Connecticut
UConn is the big favorite in East regional. Florida Atlantic could be best sleeper pick
Connecticut is the latest defending national champion to make a run at the most elite list in college basketball.
The top-overall seed in the men’s NCAA Tournament is looking to become the eighth program in Division I and first since Florida in 2006-7 to go back-to-back in the tournament era. The others are Oklahoma State (1945-46), Kentucky (1948-49), San Francisco (1955-56), Cincinnati (1961-62), UCLA (1964-65, 1967-73) and Duke (1991-92).
The Huskies will try to do so coming out of the East Region, where the stiffest competition should come from No. 2 Iowa State, the Big 12 tournament champion; No. 3 Illinois, the second-place team from the Big Ten; and No. 4 Auburn, winners of the SEC tournament.
Jay Wright believes college basketball court storming should be banned
College basketball analyst Jay Wright believes that NCAA court storming should be banned, primarily because of player and fan safety.
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It’s a strong region. But no team in the country has looked as strong as UConn, the prohibitive favorites to repeat.
USA TODAY Sports breaks down the men’s NCAA Tournament East Region:
Best first-round matchup: Washington State vs. Drake
No. 7 Washington State is back in the tournament for the first since 2008 after going 24-9 and finishing second in the Pac-12 under coach Kyle Smith. Drake had another outstanding regular season — the Bulldogs have won at least 25 games in each of the past four years — but won the Missouri Valley tournament championship to land the No. 10 seed. Drake’s offense is one of the highest-scoring in program history but will be challenged by a WSU defense that hasn’t given up 80 points since a win against Washington on Feb. 3.
Potential upset in first round: Auburn vs. Yale
No. 12 Alabama-Birmingham is hot enough to take down No. 5 San Diego State, though the Blazers’ play for the vast majority of the regular season doesn’t speak too well to their chances. Let’s go instead with No. 13 Yale finding a hot hand and taking down No. 4 Auburn, which had one of the cruelest tournament landing spots of any Power Six team. The Tigers were placed behind No. 3 Kentucky despite winning the SEC, for one, and worse yet will very likely have to tussle with one of the Huskies and Iowa State to get back to the Final Four behind coach Bruce Pearl.
The sleeper: Florida Atlantic
If for no other reason than the fact that FAU doesn’t lose NCAA Tournament games in New York. (If we’re counting all five boroughs, that is.) A year ago, the Owls punched their ticket to the Final Four out of Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. This time, the No. 8 Owls will get started at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center against No. 9 Northwestern before — gulp — taking on UConn. FAU struggled at times during the regular season as first-year members of the American but have the experienced roster and depth of production to make another March run in the Big Apple.
The winner: Connecticut
OK, so let’s get real: Anyone other than UConn winning the region and going to the Final Four would be a big surprise. (Anyone other than UConn winning the whole thing might be a big surprise, actually.) The Huskies are long, deep, explosive, dripping with athleticism and loaded with the sort of confidence you’d expect from the defending champs. The Huskies are built to handle the intensity of tournament play and will benefit from the depth developed while battling some injuries during the regular season.
NCAA Tournament East Region schedule
Thursday, March 21
Omaha, Neb.
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Dakota StateNo. 3 Illinois vs. No. 14 Morehead StateNo. 7 Washington State vs. No. 10 DrakeNo. 6 Brigham Young vs. No. 11 Duquesne
Friday, March 22
Brooklyn, NY
No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 16 StetsonNo. 8 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 9 Northwestern
Spokane, Wash.
No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 12 Alabama-BirminghamNo. 4 Auburn vs. No. 13 Yale
Connecticut
Billionaire Ray Dalio joins push to fund Trump Accounts, pledging $75 million to Connecticut kids
The U.S. Treasury asked major philanthropic donors to contribute to new investment accounts for children Wednesday as part of what Secretary Scott Bessent called a “50 State Challenge” to raise funds for the Trump Accounts program.
“The president is calling on our nation’s business leaders and philanthropic organizations to help us make America great again by securing the financial future of America’s children,” Bessent said in an address.
The billionaire hedge fund founder Ray Dalio, along with his wife Barbara, announced they would commit $250 to 300,000 children under 10 in Connecticut who live in ZIP codes where the median income is less than $150,000. Dalio founded the investment firm Bridgewater Associates and lives in Connecticut.
“I have been fortunate to live the American Dream. At an early age I was exposed to the stock market, and it changed my life,” Ray Dalio said in a statement, adding that he sees the accounts as putting children on a path toward financial independence.
The Dalios’ $75 million commitment follows the $6.25 billion pledge from billionaires Michael and Susan Dell earlier in December. The Dells promised to invest $250 in the accounts of 25 million children 10 and under who live in ZIP codes across the country that also have that median income.
The new investment accounts were created as part of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation, passed over the summer. Under the new law, the U.S. Department of the Treasury will deposit $1,000 into the investment accounts of children born during Trump’s second term.
The Treasury has not yet launched the new accounts.
“Starting on July 4th, our nation’s 250th anniversary, parents, family members, employers and friends will be able to contribute up to $5,000 to each Trump Account each year,” Bessent said Wednesday.
Brad Gerstner, a venture capitalist, who championed the accounts, said the Treasury will create an account for every child in the U.S. who has a Social Security number but private companies will eventually administer the accounts. Parents or guardians will have to claim the accounts on behalf of their children. For children born before Trump came to office and who don’t qualify for the funds from the Dells and the Dalios, their families can open and fund their own Trump Account if they choose.
Money in the accounts must be invested in an index fund that tracks the overall stock market. When the children turn 18, they can withdraw the funds to put toward their education, to buy a home or to start a business.
Bessent said employers, family members and philanthropists can put funds into the accounts and that the administration hopes states will also eventually set up programs to invest in the accounts. Companies including Visa and BlackRock have also pledged to contribute in some way to the accounts of their employees’ children.
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Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.
Connecticut
Connecticut agrees to settlement with Hyundai, Kia to stop vehicles from being stolen
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — Connecticut officials and officials from 35 other states have agreed to a settlement with automakers Hyundai and Kia to come up with a plan to help prevent vehicles from being stolen.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D) and 35 other states call the settlement, which has been several years in the making, a matter of public safety. The issue concerns the number of Hyundai and Kia vehicles that have been reported stolen and crashes related to these thefts.
The settlement provides up to $4.5 million in restitution for customers whose cars had been stolen.
“This settlement points us back in the right direction to help address some of the underlining issues that have made it easier to steal vehicles,” Meriden Police Chief Roberto Rosado said.
Tong said that groups of young people known as “Kia Boys” were aware that Kia and Hyundai vehicles did not possess modern anti-theft technology, making those brands of vehicles more vulnerable to theft.
One such example is a 2023 incident in which a group of teens reportedly stole and crashed a Hyundai in Waterbury, resulting in the death of a 14-year-old girl.
“Connecticut State Police have been saying for some time that they needed some assistance, that they needed help in reducing the opportunity for these vehicles to be stolen,” Connecticut Department of Emergency Services Commissioner Ronnell Higgins said.
Several states have attempted to get Hyundai and Kia to alter the way their vehicles are built in the United States, finally coming to an agreement with the two automakers to provide an anti-theft device to protect the vehicles.
“At some point, they started offering excuses,” Tong said. “You can do just a software update, that will fix it. That didn’t work. We advocated for a recall, they refused. This settlement requires that, for all future vehicles sold in the United States, Hyundai and Kia will install, as part of their standard package, industry engine immobilizer anti-theft technology.”
The technology is linked to the key fob, which means that the car will not start if the smart key is not present.
Connecticut is requiring Kia and Hyundai to provide customers with a free zinc-reinforced engine cylinder protector for vehicles already on the road that are not equipped with the anti-theft technology.
Connecticut
2 Powerball tickets sold in Connecticut won $50,000
There were two $50,000 Powerball winning tickets sold in Connecticut for Monday’s drawing.
The winning numbers were 23-35-59-63-68 and the Powerball was 2.
The Powerplay was X4, but neither ticket had that option.
The tickets matched four white balls and the Powerball.
No information was available on where it was sold.
No one won the jackpot on Monday night, sending it soaring to $1.25 billion for Wednesday’s drawing.
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