PHOENIX — Paige Bueckers said both the UConn women’s and men’s teams being in the Final Four is proof that Storrs, Connecticut, is “the best basketball capital in the world.” She may be a little biased.

Bueckers, the former UConn superstar who led the Huskies to the program’s 12th national title last season, said she’s rooting for both programs to pull off rare dual championships. A university has had its women’s and men’s teams advance to the Final Four 15 times in March Madness history, including the 2026 Huskies, but winning both championships has only happened two times. The UConn Huskies achieved the feat both times.

“We didn’t get to have a dual year. We were close,” Bueckers said Wednesday at the Team USA basketball camp in Phoenix. She’s referring to the UConn women falling short of the title game in 2024 after a Final Four loss to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes, while UConn men’s basketball went on to win the national title.

The championship double was last pulled off by UConn in 2014, when Breanna Stewart and the women’s team hoisted the NCAA title trophy within 24 hours of Shabazz Napier and the men’s team. Stefanie Dolson was a member of that women’s championship team and recalled the excitement of both teams winning it all.

“It was a really special moment for us when we won and then the men have won the next day,” Dolson recalled at the Team USA basketball camp on Wednesday. “I know how the girls feel right now, just that they’re all in the Final Four. So I’m really excited. Looking forward to watching both teams play.”

Dolson is confident the women’s team has what it takes to defend its championship.

“They look great. I’m excited to watch them play. I think they’re going to take the championship,” Dolson declared. “Obviously, I’m rooting for them, but they have a really special team. You can tell how close they are and how well they vibe and they’ve had a few tests during the tournament, so I think they’re ready for it.”

The UConn women have dominated competition across an undefeated season and are riding a 54-game win streak, dating back to Bueckers’ time in Storrs, Connecticut, but she said she’s impressed by how this squad has “responded to the adversity” throughout the tournament after battling through some tight first halves.

“The resilience and the togetherness stood out for sure,” Bueckers said. “And for me, it’s always like I’m scared (for) other teams coming out third quarter because I know what coach is saying at halftime.”

UConn coach Geno Auriemma celebrated the Huskies’ 25th trip to the Final Four with a cowboy hat and “giddy up” dance after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 70-52 in the Elite Eight on Sunday, March 29 in Fort Worth, Texas. Dolson said the moment didn’t surprise her.

“I have some stories about Geno (Auriemma) that people would be shocked about, but it’s just good to see all the girls have such a great relationship with him,” Dolson said. “He’s always been that type of coach that is so hard on us on the court. But then off the court, you’re his best friend. The amount of times we had dinners at his house and how much he cared for you, that’s why they play so hard for him.”

Speaking of dinner, Auriemma revealed he had dinner with Bueckers and the team last week. “It reminded me of how much those five years took off of my life, listening to the things that she says, and the interesting thing is I lived through it with Diana (Taurasi) and they’re the only two that put me through that,” he said.

Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.

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Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban says he regrets selling the team to the Adelson and Dumont families. Cuban made the deal in December 2023, maintaining a minority share within the organization, but now says that he wishes he could take it back.

During an interview on the “Intersection” podcast Tuesday March 31, Cuban said, “I don’t regret selling,” then clarified, “I regret who I sold to. I made a lot of mistakes in the process, and I’ll leave it at that.”

At the time of the deal, Cuban was adamant that he would remain involved with the team’s basketball operations. However, that hasn’t happened. It is well-known how furious Cuban was with former GM Nico Harrison’s decision to trade away star guard Luka Doncic in February 2025. ESPN reports that Cuban was also among the people telling Dumont to fire Harrison after the deal was done.

How much did Cuban sell the Mavericks for?

The deal was for $3.5 billion. While Cuban maintains that he believed he would still be involved in basketball operations and action within the organization, there have never been reports that Cuban’s continued involvement was part of the deal for the sale.

Why did Cuban sell the team?

Cuban sold the team amid pressure to build a contender, something he didn’t believe he could do as a “middle-class billionaire.” He also believed his “emotional commitment” to the team had become too much of a burden.

Cuban said on the podcast, “You hear the passion and everything. Now imagine going up and down like that every single game. That’s hard.”

At the time of the deal, Cuban believed the real estate expertise brought by the Adelson family would be a huge boon to the team, while still keeping Cuban’s basketball savvy on for advice. Of course, the latter part of that deal never amounted to anything.

How have the Mavericks done since Cuban’s departure?

Immediately following Cuban’s sale, the Mavericks reached the NBA Finals, nearly winning their first title since 2011. Since then though, the team has struggled mightily.

That said, between trading away superstar Luka Doncic and a 24-51 record this season, the team did get rather lucky, securing the No. 1 overall pick despite only a 1.8% chance to earn that pick via the lottery and selecting Rookie of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg in the 2025 NBA Draft. Clearly though, Flagg’s presence has not led to the win totals that Harrison and company had hoped for after they traded Doncic to Los Angeles.

Furthermore, the key piece the Mavericks got in return for Doncic, forward Anthony Davis played just 29 games for Dallas before being traded to Washington at this year’s trade deadline.

NBA superstar James Harden is paying homage to his late friend and rapper Nipsey Hussle through his upcoming sneaker launch.

The Cleveland Cavaliers pro-baller and Adidas are collaborating with the rapper’s brand, The Marathon Clothing, with the release of the royal blue Harden Volume 10 kicks, according to a press release from Adidas.

The colorway and “The Marathon Continues” flag on the heel tab are an ode to Hussle. The logo, in particular, reflects the hip hop icon’s “enduring message of long-term vision and perseverance,” Adidas said.

Other intentional details on the insole include the word “Crenshaw,” the Grammy award-winning artist’s hometown in Los Angeles.

The shoes are set to drop on Tuesday, April 12, on the Adidas website, the brand’s app, and at select retailers for $160.

‘He was a leader,’ Harden says

According to Adidas, Harden will wear the new shoes during the Cavaliers vs. the Los Angeles game on Tuesday, March 31, the day Hussle died. The “Racks in the Middle” emcee was 33 when he wasfatally shot in front of his own Marathon Clothing store in 2019.

Harden, who is also from Los Angeles, was a close friend of Hussle. The athlete opened up about the news of the musician and entrepreneur’s death in an interview a few days later.

“He was powerful. Not just to a certain dynamic or a certain city, but just to the world. He was a leader. He was so many things,” Harden told reporters at the time. “His life got taken away off nonsense, off BS. It’s been sad, man. Not only myself, but a lot of people around this world were affected by it. It doesn’t seem real.”

In 2018, both Hussle and Harden were captured in a run-in with TMZ.

“The (expletive) that broke the NBA record for the highest (expletive) contract ever, went to Audubon,” Hussle said with his arm wrapped around Harden, referring to the middle school they reportedly both attended.

Harden was on the Houston Rockets at the time when he inked the deal.

Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@usatodayco.com.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino is insistent Iran will play at the World Cup despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

“We have only one plan for this team. Iran has qualified for the World Cup, and will play in the tournament,” Infantino told Iranian media their 5-0 friendly win over Costa Rica in Turkey on Tuesday. “Personally, I will do ​whatever I can to make sure everything is in order.”

Iranian officials have previously said it is up to FIFA and the U.S. to keep the team safe during the World Cup. Iran is scheduled to play their matches in Los Angeles and Seattle against Belgium, Egypt and New Zealand in Group G.

However, Iran would prefer to relocate its matches to Mexico, citing the United States’ bombing campaign alongside the Israeli military across the region since Feb 28.

President Donald Trump’s recently said Iran would be welcome at the World Cup, while stating: “I really don’t believe it is appropriate that they be there, for their own life and safety.”

“We want them to play; they are going to play in the World Cup. There are no Plans B or C or D – Plan A is the only plan,” Infantino said in an appearance on Univision.

“We live in a complex geopolitical situation… but our work is to unite. We know it is a complicated situation, but we will work to be sure that Iran plays in this World Cup in the best conditions.”

While moving match venues may be out of the question, Infantino seemingly suggested Iran could hold its World Cup training sessions outside of the U.S.

“From now until the World Cup, I will do whatever I can to support the Iran national team,” Infantino told Iranian media. “If you want to organize a training camp or ⁠if ​there is any matter related to activities outside the ​country, whatever it is, I will help. Whenever you want, please stay in contact. I am at your service and ​will help with anything you need.”

• A 2017 FBI investigation into college basketball corruption led to the arrests and firings of several coaches.
• Many of the coaches implicated in the scandal have since returned to coaching, with several participating in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
• Former Arizona assistant coach Emanuel “Book” Richardson received a harsher penalty than others and is still effectively barred from college basketball.

On Sept. 26, 2017, the FBI and federal law enforcement authorities set off a massive explosion in college basketball that led to the arrests of several coaches and the eventual suspension or firing of several others.  

The list included then-USC assistant coach Tony Bland, who was arrested that day on bribery-related charges. The fallout from it also ensnared Louisville head coach Rick Pitino (fired in 2017), Arizona head coach Sen Miller (fired in 2021) Kansas head coach Bill Self (suspended in 2022), and LSU head coach Will Wade (fired in 2022).

But those coaches and several others since have been forgiven and even had a comeback party of sorts this month as active coaches in the NCAA Tournament. Wade also just got rehired as head coach at LSU, as if nothing ever happened, serving as a reminder about what really matters in college sports once all the FBI dust settles.

“Some had short exiles and punishments, but when you win, there’s always a spot,” said David Ridpath, a sports business professor at Ohio University.

These March Madness comeback stories (see list below) also raise other big concerns on the eve of the Final Four in Indianapolis, according to observers.

One is whether this crackdown had any lasting purpose or should have happened in the first place. Another relates to former Arizona assistant coach Emanuel “Book” Richardson, who’s still paying a price for it even after serving 90 days in federal prison.

“It is a continuing, profound injustice,” one of his advocates said recently.

What was illegal then is now generally legal

The FBI investigation and the NCAA rules enforcement cases that followed aimed to crack down on alleged bribes and illegal payments to recruits or their families, which now seems quaint. NCAA rules have since changed to legalize certain payments to players for their names, images, and likenesses (NIL), starting in 2021.

A sports apparel company such as Adidas now can legally pay players directly for their NIL, unlike back then, when an Adidas consultant testified at trial in 2018 that he provided illicit payments to the families of recruits, including recruits for Kansas and Louisville, two Adidas-sponsored schools. Both Louisville and Kansas got punished for it, even though they said they didn’t have knowledge of it.

Kansas spent $10 million over six years fighting the case, which alleged Kansas was using Adidas to entice recruits with money. An Adidas employee and consultant even went to prison for it.

This likely never would have happened under the current rule structure.

“Everything that’s happening (legally now with NIL) is just a microcosm of what’s always been happening,” Richardson told USA TODAY Sports on March 25. “Now we can put a name to it (NIL).”

Meanwhile, not everyone has been allowed to resume their careers like Bland, Pitino and others who took part in March Madness this month. Richardson is still effectively barred from college basketball under a 10-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA, even after serving prison time and taking responsibility for the $20,000 bribe prosecutors said he took to steer players toward a certain agent and financial adviser once the players made it to the NBA.

That lingering punishment strikes some as just plain wrong

The Book Richardson case

Richardson, 53, is seeking a federal pardon even though he already served his prison sentence. A federal pardon would not erase the 10-year NCAA penalty that extends to 2030. But it would be a meaningful sign of forgiveness. The application for it was spearheaded by a group at New York University, including clinical professor David Hollander.

“It is a continuing, profound injustice Book Richardson remains under the professional restraint of a 10-year show-cause, given whatever other results you would like to observe have come from that FBI investigation,” Hollander told USA TODAY Sports on March 25. “Excessive isn’t strong enough of a word, because words don’t amount to a human being’s life. That’s what this is about. One person’s entire life has been lopsidedly hammered.”

Four coaches pleaded guilty in 2019 to similar bribery charges: Richardson, Bland, former Auburn assistant Chuck Person and former Oklahoma State assistant Lamont Evans. Richardson, Person and Evans are out of college basketball with 10-year show-cause penalties. Richardson and Evans both did prison time, not Person or Bland. Bland only got a three-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA and is back in college basketball on the staff at Kansas.

Under-the-table bribes like those back then since have been disincentivized and replaced by over-the-table business transactions. In addition to allowing players to earn money for their NIL, the NCAA also now allows them to hire agents to manage their NIL earnings while still in college.  

The timing isn’t lost on Richardson, who regrets taking the money and now works in Virginia at The St. James Performance Academy.

“I did 90 days in jail, and I got out in October of 2020,” Richardson said. “(Legalized) NIL happened in 2021.”

More recently, Richardson noticed all those familiar names involved in March Madness this month.

List of March Madness coaches who got punished in scandal

These coaches coached in NCAA Tournament this month after previously being caught in the quagmire stemming from the FBI investigation of 2017:

∎ Tony Bland, now at Kansas, made his first NCAA Tournament appearance since his arrest.

∎ Rick Pitino, now the head coach at St. John’s, recently made his first Sweet 16 appearance since his firing from Louisville.

∎ Will Wade of LSU was caught on an FBI wiretap talking about an “offer” and a “deal” for Javonte Smart, a top recruit who later signed with LSU before NIL was legalized. LSU fired Wade for cause in 2022 after the NCAA accused him of serious recruiting violations. The NCAA’s enforcement arm also hit him with a 10-game suspension and two-year show-cause penalty. He bounced back as coach at McNeese State, then NC State, which he led to the NCAA Tournament this month. He’s now back at LSU, where all has been forgiven. He recently told reporters he’s “trying to follow more rules this time.” He also received a hero’s welcome in Baton Rouge at his re-introductory news conference March 30.

“You never get second chances in life, but we get one here,” Wade said March 30.

∎ Kansas coach Bill Self was suspended four games in 2022 after fighting the Adidas-related allegations for years. He lost in the second round to Pitino and St. John’s on March 22.

∎ Head coach Sean Miller brought Texas to the NCAA Tournament this month after getting fired from Arizona in 2021 and then bouncing back at Xavier. Shortly before his firing, the NCAA charged Arizona with serious recruiting allegations stemming from the FBI case. An FBI wiretap caught Book Richardson telling an aspiring agent that Miller “bought” star player Deandre Ayton. Miller denied it.

∎ Kansas assistant coach Kurtis Townsend was suspended four games along with Self in 2022 and was sitting right next to him in the game vs. St. John’s.

∎ Former Creighton assistant coach Preston Murphy was back in the NCAA Tournament this month with Alabama after previously being punished with a two-year show-cause penalty stemming from the FBI investigation. He wasn’t charged with a crime but allegedly accepted payment from a business manager seeking to entice college athletes to sign with that person’s management company.

Richardson said he’s happy for these coaches.

“If they have the opportunity to get back and flourish, I’d love that same opportunity,” Richardson said. “I think I have a lot to give.”

Rick Pitino, Bill Self and the Adidas March Madness game

Amid the backdrop of the FBI case of 2017, a second-round game on March 22 in San Diego stands out in particular.

This was a matchup between two Hall of Fame coaches, nationally televised on CBS — Self and Kansas vs. Pitino at St. John’s. Before the game, Self took a seat next to assistant coach Townsend on his right and Bland down the row to his left.

All wore the Adidas “three stripes” logo on their sleeves. Their star freshman guard, Darryn Peterson, has been paid by Adidas, too, and is now allowed to do so openly, unlike players before 2021.

On the other side of the court, Pitino’s team also was outfitted in Adidas uniforms after reaching a sponsorship deal with the company last year.

Adidas-sponsored Peterson scored 21 points, but Adidas-sponsored St. John’s won the game with a buzzer-beating layup, 67-65.

In light of all of this, what impact did this FBI case really have?

This game came just a handful of years after Adidas representatives went to prison and some of those coaches were punished in a case involving alleged Adidas inducements to recruits.

‘It’s really time to free this man’

Richardson is still feeling the impact of it at least.

“I’ve been to hell and back,” he said.  And he never snitched on anybody, which could have helped him get a lighter sentence.

“It all could have been avoided if I just told what everyone thought I knew,” Richardson said.

The NCAA and U.S. Justice Department didn’t return messages seeking comment. Meanwhile, the contrast between Richardson and other active coaches hasn’t gone unnoticed in college basketball.

“I am very happy for my friends, Will Wade and Sean Miller,” ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla said on social media recently. “Not being sarcastic. But I’ve had discussions with the NCAA about Book Richardson & it’s really time to free this man. His penalty is very, very, very unfair”

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

PHOENIX — OK, whoever wrote this Hollywood script has a merciless sense of humor.

Come on, this was supposed to be the first chapter of Justin Verlander’s glorious return, his first start in a Detroit Tigers uniform in 3,135 days, at the age of 43 years and 38 days.

Instead, it was a living nightmare Monday night for the future Hall of Famer and the oldest athlete in major North American team sports.

Final score: Arizona Diamondbacks 9, Tigers 6.

Verlander took the loss, and lasted just 3 ⅔ innings, giving up six hits, five earned runs and two walks with one strikeout.

It took Verlander 20 pitches to record his first out.

It was 2-0 after the first four batters.

It was 5-0 after the first 11 batters.

The Diamondbacks had a homer, triple, double and three singles by the third inning. All-Star outfielder Corbin Carroll had a triple, homer and four RBIs by the second inning, becoming only the second player to accomplish the feat in an entire game against Verlander, joining Denard Span.

The Diamondbacks scorched six balls over 100 mph the first two innings, and Verlander didn’t produce a single strikeout until the 15^th batter he faced. He recorded only six swings and misses in his 80-pitch outing.

“It sucks, not the way I obviously wanted it to go,” Verlander said, “which is disappointing for myself more than anybody else in the world. … You spend all spring training working on stuff, feel OK, and then the first game of the season felt like nothing was right. …

“They had way too many good swings on most of my pitches. I need to be better.”

It was a season debut that Verlander hopes to flush from his memory as quickly as possible, certainly before his next scheduled start Sunday, April 5, in a nationally televised game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Detroit’s Comerica Park.

Still, despite the ugliness, Verlander refused to give in. He finished his outing by retiring seven of the final nine batters he faced, leaving after 80 pitches. He stayed in the dugout for awhile after he was pulled from the game, standing next to Tigers manager A.J. Hinch, lamenting his performance.

“I got some outs, but I wouldn’t consider it progress,” Verlander said. “I think it was much of the same, to be honest.”

It’s premature, and perhaps foolish for anyone to start panicking over Verlander. It was just one start against one of the league’s finest hitting teams in Arizona. Verlander got off to a slow start last season for the San Francisco Giants, too, going 0-7 with a 4.70 ERA in the first half compared to 4-4 with a 2.99 ERA the second half.

“I don’t think what I did today is sustainable,” he said. “If that’s the way hitters are going to react against me, I need to be sharper than that.”

Verlander already has ideas swirling in his head before his next start, knowing he has three Cy Young awards and 266 victories for a reason. He wouldn’t have come back if he thought he’d be a detriment. He knows he can still be successful, and plans to prove it.

“Obviously, he’s thinking about some different things, pitch mechanics, or whatever it may be.” Tigers catcher Dillon Dingler said. “He’s a perfectionist, and he’s one of the best to ever do it. So it’s kind of cool to see the constant drive that he has. It’s cool that each game he’s trying to get better and get better.”

The Tigers’ confidence in Verlander refuses to wane, even after a spring in which he yielded a 6.75 ERA, giving up seven homers in 14 ⅔ innings. Tigers pitchers can’t stop raving about what he has meant to their staff, and are convinced vintage Verlander will surface again.

“It’s been a ton of fun to be with him,” two-time Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal tells USA TODAY Sports. “Just his eagerness to want to get better and his preparation, not that I didn’t expect it, it’s just like to a level that I didn’t really know was possible.

“He’s invested in everything going on. That’s something I can easily pick up on and apply to my game the attention to detail he is on every single specific thing. It’s really impressive. He’s 43 years old and still locked in. He’s locked in for my bullpens. He’s locked in for the other guys’ bullpens. He’s locked in on days I pitch on what I’m doing.

“It’s really cool.”

The Tigers didn’t sign Verlander to a one-year, $13 million contract for sentimental purposes. They know he can be a solid No. 4 starter, replacing Reese Olson, who underwent labrum surgery. Yet, they also see the impact he makes behind the scenes, what he means to this passionate fanbase, and believe he can take them where they haven’t gone in 42 years:

The World Series championship.

“It definitely got me excited when I heard Justin was coming back here,” said Tigers closer Kenley Jansen, who’s just 23 saves shy of 500 and a ticket to Cooperstown. “He’s definitely a Detroit legend, a first ballot Hall of Famer. I can only imagine what it does for the fans.

“But for us, guys like me, my first year in Detroit, it’s definitely fired me up.”

Hinch vividly remembers Verlander walking through the Houston Astros clubhouse doors for the first time after being traded in 2017, in between games of a doubleheader, and just what his presence meant to the entire team.

Two months later, the Astros were celebrating their first World Series championship with Verlander going 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA in five regular-season starts, and 4-1 with a 2.21 ERA in the postseason.

“When he walked through the doors,” Hinch said, “is when I first felt the magnitude of what it was like to have Justin Verlander on your team, and how he raises everyone’s play around him. He’s been incredible ever since …

“He’s fit in extremely well with this club, the personality of this team and the preparation surrounding this team.”

While Verlander’s parents and family were at the game Monday, it will be a whole different vibe in his next start in Detroit. It’s a day Tigers fans have been anticipating since he signed, with Scott Harris, Tigers president of baseball operations, receiving more positive feedback than any move he made since joining the team.

“He’s been a huge boost,” Harris said. “In addition to what he can do on the field, off the field, the leadership and the wisdom that he shares with this young group is incredible. There are players asking him questions all the time about how he would approach certain situations. But the thing that I was struck by is how many of our players take notice of his work and how he approaches things.

“When he throws a bullpen, he is obsessed with every detail on every single pitch. That’s just a habit and a practice that has served him well in his career. He’s going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer because of the talent, but also like the way he approaches the game and how prepared he is. It’s already rubbing off on our young guys.”

Verlander, who made 380 starts for the Tigers before being traded Aug. 31, 2017, to the Astros, joins Don Sutton of the Los Angeles Dodgers as the only pitchers in baseball history to make the first 380 starts of their career for one team, leave and start at least 175 games elsewhere, and then return to his original team.

It’s reminiscent of Hall of Famer Tom Seaver returning to the New York Mets after making 360 starts and leaving, and Hall of Famer Tom Glavine who returned to Atlanta after making 505 starts, departing as a free agent, and returning.

“I think the home start is really what will hit our guys because of the fan reaction,” Hinch said, “the Old English D being on his chest will hit a little bit different.”

Said Skubal: “That one Sunday is going to be pretty special. I know it’s scheduled to rain, but I expect 40,000. It’s going to be like a playoff environment.”

Maybe, the emotional return will bring back a vintage Verlander, too.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

The Chicago Bulls are waiving guard Jaden Ivey for conduct detrimental to the team, the organization announced Monday, March 30.

Since being shut down for the season Thursday, March 26 because of lingering knee issues, Ivey, 24, has gone live on his Instagram on three separate occasions to rant about his religious beliefs and other issues. Several comments he made in reply to fans have since gone viral, including referring to Catholicism as a “false religion” and telling a fan that “God does not hear your prayer if you are a sinner.”

But the final straw for the Bulls appears to have come on Monday morning, when Ivey again took to social media – this time targeting the LGBTQ community, Pride Month and the NBA’s advocacy efforts in a 45-minute-long rant.

“… the NBA, they proclaim it. They show it to the world. They say, ‘Come join us for Pride Month,’ to celebrate unrighteousness,” Ivey said on his livestream.

Ivey has spoken in the past about dealing with depression.

A former fifth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, the Bulls acquired Ivey from the Detroit Pistons at the trade deadline on Feb. 3 in exchange for Kevin Huerter. He appeared in four games for Chicago and has been sidelined since Feb. 11 with left patellofemoral pain syndrome, a common and sometimes chronic pain behind or around the kneecap more widely known as runner’s knee.

Ivey averaged career-lows in points (8.5), rebounds (2.5) and assists (1.8) across 37 games played this year and played just 30 games in 2024-25 due to a broken left fibula. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in October that forced him to miss the Pistons’ first 15 games of the season.

Ivey, in his fourth NBA season, was set to be a restricted free agent this summer after he and Detroit could not finalize an agreement on a contract extension last offseason.

Last baseball season, torpedo bats (remember those?) stole the show on opening weekend. They were all anyone could talk about.

But time – and technology – marches on. So what do we have dominating the discourse after the first series of games in 2026? ABS challenges, of course!

If the idea is to get the important balls and strikes calls correct, we’re off to a good start. Except for Twins manager Derek Shelton, who was tossed from a game on Sunday, March 29, for arguing an overturned Ball 4.

That incident sparked a memorable call from Orioles TV announcer Kevin Brown, who exclaimed: “He’s arguing with the robots! You can’t defeat the robots!!”

Meanwhile, fantasy baseball managers are waging their own battles with technology as the season gets rolling.

Are my projections on target? Is this guy’s hot start a fact or fluke? Why didn’t the computer give my top waiver pickup?

In the search for just a fraction of the clarity ABS provides, it’s time to recognize how easy it is to overreact to the small samples of the early season.

Our annual Tuffy Awards shine a spotlight on the lesser-known players off to hot starts who will raise fantasy managers’ expectations, and then predictably return to a near-replacement level of production.

The inspiration for the awards is unheralded Chicago Cubs outfielder Karl “Tuffy” Rhodes, who hit three home runs off Dwight Gooden on opening day in 1994. Fantasy teams who grabbed Rhodes off the waiver wire saw him hit .234 with five home runs from that point forward.

So with a mix of caution and skepticism, we begin our quest to uncover this year’s Tuffy.

They might be legit

Not every unexpectedly fast start is necessarily a fluke. There are always a few early-season waiver wire pickups who remain productive all year. Here are a few worth taking seriously.

OF Chase DeLauter, Cleveland Guardians. The No. 16 overall pick in 2022 out of James Madison made his MLB debut during last year’s playoffs. Then in his first official at-bat with the Guardians, he took the Mariners’ Logan Gilbert deep – and seemingly never stopped slugging. After one series, DeLauter led the majors with four home runs.

The 24-year-old has always been a highly regarded prospect, but persistent foot injuries have kept him from playing more than 57 games in any of his three pro seasons. Through it all, he’s consistently posted excellent numbers. It’s time DeLauter takes a big step forward.

3B Munetaka Murakami, Chicago White Sox. There was plenty of skepticism this offseason that Murakami’s outrageous power numbers in Japan would translate to the majors, where he’d see many more power arms. The former Triple Crown winner and Japan Central League MVP seems to have adjusted pretty well though, with three solo homers in his first three games. There are still concerns about his contact rate and propensity to strike out, but he did have as many walks as strikeouts (four) in his opening series.

SP Jose Soriano, Los Angeles Angels. We all should know better than to get too excited about Angels pitchers, but Soriano thrived in his first opening day start. He averaged 99.1 mph on his fastball – up 1.2 mph from last year’s average – in tossing six scoreless innings against the Astros. He also allowed just two hits and struck out seven.

Near-Tuffys

SP Emerson Hancock, Seattle Mariners. In the final game of opening week, Hancock stopped the Guardians (including DeLauter) cold. Sure, the chilly temperatures may have helped, but he struck out nine and allowed just one walk in six no-hit innings before departing. This performance came out of nowhere after Hancock posted ERAs near 5.00 while bouncing between Seattle and the minors the past two seasons. The former first-round pick should make a few more starts before Bryce Miller is healthy, but it’s hard to see him doing this again.

SP Randy Vasquez, San Diego Padres. In his first two seasons with the Padres, Vasquez averaged fewer than six strikeouts per nine innings with swinging-strike rates below 8.5%. In his first start of 2026, he fanned eight Tigers in six frames with a 14.3% swinging-strike rate. Like Hancock, Vasquez did gain more than a tick on his fastball from last season, but let’s see if it sticks.

SP Eric Lauer, Toronto Blue Jays. After fellow starters Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease combined for 11 ⅓ scoreless innings against the Athletics, Lauer followed with four more of his own before allowing a two-run homer in the fifth. What was most eye-opening though: nine strikeouts in 5 ⅓ innings (part of a major league record 50 strikeouts for Toronto pitchers in the season’s first three games).

Jumping on the Jays bandwagon is easy at this point, but Lauer’s time in the rotation will only last until Trey Yesavage returns from a shoulder strain in a couple weeks.

2B David Hamilton, Milwaukee Brewers. One glance at the half-week stolen base leaders reveals Hamilton ahead of everyone with three. (On pace to top 70!) But Hamilton had just four at-bats and eight plate appearances in the Brewers’ opening series while platooning with Luis Rengifo at third base. If you need speed only, he swiped a total of 55 over the past two seasons in part-time duty with the Red Sox. But he won’t give you anything else.

3B Ben Williamson, Tampa Bay Rays. Also getting off to a hot start with his new team, Williamson went 5-for-9 and scored four runs in his first three games. Known primarily for his glove, he’s part of a platoon at third and will only see part-time at-bats until Gavin Lux returns from the IL Williamson has just one home run in 286 career at-bats through Sunday.

And the 2026 Tuffy Award goes to …

OF Joey Wiemer, Washington Nationals. It’s hard to be any better than Wiemer was in going 6-for-6 with a couple of walks and two home runs to start the season. The 27-year-old journeyman is playing for his fourth major league team in four seasons. On a rebuilding Nationals squad, it’s no surprise he went undrafted in just about every fantasy league after hitting .150 this spring.

Wiemer’s roster rate will skyrocket this week after he homered on opening day and followed it up with three-run blast on Sunday. But those heroics came against a pair of left-handed Cubs starters. He isn’t going to take away playing time from a true young talent like Daylen Lile in right field or a defensive whiz like Jacob Young in center.  

Wiemer is a nice story, but one we’ve seen many times before at this time of year.

Five days to play three games across a seemingly endless sea of streamers and networks isn’t exactly the way baseball was meant to be staged.

But you made it. And Major League Baseball’s lovable slog should get more recognizable after this seemingly eternal opening weekend.

And while the sample produced was still remarkably small, there were still a few cogent data points, many of them apparently giving signal rather than noise.

With that, USA TODAY Sports takes a look at the winners and losers of opening weekend, with another week’s worth of oversized flags and home openers upon us already:

Winners

The youth brigade

And to think No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin’s ticket to the minor leagues might have dimmed the start of the season for prospect heads.

Nope, the kids showed out beyond anyone’s wildest dreams right from the first pitches on Thursday – such as the one Kevin McGonigle smoked for a double seconds into his major league career, part of a four-hit debut for the Detroit Tigers.

Kevvy Mac (someone has to come up with a nickname, right?) added another hit and two more RBIs in his second game, starting at both third base and shortstop. An incredibly valuable piece already for the pennant-chasing Tigers.

And while he might make the most impact on the pennant race and, maybe, the playoffs, he was arguably not the most spectacular performer at their beautillion ball.

The dynamic JJ Wetherholt homered in his debut and notched a two-run walk-off hit in his second game and got another knock in his third as the rebuilding Cardinals took a series from Tampa Bay. The Mets’ Carson Benge homered on the first pitch he saw of his MLB debut.

And while Chase DeLauter technically got his feet wet with a wild card series cameo in 2025, he scorched four homers and broke up a no-hitter in his first four games for Cleveland. Same with Owen Caissie, who enjoyed a cortado-length stay with the Cubs last summer, got traded to the Marlins and hit a walk-off two-run homer to sweep the Rockies in his Miami debut.  

Konnor’s gonna have to play catch-up.

A Yankees-Blue Jays pennant race repeat

The death of the tiebreaker game can take some shine off a great divisional race. So it was last year when the Blue Jays and Yankees each won 94 games and Toronto won the division based on head-to-head record.

With the Blue Jays significantly altered yet also nursing a World Series hangover and the Yankees in apparent danger of run-it-back syndrome, it was unclear how the AL East beasts might break from the gate in 2026.

Turns out they missed nary a beat.

Both clubs registered convincing sweeps against decent but unproven opponents, as the Blue Jays got leadoff homers and walk-off hits and 21 combined punchouts from Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease to sweep the A’s.

The Yankees, meanwhile, were in run-prevention mode in San Francisco, where the Giants are typically cooperative in such matters. Oh, Aaron Judge pounded a couple more home runs and Cam Schlittler looks very much like the playoff beast he was last year. Yeah – they’ll be fine ‘til Carlos Rodón and Gerrit Cole step back on the scene.

The Pirates, trying to win

Sometimes, fans and media alike can get a little too caught up in off-season transactions. Yet for Pittsburgh Pirates fans, screaming at management to “Do Anything” winter after winter almost always fell on deaf ears.

Finally, the Pirates did something this winter. And lo and behold, the product appears healthier!

Offseason trade acquisition Brandon Lowe pounded a pair of home runs in their opening series against a very good Mets team. Free agent signee Ryan O’Hearn – no, not a Kyle Schwarber splash but a very good acquisition – had three hits and drove in the winning run in the 10^th inning as they salvaged the final game of three.

Pittsburgh took New York to extra innings in Game 2, too, with Oneil Cruz’s sun-splashed outfield debacle the only element making them non-competitive all weekend. Not to say they can stay with the Brewers and Cubs all summer.

But trying really is a lot more fun.  

Japanese sluggers

They were the highest-profile hitters coming from foreign lands this winter, yet Kazuma Okamoto and Munetaka Murakami’s combined value of their contracts didn’t even reach $100 million. Contact concerns, and the worry that power in Japan would transfer to the big leagues.

Well, guess who’s trailing only DeLauter in major league home runs?

Murakami went deep thrice in Milwaukee, the bright spot in a Chicago White Sox sweep at the hands of the Brewers. Meanwhile, Okamoto had four hits in 12 at-bats, homered himself and posted a .429 OBP in his first three games for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Not a total endorsement just yet of the $60 million Toronto committed to Okamoto or the $34 million the White Sox are paying Murakami. Yet it’s a nice bit of relief for a pair of teams who rolled the dice and enjoyed positive first looks.

Losers

Rookie managers

Hey, not all of them. Beltways bros Craig Albernaz of Baltimore and Blake Butera of Washington each won their first two games, the Nationals startling the Cubs at windy Wrigley Field.

Yet it was two surprise hires – relative greenhorns – who had a rough go of it.

You’ve surely heard about Tony Vitello making the jump from collegiate ball to the majors. It’s a big deal and at the same time potentially not the big deal folks have made of it, so long as Tony V wins the usual 81 games near China Basin and doesn’t look too weird doing it.

Well, about that…

The Giants scored just one run in three games against the mighty Yankees, a series that featured a fiery pregame speech and then perhaps a little too much panic after their second shutout loss.

“We’re all major league players,” pitcher Robbie Ray said when asked whether Vitello got them too wound up. “We can handle the ups and downs.”

Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Angels’ latest see-if-this-sticks move was tossing Kurt Suzuki in the dugout after no on-field coaching experience. And giving him a one-year contract, perhaps the most cynical maneuver for an aimless franchise keeping one eye on a potential lockout.

Unlike Vitello, Suzuki’s weekend went south as a direct result of strategic button-pushing.

The Angels blew a six-run lead March 28 and a 6-4 lead a day later, his handling of starters Reid Detmers and Jack Kochanowicz and then the bullpen certainly questionable.

The Angels did come out of Houston with a split of four games. Yet this will still be a trial by fire for a guy who simply does not yet have the dugout reps.

NL West teams north and south of Vin Scully Way

They’re a combined 1-11.

The Arizona Diamondbacks suffered three particularly soul-crushing losses to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who wore their gold-lined championship togs all weekend and simply kept hitting balls over the fence, the last off Will Smith’s bat to cap the sweep.

The Giants were flattened. San Diego could not hang with the Tigers. And yes, the Rockies are winless, and it will only get more difficult for a 119-loss team that couldn’t ring in a new year with even one victory in Miami.

CB Bucknor

No, ABS was not meant to humiliate. It just works out that way sometimes.

We have our Final Four.

After four rounds, 64 teams have been sent home and four remain in the hunt for a national championship. Connecticut, Arizona, Michigan and Illinois are en route to Indianapolis, two wins away from winning it all.

Some of the representatives aren’t much of a surprise, as the top-seeded Wildcats and Wolverines have looked like a tier above the rest of the sport, and anything less than a Final Four appearance would have been a disappointment. The Huskies stunned its away back to a familiar place, and Illinois isn’t really a shocker and are far from an underdog after a very successful season, proving worthy of its spot.

The results of the weekend not only impacted the championship race, but the sport as a whole. Here are the winners and losers of the Elite Eight:

Winners

UConn’s comeback

A return to the Final Four didn’t seem possible when Connecticut was down 19 points late in the first half against Duke, but did the Huskies respond.

UConn clawed back in the second half, slowly chipping away at the lead before a 7-0 run put it in striking distance with under four minutes left. The Blue Devils couldn’t stop the momentum and Connecticut pulled out a shocking victory, punctuated by Braylon Mullins’ 3-pointer at the final second. UConn outscored Duke 44-28 in the final 20 minutes for its third trip to the Final Four in four seasons.

It was one of the largest comebacks in NCAA Tournament history, and UConn made Duke the first No. 1 seed to lose a game after being up by at least 15 points at halftime in an ending for the ages.

Big Ten

The Big Ten rolls onto the biggest stage with the conference getting two teams into the Final Four with Michigan and Illinois. It’s the first time the conference has accomplished the feat since 2015 and fourth time since 1999.

The tournament has been a Big Ten showcase after seven of its nine teams won their first round game. It put a record four teams in the Elite Eight, and was guaranteed to get at least one Final Four team with the Illinois-Iowa winner, and could’ve had up to three, but two is still a very successful result.

It’s been the winner of every round so far. Now all that’s left is finishing it on top with a 50% shot at a national championship, the first since 2000. It could be sealed with an all-Big Ten title game, very much possible.

Breaking droughts

The 2026 Final Four is more than two decades in the making for Arizona and Illinois, getting back to the final stage after falling short so many times.

Arizona is in the Final Four for the first time since 2001, a relief on the shoulders of the Wildcats after losing all of its past five Elite Eight appearances. They did it in emphatic fashion with a major second half comeback over Purdue to cruise toward a stress-free finish against the Boilermakers. Illinois was able to put away the surprise run against Iowa to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2005, the last time it was close to winning its first national title.

Two successful programs redeemed years of frustrations, and not only have they finally broken through, but they are viable national championship contenders, with Arizona on the verge of its second title and Illinois on the cusp of its biggest accomplishment yet.

Andrej Stojakovic 

Watch out dad, son can definitely hoop, too. The son of Peja, Andrej Stojakovic came up clutch for Illinois, a catalyst for his team surviving and advancing.

Iowa jumped out to a quick double-digit lead, but Stojakovic came in and helped his team recover quickly and eventually win. He made some clutch shots at the end and most importantly, defended Iowa star Bennett Stirtz down the stretch to prevent any late heroics. Even though Keaton Wagler was the star with 25 points, Stojakovic had 17 points and his plus/minus of +19 was the best on the team, proving how vital he was to his team’s success.

The Elite Eight isn’t the only time Stojakovic has come up big in the tournament, but Illinois may have been cooked if he wasn’t the sparkplug he was against the Hawkeyes. His presence keeps his team’s title hopes alive and well.

Losers

Duke chokes

It’s another stunning March loss for Duke. The top overall seed looked destined for the Final Four after jumping to a 19-point lead against UConn in the first half.

Then came the second half.

The Blue Devils couldn’t stop UConn from rallying at the end, and had the game in its hands in the final seconds, but a shocking turnover turned into a game-winning 3-pointer by the Huskies. UConn outscored Duke 15-5 in the final five minutes. Duke now is the first No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament history to lose after leading by at least 15 points at halftime, as they were 134-0 in such instances. The 19-point blown lead is tied for the sixth largest in the tournament.

The shocking loss keeps Duke away from winning its first national championship in the Jon Scheyer era, with the last title in 2015. Its the longest the Blue Devils have gone without a championship this century.

SEC

March doesn’t mean more in the SEC as the conference finishes with a dud to follow its historic past season.

It was going to be hard to follow up two teams in the Final Four en route to a national champion, but the SEC didn’t get close to replicating some of that success. It only got one team in the Elite Eight in Tennessee, and it got blown out by Michigan. The SEC will not be represented in the semifinals for the first time since 2023.

To add insult to injury, the conference did not do well against its fellow Power league in the Big Ten. The SEC went 0-5 vs. Big Ten teams in the tournament, which ended up getting two teams to the Final Four. After an amazing showing in 2025, this one has been a forgettable month in the Southeast.

Lower seeds

Make way for the heavyweights. The 2026 Final Four will feature two No. 1 seeds, a No. 2 and a No. 3 seed, another season of no surprise runs to the semifinals.

While it’s no surprise when the favorites at the start of the tournament ended up making it to the final weekend, it’s exactly what happened last season when we had an all-No. 1 group. This marks back-to-back years where the Final Four doesn’t feature a team seeded No. 4 or lower, which hasn’t happened since a three-year streak from 2007-09.

This year’s tournament had upsets and some magical runs, but none of them reached the final stage. Are even really solid teams going to have trouble winning a region, and are true Cinderellas dead?

Tennessee

Another Elite Eight, another exit for Rocky Top. The Volunteers are left searching again for their first Final Four after getting stopped at the doorstep.

Tennessee’s optimism was quickly wiped out early against Michigan, leading to a 33-point rout in one of the largest blowouts in Elite Eight history. While the Vols have nothing to be ashamed about given it was a good run as a No. 6 seed, it’s the third straight season the Vols were eliminated in the regional final.

Rick Barnes has maintained winning in Knoxville, but after coming up short so often, will Tennessee ever get over the hump?