Friday 5 – April 5, 2024
NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four
After what was an incredible Elite 8, the NCAA Women’s Final Four is set, taking place on Friday.
The second game of the day features two of the absolute best in Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark. Clark is coming off a 41-point, 12-assist and seven-rebound performance to lead the Iowa Hawkeyes over LSU, while both women are looking for their first National Title. The Hawkeyes are the No. 1 seed, while the UCONN Huskies are No. 3. The game tips off at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT on ESPN/ESPN+.
Friday’s first game, taking place at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT, features the No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks taking on the No. 3 NC State Wolfpack. The Gamecocks are undefeated this season and have dominated pretty much everybody. Even their bench is averaging 38.8 points a game in the Tournament. That’s incredible. The game will also be on ESPN/ESPN+.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four
The women play Friday. The men play Saturday.
NC State is having a hell of a basketball run, as the 11th-seeded men’s team has played the role of Cinderella to advance to the Final Four. The Wolfpack will turn to their DJs – DJ Horne and, tournament darling and personal favorite, D.J. Burns – as they take on the No.3-seeded Purdue Boilermakers. Looking at the two team’s past 10 games by the numbers leads one to believe this is going to be a good one. Tipoff is at 6:09 pm PT/3:09 pm PT on TBS.
The primetime game features the juggernaut No. 1-seeded UCONN Huskies (who are also having a hell of a basketball run) and the No. 4-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide. Over their last 10 games, the Huskies’ opponents have averaged 60.9 points a game, while the Crimson Tide’s have averaged 90.7. That says a lot. Tipoff is at 8:49 pm ET/5:49 pm PT on TBS.
Derrick Brown and the Carolina Panthers
Derrick Brown will be staying in Carolina for a while, as the defensive tackle and the Panthers have agreed to a four-year contract extension. Adam Schefter is reporting that it is a $96 million deal with $63.165 million guaranteed.
Brown had 103 tackles in 2023 (a record for a defensive lineman) on his way to being named to his first Pro Bowl. Brown was the seventh overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, accumulating 245 tackles and eight sacks over his last four seasons with the Panthers.
More NFL Signings
Per multiple reports, LB Isaiah Simmons is staying with the New York Giants, as he and the team have agreed to a one-year deal. Simmons was traded to New York from the Arizona Cardinals during last year’s training camp. He started four games, played in 17, and had 46 tackles, one sack and a pick-6.
Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz is reporting that DT Teair Tart is signing with the Miami Dolphins. Tart played for the Texans and the Titans last season, playing in 11 games and recording 17 solo tackles, a sack and eight tackles for loss.
The Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles announced that each organization is donating $5 million to the Baltimore Community Foundation’s Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong Key Bridge Fund.
After the collapse of the Key Bridge on March 26, the fund was started to provide support to families, port workers, first responders, small businesses and communities affected.
To donate or for more information, please click here.
