Good morning! Wear your nicest jeans today.

While You Were Sleeping: Mavericks, Kyrie 📉 OKC, SGA 📈

First, Kyrie Irving exited the Mavericks’ loss to the Kings in the first quarter with a sprained knee. Oof. Sitting 10th in the West, 32-30 Dallas is already without Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford due to injuries. (Earlier in the day, the Mavericks confirmed they are raising season ticket prices. Bold.)

Meanwhile, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bolstered his MVP case with a remarkable fourth 50-point performance of the season , posting 51 against the Rockets. He led OKC to its 50th win while no other team in the West has 40. Sheesh. Watch the NBA Daily crew react here.

I was struck by the stark juxtaposition of these franchises seemingly heading in completely opposite directions in real time. Moving on:

This Is March: Time to catch up on college hoops

Since this is March, we’re near that moment when your co-workers look to you, the ball-knower, and ask you to tell them everything that has been happening in the sport that will soon be their three-week obsession.

Division I basketball’s postseason is actually already underway, with the men’s ASUN conference tourney starting last night and several others starting today. To get us all on the same page, Until Saturday author Jason Kirk turned to Chantel Jennings and Brendan Marks for a couple questions.

Who’s next to join UConn’s Paige Bueckers and USC’s JuJu Watkins as household names in women’s college hoops?

“Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo also feels like she’s there. Texas’ Madison Booker has a pro-ready game. South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley is a walking highlight reel. And Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore has a chance to turn the Wildcats into a real Cinderella team.

“And one more note on Watkins. We’ve seen her star power grow in her first two years, and playing in nationally televised games this season has certainly helped. But she’s starting to have that kind of Caitlin Clark-like draw. Per Vivid Seats, ticket prices for USC games have increased 114 percent since she joined the team.”

In men’s basketball, let’s say the only things I know are that Auburn and the SEC are really good, and Duke has likely No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg. Which contender do I most need to catch up on?

“Beyond those two, who exist in a tier of their own, probably Houston, which is poised to earn its third consecutive No. 1 seed and which might have its best roster of Kelvin Sampson’s 11-season tenure. The Cougars are dominant defensively like usual — they’re third in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings and allow the fewest points in the sport — but for once, they have an offense to match, including being the third-best 3-point shooting team in America. Not many teams can match up with Auburn and Duke, but if anyone can, it’s Houston.”

For much more hoops prep, read Joe Rexrode’s new men’s Bracket Watch and our women’s All-America team, published yesterday.

And be sure you’re subscribed to the Until Saturday newsletter for two more answers from Chantel and Brendan — on a very surprising women’s dark-horse pick and a bizarre situation in the Summit League — later today.

News to Know

Legge to make Cup Series debut

Katherine Legge, a 44-year-old British sports car and open-wheel driver, will become the first woman to race in the NASCAR Cup Series in more than seven years. She’ll drive the No. 78 car for the part-time Live Fast Motorsports team at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday. Read Jeff Gluck’s full report.



Carlsen’s jeans sell for $36K

The jeans worn by world No. 1 chess player Magnus Carlsen when he withdrew from a tournament over its dress code were sold in an eBay auction for $36,100, with proceeds going to charity. Arguably the most gifted player in modern chess history — he holds the highest rating ever— Carlsen is a profound fascination among chess fans … but $36K? Really? We asked  collectibles ace Brooks Peck for his take:

More news

The Bengals are using the franchise tag on receiver Tee Higgins, who was ranked at the top of The Athletic’s 2025 free-agent list, for the second straight season. More here.

Jimmy Johnson, 81, retired from his role at Fox Sports, where he was a key part of NFL coverage for over 30 years.

Serena Williams joined the ownership group for the Toronto Tempo, the new WNBA expansion team, with plans to contribute to the franchise’s branding and merchandise designs. Read more.

The Eagles are releasing six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay after five seasons with the team, sources said. Could the 34-year-old reunite with the Lions.

Yankees starter Luis Gil, the 2024 American League Rookie of the Year, is being shut down for at least six weeks with a high-grade lat strain. Yikes.

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Feedback Loop

You don’t want more coin tosses

After the SEC women’s basketball tournament’s No. 1 seed was determined by a coin flip — just the third option down the conference’s list of tiebreakers — on Sunday, I asked you: Should other entities be quicker to put playoff seeding to chance?

The results are about what I expected: A clean three-quarters of you said no — you care about the minutiae. I relate more to the 25 percent who are just here for the vibes and/or seek maximum chaos.

Or maybe there’s another quick and dirty method our majority would prefer? I appreciated this comment from reader Robert R., who basically suggested the basketball version of penalty kicks:

Intriguing, because at least it’s still a competition. Thank you for voting! Onward:

Watch and Play

📺 UCL: Atletico Madrid at Real Madrid | 3 p.m. ET on Paramount+

We’ve got a Madrid derby in the Champions League round of 16, starting with the first leg today at the Santiago Bernabeu. Yes, please.

📺 NBA: Warriors at Knicks | 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT

Steph Curry at Madison Square Garden is always a must, but this time, the visit falls shortly after his stunning 56-point outing for the surging Warriors. The 40-20 Knicks, too, are winners of three straight. 🍿

Pulse Picks

Haley Salvian went deep on the historic in-game fight between the PWHL’s Boston Fleet and Ottawa Charge last month and why it changed the league’s rules. Interesting.

Keith Law dropped his first top 30 MLB Draft prospects list ahead of the 2025 season. Click.

New Dane Brugler NFL mock draft siren! (More on this tomorrow.)

This topic from Katie Whyatt was thought-provoking: Scouting and recruitment in the lower reaches of women’s soccer remains nascent, even in a world where the WSL has welcomed its first million-dollar transfer. Read more here.

Ralph Russo and Chris Vannini explained the possible roadblocks to the assumed Big Ten-SEC takeover of the future of the College Football Playoff. Can anyone stop them? 

In January, Ilona Maher — the biggest name in women's rugby  — joined a semi-pro club in England. Her star power provided a window into how the game can grow.

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Trea Turner’s excellent troll of Max Scherzer over the robo-umps.

Most-read on the website yesterday: Rustin Dodd and Jayson Jenks’ history of NFL QB cadences.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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