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:
The Boston Bruins continue their path to a record-breaking season as they’ve notched 47 wins through 60 games. With their incredible season, hockey pundits are beginning to wonder if the elusive 62-game regular season win record would be shattered. Currently, the Bruins are on pace for 64 wins, as well as 135 points, which would also break the previous record held by the Montreal Canadiens (132). Putting the gaudy statistics aside, this Bruins season is special due to the resurgence of older veterans and an infusion of talent (looking at you, David Pastrňák). With the Friday trade deadline rapidly approaching, many fans wanted to see Don Sweeney trade for either Patrick Kane or Jakob Chychrun. Personally, I was in the minority of fans, since a trade for a high-profile player would greatly disrupt the team’s robust chemistry; to my surprise, Sweeney wasn’t tempted by the beckoning calls of the fanbase and made arguably the most efficient trade of his tenure.
A magical weekend at Cousens Gymnasium saw the Jumbos crowned NESCAC champions for the first time since 2019, adding a fourth title in conference history. An incredible defensive effort powered Tufts past both Middlebury and Trinity College, extending their overall record to 21–6 as they head into the NCAA tournament where they will host the United States Merchant Marine Academy on March 3.
There’s nothing like NHL trade deadline week. General managers talk on two phones at once, hockey insiders attempt to leak any scoops they can get their hands on and we fans get to enjoy watching the deals come to fruition. This season, the deadline has been busier than ever with over 25 (and counting!) trades being made in the 14 days prior to March 2.
After the NESCAC No. 5 Tufts Jumbos took down national No. 3 and NESCAC No. 4 Middlebury Panthers in a very impressive performance that ended in an 89–80 double-overtime victory, the players took a collective sigh of relief. Whether through self-evaluation, Drew Pasteur’s Bracketology, the ‘expert’ takes from anonymous writers on Division III message boards or any number of other sources, the squad felt very confident — rightly so — that this win would earn them an NCAA tournament bid. Yet, a NESCAC title was still on the table for the team. As Tufts entered Saturday’s semifinals matchup against the NESCAC No. 2 Hamilton Continentals, perhaps it was this confidence in having future games that hurt them, leading to a 71–48 loss.
The Tufts men’s hockey team lost a hard-fought battle 3–2 in overtime to the Amherst College Mammoths in the NESCAC quarterfinal match on Saturday evening. Entering the game, Tufts was ranked as the No. 6 seed in the conference, while Amherst was ranked No. 3. The Jumbos’ record stood at 10–13–1 overall and 7–9–1 in conference. The Mammoths had a very strong season, winning a majority of their conference games with a 12–3–2 conference record.
It’s been six years since we last had a World Baseball Classic, but it’s finally back. The MLB’s attempt to make the baseball equivalent of the World Cup will fall well short of the most popular sporting event in the world in terms of viewership, but I still believe the WBC is an amazing showcase of just how far a humble game that began in the United States has grown. And, as I’ve said before, the MLB should be doing everything it can to promote it.
