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Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I can’t wait to be back in your inbox on Monday morning breaking down the NCAA tournament brackets.
In today’s SI:AM:
🗽 Pitino comes full circle
🤔 USC’s (and Bronny’s) season is over
🙃 Cautious optimism for Gerrit Cole
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One team’s bubble just burst
With Selection Sunday just days away, several teams are waiting anxiously to hear if they’ll be among the lucky 36 teams selected for at-large bids to the NCAA tournament.
We can add former ESPN analyst Peter Gammons to the group of people who believe in CNN’s shotty reporting of Aaron Rodgers being a Sandy Hook conspiracy theorist despite the quarterback completely denying the report.
The idea that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may ask Rodgers to be his Vice President running mate immediately melted some people’s brains.
The Minnesota Vikings and Houston Texans made a trade on Friday morning, with the Vikings acquiring a second pick in the first round of this year’s draft, Minnesota announced.
The Texans traded their first-round pick this year, the No. 23 selection, and a seventh-round pick to Minnesota in exchange for a second-round pick this year, a fifth-round pick this year and a second-round pick next year.
The Vikings already own the No. 11 pick in the NFL draft, and now become the third team to have two picks in the first round this year.
Scottie Scheffler on the 13th tee during the second round of the 2024 PLAYERS. | Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images
During the second round of The PLAYERS Championship, Scottie Scheffler received treatment for what appears to be an ailing neck.
Scottie Scheffler looks to be in some pain during the second round of The PLAYERS.
Walking up the par-4 12th, his third hole of the day, Scheffler stopped and spoke with a rules official while rubbing the back of his neck.
He asked the official if he could receive some Biofreeze, according to Sean Martin of the PGA Tour.
The NCAA Tournament is expected to put up some monster gambling numbers.
March is arguably the greatest month of the year for sports fans, and it’s absolutely the best time of year for basketball fans.
There is pretty much nonstop basketball once the conference tournaments start, and from the Thursday morning of the opening round through Sunday night of the opening weekend, there is nonstop action.
It’s a time for great food, drinks, time with friends, plenty of basketball……..and lots of gambling.
An analysis from the American Gaming Association projects $2.
Rick Pitino has St. John’s on the cusp of its first men’s NCAA tournament appearance since the 2018–19 season, after the Red Storm defeated Seton Hall 91–72 in Thursday’s Big East tournament quarterfinal.
As No. 2 UConn awaits on Friday’s conference tournament semifinal, Pitino knows that his team will be up against it. When asked how his team could pull off an upset, Pitino offered quite the answer.
“We gotta have about six of their players get COVID,” Pitino said with a wry smile.
What are the Vikings planning with their two first-round picks?
The Chicago Bears made a huge splash on Friday night, making a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers for veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen. The Bears take on Allen’s $23 million cap hit for the 2024 season, sending Los Angeles back a fourth-round pick in exchange.
The move caught many people by surprise, as Allen has spent his entire 10-year career up to this point with the Chargers. The wide receiver has six Pro Bowl seasons under his belt, and is coming off a 2023 where he had 1,243 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games.
Bernhard Langer during the first round of the 2023 Masters. | Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Bernhard Langer will miss his first Masters since 2011 thanks to an Achilles injury he recently suffered.
In early February, Bernhard Langer suffered a torn Achilles, forcing him to skip out on Augusta National for only the second time since 1983.
But earlier this week, on the ‘Musings on Golf’ podcast, Langer revealed how he tore his Achilles.
“I play all sorts of sports to stay fit, and this was part of my fitness regime,” Langer explained.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
BEES!!!!
Imagine, if you will, taking some time on a spring Thursday afternoon to watch some high-level tennis. The BNP Paribas Open — most commonly known as the Indian Wells Open — is upon us and some of the world’s best tennis players are in the field. On the men’s side you have Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Daniil Medvedev in the field. Over on the women’s side Iga Światek, Aryna Sabalenka, Coco Gauff, and Ons Jabeur are playing at Indian Wells.
Nathan Barrett, the younger brother of Toronto Raptors star RJ Barrett, has died, the family announced through the team.
“It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we announce the loss of our beloved son and brother, Nathan Tyler Barrett, who passed away on Tuesday, March 12, surrounded by his family, church and friends,” the statement read. “While our family is devastated by this great loss, we will continue to cherish the memories and time spent together. Nathan was a God-fearing young man of strong character.
NASCAR champ Kyle Busch joined Pat McAfee on his ESPN show yesterday, and promptly bashed Formula 1 – and the younger generation in his own series – in one glorious interview.
Bonus: ESPN airs F1 races every week. Sure they loved what Rowdy had to say! I did, at least.
“Let me give you an example. NASCAR racing, to me, is like two bros or four bros or whatever, beer cans in their hands smashing them up going, ‘WOO!’ Partying, having a good time. We’re gonna rub some fenders,” Busch told McAfee when asked about comparing F1 to NASCAR.
March Madness is one of the busiest and most exciting times of the year for sports bettors. Sixty-eight college basketball teams compete for the man’s national championship across three weeks, with dramatic upsets and adrenaline-pumping finishes along the way. The electrifying and often unpredictable road to the Final Four is what has earned this season the moniker of madness.
So, how can you get in on the action?
Single Game
There are multiple ways to bet March Madness, the simplest being moneyline, point spread, and total bets on any single game.
Juwan Howard was asked a wildly outrageous and racist question following Michigan’s basketball season coming to an end.
Howard and the Wolverines lost in the Big Ten Tournament 66-57 to Penn State in the opening stages of the tournament Wednesday, and Michigan finished the season 8-24. Howard closed out the year by losing nine straight games. His seat is blazing hot, and there’s a very real chance he’s coached his final game with the program in Ann Arbor.
Rory McIlroy racked up 10 birdies in his first round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass to earn a share of the first-round lead on Thursday.
One of his bad shots, however, garnered most of the attention from his round and led to an incredible segment on Golf Channel’s postgame show.
In case you missed it, McIlroy pulled his tee shot on the par-4 seventh hole (his 16th hole of the day) into the water. He didn’t know exactly where it crossed and had a long discussion with his playing partners about where it might have bounced before going into the water.
Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles two weeks ago was unsure whether he was trading starting quarterback Justin Fields or to whom. All he knew was he wanted to have certainty sooner rather than later.
Maybe even by the start of the NFL free agency period.
“I would love to know as soon as possible, I would love to now,” Poles said. “But I know that’s not how the process works. Sure, before free agency would be good.
“If we were to do something with Justin, I want to do right by him.
Social media is on fire following Duke falling early in the ACC Tournament.
There are few things that get college basketball fans fired up more than watching Duke lose in March. People pop bottles online to celebrate. It’s a tradition as old as the internet itself, and it was on full display Thursday night.
The Blue Devils entered the ACC Tournament as the two seed, and fans were hoping to see UNC and the Blue Devils play in the title game.
North Carolina State had other plans.
LeBron James posted a series of cringe and irresponsible videos to his Instagram story of him driving on a California freeway in the middle of the night, and some folks on social media weren’t happy about it.
James posted four different videos at around 1 AM on Thursday morning following the Lakers’ loss to the Kings in Sacramento. Each slide featured a different R&B song showing that he was clearly in his feels after scoring 18 points and snagging 13 rebounds in his team’s 120-107 loss.
Providence basketball coach Kim English was asked an all-time weird question Thursday.
The Friars pulled off a shocking 78-73 upset of Creighton in the Big East Tournament, and it’s a massive win for the program.
The team is on the bubble, and the win over Creighton will be great for its resume. Will it be enough to get Providence in? Fans will find out Sunday, but what we do know is English sat through a wildly awkward moment after the matchup.
In case you’re not on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the NFL’s new calendar year officially started late Wednesday afternoon.
If you’re active on X, then you definitely know that because every NFL reporter was wishing you a Happy New Year on your timeline. That was the most excitement in the NFL for the “new year”—until Calvin Ridley signed with the Tennessee Titans—because most notable free agents had already agreed to terms with their respective teams during the league’s legal tampering period, from Monday to Tuesday.
South Carolina basketball coach Lamont Paris isn’t going to be hurting for cash after agreeing to an extension with the program.
Paris has the Gamecocks rolling with a 26-6 record, a second place regular season finish in the SEC and the team is going to be a solid seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The program finally has life again, and that’s resulted in Paris getting paid. Pete Thamel reported Paris has agreed to a deal worth more than $4 million annually that runs through 2029-30.
Board approval is expected at some point Friday.
Former Giants running back Tiki Barber had a fiery comeback for Ryan Clark after the ESPN pundit took shots at Tiki and kissed up to Saquon Barkley after the running back left NY for Philly.
Tiki Barber questioned Barkley’s loyalty to Giants fans after leaving for the Eagles, saying Barkley was “dead” to Giants fans.
The typically cool Saquon pushed back on Tiki’s comments, via X, holding his commitment to the Giants higher than Barber’s, the franchise’s all-time leading rusher (10,449 yards).
Tennessee and North Carolina entered their respective conference tournaments in a virtual tie for the last No. 1 seed.
The Kansas City Chiefs added another offensive playmaker for Patrick Mahomes, agreeing to terms with former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. The speedy wideout will join Kansas City on a one-year deal worth up to $11 million, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.
Brown has the type of playmaking speed the Chiefs offense lacked last season, and he’ll step in as an instant-impact deep threat for Mahomes and the offense.
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla got a bit more involved in Thursday night’s game than coaches typically do.
Late in the fourth quarter of the Celtics’ clash against the Phoenix Suns, following a Jaylen Brown steal and slam, Mazzulla could be seen attempting to block a three-point attempt from Royce O’Neale after the Suns had called timeout.
After the whistle was blown, O’Neal attempted to get an open look at the basket from beyond the arc, but, unbeknownst to him, he was contested by Boston’s coach.
New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole underwent testing on his throwing elbow this week, and it seems the star right-hander has avoided the worst possible outcome.
Cole is expected to be able to avoid undergoing Tommy John surgery, though the reigning AL Cy Young is still anticipated to need one-to-two months on the shelf, according to Jon Heyman of the NY Post.
Cole had been experiencing difficulty in his recovery between starts during spring training, prompting the team to send him for an MRI on his right elbow. After visiting with Dr.
The Bears are acquiring six-time Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen from the Chargers for a fourth-round draft pick, sources confirmed to ESPN.
via TNT
Royce O’Neale’s shot was not going to count, but Joe Mazzulla is not one to just let a shooter see the ball go in… even in a game he’s coaching.
In his less than two full seasons as head coach of the Boston Celtics, Joe Mazzulla has made a habit of going viral.
St. John’s is on a tear since Rick Pitino’s February tirade and is among the strong candidates to outplay their projected seeds and deliver upsets in the Big Dance.
The Chicago Bears continued a strong start to the new league year by adding another offensive playmaker on Thursday night, but this move wasn’t a free-agency signing.
Instead, the team struck a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers to acquire veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick, as Jay Glazer of FOX Sports first reported.
Chicago adds a six-time Pro Bowl wideout to the mix, and Allen is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, catching 108 passes for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Kansas City Chiefs are fortifying their wide receiver corps and adding another weapon for Patrick Mahomes ahead of the 2024 season.
Former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is reportedly signing with the Chiefs, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Brown, 26, will make the move to Kansas City on a one-year deal that is worth up to $11 million.
In 2023, Brown hauled in 51 receptions, 574 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games.
In what is believed to be a first in Big East Conference tournament history, a head men’s basketball coach was asked his marital status in a postgame news conference.
A reporter from The Black Sportz Network informed Providence Friars coach Kim English that he was “trending a lot on Black Twitter,” and “girls asked me to ask you” about his marital status.
Carter (22) played all 40 minutes in Providence’s victory.
Brown played the last two seasons for the Arizona Cardinals.
Brown played the last two seasons for the Arizona Cardinals.
Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears front office continue making moves early into the new league year.
On Thursday night, the Bears agreed to acquire veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen in a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers.
In exchange, Chicago will send a fourth-round pick to the Chargers, who reportedly approached Allen earlier Thursday about taking a pay cut, which he declined, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
Holtmann was fired by Ohio State on Feb. 14.
Drew Lock found a new home in free agency Tuesday, opting to leave the Seattle Seahawks in favor of a one-year contract agreement with the New York Giants.
The Seahawks apparently wanted Lock back in 2024, but the Giants made a promise in their free-agent pitch that the 27-year-old quarterback couldn’t refuse.
Seattle general manager John Schneider told 710 Seattle Sports radio show Wyman and Bob on Thursday that the Giants “basically sold him on the opportunity to compete to be the starter.
Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban joined Bret Baier on “Special Report” Thursday night. Saban recapped a recent trip to Congress where the coach sounded an alarm about reshaping NIL because of its complete transformation of college football.
NIL opened the door for college athletes to get paid for their “name, image, and likeness.” The process has neutered college football’s recruiting by leaving it all up to endorsement deals and what’s available.
Saquon Barkley’s decision to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t sit well with some New York Giants fans, including former running back Tiki Barber.
Amid a somewhat tumultuous exit after six years with the franchise, Barkley took a moment to bid farewell to the Giants on Thursday, posting a message on social media in order to clear the air and thank the organization and its fans.
In his message, Barkley thanked the fan base for its support since he was selected as the No. 2 pick in the 2018 draft.
Bronny James’s freshman season with the USC Trojans has officially come to a close, with the team bowing out in the Pac-12 tournament against the No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats on Thursday night.
James, the eldest son of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, faces an uncertain future at USC. He potentially has the opportunity to forgo the remainder of his collegiate career and turn pro in order to join his father in the NBA.
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal is taking the Celtics to win the 2024 NBA title… if they can succeed in these two areas.
The second-seeded Blue Devils are out after their first game of the ACC tournament, sent packing by the 10th-seeded Wolfpack on Thursday.
Paul Skenes continues to show elite stuff.
Saquon Barkley brought a very special guest to his Philadelphia Eagles introductory press conference on Thursday: His 5-year-old daughter Jada.
As the team’s new running back sat down and addressed the media for his first time in Philadelphia, his daughter quickly chimed in and brought some positive energy to the room.
“How’s everyone doing?” Barkley asked.
“Good, Daddy!” Jada yelled back.
This made the audience laugh and Barkley smile. He made sure to shush her kindly, though, so she wouldn’t continue to talk throughout his press conference.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr thought that Trayce Jackson-Davis’ dunk over Victor Wembanyama was one of the best plays of the NBA season.
The Texans gave running back Joe Mixon a three-year, $27 million contract extension, including $13 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
At his introductory news conference with the Eagles, Saquon Barkley says he will be “forever grateful” to Giants fans.
Defensive lineman Arik Armstead is signing a 3-year, $51 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Dallas police are now investigating an alleged 2017 sexual assault involving Dak Prescott after a complaint was filed Wednesday by the woman. Separately, police in Prosper, Texas, are now investigating Prescott’s extortion claim by the woman.
The Commanders are trading quarterback Sam Howell to the Seahawks in a pick swap.