The Scorecard: Wagner, Colorado State advance. Plus, a look at Obama’s 2024 bracket.
Two down, plenty to go
The First Four tipped off on Tuesday night with Wagner defeating Howard, 71-68, despite nearly blowing a 13-point lead. And they did it with just seven healthy players. It’s the start of a shorthanded Cinderella story for the Seahawks, who face No. 1 North Carolina next.
Colorado State defeated UVA, 67-42. It was a short-lived run for the Cavaliers, who squeaked into the tournament after an ACC semifinals loss to NC State, and had fans questioning the selection committee after a low scoring first half. Colorado State will now go on to face No. 7 Texas.
Wednesday, the other No. 16 seeds, Grambling State and Montana State face off in Dayton. The winner advances to face top-seeded Purdue.
Then, Boise State will face fellow-No. 10 seed Colorado, who might have the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2024 NBA draft. The winner will face No. 7 Florida. Florida’s center Micah Handlogten fractured his leg in the first few minutes of the team’s SEC championship game against Auburn. The team announced on Wednesday that Handlogten underwent surgery and will travel with the team to Indianapolis.
An update from yesterday’s discussion on Kansas, the Jayhawks announced that guard Kevin McCullar will miss the entire tournament due to a knee injury. The loss is substantial, but it isn’t all bad news, as the short-handed Jayhawks also announced that center Hunter Dickinson is on track to play.
The women’s tournament tips off
The First Four in the women’s bracket gets their shot today. In the first games from the women’s bracket, dual No. 16 seeds Presbyterian and Sacred Heart face off in Regional 1 in Albany, New York. The winner will go on to face the undefeated, No. 1 overall seed South Carolina.
Then, on the other coast, No. 12 Columbia faces No. 12 Vanderbilt will go head-to-head in Regional 3 in Portland. The winner of this play-in game will go on to face No. 5 Baylor.
While Caitlin Clark and Iowa will have to wait until Thursday to know who their opponent will be (between Holy Cross and UT Martin), here’s a look at all of the postseason records Clark could break in this tournament.
Other Top Stories:
Former President Barack Obama, a longtime college basketball fan, released his bracket, which was very kind to both South Carolina Gamecocks teams. He was also a big fan of Kentucky basketball, predicting the Wildcats to make it to the national championship. Here’s a look at Obama’s full bracket.
Over in the baseball world, pitcher Blake Snell has officially signed with the San Francisco Giants for two years and $62 million. The southpaw’s signing was long-awaited after several close calls, but a significantly smaller deal than anticipated and a pattern for clients of agent Scott Boras this offseason.
