Plus Team USA advances to the quarterfinal of the World Baseball Classic
Mar 12, 2026 at 8:59 am ET • 6 min read
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💰 Five things to know Thursday
- The Ravens signed DE Trey Hendrickson after backing out of the Maxx Crosby trade. When Baltimore pulled out of the blockbuster deal for Crosby, it pivoted to a strong backup plan, the 2024 NFL sacks leader. The Ravens signed Hendrickson to a four-year deal worth up to $112 million, and they scored pretty well in our free agency grades as a result. As for why the Ravens pulled out of the Crosby trade in the first place, general manager Eric DeCosta didn't offer many specifics.
- The college basketball coaching carousel is picking up steam. As the 2025-26 season draws to a close for many teams this week, coaching changes are coming en masse. Bobby Hurley won't return to Arizona State after the Sun Devils got dismantled by Iowa State in the Big 12 Tournament. Plus, Syracuse fired Adrian Autry after just three seasons. These six coaches could replace Autry as the next Orange coach. Keep track of all the changes with our coaching carousel tracker.
- Team USA has advanced to the World Baseball quarterfinals. One day after handing the U.S. a stunning defeat, Italy helped the Americans reach the quarterfinals with a 9-1 blowout win over Mexico. Between the Olympics and the SheBelieves Cup, we've seen intense battles between Team USA and Canada in recent weeks, and now, the two international rivals will go head-to-head in the WBC quarterfinals on Friday night.
- Daniel Jones agreed to a two-year, $88 million contract with the Colts. Jones is no longer on the transition tag, thanks to a substantial deal that makes Jones the 18th highest-paid quarterback on a per-year basis. Of course, there is more earning potential for Jones as the deal is laced with incentives that could bring the total contract value to $100 million. A Giants cast-off, Jones was one of the NFL's biggest surprises last season, and he gets another big payday. As free agency rolls on, here is our updated list of the top 100 players available.
- Caitlin Clark dropped a double-double in her Team USA debut. Clark suited up for the national team for the first time in her career yesterday, and she wasted no time making a big impact. The Fever star totaled 17 points and 12 assists in just 20 minutes as the Americans routed Senegal, 110-46, in a FIBA Women's World Cup qualifier. That performance had to feel good for Clark after injuries limited her to 13 games in her second WNBA season.
🏌 Don't miss it: The Players Championship gets underway
One of the most significant events on the golf calendar is underway this morning (follow live Players Championship leaderboard coverage right here), and you can bet our team of golf experts has weighed in with a comprehensive preview of The Players Championship. It has everything a fan could want -- from winner picks, to sleepers and score predictions.
Among our staff's bold predictions, Robby Kalland decided to go out on a limb, saying Scottie Scheffler looking borderline human with his irons may cost him at TPC Sawgrass.
Despite Kalland's trepidation about Schefflers' recent run of form, the world No. 1 is still a 5-1 favorite to win for a reason, and he's one of our nine golfers who will win The Players Championship in 2026. Rory McIlroy is not on that list, and he will be a "game-time decision" due to back spasms.
Here are a few more handy links for the 2026 Players Championship:
- Collin Morikawa's surge is one of the top storylines to follow.
- What to know about the iconic "Island Green" at the 17th hole.
- Here are the Round 1 tee times and pairings.
🏀 NBA mock draft: AJ Dybantsa goes No. 1
Over the next month, college basketball stars will showcase their talents in the NCAA Tournament. Several of those stars will soon make the jump to the NBA, and a few of them will become franchise cornerstones.
Adam Finkelstein projected who those cornerstones might be in his latest 2026 NBA mock draft. Cameron Boozer and Darryn Peterson have been atop draft boards all season, but don't be surprised to see BYU standout AJ Dybantsa get his name called first.
Here's a peek at the bottom half of the top 10:
- 6. Hawks | Kingston Flemings | Houston
- 7. Mavericks | Mikel Brown | Louisville
- 8. Grizzlies | Darius Acuff Jr. | Arkansas
- 9. Bulls | Nate Ament | Tennessee
- 10. Bucks | Brayden Burries | Arizona
Before Dybantsa can walk across the stage at the NBA Draft, he will have to lead the Cougars into March Madness. With a win over West Virginia on Wednesday, BYU will face a tall test against Houston in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals.
👍👎 Best (and not-so-best) of the rest
- Our NL Central preview is here, and the Cubs might just be ready to assert themselves.
- The NFL is now looking at adding a Thanksgiving Eve game.
- The Red Wings are slipping in the standings -- and more importantly -- the latest NHL Power Rankings.
- Was Bam Adebayo's historic 83-point game really worth celebrating, or was it an affront to the game?
- Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes lead our MLB ace tiers ahead of the 2026 season.
- Fight for your bag: 18 Nebraska players are challenging the CSC over $1 million in rejected NIL deals.
- Big 12 spring practices are about to open up, and here is one burning question for each team.
- Here's what it means for the WNBA now that the CBA deadline has passed without a deal.
- Alex Zendejas, now healthy, is making a late push for the USMNT World Cup roster.
📺 What we're watching on Thursday
🏀 ACC Tournament: NC State vs. No. 10 Virginia (M), 12 p.m. on ESPN2 🏀 Big 12 Tournament: No. 7 Iowa State vs. No. 16 Texas Tech (M), 12:30 p.m. on ESPN ⛳ The Players Championship: Round 1, 1 p.m. on Golf Channel 🏀 ACC Tournament: No. 24 Louisville vs. Miami (M), 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2 🏀 Big 12 Tournament: UCF vs. No. 2 Arizona (M), 3 p.m. on ESPN 🏀 ACC Tournament: Florida State vs. No. 1 Duke (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN 🏀 Big 12 Tournament BYU vs. No. 5 Houston (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN2 🏀 Big East Tournament: Xavier vs. No. 6 UConn (M), 7 p.m. on FS1 🏀 76ers at Pistons, 7 p.m. on Prime Video ⚽ Tigres UANL at FC Cincinnati, 8 p.m. on FS2 🏀 Big 12 Tournament: No. 6 TCU vs. No. 14 Kansas (M), 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2 🏀 ACC Tournament: Clemson vs. No. 19 North Carolina (M), 9:30 p.m. on ESPN 🏀 Celtics at Thunder, 9:30 p.m. on Prime Video ⚽ Sounders at Whitecaps, 10 p.m. on FS2
