Providence, Butler and Creighton seem to have some work to do to be solid at-large teams for the 2016 March Madness. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Big East Conference is not least in the 2016 NCAA Tournament forecast, but in the final days before March Madness kicks into high gear a few teams have work to do to be in position to land in the 68-team field.

No. 3 Villanova and No. 6 Xavier appear safe as at-large teams, with unranked  Seton Hall also sitting pretty. But others, including Providence, Butler and Creighton, still have some work to do before conference tournament play sets in next week.

Providence (20-9, 8-8) -- The Friars just need to tidy up their conference slate with two games to play, as a non-conference win over No. 11 Arizona, a pair of conference wins over Butler, and one on the road at Creighton probably sets them up. A win over Creighton tonight, along with no early missteps in the conference tournament, should be worth a slot.

Butler (19-9, 8-8) -- The bulk of bracketologists have the Bulldogs in, but that seems to be fueled by familiarity and the tragic, emotional storyline around the program, including the death of a former player.

Beyond that, there are black-and-white issues once their name gets on the at-large board vs. other teams, starting with Providence, a conference rival they lost to twice. Butler does have wins over Cincinnati, Tennessee and No. 15 Purdue, which certainly helps. But a victory Wednesday night vs. Seton Hall might help a whole lot more.

Creighton (18-11, 9-7) -- While the Bluejays have a better conference slate than Providence and Butler, there are some questions with the non-conference. Losing to No. 4 Oklahoma is no disgrace, but bad losses to Arizona State and Loyola-Chicago are sore thumbs, along with a home court loss to lowly Marquette.

Even finishing above .500 in league play, Creighton very likely needs a solid conference tournament run to really feel secure about making the field.

Cleveland sports fans wonder about the Dolans' ownership, the Browns' passing game and how Abraham Almonte tested positive for steroids.

Cleveland Indians waves on opening day before the game against the Cincinnati Reds on opening day at Goodyear Ballpark in Goodyear, Arizona on March 1, 2016. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)Chuck Crow 

Ohio State is the most hated team in the nation, according to a recent poll.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- No wonder there's such a heated rivalry with that "M" state to the north of Ohio.

People in Maine really don't like the Buckeyes.

Oh, you were thinking of another "M" state? Don't worry, people in Michigan hate Ohio State too. You knew that. Did you also know that Ohio State is the most hated college football team in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Illinois and Wisconsin?

OK, there really isn't a rivalry with Maine, but New England is apparently pretty anti-Buckeye.

This comes from a recent poll compiled by Reddit College Football, which sampled nearly 5,000 fans from around the country to create the college football hate map. You can see the full map above.

Ohio State came out on top. Or the bottom depending on how you look at it. The Buckeyes are the most hated college football team in the country.

Here's how the top 10 broke down, with the percentage of votes garnered:

1. Ohio State 11.4 percent

T2. Alabama 9.2 percent

T2. Michigan 9.2 percent

4. Texas 6.3 percent

5. Florida 5.9 percent

6. Auburn 4.3 percent

7. Texas A&M 3.9 percent

8. Florida State 3.5 percent

9. South Carolina 2.9 percent

10. Baylor 2.5 percent

Here's the interesting thing, Reddit CFB provided individual information from the 15 states with the most voters. Ohio was among those states, and here's how the voting in the Buckeyes home state broke down:

1. Michigan 41.6 percent

2. Ohio State 26.3 percent

3. Michigan State 5.3 percent

Of the 15 states that had the most voters, Ohio had the second-largest percentage of fans who hate Ohio State. The percentage of people from Ohio who hate Ohio State was second only to the percentage of people from Michigan who hate Ohio State (37.9 percent).

Here's a more detailed breakdown of the numbers:

A breakdown of the data used for Reddit CFB's College Football Hate Map.Reddit College Football 

And here's a better look at that hotbed of Buckeye hatred, New England:

Here's a closer look at the Northeast United States, and the college football teams those states hate.Reddit College Football 

The Cleveland Browns have at least five players on the their radar at No. 2 overall in the draft. Should they take a quarterback? Ohio State pass-rusher Joey Bosa? A darkhorse candidate? Mary Kay Cabot ranks the possibilities.

John Carroll men's basketball coach Mike Moran says his team is presently playing some of its best defense as it begins the Division III NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- John Carroll was on such a high during a 21-game winning streak that a Division III NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament bid was merely a formality.

Or so it seemed.

Then a three-game losing streak provided the Blue Streaks with a dose of reality and gave them the type of reflection that helped them finish the season strong.

"Our losing streak made us re-evaluate," said John Carroll coach Mike Moran. "During the winning streak, we became complacent. You can develop a swagger, but if you're not hitting home runs, you better go back and retrace your tracks up to the plate."

John Carroll regrouped with a four-game winning streak, including the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament victory, to earn a bid into the NCAA Division III Championship tournament as a host site for the first round. JCU, ranked No. 5 in Division III, will face St. Vincent at 8 p.m. Friday at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center on campus.

St. Vincent (22-6) is making its fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

Alma and Denison will meet in the first game Friday at JCU at 5 p.m. The winners of the two Friday games will play Saturday at 7 p.m. in the DeCarlo Center. That winner will advance to the regional semifinals.

This is John Carroll's 14th time in the tournament. The Blue Streaks finished the season at 25-3.

John Carroll's 92.8 points per game is ninth best in the nation.

David Linane leads the Blue Streaks at 15.1 points per game. Simon Kucharewicz averages 11.4 points and he leads the team with 7.3 rebounds.

 

There should be at least four first-round picks from last year's 11 starters. Watch video

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- With the next pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, this team selects ...

the 2015 Ohio State defense.

NFL team with a leaky D, it might be worth a try.

At one point last September, we pondered how many players for the 2015 Buckeyes, overall, could have been starting in that moment for the Browns. (The answer in our podcast ranged from quite a few to a lot.)

At the end of the season, when Ohio State had missed the College Football Playoff, I pointed out that this was still a championship-level defense.

Now, with the NFL Draft less than two months away? That Buckeye defense could translate, whole hog, as an NFL defense.

As first suggested by NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller, couldn't you just take that whole group of 11 straight to the pros and be fine?

If you could keep the starting 11 from the Ohio State defense together and make them an NFL defense...good lord.

-- Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) February 18, 2016

"Most definitely," cornerback Eli Apple said. "Basically everybody on our defense is an NFL prospect. You could take the whole Ohio State defense, put them on an NFL team and you could win a Super Bowl like that, for sure."

Seven of the 11 starters from the defense last year are going to be taken in this NFL Draft, so 64 percent of it is already going to happen. When I asked Apple and a few of the Buckeyes at the NFL Combine, they obviously thought it could work.

"We had the talent, we had the understanding of the game," defensive tackle Adolphus Washington said in the video above. "We could do that."

Darron Lee, in the video below, agreed as well.

It may not even be an argument. It may be so obvious it's not even much of a point to make.

This Ohio State defense should see three defenders taken in the first round this year - defensive end Joey Bosa, Lee at linebacker and Apple at corner. Safety Vonn Bell should be a first-round pick or second-round pick. Then there's middle linebacker Raekwon McMillan, returning to Columbus as the leading tackler off the 2015 team.

Expect him to turn pro after the 2016 season, just based on logic, and then expect him to be a first-round pick a year from now.

That's four, maybe five, first-round picks. Linebacker Joshua Perry and Washington at defensive tackle could be second- or third-round picks. 

Peg safety Tyvis Powell in this draft and returning Buckeyes Tyquan Lewis at end and cornerback Gareon Conley as mid-round picks. 

That's 10 of the 11 starters from the 2015 defense as NFL picks. And defensive end Sam Hubbard, who played a fair amount last season as a backup and third-down rusher, has first-round pick potential as well.

This may be optimistic, but the 11 Ohio State defensive starters from 2015 could wind up like this as NFL picks:

First round: 4

Second round: 2

Third round: 1

Rounds 4-5: 3

Undrafted: 1

Compare that to the 11 most frequent Browns starters on defense in 2015 and where they were selected when they entered the NFL:

First round: 3

Second round: 3

Third round: 1

Undrafted: 4

Now look at the 11 defensive starters for the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, who featured the best defense in the league:

First round: 4

Second round: 2

Fifth round: 2

Sixth round: 1

Undrafted: 2

There's more to NFL success than whether a player is a high draft pick. But if you had the chance? You'd move that OSU defense to the league as a group and take your chances. 

Mock draft roundup: 7 first-round Buckeyes?

Will Kevin Love fit in in a way that maximizes his game? Does he lack confidence at times? Is he a complementary player or a superstar?

CLEVELAND, Ohio - On Monday, Cavaliers broadcasters Fred McLeod and Austin Carr gave a slightly more than two-week-old valentine to Kevin Love.

After a play by the team's power forward that made up for a mistake, the pair agreed that "It's hard to criticize Love."

"All you can do is embrace it," said McLeod.

"It's very powerful," deadpanned Carr.

Love is all around? Frankly, it's sometimes hard to tell.

The second time around

This is the second part of our look at the Cavs' "Big Three" of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Love.

Still no 'D' in Irving

In Year Two of the three amigos, is Love any better the second time around?

If Love wasn't paying attention to the adjustment difficulties of Chris Bosh, first option in Toronto, third wheel with the James-Dwyane Wade Miami Heat, he should have been.

Unresolved at the moment, just as it was in 1972 when Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway recorded it, is the musical question, "Where is the Love?"

Sometimes, he is posted up on the low block, the spot where TNT's provocative Charles Barkley thinks he is most effective. The fact that Love's jump hook is predictable from there does not mean it is easy to defend if he has the defender on his back.

More often, because of the dominance of analytics and the resulting importance of 3-pointers, Love is spotted up on the arc, most often on the left side wing or in the left corner. Offensively, it seems to subvert Love's overall game to use him so predictably, but Bosh had to deal with a role that called for him to make intermediate jumpers in Miami.

The Kyrie equivalency

On defense, Love is often a target at crunch time. If the opponents can't go at Irving, Love is Plan B. Offense-defense substitution with Tristan Thompson is an option. A true superstar is more than a situational player, of course.

Love is also not a shot-blocker. Neither is Thompson, despite his high-flying snuff at the rim of Rodney Stuckey to save the Indiana game Monday.

Old School

Love rebounds well. His outlet passes to start fast breaks can lead those of us who saw them play to compare them to Jerry Lucas' fastballs, Wilt Chamberlain's long, fly pattern bombs to an early releasing Gail Goodrich and, the human catapult, gold standard of outlet passers, Wes Unseld.

It is a neglected part of a big man's game these days, like the drop step or the up and under, only more thrilling.

Superstar?

Love is averaging 15.9 points, his lowest since his second year in 2009-10. He is making only 41.6 percent of his shots, his lowest mark ever outside an 18-game season in 2012-13 ended by injuries.

His 35.7 percent on the arc is lower than only two other seasons at the start of his career, plus the injury-shortened season. Love's 10.1 rebounds per game is a slight improvement over last season.

All of this has combined to turn Love into more of a complement to James, a much better "stretch big" than Donyell Marshall perhaps, and not anything close to the third member of a triumvirate.

Troubling signs in Monday's difficult victory over Indiana was Love's reluctance to shoot the 3-pointer when he was open.

Two or three times on James' drive-and-kicks, Love passed up the shot, then threw it to a teammate about 10 feet away with not enough time on the shot clock to reset the offense, leading to a bad shot by someone else instead of a good one by Love. Once, he even threw it to Iman Shumpert (16-for-56, 28.6 per cent in his last 11 games).

A hurting thing

Maybe this shows that Love lacks superstar mentality. More likely, it was a crisis of confidence that will run its course.

The Cavs traded a promising chunk of their future in Andrew Wiggins to try to win it all with Love. The easy thing to do would be to put it on him, but it's a collective failure of the Big Three. Love has certainly given up more touches and accepted less prominence in the offense than the other two, despite James' oddball vow that Love would be its focus his season.

"Love hurts," said the song. But so do the coaches, new and old, who haven't figured out how to use him.

Talk all things Cleveland sports with our beat reporters live at noon.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- NFL free agency is approaching and Alex Mack has opted out of his contract. The Cavaliers, as usual, have noise swirling around them. The Indians are playing baseball finally.

Our guests -- cleveland.com Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot, Cavs reporter Chris Haynes and Indians reporter Paul Hoynes -- will talk all things Cleveland sports with me live at noon.

Click play on the player above when the red "Live" icon appears on the bottom to watch the show. A complete archive of the show will be made available later today.

Olympian and Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius lost an appeal, and will be sentenced for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

JOHANNESBURG -- Oscar Pistorius' murder conviction appeal has been dismissed by South Africa's highest court, clearing the way for his sentencing April 18, the Associated Press has reported.

Defense lawyer Andrew Fawcett confirmed the Constitutional Court's decision and said: "We'll proceed to the sentencing."

Pistorius, 29, the Olympic sprinter and double-amputee known as "Blade Runner,'' killed girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in his home in 2013 and received a manslaughter conviction.

Another court overturned that verdict and found Pistorius guilty of murder. He appealed that ruling to the Constitutional Court.

• LINK: Fallen hero

The minimum sentence for murder in South Africa is 15 years, though a judge can reduce that sentence for what the law describes as exceptional circumstances. Pistorius is currently under house arrest.

South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said the Constitutional Court found "no prospect of success" in Pistorius' appeal, the BBC reported. The case goes back to Judge Thokozile Masipa, who cleared Pistorius of murder in the original case. Prosecutors are believed to be targeting a sentence of at least 15 years in jail.

Pistorius killed Steenkamp after firing four times through a locked bathroom door. Pistorius has maintained he believed he was shooting at an intruder.

Pistorius has won eight Paralympic medals, including six golds, and set multiple world records in the T-44 category (amputee). In 2012, he became the first amputee track and field athlete to compete in the Olympics and the Paralympics.

He ran in the 400 meters and finished second in one heat, then was eliminated in the semifinals. He also anchored South Africa's 4x400 relay, which reached the finals and placed eighth out of nine teams, finishing in 3:03.46, which was a season-best time for the South Africans. Pistorius' final split was 45.9 seconds.

He went on to win two gold medals and a silver medal at the London Paralympics.

Six months later, he killed Steenkamp.

Shawn Porter will fight an exhibition on March 12 in lieu of a fight against Keith Thurman that was postponed due to injury.

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Shawn Porter was just a few weeks away from the biggest fight of his career when he received the disappointing news that his championship bout with WBA welterweight champ Keith Thurman was postponed.

Thurman (26-0) suffered an injury in a car accident and the March 12 date was moved. Nothing has been set, but a new date could happen in May.

But Porter (26-1-1) will not wait that long to get back into the ring. After weeks of training and preparing for a championship bout, Porter will fight an exhibition against Lanardo Tyner (30-10-2) on March 12 in Las Vegas. Tyner lost a 2009 unanimous decision to WBC middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez in Mexico.

The exhibition is scheduled at 10 p.m. live on Porter's Facebook page or on the PBC website.

Ken Porter, Shawn's trainer and father, said his son is moving forward with the same focus as if he's fighting for the title instead of an exhibition.

"We're making lemonade out of lemons," Ken Porter said. "Shawn can still say he had a fight on March 12. In boxing, you have to always be prepared no matter what happens. Shawn is always prepared and he'll be prepared whenever the fight [with Thurman] is rescheduled." 

Quick jabs

• Manny Pacquiao wants to represent the Philippines in the Olympics.
• Ashley Theophane receives advice from Floyd Mayweather about Adrien Broner.
• Tough early fights contributed to the making of Canelo Alvarez.
• Floyd Mayweather says he would not compete in another Olympics.
• FBI will get involved in heist of boxing championship belts.
• Amir Khan tells Alvarez to watch his step in their upcoming fight.
• Bob Arum wants a bout between Terence Crawford and Adrien Broner.
• Boxers are no longer required to wear headgear in the Olympics.
• In no particular order, here are the biggest fights in boxing history.
• Muhammad Ali is honored in London.

This week in boxing history

March 4, 1968: Joe Frazier wins by knockout in the 11th round over Buster Mathis to win the vacant New York World Heavyweight Title at Madison Square Garden.

Boxing schedule

Saturday

9 p.m. (Showtime): Julian Williams vs. Marcello Matano, IBF junior middleweight eliminator and Antoine Douglas vs. Avtandil Khurtsidze, middleweights.

10 p.m. (HBO): Sadam Ali vs. Jessie Vargas, for vacant WBO welterweight title; Robinson Castellanos vs. Oscar Escandon, for vacant WBC interim featherweight title.

Josh Tomlin and Cody Anderson, two of the contenders for the No. 5 spot in the Indians' rotation, started the club's first two Cactus League contests. Danny Salazar takes the hill to start Thursday's affair.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- As the days in the Arizona sun unfold, pitchers will build up arm strength and position players will build up endurance.

Josh Tomlin and Cody Anderson, two of the contenders for the No. 5 spot in the Indians' rotation, started the club's first two Cactus League contests. Danny Salazar takes the hill to start Thursday's affair.

Here is the pitching schedule for the Indians' upcoming games.

Thursday vs. Reds

Danny Salazar, Zach McAllister, Bryan Shaw, Joe Thatcher, Will Roberts, Shawn Armstrong, Jarrett Grube

Backups: Felipe Paulino, Adam Plutko

Friday at White Sox

Trevor Bauer, Cody Allen, Mike Clevinger, Ross Detwiler, Austin Adams, Felipe Paulino, Adam Plutko

Backups: Giovanni Soto, Ben Heller

Saturday vs. Giants

Corey Kluber, Josh Tomlin, TJ House, Tom Gorzelanny, Dan Otero, Giovanni Soto

Sunday at Brewers

Carlos Carrasco, Cody Anderson, Joe Thatcher, Shawn Morimando, Shawn Armstrong

And here is the Indians' lineup for Thursday:

CF Rajai Davis

C Yan Gomes

1B Carlos Santana

RF Lonnie Chisenhall

LF Joey Butler

DH Tyler Naquin

3B Giovanny Urshela

SS Erik Gonzalez

2B Eric Stamets

Tiebreakers abound throughout the Mid-American Conference as multiple teams still vie for three remaining byes to the upcoming MAC Men's Basketball Tournament at the Q.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The last night of the Mid-American Conference men's basketball regular season borders on (March) madness as tiebreakers are needed throughout the ranks to decide seeding for the upcoming MAC Tournament, which opens on campus sites Monday and concludes at The Q next Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Only No. 1 seed Akron has a spot secured as the conference champion. Everything after that is still up for grabs, which is almost unheard of even for the parity-driven MAC.

To begin with, Friday's games start with a four-way tie for second place and sixth-place Buffalo one game back. The challenge is, none of the tied teams play each other, meaning all could win or all could lose, or any variation in between.

"There were at least 38 scenarios when I stopped,'' MAC assistant commissioner for communications Jeremy Guy said of trying to break down the multiple team tiebreaker scenarios.

"Nobody is playing a team that knocks somebody out of the mix, so anything is possible. We could even finish with a four-way tie for second place, and a four-way tie for sixth. Everything is in the air."

Starting at the top, Kent State (19-11, 10-7) plays at Akron (23-7, 12-5). It's Senior night for the Zips and the continuation of Akron's title coronation for the three seniors being honored.

Kent defeated Akron two weeks ago, 85-76, but the Zips are a vastly different team now as they have embraced a free-flowing philosophy of shooting 3-pointers fast, often, and with nearly every open look at the basket. In the last two games, Akron has attempted 84 3-pointers and made 39.

A KSU win locks up a one of the three remaining byes to the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament. A KSU loss wouldn't necessarily eliminate the Golden Flashes from a bye, pending the outcome of the other games.

At the worst, Kent could fall as low as sixth, meaning it would have to host a first-round tournament game against one of several MAC bottom feeders -- Western Michigan or Miami -- that have suddenly gotten hot at the end of the season.

The same scenario holds true for Ohio (19-10, 10-7) at Miami (12-18, 6-11), Ball State (19-11, 10-7) at Northern Illinois (19-11, 8-9), and Western Michigan (12-18, 6-11) at Central Michigan (17-13, 10-7).

What appears to be the easiest call of the night, Buffalo (16-14, 9-8) at Bowling Green (14-16, 5-12) is likely the linchpin contest. A Buffalo victory potentially puts the Bulls in play for a fourth-place bye, pending a loss or two above them. But a loss could knock the Bulls as low as eighth.

The Bulls appeared to be one of the hottest teams in the league before falling at home on senior night to surging Miami, which is now on a three-game winning streak with victories over Akron, Kent and Buffalo. As for Bowling Green, the Falcons are the one team that seems to have run out of gas, having lost two straight and nine of their last 10 games.

"The end of the story is, even for the MAC, this is a year like few others when it comes to tiebreakers,'' Guy said.

Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love has signed a deal to become the new face of Banana Republic, an American clothing and accessories retailer that offers modern, refined clothing for men and women.

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love has signed a deal to become the new face of Banana Republic, an American clothing and accessories retailer that offers modern, refined clothing for men and women.

Love, known as one of the most stylish players in the NBA, is no stranger to the world of fashion, as he appeared on the cover of GQ Magazine last March.

On Tuesday, Love alluded to the partnership with Banana Republic on Instagram, telling his fans to "stay tuned" for more information. The partnership was revealed early Thursday morning. 

Kevin Love shows off the latest fashion from Banana Republic. Banana Republic 

"Banana Republic is such a classic brand, and I am excited to be chosen as the first athlete ambassador for the brand," Love told Us Weekly in an interview. "Since I am always on the move, it is important that my clothes are not only stylish but are functional as well. Banana Republic absolutely hits the mark on both."

The union marks the first time Banana Republic has teamed up with a sports figure. Love will serve as their first-annual style ambassador. 

To kick off the relationship, Love will be featured in Banana Republic's Spring campaign, which debuts on March 8 and the collection will be available in stores and online. He will continue to work together with Banana Republic through the end of the year. 

"I've always gravitated towards classic style influenced by the Rat Pack and guys like Paul Newman," Love told GQ. "There isn't anyone as classic and timeless as Banana Republic so when they approached me, I leapt at the opportunity. They are right in line with how I get dressed every day." 

The deal with Banana Republic continues the Cavaliers' rivalry with the Golden State Warriors. League MVP Stephen Curry is the face of Express. 

Kevin Love gives a sneak peek at his new Spring campaign with Banana Republic.Banana Republic 

Reporters Scott Patsko and Tim Bielik are at Value City Arena covering the event and will be providing live coverage in the comments section below.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Get live updates, pictures and videos Thursday from the 2016 OHSAA state wrestling tournament right here in this post.

Reporters Scott Patsko and Tim Bielik are at Value City Arena covering the event and will be providing live coverage in the comments section below.

Check out our state wrestling preview, which features pairings, scouting reports, photos and videos, including a look back at photos of from the past 15 years at the state tournament, and the history of four-time wrestling champions.

The comments section also serves as a chat room for wrestling fans. We invite you to participate in the comments. You can also use it as a way to contact our reporters and get your questions answered.

All you need is a free cleveland.com community account to comment. Click on the sign in link in the upper right corner of this page to get an account. Don’t worry, it’s easy and the entire process takes about a minute.

Thursday's state wrestling action gets underway at 3 p.m.

Come back to this page all day and night for the latest news, as well as pictures and videos.

For more high school sports news, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. 

Get scoring updates from the Indians' game Thursday against the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark and join beat writers Zack Meisel and Paul Hoynes for a live chat in the comments section.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Get scoring updates from the Indians' game Thursday against the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark and join beat writers Zack Meisel and Paul Hoynes for a live chat in the comments section.

Indians pitchers: Danny Salazar, Zach McAllister, Bryan Shaw, Joe Thatcher, Will Roberts, Shawn Armstrong, Jarrett Grube

Backups: Felipe Paulino, Adam Plutko

Indians lineup:

CF Rajai Davis

C Yan Gomes

1B Carlos Santana

RF Lonnie Chisenhall

LF Joey Butler

DH Tyler Naquin

3B Giovanny Urshela

2B Erik Gonzalez

SS Eric Stamets

Gonzaga, a trendy Cinderella pick in recent NCAA Tournaments, has a ways to go to lock in a trip to the 2016 March Madness. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The West Coast Conference is one of many conference tournaments in traditional one-bid leagues in progress this weekend. What makes this one noteworthy is that Gonzaga, considered a traditional March Madness Cinderella program, is not a sure thing to make the 2016 NCAA Tournament.

• March Madness: Conference tournament schedule, NCAA tournament automatic qualifiers

St. Mary's (25-4, 15-3), which defeated Gonzaga (23-7, 15-3) twice during the regular season, won the WCC regular season title. The Zags, hit this season by  injuries and pedestrian backcourt play, also failed to get a quality non-conference victory on their resume. Yet to some, the Zags still remain viable.

As the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, played on a neutral court in Las Vegas, Gonzaga will likely have to get by No. 3 BYU (22-9, 13-5) even before getting a potential third shot at St. Mary's for the automatic tournament bid.

Not to be lost in the 31 conference tournaments is the start of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament featuring Monmouth, another team considered an at-large favorite but not locked into the field.

The three conference teams that defeated Monmouth -- Canisius, Manhattan and Iona -- are together in the same lower bracket of the league tournament that starts Thursday.

However, Rider, a team Monmouth needed a late-game run to defeat, is a potential early thorn for the Hawks.

Finally, in the Ivy League where Princeton and Yale are tied, Princeton (20-5, 10-1) plays two of its final three games on the road while Yale (20-6, 11-1) plays its last two on the road. Since the Ivy League has no conference championship, if a playoff is needed to determine which team advances to the NCAA Tournament, it will be played next week.

Would Cavaliers fans be better off if LeBron James deleted his Twitter account?

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio - If you're wondering why LeBron James and his wife would jettison to Miami, hang and even work out with potential playoff opponent Dwyane Wade, the answer is simple.

"Cuz I want to."

"I would love to go to L.A., but I'll take 2 1/2 (approximate flight time to Miami) over 4 1/2 (flight to Los Angeles)," James said Thursday, following the Cavs' first practice since their 100-96 win over the Pacers three days ago. "I've got a house in L.A. but it makes more sense for me to go south than go west. But I go because I want to."

The Cavaliers had a strange lull in their schedule this week with no games or practices Tuesday and Wednesday, and James made the most of his time off. And by "made the most of," we mean he drove Twitter and talk radio bonkers with speculation over his personal travel plans and Tweets.

LeBron and Savannah James flew to Miami this week, where they hung out with her trainer and business partner, David Alexander. When LeBron is in the area, he works out at Alexander's gym (his personal trainer is Mike Mancias).

Alexander also counts Wade as a client. On Wednesday, James and Wade apparently worked out together with Alexander. Video of the workout (not to mention photos of the James couple with Alexander) surfaced on social media, and Wade confirmed the workout to Miami reporters.

James and Wade are close friends and former teammates. They vacation together. And, since LeBron left the Heat to rejoin the Cavs in the summer of 2014, James has made multiple, in-season trips to South Beach for various reasons.

Though James sold his Miami mansion for $13.4 million over the summer, he trained on South Beach for most of September leading up to the 2015-16 campaign.

PREVIOUSLY: LeBron sold Miami mansion

But if the playoffs started today, the Cavs would be the No. 1 seed in the East and the Heat would be the fourth seed. Assuming each team won its first-round series, they'd face each other in the conference semifinals.

For that reason (not to mention, the Cavs will play the Heat this month in Miami), some questioned the two friends working out together during the season, with ultra-competitive situations between them looming.

"Yeah, I don't care," James said.

Also this week, on Tuesday (presumably while he was in Miami), James posted to his Twitter account, which is followed by 28.5 million followers: "It's OK to know you've made a mistake. Cause we all do it at times. Just be ready to live with whatever comes with it and be with...those who will protect you at all cost."

At the time, speculation grew quickly that James was tweeting about a Cavaliers teammate. He has a track record of directing conspicuous tweets toward them, most notably last season when he called on Kevin Love to "FIT-IN" rather than "FIT-OUT," putting in caps the words Love had used to describe himself in an interview.

PREVIOUSLY: LeBron called out Kevin Love on Twitter

On Monday, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith speculated that Kyrie Irving was not happy in Cleveland. Given the timing of James' tweet, his history doing the same thing to Love, and the questions that arose from Smith's speculation, there was reason to wonder if James' comments were directed toward Irving.

Using one-word answers, James said Thursday his tweet wasn't directed toward any Cavs player or team-related issue.

"No. Nope," he said.

After his 9-minute session with reporters Thursday, which ended with "love you guys," James went back to Twitter. Perhaps he upped the ante.

Can't replace being around great friends that reciprocate the same energy back to you in all facets of life

-- LeBron James (@KingJames) March 3, 2016

"Can't replace being around great friends that reciprocate the same energy back to you in all facets of life," James tweeted.

Who was he with this week? Wade.

Mary Kay explains why she put Wentz No. 1 on her slideshow about which player the Browns should pick. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Browns will likely have their pick of quarterbacks at No. 2 in April's NFL Draft. Barring the unlikely scenario that a team jumps ahead of them to grab a quarterback, they should be able to pick between Cal's Jared Goff or North Dakota State's Carson Wentz. Who should they pick?

Mary Kay: Who should the Browns pick at No. 2?

Cleveland.com Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot joined Bud Shaw and me on Sports Insider on Thursday and answered that very question. Take a look at the video above to see her response. Watch the full episode at the link below and catch the show live every Thursday at noon.

Sports Insider full episode: March 3, 2016

The Cleveland Cavaliers say having an enforcer is key to winning a championship, but they acknowledge they don't have one. Do they believe they can win regardless?

CLEVELAND, Ohio - If LeBron James captures a championship this year, he'll do it for the first time in his career without a major ingredient: an enforcer.

"I've won championships with one, I've lost championships without one," he said after practice on Thursday. That's a telling response. James mentioned Udonis Haslem and Chris "Birdman" Anderson as the two enforcers who helped him win it all twice in Miami.

I asked James, Kyrie Irving and head coach Tyronn Lue of the importance of having an enforcer on a team chasing a title and I found their answers to be brutally honest.

Last year the Cavaliers picked up big man Kendrick Perkins in February. Although he's not the defensive stalwart he once was, he's still very much a physical, intimidating presence who commands a locker room's respect.

When it comes to setting hard screens, protecting the paint with hard fouls and knocking players on their backside, Perkins -- now with New Orleans -- remains on top of his game. Cleveland doesn't have that guy.

"As far as an enforcer, we don't possess that this year," James said. "Losing Perk was a big piece of our success last year, even with his limited minutes. But what he meant to our team both in the locker room and when he got his opportunity was huge."

Players were furious when the Cavaliers chose not to re-sign him last off-season, key players informed cleveland.com. Instead, the club signed 30-year-old rookie center Sasha Kaun out of the Russian League and Perkins went to the Pelicans. Kaun is a big man yet to find his NBA niche, nowhere close to being an intimidator. The word is he was brought over as a locker room ally for former head coach David Blatt.

Looking back, that was the one whiff the organization may have made last summer.

"[An enforcer], it's vital. It's vital. Having an enforcer like that, [someone] that has championship experience," Irving said. "I don't think we just necessarily want an enforcer, but enforcers are always on championship teams. They have that one guy that we put into the game. That Boston series, it changed drastically just because of Perk going in."

That play Irving is referring to was Game 4 of the first-round series against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Cleveland was up 3-0. Kevin Love's left shoulder had already been dislocated in a rebound skirmish with Kelly Olynyk. Boston knew it couldn't beat Cleveland, so the Celtics tried to beat them up.

"When teams got out of sorts and (Boston) was talking stuff to the bench or taking stuff to our players, just having a guy you know you can lean on that guys respect as being tough in this league," Lue said Thursday when asked about Perkins. "It all started last year with the Boston series."

That's when Perkins, who had only played two minutes in the series, was inserted. You knew what was coming.

It took seconds before Perkins had blindsided Jae Crowder, who was smothering James, with a vicious screen. Perkins even shoved Crowder as he was already on his way down. The Cavaliers noticed, and reacted.

"Crowder was doing a great job of getting into Bron and being physical and we brought Perk in to kind of set the tone a little bit," Lue said. "It kind of got us going. So, you need guys like that you can lean on that's helpful when things get tough."

Perkins had delivered the painful message to the league that there are consequences for certain actions against the Cavs. He would deliver the punishment.

Who's delivering that message this time around?

Lue said the way to make up for the absence of a Perkins is to play hard. But that's something the team has been struggling to do consistently.

In learning how essential James, Irving and Lue view an enforcer, it begs the question: Do the Cavaliers need an enforcer to bring the Larry O'Brien Trophy to Cleveland? According to them, without one, they're fighting an uphill battle.

Before a Dec. 4 game in New Orleans, Perkins was out of commission with an injury. During pregame workouts, Perkins walked over to the Cavaliers' side of the court to do some catching up.

Matthew Dellavedova was going through his pregame ritual. Perkins walked by, pointed at him and said, "You're lucky I'm not playing because I'd hit your ass with a hard ass screen."

Everybody just laughed. That's Perkins. That's who the Cavaliers are missing. We'll find out in the end how vital his presence truly was.

"We don't have one of those this year," Irving said. "No replacement for Kendrick."

Former Cleveland State guard Trey Lewis remains optimistic despite Louisville's self-imposed postseason ban. Watch video

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Trey Lewis transferred from Cleveland State to Louisville for his final year of eligibility for an experience that has evaded him throughout his college career.

Lewis expected to play in the NCAA Tournament this season but his joy was doused when Louisville announced a self-imposed postseason ban last month. It was the Cardinals' reaction to an investigation into allegations that a former staff member provided players with strippers and escorts, which is still under investigation by the NCAA.

The ban means the Cardinals will not play in the ACC Tournament or in March Madness.

Lewis, a Garfield Heights High School grad, remains upbeat and confident in his decision to transfer to Louisville.

"My goal is still to be a champion," said Lewis, who chose Louisville over the likes of Xavier and Ohio State. "We [still had] a chance to win the conference title. Winning the ACC [would have been] a huge accomplishment. It's still worth it."

Lewis' hopes of ever playing in a postseason were dashed, but playing for the Cardinals fulfilled other goals.

"I'm still living my dream," Lewis said. "We beat great teams like Duke and North Carolina. I've gained so much with the college experience of a lifetime. I got to play for a hall of fame coach. The notoriety of playing here was crazy. This has been a blessing."

Lewis played his final home game on Tuesday. Coach Rick Pitino presented Lewis and fellow senior Damion Lee with special rings. Lewis will play his final game on Saturday at Virginia, but Lewis and Lee will play their final college game in the NABC College All-Star Game at NRG Stadium in Houston - the home of the 2016 Final Four.

THE FILE

Name: Joseph Lewis III
Nickname: Trey
School: University of Louisville (23-7)
Year: Graduate student
Major: Higher Education
Ht/Wt: 6-2, 185
Hometown: Garfield Heights, Ohio
Stats: 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Bio: Lewis earned his undergraduate degree from Cleveland State before transferring to Louisville. Lewis averaged 16.3 points per game for CSU last season. He led the conference with a school single-season record 96 three-pointers. He shot 42.3 percent from 3-point range. His 155 career 3-pointers in two seasons ranks eighth in CSU history. This season Lewis had 21 points against Michigan State, 22 points and five assists against Virginia Tech, 14 points and five rebounds against Syracuse, and 21 points and eight rebounds against Utah Valley.

Lewis says: "Individually, I could've played better but it's about what the team needs. As a point guard, my first responsibility is as a facilitator. My numbers may have taken a hit but I've never won this much before or played on a team that cracked the top ten."

FIVE QUESTIONS

1. What other sport would you play in college if you were not a basketball player?

"Football. I never played except with my cousins in the backyard but I had some nice moves."

2. Which song best describes your game?

"It's a song by Uncle Reese called 'Until I Pass Out,' that's how hard I play."

3. Many people don't know this about me but ...

"I've been playing the piano for over 13 years. I love to make music. I even rap. I do a rap freestyle with one of my teammates. We make parity songs. We rapped to "I Ain't Mad At 'Cha" by Tupac ... We're thinking about [releasing] that song."

4. You and what four NBA legends would beat Golden State's starting five?

"I'd have Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ray Allen. Wouldn't we be tough to beat?"

5. Besides family and friends, what do you miss most about Cleveland?

"I miss going to the Cavs games. Watching the Cavs gave me the passion to play basketball ... I miss all of the food spots, like Zanzabar. I miss my aunt's cooking. I miss the Word Church. I miss so much because our city is dope."