The Sportsletter - Sweet → Elite

BY JEFF YODER

MAR. 23, 2023  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

It's Back...

The madness returns tonight with a four-pack and the Elite 8 on the line. There’s not a 1-seed in sight, and the bottom half of the bracket is about to get even thinner. One Shining Moment is only 11 days away. Let’s have some fun before the Sweet 16 begins.

Letter Rip!

NCAA TOURNAMENT 🏆

Re-Seeding the Sweet 16

Photo: Jacob Kupferman/ Getty Images

Odds, Favorites & Matchups Before Week 2 of the NCAA Tournament Tips Off Tonight

We’re just 11 days away from one team cutting down the nets in Houston, but the new-look bracket needs a refresh. After 68 teams entered the NCAA Tournament last weekend, only 16 remain. They’re not who you thought. Only three brackets in the NCAA Challenge correctly picked 15 of the Sweet 16 (our group's highest mark was 12). Princeton comes into Week 2 donning Cinderella’s slipper, but Florida Atlantic, Arkansas and Michigan State will have their say. The Spartans' head coach Tom Izzo is the only remaining coach with an NCAA title on his resume. Alabama and Houston are the clear-cut favorites. Storylines galore. Let's play with the seeds.

Re-Seeding the Sweet 16

The lowest seed ever to win it all is an 8, and the lowest seed to reach the Final Four is an 11. That means both #9 Florida Atlantic and #15 Princeton can make some history. After the opening weekend shakeup, each region has its own flavor of chaos. The East is void of a 1 or 2-seed. The Midwest is chalky, to say the least. Every underdog-lover is eyeing Princeton in the South, and the West could produce the game of the tournament with the UCLA-Gonzaga rematch of the 2021 Final Four game.

Our perspective on each team looks a little different than it did one week ago. Here’s a look at the remaining 16 teams, re-seeded based on the updated odds to win it all and how they performed in the first two rounds.

1-Line

1. Alabama (1) | Odds: +350

2. Houston (1) | Odds: +375

3. UCLA (2) | Odds: +700

4. Texas (2) | Odds: +1000

2-Line

5. UConn (4) | Odds: +1000

6. Gonzaga (3) | Odds: +1200

7. Tennessee (4) | Odds: +1400

8. Kansas State (3) | Odds: +2500

3-Line

9. Creighton (6) | Odds: +1200

10. Xavier (3) | Odds: +3500

11. Michigan State (7) | Odds: +2500

12. San Diego State (5) Odds: +4000

4-Line

13. Miami (5) | Odds: +4000

14. Arkansas (8) | Odds: +3500

15. Florida Atlantic (9) | Odds: +4500

16. Princeton (15) | Odds: +18000

Obviously, the remaining 16 teams won’t be re-seeded into quadrants with a 1-4 seed, but a reworked bracket gives clarity to the shift from where we were just one week ago. If we’re being realistic, teams 1-13 making the Final Four from here wouldn’t be surprising. It’s the final three teams that make things interesting, particularly the Owls (FAU) and Tigers (Princeton).

Sweet 16 Schedule (Tonight)

#3 Kansas State (25-9) vs. #7 Michigan State (21-12)

Time: 6:30 pm ET, TBS

Spread: MSU (-2.0)

#4 UConn (27-8) vs. #8 Arkansas (22-13)

Time: 7:15 pm ET, CBS

Spread: UConn (-3.5)

#4 Tennessee (25-10) vs. #9 Florida Atlantic (33-3)

Time: 9:00 pm Et, TBS

Spread: TENN (-5.0)

#2 UCLA (31-5) vs. #3 Gonzaga (30-5)

Time: 9:45 pm ET, CBS

Spread: UCLA (-2.0)

Sweet 16 Schedule (Tomorrow)

#1 Alabama vs. #5 San Diego State (Fri. 6:30 pm)

#1 Houston vs. #5 Miami (Fri. 7:15 pm)

#6 Creighton vs. #15 Princeton (Fri. 9:00 pm)

#2 Texas vs. #3 Xavier (Fri. 9:45 pm)

*All Times ET

Check Your Bracket | Updated NCAA Tournament Bracket

Additional Storylines

B/R: Ranking the Top 20 Players Left in the Sweet 16

CBS Sports: NCAA Experts Reset the Tournament Bracket With Sweet 16 Predictions

NHL

Connor McSixty

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Connor McDavid (2 Goals) Scores 60th Goal of Season for Oilers' OT Winner

A season of records kept skating ahead on Wednesday with a two-goal outing from Oilers’ superstar Connor McDavid — the latter was an overtime, top-shelf winner to beat the Coyotes (4-3, OT). And with those two lamps, McDavid reached the 60-goal milestone for the 2022-23 campaign. No other skater has 50 on the year. He also leads the points league-wide points race by 28 (138 total). Only teammate Leon Draisaitl is even close (110). The 26-year-old Edmonton icon is quickly joining the hockey elites. And though McDavid won’t come close to Gretzky’s single-season mark (92 goals), he’s in elite company in the 21st century.

Players With 60-Goal Seasons (Last 25 Years)

Alex Ovechkin (WSH): 65 Goals (2007-08)

Steven Stamkos (TBL): 60 Goals (2011-12)

Auston Matthews (TOR): 60 Goals (2021-22)

Connor McDavid (EDM): 60 Goals (2022-23)

The Oilers currently have ten games left in the regular season. If McDavid adds ten to his total, he’ll be just the ninth player in NHL history to record a 70-goal season — a feat that hasn’t been seen since the early 90s.

Watch: McDavid Nets 60th Goal as Oilers Beat Coyotes (4-3, OT)

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: McDavid Hits 60-Goal Mark With OT Winner

CBS Sports: How Connor McDavid is Putting Together the Best Single Season of the Salary Cap Era

PGA

Behold, The Golf Brackets

Photo: Ben Jared / Getty Images

WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Bracket Brings Madness to the Golf Course

Thought the brackets of March were just for basketball? Think again. Golf’s version of the madness is underway this week with the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play event at Austin Country Club. The field of 64 players is divided in 16 four-player groups with round-robin matches yesterday, today and Friday to determine the Round of 16. From there, it’s single-elimination matches on Saturday and Sunday to determine the champion. Players went head-to-head yesterday, and they’ll do it again today. Here are some of the group leaders and top performances from Wednesday.

WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play Highlights

Rickie Fowler def. Jon Rahm (2 & 1)

Tony Finau def. Christiaan Bezuidenhout (2 & 1)

Rory McIlroy def. Scott Stallings (3 & 1)

Xander Schauffele def. Cam Davis (4 & 3)

Jodan Spieth def. Mackenzie Hughes (4 & 3)

Patrick Cantlay def. Nick Taylor (1 Up)

Collin Morikawa def. Victor Perez (2 & 1)

Viktor Hovland def. Matt Kuchar (3 & 1)

Scottie Scheffler def. Davis Riley (1 Up)

Watch: Dell Match Play Highlights (Round 1)

Additional Storylines

Golf.com: WGC-Dell Match Play Tee Times for Round 2 Matches

PGA: From Fowler’s Upset to Spieth’s Winning Chip-In, A Look at Wednesday’s Biggest Moments at WGC-Dell Match Play

NBA

Test of the West

Photo: Ron Jenkins / Getty Images

Morant & Towns Return, Grizzlies Clinch, Lakers Top Suns & Warriors Win on the Road in Crowded Western Conference Playoff Push

The NBA is just two weeks away from locking in the playoffs, and the Western Conference just got an injection of crazy — if it wasn’t already. Multiple storylines came out of the West on Wednesday, including the returns of Ja Morant (Grizzlies) and Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves). Both teams were winners, and the Grizzlies clinched a playoff bid. The Lakers topped the Suns for the first time in two years to tighten the playoff picture even further. The Warriors beat the Mavericks with some controversy to claim back-to-back road wins for the first time all season. And the Blazers beat the Jazz to keep Portland in the running. If you haven’t been keeping up with the NBA playoff push, get there fast.

The Playoff Push: The East is a solid three-team race with the Bucks (52-20), Celtics (50-23) and 76ers (49-23) in a dead heat for the No. 1 seed. The Cavaliers sit comfortably in the 4-spot. Nothing crazy there. But out West? Different ballgame. Two teams have clinched playoff spots (Nuggets & Grizzlies) with a third soon to follow (Kings). Then there are nine teams (4-13) who can neither confirm or deny their playoff destiny. All nine teams are separated by just six games. And with roughly eight games left to play in the regular season, NBA fans are in for a wild playoff push. Here’s how the Western Conference looks after last night.

Western Conference Playoff Race

Top-3 Seeds

1. Nuggets (49-24)*

2. Grizzlies (45-27)*

3. Kings (43-29)

*Clinched Playoff Berth

Teams 4-13

4. Suns (38-34)

5. Clippers (38-35)

6. Warriors (38-36)

7. Timberwolves (37-37)

8. Thunder (36-36)

9. Mavericks (36-37)

10. Lakers (36-37)

11. Jazz (35-37)

12. Pelicans (35-37)

13. Blazers (32-40)

Eliminated Teams

Spurs (19-54) & Rockets (18-55)

Last Night’s Highlights (West Playoff Implications)

Warriors def. Mavericks (127-125)

Grizzlies def. Rockets (130-125)

Timberwolves def. Hawks (125-124)

Blazers def. Jazz (127-115)

Lakers def. Suns (122-111)

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Karl-Anthony Towns Makes Long-Awaited Return in Wolves’ Win

NBA: Ja Morant Returns From Suspension, Comes Off Bench in Grizzlies’ Win

Forbes: Mark Cuban to Formally Protest Mavs Loss, Says Refs Made ‘Worst Officiating Noncall Mistake’ in NBA History

THE STORYLINES

🏒 NHL Playoff Stretch

The end of the NHL regular season is rapidly approaching, and several key questions remain. The Boston Bruins are chasing history, and so is Oilers’ star Connor McDavid. Let’s analyze the division races and record chases. (USA Today)

🏈 Spring College Football QB Battles

Over the next several weeks there will be spring games allowing fans an early look at their favorite teams for 2023. From Arch Manning vs. Quinn Ewers at Texas to Jalen Milroe vs. Ty Simpson at Alabama, here are the battles to watch. (CBS Sports)

🏀 NBA Power Rankings

The three Eastern Conference titans lead the way at 1-2-3, but how does Ja Morant’s return shake up the NBA power rankings? The Grizzlies, Kings and a wild Western Conference race gets interesting down the stretch. (ESPN)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• 41-Year-Old Holly Holm Signs 6-Fight UFC Contract (ESPN)
• Broncos QB Russell Wilson Reportedly Has Knee Surgery (B/R)
• Carlos Boozer’s Son Cameron Named High School National Player of the Year (Yahoo! Sports)
• Rory McIlroy in Favor of New Rules Limiting Golf Ball Distance (CBS Sports)
• Providence Hires George Mason’s Kim English as Next Head Coach (FOX Sports)
• Jets Agree to 1-Year Deal With Former Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman (ESPN)
• Pelicans’ Zion Williamson Cleared for Practice, Expected to Return by Playoffs (NBA)
• Notre Dame Men’s Basketball Hires Penn State’s Micah Shrewsberry as Next Head Coach (SI)

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Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

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