March Madness has been a little less “mad” than usual. There have been fewer upsets, and given the fact that the final four are all No. 1 seeds, one would think it has been less chaotic. While there weren’t any Cinderella stories, the tournament has seen many tight games go down to the wire. All 4 teams remaining have been dominant, which will make for some nail-biting last few games.

How have the final four fared? What has gone well for them? What hasn’t? Here is the complete review of the final four:

Duke

This Duke team, led by freshman Cooper Flagg, came into the tournament as the favorites, and it still looks as if they stand the best chance to seal the deal. While Flagg bears the responsibility of being the primary option, the Devils have demonstrated they are a tri-headed monster–and not a one-trick pony. Perhaps the play of Guard Kon Knueppel and big man Khaman Maluach has propelled them to such dominance in the tournament. Knueppel has been Batman’s Robin, coming in clutch when the lights shine bright, most notably leading Duke in points (21) en route to their Elite 8 win over Alabama. Similarly, South Sudanese big man Khaman Maluach has been a defensive wall in the paint. Maluach’s rim-protecting ability has shone through this tournament, getting opposition off balance and disrupting shots. The Blue Devils don’t have any particular weaknesses; they look to be on a different level from everyone else. I see them facing off against Florida in the final–Florida is the only team left that is equipped to give Duke a run for their money.

Florida

In Gator land, there are only 3 guarantees in life: Taxes, Death, and Walter Clayton in the clutch. While this Gator team possesses much more than just Clayton Jr, his play in the tournament needs to be addressed. He leads the tournament in points per game, averaging 23. To give an idea of how well he is playing, Cooper Flagg is averaging 19.5 points per game–on top of that, Clayton is shooting 45% from three, and 88% from the line. Besides Clayton, Florida has relied heavily on forward Thomas Haugh, big men Rueben Chinyelu, and Alex Condon. The latter two’s size and rebounding have been important factors for Florida and will be even more crucial for the Gators if they are to beat Auburn and move on to play the Blue Devils. As previously mentioned, Florida is the team best equipped to knock off the favorites, Duke. Before that, however, they had to get by the Johni Broome-led Auburn Tigers.

Auburn

The Tigers have a deep squad that can pose problems to any team in the tournament. In their Elite 8 matchup against Michigan State, Auburn had 7 players play at least 24 minutes – a testament to their squad depth and ability. However, they may face problems against Florida if they cannot get Johni Broome’s supporting cast going. While they have been shooting at a good clip this tournament, Denver Jones and Miles Kelly only combined for 16 points against Michigan State. If Auburn is to beat the Gators, they will need both Jones and Kelly to show up and each drop double-digit points. On top of that, Auburn needs to play very solid perimeter defense to limit the Gators’ 3-point shooting ability; they will also need to dominate the boards and control the game’s tempo.

Houston

The Cougars have been exceptional on defense this season; they are disciplined and don’t turn the ball over significantly. Coach Kelvin Sampson has his team playing great team ball and has controlled games. For Houston to beat the Blue Devils, they must execute what they have been doing so far at the highest level. The Cougars will also need guard Milos Uzan to show up and shoot the ball efficiently. In his last game against Tennessee, Uzan was a non-factor, notching only 6 points in 34 minutes. That said, Uzan has shown he can be lethal from three, shooting 45% from 3-point range this season.

PREDICTIONS

Houston vs Duke – Winner: Duke

Florida vs Auburn – Winner: Florida

Final: Florida vs Duke Winner: Duke

I like the Gators’ game; they play exciting basketball, and Walter Clayton is big time. Unfortunately for Florida, they will run into a team that plays great perimeter defense, which can make life complicated for Florida’s three-point shooters. Duke has also shown that they are on a different level from everyone else and have the perfect blend of players.

Athletes compete in skier cross, one of Aston Ferrillo’s ’26 Clay Fuller’s ’25 specialty events. Photo: USASA.

Over the weekend, Clayton Fuller ‘25 and Aston Ferrillo ‘26 competed in their qualifying skier cross competitions. These competitions determined whether they would advance to nationals or not.

They both did a fantastic job and came home with medals. Skier cross works where there is a time trial, and then you pick your spot in the heat. Then, you race against the others in your heat.

Aston ended up getting second place, which places him for nationals. “It was fun, and the weather was nice. I would do it again because I find skier cross to be very enjoyable. There were 97 competitors with only 3 in my heat. I am happy with how I did, as it is one of my first cross events,” said Aston.

Clayton was incredibly happy with his results. He came in first and beat the national champion. This weekend gave him much hope for winning nationals this season and becoming the national champion. His goal for the season is to win nationals, so he is now a few steps closer.

The Northwood NYSEF (New York Ski Education Foundation) Ski Jumping team has had a historic winter season competing in US Cups, World Junior Qualifiers, and even World Juniors. To cap off that season, student athletes Mitchel Penning ‘25 and Henry Loher ‘26 are heading to Poland to compete in a FIS (Federation of International Skiing) and, if all goes well, their first career COC (Continental Cup).

Mitchell Penning ’25

Henry Loher ’26

The large hill in Zakopane, Poland, is an HS 140, which makes it one of the largest hills in the world. The competition weekend consists of two FIS Cup competitions followed by two COC competitions. In order to compete in a COC, competitors must first score FIS Cup points, which can be done by getting in the top 30 in a FIS Cup. Mitchel ‘25 already has scored a total of 3 FIS Cup points, so he is guaranteed to compete in both FIS Cups and Continental Cups. Mitchel is “hoping for some good results” to cap off his season. Henry is expecting to score FIS Cup points, and if he does, will compete in the Continental Cups. Henry is “excited for the opportunity to compete and get some points.”

Zakopane HS 140. Photo by FIS Ski Jumping.

NFL Free agency officially opened on March 12^th, while many teams had deals done prior to this date through the legal tampering period, which opened on March 10^th. For anyone unfamiliar with the term, legal tampering is a period preceding free agency when teams are allowed to contact pending free agents to begin negotiating a deal. However, any signings made during the legal tampering period aren’t official until the 12^th.

As of March 13^th, most of the top talent in the market has signed with a team, so the big names are gone. Here are the biggest deals through the first two days:

Josh Sweat. Photo: NFL.

DE Josh Sweat signs with the Arizona Cardinals – 4 years, 76.1 million.

Josh Sweat was one of the big names on the free agent market. He recorded 27 solo tackles, 14 assisted tackles, and eight sacks for the Eagles en route to a Super Bowl championship. Those are very respectable numbers and warrant a top-of-the-market deal.

Jaycee Horn. Photo: NFL.

CB Jaycee Horn reaches extension with the Carolina Panthers – 4 years, 100 million.

While this deal technically does not count as a free agent acquisition, it does have a significant impact on future deals we are going to see at the cornerback position. The Panthers extended their CB1, making him the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history. The extension itself isn’t a surprise, but the money is a bit of a shock. This past season, Horn made 68 total tackles, recorded two sacks, and notched one interception. While there is something to be said for retaining your starters, unless we see an increase in production, this contract will go down as an overpay. The market has now been reset at the DB position, meaning teams with top cornerbacks, such as the Chiefs, Texans, Cowboys, and Jets, can expect to see one of these teams sign their star defensive back to avoid having another team reset the market again.

Sam Darnold. Photo: NFL

QB Sam Darnold signs with the Seattle Seahawks – 3 years, 100.5 million.

After looking like a bust with the Jets and bouncing around the league, Sam Darnold blossomed in 2024 and revitalized his career with a Pro Bowl-caliber season. Darnold finished 5^th among quarterbacks in passing yards and touchdowns, posting 4319 yards and throwing for 35 touchdowns. Darnold earned his money and got it.

Milton Williams. Photo: NFL.

DT Milton Williams signs with the New England Patriots – 4 years, $ 104 million.

Before signing with the Patriots, it was reported Milton was going to Carolina, with a deal being finalized. Instead, the Patriots hijacked the deal and offered Williams a deal that makes him the highest-paid Patriot in NFL history. The interior lineman had a solid season for the Eagles, recording five sacks, making 24 total tackles, and one forced fumble. The Patriots came into free agency with tons of cap space, and they were able to address one of their needs on the defensive side of the ball.

Dan Moore. Photo: NFL.

T Dan Moore signs with the Tennessee Titans for 4 years, $ 82 million.

The going rate for Left Tackles is steep; this contract contributes to that narrative. This contract seems to be an overpay by the Titans. The 20.5 APY he is earning means Moore is now the sixth-highest-paid left tackle in the league, and while he is a good tackle, he is not elite.

The U19 soccer squad in Vegas. Photo provided.

Last weekend, the soccer team traveled for one of their longest trips of the year to Las Vegas to compete in the Las Vegas Players’ Showcase. Both teams played four games in three days to secure the top spot in their respective groups. The U19s went 4-0-0, scoring 16 goals in the process while conceding only 5. With this record, they finished first in their group, winning the age group for the second consecutive year.

In the first game, the boys went up against Riverside FC, where they were able to come out victorious with a 4-2 win after leading 3-0 at halftime. Goals coming from Said El Eyssami ’26, Li Feng ’25, and Jace Donawa ’25. “This game was a good way for us to start the tournament, but we wish we had kept a clean sheet as we deserved it, I feel,” said Tziyon Morris ’26.

The second game, which was the most competitive game all weekend, was a game against IMG Academy’s top international team. Even after going 1-0 down in windy conditions, the boys were able to fight back late and win the game 2-1. The two late goals that came from Said El Eyssami ’26 and Jace Donawa ’25 gave the 19s a deserving win in the end. “This was by far the toughest game we played because of the wind and the quality of the opponent, and I feel that this game gave us the momentum to push on in our last two games,” said Noah Moodey ’25.

The third game against Las Vegas FC became difficult for the boys after going down 1-0 right before halftime, but they were able to come back in the second half and win 3-1. The second-half goals came from Ryan Farr ’25, Said El Eyssami ’26, and Leo Doyle ’25. “We put ourselves in a more difficult position than we would’ve wanted to in the game, but coming back to win put us in a position to go on and win the group with a win in the next game,” said Diego Green ’25.

The fourth and final game was the icing on the cake as the 19s were able to win 7-1 in the most dominant fashion against Mirage FC. The goals came from Said El Eyssami ’26, Leo Doyle ’25, Diogo Charraz ’25, Dowon Kim ’26, and Alex Derby ’26. “This game I enjoyed because the sun was out and it seemed we were just meant to win, which I feel the result reflected in the end,” Leo Doyle ’25.

Julianne Brochu ’25, one of the racers skiing at the NorAm. Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge.

Next week, a handful of FIS women will compete in the NorAm Cup Finals at Burke Mountain. NorAm races are one level below a World Cup, making them highly competitive. As NorAm Finals, these races are especially intense. The FIS women participating are Sydney Kuder ‘25, Arielle Haccoun-Choquette ‘25, Leanne Aubut-Laurin ‘26, and Julianne Brochu ’25.

Racing in NorAms is a pivotal step in a skier’s career. They provide exposure to a higher level of racing, offer low points to score, and winning a season’s NorAm Cup guarantees a World Cup start for the following season. All of these are reasons the FIS girls are super excited to race at Burke!

“I’m super excited to race with good competitors that I don’t usually race against. I’m also excited for the experience of racing at that level,” said Leanne Aubut-Laurin ‘26.

“I’m going there to have fun and experience a new type of race. I’m really excited for this next level of competition,” adds Arielle Haccoun-Choquette ‘25.

Though racing at NorAms is a great experience, they don’t come without challenges. First off, because of the high level of competition, starting positions are usually high. Unless your FIS points are in the 20s or 30s, which none of the FIS women at Northwood have, you should expect your start to be in the 50s and 60s. This brings challenges with course deterioration. Also, at the NorAm level, only the top 60 finishers in the first run are afforded a second run. Meaning, if you finish first run outside of the top 60, you have to sit in the lodge or go home. This is challenging because having two runs in a race offers practice racing, even if you don’t have the best results. Although there are challenges to NorAm racing, the Northwood FIS women are very excited to race at the NorAms at Burke. Tune into the FIS app and live timing to watch their results!