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It’s not surprising to see Japan and the Dominican Republic emerge from World Baseball Classic pool play undefeated. The third unbeaten squad, though? It’s not who anyone would’ve expected. The 20-team field is down to eight, and while pool play didn’t go the way Team USA would’ve envisioned, the dream team survived thanks to Italy’s extraordinary 4-0 run through Pool B. Now, the top four favorites from our initial World Baseball Classic power rankings still remain standing, but Italy looks capable of taking any team down. Before the quarterfinals begin Friday night in Houston and Miami, here are the countries still vying for a championship — ranked from eight to one — along with a player to watch and an X-factor for every team. – WBC Standings, Bracket, Schedule: How To Watch 8. Korea (2-2, Pool C Runners-Up) This is already a step forward for Korea, which failed to advance out of the first round of the last three tournaments. But this is also the only team in the tournament with multiple losses. Korea moved on over Australia and Chinese Taipei, who were also 2-2, due to tiebreaker rules. Every run mattered in a 7-2 Korea victory over Australia in a tense finish to the pool. A much tougher test awaits against the Dominican Republic in the quarterfinal. Considering Korea’s best attribute is its hitting — not a pitching staff that has a 4.50 ERA this WBC (and tallied a 7.55 ERA in the last one) — a tall task awaits against one of the scariest lineups in the tournament. Player to Watch: Do Yeong Kim Kim only has four hits in the tournament, but he has made them count. The 2024 KBO MVP hit a go-ahead two-run home run against Chinese Taipei (and later tied the game in the eighth with an RBI double in a game Korea ultimately lost in extra innings) and contributed an RBI single in the Australia win. There are MLB players on this roster, but both Kim — who became the youngest player in KBO history two years ago to join the 30-30 club as just 20 years old — and reigning KBO Rookie of the Year Hyun Min Ahn, whose sacrifice fly against Australia made the difference in advancing, also bring a lot of firepower to this lineup. X-factor: Bo Gyeong Moon The 25-year-old KBO slugger hit more than 20 home runs each of the last two seasons and has been the team’s top hitter this tournament. He knocked in four runs in the deciding game against Australia and leads all players in the WBC with 11 RBI. 7. Canada (3-1, Pool A Winners) Canada has advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in the country’s history and has an argument to be one spot ahead here, especially considering its victory against Puerto Rico in Pool A. But a cruel reward awaits for its pool-play success with a date against Logan Webb and Team USA. Will Canada avenge its Winter Olympic gold-medal hockey losses on the diamond? It won’t be easy, but every player in the lineup has big-league experience and the pitching staff has allowed just six earned runs in the tournament. Player to Watch: Owen Caissie The Canada lineup features a 2024 All-Star in Josh Naylor among many MLB veterans, but one of the stars of the show is still making his name. Owen Caissie, Miami’s top position player prospect, is 7-for-14 with three doubles and a home run. He started and ended the scoring in the game against Cuba that sent Canada through to the quarterfinals by knocking in two runs. X-factor: Michael Soroka One former MLB All-Star already shut down the U.S. roster, when Team Italy’s Michael Lorenzen fired 4.2 scoreless innings in an upset win. Will Soroka make it a second? The 2019 All-Star allowed one run in three innings in a win against Colombia earlier in the tournament, and Canada will surely need Soroka to give the club length against USA’s lineup if it wants a chance of advancing. 6. Puerto Rico (3-1, Pool A Runners-Up) The home-field advantage is gone as the club travels from San Juan to Houston. Puerto Rico didn’t win its pool, but it did put on a show for its fans, particularly with a 10-inning walk-off victory against Panama that provided one of the most memorable highlights of the tournament. The insurance issues hit this country hard, particularly on the offensive side. The team is batting just .211 with one home run in the tournament, but Puerto Rico’s pitchers have the lowest ERA in the WBC (1.22). Player to Watch: Nolan Arenado He has made some fantastic plays in the field this tournament. He had a slow start to the tournament offensively, but perhaps his 3-for-4 day against Canada will get him going. X-factor: Darell Hernaiz With no Francisco Lindor or Carlos Correa, Puerto Rico needed another infielder to step up. Enter Hernaiz, who took advantage of the opportunity. It was Hernaiz’s walk-off homer that sent Hiram Bithorn Stadium into a frenzy. Does he have more magic in his bat? 5. Italy (4-0, Pool B Winners) This team is the story of the tournament. In a pool that included the best U.S. team ever assembled and a Mexico squad that nearly made it to the 2023 finals, it was Italy that emerged undefeated. The young squad, composed primarily of prospects and recent MLB call-ups, has the country believing. Player to Watch: Vinnie Pasquantino Pasquantino is the heart and soul of this squad. The captain played a vital role in recruiting the players on the roster, and while his value primarily came from his leadership and defense through the first three games of the tournament, the Royals slugger finally broke out against Mexico with the first three-homer game in WBC history (and his life). X-factor: Dante Nori On any night, any number of prospects on this team can carry the offense. But the best hitter of that group so far has been Nori, the Phillies’ 2024 first-round pick, who’s 6-for-12 with two homers and a double to start the tournament. That offensive production will be all the more important with standout catcher Kyle Teel out for the rest of the tournament with a hamstring injury. 4. Venezuela (3-1, Pool D Runners-Up) Venezuela already punched its ticket to the quarterfinals before its final pool-play game against the Dominican Republic, but that game still had major implications. Because Venezuela lost that game — despite a spirited ninth-inning charge — it finished as the runner-up of Pool D, which means a meeting against Japan and World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto awaits. Can Venezuela’s high-powered offense knock off the reigning champs? It certainly has a chance, even though the country has only advanced to the semifinals once before. Player to Watch: Luis Arraez On a team featuring Ronald Acuña Jr., William and Willson Contreras and 2025 All-Star Maikel Garcia, it’s hard to imagine another player rising to the top. But that’s what Arraez has done this tournament — not only with his bat-to-ball skills but also surprisingly with his power. He leads all players in the WBC with six extra-base hits after starting the tournament 7-for-14 with two home runs, four doubles and nine RBI. X-factor: Jackson Chourio After getting hit in the hand by a pitch during an exhibition, Chourio missed Venezuela’s first two games. He hasn’t gotten his bat going in the two games since returning, but the precocious Brewers outfielder — who just turned 22 on Wednesday — has been a 20-20 hitter each of his first two big-league seasons and could get going at any point. If he does, that could be the difference. 3. Japan (4-0, Pool C Winners) Japan went undefeated through pool play, as expected. But the three-time champs didn’t exactly bulldoze their way to this point, eking out an 8-6 win against Korea in the late innings and barely surviving a 4-3 victory against Australia. Still, Samurai Japan ranks in the top three in both OPS and ERA in this WBC — showcasing the talent both in the lineup and pitching staff — and remains the king of international competition until proven otherwise. Player to Watch: Shohei Ohtani There won’t be an Ohtani vs. Trout teammate-on-teammate matchup to end this WBC. Ohtani is only hitting during this competition, and boy, has he. The four-time MVP put on a show in the Tokyo Dome, starting the tournament 5-for-9 with two homers and a double, and he tends to rise to these sorts of occasions. X-factor: Masataka Yoshida On a team with Ohtani, Seiya Suzuki, Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto and NPB Central League MVP Teruaki Sato, who leads the group so far in hits? That would be Yoshida, who’s 6-for-12 with two home runs. Yoshida was a below league-average hitter last year for the Red Sox, but he excelled in the 2023 WBC, and he’s doing so again — an encouraging sign for both Boston and Japan’s unrelenting lineup. 2. Dominican Republic (Pool D Winners, 4-0) There’s a strong argument to be made that Team D.R. should be the favorites. Three years ago, it was a massive disappointment when a loaded Dominican roster somehow failed to advance out of pool play, but this group looks more motivated and cohesive, and the 4-0 record so far is evidence. The Dominican players seem to be having a blast — quite literally. Eight different players in the lineup have already homered (often epically), and five have gone deep multiple times. The offense leads all teams in the WBC in runs, home runs and every slash-line category. When this lineup is clicking, there isn’t one better, and it’s hard to envision Korea’s pitchers holding it down. This group has a real shot to win the tournament for the first time since 2013. Player to Watch: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.? Juan Soto? Fernando Tatis? I mean, take your pick here. They’re all destroying the baseball. The trio of superstars have combined to hit .425 with six home runs. Against Venezuela in the Dominican Republic’s toughest test so far, Soto started the scoring with a homer in the first. Kete Marte and Guerrero followed with homers in the third. Tatis broke the game open with a three-run shot in the fourth. There’s nowhere for opposing pitchers to breathe. X-factor: Junior Caminero On a team full of Dominican luminaries, this feels like the official arrival of Caminero as one of the dudes. The 22-year-old’s earth-shattering home runs — and electric reactions — aren’t to be missed. The two he has launched this tournament both left his bat at more than 111 mph and traveled more than 400 feet. He seems built for this spotlight. 1. USA (3-1, Pool B Runners-Up) Considering the U.S. nearly didn’t even make it to the final round of eight, it’s fair to wonder if this dream team of All-Stars, MVPs and Cy Young Award winners is still worthy of the top spot. Even as it stormed its way through the first three games of the tournament, there were some surprising stretches of ineffectiveness for both the juggernaut offense and the electric arms on the most gifted baseball roster ever assembled. Still, this roster is just too talented to put anywhere else. If the U.S. can rebound from here and finish the job — as it was built to do — the stunning pool-play loss to Italy and the near exit that followed will just be a footnote in its WBC story. Player to Watch: Aaron Judge For all the boppers on this roster, the three-time MVP is the captain for a reason. Two of Judge’s four hits this tournament have left the yard, including a two-run shot that started the scoring in a crucial victory against Mexico, and his arm in right field has made a difference. He could have been the hero against Italy, too, but he struck out to end the game while representing the tying run. Now, how will he rally the troops and respond? X-factor: Brice Turang On a team filled with All-Stars and more decorated hitters, Turang has been a standout. The 2024 National League Platinum Glove Award winner is primarily on the roster for his defense, but he leads the team with four doubles and has an OPS over 1.000 in the tournament. Another name to watch is Twins starter Joe Ryan, who isn’t on the roster yet but is expected to join Team USA after the quarterfinal and would be lined up to make his WBC debut in the championship game.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

When Mauricio Pochettino names the U.S. men’s national team roster next Tuesday for two high-profile tuneups in Atlanta against European powerhouses Belgium and Portugal, the temptation will be to assume it will be identical to the coach’s eventual World Cup squad. By definition, they’re different. One will be announced in late March. The other one — the 26-man group that will compete in the planet’s biggest event on home soil this summer — is scheduled to drop with great fanfare on May 26. And while most of those who are included for the March 28 test versus the Belgians and Portuguese are well-positioned to stick around for the World Cup itself, there is likely to be a few who don’t make it. We’ll know a lot more about Pochettino’s player pool by April 1. For a team that hasn’t played together in four months, these upcoming contests will provide one final, crucial set of pre-tournament data points for the Argentine and his staff. We don’t have that luxury. Not yet, anyway. The Americans kick off their World Cup campaign exactly three months from today, when they face Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles. Who is most likely to be in Pochettino’s starting lineup that night? Here is my projection based on what we know today. STRIKERS Starter: Folarin BalogunBackups: Ricardo Pepi,  Haji Wright,  Patrick AgyemangJust missed out: Damion Downs, Brian White, Josh Sargent Even when his production was down during the middle part of Monaco’s season, Balogun was the odd-on choice to be the spear of the USA’s World Cup attack. Now Balogun is playing his best ball of the 2025-26 campaign, having scored five goals — three of them against Champions League titlists Paris Saint-Germain — in his last five games. Pepi, Wright and Agyemang are also all scoring regularly for their clubs. Were Pochettino picking his World Cup squad today, all four would be deserving of the honor. With 26 available places, there’s no reason the former Chelsea, PSG and Tottenham Hotspur boss can’t take them all so long as that remains the case. All four have different strengths, and the U.S. can never have too many goalscorers. Especially at the World Cup. ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS Starters: Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennieBackups: Brenden Aaronson, Diego Luna, Malik Tillman Just missed out: Gio Reyna, Alex Zendejas Pulisic has to be a lock despite not having a goal or assist for AC Milan in 2026. Same for McKennie, whose career season with Juventus is showing no signs of slowing down. The hard-running Aaronson keeps starting for Premier League Leeds United, and while Tillman has been slowed by an ankle injury lately and used mostly off the bench for Bayer Leverkusen, his body of work for club and country over the last year won’t be forgotten. Same goes for Luna, who hasn’t played for Real Salt Lake in 2026 because of injury, one that will probably cost him a call-up this month. Zendejas could replace Luna in Atlanta. Another goal, like the one he scored in September’s 2-0 win over Japan, would give the coaches something to think about. But the little lefty has been in just one camp under Poch over the last year and has also been dinged up; Zendejas hasn’t gone 90 minutes in any game this calendar year. He’s still playing way more than Reyna is, though. The 2022 World Cup veteran is coming up on two months without an appearance for Borussia Mönchengladbach. HOLDING MIDFIELDERS Starters: Tyler Adams, Tanner Tessmann Backups: Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Cristian Roldan Just missed out:  Aidan Morris, Yunus Musah Adams is a no-brainer, obviously. But Tessmann’s performances for Lyon have been up and down lately — he came off the bench for the final five minutes of Thursday’s 1-1 Europa League tie with Spain’s Celta Vigo — could also be losing his gip on a starting spot for the U.S. The 24-year-old Cardoso has been in Atlético Madrid’s XI in six of the Spanish giants’ last eight La Liga outings. He’s also started Atleti’s last two Champions League matches, including 90 minutes in Tuesday’s 5-2 walloping of Tottenham in the round of 16 first leg that Pochettino watched in person. It’s true that Cardoso has never played well for the USMNT in his 22 appearances. But he figures to get one last long look during at least one of the two March games. If he performs well and Tessmann doesn’t, it could suddenly become Johhny’s spot to lose. By scoring his first two goals for Italian club Atalanta in early March, Musah is also making a late push. It could be too little, too late for a player who has now gone almost 12 full months without an international cap. The 2022 World Cup standout, who is still only 23, might not even be next man up. Morris featured in the final four USMNT games of 2025 and started two of those — including the year-ending 5-1 rout of Uruguay. Meantime, Berhalter and Roldan have picked up where they left off in the fall with their MLS teams. The former scored his first goal of the season for Vancouver last weekend, while Roldan has logged every minute through three games in Seattle. The pair face off on Thursday night, when the Whitecaps host the Sounders in the Concacaf Champions Cup (10 p.m. ET on FS2). WINGBACKS Starters: Sergiño Dest,  Antonee “Jedi” Robinson Backups: Max Arfsten, Alex Freeman Hurt playing for PSV last weekend, Dest will miss the March window but is expected to recover in time to start a second straight World Cup. It’s also possible that Jedi — another known quantity who has been sidelined recently — could remain this month with Fulham, for which he’s only played in twice in six games since mid-February. The news here is Freeman, who has struggled to get on the field for Villarreal since moving to La Liga in January. The former Orlando City standout came off the bench three times in February for the Yellow Submarine but has been an unused sub in three straight games. Freeman has played just 31 total minutes since scoring twice against Uruguay back on Nov. 18. CENTER BACKS Starters: Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Tim Weah Backups: Mark McKenzie, Miles Robinson Just missed out: Tristan Blackmon, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty,  Walker Zimmerman Per well-sourced German publication Kicker, Noahkai Banks – the 19-year-old Hawaii-born, Germany-rasied defender who’s having a breakout season for Bundesliga side Augsburg, will miss the March camp as he considers which country to represent. “I’m very torn, Banks said this week. “I’m in contact with both the U.S. and Germany, and both national team coaches…I don’t want to make my decision dependent on a World Cup.” Because Banks represented the U.S. at the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup, he’d have to petition FIFA for a one-time switch of national association to play for Die Mannschaft – something he hasn’t yet done, a source with knowledge of the situation told me on Wednesday. But it’s hard to see Poch handing a World Cup roster spot to him if he’s not ready to make a commitment. That’s true even though there are legitimate concerns that the 38-year-old Ream, Pochettino’s go-to captain, is finally showing his age with Charlotte FC early this MLS season. How he fares against two all-world attacks with the USA in Atlanta will reveal plenty about his current level ahead of the World Cup. With Freeman idling, Weah is a more than adequate replacement. No, he’s not a center back. Neither is Freeman. But he’s occupied a similar role often for Marseille since moving from Juventus last August, even if he’s more likely to be deployed at right wing this month with Dest unavailable. GOALKEEPERS Starter: Matt Freese Backups: Matt Turner, Patrick Schulte Just missed out: Chris Brady, Roman Celentano, Ethan Horvath, Jonathan Klinsmann, Diego Kochen, Zack Steffen Freese started the final 12 games of 2025 for Pochettino. Will he man the nets in both games this month? Or will Turner, the USMNT’s No. 1 in Qatar,  get one final chance to reclaim the top job? Either way, Freese is the clear incumbent as things stand today. Who ends up as the Americans’ third World Cup keeper is far murkier. The best American backstop through the first three weeks of the MLS season has been San Diego’s 19-year-old Duran Ferree, but there’s no reason to think that the U.S. U-20 national teamer is in the running. We still think Schulte has the inside track. The Ohio native is a proven winner who has spent more time with Pochettino than any of his direct rivals.  He also has valuable tournament experience, having helped the Olympic team reach the quarterfinals at the 2024 Summer Games in France.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Now more than ever, an integral part of the recruiting process for college coaches involves piecing together the puzzle of an athlete’s inner circle. It still entails forging relationships with a player’s family and high school coach, but now there are typically a few more tentacles surrounding each potential future star: an agent, a marketing manager, a financial advisor, a strength coach. At times, the entourages seem endless. For Purdue head coach Matt Painter, the figures he’s far more curious about now than at any point during his highly successful career are the private instructors, sometimes known as the “workout guys.” These are the individuals responsible for sharpening a player’s skills beyond the confines of traditional practices or games. In an era when players are asked to think about the game at higher levels — processing more options in real time than ever before — Painter needs to know how that aspect of a recruit’s development is handled. “If they have somebody that is a valuable asset that’s really helping them become a better player,” Painter told me last month, “decision-making should be a part of the workout. Decision-making is so important. If your decision-making only grows during the winter, then you’re probably not going to be a very good decision maker. You’re not going to get to the level that you should get to because it should be a 12-month deal in terms of getting better at reading situations, reading defenses, knowing what’s going on.” An absorption of offensive concepts and schematic ideas from professional leagues across the world has rewritten the traditional responsibilities associated with each position. Primary ball handlers now come in all shapes and sizes. Power forwards and centers are spending more time on the perimeter. Playmaking skills are now expected from at least four, if not all five, players in a given lineup. Glaring statistical changes reflect that. So far this season, there are 44 players listed at 6-foot-5 or taller averaging at least 3.5 assists per game, up from 24 such players 10 years ago. In terms of perimeter shooting, there are currently 30 players listed at 6-foot-7 or taller averaging at least 2.1 made 3-pointers per game, up from 19 such players 10 years ago and only four such players 20 years ago. “One part of the game that I really enjoy as a fan is watching the Euro League,” Texas head coach Sean Miller told me. “I think that might actually translate to college a little bit more [than the NBA]. Their ball movement, their cutting, their concepts — so much of how they play the game today is a lot of what you see in college basketball.” Part 4 of our series analyzes the heightened importance of individual decision-making in college basketball, where on-court processing power is now worth its weight in gold. What used to be a game dominated by heady point guards and back-to-the-basket big men is now an exercise in team-wide basketball IQ. One of the reasons why there are 50 teams averaging at least 120 points per 100 possessions this season — the highest mark in at least 30 years — is because players are getting smarter with the ball in their hands. [Player Acquisition | Shot Selection | Offensive Rebounding] *** *** *** Todd Golden, Florida: That was not something teams really focused on 20 years ago when I was in college. Teams had a traditional point guard, you maybe had another guy out there that could be a secondary ball handler and decision maker, but everybody else kind of had specific roles. Your wings were trying to attack the rim or defend with size, and your frontcourt players were paint players and playing inside the 3-point line. Now, I think the best teams — regardless of whether you’re a team that shoots a lot of 3s or a team that really hunts to play out of the paint — if you can play with multiple decision-makers on the floor, you’re going to be a lot better. Miller: I think there always has to at least be four players on the court who can pass, dribble, shoot, decision-make. The best teams in college basketball certainly have that. And then when you can add that fifth player, even if he does it in a different way, it goes to [the idea] where you try to build your roster with players who can think about the game, who can have a fundamental skill level, but really understand how basketball works. The screen and rolls, the spacing, the importance of cutting, why you make one decision versus the other. T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State: A lot of bigs now tend to step out more on the perimeter. There’s certainly the extreme example like [Nikola] Jokic in the NBA. Everyone kind of wants that. I just think you’re watching guys’ decision-making in real time, assist-to-turnover numbers. Certainly, the better you shoot the ball as a frontcourt player, the more it opens up playmaking space for you to do things. Ben McCollum, Iowa: Having good passing bigs is more important than having good shooting bigs. Obviously, you’d like to have both, but if you can have a good passing big, a high processor who works pretty fast through some of those things, that’s more difficult to defend than somebody who can just stretch the floor. And so you’re trying to find those processors. Painter: We get it a lot with our big guys, because if you’re not good enough to [draw] a double team and you can’t get position deep, then why should you have ever been a good passer? Zach Edey wasn’t a guy who ever got double-teamed … so we had to get to work on [his passing] right away. Are they covering down ball side? Are they coming big to big [from the] opposite [side]? Are they coming baseline-side on a double? Are they coming when you bounce it? Is there any difference when you’re above the block to whether you’re up the lane or outside a little bit? Now we’ve got to put drill work into effect on those five things and we’ve got to mix it up and not tell him when it’s coming. And then he’s got to make those reads. That’s what we did every day for 10 to 12 minutes. All of a sudden, he went from somebody that was not able to make those plays and passes to someone who was probably the best in the country at it. Golden: That’s an area that we’ve been fortunate over these last three years to have frontcourt players that really understand how to play basketball. They all haven’t necessarily been able to shoot the 3, but they know how to dribble, they know how to pass, they know how to make decisions and that opens up a lot for the rest of your team. McCollum: It’s not the great passes that make the difference. It’s how quickly does the ball come out. You always hear the Spurs talk about half-second decisions. A lot of that is the ball comes out of their hands quicker. … The timing and the rhythm and the flow increases field goal percentages [and] keeps the defense behind quite a bit more. Then you increase your 2-point field goal percentage and your 3-point field goal percentage because of how quickly each individual gets off the ball. I don’t think we ever get the perfect guys to do that, but those are some things that we try to identify. It’s not an objective measure, it’s just like, ‘That guy has a good feel. I don’t know why. He just makes sense to me.’ That’s probably more what we look for. Grant McCasland, Texas Tech: There’s so many variables in this that you obviously start with the basics, which is always assist-to-turnover [ratio]. Then you take into account usage and historical reference on what a coach’s tolerance level is for turnovers. Some coaches don’t necessarily demand [perfection] and some prefer more free-flowing [offense] and have more turnovers. … Usually the guys that have a better feel shoot a higher percentage because they don’t take as difficult of a shot. I think an ultimate separator, too, is how many of those guys have won. That’s an underrated part of all this, when you look at it, is just win percentage. That shows that a guy knows how to do all three: take care of the basketball, what do they shoot, and then have they won doing it. I know that’s probably a simplistic approach, but that says a lot about someone’s understanding of the game. Golden: I think it’s the hardest part with evaluating, whether it’s high school guys or even portal players, to understand how they see the game and how they make decisions. You’ve really gotta watch them. We analyze a lot of data in determining which guys we’re going to target, but an area that we’ve continued to spend more time on over the last two years is really trying to drill down in the film. After we might be intrigued by a guy from their analytical profile, we end up watching more film to make sure that profile is telling us the whole story. Jon Scheyer, Duke: When you’re watching a guy, watching the shots he shoots, how he plays, does he pass to his teammates, the way he processes the game, there’s an eye test component to that. But I think the most enjoyable part for me is that I ask a lot of questions with our recruits. When we show film to them, we also talk about the areas that they have to do better. I love seeing how they respond to that. I love seeing if they embrace that. And I love just asking them questions about the game. If you can find yourself just talking to them, the longer I’ve done this, the more I like to ask questions and get inside their mind of how they process and what they think. Brad Underwood, Illinois: Problem-solving is the game of basketball. We do a lot of disadvantage basketball or advantage basketball. We play 5-on-4, 4-on-3, we play 5-on-4½ from a disadvantage so guys have to learn to process and make decisions in all scenarios. I think it’s helped us and it helps guys improve. Golden: A lot of people spend time in the spring and summer working on individual player development, and we do our fair share of that. But at the same time, we expect our guys to play a lot of pickup — whether it’s 3-on-3, 5-on-5 — to put themselves in those situations outside of the season, to make sure they’re sharpening those parts of their game. From a coaching and player development standpoint, we grade every 5-on-5 possession that we play in practice. We film everything and we grade it. We give our guys feedback based on how they do in what we call our hustle stats. It’s a way to give tangible feedback along with film, where not only can you show them the numbers, but you can also have film to back up whether they’re doing things well or not well. Over the course of time, when you’re using playing time as the carrot being dangled, guys are going to work to do what you want them to do when you can show it to them in a few different ways. Miller: What I have found, the way the game is played today, is when a player doesn’t have that [heightened] understanding, it’s really hard for him. The game is harder for that type of player than it used to be. Painter: That’s a real important piece of somebody’s growth as a basketball player. In The Blueprint, our in-depth, long-form series takes you inside some of the most amazing stories in sports.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

DAIKIN PARK (Houston) – Months before he was distributing espresso shots and cheek-kisses to home-run hitters in the dugout and handing out bottles of wine to the players on the best team in Italy’s baseball history, Vinnie Pasquantino was bored on Thanksgiving. So, the country’s best baseball recruiter used the holiday to reach out to prospective players, as he had done for much of the year after committing to the team for the World Baseball Classic in early 2025. “It was kind of messed up thinking about it, but… I didn’t have a whole lot going on, and I was like, ‘Oh, this would be a good day to hit everybody’s Instagram DMs,’” Pasquantino told me ahead of Wednesday’s game against Mexico.  “So, there was a lot of DM’ing that day. That’s when the WhatsApp was created for the group. It’s been a lot of fun trying to help create this team.” The seeds were being planted for what would become the WBC’s improbable juggernaut, a group consisting primarily of prospects and novice MLB players who quickly blossomed into the tournament’s success story by stunning much more experienced and decorated rosters along the way with their own distinctive panache. The Italians left the best U.S. roster ever assembled dumbfounded in an upset victory on Tuesday. One night later, they bulldozed a Mexico squad that nearly made it to the WBC finals three years ago. That capped the Azzurri’s perfect 4-0 start to the competition to win Pool B and advance to the quarterfinals. “I’m, like, weirdly emotional tonight, to the point I’m thinking about crying,” Pasquantino said in his postgame press conference after his three-homer performance over Mexico helped send Italy through to the next round, “which is funny for a tournament in March.” Really, though, this represented so much more than normal March baseball for the team’s captain, who was so moved by his experience playing for Italy in 2023 — and his trip to the country before that WBC — that he spent the better part of the last year doing whatever he could to help the Italian Baseball Federation field the best roster imaginable for this tournament. The near-catharsis was the culmination of all the effort that led into Wednesday night. “I committed in what would have been spring of last year, right at the beginning of spring training, letting them know that I was in,” Pasquantino told me before the Mexico game. “From there, it was, ‘All right, who do we need to go get? Send me phone numbers. I’ll make cold calls, whatever I need to do.” After receiving a target list of players to call from Italy’s coaches and staff, the Royals’ gregarious first baseman hit the recruiting trail. “I think they know I have a bigger personality, so it was more from their end, ‘If we really need a guy, will you call him?'” Pasquantino said during our chat before Mexico’s game. “And I think from my end, it was like, ‘Why don’t I just call everybody?’” “I think he reached out to everyone,” Italy infielder Andrew Fischer confirmed. “He took this team by the reins, brought us together.” “You’ve got to find out who’s eligible and things like that,” Pasquantino added, “but once we were able to find out different things about guys, that’s when the phone calls really started.” Some pitches, like the one to Pasquantino’s Royals teammate Jac Caglianone, were easy. Some fell short, like the one to Red Sox standout Roman Anthony. Pasquantino had a conversation with the 21-year-old talent, but it never got far. Anthony told me he had no plans to participate for any team in the World Baseball Classic, and was set on staying in Boston’s camp, until USA manager Mark DeRosa called. His Red Sox manager, Alex Cora, thought that was an opportunity he wouldn’t want to miss. In other cases, Pasquantino’s perseverance paid off. He pestered veteran pitcher Michael Lorenzen about joining the squad for years. “When Vinnie asked me if I wanted to play, I did tell him I would only do it if I was a two-way player,” Lorenzen said. That hasn’t happened, at least yet. For now, Italy is just happy to see Lorenzen thriving on the mound, where the veteran MLB pitcher blanked USA’s star-studded lineup for 4.2 scoreless innings in the upset victory that Italy manager Francisco Cervelli described as one of the best days of his life. “Everybody in Italy should see this,” Cervelli said after the win over the USA. “We’re doing it for them, for the kids. It can happen. It’s possible.” Anthony was in the losing dugout of that Italy win, one that threatened to end USA’s run before it could ever really get going. Maybe that defeat wakes up Team USA, which is still fully capable of avenging its 2023 finals defeat and going all the way, thanks to Italy’s win against Mexico on Wednesday. To this point, though, it’s been Italy having most of the fun. “It’s unbelievable how close this group has gotten in such a quick timeframe,” said MLB veteran Jon Berti, who played for the Cubs last season. “Vinnie gets a huge credit for that. He set the tone early for us. He’s an awesome leader, very fun to be around and kind of drew everybody in and together.” Pasquantino was also responsible for the professional manner in which Italy handled the biggest baseball win in its country’s history. In the aftermath of avenging a 2023 loss to Mexico, Team USA stayed back hours after the win sharing stories and sipping drinks together in the clubhouse. “There’s some guys dragging today,” DeRosa said to reporters the following day, hours before suffering one of the most surprising defeats in WBC history against an unafraid, unyielding, undefeated Italy squad. Pasquantino knew that a 3-0 start wouldn’t mean much if Italy turned around and had a similar letdown the next day against Mexico. So after the win against Team USA, he told his group that once midnight hit, it was time to turn the page. “We had a good time in there,” Pasquantino told me, “but nobody’s dragging over here today.” The results of a 9-1 win against Mexico backed that up. ‘This Team Might Be Different’ Three years ago, Pasquantino was part of an Italy roster that advanced out of WBC pool play without hitting a single home run. This time — an example of the strides the country has taken since then — it has already launched 12. Italy’s offense ranks second in the tournament in both home runs and OPS, despite lacking the established MLB talent that other rosters possess. It does, however, have the best arms it has ever taken to the tournament in Lorenzen and Aaron Nola, a plethora of intriguing young MLB talents in Pasquantino, Caglianone, White Sox catcher Kyle Teel, Marlins outfielder Jakob Marsee and Mariners outfielder Dominic Canzone and promising prospects in Fischer, Aldegheri, Dante Nori and Sam Antonacci. Pasquantino knew for Italy to succeed, he had to foster the right environment for the youthful group to feel comfortable. Quickly, he noticed the unusual confidence the team’s recent draft picks already possessed. “The first day we had a workout, Andrew Fischer talked a bunch of crap about the music I was playing,” Pasquantino told me, “and I was like, ‘All right, you take it.’ I was just playing simple EDM music. But that’s when I kind of knew, all right, this team might be kind of different. “These guys just aren’t scared, and that’s the coolest part, and that’s where I feel like it’s my job to let them know, like, yeah you shouldn’t be scared, this is what you should be doing, having a good time, having a blast, playing with your chest out.” Their fearlessness has been evident throughout the tournament. Aldeghiri, a 24-year-old Angels prospect, threw 4.2 scoreless innings in his lone start. Nori, a 2024 first-round pick of the Phillies, is 6-for-12 with two homers. Antonacci, one of the top position player prospects for the White Sox, has two extra-base hits. And Fischer, a first-round pick of the Brewers last year and the Energizer bunny personified, is 3-for-8 with a home run. “My personality, sometimes, is not really easy to work with,” Fischer told me. “I’m an extrovert. I’m from Jersey. I don’t really care a lot of the time what some guys think of me…but I just come in with a very loud personality, and fortunately enough, they took me in with open arms. “Vinnie’s done a great job kind of taming me back but also letting me be myself,” Fischer continued. “There’s been times I wasn’t sure how he’d react, and I see he has my back, and I feel very good about it, and other times that I’m not sure how he would react and he puts me in my place, and I respect him because he’s been in the game a long time. So, he’s a great leader, great captain.” ‘I Wish My Grandfather Was Still Around’ Even when Pasquantino started the tournament 0-for-12, Antonacci described the captain as the team MVP because of the way he made his teammates feel so comfortable. The slow start offensively did bother Pasquantino, who told Cervelli he would understand if he got dropped from the clean-up spot in the order, but he also knew the value he was providing outside the batter’s box. “I’ve been dog s— at the plate,” he said Wednesday afternoon, before his breakout performance. “I’m not hiding from that. It doesn’t feel the best right now. But… what I see the captaincy being, it’s not about performance in my opinion, it’s about what you can bring to the team. I know these guys are looking to me for mostly offense, which I haven’t been able to provide, but showing them, like, ‘Look, guys, it’s not going well for me right now, that doesn’t mean it can’t go well for the team. That’s what this game’s all about. “I’m not going to have it every night, and I haven’t had it the first three games. It doesn’t mean I won’t have it tonight.” On Wednesday against Mexico, he found it. In his first at-bat, he snapped his skid with a solo homer to start the scoring. Then came another in the sixth, and another in the eighth, all pulled out to right field at Daikin Park. Three homers meant three espresso shots awaiting in the dugout. Finally, he was downing the coffee and not just handing it out. It was the first time at any level of baseball that Pasquantino could remember homering three times in a game. “The Hall of Fame reached out,” Pasquantino said. “It’s the first time they’ve ever reached out for something of mine. … They liked the bat. I said, ‘I need the bat for a few more days.’” One day, Pasquantino’s goal is for Italy’s roster to be composed of actual Italy natives. There are only three on the roster in pitchers Aldegheri, Gabriele Quattrini and Claudio Scotti. For now, though, the focus is on growing the game in the country and showing kids in Italy what is possible. And the best way to do that is by winning games with this group of primarily Italian-Americans. It seems to be working. “Someone sent me a clip. [Italy’s] prime minister gave us a little bit of a shout-out this morning,” said Berti, an eight-year MLB veteran who grew up in Michigan. “I wish my grandfather was still around. He would be loving this.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It’s the same as it ever was for Maxx Crosby. After experiencing the embarrassment of the Baltimore Ravens rescinding their trade offer due to a failed physical by team doctors, the star edge rusher was back on the grind again just hours later. On Wednesday morning, Crosby was working out for the only team he’s known in his seven-year career: the Las Vegas Raiders. That same morning, Crosby took to social media to celebrate the sixth anniversary of his sobriety. “God Doesn’t Make Mistakes,” Crosby wrote in a post on X. Those words could also refer to Cosby returning to the familiar surroundings in Las Vegas and the fact that he might remain there long-term. Crosby playing for the Raiders in 2026 is a real possibility, believing it’s best for all parties involved, according to sources familiar with the thinking of the team. Crosby’s second post on X on Wednesday certainly gave that scenario credence. “Everything Happens For A Reason. Believe Nothing You Hear & Half Of What You See. Im A Raider. I’m Back. Run That Sh*t,” Crosby wrote. It’s a sharp turn from where Crosby was less than one week ago. The Ravens agreed to trade for Crosby’s services in a deal with the Raiders last Friday, giving up two first-round selections for the 28-year-old pass rusher. Crosby even said his goodbyes to Raider Nation in an emotional,13-minute video posted on social media. However, after Baltimore team doctors evaluated Crosby’s balky left knee two months out from a repaired torn meniscus, the Ravens had serious doubts about the long-term health of their new prospect and eventually backed out of the deal, according to the Raiders. [NFL Confidential: League Execs Not Happy with Ravens After Nixing Maxx Crosby Trade] But as Crosby seems to be embracing the Silver and Black again, it doesn’t seem like it’s a certainty that the five-time Pro Bowler is back with the Raiders in 2026. “For now, yes. But maybe this summer he gets moved,” a longtime NFL executive told me when asked if he envisions Crosby staying in Las Vegas. While the possibility of Crosby getting traded remains on the table, the Ravens pivoted to signing Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson on Wednesday. They gave the four-time Pro Bowler a four-year, $112 million deal. But the previous Crosby trade didn’t preclude the Ravens from pursuing Hendrickson, if general manager Eric DeCosta is to be believed. DeCosta told reporters on Wednesday that the team explored ways to sign both Crosby and Hendrickson, but ultimately decided to move on from Crosby. “I’ve got a responsibility to the Ravens, to this community, to our fans and to [Ravens owner] Steve Bisciotti to do what we think is best for the club,” DeCosta said, when asked if the Ravens got cold feet. “And that’s what we always try to do. Every decision we make is based on this side of, ‘Is this what is best for the Ravens?’ “And that’s very, very challenging. I understand how people from afar would feel that way, but nobody’s more upset about this than me. Gutted by it, actually. A big regret for me. But we will move on as a football team.” DeCosta’s somber nature jives with an NFL source telling me that the Ravens desperately wanted Crosby and hated having to back out of the deal. Still, it’s a messy situation for Crosby and the Raiders. The elite pass rusher thought he was moving on from the constant losing with the Raiders to a team in the Ravens that’s regularly in the Super Bowl conversation. The Raiders thought they were getting significant draft compensation to help with the team’s rebuilding effort with new head coach Klint Kubiak and presumptive No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza. Instead, the Raiders and Crosby are stuck with each other. And they must make the most of it. Because the Raiders had the most salary cap space available of any team in the league at the start of free agency, the Raiders have enough cap space to keep Crosby around, even after coming to an agreement with eight outside free agents. And Crosby returns to a team that’s more equipped to compete in the AFC West, including the addition of the top center on the market in former Baltimore offensive lineman Tyler Linderbaum, a fellow edge rusher Kwity Paye, receiver Jalen Nailor and linebackers Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean. Crosby could have impacted his trade value by showing toughness and playing through the painful knee injury at the end of the year. Raiders general manager John Spytek shutting Crosby down created a rift between the team and Crosby that ultimately led to him asking for a trade because of the appearance of Las Vegas tanking. But had Spytek shut Crosby down sooner, maybe his knee would have been at a better place to pass a physical? For now, Crosby is in the building at the Raiders’ facility working on his rehab and moving forward with the team. He is excited about the opportunity to continue playing for Rob Leonard, his former defensive line coach who was promoted to defensive coordinator for the Raiders by Kubiak. The Raiders should use this opportunity to mend fences with the team’s most dynamic and well-known player — the face of the franchise for the rest of the league. Crosby said he’s a Raider for life, and a misstep by the Ravens created a second chance to make that reality.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

As spring football is off and running for college programs, college and NFL fans alike also have their attention turned toward the 2026 NFL Draft, hosted this year by Pittsburgh on April 23-25. In this week’s Let’s Debate, our college football experts are examining both spring football and next year’s NFL Draft. So before spring football ends with finalized rosters for next season and before 2027 NFL mock drafts are ever-present, we’re examining which college players have the most to prove this season and which players might be off the board first in 2027. Which player has the most to prove to his program this season? RJ Young: Darian Mensah, Miami QB Mensah breached his contract with Duke, made a mess that needed to be settled outside of court, only to walk into a program as the presumed starter at Miami, where the acts he follows include a former No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft and the first quarterback to lead the Hurricanes to the national title game since Ken Dorsey 25 years ago. Mensah led Duke to its first ACC title in 36 years, and he has developed into one of the better quarterbacks in the country. But with this being his third stop and the second where he has made headlines — first for signing a two-year, $8 million contract and second for breaking it — he can’t afford to play poorly in 2026 both for Miami’s sake and for the sake of his NFL Draft stock next season. Michael Cohen: Makhi Hughes, Houston RB Around this time last year, Hughes was one of the hotter names in college football after his headline-grabbing transfer from Tulane to Oregon. He’d put together back-to-back 1,300-yard seasons for the Green Wave in 2023 and 2024, twice earning first-team All-AAC honors, to entrench himself as one of the best young tailbacks in the country. When he entered the portal last winter and subsequently committed to Oregon, it was presumed that the Ducks were landing the future bell cow in their backfield. But it never quite worked for Hughes at Oregon. He was unable to carve out a role in a talented backfield spearheaded by Noah Whittington, Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr., never tallying another carry after the win over Oregon State on Sept. 20. It was no surprise when Hughes announced his intention to enter the portal a second time, and now he’ll have to work his way back to prominence at Houston. [NFL DRAFT: Fernando Mendoza Leads QBs in Top 100 on Big Board] Which player would you select first in the 2027 NFL Draft: Jeremiah Smith or Arch Manning? Young: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State WR, and it’s not close. Only one of these players has proven he’s a generational talent at his position, emerging as the best true freshmen since Trevor Lawrence at Clemson in 2018 to lead his team to the national title. Only one of these players has repeatedly dismantled his opposition in one-on-one battles, beaten double teams and helped swing the balance of power from the SEC to the Big Ten — the league that is home to the last three national champions. The stats for Smith are there with back-to-back seasons with more than 1,200 receiving yards, leading the Big Ten in 2024 and 2025. But more important is the ability to change the fortunes of an NFL franchise with one selection. Cohen: Arch Manning, Texas QB Even though all signs point toward Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith likely having a better pro career than Texas quarterback Arch Manning — the words “generational talent” continue to be thrown around when people discuss the Buckeye great — the latter is a far more logical choice, given the unparalleled impact of his position in the modern game. There’s a reason why the last wide receiver to be selected No. 1 overall was Keyshawn Johnson in 1996. And there’s a reason why 21 of the ensuing 29 top overall picks were quarterbacks. No matter how talented, how explosive, how indescribably unique any non-quarterback might be, they’ll never influence winning and losing as directly as a team’s signal-caller. Selecting Manning at No. 1 overall, while risky, at least gives a general manager the opportunity to unearth a truly franchise-altering player. The same just can’t be said for a wide receiver — even one as phenomenal as Smith. In Let’s Debate, our experts tackle and explain the hot-button issues fans care about.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas — It’s typical to hear lots of screaming inside Jerry’s World during Dallas Cowboys football games. This weekend, there will be the scream of INDYCAR engines around AT&T Stadium (home of the Cowboys) and Globe Life Stadium (home of the Texas Rangers) as drivers navigate a 2.73-mile course for the first time in series history. There are 14 turns — nine right-handers and five left-handers. The inaugural Java House Grand Prix of Arlington (noon ET, FOX) will present a challenge as no driver has experience on the course. It will also present an event with the marketing and branding force of the Cowboys behind it. Here’s what to know about the race. New INDYCAR Arlington Start Time The original start time for the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington was 12:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, but INDYCAR moved the time up to noon ET in anticipation of weather. FOX’s race coverage will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET. How Will Drivers Prepare? Typically, the drivers practice and determine setups in a simulator where the track surface has been scanned and then the data is supplemented from what teams learn on a race weekend. But there have been no scans of this track’s surface. So the simulator track is determined through GPS. That makes it difficult to recognize bumps. And until the walls were placed in the last few weeks, no one really knew their exact location. [POWER RANKINGS: Who is on top heading into Arlington?] Alexander Rossi, driver of the No. 20 car for ECR, answered my question during a Zoom this week on just how little he knows from the simulator. “The track scans are very high quality, but for a place like this that’s brand new, you don’t have a full surface scan,” Rossi said. “You only have essentially a GPS scan with walls kind of placed around the perimeter. “Both Honda and Chevy have kind of the same track model, so you don’t have any sort of the bumps modeled or grip differential depending on surfaces.” So how does it help? “It’s a great tool to at least know what corner comes next,” Rossi said. “But in terms of brake points and grip levels, how fast you can actually go, the line, where bumps are, that sort of thing — everyone will be figuring that out together kind of starting from zero.” What Else Can They Do To Prepare? Pato O’Ward, driver of the No. 5 car for Arrow McLaren, said he never even got a chance to do the simulator. But some fans have posted online laps on YouTube from what they’ve been able to create. “I’m curious to see what it’s going to be all about, and I do think it’s going to be a little chaotic,” O’Ward said. “People are going to be getting creative. They’re going to stuff their nose where they shouldn’t, and it’s going to create roadblocks.” What Is Unique About This Course? Most of the street circuits are shorter ones, typically around 2 miles. This one is the longest for INDYCAR at 2.73 miles. The other street courses: Markham (2.19 miles), Long Beach (1.968), St. Petersburg (1.8), Washington (1.66) and Detroit (1.645). That makes this one a little more unique in that they will be doing laps of around 90 seconds instead of 50 seconds. There are enough viewing areas that give a look at multiple track locations that fans shouldn’t feel as if they are waiting forever for the cars to come by. “[The short courses are] not very interesting for the fans,” Arrow McLaren No. 7 car driver Christian Lundgaard told me. “It’s certainly not interesting for us as drivers. We aren’t really enjoying the layout of the track. And I think here we will. “And I think that’s the big difference is this is actually exciting. And I think what the promoters and the series have done for this place is it’s not just a race, it’s a venue, and everything that follows around is what will make the difference.” Rigorous Schedule Last year, the 2025 season kicked off in St. Petersburg and then had two races over the next eight weeks. This year, it is opening with three races in back-to-back-to-back weeks — St. Petersburg, Phoenix and now Arlington. [INSIDE THE GARAGE: Team Penske Relishes Phoenix Sweep] It makes for some road-weary crew members, but at least there is a feeling of momentum. “I think what’s more draining, from a mental and just energy standpoint, is traveling around is what really drains you,” Lundgaard said. “The work doesn’t stop. And I think at the end of the year, that’s when you really feel it. “But I’m just excited to be here and put on a show.” Are These The Same Cars As Phoenix? Kind of. The front wing and rear wing are different for road and street courses than they are for the ovals. Teams also would use different dampers (suspension pieces). Teams worked on their cars Sunday at Phoenix before leaving Arizona, the crews will likely going home to Indianapolis for a few days and the team haulers already headed to Texas. Is Alex Palou Good At New Courses? Yes he is. Alex Palou, the three-time defending series champion who currently is fifth in the standings after two races, has won the last two races at new tracks: Last year in the first points race at Thermal and 2023 at the new Detroit course. [KEVIN HARVICK: Open-Wheel Crashes at Phoenix ‘Could Have Been Prevented’] Marcus Ericsson won the inaugural race on the Nashville street course in 2021. What Is New About Qualifying? In the final “Fast Six” round, instead of having a six-minute session with drivers running as many laps as they can get in with the best last counting, each of the six finalists will get only one lap. Only one car will be on the track at a time, allowing for more exposure of each of the six drivers vying for the pole. Are there any hometown drivers? Santino Ferrucci, driver of the No. 14 car for AJ Foyt Racing, lives in the Dallas area and expects to have plenty of support. “I think it’s bigger here than Indy for me,” Ferrucci told me and other reporters last week. “I have more people there. And it being my home race, I personally have close to 100 people that are coming.” O’Ward, who hails from Monterrey, Mexico, moved to the San Antonio area when he was 11, so Texas is kind of his home. “This is the closest that I have to home, and it really is, but I don’t necessarily think it’s because it’s close to Mexico, but just because this is where I see a lot of the people that remind me of home — the language and a lot of friends and family are coming this weekend,” O’Ward said. INDYCAR rookie Mick Schumacher’s family has a horse ranch in Texas, so he has spent some time in the state as well. Are There Any Rangers Or Cowboys Coming? With the Rangers in spring training and the Cowboys out of season, it is still to be determined if any active players are there. Rangers great Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez and Cowboys great DeMarcus Ware will give the command to start engines for Sunday’s race.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

March is filled with drama, but for a pair of blue-blood brands, it might come down to the longest wait in sports: Selection Sunday. The Texas Longhorns and Indiana Hoosiers both find themselves squarely on the bubble heading into Selection Sunday. According to FOX Sports bracket forecaster Mike DeCourcy, Texas remains among his “Last Four In” following a loss to Ole Miss in the opening round of the SEC Tournament. Sean Miller’s team owns six Quad 1 wins — more than several SEC contenders — but five losses in its last six games have left the Longhorns sweating. Meanwhile, Indiana’s late slide might have pushed the Hoosiers to the wrong side of the bubble. A double-digit loss to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament was their sixth loss in seven games, dropping them into DeCourcy’s “First Four Out.” With that, DeCourcy shares his latest NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament projections: EAST REGION SOUTH REGION MIDWEST REGION WEST REGION And it’s never too early to check in on the bubble. According to DeCourcy’s projections, VCU, SMU, Texas and New Mexico are the last four teams in the tournament, while Auburn, Seton Hall, San Diego State and Indiana are the first four out. As for conference representation, the SEC leads the way with 10 teams, while the Big Ten has nine teams. The ACC and the Big 12 each have eight teams in DeCourcy’s latest tournament projections. The Big East and the West Coast have three teams represented, while the Mountain West and A-10 have two teams. Selection Sunday is three days away, and these projections will inevitably evolve. For now, DeCourcy’s latest bracket forecast offers a clear snapshot of who’s rising, who’s falling and which programs are already building the résumés they’ll need when March Madness arrives.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

George M. Steinbrenner Field (Tampa) – Brian Cashman walked into his office at the spring training facility for the New York Yankees and pulled up a TikTok video on his iPad. He had already seen this video but thought it was funny enough to watch it again. The team’s general manager laughed as the clip showed two men arguing with each other, before one of them threw his Big Gulp cup at a car. The liquid from the cup smothered the car windows, the men continued yelling, and the video ended. Watching inherently silly TikTok videos is “a nice diversion from the noise,” Cashman told me when we sat down in his office to discuss what it’s like being the longest-tenured GM in Major League Baseball. When he’s not scrolling, he’s busy building a championship-caliber roster, modernizing the organization with wide-ranging changes, and fine-tuning his baseball operations department. The noise, in this case, is a relentless stream of criticism and title expectations. Cashman, too, said he has a ticking clock in his head, reminding him that the Yankees haven’t won a championship since 2009. Due to that drought, criticism of Cashman has become as predictable as October in the Bronx. Every roster decision by the Yankees GM is dissected. Every postseason exit is used as evidence that the architect of baseball’s most successful and scrutinized franchise has lost his touch. Debate around Cashman has played out forcefully in New York. He’s anatomized on talk radio, across social media, and in the stands at Yankee Stadium. The argument is familiar: the Yankees should win more and spend more, and they should think differently. Cashman hears it all, even when he’s no longer trying to, even if he barely responds anymore. What the public sees, though, is only part of the story. “I’m pretty simple,” Cashman said. “The reason we’re able to adjust and change is because I am very open-minded, and I challenge our staff to be the same way. If someone’s doing something better than we are, we have to figure that out as fast as we possibly can, and then adapt and adjust and grow because of it.” Inside the organization’s walls and across major-league front offices, Cashman is revered as a brilliant executive who has survived multiple baseball eras and worked under two different ownership styles with aplomb. “It is next to impossible to have the longevity he’s had for any team,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “To do it in New York makes it kind of unthinkable in this day and age. I think it speaks to his talent. I think it speaks to his leadership capabilities. It has to speak to his ability to compartmentalize and focus on what is important to do his job, and he’s done it incredibly successfully. Whenever he decides he’s had enough, we’ll all be celebrating in Cooperstown shortly thereafter.” Cashman started as a Yankees intern in 1986 in the minor-league scouting department. After he graduated from college, the team offered him a full-time job as a baseball operations assistant. Back then, analytics departments were tiny, sports science barely existed, and the game’s most famous franchise operated largely on instinct and tradition. Cashman took over as general manager in 1998 and has overseen four World Series titles and 23 postseason appearances. Since then, the Yankees have produced a winning record for 33 consecutive seasons, second longest in MLB history behind the team’s 39-season streak from 1926-1964. Cashman believes everything from the aesthetics of the Yankees clubhouse to the recent renovations inside the spring training facilities to the tireless work of his staff has played a significant part in making the organization a well-oiled winning machine. Plus, he’s constantly drawing inspiration from other marquee sport franchises. ​”It’s not like I can intimately get behind the scenes of the Cincinnati Reds and see what they’re doing,” Cashman said. “But I can do that with the University of Kentucky. I can do that with the New York Giants or the Brooklyn Nets or Alabama football or, the New Zealand All Blacks or Manchester City or Arsenal or what have you. We can do that with a lot of different other environments or even businesses that aren’t sports related, and we try to engage and find out what drives their culture. “How do they manage their processes and why? And if they’re successful, why? Is it just because they have great leadership? Is it because they got lucky? Is it because they rely on certain core principles?” Key To Success: Constant Change Twenty or thirty years ago, Cashman struck up a conversation with a bartender at a Ritz-Carlton during a Yankees road trip and learned about their official Code of Conduct, a sheet of paper that every employee had to carry in their pocket at all times. It outlined ethical and behavioral guidelines for all employees of the luxury hotel brand, including management. Cashman doesn’t remember if he took a picture of the sheet or the bartender gave him a copy of one, but he took it home to study it. He found ways to embody those guidelines as a part of his own leadership styles. Through the years, Cashman has developed relationships with various sports executives, everyone from the Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Julien Brisebois to the Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman. They send each other articles on leadership and exchange ideas on how to improve. Cashman is still curious about outside ideas and finds ways to incorporate them into his baseball operations. Sometimes, that inspiration arrives in unusual ways. Recently, he went down an escalator at the newly renovated LaGuardia Airport and snapped photos of a design he liked. He shared it with his staff and Yankee Stadium operations, and they worked to incorporate the design into the ballpark. “Brian has tried to keep the Yankees more relevant and more current and modern,” former Yankees manager Buck Showalter told me. “And, all the while, he doesn’t take himself too seriously. I got a lot of respect for him, he started on the ground level and worked his way up.” Cashman learned from Showalter that altering the atmosphere in little and big ways prevents the environment from becoming stale. He believes part of the reason the Yankees went to the World Series in 2024 is because of the renovations he helped initiate at their Tampa facility that year. Cashman said that those multimillion-dollar upgrades, including a health and wellness center, extended batting cages, and a player lounge, compelled players to spend more time at the ballpark. His incessant hunt for fresh changes and ideas are all designed to help the on-field product produce more wins and have fun doing it. Netflix recently shared its company values with the public, and Cashman absorbed it like a sponge. “Constantly trying to change and remake yourself is important,” Cashman said. “I just want to find out what’s underneath the hood and what makes somebody or some company or some sports entity tick. And if they’re having success, there are reasons behind it.” Micro-Manager? ‘I’m The Opposite’ The public perception is that Cashman is stubborn. The fanbase’s disapproval of him reached an all-time intensity after the 2023 season, when the Yankees missed the playoffs and came under fire for their analytical approach. Cashman was on way to the annual GM Meetings that offseason when Yankees media relations tried to warn him about the brutal line of questioning headed his way. The heat was going to be turned all the way up, but Cashman wasn’t interested in mincing his words. In a lengthy scrum with the media, Cashman defended his front office in a curse-laden rebuttal of the perception that the Yankees should clean house because their baseball ops had become ineffective. The GM, criticized for protecting manager Aaron Boone and the rest of his coaches, analytics and player development staff, believes the negative public perception and the internal success of his baseball ops is worlds apart. The following season, the Yankees went to the World Series. He doesn’t regret a single word he said in that infamous scrum. “I’m definitely not a micro-manager,” Cashman told me. “I’m the opposite. I am someone that will hire people I consider smarter than me and that have expertise in that area. And then I empower you to do your job. I will support you every step of the way, including in that scrum, defending you to the hilt, because you still might not be on top. But if you’ve done everything you possibly could do, and you’re really good at what you do, then I’m gonna have your back no matter what.” Part of the reason that eruption from Cashman went viral was because he doesn’t say much these days. He also doesn’t read or listen to what people are saying about him. He doesn’t have social media on his phone anymore, besides TikTok. It’s a complete reversal of how he used to start his days, by returning calls from reporters and appearing on the field pregame to answer any questions and divulge his processes. In recent years, the GM has learned that explaining decisions rarely quiets criticism. It only fuels it. “The media coverage is completely different,” Cashman said. “To the point where now, I’m very reclusive.” While the debate about the Yankees’ direction continues outside, Cashman has increasingly stepped back from the conversation, focusing instead on the work inside the organization he has spent nearly three decades shaping. That’s not to say he’s at peace with the fan base’s perception of him. He knows a large segment of Yankees fans are frustrated that Cashman is running back the same roster this year as the one they ended with last season. “Stuff like that bothers me,” he said. After all, last year’s team tied the Toronto Blue Jays for the best record in the American League East before it lost to the Blue Jays in the AL Division Series. Plus, ace Gerrit Cole will return from injury this year. So it won’t be the same team as last season, he said. People are getting that wrong. Why, then, doesn’t he speak up more? “I’ve learned over the course of time, it doesn’t matter what you say,” Cashman said. “What do you do? I can try to fight like Don Quixote with the windmills out there and all those battles all the time. But is that a really efficient use of my time? “Like at the end of the day, I know all that’s going to matter is if we’re winning games. And even when we are winning games, it still won’t matter. Because there’s a lot of narratives out there that just aren’t the case. Like, to this day, I’m definitely frustrated with the one narrative that the manager is the puppet and we’re dictating his moves. None of it’s true.” Cashman has tried to refute a long-believed narrative that Boone doesn’t make any decisions, including lineup construction and in-game bullpen management, and that the GM maps out a game plan for the manager ahead of time. For years, he’s seen his comments get pulled apart, misinterpreted and weaponized. Cashman realized it was unhealthy for him to spend time fighting battles against false narratives. So he stopped, for the most part. “I’d rather people be right,” he said. “But I’ve gotten to a level, too, where it’s almost like I accept it. I can’t change people’s minds. They want to believe what they want to believe no matter what. It’s like politics and conspiracy theories. You can try to prove it scientifically, prove it with people testifying under oath or like, I can roll out former managers, you can ask those guys. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t mean anything. People still say it. So it’s like, well, then what am I going to do?” Cashman’s Legacy? It’s Complicated Boone, sitting in his desk chair in his office at George M. Steinbrenner Field, leaned back and smiled as he recounted day-to-day instances of Cashman being a “practical joker.” One time, Boone was upset about something, and Cashman called the manager’s office phone and disguised his voice. Other times, he’s carried in his pocket some paper snappers, which produce a loud exploding pop when thrown, to mess with people. “​​He takes something that happens in our day-to-day, something serious, and he’ll lean into it and make it humorous,” Boone said. “But what I really admire about him is his consistency. He’s funny, but ​​he’s willing to have any difficult conversation and hold people to the fire. To do it with the excellence he’s done, for as long as he’s done it, it’s remarkable. It takes a very special talent, evaluator, and vision to have that sustained excellence. Even though we haven’t won, he’s putting together a championship-caliber program all the time. I think he’s a Hall of Famer.” There is no job in baseball where success is defined so narrowly as the one Cashman holds with the Yankees. In most cities, consistent playoff appearances would be celebrated. In the Bronx, trips to October are treated as disappointments without, at the very least, a World Series appearance. That dynamic has made Cashman one of the most criticized executives in the sport — and one of the longest tenured. Cashman’s tenure is defined by a remarkable absence of losing seasons, a high level of sustained success, a lengthy championship drought and a heavy dose of frustration. It’s complicated. He finds it excruciatingly difficult to reflect on his career, particularly because he’s not done. He wants to change the narrative, and he knows the only way to do that is by winning. “Reggie Jackson was one of the most prolific home run hitters of all time,” Cashman said. “But he was also one of the most prolific strikeout leaders of all time. As the game is playing out, he might’ve had three strikeouts his first three at-bats. But he could always change the narrative with one swing. “So, I’m still swinging.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Just like many of us, executives, agents and scouts around the NFL were amazed by some of the moves made across the league in the opening days of free agency. We surveyed insiders around the NFL on who they think the winners and losers of free agency are to this point, along with which contracts they thought were the best and worst. One NFL executive lauded a team’s all-in approach, while an agent didn’t like one of the $100 million contracts handed out this week. So, which teams improved the most in the first week of free agency? Which contract was the biggest overpay? Here’s what we learned in our conversations with executives, agents and scouts around the NFL. [2026 NFL Free Agency Grades] *** Jets, Raiders get their rebuilds off to good starts: ‘They didn’t do anything stupid’ Ralph Vacchiano: The teams that spend the most in free agency aren’t always the ones that do the best. In fact, some years the biggest spenders turn into the biggest flops. But two teams that had money to burn this week got positive reviews from several NFL scouts and executives. So maybe there is finally some hope for the Las Vegas Raiders and the New York Jets. “I’m not saying either one of them will be good,” an assistant general manager told me. “But I liked their approach (to free agency). They didn’t do anything stupid.” The Jets, in particular, “completely rebuilt their defense,” as one scout told me, “but they did it without taking an unnecessary big swing. Every guy they signed is a solid veteran player. And none of them broke anyone’s bank.” Their signings included linebacker Demario Davis (two years, $22 million), edge rusher Joseph Ossai (three years, $36 million), and a trade for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (three years, $40 million). They also took an inexpensive, one-year, $5.5 million shot at cornerback Nahshon Wright, who went to the Pro Bowl last year. “Aaron Glenn is a defensive guy, and he could see that after the trades last year [of defensive tackle Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner], he had nothing to build around,” an AFC executive told me. “He still needs to find stars, but now he has a foundation, at least in the short term. He can start to build a program, even if most of these guys won’t be around when the Jets are finally good.” The Jets didn’t get a lot of praise for their decision to trade for Geno Smith and make him their quarterback, but the executive told me, “It’s not like they had good options. At least he didn’t cost them much.” As for the Raiders, their situation was complicated by the collapse of the Maxx Crosby trade — a deal the assistant GM told me “would’ve made their offseason a grand slam.” He said their spending “was a little crazier [than the Jets’], but they had cap room to burn, so who cares? And if they had gotten two first-round picks on top of that for a player who didn’t want to be there? Wow.” Even without those picks, the Raiders still got the No. 1 center on the market (Tyler Linderbaum, three years, $81 million), a sleeper at receiver (Jalen Nailor, three years, $35 million) and a trio of solid defensive players (edge rusher Kwitty Paye for three years, $48 million; linbebacker Quay Walker for three years, $40.5 million and linebacker Nakobe Dean for three years, $36 million). “They’re all about the quarterback,” the scout told me of the Raiders, who are expected to draft Fernando Mendoza with the first pick of the draft. “But you can’t say ‘nothing else matters’. They needed to fix the defense so they could keep him in games. They needed to protect him. They had to get him a receiver. “Forget the prices. They did all that. It wasn’t a franchise-changing [spending] spree, but it was a really solid start.” *** Rams make it clear they’re going for it again Vacchiano: The Los Angeles Rams know they are loaded for a Super Bowl run, and they knew their biggest problem was their secondary. Consider that hole plugged. The Rams made a huge, pre-market trade for cornerback Trent McDuffie that cost them a first-round pick and more (not to mention the four-year, $124 million contract they gave him). Then they signed cornerback Jaylen Watson to a three-year, $51 million. The moves were expensive, but as one NFL executive told me, “How can you not admire them for going for it? They know that with a 38-year-old quarterback, this is their last shot, maybe for a couple of years. So screw the future. Go for it now. If they win the Super Bowl, no one will care if they have to suffer for a couple of years.” *** More winners and losers from free agency Vacchiano: Several other teams came up in conversations with league personnel about winners and losers in free agency: *** Agent: Thumbs up on Malik Willis’ deal to Dolphins Eric D. Williams: In a quarterback market where Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa will make significantly more money from their former teams while playing for their new teams and Daniel Jones signed a deal worth up to $100 million to stay in Indianapolis, an NFL agent pointed to a player with only six starts as one of the best negotiated contracts in free agency. Yes, the Miami Dolphins’ signing of Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5 million contract that includes $45 million in guaranteed money was one of the best signings in free agency. “All of these deals are exercises in risk management,” the agent told me. And the Dolphins mitigated some of that risk because of their familiarity with Willis. Head coach Jeff Hafley served as the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers while Willis backed up Jordan Love at quarterback. And Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan worked as vice president of player personnel for the Packers before being hired by the Dolphins. “The most pragmatic deal would be Miami’s Malik Willis deal,” the agent told me. “They will deal with the ramifications of a – in hindsight — bad QB deal [Tua] this year. They did a good job of being pragmatic in their new starting QB deal for Willis. “Given how expensive and risky the QB market is, this Willis deal is spot on in terms of proper value while mitigating the downside risk.” *** Commanders’ deal with edge rusher Odafe Oweh not as popular, though Williams: On the other end of the spectrum, the agent pointed to former Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Odafe Oweh signing a four-year, $100 million deal with the Washington Commanders that includes $68 million in guaranteed money. Oweh, 27, finished with 7.5 sacks in 12 games with the Chargers are going without a sack in the first five games of the 2025 season with Baltimore, playing 513 snaps between stints with the Ravens and Chargers last season after a midseason trade to L.A. Washington appears to be betting on the potential of a breakout campaign for Oweh, but the agent I spoke with has reservations. “There’s a reason Baltimore traded him to the Chargers last season,” the agent told me. “Moreover, I’m not sure that his one year of production in Los Angeles [relative to his lack of production in Baltimore] equates to $25 million a year to me.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports