. The Magic forward is averaging 26.4 ppg over that span.

Magic vs Raptors SGP

• Tristan da Silva Over 10.5 points
• Paolo Banchero Over 23.5 points

Our "from downtown" SGP: Double-double trouble

Both teams could be down two starters today, with the Toronto Raptors' Immanuel Quickley (out) and Brandon Ingram (questionable) also on the injury list. That means key players on both sides will need to step up in a variety of roles.

Banchero has 24 double-doubles this season, including six this month. On the Raptors side, Jakob Poeltl has three in his last six outings, while Scottie Barnes has two in his last three games.

Magic vs Raptors SGP

• Paolo Banchero double-double
• Jakob Poeltl double-double
• Scottie Barnes double-double

Magic vs Raptors odds

• Spread: Magic +2.5 (-115) | Raptors -2.5 (-105)
• Moneyline: Magic +115 | Raptors -135
• Over/Under: Over 225.5 | Under 225.5

Magic vs Raptors betting trend to know

Tristan da Silva has scored Over 10.5 points in four straight games. Find more NBA betting trends for Magic vs. Raptors.

How to watch Magic vs Raptors

Magic vs Raptors latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

For the negative segments of the fanbase and bloviators in the media, Thursday night’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets will serve as enough of a sample size to write the Knicks off for the umpteenth time this season. However, true observers won’t let it distract from the simple fact that New York’s been one of, if not the most dominant team in the league over the past two months.

Ugly games against deep lottery teams and Stephen A. Smith rants may take up the noise, but the Knicks are 23-8 since their embarrassing rock bottom blowout to the Dallas Mavericks in late January. They are tied for the second-highest net rating in the NBA in that span, outscoring opponents by 11.7 points per 100 possessions.

They also went on separate seven- and eight-game win streaks, beating the Denver Nuggets, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs along the way. What spurred this turnaround, and how have the Knicks been able to stay the hottest team in the NBA?

The life of a contender can be very boom-or-bust over an 82-game season. New York is equally susceptible, hitting a major wall after starting the season 23-9 and winning the NBA Cup.

They stumbled into the new year with a 2-9 skid, dropping games to dreg after dreg, as their defense plummeted to near-worst in the league during this span. The team completely lacked energy, focus, and seemingly chemistry, capping the losses with a 17-point home drubbing to the lowly Mavericks. 

But contenders have bad months - the real ones can shake them off and not string two back-to-back. So the Knicks did, rattling off eight in a row to kick into high gear.

It started, first and foremost, with the defense. Even when the Knicks looked strong in the early season, their defense was good-to-average, passable if not worrying for a team with championship aspirations.

Since January 21, they’ve had the best defense in the league, holding opponents to 106.7 points per 100 possessions, a full point ahead of Oklahoma City. A key to the shift was the coaching staff simplifying the defensive system, as well as emphasizing protecting the middle and corners. 

While the change empowered each individual player to step up their defensive games, including the vaunted wing defensive combo of OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, one in particular deserves added credit for his leadership on this end, and that’s Karl-Anthony Towns.  

Despite the coaching and system changes, Towns has consistently brought it defensively throughout the season, even through injury and a slower offensive season. He’s been asked to jump between different schemes more, and taken on the challenge to success, now having one of his best defensive years.

The Knicks have still maintained a robust offense during this tear - good for sixth in the league. But this may be even more impressive than the defense, given some of the shooting woes of their key scorers.

New York has won all these games with Jalen Brunson averaging 23.8 points on 50 percent shooting from two and 35 percent from three. Those are well below his usual numbers, yet he’s stayed grounded as the floor general, picking up his assist count and off-ball play to make up for the drop-off. 

Mikal Bridges is also in a dry spell of his own, failing to crack 15 points in the last 11 games. He’s averaged 13 points on 55 percent shooting from two and 33 percent from three since the Knicks started winning again - one can only imagine what the offense looks like once these two get going again.

It’s been Towns once again on this end, shaking off his rough start to the year to average 21 points on 63 percent shooting from two and 41 percent from three his last 20 games. Head coach Mike Brown once again had to find some midseason solutions to get KAT going, and did so in the nick of time.

The bolstering of New York’s depth has been another big factor. Mohamed Diawara went from creeping into to demanding a spot in the rotation, the Knicks acquired Jose Alvarado and Landry Shamet got healthy, all in this span, no small developments. 

It can be easy to get lost in the day-by-day of the regular season, but the further you zoom out, the more impressive and ready for the playoffs this Knicks team looks. No matter what the doubters may say about a single loss, New York has been atop the league since before the trade deadline, and that means a little more. 

The Denver Nuggets, ranked fourth in the Western Conference, will host the Golden State Warriors, who are 10th in the Western Conference. Denver, favored by 12.5 points with a moneyline of -650, has a 47-28 record, while Golden State stands at 36-38. The over/under for the game is set at 238.5 points.

How to Watch Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets

• Date: Sunday, March 29

• Time: 10:00 PM ET / 7:00 PM PT

• Where: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado

• TV Channel: NBC, Peacock

• Live Stream:NBA League Pass | Follow on Yahoo Sports

Team Records

• Golden State Warriors: 36-38 (#10 in Western Conference)

• Denver Nuggets: 47-28 (#4 in Western Conference)

Odds (via BetMGM)

• Spread: Denver Nuggets -12.5

• Moneyline: Denver Nuggets -650 / Golden State Warriors +475

• Over/Under: 238.5