Bam Adebayo makes NBA scoring history; Ravens nix Maxx Crosby trade; Team USA in danger of WBC elimination

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🔥 Five things to know Wednesday

1. Bam Adebayo scored 83 points in a historic offensive explosion. The second-biggest game in NBA history now belongs to Adebayo, whose 83-point outburst stands behind only Wilt Chamberlain's legendary 100-point performance back in 1962. He surpassed Kobe Bryant's 2006 effort by two points for the highest scoring output in modern history. Adebayo, who had previously never scored more than 41, also shattered the Heat's single-game record in a 150-129 win over the Wizards and set a new NBA record for free throw makes (36) and attempts (43) in this lopsided contest. Some corners of the internet were trying to poke holes in those facts, but, as our Sam Quinn asks, can we just enjoy the moment?
2. The Maxx Crosby trade is off. The Ravens backed out of the deal in a stunning twist that keeps Crosby with the Raiders, at least for the time being. Baltimore reportedly did not want to invest a pair of first-round picks into the star pass rusher after what it found in his medical examination, which came just two months after he underwent meniscus surgery. Teams may still line up to acquire Crosby now that he is back on the market, although the Cowboys are expected to stay out of the mix.
3. Team USA took its first loss in the World Baseball Classic. Italy put the United States in a deep hole when it constructed an 8-0 lead, and while the host team clawed back to bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth, it fell short of completing the comeback. It was an 8-6 defeat for the Americans, who would have clinched a spot in the quarterfinals with a win. The shocker actually leaves Team USA in danger of elimination; if Mexico beats Italy tonight, the second tiebreaker will unfurl what would be a three-team deadlock. You might need to be a math major to figure it out, but know that there's a very real scenario where Team USA misses the knockout stage -- a fact made slightly more embarrassing by manager Mark DeRosa mistakenly claiming their ticket to the quarterfinals had already been punched.
4. The first four matches of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 are complete. The opening round of the knockout stage is one quarter done, with none of Tuesday's results being as stunning as Atlético Madrid's 5-2 beatdown of Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky surrendered three goals in the span of 17 minutes in what is just the latest disaster for a club whose season has been akin to watching a car crash. In other action, Atalanta suffered an ugly 6-1 loss to Bayern Munich that said a lot about the state of Italian soccer. Four more matches are on deck today, including the marquee showdown between Real Madrid and Manchester City.
5. Duke could be without Caleb Foster for the rest of the season. Foster fractured a bone in his right foot in Saturday's win over North Carolina, and Jon Scheyer said that he is out for the "foreseeable" future. The Blue Devils may need to reach the Final Four in order for their starting point guard to return to action this season, but doing so without such a key piece won't be easy. Also, center Patrick Ngongba II will miss the ACC Tournament, but he should be good to go for the NCAA Tournament.

🏈 Do not miss this: NFL free agency Day 2 recap

The second day of the NFL's two-day negotiation period was not nearly as hectic as the first, but it still delivered dozens of deals and brought multiple surprises, including the aforementioned calling off of the Maxx Crosby trade. The Raiders were involved in another one of the biggest moves as they agreed to trade Geno Smith to the Jets in a late-round pick swap.

We have some grades to hand out, both for the biggest moves of Day 2 and for every team's efforts thus far. We also named some winners and losers, assessed free agency overreactions and updated the top players left on the board.

• Day 2 grades: The Eagles and Jets earned "A" grades for signing cornerbacks Tariq Woolen and Nahshon Wright, respectively, on one-year deals. The Lions' addition of running back Isiah Pacheco garnered a much more modest "C".
• Day 2 winners and losers: The Packers came away as losers and Romeo Doubs a winner after the wide receiver walked away to join the Patriots. It's also not the best time to be a Broncos fan, as they are one of the few teams to not sign an outside free agent yet.
• Team grades: The Rams and Jets are the big winners of free agency to date and have "A" grades on their report cards. Pulling a 180 on the Crosby trade has the Ravens sitting in "D-" territory, which is the worst of any team.
• Overreactions: Did the Colts overpay for Alec Pierce? Are the Dolphins better off without Tua Tagovailoa? One of those is an overreaction, and one is reality.
• Best available: There was an obvious wrench thrown in the pass rusher market on Tuesday, but Trey Hendrickson remains the No. 1 player on the market regardless of position. Kyler Murray is still up for grabs as the top-ranked free agent quarterback.

🤼 UFC Pound-for-Pound Fighter Rankings

Charles Oliveira is back in our pound-for-pound rankings on the heels of his UFC 326 main event win over Max Holloway, in which he secured the BMF belt by unanimous decision and moved into second place for all-time UFC wins. It was a statement victory for a future Hall of Famer who had lost three of his last six fights, and it earned him the No. 7 spot in our rankings.

Brian Campbell explained the big leap:

• Campbell: "What a difference nine months has made for the 36-year-old Brazilian legend. Oliveira was largely written off as an elite fighter following his first-round KO loss to Ilia Topuria in their vacant lightweight title bout last summer. But since then, Oliveira has been on fire."

The top three fighters remain unchanged, but there is movement at every spot from No. 4 to No. 10. Here are the top five:

1. Islam Makhachev -- Welterweight champion (Previously: 1)
2. Ilia Topuria -- Lightweight champion (2)
3. Alex Pereira -- Heavyweight (3)
4. Alexander Volkanovski -- Featherweight champion (6)
5. Khamzat Chimaev -- Middleweight champion (4)

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

• Reds ace Hunter Greene will not make his season debut until July, as he faces a 14-to-16 week recovery for surgery to remove bone chips and loose bodies from his throwing elbow.
• Gonzaga, Hofstra, Long Island, Siena and Wright State punched tickets to the NCAA Tournament.
• BYU star AJ Dybantsa scored a Big 12 Tournament freshman-record 40 points in a win over Kansas State, surpassing Kevin Durant's mark.
• Tyrese Maxey will miss at least three weeks with a tendon injury in his right pinkie finger, putting the 76ers' playoff hopes in danger while also possibly helping the Thunder improve.
• Are Cal Raleigh and Randy Arozarena feuding? Here's what we know about the Mariners teammates' interaction at the World Baseball Classic.
• Back spasms continue to limit Rory McIlroy ahead of The Players Championship.
• Bill Self dove deep into the Darryn Peterson situation in an interview with Matt Norlander.
• Cameron Boozer won our final Freshman of the Week award for the 2026 season.
• Ilia Topuria accused Islam Makhachev of ducking him for the White House fight, and Paddy Pimblett said he would "love to fight" Charles Oliveira.
• The Pacers are the new kings of tanking in our weekly report.
• Keep an eye on these highly touted rookies when the NWSL season begins on Friday.
• The WAC issued an ultimatum to Utah Valley, and the university paid its $1 million exit fee to remain eligible for conference basketball tournaments.
• The IBF may not strip Jai Opetaia of his cruiserweight championship after all.
• You might know Ryan Coogler as the award-winning director of "Sinners." But do you know him as the former Sacramento State football star?
• Isaiah Stewart doubled down on his claim that he is the best defender in the NBA, but he has work to do if he is to become eligible for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
• The College Sports Commission's NIL clearinghouse is overwhelmed with the volume of deals that came from the transfer portal window.

📺 What we're watching Wednesday

🏀 Big 12 Tournament: TBD vs. No. 7 Iowa State (M), 12:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚽ UEFA Champions League: Arsenal at Bayer Leverkusen, 1:45 p.m. on Paramount+
🏀 ACC Tournament: TBD vs. No. 24 Louisville (M), 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ World Baseball Classic: Canada vs. Cuba, 3 p.m. on FS2
⚽ UEFA Champions League: Sporting CP at Bodo/Glimt, 4 p.m. on CBS Sports Network/Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Champions League: Chelsea at Paris Saint-Germain, 4 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Champions League: Manchester City at Real Madrid, 4 p.m. on Paramount+
🏀 FIBA Women's World Cup qualification: United States vs. Senegal, 4:45 p.m. on truTV
⚾ Spring training: Blue Jays at Yankees, 6:35 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ World Baseball Classic: Italy vs. Mexico, 7 p.m. on Tubi
🏀 Cavaliers at Magic, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Capitals at Flyers, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
⚾ World Baseball Classic: Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela, 8 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Rockets at Nuggets, 10 p.m. on ESPN