Yahoo Sports AM: The Gators win their third title
Yahoo Sports AM: The Gators win their third title
Yahoo Sports AM is our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it every weekday morning.
🏆 Glory for Gators, heartbreak for Houston
68 teams entered, one team won it all. ()
Florida cut down the nets on Monday night in San Antonio after beating Houston, 65-63, in a game where they trailed almost the entire time.
Advertisement
Time with lead:
Florida: 1:04
Houston: 30:44
Back on top: The Cougars forced the Gators to play their game, but in the end they played it better, securing their third national championship and denying Houston its first.
Houston falls to 0-3 in title games. ()
From Yahoo Sports' Jeff Eisenberg:
Houston once again has failed to shed the unwanted label of men's college basketball's greatest program never to win a national title. The Cougars have now made seven Final Fours and three title games without experiencing the joy of cutting down nets.
This time the heartbreak came at the hands of a Florida program that entered rarified air by winning a third national title. Only the bluest of blue bloods — UCLA (11), Kentucky (8), UConn (6), North Carolina (6), Duke (5), Indiana (5) and Kansas (4) — have more.
Advertisement
That Florida rallied from a 12-point deficit early in the second half was a fitting way for the Gators to finish this memorable run. They trailed by six or more points in the second half in four of their six NCAA tournament victories.
They fell behind by nine points against Auburn early in the second half of Saturday's Final Four matchup and by as many as 10 points against Texas Tech in the Elite Eight.
"We didn't point fingers, didn't start to make hero plays, gambling defensively," said head coach Todd Golden. Added guard Alijah Martin, "We never blinked. Now we're national champs."
🎶 Watch: One Shining Moment
📊 By the numbers: Masters week
Can Scottie repeat at Augusta? ()
⛳️ +450
Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite (+450 at BetMGM) to win his third green jacket, which is something only eight men have accomplished. Rory McIlroy (+650) has the second-best odds and the most wagers (10.6%) of any golfer in the field.
Advertisement
⛳️ Eight lefties
There are eight left-handed golfers in the 2025 Masters field, the most in the history of the tournament. They are: Phil Mickelson (3x winner), Bubba Watson (2x winner), Mike Weir (1x winner), Akshay Bhatia, Brian Harman, Joe Highsmith, Bob MacIntyre and Matt McCarty.
Watch: Do lefties have an advantage at Augusta National?
⛳️ 41st start
Two-time champion Bernhard Langer will make his 41st and final Masters start this week. Just how long has the 67-year-old been around? Gene Sarazen, born in 1902, was in the field when Langer played his first major (1976 Open); Tom Kim, born in 2002, will be in the field when he plays his last.
Advertisement
⛳️ $1.50
For the 23rd consecutive year, the Pimento Cheese sandwich at the Masters will cost $1.50. The popular menu item cost $1 back in 1997, but factoring for inflation, the sandwich is actually 50 cents cheaper today.
📸 Through the lens
()
Washington, D.C. — President Trump hosted the Dodgers at the White House on Monday to celebrate their World Series victory, and later met with Shohei Ohtani in the Oval Office.
()
Augusta, Georgia — The first practice round of Masters week was canceled due to rain. Fortunately, the forecast looks much better for the rest of the week, including plenty of sunshine for Sunday's finish.
Grigor Dimitrov plays a shot at the Monte Carlo Masters. ()
Monte Carlo, Monaco — The men's clay court season began this week, and for the first time in 25 years, it did so without the "King of Clay," himself, Rafael Nadal.
🏀 NBA playoff race: The West is wild
(Amy Monks/Yahoo Sports)
With college hoops now in the rearview, we shift our attention to the NBA, where teams are jockeying for playoff positioning in the final week of the regular season.
Advertisement
Where it stands: The East is set, with the playoff and play-in teams locked and only seeding yet to be determined. But in the West, nine teams' fates still hang in the balance.
The Wild West: While the Thunder and Rockets have clinched and the bottom four teams have been eliminated, the rest of the conference is ripe for reshuffling.
The Lakers, Nuggets, Clippers, Warriors, Timberwolves and Grizzlies are separated by just two games as they chase four guaranteed playoff spots.
The two who come up short will enter the play-in tournament, where they'll be joined by two of the Kings, Mavericks and Suns.
Coming up: Here are the remaining schedules for those nine teams in the Western Conference's messy middle:
Lakers: at Thunder (Tue), at Mavericks (Wed), vs. Rockets (Fri), at Trail Blazers (Sun)
Nuggets: at Kings (Wed), vs. Grizzlies (Fri), at Rockets (Sun)
Clippers: vs. Spurs (Tue), vs. Rockets (Wed), at Kings (Fri), at Warriors (Sun)
Warriors: at Suns (Tue), vs. Spurs (Wed), at Trail Blazers (Fri), vs. Clippers (Sun)
Timberwolves: at Bucks (Tue), at Grizzlies (Thu), vs. Nets (Fri), vs. Jazz (Sun)
Grizzlies: at Hornets (Tue), vs Timberwolves (Thu), at Nuggets (Fri), vs. Mavericks (Sun)
Kings: vs. Nuggets (Wed), vs. Clippers (Fri), vs. Suns (Sun)
Mavericks: vs. Lakers (Wed), vs. Raptors (Fri), at Grizzlies (Sun)
Suns: vs. Warriors (Tue), vs. Thunder (Wed), vs. Spurs (Fri), at Kings (Sun)
Looking ahead: The regular season ends on Sunday, and the play-in tournament tips off one week from today.
📺 Watchlist: The Final 8
Arsenal's Emirates Stadium at dusk on Monday. ()
The Champions League quarterfinals begin today with two first-leg matches: Bayern Munich vs. Inter Milan (3pm ET, Paramount+) and Arsenal vs. Real Madrid (3pm, Paramount+).
Advertisement
The rich kid's table: All eight quarterfinalists are among the world's 20 richest clubs. Real Madrid (No. 1) sits at the top, followed by PSG (No. 3), Bayern (No. 5), Barcelona (No. 6), Arsenal (No. 7), Borussia Dortmund (No. 11), Inter (No. 14) and Aston Villa (No. 18).
More to watch:
🏀 NBA: Celtics at Knicks (7:30pm, TNT); Warriors at Suns (10pm, TNT) … Phoenix (35-43) needs a win.
🏒 NHL: Maple Leafs at Panthers (7pm, ESPN); Golden Knights at Avalanche (9:30pm, ESPN) … All four teams have clinched playoff berths.
⚽️ Friendly: USWNT vs. Brazil (10:30pm, TBS) … At PayPal Park in San Jose, California, where the USWNT is 5-0.
⚾️ MLB: Phillies at Braves (7:15pm, TBS) … Philly (7-2) has the third-best record in MLB, Atlanta (1-8) has the worst.
🏀 G League Finals: Stockton Kings at Osceola Magic (8pm, ESPNU) … Players to watch in Game 1: Slam dunk king Mac McClung (Magic) and former SEC POY Mason Jones (Kings).
Plus: Tigres host LA Galaxy in Mexico for a spot in the Champions Cup semifinals (9pm, FS1); "On The Range" at the Masters (12-2pm, CBSSN); Monte Carlo Masters (5am, Tennis).
🏆 Championship trivia
()
Florida is the second school* with exactly three D-I men's basketball titles. Who's the other?
Advertisement
Hint: They won two this century.
*Not counting Louisville, whose third championship (2013) has since been vacated.
Answer at the bottom.
🍻 Brilliant marketing
(Budweiser)
Budweiser sent celebratory cans of Budweiser Zero to goalies who did not get scored on by Alex Ovechkin at any point during their careers. It's a short list!
(Budweiser)
Curtis Joseph (pictured above): "Congrats to the greatest goal-scorer of all time. Feeling very lucky to have not been a part of it! 2 shots, 0 goals."
Trivia answer: Villanova (1985, 2016, 2018)
We hope you enjoyed this edition of Yahoo Sports AM, our daily newsletter that keeps you up to date on all things sports. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Hernandez gets go-ahead hit in 10th as Marlins outlast Morel, Rays 11-10
Miami Marlins' Heriberto Hernandez watches his RBI single off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Garrett Cleavinger during the 10th inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Tampa Bay Rays' Christopher Morel celebrates as he runs around the bases following his home run off Miami Marlins pitcher Tyler Phillips during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Miami Marlins' Otto Lopez scores in front of Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen on an RBI single by Heriberto Hernandez off pitcher Garrett Cleavinger during the 10th inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Miami Marlins' Otto Lopez scores in front of Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen on an RBI single by Heriberto Hernandez off pitcher Garrett Cleavinger during the 10th inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Miami Marlins' Heriberto Hernandez watches his RBI single off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Garrett Cleavinger during the 10th inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Tampa Bay Rays' Christopher Morel celebrates as he runs around the bases following his home run off Miami Marlins pitcher Tyler Phillips during the sixth inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) Miami Marlins' Otto Lopez scores in front of Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen on an RBI single by Heriberto Hernandez off pitcher Garrett Cleavinger during the 10th inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jesús Sánchez had a three-run homer and a two-run double, and Heriberto Hernandez singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning as the Miami Marlins outlasted Christopher Morel and the Tampa Bay Rays 11-10 on Saturday to snap a five-game losing streak. Morel went 3 for 3 with two home runs, a double and four RBIs for the Rays, who had a four-game win streak halted. Advertisement Morel hit a three-run homer off Ryan Weathers, and Danny Jansen and Taylor Walls followed with back-to-back doubles for a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Weathers was hit in the head after his final warmup pitch to start the game on catcher Nick Fortes' throw to second base and was pulled after three innings for precautionary reasons. Weathers is the son of former major league pitcher David Weathers. Dan Myers and Fortes reached with singles off Taj Bradley in the third and Xavier Edwards drove in Myers with a one-out double. Sánchez followed with his fifth homer to tie it at 4-all. Morel doubled against reliever Ronny Henriquez and Jansen homered for the fifth time three pitches later to put the Rays up 6-4 in the fourth. The Marlins answered with a seven-run fifth as they batted around. Sánchez gave Miami a 7-6 lead with a two-run double. Liam Hicks doubled in two and Myers doubled in Hicks to make it 10-6. José Caballero threw out Myers at home to end the inning. Advertisement Morel hit his fifth homer with one out in the sixth off reliever Tyler Phillips and Walls followed with a two-run shot after Jansen singled to get the Rays within 10-9. Brandon Lowe's 13th home run leading off the seventh against reliever Anthony Bender tied it at 10. Bradley allowed seven runs on six hits in four innings. Mason Montgomery gave up three runs on five hits in an inning. Garrett Cleavinger (0-2) allowed Hernandez's game-winning hit. Rookie Cade Gibson (1-3) closed it out with two scoreless innings for his first win. Key moment Edwards threw out mandatory runner Kameron Misner at home on a grounder to second by Caballero to deny the Rays the tying run in the 10th. Advertisement Key stat The Marlins' staff ERA of 4.99 is the fourth-worst in the majors and leads only the Rockies (5.37) in the NL. Up next Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (5-4, 2.14) starts Sunday's finale. The Marlins haven't announced their starter. ___ AP MLB:
CBS News
37 minutes ago
- CBS News
Detroit Tigers prospect Bryce Rainer will have season-ending shoulder surgery
Court hearing on agroterrorism plot; poor air quality continues in Michigan; and more top stories Court hearing on agroterrorism plot; poor air quality continues in Michigan; and more top stories Court hearing on agroterrorism plot; poor air quality continues in Michigan; and more top stories Detroit Tigers infield prospect Bryce Rainer will have season-ending shoulder surgery after an injury earlier this week. Rainer dislocated his right shoulder diving back into first base while playing for Class-A Lakeland in the Florida State League. After he saw multiple doctors, the decision was made for him to have surgery. The Tigers announced he is expected to be ready for spring training in 2026. Rainer was hitting .288 with five homers, nine steals, 20 walks and 33 strikeouts in 35 games as Lakeland's starting shortstop. Detroit's first-round pick (No. 11) in the 2024 amateur draft was rated as the No. 3 Tigers prospect and No. 53 prospect overall by before the season started. Chosen out of Harvard-Westlake High School in Los Angeles, Rainer turns 20 on July 3.
Associated Press
41 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Hernandez gets go-ahead hit in 10th as Marlins outlast Morel, Rays 11-10
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jesús Sánchez had a three-run homer and a two-run double, and Heriberto Hernandez singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning as the Miami Marlins outlasted Christopher Morel and the Tampa Bay Rays 11-10 on Saturday to snap a five-game losing streak. Morel went 3 for 3 with two home runs, a double and four RBIs for the Rays, who had a four-game win streak halted. Morel hit a three-run homer off Ryan Weathers, and Danny Jansen and Taylor Walls followed with back-to-back doubles for a 4-0 lead in the second inning. Weathers was hit in the head after his final warmup pitch to start the game on catcher Nick Fortes' throw to second base and was pulled after three innings for precautionary reasons. Weathers is the son of former major league pitcher David Weathers. Dan Myers and Fortes reached with singles off Taj Bradley in the third and Xavier Edwards drove in Myers with a one-out double. Sánchez followed with his fifth homer to tie it at 4-all. Morel doubled against reliever Ronny Henriquez and Jansen homered for the fifth time three pitches later to put the Rays up 6-4 in the fourth. The Marlins answered with a seven-run fifth as they batted around. Sánchez gave Miami a 7-6 lead with a two-run double. Liam Hicks doubled in two and Myers doubled in Hicks to make it 10-6. José Caballero threw out Myers at home to end the inning. Morel hit his fifth homer with one out in the sixth off reliever Tyler Phillips and Walls followed with a two-run shot after Jansen singled to get the Rays within 10-9. Brandon Lowe's 13th home run leading off the seventh against reliever Anthony Bender tied it at 10. Bradley allowed seven runs on six hits in four innings. Mason Montgomery gave up three runs on five hits in an inning. Garrett Cleavinger (0-2) allowed Hernandez's game-winning hit. Rookie Cade Gibson (1-3) closed it out with two scoreless innings for his first win. Key moment Edwards threw out mandatory runner Kameron Misner at home on a grounder to second by Caballero to deny the Rays the tying run in the 10th. Key stat The Marlins' staff ERA of 4.99 is the fourth-worst in the majors and leads only the Rockies (5.37) in the NL. Up next Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (5-4, 2.14) starts Sunday's finale. The Marlins haven't announced their starter. ___ AP MLB:
