Sports Illustrated

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz (20) may have beaten Italy’s Jannik Sinner (22), the latest iteration of a swelling and textured rivalry that now stands at 4–4. But the fiercest battle to play out last week in Indian Wells, Calif., did so in boardrooms and conference rooms.

Andrea Gaudenzi, chairman of the ATP, announced that he had officially secured a $1 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia to bankroll a streamlined tennis ecosystem. The hitch: a 1000-level event would be added to the calendar, to be staged in The Kingdom.

And on the other side of the net … a proposal for a Premier Tour—put forth by the four majors, presenting an uncharacteristically united front—outlining a new professional tennis model offering:

• The four majors.
• Ten other events: 96-player draws; men and women; equal prize money; all held outdoors.
• A team event.
• Year-end finals for both men and women held at the same site.
• Guaranteed off weeks before and after majors and a minimum two-month offseason.
• A PGA-style tour, open to the top 100 or so players; with a developmental tour open to players ranked roughly 101–300.

The BNP Paribas Open served as the backdrop for talks of a new tennis ecosystem.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea/USA TODAY Sports

For a sport that, historically, has done change the way the royal family does transparency, this was a jarring disruption in the truest sense. For starters, it would mean the end of the WTA and ATP tours as they have existed for decades; and the death or demotion of more than 100 tournaments that currently dot the calendar, from Dallas to Doha.

Credit/blame for the Premier Tour generally goes to Australian Open chieftain Craig Tiley, who was moved to act dramatically, threatened as he was by a Saudi event in January that would squelch Aussie Open run-up momentum. Likely because Tiley, a born deal-maker, can polarize within the sport, it is now Lew Sherr, the USTA’s chief executive officer and executive director, who has become the front-facing figure for the Premier Tour.

Sherr spoke with Sports Illustrated this week about the Premier Tour, what it is and isn’t and what problems it addresses.

The following has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

Jon Wertheim: Let’s start broad and then get to specific questions. What are you presenting?

Lew Sherr: So it all starts from a proposition that tennis is an attractive sport, but that it underperforms commercially, which is creating challenges to support athletes and for the sustainability of tournaments. I don't think that's news to anybody in the industry.

We'll go back to 2021. The [seven tennis stakeholders] commissioned Boston Consulting Group to understand what the issues were in the sport and what the opportunities might be. And all of that research—which included 5,000 tennis fans around the world surveyed—pointed to the fact that tennis, while broadly popular, had 70% of tennis fans only engaging with the sport through the four majors.

So you're the fourth most popular sport in the world, but 70% of those fans are only watching the four events during the year. And the feedback also indicated that events during the season lack consequence. Fans have a hard time following the narrative. We dilute our own product. We compete with our own product. You might have six events in a given week. Fans struggle to know where they should be watching. Why is Sinner playing in Rotterdam and Alcaraz is somewhere in South America? The solution that came back from all of that fan research? The best way to present the sport to fans was in a format where the best players are playing in a prescribed sort of elite season. At the same time, you're accounting for player health, rest, peaks in performance.

JW: That takes care of fans and players. What about tournaments?

LS: From a tournament perspective, there are just too many tournaments that are not viable. And because they're diluted, they're competing with one another. So we try to address the structural impediments in the system and bring forward a more expansive, a more holistic solution that would tackle all of that. … Ten tournaments [out of roughly 140] drive 80% of all of the economics. Four of them are the Grand Slams plus six others. So it's unbelievably concentrated. I don't think I'm telling you anything that you haven't reported, that you didn't know. So what we set out to do, the slams together, unified to say, if we can lean in and try to address the structural issues that the sport is facing, maybe there's a new opportunity.

JW: If tennis’s value today is X, what are you anticipating the valuation to be if all goes to plan?

LS: We estimate—and the consultants—that number is roughly a billion dollars in annual economic lift. Now that doesn't happen overnight. You've got to build to that and there are contracts and cycles. But it is substantial. We're talking about a successful sport that still has huge, huge economic potential.

JW: The biggest objections to me would seem to be, 1) the other guys have a bag with a billion dollars in it. You have consultants’ projections. 2) Everyone thinks the sport is under-monetized. Everyone thinks it’s confusing and the calendar is too crowded. But there are dozens and dozens of 500- and 250-level events that don’t seem to fit in.

LS: Our view is that billion is redistributed below to make sure players are earning sustainable for success. It’s a reimagination. We’ve gotta separate ourselves from what exists today. The analogy with what the ATP sort of developed with the Saudis, I guess is a bit of an apples and oranges. These are not, these are not mutually exclusive opportunities.

JW: What are you telling that guy that’s dumped a lot of money into his 500-level event?

LS: We are prioritizing creating sort of sustainability at the lower levels of our sport, we think there is an enormous amount of growth. Part of our proposition: there is revenue that has to be redistributed to other events. And we think there is an opportunity to create a much more viable proposition. There are 10 events that are driving 80% of the revenue in our sport. That’s not sustainable. We need to get to a sustainable model.

JW: I’m hearing four majors and 10 events that will be 96 draws; men and women; all outdoors; and the 10th is likely a grass event pre-Wimbledon. Accurate?

LS: Yeah, our vision for the calendar reflects four Grand Slams. We think 10 is the appropriate number of Premier Tour events. I can’t overstate the importance of all combined, all equal prize day one for the sport operating entity combined. And truly creating a gender-neutral sport is absolutely paramount for us and a critical sort of piece of this thing. We also think there is an opportunity for an international team event that would fit within this calendar; and then a year-end combined event.

JW: I’ve heard two weeks of protection pre and post the four majors.

LS: There’s absolutely one week. The other piece: we’re prescribing specific play-down weeks. So we know that competition matters. And if you’re a lower-ranked player, you may not be getting enough match play. If you lose early in a model like this, there may not be enough matches for you to be at your peak performance, so we’ve identified a series of weeks over the course of the year where you could drop down to get more match play, drop into what we think would be sort of the highest level of contender tour events.

JW: Your [model] is avoiding the sportswashing issue in a way that your competing offer is not. Would you take money from Saudi Arabia if they decided to reallocate with you?

LS: What I will tell you is we’ve had a conversation with an external stakeholder about investment in this. We want to get this format right. We don’t doubt that there will be a number of people lining up to potentially want to invest in this. We’re not sure that we need external investment. We might be able to do this with some sanctioned sales. So it may not require equity. But what we also know is it’s an incredibly attractive sport. And you’re seeing increased investment in sport. And we’re good.

We want to focus on delivering the product in the right way to create something that's sustainable. That's right for fans, that’s consistent with what we set out to do at the outset. I won't exclude or include anything at this stage. But right now we, we've not been pursuing external investment.

JW: What do you see as the biggest challenge to this getting done?

LS: This is a massive reimagination of the way the sport is presented and change is hard. And we want to get it right and we’re taking our time and we’re working with stakeholders to make sure that we’re thinking through all of these questions that you’re asking and others are asking, because that stuff is important. Ultimately it’s going to require change from within and that’s really hard, right?

JW: The tours, as we know them, have outstanding media rights contracts. They have venue contracts. They have vendors. They have pension plans. They’ve got liability policies. What happens if there is no ATP and WTA as we know it? And can you do it all by Jan. 1, 2026?

LS: I think putting a date on this is really hard. If that needs to happen [Jan. 1, 2026] would be achievable. My guess is you will see a transition period, but we’re up to conversations we’ve had with, with players, the conversations we’ve had with tournament owners.

Look, everybody gets it, right? I think you probably would agree. This is a better presentation of the sport. However, the how you get there is where the complexity lies, right? And, and how long does that take? And what has to happen to get there and making sure that we don't compromise to the point that you lose the integrity of the vision in order to get there.

So it’s a process and, and we are committed. We’re working as quickly as we can work, but we’re not willing to sacrifice getting it right. We’re not trying to take some shortcuts or band-aids to get to something that ultimately is not going to serve us well in the long term. 

Clemson has long been content to sit just outside the ring and watch Florida State very publicly and very loudly fight the same fight it was also ready to wage. It doesn’t mean the schools had dissimilar goals, but it does mean they had dissimilar tacts.

You couldn’t watch a Clemson board of trustees meeting on YouTube like you could FSU’s to see Seminoles administrators both inside and outside of athletics talk openly about the need to leave the ACC over a year ago. But after watching and waiting, the Tigers have finally joined the Noles in suing the ACC on a parallel legal track. It turns the heat up on a league that was already in hot water.

Clemson filed a lawsuit against the ACC on Tuesday over exit fees and media rights.

Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports

The main points of Clemson’s legal argument are: the penalty fee the ACC would impose upon it if it left the league (potentially $500 million or more) is unenforceable and Clemson could leave the league and still control the media rights for its games. The fact they signed a document granting the ACC control of those rights through at least 2027 is where the term “Grant of Rights” comes from. ESPN has the option to extend its television deal and the grant of rights through ’36 but must do so by February ’25. It’s unclear if the grant of rights extends through ’36 no matter what happens to the TV deal. In a statement, Clemson maintains that it has not left the conference at the current moment, but said it has “no choice but to move forward with this lawsuit.”

The ACC, obviously, is committed to holding them to the agreement:

pic.twitter.com/2czOHMIsrX

— The ACC (@theACC) March 19, 2024

And why shouldn’t the ACC stand its ground? It behooves the league to drag this whole thing to hell and back through the legal system both with Clemson and Florida State.

Beyond the legal theatrics, there’s a leverage angle at play here. Clemson and FSU were joined by Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia and Virginia Tech in looking at the grant of rights last spring. It stands to reason that five of those schools that have yet to sue the league could file their own legal actions in the near future. It ratchets up how precarious one of college sports’ two middle-class leagues feels. The end goal from the schools’ side likely looks like a forced settlement where the ACC gives the schools a number to leave, and the schools can then find a way to meet it through bonds or private equity or a Girl Scout bake sale. But right now, the schools can only estimate the worst case, which FSU’s lawsuit does. Noles brass came up with the number $572 million unless they won in court to get it whittled down.

But if the league gives the schools a number, they’d probably bounce tomorrow. The ACC can try to just jam this up in court for as long as possible at which case who knows what form college sports will even take. That scenario, however, is one that does not sit terribly well with the Noles or Tigers, but the agreement is one both schools voluntarily signed years ago. These lawsuits are the legal equivalent of saying the deal we signed was fine then but stinks now and we want out. And if Florida State has made any headway in its angling to leave the league, then it would benefit Clemson not to stay on the sideline anymore. Now the question is if any other ACC schools are going to start to get antsy.

PGA Tour: Valspar Championship

Site: Palm Harbor, Florida.

Course: Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead). Yardage: 7,340. Par: 71.

Prize money: $8.4 million. Winner’s share: $1.512 million.

Field: 156 players

Television: Watch on FuboTV
Thursday-Friday, 2-6 p.m. (Golf Channel); Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m. (Golf Channel), 3-6 p.m. (NBC).

Brian Harman comes to the Valspar Championship off a T2 finish at the Players. 

David Cannon/Getty Images

Defending champion: Taylor Moore.

FedEx Cup leader: Scottie Scheffler.

Last week: Scottie Scheffler won The Players Championship.

Notes: The tournament follows Bay Hill with a $20 million purse and the Players Championship with a $25 million purse. It still attracted a reasonably good field, with five players from the top 20 in the world. ... British Open champion Brian Harman is the only player from the top 10 in the world. Patrick Cantlay was planning to play until he withdrew from the tournament on Monday. ... Jordan Spieth is playing. He won the tournament in 2015. Spieth and Justin Thomas, also in the field, are coming off a missed cut at The Players Championship. ... There are two weeks remaining for players to get into the top 50 if they are not already in the Masters. Among those on the bubble are Tom Hoge and Christiaan Bezuidenhout ... The Copperhead course at Innisbrook is regarded as one of the best tournament courses in Florida. ... European Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald received a sponsor exemption. He won in 2012.

GCSAA Fact Sheet: Click here.

Next week: Texas Children’s Houston Open.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/

LPGA Tour: Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship

Site: Palos Verdes Estates, California.

Course: Palos Verdes GC. Yardage: 6,447. Par: 71.

Prize money: $2 million. Winner’s share: $300,000.

Television: Watch Golf Channel on FuboTV
Thursday-Friday, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday, 7-9 p.m.; Sunday, 3-6 p.m.

Defending champion: Ruoning Yin.

Race to CME Globe leader: Lydia Ko.

Last tournament: Bailey Tardy won the Blue Bay LPGA.

Notes: The LPGA Tour begins a three-week stretch in California, Arizona and Nevada that will lead to its first major championship of the year. Seri Pak is the tournament host for the first time. Pak is one of the most influential players in LPGA history, a pioneer for South Korean players to follow her path. ... Ruoning Yin of China won last year and then went on to win her first major at the KPGA Women’s PGA Championship. ... Nelly Korda is playing for the first time since willing in Florida. She skipped the three-week Asian swing. ... Rose Zhang has taken off for her studies at Stanford. She is playing for the first time since a tie for seventh in the season opener in January. ... Lilia Vu, the No. 1 player in the women’s world ranking, had to withdraw from the last two Asia events because of illness. She is in the field. ... Among those getting a sponsor exemption is Jiyai Shin of South Korea, a former world No. 1.

GCSAA Fact Sheet: Click here.

Next week: Ford Championship.

Online: https://www.lpga.com/

DP World Tour: Porsche Singapore Classic

Site: Singapore.

Course: Laguna National Golf Resort. Yardage: 7,420. Par: 72.

Prize money: $2.5 million. Winner’s share: $416,667.

Television: Watch Golf Channel on FuboTV
Thursday-Friday, 1-6 a.m.; Saturday, 12-3 a.m.; 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.

Defending champion: Ockie Strydom.

Race to Dubai leader: Rory McIlroy.

Last tournament: Matteo Manassero won the Jonsson Workwear Open.

Notes: The European tour now starts a five-tournament swing through Asia, going to Singapore, India, South Korea, Japan and China through the first week of May. ... Shane Lowry and Torrey Pines winner Matthieu Pavon give the field two players from the top 50 in the world. ... Paul Casey is playing. He has a relationship with Porsche. Casey now plays with LIV Golf and lost in a playoff in Hong Kong at the last LIV event. ... There is a separate bonus pool for the Asian swing, with $200,000 going to the winner and a spot in the big events toward the end of the season. ... Matteo Manassero is playing for the first time since he won in South Africa. ... Yannick Paul of Germany is competing for one of two Olympic spots, with Matti Schmid making ground on him at The Players Championship. ... Porsche previously sponsored the European Open in Germany.

Next week: Hero Indian Open.

Online: https://www.europeantour.com/dpworld-tour/

PGA Tour Champions: Hoag Classic

Site: Newport Beach, California.

Course: Newport Beach CC. Yardage: 6,821. Par: 71.

Prize money: $2 million. Winner’s share: $300,000.

Television: Watch Golf Channel on FuboTV
Friday, 10 p.m. to midnight (tape delay); Saturday, 4-7 p.m.; Sunday, 6-8 p.m.

Defending champion: Ernie Els.

Charles Schwab Cup leader: Steven Alker.

Last tournament: Joe Durant won the Cologuard Classic.

Notes: The PGA Tour Champions is in California for the next two weeks, leading up to the Masters. ... Ernie Els has won the tournament twice in the last three years. ... The field has five former Masters champions in Mike Weir, Vijay Singh, Mark O’Meara, Jose Maria Olazabal and Fred Couples. O’Meara no longer plays the Masters. ... Steve Stricker is in the field after missing the cut at The Players Championship last week. His daughter, Izzi, will be caddying for him the next two weeks. Stricker and his daughter played in the PNC Championship last December. She will be playing for Wisconsin next year. ... Bernhard Langer is recovering from a torn Achilles tendon while playing pickleball. Langer says he hopes to be back in May. ... Angel Cabrera is an alternate, though unlikely to get in. ... The sponsor exemptions went to Tim O’Neal and Mario Tiziani. ... The tournament dates to 1995.

GCSAA Fact Sheet: Click here.

Next week: The Galleri Classic.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/pgatour-champions

LIV Golf League

Last tournament: Abraham Ancer won LIV Golf Hong Kong.

Next tournament: LIV Golf Miami on April 5-7.

Points leader: Joaquin Niemann.

Online: https://www.livgolf.com/

Korn Ferry Tour

Last tournament: Taylor Dickson won the Astara Chile Classic.

Next tournament: Club Car Championship on April 4-7.

Points leader: Mason Anderson.

Online: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/

Other Tours

Epson Tour: Atlantic Beach Classic, Atlantic Beach CC, Atlantic Beach, Florida. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.epsontour.com/

Challenge Tour: Kolkata Challenge, Royal Calcutta GC, West Bengal, India. Defending champion: New tournament. Online: https://www.europeantour.com/challenge-tour/

PGA Tour Americas: Bupa Championship, PGA Riviera Maya, Tulum, Mexico. Defending champion: Chandler Blanchet. New tournament. Online: https://www.pgatour.com/americas

Sunshine Tour: Stella Artois Players Championship, Dainfern CC, Johannesburg, South Africa. Defending champion: Kyle Barker. Online: https://sunshinetour.com/

Japan LPGA: AXA Ladies Golf Tournament, UMK CC, Miyazaki, Japan. Defending champion: Hinako Yamauchi. Online: https://www.lpga.or.jp/en/

Florida center Micah Handlogten underwent surgery to repair his fractured left leg on Sunday after he suffered the injury in the first few minutes of the team’s SEC championship game against Auburn.

Despite needing recovery time after the two-hour procedure, Handlogten fully intends on traveling to Indianapolis for Florida’s first round NCAA tournament game against the winner of the First Four matchup between Colorado and Boise St. on Friday.

The sophomore’s surgery took place in Nashville, where the SEC tournament was held, so he and his parents will drive four hours to Indianapolis to watch his teammates compete in the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years.

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

On Sunday, it seemed rather unlikely for Handlogten to attend Friday’s game as he was stretchered off the court in a horrifying scene. But, just one day after the gruesome injury, Handlogten was already done dwelling on the situation.

“This is not a setback. This is an opportunity,” Handlogten said, via Florida’s team page.

Handlogten’s recovery is expected to take around eight to 10 months.

Before exiting Sunday’s game, Handlogten averaged 5.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in 33 games this season.

Caitlin Clark took her stardom to another level this season, breaking several NCAA records to cement her place in history. 

Just this year, the Iowa star became the NCAA Division I women’s basketball career scoring leader, then broke the all-time scoring record in major women’s college basketball history, and finally passed Pete Maravich for leading scorer in major college basketball history.

Therefore, Clark is no stranger to breaking records as she enters her final NCAA tournament this year. Before she plays her first game on Saturday, here are eight women’s records that Clark could break in the next few weeks:

Most Points in an NCAA Tournament Game

Drake’s Lauri Bauman holds the women’s record for most points scored in an NCAA game with 50 in 1982. Clark’s tournament high is 41, which she did twice last tournament, but in order to break this record she will have to do something she’s never done, which is score 50 points in one game and surpass her career high of 49.

Caitlin Clark could break up to eight NCAA Tournament records this year.

Lily Smith/The Register/USA Today network

Most Threes in an NCAA Tournament Game

Clark made eight three-pointers twice in last year’s tournament, which is one behind UConn’s Kia Nurse and South Dakota State’s Courtney Moses for most all-time. In her career, Clark has made nine threes in a single game three times, including twice this year, but has never made 10.

Most Points in an NCAA Tournament

This is the first record that Clark holds herself, scoring 191 points in six games last year to pass Texas Tech’s Sheryl Swoopes for most in NCAA tournament history. In order to break this record, Clark will somehow have to top her incredible performance last season.

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

Most Threes in an NCAA Tournament

Clark holds this record as well, making 32 threes over her six games in last year’s NCAA tournament, eight more than Virginia Tech’s Georgia Amoore. This year, Clark averaged a career-high 5.2 threes made per game, and she’s going to have to slightly up her pace to have a chance to break this record.

Most Attempted Threes in an NCAA Tournament

This final record Clark holds on this list is attempted three-pointers in one tournament, with 75 last year. Clark averaged 13.8 three-point attempts per game this year, which would be well on target to break the record if Iowa plays in six games.

Most Field Goals Made in an NCAA Tournament

Clark came close to breaking this record last season, making 61 field goals to find herself second all-time on this list. Tennessee’s Chamique Holdsclaw is still the record-holder, having scored 64 field goals in six games during the 1998 tournament.

Most Career Points in NCAA Tournament Games

Holdsclaw also holds this record, having scored 479 points in 22 games between 1996 and ’99. Clark is currently 167 points behind Holdsclaw on this list, which means she would need to average 27.8 points over six games to break the record. Of course, if Iowa is knocked out of the tournament early, Clark needs to average more than that.

Most Career Threes in NCAA Tournament Games

Finally, this is a record that Clark will likely break by the time the first weekend is over. UConn’s Dianna Taurasi is the current record-holder, making 61 threes in 23 games, but Clark is just 11 behind at 50 and in prime position to top Taurasi early in the tournament this year.

The New York Jets are adding another key weapon for Aaron Rodgers to throw to in 2024.

The Jets and veteran wide receiver Mike Williams have agreed to terms on a one-year contract, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The contract with New York will be worth up to $15 million. 

Williams, 29, visited the Jets on Tuesday and reportedly was set to meet with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Carolina Panthers before making a decision on his future, but it seems he was convinced during his trip to the Jets facility, agreeing to a one-year deal.

Williams is entering his eighth NFL season, having played the first seven years of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers. The former first-round pick registered 31 touchdowns receptions in 88 games with the franchise before parting ways this offseason.

Mike Williams recorded 309 catches for 4,806 yards in seven seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

An ACL injury suffered in September cost Williams all but three games in 2023, though he still managed 19 catches, 249 yards and a touchdown before getting sidelined. In ’22, he recorded 63 receptions for 895 yards and four touchdowns. 

Now, he’ll line up for the Jets alongside star wide receiver Garrett Wilson, providing New York with a formidable one-two punch at the position.

The 2024 Paris Olympics will be doing away with one of the rule changes introduced during the previous Summer Games in Tokyo back in ’21.

The Tokyo Games introduced an intimacy ban in light of the breakout of the COVID-19 virus, preventing athletes from getting into close contact, including hugs and handshakes, and were even asked to avoid singing and chanting.

Those guidelines will not be in place during the event in Paris, and the Olympic village will be supplied with a staggering 300,000 condoms for the Games, according to Sky News. Roughly 14,250 people are anticipated to reside in the village, including 9,000 athletes.

The Paris Olympics will run from July 26 through Aug. 11, 2024. 

In Tokyo, athletes were asked to wear masks and undergo periodic health checks. Despite the intimacy rules that were in place in 2021, 150,000 condoms were distributed at the Tokyo Olympics. Those rules will be pushed to the wayside in ’24 following last year’s declaration of the end of the global COVID-19 health emergency by the World Health Organization. 

This year, the Olympic village will be housed in the French capital, located roughly four miles north of the city center. Included in the village will be a sports bar or “Village Club,” though it will not serve alcohol. 

You’ve seen the NCAA men’s tournament seedings. Now, check out where each of the 68 teams in the Big Dance should really stack up with each other. The Sports Illustrated 1–68 rankings are back:

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

1. UConn Huskies

NCAA seed: No. 1.

There is only one thing easy about doing this list, and it’s putting the Huskies at the top. The defending national champions are rolling again. They’re a dazzling passing team that gets good shots and makes them, and on the rare instances when they don’t shoot well, they can win with defense and rebounding. They have NBA talent across the starting lineup, a star guard in Tristen Newton, a dominant big man in 7’2” Donovan Clingan, quality depth and a coach at the top of his game in Dan Hurley. “They’re a machine,” St. John’s Red Storm coach Rick Pitino said last week, and he’s not wrong. But sending the overall No. 1 seed through an East Region that includes the winners of the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC tournaments is hardly an easy path.

Clingan’s Huskies are the top team in this year’s NCAA men’s tournament.

David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports

2. Houston Cougars

NCAA seed: No. 1.

There had been absolutely no doubts about the Cougars until they were run out of the Big 12 championship game by the Iowa State Cyclones, 69–41. That rekindled old fears about whether Houston has enough ways to put the ball in the basket. Still, the body of work suggests this simply was a very bad day against a very good opponent—because Houston has been sensational all season. Combining the nation’s No. 2 defense with an elite guard tandem of Jamal Shead (13.1 points, 6.2 assists, 2.3 steals per game) and L.J. Cryer (a team-high 15.3 ppg) is a nice formula for March.

Related: South Region Breakdown: Top Two Seeds Houston and Marquette Have Strong Cases

3. Purdue Boilermakers

NCAA seed: No. 1.

No team carries more emotional luggage into this tournament than the Boilers, who joined the Virginia Cavaliers in the Club of Infamy last year by losing to a No. 16 seed. Purdue’s litany of March mishaps is well known, but this team seemingly has the makings of one that could break through for the school’s first men’s Final Four since 1980—and possibly its first NCAA men’s tournament title ever. Purdue has the best player—and the one most capable of dictating how a game is played—in 7’4” Zach Edey. Perimeter defense will be vital, as will the overall stability of guards Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer. When they’re good, they’re very good. And when they’re not, Purdue is in trouble.

Related: Midwest Region Breakdown: Can Purdue Finally Break Through?

4. North Carolina Tar Heels

NCAA seed: No. 1.

I’m not reading too much into the Heels’ ACC tournament final loss to the adrenaline-fueled North Carolina State Wolfpack. Carolina had a consistently strong season that was marked by a notable improvement defensively over recent years. (Ken Pomeroy ranks the Heels sixth nationally in defensive efficiency, their highest ranking in that metric since 2011.) Guard RJ Davis has blossomed into a star, Stanford Cardinal transfer Harrison Ingram has injected some toughness and center Armando Bacot is a fifth-year veteran who knows how to win physical battles in the paint. Three-point shooter Cormac Ryan can be streaky; Heels need him hitting if they’re going to make a deep run.

Related: West Region Breakdown: North Carolina Earns Last No. 1 Seed But Has Hard Path

5. Iowa State Cyclones

NCAA seed: No. 2.

The team that showed up in Kansas City looked capable of winning a national championship. The Clones stormed through three opponents with an average winning margin of 20.3 points, trailing for a total of 5:47 out of 120 minutes. Guard Keshon Gilbert played some of his best ball since transferring from the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels in the offseason, averaging 16 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3.7 steals to win the tourney Most Outstanding Player award. Iowa State thrives on defensive disruption, forcing opponent turnovers on more than 25% of their possessions. This is T.J. Otzelberger’s best offensive team in three seasons at the school, but the Cyclones are still more at home in a rock fight than a free-flowing game.

Related: March Madness 2024: Complete Schedule, Bracket, How to Watch, Game Times, Odds for Men's NCAA Tournament

6. Marquette Golden Eagles

NCAA seed: No. 2.

Arguably the most important injury status of the tournament is that of point guard Tyler Kolek, who hasn’t played yet this month due to an oblique injury. He’s the Marquette engine, the distributor who makes the offense go and a key disruptor in Shaka Smart’s “Havoc” defense. The Eagles have other standouts, most notably big man Oso Ighodaro and guard Kam Jones (forward David Joplin had a nice Big East tourney). Smart has some proving to do in this tourney; after taking the VCU Rams to a Cinderella Final Four in 2011, he hasn’t made it past the first weekend in nine tries at three different schools.

Related: Five Teams to Avoid in Men’s March Madness Bracket

7. Auburn Tigers

NCAA seed: No. 4.

The Tigers have all the parts, including a coach who has gotten it done in this tournament before. They have a star big man in Johni Broome (16.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.3 blocks per game) and abundant perimeter firepower (seven players have made 26 or more three-pointers). Auburn’s athletic defense is even better than its offense, leading the nation in effective field goal percentage allowed. And this is a scary momentum team, capable of getting on rolls that bury opponents. But its path to the SEC tourney title didn’t go through the Tennessee Volunteers, Kentucky Wildcats or Alabama Crimson Tide, against whom Auburn is a combined 1–3. Can the Tigers beat the best teams in front of them … including UConn in a potential Sweet 16 showdown?

Related: East Region Breakdown: Auburn Could Stand in UConn’s Way

8. Tennessee Volunteers

NCAA seed: No. 2.

The Vols are second only to Purdue in terms of urgency to exorcize March demons. The program has never been to a Final Four, and in recent years has found particularly painful ways to be eliminated. They’ve been roadkill during improbable tourney runs by the lower-seeded Florida Atlantic Owls (last year), Oregon State Beavers (2021) and Loyola Chicago Ramblers (’18). Rick Barnes, whose one and only Final Four came in ’03 with the Texas Longhorns, upgraded his offensive firepower with the arrival of Dalton Knecht, who merely went from the Northern Colorado Bears to SEC Player of the Year. Everything was proceeding splendidly until season’s end, when the Vols lost at home to Kentucky and then were shredded in their first SEC tourney game by the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Suddenly this team is coming into Bracketville with warning lights flashing.

9. Baylor Bears

NCAA seed: No. 3.

After winning it all with a dominant team in 2021, the Bears have gone out early the last two years. They were a second-round knockout as a No. 1 seed in ’22 (North Carolina) and a No. 3 seed last year (Creighton Bluejays). The current team has some NBA-level talent in freshmen Ja’Kobe Walter and 7-footer Yves Missi, plus plenty of additional offensive firepower. But the Bears don’t guard as well as Scott Drew’s best teams. The draw is inviting, with the Colgate Raiders overmatched athletically in the opening round, the Clemson Tigers a vulnerable No. 6 seed and the Arizona Wildcats the same in the Sweet 16. It’s not hard to foresee a Baylor–North Carolina regional final rematch of the ’22 second-round game, with the Heels this time as the No. 1 seed.

10. Arizona Wildcats

NCAA seed: No. 2.

This is a team with all the parts for a Final Four run—size, shooters and defensive ability. It’s also a team capable of absolute clunkers (lost to Oregon State and the USC Trojans, swept by the Washington State Cougars). This could be described as life on the Caleb Love continuum. The boom-or-bust former North Carolina guard was the Pac-12 Player of the Year but also has made just 7 of 34 shots from the field and 1 of 4 free throws in the last three games—two of them upset losses. Tommy Lloyd is 86–19 at Arizona, but only 2–2 in the NCAA tourney. He’s got some proving to do this week.

Love could determine Arizona’s chances in the Big Dance.

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

11. Illinois Fighting Illini

NCAA seed: No. 3.

They have a leading man who took the Illini to the Big Ten tournament title and could, theoretically, take them a long way in this tourney as well. Guard Terrence Shannon Jr. averaged 34 points in three wins in Minneapolis, shooting a whopping 44 free throws and making 38 of them. Southern Illinois Salukis transfer Marcus Domask is a capable second offensive option, and 6’10” Coleman Hawkins has an interesting mix of skills. This is an old team that is trying to take coach Brad Underwood where he’s never been before—the second weekend of the NCAA tournament. Underwood’s record in this event is an underwhelming 4–7.

Related: March Madness Brackets: Expert Predictions for the 2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament

12. Creighton Bluejays

NCAA seed: No. 3.

The nucleus of this team was within two seconds of the Final Four last year before the San Diego State Aztecs snatched it away. The hunch here is that they will play with supreme motivation and focus to take that next step this time around, in a region that should offer the opportunity. Having blasted both UConn and Marquette during the season, Creighton is capable of great things. The Jays have three players who can be leading scoring options in Baylor Scheierman (18.4 points per game), Trey Alexander (17.6) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (17.1). The 7-foot Kalkbrenner also provides a long defensive presence in the paint—and could provide legitimate opposition to Edey if they meet up in a regional final. Creighton lost early in the Big East tournament, but the rest could benefit a team with limited depth.

13. Duke Blue Devils

NCAA seed: No. 4.

What to do with the Dukies? There is NBA talent, and there also is inconsistency. There is size and shooting ability but also periods of defensive lassitude. There were stretches when the Devils played quality basketball for weeks at a time, and yet this is a team on a two-game losing streak, having been beaten at home by North Carolina and upset by NC State in the ACC tourney. It’s a big week for Jon Scheyer, who didn’t get out of the first weekend last year with a No. 3 seed. Comparisons to Mike Krzyzewski are flatly unfair, but this is Duke. Expectations are going to be high.

14. Saint Mary’s Gaels

NCAA seed: No. 5.

It’s been a long time since the Gaels made it to the Sweet 16—14 years, in fact—but this team is capable. Staying true to his style in a faster and more offense-focused era, Randy Bennett will slow the pace and grind with the best of them. Saint Mary’s is great on the glass, ranking third nationally in offensive rebound rate and second on the defensive backboard. The Gaels elevated their play when Augustus Marciulionis took on more of the table-setting role, freeing Aidan Mahaney to play off the ball more. Wing Alex Ducas has been a potent perimeter threat in recent weeks and Harvard Crimson transfer Mason Forbes has come on during February and March as well.

15. Gonzaga Bulldogs

NCAA seed: No. 5.

With their lowest seed since 2016, the Zags’ streak of eight straight Sweet 16s will be challenged—but don’t count them out. In fact, being a No. 5 seed is probably higher than their résumé deserved, but Gonzaga flashed its potential during a nine-game winning streak in February and March. Point guard Ryan Nembhard has elevated his play, as has backcourt mate Nolan Hickman. Anton Watson is playing with the urgency of a fifth-year senior, and role players Ben Gregg and Braden Huff have stepped up. The key will be getting center Graham Ike back on form after a poor West Coast Conference tournament performance. He’s this year’s low-post Drew Timme, complete with a headband and facial hair but less showmanship.

Nembhard has elevated his play for the Bulldogs heading into March Madness.

Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports

16. Kentucky Wildcats

NCAA seed: No. 3.

O.K., this is where it gets really interesting. The Cats are a hot mess—offensively dazzling and defensively dysfunctional, often at the same time. They could absolutely shoot themselves into the Final Four or give up 90 to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies and lose in the first round. All other outcomes in between are possible. The guard trio of Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham and Antonio Reeves is elite offensively, having combined to make 215 threes. The three 7-footers are completely random contributors, capable of dazzling lob dunks and blocked shots—and being spindled in pick-and-roll defensive coverage. The only way John Calipari can reverse his sliding approval rating is by doing something in March, where his postseason record (SEC and NCAA tourneys) is 2–6 over the last four years.

17. Kansas Jayhawks

NCAA seed: No. 4.

They began the season at No. 1 and end it on the brink of a crashing disappointment. Kansas is 9–9 over its last 18 games and hasn’t won more than two in a row since Dec. 22 to Jan. 6. There were late-season injuries to vital players, guard Kevin McCullar Jr. and center Hunter Dickinson, and they’re both expected back for this tournament. But after losing by 30 to Houston and 20 to the Cincinnati Bearcats in their last two games, there is more to fix than poor health—the Jayhawks were 6-for-41 from three in those two train wrecks. After strong performances for most of January and February, forward Johnny Furphy might have hit the freshman wall—he’s averaged just 6.3 points in March. Drawing the Samford Bulldogs puts Kansas on first-round upset alert.

18. San Diego State Aztecs

NCAA seed: No. 5.

Do they have another magical run in them? That seems like a lot to ask, especially of a team that ranks 307th nationally in three-point accuracy. But the tireless adherence to defense that is a staple of Brian Dutcher’s program remains, and that will make San Diego State a tough out. Post player Jaedon LeDee (21.1 points, 8.4 rebounds) is the latest in a long line of Aztecs who ascended from role player one season to standout the next. The rest of the starting lineup were all key contributors to the Final Four run. This is an experienced and tough team that needs to make enough shots to advance.

Related: Mountain West Takes Torch of Hottest Men’s Basketball Conference on West Coast

19. James Madison Dukes

NCAA seed: No. 12.

The search for the next Florida Atlantic/Loyola Chicago has settled here. You know the type: a veteran coach who puts together a team that has a great season in a mid-major conference and comes into the Big Dance unfamiliar with losing. That would be the Dukes, who are on a 13-game winning streak and opened the season with a win at the Michigan State Spartans. Dusty May was in his fifth year as a head coach when he had the good-to-great breakthrough at FAU. Porter Moser was in his 14th year when it happened at Loyola. Mark Byington is in Year 11 overall and his fourth at JMU. The Wisconsin Badgers will be a tough matchup—but that goes both ways.

Related: 10 Potential Cinderellas in 2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament

20. Wisconsin Badgers

NCAA seed: No. 5.

There have basically been three Wisconsin seasons in one: the strong 16–4 start, the 3–8 stagger through the end of the regular season and the 3–1 Big Ten tourney performance that included taking down Purdue. Can the Badgers keep that last part going? We’ll see. For the first time in Greg Gard’s nine seasons, the Badgers have stronger offensive metrics than defensive—this is a team that can fill it up. AJ Storr is a streaky shooter who averaged 22.5 points in the Big Ten tourney. Guard Chucky Hepburn and 7-footer Steven Crowl have elevated their play. But the opening opponent is dangerous, which means Wisconsin will have to regroup quickly from a fairly exhausting Big Ten run.

21. Florida Gators

NCAA seed: No. 7.

It took a while for Todd Golden’s transfer-intensive roster to mesh, but when it did the Gators improved considerably. They won 13 of their last 18 games, including victories over Kentucky, Auburn and Alabama twice. Reaching the SEC tournament final was the final indicator of Florida’s upward trajectory (although losing backup big man Micah Handlogten to a broken leg in that game was a jarring development). Florida specializes in smashing the offensive glass, with Seton Hall Pirates transfer Tyrese Samuel the leader in that department. Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Zyon Pullin are a productive perimeter trio, but sophomore guard Riley Kugel’s slide from the rotation is puzzling. (A one-time starter, he didn’t get off the bench in Florida’s last two games.)

22. Texas Tech Red Raiders

NCAA seed: No. 6.

They gathered some March momentum by winning the last three games of the regular season and then smashing the BYU Cougars in the Big 12 tourney (before being smashed, in turn, by Houston, which went on to be smashed by Iowa State). Tech is short but skilled, shooting well from three-point range (36.5%) and the oil line (77.8%). The Red Raiders have two injury situations to monitor: guard Darrion Williams and 7-footer Warren Washington. First-year coach Grant McCasland has an impressive résumé. He’s never had a losing season in eight years at three schools—Arkansas State Red Wolves, North Texas Mean Green and now Texas Tech. At North Texas, he scored a memorable upset of Purdue in the 2021 NCAAs and won last year’s NIT.

23. Alabama Crimson Tide

NCAA seed: No. 4.

There are warning lights flashing around the Crimson Tide, who have lost four of their last six games. In three of those losses, the Tide have been blown out while giving up more than 100 points—failing to defend without fouling, to grab rebounds or to force turnovers. Bama lives by a frantic pace and tons of threes, and it can die that way as well. It’s possible that Nate Oats’s team simply outshoots opponents and makes a run—but his NCAA track record at Alabama is grim. In 2021, he was upset as a No. 2 seed by the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet 16. In ’22, he was bounced in the first round as a No. 6 seed by the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and last year, he was shocked by San Diego State as the overall No. 1 seed in the Sweet 16.

Oats has not had a great track record in the NCAA tournament at Alabama.

Stephen Lew/USA TODAY Sports

24. BYU Cougars

NCAA seed: No. 6.

If you think Alabama chucks threes, get a load of the Cougars. Mark Pope’s team is the only one in the tournament that launches more than half of its shots from beyond the arc. That helps create room at the rim for drives or pick-and-roll opportunities, which explains BYU’s 58% two-point shooting. That also means the Cougars don’t get to the foul line much, having attempted 95 fewer free throws than their opponents. BYU finished the season unevenly but might benefit from getting outside the Big 12 after its first season in the league. A first-round matchup with an overseeded Duquesne presents an opportunity for a good start.

25. Nebraska Cornhuskers

NCAA seed: No. 8.

Their metamorphosis into a fun—and successful—team came as a fresh surprise this season, resulting in the program’s first bid in a decade. Their leading scorer is from Japan (three-point specialist Keisei Tominaga), their top rebounder and assist man is from the Netherlands by way of the Missouri Valley Conference (Bradley Braves transfer Rienk Mast) and sculpted power forward Josiah Allick has the most hair of anyone in the tournament. Are these Huskers good enough to win an 0–7 program’s first NCAA men’s tournament game ever? Yes. But drawing the Texas A&M Aggies in the opener is tough.

26. Texas A&M Aggies

NCAA seed: No. 9.

The Aggies certainly haven’t followed the crowd in terms of playing style. This is the worst three-point shooting team in the tournament by a wide margin, making a ghastly 28.4% from beyond the arc. But it’s also the best offensive rebounding team in the tournament, grabbing 42% of its own misses. Basically, guards Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford do the shooting and everyone else crashes the glass. It’s worked well enough to beat Iowa State, Kentucky twice, Tennessee and Florida. Buzz Williams did some nice March work at Marquette but is yet to record an NCAA victory at A&M.

27. Dayton Flyers

NCAA seed: No. 7.

It’s difficult to appraise the Flyers, who won neither the Atlantic 10 regular-season nor tourney title but have strong predictive metrics. After starting 16–2, they finished 8–5, losing a lot of close games. Dayton can shoot the lights out, making 40.2% of its threes, with an array of bombers playing through talented big man DaRon Holmes (20.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.1 blocks per game). Dayton has attempted 49 more free throws than its opponents have made, which is a useful dynamic at tournament time.

28. Drake Bulldogs

NCAA seed: No. 10.

Drake came remarkably close to altering the course of the 2023 tournament, losing an eight-point lead in the final five minutes of a first-round game against the Miami Hurricanes—a team that wound up in the Final Four. That’s one of those losses that can motivate a team for the long haul, and I expect the Missouri Valley champions to potentially disrupt the East Region bracket. They have a legit leading man in Tucker DeVries, the coach’s son; a powerful low-post presence in 275-pound Darnell Brodie; and an improved set of guards. The Valley was undervalued by the selection committee, which snubbed the Indiana State Sycamores. Drake is here to prove the league’s worth.

Related: ‘We Have an Angel’: The Emotion of Drake’s Win for the DeVries Family

29. Texas Longhorns

NCAA seed: No. 7.

The potential variance on the Longhorns’ performance is vast. They have the talent and offensive firepower to make a deep run, coming out of the Big 12 hardened by the competition. They’re also a team that hasn’t won more than two straight games since Dec. 22 to Jan. 1, and might not defend well enough to go anywhere. Undersized guard Max Abmas, the shot-making hero of the 2021 tournament while with the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, gets a last run at March Madness glory as a fifth-year senior.

30. Nevada Wolf Pack

NCAA seed: No. 10.

How Steve Alford’s team fares will help provide a referendum on the Mountain West and its record six bids. Nevada went 13–1 in nonconference play but didn’t play a lot of quality opponents (it went 1–1 against NCAA tourney teams, beating the TCU Horned Frogs but getting thumped by Drake). After a tough month of MWC play, Nevada closed strong with seven straight wins (including triumphs in Boise, Idaho, and Fort Collins, Colo.). Alford did a nice job with this team, losing a couple of key transfers but making the holdovers better.

31. Oregon Ducks

NCAA seed: No. 11.

If you let Dana Altman in the tournament, he tends to stay a while. Altman is 7–0 in first-round games while at Oregon, with one Final Four and four Sweet 16 appearances. And the Ducks peaked right on time in Las Vegas, beating UCLA, Arizona and Colorado to win the automatic bid. For those who have waited for five years for the full N’Faly Dante experience, the 6’11” center has provided it over the last five games: 100 points, 49 rebounds, 11 blocked shots and 15 steals. No. 11 seeds have done considerable damage in recent years, and let’s just say that Oregon fits the profile of a damage doer.

Dante has picked up the pace in his last five games heading into the tournament. 

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

32. South Carolina Gamecocks

NCAA seed: No. 6.

The surprise team of the SEC earned its NCAA seeding, piling up a lot of quality wins in a high-powered league. That made Lamont Paris the deserving Coach of the Year in the league. However, the Gamecocks still have something to prove after finishing 5–4 with two losses of more than 30 points to Auburn. The team that won at Tennessee and routed Kentucky in late January hasn’t been seen in a while. Drawing a hot Oregon team in the first round adds to the urgency for South Carolina to rediscover its best basketball.

33. New Mexico Lobos

NCAA seed: No. 11.

Was their stellar surge from the bubble to the Mountain West tourney title a resurfacing of great talent that indicates the run can carry over to this tournament? Or was it a desperation effort that could leave the Lobos tapped out? We’re about to find out. New Mexico is a fun team that can really cook when the ball is moving and shots are dropping. The Lobos also have occasionally short-circuited in endgame situations. A stat that could favor Richard Pitino’s team this week: the Lobos are 8–0 on neutral courts this season.

34. Mississippi State Bulldogs

NCAA seed: No. 8.

The Bulldogs have gotten much better year-over-year offensively thanks largely to the arrival of freshman guard Josh Hubbard. He’s splashed 105 threes on the season and is averaging 25.4 points over State’s last eight games. And since this is still a Chris Jans operation, the Bulldogs remain strong defensively. They played their best game of the season to rout SEC champion Tennessee in the tournament quarterfinals, and following that up with a loss to Auburn was not a step backward. State hasn’t been great in close games (3–6 when decided by six points or fewer), which is a concern come tourney time.

35. Florida Atlantic Owls

NCAA seed: No. 8.

Here’s the sobering assessment of the 2023 Final Four darling—they brought virtually everyone back from that team and aren’t as good. It might simply have been impossible to replicate. Changing conferences added a degree of difficulty. There was more attention and pressure. On the court that has manifested itself in being a much worse team defensively, giving up easier shots and more offensive rebounds and forcing fewer turnovers. They also tend to squander offensive possessions with overly quick shots. But that doesn’t mean FAU is bad, and it doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous in this tourney—its “A” game was good enough to beat Arizona in December. Don’t be shocked to see the Owls raise their level of play and at least give UConn a run for a half in the round of 32.

Related: March Madness: Eight Best Men’s NCAA Tournament Games of First Weekend

36. Northwestern Wildcats

NCAA seed: No. 9.

Chris Collins’s team has had a great season, but injuries have taken their toll and could lead to a brief and inglorious stay in Bracketville. Guard Ty Berry was lost for the season due to a knee injury in February, and 7-footer Matthew Nicholson’s availability is unknown after missing the last three games with a foot injury. (He could come in especially handy against FAU’s Vlad Goldin.) Northwestern does have a player capable of putting the team on his back in star guard Boo Buie, a tireless maker of difficult shots. He might have to make a lot of them this week in Brooklyn.

37. Boise State Broncos

NCAA seed: No. 10.

It’s wild to think that Boise State ended up in Dayton despite beating San Diego State on the road to close the regular season—clearly, the Broncos would have been out without that win. Despite sweeping the Aztecs and New Mexico in the regular season and beating Saint Mary’s, the committee did not love the Broncos. Now, Leon Rice will have to do something he’s never done in four previous tries: win an NCAA tournament game. This is the third time Boise State has been dispatched to Dayton (once to play the Flyers on their home floor, which was a crock). Maybe this one will end differently.

38. Colorado State Rams

NCAA seed: No. 10.

Another deportee to Dayton from the Mountain West. The Rams have had some excellent wins, blowing out Creighton on a neutral floor and beating the other five MWC tourney teams at least once. This is Niko Medved’s best defensive team at CSU, and it’s a sharp passing team that gets good shots inside the arc. (If the Rams have to depend on hitting threes, they’re in trouble.) Isaiah Stevens is a program treasure: a fifth-year senior point guard with 2,335 career points and 855 assists. We’ll see how well Colorado State can run its offense against the physical, pack-line defense of Virginia.

39. Samford Bulldogs

NCAA seed: No. 13.

If you love and miss the way the Rick Pitino-era Kentucky Wildcats played, check out Samford. It comes close to pulling off the same style. The Bulldogs press relentlessly, substitute liberally and push the pace offensively whenever possible. They’re deadly from three-point range, making 39.3% of their shots outside the arc. Coach Bucky McMillan was hired from the high-school ranks in the Birmingham, Ala., area in 2020 and he brought the PitinoBall style he favored there with him to the Southern Conference. In Year 4, he has a 29–5 squad that could give Kansas more than the Jayhawks want.

40. Clemson Tigers

NCAA seed: No. 6.

The Tigers’ best basketball is in the rearview mirror, which is never the position a team wants to be in come March. They’ve lost three of their last four games, all to non-tourney teams, most recently an early punchout from Boston College by 21 points in the ACC tourney. Brad Brownell has good size and a couple of star-caliber players in 6’10” PJ Hall and sharpshooting guard Joe Girard, but this isn’t a great defensive team. Since making the Sweet 16 in 2018, Clemson has been to only one tournament and did not win a game. That drought could continue, despite drawing an advantageous seed based largely on a strong 9–0 start.

41. Michigan State Spartans

NCAA seed: No. 9.

The good news: The Month of Izzo can go on as regularly scheduled, with Michigan State making a 26th consecutive tournament appearance. The bad news: It probably will be a short Month of Izzo. The Spartans have a Dayton résumé but got a gift of a No. 9 seed, despite not beating anyone of consequence outside the state of Michigan and losing five of their last seven games. That said, they do guard with customary Tom Izzo fervor and have four players capable of big scoring games, even if it’s difficult to know who is going to do it on a given night. They’re also lacking a productive big man. Despite the flaw, CBS is hoping for a North Carolina–Michigan State second-round matchup, and Hubert Davis is not.

42. Washington State Cougars

NCAA seed: No. 7.

They’re a feel-good story that feels like it’s on a short run. After beating Arizona in Tucson on Feb. 22 to reach 21–6, a school without a real conference and a star player who overcame cancer was America’s Team. Since then, the Cougars have gone 3–3, with some rough losses. Myles Rice, the aforementioned star freshman guard, hasn’t made a three-pointer in a month—he’s 0-for-22 outside the arc over the last seven games. But if Wazzu can get its verve back, it does have some attributes. There is a lot of length that creates problems defensively, and coach Kyle Smith is underrated. The hopes of the Pac-2 ride with Washington State.

Rice returned to basketball after cancer and leads the Cougars.

James Snook/USA TODAY Sports

43. TCU Horned Frogs

NCAA seed: No. 8.

The Frogs are making their third straight NCAA appearance, a first in program history and a testament to the restorative power of coach Jamie Dixon. They won games in the first round the previous two seasons and narrowly missed on major upsets in the second. We’ll see if this team is built to do more—or it could be less. TCU has treaded water in the brutal Big 12 through February and March, going 5–7 and not beating anyone who made the NCAA field in that stretch. But the Frogs also present a major athletic challenge, forcing turnovers with quickness and attacking the offensive glass.

44. Utah State Aggies

NCAA seed: No. 9.

Danny Sprinkle has done an incredible job in his first season here, importing quite literally every contributor to the Mountain West regular-season champions. The two most important players joined him from the Montana State Bobcats—big man Great Osobor (18 points, 9.2 rebounds) and guard Darius Brown II (12.4 points, 6.5 assists). Everyone else is from all over the place. In the vast muddle of good Mountain West teams, Utah State has the lowest KenPom ranking at No. 48. Opponents make a whopping 53.1% of their two-point shots, and the Aggies shoot a sketchy 32.1% from three. But they do get to the foul line a lot, and TCU likes to foul.

45. McNeese State Cowboys

NCAA seed: No. 12.

The Great College Basketball Scandal That Wasn’t turned into an exercise in NCAA incompetence, with its Independent Accountability Review Process granting double-secret probation to just about everyone not named Oklahoma State. That made former LSU Tigers outlaw Will Wade hireable at this backwater program in the Southland Conference, where he promptly remade the roster and tore up the league. The Cowboys blasted through everyone and arrive with a 30–3 record, presenting a potential problem to Gonzaga. Guard Shahada Wells is making the most of his third school in four years; he averaged 27 points and 5.5 assists in the Southland tourney. Nobody ever said Wade wasn’t a strong-ass coach.

46. Colorado Buffaloes

NCAA seed: No. 10.

The Buffs are interesting. They have a potential one-and-done NBA draft lottery pick who has played just 21 games and averaged just 6.3 points in the Pac-12 tourney. They have a center who is probably the second-widest body in the Big Dance. They have a senior forward from Germany. But most of all, they have a junior point guard who does everything—KJ Simpson averages 19.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.6 steals. He drives Tad Boyle’s bus very much the way McKinley Wright did when Colorado made the second round in 2021. Colorado won eight of its last nine games to go from disappointment to dancing in Dayton; we’ll see if there is more forward momentum to come.

47. North Carolina State Wolfpack

NCAA seed: No. 11.

The only other team to win five games in five days to capture a conference tournament and make the NCAAs wound up winning the whole damn thing—that was UConn in 2011. Given where NC State is on this list, I don’t see it happening a second time. There is no Kemba Walker here. But there are a couple of rockin’ DJs—Burns and Horne, the two leading Wolfpack scorers who combine for 29.3 points per game. Horne is a streak-shooting guard who dropped 29 on North Carolina in the ACC title game; Burns is the roundest mound in the Big Dance, coming off a 20-point, seven-assist game against the Tar Heels. But the guy NC State owes its tourney existence to is guard Michael O’Connell, whose banked in three at the buzzer against Virginia forced overtime in the ACC semifinals and kept the dream alive. The Wolfpack only have until Thursday night to get their legs back before playing Texas Tech.

48. Virginia Cavaliers

NCAA seed: No. 10.

The selection committee could have given us Indiana State and Cream Abdul-Jabbar. It could have given us any of three teams from the Big East. It could have given us a Pittsburgh team that walloped Virginia in Charlottesville. Instead it chose the Cavaliers, who come to Dayton with the lowest NCAA NET ranking of any at-large team, and the lowest KenPom ranking by 20 spots of any at-large selection. Virginia is 4–5 over its last nine games and brings the country’s No. 194 offense and slowest tempo into the tourney. Fun times.

49. Charleston Cougars

NCAA seed: No. 13.

Last year, Charleston was in a tie game with San Diego State with less than three minutes remaining, then frittered away several closing opportunities. The Aztecs went on to the national title game, and the Cougars went home to ponder what might have been. They’re back with another team on a long winning streak (12 games) and a potentially favorable draw against fading Alabama. This is a typical Pat Kelsey production—transfers from all levels, a deep bench, an up-tempo offensive attack, a lot of threes. This team is not as good defensively as last season’s, but Charleston does have three key players who gained valuable experience from last year’s tourney heartache.

50. Vermont Catamounts

NCAA seed: No. 13.

Vermont makes the tourney with admirable regularity—this is its third straight bid and 10th this century. Vermont also loses with admirable regularity upon arrival—the one shining moment was T.J. Sorrentine’s bomb to bury Syracuse in 2005. This version of Vermont isn’t great offensively, and with nobody taller than 6’8” in the rotation, it will struggle with Duke 7-footer Kyle Filipowski. But as is often the case with quality mid-major teams, the Catamounts’ strongest asset might be that they’ve forgotten how to lose. They’ve won 19 of their last 20.

51. UAB Blazers

NCAA seed: No. 12.

There is no team NCAA president Charlie Baker is happier to see in the bracket than the Blazers, who eliminated the Temple Owls on Sunday in the American Athletic Conference final to save the association from a rather awkward storyline. UAB is a wild ride—the second-worst defensive team in the field, according to KenPom, but vigorous attackers on offense who crash the glass and get to the foul line. In addition to having one of the best names in the tourney, Yaxel Lendeborg is among the best rebounders at 10.7 per game. UAB scores by committee and plays a bunch of guys, which makes for a difficult scouting report to prepare.

Lendeborg is among the best rebounders in the country at 10.7 per game.

Chris Jones/USA TODAY Sports

52. Duquesne Dukes

NCAA seed: No. 11.

They’re writing a sweet final chapter to Keith Dambrot’s coaching story—LeBron James’s old high school mentor is retiring at the end of this season after taking the Dukes to their first NCAA men’s tournament since 1977. Duquesne endured a tough start to A-10 play, going 0–5, but since then is 15–3. The Dukes are a tough-minded defensive team that struggles with shot-making and turnovers, two things that could make it difficult to keep pace with BYU if the Cougars get hot from three-point range. Duquesne also is 294th in Division I in average height, whereas BYU is 18th.

53. Grand Canyon Antelopes

NCAA seed: No. 12.

Bryce Drew’s non-Vanderbilt record is ridiculous: he’s 217–80 at Valparaiso and Grand Canyon, and this is his fifth NCAA bid in nine seasons at those schools. (He also had an NCAA appearance at Vandy, before things got away in the last two years.) This is his best record yet—the Lopes are 29–4, one of just seven teams with four losses or fewer. Grand Canyon’s best player, Tyon Grant-Foster, has a remarkable story—he collapsed during halftime of the first game of the 2021–22 season while at DePaul and was discovered to have a heart condition. After multiple surgeries, trips to the Mayo Clinic and nearly two full years without playing a game, Grant-Foster returned this season and is averaging 19.8 points and six rebounds. This Grand Canyon team gets to the line a lot and makes its free throws; will it be able to draw fouls from the strong Saint Mary’s defense?

54. Yale Bulldogs

NCAA seed: No. 13.

Bez Mbeng to Matt Knowling for the buzzer-beating win in the Ivy League tourney final will go down as one of the more exciting plays in Yale lore, even if it crushed the Cinderella dreams of the Brown Bears. It gave the Bulldogs their fourth bid in the last eight tourneys—and they did wreak havoc once before by upsetting Duke in 2016. This Yale team might not have the juice that one did, and a matchup with hyper-athletic Auburn is daunting. But Yale does have some size to throw at Tigers big man Johni Broome in 7-footer Danny Wolf. The sophomore has produced 14 double doubles this season.

55. Morehead State Eagles

NCAA seed: No. 14.

Morehead told on itself back in December when it went into Assembly Hall and led the Indiana Hoosiers by 15 points with fewer than nine minutes to play. The Eagles couldn’t land the plane and lost by one, but it was an indication of their capability. Now, they take on another Big Ten team in Illinois—a tougher challenge, to be sure. Morehead shoots 10% better from two-point range and 4.2% better from three than its opponents, a good indication of its dominance in the Ohio Valley Conference. (Outside of a three-game losing streak in five days in February, the Eagles were by far the best team in the league.) Division II transfer Riley Minix has been a revelation, averaging 20.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.

56. Akron Zips

NCAA seed: No. 14.

Say hello to Enrique Freeman, the nation’s leader in double doubles with 30 in 34 games. Virtually unrecruited out of Cleveland, the fifth-year senior heroically carried the Zips to the Dance by producing the following stats in a dramatic drive to the MAC tournament title: 23.7 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks per game. Akron might not have the offensive firepower to take down Creighton, but don’t count that its chances are greater than Zip. Coach John Groce has some March warlock in his past, having taken the Ohio Bobcats to the Sweet 16 and the second round in 2012 and ’10, respectively. In ’22 at Akron, he had UCLA on the ropes in the first round before the Bruins escaped in the final minutes. There have been crazier things to happen.

57. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

NCAA seed: No. 15.

How about some love for Steve Lutz? The former Matt Painter and Greg McDermott assistant has been a head coach for three seasons and earned three NCAA berths in one-bid leagues—two at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and now one with the Hilltoppers. This one came after closing the regular season with four straight losses, then reversing that with three CUSA tourney wins by an average of 19 points. Western turns the ball over a lot and doesn’t shoot particularly well, but this is a solid defensive team. If Marquette’s Kolek is still out, the Hilltoppers could cause at least some temporary Golden Eagle anxiety.

58. Long Beach State 49ers

NCAA seed: No. 15.

The worst defensive team in the Dance is one of the more interesting stories, with coach Dan Monson essentially being fired last week effective at the end of the season—then refusing to let the season end. Long Beach won the Big West tournament after losing its last five games of the regular season, taking down regular-season champ UC Irvine in the semifinals and No. 3 seed UC Davis in the final. It will take a miracle to beat Arizona with a group that gives up a lot of good shots and connects on only 31.3% of its threes—but Arizona has been known to facilitate miracles in the past. Dare to dream of Monson dancing on before his tenure ends.

59. Colgate Raiders

NCAA seed: No. 14.

The Raiders are another tourney regular, earning their fifth straight bid out of the Patriot League. They’re 17–1 since Jan. 10, winning the regular-season title for the third straight year as well. This is no portal team; it’s a homegrown roster under Matt Langel, which means it has extensive NCAA experience. (Well, as extensive as it gets with four consecutive first-round losses.) This Colgate team doesn’t have the offensive refinement of previous editions but did execute extremely well in the Patriot tourney inside the arc, making 65 of 99 two-point shots. Guard Braeden Smith (not to be confused with Purdue’s Braden Smith) averaged 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists in that tourney.

60. Oakland Grizzlies

NCAA seed: No. 14.

Greg Kampe has been the coach here for 40 years—he is the program. He’s taken the Grizzlies to the NCAA tourney three times, scaring the daylights out of a Tristan Thompson–led Texas team in 2011. The old veteran will take on Kentucky with little chance but also no fear, playing a loose style that relies on 6’6” Trey Townsend operating inside and ’18 high school graduate and Division II transfer Jack Gohlke bombing away from three. Oakland might be overwhelmed by Kentucky’s size—including three 7-footers—but if the Wildcats want to lapse into open-gym, defense-optional basketball, the Grizzlies could hit a lot of shots and keep it interesting.

61. South Dakota State Jackrabbits

NCAA seed: No. 15.

Beware the hot underdog? The Jacks roll into the Dance on an eight-game winning streak, winning both the Summit League regular-season and tournament titles. This South Dakota State team isn’t quite as much the precision offensive machine as previous seasons under Eric Henderson, but they still move the ball sharply, shoot it well and have four double-digit scorers. SDSU is also good on the defensive glass and avoids fouling. A significant unknown will be the mobility of guard Charlie Easley (12 points, 5.5 rebounds per game) after spraining an ankle in the Summit final. He’s expected to give it a go against Iowa State, but his effectiveness is to be determined.

62. Longwood Lancers

NCAA seed: No. 16.

It’s dance-by-committee for the Lancers, who have had four different leading scorers in their last four games—two of them dramatic wins over the Big South regular-season champion High Point Panthers. Griff Aldrich now has three straight 20-win seasons, but this one looked unlikely as recently as early February—Longwood had lost 10 out of 12 before winning seven of its last nine. Longwood turns the ball over frequently and doesn’t shoot well, which seems like a bad recipe for taking on Houston. The Lancers need to hope that whatever afflicted the Cougars in that blowout loss in the Big 12 title game is still a thing.

63. Saint Peter’s Peacocks

NCAA seed: No. 15.

The birds are back, with another 15 seed and another SEC opponent in their sights. Can they do unto Tennessee what they did unto Kentucky two years ago, sparking arguably the greatest Cinderella run in history? That seems like a lot to ask. Saint Peter’s is a horrible offensive team, ranking 305th nationally in efficiency and 349th in effective field goal percentage. But the Peacocks somehow put the ball in the basket often enough to win three MAAC tournament games by a total of nine points and punch their ticket. Saint Peter’s does guard well and create turnovers; maybe if Dalton Knecht has another 4-for-17 day like he did in the SEC tourney this gets interesting.

64. Stetson Hatters

NCAA seed: No. 16.

In his 14th season as a Division I head coach and at his third stop, Donnie Jones finally has a team in the bracket. The reward for Stetson’s first-ever NCAA berth is to be fed to defending national champion and overall No. 1 seed UConn. The Huskies have the most efficient offense in the nation and the Hatters have the No. 342 defense; what could go wrong? An avid three-point shooting team, maybe Stetson will be preposterously hot while the Huskies fail to take them seriously. Probably not.

65. Howard Bison

NCAA seed: No. 16.

Two straight Big Dances for Howard and coach Kenny Blakeney, this one perhaps less expected than last year. The Bison hit a groove late, winning four of their last five in the regular season and carrying that over to a MEAC tourney win. It’s one last curtain call for 26-year-old, eighth-year senior Seth Towns—yes, eight years. His career began in 2016 at Harvard, where he played two seasons and then took two medical redshirts. Then it was on to the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he played one season, had another medical redshirt and then voluntarily stepped away from the game last season. Now Howard’s second-leading scorer, Towns will end his endless college career in this tournament.

66. Montana State Bobcats

NCAA seed: No. 16.

They’re in the Big Dance for the third straight season after making it a total of three times previously in program history. So times are good in Bozeman heading into a Wednesday First Four game against Grambling. This particular team was a long shot to get here, having lost the coach and two star players to Utah State. After a 3–2 start to the season, the Bobcats haven’t had a winning record since—but they did climb to 17–17 in winning the Big Sky tourney. If you want a Cinderella fella to cheer for, check out Montana State big man John Olmsted. He’s a grad transfer from Arizona State whose stat line, across five years prior to March, was as follows: 41 career points, 60 career games. Come March, coach Matt Logie started giving Olmsted playing time. His averages in the last five games: 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists. He had a career-high 16 points in the Big Sky final.

67. Grambling State Tigers

NCAA seed: No. 16.

The Tigers are here for the first time ever, a long-awaited accomplishment for a program that has had good teams but never been able to take the last step. Last year was perhaps the most painful miss of all, when a 24–8 Grambling team lost by three points to the Texas Southern Tigers. Those two were matched up for the third straight year in the SWAC final this time, and the Tigers left no doubt. Grambling comes to Dayton having won nine of its last 10, with the only loss in double overtime. Guard Tra’Michael Moton, in his fifth year at Grambling and the team’s No. 2 scorer, has been a program rock for coach Donte Jackson.

Moton (5) is Grambling’s second-leading scorer and is the rock of the team.

Christopher Creveling/USA TODAY Sports

68. Wagner Seahawks

NCAA seed: No. 16.

Hey, it’s been done before. Last year, in fact. Fairleigh Dickinson was the Northeast Conference bid winner, captured a play-in game in Dayton, then shocked the world by beating No. 1 seed Purdue. At No. 293 in the KenPom ratings, the Seahawks are even rated 19 spots higher than FDU was when it started play in the NCAA tournament. They’re a heinous shooting team with very little size, but Wagner did throw out a zone that paralyzed Merrimack in the NEC final. That probably says more about Merrimack than about the quality of the zone, but whatever—it got Wagner to this blessed spot in just its second year under coach Donald Copeland. Dare to repeat history, Seahawks.

Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis left Saturday’s game against the Golden State Warriors with a corneal abrasion. And although any eye injury is an obvious concern, Davis’s ailment sounds nothing short of miserable.

Davis suited up roughly 48 hours later and put together a solid game in a win over the Atlanta Hawks. But his detailed description of precisely how the eye injury is affecting him reveals it’s a impressive he played at all Monday night.

“I just couldn’t see,” Davis told reporters after Monday’s game. “It’s right in the middle of my eye. It wasn’t off to the side, so anytime I’d look, it was just blurry. My eye was swollen. I thought my eye was open, but it wasn’t. It kept watering.

“… It was just better closed. I couldn’t really see,” Davis added.

Anthony Davis details his corneal abrasion, which sounded pretty gnarly: “[It] was actually right in the middle of my eye … I thought my eye was like, [torn] open” pic.twitter.com/MFOwGncQGd

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 19, 2024

The Lakers big man went on to explain that the eye started to feel better later Saturday night, and his vision came back. Somehow, Davis managed to score 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting with 15 rebounds in the win over Atlanta on Monday.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk’s first tweet of 2024 might have something to do with a potential trade destination.

NFL fan sleuths are frantically trying to decipher the meaning of Aiyuk’s cryptic tweet on Tuesday in which he tagged Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin in response to a viral joke. 

After photos comparing Aiyuk’s and Tomlin’s physical similarities made the rounds on the internet, the 49ers wideout himself gave his thoughts on the matter.

Aiyuk tweeted, “@CoachTomlin they saying we twins. What you think?”

@CoachTomlin they saying we twins. What you think ? 👀

— BA (@THE2ERA) March 19, 2024

It marked the first time Aiyuk has posted on Twitter since April 2023.

Hours earlier, 93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi said the Steelers have “looked into” a potential trade for the 26-year-old, making the timing of Aiyuk’s recent tweet doubly suspicious.

Aiyuk’s NFL future has served as a hotbed for rumors this offseason, particularly after San Francisco’s Super Bowl LVIII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs when Aiyuk visibly teared up while speaking with reporters.

The San Francisco 49ers’ Brandon AIyuk tagged Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin in a tweet just hours after rumors about a potential trade between the two sides emerged.

Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union/USA TODAY NETWORK

Aiyuk was selected by the 49ers with the No. 25 pick in the 2020 NFL draft and is entering the final year of his rookie deal. San Francisco picked up his fifth-year option last April, which will pay Aiyuk $14.1 million in 2024. The All-Pro wideout is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and averaged a career-high 17.9 yards per catch last year while leading the team in targets (105).

• Orr: Steelers’ Quarterback Moves Finally Come Into Focus

In March alone, the Steelers have already made colossal moves to acquire quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and are also reportedly interested in free agent wide receiver Mike Williams, who is set to visit the team this week.

Early in ESPN’s broadcast of the New York Knicks–Golden State Warriors game Monday night a debate broke out over Jalen Brunson’s place among the NBA’s elite. Using a quote from Kings coach Mike Brown, who after Brunson torched Sacramento for 42 points on 61% shooting Saturday noted that the Sacramento Kings blitzed Brunson more than any player other than Stephen Curry, the question was asked: Is Brunson on Curry’s level?

The answer, frankly, doesn’t matter. That there’s even a comparison is praise enough. Brunson validated the early game banter, torching the Warriors for 34 points. It was Brunson’s third straight game scoring 34 or more points. He is averaging 40.3 points per game on this current road trip, connecting on 51.7% of his shots.

“You almost come to expect [it],” said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau. “It’s every night and it’s big play after big play. Every time we need a big bucket he comes up with it.”

Brunson (11) has been on a tear during the Knicks’ current road trip.

John Hefti/USA TODAY Sports

As the Knicks barrel toward a critical postseason, Brunson will need to continue to come up with those big buckets. The playoffs have not been kind to New York recently. The Atlanta Hawks ousted the Knicks in five games in 2021. Then New York advanced past the first round last season but was eliminated by the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals. Brunson was a workhorse last year, averaging 40 minutes per game in the postseason. But his efficiency numbers dipped, most notably from the three-point line, falling from 40% in the regular season to 32.5% in the playoffs.

The Knicks were widely praised for the midseason maneuvering that added OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanović and Alec Burks to the roster. But in the playoffs, when rotations tighten and the game slows down, stars matter more. Julius Randle, who has struggled mightily in the playoffs as a Knick, needs to be better. And to advance past the Boston Celtics or Milwaukee Bucks, Brunson will often have to be the best player on the floor.

Can the Knicks do it? In a month, we’ll find out.

On to Sports Illustrated’s latest NBA power rankings.

1. Denver Nuggets

Last week: 1

Nikola Jokić’s MVP case continues to strengthen. Even with a couple of subpar scoring games in the last week, Jokić is averaging 26.5 points per game this month on 58.6% shooting. Denver, meanwhile, has lost only twice since the All-Star break: an overtime thriller against Phoenix and a buzzer-beating loss in Dallas. The Nuggets are playoff ready.

2. Boston Celtics

Last week: 2

At this point the Celtics just look bored. Boston emptied the bench for a blowout win in Washington—Sam Hauser knocked down 10 threes in two-plus quarters of that one—and sat Jayson Tatum and Jrue Holiday in a 25-point drubbing of Detroit. A real test—we think—will come Wednesday, when the new-look Bucks come to town.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

Last week: 3

As if Oklahoma City needed more weapons, an efficient Josh Giddey has entered the chat. Giddey is connecting on 55% of his shots this month, including 33% from three while providing solid rebounding (5.9 boards per game) and playing (4.1 assists). Giddey’s primary role is as a facilitator in the Thunder offense but if he’s shooting high percentages, look out.

4. Minnesota Timberwolves

Last week: 5

Anthony Edwards. Yeesh. Edwards’s posterizing of John Collins was one of the many ways Edwards has propped up the Wolves’ floundering offense of late. Over the last three games—all wins—Edwards is averaging 33.3 points on 55.6% shooting. With Karl-Anthony Towns still weeks away (at least) from a return, Minnesota will need excellence from Edwards every night.

Anthony Edwards with the dunk of the year pic.twitter.com/4mSVgBn9TB

— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) March 19, 2024 5. Milwaukee Bucks

Last week: 4

After an early surge in the first weeks of the Doc Rivers Era, Milwaukee’s defense has become leaky again, ranking 19th in efficiency since the All-Star break. Are we talking enough about Giannis Antetokounmpo’s MVP candidacy? Giannis is tracking to become the first player in NBA history to average 30-plus points on 60-plus percent shooting. In March, he is averaging 33.2 points per game. Wednesday’s matchup in Boston is a big chance for Antetokounmpo to grab the attention of voters.

6. New Orleans Hornets

Last week: 7

Zion Williamson since the All-Star break: 23.3 points per game (in an economical 32.3 minutes per game) on 57% shooting, making criticism of his weight a distant memory. The Pelicans are 15–5 in their last 20 games, tied for third in the NBA in win percentage. Want more? Since the new year, New Orleans is ranked third in net rating (7.3), fifth in offensive rating (118.7) and fifth in defensive rating (111.3). The Pels are for real.

7. Cleveland Cavaliers

Last week: 9

Donovan Mitchell, the injured Cavs star, tweeted out support for Caris LeVert’s Sixth Man of the Year candidacy during Cleveland’s road win in Indiana on Monday—and LeVert, who is averaging 13.8 points per game in a reserve role, has a case. The Cavs, meanwhile, solidified their hold on the No. 3 seed in the East and are just one game back of the Bucks for No. 2.

8. Dallas Mavericks

Last week: 10

Kyrie Irving’s left-handed dagger against Denver was the highlight, but the Mavs have been good lately, winning five of the last six with a road loss in Oklahoma City the lone blemish. Luka Dončić has been putting up ridiculous numbers since the All-Star break (35.2 points per game on 49.7% shooting). But before we anoint Dallas as contenders, let’s not forget the team is just 27th in defensive rating since the break, too.

This is WILD 🤯

(via @dallasmavs)pic.twitter.com/gD1T2Wrhrd

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 17, 2024 9. New York Knicks

Last week: 16

The Knicks marched through Portland, Sacramento and Golden State in the first three games of their current road trip, with Brunson (see above) leading the way. But how about Miles McBride? McBride played 47 minutes for undermanned New York against the Warriors, scoring 29 points on 69% shooting. In March, McBride is shooting 42% from three.

10. Los Angeles Clippers

Last week: 6

Uh, L.A.—do we have a problem? The Clippers have lost four of the last five with the NBA’s 27th-ranked defense during that stretch. James Harden, who has had a strong first season in Los Angeles, has been erratic of late, connecting on 40.8% of his shots this month. Here’s something you would have been surprised to hear back in November: The Clippers miss Russell Westbrook.

11. Phoenix Suns

Last week: 8

Beat Denver. Get tattooed in Boston. Squeeze out a win in Cleveland. Get blitzed for 140 points by Milwaukee. Phoenix has not had a three-game winning streak since early February. If the Suns are going to climb out of the play-in, this is the week to do it, with home dates against Philadelphia and Atlanta followed by a back-to-back against San Antonio. After that it’s a three-game trip through the teeth of the Western Conference (Denver, OKC, New Orleans). The time to make a move is now.

12. Miami Heat

Last week: 14

Back-to-back wins over Detroit slowed Miami’s descent in the standings, though the Heat gave whatever momentum they had back in a loss to Joel Embiid–less Philadelphia. The evolution of Duncan Robinson continues to be an encouraging sign. Robinson collected 10 assists in the two games against the Pistons and is averaging a career-best in assists this season. His inside the arc numbers (57.5% on a career-high 3.2 attempts per game) continue to improve, too.

13. Sacramento Kings

Last week: 11

Malik Monk’s 28 points—including 12 in overtime—prevented what would have been a bad home loss against Memphis on Monday. Monk continues to be the NBA’s most reliable sixth man, ranking first or second in several offensive categories, including points, assists and three-pointers made. He has scored 20-plus points off the bench 24 times this season, far and away the most in the NBA.

14. Orlando Magic

Last week: 17

Sure, the Magic have had a soft schedule this month. But they have taken advantage of it, winning eight of the last 10 and 12 of the last 16. Orlando is still learning—seven losses this season by three points or less—but its sturdy defense has kept the team in the thick of the East standings.

15. Indiana Pacers

Last week: 13

What’s up with Indiana’s offense of late? The Pacers are eighth in offensive efficiency since the All-Star break, a good number but a far cry from the second-ranked unit they were before it. And when you are the 25th-ranked defensive team you need to be elite offensively to win games.

Dinwiddie (26) hasn’t been the offensive help L.A. had hoped he could be.

Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

16. Los Angeles Lakers

Last week: 12

Spencer Dinwiddie, who the Lakers hoped would inject some life into a sputtering offense, has not. Dinwiddie is averaging just 3.5 points per game this month on 32% shooting. Meanwhile L.A. lost offensive-oriented big man Christian Wood for several weeks with a knee injury. As I noted last week, the Lakers really, really need D’Angelo Russell to be a difference maker offensively in the playoffs.

17. Golden State Warriors

Last week: 18

What is going on with Curry? His shooting numbers since the All-Star break are awful. Curry is shooting sub-40% from the floor and 32.8% from three. The Warriors, meanwhile, are mired in 10th place in the West, closer to 11th (three games) than they are to sixth (four).

18. Philadelphia 76ers

Last week: 15

Where would the Sixers be without Tyrese Maxey? Maxey has scored 30 points in each of his last three games, leading Philly to wins in two of them that has kept the 76ers (for now) out of the play-in mix. To stay there, Philadelphia will need more from Tobias Harris, whose shooting numbers have bottomed out since the All-Star break.

19. Houston Rockets

Last week: 21

Here comes … Houston? The Rockets are 7–1 in March and within striking distance of the Warriors for the last play-in spot. With Alperen Şengün out, Jalen Green has picked up the slack, averaging 24.6 points per game this month and connecting on 37.3% of his threes. Don’t count Houston out of this play-in race. The Rockets have four winnable games coming up before the schedule toughens at the end of the month.

20. Chicago Bulls

Last week: 19

The Bulls rebounded from bad losses to the Clippers (twice) and Dallas with back-to-back wins over cellar-dwellers Washington and Portland. Chicago kind of is what it is: a middling team with offensive and defensive efficiency numbers that rank in the back half of the NBA. Some positive stats: Entering Monday’s game against the Blazers, the Bulls ranked third in least turnovers per game (12.3), eighth in total deflections (1,018), ninth in total points off turnovers (1,157), ninth in points off turnovers per game (17.0), tied 11th in steals per game (7.6) and 12th in the NBA in total steals (516) this season.

21. Atlanta Hawks

Last week: 20

The Hawks have dropped four of the last five and are back to looking like play-in fodder. On the positive side, Jalen Johnson will have this highlight forever.

GOOD EVENING FROM JALEN JOHNSON pic.twitter.com/y2HMNQ0WF6

— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 19, 2024 22. Utah Jazz

Last week: 24

Keyonte George is a fascinating prospect. Is George, 20, a stat stuffer on a bad team? Or is George potentially a really good player getting early opportunities? The Jazz hope he is the latter. George is averaging 20.6 points per game this month on 47.2% from the field and 40.8% from three. In a forgettable season, Utah may have found its point guard of the future.

23. Brooklyn Nets

Last week: 22

The Nets are 1–5 on a road trip they needed to play well on to keep their faint play-in hopes alive. The poor showing has included losses in Detroit, Charlotte and San Antonio. See you next year, Brooklyn.

24. Toronto Raptors

Last week: 21

The Raptors have not won since March 3 and have not beaten a team currently in the playoff field since January 1.

Wembanyama is running away with the NBA Rookie of the Year award.

Scott Wachter/USA TODAY Sports

25. San Antonio Spurs

Last week: 25

In his 60th game of the season Victor Wembanyama scored 33 points, pulled down 15 rebounds, handed out seven assists and swatted away seven shots. Imagine what Wembanyama is going to look like after a full offseason with NBA strength and conditioning coaches. Yeesh.

26. Portland Trail Blazers

Last week: 26

Should the Blazers be worried about Scoot Henderson? Henderson has not cracked 40% shooting in any month this season. In March, his three-point numbers (18.2%) have cratered. Point guard is a tough position and Henderson, 20, is a young guy. But as rookie seasons go, this one has been pretty bad.

27. Charlotte Hornets

Last week: 28

Is there really a point to bringing LaMelo Ball back this season?

28. Detroit Pistons

Last week: 29

The Pistons have dropped three straight—including a heartbreaker against the Heat—after winning three of four before that. Detroit’s defensive rating before the All-Star break: 28th. Its defensive rating after the All-Star break: 19th. Good to see the Pistons, who have talent, showing improvement in the final weeks of the season.

29. Memphis Grizzlies

Last week: 27

Say this for the Grizz: They don’t quit. Memphis lost by six to Oklahoma City last week and pushed Sacramento to overtime on the road. Desmond Bane, playing for the first time since mid-January, averaged 23 points in those two games. As overmatched as the Grizzlies are most nights, they continue to show plenty of fight.

30. Washington Wizards

Last week: 30

If you’re really looking for a recent positive in Washington’s woeful season, how about Jordan Poole? Poole has quietly played better since the All-Star break, bumping his scoring average (20.7 points per game), field goal percentage (44.5%) and three-point percentage (38%) up from pre-break levels. The Wiz are getting hammered most nights but perhaps Poole, who was a disaster in the first half of the season, is starting to turn a corner.

Between Selection Sunday and Thursday afternoon, when the Round of 64 officially tips off, fanatics and casual fans alike will be inundated with dozens of March Madness stats they need to know to help fill out a “perfect” bracket. The odds of doing so are, well, astronomical, but there are plenty of trends to follow for those who are chasing perfection.

Many brackets will automatically advance the No. 1, 2 3 and 4 seeds to the Round of 32 because more often than not, those teams do win against the No. 16, 15, 14 and 13s of the world in the Round of 64, no matter how captivating the rare Fairleigh Dickinson or UMBC upset might be. In the history of the tournament, No. 1s are 150–2 against No. 16s, No. 2s are 141–11 against No. 15s, No. 3s are 130–22 against No. 14s and No. 4s are 120–32 against No. 13s.

But filling out your bracket and betting individual games in March are different beasts altogether. Between Thursday’s and Friday’s games, 12 of the 32 games with set spreads (No. 1 Purdue, No. 1 North Carolina, No. 7 Florida and No. 7 Texas are still awaiting their opponents) have double-digit lines and all of them include a 1, 2, 3 or 4 seed. It’s an easier proposition to advance UConn, a -20000 favorite on the moneyline against Stetson, than it is to predict whether the Huskies will beat the Hatters by 27 points or more to cover the spread.

That’s why we’re taking a look at the betting profiles of the top 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament. Not every high seed is as reliable to bet on as one might think.

(Odds via FanDuel.)

Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports

No. 1 UConn Huskies

Record: 31–3
Record over last 10 games: 9–1
ATS record: 22–12
ATS record over last 10: 8–2
Championship Odds: +370 (first)
Round of 64 Spread: -26.5 vs. Stetson

The No. 1 overall seed was favored in all but one game (at Kansas) this season and still finished with one of the best cover rates in the country. The Huskies’ +17.1 scoring margin was the second-best mark in DI after McNeese State, which allowed them to consistently cover double-digit spreads. UConn posted an 11–8 record against the spread as a 10-point favorite and went 5–4 when favored by 20-plus points. The reigning champs have the largest line in the Round of 64 against Stetson and the Huskies have won four of their last 10 games by 27 or more points.

No. 1 Houston Cougars

Record: 30–4
Record over last 10 games: 9–1
ATS record: 16–16–2
ATS record over last 10: 5–5
Championship Odds: +600 (second)
Round of 64 Spread: -24.5 vs. Longwood

The Cougars have yet to be installed as an underdog this season and that’s unlikely to change before the Final Four, if at all. Houston’s 50% cover rate isn’t turning any heads and its last game before the Big Dance was a 69–41 loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 title game as a 5.5-point favorite. However, in the three games prior, the Cougars won big — and covered — against Texas Tech, TCU and Kansas, three tournament teams, and built on their plus-16 scoring margin, which is No. 3 nationally. Houston finished 6–5 against the spread as a favorite of 20-plus points.

No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers

Record: 29–4
Record over last 10 games: 8–2
ATS record: 16–15–2
ATS record over last 10: 3–7
Championship Odds: +700 (third)
Round of 64 Spread: TBD — plays winner of Grambling State-Montana State

The Boilermakers’ first-round spread is yet to be set with the Tigers and Bobcats playing Tuesday night for the right to face the Big Ten power, but bettors will recall how their season ended each of the last two years. Purdue lost to No. 15 Saint Peter’s, 67–64, as a 13-point favorite in the Sweet 16 in 2022. The following year was even worse: A 63–58 loss to No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson as a 23-point favorite in the Round of 64. With those upsets still fresh and the Boilermakers struggling to cover down the stretch, it’s fair to doubt this team’s ability to cover what’s bound to be a hefty spread to begin the Big Dance. Purdue finished just 7–11 against the spread this season as a double-digit favorite.

No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels

Record: 27–7
Record over last 10 games: 8–2
ATS record: 19–15
ATS record over last 10: 5–5
Championship Odds: +1700 (T-fifth)
Round of 64 Spread: TBD — plays winner of Wagner-Howard

The Tar Heels performed well enough against the spread for much of the year, but they were last seen losing 84–76 to N.C. State in the ACC Championship as a 10-point favorite. That brought UNC’s against the spread record as a favorite of 10 or more points to 7–7. It was rare that the Tar Heels were installed as a favorite of 20 or more, which could be the case against the Seahawks or Bison in the Round of 64. North Carolina went 2–2 against the spread in that position and is one of 27 teams with a double-digit point differential (+11.3).

Related: March Madness 2024: Complete Schedule, Bracket, How to Watch, Game Times, Odds for Men's NCAA Tournament

No. 2 Arizona Wildcats

Record: 25–8
Record over last 10 games: 7–3
ATS record: 21–12
ATS record over last 10: 6–4
Championship Odds: +1300 (fourth)
Round of 64 Spread: -20.5 vs. Long Beach State

The Wildcats posted an impressive record against the number this season and won outright in the only two games they were not favored (at Duke and at Colorado). Like some of the other top seeds, Arizona had a letdown loss as a favorite in its conference title game. In this case, it was a 67–59 defeat against Oregon as an 11.5-point favorite. For much of the year, though, the Wildcats beat up on bad teams. They went 12–8 against the spread as a double-digit favorite and 5–1 when giving 20 or more points, which will be the case Thursday against Long Beach State. Arizona’s plus-15.7 scoring margin is fifth-best in the country and their 87.9 points per game average ranks No. 3 nationally.

No. 2 Marquette Golden Eagles

Record: 25–9
Record over last 10 games: 6–4
ATS record: 20–13–1
ATS record over last 10: 6–4
Championship Odds: +2500 (T-ninth)
Round of 64 Spread: -14.5 vs. Western Kentucky

When the Golden Eagles have been favored to win big this season, they’ve done so more often than not. Marquette is 8–5 against the spread as a double-digit favorite, and will look to build on that record Friday against Western Kentucky. Unlike some of the other top seeds, the Golden Eagles have been an underdog more than a handful of times. They’re 4–4–1 when getting points, though they’re unlikely to be in that position again until the Sweet 16 at the earliest.

No. 2 Tennessee Volunteers

Record: 24–8
Record over last 10 games: 7–3
ATS record: 16–15–1
ATS record over last 10: 6–4
Championship Odds: +1700 (T-fifth)
Round of 64 Spread: -21.5 vs. Saint Peter’s

Add the Vols to the list of top teams that unceremoniously lost their last game as a heavy favorite. Tennessee fell to Mississippi State 73–56 as a 9.5-point favorite in the SEC Tournament. That was the fewest points the Vols have scored all season and the result was somewhat surprising given their 9–6 record against the spread as a double-digit favorite this season. Tennessee is 3–3 against the spread as a favorite of 20-plus points, which will be the case against Saint Peter’s. The No. 15 Peacocks infamously upset No. 2 Kentucky in 2022 as an 18.5-point underdog in the Round of 64.

No. 2 Iowa State Cyclones

Record: 27–7
Record over last 10 games: 8–2
ATS record: 23–10–1
ATS record over last 10: 6–4
Championship Odds: +2000 (seventh)
Round of 64 Spread: -16.5 vs. South Dakota State

No team in the Big Dance has a better cover rate than the Cyclones and they head into the tournament on a high note following a 69–41 win over Houston in the Big 12 title game as a 5.5-point underdog. No matter the situation, Iowa State has been a good team to bet on this year. The Cyclones are 6–2–1 against the spread as an underdog, 17–8 as a favorite and 9–3 as a double-digit favorite. Their plus-14.3 point differential is a top-10 mark nationally and only three teams allow fewer points per game than ISU (61.3).

Related: 2024 March Madness: Odds and Spread for Every Round 1 Game

No. 3 Kentucky Wildcats

Record: 23–9
Record over last 10 games: 7–3
ATS record: 18–14
ATS record over last 10: 5–5
Championship Odds: +3000 (T-11th)
Round of 64 Spread: -13.5 vs. Oakland

The good news about the Wildcats: They went 6–1 against the spread as an underdog with five outright upsets. The bad news: They finished just 12–13 as a favorite and are likely to be favored through the Sweet 16, if not longer. Add UK to the list of teams that lost big in its conference tournament as a favorite following a 97–87 defeat against Texas A&M in the SEC tournament as a 5.5-point favorite. The Wildcats have the No. 2 scoring offense in the country (89.4 ppg) but their scoring margin is in the single digits because they have one of the worst defenses in DI. Kentucky finished 6–7 as a double-digit favorite and failed to cover its last three games in that spot.

No. 3 Illinois Illini

Record: 26–8
Record over last 10 games: 8–2
ATS record: 18–13–3
ATS record over last 10: 6–4
Championship Odds: +3500 (T-13th)
Round of 64 Spread: -11.5 vs. Morehead State

The Illini were among the few dozen teams who finished with a double-digit scoring differential (plus-10.6), but they still had trouble covering large spreads. Illinois went 5–7 against the spread as a favorite of 10 or more points, which is the case Thursday against Morehead State. It should be noted that the Illini are one of the hottest teams in the country, coming off a Big Ten tournament title and their only loss in their last eight games was against Purdue.

No. 3 Creighton Bluejays

Record: 23–9
Record over last 10 games: 7–3
ATS record: 17–15
ATS record over last 10: 7–3
Championship Odds: +2500 (T-ninth)
Round of 64 Spread: -12.5 vs. Akron

For much of the year, the Bluejays were a bad team to bet on. But over the last few weeks, Creighton has begun to put it all together for bettors, best shown by an 85–66 win over UConn as a 2.5-point underdog. The Bluejays had a losing record against the spread heading into February but they are 7–4 since then. Creighton’s 8–5 record as a double-digit favorite should inspire confidence ahead of Thursday’s game against Akron.

No. 3 Baylor Bears

Record: 23–10
Record over last 10 games: 6–4
ATS record: 19–11–2
ATS record over last 10: 6–4
Championship Odds: +3500 (T-13th)
Round of 64 Spread: -13.5 vs. Colgate

The Bears covered at a high clip this season, especially as a favorite. Baylor posted a sterling 15–5–2 record against the spread as a favorite but went just 4–6 as an underdog. The Bears’ proficiency at covering as a favorite extended to their few games in which they were heavily favored. As a double-digit favorite, Baylor finished 6–2 against the spread, a record that included covers as a 34.5-point and 40-point favorite.

Related: March Madness Brackets: Expert Predictions for the 2024 Men’s NCAA Tournament

No. 4 Auburn Tigers

Record: 27–7
Record over last 10 games: 8–2
ATS record: 21–13
ATS record over last 10: 6–4
Championship Odds: +2200 (eighth)
Round of 64 Spread: -12.5 vs. Yale

The Tigers were only installed as an underdog twice all season (at Alabama and at Tennessee) and they failed to cover in either game. However, Auburn’s 21–11 mark against the spread as a favorite is up there with the best records in the country. The Tigers enter the Big Dance as reigning SEC champions and winners of six straight (five by double digits). Auburn is 11–5 against the spread as a favorite of 10 or more points and is once again a double-digit favorite in its Round of 64 matchup with Yale.

No. 4 Duke Blue Devils

Record: 24–8
Record over last 10 games: 7–3
ATS record: 18–13-1
ATS record over last 10: 7–3
Championship Odds: +3000 (T-11th)
Round of 64 Spread: -11.5 vs. Vermont

The Blue Devils enter the Big Dance having covered 10 of their last 13 games, but they’ve also lost back-to-back games outright as a favorite. Duke lost to UNC 84–79 in the regular-season finale as a five-point favorite and against N.C. State in the ACC tourney, also as a five-point favorite. The Blue Devils boast one of the best scoring differentials in the field (plus-12.4) and are no stranger being installed as a heavy favorite. Duke finished 10–8 against the spread as a favorite of 10 or more points.

No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks

Record: 22–10
Record over last 10 games: 4–6
ATS record: 13–18–1
ATS record over last 10: 3–7
Championship Odds: +4500 (16th)
Round of 64 Spread: -8.5 vs. Samford

The Jayhawks are the only top four seed with a losing record against the spread this season. Some of that is a byproduct of playing in the brutal Big 12, but Kansas has also struggled down the stretch, partially due to injuries, and lost its last two games by a combined 50 points. The Jayhawks especially struggled outside of Lawrence as they are 3–7 against the spread and 4–6 straight up over their last 10 road and neutral site games. KU’s plus-6.5 scoring margin is also easily the worst of any of the top four seeds.

No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide

Record: 21–11
Record over last 10 games: 5–5
ATS record: 17–15
ATS record over last 10: 3–7
Championship Odds: +3500 (T-13th)
Round of 64 Spread: -9.5 vs. Charleston

The Crimson Tide limp into the tournament having covered just one of their last seven games. During that stretch, they lost four times outright to tournament teams, three times as a favorite. Still, Alabama has delivered as a heavy favorite, posting an 8–4 record when giving 10 or more points. The Tide are just under that threshold Friday against Charleston. If ’Bama keeps advancing, its 2–6 record against the spread as an underdog is something to keep in mind.

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Jon Rahm began his Masters advance press conference laser-focused on his tie, looking in the camera on his computer while constantly fixing it and even apologizing for the fact it wasn’t tied very well. Saying that he rushed it was an understatement.

The gold tie was on a white shirt with his green jacket, so Rahm looked the part of a Masters champion. But he was also a bit nervous, particularly when talking about his Champions Dinner menu at the beginning of the call with national media.

It is a menu with true Basque flair, including local cheeses, wine, sausages, ham and other items made with specific family recipes.

Rahm seems to view his first Champions Dinner as if he has invited everyone to his home, adding a little bit of his heritage into the dinner and wanting to make sure everyone enjoys the evening.

Jon Rahm joined Seve Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia as Spanish champions at the Masters. 

Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images

The fourth Spaniard to wear the green jacket also must make a dinner speech, which he seems most nervous about. Where he's least stressful would appear to be inside the ropes, as he showed last year. 

“What other way to do it than finish it exactly like Seve would have wanted, hit it in the trees and getting up-and-down from 60 yards to make par,” Rahm said of his finish in Sunday’s final round. “That's about as Seve as it gets.”

Ballesteros, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sergio Garcia are the three other Spaniards in the Champions locker room. In joining that contingent, Rahm's approach to the week is one of nervousness, anxiety and excitement.

“I feel like my game is in really good position,” Rahm said. “I have not played my best yet. But I can see it every tournament, getting a little bit better and getting to a point where I like where I'm at coming up to the Masters.”

Rahm joked that the highlights of his Masters triumph included the four-putt on the 1st hole on Thursday and the bad drive at the 18th that wasn’t as bad as people think. But he wouldn’t mind making it a little easier on himself with a walk up the 18th knowing he can make a nine or 10 and win—or make a birdie to win as well.

“I'm looking forward to going out there and hopefully have been a great week,” Rahm said. “And hopefully having a great Sunday back nine showdown with some of those great players because at the end of the day it's what golf and spectators deserve.”

Rahm, as well as everyone else, knows that majors in the LIV era mean more. This Masters will mark the first time the two tours will play together since the British Open at Royal Liverpool last July.

With Scottie Scheffler retaining the top spot in the world with wins at Arnold Palmer and the Players and Rahm not able to defend his three 2023 titles on the PGA Tour, all eyes will be looking at a showdown between the two and more broadly how the LIV contingent will do after having three finish in the top 5 at Augusta last year.

“I feel like I don't need to be playing next to him to know what's going on,” Rahm said of Scheffler. “I think that's what's making this Masters and many other majors going to be so much fun, not only for me and for players but for spectators, is for all of us to be able to play together again and showcase what we're capable of.”

Rahm has not watched the final round of his win, nor has he been back to Augusta since the wee hours of the Monday morning after when he roamed the halls of the clubhouse with his father and wife Kelley.

Rahm called the early morning excursion—which included entering the champions locker room with them—one of his best experiences of the week.

He will finally return next week, saying he believes it would be difficult to try to defend and not have gone once before tournament week.

“I'm hoping I can come back and hopefully I can actually defend,” Rahm said. “That would be a dream come true. Not many back-to-back champions, and that would be very unique to be able to put my name to that list.” 

Longtime sports broadcaster Hannah Storm detailed her recent breast cancer diagnosis in an article published Tuesday on ESPN Front Row.

After undergoing a routine mammogram late last year, Storm followed up by having an ultrasound on Jan. 3 to look for tumorous tissues. Just over a week later, following a long day reporting on Bill Belichick’s retirement on Jan. 11, she received a call informing her that she had been diagnosed with Ductal Carcinoma in Situ, otherwise known as DCIS.

Storm explained that DCIS is known as “Stage Zero” because cancerous cells had not yet spread to the breast tissues.

This diagnosis came as a complete “shock” to Storm as she was not genetically predisposed and she doesn’t have a family history of breast cancer. Also, she didn’t have a lump or pain.

Hannah Storm, who joined ESPN in 2008, is healthy again after a recent breast cancer diagnosis.

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

Storm underwent a lumpectomy on Feb. 1, days after covering the NFL’s conference championship games. While recovering from surgery, Storm worked on essays in advance of Super Bowl LVIII. She returned to work three days before the Big Game.

The surgery was a success, and Storm is now cancer-free.

“About a week later, Dr. Port delivered the best possible news from the pathology report on the surrounding tissue—she had removed everything, and there was no sign of cancer left in my breast,” Storm wrote. “I am extremely lucky.”

Storm also detailed how fellow ESPN coworkers Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova helped her tremendously through during her fight. Evert currently has ovarian cancer for the second time. Navratilova had breast and throat cancer in early 2023, but is now cancer-free.

NFL free agency is basically in the rear-view mirror, the owners meetings are next week and the draft is only a few weeks away. No rest for the weary …

• Because he may be the single most-dominant player of the past decade, I don’t mind doubling down on Aaron Donald content (our takeaways led with him, too). And we’ll start by turning the clock back to 2014, when the undersized Pitt defensive tackle was, to some degree, a polarizing prospect among scouts.

Everyone knew he could play. From there, two questions remained. One was whether he’d be a scheme-specific player—needing to be in a system that would get him upfield, and not require him to take on blocks, given his lack of height (6’1"), weight (280 pounds) and length. Another was whether he’d be able to handle the down-to-down rigors of being an NFL defensive lineman.

Donald's sack of Joe Burrow sealed the Rams' Super Bowl win. 

John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated

That debate wasn’t limited to teams that were skeptical. It’s one, according to several people who were there, that was spirited in the Los Angeles Rams’ draft meetings.

Then-coach Jeff Fisher was one who really liked Donald. In those meetings, he used a guy he coached, former Eagles star Jerome Brown, as an example of a shorter, lighter guy who became dominant at the position. Warren Sapp was another guy he raised to emphasize that height and length weren’t the end-all, be-all for defensive linemen.

But it was Ray Agnew, a former first-round defensive lineman who was getting his start in scouting after serving as director of player development and team chaplain, who emerged over that time as the team’s Aaron Donald evangelist. He, college scouting director Brad Holmes (now Lions GM) and senior scout Rich Snead had taken a liking to Donald, and were on Fisher’s side with pushback coming from other corners of the room.

The normally reserved Agnew, I’m told, literally slammed his hands on the table during a Donald debate, insisting that the Pitt prospect was fully capable of being a full-time player in any scheme. And because of his playing experience, and the respect everyone in the building had for Agnew, his emotion on Donald carried real weight.

When I asked Fisher about that debate, he told me, “Ray was so soft-spoken. And he’d come down and tell me, Hey, he’s really good. I said, I know he’s really good. He’s going to be a good player.”

Maybe no one knew just how good.

But Agnew, now the Lions’ assistant GM, had a better idea than most.

• From there, Donald’s second (and final) head coach Sean McVay had a pretty good idea of the future Hall of Famer’s talent when he took over the Rams in 2017. But, he’ll admit now there was no way he could know just how good Donald would get until he actually saw him day to day, and that’s the first thing McVay mentioned when I asked him what he thinks Donald has that no other player does.

“I think the number one trait he has is this mental toughness and this competitiveness internally, this intrinsic motivation,” McVay says. “I saw a documentary a few years ago. It’s called In Search of Greatness. It has a bunch of people that did a bunch of historical data and evidence on all these greats in a bunch of different sports arenas. They said there were two things that were common amongst all these people—there was a rage to master, and there was an ability to pick things up quickly in their domain.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been around a more driven player that stayed humble through the success, that had higher standards than he did of himself from a preparation standpoint, and then an ability to be accountable in his game. He’s so unique with his mental makeup, his upbringing. Then, he has this natural strength, leverage, explosiveness, get off. He has the most accurate hands I’ve ever seen.

“That’s the one thing that I think people don’t talk about enough is he never missed with his hands. He’d always get those inside positions. His ability to break down offensive linemen and understand the nuances of how their game shifts and alters through the different situations that arise during the course of a game, it’s unique. When you ask him about personnel evaluations, what he sees, what he picks up on, the guy is so smart in his thinking and is so invested in his craft. That consistency has just compounded over time.

“To have the mental makeup to do all those things that he did for our team and, individually, the accolades, but still continue to push himself with the humility and the care for his teammates, it’s unbelievable.”

• We have some of the incentives in free agent contracts, and maybe the most interesting one is what the New York Jets gave tackle Tyron Smith. The former Dallas Cowboy will be a strong Hall of Fame candidate when his time comes—and is considered by some the greatest pass blocker of all-time—attached to his one-year, $6.5 million deal.

The $6.5 million Smith is getting breaks down into a $4.5 million signing bonus and $2 million base, all guaranteed. Other incentives within the deal are straight forward—$250,000 for each playoff win, $500,000 for making the Pro Bowl.

The remaining $12 million? It’s pretty detailed. The first set of play-time incentives start at 38%. Smith gets $750,000 for hitting that marker, and then another $1 million at 44%, 50%, 56%, 62% and 68%. That tops out at $5.75 million, and hits the cap now, since Smith played 71% of Dallas’s offensive snaps last year. The second set of play-time incentives starts at $1.25 million for hitting 74%, and goes up another $1.25 million at 80%, 86%, 92% and 98%. That money, if earned, would hit the Jets’ cap in 2025.

Add it up, and if Smith plays the whole year injury free, makes the Pro Bowl, and the Jets win the Super Bowl, he’ll make $20 million.

But if he gets injured? That’s where these contracts get interesting. There’ll be a point, I’d bet, when the best thing might be to sit the 14th-year pro for the final five minutes of a game. How do you manage that if you’re Robert Saleh? It’s a tough one to answer.

• Another fascinating incentive package is the one new Kansas City Chiefs WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown signed. The base value is $7 million for one year—$3 million to sign, a guaranteed $3.5 million base salary, plus $250,000 in per-game roster bonuses, and a $250,000 workout bonus.

As was the case with Smith, the plot thickens with Brown’s deal in the incentives.

He gets $500,000 if he scores five touchdowns, $750,000 at six and $1 million at seven. He gets $500,000 if he plays 45% of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps, $625,000 at 52.5%, $750,000 at 60% and $1.5 million at 75%. And he’ll land an extra $500,000 at 500 receiving yards, $625,000 at 625 yards, $750,000 at 750 yards, and $1.5 million at 1,000 yards.

Of course, you could say all that might complicate things a bit, in a scenario like the one we outlined with Smith. But the truth? When you’ve won championships like the Chiefs, you’re going to have incentives in these sorts of situations, so I think it’d be less of a problem for Kansas City than just about anyone else.

Kansas City had discussions with the Colts, Lions and Vikings on Sneed leading into free agency.

Jay Biggerstaff/USA TODAY Sports

• While we’re on the Chiefs, we’re more than a week into free agency, and L’Jarius Sneed is still on the roster.

Why? First and foremost, it’s always hard to get a team to give up a premium draft pick and a top-of-the-market contract. In that way, Sneed has some control here, in that no one is going to trade a high pick for him without knowing it has him aboard, and agreed to a new contract. So in that way, where he doesn’t have the freedom some of his peers did last week, he does have a say in where he’s going next. And with the $19.8 million franchise tender, he’s well within his bounds to ask for a deal with an APY (average per year) more than that number.

Kansas City had discussions with the Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings on Sneed leading into free agency. It’d be fair to think that Detroit’s trade for Carlton Davis makes it a lot less like they’d flip a Day-2 pick for Sneed. The Vikings, meanwhile, spent heavily on defense in free agency after Kirk Cousins departed, and could still be in the mix. And Indy’s spent a lot on their own players, but not on big-time outside targets.

Also worth noting: Kansas City GM Brett Veach is experienced in this department. He traded tagged pass rusher Dee Ford, and replaced him by trading for another tagged edge guy in Frank Clark in 2019. The timing of those trades? Ford was moved during the first wave of free agency, and Clark was acquired right around the draft. So there’s a lot of wiggle room here.

I do think the price is probably still a second-round pick.

• Chase Young’s one-year, $13 million deal with the New Orleans Saints compares to 24-year-old Jadeveon Clowney.

Like Clowney, Young suffered a catastrophic knee injury early in his career—Young’s was far more than just an ACL tear—and the injury has had an impact on how teams value him.

In Clowney’s case, it led to him playing his fifth-year option out in 2018, then being traded on the franchise tag from Houston to Seattle without an extension in ’19. After that, he did one-year deals in Tennessee (’20). Cleveland twice (’21 and ’22) and Baltimore (’23). The twist here is that for Clowney, going year-to-year actually became his preference. And he’s a free agent again now.

Young is only 24. He may not have the explosion he did coming out of Ohio State in 2019, but he’s still a freakish athlete. He’s also going to a place now where he’ll get to work with Cam Jordan, and where the head coach, Dennis Allen, has great experience developing defensive players.

So this one will be a fascinating one to track.

• Last word on Justin Fields’s time with the Chicago Bears—I can’t remember a first-round quarterback being offloaded in the midst of his rookie deal with as much warm feelings as the city of Chicago has for the 25-year-old.

And that extends to Fields’s teammates, too. Tight end Cole Kmet actually told the CHGO Bears pod that he called off his St. Patrick’s Day party plans when coach Matt Eberflus called to let him know the deal was done.

“I was planning to hit the city and go out, but then I got a call from Flus and the people with the Bears, and decided to stay in after the news with Justin,” Kmet said. “Obviously, really upsetting that it came to that, and where it was at that moment, but you kind of felt like the writing was on the wall with that.”

• It’s hard not to feel bad for former Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, who was forced to retire. He is, by all accounts, a really good guy, and was a good productive player over the past six years.

But his case is another reminder of how important the medical piece of draft evaluations. Some teams failed Vander Esch on his physical that spring because of lingering neck issues coming out of Boise State. And those neck issues are what have prematurely ended his NFL career.

• Two big pro days coming up this week: Caleb Williams throws at USC on Wednesday, and J.J. McCarthy is scheduled to work out for teams at Michigan on Friday.

• One last random thought to finish up: I want to know why Cousins isn’t taking No. 12 in Atlanta. With Peyton Manning as the exception, I think 18 is an awkward quarterback number. So this is what I’ll be investigating in the coming days.

Travis Kelce is in talks with Amazon Prime Video to host a reboot of the game show Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, Variety’s Brian Steinberg first reported. There are still questions as to how much Kelce would be able to commit to the position while still playing for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? originally ran on Fox from 2007 to ’09, and featured contestants answering grade-school questions alongside actual fifth graders while comedian Jeff Foxworthy served as the host. There have since been several reboots of the game show, including one in 2015 on Fox with Foxworthy and another in 2019 on Nickelodeon with John Cena hosting.

Travis Kelce is in talks with Amazon Prime Video about hosting an ‘Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?’ reboot.

Briana Sanchez/USA Today sports

According to Variety, the new version of the game show would feature celebrity guests answering questions alongside contestants instead of children. The deal is not yet done as discussions are ongoing.

Kelce continues to find his way into the entertainment industry during his football career, as he hosted Saturday Night Live last year and was the star of the Catching Kelce reality show in 2016. Of course, he is also dating arguably the most popular entertainer in the world right now, Taylor Swift.

If Kelce does agree to this deal, he could tape all the episodes in the offseason so it doesn’t interfere with the Chiefs’ season. 

Austin Reaves was a good sport about the poster dunk that left him victimized during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 136—105 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena. 

On a night dominated by discourse about Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards‘s thunderous dunk, Atlanta forward Jalen Johnson also submitted a memorable slam, rising for a fast-break dunk while jamming his groin into Reaves’s face in the process.

After the game, Los Angeles Times reporter Dan Woike asked the Lakers guard what happened on the play. When Reaves replied by saying everyone already saw what happened, Woike commented that no one had his perspective, setting up Reaves for the perfect quip.

Reporter: "Nobody had your view."
Austin Reaves: “You don’t want my view!” 🤣

(via @ohnohedidnt24) pic.twitter.com/KUHnWNNn0Q https://t.co/pYbU8XOcJ3

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) March 19, 2024

“Nobody has your view,” Woike prodded.

“You don’t want my view,” Reaves replied with a laugh. 

Well done by Reaves. While it’s true no one wants to be posterized, the Lakers guard can take solace in the fact that his team ended a two-game losing skid with the victory over Atlanta. 

It appears as if the Clemson Tigers see the writing on the wall for the ACC.

With the approval of the expansion of the College Football Playoff last week to 14 teams, effective beginning in 2026, which will only further skew revenue disparity toward the Big Ten and SEC, Clemson has filed a lawsuit against the ACC formally challenging the conference’s Grant of Rights.

Clemson announced its decision in a release, stating that the lawsuit was filed in Pickens County, S.C. Clemson is seeking confirmation of “the plain language found in the Grant of Rights agreements and the related media agreements between the ACC and ESPN” and that the agreements “when read together, plainly state that Clemson controls its media rights for games played if it is no longer a member of the ACC.”

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney has built the Tigers into a flagship ACC program, but the school is taking legal aim at the conference over media rights and a $140 million exit fee.

Rob Kinnan/USA TODAY Sports

In addition, Clemson is seeking a ruling regarding the “unenforceability of the severe penalty the ACC is seeking to impose upon exiting members.”

However, Clemson has made it clear that it remains a member of the ACC and has no formal plans to leave the conference. 

In plain language, Clemson does not want to incur a $140 million exit fee by violating the league’s Grant of Rights if the program leaves the conference. If Clemson does choose to leave the ACC, it hopes to control its television rights while doing so.

Clemson is the second ACC school to sue the conference over the Grant of Rights, joining fellow football powerhouse Florida State. 

As conference realignment continues to unfold, the futures of Clemson and Florida State in the ACC remain uncertain at best. If the ACC loses those schools, both of which have captured national championships in the past decade, the future of the conference will be in doubt. 

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide or is in emotional distress, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK(8255) or at suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka still plans to compete in this week’s WTA Miami Open days after her longtime boyfriend, ex-NHL player Konstantin Koltsov, died from an apparent suicide in Miami.

The Belarusian’s first match at the Miami Open is set for Friday, March 22. While she plans to play in the tournament, she will not be speaking to any media during her run, Tennis Channel reports. She has not made a public statement about Koltsov’s death since it was announced on Tuesday.

Koltsov’s death was first reported to be due to a “detached blood clot,” according to Belarusian media outlet Telegraf, but the Miami-Dade Police Department later announced on Tuesday that they are investigating his death as an apparent suicide.

She began dating Koltsov in June 2021, according to People.

Sabalenka is coming off back-to-back Australian Open titles as she next prepares for May’s French Open Grand Slam tournament.

Florida State opened a lawsuit against the Atlantic Coast Conference in December, citing “years of mismanagement” of its media rights agreement and “draconian” withdrawal penalties, a suit that was pre-empted by one from the ACC earlier that month. On Tuesday, FSU was joined by the ACC’s other football power—Clemson.

In Clemson’s lawsuit, filed in Pickens County, S.C., the school makes it clear that the lawsuit is focused on the feasibility of finding a new conference home, citing the Grant of Rights agreement that runs through 2036 which would allow the league to own a school’s media rights even after a departure. Clemson cites that price as “an exorbitant $140 million to leave the conference,” later comparing it to the lesser fees of the other Power 4 conferences, via Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports.

“Each of these erroneous assertions separately hinders Clemson’s ability to meaningfully explore it options regarding conference membership, to negotiate alternative revenue-sharing proposals among ACC members, and to obtain full value for its future media rights,” the school said in the lawsuit, as shared by ESPN’s Pete Thamel. 

Clemson joined ACC rival Florida State with its own lawsuit against the conference, taking aim at the league’s Grant of Rights and consequent exit fee.

Ken Ruinard/The Greenville News/USA TODAY Network

The school goes on to argue that the Grant of Rights only covers games played while Clemson is in the ACC, and that “the media rights to games played at a time when Clemson is not a member of the ACC were never part of any grant of rights.”

Clemson, along with the league’s other members, signed the Grant of Rights in 2013 but argues that the agreement should not cover future games played as a member of another conference before that 2036 date. It calls this a “public misconception” that “interferes with Clemson’s pursuit of opportunities with other collegiate conferences and media providers regarding potential future collaborations.” 

The suit is not identical to the one brought forth by Florida State in December, but in court documents, Clemson backs its disgruntled conference mate, stating that “the ACC did not hold a vote requesting that its members, including Clemson, approve of the lawsuit against Florida State. Nor has Clemson ever authorized the ACC’s lawsuit against Florida State,” per Dellenger.

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The further consolidation of power in college sports—namely, football—is the backdrop for both lawsuits. 

As the College Football Playoff eyes further potential expansion to 14 teams, it is estimated that the Big Ten and SEC could be granted around 29% of revenues from a future playoff format, with the ACC getting 17% and Big 12 receiving 15% of the pie. The remaining 10% would be divided up between Group of 5 and independent programs.

Add that CFP payout disparity to the already significant difference in media rights revenue between the ACC and the Big Ten/SEC, and it becomes obvious there is plenty of financial incentive for Clemson and Florida State to attempt to get out of what has long been considered an ironclad Grant of Rights deal.