Mar 12, 2026; Kansas City, MO, USA; Houston Cougars guard Emanuel Sharp (21) rebounds during the second half against the BYU Cougars at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
Championship Week rolls on Friday with several semifinal games on the schedule featuring some of the best teams in the country. It’s definitely more fun to make picks for semifinal games with the stakes elevated even higher.
Today’s NCAA Basketball Best Bets will feature three conference semifinal contests.
Let’s get started by talking about the Big Easy Tournament Semifinal featuring the Georgetown Hoyas and No. 6 Connecticut Huskies before moving on to ACC and Big 12 Semifinal games.
Big East Tournament – Semifinal: Georgetown vs. No. 6 UConn
Georgetown ended the regular season with a 14-17 record after going 1-7 down the stretch. They should have been an early out in the Big East Tournament, but instead, they upset Villanova to earn a spot in the semifinals. Cinderellas win all the time; could they do it again?
If the regular season is any indication, maybe. The Hoyas and Huskies played twice, UConn won both, but by a two-point margin in one (64-62) and a four-point margin in the other (79-75). But on paper, these games shouldn’t have even been close.
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My Pick: UConn -13.5 at -106
I’m a little nervous about this one because of the regular-season games being so close. But after watching the beatdown they gave Xavier, the dominant version of UConn appears to be back. The Huskies will cover this large spread.
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ACC Tournament – Semifinal: Clemson vs. No. 1 Duke
If the Clemson Tigers were wondering how to beat Duke, the Florida State Seminoles were kind enough to give them a blueprint Thursday night: hit 52% of your shots, including 10+ three-pointers, force turnovers, and generate points from those turnovers.
In Clemson’s regular-season matchup with Duke, they shot 35% from the floor, hit 6 of 24 three-pointers, and scored eight points off nine turnovers (Duke scored 13 off ten).
The Tigers are certainly competitive on the defensive end (No. 23 in the country, 66.2 points per game allowed). But not so much on the offensive end (No. 223, 77.4 points per game). They are a decent three-point shooting team (34%) and are capable of generating turnovers (11.59 per game).
My Pick: Duke -11.5
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Clemson’s defense will keep them from getting blown out, but their offense is going to struggle against the Duke defense (No. 2 in the country, 62.5 points per game allowed).
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Big 12 Tournament – Semifinal: No. 14 Kansas vs. No. 5 Houston
Kansas was the third loss in Houston’s three-game losing streak late in the season and essentially beat the Cougars at their own game: they played better defense. Houston shot a dreadful 32% in that game, while Kansas made one more shot (22 to 21) and took 16 fewer shots (50 to 66).
The Jayhawks also won the three-point line, going 7-17 while holding Houston to 5-24.
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The Cougars rebounded with three strong wins to close the regular season and had a solid outing against BYU in their tournament opener. Kansas came out on top of a battle with TCU in the quarterfinals Thursday night.
My Pick: Houston -5.5
Kansas deserved to win their first meeting with Houston, but the Cougars defense is too good not to have a better performance this time around. Houston’s balanced offense will get the job done this time against the Jayhawks defense.
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Speaking to FightHype, former multi-weight ruler Roy Jones Jr backed Haney quite clearly, though did warn of Romero’s ‘abnormal’ power, making a rare comparison to British enigma ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed.
“Rolly’s only chance is if he can get lucky and hit Haney, which I doubt he can do. I think Haney beats him, but Rolly does have a puncher’s chance. What people fail to realise is Rolly is not your everyday, average boxer, but he has abnormal punching power. He hits anybody, he can knock them out. He’s like Prince Naseem, just not quite as skillful as Prince Naseem. Same kind of punching power, though.
“His boxing IQ ain’t the best, that’s why they underestimate him, but his punching power is beyond best. It’s abnormal … It makes it kind of balance out.”
Romero’s confidence will be boosted by the fact that when Haney faced Garcia, he was dropped three times and suffered a points loss on the night. However, the result was later overturned to a no contest after Garcia tested positive for a banned substance.
The winner of this match-up, should Bill Haney’s assurance come good, sets up a rematch with Garcia, who won the WBC belt from Mario Barrios last month.
Saturday night brings a top-half clash in Liga MX as Cruz Azul and Pumas UNAM will meet. As their midfield has gotten settled, Cruz Azul have risen close to the top of Liga MX alongside steady performances, winning seven consecutive matches in all competitions since drawing against Toluca in February. With only seven matchdays remaining in the Clausura portion of the season, the race for playoff seeding will begin, and this is a match where that battle takes center stage.
How to watch Pumas vs. Cruz Azul, odds
Date: Saturday, March 14 | Time: 11:10 p.m.
Location: Estadio Olímpico Universitario — Mexico City, Mexico
With Pedro Vite and Adalberto Carrasquilla and Pumas facing off with Agustin Palavecino and Cruz Azul, this match is going to be a showcase of midfield power. Any ball that’s played to the wrong place will immediately head the other way and turn into a chance, but when you have a maestro like this in midfield, it’s easy to see why Cruz Azul are leading the league right now.
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Palavecino does everything well on the attacking end and is able to ensure that Cruz keep ticking over. With his skill, he’ll be impossible to mark out of the game, but Pumas will need to find a way. Teams like Cruz Azul are the sides that they’ll need to push by to show that they’re actual contenders. The team are improving, but to take the next step, they have to defeat the top of the table sides, and there’s no better chance than hosting them at home.
The rivalry between Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese got some new fuels Friday.
A clip is making the rounds of Clark ignoring Reese’s gesture for a high-five during a game for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. As Reese held her hand out for her Team USA teammate, Clark walked in the other direction.
Reese taunted Clark by pointing to her ring finger during the game, prompting outrage and sparking an ongoing feud between fans.
Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes got revenge on Reese’s LSU Tigers a year later in the Elite Eight, but the tension hit a whole new level when the players reached the pros for their rookie WNBA seasons.
LSU’s Angel Reese, right, reacts in front of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark during the second half of the NCAA national championship April 2, 2023, in Dallas.(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File)
In their first WNBA season in 2024, Clark took a series of questionable fouls from Reese’s Sky throughout the 2024 season, including one from Reese June 16.
In 2025, the two had a heated exchange after Reese pushed Fever forward Natasha Howard in the back as she grabbed an offensive rebound off a miss by teammate Rebecca Allen. Reese brought the ball low, and Clark fouled her before she went up for a shot. Reese fell to the ground.
Reese got up from the floor and got into the face of Clark.
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Referees reviewed the play and determined Clark used her left hand to shove Reese to the floor. They upgraded the personal foul on Clark to a flagrant foul. And Reese and Aliyah Boston of the Fever were issued technical fouls.
Angel Reese (5) of the Chicago Sky and Caitlin Clark (22) of the Indiana Fever during the second half June 23, 2024, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.(Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Nothing malicious about it, just a good take foul,” Clark told ESPN’s Holly Rowe.
Now, the two stars are teammates for the U.S. as they try to make the FIBA World Cup, but fans can probably still sense an awkward dynamic between them.
Jackson Thompson is a sports reporter for Fox News Digital covering critical political and cultural issues in sports, with an investigative lens. Jackson’s reporting has been cited in federal government actions related to the enforcement of Title IX, and in legacy media outlets including The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Associated Press and ESPN.com.
Manchester City were unable to match Arsenal’s home win against Everton in the Premier League title race
Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham in the Premier League, denting their title hopes after Arsenal’s earlier 2-0 win over Everton. Bernardo Silva scored the opening goal for the visitors but that was later cancelled out by Konstantinos Mavropanos.
Prior to City’s game, Arsenal had the chance to extend their lead over City to 10 points and did so courtesy of the late strikes from double substitutes Viktor Gyokeres and Max Dowman. However, City’s game at the London Stadium was one of City’s two games in hand over the Gunners.
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The other fixture is a rescheduled match against Crystal Palace.
With nine points now separating the sides, the Manchester Evening News has taken a look at City’s upcoming fixtures and how they compare to those of their title rivals, Arsenal.
Manchester City’s next six fixtures in all competitions
April 7 – Potential Champions League quarter-final first leg
Bournemouth (H) – April 11 – Premier League
April 14 – Potential Champions League quarter-final second leg.
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Up next for the Citizens is the second leg of their round‑of‑16 tie against Real Madrid, where Pep Guardiola’s side trail 3-0 and need to turn the result around to keep their Champions League hopes alive.
The goal gave Connor his eighth 30-goal campaign, passing Ilya Kovalchuk for the most in Jets/Thrashers franchise history.
Alex Iafallo and Cole Perfetti, with an empty-netter, also scored for the Jets (27-28-10), who rebounded from back-to-back regulation losses to salvage a critical two points in their pursuit of a playoff spot. Mark Scheifele picked up two assists, including his 51st to set a new personal single-season record for helpers.
Connor Hellebuyck lost his shutout bid late in the third but put forth a solid 28-save performance for the win.
Martin Necas broke the shutout at 18:44 of the third period with his 31st goal for the Avalanche (44-12-9), who saw their season-high six-game road winning streak snapped. Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar assisted on the play.
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Mackenzie Blackwood made 15 saves in the loss for the Avalanche.
Avalanche defenceman Brent Burns played in his 990th consecutive NHL game, surpassing Keith Yandle for the second-longest Iron Man streak in league history. Phil Kessel has the longest streak, at 1,064 consecutive games.
Jets: Winnipeg moved back into the win column to salvage a shot at a playoff spot, backed by a strong defensive effort against an Avalanche attack that entered the day leading the NHL with 3.80 goals per game.
Avalanche: Necas extended his goal streak to three games. He has now found the back of the net in each of Colorado’s last six road games.
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Connor broke a scoreless deadlock at 2:05 of the second period, firing home his 30th goal of the year to ignite the Winnipeg offence and set a new franchise benchmark.
Connor has reached the 30-goal mark in every season of his nine-year NHL career except for the 56-game COVID-19 shortened campaign.
Jets: Host the St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
Avalanche: Host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday.
India women’s hockey team (Photo by @TheHockeyIndia)
NEW DELHI: India’s women’s hockey team finished runners-up in the FIH Hockey World Cup Qualifiers after losing 0–2 to England on Saturday. Despite the defeat, India still secured qualification for this year’s Women’s Hockey World Cup. England, ranked sixth in the world, showed their quality by scoring once in the first quarter and again in the third.India actually started the match strongly and created an early opportunity when Navneet Kaur won a penalty corner within the first two minutes. However, the attempt was saved by the England goalkeeper. The Indian side continued to push forward in the opening half and managed several circle penetrations, but they were unable to seriously trouble the opposition goalkeeper.England gradually settled into the game and took the lead in the 13th minute through Grace Balsdon, who successfully converted a penalty corner with a drag-flick. India kept trying to break through the English defence, but England stayed disciplined and organised at the back, maintaining their one-goal lead going into halftime.With the advantage, England controlled possession in the second half and dictated the pace of the match. Their second goal came in the 43rd minute when Elizabeth Neal struck from open play. Her shot took a deflection off an Indian defender before going past goalkeeper Bichu Devi, doubling England’s lead.India kept attacking in the final quarter and even earned a late penalty corner, but they were unable to convert it. England remained confident and avoided sitting back defensively, preventing India from mounting a comeback.Along with champion England and runner-up India, Scotland also qualified for the World Cup after defeating Italy 1–0. The upcoming Women’s Hockey World Cup will be jointly hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium from August 14 to 30 alongside the men’s tournament.
The kind of moment you already know will be looked back on, maybe in the title race, almost certainly in the burgeoning career of one of the brightest talents in world football. You don’t even have to say “remember the name”. Max Dowman is everywhere, just as he was in a 22-minute appearance that also made him the youngest scorer in Premier League history.
That such a talent is the name on a stat like that feels both fitting and also the least of what this was about.
Because this really isn’t about the numbers, astounding as Dowman’s mere 16 years and 73 days are, given his ability. It was about the feeling that you could certainly sense around a rapturous – and relieved – Arsenal stadium after this late 2-0 win over Everton.
A beaming Mikel Arteta later admitted that he’d had “a gut feeling that it was a moment for him” after watching Dowman in training this week. And just before the teenager went on, the manager’s very message reflected that feeling.
“Go and do your thing and win us the game.”
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Dowman streaks upfield to score Arsenal’s second goal (AFP via Getty Images)
The moment – and the release – was all the more special because of how testing and trying everything before it had been.
Just before Dowman offered the incisiveness that Arsenal had been lacking, there was a piece of play that had seemed to sum up everything that was wrong with them; that would have been pointed to had they only drawn 0-0.
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David Raya had the ball at his feet on 88 minutes, but couldn’t seem to even see a pass. The goalkeeper had to play it sideways, which Arsenal had been doing so much of for those 88 deeply frustrating minutes. There was a strain to everything they were doing. They weren’t high enough or urgent enough. You could see the desire to get this done, but that was actually a bad thing. It was resulting in hurried long shots that were dragged wide, or even impatient pushes where players were giving away needless free kicks as they tried to do anything to just get play further up the pitch.
More than anything, Arsenal just couldn’t get beyond Everton.
Eberechi Eze was persistent, and offered two brilliant passes in behind, but something was always missing. Or, rather, there was always an Everton body right there.
Arteta admitted he was “pushing with every inch of my body to go to that goal, and somehow we score a goal”.
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Max Dowman celebrates after scoring Arsenal’s second goal (Getty Images)
David Moyes had marshalled his side too well, and they were successfully reducing everything to physical duels. This was also despite James Tarkowski surprisingly missing, with the manager twice saying “nothing to add” on that afterwards. It left some intrigue, but his players were clearly up for a battle. This was a proper fight.
You wouldn’t usually describe such a situation as the opportune moment for a child to come in, but it was exactly that.
Almost immediately, Dowman was properly winning the ball, nicking it off Everton players, but also then going past them. Crucially, he was also cutting inside. Arsenal were actually making inroads for the first time since the game’s early stages.
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Arteta admitted as much afterwards.
“It’s not only the goal that he scored. I think he changed the game. Every time he got the ball, he made things happen. It looked like we were more of a threat. To do that at that age, in this context, with this pressure, it is just not normal.”
Arsenal did need something out of the ordinary. And, on 89 minutes, Dowman offered the kind of cross that the team had been missing. It was a delivery that brought indecision to the Everton defence for the first time.
Jordan Pickford, who has recently been producing his own save of the season competition, came for the cross. It was his first mistake. Piero Hincapie was left to square for Viktor Gyokeres to just tap in.
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Such an easy finish after such difficulty in getting there. It almost felt surreal.
What it meant in reality could be seen and heard in the celebrations, even Arteta was leaping with joy.
Viktor Gyokeres put Arsenal ahead in the 89th minute (Andrew Matthews/PA)
As bad as Arsenal had been, that can have a transformative effect.
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“Then you turn around and you see the bench and those eyes just with that happiness, that joy that you’re almost not believing what has just happened,” Arteta said.
Not long afterwards, Dowman got to live his own dream.
With Arsenal really digging in – Piero Hincapie celebrating an abrasive late challenge that might have risked a penalty – Everton claimed a corner. Pickford this time hurried up to the other end… only to allow that opening.
With Arsenal desperately trying to get the ball away, it eventually landed with Dowman. Unlike his teammates, though, the teenager didn’t just look to get it away. Nor did he rush it and go for the shot, in the way many players would. He instead showed the composure and quality to get around Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and just keep going, dribbling from his own half to score in Everton’s box.
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“Nothing seems to faze him,” Arteta said.
The anticipation was building.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, left, says ‘gut feeling’ made him bring on Max Dowman (Andrew Mat)
“You could sense that he was – ooh – building up, building up,” Arteta smiled. “And there’s no goalie there, it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen. It was incredible. It was so loud, so energetic.
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“What a moment.”
As regards what next for Dowman, there was already talk of a World Cup, and starting the game on Tuesday.
“Calma!” Arteta laughed.
That will be hard for anyone at Arsenal to do after this.
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Dowman, however, looks like he’s going to keep going. This was where he really started, and it might yet prove defining for Arsenal in the title race.
Mar 13, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard James Harden (1) dribbles during the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
The Cleveland Cavaliers have rolled to seven straight wins over the Dallas Mavericks, including a 138-105 triumph Friday, fueled by a season-high tying 29 points from reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley.
Cleveland will try to extend the streak to eight Sunday when it welcomes Dallas for its only regular season visit to Northeast Ohio. The Mavericks haven’t beaten the Cavaliers since March 30, 2022.
“I feel like our pick-and-roll has gotten a lot better,” said Mobley, who made 12 of 15 shots. “We need to keep making our defense become our offense and keep getting in the paint.”
The Cavaliers’ last three wins over the Mavericks have been by a combined 88 points, while shooting better than 53% from the field in each victory.
Cleveland’s 33-point rout Friday matched its largest of the season and marked the seventh time it has scored at least 138 points.
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“We talked about Mobley before the game and said we had to be physical with him,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “And we weren’t.”
Donovan Mitchell had 24 points and eight assists and James Harden had 17 points with seven assists as the Cavaliers made 61.5% of their field goal attempts. They are 24-10 since Dec. 29 and within 1 1/2 games of the third-place New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference.
More important, Cleveland is 10-3 with the newly acquired Harden in the lineup. Kidd called him “one of the best players in the world.”
“I think we’re playing ahead of schedule with James,” Mitchell said.
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The Mavericks are in an epic downward spiral, losing nine of their last 10 games and 19 of 22 since Jan. 24. Their season point differential of minus-5.1 is the sixth worst in the league.
NBA Rookie of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg had 25 points and five assists for the Mavericks after a slow start against the Cavaliers. Dwight Powell added 11 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.
“It’s tough because they knocked down a ton of shots,” Flagg said. “Give them credit.”
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Undrafted point guard Ryan Nembhard had eight points and a game-high nine assists in his first start in more than two months. He has played in eight straight games since his two-way contract was converted to a full-time deal on Feb. 28.
“I love playing with Ryan,” Flagg said. “Even at the beginning of the year when he was on a two-way, we played really well together.”
Dallas will have its top post player back after Daniel Gafford was given Friday off following his 22-point, 14-rebound performance in a road victory against the Memphis Grizzlies one night earlier. It was the Mavericks’ only win since Feb. 25.
Cleveland could get a double dose of good injury news as center Jarrett Allen (right knee tendinitis) is questionable to return from a four-game absence and swingman Max Strus (left foot surgery) may make his season debut.
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The Cavaliers have one of the deepest teams in the league since adding Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis from the Sacramento Kings, along with Harden.
“When they get Allen back, I think they’re a contender and they can come out of the East,” Kidd said. “With Harden playing the way he is, we couldn’t keep Mitchell out of the paint. That’s a tough matchup.”
Manchester City dropped important points in the Premier League title race after being held to a 1–1 draw by West Ham United on Saturday at the London Stadium.
City took the lead in the first half when Bernardo Silva scored with a clever chip. However, West Ham responded a few minutes later when former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos headed the ball into the net from a corner.
The goal came after City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma failed to clear the corner properly, allowing Mavropanos to finish from close range.
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West Ham goalkeeper Mads Hermansen also played a big role in the result. He made four important saves and controlled his area well to stop City from scoring again.
Manchester City dominated the match and finished with 21 shots, while West Ham managed just one attempt on goal. Despite the pressure, the home side held on to earn a valuable point.
The draw means City are now nine points behind league leaders Arsenal, although Pep Guardiola’s team still have a game in hand and another league match to play against the Gunners.
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West Ham’s point also moved them one place up the table, just above Nottingham Forest in the standings.
Manchester City will now turn their attention to the UEFA Champions League, where they face Real Madrid in the second leg of their tie on Tuesday. They will also meet Arsenal in the EFL Cup Final at Wembley Stadium on March 22.
West Ham will play their next league match away against Aston Villa on March 22.
