Sports
Mammoth's Nick Schmaltz scores twice, including in OT to edge Kings
Mar 22, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty (8) skates with the puck against Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz (8) and left wing Lawson Crouse (67) during the second period at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images Nick Schmaltz scored his second goal of the game 1:46 into overtime and the Utah Mammoth beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 on Sunday night in Salt Lake City.
Schmaltz entered the zone 2-on-1, kept the puck and beat Darcy Kuemper with a wrist shot.
Lawson Crouse had two goals and an assist for the Mammoth (37-28-6, 80 points), who have won three of four and hold the first wild-card spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. Kevin Stenlund had two assists, and Karel Vejmelka made 33 saves.
Quinton Byfield had a goal and an assist for the Kings (28-25-17, 73 points), who have lost three straight and trail the Nashville Predators by two points for the second wild-card spot in the playoffs from the West. Darcy Kuemper made 30 saves.
The Kings’ Artemi Panarin tied it 3-3 at 16:30 of the third period, scoring in his third straight game. He entered the zone on the rush, briefly lost the puck but recovered it and sent a shot on net from a sharp angle along the right boards and it snuck under Vejmelka’s left pad.
Crouse gave Utah a 1-0 lead at 7:04 of the first period. John Marino stole the puck from Sam Helenius, skated behind the goal and fed in front to Crouse, who scored on a quick wrist shot from the low slot.
Alex Laferriere tied the game 1-1 just 36 seconds later when he entered the zone 2-on-1, kept the puck and scored on a snap shot from the right circle.
Crouse put Utah up 2-1 at 9:19 when he got a pass at the bottom of the left circle and chipped it up, off Kuemper and into the top of the net.
Byfield tied it 28 seconds later. Vejmelka made a save on Brandt Clarke’s long shot but couldn’t control the rebound. The goalie poked the puck away, but Byfield got to it and scored from the left circle.
The second period was scoreless until Schmaltz batted in his own rebound at 16:11 after winning a puck battle in front to give the Mammoth a 3-2 lead.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Why the Denver Nuggets Are the Most Feared Team in the NBA Right Now
As we head down the home stretch of the NBA regular season, those who haven’t paid attention for five months all of a sudden have a need to know:
Who is the most feared team in basketball right now?
Ask 30 NBA coaches and I’m guessing you’d get three responses …
- A vast majority won’t want to be bothered by such nonsense in the middle of March and will take the no-brainer expressway: The defending champ who also has been the best team this regular season, the Thunder.
- Maybe a handful who have recently gotten bonked on the head by a Victor Wembanyama swat will consider it cool to pick the new kids on the block, the Spurs, failing to consider that the NBA playoffs take on a football persona and Wemby more closely resembles a figure skater.
- And then there’s the guy who’ll elicit a laugh by citing the UConn Lady Huskies, perhaps hoping the headlines will help continue to get Geno Auriemma to realize what a great thing he has when said NBA coach’s boss considers a replacement this off-season.
How can you dispute any of those? Well, here’s how …
Imagine if there were a team that’s a proven winner: A champion in 2023 who then came within one game of a second and third straight trip to the Western finals.
Imagine if that team were led by the dominant force in the league, a guy equally adept at scoring as he is assisting others. And he rebounds pretty good, too.
Imagine that superstar having a high-scoring sidekick who complements a two-man game the likes of which the league hasn’t seen since Stockton and Malone.
Imagine that dynamic duo playing alongside one of the best two-way forwards in the NBA, a guy who has played 1,500 fewer minutes this season than the guys against which he will be chasing down rebounds in April and May.
Imagine the league’s most perfectly molded trio getting help from two defensive-minded swingmen, one who has found time to make 40 of his last 68 shots, the other who has connected on 33 of his last 53.
Of course, we’re talking here about the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Cam Johnson and Christian Braun. And you know what they say about that team:
Take Jokic off the court and they go from the penthouse to the outhouse without a parachute.
Alas, that’s no longer the case …
Imagine the NBA’s most physically gifted reserve, a dunking, shot-blocking marvel who now all of a sudden can shoot (41% on 3’s this season).
Imagine the league’s best 3-point-shooting reserve guard as your seventh man.
Imagine a fellow veteran who has made 17 of his last 31 shots, and another defense-first guy who has drilled 18 of his last 30.
Imagine the best backup big man in the league, a guy who punishes his counterpart while the boss rests.
You heard that right: The Nuggets now employ what rates statistically as an average NBA bench. That’s a vast improvement, but that’s also misleading.
The aforementioned top five backups – Peyton Watson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, Spencer Jones and Jonas Valanciunas – have been pressed into making 87 starts, leading to various rookies and two-way players watering down the reserves’ numbers.
If this team can stay healthy … that’s a big if. They were all out there Sunday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, giving their home fans – and the rest of the league – a glimpse into the future.
The Nuggets, who at this point barely know each other, dominated a pretty good Portland team in pretty much every aspect of the game. They shot well, passed well, defended well … and, oh yeah, had Jokic on the court.
The key is: They’re all healthy now, which makes those 42 games missed by Gordon, 36 by Braun, 26 by Johnson, 22 by Watson … even the 16 by Jokic blessings considering the gauntlet of the Western playoffs ahead.
And that’s yet another reason to fear the Nuggets.
The Eastern playoffs figure to be more competitive than ever this year, with the likes of the Hawks, 76ers, Magic, Heat and Hornets all fully capable of pulling first-round upsets.
The most feared team in the East? Your next playoff opponent.
The West isn’t as deep, but one team lurks in the shadow of the Thunder and Spurs – the Nuggets.
They could be the first-round opponent of a top-four team in the West. All that hard work and imagine that.
Fear the Nuggets. It’s just March, but already it’s building.
Sports
Syracuse hires former player Gerry McNamara as coach
Siena Saints head coach Gerry McNamara claps Thursday, March 19, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first round game against the Duke Blue Devils at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. Gerry McNamara, who led Syracuse to its lone national title in 2003 as the point guard, was named the school’s head coach on Tuesday.
McNamara, 42, was the head coach at Siena the past two seasons, guiding the Saints to the NCAA Tournament this season after winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament. As a No. 16 seed, Siena gave top-seeded Duke a scare in the first round on Thursday before losing 71-65.
Before taking over at Siena, McNamara served as an assistant coach under Jim Boeheim and Adrian Autry for 15 seasons.
“I love this place. I love what Syracuse means: to the fans, to the players who have worn this jersey, to the people of Central New York. This program has given me everything, and I am ready to give everything back to it,” McNamara said. “College basketball has changed. How you build a program, recruit talent, compete for resources and win looks different than it did even five years ago. I know that. I’m ready for it. What hasn’t changed is what Orange Nation expects, and what this place deserves. We are going to build something special here.”
Along with helping Syracuse win the national title during his freshman season alongside Carmelo Anthony, McNamara holds the program records for 3-pointers (400), 3-point attempts (1,131), free-throw percentage (88.8%) and minutes played (4,799). An All-Big East honoree three times, he started all 135 games of his career from 2002-06. The school retired his No. 3 jersey in 2023.
National champion, program icon and No. 3 in the rafters.
Welcome home, Coach McNamara! ???? pic.twitter.com/Te5UfahJHE
— Syracuse University (@SyracuseU) March 24, 2026
McNamara returned to his alma mater in 2009 as a graduate assistant, then was elevated to an assistant in 2011 under Boeheim. He received another promotion, to associate head coach, when Autry was named Boeheim’s successor in 2023.
McNamara left for Siena in 2024, posting a 37-30 record in two seasons. Before this spring, the Saints had not made the NCAA Tournament since 2010. The team was 4-23 in the season before McNamara’s arrival.
“Gerry McNamara is who our storied basketball program needs at this important moment,” says Bryan B. Blair, incoming director of athletics. “In every conversation, his competitive fire and passion was undeniable — it’s simply part of his DNA. He returns to Syracuse as a proven Division I head coach who led a program through a turnaround and back to the NCAA Tournament. At every stop in his playing and coaching journey, he has elevated those around him — student-athletes, staff and the broader community — through his energy, his standards and his ability to connect.
“While Gerry’s deep connection to Syracuse is meaningful, it’s simply a bonus to what he brings as a coach and leader. He honors our past, but he is driven to build for the future. This is a critical moment for Syracuse basketball, and it will take all of us — everyone connected to Syracuse University, Syracuse Athletics and Central New York — locking arms and supporting this program like never before. We welcome Gerry home and can’t wait to see where he takes our program.”
Autry, also a former star player at Syracuse, was fired earlier this month after the Orange missed out on the NCAA Tournament in each of his three seasons at the helm.
Syracuse did not qualify for each of the last five NCAA Tournaments, which represents the school’s longest dry spell since 1967-72. From 1973 to 2021, the Orange participated in 39 of the 48 tournaments.
Siena praised McNamara in a statement issued Tuesday and said a national search for his successor would begin immediately.
“Gerry led our Saints with character, grace, and integrity, and built a basketball program that our community was proud of, while reinvigorating our fan base.” the statement read.
“While we would have loved for him to stay at Siena and build upon the success he created, we recognize the unique opportunity for Gerry to return to his alma mater, where he won a National Championship.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Arizona holds off Utah State's surge to reach 3rd consecutive Sweet 16
Mar 22, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Arizona Wildcats forward Koa Peat (10) celebrates with guard Brayden Burries (5) after defeating the Utah State Aggies during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images SAN DIEGO — Jaden Bradley scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half as the catalyst for West Region No. 1 seed Arizona holding off a wild comeback from No. 9 seed Utah State for a 78-66 win Sunday in NCAA Tournament second-round play.
With its win, Arizona advances to its third consecutive Sweet 16 and fourth in five years. The Wildcats meet No. 4 seed Arkansas Thursday in San Jose, Calif., looking for their first Elite Eight berth since 2015.
Arizona (34-2) looked poised to run away from the Aggies early in the second half, going on a 9-0 run that opened up a 51-33 lead.
But Utah State (29-7) held the Wildcats without a field goal for almost eight minutes to fuel a 21-7 stretch. The Aggies deployed an aggressive, full-court trap defense that forced Arizona into eight second-half turnovers.
Coupled with the Wildcats’ shooting struggles — 39.3% from the floor for the game — Utah State pulled to within four points multiple times down the stretch but could not fully close the gap.
Motiejus Krivas proved vital to Arizona stopping the bleeding. The 7-foot-2 center set up each of the Wildcats’ first three field goals after the drought with a pair of offensive boards – the first leading to a Jaden Bradley layup, the second coming on a tip-in – and then sealing off a defender to free Bradley for another basket.
Krivas finished with 11 points and 14 rebounds, nine of which came on the offensive glass.
Bradley’s three-point play sparked a stretch in which the Big 12 Player of the Year scored six straight Arizona points. The Wildcats fans packing San Diego State’s Viejas Arena serenaded Bradley with chants of “M-V-P” in response.
Drake Allen connected on a pair of big 3-pointers for Utah State, part of his 11 points, before MJ Collins Jr. pulled the Aggies to within six points with another 3 before Brayden Burries answered with a fadeaway 3-pointer of his own as the shot clock expired on the other end.
The sequence was the backbreaker for Utah State.
Burries finished with 16 points and shot 3-of-3 from 3-point range. While Arizona struggled to score on the interior, the Wildcats connected at a higher clip – 7-of-17 shooting for 41.2% – than Utah State’s 8-of-32 (25%) from outside the arc.
Allen, Collins and Mason Falslev each made two 3-pointers for the Aggies. Collins finished with 12 points, Falslev had eight points and Garry Clark’s 13 points led Utah State.
–Kyle Kensing, Field Level Media
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