Sports News | The GIST

Setting the stage for the final two weeks of NBA regular-season action

The 20-team NBA postseason field is officially set, but all-important positioning is still up for grabs. Squads will be especially focused on avoiding the always stressful Play-In Tournament — where each conference’s seven through 10 seeds vie for the final two official playoff spots.

April 01, 2026

Sizing up the NHL playoff picture with 16 days left in the regular season

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We’re officially in the homestretch of the NHL regular season, but only two squads have punched their tickets to the 16-team Stanley Cup Playoff, which begins on April 18th. Here’s the tale of two conferences.

April 01, 2026

No. 1 UConn, No. 1 UCLA book spots in women’s Final Four

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Elite Eight…more like Elite Great. So far two No. 1 seeds have punched tickets to the women’s Final Four — will the other two join them tonight?

March 30, 2026

No. 1 overall seed Duke eliminated, men’s Final Four field set

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Meanwhile in the men’s tourney, brackets everywhere are busted and Saturday’s Final Four games are set. Fresh off yesterday’s massive upset, No. 2 seed UConn will play No. 3 Illinois, while No. 1 Arizona and No. 1 Michigan will square off in a heavyweight bout. Here’s how we got here.

March 30, 2026

Reliving the first half of the men’s Sweet 16

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Time flies when you’re dancing — just ask the four teams that have already shimmied their way into the men’s Elite Eight. The second half of the field will be decided today with the Final Four locked in before the end of the weekend.

March 27, 2026

Breaking down every women’s Sweet 16 matchup

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Turns out New Jersey produces stellar hoopers. Vandy’s Mikayla Blakes, the nation’s leading scorer, and ND’s Hannah Hidalgo, one of the best two-way players in the game, both hail from the Garden State. There must’ve been something in the water.

March 27, 2026

Your 2026 men’s Sweet 16 preview

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Texas is on an absolute heater, winning a nail-biter in the First Four, then upsetting No. 6 BYU and No. 3 Gonzaga in the span of five days. But this tournament only gets tougher — enter: the also scorching Boilermakers.

March 26, 2026

The top storylines to follow this MLB season

Sports News

The top storylines to follow this MLB season

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March 25, 2026

A season that spans 162 games from March to September provides plenty of opportunity for pondering. The introduction of the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System (ABS, more on that below) is undoubtedly the biggest shakeup of the season, but first, here are the other major storylines we’re following before first pitch.

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The GIST of It Podcast

Ep #543

Unpacking the drama of the Connecticut Sun sale

March 31, 2026

Listen on Apple Music Listen on Spotify

Unpacking the drama of the Connecticut Sun sale

It’s official.

The historic Houston Comets are back in the WNBA — but the news came with a heaping dose of drama. Instead of awarding Houston a 2027 expansion team, the WNBA is relocating the Connecticut Sun to Houston, where they’ll be rebranded as the Comets, an original (and very successful) W franchise. Needless to say, while some folks are thrilled to see a great WNBA team rise from the dead, others (namely fans of the Connecticut Sun) aren’t exactly pleased. On today’s episode of The GIST of It, co-hosts Steph Rotz and Lauren Tuiskula provide crucial context on the historic sale and share their thoughts on the W’s latest move.