FILE – In this March 18, 2015, file photo, the NCAA logo is at center court as work continues at The Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, for the NCAA college basketball second and third round games. A federal judge in Chicago gave preliminary approval Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016, to a reworked head-injury settlement between thousands of former college athletes and the NCAA that includes a $70 million fund to test for brain trauma. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File) Weekend winners
NCAA tournament craziness. Wow, we talked about the unsettled nature of college basketball this year and how that would make March Madness even more mad. Well, mission accomplished. Led by MTSU’s stunning (and bracket-wrecking) upset of No. 2-seed Michigan State, there 10 double-digit seeds in the second round and two – Syracuse and Gonzaga (and it really should have been three considering the meltdown that Northern Iowa endured) – in the Sweet 16. Counting the three No. 9 wins, 13 of the 32 first-round games were won by the higher seed.
The ACC. A record six teams from the basketball-proud conference are in the Sweet 16. That’s unbelievable, and unbelievably profitable. According to ESPN, the league and its teams will make about $30 million from the tournament. And that number could grow, since none of the six ACC schools still alive play each other this weekend. So yes, it’s possible that there could be six ACC teams in the Elite Eight. (If that happens, it would mean there would be for sure two ACC Final Four teams and potentially all four. And that’s not even counting old-school Maryland, which is still alive, or the fact that ACC member Louisville may have been the most tournament-ready team at the end of the year but the Cardinals are not in the draw because Rick Pitino’s a scumbag.)
Jason Day. OK, for your regulars here, you are probably not going to be shocked by our pre-Masters favorite nod going to the supremely talented Aussie. (Yes, we’re picking him the Masters, and yes, we’ll have a Masters contest for some Masters swag.) But considering the way Day finished Sunday – a birdie on the 225-yard par 3 17th and a par 4 from the greenside bunker on 18 for a one-shot win – dude is mighty worthy of pre-Augusta buzz.
Jared Goff. Goff’s pro day was stellar, as he completed 61-of-69 passes and had two dropped. Also, apparently his hands have grown since the combine, which seems somewhat strange. Still, being the top quarterback on the board would mean being no worse than a top-two pick and millions of bucks. Also, it would likely would mean going to Cleveland. (So maybe he’s on the wrong list.)