The Sportsletter - The Big Dance: Tourney Picks ✍️

BY JEFF YODER

MAR. 19, 2025 |  SUBSCRIBE |  OPTIMAL VIEW

Instant Madness!

Game 1 of the NCAA Tournament's First Four featured a 90-foot Hail Mary pass into a game-winner for 16-seed Alabama State (70-68). What a start. In the nightcap, North Carolina (the controversial last team in) buried SDSU by 27 to make a statement. Two more games tonight will help ring in “The Big Dance!” 💃

Editor's Note: In lieu breaking news, I decided to have some fun on the eve of the tourneys. Indulge me in some bracket picks and insights, will you? Just don’t bet your bracket on me…

Letter Rip!

< NCAA >

Men's NCAA Tournament Picks ✍️

Photo: Dylan Buell / Getty Images

Bracket Chaos is Underway for the Men’s 2025 NCAA Tournament — Here’s Who I’m Picking

'Tis the season where an HBCU with less than 4,000 students hits a game-winner and lives forever in the highlights. Man, I love March. Good for you, Alabama State. The music is on. The lights are, too. It's time to dance. One team will stand at center court underneath One Shining Moment in San Antonio just three weeks from now. Any guesses?

Indulge Me: Some of you will see my picks and opinions today and reply with something in the realm of the classic Stephen A. Smith line — “I’m here to tell you right now: We don’t care”. You won’t hurt my feelings. What else can a sportswriter do in the waning hours before tourney week? Picks, baby! You’ve got a bracket. I’ve got a bracket. We’re both wrong in the end. So much fun.

The odds of a perfect bracket are 1 in 9.2 quintillion (can’t even type that number out). If you have a little knowledge and aren’t just flipping a coin, it’s about 1 in 120 billion.

The odds of me using this platform to embarrass myself with unsolicited picks? 1 in 1. Let’s do it.

✍️ Editor’s Picks

🏆 Final Four & Championship

#1 Duke, #1 Florida, #2 Michigan State, #2 Tennessee

Pretty chalky, but I don’t think anyone’s stopping the Blue Devils if Cooper Flagg is healthy. Florida has been SEC-tested all season and came out on top in the conference tournament. Tom Izzo (MSU) and Rick Barnes (Tennessee) will lock in for a run to San Antonio as 2-seeds. But in the end, the 'ship turns blue. Title Game: #1 Duke def. #1 Florida (82-77)

💤 Sleepers: #6 BYU & #8 Gonzaga

When things are going well, BYU is deep and talented enough to beat anybody. They can also fold like a cheap tent when they fall behind. They'll play their first two games near home in Denver, and I think they get momentum before stunning #2 Alabama on the way to the Elite 8. As for Gonzaga, Mark Few's program is an 8-seed but they're top-10 overall in KenPom rankings... What?! They'll upset No. 1 Houston in Round 2 and reach the Elite 8.

💃 Cinderella: #13 Akron

I’m a little biased here because of my connection to Akron head coach John Groce (love that guy), but the Zips won 21 of their last 22 games... Scorching hot. 🔥 They’ll face No. 4 Arizona who suffered multiple early exits in recent tournaments. All of the 13-seeds are an upset-watch waiting to happen — #13 Yale, #13 Grand Canyon and #13 High Point. Give me the Zips into Week 2. 

NCAAM Storylines

• Ranking the Men’s NCAA Tournament Field 1-68 (SI)

• The Top Prospects to Watch in the 2025 NCAA Tournament (NBC Sports)
• Auburn’s Johni Broome, Duke’s Cooper Flagg Unanimous All-America Selections (ESPN)
• Scouting Every 1st-Round Game With Picks, Upsets & More (CBS Sports)
• West Virginia Gov. Threatens Legal Action Against NCAA for WVU Tourney Snub (FOX Sports)

First Four Action

#11 North Carolina def. #11 SDSU (95-68)

RJ Davis (26 pts), UNC the Last At-Large Bid

#16 Alabama State def. #16 St. Francis (70-68)

Amarr Knox Game-Winner Off 90-Foot Pass

Tonight's Schedule (First Four)

16s: American vs. Mt. St. Marys (6:40 pm ET)

11s: Texas vs. Xavier (9:10 pm ET)

🗓️ Men’s NCAA Tournament Schedule

< NCAA >

Women's NCAA Tournament Picks ✍️

Photo: Sean Rayford / Getty Images

The NCAA Women’s Tournament Begins Tonight — Who Can Dethrone South Carolina?

Two tournaments for the price of one? That's what this thing is all about. You won’t see too many double-digit shockers over in the women’s bracket, but the second and third weekends should deliver marquee matchups between iconic programs. The juggernauts are full-throttle on the top three seed lines. I won’t hold my breath to see if anyone dethrones South Carolina, though.

✍️ Editor's Picks

🏆 Final Four & Championship

#1 UCLA, #1 S. Carolina, #2 UConn, #3 Notre Dame

The women’s tourney is notorious for a lack of sleepers. Don’t expect many "disruptors" this time around. #2 UConn vs. #1 USC in the Elite 8 will be must-see TV between (in my opinion) the two best players -- Paige Bueckers and Juju Watkins. Give me the Irish to play spoiler in Regional 3. Everybody’s hunting the champs from SC, and they're going to fail. Title Game: #1 South Carolina def. #2 UConn (78-71)

💤 💃 Sleeper-ella: #7 Vanderbilt

Historic women’s programs are lurking in the mid-seeds with teams like #5 Tennessee and #6 Iowa, but the women’s tournament is always top-heavy. Lower seeds don’t often make deep runs. There's one exception. I’ve got my eyes on a combo sleeper/Cinderella player — Vandy freshman Mikayla Blakes. She had two 50-point games in February, and I think she’s about to steal some headlines.

NCAAW Storylines

• Big Ten Sets NCAA Record With 12 Teams in the 2025 NCAAW Tournament (BigTen)
• Predicting 10 March Madness Women’s Early-Round Upsets (ESPN)
• Which Non-No. 1 Seeds Could Make the Final Four? (Yahoo! Sports)
• Power Ranking Women’s March Madness Teams Based on Odds (USA Today)

First Four Action

Tonight’s Schedule (First Four)

11s: Iowa State vs. Princeton (7:00 pm ET)

16s: UCSD vs. Southern (9:00 pm ET)

🗓️ Women’s NCAA Tournament Schedule

< MLB >

Opening Day... In A Land Far Away

Photo: Kenta Harada / Getty Images

Dodgers Triumph Over Cubs (4-1) as Japanese Stars Shine in Season-Opening Tokyo Series

From Pikachu to power and pitchers, the Tokyo Dome in baseball-crazed Japan had a little of everything on Tuesday. Asia played host yet again to another MLB Opening Day in a land far away (Korea in 2024). Believe it or not, Shohei Ohtani might be more popular than Pokemon. Five of the most notable Japanese MLB stars play for L.A. and Chicago, so it was only fitting that Dodgers-Cubs was the ticket. Ohtani (LAD), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (LAD), Roki Sasaki (LAD), Shota Imanaga (CHI) and Seiya Suzuki (CHI) are this week's homecoming heroes. Four appeared on Tuesday. The fifth (Sasaki) gets the spotlight in Game 2.

Game 1: The Dodgers beat the Cubs (4-1) after Ohtani went 2-for-5 and sparked a three-run 5th inning that was the difference-maker. Yamamoto (5 IP, 3 Hits, 1 Run, 4 Ks) got the win, but Imanaga (4 IP, 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 Ks) was also twirling fire. Game 2 is already underway this morning where Sasaki makes his Dodgers debut on the mound.

Read More

ESPN: Ohtani & Yamamoto Lead Dodgers to Victory in Tokyo Opener

MLB: Why Sasaki’s MLB Debut Will Mean More for the People of Japan After 2011 Tsunami

< ACTION >

The Highlight Reel 🎞️

🏀 NBA

Warriors def. Bucks (104-93)

Get 13th Win in 15 Games (Without Curry)

Clippers def. Cavaliers (132-119)

Cleveland’s 2nd Straight L After 16-Gm Win Streak

🏒 NHL

Stars def. Ducks (4-3, OT)

Mikael Granlund (2G) Nets Overtime Winner

Oilers def. Utah HC (7-1)

Edmonton Wins 3rd Straight Allowing 1G

⛳️ TGL Playoffs (Semifinals)

New York GC def. L.A. GC (6-4)

Atlanta Drive def. The Bay GC (9-3)

New York vs. Atlanta in 3-Game Finals Series

< NARRATIVES >

The Storylines

🎾 A Total Tennis Lawsuit

The Professional Tennis Players Association (PTPA) and 22 players filed lawsuits across several jurisdictions against the ATP, WTA and more this week. The suits allege monopolization and system abuse — “Tennis is broken.” (ESPN)

🏈 NFL Free Agent Tracker

The 2025 NFL offseason is in full swing. Where are the most notable names headed during free agency? Which veterans remain on the open market? And how much are this year's top players worth? (CBS Sports)

🏀 College Basketball Leftovers

This month already contained plenty of hurt feelings for college basketball teams left out of March Madness. We know the NIT invites the near-misses, but the new College Basketball Crown has joined the tournament turf wars. (FOS)

< NEWS >

The Headlines 📰

• 🏀 76ers Shut Down Paul George for Regular Season With Multiple Injuries (CBS Sports)

• 🏀 Indiana Basketball Hires WVU’s Darian DeVries to Replace Mike Woodson as Next Head Coach (CBS Sports)

• 🏈 Longtime Eagles Pass-Rusher Brandon Graham Retires After 15 Seasons (SI)
• ⛳️ Tiger Woods Biopic is in Production at Amazon MGM Studios (Yahoo!)
• 🏀 Actor Tracy Morgan Says Food Poisoning Resulted in Courtside Incident at Knicks Game (B/R)

• 🏈 Texans & CB Derek Stingley Reach 3-Year, $90 Million Extension Making Him Highest-Paid CB in NFL History (ESPN)

• ⚾️ Bidding for Paul Skenes’ Debut Patch Card Soars Above $780K+ (Yahoo! Sports)
• 🏒 PWHL Game in Detroit Sets Attendance Record With 14,000+ Fans (ESPN)
• 🐺 Former Reality TV Star Jessie Holmes Won the Longest-Ever Iditarod Sled Dog Race After 10.5 Days (AP)

< SCHEDULE >

The Watch Party 🍿

🏆 March Madness

🗓️ Men’s NCAA Tournament

🗓️ Women’s NCAA Tournament

🏀 NBA

Pistons at Heat (7:30 pm, ESPN)

Nuggets at Lakers (10:00 pm, ESPN)

🏒 NHL

Avalanche at Maple Leafs (7:00 pm, TNT)

Kraken at Wild (9:30 pm, TNT)

Thursday Night: 14 Games

⚽️ Concacaf Nations League

🇺🇸 USMNT vs. 🇵🇦 Panama (Thurs. 7:00 pm, Par+)

*All Times ET

< COMING UP >

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