🏆 Perfection!

Good Morning! A seminal title game in the continued ascent of women’s hoops took place Sunday, in which we were guaranteed perfection. Either South Carolina would complete their undefeated season, or Caitlin Clark would get the perfect finish to her unprecedented career. It was a dream matchup to cap a dream tournament, and we’ll recap the finale before breaking down the women’s unforgettable season By The Numbers. We also received stunning news on the eve of the men’s national championship game that will alter the landscape of the sport. At the professional level, a pair of Sunday thrillers added intrigue to an already-frantic NBA playoff race, while a handful of clubs clinched postseason berths in the NHL. Plus, raise the Jolly Roger (again!) because the Buccos are the best in the bigs! It’s the final day of March Madness. Let’s make it a championship Monday!

WTF Stat: South Carolina women’s basketball defeated Iowa yesterday in the national championship game to finish the season with a perfect 38-0 record. Over the past three seasons, the Gamecocks have gone 109-3 and won two national titles - so in the past three years, South Carolina only has one more loss than they have national championships!

🏀 Arkansas is hiring Kentucky’s John Calipari as their next men’s basketball coach on a five-year contract, sources told ESPN on Sunday night - Calipari went 410-123 in his 15 seasons at Kentucky, highlighted by four Final Four appearances and the 2012 national title; the deal is expected to be finalized today

🏀 Former Raptors F Vince Carter and former Pistons G Chauncey Billups headline the Basketball Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024, which was announced on Saturday and features 13 members

⛳️ Akshay Bhatia (-20) defeated Denny McCarthy in a playoff on Sunday to win the Texas Open at TPC San Antonio, marking the 22-year-old’s second career PGA Tour victory - Bhatia dislocated his left shoulder while fist pumping after making a 12-foot birdie putt to force a playoff, but recovered to make birdie on the first extra hole to win the tournament

⛳️ Nelly Korda defeated Leona Maguire, 4 and 3, on Sunday in the final of T-Mobile Match Play at Shadow Creek (Las Vegas, NV) to win her fourth consecutive LPGA Tour event - Korda is the first player to win four straight LGPA starts since Lorena Ochoa in 2008

🏎️ William Byron won the NASCAR Cup Series at Martinsville on Sunday for his third victory this season - Byron won the Circuit of the Americas two weeks ago and the Daytona 500 in February

🏎️ Max Verstappen won the F1 Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday for his third victory this season in four races - Verstappen won by a comfortable 12.5 seconds and holds a 13-point lead over Sergio Perez atop the F1 standings

🏀 Perfection!

NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament - National Championship

• #1 South Carolina 87, #1 Iowa 75: The quest for perfection is complete! In a highly-anticipated heavyweight final, the Hawkeyes threw the first haymaker as Caitlin Clark (30 PTS, 10-28 FG, 5-13 3PT, 8 REB, 5 AST) dropped 18 points in the opening quarter to give her team an early 11-point edge. But the Gamecocks retaliated to take a 49-46 advantage into halftime, and Tessa Johnson (19 PTS, 7-11 FG, 4 REB) and Kamilla Cardoso (15 PTS, 17 REB, 3 BLK) sparked a 3rd quarter run to extend the lead, which was ultimately too great for Iowa to overcome, as unbeaten South Carolina overpowered the Hawkeyes to claim their second national title in three seasons with a perfect 38-0 record - after Iowa’s initial run, it became clear that the Gamecocks were the more talented team, and their win caps the 10th undefeated season in DI women’s basketball history and the first since 2016 UConn

See the full box score here and the entire women’s bracket here.

Final Four Recap - Friday, April 5

• #1 Iowa 71, #3 UConn 69: A Friday night thriller that drew a record 14.2 million average viewers ended in controversial fashion, as UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards (17 PTS, 8 REB, 3 AST, 5 STL) was called for a questionable moving screen with four seconds left and her team trailing 60-59, allowing Caitlin Clark (21 PTS, 7-18 FG, 9 REB, 7 AST) to hit a lead-extending free throw before throwing an inbound pass off the back of Paige Bueckers (17 PTS, 4 REB, 3 AST) to help run out the clock, sending Iowa to their second straight national championship game - by rule, the moving screen was a foul, but many fans were upset with the rather ticky-tack call given the circumstances 

• #1 South Carolina 78, #3 NC State 59: Aziaha James (20 PTS, 6-17 FG) and the Wolfpack were only down 32-31 at intermission, but Kamilla Cardoso (22 PTS, 10-12 FG, 11 REB) and the Gamecocks seized control by outscoring NC State 29-6 in the 3rd quarter, and South Carolina cruised the rest of the way

See Friday’s full box scores here.

NCAA Women’s Basketball 2023-24 Season - By The Numbers

• 0 teams beat South Carolina - the Gamecocks went 38-0 to join UConn (‘95, ‘02, ‘09, ‘10, ‘14, ‘16), Texas (1986), Tennessee (1998), and Baylor (2012) as the only programs to complete a perfect season

• 1: Caitlin Clark — one of the best to ever do it!

• 2: Iowa’s defeat on Sunday was their second straight loss in the national championship game - Clark is the only men’s or women’s player to score 180-plus points in an NCAA Tournament and not win the Most Outstanding Player award; she’s done it twice

• 3: South Carolina’s victory on Sunday marked their third national title in the past seven NCAA Tournaments and their second in three years, cementing the sport’s newest dynasty - head coach Dawn Staley, who led the Gamecocks to their first-ever title in 2017, was brought to tears after the win

• 30: UConn made their 30th straight Sweet 16, extending the longest streak in both men’s and women’s college basketball history

• 492: Clark finished her career with 492 NCAA Tournament points, breaking Chamique Holdsclaw’s record (479) for the most all-time - Clark also leaves Iowa with the most assists (152) and three-pointers (78) in NCAA Tournament history

• 1,203: Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer surpassed former Duke HC Mike Krzyzewski for the most all-time wins as a head coach in men’s and women’s DI history with her 1,203rd career victory on Jan. 22 - VanDerveer finished the season with 1,216 career wins

• 2,323: The average resale price for an all-session ticket (both semifinals and the championship) to the women’s Final Four was $2,323, a record amount for the event

• 3,951: Clark ends her career as the all-time leading scorer in men’s and women’s NCAA DI history, with 3,951 points - she also set the women’s single-season scoring record this year (1,234 points) and is one of 10 women to win multiple Naismith Player of the Year awards

• 14,200,000: Friday’s Final Four matchup between Iowa and UConn drew an average of 14.2 million viewers, breaking last week’s Iowa-LSU mark (12.3 million) as the most-watched women’s basketball ever - the record was likely broken by Sunday’s national championship game (ratings TBA)

• Seeing women’s sports reach new heights? Priceless.

Thank you, Caitlin Clark, South Carolina, and women’s college basketball for an unforgettable season. You will be missed!

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament - Final Four

• #1 Purdue 63, #11 NC State 50: NC State’s Cinderella run came to an end Saturday, as the top-seeded Boilermakers controlled from start to finish to reach their second national championship game in program history. DJ Horne (20 PTS, 6 REB) did his best to keep the Wolfpack in it, but fan-favorite DJ Burns Jr. (8 PTS, 4-10 FG, 1 REB, 4 AST) struggled inside against repeat Naismith Player of the Year Zach Edey (20 PTS, 9-14 FG, 12 REB, 4 AST), and Purdue never trailed to book their first trip to the final since 1969, when they lost to John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins - Purdue is one win away from emulating Virginia’s 2019 title run, as the Cavaliers also lost to a 16-seed the year before winning it all

• #1 UConn 86, #4 Alabama 72: After winning their first four tournament games by an average of 27.8 points, the reigning champs finally showed some vulnerability, as Marcus Sears (24 PTS, 9-14 FG, 5 REB) and Alabama only trailed 44-40 at the half and then tied the game at 56 with 12:44 remaining; however, Stephon Castle (21 PTS, 5 REB), Donovan Clingan (18 PTS, 5 REB, 4 BLK), and the Huskies found a second gear and slowly pulled away down the stretch to reach their second straight national title game - with a victory tonight, UConn will become the first repeat champions since 2006-07 Florida

See the full box scores here.

National Championship

Tonight, April 8 - State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ)

• #1 UConn vs. #1 Purdue 9:20pm ET, TBS

  • Spread: UConn -6.5

  • Total Points: O/U 145.5

See the full men’s bracket here.

NBA - Top Games

• LA Clippers 120, Cleveland Cavaliers 118: Step back, step back, you don’t know me like that! The Clips picked up their third straight win yesterday in epic fashion, as Paul George (39 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST) capped a 23-point 4th quarter by dropping Evan Mobley (20 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST) on a nasty go-ahead step-back jumper with 7.1 seconds left before blocking Darius Garland (28 PTS, 8 AST, 5 STL) on the other end to secure the W - LA (50-28) holds a three-game lead over Dallas (48-30) for the fourth seed in the West

• Dallas Mavericks 147, Houston Rockets 136 (OT): Despite an impressive late-season push, the Rockets were eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday as Dallas’ Dante Exum (14 PTS, 9 REB) forced overtime with a buzzer-beating triple, and Kyrie Irving’s (48 PTS, 15-25 FG, 7 REB) season-high of 48 points carried the Mavs to the finish line for their third win in a row - Luka Doncic (37 PTS, 9 REB, 12 AST) added to his MVP campaign with another terrific showing

• New York Knicks 122, Milwaukee Bucks 109: The Milwaukee meltdown continued Sunday as Jalen Brunson (43 PTS, 16-32 FG, 6 REB, 8 AST) and Donte DiVincenzo (26 PTS, 8-11 3PT, 4 REB) lit up Giannis Antetokounmpo (28 PTS, 15 REB, 8 AST) and the Deer at Fiserv Forum to hand them their fourth consecutive L and their sixth in seven games - Milwaukee (47-31) now only holds a one-game lead over New York (46-32) and Orlando (46-32) for the second seed in the East

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

NHL - Top Games

• Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Tampa Bay Lightning 4: Evgeni Malkin (2 G, 1 A), Sidney Crosby (1 G), and the Pens notched their fourth straight win on Saturday to get within one game of the Red Wings for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot, as Michael Bunting (1 G, 2 A) buried the game-winner with 5:28 remaining to edge out Steven Stamkos (2 G) and the Bolts after Pittsburgh blew a three-goal lead - despite the loss, Tampa Bay (43-27-7, 93 PTS) still secured a playoff berth on Saturday

• Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Montreal Canadiens 2: After clinching their eighth consecutive playoff berth while idle on Friday, the Leafs used a four-goal 2nd period to blow past Nick Suzuki (1 G, 1 A) and the Habs on Saturday, highlighted by Auston Matthews’ (1 G) league-leading 64th bingo of the season - with five games remaining, Matthews is on pace for 68.7 goals… I think we can round up!

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

MLB - Top Games

• Pittsburgh Pirates 3, Baltimore Orioles 2: Two days, two walk-off wins for the Buccos! After Oneil Cruz’s game-winning RBI in the bottom of the 11th on Saturday, the Pirates tallied another walk-off win against the O’s on Sunday, as Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson (0-4) tried to make a game-ending double play with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th but sailed his throw to first wide, allowing two runs to score on a game-ending error - with the wild win, Pittsburgh improved to 8-2 for the first time since 2018

• New York Yankees 8, Toronto Blue Jays 3: The Pinstripes also improved to 8-2 yesterday to join the Buccos atop the MLB standings, as Giancarlo Stanton (1-4, 1 HR, 4 RBIs) clubbed a monster grand slam in the 3rd inning en route to a convincing Yankees’ win and their third series victory this season

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

English Premier League - Top Match

• Liverpool 2, Manchester United 2: Entering the match with an opportunity to overtake Arsenal atop the Premiership table, Liverpool had to scrap for a disappointing draw at Old Trafford, as Mohamed Salah (84’ PK) capitalized on a late penalty kick to tie Kobbie Mainoo (67’) and United, 2-2, on Sunday - with seven games remaining, Liverpool is tied with Arsenal (who beat Brighton 3-0 on Saturday) with 71 points, while Man City (who beat Crystal Palace 4-2 on Saturday) is third with 70 points

See the full international scoreboard here and the current EPL table here.

JOIN OUR MASTERS POOL!

The Masters tees off in Augusta on Thursday, and we’re putting together a Masters Pool for our beloved Blitzers. Here’s how it works:

Basic Rules

• Pick six total golfers; one player each from six different tiers - the six tiers are determined by player rankings

• The participant whose six players card the lowest total aggregate score at the conclusion of the tournament wins - in other words: the lowest score wins, just like in golf

• The worst score among your six players will be dropped, so only your top five players’ scores matter

Points System

• -1 point for each stroke under par

• 0 points for a par

• +1 point for each stroke over par

• +8 points for missed cuts or incomplete rounds

The Purse

• Entry will be $10 per roster, and the payout will be awarded to the top three rosters as follows:

  • 1st place: 70% of the pot

  • 2nd place: 20% of the pot

  • 3rd place: 10% of the pot

• You can enter up to three rosters, and the deadline to join coincides with the first tee time on Thursday morning.

Enjoy Masters week, and good luck!

NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament - National Championship

• #1 UConn vs. #1 Purdue 9:20pm ET, TBS

MLB

• Chicago White Sox @ Cleveland Guardians 5:10pm ET, ESPN+

• New York Mets @ Atlanta Braves 7:20pm ET, Local

• Houston Astros @ Texas Rangers 8:05pm ET, Local

• Full Schedule

NBA

• Boston Celtics @ Milwaukee Bucks 7:30pm ET, TNT

• Sacramento Kings @ Oklahoma City Thunder 8:00pm ET, Local

• Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers 10:00pm ET, TNT

• Full Schedule

NHL

• Pittsburgh Penguins @ Toronto Maple Leafs 7:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

• Vegas Golden Knights @ Vancouver Canucks 10:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

Trivia Time Answer

B. 5. Dawn Staley joined elite company Sunday, as only four other head coaches have won three national championships in women’s basketball. UConn’s Geno Auriemma leads the charge with 11 titles, followed by the late Tennessee legend Pat Summitt (8), LSU’s Kim Mulkey (4), and Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer (3) - Staley has won three straight Coach of the Year awards and in a touching display of class, thanked Caitlin Clark for lifting women’s college basketball following yesterday’s final.

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