March Madness tips off with the First Four in Dayton, with a mix of bubble teams who made the cut and smaller schools hoping to be this year's Cinderella. North Carolina was a controversial selection, but the Tar Heels can silence some skeptics with a win over San Diego State on Tuesday night.
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His boss stepped on the hose.RFK Jr. is targeting ultraprocessed foods. What are they, and are they bad for you?AP Entertainment WireLast decade was Earth's hottest ever as CO2 levels reach an 800,000-year high, says UN reportInside the government study trying to understand the health effects of ultraprocessed foodsLean Cuisine and Stouffer's meals recalled for 'wood-like material' linked to chokingEncrypted messaging apps promise privacy. Government transparency is often the priceA nation in mourning, North Macedonia holds mass funerals for young victims of nightclub fireNuevo primer ministro canadiense convocará elecciones anticipadas el domingoNorth Carolina guard RJ Davis celebrates after scoring against Wake Forest during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. San Diego State guard Nick Boyd drives to the basket as Utah State center Aubin Gateretse defends in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Logan, Utah. Xavier’s Dayvlon McKnight , Dante Maddox Jr. and Ryan Conwell stand on the court during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in New York. Texas forward Kadin Shedrick shoots over Tennessee’s Cade Phillips Igor Milicic Jr. during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis yells during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Wake Forest in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. Xavier head coach Sean Miller yells during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in New York. North Carolina guard RJ Davis drives to the basket past Wake Forest forward Omaha Biliew during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. North Carolina guard RJ Davis celebrates after scoring against Wake Forest during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. North Carolina guard RJ Davis celebrates after scoring against Wake Forest during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. San Diego State guard Nick Boyd drives to the basket as Utah State center Aubin Gateretse defends in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Logan, Utah. San Diego State guard Nick Boyd drives to the basket as Utah State center Aubin Gateretse defends in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025, in Logan, Utah. Xavier’s Dayvlon McKnight , Dante Maddox Jr. and Ryan Conwell stand on the court during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in New York. Xavier’s Dayvlon McKnight , Dante Maddox Jr. and Ryan Conwell stand on the court during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in New York. Texas forward Kadin Shedrick shoots over Tennessee’s Cade Phillips Igor Milicic Jr. during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. Texas forward Kadin Shedrick shoots over Tennessee’s Cade Phillips Igor Milicic Jr. during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Friday, March 14, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis yells during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Wake Forest in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis yells during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Wake Forest in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. Xavier head coach Sean Miller yells during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in New York. Xavier head coach Sean Miller yells during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Marquette in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in New York. North Carolina guard RJ Davis drives to the basket past Wake Forest forward Omaha Biliew during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. North Carolina guard RJ Davis drives to the basket past Wake Forest forward Omaha Biliew during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Thursday, March 13, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. DAYTON, Ohio — North Carolina was a controversial selection for the NCAA Tournament, but the Tar Heels can silence some skeptics with a win over San Diego State on Tuesday night at the First Four.The Tar Heels seemed a long shot to make the tournament with a 1-12 record in Quadrant 1 games, but were chosen Sunday thanks to a strong nonconference schedule and other metrics. “I didn’t listen to bracketology,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said Monday. “I didn’t listen after our name was selected on CBS. I didn’t listen to the telecasts. I haven’t listened to anybody’s comments in regards to selections, seedings. I know that we’re really excited to be a part of this, and we’re looking forward to tomorrow night.” UNC’s inclusion fueled some conspiracy theories, with athletic director Bubba Cunningham being chair of the selection committee. Rules state that Cunningham could not participate in the debate about his team, so the vice chair, Sun Belt Conference commissioner Keith Gill, presided over discussions about the Tar Heels.Duke remains at No. 1 in AP Top 25 entering March Madness; St. John’s rises to No. 5The knock against North Carolina was a lack of Quad 1 wins. But the Tar Heels played the nation’s fifth-toughest nonconference schedule, which included games against No. 1 NCAA Tournament seeds Auburn and Florida, No. 2 seeds Alabama and Michigan State, and a trip to Kansas, which earned a No. 7 seed. And the Tar Heels had higher rankings in the NET , KenPom and BPI than West Virginia, Indiana, Ohio State and Boise State, the first four teams left out of the field.looking at how many more or fewer wins a team has against its schedule compared to what a bubble team would expect.The Aztecs lead the nation in field goal percentage defense and rank 13th in defensive efficiency. “I think our identity is in our defense and our effort,” forward Jared Coleman-Jones said. “I think that if we play really good defense and we play with effort and we play with swagger, I think everything else is going to handle itself.”The No. 11 seed is the lowest ever for North Carolina, which is making its 54th NCAA Tournament appearance, second-most to Kentucky’s 62.“I think we’ve all kind of felt the hate, the disagreement, all that,” guard Seth Trimble said. “We’re just running with it. We definitely feel like we’ve got something to prove.”When No. 11 seeds Texas and Xavier play on Wednesday night in Dayton, it will mark the fourth time since 1990 the teams have met in the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns beat the Musketeers 83-71 in the 2023 Sweet 16. In 2004, Xavier beat Texas 79-71 to reach the Elite Eight before losing to top-seeded Duke 66-63. Zach Freemantle returned from injury and averaged 19.8 points during a seven-game winning streak to close the regular season, helping the Musketeers return to the tournament after missing out last year. The First Four extends the standout freshman season for Longhorns guard Tre Johnson, who led the SEC in scoring with 19.8 points per game. The Longhorns and Musketeers were firmly on the bubble entering Selection Sunday. The winner will face No. 6 seed Illinois on Friday night in Milwaukee. “It’s so difficult to make the tournament,” Xavier coach Sean Miller said. “There’s so much invested. We played our best basketball as we entered March.”Saint Francis made an unlikely return to the University of Dayton Arena after becoming the 19th team to reach the NCAA Tournament with a losing record. The Red Flashes lost their season opener 87-57 to the Dayton Flyers on Nov. 4, and few would have predicted they’d return to the same building in March. “We’re obviously very excited we’ve already played here before,” Saint Francis guard Riley Parker said. “The first game we played here didn’t turn out our way, so we’re just trying to come back here and make it right.”The Red Flashes face Alabama State in a matchup of No. 16 seeds on Tuesday night. The Hornets’ last tournament appearance was in 2011. The winner will face No. 1 overall seed Auburn on Thursday in Lexington, Kentucky.No. 16 seeds American and Mount St. Mary’s meet in Dayton on Wednesday night, with the winner earning a date with No. 1 seed Duke in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday. The player to watch for American is 6-foot-9 Matt Rogers, who leads the team with 59 3-pointers. His 1.7 made 3s per game ranked 12th in the Patriot League. Dola Adebayo leads Mount St. Mary’s with 13.2 points per game. The Mountaineers averaged more than 70 points per game and shot 34% from 3-point range this season. The two Washington D.C. area programs have a long history. This will be the 71st meeting between the schools. American leads the series 37-33, including four straight wins entering Wednesday.JFK assassination files released, sending history buffs hunting for new clues
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