Is this NBA team the new favorite 🔥

PRESENTED BY

• What you missed in college hoops 🏀

• Here come the Phoenix Suns 😎

• Jon Jones is BACK 🔥

Get ready for a wild March 😱

Over the weekend, we saw EIGHT ranked teams lose on the last two days of the regular season. We also saw a buzzer-beater to escape from the #1 team in the country in Houston. To cap it all off, FIVE mid-major schools punched their tickets to the Big Dance!

No. 1 Houston survives against Memphis: Houston beat Memphis 67-65. Memphis is the only other team in Houston’s conference to make it to the big dance and they sure gave them a fight at home. Jamal Shead was tied for the team lead in points with 16 and hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer at the top of the key. Houston’s still in the running to be the top overall seed.

No. 24 Texas A&M hangs on against No.2 Alabama: A&M won 67-61. The Aggies got out to a big lead in the first half, and were able to survive a comeback bid from the Crimson Tide. A&M lead by as much as 15 points at one point and controlled the game the entire time. This game could cost Alabama No. 1 overall seed.

No. 9 Texas makes a statement against No. 3 Kansas: Texas beat Kansas by 16 at 75-59. The Longhorns had an emphatic win against Kansas this past Saturday. They won with great defense and were able to get almost anything they wanted on offense. Texas is set up to be a #2 seed, with this win being a large factor in that. But Kansas could still be the top overall seed.

No. 4 UCLA wins comfortably against No. 8 Arizona: UCLA won 82-73. The Bruins put the rest of the country on notice with this win. They started a little slow, but recovered and didn’t look back. They got whatever they wanted against Arizona and played very well on defense. The Bruins are in line for a #1 seed and are playing like one of the best teams in the country right now.

Iowa State blows out No. 7 Baylor on the road: Iowa State won 73-58. Iowa State shocked Baylor on the road thanks to hot shooting and great defense. Baylor just couldn’t get anything going at all and Iowa State was getting anything they wanted on offense. It was just one of those nights for Baylor and it was a win Iowa State needed too. Iowa State assured they were safely in the tournament, and Baylor may have dropped from a 2-seed, to a 3-seed.

West Virginia controlled the game against No. 11 Kansas State: West Virginia won 89-81. The Mountaineers started slow, but came back and lead most of the game. Kansas State never recovered well enough and West Virginia got an emphatic win against the Wildcats. West Virginia should be safely in the NCAA Tournament after this win and Kansas State may have fallen from a 2-seed to a 3-seed.

Auburn comes back and beats No. 12 Tennessee: Auburn won 79-70. The Tigers came back thanks to some very hot shooting. Tennessee is one of the best defensive teams in the country and didn’t matter in this game. Auburn scored a ton in the second half and that was the difference in the game. Auburn should safely be in the NCAA Tournament and Tennessee might be a 2 or a 3-seed.

No. 16 Miami holds off No. 25 Pittsburgh: Miami won 78-76. The Hurricanes secured an ACC Title thanks to this win against the Panthers. These teams were even across the board most of the night. The difference at the end was that Pitt missed a three-pointer at the buzzer. Miami is locked into being either a 4 or a 5-seed, while Pitt could end up anywhere from a 7-seed, an 8-seed, or a 9-seed.

Penn State shocks No. 21 Maryland at the buzzer: Penn State won 65-64. The Nittany Lions came back from a 15-point deficit against Maryland. Penn State won this game thanks to a rebound off a missed three-point shot, and a tip-in that went in just as the buzzer went off. Maryland just choked the game away. Penn State is still on the bubble, but this helps a ton, while Maryland is locked into being around a 7-seed in the Tournament.

Oklahoma blows out No. 22 TCU: Oklahoma won 74-60. TCU was riding high after a win against Texas and came into this game against Oklahoma and just didn’t show up at all. Oklahoma was up by over 20 for some of this game, and it was never that close at all. TCU is locked into being either a 6 or a 7-seed, while Oklahoma has a losing record and won’t end up playing in the postseason outside of the Big 12 Tournament.

Big Dance Tickets Punched (so far):

• NEC: Fairleigh Dickinson

• OVC: Southeast Missouri

• Big South: UNC Asheville

• MVC: Drake

• ASUN: Kennesaw State

A MESSAGE FROM UPSIDE

Don’t cut back, get cash back

The cost of eggs has risen 190.9% since 2020. And with costs continuing to rise, we’re all trying to figure out where we can cut back a little bit.

That’s where Upside comes in. It’s a free app that gets you cash back on everyday items, like groceries, gas, and at restaurants. You get to go about your normal business while Upside earns a little bit of cash back here and there along the way.

Upside users earn 3x more cash back than other apps and rewards programs. On average, frequent users earn $340 a year.

Get an extra 25¢/gal cash back on your first tank of gas. Download the free Upside app and use code: “BHSports25”.

Here Come the Phoenix Suns 😎

THE story of the NBA season right now is what’s happening with the Phoenix Suns. They pulled off the biggest trade of the season by getting Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets the day before the Trade Deadline this year.

Durant was getting over an MCL Sprain, but finally made his debut in Phoenix last Wednesday against the Hornets. He fit in seamlessly, scored 23 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and the Suns won by 14 points.

The Suns played Chicago next and won by 21 points and Durant only scored 20 points. The firepower from Phoenix was scary in this game, when they can win by that much with Durant being the third-leading scorer.

Then on Sunday the Suns played a thriller against their new rivals, the Dallas Mavericks. Durant played his best game since joining the Suns and scored 37 points AND hit the game-winner with 12 seconds left in the game.

The Suns have just looked different with Kevin Durant and it’s been just three games. They’re 3-0 with him and they’re that much more dynamic with Durant because of everything he can do on both offense and defense.

They look like the NBA title favorites with Durant and the hype looks like it was real. It’s still VERY early with him in the lineup, but things look great and they could only get better as the season goes on.

What do you guys think? Are the Phoenix Suns the NBA Title Favorites?

Jon Jones is BACK 🔥

Jon “Bones” Jones has dealt with his fair share of demons in his personal life since he joined the UFC. He didn’t fight in the octagon before this weekend for 3 years, with the last fight coming in 2020. STILL, he may have cemented himself as the best UFC Fighter of all time.

Jon Jones beat Ciryl Gane in a first round submission, where he choked him out and Gane couldn’t get out of it. Jones took 3 years off and STILL dominated this UFC fight.

This win put Jones’ career record at 27-1, which is INCREDIBLE for the UFC and MMA overall.

He’s by no means forgiven for some of his past issues, BUT judging him purely for his effort in the octagon, there’s almost no one that can touch his accomplishments.

There is good news and that it seems like Jones has gotten better and has worked on himself as a person to make up for his past issues, which is highlighted by him overcoming his drug abuse.

Hopefully, Jones fights more than just once every 3 years and that also helps him too because he’s just that good as a fighter, you don’t want him to throw it away.

• 😳 Luka and Kyrie went off in this game.

• 😬 What’s going on with Ja Morant?

• 🤔 You think this should be illegal?

• 😂 Where are the gators?

INTERESTED IN ADVERTISING IN THE PLAYMAKER NEWSLETTER?

Fill out this survey and we’ll get back to you soon!

MORE STUFF YOU MIGHT LIKE:

• Playmaker Betting Newsletter - Looking for a fun sports betting read? Say no more. Get informed and entertained at the same time. Subscribe now.

• Playmaker Hoops Basketball Show - Check out the latest episode: Jokić 3X MVP, ROY, Trade Rumors... John Wall for Fred VanVleet!? Lebron Missing Playoffs? Listen now.

• In Shambles Podcast - The HOTTEST sports takes in the game brought to you by Playmaker Garf and Head of Playmaker Talent Manager, Polo Kerber. Watch here.

• The Spew - A comedic interview series hosted by Playmaker Garf with regular guest appearances from big names throughout sports. Check out the latest episode with Lavar Ball. Watch here.

• Pretty Big Plays - A female-led sports podcast hosted by Playmaker Nyrie & Playmaker Treasure. Watch here.

• PlaymakerOP - Overpowered by Playmaker. Follow now.