The Bracket Countdown

Big Things Ahead

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Duke’s Season Ends Abruptly, Virginia Hits Buzzer-Beater, Georgetown Shocks ‘Nova

Basketball fans are officially in heaven. Yesterday’s 4,510 games (felt like it) ran from 11:30 am ET on Thursday to 1:30 am ET Friday morning. And there are more today. From ACC buzzer-beater drama to Big East upsets in Madison Square Garden and Bill Walton’s Pac-12 Tourney commentary, the madness is in full-blown hyperdrive. We’ll give you the quick-hitters from Thursday’s action, as well as today’s must-see games. But first, one team’s season came to an end in the most disappointing way imaginable.

Duke’s Season Ends With Positive COVID Test

The Duke Blue Devils won two games in the ACC Tournament and had fully revived their hopes of reaching the big dance with a battle against Florida State on Thursday. That game never happened. A positive COVID-19 test within the program caused Duke to forfeit the contest, effectively ending their season. Florida State advanced by default. Read More

Blue Bloods Going Home: The last time Duke (13-11) and Kentucky (9-16) both missed the NCAA Tournament was 1976.

Thursday Highlights & Scores

Virginia Survives: The No. 1 seed in the ACC tourney needed a buzzer-beater 3 from freshman Reece Beekman to survive Syracuse (72-69).

Georgetown Plays Spoiler: The Georgetown Hoyas shocked top-seeded Villanova in the Big East Tourney (72-71) on two late free throws from Dante Harris.

Oklahoma State Escapes: Oklahoma State narrowly escaped West Virginia (72-69) in the Big 12 quarterfinals. They’ll get Baylor in a must-see matchup today.

Other Scores

#2 Baylor def. Kansas State (74-68)

#9 Ohio State def. Minnesota (79-75)

#13 Texas def. #20 Texas Tech (67-66)

#17 Creighton def. Butler (87-56)

N. Carolina def. #22 Virginia Tech (81-73)

#24 USC def. Utah (91-85, 2OT)

Friday’s Must-See Games

Maryland vs. #4 Michigan (11:30 am)

Mississippi State vs. #6 Alabama (Noon)

#9 Ohio State vs. #20 Purdue (2:00 pm)

#12 Oklahoma State vs. #2 Baylor (6:30 pm)

Rutgers vs. #3 Illinois (6:30 pm)

N. Carolina vs. #15 Florida State (9:00 pm)

UConn vs. #17 Creighton (9:00 pm)

Wisconsin vs. #5 Iowa (9:00 pm)

#13 Texas vs. #11 Kansas (9:30 pm)

*All Times Eastern

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: Kentucky & Duke End Seasons With NCAA Tournament Out of Reach

USA Today: NCAA Tournament Teams Heed Warning: Duke Proves Seasons Can End at Any Time

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PGA

The Players: Sergio Shines in Round 1

Photo: Ben Jared / Getty Images

Sergio Garcia Fires Opening Round 65 (-7) for Solo Lead at TPC Sawgrass

 

Round 1 at The Players Championship brought an old friend back to the forefront. Sergio Garcia — who has won one PGA Tour event since his 2017 victory at The Masters — holds a commanding two-stroke lead after his opening round 65 (-7). The 41-year-old Spaniard carded two eagles on Thursday before play was suspended due to darkness. Only a few players failed to finish their rounds.

 

The Sinister 17th: If Garcia was the winner of Round 1, the iconic island green on Hole 17 was a close second. The water on 17 ate up 35 balls in the opening round. That’s the second-most shots in the drink in a single round at TPC Sawgrass in the ShotLink era. Watch Video

 

Round 1 Leaderboard

S. Garcia (-7)

B. Harman (-5)

M. Fitzpatrick (-4)

C. Conners (-4)

S. Lowry (-4)

 

Other Notable Scorecards: B. DeChambeau (-3), W. Zalatoris (-3), J. Spieth (-2), P. Reed (-2), J. Day (-2), P. Mickelson (-1), C. Morikawa (-1)

 

Round 1 Highlights | Round 2 Tee Times

 

Additional Storylines

GolfWeek: Among the Wreckage, Sergio Garcia Sparkles With 65 to Grab Lead at The Players

Golf Channel: Rory McIlroy (+7) Suffers Epic Collapse With Quadruple Bogey on 18th Hole

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NFL

More Shocking Cap Casualties

Photo: Joe Sargent / Getty Images

Chiefs Stun NFL by Cutting Starting Tackles Eric Fisher & Mitchell Schwartz

 

No one saw this coming. The Kansas City Chiefs released starting offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz on Thursday. The move frees up more than $18 million in cap space, but it also leaves questions about the Chiefs’ protection issues for QB Patrick Mahomes. If you recall, Mahomes was rendered mediocre in Super Bowl LV due to the Tampa Bay pass rush.

 

Making Sense of Cents

The head-scratching cuts came just one day after the NFL announced a decreased salary cap for next season. And while the Chiefs found a way to save some cash, they axed two very good pass protectors, including Fisher, the No. 1 overall pick in 2013. Neither played in SBLV due to injuries. Their absences played a big role in Mahomes’ pressure-filled night.

 

Expect more big cuts before free agency begins next week.

 

Additional NFL Storylines

ESPN: Saints Release Veteran CB Janoris Jenkins in Cost-Cutting Move

B/R: Texans Reportedly Sign RB Mark Ingram to 1-Year, $3 Million Deal

FOX Sports: Chiefs Cut Starting OTs in Effort to Get Under the Cap

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