Sports
Top 25 roundup: 12-win Marquette downs No. 4 UConn in stunner
Mar 7, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Silas Demary Jr. (2) shoots against Marquette Golden Eagles forward Ben Gold (12) during the first half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Ben Gold prevented Silas Demary Jr. from hitting a game-tying basket with 2 seconds remaining and host Marquette upset No. 4 UConn 68-62 on Saturday in Milwaukee.
Nigel James Jr. led the Golden Eagles (12-19, 7-13 Big East) with 19 points before Gold made the defensive play of the game and prevented the Huskies from getting a share of the Big East regular-season title.
James missed a jumper with 14 seconds left and Jayden Ross seized the defensive rebound. Demary moved the ball up the floor and entered the paint, but he was met by Gold, who contested the jumper and was not called for a foul. The no-call angered UConn coach Danny Hurley, who was tossed by referee John Gaffney, and Chase Ross (14 points) hit four free throws with one second left to finish it.
Demary led the Huskies (27-4, 17-3) with 17 and Tarris Reed Jr. added 16, but the Huskies endured a woeful shooting day, finishing at 35.6%. UConn made just 3 of 24 three-pointers as Braylon Mullins and Alex Karaban were a combined 1 of 15 from behind the arc and 4 of 21 overall.
No. 1 Duke 76, No. 17 North Carolina 61
Cameron Boozer scored 26 points and grabbed 15 rebounds as the Blue Devils rolled over the Tar Heels in the second half of a home victory to avenge their only Atlantic Coast Conference loss at Durham, N.C.
Maliq Brown racked up 15 points and Isaiah Evans had 11 for Duke (29-2, 17-1 ACC), which was saddled with some makeshift lineups because of injuries that could be concerning in the coming weeks. The Blue Devils, who also received 10 points from Dame Sarr, head to the ACC tournament with the top seed while riding an eight-game winning streak.
Derek Dixon’s 17 points were tops for North Carolina (24-7, 12-6), which will be the No. 4 seed in the ACC tournament. Henri Veesaar had nine of his 11 points in the first half, and Jarin Stevenson and Seth Trimble both scored 10 points.
No. 2 Arizona 89, Colorado 79
Freshmen Koa Peat and Brayden Burries combined for 56 points on 21-of-31 shooting from the field to lead the Wildcats past the Buffaloes at Boulder, Colo.
Arizona (29-2, 16-2 Big 12) set the program record for most wins in a regular season. Burries had 22 of his career-high 31 points in the second half and Peat finished with 25 points in the final regular-season game for both teams. The Wildcats shot a sizzling 70.4% from the field (19 of 27) in the second half.
Colorado’s Isaiah Johnson broke the program’s freshman scoring record, scoring a career-high 28 points to put him at 526. Alec Burks had the previous record of 512 points in 2009-10. Barrington Hargress had 13 points and Jalin Holland finished with 12 points and five rebounds for the Buffaloes (17-14, 7-11).
No. 5 Florida 84, Kentucky 77
Thomas Haugh had a team-high 20 points, nine rebounds and three steals, and the Gators closed out their Southeastern Conference regular season with their 11th straight win, holding off the Wildcats in Lexington, Ken.
Boogie Fland had 16 points and six assists, while Alex Condon posted 14 points, five rebounds and four assists for Florida (25-6, 16-2). Rueben Chinyelu produced 13 points and eight rebounds and Xaivian Lee posted 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Top scorer Otega Oweh notched 28 points and five rebounds for Kentucky (19-12, 10-8), which lost to the Gators for the third time in four meetings. Denzel Aberdeen had 15 points and five assists, but the Wildcats ended the SEC season in a 2-5 plummet.
No. 6 Iowa State 86, Arizona State 65
Tamin Lipsey, Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson scored 16 points apiece and the Cyclones dominated the middle 12 minutes of the second half on the way to a win over the Sun Devils in Ames, Iowa, in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Jamarion Bateman added 13 points and Dominykas Pleta had 11 for Iowa State (25-6, 12-6 Big 12), which clinched the fifth seed in the league tournament as well as a first-round bye.
Massamba Diop led Arizona State (16-15, 7-11) with 12 points while Anthony Johnson and Maurice Odum scored 10 each. The Wildcats finished 12th in the league and will play No. 13 seed Baylor in the first round on Tuesday in Kansas City. The winner of that game faces the Cyclones in the second round.
No. 7 Houston 82, Oklahoma State 75
Freshman reserve Chase McCarty scored a season-high 20 points and the Cougars rallied past the Cowboys to close out Big 12 regular-season play in Stillwater, Okla.
McCarty made 7 of 10 from the field, including a career-best 6 of 9 from deep and added four rebounds. Kingston Flemings had 13 points, nine assists and five rebounds as Houston (26-5, 14-4 Big 12) secured its second-place conference position. Joseph Tugler totaled 12 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals, and Milos Uzan and Emanuel Sharp had 11 points apiece.
Anthony Roy led Oklahoma State (18-13, 6-12) with 18 points, while Kanye Clary had 14 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jaylen Curry notched 13 points and six rebounds and Benjamin Ahmed scored 11. The Cowboys finished league play by dropping seven of nine games.
BYU 82, No. 10 Texas Tech 76
Robert Wright III scored 27 points, including 23 in the second half, to lift the Cougars to a win over the Red Raiders in Provo, Utah.
AJ Dybantsa had 21 points and Kennard Davis Jr. added 16 for the Cougars (21-10, 9-9 Big 12), who overcame a 13-point deficit. They will be the No. 10 seed in next week’s Big 12 tournament.
Texas Tech (22-9, 12-6) fell to a No. 4 seed in the conference tournament and received a double bye. Christian Anderson posted 23 points and nine assists and finished the regular season with a school-record 233 assists. Donovan Atwell also had 23 points and Jaylen Petty had 14.
No. 13 Virginia 76, Virginia Tech 72
Malik Thomas and Ugonna Onyenso each scored 16 points and the Cavaliers finished the regular season with a victory over the rival Hokies in ACC action in Charlottesville, Va.
The Virginia (27-4, 15-3) finished 16-1 at home in its first year under coach Ryan Odom and will be the No. 2 seed in next week’s ACC tournament in Charlotte, N.C. The Cavaliers have won 11 of their last 12 games. Sam Lewis added 15 points and Thijs De Ridder had 13 for Virginia, which never trailed.
Ben Hammond scored 21 points to lead Virginia Tech, which will need to make some noise in Charlotte to impress the NCAA Tournament selection committee. Amani Hansberry and Jailen Bedford each scored 12. No. 14 Kansas 104, Kansas State 85
Darryn Peterson poured in 27 points and Tre White knocked down five 3-pointers en route to a 23-point performance as the Jayhawks cruised to a home victory over the Wildcats in the Sunflower Showdown in Lawrence, Kan.
Kansas (22-9, 12-6 Big 12) closed the regular season with its 20th straight win over the Wildcats at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks ended a two-game skid as they’ll enter the postseason with high hopes.
K-State (12-19, 3-15) has lost four of its last five under interim coach Matthew Driscoll. P.J. Haggerty and Nate Johnson both finished with 21 points to lead the Wildcats. Wisconsin 97, No. 15 Purdue 93
John Blackwell scored 25 points to lead the sweet-shooting Badgers past the host Boilermakers in West Lafayette, Ind.
Nick Boyd had 23 points, Austin Rapp scored 17 and Aleksas Bieliauskas added 16 for Wisconsin (22-9, 14-6), which played without top big man Nolan Winter due to an ankle injury. The Badgers made a season-high 18 3-pointers while hitting 52.9% from 3-point range and 87.5% at the free-throw line.
Fletcher Loyer scored 23 points, Braden Smith had 20 points and Trey Kaufman-Renn added 17 points in the trio’s final game at Mackey Arena for Purdue (23-8, 13-7), which held a 34-22 rebounding advantage. The Boilers shot 11 of 25 from 3-point range and 34 of 67 overall. No. 16 Alabama 96, Auburn 84
Labaron Philon Jr. and Aden Holloway scored 21 points apiece as the Crimson Tide cruised to an easy home win over the Tigers at Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Amari Allen added 16 points, London Jemison scored 11 and Aiden Sherrell had 10 points and three blocked shots as Alabama (23-8, 13-5 SEC) won for the ninth time in 10 games. The Tide never trailed and led by as many as 28 while beating the Tigers for the sixth time in the past eight meetings.
In the teams’ regular-season finale, Kevin Overton scored 24 points for fading Auburn (16-15, 7-11), which lost for the eighth time in 10 games. Tahaad Pettiford added 19 points and four steals, Keyshawn Hall scored 13 points and Elyjah Freeman had 11 points for the Tigers. No. 20 Arkansas 88, Missouri 84 (OT)
Meleek Thomas shot 5-for-6 from 3-point range en route to scoring 28 points and John Calipari won his 900th career game as the Razorbacks edged the Tigers in overtime in Columbia, MO.
Arkansas (23-8, 13-5 SEC) won its regular-season finale despite not having Wooden Award finalist Darius Acuff Jr. on the court. The freshman sensation and leading scorer (22.2 points per game) for the Razorbacks sat out because of a nagging ankle injury. A 19-point, nine-rebound performance from Trevon Brazile and 17 points from Malique Ewin helped make up for Acuff’s absence.
Mark Mitchell went off for 32 points to lead the Tigers (20-11, 10-8). Trent Pierce scored 13 and Jayden Stone tallied 11. Louisville 92, No. 22 Miami 89
Adrian Wooley made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 18 seconds left as the visiting Cardinals defeated the Hurricanes in an ACC matchup in Coral Gables, Fla.
Louisville (22-9, 11-7) got double-figure scoring from Ryan Conwell (24 points), J’Vonne Hadley (16), Wooley (15) and Isaac McKneely (15) in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Miami (24-7, 13-5) finished tied for the most regular-season wins in program history. The Hurricanes had a three-game win streak snapped despite a game-high 25 points and six assists from Tre Donaldson. Donaldson, Malik Reneau (18 points) and Ernest Udeh Jr. (eight points, eight rebounds) were honored on Senior Day. No. 24 Vanderbilt 86, No. 23 Tennessee 82
Tyler Tanner scored 25 points, AK Okereke added 17 and Duke Miles scored 13 with four steals to lead the Commodores past the host Volunteers in Knoxville, Tenn.
Vanderbilt (24-7, 11-7 SEC) shot 52.9% from the floor, 50% from 3 and 84.4% from the line and never trailed. The Commodores avenged a four-point loss to Tennessee two Saturdays prior in Nashville and snapped the Vols’ eight-game home winning streak in the series.
Amari Evans had a career-high 24 for Tennessee (21-10, 11-7). J.P. Estrella had 20 points and 10 rebounds off the bench while Felix Okpara had eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Ja’Kobi Gillespie scored 17 and dished out four assists. George Mason 86, No. 25 Saint Louis 57
Jahari Long scored 21 points and handed out nine assists to spark the Patriots to an upset win over the Billikens in the Atlantic 10 Conference finale for both teams in Fairfax, Va.
Kory Mincy contributed 15 points, Nick Ellington had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Riley Allenspach tallied 13 points for George Mason (23-8, 11-7 A-10). Emmanuel Kanga also posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Dion Brown led Saint Louis (27-4, 15-3) with 13 points. The Billikens have a double bye into the quarterfinals as the No. 1 seed in next week’s conference tournament. –Field Level Media
Sports
Virgil van Dijk makes revealing admission over Liverpool’s season after FA Cup defeat: ‘It’s mentally very tough’
Virgil van Dijk has admitted it is “mentally very tough” for Liverpool after they were knocked out of the FA Cup as Manchester City thrashed them 4-0.
Liverpool go to Paris Saint-Germain for the Champions League quarter-final first leg this week with captain Van Dijk saying it will be hard to rouse them after they were left “very disappointed” by their poor display at the Etihad Stadium.
It was Liverpool’s 15th defeat of the campaign in all competitions and a downcast Van Dijk said that three-quarters of their season has been like this.
Asked if it was one of Liverpool’s most disappointing results and performances, he replied: “We’ve had a couple already this season. It’s mentally very tough at the moment, I must say.
“I’ve been there already many times this season when I’ve had hope and then we couldn’t build on performances. Today our second half, the intensity we didn’t match, the challenges we didn’t win, it was tough. To lose then 4-0 is tough.
“I am trying to think how we can turn it around but we have been going through this for almost 75 percent of the season. It definitely hurts me. So the focus is now on Paris away, but it’s tough. It will be a tough Sunday to digest it.”
Many of the Liverpool supporters left the Etihad Stadium long before the final whistle and Van Dijk did not blame them as he said sorry to them.
He added: “The fans were there to support us and I can only apologise to the fans for what we have shown, especially the second. I can understand the fans’ frustration as well.”
Four of the ever-present Championship sides since 2020-21 are also among the top six current second-tier clubs hardest hit by losses.
Bristol City (£111m), Preston (£84.4m), QPR (£82.9m) and Middlesbrough (£80.4m) have all failed to record a profit for five consecutive seasons – as have Derby, Millwall, Oxford, Portsmouth and Swansea.
Coventry City, who are on course to win promotion to the Premier League this season, have lost £29.5m in the past five years, while Ipswich Town are down £72.4m.
Maguire likened Championship owners striving for the top flight to “buying a EuroMillions ticket” with clubs chasing a TV deal worth £106m plus parachute payments in the Premier League compared to £12m in the second tier.
“If I’m a Championship owner, I know at the start of the season, in theory, I’ve got a one in eight chance of getting promoted,” he said, which is in turn causing owners to “act like the the bank of mum and dad”.
“They hand over money effectively unquestioningly, which is nominally a loan, but both parties know there is no chance of repayment.
“The owner of Stoke wrote off £90m, the Hemmings family in Preston put in £1m a month.
“And that now becomes the norm.”
Sports
RCB vs CSK LIVE Score, IPL 2026: Virat Kohli Out After Breaking Own Record, RCB One Down vs CSK
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Kanishk Chouhan, Venkatesh Iyer, Josh Hazlewood, Mangesh Yadav, Vihaan Malhotra, Vicky Ostwal, Jordan Cox, Swapnil Singh, Satvik Deswal
Chennai Super Kings Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Rahul Chahar, Matthew Short, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, MS Dhoni, Shreyas Gopal, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Urvil Patel, Aman Khan, Dewald Brevis, Zakary Foulkes.
Need to know
Caroline Dubois is set to face Terri Harper in the main event of a ten-fight card in London on Sunday as she puts her WBC title on the line
Caroline Dubois will take to the ring on Sunday evening(Image: Getty)
Everything you need to know as Caroline Dubois clashes with Terri Harper:
- Main Event Details: Caroline Dubois will face Terri Harper in a lightweight world title unification bout at the Olympia London in Kensington. Dubois defends her WBC lightweight title while Harper puts her WBO lightweight championship on the line.
- UK Broadcast Channel: Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the entire event live on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event. This card marks the debut of the “MVPW” series as part of a new exclusive broadcast partnership with Sky.
- US Viewing Platform: For audiences in the United States, the full card is available to stream live on ESPN+. American viewers can access both the preliminary bouts and the main card through the ESPN app on supported devices.
- Event Start Times: The live broadcast of the preliminary fights is scheduled to begin at 5pm. The main televised card is set to follow two hours later, starting at 7pm.
- Main Event Timing: Ring walks for the headline unification fight between Dubois and Harper are expected to take place at approximately 10pm This timing is subject to change based on the duration of the preceding undercard matches.
- The card includes an undisputed world title clash between Ellie Scotney and Mayelli Flores for the super bantamweight championship. Scotney defends her IBF, WBC, and WBO titles against Flores, who is the reigning WBA world champion.
- A third world title bout features former undisputed champion Chantelle Cameron moving up in weight to face Michaela Kotaskova. They will compete for the vacant WBO super welterweight world championship during the main broadcast.
- The early portion of the card includes a fourth world title fight between Irma Garcia and Emma Dolan. Garcia defends her IBF super flyweight title in a scheduled 10-round contest starting shortly after the 5pm broadcast begins.
- Former world champion Shannon Courtenay returns to action in a competitive bantamweight match against Sasha Booker. The undercard also features Elizabeth Oshoba facing Chelsey Arnell in a featherweight contest.
- Rounding out the 10-fight card are appearances by rising prospects Gemma Richardson, Chloe Watson, and several other developmental athletes. These bouts are designed to fill the opening hours of the Sky Sports and ESPN+ coverage.
- READ MORE BOXING NEWS: John Fury holds back tears over no longer speaking to son Tyson with relationship broken
Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora left it to the judges after twelve all-action rounds.
Many had predicted the fight – number 50 for both men – would end inside the distance, with Chisora backed to take advantage of what many assumed to be a faded Wilder, or Wilder to find his form and finish it with one of those famous right hands.
Though each man landed significantly, with Chisora testing Wilder’s chin via looping overhand rights and Wilder putting the Brit on the canvas on two occasions, the contest reached the final bell. The American won via split decision, with scores of 115-111 and 115-113 in his favour and one 115-112 for Chisora.
Speaking on the DAZN broadcast, WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley agreed that Wilder did enough to earn the nod.
“Deontay for me. Hard fight to score, it was a fight. It was a lot of what you like. But at the end of the day I do think the right man won.”
While Chisora – who believes he won the fight – may retire following the defeat, Wilder’s message was loud and clear – he intends to have another crack at the very top of the division. One route back to becoming champion would be against Wardley, who has often been likened to the American due to his own one-punch power.
If fans felt Wilder-Chisora was unlikely to go the distance, you would be hard pressed to find anyone at all betting on a fight with Wardley requiring the judges.
As ‘The Bronze Bomber’ now recovers from an injured, perhaps broken, hand, Wardley prepares for the first defence of his belt against Daniel Dubois next month.
There was a familiar presence on the touchline in a Liverpool FC game. Pep Lijnders belongs in a tradition of successful Liverpool assistant managers, even if his destiny, unlike those of Bob Paisley and Joe Fagan, was not to get the top job at Anfield.
Instead, Lijnders has, via an ill-fated spell in charge of RB Salzburg, traded a role as Jurgen Klopp’s sidekick for one as Pep Guardiola’s second-in-command. With the Catalan banned, he was in charge in the technical area as Liverpool crashed out of the FA Cup, beaten 4-0 by Manchester City. Lijnders had been on the winning side in these clubs’ previous FA Cup clash, too: Klopp’s team had been outstanding in the 3-2 semi-final win in 2022.
Lijnders coined one of the mottos of Klopp’s Liverpool: “Our identity is intensity”. A reason, perhaps, why the Dutchman has not succeeded as a manager in his own right is that such phrases sound more convincing when said by Klopp. But, in his time at Anfield, he wrote a book called Intensity. Unsurprisingly, it is out of stock in the Liverpool club shop now.
But Liverpool have lost their intensity in another respect. “Our second half, the intensity we didn’t match,” said a downcast Virgil van Dijk after his hopes of lifting the FA Cup this year ended. Klopp had called his team “mentality monsters”. On Saturday, Dominik Szoboszlai reflected: “The fighting spirit wasn’t there enough. The mentality wasn’t there enough.”
And if, over eight-and-a-half years under Klopp, Liverpool were not always mentality monsters, or intense, or playing heavy-metal football, there is the sense they have lost their identity now. That they have lost 15 games this season, their most in a campaign since 2014-15 culminated in a 6-1 thrashing at Stoke, shows they are not as hard to beat. They have lost to late goals too often this year, but there have also been too many emphatic defeats. This was a fifth by at least three goals. Each, in its own way, has been a limp, lame loss.
There are times when Arne Slot’s Liverpool lose their way in games even before they lose them. It is not entirely his fault, but it raises the question of what Slotball actually is. It had seemed a hugely efficient tweak, rendering Klopp’s football calmer, more efficient, more effective. Yet Arne Slot won a Premier League title with players he inherited, rather than those purchased on his watch.
This year, Liverpool – apart from when they score their own late winners – have tended to lack the visceral excitement Klopp’s football offered. Slot can sound like a man dreaming of a different time when he complains about low blocks and set-pieces. A broader failing – again, not entirely his – is that Liverpool are not intense enough.
They have contrived to spend £450m and yet look short on players, rendering it harder to play high-speed football when the overworked know they have to manage their energy and Slot is forever substituting those he fears will get injured. On Saturday, Van Dijk conceded a fourth penalty of the campaign; but a man nearing his 35th birthday has already played 4,131 minutes for Liverpool and a further 675 for the Netherlands. Szoboszlai, at fault for Tottenham’s late equaliser three weeks ago – albeit when used out of position at right-back – is now up to 3,938, plus 717 for Hungary.
If there is one team ill-equipped to consistently play at the high speed Liverpool showed in their 4-0 win over Galatasaray, it may be them. They entered the season with too small a squad in which two young players, Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni, and two senior players, Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa, were never going to start much.
Add in three long-term injuries, to Giovanni Leoni, Alexander Isak and Conor Bradley, and Slot’s attempts to make sure that Jeremie Frimpong and Joe Gomez don’t break down and Liverpool look a team simply trying to survive, an exhausted group rather than one who can tire the opposition with their own running. They lack the pressing that was Klopp’s trademark: two of those who defended so energetically from the front were Luis Diaz and the late Diogo Jota, one sold, the other tragically killed.
Meanwhile, they have lost their efficiency. Slot bemoans missed chances and how other teams overperform their expected goals against Liverpool. Yet a side who have conceded 63 goals in all competitions have not been defensively tight enough. Much as Slot feels that, across the country, there are too few goals in open play, they were unlocked by the creativity in open play of City’s Rayan Cherki on Saturday.
Liverpool may have assumed that Florian Wirtz would have had a similar impact. But if they are not the creative team or the efficient side, the mentality monsters or the ones with the intense identity, what are they? And if there is not likely to be an answer to their identity crisis until next season, it would help if Slot could present a compelling vision of what his Liverpool should look like.
Novak Djokovic (PIC: X/@AustralianOpen)
Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Monte Carlo Masters after having skipped the Miami Open with a right shoulder injury.
“We send him our best wishes and hope to see him back on court very soon,” the clay-court tournament wrote Friday in announcing Djokovic’s withdrawal in an Instagram message.
The post didn’t specify the 38-year-old Djokovic’s reason for pulling out, but the 24-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t played since losing in three sets to Jack Draper in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open two weeks ago.
A year ago at Monte Carlo, Djokovic lost in the second round to Alejandro Tabilo.
Djokovic, ranked No. 3, has not commented on his social media channels about the withdrawal.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Mar 28 2026 | 3:36 PM IST
Ambassadorial’s form has surged since he entered the Melbourne Cup-winning yard run by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, with his latest highlight being a triumph in the Easter Cup (2000m) at Caulfield this Saturday.
Achieving a hat-trick of wins, the gelding sired by Fiorente registered his top achievement to date, winning at $4 favouritism for jockey Logan Bates, the apprentice.
The victor edged Sea What I See ($6) by 1½ lengths, leaving Immediacy ($17) a mere short half-head adrift in the runner-up position? No, third.
“A big thank-you to Anne Peacock and Jane Chapple-Hyam for sending us the horse and giving him the opportunity with us,” Tony McEvoy said.
“He’s been such a pleasure (to train). There will be no problem rehoming him as everyone in the stable just adores him.
“He’s such a gentleman and what a magnificent racing pattern he has.
“He’s gone from strength to strength.”
McEvoy joked that part of the gelding’s improvement had come from a change in approach.
“We’ve decided not to train him,” he said.
“We’re still charging training fees – I hope Jane didn’t hear that, but we’re keeping him really fresh.
“He’s a very light-fleshed, athletic horse and doesn’t require a lot and if you look at his CV, he has been with trainers that do train them, so we decided to make a change.”
Trained earlier by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, and subsequently by Alex Rae, the horse now has three successes and two podium finishes from five efforts with the McEvoys.
Plans call for testing his staying ability, positioning the Mornington Cup (2400m) on April 18 as a key upcoming race.
“He’s a gelding, he’s perfectly sound and he’s in rare form,” McEvoy said.
“What we need to know is whether he runs a mile-and-a-half. If he does that, it opens a brand-new chapter for him.”
The stable sealed a memorable card with a double as Rue De Royale took the Geoff Murphy Handicap (1200m).
Following that, a tilt at the Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville next month is under consideration for the winner.
Keep tabs on Ambassadorial’s staying prospects and compare betting sites offering the keenest markets for the Easter Cup.
By now, NFL free agency is about a month old, and all attention among fans and front offices has fixated on the draft, which is about two and a half weeks away. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings have six free agents from the 2025 roster who remain in limbo.
A few former Vikings from last season are still waiting for their next NFL opportunity.
This happens every offseason, so consider this the 2026 edition.
Familiar Ex-Vikings Names Remain on the Market for Now
Needing employment, these are six Vikings from last year’s roster still hunting.
Brett Rypien (QB)
Rypien’s situation is a stark contrast to last year, when he was the Vikings’ QB2 during the offseason. Now that the Vikings are pursuing other quarterbacks, Rypien will likely seek opportunities elsewhere. He realistically projects as a QB3 or QB4, where his experience and backup capabilities would be valuable.
For the Vikings, it’s Kyler Murray, J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer instead.
Fabian Moreau (CB)
Moreau provided quietly effective, albeit largely unnoticed, play for the Vikings in 2025. As a veteran corner, he capably handled his assignments, holding opponents to an impressive 54.2 passer rating in 11 games, a noteworthy figure for a CB3. Given their need for reliable depth at the position,
Minnesota would benefit from re-signing him as CB4 insurance. A reunion feels mutually beneficial. Stay tuned.
Harrison Smith (S)
Although the Vikings officially released Smith last month, his career in Minnesota may not be over. He was re-energized at the end of 2025, playing his best ball in December and January.
The Vikings will open him back with open arms if he’s not ready for retirement. The prospect of the Vikings contending in 2026 with Kyler Murray while Smith is absent feels incongruous. What if they won the Super Bowl without him? Should send shivers down your spine.
The Viking Age‘s Adam Patrick noted on Smith last month, “It seems safe to assume that if Smith comes back for the 2026 season, it will be in a Minnesota uniform and not with another team. The All-Pro defender has spent his entire NFL career with the Vikings, and there haven’t been any indications that he would want to join another franchise.”
“What are the chances of Smith returning for another season in Minnesota? Well, Brian Flores remaining the Vikings’ defensive coordinator for at least another year doesn’t hurt. Smith has expressed multiple times in the past how much he loves playing in Flores’ defense, and Minnesota’s defensive play-caller would obviously love to have his top safety back on the field in 2026.”
Jeff Okudah (CB)
Okudah struggled to find his footing in Minnesota. Injuries hampered his performance, and opponents frequently targeted him with success.
His career has veered significantly from the high expectations that accompanied him as a top three draft pick in 2020. The consistent talent that made him a coveted prospect has been elusive, giving the Vikings little incentive to re-sign him.
His career may be on the verge of irrelevance.
John Wolford (QB)
Wolford served as the emergency quarterback last season, providing a veteran option during periods of injury and roster instability. While valuable in the short term, this role rarely offers long-term security. As Minnesota moves in a different direction in 2026, Wolford will likely seek practice squad opportunities or emergency depth roles with another team.
Justin Skule (LT)
Skule presented a compelling case for re-signing early in the offseason. Given Christian Darrisaw’s recovery from a significant knee injury and the unpredictable nature of offensive line recoveries, tackle depth is crucial. Furthermore, Brian O’Neill’s age underscores the need.
Skule provided solid snaps for the Vikings in 2025, demonstrating the reliability and composure expected of a swing tackle. But Minnesota signed Ryan Van Demark from the Buffalo Bills, effectively ruling out a Skule contract.
Our Kyle Joudry wrote about Skule two weeks ago, “In saying ‘yes’ to OT Ryan Van Demark, the Vikings seem to be saying ‘no’ to OT Justin Skule. The decision is to move on, at least if the expected occurs. In fairness, the decision to say goodbye to Justin Skule isn’t totally shocking.”
“At any point, Minnesota could have re-signed him in January, February, or the early portion of March since he was an in-house employee. And then there was Kwesi Adofo-Mensah seemingly tipping the team’s hand, publicly explaining (before being fired) that the team would look to improve at OT3.”
Matt Nelson (LT)
Nelson represents the type of roster depth typically considered when planning the practice squad. His quiet presence in free agency reflects the league’s perception of his limited role. While not without value, his opportunities are restricted, and he appears destined to remain on the fringes of rosters.
Minnesota, in theory, could sign him as a depth guy after the draft.
The par-4 5th hole, which also works right to left off the tee, ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of approach shot difficulty for right-handed players, with the 9th-toughest green in regulation rate since 2015. For lefties, it ranks 5th-toughest, yielding a GIR rate 4.1% lower than their right-handed counterparts.
;)
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The par-4 10th hole produces the largest green in regulation rate advantage for left-handed players. Since 2015, lefties have hit the green about 6% more often than righties.
On the famed par-3 12th, left-handed players make birdie 4% more often than righties, and the left-handed scoring average is 0.13 strokes lower than it is for righties (the second-largest advantage on the course).
No single hole has generated a larger statistical advantage for lefties than the hard dogleg-left par-5 13th. Since 2015, left-handed players have hit the 13th fairway 82% of the time, or 11.4% more than the field average. That has led to a birdie or better rate 11.5% higher for lefties than the rest of the field. The memories match the math: think of some of the incredible shots Mickelson and Watson have hit at 13.
;)
getty images
The par-3 16th generates the largest disparity of green in regulation rate on the course. Since 2015, right-handed players hit the green in regulation at Redbud about 75% of the time. For lefties, that rate is 11% lower. A stock right-handed fade at 16 requires moving the ball over the water that sits left of the green. This wide differential suggests that righties are more prone to a conservative approach there (find the middle of the green) while lefties take on more risk (attacking the pin).
While Augusta National’s par-4 18th moves slightly left to right, lefties have a slightly higher fairway hit rate (+2.3%), green in regulation rate (+2.8%) and birdie or better rate (+0.9%) than right-handed players. Hole shape isn’t the only determining factor in these statistical differences, but it is inarguably the biggest one.
Conclusion
In broad strokes, the stats indicate that left-handed players in the Masters do not have a meaningful advantage over righties. But the course does ask different questions of the players depending on what side of the ball they stand — and in several key spots, the numbers tell you, it’s much more comfortable to be on the left side.
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