Can Justin keep up his great momentum he acquired in his RBC Heritage Signature Event victory. (Photo courtesy of BBC).
The 107th playing of the PGA Championship will transpire next week at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, which is thrilling in itself. So, due to that, this week’s tournament usually played at Quail Hollow, the Wells Fargo, will instead take place at The Philadelphia Cricket Club- Wissahickon Course, a 7,119 par 70 track with bent grass fairways and bent grass greens, which will be stimping at 13. The rough will be up to 2 inches high at the Truist Championship..
This is the Sixth Signature event this season of eight on the PGA Tour and features an elite field of 72 players and is missing only Scottie Scheffler, but showcases Rory, coming off his almost epic collapse then epic victory at Augusta National at the 89th Masters, a hot Justin Thomas, fresh off his victory at the 5th Signature Event, The RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Aberg, Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth, who played some really good golf last weekend at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where he finished 4th shooting 69,67,67,62 for a score of 19 under. The only problem for Jordan and the rest of the field was the great Scheffler shot 61, 63, 66, 63 to finish -31, wow. Quite an exhibition of golf. Scheffler has decided not to compete the week before majors this year. We’ll see how that works out. But Spieth, Rory, Justin and others will, and this is an elevated event that pays $3.6 Million to the winner, $2.16 M to second, $1.36 M to third and great money on down the line. And it’s preparation for the second major of the season, so I like the fact that all these stars are playing. Should be fun.
The Wissahickon Course was designed by iconic architect A.W. Tillinghast in 1922. Tillinghast designed Medinah No.3, where majors are played, the coveted Pine Valley in New Jersey, andThe Country Club of Birmingham in 1936. There have been redesigns on all of these courses. Keith Foster did the restoration of the Wissahickon course in 2013. No. 14 is a 122 yard par 3 that is the most tightly bunkered green on the course, so should be an entertaining. No. 15 is a 553 yard, par 5 with plenty of bunkers and mounds. A three-quarter acre complex of bunkers and mounds, Tillinghast’s “Great Hazard” fills up the fairway 335 yards off the tee. The green is the smallest on the course and is well defended up front and on both sides by sand. Birdie is a good possibility. No. 16 is a 215 yard, par 3. It’s a slightly downhill tee shot with a green that is protected up front by a tiny stream. The putting surface, according to Philadelphia Cricket Club Director of Golf Jim Smith Jr. (per PGA Tour.com write up), “Doesn’t offer a flat putt anywhere, least of all inside 5 feet.” No. 17 is a 498 par 4 with a slightly elevated railway line down the entire right side of the hole. It’s a tough obstacle that leads players to subconsciously favor the left side on their drives and approaches. No. 18 is a 517 yard, par 4, with the narrowest landing area on the course thanks to three fairway bunkers that flank the fairway. The entrance to the green is pinched on both sides by sand. So, awesome final five holes. This tournament is going to be pretty electric and will lead up to the 107th PGA Championship, so there should be a lot of electricity amongst the players competing. Thanks to PGA Tour.com for the intel on the course.
Weather
Thursday: 80, partly cloudy, wind W 8 MPH.
Friday: 64 rain, 78%, wind N 10, Nose to the grindstone that day.
Saturday, 72, partly cloudy, wind NW 15.
Sunday 82, partly cloudy, wind NW 8.
TV
Thursday-Friday 1-5 PM CT, Golf Channel
Saturday, 12-2 PM CT GC; 2-5:30 PM CT, CBS
Sunday, 12-2 PM CT, GC; 2-5 PM CT, CBS
ODDS for Key Guys
Rory, 4/1, Career grand slam, life is good for sure. He seems to want more. Dr. Rotella has been a big boost to his mental game.
CollinMorikawa, 14/1, The two time major winner, (2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park in SF, and the 2021 Open Championship at Royal St, George’s in England) is becoming a factor again. If he putts well he can always win.
Xander Schauffele, 16/1, getting closer to 2024 form in which he won the 106th PGA at Valhalla and the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Ludvig Aberg, 16/1, Genesis Champion at Torrey- Sig Event.
JT, 18/1, getting in form for the PGA Championship where he won in 2017 at Quail Hollow. He also won the PGA at Southern Hills in 2022.
Patrick Cantlay, 20/1
Viktor Hovland, 28/1
Tommy Fleetwood, 28/1– threatens a lot. Would love to see him get over the top soon as would Excedrin, who had some great camaraderie with him a couple of years ago at Augusta National.
Jordan Spieth, 28/1. Certainly a threat now.
Russell Henley, 30/1. He won the Arnie. He’s awesome.
Hideki Matsuyama, 30/1. Another guy who’s always a threat. Won the first Sig event of the year at The Sentry at Kapalua Maui. Won the 2021 Masters.
Corey Conners, 30/1. The Canadian is definitely ready to break out and win.
Shane Lowry, 35/1. The Irishman gets the 153rd Open at Royal Portrush where he won in 2019.
Daniel Berger, 40/1. Playing well now. Won 4 times on tour with his last at Pebble in 2021, so he’s due and trending well.
Winner
I’m going to take the 44 year old, 65/1, from Johannesburg, South Africa now a resident of London. He played his heart out at Augusta National only to come up short by virtue of an epic approach by Rory to 2 feet on the first playoff hole as Roar claimed his first Green Jacket. I like this guy to be in contention for more majors this year and quite possibly capture one. Give me my man from London. I’m reading a novel by one of my favorite authors David Baldacci titled, Strangers in Time. It takes place in London during WWII and involves a young boy, a young girl and an older man as they try to survive the onslaught of bombings by the heinous German Luftwaffe. Glad we had a lot of heroes and the Grace of God to defeat the Nazis and the Japanese. Great story if you’re interested.
Justin Rose
Like Rosie to capture the Truist. (Photo courtesy of X).
Darkhorse
Give me the 30 year old from Raleigh, North Carolina, by way of Wofford University, home to Bama Golf and Charles Belgrave Perkins. He finished second to JT in a playoff at the RBC Heritage three weeks ago and won with Ben Griffin at the Zurich Classic in N’Awlins two weeks ago. Give me this guy to be right there at the end and to possibly capture this Signature Event trophy and first place check.
Give me Novak to make a serious run at the Truist. (Photo courtesy of Golf Monthly).
Here’s an epic from a classic back in the day band. This could have led to the invention of shirts and skins!
Braden Holcomb had himself a day on Sunday! (Photo courtesy of Yahoo Sports).
The Vanderbilt Commodores Baseball team finished this past weekend off electrically with super freshman Brodie Johnston and stellar sophomore Braden Holcomb putting an exclamation point on a dramatic Commodores victory Sunday at the Hawk, 9-7, over the Alabama Crimson Tide. With the victory which allowed us to take two out of three from Bama, the Dores moved to 34-14 on the season and 14-10 in the SEC, good for tied for 5th with Tennessee in the SEC standings. No.1 Texas is first at 19-5 and is 38-8 overall; No.7 Arkansas, which swept Texas over the weekend in Fayetteville, is second at 17-7, and 40-9 overall; No.3 LSU (38-11) and No.6 Georgia (39-11) are tied for third at 15-9 and and No. 15 Tennessee (37-11) and us are at 14-10, tied for fifth. We have a major week this week starting today with a 6 P. M. Central time game @ Louisville in the annual “Battle for the Barrel.” The game will be broadcast by the ACC Network.
We are now ranked 11th in the country by D1 Baseball.com and Baseball America. Our RPI is No.3 and our strength of schedule is also third nationally. The great sportswriter Chris Lee of Vandy 247 Sports showed today on the site that we are ranked first in the KPI Rankings, which is a strength of record metric. So, all impressive stuff for a team that is coming together at the right time. D1Baseball,com had us as a 9 seed going into last week, so if we can have a good week this week, which includes @ Louisville today and at Tennessee over the weekend, we can put ourselves in position for that coveted top 8 national seed, which gives a team home field throughout the regionals and Super regionals. So, massive week starting today. But here’s a look at what transpired over the weekend at the Hawk. It was a majestic Friday and a particularly majestic Sunday.
Friday Night, we received a stellar pitching performance from JD Thompson who went 7, gave up only 2 hits, no runs with 2 walks and 11 strikeouts in a 12-2, 8 inning, run rule game. The run rule applies if one team has a 10 run lead through 7 innings. JD was terrific. Miller Green pitched the last inning, and while Miller struggled a little giving up two runs on three hits, I still believe he can help us during the home stretch of the season and in the postseason. The bats came alive in the sixth inning after being silent through the first five frames. Alabama pitcher Tyler Fay had been tough, but in the sixth we struck for three runs, we added three more in the 7th, and we tacked on 6 more in the bottom of the 8th to run rule them, 12-2. Our great centerfielder RJ Austin was 4 for 5 with 4 Ribeyes, including a three run shot in the eighth. Our exceptional junior transfer first baseman Riley Nelson (Western Texas College and Yavapai College), who is hitting .361 with 6 long ones and 35 Ribbies, was 2 for 4, and our superb freshman third baseman Brodie Johnston was 3 for 4 with 2 runs batted in. Senior shortstop Jonathan Vastine, who has been phenomenal in SEC play, was 2 for 4 with an RBI. So, awesome performance Friday Night. Saturday didn’t work out as well as we fell, 5-2. But Sunday was a typical vintage Tim Corbin-coached Vanderbilt University Baseball performance in a game that will be remembered for a good while, particularly if we finish our season off well and go extremely deep in the postseason, which we are highly capable of.
The great Riley Nelson is a hitting machine for us. (Photo courtesy of Instagram).
It was not looking that swift for the guys as we were down 7-2 going into the bottom of the eighth inning. Our superb sophomore Dayton transfer pitcher Connor Fennell, who dominated Ole Miss the week before, had some trouble against the Crimson Tide giving up a couple of long ones with runners on base, so it was looking pretty slim for us going into the bottom of the 8th. But then, our bats woke up in a big way. After Nelson and Johnston popped out , Holcomb hit a solo shot to right central with two outs to cut the lead to 7-3. Mac Rose walked, then catcher Colin Barczi, who has put together some clutch at bats for us this season, cranked one over the right field wall to cut the lead to 7-5 going into the ninth. In the top of the ninth, the Tide’s leadoff hitter doubled off our usual stellar closer, Sawyer Hawks. Sawyer got the Tide’s next hitter to pop out to second baseman Mike Mancini. Bryce Fowler, the Tide’s runner aboard second, could not advance. Sawyer walked Kade Snell, then we made the defensive play that saved the game and possibly transformed our season. Tide centerfielder Richie Bonomolo hit a line drive headed for left field. But Brodie reached out and snatched it. Brodie then fired the ball over to Mancini, who touched second for an inning ending double play. It was gigantic as it turned out. That play might be overlooked when we look back on this dramatic game, but it was critically important and was a possible epiphany for this baseball team’s season and giving us a shot in the bottom of the 9th. That’s when the fireworks ensued.
The Tide put in their stellar closer Carson Ozmer, who was 14 of 14 in save opportunities this year. His ERA was under 2 and his WHIP (walks plus hits per inning) was under 1, which is almost un-hittable. However, Mancini led off with a single to left to get it started. Our great freshman left fielder Ruston Rigdon was hit by pitch. RJ came up next and bunted to move runners to second and third. I was a bit surprised by that because you always want the bat in RJ’s hands in that situation, but I couldn’t tell if he was trying to get a base hit on the bunt, or move the guys over. Nonetheless, it was runners on second and third with one out. Riley came up and grounded out to the pitcher. Mancini might have made it home as the ball bounced to the pitchers left, but he didn’t want to be the second out there, so he stayed put. I don’t blame him for that. It turned out to the the right decision. So there were two outs with runners on second and third with Johnston coming up. Brodie looked so confident when he stepped up to the plate. He looked like one of the top players in the country coming out of Boyd Buchanan High School in Ooltewah, TN., which he was, so I thought to myself, maybe we’ve got a shot here. With the pressure as intense as it gets in SEC Baseball, Brodie hit a line drive no doubt double to the left central field gap to drive in Mancini and Rigdon and we were all tied up at 7. Next up was our superb hoss, Braden, who had tripled and homered in his previous two at bats. With a 1-2 count, and the pressure as intense as it gets, Braden drove one to deep centerfield that kept carrying and cleared the central field wall for a dynamic two run homer to end the game and give our guys a scintillating, incredibly important victory over the Crimson Tide, 9-7. It was majestic with the pressure the guys had on them in the moment, particularly Brodie and Braden, and great stuff from Mike, Ruston and RJ as well. Brodie was named SEC Freshman of the week yesterday on account of his stellar play last week.
So we matriculate into May on a high note facing major rivalry games ahead. Here’s a look at what’s next.
Today at 6 PM CT it’s the Louisville Cardinals, always a tough out, The game is at Louisville. The Cardinals are not presently ranked, but have been in the top 25 all season before losing 2 out of 3 @ Notre Dame this past weekend. The Cardinals are 32-15 overall, 13-11 in the ACC, and 25-4 at their home confines of Jim Patterson Stadium. They took 2 out of 3 from now No.2 Florida State the weekend of April 25-27th (Friday-Sunday) at home. They took 1 of 3 @ No.9 Clemson April 17th-19th, a Thursday through a Saturday with an 8-6, 12 inning victory on Saturday, 4/19. They defeated now No.1 Texas at Arlington, TX. the first game of the season 4-3 on Friday, Feb. 14th. They’ve split games with Kentucky, which is 25-20 overall and 10-14 in the SEC. The Cardinals won at Jim Patterson, 4-3, in 10 innings on Tuesday, 4/8, and lost to the Wildcats at Lexington, 17-5, on Tuesday, 4/22. So, for every good team in the country there are ups and downs throughout the season, but there have been a lot of ups for this team, particularly at home. They’re an excellent hitting team with a .313 team batting average. Centerfielder Lucas Moore leads the team with a .380 average. He has also stolen 39 of 40 bases. The team has stolen 120 out of 132 bags this season. They are 10th in the country in that category. VMI leads with 200. Moore is fifth in the country in stolen bases with his 39, so Collin Barczi will be tested behind the plate and our pitching needs to limit the base stealing if possible. Their power guy is first baseman Davis Tague, who has connected for 15 homers and 43 RBIs on the season. He’s hitting .283. Left fielder Zion Rose is hitting .337 with 9 homers and 50 RBIs. And designated hitter Eddie King Jr. is hitting .336 with 9 homers and 41 runs driven in. Their team ERA is 5.53. They seem to run a bullpen game during the mid-week games, but they may use more of a weekend rotation guy against us. Wish I had that intel for you. Some candidates are Peter Michael (4-3, 5.01), Parker Detmers (1-1, 3.94) and Wyatt Danilowicz (0-1, 2.25), but nothing concrete. Their fielding percentage is .972. Coach Dan McDonnell has taken his Louisville teams to 5 College World Series (2007, ’13, ’14, ’17, ’19). He’s good. Not Tim Corbin good, but he’s good.
I know we have a massive weekend series in Knoxville, but this game takes precedence. I’ll have more on UT tomorrow, but we’ve got to survive and advance through this game as it’s important in the national picture for our RPI and our national seeding if we can get over the top. We are now hitting .270 as a team with Riley leading us at .361 (6 homers, 35 RBIs). Jacob Humphrey is injured and not sure about his return date, but hopeful it’s very soon. Braden has been doing a nice job in his spot in right field while Jacob has been out of the lineup. Jacob is hitting .314 and has stolen 16 of 17 bases. Braden is hitting .287 and has been sizzling lately. He has 7 homers and 27 Ribbies. Brodie is batting .272, and he’s also been cookin’ lately in the SEC, and has 9 deep ones and 46 Ribeyes on the year. RJ had been in a slump until last week and was injured for a minute, but looks to have come out of it. He’s hitting .266 with 11 doubles (Brodie leads the team with 14), and 4 team leading triples, maybe the most exciting play in baseball, though a grand salami or a two run shot like Braden hit on Sunday is pretty terrific also. But love the triples and RJ provides them, which is an incredible asset to have. RJ is 19 of 23 in stolen bases. We have stolen 82 of 98 attempts this season. Jonathan Vastine is hitting .272 on the year with 6 homers and 30 Ribeyes. Jonathan and RJ are such superb leaders for this team with JD Thompson the leader of the pitching staff. Our team pitching ERA is 3.81. That’s great, but would like to still see some more consistency out of our starters and our bullpen. That will hopefully happen going forward, starting tonight. The defense is tremendous. We are fielding at a .983 percentage, which is good for fourth in the country. Wow. Charlotte leads the nation at .984. We’re tied with Arkansas and University of Texas Rio Grande? at .983. For some reason, the NCAA has us behind Arkansas and Rio Grande, though we’ve made fewer errors. I’ll look into that and get back to you on the reason why that is. Regardless, we are a sensational defensive team.
Not sure what Corbs wants to do tonight with his starting pitcher. Austin Nye has been very good as our midweek pitcher going 2-0 with a 1.83 ERA with 16 walks and 46 K’s. Coach Corbin may very well go with the freshman right hander out of Roseville, California or he might take a shot with hard throwing lefty Ethan McElvain, who has a 7.54 ERA, but has talent through the roof if he can control his pitches. It will be an interesting decision. I’m leaning towards Nye.
This team is special for sure. It’s hard to compare Tim Corbin coached teams because they all have their own unique and spectacular personalities, but this one stands out to me alongside the other great Corbin’ coached teams. We have great camaraderie, superb heart and stellar mental toughness. And we’ve got a lot of baseball left ahead of us starting today at 6 P.M on the ACC Network. Will have a report tomorrow along with a preview of our weekend series at the Eastern part of the state. So much can happen in this next week and a half. After the Tennessee series, which is this Friday through Sunday, we’ll host the Kentucky Wildcats the following Thursday-Saturday, May 15th-17th. Then the SEC Tournament commences Tuesday, May 20th-Sunday May 25th at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, AL. It will be a single elimination game tournament with all 16 teams playing. If we can get in the top four of the conference standings at the end of the regular season, we’ll earn a double bye and not have to play until Thursday, 5/22, which would be tremendous. The SEC Network will televise the majority of the Tournament, with ESPN2 taking over Sunday, May 25th at 2 P.M. Central. Will have TV for Tennessee series tomorrow, Wednesday. So, need to bear down right now. Like the guys to do just that.
Just wanted to share a little intel on some of our other terrific teams. Clark has added a terrific 2025 class with a nice freshmen group led by 92 four-star safety Carson Lawrence, who is an early enrollee, along with 14 linemen, incoming freshmen and transfers, 8 on offense and 6 on defense. It’s been a stellar offseason for Clark and the team. Diego will be back, as will Eli Stowers, Junior Sherrill, Sedy Alexander, AJ Newberry, superb corner Martel Hight, a talented linebacker corps and some serious talent and depth upfront, and in the secondary. It’s a historically talented Vanderbilt roster. I know it can be hard to get your hopes up sometimes with football because it’s been tough through the years, but this coaching staff and this team are different. Diego always thinks he’s the best player on the field every Saturday and his confidence and competitiveness permeates throughout the team. There are high hopes for sure. Game one is Charleston Southern, Saturday, August 30th, at FirstBank Stadium, which should be almost entirely redone and ready for our thrilling upcoming 2025 season giving fans a spectacular fan experience. I’ll keep you apprised of developments as we matriculate into the summer with any more transfers coming our way. We’ve got 6, 2026 commits and one of them is massive in 92, 4-star cornerback Caden Harris from Brownsville, Tennessee. We beat out Tennessee, Notre Dame, Georgia and Auburn among others for Caden. It was a tremendous get by Clark and the staff. We’re 34th right now in the 2026 recruiting rankings according to 247 Sports and General Manager Barton Simmons says the momentum is surging for our program after our 2024 season as we defeated Alabama at FirstBank, and Auburn and Kentucky on the road and looked exceptionally impressive in our Birmingham Bowl victory over Georgia Tech.
Men’s Basketball
Coach Mark Byington has done a terrific job rebuilding our men’s basketball team for 2025-26. it’s just the landscape now in college basketball that you’ll lose most of your team after a season. Hopeful that can change with some adjustments by anyone who has some power in college athletics. We retained three outstanding players in Devin McGlockton, Tyler Nickel and Tyler Tanner. Karris Bilal, a freshman point guard, who didn’t play last year due to injury, may be coming back as well. We lost AJ Hoggard, Chris Manon and Grant Huffman to graduation, which I’m proud of those guys for graduating and hope for them to have continued success in their future endeavors; they deserve it. Jason Edwards, MJ Collins and Jaylen Carey all transferred. But I love the guys we have returning. They’re all great young guys, players and leaders. And Mark has reloaded to the max. We have three freshmen in the fold for next season, in 6’10’, 89 three-star center in Jayden Leverett, 88, 3 star, 6’3″, small forward Jaylon Dean-Vines, and unranked 6’6″ small forward in Chandler Bing. Then we added four, 4 stars in the transfer portal among them a 92 point guard, Frankie Collins, from TCU, a 92, 6’10” power forward Jalen Washington from the University of North Carolina, more size to go along with those guys and two more solid players, one of whom, Mason Nicholson, is a 6’10″280, 88 3 star center from Jacksonville State in Jacksonville, Alabama. So Mark is doin’ the work. We’re in it for some other guys as well to add one or two more pieces to the ’25-’26 roster. I like us to have a better team next season and matriculate even further in ’25-’26 through the SEC and deep into March.
Men’s Golf/Women’s Tennis
Our Men’s Golf Team didn’t reach the regular season standards we normally reach, but as our superb head coach Scott Limbaugh always says, it’s championship season, and anything can happen in that arena. We are ranked 18th in the CLIPPD rankings and 17 in the Bushnell/Golfweek rankings. We will be competing in the Amherst, Virginia Regional with 13 other teams next Monday, May 12th through next Wednesday, May 14th in a 54 hole event with the top five teams from the 54 hole event advancing to the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa North Course Friday, May 23rd though Wednesday, May 28th with one team emerging from that as a national champion. We’ve got our work cut out for us for sure. Senior Jackson Van Paris has had a stellar season, and junior Wells Williams was named SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year, which is an amazing honor. Proud of both of them. We just need our stud senior Gordon Sargent to find his rhythm in the NCAA’s and help lead this team as it tries to reach greatness this postseason. The other teams in the Amherst region are: No. 6/7 LSU, No. 7/6 Oklahoma, No. 19/23 Pepperdine, No.25 Tennessee, No. 20 Arizona, Stanford, Wake, Arkansas, Florida Gulf Coast, Kent State, Princeton and Howard. There are 6 regional sites with the top 5 teams from each site advancing to the NCAA Championships for a total of 30 teams in the NCAA Championship field. Coach Limbaugh has authored many magical seasons for us, so I’m certainly not counting us out with this coach at the helm and the talent we have. Just got to be focused from tee shot number one on. Will keep you posted next week.
Women’s Tennis
The No. 15 Vanderbilt Women’s Tennis team finished off a highly successful season with a heartbreaking home loss to No.17 UCLA, 4-3, in the second round of the NCAA Regional held in Nashville at the Lummis Tennis Center. We still finished the season with a 20-7 record and were 11-4 in the SEC with at least three, maybe four top 5 national victories over top 5 nationally ranked SEC opponents. The team was awesome and coach Aleke Tsoubanos did a phenomenal job guiding this team through the rigors of an SEC season facing stellar opponent after stellar opponent. Our great senior, Celia-Belle Mohr, finished ranked fifth in the country in singles and will most likely compete in the national singles and doubles event after the team national championship has been decided. Celia, from Montargis, France, had a phenomenal senior season and the future is bright for her. We have some good players returning and will keep you posted on Celia and the national finals at the end of this season.
Women’s Basketball
Coach Shea Ralph has our program on the rise, and although we had a first round exit in the NCAA Tournament, I love our future with the great Mikayla Blakes and a superb cast of players around her returning. Will keep you informed as things develop this summer. Love what Coach Ralph has done with the team and what she has in store for us in 2025-26. We may very well be a looking at a much deeper run in March of 2026.
After experiencing some tragedy at his home in California, trainer Michael McCarthy resets at the Derby with his thoroughbred Journalism. (Photo courtesy of Thoroughbred Daily News).
The 151st edition of the Kentucky Derby transpires today with a 5:57 P.M. Central Post time. Nineteen horses will compete in the Run for the Roses and the coveted Derby crown. Here’s a look at the horses that are competing, led off by their post positions, and followed by their odds, their trainers and their jockeys.
1. Citizen Bull, 20/1, Bob Baffert (back after a three year suspension for doping, 6 time Derby champion and giant in horse racing), Martin Garcia.
2. Neoquos, 30/1, Saffie Joseph Jr (always a contender), Flavien Prat.
3. Final Gambit, 30/1, Brad H. Cox (on the verge as well), Luan Machado
4. Rodriguez- scratched
5. American Promise, 30/1, D. Wayne Lucas (living legend at 89, four Derbys), Nik Juarez
6. Admire Daytona, 30/1, Yukihiro Kato, Christopher Lemaire
7.Luxor Cafe, 15/1, Noriyuki Hori, Joao Moreira, Sire, American Pharaoh, triple crown winning horse in 2015
8. Journalism, 3/1, Michael W. McCarthy, Umberto Rispoli
9. Burnham Square, 12/1, Ian R. Wilkes, Brian Hernandez Jr.
10. Grande- scratched.
11. Flying Mohawk, 30/1, D. Whitworth Beckman, Joe Ramos
12. East Avenue (Freeze out?), 20/1, Brendan P. Walsh, Manny Franco
13. Publisher, 20/1, Steven M. Asmussen, Irad Ortiz Jr. (good team)
14. Tiztastic, 20/1, Asmussen, Joel Rosario (another very good team)
17. Sandman, 6/1, Mark E. Casse, Jose Ortiz (experienced, savvy jockey)
18. Sovereignty, 5/1,William I. Mott, Junior Alvarado
19. Chunk of Gold, 30/1, Ethan W. West, Jareth Loveberry
20. Owen Almighty, 30/1, Brian A Lynch, Javier Castellano
21. Baeza, 12/1, John Shirreffs, Flavien Prat, he’ll ride Baeza or Neoquos.
Winner/ Predictions
I’m going to take the favorite. Like the trainer of the favorite, Michael McCarthy. He went through the Eaton Fires in Los Angeles, and while his home was left standing in Altadena, a suburb of LA, his neighbors’ houses were destroyed. He’s stayed focused and his horse has been impressive with three straight victories including the Santa Anita Derby. I’ll take:
Journalism
Place: Luxor Cafe, with a good run till the end.
Show: Sovereignty
Give me Journalism to capture the 151st running. (Photo courtesy of the LA Times).
Can the great DeChambeau win his first Masters and third major after capturing the U.S. Open in 2020 and 2024. (Photo courtesy of Golfweek-USA Today).
The 89th playing of the Masters kicks off Thursday at the famed Augusta National Golf Club that suffered some damage due to Hurricane Helene in September, but looks to be recovered pretty nicely overall, but without several trees. No. 16, the heralded Par 3- particularly on Sunday-looks different without the trees. Definitely a different look. N0. 10 is different too. Nonetheless, this Major Championship is always a gem, and a field of 95 players will compete for the Green Jacket, the undeniable legacy one player will create by winning the Masters, along with the $3.6 million check that goes with winning, And the 750 Fed Ex Cup Points. The winner will be exempt for life to play in the Masters, and will be eligible to play in all majors through 2029. Quite a reward for winning this spectacular and pressure filled event.
Scottie Scheffler is the favorite. Rory is right on his heels. Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Ludvig Aberg, who finished second to Scheffler in 2024 and just recently won the Genesis Invitational that was played at Torrey Pines this year due to the wildfires in L.A. that kept the tournament away from Riviera. Not a bad consolation prize getting to play at Torrey if you can’t play at Riviera. It was an impressive showing by the 25 year old Aberg from Sweden.
Hideki Matsuyama, a previous winner at Augusta National in 2021, is a threat. Other LIV players who could make statements are five time major winner Brooks Koepka, who won the U.S. Open in 2017 and 2018, and the PGA Championship in ’18, ’19 and ’23. Brooks has also finished tied for 2nd at the Masters in 2019 and 2023. Dustin Johnson, the 2020 Masters champion, and a two time major winner, will still be a factor at age 40. He also won the U.S. Open in 2016 at Oakmont. I like Phil, the 6-time major winner and three time Masters champion in 2004, 2006 and 2010, to make some noise. A sleeper to me and several other people is Joaquin Niemann, the 25 year old from Chile. He’s won twice on the LIV Tour this season, and LIV players have shown they can win Majors. Two other LIV players who will contend are 2022 Open Championship champion Cam Smith, and 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed. There’s another contender who I will list below my winner as my darkhorse to win the 89th playing. Here are key Odds for the 89th Masters
Scottie: 4/1
Rory: 6/1. If he putts well, he can definitely capture the Green Jacket for the first time in his decorated career and capture his first major since 2014 while achieving the Career Grand Slam.
Jon Rahm: 14/1. Another definite contender from the LIV Tour.
Aberg: 16/1
Morikawa: 16/1
Xander Schauffele: 18/1. Been injured, but won two majors last season, the PGA Championship at Valhalla and the Open Championship at Royal Troon in Scotland.
Bryson: 20/1
Justin, JT: 22/1. Possible if he can putt well. Playing better lately.
Niemann: 28/1
Hideki: 28/1
Koepka: 30/1
Jordan Spieth: 33/1. Hard to believe in him right now. He’s a past champion in 2015, but he’s been in a slump for several years now.Can’t get out of his own way on the course. Tommy Fleetwood: 35/1. I like the Englishman’s chances. Shane Lowry: 35/1. The Northern Ireland native has a good shot to be in the hunt. Viktor Hovland: 35/1. Bit of a head case right now, but the talent is there and won the Valspar Championship three weeks ago.
Patrick Cantlay: 35/1. If he putts well, he can contend. I guess you can say that about everybody.
Tyrrell Hatton: 40/1. Lost track of him since he joined the LIV Tour, but talented if he can stay composed mentally.
Bob McIntyre: 55/1. Outside shot. Min Woo Lee: 55/1. Not a lot of experience at Augusta National, but just won the Texas Children Houston Open two weeks ago. Will Zalatoris: 55/1. Been injured a good bit, but seems back to a regular on tour though haven’t seen his name much on leaderboards this season.
Cam Smith: 60/1. If he putts well, he’ll contend. Can putt with the best of ’em when he’s got the flat stick cookin’.
Sepp Straka: 80/1. Always bullish on Georgia Bulldogs at Augusta.
Dustin: 80/1
Sergio Garcia: 80/1. 2017 Masters champion, but was gag city at Doral last Sunday in the LIV event.
Patrick Reed: 90/1
Phil: 120/1. I like Mickelson to make some noise this weekend.
Weather: Prime scoring conditions this week/weekend.
Thursday: 76, Sunny, wind S 9 MPH.
Friday: 72, Partly sunny. W 15 MPH. That’s interesting.
Saturday: 68, Mostly sunny. NNW 7.
Sunday: 72, Sunny. NNW 6.
Couldn’t ask for better weather.
How to Follow: ****All times Central.****
Thursday-Friday, coverage on Masters.com from 6:30 A.M.-6:30 P.M.
ESPN: 2-6:30 P.M. Saturday-Sunday, 9:15 A.M.-6 P.M. all kinds of options on Masters.com from featured groups to featured holes to the honorary starters on Thursday morning at 6:30.
Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tom Watson are the honorary starters. That’s worth watching. Greatness personified.
Can the 39 year old Todd Golden do what the 37 year old Jon Scheyer couldn’t do: Defeat Houston. (Photo courtesy of USA Today).
The No.1 seeded Florida Gators (West) outlasted the No.1 seeded Auburn Tigers (South) behind 34 points from the great Walter Clayton Jr. in what my cousin Camper O’Neal and I said was a Kobe Bryant-Steph Curry performance for the ages. The Tigers looked to have control at halftime, but had no answers for Clayton Jr. in the second half though they gave it a good effort. Johni Broome was shut down in the second half. Still, the Tigers made it their second Final Four under Pearly, the other being in 2019, and look to have a bright future unless transfer attrition gets them, which it does to a lot of teams. Pearly is 65 now, and the job takes a massive amount of energy, so I know Tiger fans are hopeful he can get his next team over the top and capture it all. Auburn looked like the best team in the country in mid February, but lost some momentum when Florida came to visit and defeated them at Neville Arena. Then, the Crimson Tide upset the Tigers at home the last game of the regular season, and they lost in the semis of the SEC tourney to Tennessee and could never completely get that winning edge back. Still, a great showing by the Tigers and a lot to be proud of if you’re an Auburn Tiger fan. Same with the Crimson Tide. They had a tough matchup with Duke in the Elite Eight and just didn’t have enough size for the Blue Devils. Still, a Final Four appearance (2024) and an Elite Eight in back to back years is a lot to be proud of. Nate Oats is 50 years old and has a lot of good years left. The Tide did lose Grant Nelson, Mark Sears, Chris Young and Clifford Omoruyi, as they ran out of eligibility, and Mouhamed Dioubate transferred, so there is some reloading to do, which Coach Oats is good at.
But it’s the Gators and the Houston Cougars playing for the National Championship tonight at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The game tips off at 7:50 CT, and CBS will televise. The Cougars made an improbable comeback against Duke on Saturday Night after trailing throughout the entire game by double digits much of the time and by 8 with a minute left in the game. When Houston finished off the comeback behind 26 points by marksman guard L.J. Cryer, a clutch three by Emmanuel Sharp and two critical free throws by big man J’Wan Roberts, who was a 61% free throw shooter when he stepped to the line with 19 seconds with Houston trailing 67-66. Roberts calmly drained both shots, and Cooper Flagg, showing his youth and inexperience in big moments as a true freshman, missed a turn around jumper that the Cougars rebounded and Cryer was fouled Cryer, a 92% free throw shooter, sank both shots to clinch the game for the Cougars, 70-67. When the game ended, Beth looked at me and said, “What a gag job.” I agree. The young team of all star freshmen and their young 37 year old third year coach, who has never been a head coach before Duke, couldn’t get the job done in the clutch in a game they were expected to win. Heck, everybody had already started saying this was the greatest team of all time? Come on, Man. Not even close and they proved it. Meanwhile, the Cougars showed their experience and mental toughness under 69 year old veteran coach Kelvin Sampson.
So it’s Florida and Houston playing for it all. Awesome matchup against a prolific offensive team in Florida versus a prolific defensive team in Houston. Who will prevail? Here’s my prediction.
White’s World’s Record from the SEC Tournament till now
SU: 18-10; ATS: 13-14; O/U: 13-9
Tonight
Florida (35-4) vs. Houston (35-4)
Alamodome, San Antonio, 73,086
7:50 CT
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace, Gene-Rules
Gators by 1 1/2 O/U: 140 1/2
Florida is the one seed out of the West and Houston is the one seed out of the Midwest. It’s in San Antonio, so the Cougars have a pretty strong home court advantage. The Cougars are a tough out, but I’m going to put my trust in Clayton Jr. and the Gators.
Florida 70, Houston 68
Final Four Most Valuable Player
Walter Clayton Jr.
Clayton Jr. gets it done again. (Photo courtesy of Gators Wire).
Khaman Maluach and Cooper Flagg carry Duke’s fortunes in the Final Four. (Photo courtesy of Duke Athletics).
Auburn versus Florida and Duke versus Houston makes for a tremendous Final Four at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday. Can the Auburn Tigers knock off Florida and make it to their first National Championship Game, or will the Gators continue their stellar play in 2024-25 and play for a chance to cut down the nets on Monday Night.
The Duke Blue Devils have been an unstoppable force in the last two months and throughout the tournament. Not only do the Blue Devils play prolific offense, as always, their defense, led by 7’2″, 250 pound center Khaman Maluach, is superb. They wore out a very good offensive team in the Alabama Crimson Tide last Saturday Night in Newark. Copper Flagg and Kon Knueppel are pretty phenomenal players, also. But the Houston Cougars are no slouch, either. They have the No.1 scoring defense in the country, they rebound at an extremely high level, and they can fill it up many times, too.
Will be a couple of classics in San Antonio. Here are predictions for these two contests.
White’s World’s Records from the SEC Tourney through the Elite Eight
SU: 17-9; ATS: 11-14; O/U: 12-8
Saturday
First Semifinal
No.1 Florida (34-4, West Region) vs. No.1 Auburn (32-5, South)
Alamodome, 73,086
5:09 P.M. CT
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace, Gene Steratore-Rules
Gators by 2 1/2, O/U: 159 1/2
I like a really fine game between these two contentious, highly talented rivals from the SEC. I’ll take stellar marksman Walter Clayton Jr., 6’9″ 215 power forward Thomas Haugh, and the Gators, barely.
Florida 78, Auburn 75
Second Semifinal
No.1 Houston (34-4, Midwest) vs. No.1 Duke (35-3, East)
Alamodome
7:49 P.M. CT
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Tracy, Gene
Duke by 5 1/2, O/U, 135 1/2
I’m looking at an intensely hard fought, heavyweight championship fight, an Ali-Fraziuh matchup, with Duke just getting by a terrific Houston team to make it to the National Championship Game and set their sights on their 6th national championship versus a very good Florida Gators team.
Duke 64, Houston 62
Thirty-seven year old John Scheyer takes his alma mater to the national championship game in his third season after taking over from Mike Krzyzewski. (Photo courtesy of USA Today).
Aaron Judge homes in on leading his Yankees to World Series title number 28. (Photo courtesy of NJ.com).
The 2025 Major League Baseball season is into its first week and teams are already positioning themselves for a shot at capturing a World Series Championship in early November. Apologies for the late start on this; White’s World Unplugged has been preoccupied with covering Duke, Houston, Florida and Auburn “matriculate” in their respective quests for a college basketball national championship. The Final Four matchups, which start Saturday, look terrific. Auburn vs Florida at 5:09 PM CT on CBS, and Duke vs Houston at 7:49 P.M. CT on CBS. Florida is a 2 1/2 point favorite over Auburn, and Duke is a 4 1/2 point favorite over Houston.
Previews and Predictions for that stellar event at the Alamodome in San Antonio on this Blog tomorrow, Thursday.
The Masters commences next Thursday, April 10th, and it will be an epic weekend of golf starting Thursday, April 10th and continuing through Sunday, April 13th, with one highly skilled golfer donning a Green Jacket and capturing the coveted major at approximately 6:30 P.M. CT. It could be Scheffler, Mcilroy, DeChambeau, Rahm, or a host of others. Will have that preview/prediction next Wednesday, April 9th.
Here are White’s World’s predictions for the 2025 MLB season. There are 6 teams in each league that qualify for the playoffs. The top two seeds in each league get a bye and the other four teams in each league play a best of three Wild Card Series with No. 3 playing No.6 and No.4 playing No.5. The higher seeds have home field advantage throughout the Wild Card series. The home team in the World Series is decided by which team has the best regular season record.
Here are predictions for these October/November matchups.
American League
(Numbers are for seeding. i.e. The Yankees are No.1 in AL, and the Dodgers are No.1 in NL).
East Division Champion: 1.Yankees
Central: 3.KC Royals
West: 2.Texas Rangers
Wild Cards 4. Tampa Rays 5. Orioles 6. Red Sox
National League
East: 2. Phillies
Central: 3. Cardinals
West: 1. Dodgers
Wild Cards: 4. Padres, 5. Giants, 6. Mets
AL Wild Card Round
Red Sox over Royals in 3; Rays over O’s in 3
AL Divisional Series
Yankees over Rays in 5; Rangers over Red Sox in 4.
AL Championship Series
Yankees over Rangers in 7
NL Wild Card
Mets over Cards in 3; Padres over Giants in 3.
NL Divisional Series
Dodgers over Padres in 4; Phillies over Mets in 4
NL Championship Series
Phillies over Dodgers in 7, in an upset
The 2025 World Series
I’ll take Bryce Harper and the Philadelphia Phillies to win their 3rd Fall Classic in franchise history. The other two championships were over the Royals in 1980, and over the Rays in 2008.
Phillies over the Yankees in 7
World Series MVP
Bryce Harper
Harper leads Philly to the 2025 World Series title. (Photo courtesy of The Philadelphia Inquirer).
Bruce goes for his second Final Four at Auburn after leading his team there in 2019 only to lose a heartbreaker to Virginia where a missed double dribble call kept the Tigers from playing in the National Championship Game. (Photo courtesy of WSFA-Montgomery).
Alabama and Auburn continued their stellar play Thursday and Friday Night respectively as both teams inched closer to the Alamodome and San Antonio for the Final Four, which would be the second Final Four for both teams and both coaches as Bruce Pearl took his team there in 2019 and barely missed out on a shot at the national championship due to a missed double dribble call on Virginia’s Ty Jerome with seconds winding down in regulation in the semifinals. After Jerome double dribbled with 7 seconds left, he took dribbled down the floor and tossed it to Kyle Guy in the left corner and Guy shot a potential game tying three which he missed. However the Tigers were called for a foul on Guy’s shot, which was also controversial. Guy sank all three free throws and Virginia won the game in overtime and went on to capture the national championship the following Monday over Texas Tech. Tough one for Bruce and the 2019 Tigers. However, they have another shot in 2025. Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide made it to the Final Four last year only to fall to unstoppable UConn in the semis. UConn went on to win it all and win back to back national titles in 2023 and 2024.
Now both Alabama and Auburn face major tests as they home in on advancing to the arena all 352 schools in Division I aspired to be at in November; the Alamodome in San Antonio sire of the 2025 Final Four, which commences next Saturday, April, 5th on CBS with game times to be determined. Most likely a 5:09 P.M. CT tip and a 7:49 P.M. CT tip.
Here are previews and predictions for the Elite Eight games today and Sunday.
White’s World’s 2024 Sweet 16 through Championship Records
SU: 11-4; ATS: 11-4
This Postseason, 2025: Sweet 16 record:
SU: 7-1; ATS: 5-3; O/U: 6-2
Overall 2025 record including the SEC Tournament
SU: 15-7; ATS: 12-9; O/U: 9-7
Today’s Games
West Regional Final
No.3 seed Texas Tech (28-8) vs. No. 1 Florida (33-4)
Chase Center, SF, CA. 18,064
5:09 P.M. Central Time
TBS/truTV
Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy, Lauren Shehadi, Gene Steratore-Rules
Gators by 6 1/2, O/U, 157 1/2
I like the Gators to show the country once again what a prolific team they have led by their stellar guards, Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard, and big men Alex Condon, Reuben Chinyelu and Thomas Hough.
Florida 83, Texas Tech 75
East Regional Final
No. 2 Alabama (28-8) vs. No.1 Duke (34-3)
Prudential Center, Newark, 16,755
7:49 P.M. CT
TBS/truTV
Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce, Gene (rules analyst throughout).
Duke by 7 1/2; O/U 174 1/2
Nate Oats had a premonition for his backcourt on Thursday at the Prudential Center in Newark telling Mark Sears, Labaron Philon, Chris Youngblood and Aiden Holloway before the game that, “We’re going to rain threes.” Coach Oats was a prophet. The Tide drained trifectas to the tune of 25-of-51, 49%, the most made threes in NCAA Tournament history surpassing Loyola Marymount’s 21 in 1990 against Michigan. Mark and Aiden were knocking down threes from Yankee Stadium; Mark to the tune of 34 points on 10-of-16 from triple, and Aiden to the tune of 23 on 6-of-13 from deep downtown. Youngblood added 19 on 5-of-11 from three. Mercy, what a performance by those guys. Now the Tide faces the vaunted Blue Devils and player of the year candidate, along with Auburn’s Johni Broome, and soon to be first overall pick in the NBA draft (most likely) Cooper Flagg. Can the 2025 version of the Crimson Tide repeat and make it back to the Final Four? I like them to do that.
Alabama 94, Duke 92
Mark and the Crimson Tide pull off the upset in Newark and head to San Antonio. (Photo courtesy of AL.com).
Sunday’s Games
Midwest Regional Final
No.2 Tennessee (30-7) vs. No.1 Houston (33-4)
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indy, 35,000
1:20 P.M. CT
CBS
Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, Evan Washburn, Gene
Houston by 3 1/2; O/U: 124 1/2
Looking for a hard fought, hard-nosed game, with stellar point guard Zakai Zeigler and the Vols outlasting the Cougars.
Tennessee 62, Houston 61
South Region
No.1 Auburn (31-5) vs. No.2 Michigan State (30-6)
State Farm Arena, ATL, 17,044
4:09 P.M. CT
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace, Gene
Auburn by 4 1/2; O/U: 147 1/2
The Tigers had a sluggish start in the first half last night versus Michigan, but rallied in the second half with a 20-2 run to defeat the Wolverines, 78-65. Johni Broome finished with 22 points and 16 boards, a huge night. Tahaad Pettiford and Denver Jones added 20. Jones was 4-of-7 from triple, while Pettiford was 2-of-7. Auburn was 8-of-28 from three on the night. But they out-rebounded the Wolverines 48-33, held the Wolverines to 21-of-59 from the field, 36%, and 5-of-17 from trifecta, 29%. The Tigers were also 14 of 18 from the stripe, 78%. They really amped it up in the second half. In Michigan State, Auburn plays a similar hard hat, lunch pale team that plays terrific defense, hits the boards and can be prolific from three when they’re on. But I’ll take Johni and the Tigers to punch their ticket to San Antonio.
Auburn 75, Michigan State 72
Johni and Auburn want to keep on playing. I like them to do just that with a victory over Michigan State. (Photo courtesy of WHNT-Huntsville).
Miles Kelly will try to shoot the Auburn Tigers to the Elite 8. (Photo courtesy of Auburn University).
The Sweet 16 commences Thursday featuring 7 SEC teams that are competing, including the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn Tigers, which is tremendous for both the conference and the state. The 2nd seeded Crimson Tide (East Region) kicks off the spectacle Thursday as they square off with the 6th seeded BYU Cougars. The South Region’s No.1 seed, the Auburn Tigers, face the 5th seeded Michigan Wolverines on Friday. Brownie and EHS ’80 will have later nights watching their team. I’ll be joining them in that pursuit. I’m not an Auburn fan per se, but very interested in the Tigers and Tide always. Pretty excellent teams to be interested in.
Here’s a breakdown of the games along with White’s World’s Sports Confidential’s predictions on which teams will emerge from this round and matriculate to the coveted Elite 8, and move one step closer to the Alamodome in San Antonio for the Final Four Saturday, April 5th.
Record so far
SEC Tournament: SU-8-6, ATS: 2-6, O/U: 3-5.
Picked Florida to win it all, which they did, and Walter Clayton Jr. to win the MVP of the tournament, which he did. Used numbers for the games I had teams competing in. Bracket struggling so far, but there’s still hope.
Thursday’s games
East Region
No.2 Alabama (27-8) vs. No.6 BYU (26-9)
Prudential Center, Newark, NJ., 16,755
6:09 PM CT
CBS Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce
Bama by 5 1/2, Over/Under 175 1/2
I like Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, Mouhamed Dioubate, Chris Youngblood and the emerged rim protector and
offensive weapon 6’11”, 250 center Clifford Omoruyi to lead the Tide to victory and enable them to advance to
Saturday and the Elite 8.
Alabama 92, BYU 86
West Region
No.4 Maryland (27-8) vs. No.1 Florida (32-4)
Chase Center, San Francisco, 18,064
6:39 PM CT TBS/truTV
Kevin Harlan, Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy, Lauren Shehadi Gators by 6 1/2, O/U, 156 1/2
It’s too bad the Crimson Tide and the Gators are on at roughly the same time. You either can jump, unless
you’re exclusively a Bama fan or Gators fan, or get Youtube TV on your computer and watch Florida or
Alabama that way when they run over each other on their respective broadcasts.
Gators 82, Terps 75
East Region
No.4 Arizona (24-12) vs. No.1 Duke (33-3)
Prudential Center, Newark
8:39 PM CT
CBS
Same announcers as above in East.
Duke by 9 1/2, O/U, 153 1/2
Duke is a juggernaut right now and looks unstoppable. They can be stopped, but it’ll take a heroic effort.
Cooper Flagg, Kon Kneuppel and company are going to be tough to knock off. It can be done with a physical,
hard-working effort, but it’ll be a major task.
Duke 80, ‘Zona 70
West
No.10 Arkansas (22-13) vs. No.3 Texas Tech (27-8)
Chase Center, SF
9:09 PM CT
TBS/truTV
Texas Tech by 5 1/2, O/U 148 1/2
Give me Cal and the Hogs in the upset.
Hogs 72, Red Raiders 70
Friday
South Region
No. 6 Ole Miss (24-11) vs. No.2 Michigan State (29-6)
State Farm Arena, Atlanta, 16,888
6:09 PM CT
CBS
Ian, Bill, Grant, Trace Mich. State by 3 1/2, O/U, 143 1/2
This is a tough one because I think the Rebels have a real shot here. However, I’ve got Tom Izzo and his
Spartans advancing to the Elite 8, so I’ll take them in a slugfest.
Michigan State 70, Ole Miss 68
Midwest
No.3 Kentucky (24-11) vs. No.2 Tennessee (29-7)
Lucas Oil Stadium, Indy, 67,000, maybe not that many allowed in game.
6:39 PM CT
TBS/truTV
Tennessee by 4 1/2, O/U, 144 1/2
The Vols lost not once, but twice to the Wildcats, 78-73 at home, and 75-64 on the road. They’re a better
team now. It’s hard to beat a team three times as the old basketball adage goes, so I like the Vols to move on
to the Elite 8. The Vols’ defense, which is prolific, should be the difference.
Tennessee 73, Kentucky 70
South
No.6 Michigan (27-9) vs. No.1 Auburn (30-5)
State Farm Arena
8:39 PM CT
CBS
Tigers by 8 1/2, O/U, 154 1/2
I like Johni Broome, Miles Kelly, Denver Jones, Chad Baker-Mazzara and the star studded company to get the
job done for the Auburn Tigers. Willie and Hamilton will be chanting, “It’s Great to Be..” loudly Friday
Night/Saturday morning? at Otey’s.
Auburn 78, Michigan 75
Midwest No. 4 Purdue (24-11) vs. No.1 Houston (32-4)
Lucas Oil
9:09 PM CT
TBS/truTV
Houston by 7 1/2, O/U, 132 1/2
The Cougars are one team that can definitely hang with Duke. There are some others, but Houston really
sticks out to me as one of those teams. They are highly athletic, they can score and are elite defenders and
