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Sean Miller dropped an incredible line about AJ Dybantsa during Texas-BYU game

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AJ Dybantsa left even the opposing head coach in awe during Thursday’s NCAA Tournament game.

Dybantsa and No. 6 seed BYU Cougars lost in the Round of 64 to the No. 11 seed Texas Longhorns on Thursday. It was through no fault of Dybantsa though as he finished with a monstrous 35 points and 10 rebounds during the contest (as the Cougars eventually lost by a 79-71 final score at Moda Center in Portland, Ore.).

The freshman sensation Dybantsa was already off to a blazing start in the first half. In the middle of the frame, TNT’s Jared Greenberg interviewed Texas head coach Sean Miller on the sideline and asked how the Longhorns could slow down Dybantsa, who was already up to 14 points by then.

“I don’t think we can,” Miller bluntly replied.

Miller was right with that assessment as Dybantsa went on score 21 more points from there. He showed off just about everything in his offensive arsenal, shooting 11/25 from the field, hitting all 12 of his free throws, and even busting out some filthy dunks in the halfcourt.

Texas did find success though with stopping everybody else on BYU but Dybantsa (as only Cougars guard Robert Wright III also made it into double figures with 14 points). Now all eyes will be on where the 19-year-old forward phenom Dybantsa goes in this year’s NBA Draft, unless of course Dybantsa himself has some other plans.

Angels’ big offseason addition is already injured

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The Los Angeles Angels are already down on their luck (again).

Angels manager Kurt Suzuki revealed to reporters on Thursday that new pitcher Grayson Rodriguez is dealing with arm soreness (specifically a “dead arm”). Suzuki added that the Angels are now slowing Rodriguez down and that he could be a candidate for the injured list to start the season, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.

The righty Rodriguez, 26, was the marquee addition of the Angels’ offseason. The team acquired him in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles in November, giving up outfielder Taylor Ward (who had 36 home runs and a team-leading 103 RBIs last season) in order to do so.

Indeed, Rodriguez had shown flashes of brilliance over his first couple of seasons with the Orioles. He struck out a combined 259 batters over the 2023 and 2024 campaigns and also ranked second on the team with 13 wins in the latter season.

But Rodriguez also came with an already-significant injury risk. He missed the entire 2025 campaign due to an issue with his throwing elbow that eventually required season-ending elbow debridement surgery.

After going 72-90 last season, the Angels (who now own the longest active playoff drought in Major League Baseball) continue to suffer. On top of the injuries already beginning to pile up for them, the Angels recently alienated their fans with an unpopular decision during spring training.

Hubert Davis gets the memes after UNC’s choke job against VCU

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Hubert Davis is having a very bad day right now.

No. 6 seed North Carolina stunningly got booted from the NCAA Tournament on Thursday by No. 11 seed VCU. The Tar Heels went into halftime at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. leading the Rams by a seemingly comfortable margin of 39-28 and going up by as many as 19 at one point in the contest.

But North Carolina totally collapsed in the second half, getting outscored 47-36 to send the game into overtime. VCU then prevailed in the extra period to win by a final score of 82-78.

In response to the epic choke job by his team, the Tar Heels head coach Davis got completely blasted online. Take a look at some of the cruelest memes that Davis received.

The former NBA guard Davis took over for Roy Williams at North Carolina in 2021. He led the Tar Heels to the national championship game in his very first season … but has experienced nowhere near the same success since.

Davis, 55, has only earned one single Sweet Sixteen berth ever since then and has now bowed out of the NCAA Tournament during the Round of 64 in back-to-back seasons. Notoriously awful at managing games with big leads, Davis has looked frustrated on the job over the last couple of years, and now plenty of UNC fans will be hoping that Davis ends up losing said job after Thursday’s stupefying collapse to VCU.

LeBron James posts a photo of a female fan flipping off the Lakers

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LeBron James is getting the last laugh on the greater Houston area this week.

James and the Los Angeles Lakers secured back-to-back victories over the Houston Rockets on Monday and Wednesday. They beat the Rockets 100-92 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Monday and then went into the same arena on Wednesday and defeated the Rockets again 124-116.

The four-time NBA MVP James had a particularly strong game on Wednesday, scoring 30 points on a pristine 13/14 shooting from the field. In a post to his Instagram Story on Thursday, James then called out a female fan who was giving the Lakers a hard time during the game.

In the photo, the fan was sitting courtside and flashing the middle finger to the Lakers, particularly at James’ co-star Luka Doncic. James reposted the photo along with several laughing-face emojis.

Take a look.

For his part, Doncic also had a phenomenal game on Wednesday, finishing with 40 points, nine rebounds, and 10 assists. On top of that, Doncic stopped in the middle of live play at one point to trash talk a seemingly different Rockets fan who was sitting courtside, whom Doncic later identified in his postgame interview as male.

Jalen Rose trolls Ohio State after their NCAA Tournament loss to TCU

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Jalen Rose is doing some dancing on the grave of Ohio State basketball.

Ohio State’s NCAA Tournament hopes came to an end on Thursday with a Round of 64 loss to TCU in their 8-9 game. The Buckeyes fell behind 15 points in the first half and a furious second-half rally came up short as the Horned Frogs held on to win by a final score of 66-64 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.

One particularly embarrassing moment for Ohio State came on their final possession of the game. With 4.3 seconds left on the clock after a timeout, the Buckeyes could only manage a futile halfcourt heave that missed the mark to seal the victory for TCU.

After Ohio State’s loss, the retired ex-NBA swingman Rose trolled them during TNT’s coverage of March Madness. Rose, an alum of Michigan, joked that Ohio State was not even the best basketball program in their own state.

“It’s only right that they’re the second best basketball program in their own state,” said Rose. “So why don’t we just call Miami ‘THE Miami University?’”

Ohio State is infamously known for referring to themselves as “THE Ohio State University.” Meanwhile, Rose was also referring to Miami (Ohio), who have a blistering 32-1 record this season and will now face No. 6 Tennessee as a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament after winning their First Four game over SMU on Wednesday.

Now 53 years old, Rose played for Michigan from 1991-94. Beyond just the traditional Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, Rose might be onto something here since the Buckeyes still have not advanced to even a single Sweet Sixteen since 2013 (and still counting).

Fans all said same thing about Cameron Boozer during Duke’s near-upset loss

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Duke survived Siena’s 16-over-1 upset bid on Thursday, but Cameron Boozer’s stock may have taken a bit of a hit in the process.

The Blue Devils got a real scare from the Saints during their Round of 64 game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C. They went into the half trailing 43-32 (becoming the first-ever No. 1 seed to go down double digits at halftime to a No. 16 seed) before righting the ship in the second half and ultimately beating Siena by a final score of 71-65.

Boozer, the Duke freshman star, finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds. But fans were woefully unimpressed by one particular aspect of Boozer’s game against Siena — his defense.

Many users on X commented about how shoddy Boozer looked on the defensive end, particularly in the first half.

The 18-year-old Boozer is not known as an elite athlete, but he does have a very complete offensive game and is particularly known for his ability to get to the foul line. The same cannot be said however of Boozer’s defensive game, which may limit his upside as an NBA prospect as well as Duke’s chances of winning it all in the NCAA Tournament this year.

Earlier this week, Boozer’s father, retired former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, compared him to a famous 15-time NBA All-Defensive selection. But it took all of one NCAA Tournament game for fans to realize just how off-base that comparison might have been.

Ten MLB teams eyeing Team Italy star after World Baseball Classic run

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The 2026 World Baseball Classic was a smashing success, with Team Venezuela being crowned the champions after defeating Team USA in the final game.

However, the biggest story was the run by Team Italy. The Italians went undefeated, including a victory over Team USA, before falling to Venezuela 4-2 in the semifinal game.

This Italy team will be remembered for a very long time, and it is already paying dividends for MLB veteran Jon Berti. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, as many as 10 teams have inquired about Berti after his electrifying run in the WBC.

Berti played in every game for Team Italy, finishing with a .375 batting average and a 1.132 OPS. He hit a solo home run in Pool Play in Italy’s 9-1 win over Mexico that punched their ticket to the quarterfinal round.

Berti made his MLB debut in 2018 with the Toronto Blue Jays, but he then spent five seasons with the Miami Marlins before spending the last two with the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs.

Berti’s best seasons came with the Marlins, which included a 41-stolen-base season in 2022. He spent the 2025 season with the Cubs, but he played in just 51 games.

Now, Berti’s huge presence for Team Italy has his phone ringing just days before the start of the 2026 MLB season.

Duke HC Jon Scheyer reacts to nailbiting win over No. 16 seed Siena

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The No. 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils nearly suffered one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history.

Duke trailed the No. 16 seed Siena Saints 43-32 at halftime, but the Blue Devils found a way to sneak out a hard-fought 71-65 win on Thursday at The Well in Greenville, S.C.

After the game, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer had an honest statement about Siena’s performance and head coach Gerry McNamara.

“G-Mac, he outcoached me,” Scheyer said. “They were more ready to play.”

McNamara is in his second year as Siena’s head coach, and the Saints won the MAAC conference tournament after finishing third in the regular season. And, McNamara is a well-known name in March Madness circles. He was part of Syracuse’s team that won the 2003 national title with Carmelo Anthony.

Duke entered the tournament as the No. 1 overall seed and a popular pick to win it all, especially with star freshman and potential top-3 NBA Draft pick Cameron Boozer.

But McNamara and Siena came out firing on all cylinders, and the Saints even had a lead until right before the 5-minute mark in the second half.

In the end, Duke was too much for Siena, and even more surprising was that Siena used just one sub all game, and it came in the final minute.

Siena’s season has come to an end, but McNamara has been commonly linked to the Syracuse job, and this performance might’ve helped tip the scales in his favor.

Duke will now face the No. 9 seed TCU Horned Frogs on Saturday after they beat the No. 8 seed Ohio State Buckeyes in a wild finish.

Pat Kelsey had a blunt reaction to Louisville’s near meltdown vs USF

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The No. 6 seed Louisville Cardinals are moving on to the Round of 32 after an 83-79 win over the No. 11 seed South Florida Bulls on Thursday at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

Louisville went into halftime with a 10-point lead, and the Cardinals led by as many as 23 with just over 13 minutes to go in the second half.

However, South Florida went on an unreal run, pulling within five points with under 30 seconds to go before Louisville put the game away.

After the win, Louisville head coach Pat Kelsey had a blunt take on the near collapse by his team.

South Florida just continued to fight and make shots, but in the end, Louisville managed to walk away with the victory in the Round of 64.

Louisville was without Mikel Brown Jr., the team’s second-leading scorer, as it was reported that he would miss the first weekend due to a back injury.

Virginia transfer Isaac McKneely led the way with 23 points and Ryan Conwell added 18 points with 6 assists as the Cardinals escaped with a hard-fought win.

Louisville will now face the winner of Arkansas-Hawaii on Saturday, and Pat Kelsey will try and lead his team to the Sweet 16.

Fred Hoiberg’s message after Nebraska’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win

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For the first time in program history, the Nebraska Cornhuskers men’s basketball team has won an NCAA Tournament game.

No. 4 seed Nebraska blew out No. 13 seed Troy 76-47 on Thursday at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Ok.

Nebraska entered with a 0-8 record all-time in NCAA Tournament games, but the Cornhuskers led from start to finish to make school history. After the game, head coach Fred Hoiberg had a motivated message.

“We’re not satisfied, I can promise you that,” Hoiberg said. “This is emotional, there’s no doubt about it.”

Nebraska’s first NCAA Tournament appearance came in 1986, and the most recent was in 2024 when No. 8 seed Cornhuskers lost to the No. 9 seed Texas A&M Aggies.

Nebraska started the season 20-0 before suffering its first loss on January 27 against Michigan, but the Cornhuskers finished the season with just six losses.

Hoiberg won 14 games combined in his first two seasons at Nebraska. He was born in Lincoln, Neb., and previously served as the Chicago Bulls head coach for three-plus seasons, though he was fired in December 2018.

Now, Hoiberg has led Nebraska to its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, and the Cornhuskers will face the winner of Vanderbilt-McNeese on Saturday.

Former Ole Miss QB has been named a starter at SEC program

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Former Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons has moved on from Oxford.

After entering the transfer portal, Simmons landed at Missouri, and he has now won the Tigers’ QB1 job even before April begins.

Simmons entered the portal after Ole Miss’ stunning 39-34 win over No. 3 Georgia in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl.

At the time, the expectation was that Simmons would go to Missouri, and he did just that and has now won the starting job.

Simmons began the 2025 season as the starter for Ole Miss, but he suffered an ankle injury and ended up being replaced by Ferris State transfer Trinidad Chambliss, who became a household name after an electrifying College Football Playoff run.

The future with Chambliss at Ole Miss has taken plenty of turns, but the NCAA decided to appeal after the Rebels’ QB was given an injunction allowing him to play one more year in college.

Simmons threw for 744 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions in just five total games for Ole Miss in 2025.

The other QBs on Missouri’s roster are Matt Zollers, UConn transfer Nick Evers and true freshman Gavin Sidwar, but Simmons will begin the year as the starter.

Everyone said the same thing about Ohio State’s final shot vs. TCU

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The first game of the Round of 64 in this year’s men’s NCAA Tournament came down to the final seconds as No. 9 TCU defeated No 8 Ohio State 66-64 at The Well in Greenville, S.C.

Xavier Edmonds put TCU up by two with just under five seconds remaining, and Ohio State had one final chance to win the game.

However, Ohio State had to go the length of the court, and it resulted in a half-court heave from Bruce Thornton that hit the backboard.

Ohio State called a timeout after the Edmonds bucket, and the Buckeyes had a chance to draw up one final play in regulation.

Instead, it ended with Thornton throwing up a heave at half-court, and fans all said the same thing.

Ohio State trailed 39-24 at halftime, but the Buckeyes came storming back in the second half to take a 51-50 lead with less than eight minutes to go after an Amare Bynum layup. Then, the Buckeyes had a chance to tie or win the game, but the final play left everybody scratching their heads.

Buckeyes head coach Jake Diebler might have some tough questions to answer after this one.

TCU will advance to the Round of 32 to face the winner of Duke-Siena.

Duke commit lands unique NIL deal with pasta brand

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NIL deals have quickly changed the landscape of college sports in just a few years.

Now, a unique deal has surfaced for Duke Blue Devils basketball commit Deron Rippey Jr. Rippey is a five-star Class of 2026 point guard who committed to Duke in December, and he has now landed an NIL with a frozen pasta company that sounds exactly like his last name.

The deal is with the frozen pasta brand Ripi, according to Justin Birnbaum of Sportico.

“The deal comes with a modest five-figure cash payment and a less than 1% equity stake in the company that vests over multiple years based on Rippey’s continued involvement with the business. It also has the option to extend beyond his Duke career,” Birnbaum wrote.

The unique aspect is that Rippey is getting a small equity stake in the company, and it can continue even after he finishes playing at Duke.

Ripi is a lesser-known brand, but Sportico reports that the company is expected to increase from $350,000 worth of revenue in 2025 to $6.5 million in 2026.

It’s also a long-term gamble for Rippey, especially with the type of money college stars have made from NIL deals. Cooper Flagg reportedly made $28 million in NIL deals during his one season at Duke.

Texas Tech’s JT Toppin turned down the NBA Draft in 2025 for a $4 million deal, and Michigan Wolverine star and potential 2026 NBA Draft lottery pick Yaxel Lendeborg revealed he was offered between $7-$9 million from Kentucky before he chose to go to Michigan.

NBA fans had the same thought about the Lakers’ schedule

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The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 124-116 on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

The Lakers then had to hop on a plane and fly to Miami to face the Heat on Thursday in a back-to-back. However, the Lakers didn’t get to their hotel in Miami until 5 a.m., and tip-off for the game against the Heat is at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.

While the NBA has been attempting to limit back-to-backs over recent years, this latest scheduling mishap brought similar complaints from a number of fans.

The Lakers-Rockets game tipped off at 6:30 p.m. local time in Houston on Wednesday night, and the entire LA starting lineup played more than 30 minutes each in the win.

It is also notable that the Lakers’ next game is against the Orlando Magic on Saturday on the road, so the NBA schedulemakers could’ve made the Heat and Magic as the back-to-back instead of sending the Lakers from Texas to Florida in one night.

The Lakers’ most recent back-to-back came on March 5 and 6, when they faced the Denver Nuggets in Colorado before taking on the Indiana Pacers in LA the next day.

At the end of the day, this isn’t a great look for the NBA, and perhaps the schedule makers will try to minimize such travel issues going forward.

MLB has made a decision on Jurickson Profar’s 162-game suspension

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Atlanta Braves veteran Jurickson Profar received a 162-game suspension for testing positive for PEDs for the second time in his career.

Profar decided to appeal the ruling, but the official decision came from the league on Thursday. The MLB has upheld the initial ruling, meaning Profar will miss the entire 2026 season.

Profar also tested positive just days after the start of the 2025 season, and he was suspended for 80 games.

Profar’s most recent positive test came at the beginning of March.

The Braves signed Profar to a 3-year, $42 million contract prior to the 2025 season, and the veteran is now going to miss out on the $15 million salary he was set to earn this season.

Profar still played in 80 games for the Braves last season, hitting .245 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs, and he was expected to slot in as the starting designated hitter this season.

The Braves might have to use free agent addition Mike Yastrzemski in a DH role, and catcher Drake Baldwin is another option once Sean Murphy returns from his injury.

The MLB rules state that a third positive PED test will result in a lifetime ban.

Barry Bonds has landed a new job for MLB Opening Night

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The first game of the 2026 MLB regular season will be between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants on March 25 at Oracle Park in San Francisco, Calif.

This will be the first-ever live MLB game on Netflix, and the company is going all-out. They have announced that Giants legend Barry Bonds will join the crew as a desk analyst for the Opening Night showdown.

And, this means a return to Oracle Park for Bonds.

In February, it was reported that Netflix was pursuing Bonds for a role, but nothing has been finalized until now. Netflix has a small MLB package, and the others include the Home Run Derby and the Field of Dreams game.

Bonds, who has the MLB record with 762 career home runs, spent the final 15 seasons of his career with the Giants before retiring after the 2007 campaign.

Since then, he has kept a low profile, besides spending the 2016 season as a hitting coach for the Miami Marlins.

Bonds has also made headlines for alleged PED use during his career, and his chances of making the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown look slim as he will now wait until 2031 just to be in consideration again.

Still, Bonds is a San Francisco legend, and it should be a neat sight to see him as an analyst for the first game of the 2026 campaign.

Blue Jays get unfortunate injury update on World Series starter

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The Toronto Blue Jays were one play away from winning the World Series in the 2025 postseason, but the Los Angeles Dodgers took Game 7 to win their second straight title.

This season, the Blue Jays are viewed as contenders once again, even with Bo Bichette leaving in free agency. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays are going to be without starting pitcher Trey Yesavage for Opening Day due to an injury, per a report from Adren Zwelling of Sportsnet.

Yesavage is dealing with right shoulder impingement, which he had when he first arrived at spring training.

Yesavage, 23, made his MLB debut last season for Toronto, and he went 1-0 with a 3.21 ERA in three regular-season starts.

In the postseason, he started five games, going 3-1 with a 3.58 ERA and was named the Game 1 starter for the World Series.

Yesavage also started Game 5 of the World Series, going seven innings with just one run on three hits with 12 strikeouts. And, he pitched 1.2 innings in relief in Game 7, so he was an important piece of the puzzle.

Yesavage threw 35 pitches in a minor league game on Monday and he will pitch again on March 25, so it will be worth watching to see what his workload looks like.

Nonetheless, Yesavage will begin the season on IL, but the hope is that he can return sooner rather than later.

The Blue Jays begin the regular season against the Athletics on March 27 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario.

Pistons hit with a brutal Cade Cunningham injury

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The Detroit Pistons may have to finish the 2025-26 NBA regular season without their undisputed best player, Cade Cunningham.

On Thursday, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that the former Oklahoma State Cowboys star has been diagnosed with a collapsed lung and will be out for “an extended period of time.”

Cunningham saw action in the Pistons’ most recent game, Tuesday’s meeting with the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. However, he played only five minutes before exiting the game due to a back spasm.

The timing of Cunningham’s lung injury adds even more concern for the Pistons, as they have only 14 games left in the regular season before the 2026 NBA Playoffs. 

Detroit is a virtual lock to make the postseason with a 49-19 record, but the Pistons are not the same team without Cunningham, who leads the team in points (24.5) and assists (9.9) per game.  The Pistons are at their best when they have Cunningham on the floor, and it is going to be tough filling the void he’s temporarily leaving. His 4.5 Value Over Replacement Player (VORP) speaks volumes about his importance to the Pistons.

Charania, however, said there is a good chance Cunningham will be back in action once the playoffs begin.

For now, the Pistons’ depth, particularly in the backcourt, will be tested as they weather Cunningham’s absence.

Video: Rudy Gobert’s teammates had a ruthless reaction to his air ball

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Rudy Gobert may want to have a talk with his teammates after how some of them reacted to his embarrassing basketball faux pas.

During one sequence in Wednesday’s game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Utah Jazz at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., Gobert found himself wide open right beneath the basket after receiving a pass from guard Terrence Shannon Jr.

It should have been a gimme for Gobert. Even though his feet were not fully set when he received the ball, any NBA player, let alone someone who stands 7-foot-1, would have punched that one in. But Gobert botched the shot badly. The ball did not even touch the rim.

The reaction of Minnesota’s bench to the air ball says it all, with one player even tossing a towel in disbelief, a hilarious punctuation to what everyone just witnessed.

You can catch all that in this video here.

Gobert has never been known for his bag on offense, but there was no excuse for missing a shot that close to the rim. While he was probably bothered by the presence nearby of two Jazz defenders, there was nothing there to really stop him from throwing it down. 

Nevertheless, that hideous air ball did not cost the Timberwolves a win, as they came away with a 147-111 victory. 

Gobert still had 21 points on an efficient 9/21 shooting with 12 boards, 2 blocks and 1 steal. 

Carson Wentz lands a new contract with an NFC team

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The Minnesota Vikings are beefing up their depth in the quarterback room.

Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network broke the news on Thursday that the Vikings are reuniting with veteran signal-caller Carson Wentz. This move on Wentz comes on the heels of Minnesota’s decision to sign Kyler Murray.

For Wentz, this is just the first time since his time with the Philadelphia Eagles that he’s going to suit up for one team in consecutive seasons.

The Eagles traded him to the Indianapolis Colts in 2021. A year later, the Colts sent him to the Washington Commanders. After getting released by the Commanders in the middle of the 2023 campaign, Wentz inked a deal with the Los Angeles Rams to serve as Matthew Stafford’s backup. In 2024, the former North Dakota State star took his talents to the Kansas City Chiefs.  That was his last stop before signing with the Vikings in 2025.

JJ McCarthy started the first two games in 2025 for the Vikings before Minnesota handed the keys to the offense on the field to Wentz, who lasted just five games (all starts) before suffering a season-ending injury. The 33-year-old Wentz passed for 1,216 yards and 6 touchdowns against 5 interceptions on a 65.1% completion rate in his first season with the NFC North team.

Murray is widely expected to be Minnesota’s QB1 in 2026, while McCarthy and Wentz could be in competition for the chief backup role.

Wentz’s familiarity with the Vikings must have helped in his (and the Vikings’) decision to run it back.

Hopefully, for Wentz, he will stay healthy for the entire season this time around with Minnesota. That will depend in part on his usage and the quality of the Vikings’ pass protection, especially after he was sacked 19 times in 2026.

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