Louisville lands transfer portal’s top overall player and elite point guard in massive haul
TEMPE, AZ – MARCH 3: Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) looks on during the college basketball game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Arizona State Sun Devils on March 3, 2026 at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Louisville Cardinals became the biggest winner of the transfer portal in men’s college basketball with a 1-2 punch that could immediate vault them into position as one of the top teams in the country for the 2026-2027 season.
Flory Bidunga was by far the top player available in the transfer portal, and he chose Louisville over Duke, Michigan, and St. John’s on Sunday. Bidunga also declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, so it’s possible he never steps foot on campus, but it feels more likely than not that he ends up with the Cardinals. The bouncy 6’10 big man is coming off a terrific sophomore year at Kansas where he emerged as one of the country’s best rim protectors as well a terrifying lob threat and dominant presence on the offensive glass. Bidunga is considered a fringe first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but he would likely get significantly more money from Louisville than at his draft slot.
Louisville also landed a commitment from former Oregon point guard Jackson Shelstad on Sunday. Shelstad only played 12 games last season with a hand injury, but he looked like one of the better lead guards in the country last time he played a full season as a sophomore. The 6-foot guard ripped 38 percent of his threes in his last full season in 2024-25, and he seemed to be making a big leap as a playmaker before the injury. Shelstad is reportedly applying for a medical redshirt, so it’s possible he’ll have two years of college elibility left.
Bidunga and Shelstad’s commitments were framed as a packaged deal by ESPN. The Cardinals were also one of the biggest winners of last year’s transfer portal, but still couldn’t win a game in the NCAA tournament as star freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. was limited with a back injury. Louisville is expected to return Adrian Wooley, who could also be in for a breakout junior season.
Cards head coach Pat Kelsey hit a grand slam in the transfer portal. With Duke lacking a star on the level of Cooper Flagg or Cameron Boozer next season, and North Carolina just starting to rebuild with new coach Mike Malone, it’s possible Louisville just became the preseason favorites in the ACC as long as Bidunga doesn’t jump to the draft.
TEMPE, AZ – MARCH 3: Kansas Jayhawks forward Flory Bidunga (40) looks on during the college basketball game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Arizona State Sun Devils on March 3, 2026 at Desert Financial Arena in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Louisville Cardinals became the biggest winner of the transfer portal in men’s college basketball with a 1-2 punch that could immediate vault them into position as one of the top teams in the country for the 2026-2027 season.
Flory Bidunga was by far the top player available in the transfer portal, and he chose Louisville over Duke, Michigan, and St. John’s on Sunday. Bidunga also declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, so it’s possible he never steps foot on campus, but it feels more likely than not that he ends up with the Cardinals. The bouncy 6’10 big man is coming off a terrific sophomore year at Kansas where he emerged as one of the country’s best rim protectors as well a terrifying lob threat and dominant presence on the offensive glass. Bidunga is considered a fringe first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, but he would likely get significantly more money from Louisville than at his draft slot.
Louisville also landed a commitment from former Oregon point guard Jackson Shelstad on Sunday. Shelstad only played 12 games last season with a hand injury, but he looked like one of the better lead guards in the country last time he played a full season as a sophomore. The 6-foot guard ripped 38 percent of his threes in his last full season in 2024-25, and he seemed to be making a big leap as a playmaker before the injury. Shelstad is reportedly applying for a medical redshirt, so it’s possible he’ll have two years of college elibility left.
Bidunga and Shelstad’s commitments were framed as a packaged deal by ESPN. The Cardinals were also one of the biggest winners of last year’s transfer portal, but still couldn’t win a game in the NCAA tournament as star freshman point guard Mikel Brown Jr. was limited with a back injury. Louisville is expected to return Adrian Wooley, who could also be in for a breakout junior season.
Cards head coach Pat Kelsey hit a grand slam in the transfer portal. With Duke lacking a star on the level of Cooper Flagg or Cameron Boozer next season, and North Carolina just starting to rebuild with new coach Mike Malone, it’s possible Louisville just became the preseason favorites in the ACC as long as Bidunga doesn’t jump to the draft.
#Deadspin #Ranger #Suarez #stymies #Cards #earns #Red #Sox #win">Deadspin | Ranger Suarez stymies Cards, earns first Red Sox win
Apr 11, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals second baseman JJ Wetherholt (26) leaps and throws to first after forcing out Boston Red Sox second baseman Marcelo Mayer (11) during the third inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Ranger Suarez scattered three hits over six scoreless innings and Willson Contreras went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs to lead the Boston Red Sox to a 7-1 victory over the host St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday night.
It was the first win in three starts for Suarez (1-1), who made headlines by signing a five-year, $130 million free-agent contract with Boston in January. Suarez walked two, struck out six and retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced.
Jarren Duran went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run, Marcelo Mayer reached base three times with a single and two walks and Carlos Narvaez had two hits and scored a run for Boston, which won for the third time in four games.
Jordan Walker hit his major league-leading sixth home run for St. Louis, which had a three-game win streak snapped. Kyle Leahy (1-2) suffered the loss, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks over four innings while striking out two.
Boston took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Roman Anthony led off with a walk and advanced to second on a one-out single by Duran. Contreras, who spent the last three seasons with St. Louis, followed with a double into the left field corner, driving in Anthony and Duran.
The Red Sox had a chance to extend the lead in the seventh, loading the bases with one out on a walk to Mayer, a single by Narvaez and a hit batter by Rafaela. But reliever Justin Bruihl came in and struck out Anthony and got Caleb Durbin to fly out to end the threat.
St. Louis cut the lead to 2-1 in the eighth when Walker smashed a 429-foot home run onto the grassy berm in dead center off reliever Garrett Whitlock, his fifth homer in the last seven games.
Boston broke the game open with a five-run, six-hit ninth against reliever Matt Svanson, highlighted by a two-run single by Durbin and RBI singles by Rafaela, Duran and Contreras.
#Premier #League #Man #City #routs #Chelsea #close #gap #leaders #Arsenal">Premier League 2025-26 — Man City routs Chelsea to close gap on leaders Arsenal
Manchester City ignited the Premier League title race with a second-half blitz that sealed a 3-0 win against Chelsea as it closed the gap on leader Arsenal on Sunday.
Pep Guardiola’s side produced a devastating spell immediately after half-time, with Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi scoring in the space of six minutes at Stamford Bridge. Jeremy Doku wrapped up a statement victory to ensure City took advantage of Arsenal’s shock 2-1 home defeat against Bournemouth on Saturday.
Second-placed City is now only six points behind Arsenal with a game in hand, setting up a seismic showdown against the Gunners at the Etihad Stadium on April 19.
Having beaten Arsenal in the League Cup final and thrashed Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals, City is hitting form at just the right time.
Its bid for a seventh English title under Guardiola appeared to be fading after successive draws with strugglers West Ham and Nottingham Forest in their previous two league matches. A disjointed first half against Chelsea suggested City might waste a golden opportunity to pile pressure on Arsenal.
Nico O’Reilly (c) continued his goal-scoring form and found the opener for Man City.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
Nico O’Reilly (c) continued his goal-scoring form and found the opener for Man City.
| Photo Credit:
AFP
But Guardiola’s half-time team-talk had the desired effect and City can now target next weekend’s do-or-die visit from Mikel Arteta’s spluttering team.
If City wins that blockbuster clash, it will be within three points of Arsenal, which blew substantial leads in the 2023 and 2024 title races, allowing Guardiola’s men to pip them to the trophy.
Arteta said the defeat to Bournemouth was a “punch in the face” and City’s success in west London was another body blow for the Spaniard. City has won 29 of its 32 league games in the month of April in recent seasons, underlining its ability to thrive when the title pressure mounts.
After winning its first four league matches following Liam Rosenior’s arrival from Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca, Chelsea has won just one of its last seven, losing three in a row and faced with some difficult questions.
Chelsea, which hasn’t beaten City since the 2021 Champions League final, was again without Enzo Fernandez after Rosenior’s controversial decision to drop the Argentine midfielder for hinting he might leave in the summer.
Cherki sparkles
Sixth-placed Chelsea looked subdued without Fernandez and it trailed four points behind Liverpool in the race to qualify for the Champions League via a top-five finish.
Lacking energy and cohesion in a sloppy start, City was fortunate not to fall behind when Marc Cucurella’s clinical finish was disallowed for a tight offside. City also let Pedro Neto in far too easily for a stinging strike that forced Gianluigi Donnarumma to save at his near post.
Rayan Cherki set up the goals for Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
Rayan Cherki set up the goals for Nico O’Reilly and Marc Guehi.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
It took City 35 minutes to mount an incisive raid as Bernardo Silva stretched to meet O’Reilly’s cross, but Robert Sanchez made a fine save from the midfielder’s close-range effort.
City stepped up after the interval and O’Reilly made the breakthrough in the 51st minute.
Rayan Cherki whipped an in-swinging cross from the right wing towards O’Reilly and the City left-back reprised his League Cup final heroics with another clinical header from close range.
Six minutes later, Cherki again showed the creative genius that has won over Guardiola despite some impetuous moments in his first season in Manchester.
The France playmaker glided past a gaggle of Chelsea players on the edge of the area before threading a sublime pass to Guehi, who looked more like a forward than a centre-back as he smashed a perfect strike into the far corner from 12 yards.
City benefitted from wretched Chelsea defending for its third goal in the 68th minute.
Sanchez rolled the ball to Moises Caicedo even though the Chelsea midfielder was surrounded by three City players and Doku pounced, racing into the area to drill home.
#Deadspin #Chicago #Fire #early #goal #extend #Atlantas #road #woes">Deadspin | Chicago Fire use early goal to extend Atlanta’s road woes
Apr 11, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Fire FC defender Leonardo Barroso (2) defends against Atlanta United FC midfielder Matías Galarza (88) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Maren Haile-Selassie scored his first goal of the season just before the quarter-hour mark for the Chicago Fire, who defeated visiting Atlanta United 1-0 on Saturday night.
Philip Zinckernagel and Jonathan Bamba assisted on the goal for Chicago (4-2-1, 13 points), which won its third consecutive match to improve to 3-1-0 at Soldier Field.
Atlanta (1-5-1, 4 points), which dropped to 0-3-0 on the road this season, has lost back-to-back outings.
Haile-Selassie’s goal came in the 13th minute. Zinckernagel ventured forward on the right side, entered the scoring area, and slid it to Bamba. Bamba’s touch found Haile-Selassie, who struck it past a lunging Lucas Hoyos for a 1-0 lead.
Atlanta nearly leveled it right after the ensuing kickoff, but Tomas Jacob’s attempt rang off the woodwork.
Later in the half, the Fire came close to breaching Atlanta’s defense and doubling their lead. Andrew Gutman had an opportunity to make it 2-0 Fire in the 39th minute, but the former Atlanta defender shot it off the post. A minute later, Bamba struck the crossbar.
Haile-Selassie appeared to complete his brace to make it 2-0 in the 74th minute, but he was offside in the buildup.
Ultimately, Chicago’s first-half goal ended up being the only one of the match as it played to a second straight 1-0 result. The Fire have allowed just five goals in 2026.
Chris Brady made four saves for his fourth clean sheet of the season. Hoyos was credited with a pair of saves for Atlanta.
Atlanta has lost its last six regular-season matches away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium and is 1-14-5 in its last 20 on the road. It also saw its winless streak in Chicago reach eight matches (0-5-3).
Atlanta United head coach Tata Martino served a one-match suspension after being shown a red card during a 3-1 loss to the Columbus Crew on April 4.
Alexey Miranchuk, Atlanta’s leading scorer (four goals), missed Saturday’s match because of a muscle injury.
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