By Nick Bartlett, SuperWest Sports
Sports
Hot Streak Could Keep Matadors Dancing in March
Cal State Northridge is making a run in the Big West, and people might need to start paying attention.
Last week, I focused on UC Irvine and Hawai’i. This week, I zero in on the Matadors ahead of their home game on Thursday against the Anteaters.
I know there are a million things to do in L.A., but attending a CSUN game is becoming one of the better choices for basketball aficionados.
The Run and the Three-Headed Monster
On January 24th, CSUN was 11-10 and had lost three in a row, after Hawaii decimated them by 21 points.
Their season felt over.
One month later, the Matadors are 18-10, having won seven in a row, including recent victories over two of the league’s top teams to move into a three-way tie at the top of the conference.
What’s the flavor?
The biggest takeaway from their box scores is that multiple players can get jiggy with it.
During the Matadors’ seven-game winning streak, they’ve had two different players score at least 30 points in a game, and three with 20.
Josiah Davis scored 31 in an overtime victory over Santa Barbara last Thursday, and Larry Hughes II had 32 against Cal Poly on February 5th.
Mahmoud Fofana also had back-to-back 22-point games entering 2026.
This three-headed monster on offense has proven too much for opponents during this streak. Davis, Hughes II, and Fofana have combined for at least 78 points in their last seven contests.
Hughes II leads the team, averaging 18.2 points per game, while shooting 42 percent from beyond the arc.
CSUN’s dramatic run could probably have been predicted after they went on a seven-game run last year, around the same time.
But the Matadors lost number eight to UC San Diego last season, and faltered down the stretch, losing their first game in both the Big West and NIT tournaments.
Now, just like last year, they have a chance to host a top team at Premier America Credit Union Arena.
But the outcome remains unwritten.
Head Coach Andy Newman a Proven Winner
Andy Newman has instantly turned California State Northridge into a contender. Before his arrival, the Matadors hadn’t had a winning campaign since 2008-09.
Newman’s fast-paced offense has brought the Matadors to life
He’s also bringing wins to the Valley. CSUN is on pace for 20 dubs this year, having grabbed 22 a season ago, and 19 in his inaugural campaign.
The key to the Matadors’ success this season has been their dynamic offense, which ranks 59th in the nation in points per game.
But this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Newman promised to bring “an exciting, fast paced, team-oriented style of basketball back to the valley” when he was hired, and to do it “by lighting up the scoreboard and competing for championships.”
He has done just that.
Before Cal State Northridge, he won everywhere he coached, bringing a 206-98 record to Northridge.
He was already known within Big West circles after serving as an assistant coach at Cal State Fullerton for 10 years.
Newman was also an interim Head Coach for the Titans in 2012-13, when CSUF had the best offense in the conference.
He led Cal State Northridge to the First Round of the NIT last year. This season, if they keep winning, the Matadors could find themselves in the NCAA Tournament.
Writes about football and basketball as a Senior Writer and hosts “The Nick Bartlett Show” for SuperWest Sports.
Latest posts by Nick Bartlett (see all)
Continue Reading
YMCA member Austin Manengu works the keyboard as he plays a game of Fortnite during the unveiling of the new gaming lab at the Maplewood Family YMCA in Rochester Thursday, June 20, 2024. YMCA of Greater Rochester in partnership with Metro Sports & Entertainment Group will open two gaming labs for youth and teens this year. Team Vitality, The MongolZ and Team Spirit finished off sweeps in their respective upper-bracket quarterfinals to open Group B play of the BLAST Open Spring on Thursday in Copenhagen, Denmark.
PARAVISION also won its opening match to remain in the winner’s bracket. 9z Team, MOUZ, Team Liquid and Ninjas in Pyjamas each lost their opening matches and will face elimination on Saturday.
The 16 teams in the $400,000 Counter-Strike: Global Offensive event were split into two groups of eight that will contest a pair of double-elimination brackets. The top three finishers in each bracket will advance to the six-team playoffs. All matches will be best-of-three until the best-of-five grand final on March 29.
The winning team will earn $150,000 along with three BLAST Frequent Flyer tokens.
Team Vitality cruised to a sweep of 9z Team with a 13-3 win on Overpass and a 13-5 victory on Nuke. Mathieu “ZywOo” Herbaut of France led the way for Vitality with a 37-15-22 kill-death-assist ratio.
The MongolZ took care of business against MOUZ, posting a 13-11 victory on Nuke followed by a 13-3 triumph on Inferno. For the all-Mongolian winners, Sodbayar “Techno” Munkhbold sparked the victory with a K-D-A ratio of 42-24-18.
Team Spirit had to work a little more to earn the sweep, taking down Team Liquid 13-8 on Mirage and 13-11 on Ancient. Russian Danil “donk” Kryshkovets was the star for the winners, notching a K-D-A ratio of 55-31-24.
PARAVISION opened with a 13-11 win on Ancient, but Ninjas in Pyjamas pulled even on Mirage with a 13-6 victory. In the decisive third map, PARAVISION rebounded to close out the match 13-8 on Dust II.
For the all-Russian PARAVISION squad, Ivan “zweih” Gogin posted a team-high 45 kills along with 45 deaths, while teammate Andrey “BELCHONOKK” Yasinskiy notched a K-D-A ratio of 43-41-2.
Friday’s schedule:
FURIA vs. Aurora Gaming (Group A upper-bracket semifinal)
Natus Vincere vs. Team Falcons (Group A upper-bracket semifinal) TYLOO vs. FaZe Clan (Group A lower-bracket quarterfinal)
B8 vs. NRG (Group A lower-bracket quarterfinal)
BLAST Open Spring prize pool (cash prize, BLAST Frequent Flyer tokens)
1. $150,000, 3 2. $60,000, 1
3-4. $40,000, 1
5-6. $20,000, 1
7-8. $10,000 9-12. $7,500
13-16. $5,000
–Field Level Media
Iowa State Cyclones’ guard Jada Williams (8) shoots the ball over Southern Lady Jaguars forward DeMya Porter (24) during the third quarter on Nov. 5, 2025, at Hilton Coliseum, Ames. Jaylia Reed scored 16 points and DeMya Carter contributed 15 on Thursday night as Southern went on a game-ending 14-2 run to subdue Samford 65-53 in an Women’s NCAA Tournament First Four matchup in Columbia, S.C.
The game was tied at 51 with 6:59 left after Carla Baguda hit a layup for the Bulldogs. But Reed canned a 3-pointer on the next possession, and the Jaguars never looked back. Samford went scoreless for 4:42 during the clinching spurt.
Jocelyn Tate added 10 for Southern (20-13), which shot just 39.7% from the field but made up for it by forcing 19 turnovers and converting those into 20 points. The Jaguars advance as a No. 16 seed to meet top-seeded South Carolina on Saturday in a Sacramento 4 Region game at Columbia.
Briana Rivera scored a game-high 16 points for the Bulldogs (16-19), who won eight of their previous 10 games, including all three in the Southern Conference tournament. –Field Level Media
Sports
Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State prediction, odds, spread, time: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model
The No. 3 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs will try to kickstart another deep NCAA Tournament run when they face the No. 14 seed Kennesaw State owls in the first round of the Big Dance on Thursday night. Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles in its final season in the conference. Kennesaw State had a mediocre regular season, but it won the Conference USA Tournament title to earn an automatic bid. These schools are meeting for the first time ever.
Tipoff from the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., is at 10 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs are 20.5-point favorites in the latest Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State odds, with the over/under at 152.5, a 5-point drop since opening at 157.5. The Zags are at -5000 on the money line (risk $5,000 to win $100). Before making any Kennesaw State vs. Gonzaga picks, check out the men’s college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament 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. Anyone following its college basketball betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.
Now, the model has simulated Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted men’s college basketball picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several men’s college basketball odds and men’s college basketball betting lines for Kennesaw State vs. Gonzaga:
|
Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State spread: |
Gonzaga -20.5 |
|
Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State over/under: |
152.5 points |
|
Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State money line: |
Gonzaga -5000, Kennesaw State +1663 |
|
Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State picks: |
See picks at SportsLine |
|
Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State TV: |
TBS |
Top Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State predictions
After 10,000 simulations of Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (152.5 points). Gonzaga’s Graham Ike has scored the most career points (2,531) of any active player, and he has scored 17.7 points per game in six career NCAA Tournament games. He is averaging 23.4 points across his last 13 games, and the model has him finishing with 25.4 points in this matchup.
Teammate Braden Huff is sidelined with a knee injury, but the model has guard Tyon Grant-Foster scoring 15.2 points. Kennesaw State led Conference USA in scoring (83.4) and second-chance points per game (14.7) this season. The model has these teams combining for 159 points, as the Over hits in 61.8% of simulations.
How to make Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State picks
The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to back, all from the advanced model that has simulated this game 10,000 times, and find out.
“FIFA is looking forward to all teams participating at the World Cup to compete in a spirit of fair play and mutual respect,” Infantino said from Zurich during an online FIFA Council meeting.
“We have a schedule. We will soon have the 48 competing teams confirmed, and we want the World Cup to go ahead as scheduled.”
Iran‘s participation has been shrouded in doubt due to the conflict in the Middle East.
They are due to play group games in the United States, against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles and in Seattle against Egypt.
However, Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj indicated that as a result of the US-Israeli attacks on his country he wanted its matches moved to one of the other host nations — Canada and Mexico will host the World Cup with the United States.
“We will be preparing for the World Cup. We will boycott the United States but not the World Cup,” Taj said in the video released on Wednesday.
Iran’s football federation says it has opened talks with FIFA about potentially relocating its matches.
Read moreIran ‘negotiating’ with FIFA over moving World Cup games from US to Mexico
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Tuesday that her country is prepared to host Iran’s first-round matches if required.
“FIFA can’t solve geopolitical conflicts, but we are committed to using the power of football and the World Cup to build bridges and promote peace as our thoughts are with those who are suffering as a consequence of the ongoing wars,” added Infantino.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
This interview was first published in Golf Journal, a quarterly print publication exclusively for USGA Members. To be among the first to receive Golf Journal and to learn how you can ensure a strong future for the game, become a USGA Member today.
***
Only six men — Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy — have won golf’s career Grand Slam. EJ Tackett became just the ninth to capture the Professional Bowlers Association’s equivalent, the Triple Crown, at the 2023 U.S. Open in his home state of Indiana. Needing a strike and eight pins in the last frame to defeat his rival, friend and golf buddy Kyle Troup, Tackett “shoed up and stepped up,” as they say on the lanes, crushing the pocket twice for strikes to fulfill his childhood dream.
Well, one of his childhood dreams — it could have been a U.S. Open golf triumph, too.
Tackett, now 33 and starring alongside Troup in HBO Max’s new documentary series, “Born to Bowl,” was an elite junior golfer as well as bowler, competing against the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Jordan Spieth, Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas at the 2010 U.S. Junior Amateur and Junior PGA championships and later playing Division I golf before turning his attention to knocking down pins with a bowling ball instead. The four-time and reigning PBA Player of the Year has since won 27 tour titles, including seven majors, and will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Tackett’s career numbers put him at least in line with what Scheffler, Spieth and Rory McIlroy have achieved in professional golf, except for his Q rating and bank account — bowling’s popularity and prize money, while on the rise again, still lag golf’s by a country mile and a half. The highly entertaining “Born to Bowl” has the potential to change that, at least marginally. Regardless, if Tackett only recently stopped having to share hotel rooms on the road, he hasn’t just left his mark on bowling but also still finds time to maintain a better-than-scratch golf game. Which begs the question: Can JT bowl a 300? Color us doubtful.
;)
courtesy EJ Tackett
How did you get started in golf?
I was 3 or 4 years old when I started going out with my dad. He used to play a skins game on Saturday and Sunday morning, small-town stuff with maybe 30 guys. Dad would let me drive off the tee, pick up my ball, take it to his ball and let me hit from there, then chip and putt around the green. The grandson of the guy who owned the course was the same age as me — he actually owns the course now. As I got a bit older, he and I would play chipping and putting games and hit balls at the range. So, I had someone challenging me to get better.
When did you begin playing junior tournaments?
When I was about 12. In Indiana, there was a tour sponsored by Pepsi, and it was broken up into age groups named after pop brands — the Pepsi Tour, the Mountain Dew Tour. There was one summer I won every event I played in, and that was the year (2010) I qualified for the U.S. Junior Am and the Junior PGA.
What were those experiences like?
The Junior PGA was at Sycamore Hills in Fort Wayne, 30 minutes from where I lived. The first round I was nervous and played absolutely horrendously — I think I shot 85. Justin Thomas set the course record that day with 65. The next day got rained out, and me and Dad went to the driving range and got my swing straightened out. I shot even-par 72 the second round, which wasn’t good enough to make the cut but at least I redeemed myself. At the Junior Am at Egypt Valley in Michigan, I shot, like, mid-to-upper 70s both rounds and missed making the cut for match play by a few strokes.
;)
And you’re doing this while becoming one of the nation’s best junior bowlers. In 2011, you made Junior Team USA — and as a teenager made it through qualifying at bowling’s U.S. Open, finishing 20th. When did you finally decide to pick bowling over golf?
When I decided that I wasn’t good enough to play golf. I played golf at Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne (now Purdue Fort Wayne), a D1 school. I went for three semesters. I wasn’t seeing the results that I thought I should see. I hated school and just didn’t want to do it anymore. My parents owned a bowling center my whole life, and they haven’t been well off, so I always worked a lot at the center, too. I wasn’t living on campus, I was commuting an hour back and forth to school, trying to work every day — it was maybe a little too much for me to handle. I decided to try a different path. I knew I was always really good at bowling. I got my PBA card in October of 2012, and here we are.
Do you feel like there’s a lot of overlap between the sports in terms of technique?
There are a ton of parallels. I’m not a big guy — 5-foot-8, 150 pounds, but I’m pretty powerful in each sport. My swing path goes out-to-in on the backswing in each. If you look closely at my footwork in bowling, when I get to the [foul] line, you’ll sometimes see my heel coming off the ground. That’s using the ground as leverage, just like a golfer does. They load up the left knee, and it straightens as they turn through the ball, and sometimes that left heel is coming off the ground. Then there’s the old term: “Wait on it.” If you’re trying to make things happen too early in your swing, it throws your timing off and you get herky-jerky.
How about the mental side? A lot of “perfect” shots in bowling don’t produce strikes. It seems like dealing with bad breaks, or what feel like bad breaks, is critical.
In golf, at least in stroke play, you’re really playing against the course. In bowling, you’re bowling against the lane conditions. The guys who can overcome, who don’t overthink things and play what’s in front of them, they’re the ones you see on TV week in and week out. In golf and in bowling, it’s one shot at a time. Because you can’t change what already happened, and you can only control what’s about to happen. And that’s it.
;)
getty images
Bowling and golf are both parallel-play sports — you’re competing alongside someone but can’t influence what they do. How do you handle that?
I’m just out there trying to do the best I can. I pay attention to what the other guys are doing in that we’re always moving lanes, changing bowling balls because of the conditions. If someone is bowling really well, I might look at what kind of ball they’re using, where they’re standing to start, the line they’re playing, trying to get a better visual that might help me. It’s not like I’m sitting in the back rooting someone else on or yelling for them to get a split. If someone makes a split, yeah, I’ll give him a high-five, or if he bowls a 300 game, it’s like, “Good job — happy for ya.” It’s probably the same way on the PGA Tour. You’re out there doing your job. If someone does something cool, you give ’em a thumbs-up. Throughout normal play, though, it’s pretty much business.
One difference, sadly, is the amount of money in pro golf vs. pro bowling. Do you ever think about that?
All the time, because I did play golf and still always watch it. I won five times (including two majors) in 2023. I bowled extremely well — and I was $40,000 from making half a million dollars. So, if you get to a high level, you can be, not rich, but definitely not poor. But would it be nice to make those million-dollar paychecks? Absolutely. If bowling was making what golf made, I would’ve earned 15 or 20 million dollars before the FedEx Cup. It’s, like, dang, if we had bowling for, you know, half a million or even a million dollars in major championships, that revolutionizes the sport and takes it to a different level. I know that the people in charge of bowling are doing their best. It’s always a work in progress.
Not to romanticize it, but PBA pros will often caravan from event to event, share hotel rooms — it sounds like the PGA Tour back in the ’40s and ’50s. Does that create more camaraderie than today’s golfers’ private jets and five-star hotels?
George Weah, widely regarded as one of Africa’s greatest footballers and the only African to win the Ballon d’Or, has criticised the decision by Confederation of African Football to award the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title to Morocco. Weah later went on to serve as Liberia’s president, cementing his influence both on and off the pitch.
CAF ruled that Senegal forfeited the final after their players left the pitch during a chaotic end to the match. The Appeal Board overturned the original 1-0 result and instead awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory, officially naming them champions.
Reacting to the verdict, Weah insisted that football matches must be decided on the pitch and not in boardrooms after the game.
“The subsequent decision by the CAF committee, taken after the match had already been concluded, should not override the authority exercised by the referee during the game,” he said.
“Football must be decided on the pitch, not re-decided after the final whistle.”
He also called on the Court of Arbitration for Sport and other relevant authorities to act quickly so that “this travesty does not stand.”
Meanwhile, Senegal forward Sadio Mané has also criticised CAF’s decision to award the title to Morocco.
There are losses, and then there are meltdowns, and then there is this. North Carolina blew a 19-point lead in the second half and collapsed to No. 11 seed VCU, 82-78, in overtime. It’s the sixth-worst collapse in Round of 64 history and a cursed last month for UNC has somehow descended into a finish from the depths of hell.
There is no coming back from this moment. North Carolina used its powerful transition attack to dominate for the first 30 minutes. Henri Veesaar’s 3-pointer extended the lead to 15 with less than 10 minutes left.
And then defense became utterly optional, and somehow, the plan and execution on offense were even worse.
VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr. scored 14 of his game-high 34 points in the final nine minutes of regulation to force overtime, and North Carolina’s offense also had 11 empty possessions in 13 opportunities to end regulation.
Two missed front ends, including one by senior Seth Trimble with 29 seconds to go, were brutal. The last play of regulation was doomed from the start, and UNC fumbled it out of bounds. It didn’t score a single bucket in overtime, and yet had a chance to force double-overtime when Veesaar toed the line for a pair of free throws down 80-78.
Brick, unintentionally.
Brick, intentionally.
Ballgame.
Caleb Wilson could only bury his face in his hands. The same hands that betrayed him and kept him sidelined with a broken thumb on an innocuous dunk in practice on the eve of the regular-season finale against Duke.
It’s a fitting bow on a disastrous season for North Carolina that started with loads of promise as Wilson exceeded all expectations on his way to All-American honors, but also included Trimble breaking his arm in a wild weight-room accident and Wilson somehow breaking both his left hand and his right thumb in stunning ways. Now it has to swallow one of the worst postseason losses in North Carolina history and kickstart a load of questions surrounding Hubert Davis’ future after he couldn’t steer the Tar Heels away from disaster. A 26-42 record in Quad 1 games isn’t acceptable. Blowing a 19-point lead to VCU ain’t it, either.
Let’s dive into the winners and losers from Thursday’s electric opening slate of March Madness. No one had it worse than North Carolina, although Wisconsin fans might argue otherwise.
Loser: Wisconsin lets go of the rope at the worst time
Wisconsin’s ridiculously fun season is over far too early and in the most stunning fashion. High Point rocked the Badgers, 83-82, with a stunning rally in the nick of time. Nick Boyd looked … mortal if only for a moment. The all-everything point guard delivered 27 points, six assists and five boards in this one, but the audacious lefty didn’t have one more bucket in his bag down the stretch. Boyd’s final stat line is glitzy, but the senior will rue the missed layups in crunch time.
All season long, Wisconsin has walked teams down in the second half. This time, the script was flipped on the Badgers as High Point erased an eight-point deficit in closing time.
Wisconsin got 49 points combined from John Blackwell and Boyd. It shot 39% from 3-point. The team with the best collection of high-end wins will not advance to the Round of 32.
The opposite side of the coin in March Madness is BRUTAL. — Isaac Trotter
Winner: Siena’s special stuff
Yeah, Siena ended up losing to top-seeded Duke, 71-65. Sure, this injured team with no depth ran out of gas down the stretch. A couple of missed dunks and a 3-pointer that did everything but drop may stick in Gerry McNamara’s head forever.
But the feeling they brought back to this wonderful tournament is going to stick for a while. Cinderella was in our presence for all of 38 minutes. The Saints gave Duke the business deep into the second half. They led 43-32 at the break. They led 61-56 with 7:34 to go. McNamara’s boys were right there, frustrating eventual National Player of the Year, Cameron Boozer, along the way. — Trotter
Winner: High Point strikes late to stun Wisconsin
26-year-old, sixth-year senior Chase Johnston notched his One Shining Moment to help High Point rally from an eight-point deficit with four-and-change to go and stun Wisconsin, 83-82. Johnston drilled three triples from the parking lot and deposited the game-winning layup — the 3-point specialist’s first two-point bucket of the season — to send High Point into the second round.
Big, bad Darius Acuff and Arkansas awaits. — Isaac Trotter
Winner: Nebraska gets its first-ever tournament victory
Nebraska was the only program within the high-major structure (ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten and SEC) without an NCAA Tournament victory entering the day. That is no longer the case. At long last, the No. 4 seed Cornhuskers have won a game in the Big Dance after dispatching No. 13 seed Troy 76-47. No team has ever notched its first-ever NCAA Tournament win by a wider margin.
This was the first time since 2011 that two teams with a combined zero NCAA Tournament wins have met. But after a hot start from the Trojans, their upset bid fizzled in a barrage of Nebraska 3-pointers and second-chance points. Pryce Sandfort led the charge with 23 points and seven makes from beyond the arc for Nebraska, which will advance to face No. 5 seed Vanderbilt in the second round. Seventh-year coach Fred Hoiberg won just seven games in each of his first two seasons, but his slow build began to take hold over the past three seasons. Now, it has led to a historic breakthrough for one of the sport’s long-suffering programs. – Cobb
Loser: South Florida goes cold in upset bid
No. 11 seed South Florida staged an admirable late rally to turn a Louisville blowout into a tight game, but the Bulls couldn’t overcome a woeful shooting performance as their upset bid fell short in an 83-79 loss to the No. 6 seed Cardinals. South Florida’s 5 of 33 effort from beyond the arc (15.2%) marked its second-worst of the season by percentage. The five makes also tied for the second-fewest of the season from a USF team that became a trendy upset pick following the revelation that the Cardinals would be without star freshman Mikel Brown Jr.
Even without Brown, who has been dealing with a nagging back injury, Louisville’s offense hummed as it opened up a 23-point lead in the second half. Isaac McKneely led the way with 23 points on 7 of 10 shooting from 3-point range as the Cardinals drilled 13 of 25 triples while advancing to face No. 3 seed Michigan State on Saturday. – David Cobb
Winner: TCU gets a crack at Duke
No. 9 seed TCU beat high-end opponents like Florida, Wisconsin and Texas Tech away from home this season and also toppled Iowa State at home. The Horned Frogs are proven giant slayers, and they’ll get a crack at Duke on Saturday after surviving to beat Ohio State 66-64 in the opening game of the first round.
TCU held on for dear life after leading by as much as 15 late in the first half. Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton missed a would-be game-winner from half court as time expired to send the Horned Frogs dancing into the second round for the third time in the past five years. Given how shaky Duke looked against Siena — and who TCU has already beaten this season — the Horned Frogs look more than capable of making a Sweet 16 push. — Cobb
Loser: Duke gets a reality check
Duke forward Maliq Brown said the quiet part out loud after his team’s 71-65 win over No. 16 seed Siena. Brown admitted the Blue Devils expected a “cakewalk.” The game proved anything but. Duke trailed by as many as 13 before using a strong second half to avoid what would have been one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history.
The narrow escape should serve as a wake-up call heading into a matchup with No. 9 seed TCU on Saturday. If the Blue Devils deliver a similar performance, an early exit could be looming. — Salerno
Winner: Mid-major schedulers
High Point did not play a single high-major team until today against Wisconsin. That’s no coincidence. The Panthers are one of the best-resourced mid-major teams in the country, and this deep, talented roster is proof of that.
There’s a reason no high-major willingly signed up to play High Point or Miami (Ohio), Saint Louis, Belmont, Bradley or Northern Iowa. Akron had to go to Purdue to get a game. Add UNC-Wilmington, the CAA regular-season champs, to the list of teams that couldn’t get a spot on a schedule.
Perhaps the emergence of Wins Above Bubble can help change the script. Stanford earned +0.52 WAB for beating Saint Louis on a neutral floor in the Acrisure Invitational. It ended up as the third-best win of the season for the Cardinal.
The idea that there isn’t any upside to playing good mid-major teams rings hollow. In fact, it looks more and more like fear. — Trotter
Winner: Cayden Boozer shows his moxie
Duke was dead to rights and Cayden Boozer just refused to let the Blue Devils go down. The freshman guard delivered 19 points, five assists and zero turnovers. It’s the second-straight game where Cayden, not Cameron, has been Duke’s best player.
The poise and toughness is obvious, but the basketball IQ was on full display. Siena’s half-court defense was swarming a Duke team that is short-handed and doesn’t have enough shooting right now. What did Cayden Boozer do? Pedal to the floor in transition whenever an opportunity presented itself.
Duke doesn’t win this game without the lesser-hyped Boozer brother. — Trotter
Winner: Arkansas’ hyped freshmen make history
Hawaii‘s no-help defense looked like a bad idea on paper against these vroom-vroom Arkansas guards, and sure enough, Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas passed the initial NCAA Tournament test with flying colors.
Acuff totaled 24 points and seven assists. Thomas was right on his heels with 21 points and five assists. It’s the first freshman duo in men’s NCAA Tournament history to notch at least 20 points and five assists in the same game.
Special showing from a special duo. — Trotter
Loser: Saint Mary’s goes out with a whimper
Saint Mary’s‘ bout with sickness came at the wrong time, as the No. 7 seed Gaels fell 63-50 to No. 10 seed Texas A&M while leading scorer Paulius Murauskas came off the bench due to illness. The Gaels wilted against A&M’s up-tempo style while committing an uncharacteristic 18 turnovers. Rashaun Agee led the way for Texas A&M with 22 points on 7 of 11 shooting. This marks nine NCAA Tournament appearances in a row in which Saint Mary’s has failed to advance beyond the first weekend. First-year Texas A&M coach Bucky McMillan has his first win in the Big Dance after leading Samford agonizingly close to a win over Kansas two years ago. — Cobb
Loser: Dybantsa shines, but can’t get help in BYU’s loss
Despite recording 35 points and 10 rebounds, BYU star AJ Dybantsa’s career is likely over after his team suffered an 79-71 loss to No. 11 seed Texas.
The Cougars had been without star guard Richie Saunders for the past month due to a season-ending ACL tear, and the loss underscored how far their ceiling dropped without him. Dybantsa and Robert Wright III combined to score 49 of BYU’s 71 points. Simply put, BYU did not have enough firepower beyond Dybantsa.
After reaching the Sweet 16 in Year 1 under Kevin Young, BYU’s season ended before the close of the first day of the first round. – Salerno
FIFA has announced new rules requiring all teams in its women’s tournaments to have a female head coach or assistant coach. The decision was made at a council meeting on Thursday and is being described as a major step for women in football.
The rules will apply to all youth and senior tournaments, national team competitions, and club competitions. They will take effect at the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland this September. The regulations will also be used at the second women’s Champions Cup, the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, and the first women’s Club World Cup in 2028.
FIFA said the initiative is part of its wider plan “to ensure that the rapid growth of the women’s game is matched by an increased representation of women in technical and leadership roles.”
Despite the growth of women’s football, coaching roles are still mostly held by men. At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, only 12 of the 32 head coaches were women.
“There are simply not enough women in coaching today,” said Jill Ellis, FIFA’s chief football officer and former head coach of the United States women’s national team. “We must do more to accelerate change by creating clearer pathways, expanding opportunities, and increasing the visibility of women on our sidelines. The new FIFA regulations, combined with development programmes, are an important investment in both the current and future generation of female coaches.”
Under the new rules, teams must have at least two female staff on the bench, which can include the mandatory coach. Teams will also be required to have at least one woman on their medical staff.
Aston Villa captain John McGinn described Emiliano Martinez as a “mad man” after the goalkeeper helped Aston Villa into the Europa League quarter-finals.
The Argentina keeper, whose long-term future at Villa remains in doubt, played a big part in McGinn’s second-half opener against Lille, which came 15 seconds after he had made an important save, by sending Jadon Sancho clear with a pinpoint kick.
Leon Bailey’s late second goal completed a 2-0 win on the night, 3-0 on aggregate, to set up a quarter-final meeting with Bologna.
But Martinez was the centre of attention after the goal and he provocatively gestured to the Lille fans, who were not shy in showing their dislike for the Argentinian.
He is less than popular in France following his exploits in the 2022 World Cup final and angered Lille’s supporters further during their 2024 Conference League meeting, which Villa won on penalties, thanks in part to some trademark gamesmanship.
McGinn said of the shot-stopper: “He’s a mad man. I know he’s a family man, but he is a big kid inside, a lively character and a top goalkeeper, but even at 2-0 he made a great save.”
The Scot added on TNT Sports: “It was brilliant from Emi, but it highlights Jadon’s performance, his best in a Villa shirt.
“He was man of the match tonight by a mile. The manager was giving me grief before the game to make sure I get in the box and he gave it to me.”
Progress keeps Villa’s dreams of a trophy alive and, after falling short in the Conference League and Champions League in the last two seasons, Europa League specialist Unai Emery must be eyeing a fifth title in Istanbul in May.
Their journey under the Spaniard has been full of highlights and three successive European quarter-finals are proof of that.
Emery is also the fastest Villa manager to 100 wins and his achievement was recognised before kick-off with home fans holding up a Tifo display.
This match was nowhere near the top of the list of memorable displays under Emery, although the hosts did dominate.
Emery said: “I am happy with how we performed over two matches, how we tried to play seriously, being organised, respecting the opponent.
“(We played) not so brilliant, but being consistent and defending well. When we had our moments to be ruthless we needed it. We needed those two matches to show this competitive way.
“We are focusing all the season through the Premier League, that is the priority. The Europa League is a competition that is very difficult to win, but we have to enjoy the process, enjoying the way, competing, using different players and trying to compete, it can help us find a structure in our squad.”
Sports
Houston vs. Idaho odds, time, March Madness predictions: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model
SportsLine’s model simulated Idaho Vandals vs. Houston Cougars and revealed its college basketball picks for this NCAA Tournament 2026 first-round matchup on Thursday
Business25 seconds ago
Rivian and Uber announce $1.25B robotaxi partnership across 25 cities
Sports4 minutes ago
Vitality, MongolZ, Spirit post sweeps at BLAST Open Spring
Tech4 minutes ago
Spigen Classic LS Turns Your AirPods Pro 3 Into a Retro Macintosh Mouse
-
Crypto World6 days agoHYPE Token Enters Net Deflation as HyperCore Buybacks Outpace Staking Rewards
-
Tech4 days agoYour Legally Registered ‘Motorcycle’ Might Not Count Under Proposed US Law
-
Fashion6 days agoWeekend Open Thread: Addict Lip Glow
-
Tech2 days agoAre Split Spacebars the Next Big Gaming Keyboard Trend?
-
Sports6 days ago
Why Duke and Michigan Are Dead Even Entering Selection Sunday
-
Business4 days agoSearch for Savannah Guthrie’s Mother Enters Seventh Week with No Arrests
-
Business6 days agoUS Airports Launch Donation Drives for Unpaid TSA Workers as Partial Government Shutdown Enters Fifth Week
-
Crypto World5 days ago
Coinbase and Bybit in Investment Talks: Could Bybit Finally Enter the US Crypto Market?
-
Business4 days agoAustralian shares drop as Iran war enters third week
-
Business6 days agoCountry star Brantley Gilbert enters growing non-alcoholic beer market
-
Crypto World4 days agoCrypto Lender BlockFills Enters Chapter 11 with Up to $500M in Liabilities
-
Sports6 days agoCollege Basketball Best Bets: Conference Tournament Semifinal Picks
-
Politics2 days agoThe House | The new register to protect children from their abusers shows Parliament at its best
-
Fashion4 days ago25 Celebrities with Curly Hair That Are Naturally Beautiful
-
News Videos1 day agoRBA board divided on rate cut, unusually buoyant share market | Finance Report | ABC NEWS
-
Crypto World1 day agoCanada’s FINTRAC revokes registrations of 23 crypto MSBs in AML crackdown
-
Crypto World5 days agoCrypto Losses Drop 87% in February, But Hackers Are Now Targeting People, Not Code
-
Politics3 days agoReal-time pollution monitoring calls after boy nearly dies
-
NewsBeat1 day agoResidents in North Lanarkshire reminded to register to vote in Scottish Parliament Election
-
Business4 days agoMeta planning major layoffs as AI spending and automation reshape workforce
You must be logged in to post a comment Login