Good morning! You have permission to share this with the group text today.
This section was supposed to be about the exciting women’s basketball ahead of us. Every team across the top three lines of seeding remains alive in the NCAA Tournament, and while that means we haven’t had many madness-inducing upsets, we do have titans drawing ever closer to each other.
That means good basketball.
And yet, a pall has been cast over the second-round action:
USC superstar JuJu Watkins left the Trojans’ 96-59 blowout win over Mississippi State last night with a knee injury. USC confirmed after the game her injury was season-ending, and that Watkins will undergo surgery. It’s a gut punch for the Trojans and, frankly, the tournament, which loses one of its superstars far too early. USC plays Kansas State next, with a possible date with UConn after that. They’ll have to do it without their best player. Our No Offseason crew recorded an emergency pod with more on this.
Let’s try to get back to happier things. A checklist, a la yesterday’s men’s tourney check-in, with eyes on the road ahead:
The favorite: UConn
According to our latest metrics, the Huskies — despite earning a No. 2 seed — are still the most likely national champion. They breezed through the first two rounds, winning those games by an average of 51.5 points. Paige Bueckers scored a career-high 34 points in her final collegiate home game last night, too. Second-favorite: South Carolina.
Thrilling games? ✅
Maryland, in both brackets, cannot avoid this. A day after the men’s team got a buzzer-beater win, the other Terrapins beat Alabama 111-108 in double overtime. It was the game of the tournament thus far, and it was the second-highest-scoring game in women’s tourney history.
Good vibes: LSU, UNC
My Tigers advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 30-point win over Florida State, and as Brody Miller writes, they may have redefined their ceiling in the process. North Carolina survived an upset bid from West Virginia to set up a Sweet 16 matchup against Duke. I hear that’s a solid rivalry.
See takeaways from all of yesterday’s games here. The women are back in action Friday.
Former Michigan athletes file suit
Two former Michigan athletes filed a sweeping class-action lawsuit against the university and others in light of recent charges against Matt Weiss, which include the former offensive coordinator hacking students’ accounts and accessing intimate photos. Both athletes are anonymous in the suit but are listed as former members of the gymnastics team and soccer team, respectively. See our full report here.
Worthy sues ex-fiancée
Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy accused his ex-fiancee of theft and extortion in a lawsuit, obtained by The Athletic yesterday, which alleges that Tia Jones stole and destroyed money and personal property belonging to Worthy. This all comes after Worthy was arrested earlier this month on a criminal charge of assault, which was dismissed the next day. Read the latest.
More news
The Pohlad family wants at least $1.7 billion for the Twins, and sources say the franchise has accumulated a staggering amount of debt. See the details.
Rays ace Shane McClanahan will miss time with a nerve issue but avoided serious injury in his arm. Everyone is relieved.
Canada coach Jesse Marsch channeled his inner Randy Marsh and said he’d “do it again” after getting ejected from Sunday’s win over the USMNT.
The USWNT scheduled two stateside friendlies against Ireland over the summer. More details here.
More upsets in Miami: Coco Gauff went down yesterday
Iowa hired Drake’s Ben McCollum as its new head men’s basketball coach, replacing school legend Fran McCaffery.
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Remember when we counted the Suns out? The vaunted big three of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal just never jelled into the offensive juggernaut they were supposed to become.
And yet here we are, with 10 games left in the season, and Phoenix might be the NBA’s hottest team. The Suns (35-37) won their fourth straight last night thanks to this Booker game winner:
The last week has built momentum, as Doug Haller wrote a few days ago when Phoenix somehow beat Cleveland, the league’s best team.
The Suns are just inside the Play-In, sitting 10th, a half-game out of ninth … though one loss could send them to 11th place. Perilous.
Let’s keep going:
📺 NBA: Warriors at Heat
7:30 p.m. ET on TNT/Max
Jimmy Butler returns to Miami for the first time after forcing his way out at the trade deadline this year. He’s in a better spot now with the Warriors. I am extremely curious to hear the home crowd reaction.
📺 Golf: TGL Finals
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
New York Golf Club faces off against Atlanta Drive GC in what could decide the first-ever TGL championship after Atlanta won Match 1 last night.
Get tickets to games like these here.
We’ll have a full MLB preview tomorrow, but if you want to work ahead, read our staff predictions for the season here. The year of Bobby Witt Jr.? Hm.
I will read anything about God Shammgod. Christian Clark has a great story on the New York legend’s relationship with Kyrie Irving, as two of the best ball-handlers we’ve ever seen happen to work for the Mavericks.
March is, ironically, the worst month for the NBA. Will the league ever try to change that?
Joe Rexrode says this men’s NCAA Tournament doesn’t need Cinderellas, actually — it’s got better matchups anyway.
Incredible backstory here: how former Rangers goalie John Davidson inspired the Foreigner hit song “Double Vision.” I wish I could inspire a timeless song. Read the lore here.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Hugh Kellenberger’s excellent column on Viktor Hovland and his fixation on perfectionism. So good.
Most-read on the website yesterday: Our men’s NCAA Tournament power rankings, Sweet 16 edition.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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