👋 Good morning! Nearly 2,000 Division I men's basketball players (roughly half of all scholarship players) have already entered the transfer portal. Insanity. In today's edition: Masters preview, the National League is on a heater, NCAA to propose age limits, Frozen Four, Tatum returns to MSG, and more. |
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🏀 Title game viewership: Michigan's win over UConn on Monday drew an average of 18.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched men's basketball national championship since 2019. ⚾️ Suspensions handed down: Braves pitcher Reynaldo López and Angels slugger Jorge Soler were both suspended seven games for inciting Tuesday's brawl in Anaheim. López settled for a five-game ban, while Soler appealed his suspension, then homered in his first at-bat on Wednesday. ⚽️ Champions League quarterfinals: Wednesday's first-leg matches saw Atlético Madrid beat Barcelona, 2-0, for their first win at Camp Nou in 20 years, and PSG beat Liverpool, 2-0, as the Reds failed to register a single shot on goal. 🏒 Ovechkin's future: Alex Ovechkin, 40, says he has not yet made a decision about his future in the NHL, but will do so this summer. Right now, the league's all-time goals leader is trying to will his Capitals into the playoffs, as they sit three points out of a wild card with three games left. ⛳️ No phones allowed: Not even major champions are exempt from Augusta National's strict no-phones policy, which 1989 Open Championship winner Mark Calcavecchia learned the hard way on Tuesday when he was removed from the Masters for breaking the rules. |
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(Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) |
The 90th Masters tees off today at Augusta National, where 91 golfers will compete for one of the most coveted trophies in sports: the iconic green jacket. The field: Here are some of the names to watch in a field that includes six amateurs, 18 past champions, 22 debutants and a handful of notable major winners looking to add to their collection. |
- The defending champ: Rory McIlroy's quest for a green jacket (and the career Grand Slam) was a major storyline for years. So what's the story for McIlroy now? What’s going to motivate him? Even he's not quite sure. But for the first time in a long time, the pressure is off.
- The favorite: Scottie Scheffler (+600 at BetMGM) is having a down year by his standards and has finished outside the top 20 in his two most recent starts. But he still enters his fifth straight Masters as the No. 1 player in the world, tying a mark set by Tiger Woods (twice).
- The runner-up: Justin Rose may be 45, but he's been playing some of the best golf of his career lately, including last year's playoff loss to McIlroy — one of three times he's finished second at the Masters. Can the 2013 U.S. Open champ finally conquer Augusta?
- The breakout star: Ludvig Åberg is the only golfer this week with better than 20-to-1 odds who's never won a major. Everyone agrees his first such win is coming eventually, and where better than Augusta, where he's finished top seven each of the last two years.
- The LIV contingent: Just 10 members of LIV Golf are in the field, the fewest since the breakaway tour was founded. The big names are Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm, who trail only Scheffler among the betting favorites.
- The dark horses: Some lesser-known names expected to make waves this week are Jacob Bridgeman (leads 2026 money list), Chris Gotterup (won Sony Open and Phoenix Open), Akshay Bhatia (won Arnold Palmer Invitational), Jake Knapp (five top-10 finishes this year) and Min Woo Lee (three top-six finishes this year).
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Recipe for success: The last 14 Masters winners all gained at least 18 total strokes from tee-to-green in their four preceding starts. Only 10 golfers meet that criteria this year: McIlroy, Åberg, Rahm, DeChambeau, Lee, Collin Morikawa, Cameron Young, Tommy Fleetwood, Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele. |
Scottie Scheffler smiles alongside his son, Bennett, during Wednesday's Par 3 Contest. (Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) |
A brutal test awaits… The gorgeous weather in Augusta this week is a dream come true for patrons. But the driest Masters since 2011 will present quite the challenge for golfers, who could have trouble holding the lightning-fast greens. Beware Amen Corner… The most iconic stretch of holes at Augusta National is also where the tournament is most likely to be won or lost. No. 11, the 520-yard par 4, has the worst score to par over the last 30 years; No. 12, the 155-yard par 3, has the most double bogeys or worse in that time (thank you, Rae's Creek); and No. 13, the 545-yard par 5, is one of the great risk-reward challenges in golf with its narrow dogleg and well-protected green. Good read: Is Augusta National in danger of jumping the shark? (Jay Busbee) In an era of social media flexing, the emphasis isn't visiting Augusta, it's making sure other people know you visited Augusta. During practice rounds this week, budding influencers from the clubhouse oak to Amen Corner posed before the iconic pines, fairways and flags of Augusta National. Augusta National is leaning into the moment, creating TikToks of its own. Would co-founder Bobby Jones have approved of sticking a camera in patrons' faces and asking them to pronounce "pecan"? Probably not, but he's not available for comment. Read the full story. |
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(Bruno Rouby/Yahoo Sports) |
13 of the 15 teams in the National League are currently .500 or better. Why it matters: That's the most teams in one league to be .500 or better (minimum 10 games played) at the end of any given day in MLB history, per Opta Stats. Meanwhile, in the AL: Only five teams are .500 or better, and only three are over .500. Context: This is made possible by MLB's new "balanced" schedule, which debuted in 2025 and includes far more interleague play than ever before. In years past, most opponents were in the same division (and definitely the same league), so you'd never see numbers like this when comparing the NL and AL two weeks into the season. |
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REPORT: NCAA PROPOSING AGE LIMITS |
NCAA President Charlie Baker speaks at the White House last month during a roundtable discussion on college sports. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) |
The NCAA is considering a significant change to its eligibility rules, Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reports. What we're hearing: Under a new proposal, NCAA athletes would have five full years of college eligibility from the time of their 19th birthday or their high school graduation, whichever is earliest. Those with knowledge of the proposal spoke to Yahoo Sports under condition of anonymity. |
- Under current NCAA rules, athletes are granted four playing seasons over a five-year calendar, with the option to regain a season of eligibility through a redshirt or waiver request.
- While the new policy would grant athletes a fifth season of eligibility, it would eliminate their ability to regain seasons through redshirts and waivers, which have complicated the system.
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Here's Ross: In an era when college athletes are legally compensated by schools, cash has incentivized players to seek longer college careers, many of them even delaying their NFL careers. For instance, most of the seasoned power conference QB transfers this past cycle sought more than $4 million in annual compensation from their new teams. Some are believed to be making closer to $6 million. Because of the NFL's rookie salary structure, a player would need to be drafted in the top half of the first round to earn that kind of annual money in their first year. While athletes' pursuit of compensation is understandable, the granting of extended eligibility to one player takes a roster spot from a younger transfer, high school recruit or junior college prospect. In fact, more than ever, roster spots are finite as the House settlement set strict roster limits. Last academic year, the NCAA received 1,450 waiver requests for extended eligibility. The association has granted two-thirds of those. Of those not granted (around 500), more than 70 have resulted in lawsuits. State of play: An increasing number of American families are holding kids back a grade to gain a physical edge in youth sports and maximize their NIL opportunities. It's become normal for college basketball teams to have players who are 23, 24, even 25 years old, with some even coming over from the European pro ranks. Creating an age-based standard would disrupt those (alarming) trends. What's next: Members of the NCAA Division I Cabinet are set to review the proposal at their meeting next week. If approved, it could be implemented as soon as this coming academic year (fall 2026). Read the full report. |
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T.J. Hughes (center) and top-ranked Michigan are the favorites entering the Frozen Four. (Richard T. Gagnon/Getty Images) |
The Frozen Four begins tonight in Las Vegas, where Denver, Michigan, North Dakota and Wisconsin will be looking to add more hardware to their trophy cases. Championship pedigree: You could not have hand-picked a better quartet, as these are the four programs with the most national championships in NCAA men’s hockey history. That said, only eight of their 33 combined titles have come this century. |
- Denver Pioneers: 10 titles (1958, 1960-61, 1968-69, 2004-05, 2017, 2022, 2024)
- Michigan Wolverines: 9 titles (1948, 1951-53, 1955-56, 1964, 1996, 1998)
- North Dakota Fighting Hawks: 8 titles (1959, 1963, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, 2000, 2016)
- Wisconsin Badgers: 6 titles (1973, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1990, 2006)
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Players to watch: The Frozen Four rosters include 49 NHL draft picks and two of the three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award (hockey's Heisman): |
- T.J. Hughes (Michigan): The senior center is the NCAA's active scoring leader with 178 points (68 goals, 110 assists) in 155 games. He will be a highly sought-after free agent once his season ends, with numerous NHL teams expected to pursue the Ontario native.
- Eric Pohlkamp (Denver): The junior leads all NCAA defensemen this season with 39 points (18 goals, 21 assists) in 41 games. The Minnesota native, who began his college career at Bemidji State, was drafted in the fifth round (No. 132) by the Sharks in 2023.
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WATCHLIST: THURSDAY, APRIL 9 |
Ah, to be a part of that gallery. (Masters) |
⛳️ The Masters Round 1 tee times begin at 7:40am ET, and there's coverage all day on the excellent Masters app (cannot recommend this enough), ESPN app, Paramount+ and more. The main broadcast will air on Prime Video (1-3pm) and ESPN (3-7:30pm). Featured groups: Bryson DeChambeau, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele (10:07am); Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, Mason Howell (10:31am); Jon Rahm, Chris Gotterup, Ludvig Åberg (1:08pm); Jordan Spieth, Justin Rose, Brooks Koepka (1:20pm); Scottie Scheffler, Robert MacIntyre, Gary Woodland (1:44pm). 🏒 Frozen Four The NCAA men's hockey semifinals are today in Las Vegas, where No. 2 North Dakota faces Wisconsin in the first game (5pm, ESPN2) and No. 1 Michigan faces Denver in the second (8:30pm, ESPN2). Another Badger double? Wisconsin is the only school to win men's and women's hockey titles in the same year (2006). With the Badgers already taking the women's crown last month, they're two wins away from pulling off the feat again. More to watch: |
- 🏀 NBA: Celtics at Knicks (7:30pm, Prime); Lakers at Warriors (10pm, Prime) … Jayson Tatum returns to MSG for the first time since rupturing his Achilles there last spring.
- ⚾️ MLB: Diamondbacks at Mets (7:10pm, MLB) … Eduardo Rodríguez (ARI) and Nolan McLean (NYM) square off in a rematch of the starting pitchers from the WBC final between Venezuela and USA.
- 🎾 Tennis: Monte-Carlo Masters (7:30am, Tennis) … Round of 16 action for Carlos Alcaraz, Alex de Minaur and more.
| Got plans tonight? Gametime is the best place to score last-minute tickets to the events in your city. Get tickets now! |
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(Joshua Gateley/Getty Images) |
The Thunder (64-16) clinched the NBA's best overall record for the second straight season with Wednesday's win over the Clippers. Question: Who was the last team to post the best record in back-to-back seasons? Hint: 2018-19 and 2019-20. Answer at the bottom. |
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(Davis Long/Yahoo Sports) |
The real tradition unlike any other? Our annual surprise and delight over the Masters concessions prices, which remain (nearly) inflation-proof. Consider this: If you wanted to buy one of each item on the menu — all 27 drinks, snacks, sandwiches and more — it would run you just $78.75. Menu highlights: The pimento cheese and egg salad are $1.50 each, and the $3 peach ice cream sandwich is the GOAT, according to our very own Jay Busbee. Another tip from Jay? Combine the pimento cheese, BBQ pork and potato chips for a delicious DIY treat. The only new item this year is a dark chocolate candy bar with caramel, rice crisps and hazelnut crunch. |
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