| | | | | | | | | | | Axios Sports | | By Kendall Baker ·Mar 15, 2022 | | 👋 Good morning! We're headed to Las Vegas for opening weekend, where we'll be reporting live from the scene. Lots of interviews and photos to come. Let us know if you'll be there! Today's word count: 1,366 words (5 minutes). Let's sports... | | | | | | 1 big thing: 💵 The maddest March |  Data: American Gaming Association; Cartogram: Axios Visuals With legal sports betting markets in 30 states plus Washington, D.C., this year's March Madness will generate the most betting in tournament history, Axios' Jeff Tracy writes. By the numbers: An estimated 45 million Americans could combine to wager $3.1 billion on the 2022 men's tournament, according to the American Gaming Association. - 36.5 million of those Americans (81%) plan to wager via bracket contests, while 20.9 million (46%) expect to bet outside of brackets.
- Yes, but: 76% of the money wagered will go towards non-bracket bets. That's up from 55% last year — evidence that bettors are engaging in more single-game betting alongside their traditional bracket pools.
State(s) of play: 29 million more Americans can legally bet this year compared to last, with legal markets launching in Arizona, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. |     | | | | | | 2. 🏀 KAT's historic night |  | | | Anthony Edwards pours water on Karl-Anthony Towns. Photo: Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images | | | | Karl-Anthony Towns scored a career-high 60 points (19/31 FG, 7/11 3PT, 15/16 FT) on Monday to lift the Timberwolves past the Spurs, 149-139. Why it matters: That's the most points scored in the NBA this season — and the first 60-point game by a center since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000. - Only three centers have ever scored more points in an NBA game: Wilt Chamberlain (100), David Robinson (71) and O'Neal (61).
- Towns had 32 points in the third quarter alone, trailing only Carmelo Anthony (33), George Gervin (33), Kevin Love (34) and Klay Thompson (37) for the most in a single quarter.
- Plus: He added 17 rebounds, joining O'Neal, Chamberlain, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan and James Harden as the only players in NBA history with a 60-15 game.
Zoom out: Monday was the first day in NBA history with a 45-point scorer in three different games, with Stephen Curry (47 on his 34th birthday) and Trae Young (46) joining Towns. Speaking of elite centers ... Nikola Jokić (22-13-8) and the Nuggets beat Joel Embiid (34-9-4) and the 76ers, 114-110, in an MVP showdown. | | | | | | | | 3. ⛳️ Smith beats the elements, and the field |  | | | Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images | | | | Cameron Smith won the Players Championship on Monday, outplaying the best field of the year over the course of five days of thunderstorms, frigid temperatures and impossible winds. Why it matters: This year's $20 million purse is easily the biggest in golf history — and nearly double any of the four majors. The entire top 36 made at least six figures, and Smith earned a whopping $3.6 million. - 🇦🇺 Smith (-13): $3.6M
- 🇮🇳 Anirban Lahiri (-12): $2.2M
- 🏴 Paul Casey (-11): $1.4M
- 🇺🇸 Kevin Kisner (-10): $980k
- 🇺🇸 Keegan Bradley (-9): $820k
The big picture: Waiting for Smith near the 18th green were his mother, Sharon, and sister, Melanie, whom he hadn't seen in more than two years due to Australia's travel restrictions. His best friend came, too. - "It's really cool to have them here,'' said Smith, choking back tears. "My main priority really was just to hang out with them and golf was second for these few weeks."
- Smith, who posted the lowest score in PGA history (-34) in January, lives just five minutes from TPC Sawgrass in his adopted home of Ponte Vedra Beach. Now, the Australian flag will fly there in his honor.
- By the numbers: Smith's 10 birdies on Monday were the most ever in a round at the Players. He one-putted eight of his last nine holes.
🎥 Highlight: With a two-stroke lead on the par-3 17th, Smith boldly landed his ball four feet from the pin on the island green. He later admitted it wasn't intentional: "I'd be lying if I didn't push it a little bit." | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Advertise in Axios Sports | | |  | | | | Are you a marketer looking to reach decision makers who care about sports? Consider advertising with us: - Reach hundreds of thousands of people daily.
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Let's Chat | | | | | | 4. ⚡️ Lightning round | | Source: Giphy 🎓 For shame: The 10 Power 5 schools that were neither bowl eligible nor made the men's NCAA tournament: Cal, Colorado, FSU, Georgia Tech, Nebraska, Northwestern, Stanford, Syracuse, Washington, Vanderbilt. 🏈 NFL update: The Jaguars went on a shopping spree ... The Steelers signed Mitchell Trubisky ... The Browns released Jarvis Landry ... The Chargers lured J.C. Jackson with $82.5M ... More signings. ⚾️ MLB update: Fernando Tatis Jr. (wrist) is out three months ... The Braves added 1B Matt Olson (bye Freddie) ... The Mariners acquired Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suárez from the Reds ... More signings. 🏀 Good read: 15 rules for filling out your bracket (Mike Rutherford, SB Nation) "There is a method to the madness of March." | | | | | | | | 5. 🏈 Deshaun Watson's troubles aren't over |  | | | Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images | | | | Deshaun Watson will not face criminal charges for sexual misconduct after a grand jury rejected all nine criminal cases on Friday, Jeff writes. Why it matters: This clears the way for Watson's career to resume, but the allegations are still the subject of civil suits and an NFL investigation, creating an uncomfortable situation for the league. - Watson wants out of Houston and is meeting with teams (Panthers and Saints on Monday, Browns today) while simultaneously being deposed in the civil actions pending against him.
- Interested teams are expected to review the testimony he gives today, and the quality of his answers could impact his trade market.
Catch up quick: 22 massage therapists filed civil suits against Watson a year ago, accusing him of touching them with his genitals and, in some cases, forcing them to perform oral sex. - Eight of those 22 women — plus two others — also filed criminal complaints. Those criminal proceedings ended Friday, but the civil lawsuits are ongoing.
- Watson's lawyers have said there was "some sexual activity" during some of the massage appointments, but that he never coerced anyone. They advised him to invoke the Fifth Amendment on Friday.
What's next: Watson hasn't played since December 2020. Now, the Texans are hoping to find a trade partner for the embattled QB who's wanted out of Houston for over a year. - Watson could still be suspended by the league. To use a recent example, Ezekiel Elliott received a six-game suspension in 2017 even after criminal domestic violence charges were dropped.
- NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy says the league is "closely monitoring" the situation, which "remains under review of the personal conduct policy."
| | | | | | | | 6. 🏙 Map du jour: Post-grads love Seattle |  Data: Generation Lab/Axios research; Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios Seattle is America's most desired post-graduation destination for college students, according to the new Axios-Generation Lab Next Cities Index. Might be time to bring that NBA expansion team to the Emerald City... | | | | | | | | 7. 🌎 The world in photos | | Photo: Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images ARÊCHES-BEAUFORT, France — Athletes compete during the 36th Pierra-Menta, dubbed the "Tour de France of ski mountaineering." Competitors must cover 10,000 meters, both ascending and skiing down. Photo: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images COL DE TURINI, France — Primož Roglič, a former ski jumper, won the 80th Paris-Nice cycling race, also known as "The Race to the Sun." Team USA celebrates its para ice hockey gold medal. Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images BEIJING — The thrill of victory. A beautiful sight. | | | | | | | | 8. 📺 Watchlist: Bring on the Madness |  | | | Photo: Joe Robbins/Getty Images | | | | March Madness begins in earnest today with two men's "First Four" matchups in Dayton, Ohio. Both games are on truTV, which I personally forget exists for 11 months of the year. - Midwest: No. 16 Texas A&M-CC vs. No. 16 Texas Southern (6:40pm ET) ... Southern is favored (-3.5), but if A&M-Corpus Christi can force enough turnovers (top-20 nationally) the Southland champs can pull the upset. (O/U: 136)
- East: No. 12 Indiana vs. No. 12 Wyoming (9:10pm) ... Both sides boast 6-foot-9-inch sophomores who lead their team in points and rebounds (Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis, Wyoming's Graham Ike). If Ike wins that matchup, perhaps the Cowboys (+4) will too. (O/U: 132.5).
More to watch: | | | | | | | | 9. ⚾️ MLB trivia |  | | | Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images | | | | Pete Alonso, who says he nearly died in a car crash on Sunday, has hit the most home runs in MLB (106) since his debut season in 2019. - Question: Who ranks second with 95?
- Hint: Venezuelan.
Answer at the bottom. | | | | | | | | 10. 🎾 1 ageless wonder: Rafa forever |  | | | Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images | | | | Rafael Nadal could barely walk six months ago. He's now 17-0 this year, tying Roger Federer (2018) and Pete Sampras (1997) for the third-best start to a season in the Open Era. By the numbers: Nadal's third-round victory at the BNP Paribas Open saw him become the first man to win 400 matches at the Masters 1000 level. He won his first at age 16, and is still going strong at 35. | | | | | | | | A message from Axios | | Advertise in Axios Sports | | | | | | | | Are you a marketer looking to reach decision makers who care about sports? Consider advertising with us: - Reach hundreds of thousands of people daily.
- Achieve your KPIs around business development, awareness, and product sales.
- Over 60% of our audience earns six figures per year and makes business purchasing decisions.
Let's Chat | | | | Talk tomorrow, Kendall "Let's Dance" Baker Trivia answer: Eugenio Suárez (just traded from the Reds to the Mariners) 🙏 Thanks for reading. Follow us at @kendallbaker and @jeffreytracy, and tell friends to sign up for Axios Sports. |  | It's called Smart Brevity®. Over 200 orgs use it — in a tool called Axios HQ — to drive productivity with clearer workplace communications. | | | | | | Axios thanks our partners for supporting our newsletters. If you're interested in advertising, learn more here.
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