😶‍🌫️ Bubblicious

Happy FRIDAY! It's do-or-die time in college basketball, and yesterday we saw 16 of the top 25 teams take the floor for conference tournament action. Seeding is on the line. Seasons are on the line. Sixty-percent free-throw shooters are at the line. And who would've guessed it? Madness ensued. We'll recap all the drama from yesterday and then highlight today's slate as Selection Sunday eagerly awaits. In the NFL, free agency is winding down, but the headlines keep coming in. So after we review a trio of Thursday trades, we’ll remind you which stars went where earlier this week. In other breaking news: The Boston Celtics are going to the playoffs, and Auston Matthews is good at scoring goals. Plus, Rory dropped the ball at The Players Championship, but the players are still looking up at him on the leaderboard. Let’s go!

WTF Stat: In last night’s loss to the Thunder, Mavericks C Daniel Gafford missed his first shot of the game, ending his streak of 33 consecutive made shots. In the history of the NBA, only Wilt Chamberlain has made more consecutive shots without a miss (35 in 1967) - Gafford finished the game going 8-for-11 from the field.

Men’s College Basketball - Top Conference Tournaments Games

• Big East, Quarterfinals | #10 Marquette 71, Villanova 65 (OT): In a late-night thriller at MSG, Kam Jones (18 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST) kissed in a go-ahead layup at the buzzer to seemingly give Marquette a scintillating win in regulation, only for the basket to get overturned after replay showed he didn’t get it off in time. But, the Golden Eagles never blinked and prevailed in OT to break the hearts of Eric Dixon (19 PTS, 11 REB) and the Cats - Villanova (18-15) is right on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, listed as on one of Joe Lunardi’s “Next Four Out”

• ACC, Quarterfinals | NC State 74, #11 Duke 69: Down goes Duke! Kyle Filipowski (28 PTS, 14 REB) stuffed the stat sheet but grew frustrated in the second half as 10th-seeded NC State took control behind DJ Horne’s (18 PTS, 4 REB) big night, and the Wolfpack held strong to shockingly bounce the Blue Devils in their opening ACC tournament game, marking NC State’s third win in three days - NC State (20-14) is the first double-digit seed to make the ACC semifinals since 2010 and likely needs to win out to make the NCAA Tournament via automatic qualifier

• ACC, Quarterfinals | Virginia 66, Boston College 60 (OT): More madness! 11th-seeded Boston College pushed third-seeded Virginia to the brink as Mason Madsen (9 PTS, 5 REB) hit a highly-contested, game-tying, buzzer-beater to force overtime, but Jacob Groves (15 PTS, 11 REB) and the Wahoos held on in the extra frame to survive

• Big East, Quarterfinals | Providence 78, #8 Creighton 73: Entering the day on the bubble, Providence boosted their tournament hopes on the back of Devin Carter (22 PTS, 11 REB), who led his team past Ryan Kalkbrennan (19 PTS, 12 REB) and third-seeded Creighton to bolster the Friars’ resume - it’s Providence’s (21-12) second win over Creighton (23-9) this season, and the Friars should be dancing

All Major Conference Tournament Results

• ACC, Quarterfinals | #4 North Carolina 92, Florida State 67

• ACC, Quarterfinals | Pittsburgh 81, Wake Forest 69

• Big East, Quarterfinals | #2 UConn 87, Xavier 60

• Big East, Quarterfinals | St. John’s 91, Seton Hall 72

• Big Ten, Round 2 | Wisconsin 87, Maryland 56

• Big Ten, Round 2 | Ohio State 90, Iowa 78

• Big Ten, Round 2 | Michigan State 77, Minnesota 67

• Big Ten, Round 2 | Indiana 61, Penn State 59

• Big 12, Quarterfinals | #1 Houston 60, TCU 45

• Big 12, Quarterfinals | #7 Iowa State 76, Kansas State 57

• Big 12 Quarterfinals | #25 Texas Tech 81, #20 BYU 67

• Big 12, Quarterfinals | #14 Baylor 68, Cincinnati 56

• Pac-12, Quarterfinals | #6 Arizona 70, USC 49

• Pac-12, Quarterfinals | Oregon 68, UCLA 66

• Pac-12, Quarterfinals | #22 Washington State 79, Stanford 62

• Pac-12, Quarterfinals | Colorado 72, Utah 58

• SEC, Round 2 | #15 South Carolina 80, Arkansas 66

• SEC, Round 2 | Texas A&M 80, Ole Miss 71

• SEC, Round 2 | Mississippi State 70, LSU 60

See the full NCAAM scoreboard here and every March Madness automatic qualifier here.

Today’s Slate

• ACC, Semifinals | #4 North Carolina vs. Pittsburgh 7:00pm ET, ESPN

• ACC, Semifinals | Virginia vs. NC State 9:30pm ET, ESPN

• Big East, Semifinals | #2 UConn vs. St. John’s 5:30pm ET, FOX

• Big East, Semifinals | #10 Marquette vs. Providence 8:00pm ET, FS1

• Big Ten, Quarterfinals | #3 Purdue vs. Michigan State 12:00pm ET, BTN

• Big Ten, Quarterfinals | Northwestern vs. Wisconsin 2:30pm ET, BTN

• Big Ten, Quarterfinals | #13 Illinois vs. Ohio State 6:30pm ET, BTN

• Big Ten, Quarterfinals | Nebraska vs. Indiana 9:00pm ET, BTN

• Big 12, Semifinals | #1 Houston vs. #25 Texas Tech 7:00pm ET, ESPN+

• Big 12, Semifinals | #7 Iowa State vs. #14 Baylor 9:30pm ET, ESPN+

• Pac-12, Semifinals | #6 Arizona vs. Oregon 8:00pm ET, Pac-12

• Pac-12, Semifinals | #22 Washington State vs. Colorado 10:30pm ET, FS1

• SEC, Quarterfinals | #5 Tennessee vs. Mississippi State 1:00pm ET, ESPN

• SEC, Quarterfinals | #12 Auburn vs. #15 South Carolina 3:30pm ET, ESPN

• SEC, Quarterfinals | #9 Kentucky vs. Texas A&M 7:00pm ET, SECN

• SEC, Quarterfinals | #19 Alabama vs. Florida 9:30pm ET, SECN

See today’s full NCAAM schedule here.

NBA - Top Games

• Boston Celtics 127, Phoenix Suns 112: Jaylen Brown (37 PTS, 5 REB), Jayson Tatum (26 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST), and the C’s were too much for Phoenix’s big three of Kevin Durant (20 PTS, 9-19 FG), Devin Booker (23 PTS, 9-20 FG, 7 AST), and Bradley Beal (22 PTS, 9-17 FG, 7 AST), as Boston ballooned a five-point advantage at recess into a sizeable lead for their fourth win a row - with the win, the Celtics became the first team this season to clinch a playoff berth, and they also beat the Suns on Saturday

• Milwaukee Bucks 114, Philadelphia 76ers 105: After going 1-3 on a West Coast road trip, Giannis Antetokounmpo (32 PTS, 11 REB) and the Bucks got back on track at home by pulling away in the 4th quarter to top Tyrese Maxey (30 PTS, 4 AST) and the struggling Sixers, who have lost five of their last six games - Milwaukee (43-24) is now 10-10 under HC Doc Rivers and a half-game up on Cleveland for second place in the East

• Oklahoma City Thunder 126, Dallas Mavericks 119: A Western Conference showdown between two MVP contenders was spoiled with Luka Doncic out due to a sore hamstring, and although Kyrie Irving (36 PTS, 12 AST) picked up the slack in his absence, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31 PTS, 9 REB, 5 AST) and the Thunder outpaced the Mavs to snap their four-game winning streak - Oklahoma City (46-20) shares the same record as Denver atop the West

See the full NBA scoreboard here and the current standings here.

NHL - Top Games

• Tampa Bay Lightning 6, New York Rangers 3: They don’t call him Brayden Point for nothing! Point (3 G, 3 A) was on point and Nikita Kucherov (1 G, 4 A) notched five points to help the Bolts erase a 2-0 deficit and blow out the Blue Shirts in Tampa Bay, ending New York’s three-game winning streak - final point: the Lightning (35-25-6) hold the top wild-card spot in the East

• Toronto Maple Leafs 6, Philadelphia Flyers 2: “It used to be the speed limit either way… 55!” Auston Matthews (1 G, 1 A) tallied his league-leading 55th goal of the season, and Toronto lit the lamp three times in the 1st period en route to an easy road victory against Owen Tippett (1 G) and the Flyers - Matthews is the first Toronto player to score at least 55 goals in two different seasons

• Boston Bruins 2, Montreal Canadiens 1 (OT): Boston’s Danton Heinen (1 G) and Montreal’s Nick Suzuki (1 G) traded early goals, and after a scoreless final two periods, Jake DeBrusk (1 G) called game in overtime, giving the B’s a dub in an Original Six matchup

See the full NHL scoreboard here and the current standings here.

PGA Tour - The Players Championship (TPC Sawgrass, FL)

• Current Leaders: Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele (-7). The Tour’s unofficial fifth major got underway Thursday at TPC Sawgrass and saw Rory McIlroy at the center of a controversial drop on hole No. 7 after splashing two tee shots into the drink. But McIlroy recovered with six birdies on the back to claim a share of the lead with last year’s US Open winner, Wyndham Clark, and Xander Schauffele - Jordan Spieth (+2) disagreed with McIlroy’s drop spot, leading to a long discussion and a tension-filled round

Day 1 Leaderboard

• T1. Rory McIlroy (-7)

• T1. Wyndham Clark (-7)

• T1. Xander Schauffele (-7)

• T4. Matt Fitzpatrick (-6)

• T4. Nick Taylor (-6)

• T6. Scottie Scheffler (-5)

• T6. Jason Day (-5)

• T6. Tom Hoge (-5)

• T6. Ludvig Aberg (-5)

• T6. Maverick McNealy (-5)

• T6. Tyler Duncan (-5)

• T6. Jimmy Stanger (-5)

See the entire leaderboard here and today’s tee times here.

🏈 Free Agency Day 4 + Week in Review

NFL free agency is winding down, but news continues to break in the wake of a hectic three days. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to track everything with Adam Schefter tweeting out a new deal every 30 seconds. So, after we highlight Thursday’s top headlines, we’ll look back at which stars went where earlier this week. Will we forget half of these moves come August? Probably. But that’s why there’s preseason football. Anyways, let’s get to it!

Yesterday’s Top News

• Bears acquired WR Keenan Allen in a trade with the Chargers for a 2024 fourth-round pick - Allen, 31, earned his sixth Pro Bowl selection last year after tallying 108 catches for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns

• Seahawks acquired QB Sam Howell, a 2024 fourth-round draft pick, and a 2024 sixth-round draft pick in a trade with the Commanders for a 2024 third-round pick and a 2024 fifth-round pick - Washington holds the No. 2 overall pick in the draft and started Howell, 23, in all 17 of their games last season, in which he passed for 3,946 yards and 21 touchdowns but also threw a league-high 21 interceptions

• Cardinals acquired QB Desmond Ridder in a trade with the Falcons for WR Rondale Moore - Ridder, a third-round pick in 2022, entered last season as Atlanta’s starter but was benched twice and finished the year with 12 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions, and 12 fumbles

• Texans plan to give RB Joe Mixon a 3-year, $27M contract extension, with $13M guaranteed, after acquiring him from the Bengals in a trade on Tuesday - Mixon, 27, spent seven seasons in Cincinnati and his 6,412 rushing yards ranks third in franchise history

Other Notable Thursday Moves

Key: Player (Position) Previous Team → New Team

• Arik Armstead (DE) 49ers → Jaguars

• Curtis Samuel (WR) Commanders → Bills

• Devin White (LB) Buccaneers → Eagles

• DJ Reader (DT) Bengals → Lions

• Kendall Fuller (CB) Commanders → Dolphins

• Marquise Brown (WR) Cardinals → Chiefs

Free Agency Review - Star Realignment

• Kirk Cousins (QB) Vikings → Falcons

• Saquon Barkley (RB) Giants → Eagles

• Derrick Henry (RB) Titans → Ravens

• Josh Jacobs (RB) Raiders → Packers

• Joe Mixon (RB) Bengals → Texans (trade)

• Aaron Jones (RB) Packers → Vikings

• Tony Pollard (RB) Cowboys → Titans

• Austin Ekeler (RB) Chargers → Commanders

• D’Andre Swift (RB) Eagles → Bears

• Calvin Ridley (WR) Jaguars → Titans

• Diontae Johnson (WR) Steelers → Panthers (trade)

• Gabe Davis (WR) Bills → Jaguars

• Christian Wilkins (DT) Dolphins → Raiders

• Brian Burns (DE) Panthers → Giants (trade)

• Danielle Hunter (DE) Vikings → Texans

• Jonathan Greenard (DE) Texans → Vikings

• Patrick Queen (LB) Ravens → Steelers

• Xavier McKinney (S) Giants → Packers

See every free agency signing for all 32 teams here.

On March 15, 1912, legendary pitcher Cy Young officially retired from baseball. At the time, he held numerous pitching records, some of which have stood for over a century. Young entered the major leagues in 1890 with the National League's Cleveland Spiders and pitched for them until 1898. He was then transferred to the St. Louis Cardinals before jumping to the American League in 1901, where he played for the Boston Red Sox until 1908 and helped them win the 1903 World Series. He finished his career with the Cleveland Naps and Boston Rustlers. He holds the MLB record for the most career wins (511), along with most career losses (315), innings pitched (7,356), games started (826), and complete games (749). He led the league in wins in five different seasons and pitched three no-hitters, including a perfect game in 1904. In 1956, one year after his death, the Cy Young Award was created in honor, which is given to the best pitcher in each league.

Friday

• NCAAM: Full Schedule

• NBA: Phoenix Suns @ Charlotte Hornets 7:00pm ET, NBA TV

• NBA: Atlanta Hawks @ Utah Jazz 9:30pm ET, NBA TV

• NHL: Los Angeles Kings @ Chicago Blackhawks 8:30pm ET, NHL Net

• PGA: The Players Championship, Round 2 1:00-7:00pm ET, Golf Channel

Saturday

• NCAAM: Big 12 Final 6:00pm ET, ESPN

• NCAAM: Big East Final 6:30pm ET, FOX

• NCAAM: ACC Final 8:30pm ET, ESPN

• NCAAM: Pac-12 Final 9:00pm ET, FOX

• NCAAM: Full Schedule

• FA Cup: Newcastle United @ Manchester City 1:30pm ET, ESPN+

• NBA: Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers 8:30pm ET, ABC

• NHL: New York Rangers @ Pittsburgh Penguins 3:00pm ET, ABC

• PGA: The Players Championship, Round 3 2:00-7:00pm ET, NBC

Sunday

• NCAAM: SEC Final 1:00pm ET, CBS

• NCAAM: Big Ten Final 3:30pm ET, CBS

• NCAAM: March Madness Selection Show 6:00pm ET, CBS

• NCAAW: March Madness Selection Show 8:00pm ET, ESPN

• FA Cup: Liverpool @ Manchester United 11:30am ET, ESPN+

• NASCAR: Cup Series at Bristol 3:30pm ET, FOX

• NBA: Phoenix Suns @ Milwaukee Bucks 1:00pm ET, ABC

• NBA: Denver Nuggets @ Dallas Mavericks 3:30pm ET, ABC

• NHL: New York Islanders @ New York Rangers 1:00pm ET, TNT

• NHL: New Jersey Devils @ Vegas Golden Knights 3:30pm ET, TNT

• PGA: The Players Championship, Round 4 1:00-6:00pm ET, NBC

Trivia Time Answer

C. Oregon. The Ducks, then known as the Webfoots, won the first NCAA Tournament in DI men’s basketball in 1939 by beating Ohio State, 46-33, in the final to take home the inaugural title. Back then, the bracket included just eight schools in a single-elimination format to determine the national champion. After a sequence of expansions, the tournament reached its current 64-team field ahead of the 1984-85 season, which ended with Villanova beating Georgetown in the final.

Prime Lock of the Day

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Next time we talk, we’ll have a bracket. Enjoy the weekend!