Show Me the Madness

03/10/2022

By: Jeff Yoder

Good Morning,

Another day in March brought buzzer-beaters in bunches. How does three game-winners sound? Plus, I preview The Players Championship to tee off our spring golf coverage, and Carson Wentz is going back to the NFC East. Let’s get at it…

Letter Rip!

NCAA

Show Me the Madness

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Virginia Tech, Stanford, Coppin State Highlight Trio of Buzzer-Beaters on Wednesday

Madness comes in threes! Not one, not two, but three game-winning buzzer-beaters stormed the courts on Wednesday. We also added another team to the bracket, and Champ Week is a full go.

Wednesday’s Buzzer-Beaters

Virginia Tech beat Clemson (76-75, OT) on Darius Maddox’s buzzer-beater 3. That shot kept the Hokies’ tournament hopes alive, but they’re still on the outside of the bubble looking in. In the Pac-12, Stanford beat Arizona State (71-70) with a banked buzzer-beater from James Keefe. Still not entertained? We go to the MEAC where Nendah Tarke called game to lift Coppin State over Howard (59-57). That’s three game-winners in one night, and the madness is in full effect.

Buzzer-Beater Highlights

Virginia Tech (Darius Maddox)

Stanford (James Keefe)

Coppin State (Nendah Tarke)

Colgate Goes Dancing

The 12th bid to the big dance goes to Colgate. The Red Raiders were the only team to punch their ticket on Wednesday after throttling Navy (74-58) for the Patriot League Championship. They joined 11 teams already in the field (see yesterday’s edition).

Today’s Schedule (Top Games)

ACC: #7 Duke vs. Syracuse (Noon ET)

Pac-12: #2 Arizona vs. Stanford (3:00 pm ET)

Big 12: #6 Kansas vs. West Virginia (3:00 pm ET)

Big 12: #3 Baylor vs. Oklahoma (7:00 pm ET)

Big East: #8 Villanova vs. St. John’s (7:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: Conference Tournament Brackets, Automatic Bids & More

ESPN: Syracuse’s Buddy Boeheim Suspended 1 Game for Punching Florida State Player

_________________________________________________________________________________________

NFL

Another QB Domino Falls

Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images

Colts Trade QB Carson Wentz to Washington Commanders for Pair of Picks

After a busy day on Tuesday with the news of Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, the next domino has fallen in the offseason NFL quarterback swap. The Indianapolis Colts traded QB Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders on Wednesday for a package of two third-round picks in 2022 and 2023. The latter can become a conditional second-rounder if Wentz plays 70 percent of the snaps in D.C. The move brings Wentz back to the NFC East where he’ll face his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, twice a year. The once-No. 2 overall pick threw for more than 3,500 yards with 27 TDs and 7 INTs in 2021. He’ll likely compete with Taylor Heinicke for the starting job while many expect Washington to draft a quarterback, too.

Next Up on the QB Carousel

Wednesday’s move means Indianapolis is officially in the market for a quarterback. Other teams with likely quarterback movement include the Steelers, Giants, Lions and Texans. The Saints and Dolphins might be in the mix, as well. I expect Jimmy Garoppolo (49ers) to be the next target for a QB-needy team.

Additional Storylines

B/R: Colts Likely to Pursue 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppol After Wentz Deal

Yahoo! Sports: The Most Interesting Teams to Watch When Free Agency Begins

_________________________________________________________________________________________

PGA

Bring On The Island Green

Photo: Chris Condon / Getty Images

The Players Championship Tees Off Today From TPC Sawgrass

The first marquee golf event of the spring calendar is finally here. Golf’s bests ascend on TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida today for The Players Championship. It’s the biggest single-event prize in all of golf at $12.5 million, and it’s known as golf’s unofficial “fifth major”. Justin Thomas looks to defend his crown, but he’ll have his hands full. The stadium course is no easy task, and the iconic 17th island green is one of the greatest holes in golf. Let’s take a look at the odds and tee times for today’s opening round.

The Players Championship Odds

J. Rahm (+1200), C. Morikawa (+1400), J. Thomas (+1400), V. Hovland (+2000), R. McIlroy (+2000), P. Cantlay (+2200), S. Scheffler (+2500), H. Matsuyama (+2800), X. Schauffele (+2800) | Full Odds

Today’s Tee Times (ET)

7:18 AM: T. Finau, P. Reed, W. Simpson

7:29 AM: S. Garcia, A. Scott, L. Oosthuizen

7:40 AM: J. Niemann, H. Matsuyama, C. Smith

7:51 AM: V. Hovland, P. Cantlay, J. Rahm

12:34 PM: J. Spieth, D. Berger, D. Johnson

12:45 PM: R. McIlroy, C. Morikawa, J. Thomas

1:07 PM: M. Homa, B. Horschel, J. Rose

All Tee Times

Additional Storylines

PGA Tour: Expert Picks for The Players Championship

Golfweek: 5 Things to Know About No. 17 at TPC Sawgrass

Golf Digest: 7 Players Championship Cliches and Whether or Not They Are True

_________________________________________________________________________________________

READER POLL

NBA MVP Voting

With Approximately 15 Games to Play in the Regular Season, Who Are You Picking to Win MVP?

Philadelphia 76ers: Joel Embiid

Denver Nuggets: Nikola Jokic

Chicago Bulls: DeMar DeRozan

Memphis Grizzlies: Ja Morant

_________________________________________________________________________________________

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

NBA: Tatum Keeps Torching With 44

The Celtics keep tearing up the Eastern Conference, and Jayson Tatum is behind the wheel. Tatum (44 points) continued his torrid streak in Wednesday’s win over the Hornets (115-101). He set a Celtics record for the most points in a three-game span (135), and Boston has won 15 of their last 17 to pull within four games of the East lead.

NHL: McDavid Lifts Oilers in OT Thriller

For a moment, it appeared T.J. Oshie saved the day for the Capitals with a game-tying goal in the final two seconds to force overtime against the Oilers. Enter Connor McDavid, the league’s points leaders, with his 30th goal of the season just 3:27 into OT for a 4-3 Edmonton win.

UCL: Benzema’s Hat Trick Saves Madrid

In Leg 2 of the Champions League Round of 16, it was a first-half goal from Kylian Mbappe that gave PSG a 2-0 aggregate lead over Real Madrid. With 30 minutes left and needing a miracle, Karim Benzema struck three goals in a 20-minute span to give Real Madrid the 3-1 win and a 3-2 aggregate advantage to advance.

*Manchester City also advanced past Sporting (5-0).

_________________________________________________________________________________________

THE STORYLINES

MLB Cancels 2nd Week of Season

Major League Baseball canceled the second week of the regular season Wednesday after days of discussion with the MLB Players Association failed to generate a new collective-bargaining agreement. (ESPN)

Tiger Woods’ Hall of Fame Induction

Arguably the greatest and most influential golfer of all time, Tiger Woods was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Wednesday. See all the highlights, including Woods’ 14-year-old daughter, Sam, giving his introduction. (Bleacher Report)

2022 NFL Mock Draft

The NFL Scouting Combine is over, and draft boards have been shaken up. Next comes free agency, starting next week, followed by pro days. The Broncos-Seahawks trade moves a QB up the board and might leave another team desperate in free agency. (FOX Sports)

_________________________________________________________________________________________

THE HEADLINES