Playoffs are upon us: Stanley Cup bracket set; NBA postseason burning questions

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🏒 Five things to know Friday

1. The Stanley Cup Playoffs bracket is set. The NHL regular season concluded last night with a few key results that finalized the playoff schedule. Everything was already set in stone in the Eastern Conference, but we now also know the matchups on the other side of the bracket. There will be no three-peat for the Panthers, and it would require a few upsets for a Canadian team to snap the nation’s 32-year Stanley Cup drought. If you’re just now starting to tune back into hockey, you might recognize a few Team USA stars from their Olympic gold medal run.
2. Parker Messick came up just short of a historic no-hitter. The longest no-hitter drought in baseball lives on but only by the slimmest of margins. The Guardians last recorded a no-no in 1981, and it looked like they might get one from their standout rookie in Thursday’s 4-2 win over the Orioles. Messick did not surrender a hit until the ninth inning when Leody Taveras punched a leadoff single. One batter later, that was the end of the line for the lefty Messick, whom Cade Smith relieved to close things out (but not before two inherited runners scored).
3. The NFL Draft is less than a week away, and we have intel. CBS Sports lead NFL insider Jonathan Jones has been working the phones in advance of the draft. He opened up his notebook and unleashed a whole lot of juicy details on major draft storylines like the Jets’ plans with the No. 2 pick, whether Ty Simpson will hear his name called in the first round and much more. Also, we ranked all 32 teams by how much power they wield in this year’s draft and constructed the most frustrating mock draft possible for each fanbase.
4. Cayden Boozer will return to Duke for his sophomore season. The transfer portal was an option for the Blue Devils’ rising guard after his brother, Cameron Boozer, declared for the NBA Draft, but the program announced that Boozer will play a second year at Cameron Indoor Stadium. That’s a feather in Jon Scheyer’s cap in terms of talent retention, as Boozer would have undoubtedly been a hot commodity on the transfer market. On that note, we now have scouting reports for each of the top 30 transfers and rankings for the top 100 portal prospects.
5. WrestleMania 42 gets underway tomorrow in Las Vegas. The two-night event features eight championship matchups, including the highly anticipated bout between Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes for the undisputed WWE title. The world heavyweight championship is also on the line in a clash between CM Punk and Roman Reigns. Our wrestling experts made their predictions for the biggest matches on the card.

🤔 Do not miss this: 10 burning questions for NBA Playoffs

Tonight’s play-in games will finalize the 16-team NBA Playoffs bracket, and once those last two matchups are locked in, we’ll start to get answers to some of the burning questions surrounding this postseason. The most pressing uncertainty is, of course, who will hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy come June. Can the Thunder become the first back-to-back champion since the Warriors in 2017 and 2018?

A handful of other narratives will define the road to the championship, too, and outside of which team will reign supreme, John Gonzalez mostly wants to know who has the hardest path to a title. He thinks it’s the Timberwolves.

• Gonzalez: “If the Thunder were the biggest beneficiaries of the Nuggets getting the 3-seed, the Wolves were the biggest losers. Instead of facing the Lakers in the first round for the second straight year, Minnesota will take on Denver. That’s a bummer for the Wolves, and not simply because we won’t be treated to Anthony Edwards once again trolling the Lakers and the city of Los Angeles.”

Here are a few of the other 10 biggest questions to which we want answers:

• Can the Spurs defy history?
• Could this be the last we see of LeBron James?
• How much pressure are the Knicks facing?

🏈 College football spring game storylines

This weekend brings an end to spring camp for 20 Power Four college football programs. Spring games might not be what they once were, but with new transfer portal legislation eliminating the April window, some coaches ought to be more willing to put their best players on display in scrimmage format. We’ll have our eyes on a number of teams this Saturday as we monitor that and more.

Quarterback competitions and impact newcomers are always among the most notable items to watch in spring games, and that’s no different this year. Here’s what to know for the championship-hopeful teams that will hit the field this weekend.

• Texas: Will Muschamp is back
• Georgia: Five-star freshman impresses
• Miami: High-end transfers, same goals
• Ohio State: Major defensive changes at work
• Michigan: Jason Beck-led offense debuts

Brad Crawford explained why the Longhorns’ defensive coordinator change is among the most impactful developments of the spring and what to look out for in their open practice.

• Crawford: “Muschamp’s unit will have its work cut out on Saturday against the Texas first-team offense, which includes a couple of future early-rounders up front and transfer portal additions Cam Coleman (Auburn) and Hollywood Smothers (NC State), among others.”

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

⚽ Como at Sassuolo, 12:30 p.m. on Paramount+
⛳ RBC Heritage, second round, 2 p.m. on Golf Channel
⚾ Mets at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ Cagliari at Inter Milan, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⚾ Orioles at Guardians, 6:10 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Braves at Phillies, 6:40 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Rays at Pirates, 6:45 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Tigers at Red Sox, 7:15 p.m. on Apple TV
🏀 NBA Play-In Tournament: Hornets at Magic, 7:30 p.m. on Prime Video
🤼 WWE SmackDown, 8 p.m. on USA Network
⚾ Cardinals at Astros, 8:10 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚽ Women’s friendly: United States vs. Japan, 9 p.m. on TNT
⚾ Rangers at Mariners, 9:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 NBA Play-In Tournament: Warriors at Suns, 10 p.m. on Prime Video
🥊 Baungardner vs. Shin, 10 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Sporting Kansas City, 10:30 p.m. on Apple TV

Saturday

⚽ Fulham at Brentford, 7:30 a.m. on USA Network
⚽ Parma at Udinese, 9 a.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Lazio at Napoli, Noon on Paramount+
⚽ Copa del Rey, final: Real Sociedad vs. Atlético Madrid, 3 p.m. on ESPN+
🏀 NBA Playoffs: Raptors at Cavaliers, Game 1, 1 p.m. on Prime Video
⚽ Toronto FC at Austin FC, 1 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Mets at Cubs, 2:20 p.m. on MLB Network
⚽ CF Montreal at New York Red Bulls, 2:30 p.m. on Apple TV
🏒 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Senators at Hurricanes, Game 1, 3 p.m. on ESPN
⛳ RBC Heritage, third round, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 NBA Playoffs: Timberwolves at Nuggets, Game 1, 3:30 p.m. on Prime Video
⚾ White Sox at Athletics, 4:05 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Rays at Pirates, 4:05 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Tigers at Red Sox, 4:10 p.m. on Peacock
⚽ Colorado Rapids at Inter Miami CF, 4:30 p.m. on Apple TV
🏒 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Wild at Stars, Game 1, 5:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 NBA Playoffs: Hawks at Knicks, Game 1, 6 p.m. on Prime Video
🤼 WrestleMania 42, 6 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Braves at Phillies or Rangers at Mariners, 7:15 p.m. on Fox
⚽ New York City FC at Charlotte FC, 7:30 p.m. on Apple TV
🏒 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Flyers at Penguins, Game 1, 8 p.m. on ESPN
👊 UFC Fight Night: Burns vs. Malott, 8 p.m. on Paramount+
🏀 NBA Playoffs: Rockets at Lakers, Game 1, 8:30 p.m. on ABC
⚽ FC Dallas at LA Galaxy, 8:30 p.m. on Apple TV
⚽ Real Salt Lake at San Diego FC, 9:30 p.m. on Apple TV

Sunday

🏒 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Kings at Avalanche, Game 1, 3 p.m. on TNT/truTV/HBO Max
🏒 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Canadiens at Lightning, Game 1, 5:45 p.m. on TNT/truTV/HBO Max
🏒 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Bruins at Sabres, Game 1, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Mammoth at Golden Knights, Game 1, 10 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ Torino at Cremonese, 6:30 a.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Liverpool at Everton, 9 a.m. on USA Network
⚽ Arsenal at Manchester City, 11:30 a.m. on NBC
🏀 NBA Playoffs: 76ers at Celtics, Game 1, 1 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Tigers at Red Sox, 1:35 p.m. on MLB Network
🏁 NASCAR at Kansas, 2 p.m. on Fox
⚾ Reds at Twins, 2:10 p.m. on Peacock
⚽ Bologna at Juventus, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⛳ RBC Heritage, final round, 3 p.m. on CBS/Paramount+
🏀 NBA Playoffs: Suns/Warriors at Thunder, Game 1, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
⚾ Padres at Angels, 4:07 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
⚾ Blue Jays at Diamondbacks, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🤼 WrestleMania 42, 6 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited
🏀 NBA Playoffs, first round: Hornets/Magic at Pistons, Game 1, 6:30 p.m. on NBC
⚽ Los Angeles Football Club at San Jose Earthquakes, 7 p.m. on Apple TV
⚾ Braves at Phillies, 7:20 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 NBA Playoffs: Trail Blazers at Spurs, Game 1, 9 p.m. on NBC