Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Wednesday, March 5th.

WHO’S HOT?

Four college basketball teams who recorded big wins!

• UConn took down (2) Marquette 72-66

• (5) Florida continues to look like a national championship contender– the Gators beat (7) Alabama 99-94 in Tuscaloosa.

• Bubble team Oklahoma won 96-84 against (15) Missouri.

• And Ole Miss surprised (4) Tennessee 78-76.

Peyton Pritchard and Derrick White combined for 19 three-pointers last night, setting an NBA record for threes in one game by a pair of teammates. The two guards each scored over 40 points, leading Boston to a 128-118 victory.

Congratulations to the Cleveland Cavaliers, the first team in the NBA this season to clinch a playoff spot.

On the Move

First, the defensive lineman:

• Cincinnati native and Bengals star Sam Hubbard announced his retirement at 29 years old.

• The Las Vegas Raiders signed Maxx Crosby to an extension that makes him the highest-paid non-QB in the NFL.

• Joey Bosa was released by the Los Angeles Chargers, who likely saw Crosby’s deal and decided to save some money.

Now it’s time for trades:

• The Chicago Bears have acquired Kansas City Chiefs all-pro lineman Joe Thuney. A massive pickup for Chicago to improve their protection for Caleb Williams. Meanwhile, it feels like more moves are coming from KC.

• Tampa Bay traded multiple first round picks for Seattle forwards Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Gourde was a member of the Lightning teams that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.

And three more that don’t fit as well into distinct categories:

• The Seattle Seahawks released veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett. You’ll notice a trend with NFL moves– it’s always about saving money. Unfortunately for Seattle, wide receiver DK Metcalf requested a trade shortly afterwards.

• Duke assistant coach Jai Lucas will leave his post on Sunday to take the head coaching job at Miami. Not a completely unexpected hire, but the timing of the transition in the middle of March is quite suprising.

INJURY UPDATES

There’s always one weird spring training injury. St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jordan Walker left a game early on Tuesday with a knee injury– turns out he twisted it by stepping on a sprinkler head. Luckily for Walker and the Cards, he’ll be back on the field in a few days.

Jack Hughes, the leading scorer for the New Jersey Devils, is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery. A huge loss for New Jersey– Hughes is expected to be back in time for the start of the next NHL season.

OVECHKIN’S CHASE

He scored again! Plus the Capitals beat the Rangers 3-2 in overtime:

SPRING TRAINING FUN

Every time you watch a baseball game you see something brand new:

TODAY’S NATIONAL TV GAMES (all times Eastern)

GOLF: Arnold Palmer Invitational First Round, 7:30 AM-6 PM on ESPN+/Golf Channel

NBA:

• 76ers @ Celtics, 7:30 PM on TNT/Max

• Knicks @ Lakers, 10 PM on TNT/Max

NHL:

• Sabres @ Lightning, 7 PM on ESPN

• Sharks @ Avalanche, 9:30 PM on ESPN

COLLEGE BASKETBALL:

• WOMEN: Iowa vs (24) Michigan State, Big Ten Tournament 2nd Round, 9 PM on Big Ten Network

• MEN: (8) Michigan State @ Iowa, 8 PM on FS1

“What problem are we really solving?” –Future Hall of Fame pitcher Max Scherzer, when asked about Robo-Umps in Major League Baseball. He argues (quite effectively) that, “…most of the umpires are really good. And 99 percent of the time they’re getting the calls right. So (we should just be using Automatic Balls and Strikes for) cutting down on the egregious calls overall as an industry.”