March Madness Brackets Shattered as Perfect Picks Nearly Extinct

Only about 1,500 flawless March Madness brackets survived through the tournament's second day on ESPN, while other contests saw even fewer perfect predictions remain. Meanwhile, Kentucky's dramatic buzzer-beater against Santa Clara and a new NCAA assist record highlighted the opening rounds.

March Madness has lived up to its name as the hopes for perfect tournament brackets have crumbled for nearly everyone who dreamed of predicting all 63 games correctly. When the second day of competition reached its halfway point, ESPN tracked fewer than 1,500 flawless brackets still standing among millions of entries. The women’s tournament proved equally unpredictable, with roughly two-thirds of ESPN’s women’s bracket challenge participants watching their perfect streaks end within hours of the action beginning. Kalshi’s billion-dollar bracket competition started Day 2 with just 83 unblemished entries remaining. The mathematical probability of correctly predicting every tournament outcome stands at an astronomical one in 120 billion.

In one of the tournament’s most heart-stopping moments, Santa Clara and Kentucky delivered a spectacular finish that will be remembered long after March ends. Despite ultimately falling to the Wildcats 89-84 in overtime, the Broncos nearly pulled off an upset in their first NCAA Tournament appearance in three decades. With just 2.4 seconds remaining in regulation, Santa Clara connected on a three-pointer to grab a 73-70 advantage. However, Kentucky’s Otega Oweh answered immediately with his own three-point shot from near his team’s bench, banking it in at the buzzer to force overtime. “A tough one to swallow” was how the devastating loss was described for Santa Clara, whose last tournament appearance came during Steve Nash’s playing days 30 years ago.

President Donald Trump has taken action to protect one of college football’s most cherished traditions by signing an executive order that prohibits College Football Playoff games from conflicting with the Army-Navy game broadcast. The directive instructs the commerce secretary and Federal Communications Commission chairman to work with playoff organizers, the NCAA, and television partners to guarantee the historic military rivalry maintains its exclusive viewing window on the second Saturday of December. Trump’s order anticipates potential playoff expansion that could push the postseason schedule earlier, noting that the current 12-team format’s opening weekend has already followed the Army-Navy contest for two consecutive years.

History was made in St. Louis when Purdue’s Braden Smith surpassed a legendary NCAA record during his team’s tournament opener against Queens. With 12 minutes and 11 seconds left in the first half, Smith recorded his second assist of the game and 1,077th of his career, breaking former Duke standout Bobby Hurley’s Division I career assist mark. The All-American guard had already established himself as the only player in NCAA history to accumulate at least 1,500 points, 1,000 assists, and 500 rebounds in a career. Smith joins Southern’s Avery Johnson as one of only two players to record 300 or more assists in multiple seasons, earning second-team Associated Press All-American honors this year.

Otega Oweh’s heroics continued beyond his regulation buzzer-beater as he led Kentucky to victory in the extra period. After Allen Graves connected on a three-pointer from the right wing to put Santa Clara ahead 73-70 with 2.4 seconds remaining, Oweh caught the inbound pass and launched his shot from near midcourt just before time expired, watching it bank home for the tie. The dramatic shot capped a career-best 35-point performance for Oweh, propelling the seventh-seeded Wildcats past the 10th-seeded Broncos. Kentucky advances to face second-seeded Iowa State, who dominated 15th-seeded Tennessee State 108-74 in their Midwest Region matchup.

The Cleveland Guardians will receive financial relief as Major League Baseball’s investigation continues into gambling allegations involving pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz. Both players were initially placed on paid administrative leave last summer – Ortiz on July 3 and Clase on July 28 – and continued receiving their salaries despite not pitching for the rest of the season. Following their federal indictments on November 9, the organization will no longer be required to pay their salaries while the legal proceedings unfold. A trial date has been set for May 4, though delays are possible. Clase is scheduled to earn $6 million in 2026, the final guaranteed year of his five-year, $20 million contract, while Ortiz makes approximately the league minimum of $780,000.

Portugal will be without their legendary captain Cristiano Ronaldo for upcoming international friendlies due to a hamstring injury. The 41-year-old superstar has been sidelined since February 28, when he left the field injured during an Al-Nassr match in the Saudi Pro League. National team manager Roberto Martínez excluded the five-time Ballon d’Or recipient from the squad for matches against Mexico in Mexico City on March 28 and the United States in Atlanta on April 1.

The WNBA and its players’ association have achieved a significant milestone by signing a term sheet for their new collective bargaining agreement. The groundbreaking seven-year deal, pending player ratification and Board of Governors approval, will take effect this season and extend through 2032. Officials are calling the agreement a transformational landmark in the league’s labor relations.

March Madness created a cross-country family adventure for High Point’s coaching staff as assistant Katie Clayman juggled supporting both her husband and her team. Coach Chelsea Banbury had no concerns about Clayman missing the Panthers’ final practice before their tournament debut, understanding the importance of family during the busy March schedule. Clayman watched her husband’s team upset fifth-seeded Wisconsin in Portland, Oregon on Thursday before embarking on a challenging journey back to Nashville for the 15th-seeded Panthers’ Saturday night showdown against second-seeded Vanderbilt. Despite the lack of direct flights and travel complications, Banbury maintained communication with Clayman about necessary game film preparation for Saturday’s shootaround.

A federal wrongful death lawsuit has been filed against a Costa Rican resort following the tragic death of former New York Yankees player Brett Gardner’s son. The Gardner family initiated legal action Friday in Philadelphia federal court, alleging negligence by the owners and operators of the Arenas Del Mar resort. Fourteen-year-old Miller Gardner died in March 2025 from what has been determined to be carbon monoxide poisoning during the family’s stay at the resort. The defendants had not responded to requests for comment as of Friday.