Rory McIlroy goes back-to-back at Masters; Doc Rivers steps down; WNBA free agency winners and losers

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⛳ Five things to know Monday

1. Rory McIlroy is the Masters champion -- again. For just the fourth time in tournament history, Augusta National crowned a back-to-back Masters winner. McIlroy had to work his way back into the lead after squandering his historically large 36-hole advantage, and his rally on the second nine on Sunday earned him another green jacket and quite a bit of prize money. The final round saw myriad golfers challenge McIlroy -- including Scottie Scheffler, who finished one stroke back in second place -- but none were able to permanently unseat him from the top of the Masters pack.
2. The NBA playoffs are set. All 30 teams played Sunday to conclude the NBA's regular season, and 12 locked up their spots in the playoff bracket. Another eight clinched opportunities to earn their way into the field of the final 16 through the Play-In Tournament, which tips off Tuesday with an Eastern Conference battle between the Hornets and Heat. The great tanking race also came to an end as the Wizards, Pacers and Nets secured the best draft lottery odds.
3. Doc Rivers will not return to the Bucks next season. Rivers, following a 32-50 season in which he failed to make the playoffs, will reportedly step down as Milwaukee's coach. The soon-to-be Basketball Hall of Fame inductee could be done with his coaching career entirely, although time will tell if the sixth-winningest coach in NBA history pursues another opportunity before calling it quits. Meanwhile, despite a highly disappointing first year at the helm, the Kings will reportedly retain coach Doug Christie for the 2026-27 season.
4. Carlos Ulberg won the light heavyweight title at UFC 327. Fighting with just one good leg for most of the main event, Ulberg somehow overcame his injury to knock out Jiri Prochazka in a stunning result. Earlier on the card, Paulo Costa defeated Azamat Murzakanov via third-round TKO, Josh Hokit defeated Curtis Blaydes via unanimous decision, Dominick Reyes defeated Johnny Walker via split decision and Cub Swanson defeated Nate Landwehr via first-round TKO.
5. Louisville had itself a day in the college basketball transfer portal. No team is off to a better start in transfer recruiting than the Cardinals, who on Sunday landed a commitment from both No. 1-ranked prospect Flory Bidunga and top-five point guard Jackson Shelstad. Both newcomers received grades of B+ or better for their fits in Pat Kelsey's program. Elsewhere in the portal, Justin Pippen (the son of Scottie Pippen) committed to Ohio State. And on the women's side, three of the top 10 players picked their new schools.

🏌️‍♂️ Do not miss this: Inside Rory McIlroy's second Masters title

Rory McIlroy was in a familiar position after Thursday's opening round at the Masters, standing atop the leaderboard with Sam Burns after shooting a 67. The next 54 holes of his championship defense were a roller coaster and delivered some legendary Augusta National drama.

An incredible second round saw McIlroy distance himself from the pack like no other golfer in Masters history. The six-shot lead he built through 36 holes was the largest the tournament has ever seen, and he entered the weekend 12 under par with plenty of breathing room. Even with his driver causing him immense trouble, McIlroy looked plenty comfortable on a course he knows so well.

Patrick McDonald set the stage beautifully for what happened next.

• McDonald: "It was not the power and flying abilities that made him appear to be a superhero. Rather, it was his craftiness, his finesse, his knowledge of Augusta National. McIlroy is experienced enough to know that, once you accelerate, you should keep your foot on the gas and not ease up."

McIlroy could not, in fact, keep his foot on the accelerator. The shots that bailed him out of trouble on Thursday and Friday were absent in Round 3, and in turn, he shot a 73 and squandered sole possession of the lead. Cameron Young was in lockstep with him heading into Sunday, and Scottie Scheffler climbed within striking distance with a Masters career-low 65.

McIlroy vowed to play more freely in Round 4, and he delivered on that game plan. He looked unflappable on the second nine, even after slipping out of the lead altogether. After rebuilding a two-shot cushion heading into the 18th and finishing the job, he put on the green jacket for the second time.

History told us to expect something memorable, as every 10th Masters has been magical for one reason or another. It delivered (as it always does) as McIlroy cemented himself among the greatest golfers of his generation.

😀☹️ WNBA free agency winners and losers

Most of the biggest dominoes in WNBA free agency fell over the weekend, and with that, we turn to the next page of the truncated offseason tonight's draft. But before college basketball stars like Kiki Rice hear their names called on the stage in New York, let's put a bow on all the roster moves that have unfolded thus far.

Players have been allowed to officially sign contracts since Saturday, and every free agent inside our top 25 has either done so, intends to do so or received core designations. One would be hard-pressed to find a team that stocked up on more firepower than the Liberty, who Jack Maloney tabbed as the biggest winners of free agency after they signed Satou Sabally.

• Maloney: "It's fair to have some questions about how (Breanna) Stewart, (Jonquel) Jones and Sabally will fit together in the frontcourt, but no one expected the Liberty to add a fourth star to the mix this spring. Regardless of how the Liberty fill out the rest of the roster, the team is more talented than it was last season."

Meanwhile, the Sky made another trade over the weekend, and unlike the Angel Reese deal, this one actually made sense. Maloney gave them an "A-" for swapping Ariel Atkins for Rickea Jackson and named Chicago both a winner and a loser for its mixed bag of offseason moves.

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

• The USWNT avenged their SheBelieves Cup loss to Japan with a 2-1 win in the first of a three-match friendly series.
• Tyson Fury came out of retirement again, and he left no doubt in his abilities with a win by unanimous decision over Arslanbek Makhmudov.
• Just when it seemed like the Blue Jays could not possibly have worse injury luck, George Springer fractured his left big toe in Saturday's loss.
• The Spurs allowed Victor Wembanyama to return from his rib contusion to play his 65th game, which makes him eligible for MVP and other considerations.
• The Eagles acquired Dontayvion Wicks in a trade with the Packers, adding more fuel to a possible A.J. Brown trade.
• Kenny Moore II and the Colts mutually agreed to explore a trade, so we identified five potential landing spots.
• The Alabama quarterback competition might have taken a turn after Keelon Russell's spring game performance.
• The UFC made two big announcements, first with the signing of former Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson and later with the addition of Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis to the Freedom 250 event at the White House.
• The Mariners' statue dedicated to Ichiro Suzuki broke upon its unveiling. Speaking of which, Shohei Ohtani broke a 17-year old on-base record that previously belonged to Ichiro.
• After his inability to get the final out in Saturday's loss, Jazz Chisholm Jr. admitted he doesn't fully know the double play rule.
• Roger Goodell downplayed the challenges of international travel in response to the 49ers' qualms with playing in Australia.
• Randy Orton and Pat McAfee continued their feud with Cody Rhodes and Jelly Roll on WWE SmackDown.
• Union Berlin made Marie-Louise Eta the first female head coach in men's Bundesliga history.

📺 What we're watching Monday

⚽ Leeds United at Manchester United, 3 p.m. on USA Network
⚾ Astros at Mariners, 4:10 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Cubs at Phillies, 6:40 p.m. on FS1
🏀 WNBA Draft, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🤼 WWE Raw, 8 p.m. on Netflix
🏒 Kings at Kraken, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Rangers at Athletics, 9:40 p.m. on Peacock
⚾ Mets at Dodgers, 10:10 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited