Here comes the madness | Sports Daily Newsletter

Happy March, Philly. As we turn the calendar page, let’s hope that snow turns to sunshine, with the spring air upon us.

It’s also time to lock in on my favorite time of the year — college basketball. That’s right, it’s almost time for March Madness. The regular season is wrapping up, with some conference tournaments set to tip off this week, and Selection Sunday is about two weeks away.

Some of our Big 5 schools will struggle to get a bid without winning their respective conference tournaments, while others, including Villanova men and women, are bound to receive at-large bids. Fran McCaffery’s Penn squad also clinched the team’s first Ivy League tournament berth in three years this past weekend.

And while Villanova suffered its worst loss in 29 years against St. John’s on Saturday, Kevin Willard is not reading too much into it. The loss, however, revealed that the Wildcats can’t climb any higher than third in the Big East.

Also, don’t forget, while some of Philly’s schools may not be playing in the NCAA Tournament, the madness will come to the area on March 20 and 22 for men’s games in the first and second rounds at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

So whether you’re a serious fan or looking for something to watch, get ready for the games to begin, and follow along all month with our coverage of college basketball.

— Isabella DiAmore, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

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❓Do you think Villanova men or women — or another Big 5 school — could make a run in the NCAA Tournament? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

The NFL Scouting Combine is officially over, and some team fits have began to materialize, including what the Eagles may end up doing with the 23rd pick. It seems like the Birds were interested in the tight ends and offensive linemen at the combine, and tackle Kadyn Proctor was among their formal meetings.

The free-agency period will help paint a clearer view of what needs remain ahead of April’s draft. For now, here’s how we’re projecting our second first-round mock draft.

🤔 Wondering: Are the Flyers still in the mix to make the playoffs? Well, they took a step closer with Saturday’s win over the Bruins.

🏀 Following: Joel Embiid’s injury status after being ruled out on Saturday of the Sixers’ next three games with a right oblique strain.

🗞️ Reading: The relationship between Edmundo Sosa and Adolis García, and how they’ve been reunited as Phillies with the “same goal.”

👀 Watching: Temple men’s basketball went from one of the top teams in the American Conference to nearly missing the conference tournament.

Andrew Painter’s two innings on Sunday were exactly three years to the day of his first-ever spring training start in 2023. At the time, he was 19, with a chance to win a spot in the Phillies rotation.

Since then, he underwent Tommy John surgery, rehab, and pitched a full minor league season. Painter has been waiting a while to make it back to this point, and the wait was finally over on Sunday, where he was efficient and flashed six different pitches in two shutout innings of a 5-3 loss to the Yankees.

Orion Kerkering is also eager to get back on the mound. The right-hander threw his first bullpen session in over two weeks on Saturday, after a mild hamstring strain had slowed his start to the spring. He’s recently been working on a new splitter and is one step closer to testing it against hitters.

Team USA honoring the late Johnny Gaudreau after its 2-1 overtime win over Canada in the gold-medal game was one of the most impactful moments of the Winter Olympics.

Meredith Gaudreau knew her late husband’s jersey had a place in the USA Hockey locker room in Milan, Italy, just as it had at the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025. However, she didn’t expect the team to bring the jersey to the ice as it celebrated USA Hockey’s first men’s Olympic gold since 1980.

But the Gaudreau family might not have made it to Milan without the efforts of Brian Roberts, the chairman and CEO of Comcast.

The Union entered Sunday evening’s match looking to avenge the playoff loss that halted their 2025 playoff campaign in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Instead, they fell 2-1 to New York City FC in the team’s Major League Soccer home opener at Subaru Park.

Despite the Union outshooting NYCFC, 17-13, New York City put 10 of those shots on goal, and the Union struggled to create meaningful chances in the first half.

Several of the USA hockey lads who were involved in the debauched postgame celebration with FBI director Kash Patel that devolved into a misogynistic phone call with President Trump have issued a range of regrets in the past few days. Maybe they’ll think twice next time before laughing about women — in this instance, their Olympic gold-medal counterparts, and the best women’s team ever assembled — being treated as their inferiors, writes columnist Marcus Hayes.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Jeff Neiburg, Jonathan Tannenwald, Devin Jackson, Lochlahn March, Gina Mizell, Jackie Spiegel, Owen Hewitt, Ryan Mack, Conor Smith, and Avery Barber.

By submitting your written, visual, and/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer’s Terms of Use, including the grant of rights in Section 10.

Thanks for getting your week started with me. Hope you have a wonderful Monday. Jim is out this week, so Matt Mullin will catch back up with you in Tuesday’s newsletter. — Bella