A basketball fan has roughly a 1 in 120.2 billion chance of filling out a perfect NCAA tournament bracket.

Those are about the same odds the NCAA men’s basketball selection committee has to unveil a new bracket without any nitpicking.

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This year’s committee did an unusually good job overall, nailing which teams belonged on the No. 1 seed line and including the 68 most deserving teams in the field. The loudest complaints mostly target questionable seeding decisions or imbalanced regions.

[Enter Yahoo Bracket Mayhem for shot at 50K | Printable bracket]

Here’s a closer look at what the committee got right and wrong:

What the committee got right: Valuing the Sunday conference tournament games 

For years, the selection committee has faced criticism for ignoring the seeding ramifications of Sunday conference tournament games. Tournament champions from the SEC and Big Ten in particular have long complained that the committee doesn’t account for those games and their victories haven’t resulted in the expected seeding bump.

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That certainly seemed to be a complaint that this year’s committee was determined to address. Committee chairman Keith Gill said that he and his colleagues elevated Purdue from the No. 11 overall team on its seed list to No. 8 after the Boilermakers upset Michigan in Sunday’s Big Ten title game. That allowed Purdue to deservingly leapfrog Michigan State for the final No. 2 seed.

That wasn’t the only tweak the committee made to the bracket after the Big Ten title game went final. It also flip-flopped Michigan and Arizona on the overall seed list, elevating the Wildcats to the No. 2 overall 1 seed and dropping the Wolverines to the No. 3.

Further down the bracket, the committee also clearly accounted for Penn’s surprise victory over Yale in the Ivy League title game. Rather than just slot the Quakers into Yale’s projected No. 12 or 13 seed, the committee properly moved other teams up and slotted Penn as a No. 14.

This is an encouraging development and a long overdue one. These Sunday conference tournament games can’t just exist so the major TV networks have a way of leading into their selection shows. They also have to matter.

What the committee got wrong: The No. 1 overall seed getting the toughest region

So much for the narrative that Duke always gets a favorable draw.

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This year’s committee rightfully awarded the Blue Devils with the No. 1 overall seed and then foisted upon them the most challenging path to the Final Four of any team on the top seed line.

It starts with the quality of the East Region’s other top teams. UConn was the strongest No. 2 seed that the Blue Devils could have drawn since the committee’s bracketing principles prevent them from placing the overall No. 1 seed and the highest-rated No. 2 (Houston) in the same region. Michigan State was the committee’s highest-rated No. 3 seed. Kansas is an inconsistent but dangerous No. 4 seed. And reigning Big East regular season and tournament champion St. John’s is underseeded as the East’s No 5.

Heck, even Duke’s potential second-round matchup against eighth-seeded Ohio State is far from a cakewalk. The Buckeyes are a borderline Top 25 team in the major predictive metrics and are peaking entering the NCAA tournament.

As if the quality of the teams isn’t proof alone that the East is the toughest region, consider the pedigree of the coaches. Jon Scheyer will match wits against former national champions Dan Hurley, Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino and Bill Self.

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That is a gauntlet.

If you caught him in an honest moment off-camera, how much do you want to bet that Scheyer would trade paths with Michigan or Arizona right now?

What the committee got right: The 68 most deserving teams made the field

Sorry, Bruce Pearl.

No matter how incessantly you stump for your son’s Auburn team, the committee was correct to leave the Tigers out.

Never before has an at-large bid been awarded to a team with 16 or more total losses or to a team that is just a single game over .500. Auburn didn’t accomplish enough to persuade this year’s committee to break with either precedent.

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The case for Auburn was that the Tigers have played the nation’s second-toughest schedule and showed the ability to defeat elite teams. They boasted marquee wins over Florida, St. John’s, Arkansas and Kentucky, as well as victories over fellow bubble teams NC State and Texas.

The problem is that Auburn simply didn’t win enough games. The Tigers went 4-13 in Quadrant 1 games and 11-16 against the top three Quadrants. Yes, they played a lot of good teams, but they lost to most of them.

NC State, Texas, SMU and Miami (Ohio) were the committee’s lowest-ranked at-large teams in the field and will battle it out in the First Four to advance to the main draw. Oklahoma, Auburn, San Diego State and Indiana were the first four teams left out.

It’s hard to argue with any of that. Even NC State’s surprise demotion to the First Four was the proper call. Eleven Quadrant 1 and 2 wins was impressive, but the North Carolina win came without Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, the Clemson and SMU wins depreciated in value and none of the others came against top-40 teams in the NET.

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What the committee got wrong: Vanderbilt as a No. 5 seed

Vanderbilt has more reason to complain about its seeding than any other team in the NCAA tournament field.

How did the Commodores get stuck with a No. 5 seed when their resume appeared strong enough to give them an outside chance at the last No. 3?

Start with Vanderbilt’s team-sheet metrics. The Commodores ranked between 7th and ninth in the results-based metrics and between 10th and 14th in the predictive ones. In other words, not a single metric deemed Vanderbilt worse than a No. 4 seed and some had Mark Byington’s team higher than that.

Vanderbilt’s 17-8 record against the top two quadrants is also impressive. In non-league play, Vanderbilt announced itself as a team to watch by going undefeated and by taking down NCAA tournament-bound Saint Mary’s, UCF, VCU and SMU. The Commodores then finished tied for fourth in the SEC in the regular season and advanced to Sunday’s conference tournament title game, ousting Tennessee and Florida before falling to Arkansas.

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Compare Vanderbilt’s resume to No. 4 seeds Alabama or Nebraska. Heck, the Commodores even have a case to bypass Virginia for the final No. 3 seed.

The only silver lining for Vanderbilt is that drawing 12th-seeded McNeese is manageable, as is a potential second-round matchup with fourth-seeded Nebraska The selection committee owed the Commodores that much.

With just eight matches remaining and a game in hand over leaders Arsenal, Manchester City’s Premier League title challenge took a worrying turn on Saturday evening. Arsenal’s dramatic late victory over Everton combined with City’s frustrating draw at West Ham has widened the gap to nine points, leaving City in a position no top team wants to be after 30 league games.

Haaland struggles as new system fails

City’s talisman Erling Haaland, who scored 19 goals in his first 17 league games this season, has managed only three in his past 12 matches. His drop in form coincides with Pep Guardiola’s tactical tinkering following the arrival of Antoine Semenyo in January.

At West Ham, City lined up with Haaland and Omar Marmoush as a front two, with Semenyo playing as number 10. Despite dominating possession and creating 24 shots on goal, the side couldn’t break down West Ham’s well-organized defense. Guardiola admitted afterward, “We changed to make the players more dynamic, with Rayan, Jeremy [Doku] and Phil [Foden], but we could not win the game.”

Missed chances cost City

The Title Race Hangs in the Balance

While City still hold a game in hand and can theoretically close the gap, the psychological advantage has clearly shifted to Arsenal. Guardiola’s men now face a crucial month with the League Cup final against Arsenal and a subsequent clash with Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals. Their next league game isn’t until April 12 against Chelsea, giving fans a tense wait to see if City can regain balance and mount a serious challenge.

Haaland’s form and City’s tactical stability will be key as the Premier League enters its decisive stretch. Guardiola himself acknowledged the challenges but remains hopeful: “He [Haaland] will be back… the team is still growing.”

Match of the Day pundit Wayne Rooney describes Max Dowman becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history as a “moment he’ll never forget” and argues it will bring those connected to Arsenal closer together, seeing an academy graduate make his mark on the first team.

READ MORE: How history-maker Dowman stole show for Arsenal

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An U-19 World Cup winner at 14, batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi now has his eyes set on winning the Indian Premier League title for Rajasthan Royals in the upcoming season. Sooyavanshi took the IPL 2025 by storm by becoming the tournament’s youngest centurion, and earlier this year, his 80-ball 175-run knock in the final against England propelled India to a record-extending sixth U-19 World Cup title in Harare. He is now focussed on the IPL. “The goal this IPL season is to win the trophy for the team, as it is a very important thing. I want to do well, and my performance will help the whole team. This is my goal — to contribute to RR’s wins and win the trophy for the franchise,” Sooryavanshi told broadcaster Star Sports on the sidelines of the BCCI Naman Awards on Sunday.

Known for his explosive batting, Sooryavanshi met his World Cup-winning teammates at the awards function.

“(It) feels really nice. Won a trophy as well for India at the World Cup. Because of this award ceremony, feeling nice to meet my teammates and coaches again here,” the teen sensation said.

Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to sign an IPL contract when Rajasthan Royals picked up the then 13-year-old in 2024 for Rs 1.1 crore.

The youngster from Bihar recalled his early days with the RR scouts.

“When I made my domestic debut, RR had been keeping an eye on me during my domestic and Under-19 games. Their scouting team had been keeping an eye on me for a long time. I felt that I could go to RR because my trial with them had gone very well,” he said.

“I am happy to be with RR, as I have improved a lot too in my life while playing for them.” Sooryavanshi said he has learned a lot from the legendary Rahul Dravid and other seniors in the team.

“For any youngster, the first IPL camp is always interesting and it was the same for me too.

“Rahul (Dravid) sir was there at that time, so I got to learn a lot from him. There were a lot of senior players in the team, and I had a good learning experience from them during the first camp as well as the first IPL,” he said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Man Utd fans made their feelings over Casemiro clear as they chanted for the Brazilian to stay for another season during the 3-1 win against Aston Villa at Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick still expects Casemiro to leave Manchester United this summer, despite leaving open the possibility that an effort could be made to try and tempt the Brazilian to stay.

Both parties have come to the decision that the 34-year-old will leave the club when his contract expires at the end of this season, but his recent form has been exceptional and he was involved in all three goals as United beat Aston Villa 3-1.

Casemiro headed in the opener and then played key passes in the build-up to goals for Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko that strengthened United’s grip on a Champions League place.

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The former Real Madrid midfielder has started all nine games under Carrick so far and is playing some of the best football of his four-year stay at Old Trafford, but he is on £350,000-a-week and a departure this summer will help reduce the wage bill.

But the Stretford End chanted ‘one more year, one more year Casemiro’ throughout Sunday’s win and Carrick was asked whether it was possible that a U-turn would be made before the end of the season.

“I think in some ways it’s difficult to say, I think it’s when something’s decided and in some ways the fact that it was decided makes things a little bit easier and everyone understands the situation really,” he said.

“I think the impact he’s had has been terrific, certainly since I’ve been here and working with him and his influence within the team and big moments and goals.

“It was a nice moment at the end there with the supporters and having that connection, and the respect. That was a nice moment. I think you’ll enjoy that one.”

United might save more than £18million a year in wages when Casemiro departs, but replacing him will be a mammoth task. He has seven goals in the Premier League this season and has recovered his form to be one of the division’s standout holding midfielders.

As a five-time Champions League winner for Real Madrid, he also brings bags of experience to the club, but Carrick played down the idea that replacing him would be an almost impossible task.

“I think this is totally no disrespect to Case, he’s been fantastic, he has been a big player for us and has been important in the dressing room and one that I have spoken to and connected with really well,” he said.

“But I think as a club and as a team, your players come and go, some may be bigger, some may be more important than others at different times.

“I don’t think it’s ever really about replacing them like for like, I think you can go with different directions, you understand what the balance of the squad will need, whether that’s on the pitch, off the pitch leadership, positionally, there’s all sorts of different things going into it.

“Case’s done some really, really good things and certainly since I’ve been here he’s been an absolute pleasure to work with.”

The first mighty domino has fallen in the Minnesota Vikings’ offseason, as the main part of free agency is over. Of course, Minnesota didn’t do much in the first couple of days, until it netted its big-fish quarterback from the Arizona Cardinals.

Minnesota has made a few sharp moves already, with April still on deck.

The offseason still has a long way to go, but here are the best decisions to date, and they’re not too controversial.

Three Early Calls Already Strengthened Minnesota’s Outlook

Next stop? The draft in less than six weeks.

1. Retaining Brian Flores

Had Flores walked — the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers interviewed for then-vacant head coaching jobs — the Vikings would’ve started from scratch on defense during the Kyler Murray seasons. Keeping him paved the way for Minnesota to contend for the Super Bowl in 2026.

Flores’s defense became the driving force behind Minnesota’s 2025 campaign, propelling them to nine wins after a rocky 4–8 start. This resurgence was largely due to Flores’s scheme, which consistently manufactured pressure, created confusion, and generated favorable field position.

The overall statistics underscore Flores’s impact. Over the past two seasons, Minnesota led the NFL in EPA per play allowed. In 2025 alone, Flores’ unit ranked third in EPA/Play, trailing only the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans.

Flores’ coaching performance in Minnesota is impressive, as evidenced by the following rankings:

• 1st in Pass Rush Win Rate
• 2nd in Yards Allowed
• 3rd in Defense DVOA
• 3rd in EPA/Play
• 4th in Defensive 3rd-Down Conversion Percentage
• 7th in Points Allowed

The results speak volumes, and Minnesota rewarded Flores for the turnaround with a $6 million-per-year extension, signaling the team’s belief that his defense is crucial to their future success.

The newfound Murray-infused momentum would be tainted without Flores back in the saddle.

2. Firing Kwesi Adofo-Mensah

In four drafts, the Vikings only truly hit on about 5-6 rookies: Jordan Addison, Will Reichard, Dallas Turner, Jalen Nailor, Levi Drake Rodriguez, and perhaps Donovan Jackson.

The verdict is still out on these men (or the verdict is just plain bad):

• Brian Asamoah
• Gavin Bartholomew
• Mekhi Blackmon
• Andrew Booth
• Ty Chandler
• Lewis Cine
• Akayleb Evans
• Tai Felton
• Jaren Hall
• Ed Ingram
• Kobe King
• Vederian Lowe
• DeWayne McBride
• J.J. McCarthy
• Nick Muse
• Esezi Otomewo
• Jaquelin Roy

That’s about roughly a 20% success rate if the person counting is in a generous mood, calling Jackson and Drake Rodriguez hits.

The success rate was not conducive to Super Bowl team-building. And when Adofo-Mensah swung and missed on expensive free agents like Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen last offseason, well, the roster aged rather quickly and became less formidable.

What’s more, that’s all on top of letting Sam Darnold leave in free agency for a Lombardi trophy in Seattle. Adofo-Mensah had too many curiously bad decisions, on top of a dreadful draft record, to keep his job.

Minnesota needed a change, if only to give someone more competent a chance to draft players. The draft is the only place in sports for teams to get players for free.

3. Signing Kyler Murray for $1.3 Million

Across a 17-game sample, Murray averages about 4,000 passing yards, 600 rushing yards, and 30 total touchdowns, along with the fifth-most accurate completion percentage in NFL history.

Yeah, the Vikings got that guy for cheaper than a long snapper’s contract.

Murray grew up as a Vikings fan, so it wasn’t difficult to woo him. Ultimately, though, Minnesota landed the perfect guy to partner with J.J. McCarthy this season, and a two-time Pro Bowler at that. The NFL considered Murray the single-hottest quarterback prospect in the world seven years ago; now that guy plays for the Vikings.

ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss on Murray to Minnesota: “Murray has a ton to prove. His time in Arizona was unfulfilled from both production and win standpoints. He has heard all the criticism over the years that he’s too small or runs too much or doesn’t run enough or can’t win the big games ÿ and he’s ready to show the rest of the NFL that he can, indeed, be a productive quarterback.”

“Losing as much as he has — 38-48-1 in seven NFL seasons — hasn’t been easy on Murray. Although he has become accustomed to the fact that losing is part of the NFL, he never got used to the act of losing. Murray wants to play for a team where he can win quickly and believe he has the infrastructure — on the field and organizationally — to do that, according to a source.”

Minnesota pulled off an offseason masterclass by getting Murray for the league’s version of free. It’s actually unbelievable that cosmos allowed Murray to shimmy to Kevin O’Connell’s team.

WWE Superstar Angel recently interacted with several fans on social media. In one of those interactions, the Los Garza member responded to a fan asking why he re-signed with the Stamford-based wrestling promotion.

Following his recent in-ring appearance on the latest edition of Friday Night SmackDown, Angel took to X (formerly Twitter) to post a picture of himself and Garza inside the squared circle. The former NXT Cruiserweight Champion noted that Los Garza keep on fighting for their legacy.

Several users responded to the tweet, leading to back-and-forth between Angel and the fans. As the SmackDown star noted that Los Garza needed more TV time to establish a connection with the fans, a fan asked why they re-signed with the company instead of returning to a Mexican promotion.

Angel noted that had they done so, he would have been earning one-tenth of the money he was making in World Wrestling Entertainment. The former WWE 24/7 Champion noted that life was not just about pro wrestling and he had to take care of his family.

“But making 1/10 of the money… because life isn’t just about wrestling. I’m a man, a father, and I’ll fight for my family’s future no matter what. 👊,” Angel wrote.

You can check out his tweet below:

Angel and Berto have yet to win a WWE match in 2026

Los Garza wrestled their first match of the year on Friday Night SmackDown on the March 6 episode of the show. The two contested in a Tag Team Turmoil Match to determine the number one contenders for the WWE Tag Team Championship. They eliminated Fraxiom and The Wyatt Sicks’ Joe Gacy and Dexter Lumis but were ousted by the eventual winners, Damian Priest and R-Truth.

In their second match of the year, Angel and Berto locked horns against Damian Priest and R-Truth in a traditional tag team match the following week. The two put forth an impressive performance but once again fell short against the newly formed tag team.

Los Garza returned to WWE programming after an absence of 5 months. It will be interesting to see what plans the company has for the duo heading into WrestleMania 42.