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While 28-6 Indiana State being completely left out of the NCAA Tournament was the shocker of Selection Sunday, perhaps the second-most egregious move involved Boise State being given a No. 10 seed to play in the First Four.
The Broncos put together a 22-10 campaign, but fell to New Mexico in their opening game of the Mountain West Conference Tournament. While that loss certainly didn’t help Boise’s cause, many believed it was still comfortably into the NCAA Tournament, but the committee clearly had a different point of view.
Looking to get in on the fun with NCAA March Madness?
Try a bracket challenge!
Here is a quick primer on how a March Madness bracket works, and how you can use the sportsbooks as the ultimate cheat sheet. By the end of this primer, you’ll be ready to jump in and shoot your best shot, even if you don’t know the name of a single player in the tournament.
Brackets are a popular way to bet, and anyone at all can win a bracket challenge. Remember, this is March MADNESS! You can expect the unexpected. Let’s break down how a bracket works.
The Baltimore Ravens all but signaled the end of Odell Beckham Jr.’s tenure with the club when they released the veteran wide receiver with a post-June 1 designation last Wednesday.
But Beckham confirmed he won’t be returning to the Ravens next season, penning a goodbye message to teammates and fans on Instagram.
“Swea on everything I appreciate the Flock more than yall could EVER imagine. Did everything I could wit the opportunities I had. Wish I got to do it big for yall 💍. Thank you for the Vibez! To the City of Baltimore I fxck wit yall forever FRRRR.
“Hey, is this heaven?,” Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson asks in the “Field of Dreams” movie as he leaves the baseball diamond.
“No,” the farmer played by Kevin Costner says. “It’s Iowa.”
“Is this a drug?,” Long Beach State men’s basketball coach Dan Monson’s wife Darci asked him Sunday night after he guided his team to an NCAA Tournament bracket for the first time since 2012.
No, it’s the NCAA Tournament.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — As a player director and member of the PGA Tour Policy Board, Tiger Woods “absolutely needs to be involved” in a meeting scheduled for Monday with the head of the Private Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia, Rory McIlroy said.
It appears that is going to be the case.
If not, Yasir Al-Ramayyan, the governor of the PIF, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who is also the CEO of new PGA Tour Enterprises, and several other player directors are going to a lot of trouble to be in the Bahamas.
The 2024 Players Championship had an ending that nobody will ever forget Sunday at TPC Sawgrass, with Scottie Scheffler getting the win after three players missed birdie putts on the final hole that would have forced a playoff.
Wyndham Clark was the last of those players to miss his putt, and his was the most brutal of the three. His ball looked as if it was going to fall into the hole, but then it rolled around it and stayed out.
This angle of his miss makes it even more heartbreaking, as you can see that Clark starts to celebrate while thinking he was going to make it:
Unreal. pic.
Photo by Gongora/NurPhoto via Getty Images
F1 is back this week with the Australian Grand Prix
The 2024 Formula 1 season could potentially reshape the sport. With over half the grid driving on expiring contracts, the driver transfer market could truly shake up the field over the next few months. We have already seen one seismic move — the upcoming switch to Ferrari from Mercedes from seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton — and more could be on the way.
As such, the competition for seats on the 2025 grid expects to be tight.
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
No one can make sense of a bizarre 2024 men’s NCAA tournament bracket.
The NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournament has always been the best event on the American sports calendar to these eyes. The NBA provides the greatest basketball in the world, sure, but nothing can beat the charm of a single-elimination format with players who have worked their whole life for this one shining moment. The drama, the intensity, and stakes of March Madness are simply unmatched.
Scottie Scheffler made history Sunday when he stormed back to win his second straight Players Championship with a final round at TPC Sawgrass that will never be forgotten.
The No. 1 player in the world fired an 8-under, 64 and then held on to win after three players, including Wyndham Clark, missed birdie putts on the final hole that would have forced a playoff.
Scottie Scheffer and his wife, Meredith, share a sweet moment after the Players Championship.
College basketball fans are livid Indiana State didn’t make the NCAA Tournament.
The Sycamores put together an incredibly impressive 28-6 season, but lost to Drake in the MVC title game. People were pulling for Indiana State to get an at-large bid to the Big Dance because earning 28 regular season wins as an MVC team should get the job done.
Plus, Robbie Avila (nickname: Cream Abdul-Jabbar) has built a bit of a cult following. However, it just wasn’t meant to be.
The Sycamores waited to hear their names called Sunday during the Selection Show, but it never came.
While the NCAA Tournament rightfully receives the majority of the spotlight on Selection Sunday, the NIT field is also finalized on the same day. This year’s NIT will be missing a handful of teams who were not only on the NCAA Tournament bubble but are household names, and former college hoops coach Tom Crean has a problem with that reality.
Teams declining bids into the NIT isn’t something new, but it’s become more common in recent years with the emergence of NIL and the transfer portal.
With the first week of NFL free agency in the books, let’s assess which teams got better or worse by declaring winners and losers.
Yes, the Carolina Panthers will again be on the losing side. That’s not a spoiler. (You know the franchise is in bad shape when local celebrities are questioning the direction of the organization.)
But, hey, at least the Panthers got something in return for trading Brian Burns to the New York Giants. The Minnesota Vikings lost Kirk Cousins for nothing in free agency and were left scrambling for a starting quarterback.
The WAC Tournament title game had some fireworks in the closing seconds.
The Grand Canyon Lopes locked up the WAC tourney title with an 89-74 win over UT Arlington, but the victory wasn’t without drama.
Grand Canyon player Collin Moore threw down an uncontested windmill dunk with just a few seconds left, and it was off to the races from there.
A UTA player bodychecked him and another threw the ball at him. Watch tempers flare and tensions explode in the video below, and let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.
Aaron Donald knew his career was complete on the night of Jan. 14. Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay got that message loud and clear the next day when the all-planet all-timer came into his office as the team was shaking off its playoff ouster in Detroit the night before.
“I’m full,” Donald simply told McVay.
Nothing was official yet. But the coach had all the information he needed.
“I’m just like, And you should be. You have every right to feel that way,” McVay said over the phone Sunday afternoon. “What an amazing thing.
Bruce Pearl shed some tears after winning the SEC Tournament.
The Tigers smashed Florida 86-67 to win the SEC tourney title, and the team is now a four seed in the NCAA Tournament with a first round matchup against Yale.
The emotions were flowing after the game as the Auburn coach remembered his father Bernie, who passed away at the age of 88 in August.
Pearl had to fight back tears as he remembered his father with some emotional comments while talking with Marty Smith.
“That’s why I’m so emotional. I wish he was here,” Pearl said with tears streaming down his face.
Professional sports teams who change their names as a response to woke criticism get mocked; chief among those are the Washington Redskins (now “Washington Commanders”) and Cleveland Indians (“Cleveland Guardians”).
Donald J. Trump, former U.S. president, roasted the Guardians for changing the organization’s image as a bending of the knee to woke mobs.
As part of Trump’s rant about the Guardians, he applied some P.R. pressure on Republican candidate for Senate, Matt Dolan.
West Virginia head women’s basketball coach Mark Kellogg decided to poke the bear.
The Mountaineers enter the NCAA women’s tournament as the No. 8 seed in the Albany 2 bracket. This means they’re one victory away from a matchup with No. 1 seed Iowa and star Caitlin Clark, but before that, will need to defeat Princeton in the round of 64.
Kellogg addressed both games with a one-liner that quickly went viral, calling his shot for West Virginia to send Clark and the Hawkeyes home early.
The University of Michigan opted to make a change to its men’s basketball program on Friday, parting ways with head coach Juwan Howard after five seasons.
Athletic director Warde Manual called Howard “among the greatest Wolverines to ever be associated with our basketball program” in a parting statement. However, the statement also said that the program was not living up to expectations and “not trending in the right direction.”
Following the news, Howard issued a statement on Sunday thanking the school and numerous people involved, including Manual.
Hailey Van Lith made the move from Louisville to LSU ahead of her senior season and enjoyed a solid year with the Tigers in 2023-24.
LSU earned a No. 3 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, pitting them up for a matchup against No. 14 Rice in the opening round. Should they take care of business in the first round, they’ll potentially be greeted by none other than the Cardinals during the round of 32.
2024 March Madness: Latest News & Analysis
Louisville was also drawn into the “Albany 2” section of the women’s bracket as a No. 6 seed, and it is due to meet No.
Get to know all 68 teams chasing a national title — and how far they could go.
There was no question about the No. 1 overall seed for the women’s tournament. (Who else but the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks?) But plenty of bracket drama was in store beyond that on Selection Sunday.
Let’s start with the second regional in Albany. There at the top, you have the one-seed Iowa Hawkeyes, two-seed UCLA Bruins and three-seed LSU Tigers.
March Madness is upon us after a chaotic championship week and plethora of bid stealers. Predicting how the 2024 NCAA men’s tournament will unfold on the court can be tricky—which is why we’re here to help.
Related: March Madness: Forty Things to Watch in the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament
Now that the field of 68 is set, Sports Illustrated’s Kevin Sweeney and Pat Forde make their picks for each round of the tourney, all the way to the Final Four in Phoenix.
[ March Madness 2024: News & Analysis | Schedule | Bracket ]
Below are our expert brackets.
The NCAA men’s tournament bracket is finally out! After a few big surprises during the selection show, the field of 68 is set, and now the countdown is on until Thursday for wall-to-wall action of the most dramatic sporting event in the world. Which games should you have circled on your calendars? Here’s a look at the eight best Round of 64 matchups you won’t want to miss.
[ March Madness 2024: News & Analysis | Schedule | Bracket ]
No. 5 Wisconsin Badgers vs. No. 12 James Madison Dukes, Friday, 9:40 p.m.
Providence won’t be dancing at the 2024 NCAA tournament after the selection committee left Kim English’s Friars out of the field on Sunday.
English didn’t seem to agree with Providence not making the tournament, prompting the irate coach to blast the sport’s analytical approach in a fiery rant.
“I think the analytics are bulls–,” said English, via college basketball writer Kevin McNamara. “I think you can schedule bad teams in your non-leagues and beat the snot out of them and beat them by 50 or 60…”
“But right now [there] might be a change in college basketball.
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Here’s your full NIT bracket and the schedule for the first round.
It’s NIT time baby! Some questionable decisions in the NCAA bracket is the NIT’s gain, with the National Invitational Tournament getting national sweetheart Indiana State in their tournament.
There’s no doubt this is a mammoth disappointment for the Sycamores. Indiana State was first in the Missouri Valley this year on the back of spectacled center Robbie Avila, who became the most captivating player the school has had since Larry Bird.
Players from blue bloods and also aspiring Cinderellas are poised to make some noise when the men’s NCAA tournament tips off. These are the players to watch.
These NBA kids are getting out of hand. Rookies Anthony Black (Orlando Magic) and Gradey Dick (Toronto Raptors) faced off on Sunday, with the Magic nabbing the 111-96 win to continue their ascendance in the East.
After the game, Black and Dick met up at halfway to pull off the most outrageous jersey swap in NBA history.
If you haven’t figured out why the jersey swap was ridiculous … check out the photo op. The players thought they’d be slick, but people quickly caught on to Black and Dick’s tactics.
Conventional wisdom from many followers of women’s college basketball was that the NCAA Women’s Tournament Selection Committee would provide an easier path to the Final Four for Iowa because the country wants to see more of superstar Caitlin Clark.
All you have to do is look at some of the TV ratings of her games to realize that.
But that’s not what happened Sunday night during the NCAA Tournament Selection Special. No. 2 ranked Iowa (29-4) and Clark received a No. 1 seed as expected, but the Hawkeyes will have to get by defending national champion No.
Undefeated South Carolina is the top overall seed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament, with Iowa, USC and Texas the other No. 1 seeds.
March Madness is upon us, and the release of Sunday’s 2024 men’s NCAA tournament field of 68 means it’s time to start analyzing seedings, matchups and potential Cinderellas.
Who’s making it out of Dallas in the South Region? Here’s our preview and prediction.
[ 2024 March Madness: Latest News & Analysis ]
State of the No. 1 seed: Houston Cougars
The Cougars were absolutely rolling until they hit a brick wall named the Iowa State Cyclones in the Big 12 tournament final. Losing that game by 28 points doesn’t seem like a very good way to enter the NCAA tourney.
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Here’s everyone competing in the 2024 NIT.
This is going to be a very different NIT. The National Invitational Tournament has routinely been the place where mid-majors and lesser-known teams had their chance to compete against the best programs in the country who barely missed out on the big dance of the NCAA Tournament, but not anymore.
In the quest to increase the profile of the NIT, organizers removed the longstanding method of entry: Winning a conference regular season title.
Kyrie Irving dazzled the NBA world Sunday afternoon, nailing an absurd buzzer-beating shot over
Nikola Jokić to lift the Dallas Mavericks past the Denver Nuggets.
With the game tied at 105 and 2.8 seconds left to play, Irving took an inbounds pass in the right corner and dribbled around the horn to the top of the lane, where he lofted a running left-handed prayer over the outstretched left arm of the 6’11” two-time NBA MVP.
Ballgame.
KAI CALLED GAME 🚨 pic.twitter.
St. John’s won’t be playing in the postseason this year after failing to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament and rejecting a potential invitation to the National Invitation Tournament.
Red Storm coach Rick Pitino discussed his thoughts on the situation not long after learning his team’s fate Sunday evening, lamenting the “fraudulent” NET ranking system before offering some insight into his team’s season.
“We’re 32 in the NET. First of all, I think we should all probably never mention that word again because I think it’s fraudulent,” said Pitino, via SNY.
Pray for Jake Paul because the legendary Mike Tyson is coming for his a**.
Mike Tyson, frequently referred to as the Baddest Man on the Planet, will be taking on viral twink Jake Paul in a boxing match, scheduled for July 20.
Mike Tyson Puts Boxing Skills On Display, Can Still Throw Bombs: VIDEO
Tyson’s been putting Paul on notice, posting his lethal training videos, showcasing the 57-year-old’s bombs-for-fists.
March Madness is upon us, and the release of Sunday’s 2024 men’s NCAA tournament field of 68 means it’s time to start analyzing seedings, matchups and potential Cinderellas.
Out West, North Carolina earned the fourth and final No. 1 seed, but will have to go across the country in the second weekend if the Tar Heels want to make a trip to the Final Four. The Arizona Wildcats land on the No. 2 line, but get a more favorable regional path with hopes of eventually playing for a championship in their home state.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — PGA Tour players sought and received more power in the aftermath of the stunning June 6 “framework agreement” with the idea that there would no longer be any surprise announcements without their input.
Tiger Woods was added to the PGA Tour Policy Board, another player seat was created to have six members, and negotiations continued—or so we thought—with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), which backs LIV Golf.
We can’t complain about the No. 1 seeds and the bubble teams, but many of the seeding decisions were head-scratching, like for Gonzaga and Michigan State.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Ted Scott calls it his little caddie trick, one that he uses to keep the No. 1-ranked player in the world engaged. Not that Scottie Scheffler really needs it. But such a tactic is fun nonetheless and makes for some good banter during rounds.
The duo has a game in which they keep track of the number of times Scheffler holes out or chips in during the year. And once Scheffler gets to 10, his caddie bestows upon him a nice, little gift, one that both seem to take great pride in accomplishing.
Iowa State made a strong case for a No. 1 men’s seed, but the selection committee disagreed. Meanwhile, it was a good day for both the UConn men and women.
Selection Sunday is here.
March Madness is upon us, and the release of Sunday’s 2024 men’s NCAA tournament field of 68 means it’s time to start analyzing seedings, matchups and potential Cinderellas.
Who will make it out of Detroit and punch a ticket to Phoenix? Here’s our Midwest Region preview and prediction.
[ 2024 March Madness: Latest News & Analysis ]
State of the No. 1 seed: Purdue Boilermakers
The Boilermakers lug more baggage into the bracket than anyone, coming off the mortifying first-round loss to the No.
The St. John’s Red Storm will not be going dancing in the NCAA D1 tournament (better known as March Madness), or any other tournament for that matter.
Rick Pitino’s squad was considered one of the biggest snubs of this year’s selection. The Red Storm won 20 games, were ranked 32nd in the NET ratings, and pushed UConn (the No. 1 overall seed in March Madness) to the brink in the Big East semifinals.
Nonetheless, it was not enough to get St. John’s into the tournament.
Call it the Trev Alberts classic.
On Selection Sunday, Nebraska and Texas A&M both booked spots in the 2024 NCAA tournament—against each other in the South Region. The No. 8-seeded Cornhuskers will take on the No. 9-seeded Aggies in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Friday in Memphis in what could be viewed as a revenge game for the ages.
Indeed, Texas A&M lured Nebraska athletic director to take the same position with the Aggies last Wednesday. It was a stunning move considering Alberts’s status as a former Nebraska football star.
UConn is looking to repeat; Stetson and Grambling are making their debuts. Get to know all 68 teams chasing a national title — and how far they could go.
March Madness is upon us, and the release of Sunday’s 2024 men’s NCAA tournament field of 68 means it’s time to start analyzing seedings, matchups and potential Cinderellas.
In the East, the defending champion UConn Huskies have quite the gauntlet to get through to get back to the Final Four. Conference tournament champions from the Big 12 (Iowa State Cyclones), Big Ten (Illinois Fighting Illini) and SEC (Auburn Tigers) all land in the Big East’s champion Huskies’ region.
Who will make it out of Boston and punch a ticket to Phoenix? Here’s our East Region preview and prediction.
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Schauffele came up short again at a big tournament as he let The Players slip from his grasp on Sunday.
Xander Schauffele came close to taking home The Players Championship on Sunday but came up short yet again.
Schauffele signed for a 2-under 70 on Sunday to fall one shot short of Scottie Scheffler. He and Wyndham Clark watched the former Texas Longhorn zoom past them while they stayed in neutral.
It’s not like he played terrible golf Sunday, but he couldn’t convert when he needed it the most.
Auburn Tigers men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl appears to be less than thrilled by the location of his team’s opening matchup in the NCAA tournament.
The committee selected Auburn as a No. 4 seed for this year’s Big Dance, setting them up for a clash against the No. 13-seed Yale Bulldogs. That first-round game will be held at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Wash., roughly 2,400 miles northwest of Auburn.
Auburn’s seeding and game site were revealed hours after the Tigers beat Florida, 86–67, in the SEC tournament championship game in Nashville.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The diameter of a golf hole is 4.25 inches and the diameter of a golf ball is 1.68 inches.
On Sunday, Wyndham Clark learned that when a 1.68-inch ball goes below the equator of the 4.25-inch cup … it can still reappear.
When Clark he saw the “Titleist” go below the edge of the cup, he must have thought he just landed in a playoff with an opportunity for payback after finishing runner-up to Scottie Scheffler at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week.