Latest news with #NCAABasketballTournament
USA Today
29-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Tennessee's all time basketball results against Houston
No. 2 seed Tennessee (30-7) will play No. 1 seed Houston (33-4) Sunday in the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Basketball Tournament. Tipoff for the game between the Vols and Cougars in the Midwest Region final is slated for 2:20 p.m. EDT at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. CBS will televise the Elite Eight matchup. Sunday will mark the sixth meeting between Tennessee and Houston in the all time series, which dates to the 1970-71 season when the teams played twice. Tennessee has a 3-2 record against Houston all time. The teams last played on Dec. 19, 1995 with the Vols recording a, 69-49, victory in Knoxville. Tennessee is 3-0 in games played in Knoxville and has split two contests against the Cougars in Houston, Texas. The Cougars won a neutral-site game contested in Los Angeles, California during the 1970-71 season. Tennessee's all time basketball results against Houston 1970-71: Tennessee 79, Houston 58 1970-71: Houston 68, Tennessee 65 1971-72: Houston 67, Tennessee 65 1994-95: Tennessee 74, Houston 58 1995-96: Tennessee 69, Houston 49
USA Today
27-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nets 2025 NBA Draft: 5 players to watch ahead of NCAA Men's Sweet 16
Nets 2025 NBA Draft: 5 players to watch ahead of NCAA Men's Sweet 16 The Brooklyn Nets still have some games left in their 2024-25 season before they can think about what will happen this offseason and beyond for their current rebuild. However, one of the biggest events in sports is happening right now and that is the NCAA Basketball Tournament, which will be beginning the Sweet 16 on Thursday. While many college basketball fans are getting their fix of watching some of their favorite teams compete for a National Championship, there are plenty of reasons for NBA fans to be interested in the proceedings as well. For example, many of the players that are expected to be playing in the NBA next season usually end up participating in March Madness. Many basketball fans are aware of Duke forward Cooper Flagg and what he means to not only college basketball, but to the NBA as well. However, given that there has been so much said about Flagg, it's fair to wonder about the other players that the Nets could look to draft if Flagg is off the board by the time their pick comes around. Here are five players for the Nets, and Nets fans alike, to keep an eye on as the NCAA Tournament heads into the Sweet 16 portion of the event: Jase Richardson, Michigan State, SG Jase, the son of former NBA player Jason Richardson, caught the eyes of NBA scouts midway through Michigan State's regular season as he showed off his ability to score in a way that projects to the next level. Richardson had a stinker in his team's matchup against New Mexico in the second round, but given how he played heading into the Tournament, he should be fine. Kon Knueppel, Duke, SF Knueppel is not going to wow anyone with his athleticism, a factor that is vital to how good a player can be in the NBA. However, Knueppel has the kind of game that can work on almost any team with his ability to shoot the basketball along with his uncanny ways of contributing in transition and making something happen when he puts the ball on the floor. Khaman Maluach, Duke, C At the moment, it seems like Maryland center Derik Queen has overtaken Maluach for the best center in the upcoming Draft and that makes sense given how Queen willed his team to the Sweet 16 with his shotmaking and offensive skill set. However, Maluach looks like the kind of big that can step on an NBA floor next year and produce as a pick-and-roll man while showing some ability to possibly develop an outside shot in later years. Carter Bryant, Arizona, SF Without sounding like Bryant will only be a 3-and-D wing in the NBA, that is something that he has shown he can do at an elite level during his freshman season at Arizona. Bryant, standing at 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, looks like the kind of player that could provide something right away as a rookie and with his athleticism, it's possible that he has one of the higher ceilings among the players expected to be selected in the first round. Egor Demin, BYU, G/F The appeal of Demin is simple: a player who stands at 6-foot-9 that can handle the ball the way he does is attractive to any NBA team looking for a guard that can be more than just a player that defends other guards. Demin, whose weight is unlisted along with a few other BYU players, obviously has a slight frame that may prevent him from defending NBA forwards, but his size, vision, and the shooting ability that he's shown so far in the Tournament could cause him to rise up draft boards if he continues to show the full package.
Axios
26-03-2025
- Business
- Axios
Why sports prediction markets are booming
A growing number of companies are dipping their toes in sports prediction markets amid a national regulatory vacuum on sports betting. Why it matters: Sports gambling is traditionally regulated on a state-by-state basis, but prediction markets are offering betting opportunities that transcend state lines. Driving the news: U.K.-based media predictions firm Galactic announced a partnership Wednesday with the Sports Illustrated brand to launch SI Predict. It's "a new prediction platform that deepens fan engagement by allowing them to interact directly with lifestyle moments adjacent to live sports events," according to Galactic. Users will be able to trade contracts on "the outcomes of trends and themes around major global sporting events" but not on the outcomes of the games themselves. The big picture: It's the latest in a series of prediction market offerings that are veering into sports. Kalshi, which is regulated by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), has opened up sports event trading contracts in all 50 states. Trading app Robinhood has introduced Kalshi prediction markets on its platform. Polymarket (which is legally unavailable for U.S. users) and are also offering sports prediction markets. Friction point: The announcements have come while state and U.S. regulators are still sorting out their stance on the whole thing. While the CFTC will host a roundtable in late April to discuss its approach sports event contracts, at least two states — Nevada and Massachusetts —have reportedly contested, or are probing, specific offerings. Reality check: Few observers expect the Trump administration or Congressional Republicans to lower the hammer despite a degree of bipartisan consternation in Washington over the negative societal effects of sports gambling. CFTC acting chair Caroline Pham sent positive signals in February when she assailed the agency's "past hostility to innovation" in this area and called prediction markets "an important new frontier ... to assess sentiment to determine probabilities that can bring truth to the Information Age." What they're saying:"It's very unlikely you're going to get somebody at the federal level saying you can't do this," Dustin Gouker of Closing Line Consulting tells Axios. "That seems like an unlikely outcome. So then you're betting on whether states are going to play whack-a-mole with your product." By the numbers: Users are so far embracing the offerings. Kalshi's sports betting prediction market has generated $249 million in contracts through the first two rounds of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. That's 8% of the estimated $3.1 billion in legal wagering for this year's men's and women's NCAA Tournaments, Bettors Insider noted. What we're watching: Whether the established giants in sports betting — namely DraftKings and FanDuel — delve into prediction markets. DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said earlier this month that the company views prediction markets as a potential opportunity: "We're watching it carefully," he said of the CFTC review, "because if there is an opportunity that presents itself, we want to make sure we're prepared for it."
USA Today
25-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Auburn jumps four spots in the latest USA TODAY Baseball Coaches Poll
Auburn jumps four spots in the latest USA TODAY Baseball Coaches Poll A series win over Kentucky lifts Auburn in the rankings. The Auburn Tigers moved up four sports in the latest USA TODAY Baseball Coaches Poll on Monday. Auburn jumped from No. 16 to No. 12 after a week that saw the Tigers go 3-1. During the week on Tuesday, they defeated Alabama State 13-9, the 300th for head coach Butch Thompson. Over the weekend, Auburn traveled to Kentucky, where they took two out of three games in Lexington to move to 4-2 in SEC play. The Tigers had more fans than accustomed on the road with the men's basketball team also playing in Kentucky for the first two rounds of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. On Tuesday night at home against the Hornets, Auburn trailed 6-5 in the fourth inning before Lucas Steele hit a grand slam to give them a 9-6 lead. Chris Rembert, Chase Fralick, and Cooper McMurray scored on the home run. In the fifth, Eric Snow added to the score with a solo home run to give the Tigers a 10-6 lead. Both teams would score three more runs to make the final 13-9. In games one and two against Kentucky the Tigers picked up dramatic 8-7 victories. The first game, Auburn was down 7-6 as the final inning began. Fralick hit a double with two outs that sent Bristol Carter home to tie the game. Ike Irish popped up, but due to an error Cole Edwards scored to give the Tigers an 8-7 win. Irish continued his great weekend on Saturday afternoon with a five-hit performance in six at-bats. The Tigers led 6-3 going into the ninth inning, and Irish hit a solo homerun to give them a 7-3 lead. They could not close the game though. The Wildcats scored four runs to force extra innings. In the 11th inning, Irish broke the tie with a solo homerun that turned out to be the game winning hit for an 8-7 win. Auburn could not find the bats in game three on Sunday losing 6-0. Irish did get one hit that was his seventh of the series. Auburn is also ranked in other top college baseball polls. D1Baseball and Perfect Game have the Tigers ranked No. 11. Baseball America ranks them No. 12 and the National College Baseball Writers Association places the Tigers at No. 16. Auburn will stay on the road this week with a Tuesday night neutral site game at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery against the South Alabama Jaguars. Auburn will then travel to Athens, Georgia for a weekend series against the third-ranked Bulldogs.
USA Today
23-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Florida Gators survive UConn Huskies upset bid, advances in NCAA Basketball Tournament
Florida Gators survive UConn Huskies upset bid, advances in NCAA Basketball Tournament The Florida Gators didn't lead in the second half against the UConn Huskies in Sunday's NCAA Tournament round of 32 matchup until Walter Clayton Jr. splashed a 3-pointer with less than three minutes to go. A strong finish led to a 77-75 final score, and the Orange and Blue advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017. UConn got the best of Florida for the middle 20 minutes, but a solid first and last 10 ensured that the Gators stayed in the NCAA Tournament. The backcourt trio of Clayton, Alijah Martin and Will Richard carried the scoring load, combining for 56 of Florida's 77 points, and each guard went on a run at some point in the game to keep the team in the game. It wasn't a banner day for the frontcourt, but credit goes to the UConn bigs for making one of the best forward rotations in the country uncomfortable for at least half of the game. Best backcourt in the country Enough can't be said about the superstar Walter Clayton Jr. for this Florida team. He's improved tremendously as a primary ball handler and always comes up big as a scorer when the Gators need it. Clayton flashed shades of Steph Curry with an impossible side-step 3-pointer late in the game to put Florida out in front by two scores. Many believe he's the best guard in the country, and he's rising to expectations during the most important moments of the season. Clayton dropped a game-high 23 points against UConn, including five makes from deep. Of course, the complementary duo of Martin and Richard can't be denied either. Richard scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, including seven straight for the Gators to keep the lead from growing back above four points early in the second half. His three-pointer with 6:45 to go pulled things within one, and his fastbreak slam dunk built the Gators' lead up to three points after Clayton drained a three to go up. Martin only scored four points in the second half after leading the Gators with 14 in the first, but they were some of the most important buckets of the game. The FAU transfer is the defensive leader of the team, even if several big men on the roster can control the paint. Martin battled for two crucial offensive rebounds in the final minutes and buried a pair of free throws to put Florida up by eight with 40 seconds to go. His Final Four experience is going to continue to come in handy for the Gators as the pressure continues to grow next weeeknd. Frontcourt mostly disappoints but comes up big when needed Florida's four-man frontcourt rotation of Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon, Micah Handlogten and Thomas Haugh is also among the best in the country, but they looked lost in the middle 10-20 minutes of this game. Condon wasn't a factor on the offensive glass, snatching all seven of his rebounds on defense, and Chinyelu struggled to keep track of UConn's bigs as he looked to help the on-ball defender late in the shot clock. Both Chinyelu and Condon figured things out eventually, though. Chinyelu helped regain some momentum with two big slams down low and he found his defensive presence after picking up a fourth foul. Condon continues to be an unselfish big man and passes up contested looks to find open guards. That's the kind of high-IQ play that's going to land him in the NBA at some point. Haugh was probably the best of the bunch, even though he shot just 1-of-4, including a pair of missed 3-pointers. He works hard and delivers on the boards, both defensive and offensive, and he kept his foul count relatively low while Chinyelu flirted with fouling out. Handlogten only played 10 minutes, grabbing three offensive rebounds and playing some solid defense. A little adversity never hurt anyone While this might have been a tough game to get through for Gators coaches, fans and players alike, overcoming adversity against the reigning back-to-back champions is going to pay off moving forward. Florida was tested on Sunday and they passed — maybe not with flying colors, but a win is a win. Dan Hurley worked the referees to make several calls in favor of UConn, but Florida locked in during the final 10 minutes of the game and made sure that a 50-50 call couldn't beat them. Clayton has ice in his veins, and guys like Condon and Martin made clutch free throws on a night where the questions regarding Florida's proficiently from the charity stripe began to recirculate. With UConn and St. John's knocked out of the West, Florida has a clear path to the Final Four with the winner of Colorado State-Maryland up next and then either Arkansas or Texas Tech. Florida has already beaten Arky this year, so that might be the preferred matchup, but they'll do their scouting one round at a time. Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
