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Good morning! Great day of basketball. Phew.
While you were sleeping: John Calipari wins the big match
John Calipari leaves Kentucky after 15 seasons for Arkansas, sources said Athleticism late last night, a groundbreaking move in men’s college basketball, even though Calipari had lost his way in Lexington in recent years. Two important remarks:
- Calipari’s recent failures in the NCAA tournament have caused simmering discontent in Kentucky, where basketball is the law. It was probably time for a change. And yet, his journey (410-123) remains remarkably good seen as a whole. Two teams of NBA superstars played for Calipari at Kentucky, he won a national championship and appeared in three other Final Fours, and he resurrected the program’s championship standard following the fall of Tubby Smith and the Billy Gillispie’s disastrous tenure.
- For Arkansas, this is a major β and costly β victory. Whatever the feelings around Calipari, 65, in Lexington, this is a program 1-2 rungs below Kentucky that is poaching one of the best head coaches in modern history. Sources told our reporters that Calipari’s contract with Arkansas will be “massive.”
Read this full report here. The timing is also very funny because, hey, remember there is quite a match for the national title This evening? And now we’re all talking about a coach coming out of a school that got bounced in the first round?
As for this title match:
- Watch the big guys tonight. Purdue’s Zach Edey (7-4) and UConn’s Donovan Clingan (7-2) are probably the two best players in the game and, as Brendan Marks and Kyle Tucker wrote: This is the match we deserve with a ring on the line.
- Also on the line for Purdue: complete redemption after losing in the first round as a No. 1 seed last year, this is just the second time this has happened. Incredibly, the first team to do so β Virginia in 2018 β won the national title in 2019.
Don’t miss our live blog for this game here. And somehow it still feels like all of that has been overshadowed by the other national title game…
GOAT atmospheres: Women’s hoop wins March
In a season that defined a sport, one moment β one of the last, fittingly β seemed like a microcosm of what the last year has been like: South Carolina coach Dawn Staley , after helping author a 38-0 campaign, one of the best seasons in sports history, celebrate your opponentCaitlin Clark from Iowa:
βI want to personally thank Caitlin Clark for improving our sport. She carried a heavy load for our sport. It’s just not going to stop here on a collegiate tour, but when she’s the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, she’s going to move that league forward as well. So Caitlin Clark, if you’re out there, you’re one of the GOATs of our game. We appreciate you.
Yesterday’s match also fit the season. The Gamecocks, clearly the better team, prevailed as expected, but Clark got 30 points. Also expected. But there was more to this game, cascading effects that we will feel for at least the next few years:
- Staley herself is on a GOAT race. Over the past eight seasons, it has won three national titles, appeared in two other Final Fours and lost a total of 12 conference games. That includes a 32-1 record in 2019, when COVID-19 canceled the NCAA Tournament. Shorten this period to the last three seasons and Staley is 109-3 (47-1 in SEC play π€―) with two titles. She is currently the best coach in women’s college hoops, bar none.
- Clark’s impact on this game is undeniable. There was so much discussion last week about whether Clark needed a title to be considered the best women’s college basketball player of all time. That’s probably correct. But no one β as Staley herself alluded β brought more eyes to the sport than Clark. This is an objective fact that she has proven time and time again. She has almost every goal record. GOAT or not, his impact is unique in a very real sense of the word.
Clark’s turnaround is rapid β she is expected to become #1 overall in the Indiana Fever in next week’s WNBA Draft. Ticket sales are already booming in anticipation of Clark’s arrival. Will it have a similar effect on the WNBA? This seems likely. She already did it once.
News to know
MLB and MLBPA fight over pitch clock
A day after the MLBPA placed blame for pitcher injuries on the pitch clock, the league criticized that notion in a fierce statement yesterday, saying the MLBPA statement “ignores the empirical evidence” involved in the pitch clock. Instead, he blamed the new wave of illnesses on pitchers reaching higher speeds and spin rates. The whole back and forth is worth reading.
Rojas angry at the grass
Dodgers infielder Miguel Rojas was furious yesterday at the wet turf at Wrigley Field, which featured puddles throughout the infield early in Los Angeles’ 8-1 loss to the Cubs. Several Dodgers, including Rojas, struggled with ground balls clattering on the grass. That didn’t slow down the Cubs’ offense, however, as they scored seven runs in the first four innings. Rojas was still furious after being three hours late And after the game.
No more news
Things I missed: Wait, what did he do?
This happened last weekend, but our website traffic suggests many of us are just seeing the climax. I am also one of these people. Before explaining, just look:
It will be a sleepless night… ππ₯#FutureCup pic.twitter.com/1RNMIRlXiB
β ESPN NL (@ESPNnl) March 30, 2024
It’s Manchester City U-17 player David Chigwada pulling off a new move that I had to watch about 44 times to understand. Elias Burke, who knows football much better than me, explained each image in a superb article Fridaywho registered on the sports Internet in the United States this weekend.
If I was a defender, I would just leave the field and never play again.
Watch this match
NHL: Penguins at Maple Leafs
7 p.m. ET on ESPN+
It is one of the two NHL games tonightboth with playoff implications. Toronto is there while Pittsburgh controls your destiny. There are five games left.
NCAAM: No. 1 Purdue vs. No. 1 UConn
9:20 p.m. ET on TBS
The national championship game. Come on. Just make sure you stay awake long enough. This beginning is late.
Pulse selection
Try not to get upset while reading Dan Pompei’s. profile of Adisa Isaacthe defensive end from Penn State who is entering the NFL with a bigger mission in mind.
Speaking of MLB pitcher injuries, Andy McCullough reports that there are a very real fear in sport to keep young pitchers healthy.
βA brilliant momentβ is a Final Four staple, but for its creator, David Barrett, it’s a miracle that started with a pretty waitress and Larry Bird as inspiration. Funny story.
Brody Miller has a really intriguing article on Joaquin Niemann, which is perhaps the most interesting story on the LIV Tour right now. Heβs someone to watch this week at Augusta.
Most clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The Major of Dallas campaigned to add the chefs as DFW residents. Hmm.
Most read on the site yesterday: Jim Trotter wrote an interesting column on Cynthia Cooper, which surprisingly reappeared last weekend. If she wants to return to basketball, as Jim writes, we need to do more.
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(Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)