Wednesday, 31 March 2021

New on Sports Illustrated: Joe Biden on Rangers Having Full Capacity for Opening Day: 'I Think It's a Mistake'

The Texas Rangers will allow full capacity for their first game, with the rest of the league limiting attendance. Biden called the decision "not responsible."

President Joe Biden told ESPN on Wednesday it was a mistake for the Texas Rangers to allow full capacity at their ballpark for their first game.

Speaking on the eve of opening day, Biden also said he supports discussions between Major League Baseball and the players’ union on moving the All-Star Game from Atlanta over concern about legislation adopted in Georgia restricting voting rights.

Fans are set to return to major league stadiums on Thursday after they were kept out during the regular season last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Capacity will be limited to about 12% in Boston and Washington. Twelve teams are at 20%, Colorado at about 43% and Houston at 50%.

The only team higher is Texas, at 100%. The Rangers’ Globe Life Field can seat 40,300 people.

“Well, that’s a decision they made. I think it’s a mistake,” Biden told

ESPN. “They should listen to Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, the scientists and the experts. But I think it’s not responsible.”

Major League Baseball is encouraging everyone involved with the sport to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible. A three-page memorandum from MLB and the players’ association sent to players and staff on Monday says some restrictions will be eliminated when 85% of major league players and primary field staff are vaccinated against the coronavirus.

But Major League Baseball isn’t requiring the vaccine for players or staff. Asked how he would advise players who might feel hesitant about the COVID-19 vaccine, Biden said: “I would say I’m President of the United States and I got vaccinated. I don’t have an unimportant job. Would I take the vaccine if I thought it was going to hurt me? We have done incredible research on the vaccines and they have shown that they work. We have to get to the point where enough people have taken the vaccine so we diminish the possibility for it to spread.”

The Nationals announced Wednesday that they had a player test positive for COVID-19, and four teammates and a staff member had been quarantined after contact tracing. They are scheduled to host the Mets on Thursday night.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred and union head Tony Clark also are discussing the possibility of moving the All-Star Game because of the legislation adopted in Georgia restricting voting rights. Manfred said Wednesday he is talking to “various constituencies within the game” about the issue.

Georgia’s new law adds a photo ID requirement for voting absentee by mail, cuts the amount of time people have to request an absentee ballot and limits where drop boxes can be placed and when they can be accessed. It also bans people from handing out food or water to voters waiting in line and allows the Republican-controlled State Election Board to remove and replace county election officials while curtailing the power of the secretary of state as Georgia’s chief elections officer.

Clark has said he “would look forward” to discussions around moving the Midsummer Classic out of Truist Park, and Biden said he would “strongly support” such a decision.

“People look to them,” Biden said, referring to professional athletes. “They’re leaders. Look at what happened with the NBA, as well. Look what’s happened across the board. The very people who were victimized the most are the people who are the leaders in these various sports, and it’s just not right. This is Jim Crow on steroids what they’re doing in Georgia and 40 other states.”

More MLB Coverage:

New on Sports Illustrated: Robert Kraft Voices Praises Cam Newton, Shows No Regret for Letting Tom Brady Leave

Patriots owner Robert Kraft discussed Cam Newton, free agency and Tom Brady in his first meeting with the media since the end of last season.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft touched on a variety of issues during Wednesday's Q&A session with the media members, his first since the end of the 2020 season. Among the biggest topics discussed was the Patriots' quarterback situation—which Kraft called an area that the team still must solidify—despite also offering praise for incumbent starter Cam Newton.

"In fairness to Cam, I'm not sure he had the proper weapons around him last year," Kraft said,

per ESPN's Mike Reiss. "I really do believe Cam getting COVID, and what it did to the team, it changed a lot. Now we'll get a chance to see.

"Players on the team, in the locker room, really love the guy. In the end, I trust Coach Belichick's ability to build a team, and put the right players in the best position to succeed."

Newton re-signed with New England on a one-year deal this month after starting 15 games for the team last season. He completed 65.8% of his passes for 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed for 592 yards and 12 scores.

Kraft also addressed his uncharacteristic shopping spree in free agency this offseason, during which he spent a league-record $165 million in guaranteed money. Kraft said his preference is to build a team through the draft, but cited his team's poor performance in recent drafts—as well as the NFL's reduced salary caps handcuffing other teams—as factors that led to his unprecedented spending.

"What happened here last year was not something to our liking. We had to make the corrections," Kraft said. "In all the businesses we're involved in, we try to take advantage of inefficiencies in the market. We were in a unique cap situation this year and it allowed us to try to [fix] things we missed, to a certain extent, in the draft. So this was our best opportunity."

The Patriots will pick 15th in the upcoming draft, their highest pick since 2008. That year, the team took linebacker Jerod Mayo with the 10th pick.

Kraft also said he did not regret letting Tom Brady leave via free agency, rather than retaining him using the franchise tag. Brady went on to lead the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title, winning the title game's MVP honors in the process.

"After 20 years, I'll make this commitment to any player in the future. Anyone who spends 20 years with us, and helps us go to win six Super Bowls, we're not going to keep; look, we could have contract-wise, kept him in our camp," Kraft said. "But it's not the right thing."

Takeaways from the third day of the Derek Chauvin trial.


By Will Wright from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3dn5bWD

As Cuomo Sought $4 Million Book Deal, Aides Hid Damaging Death Toll


By Jesse McKinley, Danny Hakim and Alexandra Alter from NYT New York https://ift.tt/3sHjv2D

Man Arrested in Anti-Asian Attack Was on Parole for Killing His Mother


By Michael Gold and Jonah E. Bromwich from NYT New York https://ift.tt/3cFzWXH

I Spent My Life Consenting to Touch I Didn’t Want


By Melissa Febos from NYT Magazine https://ift.tt/3rHJ4it

Biden Details $2 Trillion Plan to Rebuild Infrastructure and Reshape the Economy


By Jim Tankersley from NYT Business https://ift.tt/3u198H8

Hunter Biden’s Memoir: 7 Takeaways From ‘Beautiful Things’


By Elisabeth Egan from NYT Books https://ift.tt/3fsdfYP

Lil Nas X, Clapback Champ


By Jon Caramanica from NYT Arts https://ift.tt/3m6dmdM

Hong Kong: Media mogul Jimmy Lai found guilty over 2019 mass protests

The Apple Daily founder is among seven people found guilty of unauthorised assembly in 2019 protests.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3wcwoE5

Brazil: More than 60,000 people died of Covid-19 in March

Despite the rising cases, President Bolsonaro urges local governors to ease lockdown measures.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/39zRXo6

Covid vaccine manufacturers should work with poorer countries, says WTO chief

WTO head Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says the AstraZeneca deal with India is a good example.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3cF3GnB

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Mets, Francisco Lindor Agree to 10-Year, $341 Million Extension

Lindor's 10-year, $341 million extension begins in 2022 and has no opt-outs.

Francisco Lindor and the Mets have agreed to a 10-year, $341 million contract extension,

according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo.

The news comes hours after reports surfaced that the two sides were at an impasse regarding contract negotiations. The Mets had originally offered 10 years and $325 million, with Lindor's team countering at 12 years, $385 million.

Lindor, 27, was traded to the Mets in January in exchange for young shortstops Andres Giménez and Ahmed Rosario as well as minor league outfielder Isaiah Greene. Lindor and the Mets were engaged in extension discussions throughout Spring Training prior to Wednesday's deal. The new contract has no opt-outs, according to Tim Britton of The Athletic, and is $1 million more than the extension signed by Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., which was worth 14 years and $340 million.

Lindor's deal reportedly has a limited no-trade clause, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. It also includes a $21 million signing bonus, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

The Mets now have one of baseball's best shortstops under contract for the next 11 years, as his new contract begins in 2022. Lindor is a four-time All-Star in six MLB seasons, sporting an .833 career OPS. Lindor combined to hit 103 home runs from 2017-19, tallying 329 runs in the three-year stretch. Cleveland's former shortstop is also a two-time Gold Glove winner.

Lindor's extension continues a spending spree for the Mets after Steve Cohen took over as the team's owner in October 2020. New York retained starting pitcher Marcus Stroman on a one-year deal in November, and it signed catcher James McCann a month later. The Mets could also offer outfielder Michael Conforto a nine-figure extension before he hits free agency after the 2021 season.

The Mets enter the year seeking their first playoff appearance since 2016. They have reached the postseason just four times since 2000, including two World Series appearances in 2000 and 2015.

Runway dining at $540 a meal proving hit in Japan

Japan's biggest airline is making the most of grounded planes while Australian carriers are cutting prices.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/39wJQZC

George Floyd: What witnesses have said in the Chauvin trial

Witnesses in Minneapolis have given emotional testimony about being at the scene of Mr Floyd's arrest.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2Pg1p9z

Tiger Woods crash: Los Angeles police determine the cause of golfer's car accident

The details of what caused Tiger Woods' car crash will only be released if the 15-time major winner gives permission for police to share their findings.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3u8Dpnq

Facebook bans 'voice of Trump' from platform

An interview with the ex-president was posted by his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, on Facebook.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3wgcRCC

Covid: Brisbane lockdown to end ahead of Easter weekend

The Australian city of two million residents has seen a low infection rate, but concerns remain.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3fvn8EV

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Mets, Francisco Lindor Have Reached Stalemate in Contract Negotiations

The Mets have reportedly offered Lindor a 10-year, $325 million deal, while Lindor is asking for 12 years and $385 million.

On the eve of Opening Day, it doesn't appear that the Mets and star shortstop Francisco Lindor will come to an agreement on a new megadeal.

Lindor and the team are reportedly at an impasse regarding a contract extension,

according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Unless the two sides come to an agreement, Lindor will enter free agency after the season ends.

As things stand, the Mets are unwilling to increase their offer of 10 years, $325 million, while Lindor will reportedly not move off his 12-year, $385 million request. Lindor has imposed a deadline of Opening Day to complete negotiations, though it's possible talks can extend beyond that date.

Mets owner Steve Cohen offered his take on the negotiations via Twitter on Tuesday, praising Lindor in the process.

Lindor, 27, is one of the faces of baseball and has the perfect personality to be a franchise player in New York. He will make $22.3 million in 2021, his first with the Mets. He arrived in Queens alongside starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco via a blockbuster trade from Cleveland in January, in which the Mets gave up four players. A four-time All-Star, Lindor has won two Gold Gloves and two Silver Sluggers so far, finishing in the top 15 in MVP voting each year from 2016-19.

The Mets' $325 million offer to Lindor reportedly included deferred money initially, though Cohen removed that condition in a dinner meeting with Lindor. Lindor and his agent, David Meter, have only made the lone offer to New York, and have not budged from their numbers.

DiComo reports that Cohen is "upset and baffled" at Lindor holding firm to his contract request. The Mets love Lindor and would not have traded for him if they didn't intend on keeping him with their franchise long term, but as of now, they will not increase their offer to meet Lindor in the middle. Cohen could break the team's stance by "going rogue," but he reportedly has concern about setting that precedent.

In 60 games last season, Lindor hit .258/.335/.415 with eight home runs, six stolen bases and 27 RBIs.

New on Sports Illustrated: JJ Redick Criticizes Pelicans' Handling of Deadline Trade to Mavericks

Redick said on his podcast that he was given an assurance from Pelicans executive David Griffin that he'd be traded to a preferred situation.

View the
original article
to see embedded media.

Veteran shooting guard JJ Redick, who was dealt at the NBA trade deadline from New Orleans to Dallas, is not happy over how Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin handled the move, saying he "did not honor his word."

Speaking on his podcast, The Old Man & the Three, Redick explained his reasons for requesting a trade from New Orleans in November, according to ESPN's Andrew Lopez. Among the most important reasons was his desire to be closer to his family in Brooklyn, while he also cited the team's trade of Jrue Holiday as a factor for wanting out.

"Griff basically says to me, 'Come down for a month. If you still want to be traded, I give you my word, I'll get you to a situation that you like.' We had four subsequent conversations," Redick said. "Again, my agent talked to them. But I'm talking to Griff directly. Griff and I had a personal relationship. Obviously, he did not honor his word."

Redick said he was under the impression that he would be bought out of his contract after not getting traded at the deadline, when he could then sign with the Nets. He said he will still join the Mavericks once he finishes rehabbing his injured knee, which he's doing in New York away from the team.

When asked about the trade last week, Griffin said the front office tried to trade Redick to be closer to his family, but ultimately was unable to execute a move.

"We did spend a great deal of time trying to put JJ closer to home," Griffin said Friday. "When it became clear that the teams that were in the best position regionally for him were not necessarily the most aggressive in landing him, we did have conversations about the importance of immediately contending, as he's aging.

"I think we felt confident that JJ welcomed the better contending opportunity because we're not even at the play-in at this point. We felt it was the right thing to do for him and his family."

Redick said the experience has caused him to distrust Griffin and the Pelicans' front office going forward.

"I don't think you're going to get honesty from that front office, just objectively speaking ... It's not something where I would expect certainly the agents that worked on this with me to ever trust that front office again."

New on Sports Illustrated: Indianapolis Hotel Serving as NCAA Tournament Bubble to Host a Different Kind of NFL Combine

Indianapolis's Marriott Downtown hotel will welcome NFL prospects next week for the league's medical combine after the NCAA tournament ends.

INDIANAPOLIS — Three weeks ago, during the second week of March, Big Ten basketball teams started to arrive at the Marriott Downtown hotel for an open-ended stay ahead of the Big Ten and NCAA tournaments, each happening in this city.

Not long afterward, this 650-room, 16-floor place transformed into a veritable bubble, completely closed to the public while shielding two dozen teams from much of the outside world for nearly a month. The Marriott Downtown hosted an initial 16 teams during the NCAA tournament’s first weekend, like three other hotels here, before being designated as the home for all those that advanced to the Sweet 16 and beyond. The Final Four participants are the only ones left, each using an entire floor until they’re bounced from the Big Dance.

But this bubbled hotel won’t be popped when the national champion and runner-up leave after Monday’s title game.

There are more high-profile athletes on the way.

Some of the most talented NFL prospects, 150 in all, are scheduled to descend upon Indianapolis next week for a strictly medical portion of the combine, business leaders and city officials tell Sports Illustrated.

“I have 220 rooms booked,” says Michael Moros, the 54-year-old general manager of the Marriott Downtown, which will serve as the central hub of the event. “I’m excited to have it. It keeps my team working. It’s my job to get people back to work here.”

As soon as basketball players exit, rooms will be readied for stars of another sport to be isolated in a similar type of bubble. From April 8-10, NFL personnel will conduct medical evaluations of the draft’s biggest prospects here, similar to those they’d normally administer during the combine, the on-field portion of which was canceled this year. Two people from each team are invited to the event, but the league is limiting those people to team doctors, orthopedic specialists and other medically related personnel.

A total of 322 prospects received combine invitations this year, but about 175 of them are only being allowed to hold medical evaluations virtually. The other 150 will be here in Indianapolis, where a busy month rolls on.

“Indianapolis is delighted to have major sporting activity after the NCAA tournament wraps up,” says Leonard Hoops, the president and CEO of Visit Indy who confirmed the news Wednesday.

For the players and teams, next week’s unique combine experience is essential. In a year where the NFL is prohibiting prospects from visiting team facilities, Moros’s hotel will be one of the only spots that club medical personnel can evaluate players in a face-to-face environment.

That’s important for those highly-touted prospects who are returning from injury, such as Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley (shoulder) and Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle (ankle), and those who opted out of the 2020 college season, like LSU receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

“The medical exams are always the most important part of the combine,” says Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Senior Bowl. “The workouts have been the glitzy, TV thing, but when you talk to football people, it’s really only the interviews and the medical exams. Next week will be another touch point for the staffs even if the football people aren’t there. I’m sure the GMs and coaches will sit down with their medical staff and fill them in on the players.”

For NFL clubs, the normal pre-draft process features three parts: (1) in-person interviews/psyche assessments, (2) physical evaluations and (3) medical exams. Most teams have already completed interviews and psyche evaluations during virtual meetings with prospects who received a combine invitation. Clubs are mostly relegated to relying on college pro days for the physical evals, aside from the Senior Bowl, which held a largely normal week despite the circumstances. The event hosted 135 prospects in Mobile, Alabama, and 31 of 32 teams were represented, says Nagy.

The medical portion is more complicated. Combine invitees were sent for in-person testing at independent healthcare facilities near their home or where they are training. After those test results, teams conducted telehealth exams with the prospects. Each team is assigned eight to 12 players. The results of both the tests and exams are shared among the entire league.

The exams in Indianapolis are more orthopedic in nature. The NFL selected the 150 prospects based on both their draftability (higher-touted prospects) and those who may have been flagged for medical risks after their general in-person exams.

Most teams are sending their head athletic trainer and team orthopedic surgeon. Players and personnel who have not been vaccinated (roughly 85% of team personnel have been vaccinated) must pass a COVID test before arriving and will be tested each day in Indianapolis.

All personnel and players will be isolated to the Marriott Downtown. Players will arrive in two waves. Day 1 will include imaging tests, and Day 2 will feature personal exams.

For the first time in 33 years, the Indianapolis Crowne Plaza, the central location of the annual combine, is not hosting the prospects. For space purposes and because of the Marriott’s familiarity with bubbling personnel, the league chose Moros’s property.

Players and staff will be in a more flexible bubble than the one that NCAA tournament teams find themselves. In fact, Moros says he’s being allowed to open his hotel restaurant, coffee shop and bourbon bar for event guests. For now, they are closed as the Final Four participants isolate before Saturday’s games. It’s part of the NCAA’s bubbled approach to this year’s tournament, all of which

took place in the Indianapolis area.

The near month-long event has provided a much-needed cash infusion to the local hospitality industry that's been rocked by the pandemic. The Marriott was closed for nine months starting last March and only reopened for weekends in January before wrapping itself in an invisible bubble with a surge of clients starting with the Big Ten tournament.

It will, finally, reopen to the public on April 13, Moros says. By that time, his hotel would have hosted two dozen basketball teams, more than 500 basketball and football players, another 300 college coaches and staff members, nearly 100 NFL personnel and blocked off more than 1,200 rooms over 33 days—all the while operating with 300 fewer hotel employees than normal.

It's another sign that the country is emerging from the COVID cave, and Moros couldn’t be more ecstatic.

“We’re seeing light at the end of the tunnel,” he says. 

New on Sports Illustrated: How This Fan Trained a Machine Learning Model and Nailed His March Madness Bracket

Will Geoghegan's bracket is in the top 0.2% of 14M+ brackets on ESPN after calling upsets like USC over Kansas and Houston in the Final Four.

If we're being honest, most of our March Madness brackets imploded in some way over the last few weeks and now hold on by a thread with the Final Four in a few days. 

However,

Will Geoghegan's men's bracket is still intact and in the top 0.2% of more than 14 million brackets on ESPN after training a machine learning model to fill out his bracket for the Big Dance. 

"I think it's cool that something like this can work well. Because we look at March Madness and we see all the craziness and all the upsets that no one saw coming, like Oral Roberts and UCLA," Geoghegan says. "But, at the end of the day, it's two one seeds and a two seed in the Final Four. And so these analytics can still be successful even in such a kind of volatile format as March Madness."

This isn't the first time the former professional runner, who now works in the computer science industry, has done something like this but it's possibly the most success he's had with a sports machine learning model. Close to seven years ago, Geoghegan created a model to draft his fantasy football team. 

It worked until Adrian Peterson, who the model selected first, was suspended for the season. 

"I've always liked kind of applying this stuff to things like sports because anything with a lot of data that's available, you can usually make a good model," Geoghegan said. "Sports and data definitely go hand in hand in this."

A few years later, he trained a machine learning model to fill out a March Madness bracket; however, it wasn't as successful as this year's because of overfitting. The model was too specific and complicated, so it learned the data he gave really well versus extrapolating into the future.

"No matter how you know how perfectly tuned your model is, these are still games that are being played and there's a huge element of randomness," Geoghegan. "Not randomness from the player's perspective necessarily but from the model's perspective. Sometimes the worst team will win, and that's just how it goes. The biggest takeaway was just making kind of a good, general model that didn't try is too hard to get everything right but just has a good kind of high-level map of where things stand."

Taking what he learned from previous codes and models, Geoghegan used AdaBoost, which he said is essentially "an algorithm for combining a collection of relatively weak predictors into a single strong predictor." He pulled data from the Massey Ratings instead of using player or game-level data. 

Essentially, the model aggregated the opinions of experts who create the college basketball rankings. It used the seeds and the various ranking systems as weak predictors with training data going back to 2003.

"It's able to kind of find the relationships between them in a way to combine all of them into one kind of rating system," Geoghegan said. "If you get really into the math, you can prove that it's guaranteed to do better than the best single rating system."

Within three hours, his model and bracket were set, and when he compared it to his bracket he did by hand, the picks were logical and not too wildly outrageous. Geoghegan said none of the picks really made him scratch his head too much. 

And it worked. The model correctly predicted Rutgers over Clemson, USC over Kansas, Arkansas in the Elite Eight and Houston in the Final Four. The biggest miss, like most brackets, was UCLA's overtime upset of Alabama.

The model also didn't predict Cinderella-esque teams like UCLA or Oral Roberts. The data stops with the end of the conference championships, so if a team, like those or Oregon State, suddenly gets hot in the tournament, the model most likely won't predict that. 

The model originally predicted that Baylor would beat Gonzaga, 69–57. However, it now thinks the Zags will be crowned the national champions and become the first undefeated men's college basketball team since Indiana during the 1975–76 season

In the future, Geoghegan is planning to use more data with a similar approach since this system only looked at how teams were rated going into the tournament versus how ratings changed throughout the season. 

"I've always been into programming. There's a creative aspect to it, where you're starting with a blank file, and you're creating something," Geoghegan said. "And I think it's really cool on the data side to be able to take megabytes worth of ones and zeros and turn it into useful predictions about the future and about the world. 

"Obviously, March Madness isn't as high impact as a lot of other applications of this stuff. But it's turning data into useful insights about the world we live in."

New on Sports Illustrated: Marlins' New Stadium Name Immediately Becomes MLB's Most Ridiculous

Beginning on Opening Day 2021, the Miami Marlins will play their home games at the newly-renamed loanDepot park, violating both the rules of fun and capitalization.

Say what you want the name "Guaranteed Rate Field"—at least it uses proper capitalization.

The same cannot be said for loanDepot park, the new home of the Miami Marlins. Team chief executive officer Derek Jeter

announced the move on Wednesday, the day before Opening Day, calling it "beneficial to our organization" and citing the company's belief in the Marlins and greater South Florida community.

"I think you've seen what we've been trying to do here in the community and our involvement in the community and saying that this is the community's team," Jeter said, per MLB.com's Christina De Nicola. "And (loanDepot CEO Anthony Hsieh) is on board with that. He wants to make an impact here as well."

The 11-year-old mortgage company was founded by Hsieh, who had previously started and sold other mortgage companies to E*Trade and LendingTree. Its slogan, "Home means everything," is being embraced by the Marlins as a season-long RBI campaign. The company will donate $25 for every regular-season RBI to Boys & Girls Clubs of America, plus $250 per RBI on Opening Day.

The initiative is certainly a noble pursuit worth commending, but back to the name. I'm quite certain this will be the first Major League ballpark whose words begin with lowercase letters, creating a real pop artist track listing feel. It's a style Hsieh believes "looked pretty cool," but it also breaks conventional rules of capitalizing proper nouns. If the goal was to come up with a name that stood out from its peers, mission accomplished. If the goal was to also choose a name guaranteed to be the most mis-capitalized, a job well done on that front as well.

Whatever your feelings on lowercase letters, loanDepot park joins the ranks of the previously-lambasted Guaranteed Rate Field (White Sox) and RingCentral Coliseum (Athletics) as the league's worst-named venues. Baseball stadiums are built like cathedrals—let's try to avoid naming them like used car dealerships and strip-mall payday lenders.

Tuesday, 30 March 2021

Nashville floods kill four people

The storms in Tennessee required 100 people to be rescued from vehicles and buildings.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/39r2dPw

New on Sports Illustrated: UCLA Edges Michigan to Complete Run From First Four to Final Four

Johnny Juzang powered the Bruins past Michigan in a defensive-minded affair in the men's Elite Eight.

UCLA was down five points with 89 seconds to go against

Michigan State in the First Four.

Now, the Bruins are headed to the men's Final Four.

UCLA completed its miraculous run through the East Region with a 51–49 victory over No. 1 seed Michigan. The Bruins, who spent Selection Sunday sweating after losing their last four regular season games, are headed to the Final Four for the first time since the program's run of three straight that ended in 2008.

This was a gritty, defensive-minded affair that harkened back memories of head coach Mick Cronin’s days at the helm of the Cincinnati men's program. The Bruins scored just four points in the game’s first 10 minutes. But Cronin’s club got the offensive spark it needed from Johnny Juzang, who scored 14 straight Bruin points at one point and tallied 18 of the team’s 27 points in the first half. Meanwhile, UCLA tightened the screws defensively, limiting star Michigan big man Hunter Dickinson to just four points in the first half to carry a 27–23 lead into intermission.

Three free throws by Juzang less than two minutes into the second half gave UCLA its largest lead of nine. The Wolverines quickly fought back, and the game remained incredibly tight into the closing moments. UCLA found a way to get clutch stops even as the offense bogged down while Juzang was temporarily sidelined after re-injuring his ankle, holding a Michigan offense that had scored 75 or more points in each of its first three NCAA tournament games to a season-low 49.

A big three by Michigan’s Chaundee Brown tied the game at 46 with 5:23 to go—and was the last field goal the Wolverines would make. A baseline drive and finish by Juzang gave UCLA a 50–47 lead with 1:05 to play before Franz Wagner answered with a pair of free throws. After a Michigan stop, Wagner had an open look from three to take the lead that came up woefully short, and Eli Brooks’s put-back also wouldn’t drop. Juzang split a pair of free throws to give Michigan one last chance, but last-gasp threes by Mike Smith and Wagner both wouldn’t drop to send Westwood into euphoria.

Juzang led all scorers with 28 points, while point guard Tyger Campbell added 11 for the Bruins. Michigan was led by 11 points from Dickinson and eight each from Brooks, Brown and Brandon Johns Jr.

While the Bruins are no strangers to the biggest stage in college basketball, it’s the first trip of Cronin’s career. Cronin, whose main knock as a candidate for the job was his lack of March success, now has brought the storied UCLA program back to the Final Four.

UCLA becomes just the second team ever to go from the First Four to the Final Four, joining a VCU team coached by Shaka Smart back in 2011. The Bruins’ reward? A date with undefeated Gonzaga, which looked every bit like a juggernaut in an 85–66 win over USC Tuesday evening. 

¿Tendrá el Perú su primera presidenta progresista o volverá atrás?


By Gabriela Wiener from NYT en Español https://ift.tt/3u7LngB

Biden Names Diverse Nominees for the Federal Bench


By Carl Hulse and Michael D. Shear from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2PihOKt

G. Gordon Liddy, Mastermind Behind Watergate Burglary, Dies at 90


By Robert D. McFadden from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2PdkRnn

‘It Felt Like Deception’: An Elite NYC Hospital Charges Huge Virus Test Fees


By Sarah Kliff from NYT The Upshot https://ift.tt/3rwqXw9

The SpaceX Test Rocket for Mars Goes Up Again, and Explodes Again


By Kenneth Chang from NYT Science https://ift.tt/39snSH2

A Billionaire Names His Team to Ride SpaceX, No Pros Allowed


By Kenneth Chang from NYT Science https://ift.tt/3w8A4GK

Brutal Attack on Filipino Woman Sparks Outrage: ‘Everybody Is on Edge’


By Nicole Hong, Juliana Kim, Ali Watkins and Ashley Southall from NYT New York https://ift.tt/31BgEMJ

Watergate mastermind G Gordon Liddy dies aged 90

G Gordon Liddy served nearly five years in jail for his role in the scandal that toppled President Nixon.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3sDH506

Google Maps to start showing eco-friendly routes

The driving app will highlight journeys with lowest emissions based on factors such as traffic.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3sESPzl

New on Sports Illustrated: Tone-Setting Drew Timme Puts Gonzaga Two Wins From History

Timme was dominant from the jump as the Bulldogs dispatched the Trojans to roll into the men's Final Four.

INDIANAPOLIS — If you’re in a rush here and want to know how Gonzaga made the men's Final Four, which you probably expected them to make, just know that Drew Timme ran out of new celebrations midway through it.

The Bulldogs took a 20-point lead shortly into the second half, curling their way through a baseline out of bounds play that started with Corey Kispert rolling to the corner, but instead sent the ball to Jalen Suggs, who faked multiple Trojans with a brief hesitation and found Timme diving into the paint for a two-handed dunk.

The next part has become as predictable as Gonzaga’s remarkable dominance, which has gone on mostly unfettered for months,

with an 85–66 win over USC now in the rearview. Timme’s index fingers traced the outline of his ubiquitous, furry mustache, wiping beneath both nostrils for emphasis (not cleanliness) and finishing with a skyward point. He’d already done this once, at the outset of the game, the Bulldogs already hurtling toward the finish line. He followed subsequent first-half buckets with a shrug and a flex of his right bicep.

Whoever the Bulldogs face Saturday, whether Michigan or UCLA, they’ll be favored. Cross that one off, and they’ll play the winner of Baylor and Houston, in which they’ll also be favored. It should surprise absolutely no one that Gonzaga is still here in Indianapolis defending its top overall seed. Yet, somehow, it seemed Timme never thought to expand his repertoire of extra celebrations, even as he finished with 23 points, five rebounds and four assists.

“Drew wants to go toe-to-toe with the best of the best,” Corey Kispert told reporters earlier in the week. “All of the facial hair and giggling and laughing and celebrations aside, Drew’s a dog.” At this point, some light rehearsal may be a good use of Timme’s hotel downtime leading into Saturday. “[Drew] gets us going,” Jalen Suggs said postgame. ”He gets us all fired up.” Sitting for his press conference, Suggs punctuated his point with a brief pause and a chuckle, to mimic Timme’s signature celebration for himself.

It may have been that Timme’s much-diagnosed matchup with USC’s Evan Mobley became a personal affront to the Tao of the Stache, which has evolved from light gimmick to a maybe-sort-of-convincing manifestation of his mojo. Through four tournament games, Timme has dominated all comers with his soft touch, quiet footwork and understanding of his place at the center of a historically great offense.

Gonzaga revolves around Timme, but not always through him. The Zags can flash him to the middle, let Jalen Suggs work downhill, or run Kispert through actions away from the ball. If they feel like it, they can do some or all of those things at the same time. Joel Ayayi and Andrew Nembhard are there to whip the ball around and improvise. As he’s built what is indisputably the premier college program on the West Coast, Mark Few has always played to his personnel. “This team plays better without sets,” Few told reporters on Sunday. “Our flow is probably the best thing we do.” The Bulldogs’ small-ball outfit is his best team, and his best job yet.

The way the Zags pass the ball is part innate, partially bespoke. In early-season practices, Few and his staff saw the the way his guys were sharing it. “It’s fun,” Kispert said on Sunday, “because we just do what we’re best at all day long.” The staff installed drills and warmups to cultivate that piece of the group’s identity. “They really, really bought into that,” Few said.

Through four NCAA tournament games, Gonzaga has assisted on 83 of 129 made field goals, while turning the ball over just 46 times. It's won all four games by at least 15 points. Few made clear that his team would, perhaps refreshingly, allow itself to be content, at least for now. “This is something that needs to be celebrated, and we need to take the time to enjoy the heck out of it,” he said.

Early ball pressure started with the 6' 10" Timme nimbly switching onto 6' 2" Tahj Eaddy on the first play of the game, then stripping him, going the length of the court and drawing an important foul on Mobley. (“He really kind of enjoys those moments,” Few says). Gonzaga took advantage of nearly every mistake and ran out to a 17–4 lead. Searching for answers, Andy Enfield pivoted away from the mad-scientist zone defense that helped his Trojans get this far into the tourney.

By the time they went back to it, it hardly mattered. “When Timme is playing as well as he did tonight in the lane, and their shooters and their ball handling, their speed is very hard [to handle],” Enfield said. The Bulldogs played their way. They never trailed. “We were moving in unison,” Suggs said.

Bar none, the most dramatic moment of the night came five minutes into the game, when official Bert Smith collapsed directly in front of Gonzaga’s bench and hit the floor hard. He was immediately tended to by medical staff, was awake as he was wheeled off the court and was said to be alert and stable shortly afterward. That news came as a major relief to both teams and all observers.

But in that brief, frightening silence, as Smith received care, you could hear Bulldogs assistant Tommy Lloyd—who had been first to Smith’s side—speaking up in the Gonzaga huddle. He concluded his spiel with a loud message to his players. “Trust each other, and get a great shot.” All season, they’ve made it look as simple as it sounds.

The undefeated, top-seeded Zags are two wins away from the big thing they’ve convinced everyone they can do. Kispert, Gonzaga’s lone senior, expressed a broader view on the matter over the weekend. “Even though there is this big buildup to these big games coming up,” he said, “we’re not on planes, we’re not back in Spokane with everyone telling us how great we’ve been. It just feels like business as usual. It makes it easy to focus on the present and be in the moment.”

Whichever way this unusual season ends, there’s a week left, tops. And in the world outside this strange, condensed, basketball bubble, the expectations are certainly weightier than Few, or Kispert, or any of them let on. You just wonder if anyone’s told them yet.

SI’s tournament newsletter analyzes everything you need to know about the Big Dance: what just happened and what’s happening next. Sign up for Morning Madness here.

New on Sports Illustrated: South Carolina Puts on a Defensive Clinic vs. Texas to Advance to the Final Four

South Carolina held Texas scoreless in the fourth quarter, stopping the Longhorns with brutal efficiency en route to the Final Four.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Texas coach Vic Schaefer shook his head in frustration, eyes cast down.

He’d just watched his Longhorns endure their 12th blocked shot of the game. Down by more than 20 points, they had not scored once so far in the quarter, and what had looked like it would be a rough loss was about to transition into an out-and-out rout.

No. 1 South Carolina’s defense shut down No. 6 Texas with brutal efficiency in their Elite Eight showdown Tuesday. The

Gamecocks won, 62–34, after keeping the Longhorns scoreless for the entirety of the fourth quarter. For South Carolina, the country’s leader in blocks and one of its strongest rebounding teams, this display of defensive force was nothing new. But it made for a particularly strong statement to do it in the Elite Eight—especially against a Texas team that just showed off its own defensive ability in its upset of No. 2 offensive juggernaut Maryland.

“They’re just long and really quick and athletic,” said Schaefer. “They can test you in everything that you do. Whether you’re out there at three-point range or all the way at the rim, they really make it hard on you… Part of defense is contesting the shot. A lot of people don’t do that, and they do.”

South Carolina finished with 14 blocks, tied for its season high, and forced 15 turnovers. It resulted in the lowest scoring total of the year for Texas. (That distinction had previously been held by a 61–35 loss to Baylor in February.) The Longhorns looked off-balance all night—backed into corners and boxed into bad shots. They missed their last 19 field goals and posted their lowest field-goal percentage of the season at just 23%.

“We just played with our guard up,” said South Carolina sophomore Zia Cooke. “We knew that Texas was a good defensive team… Maryland was supposed to win that [Sweet 16] game, but they did, and it could have been the same for this game. We were supposed to win, but it could have gone the other way, so we just made sure we put our foot on the gas, kept our guard up, and did what we needed to do.”

It was the first time in the history of the women’s tournament that a team had been held scoreless for an entire quarter. But South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said that she didn’t even notice her squad had pulled off such a feat until she had a chance to look at the scoresheet after the celebration. “It didn’t feel like that,” she said. “We were just locked in.”

The game had been positioned as a match-up between Texas’s Charli Collier and South Carolina’s Aaliyah Boston. Both stand out as powerful 6-foot-5 forwards who average a double-double; Collier might be the No. 1 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft, and Boston, a sophomore, could eventually follow her. But Collier struggled against the Gamecocks’ physical defense and posted one of her roughest performances of the year. She scored just four points on 2-of-10 shooting.

“They guarded us like we like to guard,” said Texas’s Kyra Lambert.

Boston scored 10 points with eight rebounds. But some of South Carolina’s biggest contributions came from her teammates: Zia Cooke, who scored 16, and Laeticia Amihere, who scored 10 with nine blocks.

“I thought the moment may have gotten the best of [Boston] early on,” Staley said. “It took a while for her to settle in to be the Aaliyah that we need her to be… But Aaliyah does so many other great things. She didn’t score the ball today, but she rebounded, she defended, she was there, she was present.”

It’s the first trip to the Final Four for South Carolina since 2017. Then, they went all the way, winning a national championship by defeating a Mississippi State team coached by none other than Shaefer. (This is his first season at Texas after eight at Mississippi State.) Tuesday night's play—particularly its tough defense—reminded him of the force he saw from that team, he said.

“That’s a reflection of Dawn,” said Schaefer. “These kids really embody her… They’re an extension of her. You have to respect that.”

New on Sports Illustrated: Stanford Punches Ticket to Final Four With Comeback Win Over Louisville

Stanford is headed to its 14th women's Final Four after outscoring Louisville 52-25 in the second half.

Stanford women's basketball is

headed to its 14th Final Four after outscoring Louisville 52-25 in the second half, winning the Battle of the Cardinal(s) 78-63. 

Junior guard Lexie Hull led Stanford with 21 points and nine rebounds while sophomore Ashten Prechtel added 16 points off the bench for the Cardinal. Louisville guard Dana Evans led all scorers, tallying 24 points.

Stanford overcame a 12-point halftime deficit, and is now seeking it's first championship since 1992. 

Louisville came out firing, scoring 21 points in the first quarter and 17 in the second while Stanford trailed scoring 13 in each period. But something shifted during halftime for Stanford as the team came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. 

Stanford went on a 17-2 run, closing Louisville's lead to 50-48 with a quarter to go. 

Prechtel hit a three-pointer, handing Stanford the lead. The Cardinal went on a 12-4 run before the momentum shifted with 5:37 to go. 

As Anna Wilson drained a three, the momentum continued to shift in Stanford's favor. Her brother, Seahawks' quarterback Russell Wilson, cheered on the sidelines, hitting the chairs in front of him. 

Prechtel followed it up with yet another three, pushing Stanford to a 66-54 lead. Louisville wasn't able to recover from the Cardinal's second half offensive push. 

Stanford will face off against No. 1 seed South Carolina on Friday.

SI’s tournament newsletter analyzes everything you need to know about the Big Dance: what just happened and what’s happening next. Sign up for Morning Madness here.

Covid: Australia falls 85% short of vaccine delivery goal

The slow rollout sparks concern as Brisbane faces a possible extension of a citywide lockdown.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3maw5Vt

New on Sports Illustrated: Gonzaga Rolls USC as Its Unbeaten Season Reaches Final Four

The Bulldogs' undefeated season has reached the tournament's final weekend.

Gonzaga is now two wins away from making history.

The top-seeded Bulldogs finished out their domination of the men's NCAA tournament's West Region with a 85–66 win over No. 6 USC. This one was never competitive: Gonzaga scored the game’s first seven points in less than two minutes to trigger a USC timeout and never looked back. The Zags led the entire way, including by double figures for the game’s final 34:55, blowing away a Trojans club that had won its first three games in Indianapolis by an average of 21.3 points.

Much was made coming in about USC’s top-ranked two-point defense and

whether the Trojans’ length could disrupt the Gonzaga offense. It didn’t matter. The Bulldogs got layup after layup in the early stages of this one, getting out in transition off early USC turnovers, and picked their opponent apart in the halfcourt playing through big man Drew Timme. Timme led a balanced Gonzaga scoring effort with 23 points, also adding five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Star freshman point guard Jalen Suggs also had it going for the Zags, stuffing the stat sheet with 18 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.

Meanwhile, no one outside of the Mobley brothers could ever get anything going for the Trojans. Isaiah and Evan Mobley combined for 36 points and shot 12 for 22 from the field. The rest of the team shot an ugly 11 for 39, just 28%. That included just two points on 1-for-4 shooting for Isaiah White, who led the way for USC with 22 points in its Sweet 16 win over Oregon. The cold shooting never allowed the Trojans to make a serious push to get back in the game despite the Gonzaga offense cooling down some in the second half. USC was never within 15 in the game's final 20 minutes.

Gonzaga heads to its second-ever men's Final Four after first accomplishing that milestone in the 2016–17 season. It also becomes the first men's team to enter the Final Four undefeated since the 2014–15 Kentucky team that started 38–0 before losing to Wisconsin in the national semifinals.

The 30–0 Bulldogs remain in pursuit of becoming the first men's team since Bob Knight’s 1975–76 Indiana Hoosiers to be an undefeated national champion. They will face the winner of Michigan-UCLA on Saturday night.

Early in Tuesday's game, referee Bert Smith collapsed on the court. He reportedly felt light-headed but did not need to be hospitalized after receiving medical attention.

New on Sports Illustrated: South Carolina Heads to Women's Final Four After Blowing Past Texas

South Carolina kept Texas scoreless in the fourth quarter as it cruised to a victory, snagging a ticket to the women's Final Four.

For the first time since

its national championship in 2017, South Carolina is headed back to the women's Final Four after holding Texas scoreless in the fourth quarter, smacking the Longhorns 62-34. 

Tuesday night's Elite Eight matchup featured a battle between the potential No. 1 WNBA draft picks for 2021 and 2023—Longhorns' junior Charli Collier, who’s already declared for the 2021 draft, and Gamecocks' sophomore Aliyah Boston. However, Collier only scored four points while Boston tallied 10 with eight rebounds. 

Five different players scored in double figures for No. 1 seeded South Carolina, who never trailed against its old SEC rival and current Longhorns coach, Vic Schaefer. 

The majority of the Gamecocks' points came from in the paint, making 27 of their 57 attempts. They blocked over a dozen shots and tallied a total of 47 rebounds (37 defensive). They held Texas to just 23% from the field—and no points in the fourth quarter.

South Carolina will face the winner of Stanford—Louisville. 

In their victory, head coach Dawn Staley honored the late John Thompson on Tuesday night by sporting a shirt with his image. 

SI’s tournament newsletter analyzes everything you need to know about the Big Dance: what just happened and what’s happening next. Sign up for Morning Madness here.

New on Sports Illustrated: 'We'll Do What We Feel Is Best': Texans GM Discusses Deshaun Watson | The Albert Breer Show

After months of insisting Deshaun Watson is Houston's QB, new Texans GM Nick Caserio comments on the recent lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct from Watson.

For three months, amid a trade request, and then a slew of lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct, the Texans' new brass declared that Deshaun Watson was and would remain Houston’s quarterback.

Things are changing.

On a Monday taping on The Albert Breer Show, Texans GM Nick Caserio was our guest for a wide-ranging conversation, starting with the news that’s engulfed the organization he’s been charged with turning around since he took over in early January. After a couple months of sticking to his guns in saying that Watson is Houston's quarterback, I asked directly if he still feels that way.

“I think we'll take it one day at a time. And I think everything is pretty fluid here,” Caserio responded. “And we'll adjust as we go. And ultimately, I think we'll do what we feel is best for the Houston Texans organizationally.”

So, I then asked, you’d be open to trading Watson?

“Ultimately,” he said, “we'll do what we feel is best for the organization.”

On the pod, Caserio talked a little more on Watson; how he sees EVP

Jack Easterby fitting into his reworked football operation; why David Culley was the right person to pair with in building it; and his own path to becoming a GM and how he plans to bring some, but not all, the things he learned in New England to Houston. Plus, in an interesting twist, he took us through how a Microsoft exec influenced his thinking on that.

Listen to The Albert Breer Show
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher | Google Podcasts | iHeart

Find recent episodes on SI.com

Biden's dog Major in second biting incident at White House

Major had been sent to Delaware for training after nipping a White House employee earlier this month.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3cB5Wfq

New on Sports Illustrated: Referee Bert Smith Collapses During Gonzaga-USC Men's Elite Eight Game

Bert Smith was feeling light-headed while on the court and is now being tended to by trainers in the locker room. He is in stable condition.

Referee Bert Smith collapsed on the court during the first half of Tuesday night's men's Elite Eight game between USC and Gonzaga. Smith was standing in the corner and not adjacent to game action at the time of the collapse. 

Gonzaga assistant Tommy Lloyd and medical personnel immediately rushed to Smith when he fell.

The game was stopped with 15:44 to play in the half with Gonzaga leading 11-4. During the commercial break, Smith became alert, stood up and was smiling. He was carried off the court on a stretcher.

According to the TBS broadcast, Smith was feeling light-headed while on the court and is now being tended to by trainers in the locker room. He is in stable condition. 

Smith was replaced in the game by an alternate referee William Henderson.

Andy Katz of TBS reported that Smith is still alert, stable and will not need hospitalization. 

Takeaways from the second day of the Derek Chauvin trial.


By Will Wright from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2PGzQWL

A few frequent flyers 'dominate air travel'

A small minority of frequent flyers dominates air travel in countries with high aviation emissions.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3frzlKK

New on Sports Illustrated: How to Watch the Women's Final Four: Live Stream, TV Channel, Start Time

Find out how to watch the women's NCAA tournament Final Four.

The 2021 women's NCAA tournament is coming to close as many games have went down to the wire living up to the mantra of March Madness. As teams continue to survive and advance, only one team will be crowned the champion.

Four teams are still looking to punch their tickets to this year's Final Four and join Arizona and UConn on the biggest stage of women's college basketball. Arizona defeated Indiana 66-53

behind Aari McDonald's 33 points to earn its first Final Four appearance.

Huskies star freshman Paige Bueckers scored 19 unanswered points after trailing by 10 to defeat Baylor 69-67. UConn is headed to its 13th consecutive Final Four

When Texas and South Carolina take the court on Tuesday, the Longhorns will look to earn its first Final Four appearance since 2003. Texas head coach Vic Schaefer went 3-12 against Staley during his tenure at Mississippi State from 2012-20.

Joanne Allen-Taylor leads Texas in points per game with 15.4. Charli Collier's 19 double-doubles are tied with Oklahoma State's Natasha Mack for the lead among players in Power 5 conferences. 

South Carolina has not trailed in the second half in any of its 2021 tournament games. The Gamecocks are led by first-team All-American Aliyah Boston. South Carolina leads the nation with 199 blocked shots. The Gamecocks are seeking their third Final Four appearance in program history, all of which have come under coach Dawn Staley.

Louisville is the only ACC school remaining in the tournament and will face top-seeded Stanford in the late game on Tuesday. Louisville is seeking its fourth Final Four appearance. Stanford, coached by the winningest coach in women’s basketball history in Tara VanDerveer, is 5-2 in the Elite Eight since 2010 and looks to reach the Final Four as a No. 1 seed for the seventh time.

How to Watch:

Date: April 2, 2021

Time: TBD

TV Channel: ESPN

Live Stream: NCAA March Madness Live, Paramount+ and fuboTV (Seven-day free trial)

SI’s tournament newsletter analyzes everything you need to know about the Big Dance: what just happened and what’s happening next. Sign up for Morning Madness here.

Sports Illustrated may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.

Monday, 29 March 2021

The Biden administration makes a swath of ocean between New York and New Jersey an offshore wind zone.


By Lisa Friedman and Brad Plumer from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3w8rK9P

Action Bronson, Eater by Trade, Finds a New Craving: Fitness


By Jon Caramanica from NYT Food https://ift.tt/3sxbzkv

‘Is This Patriot Enough?’: Asian-American Veteran Reveals Scars as He Calls Out Bias


By Neil Vigdor from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3u3EmgU

Getting to Yes: A Nursing Home’s Mission to Vaccinate Its Hesitant Staff


By Abby Goodnough and Kenny Holston from NYT Health https://ift.tt/3ufVXCr

Scholastic Halts Distribution of Book by ‘Captain Underpants’ Author


By Christina Morales from NYT Books https://ift.tt/3dcwxyB

Covid: Brazil ministers replaced in major cabinet reshuffle

President Bolsonaro has seen his popularity plummet amid criticism of his handling of the pandemic.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3dxLED1

New on Sports Illustrated: Paige Bueckers Rises to the Occasion as UConn Wins a Hard-Fought Thriller With Baylor

The Huskies are on to the Final Four—again—despite getting pushed to the limit by the Lady Bears.

After No. 1 UConn’s first-round drubbing of No. 16 High Point, associate coach Chris Dailey was asked if freshman phenom Paige Bueckers—who’d just posted the best tournament debut in the history of the program and made it look easy—was capable of shifting her game into another gear.

Dailey smiled.

“Paige absolutely has another gear,” she said. “And the more physical the game—if she’s getting fouled—the higher that gear … When she gets to that spot, it’s tough to stop her.”

In the most punishingly physical game of the tournament so far—an instant classic down to its fraught final seconds—Bueckers tapped into that extra gear. She and UConn

were pushed to their limits to defeat No. 2 Baylor in Monday's Elite Eight showdown. But in a 19–0 run through the third and fourth quarters that saw the Huskies come back from their largest deficit to take one of their biggest leads of the night, Bueckers scored 10, and though it remained close, UConn never trailed again.

“Paige does a lot of things you can’t explain,” head coach Geno Auriemma said after the 69–67 win. “And believe me, there’s a lot of things that Paige’s got to learn that she doesn’t handle so great right now. But what Paige can do is—Paige can sense the moment. Like all great players, she can sense the moment, when it’s time, what’s needed … And she has the ability to fill that moment. Not everybody does.”

Taurasi on Bueckers: 'She's the Best Player in Basketball Already'

In a game of runs—UConn had led by as many as 12 in the first half and Baylor led by as many as 10 in the second—Bueckers’s role in the big one for the Huskies did, in fact, come at the moment it was most needed. Baylor’s Didi Richards had gone down with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. On a team known for its tough, physical defense, the senior guard is the reigning defensive player of the year. Her presence had been key against UConn, as she was primarily responsible for guarding Bueckers. When Richards left the floor, a door cracked open for the Huskies, who found a way to rush in.

But the Lady Bears came close to clawing all the way back. The most memorable—and controversial—sequence of the game would not come until the final moments.

With UConn up by just one point with 18 seconds remaining, Huskies guard Christyn Williams went to the free-throw line with the potential to extend the lead to three. She missed both shots. Baylor took control of the ball with a chance to win—which ended with DiJonai Carrington driving to the basket with two defenders on her and forcing up an awkward shot with a few seconds left on the clock. Her attempt didn’t hit the rim. But she thought she had been fouled by the close play of the defense.

“I personally don’t see it as a controversial call,” said Carrington, who led Baylor in scoring with 22. “I’ve already seen the replay, and one girl fouled me in my face, and one girl fouled me on my arm. So at that point, you can’t do anything else.”

Her coach, Kim Mulkey, agreed. (“You don’t need a quote from me, I’ve got still shots and video from two angles. One kid hits her in the face and one kid had thrown the elbow.”) Auriemma dismissed that, pointing out that there are close calls and missed calls throughout any game, making note of the fact that Baylor shot 11 free throws in the first half compared to UConn’s two.

With a quick foul after Carrington’s missed jumper, Baylor had one last chance—inbounding with less than a second left in hopes of a catch-and-shoot. But Bueckers intercepted the inbound, putting an exclamation point on her highest-scoring game of the tournament so far, and the contest was over.

It was a game so tough that it was almost a shame it had to come in the Elite Eight, rather than in the Final Four, or even the national championship. (Had Baylor been able to play its full schedule, which it couldn’t due to COVID-19, it almost certainly would not have been seeded low enough for this matchup to happen so early.) These teams are frighteningly well-matched both currently and historically: Their all-time record against each other before tonight was 4–4, separated by just four points, with a much-anticipated ninth matchup that had been originally scheduled for January canceled due to COVID-19. Monday night’s game was both a continuation of that rich history and a thrilling new volume all its own.

That’s partially because of the physicality of this Baylor team; it's one of the best rebounding squads in the country, and with its size, it’s rare for anyone to be able to beat it at its own game on the boards. But UConn came close, with 39 rebounds to Baylor’s 41. That made for a chippy, high-intensity game from the jump on Monday—which UConn felt particularly hard in the form of early foul trouble for Aaliyah Edwards, who had to sit out much of the second quarter, leaving them to struggle without one of their stronger defenders.

“Their talent, their aggressiveness, their length—it’s just very difficult. They don’t look like any team in the country,” said Auriemma. “They don’t play like any team in the country.”

But UConn doesn’t play quite like any team in the country, either. And with a 13th consecutive trip to the Final Four, they’ll keep on playing.

New on Sports Illustrated: Arizona Beats Indiana, Advances to First Women's Final Four in Women's Program History

Wildcats guard Aari McDonald led all scorers with 33 points in Arizona's 12-20 victory over Indiana on Monday night.

Arizona advanced to the first women's Final Four in program history on Monday with a 66-53 victory over Indiana in the Elite Eight. 

The Wildcats entered the 2021 women's tournament as a No. 3 seed in the Mercado region. They beat BYU 52-46 in the second round before a blowout win over No. 2 Texas A&M in the Sweet 16. And while Monday's contest was relatively close throughout, a stifling defensive effort vaulted Arizona to the Final Four. 

Arizona held Indiana to just 36.4 percent shooting on Monday night, including an ugly 0-9 mark from three. And as Indiana struggled, Arizona guard Aari McDonald shined. McDonald tallied 33 points on 12-20 shooting in Monday's win, continuing her dominant senior season. McDonald was named the 2021 Pac-12 Player of the Year, and she was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. If McDonald can replicate Monday's performance in the Final Four, perhaps a national title is in store.

The Wildcats face a tall task ahead in the Final Four. They will face

No. 1 UConn in the national semifinal, looking to knock off a Huskies squad that has reached 13 straight Final Fours.

2021 marks Arizona's first NCAA tournament appearance since 2005. The Wildcats previously logged just one Sweet 16 appearance in 1998. 

More March Madness Content:

Takeaways from the first day of the Derek Chauvin trial.


By Will Wright from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3rAhcwI

Covid-19: World leaders call for international pandemic treaty

Boris Johnson and more than 20 leaders say another health emergency is a matter of "not if, but when".

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/31sQQSZ

New on Sports Illustrated: Baylor Coach Kim Mulkey Says NCAA Should 'Dump' COVID-19 Testing for Final Four

Mulkey: "Wouldn’t it be a shame to keep COVID testing and then you got kids that end up having tested positive. ...and they don't get to play in the Final Four."

Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey said Monday night the NCAA should "dump" COVID-19 testing ahead of the men's and women's Final Four.

Players and coaches have

received daily PCR tests during the men's and women's NCAA tournaments. Players have also been wearing SafeTag devices in order to assist in contact tracing issues. But with the final games of the 2020-21 season on the horizon, Mulkey believes these protocols should be abandoned.

"I don't think my words matter, but after the games today tomorrow, there's four teams left I think on the men's side and the women's side," Mulkey said. "They need to dump the COVID testing.”

“Wouldn’t it be a shame to keep COVID testing and then you got kids that end up having tested positive or something, and they don't get to play in the Final Four?"

"So you need to just forget the COVID tests and let the four teams that are playing in each Final Four, go battle it out”

Mulkey tested positive for COVID-19 in January. UConn head coach Geno Auriemma tested positive for COVID-19 on March 15 before joining the Huskies for the Sweet 16.

Mulkey and the Bears exited the NCAA women's tournament on Monday night in a 69-67 loss to UConn. Baylor has reached the Final Four three times with Mulkey, winning the national title in 2005, 2012 and 2019. 

Biden pushes governors to reinstate mask mandates, as the C.D.C. director warns of ‘impending doom.’


By Sharon LaFraniere and Sheryl Gay Stolberg from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3deIJyU

New on Sports Illustrated: Houston Holds Off Oregon State to Reach First Final Four Since 1984

For the first time since Phi Slama Jama, the Cougars have made the tournament's final weekend.

It was far from pretty in the second half, but Houston did enough late in Monday's men's Elite Eight matchup to knock off Oregon State, 67–61, after squandering a 17-point halftime lead. The win sends Houston to its first Final Four since 1984 and ends

Oregon State’s remarkable run through March Madness.

Similar to the Beavers’ Sweet 16 matchup with Loyola Chicago, Oregon State started very slow offensively in this one. It shot just 7 of 20 from the field in the first half and turned it over eight times, allowing Houston to extend a big early lead. Meanwhile, Houston guard Marcus Sasser was hot from the start, knocking down three triples in the opening period to lead the way. A 9–0 Cougar run to close the half gave Houston a 34–17 halftime advantage, which felt insurmountable given its stingy defense.

But the Beavers weren’t ready to end their time in Indianapolis without a fight. Head coach Wayne Tinkle switched OSU into a 1-3-1 zone with forward Warith Alatishe at the top, and the adjustment completely baffled the Houston offense. Oregon State held Houston to just three points over 6:08 of game action shortly after the Beavers switched to the zone, allowing OSU to go on an extended 17–3 run that tied the game at 55 with 3:48 to go.

In the end, Oregon State simply couldn’t keep Houston off the offensive glass. Houston tallied 19 offensive rebounds, including 11 in the second half. Those second chances were backbreaking in the closing minutes: A three by Quentin Grimes off an offensive rebound gave Houston back the lead, and two other possessions in the final three minutes of game action saw Houston get three shots up.

Sasser led all scorers with 20 points, while Grimes added 18 for Houston. The Cougars won despite shooting a season-low 32.3% from the field thanks to the 19 offensive rebounds. Now, Houston returns to the Final Four for the first time since the “Phi Slama Jama” Cougars, who reached back-to-back national title games in 1983 and 1984. The program fell on hard times after though, reaching the men's NCAA tournament just once in in the 22 seasons prior to Kelvin Sampson taking over the program in 2014.

Meanwhile, the miracle run for Oregon State comes to a close after the Beavers stunned everyone by just making the NCAA tournament. OSU needed a missed free throw in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 quarterfinals to keep its season alive, then rattled off two more wins on back-to-back days to win the Pac-12 tournament and punch its ticket to March Madness. The Beavers then knocked off Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Loyola Chicago to come with one win of their first Final Four since 1963.

Houston becomes the first team ever to punch its ticket to the Final Four by winning four games against double-digit seeds. The Cougars will play either Baylor or Arkansas on Saturday night.

New on Sports Illustrated: UConn Beats Baylor, Advances to 13th Straight Final Four

Freshman Paige Bueckers led UConn to the Final Four with a 28-point effort against Baylor.

College basketball's greatest dynasty is heading back to the women's Final Four. 

UConn secured its 13th straight Final Four appearance on Monday, advancing past the Elite Eight with a 69-67 win over Baylor. The Huskies will now continue their quest for the national title in a Final Four matchup against either Indiana or Arizona on April 2.

Baylor jumped out to a 55-45 lead with just over two minutes to play in the third quarter, but the Bears then lost a key piece as guard DiDi Richards exited the game with an apparent hamstring injury. And with Richards out, UConn's offense caught fire.

The Huskies went on a 19-0 run to take a 64-55 lead with 7:13 remaining, seizing the lead as freshman Paige Bueckers began to find a rhythm from the perimeter. Baylor closed UConn's lead to just one in the final 20 seconds, but Bueckers and Co. held on in a 69-67 victory.

Baylor had an opportunity to win the game in the final seconds. Guard DiJonai Carrington took a shot on the baseline with under four seconds remaining, but she was blocked by a pair of UConn defenders. It looked as though Carrington may have been fouled on the shot, but the referees opted against making a call as UConn advanced. 

"I personally don’t see it as controversial call," Carrington said postgame. "I already saw it on the replay. One girl fouled me on my face and one girl fouled me on the arm."

Bueckers finished Monday night with 28 points on 10-22 from the field as she led all scorers. Her Elite Eight performance continued a dominant freshman season, one in which Bueckers earned a first-team All-American honor. Bueckers previously combined for 62 points in her previous three tournament games. 

UConn advanced to its 13th straight Final Four on Monday, but the program is still facing a relatively long championship drought. The Huskies have not won the national title in each of the last three seasons after winning four straight championships from 2013-16.

More March Madness Content:

Hong Kong: China to pass 'patriot' electoral reforms

The changes aim to only have "patriots" in office in Hong Kong but critics warn it will stifle dissent.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2QTw50N

Lady Gaga dog walker Ryan Fischer 'had to have part of his lung removed'

Ryan Fischer was shot in the chest as he walked the star's three French bulldogs in February.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3cAyAx2

Nike sues over 'Satan Shoes' with human blood

Nike sues an art collective over its 'Satan Shoes', produced in collaboration with rapper Lil Nas X.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3m42gpt

Hong Kong: What is China's 'patriot' plan for electoral reform?

Aiming to tighten control over Hong Kong, China wants only "patriots" to run for office.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/39pR1Tw

Trump’s former pandemic coordinator suggests that a restrained response may have cost hundreds of thousands of lives.


By Sheryl Gay Stolberg from NYT World https://ift.tt/3dxnbxF

George Floyd: Americans react to Day One of the Chauvin trial

A black political hopeful, a Minnesota resident and a retired officer share their thoughts.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3frkzE2

Photographing the "endless diversity" of America by streetlight

Photographer Daniel Freeman travelled across the US to capture striking night-time shots.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/2PJusSr

How bees and drones team up to find landmines

Drones are being used to track bees that have been trained to sense chemicals in landmines.

from BBC News - World https://ift.tt/3fqqrx2

New on Sports Illustrated: MAQB: What to Expect From Justin Fields's Pro Day Workout

Expect Justin Fields's pro day to be quite the spectacle on Tuesday. Plus, why Mac Jones will be throwing for a second pro day, who will be joining him and more.

There’s a whole lot to get to, with Tuesday becoming a very big day on the pro day circuit, and Justin Fields and Mac Jones taking center stage. So let’s dive right in …

• Fun twist to all this—the architect of Justin Fields’s workout tomorrow is ex-NFL quarterback John Beck, the guy who also drew up Zach Wilson’s workout. Fields will start with four quick throws from under center and then the gun to show how fast he can get rid of the ball, and that’ll give way to a 65-throw script. There’ll be under-center throws that mirror what is typically done at the combine, staple throws from Ohio State’s offense, throws with NFL play-action concepts, and some movement throws. Then, there’ll be a few where space is shut down around him, and he has to plant his feet and throw out of a “crowded” area. The idea here is to showcase how capable he is of throwing out of any situation, which of course will highlight his high-end natural gifts. (If he runs a 40 in the low 4.4s, as the Ohio State staff thinks he will, that’d do that too.)

And as for who will be there, those in the top 10 will be well-represented. Jets GM Joe Douglas, assistant GM Rex Hogan and OC Mike LaFleur; 49ers assistant GM Adam Peters, college scouting director Ethan Waugh and QBs coach Rich Scangarello; Falcons GM Terry Fontenot, coach Arthur Smith and OC Dave Ragone; Eagles QBs coach Brian Johnson, Panthers GM Scott Fitterer, coach Matt Rhule, and director of player personnel Pat Stewart; and Broncos GM George Paton are all expected to be in attendance. The Patriots, who’ve been linked to Fields, are sending exec Eliot Wolf and their area scout.

• As for Mac Jones’s second pro day, it was scripted, again, by his throwing coach David Morris. He threw about 53 balls last week. The plan calls for 58 throws this week, and is similar stylistically but with more aggressive throws downfield. The plan that Morris and Jones put together is built to show that Jones is a talented, creative and resourceful thrower. With more guys he’s used to throwing with working out this week, Jones will be throwing off-platform and off-balance, and within “congested” pockets. He said he wanted to throw at both pro days to show he has nothing to hide, and also establish to scouts what’s always been a strength of his—consistency. Another thing that I thought was interesting when it comes to the decision to throw twice was that he viewed it as his responsibility as the quarterback there to throw for all the prospects, this week and last, who wanted to work out, which I’m sure NFL teams will like.

• One player who will take the field with Jones this week who wasn’t out there last week is tailback Najee Harris. I’m told he’ll be in there for Jones’s throwing session, catching the ball from his quarterback, and will also take part in position drills. Harris has battled a sprained ankle through parts of this offseason, and plans to rest it ahead of the draft after the workout so he’ll be 100% when he reports to the team that drafts him.

• One weird twist to this big Tuesday of pro days: With so much focus on Alabama, it’ll be interesting to see who shows up at Washington. The Huskies don’t have a Fields or a Jones, but they do have three players—DT Levi Onwuzurike, edge rusher Joe Tryon and CB Elijah Molden—who are likely to be drafted inside the top 50. Two of those three, Onwukurike and Tyron, opted out of the 2020 season, which makes seeing them, at least on paper, even more important for NFL teams.

• In the MMQB column we took a good look at the

three-way trade that shook the NFL last week, and I think it’s at least worth noting all three of those teams have been connected to the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. And it’s also worth noting that the Dolphins staying inside the top quarter of the first round, when all was said and done, meant maintaining the capital to make a run at Watson, should he become available—with a pick higher than any Carolina or Denver can offer. A tenet of how GM Chris Grier has built the last two years has been his ability to keep the franchise flexible, and having the flexibility to take a big swing could be important. Read our Jenny Vrentas's report from Monday for the latest on Watson's sexual misconduct allegations.

• As for the Eagles, with the dust settled, Philly is now sitting on a warchest of 20 picks over the next two years, and will have added financial flexibility in 2022 after eating a bunch of dead money this year. It’s no secret that Howie Roseman needs a more youthful roster as the team transitions with a new coaching staff. He should have all the tools he needs to do it, and be a player on draft day, in free agency next year, and on the trade market.

The Albert Breer Show is back on its own podcast feed! Subscribe for Albert's insight and info, with guests including the biggest names in football.

• The expectation now is that Super Bowl LVI in Inglewood will be held on Feb. 13. The city’s planners held three Sundays in February (the original date of Feb. 6, and Feb. 20 too), as the NFL dictates Super Bowl–bid cities do. And there was some discussion that the league might move the game, and season, back a week to put the big game on President’s Day weekend. But it doesn’t look like that’s happening now, with the season to start, as it usually does, the week after Labor Day. Organizers in L.A. are still awaiting final word so they can book events around the game, like NFL Honors.

• You may have noticed that USC’s Kedon Slovis and North Carolina’s Sam Howell threw at their schools’ respective pro days. I couldn’t remember having seen that happen in the past, and could’ve sworn it was against the rules. Turns out, it was, and now it’s not. Over the last couple years, a new rule was introduced by the NFL, in conjunction with the AFCA, that allowed each school to designate five underclassmen still in the program who pro teams can come evaluate during the year. Those players can also participate in pro day. So NFL teams got an early look at Slovis and Howell, who could be early picks in 2022, and the quarterbacks got a taste of what they’ll be going through next year (should they declare). Seems to me to be a win-win.

• This quote from Hue Jackson on ESPN 850 in Cleveland got my attention: "There is no doubt I was lied to by ownership and the executive team. … They were going to be football plus analytics, but they intentionally made it football versus analytics. They were going to take two years and they were going to find a way to use us as an experiment to make sure that they got the data that they needed for it to get better—at the expense of whoever—and that's not right. That's not the way it should be.” And to me, it really shows the folly in trying to middle something like this, where mismatch people serve different masters. The Browns were asking for what they got. The good news is it looks like ownership has learned, with GM Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski having come in with a preexisting relationship, and a cohesive set of beliefs.

• Leonard Fournette’s contract is a good example of where the tailback was all offseason. He got a $2.25 million roster bonus, a guaranteed $1 million base, and $750,000 in incentives. And this was after he helped to key a Super Bowl title, and restored a reputation that was in tatters after Jacksonville dumped him. The lesson? If you’ve got a 6-foot, 200-pound freak athlete for a son, make him a receiver or a corner. Or even a safety. But not a running back.

Sunday, 28 March 2021

New on Sports Illustrated: How USC Can Attempt to Pull Off a Mammoth Upset of Gonzaga

The Trojans face an uphill climb against Gonzaga, but there's a path for Evan Mobley and Co. to victory.

As soon as the West Region (or, more aptly, Gonzaga’s region) was announced three Sundays ago, it was widely tipped

as an easy path for the No. 1 overall seed. To be fair, Mark Few’s Zags have beaten all comers. They’ve often made things look pretty simple, drubbing Creighton by 18 points to earn their Elite Eight bid. On paper, for the best team in the country, what draw wouldn’t have felt like a cakewalk?

Not for nothing, what few saw coming was USC’s emergence as the most frightening defensive team in the tournament, and a potentially capable match for the undefeated Bulldogs. The Trojans beat Kansas by 34 in the second round, and emphatically clocked in for the Elite Eight with an 82–68 win over Oregon. With size across the board, their ability to mix and match defensive looks around Evan Mobley, the most gifted rim protector in college hoops, is next to impossible for opposing teams to simulate in walkthroughs.

Tuesday will tell just how tricky Gonzaga’s path to the Final Four really is, but it’s hard to envision a more intriguing opponent than USC. The Bulldogs are favored for a reason. If you’re hoping for an all-time memorable upset, it’s still wishful thinking, But here’s how the Trojans might draw it up.


1. Find a way to get transition stops. Much easier said than done. Gonzaga thrives playing in flow. It has nimble thinkers and good rebounders at every position, and have bludgeoned the opposition with nonstop advantage situations in the open court for much of the season. The Bulldogs have the most efficient offense in the country and play at the sixth-fastest adjusted tempo, per Ken Pomeroy. They will run off misses and makes.

USC’s size across the board gives it a small leg up when it comes to setting tempo. Defensively, the Trojans can toggle between man and zone, but an educated guess would point to more of the latter against Gonzaga. Their 2–3 zone has been particularly tough to solve of late, with their guards often extending up higher to take away passing lanes, and the corner men willing to sell out on shooters. They’re willing to move their personnel around based on matchups, which can be tough to diagnose in real time.

This is only possible because of Evan Mobley. Standing 7-feet with a 7’ 4” wingspan, his advanced understanding as a rim protector allows USC’s other guys to overplay on the perimeter. Whether or not he blocks a shot, Mobley’s simple presence deters opposing drivers, and he rarely gets in foul trouble. Any hesitation from the opposition buys time for the other Trojans to recover and replace each other in the zone if needed. There’s no need to gamble for steals when you can bank on a quality contest and the likelihood of a defensive board.

“We probably played 90% zone during the season,” Andy Enfield told reporters,  adding that the Trojans only implemented the scheme about a month ago. “But we’ve played three similar teams [in the tournament] that have tried to dribble-drive us into [kick-out] threes. I think our defense is much better when we stay big. We’ve gone to the zone out of necessity, here. The matchups we have and how we need to guard these shooters.”

Realistically speaking, Gonzaga’s players have proven too smart not to figure out the zone over the course of the game. They assisted on 23 of 34 makes against Creighton. Ball movement is what they do. Still, USC’s length is something they haven’t seen yet. If the Trojans can dictate a halfcourt game early, it’s a great start. But the other piece of that is limiting their own mistakes, which falls largely to their guards. Tahj Eaddy has been steady, but he’s more scorer than playmaker. Ethan Anderson and Drew Peterson can be turnover-prone. Small mistakes are one thing. What USC can’t afford are the type of mishaps that lead to breakaways and home run plays. It’s a tall task, but this is the first step to keeping the game close.

2. Find a way to work the ball inside. Gonzaga is a quality defensive team, but its vulnerability lies in the paint. Drew Timme and Corey Kispert will likely have to spend time on the Mobleys (Evan and his brother, Isaiah), and you’ll see minutes from 6‘ 8” Anton Watson for the added size. But the Bulldogs don’t deploy a true rim protector. Moving the ball and finding their bigs is the best way for the Trojans to force Timme and Kispert to defend, and if they’re lucky, cause some foul trouble. Santa Clara played Gonzaga relatively close in February by playing through its bigs.

Evan Mobley’s passing unlocks a ton of opportunities for his teammates, whether it’s finding a baseline cutter or kicking out to a shooter when he draws pressure. Gonzaga’s primary challenge should be making him uncomfortable as possible. Kansas tried to defend him with 6‘ 5” Marcus Garrett, hoping a smaller guard might get into his center of gravity and keep him from putting the ball on the floor. But Mobley has proven impressively unselfish, and rarely forces up anything he doesn’t want. He allows USC to play inside-out. And he’s so good that it doesn’t typically matter how much he scores.

Gonzaga will probably spend a lot of time fronting the post, forcing USC’s perimeter players to throw the ball over the top under duress. Jalen Suggs, Andrew Nembhard and Joel Ayayi are big, smart, and excel at applying pressure. The Trojans will have to stay composed in order to get the ball to their bigs. If they make mistakes, they can’t be the kind that lead to easy run-outs (see item No. 1). It’s going to take a lot of patience.

3. How do you guard Timme in the halfcourt? Gonzaga’s first read on most possessions is to look inside to Timme, who operates comfortably at the elbow, the block, or at the top of the key, and will be central to the dissection of the defense as he flashes around the court. If the Trojans continue to play a lot of zone, this probably means a lot of isolated possessions with Evan Mobley on Timme around the nail, while the others try to limit kick-outs. Mobley has the length and smarts to wipe Timme out of the game as a scorer, in a way that nobody else can. The Trojans may be able to keep him off the offensive glass with their size. But all of Gonzaga’s players are plus passers, and the ball is certain to to find its way to him eventually.

Teams are often afraid to double or collapse onto Timme because of the presence of Kispert, who shoots 46% from three out to NBA range. Alternatively, Ayayi is a notoriously canny cutter who causes nightmares creeping along the baseline. And if you over-commit onto Timme’s side, it leaves driving lanes for Suggs, an all-world athlete who needs minimal daylight to elevate for easy layups. Objectively, USC should be able to live with any of the other guys shooting threes—it’s just that it’s never been that easy for anyone to take Gonzaga away from the shots it likes.

The Trojans allow opponents to shoot just 41.5% on two-point attempts. The Zags make 63.9% of them as a team, which is the highest mark in the KenPom era. Something has to give one way or the other. And how they choose to deal with Timme will likely dictate what type of shots Gonzaga ends up taking in halfcourt flow. They’re a capable team shooting the three (37.3% on the year), but all of their shooters apart from Kispert can have an off night. You can dare Suggs and Ayayi to shoot if you want, and it may keep the game close. It just hasn’t been enough to swing the game in any of Gonzaga’s 29 wins.

4. Stay hot from three. It might seem like low-hanging fruit to tell your players to go make shots, but the Trojans’ staff has harped heavily on converting threes and creating good looks. Their bigs pass well enough to get those shots for their teammates without a true point guard on the floor, and it’s been working of late. USC sank 10 threes against Oregon and 11 against Kansas, with different players stepping up at different junctures. Statistically and visually, they’re not replete with elite shooters, but their confidence is riding high, and they’ll take whatever looks they can get with their feet set around the perimeter.

Isaiah Mobley made four threes against Kansas. It was Isaiah White who stepped up with four of his own against Oregon. Eaddy and Peterson are their their most consistent shooters, but are often relied on a bit more to create those shots than take them. “When we can shoot the ball at this level we're tough to beat,” Enfield says. “Some of our losses this year, we've been very inconsistent from the perimeter. And we're shooting the ball well as a team right now.”

Gonzaga is content to let opponents score a bit, and its offense does occasionally run dry in the halfcourt. It's just generally so good that there’s always another run coming. The Zags are decisive with the ball and share it like a professional team. USC won’t boatrace them out of Lucas Oil. But the more threes they make, the more pressure they can apply. A cold shooting night likely won’t lead to the result they want.

5. Where’s the element of surprise? Gonzaga hasn’t played in all that many close games this year. It plays with an unusual looseness for a team with a target on its back. But the Bulldogs haven’t fully been put to the grindstone late in the game since a five-point win over West Virginia in early December, which was an eternity ago by basketball standards, and a game in which Suggs got hurt and missed a chunk of time. Even in a winning scenario, there’s almost no likelihood USC just runs away with the game. But if it can keep the thing close into crunch time, whether leading or trailing, there’s a chance to create an uncomfortable endgame scenario. The NCAA tournament setting creates these types of upsets all the time (see: UCLA-Alabama, less than 24 hours ago).

It’s not like Gonzaga is totally green to the pressure—Kispert is a senior, Ayayi and Nembhard are juniors and Timme is a sophomore. Suggs is a freshman, but doesn’t play like one, and his memorable performance against BYU in the conference tournament final should give you a sense of what his nerves are like. The Cougars went under ball screens and dared him to shoot all game; Suggs eventually made the shots. He can be turnover-prone, but it really hasn’t mattered much at this point.

Still, when you’re facing a team with no true weakness, part of the equation is simply finding a pathway to the unexpected. Simply hanging around for most of the game won’t do it. USC has to ratchet up some type of pressure. Gonzaga just rarely gets in its own way, and its coaching staff’s collective calm enhances the composure of the players. Genuinely, it’s hard to say if there’s a moment that will be too big for this team. But one way or another, the game will probably have to veer into that type of territory. You’ll know it when you see it. It’s just that we’re talking about Gonzaga, and USC may not see it at all.

SI’s tournament newsletter analyzes everything you need to know about the Big Dance: what just happened and what’s happening next. Sign up for Morning Madness here.