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We're officially in February, meaning its time to start thinking about the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
The UConn Huskies are the two-time defending men's NCAA Tournament champions, but history tells us we will be crowning a new winner this year. No team has three-peated in men's college basketball since the John Wooden UCLA teams more than 50 years ago. This season, several contenders are standing out from the crowd.
There will be countless March Madness predictions to come over the next several weeks, but as of right now, ESPN's Basketball Power Index (BPI) is projecting a team out of the Big 12 to cut down the nets this year.
If you're unfamiliar, the BPI is defined as a "measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward." One of the metrics it produces is each team's percentage chance of winning it all.
At the moment, the Houston Cougars have the best chance of winning the national championship, per the BPI, at 23.5%. Duke is next at 20.6%, followed by Auburn at 15.7%.
No other team has a greater than 5.3% chance of winning the title, at least as of now.
Interestingly, Houston, which was ranked No. 6 in last week's AP poll, lost on Saturday to No. 22 Texas Tech. The 82-81 defeat dropped the Cougars to 17-4 on the season.
Duke, which has the second-best odds in the BPI and is ranked No. 2 in the AP poll, blasted rival UNC 87-70 last night, while the top-ranked Auburn Tigers, who have the third-best chance to win it all per ESPN's computer, beat No. 23 Ole Miss by 10.
On paper, it seems like this year's NCAA Tournament could be pretty wide-open, which makes for a fun month of March.
The 2025 NCAA men's Final Four is set for April 5-7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
It will be there before you know it.
More must-reads:
- Paul Skenes' recent struggles open door for Phillies aces in NL Cy Young race
- Three teams that should take a flier on Odell Beckham Jr. for the 2025 season
- The '2023 NFL AP second-team All-Pro' quiz
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The UCLA Bruins have a ton of new impact players coming in from this offseason's transfer portal, and one wide receiver in particular is continuing to rise through the first couple of weeks of fall camp in Costa Mesa. Mikey Matthews came to Westwood by way of Cal, and he's projected to be one of Nico Iamaleava's top targets starting in the slot this season. During Saturday's media availability, Bruins coach DeShaun Foster detailed how the former Golden Bear is progressing ahead of the season. "Mikey's doing a good job," Foster said. "He's someone that came in early, was able to assert his leadership on our [wide receivers] room, and continues to grow and we love everything that he brings to the table. Just a high-energy guy." All of UCLA's receivers, not just Matthews, all have something to work for this offseason with the addition of Iamaleava. And the slot receiver may already have a head start building his on-field connection with the former SEC signal-caller. Matthews Connection to Iamaleava Dates Far Back Both California natives, Iamaleava left the state for Tennessee, and Mattews went to Utah before transfering to Cal last season. Now, the former high school competitors meet in Westwood and the slot receiver couldn't be more excited. "Nico's my dog," Matthews said. "We played through high school together, we crossed paths together through 7-on-7 and stuff like that, so we already had that connection. Coming out of high school, I had a Tennessee offer, so I was thinking about going there. We already had built that connection beforehand. "When I knew he was coming here, it was just a blessing. Just happy to have him here and knowing that he's going to get me that rock whenever and knowing that he's going to throw that ball, so it's cool to have him here." Matthews, along with Titus Mokiao-Atimalala, Rico Flores Jr. and Kwazi Gilmer, came in as a part of the staff's effort to bolster its receiving corps for Joey Aguilar and eventually Iamaleava. Make sure to bookmark UCLA Bruins On SI to get all your daily UCLA Bruins news, analysis and more! Read more on UCLA football and their momentous second season in the Big Ten and under DeShaun Foster here. While you're here, check out all things UCLA basketball and Mick Cronin improving the Bruins through the transfer portal here. UCLA Bruins Latest News
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Jon Gruden 'looking forward to having the truth come out' amid lawsuit against NFL
Jon Gruden sent another warning shot toward the NFL after scoring a major win in court. On Tuesday, Gruden welcomed a ruling that will force the NFL to litigate the circumstances of his firing in court rather than closed-door arbitration. The former Las Vegas Raiders coach made it clear that he intends to continue his legal challenge to the NFL, ensuring that they are held accountable. “I’m looking forward to having the truth come out, and I want to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Gruden said in a statement provided to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. “The league’s actions disrupted the whole season. We were leading the division at the time and they completely blindsided me and the team.” The Raiders were 3-1 in 2021 when Gruden was forced to resign after offensive emails he had sent between 2011 and 2018 were leaked. Gruden has alleged that the NFL leaked the emails to force him out of a job after obtaining them during an investigation into the Washington Commanders. The NFL is set to appeal Monday’s ruling, but if that appeal fails, the league may be forced into public discovery. One alternative would be to offer Gruden a settlement, but he has not said whether or not he would be interested in such a resolution. Gruden has not held an NFL coaching job since the Raiders forced him out. He has recently spoken about possibly making a return to coaching at the college level.
Vikings WR gets brutal injury news for second straight season
A Minnesota Vikings wide receiver's season is already over. The Minnesota Vikings announced on Tuesday that wide receiver Rondale Moore is being placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a leg injury that he suffered in the team's first preseason game against the Houston Texans this past weekend. It is a devastating blow for Moore, who is now being sidelined for an entire season, before it even begins, for the second year in a row. Moore signed a one-year, $2 million contract in free agency with the Vikings this offseason in the hopes he could return from a different injury that cost him the entirety of the 2024 season. Moore was a member of the Atlanta Falcons in 2024 after being acquired in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals for backup quarterback Desmond Ridder. This is now two different teams that Moore has been a part of, but will never play a game for them due to injuries. Moore was injured while returning a punt. He began his career with the Arizona Cardinals, catching 135 passes for 1,201 yards over three seasons before being traded. He was never going to be counted on to be a key contributor for the Vikings offense this season, especially given the superstars they already have at wide receiver in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but he still had a chance to be an interesting depth player. Now it is fair to wonder what the rest of his career might even look like. Missing two full seasons due to two different leg injuries is going to be a brutal thing to try to come back from. Missing two seasons for any reason is difficult, but when you add the leg injuries to the equation, it makes the obstacle even steeper.
Perhaps Superman Paul Skenes has found his kryptonite
Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes may continue to be one of the top contenders for the National League Cy Young Award, but there is one place where he has appeared mortal this season. On Tuesday night, the Milwaukee Brewers did to Skenes what they have done to plenty of MLB pitchers in 2025 ... put up big offensive numbers. For the second time this season (Skenes also pitched in Milwaukee on June 25), the Brewers forced him from the game after just 4.0 innings on Tuesday night, logging six hits and four runs during his time on the mound. Both of those performances came at Milwaukee's home stadium (American Family Field) and both are now Skenes' shortest outings of the season. While another NL Central team has put up more runs against Skenes this season (the St. Louis Cardinals nicked him for five runs in 6.0 innings on April 8), no other team has had the same kind of success over multiple starts by Skenes in 2025 as have the Brewers inside their home stadium. In all this season, Skenes has given up 10 hits and eight runs in 8.0 innings in Milwaukee. It was his third career outing on the road against the Brewers, with his lone 2024 start representing arguably the best outing of his rookie season. On July 11, 2024, Skenes struck out 11 and didn't allow a hit over 7.0 innings as the Pirates would eventually post a 1-0 victory. Tuesday's short outing was highlighted by a pair of Milwaukee home runs, including a leadoff solo shot by Sal Frelick that quickly set the tone for the Brewers. While Milwaukee's hit parade helped raise Skenes' ERA on the season to 2.13, it's hardly any reason for concern in a season where the 23-year-old right-hander is still a heavy favorite (-600) to win the NL Cy Young Award, per BetMGM. Skenes struggling in Milwaukee is likely more yet another stamp of approval on the Brewers' potential to be a threat once the postseason arrives. With an 18-4 record since the All-Star break entering Tuesday, Milwaukee has taken over the NL Central race from the Chicago Cubs. So what's the good news for Skenes? This is Pittsburgh's last trip to Milwaukee this season and the next-to-last series for the Pirates against the red-hot Brewers. Milwaukee will visit PNC Park for a three-game series on Sept. 5-7, and if Skenes gets a chance for revenge against Milwaukee, there couldn't be a better place for him to take the mound. This season, in 11 starts covering 68.2 innings, Skenes has a 1.70 ERA in the Steel City.
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