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USA Today
07-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
New NCAA Tournament projections for Clemson baseball after loss to Coastal Carolina
New NCAA Tournament projections for Clemson baseball after loss to Coastal Carolina Clemson continues to drop in the experts' latest NCAA Tournament projections following a rough 2-7 stretch. The Clemson Tigers dropped their seventh game in nine tries on Tuesday night in Conway with a 5-3 loss to Coastal Carolina in a matchup of Top 25 teams. The Tigers played from behind all night as the offense failed to put together a big inning. With Jarren Purify out of action and in a walking boot in recent days, and Cam Cannarella having a 1-for-5 showing at the plate, no batter in the Clemson lineup was hitting over .300 for the season after Tuesday's loss. Clemson is now 37-13 overall following losses to Coastal Carolina and ACC frontrunner Florida State in Tallahassee. The skid had dropped the Tigers to No. 9 in this week's USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, down seven spots from two weeks earlier when Erik Bakich's club came within a clutch hit or two of sweeping a top 25 Louisville Cardinals team. The Tigers are No. 9 in the RPI and 7-10 in Quad 1 games. Wednesday saw the release of the updated field of 64 projections for the 2025 NCAA Tournament from both Baseball America and D1 Baseball. For the first time all season, Clemson is no longer considered a top eight national seed by two of the sport's most reputable outlets. Here are the latest postseason projections for Clemson baseball. Clemson baseball's updated NCAA Tournament projections amid late-season skid Baseball America: No. 9 overall seed; hosting Ole Miss Rebels (33-15), Xavier Musketeers (29-21), and Fairfield Stags (34-13) in Clemson Regional. Baseball America dropped Clemson another three spots in its projected seeding this week. The Tigers are currently one spot below projected No. 8 seed North Carolina. The Tar Heels wrap up regular season play against NC State in Chapel Hill and Florida State in Tallahassee (May 15-17). D1 Baseball: No. 10 overall seed, hosting Alabama Crimson Tide (37-12), Cincinnati Bearcats (28-20), and Wright State Raiders (30-15) in Clemson Regional. D1 Baseball dropped Clemson three spots in its projected seeding, as well. The Tigers are projected behind the No. 8 seed Vanderbilt Commodores and No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers. NCAA Baseball Tournament projections, updated May 7 The Texas Longhorns (39-8) remain the No. 1 overall seed in both Baseball America and D1 Baseball projections. Baseball America has the Georgia Bulldogs as the No. 2 seed, Florida State at No. 3, Arkansas at No. 4, and the Auburn Tigers rounding out the top five seeds. D1 Baseball has Arkansas as the No. 2 seed, followed by FSU at No. 3. The LSU Tigers and Georgia round out the top five seeds. Clemson hosts the Duke Blue Devils (33-15) beginning Friday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. Game 1 is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET and can be found on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX). The Tigers visit the Pitt Panthers (25-21) to close the regular season May 15-17. Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
USA Today
22-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Oregon basketball vs. Arizona: Who has the edge in the 2025 NCAA Tournament Second Round
Oregon basketball vs. Arizona: Who has the edge in the 2025 NCAA Tournament Second Round After dismantling the Liberty Flames, 81-52, in the first round on Friday night, the Oregon Ducks are advancing to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Their matchup is the Arizona Wildcats — a 4-seed and a former Pac-12 foe — in a 6:40 p.m. PT game on Sunday night. Like Oregon, Arizona destroyed their first-round opponent, the Akron Zips, defeating the 13-seed 93-65. Oregon and Arizona have been on similar paths all year. The Ducks finished the Big Ten Tournament with a 24-9 season record, and after their conference tournament, the Wildcats were 22-12 on the year. This season, most of Arizona's opponents were in Quadrant 1, and the Wildcats went 10-11 in those games. The Ducks played fewer Quad 1 games than Arizona but went 8-7 in them. The Wildcats are led by Tommy Lloyd, one of the better young coaches in college basketball. This is Lloyd's fourth year at Arizona, and while he's taken his team to the tournament all four years, he's 5-3 once he gets there. Only two of those wins have come after the first round, and in 2023, Arizona lost as a 2-seed to 15-seeded Princeton in the first round. The last time the Ducks and Wildcats met was in the semifinal of last year's Pac-12 Championship. Arizona was a Top-10 team in the country and a shoo-in for March Madness while Oregon's only road to the NCAA Tournament was as an automatic qualifier. The Wildcats had destroyed the Ducks twice already that season, but in the conference tournament, Oregon came out on top and booked their ticket to the tournament the next day with a win over Colorado. Last time, this matchup was lopsided, but this time around, this pair of teams is of even caliber. Sunday's game will be the 61st meeting between these two teams, and that history should make for a great game. Below are our predictions for how things will shake out. Players To Know Oregon PG Jackson Shelstad: 13.4 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 2.7 Ast, 1.0 Stl, 37.5 3P% C Nate Bittle: 14.1 Pts, 7.5 Reb, 1.9 Ast, 2.2 Blk, 51.0 FG% G TJ Bamba: 10.3 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 3.0 Ast, 1.8 Stl, 38.5 FG% Arizona PG Caleb Love: 16.4 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 3.5 Ast, 1.2 Stl, 38.7 FG% G Jaden Bradley: 12.0 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 3.7 Ast, 18.8 Stl, 46.5 FG% F Henry Veesar: 9.4 Pts, 5.1 Reb, 1.3 Ast, 1.1 Blk, 60.4 FG% Keys to the Game Oregon Control the tempo, especially on defense. Arizona likes to play with pace which helps them score a lot of points. Force Caleb Love to take bad shots. Force Arizona to take threes. As a team, they shoot over 20 per game but make less than a third. Arizona Get Caleb Love hot early. Force Bittle into switches on pick-and-rolls to open up the paint. The Wildcats are one of the most efficient interior offenses in the country. Protect the defensive glass. Arizona has been bad at preventing offensive rebounds and second-chance points all year. Betting Odds Moneyline: Oregon: +146 | Arizona: -176 Spread: Arizona: -3.5 points Over/Under: 152.5 points My Picks
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
March Madness picks: Odds, lines, expert predictions, schedule for NCAA tournament West region, where Florida looks strong
The SEC was historically good this season. The conference received 14 NCAA tournament bids, which is a record. In some ways, the SEC tournament might have been more competitive than the Big Dance will be. And Florida won the league tournament with ease, with its closest game being a nine-point win in the championship against Tennessee. Florida might be the best team in college basketball right now. The Gators are well coached, they have balance, a college star in Walter Clayton Jr. and depth surrounding him. Florida is the second-most popular pick to win it all at Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem, but there are great arguments that Florida should be above the most popular pick, Duke. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] Here are the picks for the first-round games in the West Region, with all odds from BetMGM: South region picks | East region picks | Midwest region picks All times Eastern. Seeing this matchup in the first round would have seemed quite odd before the season started. Kansas was No. 1 in the preseason AP poll and Arkansas was 16th. Both were big disappointments. Kansas is a No. 7 seed, its lowest seed since 2000. Arkansas looked like it wouldn't make the NCAA tournament after a five-game losing streak in January, though it rallied to get a berth. Both teams had losing records in road games and were five games under .500 in Quad 1 games. It's impossible to predict what either team will do, so just take the points. You're going to see a lot of people pick Drake, which went 30-3. The Bulldogs play at a ridiculously slow pace but execute at a high level. Missouri went 2-5 down the stretch, but that can happen when you play in the SEC. Missouri is a pretty good team; those waiting to pick Drake in their bracket probably wanted the Bulldogs to draw a worse No. 6 seed. At Missouri is the highest ranked No. 6 seed, at 15th overall. This is stubborn pick on a Drake team that has been fantastic all season, though it wouldn't be a surprise to see Missouri flourish now that it is out of the SEC meat grinder. Rick Pitino and his Red Storm were one of the best stories in college basketball this season. St. John's won the Big East and reminded everyone that Pitino is one of the best coaches of all time. Still, Omaha can cover a big spread. It protects the ball pretty well, which is big against St. John's, and is a good 3-point shooting team. St. John's is very good, losing four games all season by a combined seven points, but Omaha can do just enough to cover. [Full NCAA tournament bracket revealed | Printable bracket] Texas Tech is a good team with some injury issues. Forward Darrion Williams and guard Chance McMillian are both dealing with injuries. Each scores 14 points per game. Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland told CBS Sports Network he expects both players to be available for the first-round game, but they might be limited. UNC Wilmington is an experienced team with a good offense. Both of these teams will play slow, which makes it even harder for the favorite to cover a big spread. If Texas Tech was fully healthy this pick might be different, but a slow pace and limitations to the Red Raiders' second- and third-best scorers give an edge to UNCW. Colorado State is the rare No. 12 seed that's favored (just the third one since 2005, according to BetMGM data analyst John Ewing), and it's valid. Memphis is a team that wins games but rarely blows anyone out. That's a big reason the Tigers' rating is 51st, the lowest among any single-digit seed in the tournament. The other No. 5 seeds rank 18th, 25th and 31st. Meanwhile, Colorado State has been on a tear lately, winning 10 in a row behind blazing-hot shooting. Colorado State's Nique Clifford, a 6-foot-6 guard averaging 19 points per game, is a fun watch. There are not many times that a double-digit seed is favored like Colorado State in this game, and it's usually for very good reason. Ignore the seeds, CSU is the better team. If you pay attention to college basketball, Grand Canyon has become part of your consciousness. It's a mid-major but one putting a lot of resources into the basketball program. The Antelopes are in the tournament for the fourth time in five years, and because they've been a popular mid-major conversation, it might be tempting to pick them as an upset special. But this Grand Canyon team isn't as good as last year's. The Antelopes didn't win the WAC regular-season title and their efficiency stats are mostly down this season. Meanwhile Maryland, behind star freshman center Derik Queen, is a good Big Ten team without many weaknesses. It will be tempting to take Grand Canyon, but this isn't the mid-major to pick. Norfolk State pulled off one of the greatest NCAA tournament upsets ever, beating Missouri in 2012 as a 15 seed. Norfolk State was a 21-point underdog. That's some great history but it's not repeating this year. Florida is fantastic, and it can overwhelm a Norfolk State team that isn't going to shoot many 3s and turns it over a lot. UConn has had a weird season. The Huskies looked bad at the Maui Invitational, rebounded to play very well for a stretch, then was good but far from great in the Big East. Part of their struggles came when star freshman Liam McNeeley missed more than a month with a high ankle sprain. Oklahoma is an anomaly, getting a tourney berth with a 6-12 conference record. The Sooners weren't even shipped to the First Four, a sign of how much respect the committee had for the SEC. OU's star freshman, Jeremiah Fears, is worth tuning in for. The line just seems a little inflated, accounting for what UConn was the last couple years and not necessarily this season.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Stephen A. Smith calls Gov. Morrisey ‘childish' following NCAA investigation order
Video: Morrisey, McCuskey call for investigation into NCAA following WVU tournament snub CHARLESTON, (WBOY) — Following WVU's snub from the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey ordered Attorney General JB McCuskey to investigate the NCAA Selection Committee. But some, including sports media personality Stephen A. Smith, disagree with the decision to call out the NCAA. In Tuesday's episode of the ESPN program 'First Take,' Smith criticized Morrisey's move to call for an investigation against the NCAA given his position as an elected official. It's embarrassing for an elected official to take the position that he's taken. You know, literally calling for an investigation. You can complain, and he has legitimacy with his complaints, but to go this far and to really really try to force an investigation—it's utterly ridiculous, it's childish and you would like to think our elected officials have something better to do with their time on behalf of their constituency. Stephen A. Smith on First Take Despite the criticism of Morrisey's action against the NCAA, Smith did say that Morrisey's anger and frustration toward the committee was justified given that Bubba Cunningham, the athletic director of the University of North Carolina, was on the selection committee and his school got in over WVU. 'North Carolina does not deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament and Bubba Cunningham—some dude named Bubba—is not only the on the selection committee, he's the head of the selection committee,' Smith said. 'In the case of West Virginia, they did have a better resume because they had six Quad 1 wins and North Carolina like I said went 1-12.' WVU Coach Rich Rodriguez's TikTok dance ban raises First Amendment concerns However, Smith added that WVU was 'nothing to write home about' heading into Selection Sunday, citing the team's 10-10 conference record and the loss to last-place Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament. 'There is a case where it's justified to tell a politician 'sit your ass down.' This is one of those situations,' Smith said. 'This is not something that warrants an investigation.' First Take Co-Host Shannon Sharpe also chimed in, criticizing Morrisey's use of the phrase 'miscarriage of justice' when referring to WVU's snub from the tournament. 'West Virginia, y'all got other things,' Sharpe said. 'This man out his mind. You mean to tell me Stephen A. that this man gonna call a press conference and do all this grandstanding and talking about a miscarriage of justice about a team not making the NCAA—not making March Madness? Is that what we've been reduced to as a society?' Sharpe said that the phrase 'miscarriage of justice' could be better used to describe things like the education and housing situations in West Virginia. As of the latest rankings, U.S. News and World Report places West Virginia as 48th in education and 6th in homelessness rate. Gov. Morrisey held a general press conference on Tuesday where he discussed energy in West Virginia. The topic of the state's investigation into the NCAA was not mentioned. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NCAA tournament 2025 picks: Predictions, schedule, odds, lines for West region, where Florida looks strong
[Full NCAA tournament bracket revealed | Printable bracket] The SEC was historically good this season. The conference received 14 NCAA tournament bids, which is a record. In some ways, the SEC tournament might have been more competitive than the Big Dance will be. And Florida won the league tournament with ease, with its closest game being a nine-point win in the championship against Tennessee. Florida might be the best team in college basketball right now. The Gators are well coached, they have balance, a college star in Walter Clayton Jr. and depth surrounding him. Florida is the second-most popular pick to win it all at Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem, but there are great arguments that Florida should be above the most popular pick, Duke. [Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: Enter for a shot to win up to $50K] Here are the picks for the first-round games in the West Region, with all odds from BetMGM: South region picks | East region picks | Midwest region picks All times Eastern. Seeing this matchup in the first round would have seemed quite odd before the season started. Kansas was No. 1 in the preseason AP poll and Arkansas was 16th. Both were big disappointments. Kansas is a No. 7 seed, its lowest seed since 2000. Arkansas looked like it wouldn't make the NCAA tournament after a five-game losing streak in January, though it rallied to get a berth. Both teams had losing records in road games and were five games under .500 in Quad 1 games. It's impossible to predict what either team will do, so just take the points. You're going to see a lot of people pick Drake, which went 30-3. The Bulldogs play at a ridiculously slow pace but execute at a high level. Missouri went 2-5 down the stretch, but that can happen when you play in the SEC. Missouri is a pretty good team; those waiting to pick Drake in their bracket probably wanted the Bulldogs to draw a worse No. 6 seed. At Missouri is the highest ranked No. 6 seed, at 15th overall. This is stubborn pick on a Drake team that has been fantastic all season, though it wouldn't be a surprise to see Missouri flourish now that it is out of the SEC meat grinder. Rick Pitino and his Red Storm were one of the best stories in college basketball this season. St. John's won the Big East and reminded everyone that Pitino is one of the best coaches of all time. Still, Omaha can cover a big spread. It protects the ball pretty well, which is big against St. John's, and is a good 3-point shooting team. St. John's is very good, losing four games all season by a combined seven points, but Omaha can do just enough to cover. Texas Tech is a good team with some injury issues. Forward Darrion Williams and guard Chance McMillian are both dealing with injuries. Each scores 14 points per game. Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland told CBS Sports Network he expects both players to be available for the first-round game, but they might be limited. UNC Wilmington is an experienced team with a good offense. Both of these teams will play slow, which makes it even harder for the favorite to cover a big spread. If Texas Tech was fully healthy this pick might be different, but a slow pace and limitations to the Red Raiders' second- and third-best scorers give an edge to UNCW. Colorado State is the rare No. 12 seed that's favored (just the third one since 2005, according to BetMGM data analyst John Ewing), and it's valid. Memphis is a team that wins games but rarely blows anyone out. That's a big reason the Tigers' rating is 51st, the lowest among any single-digit seed in the tournament. The other No. 5 seeds rank 18th, 25th and 31st. Meanwhile, Colorado State has been on a tear lately, winning 10 in a row behind blazing-hot shooting. Colorado State's Nique Clifford, a 6-foot-6 guard averaging 19 points per game, is a fun watch. There are not many times that a double-digit seed is favored like Colorado State in this game, and it's usually for very good reason. Ignore the seeds, CSU is the better team. If you pay attention to college basketball, Grand Canyon has become part of your consciousness. It's a mid-major but one putting a lot of resources into the basketball program. The Antelopes are in the tournament for the fourth time in five years, and because they've been a popular mid-major conversation, it might be tempting to pick them as an upset special. But this Grand Canyon team isn't as good as last year's. The Antelopes didn't win the WAC regular-season title and their efficiency stats are mostly down this season. Meanwhile Maryland, behind star freshman center Derik Queen, is a good Big Ten team without many weaknesses. It will be tempting to take Grand Canyon, but this isn't the mid-major to pick. Norfolk State pulled off one of the greatest NCAA tournament upsets ever, beating Missouri in 2012 as a 15 seed. Norfolk State was a 21-point underdog. That's some great history but it's not repeating this year. Florida is fantastic, and it can overwhelm a Norfolk State team that isn't going to shoot many 3s and turns it over a lot. UConn has had a weird season. The Huskies looked bad at the Maui Invitational, rebounded to play very well for a stretch, then was good but far from great in the Big East. Part of their struggles came when star freshman Liam McNeeley missed more than a month with a high ankle sprain. Oklahoma is an anomaly, getting a tourney berth with a 6-12 conference record. The Sooners weren't even shipped to the First Four, a sign of how much respect the committee had for the SEC. OU's star freshman, Jeremiah Fears, is worth tuning in for. The line just seems a little inflated, accounting for what UConn was the last couple years and not necessarily this season.
