Images of players are being used in sportsbook advertisements. Sportsbook branding has prominent placement in stadiums and arenas, including some with on-site betting. Major League Baseball — long the most gambling-averse of the U.S. leagues — now permits its players to be ambassadors for gambling companies. It's the backdrop for an era of legal sports betting in the U.S. that's brought in huge revenues but also has some experts sounding cautionary notes.

Second-seeded Florida has its most talented pitching staff since winning the program's lone national title in 2017. The group is so deep that coach Kevin O'Sullivan could face daunting decisions about when to use standout sophomore Jac Caglianone and highly touted freshman Cade Fisher. O'Sullivan says "certainly, we're pitching at a high level at the right time." It's been nearly flawless the last two weeks, raising outside expectations and making the Gators one of the favorites to reach the best-of-three championship series. Florida opens bracket play against No. 7 seed Virginia on Friday night.

Bruce Cassidy has been the Golden Knights' coach for only a year, but he knows full well the history of the Misfits. So in the game that would win the Stanley Cup for Vegas, Cassidy started five of the original Knights and sent the sixth one in for the second shift of Tuesday's 9-3 victory over the Florida Panthers. The dozen Knights were on the 2017-18 team that dubbed itself the Golden Misfits because it was a collection of players from all over the NHL.

The Golden Knights delivered their city a true Vegas-style party from dazzling passes to a Mark Stone hat trick to all-out goal celebrations. The Knights captured the young organization's first Stanley Cup with a 9-3 romp Tuesday over the beaten up and exhausted Florida Panthers. Coach Bruce Cassidy started five of the original Vegas players known as the Misfits and put the sixth on the second shift. Cassidy sounded confident the day before the game that his team would play well, and it certainly did. Vegas blew open a one-goal game in the second period to lead 6-1.

Victor Wembanyama's first moment in the NBA is now just a few days away. The NBA Finals are over and the league will soon turn its attention to the draft. And that means the attention will shift to Wembanyama as well. He's the French teen who has been labeled a generational talent and is getting the sort of pre-draft attention that nobody has experienced since LeBron James when he was entering the league 20 years ago.

Nikola Jokic guided Denver to its first NBA title in team history, as the Nuggets overcame dreadful shooting and a late flurry from Miami's Jimmy Butler to squeeze past the Heat for a frantic 94-89 victory. Jokic had 28 points and 16 rebounds for the Nuggets, who missed 20 of their first 22 3-point attempts and seven of their first 13 free throws but figured out how to close out the series on their home floor in Game 5. Butler scored eight straight points to help the Heat take an 87-86 lead with 2:45 left after trailing by seven. He made two more free throws with 1:58 left to help Miami regain a one-point lead. Then, Bruce Brown got an offensive rebound and tip-in to give the Nuggets the lead for good.

Oral Roberts will continue its surprising NCAA baseball tournament run in the College World Series after beating Oregon 11-6 in the deciding game of their super regional. No. 1 national seed Wake Forest, No. 5 LSU and No. 7 Virginia also won super regionals to advance. No. 2 Florida and TCU clinched CWS bids Saturday. Winners from the Texas-Stanford and Tennessee-Southern Mississippi super regionals will earn the other two CWS spots.

The Vegas Golden Knights are on the verge of winning the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history after holding on to beat the Florida Panthers 3-2 in Game 4 of the final. Vegas leads the series 3-1 and can win the NHL championship on home ice Tuesday. Chandler Stephenson scored twice for the Golden Knights and William Karlsson ended his series-long goal drought to build a three-goal lead.

Florida and TCU clinched spots in the College World Series and Wake Forest moved within a win of becoming the first No. 1 national seed to make the final eight of the NCAA Tournament since 2018. Florida beat South Carolina 4-0 and TCU defeated Indiana State 6-4 to complete super regional sweeps.