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Don’t blame us, said the Texas Longhorns in 2021, upon the revealing of their plan to flee the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference. We’re just following the money.

Don’t blame us, said the Oklahoma Sooners. We’re just following Texas to follow the money.

Don’t blame us for kneecapping the Big 12, said the SEC. When Texas knocks, you answer.

Don’t blame us, said ESPN. Unconvincingly.

Don’t blame us, said the USC Trojans in 2022, upon the revealing of their plan to flee the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. We’re just following the money. And besides, Texas started it.

Don’t blame us, said the UCLA Bruins. We’re just following USC to follow the money. Because we’re broke.

Don’t blame us for kneecapping the Pac-12, said the Big Ten. Alliances are made to be broken.

Don’t blame us, said Fox. Unconvincingly.

Don’t blame us, said the Colorado Buffaloes in 2023, upon the revealing of their plan to flee the Pac-12 for the Big 12. It’s not our fault USC and UCLA left. And we never fit that well anyway.

Don’t blame us, said the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks, when they dealt the death blow to the Pac-12 by agreeing to join the Big Ten. And besides, USC started it.

Don’t blame us, said Fox. Again, unconvincingly.

Don’t blame us, said the Arizona Wildcats, Arizona State Sun Devils and Utah Utes, when they jumped aboard the Big 12 life raft. Washington and Oregon forced our hand.

Don’t blame us, said the Stanford Cardinal and California Golden Bears, when they took the last chopper out of a falling regime, headed to the Atlantic Coast Conference. We had nowhere else to go but clear across the country.

Don’t blame us, said the SMU Mustangs. We’re just trying to buy our way into the club.

Don’t blame us, said the ACC, for signing on to realignment madness. We’re just protecting ourselves in case our own unhappy member schools leave.

Don’t blame us, said unhappy ACC member school Florida State in December, upon suing to create a less expensive exit path from the league. If alliances are made to be broken, so are binding long-term contracts. We don’t have enough money and it’s not fair, and we’re going to use our College Football Playoff snub as an excuse to file suit now.

Don’t blame us, said the Clemson Tigers on Tuesday, after filing their own suit against the ACC. We’re just following Florida State and following the money, like a dozen schools before us.

Nobody is to blame. Which means everybody is to blame.

The ACC is facing multiple lawsuits from its member schools.

Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports

Something akin to the psychological concept of diffusion of responsibility is killing college athletics. When nobody is accountable for antisocial behavior—such as discreetly destroying and/or destabilizing conferences—bad things go unchecked. The entire industry is crying out for help, but nobody in the crowd is willing to act. Everyone is waiting for someone else to do the first right thing, and none of them are moving a muscle.

The NCAA is powerless to make its member conferences cooperate in a mutually beneficial way. President Charlie Baker said in a statement last year that he is concerned about realignment, but concern doesn’t equate to actual authority to do anything about it.

The conferences themselves are self-interested warlords engaged in turf battles. What’s bad for one league’s peers is good for that league. Anything to get that next dollar of advantage.

Nowhere is that more true than in the Big Ten and SEC, who could lead everyone toward a stable future but instead chose predation. They officially got their way this week in receiving unequal revenue shares of the future CFP contract. They’re going to preemptively take it instead of earning it. Because they can.

(That heavily tilted deal also provided cover for Clemson’s lawsuit to be filed. The timing of those two news events is not coincidental.)

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey can continue to point back at the disastrous “Alliance” between the Big Ten, ACC and Pac-12 as the decision that spoiled a fair CFP deal. He’s not wrong, but the statute of limitations is past due on using that 3-year-old mistake as a justification to use the nuclear option. Sankey is a lifelong product of the college athletic ecosystem that he’s napalming.

As for heavy-handed Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti: There’s no indication he cares about anything other than maximizing league revenue. He’s just the latest wheeler-dealer from outside the college sports sphere who was appointed to wheel and deal by university presidents who have abdicated any responsibility for the greater good.

This cannibalization is in part driven by the great revenue panic of what’s to come when athletes get more of the money. As the NCAA continues to get its ass kicked in courtrooms across the land, the financial reckoning is coming. Trev Alberts, who just left the Nebraska Cornhuskers athletic director job for the same position with the Texas A&M Aggies, said the added expense could be “$15 million to $20 million” annually.

A consideration for how to make those payments more affordable: lower administrative and coaching salaries. Alberts was making $1.7 million as AD at Nebraska and assuredly got a raise to go to A&M. (Terms of his new deal are not yet known.) There also was a $4 million buyout payment in his Nebraska contract.

At Alabama, Greg Byrne just got an extension to 2031 that reportedly will increase his pay to $2.31 million in ’24 and escalate from there. Byrne is at least the fifth AD at a public school making $2 million or more.

But instead of reining in salaries, College Sports Inc., will continue to seek out the next media revenue gusher. And then those spoils will be divided among an increasingly small pool of conferences.

They’re killing off the larger enterprise, one decision at a time. But don’t blame any of the people making those ruinous decisions. It’s never their fault.

You can almost hear the clock ticking. Baltimore Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson gets better by the day—and more expensive.

It is nine in the morning at Orioles camp in Sarasota, Fla., and Henderson is taking groundballs on the half diamond known as Earl Weaver Field. No other players are around. Some are happily ensconced in the clubhouse, perhaps even enjoying a game of billiards. Five Orioles staff members are with Henderson.

“Taking groundballs” does not do justice to the exercise. Everything is done at game speed. One of the coaches, José Hernández, does not hit fungoes but instead takes full swings at baseballs tossed to him, the better to replicate how a ball reacts off a bat in a game. To field the balls, Henderson must move forward, to the forehand, to the backhand or hold his ground on smashes directly to him. Every throw he makes is game speed, as if a plus runner has hit the grounder. Wearing spikes, Henderson puts in about 15 minutes of non-stop, game-speed work. His day has just begun.

“Man,” he says, wiping the sweat from his face, “I swear it gets hotter every day here.”

Henderson (2) is reminding many O’s fans of Cal Ripken.

Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

It is a small window into the player Henderson is, but it is another example of why the Orioles, under the new leadership of owner David Rubenstein, need to lock up Henderson to a contract extension ASAP, like how the Kansas City Royals took care of Bobby Witt Jr. (11 years, $288.8 million). Henderson is 22 years old, and is such a baseball rat he learned the game on a baseball field carved into the family’s Selma, Ala., backyard and honed his swing in a backyard barn he converted into a state-of-the-art batting tunnel.

He is one of only two players to hit 28 home runs as a rookie at age 22 or younger; the other is Cal Ripken. He is one of only two players with 30 homers and double digits in stolen bases and triples through 184 career games by age 22. The other is Bryce Harper.

Here’s what all that means: you don’t worry about locking up Gunnar Henderson. Few players in the game’s history are this good this young, especially those who can play middle infield at 6’3” and 200 lbs. They become big-time stars.

Oh, wait. Did I mention he added nine pounds since he was the unanimous American League Rookie of the Year last season?

“I didn’t even try,” he says, “but yeah, it’s part of naturally growing and getting bigger and filling out. But the body feels good. I feel mobile. I feel lots of strength. It’s awesome.”

Henderson doesn’t turn 23 until June. With his work ethic, athleticism and dedication, Henderson is exactly the type of player you identify as a franchise player and save money by locking him up, especially a club looking to move past the penurious ways of former controlling owner Peter Angelos. And yet ...

“I have not heard a word,” Henderson says when I ask him about extension talks.

Is that even on your radar, I ask?

“I mean, I’ll look at any offer that they might have,” he says. “But until that happens, I’m just going to go out there and try to play the best I can. Not a single word yet on that.”

Nit-pick if you want. Henderson could improve against lefthanded pitching (.210/.293/.324). He may move to third base if top prospect Jackson Holliday is the better defender at shortstop (though Henderson has the better arm, which could push Holliday to second base). What matters is Henderson is a plug-and-play star who is so determined to get better you don’t dare bet against it. After an OPS of just .702 entering June last season, Henderson posted a .856 OPS over his final 100 games.

“There’s a lot of room to improve,” he says. “I feel like there were a lot of things I could have done better, a lot of room to grow. For me, honestly, it’s getting the experience because that was my first true season. I didn’t really grasp how long it actually is, you know? Just embracing the ups and downs of the season.

“That experience is going to be huge for me. Just taking it into this year.”

I ask him if he felt the “rookie wall” many first-year players experience in August, when the physical and mental grind of the major league season starts to exact its toll.

“No, I felt like I did a good job monitoring my workloads per day,” he says. “Days that I felt good I could take a few extra swings and other days I would just do my pre-game work and that was it. No BP or anything. I felt like I did a good job of that.

“Early in the year I was kind of just go, go, go because I was kind of struggling a little bit. I mean, that’s just how I roll. I want to work more whenever I struggle, so sometimes less is more. But yeah, I felt like I did a good job of that and I’ll kind of use it now in spring training on days where I’m kind of like, ‘Ah, I’ll just do my cage work and just take it home.’”

Henderson’s skill set is extraordinarily complete.

Hitting the baseball hard? Check. He was one of only 24 players with an average exit velocity last season of at least 92 mph—and he was the youngest in that elite group.

Running the bases well? Check. StatCast rated him as the top baserunner in the game.

Nothing but hustle. pic.twitter.com/h4tf3as4RT

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) March 9, 2024

Arm strength? Check. He had the third strongest arm at shortstop (minimum 200 throws), behind only Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds and Masyn Winn of the St. Louis Cardinals. So, did he specifically target something this offseason to improve?

“Yeah, honestly, just to keep trusting,” he says. “I feel like the biggest thing when I got in trouble is when mentally I tried to do too much rather than just sticking to my approach and letting that go.

“And then, I guess as far as the actual swing, honestly, just keep honing in against both [lefties and righties], keep seeing different pitches, different pitch shapes and I feel like we’ve got a good system here.”

With the Orioles and in his cage back home, Henderson likes to hit lighter foam balls fired at plus velocity from a pitching machine from about 50 feet. Because the balls are lighter, they move more than standard baseballs—and they also don’t punish a hitter’s hands when contact is not on the barrel.

“It over exaggerates movement,” he explains. “I’ll do that and then hit normal baseballs. I’ve done that since 2020 and I’ve done it every offseason.”

He uses the same hitting coach back home as he always has: his dad, Allen.

“It’s just been my dad,” he says. “We don’t have too much in Selma, so growing up that’s who helped me. And as I’ve gotten older, I’ll get some feedback from the guys here, but in the offseason it’s just usually myself and my dad.”

The Orioles were 101–61 last season, including 30–16 in one-run games. They are no fluke. In Henderson, Holliday and catcher Adley Rutschman, they have three franchise-type talents coming along at the same time. They have the athleticism, youth and positional versatility that wins in this new era of no shifts and more stolen bases. This year they also have Corbin Burnes, a true ace, anchoring the rotation.

Henderson could be the biggest star of them all. Only three other 22-and-under shortstops reached 30 homers and 10 steals in their first 184 games: Alex Rodriguez, Fernando Tatís Jr. and Carlos Correa. But if you’re an Orioles fan, the preferred comp is Ripken, whose Rookie of the Year season (28 homers, 284 total bases, .792 OPS) looks eerily similar to the one Henderson had (28 homers, 274 total bases, .814 OPS). And every Orioles fan knows how the next year turned out for Cal and Baltimore: an MVP season and a World Series championship, the last time the Orioles won it all.

Over the years, a lot of teams have made the NCAA men’s tournament selection committee look bad by laying an egg after receiving a borderline at-large bid. Many times in those situations, it’s unfair to second-guess the decision in hindsight.

In the case of the Virginia Cavaliers and their latest March Madness horror show—a 67–42 embarrassment at the hands of the Colorado State Rams on Tuesday—it’s 100% justifiable to rip the committee. The Cavaliers never should have been invited, and the mess they left in Dayton lands squarely on the face of those who put them in the field. A whole lot of people—myself included—were sure this decision would end badly.

A few years ago, the NCAA invented its own metric for evaluating teams, called the NET rankings. It was supposed to be (and is) an improvement over the old RPI. But this year, in the case of Virginia, the committee disregarded the clear message its own numbers sent.

[ March Madness 2024: News & Analysis | Schedule | Bracket ]

Virginia was No. 54 in the NET. The committee gave the Hoos a bid anyway, making them the lowest NET team to receive an at-large selection in this year’s field. The predictive metrics didn’t like them either—Ken Pomeroy ranked the Hoos No. 69, 20 spots below the next-lowest at-large selection (South Carolina Gamecocks).

Who would have been a better selection? The NET itself says the Indiana State Sycamores, who were No. 28 and become the first top-30 NET team to be snubbed by the committee. (Surely the fact the Sycamores are from the mid-major Missouri Valley Conference instead of the ACC had nothing to do with that.) The KenPom numbers say the St. John’s Red Storm, who were No. 26, a mere 43 rungs ahead of the Cavaliers.

Other Big East teams also could have been considered better choices than Virginia, namely the Providence Friars. Fellow ACC member Pittsburgh, which beat Virginia by double digits in Charlottesville in February, could have been deemed a preferable alternative (though the Panthers’ nonconference schedule was not great). The Oklahoma Sooners of the Big 12 also had better metrics.

Instead, the committee saw a burning building of a selection and walked right into it. Virginia was 4–5 over its last nine games and last beat an NCAA tournament team on Feb. 3. Its ACC tournament performance was abysmal—scrapping back to beat the No. 11 seed Boston College Eagles in overtime, then losing to the No. 10 seed North Carolina State Wolfpack in OT. The Cavs were trending the wrong way and the committee took them anyway.

But the worst thing about taking Virginia was ignoring the number of woodshed whippings this team endured. The Hoos lost to the Wisconsin Badgers by 24, to the Memphis Tigers by 23, to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by 22, to NC State by 16, to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons by 19, to the Virginia Tech Hokies by 34 and to the Duke Blue Devils by 25. More than half of those teams didn’t even make the NCAA field, but they destroyed Tony Bennett.

Did the committee members watch any of those games? If so, what sort of lies did they tell themselves about that team’s tourney worthiness?

Other factors that were disregarded: style of play and tournament history. Perhaps they should have been, if teams are to be judged in a vacuum of present-day competitiveness.

Cavaliers guard Ryan Dunn leaves the court after losing in the First Four on Tuesday.

Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports

But shunning a fun team like Indiana State, which specializes in pretty offense and fast-paced basketball and has a virally popular centerpiece player, doesn’t help sell the tournament to casual fans. Especially when Virginia is guaranteed to make viewers’ eyes bleed with slogging pace and hideous offense. After the debacle against Colorado State, the Cavs rank 211th nationally in offensive efficiency and are still last in tempo.

And, yes, there is Virginia’s remarkable penchant for throwing up on itself in this tournament. There is “One Shining Moment” of an exception, of course, that being the 2019 national championship. That’s forever, and that’s huge, and it contained several key moments when Virginia was the anti-choke team. But they really should commission the statue of Kihei Clark for the pass he threw that got the Hoos past the Purdue Boilermakers and into that Final Four, because the rest of the résumé is replete with ghastly losses.

Here’s what has bookended that title: the historic initial first-round loss by a No. 1 seed to a No. 16 (UMBC Retrievers) in 2018; a first-round loss as a No. 4 seed to the No. 13 Ohio Bobcats in ’21; an NIT appearance in ’22; a first-round loss as a No. 4 seed to the No. 13 Furman Paladins last year; and now a 25-point First Four undressing as a No. 10 seed against fellow No. 10 CSU.

There is 6–0 in 2019, and there is a brutal 0–4 (with an NIT appearance) in ’18 and between 2021 and ’24.

Losing to the Rams was not unexpected—neither team really deserved to be in Dayton, one being disrespected by the committee and the other dubiously invited. But performing this poorly on this stage—again—was very Virginia.

Related: Ranking the Men’s NCAA Tournament Field 1–68

The Cavaliers shot a grisly 28.2% from two-point range and 17.6% from three—far below the season percentages for this team. And it wasn’t like that was bad shooting luck, where good-looking shots kept lipping out. No, this was a barrage of air balls and no-hope bricks from outside the arc.

Trailing 18–14 with 9:20 left in the first half, Virginia went on one of the saddest runs of offensive ineptitude in tourney history. It was an eternity of scoreless futility, going the remainder of the first half and more than three minutes into the second. The total time without scoring was 12 minutes and 35 seconds of game clock, nearly an hour in real time. The score was 35–14 and the matter was decided before the Cavs put the ball through the basket again.

Their 42 points for the game was a First Four–record low, which is really something when you consider that four No. 16 seeds play in that round every year. It was reminiscent of the 2017 NCAA tourney, in which Virginia lost in the second round 65–39 to the Florida Gators.

It was another night this season in which Bennett had no strategic answers and far too little basketball talent to work with. There have been rumors percolating for weeks that he might be contemplating retirement, perhaps because he’s not a good fit with the modern college athletic world. This would be a brutal game to go out on—but that would partly be the fault of an NCAA tournament selection committee that bestowed a bid his team didn’t deserve.

This year, NBC’s coverage of the Summer Olympics in Paris will have an NFL flavor.

NFL Red Zone host Scott Hanson and NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano will anchor a Gold Zone whiparound show during the 2024 Olympics, NBC announced Wednesday morning. The show will air on Peacock for two weeks from July 27 to Aug. 10, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the East Coast.

“With up to 40 events happening simultaneously during the Paris Olympic Games, Gold Zone will present viewers with the best and most compelling moments happening at any time,” the network said in a statement. “Gold Zone’s daily offering will provide viewers with the most comprehensive and all-encompassing live whip-around coverage of any Olympic Games to date.”

Scott Hanson and his former DirecTV counterpart Andrew Siciliano will share ‘Gold Zone’ hosting duties for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

Hanson and Siciliano are familiar to American sports fans from their gigs hosting similar NFL-themed whip-arounds. Hanson hosts NFL Red Zone, while Siciliano hosted DirecTV’s Red Zone Channel from 2005 to ’23.

This will mark Hanson’s first Olympics and Siciliano’s third; the latter hosted Gold Zone for the Sochi and Rio de Janeiro Games in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

1. Now THIS is some college basketball content that's in my wheelhouse. While some of you pour over your brackets, I poured over this compilation of the favorite musical artist of the 68 head coaches in this year's NCAA tournament.

You can't have a Big Dance without some epic music. So I'm bringing it back. I asked all 68 coaches in the men's NCAA Tournament to name their favorite band/musical artists. The answers are incredible. Here are their picks, + the stories behind them🎸🎤⤵️ https://t.co/RPRMzmLvMs pic.twitter.com/qbUxDK4wnH

— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) March 19, 2024

Some observations: Michael Jackson got the most mentions with four and you can push it to five if you include Michigan State's Tom Izzo going with the Jackson Five.

Jay Z, Luke Combs and The Eagles were the only artists to get three mentions.

The Beatles, considered by many people, to be the greatest band of all time only got one mention, while the biggest thing today, Taylor Swift, also only got one nod.

The lack of Big East teams in the tournament clearly hurt Billy Joel, who got no mentions. I was also surprised no coach gave a nod to The Rolling Stones.

Bruce Springsteen, who is seemingly the favorite of every sports writer in America, just got two mentions.

The person who deserves the most credit for his selection is Washington State coach Kyle Smith, who named Digital Underground as his favorite musical artist of all time. That's quite an appreciation of The Humpty Dance.

2. I did not know until shortly after 8 a.m. today that the MLB season had started, with the Dodgers and Padres playing in Korea.

I'll take full blame here for not being on top of this, but only Major League Baseball would be ridiculous enough to start its regular season at 6 a.m. ET and 3 a.m. local time for the two teams involved in the game.

And it appears that it wasn't just me who was unaware of the national pastime's Opening Day. 

Did you know that the Padres and Dodgers were playing in the first game of the regular season before this morning?

— Jimmy Traina (@JimmyTraina) March 20, 2024

This just makes me sad for the sport.

3. NBC announced today that it will offer a RedZone-style show for the Olympics. And the two NFL RedZone hosts will be part of NBC's effort.

Scott Hanson, Andrew Siciliano, Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila will serve as hosts of the Gold Zone a whip-around show, which will stream live on Peacock during the Summer Games in Paris. Gold Zone will stream live on Peacock from 7 a.m. ET – 5 p.m. ET each day from July 27-Aug. 10.

4. Good Morning Football's Jamie Erdhal announced today, before departing the show for maternity leave, that she will remain as host of the show when it moves this summer from New York to Los Angeles.

"I will see you from LA,

but now I'm gonna go have a baby."@JamieErdahl says goodbye to the NYC studio 🏈🍼 pic.twitter.com/MY3HDIVef3

— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) March 20, 2024

5. Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton dropped a brutally honest quote on Monday about the sports gambling boom, saying, "To half the world, I'm just helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever. I'm a prop."

I also asked #Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton specifically about speaking to a sports psychologist, and he noted in his response how sports betting has consumed a lot of his social media.

“To half the world, I’m just helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever. I’m a prop.“ pic.twitter.com/6f2a0vEuiK

— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) March 20, 2024

Haliburton's quote would've been great on its own, but then the NBA went and announced this yesterday.

The NBA is adding live betting to NBA League Pass.

Viewers will be able to see betting lines on the screen in real-time, select the bet they want to place, and then be taken directly to FanDuel or DraftKings to place it.

It feels like every league will do this in the future. pic.twitter.com/O7zJkcCFHW

— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) March 19, 2024

6. The latest episode of SI Media with Jimmy Traina features a conversation with ESPN NFL analyst, Dan Orlovsky.

Orlovsky gives a breakdown of his unbelievably busy schedule, talks about how the NFL owns most of the sports calendar and shares his thoughts about the wild free-agency spree that took place this week.

Orlovsky also reveals that his ultimate goal is to call top games each week and whether he feels like networks have a bias against putting him in that role since he wasn’t a superstar player. He also weighs in on his relationship with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo, Mike Greenberg and Dan “Big Cat” Katz.

Orlovsky also shares some of his famous food takes, talks about what it's like to have triplets and much more.

Following Orlovsky, Sal Licata from WFAN and SNY joins me for the weekly "Traina Thoughts" segment. This week's topics include Aaron Rodgers as Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate, the NFL Network moving Good Morning Football from New York to Los Angeles, Tiki Barber vs. Saquon Barkley, Love Is Blind and more.

You can listen to the podcast below or download it on Apple, Spotify and Google.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated’s YouTube channel.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Here's something from the good old days when Opening Day was special and important.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.

The Hillsborough County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office has issued a warrant for the arrest of Detroit Lions cornerback Cameron Sutton, it announced on Wednesday. 

Sutton is wanted on one count of aggravated battery-domestic violence in the town of Lutz, a Tampa suburb. The police were contacted on March 7 regarding a domestic incident involving Sutton and have since made multiple failed attempts to contact him, according to Lions beat reporter Justin Rogers of The Detroit News. 

“We served his warrant on the seventh because of all the evidence that we found there,” sheriff’s office spokesperson Phil Martello told the Detroit Free Press. “Couldn’t find him here in Tampa, pretty sure he fled. We got a couple hits on his license plate [on] license plate readers, but haven’t been able to track him down here, so that’s where we’re at right now.”

Sutton, 29, was a third-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017. He signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Lions last offseason and recorded 65 tackles and one interception in 17 games in 2023.

The Lions have not commented on the situation.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has coached teams that have lost in the NCAA men’s tournament to Nevada, George Mason, Memphis and Middle Tennessee over the years.

And the coach, who commands a $6.2 million salary presumably predicated on the popularity of college basketball and, more broadly, its postseason—expressed support Wednesday for ending automatic access to the tournament for mid- and low-major conference champions.

Izzo told reporters ahead of the Spartans’ first-round game against Mississippi State Friday in Charlotte that automatic bids for mid- and low-major conference tournament champions have “got to be looked at seriously.”

“While everybody likes the upsets in the first round I’m not sure if that’s true as it goes on,” Izzo said, per ESPN’s David Hale.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey made similar statements Friday that proved wildly unpopular.

The NCAA men’s tournament has long had a testy relationship with non-power conferences. As recently as 1984, 10 mid- and low-major teams were made to play in five play-in games to reach the main field. Automatic bids spent much of the 1980s in jeopardy.

When given the chance, however, smaller schools repeatedly proved to be worthy challengers to their more moneyed counterparts—gradually shaping the hyper-lucrative tournament of today.

In the buildup to March Madness, the search for the next Cinderella team dominates the national conversation. Who will be this year’s Saint Peter’s or Florida Gulf Coast? Will it be Drake? How about James Madison? My colleague Kevin Sweeney took a stab at predicting which double-digit seed will still be dancing next weekend — and perhaps beyond.

But while everyone is in search of a sleeper, let’s take a look at potential upsets from a different point of view. Which No. 1 seed is in danger of going down the earliest?

It’s a pertinent question considering last year’s Elite Eight was the first in men’s NCAA Tournament history without a No. 1 seed. Purdue was upset in the Round of 64, Kansas was eliminated in the Round of 32 and Houston and Alabama both went down in the Sweet 16.

The Boilermakers and Cougars return to the tourney as No. 1 seeds this year, joined by UConn and North Carolina. Purdue is hoping to avenge that early upset to Fairleigh Dickinson in the same manner that Virginia did in 2019 by winning a championship a year after its Round 1 loss to No. 16 UMBC. The Huskies, on the other hand, are chasing history. The last team to win back-to-back titles was Florida in 2006 and 2007 and UConn, the defending national champion, enters the tournament as the favorite to cut down the nets again.

The recent history of reigning champions going far in the tournament is checkered, though. The Jayhawks only won one game in 2023 after winning it all the year before. The same goes for Baylor in the 2022 tournament. Virginia was bounced in the Round of 64 in 2021, the first tournament since the Cavaliers’ title two years prior. Villanova in 2019 and North Carolina in 2018 also saw their title defenses fall short in the Round of 32. So altogether, the last five champions won a total of four games in the tournament the following year — just something to keep in mind as the Huskies mount their title defense.

A season ago we correctly predicted Purdue would be the first No. 1 seed eliminated from the field. So, which No. 1 seed is in the most danger of an early upset this time? Let’s see what the odds say.

Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies enter the tournament as favorites to repeat.

Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports

(Odds via FanDuel.)

Odds to Win the National Championship

UConn (+370) is the betting favorite to cut down the nets, followed by Houston (+550) and Purdue (+700). North Carolina (+1700) is well behind the other three No. 1 seeds and has worse odds than No. 2 Arizona (+1200), which is in the West Region with the Tar Heels.

The East, headlined by the Huskies, appears to be the toughest region. Between UConn, No. 2 Iowa State (+2000) and No. 4 Auburn (+2200), it’s home to three of the top eight teams by title odds. No. 5 San Diego State (+7500) and No. 8 Florida Atlantic (+15000) were Final Four teams a season ago, No. 3 Illinois (+3500) is dangerous and No. 6 BYU (+60000) is a potential sleeper as well.

Compare that to the South, where No. 2 Marquette (+2500) is the only other team beyond the Cougars in the top 10 by championship odds. However, just outside that cutoff, No. 3 Kentucky (+3000) and No. 4 Duke (+3000), two blue bloods, are tied for the 11th-best odds.

Out West, UNC and Arizona are well ahead of the rest of the region. No. 3 Baylor (+3500) is tied for the 13th-best odds, followed by No. 4 Alabama (+4000) and No. 5 Saint Mary’s (+6500). Evidently, the oddsmakers like either the Tar Heels or Wildcats to come out of the West.

The biggest threats to the Boilermakers in the Midwest are No. 2 Tennessee (+1700) and No. 3 Creighton (+2000), two teams in the top 10. And beyond the Vols and Bluejays, Purdue might have to contend with No. 4 Kansas (+4500) and No. 5 Gonzaga (+5000), two annual fixtures in the tournament.

Odds to Reach the Sweet 16

UConn (-650) is a massive favorite to advance to the Sweet 16. That’s an implied probability of almost 87% to beat Stetson in the Round of 64 — the Huskies are 26.5-point favorites — and the winner of No. 8 FAU vs. No. 9 Northwestern. The Hatters are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance and the Owls and Wildcats both rank outside the top 40 in KenPom.

Houston and Purdue are tied for the next-best odds to make it to the Sweet 16 at -430. Though less of a lock than UConn, that’s an implied probability of over 81% for the Cougars and Boilermakers to keep dancing until the second weekend. Houston is a whopping 24.5-point favorite over Longwood in the first round and will play the winner of No. 8 Nebraska vs. No. 9 Texas A&M in the Round of 32. The Cornhuskers and Aggies have one NCAA Tournament appearance combined in the last five years. As for the Boilermakers, they figured to be favored by at least 20 points against No. 16 Montana State or No. 16 Grambling State, though that didn’t stop FDU, a 23.5-point underdog. Assuming Purdue avoids disaster, next up would be No. 8 Utah State or No. 9 TCU, a tough team that has a win over Houston under its belt.

North Carolina (-205) unsurprisingly has the worst odds of any No. 1 seed to win two games this weekend. The Tar Heels are favored by 24.5 points against No. 16 Wagner, which should be an easy win. But that Round of 32 game against No. 8 Mississippi State or No. 9 Michigan State is where an upset could occur. The Rebels have a top-20 defense per KenPom and the Spartans are top 10 on that side of the ball. That’s a tough draw for UNC.

Related: Ranking the Men’s NCAA Tournament Field 1–68

Odds to Reach the Final Four

UConn (+100) is even money to survive the many threats it could encounter in the East and represent its region in Phoenix. The Huskies are also a good deal ahead of their next-closest competition: Iowa State (+450) and Auburn (+490).

Houston (+135) is the next-best bet to win its region. Similarly, the Cougars are a tier above Marquette (+550), Duke (+650) and Kentucky (+700), the top teams they have to worry about in the South.

Purdue (+165) is the favorite in the Midwest, but Tennessee (+340) is right on its heels and Creighton (+460) is not far behind.

Once again, North Carolina (+340) has the worst odds of the No. 1 seeds to end up in the Final Four. Arizona (+230) is the favorite in the West and Baylor (+650) and Alabama (+750) are also contenders to end up in Phoenix.

Purdue coach Matt Painter is hoping his Boilermakers can avoid a fourth straight year with a tournament loss to a team ranked No. 13 or lower.

Matt Krohn/USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 Seed to Fade

It’s clear that the oddsmakers are out on North Carolina relative to the other No. 1 seeds. But is that distrust valid? Before losing to N.C. State in the ACC title game, the Tar Heels had won eight straight. And the only other time Hubert Davis took UNC to the tournament, the result was a national championship game appearance in his first year at the helm.

A second-round matchup with Mississippi State or Michigan State is not an ideal draw for the Tar Heels, but it’s not a death knell, either. If they get to the second weekend, they should march all the way to the Elite Eight, where a game against Arizona and UNC transfer Caleb Love likely awaits. But by then, a No. 1 on the opposite side of the bracket might have fallen already.

Sorry, Purdue. This might not be your year, either. The Boilermakers have been eliminated by a double-digit seed three years in a row: In 2021 it was No. 13 North Texas, in 2022 it was No. 15 Saint Peter’s and last season No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson did them in. Don’t empty your bankroll on Montana State or Grambling State becoming the third No. 16 seed to ever beat a No. 1, but Utah State or TCU could do it in the Round of 32 or Kansas or Gonzaga — programs that historically make deep runs — in the Sweet 16.

On the top of the bracket, it’s hard to see a team taking down UConn or Houston before the Final Four. And despite the struggles of recent defending champs, the Huskies might prove to be the exception. Though the Tar Heels could have an early exit, we're going back to the well with Purdue.

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Kyrie Irving’s athleticism has never been questioned, and at age 31, the Dallas Mavericks guard still showcases the same elite skillset and playmaking ability he’s had throughout his career.

But on Tuesday, after Dallas picked up a 113–107 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Irving was asked about a dunk he had, and the eight-time NBA All-Star lit up about it. After stating that he believed it was his third dunk of the season, a mark Irving labeled as his career-high, he hilariously compared himself to Benjamin Button.

“Am I at a career high this year? I think I have three dunks—I’m three dunks in—I think that’s my career-high at this point,” Irving said, via Dallas Basketball’s Grant Afseth. “Did you watch the movie Benjamin Button? What if I’m getting more athletic in my 30s? That would be a heck of a thing, wouldn’t it?”

Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving has looked as explosive as ever at 31 this season.

Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports

Irving then mentioned that it had taken a “few years to get healthy” before reaching this point.

Unfortunately for those hoping to see Irving put the newest weapon in his scoring arsenal on display even more, he joked to reporters that he won’t be participating in the NBA dunk contest.

Kyrie Irving on his third dunk this season: "Did you watch the movie Benjamin Button? What if I'm getting more athletic in my 30s? That would be a heck of a thing, wouldn't it? With no screws in my knee, with no almost bad ankle. It took me a few years to get healthy."

More:… pic.twitter.com/aifaslRsnT

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) March 20, 2024

Irving, who’s made it clear he’s happy playing as the co-star alongside Luka Dončić, has put together an impressive all-around season statistically. He averages 25.4 points, 5.2 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game while shooting 49.3% from the field and 40.9% from three-point range.

• Mannix: NBA Power Rankings: Knicks Surge Into Top 10 As L.A. Teams Falter

Tuesday’s game against San Antonio was a prime example of Irving stepping up to fill whatever need the Mavericks have on a given night. With Dončić struggling to get his shot to fall, shooting 6 of 27 from the field, Irving led the team in scoring with 28 points on 13 of 21 shooting while pulling down seven rebounds in the victory.

Welcome to another installment of SI Golf “Fact or Fiction,” where our next staff meeting will be in the Bahamas.

Each week we post a series of topical statements for writers and editors to declare as “Fact” or “Fiction” along with a brief explanation. Responses may also (occasionally) be “Neutral” since there's a lot of gray area in golf.

Do you agree or disagree? Let us know on the SI Golf X account.

Jay Monahan confirmed that PGA Tour Policy board player directors met Yasir Al-Rumayyan in the Bahamas, calling it “constructive” but offering no more details. The PGA Tour commissioner also reiterated the need to not negotiate in public, but his membership is entitled to know more.

FACT. Keeping things secret didn’t help Monahan much before and being able to share as much as possible seems the prudent path forward. A disclaimer: folks talk, and that was the reason why Monahan kept things so guarded prior to the “framework agreement” being announced. This is not an easy path to navigate. —Bob Harig

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan continues to offer few details on negotiations with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. 

Clayton Freeman/Florida Times-Union

FICTION. Keeping your membership informed and part of the process is two different things. The players elected a PAC and a board, they have to trust them to do the right thing.—Alex Miceli

FACT. Throw ‘em a bone! No need to imperil the talks, and anything he share with the players with inevitably (and rapidly) leak to the press, but players want to feel like part of a process here. There’s gotta be a few crumbs to offer them.—Jeff Ritter

FACT. If this was my livelihood, I'd want to know how these winds are blowing. Especially if I was a player down in the pecking order in this signature event era. And, selfishly, of course someone would talk and that's good in my actual livelihood.—John Schwarb  

One sportsbook has Scottie Scheffler at even money to win a major this year. This is the gambling equivalent of a gimme.

FICTION. There’s a reason the bookies drive nice cars and live in mansions. What seems like a sure thing rarely is. Yes, Scheffler looks incredibly formidable and if he continues to putt just decently, he’s going to be right there in the majors. I thought the same thing last year. It doesn’t always work out that way.—B.H.

FICTION. Of course after dismantling two elite fields at Arnold Palmer and the Players, Scheffler would clearly be anointed as the new Tiger Woods, which would clearly mean the Texas grad would win a major. But add in the LIV players—that by the way will be defending two of the four majors this year—and I like the under.—A.M.

FACT. I assume the gimme is to take “field” over Scheffler correct?—J.R.

FICTION. Not saying I don't think a Scheffler major is a done deal in 2024, I just dislike that betting strategy. At DraftKings, his major odds right now are +450/Masters, +650/PGA, +650/U.S. Open, +800/British Open, and I'd rather chase those payouts.—J.S.  

Rory McIlroy hit watery tee shots on two holes in Round 1 at the Players, leading to prolonged conversations with his playing partners about where the balls crossed hazard lines. This tournament has had similar high-profile situations before and there has to be a better way to figure them out.

FICTION. Unless you have overhead cameras on every single hole with lateral penalty areas—which seems a big ask—these sorts of issues will occur. TPC Sawgrass happens to have several holes with this problem, which is the most difficult ruling and drop situation there is to get right. Ultimately, the best thing is for those in the group to do their best to sort it out.—B.H.

Rory McIlroy finished T19 in an eventful week at the Players. 

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

FACT. The distances make it impossible to see where a drive of over 300 yards crosses a hazard line. How could McIlroy or playing competitors Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland made a clear determination? Easy answer: they can’t, which means the rules of golf need a look, again.—A.M.

FACT. Ultimately players have to make these calls themselves, but in the meantime let’s get some better camera angles on some of those watery corners.—J.R.

FACT. With so much data instantly available with ball flights and course mapping, it’s crazy to see players sometimes have 100-yard differences of opinion in these spots. The Tour can take the lead at its flagship event to figure out a better way.—J.S. 

McIlroy said he would play more leading up to the Masters and just finished three straight weeks: T21 at the Cognizant Classic, T21 at Bay Hill and T19 at the Players. Those are positive results as Augusta beckons.

FICTION. McIlroy himself is not satisfied with those results. After two strong performances early in the year in the Middle East—including a victory in Dubai—he’s not shown much in five U.S. PGA Tour starts. McIlroy has been fighting a miss with his irons and, having seemingly figured that out during the first round at the Players, inexplicably had issues with the driver that led to several water balls. He’s got time to get that cleaned up and plans to play the week prior to the Masters at the Valero Texas Open. Perhaps having something to focus on will serve him well this time.—B.H.

FACT. That’s 12 rounds to work off the rust on three difficult golf courses with more water than the Great Lakes. What’s most important is if McIlroy feels comfortable with his game and is checking off the boxes of what he needs to do before the Masters. If this plan works or not will be played out over four days in Augusta.—A.M.

FACT. He’s in good form but hasn’t peaked. Looks like full speed ahead from here.—J.R.

NEUTRAL. We discussed Rory's plan for more reps in January, I went neutral there and am sticking with it. Unless you’re named Scottie Scheffler, there are things to clean up and McIlroy has some of those, but there are no reasons for alarm as we close in on April.—J.S. 

The Howard Bison had the unfortunate distinction of being the first team to lose in March Madness, dropping their First Four game against the Wagner Seahawks on Tuesday, 71–68. But Howard junior Bryce Harris is keeping things in perspective. 

After the game, Harris, the team’s leading scorer this season, was asked what he and his teammates would be able to take away from the game and the season, even though their tournament run ended sooner than they hoped it would.

“Just to reiterate, it comes down to basketball, but it also comes down to having connections with who we are, not just as basketball players but human beings,” Harris said. “Playing on a basketball team is one of the more beautiful things in life because it gives you a group of brothers who have a common goal and it allows you to have a deeper connection past being just a teammate.”

"Playing on a basketball team is one of the more beautiful things in life because it gives you a group of brothers who have a common goal. It allows you to have a deeper connection past just being a teammate."

—@HUMensBB's Bryce Harris pic.twitter.com/It00b3H7sc

— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 20, 2024

“What we speak a lot about is having brothers,” Harris continued. “When you have brothers, you’ll go through things with your brothers. You’ll have good moments. You’ll have bad moments. You’ll have moments where you’re mad at your brother, your brother is mad at you. But you guys have to go through the rocky mountain and get over it—especially to reach that common goal.

“In a nutshell, that’s basically what that was, just understanding each other, understanding our whys—why we play the game, who introduced us to the game, what’s carrying us through any type of adversity that we have, whether it’s basketball-wise or in life in general, and just carry on and be able to lean on one another.”

Harris’s message is relatable to anyone who has played team sports, and it’s clear that he and his brothers are building something special at Howard. They won the MEAC last season to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in more than 30 years. This year marked the first time in program history that the Bison qualified for March Madness in back-to-back years. With an attitude like the one Harris expressed, there’s no reason to believe Howard can’t make it three in a row next season. 

The 2024 Major League Baseball season kicked off Wednesday in Seoul, South Korea with the absolutely loaded Los Angeles Dodgers beating the San Diego Padres, 5–2.

One of the coolest things in recent seasons has been the use of umpire cameras during games, which lets viewers see what it’s really like to be a hitter at the major-league level. 

ESPN continued to show that off in the season opener, and you know what? It still looks like it’s impossible to get a hit off an MLB pitcher. 

Check out this 95-mph pitch with movement from Yu Darvish that struck out Freddie Freeman in the first inning: 

Yu Darvish, Front Door 95mph Two Seamer (home plate view) pic.twitter.com/8F7Q71puNR

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 20, 2024

Ridiculous. 

MLB fans were rightfully in awe.

Again I ask how in the blue hell anyone hits a baseball in the majors https://t.co/d11qUDbQWU

— Austin Riley’s Rakes™️ (@RileysRakes) March 20, 2024

This angle is insane. Baseball is hard https://t.co/uOyUA7UZxz

— Mr. Plow (@internetdevan) March 20, 2024

please can we at least try a whole game like this? just once as a test trial? #MLB https://t.co/GfEQdfU4SY

— Keat_on (@keatN34) March 20, 2024

POV: you are the best hitter in baseball

Frame 1: you see the ball
Frame 2: it's a fastball and it's going to cross the plate halfway between the strike zone and your knee
Frame 3: oh no it's a two-seam fastball and it's biting hard
Frame 4: Strikeout looking. Have a seat. https://t.co/GpflFDK7ZE pic.twitter.com/PDG0rzpoNk

— Mike (@hammerito) March 20, 2024

Baseball fan: I could totally hit major league pitching

Major League Pitching: https://t.co/PJJ8p0QHsZ

— Candlestick Will (@CandlestickWill) March 20, 2024

I have no idea how a human can either hit this ball or call it a ball or strike... Human eyes are not meant to process this... https://t.co/LMRxK2BpRY

— Brad Robinson (@bradrobinson8) March 20, 2024

Lmaooo what?? https://t.co/3idLLedMnC

— KELOID FORGER 🕵🏽 (@chrisjproton) March 20, 2024

In their quest for majority ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Minnesota Lynx, former All-Star infielder Alex Rodriguez and his business partner have reportedly hit a roadblock.

Rodriguez and entrepreneur Marc Lore have lost the financial backing of their private equity partners, according to current owner Glen Taylor.

While it is unclear why The Carlyle Group—a Washington D.C.-based private equity firm—is no longer backing Rodriguez and Lore, it is notable as the two businessmen have just one more payment to make to take majority ownership.

Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore have been working towards majority ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx since 2021. 

Nick Wosika/USA TODAY Sports

“They had an equity group that was going to come in and put in $300 million, and that equity group has either withdrawn or the NBA has denied them,” Taylor told Minnesota-based reporter David Shama. “They have to go out and find new revenue. That I do know. I don’t know if they found it or what they’re going to do. We haven’t seen the schedule of ownership yet.”

• Mannix: The Timberwolves Are Embracing Their Underdog Status

The deadline for Rodriguez and Lore to make that payment is March 27. In a Tuesday afternoon Sportico report, the NBA denied that it had blocked The Carlyle Group’s involvement.

Taylor has owned the Timberwolves since 1994 and the Lynx since ’99.

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. Congrats to Wagner and Colorado State on winning the first games of March Madness.

In today’s SI:AM:

🧑‍⚖️ Clemson challenges the ACC

📸 Ohtani lands another SI cover

🏀 Men’s tourney teams, ranked

If you’re reading this on SI.com, click here to subscribe to receive SI:AM in your inbox every weekday.

See you in court

The NCAA basketball tournaments have started, but that doesn’t mean that we can stop thinking about the existential threats facing college sports.

Clemson yesterday became the second school to file a lawsuit against the ACC in an attempt to leave the conference. The Tigers’ suit is similar to the one filed by Florida State in December. Both suits focus on two issues: the ACC’s exit fee and Clemson’s “grant of rights.” The exit fee is the fee the conference would charge either school should it choose to leave for another league. The grant of rights is the agreement between the schools and the ACC granting the conference control over the broadcast rights.

The current grant of rights runs through 2036 and the penalty for leaving the conference before then would be enormous, possibly in excess of $500 million. Clemson’s lawsuit argues that the exit fee is unenforceable and that the grant of rights should be invalidated if and when it leaves the conference. The school argues that the grant of rights and the ACC’s contract with ESPN “when read together, plainly state that Clemson controls its media rights for games played if it is no longer a member of the ACC.”

“The ACC remains confident that its agreements with all its members will be affirmed by the courts,” the conference said in a statement. “Clemson, along with all ACC members, voluntarily signed and re-signed the 2013 and 2016 Grant of Rights, which is binding through 2036. In addition, Clemson agreed to the process and procedures for withdrawal. The Conference’s legal counsel will vigorously enforce the agreement and bylaws in the best interests of the ACC’s current and incoming members.”

The lawsuit is the latest step in a rebellion against the ACC that has been brewing since last May, when it was revealed that seven members of the 14-school conference (Clemson, Florida State, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech) had met to discuss abandoning the ACC. While the Pac-12 was able to dissolve last year because it was without a broadcast contract, the ACC’s current grant of rights appears to be the only thing keeping the league from splintering—and now two of its marquee members are seeking to nullify it.

A court ruling in favor of Florida State and/or Clemson would clear a path for other ACC schools to flee the conference and cast serious doubt on its future. Would the ACC be in danger of collapsing just as the Pac-12 without seven of its top football programs?

It isn’t hard to see what the endgame is here. The Big Ten and SEC are expanding, swallowing up key members of weakened conferences. There was always a hierarchy within the Power 5, but the demise of the Pac-12 and the decision by Texas and Oklahoma to leave the Big 12 in favor of the SEC have widened the gap between the nation’s two most powerful conferences and the rest. Clemson and Florida State would be perfect candidates to join an expanded SEC. Virginia and North Carolina, which were also part of the group last year that explored leaving the ACC, have the sort of academic reputation that would make them attractive to the Big Ten (if conference administrators still want to pretend that academics are a factor in these decisions).

If the collapse of the Pac-12 was the first domino to fall leading to the creation of two mega-conferences, the ACC’s current instability feels like the second. How much longer until the structure of college sports is completely unrecognizable?

The best of Sports Illustrated

• Richard Johnson has more on Clemson’s lawsuit against the ACC and what it means for the future of the conference.
• Shohei Ohtani is on the cover of the latest issue of SI, with a compelling cover story by Tom Verducci.
• Ohtani was the target of a bomb threat hoax before the Dodgers’ season opener against the Padres today in South Korea.
• Pat Forde ranked all 68 teams in the men’s NCAA tournament field.
• Between trading for Damian Lillard and firing coach Adrian Griffin just halfway through his first season, the Bucks have made some risky moves in pursuit of another championship. Now, Chris Mannix writes, time is running out for those moves to pay off.
• Mannix’s latest NBA power rankings feature the Knicks making a big jump.
• Albert Breer looks back at the 2014 pre-draft debate over Aaron Donald that seems absurd in retrospect.
• After covering him for most of his career, Greg Bishop accumulated tons of great Jason Kelce anecdotes. Here are a few of the best.

The top five...

… things I saw last night/this morning:

5. Howard’s frantic final possession in its First Four loss to Wagner.

4. This Colorado State fan’s shirt that took a clever swipe at both Virginia basketball and Iowa football.

3. The unlucky break for the Padres in their opener against the Dodgers. A ball went right through the webbing of first baseman Jake Cronenworth’s glove, allowing Los Angeles to score the go-ahead run in the eighth. The Dodgers won 5–2.

2. Howard player Bryce Harris’s eloquent explanation of what basketball has taught him about life.

1. Zion Williamson’s absurd hops on this alley-oop. (This photo by Getty Images photographer Nathaniel S. Butler shows just how far Zion was from the rim when he caught the ball.)

SIQ

The first televised NCAA men’s basketball championship game took place on this day in what year? Hint: It was tape-delayed.

• 1954
• 1960
• 1972
• 1979

Yesterday’s SIQ: Which team won the first Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women basketball championship on March 19, 1972?

• Delta State
• Delaware
• Queens College (N.Y.)
• Immaculata

Answer: Immaculata. It was the first of three straight national titles that the Mighty Macs won.

Immaculata, a small Catholic school located west of Philadelphia, defeated its nearby rival, West Chester University, in the title game, 52–48.

The championship was the start of a dynasty. The Mighty Macs went undefeated the following season, ending the year with a championship victory over Queens College (N.Y.). Queens got its revenge in 1974, though, handing Immaculata its first loss in two years, but it was the only loss Immaculata suffered that season as it went on to win a third straight title.

The Mighty Macs made history in the 1974–75 season, playing in the first nationally televised women’s basketball game (a win over Maryland in College Park) and the first women’s college game at Madison Square Garden (a win over Queens). Their run of dominance ended with a loss in the national championship game to Delta State.

In 2014, the Immaculata teams of 1972, ’73 and ’74 were inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The team’s coach, Cathy Rush, was inducted in 2008, and in 2022, players Theresa Shank Grentz and Marianne Stanley were inducted individually into the Hall.

Among the plethora of reasons why Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green might be peeved at his long-standing friend and rival, LeBron James, the actual reason isn’t basketball-related. It’s podcast-related.

The Warriors star recently aired one grievance against James, which has to do with the Los Angeles Lakers star teaming up with ESPN analyst JJ Redick to launch a new podcast, Mind the Game. 

Green wasn’t upset that James was joining him in the basketball podcast community; rather, Green felt slighted by the fact that James hadn’t yet appeared on his own eponymous podcast, The Draymond Green Show.

“I’m a little upset that LeBron James is going on a podcast, and he still hasn’t been on The Draymond Green Show,” Green said on Tuesday. “But when it’s your own thing, you kind of can’t say anything, so I guess I’ll live with it for now. Pick the bone with him that I got to pick with him later.”

"I'm a little upset that LeBron James is going on a podcast, and he still hasn't been on the Draymond Green show." 😂

(Via https://t.co/x5N4WHKAvd) pic.twitter.com/14lbj8qsTG

— NBA Beyond Court (@NBABeyondCourt) March 19, 2024

The metaphorical bone could be picked as soon as April 9, when the Warriors go on the road to face the Lakers in the final game of the season series which Golden State leads, 2–1. The two teams are also jockeying for play-in tournament positioning with the Lakers (37–32) one spot ahead of the No. 10-seeded Warriors (35–32).

Both Green and James notably made the news last month when ESPN reported that the Warriors tried to acquire the Lakers star ahead of the NBA trade deadline. James ultimately closed the door on any potential deal, but not before Green texted James’s agent to help persuade the four-time NBA champ to come to Golden State.

Whereas a James—Stephen Curry real-life link-up on the Warriors feels implausible at this stage, a James—Green podcast link-up could still very much be in the cards.

Virginia swiftly exited the men’s NCAA tournament on Tuesday night after getting blown off the court by fellow No. 10 seed Colorado State of the Mountain West, 67–42, in the First Four matchup in Dayton.

The Cavaliers scored just 14 first half points, and went the final 9:20 on the first half without scoring any points. Virginia shot just 25% from the field overall and 17.6% from three. UVA also made just 11 of its 17 free throw attempts. 

It was Colorado State’s first tournament victory in 11 years.

• March Madness 2024: News & Analysis | Schedule | Bracket

After the harrowing offensive effort, Virginia coach Tony Bennett said that his program, which is just five years removed from a national title, will reevaluate everything.

“It’s frustrating because … we’ve been to a couple of Sweet 16s and an Elite Eight and a national championship. But there have been hard losses in the first round, and that’s frustrating,” Bennett told reporters. “… And I think, absolutely, I always have to examine our ability to advance. We’ve raised the bar really high here. We’ve qualified for this tournament, which is not an easy thing. We’ve done well. But it’s stung to get to this point and not advance. So, of course, we’ve got to keep adding quality players. We’ve got to look at things, certainly, from a system standpoint, absolutely.”

Despite a 13–7 record in league play and a solo third place finish in the ACC during the regular season, the Cavaliers are going back home, leaving the future Hall of Fame coach in Bennett with a long offseason to think about where to improve the program from here to meet the high bar he’s set with his past success.

Hey everyone:

• Here’s the latest Served podcast, wrapping up Indian Wells and featuring Miami tournament director James Blake.

• Colette Lewis has your Indian Wells juniors results.

• Five top-line observations from a smashing 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells …

1) It’s hard to imagine a 20-year-old, two-time major winner in a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” mode. But that was Carlos Alcaraz entering Indian Wells. Last August, a month after his dramatic Wimbledon win, he was inches from beating Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati, which would have given him sole possession of the penthouse. Cue: a tennis sliding door. Alcaraz lost that match. And … before last week, he hadn’t so much as reached a final. Again, that was nearly seven months ago. Some of this is owed to injury. Some to bad luck (an injury that kept his coach off the road). In that time, Djokovic won another major. Jannik Sinner ascended and took a good deal of the shine. Alcaraz lost some fine matches to top-flight players; he also lost to players like Roman Safiullin. He rolled his ankle in Rio. He lost to Rafael Nadal in a Las Vegas exhibition. It was easy to wonder what was going on inside the House of Alcaraz. And then he turned in his best week of tennis since last summer and beat all comers to defend his title in the desert. No matter how many data points exist, too often we (a) underestimate the resilience of champions, and (b) underestimate that careers are not linear and it’s entirely okay—normal, even—for stocks to dip and rise.

Alcaraz defended his BNP Paribas Open title by taking down Medvedev in straight sets.

Brandon Magpantay/Special to The Desert Sun/USA TODAY NETWORK

2) The best player of this millennium? Serena Williams. Easy. After that? Probably Venus Williams. Maybe Justine Henin. But here comes Iga Świątek. In part because of her modest, self-effacing ways, she presents as something other than dominant. But the match doesn’t lie. Her Indian Wells hardware is her eighth 1000-level trophy. It's a nice accessory to the four majors she’s won. She has won 19 of 22 finals. And still has that mode where the player on the other side of the net is less an opponent than an unwilling partner in her showcase. (Sunday’s final, fittingly, featured a 6–0 final set.) Świątek may contest this. Or at least deflect the suggestion. But this is a player not just worthy of tennis’s Mt. Olympus cloud palace, but major god status.

3) How does tennis take its universally beloved players and turn them into stars? There is a long history of the NBA getting great mileage from those who might not make All-Star teams, but who connect with fans. There are popular UFC fighters who have never won belts. How does tennis do the same? I am thinking specifically of tennis treasure Hsieh Su-Wei, the 38-year-old Taiwanese—not Chinese, as is too often reported—singularity, who won the Indian Wells doubles title with Elise Mertens. Here is an ageless champion, with a sui generis game and personality. Su-Wei may not end up in the Hall of Fame. But as long as she’s still playing, she should be doing so before filled stands.

4) Another event, another close-but-not-quite outing for Daniil Medvedev. He was the U.S. Open runner-up, the Australian Open runner-up and now the Indian Wells runner-up (having also been the runner-up in 2023). That’s a lot of points and prize money; but also, a lot of consolation speeches. One potential cause: his temperamental serve. When Medvedev won the 2021 U.S. Open, he was broken six times, including only once in the final against Djokovic, as fine a returner as has ever played the sport. In Australia, Medvedev nearly won the tournament despite being broken 23 times. In Indian Wells, he was broken 19 times.

5) Everyone had a good laugh (and pun) over the bee invasion and bee remover, Lance Davis. And yes, it should be noted that it’s not even April and already tennis has featured on-court killer bees and poisonous snakes. But at some level, isn’t this what we love about sports? The utter unpredictability? You can perhaps surmise that, say, Shiv Roy will get shivved or that One Day won’t end tidily [spoiler edit]. But when a match gets interrupted by insects, and the hero gets his car out of the shop and arrives with a vacuum cleaner to save the day … it makes Emma Raducanu’s U.S. Open look prosaic and scripted.

Meanwhile, a few Q&As …

Losing to Sinner is one thing. Losing to Luca Nardi is another. Has Father Time caught up to Djoker?

PDX

• Read into it what you will. Even days after the fact, there were more questions about the Djokovic loss than the Alcaraz win. One side says, “He’s a 24-time major champ; he’s allowed a few dips.” The other side says, “Losing to an-informed Sinner is one thing. Losing to a player outside the top 100 is another. Something is up.” What’s additionally perplexing: There does not appear to be obvious physical issues or compromise. Which should be a source of optimism for Djokovic and his fans. But also makes this swoon and his explanation equally cryptic and hopeful.

Nardi defeated Djokovic in three sets in a shocking third-round upset at the BNP Paribas Open.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports

This is informed speculation. Djokovic is having motivation issues. He has two children, who are growing up and notice his absence. He has a wife at home. He has a foundation. Work/life balance is a dance we all do, even superstar athletes. Thinking about his current woes, I was recalling my conversation with Djokovic late last year. I went back to the transcript and was struck by this:

Jon Wertheim: I'm also wondering if that doesn't make it harder to go on the road —to traipse off to Australia—when you have two kids in school …

Novak Djokovic: My heart rips apart every time I leave them. So I find it more and more challenging and more difficult to leave my kids and my family behind. They are not traveling as much with me, particularly when it’s not in Europe, when it’s not close by, because, of course, they have school, you know? My wife has work. And it’s not easy. They cannot always [adapt] and adjust to me. So when we are apart for, you know, three, four, five weeks, it’s a struggle. But, you know, there are families and people in the world that are, you know, experiencing far more bigger difficulties than us. So I try to always pinch myself and remind myself that, hey, we are healthy, and we love each other. We are great. It could be far, far worse … [But] It’s so hard for me to leave them. So I’m playing less because I want to spend more time with them. I’m picking and choosing which kind of tournaments I want to play and compete at. And I have to be more selective.

I’m curious, does Tennis Channel (or ESPN) screen the former players they hire as commentators before hiring them? Or provide them with any training prior to putting them on the air. Regardless of the sport, not all former players make great commentators or announcers. Some are naturals and great right out of the gate: Tony Romo in football; Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski in figure skating; Chris Eubanks, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, Andy Roddick, and Lindsay Davenport in tennis (among others). Unfortunately, some are not so great right out of the gate or not very well received for any number of reasons. Perhaps they talk too much or too fast, or not enough about the match actually being played, or too much about their own glory days. It just seems like something other than an on-air trial by fire would be appreciated by the fans????

Lilas Pratt, Marietta, GA

• I speak only for Tennis Channel. But, yes, former players are screened—and often call matches on tape as both trial runs and training exercises. To name check, executive producer Ross Schneiderman is especially adept at putting former players in the best possible position to succeed.

You are correct that some former players make the transition more smoothly than others. Sometimes it’s easy to predict (did anyone not expect Eubanks or Andrea Petkovic to slay, as the kids say?) and sometimes there are surprises, both good and bad. Speaking from experience, often it’s just about reps. The more you work, the more you gain comfort and pick up hacks, dos and don'ts and an awareness of your crutches. You intuit when you are speaking too much or not enough; when it’s appropriate to jump in and when it’s not. I suspect it’s similar to how people entering any new workforce gain comfort and learn when and how long to speak in a meeting, or how to draft an appropriate memo.

If asked, one piece of advice I humbly give former players: Take the green room to the set. That is, speak on air the same way you would beforehand. Sometimes former players are brimming with energy and insight and nuggets when they are tying their tie or going over the rundown. Then, live on set, they suddenly become cautious or monotone or retreat to cliché.

I have also noticed that the best broadcasters take the best of tennis—an awareness of the world, observational powers, the ability to problem-solve, a social awareness, a sense of timing, a healthy relationship to competition—and use those same skills in a new context. Jim Courier, Davenport and Roddick are three prime examples.

The broadcasters who struggle often are the ones who bring to bear the worst of tennis: narcissism, defensiveness, hypercompetitiveness and unfamiliarity with a team setting. Unlike tennis, there are no objective, cold, empirical rankings. Subjectivity can be a challenge. There are former players who are fine on the air, but get work because they are pleasant, low-maintenance and work well with others. Others are technically superior and more wired in but struggle in a team environment.

Regarding [Alexander] Zverev, are you as surprised as I am how much support he still has from fans in general? I mean, what does a guy have to do these days to earn a little ill will from the public?

Jason, Austin, TX

• I think there are a few factors here. First, don’t underestimate ignorance. I suspect many fans have no idea of the allegations he is facing. To the casual fan, he’s a talented, good-looking top-tier player. Slick backhand, projects confidence, perhaps the best player never to have won a major. And they think: What’s not to like?

I also think that, in some precincts, there is an innocent-until-proven-guilty backlash, some sympathy for him that results in more support, not less. They feel Zverev has already been adjudicated in the court of public opinion, absent a trial. The presumptions we are supposed to confer on the accused have gone out the door.

Zverev competed at Indian Wells, falling to Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun/USA TODAY NETWORK

I do think there is an interesting policy discussion here. It is not dissimilar to a doping allegation. If you let the accused continue competing, you run the risk of permitting a guilty athlete to play on and continue winning points and prize money with a cloud hovering. If you ban them immediately, you run the risk of imposing a fine for a false positive. (Or … 17 months elapse before an arbitration panel determines the violations only warranted nine months of suspension.)

In the context of Zverev’s case, to some, it is appalling that he plays on in the face of multiple allegations lodged by two different women. One decided not to cooperate with the authorities but did provide a journalist with detailed accounts, photos and corroborating evidence. The other has gone the legal route and a court has already imposed a penalty order in advance of a full hearing. To others, it would be patently unfair to suspend or discipline Zverev absent a criminal conviction.

If there is one takeaway from this unfortunate situation it is the glaringly obvious need for a firm domestic violence policy in tennis.

Jon, do you suspect that Zverev told Netflix that he would participate in Break Point only if they did not mention the domestic abuse allegations? It reminds of when Wendy Leigh released her unauthorized biography of Arnold Schwarzenegger during his prime. Leigh says that Arnold “killed” her book: Before any interview, Arnold’s agent told the interviewer that if they mention her book, Arnold will walk off the set and will never do another interview with the network again.

Kevin Kane, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

• I have no inside knowledge here. Though—having been in these meetings with potential documentary subjects—I can’t imagine that this didn’t come up. Might be direct. Might be coded. (“What is your angle?” “What kind of questions will you be asking?” Who else will you be talking to?”) It was also, at a minimum, surprising that the ATP allowed this to happen. Mention the domestic violence allegations and penalty orders and Zverev looks terrible. But ignoring the obvious topic—all the while casting a different top-five player (a married father known to all as a benign figure with charisma to burn) as a cheater—seems like a recipe for a bad (and unnecessary PR) broadside.

Shots, Miscellany:

• The Cincinnati Open unveiled an overhaul of facilities and spaces that will offer this year’s fans an unparalleled off-court experience. Two new hospitality areas, additional practice courts and continued redesign of spaces around the venue are a few of the improvements that will debut at the 2024 Cincinnati Open, which will be held Aug. 11–19.
• The USTA and U.S. Billie Jean King Cup captain Lindsay Davenport announced that Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro, Caroline Dolehide and Taylor Townsend will represent the U.S. in the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup competition vs. Belgium on April 12–13 at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla.
• Tennis from the WTA and ATP Tours is available to watch from today on Youku, one of China’s leading video streaming platforms. The launch coincided with the final rounds of the 2024 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, allowing tennis fans in China to watch the women’s and men’s semifinals and finals.

Former Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, who entered the transfer portal after the Rose Bowl and enrolled at Iowa, re-entered the transfer portal on Tuesday and is expected to transfer back to Alabama, according to a report from Scott Dochterman of The Athletic.

Following the news, Proctor posted an image of Michael Jordan to his Instagram stories, with his famous two-word announcement about his 1995 return to the NBA: “I’m back.”

The former five-star offensive tackle and Iowa native appeared poised to play for the Hawkeyes in his home state, but informed coach Kirk Ferentz that he planned on leaving the program ahead of the start of spring practice.

Kadyn Proctor appears poised to return to Alabama, where he served as a starter as a freshman in 2023, after briefly transferring to Iowa.

John David Mercer/USA TODAY Sports

To add to the intrigue, Proctor spent Iowa’s spring break last week with several of his former Alabama teammates before returning to campus and informing Ferentz of his decision.

“It is unfortunate that Kadyn has informed us of his intentions to leave our program today,” Ferentz told reporters on Tuesday. “We wish him well in the future.”

This is not the first time that Proctor has reneged on a commitment to Iowa. Proctor committed to the Hawkeyes in 2022 out of high school, but flipped to Alabama and signed with the Crimson Tide. He went on to start all 14 games for Alabama last season, earning SEC All-Freshman honors.

His real fans will say he never left.

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson was, by popular opinion, “back” in a 104–91 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. The 6' 6" , 284-pound forward put together a stellar 28-point performance which included a jaw-dropping alley-oop in the fourth quarter.

Often scrutinized over health and fitness concerns, Williamson appeared to be at the top of his game on Tuesday and capped off another impressive outing as the Pelicans extended their hot streak to seven victories in their last eight games. 

The two-time All-Star has averaged 26.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in his last seven matchups, shooting a whopping 64% from the field.

NBA fans were quick to take notice of Williamson’s New Orleans renaissance of sorts. Some even pointed out the fifth-year standout looked as confident and dominant as he did during his college hooping days at Duke.

Oh, Zion is back BABYYYY pic.twitter.com/XDX8Bs3WzK

— Alejandro Gaitán (@alejandroggo) March 20, 2024

Zion is really back. They tried to write my guy off pic.twitter.com/U5AqM7WucD

— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) March 20, 2024

Air Zion is back. #otnba pic.twitter.com/Tm82KCa9xi

— OverTime Storie a Spicchi (@StorieASpicchi) March 20, 2024

zion having his bounce and swagger back >

I selfishly wanted him to windmill this pic.twitter.com/OKuXU4iSMM

— Brandon Caldwell (@_brandoc) March 20, 2024

Zion really hooping like he back at Duke now 🥹 I used to pray for times like this pic.twitter.com/jhy0cUC6I3

— KWON🌹 (@Aceboykwon) March 20, 2024

We love to see it. Welcome back zion https://t.co/YTABqAhB57

— ~ (@StoriBrooks) March 20, 2024

The Pelicans (42–26) are just a half-game back from the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. New Orleans will play the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

Ohio State standout wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. will not work out at his school’s Pro Day on Wednesday, according to Sports Illustrated‘s Albert Breer.

Harrison, who is the consensus top wide receiver in a draft filled with premier pass catchers, asked nine teams he met with at the NFL combine whether or not they needed to see anything from him at Ohio State’s Pro Day. According to Breer, each team told him no, he opted to sit out Pro Day and instead continue training in Columbus for his NFL career.

Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. seems very secure in his NFL draft positioning.

Brooke LaValley/USA TODAY NETWORK

In his three seasons at Ohio State, Harrison caught 155 passes for 2,613 yards and 31 touchdowns. Last season, he averaged a career-high 18.1 yards per catch with 14 touchdown receptions. He also added one rushing touchdown for the Buckeyes last fall.

• Easterling: NFL Mock Draft 2024: How Free Agency Affects First-Round Picks

Harrison’s decision to skip combine workouts and his school’s pro day is not expected to impact his draft stock whatsoever. Due to his lineage and innate ability that he’s shown at the college level, he’s a can’t miss prospect at wide receiver and is expected to be one of the top players selected in next month’s draft.