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As I wrote this on the eve of Round 1 of March Madness, I realized there are not many game lines worth taking. The best numbers have left us. However, I do have a few I will make a case for. What makes this Tournament fun from a gambling perspective is the different options for wagers. Let’s start with a few game lines. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. No. 10 UCF vs. No. 7 UCLA UCLA did not play well in conference play when leaving the West Coast time zone. Now, it is now playing Central Florida in the Eastern Time Zone. I don’t think this applies to March Madness games, and it didn’t apply to conference tournament games in Chicago last week. UCLA beat Michigan State and played Purdue close down its two best players. Those two best players are their top scorers and one of the best point guards in the country. Tyler Bilobeau got hurt against Michigan State and Donovan Dent was injured against Purdue. Both are expected to play this weekend, which makes UCLA a very complete team. UCLA is better everywhere against Central Florida. There isn’t one metric or number that would lean you toward UCF unless you believe UCLA isn’t healthy or its recent run of play isn’t sustainable. UCLA did beat Nebraska by 20 points just a few weeks ago. It also took down Illinois before that and, while these games were at home, it’s just proof this UCLA team is capable of these results. UCF struggles stopping teams from scoring 2s and their effective field goal percentage is 235th in the country. With UCLA’s stars in the lineup, it should be able to score whenever it wants. PICK: UCLA (-5.5) to win by more than 5.5 points No. 14 Penn vs. No. 3 Illinois Simply speaking, this should be a bloodbath on paper. Illinois is first in the country in offensive efficiency and 28th on defense. Penn is 215th and 112th, respectively, in those categories. Penn only shoots 44% from the field and only 68.5% from the foul line. Penn is in this game because it upset Yale in the Ivy League Championship Game as nearly a double-digit underdog. Penn trailed the entire game and was down four with 12 seconds left. TJ Power hit a 3 to make it a 1-point game. Yale made two foul shots and Power hit another 3 to tie things. Power ended the game with 44 points, which is nearly 30 points higher than his season average. He’s not doing that against Illinois. I’m going to lay the big number. PICK: Illinois (-24.5) to win by more than 24.5 points Now, let’s move to some props and other wagers. No. 3 Illinois/No. 5 Texas Tech Sweet 16 parlay Illinois is going to beat Penn and then will be a heavy favorite against either North Carolina or VCU. I feel strongly it is into the Sweet 16. Texas Tech lost JT Toppin with six games left in the season and the results sputtered a bit. It split with Iowa State and lost at BYU, and ended up 3-3 during those six games. But just like everything in the Tournament, the matchups matter here. Texas Tech plays an Akron team it should beat. Then it would get an Alabama squad without Aden Holloway that still can’t play defense. I like Texas Tech in that game if Bama survives against Hofstra. PICK: Illinois and Texas Tech (+200) to both make the Sweet 16 Total teams seeded 13-16 to make Round of 32 There just won’t be more than a single upset of the top four seeds, and I’m willing to wager 250 to make 100 on it. Give me the two losses, please? The smallest number for a favorite in the top four seeds is Alabama at -11.5 and that came down after the Holloway news. Nebraska is a 12.5-point favorite against Troy and the rest are well over 15 points. I think it’s possible all the top four seeds win their games, and we see zero upsets. In fact, I’m wagering on it. PICK: Total 13-16 seeds to make Round of 32 Under 1.5 (-250) Now, two women’s basketball wagers to close things out: No. 1 UConn vs. No. 16 UTSA Here’s the deal on this one: UConn beat 15th-ranked Tennessee by 30 this season. It beat a ranked Iowa team by nearly 30. In the Big East Tournament, it won games by 45, 49 and 39. UTSA is 18-15 and it only has a winning record because it ran through the conference tournament as the 6-seed in Conference USA. It is going to lose this game 105-40. UConn’s backups are better than UTSA’s starting five. UTSA shoots under 30% from 3, so even a miracle strong shooting game is unlikely. PICK: UConn (-54.5) to win by more than 54.5 points No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Holy Cross The same idea applies here with Michigan, a top-10 team playing Holy Cross, which finished third in the Patriot League. Holy Cross averages only 61 points to Michigan’s nearly 84 points. It doesn’t make a ton of shots and can’t shoot the 3 very well. Michigan is also coming off its worst game of the season, in which it scored only 42 points against Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament. UM will come out smoking in this contest. PICK: Michigan (-41.5) to win by more than 41.5 points​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

MLB fans who tuned into the World Baseball Classic were expecting big-time performances from superstars Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. They came away learning more about Venezuela’s title-winning squad and one espresso-loving Italy slugger. Ahead of the 2026 MLB season, some players have already boosted their profile by thriving on the worldwide stage. Here are six standouts whose stock is rising following their performances in the World Baseball Classic. 6. 2B Brice Turang, USA/Milwaukee Brewers The 2024 National League Platinum Glove Award winner was primarily on the U.S. roster for his sensational defense at second base, but Turang provided much more than that for a star-studded team whose top sluggers failed to consistently produce at the plate. Turang ended up being one of the most consistent hitters of the group, tying for the team lead in hits (eight), leading the team in doubles (four) and finishing second in batting average (.364) and third in OPS (.936). He also had the only hit USA mustered against Venezuela starter Eduardo Rodriguez in the final. 5. 1B Vinnie Pasquantino, Italy/Kansas City Royals Sometimes, numbers don’t paint the full picture of a player’s impact. Beyond Venezuela capturing its first ever WBC title, the story of the tournament was Italy. And you can’t tell that story without Pasquantino, who was the heart and soul of the most surprising team in the competition. Italy’s group full of unrelenting prospects and novice big-leaguers raved about the leadership of Pasquantino, who played a vital role in recruiting the team over the past year. The team captain only had four hits in the WBC, but he walked seven times, played spectacular defense, finished with a .970 OPS and became the first player in tournament history to hit three home runs in a game. 4. RP Daniel Palencia, Venezuela/Chicago Cubs Palencia was almost unhittable in the first half of a breakout 2025 season while emerging as the Cubs’ primary ninth-inning option. He started the year in Triple-A and finished it as the team leader in saves, but injury and poor performance in the second half led to Brad Keller closing games by season’s end. After an offseason of bullpen turnover, manager Craig Counsell expressed his confidence in Palencia by naming him the Cubs’ closer right when camp opened. And in the WBC, the flamethrowing 26-year-old right-hander spent the tournament backing up the Cubs’ belief. Palencia faced 17 batters in the WBC, struck out nine of them, and didn’t allow a hit or a run in five appearances. The only two hitters to reach base against him came on a hit by pitch and a walk. He shut the door on Japan in the quarterfinal, striking out Sosuke Genda and Kensuke Kondoh before getting Shohei Ohtani to pop out to end an 8-5 win. Two days later, he closed out Italy in the semifinal with another two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth. Then, pitching on back-to-back nights in the final against the U.S., Palencia struck out Kyle Schwarber, induced a pop out from Gunnar Henderson, then overpowered Roman Anthony on a 99.7 mph fastball to win the tournament. 3. OF Wilyer Abreu, Venezuela/Boston Red Sox If you’re a Red Sox outfielder, chances are you boosted your stock in this tournament. Jarren Duran hit three home runs in four games for Mexico. Roman Anthony hit two home runs for Team USA, including what ended up being the deciding blasts against Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Masataka Yoshida also swatted two homers and was the best Japanese hitter not named Shohei Ohtani. But two of the biggest swings of the tournament belonged to Abreu, who came up clutch in Venezuela’s two biggest upset wins of the WBC. The 26-year-old put Venezuela ahead for good over Japan in the quarterfinal with a go-ahead three-run homer in the sixth and padded Venezuela’s lead over USA in the final with a solo shot off Nolan McLean in the fifth. 2. 3B Junior Caminero, Dominican Republic/Tampa Bay Rays Last year alone, Caminero won the Dominican Winter League championship for Leones del Escogido with an epic home run, started at third base in the MLB All-Star Game, finished second in the Home Run Derby and ended the 2025 season with 45 home runs, a number that trailed only Eugenio Suárez for the most among all MLB third basemen. So it’s not like the World Baseball Classic put Caminero on the map. But even late last year, the 22-year-old wasn’t sure if he’d make the Dominican Republic’s superstar roster. If he hadn’t, he still planned to show up and cheer his team on as a fan. As it turned out, he would do much more than that. Alongside a group of players he grew up idolizing, as one of the most dangerous hitters in one of the greatest lineups ever assembled, Caminero shined. Caminero led the star-studded group with three home runs in the tournament and scored the Dominican Republic’s lone run in the semifinals with a solo homer off reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. On a Tampa Bay roster without much offensive firepower, Caminero looks like a linchpin. And if the Rays get back to playing postseason baseball, they know Caminero will be able to handle the spotlight. 1. 3B Maikel Garcia, Venezuela/Kansas City Royals If Garcia was still flying under the radar following his breakout season last year in Kansas City, he shouldn’t be anymore. In a tournament that featured multiple MVPs and Cy Young Award winners, it was the 26-year-old Royals third baseman who took home WBC MVP honors after hitting .385 and leading all players in the competition with 10 hits. Garcia, who was an All-Star and Gold Glove Award winner for the first time last season with the Royals, knocked in runs in all three of Venezuela’s elimination games. He hit a two-run homer against Japan that helped spark a comeback in the quarterfinals, a go-ahead RBI single against Italy in the semifinals and a sac fly that started the scoring in the finals against the United States. “I didn’t believe in my talent until 2025,” Garcia said after being named tournament MVP. “What I achieved last year made me understand the player that I am.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The Daniel Dye suspension shows, once again, that NASCAR drivers need to be aware of what they say on social media, how their actions and words can be harmful and that NASCAR is willing to act when it determines a line has been crossed. As Dye was going through trading cars with fellow driver Brent Crews while watching an INDYCAR telecast on the streaming platform Whatnot, Dye mocked the voice of INDYCAR driver David Malukas. Dye, a driver for Kaulig Racing in the truck series, made inferences about Malukas’ sexuality, apparently not rooted in fact, and raised his voice octaves, seemingly mocking stereotypes of gay men. The stream took place Monday night, and after a clip appeared online Tuesday, NASCAR and Kaulig Racing both announced indefinite suspensions of Dye by the early evening. NASCAR will require Dye to undergo sensitivity training, which is tailored to the individual and does not have a specific length. NASCAR’s code of conduct rules include the following: “NASCAR Members shall not make or cause to be made a public statement or communication that criticizes, ridicules, or otherwise disparages another person based upon that person’s race, color, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, or handicapping condition.” Dye posted a lengthy statement on social media, apologizing to Malukas, a driver now for Team Penske who finished second in the Indianapolis 500 last year driving for A.J. Foyt Racing. “I chose my words poorly, and I understand why it upset people,” Dye said in his statement. “I’m sorry to anyone who was offended. … I didn’t think enough before I spoke, and in no way meant any harm. “I know that intention does not erase impact and I need to do better.” The damage Dye has done to his career remains to be seen. Dye was 13th in the series standings after three races, not great but on par with teammates Butterbean Queen and Justin Haley. When Dye returns after completing the sensitivity training likely will be up to Kaulig — and more than likely up to Ram, which sponsors the five-car Kaulig operation as part of the manufacturer’s entry into the series this year. He likely will get another chance — virtually everyone suspended under this policy has returned to the sport — whether that is at Kaulig or with another team. Dye vowed that he is “taking meaning steps to ensure my actions reflect respect and inclusivity going forward.” NASCAR will need to make sure that he is sincere. That is why the sensitivity training is tailored to the individual and how they respond to the assignments. As the saying goes, there is freedom of speech, but that doesn’t mean freedom from consequences — and is specifically about government infringement. NASCAR (and the teams and the companies that sponsor them) rely on the drivers to help build their brands. Actions and words matter. Daniel Dye just learned that the hard way.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

LoanDepot Park (Miami) – Team USA players stood on the top step of the dugout with their arms thrown over the railing in defeat. They were motionless as they watched a sea of Venezuelan players in royal blue jerseys dogpile on the field at the home of the Miami Marlins and celebrate their 3-2 win and first World Baseball Classic title. Luis Arraez wore a Venezuelan flag draped over his shoulders and could not stop crying. Eugenio Suarez dropped to his knees, raised his arms and looked up at the sky. Daniel Palencia tossed his glove in the air, pounded his chest and fell down in disbelief. During Tuesday’s post-game medal ceremony on the very same field in which Team USA lost the 2023 final to Japan, a dejected Schwarber was among several USA players who quickly removed their silver medals that were handed out by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.A bitter end to what should have been a sweet finish for the strongest USA squad ever assembled.It was nearly two hours after the game before Team USA players emerged from their clubhouse. Reporters and stadium staff mulled and waited around the tunnel, waiting to hear from the disappointed players.”It hurts,” Schwarber said in a low voice when he emerged from the clubhouse. “You expect to win a baseball game when you walk out of the room. That’s just how you operate. Not to have that happen, it hurts. But give credit to Venezuela. Tip your cap to them. They played a great ballgame today. There are no ifs, ands, or buts. They beat us, and they deserved it.” The scenes of unbridled elation in front of a raucous crowd on Tuesday night were supposed to be covered in red, white and blue. The national anthem that blared from the stadium speakers was supposed to be the Star-Spangled Banner. That was how Team USA envisioned this would all go when it came together and rostered the most star-studded club this tournament had ever seen. There were multi-time MVPs and Cy Young winners. There were future Hall of Famers. There were more All-Stars on Team USA than any other country in the 20-team tournament. It was a dream team. The absurd level of talent on the American roster should’ve been enough to win the WBC title for the first time since 2017. “Hats off to Venezuela for playing a great ballgame and coming away with the win,” Judge said, emerging from the clubhouse nearly two hours after the final out. “But obviously disappointed. We came here, all of us put on this uniform, signed up to go out there and get a gold medal. We fell short of that.” They fell short because the biggest bats went quiet when it mattered most. In the championship game, the USA lineup went 3-for-30 and struck out 10 times against six pitchers. Judge went 0-for-4, whiffing three times. Schwarber and Witt each worked a walk, but combined to go 0-for-6. Just once, they all spilled onto the field and lined up for high-fives, after Bryce Harper hit a game-tying two-run home run in the eighth inning. He was the only American batter to record an extra-base hit. All that star power, and still no spark. “They made their pitches,” Judge said. “They were working the corners on both sides. When we did get a pitch, we either popped it up or hit it on the ground. Stuff like that can’t happen. When you get a pitch to hit, even if you get one pitch in the game, you gotta do something on it. So they just went out there and executed their pitches and their game plan, and we couldn’t get anything going offensively.” Venezuela’s starter, left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, held what was supposed to be a menacing USA lineup to 4 ⅓ shutout innings. He allowed one hit: an 89 mph single to the No. 8 hitter, Brice Turang. Rodriguez has one of the worst changeups in the major leagues, according to Baseball Savant’s offspeed run value metric. USA players, including Judge, still swung wildly at it all night. As much as Harper claimed that Rodriguez “threw the ball awesome” on Tuesday, his fastball sat at 92–93 mph with little movement. Rodriguez gave Judge a couple of pitches to hit in his second at-bat, most memorably throwing him a 3-1 fastball down the middle that the three-time MVP missed. It was a continuation of their confrontations in the big leagues. Judge is hitting just .152 with one home run in 41 career plate appearances against Rodriguez. “We both kind of looked at each other like, usually you don’t miss that one,” Judge said of the gift-pitch from Rodriguez. “So I fouled it off. Then I got a slider there late. Those are two pitches you wish you could have back and do something different, but that’s baseball.” After the loss, in his final press conference before heading back to MLB Network to resume his job as a studio analyst, Team USA manager Mark DeRosa said, “Rodriguez has been a darn good pitcher in the league for a long time.” Not lately. Since the 2024 season, Rodriguez has recorded a 5.02 ERA in 39 starts and 204 innings for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Even though he was once upon a time a solid starter, now on the cusp of his 11th big-league season, Rodriguez is no longer elite. The Americans were missing the 2023 WBC version of Trea Turner, a key hitter who got hot and carried the team for an extended stretch. It pointed to a bigger issue. Throughout the tournament, USA’s lineup never really got going. Through seven games in the WBC, Team USA ranked sixth in batting average (.250) and seventh in slugging (.428). And it wasn’t even close. Italy outslugged the USA by nearly 90 points. This was a USA lineup that featured a big-name slugger in Cal Raleigh, who led baseball with 60 home runs last season, and dynamic or experienced hitters up and down the lineup. Raleigh went 0-for-9 in the WBC. Witt put on a show on defense, but he was inconsistent at the plate. Byron Buxton went 0-for-7. Alex Bregman batted .143. Will Smith had one extra-base hit in 13 at-bats. Gunnar Henderson, who led USA with a 1.267 OPS in the WBC, was left on the bench against Venezuela, only to appear as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning. By then, Team USA was two outs away from accepting silver medals for the second consecutive WBC. DeRosa, after Sunday’s semifinal win over the Dominican Republic, said he was “still waiting for the offense to explode.” He’ll have to wait a while longer. The next WBC is expected to take place in 2030. That’s a lot of time to think about what went wrong. While Venezuela played loose and capitalized with timely hitting the entire tournament, the United States looked tense in the box and missed their chances. Maybe it was the single-game stakes. Maybe it was the pressure to win. But their timing was off, and they didn’t execute when they needed to, when they were expected to. “I thought we played great,” Harper said standing outside the USA’s clubhouse. “Obviously, we didn’t win. We got beat tonight. It’s part of the game. It’s kind of what happens.” Sure, but it wasn’t supposed to happen to this star-studded team. Even Australia, in a smaller sample size of four games, walked away from the WBC with a higher slugging percentage. The USA built a power-heavy roster that never truly arrived. Next time, they’ll have to rethink how to construct their lineup. They’ll have to inject more contact hitters and table setters, and make smarter decisions from the manager’s seat, particularly when it comes to lineup decisions and understanding clinch scenarios. So now players will rejoin their MLB teams and get ready for the season. Opening Day is in one week. Soon they’ll get to turn the page and play 162. But, as far as back-to-back second-place finishes in the WBC? This one will sting for a while. “I’m always fired up for the Yankees, but I’m still pissed about this,” Judge said. “I’m looking forward to the next time we get a chance to throw on the red, white and blue and take care of business.” In the Big Picture, we contextualize key moves and moments so you can instantly understand why they matter.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The honorary pace car driver for the Indianapolis 500 is used to being in the lead. Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti, who guided the Hoosiers to an undefeated season in winning the 2025 College Football Playoff national championship, will lead the field on the pace laps prior to the biggest race in all of motorsports on May 24 (10 a.m. ET, FOX). “His Hoosiers have been nothing short of remarkable, and their national championship run inspired our entire state,” INDYCAR and IMS President Doug Boles said in a news release. “He’s the perfect choice to drive the Chevrolet pace car, and I know his introduction on race day will bring out a special roar of appreciation from our crowd.” Indiana has won 27 games in the two years that Cignetti has been coach since coming over from James Madison University. He has been honored with several national coach of the year awards the past two seasons. The pace car for the 2026 Indianapolis 500 is a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge has said that his No. 1 goal is to win a World Series, but he’s put that quest on a brief hold to captain Team USA at the World Baseball Classic. “Now that I got a USA jersey on and ‘USA’ across my chest, my main focus right now is to go out there and win a gold medal for those guys,” Judge said in an interview with fellow Yankees legend and MLB on FOX analyst Derek Jeter. This is Judge’s first time participating in the World Baseball Classic. He passed on the opportunity to represent Team USA in 2023 after he signed a nine-year, $360 million contract to stay in the Bronx through 2031 and was named Yankees team captain. Four years later, Judge is captaining Team USA at the tournament, and the three-time American League MVP isn’t taking the job lightly. “My job is just to get the best out of every single guy in that room,” Judge said. “I told the guys in the very beginning: I’m an open book; lean on me.” He’s also motivated by the Team USA squad that fell short against Shohei Ohtani and Samurai Japan in 2023. “I think of Paul Goldschmidt,” Judge said of his Yankees and Team USA teammate. “He did it the previous couple of years, and he talked about how much it hurt coming up short in ’23. I want to finish it off for guys like him, Kyle Schwarber, DeRo. They all came up short, but it’s time to finish it off.” Judge and Team USA will have the opportunity to avenge the disappointment of 2023 in the 2026 World Baseball Classic final on Tuesday against Venezuela. They’re hoping to be the latest American team to bring home the gold after the men’s and women’s hockey teams reached the summit at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy. “I think just watching them — both of them — leave it all on the ice … I think that was pretty cool to watch. Just like us, they’re grinding with guys they’re usually playing against, or competing against. Rival teams.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is about to get Zlatan’d. Global soccer legend Zlatan Ibrahimović will join FOX Sports as an analyst for the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer. The 48-team tournament will be the largest edition ever held, kicking off on July 11 and held across Canada, Mexico and the United States. Ibrahimović, who retired in 2023 as Sweden’s all-time leading scorer, has developed a reputation that transcends soccer because of his memorable quotes, huge personality and unwavering confidence. One of the most prolific and accomplished strikers of all time, Ibrahimović played at some of the world’s biggest clubs. After breaking through at Swedish club Malmö FF, he played at Ajax, Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, and Italy’s three biggest sides (Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan). He also made his mark in Major League Soccer with two unforgettable seasons with the LA Galaxy. – Zlatan Core: Ibrahimović’s Most Memorable Quotes In all, Ibrahimović scored 573 goals in his career, including 511 at the club level and 62 at the international level. Only three players have scored more goals than him in the 21st century: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski. Ibrahimović won 34 major trophies in his career, including 11 league trophies across four different countries — eight of which he won in consecutive seasons. Zlatan Joins Star-Studded FOX Soccer Crew Ibrahimović will be the latest soccer luminary joining FOX Sports for the World Cup. France legend and World Cup winner Thierry Henry, who made his FOX Sports debut at the FIFA World Cup draw in December, will be part of the network’s broadcast crew this summer. Award-winning presenter and celebrated broadcaster Rebecca Lowe will make her FOX Sports debut this summer as one of the network’s hosts for FIFA World Cup. 2026 FIFA World Cup: How To Watch From June 11 through July 19, 2026, FOX Sports presents its largest World Cup production and broadcast slate to date featuring all 104 matches live across FOX (69) and FS1 (35) with every match live-streaming on FOX One and the FOX Sports App. All 104 tournament matches will air live across FOX (70) and FS1 (34) with every match streaming live and on-demand within both the FOX One and the FOX Sports apps. A record 40 matches, more than one-third of the tournament, will air in prime time across FOX (21) and FS1 (19).​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It’s a big year for the biggest sporting events around the globe, and the U.S. has taken center stage with more to come this summer. After U.S. men’s and women’s hockey’s big successes last month at the Olympics, Team USA is looking to add to the trophy case at the World Baseball Classic. Later this summer, the United States men’s national team will host the biggest sporting event ever and hope its team can hold up its end of the bargain at the 2026 World Cup. The build to the summer has already begun, as U.S. soccer unveiled its World Cup kits on Monday morning with a stars-and-stripes inspiration. USA Baseball star pitcher Paul Skenes was gifted the jersey on Tuesday’s broadcast of the final. The U.S. men’s national team’s home and away uniforms for the 2026 World Cup were dropped. The Americans will debut those kits on March 28, when they face Belgium in the first of four pre-World Cup friendlies. Aaron Judge also showed love to the U.S. hockey teams, both of which won gold medals at the Winter Olympics last month. The American captain donned the sweater on his way into loanDepot Park on Tuesday night. On the diamond, Team USA is vying for its second World Baseball Classic title. The Americans will face Venezuela, which is appearing in its first WBC Final.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The World Baseball Classic is meeting the moment – and plenty of eyeballs are tuning in and watching some high-stakes baseball in March. Team USA’s 2-1 win over the Dominican Republic in Sunday’s semifinal on FS1 drew the most viewers in tournament history on any network with a total of 7,369,000 viewers. The 2-1 USA win also became FS1’s most-watched telecast since 2019 and the most-watched event throughout last weekend. Viewership peaked at 8,170,000 people from 11-11:08 p.m. ET, toward the end of the game as Team USA wrapped up its victory. Team USA’s win over Canada on Friday was the most watched WBC quarterfinals eve, with a viewership figure of 4,285,000. While both lineups were stacked, it was the pitching in the game that made the difference. Paul Skenes allowed one run over 4.1 innings, and was supported by Tyler Rogers, who took over for Skenes in the fifth inning with the bases loaded, and got out of the jam clean. Dominican Republic starter Luis Severino struck out six batters and Huascar Brazoban struck out three batters across 1.1 innings in relief. However, Gregory Soto conceded a home run to Roman Anthony, the first batter he faced, and that was the winning run. Team USA faces Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic Final on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Eight teams. Two world-class arenas. An NIL prize pool of $500,000 on the line.The 2026 College Basketball Crown bracket was revealed Monday afternoon on FS1’s “First Things First.” The second-year tournament features a loaded field made up of teams from the nation’s top basketball conferences. FOX Sports college basketball analyst LaPhonso Ellis joined Danny Parkins on the show to reveal the eight-team event, which will take place in Las Vegas at MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena from April 1-5. Here is a look at the matchups and analysis from Ellis: Game 1: Oklahoma (19-15) vs. Colorado (17-15), April 1, 8 p.m. ET Ellis on the Sooners: “This is an Oklahoma team that’s won six of their last seven games, playing at a really high level. Four guys [are] averaging 12 points or more, and they make 10 3s per game.” Ellis on the Buffaloes: “The issue with Colorado is they give up 37% from the 3-point line… The question is going to be, can they run this Oklahoma team off the 3-point line and keep them off the offensive glass?” Game 2: Baylor (16-16) vs. Minnesota (15-17), April 1, 10:30 p.m. ET Ellis on the Bears: “This is a team that, though they haven’t been where they typically are offensively, they’re one of the more efficient defensive teams in the nation and do a terrific job getting out in transition.” Ellis on the Golden Gophers: “This is a terrific passing team — the best passing team in the nation — and they can really stick the 3.” Game 3: Stanford (20-12) vs. West Virginia (18-14), April 2, 8 p.m. ET Ellis on Stanford: “Their big-time player is Ebuka Ekorie. He’s only 6-foot-1, but can flat-out score. He’s not even 19 years old yet… [He’s the] eighth-leading scorer in the nation, and I think he has Kyrie Irving-like finishes around the rim with either hand.” Ellis on the Mountaineers: “This is a West Virginia team that is 17th in the nation in terms of defensive efficiency. … They do a terrific job of closing out. Honor Huff, their 5-10 point guard, plays off the basketball and is one of the elite scorers in the Big 12. … and as he goes, West Virginia also goes.” Game 4: Rutgers (14-19) vs. Creighton (15-17), April 2, 10:30 p.m. ET Ellis on the Scarlet Knights: “This is a Rutgers team that struggled all year long, but all of a sudden, they started to surge toward the end of the year because their defense was so much better.” Ellis on the Bluejays: “This is a Creighton team that’s not necessarily known for their defense. … They do make 10 made 3s per game, so can Rutgers slow down that 3-point barrage?”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports