Amid the Madness | Sports Daily Newsletter
Freshman Hannah Hidalgo, an All-American, is in the NCAA spotlight.
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We’ll pause at the start of Sports Daily with a moment of silence for those of you whose NCAA Tournament brackets bit the dust on Day 1 ...
OK, let’s get right into our coverage of March Madness, with women’s stories at the top of the list. Hannah Hidalgo, the pride of Merchantville, N.J., is in the midst of an All-American season at Notre Dame, and she’s not done yet. She’ll lead the Fighting Irish into a home game Saturday in the NCAA Tournament, and even as a freshman, she seems well prepared for the moment. “I don’t feel the pressure of all the outside noise,” Hidalgo says. Jonathan Tannenwald has her story.
The 16th-seeded Drexel Dragons face long odds today at 3 p.m. when they face top-seeded Texas on its home court in Austin. Drexel has rolled off seven straight wins, though.
Will the Dragons be up to this NCAA test? “We’ve been the underdogs all year,” forward Chloe Hodges says. “Coming into this tournament, it’s fitting. It’s nothing new for us, and we have kind of nothing to lose.”
On the men’s side, Kentucky tumbled out of the NCAA Tournament with an 80-76 loss to Oakland. The loss brings Kentucky’s Philly-area NBA hopefuls futures’ into question after the loss.
In the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, Villanova rolled past Virginia Commonwealth, 75-60, behind 29 points from Lucy Olson.
St. Joseph’s dispatched Seton Hall, 54-47, as Mackenzie Smith led the way with 15 points, setting a new program record in wins.
— Jim Swan, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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Since the moment Joel Embiid went down with a left knee injury, Tyrese Maxey has been the glue holding the 76ers season together. Without the first-time All-Star, there wouldn’t have been a glimmer of hope that this team would be in playoff contention when Embiid returns after surgery.
But even Maxey has his off nights. As he said after a six-point performance against the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, “I guess I was due.” The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell takes a closer look at Maxey’s tough night and the mentality that should help him rebound.
Next: The Sixers visit the Los Angeles Lakers tonight at 10:30 (NBA TV).
The Flyers are in a fight for their playoff lives, but they are doing it with their captain on the sideline. Sean Couturier was a healthy scratch for the second straight game Thursday as the Flyers battled the Hurricanes in Raleigh, N.C. “I’m not talking about Sean,” coach John Tortorella said when asked what the coach needs to see from the veteran center.
After hanging tough for three periods, the Flyers fell in overtime to the Hurricanes on a game-winning goal from Seth Jarvis.
Next: The Flyers host the Boston Bruins at 1 p.m. Saturday (NBCSP).
Outfielder Jayson Werth won a World Series with the Phillies and played for contenders in nearly every year of his 15-year career. Then it was over and Werth needed to replace the competitiveness that fueled his baseball exploits. He found it at the racetrack.
Werth fell in love with horse racing and became an owner, and one of his finds is a Kentucky Derby contender. Matt Breen talked to Werth about his latest success.
The final days of spring training tend to turn most observers into Sherlock Holmes in search of clues about which direction a team is leaning on its toughest roster decisions. Take this, then, for whatever it may be worth: The Phillies have put Whit Merrifield in left field once in the last 10 days. A bread crumb, or much ado about nothing? Probably both.
Marcus Hayes has some questions about Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter being fired over theft and gambling allegations. He asked some Phillies what they think about it.
Cristopher Sánchez “wasn’t good” in his final start of the spring, but he knows what he has to work on before his first start of the regular season.
Next: Zack Wheeler is scheduled to make his final start of the spring at 1:05 p.m. today against the Tigers (NBCSP+).
This was expected, but now it’s confirmed: At least for the 2024 season, there won’t be a recommended rule change to ban the Tush Push. NFL executive Troy Vincent, the former Eagles great, said Thursday that the feeling was that Philly’s patented quarterback sneak play would be left alone.
At wide receiver, the Eagles added another candidate for the third spot by agreeing to terms with Parris Campbell, a player once in consideration to be drafted by the team.
Worth a look
Pride of the Lions: The Cardinal O’Hara girls are playing for the state title on the same day when three alumnae are playing in the NCAA Tournament.
No Messi but ... Argentina will have plenty of stars playing against El Salvador in a friendly tonight at the Linc.
For a fallen friend: Imhotep’s boys dedicate their state playoff run to Dayemen Taylor, who was killed on March 4.
Job is safe: Villanova is committed to coach Kyle Neptune.
It’s the ultimate school spirit showdown! Fill out your mascot bracket and help pick Philly’s favorite. The top school wins bragging rights, a banner for its gym — and a $1,000 donation!
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Marcus Hayes, Scott Lauber, Jonathan Tannenwald, Maria McIlwain, Kerith Gabriel, Gina Mizell, Matt Breen Gabriela Carroll, Olivia Reiner, Jeff McLane, Jackie Spiegel, Jeff Neiburg, Lochlahn March, Mia Messina, Brooke Ackerman, and Isabella DiAmore.
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.
Another week of Sports Daily is in the books. Thanks for following along. See you in Monday’s newsletter. — Jim