2025 Masters picks, ranking the field; Arsenal leads Real Madrid on amazing goals; Nuggets fire Michael Malone

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This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Let's get right to it.

⚽ Good morning to all, but especially to ...

ARSENAL AND INTER

It always takes something special to beat Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League. Declan Rice produced two special somethings in one of the best wins in Arsenal history, scoring two magnificent free kicks in the Gunners' 3-0 win over Los Blancos. James Benge was on the scene for a magical night at the Emirates.

Benge: "This is now a man forever assured of his status in north London folklore. In what is surely the greatest night this ground has ever seen, his free kicks -- plural -- felled the great titan of European football. ... For years to come, they'll be shouting Rice's name across the playing fields of north London whenever anyone goes to hit one."

Here's what Rice had to say about his "bangers."

Though 3-0 seems insurmountable, I've seen too many Real Madrid miracles in this competition to be sure. Carlo Ancelotti feels the same way.

There was plenty more drama in Inter's 2-1 win over Bayern Munich. Lauturo Martinez, playing as well as any striker in the world, hit a marvelous first-time shot to give Inter the lead, but Thomas Muller scored in the 85th minute, and it looked like spoils would be shared. But substitute Davide Frattesi redirected a Carlos Augusto cross in the 87th minute to give the Nerazzurri the first-leg advantage.

Today, we have two more matches:

PSG vs. Aston Villa | 3 p.m. ET on Paramount+ | Preview
Barcelona vs. Borussia Dortmund | 3 p.m. on Paramount+ | Preview | Projected lineups

Here are our expert picks.

👍 Honorable mentions

Austin Reaves is balling out as of late.
These NBA races are coming down to the wire.
Projected top-10 pick Tre Johnson declared for the NBA Draft. So did Egor Demin, who's also in the top 10 of our prospect rankings.
Nick Saban received an Emmy nomination.
If torpedo bats do indeed increase offense, then that's a good thing, Matt Snyder says.
Who will be MLB's next $500 million man?
The Padres are off to a historically great start.
The Tigers are also off to a strong start, and good early signs from former No. 1 picks Spencer Torkelson and Casey Mize provide even more cause for optimism.
Edmundo Sosa robbed a home run in his first outfield start.
Billie Jean King became the first woman athlete with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Blue Jays' Single-A affiliate set the single-game MiLB record for walks.

😳 And not such a good morning for ...

MICHAEL MALONE, CALVIN BOOTH AND THE DENVER NUGGETS

Michael Malone's tenure leading the best era in Nuggets history has come to a stunningly abrupt close. Denver fired Malone on Tuesday, and also announced the team is moving on from GM Calvin Booth with just days left in the regular season. Assistant coach David Adelman will take over for a 47-32 team that can still finish as high as third in the West.

The moves come less than two years after Malone led Denver to its only NBA title. Malone had been with the Nuggets since 2015-16 -- Nikola Jokić's first season -- and his 471 wins with Denver are a franchise record.
Booth, on an expiring contract that won't be renewed, helped put the finishing touches on Denver's 2022-23 title team but struggled in drafting and player acquisition since.
There was also dysfunction behind the scenes, including frustration with the team's defense and lack of depth and an internal divide regarding Russell Westbrook.

Sure, the Nuggets got their title, but their aims should be higher considering they have an all-time great. Simply put, they are wasting Jokić's prime, Sam Quinn writes.

Quinn: "In a full decade with the Nuggets, not a single teammate of his has ever made an All-Star Game or won an individual trophy. He has never played with an All-NBA player, an All-Defense teammate or for a Coach or Executive of the Year ... This is a team devoid of meaningful trade assets. It is bogged down by a number of ill-advised contracts and staring down the most restrictive CBA the NBA has ever devised. And if its own track record is to be believed, it is owned by a group not willing to pay for the best people to solve these problems."

Here are the coaches who could be next to go.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

Luka Dončić got ejected late, costing the Lakers a chance at a crucial win against the Thunder.
Jets owner Woody Johnson conveniently forgot to mention Zach Wilson when discussing the 2021 NFL Draft quarterback class, which also included his new quarterback, Justin Fields.
Will Howard trolled Tennessee's shirtless warmup before his Ohio State team beat the Volunteers.
Jaylen Wells was stretchered off after a hard fall.
Jackson Merrill (hamstring) landed on the IL.
Victor Robles (shoulder fracture) will miss at least 12 weeks.
Federal investigators seized thousands of "intimate images" during a probe into former Michigan assistant Matt Weiss.
A man pleaded guilty to selling over $250,000 of fake memorabilia.

⛳ 2025 Masters expert picks, top groupings, ranking the field

The 2025 Masters is nearly upon us. Action at Augusta National will be underway before this newsletter comes out Thursday morning, so we're giving out our expert picks in today's edition. Neither Patrick McDonald nor Robby Kalland is taking Scottie Scheffler nor Rory McIlroy to leave Augusta with a green jacket on Sunday. For his winner, Robby likes ...

Kalland: "Collin Morikawa (18-1): Morikawa has been so good this year and so good at Augusta National in the last three years that I can't help but think the breakthrough is coming. I know he's struggled to get it across the finish line lately, but his ball-striking has been outrageous this year (which is the formula at Augusta National)."

Patrick, meanwhile, has a familiar name as his sleeper.

McDonald: "Sleeper -- Patrick Reed (90-1): The 2018 champion is peaking at the precise right time. Reed has rattled off three top-10 finishes in his last four worldwide starts including a close call at LIV Golf Doral where he held the first-round lead. Always dangerous given his short-game prowess, Reed's recent improvement off the tee and into the greens could push him over the edge and into contention."

Speaking of most likely potential winners, here are notable first-round tee times and groups.

9:47 a.m. ET — Collin Morikawa, Joaquín Niemann, Min Woo Lee
10:15 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Jose Luis Ballester
12:50 p.m. — Brooks Koepka, Russell Henley, Sungjae Im
1:01 p.m. — Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Viktor Hovland
1:12 p.m. — Rory McIlroy, Ludvig Åberg, Akshay Bhatia
1:23 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Bryson DeChambeau, Shane Lowry
1:34 p.m. — Jon Rahm, Wyndham Clark, Tommy Fleetwood

Patrick McDonald ranked the entire field 1-95, and Masters coverage extends with a guide on where to watch all of the action and which featured groups will be streaming live on Thursday.

🏀 Way-too-early Top 25 And 1 for 2025-26, plus how Florida celebrated title

Normally, I'd say any "way-too-early" ranking is actually never too early. But in men's college basketball? Yeah, maybe it's too early. The transfer portal is overwhelming -- be sure you're monitoring our live updates -- and I'm reminded of John Calipari saying "I met with the team. There is no team." less than a year ago when he was hired at Arkansas.

But there are some semblances of teams. And that means Gary Parrish has his first Top 25 And 1 of the 2025-26 season.

It won't take the sting out of Monday night's loss, but Houston is No. 1 -- and also atop Isaac Trotter's Top 25 -- thanks to several potential returnees and a standout recruiting class. Here's what's next for the Cougars, and here's Gary's top five:

Houston
Duke
Purdue
Alabama
UConn

Before we completely turn the page on 2024-25, you must read Matt Norlander's behind-the-scenes look at how Florida celebrated its title on the San Antonio River, filled with wonderful (and hilarious) anecdotes. Here's what's next for Florida, too.

Here's more:

Florida-Houston was the most-watched championship since 2019.
This missed goaltending call loomed large.
Florida finished atop the final AP Top 25 of the season.
Kentucky reeled in a big one in Arizona State transfer Jayden Quaintance, who might be the best NBA Draft prospect to ever hit the portal.
In other transfer portal action, Justin Pippen, the son of Scottie Pippen, committed to Cal.
In the women's transfer portal, Ta'Niya Latson, the nation's leading scorer, chose South Carolina, and Olivia Miles transferred to TCU.
After a banner SEC men's basketball season, football is feeling some (slight) heat.

Former MLB pitcher, World Series champion Octavio Dotel dies in nightclub roof collapse

Octavio Dotel, who pitched for 13 teams across a 15-year MLB career, died early Tuesday after a roof collapsed at a Dominican Republic nightclub. He was 51 years old.

At least 113 people died after the roof at Jet Set, a club located in the Dominican Republic's capital of Santo Domingo, collapsed.
Dotel was rescued from the rubble but later succumbed to his injuries.
A starter early in his career, Dotel switched to the bullpen primarily in 2001. From 2001-09, he posted a 3.10 ERA, and in 2011, he won a World Series with the Cardinals.
Among other fatalities were Tony Blanco, 43, who played for the Nationals in 2005, and Nelsy Cruz, the sister of former MLB star Nelson Cruz.

📺 What we're watching Wednesday (and early Thursday)

⚽ PSG vs. Aston Villa, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ Barcelona vs. Borussia Dortmund, 3 p.m. on Paramount+
⚾ Phillies at Braves, 7:15 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Lakers at Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Flyers at Rangers, 7:30 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 Nuggets at Kings, 10 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Blues at Oilers, 10 p.m. on TNT/truTV

⛳ And on Thursday morning, we're watching the 2025 Masters. Here's how.