🚨 CAUTION: Madness is Brewing...

March Madness tips off tonight! Don't worry, you still have two days to fill out the perfect bracket, but the Big Dance officially gets underway this evening with two of the First Four play-in games. We’ll begin our bracket breakdown this morning by highlighting the top storylines in the East Region and examining who holds the best odds of making it out alive. In big-league basketball, Anthony Edwards soared through the rafters to leave jaws on the floor (Dunk of the Year, alert!), and the C’s kept raining threes to collect yet another W. We also had a major free agency splash in the MLB and more big names on the move in the NFL. The time has finally come — let the madness begin!

WTF Stat: Since Florida repeated as national champions in 2007, no defending men’s NCAA Tournament title winner has advanced past the Sweet 16.

⚾️ Giants and former Padres SP Blake Snell, the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner, have agreed to a 2-year, $62M contract - Snell, 31, became a free agent after winning his second Cy Young award last season in which he led the majors with 2.25 ERA

🏈 Saints and former 49ers DE Chase Young have agreed to a 1-year, $13M contract that’s fully guaranteed - Young, the No. 2 pick in the 2020 Draft, spent 4.5 seasons with the Commanders before being traded to the 49ers last October

🏈 49ers and former Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs have agreed to a 1-year, $2.25M contract that’s fully guaranteed - Dobbs, 29, started eight games for the Cardinals last season before being traded to Minnesota in October, where he was benched after starting four games

NBA - Top Games

• Minnesota Timberwolves 114, Utah Jazz 104: Anthony Edwards with no regard for human life! Edwards (32 PTS, 7 REB, 8 AST) threw down one of the rudest posters you will ever see — I’m talking, insanely athletic and shockingly violent — and the T-Wolves rallied from a 16-point, 1st-quarter deficit to topple Lauri Markkanen (22 PTS, 12 REB) and the struggling Jazz in Utah - Edwards dislocated his finger on the yam but later returned, and Minnesota (47-21) moved within a half-game back of Oklahoma City (47-20) for the top record in the West

• Los Angeles Lakers 136, Atlanta Hawks 105: Just minutes after Edwards’ ridiculous hammer, Jalen Johnson (25 PTS, 9 REB) was apparently feeling inspired and threw down a vicious jam of his own over Austin Reaves (12 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST), but LeBron James (25 PTS, 7 REB, 10 AST) and the Lakers got the win at Crypto.com Arena to bounce back from recent losses to the Warriors and Kings - Los Angeles (37-32) jumped Golden State (35-32) for the No. 9 spot in the West last night

• Boston Celtics 119, Detroit Pistons 94: No Jayson Tatum? No problem. Jaylen Brown (31 PTS, 11-20 FG, 7 REB) dropped 31 points in three quarters, Derrick White (22 PTS, 6-12 3PT, 10 REB, 10 AST) notched his first career triple-double, and the league-leading Celtics poured in 22 triples (22-49 3PT) to blow out Jaden Ivey (21 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST) and the Pistons for their sixth straight dub - Boston (54-14) is the first team in NBA history to make at least 20 three-pointers in four consecutive games, and Tatum was ruled out with a minor ankle injury

• New York Knicks 119, Golden State Warriors 112: Jalen Brunson (34 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST) posted his third straight 30-point game, Josh Hart (48 MIN, 10 PTS, 11 REB, 11 AST) messed around and had a triple-double while becoming the first NBA player this season to log a full 48 minutes, and the Knicks earned a wire-to-wire win over Stephen Curry (27 PTS, 4-13 3PT, 5 AST) and the Warriors out West - however, New York’s day was slightly spoiled as news broke that OG Anunoby will miss extended time with a reaggravated elbow injury

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

NHL - All Games

• Washington Capitals 5, Calgary Flames 2: This Alex Ovechkin (2 G) cat could be pretty good someday. Ovi lit the lamp twice to stamp his 19th consecutive 20-goal season, and Charlie Lindgren (34 SV) was feeling it in cage, as the Caps cruised past MacKenzie Weegar (1 G) and the Flames in Calgary to jump Detroit for the final wild-card spot in the East - Washington (33-25-9, 75 PTS) has won three straight games

• Buffalo Sabres 6, Seattle Kraken 2: The Sabres refuse to go away and picked up a much-needed win by blowing out Eeli Tolvanen (2 G) and the Krak-Attack on their home ice behind Jeff Skinner’s (3 G) hatty and Tage Thompson’s (1 G, 1 A) two-point night - Buffalo (33-32-5, 71 PTS) is four points back of Washington for the East’s final wild-card spot

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

🏀 Bracket Breakdown: Beasts of the East

March Madness is officially here! Although the First Four play-in games get underway tonight, there’s still plenty of time to fill out — or overthink — your bracket before the Round of 64 tips off on Thursday. Today, we'll break down a loaded East Region before highlighting the South and Midwest tomorrow and then the West on Thursday, a few hours before the first round begins. CAUTION: Madness is brewing…

Men’s March Madness - East Region Preview

• Perhaps the deepest region in the Big Dance, the East is led by the tournament’s reigning champion and No. 1 overall seed UConn, who is the odds-on favorite to become the first back-to-back title winners since 2006-07 Florida.

• The Huskies have been the most complete team this season, taking home the Big East regular-season and tournament titles, but they’ll have their work cut out for them alongside three other major conference tournament winners in No. 2 Iowa State (Big 12 champs), No. 3 Illinois (Big Ten champs), and No. 4 Auburn (SEC champs).

• A pair of 2023 Final Four Cinderellas, No. 5 San Diego State and No. 8 FAU are also in the fold, while No. 6 BYU, No. 7 Washington State, and No. 9 Northwestern round out the top nine as experienced teams with impressive respective wins over Kansas and Iowa State, Arizona, and Purdue and Illinois.

• The bottom half of the region is flooded with mid-major conference tournament champs who could be poised to make a run; No. 12 UAB, No. 14 Morehead State, No. 15 South Dakota State, and No. 16 Stetson are all high-scoring squads that can fill it up from the outside, while No. 10 Drake and No. 11 Duquesne rely on stifling defenses and No. 13 Yale is a well-rounded club that should be a tough out.

Odds to Win East Region

• #1 UConn (+110)

• #2 Iowa State (+450)

• #4 Auburn (+500)

• #3 Illinois (+800)

• #6 BYU (+1500)

• #5 San Diego State (+2100)

• #8 FAU (+3000)

• #7 Washington State (+3500)

• #10 Drake (+4500)

• #9 Northwestern (+6000)

• #13 Yale (+13000)

• #12 UAB (+15000)

• #11 Duquesne (+15000)

• #14 Morehead State (+25000)

• #15 South Dakota State (+25000)

• #16 Stetson (+25000)

Round of 64 Bracket & Schedule

• #1 UConn vs. #16 Stetson Friday, 2:45pm ET, CBS

  • Spread: CONN -26.5

• #8 FAU vs. #9 Northwestern Friday, 12:15pm ET, CBS

  • Spread: FAU -2.5

• #5 San Diego State vs. #12 UAB Friday, 1:45pm ET,

  • Spread: SDSU -6.5

• #4 Auburn vs. #13 Yale Friday, 4:15 pm ET, TNT

  • Spread: AUB -12.5

• #6 BYU vs. #11 Duquesne Thursday, 12:40pm ET, truTV

  • Spread: BYU -9.5

• #3 Illinois vs. #14 Morehead State Thursday, 3:10pm ET, truTV

  • Spread: ILL -11.5

• #7 Washington State vs. #10 Drake Thursday, 10:05pm ET, truTV

  • Spread: DRKE -1.5

• #2 Iowa State vs. #15 South Dakota State Thursday, 7:35pm ET, truTV

  • Spread: ISU -16.5

See the full men’s NCAA Tournament bracket here.

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On March 19, 1955, NHL President Clarence Campbell suspended Montreal Canadiens superstar Maurice "Rocket" Richard for the remainder of the season after he punched a referee during a game against the Bruins. The incident occurred when Richard was high-sticked in the head by Boston’s Hal Laycoe. Richard attempted to fight Laycoe after the play but was restrained by linesman Cliff Thompson. Moments later, the Rocket lost control and punched Thompson in the face, knocking him unconscious and ultimately leading to a hefty suspension. The suspension resulted in the famous Montreal Richard Riot the following day, where an estimated $100,000 (the equivalent of over $1 million today) in property damage, 37 injuries, and 100 arrests occurred. The punch likely cost Richard the 1954–55 scoring title, an honor he never achieved in his NHL career. The Rocket retired in 1960 as the league's all-time leader in goals with 544. He won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player in 1947 and played in 13 All-Star Games. The Hall of Fame waived its five-year waiting period for eligibility and inducted Richard in 1961. In 1998, Richard was diagnosed with abdominal cancer and died from the disease two years later. He was the first non-politician to be honored by the province of Quebec with a state funeral.

Men’s March Madness - First Four (Play-In Games)

• West Region: #16 Howard vs. #16 Wagner 6:40pm ET, truTV

• Midwest Region: #10 Colorado State vs.#10 Virginia 9:10pm ET, truTV

NBA

• Charlotte Hornets @ Orlando Magic 7:00pm ET, Local

• Dallas Mavericks @ San Antonio Spurs 8:00pm ET, ESPN

• Denver Nuggets @ Minnesota Timberwolves 9:00pm ET, NBA TV

• Full Schedule

NHL

• Winnipeg Jets @ New York Rangers 7:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

• Montreal Canadiens @ Edmonton Oilers 9:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

• Tampa Bay Lightning @ Vegas Golden Knights 10:00pm ET, NHLPP / ESPN+

• Full Schedule

Trivia Time Answer

A. No. 5 seed. Amazingly, no five-seed has ever won the NCAA Tournament in men’s basketball. Four five-seeds reached the title game but lost: 2000 Florida, 2002 Indiana, 2010 Butler, and 2023 San Diego State. Entering last year’s dance, in the previous 10 tournaments, the 12-seed had beaten the five-seed 42.5% of the time (17-23 record). However, not a single 12-seed won in the first round in 2023.

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Enjoy the madness, and thanks for reading!