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Bryce Drew knows all about shining moments in the NCAA Tournament. His task now is to create more.
Drew's buzzer-beating 3-pointer lifted No. 13 seed Valparaiso to a 70-69 victory over No. 4 seed Ole Miss in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, and Valpo rode that wave to the Sweet Sixteen.
Drew, now the fifth-year coach at Grand Canyon, finds himself in a familiar situation when the 13th-seeded Antelopes (26-7) meet fourth-seeded Maryland (25-8) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament's West Region in Seattle on Friday.
Grand Canyon advanced to its third straight NCAA Tournament by defeating WAC regular-season champion Utah Valley 89-82 in the conference tournament final, securing its third consecutive title.
Maryland fell a half-second short of making the Big Ten championship game, losing 81-80 when Michigan's Tre Donaldson took the ball the length of the court for a game-winning layup.
The teams feature similar balanced attacks and disparate experience. All five Grand Canyon starters have appeared in multiple NCAA Tournaments, while only one Terrapin -- Julian Reese -- has appeared in March Madness action.
Grand Canyon's JaKobe Coles led four double-figure scorers with a 14.8 average in the regular season and was named the WAC tournament's most outstanding player after averaging 19.7 points.
Coles followed current teammates Tyon Grant-Foster and Ray Harrison as the WAC tournament's most outstanding player. The 12th-seeded Lopes upset fifth-seed Saint Mary's in the first round last season before falling to fourth-seeded Alabama.
"You get to high-level games, you need high-level players." said Drew, whose team has won 15 of its past 17 games. "I'm thankful I have these three (Grant-Foster, Coles and Harrison) next to me."
Maryland center Derik Queen, the Big Ten freshman of the year, leads the Terps in scoring (16.3 points) and is tied with Reese for the team lead in rebounds at 9.0. All five starters are averaging at least 12.0 points per game.
"I do have a lot of guys that have never been in the NCAA Tournament," Maryland coach Kevin Willard said. "That's why I love the NCAA Tournament. Derik Queen was like a fat kid in the chocolate factory. He was so giddy and so excited."
Queen scored 50 points in two Big Ten tournament games, a blowout win over Illinois and the loss to Michigan. The Terrapins have won eight of their last 10, and they have won their past three NCAA first-round games.
"What makes Derik so unique is that he has an old-school feel to the way he plays basketball," Willard said. "He loves the game. He is a great teammate."
Maryland, known as the "Crab Five," used the portal to build around Queen and Reese, adding backcourt transfers Rodney Rice (Virginia Tech), Ja'Kobi Gillespie (Belmont) and Selton Miguel (South Florida).
The Terrapins are shooting 37.3 percent from 3-point range and average only 10.3 turnovers per game, among the fewest in Division I.
"It really was building a roster around those two big guys," Willard said of his offseason plan.
Grant-Foster and Harrison opted to return to Grand Canyon for a fifth and final season, and Coles transferred in from TCU for his fifth year.
"You love having veteran guys like this that know how to handle themselves," Drew said. "They know what it takes to play in big-time games. It's such a blessing to play in the NCAA Tournament.
"They are getting a chance to do what they came back to do."
More must-reads:
- NCAA Tournament team dropping to Division III in shocking move
- John Calipari doesn't feel 'revengeful' with Arkansas in Sweet 16
- The '2023 NBA playoff PPG leaders' quiz
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Steelers' quarterback situation gets more complicated after unexpected report out of Minnesota
The Pittsburgh Steelers are still patiently awaiting a decision from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The polarizing figure has drawn the most interest from Pittsburgh and the New York Giants throughout free agency, and he is still deciding what he wants to do with his future. Retirement is still an option as well, although it is more likely he winds up playing football in 2025. Reports in recent weeks have indicated that Rodgers wants to play with the Minnesota Vikings, although the Vikings have not shown much interest back. The Vikings have been an interesting team to follow over the last year. The organization selected its potential franchise quarterback in J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He wound up missing his entire rookie season due to a knee issue, which led to Sam Darnold leading the Vikings to 14 wins and a Pro Bowl nod. Minnesota allowed Darnold to walk in free agency as he signed with the Seattle Seahawks, which should open the door for McCarthy to enter his second season as the starting quarterback. The young quarterback went on the "Up Adams Show" on Tuesday, where he was asked by Kay Adams how he felt when he found out he was "the guy" in Minnesota. "Um, they haven't told me," McCarthy said. "I'm happy they didn't because I try to earn it every single day, and I never want that to be given to me. It's such a privilege and an opportunity to give me that chance and I'm just going to make the most of it." The question from Adams was sparked by the reports that made it seem like the Vikings had zero interest in Rodgers and the odds of the veteran coming to Minnesota were essentially zero. However, McCarthy not yet being told he is the unquestioned starter is a bit bizarre, unless the organization had other plans at the position. McCarthy has zero NFL experience outside of some preseason action, so it isn't unheard of for a franchise to wait to announce someone as a starter in that situation. However, there was a ton of outside noise about the quarterback situation in Minnesota throughout the 2024 season. Many pundits in the NFL world were wondering whether or not the Vikings should sign Darnold to a long-term deal and consider trading McCarthy. With the way those kinds of rumors and ideas were swirling, one might think the Vikings would want to shut down any external distractions at that position. The second-year quarterback is still rehabbing his knee injury from 2024, and he still hasn't seen a starting-caliber defense at the NFL level. He has plenty of weapons throughout the offense, and head coach Kevin O'Connell is considered a "quarterback whisperer" after he helped revive Darnold's career. All the tools should be there for McCarthy to succeed, so it is a bit concerning and mysterious that the organization has not committed to a plan at quarterback — especially when it rosters a first-round pick from a season ago. Steelers should still see Minnesota as a potential threat The Steelers are the frontrunners to land Rodgers, but the Vikings could still swoop in and land him rather easily. It is reportedly his desired destination, so if there is any interest from the other side, it could make things difficult for the Steelers. It is hard to imagine who else could be the starter in Minnesota outside of McCarthy. The only other quarterback under contract is Brett Rypien, so the in-house competition is minimal. The franchise would be out of its mind to draft another quarterback as well. The only feasible option would be that the organization is still considering Rodgers, which contradicts a ton of reports from a week ago.
Maple Leafs' depth in crease takes potential hit as goalie injury rears its ugly head
The Maple Leafs had better hope that Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz remain healthy down the stretch as their depth in goal took a potentially massive hit over the weekend. A surprise signing by the Leafs when free agency opened, Matt Murray returned to the Toronto this summer and secured his first NHL win in more than 600 days in mid-December. Unfortunately, while the Leafs switched between Murray, Woll and Dennis Hildeby with Stolarz recovering from surgery, Murray was the odd man out after after a sub-par performance a few days later. After being demoted, Murray was returned to the Marlies, where he has since rotated with Hildeby and rookie Artur Akhtyamov. Since January, Murray is 4-1-1 and would have been in line for another win on Saturday. Unfortunately, he was forced to leave the Marlies' 4-2 win over the Belleville Senators after the first period following a scary collision. As Murray was behind the Marlies' net playing the puck, Senators forward Cole Reinhardt skated behind and made no attempt to avoid colliding with Murray. Murray was shaken up on the play, but finished the period before giving way to Hildeby for the remainder of the game. There has been no update on Murray since the collision, but given the fact that the two-time Stanley Cup Champion has suffered from head and neck injuries in the past, it would not be surprising to see him miss some time as the team follows the Leafs' cautious approach to handling injuries this season.
New York Rangers Forward Steps Away From Team for Personal Reasons
With the Eastern Conference Wild Card race closing in, New York Rangers bottom-six forward Sam Carrick has had to step away from the team ahead of their game against the Los Angeles Kings. The NHL regular season is drawing to a close, with every team in the league down to their last few weeks before the Stanley Cup playoffs. With only eleven games left in their schedule, the New York Rangers are doing anything they can to stay alive in the Eastern Conference Wild Card race, including calling up former Stanley Cup champion Nicolas Aube-Kubel from the AHL. However, with only eleven games left in the regular season on their schedule, not even the New York Rangers are still in a very precarious position. As of the start of March 25th, they are fourth in the race just one point behind the Montreal Canadiens, but even with their 5-3 victory against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, they are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games. To make matters worse, only two of the games ahead of them are against teams currently below them in the standings: the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks, both coming up at the end of the week. However, with their matchup against the current eighth in the league Los Angeles Kings coming up tonight, one bottom-six player may not be available to the team for a crucial game. New York Rangers forward Sam Carrick has had to take a step back from the team for undisclosed personal reasons, opening in the possibility of him being off his first game with the team. Since joining the Rangers at the start of the season, Carrick has scored six goals and recorded twelve assists in 71 games, puling in a 2.6 point share. Though New York may be able to play without the 33-year-old forward on the ice, it may not be enough to pull in two points crucial to keeping their Wild Card hopes alive.
Aaron Rodgers reportedly made his desires clear to one team
Although Steelers confidence regarding Aaron Rodgers has emerged, the allure of a Vikings landing spot persists. Minnesota is standing down on Rodgers for the time being. The team intends to give J.J. McCarthy the first crack at starter reps during its offseason program. This places Rodgers in a bit of a bind, and it also could stall the Steelers and Giants and potentially force one or both teams to blink as this holding pattern continues. Rodgers has gone as far as, per ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert, informing the Vikings they are his preferred destination. Rodgers, 41, has been careful not to rule out teams; doing so would decrease his leverage. He views the Giants as a viable option, even though New York’s offer — one believed to be the best the future Hall of Famer has received this offseason — is unlikely to produce a deal. The Steelers hosted Rodgers on a visit Friday, but they have not upped their offer made at the beginning of free agency. Nevertheless, some around the league view it as a safe bet the Steelers will end up with Rodgers. Although, he may well continue to wait on Minnesota rather than force a Pittsburgh fit. If Rodgers waits, more comparisons to his Packers predecessor will undoubtedly emerge. After the Jets relinquished Brett Favre‘s rights — due to a poison-pill provision in the Packers-Jets trade from 2008 — in 2009, Favre spent more than three months in free agency. The Vikings added him on Aug. 18, 2009. The Vikings did not receive word Favre would unretire for a third time until Aug. 18, 2010. The Giants and Steelers will almost definitely not wait that long on Rodgers this offseason, but the Vikings may be willing to hold here due to the McCarthy onramp they are creating. McCarthy did stop short of confirming the Vikings guaranteed him the starting job, telling Kay Adams he has not been told he will begin the season as the starter. With no veteran on the roster — despite organizational support for adding Rodgers after a 14-3 season — and a No. 10 overall pick invested, it is safe to say McCarthy is in the driver’s seat to be the NFC North team’s Week 1 signal-caller. Minnesota did make an offer to Daniel Jones, which would have removed the team from the Rodgers market, but the bridge option opted to sign with Indianapolis instead. “And I’m happy they didn’t, because I try to earn it every single day,” McCarthy said of the starting job during an "Up Adams" appearance. "And I never want that to be given to me. it’s such a privilege and opportunity to give me that chance, and I’m just going to make the most of it every single day.” The Vikings have left open the prospect of signing Rodgers this summer, Seifert adds, presumably after looking at McCarthy during OTAs and minicamp. This would leave roughly seven weeks for the Vikes to reconsider Rodgers, but he may already have a new home by then. Then again, a Vikings-or-retirement rumor surfaced during this saga. It is not a lock Rodgers would play in Pittsburgh or New York, but it certainly appears the Steelers believe he would delay retirement to play for them. Doing so would preempt a partnership with his top option, however. That could cause Rodgers to keep waiting, even though the Steelers — as of now, at least — will present a better chance for him to start throughout the 2025 season.
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