UCLA, South Carolina, Texas and Southern California have all stated their cases for No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament with their stellar play this season.

It would be surprising if they don’t all end up on the 1-line Sunday night when the March Madness bracket is revealed by the selection committee. Where they are placed and who’s the overall No. 1 seed is still up for debate. Unlike previous seasons, there’s no dominant team that is the consensus choice.

This NCAA Tournament is only the second one in the past 19 years to have no teams entering March Madness with zero or one loss. The other time was in 2022.

More of the top teams went out and played tough non-conference games. Most of the four potential No. 1 seeds as well as UConn and Notre Dame faced off against each other either in conference play or non-conference matchups.

“We finally have more good teams wanting to play really good teams in their non-conference schedule early in the year,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. “Because what happens then is you not only get a — Well, I think this team should be ranked No. 1, I think that team should be ranked No. 2. Based on what? I don’t know. They just look like they’re a No. 2 or they’re a No. 3.

So now you can actually put them head-to-head and say this is what it looks like.”

Auriemma’s squad lost to USC and Notre Dame, but shocked South Carolina at home last month.

“I think more and more schools are starting to do that, which obviously makes the game better, makes the TV people happy because they’re putting on a good product on television,” He said. “The kids like it.”

Here’s a look at the resumes of the top teams vying for the No. 1 overall seed:

South Carolina

Dawn Staley’s team went 2-3 against the other top teams with two victories over Texas. The Gamecocks lost in November to UCLA and fell to UConn last month. They have no other losses and won the SEC regular season and conference tournaments. Staley feels they should be No. 1 by how tough a schedule they’ve faced.

UCLA

The Bruins have just two losses on their schedule this season, both coming to rival USC. They went through a difficult Big Ten season and came away unblemished other than the losses to the Trojans. UCLA had a convincing win over South Carolina in November that vaunted them up to No. 1 for 12 weeks.

Texas

The Longhorns’ only losses came to South Carolina twice and Notre Dame and they have that one victory over the Gamecocks. They are tied with UCLA with 14 Quad 1 victories in the Net ratings for second most behind South Carolina’s 16.

Southern Cal

The Trojans have the two wins over UCLA and a victory at UConn which bolsters their No. 1 resume. A loss at Iowa might be the one that prevents them from reaching the overall No. 1.

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By the time the Rays return for their March 28 opener against Colorado, more than 3,000 unique signs and advertising boards will have been installed. The 10-by-9 foot “Y-A-N-K-E-E-S” letters above the first- and third-base stands will have been covered with Rays markings, along with the interlocking “NY” hanging from the ceiling in the center of the clubhouse. The team store will have been emptied of pinstriped gear and restocked with Rays apparel.

A metamorphosis that even Statcast can’t measure.

“Building the plane while you fly it,” said Bill Walsh, the Rays’ chief business officer. “At times really, really exciting and at times obviously just incredibly frantic and stressful.”

Tampa Bay is one of two big league teams whose home games will be in minor league stadiums this year. The Athletics moved to Sutter Park in West Sacramento, California, for at least three seasons while a planned structure is built in Las Vegas.

The Speaker wants a stadium financial package on the table soon.

Jon Patterson, the Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives, wants Jackson County lawmakers to come up with some plan to keep the Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals franchise and the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs franchise in the county. “What I can tell you is, I think the time is running out,” Patterson said. “I think it is time for a plan and a course of action.” It has been about 11 months since Jackson County voters said no to extending a sales tax that would have provided funding for a Royals’ downtown stadium and a renovation of the Chiefs facility and that plan was to include erecting a village around the football venue. The Chiefs franchise owner Clark Hunt has not said very much in the past 11 months about his future plans, while the Royals owner John Sherman continues to push for a downtown Royals’ facility.

Hunt is talking to Missouri and Kansas officials about building a stadium-village and Sherman is talking to Missouri and Kansas officials. Kansas has made an offer to both owners. But that offer could be gone by June 30^th, 2025. Kansas lawmakers’ proposal would see STAR bonds used to help pay 75% of the cost of building two stadiums in Kansas. Additionally, sports gambling and lottery gaming and sales tax revenue from businesses in the stadium development districts would cover bond debt. Another source of revenue to pay off the debt would come from a liquor tax. Kansas lawmakers could use a mechanism that would allow up to 100% of sales tax revenue on alcoholic liquor sales within a stadium district to pay off bonds for the structures. Patterson thinks there are steps in getting stadium deals done. Jackson County has to provide a plan, then Missouri can help out. The Kansas City stadium game continues.

Evan Weiner’s books are available at iTunes – https://books.apple.com/us/author/evan-weiner/id595575191

Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com

Speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives Jon Patterson