The GIST: And they’re off! March Madness officially tipped off with two men’s First Four games last night, and the women start their party with their own First Four games tonight (keep an eye out for a Special Edition later today featuring everything you need to fill out your bracket).

• If the rest of the tournament is as good as the first two matchups, we just might be in for the maddest March yet.

The context: The men’s and women’s First Four feature eight squads each (the four lowest-ranked automatic qualifiers and the four lowest-ranked at-large teams) duking it out for spots in the official 64-team men’s and women’s tourneys.

• Fun fact: First Four squads historically do surprisingly alright in March Madness. Two First Four men’s squads — the 2011 VCU Rams and 2021 UCLA Bruins — even advanced to the Final Four. Sing it, Justin.

No. 16 seed Alabama State opens tourney with stunning buzzer-beater: The Hornets wasted no time bringing the chaos, breaking a late tie with a fumbled full-court pass turned buzzer-beater to beat Saint Francis 70–68 last night. This. Is. March.

No. 11 seed UNC silences the critics with convincing dub: Fans of snubbed teams were not happy that the Tar Heels, whose athletic director is also the chair of the selection committee, made the bracket despite their mediocre season. But the blue blood proved why they’re a March Madness mainstay with their jaw-dropping 95–68 smackdown of San Diego State. Haters, begone.

Up next: The men’s bracket will be complete when Mount St. Mary’s takes on American for the other No. 16 seed tonight at 6:40 p.m. ET, before Texas and Xavier (another controversial inclusion) battle for the last remaining No. 11 seed at 9:10 p.m. ET. And then the real fun starts — by the time we’re back in your inbox on Friday, we’ll be halfway through the men’s first round.

• The women’s First Four begins tonight with 2024 March Madness standout Audi Crooks and her Iowa State Cyclones taking on Princeton for a No. 11 seed at 7 p.m. ET, with the other three matchups shortly after. Can’t freaking wait.

⚾ MLB: LA Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs — Today at 6:10 a.m. ET — Fox Sports

• Breakfast and baseball? Yes, please. The reigning World Series champion Dodgers opened the season with a Tokyo Series victory yesterday, but the hometown crowd is the real winner with five Japanese players competing in this stop on the MLB World Tour.

⚽ Concacaf Nations League: No. 16 USMNT vs. No. 36 Panama — Tomorrow at 7 p.m ET — Paramount+

• Three American players, including standout defender Antonee Robinson, were ruled out of tonight’s semifinal, an unfortunate turn of events with a spot in the Nations League final (and a possible rematch with rival No. 31 CanMNT) on the line.
• As we patiently wait five to 10 years for the American squad to become “the best in the world,” tune in to see how the Stars and Stripes handle tonight’s roster hiccup.

🏒 NHL: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Washington Capitals — Tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET — ESPN+

• The all-time goal scoring chase continues for Caps captain Alex Ovechkin, who’s been historically good against the Flyers in his career. Of Ovi’s 887 total goals, 51 have come against Philly, the second-most all-time.

🏐 LOVB: LOVB Madison vs. LOVB Salt Lake — Tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET — DAZN/LOVB Live

• With just three weeks of regular-season play remaining, it’s time to turn up the heat — and LOVB Madison is doing exactly that.
• Led by Offensive Player of the Week Lauren Carlini, the Wisconsin squad is riding a four-match win streak, but Salt Lake setter Jordyn Poulter could help snap it in this showdown.

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With March Madness officially in full swish, it’s time to gear up for the upcoming watch parties over the next few weeks. We want to know, what are you bringing to the festivities?