As the NCAA Tournament takes a big step toward final approval, we're projecting the first-ever 76-team field for the 2027 Big Dance

Sue Bird achieved a lot during her collegiate and professional basketball career. She's a two-time NCAA champion, college player of the year, four-time WNBA title winner, and a Hall of Famer, among numerous other honors.Soon, Bird will be honored in a way that many athletes never even consider: having the title of a state bird.That's correct. A bill approved by the Connecticut legislature is awaiting the signature of Gov. Ned Lamont where Bird will then share the state bird designation every March with New Orleans Pelicans guard Jordan Hawkins, who was a part of the 2023 national champions Huskies team, and the American robin."The American robin, Turdus migratorius, shall be the state bird, provided in the month of March of each year, the American robin, Jordan Hawkins, and Suzanne Brigit Bird, also known as Sue Bird, shall be the state birds," the bill says."It speaks well to our love affair with our university and our basketball team in the month of March and what it means to the state," said state House Speaker Matt Ritter. "And I think it's a nice gesture."What an honor, commented the Instagram account for her Birds Eye View podcast on a post about the designation.Bird, who hails from Syosset, New York, led UConn to two national titles and a 39-0 record during the 2001-02 NCAA season. While with the Huskies, she was a three-time winner of the Nancy Lieberman Award as the best collegiate point guard, two-time First-Team All-Big East, and the Big East and Naismith player of the year in 2002.This past December, Bird's No. 10 was retired by UConn.Following her time with the Huskies, Bird was the first overall pick in the 2002 WNBA draft by the Seattle Storm, where she would play until 2022. She would help the franchise to four WNBA titles, while becoming a 13-time All-Star, five-time All-WNBA First-team member, and named to the league's 10th, 15th, 20th, and 25th anniversary teams. Bird retired from playing after the 2022 WNBA season and the Storm retired her No. 10 the following season. She has since joined the teams ownership group and will have a statue outside Climate Pledge Arena come August. Last year, she was part of the 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame class.

Online education has evolved rapidly over the last few years, and by 2026 it has become a core part of how students learn at both school and college levels. Homework, once completed only with textbooks and classroom notes, is now supported by a wide range of digital tools, tutoring platforms, and AI-driven learning systems. Online homework help services are playing a major role in this...

Home entertainment has undergone a major transformation in recent years. The traditional model of sitting in front of a television at a fixed time is no longer the norm. Instead, viewers are embracing flexible, internet-based solutions that fit their daily routines. Online TV services have become a central part of this shift. They offer convenience, personalization, and accessibility,...

Back in March, on the day Mauricio Pochettino named the United Sates penultimate roster before this summers FIFA World Cup, I asked the U.S. mens national team coach how hed weigh the more consequential decisions looming two months later: if making his 26-player World Cup squad would depend more on their form and fitness in late May, or how theyd performed for the Stars and Stripes since the former Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain manager arrived in 2024. "It's an art, because every single player is different and can add different things to the team," Pochettino said. "Different characters, different profiles, different quality, different talent. We cannot follow some rule, because I think it's not fair to judge all [of them] in the same way." Well soon see how the Argentine judges the 35 "or maybe a few more" players in contention for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to participate in a World Cup on home soil. (The U.S., which opens against Paraguay on June 12 in Los Angeles, is co-hosting the 39-day, 48-team International soccer extravaganza with Canada and Mexico.) Surely Christian Pulisic remains a locked-in starter for Poch despite a goal drought that has now reached 17 games for AC Milan and 19 overall. The status of Malik Tillman is less clear; Tillman has barely featured for German club Bayer Leverkusen over the last two months and might no longer be the World Cup roster shoo-in he seemed like at the end of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. Tillman's untimely drop-off could help Gio Reyna, who has logged more playing time at Borussia Mnchengladbach lately, or open the door for another attacker someone like Houston Dynamo midfielder Jack McGlynn, who top U.S. assistant Jess Prez will watch play in person this Sunday. Two of the national teams all-time greats Landon Donovan and Tim Howard recently predicted that Pochettino wouldnt pick Johnny Cardoso, who last week became just the fourth American player ever to appear in a UEFA Champions League semifinal. (This was before Cardoso injured his ankle in training with Atltico Madrid on Thursday.) But a surprise or two is possible. Maybe even likely. Donovan was famously left home for the 2014 World Cup by then-coach Jrgen Klinsmann. In 2022, Shaq Moore made the roster and two substitute appearances in Qatar, something nobody predicted beforehand. Same in 2010, when strikers Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez made the U.S. team on the strength of timely goal-scoring streaks alone. Will somebody come out of nowhere and play themselves onto the World Cup roster over the next few weeks? Here's who's trending up (and down) with Pochettino's announcement now less than three weeks away. Stock Up The USAs back line anchor will play for another trophy as Palace last season's FA Cup winner finished off Shakhtar Donetsk on Thursday in London to advance to the UEFA Conference League final. The Eagles and Spanish club Rayo Vallecano face off on May 27 in Leipzig, Germany. The Americans pre-World Cup camp begins earlier the same day at the new Arthur M. Blank National Training Center outside of Atlanta. Possibly the most irreplaceable player that Pochettino has, Adams is nearing full fitness at exactly the right time. The veteran destroyer, 27, made his first Premier League start in two months in last weekends 3-0 win over Palace. (Richards, who started both legs against Shakhtar, entered in the second half.) Adams had been limited to a role as a substitute in his first three games for the Cherries after returning from the hamstring ailment that sidelined him for club and country in March. When he suffered his own hamstring strain in March, Dest insisted hed return before seasons end. He kept that promise last weekend, entering off the bench for the final 30 minutes of the Dutch champions' 2-2 tie with rivals Ajax. PSV has two league games remaining, beginning with Sundays trip to the gloriously named Go Ahead Eagles. The 22-year-old lefty, who has made 12 of his 13 career U.S. appearances under Pochettino, has been out of sight and mind since undergoing foot surgery last fall. Now hes back on the field, having made his first start of 2026 in last weeks 1-0 win over Colorado. Hes back in the World Cup mix, too. A day after taking in RSL-FCD in Texas, Prez will be in Southern California for McGlynns match at LAFC. One of the most consistent Americans employed overseas in 2025-26, Morris could benefit if Cardoso can't go. Capping his club campaign in style could help. The Columbus Crew product will help 'Boro compete for a Premier League spot over the next five days, with the opening match of its home-and-home, total-goals-wins series against Southampton on Saturday. The decisive second leg is on Tuesday. In his 37th appearance of the season, Trusty helped Celtic beat Hibernian and keep pace with Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts setting up a potential title decider between the teams on May 16, the final day of the campaign. First, the experienced left-footed center back will look to extend his streak of starts to six straight games in Sundays Old Firm derby with chief nemesis Rangers. Theres a lot of hype around the 19-year-old, who notched his third goal (to go with four assists) of the MLS season last Saturday against Portland. Prez, Pochs top deputy, will be at RSLs game in Dallas on May 9, too, ostensibly to see Diego Luna (who also scored vs. the Timbers). Considering his inexperience, the uncapped Gozo probably remains a long shot for this World Cup. But if he balls out with Prez watching and someone else gets injured, who knows? Stock Down On Tuesday, Johnny and Atlti failed to beat Arsenal on Tuesday and advance to the UEFA Champions League final. On Thursday, Cardosos week got worse: The Spanish titans announced that the 24-year-old had suffered "a high grade ankle sprain" in training, the awful timing of which could seemingly dash his World Cup dreams. While no timetable was given, the USA's first game is a mere 36 days away. Another week, another game without a goal for Pulisic, who has now also lost his starting spot for Milan boss Maxi Allegri. The 27-year-old was on the bench to start the Rossoneris eventual 2-0 loss to Sassuolo on May 3, and while he entered (as a striker) in the 59th minute he couldnt get Milan any closer. Up next? A trip to Genoa on Sunday, with just one more Serie A game remaining, at home to Cagliari on May 24, after that. When the playmaker logged almost the final half-hour of Leverkusens 2-1 win over Cologne on April 25, it looked like Tillman was inching closer to winning back his starting job. Instead, he made just a five-minute cameo versus RB Leipzig last Saturday, well after the outcome was in doubt. He has a total of 42 minutes of action for the club since March 21. After suffering what Charlotte coach Dean Smith called "a setback" in his recovery from the groin injury he suffered on April 18, Ream missed his fourth consecutive MLS match last weekend. The Crown host FC Cincinnati on Saturday. Robinson also hasnt played since April 18, having missed FCCs last three league games with an undisclosed leg ailment. He could feature in Charlotte, though, having returned to full training earlier this week.

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The New York Liberty released their first game status injury report for the 2026 WNBA season ahead of the teams season opener on Friday against the Connecticut Sun, and its a doozy.The Liberty will be without five players on Friday night. Sabrina Ionescu (left foot), Satou Sabally (cyst) and Rebecca Allen (left leg) were all ruled out due to injuries, while Raquel Carrera and Leonie Fiebich have international commitments. Satou Sabally officially ruled out for tomorrows season opener with a cyst. Rebecca Allen listed out with a left leg injury.Full Liberty status report: pic.twitter.com/BL3xBaYkG4 Madeline Kenney (@madkenney) May 7, 2026Ionescu will miss the game due to a left foot injury she sustained in New Yorks final preseason game on May 3, which was coincidentally also against the Sun. The Liberty guard rolled her ankle in the preseason finale, and further testing showed that she avoided major injury. Still, she is expected to miss at least the first two weeksof the seasonand will be re-evaluated. Sabally didnt play in the preseason and had been listed out with a sickness. There has been no further information released about the cyst that Sabally is dealing with, and whether she is in danger of missing New Yorks second regular-season game on May 10 against the Washington Mystics. The veteran forward has yet to make her debut with the Liberty, with whom she signed in free agency. She signed a two-year, $1.67 million deal with New York after spending the 2025 season with the Phoenix Mercury.