The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are off to good starts — and their MVPs finally are starting to hit.
Shohei Ohtani hadn’t driven in a run until Friday, then homered in that game and again Sunday. He and Aaron Judge each have three straight multihit games.
Judge hasn’t needed to carry the Yankees, who are 7-2. They had allowed a paltry 15 runs on the season before a 7-6 loss to Miami. Cam Schlittler has made two scoreless starts and New York ran wild against the Marlins — with even Giancarlo Stanton stealing a base.
It wasn’t a great first week for the Dodgers’ quartet of sluggers — Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman — but then they broke out in a big way as Los Angeles posted 31 runs in three games at Washington. The Dodgers are 7-2 with Andy Pages off to a 16-for-34 start at the plate, so they can afford to be patient with their stars.
That includes Betts, who went on the injured list with an oblique strain.
Los Angeles now heads to Toronto for a three-game series — the first meeting between the teams since the Dodgers beat the Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series in Canada last year.
Battling Bucs
On the topic of teams succeeding while waiting for stars to get untracked, Pittsburgh swept three straight from Baltimore to improve to 6-3. The Pirates have won five straight, although Paul Skenes has allowed six runs in 5 2/3 innings through his first two starts.
They haven’t needed much from top prospect Konnor Griffin either. The infielder is 1 for 9 since being called up, but he has yet to play in a loss. The Pirates have 10 of their next 13 games at home, with Skenes expected to take the mound when they host San Diego.
Trivia time
When is the last time the NCAA men’s basketball champion and baseball’s World Series champion came from the same state in a given year?
Performance of the week
Jo Adell went 1 for 3 at the plate Saturday, but it’s what he did defensively that made a real impact. The Angels’ outfielder made three home run-robbing catches to help Los Angeles to a 1-0 win over Seattle.
Adell made spectacular catch while crashing into the seats when J.P. Crawford led off the ninth with a drive to right. Adell also denied Cal Raleigh what would have been the catcher’s first homer of the season.
Comeback of the week
Arizona trailed Detroit by four Tuesday night before scoring six times in the bottom of the eighth to win 7-5. The Tigers had a win probability of 96.4% after seven, according to Baseball Savant.
Corbin Carroll hit a bases-loaded double that scored two runs, and Jose Fernandez added a three-run homer. It was the second home run of the game for Fernandez, who was making his major league debut.
Trivia answer
In 1973, UCLA won the national title and the Oakland Athletics won the World Series. That pairing also won in 1972.
There was a recent near-miss in 2021 when Baylor won the NCAA Tournament and the Houston Astros lost to the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. The only way this double can happen this year is if Michigan wins in basketball and the Tigers prevail in baseball.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees are off to good starts — and their MVPs finally are starting to hit.
Shohei Ohtani hadn’t driven in a run until Friday, then homered in that game and again Sunday. He and Aaron Judge each have three straight multihit games.
Judge hasn’t needed to carry the Yankees, who are 7-2. They had allowed a paltry 15 runs on the season before a 7-6 loss to Miami. Cam Schlittler has made two scoreless starts and New York ran wild against the Marlins — with even Giancarlo Stanton stealing a base.
It wasn’t a great first week for the Dodgers’ quartet of sluggers — Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman — but then they broke out in a big way as Los Angeles posted 31 runs in three games at Washington. The Dodgers are 7-2 with Andy Pages off to a 16-for-34 start at the plate, so they can afford to be patient with their stars.
That includes Betts, who went on the injured list with an oblique strain.
Los Angeles now heads to Toronto for a three-game series — the first meeting between the teams since the Dodgers beat the Blue Jays in Game 7 of the World Series in Canada last year.
Battling Bucs
On the topic of teams succeeding while waiting for stars to get untracked, Pittsburgh swept three straight from Baltimore to improve to 6-3. The Pirates have won five straight, although Paul Skenes has allowed six runs in 5 2/3 innings through his first two starts.
They haven’t needed much from top prospect Konnor Griffin either. The infielder is 1 for 9 since being called up, but he has yet to play in a loss. The Pirates have 10 of their next 13 games at home, with Skenes expected to take the mound when they host San Diego.
Trivia time
When is the last time the NCAA men’s basketball champion and baseball’s World Series champion came from the same state in a given year?
Performance of the week
Jo Adell went 1 for 3 at the plate Saturday, but it’s what he did defensively that made a real impact. The Angels’ outfielder made three home run-robbing catches to help Los Angeles to a 1-0 win over Seattle.
Adell made spectacular catch while crashing into the seats when J.P. Crawford led off the ninth with a drive to right. Adell also denied Cal Raleigh what would have been the catcher’s first homer of the season.
Comeback of the week
Arizona trailed Detroit by four Tuesday night before scoring six times in the bottom of the eighth to win 7-5. The Tigers had a win probability of 96.4% after seven, according to Baseball Savant.
Corbin Carroll hit a bases-loaded double that scored two runs, and Jose Fernandez added a three-run homer. It was the second home run of the game for Fernandez, who was making his major league debut.
Trivia answer
In 1973, UCLA won the national title and the Oakland Athletics won the World Series. That pairing also won in 1972.
There was a recent near-miss in 2021 when Baylor won the NCAA Tournament and the Houston Astros lost to the Atlanta Braves in the World Series. The only way this double can happen this year is if Michigan wins in basketball and the Tigers prevail in baseball.
Aug 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) stands in the dugout in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
There has been plenty of discussion surrounding Kevin Cash’s lineup decisions. Cash addressed those concerns recently, noting that the team expects to experiment with different lineups throughout the season. Much of the focus has centered on Chandler Simpson’s place in the order and Junior Caminero’s lack of traditional lineup protection.
It’s not a matter of these decisions being “right” or “wrong,” but there’s a clear pattern and underlying rationale behind them.
Leading-off
One of the main criticisms of the Rays lineups has been Simpson’s spot in the order. Some want to see him leveraging his speed at the top of the lineup. That would mean bumping Yandy Diaz down to 2nd or 3rd in the lineup. He’s the best on-base hitter on the roster, so they could potentially be leaving runs off the board by replacing him with Simpson. However, Simpson is off to a hot start and is reaching base over 43% of the time. Unfortunately for him, Yandy is getting on base nearly 49% of the time. Yandy also has a more established track record of getting on base at a high clip (.373 career OBP vs .334 for Simpson so far in the majors). I think Simpson will have some opportunities at some point this season to hit leadoff, but the best version of the Rays lineup right now has Yandy leading off. The case against Simpson leading off isn’t just about OBP – it’s about optimizing both his strengths and the hitters around him.
There’s also the question of how much is Simpson’s position near the bottom of the order helping his production. There’s typically less pressure to produce when you’re near the bottom of the lineup. Simpson has batted 8th three times already this season, and his average spot in the lineup is 6.3. It’s also fair to wonder how his current role is supporting his production. Hitters lower in the lineup often operate with less pressure and clearer situational expectations. While that’s difficult to quantify, it’s at least possible that Simpson’s current usage is helping him settle in at the major league level. Simpson is already making worse swing decisions that last season, so I’m not sure the added pressure of the leadoff position would benefit his production.
There’s also evidence that having an aggressive base stealer on first doesn’t necessarily help the hitter. In some cases, it can do the opposite; hitters may alter their approach to accommodate the steal attempt rather than focusing on their own at-bat. In this case, it might be better to have someone less central than the Yandy-Aranda-Caminero group hitting behind Simpson so the Rays best hitters can focus on being their best. Simpson batting 8th like he has most of the season might be the most effective way to get him in scoring position with the top of the lineup coming around; he would have an opportunity to steal a base with the number 9 hitter at the plate or potentially advance a base with a productive out from that hitter.
Cleaning-up
So far, Caminero has primarily been batting 4th in the lineup with mainly Cedric Mullins (x4), Jake Fraley (x2), or Ben Williamson (x2) hitting immediately after him. Some fans might want Caminero higher in the lineup so he can get more plate appearances. This does make sense as he would statistically have more PAs over a full season hitting 3rd rather than 4th, but there are a few reasons to bat him 4th and it doesn’t really matter who is “protecting” him in the lineup.
First, separating Díaz and Caminero (while still keeping both near the top) creates matchup pressure later in games. An opposing team could bring in a tough RHP to face Yandy, but would likely have to let them face Aranda plus another LHB like Fraley or Mullins. This forces an opposing manager between having to neutralize Yandy/Caminero or the LHB between them – but not both.
Another reason to hit Caminero 4th is because he’ll see more PAs with runners on base than if he was batting 3rd. Batting Caminero fourth may cost him some total plate appearances over a full season, but it increases the likelihood that those plate appearances come with runners on base — and for a hitter with his power profile, that’s often the more valuable trade-off.
There isn’t any research that supports the idea that protection is something that should be prioritized when building a lineup. The effects of having a good hitter protecting the batter in front of him are likely marginal at best, and Caminero can hit just about anything out if he squares it up, so he’s not really someone who needs to see more pitches in the zone to be productive. The main thing for him will be to continue to improve his swing decisions as his zone-minus-out-of-zone swing rate is the same as last season despite him chasing less. Having someone like Aranda hitting behind Caminero won’t help him be more productive, but swinging more at pitches down the middle will. Caminero swung at pitches in the heart of the plate just over 75% of the time in 2025, but that number is down under 64% this season. He has done well to limit his chasing so far, but swinging at pitches he can do damage on will help raise his game even more.
Lineup construction isn’t just about putting the “best hitters” at the top; it’s about sequencing skills, managing matchups, and creating the most difficult set of decisions for the opposing staff. Early on, the Rays appear to be prioritizing exactly that.
Aug 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash (16) stands in the dugout in the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images
There has been plenty of discussion surrounding Kevin Cash’s lineup decisions. Cash addressed those concerns recently, noting that the team expects to experiment with different lineups throughout the season. Much of the focus has centered on Chandler Simpson’s place in the order and Junior Caminero’s lack of traditional lineup protection.
It’s not a matter of these decisions being “right” or “wrong,” but there’s a clear pattern and underlying rationale behind them.
Leading-off
One of the main criticisms of the Rays lineups has been Simpson’s spot in the order. Some want to see him leveraging his speed at the top of the lineup. That would mean bumping Yandy Diaz down to 2nd or 3rd in the lineup. He’s the best on-base hitter on the roster, so they could potentially be leaving runs off the board by replacing him with Simpson. However, Simpson is off to a hot start and is reaching base over 43% of the time. Unfortunately for him, Yandy is getting on base nearly 49% of the time. Yandy also has a more established track record of getting on base at a high clip (.373 career OBP vs .334 for Simpson so far in the majors). I think Simpson will have some opportunities at some point this season to hit leadoff, but the best version of the Rays lineup right now has Yandy leading off. The case against Simpson leading off isn’t just about OBP – it’s about optimizing both his strengths and the hitters around him.
There’s also the question of how much is Simpson’s position near the bottom of the order helping his production. There’s typically less pressure to produce when you’re near the bottom of the lineup. Simpson has batted 8th three times already this season, and his average spot in the lineup is 6.3. It’s also fair to wonder how his current role is supporting his production. Hitters lower in the lineup often operate with less pressure and clearer situational expectations. While that’s difficult to quantify, it’s at least possible that Simpson’s current usage is helping him settle in at the major league level. Simpson is already making worse swing decisions that last season, so I’m not sure the added pressure of the leadoff position would benefit his production.
There’s also evidence that having an aggressive base stealer on first doesn’t necessarily help the hitter. In some cases, it can do the opposite; hitters may alter their approach to accommodate the steal attempt rather than focusing on their own at-bat. In this case, it might be better to have someone less central than the Yandy-Aranda-Caminero group hitting behind Simpson so the Rays best hitters can focus on being their best. Simpson batting 8th like he has most of the season might be the most effective way to get him in scoring position with the top of the lineup coming around; he would have an opportunity to steal a base with the number 9 hitter at the plate or potentially advance a base with a productive out from that hitter.
Cleaning-up
So far, Caminero has primarily been batting 4th in the lineup with mainly Cedric Mullins (x4), Jake Fraley (x2), or Ben Williamson (x2) hitting immediately after him. Some fans might want Caminero higher in the lineup so he can get more plate appearances. This does make sense as he would statistically have more PAs over a full season hitting 3rd rather than 4th, but there are a few reasons to bat him 4th and it doesn’t really matter who is “protecting” him in the lineup.
First, separating Díaz and Caminero (while still keeping both near the top) creates matchup pressure later in games. An opposing team could bring in a tough RHP to face Yandy, but would likely have to let them face Aranda plus another LHB like Fraley or Mullins. This forces an opposing manager between having to neutralize Yandy/Caminero or the LHB between them – but not both.
Another reason to hit Caminero 4th is because he’ll see more PAs with runners on base than if he was batting 3rd. Batting Caminero fourth may cost him some total plate appearances over a full season, but it increases the likelihood that those plate appearances come with runners on base — and for a hitter with his power profile, that’s often the more valuable trade-off.
There isn’t any research that supports the idea that protection is something that should be prioritized when building a lineup. The effects of having a good hitter protecting the batter in front of him are likely marginal at best, and Caminero can hit just about anything out if he squares it up, so he’s not really someone who needs to see more pitches in the zone to be productive. The main thing for him will be to continue to improve his swing decisions as his zone-minus-out-of-zone swing rate is the same as last season despite him chasing less. Having someone like Aranda hitting behind Caminero won’t help him be more productive, but swinging more at pitches down the middle will. Caminero swung at pitches in the heart of the plate just over 75% of the time in 2025, but that number is down under 64% this season. He has done well to limit his chasing so far, but swinging at pitches he can do damage on will help raise his game even more.
Lineup construction isn’t just about putting the “best hitters” at the top; it’s about sequencing skills, managing matchups, and creating the most difficult set of decisions for the opposing staff. Early on, the Rays appear to be prioritizing exactly that.
With just five games remaining in their regular season, there is still much to be determined for the Vegas Golden Knights.
They could make the playoffs and face the Anaheim Ducks in the first round. They could make the playoffs and face the Edmonton Oilers in the first round. They could win the division and face WC1 (currently the Utah Mammoth) in the first round.
Now, it’s also still technically possible— although extremely unlikely— that the Golden Knights miss the postseason entirely. However, they’d basically have to lose out, and one of San Jose or Los Angeles would have to win out. There’s a reason why Moneypuck gives the Golden Knights a 97.4% chance to make the playoffs.
Regular-season series don’t always mean much in the grand scheme of things. In a seven-game series, coaches can make adjustments to counter their opponent. In an 82-game season, those adjustments are typically broader.That being said, in a tiebreaker situation, looking back on a regular-season series can make all the difference.
The top three spots of the Pacific Division are closer than ever. The Oilers currently hold the top spot with 87 points and the tiebreaker over the Ducks, but the Golden Knights lurk just one point back.
NHL Tiebreaker Protocols
If two or more NHL teams finish the regular season with the same number of points in the standings, playoff seeding is determined by these tiebreakers:
1. Regulation wins
2. Regulation and overtime wins (excluding shootout wins)
3. Total wins
4. Head-to-head points
5. Goal differential
6. Total goals for
Let’s take a look at how the Golden Knights measure up against the other two top teams in the Pacific Division.
Vegas Golden Knights
Regulation wins: 27
Regulation and overtime wins: 34
Total wins: 35
Goal differential: +7
Total goals: 247
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers would hold the tiebreaker with more regulation wins (30).
The Oilers would hold the tiebreaker with more wins in regulation and overtime (39).
The Oilers would hold the tiebreaker with more total wins (39).
The Oilers would hold the tiebreaker with six head-to-head points against the Golden Knights this season.
The Oilers would hold the tiebreaker with a higher goal differential than the Golden Knights (+8).
The Oilers would hold the tiebreaker with a higher total of goals scored than the Golden Knights (265).
Anaheim Ducks
The Golden Knights would hold the tiebreaker with a higher number of regulation wins (the Ducks have 24).
The Golden Knights would hold the tiebreaker with more wins in regulation and overtime (the Ducks have 33).
The Ducks would hold the tiebreaker with more total wins (41).
The Ducks would hold the tiebreaker with six head-to-head points against the Golden Knights this season.
The Golden Knights would hold the tiebreaker with a higher goal differential (the Ducks have a -14).
The Ducks would hold the tiebreaker with a higher total of goals scored than the Golden Knights (257).
Apr 22, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas (right) talks with general manager Marc Eversley (left) before game three of the first round for the 2022 NBA playoffs against the Milwaukee Bucks at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
All eyes are on the North Carolina Tar Heels as they attempt to find their new head coach for the men’s basketball program. All eyes are also on the Chicago Bulls, who have had way more of an eventful 2026 than they likely bargained for. In the middle of all of this is Billy Donovan, who will have to choose between one of these teams, or he will choose to just do something else altogether. Things got really interesting for the Bulls, though, and it could play a huge role in how things shake out for UNC.
Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Bulls President and CEO Michael Reinsdorf finally put their front office on notice. For those who aren’t familiar with how the Reinsdorfs operate, the family treats the Bulls like a cash cow rather than a competitive franchise, and they are very slow to make any kind of noticeable changes to the front office unless their financials start to suffer. That is why it is notable that in Cowley’s report he stated that back in January the Reinsdorfs told Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas to “pick a lane” when it came to what the actual long-term plan for the team was.
To this point of his Bulls tenure, Karnisovas has been perfectly fine getting into the Play-In Tournament every year, but his tone shifted after getting called out by ownership. Karnisovas proceeded to make a lot of moves before the trade deadline, but aside from adding recently exiled former Piston Jaden Ivey, most of the moves involved picking up expiring contracts in efforts to clear up cap space. For what, though? That is the question, and having to ask the question is the problem.
Because the Bulls are now in a predicament, and ownership is not convinced that Arturas Karnisovas or general manager Marc Eversley can fix it. Here is what Cowley stated in his report:
“Up to that point, the mentality from the Reinsdorfs was very hands off. In their eyes it was Karnisovas and general manager Marc Eversley who made the mess, and it was on them to fix it.
Less than three months later the stakes have changed.
Now, ownership is weighing if the mess has gotten too large for them to fix, and according to a source everything is on the table in the next 10 days.
First and foremost, coach Billy Donovan could be the most important domino currently standing. North Carolina has had Donovan and Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd in the cross-hairs since the coaching seat became vacant.“
It again must be pointed out that the Bulls saying “everything is on the table” is significant, even if that information came from a source. The Reinsdorfs have had no problem putting up with mediocrity ever since Derrick Rose’s entire career was altered by tearing his ACL during the 2011-12 season, and then suffering a torn meniscus during the 2013-14 season. Now it seems the Reinsdorfs have had enough, and it could impact Billy Donovan’s decision-making process this offseason.
There are four things that could happen: Billy Donovan could find out that the front office is getting cleaned out, they’re actually going to try to build a good team around him, and he stays with the Bulls. He could also hear this new, or instead find out that Karnisovas and Eversley are staying, and he makes his way to Chapel Hill. There’s also a world where Billy Donovan takes the Brad Stevens path and accepts a role in the Bulls front office. Finally, Donovan could just do something that doesn’t involve neither team, whether that’s coaching another NBA team or taking some time away from the game. What is the most likely outcome? Only Donovan knows that, but we do know this: how the Bulls decide to move forward with their rebuild issues could play an important role in what he decides to do.
Focusing strictly on UNC, the question becomes how patient are they willing to be while Donovan sorts all of this out, especially since Dusty May announced that he isn’t interested in leaving Michigan for another college job. One would have to imagine that Donavan ranks higher than some other candidates, but it also sounds like there are some potential candidates that haven’t been named yet. We’ll see how serious the Reinsdorfs are about fixing the mess they allowed Karnisovas to make, and the ball will be in Donovan’s court from there.
Mike and Dan have many words about the firing of Patrick Roy and the hiring of Peter DeBoer as head coach, as well as for the disastrous week that knocked the Islanders out of the playoffs.
Not in a million years did we expect the Islanders to lose all four games in the important week in front of them. But that’s exactly what they did – some in ways that even we hadn’t seen before. The string of defeats at the worst time, plus a series of defensive mistakes all season long, were enough for them to make a change behind the bench. The move from “player’s coach” to hard ass coach is a time-honored NHL tradition, and DeBoer will need to find something the Islanders haven’t had in several seasons if he wants to get them into the post season. Even if it’s too late for this team, he will set the foundation for what to expect next season (and beyond).
In the second half, we digest the strange Patrick Roy Experience, from a guy who was once out of the Islanders’ stratosphere to a frustrating figure who couldn’t or wouldn’t fix his team’s faults. But Roy isn’t the only one to blame for this situation. There’s the owners who have made the franchise vulnerable to critics, the general manager who has lost both trades and fan goodwill in his first year in the job, the scouts who dropped the ball when needed and the players who have gotten away with way too much for way too long. Everyone owns a piece of this disappointing and confusing campaign.
Finally, we look at the next three games, which will determine both how this season will be remembered and how DeBoer’s tenure will begin. No pressure, coach.
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The San Antonio Spurs, who are coming off a tough overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, play host to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. The game is the start of a four-game homestand to end the regular season for the Spurs. The Sixers are trying to secure the No. 6 seed and avoid the play-in tournament.
How to watch Philadelphia 76ers vs. San Antonio Spurs
Tonight at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, the league will hope a similarly long drought will come to a merciful end.
Michigan men's basketball's matchup against UConn in the championship game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament is more than just an opportunity for the Wolverines to earn their second championship (and first since 1989) and for coach Dusty May to complete one of the more remarkable turnarounds in the history of the sport.
For all the Big Ten's money, influence and power in the broader world of college athletics, the conference hasn't seen one of its men's basketball programs win an NCAA championship since all the way back in 2000. Since then, UConn, Michigan's opponent on Monday night, has won five national championships by itself.
What’s made the drought so confounding is Big Ten teams haven gotten close to winning a championship. It’s not as if this is the Patriot League or the WAC, where it has a single representative in the tournament that’s fortunate to win a game. Big Ten teams regularly reach the biggest and brightest stages in college basketball; they just haven’t been able to close the deal.
Since Michigan State’s title in 2000, and not including Michigan this year, 15 teams from the conference have made it to the Final Four. Eight of those squads advanced to the national championship game, but in each instance, they lost. A couple of them came agonizingly close, with Illinois losing to North Carolina, 75-70, in 2005 and Wisconsin coming up short against Duke, 68-63, in 2015.
It’s not like its teams haven’t been in advantageous spots entering the tournament in recent years, either. Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, 35 of the 40 national champions (87.5%) have been a No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 seed. Since 2018, Big Ten teams have accounted for 17 of those 84 spots on the bracket (20.2%).
Even if current Big Ten compatriot Maryland, which won the national championship in 2002 while a member of the ACC, was included as one of the Big Ten’s championships, the conference has still gone nearly a quarter-century without a title.
During that same stretch, other power conferences have repeatedly had its teams hoist a trophy at the end of the Final Four.
Since 2000, the Big East and ACC have each had eight teams win championships. During that same stretch, the SEC has had four champions and the Big 12 three. Even the American, which has disintegrated in recent years into a one- or two-bid league, had a title-winner on its resume, thanks to UConn in 2014.
When did Big 10 last win men's basketball national championship?
A team representing the Big Ten hasn't won an NCAA men's basketball national championship since Michigan State all the way back in 2000.
The Spartans' 89-76 victory against Florida in the NCAA tournament title game capped off a 32-7 season under Tom Izzo, who was then just in his fifth season leading the program.
That year's Michigan State team was built around three players — Morris Peterson, Charlie Bell and Final Four most outstanding player Mateen Cleaves — nicknamed "The Flintstones," as all three members of the trio were from Flint, Michigan, about 50 miles northeast of Michigan State's East Lansing campus.
Interestingly, the Spartans' triumph took place in Indianapolis, where this year's Final Four is being held.
Why has Big Ten basketball gone so long without winning a national championship?
There are a number of factors that have contributed to the Big Ten’s tournament woes.
For one, it’s a single-elimination format that can create unexpected results and doesn't necessarily always reward the best teams. For years, the league's physical style of play was cited as a possible cause for the drought, with referees who don't consistently work Big Ten games getting assigned to the tournament and calling those teams' games with a tighter whistle.
Beyond that, many of the Big Ten teams that lost the national championship game had the misfortune of running up against some of the best teams in modern college basketball history. The North Carolina team Illinois lost to in 2005 was 33-4 and had four of the top 14 picks in that year’s NBA draft. Two years later, a Greg Oden and Mike Conley-led Ohio State team lost to a Florida team that brought back the entire starting five from its national championship team the year before. In 2009, Michigan State was blown out by a North Carolina team that was 34-4. Wisconsin came up short against a 2015 Duke team that won 35 games and had two top-10 NBA draft picks. Michigan was handled by a 2018 Villanova squad that won 36 games and had Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Donte DiVincenzo on its roster. Two years ago, Zach Edey and Purdue weren’t able to hang with a buzzsaw of a UConn team that had won 27 of its previous 28 games, including five NCAA Tournament games that were decided by an average of 25 points.
The Atlanta Hawks, ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference, will host the New York Knicks, who are ranked third in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is favored with a -1.5 spread and a moneyline of -120.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 19: Tyrese Maxey #0 and Head Coach Nick Nurse of the Philadelphia 76ers talk during the game against the Toronto Raptors on November 19, 2025 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
With just over two minutes left in the third quarter of last Friday’s Sixers-Timberwolves game, Andre Drummond ambled to the scorer’s table. Nothing out of the ordinary about that. The Sixers’ backup center was surely about to give Joel Embiid a break.
Except he wasn’t.
Drummond, who to that point had not played in the game, checked in not for Embiid, but for forward Dominick Barlow. That meant that for a short stretch the Sixers used a Ralph Sampson/Hakeem Olajuwon-style Twin Towers lineup. In the year 2026.
It proved pivotal. The Sixers, up two when Drummond entered, pushed their lead to 12 by period’s end. And with Drummond still on the floor as Embiid rested to start the fourth quarter, the Sixers went up by as many as 17 en route to a 115-103 victory.
The lineup was an anomaly, having been seen for just 15 possessions all season entering the game, per Derek Bodner of PHLY Sports. And it is unlikely to be seen again. But the fact that Nick Nurse used it at all is illustrative of how adaptable an NBA coach has to be, particularly one who has faced as many rotational obstacles as Nurse has faced this season. And particularly now, with four games left and playoff seeding at stake.
Nurse has more players at his disposal than he has in weeks, now that Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Kelly Oubre Jr. have returned from their injuries and Paul George is back from his suspension (and despite the fact that Cameron Payne has been lost with a hamstring injury). That obviously gives him more options as his team attempts to navigate a closing stretch that includes visits to San Antonio, Houston and Indiana before the finale next Sunday at home against Milwaukee.
In other words, the Sixers, who enter the week 43-35 and sixth in the East (i.e., in the final non-play-in spot), face two playoff teams (one, the Spurs, with championship aspirations) and two teams already booked for Cancun.
Given Philadelphia’s position – a tie-breaker ahead of Toronto (also 43-35), with Charlotte (43-36) and Orlando (42-36) looming as well – everything is magnified. Every potential advantage must be exploited. Which is why Nurse would do well to be as creative as possible.
When asked about the Drummond-Embiid pairing following last Friday’s game, Nurse said it had been in the back of his mind going in, given the fact that Minnesota often plays two bigs in Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert. Even so, Nurse was prepared to insert Drummond for Embiid before Embiid packed seven of his 19 points into a two-minute, 43-second stretch.
“And,” Nurse said, “I just decided to flip that (i.e., yank Barlow instead). So it wasn’t totally against some pregame thoughts, and it just kind of presented itself there. And obviously it’s one of those lineups that I’ve been wanting to look at a little bit here down the stretch as well.”
Drummond, plus-11 in 9:04, finished with four points, six rebounds, a block and a steal. And he said he wasn’t surprised by the move, even though Nurse has more often used another big, Adem Bona, in tandem with Embiid.
“I just didn’t know it was happening today,” Drummond said.
Nor, he added, did he find it particularly difficult to play alongside another big.
“I mean, I’m not sure how much basketball you’ve watched,” he told a lone visitor to his locker, who first covered an NBA game in 1981, “but I’ve played with seven-footers half my career – from 2012 to about 2017, when the Warriors started changing the game. So it’s not something I’m not used to. I know how to space the floor. I know how to guard. I know how to give guys like Joel the freedom to play his game without being in the way, and I can rebound the ball while he’s doing his thing.”
For one night, at least, necessity had proven to be the mother of invention. And the invention hummed off the assembly line. It wouldn’t have worked the following night against the young, fleet Pistons, when Drummond started, Embiid sat and Detroit won by 23. But it worked Friday.
The point, again, is that flexibility and experimentation are not the worst things, even at this point in the season. Maybe especially at this point in the season. Nurse has also shown that by starting Barlow and bringing Oubre off the bench since Oubre returned March 28, after missing eight games with a knee injury.
In the coach’s estimation, Barlow does his best work while playing with Embiid. The flip side is that Oubre has made it clear more than once that he prefers to start.
“I like to set the tone,” he said Friday, “but at the end of the day, that’s above me. I’m still a hooper, so I just go out there and hoop.”
In fact, he added, he views himself as “a Swiss Army Knife, for being able to pull out anything, out (of) the pocket. So we’ll continue to just take it day by day and just figure it out.”
Or let Nurse do so.
“I think we’re experimenting,” Oubre said. “You know, I couldn’t do Coach’s job. I tell him that all the time. So I think he’s just trying to figure out the best formula to win in the postseason.”
Nurse admitted before Friday’s game that while it sounds “really cool” to say that he’s solidifying his rotation down the stretch, the reality is very different. He wants to explore different options, wants to see how things shake out. (Example: He started Oubre on Saturday against Detroit, an inconsequential move considering the veteran forward scored three points as the Pistons rolled.)
“I think we’ve still got a lot of room for growth,” Nurse said, adding that there are “two or three ideas that as a staff we’re kicking around that we think might be advantageous, depending on who we play.”
So yes, it’s late. But it’s not too late to tinker, given the way the season has played out and all the absences the Sixers have endured. Nurse would love to believe that there’s something more within his team, and that it can be unearthed in short order. It’s just a matter of continuing to poke around, continuing to dig deep.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 03: Josh Hart #3 of the New York Knicks reacts during the third quarter against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden on April 03, 2026 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Pamela Smith/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Final week of regular-season play for your New York Knickerbockers.
Would you believe it!? Looks like yesterday when we projected the team to win 50-plus games this season, and look at the boys now.
Do you know what else we projected for the playoffs? Uh, oh, time to get frisky!
"OG…maniacal…we worked together in Toronto…you had to kick him out of gym…hide from him…
But always a pleasure…gave you everything…
Always adding something new … I guarantee you…we're gonna see him get even better"
On recent losses to playoff teams entering a tough four-game stretch:
“You gotta give Charlotte, Oklahoma City and Houston credit, they played well. I said it postgame, we did not play well in some areas. … We didn’t play well in those three games and we deserved to lose, as much as you hate to say it. And hopefully we’ll play better going forward because we’ve got a couple of teams above .500, so we’ll see.”
On the Knicks’ playoff readiness:
“You always want your team to be playing at the highest of high cylinders. Do I think we’re there right now? No. Do I have belief in this team? Yes, I do. I’ve seen us play really good basketball throughout the course of the year. Even in games where there’s quote-unquote manufactured pressure (such as the NBA Cup). We’ve played really good basketball. I like what we have in that locker room and I like the things that we’ve done this year, but I expect more from myself first and everybody else second.”
On trusting the Knicks performing under the bright lights:
“All games you want to win, but when you go into Boston, it’s different than maybe going into another arena. Or if you go into OKC, it’s different than going into another arena. Those types of games, there’s a lot of manufactured pressure just because they’re good teams and it’s on national TV and all that good stuff. So to get that (environment) and to be able to perform at a pretty good level – you embrace that opportunity. You want to win all games, but to win those games – our guys have done (well) in those situations over the course of the year. So my belief is, (with) this group going into the playoffs when it’s real, that our guys will rise to the occasion.”
On his planned backup guard rotation:
“I went with the combination of Landry (Shamet) and (Miles McBride) as the backup point guards. We got those two guys out there; I wanted to take a look at that. Jose has done a fantastic job for us, but part of it is that we haven’t had a lot of healthy guards. Jose stepped in and did a nice job. (McBride) is getting healthier, and Landry is getting healthy. I’m trying to find minutes for those guys, because those guys are capable of playing that spot. That’s going to be a priority for me, because they’ve proven themselves for us.”
On OG Anunoby’s recent stretch:
“That’s who he is, in my opinion. He’s an All-Star player. He’s definitely first-team All-Defense, and he’s just showing what he’s capable of because he’s just imposing his will on the game. When he does that with the talent and [feel for the game] that he has, he’s an All-Star-caliber player.”
On Landry Shamet’s playmaking ability:
“He’s a good enough ball handler, he has a good enough feel/IQ to initiate the offense. And then conceptually, because of his feel and the other guys’ feel, we’re able to generate some things offensively. We’re not relying on him to be a traditional point guard. He and Deuce are more than capable of doing the things that we’re asking in terms of initiating the offense. And then at the end of the day, can they play pick-and-roll, can they play the game, get downhill and spray the ball or throw the lob to a guy like Mitch? I think he can.”
Asked Josh Hart about the Knicks’ recent struggles against quality opposition. Tomorrow will be exactly a month since they beat a team above .500:👇
“For us, I think it’s just making sure we’re locked in and focused. Obviously this is a good little stretch to end the season to… pic.twitter.com/RwRKFCDgXd
“For us, I think it’s just making sure we’re locked in and focused. Obviously, this is a good little stretch to end the season to make sure we’re as sharp as we can be going into the playoffs. The past is the past, nothing you can do about it now. Our focus is on tomorrow being 1–0 against playoff teams, and then we move on to the next one, and then we want to be 1–0, and then we want to move onto the next one and be 1–0. Nothing in the past really matters. It’s about what we do moving forward that we’ll be judged on and what we judge ourselves on.”
On flipping a switch in the playoffs:
“It’s not something you can just flip a switch in the playoffs and say, ‘OK the playoffs are here, let’s go out there and do our thing,’ We gotta make sure that we take these next four games as serious as we can, make sure we lock in mentally and physically to what the game plan is and to what this team wants to do moving forward and execute.”
On OG Anunoby’s impact:
“He’s one of the best two-way players in the league. He’s someone who on any given day can go out and score 25. It makes us more dynamic because obviously you have to game-plan for Jalen Brunson. We got Karl-Anthony Towns you have to game-plan for. And you have to game-plan for someone like OG, so it adds another element to our offense. When he’s locked in offensively and defensively, he’s one of the best two-way players in the league.”
On Anunoby’s aggressiveness:
“He’s starting to fully understand his areas where he can be aggressive within the offense and within the flow of the game. And that’s one thing about Mike. Mike never tells us not to do something. He wants us to be aggressive. He wants us to shoot shots. He doesn’t really put limits on us. And I think OG is really starting to understand, ‘OK, where can I be aggressive? And where can I find my spots to go score?’ He’s an efficient scorer. Physical, athletic. So he’s starting to understand that.”
"Not saying he's on Kobe's level, but I had to guard Kobe and Jalen Brunson reminds me of Kobe…keep you off balance…the footwork…the bag … Little things at a high level–that epitomizes Jalen Brunson
On the importance of the Knicks’ late-season stretch:
“It’s a challenging stretch that not a lot of people talk about. This last stretch of the season, these last few games, you’re kind of gearing up for the playoffs, you know what you’re building for, but you gotta be here and locked in each night, each team, each challenge in front of you. I think it’s more about approaching each game with the right mentality. Make it more about us than who we’re playing. We’re working on something bigger and building for something bigger, keeping that top of mind while still taking each game seriously and approaching them as you should.”
On his Knicks opportunity:
“I don’t take these moments for granted, man. This thing’s delicate, I know that. It’s a special team, special market, special opportunity and just to wear the jersey even. I’m grateful and happy to be a part of this group and have Mike’s trust and my teammates’ trust. I trust in them as well. Super grateful for it.”
“Everything, honestly. It’s a tough thing to be out so long, having a surgery in the middle of the season.”
On his recovery process:
“It’s really just a part of the recovery process. It’s just kind of like a tweak, and it’s a painful tweak. It’s not necessarily as bad, it’s just sometimes you can’t really do anything about it. It’s like someone stabbing your groin, hip and ab at the same time. It’s not fun. But I’ll get back right.”
OG Anunoby
On Jordy McClarkson’s healing powers:
“Jordan healed my wrist. It was crazy. I’m very thankful.”
Jiri Kulich (blood clot, Nov. 4; injured reserve - out for the season)
Sam Carrick (upper body, Mar. 31; injured reserve)
Noah Ostlund (upper body, Mar.25; day-to-day(
Notes
On April 4, Buffalo clinched a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2010-11. The Sabres have earned at least one point in 23 of their last 29 contests (20-6-3), including a league-best 14 wins and 30 points since the Olympic break.
Buffalo is on pace to record 106 points in 2025-26, which would be the
most points in a single season by the Sabres since 2006-07 (113). Since Dec. 9, the Sabres rank first among all NHL teams in wins (35) and points (74). Buffalo’s 30 regulation wins in that span also lead the league. Buffalo has a team save percentage of .909, the best mark of any NHL team in that span.
Tage Thompson has tallied 55 points (25+30) in 47 games since Dec. 9 and his 22 even-strength goals in that span rank tied for fourth among all NHL skaters. Thompson has registered six points (2+4) in his last six games. Thompson’s 211 goals scored as a member of the Sabres place him tied with Alexander Mogilny for 12th place on Buffalo’s all-time list. Thompson needs seven more goals to pass Jason Pominville (217 goals with Buffalo) and gain sole possession of 10th place on Buffalo’s all-time goal-scoring list.
Rasmus Dahlin ranks first among all Sabres skaters in assists (33) and second in points (49) since Dec. 9. His 16 goals in that span rank tied for second among all NHL defensemen. Tonight’s game marks the 583rd of Dahlin’s career, which moves him into sole possession of the seventh-most by a defenseman in franchise history.
Josh Norris has registered three assists in his last three games.
BROOKLYN, NY - MARCH 18: Danny Wolf #2 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles the ball during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 18, 2026 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The 27th pick and last first rounder chosen by the Nets in the 2025 Draft spoke to Brian Lewis about his progress this year. The 6’11”, 255-pound Yale and Michigan product was declared out of the season following a sprained ankle on March 22.
As Lewis noted, Wolf had fallen in the draft due to concerns about his defense and shooting. The final ESPN mock draft of 2025 had him pegged at No. 16. His final numbers were 8.9 points and 4.9 rebounds but only 32.2% from deep, not a bad performance for a late first round pick. Indeed, only one player taken after him — Maxine Reynaud, taken at No. 42 by the Kings, put up better numbers: 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds. It can be argued, of course, that Hugo Gonzales, who was taken immediately after him, looked like a better prospect but in the end, the Celtic wing averaged 3.8 points and 3.3 rebounds. Knick fans will argue Mohammed Diawara, their 51st pick last year, also had a better year, but his time on the court was limited as well and he finished with averages of 3.6 points and 1.3 rebounds
That said, Wolf told Lewis he knows where he has to improve, starting with finishing, so to speak.
“Defensively, there were definitely a lot of people questioning who I’d be able to guard. I took that as a chip on my shoulder to more than prove, but be a good defender,” said Wolf.
“The shooting and the offense, it was nowhere near what I know I’m capable of doing and that upsets me. I was able to shoot well at times, and there’d be times where I felt I couldn’t make a shot. That’s a rookie season; there’s going to be ups and downs.”
The problem was while he often got where he wanted, his ups didn’t translate. His 24-inch standing vertical was tied for third worst at the NBA Draft Combine and it showed. Indeed, his 54% finishing rate put him in the 12th percentile of NBA players.
“Everyone’s bigger, faster, stronger, more athletic [at this level],” said Wolf. “What is it that you need to do to be able to match that, but also be better than that?
“A lot of it is getting stronger. And the positive outlook of an injury [is] I’ve been able to really hone in on the weight room more than I would’ve been able to if I was playing.”
So, Wolf knows where he’ll be once he gets healthy.
“I have a good four or five months of weight room ahead of me and just being able to fill out my frame better. That’ll really help me, just getting stronger; and with that, more explosive. And I know my rim finishing next year, I’ll be able to look back on this year and see that it was something that really, really helped me.”
Jordi Fernandez likes what Wolf has done so far and believes he can get better.
“[H]e’s done a great job and he’s been able to implement a lot of stuff, power through, because you have better balance, finding a body first. This all comes with a lot of work, watching film and through the summer and then the real reps. So the process [has] already started. He’s already gotten better. We’re not concerned about his finishing. We know it has to get better, but we also know it will get better.”
Wolf added that he’s also looking forward to winning.
“Obviously losing sucks, and every time you ask anyone, they’re going to give you the same answer that losing is no fun.” Wolf said. “Everyone in the locker room from top to bottom thinks we could’ve had a much better season. But within that, you have to find things you can learn from, that you can gain from.”
