Category: NCAAB

DJ Burns reacts to NFL rumors with a savvy answer on if he would ever consider a football career

Gen-Z Bo had a perfect response to this question.

North Carolina State big man DJ Burns is one of the most exciting players participating in March Madness.

Burns, who has helped lead his team on an exciting run during the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, is playing extraordinarily well on the court. He is getting amazing nicknames and delighting NBA players like Nikola Jokic.

But he is also generating some buzz as an NFL prospect.

During a recent interview while on The Dan Patrick Show, the NCAA tournament darling said that it isn’t surprising people are talking about him playing football because his team is “trending” right now.

He added that his plan is to play in the NBA when he finishes his college career at North Carolina State. However, if a football team really wanted his services, he wouldn’t say no:

“I’d probably explore some other options with basketball first before all of that. But I’m not a closed-minded person.”

That is a great answer from Burns! He  made it clear to basketball teams that he still wants to keep the main thing the main thing without fully shutting the door on football, either.

Patrick noted that Burns could obviously pursue opportunities to play professionally overseas as well if the NBA does not work out. He could try playing in the NBA’s G League, too.

Burns was also asked if he has heard from any football teams about pursuing a career in the NFL.

The big man said that he had not heard directly heard from anyone. Perhaps teams have reached out to people affiliated with him through North Carolina State or otherwise but it seems Burns is more focused on March Madness as of right now.

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Paige Bueckers stunned fans with her explosive Elite Eight performance for UConn

Paige Bueckers put on a show in the Elite Eight round.

While Iowa’s Caitlin Clark got plenty of love for her incredible performance against LSU on Monday night, UConn’s Paige Bueckers wowed fans after leading her team past USC in the evening’s second Elite Eight game.

Bueckers scored 28 points, including three 3-pointers, as the Huskies made it to the Final Four over an excellent Trojans team led by the outstanding JuJu Watkins.

This impressive sequence late in the fourth quarter helped UConn pull away from USC, as Bueckers got five very tough points in the clutch.

It’s baskets like this that will help the Huskies guard succeed in the WNBA one day, even though she’s returning to UConn for the 2024-25 season.

 

To make Bueckers’ stellar performance even better, she and the Huskies will take on Iowa and Caitlin Clark on Friday in the Final Four for a chance at the 2024 national title game.

That game should be must-see television for all sports fans.

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A teary Angel Reese reminded everyone she’s just human as teammates passionately defended her

These are powerful messages from Angel Reese and Flau’Jae Johnson.

One of the harder parts of playing sports in front of the national audience is dealing with the attention from fans, media and beyond.

After the LSU women’s basketball team fell to Iowa in the Elite Eight round on Monday night, two of the team’s best players delivered powerful reminders to all willing to listen about the very real human cost of visibility.

Angel Reese and Flau’Jae Johnson both talked about the negative attention that the program, and Reese in particular, have received since the team won the 2023 women’s NCAA national championship.

Reese was moved to tears during both moments, as she reminded her critics that she’s human and detailed some of the hardships she has faced since becoming a national figure.

“I’ve been through so much; I’ve seen so much,” an emotional Reese told reporters after the game. “I’ve been attacked so many times. Death threats, I’ve been sexualized, I’ve been threatened. I’ve been so many things, and I’ve stood strong every single time, and I just try to stand strong for my teammates because I don’t want them to see me down and, like, not be there for them. So, I just want them to always just now, like, I’m still a human.”

Johnson provided a similarly stirring defense of Reese amid any outside criticism, talking about what a role model she is for her teammates. Her words also made Reese quite emotional.

“Y’all don’t know Angel Reese,” Johnson said. “I know the real Angel Reese, and the person I see every day is a strong person, is a caring, loving person… The crown she [wears] is heavy… She’s the type of teammate that’s going to make you believe in yourself.”

Van Lith also vigorously defended Reese, saying that any hate was not going to get to her.

It’s always an important reminder that we always engage with athletes, especially those playing at the collegiate level, with empathy and respect, as nothing that happens on the court is as important as how those who play are treated away from the game.

It’s clear that LSU has Reese’s back, and you can only hope more people will heed this message and treat all of these athletes with care and class.

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Caitlin Clark showed why she’s a great role model by signing items for thrilled fans after Elite Eight win

Caitlin Clark still made time for some Iowa fans after the Elite Eight game.

Iowa women’s basketball standout Caitlin Clark delivered one of the best performances of her college career on Monday night in the Elite Eight round against LSU.

Clark scored a remarkable 41 points, including nine 3-pointers, as her Hawkeyes got past the Tigers to make another Final Four appearance.

However, Clark still made time for fans after the game to sign various items and greet them as they made their way to Albany, New York, to support the Iowa superstar and her fellow Hawkeyes.

This is such a sweet gesture on Clark’s part, as she clearly made the night of some very fortunate fans who got a little time with a real legend after a legendary performance.

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Caitlin Clark shared incredibly classy moments with Angel Reese, Kim Mulkey after LSU-Iowa

There was plenty of respect between Iowa and LSU on Monday night.

While Monday night’s Elite Eight battle between Iowa and LSU only sent one team to the Final Four, both programs clearly had a lot of respect for one another.

After Iowa notched the 94-87 victory over LSU, Hawkeyes superstar Caitlin Clark and Tigers superstar Angel Reese exchanged in a classy show of respect after the contest in the handshake line, as did Clark and LSU coach Kim Mulkey.

Clark and Reese both showed why they’re at the top of the game on Monday night, and both showed why they have such respect for each other with a friendly greeting afterwards.

For Mulkey, you can only do so much to slow Clark down, and she clearly respects what Clark is able to do as arguably the game’s best collegiate player right now.

While the Elite Eight game between these two powerhouses was clearly a hard-fought one, it’s nice to see how much these two teams appreciate the quality of play and people on the other side of the court.

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Jason Sudeikis did a ‘you can’t see me’ celebration during epic LSU-Iowa March Madness clash

Ted Lasso was loving what he saw in Albany.

Comedian Jason Sudeikis was in attendance for one of the best games of the year as the Ted Lasso star took in the Elite Eight matchup between the LSU and Iowa women’s basketball teams. Monday night’s highly anticipated game was a rematch of the 2023 National Championship game, which was won by Angel Reese and the Tigers.

MORE: Ryan Ruocco delivered the funniest call of a thrilling Caitlin Clark 3-pointer during LSU vs. Iowa

Sudeikis is no stranger to supporting women’s hoops, with the Horrible Bosses actor frequenting games on both the pro and college level. Late in the fourth quarter, Sudeikis could be seen replicating the “you can’t see me” celebration made famous by wrestler John Cena and adopted by a lot of athletes, including Iowa’s incredible star Caitlin Clark.

The celebration was the same as the one Reese used to taunt Clark in last year’s loss, but the record-setting Hawkeye got revenge in 2024 with a 94-87 victory to make the Final Four.

Hailey Van Lith and Angel Reese could only shrug off Caitlin Clark’s spectacular Elite Eight performance

Well, what can you do?

Iowa women’s basketball superstar Caitlin Clark caught fire during her team’s 94-87 Elite Eight victory over LSU, and all the Tigers could do was shrug off the stunning performance from Clark on Monday night.

On two separate occasions, LSU standouts Angel Reese and Hailey Van Lith shrugged at Clark’s stellar 41-point performance on the court in a “What can you do?” fashion.

To be honest, there really isn’t much you can do when Clark gets going, and Reese and Van Lith learned the hard way what it’s like to be on the receiving end of an amazing offensive explosion from the Hawkeyes legend.

Sometimes, all you really can do is shrug it off when Clark is on her A-game.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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Hailey Van Lith’s inability to stop Caitlin Clark during LSU vs. Iowa inspired some great memes

Hailey Van Lith did not have a good time.

LSU women’s basketball guard Hailey Van Lith had a tall task in guarding Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark during Monday night’s Elite Eight game in Albany, New York.

Well, Clark didn’t have too much trouble finding the basket while Van Lith was guarding her during the contest, as the LSU guard’s defensive effort fell short of slowing down the Iowa elite scorer.

As the internet is wont to do, Van Lith’s defensive woes turned into an instant meme. While anybody would struggle to slow down Clark when she’s on her A-game, Van Lith still caught plenty of flak from sports fans.

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Ryan Ruocco delivered the funniest call of a thrilling Caitlin Clark 3-pointer during LSU vs. Iowa

Ryan Ruocco absolutely nailed this call.

ESPN broadcaster Ryan Ruocco drew arguably the best game of the women’s NCAA tournament so far, as LSU and Iowa finally faced off in the 2024 Elite Eight for a rematch of last year’s national title game.

Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark brought her unreal ability to hit 3-pointers from seemingly anywhere on her side of the court with her on Monday night, as she got the third quarter started off right with a stellar 3-point shot from near the logo.

Ruocco had plenty of Clark 3-point shots to call during the game, and he found a hysterical way to ring this one in. Since this game is being played in Albany, New York, Ruocco yelled “From Schenectady!” after Clark banked the 3-pointer.

Ruocco did as well with the broadcast call here as Clark did with the basket, as the viewers at home had to appreciate the creativity from the ESPN broadcaster to make this Clark thrilling 3-pointer take even more life.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Auburn legend Charles Barkley begrudgingly cheered ‘Roll Tide!’ after Alabama made its first men’s Final Four

Look away, Auburn fans.

If there’s anything an Auburn fan never wants to say, it’s the main slogan for Alabama.

Well, Auburn men’s basketball legend and sports broadcaster Charles Barkley had to metaphorically hold his nose as he gave credit to the Crimson Tide after the team punched its first-ever ticket to men’s Final Four.

Alabama’s 89-82 Elite Eight victory over Clemson on Saturday night was a historic one for the program, especially sweet for the rivalry after Auburn won the 2024 SEC title and got bounced earlier in the NCAA tournament.

Well, Barkley begrudgingly let out a “Roll Tide!” cheer to commend Alabama for its incredible accomplishment, surely to the delight of Crimson Tide fans everywhere.

While Auburn fans might want to zap this video from their memories as fast as possible, Barkley was a good sport for ever so briefly letting Bama have its flowers.

We’ll see how Alabama stacks up against UConn during that Final Four battle next weekend, and if Barkley has to keep praising Alabama’s excellence on the court… or can finally rejoice with all Auburn fans in it being eliminated from the tournament.

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