Texas A&M-Corpus Christi won 75-71 victory over Southeast Missouri to advance to the NCAA tournament where they will face no.1 seed Alabama in the South Region.
The Islanders held off SEMA in the First Four matchup of no.16 seeds, having led 33-27 at half-time with Jalen Jackson top scoring with 22 points and six rebounds, while Isaac Mushila managed 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The triumph was a first-ever NCAA tournament game win for Texas, who were without guard Terrion Murdix due to a left knee injury.
SEMA had squared the game up at 64-64 with 3:07 to play but could not maintain the rage. Chris Harris top scored for the Redhawks with 23 points.
Pittsburgh also advanced via their First Four game, claiming their first victory at an NCAA tournament since 2014, getting past Mississippi State 60-59 in a see-sawing contest.
Jamarius Burton came up with a go-ahead two-point pointer with 10 seconds remaining and Pitt held on to clinch a clash with no.6 seed Iowa State in the Midwest Regional.
Shakeel Moore missed an open three-pointer to win the game for Mississippi, with D.J. Jeffries unable to convert the tip-in attempt.
Nelly Cummings top scored for the Panthers with 15 points with three rebounds and four assists, while Dashawn Davis also had 15 points with five assists for the Bulldogs.
Top seed Iga Swiatek will be hard top stop in her title defence at the Indian Wells Open after a straight-sets thrashing over Emma Raducanu in Tuesday's last 16.
The Polish world number one eased to victory 6-3 6-1 in one hour and 25 minutes over the 2021 US Open champion, who has enjoyed an improved run this week in California.
Swiatek offered few weaknesses in a strong disciplined display, converting four of 10 break points, including three in a one-way second set.
The three-time major winner won 88 per cent on her first serve while she was impressive on return and able to win the longer rallies. Swiatek hit 22-9 winners while Raducanu made 22-14 unforced errors.
Swiatek will take on Romania's Sorana Cirstea in the quarter-finals, after she upset fifth seed Caroline Garcia 6-4 4-6 7-5 in two hours and 24 minutes.
Reigning Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina also progressed in that part of the draw, setting up a last-eight clash with unseeded Czech Karolina Muchova.
Rybakina won 6-3 6-0 over qualifier Varvara Gracheva in a similarly strong performance, needing only one hour and 21 minutes. Muchova beat compatriot Marketa Vondrousova 6-4 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 in two hours and 37 minutes.
Third seed Jessica Pegula was the major casualty of the day's play, going down 6-2 3-6 7-6 (13-11) to 16th seed Petra Kvitova in a dramatic two-hour-and-16-minutes clash.
Pegula had opened up a 5-3 third-set lead and squandered a match point on serve, before two-time Wimbledon winner Kvitova squared it up at 5-5. Kvitova, however, was broken immediately to offer Pegula another chance to serve out the match again, which she was unable to take.
The American generated another three match points in the tie-break but could not convert before the Czech eventually prevailed on her own fourth match point, with the deciding set lasting one hour and 12 minutes.
Kvitova will face seventh seed Maria Sakkari in the quarters after she triumphed in a lengthy clash 6-4 5-7 6-3 over Karolina Pliskova, lasting two hours and 43 minutes.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka also needed three sets to beat Barbora Krejcikova 6-3 2-6 6-4 in two hours and four minutes. Krejcikova had been responsible for Sabalenka's lone loss this season, in a 15-1 year.
Sabalenka, who won this year's Australian Open, will face sixth seed Coco Gauff who defeated Rebecca Peterson 6-3 1-6 6-4. Gauff won the last four games for victory, having trailed 4-2 in the deciding set.
The Milwaukee Bucks underlined their NBA title favouritism as they reached 50 wins for the season with a commanding 116-104 road victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
Giannis Antetokounmpo backed up Monday's 40-point return against the Sacramento Kings with 36 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists at the Footprint Center.
The Bucks have won 20 of their past 22 games, including a 15-game winning streak during that stretch, while the Suns have now lost three consecutive games.
Milwaukee's record is 50-19, pulling clear of the Boston Celtics (47-22) in second in the Eastern Conference, while the 37-31 Suns remain among the mayhem in the tight Western Conference playoffs race.
The Suns had rallied from a 57-48 half-time deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter but the Bucks steadied, with Antetokounmpo's block on Devin Booker's two-point attempt among the highlights.
Bucks center Brook Lopez added 21 points with 10 rebounds, while Jrue Holiday chipped in with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Booker top scored for the Suns, still missing Kevin Durant due to an ankle injury, with 30 points on 13-of-27 shooting, while Chris Paul added 11 points with eight assists. Phoenix only made eight three-pointers for the game.
Nuggets fall to fourth straight defeat
The Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets slumped to their fourth straight defeat despite a third-quarter rally, going down 125-110 to the Toronto Raptors.
Fred VanVleet scored 36 points on 13-of-22 shooting including eight triples as the Raptors flew out of the blocks with a franchise-record 49-point first quarter, improving their record to 33-26.
The Nuggets fall to 46-23 amid their slump, with Nikola Jokic scoring 28 points with eight rebounds and seven assists, while Michael Porter Jr added 23 points with five three-pointers.
Lakers hit franchise record in key win over Pels
Anthony Davis produced a bounce-back display after his "terrible" showing two nights ago with 35 points and 17 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers won 123-108 over the New Orleans Pelicans.
Malik Beasley added 24 points, shooting seven-of-12 from beyond the arc, as the Lakers moved closer to .500 with a 34-35 record to boost their playoffs hopes.
Beasley's three-point shooting helped the Lakers achieve a franchise record for threes made in a half, with 15 as a team before half-time.
All-Star Luka Doncic has been ruled out for a third straight game for the Dallas Mavericks as he continues to recover from a thigh injury sustained last week.
Doncic will miss the Mavs' game against the 17-50 San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday with a left thigh strain.
Fellow All-Star guard Kyrie Irving is listed as questionable due to right foot soreness, having missed the past two games as well.
The Mavs have lost those past two games, both against the Memphis Grizzlies, without their star duo, putting pressure on their playoffs hopes.
Dallas have fallen below .500 with a 34-35 record, slipping down to eighth in the tight Western Conference, having lost six of their past eight games.
Christian Wood (foot) and Tim Hardaway Jr (calf) are also listed as questionable for Wednesday's game, potentially further depleting the Mavs' offensive options.
Doncic avoided serious injury after an MRI on his thigh came up clear last Thursday having exited Wednesday's defeat against the New Orleans Pelicans due to the injury.
It had been expected that the Slovenian would return to the court one the discomfort and pain subsided but his prolonged absence will not help their playoffs aspirations.
Doncic is ranked second in the NBA for points per game at 33.0, behind only Joel Embiid (33.4) this season.
The Carolina Panthers are set to draft their quarterback of the future next month, and they have identified the veteran who will serve as the placeholder for the number one overall pick.
Carolina agreed to a one-year, $10million deal with Andy Dalton, according to multiple reports.
While it remains to be seen whom the Panthers will select after trading up to the first overall pick, Dalton gives them an experienced and reliable signal-caller who can hold the fort if the quarterback they take is not ready to start as a rookie.
Dalton spent last season with the New Orleans Saints and was quietly impressive in a campaign that saw him start 14 games.
He completed 66.7 per cent of his passes for 2,871 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Those numbers do not reflect the accuracy he demonstrated. He delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 86.5 per cent of his passes, according to Stats Perform data, the second-best ratio among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts.
The keys to the Panthers' offense will at some point be handed to one of C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson or Will Levis. Dalton provides Carolina a quarterback who can either keep the seat warm or serve as a high-floor backup if the new face of the franchise quickly ascends to the starting job.
The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly looking to trade one cornerback in Darius Slay, but they will hold on to their other starter at the position after agreeing a deal with James Bradberry.
According to multiple reports, the Eagles have agreed a three-year, $38million deal with Bradberry, who enjoyed a stellar first season in Philadelphia in 2022.
Bradberry tallied the third-most pass breakups in the NFL last season, registering 17, and also intercepted three passes as he helped the Eagles reach Super Bowl LVII.
Per Stats Perform data, he finished 15th among all starting corners with a combined open percentage-allowed across man and zone coverage of 25.3.
His season ended in disappointment as the Eagles lost the Super Bowl 38-35 to the Kansas City Chiefs, with Bradberry flagged for a key defensive holding penalty that allowed the Chiefs to kill the clock before kicking the game-winning field goal.
Bradberry will now attempt to help the Eagles go one better than last season, and, on the other side of the ball, they look to have improved their much-vaunted run game for their 2023 push.
The Eagles also agreed to a one-year deal with running back Rashaad Penny, seemingly spelling the end of free agent Miles Sanders' time with the team.
Last season, Penny led all running backs with at least 50 rush attempts with a yards per carry average of 6.1. Sanders averaged 4.8 yards per rush.
Penny was also the best in the NFL in yards per carry on runs where there was a disruption by a defender. He averaged 4.3 yards per rush on such attempts, while Sanders averaged just 2.7.
However, Penny has started only 11 games in his NFL career and has never finished a full season. For Penny to be an upgrade in the Philadelphia backfield, he'll need to show the kind of durability that has so far evaded him during his pro career.
The Indianapolis Colts have agreed to trade five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the Dallas Cowboys.
Indianapolis will receive a fifth-round compensatory draft pick, according to multiple media reports.
The 32-year-old Gilmore will play for his fourth team in four years, joining a secondary that already features Trevon Diggs, whose 14 interceptions over the last two seasons are the most in the NFL.
Gilmore signed a two-year contract with the Colts last year, and unloading him clears an estimated $9million in salary cap room for Indianapolis.
The Cowboys add the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year to a unit that ranked fifth in points allowed per game last season at 20.1.
Reports of the trade came after Dallas announced that starting safety and 2022 leading tackler Donovan Wilson re-signed for three years and $24m.
Gilmore played his first five seasons with the Buffalo Bills before joining the New England Patriots in 2017. The former second-round pick enjoyed his best years with New England, being named to the All-Pro First Team in 2018 and 2019.
He started just three games for the Carolina Panthers in 2021 but had a bounce-back season last year with the Colts. In 2022, Gilmore started 16 games and tallied 66 total tackles, two interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
Gilmore’s 29 career interceptions are tied for the fifth-most among active players.
Daniil Medvedev expects to have a scan on his right ankle to see if he can continue his Indian Wells Masters campaign after injuring it in defeating Alexander Zverev.
Medvedev progressed to the quarter-finals for the first time at Indian Wells by coming from behind to defeat Zverev in three sets.
The 6-7 (5-7) 7-6 (7-5) 7-5 victory looked unlikely in the second set, when Medvedev hit the deck in obvious pain after turning his ankle.
It was subsequently taped by a physio, with Medvedev then coming through in three hours and 16 minutes, marking the longest three-set match of his career.
Medvedev has now won 17 matches in a row and is scheduled to face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the last eight.
But it is not yet clear whether he will be fit to play that match.
Speaking after the win over Zverev, Medvedev said: "When I twisted it, I thought I was going to stand up fine, then the pain started going fast, so I thought, 'oh no, that's not a good sign'.
"So, I honestly thought maybe one of the ligaments is a little bit injured, so I thought I'm not going to be able to play.
"That's probably one of the first times in my life where a physio taped my ankle, so I decided to give it a try, and it was very surprising. It was much easier to move and to run than to walk. When I was walking, I was limping, and then I was running fine.
"I can understand how frustrating it is for the opponent, but I was not faking it. It was tougher for me to walk.
"When the adrenaline goes down, the body cools down, it's going to be pretty painful, and I'm going to probably do a scan, see what it is and if I can continue to play."
Aaron Rodgers' future remains up in the air, but the New York Jets know what they can do to convince the star quarterback to join their team.
Four-time NFL MVP Rodgers has held talks with the Jets as he ponders an exit from the Green Bay Packers, his only professional team to date.
And reports on Tuesday revealed Rodgers had given the Jets a wish list in free agency as he hopes to see the team build a roster he can lift into contention.
Rodgers wants the Jets to sign Odell Beckham Jr., ESPN said, as the Super Bowl LVI champion looks to return in 2023 after missing the entirety of last season with the injury he suffered in the previous year's title game.
Veteran Rodgers does not stop there, though, the report added.
He wants two more wide receivers in the form of Packers team-mates Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, players he knows extremely well from Green Bay.
Lazard has spent his entire career to date playing with Rodgers, while Cobb has also been on the Packers for 10 of his 12 seasons in the NFL.
The Jets could soon resemble the NFC North giants as the report added detail of Rodgers' interest in linking up again with tight end Marcedes Lewis, who joined the Packers in 2018.
The Las Vegas Raiders have added to Jimmy Garoppolo's weapons by agreeing a deal to sign wide receiver Jakobi Meyers.
News emerged on Monday that Garoppolo was signing with the Raiders following the departure of long-time quarterback Derek Carr, reuniting the former San Francisco 49er with his offensive coordinator from his time with the New England Patriots, Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniels.
McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler, a former director of player personnel in New England, have brought another ex-Patriot into the fold in Meyers, who is signing on a three-year deal worth $33million with $21m guaranteed.
Meyers had the most prolific season of his career in 2022, scoring six receiving touchdowns, while his 804 receiving yards were only a little down on his tally of 866 from 2021.
According to Stats Perform data, Meyers ranked 15th in combined open percentage (46.2) across man and zone coverages among wide receivers with at least 100 matchups and got open on 59.0 per cent of his man matchups. Only four wideouts with a minimum of 25 man matchups won a higher percentage.
The low point of his season came in a Week 15 loss to the Raiders, costing the Patriots the game when he inexplicably threw the ball back across field in the final seconds on a needless lateral play with the score tied. Chandler Jones plucked the ball out of the air and returned it for the game-winning score for the Raiders.
Meyers will now look to create happier memories of Allegiant Stadium with the Raiders as they attempt to return to the postseason in McDaniels' second year.
The New York Giants are trading for star Las Vegas Raiders tight end Darren Waller.
The move was reported on Tuesday, with the Giants sending a third-round pick to Vegas in the deal.
That 100th overall pick was originally sent to the Giants by the Kansas City Chiefs when they traded for Kadarius Toney last year.
Waller, a Pro Bowler in 2020, had been on the Raiders since he was signed off the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad in 2018.
The tight end established himself as a starter in 2019, the first of two consecutive 1,100-yard seasons.
He had the most catches among all tight ends in 2020 (107), ranked second for receiving yards (1,196) and third for receiving touchdowns (nine).
But Waller was limited to 17 starts over the next two seasons, restricted by knee, back and hamstring injuries.
With two years remaining on the contract that made him the best-paid tight end in the league last year, Waller will take his talents to New York.
He gives Daniel Jones – the quarterback who just signed a four-year, $160million extension – an established receiving target.
Darius Slayton had the most receiving yards among the Giants' pass catchers last year, but the wide receiver could move on in free agency.
Michael Thomas isn't going anywhere.
Thomas is returning to the New Orleans Saints in 2023, agreeing Tuesday to an incentive-laden one-year contract.
The 30-year-old Thomas was slated to be released by the Saints and become a free agent, but will stay with New Orleans after agreeing to a $10million deal that could be worth to up to $15million, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The restructured deal helped give the Saints financial flexibility, resulting in last week's signing of Thomas' new quarterback, Derek Carr.
While Carr is a significant upgrade at quarterback for Thomas over the likes of Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton and Trevor Siemian following the retirement of Drew Brees, the Saints also need Thomas to be healthy for their offense to be firing on all cylinders.
Thomas' 2022 season ended after three weeks because of a toe injury and injuries have limited him to a total of just 10 games since being named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year in 2019, when he caught 149 passes for 1,725 yards and nine touchdowns.
A second-round draft pick in 2016, Thomas was one of the top playmakers at his position over his first four professional seasons, catching 470 passes for 5,512 yards with 32 TDs over 63 games, but in the three seasons since, he has 56 receptions for 609 yards with three TDs in 10 games.
The Golden State Warriors' NBA title defence has so far been beset by problems – primarily the absences of key personnel.
Even now, there remains no return date for Andrew Wiggins, who has played only 37 of 69 games this season and missed the past 12 for personal reasons.
Stephen Curry is back now but has sat for 26 games this year.
Although the Warriors' most-used lineup in the 2022 playoffs – including both Wiggins and Curry – has again been their most-used lineup in this regular season, it has started just a third of their games.
Yet that does not explain a quite remarkable trend that has developed across this campaign and now causes the Warriors real concern as they go on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday.
Golden State have won their past eight home games, the longest active streak in the NBA, yet they have lost their past eight road games, also the league's longest active streak.
This form extends beyond the past month, too.
Ahead of Tuesday's games, the Warriors possess the fourth-best home record at 29-7, actually improving on last year's winning percentage after a 31-10 performance at Chase Center en route to taking the title.
However, on the road, only tanking duo the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets are worse off than the Warriors, who are an alarming 7-26.
Those contrasting records are still good enough to have the Warriors fifth in the Western Conference, but they are 1.5 games behind the fourth-placed Phoenix Suns, meaning Golden State are set to miss out on home advantage for every round of the playoffs. Clearly, that is an issue.
The Warriors' eight-game losing streak on the road has included each of their prior three games in Los Angeles this season, beaten by the Clippers on Valentine's Day ahead of defeats to the Lakers in consecutive road games. All of their eight straight losses have come against Western Conference rivals.
Now, this latest game at the Clippers – who are sixth in the West with an identical record to the Warriors – marks the start of a five-game road trip, with eight of Golden State's final 13 matchups away from San Francisco.
Their home record may have kept them competitive to this point, but hopes for success in the postseason will require vast improvement on the road moving forward.
PIVOTAL PERFORMERS
Los Angeles Clippers – Kawhi Leonard
As for several Warriors stars, this has been another stop-start season for Leonard, yet he has started seven of the Clippers' eight games since the All-Star break and is finally building momentum again.
Leonard had averaged 22.1 points prior to the All-Star break but has scored 31.0 points per game since then. That is tied for the sixth-best mark in that time, along with Curry.
Golden State Warriors – Klay Thompson
Curry has actually averaged more points on the road this season (30.3) than at home (28.9), but he has lacked support in away games because the same has not been true of team-mate Thompson.
The 33-year-old has scored 24.8 points at home but just 19.0 on the road. However, he has still averaged 24.6 points in those rare road wins.
Golden State will need Curry and Thompson to turn up together to get their road form back on track.
KEY BATTLE – Fast start vital
As much as any Clipper, the Warriors will be battling themselves in the first quarter. Their slow starts in road games have been ever so costly.
Golden State have trailed through the first quarter of 17 games on the road this season. They are an incredible 0-17 in those games.
The Warriors must either make a rapid start or rediscover the sort of championship grit that would allow them to recover when they are up against it on their travels.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
The Warriors are 2-1 against the Clippers this season, although those two wins have of course come in San Francisco.
Since 2019, Golden State have won just one of five road games against the Clippers. They had won eight of nine such matchups prior to that in a series they have dominated 137-94 all-time.
The Houston Texans will likely have a new quarterback in the 2023 season, and he can be hopeful of better protection after they traded for guard Shaq Mason.
Houston, according to multiple reports, agreed a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that will see the teams swap late-round picks.
The Buccaneers will receive a sixth-round pick from Houston, while the Texans will get a seventh-rounder in addition to Mason.
It is an extremely reasonable price for a guard who has been one of the best in the NFL in recent years but has now been traded in successive offseasons.
Tampa Bay acquired him in a trade with the New England Patriots in 2022, reuniting Mason with Tom Brady for what proved the legendary quarterback's final campaign.
Mason's sole year with the Bucs saw him post an aggregate win rate across pass and run blocking of 78.3 per cent, seventh among all guards.
The Texans will hope Mason can maintain that kind of form in 2023 as they build around a new face at the quarterback position.
Houston hold the second overall pick in the draft and the Texans are expected to select one of the top signal-callers in a class featuring four quarterbacks seen as top-10 picks.
The Atlanta Falcons are signing Taylor Heinicke as the former Washington Commanders quarterback returns to his native Georgia.
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Falcons are bringing Heinicke in to compete with Desmond Ridder and add some much-needed experience.
Heinicke – who turns 30 on Wednesday – will arrive in Atlanta from Washington, where he played 27 times since arriving towards the end of the 2020 season.
ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the deal will be for two years and worth up to $20million.
After being released by the Carolina Panthers in 2019, Heinicke joined the St. Louis BattleHawks of the XFL, though did not play a game before the league was suspended in April 2020.
He signed with Washington in December 2020, playing once in the regular season against the Panthers, before also featuring in the Wild Card round defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Heinicke was a near ever-present in the 2021 season, with 20 passing touchdowns and one rushing in 16 appearances (15 starts), while he also started nine times in the 2022 campaign, with 12 passing TDs and one rushing.
England fly-half Marcus Smith believes they have a "free swing" at Ireland, and also thinks Steve Borthwick's side have time to find form before the Rugby World Cup.
After a chastening 53-10 defeat at Twickenham at the hands of France on Saturday – a record home defeat for them – England could be set to win just two of their five Six Nations games for the third tournament running.
Smith – who replaced Owen Farrell in the team for that game – acknowledged England are going through a bad run, but has challenged his team-mates to use it as motivation as they prepare to face an Ireland team in Dublin who can clinch a Grand Slam.
"We're in a tough period at the minute and it's perfect for us," Smith said. "We've got to get better quickly because the challenge doesn't come much greater than Ireland away in Dublin.
"There's only one way to go now and that's to stand up and fight as hard as we can and play as hard as we can for the shirt.
"We've spoken about sticking together because there's going to be a lot of noise and a lot of pressure on us. We've got to become tighter as opposed to splinter.
"This is a big test of our togetherness as a squad and of our resolve. There's no better week for this than a free swing at Ireland."
The Rugby World Cup is less than six months away, and Smith pointed to the "characters" in the team as reason for optimism ahead of the tournament in France.
"I believe we've still got time," he said. "With the characters we've got in the group we can turn things around very quickly.
"We'll look at our individual performances and team performance because, with where we want to go in the next six months and in the years ahead, that wasn't good enough."
There aren't many months on the US sporting calendar that capture the imagination quite like March.
Fans around the country and around the world are furiously filling in brackets as they undertake the futile task of trying to correctly predict every game of the NCAA Tournament.
Spoiler alert. None will succeed. All brackets will eventually be 'busted' as March Madness delivers the chaotic upsets that have come to define it.
There will be top seeds who fail to justify that status and suffer defeats to supposed inferior teams, although the cream consistently rises to the top.
Twelve of the past 15 National Champions have been one seeds, including each of the last five.
Ahead of the first four tipping off in Dayton on Tuesday, Stats Perform looks at three storylines surrounding one seeds looking to keep that streak alive.
Houston eyeing home victory
The Houston Cougars have never tasted glory in the NCAA Tournament, finishing as runners-up in 1983 and 1984, but they are many people's favourites to end that drought in a year that will see the Final Four held in Houston.
Despite losing the AAC Tournament title game to Memphis, the Cougars still earned a one seed as they seek a maiden National Championship.
Top of Stats Perform's TRACR (Team Rating Adjusted for Conference and Roster) rankings, which give Houston the highest chance (13.4 per cent) of winning the title, the big question surrounding the Cougars is the health of power forward Marcus Sasser.
Sasser missed the defeat to Memphis with a groin injury, and Houston will likely need him at full health if the Cougars are to go all the way. He has averaged 17.1 points per game this season and shot 38.3 per cent from the three-point line.
He suggested he likely will be ready for the tournament, saying he "played it safe" by not featuring against Memphis.
Houston shouldn't need Sasser to get past Northern Kentucky in their first-round matchup, but the Cougars can't afford for him to be on the shelf much longer if they are to realise their potential and finally end their wait for a title.
Controversy clouds top-ranked Alabama
The top overall seed belongs to the Alabama Crimson Tide, who will face either Texas A&M-Corpus Christi or Southeast Missouri State in the first round.
But much of the talk around Alabama does not concern their play on the court.
Alabama removed Darius Miles from the team in January after he was charged with capital murder following the shooting death of a 23-year-old woman near the campus.
Police are said to believe that Brandon Miller, the SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year, supplied the firearm to his former team-mate.
Miller has not been charged, nor is he considered a suspect, and according to the university, he has been cooperating with the police as a witness.
Alabama coach Nate Oats has been insistent Miller has done nothing wrong, and he remains on the court as the standout for a team looking to reach the Final Four for the first time.
He will carry much of the burden for Alabama having averaged 19.6 points and 8.3 rebounds and shot 40.1 per cent from beyond the arc.
After easing to an 82-63 win over Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament finale, Alabama look in excellent shape to justify their position as the number one seed in the entire tournament.
But the further they progress and the larger the spotlight gets, the more questions they will face around Miller's presence and the lack of discipline he has faced after a tragedy that may overshadow their campaign.
Self set to return for Jayhawks repeat bid
The Kansas Jayhawks go into the tournament looking to do what no team has done since Florida in 2007 and claim back-to-back National Championships.
Entering the tournament as the one seed in the West Regional, Kansas' performance in a season that has seen them go 27-7 would appear to indicate they have a strong chance of repeating.
Yet the TRACR rankings give them just a 3.2 per cent of doing so, and history is firmly against them.
Since Florida made it two in a row in 2007, no defending champion has advanced past the Sweet 16, with only two even reaching that stage.
This year, the Jayhawks face a potential Sweet 16 matchup with UConn, a fourth seed with the third-best odds (6.9 per cent) to win it all, according to TRACR.
So, not a great draw then, and Kansas' preparations for the tournament have not exactly been ideal.
They lost the Big 12 Championship Game 76-56 to Texas, having played that tournament without head coach Bill Self after he was admitted to hospital with chest tightness and balance concerns.
With Self expected to return for the tournament and Kansas possessing the Big 12's top scorer in Jalen Wilson (20.1 points per game), there is reason for optimism this powerhouse can replicate the achievements of Billy Donovan's Gators 16 years ago.
Regardless of whether they succeed, the Jayhawks have already fared better than the team they defeated last year, North Carolina, who failed to make the tournament. They became the first preseason number one to miss out on the tournament since 1985.
This season has already seen unwanted history for the Tar Heels. The Jayhawks will look to end it by writing another celebratory chapter in the record books.
Injured Wales pair Liam Williams and Scott Baldwin are absent from Warren Gatland's 32-man squad for their final Six Nations fixture in France on Saturday.
Full-back Williams sustained a shoulder injury in Saturday's 29-17 win over Italy in Rome – the first victory of a troubled campaign for Wales.
Hooker Baldwin, meanwhile, suffered a pectoral problem in Italy and will join Williams on the sidelines, with his Ospreys team-mate Sam Parry being called up to the squad.
Keiran Williams has also been released from the squad after sustaining a groin injury while featuring for the Ospreys earlier this month.
Wales are training in Nice ahead of their trip to the Stade de France, with the team announcement scheduled for Thursday.
Opponents France retain a slim chance of defending their title, but they need to post a bonus-point victory over Wales before hoping Ireland are on the receiving end of an upset at home to England.
Full Wales squad:
Forwards: Rhys Carre, Wyn Jones, Gareth Thomas, Ken Owens, Sam Parry, Bradley Roberts, Leon Brown, Tomas Francis, Dillon Lewis, Adam Beard, Rhys Davies, Dafydd Jenkins, Alun Wyn Jones, Jac Morgan, Tommy Reffell, Justin Tipuric, Aaron Wainwright, Taulupe Faletau.
Backs: Kieran Hardy, Rhys Webb, Tomos Williams, Dan Biggar, Rhys Patchell, Owen Williams, Mason Grady, Joe Hawkins, George North, Nick Tompkins, Josh Adams, Rio Dyer, Leigh Halfpenny, Louis Rees-Zammit.
Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant has entered counselling in Florida, with the timeline for his return to action still uncertain.
Morant remains away from the Grizzlies following an incident in early March where he posted an Instagram Live video that appeared to show him flashing a handgun inside a Colorado nightclub.
Glendale police confirmed it had decided not to lay charges on Morant for the incident, citing a lack of evidence, while the NBA's investigation is ongoing.
According to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon, Morant sought out counselling as part of his efforts – as Morant had previously put in a statement: "[T]o get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being."
The Grizzlies made it three wins in a row despite Morant's absence on Monday as they beat the Dallas Mavericks 104-88 at American Airlines Center.
After the game, Memphis head coach Taylor Jenkins said: "Outside of what I have said in the past, being respectful to the nature of the situation, I think I said on the outside that he is taking time and responsibility to get better himself so that he can be better for our team. I am not going to really comment further until there are other updates necessary."
Jenkins also confirmed he has been in regular communication with the player, saying: "Yes, he and I have been communicating every couple of days trying to get him in the appropriate space, but also just keeping him up to speed on what the team is doing, and how he is doing as well."
On a return date, he added: "Not ready to comment. We need to get through the next couple of days he is out, at least for the Miami [Heat] game [on Wednesday], and then we will know more beyond that."
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