Vanderbilt tops McNeese for 1st NCAA Tournament win since 2012

Tyler Tanner registered 26 points, seven rebounds, and five assists as No. 5 Vanderbilt earned a 78-68 victory over No. 12 McNeese in Thursday's NCAA Tournament first-round South Region matchup in Oklahoma City.

Devin McGlockton scored 12 points on perfect 6 of 6 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds for the Commodores (27-8), while Duke Miles added 13 points and Tyler Nickel finished with 12.

It's Vanderbilt's first NCAA Tournament win since 2012.

Garwey Dual led the Cowboys (28-6) with 16 points and six assists. Southland Conference Player of the Year Larry Johnson scored 15, but was 4-for-17 from the field, while Tyshawn Archie scored 13 and Javohn Garcia chipped in 10.

McNeese got the game it wanted -- it won the turnover battle, 13-6, and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds -- but was outshot 51.0% to 36.2% from the field.

Miles and Nickel hit consecutive 3-pointers to give the Commodores a 45-35 lead, with 18:12 remaining.

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The Cowboys got as close as three, but Archie, a first-team All-Southland guard, went to the locker room with 4:21 left with a cramp and didn't return.

Tanner hit a step-back 3 on the Commodores' next possession, extending the lead to eight with 3:51 left. McNeese, in the midst of a 6:30 field-goal drought, never got closer again.

Vanderbilt led 38-35 at halftime, with 10 points from McGlockton, mostly on open lay-ups after a teammate exposed a weakness in the Cowboys' 1-3-1 zone defense. Thirteen of the Commodores' 14 first-half buckets were assisted.

McNeese took an early 16-5 lead on Johnson's jumper just 4:47 into the game. The Cowboys took 11 more shots than Vanderbilt in the first half thanks to 10 offensive rebounds and an 8-3 advantage in turnovers.

Vanderbilt will face Nebraska on Saturday. The Cornhuskers won their first NCAA Tournament game in school history with a 76-47 pasting of Troy.

--Field Level Media

byAlpha World

in

March 19, 2026

Vanderbilt tops McNeese for 1st NCAA Tournament win since 2012

Tyler Tanner registered 26 points, seven rebounds, and five assists as No. 5 Vanderbilt earned a 78-68 victory over No...

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Barry Bonds joins Netflix as MLB analyst for 2026 season

MLB's all-time home-run leader is taking on a new post-career challenge. Former San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bonds is joining Netflix as abaseball analystfor the 2026 season, the company announced Thursday.

Bonds, 61, is expected to appear on pre- and post-game programs ahead of Netflix's MLB slate, including the opening night game between the Giants and the New York Yankees on March 25.

Bonds will also reportedly be present for the "Field of Dreams" game in August and, of course, provide analysis ahead of the 2026 Home Run Derby. Those are the three major MLB events that will be streamed on Netflix in 2026.

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The Giants' legend will join a pre- and post-game desk that includes host Elle Duncan and former players Anthony Rizzo and Albert Pujols. It's a desk that has combined for an absurd 1,707 career home runs.

For Bonds, it marks the second time in his post-playing career that he's decided to hang around the game. A few years after his retirement, Bonds joined the Miami Marlins as the team's hitting coach for the 2016 MLB season. He was fired after just one year on the job.

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Since then, Bonds has mostly stayed away from the game, making occasional appearances with the Giants.

Notably, Bonds failed to gain induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame on its traditional ballot due to rumors of steroid use over his career. In the 10 seasons in which he was eligible, the highest vote total Bonds received was 66%. Candidates need to receive 75% of the vote for enshrinement. Bonds can still get into the Baseball Hall of Fame, but would need to do so through a special committee. He has already been up for induction as part of one of those committees, but did not make the cut in 2023.

Despite the rumors, Bonds was never suspended by MLB for a positive PED test.

Over his career, Bonds was also known for being standoffish with the media. In 1996, he reportedlyshoved a reporterafter a game. He also provided terse and combative answerswhen asked about steroid useduring his career.

Bonds, however, won't be the only formerly disgraced MLB star to become a broadcaster. New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez took a similar path once his career ended. Unlike Bonds, Rodriguez wassuspended by MLBfor his connection to steroids.

Rodriguez is currently eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. After five seasons, though, his vote totals are lagging behind Bonds' at the same point in his eligibility cycle.

If Rodriguez's transition into broadcasting couldn't rehabilitate his image with the voters, Bonds' is unlikely to change any minds over at the Hall of Fame. But at least fans will get to hear the game's greatest home-run hitter break down players at the 2026 Home Run Derby. That seems like the perfect way to utilize Bonds as an analyst.

byAlpha World

in

March 19, 2026

Barry Bonds joins Netflix as MLB analyst for 2026 season

MLB's all-time home-run leader is taking on a new post-career challenge. Former San Francisco Giants legend Barry Bon...

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MLB partners with Polymarket, makes integrity pact with federal commission on prediction markets

Major League Baseball is entering an official partnership with Polymarket and has an agreement with the federal commission overseeingprediction marketsto collaborate on integrity concerns.

MLB said in a statement Thursday it has a memorandum of understanding with Michael S. Selig, the chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, to "further protect the integrity of baseball by ensuring swift response to incidents and anticipating emerging trends more strongly."

Prediction markets have raised concerns from sports leagues already working to combat issues around legal sports gambling. While legal sports books must follow regulations set by states, prediction markets have argued their trades — called event contracts — are derivative markets, and thus fall under the CFTC's jurisdiction.

One year ago, MLB sent a letter to the commission calling for strong integrity protections.

"The new agreements that we formed with Polymarket and the CFTC are imperative steps in proactively managing the new and rapidly growing prediction market space," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. "Protecting the integrity of the game on the field is our top priority. By engaging in this community, we are able to work together to create clear boundaries with the goal of mitigating risk while providing fan engagement opportunities."

This partnership with Polymarket will give the company and its brokers exclusive access to MLB logos to be used within its prediction market products. Polymarket will also get access to official league data from Sportradar, MLB's exclusive global distributor of data for prediction markets.

Under terms of the memorandum, MLB and the CFTC agreed to share information regarding the integrity of professional baseball and related prediction markets. Shared information will be treated confidentially. Designated representatives will meet regularly.

"We've committed to work together to protect the integrity and resilience of prediction markets relating to professional baseball," Selig said on X. "Through this partnership, the @CFTC is well-positioned to add additional tools to protect our markets from fraud, manipulation, and other abuses. Thanks to @MLB and Commissioner Manfred for working with us to protect the integrity of these growing markets."

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The American Gaming Association expresssed skepticism over the impact of that agreement.

"A multi-hundred million-dollar partnership or a memorandum of understanding with the CFTC doesn't make an unlawful business model legitimate," Bill Miller, president and CEO of the American Gaming Association, said in a statement. "State laws and voter-approved frameworks govern sports betting in the U.S. - not federal workarounds. Legal sports betting operates under state and tribal regulation, providing strong consumer protections, transparency, and accountability. Sports betting - by any name - is not under the CFTC's jurisdiction."

Although it has established this partnership with Polymarket, MLB said it wants integrity relationships with all other prediction market exchanges offering baseball contracts. Those exchanges will be required to integrate the necessary integrity protections into their individual rulebooks.

The rapid growth of sports offerings on prediction markets has provided leagues with another revenue opportunity while also causing concerns about the regulation of prediction markets.

Prediction markets provide an opportunity to trade — or wager — on the result of future events. Trades are made as simple yes-no wagers

The NHL announced in October it had reached multiyear partnership agreements with Polymarket and Kalshi, another major prediction markets platform. Major League Soccer announced a partnership with Polymarket on Jan. 26. NBA starGiannis Antetokounmpoof the Milwaukee Bucks announced last month that he has become a shareholder in Kalshi.

MLB had a presentation on prediction markets during its owners' meetings in Florida last month.

AP MLB:https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

byAlpha World

in

March 19, 2026

MLB partners with Polymarket, makes integrity pact with federal commission on prediction markets

Major League Baseball is entering an official partnership with Polymarket and has an agreement with the federal commissio...

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Michigan synagogue posts photos of fire damage a week after armed man plowed truck into building

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan synagogue on Thursday postedphotos on social mediaof major fire damage that occurred when an attackerdrove a pickup truckinto the building last week before killing himself.

One image shows tables of fruits and snacks left uneaten when the midday strike occurred near an early childhood education room at Temple Israel in suburban Detroit. Photos reveal loose wires in the hallway, an exposed ceiling and blackened walls, including an array of celebratory photos ruined by fire. Sprinklers ran for hours.

The synagogue decided to share photos after an earlier release of law enforcement images was "incredibly triggering" to members of Temple Israel, Rabbi Josh Bennett told The Associated Press.

"This is our sacred space, and we will be the ones to tell its story," Temple Israel said on Facebook.

Ayman Ghazali, 41, rammed his pickup through a synagogue door on March 12, striking a security guard, after he sat in the parking lot for two hours. Security staff exchanged gunfire with him before he killed himself, the FBI said, noting that the truck had commercial-grade fireworks and several jugs of gasoline.

No one else among the 150 children and staff was injured, Bennett said.

At a news conference organized by law enforcement and area faith leaders, he said the congregation of 3,500 families will eventually return to its house of worship in West Bloomfield Township.

"We will not be defined by the violence done to us. Rather, we will be defined by the values we carry forward," Bennett said Thursday. "We are grateful for this community ... for every voice that has spoken out. We ask that those voices do not fall silent."

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Imam Steve Mustapha Elturk of the Islamic Organization of North America listened nearby and agreed.

"Silence in the face of antisemitism or Islamophobia is complicity. We must speak out whenever and wherever we see hate, whether it's in a synagogue or a mosque," Elturk told reporters.

The FBI said it hasn't determined a motive, though Ghazali'sex-wife called policein Dearborn Heights around the time of the attack to warn that he seemed distraught and suicidal. Ghazali, who was a naturalized U.S. citizen, had lost family members during an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon on March 5.

"You don't go into somebody's house, or in this case a house of worship, and try to kill kids from zero to 5 because something happened in another part of the world," Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said.

"You can't justify that."

Israel's military said the man's brother, Ibrahim Ghazali, who was killed in the recent airstrike, wasa Hezbollah commanderin Lebanon. National intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard told a Senate committee Wednesday that Ayman Ghazali had family ties "to a Hezbollah leader."

White reported from Detroit.

byAlpha World

in

March 19, 2026

Michigan synagogue posts photos of fire damage a week after armed man plowed truck into building

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan synagogue on Thursday postedphotos on social mediaof major fire damage that occurred whe...

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19-year-old Mexican immigrant dies in ICE custody this week, agency says

A 19-year-old Mexican immigrant died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody this week, according to a notice sent to lawmakers.

Royer Perez-Jimenez, 19, died March 16 at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida, according to the notice from ICE that was reviewed by ABC News.

Perez-Jimenez is the 44th person todie in ICE custodyduring the second Trump administration, according to lawmakers.

"He died of a presumed suicide; however, the official cause of his death remains under investigation," ICE stated.

In the notice, ICE said the 19-year-old entered the United States from Mexico on Feb. 19, 2022, and was granted voluntary return. On an unknown date, according to ICE, he reentered the U.S.

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'Let go of me': Cuban man who died in ICE custody allegedly slammed by guards, witnesses say

The notice said Perez-Jimenez was arrested in Florida and charged with felony fraud for impersonation and misdemeanor resisting an officer. ABC News has not verified this claim from the Department of Homeland Security.

"ICE placed an immigration detainer on him that same day, and he was transferred into ICE custody on February 21, 2026," the agency said in the notice.

A DHS spokesperson on Thursday confirmed Perez-Jimenez was found by a Glades County detention officer "unconscious and unresponsive."

ABC News' Rebecca Gelpi contributed to this report.

byAlpha World

in

March 19, 2026

19-year-old Mexican immigrant dies in ICE custody this week, agency says

A 19-year-old Mexican immigrant died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody this week, according to a notice s...

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