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Anthony Gordon will undergo a medical this afternoon before leaving for Barcelona newcastle united It will be finalized in the next few hours.

sports report on newcastle The forward arrived in Barcelona this afternoon after his flight from the UK was delayed.

already in barcelona

The newspaper reports that Anthony Gordon is undergoing a medical in Barcelona already this afternoon. It is scheduled for 4pm in a hospital in Barcelona. He will then sign a five-year contract at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona had planned for Gordon to arrive at 2pm, but the plane that flew him from Newcastle was delayed by an hour and a half.

So he was welcomed by the crowd at El Prat Josep Tarradels airport, where he spoke his first, unofficial words as a Barcelona player. “I’m very happy,” he said, greeting the press from a distance.

According to Sport, Gordon is scheduled to have a medical in Barcelona at 4 p.m. This is a definite step towards closing the deal. He will then sign a five-year deal and become the first player to sign with Barcelona in the summer.

€70m transfer deal

Barcelona and Newcastle have completed a deal worth around €70m, of which €10m will be in different types. The agreement was reached after ‘intensive negotiations’ led by Barcelona sporting director Deco.

He closed the signing during an ‘express visit’ to London, during which he laid the foundations of the agreement. After this it was finalized on Wednesday.

Barca’s sporting management has accelerated over the past two days to complete the deal before the World Cup. They wanted to avoid any possible complications during the tournament.

Anthony Gordon made him his preference despite receiving offers from Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

Unless there are any last-minute, surprise complications, the official announcement of the transfer should come in the next few hours, once the 25-year-old has completed his medical and signed the relevant documents.

The first three rounds of the 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament are in the rearview, and now we head to the Elite 8. On Saturday night, the biggest and best tournament in American sports resumes with only eight teams still standing. But who are the best teams left in the tournament?

We aim to answer that question with our rankings of the Elite 8 teams that will take the court this weekend.

RELATED: 2026 Elite Eight Predictions – Guessing Which Teams Will Make the Final Four

8.Iowa

While they were lost in the shadow of Iowa State during the regular season, Iowa returned to the big dance for the first time in three years this month and now have their state’s full attention after reaching the Elite 8. The main reason for an improbable run is a defense that allowed only 66.0 points to opponents during the season.

This played a major role in big wins against Clemson, Florida and then Nebraska in the Sweet 16.

7. Tennessee

Tennessee did not give the impression that they might be a problem in the NCAA Tournament as they went into the bracket having lost four of their last six. However, the six-seeds silenced their opponents with some very impressive play.

Led by future NBA draft pick Nate Ament and senior guard Ja’Coby Gillespie, the Volunteers defeated 3-seed Virginia and title contender Iowa State to reach the Elite 8 this weekend.

6. UConn

UConn looked to be a serious title contender once again for most of the season. However, in the last month of their campaign, they began to struggle and lost twice to St. John’s, including a blowout loss in the Big East Tournament.

However, under the bright lights of March Madness, Dan Hurley’s team has played much better and clinched their spot in the Elite 8 with a tough win over Michigan State.

5. Illinois

Brad Underwood has turned Illinois into a force in the Big Ten and a frequent tournament participant. However, a major reason they are in the Elite 8 for the second time in three years is breakout star Keaton Wagler.

After a slow finish to the regular season, they have made their way through the NCAA Tournament. Scoring a trio of key wins, including an unexpected 10-point win over title contender Houston in the Sweet 16.

4. Purdue

Purdue has something most elite schools lack: top players with experience. It came up big when the Boilermakers needed it most, as after a tough end to the regular season, they were impressive en route to a Big Ten Tournament victory, and have continued that momentum into March Madness.

While their Sweet 16 win over Texas wasn’t easy, their veteran team heads into the Elite 8 for the second time in three seasons this weekend.

3.Michigan

Michigan has shown all season that head coach Dusty Mays has a team that can win the program’s first championship in nearly 40 years next week. Big Ten freshman Yaxel Lendeborg leads a dominant front court, in which the Wolverines were one of the 10 best scoring teams in the country during the regular season.

In their first three games of March Madness, they dominated their foes, including a dangerous Alabama team. However, the big thing on the Wolverines is that they have one of the easier paths to the Elite 8.

2. Duke

Duke had a vintage Blue Devils regular season due to the outstanding performance of ACC pitcher Cameron Boozer. The freshman, who stepped in to replace Cooper Flagg, led the team in points (he was also ninth best in the country), rebounds and assists during the regular season.

The potential No. 1 pick in the draft has been a huge accomplishment for his team in March Madness, especially in wins over St. John’s and Siena. While they have faced real resistance in the first three rounds, Duke continues to prove that they are at their best in crunch time.

1. Arizona

Arizona has been impressive throughout the 2025-26 season. Led by some stellar play from freshman Braden Burries and Big 12 player of the year Jaden Bradley, the Wildcats recorded wins over 12 top-25 teams during the season.

He has continued his excellent play in the NCAA Tournament. Posting dominant wins in every round, including a devastating 109-88 win over Final Four dark horse Arkansas.

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

The San Antonio Spurs are on the rise again as Victor Wembanyama continues to lead the way. Wembley has become the centerpiece of this San Antonio team that is now headed to the NBA playoffs. Under Mitch Johnson, the Spurs improved to 50–18 after a 119–115 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. He keeps raising expectations with every performance. The streak reached two games. The message felt more intense. This team is no longer rebuilding. is increasing.

This moment is weighty. The Spurs have missed the postseason every year since 2019–20. Now, they are one of the biggest stories in the league. Wembanyama made that clear after the game, as shared by Spurs beat writer Jeff Garcia. “Meaning development. It’s still not enough. I want to reach at least 60 to balance out my rookie season,” he said. The words landed like a challenge. Fifty wins matter. But for Vembanyama it is only an outpost.

Victor Wembanyama demands more as Spurs hopes rise

Vembanyama is not just producing. Instead, he is setting the standard. Their focus has shifted beyond numbers to culture. Via Jeff Garcia He said, “A big thing for me is to hold everybody that works with me to that standard. I’m talking to everybody… I have to surround myself with the best people possible and hold them to that standard.” As a result, that tone has shaped the locker room.

Meanwhile, Mitch Johnson has provided structure in his first full season since Gregg Popovich moved into a front office role with the Spurs. As a result, the system looks much clearer. Roles feel defined. And belief is real.

Plus, history adds context. The Spurs last reached 60 wins in 2016–17 and finished 61–21 before losing in the conference finals. At the time, that mark felt like the standard. For some time it seemed a distant thing. However, now it seems possible again.

So far, the Spurs have already taken a big step forward. However, Vembanyama is looking ahead. If this team is already at 50 wins, what will happen when they reach their ceiling in the NBA Playoffs under the bright lights?

Throughout his NBA career, Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma has never had to see a shot he didn’t like, and during the team’s game against the Phoenix Suns he reached an important career milestone with 10,000 career points.

After the Bucks’ game, Kyle Kuzma gave a heartfelt reaction to reaching the 10,000 career point plateau.

Kuzma said, “As a kid, I said I had two dreams that I wanted to play in the NBA, and I wanted to score 10,000 points. Random, that’s just how random it happens.” “I knew I was getting close for the last month or so, and I feel like it was yesterday or the day before yesterday… I looked to see how close I was, and I was praying this morning.

“I told God, ‘It would be great if I could score 30 tonight,’ because I knew where I was. And I had 33. Honestly, you can’t beat that.”

Although the Bucks lost the game against the Suns 129–114, Kuzma etched his name in the history books as the latest NBA player to score 10,000 career points. He finished the game with 33 while shooting 12-of-21 (57.1 percent) from the field, 6-of-10 (60 percent) from the 3-point line and 3-of-4 (75 percent) from the free-throw line.

Kuzma’s name came up in trade rumors as the deadline approached, but ultimately nothing materialized and the Bucks retained the veteran forward. Selected 27th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft, Kuzma has been a solid double-digit scoring threat throughout his career, helping the Los Angeles Lakers win the 2020 NBA Championship.

This season, Kuzma has been benched, playing in 59 games at a rate of just over 26 minutes per game. He averaged 13.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists with splits of 49.2 percent shooting from the field, 36.5 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 72.4 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

Kenny Atkinson praised James Harden’s career milestone of scoring 29,000 points following the Cleveland Cavaliers’ win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night.

Harden has been in the NBA since 2009, making him one of the league’s greatest scorers of all time. Heading into Cleveland’s clash with Philadelphia, he had scored 28,996 regular season points in his entire career. He needed # of points to reach the milestone of 29,000 points, to get closer to the great achievement of 30,000 points.

Harden accomplished the feat with a stellar performance during his 29 minutes of action. He finished with a stat line of 21 points, five rebounds, five assists and one block. He made 6 of 11 shots from the field, including 3 of 8 from beyond the arc and 6 of 6 from the free-throw line.

Atkinson reacted to Harden’s milestone via reporter Paris McGee Jr. after the game. The head coach hailed the moment as a testament to the veteran star’s longevity as an elite scorer in the league.

“It’s a testament to his resiliency. It’s very hard to do that consistently for so long in this league. This version of James we’re seeing, you don’t just think about scoring, I think about this complete player… When they announced it today, I was in shock, 29,000. Wow. Incredible,” Atkinson said.

Kenny Atkinson called James Harden’s milestone of 29,000 career points a testament to his longevity and elite level of flexibility.

Video: Paris McGee Jr., cleveland.com pic.twitter.com/KNkEFrC6TV

– cleveland.com Cavs (@PDcavsinsider) 10 March 2026

James Harden, how the Cavaliers played against the 76ers

It’s clear that Kenny Atkinson is proud to see James Harden make history as one of the best veteran scorers in the league. He is now eager to see Harden aim for the 30,000-point milestone.

Six players scored in double figures for Cleveland in the win over Philadelphia, including Harden. Keon Ellis proved to be a big spark off the bench with 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting overall, including 4 of 7 from downtown. Donovan Mitchell came next with 17 points and six assists, Evan Mobley had 15 points and eight rebounds, Dean Wade put up 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Jaylon Tyson provided 11 points.

Cleveland improved to a 40–25 record on the season and finished fourth in the Eastern Conference standings. They are above the Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic, while trailing the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics.

The Cavaliers look forward to their next matchup while on the road. They will take on the Magic as tip-off takes place on March 11 at 7:30 pm ET.

The New York Knicks are entering the post-All-Star break period on a strong note. They have won eight of their last 10 matches. And they have struck a strong balance while displaying above-average defense as of late, including holding the Philadelphia 76ers to 66 points in a recent win. Still, many experts believe the Knicks are still a ways away from realistically competing for a championship. And while that piece may have been added just before the All-Star break, New York needs to address some glaring shortcomings before it’s ready to make its move.

Karl-Anthony Towns has played well recently. He has been a rebounding machine, averaging 14.2 rebounds per game over the last nine games. And it has had a positive impact on the Knicks and their results.

However, he hasn’t scored on the ball as well as he’s capable of. Towns is averaging 16.3 points per game in that same time frame, shooting only 27.3% on nearly four 3-point attempts per game. This is extremely bad considering what we expect from him. But sadly, that’s not a far cry from their output in the 2025-26 season. Towns is averaging the second-lowest points per game of his career this season (19.8%) as well as his second-worst 3-point percentage (35.1%).

That’s not going to cut it if the Knicks hope to win the 2026 NBA Championship. Head coach Mike Brown should make more of an effort to get Towns involved, possibly leaning on off the dribble hand-off action, increasing pick-and-rolls with Jalen Brunson and isolating him in the post.

But it’s not entirely up to Brown to do so. Towns also has his work cut out for him. He must learn to accept missed calls and stop arguing with the referee, step up defense and look for better shot opportunities.

Towns can also demand balls. While Brown and Brunson are partially responsible for Towns’ inclusion, Towns will have to make a strong case to get the ball. That means sealing his man behind him in the post and demanding the ball. This also means not settling for runners and bad or contested shots. But at the end of the day, Towns is too talented to keep this up for a long time. He is due to return in the middle.

The Knicks have more work to do than get Towns back to his pre-2025-26 output. New York must also work on molding their recent additions Jose Alvarado and Jeremy Sochan into their rotation. Alvarado, who was added via trade before the trade deadline, has appeared in three games for New York so far – and his impact has already been felt.

Alvarado adds a palpable intensity and irascibility. He is a high-energy perimeter defender who disrupts opposing offenses and establishes a tough culture. His presence is even more important given the injury to Miles McBride, who will be out until the end of March with a sports hernia. What Alvarado can do on the offensive end of the field is just icing on the cake.

Jeremy Sochan’s role is less clear. The six-foot-eight forward is a versatile defender who adds significant toughness. He is expected to add valuable front court depth, at least initially, taking some minutes from Mohamed Diawara.

Thinking’s ability to defend multiple positions will appeal to Brown. He’ll obviously be a reserve, but exactly how he fits into the team’s rotation remains to be figured out. Sochan had three strong seasons with the San Antonio Spurs before being waived. His role has become less clear this season, but hopefully he can still do what he did before this season, being a disruptive force who can create with the ball in his hands and move well without it.

Knicks must decide on playoff rotation

Both of the above points speak to the team’s need to beef up its rotation. New York has effectively increased its depth. And it has plenty of top-end star power. Now, it’s a matter of understanding who plays and who doesn’t.

Brown said he likes to play a “9.5 man rotation” before the season starts. Well, this leads to some difficult decisions.

In addition to their starting five, the Knicks should consider playing time for Alvarado, Sochan, McBride, Mitchell Robinson, Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson — not to mention Diawara. Teams can approach their reserves in three different groups: guards, forwards and forwards.

Robinson’s place is well cemented. He must play when he is healthy. And the only limitations here include being careful not to depend on it too much.

There’s probably only room for three guards — Alvarado, McBride, Shamet and Clarkson — and that’s being generous. But it’s impossible to imagine Alvarado, McBride and Shamet No Playing regularly. Sadly, Clarkson is probably the odd one out from the group. However, his presence remains valuable as he adds the most immediate offense off the bench. Hopefully he’ll stay busy without a regular role – that’s a tough ask for anyone.

He skips ahead. Shamet’s size could allow the Browns to play him as a forward as well. But ideally, Sochan could emulate OG Anunoby and Josh Hart. If it doesn’t work out according to plan, the big question becomes will the team turn to Diarra for playoff minutes? And if they do, can he handle it?

Thankfully, the Knicks have 27 games left to resolve these issues. The team should be motivated to improve on last season’s results and advance to the NBA Finals and preferably win it. And this may be their best chance to do so.