Sure it was tempting to name her Crystal

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It's NBA Draft season everyone!!

The NCAA has presented a plan to Division I conference commissioners that would expand the men's and women's basketball tournaments by four or eight teams alongside an option to leave each field at 68 teams, a source confirmed to ESPN on Thursday.

The proposals were outlined to the commissioners this week by NCAA senior vice president of basketball Dan Gavitt and NCAA vice president for women's basketball Lynn Holzman, the source said. Under the proposal, expansion of the 68-team field included both four- and eight-team models. The NCAA would keep its 64-team bracket but would add play-in games involving the Nos. 10 through 12 seeds.

If the men's tournament expands, it is expected the women's tourney would as well. Yahoo Sports first reported on the proposals.

"It is appropriate to look at expansion, and we need to do that," ACC commissioner James Phillips said Thursday during the Associated Press Sports Editors summer conference. "We're looking at it."

Phillips didn't go into details on the proposal, which he said now "goes in front of the basketball committee, basketball oversight."

"When do you get to the point when the regular season doesn't matter?" Phillips said. "Modest expansion is something I would prefer."

There are many in college basketball who have said they believe the 68-team fields and three weekends of play are ideal, but pressure has grown to add teams and games to one of the most popular sports events on the U.S. calendar. Last year, the NCAA Division I board of directors approved recommendations that included allowing one-quarter of teams in larger sports to compete in championship events; in that scenario, the March Madness tournaments could expand to nearly 90 teams.

Sources told ESPN during this year's tournaments that ongoing discussions about expanding March Madness would result in no more than 80 teams for the men's event.

The NCAA is in the midst of an eight-year extension of its TV deal for the men's tournament worth $8.8 billion that runs through 2032. That would not be expected to change if a handful of teams are added.

More games would provide a small boost through ticket sales and merchandise, but the pool of money the NCAA uses to pay out conferences and member schools would essentially stay the same. What could change, however, is how that money would be divided up if the tournament broadens.

Expansion would also mean the men's tournament would have to find an additional site besides Dayton for its First Four games. The Ohio city already has games on Tuesday and Wednesday and wouldn't be able to host additional play-in games ahead of the tournament's traditional Thursday first round. Women's play-in games are at the same campus sites as the first two rounds of the tournament.

Expansion is largely backed by larger conferences, and smaller leagues do not want to lose the automatic bids that come with a conference tournament championship or face the prospect of always being slotted for the play-in games.

The earliest the NCAA tournament could expand would be the 2025-26 season, the source said. The NCAA basketball oversight committee meets next week, and the tournament selection committee has a meeting next month.


The men's tournament last expanded in 2011 when it went from 65 to 68 teams. The women's tournament went from 64 to 68 teams in 2022.

The women's tournament is coming off its most successful year ever that included a record audience of 18.7 million for the title game win by South Carolina over Iowa, the highest for a basketball broadcast of any kind in five years. It outdrew the men's championship game -- when UConn claimed its second consecutive title with a win over Purdue -- by nearly 3 million viewers. The women's tournament also had record attendance.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

By Stefan Bondy

The Knicks moved up to take a ready-made college star and a Villanova “villain.”

Tyler Kolek, a 23-year-old guard, was chosen 34th on Thursday by the Knicks, who traded three other second-round picks to grab the Marquette star.

Kolek is a veteran by draft prospects standards. He played four years in college, one at George Mason, three at Marquette. He led the NCAA in assists last season while averaging 15.3 points in 31 games and shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc.

His experience is a stark contrast to the Knicks’ first-round choice from Wednesday, 18-year-old wing Pacome Dadiet of France.

Relevant given the current dynamics of the Knicks roster, Kolek was mercilessly taunted by Villanova fans as he buried the Wildcats in January.

Kolek, who dropped a career-high 32 points with nine assists in that matchup, said he embraced Nova hate.

“We come on the road and they’re yelling [that] I can’t read,” Kolek told reporters after the game. “They’re yelling, ‘Where were you on January 6?’

“All this [expletive]. I love that stuff. I walk out, they’re booing me. It’s fun. It’s fun for me.

I’m undefeated against Villanova,” Kolek added. “I’ve never lost to them in three years.”

The Knicks now have four Villanova NCAA champions — Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo — in their rotation.

And there’s potential, if Kolek’s game translates to the NBA, to serve as a Brunson backup.

The Knicks, who will be limited in how they can add players this summer because of their salary-cap situation, could’ve used another ballhander in the playoffs. Miles McBride and Alec Burks were thrust into that role when Brunson was subbed out despite having shooting-guard skillsets.

Kolek’s NBA upside is as a floor general with a ceiling comparison to TJ McConnell, the pesky Pacers point guard who served an important role in eliminating the Knicks from the playoffs last season. Kolek has that competitive fire and, at 6-foot-3, is taller than McConnell with a better shot. But he’s limited athletically and not as strong an on-ball defender.

Fran Fraschilla, the former St. John’s coach and NCAA analyst, raved about Kolek to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel during his junior season.

“You have to have high-IQ guys,” Fraschilla said. “Tyler Kolek thinks the game as well as any point guard in college basketball. It’s not even close. His passing ability is on par with anyone. To have a guy like that, it would be like having [the Kansas City Chiefs’] Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. If you put Patrick Mahomes on my Jets, they’re still playing. And with Marquette, they have the perfect trigger man.”

The Knicks already have three of their own second-round picks on the roster — McBride, Mitchell Robinson and Jericho Sims — so there’s a precedent for real opportunity.

After choosing Kolek, the Knicks made a series of pick swaps, and finished the evening with the 56th and 58th picks, using them to choose Kevin McCullar Jr. out of Kansas and Ariel Hukporti from Germany, respectively.

Welcome to N.Y.​

A look at the Knicks’ second-round picks in Thursday’s draft:

Tyler Kolek, PG: Second round, 34th overall

A college star at Marquette and, at 6-foot-3, 195-pounds, a floor general who has been hailed as among the best passers in the country.

Experience gives him a high floor as a prospect who could possibly contribute right away.

Kevin McCullar Jr., F: Second round, 56th overall

Blossomed as a senior at Kansas before his season was derailed by a knee injury. A strong, 6-7 defender, but a career 31 percent 3-point shooter in the NCAA at a decent volume is concerning.

Ariel Hukporti, C: Second round, 58th overall

The 22-year old prospect from Australia has a high motor and appreciates defense.

At 6-11 and 246 pounds, he could fit the role of a Tom Thibodeau center. Limited offensively and underwent Achilles surgery in late 2022.

It's the "invite to training camp." 1 notable I've seen

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Thursday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, the club announced Thursday.

First pitch is scheduled for 3:40 p.m. Eastern and the game will be broadcast nationally on MLB Network. Festa will be the 32nd Pirate in program history to play in an MLB game.

The Twins' top pitching prospect and the 99th best prospect in all of baseball, Festa had been dominating at the Triple-A level for the St. Paul Saints where he has struck out 87 batters in 59.2 innings this season with a 3.77 ERA. His strikeout rate of 35.1 percent ranks seventh in Minor Leage Baseball. In his last three outings, Festa has fanned 22 batters while issuing only one walk.

"[Festa's] been fulfilling his obligations by having good stuff, by being in the strike zone a good amount, by missing a bunch of bats," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said after last night's game. "He's throwing the ball how we want him to, and he's ready for this. He's been preparing for this for a long time. We think he's at the top of his game and he's ready to go."

Festa was an All-BIG EAST First Team performer as a senior where he posted a 2.00 ERA, a .175 opponent's batting average and 67 strikeouts in 11 starts. In three seasons in South Orange, Festa posted 138 strikeouts and a 3.49 ERA in 33 career appearances. He was also named a Preseason All-BIG EAST selection prior to the 2020 season that was ultimately canceled due to tbe COVID-19 global pandemic. Festa was named Seton Hall's Freshman Male Athlete of the Year after pitching to a to a 3-4 record with a 4.42 ERA and 58 strikeouts with 25 walks in 53.0 innings pitched as the team's Sunday starter. He went to high school at Seton Hall Prep, playing for Seton Hall baseball alum Mike Sheppard, Jr., where he pitched and also played shortstop.

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This is eerily turning into Nazi Germany. Calling out Jews and telling them to get off the subway, waving Hamas and Hezbolah flags at rallies, vandalizing the home of the Brooklyn Museum director??

And the greatest threat to this country is domestic terrorism? I don’t think so.

3 in top 13 and 4 on Day 1

Associated Press

FAIRFAX, Va. -- George Mason has signed basketball coach Tony Skinn to a one-year contract extension through the 2028-29 season.

Athletic director Marvin Lewis announced the deal Thursday. In his first season as coach, Skinn led the Patriots to 20 regular-season wins for the first time since 2011-12. The school did not announce financial terms.

"We are committed to Tony and excited about the success of our men's basketball program accomplished on and off the court in his first season as our head coach," Lewis said.

Skinn thanked the George Mason administration for its support of his program.

"We are establishing a standard of excellence that our fans and supporters can be proud of," Skinn said. "We can't wait for November."

George Mason's 13-2 start last season matched the 1983-84 team for best in school history. It finished 20-12.

1. UConn

2. Creighton

3. Marquette

4. Xavier

5. St John's

6. Nova

7. Seton Hall

8. Providence

9. Georgetown

10. Butler

11. DePaul

Players who started Div I careers at Northern Colorado and South Dakota State were selected

Knecht was first a juco player and both age 23

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Interesting tidbits of information here. Would love to know how they were able to secure deals with such big companies. I know that they are the only game in town up there but we have an extraordinary amount of companies with presence in the greater Newark area. I hope that McBride and co. are able to tap into some of that..

Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer

For the first time in nearly a decade, Maryland and Georgetown will resume their rivalry with a four-game series in men's basketball that will begin in 2025, the schools announced Tuesday.

In their last matchup, a 75-71 win for Maryland in the 2016-17 season, the Terps and Hoyas were tied in the final minutes until former Maryland standout Rasheed Sulaimon hit a late 3-pointer to seal the win. Between 1935 and 1980, the two teams played every year with the exception of a three-year hiatus because of World War II. They haven't played regularly in more than 30 years.

The rival schools sit just 23 miles apart between College Park, Maryland, and the Georgetown campus in Washington, D.C.

Their renewed rivalry will begin with a matchup in Maryland at the Xfinity Center during the 2025-26 season before Georgetown hosts the following year. Maryland will host in 2027 and the game will be played at Georgetown in 2028.

Two of the legends who fueled the rivalry had been lukewarm about its renewal.

The rivalry between Maryland coach Lefty Driesell and former Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr. stalled any talks of regular series between the two schools. The two coaches spent years blaming one another for the state of the rivalry, as they both competed for national titles in the 1980s.

While their respect for one another became more apparent later in their lives, a hint of animosity always remained.

Driesell, then the head coach at Georgia State in 1998, wore French cuff links and a tailored suit in a game at Georgetown that would have been his 700th career victory. His team lost and Driesell, who died in February, swore he wasn't making a fashion statement at the expense of his perennial rival.

When former Georgetown head coach John Thompson III decided to play Maryland almost a decade ago, his father, who died in 2020, wasn't exactly excited about the game.

"I'm not going over there to play no Maryland at Maryland," Thompson said in 2015, according to the Washington Post. "John's mother must have been advising him. I know it damn sure wasn't me, to say he's gonna go over there and play Maryland at Maryland."

Entering next season, Ed Cooley's Georgetown squad will be led by returning vet Jayden Epps and a fleet of transfers, including former TCU standout Micah Peavy. Kevin Willard will lead a Maryland squad in 2024-25 that will rely on Julian Reese, the brother of WNBA star Angel Reese.

Like we did last year I will be posting Jerry's human interest stories on the board.

The hits are very important for him so let's help the man who covers the Pirates better than any other reporter in the state.

Even if you have no interest just hit the link.

Thank you.


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Anyone else having an issue with the new background on threads? Being an ad agency guy, I have always recommended to clients not to use knock out type - especially in body copy. Very difficult to read especially in long form. Maybe there is a setting that I switched it. I'm old so that may be the case. Finding it very difficult to read this am.

3 cws trips in 8 years after you replace a legend and out