The Scorecard: A ‘massive’ financial betrayal of Shohei Ohtani. Plus, brackets locked today

Men’s brackets are final, and the First Round tips off today.

16th-seeded Grambling State and 10th seed Colorado have joined the ranks. Grambling State beat Montana State in overtime for its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, and will go on to face No. 1 seed Purdue. In the second men’s nailbiter of the day, Colorado squeaked by Boise State to face No. 7 seed Florida.

So, the clock is ticking on locking up your bracket. ESPN’s Tournament Challenge says that all brackets will lock when Mississippi State and Michigan State tip off at 12:15 p.m. ET on Thursday.

So, for all you last-second procrastinators, here’s a look at which No. 1 seeds could be the first to be upset.

First Two join the Women’s Bracket

No. 16 Presbyterian also earned a first-ever NCAA Tournament win, beating fellow-No. 16 Sacred Heart, 49-42. But, they go on to face No. 1 South Carolina, who came into the tournament undefeated.

No. 12 Vanderbilt then defeated No. 12 Columbia, 72-68. The Commodores will now face No. 5 Baylor.

The First Four continues today with No. 11 seeds Auburn and Arizona facing off in Regional 3 in Portland. Then, No. 16 seeds UT Martin and Holy Cross will face off in Regional 2 in Albany.

Meanwhile, defending women’s champion LSU is in the mindset for a repeat.

Other Top Stories:

• While the Los Angeles Dodgers are busy earning the first win of the MLB season in Seoul against the San Diego Padres, there was more going on off the field for Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers fired Ohtani’s longtime interpreter, after questions regarding $4.5 million in wire transfers from Ohtani’s accounts were sent to a gambling operation in California. Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara have been working together for more than a decade.
  
  

Read the last edition of The Scorecard here.

This story was originally published March 21, 2024 at 4:59 PM.