In the good ol’ days, March Madness meant focusing on the games, enjoying the Cinderella stories, tracking your brackets and dreaming that your team might be the one showered with confetti on the first Monday in April as “One Shining Moment” plays.
In this NIL portal era, all of that still applies — but March Madness has morphed into just as much of a scouting mission as a bid for a national championship.
As mid-major and low-major conference tournaments unfold this week across the country — the first NCAA Tournament bid gets doled out Saturday night to the winner of the Ohio Valley Conference title game — power conference fans get to salivate over potential portal acquisitions.
Meanwhile, power conference coaching staffs will be finalizing their additions to 2026-27 rosters. Yes, finalizing.
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While the portal doesn’t open officially until April 7, it’s naïve to believe that highly paid consulting firms haven’t been sending targeted lists of suitable prospects to big-time head coaches who, in turn, have instructed their general managers to negotiate with agents to determine how much $$$ it will take to land their prized clients.
Yeah, that’s modern college basketball.
But enough about how things have changed so starkly over the last few years. Which sharpshooters should everyone be dreaming on?
How about Bellarmine junior forward Jack Karasinski, who’s averaging 21.3 points, shooting 42.6% from 3-point range and getting to the line more than six times per game? The only player in America who’s a more efficient go-to guy than Karasinski (according to KenPom) is Duke’s Cameron Boozer, who’ll win all the National Player of the Year awards.
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Or maybe UNLV’s Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, the former Illinois guard who has averaged 29.7 points over the last nine games while hitting an absurd 45 of 85 from 3-point range? He’s an athletic freak, too, albeit 6-foot-1.
Perhaps Buffalo sophomore guard Daniel Freitag, a four-star prospect who did little as a freshman at Wisconsin but has restored his career arc by averaging 19.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Bulls?
They are among the many fine ideas out there, but everybody — coaches, fans, the transfers themselves — should go into this process with their eyes wide open.
Based on an unofficial study conducted just now looking at every player who averaged at least 17 points per game last season, there are a lot more misses than hits when low- and mid-majors make the jump to the big time.
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(Yes, picking 17 points per game while ignoring other key stats is arbitrary, but coaches are always looking for scorers, hence this decision.)
Anyway, back to this extremely scientific study. There were 118 Division I players who averaged at least 17 points last season. Fifty-five guys either ran out of eligibility or turned pro early.
Fifteen guys — including such studs as Texas Tech’s JT Toppin, Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton, Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn and Mississippi State’s Josh Hubbard — stayed where they were.
That left us 48 who changed schools. Ignoring high-major guys who jumped to other high majors — fellas like PJ Haggerty (Memphis to Kansas State), Jason Edwards (Vandy to Providence) and Keyshawn Hall (UCF to Auburn) — it becomes clear that it’s rarely roses for the players who climb a notch or two to the big time.
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For each Lamar Wilkerson, who went from averaging 20.5 points at Sam Houston State to 21.3 at Indiana and meriting all-Big Ten honors, there are four guys like Bucknell’s Noah Williamson (Alabama), Southern Illinois’ Ali Dibba (Texas A&M), Northeastern’s Rashad King (LSU) and Kansas City’s Jamar Brown (UCLA) who were relegated to bench roles at their new schools.
If they believed they would get similar minutes and shots at their new place, then that’s a bummer.
But, hey, as Mad Men’s Don Draper once screamed at underling Peggy Olson, “That’s what the money is for!”
Arsenal toil to just about do enough, but it may mean an awful lot more.
Mikel Arteta’s minimalism led to what was almost the maximum outcome on the night at Brighton, as a 1-0 victory ensured they went seven points clear at the top with a game more played. The news that Manchester City had drawn 2-2 with Nottingham Forest was greeted by even greater celebration from the Arsenal travelling support than their own final whistle. Moments later, for the first time this season, they were singing “we’re gonna win the league”.
That might yet tempt fate but it’s hard to begrudge them given how big this felt for the season. There have nevertheless rarely been matches so potentially seismic that were so muted – at least until Fabian Hurzeler’s press conference started. “I will never be the type of manager who tries to win that way,” he said. It was still Arsenal that won, though.
The post-match theatre was consequently one of those where multiple things were party correct: Hurzeler had a point, but also missed the point, and yet Arsenal could also heed some of what he said, at least in terms of not wanting to live too many games like this. But then a win in these circumstances, to bring it full circle, may actually release Arsenal and prevent that.
It wasn’t a riproaring game.
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Arsenal secured the lead from Bukayo Saka’s fortuitous opener… and that was pretty much that. Mikel Arteta’s side duly kept their first clean sheet in five, since the 7 February 3-0 win over Sunderland, which may also prove highly significant.
But that is important because it will go someway to ease all of this angst, still palpable throughout this match. City’s result instead means Arsenal are now also on the longest winning run in the Premier League, at three.
Not for the first time this season, mind, this one probably didn’t need to feel so tense.
When asked whether he remonstrated with Arteta about time-wasting, Hurzeler just said “there were so many”. He also repeatedly argued the Premier League need to look at the rules.
Arteta’s response was a simple and sarcastic: “What a surprise?”
When asked whether he cares what other managers say, the Basque simply said “depends”. On who? “Yeah. And the comments… and the purpose.”
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Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal an early lead (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Wire)
Before debating the actual merits of such arguments and the mechanics of the game, the extra psychological layer of Wednesday’s results should be acknowledged.
This was probably the kind of night when it was expected that Arsenal might slip in an awkward away game as City won a forgiving home game, only for the reverse to happen. For Arteta, the damage of that 2-2 draw away to Wolves is undone. For now.
The night’s results should nevertheless remain a warning that this is highly unlikely to be a straight line to the end, in the way the 2018-19 season was, say. Arsenal have to be conscious of how the competitiveness of the Premier League brings a new and constant danger of dropping points, which is why they probably still have to be conscious of performance. While Hurzeler had that spiky comment on how he wouldn’t want to play that way – which Arteta refused to comment on – and there’s obviously been wider debate about whether you’d want to win to win the league that way, the Basque himself wouldn’t want to play every game like this.
It creates too much psychological toil, but that points to a wider pattern.
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Mikel Arteta brushed off the frequent criticism of his side (Getty Images)
There have been times this season when Arsenal have anxiously toiled for a goal, which is why a fortuitous strike like Saka’s must feel like such a reprieve – and maybe like they were due. There are certainly those among Arteta’s staff who believe that the club have been unlucky in many games, where the scoreline has not reflected the xG.
So here was Saka suddenly cutting inside to try a surprise long shot – in the way some demand he should do more – that had an xG of 0.01. It duly took a deflection to wrong-foot Bart Verbruggen.
And yet, as has been the case in many recent games, Arsenal didn’t press on. Their next shot didn’t even come until the second half. Brighton were allowed to control play, if not quite force it. It was so familiar to so many recent Arsenal matches – but also familiar to so many recent Brighton matches. That Joao Pedro had a hat-trick performance for Chelsea against Aston Villa was so pointed, since he is one talent that the club have not managed to replace. Kaoru Mitoma was allowed to roam without doing much. Brighton are so well structured until the final third, which then gradually erodes some momentum. Hurzeler’s complaints sound a little more embittered when you consider Brighton only created 0.8xG themselves.
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Maybe that’s why Arsenal let them have the ball, but recent patterns suggest there are other reasons. Arteta evidently doesn’t want this. He can often be seen urgently gesturing to his players to get up the pitch. While Arteta has rightly been criticised for a certain conservatism, his general ideology is fundamentally based on players taking the ball on in possession. That does involve some risk, or at least a willingness to constantly be proactive.
Defeat for Manchester City kept Arsenal a step ahead in the title race (Action Images via Reuters)
One of the things that visibly happens with Arsenal in such situations, however, is that too many players stop doing it. They don’t take the step up. It might be subtle, sometimes almost imperceptible, but the cumulative effect is that they become vulnerable. It seems obvious this is down to the psychology that comes with so badly desiring to win this first title in 22 years – which is where Hurzeler misses the point a bit. It’s now about how you prefer to win. It’s about winning.
That approach can still mean just one slip changes everything, which Arsenal now know all well – not least from this very fixture last season. Arsenal’s 2024-25 title challenger arguably first faltered when they went 1-0 up against Brighton early on only for a contentious penalty to bring a damaging 1-1 draw.
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This has the potential to be similar. The feeling had been that Arsenal might get caught and, if they didn’t, too many needlessly contained performances like this would gradually erode their edge. This time, though, it didn’t happen. Arsenal beat Brighton.
And the manner in which last season’s situation was reversed may be symbolic, as well as significant. Crucially, it may also ease Arsenal and bolster reassurance to the point they may not suffer this type of game again soon.
The profile of attackers does help. Arsenal immediately looked more lively when Kai Havertz came on for Viktor Gyokeres. The German just offers more control.
Arsenal now have full control of the title race, for the first time in weeks. They did what they needed. They have just been given fair warning this isn’t a pattern to repeat.
People First Stadium will play host to Friday’s
Round 1 AFL game between Gold Coast SUNS and
Geelong Cats. The game kicks off at 8:05 pm with Gold Coast SUNS heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Gold Coast SUNS vs.
Geelong Cats
game and give you our free tips and bets.
Friday night at People First Stadium offers an early measuring stick for two clubs with genuine premiership ambitions. Gold Coast enters 2026 on the back of its most successful campaign to date and has doubled down on that momentum, recruiting Christian Petracca and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan while securing academy talents Zeke Uwland and Dylan Patterson inside the top five of the draft.
Geelong’s offseason was comparatively restrained after last year’s Grand Final defeat, missing out on Rowan Marshall and Charlie Curnow but bolstering its midfield with James Worpel.
The Cats had the upper hand when these sides last met, grinding out a 61-37 win in heavy conditions at GMHBA Stadium. Max Holmes was influential with 40 disposals and 10 clearances, while Tyson Stengle booted four goals. With Stengle sidelined, the Suns will sense an opportunity to turn the tables at home.
This is at least the ninth time Garrett has been cited for speeding in the Cleveland area since being drafted by the Browns back in 2017. It’s the second citation Garrett has received since he flipped his Porsche in 2023. Last summer, Garrett was cited for driving 100 mph in a 60 mph zone just hours after Cleveland’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers.
Garrett, 30, had been stopped for speeding at least seven other times since he was drafted by the Browns. He was once given multiple tickets within a 24-hour span after being clocked driving 120 mph and 105 mph. Garrett has also previously been charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle.
In September 2022, Garrett was injured after his Porsche went airborne and rolled multiple times. Garrett and a passenger were treated at a local hospital following the accident.
“This will be definitely a wake-up call for me, just try to be smart overall with driving,” Garrett said after that incident. “Don’t take anything for granted. Be grateful that I’m still able to be here and just take my time.”
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Garrett, who is just one year into his four-year, $160 million extension that he signed last offseason, recently won his second Defensive Player of the Year award after recording 23 sacks in 2025, an NFL record. He set the record after taking down Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow during the Browns’ Week 18 win over the Cincinnati.
Garrett’s 125.5 sacks since 2017 are the most in the NFL over that span. He’s currently tied with Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney for 28th on the NFL’s career sack list.
ENGIE Stadium will play host to Saturday’s
Round 1 AFL game between GWS Giants and
Hawthorn Hawks. The game kicks off at 4:15 pm with Hawthorn Hawks heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the GWS Giants vs.
Hawthorn Hawks
game and give you our free tips and bets.
In a rematch of last season’s Elimination Final, GWS and Hawthorn launch their 2026 AFL campaigns at ENGIE Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Giants enter the season under a cloud, with a lengthy injury list headlined by Tom Green’s ruptured ACL. Key contributors Josh Kelly, Sam Taylor and Brent Daniels are also sidelined, leaving Adam Kingsley’s side to test its depth early in the year.
Hawthorn arrives in far better shape, although star midfielder Will Day remains unavailable as he targets a mid-season return from a shoulder injury. The Hawks will, however, welcome Jai Newcombe after his preseason suspension was overturned. Newcombe starred the last time these sides met, collecting 32 disposals and 12 clearances in Hawthorn’s 107–88 finals victory, a performance that helped halt a late Giants surge. With momentum from that September clash, the Hawks will look to make another fast start.
Man Utd now have a 10-day break before they return to action and they will be licking their wounds after losing to Newcastle.
Defeat has become an unfamiliar sensation for Manchester United. Before Wednesday night on Tyneside, the last time they lost a Premier League game the Christmas presents were still unopened.
That was a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on December 21 and although the recovery began slowly under Ruben Amorim, it has accelerated since Michael Carrick took charge in January.
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But it ground to a shuddering halt at St James’ Park. For the first time, Carrick felt what it was like to lose a game as United head coach, and what made it more painful was that the performance was so flat and they failed to take advantage of Newcastle being down to 10 men.
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In those circumstances, most managers would welcome another game quickly to put things right and get it out of the system. United don’t have that luxury.
They will be in at Carrington on Thursday but will have a few days off here and there as part of a 10-day break between games, before Aston Villa visit Old Trafford.
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That game has taken on greater meaning as the battle for Champions League football becomes congested. United had the chance to give themselves breathing room this week, and although they remain third, there are only three points separating them from Liverpool in sixth.
With the stakes now raised, Carrick has issued a rallying cry, calling for his squad to learn the lessons of their painful defeat to Newcastle and come back stronger against Unai Emery’s side.
“We’ve got to make the best out of it, we’ve got to make it a help,” Carrick said of the break. “There’s no sense in not learning lessons and understanding why tonight was what it was and how it happened and developed. We’ve got to learn from that, so we look at it and we’ll learn from that.
“It’s an important game, it’s a big week for us, it’s one we look forward to. We’re in a position now that we’ve put ourselves in, the boys have put themselves in, that can be really exciting. So we’ve got to be really positive going into the next game and look forward to it, because there’s a lot to play for.”
Oleksandr Usyk became the first undisputed champion of the four-belt era back in 2024, and heavyweight rival Anthony Joshua has predicted how the Ukrainian would have fared against the most recent undisputed ruler before him, Lennox Lewis.
Back in 1999, WBC heavyweight champion Lewis collided with IBF and WBA titleholder Evander Holyfield in a memorable showdown at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Lewis should have made history that night in becoming the undisputed king, but a dubious decision on the scorecards meant Lewis was rewarded with only a draw.
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Eight months later, Lewis and Holyfield ran it back and ‘The Lion’ came out on top with a unanimous decision win to take home all three belts – the crowning moment of his tremendous career.
It would take a quarter of a century for another undisputed heavyweight title contest to occur, largely due to the recognition of the WBO title and subsequent beginning of the four-belt era.
Another win in his rematch with Fury cemented Usyk as the standout heavyweight of this generation, and when asked whether the 39-year-old would have overcome Lewis, former world champion Joshua told Daily Mail Boxing that he would favour his former opponent.
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“[Usyk vs. Lewis is a] 50/50. [I will edge towards] Oleksandr Usyk.”
Luke Donald said there are “always bumps in the road” on the way to the Ryder Cup. Rory McIlroy undoubtedly agrees. But the Northern Irishman believes the current issue facing Team Europe, as they turn their attention to 2027 with Donald back at the helm, is one with an easy solution.
It just takes one man to change his mind. At the moment, that solution seems unlikely to materialize.
On Tuesday, Jon Rahm refused to budge in his ongoing battle with the DP World Tour. The DP World Tour recently reached an agreement (independent of LIV Golf) with eight of its members to grant them conditional releases to compete in LIV events without accumulating further sanctions. Players, including Tyrrell Hatton, agreed to pay all outstanding fines, participate in additional stipulated DPWT tournaments and withdraw all pending appeals. Rahm declined the offer, saying the European Tour was “extorting” players by having them play in six events, two of which will be determined by the DP World Tour, instead of the four normally required to maintain membership.
“I don’t like what they’re doing currently with the contract they’re having us sign,” Rahm said. “I don’t like the conditions. They’re asking me to play a minimum of six events, and they dictate where two of those have to be, amongst other things that I don’t agree with.”
Rahm has challenged the DP World Tour’s conflicting events policy — which he says has resulted in over $3 million in fines — in arbitration court. He can remain a DP World Tour member until that case is heard. If he loses the case, he’ll need to pay his fines to remain a member, something he has said he won’t do, or he will be ineligible for the Ryder Cup.
On Wednesday, ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, McIlroy said he believes the European Tour did everything possible to find a middle ground that would allow players to retain their membership while playing on LIV and benefiting the DP World Tour at the same time. A better deal is something McIlroy has trouble seeing coming down the pike.
“It’s a really generous deal,” McIlroy said. “Like it’s a much softer deal than what Brooks [Koepka] took to come back and play on the PGA Tour. Look, the European Tour can only do so much to accommodate these guys.
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“There’s a reason eight of the nine guys took that deal, right? I think it’s a really good deal. Yeah, obviously Jon doesn’t think so, and he’s obviously well within his rights to think that way. But I just don’t see what more the European Tour can do to accommodate these guys to retain their membership.”
As Rahm explained his position on Tuesday in Hong Kong, he noted that the six-event requirement to drop the legal battle and settle all business wouldn’t work with his schedule. The two-time major winner said he’d be happy to play four events after the LIV schedule ends, but didn’t want the DP World Tour to dictate which two extra events he has to play. The irony in that complaint was not lost on McIlroy, given that Rahm already signed up to play on a league that gets to dictate the majority of his schedule. Those 14 LIV events are non-negotiable.
“[It] isn’t a heavy lift,” McIlroy said of the six-event ask from the Euro Tour. “Yes, okay, maybe the European Tour gets to have a say in where those two [additional] events are, but I mean, I’m sure Jon doesn’t want to go to [LIV] South Africa next week, but he’s going there. So, you know, like I don’t, again, like … He signed a contract for LIV, and he plays 14 events and the whole thing. Like I get all that. But the DP World Tour is well within its rights to protect itself as a members organization and as a business.”
As for Rahm’s murky Ryder Cup future, Donald said he hadn’t yet spoken to the Spaniard but planned to in the near future. DPWT CEO Guy Kinnings joined Donald for Wednesday’s press conference and was clear about where things stand with Rahm.
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“I think it’s pretty straightforward,” Kinnings said. “You know, he either withdraws an appeal and settles fines or he goes through the appeal process, and that process is underway. And then we’ll obviously then have to go with whatever the decision is made in that appeal hearing.”
Rahm’s Ryder Cup status has been a constant topic since he bolted for LIV in 2023.
When the defection occurred, McIlroy was among the first to say that Team Europe needed Rahm and that there had to be a way to get him on the team in 2025. With Rahm’s court case still pending, he was able to maintain his DP World Tour membership and play at Bethpage despite not paying his outstanding fines.
In Dubai in January, McIlroy said Rahm and Hatton should pay their fines and prove they are willing to pay to play in the Ryder Cup, as was Europe’s rallying cry at Bethpage. After accepting the Euro Tour’s olive branch, Hatton is now a DP World Tour member in good standing as long as he meets the requirements. Rahm remains in limbo with 17 months until RC rosters are finalized. To McIlroy, the ramifications are what they are. The Ryder Cup exists above individuals and the current divide in professional golf.
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“Look, the Ryder Cup is bigger than any one person,” McIlroy said. “It’s bigger than all of us. We come and go. Players are — we pass through the system. Like, it’s the platform that’s the big thing. I mean, I think we should all be grateful that we have a platform like the Ryder Cup that we can play on and that we can showcase our skills and be a part of something that’s obviously way bigger than ourselves. So at the end of the day, it’s about the team, and no one player is bigger than the team.
“I think at the end of the day we all see the opportunity for [Luke Donald] to go down as the greatest Ryder Cup captain ever, if we go on and win in Ireland,” McIlroy said later. “So I’m excited for him, I’m excited for the opportunity that he has, and obviously I just want to be a part of that team to help him try to make that history.”
Dec 7, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) reacts after a touchdown during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 2024 Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
The 2026 NFL Draft is often viewed as one where teams will end up focusing more on the floor of a player rather than the ceiling.
The consensus is that there aren’t many league-wrecking prospects in this class, but that point of view might need to be thrown out the window with Kenyon Sadiq. The tight end is dripping with potential to become a star at the next level.
Background
Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) warms up before the game against the James Madison Dukes at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Statistics
2023: 5 receptions, 24 yards, 1 TD (14 games)
2024: 24 receptions, 308 yards, 2 TDs (14 games)
2025: 51 receptions, 560 yards, 8 TDs (14 games)
Measurables
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 241
Hand Size: 10″
Arm Length: 31 1/2″
40-Yard Dash: 4.39
10-Yard Split: 1.54
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Vertical: 43.5″
Broad Jump: 11’1″
3 Cone: N/A
Bench: 26 reps
Sadiq spent the first two years of his collegiate career as a developmentary reserve in the Oregon Ducks program before bursting onto the scene as one of the best receiving tight ends in the country in 2025. Now, he’s hoping to turn that production into a high end draft status this spring.
Strengths
Dec 20, 2025; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) looks on before the game against the James Madison Dukes at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
Sadiq is a very clean receiving tight end prospect. He can run just about any route whether it be a go route breaking away from defenders in the secondary, or he can intricately break in and out of his routes with buttery smooth foot speed and balance.
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His NFL Combine performance is a testimony to that with numbers that are virtually identical to what Vernon Davis accomplished at the event though Davis did have 13 pounds on Sadiq.
Not only is Sadiq a very solid receiver, he is an impressive player in run blocking as well. He doesn’t take those snaps off and is capable of planting himself and holding his own against defenders. His strong hands are capable of fighting off rush moves, and those hands also help him hold onto the football through collisions at the point of the catch.
Weaknesses
Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq hauls in a touchdown catch as the Oregon Ducks host the USC Trojans on Nov. 22, 2025, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
While Sadiq is plenty capable of blocking while playing along the line of scrimmage, he isn’t exactly the player you want taking lead blocks down the field in the second and third levels of the defense. He seems to mistime himself or hold back some contact on those blocks, allowing defenders to shed fairly easily.
Drops were also an issue for Sadiq in 2025. On 67 targets, he had six drops. In on target passes, he had a drop rate of 10.5%.
Finally, while he certainly is a willing blocker, a 241-pound frame could cause some issues in that department at the NFL level.
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2026 NFL Draft Projection
Nov 22, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks tight end Kenyon Sadiq (18) celebrates scoring a touch down during the first half against the Southern California Trojans at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images
NFL Draft Projection: Mid First Round
Team Fits: Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins
Sadiq has a few things to clean up before he becomes a star at the NFL level, but all the potential in the world is there. He has the upside of being an All-Pro tight end a few years down the line, and TE-needy teams in the first round should jump at the chance to pick him.
Editor’s Note: Statistics from Pro Football Focus helped with this article.
Josh Frey is a senior writer at both PurplePTSD.com and VikingsTerritory.com, with a fascination for the NFL Draft. To … More about Josh Frey
If you get anxious about where to sit at Thanksgiving, imagine how you might feel as a still new-ish Masters winner approaching the table at the fabled Champions Dinner and deciding where to pull up a chair. There are no place cards or seating charts — just assorted legends and multiple-time major winners peering up from their vodka-sodas and dinner rolls and saying with their eyes, “Really, kid, you’re going to sit here?”
“It’s not assigned seating, but a lot people sit in the same chairs,” Adam Scott, the 2013 champion, said in 2023. “I like that, to be perfectly honest. I like the fact that you kind of feel like that’s your spot.”
Well, yeah, once you’ve established that spot.
The first year is easy, because as the defending champion and host, you’re seated by default at the head of the table, flanked by the dinner’s resident host, two-time champion Ben Crenshaw, and Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley. Year 2 gets trickier. Scott navigated his sophomore dinner appearance by fast-walking to an open spot next to his junior-golf pal Trevor Immelman, a pocket of the table where Nick Faldo also is a regular.
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Other players have formed their own table cliques: Zach Johnson shoulders up with Jordan Spieth, with the likes of Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed and old-timers Larry Mize and Bernhard Langer also in the region. Three legends — Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Tom Watson — gravitate toward seats just to the left of the head. The late Fuzzy Zoeller used to favor the far end of the table, which is a little like sitting at the back of the school bus. And so it goes. Call them comfort zones.
It may feel like Scottie Scheffler has been winning green jackets (and a lot of other things) for decades, but he, in fact, didn’t attend his first Champions Dinner until 2023. “It’s your first time in that room, you don’t really know what to expect,” Scheffler said Wednesday from Bay Hill. “The only thing I really knew is where I was going to sit. That’s basically the only thing I knew, sitting next to Mr. Crenshaw and the chairman.”
Scheffler said he arrived early and “snuck” his wife, Meredith, into the room to give her a peek at a dinner that she had helped arrange (among the menu items: cheeseburger sliders and tortilla soup).
A year later, at the dinner hosted by 2023 winner Jon Rahm, Scheffler was less certain about his movements. “There’s a little protocol,” he said of where players tend to sit, or, for that matter, not sit. “I’m definitely not going to go sit in the area where Tiger and Jack sit. Like, there’s kind of spots where you kind of feel you’ll naturally flow into.”
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Cozying up to his Texas buddy Spieth would have been a logical move for Scheffler, but Scheffler knew better than to try that, saying with a laugh, “I definitely didn’t ask Jordan to sit by him, because he would have done something to make sure that I didn’t have a place to sit.” Instead, Scheffler turned to Zach Johnson and said, “Hey, where are you sitting this year? And he told me, and he was nice and let me join him.”
Selection Sunday is just two weeks away, so it’s time do your homework before making your 2026 NCAA Tournament picks. Although last year’s brackets lacked many big upsets, college basketball parity means this year could be different. Until 2018, no 16 seed had ever defeated a No. 1. Now, it has happened twice. Could it happen again in the 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket? On the men’s side, a number of powerhouses all have a clear shot to make noise. Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Iowa State are all in position to claim No. 1 seeds in the 2026 March Madness bracket.
Recent national champions like UConn and Florida are right behind. On the women’s side, UConn entered weekend play unbeaten with UCLA and South Carolina among their top competitors. With the action so close, now is the time to set up your 2026 Men’s March Madness pools and 2026 Women’s March Madness pools.
If you’re looking for a NCAA Tournament bracket game home, CBS Sports is the perfect place. You can play Bracket Games free on the CBS Sports App in pools with your friends and join free Men’s and Women’s Bracket Challenges to potentially win big prizes.* Get started right here.
How to create a 2026 NCAA Tournament pool with friends and family
Run your own free 2026 March Madness pool on CBSSports.com and the CBS Sports app and invite all of your friends, family, and co-workers to play against you during this year’s tournament.
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To start a bracket pool for Men’s March Madness, go to the Create Men’s Bracket Pool page, name your group and choose if you want a locked pool where you control the invites or an open pool that everybody can share. After that, just confirm your rules and then you can copy and share your personal pool link with friends or have CBS Sports send them emails.
For a Women’s March Madness pool, you can follow the exact same process but start at the Create Women’s Bracket Pool page in order to start your pool for the Women’s NCAA Tournament.
How to play 2026 March Madness Brackets for prizes
There are CBS Sports NCAA Bracket Challenges for the men’s and women’s tournaments and a trip to each 2027 Final Four on the line in both challenges. It’s easy to compete for those epic trips.
For the Men’s Challenge, simply click this link, click the “Join Now” button and enter.* Fill out your men’s bracket after it is revealed on Sunday, March 15, and the winner of the trip to the 2027 Final Four will be chosen from among the entrants. If you’ve already created brackets in pools with friends, you can quickly enter the Challenge by importing an already-created bracket.
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You can also enter the Women’s CBS Sports Bracket Challenge later that night after the Selection Show at 8 p.m. ET. Importing your brackets from your women’s pools is a convenient option for filling your Women’s Challenge brackets as well.
The men’s bracket deadline is March 19 when first round action tips off, while the women’s bracket deadline is March 20. To be eligible, follow the steps above to join the Men’s Challenge and then join the Women’s Challenge here before each tournament begins.
2026 NCAA Tournament Men’s teams to watch
Now that you know where to play 2026 NCAA Men’s Bracket Games, here are some teams to watch as the Tournament approaches:
Florida Gators: Don’t look now, but the defending national champions are back in the mix. The seventh-ranked Gators entered the weekend on an eight-game winning streak and were atop the SEC standings. Florida features a balanced scoring attack with six players averaging double-figure scoring. They are led by junior forward Thomas Haugh, who is averaging 16.9 points, six rebounds and two assists. The Gators are 5-3 against ranked opponents, including recent wins over Alabama and Kentucky.
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Arizona Wildcats: Arizona opened the season with 23 consecutive victories before suffering its first loss against Kansas on Feb. 9. The Wildcats went on to lose their second straight against Texas Tech, but they’ve picked up several impressive victories this season, including wins over Houston, BYU, UConn, Alabama and Florida. Arizona features a plethora of offensive playmakers, and the Wildcats can cause havoc on the defensive end of the floor as well. Tommy Lloyd’s men will be battle tested heading into the 2026 March Madness brackets, and the Wildcats will be in the hunt for a No. 1 seed with a strong finish to the regular season. Join the CBS Sports 2026 NCAA Men’s Bracket Game here.
2026 NCAA Tournament Women’s teams to watch
Now that you know where to play 2026 NCAA Women’s Bracket Games, here are some teams to watch as the 2026 NCAA Tournament approaches:
UCLA Bruins: Cori Chase’s squad made the Final Four for the first time in program history last season and are cementing their status as a contender in 2026. The Bruins are off to a 26-1 start with a perfect 16-0 mark in the Big Ten and Lauren Betts continues to dominate after an All-American season in 2024-25. The center is averaging 16.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 blocks per game and leads an experienced UCLA roster whose top six scorers are all seniors.
Vanderbilt Commodores: Vanderbilt has used NIL to reshape its athletic department as has found success in football and men’s basketball. However, the women’s squad might be the university’s best shot at a national championship this season, as the Commodores are 24-3 overall and 10-3 in the SEC. Sophomore guard Mikayla Blakes is averaging 25.9 points per game this season and Vanderbilt checks in at No. 5 in the latest AP poll. Join the 2026 Women’s Bracket Game here.
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How to enter 2026 NCAA Men’s & Women’s Bracket Games
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