Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: Madness builds as women lead way, Marlins’ stumble, Messi iffy & more

GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MARCH 31): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Our Sunday Hot Button Top 10 had been blog-only but when our blog retired it moved, re-imagined, to online-only. HB10 means what’s on our minds, locally and nationally, but from a Miami perspective and accentuating stuff that’s big, weird, damnable, funny or otherwise worth needling as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. Welcome to the 54th edition of your Sunday sports-potpourri notes column, the new HB10:

1. MARCH MADNESS: Caitlin, starpower reign as four win to complete women’s Elite 8: No. 1s Iowa led by Caitlin Clark and USC led by Juju Watkins won Sweet 16 games Saturday to reach the women’s Elite 8, along with No. 3s UConn led by Paige Brueckers and LSU, the defending national champion. It’ll be Iowa-LSU and UConn-USC on Monday with the Final Four the prize. Already in the Elite 8 and playing today for Final Four tickets: No. 1 South Carolina vs. 3-Oregon and 1-Texas vs. 3-N.C. State. A great Final Four is assured. Except of course if Caitlin isn’t in it.

2. MARCH MADNESS: UConn, Alabama first to men’s Final Four; two more today: No. 1 UConn routed 5-Illinois and 4-Alabama handled 6-Clemson on Saturday as the Huskies and Tide punched the first men’s Final Four tickets. Playing for the last two spots today: 1-Purdue vs. 2-Tennessee and 4-Duke vs. 11-North Carolina State -- the last Cinderella standing. Based on what I saw Saturday, UConn looks unstoppable.

3. MARLINS: Nightmare start as Miami opens season 0-3 at home: Wait, isn’t Pittsburgh supposed to be lousy? (Yes.) What does that say about the Fish then? Marlins are 0-3 in the new MLB season after Saturday’s 9-3 loss and close the four-game set today. Miami’s strength, pitching, has been bad early. Batting champ Luis Arraez has started 1-for-14 (.071) and Jazz Chisholm is 1-for-10. To the Pepto Bismol early for manager Skip Schumaker.

4. TENNIS: Collins wins Miami Open; Sinner seeks men’s crown on Easter: The American winning the Miami Open was supposed to be Coco Gauff, based on seeding. But nobody told unseeded Danielle Collins, who reached Saturday’s women’s final and upset 4-seed Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, 7-5, 6-3. Sweet story, Collins. Age 30, retiring after this WTA season, and Saturday was her biggest career title. It’s No. 2 Jannik Sinner vs. 11-Grigor Dimitrov today for the men’s crown. Wait. A Sinner winning on Easter!?

5. INTER MIAMI: Monterrey in Champions Cup next. But will Messi be ready?: Herons were home for a 1-1 MLS draw with NYC FC on Saturday, with Luis Suarez’s goal his team-leading fifth of the regular season. Lionel Messi again sat out nursing his hamstring. Miami will need him badly on Wednesday night in hosting Mexican power Monterrey in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions Cup series, with the second leg across the border a week later. Inter Miami dearly wants to win the Champs Cup, making Wednesday’s home match all but must-win -- and Messi’s availability beyond crucial.

6. HEAT: Playoff-chasing Miami sets club records in rout of Portland: Heat set a franchise record with a 60-point margin of victory in Friday’s 142-82 home rout of Portland, also setting a club mark with 41 assists. The 142 points tied a season high, and Miami had four with 20-plus points for only the second time ever, led by 26 from deep reserve Thomas Bryant. Heat at 40-33 remain seventh in the East -- still in play-in purgatory but only one game out of the playoffs proper -- with nine games left entering tonight’s at Washington.

7. PANTHERS: Cats clinch playoffs, trip to Boston looming: Florida is 47-22-5 but had lost six of past seven before beating Detroit Saturday. Panthers trail East-leading Boston by two points with eight games left in NHL regular season starting Monday at third-place Toronto. Cats visit Bruins next Saturday what could decide the President’s Trophy.

8. MARCH MADNESS: It’s Kim Mulkey vs. the world. Go world!: I read the long-awaited Washington Post story on LSU women’s coach Kim Mulkey, which Mulkey had preemptively called a “hit piece”and threatened to sue, thereby assuring lots more people wold read it. It was a fair piece. Unflattering, but fair. No lawsuit will arise. Mulkey is a great coach but spectacularly unlikable coach Kim Mulkey. Now she is railing against an L.A. Times portrayal of her team in a villain’s role juxtaposing Caitlin Clark and Iowa. If the villain part if right, it’s all because of Mulkey.

9. NFL: King Sport tweaks rules, sets offseason dates: Teams’ voluntary offseason workouts begin soon as April 2 (Miami starts April 15) and end with three-day mandatory minicamps late as June 11-13 (Dolphins’ is June 4-6). In the midst is NFL Draft April 25-27 in Detroit. Notable news from the spring league meetings: Two games on Christmas (a Wednesday), rules tweak to greatly encourage returned kickoffs, and abolish hip-drop tackle -- which most had never heard of pre-abolishment.

10. SPRING FOOTBALL: New UFL debuts; date for inevitable demise not yet set: It’s inaugural opening weekend for the United Football League, the latest pro spring league destined to fail like all of the others. The eight-team league includes some survivors from the defunct XFL and USFL. The 10-week season on Fox TV began Saturday with two games. The four other teams play today. A date for the UFL’s inevitable demise is ever-pending but not yet set.

Other most recent stuff from me: New season, same problem: Miami Marlins’ way-too-low spending unfair to players, insult to fans // NFL steals Christmas, makes tackling harder, find bizarre way to reinvent the kickoff return // American tennis desperately needs a Next Big Thing, post-Serena. And it looks like Coco Gauff // An appreciation: Hurricanes’ Katie Meier retiring too soon after 19 years of winning & class // Marlins star Jazz Chisholm was miserable his first 3 years in Miami. But things changed // March Madness indeed and in every way: Welcome to best 3 weeks in American sports // Tua’s tough task: Free agency losses hurting Miami Dolphins as brutal AFC gets stronger // ‘Reinvented’ Florida Panthers didn’t matter for decades. Now they’re Stanley Cup favorites // Caitlin Clark starts Women’s History Month off right // Born to fail? Bronny James, Charlie Woods and the impossible footsteps of LeBron and Tiger // Previous HB10 // And my latest podcast: