March Madness begins with First Four; Team USA vs. Venezuela in WBC final; Chiefs trade for QB

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⚾ Five things to know Tuesday

1. Venezuela beat Italy to earn a trip to WBC final. Venezuela stormed back to defeat Italy 4-2, setting up a final game with the United States for the WBC title. The Cinderella run for Italy came to a close in the semifinals, and Venezuela has earned its first trip to the championship matchup, which will be held Tuesday evening.
2. Jets traded Justin Fields to the Chiefs. Kansas City has a new backup quarterback after acquiring Fields from the Jets in a Monday trade. The Chiefs received a "B" in our trade grades as they locked up a new signal-caller to sit behind Patrick Mahomes for the upcoming season.
3. It's Champions League day again. It's time for a quartet of matches in one of the biggest sporting events of the year as the UEFA Champions League resumes action. We have you covered with everything you need to know, from answers to Champions League burning questions to expert predictions for all the upcoming matches.
4. Cameron Young met the moment at The Players Championship. Young went winless for three years, but now, he has two wins in his 11 most recent tournaments after winning at TPC Sawgrass. After a roaring start to his pro career in 2022, Young is now meeting the big moments that define a legacy. Meanwhile, Ludvig Åberg's collapse on Sunday was all too predictable.
5. Which NFL free agent moves altered the playoff picture the most? There have been plenty of big signings and trades during the NFL free agency period, but we believe none have been bigger in shifting the playoff picture than Kyler Murray's move to the Vikings.

🏀 Do not miss this: March Madness tips off!

While your men's NCAA Tournament brackets are not due until Thursday -- sign up here -- there's no time like the present to get started. And if you're not tuned in tonight for the First Four (check out experts' picks), well, you'll be behind the eight ball.

One of the most wonderful times of the year for sports fans is upon us. March Madness tips off on Tuesday with a pair of play-in games, as the 68-team field is trimmed to 66. All roads on my brackets end with Michigan cutting down the net, but I'm a Michigan boy, born and raised -- even if I'm a Notre Dame fan.

CBS Sports has you covered with every angle you can imagine as the tournament is about to kick off. For starters, check out our four Regional Previews: East | Midwest | West | South.

But we have far more for you to dig into before one of the most exciting stretches of sports action of the year.

• CBS Sports expert brackets -- from Cinderellas to favorites and everything in between, a must-read.
• Women's March Madness expert predictions -- don't fill out your women's bracket without reading first.
• Craziest March Madness upsets ever -- which NCAA Tournament stunners will happen in 2026?
• First Four fallout -- will a team playing Tuesday or Wednesday make a deep March Madness run?
• Alabama star Aden Holloway arrested before NCAA Tournament on drug charge

⚾ Who are the top 100 players in MLB?

With the World Baseball Classic nearing its conclusion and the start of the MLB season drawing near, it's time to start getting serious about the upcoming season.

Dayn Perry put together a massive look at the top 100 players in MLB. There's no shock in Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge holding the No. 1 and 2 spots, respectively, but let's pick a number at random to see what Perry has to say about another of the 100 best players in MLB.

• Perry: "4. Paul Skenes, Pirates -- The 2025 NL Cy Young winner in 2026 will be the best pitcher in baseball -- a seat he'll occupy for years to come. Skenes has elite velocity, a full repertoire, and one of the nastiest wipeout pitchers around (his "splinker"). Over the first 55 starts of his MLB career, he has an ERA of 1.96 (!) and an FIP of 2.40."

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

• Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas has been suspended for 80 games after failing a performance-enhancing drug test.
• If 23 of 30 NBA governors vote in favor, the league will take bids to add expansion teams in Las Vegas and Seattle. We have a full look at the details of the situation as the NBA could be on course for expansion.
• Iran may withdraw from the upcoming World Cup tournament; what are FIFA's options if that happens?
• Stephen Curry wants to return to the floor for the Warriors this season and says he's "working to get back."
• Memphis coach Penny Hardaway will stick around for a ninth season despite a very disappointing 13-19 record this season.
• Fan favorite fighter Nate Diaz is set for a return to the cage when he faces Mike Perry on the undercard of the MVP MMA event headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano.
• Despite the Dominican Republic's loss to Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Juan Soto insisted the DR is still the best team in baseball. Matt Snyder pushed back, saying even someone as good as Soto can't make that claim after a loss.
• Six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay has announced he is retiring from football.
• We named the top landing spots for six quarterbacks, including Aaron Rodgers, as NFL free agency drags on.

📺 What we're watching Tuesday

⚽ UEFA Champions League: Bodo/Glimt at Sporting CP, 1:45 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Champions League: Bayer Leverkusen at Arsenal, 4 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Champions League: Real Madrid at Manchester City, 4 p.m. on Paramount+
⚽ UEFA Champions League: Paris Saint-Germain at Chelsea, 4 p.m. on Paramount+
🏀 Men's NCAA Tournament First Four: Prairie View A&M vs. Lehigh, 7 p.m. on truTV
🏒 Wild at Blackhawks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
⚾ World Baseball Classic Final: USA vs. Venezuela 8 p.m. on Fox
🏀 Cavaliers at Bucks, 8 p.m. on NBC
🏀 Men's NCAA Tournament First Four: Miami (OH) vs. SMU, 9:15 p.m. on truTV
🏒 Lightning at Kraken, 10 p.m. on TNT
🏀 76ers at Nuggets, 10 p.m. on NBC