NCAA Basketball Tournament 2023: Brackets Revealed, SEC and Big Ten Dominate
- Big Money for Bengals' Stars: The Cincinnati Bengals have agreed to big-money extensions with their top two wide receivers, making Ja'Marr Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL (four years, $161M) and Tee Higgins the league's highest-paid WR2 (four years, $115M).
- Youngest Champion: Mirra Andreeva, 17, won her second straight WTA 1000 event on Sunday at Indian Wells, beating the top two players in the world in back-to-back matches to become the tournament's youngest female champion since Serena Williams in 1999.
- Newcastle's Historic Win: Newcastle defeated reigning champion Liverpool, 2-1, in Sunday's League Cup final to win the club's first major domestic trophy since 1969 and end one of English soccer's most famous droughts.
- Record Attendance: The PWHL's Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens played in front of 14,288 fans on Sunday night in Detroit, setting an attendance record for a professional women's hockey game in the U.S.
- American Marathon Winner: Matt Richtman won the 40th annual Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, becoming the first American man to take the title in 31 years. It was just the second marathon for Richtman, a former All-American cross-country runner at Montana State.
NCAA Men's Basketball: SEC Dominates
The SEC will send a record 14 teams to the NCAA men's basketball tournament, obliterating the previous mark of 11 set by the Big East in 2011. The left side of the bracket features Auburn's potential matchup with an under-seeded Louisville team in Kentucky, while Michigan vs. Michigan State in the Elite Eight could be a battle between the Wolverines and a dangerous UCSD squad (30-4 record, 36th in KenPom). The West Region is led by Florida as the new title favorite, with St. John's on fire and Drake a Cinderella candidate. Bill Self vs. John Calipari is a coaching matchup to watch, while Calipari vs. Rick Pitino would be even better. The East Region may come down to the state of Cooper Flagg's ankle (the latest: expected to play on Friday), while Alabama has the nation's highest-scoring offense and Arizona rarely goes quietly in March. The Midwest Region could see a defensive battle between No. 1 Houston and No. 2 Tennessee, but don't be surprised if March regulars like Kentucky (NCAA-record 62 appearances), Purdue (2024 runner-up) and Gonzaga (nine straight Sweet 16s) muck things up.
NCAA Women's Basketball: Big Ten Dominates
While the SEC made history on the men's side, the Big Ten made history on the women's side, landing a record 12 bids and earning two No. 1 seeds courtesy of its California newcomers. UCLA earned the No. 1 overall seed for the first time in program history, while USC could face them again in the Final Four if they beat UConn in their rematch. A popular upset pick here? Murray State over Iowa. The defending champion Gamecocks got some extra motivation when they missed out on the No. 1 overall seed, with No. 2 Duke and No. 3 North Carolina as the biggest threats.
