Alabama’s Mark Sears didn’t have his best game of the year on Saturday. But he did hit arguably the biggest shot of the Crimson Tide’s 2024-25 season, hitting a buzzer-beating, game winner to beat top-ranked Auburn, 93-91 in overtime.

One week after being on the wrong end of a buzzer-beater vs. Tennessee, Sears’ last-second shot from the top of the paint lifted the eight-ranked Crimson Tide over the Tigers, with the teams splitting their games in the regular season. It was the first time all season the Tigers lost consecutive games after dropping their Tuesday game to Texas A&M.

Here’s the shot from Sears:

Sears finished with nine points on 3-of-9 shooting, including 1 of 4 from 3-point range. He also added three rebounds and seven assists in the win, though Alabama was led in scoring by Grant Nelson’s 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting. He also added eight rebounds and a block in the win.

Auburn’s Johni Broome, names as one of the top 15 players for the John Wooden Award on Saturday, was spectacular again, with a game-high 34 points on 15-of-28 shooting. He also added eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and five blocks.

That wasn’t the only notable storyline from the game, which saw Auburn’s Chad Baker-Mazara ejected with a flagrant 2 foul after elbowing Alabama’s Chris Youngblood in the back of his head midway through the second quarter.

Up next for Alabama and Auburn is the men’s SEC tournament. Auburn has already claimed the top overall seed in the conference tournament, though its grasp on the No. 1 overall seed may be in danger if it doesn’t win it. The Crimson Tide has already been guaranteed a double bye in the tournament.

Alex Pereira will defend the light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev in the UFC 313 main event.

Pereira, who represents Brazil, enters the fight with a 12-2-0 record and a four-inch arm reach advantage. Pereira has won his last four by knockout. He won the first of a two-fight series against Israel Adesanya and has since bounced back from the loss by winning his next five fights.

Ankalaev is the No. 1 contender for the title and has a two-inch leg reach advantage. He represents Russia and has a 20-1-1 (1 NC) record. He won his last two fights.

The main card also features Justin Gaethje taking on Rafael Fiziev in a lightweight bout and Amanda Lemos will fight Iasmin Lucindo.

USA TODAY Sports has live coverage of today’s action. Follow along for news, updates and highlights.

UFC light heavyweight title: Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev

Round 1: The two fighters start off slow and manage to remain on their feet through the early minutes.

Round 2: Magomed Ankalaev was building his confidence as he landed several strikes, including one that rattled the champion right as time expired.

Round 3: Following a round that was too tough to call, both corners continue to tell their respective fighter to keep attempting strikes.

Round 4: Ankalaev maintained control of Pereira throughout the round but did not have the same level of explosiveness throughout the fight. The fight will go to the final round.

Round 5: Pereira lands a jab on Ankalaev during the final two minutes but is unable to capitalize. Ankalaev holds the champion against the side of the cage and throws knee strikes at the side of Pereira’s legs.

Lightweight: Justin Gaethje def. Rafael Fiziev

Round 1: The opening minutes of the round featured a little bit of everything with several submission attempts and strikes being made before both decided to slow things down.

Round 2: Gaethje got the crowd excited in the final minute of the round after a right-handed uppercut rattled Fiziev and took him to the ground. He was able to deliver several more strikes before Fiziev worked his way back up on his feet.

Round 3: Fiziev showed signs of fatigue at the end of round three as both fighters gave it everything they had to finish out the fight. Gaethje earned a unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28. Gaethje said during the postfight interview that his hand might be broken.

Lightweight: Ignacio Bahamondes def. Jalin Turner

Round 1: Bahamondes earned a submission victory against Turner just 2:29 into the first round. Turner was in the process of landing strikes on Bahamondes but the Chilean fighter managed to get his legs around his opponent to secure the triangle choke.

Women’s strawweight: Amanda Lemos def. Iasmin Lucindo

Round 1: Lemos and Lucindo spent part of the opening round feeling each other out before the two ended up on the ground for the second half of the period. Lemos controlled the action on the ground for over two minutes after Lucindo developed a cut under her right eye from Lemos’ elbow.

Round 2: Lemos managed to get back on top of Lucindo to take control and throw occasional elbow strikes to the face of Lucindo. A series of boos were heard from the crowd because of the lack of action through the first two rounds.

Round 3: Lucindo’s corner was asking for her to wake up and come out more aggressive in the final period. Lucindo delivered with an aggressive approach that included taking down Lemos and controlling the early part of the round on top of her opponent. Lemos manages to use her feet against the cage to help her get free of Lucindo’s control. Lemos quickly got on top of her opponent to find out the closing moments of the fight and earned the unanimous decision.

Robbie Lawler named to UFC Hall of Fame

Robbie Lawler will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame this summer. Lawler finished with a 13-6-0 (1NC) record during his career. He had his first UFC fight in May 2002 and won his final fight with a TKO victory over Niko Price in UFC 290 in July 2023.

Lightweight: Mauricio Ruffy def. King Green

Round 1: Ruffy stunned Green with a right-handed shot before landing a spin kick to Green’s temple that sent him bouncing back against the cage buckling down on the mat with 2:54 remaining in the first round.

Flyweight: Joshua Van def. Rei Tsuruya

Joshua Van has won six of his last seven UFC fights following the unanimous victory over Tsuruya.

Middleweight: Brunno Ferreira def. Armen Petrosyan

The referee had to call for an official’s timeout twice during the fight after Petrosyan’s leg strikes landed in Ferreira’s groin area. The referee did deduct a point from Petrosyan after the second stoppage. The referee proved to be overly cautious throughout the fight, putting a brief stop to the action again in the second round.

It was Ferreira’s strike to Petrosyan’s hip that led to the stoppage but it was clear on the replay that it wasn’t a dirty strike.

Ferreira brought Petrosyan down to the ground shortly after and performed an armbar in the second round (4:27) to force Petrosyan to submit. Ferreira improves to 13-2 in his career. He’s knocked out nine and submitted four.

Welterweight: Carlos Leal def. Alex Morono

The fighters exchanged heavy strikes with Leal landing over 70% of his attempts against Morono. Leal managed to back his opponent against the cage as they exchanged strikes before the referee stepped in to call the match early.

Featherweight: Mairon Santos def. Francis Marshall

Santos managed to be the more efficient fighter throughout the three-round fight and earned the split-decision victory. Santos improved his win streak to four and felt he managed to win the final two rounds to secure the victory. The crowd expressed their displeasure after the decision was announced.

UFC 313 Early Prelims results:

• Ozzy Diaz def. Djorden Ribeiro dos Santos

UFC 313: Time, PPV, streaming for Pereira vs. Ankalaev

The highly anticipated matchup between Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev will take place on Saturday, March 8, and can be purchased on ESPN+ PPV.

• Date: Saturday, March 8
• Early prelims start time: 6:30 p.m. ET
• Stream: ESPN+, Disney+
• Main Card Stream: ESPN+ PPV
• Main Card start time: 10 p.m. ET
• Location: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada)

Catch UFC action with an ESPN+ subscription

UFC 313 prelim and main card start times

Early prelim has been updated with a new time of 7 p.m. ET.

• Early Prelims: 7 p.m. ET/ 4 p.m. PT (ESPN+/Disney+)
• Prelims: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT (ESPN News/ESPN+/Disney+)
• Main card: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT (PPV on ESPN+)

UFC 313: Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev card

Main Card:

• UFC light heavyweight title: Alex Pereira vs Magomed Ankalaev
• Lightweight: Justin Gaethje vs Rafael Fiziev
• Lightweight: Jalin Turner vs Ignacio Bahamondes
• Women’s strawweight: Amanda Lemos vs Iasmin Lucindo
• Lightweight: King Green vs Mauricio Ruffy

Prelims:

• Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes vs Rizvan Kuniev
• Flyweight: Joshua Van vs Rei Tsuruya
• Middleweight: Brunno Ferreira vs Armen Petrosyan
• Welterweight: Alex Morono vs Carlos Leal
• Featherweight: Mairon Santos vs Francis Marshall

Early Prelims:

• Middleweight: Djorden Ribeiro dos Santos vs Osman Diaz
• Featherweight: Chris Gutierrez vs John Castaneda

UFC 313 odds

All odds are for moneyline bets (as of Thursday), according to BetMGM.

Main Card:

• UFC light heavyweight title: Alex Pereira (-120) vs Magomed Ankalaev (-100)
• Lightweight: Justin Gaethje (+130) vs Rafael Fiziev (-155)
• Lightweight: Jalin Turner (+110) vs Ignacio Bahamondes (-135)
• Women’s strawweight: Amanda Lemos (+120) vs Iasmin Lucindo (-145)
• Lightweight: King Green (+390) vs Mauricio Ruffy (-525)

Prelims:

• Flyweight: Joshua Van (-165) vs Rei Tsuruya (+135)
• Middleweight: Brunno Ferreira (+115) vs Armen Petrosyan (-140)
• Welterweight: Alex Morono (+550) vs Carlos Leal (-800)

Early Prelims:

• Featherweight: Mairon Santos (-275) vs Francis Marshall (+210)
• Middleweight: Djorden Ribeiro dos Santos (-210) vs Osman Diaz (+170)

UFC 313 predictions:

MMA Junkie: Jamahal Hill picks Ankalaev

Staff writes regarding Jamahal Hill’s pick: “’I’m going to go with Magomed. I feel he has more tools to win,’ Hill said. ‘Obviously Alex has that one hit wonder. If he catches you, he can put you away, but I believe Magomed also has that. He has the speed, the patience to counter. He’s been in this position before. He already let the title slip out of his hands once before, and I believe he’ll be a lot more focused, locked in for this, and ultimately has more ways to win.’”

ESPN: Pereira to win by knockout

Staff writes: ‘He must use his range and educated striking to find the damaging shots, like he did against Rountree. The key will be leg kicks. Jan Blachowicz damaged Ankalaev’s legs on both sides, and Blachowicz is not nearly as slick setting up those kicks as Pereira is. Despite being a skilled wrestler, Ankalaev has often failed to commit to wrestling, opting to stand and trade, which will put him right in line for Pereira’s leg kicks. If that happens, Ankalaev will be compromised by Round 3, if the fight lasts that long.’

Sportskeeda: Alex Pereira via KO

Puneeta Sharma writes regarding Alexander Volkanovski’s pick: ‘Alex Pereira very dangerous because he puts the pressure on and he can flick stuff out untelegraphed and set things up offensively and then on the counter, very, very, very good on the counter. Hard, hard fight for Ankalaev to stay on the feet. [Ankalaev’s] gonna wanna take it down, he will try and take it down, he might get takedowns… I don’t see him being able to submit Pereira unless Pereira gives something up in his process to building up… I’m gonna go with a favorite on this one, Alex Pereira, KO. I’m gonna go with KO/TKO. I think with him, it’s always a pretty safe bet… I don’t think it’s gonna be early rounds. I’m thinking maybe second or third round TKO.’

UFC 313 live stream

The early prelims will be available to stream via ESPN+ and Disney+. The prelims follow with coverage on ESPN News as well as streaming on ESPN+ and Disney+. The main event is available on ESPN+ PPV.

UFC 313 price

UFC events are available to ESPN+ subscribers for $119.99 for the entire year. You can also purchase a monthly subscription of ESPN+ for $11.99. The PPV is available for an additional $79.99.

UFC 313 location

Alex Pereira defends his light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev. The event will be held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev: Tale of the tape

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Ahead of the unofficial (next Monday) and official (next Wednesday) start of NFL free agency, a massively seismic deal occurred Friday …

Sorry, let me try to responsibly tamp down the hype juuust a touch here given what you might have been exposed to on social media or 24-hour sports networks as your weekend started. The league was not, in fact, shaken to its foundations Friday night. But a 34-year-old, two-time Pro Bowl quarterback who’s never won a playoff game was traded, the Seattle Seahawks agreeing to send Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders for a third-round draft pick, No. 92 overall, according to multiple reports.

Does the move change the outlook of free agency and the draft? Probably … somewhat?

Does it appreciably change the trajectory of two franchises that missed the playoffs in 2024? Sure … to some degree – but it was obvious that the Raiders and Seahawks were already in the midst of course corrections prior to this move, which cannot become official before 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, the start of the NFL’s new league year.

And while you won’t see Seattle vs. Las Vegas in Super Bowl 60 – I’m pretty comfortable betting the mortgage on that – it’s fair to label a few winners and losers in the aftermath of this pending transaction, and they are as follows:

WINNERS

Mike Macdonald

The 37-year-old was the league’s youngest head coach in 2024, and led the Seahawks to a fairly surprising 10-7 record that fell a tiebreaker short of the playoffs. But Macdonald honed his coaching chops with the Universities of Georgia and Michigan when he wasn’t racking up nine years assisting on defense in various capacities for the Baltimore Ravens – which is to say, if you saw the 2024 ‘Hawks, you probably knew this wasn’t the type of football Macdonald wanted to play. Expect Seattle to quickly begin reverting to its Super Bowl DNA of yesteryear, which means a relentless, game-changing D coupled with a ball-control offense.

Since replacing Russell Wilson as Seattle’s QB1 in 2022, Smith has spent most of his time chucking the ball, averaging about 550 throws and more than 4,000 passing yards per season. (By comparison, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson has averaged just a touch more than 400 passes per season since he became the Ravens’ full-time starter in 2019. Last season was the first time he eclipsed 4,000 yards through the air.) None of that is a knock on Smith. But given how heavily skewed Seattle’s passing ratio has been with him at the helm, the team’s inability to block or run the ball effectively and the firing of offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb after one season, it was fairly apparent changes were coming – and that was prior to the recent release of longtime WR Tyler Lockett and fellow WR DK Metcalf’s request to be traded.

Whether or not Macdonald and longtime GM John Schneider were truly on the same page in 2024, it appears they’re quickly getting aligned now.

Geno Smith

He heads to Sin City and a reunion with coach Pete Carroll, for whom he played five of his six seasons in Seattle, which is also where the former second-round pick of the New York Jets belatedly saw his career take off. Smith is probably no more than a bridge to somewhere undetermined in Las Vegas, but that’s also what he always appeared to be for the Seahawks, too, after his recent contract negotiations with them fell apart. At least he’ll know exactly what’s expected of him after getting reacquainted with Carroll and will likely enjoy a QB1 gig for at least one more season – and might even play himself into yet another extension with the Raiders, if not an opportunity elsewhere.

Ashton Jeanty

Is the star running back from Boise State quietly rising up the draft board? After rushing for 2,601 yards in 2024 – 7.0 per carry! – he might be the best player available this year on merit, the position he plays probably his biggest devaluating factor. But with the Chicago Bears already rebuilding their offensive line via the trade market, the Jets hiring a coach (Aaron Glenn) who saw first-hand the benefit of drafting an explosive runner (Jahmyr Gibbs) in Detroit, and the Raiders now in a better position to support a bellcow back without having to lean on him inordinately, it’s starting to seem incrementally likely that Jeanty might land in the top 10 next month.

Brock Bowers

Pretty safe to say his debut season with the Raiders qualified as the greatest rookie campaign by a tight end in league history. A first-team All-Pro after catching 112 passes for 1,194 yards – he wasn’t the Offensive Rookie of the Year because Washington’s Jayden Daniels had the greatest rookie year ever by a quarterback – Bowers could be even more dangerous in 2025 with a bona fide NFL passer like Smith feeding him.

Sam Darnold

Unless this is only the first of many subsequent (and more substantial) moves, the Smith trade is almost certainly not one that’s going to put the Seahawks in position to draft Cam Ward of Miami (Fla.) or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. But, all due respect to former Washington Commanders QB Sam Howell (Smith’s backup in 2024), it does appear there’s an opening here – most likely for a free agent … and I’d venture Wilson isn’t returning and Aaron Rodgers isn’t coming.

If we start to connect some dots, it seems some blinking signs point to the potential arrival of recently minted Pro Bowler Sam Darnold, who – coincidentally? – worked with new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak in 2023, when Kubiak was the San Francisco 49ers’ passing game coordinator and Darnold was Brock Purdy’s understudy in what was something of a career rehab year. If Darnold heads to the Pacific Northwest rather than serve as what would more than likely be a stopgap for the Minnesota Vikings until their 2024 first-rounder, J.J. McCarthy, is ready to take over, he would land in a familiar scheme and – presumably – not be asked to shoulder a disproportionate amount of the burden for a team that has two studs at running back in Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. And Darnold showed last season, in Week 16, that he’s comfortable playing in rowdy Lumen Field, his fourth-quarter TD pass to Justin Jefferson capping a Vikings comeback that ultimately doomed Seattle’s season.

TOP 25* FREE AGENTS: Best unsigned NFL veterans who could be on the move

Darnold and the Seahawks seem very likely a match made in caffeinated heaven if the 27-year-old gets one more shot to be a franchise quarterback … but for a franchise that won’t have to pay top dollar for him and can distribute its cap and draft resources more broadly to import other players Macdonald covets and can better fill a supporting cast Darnold never enjoyed in the NFL prior to 2024. Still, with Smith gone and Metcalf possibly set to follow, Darnold could get a very enticing financial offer to move back to the West Coast.

LOSERS

Jaxon Smith-Njigba

The 23-year-old wideout had a Pro Bowl coming-out party of his own in 2024, catching 100 passes for 1,130 yards in his second NFL season while establishing himself as Seattle’s new No. 1 receiver. With Lockett and, apparently, Metcalf leaving the Emerald City, no reason to expect JSN’s role will be changing. But what’s likely to change is the number of double teams and/or No. 1 corners he’s more probable to see – plus the possibility he won’t enjoy 137 targets again given the likelihood Walker and Charbonnet will be touching the ball a lot more in 2025, regardless of who the quarterback is.

Shedeur Sanders

Just because Smith, who is entering a contact year, is being re-routed to Las Vegas doesn’t necessarily mean Sanders would be out of consideration for the Silver and Black, who currently hold the draft’s sixth overall pick. But the Raiders’ desperation to upgrade behind center has certainly been reduced, and new GM John Spytek won’t have to reach, either, given all the other areas of the roster he needs to address. As for Sanders, it’s quite possible he’s a top-five pick in the draft, whether organically or if a team comes up to get him. Yet it also seems increasingly likely – especially as teams like the Raiders find alternatives – that he could find himself sliding on draft day.

AFC West

Tom Brady

The theory that his presence in his new station as minority owner of the Raiders would be a boon for recruiting coaches and players, welp … But, hey, Smith is a fine player and Carroll is a Hall of Fame coach. Yet the likelihood that either will still be here in, say, 2027? We’ll just have to see where this all goes as TB12 continues to juggle priorities in his frenetic post-playing career.

Russell Wilson

The greatest quarterback in Seahawks history … will undoubtedly merely remain part of that history. And any notion that he and Carroll might get back together after their 2022 breakup is now dead – Las Vegas preferring to surrender a Day 2 draft pick for Smith rather than simply signing Wilson from the free agency market, where his prospects already appear to be quickly diminishing.

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March Madness has arrived in the Big East.

In a back-and-forth meeting between top-25 teams, No. 6 St. John’s and No. 20 Marquette appeared to be heading towards a second overtime period. Then, St. John’s Simeon Wilcher entered the chat.

Shortly after the Red Storm missed what would have been a buzzer-beater to end the game, he caused Golden Eagles guard Chase Ross to turn the ball over and tossed it to Zuby Ejiofor, who hit a jumper inside the paint as time expired to give Rick Pitino’s Red Storm an 86-84 road win at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.

With Ejiofor’s heroics on Saturday, St. John’s extended its win streak to six. The Red Storm have now won 16 of their last 17 games since New Year’s Day. Ejiofor’s shot also kept the Red Storm in the conversation for a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, which the team can further solidify in the men’s Big East tournament at Madison Square Garden.

But Ejiofor’s shot at the buzzer wasn’t the only big shot St. John’s made on the afternoon to win its ninth road game of the year. After Marquette guard Stevie Mitchell missed the tail end of two free throws with 21 seconds left in regulation, Kadary Richmond found RJ Luis inside the paint for a game-tying layup.

Luis Jr., the top candidate for Big East Player of the Year, led St. John’s in scoring with 28 points on 10-of-19 shooting, adding 11 rebounds. Richmond had a quiet triple-double on the afternoon, finishing with 12 rebounds, 11 assists and 10 points.

Kam Jones led Marquette with 32 points on 14-of-30 shooting with nine rebounds, seven assists, a steal and a block. St. John’s will now travel back to New York to prepare for its Big East tournament lid lifter on Thursday, March 13 at Madison Square Garden at noon ET against either Providence or Butler.

The busy NHL trade deadline day featured major moves, the league’s top team making important tweaks and an emotional moment.

Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk got choked up when talking about friend Josh Norris being dealt to the Buffalo Sabres for Dylan Cozens in the first significant trade of the day.

The Dallas Stars carried the day by trading for and re-signing Mikko Rantanen, and the Florida Panthers pulled off a late shocker by adding longtime Boston Bruins star Brad Marchand.

The No. 1 overall Winnipeg Jets also helped themselves by addressing specific needs. They added physical defenseman Luke Schenn and acquired forward Brandon Tanev to help their middling penalty kill.

There were 24 trades involving 47 players on Friday. Here are the winners and losers of NHL trade deadline day:

WINNERS

Brad Marchand, Seth Jones, Nico Sturm

Marchand goes from the Bruins, who are likely to miss the playoffs, to the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers. Marchand, currently injured, has a good chance to win a championship for the first time since 2011. New Panthers players Jones (Blackhawks) and Sturm (Sharks) leave bottom-dwelling teams.

Colorado Avalanche

General manager Chris MacFarland has constantly updated his roster this season with two new goalies, the original Rantanen trade and defenseman Ryan Lindgren. He added Brock Nelson at midnight to upgrade the Avalanche’s No. 2 center position and also added big center Charlie Coyle during the day.

Mikko Rantanen

After his trade to the Stars, he gets to join fellow Finnish players from the 4 Nations Face-Off and also gets a bump to a $12 million cap hit next season. And because he’ll be living in Texas, he doesn’t have to pay state income tax.

Homecomings

Vegas brought back Reilly Smith, a 2023 Stanley Cup champion. Tampa Bay reacquired two-time winner Yanni Gourde. Erik Johnson returned to Colorado, Tanev to Winnipeg and Petr Mrazek to Detroit.

Utah Hockey Club

General manager Bill Armstrong spent the lead-up to the deadline getting his key free agents under contract, including goalie Karel Vejmelka. That’s important with the team in a new market this season and pushing for a playoff spot. Utah is a different animal from the former Arizona Coyotes, who had to take on retired players’ contracts to reach the salary cap floor. In fact, Armstrong traded Hall of Famer Shea Weber’s contract to the Blackhawks on Friday.

LOSERS

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney

The usually aggressive buyers were sellers this time. Marchand, Trent Frederic, Brandon Carlo and Charlie Coyle were moved out. Injuries to defenseman Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm led Sweeney to change his plans, but some of the team’s struggles were of his own making. Offseason signings Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov didn’t pan out. Though Sweeney added Casey Mittelstadt and prospect Fraser Minten on Friday, the Bruins lack depth down the middle.

Carolina Hurricanes

They’re in win-now mode, which is why they traded for Rantanen. But after the two-time 100-point scorer wouldn’t commit to re-signing there, general manager Eric Tulsky moved him. Logan Stankoven is a promising player, and the two first-round picks will help down the road. But the Hurricanes aren’t as strong this postseason without Rantanen – and without Martin Necas, who’s excelling in Colorado after being part of the first Rantanen trade.

Edmonton Oilers

General manager Stan Bowman said the Oilers didn’t need an upgrade in net, so he added rugged winger Frederic and defenseman Jake Walman. We’ll see if Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard can get Edmonton back to the Stanley Cup Final.

Detroit Red Wings

The Sharks received a first-round pick for Walman, which brought back memories of how he ended up in San Jose in the first place. Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman gave him away and included a second-round pick to sweeten the deal. The Red Wings’ addition of Craig Smith and Mrazek doesn’t seem enough to end the team’s long playoff drought. Detroit, whose losing streak has hit five games, now has three goalies on the roster, rarely a good thing.

New Jersey Devils

This story has been updated with new information.

With the final games of the regular season taking place this weekend, teams on the bubble of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament will soon find out how much more they need to do to ensure a spot in the bracket.

This isn’t the final chance to impress for those on the fringe of March Madness with conference tournaments next week, but how a team finishes the regular season can dictate the tone for the final days before Selection Sunday. End on a high note and not much is needed in a conference tournament, while ending in a slump could mean a deep run − or even the automatic bid − is the only way to making the field.

There are matchups between teams on the bubble in the latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology where the mood will be drastically different on the winning and losing side in what are now highly-critical contests. If there are such things as must-win games in the regular season, they’ll take place this weekend. Here are the bubble games that will heavily influence the bubble heading into conference tournament week.

Ohio State at Indiana

Time/TV: Saturday, 3:45 p.m. ET, CBS

A meeting between one team projected to make it − Ohio State − and one just on the outside − Indiana − will make for a thrilling environment inside Assembly Hall. The Buckeyes gutted out a double-overtime win over Nebraska on Tuesday to stay in the field, but their spot can easily be snatched by the Hoosiers. Thanks to some poor late-game decision making, Indiana lost to Oregon. Given how the Hoosiers have found momentum, beating Ohio State could give it a case to jump into the field and push Ohio State out. The last time they faced, it was a back-and-forth affair in January that required overtime with Indiana winning by one point. It could be another close one with major implications on the line.

Oklahoma at Texas

Time/TV: Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, SEC Network

The Red River Showdown on the hardware will be a big time bubble game between the last team in − Texas − and the first team out − Oklahoma. Both sides had a great start to the week by picking up Quad 1 victories with the Longhorns surviving at Mississippi State and the Sooners getting a huge home win against Missouri. Both teams have five Quad 1 wins, but Oklahoma can jump ahead of its rival with a road victory. With the teams separated by the cut line, it’s pretty much winner is in the field and loser is kicked out. Texas led for almost the entire first matchup against Oklahoma in January. Now with this game in Austin, Oklahoma hopes it can return the favor with a much-needed win in hostile territory.

Mississippi State at Arkansas

Time/TV: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, SEC Network

What a roller coaster of week it has been for Arkansas. After suffering a consequential loss to South Carolina last weekend, the Hogs rebounded in a big way with a complete effort on the road against a surging Vanderbilt team. Now Arkansas can lock up a spot in the tournament with a victory over the Bulldogs. A win for the Razorbacks – currently 12th in the SEC – could get them the ninth seed. Mississippi State has split eight games since the start of February and would like to build some momentum entering the postseason.

Duke at North Carolina

Time/TV: Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

The game of North Carolina’s season will of course come against Duke, as the fate of the Tar Heels rides on the battle of Tobacco Road. North Carolina has improved its record with six consecutive wins but none its biggest concern – a lack of high-end victories. The Tar Heels are 1-10 in Quad 1 games, and that’s the reason why they still aren’t in the field. With Duke coming into town, it’s one last chance to add a marquee win, although it comes against the Blue Devils and Cooper Flagg, who would like nothing more than to damage their hopes. In the first meeting, North Carolina wasn’t close. The same can’t happen here if it wants an at-large spot.

Iowa at Nebraska

Time/TV: Sunday, 12:30 p.m. ET, Fox

Nebraska is on its last breath to prove it should be in the tournament. The Cornhuskers have not only lost four in a row, two of those losses in Penn State and Minnesota were severely damaging to the resume. Sunday’s home contest won’t do much to shoot Nebraska up the bubble since it’s a Quad 2 game and Iowa is at risk of missing the Big Ten tournament, but it can’t overlook the Hawkeyes since it lost to them in January. There’s a lot Nebraska still has to do to make the tournament, but it will all be moot if they don’t end the regular season with a win.

Hollywood is staying in Kansas City.

USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon has confirmed that wide receiver Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown is signing a one-year deal worth up to $11 million to remain with the Chiefs in 2025. It’s the second consecutive one-year deal that the six-year veteran is signing with Kansas City after hitting free agency for the first time last year.

Brown, who turns 28 in June, missed nearly the entire 2024 season after suffering a sternoclavicular injury – essentially a shoulder dislocation – during the preseason. He returned in Week 16 and played for two weeks of the regular season. The former Arizona Cardinal also appeared in all three of Kansas City’s postseason games.

Brown finished the 2024 season with nine catches for 91 yards and zero touchdowns in his two regular season games. He caught five passes for 50 yards and no touchdowns in the postseason.

The Chiefs’ re-signing of the former first-round pick comes on the heels of news that wide receiver Xavier Worthy, the team’s first-round pick last year, was arrested for assault on Friday.

‘We are aware and gathering information”, the Chiefs said in a statement Saturday morning.

Kansas City finished the 2024 season with a 15-2 regular-season record and ended the postseason as the league’s runner-up. The Chiefs fell to the Eagles in Super Bowl 59, 40-22. As a result, Kansas City currently holds the No. 31 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

Cole pitched for 2 2/3 innings in his spring training start against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday and was blitzed for six runs and five hits.

Cole, 34, said that after the start, the elbow started to give him issues and he was concerned about what imaging on the elbow might show.

“We have an initial idea, but we’re going to wait to see exactly what everybody says before we come to our conclusion,” Cole said to MLB.com. “I’ve still got some hope. I’m still just waiting for the experts to weigh in.”

Cole, the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner,  didn’t make his first start last season until June due to an elbow injury. He ended up going 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 starts.

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