Sports
March Madness scores, winners, losers: Duke, Michigan pull away; Texas A&M bludgeoned
No. 1 seeds Duke and Michigan each faced legitimate challenges from No. 9 seeds on Saturday before pulling away and advancing to the Sweet 16. The final score of the Blue Devils’ 81-58 win over TCU hides the truth that it was a dogfight for 30 minutes.
When Duke needed it most, it got a heroic effort from star freshman Cam Boozer. The All-American forward exploded in the second half after going MIA during the first. His 19 points and 11 rebounds, along with the return of center Patrick Ngongba from injury, helped the Blue Devils wear down a gritty Horned Frogs team that briefly took a lead early in the second half.
Saint Louis tested Michigan in a different way before the Wolverines cruised to a 95-72 victory. The Billikens’ well-oiled attack knocked the No. 1 seed Wolverines on their heels early. But the Atlantic 10 champions ultimately had no answer for Michigan stars Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara.
A total of eight Sweet 16 bids flew off the shelf on Saturday as the first weekend of the 2026 NCAA Tournament rolled on. Here are the winners and losers from the action.
Winner: Michigan activates “machine” mode
Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz and Michigan coach Dusty May are close friends who share basketball insights and swap ideas. But Michigan at its best is an inevitable force that cannot be contained — even by an opponent who knows exactly what’s coming.
The No. 1 seed Wolverines’ 95-72 win over No. 9 seed Billikens brought the latest demonstration of Michigan’s unmatchable top gear, as SLU offered a valiant but ultimately hopeless effort. The two-way attack led by bigs Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara simply overwhelmed a skilled but undersized group of Billikens. When your 7-foot-3 center is rifling cross-court passes like this to a 6-foot-9 potential lottery pick for open 3s, things are definitely going well. – David Cobb
Winner: Saint Louis runs into a buzzsaw but appears primed for consistent relevance
The best season in Saint Louis history is over after catching Michigan on a day when everything was rolling.
No one is beating Michigan when it plays as well as it did on Saturday, and SLU certainly found that out the hard way. But with sharp coach Josh Schertz signed to come back, there’s tons of hope that this is far from just a blip on the radar.
The Robbie Avila Era is over, so SLU will need to remake its frontcourt, but five rotation players can return and a legitimate proof of concept has been established. This may be just the beginning. – Isaac Trotter
Winner: Duke emerges from the slumber with knockout second-half punch
What a response. Duke was wobbly early in the second half as TCU clawed back to take a two-point advantage, but the Blue Devils were not going to be denied.
Cameron Boozer scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half to lead Duke to the Sweet 16 with an 81-58 victory over the ninth-seeded Horned Frogs. Freshman wing Dame Sarr deposited four key 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. Isaiah Evans (17 points) did his thing as well.
Maybe most importantly, Duke is starting to get healthy. Big man Patrick Ngongba played 12 minutes and scored four points in his return from a foot injury. Kansas or St. John’s awaits in what should be a doozy. — Trotter
Loser: Iron unkind to Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt and Nebraska played the game of the tournament so far, and it all came down to a half-court heave from Commodores star Tyler Tanner. The high-arcing attempt hit the backboard, rattled around the rim and then bounced out, preserving a 74-72 victory for the No. 4 seed Cornhuskers. It was a brutal ending to a memorable performance from Tanner. The undersized sophomore led all scorers with 27 points as the No. 5 seed Commodores hung tough inside a road-type environment.
Oklahoma’s City Paycom Center was filled with Nebraska fans thrilled to see the Cornhuskers advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history just two days after the school’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win. Braden Fraser scored the go-ahead bucket with 2.2 seconds remaining, which left just enough time for Tanner to catch, dribble once then let it fly. It came oh so close to a moment for the history books. Instead, it produced a brutal agony for the Commodores that only March Madness can bring. – Cobb
Winner: Arkansas avoids the trap
No. 12 seed High Point faltered in its quest to pull off another major upset, as the Panthers fell 94-88 to No. 4 seed Arkansas in the second round. But the Panthers played with gusto and pushed the Razorbacks until the very end behind a 30-point showing from Rob Martin. Cam’Ron Fletcher, who once played for Arkansas coach John Calipari at Kentucky, added 25 for the Panthers, who upset Wisconsin in Thursday’s first round.
The Razorbacks never led by double digits and needed a combined 55 points from freshman guards Darius Acuff Jr. and Meleek Thomas in order to survive. — Cobb
Loser: Texas A&M gets a painful wake-up call
No. 10 seed Texas A&M enjoyed a successful first season under coach Bucky McMillian, but it ended with a rude awakening. No. 2 seed Houston, which has now been to seven straight Sweet 16s, made quick work of the upstart Aggies in an 88-57 win.
The outcome demonstrated the gulf between programs that share a state, but are in vastly different stages of their life cycles. A sure-handed group of Houston guards never caved under A&M’s pressure, and the Cougars dominated on the glass with a 19-9 edge in offensive rebounds. After beginning the second half on an 8-0 run, Houston led by at least 20 the rest of the way. The Aggies are on the way up under McMillan, but they saw on Saturday just how high the mountain is to climb if they want to be among the best. – Cobb
Winner: Texas joins exclusive company
There will be at least one double-digit seed in the Sweet 16. Texas made sure of that by knocking off No. 3 seed Gonzaga 74-68, reaching the tournament’s second weekend for the first time since 2023.
The Longhorns become the sixth team to advance from the First Four to the Sweet 16, joining VCU, UCLA, Syracuse, La Salle and Tennessee. Both VCU and UCLA went on to reach the Final Four before falling in the national semifinals.
Texas is far more dangerous than its seed suggests, with high-end talent and an experienced coach. Sean Miller will be making his ninth Sweet 16 appearance and is the 10th coach to take three different programs to the tournament’s second weekend.
— Cameron Salerno
Loser: VCU’s bid for another comeback flails
Even as Illinois turned a seven-point halftime edge into an increasingly significant lead, hope still persisted that perhaps No. 11 seed VCU could pull another stunner.
But just two days after executing the largest comeback in Round of 64 history against North Carolina, the Rams ran out of magic in a 76-55 loss to the No. 3 seed Illini.
Illinois is at its best when balance is king. Saturday’s Round of 32 showed more maturity in that department. Andrej Stojakovic dominated the first half with 16 of his 21 points, and Keaton Wagler took over in the second half with 13 points to send the Illini to the Sweet 16 with a 76-55 win over No. 11 seed VCU. Four different players cracked double figures. That’s exactly what Underwood was envisioning. — Trotter and Cobb
Winner: Jeremy Fears Jr. makes history
Jeremy Fears Jr. set a school record for most assists in an NCAA Tournament game as he dished out 16 dimes while directing No. 3 seed Michigan State to a 77-69 win over No. 6 seed Louisville.
Fears is up to 27 assists through two games in this Big Dance, which is the most for any player through two games since UCLA’s Earl Watson amassed 28 in 2000.
One of Fears’ favorite targets was high-flying forward Coen Carr, who finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Carr added 10 rebounds and two blocks as the Spartans flew into a Sweet 16 matchup with the winner of Sunday’s game between No. 2 seed UConn and No. 7 seed UCLA. — Cobb
Loser: Louisville falls short of preseason expectations
Winning a first-round game against No. 11 seed South Florida is a fine achievement, but this is a Louisville program with high expectations. The Cardinals won 27 games last season with a less talented roster. Simply put, another early exit from the Big Dance is disappointing.
Louisville star Mikel Brown Jr. didn’t play in the NCAA Tournament, which certainly didn’t help. The projected top-10 pick showed flashes this season of why he was a five-star prospect coming out of high school, but he only managed to play in 21 games.
This will be a critical offseason for Louisville. The Cardinals currently have zero players signed from the 2026 recruiting cycle. Louisville will likely use the transfer portal again to build out its roster. The teams at the top of the sport — namely Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida — have gone all-in on building massive frontlines and using two-way rim dominance to separate from the rest of the pack.
Louisville zigged while they zagged, choosing to invest heavily into building maybe the most dangerous backcourt in all of college basketball … on paper. All four of Louisville’s biggest free agent additions were guards: Mikel Brown Jr., Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneely and Adrian Wooley.
Even when Brown was healthy, Louisville didn’t the smashmouth basketball ability that might be necessary in the supersized era of college basketball.
Change feels vital to reach that top level. – Salerno and Trotter
The Toronto Raptors‘ road to the playoffs for the first time since 2022 has been long and winding, and — technically at least — was still in doubt until Sunday night when the Raptors hosted the Brooklyn Nets for the final game of the 82-game regular season.
We say technically because the Nets have been among the leaders of the NBA’s most determined collection of tankers in league history. For them, winning had long ago ceased to be a motivation. They had nine regulars listed out on their injury report. If you listened closely, you could hear “1-2-3 Cancun” when they broke from timeouts.
The Raptors’ task was therefore simple: win, improve their record to 46-36 and lock down sixth place. With some luck — the Miami Heat beating the Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic losing to the Boston Celtics — and the Raptors could end up fifth.
As it turned out, who doesn’t like Cleveland in the spring?
The Raptors dominated the Nets for the 136-101 win and then had to hang around the televisions in their locker room to watch the Celtics — who sat all their starters — outlast the Magic, nudging the Raptors into fifth.
They will play the fourth-seeded Cavaliers (52-30) instead of the third-seeded Knicks.
On paper, maybe a good thing, since the Raptors went 3-0 against the Cavs this season, and 0-5 against the Knicks.
But any regular-season results are probably only mildly relevant since Cleveland and Toronto haven’t met since Nov. 24th. Cleveland comes into the post-season relatively healthy and has since added James Harden, making them the justified heavy favourites.
As an added concern, Raptors point guard Immanuel Quickley left the game at halftime with hamstring tightness in his right leg. He went for testing afterwards. On the bright side, the Raptors won’t play until Saturday at the earliest.
So on Sunday night, those were concerns for another time. The Raptors set a lofty goal and reached it, which is something to be recognized and saluted.
They were a 25-win team two years ago, starting a rebuild without the benefit of their first-round draft pick and had finally divorced itself from the remnants of their championship era. Last season, they won 30 games in what was a relatively unsuccessful tanking mission in that they finished with the NBA’s seventh-worst record and moved back to the ninth pick on lottery night. Team president Masai Ujiri was fired. It was a new era.
There was optimism that the Raptors could be competitive this season with better health and the addition of Brandon Ingram, but no guarantees.
“Obviously, we never set a goal of get this seed or that seed,” said Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic. “We were just focusing on our work, focusing on the things that were in our control. The hand played out well for us this year. We won 46 games, 16 more than last season. We saw a lot of growth from this roster. The best part of it is that we’re gonna have an opportunity to play in the playoffs. As much as all of those games meant to put us in the playoffs, it’s going to be an amazing experience for our team to go in the playoffs. We’re just gonna take it one game at a time. Our mentality is not gonna change. We’re gonna try to win one game, this next game, and see where we end up.”
It’s been a breakthrough year for Scottie Barnes, who finished the season with career bests in games played (80), minutes played, points, rebounds, assists, blocked shots and steals, and was the hub on what ended up being the NBA’s fifth-best defence heading into play Sunday — something no one saw coming, except maybe them.
“From training camp, we believed it. We were confident we could get in this position,” said Barnes, who led the Raptors against the Nets with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists for his ninth career triple-double. “The season is always going to have some ups and downs, but if you get through it, push through it. I thought we did a great job of pushing through it. Stuff happens, you can try to go out there and win the next game, win the next game. I felt like we got through that and through those moments as a team.”
Their reward is that they get to test themselves in the playoffs against a veteran team with championship ambitions.
“From when I got here, I would always be one of the ones saying, ‘when you do things the right way, the results are going to come.’” said RJ Barrett (22 points on 9-of-15 shooting), who has been to the playoffs twice in his career with the New York Knicks, and now gets to do it with his hometown team. “We’ve been doing things the right way. We’ve been working, building. This is the result of that. Obviously it’s still a process. But this is a good step for us. I don’t think many people thought we were gonna be here. I’m just very proud of this group, how hard we work, how together we are. That’s going to continue in the playoffs.”
Or as Barnes said when asked about what he’s been telling his younger teammates about post-season basketball: “Just be ready for the physicality. You got to love this s—, this s—’s fun. Be ready to go. Try to win and I think our guys can go out there and try to win.”
Three-point Grange, bonus edition!
But how did the Raptors get here? It’s been a trip, starting in Calgary for training camp and winding up Sunday night with a playoff spot.
Here are 10 moments that defined the Raptors’ season.
1. Jakob Poeltl misses first pre-season game: How little we knew. Poeltl missing the NBA Canada game in Vancouver against the Denver Nuggets was described simply as precautionary, a result of a sore back he’d developed following the intrasquad scrimmage at the end of training camp in Calgary. Poeltl went on to miss 20 of the Raptors’ first 27 games, rarely looking like his best self, before missing 27 of the Raptors’ next 28 games. But eventually the big Austrian returned and has missed just two games since the All-Star break. He’s still not been at his best — his rebounding rate is his lowest in seven years — but any chance the Raptors have to be at their best now or over the next four years that the 30-year-old is under contract relies on his good health.
2. Jamison Battle to the rescue: It’s a long time ago now, but it felt like the Raptors’ season was hanging by a thread back on Halloween. Remember? After a blowout win over the Atlanta Hawks on opening night, the Raptors got pummelled in four straight games, losing convincingly to Milwaukee, Dallas, San Antonio and Houston. The Raptors were 1-4 and seemed too small to compete against teams that had any kind of quality size (Giannis Antetokounmpo was still firing on all cylinders for the Bucks, Anthony Davis for Dallas and Steven Adams for Houston. And of course, Victor Wembanyama for the Spurs). The Raptors were trailing Cleveland by 10 midway through the third quarter when Darko Rajakovic turned to Jamison Battle in search of some offence. Good call! Battle finished 7-of-7 with six triples and was +28 in 15 minutes in a game the Raptors desperately needed to get.
3. The easiest schedule in NBA history: In mid-November, the Raptors had righted the ship and were 7-5 when opportunity knocked. Ahead of them was what might have been (at the time) the easiest stretch of games in NBA history: over the next six games, they were due to play Indiana twice, as well as Brooklyn and Washington. At the time, those teams had a cumulative 3-32 record. There was only one time previously that three teams in the same conference had been 1-10 or worse. To play them four times in just over a week was too good an opportunity not to take advantage of. The Raptors did just that, running their winning streak to nine games. It was the defining stretch of their season. Even with the win over Brooklyn Sunday, the Raptors finished just 10 games over .500.
4. Collin Murray-Boles did what? There was never a moment this season when the burly rookie didn’t impress. On the first day of training camp, Scottie Barnes was calling him a “beast, a monster.” Grown men were overwhelmed by the 20-year-old’s brute strength. But on Jan.5th against Atlanta, Murray-Boyles signalled that he was more than a promising rookie with plus athleticism as he put up 17 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks without a turnover, while making countless winning plays — screens, loose balls, deflections — that don’t show up in the box score. It was the first time in 35 years that a rookie put up at least those numbers without a turnover. Forgetting turnovers, the only rookies to hit those thresholds in the past decade are Amen Thompson, Victor Wembanyama and Lonzo Ball. We’ve seen since that it was not a fluke. Even while battling a thumb injury on his shooting hand, Murray-Boyles has proved himself an essential piece of the Raptors’ rotation and a potential difference maker in the playoffs.
5. Barnes with the clutch block: Whatever happens in the playoffs, this season will likely be remembered as the year that the rest of the NBA recognized how special Barnes’ game-changing defence can be. He does it in every way — he was the only player in the NBA to finish in the top 10 in blocks and steals, blowing past his previous career marks in each category. But if there was one area that defined Barnes’ season, it was his proclivity for game-winning defensive plays. Four times this season Barnes blocked a shot in the final seconds to preserve a win: Nov. 17th against Charlotte, up two with 0.8 seconds left; Dec. 2 against Portland, up four with nine seconds left; Jan. 25 against Oklahoma City with 29 seconds left; March. 13th against Phoenix, up four with 43 seconds left. Taken together with the Raptors’ unexpected standing as the NBA’s fifth-best defence will get Barnes recognition as an all-NBA defender at season’s end.
6. Fourth quarter woes: Who knows what the Raptors’ record might be this season if games were just 36 minutes long? The Raptors’ performance in the fourth quarter was a problem all season. Their fourth-quarter offensive rating was 25th after 81 games. Weirdly, they had the fourth-best offensive rating in the third quarter. Overall, they were 15th. But there were moments when the Raptors’ fourth-quarter performance was a record scratch across an otherwise solid album of work, with blown leads down the stretch littering their win-loss record.
7. Detroit, finally: Amid what has been an enjoyable season with results that safely exceeded anyone’s (realistic) pre-season expectations, one of the hard-to-put aside dampers was the Raptors’ inability to beat good teams. They did finish 4-0 against Atlanta, which seems a little more impressive now given their second-half surge, and they were 3-0 against Cleveland, which isn’t nothing. But against the top three teams in the East, the Raptors finished a cumulative 1-12 and 1-11 against the top six teams in the West. At the point in the season when that seemed to be weighing heaviest, the Raptors put together what was arguably their best single-game showing as they handled their business against the first-place Pistons 119-105 on March 15, thanks to 61 combined points from Barnes and Ingram, and a 21-point, 18-rebound night from Poeltl.
8. Walter runs with it: When the Raptors played their intrasquad scrimmage on the last day of training camp in Calgary, Ja’Kobe Walter wasn’t slotted with the starters, nor was he slotted as a starter on the second unit. By default, that put the second-year wing third behind Ochai Agbaji and Gradey Dick among their collection of reserve wings, and sometimes fourth behind Jamison Battle. But Walter kept working, kept playing and finally earned his moment. Agbaji was traded to the Nets, Dick fell out of the rotation, and Walter’s superior defence kept earning him minutes over Battle. He’s since become a fixture in Rajakovic’s rotation. He showed his chops as an on-ball defender most memorably when he helped hold Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 24 points (eight under his season average) in the Raptors’ win at OKC in January. His emergence as a shooter has been crucial as well. Walter came into Sunday’s game shooting a blistering 47.1 per cent from three since the All-Star break, pushing him over the 40 per cent mark on the season. He was three-of-five from deep against the Nets on Sunday.
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9. Ingram, Iron Man: By far the biggest question looming over the Raptors heading into the season was whether Ingram would stay on the floor long enough to make a difference. He hadn’t played more than 70 games since he was a rookie, and in the eight years since, he averaged 52 games per season. But Ingram started playing and never stopped. Sunday was his 77th of the season, just two less than his career high of 79. But he blew past his career marks for minutes played and points scored and had enough in the tank to play his best game (38 points, seven rebounds, seven assists) in a crucial Raptors win over the Miami Heat on Thursday.
10. Speaking of the Heat: As much as the Raptors secured their playoff spot on Sunday with their (predictable) win over the Nets, it really came down to two games against the Miami Heat earlier this week. A split or two losses would have likely consigned them to the play-in or, at the very least, in need of considerable help from other teams. Two wins would set up the situation the Raptors found themselves in — a win at home against the woeful Nets to solidify their spot. It was a perfect set piece: two relatively evenly matched teams, both on similar rest, each relatively healthy. Who would impose their will? The Raptors did as they blew out the Heat not once, but twice, with difference makers in each game. The Raptors had earned the opportunity through 78 games to that point, but with a chance to make it all count, the Raptors knocked the door down. It was impressive, in its own way.
Sports
2026 NBA playoffs and play-in: Matchups, schedule, brackets are set after conclusion of regular season
The NBA season concluded on Sunday with all 30 teams in action and playoff seeding at stake.
In the East, the Toronto Raptors secured the No. 5 seed and the final unclaimed guaranteed spot in the playoff field, relegating the 76ers and Magic to the play-in.
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In the West, the Denver Nuggets secured the No. 3 seed with a win over the Spurs, sending the Los Angeles Lakers to the No. 4 seed. The playoff field is set, and the first set of games are on the schedule.
NBA playoff schedule for first set of games:
Saturday, April 18
Raptors at Cavaliers, 1 p.m. Amazon Prime
Timberwolves at Nuggets, 3:30 p.m. Amazon Prime
Hawks at Knicks, 6 p.m., Amazon Prime
Rockets at Lakers, 8:30 p.m. ABC
Sunday, April 19
Play-in winner vs. Celtics, 1 p.m. ABC
Play-in winner vs. Thunder 3:30 p.m. ABC
Play-in winner vs. Pistons, 6:30 p.m. NBC
Play-in winner vs. Spurs, 9 p.m. NBC
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Playoff bracket
Eastern Conference
1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) play-in winner
(2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) play-In winner
(3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Toronto Raptors
(4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
Western Conference
(1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) play-In winner
(2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) play-In winner
(3) Denver Nuggets vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
(4) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (5) Houston Rockets
Play-in bracket
Eastern Conference
(7) Orlando Magic vs. (8) Philadelphia 76ers
(9) Charlotte Hornets vs. (10) Miami Heat
Western Conference
(7) Phoenix Suns vs. (8) Portland Trail Blazers
(9) LA Clippers vs. (10) Golden State Warriors
We stand in awe.
He won the tournament with those three shots, along with the puff of wind that helped his thinned third shot into 15 pitch in the hill and bounce forward, not backward into the lake.
Luck. Dumb luck, really. Life requires luck.
In victory, he was asked if he could explain the golf-life connection.
How this major winner’s advice helped Rory McIlroy win the Masters
;)
“Good things come to those who wait, maybe?” he said in that lovely sing-song Irish way. “Just keep going. Keep your head down and keep going. If you put the hours in and work on the right things, eventually it will come good for you.”
Even if it’s not true it’s a good game plan, anyhow.
TWO P.M. WAS CREEPING IN. Under the tree, up by the clubhouse and in the shade, it was almost cool, almost breezy, players and caddies coming through, amid the jackets and the lucky-badged. Out on the course, the fairways and the tees and the greens are baking. Rory McIlroy was in a practice bunker, the glare of the white sand in his eyes. This was the first Masters in 15 years without a drop of rain.
For two days, McIlroy could do no wrong, even as he was driving it all over the map. Leading by a touchdown halfway through. You may remember his closeout golf early Friday night, supper on the stove: birdies on 15, 16, 17 and 18. Maybe his psychologist (Bob Rotella) has a name for it. Maybe flow state, peak experience, the zone. Or, more simply, dreamstate. A golfer in a dreamstate. Anybody in a dreamstate. We all get there, now and again. Maybe you once rattled off four straight pars. For a minute there, you think you have something in your hand. These moments show up in golf, as they show up most everywhere. Maybe you have heard Bruce Springsteen, last month at the Target Center in Minneapolis, singing the Prince anthem, “Purple Rain.” At the 5:20 mark, he’s offers a full-throated something. Who-who wa-hoo, who-who wa-hoo. The band is with him, the backup singers are with him, the house is with him. And that’s how we are with Rory. There’s something about him. All the while we know: the moment comes and the moment goes. McIlroy was hitting every note for two days, and then he wasn’t.
The Masters. The best three-act play on the world’s sporting stage. Thursday-Friday. Saturday. Sunday. The stage. The players upon it. McIlroy made a double on the par-3 fourth, to fall to 10 under. He had one major thing going for him: 14 holes to right the ship.
HE GOES ABOUT HIS BUSINESS in a most engaging way. He stopped to look at leaderboards to see how he was doing against the field — and to see how his mate Shane Lowry was doing. “I was looking at Shane’s score because if I didn’t win today, I wish I would have been putting the green jacket on him,” he said. Looking at Shane’s scores, looking at other scores. “I know that doesn’t serve me,” he said. And yet he does it.
Rory McIlroy became the fifth back-to-back winner of the Masters, winning his sixth major after holding off the challenge of world No 1 Scottie Scheffler and Ryder Cup teammate Justin Rose on a scintillating Sunday at Augusta.
The Ulsterman joined the exclusive club of grand slam winners in emotional fashion last year after overcoming Rose in a playoff, but had to fight his way back to the top of the leaderboard on Sunday after trailing Rose, overnight co-leader Cameron Young and even Russell Henley at different points during a rollercoaster final round.
After two days this tournament had seemed as good as over, with McIlroy six shots clear – the greatest margin in Masters history after 36 holes – and playing with a peace and tranquility that comes with being the defending champion.
But a one-over 73 on Saturday gave hope to those in pursuit and rocked McIlroy’s confidence, forcing him to seek answers at the practice range deep into Saturday evening.
If there was one thing that stood out about the chasing pack on Sunday morning, it was the quality of those golfers willing and able to chase.
Sam Burns and Cam Young are the young bucks of the PGA Tour, both seeking a first major after success on tour and Ryder Cup appearances. Justin Rose, Jason Day and Shane Lowry are all major winners with the experience and temperament to mount a Sunday pursuit while Scottie Scheffler is Scottie Scheffler. If you need to know more than that then welcome to your first Masters – have you tried the pimento cheese?
With the most bunched leaderboard for a Sunday morning since 2017, it was still only the final four pairings really in contention, and even then needing to play the best golf of their life to have a chance. The first hour or two posed a question of who could make gains or even just stay in the hunt.
Burns was the first to fall out of it. Louisiana born-and-bred, Burns had managed to play some highly competitive golf all weekend and shot under-par all weekend – which was more than could be said of McIlroy, Scheffler and others – but a bogey on the first and a double-bogey second sunk him simply too far back to recover.
As Burns retreated from the battle, the overnight co-leaders continued to jostle for position in the final pairing. Elsewhere, Rose became only the second golfer to birdie the fifth on Sunday to put him level with Scheffler in a tie for third. The race was showing signs of being down to just five.
Shane Lowry was the next to drop, finding sand from his tee shot on five but, significantly, catching the front wall of the bunker on his second shot with an iron that ended up further from the hole than where he had started. By the time the ball was eventually in the hole, he had carded a double-bogey six and plunged down the leaderboard to further narrow the hunt. Day followed soon after.
There was always likely to be one interloper, and Henley turned out to be that guy. The 37-year-old is something of a local favourite, hailing from down the road in Macon, Georgia, and had four birdies through the first eight holes to be tied for second. Somewhat understated, Henley had four top-10 finishes in his last eight majors and has figured out how to compete at the highest level.
At different times we had almost all possible combinations of leaders. McIlroy and Young began the day joint, then Young had sole custody before Rose joined him, Young took a step back and then Rose had it all to himself for a while. While Henley appeared from nowhere to hold the joint-lead, a bogey on 12 set him back into the chasing pack, where he would remain for the rest of the day after missing too many key putts.
By just after 5pm, five golfers were separated by just one shot; McIlroy the sole leader and four on his tail. His par putt on the 11th prevented him falling back to a five-way tie for the lead that essentially would have started the tournament again – a mini-Masters for the select few.
When it mattered, though, Young continued to err and McIlroy surged.
On 12, he went closer to the pin than anyone else had on Sunday to pick up another shot. He then birdied the 13th to open up a two-shot lead on his familiar foes, Rose and Scheffler.
In the end, Scheffler’s undoubted class was not enough to overcome the mistakes of Thursday and Friday. A two-over 74 in his second round had stranded him down the leaderboard and while he threatened a memorable Sunday charge he never led the Masters and 11 straight pars on Sunday featured a number of missed opportunities to press the defending champ.
Rose kept himself in the battle all day but went bogey, bogey and then three-putted for par through Amen Corner. Those holes, in the end, were the difference between him and his Ryder Cup teammate who picked up shots on the most (in)famous three-hole stretch in golf and used that momentum to carry him over the finish line.
A winner had not come from outside the final pairing since Englishman Danny Willett stunned the golfing world a decade ago this week, and McIlroy’s scramble to save par on 15 averted the final true threat to this remarkable achievement, becoming only the fourth person ever to defend a Masters championship.
Ultimately, though, this win figures to be a milestone for much greater achievements for McIlroy, a man who must now look at major wins as a counting stat rather than singular peaks of a career.
By entering the grand slam club last year, McIlroy confirmed his place among the all-time greats. How many more he can add to his six major triumphs will decide exactly where he sits in the golfing pantheon.
PHILADELPHIA — Giannis Antetokounmpo said it was “disrespectful” for Milwaukee to bench him over the final weeks of the season while he said he was healthy enough to play, a stinging rebuke of the franchise as he enters a stay-or-leave off-season.
Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP who led Milwaukee to its first title in half a century in 2021, said after Sunday’s season-ending loss to Philadelphia that he learned that he had no control over his playing status as the Bucks limped to the finish.
Antetokounmpo was the subject of trade speculation as the deadline approached, but he wasn’t dealt. He has since been in a dispute with team management over his injury status.
The 31-year-old Antetokounmpo hasn’t played since landing awkwardly after a dunk on March 15. Antetokounmpo said in the closing weeks of the season that he was healthy and wanted to play, but the Bucks continued to rule him out with a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise.
Antetokounmpo did not play Sunday at Philadelphia in what was also likely the final game of Hall of Fame coach Doc Rivers’ career.
“Being cleared to play, I don’t understand. I’ve never in my life denied participation in practice,” Antetokounmpo said. “Whoever came up with that is disrespectful towards what I’ve done for this team and the way I carry myself.
“I did what I was supposed to do. I wasn’t able to come on the court now. Who has that say? It comes from above. I thought I had control. OK, if I’m healthy, I’m going to play. This just shows me that not just me, players in general, don’t have no control. No, I didn’t feel like I had control.”
Antetokounmpo had participated in recent pregame warmups, showing no sign of injury.
“It was draining for me, for sure,” Antetokounmpo said. “If it was draining for me, it was definitely draining for me and the organization.”
Antetokounmpo said he planned to put his phone on “do not disturb” and try to avoid the distractions that plagued the end of his season.
The Bucks could look to trade Antetokounmpo in the offseason, or he could sign a four-year, $275 million extension in October.
Antetokounmpo said he had yet to be formally offered the extension — no surprise given that it could not be finalized for months.
“That’s too far away. It’s something I have to sit down with my family and see what’s best for me, what’s best for my family,” Antetokounmpo said. “Money doesn’t mean nothing do me. Zero. Absolutely zero. What means something to me, it’s winning.”
The Bucks put Rivers’ job in jeopardy with a dismal 32-50 season that ended the Bucks’ streak of nine straight playoff berths.
Rivers had said he has a “great relationship” with Antetokounmpo and that he often talks to the superstar about what to work on and what to add to his game.
“I just want to see it end well for him and for the franchise. I think they both deserve it,” Rivers said. “Giannis is a fantastic person. I’ve been lucky to coach a lot of stars, and he’s right at the top as far as good people. I want good people to be taken care of.”
The Bucks reached the East finals during Antetokounmpo’s first MVP season in 2019 — ending an 18-year stretch without a playoff series win. They won the title two years later. But they haven’t won a playoff series since 2022.
“We’re the furthest away we’ve been,” Antetokounmpo said. “I didn’t think we were going to be in this position last year, so I don’t know what position we will be in next year.”
Sports
Why Has Jasprit Bumrah Gone Wicketless In 5 IPL Matches? R Ashwin’s Verdict On ‘Lack Of Wickets’
Jasprit Bumrah has gone wicketless in five straight IPL matches. Unthinkable as it may sound, Bumrah’s barren run now stretches across two seasons. He did not take a wicket in the last match Mumbai Indians played in IPL 2025 and has now gone wicketless in four matches in IPL 2026. India spin great Ravichandran Ashwin, however, defended Bumrah. He stressed that Bumrah’s ability to nail tight yorkers and restrict the flow of runs is more important than his wicket tally, especially at high-scoring venues like Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
According to CricViz, Bumrah has bowled 122 balls without taking a wicket – the longest wicketless streak of his IPL career.
Jasprit Bumrah’s last five IPL innings:
0/40 (4) vs PBKS, Ahmedabad
0/35 (4) vs KKR, Wankhede
0/21 (4) vs DC, Delhi
0/32 (3) vs RR, Guwahati
0/35 (4) vs RCB, Wankhede
In Mumbai Indians’ match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium, the ace Indian pacer again went wicketless, returning figures of 0/35 in four overs. However, he stood out as MI’s most economical bowler as RCB posted a mammoth 240/4 in 20 overs.
In a post on X, Ashwin said that focusing solely on Bumrah’s lack of wickets is misleading and could hurt MI’s cause. He reiterated that Bumrah’s true value lies in bowling pinpoint yorkers and choking runs, particularly at venues like the Wankhede.
“The lack-of-wickets narrative for Bumrah can hamper the team’s cause. Him nailing yorkers and choking the opposition for every single run is even more important than him looking to get wickets, especially at venues like the Wankhede,” Ashwin said.
“When you can’t bowl overs on the trot, your wicket-taking ability depends on your partners who hand the over to you. We have had so many years of T20 cricket now, and bowling in partnerships as a defensive group is still a seed in the minds of bowling units,” Ashwin added.
The lack of wickets narrative for Bumrah can hamper the teams cause!
Him nailing yorkers and choking the opposition for every single run is even more important than him looking to get wickets, especially in venues like the Wankhede.
When you can’t bowl overs on the trot, your…
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) April 12, 2026
Despite going wicketless in his last five IPL innings, Bumrah has registered an economy rate above 10 in just two matches – against Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 Qualifier and Rajasthan Royals in the ongoing season.
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The NASCAR O’Reilly Series competed at Bristol Motor Speedway and it was a sensational event. Kyle Larson won the first two stages; however, Connor Zilisch and Brent Crews stayed out while he pitted during a late caution. So, which one of the three NASCAR drivers found victory lane at Bristol on Saturday night?
Zilisch and the No. 1 team for JR Motorsports won the O’Reilly Series race at Bristol on Saturday night, earning their first victory of the season. Crews took the lead on the final restart with old tires, but wasn’t able to hold on after running the top. Then, Zilisch was able to hold off Larson in the closing laps following the No. 88 car’s mistake.
Larson dominated the event at Bristol, but Zilisch was able to give crew chief Rodney Childers his first NASCAR win at JR Motorsports. It has been a tough rookie season for Zilisch with Trackhouse Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series, but this win on Saturday night helps remind that he is capable of winning at this level.
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NASCAR results: O’Reilly Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway (April 2026)
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: Connor Zilisch wins NASCAR O’Reilly race at Bristol in April 2026
Bankers Choice is in pursuit of a landmark achievement this Saturday in the Mornington Cup, striving to emulate just one prior horse by notching successive wins in the 2400m Listed spectacle.
Last year, the eight-year-old surged late to defeat challengers in a dramatic showdown, prepared then by Glen Thompson in the wake of Mike Moroney’s passing.
Now with Ben, Will and JD Hayes at Lindsay Park, Mongolian Khan’s progeny reappears in good nick, notching a podium finish in the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m) first time out then a solid eighth in the Group 3 Easter Cup (2000m).
Due to clash again with select Easter Cup adversaries including Ambassadorial, his connections trust the added stamina demand will enhance his prospects.
“Bankers Choice is the one that will head to the Mornington Cup,” Will Hayes said.
“He’s going to go for a course proper gallop on Monday to have a look around and hopefully defend his title.
“He ran terrifically in the Peter Young first-up, he was only three lengths off them in the Easter Cup and he looks really good.”
Despite the likelihood of substantial ballast again, Hayes prioritises the gelding’s validated long-distance credentials over that burden.
“Hopefully someone can throw an out-of-form import with a high rating into the noms that can get us down,” Hayes said.
“But he deserves the rating that he has, he does carry weight well.”
“He’ll eat up 2400 metres. He’s as fit as a mallee bull, and a seasoned old gelding like him, it’s right up his alley.”
With top preparation and his pet distance ahead, Bankers Choice stands ready to challenge strongly for crown retention.
For the Mornington Cup, compare racing betting markets across the best sites.
Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Virat Kohli vs Rohit Sharma – Sunday could not have gotten better for cricket fans. At the Wankhede Stadium, the two giants clashed in the biggest match of IPL 2026 so far. Virat Kohli played a patient knock while Phil Salt and Rajat Patidar rained fury. Kohli, though, also achieved a few major firsts. The former RCB captain is now the first batter to score 1,000-plus runs against MI. KL Rahul (977) and Shikhar Dhawan (901) are next in the list.
Kohli also surpassed Chris Gayle and Babar Azam for being involved in the most century partnerships in T20s. The 120-run stand between Phil Salt and Kohli is the second-highest opening partnership for RCB against MI in the IPL. The highest remains the 148-run stand added by Faf du Plessis and Kohli in Bengaluru in 2023.
Most century partnerships in T20 cricket
47 – Virat Kohli*
46 – Chris Gayle
46 – Babar Azam
45 – David Warner
40 – Faf du Plessis
Talking about the match, Mumbai Indians (MI) won the toss and decided to field against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Match No. 20 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Sunday.
The high-voltage clash between five-time champions MI and defending champions RCB is being played at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
After winning the toss, MI skipper Hardik Pandya confirmed that Mayank Markande and Mitchell Santner came in for Rahul Chahar and Ghazanfar in their playing XI.
“We’re going to bowl first. It looks like a good track. We played the first game on the other pitch; this looks similar. It’s always good to bat second here. I think it’s a big game. Just want to come out and play our best cricket, do the things we’ve spoken about in the meetings, and enjoy the sport. We requested good wickets, and we’ve been getting them,” Pandya said.
“As long as you land the ball right as a bowler and play the right shots as a batter, you’re in the game. Over the years at Wankhede, chasing has worked for a lot of teams. Being our home ground, dew comes in later as well. So it’s good to know what you’re chasing and plan your innings accordingly. Mayank Markande and Mitchell Santner come in for Chahar and Ghazanfar,” the MI skipper added.
After losing the toss, RCB captain Rajat Patidar said that Jacob Duffy replaced Josh Hazlewood in the playing XI.
“Obviously, we would have bowled first. But as you all know, it’s a good batting track. The ball comes nicely onto the bat with good bounce, so it won’t make too much difference. We’ll try to put a good total on the board and keep them under pressure. This is our fourth game,” Patidar said.
“The way we’ve played in the last few matches, there are a lot of positives. In the last match, we were 97 for 6 and still managed to score over 200. That’s a positive sign for us. We enjoy playing here a lot. Whenever we come, we see great crowds. It’s challenging but also fun and exciting. Just one change – Duffy comes in place of Hazlewood,” the RCB skipper added
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Sports
Unhappy Virat Kohli Throws Away Helmet Despite Scoring 50 vs MI, Does Not Celebrate Landmark. This Is The Reason
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are the main protagonists in any Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Mumbai Indians clash in IPL. Fans assembled at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday were treated to a Kohli half-century – his 65th in the IPL – which came off 37 balls. Yet, he appeared unhappy. In fact, he did not even celebrate the milestone after reaching it on the second ball of the 15th over bowled by Hardik Pandya. He departed two balls later while trying to break the shackles and looked frustrated. A strike rate of 131.58 may have been the reason. While Kohli was attempting to play the sheet-anchor role, the innings of Rajat Patidar (53 off 20 balls) and Phil Salt (78 off 36 balls) were in complete contrast.
kohli throwing his off his gloves and helmet, man he’s so pissed off by himself pic.twitter.com/8gbtBwX9tA
— satyam (@noontonightt) April 12, 2026
Virat Kohli looks disappointed after getting out , Still he has scored a half century for not like Virat Kohli’s Level.#MIvsRCB pic.twitter.com/tpDeIZvyJV
— flicksX18 (@flicks_X18) April 12, 2026
RCB BATTERS STRIKE RATE IN TODAY MATCH VS MI –
Phil Salt – 216.67
Virat Kohli – 131.58
Rajat Patidar – 265.00
Tim David – 212.50
Jitesh Sharma – 111.11RCB top 4 batters cooked Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Markande , Shardul and Santner. pic.twitter.com/WIVVfaGX6d
— Nafees (@Nafees_22) April 12, 2026
A rare Kohli failure and yess even this 50 is a failure as per Kohli Standards, even he was unhappy with his innings.
A rare failure from Virat Kohli #MIvRCB pic.twitter.com/1LqIrq30RR
— Rex⚡️ (@RexUTD7) April 12, 2026
Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli all registered half-centuries as the defending champions put up an imposing 240 for 4 – the second-highest total this season – against Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.
Salt smashed a 36-ball 78, studded with six boundaries and as many maximums, while stalwart Kohli made a composed 50 off 38 balls, as the duo put on a polished 120-run opening-wicket stand.
Salt was dismissed by Shardul Thakur in his very first over – the team’s 11th – providing a huge sigh of relief to MI.
Skipper Rajat Patidar then took over from where Salt left off, scoring a rapid 53 off just 20 balls, laced with four boundaries and five sixes, as RCB made quite a statement.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to field.
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