​DAIKIN PARK (Houston) – As Team USA quashed a late charge from Canada on Friday night, Paul Skenes had already started the process of preparing for a seemingly indomitable machine. The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner, the best hope the United States has of getting back to the World Baseball Classic final, took off early to get ready for his Sunday start in Miami where a juggernaut will be waiting. "I expect it to be, like, one of the best games of all time," USA manager Mark DeRosa said ahead of the star-studded semifinal matchup against the Dominican Republic. Despite fielding the most talented roster it has ever assembled, Team USA got to this point by surviving rather than thriving. The U.S. held on late against Mexico, lost to Italy and needed help to advance out of pool play, then held on for life again against its neighbors to the north. Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic has steamrolled its way through the competition, dancing and bat-flipping and swim-moving and soaring and soaking in every minute of a tournament that so outwardly and obviously means the world to its players. Julio Rodriguez even said it would mean more to win the World Baseball Classic than the World Series. "It’s exciting," Aaron Judge said of the Dominican style of play. "I know the fans definitely love it. But I try not to look at what other teams are doing, other people are doing. I’m focused on what we got here. We’ve got a special group of guys that love to play this game, they’re excited to be in this room, they’re all honored to be in this room, and they’re not taking it for granted." The U.S. players say they’re having fun, too, even if it’s not as obvious, even if the wins aren’t as convincing and even if every game is changing the color of their pitching coach’s head. The latest survival was a 5-3 win, during which Canada put the tying runners in scoring position in the seventh. "I’m telling everybody, my hair might start falling out I think," said Andy Pettitte. "It’s all turning gray. But it’s fun." Is it? "I mean, I’m trying to have fun," Pettitte, a five-time World Series champion with the Yankees, said. "I’m not going to lie, it’s tough. With what we’re doing and how we’re trying to do things and trying to talk through this and figure it out, it’s not easy, but it’s fun, and we knew what we were getting into when we accepted this. The guys have been amazing. I hope they’re having fun. I’m enjoying it." Pettitte’s hair isn’t likely to get any thicker with the opponent on deck. Just as the U.S. is attempting to avenge its performance three years ago, Team D.R. is looking to do the same. The Dominican Republic won the tournament in 2013 but was bounced in the second round in 2017 and didn’t make it out of pool play in 2023. It has started this tournament with a vengeance, pulverizing every pitching staff it has faced. Team D.R. went 4-0 in pool play and entered the quarterfinals with the best run differential in the tournament. The unrelenting behemoth of a lineup has scored 51 runs in five games — and that’s while mercy-ruling two of their opponents in seven innings. "They’re one of the greatest countries in the world at baseball," said Bryce Harper. "They’re young. They’re talented. One through nine in that lineup, they can all go deep. They can all hit for average." "We know what type of team they’ve got over there," added Judge. "Incredible offense, incredible pitching staff, bullpen, everything is just top notch." On Friday, the Dominican Republic shut out its latest victim. Austin Wells’ three-run shot triggered a run rule in the seventh against Korea and gave the Dominican Republic the 10-0 win and its 14th home run of the WBC, already tying a tournament record. Team USA, meanwhile — with a lineup that many expected to be similarly formidable — has hit half as many homers and scored 11 fewer runs than Team D.R. in the same number of games. The U.S. didn’t hit any home runs in its win on Friday, though Harper had a 416-foot flyout and Alex Bregman and Cal Raleigh both narrowly missed home runs on deep foul balls. "If we’re going to win this tournament like we all believe we’re going to, it’s going to take more than home runs," Judge said. "There’s times we’re not hitting home runs, we’ve got to play small ball, we’ve got to move runners, we’ve got to do different things just to create some offense." Added Bregman: "We’ll get it dialed in." DeRosa said he doesn’t see "any crazy changes taking place" with the lineup and believes in the group he has. On the mound, he’ll have perhaps the only person left in the tournament capable of giving the Dominican Republic lineup a challenge. Skenes, who threw 60 pitches in four scoreless innings in USA’s win against Mexico, is projected to have a pitch limit of around 75 to 80, though that number is subject to change. "He wanted the ball," Pettitte said. "Before he left today, we were out there talking — man, he’s wanting to get to Sunday — and of course all of us were praying we’d be able to get there and have an opportunity to do this. He’s a special human being, a special kid, and he’s looking forward to it, I know. It’s going to be a great game." Added Judge: "I like any game that Paul Skenes pitches." Read More

​First come the conference tournaments, then comes the Big Dance. Let's check out the odds for the major conference tournaments at DraftKings Sportsbook as of March 14, as well as what to know. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Big Ten Tournament winner Michigan: -220 (bet $10 to win $14.55 total)Purdue: +320 (bet $10 to win $42 total)Wisconsin: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)UCLA: +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total) What to know: The Wolverines narrowly escaped Ohio State in the Big Ten quarterfinals, earning a 71-67 victory. Now they get a shot at revenge when they face Wisconsin in the semifinals. The Badgers are responsible for Michigan's lone Big Ten loss this season. ACC Tournament winner Duke: -380 (bet $10 to win $12.63 total)Virginia: +300 (bet $10 to win $40 total) What to know: It's Duke and Virginia for the ACC Tournament title. The two teams faced off once this season and the Blue Devils emerged with a 77-51 blowout win. However, this time Duke will be without Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba, both of whom are dealing with foot injuries. Big 12 Tournament winner Arizona: -166 (bet $10 to win $16.02 total)Houston: +140 (bet $10 to win $24 total) What to know: These two squads will square off for the second time this season. In their first tilt, Arizona went to Houston and won 73-66. The Wildcats needed a buzzer-beater from Jaden Bradley to overcome Iowa State in the semifinals (82-80), while the Cougars dominated Kansas in their semifinal matchup (69-47). Big East Tournament winner UConn: -175 (bet $10 to win $15.71 total)St. John's: +145 (bet $10 to win $24.50 total) What to know: Round 3 for these two. UConn and St. John's split the season series, but the Huskies did beat the Red Storm by 32 the second time around. Both teams have cruised through the Big East tourney, winning by at least 10 in each of their two wins. SEC Tournament winner (FanDuel) Florida: -210 (bet $10 to win $14.76 total)Arkansas: +270 (bet $10 to win $37 total)Vanderbilt: +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)Ole Miss: +2700 (bet $10 to win $280 total) What to know: The defending champs are rounding into form. Florida won the SEC regular-season title and has won 12 in a row, including a 71-63 win over Kentucky in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. The Gators played Arkansas once this season, winning by 34. Read More

​Shohei Ohtani captured MVP in the 2023 World Baseball Classic after leading Japan to its third WBC title in the most spectacular fashion. And in 2026, he's on pace to grab the trophy once more. Here are the latest odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as of March 14. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. WBC MVP odds Shohei Ohtani (JPN): +550 (bet $10 to win $65 total)Aaron Judge (USA): +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)Fernando Tatis Jr. (DOM): +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)Juan Soto (DOM): +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (DOM): +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)Bobby Witt Jr. (USA): +1500 (bet $10 to win $160 total)Junior Caminero (DOM): +1700 (bet $10 to win $180 total)Kyle Schwarber (USA): +1900 (bet $10 to win $200 total) Here's what to know about the oddsboard: The Favorite: Aaron Judge opened as the favorite pre-tournament, but Shohei Ohtani has moved to the front of the pack. Through the tournament so far, Ohtani is batting .556 with 21 plate appearances, two home runs and a 2.025 OPS. Ones to Watch: Closely behind Ohtani on the board is who else but Aaron Judge. In the USA's win over Canada in the quarterfinals, he had a hit and a run in three at-bats. He will get a chance to make a major mark in the tournament when the Americans take on the Dominican Republic in the semifinals. Read More

​We're in the midst of the World Baseball Classic, and it has yet to disappoint. Let's dive into the title odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of March 14. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. World Baseball Classic 2026 USA: +130 (bet $10 to win $23 total)Dominican Republic: +210 (bet $10 to win $31 total)Japan: +400 (bet $10 to win $50 total)Venezuela: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)Puerto Rico: +2000 (bet $10 to win $210 total)Italy: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total) March 14 Venezuela vs. Japan Spread: Japan -1.5Moneyline: Japan -180, Venezuela +145O/U: 7.5 Puerto Rico vs. Italy Spread: Puerto Rico -1.5Moneyline: Puerto Rico -125, Italy +100O/U: 8.5 March 15 USA vs. Dominican Republic Spread: TBDMoneyline: USA -165, D.R. +135O/U: TBD Here is what to know about the WBC oddsboard: The Favorite: The United States is now the favorite again after a loss to Italy in pool play shifted it to second on the oddsboard. In the quarterfinals, the U.S. earned a 5-3 win over Canada. The USA hasn't been as dominant as expected so far in the tournament. It beat Brazil 15-1 and Great Britain 9-1, but since then, it has 5-3 wins over Canada and Mexico, and an 8-6 loss to Italy. Team USA has now booked a matchup with the Dominican Republic in the semifinals. Buckle up. One to Watch: The D.R. ran roughshod over the Republic of Korea in the quarterfinals, winning 10-0. In that win, the D.R. got RBIs from Fernando Tatis Jr., Ketel Marte, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado, Junior Caminero, Julio Rodriguez and Austin Wells. In short, the stars are starring. The D.R. has scored at least 10 runs in four of its five WBC games. Will the USA be able to put a stop to the offensive onslaught? Read More

​Zuby Ejiofor scored 20 points and No. 13 St. John's beat Seton Hall on Friday, 78-68, to reach the Big East Tournament title game for the second consecutive season. Joson Sanon added 15 points off the bench for the defending champion Red Storm (27-6), who will face No. 11 seed Georgetown or sixth-ranked and second-seeded UConn on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. St. John's, outright regular-season champions each of the past two years, has never won back-to-back Big East Tournament crowns. The program has advanced to the semifinals in all three seasons under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino after failing to do so at all from 2001-23. Bryce Hopkins had 13 points and seven rebounds for the Johnnies, who improved to 10-1 as the top seed in this event. Dillon Mitchell provided 13 points, six rebounds and five assists. Adam "Budd" Clark paced the fourth-seeded Pirates (21-12) with 17 points and 11 assists. Seton Hall was trying to reach the final for the first time since a 74-72 loss to Villanova in 2019. St. John's has won six straight matchups in the Hudson River rivalry, its longest streak since winning 15 in a row from 1982-88. St. John's opened the second half with an 11-0 run to build a 19-point cushion, leaving Big East Coach of the Year Shaheen Holloway beside himself a time or two on the Seton Hall sideline. But the gritty Pirates began causing problems with a full-court press and reeled off a 20-7 spurt. They trimmed it to 62-56 on a corner 3-pointer by AJ Staton-McCray with 4:39 left before the Red Storm stemmed the tide and sealed it from the free-throw line. After scoring the first nine points Thursday in an 85-72 quarterfinal victory over No. 9 seed Providence, the Johnnies ran off the initial eight Friday and opened a 13-point lead late in the opening half with the help of Sanon's four-point play. Sanon had a trio of 3-pointers and 10 points in 8 1/2 minutes by halftime, as St. John's carried a 38-30 advantage into the break. Ejiofor scored 12 first-half points and Mitchell had 10 points and five rebounds. Reporting by The Associated Press. Read More