As the NBA regular season enters its final month, the anticipation for the playoffs is reaching a fever pitch. The playoff picture is starting to take shape as teams secure their postseason berths, setting the stage for an exhilarating postseason.

With the season concluding April 13, the top six teams from the Western and Eastern conferences will secure their playoff spots. All eyes will be on the play-in tournament, during which teams ranked seventh to 10th will battle it out for a chance to continue their postseason journey. The top two teams in each conference will complete the eight-team bracket within their respective conferences, with the playoffs beginning April 19.

Three teams have already secured their spots in the playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers have already clinched their division and boast the NBA’s best record. while the Boston Celtics are in pursuit of their 19th championship. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the best in the West and striving for their first title with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the charge.

Here are the current NBA power rankings according to championship odds are we head into the final weeks of the season.

NBA power rankings according to odds

Here are the updated NBA power rankings according to championship odds at BetMGM.

5. Denver Nuggets (+1200)

The Denver Nuggets have a few weeks to improve their position in the postseason standings, and with Nikola Jokic leading the charge anything is possible. Although Jokic is dealing with ankle and elbow injuries, he has stated that he is playing the best basketball of his life. He is averaging 29.1 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game. With the support of Jamal Murray, the Nuggets aim to perform well in the final stretch of the season to secure a favorable playoff spot.

4. Los Angeles Lakers (+1000)

The injury-ridden Los Angeles Lakers find themselves in a challenging position as they head into the final weeks of the regular season. LeBron James has been ruled out due to a groin strain he sustained in early March, but he continues to make progress in hopes of returning soon. He is not the only Lakers player affected by an injury; Austin Reaves is dealing with a calf injury, Luka Doncic also has a calf injury, and Rui Hachimura is sidelined for at least a week due to a knee injury.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers (+500)

The Cleveland Cavaliers are finishing the regular season on a high note, having set a franchise record with 16 consecutive victories. They find themselves in a strong position as they head into the playoffs, as they were the first team to secure a playoff spot and could potentially become the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since the 2015-16 season, when they won the championship.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (+225)

The Oklahoma City Thunder have secured a playoff spot after a close victory against the defending champions, the Boston Celtics. They are now aiming to clinch the top seed in the Western Conference for the second consecutive season. The Thunder are led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a front-runner for the MVP award who is having an outstanding season, averaging 33 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.

1. Boston Celtics (+215)

The defending champions, the Boston Celtics, are pursuing their 19th title after securing a postseason berth. With this achievement, the Celtics extend the league’s longest active streak for consecutive playoff appearances to 12 seasons. They clinched a playoff spot even without their star center, Kristaps Porzingis, who had been sidelined for eight games due to illness. Fortunately for the Celtics, Porzingis has now returned to the lineup.

Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will take on Atlanta United on Apple TV’s Sunday Night Soccer at 7 tonight.

It will be a rematch from a first-round matchup of last year’s MLS Cup playoffs, which saw Atlanta oust Inter Miami – the Supporters’ Shield winners that year.

Messi traveled with Inter Miami to Atlanta, but it’s unclear whether he will start or come off the bench during the Eastern Conference match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Inter Miami coach Javier Mascherano said the club helped Messi avoid a possible injury with his three-game layoff to begin the month, before he returned to action last Thursday in the second half of their Concacaf Champions Cup game against Jamaica Cavalier FC.

‘The idea was that he play 30-35 minutes in Jamaica to have good feelings again. In the end, we were able to find the time to do it well,” Mascherano said Saturday. ‘We tried to take away from the overload Messi had, so that it wouldn’t go further than that. We tried to handle it in the best way.

‘Luckily, we were able to control it and it didn’t turn into an injury or much more. … He’s better and we decided to start giving him minutes. There’s no secret in this.”

How to watch Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami match on Sunday?

The match be will be available to watch on Apple TV+ or MLS Season Pass.

What time does Atlanta United play Inter Miami on Sunday?

The match begins at 7 p.m. ET (8 p.m. in Argentina).

Is Messi playing tonight in Atlanta?

An official word is expected when Inter Miami announces its starting lineup about an hour before the match begins.

How did Messi fare in his last time out?

Messi appeared healthy and aggressive, as his run behind a line of defenders and chip shot in front of the goalkeeper in the 92nd minute helped Inter Miami advance past Cavalier 4-0 on aggregate score in the Champions Cup round-of-16 matchup.

How much time has Messi missed this season?

It was Messi’s first game since Feb. 25, when he helped Inter Miami dispatch Sporting Kansas City in the Champions Cup first round.

Messi did not travel to Inter Miami’s 4-1 win against the Houston Dynamo on March 2, and did not play in Inter Miami’s first leg against Cavalier FC on March 6. He was expected to come off the bench in Inter Miami’s 1-0 win against Charlotte on March 9, but did not want to risk Messi while playing with 10 players after an early red card.

Messi predominately played in three matches during a six-day stretch from Feb. 19-25, and eight matches in a 40-day span from Jan. 18 to Feb. 14, which included five preseason matches to start the year.

Messi to join Argentine national team for FIFA window

After the Atlanta match, Messi is expected to join the Argentine national team for two matches: Argentina visits Uruguay on March 21, then Argentina hosts Brazil on March 25.

Inter Miami returns to MLS action at home on March 29, hosting Philadelphia Union.

Inter Miami will visit LAFC to play the first leg of their quarterfinal matchup in the Champions Cup on April 2, host Toronto FC in a regular-season game on April 6, then host LAFC in the second leg of their Champions Cup matchup on April 9.

MEDLEY, Fla. — The Unrivaled women’s basketball league postseason begins Sunday night with two semifinal games to decide which clubs will play for the inaugural championship title.

Chelsea Gray and the No. 2 seed Rose will play without Unrivaled defensive player of the year Angel Reese (hand) against Kayla McBride, Alyssa Thomas and the No. 3 Laces in the first seminal game.

Napheesa Collier, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Alisha Gray and the No. 1 seed Lunar Owls will face Rhyne Howard, Dearica Hamby and the No. 4 seed Vinyl in the second seminal.

The winners of both games will advance to the Unrivaled championship game Monday night. Each player on the championship club will earn $50,000.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Unrivaled playoffs Sunday night:

What time does Unrivaled playoff games begin Sunday?

The Rose and Laces will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET, while the Lunar Owls and Vinyl will begin at 8:30 p.m.

How to watch Unrivaled playoff games?

Unrivaled games are available on TNT and TruTV, and available to live stream on Max in the United States.

When is the Unrivaled championship game?

The Unrivaled title game will be on Monday night at 7:30 p.m.

Angel Reese injured, won’t play in Unrivaled playoffs

Reese, of the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, won’t play in Sunday’s game for the Rose after injuring her surgically-repaired left hand during the Unrivaled regular-season finale last Monday.

It’s unclear whether she would be available to play if the Rose advance to the championship game. Reese did appear to participate in some capacity during Rose practice while wearing a brace.

Rose vs. Laces preview

The Rose won the season series 2-1, but they’ve seen three different versions of the Laces this season. Now, the Laces will see a different version of the Rose without Reese in action.

The Laces are led by Kayla McBride and Alyssa Thomas, while Jackie Young (illness) is questionable to play. The Rose will be led by Chelsea Gray, Azura Stevens and Lexie Hull.

Lunar Owls vs. Vinyl preview

The Lunar Owls started the season 8-0 before their only defeat to the Rose on Feb. 21. They have been Unrivaled’s best team with a 13-1 record, and the highest scoring offense in the league (80.7 ppg).

The Vinyl has two of the Top 5 Unrivaled scorers in Rhyne Howard (20.5 ppg) and Dearica Hamby (19.9 ppg), while Arike Ogunbowale has averaged 14.8 points in her last four games since returning from a leg injury.

Unrivaled end of season awards

Napheesa Collier, Chelsea Gray and Kayla McBride were named First Team All-Unrivaled, while Rhyne Howard, Angel Reese and Skylar Diggins-Smith were named Second-Team All-Unrivaled on Thursday.

Lunar Owls coach DJ Sackmann won Unrivaled Coach of the Year on Friday.

Reese earned Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year honors on Saturday.

The Unrivaled Most Valuable Player award will be announced on Sunday with Collier as a favorite to win.

McLaren’s Lando Norris held off reigning world champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing to win an incident-filled, season-opening Australian Grand Prix on Sunday in Melbourne.

Starting on the pole, Norris crossed the finish line at 1:42.06.304 seconds, just 0.895 of a second ahead of Verstappen to complete a race that was affected by both rain and a number of crashes.

‘It was amazing,’ Norris said following his fifth career win. ‘A tough race, especially with Max behind me. I was pushing, especially the last two laps were a little bit stressful, but an amazing way to start the year.’

Norris endured an anxious moment after he and teammate Oscar Piastri both slid onto the grass, resulting in Verstappen capturing the lead after Norris pitted.

‘A tough one because we went off, made some big mistakes and went through the gravel and did a lot of damage,’ the British Norris said. ‘It was just tricky conditions, but these are the ones that are enjoyable and fun and unpredictable, but this time we got it right and we ended up on top, so I’m very happy.’

Mercedes drivers George Russell (8.481 seconds behind Norris) and Italian teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli (10.135 seconds) finished third and fourth, respectively, and Williams driver Alex Albon (12.773 seconds) rounded out the top five. Antonelli initially was handed a five-second penalty by the stewards for an unsafe release, however the penalty was overturned after Mercedes appealed the decision.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton finished in 10th place in his Ferrari debut.

‘I’m grateful to finish, at least I got one point,’ Hamilton said. ‘Overall, not what I was hoping for, but there was so much to get accustomed to, to get used to, with all the switch settings and changes that they (the team) were throwing at you (over the radio).

‘Then just the balance of the car … It was really very, very tricky — really, really tricky today. I think we can improve that in the next race, hopefully, and get the car in a sweeter spot. I think there’s a lot more potential in the car than what we were able to extract today.’

Hamilton shocked the Formula 1 world when he signed with the iconic Italian team in February 2024 before closing out his historic 12-year run with Mercedes.

With March Madness just a few days away, it’s finally time for the brackets to be revealed. So get out your printable brackets, your favorite pen, and your lucky charm because it’s never been a better year to create the first perfect bracket in history.

If you want to be one of the first to see the full bracket though, you’ll have to watch tonight’s Selection Sunday show. Both the men’s and women’s tournaments will be fully revealed on television, so anyone looking for an edge, perhaps a little more time to dissect the matchups and figure out which upsets are most likely, will definitely want to tune in.

Here’s everything to know about tonight’s NCAA Tournament selection show.

How to watch men’s Selection Sunday show

Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV Channel: CBS
Stream: Paramount+, Max, Fubo, Sling

Stream Selection Sunday with a Sling subscription

Will the women’s bracket be revealed?

Yes. The women’s bracket will be revealed tonight after the men’s bracket. That said, unlike the men’s bracket, the women’s bracket will be revealed on ESPN rather than CBS.

How to watch women’s Selection Sunday show

Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV Channel: ESPN
Stream: ESPN+, Fubo

ESPN announcer Dick Vitale got emotional as he reflected on his cancer battle while calling the Duke-Louisville ACC championship game on Saturday night.

Since being treated for melanoma in 2021, Vitale, 85, has been diagnosed with and treated for lymphoma, pre-cancerous dysplasia, ulcerous lesions, a lymph node on his neck and cancer that was discovered on his vocal cords. He posted recently that he underwent five major surgeries on his vocal cords, 65 radiation treatments and six months of chemotherapy.

After being declared cancer-free, returned to the booth on Feb. 8 for the first time in nearly two years.

The Hall of Famer, though, said Saturday this was his last broadcast this season but he hopes to return next season.

‘It’s a miracle, really, to sit here with you guys,’ he said of Dave O’Brien and Cory Alexander. ‘I can’t tell you how much it meant to me. It’s been unbelievable.

‘It’s been tough for years. Those four cancer battles, I don’t wish on anybody. Cancer sucks, I’ll tell you this, anybody battling cancer, please listen, ‘Think positively, always, and have faith and believe.’ And if there’s a person who knows someone with cancer, send them a text message. Make a phone call. The bottom line, it means so much.

‘I know it meant a lot to me in my darkest moment when I was in the hospital doing chemo and I had a bad, bad day. Man, it was a tough, tough time, and I had to stay overnight. My family left and I ended up crying like crazy and the nurse came in and she cheered me up. And I went to my phone and on my phone were messages from all over the country.’

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

It turns out that Duke men’s basketball is more than freshman sensation Cooper Flagg.

Without the likely No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, the Blue Devils defeated Louisville 73-62 in the ACC tournament championship game on Saturday at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Duke overcame a five-point first-half deficit to outscore the Cardinals 40-24 in the second half.

Watch Duke vs. Louisville live with Fubo (free trial)

Tyrese Proctor led Duke with 19 points on six 3-pointers, a new career-high. Kon Knueppel added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Sion James finished with 15 points.

The Blue Devils limited Louisville to 25.7% shooting in the second half, despite a 29-point effort from Terrence Edwards Jr. Chucky Hepburn was limited to 14 points on 5 of 16 shooting.

Duke has won a league-best 23 conference tournament championships, including two in the last three seasons. The Cardinals, who joined the ACC in 2014, have never won an ACC tournament. Duke leads the all-time series 17-9 vs. Louisville, including seven consecutive wins.

Duke and Louisville each earned double-byes in the tournament after finishing as the top two teams in the conference during the regular season. The Blue Devils defeated Georgia Tech (78-70) and North Carolina (74-71), while the Cardinals have wins over Stanford (75-73) and No. 10 Clemson (76-73) to advance to the championship.

The Blue Devils have won a league-best 22 conference tournament championships, including in 2023. The Cardinals, which joined the ACC in 2014, have never won an ACC tournament.

Check out all the scores, updates and highlights from the Duke-Louisville ACC basketball tournament championship game:

Duke vs Louisville score updates

This section will be updated when the game begins.

Duke vs Louisville live updates

Final: Duke 73, Louisville 62

Duke wins ACC tournament championship

Duke is the ACC tournament champion for the 23rd time in program history. The Blue Devils outscored Louisville 40-24 in the second half to pull out a 73-62 win despite being without freshman sensation Cooper Flagg.

With the win and Auburn’s loss to Tennessee in the SEC tournament semifinal, the Blue Devils could have clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Duke is dominating without Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg might be the best player in the nation. But his absence has not stopped the Blue Devils from dominating the second half of the ACC championship game. Duke leads 68-55 with 4:05 left at the final media timeout.

Duke has outscored Louisville 35-17 in the second half. The Cardinals are shooting 6 of 26 (23.1%) in the second half.

Duke in complete control of ACC championship game

The Blue Devils hold an 11-point lead at 62-51 with 7:56 left at the under-8 media timeout. After allowing Louisville to shoot 55% from the field in the first half, the Cardinals have been limited to 23.8% in the second half.

Tyrese Proctor has three second-half 3-pointers and six for the game, which is a career high. He leads Duke with 18 points. Terrence Edwards continues to lead all scorers with 24 points. The rest of the Cardinals have only 27 points. 

Duke on 12-0 run, lead by double digits

Tyrese Proctor is finding his stroke and now the Duke run is at 12-0. The Blue Devils hold the largest lead of the game at 57-47 with 11:08 left in the game. 

Duke is shooting 9 of 20 from 3-point range and has hit four in the second half.

Duke retakes control of ACC championship game

The Blue Devils have their biggest lead of the game at 52-47 with 12:23 left in the game following a 7-0 run. Sion James hit a 3-pointer to push the lead to five and force a Louisville timeout. James is up to 13 points, with 10 coming in the second half.

Duke has outscored Louisville 19-9 in the second half.

Sion James ties the game at 45

With 14:28 left in the championship game, it’s tied 45-45 after Sion James hits a 3-pointer. Louisville’s five-point halftime lead is gone. The game has now featured eight lead changes and seven ties.

Halftime: Louisville 38, Duke 33

Louisville leads Duke at halftime of ACC tournament championship game

The Cardinals ended the first half on a 7-0 run and holds a 38-33 halftime lead. Terrence Edwards Jr. has 15 points to lead all scorers on 6 of 12 shooting and is 3 of 5 from 3-point range. The Cardinals are shooting 55.2% from the field and 41.7% from 3-point range.

Duke is shooting 42.9% from the field and ended the first half on a scoring drought of two minutes and 15 seconds. Despite leading for 12 minutes of the first half, the Blue Devils’ largest lead was just two points.

Louisville takes largest lead of first half

A 7-0 run by Louisville forces Duke to call a timeout with 22 seconds remaining in the half. The Cardinals have their largest lead of the game at 38-33. Terrence Edwards Jr. is up to 15 points.

Terrence Edwards Jr. ties game with 3-pointer

Louisville’s Terrence Edwards hits a 3-pointer to even the score 28-28. We have reached the under-4 media timeout with both teams playing each other even so far.

Edwards has a game-high 10 points. Tyrese Proctor leads the Blue Devils with nine points, all of them coming on 3-pointers. Both teams have shot a combined five free throws through the first 16-plus minutes.

Duke leading for most of first half

Duke has continued to lead for much of the first half and holds a 23-21 lead with 7:43 left in the first half at the under-8 timeout. Duke is shooting 50% from the field, while Louisville is shooting 56.3%. The Cardinals have turned the ball over six times, however.

Noah Waterman called for a flagrant-1 foul

Louisville’s Noah Waterman is called for a flagrant foul after running into Patrick Ngongba. The foul on Waterman was elevated after a review.

Duke maintains lead over Louisville

Noah Waterman called for a flagrant-one foul

Louisville’s Noah Waterman is called for a flagrant foul after running into Patrick Ngongba. The foul on Waterman was elevated after a review.

Isaiah Evans has knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and the Blue Devils lead 17-15 at the under-12 media timeout with 11:51 left in the first half. Hepburn still leads the way with seven points for Louisville.

The Cardinals have already turned the ball over three times and allowed five points off them. Louisville is shooting 60% from the field early on, while Duke is at 50%.

Duke jumps out to an early lead

Duke leads 8-7 at the first media timeout with 15:47 left in the first half. Khaman Maluach has a pair of dunks for the Blue Devils. Chucky Hepburn has all seven points so far for the Cardinals. 

Pregame

Starting lineups for Duke, Louisville in ACC tournament championship game

Here’s a look at the starting lineups for both Duke and Louisville in the ACC tournament championship game:

Duke

G: Isaiah Evans
G: Tyrese Proctor
G: Kon Knueppel
G: Sion James
C: Khaman Maluach

Louisville:

G: J’Vonne Hadley
G: Terrence Edwards Jr.
G: Chucky Hepburn
F: James Scott
F: Noah Waterman

Cooper Flagg injury update

Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg is out for today’s ACC championship game after sustaining an ankle injury against Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals. Duke is hopeful, however, that Flagg will be healthy for the NCAA tournament, as NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball Dan Gavitt told CBS Sports.

‘What we understand from communication with Duke and the ACC is that Cooper Flagg will be available for the NCAA Tournament,’ Gavitt said to CBS. ‘So, don’t expect that to impact their seeding. He is not the only significant injury we are tracking. … player availability is always a concern and a consideration.’

Duke vs Louisville time today

Date: Saturday, March 15 
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET 
Location: Spectrum Center (Charlotte, N.C.)

The 2025 men’s ACC basketball tournament championship game between the Blue Devils and Cardinals will be played at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Saturday, March 15.

What channel is Duke vs Louisville game on today?

TV channel: ESPN
Streaming options: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)

The 2025 men’s ACC tournament championship game between Duke and Louisville will be broadcast on ESPN. Streaming options include the ESPN app (with a TV login) and Fubo, which carries the ESPN family of networks and offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Duke vs Louisville history

Series record: Duke leads, 16-9
Duke’s last win: Dec. 8, 2024 (76-65)
Louisville’s last win: Feb. 27, 2021 (80-73)

Duke vs Louisville predictions

‘The Cardinals are experiencing a revival, but the Blue Devils are the standard this season. Duke will once again show off its depth before climbing the ladder to celebrate a championship.’

Duke vs Louisville basketball betting odds

Game lines and odds from BetMGM as of Saturday, March 15:

Spread: Duke (-6.5)
Over/under: 147.5
Moneyline: Duke (-275) | Louisville (+220)

Duke men’s basketball schedule 2024-25

Here’s a look at Duke’s last five results. To view the Blue Devils’ full 2024-25 schedule, click here.

Saturday, March 1: No. 2 Duke 100, Florida State 65
Monday, March 3: No. 2 Duke 93, Wake Forest 60
Saturday, March 8: No. 2 Duke 82, North Carolina 69
Thursday, March 13: No. 1 Duke 78, Georgia Tech 70 (ACC Tournament)
Friday, March 14: No. 1 Duke 74, North Carolina 71 (ACC Tournament)

Louisville men’s basketball schedule 2024-25

Saturday, March 1: No. 17 Louisville 79, Pitt 68
Wednesday, March 5: No. 13 Louisville 85, Cal 68
Saturday, March 8: No. 13 Louisville 68, Stanford 48
Thursday, March 13: No. 13 Louisville 75, Stanford 73 (ACC Tournament)
Friday, March 14: No. 13 Louisville 76, No. 10 Clemson 73 (ACC Tournament)

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

The Rams lit it up from behind the arc Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas to beat Boise State in the Mountain West championship game and lock up the automatic bid in March Madness, a stunning run for a team that wasn’t projected to make the tournament a few weeks ago.

Entering the conference tournament on a seven-game winning streak, Colorado State needed a big weekend to continue the momentum toward clinching a tournament spot, likely needing to win the crown to erase any doubt. After a comfortable win over Nevada and taking down tournament-bound Utah State, the Rams faced a Boise State team also trying to play its way out of the bubble.

But the Broncos couldn’t stop the 3-pointers. Of Colorado State’s 22 made shots, 12 came from 3-point land, dealing major blows to Boise State since it couldn’t keep up with the pace. The Rams took a big lead early in the second half and cruised toward a 69-56 victory.

How Colorado State win affects NCAA Tournament

A bid has been stolen as teams on the bubble of the NCAA Tournament will feel the effects of Colorado State’s win. In the latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology, Colorado State was among the first four teams out, and given the not ideal NET ranking of No. 50 and 1-5 Quad 1 record entering the day, it was going to have a tough case toward making the bracket without the automatic bid.

Now with a spot in the NCAA Tournament guaranteed, the Rams will jump over the rest of the bubble teams and assure themselves a spot in the first round. While it won’t be a great seed − likely a No. 10 or 11 − it’s better than having to hope to get in or having to play in the First Four.

The teams that will be sweating even more now are San Diego State, Texas, North Carolina and Boise State, which were the last teams projected to make the field before Colorado State’s conference title. One team will be pushed out of the field by Colorado State, and it could result in a team like Vanderbilt being pushed down and having to play in the First Four to get into the first round.

For teams like Xavier, Indiana and Ohio State, among the first teams projected to miss the field, it gives an even more grim outlook on Selection Sunday, as the case to make the tournament becomes even harder.