Winners Club: Upsets Dominate Day 1 of Men’s March Madness

Plus, bets for Friday’s Round of 64 games and the women’s tournament begins.

Sixteen games into March Madness, millions of brackets are already busted.

Who did yours in? Was it No. 2 Kentucky’s shocking loss to No. 15 Saint Peter’s? Or No. 5 Iowa’s arachnophobia against the No. 12 Richmond Spiders?

Those are just two of six major upsets that took place on Thursday. Meanwhile, the NFL – not to be overshadowed even in the offseason – was shaken by the surprise trade of All-Pro Packers receiver Davante Adams to the Raiders.

The men’s tournament continues today and the women’s tips off. Here’s to good chaos in both big dances.

Ready Yourself for More Madness

The second set of Round of 64 games in the men’s bracket begins at 12:15 p.m. ET when No. 10 Loyola Chicago takes on No. 7 Ohio State. In terms of seeding, that game is as likely as any to produce another upset, so much so that the line moved to a pick ‘em.

Gene J. Puskar/AP

Matt Ehalt and I made picks for all 16 Round of 64 games today, starting with that Midwest matchup between the Ramblers and Buckeyes all the way to the late-night game between No. 9 TCU and No. 8 Seton Hall.

Where did we differ?

• No. 12 UAB is an 8.5-point underdog against No. 5 Houston. I like the Cougars to cover, Matt went with the Blazers.
• No. 11 Davidson is getting a single point against No. 7 Michigan State. Matt went with the Spartans and I like the Wildcats.

Frankie Taddeo, who’s been on a roll with his college hoops picks, analyzed a trio of Friday games and made picks for each. Can No. 2 Duke cover a large line against No. 15 Cal State Fullerton? How about No. 11 Virginia Tech, a narrow underdog versus No. 6 Texas? Taddeo has the answers.

And the women’s tournament gets underway at 11:30 a.m. with an in-state showdown between No. 9 USF and No. 8 Miami. SI’s experts filled out their brackets and made their Final Four picks earlier this week and Ben Pickman made the case for some sleeper picks, like No. 6 Kentucky and No. 9 Gonzaga.

Day 1: Peacocks, Spiders, Aggies and Overtime

So, about Kentucky’s Final Four prospects… The Peacocks of Saint Peter’s got in the way.

Six of our 10 writers had the Wildcats winning the region and representing the East in the Final Four. Kevin Sweeney wrote about the magic of the small school from New Jersey knocking off Big Blue Nation, whose team was favored by 17.5 points and lost 85-79 in overtime.

Elsewhere in major upset news, Richmond was a 10.5-point underdog against Iowa and came away with a 67-63 win to keep on dancing. The Spiders needed to win the A10 Tournament to even get in the field and they scored a huge win over a popular pick to make a deep run.

And later in the night, No. 12 New Mexico State’s Teddy Allen shouldered the load for the Aggies in a 70-63 upset win against No. 5 UConn. The Huskies were 6.5-point favorites, but their dance is over while Allen, who scored 37 in the win, led his team to the Round of 32.

Frank Franklin II/AP

Three more (sort of) upsets:

• No. 9 Memphis was a 3-point favorite against No. 8 Boise State and the Tigers came away with a 64-53 victory, holding off a late push from the Broncos. This was an upset in seeding only, though 8-9 games usually amount to a coin flip.
• No. 11 Michigan was a 1.5-point favorite despite the seeding difference against No. 6 Colorado State. The Wolverines won (and covered), 75-63, behind a big game from center Hunter Dickinson.
• No. 9 Creighton was a 2.5-point underdog versus No. 8 San Diego State and the Blue Jays emerged with a 72-69 win in overtime. Creighton shrugged off a poor shooting night and all five starters scored double-digits to propel the offense.

Almost upsets:

• No. 16 Georgia State had No. 1 Gonzaga on the ropes for a while, but the 93-72 final score doesn’t necessarily show that. The Panthers trailed the Bulldogs 35-33 at halftime and a masterclass from Chet Holmgren helped the Zags to avoid disaster in the second half.
• No. 13 Akron nearly pulled off the upset over No. 4 UCLA, but Tyger Campbell put the game away with a deep three-pointer in the Bruins’ 57-53 win. The Zips led 26-25 at halftime and UCLA narrowly escaped Kentucky’s fate.
• No. 13 Vermont had No. 4 Arkansas up against the wall to the bitter end in a 75-71 Razorbacks victory. JD Notae came alive in the final 20 minutes to keep the Hogs’ season alive.

Here is your updated bracket ahead of Friday’s games. Here’s hoping your bracket survives the gauntlet.

Around the NFL

Raiders Trade for All-Pro Adams: Soon after Green Bay locked up Aaron Rodgers, the franchise dealt away his top receiving option, Davante Adams, to Las Vegas, reuniting Raiders QB Derek Carr with his college teammate. Michael Fabiano breaks down what the move means on both sides for fantasy football.

Mayfield Requests Trade from Browns: Amid Cleveland’s reported attempts to acquire Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield, whom the team drafted No. 1 overall in 2018, requested a trade.

Rams Add Robinson to Receivers Room: Former Bears receiver Allen Robinson is heading to L.A. to join a stacked pass-catching group alongside Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and, maybe, Odell Beckham Jr., who has yet to be re-signed.

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Thanks for reading Winners Club. Enjoy your weekend of seemingly non-stop hoops! I’ll be back in your inbox Monday morning.