Greetings, Brew Crew Ball community. The 2026 season is now underway, as the Brewers came away with a big 14-2 victory over the White Sox on Opening Day!
Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-baseball sports, the Brewers, you name it. As long as it’s appropriate and is allowed by our moderators, it’s fair game here.
You know the drill.
This is now an open thread:
Happy Friday, Camden Chatters! And it’s a very happy Friday indeed because the Orioles won their first game on 2026, a 2-1 victory over the Twins. Trevor Rogers pitched seven scoreless innings. The offense put together a productive string of singles and one big sacrifice fly to score just enough runs. And new closer Ryan Helsley looked dominant, thanks in part to throwing six pitches over 100 mph. Sign me up for more of that, please.
You can get the full details of the win in Tyler Young’s game recap. Hey, the Orioles are in first place!
Camden Yards was rocking yesterday with a new sound system, a new video board, and a lot of new faces on the roster. The biggest cheer during introductions was not for Gunnar Henderson, it was for Pete Alonso. Alonso blew kisses to the sky as he ran down the orange carpet and acknowledged the crowd’s ovation before his first at-bat. Unfortunately, that’s about all Pete did yesterday aside from taking a walk in one plate appearance. It’s ok! I’m not worried about it. But it sure would have been nice to see him sock a dinger after all the hullabaloo.
So who looked good yesterday? Adley Rutschman, for one. He was the only Oriole with multiple hits and the only Oriole with an extra-base hit. His single, double, and a fly out all clocked an exit velocity of over 96.5, and he had the hardest hit ball by an Oriole all day. I’m not declaring that Adley is back (not yet), it’s only been one game. But seeing him succeed sure is better than the alternative.
Despite his two hits, Rutschman wasn’t involved in the scoring. Samuel Basallo singled and then did a nice job moving from first to third base on a hit by O’Neill. That put him in place to score on Colton Cowser’s sac fly. A good job all around for Basallo.
The concern for the Orioles’ defense is well documented, and we saw why yesterday. O’Neill dropped a fly ball in right field that luckily didn’t result in any runs. Taylor Ward read a carom wrong in left field and allowed the batter to get all the way to third.
But one player whose defense has been a major worry is Coby Mayo, and he made several nice plays yesterday. With runners on first and second in the third inning, Ryan Jeffers smoked a ball at 107 mph to Mayo at the hot corner. Mayo made a slick play to snag the ball and fired to second base to start an inning-ending double play. He made another more routine double play later in the game. It was nice to see; I hope he continues to play well over there.
Today is the annual day off after Opening Day, which is always a bummer, even if it’s understandable. The Orioles will be back in action tomorrow at 4:05 PM with Kyle Bradish set to make his season debut.
Links
With a win in his image, Orioles manager Craig Albernaz earns his beer shower – The Baltimore Banner
Congrats to Craig Albernaz for his first major league win.
Wrapping up a 2-1 Orioles win on Opening Day – MASN Sports
Roch Kubatko revisits the win with quotes from the players on what Opening Day in Baltimore is like for them.
O’Neill’s record-setting Opening Day home run streak ends at 6 – MLB.com
Tyler O’Neill didn’t homer, but he did get a key hit. The less said about his defense, the better.
Excuse Me?! Our Bold Predictions for the 2026 Season – FanGraphs
Before the festivities began yesterday, the FanGraphs stats threw out their wild predictions. The Orioles are mentioned a couple of times, most notably when it’s predicted they will have five players with 30+ home runs.
Birthdays and History
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies. Junior Lake (36) appeared in eight games with the 2015 Orioles. He came to the team in a trade with the Cubs that sent Tommy Hunter to Chicago. Also born on this day in history is Matt Harvey (37). In Harvey’s final Major League season, 2021, he pitched to a 6.27 ERA in 28 starts with the Orioles. And Dave Van Gorder (b. 1957, d. 2025) had 24 plate appearances with the 1987 Orioles. I gotta say, not a banner day for Orioles birthday buddies.
On this day in 1985, the Orioles traded Mark Brown to the Twins for Brad Havens. This is really only significant because of the name Mark Brown, who, of course, is my friend and the guy who runs this website. But not THAT Mark Brown. It’s two different ones. It’s just kinda cool.
In 1994, the Orioles traded David Segui to the Mets. Segui had been an Oriole for four seasons. He later returned to the Orioles to finish his career from 2001-04.
In 2023, the Orioles purchased Danny Coulombe from the Minnesota Twins. Coulombe was outstanding for the Orioles in both 2023 and 2024. Many fans were disappointed the Orioles didn’t bring him back in 2025. He is currently pitching for the Boston Red Sox.
And one year ago today, the Orioles opened their season with a huge win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Adley Rutschman and Cedric Mullins had two home runs apiece, while Tyler O’Neill and Jordan Westburg settled for just one. Zach Eflin pitched six innings in the 12-2 win. The Orioles looked great and the Blue Jays looked awful. Sadly, things did not remain that way.
Opening Day is over. It was a joyous occasion, with only a brief bullpen blip to mar the otherwise unblemished affair. Now, an off day. We’ll have to do with watching non-Phillies clubs. But Phillies baseball, proper baseball, will return tomorrow.
Onto the links.
Phillies news:
Alec Bohm is suing his parents over alleged mismanagement of his finances. ($)
Victus Bats makes all sorts of interesting bats, but they have a few Philly specials cooking.
Hear Dan Baker’s Opening Day introductions, and it’s almost like you’re back in the moment.
Ever wonder what it’s like to be a batter facing Cristopher Sánchez’ pitches? MLB Film Room gives you a look at that nightmare.
MLB news:
The first ABS challenge belonged to the Yankees, but the first successful one belongs to the Mets.
The Motor City Kitties may have a phenom on their hands.
Nico Hoerner has signed a 6-year extension with the Cubs.
Hodgson replaces Gerhard Struber for rest of season
He last managed second-tier club back in 1982
Roy Hodgson has made a sensational return to management at the age of 78 with Bristol City after Gerhard Struber was sacked by the Championship club.
Hodgson, who has been out of work since leaving Crystal Palace in February 2024, will take charge of City for the remaining seven games of the season. They are currently 16th in the Championship.
Continue reading...
Opponent: Georgia Tech
Mascot: Andre 3000 | School Location: Waffle House, GA | Conference: ACC
2026 Record: 19-5 (6-3, T-2nd) | 2026 RPI Rank: 22
2025 Record: 41-19 (19-11, 1st) | 2025 RPI Rank: 19
2024 Record: 33-25 (15-15, 4th Coastal) | 2024 RPI Rank: 45
Location: Russ Chandler Stadium (Atlanta, GA)
Game Time(s): Fri, Mar 27 @ 7:00pm | Sat, Mar 28 @ 7:00pm | Sun, Mar 29 @ 3:00pm
TV: Friday (ACCNX) | Saturday (ACC Network) | Sunday (ACC Network)
Live Stats: Stat Broadcast (Friday | Saturday | Sunday)
If you thought Florida State’s lineup could hit, just wait until you meet this Georgia Tech squad. The lineup is hitting a combined .373/.495/.644, 68 2B, 50 HR, 16.4 BB%, 16.8 K%, 26-31 SB, with pretty much all of those numbers sans stolen bases being up there among the national leaders, if not the outright leader. The Yellow Jackets have scored double-digits runs in 16 of their 24 games.
If you’re looking for a weak point, good luck. In the latest D1 Baseball Week Six positional rankings, here’s how GT stacks up:
That is just an absurd abundance of riches. And while the lineup is busy destroying the ball when they step in the batters box, they’re just as equally taking care of it in the field, sporting a .975 fielding percentage as a team with no single player having more than three errors on the season.
If there’s a weakness on this team, it’s pitching. Friday starter Tate McKee has all the makings of a top three round draft pick, but hasn’t been able to put it all together. Dylan Loy and Jackson Blakely have been a mixed bag in the Saturday and Sunday roles, respectively, while there’s no clear answer in the midweek starters. The bullpen runs deep and there’s plenty of talent, but not the high-end arms like the Wolfpack ran into with Florida State last week.
If Tate can turn the corner and start pounding the zone more and they can find a reliable and productive second starter, this team will be a national seed. The lineup alone likely hits this team into a regional host, but it’s that pitching staff that really holds the keys to how great of a year this will be for first-time head coach James Ramsey.
Friday: LHP Ryan Marohn (JR) vs RHP Tate McKee (JR)
Saturday: RHP Jacob Dudan (JR) vs TBD
Sunday: TBD vs RHP Jackson Blakely (SO)
C/DH Vahn Lackey (JR) – .425/.545/.851, 8 2B, 9 HR, 19.1 BB%, 12.7 K%, 7-7 SB. Is rocketing up draft boards and will be selected in the top half of the first round of this year’s draft. Had a breakout 2025 in his first year as a starter and is taking that to an even higher level this year. Not just a bat, he’s as good defensively as State will see this year. Threw out 14-of-43 last year (32.6%). Not having the same success this year (2-of-16, 12.5%), but teams aren’t trying him as much.
RF/1B Alex Hernandez (SO) – .424/.542/.624, 2 2B, 5 HR, 17.8 BB%, 16.8 K%, 2-2 SB. 2025 Freshman All-American with some legit power (16 HR last year) from his right-handed bat. Solid defender who played mostly 2B last year and should move across to 3B next year, although he’s draft-eligible this year.
SS Carson Kerce (JR) – .420/.530/.679, 16 2B, 1 HR, 15.0 BB%, 8.0 K%, 2-2 SB. Spent both of his first two years as the Yellow Jackets’ starting third baseman before moving to shortstop this year. Not the power bat that seemingly every other player that steps to the dish is, but the dude can flat out hit and probably could launch some more dingers if he prioritized power over contact.
2B JarrenAdvincula (JR) – .390/.470/.530, 2 2B, 4 HR, 10.2 BB%, 8.5 K%, 4-5 SB. Lefty hitting transfer from Cal who spent each of the last two summers in the Cape Cod League. 1st Team All-PAC12 in 2024 and 2nd Team All-ACC in 2025. He’s a complete hitter and could sneak into the 1st round of this year’s draft, even though he’s a 2B-only prospect.
DH Will Baker (SO) – .390/.510/.649, 12 2B, 2 HR, 18.3 BB%, 12.5 K%, 1-1 SB. A part-time starter last year, the Australian is crushing it this year. His line-drive approach doesn’t have him run into many home runs, but he handles the bat very well.
3B Ryan Zuckerman (JR) – .364/.486/.773, 7 2B, 9 HR, 17.1 BB%, 27.9 K%, 1-1 SB. Righty power bat transfer from Pitt (22 HR over two years with the Panthers) who strikes out a ton. He didn’t walk much at Pitt, so he’s become more of a three-outcomes hitter with GT. Seems destined to move to 1B at the pro level.
1B KentSchmidt (JR) – .347/.548/.490, 4 2B, 1 HR, 27.4 BB%, 15.1 K%, 3-3 SB. Former transfer from Georgia Southern who transferred to GT ahead of the 2025 season. Missed 20 games due to injury last year, otherwise would have been racked up a bunch of accolades. The stocky lefty batter can, but it’ll be interesting to see how MLB clubs view him come draft time.
LF Caleb Daniel (SO) – .324/.429/.662, 5 2B, 6 HR, 11.9 BB%, 26.2 K%, 0-0 SB. 2025 Freshman All-American. The power is legit, but the strikeouts are an issue for the lefty hitter.
CF Drew Burress (JR) – .276/.432/.531, 8 2B, 5 HR, 16.8 BB%, 15.2 K%, 3-7 SB. Yeah, I listed the entire lineup just to show how absurdly stacked this group is. Their statistically worst hitter this season is also a projected high 1st round pick in this year’s MLB Draft and a guy with 46 career 2B and 49 career HR. 2024 ACC and National Freshman-of-the-Year and a 2025 1st Team All-American.
C/DH Drew Rogers (SO) – .313/.424/.646, 1 2B, 5 HR, 8.5 BB%, 25.4 K%, 0-0 SB. Yeah, I’m throwing one more on here to round out the group of regulars. Rogers is a draft-eligible sophomore and it’ll be interesting to see what he’ll do come draft time because the tools both at the plate and behind the dish are legit. Strikeouts are an issue, but he’s improved significantly from last year.
RHP Tate McKee (JR) – 3-0, 4.44 ERA, 26.1 IP, 15.3 BB%, 26.3 K%. The ace of the staff, who was also GT’s Friday night starter all last year. Has struggled with control this year, including issuing 10 BB over his last 10.0 IP. Has a five-pitch mix including a mid-90’s fastball, but should pare that selection down.
LHP Dylan Loy (JR) – 1-1, 4.30 ERA, 23.0 IP, 5.0 BB%, 23.0 K%. Transfer from Tennessee who has transitioned from a reliever in the SEC to a GT’s Saturday guy. A finesse lefty who pounds the zone, setting up hitters to chase on the breaking ball in two-strike counts.
RHP Jackson Blakely (SO) – 2-1, 3.12 ERA, 17.1 IP, 6.2 BB%, 29.6 K%. The 6’0, 220 pounder is in his first full season after recovering from Tommy John Surgery and pitching just 4.2 innings over five appearances late last year. Inserted into the starting rotation over the last two weeks with mixed results. Three-pitch mix starting with a low-to-mid-90’s fastball.
RHP Justin Shadek (rSO) – 1-0, 3.38 ERA, 10.2 IP, 13.7 BB%, 27.5 K%. Big 6’6, 235 pound frame on the Rutgers transfer. Missed his first year at Rutgers with Tommy John Surgery and control has been an issue for him since. Is an upper-90’s arm who can touch triple digits, and relies heavily on that level of heat.
RHP Mason Patel (rSR) – 2-0, 1 SV, 5.25 ERA, 12.0 IP, 9.6 BB%, 21.2 K%. Sixth-year senior who spent his first three seasons at Georgia State. Turned into the Jackets’ key reliever last year, posting 11 wins and 5 saves over 70.0 innings, all in relief. Low-90’s guy with a great changeup and a slider.
RHP Jake Lankie (rSO) – 0-0, 1 SV, 5.73 ERA, 11.0 IP, 3.9 BB%, 29.4 K%. Former transfer from Georgia who redshirted with the Bulldogs in 2024 and pitched just 10.1 innings with GT last year. Has been shelled in his last two outings (3.2 IP, 7 ER) in appearances against Auburn and Pittsburgh.
Georgia Tech had nine former players play at the MLB level in 2025, with five of those making their MLB debuts last season: INF Kristian Campbell (Red Sox), 1B/OF Tristin English (Diamondbacks), RHP Zach Maxwell (Reds), OF Chandler Simpson (Rays), and LHP Connor Thomas (Brewers). The other MLB players from last year were LHP Brant Hurter (Tigers), OF Justyn-Henry Malloy (Tigers), RHP Xzavion Curry (Marlins), and C Joey Bart (Pirates).
The Yellow Jackets are offering $3 beers for Friday’s and Sunday’s games. This needs to be more common at baseball games. Also outlaw artificial turf fields. I’m dying on these hills!
Georgia Tech holds an 81-62 lead in the all-time series between the two programs, including a 40-16 mark at home.
Not a single player on GT’s squad is from the state of North Carolina.
NC State’s lineup is going to have to produce. The Wolfpack is averaging just 5.0 runs/game in ACC play so far. Georgia Tech has been held to fewer than 6 runs in a game only 3 times this year (vs Auburn and twice versus Georgia State – side bar, but the Panthers are just 13-13 on the year and 2-4 in the Sun Belt; strange). Anything is possible, especially with the Pack rolling out Marohn and Dudan, but if State is going to win this series, it’s more than likely going to be on the backs of an offensive eruption.
Given NC State’s struggles with producing runs over the last three games and the bullpen’s struggles, it’s hard to see this one going the Wolfpack’s way.
Outcome: GT takes two of three.
The Boston Celtics are coming off of perhaps their best win of the season, a 119-109 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder who were fully healthy for the first time all year. It’s just one game, but the importance of the win can’t be overstated.
For starters, it shows that the Celtics can keep up with one of the Western Conference favorites to reach, or even win the Finals. Statement wins like this can go a long way for a team’s confidence heading into the playoffs. Along with that, the Knicks are hot on Boston’s tail for the second seed, and holding off the most difficult remaining opponent after a disappointing loss to the Timberwolves gives the Celtics just a bit of breathing room.
As things currently stand, Boston is one game ahead of the Knicks for the second seed, with two less games in the loss column. If the two teams were to end up with the same record by the end of the regular season, New York would earn the higher seed, having secured the tie-breaker by having a better record against teams in the same division. The Celtics and Knicks do face off against each other once more before the season ends though, a game which could create the separation Boston is looking for, or put New York in prime position to overtake them.
Along with their race with the Knicks, the Celtics are also still technically in play for the best overall record in the East, currently sitting 4.5 games behind the Pistons. In reality, it should be considered a 5-game gap, since the Pistons took the season series 3 games to 1. It’s going to be extremely difficult for Boston to make up that gap, but a possibility nonetheless. The Cleveland Cavaliers sit 2.5 games behind the Knicks, and four games ahead of the Hawks, so they might have an opportunity to jump up if all goes their way, but are otherwise likely going to end as the 4th seed.
So, what should Celtics fans keep an eye on in Boston’s final 10 games of the regular season?
Well, there’s actually quite a bit to consider. Of the remaining games, nine of them are against Eastern Conference opponents, the New Orleans Pelicans being the lone Western Conference competitor. Out of the eight East matchups, the Milwaukee Bucks are the only remaining opponent who seem to be on the outs for Play-In contention, sitting 9 games behind the 10th seed Magic.
We’ve already mentioned that one of the remaining matchups is against the Knicks, the best remaining team that Boston will face in this final stretch. That still leaves 7 more games against potential playoff teams: the Atlanta Hawks (x2), Charlotte Hornets (x2), Miami Heat, Toronto Raptors, and Orlando Magic.
Those five teams are separated by at most 2 games in the standings, and they make up the 5-10 spots in the East, along with the 7th seed Sixers which the Celtics will not face again this regular season. Any single one of them could be Boston’s eventual first-round matchup in the playoffs, and the Celtics could heavily influence their ultimate landing spots given the upcoming schedule.
Here’s where each team stands as of today:
5th. Atlanta Hawks (1-1 vs Celtics, 41-32 overall)
6th. Toronto Raptors (0-3 vs Celtics, 40-32 overall)
7th. Philadelphia 76ers (2-2 vs Celtics, 40-33 overall)
8th. Orlando Magic (1-2 vs Celtics, 39-34 overall)
9th. Charlotte Hornets (1-0 vs Celtics, 39-34 overall)
10th. Miami Heat (0-3 vs Celtics, 39-34 overall)
If this were to be how the season ended, Boston as the 2 seed would play the winner of the 7-8 Play-In matchup, that being between Philly and Orlando. These standings are very volatile, however. With the Celtics facing the Hawks twice in the next three games, Boston winning both could drop Atlanta down into that 7th seed.
Similarly, Boston has two games against Charlotte coming up. If the Hornets were to win both, they could potentially jump up the standings, again making them a possible first round matchup for the Celtics assuming Boston still manages to maintain their own spot as the 2nd seed.
With the records being so close, every game matters down this stretch for nearly every remaining team in the East. Boston has a slight advantage over the Knicks by having two less losses. The Knicks also have some competition in their remaining games: the Thunder, Rockets, Hawks, Hornets (who they just lost to), Raptors, and us, of course.
Ultimately, it comes down to the Celtics taking care of their own business. Along with holding their spot in the standings, they’ll be looking for Jayson Tatum to keep building rhythm, while also trying to integrate Nikola Vucevic back into the lineup as soon as he returns from nursing the broken finger he suffered earlier this month. Vuc is expected to be back before the end of the regular season, though we don’t have an exact date yet.
It’s important to note that Boston’s last two opponents are the Pelicans and the Magic. These two games, could see a lot of the starters sitting to make sure they get to the playoffs as healthy and rested as possible. Additionally, the Celtics have one more back-to-back, that coming in Charlotte and Atlanta on March 29th and March 30th. We may very well see Jayson Tatum at minimum rest one of those nights, potentially along with any other players who may be feeling a bit banged up at this point of the season.
We did see several new players pop up on the injury report for Boston’s game against Atlanta tonight. Jaylen Brown is questionable with calf tightness, Neemias Queta is questionable with a thumb sprain, and Derrick White is questionable with a bruised knee. This means Boston could potentially be without three starters in a key matchup against a red-hot Hawks team.
We don’t know the severity of these injuries, and it is possible that JB, Neemi, and Derrick are just due for some rest. Regardless, whoever plays for Boston will have to be able to execute if they want to maintain their standings, in this game, and every other for the rest of the season.
WASHINGTON - No, it’s not the Final Four. It just feels that way.
Between No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Connecticut, No. 3 Michigan State and No. 5 St. John’s, the East region foursome in Washington, D.C., would have enough star power to light up Indianapolis, host of this year’s national semifinals and final.
“This is like a Final Four, if you ask me,” said Michigan State coach Tom Izzo. “I think this is almost a chalk tournament. I'm just proud and excited to be part of it.”
Instead of playing for the national championship, the group will meet to decide which team advances out of this loaded region. The Blue Devils and Red Storm will get things started on Friday night, followed by the Huskies and Spartans.
Yet these are undoubtedly some of the biggest brands in the country. Each head coach brings glittering résumés into the Sweet 16, including a combined five national championships and 18 Final Four appearances. The four teams are led by a parade of All-America selections and future NBA draft picks.
On paper, it’s hard to find another regional bubble like this in recent tournament history.
“A ton of respect for each coach and their programs,” said Duke coach Jon Scheyer. “I think that's what makes it exciting, right? It's going to be an exciting atmosphere, high-level basketball, high-level coaching for sure.”
Duke, UConn and Michigan State have combined for 13 national championships, with the Huskies most recently capturing back-to-back crowns in 2023 and 2024. They make up three of the nine programs to win multiple championships in the past 50 seasons.
The Blue Devils (34-2) won the ACC regular-season and tournament titles after losing just twice leading into March Madness by a combined four points. St. John’s (30-6) did the same in the Big East, though the Red Storm were given a No. 5 seed by the selection committee due to fewer Quad 1 wins that the other elite teams.
UConn (31-5) finished one game behind the Red Storm in the Big East and then dropped the conference championship game between the schools, giving St. John’s a 2-1 edge in the season series. Let’s put the rivalry aside for one night and root for each other to meet against in the Elite Eight, UConn coach Dan Hurley said.
"It's probably a little bit early, but obviously, I think we've got to support each other,” said Hurley. “It's pretty brutal on Twitter, I think, and socials between our fan bases, but I think we have to try to come together Friday night against our opponent so we can have a bloodbath on Sunday."
And Michigan State (27-7) has rebounded from losses to Michigan and UCLA to end the regular season and conference tournament, respectively, to post impressive wins against No. 14 North Dakota State and No. 6 Louisville to reach the Sweet 16 for the second year in a row and the third time in four years.
“We want to make it as far as we can,” Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler said. “Playing with all these guys is something that's really special in my life, honestly.”
Here’s the best way to describe four head coaches still standing in the East region: Scheyer is the least accomplished of the bunch.
That’s a telling statement given how capably Scheyer has stepped into Mike Krzyzewski’s shoes since being promoted from associate head coach in 2022.
All he’s done in his four seasons is go 123-24 overall and 65-13 in the ACC, reaching the Elite Eight in 2024 and the Final Four last season, though the Blue Devils’ season ended with a heartbreaking collapse against Houston in the national semifinals. Given the difficulties of replacing a legend, Scheyer has become the poster child for seamless caching transitions.
Izzo followed similar path as an assistant to title-winning coach Jud Heathcote before assuming the job in 1995 at the age of 40 - five years older than Scheyer was when he replaced Coach K.
The résumés speak for themselves of the three veterans speak for themselves.
Izzo has gone 764-308 with 11 Big Ten regular-season titles, six Big Ten tournament titles, 17 trips to the Sweet 16, eight appearances in the Final Four and one national championship, in 2000.
“I don't know how Coach Izzo has done it,” Hurley said. “I don't.”
Hurley is one of eight coaches to win back-to-back national titles, joining Krzyzewski, Billy Donovan (Florida), Henry Iba (Oklahoma State), Ed Jucker (Cincinnati), Adolph Rupp (Kentucky), John Wooden (UCLA) and Phil Woolpert (San Francisco).
Now in his third season with the Red Storm, Pitino is already the only coach to reach the Sweet 16 in five separate decades, the only coach to win national championships at two schools — Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013, though the second was later vacated by the NCAA — and one of two to lead three different teams to the Final Four (Providence, Kentucky and Louisville), along with current Arkansas coach John Calipari.
There’s one very interesting quirk to the Blue Devils’ matchup with the Red Storm. Duke beat St. John’s in each of the program’s five national-championship seasons (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015), including a 78-61 win in the 1991 Elite Eight.
Duke is preparing for a battle against the Red Storm’s physical, end-to-end style, which paced a 67-65 win against No. 4 Kansas in the second round.
“I think that's part of our identity, too, is being a physical team,” Duke freshman Nikolas Khamenia said. “I think we've played a lot of teams that have been physical, which is obviously going to help prepare us for tomorrow.”
St. John’s will have to contend with Duke forward Cameron Boozer, a favorite for national player of the year while leading the team with 22.4 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.
“You have to be really hungry and believe,” Pitino said. “If you don't, usually you go home. So we just want to get after it. We know we're playing a great team. There's no question about that. They haven't lost very much. But we want to foster that type of belief, that we're going to win this game.”
Like Duke and St. John’s, the matchup between Michigan State and UConn should have a high-intensity feel driven by two of the top defenses remaining in the tournament.
According to the analytics site KenPom.com, the UConn defense ranks 11th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency and the Spartans rank 13th. And both offenses look to get into transition but will focus on frontcourt play in the halfcourt set, with the Huskies led by center Tarris Reed Jr. (41 points and 40 rebounds through two tournament games) and Michigan State centered on Kohler, center Carson Cooper and junior forward Coen Carr.
While the two teams didn’t face off during the regular season, they did meet in a charity exhibition game in late October, with the Huskies pulling out a 76-69 win.
“You remember the physicality they play with, the rebounding, how fast they play, the pace they play at,” said UConn forward Alex Karaban.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: East Region in March Mandes resembles Final Four with its quality
The Big Ten entered the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament riding a 26-year drought since the conference last produced a national champion.
Nearly halfway through the event, the league is doing just about everything it can to make sure that skid comes to a long-awaited end.
What was arguably the best conference in the sport during the regular season has continued to show its strength during March Madness. Many of the conference’s best teams, like Michigan, have looked dominant thus far during the Big Dance, while others, like Iowa, have pulled off a handful of upsets to advance deeper than many predicted they would.
On Thursday night, on the first day of the Sweet 16, that dominance was on display. Illinois stymied Houston 65-55 to earn its second Elite Eight appearance in the past three years under coach Brad Underwood. Purdue got a buzzer-beating tip-in from Trey Kaufman-Renn to edge Texas 79-77. And in an intra-conference matchup, Iowa continued its unexpectedly lengthy run in the tournament with a 77-71 victory over fellow corn enthusiast Nebraska.
Four tickets have been punched to the Elite Eight, with three of those belonging to a single league — and with two of its best teams, Michigan and Michigan State, trying to join them there tomorrow.
Just how good has the Big Ten been in the 2026 NCAA Tournament? Here’s a look:
After the first night of Sweet 16 games on Thursday, March 26, the Big Ten has three teams in the Elite Eight: Purdue, Iowa and Illinois.
The conference could add two more on Friday with No. 1 seed Michigan taking on No. 4 seed Alabama and No. 3 seed Michigan State squaring off against No. 2 seed UConn. The Wolverines, the Big Ten regular-season champions, are a 9.5-point favorite while the Spartans are a 1.5-point underdog.
Even if Michigan and Michigan State both lose, the Big Ten’s performance on Thursday already made a bit of history.
Halfway through the Sweet 16, the Big Ten has already tied its record of three teams in the Elite Eight, a mark it had previously reached in 2000, 2005 and 2019.
The record for most Elite Eight teams from one conference is four, a mark that has been reached three times since the NCAA tournament field expanded to 64 in 1985.
That figure was achieved by the Big East in 2009 (UConn, Pitt, Louisville and Villanova), the ACC in 2016 (North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Virginia) and the SEC in 2025 (Florida, Auburn, Tennessee and Alabama).
Despite the success of its teams this season, the Big Ten hasn’t had a member win the national championship in men’s basketball since Michigan State all the way back in 2000. Maryland, a current Big Ten member, won it all in 2002, but the Terrapins were in the ACC at that time.
The nine Big Ten teams that made it into the field for the 2026 NCAA Tournament have combined to go 16-4.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Big Ten has 3 Elite 8 teams in a record-setting 2026 NCAA Tournament
By the time the final buzzer sounds Friday, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament field will officially be down to the Elite Eight.
The round of 16 concludes with games in the East and Midwest Regionals, with the action taking place in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, respectively. A loaded field of programs with multiple championships will hit the floor in the East, while the foursome in the Windy City features a pair of SEC squads looking to take down a couple of top seeds. Once again, we’re here to break down the matchups for you, with all the information you’ll need about how and when to watch.
Time/TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, CBS
Even if this matchup is happening in an earlier round than it probably should be, it’s arguably the most compelling of the round. History and coaching achievements aside, they’re two of the hottest teams in the field having won their respective power conference tournaments. That the Blue Devils have run their winning streak to 13 despite being down a couple of starters certainly speaks to their depth, though Patrick Ngongba’s return to the lineup was nonetheless a welcome development. His presence near the bucket could force the Red Storm to find a source for points other than Zuby Ejiofor, but fortunately Bryce Hopkins has been shooting well of late. Duke’s Cayden Boozer has handled his increase in minutes and responsibilities well since the injury to Caleb Foster, but the waves of pressure he’ll see from the Red Storm will test his mettle.f
Time/TV: 7:35 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
Opening the festivities at the United Center is this clash of programs led by coaches who have experienced the Final Four stage, although in this iteration the top-seeded Wolverines appear to be better constructed to get there. Not only do they put up 87.4 points a game, but their array of interior defenders reject around six shots a game and challenge countless others. But the 3-point arc can be an equalizer, and the high-octane Crimson Tide utilize it better than most knocking down nearly 13 treys a game as part of their nation's-best 91.6-point per game average. The other factor that might spell success for Alabama is ball security, if primary handler Lebaron Philon can limit miscues better than Michigan counterpart Elliot Cadeau.
Time/TV: 9:45 p.m. ET, CBS
The second contest at Capital One Arena is yet another heavyweight showdown in the East, a region that would be dubbed the group of death if this were a World Cup draw. This pairing of name-brand programs led by – shall we say – high-intensity coaches figure to add up to one of the more physical confrontations of the tournament. Feisty Spartans point guard Jeremy Fears will need to keep his notorious temper in check, while UConn’s Tarris Reed must do his best to avoid early foul trouble. Michigan State has a lot of options if a clutch bucket is needed, but there’s no substitute for the big-game experience of veteran Huskies captain Alex Karaban.
Time/TV: 10:10 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV
The nightcap in the Windy City could be a low-scoring affair, as playing lock-down defense is hardwired into both programs. The health status of a couple of the game’s top offensive weapons could also keep the point total down. Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson is officially a game-time decision but seems unlikely to play, and Tennessee’s Nate Ament hasn’t been 100% for some time. The Cyclones theoretically have more reliable shooters in their lineup, especially if facilitator Tamin Lipsey is on target, but Volunteers guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie can also get hot.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness games today: NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 schedule
The Pittsburgh Penguins traveled up to Canada’s capital city on Thursday night to fight the Senators, another team jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Pittsburgh lost Sidney Crosby to injury early in the second period, but others stepped up, leading to the second shootout win over the last five days. [Recap]
With the Penguins’ recent run of form in goal, how much sense does it make calling up Sergei Murashov to stop the bleeding? One argument is that a call-up is becoming increasingly justified. The “right time” may be sooner than later, especially if Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs continue to falter, but only if Murashov can be supported. [PensBurgh]
The Penguins recalled forwards Avery Hayes and Joona Koppanen from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Thursday morning, as the team deals with a sudden barrage of injuries to Evgeni Malkin, Blaze Lizotte, Anthony Mantha (potentially now Sidney Crosby), among others. [Trib Live]
Former Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato has been named as the U.S. coach for the IIHF World Championships. [Sportsnet]
The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery will take place on May 5. [Sportsnet]
Mike Sullivan’s first season with the New York Rangers has not gone as planned, as the Original Six franchise has been officially eliminated from postseason contention. [TSN]
Andy Pages hasn’t forgotten about last postseason, though he’d like to. And he’d surely like you to forget about it, too — or, well, most of it.
Feel free to retain the mental image of his epic smash-and-grab catch over teammate Kiké Hernández.
That stunning play in the bottom of the ninth inning didn’t just save Game 7 of the World Series, it also spared Pages’ reputation. Covered for the ignominy of his historically woeful four-for-51 hitting performance.
You know what will help everyone totally flush those memories? To turn the proverbial page? Maybe keep us from mentioning it ever again?
A steady diet of games like Thursday’s.
In an 8-2 season-opening victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium, Pages stood out among his club’s standouts.
And, as the eighth man in the order, he also served up a reminder that there really will be no rest for weary opposing pitchers this season.
The buoyant bottom of the lineup has bite, too: Let the record show it was Pages who hit the Dodgers’ first home run and drove in the club’s first runs to kick off their pursuit of a third consecutive World Series championship.
That it was he who cracked the code against Diamondbacks righty Zac Gallen in the fifth inning, teeing off on a three-run, 400-foot home run to left-center field.
And that it was his at-bat to lead off the eighth — a full-count single the other way, into right field — that Roberts had to mention postgame.
In spring training, Roberts anointed Pages as this season’s “pick-to-click” candidate, in part because of how hard the 25-year-old center fielder has been working on improving his plate discipline after swinging at 32% of pitches outside of the zone last year.
The pick-to-click distinction previously went to Teoscar Hernández in 2024, before he became an All-Star in his first season with the Dodgers. Last year, Michael Conforto was Roberts’ pick.
Small wonder, perhaps, that Pages isn’t putting too much stock in his manager’s prediction: “It feels really nice for him to say that about me, or to pick me, but obviously I'm not really focused on that,” he said, through an interpreter.
What he’s focused on, he said, “is just trying to do everything I can, every day, to get a little bit better.”
That’s what’s got his manager so revved up.
“He’s a complete player,” Roberts gushed. “And I’m excited to see what he can do this year.”
Is an Andy Pages Breakout Season loading?
Were last season’s 27 home runs — second most on the Dodgers, behind Shohei Ohtani’s 55 — not a breakout?
I think ... not?
Not when Pages so clearly has so much more to give.
Now when he does his homework like he did this spring, stationing himself in front of a pitching machine, calling out balls and strikes. (Watch out, Automated Balls and Strikes system?)
Not if the Dodgers can come to trust him at the plate like they now feel secure with him blanketing the outfield.
“Even last year when there were questions if he could play center field at a high level,” Roberts said. “And he's worked his tail off, he really has. Every single day, he's putting in work and he just keeps getting better — his jumps, his lines to the ball, and obviously the arm strength is there.”
Read more:Miguel Rojas cherishes final opening day as 'Uncle Miggy' in Dodgers' win over Arizona
On Thursday, Pages had another one of his sensational snags, taking an angle that would’ve made a defensive back proud in pursuit of Geraldo Perdomo’s fly ball to start the seventh. Stretched out, Pages slid beneath the ball to add to his opening-day highlight reel.
“I feel good,” Pages said, when I asked him afterward not about last postseason, but about his confidence heading into this season — though his mind went back there anyway.
“It's something that happened earlier, the postseason is what the postseason was,” he said. “I'm not really focused on that, I'm focused on what I'm doing right now and my confidence is really high right now.”
Keep it up, and all anyone will remember is the heroics — including those to come.
Read more:Plaschke: Seeing double: Dodgers celebrate titles on a sparkling opening day
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Yankees got to take their first off-day of the year easy after demolishing the Giants on Opening Day, watching as the rest of the league got to take a shot at getting in the win column. In the AL East, everyone but Toronto jumped into action with the O’s and Sox winning to form a three-way tie atop the division — tune into the 161-game race to find out who can break that tie. New York will get back on the field today with a late afternoon game looking to make their first series of the year a win.
On the site today, Michael leads off with a preview of the loaded Triple-A roster that Scranton is rolling out ahead of their season debut, followed by Andrés tempering expectations to give Carlos Lagrange time to figure out his command in the minors. Matt delivers the first Rivalry Roundup of the year featuring Garrett Crochet blanking the Reds, Kento wishes Miller Huggins a happy birthday and gives him some flowers for guiding the franchise to their first peaks of success, and Peter breaks down your latest answers from our Reacts questions. Finally, I’ll come back around to answer this week’s mailbag questions.
New York Yankees at San Francisco Giants
Time: 4:35 p.m. EST
Video: YES Network, NBCS BA
Venue: Oracle Park, San Francisco, CA
1. Will we see the first Yankee homer of the year today, or will the hit parade continue to stay in the park?
2. What will Cam Schlittler’s stat line in his season debut be?
Many words have been said and written about why the Cleveland Cavaliers’ new core four won’t work. About redundancy. About perimeter defense. About spacing. Very few words have been said and written about why it will work. About what, precisely, makes die-hard fans and the Cleveland front office and coaching staff alike believe that this team can win the NBA title and be crowned world champions.
Turns out, words aren’t necessary. There’s a play. A singular clip. Show. Don’t tell.
This clip is everything. It’s the hope. It’s the dream.
The NBA playoffs are less about what you can do and more about what problems you can present to your opponent. Modern basketball is an offense-advantaged game at its core. Present enough problems and the defense will crumble. Present too few, and the defense will take it away. They will collapse what you do and what you are. Watch the clip twice.
This is not a meaningless game. It is the best insight into what it will take to win it all. Cleveland, post-James Harden trade, with the whole (new) Core Four playing, at the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder’s house on the last game of a three-in-four night stretch. National spotlight game. Both teams are trying their best.
Now, let’s dig in.
James Harden brings the ball up court. The Thunder are pressuring hard because that’s what you do with playoff intensity. Evan Mobley sets a screen way up near half court to spring Harden. He doesn’t slip it. He makes contact, and the defender is put off balance. Harden has the edge. A staggered screen from Jarrett Allen is waiting just in case he recovers.
Boy howdy! That’s a lot of resources to commit above the three-point line. Three players and both bigs! Is space tight? Does the best defense in basketball (by my eyes) have the Cavs in jail? No. Chet Holmgren (Mobley’s defender) is waiting at the arc but won’t go further. Allen’s defender is right behind him, effectively double-covering meaningless space. Mitchell’s defender is glued to him in the corner. And where is Sam Merrill? Where is his defender? They are so deep in the opposite corner that they aren’t even in the picture.
The action continues. Harden has the corner. His defender no longer matters. Allen reads it and slips the screen, making minimal contact. OKC switches assignments because they are great at basketball. Mitchell and Merrill’s defenders stay home because OKC is good. Mobley is effectively unguarded.
Next, we have three moments in time in rapid succession. It is a work of art titled “Why Point Guards Matter.”
Harden drives. Allen rolls. The defensive shell is intact. Oppressively solid.
Harden throws on the brakes. He takes three hesitation dribbles. Why, oh why, would you do this?! Are you even trying to score? Do you want your defender that you worked so hard to leave behind to catch up?
This freeze frame is unique to veteran, elite point guards. What happened to that defensive shell? Where did it go? James Harden is many things. I, personally, have disliked many of those things over his career. But he is absolutely an elite, veteran point guard. He can play on many timings. And this is the key to his brilliance. He lets the defense recover and collapse. Intentionally. He does this three seconds before anybody could possibly say that is a good decision. Where does the defense end up?
Lou Dort is in No Man’s Land. He cheated into Allen earlier for a pass that didn’t come while Mitchell repositioned.
Isaiah Joe is in No Man’s Land. He rightly stayed home on Sam Merrill on the strong side during the initial drive. You can’t not. That’s Sam Merrill. By the time he cheats in on the play, it is too late.
Jaylin Williams and Carson Wallace wall off Harden’s attack. No lay-ups. No lobs. No easy through-bounce passes. Harden uses his wingspan to wrap the pass around the outside.
Holmgren actually shows remarkable processing and agility to see what is happening and hard cuts back to the wide open Allen. It’s too late.
All of this happens because of the off-timing read Harden made. It ends in a Jarrett Allen dunk. But what if the timing was slightly different? What then? Let’s consider.
Holmgren is full commit to Allen. Mobley is wide open as a viable high outlet or Nash dribble reset. Merrill is wide open for an easy corner 3. Did we mention he’s Sam Merrill? Say Mobley does get the ball. Lou Dort is the only possible person who can contest. He will contest. This is what it means for a defense to be in rotation. Somebody is open. Who is open? That man is Donovan Mitchell for the easiest skip pass in basketball history. Did we mention he is Donovan Mitchell?
This play is the play. It is the ultimate in cherry picking, stat nerd Nirvana. But it is also the peak of what the Cleveland Cavaliers’ core four can be. It is everything the Cavs have previously struggled with. High ball pressure. Elite switching defenses. Situationally packing paints. And then eviscerate it. Let’s say those names again. This happened against a defense comprised of:
Carson Wallace
Lou Dort
Isiah Joe
Jaylin Williams
Chet Holmgren
If there is a better cast of characters to defend the 2025-26 Cleveland Cavaliers, then it only exists in fiction. This is the pinnacle. And the Cavs can do it. There is reason to believe. It is everything. It is the problems the Cavs can present. The double bigs, the variable timings, the shooting, Mitchell’s individual attacking brilliance, Harden’s off-timing precognition.
Do not listen to conventional talking points. This is not a conventional team. Look deeper, and you’ll see it. The Cavs can win it all. The only question is if they’ll have the health and the time to bring it all together, and the good fortune to see it through. But this is a true, blue contender. Top to bottom.
Don’t believe me? Scroll back to the top. Watch that play again.
As the NCAA tournament moves towards the Elite Eight and the Final Four in just a few days, some attention is being spent on the NBA Draft. Duke’s Carlos Boozer is racking up a massive haul of awards, and his numbers are historic.
Yet we hear constantly that he’s not athletic enough to prosper in the NBA.
It’s an old argument. It was behind his father, Carlos, falling to the second round when he was drafted out of Duke, and he went on to a superb NBA career.
After last year’s draft, we heard the same argument about Kon Knueppel. A lot of critics thought that he might be a useful piece, a sniper off the bench, but he’s proven to be far more than that.
Knueppel, along with close friend and former Duke teammate Cooper Flagg, is a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year, and on Thursday, he did something no rookie has ever done: he topped 250 three-point shots in his first NBA season.
It’s been a spectacular season, almost as spectacular as his re-evaluation. It should be a warning for Boozer’s critics: athleticism is a huge asset for an NBA player, but as in most aspects of life, intelligence is the biggest asset.
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NY Post | Greg Joyce: The Yankees rolled over the Giants on Wednesday, but if you were to guess how they did it, you’d be hard-pressed to find a lot of people who would’ve had them getting 10 hits with nine of them being singles, not one home run slugged, and absolutely nothing from Aaron Judge. That’s the versatility of one of the deepest lineups in baseball though, and they put up the most runs in 2025 for a reason. If they want to repeat the process, there’ll be more nights than you’d expect where the stars take a backseat in a lineup that can do damage at any point, and Aaron Boone is enjoying the process being showcased right away — as the Yankee skipper put it, “I think we can beat you a lot of different ways.”
NY Daily News | Gary Phillips ($): One of the topics on hand for Opening Day was the fact that it was exclusively broadcast on Netflix, adding yet another streaming provider into the mix of platforms that have MLB games in their possession. The full gambit of Yankees games this year will require access to as many as five subscriptions, a wild number to think about when the organization owns their own broadcast media company. Gone are the days of YES carrying all but the occasional national media weekend game though, and the players can relate to fans’ struggles in finding all of the content. Players like Tim Hill and Ryan McMahon expressed their frustration for fans having to juggle all of these streaming costs, with McMahon relaying how he struggled to find where he could watch the WBC games as they were happening. There’s no easy solution in sight as MLB’s wonky media rights deals will surely be a topic of discussion in the upcoming CBA talks, but it’s hard to imagine putting the genie back in the lamp after the commissioner rubbed it.
FanGraphs: Wild predictions are always fun to shoot off right before the start of the season, and the FanGraphs staff took their shot at making some fun ones. Of relevance to New York, Jake Mailhot made the bold claim that four AL East teams will make the playoffs but all of them will fail to make it past the ALDS — a prediction that, logistically, sounds impossible so long as the division winner ends up with one of the top two seeds and a longshot even if all four play in the Wild Card Round but hey, who knows. Not to be outdone, Matt Martell took the stance that neither Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani will repeat as MVPs this year, which would be a major upset for sure. Perhaps the boldest yet comes from Paul Sporer, who is throwing down a Ryan McMahon 30-homer season prediction — from your lips to God’s ears, friend.
