🏀 It's Tournament Time!

Hello, friends. The rumors are true: March Madness is finally here! The bracket is officially set, and the greatest tournament in sports tips off in less than 48 hours. Today, we'll recap the weekend's major conference championships and then brief the bracket before further analyzing each region throughout the week. And while nothing’s bigger than the Big Dance, the NFL continues to make headlines, as a pair of bombshells dropped this weekend with Justin Fields finding a new home and one of the best defensive players ever calling it quits. Finally, we’ll cover a dramatic finish at The Players Championship, and some buzzer-beating wins in the NBA, NHL, and FA Cup quarterfinals. It’s one of the best weeks of the year, and it starts right now!

WTF Stat: NC State men’s basketball has more wins (5) than the Washington Wizards (4) at Capital One Arena so far this season - to answer your question: yes, the Wizards play their home games at Captial One Arena.

🏈 Steelers acquired QB Justin Fields in a trade with the Bears on Saturday for a 2025 conditional sixth-round draft pick - Pittsburgh traded QB Kenny Pickett to the Eagles on Friday and signed former Broncos QB Russell Wilson last week

🏈 Rams star DT Aaron Donald announced on Friday that he is retiring from the NFL after 10 seasons - Donald, 32, played all 10 seasons with the Rams, in which he was selected to 10 Pro Bowls, was an eight-time first-team All-Pro, and won Super Bowl 56

🏀 Let’s Dance!

Men’s College Basketball - Major Conference Championships

• ACC | NC State 84, #4 North Carolina 76: Five wins in five days! After shocking Duke on Thursday and then claiming an OT thriller against Virginia on Friday, DJ Horne (29 PTS, 4 REB) and the 10th-seeded Wolfpack pulled away from RJ Davis (30 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST) and top-seeded North Carolina on Saturday to take home the ACC championship in fairytale fashion, marking their fifth win in five days and their first conference tournament title since 1987 - NC State needed the automatic bid to reach the NCAA Tournament, where they are a No. 11 seed

• Big East | #2 UConn 73, #10 Marquette 57: The defending national champs and regular-season Big East winners capped a 2024 sweep of the conference hardware on Saturday at MSG, as Donovan Clingan (22 PTS, 16 REB) and the Huskies stormed past shorthanded Marquette, who was playing without star PG Tyler Kolek for the sixth straight game due to an oblique injury - UConn (31-3) has beaten Marquette (25-9) three times this year by an average of 17 points and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament; it’s their first Big East tournament title since 2011

• Big Ten | #13 Illinois 93, Wisconsin 87: In a back-and-forth Sunday shootout featuring 13 ties and 14 lead changes, Terrence Shannon Jr. (34 PTS, 8-15 FG, 4 REB) and the Illini outpaced AJ Storr (24 PTS, 5 REB) and the Badgers down the stretch to cut down the Big Ten tournament nets for the second time in four years - Wisconsin upset top-seeded Purdue in overtime on Saturday, 76-75, thanks to Max Klesmit’s last-second floater

• Big 12 | #7 Iowa State 69, #1 Houston 41: After taking the regular-season chip, Houston was seeking a Big 12 title sweep in their first season in the conference, which likely would have assured them the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, but Jamal Shead (10 PTS, 3-17 FG, 3 AST) and the Cougars were ice cold on Saturday and got outscored 39-18 in the second half by Milan Momcilovic (18 PTS, 6 REB) and Iowa State, giving the Cyclones their first Big 12 tournament title since 2019 and their fifth in 10 seasons

• Pac-12 | Oregon 75, Colorado 68: Following an upset win over top-seeded Arizona on Friday, Nfaly Dante (25 PTS, 9 REB) and the Ducks edged out future NBA lottery pick KJ Simpson (23 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST) and Colorado on Saturday to claim the final Pac-12 tournament and Oregon’s third since 2016 - thank you, Pac-12 After Dark, you will be missed!

• SEC | #12 Auburn 86, Florida 67: Zyon Pullin (15 PTS, 7 REB) and the Gators trailed the entire way in Sunday’s final, and although they cut their deficit to one early in the second half, Johni Broome (19 PTS, 11 REB) and Auburn responded by going on a massive run to blow the game open, as the Tigers waltzed to their first SEC tournament title in five years - Auburn won their three tournament games (against No. 15 South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Florida) by an average of 19 points

See this weekend’s full NCAAM scoreboard here and the other conference champions here.

Selection Sunday Recap - Bracket Briefing

The 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament bracket is here! We’ll break down each region in detail before the first round begins. But first, let’s review the nuts and bolts of the 68-team field. Below is a general summary of how things shook out on Selection Sunday…

• No. 1 Seeds: Defending champion UConn (East) earned the top overall seed, followed by Houston (South), Purdue (Midwest), and North Carolina (West) taking the remaining No. 1 seeds, respectively - UConn (+420) is the odds-on favorite to win it all, and two-seeds Arizona and Tennessee (+1500) share the best odds among the non-No. 1 seeds

• Last Four In / Play-In Games: Known as the “Last Four In,” the final four teams to receive at-large bids will tip off tournament action in first-round play-in games for the No. 10 seed in their respective regions beginning on Tuesday, with Virginia taking on Colorado State in the Midwest and then Colorado squaring off against Boise State in the South on Wednesday - Wagner and Howard will play for West’s No. 16 seed on Tuesday, and Grambling will face Montana State for the Midwest’s No. 16 seed on Wednesday to complete the first round’s 64-team field

• Last Four Out: Oklahoma (20-12) was the first team left out of the Big Dance, followed by Seton Hall (20-12), Indiana State (28-6), and Pittsburgh (22-11) - St. John’s (20-13) and Providence (21-13) were two other notable bubble teams left out

• Conference Breakdown: The Big 12 and SEC lead the 68-team field with eight representatives each, followed by the Big Ten and Mountain West with six teams apiece, the ACC (5), Pac-12 (4), and Big East (3)

• Women’s Tournament: The women’s bracket was also revealed last night, with South Carolina earning the top overall seed for the second straight season, and Iowa, USC, and Texas rounding out the remaining No. 1 seeds

🏀 Join our March Madness Bracket Challenge!

Here’s how to enter…

Step 1: Join our Blitz Prime Premium Subscription for $25. If you are already a paying Blitz Prime subscriber, you can enter for free! Respond to this email and we will send you the group password for the ESPN group. If not, use this sign-up button:

Step 2: You will receive a Blitz Prime welcome letter via email and with the ESPN Bracket Challenge link, which also contains the password to enter the group.

Step 3: Fill out your bracket and let it rip! The winner of the challenge will receive a $200 cash prize.

PGA Tour - The Players Championship (TPC Sawgrass, FL)

• Winner: Scottie Scheffler (-20). The No. 1 player in the world has done it again! Seven days after emerging victorious at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Scottie Scheffler became the first repeat winner in The Players Championship’s 50-year history by carding a final-round 64 to enter as the clubhouse leader at 20-under and then avoiding a playoff with Brian Harman, Wyndham Clark, and Xander Schauffele, who each went into the 18th hole one stroke back of Scheffler but all settled for par - Clark, the last player to finish, saw a 17-foot putt roll lip out on 18 in agonizing fashion to seal Scheffler’s win

Final Leaderboard

• 1. Scottie Scheffler (-20)

• T2. Wyndham Clark (-19)

• T2. Brian Harman (-19)

• T2. Xander Schauffele (-19)

• 5. Matt Fitzpatrick (-16)

• T6. Si Woo Kim (-15)

• T6. Hideki Matsuyama (-15)

• 8. Ludvig Aberg (-14)

• T9. Maverick McNealy (-13)

• T9. Sahith Theegala (-13)

See the entire final leaderboard here.

NBA - Top Games

• Dallas Mavericks 107, Denver Nuggets 105: Kyrie Irving, oh my goodness! In an incredible finish, Irving (24 PTS, 7 REB, 9 AST) hit a ridiculously difficult left-handed, running floater at the buzzer to give Luka Doncic (37 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST) and the Mavs a thrilling win over Nikola Jokic (16 PTS, 11 REB, 7 AST) and the defending champs on Sunday in Dallas - Denver had won five straight games entering Sunday

• Golden State Warriors 128, Los Angeles Lakers 121: In a pivotal Saturday night showdown between two playoff contenders looking to avoid the play-in, LeBron James (40 PTS, 8 REB, 9 AST) kept the Lakers in it after Anthony Davis (12 MIN, 8 PTS, 4 REB) left the game with an eye contusion in the 1st quarter, but Stephen Curry (31 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST) and the Warriors overcame a frantic 4th quarter to claim a much-needed victory - with the win, Golden State (35-31) moved a percentage point past Los Angeles (36-32) for the ninth seed in the West

• Milwaukee Bucks 140, Phoenix Suns 129: Despite being without Giannis Antetokounmpo due to hamstring soreness, the Bucks powered past Bradley Beal (28 PTS, 7 AST), Devin Booker (23 PTS, 9 REB, 6 AST) and the Suns on Sunday in Cream City behind Damian Lillard’s (31 PTS, 16 AST) monster afternoon - Milwaukee (44-24) is 9-3 since the All-Star break

See the full NBA scoreboard here and the current standings here.

NHL - Top Games

• Colorado Avalanche 3, Edmonton Oilers 2 (OT): Stuart Skinner (40 SV) was outstanding for Edmonton, but Artturi Lehkonen (1 G) poked one past him for the OT-winner with just 0.5 seconds left on the clock, giving the Avalanche their sixth straight win in dramatic fashion on Saturday - Colorado (43-20-5) is tied with Winnipeg (43-19-5) and Dallas (41-19-9) for the top spot in the Central Division with 91 points

• New York Rangers 5, New York Islanders 2: Jonny Brodzinksi (1 G) and the Rags broke a 2-2 game with three unanswered goals to top their in-state rivals at the Garden on Sunday, marking the Islanders’ fourth loss in a row - New York (42-20-6) beat Pittsburgh 7-4 on Saturday and has 94 points on the season, one shy of East-leading Boston (40-14-15)

• Vegas Golden Knights 3, New Jersey Devils 1: After a scoreless two periods, Nico Hirschier (1 G) gave the Devs a 1-0 lead early in the 3rd, but Jack Eichel (1 G) and the Knights rattled off three straight goals to surge past New Jersey in Vegas on Sunday - New Jersey (32-32-4) has lost seven of their past 10 games and has the fourth worst record in the East

See the full NHL scoreboard here and the current standings here.

FA Cup Quarterfinals - Top Matches

• Manchester United 4, Liverpool 3: In a frenetic affair at Old Trafford, Harvey Elliot (105’) gave Liverpool a 3-2 lead early in extra time, but Marcus Rashford (112’) quickly retaliated with an equalizer before Amad Diallo (120’+’2) found the back of the net in the game’s waning seconds to send the United faithful wild with an unforgettable victory - the Red Devils will face Coventry City in the semifinals on April 20

• Manchester City 2, Newcastle United 0: Bernardo Silva (13’, 31’) notched a brace before intermission, and the holders rolled to a clinical victory over Newcastle on Saturday to reach their sixth consecutive FA Cup semifinal - City will duel Chelsea in the other semifinal on April 21

See the full international scoreboard here.

NBA

• Miami Heat @ Philadelphia 76ers 7:30pm ET, ESPN

• Minnesota Timberwolves @ Utah Jazz 9:00pm ET, Local

• New York Knicks @ Golden State Warriors 10:00pm ET, ESPN

• Full Schedule

NHL

• Washington Capitals @ Calgary Flames 8:30pm ET, NHL Net

• Buffalo Sabres @ Seattle Kraken 10:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

Trivia Time Answer

B. 2012. The last time the No. 1 overall seed won the men's NCAA Tournament was over ten years ago, when Kentucky, led by Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, cut down the nets in 2012. It was the first time that the top overall seed captured the national title since Florida did so in 2007 and just the fourth time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Defending champion UConn will seek to end the draught this year, while also looking to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the ‘07 Gators.

Prime Lock of the Day

Subscribe to Blitz Prime to unlock this betting slip. For those already signed up, enjoy the winner!

Enjoy one of the best sports weeks of the year, and thanks for starting it with the Blitz!