Good Morning! Today is Monday, March 17. Here’s what happened over the weekend in the world of sports.

Before we get to the recaps, you’re all invited to join The Remix Bracket Challenge! Just click the link and make your picks… there is no entry fee, and all are welcome to join! As the tournament progresses, we’ll check in with the leaders (and the not leaders) to learn how they made their selections. Looking forward to some friendly competition and crowning a first-ever Remix March Madness Champion!

MEN’S BRACKET BREAKDOWN

Now that we’re in a competition, I won’t be telling you all who I’m picking until Thursday… that being said, here are three takeaways from the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball bracket (view the full bracket here):

1. UNC? Really? The last time we saw the Tar Heels on court was the semifinals of the ACC tournament, where they lost to Duke on a lane violation. Most bracketologists expected that unlikely finish to be the end of the road for North Carolina. And then… they made it to the Dance in a play-in game as an 11-seed. You can read into all the metrics, but it’s worth pointing out that UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham is the chairman of the selection committee. On the wrong side of the bubble– poor West Virginia, viewed before yesterday as a universal lock for the field of 68. Also, do we really need 14 teams from the SEC? We already get that during football season…

2. 8 vs 9: Always the most difficult games to predict, this year’s pairings are really crazy… (8) Louisville takes on (9) Creighton in Kentucky for a chance to play the number one overall seed Auburn. (8) Mississippi State battles (9) Baylor with the winner earning the right to lose to Duke. The SEC champion, Florida’s second-round opponent is the winner of two-time defending champion (8) UConn and (9) Oklahoma. Finally, Houston has to take on either (9) Georgia or one of the more underrated teams in the country, (8) Gonzaga. Are al, the eights favorites? I guess a 16 seed could win, too. The madness has taken over already! I’m moving on…

3. Know your history: A handy graphic for picking upsets… good luck everyone!

WOMEN’S BRACKET BREAKDOWN

Wow, we’ve got quite a bracket on the women’s side this year. First of all, congratulations to UCLA on earning the number one overall seed. Well-deserved for the Big 10 champions. Let’s break down the field:

REGION ONE:

• (1) UCLA is the clear favorite to advance from their region. The number one overall seed has the clearest path to the elite eight of any top seed.

• (3) LSU has a really tough test against (6) Florida State should they meet in round two. The Tigers have lost a lot of games lately as they’ve battled injury, while the Seminoles and Ta’Niya Latson won lots of big games this year in the ACC.

• Speaking of the ACC, (2) NC State is the last team of note in this region. The Wolfpack beat Florida State by 20 points when they played earlier this season. They’ll be favored to meet UCLA for a Final Four spot.

REGION TWO:

• The defending champions, (1) South Carolina are the betting favorites to win the tournament once again. It would be a surprise to most if they fail to at least make the Final Four.

• (7) Vanderbilt may have the best player in the region– watch out for freshman Mikayla Blakes as she plays her first game on the big stage.

• Everyone loves a rivalry, and we may get one of the best in the Sweet 16. (3) North Carolina and (2) Duke split the season series, but I see a rematch in their future.

REGION THREE:

• (1) Texas may be listed at the top, but I wouldn’t say the Longhorns are the favorite. (2) TCU and (5) Tennessee both have wins over the best teams in the country this season. Not to mention (3) Notre Dame, a potential one-seed who fell in the ranks after a recent losing streak. Four teams with star guards and expectations that they can win it all– this has the potential to be the region of chaos.

• Get your popcorn ready for round two in Fort Worth, as TCU could match up with Louisville. That’s where Horned Frogs point guard and best player Hailey van Lith started her collegiate career.

REGION FOUR:

• Switching things up, let’s talk about the middle seeds first. You could build a collegiate all-star team with Raegan Beers (3, Oklahoma), Georgia A’Moore (4, Kentucky) Ayoka Lee (5, Kansas State) and Lucy Olson (6, Iowa). That’s four extremely experienced, highly-talented scorers that – should they take care of business in round one– will battle it out during round two. Pretty exciting stuff.

• You’d think that’s a recipe for another region of chaos, but two heavyweights bracket the top and bottom of this region: (1) USC and (2) UConn. For the second year in a row, JuJu Watkins must go through Paige Bueckers for a spot in the Final Four. That’s Must-See TV…

THREE WINNERS OF THE WEEKEND

Even skipping over an electric conference championship weekend, we’ve spilled a lot of ink today on college basketball. There are a few other stories in the world of sports… apologies to Draymond Green, Jordan Poole, and Alexander Ovechkin, but you just missed the cut:

1. Mirra Andreeva: The 17-year old started the finals of Indian Wells looking like… well, a 17-year old, slamming her racquet in frustration and losing the opening set 6-2 to world number one Aryna Sabalenka. However, Andreeva not only composed herself, but she outplayed Sabalenka the rest of the way, capturing the title 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Super, super, impressive. British number one Jack Draper won the men’s title– watch out for the impressive young lefty going forward.

2. Wide receivers who like to be paid: Cooper Kupp signed with the Seattle Seahawks on Friday, but the big money was dished out last night. The Cincinnati Bengals agreed on two massive deals for Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, keeping the dynamic duo together for the foreseeable future.

3. Baseball fans slowly losing patience: Official baseball Opening Day is not for another 10 days, but the Dodgers and Cubs kick off the season tomorrow morning in Tokyo. Even if you can’t wait until then, here are two awesome highlights. First, Shohei Ohtani hitting a home run during an exhibition game. And second, a Mariners top-prospect that will blow your mind:

A FEW OTHER NOTABLES…

Fullback Kyle Juszczyk was released last week, but he will return to the 49ers on a new deal.

Villanova has fired head basketball coach Kyle Neptune, while Iowa has let go Fran McCaffrey after 15 seasons leading the Hawkeyes. 

14-year-old Mak Whitman is now the youngest professional women’s soccer player, making her debut last night for Gotham FC.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

GOLF: Rory McIlroy vs JJ Spaun, three-hole playoff to determine the winner of The Player’s Championship, 9 AM on Peacock and Golf Channel

NBA:

• Heat @ Knicks, 7:30 PM on ESPN

• Nuggets @ Warriors, 10 PM on ESPN

“What is [$5 million] more going to do for my life that I can’t already do right now? I live a pretty good life. Got a house, got a car. We’re good,” –Bills QB Josh Allen, when asked about his new contract not setting the record for highest average annual value.

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