The Weekend’s Steaming Hot Schedule
Are you tuning in to the men’s and women’s Final Four this weekend?
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Dunk and Decaf: And Then There Were Four - Previewing the Men’s and Women’s Final Four
(11) NC State Wolfpack (26-14) vs. (1) Purdue Boilermakers (33-4); Saturday at 6:09 pm EST on TBS
What a crazy run it’s been for NC State. After losing four straight games to end the regular season the Wolfpack needed to win the ACC Tournament if they wanted a chance to keep playing in March. Well here we are - in April - and NC State has won nine straight games to earn a spot in the Final Four. Senior forward DJ Burns, who is coming off a 29-point game in the Elite 8 against Duke, has taken the basketball world by storm after leading his team to their first Final Four since 1983. Burns will have his hands full with Purdue center Zach Edey, who scored 40 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the Boilermakers Elite 8 win over Tennessee. The 7’4 center has been nothing but dominant this season. He ranks first in the nation with 25 PPG and third in the nation with 12.2 RPG. It’s been a while since Purdue made the Final Four as well, with their last trip coming in 1980.
(4) Alabama Crimson Tide (25-11) vs. (1) UConn Huskies (35-3); Saturday at 8:49 pm EST on TBS
The second matchup on Saturday pits Alabama against the juggernaut that is the UConn Huskies. The Huskies have won their first four tournament games by an average of 28 points and are seeking their second straight title game appearance. On a surprising note - the number one overall seed in the tournament has not won the national championship since Louisville in 2013 (which has since been vacated). Mark Sears and the Crimson Tide look to keep that streak going in Phoenix. Sears, who hit seven threes in Alabama’s win over Clemson in the Elite 8, is averaging 24 PPG in the tournament. Like Rolltide Willie in the video below, on Saturday night people in Alabama won’t care about anything but the Tide…
Moving onto women’s college basketball…
The Most Anticipated Women’s Final Four Ever
(3) NC State Wolfpack (31-6) vs. (1) South Carolina Gamecocks (36-0); Friday at 7 pm EST on ESPN/ESPN+
The NC State Wolfpack, who have both their basketball teams in the Final Four, will kick off the basketball weekend Friday night against the Gamecocks of South Carolina. The Wolfpack have put together an impressive tournament run on their way to the Final Four. Knocking off (14) Chattanooga, (6) Tennessee, (2) Stanford and (1) Texas. Aziaha James has stepped up her game in the tournament and is averaging 24.3 PPG after averaging 16.7 PPG during the regular season. To advance to the championship the Wolfpack will have to do what no team has been able to this year - beat South Carolina. The Gamecocks have only had one close game in the tournament, a four-point win over Indiana in the Sweet 16, and have handled their three other opponents. Playing in its sixth Final Four in the last nine tournaments South Carolina is looking to make it back to the title game after losing to Iowa in the 2023 Final Four. Speaking of Iowa…
(3) UConn Huskies (33-5) vs. (1) Iowa Hawkeyes (33-4); Friday at 9 pm EST on ESPN/ESPN+
Two of the biggest stars in the game, Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark, go head to head as the Huskies take on the Hawkeyes Friday night. This is a superb matchup for a few reasons. The game’s two biggest stars, Bueckers and Clark, were both five-star recruits coming out of high school. Bueckers was the number one overall recruit in the 2020 class while Clark was the fourth ranked recruit. While Clark was growing up it was her dream to play for UConn but she never ended up being recruited by the team - a major chip on her shoulder in Friday’s game. On the other side, Bueckers returned this season from an ACL injury that kept her out the entirety of last season. She’s turned it on in the tournament - averaging 28 PPG and recording three double-doubles in four games. Iowa’s Elite 8 matchup against LSU was the most-watched women’s basketball game of all time, and they could set another record against UConn Friday night. Check out all the records the Iowa vs. LSU game broke below ⬇️
Tune into Monday Sports Recapp for a breakdown of the men’s Final Four games and the women’s national championship, which takes place Sunday at 3 pm EST on ABC and ESPN.
Blue Line Brew: Struggling Panthers Head to Boston For a Date With the Bruins
Florida Panthers (48-24-5) vs. Boston Bruins (45-17-15); Saturday at 3:30 pm EST on ABC/ESPN+
With only two weeks left in the regular season, the Florida Panthers desperately look to turn things around when they take on the Boston Bruins Saturday afternoon. The Panthers, who are coming off a win Thursday against the Ottawa Senators, are 3-6-1 in their last ten games. They’ll need to bring it Saturday against the division-leading Bruins, who are 7-3 in their last ten games and one game behind the New York Rangers for first place in the Eastern Conference.
Coffee and Curveballs: A Texas Matchup Headlines the MLB Weekend
Houston Astros (2-5) vs. Texas Rangers (4-2); Sunday at 7 pm EST on ESPN
The Houston Astros head to Arlington for a rematch of the 2023 American League championship series with the Texas Rangers. The Astros have not gotten off to the start they wanted after getting swept by the Yankees last weekend. Despite the team’s struggles Jose Altuve has been playing well, batting .345 in seven games this season. Both teams are seeking a much-needed series win to prove their claim as Texas’ best.
Tune into Monday Sports Recapp for an update on VaynerSports athletes in the MLB.
Cappuccino Corner Kicks: EPL Leading Liverpool Heads to Old Trafford For Duel With Manchester United
Manchester United (15-3-12, 48 pts) vs. Liverpool (21-7-2, 70 pts); Sunday at 11:30 am EST on NBC
League-leading Liverpool heads to Old Trafford this weekend for a matchup with Manchester United. Heading into the weekend Liverpool holds a two-point lead over Arsenal in the EPL standings. Every game matters just a little bit more with a little under two months left in the season. While it has been a disappointing season for Manchester United, defeating the league leaders this late in the season must be some sort of a consolation prize for Man United.
Check out Sports Cappuccino’s new weekly newsletter, Soccer Recapp Wednesdays, for all the latest footy news!
Macchiato Mulligans: Masters Tune Up Tees Off In Texas
Jordan Spieth’s hole-in-one and fantastic play Friday morning has him in contention at the Valero Texas Open, but Akshay Bhatias’ 8-under 63 had him in the lead entering play on Friday. Of the other big names playing this weekend - Tommy Fleetwood, Rory McIlroy, and Max Homa are tied as of writing. Other players have work to do Friday if they want to make the cut come Saturday - Hideki Matsuyama, Matt Kuchar, and Adam Scott all currently sit below the cut line.
Latte Lore: This Week In Sports History
Golf: 1934 - The first Augusta National Invitation Tournament (Masters) is held. Horton Smith wins with a 20-foot birdie putt at the 17th hole.
Golf: 1958 - Arnold Palmer wins the first of his four Masters titles by one stroke, defeating Doug Ford and Fred Hawkins.
Hockey: 1987 - Wayne Gretzky wins his seventh straight NHL scoring title, scoring 62 goals on the season.
via On This Day
ICYMI - Sports Cappuccino Content from the Week
How does VaynerSports gamer Clix take his coffee?
What would your squad look like if you had $15 to build it?
Check back next week for more Sports Cappuccino content you may have missed!
Immaculate Iced Coffee
Do any VaynerSports athletes fit into this week’s Immaculate Grid? 🤔
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Until Monday … we’ll miss you a latte!