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USA Today
31-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
AI predicts Rams take 300-pound DT in new mock draft
AI predicts Rams take 300-pound DT in new mock draft Artificial intelligence is the rage these days — both as a means for answering questions as well as ideating. So, why not use it for mock drafts? That's exactly what USA Today Sports' Jacob Camenker did for his newest mock draft. He used the Microsoft Copilot AI chatbot to made all 32 first-round selections with a month to go before the actual 2025 NFL Draft. While there were a couple of surprises, it saddled the Rams with an out-of-the-box but not totally bonkers pick: Michigan DT Kenneth Grant. The 6-foot-3, 339-pound defensive lineman has 6.5 sacks over the past two seasons with 12 tackles for a loss. "The Rams struggled against the run last season and signed Poona Ford to help them on the line of scrimmage," Camenker wrote about this pick. "Selecting the 'powerful and disruptive' Grant would double down on addressing that weakness and continue to bolster Los Angeles' defense in the post-Aaron Donald era." This pick isn't terrible, but it wouldn't necessarily impact the Rams in 2025. Grant would sit behind both Ford and Kobie Turner in the lineup, too, so he wouldn't see much action in his rookie season. If the Rams wanted to focus on one of the weaker parts of their 2024 roster and turn it into a strength in 2025, then this pick would make sense. Otherwise, the Rams would be better suited to take a cornerback or receiver instead.
USA Today
28-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Kevin Willard press conference: Maryland coach doesn't commit to staying
Kevin Willard press conference: Maryland coach doesn't commit to staying Show Caption Hide Caption Duke, Arkansas, and Houston headline Men's Sweet 16 With the Sweet 16 upon us, USA Today Sports' Mackenzie Salmon previews a few of the top matchups we're most looking forward to. Sports Seriously One of Maryland's best seasons in the past decade ended on a sour note Thursday and with uncertainty surrounding the future of its head coach. Kevin Willard revived the hype in Maryland. After a disappointing 16-win season in 2023-24, the Terrapins went 24-7 in the regular season with the "Crab Five" lineup that was one of the best offensive units in the Big Ten — and nationwide. A buzzer-beating shot by Derik Queen got the Terrapins into the Sweet 16, and Maryland looked like it could give No. 1 seed Florida trouble in the first half Thursday. Willard could continue this spectacular season with the team's first Elite Eight trip since 2002, the same season the Terrapins won their lone national championship. However, the Gators chomped down in the second half en route to their ninth straight victory, and Maryland exited stage left. Soon, it could be Willard doing the same thing out of College Park. "I don't know what I'm doing," he said after the 87-71 loss. "I haven't talked to my agent. I haven't talked to my wife. I made a promise to this team that I was gonna just focus on this team, and that's all I've done. So, I haven't talked to anybody." Willard has been rumored to be a strong candidate for the Villanova job. For all we know, a deal could already be in place or be done hours from now. It also could all have been a ruse to get a better deal to stay with Maryland or generate more NIL funds. He said he has no idea if Villanova has made an offer for him. His agent may have been talking to people, but Willard added he doesn't know anything about any possible conversations. The mess all started before Maryland played its first game of the tournament. Willard called out former boss Damon Evans, who bolted to Southern Methodist, and then the head coach blamed the media for the speculation over whether his time in College Park was coming to a close. Willard said one of his "biggest concerns in life right now" is he doesn't know who his next boss will be, with the athletic director position open. Fans sure haven't been happy with their head coach, and it was evident when the team left its hotel to head to Chase Center on Thursday. In a moment where loyal supporters should be cheering on their squad to victory, some booed as Willard made his way through the crowd. Other videos on social media showed fans at bars shouting some NSFW chants when the head coach was shown on the big screen. Willard said he understands the displeasure because he's in "limbo," but he said he feels the same way. "I'm kind of pissed, to be honest with you, because I didn't expect to be in this situation," he said. The No. 4 seed Maryland earned this season was its best since 2015, and the 27 wins it finished with were the most since the 2015-16 season. That season was also the last time the Terrapins went to the Sweet 16. Maryland was trending in the right direction. Now, it may have to start all over. "This is going to be a family decision," Willard said. "I love College Park. I love Maryland. "But when you're at this point in your career and you're looking at things, I have to take everything into consideration about what's going on moving forward."
USA Today
24-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Men's March Madness winners, losers as NCAA Tournament reaches Sweet 16
Men's March Madness winners, losers as NCAA Tournament reaches Sweet 16 Show Caption Hide Caption Duke, Arkansas, and Houston headline Men's Sweet 16 With the Sweet 16 upon us, USA Today Sports' Mackenzie Salmon previews a few of the top matchups we're most looking forward to. Sports Seriously We've seen 68 teams trimmed to 64, 64 teams cut to 32 and now, with one weekend in the books, we're down to just 16 teams still alive in the men's NCAA Tournament. It's a who's-who of college basketball heavyweights. After an uneventful start to tournament play in terms of upsets, higher seeds dominate the Sweet 16 and create the possibility for a star-studded Final Four next month in San Antonio. All four No. 1 seeds are among this group. So are three of the four No. 2 seeds. There's just one double-digit seed in the Sweet 16. Favorites have prevailed, by and large, leaving no real Cinderella story among the teams still competing for the national championship. In terms of upsets, No. 12 McNeese State topped No. 5 Clemson for the first tournament win in program history and No. 10 Arkansas pulled off a stunner by beating No. 2 St. John's to reach the Sweet 16 in coach John Calipari's first season. Here are the biggest winners and losers from the tournament's first two rounds: WINNERS No. 1 seeds Auburn overcame a rocky start against No. 16 Alabama State and then advanced against No. 9 Creighton. Houston dominated SIU-Edwardsville before needing nearly every second to survive against No. 8 Gonzaga. Florida breezed past Norfolk State before winning 77-75 against No. 8 Connecticut, the two-time defending national champions. But the most impressive of this bunch has definitely been Duke, which faced no pressure against Mount St. Mary's and No. 9 Baylor, winning by a combined 67 points. Duke Let's single out the Blue Devils further, and not just for being the most impressive team on the No. 1 line through the opening weekend. Another big asset in their favor has been the play of freshman forward Cooper Flagg, who injured his ankle in the ACC semifinals and missed the championship game against Louisville. But Flagg looked healthy against Mount St. Mary's, scoring 14 points with seven rebounds in 22 minutes, and then made an even bigger impact against the Bears with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists in 29 minutes. John Calipari Getting to the Sweet 16 in his first season at Arkansas after winning just one tournament game in his five years at Kentucky is sweet validation for Calipari, made even sweeter by the fact the Razorbacks defeated Rick Pitino and the Red Storm to get there. This year has to rank among the best coaching jobs of his career when you think about how the roster was completely remade in the offseason, how young and reliant on freshmen this team really is and the number of injuries they suffered along the way. Not to mention: Arkansas was once 0-5 and then 1-6 in the SEC before beginning to put together a tournament case heading into Selection Sunday. The SEC After a historic regular season that resulted in a record 14 teams making this year's field, the SEC will set another record by sending seven teams into the Sweet 16, breaking the previous mark of six teams from one league set by the ACC in 2016. It'll be Auburn and No. 6 Mississippi in the South, Florida and Arkansas in the West, No. 2 Alabama in the East and No. 2 Tennessee and No. 3 Kentucky in the Midwest. In the one SEC-only matchup, the Volunteers and Wildcats will face off on Thursday in Indianapolis. On one hand, that half of the SEC lineup failed to advance could be seen as a letdown, especially when you consider opening-round upsets such as No. 6 Missouri falling to No. 11 Drake and No. 8 Mississippi State coming up a point short against No. 9 Baylor. On the other, though, putting half of these 14 teams into the Sweet 16 puts the SEC alone in NCAA tournament history – making the league a clear winner from the first two rounds. Maryland The most dramatic moment of the second round came via Maryland freshman Derik Queen, who caught an inbound pass near the top of the key with 3.6 seconds left, drove toward the left baseline, rose above a pair of Colorado State defenders and banked in a fadeaway jumper as time expired to give the No. 4 Terrapins a 72-71 win against the No. 12 Rams. Queen had a team-high 17 points while all five of the Terrapins' starters scored in double figures. Incredibly, this is Maryland's first Sweet 16 appearance since 2016 and just the second since 2003. LOSERS Connecticut After a difficult regular season, the Huskies rebounded to defeat No. 9 Oklahoma, 67-59, thanks to a strong second half from junior forward Alex Karaban, who finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. That extended the program's tournament winning streak to 13 games, tied for the second-longest in NCAA history behind UCLA's 38-game streak from 1964-74. The Gators snapped that run, but not without being pushed nearly to the brink: Florida overcame 12 turnovers and held UConn to 8 of 29 shooting from deep to win 77-75. The Huskies and coach Dan Hurley are heading into a crucial offseason and will need to go back to the drawing board to return to the top of college basketball. Big East The Huskies' early exit is part of a broader tournament disappearing act from the Big East, which will have no team in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019. A year ago, all three Big East teams in the bracket — UConn, Marquette and Creighton — advanced out of the opening weekend, and the conference went 22-6 overall in tournament play across the past two seasons. But all five teams in this year's field are already heading home. In addition to the Huskies, Red Storm and Creighton, No. 7 Marquette was upset by No. 10 New Mexico and No. 11 Xavier lost to No. 6 Illinois after beating Texas in the First Four. Cinderellas, underdogs, tournament darlings, etc. That Arkansas is the Cinderella story of the Sweet 16 tells you all you need to know about the big-name, major-brand teams still alive in the race for the national championship. This is the first tournament without a Sweet 16 featuring at least one team higher than a No. 10 seed since 2007. This is also the first tournament since 2017 without at least one non-power conference team in the Sweet 16 other than Gonzaga, which saw its nine-year run of Sweet 16 appearances snapped by the Cougars. While the lack of a clear underdog takes some juice out of the remaining bracket, that there are so many elite teams and programs still standing should yield a very strong Final Four field. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news fast. 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