Whether your bracket’s gone to bust or you’re sitting pretty at the top of your pool, we’re glad you’re here to break down the madness with us. Let’s do it!

Today’s Lineup

🎉 Happy birthday to Myles Turner, Chris Bosh, and Enjoyers Liam, Will, Rafael, and Zach! 🎉

Weekend Wrap-Up

Giddey nears quadruple-double as Bulls blow by Lakers 146-115

After letting many of their franchise players go over the past year, the Young Bulls are leading the way in Chicago.

On Saturday, the Bulls won their second straight game (and 7th of their last 9) with a blowout win over the Lakers, led by a Herculean performance from Josh Giddey. In his first season in Chicago, Giddey has found his stride this spring—his 15 PTS, 17 AST, 10 REB, and 8 STL were only the latest in a long line of stellar nights. Add in 36 PTS from Coby White and 31 from Matas Buzelis, and Chicago put together its largest point total of the season.

We love seeing the Bulls ball out, especially because it gives our boy Kenny something to cheer for! Watch out for Chicago this postseason… 😎

Wiggins catches fire, Miami downs Charlotte 122-105 to snap 10-game losing streak

Speaking of teams that were active in the trade market, you may have heard that Miami parted ways with a certain disgruntled franchise cornerstone at this season’s trade deadline. In exchange, the Warriors received a package including none other than Andrew Wiggins, who enjoyed his best game as a member of the Heat in Sunday’s win over Charlotte to help snap Miami’s 10-game losing streak.

Some nights you stay up cashing even your bad looks, and that was exactly what Wiggins had going against Buzz City. With a season-high 40 PTS on 16/21 shooting including 6/8 from three, the former #1 pick led Miami to a critical win as they continue to vie for play-in seeding (they now trail the Bulls by one game for ninth place). Wiggins also scored 30 PTS in a tight loss to the Rockets on Friday, and if he keeps playing like this, the Heat could cause problems for a presumptive playoff team down the line.

Elsewhere around the NBA…

• The Boston Celtics may not be running through the Eastern Conference in the regular season like we’re used to, but the quest for Banner #19 is still very much alive. In a comfortable 129-116 win over the Blazers, the C’s got it done without Jaylen Brown as Jayson Tatum went for 30 PTS and 9 AST and 9 REB while Sam Hauser drained 8 of his 10 looks from three. Five straight wins for the reigning champs.

• In a duel between Western Conference heavyweights, Denver outlasted Houston 116-111 as Jamal Murray went for 39 PTS and 7 AST in the absence of his partner-in-crime Nikola Jokic. Though Houston entered the night on a nine-game win streak, the Nugs rode a hot night from Murray and solid minutes from DeAndre Jordan (11 PTS, 15 REB) to pull out the road W.

• Friday night was a big one for 30-point games. Wiggins, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Deni Avdija, Spencer Dinwiddie, Fred VanVleet, Paolo Banchero, and Cade Cunningham all went for 30+, proving that no matter which game you tune into in the NBA, you have the chance to see something special.

Sweet Victory

With the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament down, the best hoops are still on the horizon. Let’s break down three of the Round of 32’s most exciting games as well as who the winners have up next.

Florida ends UConn’s three-peat chances with 77-75 loss to Florida

What happens when the two-time reigning national champions and one of this year’s favorites get together in the Round of 32? Cinema! In a game that was back-and-forth all afternoon, the one-seed Gators ultimately pulled out a gutsy victory over Dan Hurley’s Huskies to end UConn’s chance a historic three-peat. First-team All-American Walter Clayton Jr. continued to star for Florida, scoring 23 PTS and hitting five threes including the go-ahead triple with 2:54 to go and another to put Florida up 6 with 1:07 to play. What a game, what a team!

Next up: Maryland, Thursday 3/27

First top-two seed falls as Arkansas sinks St. John’s 75-66

Legendary coaches? Check. Hard-nosed defense? Check. Stellar shooting? Maybe not. Despite a combined 4/41 three-point shooting clip and 44 total fouls from Arkansas and St. John’s on Saturday, John Calipari and Rick Pitino’s squads still put together a memorable tournament clash, with three Razorbacks scoring 15+ to lead Coach Cal to his 16th Sweet Sixteen. It may not be the end the Johnnies had in mind, but Pitino’s bunch will be back and hungrier than ever next season. You have to win tough games to advance, and Arkansas did just that!

Next up: Texas Tech, Thursday 3/27

Queen’s Gambit: Maryland advances past Colorado State 72-71 on buzzer-beater

After complaints that the first round of the tourney didn’t offer enough last-second intrigue, the second round brought enough to make up for it. After Colorado State’s Jalen Lake converted on a three to put the Rams up one with six seconds left, Maryland turned to its star freshman—the 6’10” Derik Queen—to give them a March miracle. He did exactly that, banking in a tough middy with a defender in his face to send the Terps to the next round.

Next up: Florida, Thursday 3/27

Other instant classics: BYU over Wisconsin, Houston over Gonzaga, and Arizona over Oregon

Three in the Key

Signing Off

And we out! Thanks for spending a portion of your day with us. This week, don’t be afraid to ask for help in your day-to-day life, whether it’s for directions in an unfamiliar place or instructions on an unfamiliar task. Most times, there’s another person who’d be happy to help you out. See you soon!

-Walker Carnathan