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NCAA Tournament Bracket Watch 2025: Teams with the most and least to gain this week

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NCAA Tournament Bracket Watch 2025: Teams with the most and least to gain this week

(Editor’s note: This article is part of the Bracket Central series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s & women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.)

Drake’s in, so we can dispense with the arguments about whether Ben McCollum’s Bulldogs would have made the field of 68 without winning the Missouri Valley tourney (they probably wouldn’t have), save follow-up discussions about the plight of the mid-major and tournament expansion for another day and simply appreciate the fact that this tournament is better with Drake in it.

Lipscomb’s in, too. And High Point. And SIU-Edwardsville. And Omaha. With the Sun Belt and Southern Conference scheduled to produce champions Monday. And on through the week we’ll go, into power conference tournaments and finishing on Selection Sunday. The teams playing for those automatic bids and the at-large hopefuls right around the bubble have the most at stake this week, of course — check for regular updates this week on Jim Root’s Bubble Watch.

But what about the stakes in safe parts of the bracket? Here are five teams that have much to gain in their conference tournaments and five that don’t.

Five that should go hard this week

Florida: I’ve got Florida as the last No. 1 seed after an enormous win at Alabama, and a No. 1 seed is worth it simply to guarantee Auburn/Duke avoidance. Though I’m not sure Florida should be worried about avoiding anyone, the way the Gators are playing.

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Alabama: It’s so close between Florida and Alabama. If things go the way this bracket unfolded, it wouldn’t much matter because the No. 4 overall seed and No. 5 overall seed got shipped out West together. But it doesn’t have to unfold that way. The only clear rule is that No. 5 overall can’t be with No. 1 overall.

Tennessee: It’s so close between Alabama and Tennessee, too. These three appear to be fighting for one spot because Houston is inching toward No. 1 lock status. But it’s worth it for the Vols to be a higher No. 2 than Alabama — that’s the difference right now between starting in Lexington or Cleveland.

Wisconsin: The Badgers need to get their swagger back. Also, a No. 3 seed is still very attainable and worth pursuing.

UConn: The Huskies need to maintain momentum. And get the heck out of having to play in an 8/9 game.

Five that would be better off bailing out and resting

Auburn: Two straight losses haven’t changed the fact that this is the clear best resume in the sport. You’re outright SEC champs. Rather than beat yourself up over three days, tell everyone your bus broke down and get Johni Broome’s left ankle some rest.

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Duke: The No. 1 overall seed could be attained, I suppose. But so what? Duke will be a No. 1 seed with a Raleigh-Newark path. Auburn will be a No. 1 seed with a Lexington-Atlanta path. This week is nothing but injury exposure.

Michigan State: I don’t see the Spartans cracking the top line — though they can be pushy! I also don’t see how they fall to a No. 3 seed. Another outright champ that doesn’t need the hassle.

St. John’s: A start in Providence should be assured with a No. 3 seed. So rather than go all out for a No. 2, maybe get a few thousand shots up instead?

Houston: OK, go hard for one win, just to make sure on that No. 1 seed.

We’ll be back Thursday with a new bracket, and then it’s every day until the big day.

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First four out Next four out Last four in Last four byes

Xavier

Nebraska

Oklahoma

West Virginia

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Texas

Dayton

Indiana

Utah State

Boise State

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Wake Forest

Ohio State

Arkansas

Colorado State

UC Irvine

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North Carolina

San Diego State

 

Multi-bid conferences

Conference Bids

SEC

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13

Big Ten

10

Big 12

8

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ACC

4

Big East

4

Mountain West

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3

West Coast

2

The Bracket Central series is sponsored by E*Trade from Morgan Stanley.
The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Sponsors have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.

(Photo of Walter Clayton Jr: Matt Pendleton / Imagn Images)

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Buccaneers bring back 464-pound defensive lineman Desmond Watson

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Buccaneers bring back 464-pound defensive lineman Desmond Watson

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers re-signed defensive tackle Desmond Watson and added him to the practice squad as the team prepares to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4.

Watson, the 464-pound rookie defensive lineman out of Florida, failed to make the 53-man roster in the preseason. He was forced to the sideline as he failed to meet the conditioning requirements to take the field. He was considered to be the heaviest player in NFL history.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive lineman Desmond Watson (56) warms up during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rookie Mini Camp workout on May 9, 2025 at the AdventHealth Training Center in Tampa, Florida. (Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said on Monday that Watson had a “good workout” when the team brought him in last week.

The Buccaneers will look to try to find a way to stop the Eagles’ tush push, which has come under the spotlight in the last few weeks as it appeared some players had been jumping before the ball was snapped to Jalen Hurts.

Bowles said Watson wasn’t just being brought in as the answer to the tush push.

“We’ll never bring him in just to stop a tush push. If we’ve got to bring in a guy to stop one play and the tush push never comes up, you’re wasting your time,” Bowles said. “If we bring him in, we think he can play, not just for a Philadelphia thing. 

Desmond Watson looks on

Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Desmond Watson watches from the sideline during practice at NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Tampa, Fla.  (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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“It’s very unlikely he’d be ready to play, once we bring him in, for Philadelphia right now anyway. It’s just a matter of us making room and seeing if we have a place for him, and then what we see for him in the future.”

The 6-foot-6 defensive tackle was working with a nutritionist during the summer. The team didn’t say what an ideal weight for him would be.

Watson spoke about his weight gain to reporters earlier this year. He said he would consistently stop off to get food while at Florida.

“Stopping while driving,” Watson said when asked about bad habits he’s tried to shed at his pro day. “My biggest thing is keep going, get to where I need to get. There are stores and a lot of temptations. That’s helped me immensely.

Desmond Watson warms up

Tampa Bay Buccaneers nose tackle Desmond Watson (56) runs a drill during the NFL football team’s rookie minicamp Friday, May 9, 2025, in Tampa, Florida. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

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“Don’t go inside the gas station. Pay at the pump. Because inside it’s snacks and all types of things like that. Don’t pull over. If you’re on the highway, stay on the highway until you get where you’ve got to go.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Prep talk: Another day, another life saved by high school athletic trainer

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Prep talk: Another day, another life saved by high school athletic trainer

For those high schools in California that still don’t have an athletic trainer, what happened last week at San Clemente High was another reason why they are so valuable for the safety reasons. And also proven was the requirement that coaches be certified in CPR every two years.

As a soccer class was ending last Thursday, an assistant coach fell to the ground. Head coach Chris Murray thought he tripped. Then he looked into his eyes, which appeared dilated, and saw that his face was purple. While a football coach nearby was calling 911, Murray began chest compressions.

Athletic trainer Amber Anaya received a text in her office that said, “Emergency.” She got into her golf cart that contained her automated external defibrilator (AED) machine and raced to the field within two minutes. She determined the coach was in cardiac arrest.

While Anaya hooked up her AED machine to the coach, Murray continued chest compressions. The AED machine evaluated the patient and recommended one shock. This went on for some seven minutes until paramedics arrived. Another shock was given after the paramedics took over.

The coach was transported to a hospital and survived. He would receive a pacemaker. It was a happy ending thanks to people who knew what to do in case of an emergency.

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Last school year, the Culver City athletic trainer helped save a track athlete who went into cardiac arrest.

Murray said what he did was based on instincts and adrenaline. As soon as the ambulance left, he said he collapsed to his knee exhausted.

“His ribs are sore but not broken,” Murray said, “so I guess I did good.”

All the preparation in case of an emergency was put to good use by the coach trained in CPR and the athletic trainer who knew how to use an AED machine.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

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Police investigating USA Cycling incident as footage of organizers' interaction with activist goes viral

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Police investigating USA Cycling incident as footage of organizers' interaction with activist goes viral

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Police in Livermore, California, are investigating an incident that occurred at a USA Cycling event on Sunday, when organizers were seen berating a women’s sports activist who was inquiring about sex tests.

“At the moment, we are looking into the matter and are in the process of reviewing our report and video footage,” a Livermore Police Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital. 

Footage of the interaction at USA Cycling’s Oakland Grand Prix has gone viral in recent days. 

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Beth Bourne, a California activist known to oppose biological male athletes in women’s and girls’ sports, was seen in the footage asking organizers if the women’s competitors at the event had been sex-tested to prove they were not male. One organizer was then seen approaching Bourne and covering her camera, saying, “We have policies in place. You can stop filming me.” 

Bourne was then heard saying, “Give me my phone!” 

The footage then showed Bourne walking away from that organizer in a panic before another organizer came up behind her to shout, “Hey! Get the f— out of here!” 

Bourne told Fox News Digital that the incident was “emotional.”

“It was so unexpected. I have an idea that we’re going to have people maybe calling us names, or maybe calling us TERFs, which we’ve had, maybe even grabbing our signs. But to have somebody come up from behind me, before I even, I hadn’t even gotten a sign out, I had just asked two or three questions, so that shocked me, I was scared,” Bourne said. 

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“I was actually terrified, I was terrified that this person might really, really hurt me.” 

Additional footage of the incident showed the same organizer who yelled in Bourne’s face later putting a pizza box in front of her face, covering the view of Bourne’s camera, then picking up her protest signs and throwing them in the garbage. 

Bourne alleged that the organizer told her, “Your God isn’t going to protect you.”

“‘You’re just a hateful, awful person’” he told Bourne, she alleged. “And then he grabs all my signs and takes them and puts them in the trash can next to the start and finish area. And like that’s insane to me, that someone would grab someone’s property and throw it in the trash can, and it would be the race organizer himself.” 

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Fox News Digital has reached out to USA Cycling for comment, but has not received a response. 

The same event also drew scrutiny for another viral video of transgender cyclist Chelsea Wolfe telling protesters, “Go suck a sawed-off shotgun,” “You’re a Nazi piece of s—,” and “We kill Nazis.” 

Chelsea Wolfe of Team USA competes in the women’s final during the BMX Freestyle World Cup on Dec. 11, 2022, in Gold Coast, Australia.  (Matt Roberts/Getty Images)

Wolfe, a former Team USA alternate in women’s BMX who previously said the athlete wanted to win an Olympic medal to “burn the American flag,” took to social media to share multiple posts celebrating Charlie Kirk’s assassination last week.

“We did it!” Wolfe wrote in an Instagram Story sharing a report on the assassination last Wednesday.

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Police in Livermore, California are investigating an incident at a USA Cycling event where a 'protect women's sports' protester was berated by organizers.

Police in Livermore, California are investigating an incident at a USA Cycling event where a ‘protect women’s sports’ protester was berated by organizers. (Getty Images, Courtesy of Beth Bourne)

USA Cycling provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing Wolfe’s posts. 

“The views of current and former national team athletes are their own and do not reflect those of USA Cycling. Chelsea Wolfe has not been a member of the USA Cycling National Team or a member of USA Cycling since 2023,” the statement read. 

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