Bracket Busters

03/18/2022

By: Jeff Yoder

Bracket = Busted

If the shoe fits… Cinderella was found on Day 1 of the Big Dance, and she’s a peacock. The 15-seed Saint Peter’s Peacocks shocked the world with a blue-blood takedown. If you don’t love Cinderella stories, check your pulse. It’s March. Day 2 coming in hot.

Letter Rip!

NCAAM

Bracket Busters: Finding Cinderella

Photo: Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

15-Seed Saint Peter’s Shocks 2-Seed Kentucky in Day 1’s Biggest NCAA Tournament Upset (85-79, OT)

It’s madness! Day 1 of the men’s NCAA Tournament was pure chaos, and that’s what we like to see. Three overtime games, two 12-seeds playing spoiler and a pair of 13-seeds made things interesting. But the bedlam of March was abundant at one first-round site: Indianapolis. The bottom-left of your bracket (if that helps you) featured back-to-back overtime games that were wire-to-wire thrillers. Among them was the shocker of Day 1. Cinderella has been discovered, and she’s a peacock. The 15-seed Saint Peter’s Peacocks took down 2-seed Kentucky in a nail-biter (85-79, OT). Hours later, it was 7-seed Murray State who needed overtime to outlast 10-seed San Francisco (92-87, OT) on the same court. Brackets are busted, and the madness has begun.

Fun Fact: 0.004 percent (161 total) of brackets through ESPN’s Tournament Challenge are perfect after Day 1. A total of 31.9 percent (almost 1/3) of all brackets had Kentucky in the Final Four.

Day 1 Bracket Busters

#15 Saint Peter’s def. #2 Kentucky (85-79, OT)

#12 Richmond def. #5 Iowa (67-63)

#12 New Mexico State def. #5 UConn (70-63)

#11 Michigan def. #6 Colorado State (75-63)

Other 1st-Round Highlights

#1 Gonzaga def. #16 Georgia State (93-72)

#1 Baylor def. #16 Norfolk State (85-49)

#1 Kansas def. #16 Texas Southern (83-56)

#3 Tennessee def. #14 Longwood (88-56)

#4 Arkansas def. #13 Vermont (75-71)

#4 UCLA def. #13 Akron (57-53)

#4 Providence def. #13 South Dakota St. (66-57)

#5 Saint Mary’s def. #12 Indiana (82-53)

#7 Murray State def. #10 San Francisco (92-87, OT)

#8 North Carolina def. #9 Marquette (95-63)

#9 Creighton def. #8 San Diego State (72-69, OT)

#9 Memphis def. #8 Boise State (64-53)

Day 2 Men’s NCAA Tournament Notes

The second day of the first round puts 16 more games on display. Here are the matchups, upsets and players we’re keeping an eye on for the remainder of the opening round.

Upset Alerts: The 10-seed Loyola Chicago gets a shot at 7-seed Ohio State in today’s opener, and the Ramblers are tourney darlings from years past. Don’t sleep on 11-seeds from Virginia Tech and Iowa State — both facing 6-seeds with question marks. If we want to get really crazy, keep an eye on 15-seeds Jacksonville State and Delaware in the early sessions.

Players to Watch: Five Big Ten teams take the stage, so that means Kofi Cockburn (Illinois) and Purdue’s duo of Jaden Ivey and 7-foot-4 Zach Edey will be on display. Auburn’s Jabari Smith is a game-wrecker, and Duke’s Paolo Banchero could be poised to kickstart a monster tournament run.

Let’s go dancing, again!

Men’s NCAA Tournament Bracket

Complete 1st-Round Schedule

Additional Storylines

CBS Sports: Winners & Losers From Day 1 of the NCAA Tournament

USA Today: Who is Saint Peter’s? Meet the 15-Seed Kentucky-Slaying Peacocks

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NCAAW

Women’s Tourney Tip-Off

Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

Everything to Know as the Women’s NCAA Tournament Tips Off Today

One day after the men’s tournament tipped off, the women’s bracket launches today with 16 games in the first round. We’ve got First Four highlights and a preview with everything you need to know for today’s action.

First Four Highlights

#16 Longwood def. #16 Mount St. Mary’s (74-70)

#11 Missouri State def. #11 Florida State (61-50)

Today’s NCAA Tournament Tip-Off Notes

Yesterday, we previewed the men’s bracket before first-round games tipped off. Let’s do it again for the women’s game. Here are my picks for the Final Four, upset alerts and players to watch.

My Final Four Picks: The women’s tourney gets chalky when the bracket trims towards the Final Four. It’s often a collection and 1- and 2-seeds. In fact, 85 percent of all women’s Final Fours have featured multiple No. 1 seeds. With that in mind, give me #1 South Carolina, #1 Stanford, #2 Baylor and #2 UConn getting to Minneapolis with the Gamecocks over the Huskies in the final.

Upset Alerts: The top eight-to-ten teams are head and shoulders above the field, but watch out for low seeds with star players to make deep runs. Teams like 9-seed Kansas State (star: Ayoka Lee), 7-seed Ole Miss (star: Shakira Austin) and 6-seed Kentucky (star: Rhyne Howard) are all threats to knock off top seeds.

Players to Watch: If you haven’t paid much attention to the women’s game this season, here are the names you need to know: Aliyah Boston is the tournament darling for South Carolina — the No. 1 overall seed. She’s a double-double machine. NaLyssa Smith (#2 Baylor), Caitlin Clark (#2 Iowa) and Paige Bueckers (#2 UConn) are also top tickets. No. 2 Stanford has two stars in Cameron Brink and Haley Jones. And then there’s my personal favorite — Naz Hillmon (#3 Michigan). She had 15 double doubles this season, including a 30-15 game to open the season.

Women’s NCAA Tournament Bracket

Complete 1st-Round Schedule

Additional Storylines

NCAA: 27 Accomplishments to Celebrate the Women’s Tournament Turning 40

ESPN: The Top 25 Players to Watch in the Women’s NCAA Tournament

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NFL

Blockbuster: Davante to the Desert

Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images

Raiders Acquire WR Davante Adams From Packers, Make Him Highest-Paid Receiver

Somewhere Aaron Rodgers isn’t happy. Days after the Packers signed their Hall of Fame quarterback to a four-year extension, the team sent WR Davante Adams to the Raiders for a haul of picks, including Las Vegas’ first two selections in next month’s draft. The Raiders then made Adams the league’s highest-paid receiver with a five-year, $142 million contract. The move came after Adams informed Green Bay he would not play this season on the franchise tag. And with the budget focused on Rodgers’ deal, Adams had to go.

Fun Fact: Derek Carr and Davante Adams were teammates at Fresno State in 2013. Carr finally has his first true No. 1 receiver, and an old friend.

Trade Details

Raiders Get: WR Davante Adams

Packers Get: 2022 1st-Round Pick, 2022 2nd-Round Pick, Additional Picks TBD

Additional Storylines

ESPN: Davante Adams’ Reunion With Derek Carr Gives Raiders All-Pro WR in His Prime

CBS Sports: Davante Adams Blockbuster Brings More Star Power to AFC West & Huge Questions to Green Bay

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OTHER HIGHLIGHTS

NBA: Saddiq Bey Adds to 50-Point Barrage

Detroit’s Saddiq Bey (51 points) torched the nets in Thursday’s Pistons’ win over the Magic (134-120). He went 10-for-14 from deep for a career-high. It was the eighth 50-point game in the NBA this month.

NHL: Oilers’ Duo Pads Stats in 4th Straight

The Edmonton Oilers were 6-1 winners on Thursday in a blowout against the Sabres, and their star duo just keeps dominating. Leon Draisaitl lit the lamp for the 40th time this season. Connor McDavid added his 34th goal and 53rd assist.

PGA: Low Scores Aplenty at Valspar

Round 1 of the Valspar Championship saw 11 players shoot 5-under or better, including four golfers at 7-under after Thursday. The Copperhead Course at Innisbrook is getting lit up, and it could be a recipe for a 20-under scorecard by Sunday’s final round.

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THE HEADLINES