Arizona Wildcats and Oregon Ducks square off in NCAA Tournament second round
Oregon Ducks (25-9, 13-9 Big Ten) vs. Arizona Wildcats (23-12, 16-8 Big 12)
Seattle; Sunday, 9:40 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: No. 21 Arizona and No. 25 Oregon play in the NCAA Tournament second round.
The Wildcats are 16-8 against Big 12 opponents and 7-4 in non-conference play. Arizona leads the Big 12 in rebounding, averaging 36.6 boards. Tobe Awaka leads the Wildcats with 7.8 rebounds.
The Ducks' record in Big Ten action is 13-9. Oregon has a 22-9 record against teams above .500.
Arizona scores 82.1 points, 11.7 more per game than the 70.4 Oregon gives up. Oregon averages 76.4 points per game, 4.2 more than the 72.2 Arizona gives up to opponents.
TOP PERFORMERS: Caleb Love is scoring 16.4 points per game and averaging 4.3 rebounds for the Wildcats. Jaden Bradley is averaging 12.9 points and 3.2 rebounds over the last 10 games.
Jackson Shelstad averages 1.9 made 3-pointers per game for the Ducks, scoring 13.4 points while shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc. Nathan Bittle is shooting 51.9% and averaging 18.1 points over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Wildcats: 6-4, averaging 83.9 points, 35.3 rebounds, 15.4 assists, 6.3 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 49.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 79.0 points per game.
Ducks: 9-1, averaging 76.5 points, 33.4 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 7.7 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.6 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire: Shelby Miller is closing again, Abraham Toro is on fire
Welcome to Waiver Wire Watch, where I review my favorite waiver wire adds and drops for each week of the MLB season. The premise is pretty straightforward. I'll try to give you some recommended adds each week based on recent production or role changes. When I list a player, I'll list the category where I think he'll be helpful or the quick reason he's listed. I hope it will help you determine if the player is a fit for what your team needs. Advertisement For a player to qualify for this list, he needs to be UNDER 40% rostered in Yahoo! formats. I understand you may say, 'These players aren't available in my league,' and I can't help you there. These players are available in over 60% of leagues and some in 98% of leagues, so they're available in many places, and that can hopefully satisfy readers who play in all league types. MLB: Tampa Bay Rays at Arizona Diamondbacks 2025 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani & Bobby Witt Jr. lead Top 300 rest of season ranks Roman Anthony makes a big jump after getting the call to Boston, and CES returns to the rankings. Waiver Wire Hitters Roman Anthony - OF, BOS: 65% rostered (TOP PROSPECT, RECENT CALL-UP) Advertisement Anthony doesn't qualify for this list, but he was just promoted on Monday, so it feels like I need to at least address my expectations for the top prospect in baseball. The 21-year-old hit .288/.423/.491 with 10 home runs, 45 runs scored, 29 RBI, and three steals in 58 games at Triple-A, which should be enticing on its own. Anthony has also never posted a swinging strike rate above 9% at any point in the minors, except for 50 games at High-A in 2023, which will aid his adjustment to the big leagues. He has already demonstrated the ability to hit MLB pitching hard, and I believe he can be a solid asset with a decent batting average, power, and the ability to swipe 5-10 bases. He's going to sit against most lefties, at least for now, so keep that in mind, but he should be added in all formats. Evan Carter - OF, TEX: 32% rostered (POST HYPE PROSPECT, HOT STRETCH) Kennedi Landry had a good piece on Evan Carter the other day, highlighting some of the changes that have led to his strong performance since coming off the He admitted to putting a lot of pressure on himself after his injury, and cited playing looser and feeling like he had a better mental approach at the plate. In the 10 games since being activated, he's gone 11-for-27 with three homers, eight RBI, two steals, and a 4/4 K/BB ratio. He's now hitting .283/.368/.517 on the season, with four homers, 10 RBI, 13 runs scored, and five steals. We do know that Texas is not likely to play him against many lefties, so that could limit his value in weekly leagues, and he seems to get banged up quite frequently, so he remains an injury risk, but Carter is just 22 years old and has plenty of fantasy juice if he can stay healthy. Another underrated platoon outfielder is Trevor Larnach - OF, MIN (20% rostered). Larnach is hitting well over the last month and will bat in the middle of the order against all right-handed pitchers, but it can be hard to roster players that we know are going to sit against lefties. Alejandro Kirk - C, TOR: 32% rostered (CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, BELATED BREAKOUT?) Advertisement We've been waiting for the Alejandro Kirk breakout for quite some time, but the 27-year-old has been on fire of late, going 19-for-46 (.413) over his last 11 games with two home runs, nine RBI, and six runs. 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As we get closer to the trade deadline, it's possible that Toro could be replaced by somebody the Red Sox trade for, but if Toro is still starting and producing in a month, you'll have already earned value on picking him up. A deeper league multi-position add is Otto Kemp - 2B/3B, PHI (3% rostered). The 25-year-old has gotten off to a slow start since being called up by the Phillies, but he's playing first base pretty much every day while Bryce Harper is on the IL. Kemp has been a fixture in our Rotoworld blurbs because he has been crushing Triple-A to the tune of a .313/.416/.594 slash line in 58 games with 14 home runs and 11 steals. He has always posted high swinging strike rates in the minors, and the overall contact rate was just 67% in Triple-A, so don't expect a good batting average, but the power and speed are legit. Jo Adell - OF, LAA: 28% rostered (POWER UPSIDE, POST-HYPE PROSPECT) Advertisement I know we've done this a bunch with Adell in the past, and I'm not sure I buy it, but I do feel the need to point out that he's been playing well of late. Over his last 35 games, Adell is batting .276/.372/.612 with 10 home runs, 17 runs scored, and 19 RBI. More importantly, he has just a 23% strikeout rate over that span, with a 50% hard-hit rate and 11 barrels. We've seen Adell have short stretches of improved contact in the past, so there's no guarantee that this sticks, but if it does, he will be a huge fantasy asset, so he's worth adding while he's running hot. A deep league option primarily for batting average is Jake Meyers - OF, HOU (8% rostered). Earlier this season, I published an article on hitters who were being more aggressive and swinging at the first pitch more often this year than last year. Myers popped up for me on that leaderboard, and I explained in detail why I'm a fan of his new approach, so you should read that article to check out the analysis; however, I think he's a solid add for steals and something close to a .280 batting average. Nick Kurtz - 1B, ATH: 24% rostered (RETURN FROM THE IL, POWER UPSIDE) Nick Kurtz didn't set the world on fire this week in his return from the IL, but there is plenty of talent in his bat. He was heating up before landing on the IL with a strained oblique, hitting four home runs in his last five games before the injury. The talented rookie returned to the lineup on Monday, and we know that offense is going to pick up in Sacramento as the weather warms, so I'd be trying to add him in any leagues where he's still available. I'm actually surprised Kurtz is rostered in so many fewer leagues than Christian Encarnacion-Strand - 1B, CIN (35% rostered). Kurtz is a higher-rated prospect and is in a similarly strong environment. We know CES is going to play almost every day for the Reds, and we know that he flashed solid power skills in the minors. However, he has also had strikeout issues since being promoted to the big leagues and is not a lock to produce, given his career stats. He came off the IL like a house on fire and then went 3-for-17 in his next five games, which is emblematic of what we should expect from him. He's well worth a gamble given his power upside now that he's back and healthy, but I'd still rather have Kurtz. Chase Meidroth - 2B/3B/SS, CWS: 23% rostered (EVERY DAY JOB, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Advertisement I've had Meidroth in this column for weeks, and I'm going to keep him here because he has multi-position eligibility and great batting average upside with some steals thrown in for good measure. In 30 games since May 11th, Meidroth is hitting .310/.385/.397 with 13 runs scored, five steals, two home runs, and a 16/14 K/BB ratio. He's another hitter I'm highlighting on here who is making good swing decisions and succeeding due to a strong understanding of the strike zone. He had never stolen more than 13 bases in a season at the minor league level, so that number is a bit shocking to me, but he can run a bit and is a smart baseball player on a bad team that has no problem taking chances on the bases. Meidroth is also hitting leadoff and playing every day, so he could accumulate runs and steals while hitting for a solid batting average. Another option for similar skills is Ernie Clement - 2B/SS/3B - TOR (19% rostered). Over the same period since May 11th, Clement is hitting .316/.352/.500 with four home runs, 18 runs scored, 12 RBI, and an 8/6 K/BB ratio in 31 games. Even with Andres Gimenez back, Clement is still an everyday player, just at 3B now. The 29-year-old has proved himself to be a solid batting average asset last season, and his multi-position eligibility makes him valuable in deeper leagues. 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Marcelo Mayer - 3B/SS, BOS: 19% rostered (RECENT CALL-UP, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Advertisement Last week, I mentioned that Mayer was off to a slow start to his MLB career and may be a better real-life player than a fantasy player. While I still think that's true, Mayer has shown a bit more power this season and then put that on display with his two-homer game against the Rays on Wednesday. Sadly, he and Roman Anthony are going to sit versus most left-handed pitchers, which can make it harder to roster him in weekly lineup lock leagues. His teammate, Trevor Story - SS, BOS (32% rostered), is also heating up after a horrible May. Story is hitting over .319 in 12 games in June with two home runs, two steals, and 12 RBI. He's going to be in the lineup every day for Boston and has nine home runs and 10 steals on the year, so there is some power and speed here as well. He's prone to some cold stretches, but he remains a solid fantasy asset. 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Maybe expect a .240 average but with some intriguing power and speed hitting near the bottom of a solid but not great lineup. I get wanting to add him for his upside, but it does feel like more of a deep league target. Ryan Ritter - SS, COL (1% rostered), is another rookie who has stepped into a full-time role with Ezequiel Tovar on the IL with an oblique injury. Ritter was crushing at Triple-A with a .305 average with 16 home runs, 43 RBI, and three steals in 52 games. His contact rate was under 73% in Triple-A, which isn't ideal and makes me think the batting average will be a fair bit lower in the big leagues. I don't think he'll be up for long, but in deeper formats, he could be worth a gamble if you need a MIF. Mike Tauchman - OF, CWS: 6% rostered (OFF THE IL, PLAYING TIME GUARANTEE) Tauchman has been playing every day for the White Sox, batting leadoff and hitting .297/.410/.547 in 18 games since coming off the IL with three home runs, 12 runs scored, and 10 RBI. We've seen Tauchman be a solid deeper league fantasy asset in the past, and his plate discipline metrics are really strong so far this year. He will sit against most lefties, and doesn't play on a really good offense, so that caps some of the counting stats upside. However, in deeper formats, I think Tauchman is worth a look given his solid performance and consistent role. Despite the fact that I think the rule is stupid, Jurickson Profar - OF, ATL (14% rostered) is allowed to play in rehab games even though he was suspended 80 games for breaking league rules. Whatever. It's dumb. But he can return on July 2nd and figures to be the regular left fielder in Atlanta. If you have space to stash him now, that might not be a bad idea in deeper formats. Thairo Estrada- 2B, COL: 6% rostered (OFF THE IL, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) Advertisement Estrada was a big late-round favorite of mine early in the season after he signed with Colorado. 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Alek Thomas - OF, ARI: 1% rostered (CONSISTENT PLAYING TIME, BATTING AVERAGE UPSIDE) I had Thomas on here a bunch earlier in the season and, admittedly, dropped him in a few formats because his lack of power and speed really limit his fantasy viability. However, we have seen his power tick up a bit lately, with him having two home runs in his last 12 games. I don't think Thomas will become a power hitter, so he's probably more of a target if you need some batting average. Wenceel Pérez - OF, DET (1% rostered), who is hitting .280/.315/.540 in 16 games this season with three home runs, six RBI, and eight runs scored. He also hit .242 with nine home runs and nine steals in 112 games as a rookie last season. He's been playing a lot of right field with Kerry Carpenter shifting to DH and Colt Keith riding the bench a lot, and that could be how Detroit approaches this moving forward. 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Aaron Nola's ribcage strain is going to prevent him from even throwing for the next two weeks, and then he'll need to build back up to bullpens before going on a rehab assignment. That means Abel may have another month before his spot in the rotation is in jeopardy. I'm not sure his ceiling is exceptionally high right now, but he has a deep pitch mix and seems comfortable attacking the strike zone, so I don't see him putting up too many stinkers for you either. Shane Smith - SP, CWS: 34% rostered It's rare you see a pitcher with a 2.37 ERA and 23% strikeout rate across 68.1 innings be rostered in so few leagues. But I guess that's what happens when you're on the White Sox. Smith has slowed a little bit of late, with two poor starts against the Mets and Mariners, but bounced back this week against the Tigers a bit. 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With Corbin Burnes also out for the season, there's a chance that the Diamondbacks actually sell at the deadline, which means it's unlikely they bring in competition for Miller. The question is whether or not Miller himself gets dealt. It also seems like Calvin Faucher - RP, MIA (9% rostered) has taken the closer role in Miami again. I'm not sure how many saves you're going to get out of this, and Miami can't seem to settle on one guy, but if you're hurting for saves, Faucher could be a solid option. Quinn Priester - SP, MIL: 26% rostered Priester has been on a tremendous run of late, pitching to a 2.54 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. He's still more of a match-up play than anything, but I thought he was worth highlighting here. Advertisement Edward Cabrera - SP, MIA: 21% rostered Cabrera looked so good early in his start against Washington on Friday, but then he got stepped on while covering first base and was clearly laboring. 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- USA Today
Broncos roster: OLB Nik Bonitto (No. 15) aims for another big season in contract year
Broncos roster: OLB Nik Bonitto (No. 15) aims for another big season in contract year Broncos Wire's 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at fourth-year outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, No. 15. Before the Broncos: Nik Bonitto played for four years at the University of Oklahoma from 2018-21. Over his four-year tenure, Bonitto earned three honors: AP third-team All-American (2021), second-team All-Big 12 (2021) and second-team All-American (2020). Over 40 games played, Bonitto recorded 117 tackles (68 solo, 49 assisted, 35 tackles for loss), 18.5 sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and seven pass deflections. Bonitto was selected in the second round (64th overall) of the 2022 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. Broncos tenure: Bonitto had a rocky rookie season, playing in 15 games, only starting one game and totaling 14 tackles (six solo, eight assisted, one for loss), one forced fumble and 1.5 sacks, hardly the type of year the Broncos were hoping for from their highest draft pick in 2022. Bonttio took a step forward in 2023, a year in which he started four games. Bonitto upped his sack total to 8.0, made 30 tackles (23 solo, seven assisted, 13 tackles for loss), two pass deflections and one forced fumble. If 2023 was a step forward, 2024 was an explosion, and one every bit as much as the Broncos were hoping for when they drafted Bonitto in 2022. Bonitto started 15 games, totaling 48 tackles (33 solo, 15 assisted, 16 tackles for loss, 24 QB hits), two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one interception. Bonitto's fumble recovery and interception both went for touchdowns. Bonitto's huge jump earned him a Pro Bowl nod, as well as second-team All-Pro honors. Chances to make the 53-man roster: 100 percent. Bonitto had a breakout year in 2024, and is in the middle of contract extension talks with the Denver front office to keep him with the Broncos for the foreseeable future. Bonitto is primed for another big year in 2025, and Broncos Country is excited to see what the future holds. Related: These 25 celebrities are Broncos fans.
