2024 Masters expert picks; the latest on Giannis’ injury; Tara VanDerveer retires

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🏌 Good morning to everyone but especially …

GOLF FANS EVERYWHERE

‘Twas the day before the Masters, and all throughout CBS Sports, our staff is pumping out rankings, and picks, and, oh, so much more.

OK, so rhyming isn’t my thing. But the Masters is, and the next time I talk to you, the tournament will be underway, so make sure you know how to watch.

Let’s get groups and tee times out of the way first, so you know when and who to watch, too. Here are some of the best (all times ET):

• 10:18 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Will Zalatoris, Justin Thomas
• 10:30 a.m. — Jon Rahm, Matt Fitzpatrick, Nick Dunlap 
• 10:42 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele
• 1:24 p.m. — Tiger Woods, Jason Day, Max Homa
• 1:48 p.m. — Jordan Spieth, Ludvig Aberg, Sahith Theegala
• 2 p.m. — Dustin Johnson, Collin Morikawa, Tommy Fleetwood

One player I haven’t discussed yet? The enigmatic Brooks Koepka. He has five majors, but none at Augusta. He’s been runner-up twice, though: in 2019 and 2023. Is this the year? Kyle Porter puts Koepka fourth in his ranking the field, 1-89.

• Porter: “The safest thing here is to presume that, if he’s physically and mentally healthy (which he appears to be), he’s going to contend for what would be major win No. 6 … I’m not sure it’s even worth looking at how he’s playing going into the week as he only has one top 10 so far this year. He’s probably the only player this can be said about, or at least the only one where it’s actually true.”

So, who’s winning? Our expert picks are in, and Patrick McDonald is going with …

• McDonald: “Winner — Xander Schauffele (16-1): I’ve done the mental gymnastics and concluded that losing The Players Championship was the best thing to happen to Schauffele’s Masters chances. His new swing was put under the microscope at TPC Sawgrass, and we identified what his misses were when under the gun. That experience should pay dividends this week as he has statistically been the second-best player in the world this season and has plenty of history around Augusta National with a couple of close calls.”

So read all of our preview content, make your picks and get some sleep. Tomorrow, we lock in for four days of great golf.

👍 Honorable mentions

• Klay Thompson wants to stay with the Warriors.
• Draymond Green was 5 of 5 from beyond the arc, and the Warriors made 26 as a team.
• Karl-Anthony Towns has been cleared for full contact.
• Sonny Gray threw five scoreless innings in his Cardinals debut.
• Logan Ryan retired.
• Damien Martinez entered the transfer portal. So did Bear Alexander.
• The Hornets will interview Lindsey Harding and Jay Larranaga for their head coach opening.

🤕 And not such a good morning for …

GIANNIS ANTETOKOUNMPO AND THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS

The slumping Bucks were desperately looking for something — anything — to right the ship. But even in a 104-91 win over the league-best Celtics, Milwaukee suffered a loss greater than any game result.

Giannis Antetokounmpo left after a non-contact injury and did not return due to a left calf strain. He’ll have an MRI to determine the severity of the injury.

With a tight Eastern Conference standings and the playoffs just 10 days away, the Bucks and Antetokounmpo are racing against the clock. They only need to look to last year’s first round, when Antetokounmpo missed two games and the top-seeded Bucks lost to the Heat in five games. The Bucks could face the Heat again. They also could face the 76ers, who just got their own superstar, Joel Embiid, back from injury.

Little has gone right for Milwaukee this season. Damian Lillard hasn’t been his usual elite self. The Adrian Griffin-for-Doc Rivers coach swap has been rocky at best. Khris Middleton has struggled with injuries. The Antetokounmpo/Lillard/Middleton/Malik Beasley/Brook Lopez lineup has played in just 39 games together. Sam Quinn calls that one of the most important lineups in the NBA.

But fully healthy, the Bucks can beat anyone. Without Antetokounmpo, they cannot. It’s that simple.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

• The Celtics became the first NBA team play a game without shooting a single foul shot.
• MLB injury news: Trevor Story (shoulder surgery) is done for the season. Nick Pivetta (flexor strain) landed on the IL, as did Josiah Gray with the same injury.

🏀 Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer, all-time Division I wins leader, retires

Two days after one of the greatest seasons in women’s college basketball history came to a close, one of the greatest coaches of all time called it a career. Tara VanDerveer retired late Tuesday after 38 seasons at Stanford and 45 seasons overall. Her 1,216 career wins are the most in Division-I basketball history, men’s or women’s — three ahead of UConn‘s Geno Auriemma.

VanDerveer started her coaching career at Idaho (1978-80) and then Ohio State (1980-85), but she built a true dynasty at Stanford (1985-95, 1996-2024):

• Three national titles (1990, 1992, 2021)
• 14 Final Fours
• 35 consecutive NCAA Tournaments
• 12 No. 1 seeds
• Five Coach of the Year awards

VanDerveer also coached Team USA to a gold medal in 1996. She was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.

For all of her accolades, though, her leadership and advocacy for women’s basketball and women’s sports are her greatest contributions. Fittingly, she goes out after a historically successful season for the sport.

⚾ Orioles call up No. 1 prospect Jackson Holliday

It’s a Holliday holiday in Baltimore: The Orioles called up baseball’s top prospect, 20-year-old Jackson Holliday.

After narrowly missing out on the Opening Day roster despite a great spring training, Holliday has been absolutely destroying Triple-A pitching with a .333/.482/.595 slash line this season. The Orioles have an absurd amount of young talent, and Gunnar Henderson‘s presence at shortstop may move Holliday to third or second, but that’s a good problem to have.

Here’s part of R.J. Anderson’s scouting report on Baltimore’s latest young star.

• Anderson: “He was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft, and his father Matt was a seven-time All-Star. He should be burdened with unobtainable forecasts. Yet Holliday has consistently bested the best-case scenario since his high school senior year. … All of Holliday’s indicators, statistical and otherwise, are neon green. He has every tool and intangible necessary to become a star.”

⚽ UEFA Champions League: Two thrilling draws, previewing today

Two sumptuous quarterfinal first legs. Four terrific teams. Ten goals. Zero goal differential to show for it. There will be everything to play for in both Manchester and Munich next week after Manchester City and Real Madrid drew, 3-3, and Arsenal and Bayern Munich drew, 2-2.

Let’s start with the Citizens and Los Blancos, whose six-goal nail-biter was as back-and-forth as it gets. Bernardo Silva gave the visitors the lead in the second minute, but a Ruben Dias own goal and a nifty Rodrygo finish in quick succession put the hosts ahead shortly thereafter.

Then came some absolute bangers: Phil Foden nearly ripped the net off in the 66th minute, and Josko Gvardiol scored an equally stunning goal five minutes later to give the Citizens a lead. It didn’t last long: Federico Valverde‘s wonderful 79th-minute volley leveled things for good.

Conspicuously absent from the scoresheet (and much of the action overall) was Erling Haaland. Expect that to change in the second leg, Chuck Booth writes.

Arsenal and Bayern Munich, meanwhile, played to a similarly splendid draw, with Bukayo Saka‘s opener and Leandro Trossard‘s closer for the Gunners sandwiching Serge Gnabry‘s strong finish and Harry Kane‘s penalty kick. A young Arsenal side showed impressive growth despite the middling result, James Benge writes.

It’ll be hard to wait another week, but luckily Pardeep Cattry has some way-too-early second-leg predictions to tide us over.

We have two more games today:

• PSG vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. on Paramount+ (preview) (There’s some history here.)
• Atletico Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund, 3 p.m. on Paramount+ (preview)

We also have expert picks and Tom Fornelli’s Corner Picks.

⚽ SheBelieves Cup final: USWNT tops Canada in penalty kicks

When Emma Hayes takes over the USWNT, she’s going to have plenty of young, exciting players to bring with her into the next era. But Alyssa Naeher showed the veterans can still play, too. The 35-year-old goalkeeper saved three penalty kicks and converted one of her own in the USWNT’s riveting 2-2 (5-4 penalties) SheBelieves Cup final triumph over Canada.

Naeher — who had similar heroics last month in the W Gold Cup semifinal — scored the USWNT’s third penalty kick and stopped Canada’s third, fourth and seventh before Emily Fox slotted home the game-winner. The USWNT has now won five straight SheBelieves Cups and seven of nine overall.

As for the youth, 23-year-old Sophia Smith had two wonderful goals. In the 50th minute, she hit a beautiful left-footed shot into the opposite corner, and 18 minutes later, she finished coolly on a breakaway. She earned a 9.5/10 in Pardeep’s player ratings and was a huge winner overall ahead of Hayes’ arrival.

• Cattry: “The USWNT’s period of experimentation has seen several attackers have their moments as players compete for roster spots at the Olympics, and Tuesday was finally Smith’s opportunity to make her case. She started as a wide forward and was fairly active during the first half, but really came to life as the USWNT picked up the intensity in the second half. … She’s no doubt the team’s future, but the halftime tinkers coupled with her two-goal showing means that she bolstered her case as the USWNT’s present.”

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

⚽ PSG vs. Barcelona, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Atletico Madrid vs. Borussia Dortmund, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
🏀 Mavericks at Heat, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Golden Knights at Oilers, 8:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Timberwolves at Nuggets, 10 p.m. on ESPN