Greg Cote’s Hot Button Top 10: March Madness starts today, plus crazy-spending NFL & more in new HB10

GREG COTE’S HOT BUTTON TOP 10 (MARCH 17): WHAT IN SPORTS HAS GRABBED US THIS WEEK: Our Sunday Hot Button Top 10 had been blog-only but when our blog retired it moved, re-imagined, to online-only. HB10 means what’s on our minds, locally and nationally, but from a Miami perspective and accentuating stuff that’s big, weird, damnable, funny or otherwise worth needling as the sports week just past pivots to the week ahead. Welcome to the 52nd edition of your Sunday sports-potpourri notes column, the new HB10:

1. COLLEGE BASKETBALL: It’s Selection Sunday Presented By the Collapse of the Miami Hurricanes: The 68-team men’s and women’s brackets are about to fill. Office pools ready? March Madness! MEN: Announced 6 p.m. today (CBS). Projected No. 1 seeds Purdue, UConn, North Carolina, Houston. State schools projected in: Florida as 5th seed, FAU 10th, Stetson 16th. Storyline: Shamefully, stunningly, the Miami Hurricanes finished 15-17 with 10 straight losses -- one year after reaching the Final Four. WOMEN: Announced 8:30 p.m. today (ESPN). Projected No. 1s South Carolina, Iowa, USC, Stanford. State schools projected in: FSU 8th, the 19-12 Miami Hurricanes 10th, Florida Gulf Coast 12th. Storyline: Can Iowa’s Caitlin Clark win a first national championship in her last college game?

2. NFL/DOLPHINS: A wild free agency so far, but Miami saving and waiting: An even nuttier than usual NFL free agency engulfs us. Anybody want a used but low-mileage Justin Fields? No? Steelers did! Anybody know why Carolina gave a $100 million contract to OK-not-great Dolphins guard Robert Hunt? And farewell, Aaron Donald. Rough times for cost-cutting Miami, which could not compete to keep coveted guys like DT Christian Wilkins because they are negotiating a windfall payout to re-sign QB Tua Tagovailoa long-term. Thus far, other teams have spent $270 million to pilfer six Dolphins free agents. The Fins have spent only $77M to add six FAs from other teams and re-sign one of their own.

3. INTER MIAMI: Herons in Champions Cup quarters as they prioritize Messi’s health: Inter Miami dispatched fellow MLS club Nashville to reach the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup vs. Mexican power Monterrey with matches April 3 here and April 10 south of the border. Tournament winner gets $5 million and a coveted spot in the 2025 Club World Cup. Miami is 3-1-1 in early MLS play after Saturday’s 3-1 win at D.C. United without star Lionel Messi, who sat out resting a strained right hamstring. Herons have two more league matches before Champs Cup resumes, but the priority is Captain Leo being healthy to face Monterrey twice.

4. TENNIS: Djokovic withdrawal major blow to Miami Open: Still No. 1-ranked at age 36 (which alone hints at the stagnant state of men’s tennis), Novak Djokovic said last-minute that he’ll skip the hard-court Miami Open that starts today. After a surprising loss at Indian Wells the Joker says mysteriously he needs better balance in his life. The announcement came Saturday social media, stunning and disappointing Miami Open officials. “At this stage of my career, I’m balancing my private and professional schedule,” he wrote. “I’m sorry that I won’t experience some of the best and most passionate fans in the world.” Djokovic is a six-time champion in Miami.

5. HEAT: If there was a stat called Wildly Erratic, would Miami lead the NBA?: The crazy-inconsistent Heat had lost seven games in a row before going on an 11-3 run and then a four-game skid. A win Friday at hapless Detroit (the teams meet again today) left Miami 36-30 and the No. 8 East seed. Heat is one game out of sixth place to avoid a play-in tournament, and now 3 1/2 games out of fourth to earn home-court advantage in playoffs’ first round. (Big test Monday in Philly.)

6. PANTHERS: Cats slip from No. 1 but that’s perfectly OK: Florida is 45-19-4 after Saturday‘s 5-3 home loss to rival Tampa Bay. The Cats were on a surreal 18-3 run and the NHL’s No.1 seed before consecutive losses, and presently sit as No. 2 in ther East behind Boston. Might some Florida fans be cheering? Many consider the Presidents’ Trophy given to the team with the overall best record a jinx for the playoffs. That isn’t the trophy the Panthers are playing for, right lord Stanley?

7. GOLF: Time to start paying attention again: The sport for me has dipped in interest the past couple of years with its uncivil war between the PGA Tour and blood-money LIV Golf. But now “majors season” is upon us, teeing off with this week’s 50th Players Championship, the de facto fifth major wrapping today at TPC Sawgrass near Jacksonville, with Xander Schauffele up by one entering today. Next month comes the majorest of them all, The Masters. Notably missing this week: Tiger Woods, a surprise since this is the last year he is automatically eligible -- though every tournament on Earth would give him an exemption. It now appears Woods will play Augusta with only 1.5 competitive rounds this year.

8. POLITICS/NFL: RFK Jr. and Aaron Rodgers a perfect match: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent candidate for president who pushes anti-vaccine misinformation and public health conspiracy theories, is so out there even his own famous family isn’t voting for him. On RFK Jr.’s short list of VP choices is Aaron Rodgers, the loony quarterback who CNN reports once suggested the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre didn’t really happen (a report he denies). Sounds like a dream ticket for the man with zero chance of winning whose nuisance candidacy polls say will most help Trump.

9. NHL: Hey, wait. Somebody stole Jaromir Jagr!: The Pittsburgh Penguins were going to give away thousands of Jaromir Jagr bobbleheads to fans Thursday night in honor of their former star. The problem is, the Pens learned the shipment carrying the nodding souvenirs was stolen in a cargo theft upon arrival in California. Fans received a voucher to receive a Jagr bobblehead at a future date. Meantime I wanna see the look on thieves’ faces when, hoping for Gucci or Versace, they opened those crates.

10. TENNIS: Alcaraz beats Zverev, bees at Indian Wells: Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev were forced off the court for nearly two hours in their Indian Wells quarterfinal when a swarm of bees descended on the event in California. Alcaraz was stung on the forehead before eventually beating Zverev, 6-3, 6-1. Play resumed after “the tournament’s beekeeper used a vacuum to remove the swarm.” Wait. Tennis tournaments have beekeepers on hand!?

Other most recent stuff from me: Tua’s tough task: Free agency losses hurting Miami Dolphins as brutal AFC gets stronger // ‘Reinvented’ Florida Panthers didn’t matter for decades. Now they’re Stanley Cup favorites // Caitlin Clark starts Women’s History Month off right // Born to fail? Bronny James, Charlie Woods and the impossible footsteps of LeBron and Tiger // The Florida Man Games: A sort-of Olympics, but with dumb events and non-athletes // Previous HB10 // And my latest podcast: