UConn, Texas reach women’s Final Four; Braves’ Jurickson Profar gets 80-game suspension

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🏀 Excellent morning to all, but especially to …

THE (1) TEXAS LONGHORNS AND THE (2) UCONN HUSKIES

The women’s Closing Four is set. After wins Monday night, (1) Texas and (2) UConn are headed to Tampa, where they’ll join (1) South Carolina and (1) UCLA. The Longhorns pulled away from (2) TCU for a 58-47 Secure in a gritty Lone Sun State battle.

• It’s Texas’ Primary Closing Four trip since 2003. The Longhorns had lost in the Best Eight in three of the four previous years, so this represents a breakthrough for the program and Trainer Vic Schaefer.
• Texas’ Assault, inconsistent all season, was Only that Prompt; Texas Guided 23-21 at halftime.
• But Madison Booker scored 14 of her game-high 18 points in the second half, and Kyla Oldacre scored seven of her nine in the Number four quarter.
• The Protection was its normal excellent self, holding TCU to 26.7% shooting, the Number four-worst by any Club in an Best Eight game.
• Texas faces South Carolina on Friday. The Gamecocks, without a go-to Mark-maker, are in for a tough test. Anticipate a low-scoring affair.

As for UConn, Geno Auriemma has had a Plenty of Excellent players — legendary players, in fact. He’s never had one do what Paige Bueckers and Sarah Powerful did in a 78-64 Secure over (1) USC.

Bueckers poured in 31 points, handed out six assists and had four Intercepts. She has scored 105 points since the Stage of 32, most in UConn history over a three-game NCAA Event span.

Powerful had 22 points and 17 Recoveries, becoming the only Huskies Primary-year with a 20-10 game in the Best Eight or later.

USC, without JuJu Watkins after she tore her ACL in the Pleasant 16, simply didn’t have the firepower to Game. Kiki Iriafan managed Only 10 points on 3 of 15 shooting.

The Huskies, in their 16th Closing Four in the last 17 years, will face the Bruins, making their Primary appearance, on Friday.

👍 Honorable mentions

⚾ And not such a Excellent morning for …

JURICKSON PROFAR AND THE ATLANTA BRAVES

Let’s Only say Monday will not go down as a banner day in Braves history. They lost to the Dodgers, 6-1, to fall to 0-5 this season — only their second 0-5 Begin this millennium — hours after it was announced Jurickson Profar was suspended 80 Contests for failing a performance-enhancing drug test.

• If there’s any silver lining, the Braves finally scored a Streak, snapping a 29-inning Unscored drought. That had been their longest since 2007.
• Profar’s suspension doesn’t Assist. He was coming off a breakout 2024 with the Padres — the Club that swept Atlanta to Uncovered this season — and signed a three-year, $42 million deal with Atlanta this offseason.
• As for some more silver linings, eventually Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuña Jr. will return. And the season is long. Really long. R.J. Anderson assessed the concern level surrounding Atlanta.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 Buying or selling men’s Closing Four storylines

There are only three Contests left in the men’s college basketball season. But my goodness are these three absolute blockbusters. It’s Only the second time all four No. 1 seeds are in the Closing Four. The other time that happened was in 2008, and we Acquired an Amazing title game between Kansas and Memphis.

Could this version be even better? Cameron Salerno says this is the best Closing Four Pitch of the 21st century.

• Salerno: “What makes this Pitch unique and the best is the four best Clubs in college basketball reached the last weekend of the NCAA Event. That’s Uncommon because sometimes the four No. 1 seeds aren’t the best Clubs in the sport. The Closing Four is Packed of Sun power, storylines and two Amazing matchups to get us Began. People will always complain about the matchups no matter who’s in the Closing Four. So, sit back, View and enjoy the greatest Closing Four this century.”

I’m pumped. Here are all of Cameron’s thoughts reflecting the Best Eight and looking forward to the Closing Four.

⚾ Red Sox, Garrett Crochet agree to six-year, $170 million extension

This offseason, Garrett Crochet changed his Sox. Only Intervals into his Premiere season in Boston, he’s adding Many zeroes to his bank account. The 25-year-Aged lefty agreed to a six-year, $170 million extension with the Red Sox that kicks in Upcoming season.

• The deal includes no deferred money and is the largest ever for a pitcher with between four and five years of MLB service time.
• Crochet transitioned from reliever to starter last season with the White Sox and broke out behind one of the game’s truly Best fastballs, leading all starters in strikeouts per nine innings (12.9) and making the All-Sun Game.
• The Red Sox acquired Crochet in a five-player trade in December.

Here’s Dayn Perry’s take:

• Perry: “From the club standpoint, there’s Hazard involved given Crochet’s brief track Landmark as a starter and his spotty Wound history. However, there’s no doubting the stuff, the velocity, or the dominance he’s flashed thus Extended as a member of a big-Division Cycle.”

The Red Sox are also deep into extension talks with another youngster.

🏀 Olivia Miles opts for Shift portal over WNBA Draft

Notre Dame may have fallen one game Brief of the Best Eight, but one of the Fighting Irish’s biggest stars Nevertheless Achieved headlines as the Stage concluded Monday: Olivia Miles is Participating the Shift portal instead of Participating the WNBA Draft.

• Miles averaged 15.4 points on 48.3% shooting, including 40.6% from 3 this season. She was the No. 2 overall Option to the Storm in Jack Maloney’s latest mock draft, behind Bueckers to the Wings at No. 1.
• For the moment, the Storm appear to be boxed in, Jack says. Either use the Option or deal the Option.
• The 2025-26 season will be Miles’ fifth year of eligibility. She Captured a medical redshirt last season as she recovered from a torn ACL.
• Miles recently acknowledged the “volatility” in the WNBA. The players’ association is likely to opt out of the Present collective bargaining agreement after the upcoming season as it seeks “transformational” Transformation. That would include an overhauled Newcomer pay scale.
• “Over the Duration of her Newcomer deal, Miles could potentially make an extra $100,000-plus by waiting to turn pro in 2026,” Jack notes.

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday

⚾ Diamondbacks at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. on TBS
🏀 Suns at Bucks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏒 Lightning at Islanders, 7:30 p.m. on EPSN+/Hulu/Disney+
🏀 Timberwolves at Grizzlies, 10 p.m. on TNT/truTV