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Good morning! Shoot the hook shot today. It might go.
Brackets Brackets Brackets: It’s a beautiful time of year
The week ahead of us is one of the best on our sporting calendar. The men’s NCAA Tournament is always supremely entertaining. And the women’s side might be an all-timer.
We have so much to discuss this week, but today, I want to highlight the five most interesting stories coming out of Selection Sunday:
1. Will UConn repeat?
Men’s college basketball was a mess this year. Each of the top five or six teams took turns looking like the clear-cut title favorite, but the Huskies win the game of musical chairs (for now) by claiming the top overall seed. This deep squad is coached by a man obsessed with repeating, yet wholly different from last year’s unit. No matter, as they only lost three games all season. BetMGM has UConn at +400 to win it all, just ahead of fellow No. 1 seed Houston (+600).
2. How far can Iowa and Caitlin Clark go?
On the women’s side, undefeated South Carolina is a massive favorite, but Clark’s star power will also demand our attention. Iowa is a No. 1 seed but drew LSU — the reigning national champions who beat Iowa in last year’s title game — as the No. 3 seed in its region. The Tigers will have to get through No. 2 seed UCLA, but Vegas still tabs them as the third-highest championship favorite. All eyes will be on the possible rematch in the regional final.
3. How about USC?
Before games start, we should highlight an incredible feat: the Trojans’ women’s basketball team earned a No. 1 seed, a full reminder of how back this former powerhouse is. USC dominated women’s hoops in the 1980s and early 1990s, but the Trojans had been to just four NCAA Tournaments since the turn of this century. The renaissance is largely thanks to freshman star JuJu Watkins, who has been a revelation this season. The Trojans are not big favorites to win it all (+3000 according to BetMGM), but I’m excited to watch them play nonetheless.
4. Duquesne!
The Dukes finished sixth in the A10 but shocked the conference en route to the tournament title. Their 57-51 win over VCU yesterday secured the school’s first men’s tournament berth in 46 years. The Dukes earned a No. 11 seed and will play BYU in the first round.
5. Maybe the best story in either tournament: Long Beach State.
A week ago, Long Beach State fired men’s basketball coach Dan Monson, who has held his post for 17 years. The school allowed him to coach out the season and, whoops, the Beach reeled off three straight victories to win the conference tourney and clinch a Big Dance bid. There are fairy tales, then there’s this, a wonderfully awkward situation that’s working out for everyone, I guess. The school has not changed its mind, apparently, so I’m rooting for them to win some games to make things extra weird.
We have so much more for you this week. Our statisticians put together in-depth bracket guides for both the men’s and women’s tournaments, which are both worth bookmarks. We’ll be revisiting plenty this week, too.
And don’t forget to use our printable brackets:
News to Know
Scottie ascends
Scottie Scheffler won The Players Championship yesterday, firing a final-round 64 to outpace the stars ahead of him. He is the first back-to-back Players champion. But, as Brody Miller wrote from the course, this was more than a notable feat: The rest of the PGA Tour had its chance, but now Scottie has figured it out. Is he the most dominant player since Tiger Woods? All that’s missing: a few major wins.
Bus Jr. picks ND
In a story that feels AI-generated just for Notre Dame fans, three-star high school wide receiver Jerome Bettis Jr. committed to play for the Irish yesterday, on St. Patrick’s Day no less. Bettis is the son of Irish and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Jerome Bettis Sr. Bettis Jr. joins a No. 1 2025 recruiting class, according to 247. See the full scouting report on the younger Bettis here.
More news
Things You Need to See: A silky game-winner
Kyrie Irving has had a bizarre NBA career. One thing has remained true: the man has the touch of a god. Just look at his game-winner against the Nuggets yesterday:
Kyrie Irving leads Dallas to beat the Denver Nuggets with a game-winning lefty hook shot over Nikola Jokić 😲
🎥 @NBATVpic.twitter.com/CsZcTIPphh
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 17, 2024
That’s a left-handed Kareem skyhook from behind the foul line. And it looked easy! The Mavs might not be built to win a title this year, but between Irving and Luka Dončić, there are plenty of highlights every night.
Watch This Game
NHL: Capitals at Flames (get tickets)
8:30 p.m. ET on NHL Network
It’s a slim-pickings night sports-wise, so flip on some hockey and watch Washington — just one point back in the wild-card race — try to leapfrog the fading Red Wings in the standings against a bad Calgary team.
NBA: Knicks at Warriors (get tickets)
10 p.m. ET on ESPN
New York creeps ever closer to the No. 3 seed in the East while the Warriors continue battling toward Play-In seeding. This will be instructive for both teams. Oh, and Jalen Brunson keeps getting better.
Pulse Picks
A must-read today: Katie Strang exclusively talked to Amit Patel, the ex-Jaguars employee who stole $22 million from the team. Patel told Strang every detail of his scheme, how he got to that point and what his life looks like going forward. Just such a unique tale.
A lot of feelings linger in Chicago after the Justin Fields trade. Kevin Fishbain smartly talked to local radio hosts to explain the hold Fields had on the city and where fans will go from here.
Fabian Ardaya is in Korea with the Dodgers, who got an overwhelming welcome upon arrival.
The PWHL had a record-setting night in Detroit. Is the brand-new league already thinking about expansion?
Scott Wheeler has an early look at the top 28 NHL prospects in the 2025 class.
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