The Sportsletter - 13 Days to Brackets ⏳

BY JEFF YODER

MAR. 3, 2025 |  SUBSCRIBE  |  WEB VIEW

Welcome Back 👋

The month of March started with a bang. We’ve got plenty of narratives brewing across the sports world while the madness ramps up with conference tournaments starting this week. Sadly, we won't be doing a reader pool this year, but we'll still have some fun.

⏳ Countdown to Brackets: 13 Days

Letter Rip!

  TEAM NEWS  

Load Management

Reminder: The Sportsletter will only be published 2-3x per week during the month of March while we make some big changes. We hope to return to our daily publishing routine by April 1. Stay tuned...

Next Sportsletter: Wednesday, March 5

  TOP STORIES   

The Starters (Top 5)

Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images

🏈 49ers WR Deebo Samuel was traded to the Washington Commanders on Saturday in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick. The former All-Pro made his trade request clear this offseason, and Washington QB Jayden Daniels now has another weapon. The trade can’t be completed until the new league year begins (Mar. 12).

🏒 The NHL trade deadline heated up over the weekend. Seth Jones (Panthers), Ryan Lindgren (Avalanche) and Gustav Nyquist (Wild) all found new homes with contenders. The Panthers added Jones out of necessity following the injury news for Matthew Tkachuk. The NHL trade deadline is this Friday (Mar. 7).

⚾️ Pete Rose’s Hall of Fame status is being reconsidered by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred after he received a petition from the family to remove Rose from the ineligible list. The MLB’s hit king passed away last September, and many in baseball circles believe his legacy deserves a spot in Cooperstown.

🏈 The New York Jets & Giants reportedly want the NFL Draft’s No. 1 pick. Both NYC teams need a quarterback. The Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 selection while the Giants (No. 3) and Jets (No. 7) want their first choice. Cam Ward (Miami) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) are the top two QBs.

⚾️ The MLBPA expects a lockout at the end of next season amid negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. Executive Director Tony Clark and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred both agree that a work stoppage is likely in 2026-27, and could be “actually a positive.” The current CBA ends Dec. 1, 2026.

  NCAA   

Early Madness!

Photo: Johnnie Izquierdo / Getty Images

#5 Tennessee Clips #6 Alabama on Buzzer-Beater as Teams Across the Country Clinch Regular-Season Conference Titles

It’s officially March! College basketball got the party started early with a loaded weekend of action across the country. We’re getting ready to wrap the regular season and jump into conference tournaments. Conference regular-season winners were everywhere this weekend (we'll recap each one by week's end). Let’s rewind the best games of the weekend:

Men's Best Game: Mashack Madness

#5 Tennessee def. #6 Alabama (79-76)

In a top 10 SEC showdown, Tennessee scored seven points in the final 30 seconds to flip the scoreboard on visiting Alabama. Jahmai Mashack hit two free throws to tie the game (76-76) and forced a turnover before hitting a buzzer-beater 3 from the logo. Mashack Madness!

Women’s Best Game: Juju Owns L.A.

#4 USC def. #2 UCLA (80-67)

A Big Ten battle in Los Angeles saw two of the nation’s top 4 women’s teams square off. This was all Trojans and all Juju Watkins (30 pts, 5 ast, 3 reb, 3 blk, 2 stl). USC (17-1) now has the edge in the Big Ten title race over UCLA (16-2) entering the final week of the regular season.

NCAA Scoreboard

Men’s Basketball

#1 Auburn def. #17 Kentucky (94-78)

#2 Duke def. Florida State (100-65)

#3 Florida def. #12 Texas A&M (89-70)

#4 Houston def. Cincinnati (73-64)

#8 Michigan State def. #11 Wisconsin (71-62)

#9 Iowa State def. #22 Arizona (84-67)

#10 Texas Tech def. Kansas (78-73)

🚨 Illinois Upsets #15 Michigan (93-73)

Women’s Basketball

#1 Texas def. Florida (72-46)

#3 Notre Dame def. #25 Louisville (72-59)

#5 UConn def. Marquette (92-57)

#6 South Carolina def. #15 Kentucky (78-66)

🚨 Ole Miss Upsets #7 LSU (85-77)

🚨 Virginia Upsets #8 North Carolina (78-75)

🚨 Georgia Upsets #11 Tennessee (72-69)

#19 Maryland def. #12 Ohio State (93-90, OT)

  HIGHLIGHTS   🎥

🏀 NBA

Cavaliers def. Celtics (123-116)

Donovan Mitchell (41 pts), Jayson Tatum (46 pts)

76ers def. Warriors (126-119)

Quentin Grimes (44 pts), Snaps 9-Gm PHI Skid

Lakers Sweep Clippers (106-102) & (108-102)

Lakers Win 2, Luka Doncic (31 pts) on His B-Day

Full NBA Scoreboard

NBA Bonus Highlights

Steph Curry’s 1st Dunk Since 2019

De’Aaron Fox Hits Game-Winner

🏒 NHL

Maple Leafs def. Penguins (6-5, OT)

William Nylander (1G, 1A) Wins it in OT

Lightning def. Capitals (3-1)

TBL Win 8th Straight, Ovechkin Scores Again

Hurricanes def. Flames (2-1, OT)

Sebastian Aho Ties NHL Record With 5th OT Winner

Full NHL Scoreboard

⚽️ Soccer

ENG: Fulham Stun Man-U in FA Cup (PKs)

MLS: Tai Baribo Nets Hat Trick for PHI Union

⛳️ PGA Tour

PGA: Joe Highsmith (-19) Wins Cognizant

Rallies from Cutline to Win 1st PGA Event

LPGA: Lydia Ko (-13) Captures HSBC Title

Olympic Champion Wins Easy by 4 Strokes

🏁 Racing

NAS: Bell Wins 2nd Straight Race in Cup Series

INDY: Palou Opens IndyCar With Win in St. Petersburg

  STORYLINES   

🏒 NHL Power Rankings

Now that the 4 Nations Face-Off is in the rearview mirror, the NHL has resumed the regular season. The trade deadline is this week (Mar. 7), and the playoffs are near. (ESPN)

🏀 Storylines for the NBA Stretch Run

From Luka Doncic and Jimmy Butler transforming their new squads to the final days of Phoenix’s “Big 3,” here’s what to watch as the regular season winds down. (Sports Illustrated)

🏈 NFL Combine Winners & Losers

The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine has reached its conclusion in Indianapolis. Here’s a list of every prospect’s measurements and 40-yard times, plus winners and losers. (CBS Sports)

  NEWS   📰 

🏒 Panthers Forward Matthew Tkachuk Placed on Long-Term IR With Groin Injury (B/R)

🏁 Scott Dixon Runs Entire IndyCar Opener Without Radio Communication (ESPN)

🏈 Jets Plan to Release WR Davante Adams If No Trade Partner Found (CBS Sports)

⛳️ Once-Jailed Biker Gang Member Earns Spot in 2025 British Open (SI)

⚽️ USWNT Star Naomi Girma Suffers Injury in Chelsea Debut After Million-Dollar Transfer (USA Today)

🏀 LSU Women’s Basketball Star Flau’Jae Johnson to Miss SEC Tournamnt With Shin Injury (Yahoo! Sports)

🏈 Pittsburgh’s Highest-Rated Freshman Football Player, Mason Alexander, Dies in Car Crash (FOX Sports)

  SCHEDULE   🗓️

Tonight's Must-Watch List

🏀 NBA

Rockets at Thunder (8:00 pm, NBATV)

Pistons at Jazz (9:00 pm, NBATV)

Full NBA Schedule

🏒 NHL

Lightning at Panthers (7:00 pm, ESPN+)

Islanders at Rangers (7:00 pm, NHLN)

Full NHL Schedule

🏀 College Basketball’s Top Games

M: Wake Forest at #2 Duke (7:00 pm, ESPN)

M: Kansas at #4 Houston (9:00 pm, ESPN)

⛳️ TGL (Indoor Golf)

LAGC vs. The Bay GC (3:00 pm, ESPN2)

Boston Com. vs. New York GC (7:00 pm, ESPN2)

*All Times ET

No Sportsletter Tomorrow (Tuesday)

We’ll catch ya on Wednesday!

  POLL   📊

The March Hype Meter 🌡️

It’s a new month and a new phase in the sports calendar. With spring just around the corner, we want to know: Which new sports season/phase are you most excited for this month? (click to vote)

🏈 NFL Free Agency (March 12)

⚽️ NWSL Season Kickoff (March 14)

🏀 NCAA Tournaments (March 18-19)

⚾️ MLB Opening Day (March 18)

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