Add-on posted early Tuesday a.m.
College Basketball
AP Top 25 Poll (records a/o Sunday)….
- Duke (56) 29-2
2. Arizona (4) 29-2
3. Michigan (1) 29-2
4. Florida 25-6
5. Houston 26-5
6. UConn 27-4
7. Iowa state 25-6
8. Michigan State 25-6
9. Illinois 24-7
10. Virginia 27-4
11. Nebraska 26-5
12. Gonzaga 28-3
13. St. John’s 25-6
14. Kansas 22-9
15. Alabama 23-8
16. Texas Tech 22-9
17. Arkansas 23-8
18. Purdue 23-8
19. North Carolina 24-7
20. Miami (OH) 31-0
21. Saint Mary’s 27-4
22. Vanderbilt 24-7
23. Wisconsin 22-9
24. Louisville 22-9
25. Tennessee 21-10
The conference championships are largely irrelevant, but as I pointed out Sunday, in a conference like the ACC, someone needs to break out of the bottom pack and make a run to get a bid.
And you have mid-majors like High Point (30-4, 15-1) which defeated Winthrop for the Big South title, Sunday. It will be interesting to see how high a seed they get. They could be dangerous in the first-round matchup. [High Point is 30th, if you carry out the votes in the AP poll.]
Otherwise, all about the upcoming Selection Sunday.
NBA
—Sunday night after I posted, the Pistons (45-18) lost their fourth straight, this time at Miami (36-29) 121-110, with Cade Cunningham back in the lineup for Detroit.
Monday, the Knicks (41-25) fell to the Clippers in L.A., 126-118, as they committed a whopping 19 turnovers (to L.A.’s eight).
The Thunder (51-15) remained undefeated since the return of SGA, 129-126 over the Nuggets (39-26).
NFL
Among the moves in the free agent/trade market of note (I’m not trying to cover them all….)
—The Jets agreed to a trade for Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, sending Miami a seventh-round pick. And the Jets will then sign Fitzpatrick to a reported three-year, $40 million deal when the trade is complete, Wednesday, the beginning of the league year.
He’s a five-time Pro Bowlers and helps fill one of many needs.
—Travis Kelce is reportedly returning to the Chiefs on a one-year deal, which seemed obvious, while K.C. signed Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III to a 3-year deal.
–And the Dolphins will be releasing Tua Tagovailoa, incurring a record $99.2 million in dead money on their salary cap.
The Dolphins signed Tua to a monster contract extension less than two years ago. The four-year, $212.4 million deal, with $167 million guaranteed. Miami then went 12-13 in games he started after the signing.
So, not being able to work out a trade (no one wanting to take on the contract), new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley – parted ways.
Tua is still owed his $54 million salary for 2026. The Dolphins can split the $99.2 million dead-cap hit by splitting it over the 2026 and 2027 seasons by designating Tagovailoa as a post-June 1 cut.
Miami then moved to sign Packers quarterback Malik Willis, a highly sought player. Willis has little experience, but when given an opportunity he’s performed, and everyone believes he can be a top-level starter. I wish the Jets had gotten him.
–The Giants are signing a top linebacker, Tremaine Edmunds, to a three-year, $36 million deal.
Edmunds is an 8-year veteran, playing for Buffalo and then the Bears.
And the Giants and John Harbaugh are signing talented young tight end Isaiah Likely to a three-year deal. His production will explode now that he’s not Mark Andrews’ backup in Baltimore.
–The Steelers acquired receiver Michael Pittman from the Colts and immediately agreed to terms on a three-year, $59 million deal, giving Pittsburgh a quality No. 2 receiver to go along with DK Metcalf.
Golf Balls
This week we have The Players Championship…a biggie. Scottie Scheffler is coming off two sub-par performances, for him, but you’d expect him to be right there next Sunday.
We also hope Rory McIlroy’s back issue that forced him to withdraw after two rounds at Bay Hill is resolved and he’s out there and in contention over the weekend. [McIlroy said Monday the issue is “more stubborn” than he expected.]
NASCAR
The races almost always end about an hour after I post on Sundays, so for the record, Tyler Reddick saw his record-setting winning streak end at three at Phoenix Raceway, Ryan Blaney taking the checkered flag, defeating Christopher Bell.
For Blaney, the 2023 Cup Series champion, it was career win No. 18.
Reddick finished eighth.
Stuff
–What a finish at Sunday’s Los Angeles Marathon, as American Nathan Martin incredibly chased down leader Michael Kimani Kamau of Kenya, winning by 00.01 seconds, which left spectators breathless.
“In any race, I just want to give 100%,” said Martin, 36. “I saw an opportunity to race at the end and give one last push. All I wanted to do is push myself.”
There was a terrific aerial shot of how far away Martin was, and you can watch ten times and still not believe he closed the deal.
Martin is a high school track and cross-country coach. Imagine the welcome his students gave him.
[For the record, Kamau did briefly go the wrong way on the course and had to double back, but he still had a big lead heading into the final stretch. He then collapsed at the finish and was carried off on a stretcher, but he’s OK.]
Next Bar Chat Sunday PM.
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[Posted Sunday after golf…Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tues.]
MLB Quiz: For the 2025 major league season, name the 13 states that had at least 20 players who were born in those states. Answer below.
College Basketball
Going back to Tuesday…UCLA (20-10, 12-7) had a huge win against 9 Nebraska (25-5, 14-5) 72-52.
TCU (20-10, 10-7) also had a big road win, 73-65 at 10 Texas Tech (22-8, 12-5).
And 19 Miami (OH) had another nailbiter, but stays perfect at 30-0, 17-0, with a 74-72 win over Toledo (16-14, 10-7).
Wednesday, 22 Miami (24-6, 13-4) beat SMU (19-11, 8-9) 72-69, a tough loss for the Mustangs, who need a run in the ACC Tournament to secure an NCAA bid.
Friday, 18 St. John’s (25-6, 18-2) secured at least a share of the Big East title with a 72-65 win over Seton Hall (20-11, 10-10) in Newark.
And 19 Miami (OH) did it again, 110-108 in OT at rival Ohio (15-16, 9-9), the RedHawks finishing the regular season 31-0, 18-0….the third team in Division I history to enter its conference tournament with a 31-0 mark, joining Wichita State (2013-14) and Kentucky (2014-15).
However, kind of incredibly, they might need to win the MAC conference championship to ensure they make the Big Dance!
Saturday, No. 1 Duke (29-2, 17-1) got its revenge on 17 North Carolina (24-7, 12-6), 76-61 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Cam Boozer with 26 points and 15 rebounds.
But the Blue Devils played without center Patrick Ngonba due to a foot injury, coach Jon Scheyer saying he is unlikely to play in the ACC Tournament, because it’s about the NCAA tourney.
Ditto guard Caleb Foster, who left Saturday’s game with about five minutes remaining in the first half with a right foot injury, the same foot he broke two seasons ago, causing him to miss the NCAA Tournament his freshman season. This time, it doesn’t look good as the team awaited imaging. Foster is a key piece.
Meanwhile, North Carolina enters postseason play without star freshman Caleb Wilson. Wilson was preparing to return to the lineup after missing six games with a fractured left hand, when during practice Thursday, Wilson broke his right thumb while dunking and underwent season-ending surgery.
A huge blow for any hopes the Tar Heels had of making a big run, Wilson a top-five pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
2 Arizona (29-2, 16-2) beat Colorado (17-14, 7-11) 89-79.
4 UConn (27-4, 17-3) suffered an inexcusable loss at Marquette (12-19, 7-13) 68-62, coach Dan Hurley getting ejected at the end, seemingly bumping an official.
Ergo, St. John’s takes the Big East regular season crown outright and doesn’t have to share it with the Huskies.
For UConn, senior Alex Karaban, who last week had his jersey retired, was 0 for 6 from the field, 2 points.
BYU (21-10, 9-9) had an important win over 10 Texas Tech (22-9, 12-6) 82-76, Robert Wright III with 27 points, the Cougars overcoming the Red Raiders’ 16 of 35 from three.
There were some big games in the ACC yesterday impacting any chance some of the teams have at an NCAA Tournament bid.
Louisville (22-9, 11-7) picked up a huge win at 22 Miami (24-7, 13-5) 92-89.
SMU (19-12, 8-10) fell at Florida State (17-14, 10-8) 91-78, another bad loss for the Mustangs and any tournament hopes they had. Boopie Miller (32 points) is the only player who shows up game in and game out for SMU. Chauncey Wiggins had a career-high 31 for the Seminoles.
Stanford (20-11, 9-9) beat North Carolina State (19-12, 10-8) in Raleigh, 85-84.
And Wake Forest (16-15, 7-11) had a nice home win against Cal (21-10, 9-9), 80-73, after falling behind early 18-5. Juke Harris had 31 points and 15 rebounds for the Deacs. The guy has had a helluva season.
Earlier in the week, the Deacs lost at 13 Virginia, 75-70, putting up a great fight.
So the ACC standings ended thusly.
Duke 17-1
Virginia 15-3
Miami 13-5
North Carolina 12-6
Clemson 12-6
Louisville 11-7
These six are in…but then….
N.C. State 10-8
Florida State 10-8
Cal 9-9
Stanford 9-9
SMU 8-10
Virginia Tech 8-10
These folks all need a run in the ACC Tournament to the Finals to, maybe, get a bid.
You’re always going to have the mid-major conference championship upsets that steal bids.
As for Wake (7-11), I just hope we beat Va Tech in Tuesday’s first-round game.
Boston College and Georgia Tech fired their coaches today. Wake’s Steve Forbes appears to be safe…but he will be given one final chance to go Dancing…my opinion…
We seem to have a good recruiting class coming in. We just need to give Juke Harris all our NIL money and find a legitimate big man…maybe scour state prisons.
NBA
Going back to Tuesday, the Knicks beat the Raptors in Toronto, 111-95, while the Thunder defeated the Bulls in Chicago, 116-108.
The next night, the Knicks and Thunder met at the Garden, but Knicks coach Mike Brown admitted the Toronto game was more meaningful because it was in conference, and for Wednesday, he rested Mitchell Robinson and wanted to limit the minutes of his starters.
I mention this because OKC had played the night before too. But the Thunder prevailed 103-100, as New York missed two great attempts at a tying 3-pointer in the final six seconds. OKC also had some successful/controversial challenges in late in the fourth quarter.
Thursday, the Spurs defeated the Pistons (45-16) 121-106, Victor Wembanyama with a monster game…38 points, 16 rebounds, five blocks.
Oklahoma City at 49-15, leads the Spurs, 45-17…as we highlight the top three in the league.
Friday, the Knicks (41-23) had a terrific 142-103 win at Denver (39-25), as OG Anunoby, who has been playing great lately, had 34 points on 11 of 17 shooting, and while Jalen Brunson had only nine points, he contributed 15 assists.
Speaking of assists, backup point guard Tyler Kolek had eight assists in just 9 minutes!
It was Denver’s worst home loss since 1998. Goodness gracious.
The Spurs (46-17) won again, 116-112 over the Clippers (30-32), as Wemby was a more pedestrian 27 and 10.
But the big news in the NBA Friday night was the return of Boston’s Jayson Tatum, who in 27 minutes had 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, the Celtics (42-21) beating the Mavericks (21-42) 120-100 up in Beantown.
With Tatum back, earlier than expected after his right Achilles’ tendon tear in Game 4 of the second-round of the playoffs last spring, the Celtics are favorites to win the title…certainly to get to the championship out of the East. Of course, us Knicks and Pistons fans hope to have something to say about this.
Saturday, the Nets (16-47) surprised the Pistons (45-17) in Detroit, 107-105, as Michael Porter Jr. had 30 points and 13 rebounds, Porter having an outstanding season for Brooklyn.
Detroit was without Cade Cunningham (quadriceps injury).
The Thunder (50-15) beat the Warriors (33-31) 104-97.
Today, Sunday, the Celtics improved to 43-21, beating the Cavs (39-25) on the road, 109-98, as Tatum had 20 points in 27 minutes. Baylor Scheierman had 16 points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Boston.
Yup, the Celtics are in great shape now. Drat!
And the Knicks (41-24) just lost to the Lakers (39-25) in L.A., 110-97.
MLB
—Atlanta Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar is facing a 162-game suspension for testing positive for PEDs for the second time and in back-to-back years.
The 33-year-old is set to become the sixth player to receive the 162-game ban for a second PED violation since the penalty for second-time violators got bumped to a full season in 2014, and is now ineligible for the 2026 season and the World Baseball Classic, where the Curacao native was set to play for the Netherlands.
For Profar to get caught twice in two years is stunning, especially when he claimed innocence last time.
Profar had 14 homers and 43 RBIs, .787 OPS, in his 80 games with Atlanta last year. He will be forfeiting his $15 million salary for the 2026 campaign due to this violation. He still has one year at $15 million for 2027 left on the contract.
It really makes you wonder about his career year with San Diego in 2024, where he slashed .280/.380/.459, 24 homers, 85 RBIs, which earned him the big 3-year deal with the Braves.
[I’m just watching the headlines thus far with the WBC. My interest will pick up next week. But like all of you, most importantly I don’t want any of the Mets participating in it getting hurt, a la the devastating Edwin Diaz injury we suffered years ago.]
NFL
–My Jets placed the franchise tag on running back Breece Hall. If the two sides cannot reach a long-term contract by July 15, Hall will be playing on a one-year deal that will pay him $14.3 million.
The Jets would have the ability to match any offer Hall receives but if they did not, they would not get compensation.
–The Chicago Bears traded veteran wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Buffalo Bills, the Bills sending a 2026 second-round pick to the Bears in exchange for Moore and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Moore, 28, has 608 receptions, 8,213 yards and 41 touchdowns receiving in his eight seasons in the league, the last three with Chicago.
Moore for a second-round pick is actually a good move by Chicago, but the Bills were in desperate need of a top receiver, after trading Stefon Diggs ahead of the 2025 season. Moore will quickly mesh with Josh Allen.
–The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to trade star pass rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens in a blockbuster deal just before free agency begins.
The Ravens will send the Raiders two first-round picks: No. 14 in the 2026 draft and their selection in 2027. The deal, which is contingent on Crosby passing a physical, cannot be made official until the new league year opens Wednesday.
Crosby, a five-time Pro Bowler, had developed into the face of the franchise and one of the league’s best defensive players. But his relationship with the Raiders soured after Vegas put him on injured reserve with two games left in the 2025 season, citing a knee injury. There was speculation that the move was made so that the team could lock up the No. 1 draft pick (which will be QB Fernando Mendoza). Crosby wanted to keep playing and left the team facility frustrated, then returned days later. He did wind up needing a minor surgical procedure on his knee.
Crosby had a classy farewell video for Raiders fans and management appears to have worked with him on the trade so that the hard feelings in the end were lessened somewhat.
—The Rams traded for Kansas City star cornerback Trent McDuffie, the 25-year-old one of the best at his position, L.A. trading a first-rounder and other picks to the Chiefs.
As the Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Beaton pointed out, “it’s the type of move (GM Les) Snead is comfortable making because he knows two things. One, the Rams have been remarkably successful scouring the depths of the draft for marquee talent. And two, players of McDuffie’s caliber are almost never available in free agency.”
“Is there an All-Pro that you could add?” Snead said. “That could be nice.”
Beaton: “In a sport where first-round draft picks are coveted assets, (Snead) traded the Rams’ away for seven consecutive years. In return, he typically got back veteran stars – and it worked. When the Rams won the Super Bowl four years ago, they were led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, who cost Snead two of those first rounders….
“(And) more often than not, the Rams are perfectly content to ignore the first round. They’ve proven over and over again that, for them, it’s a winning move – since 2017, they’ve reached the playoffs in all but two seasons.”
The Rams’ roster is stocked with undervalued players. Puka Nacua, after all, was a fifth rounder in 2023. All he did was lead the NFL in receiving yards per game last season. Byron Young and Kobie Turner (Wake Forest) were third-round picks in 2023 and have become established players, finishing first and third on the team in sacks. Kyren Williams was a fifth-rounder in 2022 and just had the sixth-most rushing yards in the league.
College Football
We note the passing of legendary College Football Hall of Famer Lou Holtz, who died at the age of 89 on Wednesday, having been placed in hospice care. He’s the last Notre Dame head coach to win a national championship in 1988.
Holtz coached for six schools in 33 years, including stints at William & Mary, Minnesota and South Carolina. But in accumulating a sterling 249-132-7 career regular season record (12-8-2 in bowl games)…he was particularly great at the following….
North Carolina State (4 seasons) 33-12-3
Arkansas (7 seasons) 40-21-2
Notre Dame (11 seasons) 100-30-2
At Notre Dame, during the 1988-1993 stretch, his teams finished 1, 2, 6, 13, 4 and 2 in the AP final poll (5-1 in bowl games).
Tony Rice, who quarterbacked the 1988 championship team, had a sign in his room at Notre Dame that read, “The Lord Is My Shepard, but Lou Holtz Is My Coach.” Holtz produced the program’s last Heisman Trophy winner, too, in receiver Tim Brown.
Holtz dragged Notre Dame into the modern college football era of his time, signing the program’s last No. 1 recruiting class, installing the “Play Like A Champion Today” sign players tap on their way to the field and presiding over the program at the start of its television contact with NBC. The national title in the 1988 season included an iconic win over No. 1 Miami, remembered as the “Catholics vs. Convicts” game. [Pat Terrell batted down a 2-point conversion pass attempt from Miami quarterback Steve Walsh to preserve a 31-30 victory.] When Notre Dame hosted the Game of the Century against Florida State five years later, it also hosted the first on-campus broadcast of ESPN’s “College GameDay.”
Holtz has a bronze statue outside the southwest corner of Notre Dame Stadium by Gate D, known as the Lou Holtz Gate.
But his departures from schools were often shrouded in mystery, and he had an acrimonious split with Notre Dame after he clashed with the university over admissions.
His stint at South Carolina led to the school self-reporting five major NCAA violations under Holtz, primarily involving academic impropriety by athletics personnel, and served three years’ probation. Notre Dame and Minnesota also received probation stints as a result of violations under Holtz.
But at Notre Dame he went 22-15-1 against top-10 opponents under Holtz; the five coaches who followed Holtz are a combined 13-36 in top-10 games*. Even though Brian Kelly eventually surpassed Holtz (and Knute Rockne) atop Notre Dame’s career wins leaderboard, Kelly was just 4-10 in those top-10 games. Holtz ripped Kelly’s greed when Kelly departed for LSU without a major bowl victory and just one victory over a top-ranked opponent. Holtz won five major bowl games and knocked off No. 1 twice.
*The Athletic had 9-30, but in breaking down the individual marks they listed in the same article, it was Bob Davie 1-7, Tyrone Willingham 3-5, Charlie Weis 1-8, Marcus Freeman 4-6 and Kelly 4-10…which adds up to 13-36.
Among Holtz’ many quotations was his proclamation, “Those who know Notre Dame, no explanation’s necessary. Those who don’t, no explanation will suffice,” has become almost a tribal chant for alumni. He once described his record at William & Mary this way: “The problem is we have too many Marys and not enough Williams.” Those who attended motivational speeches by Holtz can recite without thinking, “Everybody needs four things in life: Something to do, someone to love, someone to believe in and something to hope for.”
New York Jets fans remember Lou Holtz for the one year he coached the team, 1976, finishing 3-10, fired before the final game, after which he went to Arkansas in 1977 and rebooted his career.
Golf Balls
—After two rounds at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Club, Orlando, FL, a Signature Event, we had….
Daniel Berger -13…63-68
Akshay Bhatia -8
Ludvig Aberg -7
Sahith Theegala -7
Collin Morikawa -7
T9 Rory McIlroy -4
T15 Scottie Scheffler -3
But then Rory withdrew after tweaking his back in his workout Sat. morning.
Shane Lowry, the brutal loser last week, missed the cut.
Justin Thomas, in his first start after his back surgery, was a miserable 79-79.
After Saturday’s play…a few players needing to finish up early Sunday morning because of a rain delay, it was….
Berger -13
Bhatia -12
Sepp Straka -9
Cameron Young -9
Morikawa -9
Scheffler -3
So Sunday, after 15, Berger was at -15, Bhatia -13.
But on the par-5 16th, Bhatia nailed his second, just over 3 feet for eagle.
Berger, though, birdies, and Bhatia gets his eagle.
Berger -16
Bhatis -15
And on 17, Bhatia pars, but Berger three putts…they are tied at -15 heading to the iconic par-4 18th.
Let’s just say, this is good stuff…Bhatia great drive, Berger not so much and he’s far from the green for his third, while Bhatia almost put it in the water, but is in the fringe off the green.
Berger’s third from 70 yards…not bad…but a long par putt.
Bhatia’s chip…is good. Almost a gimme…but not….
Berger nails the long par putt! Bhatia gets his par…on to a playoff.
This is awesome…these guys have been matched up for Sat. and Sun. Berger, seeking his fifth PGA Tour win, but first since 2021. Bhatia looking for his third ‘W’. It’s a massive purse and major FedEx Cup points.
And Bhatia prevails on the first hole of sudden death.
—Eight LIV Golf players were stuck in the Middle East and in danger of missing this week’s tournament in Hong Kong, but Jon Rahm chartered a plane for them.
Rahm then won Sunday for his first individual title since 2024.
Premier League
Frankly, it’s all about Tottenham, who shockingly are on the verge of being relegated…which would be unreal. The Spurs clearly made what could be a totally disastrous move in appointing Igor Tudor as an interim head coach.
Tudor has a track record of fixing broken teams…but he is 0-3, nine goals conceded in Tottenham.
We had FA Cup play this weekend.
Table…played (of 38) – points….
Arsenal 30 – 67
Man City 29 – 60
Man U 29 – 51
Aston Villa 29 – 51
Chelsea 29 – 48
Liverpool 29 – 48
- Tottenham 29 – 29 …five straight losses…
17. Nottingham 29 – 28
18. West Ham 29 – 28
19. Burnley 29 – 19
20. Wolves 30 – 16
Stuff
–In the NHL…Saturday, the Rangers lost to the Devils 6-3, as Jack Hughes had a hat trick and an assist.
–In World Cup Alpine action, the women had two downhill races at Val Di Fassa in Italy this weekend and Italian Laura Pirovano won both…the first two wins of her career! Kind of awesome. Olympic Gold medalist in the downhill, Breezy Johnson, picked up a third place in one of them.
—Formula One appears to have delayed a decision on whether to cancel its races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April which have been placed in doubt due to the Iran war.
Both countries have been struck during Iran’s response after being attack by Israel and the U.S.
F1 is due to race in Bahrain on April 12 and in the Saudi City of Jeddah on April 19.
A decision was to be made soon, with the season-opening race at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne Sunday, which was won by George Russell.
Top 3 songs for the week 3/6/82: #1 “Centerfold” (The J. Geils Band) #2 “Open Arms” (Journey) #3 “I Love Rock ‘N Roll” (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts)…and…#4 “Shake It Up” (The Cars) #5 “That Girl” (Stevie Wonder) #6 “Sweet Dreams” (Air Supply) #7 “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” (Daryl Hall & John Oates) #8 “Mirror, Mirror” (Diana Ross) #9 “Leader Of The Band” (Dan Fogelberg) #10 “Take It Easy On Me” (Little River Band…C week…)
MLB Quiz Answer: According to Baseball Almanac, which looked at the birthplace of the 1,081 players from the 2025 season, those states with at least 20 were….
Alabama 23, Arizona 23, California 218, Florida 105, Georgia 61, Illinois 53, New York 43, North Carolina 36, Ohio 24, Pennsylvania 29, Tennessee 26, Texas 95, Virginia 29.
Indiana, Missouri, New Jersey, and Washington each had 19. Kind of surprised with Washington. I mean, Oregon had 10, if you’re thinking about weather.
Alaska, South Dakota and Vermont had zero. I’m shocked by South Dakota. [North Dakota had two.]
Bazooka Joe says: “Harmon Killebrew was the greatest major leaguer born in Idaho!” [Flash to screaming baseballs flying into orbit in the cartoon…]
Brief Add-on up top by Tues. noon….
