Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Why does the NCAA keep scheduling the men’s championship game so late that it ends at midnight on the East Coast?
In today’s SI:AM:
🏆 UConn’s spot in the men’s hoops hierarchy
🏀 The Huskies’ most important player
⏲️ Early returns for MLB’s rule changes
If you’re reading this on SI.com, you can sign up to get this free newsletter in your inbox each weekday at SI.com/newsletters.
Author: Michael
We all knew going into this Major League Baseball season it would take a little time for players and fans to get used to the new pitch clock that has been put into play for the first time this year.
We’re not even a full week into the season and we’ve already seen a number of pitch clock violations, including some that have resulted in an automatic third strike. There was a really sad one of those on Monday’s Mets-Brewers game.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Assigning letter grades for the UConn prospects that may have their sights set on the NBA
Feel free to call UConn’s win over San Diego State for the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball championship a win for the NBA over the collegiate game.
UConn, known for their spread-out motion offense with multiple connectors, multiple shooters, and one of the best big men in NCAA, completed the cycle with all of their tournament wins coming by double-digits.
Since acquiring All-Star guard Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline, the Mavericks have gone just 9–16 and now find themselves in serious danger of missing the playoffs.
With just three games remaining, Dallas is a full game behind the Thunder for the No. 10 seed, the last spot in the play-in tournament. To make matters worse for Dallas, the Thunder own the tiebreaker over the Mavericks, which means Dallas actually has to make up a two-game deficit in the final three games to reach the playoffs—a near impossible task.
LSU’s victory over Iowa on Sunday was the most viewed women’s national championship game in history, and yet much of the discussion has been about the game’s final moments—and not because of play on the court.
Tigers forward Angel Reese sparked reactions from every corner of the sports world when she taunted Iowa guard Caitlin Clark several times when the game was already out of hand for the Hawkeyes. Some fans ripped her for the gestures while a large portion of the sports world defended her.
The 2022–23 NBA season has featured one of the most heated MVP races in recent memory. Nuggets do-it-all center Nikola Jokić is vying for a third-straight MVP, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is in the mix for his third MVP and first since 2020, and the 76ers’ Joel Embiid is looking to break through for his first.
Warriors point guard Stephen Curry is no stranger to what it takes to win that illustrious award after doing so in 2015 and ’16. While it’s hard to go wrong with any of the three MVP-caliber seasons, Curry believes Embiid has earned his first award this season.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
This is not okay.
Championship teams visiting the White House has been a tradition since 1865, when President Andrew Johnson invited the Brooklyn Atlantics of baseball’s National Amateur Association in honor of their league win, and an upcoming exhibition game against the Washington Nationals.
It’s customary for champions from a wide array of sports to visit the White House as part of their celebrations. Sometimes they even get McDonald’s as a reward.
After consensus top NBA draft prospect Victor Wembanyama went viral for his ridiculous putback dunk off his own missed stepback three in a LNB Pro A game in France over the weekend, league executives were buzzing over the limitless potential of the 19-year-old rising star.
“I’m still in a state of disbelief to be honest,” an Eastern Conference scout told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Denver Broncos cornerback Faion Hicks was arrested over the weekend on multiple charges.
The 25-year-old Hicks faces three charges, the most serious involving a third-degree felony for carrying a concealed firearm.
Broncos cornerback Faion Hicks arrested in Florida https://t.co/AWGz18rlGU via @9NEWS #9sports
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) April 3, 2023
THE BRONCOS FINISHED 5-12 LAST SEASON
According to Hallendale, Florida police, Hicks was pulled over after he went through a stop sign while driving last Saturday night.
NBA veteran and former UConn star Kemba Walker was in attendance on Monday night as the Huskies captured the fifth national championship in program history.
As time was waning in regulation and it was clear that UConn was on the cusp of winning the title, Walker was captured on video holding up a five and yelling “Five of them thangs!” before pumping up the crowd.
Walker, of course, was a key member of UConn’s third national title in 2011. He started all 41 games that season for the Huskies, averaging 23.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists on 42.8% shooting from the floor.