Worldwide Sports News

NBA playoff picture: Celtics, Knicks in a tight race for No. 2 seed originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

First, a reality check: The Boston Celtics’ quest for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is all but over.

After falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, the Celtics (47-24) sit 4.5 games behind the East-leading Detroit Pistons (51-19), who have won two in a row after losing superstar Cade Cunningham to a collapsed lung.

Boston has 11 regular-season games remaining, while Detroit has 10. If the Pistons win just six of their last 10 games, they’re guaranteed the No. 1 seed. Even if they stumble and go 4-6 down the stretch, the Celtics would need to win 10 of their last 11 games to make up that 4.5-game gap.

So, it’s time for Celtics fans to shift their focus to a much tighter race: the battle with the New York Knicks for the No. 2 seed.

Let’s lay everything out.

Eastern Conference standings

As of Monday morning, the Celtics are up just 0.5 games on the surging Knicks, who have won six in a row.

Basketball Reference’s Playoff Probabilities Report, which is based on 10,000 simulations for the remainder of the season, gives Boston a 53 percent chance of earning the No. 2 seed, just ahead of New York at 43.5 percent.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are lurking 2.5 games behind the Knicks (and three games behind the Celtics), but for all intents and purposes, the No. 2 seed should come down to New York vs. Boston.

Remaining schedules

Which team is better positioned to earn the No. 2 seed?

Both the Celtics and Knicks have pretty difficult schedules down the stretch: Per Tankathon, Boston owns the NBA’s third-toughest remaining schedule (opponents have a combined winning percentage of .544), while New York has the ninth-toughest (.530 opponent winning percentage).

In fact, just two of the Celtics’ remaining 11 games are against teams with losing records, while the Knicks play just three of their remaining 10 games against teams below .500.

What’s at stake

Why is the No. 2 seed so important, you ask?

While the Pistons hope Cunningham will return at some point in the playoffs, his injury casts major doubt over their ability to make a deep playoff run. And if a Cunningham-less Detroit team gets eliminated early, the No. 2 seed would have home-court advantage for the rest of its postseason run through the East.

As for first-round matchups, the No. 2 seed would face the winner of the East play-in tournament (the No. 7 seed), while the No. 3 seed would face the No. 6 seed. The bottom of the East playoff race is an absolute mess — just 2.5 games separate the No. 5 seed from the No. 10 seed — so it’s impossible to predict Round 1 matchups at the moment.

The Celtics would be favored to win any first-round matchup, but there are some teams that could give them trouble — notably the red-hot Atlanta Hawks, who are 12-1 in their last 13 games.

For now, Boston’s goal should be staving off the Knicks for the No. 2 seed and letting the chips fall where they may. And based on the current standings, we could be gearing up for a photo finish.

Mike Brown has coached both and made the comparison.

Last week, Brown said there are similarities in how Josh Hart impacts the game to how Andre Iguodala did when Brown was an assistant with the Warriors.

The idea that there might not be one particular skill that they excel at, but that there a bunch of areas they affect the game and when you look at the whole body of work, it results in a winning player.

What does Hart think of that comparison?

“Andre is extremely talented, definitely was a better player in this league than I am,” Hart told The Post before the Knicks’s game against the Wizards Sunday night at Madison Square Garden. “But we can be like an older version of Andre. Older, less athletic, scoring version of Andre. But it’s cool, Andre is someone who is highly respected for everything he’s done for the game. So it was cool.”

Iguodala was a key glue guy — and one-time finals MVP — on four championship teams with the Warriors. His impact often did not necessarily jump off the box score, though.

It’s that part of the comparison Hart most enjoys — and knows often goes unnoticed.

• CHECK OUT THE LATEST NBA STANDINGS AND KNICKS STATS

“I take a lot of pride in it,” Hart said. “Especially right now, you just look at numbers and you don’t understand the process of the game. A lot of people think you can just throw five guys in that score X amount of points, and that’s how it’s gonna be.

“But that’s not always what it is, situations are different. So for me, especially in that [starting] group, I’m a guy that’s gonna connect the dots, a guy that’s gonna try to be unselfish, get other guys involved, get other guys flowing in good rhythm. I think that gets overlooked, but for me, I take pride in it.”

Coming off a brutal loss last night in Phoenix, the Raptors are playing their second game of a back-to-back, this time, agains the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City. This game against an injured opponent should be a chance for the Raptors to stop a dangerous skid late in the season.

The Jazz have had a season of distinct highs and lows. They started the season by drafting a high value forward in Ace Bailey, saw point guard Keyonte George break out, and traded for former Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. At the same time, many of their starters have been ruled out for extended periods, since November when Walker Kessler was shut down, and have caught league-wide flack for a tanking scandal, with players getting benched in a manner that was perceived to be unethical. Indeed, Monday’s game will see Keyonte George, Isaiah Collier, and Lauri Markkanen still out, not to mention the host of previous injuries to JJJ and Jusuf Nurkic, amongst others.

As it currently stands, the Jazz are in poor shape to win games with most of their starting lineup out, so the Raptors can breathe relatively easily when they step into the Delta Center. The Raptors are playing with almost their entire roster intact, though Collin Murray-Boyles remains on the injury report, as he has been for nearly a month. This game should hopefully be a chance to bounce back after last night’s loss, which saw an extremely lacklustre offence combined with a total lack of production from some of the Raptors’ starters.

Scottie Barnes, RJ Barrett, and Brandon Ingram have been instrumental in getting the Raptors back on track with a three game winning streak, taking out the Pistons, Suns, and Bulls, before falling to the Denver Nuggets and the Phoenix Suns in consecutive games. Establishing a consistent offence will be important for this game against the Jazz, as well as ensuring that they’re able to slow down Ace Bailey and avoid him getting hot. The rookie has had two thirty point explosions over his last ten games, and keeping him subdued will be important in keeping the Jazz hitting sour notes. Brice Sensabaugh has been shooting threes at a 41.3% clip over the past ten games, meaning that Toronto’s perimeter defence needs to be on point to avoid an upset.

Considering the state of Utah basketball, it is unlikely for Toronto to drop this game. A soft opponent on the road is a luxury this late in the season, with the Eastern Conference looking as dangerous as it is. Toronto is unlikely to fall out of the Play-In Tournament, but are within only a few games of every opponent within the sixth to the tenth seed. 4.5 games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers, and half a game behind both the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers, the Raptors are in serious danger of relinquishing their playoff spot to a rival if they don’t clean up their act and begin performing consistently.

Today’s game is likely to be another part of the same old story for the Raptors: lose to the best teams, but beat down the worst ones.

Game Information and Details

Game Time: 9:00 EDT

Watch On: SportsNet

Injury Report:

Toronto: Collin Murray-Boyles (Out – thumb), Chucky Hepburn (Day-To-Day – knee)

Jazz: Isaiah Collier (Out – hamstring), Lauri Markkanen (Out – hip), Keyonte George (Out – hamstring)

Projected Lineups

Toronto: Scottie Barnes, Brandon Ingram, Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett, Jakob Poeltl

Jazz: Ace Bailey, Cody Williams, Brice Sensabaugh, Kyle Filipowski, Kennedy Chandler

Per a Spurs press release:

The San Antonio Spurs announced the launch of “Spurs Rewards,” powered by Fanmaker, a new loyalty program offering fans a way to earn rewards, unlock exclusive experiences and receive value through their support of the Spurs. Debuting March 12 vs. the Denver Nuggets, Spurs Rewards allows fans to earn points for activities such as attending games, shopping and engaging with the team across digital and in-person experiences. Fans can learn more and sign up for free by texting REWARDS to 210-444-5940 or visiting the Official Spurs Mobile App, presented by Frost. Official program terms apply.

Chief Commercial Officer at SS&E Frank Miceli stated,

“Spurs Rewards is about creating a smarter, more rewarding fan experience that recognizes the many ways our fans support the team throughout the season. Whether it’s attending games, shopping or engaging digitally, this platform turns that support into meaningful value.”

Fans can earn one point for every dollar spent on Spurs single-game tickets via Ticketmaster, retail purchases through the Spurs Official Fan Shop, and Frost Bank concessions at Frost Bank Center.

The Washington Wizards (16-55) are in a neck-and-neck race with the Indiana Pacers for last place in the conference. They had lost 15 games in a row before tonight’s tilt at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks (47*-25). The Wizards showed some signs of life in the first half, and a brief heartbeat after intermission, but their 16th loss was never really in doubt. New York took the W, 145-113, beating the Wiz for the 12th straight time.

New York started on the right foot, with Mikal Bridges (14 PTS, 6 AST) and Karl-Anthony Towns (26 PTS, 16 RBS, 9-13 FG) helping to build a small cushion. Washington kept up with them, though, with five points by Tristan Vukcevic (13 PTS) and Bub Carrington (14 PTS, 8 ASTS) getting to the line. Once again, New York allowed their opponents to shoot freely from the perimeter. Luckily for them, Washington’s not a strong three-point shooting team, making 4-of-10 from deep over the first 12 minutes. With the visitors coughing up the rock seven times, the Knicks built a head of steam and went up by double-digits late in the quarter.

The Knicks’ best stretch came midway through the quarter, with Towns flexing his muscles on the glass, Jalen Brunson (23 PTS, 4 AST) drawing contact, and Josh Hart (16 PTS, 6 RBS, 4 AST) logging rebounds, steals, and an alley-oop to Mitchell Robinson (10 PTS, 10 RBS, 2 BLK). Then the pendulum swung the other way. Jaden Hardy (25 PTS, 7-13 3PT) sparked a run with three triples in a short span—two assisted by Sharife Cooper (11 PTS)—narrowing the Knicks’ lead to 32-27 by the buzzer.

The quarter opened with Washington briefly finding a rhythm—Cooper hit an early jumper, and Anthony Gill (18 PTS, 3 STL, 8-10 FG) followed a steal with a dunk. A few minutes in, a Cooper triple tied the score at 38 before New York got serious. After that, Towns cleaned up inside with putbacks and rebounds, while Bridges and OG Anunoby (9 PTS, 4 TO) chipped in buckets. Jose Alvarado (8 PTS, 8 AST) played but was a mixed bag. Hart helped to push the pace, and Robinson made his presence felt as the good guys regained a double-digit lead. Down the stretch, New York turned stops into buckets, pushed the margin to 15, and went into halftime ahead 68-52.

The Knicks shot 57% from the field and 50% from yard, which beat Washington’s 43% and 29%. KAT gave NY a big advantage in the paint, which they won 34–20, and where they outrebounded the Zards, 22–16. Towns led all scorers with 15 points. For the visitors, Gill scored 11 to lead a bench that contributed 30 points.

Hart and Bridges hit a pair of triples to start the second half, then Vukcevic scored eight straight points to chase New York into a timeout. Following that, Hart and Bridges knocked down threes, and Brunson hit some middies. The key, though, was Towns, who scored with hook shots, drives, free throws, and a three-pointer. Washington’s sorry frontcourt had no antidote for the big fella. With the Knicks starting to get in sync, a 13-5 run pushed their lead to 20 by the midway point.

Washington made a push when Hardy drilled a trey and a pull-up jumper, and Gill converted from long range. All that effort was little more than a death rattle, though. New York took a 105-81 score into the fourth.

The Knicks kept the party going in the fourth, pushing their lead to 27. Alvarado and Jordan Clarkson (8 PTS) provided steady hands, and Mouhamed Diawara (12 PTS, 3-4 3PT) hit back-to-back threes. Jeremy Sochan (8 PTS, 6 RBS, 8 MIN) subbed in and benefited from a gorgeous Clarkson lob. But the most interesting storyline of the final frame: Tyler Kolek scored 42 points for the Westchester Knicks this morning, and added 11 points (on 4-of-4 shooting) tonight to finish the day with 53! Quoth Jslashnoel: “Tyler going nuclear is a nice victory cigar.”

Notes

• With tonight’s totals, KAT has 50 double-doubles for the season to lead the league.
• March 22, 2013: Ray Williams passed away at the age of 58. That night, Carmelo Anthony scored 37 points and Kenyon Martin added 19 points and 11 rebounds in a 99-94 win at Toronto, securing New York’s third straight trip to the postseason.
• Hart is pumping! Josh has made 12 of his last 17 three-point attempts.
• Their 16th consecutive loss ties Washington’s franchise record. The Knicks have won six straight three times this season.
• New York scored 93 points against the Nets on Friday. They topped that with four minutes left in the third quarter tonight.
• Washington head coach Brian Keefe was an assistant coach for the Knicks during the 2015-16 season.

Up Next

New York visits the Big Easy on Tuesday to pluck the Pelicans. Safe travels, Knickerbockers.

Box Score

* Should be one more, but NBA Cup wins crumble when handled.

The madness isn't over, it's just on hold.

After a Men's NCAA Tournament second round that saw a No. 1 seed in Florida, a few bluebloods in Kansas and Kentucky, and a pair of No. 3s in Gonzaga and Virginia eliminated, the Sweet 16 is set. Duke overcame a shaky start to advance to the second weekend, UConn rolled over UCLA after a slog against Furman, and Michigan has largely looked dominant thus far.

REQUIRED READING: 2026 Sweet 16 schedule, game times, TV info, brackets for NCAA Tournament

But none of that matters. As the teams in the Sweet 16 prepare for their prospective opponents, they'll have time off until Thursday for half the field and Friday for the other half. There are no games on Monday March 23, but they'll be back — likely with a vengeance as the field condenses — on Thursday, March 26.

Here's what to know about the college basketball schedule, as the teams remaining recharge for the second of three frenetic weekends.

Are there Men's NCAA Tournament games on today?

Following four days of action, the Men's NCAA Tournament will be taking a respite. There are no games on Monday, March 23, as teams prepare for the Sweet 16.

There are, however, Women's NCAA Tournament second round games, as its first weekend concludes.

When do Men's March Madness games resume?

Men's NCAA Tournament games will recommence on Thursday, March 26 when No. 2 Purdue plays No. 11 Texas to open the Sweet 16. From there, it will be eight games, concluding with No. 2 Iowa State vs No. 6 Tennessee on Friday, March 27.

Men's Sweet 16 schedule

Here's a look at the schedule for when games come back.

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

• 7:10 p.m.: No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 11 Texas (West), CBS
• 7:30 p.m.: No. 4 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Iowa (South), TBS/truTV
• 9:45 p.m.: No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 4 Arkansas (West), CBS
• 10:05 p.m.: No. 2 Houston vs. No. 3 Illinois (South), TBS/truTV

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

• 7:10 p.m.: No. 1 Duke vs. No. 5 St. John's (East), CBS
• 7:35 p.m.: Texas Tech/Alabama winner vs. No. 1 Michigan (Midwest), TBS/truTV
• 9:45 p.m.: No. 2 UConn vs. No. 3 Michigan State (East), CBS
• 10:10 p.m.: No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 6 Tennessee (Midwest), TBS/truTV

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When Men's NCAA Tournament will resume after first two rounds conclude

The top-seeded teams dominated the second round of the NCAA Tournament, with the lone double-digit seed advancing to the Sweet 16 being Texas, one of the most iconic brands in college sports.

Texas being a "Cinderella" in 2025-26 is fitting for where men's college basketball is as a sport amid the name, image and likeness era. The lone double digit seed to reach the Sweet 16 last season was Arkansas, which is led by one of the greatest coaches ever in John Calipari and was riddled with talent.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness? More like March Blandness in as NCAA Tournament has too much chalk

No. 12 seed High Point gave its best shot at breaking that mold on Saturday, March 21, before ultimately falling to No. 4 Arkansas 94-88 in a highly competitive game. No. 11 VCU also had a chance to be the latest mid-major to reach the Sweet 16, but was dominated by No. 3 Illinois 76-55.

Only 16 teams remain, with just one weekend before the Final Four returns to Indianapolis. Here's a look at our five worst moments of the NCAA Tournament's second round in 2026:

5 worst moments of NCAA Tournament second round

Tyler Tanner misses game-winning halfcourt shot

Vanderbilt star Tyler Tanner nearly made an all-time shot for the win against No. 4 Nebraska in the second round, but the ball rimmed out after multiple bounces off the backboard and rim.

Tanner was already having a career performance, as he finished with 27 points and four assists with four steals. With 2.2 seconds he caught the inbounds pass on the opposite side of the court before heaving it from behind halfcourt, which barely missed and resulted in Vanderbilt's entire bench falling to their knees in disappointment.

This close.... 🤏#MarchMadnesspic.twitter.com/lEtY7T1WX1

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026

Nebraska's Braden Frager hit a game-winning driving layup to hand his school its second-ever NCAA Tournament win and first Sweet 16 appearance. Unfortunately, one of Vanderbilt or Nebraska was headed home after one of the best second-round games in recent memory.

"We were in an inch away from being in the Sweet 16," Vandy coach Mark Byington said. "It's going to take a while for us to get over."

Florida goes home early

Florida was shocked by No. 9 seed Iowa in the second round, falling 73-72 after Alvaro Folgueiras hit a game-winning 3-pointer with less than five seconds remaining. It's a brutal finish to the season for the Gators, who played their way back onto the 1-seed line after winning 16 of their last 17 regular-season games.

Florida looked like a top national championship contender, especially with its impressive frontcourt of Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu. But sometimes March Madness strikes, and unfortunately it did for Florida before the first weekend came to a close.

Iowa ended the game on a 7-3 run, which was ultimately the difference in the back-and-forth, highly competitive game.

Kentucky makes the bad kind of history

While Kentucky survived a scare against Santa Clara in the first round, it took a wild shot from Otega Oweh at the buzzer to force overtime. The Wildcats kept within distance of Iowa State in the first half of their game on March 22, before the Cyclones pulled away for a dominant 82-63 win.

Kentucky played sloppy basketball against Iowa State, setting a program record for most turnovers (20) in an NCAA Tournament game. The 19-point loss was also Kentucky's largest loss in a March Madness game since 1972.

Second-year coach Mark Pope is facing a pivotal offseason, especially with Oweh exhausting his eligibility.

David Punch's nose

TCU star David Punch took a shot to the face from Duke's Cameron Boozer late in the second half of a close game on Saturday, March 21, and wasn't the same after returning to the game. Boozer was called for a Flagrant 1 on the play, although Punch was unable to shoot the free-throws as he returned to the bench with blood flowing down his face.

Punch Jr. briefly went to the locker room, missing the remainder of the first half before returning in the final 20 minutes of the game.

"To me, it doesn't feel overly excessive." -- @GeneSteratore on David Punch taking an elbow to the face from Cameron Boozer pic.twitter.com/pSmHb4FEPv

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 21, 2026

TCU trailed 38-34 at halftime, before falling apart and losing 81-58 to Duke to end its season. And despite coming off a 16-point, 13-rebound performance against Ohio State in the first round, he was held to four points on 1-of-10 shooting against the Blue Devils.

High Point's season comes to an end

High Point's program-best season came to an end against No. 4 Arkansas, as it fell 94-88 after winning its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in the first round. The Panthers dominated the regular season, finishing the regular season 30-4 with a Big South Conference Tournament win.

Chase Johnston became the latest March Madness legend after helping High Point to a win over Wisconsin, and Rob Martin channeled his inner-Kemba Walker with 30 points and five assists in High Point's loss to Arkansas.

High Point was putting on for mid-major programs in the NCAA Tournament and hopes to continue its momentum fresh off a respect-earning trip.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness worst moments of NCAA Round 2, including Tyler Tanner

Through two rounds of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and for the second time in as many years, March has been missing some of its trademark madness.

There have been exciting moments, of course, from Otega Oweh’s buzzer-beater to send Kentucky to overtime against Santa Clara to Tyler Tanner’s 49-foot heave that rimmed out and nearly gave Vanderbilt a stunning win over Nebraska in what would have instantly been one of the most iconic shots in NCAA tournament history. There have been uplifting stories, too, from Miami (Ohio) continuing its magical season with a win over SMU in the First Four — the RedHawks’ first NCAA tournament victory since 1999 — to High Point picking up its first-ever NCAA tournament win.

For the most part, though, an event historically defined by upsets has had precious few of them, with favored teams with more talent and resources largely handling business.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness scores: Buzzer-beater, monster upset and more nail-biters. Round 2 highlights

How have the small handful of unexpected results stacked up?

Here’s a look at the top five upsets through the first two rounds of March Madness.

How's your bracket looking?

Probably not so bad if you picked all the favorites.

But there were a few surprises in the Men's NCAA Tournament first two rounds, the biggest being No. 9 Iowa taking down defending champion Florida.

That result means we won't get a second straight Final Four with all No. 1 seeds. So who will reach Indianapolis? First things first, who will in this week's Sweet 16?

USA TODAY Sports staff made their picks. Check them out below:

One weekend down, two to go.

A chalky bracket seemed unlikely to yield any major upsets until No. 9 Iowa knocked off No. 1 seed Florida in the South region, bringing some chaos to a men’s NCAA Tournament that had lacked the underdog stories that can often define the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.

Until the Hawkeyes’ win, the tournament Cinderella was No. 11 Texas, which beat fellow No. 11 North Carolina State in the play-in round, beat No. 6 Brigham Young in the first round and then beat No. 3 Gonzaga 74-68 on Saturday to reach the program’s second Sweet 16 since 2008.

While Florida has been sent packing, the name-brand teams and programs still alive should make for an intensely competitive weekend.

Starting with the Big Ten, let’s get ready for the Sweet 16 by breaking down the biggest winners and losers from the second round: