Weekly Update March 25, 2024

Baseball: Ohtani’s interpreter fired after illegal sports betting.

Basketball – NBA: This week in the NBA. Green most points this week. 2 more teams eliminated.

Basketball – NCAAM: All the madness in March. First game out the gate was an upset. #3 Kentucky loses day 1. No perfect brackets left after Wisconsin got upset by JMU.

Golf: Malnati wins 2nd tournament at Valspar.

Olympic Sports: World Figure Skating Champions

Quick Headlines: Football: CFP and ESPN extend their partnership. F1: Someone other than Verstappen won!

Baseball – MLB:

• Biggest star in the MLB, Shohei Ohtani is in the news for a different reason than his prowess on the field. Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara has been fired after he made $4.5MM of wire transfers from Ohtani’s account to bookmaking operation. None of the bets were on baseball but it is illegal to bet on sports in the state of CA.

Basketball – NBA:

• This week in the NBA: Monday night the Grizzlies/Kings game went into OT after the Grizzlies were trailing at half. But the Memphis team came back scoring 29 in the final 2 Qs to force OT. The Kings would get the last laugh though winning by 10. Brunson and the Knicks won their 5^th straight road game on Monday over the Warriors. Hart played the entire game, the first NBA player to do so all season. They had another road game on Thursday against the Nuggets which they lost by 13. Streak over. Tuesday was pretty tame with no upsets. However the last game of the night, Nuggets at Timberwolves was entertaining. It didn’t look like it was going to be at half. The nuggets put up 35 in each of the 1^st 2 Qs to lead in the locker room by 15 but the Wolves started making a comeback in the 3Q. Ultimately, MN Edwards would miss a game-tying 3 pointer as the buzzer went off. It was so close!

• On Wednesday, the Heat would get a late 3-pointer to topple the Cavaliers at home. Pretty impressive considering only 2 players on the Heat scored 15+ points. The Kings won their game handily against the Raptors with Sabonis’ 24^th triple-double this season. The Celtics wrapped up the division with their close win over the Bucks. Although they would won by 3, the game was not really close until the final Q. The game between the Pelicans and Magic should’ve been closer than it was on Thursday. They both have the same number of wins after the Magic destroyed the NOLA team on Thursday. Same goes for the Bulls/Rockets game. The Rockets beat CHI by 10 and now have the same overall win total. However Houston is much better at home with a record of 24-11. The Wizards upset the Kings who have been on a hot streak lately. Small Forward Kuzma was responsible for 31 of the points by himself to give his team their 12^th win of the season. The Knicks beat the Nets on Saturday with their 2^nd player of the season to play an entire game. This time it was McBride. On Sunday, the 76ers beat the Clippers 121-107 after a quick start putting up 41 in 1Q. The Heat then upset the Cavaliers in dominating fashion by 37. Finishing up the night, the Lakers won a close one over the Pacers in a high scoring game of 150-145.

• The most prolific NBA player this week was Rockets Shooting Guard Jalen Green with 42 points on Tuesday during their game against the Wizards.
• 2 more teams have been eliminated from playoffs: Grizzlies (W) and Hornets in the East.

Basketball – NCAAM:

• NCAA tournament weekend 1: First Four: 16 Wagner barely beat Howard by 3. 10 UVA missed a lot of free throws to lose to Colorado State, only scoring 42 points all game. Sticking with that state, 10 Colorado lived up to expectations bouncing Boise St out of the tournament by 7. 16 Grambling came back from 14 points down in 2H to win in OT against Montana St.

• Day 1: Well game 1 and my bracket was busted when 6 BYU fell to 11 Duquesne. That was not the biggest upset of the day. Hands down the biggest headline was 3 Kentucky going down to 14 Oakland. And that is not Oakland CA btw – its in Michigan. They would beat the Wildcats in both halves; helps when G Jack Gohlke had 10 3-pointers. There were no other upsets of a Top 4 team. It wasn’t a good day to be a 6-seed though. 11 Oregon handled South Carolina taking the lead with 6 minutes to go in the 1^st and never giving it back. 11 NC State’s Middlebrooks was unstoppable at the end of their game. They upset 6 Texas Tech and majorly killed my bracket as I had them in my final four as my crazy pick. 9 Michigan St easily beat 8 Mississippi St by 18 to round out day 1 upsets. Technically by seed 7 Dayton was supposed to beat 10 Nevada but Vegas got that one wrong.

• • 10 Drake kept it close but two back-to-back turnovers cost them the W over 7 Wazzu. Easiest win of the day was 2 Tennessee over 15 Saint Peter’s who won by 34. Never a doubt there, it was 26 at half.

• Day 2: Biggest headline from Friday was easily #4 Auburn falling to 13 Yale. SEC Champ, Auburn was on the line shooting a free throw in the final 6 seconds, trailing by 2. But Auburn misses, gets the rebound 2xs and couldn’t get a layup in then they get it one more time and put up a 3-pointer for the win with 1.4 to go and missed. Yale wins their 2^nd NCAA tournament game in school history (last time was against Baylor in 2016). 2 of 3 5v12 match ups ended in upset on Friday.
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  • 12 JMU led the entire way over 5 Wisconsin winning by double-digits. 12 Grand Canyon pulled away at the end to upset 5 Saint Mary’s. That is their first NCAA win. But the one that failed was 12 UAB who made an epic comeback but fell 3 points short to upset 5 San Deigo St (last year’s Cinderella). All brackets were busted after Wisconsin fell to JMU. I told you one play-in team always makes it to the 2^nd round and here it is.
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  • 10 Colorado upset 7 Florida who is super streaky. It was a close game and we were all tied up at half but the Buffs come out on top by 2. The 9 Northwestern 8 FAU game went into OT after a close start with FAU on top by 1 with only 20 points. Things picked up in the 2H and NW put the nail in the coffin in OT, outscoring the Owls by 12. In direct contrast, 9 Texas A&M put up 58 point in their 1H and finished off 8 Nebraska, winning by 15. 8 Utah State was the only 8 seed to beat their 9 seed opponent, TCU. Similarly, 6 Clemson was the only one to escape the 6 seed losses from the day before.

• • The highest scoring game of the 1^st round: 4 Alabama vs 13 Charleston was a high scoring affair with the Tide winning 109-96.
  • 1 UConn beat 16 Stetson by 41 wow. Good start for the defending champs. Another 1 seed Houston beat 16 Longwood by 40.

• Day 3: 2^nd round was a little less exciting. There was only 1 upset and that was 5 Gonzaga over the injured and limping 4 Jayhawks. The game was close until 2H when the Zags hit 11/12 and won by 23. We did have two games go into OT. 11 NC State and Burns muscled past 14 Oakland ending their Cinderella story after 1 round.
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  • There were 20 lead changes, 16 ties and no double digit leads in the 11 Oregon 3 Creighton game. That game went into 2OT before Oregon would not score a single point until the final 34 seconds and when they did it was only free throws. Creighton escapes. All else went according to plan.

• Day 4: 1 Purdue and 4 Duke walked to easy wins against 8 Utah St and 12 JMU respectively. 5 San Diego St was up 24 at half before destroying 13 Yale, ending their Cinderella story. Similarly, 1 UConn killed 9 Northwestern by 22 and then coasted to an easy win. 4 Alabama beat 12 GCU in both halves. 2 Marquette had a much harder time with 10 Colorado. Marquette was leading at half 45-34 but the Buffs clawed their way back to tie it up at 74 a piece with 4 minutes left. Ultimately though the Golden Eagles made their free throws and backed the Buffs into a corner and escape with the win. Speaking of escaping, only 1 #1 seed was in trouble. Houston had a solid game putting up 43 in both halves against 9 Texas A&M. However, the Aggies came back and hit a 3-pointer buzzer beater to make OT. Houston shut them down in OT though and escapes a big upset! 6 Clemson was up by 10 points on 3 Baylor by halftime. It was a vey close 2H but thanks to that lead, the Tigers pull off the only upset of the day.

• NCAAW: The only big upset of the first round was 6 Louisville falling to 11 MTSU in a close one. All else went off as expected. #1 South Carolina has won their first 2 rounds by a combined 99 points. In the second round, 2 Ohio State got upset by 7 Duke last night. 2 Stanford survived 7 Iowa State although it took OT to get the job done. The ladies games continue today.

Golf:

• 5 different players had a piece of the lead during the final round and there were ~7 players in a shot of the lead on the back 9. I turned the channel back to basketball and I thought Mackenzie Hughes was going to be the winner, but I was wrong when he hit his shot into the water on 13. That was the turning point. There was a 3-way tie between Hughes, Peter Malnati and Cameron Young after the 11^th. Malnati had only won one previous PGA Tour tournament and that was 3,058 days prior to this Valspar tournament; that was the Sanderson Farms back in 2015. The Mizzou grad turned pro in 2009 and has been up and down on the tours. He has only ever competed in the PGA Championship but now gets an invite to the Masters.

Olympic Sports:

• This weekend was the World Championships Figure Skating in Montreal and it was a good weekend for the Americans. In the women’s competition JPN Kaori Sakamoto won her 3^rd straight title but USA Levito took Silver. Sakomaoto is the 8^th woman to 3-peat and the first since Peggy Flemming in the 1960s. In the Pairs competition, the Canadian team of Stellato-Dudek/Deschamps took the gold. This was a triumphant story as the woman wins her first world title at the age of 40 and she’s been competing in the sport since she was 15. In the dance, USA Madison Chock and Evan Bates successfully defended their title and did so with ease at their home ice. The men’s competition was historical. Literally you should watch Ilia Malinin’s long program to watch history being made. He was in 3^rd after a disappointing short program (2 points behind two JPN skaters). Reigning champ, Shoma Uno was leading after the short but fell multiple times and fell apart. JPN Yuma Kagiyama skated and did very well but then Malinin was up. The difference in starting score between Malinin and the others was 109 to 92. And he went out and nailed it. He hit 6 perfect quads starting with the quad axel. He even changed his program to make the difficulty harder live. You couldn’t tell if the commentators hadn’t been so shocked. Even Ilia fell to the ice after his performance as he knew he just won his first world title. His score of 227.79 if the highest free program score ever. His total score of 333.76 was enough to give him the title by 24 points. FRA Adam Siao Him Fa would get bronze despite adding an illegal backflip to his routine. After this world championships, USA will have 3 spots in every event except the Pairs next time.

• Gymnastics conference championships
  • In the Big 12, Oklahoma claims its 3^rd straight and 15^th total and final Big 12 championship with an NCAA record team score of 198.950. 2^nd place was Denver with 197.975. The Sooners won every event with a perfect 10, the first time that has been done in conference championship history.
  • In the SEC, LSU took their first conference title since 2019 with 1 perfect 10 by McClain on BB and a team score of 198.075. Haleigh Bryant was a staple for them and has the most 10s of any active gymnast going into the weekend. It was a tight competition with Kentucky leading going into the final rotation. Personal favorite performance for me was KT’s Reana Worley on floor with some MJ thrown in there. The Wildcats finished 3rd, their highest finish in the SEC ever. LSU wins by 0.325 points over Alabama.
  • Michigan State won the Big Ten conferences with a 197.500, beating our Minnesota by .1. NC State claimed the ACC title with a total team score of 197.550 and claimed 4 of the 5 individual titles as well. Utah took the Pac 12 with a 198 flat. That was the Utes 4th straight Pac 12 Championship and they put away UCLA by 0.125. That is the 2nd 4-peat ever.
  • Regionals will be April 4th.

• UVA won their 4^th women’s swim and diving national championship this weekend. The Cavaliers majorly outstripped 2^nd place, Texas by 86 points by winning 7 individual events and 4 of 5 relays.

Some quick highlights:

• Football: ESPN will be the official and exclusive rights holder for the CFP through 2031/2 season. The 6-year deal was agreed on Tuesday for $7.8Bn contract, extending the partnership that began in 2015.
• F1: Max Verstappen did NOT win the AUS GP this weekend after his rear right brake caught fire during the 3^rd lap of the race. It has been 2 years since he has not finished a race. Ferrari’s Sainz would go on to win the event and displace the reigning world champion.

What to watch this week

Baseball – MLB:

• Thurs 3/28
  • Cubs at Rangers @ 6:35pm on ESPN
    • Steele vs Eovaldi
• Sat 3/30
  • Yankees at Astros – or – Giants at Padres @ 6:15pm on FOX
• Sun 3/31
  • Cardinals at Dodgers @ 6pm on ESPN
    • Matz vs Stone

Baseball/Softball-NCAA:

• Mon 3/25
  • Softball: 18. Florida St vs Pitt @ 1pm on ACC
  • Softball: 7. Tennessee vs 25. South Carolina @ 6pm on SEC
• Wed 3/27
  • Baseball: 9. Duke at NC St @ 11:30am on ACC
• Thurs 3/28
  • Softball: 10. Florida at 20. Mississippi St @ 5pm on SEC
  • Baseball: 5. LSU at 1. Arkansas @ 6pm on ESPN2
  • Baseball: South Carolina vs 11. Alabama @ 7pm on SEC
• Fri 3/29
  • Baseball: 4. Clemson at Miami @ 10am on ACC
  • Baseball: South Carolina vs 11. Alabama @ 11am on SEC
  • Softball: 7. Tennessee vs Auburn @ 5pm on SEC
  • Softball: 12. Vtech vs 4. Duke @ 5pm on ACC
  • Softball: 2. Texas vs 6. Oklahoma St @ 7pm on ESPN2
  • Baseball: 5. LSU at 1. Arkansas @ 7pm on SEC
• Sat 3/30
  • Softball: 17. Arkansas vs 5. Georgia @ 11am on SEC
  • Softball: 12. Vtech vs 4. Duke @ 11am on ESPNU
  • Baseball: Mizzou at 3. Vanderbilt @ 1pm on SEC
  • Baseball: Pitt at 19. Vtech @ 3pm on ACC
  • Baseball: Georgia at 8. Tennessee @ 4pm on SEC
  • Baseball: 20. UNC at 16. Wake Forest @ 6pm on ACC
  • Baseball: 23. Auburn at 7. Texas A&M @ 7pm on SEC
  • Softball: 8. Stanford vs 24. Arizona @ 9pm on ESPN2
• Sun 3/31
  • Softball: 25. South Carolina vs Ole Miss @ 11am on SEC
  • Softball: 17. Arkansas vs 5. Georgia @ 11am on ESPN2
  • Baseball: Georgia at 8. Tennessee @ 1pm on SEC
  • Baseball: 20. UNC vs 16. Wake Forest @ 5pm on ACC
  • Baseball: Pitt vs 19. Vtech @ 8pm on ACC

Basketball – NBA:

• Tues 3/26
  • Lakers at Bucks @ 6:30pm on TNT
  • Mavericks at Kings @ 9pm on TNT
• Wed 3/27
  • Clippers at 76ers @ 6:30pm on ESPN
  • Suns at Nuggets @ 9pm on ESPN

Basketball – NCAAM:

• Thurs 3/28 – Sweet 16
  • 6. Clemson at 2. Arizona @ 6:09pm on CBS
  • 5. San Diego St at 1. UConn @ 6:39pm on TBS
  • 4. Alabama at 1. UNC @ 8:39pm on CBS
  • 3. Illinois at 2. Iowa St @ 9:09pm on TBS
• Fri 3/29 – Sweet 16 in LA and Boston
  • 11. NC St at 2. Marquette @ 6:09pm on CBS
  • 5. Gonzaga at 1. Purdue @ 6:39pm on TBS
  • 4. Duke at 1. Houston @ 8:39pm on CBS
  • 3. Creighton at 2. Tennessee @ 9:09pm on TBS
• Sat 3/30 & Sun 3/31 – Elite 8
  • 2 each day in Dallas, DET, LA and BOS
  • DII National Championship @ 2pm on CBS

Basketball – NCAAW: (only reporting ranked vs ranked)

• Mon 3/25 – 2^nd round
  • 7. Ole Miss at 2. Notre Dame @ 1pm on ESPN
  • 6. Tennessee at 3. NC St @ 3pm on ESPN
  • 6. Syracuse at 3. UConn @ 5pm on ESPN
  • 5. Oklahoma at 4. Indiana @ 5:30pm on ESPN2
  • 8. West Virginia at 1. Iowa @ 7pm on ESPN
  • 8. Kansas at 1. USC @ 9pm on ESPN
  • 5. Utah at 4. Gonzaga @ 9:30pm on ESPN2
• Fri 3/29 – Sweet 16
  • 3 Oregon St at 2. Notre Dame @ 1:30pm on ESPN
  • 4 Indiana at 1. South Carolina @ 4pm on ESPN
  • 3 NC State at 1. Texas @ 6:30pm on ESPN
  • 4 Gonzaga at 2. Stanford @ 9pm on ESPN
• Sat 3/30 – Sweet 16
  • 3 LSU at 2. UCLA @ 12pm on ABC
  • 5 Colorado at 1 Iowa @ 2:30pm on ABC
  • 5 Baylor at 1. USC @ 4:30pm on ESPN
  • 7 Duke at 3. UConn @ 7pm on ESPN
• Sun 3/31 & Mon 4/1 – Elite 8
  • 2 games each day

Football: (*NOTE* It is UFL now. USFL and XFL merged – this is incorrect on the podcast)

• Sat 3/30
  • Birmingham Stallions at Arlington Renegades @ 12pm on FOX
  • St. Louis Battlehawks at Michigan Panthers @ 3pm on FOX
• Sun 3/31
  • DC Defenders at San Antonio Brahamas @ 11am on ESPN
  • Memphis Showboats at Houston Roughnecks @ 2pm on ESPN

Golf:

• Thurs 3/28
  • Texas Children’s Houston Open – Round 1 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
• Fri 3/29
  • Texas Children’s Houston Open – Round 2 @ 2pm on Golf Channel
• Sat 3/30
  • Texas Children’s Houston Open – Round 3
    • @ 11am on Golf Channel
    • @ 2:30pm on NBC
• Sun 3/31
  • Texas Children’s Houston Open – Final Round
    • @ 11am on Golf Channel
    • @ 1:30pm on NBC

Hockey:

• Tues 3/26
  • Devils at Maple Leafs @ 6:30pmon hulu
• Wed 3/27
  • Bruins at Lightning @ 6:30pm on TNT
• Sat 3/30
  • Golden Knights at Wild @ 1:30pm on hulu
  • Maple Leafs at Sabres @ 6pm on hulu
• Sun 3/31
  • Ducks at Canucks @ 2:30pm on TNT

Olympic Sports:

• Sat 3/30
  • Sailing: AUS SailGP @ 1pm on CBS
• Sun 3/31
  • Rugby: San Diego Legion vs Miami Sharks @ 5pm on FS1

Soccer:

• Mon 3/25
  • International Friendly: SWE vs ALB @ 11pm on FS1
• Tues 3/26
  • UEFA Euro Qualifying: Wales vs POL @ 11pm on FS1
• Wed 3/27
  • International Friendly: GER vs NED @ 1am on FS1
  • International Friendly: FRA vs CHI @ 3am on FS1
• Sat 3/30
  • Premier League: Newcastle vs West Ham @ 7:30am on USA
  • Premier League: Nottingham Forest vs Crystal Palace @ 10am on USA
  • Premier League: Teams TBA @ 12:30pm on NBC
• Sun 3/31
  • Premier League: Liverpool vs Brighton @ 8am on USA
  • Premier League: Teams TBA @ 10:30am on NBC
  • La Liga: Juarez vs Santos Laguna @ 10pm on FS1