After an unusual regular season, 2023 brought a myriad of storylines to the NCAA Tournament. With no true favorite, it felt like any team could be on the podium come April 3. And that held true for all of March.
Before the baseball season hits full stride, it’s time for some power rankings. Since no one cares about whether the Athletics or Nationals are dead last, I’ll stick to the upper tier of clubs. Here are my top 10 teams in the league for 2023.
No. 2 Tufts men’s lacrosse took down yet another ranked opponent in No. 7 Middlebury on Saturday. With both teams coming into this highly anticipated matchup with perfect records, it was the Jumbos who continued their perfect start to the season, improving to 9–0 with a 19–15 win over the visiting Panthers.
With the 2023 NFL draft just under a month away, the Patriots’ brass is hopefully solidifying their draft strategy. While Bill Belichick was relatively active in the free agency period, there are still various holes in the roster that can hopefully be filled with the team’s 11 draft picks come the weekend of April 27. In the mock draft below, I draft based on expectation and practicality; additionally, I strayed away from executing any trades, as it’s extremely difficult to predict them and doing so only adds more chaos into a mock draft.
While many college students spend their spring breaks traveling, having fun with friends or relaxing at school or home, the No. 2 men’s lacrosse team continued their season of hard work and impressive results with another set of blowout wins against some of the nation’s top squads. First, on March 19, Tufts took on No. 20 Stevens in Hoboken, N.J. where they came away with a 21–7 victory. Then, on March 21, the squad took on No. 18 Cabrini in Radnor, Pa., and conquered the Cavaliers 24–7. Finally, on Saturday, the Jumbos hosted a NESCAC matchup against Trinity, in which they walked away from Bello Field with a 23–9 victory.
After runs to the NESCAC title game and the NCAA super regionals in 2022, Tufts softball enters this season with high expectations. Going 14–1 in their spring training games in Florida certainly starts the season off on the right foot, as the Jumbos begin their quest for a third NESCAC title in four seasons.
In 2022, the Tufts baseball team cruised to an 8–1 record during their spring break trip to North Carolina and Virginia. Following a 3–0 start to the 2023 campaign, which was achieved at home against non-conference opponents, Tufts spent their spring break in Southern California where they attained a 3–5 record against Pomona-Pitzer, Whittier College, University of La Verne and Chapman University.
As domestic leagues move into their title-deciding weeks, Europe’s Elite Cup competition boils down to eight. Matchups filled with storylines from coaches taking on their previous teams and repeat fixtures from last year’s edition guarantee another historic round of Champions League football.
I won’t waste too much time on a long introduction since the title should be pretty self-explanatory. Here are my top 10 players in the MLB for the 2023 season.
Tufts men’s lacrosse enters every season with the expectation of success, and the start to this one has been no different. In a four-day stretch that has seen the No. 2 Jumbos face two nationally ranked opponents, Tufts showed grit and poise, allowing them to continue their undefeated start to the 2023 season.
The NBA MVP Award has always been completely ridiculous. It is the most confusing award ever conceived with zero agreed-upon criteria with which voters can even begin to formulate an opinion. Surely this hasn’t caused any problems over the past few weeks.
It’s not often that the race for last is as intense as the race for first, but this NHL season has toppled that trend. All eyes — owners, general managers, coaches and fans — are on 17-year-old Connor Bedard, the crown jewel of this year’s entry draft. Bedard is considered to be not only the best player in his draft class but also a rare, “generational” prospect. Many believe he is the best since Connor McDavid entered the league in 2015 — and the two of them share more traits than just a first name.
Just a week after their close win against Colby, Tufts women’s lacrosse took to Bello Field again, besting Amherst 14–9.
In their season opener at Bello Field, Tufts emerged victorious in a 17–14 comeback win against Colby.
Men’s track and field finished fourth in the Division III New England Championships, following MIT, Williams and Amherst, respectively. The team has had a recent rivalry with the Williams College Ephs, as they battled for dominance of the NESCAC last year, with the Jumbos ultimately emerging victorious in the conference.
In the opening weekend of NCAA Tournament play, the Jumbos established themselves as a force to be reckoned with on the national stage through dominant performances on their home court. Fresh off of a NESCAC Championship, Tufts continued its momentum against the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and secured a commanding 72–57 victory to kick off its postseason campaign. A huge 11–0 run in the second quarter gave the Jumbos a comfortable lead that they would never relinquish, and contributions from throughout the roster displayed the wealth of talent that resides in Cousens Gymnasium.
This time of year, every team lucky enough to make the NCAA Tournament has the same vision: to win it all. It’s March Madness; the pressure is inevitable.
Following their incredible second-half surge where they won 26 of their final 32 games, the Boston Celtics finished the 2021–22 season with an NBA Finals berth and two wins away from the prized Larry O’Brien trophy. The Celtics continued their dominance into 2023, where they led the league for most of the season. However, they are currently in a short slump, losing four out of their last six contests. While many Celtics fans hit the panic button immediately following a tough loss, there wasn’t much need for hysteria — until now. Following their brutal overtime defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, stress is building in Boston.
Opening day is just a few weeks away, so it’s time to make some predictions. These are my picks — as well as some dark horse candidates — for the 2023 MVP and Cy Young awards in each league.
I have a friend who goes to Georgetown, a still-great school with a once-great basketball program. Aside from weekly Celtics mental health check-ins, an ever-increasing proportion of our conversations consist of three words, unmatched in history in their titanic importance:
