By TERRY LYONS, Editor in Chief of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – There’s a four horse race looming for the Most Valuable Player in the National Basketball Association with a fifth horse ruled ineligible for lack of playing time/games. Here are the contenders, listed in alphabetical order:

• Jalen Brown, Boston Celtics
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC Thunder
• Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
• Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

The following NBA players are ineligible for postseason awards because of the fact they did not play the minimum number of games to qualify. That number of games, 65, was increased as a deterrent for teams resting the top players too often, a growing trend known as load management.

• *Luka Dončić, LA Lakers
• Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
• *Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks
• Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
• Jimmy Butler, GS Warriors
• Stephen Curry, GS Warriors
• Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks / Wash (DC) Wizards
• Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
• Paul George, Philadelphia 76ers
• Josh Giddey, Chicago Bulls
• LeBron James, LA Lakers
• Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
• Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
• Austin Reaves, LA Lakers
• Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
• Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
• Jalen Williams, OKC Thunder
• Trae Young, Hawks / Wizards

Note: The NBA delayed its post season award voting and later ruled that Luka Dončić and Cade Cunningham were now eligible for awards.*

Put simply, team/front office analysts and player agents believe that the fewer games (and minutes) a basketball star plays over an 82 games regular season will translate to extended careers, thus more years on their contract extentions, thus, more money to be earned. Most likely, there’s a significantly better chance for such a player to earn “Super Max” money in a fair number of contracts, starting with the player’s second or third deal and continuing until the player decides to retire or is injured and forced to retire.

Now, for the award in unintended consequences: In negotiations for the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, labor and management decided to tie together the concept of that “Super Max” to the annual postseason awards, thus putting the ability for players to qualify for the big bucks in the hands of the 100+ voters, all media members who cover the league on an 82-games a year basis. The panel is also bolstered by votes from select members of the league’s national broadcast teams, and an international media member or three are tossed in for good reason.

Big mistake.

Paraphrasing from the CBA with the help of the Villanova Law Review: “An NBA player qualifies for a Super Max contract (Designated Veteran Player Extension) by meeting specific performance criteria, primarily being named to an All-NBA team, winning MVP, or earning Defensive Player of the Year. The player must have 7-9 years of experience, be with their original team (or acquired via rookie deal), and have 1-2 years left on their contract.

Performance Criteria (Must meet one):

• Named to an All-NBA Team (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) in the most recent season or in two of the previous three seasons.
• Named Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) in the most recent season or in two of the previous three seasons.
• Named NBA MVP in any of the three previous seasons.

Eligibility & Service Requirements:

• Experience: Player must have completed seven or eight years of service (YOS).
• Team Requirement: The player must be on their original team or have been traded before their fifth season.
• Contract Timing: Eligible with one or two years remaining on their current contract.

Key Rules & Limitations

• Games Played Threshold: Under the latest NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), players must appear in at least 65 regular-season games to be eligible for the postseason awards (All-NBA, DPOY, MVP) that trigger Super Max eligibility.
• Roster Limits: Recent CBA changes removed the limit on how many “Designated Veteran” players a team can have on its roster at once.
• Negotiation: Qualifying only makes a player eligible for the 35% max; the team is not required to offer the full amount and the terms of the deal must be negotiated.
• Trade Restrictions: A player cannot be traded for one year after signing a Super Max deal.

“Super Max’ Benefits:

• Allows a team to offer up to 35% of the total salary cap (vs. 30% for standard max).
• The contract length is for five years.

As sure as actor George Clooney portraying Frank William “Billy” Tyne Jr., captain of doomed Andrea Gail, would attest, this season is The Perfect Storm where all the rules of the CBA, the post season awards and the anti-load management have come home to roost.

What are the biggest problems the system has put forth? Let us count just a few ways.

• This season, players like Luka Doncic and Cade Cunningham deserve consideration for All-NBA, at the least, and MVP at the best.
• The NBA Players Association (NBPA) is calling for the 65-game rule to be abolished or reformed, arguing that it unfairly disqualifies deserving players from end-of-season honors due to injuries. That comes long after they ratified the deal.
• Tying the ability for a player to “Max” out to the whims of the media voting can (and will) place unjust pressure on the voters (media). The post season honors were intended to be a publicity/ attention grabber and cause for debate and an eventual photo op – not determine whether a player merits “Super Max” levels of salary.

By 2029 and 2030, the NBA maximum team salary figures will likely reach $200m and $220m, thus projecting the Super Max deals to come in at $80m per season and $400m per player over the life of a five-year deal – all potentially dependent on a vote or two on MVP or All-Defensive team honors.

All this said, the NBA is actively attempting to solve an obvious “Tanking” issue.

On Friday, April 10, the Associated Press reported that 168 NBA players did not play because of injury or illness.

One team, the OKC Thunder, might’ve had good reason, as they clinched the best record in the league and home court advantage for the duration of the playoffs.

“If we didn’t clinch [the No. 1 overall seed] coming into tonight, everybody would be playing,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said to reporters before the game. “We’ve earned the right through 80 games to manage their bodies and stuff like that.”

San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama, needing to play 20 minutes to reach the 65-game standard and be eligible for postseason awards, was taken out after hitting exactly that number of minutes. That accomplished, he reported back into the game, evidently having convinced the Spurs’ hierarchy that he needed a bit more work. He finished the Friday night game with 40 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in 26 minutes during a 139-120 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

“If I had 65 [games] before, I, for sure, wouldn’t have played,” Wembanyama said.

While we examine the upper echelon of NBA teams (As of Saturday, OKC is 64-17, and playing .790 ball with an (8-2) record over their prior 10 games and San Antonio is 62-19, and playing at a .765 clip with a (9-1) mark over their prior outings, the opposite side of the playoff qualifying ledger gets pretty ugly.

Before today’s season finale at Toronto, the Brooklyn Nets lost consecutive games by scores of (123-94) and (125-108). Meanwhile, the Washington Wizards have won a grand total of one game since February 22. That’s (1-and-25) for those of you scoring at home.

Five teams sit between the 17-win and 22-win threshold, all battling it out for the slight advantages of the NBA Draft Lottery system which was addressed by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver quite definitively at the recent NBA Board of Governors meeting. A vote of the three proposals Silver presented to his Board will come in May. (See proposals HERE).

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: I preface this section by stating it is written in bipartisan fashion, and – in fact – I’ll be ripping some of the “good guys” in U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) along with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and U.S. Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) as the aforementioned group of four have introduced the Home Team Act, and it’s a doozie.

The lawmakers on Thursday introduced a bill that “could counter” professional sports franchises’ plans for relocating. The Home Team Act, if passed, would “require team ownership to provide one year of notice before moving a team to a new location if the team would move across state lines or to a new metropolitan area.” During that year prior to the proposed relocation, the franchise in question would be “available for other (presumably local) prospective owners to purchase ‘at a fair and reasonable price.’” A team of appraisers would determine “what constitutes as ‘fair and reasonable.’”

While it all sounds nice and an effort by local politicians to support their local sports team, while currying favor (a.k.a. ‘sucking up) to the local constituents with hopes of some votes down the road, it is quite a strike against a business owners’ rights to do what he thinks is best for his business and, very possibly, the future health of the franchise.

The case in point is the decision by the Mohegan Tribe to sell the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun to the Tellman Fertitta family who plan to move the Sun to Houston to become the second coming of the Houston Comets – the once mighty dynasty of WNBA years gone by.

Last summer, there was quite a kerfuffle when the Mohegan Tribe had a handshake with former Celtics team owner Stephen Pagliuca to sell the team and slide it up I-95 to play in the Boston Garden. The WNBA put the brakes on that cozy agreement and noted that the relocation of franchises was subject to the bylaws of the WNBA’s Constitution and By Laws. quite simply, the league had canvassed various potential cities for expansion and/or re-location and not a peep was heard from Boston.

The WNBA also noted that Houston was in line for a franchise and locating a team in the Southwest USA might be best. Meanwhile, another bid to move the Sun to Hartford from lovely Uncasville, Connecticut did not gain traction. The WNBA also noted that current NBA Boston Celtics’ team owner Bill Chisholm might have a say in the matter.

The other major factor was the relocation to either Hartford or Boston would place the Sun/Comets in a building they did not own nor operate, thus severely limiting the potential earnings of the franchise. And, keep in mind, the margins for a WNBA franchise to operate and turn a profit are slim and require revenue sources from every possible source (concessions, parking, etc.).

The politicians and the Home Team Act don’t seem to do (nor care about) the calculations to make the team successful. and face, it, the franchise is up for sale and potential relocation for a reason. If it were drowning in revenue, chances are the club would not be up for sale.

EXCUSE ME SIR, MAY I HAVE ANOTHER: On April 3, the day before the NCAA Final Four tipped-off in Indianapolis, the office of the White House dropped an Executive Order on the world of collegiate sports that – quite frankly – seemed quite illegal right from the moment it became public.

“The Urgent National Action to Save College Sports” made quite a splash with the “we want college sports to be the way it used to be” crowd. Of course, that group of American society – the people who ignored the 2015 “O’Bannon vs NCAA” case or the June 6, 2025 settlement between the NCAA and NIL claims.

Those two cases, handed down by the NCAA and the courts, significantly changed the landscape of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rights and college athletics overall. The settlement called for backpay and the ability for athletes to be paid directly by their schools. There was no longer a limit on scholarships per sport/team.

The “Settlement” introduced significant changes to college athletics and NIL, but it did not settle all outstanding issues, such as whether student athletes should be considered employees by their schools and whether student athletes have the right to collectively bargain.

Those issues still needs to be decided, but, of course, a Collective Bargaining Agreement would need to have two definitive sides representing labor and management to begin negotiations. As of now, the NCAA does not represent all of the management team (see College Football Playoff group, Power Four Conferences, basketball conferences, such as the BIG EAST, Olympic sports – both men and women, along with Division II or III athletes, their schools and conferences.

And, the athletes as a group would need to unionize to make it work.

Thus, the Executive Order put forth is like throwing a book of matches on top of a blazing fire of legal uncertainty in collegiate sports. and, clearly, what works for big-time college football doesn’t work for tennis or track and field. What works for the BIG EAST for men’s basketball, might not even work for the BIG EAST in women’s basketball.

While not a fan of piling “What About” on top of problems, how about a giant “What About” if applying all of the proposed laws and provisions of the EO on top of the IVY League schools?

The bottom line, the EO is a complete waste of time and money, as it will quickly be challenged in court and the findings will further divide the parties in an effort to find a legitimate working system for college sports.

What can be agreed upon:

• The current (lack of) system for collegiate football and basketball is not sustainable.
• The proposed limits to collegiate athletes is un-Constitutional. Why should they be singled out and limited?
• There doesn’t;t seem to be an equal restriction plan for college coaches, Athletic Directors and school Presidents. They seem to be able to move around as they please, with no limitations of years served, not the number of times they change jobs.
• Holding Federal Funding over the heads of the colleges is surely illegal.

One other point to be made, and it’s quite simple: Let’s reverse the Executive Order from collegiate athletes and apply it to elected officials:

We’ll call it, “Urgent National Action to Save Democracy,” and here are a few bullet-points for the EO.

• Elected officials are limited to a five year period to serve
• Elected officials may change jobs only once, this if a Congressman wishes to run for Senate after a five-year period of serving as an elected Representative in the House, “go get ‘em.” But that’s it. Only one job change.
• Same goes for Senators who might want to run for President. And, you get one crack at it, one election – win or go home. NO changes to City council or Mayor or any other elected office. “You’re done.”
• Presidents? One five-year term. Good-bye or go run for Dog Catcher back home.

We Have Spoken.

TIDBITS & NUGGETS: Boston Celtics point guard Payton Pritchard was named as the recipient of the 2026 Red Auerbach Award. The annual award, which was presented to Pritchard at mid-court by Celtics Team President Rich Gotham and Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens, prior to Boston’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday night, is traditionally given to the Celtics player or coach who best exemplifies the spirit of what it means to be a Celtic through exceptional performance on and off the court.

“Payton’s growth and consistency speak to everything the Red Auerbach Award stands for – toughness, selflessness, and a commitment to the greater good of the team,” said Gotham. “He approaches his role with professionalism, purpose, and an amazing work ethic, earning the admiration and trust of his teammates and coaches alike.”

In 78 games (50 starts) this season, Pritchard is averaging career highs of 17.0 points (46.3 FG%, 37.4 3FG%, 88.8 FT%), 4.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 32.4 minutes per game. The 2024 NBA champion and 2025 Sixth Man of the Year is one of only two Celtics players in history with multiple career 35-point games off the bench (Larry Bird).

Created in 2006, the award is named in honor of legendary Celtics coach, general manager and president, Arnold “Red” Auerbach.

SOX STRUGGLING, ALL BUT ABREU: The Boston Red Sox are struggling coming out of the gate this spring. They opened up on the road and won their season opener at Cincinnati. From there, they went (0-5) before they won another game when they returned to Fenway Park to face the san Diego Padres. After that win, it was three more losses before they put two wins together against the Milwaukee Brew Crew. With everyone on the club struggling, there’s been only one consistent source of production and that is from right fielder Wilyer Abreu who started in right in each of the Red Sox’ 13 games through Saturday, and is batting .392 (20-for-51) with a 1.101 OPS, eight runs, four doubles, one triple, three home runs and nine RBI. Going into the weekend, Abreu led the American League in total bases (35), hits (20) and batting aveerage (.392), while ranking third n SLG (.686), OPS (1.101), and extra base hits (eight, tied), 8th in OBP (.415) and doubles (four, tied), and T-11th in HR (3) and RBI (9).

MARATHON MAN: The Fenway Park Marathon will return to America’s Most Beloved Ballpark on Saturday, May 30, 2026. The race will offer runners a rare opportunity to complete a marathon distance entirely on the warning track inside Fenway Park while raising funds for two impactful nonprofits. Runners interested in securing one of the limited spots can register HERE

Originally run back in 2017, the Fenway Park Marathon is one of the most unique endurance events in the country, allowing participants to circle the historic ballpark’s warning track for 26.2 miles while surrounded by the sights and sounds of Fenway. The money raised via the race benefits the Red Sox Foundation and the Dave McGillivray Finish Strong Foundation. Registration is now open for the 2026 race, with participation limited to only 100 individuals. Due to strong interest in the event’s return, organizers have also added two new participation options for 2026: a half marathon distance and a relay team division of two, three, four or five runners on a team. All individual participants and teams are required to raise a minimum of $5,000 in support of the Red Sox Foundation and the Dave McGillivray Finish Strong Foundation. “Running a marathon inside Fenway Park is an experience unlike anything else in the sport,” said McGillivray. “Participants will spend the entire race on the warning track of one of the most beloved ballparks in the world, surrounded by family, friends, and fellow runners. It’s a celebration of endurance, community, and the power of giving back.” For Dave McGillivray,the Boston Marathon’s Senior Race Advisor, the event offers runners a chance to experience Fenway Park in an unforgettable way while supporting important community causes. … McGillivray will be a very busy man come April 20th when the 130th running of the Boston Marathon dissects the streets of Boston and the MetroWest ‘burbs.

ONE OF THE COOLEST EVENTS: The National Baseball Poetry Festival will return to Polar Park in nearby Worcester, on May 7-10. The event continues a growing New England tradition, celebrating the home plate that is baseball and storytelling. Ready to enjoy its fourth year, the festival continues to grow. In 2026 alone, adult poetry submissions have come from 42 states and 12 different countries and territories, reflecting the growing interest in baseball themed writing from students, poetry lovers, and baseball fans. Event organizers describe it as the first festival designed specifically to unite sports and the fine arts. Note that the festival’s youth poetry contest remains open for submissions through April 17, coinciding with National Poetry Month. The festival weekend itself brings together baseball fans, writers, educators, and community members for readings, workshops, pick-up and organized ballgames, and other events at beautiful Polar Park, home of the Worcester Red Sox.

Baseball Poetry in Motion

After earning his way to first base, a runner can make a mark,

He can take a lead-off the base, draw a pick-off attempt or two,

Maybe, he can distract the pitcher and extend his teammate’s at bat,

But careful he must be, as the catcher has a glove and a rocket,

He’ll fake to the mound, but throw a bullet right into your back pocket.”

PARTING WORDS & MUSIC: How about some music for the final round of The Masters Tournament?

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly (every weekend) collection of Sports Notes and News written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city news stand on Saturday night around 10:00pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a compilation of interesting sports notes, quotes and quips in a column that always sold a few newspapers. Wire Service reports are utilized within the column.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes – Brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Preview) – Forgive Brad Underwood if he takes an extra beat to appreciate the novelty of his weekend surroundings as Illinois returns to the Final Four for the first time since 2005.

Ready and waiting, perhaps unimpressed by the pomp and circumstance on the periphery of a third trip to the Final Four in four years, stand UConn and head coach Dan Hurley. And that’s the piece of the Fighting Illini itinerary in Indy that Underwood finds painfully familiar.

UConn demolished Illinois 74-61 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 28 and waylaid the Illini in the 2024 Elite Eight in Boston, a blowout by every measure that is memorable for the Huskies’ 30-0 run and 77-52 final score.

Only senior forward Alex Karaban remains from UConn’s previous tournament win over Illinois and the teams are changed in major ways since the November game. But in the days since Illinois defeated No. 9 seed Iowa to win the South, Underwood found a couple of common denominators comparing his losses to UConn’s 19-point comeback to defeat East No. 1 seed Duke on Sunday.

“I look at one guy — well, two. I look at Danny (Hurley) and then I look at Karaban,” he said. “Their culture is, I think this is their third Final Four. You understand why they’re here. It’s never — things have to go right in a 19-point comeback, and they did. But there was no quit. There was no lay-down. We’ve talked a lot about that.”

UConn (33-5) tournament breakout star Tarris Reed Jr. was coming off of an injury when the teams played earlier this season and All-American Keaton Wagler was a non-factor for Illinois (28-8), serving in a vastly different catch-and-shoot role as a spot-up sniper on the baseline. These days, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year handles the ball on every possession and gets the offense going as a point guard or point forward.

The Most Outstanding Player in the South Region, Wagler had 25 against the Hawkeyes and his best game of the year came in the state. He poured in 46 points on Jan. 24 at Purdue in a national coming-out party that featured 9-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. He led Illinois in scoring 19 times this season.

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WASHINGTON DC – (Staff and Wire Service Preview) – James Naismith Award favorite Cameron Boozer and Duke will continue their pursuit of the program’s sixth national title and first since coach Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement when they face coach Rick Pitino’s resurgent St. John’s in Friday night’s East Regional semifinal.

Boozer posted his 20th and 21st double-doubles in the first two rounds of the tournament as No. 1 seed Duke (34-2) survived a scare in a 71-65 win over No. 16 Siena, then comfortably handled No. 9, TCU by a 81-58 score.

The freshman forward could have a healthier squad behind him Friday. Center Patrick Ngongba II (right foot soreness) is cleared to play a second game after returning from a 19-day layoff against TCU. Caleb Foster (right foot fracture) will be a game-time decision as he tries to play for the first time since a win against North Carolina in the regular-season finale March 7.

“Pat responded well. You never know how that’s going to go. He’s on track to play again (Friday), which is a really big deal for us,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “Then Caleb, I just go back to when he got hurt, he told me, ‘Look, if I do this and work every day, you got to promise me you’ll let me put this uniform on again with our guys.’

Pitino is in his 14th Sweet 16 appearance and first with St. John’s (30-6) during a season that has represented a renaissance for coach and program alike.

Pitino was let go by Louisville after the 2016-17 season amid multiple scandals, eventually returned to coaching college ball at Iona after a three-year layoff, and moved to St. John’s for the 2023-2024 season.

Under Pitino, No. 5 St. John’s reached its first NCAA Tournament in six years last season, and is now making its first Sweet 16 showing since 1999. At age 73, he has no intention of this being a last hurrah.

“I just missed it every single day I was out of it,” Pitino said Thursday. “So I realized there’s no reason to try and get out because I knew how much I missed it.”

Dylan Darling sank a running layup at the buzzer to decide the Red Storm’s 67-65 win over No. 4 seed Kansas in the second round last weekend.

Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in a 79-53 first-round victory against No. 12 Northern Iowa. He is the Red Storm’s top producer, averaging 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

He’ll be tasked with trying to limit Boozer and Duke on the glass, where the Blue Devils have outrebounded opponents by a plus-11 margin this year.

“Obviously just a special talent coming in as a freshman, really smart player, understanding the game pretty well,” Ejiofor said. “It’s never a one-man job, especially with Boozer. Really talented, really physical. We just got to make sure he sees bodies and really just get at them, apply the pressure, press for 40 minutes.”

– Field Level Media

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PROVIDENCE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – One of the major storylines entering March Madness was the legendary coaching talent walking the sidelines in Providence.

A second-round matchup between second-seeded St. John’s (31-4) and 10th-seeded Arkansas (21-13) pits two of the best in Rick Pitino and John Calipari.

The duo last faced off in an NCAA Tournament in 2014 when Pitino was at Louisville and Pitino at Kentucky. They’ve combined to win three national championships and 113 total tournament games and are the only two coaches to advance to Final Fours at three schools.

The storyline is irresistible but Pitino, the active leader in wins, tried to keep the focus on the players suiting up, not the men in suits on the bench.

“I don’t go against coaches, we go against teams,” Pitino said. “He doesn’t have to worry about me. My jump shot is long gone. We’re preparing for his players. He’s preparing for our players. John and I don’t play one-on-one anymore.”

Pitino led the Big East champion Red Storm to their first NCAA win since 2000, beating Omaha 83-53 on Thursday. It was the largest margin of victory in a tournament game in program history.

A 12-2 run out of halftime broke open a 33-28 game and squashed any doubt of an upset.

Leading the Red Storm to their 10th straight win, RJ Luis Jr. made five of the team’s 14 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 22 points (8-of-14 shooting) and eight rebounds.

“I think it’s keep on playing, make adjustments and be relentless in the pursuit of excellence defensively and I think we did that, we accomplished that,” Pitino said.

St. John’s looks to keep the momentum going against Arkansas, which overcame a 0-5 start to SEC play to make the tournament and beat Kansas 79-72 in its Thursday opener behind a season-high 22 points from Jonas Aidoo.

“Gutted it out,” Calipari said.

Aidoo entered the tournament as the team’s eighth-leading scorer (6.4 points per game), but the Tennessee transfer has heated up averaging 15 points and nine rebounds over the last five contests.

“We all know we have something to prove. We went through a lot of adversity, injuries, missing players, let a couple games go,” Aidoo said.

Arkansas used just eight players against Kansas, including New York native freshman Boogie Fland who played in his first game since Jan. 18.

“Boogie for not playing what? How many months? … We can’t have contact because if someone gets hurt I’m down to five,” Calipari said. “So he practiced but there was no contact and he went in and did what he did (Thursday),” logging six points, three assists and three steals.

The Thursday win was Calipari’s 58th all-time in the NCAA Tournament, breaking a tie with Kansas’ Bill Self for the most among active coaches.

Calipari made it clear. He is enjoying this team’s March march.

“Every one of us, including me, had doubts and we all had to convince ourselves we’re going to do this,” Calipari said. “I had a card I read every morning and every night before I went to bed, and it was, I’ve been blessed throughout my life. Forget basketball. I have been blessed.

“I’m going to enjoy this journey and grow as a coach from it. I am going to make sure I keep an eye on my players, and let’s write our own story, and in the end it says, ‘Have Faith.’”

The winner of Saturday’s second-round game is headed to San Francisco for the West Region semifinal next week and a Sweet 16 date with winner of 11th-seeded Drake and third-seeded Texas Tech.

– Field Level Media

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Bracketology: NCAA Fails Geography 101

By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

PROVIDENCE – Highly respected sports industry guru Tony Ponturo, he of multi-time nominee and winner for both the Most Powerful Man in Sports and in the theatre industry, wrote a thought-leadership book entitled, “Revenge of the C+ Student.”Ponturo, a two time TONY Award winner for his efforts on Broadway, reviving “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” and producing 2010 Best Musical “Memphis,” helped make the brands “Bud” and “Bud Light” household names on a worldwide basis. Just ask The Budweiser Clydesdales.

Ponturo spent 26 years selling Bud, the exact same amount of time this columnist spent working for David Stern at the National Basketball Association. Looking at those two parallel lines, and enlightened by Ponturo’s book and his transcript, I’d love to author a similar sports business practice book and I’d call it, “At Least I Was Good at Geography.”

To wit, I give you this year’s brackets for NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball.

In the East, we have:

• No. 2 Alabama
• No. 3 Wisconsin
• No. 4 Arizona
• No. 5 Oregon
• No. 6 BYU (Utah)
• No. 7 St. Mary’s Moraga (California)
• No. 14 Montana

In the West, we have:

• No. 1 Florida
• No. 2 St. John’s (New York)
• No. 3 Texas Tech (Lubbock, Texas)
• No. 4 Maryland
• No. 5 Memphis (Tennessee)
• No. 6 Missouri
• No. 8 UConn (Hartford, Connecticut area)
• No. 9 Oklahoma
• No. 14 UNC Wilmington (North Carolina)
• No. 16 Norfolk State (Norfolk, Virginia)

There’s a few more.

In the South, there’s Michigan State (Lansing), Marquette (Wisconsin), Yale (New Haven, Connecticut), and Michigan (Ann Arbor) – four schools where you can’t get much further North, unless Canada does become the 51st State and UConn is south of Yukon.

In the Midwest, the bracket claims, UCLA (Los Angeles), Gonzaga (Spokane, Washington), Utah State (Logan, Utah), and then a slew of Southeastern or Southern schools like Wofford (Spartanburg, South Carolina), High Point (North Carolina), Clemson (South Carolina), Kentucky, McNeese (Lake Charles, Louisiana), Tennessee and Georgia.

There are other examples, but you surely get the point.

In recent years, the NCAA made adjustments to the brackets so an Eastern team such as St. John’s (full disclosure: it’s  my alma mater) can play in the West Regional but remain in Providence, Rhode Island to do so. But, success in Providence sends teams in that pod to San Francisco while a successful weekend in Seattle for Arizona or Oregon sends a team to Newark, New Jersey.

The tournament itself increased from 64 to 68 teams in 2001, so we’ve been bickering about this stuff for decades. Still, there is no resolve and it’s pretty bad when there’s no Big East team in the East.

Admittedly, this is nothing new being reported. The days of a truly East vs West NCAA Tournament went out with the 16 team set-up which gave the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) in New York the golden opportunity of securing a very deep field in the late ‘60s and early ‘70’s. As the times changed and the Big Dance played to a bigger ballroom of dancers, the money kicked in and TV programmers maxed-out the billions being spent.

Suffice it to say, the names of the regionals should no longer be East, West, South and Midwest, and maybe the NCAA should take a page out of the NHL’s book and rename the basketball regionals something like:

• Lester Patrick
• Conn Smythe
• James Norris
• Charles Francis Adams

Joking aside, it’s time to rid the tournament of its D- grade in Geography, as the Men’s and Women’s basketball committees divvy-up the schools with goals other than to stack them to represent a region of the USA.

May it be suggested:

• Dave Gavitt Division (East)
• John Wooden Division (West)
• Ray Meyer Division (Midwest)
• Guy Lewis Division (South-Texas-Southwest representation)

Those names, in tribute of Dave Gavitt (founder of the BIG EAST), John Wooden (the great UCLA coach), Ray Meyer (coached Chicago’s DePaul University from 1942 to 1984) and Guy Lewis (coach of University of Houston from 1956 to 1986). To pay proper respect to college basketball in the United States, the Most Outstanding Player from each division would be recognized and awarded with:

• Gavitt MOP received the Patrick Ewing Trophy
• Wooden MOP honored with the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy
• Meyer MOP receives the Oscar Robertson Trophy
• Lewis MOP honored with the Junior Bridgeman Trophy

Should the tournament choose to expand, we could very easily add:

• Gonzaga Division (Northwest) – MOP award John Stockton Trophy
• Coach K Division (Southeast) – MOP gets the Michael Jordan Trophy (apologies to Grant Hill, Ralph Sampson, Artis Gilmore and Len Bias).

Those two divisional mentioned do not need further explanation, I hope.

The bottom line as the 2025 NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament begins, is that the famed, crack committee did a pretty good job of selecting the right teams and fairly distributing them across the four existing regional pods, sans the Group of Death they sent out West.

The West is so stacked, a hot team like Florida, after its No. 1 vs No. 16 tilt against Norfolk State, will have a rough road to the Final 4, including:

• Winner of UConn v.Oklahoma
• Winner of Memphis v. Colo State/or/Maryland v. Grand Canyon
• A Regional Final against No. 2 St. John’s or others (Kansas/Texas Tech) etc

There’s gotta be a better way.

They were partying at West End Johnnies at an NCAA Regional in Boston

PICKS: Here are a few picks that are going into a combination of my two or three bracket submission with friends and family. (Note: I always bang out one bracket on Selection Sunday night and set it aside). Then with more thought and research I do another bracket for use in pools.

TEAMS CONSIDERED HOT: These teams were playing the best over the past few weeks and into their conference tournaments:

1. Florida
2. Duke
3. Houston
4. Auburn
5. Tennessee
6. Michigan State
7. St John’s
8. Alabama
9. Texas Tech
10. Iowa State

FACTS: In the Round of 64, the higher seed wins 71.5% and that includes No. 8 v. No. 9 which are really equal … In the Second Round, the better seeds win at a 73.1% clip. After that, the advantage for the higher seeds declines gradually:

• Sweet 16 – 63.8% victory pace for higher seed
• Elite 8 – 55%

In terms of vulnerable seeds since 2009, the No. 6 seeds are (29-31) against the No. 11s. In just the last 10 years, No. 11 seeds are 22-18 vs. No. 6

Applying the 6 vs 11 raw data to this particular year’s bracket set-up surfaces a few interesting upset possibilities:

• In the East bracket, can No. 11 VCU upset No. 6 BYU in Denver where you have to figure in the travel and altitude?
• In the South, No. 6 Ole Miss has to play the hot play-in winner of North Carolina.
• In the West, No. 6 Missouri (22-11) has a tough draw vs. No. 11 Drake (30-3).
• And, in the Midwest bracket, No. 6 Illinois will face play-in winner Xavier, a team that finished the Big East regular season quite strong with seven straight victories to close out the regular season before meeting and losing to Marquette at the Garden.

The teams entering the tournament that have executed the best in terms of both Offensive and Defensive efficiency:

• Auburn
• Duke
• Florida
• Houston
• Arizona
• Tennessee
• Louisville

Not to bore anyone with a full Round-by-Round, Pick-by-Pick selection show, (see Jay Bilas’ column on ESPN.com as he does a much better job than everyone else put together), I’ll simply list my Regional Finalist predictions. Yes, they are rather high seeds.

• East: Duke vs. Wisconsin
• Midwest: Houston vs. Tennessee
• South: Auburn vs. Michigan State
• West: Florida vs St. John’s

No matter what – whether your bracket is torn up tomorrow or your favorite team survives and advances – it’s time for March Madness. Enjoy the ride. Enjoy the spectacle of the best of College Basketball (Men’s and Women’s) with a love of the game and not the X and O marks on a piece of paper, otherwise known in American culture as “your bracket.”

TL

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INDIANAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kansas is No. 1 and two-time defending national champion UConn is No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll released Monday.

The Jayhawks received 30 of the 60 first-place ballots, while No. 2 Alabama collected 14 and the Huskies received 11. No. 4 Houston received four first-place votes, with the other going to No. 6 Gonzaga. Iowa State is No. 5.

Kansas was the preseason No. 1 team last season, too, but the Jayhawks were derailed by injuries and finished 23-11 with a second-round loss in the NCAA Tournament.

Head coach Bill Self padded the Kansas roster through the transfer portal, adding A.J. Storr (Wisconsin), Zeke Mayo (South Dakota State) and Rylan Griffen (Alabama) to a roster led by All-American big man Hunter Dickinson and seniors Dajuan Harris Jr. and KJ Adams.

“We welcome being No. 1, especially with our returning players like Hunter, Dajuan and KJ, and then you add the players we brought in,” Self said. “The goal is to be No. 1 at the end of the season, and though we welcome this, it is not the end goal.”

The Crimson Tide lost to UConn in the Final Four last season and are led by All-American guard Mark Sears.

The Huskies are attempting to become the first program to win three straight titles since John Wooden’s UCLA dynasty won seven in a row from 1967-73.

The Big 12 has five teams in the top 10, while the Southeastern Conference leads the way with nine schools in the Top 25.

The rest of the Top 25 preseason poll:
11. Auburn
12. Tennessee
13. Texas A&M
14. Purdue
15. Creighton
16. Arkansas
17. Indiana
18. Marquette
19. Texas
20. Cincinnati
21. Florida
22. UCLA
23. Kentucky
24. Ole Miss
25. Rutgers

–Field Level Media

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – San Diego State didn’t have to wait long for another shot at the University of Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament. Less than a year after falling to the Huskies in the national championship game, the Aztecs will have a chance to redeem themselves tonight when the East Region teams collide in the Sweet 16.

Fifth-seeded San Diego State (26-10) seemed eager to set up a rematch with the defending national champions, putting together an 85-57 drubbing of No. 13 seed Yale on Sunday in the second round of the tourney.

Jaedon LeDee poured in a game-high 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting to go along with nine rebounds for the Aztecs, while Darrion Trammell added 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Trammell, who was on the San Diego State squad that came up just short of a title in 2023, believes the Aztecs now have what it takes to get past UConn (33-3) this time around.

“We’re just excited to get another crack at (the Huskies),” Trammell said. “Obviously they won a national championship last year, but I feel like we were right there. Just to get another chance at it, I think we’re up for the opportunity.

“We have the team to do it.”

However, Huskies coach Dan Hurley doesn’t think any team is capable of dethroning UConn.

“We are bulletproof,” Hurley said following the Huskies’ 75-58 victory over ninth-seeded Northwestern on Sunday. “Elite offense, elite defense.

“Didn’t love the offensive rebounding today and didn’t love the second-half defensive rebounding but, again, 20 assists, seven turnovers. … It’s tough to lose when you have that level of quality.”

Top-seeded UConn got 20 points and 10 assists from Tristen Newton against the Wildcats, while Donovan Clingan also recorded a double-double (14 points, 14 rebounds). The Huskies went just 3-for-22 from beyond the arc (13.6 percent) but still managed to shoot 53.7 percent from the field.

Even with that success, UConn doesn’t have all the odds in its favor, as no defending champion has reached the Elite Eight since Florida did so in 2007.

Hurley is determined to change that.

“We’ve been confident the whole year. I think last season changed how heavy we feel going into these games,” Hurley said. “Obviously you’re nervous and you know the history of NCAA champions not being able to get out of the first weekend.

“But we’re different.”

What the Huskies do have working for them on Thursday is a venue within driving distance of the UConn campus.

Boston’s TD Garden is about 90 minutes away from Storrs, Conn. With what is bound to be a primarily hostile crowd, San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher is hoping his guys stay loose.

“This is the time of year to be fearless and don’t worry about making a mistake. Play your best,” Dutcher said. “And we have experience in the tournament and I think some of that experience showed over the last two games.”

The Aztecs are playing in back-to-back Sweet 16s for the first time in program history. Prior to last season, the Huskies hadn’t reached the Sweet 16 since 2014, but they have twice made three straight (1994-96 and 2002-04).

Newton is one of five UConn players with a scoring average in double figures, posting a team-high 15.3 points per game. Cam Spencer (14.4 ppg) and Alex Karaban (13.7) trail close behind.

Clingan averages 12.8 points and a team-best 7.4 boards.

LeDee leads San Diego State with 21.5 points per contest. The Aztecs’ next best scorer is Reese Waters at 9.8 points per game.

The Huskies are seeking their 13th Elite Eight appearance, while San Diego State is looking for its second.

–Nick Galle, Field Level Media

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INDIANAPOLIS  – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Purdue’s center Zach Edey once again dominated with 23 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks and two steals to lead the Midwest’s top-seeded Boilermakers to a 106-67 second-round rout of No. 8 seed Utah State on Sunday.

Purdue (31-4) advances to play No. 5 seed Gonzaga on Friday in Detroit.

Lance Jones and Trey Kaufman-Renn sparked a 20-6 uprising to open the second half, turning a 16-point lead to 30. Purdue didn’t let its foot off the gas in the second half, building the lead as high as 41.

Kaufman-Renn finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Fletcher Loyer added 15 points for Purdue went 8-of-14 from 3-point range in the second half to put the game away.

Great Osobor had 14 points and Josh Uduje added 13 for Utah State (28-7), which fell to 7-25 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and fell a round shy of reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1970.

Purdue thrilled the heavily-partisan crowd of 16,770 that turned out to watch them advance to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.

Utah State provided some resistance early on, taking leads of 14-10 and 20-17.

But after Uduje hit a 3-pointer with 9:21 left in the first half to put the Aggies ahead 23-21, Utah State missed its next 12 shots from the field while Purdue caught fire behind Edey, Jones and Kaufman-Renn.

Purdue went on a run of 18-1 to take a 39-24 lead. Jones ended the first-half scoring when he banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Boilermakers up 49-33.

Jones opened the second half with a trey as well, just 13 seconds in.

After Purdue’s Braden Smith stole a pass from Ian Martinez, Smith found Kaufman-Renn cutting to the basket for a layup.

On the next possession, Kaufman-Renn’s two-handed slam ignited the Purdue fans, putting the Boilermakers up 56-33 and sparking a desperate timeout from Utah State head coach Danny Sprinkle just 73 seconds into the half.

–Field Level Media

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PITTSBURGH – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – DJ Burns Jr. had six points and one crucial assist in overtime and No. 11 seed North Carolina State outlasted No. 14 Oakland 79-73 on Saturday to secure an improbable Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament’s South Region.

Burns finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds and four assists for the Wolfpack (24-14), who won their seventh straight postseason game between the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Michael O’Connell had 12 points and a season-high eight assists, and DJ Horne, Casey Morsell and Mohamed Diarra each supplied 11 points.

Oakland (24-12) clawed back in the final minutes of regulation before its underdog story ended with an 11-1 NC State run in overtime. Trey Townsend scored 24 of his 30 points after halftime and grabbed 13 rebounds.

Jack Gohlke, Oakland’s first-round hero who made 10 3-pointers against Kentucky, went 6-for-17 from deep Saturday to finish with 22 points and eight rebounds for the Golden Grizzlies.

West Region

No. 1 North Carolina 85, No. 9 Michigan State 69

RJ Davis scored 20 points and the Tar Heels shrugged off a slow start and a couple of shaky moments to defeat the Spartans in Charlotte.

Armando Bacot added 18 points and seven rebounds and Harrison Ingram had 17 points as the Tar Heels delighted a partisan crowd and were sent off to the West Coast with momentum after two games in their home state.

North Carolina (29-7) goes on to face Alabama or Grand Canyon in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night in Los Angeles. Tyson Walker scored 24 points Malik Hall added 17 for Michigan State (20-15), which began the season ranked No. 4 in the country.

No. 2 Arizona 78, No. 7 Dayton 68

Caleb Love scored 19 points and the Wildcats earned a Sweet 16 spot with a victory over the Flyers in Salt Lake City.

Pelle Larsson had 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and Keshad Johnson recorded 13 points and seven rebounds for Arizona (27-8). Jaden Bradley added 12 points, three steals and three blocked shots.

Daron Holmes II had 23 points, 11 rebounds and three steals for Dayton (25-8).

Midwest Region

No. 2 Tennessee 62, No. 7 Texas 58

Dalton Knecht churned out 18 points to help Volunteers coach Rick Barnes defeat his former Longhorns in Charlotte.

Knecht, who provided seven of his team’s final 15 points, clinched the outcome by sinking both ends of a 1-and-1 with 3.8 seconds to play. Tennessee (26-8) won despite shooting just 33.8 percent for the game and will face No. 3 Creighton on Friday.

Reserve Chendall Weaver and Tyrese Hunter both had 13 points to lead Texas (21-13), which is coached by former Barnes assistant Rodney Terry. The Longhorns shot 36.4 percent.

No. 3 Creighton 86, No. 11 Oregon 73 (2 OT)

Steven Ashworth scored 21 points and ignited the game-winning, 15-point run to propel the Bluejays past the Ducks in Pittsburgh.

Trey Alexander tallied 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while Ryan Kalkbrenner had 19 points, 14 boards and five blocks for Creighton (25-9). The Blue Jays escaped a tough second half and will play No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16.

Oregon’s two-man wrecking crew of Jermaine Couisnard and N’Faly Dante ran out of gas in the second overtime. Couisnard finished with 32 points and eight rebounds, and Dante racked up a career-high 28 points and 20 rebounds for the Ducks (24-12).

No. 5 Gonzaga 89, No. 4. Kansas 68

Anton Watson scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting and the Bulldogs delivered a massive second-half knockout punch in routing the Jayhawks in Salt Lake City.

Nolan Hickman had 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting as Gonzaga reached its ninth consecutive Sweet 16. The Bulldogs blew the game open with a 32-4 burst over a 12-plus minute stretch of the second half.

Hunter Dickinson scored 15 points and KJ Adams Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. added 10 points apiece for the Jayhawks (23-11). Harris added 11 assists, and Kansas again played without All-American Kevin McCullar Jr. (knee). Gonzaga will face either No. 1 Purdue or No. 8 Utah State in the Sweet 16.

East Region

No. 2 Iowa State 67, No. 7 Washington State 56

Tamin Lipsey scored 15 points and the Cyclones reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons with a victory over the Cougars in Omaha, Neb.

Curtis Jones added 14 points for Iowa State, which won for the ninth time in its past 10 games. Keshon Gilbert and Milan Momcilovic added 10 points apiece.

Jaylen Wells scored 20 points for Washington State. Myles Rice added 13 points.

No. 3 Illinois 89, No. 11 Duquesne 63

Terrence Shannon Jr. scored a game-high 30 points and Marcus Domask added 22 to help the Fighting Illini cruise past the Dukes in Omaha, Neb., and into the Sweet 16.

Illinois (28-8) advanced to face No. 8 Iowa State in Boston on Thursday. It’s the Illini’s first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2005.

Saturday marked the final game for Duquesne coach Keith Dambrot, who is retiring at season’s end. Dambrot guided the 11th-seeded Dukes to an Atlantic 10 tournament championship to clinch the school’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 1977. Jimmy Clark III paced Duquesne with 14 points, and Fousseyni Drame followed with 13.

–Field Level Media

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