NFL teams didn’t waste any time after free agency kicked off with the league’s legal tampering period opening at noon ET on Monday.

Top free agents like Saquon Barkley, Derrick Henry, Kirk Cousins and Christian Wilkins are among the big names taking their talents elsewhere. But there are still plenty of impact players available — eight-time Pro Bowl tackle Tyron Smith among them.

Will your favorite team land one of the best free agents still available? USA TODAY Sports ranks the top 25 free agents remaining entering Friday. This is our fifth installment.

Player’s old team in parentheses.

1. S Justin Simmons (Broncos)

Is the safety position becoming less important due to the increased amount of short passes? Plenty of safeties are available, but Simmons is at the top. Since entering the NFL in 2016, no player has more interceptions (30).

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2. OT Tyron Smith (Cowboys)

Smith’s been one of the NFL’s best left tackles over the last decade. Father Time is starting to take its toll, but he still only gave up three sacks and 21 pressures in 13 games last season, per Pro Football Focus.

3. WR Mike Williams (Chargers)

Williams has blossomed into one of the NFL’s premier deep threats. He produced 309 catches, 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns in seven seasons with the Chargers. The 6-foot-4 wideout averaged 15.6 yards per catch.

4. DE/OLB Chase Young (49ers)

Young hasn’t taken the next step since his defensive rookie of the year campaign in 2020. The talent is there but consistency is an issue. Young had eight tackles, one sack and two tackles for loss in three playoff games for the 49ers this past season.

5. CB Stephon Gilmore (Cowboys)

The 2019 defensive player of the year stepped up last season, especially when Trevon Diggs (knee) went down for the year. Gilmore will turn 34 years old during the 2024 regular season, but showed last year that he can still play at a high level.

6. DE/OLB Jadeveon Clowney (Ravens)

Clowney had a resurgent year in Baltimore last season. Clowney’s 9.5 sacks tied a career high and his 43 tackles were his most since 2018.

7. S Quandre Diggs (Seahawks)

8. S Julian Blackmon (Colts)

Blackmon started 15 games for the Colts last season. The safety produced 88 tackles and led the team with four interceptions. He allowed a career-low 60.9% completion percentage when targeted.

9. CB Xavien Howard (Dolphins)

Howard’s coverage ability declined a little bit last year. He allowed nearly a 63% completion percentage when targeted, the second-highest rate of his career. But entering his ninth year, Howard is still a starting-caliber corner.

10. CB Tre’Davious White (Bills)

The 29-year-old White is a two-time Pro Bowl selection, but he’s only appeared in 10 games the past two years due to injuries. His 2023 season was cut short due to a torn Achilles.

11. OT Trent Brown (Patriots)

Brown allowed three sacks and 17 pressures in 579 snaps last season. Pro Football Focus gave Brown an 80.2 blocking grade. He has the versatility to play left or right tackle.

12. DL Calais Campbell (Falcons)

The 37-year-old defensive lineman wants to play a 17th season in the NFL. He’s still durable and effective. He started all 17 games for the Falcons and compiled 6.5 sacks last season to move his career total to 105.5.

13. CB Adoree’ Jackson (Giants)

Jackson started 36 games for the Giants the past three seasons. He only has two interceptions in that time, but he did log 23 pass breakups. He can also be used as a return man.

14. S Jamal Adams (Seahawks)

Adams was cut after four underwhelming seasons in Seattle that saw him never start more than 12 games in a year. A change of scenery could be good for the three-time Pro Bowl selection.

15. CB Steven Nelson (Texans)

The well-traveled cornerback has played for four different teams and been a primary starter everywhere he’s been. He has 456 tackles, 13 interceptions and 78 pass breakups in 130 career games.

16. RB J.K. Dobbins (Ravens)

Injuries have marred Dobbins’ career. He tore his Achilles in Week 1 last season and suffered a torn ACL in 2021. The talent is there but his durability is a big concern.

17. G Kevin Zeitler (Ravens)

The 34-year-old isn’t the player he used to be, but he’s been a quality and durable right guard throughout his 12-year career.

18. G Connor Williams (Dolphins)

A torn ACL last season dropped him down this ranking. Williams is capable of playing guard and center.

19. S Jordan Fuller (Rams)

Fuller started all 17 games for the Rams last season. He produced 94 tackles, three interceptions (tied for a career high) and eight pass breakups.

20. WR Odell Beckham (Ravens)

21. WR Tyler Boyd (Bengals)

The most unheralded of the Bengals’ receiving trio, Boyd’s had six straight seasons with 58 catches. He does most of his damage in the slot.

22. S Micah Hyde (Bills)

Hyde was a key piece of Buffalo’s defense for seven years. At 33 years old, though, he doesn’t cover as much ground as he once did.

23. DT Teair Tart (Seahawks)

A prototypical nose tackle. Tart has moments where he flashes and other moments where he doesn’t make much of an impact. He started nine games for Tennessee in 2023.

24. T Donovan Smith (Chiefs)

Smith started at tackle for the Chiefs last season but the defending Super Bowl champs don’t appear eager to bring him back. Penalties were an issue in Kansas City, but he has championship experience.

25. WR Michael Thomas (Saints)

Once regarded as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, Thomas now just struggles to stay on the field. He hasn’t played a full season since 2019. But in 2019, he led the NFL in catches (149, a league record) and receiving yards (1,725).

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray needed two words and three emojis to deliver the most hilarious reaction to Aaron Donald’s retirement on Friday.

“THANK GOD,” Murray wrote, with emojis to signify his joke, about the close calls he encountered as he offered a salute for Donald.

Donald, 32, retired from the Los Angeles Rams on Friday, ending his potential Hall of Fame career with 111 sacks and a Super Bowl ring in 2021.

Donald’s 100th career sack was against Murray, and the Rams even have a video on their YouTube page titled “Highlights: Aaron Donald Sacking Kyler Murray For 1 Minute Straight.”

Murray has a 1-7 record against the Rams, with Donald sacking him 6.5 times — the second-most of any player he sacked behind Russell Wilson.

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Murray followed his hilarious post on X with another tribute for Donald.

“Honored to have competed against the best of All-Time! @AaronDonald97,” Murray wrote. “Enjoy ya retirement and plz don’t come back.”

Mike Vrabel won’t be spending his time on the couch after being let go by the Tennessee Titans. The Akron native will be coming back to Northeast Ohio to work for the team for which he grew up rooting.

The Cleveland Browns are hiring the former Walsh Jesuit High School and Ohio State star as a coaching consultant, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Beacon Journal. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report.

Vrabel was fired by the Titans following this past season after six seasons as their head coach. Tennessee was 54-45 in the regular season, won the AFC South twice and made the AFC playoffs three times in his tenure.

The Titans let Vrabel go after the team went 6-11 this past season, the worst record of his tenure. Tennessee dealt with quarterback issues all season, eventually turning the offense over to rookie second-round pick Will Levis midway through the season.

Vrabel returns to his native Northeast Ohio, where he was a high school star at Walsh Jesuit before graduating in 1994 and becoming a star linebacker at Ohio State. He was inducted this past fall into the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame.

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“Yeah, I grew up a Browns fan,” Vrabel told the Beacon Journal’s Nate Ulrich in September before his induction. “My first NFL game with my dad was in the Dawg Pound and was at Municipal Stadium for the last game (in 1995 before the team moved to Baltimore).

“(Fans) were taking the rows of chairs off and throwing them onto the field. … I grew up wearing the dog bones and all that other stuff, just because football was popular and important where I grew up.”

The opportunity being presented to Vrabel is similar to what he provided Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz from 2021-22 while Schwartz was recovering from a health scare. Vrabel hired Schwartz to serve as a ‘senior defensive assistant,’ and essentially gave Schwartz carte blanche to do as he pleased for the organization.

Schwartz made a point to thank Vrabel publicly during a news conference this past September ahead of the Browns’ Week 3 game against the Titans at Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Browns won the game 27-3.

‘I started feeling a little bit better, got my vision back and a bunch of different things and he invited me to start just like one day a week, and one day turned into two and turned into three and Vrabes never once made it anything about other than do what you feel that you can do,’ Schwartz said. ‘And pretty soon, about six months later, I was pretty much back to normal and pretty much working normal hours, but it was really an honor to be back in that organization. It was an honor to work with guys on the staff.

‘I think I have some lifelong friends on that staff and I’m greatly indebted to Vrabes for what he did and for helping me out. I just hope that I gave as much as I received in those two years.’

Juwan Howard will not return as head coach of the Michigan men’s basketball program for the 2024-25 season.

Michigan AD Warde Manuel has parted ways with Howard after five seasons.

‘After a comprehensive review of the program, I have decided that Juwan will not return as our men’s basketball coach,’ Manuel said in a statement Friday.

‘Juwan is among the greatest Wolverines to ever be associated with our basketball program. I know how much it meant, to not only Juwan, but to all of us for him to return here to lead this program. Despite his love of his alma mater and the positive experience that our student-athletes had under his leadership, it was clear to me that the program was not living up to our expectations and not trending in the right direction. I am thankful for Juwan’s dedication, passion and commitment to U-M and for all that he, and his legacy, will continue to mean to Michigan.’

The Wolverines (8-24, 3-17 Big Ten) just finished a season with the most losses in program history (107 years) and have consecutive years of missed NCAA tournaments for the first time since 1999-2008.

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Michigan was 87-73 under Howard overall, but went just 26-40 the past two seasons. Howard will be paid a $3 million buyout since the firing happened prior to June 30, per his contract.

The decision is not necessarily surprising − Manuel said in late January it’s his job to look beyond any one season and simply make the best decision for the program, whatever that is − though for some it was perplexing that it seemingly was up for debate for so long.

That same day in January, Manuel reminded there once was a wide-held desire from fans to get rid of then-football coach Jim Harbaugh after a down 2020 season, only for him to keep Harbaugh and be rewarded with a national title. Patience prevailed, he said, before he added it’s his job to pay attention to all circumstances at play.

With Harbaugh in 2020, it was a COVID-19 pandemic. Now, with Howard, Manuel cited his open heart surgery.

“I think (patience) is the key with all of our programs,” Manuel said in January. “Juwan is working with the staff, with the team to win, but let’s not discount what personally Juwan has been through. That is also a concern and focus of mine that he is okay and that he’s getting through this.”

Surgery or not, the trend had without question been in the wrong direction. Michigan went 1-10 in the regular season after those comments and finished as the second worst defensive Big Ten team in the past decade.

Of course, that’s a far cry from how the tenure began.

Michigan was poised to make the big dance in Howard’s first season (2019-20), which was cut short by the pandemic as the Wolverines were on the court warming up for a Big Ten Tournament game against Rutgers. The next season appeared to show what was missed out on as Howard and Michigan reached new heights when they won the Big Ten Championship and earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The former ‘Fab Five’ star was named 2021 AP Coach of the Year as his team finished one possession away from the final weekend of the season before it suffered a 51-49 Elite Eight loss to UCLA.

However instead of that being a normal occurrence, it proved to be an outlier as the high water mark of the tenure. Michigan went 45-55 in 100 games the past three seasons, and lost more games in each successive season for four straight years.

After a 29-12 start to his career, Howard finished 59-59 in his final 118 games.

Following the Elite Eight trip, Michigan opened the year in 2021-22 ranked No. 6 in America and soon was ranked as high as No. 4 in the country, before a months-long stumble. Howard’s team was 6-3 in early December after a win over Nebraska, then went 11-11 the rest of the way to finish 17-14 on the regular season.

Even beyond losses on the court, Michigan’s program under Howard had seemingly lost cabin pressure in a number of capacities. First, his own behavior. It started in 2021, when he had to be physically restrained on the court during the second half of a Big Ten tournament game after he charged at then-Maryland coach Mark Turgeon and was subsequently ejected.

Fast-forward a year and it was his most serious infraction, in mid-Februrary of 2022 when he smacked Wisconsin assistant staffer Joe Krabbenhoft in the face during a skirmish in the postgame handshake line; he was suspended the final five regular season games of the year, fined $40,000 and put on a zero tolerance policy.

Then, there was this year, in early December − before he was officially reinstated as acting head coach from when he stepped away from heart surgery −when Howard and long time strength & conditioning coach Jon Sanderson got into an altercation.

It followed a back-and-forth where Sanderson had told a frustrated senior forward Jace Howard to stop berating a trainer, which led to the elder Howard coming toward and yelling at Sanderson, who stood his ground and yelled back per documents obtained by The Athletic.

Sanderson filed an HR complaint and was moved elsewhere in the athletic department, before he resigned earlier this month.

A person with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press the policy was not violated because there was ‘nothing that warranted’ any further punishment once HR did its own investigation and deemed nothing was physical in nature.

This is not to mention other shortcomings, like how with all the support given to players around the program, point guard and leading scorer Dug McDaniel still managed to be suspended for six away games due to academic progress issues, which played no small part in torpedoing the season.

The Wolverines have gone to two national championships in the past dozen years. It’s a program, that when done right, has that kind of punch and reach. However it’s also one that if not nurtured properly can fall into irrelevancy.

Michigan went from five straight Sweet 16s to the cellar in just 24 months and now that there’s a new look Big Ten, perhaps there’s one more question that’s worth asking that hadn’t been in some time.

Is Michigan basketball even a premier job? Manuel will have to sell someone it is.

If state and local officials are going to hand out money for sports construction projects, it’s high time women’s teams had a place in that line.

At the front of it, preferably.

Men’s teams have been getting public subsidies for decades, so much so some are now on their second and third go-rounds. Women’s teams, meanwhile, haven’t even been part of the conversation. This despite the NWSL kicking off its 12th season Saturday and the WNBA deep into its third decade.

“The reality is, we are doing this and only doing this for men. Men get these giant facilities built for them … and it gives men these huge advantages,” said David Berri, a professor of economics at Southern Utah University and co-author of the upcoming “Slaying the Trolls: Why the Trolls are Very, Very Wrong About Women and Sports.”

“If we’re going to be doing this for men, we should be doing it for women.”

Set aside the question of whether multi-millionaires and billionaires deserve to have the public build their sports palaces for them. Despite all the studies showing these projects don’t generate nearly the jobs or economic boon owners claim they will, politicians long ago decided arenas and stadiums are a fine use of taxpayer dollars and that’s not likely to change.

So if public money is going to be doled out, it is only right women’s teams get a fair share of it, too.

“We are just asking for the same opportunity to have this investment and grow the game,” said Karen Leetzow, president of the Chicago Red Stars. “There’s a lot of opportunity for us to bring attention to the city of Chicago, but it can’t be done without a facility that provides the women a quality playing environment.”

This isn’t some random thought exercise by Leetzow and Red Stars owner Laura Ricketts.

When Rickets bought the team last fall, she acknowledged a new home was needed for the team after its lease in suburban Bridgeview expires in 2025. SeatGeek Stadium is, to put it nicely, geographically undesirable. It’s a torturous drive from both the city and north and western suburbs even when there’s not traffic, and it’s not easily accessible via public transportation.

The Red Stars also don’t control their own schedule or rake in the ancillary revenues because they don’t own the building.

As Rickets and Leetzow were exploring options, the Bears and White Sox were both lobbying state and local officials for public money to build new stadiums. This despite taxpayers not being done paying for their current ones!

“I was like, `Hold on. Wait a minute.’ To me, it’s a fundamental tenet of what we’re facing in women’s sports, a lack of investment,” Leetzow said. “It just seemed obvious that if there was going to be public funding for men’s teams, we ought to have a seat at the table because we are already 100 years behind.”

You can make the argument women actually need it more than men’s teams, given the WNBA and NWSL have spent their entire existences playing on someone else’s turf. When the Kansas City Current opens CPKC Stadium on Saturday, it will be the first stadium ever built specifically for a women’s professional team.

That’s right. Ever.

Those who live to knock down women’s sports will say men’s teams deserve public funding because they make money. But owning their own stadiums and arenas is a large reason why they do. If a team owns or controls its building, it gets the money from naming rights and other sponsors. Parking. Concessions. Merchandise. It can let others use the building — like, say, for a Taylor Swift show — and collect the revenue from those events, as well.

Do you really think the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball would be where they are now without these cash cows their teams call home? If stadiums and arenas aren’t a significant source of the revenue for men’s teams, then why are they all so eager for shiny new digs or to spruce up the ones they currently have?

“You could almost look at it as men’s teams got their seed funding from public sources. It’s allowed for them to have all those things: control over revenue streams, control over their schedule, (flexibility) with broadcasters. None of that has ever been available to women’s teams,” NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said.

“Then we say, `Oh it’s 2024 and let’s compare.’ It hasn’t been a level playing field.”

Now, some men’s team owners have built their own Taj Mahals. Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke splashed out $5 billion on SoFi Stadium. Steve Ballmer built the Los Angeles Clippers a $2 billion arena.

Kansas City Current owners Angie and Chris Long went that route, financing all but about $6 million of the team’s new $117 million stadium themselves. The public money, in the form of tax credits for infrastructure improvements, became necessary when the cost of the project ballooned.

The Longs and co-owners Brittany and Patrick Mahomes also shelled out their own cash on the Current’s $18 million practice facility, which opened in June 2022.  

But that shouldn’t be the expectation. Because it’s never been for men’s teams.

“I hope that equity isn’t something that causes a backlash,” Leetzow said. “I hope it’s the opposite, that there’s a recognition that we’ve never asked for this before. And if you’re going to give anyone money, it ought to be those that haven’t had the opportunity (for it) previously.”

Cities and states have long seen men’s teams as worthwhile public investments. There’s no reason they should see women’s teams any differently.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

Last week, South Carolina’s MiLaysia Fulwiley was named the Southeastern Conference tournament MVP, as the Gamecocks continued their undefeated campaign.

Now she is the first college player to sign with the Curry Brand through Under Armour.

The 5-foot-10 freshman from Columbia, South Carolina will wear Curry Brand footwear on the court for the remainder of her Gamecocks playing days, according to the company’s announcement. Off the court, she will be a brand ambassador. Fulwiley will have the support of Curry Brand and Under Armour to grow the game of basketball in her hometown and continue the grassroots work she has already started in the community.

‘It feels incredible to be picked to represent Curry Brand,’ Fulwiley said in a statement. ‘Knowing that I can be a role model for other young girls to come out here and do exactly what I did is amazing.’ 

Fulwiley had 24 points in the championship game against Louisiana State and averaged 11 points per game during the regular season. She was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman team.

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Fulwiley was the 13th-ranked recruit coming out of high school, where she played six seasons of varsity basketball beginning in seventh grade. She won four state titles at W.J. Keenan High School and was also a McDonald’s All-American.

‘When it comes to the ability to change the game for good, nobody can speak to that more than MiLaysia,’ Curry said in a statement ‘She’s changing the women’s game on the fly with how she plays and moves on the court. She has a unique style and flow to her game that I don’t think many people have seen in a long time. … I’m humbled that she is now a part of the family.’  

Fulwiley will make her Curry Brand debut during the opening round of the women’s NCAA tournament. South Carolina is expected to be the No. 1 overall seed and is a favorite reach the Final Four for a fourth straight year.

How interesting things have gotten in the Big East.

Providence and St. John’s went into New York City in need of solid performances to prove they belong in the men’s NCAA Tournament, especially with both squads projected to be among the first teams out in the latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology prediction.

The Friars and Red Storm stepped up.

Providence shut down Creighton in the first half and held off a second half rally from the Bluejays to get the biggest win of the day for bubble teams. That came after St. John’s impressively beat Seton Hall 91-72 in the afternoon for its sixth-straight win.

When it comes to being on the outside looking in, getting any impressive win will boost tournament stock regardless of what happens to the team in better position. Now with big wins in quarterfinals of the Big East tournament, Providence and St. John’s have changed the trajectory of the bubble.

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Some teams didn’t have as great days as Providence and St. John’s on Thursday, with several big games for bubble teams taking place in conference tournaments. As a result, contenders for an NCAA Tournament spot either saw their chances drastically rise or fall on what was the biggest day to make a case to be in the field of 68. Spot will be clinched. Spots will be taken away.

Here are the winners and losers from Thursday.

WINNERS

Michigan State

You can’t have March without Izzo.

Michigan State’s season hasn’t lived up to high preseason expectations, but it’ll be just enough to get in the bracket, with the Spartans set to appear in their 26th-straight NCAA Tournament after defeating Minnesota in the second round of the Big Ten tournament. It was close for a majority of the game, but Michigan State pulled away with a 15-2 run in the second half as it had an effective game shooting 55.6% from the field. 

Projected to be a No. 9 seed, Michigan State likely would’ve been safe even with a disappointing loss to the Golden Gophers. But the victory ensures Tom Izzo will extend the active Division I lead for consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. When the Spartans hear their name on Selection Sunday, it will be two short of tying Kansas’ all-time Division I record.

Mississippi State

It looked like LSU had Mississippi State all figured out. 

The Bulldogs were held without a field goal in the final seven minutes of the first half. Josh Hubbard, Mississippi State’s leading scorer, had 10 points, but made only one field goal in the first 20 minutes as LSU led by seven.

Then Chris Jans let the dogs out.

LSU suddenly had no answer for Mississippi State’s offense. Hubbard scored 14 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, and the Bulldogs shot 51% in the second half while dominating the boards to beat the Tigers, 70-60.

It was a rough end to the regular season with four-straight losses for Mississippi State, which resulted in it falling in last four in territory. A loss against LSU would’ve pushed the Bulldogs out of the projected field, but now Jans’ team can breathe a little easier. They aren’t out of the woods just yet, with Tennessee awaiting Mississippi State in the SEC quarterfinals. But the Bulldogs are in – for now.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has lots of work to do to be an NCAA Tournament team, but it stayed alive by beating Wake Forest in a virtual bubble elimination game in the ACC quarterfinals. 

The Panthers have one of the best scorers in the conference in Blake Hinson, but the star of Thursday was Ishmael Leggett. Coming off the bench, Leggett put Pittsburgh on his back with a season-high 30 points – 19 of which came in the second half – on 11-for-18 shooting. He was a big piece of the Panthers outsourcing Wake Forest in bench points 39-0 in a wire-to-wire win. He also closed the game scoring 12 of Pittsburgh’s last 20 points to seal the victory.

The Panthers should now jump the Demon Deacons in the first teams out list. It’s not a projected spot, but it’s a better position than being completely out if they lost. If Pittsburgh wants to get into the conversation for an NCAA Tournament spot, it’ll have to beat red hot North Carolina on Friday.

Ohio State

Resurgent Ohio State continues to rise up the bubble by taking out another Big Ten hopeful in Iowa with a wire-to-wire 90-78 win in the second round of the conference tournament.

The Buckeyes got a strong second half performance from Jamison Battle, with the senior forward scoring all of his 23 points in the final 20 minutes. That performance kept Iowa from ever making it a close game.

Ohio State has won five in a row and six of its last seven, including a victory of Purdue, so it certainly has the making of a tournament team. Jake Diebler has done a fantastic job turning this team around, but there’s still work to be done to cap off an amazing run with an NCAA Tournament spot. With Illinois on tap on Friday, Ohio State must win to have a realistic shot.

Virginia

Virginia can breathe a sigh of relief after it kept its tournament hopes alive with an overtime win over Boston College. 

The Cavaliers were shaky to start the game, but in true Virginia fashion, the defense stepped up to make life difficult for the Eagles. But Boston College stayed in it, and Mason Madsen drilled a 3-pointer in the final seconds to send the game to overtime. This time, Virginia’s defense didn’t give Boston College a chance; a 3-pointer in the final minute marked the Eagles’ only points of overtime.

A loss surely would’ve put Virginia outside of the tournament field, but instead UVA may have secured a tournament spot, pending what other teams do Friday. Regardless, the Cavaliers can assure themselves a ticket if they can beat NC State in the ACC tournament semifinals.

Colorado

The first half was odd in the battle of Pac-12 mountain schools, but Colorado should be in the NCAA Tournament for good after a strong second-half performance in a 72-58 win against Utah that advances the Buffaloes to the conference tournament semifinals.

KJ Simpson has been the leader during Colorado’s late-season surge, and he was able to make some big 3-pointers in the second half to give the Buffaloes the victory. Colorado’s shooting was great while Utah couldn’t hit anything, shooting 32.8% from the field, including an atrocious 1-for-14 performance behind the arc in the final 20 minutes.

Now winners of seven straight, Colorado shouldn’t have to worry about being in the bracket — and might not even have to worry about playing in the First Four. There were concerns the Pac-12 would only send two teams to the NCAA Tournament, but Colorado should make it three.

LOSERS

Wake Forest

Consider Wake Forest the first bubble team to be eliminated from NCAA Tournament contention after faltering to Pittsburgh to cap off a disappointing end for the Demon Deacons.

Wake Forest fell behind Pittsburgh in the first half and the deficit grew to as much as 19 with 13 minutes left in the game. The Demon Deacons showed life by cutting it to a three-point game in the final five minutes, but that momentum didn’t last toward the end of the game. Wake Forest ended the game shooting 1-for-6 while Pittsburgh capitalized with easy buckets to secure the win. 

Just a few weeks ago, Wake Forest beat Pittsburgh and Duke and looked like an NCAA Tournament team. But then it lost three in a row with bad losses to Notre Dame and Georgia Tech. The poor finish meant the Demon Deacons needed at least two wins to stay alive, but with only one win before losing to another bubble team, Wake Forest’s hopes of going dancing are gone. Instead, Wake will have to decide if it wants to be in the NIT.

Seton Hall

SetonHall entered the Big East tournament in good standing and not too worried about missing the NCAA Tournament. Now, the Pirates will have to worry about playing in Dayton after it got dominated by St. John’s.

It looked like Seton Hall wasn’t all that interested in boosting its resume on Thursday, with St. John’s blowing past the Pirates throughout the day. The Pirates had moments where it looked like it would cut a double-digit deficit in the second half, but then mistakes would show up and the Red Storm would end up extending the lead further. In the second half, Seton Hall shot 37.9% from the field and was an abysmal 1-for-9 from 3-point land.

The consensus is that Seton Hall is a tournament team, but with a one-and-done showing in the Big East tournament, the Pirates can only watch teams jump them on the seed line, and that could easily result in Seton Hall playing in the First Four and dropping to an 11-seed.

Iowa

Iowa had a solid run, but it will fall short of the NCAA Tournament after it wasn’t able to pick up a win in the Big Ten tournament.

Iowa couldn’t keep up with Ohio State’s hot shooting, making only 41.9% of its shots while the Buckeyes were 51.7% shooting. Defensively, Iowa didn’t do much.

The Hawkeyes had risen to a first four out team, but obviously needed to make an impression in the Big Ten tournament after they couldn’t beat Illinois in the regular season finale. It was a good fight, it just won’t be enough.

Villanova

If Villanova knew it would limit Oso Ighodaro to just one field goal, it probably would have thought it would emerge with a win. But the stout senior for Marquette made the dagger shot that gave the Golden Eagles an overtime win and leaves the Wildcats with an uncertain future heading into Selection Sunday.

Marquette looked like it would pull away from Villanova in the second half, but the Wildcats stormed back to tie it up in the final seconds. Marquette looked to have won on a last-second shot, but it was barely late and the game went to overtime. In the final seconds of the extra period, Ighodaro made his only field goal to extend the lead and secure the win.

Coming off a shaky win against DePaul, Villanova desperately needed to win Thursday, like several other Big East bubble teams did. But it didn’t. Villanova will go home without any impressive wins and now, its fate hangs in the balance.

Villanova may just not hear its name called when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed.

There is no disputing that the starpower of Shohei Ohtani extends across the globe – and is perhaps most prevalent in Asia.

Video posted to social media showed massive crowds gathered at the airport in Seoul, South Korea as the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger (and pitcher) arrived ahead of Opening Day next week.

Ohtani was also making his first public appearance with his wife, who has since been identified as Mamiko Tanaka.

With security surrounding him, Tanaka strolled through the airport as adorers screamed and cameras snapped. Tanaka walked a few paces behind him.

On Feb. 29, Ohtani disclosed via an Instagram post that he had married during the offseason but did not reveal his spouse’s name. The Dodgers posted a photo that included Tanaka, along with Dodgers teammate and fellow countryman Yoshinobu Yamamoto, on Thursday. Japanese news outlets immediately recognized it was Tanaka, 27, a former basketball player.

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Ohtani and the Dodgers begin the 2024 season on March 20 against the San Diego Padres in MLB’s first-ever contests in South Korea. He signed a record 10-year, $700 million deal with the team last year.