Senators Strike Deal to "Save" College Sports + OKC vs. Spurs Game 6 and Burrow's Optimism
Plus the top 25 coaches in college football entering the 2026 season.
In Today’s Issue: Victor Wembanyama, De’Aaron Fox, Ted Cruz, Maria Cantwell, Joe Burrow, Bryan Cook, Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen, Dexter Lawrence, Curt Cignetti, James Franklin, Joey McGuire, Lane Kiffin, Ben Shelton, Learner Tien, Frances Tiafoe, Brandon Nakashima, Zachary Svajda, Coco Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Iva Jovic, Emma Navarro, Madison Keys, Ann Li, McCartney Kessler, Claire Liu, Venus Williams, Hailey Baptiste, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka, and Caitlin Clark.
WHAT TO READ
The Spurs face a must-win at home tonight and will need Victor Wembanyama to shake off his worst performance of the series — and since Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals. Wembanyama aside, San Antonio has come to rely on 28-year-old De’Aaron Fox to bring a veteran mentality when the team needs it most. Read Michael C. Wright’s feature on the guard out of Kentucky to see why one teammate said he’s become “that closer for us.” (Michael C. Wright, ESPN)
Politicians are inserting themselves into the uncertainty that the new era of college sports has created across the country. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) agreed on bipartisan legislation that would, if passed, “save the part of college sports that fans actually care about,” according to Cruz. Read about what the so-called Protect College Sports Act would change. Spoiler: It’s a lot. (Ross Dellenger, Yahoo Sports)
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow played just eight games last season due to injury, and his team finished 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. Cincinnati shored up its defense this offseason, signing safety Bryan Cook, defensive end Boye Mafe, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, and trading for Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence. Read about why Burrow has a renewed sense of optimism after the moves, even though he said he didn’t drive them. (Jay Morrison, Associated Press)
CBS Sports updated its annual preseason top 25 college football coach rankings, and there’s a new No. 1: defending national champion Curt Cignetti. James Franklin changed schools (fried by Penn State, hired by Virginia Tech), and dropped six spots, while Texas Tech’s Joey McGuire jumped 27 places after leading his school to the CFP. Read the rest of the list to see if you think Lane Kiffin, and the others, are fairly ranked. (Tom Fornelli, CBS Sports)
A World Cup heavyweight nearly always flames out early in the competition, and with the expansion from 32 to 48 teams, there could be more chaos. England haven’t lifted the trophy in 60 years, but they could be the squad least likely to have a high-profile hiccup. Read about which of the five other favorites — Spain, France, Brazil, Argentina and Portugal — could head home early this summer. (Ryan O’Hanlon, ESPN)
WHAT TO WATCH
All Day — Roland Garros coverage on TNT: It’s a huge day for Americans in Paris, with No. 5 Ben Shelton, No. 18 Learner Tien, No. 19 Frances Tiafoe, No. 31 Brandon Nakashima, and unranked Zachary Svajda all in action in the men’s draw and No. 4 Coco Gauff, No. 6 Amanda Anisimova, No. 17 Iva Jovic (facing unseeded American Emma Navarro), No. 19 Madison Keys, No. 30 Ann Li, and unseeded McCartney Kessler and Claire Liu featuring on the women’s side. And 45-year-old Venus Williams is playing doubles with Hailey Baptiste. Also both the men’s and women’s top seeds, Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka, play on the clay major’s showcase court today.
8:30pm — Thunder vs. Spurs on NBC: San Antonio needs another home win to keep its season alive and have a shot at knocking out the defending champions in Game 7 in Oklahoma City. The Spurs are just 5-3 at home this postseason, but before this series the upstart team hadn’t lost two straight since mid-January. (SAS -3.5, Total: 219.5)
10pm — Fever vs. Valkyries on Prime: Caitlin Clark is back on national TV (well, streaming), as Indiana takes on the surprise of last season, Golden State. There’s a lot of parity in the WNBA early on: Nine of the 15 teams, including these two, have four or more wins. The spread flipped after Clark was added to the injury report as probable. (GSV -1.5, Total: 167.5)
WHAT TO TRACK
The Spurs have a 59% chance to win Game 6 at home and force a decisive matchup on Saturday night, according to Kalshi (OKC 2.34x, SAS 1.62x). Over 218.5 points is at 54% but trending down, while San Antonio winning by over 3.5 is also headed closer to even at 51%. On FanDuel, 65% of the spread money and 56% of the spread bets are with the Spurs.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“You cannot lure or induce athletes to an institution unless you have a valid business purpose.”
— U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell on one of the many aspects of the new world of college sports she hopes to change with the bipartisan legislation she announced with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz yesterday.
See you tomorrow,
Abe