March Madness men's perfect bracket tracker: Only 8 perfect brackets remain after Purdue's win over McNeese on Saturday
Only 11 entries in Yahoo Sports' Men's Bracket Mayhem made it through the first round unscathed, meaning they picked 32 of 32 games correctly. That's even with fewer upsets than normal over the first two days of the tournament, too. Then after the first game on Saturday, that number was brought down to just eight.
Saturday's slate of games to open the second round went about as expected, with No. 5 Purdue rolling past No. 12 McNeese to reach the Sweet 16. That eliminated three more perfect entries, and got us down to single digits for the first time.
The biggest upsets on Thursday — No. 12 McNeese beating No. 5 Clemson and No. 11 Drake knocking off No. 6 Missouri — eliminated a big chunk of brackets early. Then on Friday, No. 12 Colorado State beating No. 5 Memphis was the biggest upset of the day, though that only dwindled the number of perfect brackets down from 0.1% to 0%.
Duke is still the overwhelming favorite to win the national championship. About 31% of users picked the Blue Devils to win it all. Florida came in second with about 21% support, followed by Auburna and Houston. St. John's was the most popular non-No. 1 seed to win the national championship among Yahoo users. About 4.7% went with Rick Pitino and the Johnnies.
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Associated Press
30 minutes ago
- Associated Press
NCAA fines Michigan millions, adds game suspension for Moore over sign-stealing scandal
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The NCAA fined Michigan tens of millions of dollars Friday and suspended coach Sherrone Moore for a third game as punishment for a sprawling sign-stealing scandal that has loomed over college football's winningest program for nearly two years, including its national championship season in 2023. The NCAA said it had 'overwhelming' and concerning evidence of a cover-up by Wolverines staff and noted there were 'sufficient grounds for a multiyear postseason ban' against a program now considered a repeat violator. But the governing body stopped short of program-crippling punishments, saying a two-year postseason ban 'would unfairly penalize student-athletes for the actions of coaches and staff' who are no longer there. 'The panel concluded that an elaborate, impermissible scouting scheme was embedded in the Michigan football program over the course of three football seasons, 2021, 2022 and 2023, and this occurred under former head coach Jim Harbaugh's oversight,' said Norman Bay, chief hearing officer for the Division I Committee on Infractions. 'What makes this case even more serious, in addition to the clear intent to impermissibly gain a substantial competitive advantage, is the elaborate effort to obstruct the investigation.' Moore, who is facing a school-imposed two-game suspension this season, will also sit out the first game of the 2026-27 season for a total of three games. Moore received a two-year show-cause order, but will be allowed to fulfill coaching commitments under the NCAA order. The biggest blow came from the financial penalties, which are expected to exceed $20 million. They include a $50,000 fine, a 10% fine on the football program's budget, a 10% fine on Michigan's 2025-26 scholarships and a fine equivalent to the anticipated loss of postseason revenue for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The program also faces a 25% reduction in official recruiting visits during the upcoming season and a 14-week prohibition on recruiting communications during its four-year probation period. Harbaugh, a former Michigan quarterback and now the coach of the NFL's Los Angeles Chargers, faces a 10-year show-cause order following the conclusion of his previous four-year order effective Aug. 7, 2028. Connor Stalions, a former low-level staffer who ran the scouting and sign-stealing operation, was issued an eight-year show-cause order, which effectively bans a person from college athletics for the period handed down. Michigan said it would appeal the decision. '(R)espectfully, in a number of instances the decision makes fundamental errors in interpreting NCAA bylaws; and it includes a number of conclusions that are directly contrary to the evidence – or lack of evidence – in the record,' the school said. Athletic director Warde Manuel added that 'a postseason ban should never have been a consideration in this case. I fully support the university's decision to pursue an appeal.' The scheme Harbaugh has always maintained he knew nothing about the scheme. NCAA investigators were clearly skeptical. 'Aspects of the record suggest that there may have been broader acceptance of the scheme throughout the program,' the report says. 'At a minimum, there was a willful intent not to learn more about Stalions' methods. However, the true scope and scale of the scheme -- including the competitive advantage it conferred -- will never be known due to individuals' intentional destruction and withholding of materials and information.' The NCAA does not have rules against stealing signs, but does prohibit schools from sending scouts to the games of in-season opponents and using electronic equipment to record another team's signals. The scheme run by Stalions, the NCAA said, was elaborate and detailed – in fact, the NCAA said, Stalions described it as 'counterintelligence' and his network of helpers was referred to as the 'KGB,' a nod to the Soviet-era spy service. During the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons, 'Stalions directed and arranged for individuals to conduct off-campus, in-person scouting of Michigan's future regular season opponents,' the NCAA report said, noting that he bought their tickets and saying he spent some $35,000 in 2022 alone. 'While in attendance, they filmed the signal callers on the future opponents' sidelines and then provided that film to Stalions. Using the footage they collected, Stalions then deciphered their signals. Additionally, on one occasion, Stalions personally attended a future opponent's contest. In total, 56 instances of off-campus, in-person scouting of 13 future regular season opponents occurred across 52 contests.' When asked about Stalions' devices, accounts and documents, the NCAA said, 'multiple members of the KGB stated that Stalions gave them access to his hard drives and Google drive to review videos and assist in identifying signals.' Stalions, a Naval Academy graduate, was a volunteer for Michigan's football program for years, including when he was stationed in San Diego and slept in his car while renting his house, until Harbaugh hired him 2022. The retired captain in the Marine Corps was an analytics assistant for the Wolverines when he was suspended in October 2023, a day after the school disclosed it was under NCAA investigation. Stalions later resigned. 'If I'm a bad guy, then everyone in football is a bad guy,' Stalions said in a recent Netflix documentary. Stalions, who did not participate in the NCAA investigation, recently said he knew almost every signal opponents used in seven games over two seasons. The NCAA said the efforts to cover up the scheme included Stalions and other Michigan employees. 'Stalions himself described smashing his phone into 1,000 pieces and throwing it into a pond, providing false and misleading information during interviews, telling a potential witness to lie when interviewed, and some staff members, most notably Harbaugh not participating in interviews at all,' Bay said. 'Moore deleted his entire 52 message text thread with Stalions from his personal phone. Harbaugh failed to cooperate by refusing to provide necessary records or participating in interviews with NCAA enforcement staff.' The coaches In a notice sent to the school last year, the NCAA alleged that Moore violated rules as an assistant under Harbaugh. The text messages with Stalions were recovered and provided to the NCAA. Harbaugh, who left the Wolverines after they won the 2023 national championship, served a three-game suspension in exchange for the Big Ten dropping its investigation into the allegations after the two ended up in court. The NCAA also noted unrelated recruiting violations were part of the mix, violations that got Harbaugh that initial show-cause order. The NCAA said those involved lower-level staffers communicating with four recruits. 'The scouting scheme and recruiting violations in the football program demonstrate that Harbaugh violated the principles of head coach responsibility,' the NCAA said. 'Harbaugh did not embrace or enforce a culture of compliance during his tenure, and his program had a contentious relationship with Michigan's compliance office, leading coaches and staff to disregard NCAA rules.' The Wolverines open the season on Aug. 30 at home against New Mexico State and then play at Oklahoma, where Moore was an offensive lineman, on Sept. 6. 'I am glad that this part of the process has been completed,' Moore said in a statement issued by Michigan. 'I greatly respect the rules governing collegiate athletics and it is my intent to have our program comply with those rules at all times.' ___ Carey reported from Tampa, Florida. ___ AP college football: and
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Brian Baumgartner on ‘The Office' cast's 20-year-long fantasy football league
Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz and Caroline Fenton are joined by actor, director and podcast host Brain Baumgartner to discuss 'The Office' cast's fantasy football league that he continues to run for more than 20 years now. Brian joined Yahoo Sports on behalf of Sam Adams and its Fall Legends Commissioner's Kit, complete with all the essentials to draft like a legend this fantasy football season. Hear the full conversation from Yahoo Sports Daily on YouTube. View more Video Transcript We are joined now by actor, director, podcast host, just general celebrity extraordinaire. \n Brian Baumgartner joins us on behalf of Sam Adams Octoberfest fantasy football. \n A lot, we're gonna get into there, Brian. \n Uh, we're excited. \n Thanks for hanging out with us on Yahoo Sports Daily. \n This is gonna be a lot of fun. \n Uh, let's start with a little bit of fantasy football because Yahoo obviously plays a lot of fantasy football. \n You've been in a league for 20 years with your office buddies. \n Like, what is that moment, what's it mean for you to still have that connective tissue with everybody around fantasy football? \n Well, first off, thank you for having me here. \n Secondly, um, just know this. \n It only means that I'm old. \n When we started, we had a legal pad that we would write all of our draft as we were working on at Dunder Mifflin. \n Some, it would take like a week because if somebody wasn't there or somebody was filming. \n You know, there wasn't like a minute and a half to draft. \n It would take like sometimes hours for somebody to draft. \n So, it's really cool. \n I will share with you. \n I just last night, so the work now can begin. \n I just got the draft order for 'The Office' fantasy football draft that, which by the way, our league does use Yahoo. \n Uh, I'm 2nd. \n Second, I have the 2nd pick. \n So you're with us, obviously, Sam Adams Octoberfest. \n You've mentioned it, but tell everybody a little bit about what you're doing with Sam Adams with Octoberfest and with fantasy football. \n So Fantasy Football is back, and so is the legendary Sam Adams Octoberfest beer, so I recommend. \n If, of course, you're of legal drinking age, that during the draft, you start on the Octoberfest, and then who knows? \n Maybe you have some, have some with the chili that you put together and make for for the draft party. \n I'm sure all of you are hosting, um. \n But yeah, it's sort of an ode to the commissioners of the league. \n They work so hard. \n I mean, look, again, I got the draft order last night, Of course, it's done by our commissioner. \n It is such a thankless job that we all need. \n I mean, who else gets yelled at? \n Uh, for just asking people to follow the rules, pay their dues, and show up to the draft on time and do regular responsible adult things. \n Um, so here's to the commissioners. \n We put together, uh, uh, a commissioner's kit. \n And, uh, I do have to show this because I think it is unbelievable for the commissioner and it says 'the commissioner' right there, if I could figure out camera angles. \n I've only been doing this 20 years. \n Uh, the commissioner, uh, Sam Adams vest, uh, we've got a coin to help settle disputes, cozy stuff, and of course, because I'm still a child. \n We have a, we have a gavel. \n My commissioner does not deserve any of those things. \n All they do now that I host fantasy football shows for Yahoo, all I get is grief when my team doesn't win from the commissioner. \n I deserve the best. \n He does. \n If you need any tips or pointers, come back on the show. \n Often we will, uh, help you out any way we can. \n Who do I pick? \n Who do I pick? \n I mean, you're gonna take one of the receivers, right? \n You're either gonna take Ja'Marr or Justin. \n Half, half-point PPR. \n Picking second, I'm taking one of those two. \n There's no no, although they're already giving me grief in the thread because I'm a Raiders fan that's been telling everybody to draft Ashton Jeanty high. \n I will stand by this. \n Ashton Gentry is going to be as productive as the best season Christian McCaffrey has ever had. \n I stand by that. \n But also Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. \n You're a Raiders guy. \n What, uh, if you had Um, I'm asking this question poorly, but you understand, uh, where does tight end Bowers rank? \n Uh, top of the tight ends and frankly, he ranks not only as the one tight end, he's above a large portion of the wide receivers. \n Overdraft Brock Bowers, yeah, his target share is gonna be through the roof. \n So he's a, Brock Bowers, see, look at us and he just shaved his head, so that has to count for something, right? \n Like once you are a bald tight end, you automatically are just gonna become, you know, better. \n He was already mostly, mostly there. \n Brian, we appreciate you hanging out. \n Sure, sure, we'll give him credit for it. \n Thank you for the time, my friend. \n All right, thank you. \n Close
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Were the Michigan punishments for Connor Stalions case enough?
Yahoo Sports' Jason Fitz and Caroline Fenton react to the breaking news of the punishments handed down by the NCAA and what it means for the Wolverines moving forward. View more Video Transcript This is just the beginning of the tip of the iceberg on a lot of information. I'm gonna give it to you right now. According to multiple reports, it looks like the fine to Michigan is going to be at least $20 million from future postseason revenue. It looks like there is a 3-game suspension coming for Sharon Moore in total. Two games had already been offered up as a self-imposed ban by Michigan and then the NCAA is adding one additional game to that. So we know weeks 3 and 4 this year, Central Michigan and Nebraska, Moore will not be on the sideline. Already been offered up by Michigan as self-imposed, uh, punishment. They're also going to add one game in 2026. So Caroline, $20 million bucks, show cause, and, and Connor Stallion, that's all other stuff. This is just for the, university's portion in all of this role, $20 million bucks, three-game suspension for their coach. You showed them. Wow, good job, NCAA. I think that proves to the rest of college football that you really take these things seriously. No, I'm kidding. $20 million is a drop in the bucket. It sounds like a lot of money to you and to me, but to Michigan, that's less than two years of what they are paying. The Dynamo freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, who's making $12 million a year. $20 million is nothing. I mean, Michigan has some of the richest alumni. Night and boosters and donators to donors rather to collectives and any other school in all of college sports and all of college football. Sharon Moore, three excuse me, two of those three games that he'll be suspended for are something that Michigan already self-imposed. Michigan said, hey, we'll set Sharon Moore on the sidelines for weeks 3 and 4, which is really smart and calculated by Michigan to say. Hey, sorry, we did it, but they're willing to sit Sharon Moore on the sidelines for the Central Michigan and Nebraska game. Now look, the Nebraska game is no easy out, but they conveniently said we will put Sharon Moore on suspension after Michigan goes to Norman, Oklahoma to play the Sooners. So the NCAA really all they're doing is saying Sharon Moore is suspended for one game in 2026. So next year, and a $20 million fine. This to me does not prove that the NCAA views what Connor Stallions did, or at least what Sharon Moore did in relation to Connor Stallions, you know, as dealing with it all with any level of seriousness. Another Connor Stallions and Jim Harbaugh case. Jim Harbaugh has been placed with a 10-year show cause by the NCAA. Connor Stallions got 8 years. My question is, because Jim Harbaugh has another job, you know, he's good, he's in the NFL. And which I think is damning evidence enough. What does the NFL do with Jim Harbaugh? Nothing? Do they feel the need to step in and have some sort of suspension or disciplinary action of their own? This will be hairy because all the way back in 2011 when Jim Tressel went to work for the Colts, they delayed his hiring because of the controversy that he had left Ohio State under. And at the time, Roger Goodell said in interviews that had that not happened, they would have suspended Jim Tressel. So I think there is a moment here where frankly, when you see a 10-year show cause for Harbaugh, it looks it can appear like he's basically left that behind to go to the NFL so he doesn't have to pay his punishment. Something that Roger Goodell was adamantly opposed to in 2011. Where does he stand on it now? And this, this also, by the way, more breaking news comes in. Ross Sweeney out that the NCAA has hit former Michigan staff member Denard Robinson with a three-year show cause order. So they're hitting everybody involved with this, all the coaches from a standpoint that, you know, is damning for each of the people involved. For Harbaugh, uh, for Denard Robinson, uh, for Connor Stallions. For any of them, if they choose to want to be, continue a career in college football, that just got much tougher. But Caroline, go all the way back to your original point. If I told every fan base in college football, if I told Texas right now, guess what, you can go out and you can get you a national championship by whatever means you need to go get you the natty. Now it's gonna cost you $20 million on the back end, and whoever your next coach is will have to face a 3-game suspension. They're taking that deal 10 times out of 10, every single one of them. I think even if you bump that up to $200 million, there'll be some schools across the country that are saying, OK, fine, sign me up, because that is worth every single penny. So I don't trust the NCAA really to get anything right, so I shouldn't have trusted the NCAA to get this right. But quickly, before we gotta get out of here, Fitz, do you think that the NCAA got this right? No, I think all the NCAA did here is remind us all that the new money of college football makes it so hard to actually punish anybody. Uh, look, it might as well have just come out and said, hey, we realized they did it, we realized it stinks, but at the end of the day, we can't do anything about it. Close
