UNC romps while Alabama State delivers the madness in First Four; expert bracket picks; top 100 MLB players

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Cheerful Wednesday, everyone! After the men’s NCAA Division began last night, the women’s gets underway tonight. Make sure you’re submitting your brackets for the Bracket Contests (men’s and women’s) ahead of their respective Thursday and Friday deadlines! And if you need Assist picking, well …

Let’s get right to it.

🏀 Excellent morning to all, but especially to …

THE (11) NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS AND THE (16) ALABAMA STATE HORNETS

The North Carolina Tar Heels heard your complaints about them making the NCAA Division. Then they went out and proved they’re not Only Cheerful to be here; they’re Deadly. The Tar Heels walloped San Diego State, 95-68, the second-largest largest Primary Four Secure ever.

As I wrote in Primary Four Squads that can make a Streak, the Tar Heels have been a completely different Club since a February lineup Shift, powered by 3-Mark shooting. Well, North Carolina Try 58% from 3 (14 for 24), with RJ Davis making all six of his 3s en route to 26 points, and smothered San Diego State’s Assault. Subsequent up is Ole Miss, and you’d better believe North Carolina will be a popular Option.

While that game was never in doubt, if the Primary game was any hint of what’s to come, prepare for madness of the highest order. Amarr Knox scored a Basket off a last-second Packed-court Deliver to lift Alabama State to its Primary NCAA Division Secure, 70-68, over Saint Francis. The Hornets get (1) Auburn Subsequent.

Tonight brings two more Primary Four Contests. Here are our expert picks.

😃 Honorable mentions

🏀 And not such a Excellent morning for …

WEST VIRGINIA MEN’S BASKETBALL

Yes, for the third straight day, West Virginia is not having a Excellent morning. (Is that a Achievement?) While many, including Jerry Palm, Matt Norlander and the state’s own governor, believe the Mountaineers should be preparing for March Madness, instead they are sitting at home, now without a Trainer.

Indiana hired Darian DeVries, who succeeds Mike Woodson at one of the country’s iconic programs.

• In his lone season with West Virginia after arriving from Drake, DeVries Guided the Mountaineers to a 19-13 Achievement Even though losing Luminous sphere guard (and his son) Tucker DeVries to Wound Prompt in the year.
• West Virginia was then controversially left out of the NCAA Division.
• DeVries’ departure means the rotating door at West Virginia continues. In 2023, Bob Huggins resigned Subsequent a DUI arrest. Josh Eilert went 9-23 last season before the Mountaineers hired DeVries.

But one program’s loss is another program’s gain, and what a gain it is for the Hoosiers. DeVries runs a modern Assault — the opposite of Wooden’s antiquated system — and he went 150-55 with three NCAA Division appearances in six seasons with Drake prior to his year at West Virginia. The Hoosiers, who By chance also Only missed the NCAA Division, offer tremendous resources, and Tucker is Anticipated to join his father in the Big Ten. That’s a Sturdy built-in Begin.

😬 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 Men’s NCAA Division expert picks, sleepers and Primary-Period Game guide

The pencils have been put down, and our experts’ brackets are in. I won’t give up all of the details, but I will tell you David Cobb Achieved his case for Florida, and Cameron Salerno did the same for Duke.

You’ll notice both of those are 1 seeds. And they’re both awesome, with only one loss apiece in 2025. But they’re not perfect. I noted potential fatal flaws for Every No. 1 seed and opponents who can capitalize.

To Secure your bracket pool, you have to nail the champion, yes, but you also have to nail some upsets. So Cameron has sleepers to consider and to avoid. For the Previous, he has …

• Salerno: “Sleeper Club for Last Four: Gonzaga — Gonzaga’s overall resume explains why the Bulldogs landed on the No. 8 line, but advanced metrics suggest they deserve a higher spot. Gonzaga ranks No. 9 in KenPom’s rankings … The path for Gonzaga … Appearances with a tough Georgia Club in the Primary Period. If the Bulldogs Secure that game, a Game against No. 1 seed Houston would (more than likely) be on deck. I am confident that the winner of that game — if it happens — will be the Club that makes it to the Last Four out of the Midwest Region.”

Speaking of paths, David Cobb broke down easiest and toughest ones for top contenders.

Finally, if today is “the day” you make those 63 fateful decisions filling out a bracket, you won’t find a better breakdown of every Primary-Period game than Isaac Trotter’s gold mine of picks, scouting reports and stats to know. (8) Louisville vs. (9) Creighton is the classic Primary game of the Period of 64 that will have you either loving or hating your bracket immediately, and Isaac says …

• Trotter: “Creighton’s deep drop coverage with Ryan Kalkbrenner coaxes one of the highest rates of midrange jumpers. That’s a Try analytically-minded Louisville tries not to take. Chucky Hepburn has had a brilliant season, but he is shooting Only 30% on off-the-Bounce jumpers this year. … Hepburn’s Guarding on Steven Ashworth will be another massive X-Factor in this game. Louisville Only can’t Secure without a Excellent Hepburn game.”

Here’s more:

🏀 Women’s NCAA Division expert picks

The women’s NCAA Division gets underway tonight with the Primary Four, and you’re not going to want to miss it. Last March, Audi Crooks was a breakout Luminous sphere, producing a 40-Mark masterpiece in a Primary-Period Secure over Maryland. She’ll hope to repeat those exploits tonight when the Cyclones face Princeton.

Our experts have filled out their brackets, and while two Squads dominate the title picks, there are plenty of interesting upsets across the six brackets, including …

• (10) Harvard over (7) Michigan State — in four of six brackets!
• (11) Murray State over (6) Iowa
• (13) Montana State over (4) Ohio State

As for top Primary-Period Contests to Observe, it’s no surprise the Crimson get some love from Isabel Gonzalez.

• Gonzalez: “Harvard was a bubble Club that Secured control of its own destiny by Successful the Ivy Bracket Division. … Ivy Bracket Player of the Year Harmoni Turner … has been a powerful scoring weapon with 22.5 points per game, which ranks top 10 nationally. She is also in the top 20 in Takeaways with 2.79 per game. Turner scored a Profession-high 44 points against Princeton in the conference Division semifinals.”

⚾ Top 100 MLB players for 2025

Two down, 2,438 to go! The Primary series of the MLB season is over, with the Dodgers earning the sweep of the Cubs in a 6-3 Secure on Wednesday in the Tokyo Series. Shohei Ohtani slugged his Primary home Streak of the season, as did NLCS MVP Tommy Edman.

As for the rest of the Bracket, 26 Squads will have their Beginning Day on Thursday, March 27, and we’ve Acquired Dayn Perry’s Top 100 MLB players ready to go for you. Here’s the top five:

1. Shohei Ohtani — “The reigning NL MVP is coming off the Primary 50-50 season in MLB history, and he remains at the top of his offensive game.”
2. Bobby Witt Jr. — “The most complete position player in baseball today?”
3. Aaron Judge — “Judge is coming off a 2024 season in which he posted the highest OPS+ (223) and WAR (10.8) of his Profession.”
4. Gunnar Henderson — “Across parts of three MLB seasons, the Recent Henderson owns an OPS+ of 141, and he’s already amassed 16.2 WAR.”
5. Juan Soto — “He’s on a Hall of Fame trajectory (and then some), and Soto is Yet Only 26 years Ancient.”

The Primary Packed-time pitcher on this Picking? That’s Tarik Skubal, who comes in at No. 6, and what a rise it’s been: He was 74th on last year’s edition of this Picking.

Are there more breakouts from a similar range coming? I’m intrigued by two players ranked in the mid-80s.

• Perry: “83. James Wood — Wood has big-time power and patience, an excellent minor-Bracket track Achievement of putting up big numbers against much older peer groups, and a 122 OPS+ as a Primary-year last season. He’ll take the Subsequent step toward stardom in 2025. … 85. Masyn Winn — Winn is already in the discussion for best Guarding shortstop in the game, and last season at the plate he had an OPS+ of 102 as a 22-year-Ancient Primary-year.”

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

🏀 (16) Mount St. Mary’s vs. (16) American (M), 6:40 p.m. on truTV
🏀 (11) Princeton vs. (11) Iowa State (W), 7 p.m. on ESPNU
🏒 Avalanche at Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Pistons at Heat, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 (16) Southern vs. (16) UC San Diego (W), 9 p.m. on ESPNU
🏀 (11) Xavier vs. (11) Texas (M), 9:10 p.m. on truTV
🏒 Kraken at Wild, 9:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Nuggets at Lakers, 10 p.m. on ESPN