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A ton of dominoes fell on the first weekof the NFL’s free agency period, with dozens of big names finding new homes or new deals with their current clubs. But there are still a lot of good players available as we gear up for the end of the first week of major activity.

Quarterback is the NFL’s marquee position, so it makes sense to review what transpired at that position earlier this week. Justin Fields, after deciding to test free agency despite the Steelers’ attempts to re-sign him, agreed to a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Jets that includes $30 million guaranteed. Fields will get another chance to be a starting quarterback after going 4-2 as the Steelers’ starter in 2024.

Shortly after Fields landed with the Jets, the Seattle Seahawks signed Sam Darnold to a three-year, $100.5 million deal just days after trading former Pro Bowler Geno Smith to the Las Vegas Raiders. Like Fields, Darnold will get another opportunity to lead an offense after helping lead the Vikings to a 14-3 record this past season. A few others got opportunities to compete, including Daniel Jones with the Indianapolis Colts and Kenny Pickett with the Cleveland Browns.

2025 NFL free agency tracker: Updates on top 100 free agents, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs among best available
Cody Benjamin
2025 NFL free agency tracker: Updates on top 100 free agents, Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs among best available
By the way, Aaron Rodgers is still available.

Now here’s a look at 10 of the top players who are still available. It should be noted that the following ranking is not solely about talent; it’s also about market demand and the position they play.

1. Aaron Rodgers, QB
   Rodgers might not the best player still available, but he is a future Hall of Famer who plays the most important position in all of sports, so him taking the top spot was kind of a no-brainer.

It appears that the Steelers have the inside track at landing Rodgers after missing out on Fields. But the Giants (who re-signed receiver Darius Slayton on Monday) are also still in the mix. There are rumblings that Rodgers’ third NFL team will be revealed at some point on Tuesday.

2. Russell Wilson, QB
   Like Rodgers, Wilson is probably not the second-best player still available. But he is possible future Hall of Fame quarterback who was named to his 10th Pro Bowl in 2024.

At this point, it appears that Wilson will sign with whoever doesn’t land Rodgers. That could mean a return to Pittsburgh for the 2025 season. A dark horse candidate for both Rodgers and Wilson is the Vikings after Minnesota watched Darnold leave for Seattle.

3. Cam Robinson, OT
   The best offensive tackle left on the market. He’s on the better side of 30 (29 years old). For the Jaguars and Vikings last season, he played 999 offensive snaps, allowed seven sacks and seven quarterback hits while recording a 70.4 pass blocking grade from PFF.
4. Teven Jenkins, OG
   Like former teammate and 2021 draft classmate Fields, Jenkins is hoping to revive his career with a new team after things didn’t necessarily pan out in Chicago. Like Becton, Jenkins’ play has improved after transitioning from tackle to guard. He’s also young (27) and already has 40 starts under his belt.
5. Rasul Douglas, CB
   Several defensive backs reportedly found new teams on Monday, but Douglas is still available. Arguably the best cornerback still available, Douglas’ career so far includes a Super Bowl win with the Eagles (in 2017, his rookie season) and a year that saw him record a league-best two interceptions returns for scores (in 2021 as a member of the Packers. Douglas is a good fit for teams that like to play zone.
6. Amari Cooper, WR
   He might be getting older, and he didn’t exactly light up the stat sheet after joining the Buffalo Bills halfway through 2024, but Cooper is a proven route-runner who’s still got the wherewithal to be a solid starter.
7. Asante Samuel Jr., CB
   Injuries took a toll on his 2024 season, and before that, Samuel was a hit-or-miss type of cover man. He’s still just 25, though, and flashed big-play ability over four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.
8. Azeez Ojulari, EDGE
   The former second-rounder hasn’t necessarily taken major leaps since an eight-sack debut in 2021, but the Giants prospect is only 24, and NFL teams can always use added pass-rushing help.
9. Stefon Diggs, WR
   Like Cooper, another former Bills wideout, Diggs is aging at 31, and he’s also coming off a serious knee injury. But he remains a feisty possession target when healthy, very capable of manning a top job.
10. Justin Simmons, S
    Simmons isn’t an All-Pro safety like he was in Denver but started all 16 games he played for the Falcons and had 62 tackles, two interceptions, and two passes defended. He allowed five pass touchdowns and an 83.6 passer rating in coverage last season.

NFL free agency has gone by in a blur, as many of the top free agents agreed to terms immediately when the legal tampering period began March 10. Once the new league year began March 12, pen was put to paper and the top free agents were immediately off the board.

This free agency class wasn’t great by any means, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t good players available. Teams can still make good moves during the second wave of free agency and the third wave after the draft. There are still plenty of moves to be made, and good players can still be released and become available. Teams are waiting patiently this free agent cycle to make the right move.

Which free agents are the best remaining at every position? Are there still good players at certain positions to be had? Of course some positions have stronger players remaining than others, but that’s how free agency works. Plenty of offensive and defensive linemen were off the board quickly this offseason as teams heavily invested in the trenches.

These are the best free agents remaining at every position:

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The Atlanta Falcons are going to continue paying Kirk Cousins, for now anyway. The Falcons will not be releasing Cousins ahead of a 4 p.m. ET roster deadline on Saturday that ensures the veteran quarterback will receive a $10 million roster bonus in 2026 from Atlanta, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones confirms (first reported by ESPN).

Cousins still has three years remaining on a four-year, $180 million deal from last season. The Falcons have $155 million in total dollars remaining on the deal but can get out of the deal after 2026. Cousins has a guaranteed salary $27.5 million for 2025 and a prorated signing bonus of $12.5 million — making his cap number $40 million.

Teams were hoping the Falcons would release Cousins prior to this roster deadline, but Cousins carries $65 million in dead cap as a pre-June 1 cut. The dead cap is $40 million if Cousins is designated as a post-June 1 cut. The Falcons could still trade Cousins if they can find a trade partner, but if he is released — the $10 million roster bonus for 2026 would still be paid.

Cousins was benched late last season in favor of Michael Penix Jr., who the Falcons surprisingly selected in the first round of the draft the same year they signed Cousins to his mega deal. In Cousins’ final five starts last season, he completed 62.7% of his passes with just one touchdown to nine interceptions. The Falcons went 1-4 in those starts.

Cousins threw for 3,508 yards last season with 18 touchdowns to 16 interceptions and an 88.6 passer rating. His 16 interceptions were tied for the league lead.

If the Falcons are going to move on from Cousins, they have more time to find a trade partner with the roster bonus being paid. The intent always was to keep Cousins past this deadline.

With 57.1 seconds remaining in Game 2 of the Los Angeles Lakers’ first-round loss to the Denver Nuggets, LeBron James was called for a critical foul on a Jamal Murray miss that sent the young star guard to the free-throw line with a chance to tie the game. The contact certainly appeared marginal on first viewing, and though the Last Two Minute report would later confirm that it was indeed a foul, there would have been hardly any downside to challenging the call. The Lakers had two timeouts left, and even if they had lost the challenge, the time it would have taken for the officials to review the play would have given an exhausted, older Lakers team playing at altitude some badly-needed rest.

Darvin Ham, having already overseen the loss of a 20-point second-half lead with minimal adjustments, did nothing. Murray sank the free throws. Denver won at the buzzer. A golden opportunity to seize home-court advantage against an opponent that had so thoroughly dominated the Lakers during his coaching tenure slipped through his fingers. Despite leading for much of the series, the Lakers ultimately fell to the reigning champs in Game 5, 108-106, losing the series 4-1.

The moment was, in many ways, a microcosm of Ham’s second year coaching the Lakers. This was a season bathed in “what if’s.” Almost every supporting player dealt with injuries at some point. The front office supplied Ham with no reliable two-way players aside from the two cornerstones, James and Anthony Davis. The In-Season Tournament seemed to sap the team of energy for a month.

Truthfully, the roster might have been too flawed to ever seriously compete for a championship. If nothing else, it’s hard to imagine any world in which this collection of players could ever beat the Nuggets in a seven-game series regardless of who was coaching them. But Ham didn’t exactly help matters with his rejection of what so often felt like common sense solutions to this team’s problems.

On a macro level, it was his rejection of what worked on the way to last year’s Western Conference Finals that doomed the early season. Rui Hachimura was probably the fourth-best Laker during that 2023 playoff run. When the front office re-signed him to an expensive three-year deal, it was under the assumption that he would hold a significant role in his first full season with the team. Sure enough, with Jarred Vanderbilt injured, a starting spot at forward was seemingly available.

Hachimura played less than 15 minutes on opening night. Ham chose free-agent signee Taurean Prince, a player he briefly crossed over with in Atlanta, for the starting role. Ham’s affection for players he coached before arriving in Los Angeles was a sticking point for at least one other player.

When D’Angelo Russell struggled to gain a footing in Los Angeles, he felt the presence of Dennis Schroder, another former Hawk from Ham’s Atlanta days, was a reason why. “His relationship with Darvin is the reason I couldn’t have a relationship with Darvin,” he told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin in a March profile.

Prince was miscast as a starter, and that became a running point of frustration for Laker fans. They won their first 13 games in which Prince played fewer than 25 minutes and ultimately finished the season 25-7 under such circumstances compared to 19-26 when he played 25 or more minutes. Yet Prince held onto his starting position even upon Vanderbilt’s return. With him back in the fold, the Lakers had all of the necessary components for their best unit.

The James-Davis-Russell-Vanderbilt-Austin Reaves fivesome, which started down the stretch and into the playoffs last season, outscored opponents by 37 points in 77 regular-season minutes and nine in 177 playoff minutes. The sample was small, but the fit was basic. Vanderbilt could pick up tough defensive assignments so Reaves and Russell wouldn’t have to. Russell and Reaves provided enough supplementary shooting and playmaking to cover for Vanderbilt offensively.

That lineup played only 32 total minutes together during the 2023-24 season without ever starting a single game. It still had the second-highest plus-minus of any Laker lineup on the season at +27. Which lineup finished No. 1? The four opening night starters… with Hachimura. Ham didn’t start that group together until Feb. 1. It went 18-6 down the stretch.

You can find smaller-scale but thematically similar mistakes across any number of individual games. A December loss to the Mavericks, for instance, was decided on Ham’s utter refusal to guard Dante Exum. The journeyman wing attempted nine 3-pointers in that game. He didn’t take more than five in any other game this season. Yet eight of those shots were considered wide-open by NBA.com tracking data. He made seven. Dallas won by two.

Losses like that wore on the team, and so did the lineup changes that followed them. In January, The Athletic reported that there was “a deepening disconnect between Ham and the Lakers locker room.” James has, at least on one occasion, admitted to overruling his coach on a strategic matter.

“We had switching built in vs. Kawhi and versus James [Harden] and whatever the case may be and I vetoed it in the second half,” he said after a key March win over the Clippers on Mind the Game, his podcast with JJ Redick. James did indeed guard Leonard down the stretch. Davis did not name his coaches directly, but seemingly made a subtle jab at them after Game 2 when he said “we have stretches where we don’t know what we’re doing on both ends of the floor.” Ham felt the need to defend his coaching staff after that defeat, in direct response to what Davis said.

None of this is meant to deny the difficulty of the job Ham was tasked with performing. James has had eight head coaches across 21 NBA seasons. He’s a demanding player, and his very presence invites pressure. The roster Rob Pelinka constructed was enormously flawed. Most of the players it included were highly specialized to either offense or defense. A desperate attempt to achieve balance informed so many of Ham’s early-season lineup decisions before he finally just embraced the all-offense nature of his roster.

Scouting is typically a strength for this front office. The decision to use the No. 17 overall pick to select Jalen Hood-Schifino, a project point guard for a roster not exactly lacking in ball-handling, was puzzling in the moment. Now, 10 months later, it looks like a borderline disaster. The next three picks were Jaime Jaquez Jr., Brandin Podziemski and Cam Whitmore. All three are All-Rookie candidates at positions of greater need. Pelinka didn’t put Ham in a position to succeed.

And that’s one of the biggest reasons Ham may, and probably will, return for a third season. There’s a human element to these decisions that tends to supersede the best interests of the team. The stakeholders who would have to decide to fire Ham are also the ones who hired him. You only get so many coaching changes as a front office before ownership starts wondering what you’re up to. The Russell Westbrook trade was suggested by James and executed by Pelinka. They both survived Westbrook’s Lakers tenure. Former head coach Frank Vogel did not. It becomes a lot harder to pin that deal’s failure on Vogel when the results remain disappointing after he’s gone.

There’s plenty of blame to go around this season, and there’s even more that needs to be fixed going into the next one. This is not a championship-caliber roster. But the year they just had indicates that they likely don’t have a championship-caliber coach either. Maybe Ham could grow into one.

“Maybes” aren’t good enough when James is about to enter his age-40 season. Fixing the roster is a delicate process that the Lakers have limited control over. They can’t force another team to trade them the right players. But a a coaching change is within their own power. If Ham has another season like this one, the Lakers won’t be competing for anything next spring. A coaching upgrade wouldn’t fix everything wrong with this team, but it would hopefully at least address the sort of basic mistakes that held the Lakers back all season. That may not be enough to make them champions again, but it would be better than the first-round exit they just endured.

The NBA playoffs are underway, and the action has never been hotter. On Monday, the Thunder eliminated the Pelicans with with a 4-0 sweep. The Celtics also took a commanding 3-1 lead over the Heat. And to close out the night, the Nuggets sent the Lakers home packing for a second consecutive season.

Before that, Sunday gave us our first elimination as the Timberwolves completed the 4-0 sweep of the Suns to notch their first playoff series win in 20 years. It was a 122-116 victory that remained tight until the very end. Prior to that, the Mavericks tied the largest comeback in NBA playoffs history when they erased the Clippers’ 31-point advantage and briefly held the lead late in the fourth quarter. But that was as close as they would get. Paul George sizzled in the first half and finished with 33 points, James Harden added 33 and Los Angeles pulled out a 116-11 win to tie the series 2-2. Jalen Brunson got the playoff party started on Sunday, and scored 47 points to set a franchise playoff record as the Knicks held on for a 97-92 win in Philadelphia to take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Sixers.

Then, the Pacers took a 3-1 lead over the Bucks with a 126-113 victory. In doing so, Indiana has pushed the injury-riddled Bucks to the brink of elimination.

Previously, on Saturday, the Magic overcame a 2-0 series hole to tie things up at 2-2 with a 112-89 win over the Cavaliers. Then, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a commanding 3-0 series lead over New Orleans, while the Celtics jumped ahead to 2-1 over the Heat. To close out Saturday, the Lakers finally got a win over the Nuggets to avoid a sweep.

The first round of these NBA playoffs will run through May 5. Here’s how CBS Sports experts are picking their brackets.

Monday’s playoff games
Game 4: Celtics 102, Heat 88 (BOS leads 3-1) — Recap
Game 4: Thunder 97, Pelicans 89 (OKC wins series 4-0) — Recap
Game 5: Nuggets 108, Lakers 106 (DEN wins series 4-1) — Recap
Below is a look at the complete playoff bracket. You can see the full playoff schedule here.

For the second time in a first-round series that is now over, Jamal Murray has hit a game-winning jumper — this one to send the Los Angeles Lakers home for the summer and the Denver Nuggets into the second round with a 108-106 victory in Game 5 on Monday.

Denver, who moves on to play the second-seeded Timberwolves, officially wins the series 4-1, but it was a much closer game than that tally would indicate.

After LeBron James knocked down a pair of free throws to tie the game with 26 seconds remaining, Murray went to work off a high ball screen from Nikola Jokic that got him going downhill to his left. He planted just inside the free-throw line and faded slightly to create space. That was all he needed. Bottoms.

JAMAL MURRAY CAME UP CLUTCH AGAIN FOR THE NUGGETS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/DDqgg3C3KT

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 30, 2024
Murray, who was a game-time decision with a calf strain, was extraordinary all night. He finished with 32 points and seven assists. He made five of his 10 3-pointers. He scored 12 fourth-quarter points, including nine within the final four minutes. There is not a more clutch basketball player in the world than Murray. If you feel like arguing that, you haven’t been watching. He’s been at this for quite a while now.

“For Jamal to add to his playoff lore by having two game winners in a series, it’s just incredible,” said Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who noted that he had the “utmost confidence” in Murray and Jokic working their patented two-man action on the final possession, which is why he elected not to call a timeout.

“The kid’s a warrior,” Malone continued in praise of Murray. “I can’t say enough good things about Jamal Murray. The bigger the moment, the kid just continues to shine. I’m proud of him. [He’s] one tough cookie.”

If you need a refresher on what Murray did to the Lakers in Game 2, here you go:

Jamal Murray ended Game 2 in THRILLING fashion with the #TissotBuzzerBeater 🔥

DEN seeks a 3-0 series lead tonight at 10pm/et on TNT 🍿 pic.twitter.com/URwaN5nuVl

— NBA (@NBA) April 25, 2024
Murray is the fourth player in NBA history to hit two go-ahead shots inside the final five seconds in the same postseason. He is the only player to do so in the same series. He’ll have at least one more round, versus the aforementioned Timberwolves, to become the only player to make three game-winners in a single postseason.

It’s an unlikely feat, but I wouldn’t put it past him. There has never been another player like Murray, who goes from a good regular-season player to an all-time great in the playoffs.

Yes, I’m saying that. Murray qualifies as an all-time great postseason performer. That shouldn’t even be a controversial statement.

For his career, Murray, who has never made an All-Star team, averages 17.5 points per game in the regular season. In the postseason, that numbers rockets up to 24.8 PPG. That is an extreme scoring leap, and potentially one of the biggest in history. Simply put, this is the definition of a big-stage performer.

Murray, of course, could do more in the regular season if he needed to. The Nuggets are just so well oiled and Jokic is so great that the necessity isn’t there. In the playoffs, where shot creation becomes an even more important attribute, Murray becomes the late-game go-to guy even with a probably soon-to-be three-time MVP beside him. That’s how great he is.

Again, if you’ve been watching Murray throughout his career, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. But if you haven’t, well, now you know. Jamal Murray is a stone-cold killer.

The Final Four’s first game will see No. 1 seed Purdue continue its quest for its first trip to the national title game since 1969 when it face off against No. 11 seed NC State in Glendale, Arizona on Saturday. The winner of this game will have a date with the winner of No. 1 UConn-No. 4 Alabama on Monday.

Purdue’s road to the Final Four started with a win over No. 16 seed Grambling State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Boilermakers followed up that performance with a statement win over No. 8 Utah State in the second round before knocking off No. 5 seed Gonzaga and No. 2 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively. Purdue is making its first Final Four appearance since 1980 and third all-time.

NC State’s road to the final weekend of the college basketball season has been quite different. The Wolfpack have won nine consecutive elimination games dating back to last month’s ACC Tournament to advance. NC State fired off wins over No. 6 Texas Tech, No. 14 Oakland, No. 2 Marquette, and No. 2 Duke to advance out of the South Region.

Wolfpack star big man DJ Burns Jr. has become a March Madness icon. Burns is coming off his best performance of the season with 29 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in the win over the Blue Devils. The Wolfpack last reached the Final Four in 1983 — the same year as their last national championship.

Follow along with LIVE UPDATES as Purdue battles NC State in the 2024 Final Four.

Purdue vs. NC State: Need to know
Purdue seeks redemption: Last spring, Purdue was on the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets in NCAA Tournament history. The Boilermakers lost to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed and are two games away from writing a similar redemption script as Virginia — the only other team to lose to a No. 16 seed in NCAA Tournament history. The year after Virginia lost to No. 16 seed UMBC, they captured the national title. Purdue star big man Zach Edey elected to return to school for another season, and he is on the verge of capturing his second consecutive National Player of the Year award. Edey is the key to a Purdue victory.

NC State’s improbable run: NC State’s run to the Final Four started with a win over Louisville in the opening round of the ACC Tournament. The Wolfpack went on to win five games in five days to capture the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament from the ACC. In the ACC semifinals against Virginia, NC State guard Michael O’Connell hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game to overtime to keep his team’s season alive. If it wasn’t for that win, NC State likely get sent to the NIT, and coach Kevin Keatts goes into the offseason on the hot seat. Now, they’re two games away from completing the most improbable run in the history of this tournament.

Edey vs. Burns: The must-watch matchup on Saturday is the battle of centers. Edey is on pace to finish with historic stats from the NCAA Tournament. If anyone is going to slow him down, it’s Burns. Purdue is one of the top 3-point shooting teams, but they rely on post-touches to Edey to get the offense going. When the defense collapses on Edey, it often leads to wide-open 3-pointers — hence why Purdue shoots the ball from deep at such a high clip.

How to watch Purdue vs. NC State live
Date: Saturday, April 6 | Time: 6:09 p.m. ET
Location: State Farm Stadium — Glendale, Arizona
TV: TBS, TNT, truTV | Live stream: March Madness Live

Purdue vs. NC State prediction, picks
Odds via SportsLine consensus

Purdue and UConn are on a collision course to face each other in the national title game. NC State has been on a historic run, and Burns has already etched his name into March Madness immorality, but all good runs end. Purdue’s offense can beat you in so many ways. The Boilermakers have the second-largest rebounding margin (+10.7) and commit the 20th-fewest fouls (14.4). Purdue will feed Edey and advance to its first national championship game since 1969 with a statement performance on the biggest stage in the sport. Prediction: Purdue -9

The No. 3 seed Creighton Bluejays and the No. 14 seed Akron Zips battle in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Thursday. The Zips have won three straight en route to a 62-61 win over Kent State to secure the MAC Championship. Meanwhile, Creighton was upset in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament. On March 14, Providence beat the Bluejays 78-73.

Tipoff from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh is set for 1:30 p.m. ET. The Bluejays are 12-point favorites in the latest Akron vs. Creighton odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 142.5. Before making any Creighton vs. Akron picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Creighton vs. Akron. You can head to SportsLine now to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Akron vs. Creighton:

Creighton vs. Akron spread: Bluejays -12
Creighton vs. Akron over/under: 142.5 points
Creighton vs. Akron money line: Bluejays -794, Zips +535
AKR: Akron has hit the team total Under in 12 of its last 19 games
CREI: Creighton has hit the team total Over in 19 of its last 35 games
Creighton vs. Akron picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Creighton can cover
Senior guard Baylor Scheierman is a smooth scorer who owns a reliable perimeter shot and has the range for step-back jumpers. The Nebraska native averages a team-high 18.4 points with nine rebounds and four assists per game. On March 2, Scheierman tallied 26 points and 16 rebounds.

Senior center Ryan Kalkbrenner is a lengthy and effective player in the paint. Kalkbrenner has a soft touch around the rim and in the mid-range area. He logged 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while knocking down 65% of his shots from the field. In the loss to Providence, Kalkbrenner stuffed the stat sheet with 19 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. See which team to pick at SportsLine.

Why Akron can cover
Senior forward Enrique Freeman is an explosive playmaker in the frontcourt. Freeman soars high for easy dunks and piles up rebounds. The Ohio native leads the team in points (18.6), rebounds (12.9) and blocks (1.8) per game. On March 15 against Ohio, Freeman finished with 24 points, 21 boards and seven blocks.

Senior guard Ali Ali is an additional scoring threat. Ali owns the speed and finesse to get around the basket consistently. He is putting up 15.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per contest. Ali racked up 18 points, five rebounds and five assists in his last outing. He’s scored at least 17 points in three of the last six games. See which team to pick at SportsLine.

How to make Akron vs. Creighton picks
The model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 138 points. It also says one side of the spread hits well over 70% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

Teams with vastly different postseason histories clash when the 15th-seeded Long Beach State Beach take on the second-seeded Arizona Wildcats in a 2024 NCAA Tournament West Region first-round matchup on Thursday. Long Beach State (21-14), who won the Big West Conference Tournament championship, will be making its 10th appearance in the event, but first since 2012. The Wildcats (25-8), who won the Pac-12 regular-season title, are making their 38th NCAA Tournament appearance and ninth since 2013. The Wildcats are 58-36 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, while Long Beach State is 7-10. Arizona leads the all-time series 8-0, and has won each game by 15 points or more.

Tip-off from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City is set for 2 p.m. ET. The Wildcats are 20-point favorites in the latest Long Beach State vs. Arizona odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 163.5. Before making any Arizona vs. Long Beach State picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA Tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Long Beach State vs. Arizona and just locked in its picks and March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Arizona vs. Long Beach State:

Long Beach State vs. Arizona spread: Arizona -20
Long Beach State vs. Arizona over/under: 163.5 points
Long Beach State vs. Arizona money line: Long Beach State +1270, Arizona -2620
LBSU: The Beach have hit the money line in 18 of their last 30 games (+11.00 units)
ARIZ: The Wildcats have covered the spread in 21 of their last 33 games (+7.80 units)
Long Beach State vs. Arizona picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Arizona can cover
The Wildcats have four players averaging double-digit scoring, led by senior guard Caleb Love. In his first season at Arizona after spending three years at North Carolina, he has scored 10 or more points 30 times, and 20 or more 14 times, including a season-high 36 in an 87-78 win over Oregon on Jan. 27. In 33 games, all starts, he is averaging 18.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 32 minutes.

Also helping power Arizona is senior center Oumar Ballo. In 33 games, all starts, he is averaging 13.1 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 25.9 minutes. He has 18 double-doubles on the year, including two in the Pac-12 Tournament. He scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a 67-59 semifinal loss to Oregon on Friday. He had 10 points and 13 boards in a 70-49 win over USC in the Pac-12 quarterfinals. See which team to pick here.

Why Long Beach State can cover
The Beach have been on a roll this past week, sweeping through the Big West Tournament. Senior guard Marcus Tsohonis is a big reason why as he poured in 25 points, added four assists, three rebounds and two steals in the 74-70 win over UC Davis in Saturday’s title game. He had 15 points in the 83-79 win over UC Irvine in the semifinals and had 19 before fouling out in the 86-67 quarterfinal victory over UC Riverside. In 30 games, including 26 starts, he is averaging 17.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 29.1 minutes.

Junior guard Jadon Jones enters the NCAA Tournament as Long Beach State’s second-leading scorer at 12.2 points per game. In 33 games, including 28 starts, Jones also averages 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.7 assists and one block in 30.2 minutes. He is connecting on 42.3% of his field goals, including 37.9% from 3-point range and 84.9% at the foul line. See which team to pick here.

How to make Arizona vs. Long Beach State picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Under on the point total, projecting 157 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that cashes in nearly 60% of simulations. You can only get the model’s pick at SportsLine.

A first-round matchup in the 2024 NCAA Tournament has the No. 9 seed Michigan State Spartans and the No. 8 seed Mississippi State Bulldogs squaring off on Thursday. The Bulldogs have made the tournament 12 times in school history. On the other side, Michigan State has made the tournament 26 years in a row.

Tipoff from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte is set for 12:15 p.m. ET. The Spartans are 1-point favorites in the latest Michigan State vs. Mississippi State odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 130.5. Before making any Mississippi State vs. Michigan State picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s proven model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Michigan State vs. Mississippi State. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Mississippi State vs. Michigan State:

Michigan State vs. Mississippi State spread: Spartans -1
Michigan State vs. Mississippi State over/under: 130.5 points
Michigan State vs. Mississippi State money line: Spartans -121, Bulldogs +100
MSU: Michigan State has hit the team total Under in 21 of their last 35 games
MSST: Mississippi State has hit the 1H game total Under in 18 of their last 30 games
Michigan State vs. Mississippi State picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Michigan State can cover
Senior forward Malik Hall is an all-around player for the Spartans. Hall scores by attacking the basket while putting a lot of energy into defense and rebounding. The Illinois native averages 12.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. In his last matchup, Hall racked up 12 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.

Senior A.J. Hoggard is an aggressive and energetic guard in the backcourt. Hoggard excels at driving to the basket and plays feisty defense. The Pennsylvania native averages 11 points, three rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. On Mar. 14 against Minnesota, Hoggard finished with 17 points and six assists. See which team to pick at SportsLine.

Why Mississippi State can cover
Freshman guard Josh Hubbard is a creative shot creator with a nice shooting touch on multiple spots on the court. The Mississippi native is putting up a team-best 17.1 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He’s scored 20-plus points in seven of his last eight games. In the second round of the SEC Tournament, Hubbard totaled 24 points and two assists.

Senior forward Tolu Smith provides the Bulldogs with a force in the frontcourt. Smith scores from the low post with ease and uses his size to create space for rebounds. The Mississippi native logs 15.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and shoots 56% from the field. In his last outing, Smith had 10 points and 10 rebounds. See which team to pick at SportsLine.

How to make Mississippi State vs. Michigan State picks
The model is leaning Over on the total, projecting the teams to combine for 138 points. It also says one side of the spread nearly 60% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.