The Sportsletter - Outgoing Orange 🟧

BY JEFF YODER

MAR. 9, 2023  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

We’re just three days away from Selection Sunday, and one week away from your bracket becoming kindling. Major college basketball news stole the show on Wednesday while bubble teams fight for their NCAA Tournament lives. It's the sudden sendoff for the Syracuse legend...

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NCAA

Goodbye, Boeheim 👋

Photo: Brett Carlsen / Getty Images

Syracuse Legend Jim Boeheim Leaves Program After 47 Memorable Seasons

Three more teams punched tickets to the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday, but the news of the day amid an overwhelming night of college basketball was the Syracuse swan song. Head coach Jim Boeheim retired abruptly following the Orange’s 77-74 loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament. At 17-15, the ‘Cuse won’t be heading to the Big Dance, and Boeheim’s career came to an end at the conclusion of his 47th season. Whether he chose to retire on his own accord or was asked to step down remains in question after a confusing post-game press conference. Regardless, Boeheim leaves the Orange as the second-winningest coach in Division I history behind only Duke legend Mike Krzyzewski.

Jim Boeheim By The Numbers

1,015 Wins (Ranks 2nd)

47 Seasons (Ranks 2nd)

35 NCAA Tournaments (Ranks 2nd)

5 Final Four Appearances (Ranks 8th)

1 NCAA National Championship (2003)

Boeheim had a winning record in 46 of 47 seasons. He’s replaced by Adrian Autry.

NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently has 16 teams in the proverbial bubble, and six played in early-round conference tournament action last night with the remaining ten on the court today. Pittsburgh, NC State and Oklahoma State were Wednesday winners from inside-the-bubble, and they likely solidified their tourney hopes. North Carolina and Arizona State (first four out) won their respective games to keep hope alive for another day. Wisconsin’s first-round loss to Ohio State likely keeps them outside the bubble, and two more Big Ten bubble teams go head-to-head today (Rutgers-Michigan, Noon ET).

Last Four Byes: NC State, Boise State, Pittsburgh, Miss. State

Last Four In: Penn State, Rutgers, Oklahoma State, Utah State

First Four Out: Arizona State, Nevada, North Carolina, Wisconsin

Next Four Out: Michigan, Vanderbilt Clemson, Oregon

Today’s Games With Bubble Implications

Rutgers vs. Michigan (Noon ET)

Miss. State vs. Florida (1:00 pm ET)

Pittsburgh vs. #21 Duke (2:30 pm ET)

Penn State vs. Illinois (6:30 pm ET)

Oklahoma State vs. #7 Texas (7:00 pm ET)

North Carolina vs. #13 Virginia (7:00 pm ET)

UNLV vs. Boise State (9:00 pm ET)

Vanderbilt vs. LSU (9:00 pm ET)

NC State vs. Clemson (9:30 pm ET)

New Mexico vs. Utah State (11:30 pm ET)

Today’s Men’s NCAA Basketball Schedule

Tickets Punched on Wednesday: Colgate, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Montana State

College Basketball Must-See Moments (Wednesday)

M: DePaul Stuns Seton Hall With 5 Points in Final Seconds

W: Southern Utah’s Cherita Daugherty Hits Miracle Game-Winner

Additional Storylines

SI: Syracuse Stalwart Jim Boeheim Retires as the Ultimate Loyalist

ESPN: Ranking the 10 Greatest Moments of Jim Boeheim’s Storied Career

FOX Sports: Bracket Forecast: Gonzaga Peaking at Right Time, UNC on Bubble & More

PGA

The Players Primer

Photo: Chris Condon / Getty Images

Everything You Need to Know for The Players Championship 2023 at TPC Sawgrass

Golf’s unofficial fifth major is about tee off this morning from TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The Players Championship isn’t one of the game’s four majors, but it’s the premier event on the calendar prior to The Masters, featuring one of the game’s most iconic courses and the famous 17th Hole island green. There’s no Tiger Woods this week to fuel the media circus, but the attention will center around the top three players in the world playing in the  same group — Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.

Recent Winners: Cameron Smith is the defending champion from 2022, but Justin Thomas (2021) and McIlroy (2019) have had recent success at TPC Sawgrass. Smith is now with LIV Golf, but Rahm and Scheffler are the favorites alongside McIlroy.

Odds: J. Rahm (+850), R. McIlroy (+850), S. Scheffler (+1000), P. Cantlay (+1900), M. Homa (+1900), J. Thomas (+1900), X. Schauffele (+2500), V. Hovland (+2700), T. Finau (+2800), C. Morikawa (+2800)

Tee Times (Featured Groups)

7:34 AM: P. Cantlay, T. Finau, T. Kim

7:45 AM: R. Fowler, C. Morikawa, A. Scott

7:56 AM: R. McIlroy, J. Rahm, S. Scheffler

8:07 AM: J. Rose, B. Horschel, H. Matsuyama

12:34 PM: M. Fitzpatrick, V. Hovland, S. Lowry

12:45 PM: K. Kitayama, X. Schauffele, W. Zalatoris

12:56 PM: M. Homa, J. Spieth, J. Thomas

*All Times ET

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: How the Island Green at TPC Sawgrass Became Golf’s Signature Hole

Golf Digest: Players 2023: Cam Smith Says He’ll Be Keeping Busy Instead of Defending Title at TPC Sawgrass

UCL

Unbeatable Bayern

Photo: Richard Sellers / Getty Images

Bayern Oust PSG (3-0), Milan Hold Off Tottenham (1-0) in Champions League Round of 16

Two more teams are joining the quarterfinals after Wednesday’s Champions League action. The juggernauts from Bayern Munich laid waste to PSG with a second straight shut out, effectively eliminating Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Milan kept Tottenham scoreless in London for the to advance with a 1-0 aggregate scoreline. Four of the UCL’s final eight are set.

Milan draw Tottenham (0-0) | Milan Win Aggregate (1-0)

So long, Spurs! The men from Milan waived goodbye to Tottenham with a scoreless draw on Wednesday. A scrambling Spurs squad found ample opportunities to strike, but a red card against Cristian Romero (78’) took the air out of the stadium. Milan are heading back to the UCL quarterfinals for the first time in 11 years.

Bayern def. PSG (2-0) | Bayern Win Aggregate (3-0)

Two matches, zero goals for the duo of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Bayern held Paris Saint-Germain scoreless for both legs of their Round of 16 clash, and they put it away in the second half last night thanks to a tap-in by Eric Choupo-Moting (61’) and a counter-attack dagger by Serge Gnabry (89’). Bayern (8-0-0) are unbeaten in Champions League play with a whopping 21-2 (+19) goal differential. The German club heads back to the quarterfinals for the third straight season looking for their seventh Champions League title.

Advanced: Chelsea, Benfica, Bayern & Milan

Remaining Round of 16 (Leg 2): Next Tues. & Wed. (Mar. 14-15)

Porto vs. Inter (Tues. 4:00 pm ET)
Man. City vs. RB Leipzig (Tues. 4:00 pm ET)

Napoli vs. Eintracht Frankfurt (Wed. 4:00 pm ET)
Real Madrid vs. Liverpool (Wed. 4:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

B/R: Top Winners & Losers After Champions League R16 Leg 2 Results

SI: Lionel Messi Suffers Another Early Champions League Exit as Bayern Extinguish PSG

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏀 NBA: Booker Shines for Suns Without Durant

The Kevin Durant home debut in Phoenix didn’t go as planned on Wednesday. The Suns’ newest superstar rolled his ankle in the pre-game warm-up and was a late scratch. Devin Booker carried the load with 44 points as the Suns scorched the Thunder (132-101).

🏒 NHL: Wild Keep Winning in West Pursuit

The top eight teams in the NHL’s Western Conference are separated by just seven points coming down the stretch, but the Wild extended their point streak to 11 games with a 4-2 win over the Jets. Minnesota is now tied for the top seed in the West.

THE STORYLINES

🏈 Ranking Top 50 NFL Free Agents

Some players will cash in after having career seasons in 2022. But it’s tough to gauge the market for top-tier running backs such as Tony Pollard, Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley. (Sports Illustrated)

⚾️ MLB Spring Training Surprises

Somebody find out which way the wind is blowing, because we're about to throw some caution into it and draw conclusions from the early portion of Major League Baseball's spring training season. (Bleacher Report)

🗓️ International Women’s Day in Sports

Wednesday was International Women’s Day, a holiday celebrating the achievements of women around the world. Sports leagues and companies, from the NBA to ESPN, were among the organizations taking part. Here’s how they celebrated. (Yahoo! Sports)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Barcelona Face Corruption Charges Over Referee Payment Scandal (ESPN)
• Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer Gets Excited About Toilets at New Arena (CBS Sports)
• Former Sonics All-Star Shawn Kemp Arrested in Alleged Drive-By Shooting (B/R)
• Kevin Durant Late Scratch for Suns Home Debut After Ankle Injury in Warm-Ups (Yahoo! Sports)
• Tiger Woods Sued By Ex-Girlfriend in Domestic Dispute Over Home & Money (USA Today)
• Texas Tech Coach Mark Adams Steps Down Amid Suspension (SI)

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Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

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