Tag: usa today sports

Where is Duke in the latest USA TODAY Sports bracket projection?

USA TODAY Sports released its updated bracket projection on Tuesday morning, and the Blue Devils didn’t do enough to jump into their top three seeds.

USA TODAY Sports released its latest Bracketology projections on Tuesday, and Duke remained one of the No. 4 seeds despite a recent win streak.

The Blue Devils moved up to a No. 3 seed in ESPN’s latest projections, but the three USA TODAY Sports writers who teamed for the site’s mock bracket didn’t think Duke had done quite enough for that distinction.

Duke slotted in as a No. 4 seed in the East region with an in-state first-round matchup against UNC Wilmington.

Connecticut, Iowa State, and Alabama were the top three seeds in the projected East region, and the Blue Devils’ potential second-round opponents include Wisconsin and Richmond.

Arizona, Purdue, and Houston claimed the other three top seeds in the West, Midwest, and South regions, respectively.

North Carolina remained the highest-seeded ACC team as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest. The Virginia Cavaliers were the No. 7 seed in the West region, and the Clemson Tigers finished as the No. 8 seed in the South region. The Wake Forest Demon Deacons were one of the first four teams out.

USA TODAY Sports has Florida in thick of tournament bracketology

Here’s where the Gators landed in USA TODAY Sports’ bracketology update after beating Auburn.

A recent win over the Auburn Tigers at home has Florida basketball moving up in the major bracketologies as well as back to earning votes in both major polls. A team that was once teetering on the NCAA Tournament bubble now appears to have an inside edge into the Big Dance.

The Gators finally bounced off the bubble in USA TODAY Sports’ bracketology update on Tuesday, which now has the Orange and Blue as a No. 9 seed in the West Region, starting off in Salt Lake City, Utah, along with the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats, No. 8 Michigan State Spartans and No. 16 Merrimack Warriors.

Todd Golden’s team had been among the “first four out” category in its updated bracketologies for three-straight updates prior to the promotion.

The Southeastern Conference is represented by the second-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 3), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 4), Auburn (No. 5), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 7), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 8), Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 10) and Ole Miss Rebels (No. 11). Ole Miss is also among the last four into the tournament.

Next up for the Gators are the LSU Tigers, who come to Gainesville to take on Florida inside the O’Connell Center on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl title with your USA TODAY commemorative cover

Celebrate the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory with this commemorative USA TODAY cover.

The Kansas City Chiefs are officially in their Red Era.

The Chiefs won their second-consecutive Super Bowl, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime on a game-winning touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman Jr.

This is the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl victory in the last five years, cementing their status as a bonafide dynasty.

There are many ways to celebrate this monumental achievement, but USA TODAY is offering a piece of history with its Super Bowl LVIII Commemorative Cover.

KC Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII Commemorative Cover
KC Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII Commemorative Cover (USA TODAY)

Chiefs fans can get the cover framed, or as a variety of prints including wooden, canvas, acrylic, and metal.

Never forget the moment the Kansas City Chiefs won back-to-back Super Bowls, with this ultimate symbol of Chiefs fandom.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop KC Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII commemorative cover” link=”https://usatodaystore.com/featured/kansas-city-chiefs-super-bowl-2024-cover-usa-today.html?product=framed-print”]

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl title with your USA TODAY commemorative cover

Celebrate the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory with this commemorative USA TODAY cover.

The Kansas City Chiefs are officially in their Red Era.

The Chiefs won their second-consecutive Super Bowl, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime on a game-winning touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman Jr.

This is the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl victory in the last five years, cementing their status as a bonafide dynasty.

There are many ways to celebrate this monumental achievement, but USA TODAY is offering a piece of history with its Super Bowl LVIII Commemorative Cover.

Chiefs fans can get the cover framed, or as a variety of prints including wooden, canvas, acrylic, and metal.

Never forget the moment the Kansas City Chiefs won back-to-back Super Bowls, with this ultimate symbol of Chiefs fandom.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop KC Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII commemorative cover” link=”https://usatodaystore.com/featured/kansas-city-chiefs-super-bowl-2024-cover-usa-today.html?product=framed-print”]

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl title with your USA TODAY commemorative cover

Celebrate the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory with this commemorative USA TODAY cover.

The Kansas City Chiefs are officially in their Red Era.

The Chiefs won their second-consecutive Super Bowl, defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime on a game-winning touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman Jr.

This is the Chiefs’ third Super Bowl victory in the last five years, cementing their status as a bonafide dynasty.

There are many ways to celebrate this monumental achievement, but USA TODAY is offering a piece of history with its Super Bowl LVIII Commemorative Cover.

Chiefs fans can get the cover framed, or as a variety of prints including wooden, canvas, acrylic, and metal.

Never forget the moment the Kansas City Chiefs won back-to-back Super Bowls, with this ultimate symbol of Chiefs fandom.

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop KC Chiefs Super Bowl LVIII commemorative cover” link=”https://usatodaystore.com/featured/kansas-city-chiefs-super-bowl-2024-cover-usa-today.html?product=framed-print”]

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. FTW operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

SEC revenue increased $51 million year-over-year according to USA TODAY report

The SEC rakes in millions of dollars every year and the astronomical revenue earned in 2023 increased according to a report from USA TODAY.

As arguably the best conference in college sports, the SEC rakes in millions of dollars every year and the astronomical revenue earned this past year increased according to a report.

Per Steve Berkowitz, a sports project reporter for USA TODAY, tax records show that the SEC earned $853 million in the 2023 fiscal year, which is an increase of $51 million from 2022 ($802M). The increase is about 6% year-over-year.

Without factoring in inflation, the reported revenue earned in 2021 was $833 million. Therefore, after one down year, the money is flowing once again.

Texas A&M and its 13 conference peers each received an average of $51.3 million in the revenue distribution split. Last year, each school got just under $50 million at $49.9 million.

According to Berkowitz, with Texas and Oklahoma joining the SEC this summer before the next school year, the conference is projected to surpass $1 billion in revenue in 2024-25. With the Pac-12 ceasing to exist, more money will be split among the remaining Power Four conferences.

Another factor is the football TV package now being broadcast on ESPN and ABC as opposed to CBS Sports. For more information on the SEC’s recent revenue increase, check out Berkowitz’s full report on usatoday.com.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Florida’s status in USA TODAY Sports’ bracketology remains static

The Gators did not play this week, so as one might expect, did not make any moves in USA TODAY Sports’ latest bracketology.

Florida basketball got a much-needed breather from the grueling Southeastern Conference schedule just in time to prepare for a Quadrant 1 matchup this weekend. Given that the Gators were out of action, there were few changes to their position in the major bracketologies.

The Orange and Blue remained in USA TODAY Sports’ “first four out” category in its updated bracketology for the third update in a row following the bye week. Todd Golden’s team joins the Nevada Wolf Pack, Providence Friars and Colorado Buffaloes in that distinction.

The Southeastern Conference is represented by the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, as well as the Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 3), Auburn Tigers (No. 4), South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 5), Kentucky Wildcats (No. 6), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 8), Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 11) and Ole Miss Rebels (No. 11).

Florida will return home to host Auburn on Saturday, Feb. 10, inside the O’Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida among first four out in USA TODAY Sports’ bracketology update

No movement for the Gators in USAT’s latest bracketology, which has Florida on the bubble still.

Florida basketball split a pair of Southeastern Conference road games against top-25 opponents this past week, beating the Kentucky Wildcats in overtime while falling to the Texas A&M Aggies in the last minute. The Gators are now 15-7 overall with a 5-4 mark in league play with a bye week before Saturday’s game.

As a result, the Orange and Blue remained in USA TODAY Sports’ “first four out” category in its updated bracketology as in the last update following the UK win. Todd Golden’s team joins the Washington State Cougars, Gonzaga Bulldogs and Colorado Buffaloes in that distinction.

The Southeastern Conference is represented by the Tennessee Volunteers (No. 2), as well as the Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 3), Auburn Tigers (No. 5), Kentucky (No. 6),  South Carolina Gamecocks (No. 7), Mississippi State Bulldogs (No. 8), Texas A&M Aggies (No. 8) and Ole Miss Rebels (No. 9).

Florida will return home to host Auburn on Saturday, Feb. 10, inside the O’Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Florida designated ‘loser’ by USA TODAY Sports this weekend

It might be a little harsh to label the Gators as “losers” but these late-game collapses are getting very tiring.

This past weekend’s men’s college basketball slate was the hottest seen this season, with high-intensity action taking place across the nation as the top teams continue to battle out their conference schedules.

One game that received a high billing was the Florida Gators’ visit to College Station on Saturday to face the Texas A&M Aggies. The visitors had firm control over the game for the first half, but once again, came unraveled in the second resulting in a 67-66 defeat.

USA TODAY Sports’ Eddie Timanus surveyed the cream-of-the-crop matchups from the weekend on Monday, assigning them to winners and losers categories. The Orange and Blue were predictably among the latter category.

“It was almost a great week for the Gators,” Timanus begins. “But on the heels of their big win at Kentucky, they couldn’t protect a 12-point lead at Texas A&M and saw their four-game winning streak snapped with a one-point loss.”

Florida has a bye this week and will return home to host the Auburn Tigers on Saturday, Feb. 10, inside the O’Connell Center. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.

Alabama MBB receives interesting NCAA Tournament projection amid recent success

The Alabama men’s basketball team received an interesting projection on the latest bracket by USA TODAY Sports.

The Alabama men’s basketball team has won six of their last seven games. Nate Oats’ squad has found a formula for success. Shoot at a high rate and do just enough on the defensive end. As a result, the Crimson Tide now find themselves being projected as a No. 3 seed in USA TODAY Sports’ latest bracketology.

Alabama is projected to be the top-ranked seed in the Pittsburgh regional. In the first round, Alabama would take on No. 14 seed High Point. If they were to advance to the Round of 32, they would take on the winnner of the No. 6 San Diego State versus No. 11 Texas game.

Needless to say, these projections will continue to change before the March Madness bracket is officially made. However, this seems to be a good draw for the Crimson Tide at this time.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama men’s basketball program.