Casual Ball

The 91st NFL Draft will take place in two days! From April 23-25, your favorite team will select its next coalition of potential Hall of Famers. The only undisputed pick this year is America's Golden Boy: Fernando Mendoza. Fernando was a Heisman winner and a national champion. Other than this young quarterback going to the Raiders, all other picks are honestly up in the air. As a Panthers fan, I keep seeing two names circling our picks. Kenyon Sadiq, tight end from the University of Oregon, and Omar Cooper Jr., receiver from Indiana. The Panthers plan on taking another offensive weapon to help Bryce Young. Surrounding their franchise player with playmakers is super important for the success of this young, flourishing team. This year's draft could be very interesting, so stay tuned!

LeBron James, some hate him other love him. Is he the GOAT? That's up for debate as the Lakers are pushing for a playoff run unlike any other, as they are down Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. LeBron has to carry the weight of the Lakers against the Houston Rockets. They were able to best them in game one, but that was without Kevin Durant, arguably the best scorer of all time. It will be an exciting series to watch as two basketball titans battle it out in their golden years. The next match-up between the two will be tomorrow night at 10:30pm. The Rockets are a 4.5-point favorite as Kevin Durant should be returning. I think that the Rockets will even up the series 1-1 with their most elite scorer back, but I do believe that LeBron's Lakers will get it done. Playoffs are not about winning the battle; it is about winning the war!

Charlotte's favorite (and only) basketball team has made the NBA playoffs. They have a chance to extend one of their best seasons in program history. The Hornets have a potential rookie of the year in Kon Knueppel, who is leading the entire league in 3 pointers made! The second most is his very own teammate, NBA All-Star LaMelo Ball. The Hornets have been one of the league's best teams after the All-Star break and have secured the No 9 spot and a chance to shock the world. The Hornets have a tough game in their way as they play the Heat tonight at 7:30pm. The Heat are a terrific team led by Bam Adabayo, who had a jaw-dropping 83-point game very recently. The Heat have gotten the best of Charlotte during the regular season, beating them 3 times, but it is hard to beat a team this many times. I believe the Hornets are coming in with a chip on their shoulder and the entire NBA watching them, waiting to see if they can do the impossible. I believe the Hornets will win 119-108.

Rory Mcllory has won this year's 2026 Masters! Rory defended his title, winning consecutive Masters tournaments. He is the fourth golfer in history to do this, following in the footsteps of some of the greatest of all time, such as Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo, and Tiger Woods. Rory had a 6-shot lead through 36 holes, and he was looking to win the Masters in landslide-like fashion. However, the notoriously hard course got the best of the best golfer from over the pond, and his lead quickly vanished, leaving victory on Sunday wide open for all competitors! In particular, his competitor was Scottie Scheffler, who finished just one stroke behind Rory. He applied constant pressure to Roy, forcing him to play hard despite Roy's earlier advantage. Rory got his second Green Jacket this year, solidifying his name as one of golf's greatest!

In a very physical matchup Monday night, the Michigan Wolverines got the best of the UConn Huskies in a 69-63 point victory. This is Michigan's second national title since 1989, and it is the first Big 10 title since 2000! Michigan was not efficient beyond the arc, nailing their first three with about 13 minutes remaining in the second half. Where they dominated was on defense. Michigan totaled 6 blocks and 6 steals and forced 10 turnovers. Michigan was led by guard Elliot Cadeau, a UNC transfer who finished with 19 points and 2 assists. I think one of the coolest parts about this Michigan team is the turnaround they had in only 2 seasons. Michigan ended the 2024 season with a final record of 8-24. In 2026, they won all of their tournament games by double digits, excluding the national championship. This rags-to-riches story shines a light on head coach Dusty May, who was able to give this program a breath of fresh air.

UCLA dominated South Carolina in their championship matchup on Sunday, taking home their first national championship in a landslide fashion, with a final score of 79-51. I personally thought that when South Carolina knocked out UConn, they were a guarantee for the championship. However, the Bruins' star-studded senior lineup said otherwise. All 79 points for the Bruins were scored by seniors. This 28-point smackdown was the third-largest scoring margin in a D-1 women's championship. Lauren Betts was named Most Outstanding Player with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Looking at the box score, UCLA dominated in every single category except for fouls, where both teams were charged with 17 apiece. The shots were falling for the seniors, and they were able to bring home their first title in program history this past weekend. Dawn took her loss on the chin, and I believe her and her girls will be back next year even stronger than before!

Dawn has done it again. Is anyone surprised? Doubtful! This is her sixth straight final four appearance, keeping her streak alive since 2021. Last night the Cocks took down the Horn Frogs 78-52. The girls had a rocky start going into the half, only up by eight points, but in the second half, they pulled away with electric performances by Joyce Edwards and Agot Makeer. The Gamecocks will travel to Phoenix and will play in the semi-finals this Friday, April third. They match up against the UConn Huskies. This game is personal, as this was the Championship match last year that sent the Gamecocks home packing. Although the Gamecocks have a terrific team, 45.7% of brackets have chosen UConn to be this year's national champions. Tune in on Friday to see if the girls in Garnet can shock the world!

The men's NCAA final four has been officially set! Last year's tournament featured all No. 1 seeds in the final four. However, half of this year's tournament favorites have crumpled before making their way to Indiana. Florida lost to Iowa in the second round of the tournament in a shocking upset. Duke was beaten on a buzzer-beater last night by UConn in an impressive comeback for the Huskies. The Final Four this year consists of UConn, Illinois, Arizona, and Michigan. There are huge implications for this game! UConn looks to bring home its third title in four seasons, while Illinois and Michigan both aim to bring the Big Ten its first title in 26 years. Arizona is returning to the final four for the first time since 2001. I think the final matchup will be UConn vs Arizona, with Arizona winning by just a hair! Tune in on April 4th to watch these electric Final Four games!

The University of South Carolina or the University of Southern California, you may pick your poison when choosing who you would like to call the real USC. However, the Lady Gamecocks made a statement last night, a 40-point statement to be exact. The Gamecocks took down No. 9 Southern California in the second round of the NCAA tournament. During the game, star senior guard Raven Johnson hit the 1000 point mark! This was her last game in Colonial Life Arena, so to hit a historic landmark in front of nearly 11,000 fans is just remarkable. Coach Dawn Staley is no rookie to success, as this is her 15th appearance in the tournament. The ladies are set to play Oklahoma in the next round, who has given this team trouble in the past, losing to the Sooners in overtime in January. I think Dawn and her star-studded squad can advance further in the tournament, but tune in this Saturday at 5:00 to find out!

Well, yesterday wrapped up the last perfect bracket when the 6th seed Tennessee Volunteers Beat No3. Virginia in a thrilling game 79-72. Just to give you an idea of how crazy it is to even have a perfect bracket up to this point: 26 million brackets were submitted to ESPN, and after the first two days of games, 0.01% of brackets remained perfect. I am super proud of my bracket because, as of right now, I am in the 99.5% of all brackets submitted! The sweet 16 approaches Thursday with some familiar faces and some low-seeded title hopefuls! On my personal upset radar, I would be tuned into the Alabama-Michigan game as the Tide has the chance to knock out the No.1-seeded Wolverines.