NCAA Tournament’s First Four tips off; Dodgers start season with win; Joe Burrow gets Bengals to spend big

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Happy Tuesday and happy first night of the men’s NCAA Tournament and happy first day of the baseball season, everyone! Over in the Tokyo Series, the Dodgers beat the Cubs 4-1 to begin a huge day of sports.

Let’s get right to it.

Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE TEAMS OPENING THE NCAA TOURNAMENT TONIGHT

Welcome to March Madness, folks! While your brackets for the Bracket Games aren’t due until the first round tips off Thursday, paying attention to the First Four is a must. Since the First Four began in 2011, 13 of its teams have gone on to at least the second round, and two have even gone to the Final Four!

I looked at which of this year’s First Four teams can make a run, and for tonight’s matchup, I gave North Carolina a slight edge over San Diego State thanks to a recent lineup change.

• Pereles: “Of North Carolina’s seven wins during that span, six are by double figures, and the Tar Heels are shooting a scorching hot 42% from 3. That includes 48% from Ian Jackson, 45% from Jae’Lyn Withers and 43% from RJ Davis. Even Elliot Cadeau, who teams sag off of, has hit 8 of 18 (44%). … The Tar Heels boast wing length, backcourt experience, NBA upside and a strong recent run of play. It took a while for them to round into form, but they have been very good of late, even in the context of a watered-down ACC.”

The Tar Heels won’t just have to defeat the Aztecs. They’ll have to overcome travel delays as well. Here are our expert picks for tonight’s games.

If you’re looking for magic elsewhere, Kyle Boone has Cinderella teams from every region, and I love his pick in the West. I also loved Dennis Dodd looking at one of the most memorable upsets — Bucknell over Kansas — 20 years after the fact.

Zooming out, we have in-depth previews for every region.

• South: Did Auburn‘s tough finish leave the door open, and are we in for Michigan-Michigan State Part III?
• East: Cooper Flagg and Duke lead the way, and they’re the easy favorite.
• Midwest: Are Houston and Tennessee on a collision course?
• West: There are a lot of experienced stars, but don’t sleep on a stud freshman big man.

As for everything else …

• Top freshmen
• Here are the men’s AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll and the women’s AP Top 25.
• These 24 schools have teams in the men’s and women’s tournaments.
• Speaking of tandems, Shehan Jeyarajah ranked the best football/men’s basketball coaching duos.

Honorable mentions

• Here’s what Shohei Ohtani said about playing in his home country.
• Could Paul Skenes be even better in his second season?
• Spencer Strider made his first pitching appearance since Tommy John surgery.
• Anthony Davis practiced with the Mavericks‘ G-League team. But will he actually play again this season?
• The Eagles extended Lane Johnson and signed Azeez Ojulari.
• Rose BC won the inaugural Unrivaled championship.

And not such a good morning for …

THE WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS

Yes, again, it’s a bad day to be West Virginia. With the First Four tonight, the Mountaineers must be thinking that should have been them.

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey certainly feels that way. In a press conference that could only happen in the wild world of college athletics, Morrisey announced he and the state’s attorney general will launch an investigation into the NCAA Tournament selection committee. Oh yeah, and “NCAA” stands for “National Corrupt Athletic Association.”

Morrisey called the snub a “miscarriage of justice and robbery at the highest levels” and insinuated that North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham, the selection committee chair, was a reason the Tar Heels got in. (It should be noted that Cunningham, as is standard, wasn’t in conversations regarding his school.)

Yes, this was a real thing. Not a skit, not a parody. Real.

The snub remains real, too. Matt Norlander called the reasoning for West Virginia not making the field “insane.” Though I agree with him, neither he nor I will be launching an investigation.

Not so honorable mentions

• With their season all but over, the 76ers shut down Paul George (groin, knee). Now, Philadelphia looks forward to an incredibly important lottery.
• Heat-Knicks was delayed after Tracy Morgan vomited on the court.
• Rudy Gobert and Andrew Nembhard got ejected after a third-quarter scuffle.
• Has Jimmy Butler been too unselfish in his shot selection?
• Mookie Betts is out of the Tokyo Series with an illness.
• Royce Lewis (hamstring strain) will miss Opening Day.
• Iona fired Tobin Anderson after just two seasons. He led Fairleigh Dickinson‘s upset over Purdue two years ago.
• Dawn Staley and Lindsay Gottlieb are not happy with how their teams were seeded.
• Michigan star baseball player Mitch Voit apologized for his cocaine-inspired celebration.
• This is a wild one: Both the NIT and the CBI included UC Riverside in their brackets. UC Riverside chose the NIT, meaning South Alabama had its invitation rescinded.

How Joe Burrow got Bengals to spend big on Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins

The Bengals are not a team that spends big.

Well, they weren’t, that is, until late Sunday night, when they signed Ja’Marr Chase to a four-year, $160.4 million extension and Tee Higgins to a four-year, $115 million extension, making Chase the highest-paid non-quarterback on a per-year basis and Higgins the highest-paid WR2 on a per-year basis.

What made Cincinnati change its tune? Joe Burrow, Tyler Sullivan writes.

• Sullivan: “The tide changed in the organization after a Monday night win over the Cowboys in Week 14. In that 27-20 victory, Burrow threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns, including a 40-yard game-winning score to Chase with just 61 seconds left to play. Following the game, Burrow brought up Higgins’ contract. … Two months later, the star QB showed up to Super Bowl week in New Orleans and while he was there, he sent a very clear message to the Bengals’ front office: Get my guys under contract.”

Burrow also wants Trey Hendrickson back, and even though the Bengals gave Hendrickson permission to seek a trade, they’re now working to retain him, per reports.

Burrow and Chase, of course, go back to that legendary 2019 LSU team that also included Justin Jefferson — previously the highest-paid wide receiver — and Derek Stingley, who just got a three-year, $90 million extension from the Texans that makes him the highest-paid defensive back ever. Overall, that Tigers team has signed over half a billion dollars’ worth of NFL contracts. Let the good times roll, indeed!

Players Championship: Rory McIlroy tops J.J. Spaun in playoff

It required an extra day, but Rory McIlroy claimed his second Players Championship title, cruising past J.J. Spaun in a three-hole playoff that was over seemingly as soon as it started.

After a massive drive, McIlroy birdied the opening hole of the playoff, the 16th, while Spaun settled for par. On the famous 17th, McIlroy found the island green through blustery conditions. Spaun flew long into the water, and he made triple bogey.

It’s PGA Tour win No. 28 for McIlroy, which ties him for 20th-most all-time. But he joins much more select company when it comes to the big ones.

• Eighth golfer (and first European) to win multiple Players Championships
• Fourth golfer to win multiple Players Championships and multiple majors, joining Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler

Yeah, that’s the good stuff. Also good? This is the first time McIlroy has won multiple times before April, and we all know what happens in April: the Masters, infamously the only major he’s never won.

Will that change this year? We can’t know for certain, but we do know he’s playing excellent golf, Patrick McDonald writes.

• McDonald: “This fine tuning and these minuscule changes may not appear to be much at the surface. … McIlroy is willing to test it, and he is willing to learn from it. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t, but it makes him a smarter player, and a smarter McIlroy is a better McIlroy. This may just be the best version of Rory we have ever seen.”

What we’re watching Tuesday (and early Wednesday)

No. 16 Saint Francis vs. No. 16 Alabama State (M), 6:40 p.m. on truTV
Nets at Celtics, 7:30 p.m. on NBA TV
Utah Hockey Club at Oilers, 9 p.m. on ESPN
No. 11 North Carolina vs. No. 11 San Diego State (M), 9:10 p.m. on truTV
Bucks at Warriors, 10 p.m. on NBA TV
 Tokyo Series: Cubs vs. Dodgers, Wednesday, 6:10 a.m. on Fox