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🏀 Good morning to everyone but especially …
THE MEN’S FINAL FOUR
Redemption. Repeat. Magic. Mentor vs. mentee. The men’s Final Four has it all.
Let’s start with redemption. That’s what Purdue is seeking, and Zach Edey leads the way. Whether he’ll make it in the NBA is up for debate, but his spot among the all-time college greats is undeniable. He was an easy pick for CBS Sports Player of the Year and first-team All-America selection again, and he’s leading the charge with the weight of the world on his shoulders after last year’s opening-round loss to Fairleigh Dickinson.
The Boilermakers will try to end the magical run of NC State. The Wolfpack have a lovable big man in the center of it all in DJ Burns Jr., and the Edey-vs.-Burns battle will be awesome. Kyle Boone has a wonderful profile of Burns, whose road from Tennessee to Winthrop to NC State has been full of ups and downs.
Afterward, UConn continues its pursuit of back-to-back titles, and Cameron Salerno assessed how these Huskies stack up to previous repeat winners. They’re the overwhelming (but not unanimous) favorite among our expert picks, and it’s thanks to terrific balance. All five of their starters are in the top 11 of Kyle’s Final Four starter rankings, and three are in the top five.
- Zach Edey, Purdue
- Donovan Clingan, UConn
- Mark Sears, Alabama
- Tristen Newton, UConn
- Cam Spencer, UConn
This is where mentor-vs.mentee comes in. Not that long ago, now-Alabama coach Nate Oats was a high school math teacher who also coached basketball. Dan Hurley, then at Rhode Island, met Oats on a recruiting trip. Shortly thereafter, Hurley took the job at Buffalo and added Oats as an assistant. David Cobb has the story that’s almost too good to be true.
- Cobb: “Perhaps the reason Oats fits in so well at a football-first school like Alabama is because he’s accustomed to building a program on his own without being spoon-fed an endless cascade of institutional resources. Oats said Romulus had just $78 in its basketball budget upon his arrival. So he began finding creative ways to raise funds. He bought a van that he filled with snacks and drinks from Sam’s Club and then sold them out of his classroom.”
Oats never forgot that math background, either. His team takes almost exclusively 3-pointers and shots at the rim, and “secret weapon” analytics guru Michael Schwimer plays a huge role, Dennis Dodd writes.
To finish up …
- Our big Final Four preview
- Big men are back!
- An interview with the new voice of the Final Four, Ian Eagle.
🏀 And also an especially good morning to …
THE WOMEN’S FINAL FOUR
South Carolina has been here before. For the second straight year, the Gamecocks enter the national semifinal 36-0, and this year’s squad compares favorably to previous undefeated title-winners, Isabel Gonzalez writes.
- Gonzalez: “As Dawn Staley has stated a few times this season, she thinks her bench players could be starters on other teams. The Gamecocks have seven players averaging over eight points per game. What’s even more impressive is they have had 19 games in which five players reached double figures. … Freshman MiLaysia Fulwiley has only started three games for South Carolina, but she is the team’s second-leading scorer.”
But to even reach the title game, the Gamecocks must beat NC State tonight. We have previews for both matchups, courtesy of Erica Ayala.
In the nightcap, it’s a highly anticipated clash headlined by Caitlin Clark — who collected AP and Naismith Player of the Year awards and got a visit from Sabrina Ionescu this week — and Paige Bueckers. The two met as freshmen, and Isabel previews an all-time rematch.
- Gonzalez: “The danger with Clark is she will definitely take shots — lots of them — and it’s hard for teams to limit her because she has a high basketball IQ and knows how to create offense for others as well. … While offense is Bueckers’ calling card, she’s one of the most well-rounded players in the nation as her defense has taken a big jump this season. … Her style of play might not be as flashy as Clark’s, but her skill level is as special as ever despite sitting out all last season.”
👍 Honorable mentions
- USC hired Eric Musselman from Arkansas. Josh Schertz is likely heading to Saint Louis from Indiana State.
- LeBron James gave credit where credit is due for the rise in women’s basketball popularity.
- The Mets finally won.
- Justin Verlander (shoulder soreness) will begin his rehab assignment this weekend.
- The Texans plan to allow Stefon Diggs to be a free agent after this season.
- Here’s how the Texans went from laughingstock to contender.
- The Bills signed La’el Collins.
- Puka Nacua says Cooper Kupp is on a “revenge tour.”
- Hailey van Lith entered the transfer portal.
- Jackson Holliday is crushing Triple-A pitching.
- Welcome back, Case Mize!
- Seton Hall won the NIT.
🤕 And not such a good morning for …
JULIUS RANDLE AND THE NEW YORK KNICKS
We will not see the Knicks at full strength this season, and that’s a shame. Julius Randle will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery after hoping to avoid surgery in an attempt to return this season. He had not played since January due to a dislocated shoulder; specialists told him he could cause permanent damage if he tried to return.
Randle was averaging 24 points — second on the team behind Jalen Brunson — on 47% shooting, his best mark as a Knick. He was also averaging nine rebounds and five assists, making him one of five players averaging 24/9/5. The others? Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Joel Embiid. Good company.
The Knicks were one of the league’s best teams right before Randle’s injury, notes James Herbert.
- Herbert: “In Randle’s 10-year career, he has never been on a better team. From Jan. 1 until Jan. 27, the day that he dislocated his shoulder, the Knicks went 14-2 and outscored opponents by 16.5 points per 100 possessions in non-garbage-time minutes. … In their first game after acquiring OG Anunoby, Randle scored an efficient 39 points against the Timberwolves. Days later, Randle couldn’t buy a bucket and they blew out the Philadelphia 76ers (with Embiid) anyway. Two days before the injury, New York beat the defending champion Nuggets by 38 points.”
Fully healthy, the Knicks were absolutely a title contender, even if not the top one. Brunson is a superstar. Randle was terrific. The team loaded up with Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks as in-season additions. Donte DiVincenzo has been a terrific 3-point shooter. Josh Hart is the heart and soul. Rim protector/lob threat Mitchell Robinson finally returned.
Unfortunately, that group never played together this season, and the Knicks can no longer be considered contenders, Colin Ward-Henninger writes.
👎 Not so honorable mentions
- Shohei Ohtani said he met the fan who returned his first home run ball with the Dodgers. The fan says otherwise.
- The Marlins‘ nightmare start got worse: Eury Pérez will have Tommy John surgery. We already have trade candidates for Miami.
- There are more MLB uniform issues.
- Juventus is launching an investigation into alleged racist chants aimed toward Weston McKennie.
⚾ Athletics to play 2025-27 in Sacramento
It’s far from ideal, but at least it’s somewhere … I guess. The Athletics will play in Sacramento from 2025-27, filling the gap between their current Oakland Coliseum home and their future Las Vegas stadium, which won’t be ready until 2028.
- The Athletics chose Sacramento over several other options, including extending their lease in Oakland and going to Salt Lake City. The ability to retain local broadcast revenue was apparently a major factor.
- Sutter Health Park in Sacramento holds about 14,000 fans, 20,000 fewer than the smallest MLB stadium (Cleveland’s Progressive Field). The Athletics will share the stadium with the Sacramento River Cats, the Giants‘ Triple-A affiliate.
- The A’s will simply be that — the “A’s” or “Athletics.” They will not include “Sacramento” in their team name.
This stinks. It’s not surprising, but it still stinks. They’ll be close enough to get broadcasting revenue but too far away for games to be reachable — like an ex who kind of moved away, but didn’t really.
Owner John Fisher, who has run the franchise into the ground, said in a statement, “We understand the disappointment this news brings to our fans.” … Do you?
Construction on the Las Vegas stadium, meanwhile, hasn’t even started. The Nevada Supreme Court will hear an argument from the political action committee Schools Over Stadiums on Tuesday.
📺 What we’re watching this weekend
Friday
🏀 (3) NC State vs. (1) South Carolina, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Kings at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 (3) UConn vs. (1) Iowa, 9 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Timberwolves at Suns, 10 p.m. on NBA TV
Saturday
🏒 Lightning at Penguins, 1 p.m. on ABC
🏒 Panthers at Bruins, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Dodgers at Cubs, 4:05 p.m. on FS1
🏀 (11) NC State vs. (1) Purdue (M), 6:09 p.m. on TBS
🏀 (4) Alabama vs. (1) UConn (M), 30 min. after NC State-Purdue ends on TBS
Sunday
🏒 Sabres at Red Wings, 1 p.m. on TNT
🏀 NCAA Women’s Championship, 3 p.m. on ABC/ESPN
🏀 Rockets at Mavericks, 3:30 p.m. on NBA TV
🏀 Knicks at Bucks, 7 p.m. on NBA TV
🏒 Astros at Rangers, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Timberwolves at Lakers, 10 p.m. on NBA TV
🏒 Stars at Avalanche, 10 p.m. on ESPN
