Caitlin Clark shined in her first game action since last July. (Photo: USAB)
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day and I hope you remembered to wear some green today.
Here in Indianapolis, it’s also 317 Day.
It’s a great time to be a sports fan. And it’s critical to have a fast internet connection and a sports package.
Just today, I went from watching the USA women’s basketball team to Pacers-Knicks, and then caught the World Baseball Classic championship game.
I’m not a big baseball guy, but I’ve found the WBC to be captivating (even if — spoiler alert — USA came up short to Venezuela). It all goes back to the pageantry, and how meaningful these games were for the players representing their home countries.
March Madness tips off this week — no, the First Four games don’t count — and the Noblesville Boom are back home. And don’t forget, the NCAA men’s final four will be held in Indy April 4-6.
All positive things to enjoy while the Pacers are in a down season. They suffered another loss Tuesday night…
The Pacers are scheduled to hold an open house for potential season-ticket holders on March 31. I expect there to be strong demand next season as fans are already looking forward to the return of Tyrese Haliburton, paired together with Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac for the first time.
Expansion is coming in the NBA. Shams Charania reported on Monday what had been privately discussed for years — the addition of two more teams: in Seattle and Las Vegas. More will be known following a Board of Governors meeting next week.
“I think most of us assumed it’s not a question of if, it’s when,” Rick Carlisle said in New York. “… I’m very certain that it’s all been looked into very carefully. If it’s what’s best for the game, it’ll happen.”
NBA announced the return of a global marketing partnership with Coca-Cola Company — and Sprite back as the league’s official soft drink, replacing Starry.
Trayce Jackson-Davis was assigned to Raptors 905 for another G League stint and, again, he produced: 22 points, nine rebounds, five assists in 34 minutes.
Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull plans to launch her beauty brand, Forta Cosmetics, on March 31. It’s been years in the works for the Stanford grad.
Negotiations for the WNBA are ongoing as league officials are now in week two with the players union inside a Manhattan hotel. They’re now a week past March 10 — the date the league threw out there as needed to finalize a deal so that lawyers could get to it, then work their way down the lengthy check list. First up will be an expansion draft for two teams without any players currently: Toronto and Portland.
Fever forward Brianna Turner is on the executive committee, serving as the treasurer. She’s been in Manhattan for negotiations.
“The W’s rising, so many people are turning to women’s sports, watching women’s sports, supporting women’s sports, buying merch from the games, the tickets, new media rights deals. So the WNBA is trending,” she said last Sept. “We don’t just wanna sit at the table, we wanna be at the head of the table. We wanna be there, our voices to be heard.”
Clark presented a watch by tournament organizers. (Photo: FIBA)
Clark returned to competitive action in a big way. She was presented with a Tissot watch late Tuesday as she was named Most Valuable Player of the FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament in San Juan.
It was announced after Puerto Rico defeated New Zealand in the final game of the tournament.
Clark played off the bench in all but one game, averaging 11.6 points and a tournament-best 6.4 assists per game while playing about 20 minutes per game. The coaches played her in multiple roles — off ball on the wing and also at point guard with the ball in her hand.
So just imagine how much better her numbers would be if she played 1) more minutes and 2) more possessions at point guard.
Nonetheless, it was very clear every time she checked in. Because you could hear it. There weren’t many fans in the stands, but those that were cheered especially loud for Clark — the latest example of her being The Needle.
All five games were also picked up by TNT Sports, airing on TruTV and HBO Max.
Team USA went 5-0 without much resistance, though Spain played them close throughout.
110-46 v Senegal
91-48 v Puerto Rico
93-59 v Italy
101-46 v New Zealand
84-70 v Spain
Caitlin Clark averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 assists per game. (Photo: USAB)
This was Clark’s first game action since suffering groin and ankle injuries last summer that kept her from returning. She returned to 100% after the Fever season ended in late September, and then she participated at USA camp in December. She detailed how it was a long, grueling road back.
More than that, it was Clark’s first time playing for USA Basketball’s Senior Team – so she had butterflies. She had been on several of their junior teams, but was passed on for the 2024 Olympics.
Kahleah Copper scored 20 points in their win over Spain — they’re now 12-0 all-time against Spain — and Clark added seven points, two rebounds, and seven assists in 23 minutes.
Fever General manager Amber Cox and athletic trainer Maria Witte were in San Juan to support Clark. I also saw her dad, Brent Clark, in the stands.
Cox tweeted: “A fun few days in San Juan watching CC, Steph and Team USA compete. What a talented group! Incredibly happy for CC – she worked her tail off to get back on the court!”
FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup@FIBAWWC
Second MVP award at only 24. Caitlin Clark, you’re an incredible hooper. 🇺🇸
#FIBAWWC x #WeOwnTheGame
1:54 AM · Mar 18, 2026 · 1.35K Views
3 Replies · 78 Reposts · 181 Likes
This is a week to remember for Clark, for many reasons. And just the beginning of what should be a decorated career with USA Basketball.
That’s a new Pacers franchise record.
A new record of 13 was set earlier this season, going without a win from Dec. 12 to Jan. 8. It was a while for Carlisle to wait for a memorable win, No. 1000 for his NBA coaching career.
But now it’s worse.
Their last win was the final game before All-Star break in Brooklyn. On the second night of a back-to-back they piled up two straight wins in New York — first defeating the Knicks in overtime, followed by the Nets.
That was back on Feb. 11, five weeks ago. So during two stretches, the Pacers have gone more than nine weeks combined without a victory, which is not easy on anyone. With less than one month left in this season — one nobody will want to experience again — it’s imperative that the Pacers preach about the standard, still hold each other accountable, and continue to play hard until the end.
It will not be easy to stay focused, but these are not meaningless games, especially for those on the fringe of the rotation. Every game rep matters, as does every minute.
Losing isn’t fun or easy, so it’s also important for them to keep it light during this dark period where all eyes are already on the important draft lottery on May 10.
The Pacers have plummeted to the bottom of the league standings, now 15-54 with 13 games remaining.
Ben Stiller@BenStiller
Look forward to full strength Indiana next year
1:45 AM · Mar 18, 2026 · 15.6K Views
41 Replies · 18 Reposts · 401 Likes
Jenny Boucek@jboucek
@BenStiller We will be back
2:15 AM · Mar 18, 2026 · 972 Views
2 Replies · 13 Reposts · 57 Likes
The Pacers were competitive for two quarters against the Knicks, but struggled in taking care of the ball, protecting the paint, and getting stops.
“They played a championship-caliber game tonight,” Carlisle said postgame. “They were dominant on the boards, they were dominant shooting the ball, they were dominant in the ball security department.
“We didn’t play with enough presence to get them out of any rhythm at all.”
The Pacers were outscored 22-13 to begin the second half. Falling behind by 17 points with 6:23 left in the third quarter, Carlisle made a full lineup change.
Point guard T.J. McConnell, who has started in the last two games, recorded his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 assists. He was one of six Pacers in double figures, highlighted by 16 points from Jarace Walker and 15 points in 18 minutes from New York native Obi Toppin.
Toppin will be on a minutes restriction the rest of this season, kept to about 18 per game.
Wednesday will be the final game of difficult stretch of five games in seven days — and includes two sets of back-to-backs. The Portland Trail Blazers (33-36) have split their last eight games. They’re already in Indianapolis after handling Brooklyn on Monday 114-95.
He has been out of sight, away from cameras for the last month after being diagnosed with shingles during the All-Star break. Haliburton is on the trip, so he was back in Milwaukee on Monday.
However, he has not returned to his usual position on the bench.
Having shingles is truly a pain. Something that inevitably has impacted his recovery, though he wasn’t planning to play until next September anyway.
Ralph Reiff, a longtime athletic trainer in central Indianapolis who most recently oversaw Butler University sports athletic training, passed along a story he wrote about the potential connection — “why rehabilitation creates immune vulnerability.”
The Psychological Stress Dimension…
This is the most underappreciated factor in athletic immune health. Research consistently identifies psychological stress as a primary trigger for virus reactivation — independent of physical stressors.
Loss of identity, role, and team participation is a documented psychological stressor in elite sport
The anxiety of return-to-play uncertainty elevates hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity, chronically elevating cortisol.
Players on two-way contracts may be active for up to 50 games. To be clear, it’s being designated as active — and not whether they play or not.
They have 13 games left after playing in New York. Jalen Slawson was active.
I enjoyed this commentary from Kyle Brandt on NFL Network. He’s exactly right — whether it’s an athlete, co-worker, or server at a restaurant, saying one’s name correctly is important.
But too often, athletes in particular get tired of correcting so they just let it be.
Kyle Brandt@KyleBrandt
Your name is sacred. Protect it and ask people to speak it properly.
2:26 PM · Mar 16, 2026 · 2.19M Views
406 Replies · 2.51K Reposts · 22.3K Likes
A name is sacred; it’s important. It matters. And it is a respect thing.
When I’m calling games, the No. 1 thing to me — other than time and score — is getting the names right. Because it matters and they deserve it.