Next to the Super Bowl and the four-year spectacle that is the FIFA World Cup, this is my favorite sports week of the year: the first and second rounds of the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, known as March Madness.
Personally, I find myself doing shadow layups into the ether and whistling the March Madness theme song at an unusually high rate.
This year is particularly exciting, given it’s the first time in a while that the city has not one, but three programs across men’s and women’s hoops competing this week. Villanova has both its men’s and women’s programs dancing, and Fran McCaffery and T.J. Power shocked the world over at Penn.
Today, we’re leading off with the Wildcats and men’s coach Kevin Willard, who, like McCaffery, returned the team to the tournament in his first year at the helm.
Willard’s father, Ralph, was an accomplished coach in his own right. He has left an impression on the program and on his son, who navigated injuries, a tough Big East slate, and a program starving for a return to a meaningful March. The NCAA journey begins tomorrow in San Diego when the No. 8 Wildcats take on No. 9 Utah State (4:10 p.m., TNT).
Switch out the winter coat for a jacket today, as the region should see highs reach the upper 40s under sunny skies.
Also, yearning to know your thoughts on today’s Question of the Day. 👇🏾
— Kerith Gabriel, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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❓What do you think of the Eagles trading for 38-year-old quarterback Andy Dalton? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.
The big news of the day coming from the Eagles was the team’s acquisition of former Pro Bowler and journeyman quarterback Andy Dalton.
Dalton, 38, is arriving from the Panthers in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2027, according to a league source. The Birds will be his fifth team, with the highlight of his career being his nine seasons as the franchise quarterback for the Cincinnati Bengals.
The question now is: What does bringing in Dalton mean for Tanner McKee? The backup enters the final year of his contract, with the Eagles trying to ensure they can get value out of him either on the field or in a trade. Sure, it’s speculative to suggest either at this time, but Dalton’s arrival in Philly does make one wonder.
Inquirer writer Jeff Neiburg has more on Dalton and his effect on the quarterback room going forward.
What we’re …
🏀 Hoping: No. 14 Penn has the chops to make life tough for No. 3 Illinois in first-round play of the NCAA men’s tournament tonight.
📖 Reading: This sit-down with Carl Crawford, father of Phillies prospect Justin Crawford.
⚾ Wondering: If Bryce Harper’s signature moment in the World Baseball Classic final was exactly what he needed to become Bryce Harper again.
☝🏾 Reminding: South Philly will be a mess for the next few days, starting tomorrow, with first- and second-round games of the NCAA men’s tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
⚽ Questioning: What’s it going to take for the Union to make the turnaround that’s needed before the season truly goes off the rails?
Joel Embiid missed yet another game against the Nuggets in Denver. And while he didn’t take the court in Ball Arena, he was in attendance. The 76ers big man walked out to the court with a “The Process” hoodie and was predictably booed. He hyped the crowd and asked for more before settling in to watch the Sixers be thrashed without four of their starters.
The prevailing narrative surrounding that game and many before it was that Embiid has “ducked” matchups with perennial MVP Nikola Jokic. The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell takes a deeper look at the topic and points out where it is a ridiculous conclusion, even if Denver has become a surprising epicenter of Embiid’s injury-riddled career.
Six months ago, Zack Wheeler had a blood clot near his shoulder that required the removal of one of his ribs to decompress a vein that was being squeezed. The condition, called thoracic outlet syndrome, made it dicey whether Wheeler would be able to even throw during spring training.
Four days after facing hitters for the first time with a 20-pitch inning, Wheeler simulated two innings against Brandon Marsh, Edmundo Sosa, and Justin Crawford. He threw two types of fastballs, sweepers, splitters, and curveballs. He pitched from the windup and the stretch.
“I felt really good out of the windup,” Wheeler said. “Just a little tough out of the stretch today for whatever reason.”
So how close is Wheeler to being at a level Phillies fans have grown accustomed to in his now seventh season with the ballclub? Inquirer writer Scott Lauber takes a look.
The Flyers faced Public Enemy No. 1 on Wednesday night in Cutter Gauthier, but there was another Duck that several Flyers players were more excited to see.
That would be Ryan Poehling, who spent the last two seasons in Philly before being traded for Trevor Zegras in June. The gracious Poehling, who just signed a four-year extension with the Ducks, has found a nice home in Anaheim and credits Danny Brière and the Flyers for helping him “fall in love with hockey again.”
On the ice, the Flyers needed overtime to beat the Ducks and Gauthier behind Noah Cates’ game-winner. The 3-2 win moved the Flyers within six games of the final two wild card spots in the Eastern Conference.
On this date
March 19, 1975: Pennsylvania becomes the first state in the country to allow girls to compete with boys in high school athletics. Trendsetters.
Standings, stats, and more
Couldn’t quite make it until the end of last night’s Flyers-Ducks game? Here’s a place to access your favorite Philadelphia teams’ statistics, schedules, and standings in real time.
It’s a fascinating psychological test for these relatively young athletes, and the new reality of college sports — that most of these relatively young athletes are now relatively young professional athletes — doesn’t change the test’s difficulty. How do you remain loose and relaxed and capable of playing at the top of your game, all the while preventing yourself from letting the pressure overwhelm you? — Sielski takes a look at the added pressures of a tournament like March Madness in the pay-to-play era of college athletics.
What you’re saying about the Flyers
We asked: What’s your outlook on the Flyers and their chance of making the playoffs?
Original Flyers fan and season ticket holder. Spectrum, Section R, Row 19. Directly across the aisle from Ed Snider. The days of the Broad Street Bullies, Kate Smith singing “God Bless America,” and Bernie! Bernie! Bernie! When ownership removed the statue of Kate, wrapped her up in plastic, and put her in a storage bin, the “curse of Kate” came to be. You most likely will not print this, but check with any old Flyer fan. Until she is put back where she belongs in front of the arena, the Flyers will never, ever be a winning team. — Ronald R.
Zero chance of making the playoffs. Too inconsistent. The losing streak before the break was devastating. — Bob C.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Jeff Neiburg, Jonathan Tannenwald, Scott Lauber, Owen Hewitt, Mike Sielski, Jackie Spiegel, Gina Mizell, Gabriela Carroll, and Sean McKeown.
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That’s your Thursday. Do with all this sports knowledge what you wish. We’ll be back tomorrow to get you ready for the weekend. — Kerith