ON TODAY'S SCORECARD
Seedy Development

It's time to reseed.

Reseeding the Men's NCAA Tournament Ahead of Sweet 16 suddenly seems like a logical idea.

The first weekend of themen's NCAA basketball tournamentis n the history books and was decidedly chalky, with just a single double-digit seed remaining and a lone buzzer beater banked in across the first and second rounds.

While the early goings lacked drama this year, that may not be a bad thing moving forward when it comes to the level of play as the field is narrowed from 68 to four.

Things are getting serious as the journey to San Antonio moves to four regional sites across the country. Now that we know who has survived and advanced, how does every team stack up with just two weeks left in the postseason?

Channeling its inner selection committee, here's a reseeding of teams left in the tourney with the arrival of the Sweet 16 per Sports Illustrated:

1. Duke Blue Devils

Actual seed:No. 1, East Region

Nobody had a more convincing opening weekend than Jon Scheyer's team, which may have actually looked better than it did at the end of the regular season despite having to ease Cooper Flagg back into the rotation after his ankle injury. Their impressive dismantling of the Baylor Bears on Sunday re-cemented Duke as the team to beat.

2. Florida Gators

Actual seed:No. 1, West Region

The Gators cruised in their first game against the No. 16 seed Norfolk State Spartans, looking straight up terrifying for 15 minutes in a big statement for the SEC tournament champs. While they weren’t quite as crisp early on against the UConn Huskies, they rose to the occasion in the final minutes to knock out the back-to-back national champions.

3. Tennessee Volunteers

Actual seed:No. 2, Midwest Region

Chaz Lanier was well known around the SEC, but he might be on his way to becoming a star nationally if he keeps playing like he did during the first weekend. The Vols reached their third consecutive Sweet 16 comfortably, holding the Wofford Terriers at arm's length and then doing the same to the UCLA Bruins. Their defense remains impeccable when they're locked in.

4. Houston Cougars

Actual seed:No. 1, Midwest Region

Nobody had a tougher path to the second weekend than the Cougars, thanks to the actual selection committee, but being tested could pay dividends down the road - particularly given how tough the Midwest looks this year. L.J. Cryer was fantastic against the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

5. Auburn Tigers

Actual seed:No. 1, South Region

Whatever locker room speech that Bruce Pearl gave at halftime against the Creighton Bluejays sure seemed to work. The Tigers made it to the second weekend for the first time since 2019, despite All-American Johni Broome not playing as well as he's capable of. They'll need to get him going to emerge from the South Region.

6. Kentucky Wildcats

Actual seed:No. 3, Midwest Region

The NCAA tournament was still a big question mark surrounding Mark Pope and, with a slew of injuries this season, this roster. Safe to say both answered with flying colors, pushing past a Troy Trojans team expected to be a pesky 14-seed and then clamping down on the Illinois Fighting Illini who featured several NBA draft lottery picks.

From the Playbook Sweet 16 Tournament Guide

Here are the career records of the coaches playing today listed in Coach, School SU, ATS overall and Sweet 16 record...

Barnes •Tennessee • Sweet 16
34-26 / 24-26   4-5 / 4-5

Izzo • Michigan State • Sweet 16
58-25 / 50-35   10-5 / 8-7

May • Michigan • Sweet 16
7-2 / 7-2   1-0 / 1-0

Painter • Purdue • Sweet 16
24-16 • 26-14   2-5 / 2-5

Pearl • Auburn • Sweet 16
21-13 / 17-16-1   2-3 / 3-2

Pope • Kentucky • Sweet 16
2-2 / 2-2   0-0 / 0-0

Sampson •Houston • Sweet 16
28-19 / 22-24-1     4-4 / 5-3

TRENDING TODAY
Opening It Up

Yesterday was opening day in Major League Baseball, the ony major sport that spans eight month from start to finish.

Think about that. It almost as long as the gestation period for humans.

To help cut through the labor and get you ready for the action, here are thetop 10 players who will impact the 2025 MLB season, according to Yahoo Sports...

1. Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers DH/SP: There are endless avenues to explain the scope and scale of Ohtani's influence, but let's keep it simple. Here is a human being whose athletic greatness has energized nations, reshaped local economies and rewritten the rules of the sport itself.

2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Blue Jays 1B: Thewill-they, won't-they extension talkshave officially reached opening day of Vlad's walk year. Even if he reaches free agency, he won't get Soto money ($765M); but $500 million is certainly in play.

3. Juan Soto, Mets RF: The $765 million man is the key to Steve Cohen's dream of biting into the Yankees' Big Apple stranglehold. Soto reached the World Series after spending just one year in the Bronx; imagine what he can accomplish with15 yearsin Queens.

4. Aaron Judge, Yankees RF: For all the home runs and individual accolades, Judge's career will ultimately feel incomplete if he fails to win a championship in pinstripes. He can still rectify that, but a month shy of his 33rd birthday, he might have less time than you think.

5. Bryce Harper, Phillies 1B: Like Judge, Harper's a two-time MVP turning 33 this year whose only missing piece is a ring. It's incredible to think that by season's end he'll have spent as much time in Philly as in Washington, and that he's firmly in the veteran stage of his career.

6. Paul Skenes, Pirates SP: The reigning ROY looks a lot like the clear-cut best pitcher in baseball. That alone won't make the Pirates competitive; but as last year showed us, even if the Buccos stink, every Skenes start is relevant.

7. Spencer Strider, Braves SP: The 2023 strikeout king, who missed nearly all of last season after undergoing elbow surgery, should return sometime in April to form one of the best 1-2 punches in the majors alongside reigning Cy Young Chris Sale.

8. Ronald Acuna Jr, Braves RF: Like his teammate, the 2023 MVP also missed most of last season after tearing his ACL for the second time in four years. How he and Strider play upon their returns (he's expected back in May) will have an enormous impact on the Braves.

9. Roki Sasaki, Dodgers SP: Few prospects have Sasaki's talent, but at this point he's significantly less polished than teammate Yoshinobu Yamamoto was upon joining L.A. last winter. He's going to be great eventually, but what happens in Year One is a total mystery.

10. Bobby Witt Jr, Royals SS: Since the beginning of the Integration Era, here's the list of players Witt's age (24) or younger to post anfWARhigher than the 10.4 he delivered last year: Mickey Mantle. That's it. That's the list.

Mike from Philadelphia wonders I see where you have Duke as a Best Bet tonight in your Sweet 16 Guide.Out of the remaining teams who do you think has the best guard play? Normally a telltale sign of who may cut down the nets at the end of the end.I lean towards Florida, but Duke might be right there.

Marc Says: Good question, Mike. Per Ken Pomeroy's ratings, he factors in adjusted efficiency margins (AdjEM), offensive efficiency (AdjO), and defensive efficiency (AdjD). Guard play shines most in offensive efficiency - points per 100 possessions - since guards often dictate pace, create shots, and handle the ball. According to Pomeroy, the teams with the guard play are: Duke, Houston, Florida, Auburn, and Tennessee. Hope this answered your question.

"The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning, and a good ending; and have the two as close together as possible.”

- George Burns

Luis Arraez has won three straight batting titles and leads all MLB hitters with a .321 batting average in the 2020s

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