Good morning to everyone but especially to...
THE PRINCETON TIGERS...
Many Cinderellas made their presence known at this Big Dance.
Only one is staying for a Sweet 16 song: The 15-seed Princeton Tigers followed up their shocking 59-55 win over 2-seed Arizona with a 78-63 thumping of 7-seed Missouri.
It's Princeton's first Sweet 16 ever (the Sweet 16 started in 1975) and first Regional Semifinal since 1967.Princeton is the fourth Ivy League team to make the Sweet 16.Princeton is the fourth 15 seed to make the Sweet 16... but the third in the last three Tournaments (2021 Oral Roberts, 2022 Saint Peter's).Princeton's win over Missouri was just the second NCAA Tournament win by an Ivy League team against an SEC team. The other one was all the way back in 1942, when Dartmouth beat Kentucky.
... AND ALSO A GOOD MORNING TO THE NEW FRONTRUNNERS
If your bracket is busted, that's understandable. With 1 seed Purdue losing to 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson -- the new biggest upset in NCAA Tournament history -- and 1 seed Kansas falling to 8 seed Arkansas, this is just the fifth time only two 1 seeds are in the Sweet 16.
Naturally, that makes the 1 seeds remaining -- Alabama and Houston -- the favorites. Check out the rest of the top five favorites to win it all from Caesars Sportsbook:
That last team, though, was one of Sunday's biggest winners, writes our Kyle Boone. Furthermore, our Matt Norlander was in Albany to watch UConn dominate, and he says the Huskies are back among college basketball's elite.
Norlander: "Connecticut has a little bit of everything. Watching the Huskies up close this season, there's a lot on this roster that flashes visions of some of Jim Calhoun's more intimidating Connecticut teams from yesteryear. ... UConn's just better, the whole way up and down. In the past three days, it's reminded a tournament-obsessed nation why, at their best, these Huskies can play with — and beat — anyone in this bracket."Honorable mentions
And not such a good morning for...
Getty ImagesJOSE ALTUVE AND THE HOUSTON ASTROS
Add another name to the list of All-Stars injured in the World Baseball Classic. Jose Altuve fractured his right thumb and needs surgery that will sideline him indefinitely.
The injury happened when Altuve got hit by a pitch from Daniel Bard in Venezuela's eventual loss to the United States.Altuve, 32, slashed .300/.387/.533 with 28 home runs last season. He was named an All-Star, won the Silver Slugger, and finished fifth in AL MVP voting, his highest finish since he won the award in 2017. Altuve also hit .308 in the World Series as the Astros beat the Phillies in six games.Altuve's injury came just days after Mets star reliever Edwin Díaz suffered a likely season-ending knee injury while celebrating Puerto Rico's win over the Dominican Republic.Our R.J. Anderson has three paths the Astros can take to help alleviate the effects of Altuve's absence, including...
Anderson: "The likeliest, and most straightforward route for Brown and the Astros is to hand the keystone over to a player or two already in the organization. The top candidates are David Hensley and Mauricio Dubón. Hensley, listed at an unusually tall 6-foot-6 for a middle infielder, made his big-league debut last season. In 16 games, he batted .345/.441/.586. He's shown a strong eye at the plate, as well as a capable line-drive stroke. ... Dubón would seem more wisely deployed in a super-utility role, though in this instance he makes for an OK insurance policy on Hensley."
