[Posted Sunday PM…after St. John’s-Kansas….]
NBA Quiz: James Hardin passed Elgin Baylor this week on the all-time list for most 30-point games. Name the top ten. [Hint: Three played the bulk of their career in the 1960s, a fourth barely played some in the ‘60s.] Answer below.
March Madness
I am not attempting to cover every game until we get to the Sweet Sixteen, and some of the first rounders were huge blowouts.
But in games of interest….
Friday…5 St. John’s had an important, emphatic, 79-53 win over 12 Northern Iowa, dominating from the start, setting up an early huge showdown with 4 Kansas, a 68-60 winner over 13 Cal-Baptist, as the enigmatic Darryn Peterson had 28 points, but disappeared the last four minutes of a tight game, as he is wont to do.
Warning for St. John’s fans, however. Point guard Dylan Darling should worry you when it comes to the foul line. He hit only 71.8% from the line in the season and I’ve seen him come up small in the big ones. He was 0 for 2 Friday. If the Johnnies are to advance, he’s got to make 80%.
It’s one game at a time for Rick Pitino’s boys. They shouldn’t be facing Kansas in the second round, but it is what it is.
2 UConn, also in the loaded East Region, defeated 15 Furman 82-71 behind a monster game for the ages from center Tarris Reed Jr. – 31 points and 27 rebounds – the first 30-25 NCAA Tournament game since Elvin Hayes did it twice in 1968.
Good thing Reed came to play, because Furman was a 20 ½-point underdog. It was 70-65 late.
My personal favorite to win it all, 2-seed Purdue, whipped 15 Queens 104-71, as All-American point guard Braden Smith became the all-time NCAA leader in assists, breaking Bobby Hurley’s record; Smith with 26 points and 8 assists in the game…1,077 assists in his four-year career, admirably all with Purdue.
Another of my teams picked to make the Final Four, 3 Virginia, got all it could handle from 14 Wright State, putting it away late, 82-73, Jacari White with 26 points in 24 minutes off the bench for the Cavaliers.
But in the game everyone is talking about, 7 Kentucky held off 10 Santa Clara in overtime, 89-84, after a series of buzzer-beaters took the game into OT.
Otega Oweh, who had a career-high 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, hit a buzzer-beater from just inside half court to force overtime for the Wildcats, after Santa Clara’s Allen Graves drained a 3 from the right wing with 2.4 seconds left to put the Broncos ahead 73-70. Oweh’s shot was midair when the buzzer sounded, and it banked in for the tie.
Oweh then hit the tiebreaking free throws in the extra period, while Brandon Garrison twice blocked 3-point attempts by Santa Clara’s Sash Gavalyugov in the final minute of OT.
Teammates credit the 6-foot-10 Garrison for suggesting in a huddle that they switch on screens, declaring that he’d be able to handle the matchup with the 6-3 guard Gavalyugov.
However, as Oweh was racing up court for his game-tying three, Broncos coach Herb Sendek was attempting to call time out to set the defense and it wasn’t granted.
No March Madness without some controversy.
Thursday…the big story was 12-seed High Point upsetting 5 Wisconsin in a terrific game, 83-82, the Panthers hitting 15 3-pointers and playing super defense in the final minute.
But America now knows all about High Point reserve guard Chase Johnston. The senior 3-point specialist came into the game having hit 64 3s on the season, while he was 0-for-4 from two.
He then went 4-for-6 from three in the game, making him 68-for-138 on the season, a spectacular 49.3 percent, but it was his layup that was the go-ahead bucket. His first 2-point basket of the season.
What a win (the first in NCAA Tournament play) for High Point, a little school near where I went to college, bigger Wake Forest, which has become a huge favorite for kids in the Northeast, in no small part due to a heavy ad campaign in the New York metro area.
It also helps that it is a really good school, conservative, that now has big-time sports programs in basketball, baseball and soccer…at least the sports I know of.
I give out scholarships for my charity organization in next-door New Providence, and I’m always talking to the guidance department at the high school and they’ve said High Point has become popular choice these days for kids up here.
And I’m seeing my first High Point flags flown outside homes in the area. Very cool. The Panthers deserve their success.
Meanwhile, 11 VCU had an incredible upset of 6 North Carolina, after trailing by 19 in the second half, 82-78, another early exit for coach Hubert Davis’ squad.
The Tar Heels were indeed playing without top-five NBA Draft pick Caleb Wilson, but no excuses this time of year.
11 Texas also upset 6 BYU 79-71, despite freshman AJ Dybantsa’s 35 points and 10 rebounds for the Cougars. Dybantsa said he’s now going to spend a few weeks to weigh his future, though of course he’s headed to the NBA Draft, where he’ll be a top three pick.
No. 1 Duke scared the crap out of its fans, barely scraping by 16 Siena 71-65, in what would have been the biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history.
One more from Thursday, 9 St. Louis had a dominating 102-77 win over 8 Georgia, the Billikens an entertaining team, with center Robbie Avila, who if the name sounds familiar, starred two seasons ago at upstart Indiana State when they made a little run to the final of the NIT Tournament, falling to Seton Hall.
And then back to Wednesday, much-dissed 11 Miami (OH) had to defeat 11 SMU in a play-in game to advance, 89-79, as the 32-1 RedHawks silenced their detractors…for two days.
6 Tennessee then whipped them 78-56 Friday.
Miami deserved to be in, but it’s just a fact, they hadn’t played a Power Five school all season. If they had won the MAC Tournament, instead exiting in the first round of it, they would have been seeded higher for sure.
The team that won the MAC Tournament and the automatic bid, 12 Akron, lost to 5 Texas Tech Friday, 91-71.
On to Saturday and Sunday…all the preceding written prior to the action in the second round.
And with one exception, form held.
No. 1 Michigan whipped 9 Saint Louis, 95-72, as Yaxel Lendeborg had 25 points on 9 of 13 from the field for the Wolverines, moving him up the draft board another notch or two. Robbie Avila’s career ended with a poof…3 of 13 from the floor, 9 points.
3 Michigan State defeated 6 Louisville 77-69, the Cardinals unfortunately without the injured Mikel Brown Jr. and his 18 points per game.
But the Spartans have Jeremy Fears, the bad-boy (misbehaving) point guard who can play spectacularly. He only had 12 points, but 16 assists!
Afterwards, Charles Barkley was appropriately effusive in his praise of coach Tom Izzo. The guy is simply amazing.
No. 1 Duke was in good form, 81-58 over 9 TCU, Cam Boozer with 17 of his 19 points in the second half, 10 rebounds, while Patrick Ngongba II returned from his foot injury to play 13 minutes, 4 rebounds, 4 assists. This is huge for the Blue Devils going forward.
2 Houston beat 10 Texas A&M, 88-57.
3 Illinois poured it on in the second half to defeat 11 VCU 76-55.
4 Nebraska edged 5 Vanderbilt 74-72. Vandy’s Tyler Tanner, who led all scorers with 27 points, had a half-court heave at the buzzer for the win go halfway down…and out…crushing.
4 Arkansas held on to end 12 High Point’s attempt at a Cinderela run, 94-88, as freshman sensation Darius Acuff Jr. had 36 points for the Razorbacks, Acuff soon to be a top-five pick in the draft.
High Point shooting sensation Chase Johnston made 2 of his first 3-point attempts, but then went one of 5 the rest of the way. No more magic. But applications to High Point will surge further.
And in the only game Saturday where we had a potential Cinderella story, 11 Texas beat 3 Gonzaga 74-68.
The Longhorns were tenth in the SEC standings this year, 9-9 in conference, but I can’t call this a huge story, unless they are playing next Sat. or Sun. in the Elite Eight.
Sunday….
In the opener 2 Purdue pulled away late from a tough 7 Miami squad, 79-69, thanks in no small part to hitting 21 of 22 free throws, 4-year Purdue starting guards Fletcher Loyer and Braden Smith 14-14. [Loyer 24 points on a near-perfect 6 of 7 from the field, 4 of 4 from three.]
The Boilermakers weathered an uncharacteristic poor game from floor-general Smith, however, as he was just 3 of 12 from the field with a whopping eight turnovers.
But what an historic turnaround for Miami…from 7-24 to 26-9 under first-year coach Jai Lucas.
Game two…7 Kentucky took an early 20-9 lead over 2 Iowa State in St. Louis, but the Cyclones came back to take a 31-30 halftime lead.
And then it was all Iowa State, 82-63, or, to put it another way, a 73-43 run the last 30 minutes, 4-year ISU guard Tamin Lipsey with 26 points and 10 assists…and all this without senior Joshua Jefferson (16 points, 7 rebounds), out with an injury, status next week unknown.
Game three…a huge one…5 St. John’s and 4 Kansas. Incredibly, legendary coaches Rick Pitino and Bill Self have only squared off in one game, when Pitino was at Iona, a 13-point loss for the Gaels.
And at the half….the Johnnies led the Jayhawks 34-26, despite shooting only 11 of 38 from the field and 63% from the foul line.
St. John’s then had a 58-48 lead with 6:25 to play, Zuby Ejoifor taking over…but it was 62-55 3:40 left.
And the Johnnies began to implode, 62-61, 1:57 to play.
65-63 St. John’s with 24.4 left after Ejiofor misses a three. Kansas ball. Darryn Peterson time…he’s fouled, two shots with 13.1 on the clock. He ties it.
Kansas has lots of fouls to give.
And Dylan Darling wins it with a driving layup at the buzzer! His first points of the game!
Go Johnnies.
Duke up next.
–In the NIT today, Wake Forest suffered a heartbreaking loss at home to Illinois State, 78-75, on a Johnny Kinzinger 3-pointer with 1.7 seconds to play, this despite the Deacs’ Tre’von Spillers going 11 of 11 from the floor, 24 points.
For us Wake fans, it’s all about the future of Juke Harris and whether he stays for his junior year, thinks he’s ready for the NBA (he’s not), or someone offers him a ridiculous amount of money Wake can’t match.
—The WNBA’s acrimonious negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement ended well for the players. A landmark CBA that sees the season’s minimum salary rise to $300,000. The new average salary will be about $600,000. And super-max salaries are $1.4 million.
$7 million is the new salary cap, nearly five times the $1.5 million for 2025.
The girls did well for themselves. There will be a season after all.
NBA
—The Pistons suffered a huge loss as Cade Cunningham is out for the rest of the regular season with a collapsed lung. He’s to be reevaluated in two weeks and then we’ll see.
He appeared to suffer the injury when he dove for a loose ball and collided into Wizards guard Tre Johnson in the first quarter of Tuesday’s game. Cunningham’s exit was initially described as back spasms.
Detroit is trying to stay ahead of Boston (and the Knicks) in the East.
Also Tuesday, the Knicks beat Indiana at the Garden, 136-110, as Josh Hart had a rather nice game…33 points on 12 of 13 shooting in 26 minutes.
Wednesday…Boston (46-23) beat the Warriors 120-99.
The Thunder destroyed the Nets, 121-92, SGA with 20 points, keeping his streak alive.
Thursday, the Pistons beat the Wizards in a return game, 117-95.
Friday, the Knicks (46-25) edged the Nets (17-53) 93-92, for their 14th straight win over their city rivals. Brooklyn players are very frustrated.
The Pistons won again, 115-101 over the Warriors. And the Celtics defeated the Grizzlies, 117-112 on the road.
So heading into Sunday night, the Knicks taking on the Wizards, and the Celtics hosting the T’Wolves….
East
Detroit 51-19
Boston 47-23…4
New York 46-25…5.5
Can the Pistons hang on until the playoffs and a probable Cade return?
—Thursday, Luca Doncic poured in 60 points in an epic performance, the Lakers beating the Heat 134-126.
Doncic is the leading scorer in the league at 33 points per game.
L.A. (46-25) then won its ninth straight Saturday at Orlando (38-32) 105-104, Luke Kennard starring off the bench for the Lakers.
Also Saturday, the Thunder (56-15) extended their win streak to 11, 11-0 since the return of SGA, 132-111 over the Wizards (16-54), a big brawl erupting that had four players ejected, while SGA had 40 points.
MLB/WBC
–Going back to the World Baseball Classic final, Tuesday after I posted, and Venezuela’s exciting 3-2 win over Team USA, for New York baseball fans, unfortunately for him, it’s all about Aaron Judge’s failure, 0-for-4, 3 strikeouts, .220 for the tournament.
Judge, a probable unanimous first-ballot Hall of Famer with a 1.028 career OPS, nonetheless has just a .822 OPS in postseason play (.236 batting average). He’s had his good playoff moments, but many not so good.
Granted, the World Baseball Classic is not the World Series, but it plays to the narrative that Judge has come up small more often than not in big moments.
I feel sorry for the guy. For starters, there is no better ‘person’ than Aaron Judge, at least in his sport. He’s always handled the pressure with class.
But if you’re a Yankee fan, it’s just part of the frustration of not winning a World Series since 2009, and wasting Aaron Judge’s best years…the guy in the pantheon of all-time Yankee greats.
Meanwhile, the Mets’ young pitching phenom, Nolan McLean, allowed two earned in 4 2/3 but hardly embarrassed himself and us fans are just glad he didn’t hurt his arm in his two starts in the Classic.
Other U.S. players came up very small against Venezuela, like Kyle Schwarber, but Bryce Harper had a memorable game-tying 2-run homer in the eighth inning.
It’s just that the powerful lineup was held to three hits overall.
And manager Mark DeRosa’s management of the American team was called into question. Gunnar Henderson, who entered with a .429 average in the WBC, didn’t start. Closer Mason Miller was available for the ninth inning in a tie game and didn’t see the mound.
–Incredible that the regular season starts this Wednesday, Yankees at the Giants, which is bizarre scheduling.
–The Mets’ legendary radio announcer, Howie Rose, announced this is his last season calling the action. He’ll only do home games this season, and the playoffs if the Mets make it.
Rose has been part of Mets broadcasts since 1987. The guy is just terrific.
Golf Balls
–At the Valspar Championship, Innisbrook Resort/Copperhead Course, Palm Harbor, FL, after two rounds….
Sungjae Im -9
David Lipsky -8
Doug Ghim -7
Chandler Blanchet -7
Save for Sungjae, not exactly an electric leaderboard, which was to be expected after two Signature events…Bay Hill and The Players Championship.
But…
Matt Fitzpatrick -5
Brandt Snedeker -5…a terrific comeback story
And look at this group at -4….Gary Woodland, Tony Finau, Brooks Koepka, and this year’s phenom, Jacob Bridgeman (7 events, 7 top 20s, and a win at the Genesis).
And then after 54….
Im -11
Snedeker -9
Lipsky -9
Marco Penge -8…the DP World Tour star….
Fitzpatrick -8
Koepka still -4, along with Woodland and Finau, though Koepka had gotten it to -7.
Koepka’s round may have been impacted by an incident outside the ropes. NBC and Golf Channel analyst Smylie Kaufman was walking with the pairing of Koepka and Danny Walker when he reported that a girl had been hit by a golf cart and pinned beneath it near the 15th hole.
Kaufman said Koepka went over to comfort the girl, who was quickly evaluated by medical staff. No injuries were reported.
“I just felt terrible…from all the reports you’ve got, she’s okay, thankfully,” Koepka told reporters after his round. “That’s all that matters, as long as she’s okay. I know she’s probably a little scared and I just felt for her at the time.”
Koepka went on to par the 15th, but double-bogeyed the 16th.
Into the December file goes Koepka for early ‘Good Guy Award’ consideration.
The 45-year-old Snedeker has nine career wins, including twice at the Wyndham, where he scored his last win in 2018, twice at Pebble Beach, and twice at Torrey Pines, as well as the Heritage, Canadian Open and 2012 Tour Championship…as in all nine wins were quality events.
This would be a helluva story.
Im has two wins, but his last was 2021.
On to Sunday….
And on the back nine, four were tied at -9, including Snedeker and Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele in the clubhouse at -8. Im all the way back to -6.
And then….
Fitzpatrick -10 thru 15
Lipsey -10…15
Jordan Smith -9…F
Snedeker fell back to -6
Koepka finished -4…couldn’t get anything going on the weekend.
And then Fitzpatrick with a massive birdie on 18 to finish -11…Lipsky in the rough for his approach on the par-4.
Lipsky off the green…2-putts…
And Matt Fitzpatrick, after that excruciating second at The Players Championship last week, wins his third PGA Tour title! Man, that is great stuff.
—Tiger Woods this week, when asked if he would play at The Masters, said there are days when he feels fresh enough to play at Augusta, but those are mixed with days when he can’t do anything.
“I’ve been working on it,” Woods said after this week’s TGL semis. “Sometimes I have good days. Sometimes I have bad days.”
Premier League
Friday…Bournemouth and Manchester United played to a 2-2 draw.
Saturday…Brighton handed Liverpool a bad loss, 2-1, while surging Everton whipped struggling Chelsea, 3-0.
Sunday…it was all about the relegation battle…the battle to avoid same.
Aston Villa beat 18 West Ham 2-0, while 16 Tottenham suffered a devastating 3-0 loss at home to 17 Nottingham Forest…flipping the standings.
Table…played (out of 38) – points
Arsenal…31 – 70
Man City…30 – 61
- Nottingham…31 – 32
17. Tottenham…31 – 30
18. West Ham…31 – 29
This is unbelievable, for us Spurs fans. If I wear my jersey, I’d have to also wear a bag over my head.
–Meanwhile, in the Champions League, it was a bad week for the Premier League, all six of its clubs competing reached the knockout stages of the competition for the first time.
But in last-16 action, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham were all eliminated…leaving just Arsenal and Liverpool.
The quarterfinals are set….
Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich
Sporting CP vs. Arsenal
Barcelona vs. Atletico Madrid
PSG vs. Liverpool
The Premier League has an excuse. Their teams play a brutal schedule, and the competition within the league is superior to what the big clubs on the continent face in their regular seasons.
But that’s up to the managers (and ownership) to figure out. The players need rest.
Stuff
—Tyler Reddick won his fourth NASCAR Cup Series race of the season (4 of 6) at Darlington Raceway…another win for co-owner Michael Jordan. Unreal.
–The Denver Broncos paid up for the quality receiver/playmaker the team is lacking, picking up Jaylen Waddle from the Dolphins, along with a fourth-round pick in exchange for Denver’s 2026 first-round pick (No. 30) and third- and fourth-round picks.
Waddle, 27, was a first-round selection in 2021 out of Alabama and has played five years for the Dolphins, with three 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
He’ll now pair with solid wideout Courtland Sutton, who has 1,000 yards each of his last two seasons in Denver.
–In the World Cup Alpine season finales, Breezy Johnson captured a second in a downhill race in Kvitfjell, Norway…Italy’s Laura Pirovano winning it, as well as the overall downhill crown for 2025-26.
This Tues. and Wed., Mikaela Shiffrin will be attempting to wrap up the overall WC crown in a slalom race, Tues., and the giant slalom, Wed., if she needs to race in the latter.
–Did you see the story about the late Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay’s memorabilia collection and the auction to sell same?
Irsay had an extraordinary collection of musical instruments, American history artifacts, sports and pop culture items that sold for a staggering $93.65 million, far exceeding the Christie’s pre-auction estimate of $40 million.
All available lots wee sold over four auctions held between March 3 and 17, three of which were live and one online. The auctions broke 28 world records, including the most expensive guitar ever sold at auction, with $14.55 million shelled out for David Gilmour’s “Black Strat,” blowing past the previous record fo $6.11 million for Kurt Cobain’s “MTV Unplugged” Martin D-18E.
The auction also produced the second- and third-most expensive guitars of all time: Jerry Garcia’s custom-built “Tiger’ guitar sold for $11.6 million and Kurt Cobain’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” sold for $6.9 million.
Among the other items:
Jack Kerouac’s original typescript scroll for “On the Road,” $12,135,000 (reportedly purchased by country singer Zach Bryan).
John Lennon’s Broadwood upright piano, $3,247,000 (most for any Beatles object).
Ringo Starr’s Beatles ‘Drop T’ logo drum head used on The Ed Sullivan Show, $2,881,000.
Secretariat’s saddle worn during the 1973 Triple Crown: $1,524,000 (most for a horse racing object). Way cool.
And the robe worn by Muhammad Ali in his first appearance after changing his name went for $444,500. Ali wore it during the Ali vs. Liston II fight in 1965.
Top 3 songs for the week 3/21/64: #She Loves You” (The Beatles) #2 “I Want To Hold Your Hand” (The Beatles) #3 “Please Please Me” (The Beatles…hey, these guys are pretty good!…)…and…#4 “Dawn (Go Away)” (The Four Seasons) #5 “Fun, Fun, Fun” (The Beach Boys) #6 “Navy Blue” (Diane Renay) #7 “Twist And Shout” (The Beatles) #8 “Java” (Al Hirt…gotta love it…songs like this made the 60s the greatest decade ever for music…more like 1964-73…) #9 “I Love You More And More Every Day” (Al Martino…see #8….) #10 “Hello, Dolly!” (Louis Armstrong…The Beatles held the #1 slot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart from Feb. 1st to May 2nd…Hello, Dolly! Then became #1 May 9th….A- week…)
Flash Quiz: Who, and what song, was No. 1 before the Beatles reshaped the music world in America when they appeared on Ed Sullivan, Feb. 9, 1964? Answer below.
NBA Quiz Answer: All-time list for 30-point games (as of earlier in the week).
- LeBron James 576
2. Michael Jordan 562
3. Wilt Chamberlain 516
4. Karl Malone 435
5. Kevin Durant 434
6. Kobe Bryant 431
7. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 429…started career 1969-70….
8. Oscar Robertson 387
9. Jerry West 350
10. Dominique Wilkins 346 - Allen Iverson 345
12. James Harden 344
Flash Music Quiz Answer: #1 before The Beatles’ big run? Bobby Vinton for four weeks with “There! I’ve Said It Again.” #1 before Vinton? The Singing Nun’s “Dominique,” also for four weeks.
My, would music change.
Brief Add-on up top by noon, Tues.
