Winners Club: NCAA Tournament Projections Shift After Wild Weekend

See all the risers and fallers in the field of 68 in the latest bracket watch.

Good morning! If it feels like there’s a bit of a lull in the sports world this week, you’re not alone. Okay, maybe not a full-on stoppage—Aaron Rodgers and Phil Mickelson wouldn’t allow for that—but it feels as if there was a brief moment to catch your breath.

I hope you had that chance with the NBA on its All-Star break, MLB still stuck in negotiations and the NFL in the brief post-Super Bowl hangover before free agency and the draft dominate the conversation. It’s almost March, which means it’s about time for the madness to start. That’s where we begin today.

College Hoops

Projecting the Field of 68

Rick Scuteri/AP

Kevin Sweeney’s Bracket Watch returns after a long weekend that saw a top-five team fall, a projected tournament team lose its coach for the remainder of the season and a few teams continue their climb up the rankings to more favorable seeds. Sweeney broke down the entire projected field; see how the regions shape up and which teams he thinks are in and out.

Jabari Smith Makes it Look Easy: Auburn’s star freshman has helped the program reach new heights in his first season with the team, writes Jeremy Woo. Before Smith takes his next step as a projected lottery pick, he has a few lofty goals for the Tigers, all of which seem within reach the way he and his team have been playing.

UConn Coach Ejected in Upset Win: Dan Hurley was tossed from Tuesday’s home victory over No. 8 Villanova. It was a huge win for the Huskies, who hadn’t beaten the Wildcats since 2014. For those wondering, Villanova +2 pushed in the 71-69 defeat – all because of UConn’s free-throw strategy with two-tenths of a second left in the game.

NFL Action

2022 Draft Top 100 Prospects

Butch Dill/AP

As you’ve probably already heard, this is not a strong quarterback class. You won’t find any signal callers at the top end of Kevin Hanson’s big board. This is a strong, deep class for receiver and edge, though. Ever heard of Aidan Hutchinson? See how Hanson’s top prospects fall in line in the first iteration of his 1-100 ranking.

Offseason Primer: There’s a lot to look forward to, or dread, depending on your point of view, for this NFL offseason. The quarterback movement conversation is expanding and franchise tag decisions are looming. Conor Orr walks through the offseason month by month with what to expect and when.

NFL Will ‘Unbubble’ Combine: Following pushback and threats of a boycott after announcing the combine would take place in a bubble, the NFL walked back its decision. The event begins March 1 in Indianapolis.

Jarvis Landry Speaks on Future in Cleveland: The Browns receiver took to Twitter on Tuesday to comment on his future with the team. He said he wants to stay put but would be open to moving forward with a new team. Landry was Cleveland’s second-leading receiver this season for a team that notably lost Odell Beckham Jr. midseason.

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That’s all for today. Remember, the NBA season gets back underway Thursday evening. Visit SI Sportsbook for the latest lines.

I’ll be back in your inbox Friday morning. Thanks for reading!