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🏋️ Five things to know Monday

1. Top NFL Draft prospects displayed their talents at the combine. The final three days of the NFL Scouting Combine are complete. Tight ends Kenyon Sadiq and Eli Stowers made combine history with the best vertical jump and broad jump, respectively, the event has ever seen. A host of wide receivers including Makai Lemon, KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston stood out. Taylen Green logged the best quarterback performance ever with record-setting jumps and a blazing 4.36 time in the 40-yard dash. And Kadyn Proctor showed why he has one of the highest ceilings of any offensive lineman in this highly touted class.
2. The UEFA Champions League bracket is set. Here it is in all its glory. Friday's draw set the table for the knockout stage, which opens March 10 with the first batch of Round of 16 fixtures. The highlight of the draw was the reveal of a behemoth of a matchup between Real Madrid and Manchester City, who will square off yet again after the Spanish side knocked the Blues out of last year's tournament. Meanwhile, Arsenal are big winners with the most favorable road ahead.
3. The Cowboys placed the franchise tag on George Pickens. The move was long expected, and now it's official. Pickens' future in Dallas remains uncertain -- the non-exclusive franchise tag allows the standout wide receiver to negotiate with other teams, and a potential trade remains on the table -- but the sides aim to ink a multiyear deal to keep him in town beyond 2026. If he plays on the tag next season, he will earn more than $27 million.
4. Jim Hiller is out as Kings coach. Los Angeles made the second coaching change of the NHL season when they fired Hiller on Sunday. Offensive woes have plagued the Kings in Year 3 under Hiller -- they rank No. 29 in scoring -- largely negating their defensive prowess. Hiller led the Kings to the playoffs each of the past two years but never advanced beyond the first round, and he leaves the franchise three points back of the final wild card spot in 2026.
5. Jiri Prochazka vs. Carlos Ulberg will headline UFC 327. Prochazka and Ulberg -- ranked second and third, respectively, in their weight class -- will fight for the light heavyweight title in the April 11 event with the latter seeking his second championship. The title is vacant due to Alex Pereira's anticipated move to the heavyweight division. But first, don't miss UFC 326 this Saturday on CBS and Paramount+.

🔠 Do not miss this: NFL combine grades

Not all of the top prospects in the 2026 draft class participated in the NFL Scouting Combine, but many of the projected first-rounders proved why they are held in such high regard. A number of players further down the draft board helped themselves out with strong showings, too, elevating their stock as potential prized targets at next month's draft.

We graded the top performers and most well-known prospects at each position.

🏀 ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC award regular-season conference titles

Four high-major conference titles are already locked up. A loaded penultimate weekend of college basketball's regular season featured six top-25 battles and saw every power league but the Big East crown champions.

Here are the most notable results:

• No. 3 Michigan 84, No. 10 Illinois 70: The Wolverines clinched the Big Ten title outright in a convincing road win over a top-10 foe, but it came with a price. Key reserve L.J. Cason suffered a torn ACL in the victory, leaving the Wolverines without their top 3-point shooter for the postseason.
• No. 1 Duke 77, No. 11 Virginia 51: A 26-point drubbing of the Cavaliers solidified the Blue Devils' case to be the frontrunner for the NCAA Tournament's top seed. Jon Scheyer's team is also now guaranteed at least a share of the ACC crown.
• No. 7 Florida 111, No. 20 Arkansas 77: The Gators' offense continues to scorch the net. Florida clinched a share of the SEC title for the first time since 2014 with the most lopsided win over a ranked opponent in school history.
• No. 2 Arizona 84, No. 14 Kansas 61: The Wildcats smashed the Jayhawks to ensure that, for the third straight year, Big 12 supremacy will go to a team other than Kansas. It's Arizona's first title as a member of the league.

Oh, and Miami (Ohio) is still undefeated. The RedHawks, now 29-0, are two victories away from a perfect regular season after erasing numerous deficits and winning with a layup at the buzzer.

On a less desirable note, though, bubble team USC suffered a 15-point home loss to No. 14 Nebraska and will spend the rest of the season without Chad Baker-Mazara, who as of Sunday is no longer on the roster.

One-third of the nation's 31 leagues wrapped up regular-season play over the weekend and now turn their attention to conference tournaments. The Horizon League will get things started today with first-round action followed by the Patriot League and Sun Belt on Tuesday and seven other conferences on Wednesday. Here are 68 things you should know before conference tournaments and March Madness really get rolling.

Meanwhile, on the women's side, No. 21 North Carolina upset No. 12 Duke in a 74-69 classic. The Tar Heels were one of the biggest winners of the weekend, which also included Hannah Hidalgo (with a near triple-double against No. 10 Louisville) and Ohio State's Cambridge sisters (who dominated No. 15 Michigan State on both ends of the floor).

🏈 Ranking NFL coaches based on NFLPA report cards

Even though the NFL Players Association will no longer publicly release its annual report cards, the results of this year's survey were leaked late last week and outlined the franchises in which players hold the highest regard. The 1,759 players who responded to the survey anonymously graded their coaches as part of the study, and each coach received a letter grade as a result.

Only two coaches received A+ grades this year, down from six the previous season.

• A+: Sean McVay (Rams), Dan Quinn (Commanders)

And at the bottom of the scale …

• C-: Kevin Stefanski (Browns)

Four of the six coaches who received grades below a B were fired. The only ones to keep their jobs for 2026 were Packers coach Matt LaFleur (B-) and Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh (C+).

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

📺 What we're watching Monday

⚽ Bologna at Pisa, 12:30 p.m. on Paramount+⚾ Spring training: Braves at Tigers, 1 p.m. on ESPN⚽ Fiorentina at Udinese, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+⚾ Spring training: Athletics at Padres, 3:10 p.m. on MLB Network🏀 No. 1 Duke at NC State (M), 7 p.m. on ESPN⛳ Los Angeles Golf Club vs. New York Golf Club, 7 p.m. on ESPN2🏀 No. 4 Iowa State at No. 2 Arizona (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN🏀 Clippers at Warriors, 10 p.m. on Peacock

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