The second half of the first round of the NCAA men's tournament takes place Friday with 16 games. A breakdown of each of the matchups.
Where to watch today’s Men’s March Madness games: TV channel, live stream, times
The March Madness action continues on Friday with top seeds taking the court. Here is the rundown of all the games today and how to watch.
Lewis Hamilton takes first Ferrari F1 pole for Chinese GP sprint race
- British driver to start alongside Verstappen on front row
- Lando Norris in sixth after mistakes during qualifying
Lewis Hamilton landed his first pole position as a Ferrari driver by taking top spot for Saturday’s sprint race at the Chinese Grand Prix.
The 40-year-old, in only his second appearance for the Italian giants, saw off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen by just 0.018sec in Shanghai to ensure he will start from the front for Saturday’s 19-lap dash to the chequered flag. McLaren’s Oscar Piastri qualified third with Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc fourth. George Russell took fifth for Mercedes, one place ahead of Lando Norris in the other McLaren.
Continue reading...No wages and little clarity: what next in the Salford Red Devils fiasco?
As Salford and the RFL battle to see who can look the most shambolic, we answer the questions you might be asking
Fiasco, farce, omnishambles, call it what you like – even Malcolm Tucker would struggle to put a gloss on events at Salford Red Devils and the RFL in the last few months. With their new owners repeatedly failing to lodge the funds that would guarantee the club can get through the season, Salford remain in special measures, administered by a governing body that has seen the majority of its board resign, other senior staff leave under black clouds and a former deposed leader return in a remarkable coup. As Salford and the RFL battle to see who can look the most shambolic, we answer the questions you might be asking.
How can Salford finish fourth last season and lose their first four games this time? Winning the battle of the pointless against Huddersfield on Thursday night was a rare moment of joy for Salford since bowing out of the Super League playoffs six months ago. On paper, Paul Rowley’s side should challenge for silverware. Instead, they have played like relegation fodder, their star players totally undermined by not being paid and their employers in disarray.
Continue reading...Three things to note from Cagnoni's NHL debut in Sharks' loss
Three things to note from Cagnoni's NHL debut in Sharks' loss originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Editor’s note: Sheng Peng is a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on X at @Sheng_Peng.
We have to remember to grade Luca Cagnoni’s NHL debut on a curve.
He’s a 20-year-old defenseman, the hardest position to learn in the NHL, playing his first game against the Carolina Hurricanes, arguably the most ferocious forecheck in the league.
I get there’s a lot of excitement for his debut, given his show-stopping rookie AHL campaign so far. The 2023 fourth-round pick is second among all AHL defensemen with 47 points.
But the AHL isn’t the NHL, as Cagnoni saw first-hand in a 3-1 San Jose Sharks defeat.
That said, there are three things that I liked about Cagnoni’s NHL debut.
More of these three positives, and less of the negatives — the 5-foot-9 defender was frustrated by the big bad Canes’ forecheck and was bodied at times — and he’s going to be just fine. No player is perfect, you’re just looking for, big picture, a consistent net positive effect on games.
Read the full article at San Jose Hockey Now
Premiership ready to rumble again with a post-Six Nations glow
The English top flight has clouds on its horizon but it returns with Derby Weekend full of promise and intrigue
Premiership Rugby executives have been picking the brains of their counterparts at World Wrestling Entertainment of late. The bad news is that rugby union’s version of the Royal Rumble is not in the pipeline, the good is that there is no better organisation when it comes to selling its stars and the Premiership has evidently been doing its homework over how to follow suit.
The findings were instructive. Better to encourage profiles to develop organically than force growth and it was interesting to hear the Rugby Football Union (RFU) chief executive, Bill Sweeney, suggest recently that Netflix might have mis-stepped by opening this year’s Six Nations documentary with an episode all about Marcus Smith, Twickenham’s golden boy, buying a car. Rugby is not football was the gist of Sweeney’s argument in his latest podcast appearance.
Continue reading...Ole Miss Rebels take on North Carolina Tar Heels in first round of NCAA Tournament
North Carolina Tar Heels (23-13, 15-8 ACC) vs. Ole Miss Rebels (22-11, 11-9 SEC) Milwaukee; Friday, 4:05 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tar Heels -2.5; over/under is 155.5 BOTTOM LINE: Ole Miss faces North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels are 11-9 against SEC opponents and 11-2 in non-conference play.
Tennessee and UCLA square off in second round of NCAA Tournament
UCLA Bruins (23-10, 13-8 Big Ten) vs. Tennessee Volunteers (28-7, 14-7 SEC) Lexington, Kentucky; Saturday, 9:40 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Volunteers -4.5; over/under is 132.5 BOTTOM LINE: No. Tennessee takes on UCLA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
UConn takes on Oklahoma in first round of NCAA Tournament
UConn scores 77.4 points and has outscored opponents by 9.4 points per game. The Sooners are 7-13 in SEC play. Oklahoma ranks second in the SEC shooting 37.0% from 3-point range.
Mississippi State Bulldogs face Baylor Bears in first round of NCAA Tournament
Baylor Bears (19-14, 11-11 Big 12) vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (21-12, 9-11 SEC) Raleigh, North Carolina; Friday, 12:15 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bulldogs -1.5; over/under is 144.5 BOTTOM LINE: Mississippi State and Baylor play in the NCAA Tournament opening round. The Bulldogs have gone 9-11 against SEC opponents, with a 12-1 record in non-conference play.
Chattanooga plays Dayton in NIT
Dayton Flyers (23-10, 12-7 A-10) at Chattanooga Mocs (25-9, 16-4 SoCon) Chattanooga, Tennessee; Saturday, 11:30 a.m. EDT BOTTOM LINE: Chattanooga takes on Dayton in the National Invitation Tournament. The Mocs are 16-4 against SoCon opponents and 9-5 in non-conference play.
Arizona and Akron square off in first round of NCAA Tournament
Akron Zips (28-6, 20-1 MAC) vs. Arizona Wildcats (22-12, 16-8 Big 12) Seattle; Friday, 7:35 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Wildcats -14.5; over/under is 167.5 BOTTOM LINE: No. Arizona and Akron play in the NCAA Tournament first round.
Purdue and McNeese play in second round of NCAA Tournament
McNeese Cowboys (28-6, 21-1 Southland) vs. Purdue Boilermakers (23-11, 14-8 Big Ten) Providence, Rhode Island; Saturday, 12:10 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Boilermakers -5.5; over/under is 143.5 BOTTOM LINE: No. Purdue plays McNeese in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Illinois Fighting Illini play the Xavier Musketeers in first round of NCAA Tournament
Xavier Musketeers (22-11, 13-8 Big East) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (21-12, 13-9 Big Ten) Milwaukee; Friday, 9:45 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Fighting Illini -3.5; over/under is 160.5 BOTTOM LINE: Illinois and Xavier meet in the NCAA Tournament opening round. The Fighting Illini's record in Big Ten play is 13-9, and their record is 8-3 against non-conference opponents.
Iowa State Cyclones face Lipscomb Bisons in opening round of NCAA Tournament
Lipscomb Bisons (25-9, 17-4 ASUN) vs. Iowa State Cyclones (24-9, 15-8 Big 12) Milwaukee; Friday, 1:30 p.m. EDT BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cyclones -14.5; over/under is 142.5 BOTTOM LINE: No. Iowa State and Lipscomb square off in the NCAA Tournament opening round.