Mar 26, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals left fielder Nathan Church (27) leaps at the wall and robs a home run from Tampa Bay Rays left fielder Ryan Vilade (not pictured) during the fifth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Alec Burleson capped an eight-run sixth inning with a two-run homer to help the St. Louis Cardinals rally for a 9-7 victory against the visiting Tampa Bay Rays in the season opener for both teams on Thursday afternoon.
Burleson’s home run came after the Rays had scored six runs in the top half of the sixth to take a 7-1 lead.
Burleson had three hits, scored twice and drove in two runs. Nathan Church had three hits, drove in two and robbed a home run in left field, Victor Scott II also had three hits and JJ Wetherholt homered in his major league debut for St. Louis.
Cardinals left-hander Matthew Liberatore allowed one run and seven hits in five innings.
Jonathan Aranda homered and singled while Yandy Diaz, Ben Williamson and Nick Fortes each had three hits and one run and Jonny DeLuca added two hits and two RBIs for Tampa Bay.
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Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen also allowed one run over five innings, scattering four hits and one walk.
Wetherholt, the seventh overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, led off the third in his second MLB at-bat and blasted a 425-foot homer to center on an 0-2 pitch to give the Cardinals a 1-0 lead.
Church leaped to rob Ryan Vilade of a home run for the second out in the fifth, but Aranda came up next and cleared the fence in right-center field to tie it 1-1.
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Liberatore departed and the Rays loaded the bases with one out in the sixth. Justin Bruihl surrendered a pinch-hit RBI single to left by Chandler Simpson to give Tampa Bay a 2-1 lead.
After a sacrifice fly by Aranda, Williamson drove in another run with an infield single to extend the lead to 4-1. DeLuca then rolled a full-count grounder up the middle with the bases loaded, scoring two more runs.
Fortes came up for the second time in the inning and beat out another slow roller to score Williamson for a 7-1 lead.
Nolan Gorman cut it to 7-3 in the bottom half of the sixth with a groundball single up the middle that scored two.
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Jordan Walker doubled over the head of center fielder Cedric Mullins, bringing up Church, who lined an opposite-field two-run single to left to cut it to 7-5.
With the bases still loaded and nobody out, Wetherholt lifted a sacrifice fly to deep right to cut it to 7-6.
After Ivan Herrera tacked on another sacrifice fly to tie it 7-7, Burleson stepped up and blasted a two-run homer to deep right to put St. Louis in front.
JoJo Romero, Riley O’Brien and Ryne Stanek combined to blank Tampa Bay over the final three innings.
With the Sweet 16 underway, the most tuned-into game may be No. 4 Arkansas against No. 1 Arizona. For Razorbacks’ coach John Calipari, tonight’s game is his 17th appearance in the Sweet Sixteen. If Calipari were to coach his way into the Elite Eight, it would be his 13th time reaching the stage.
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Tonight’s game also has significant value for the Arizona Wildcats. If they were to win, it would be the team’s first appearance in the Elite 8 in over 10 years, when they lost in the round during the 2015 NCAA Tournament. With Wildcats’ coach Tommy Lloyd being linked to UNC’s head coaching vacant spot, tonight’s game may be his last with Arizona if the team were to lose.
En route to tonight’s Sweet 16 matchup, the Razorbacks easily defeated No. 13 Hawaii 97-78 in the opening round, and ended No. 12 High Point’s brief Cinderella run in the Round of 32 with a 94-88 win. On the other side, for the Wildcats, they cruised to a 92-58 win over the No. 16 LIU Sharks in the Round of 64. After briefly struggling against No. 9 Utah State in the Round of 32, Arizona held strong and finished the job 78-66.
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Arizona heads into this game as 7.5-point favorites against the Razorbacks on DraftKings.
Here is a look at the box score from Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup from the Midwest Region in San Jose.
Mar 26, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Couturier (14) reacts after scoring a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Christian Dvorak, Noah Cates and Alex Bump each registered a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers thumped the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 5-1 on Thursday evening.
Samuel Ersson made 25 saves for Philadelphia (35-24-12, 82 points), which has won six of its last eight games to make some late noise in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Denver Barkey and Sean Couturier also scored for the Flyers.
Chicago (27-32-13, 67 points) remains well out of postseason contention following its fifth loss in seven games. Connor Bedard scored the only goal for the Blackhawks, while Spencer Knight did his best to combat a furious Flyers offensive performance with 37 saves.
Philadelphia scored twice in the first three minutes, beginning with Bump’s third career goal. Less than a minute after the opening faceoff, Knight turned over the puck behind the net to Dvorak, who promptly fed Bump in front for a wide-open tally.
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Just over a minute and a half later, another Chicago turnover — this time by Andre Burakovsky — led to Couturier’s ninth of the season. The Blackhawks winger passed the puck right to Luke Glendening, who sent a puck to the net that Couturier redirected for a 2-0 lead.
Barkey deposited a rebound past Knight 5:14 into the second period to make it 3-0.
Midway through the middle stanza, Bedard scored his 30th goal of the season to cut into the Blackhawks’ deficit. However, the Flyers added two more goals before the period ended.
First, Matvei Michkov’s blind pass unleashed Cates on a breakaway that ended with a backhander over a sprawling Knight. Then, in the final minute, Dvorak redirected a terrific pass from Owen Tippett into the net for a 5-1 cushion.
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Neither team scored in the final period as the Flyers swept the two-game season series with the Blackhawks by a combined 8-2 margin.
Tommy Berry has voiced his strong interest in riding the upwardly mobile stayer Soul Of Spain in the Sydney Cup, actively seeking the partnership and committing long-term through the autumn series.
This decision is paying dividends already, with the Chris Waller-conditioned gelding even-money favourite alongside others for April’s two-mile prize, and presenting a viable upset possibility in Saturday’s elite weight-for-age Tancred Stakes (2400m) at Rosehill.
The previous Irish raider emerged prominently in spring via successive confidence-building wins in Queensland, followed by a win in the Newcastle Cup (2300m) and second spot in the Metropolitan (2400m).
He has turned heads with powerful late surges at his latest two starts, placing sixth to champion Autumn Glow second-up in February’s Verry Elleegant Stakes (1600m), then runner-up to Vauban alone in the March 14 Sky High Stakes (2000m).
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Berry remains excited by the gelding’s displays and indicates the Tancred Stakes weights could be challenging, yet the rise to 2400m will favour Soul Of Spain en route to richer targets.
“Obviously, the step up to 2400 metres is going to suit on the way to a Sydney Cup . . . although, he’s got to meet some pretty handy horses at around the same weight,” Berry said.
“Last ‘prep’ he was doing things on raw ability when he was coming through the grades, but he is a lot more seasoned.
“Chris Waller got to travel him a little bit last preparation, up in Queensland and back to Sydney, and usually that’s very good for stayers. He has come back a more professional racehorse, and he’s got a really good turn of speed.”
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A Tancred Stakes triumph would be gratifying according to Berry, but he deems the fixture ideal seasoning for Soul Of Spain’s Sydney Cup campaign, as the five-year-old benefits from dropping to 53.5kg from 59kg in the weight-for-age race on Saturday for the handicap.
“He’s ready to take the next step and Chris always uses a method getting to his grand finals, and the race on Saturday is one he’s used previously to get his better horses to a Sydney Cup,” he said.
Discover betting sites with the best racing odds for the Sydney Cup.
One of AEW’s top stars, MJF, took aim at a former WWE World Champion on social media recently after the latter critiqued his performance on Dynamite. Now, the self-proclaimed generational talent is officially scheduled to face off with the talent in question, Nic Nemeth (fka Dolph Ziggler).
For some time now, seeds were being planted for a potential showdown between Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Nic Nemeth, especially after The Wolf of Wrestling issued a public challenge to the “Most Wanted Man” to lock horns with him in an AEW World Title match this past January. Following on the heels of Wednesday Night Dynamite this week, the erstwhile Dolph Ziggler offered some words of criticism to Friedman while appearing on Busted Open. This prompted MJF to explosively lash out at the ex-WWE superstar, going so far as to call the latter an “overhyped” mid-carder.
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It appears that a showdown between the AEW Men’s World Champion and the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is finally set to take place. The matchup will go down at Create A Pro Monumental Moment on May 1, at Melville, New York.
“. @Myers_Wrestling just hit me up and said this clowns down to throw hands. See ya there Nicky.” – posted MJF on X/Twitter.
This will seemingly be the first-ever in-ring singles encounter between MJF and the “Show-Off”.
MJF has a massive AEW title match scheduled for next month
Maxwell Jacob Friedman survived one of the biggest threats to his current World Title reign earlier this month at Revolution 2026, where he managed to retain his belt against Hangman Page in a Texas Death Match, and managed to lock him out of the World Championship picture as per the challenger’s own stipulation.
As he was celebrating his victory over The Cowboy this week on AEW Dynamite, The Salt of The Earth was interrupted and confronted by Kenny Omega, who earlier that night had become the new #1 contender for the “Triple B” by beating Swerve Strickland. The two stars exchanged words, leading to a World Title match between them being scheduled for Dynasty 2026.
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Match graphic for Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs Kenny Omega at Dynasty (Image via X @WrestlePurists)
It remains to be seen whether the so-called “God of Pro-Wrestling” will be able to dethrone The Devil this coming month.
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Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who turned 15 today, is already being counted among the most destructive hitters in Indian cricket and the Indian Premier League. His stunning 35-ball century in last season’s tournament was just the beginning, as he has continued to produce big runs and impactful innings across levels over the past year.Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise saw him make his India A debut towards the end of 2025, featuring in the ACC Rising Stars Asia Cup under the leadership of Jitesh Sharma. The tournament provided him early exposure to a senior dressing room, allowing him to interact with players on the fringes of the national side and further underlining his immense potential.
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RCB’s big changes ahead of IPL: New rules, tribute & squad update
Speaking on Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast, Jitesh shared insights into the youngster’s journey and the bond they developed, both during their India A stint and from Sooryavanshi’s time at the Rajasthan Royals academy near Nagpur.“Today he told me, bhaiya if you say something about me then watch out,” joked Jitesh. “Very cute boy. He used to come to Talegaon for practice, where RR’s academy is. That’s where I got to know him, then we went to play in Qatar, where I was captain, so that’s where we made our bond.”When asked about the source of Sooryavanshi’s remarkable hitting power, Jitesh pointed to his natural strength, particularly his wrists.“It’s all natural power, he’s very strong. His wrists are bigger than my wrists – I gave him my watch to wear and it was tight for him,” he said, highlighting the physical attributes behind the youngster’s explosive batting.“Chhota Hulk hai woh (he’s baby Hulk),” Jitesh added, drawing a comparison to the iconic Marvel character. The description fits, considering Sooryavanshi smashed 11 sixes during his IPL hundred and has consistently relied on big hitting to dominate bowlers.Jitesh also revealed the fear factor the youngster has already created among bowlers in the nets.“He swings his bat so hard that the bowler is afraid that if he hits it straight, he might die. RR’s nets bowlers, I know them, they say that they don’t pitch the ball up because he can hit it straight back. So they bowl short balls to have him hit it away from them,” he explained.With Sanju Samson no longer in the setup, Sooryavanshi is set to take up a regular role at the top of the order for Rajasthan Royals. He will be part of a youthful batting unit featuring Yashasvi Jaiswal and captain Riyan Parag, both of whom understand the pressures of performing early in their careers.“He’s created that fear. He’s like Nicholas Pooran, lefty-lefty, very hard hitter. You have the fear that he can hit you,” said Jitesh, comparing him to Nicholas Pooran. “And Nicholas also listens to Hindi songs,” he added humorously.Turning 15 just a day before IPL 2026 begins, Sooryavanshi heads into his second season with massive expectations. Oppositions are likely to come prepared with specific plans, targeting him with short balls, slower deliveries and wider lines. How the young batter from Bihar adapts to these challenges could shape the impact he makes in the upcoming season.
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – MARCH 26: Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates against Francis Tiafoe of the United States during the Men’s Singles Quarterfinals on Day 10 of the Miami Open Presented by Itau at Hard Rock Stadium on March 26, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
Jannik Sinner delivered another ruthless performance at the Miami Open 2026, defeating Frances Tiafoe 6–2, 6–2 to reach the semifinals.
It was controlled from start to finish.
The win sees Sinner continue a remarkable run: 15 consecutive wins in Masters 1000 events 30 consecutive sets won in Masters events (record) 10 consecutive wins overall 32 wins in his last 34 matches
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He also reaches: his 15th Masters 1000 semifinal his 4th Miami semifinal his 10th consecutive win in Miami
After the match, Sinner pointed to his fast start as the difference:
“I feel like starting the match is very important. When you start with a breakup it gives you slightly good confidence.”
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“I try to stay as compact as possible with my shots, also mentally.”
“I try to be very calm, taking the chances I can get. I think today that was the key.”
The Italian continues to make history: First man to win 14 consecutive matches at the Sunshine Double without dropping a set Reached the semifinals or better in 4 of his first 5 Miami appearances
Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) have raked in billion-dollar valuations, opening a window into how the cash-rich league has evolved from a cricket tournament into a tightly held sports-media economy.
This raises the question about how IPL teams are valued and whether these valuations are justified.
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What does valuation mean in IPL’s context?
To understand how valuation is done, let’s first understand the difference between sale price, business value and brand value. A sale price is what a buyer agrees to pay at a point in time. A business valuation, by contrast, is an estimate of what the franchise should be worth based on expected future cash flows. Brand value is narrower still – it captures the worth of the name, identity and goodwill, but not the full business.
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Houlihan Lokey’s 2025 ‘IPL Valuation Study’ defines this distinction. It says brand value is embedded within business value, not equal to it. That is why a brand estimate and a sale price can sit far apart without either being “wrong”.
The report valued RCB’s brand at $269 million and Rajasthan Royals’ at $146 million in 2025. RCPL’s revenue was ₹504 crore in FY25.
Santosh N, managing partner at D&P Advisory, says the reported franchise prices are “at a significant premium to intrinsic value”. If annual revenue for an IPL team is roughly ₹700 crore to ₹800 crore, or under $80 million, then valuations of $1.6 billion to $1.8 billion imply revenue multiples of around 20x to 22x.
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How are IPL teams valued?
The main financial method is discounted cash flow, or DCF. Houlihan Lokey says its IPL business valuation primarily hinges on the income approach, specifically DCF, which estimates the present value of projected future cash flows and terminal value discounted back to today.
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For brand valuation, it uses the relief-from-royalty method, which estimates what a franchise would have had to pay to license its own brand if it did not own it. The methodology explicitly considers the role of marquee players such as Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, along with the importance of the brand to sponsors, advertisers and fans.
Why media rights matter most
The biggest anchor in any IPL valuation is the central revenue pool, especially broadcasting and league sponsorships. The Houlihan Lokey report says top franchises generate around ₹650 crore to ₹700 crore in annual revenue, with up to 80 per cent visibility secured before the tournament begins, helped by long-term media rights and front-loaded sponsorship deals.
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According to Santosh, around 70 to 75 per cent of franchise revenue comes from the central pool, with only about a quarter coming from team-level sources such as sponsorships, ticket sales and merchandising. Of that central pool, he said, each team gets about ₹500 crore a year from the BCCI and around 70 to 80 per cent of that comes from broadcasting.
This is also why IPL teams are increasingly viewed less as conventional cricket clubs and more as scarce media-linked assets. When media-rights expectations rise, franchise values tend to rise with them.
But Santosh also flags a constraint. The broadcasting market has consolidated, mainly by JioHotstar, making it harder to assume a sharp rise in rights values in the next cycle. “So it is difficult to argue that team revenues will rise 30 or 40 per cent, or even 20 to 30 per cent, in the near term. That is why, from a pure valuation standpoint, these numbers are hard to justify,” he says.
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What makes IPL teams valuable
The central pool sets a floor. Team-level strengths then determine the premium.
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Fan base is one factor. A large, nationwide and digitally active audience improves sponsor pull, merchandise potential and pricing power. Another factor is sponsor quality. Teams that consistently attract blue-chip partners are seen as stronger businesses, not just louder brands.
Houlihan Lokey’s study also argues that IPL franchises benefit from an asset-light structure, salary-cap discipline and low fixed-asset exposure compared with many global sports teams.
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Scarcity matters too. There are only 10 IPL teams, and not all are realistically available for sale. “Out of 10 teams, maybe only one or two are realistically open to investment or sale. When many investors chase very few assets, premiums rise sharply,” says Santosh.
Why RCB’s valuation is not much higher than RR’s
The sale of both RCB and RR begs another question: why is the valuation of a popular franchise like RCB not significantly higher than that of RR?
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On one hand, RCB boasts one of the league’s biggest fan bases, mainly driven by Virat Kohli’s stardom, a premium Bengaluru market and strong sponsor appeal. RR, on the other hand, never had a marquee player like Kohli, or boasts of a die-hard fanbase.
Santosh says that even though there is a gulf between the brand values of both teams, their revenues may still be nearly the same.
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“Each franchise gets around ₹500 crore from the BCCI’s central pool, regardless of whether it is at the top or bottom of the table. Team-owned revenue is typically in the ₹200 crore to ₹300 crore range. A team like RR may generate around ₹220 crore on its own, while RCB may generate ₹270 crore to ₹300 crore. So the overall revenue gap remains modest,” he says.
On star power, Santosh says the Kohli effect on RCB should be viewed with caution. “Virat Kohli adds value, but RCB has not yet been able to monetise that value at a dramatically higher level,” he said.
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What are the risks behind these valuations?
The bull case is not without caveats. Santosh identifies three major risks:
Media consolidation could weaken future bidding intensity for IPL rights.
Regulatory or policy action affecting key advertiser categories could hurt broadcaster economics and reduce future rights aggression.
Some investors may be building in aggressive assumptions about a much longer IPL window, which remains uncertain because it depends on player availability, support from other cricket boards and sustained viewer appetite.
Why buyers may still pay up
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Santosh says that these assets are not being bought like hold-forever dividend plays. “These (teams) are like trophy assets. For many investors, especially ultra-rich individuals and strategic buyers, the appeal may go beyond return on investment. Ownership brings status, access, visibility and proximity to the worlds of sport, entertainment and business,” he says.
The second reason is the exit value. According to Santosh, investors may believe that five or six years from now, demand for these assets will remain strong and someone else will be willing to pay $2.5 billion or $3 billion. In that case, their return comes from capital appreciation, not operating cash flow.
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“So this is not a hold-forever, collect-dividends investment. It is more likely a prestige asset plus a bet on future resale at a higher price,” he says.
During the Hoosiers’ title run, Cignetti became known for his demanding coaching style. Indiana opened spring practice Thursday, and incoming transfer wide receiver Nick Marsh got a crash course in what it means to play for Cignetti.
Marsh, who transferred from Michigan State, arrived at practice in gold cleats. After noting Marsh’s productive two-year stint in East Lansing, Cignetti pivoted to the wideout’s footwear.
Nick Marsh (6) of the Michigan State Spartans runs the ball up the field during the first quarter of a game against the Maryland Terrapins at Ford Field Nov. 29, 2025, in Detroit. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
“I didn’t love those gold shoes he came out in today,” Cignetti said. “He learned what getting your a– ripped is all about. I don’t know if that happened to him very often at Michigan State. That was before practice started.”
Marsh totaled 1,311 receiving yards and nine touchdowns at Michigan State. TCU quarterback Josh Hoover also headlines Indiana’s transfer additions.
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An Indiana Hoosiers helmet during a game against the Ball State Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium Aug. 31, 2019, in Indianapolis.(Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Cignetti added that the coaching staff has “more work to do with this group than the first two teams,” noting the group is still learning more about players the team will likely rely on next season.
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti during the second quarter against the Miami Hurricanes in the 2026 College Football Playoff national championship at Hard Rock Stadium Jan. 19, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla.(Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Indiana went 16-0 en route to a thrilling win over Miami in the College Football Playoff national championship in January.
Wardley became world champion after being elevated from interim status in December, and he will be looking to continue the form that saw him claim stoppage victories over Joseph Parker and Justis Huni last year.
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As for Dubois, he is attempting to earn world honours once again after losing his IBF title to Oleksandr Usyk in July 2025, though he famously secured a knockout win against Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in September 2024.
Usyk is likely to be an interested spectator for the Wardley vs. Dubois showdown, after revealing his intentions to potentially take on the winner in the near future, though for now the British duo will firmly have their sights set on one another.
More fights for the card in May have been revealed, with the most notable seeing American heavyweight Jared Anderson compete for the first time since signing with Queensberry, making his UK debut when he meets former English champion Solomon Dacres.
Elsewhere, unbeaten hopeful Jack Rafferty is set to move up a division and face Ekow Essuman in a welterweight contest, while Liam Cameron and former European champion Brad Rea meet in a light heavyweight bout.
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Rounding up the list of fights announced, unbeaten Khaleel Majid faces ex-British and Commonwealth lightweight champion Gavin Gwynne.
The third-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini take on the second-seeded Houston Cougars in a 2026 NCAA Tournament South Region Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday. Illinois is coming off a 76-55-88 last-second victory over VCU on Saturday in the second round, while Houston defeated Texas A&M 88-57 on Saturday. The Illini (26-8), who finished in second place in a three-way tie in the Big 10 Conference, have won four of the last five games. The Cougars (30-6), who came in second in the Big 12, have also won four of five games.
Tipoff from Toyota Center in Houston is set for 10:05 p.m. ET. The all-time series is split 3-3 as the programs meet for the first time since 2022. The Cougars are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Illinois vs. Houston odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 139.5. The Coogs are at -141 on the money line (risk $141 to win $100). Before making any Houston vs. Illinois picks, check out the Illinois vs Houston predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 Sweet 16 on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks.
After 10,000 simulations of Illinois vs. Houston, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (139.5 points). The total has gone Over in three of Illinois last four games. Houston’s last game also came in Over the total. The Illini are 10-2 straight up in their last 12 games played on a Thursday.
The model projects the Illini to have four players score 12 points or more, including Keaton Wagler, who is projected to score 15.7 points. The Cougars are projected to have three players score 12 points or more, led by Emanuel Sharp, who is projected to score 16.2 points. The model is projecting 149 combined points as the Over clears in 74.3% of simulations. You can get the spread pick at SportsLine.
How to make Illinois vs. Houston picks
Now, the model simulated every possession of Illinois vs. Houston 10,000 times and says one side of the spread hits in over 50% of simulations. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.
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