Madness!
From The GIST College Sports (hi@thegistsports.com)
Wake up, it’s game day!
Your women’s bracket for our NCAA Tournament Bracket Challenge is due before the gals’ first round tips off at 11:30 a.m. ET today. Finalize your picks now and get ready for a weekend full of basketball bliss.
— No. 4–seed Virginia Tech grad student center Elizabeth Kitley’s message to Hokie fans after yesterday’s announcement that a torn ACL has ended her prodigious collegiate career — all before her final March Madness. Devastating.
Men's basketball
🏀 Greatness is the Goal-ke
The GIST: More than 86.2% of brackets were already busted just two games into the men’s first round yesterday. Must be March.
No. 14 Oakland’s Jack Gohlke shoots to stardom: The grad student guard drained a jaw-dropping 10 three-pointers — tied for second-most in a men’s March Madness game — to down blueblood No. 3 Kentucky 80–76 in the tournament’s biggest upset so far.
- Up next for the Golden Grizzlies and their newly minted Madness legend? No. 11 NC State, who also stormed to an 80–67 upset win over No. 6 Texas Tech last night.
No. 11 Duquesne upsets No. 6 BYU: The Dukes held off a furious BYU comeback to secure their program’s first March Madness win since 1969. All nine players on Duquesne’s roster contributed on the 71–67 scoresheet, signaling that they might have the depth to make a true Cinderella run — if they can pull off another huge dub over No. 3 Illinois tomorrow.
No. 11 Oregon’s momentum carries them over No. 6 South Carolina: A monster 40-point performance from senior guard Jermaine Couisnard lifted the Ducks to the decisive 87–73 win over South Carolina, proving that the hype is very, very real. They’ll try to keep the vibes high against a decidedly tougher No. 3 Creighton squad tomorrow.
No. 7 Dayton survives No. 10 Nevada: With less than eight minutes on the clock, the Flyers roared back from a 17-point deficit — holding Nevada to a measly four more points — to avoid the upset and nab the 63–60 win. They’ll need a much hotter start to have a chance against No. 2 Arizona tomorrow.
- Also barely squeaking by? No. 4 Kansas, who fought off a never-say-die No. 13 Samford squad to seal the 93–89 dub in a wire-to-wire thriller that ended with a controversial, game-changing foul call. Still sweating.
No. 10 Colorado State tastes their own medicine: The Rams humiliated Virginia by holding them to just 14 first-half points in their 67–42 First Four dub on Tuesday… only to struggle even worse with just 11 first-half points in their 56–44 first-round loss to No. 7 Texas last night. March comes at you fast.
Women's basketball
🏀 First-round frenzy
The GIST: Welcome to hoops heaven! With the women’s First Four games in the rearview mirror, their first round of full mayhem tips off this morning. In a weekend of wall-to-wall basketball, here are four not-to-miss matchups.
No. 8 UNC Tar Heels (19-12) vs. No. 9 Michigan State Spartans (22-8), 11:30 a.m. ET today (ESPN2): The now-sluggish UNC’s feisty start fizzled out in the season’s back half, while Michigan State finished strong. However, these Spartans lack March Madness experience: Only three players have played in the natty before, and even their head coach (HC) is in her first season with MSU.
No. 5 Colorado Buffaloes (22-9) vs. No. 12 Drake Bulldogs (29-5), 7 p.m. ET today (ESPNews): These teams also have opposite momentum. Drake’s won 14 straight, but Colorado dropped five of their last six regular-season games. If the Buffs’ conference, the Pac-12, wasn’t so brutally tough, this would have upset written all over it.
No. 6 Nebraska Cornhuskers (22-11) vs. No. 11 Texas A&M Aggies (19-12), 10:30 p.m. ET today (ESPNU): These squads meet just hours after their men’s teams face off in a No. 8 vs. No. 9 matchup. Both games are especially tense because Nebraska's athletic director, a Husker alum, bailed for A&M on March 13th. Judging by the guys’ reactions, there’s quite a bit of pride on the line.
No. 8 West Virginia Mountaineers (24-7) vs. No. 9 Princeton Tigers (25-4), 5:30 p.m. ET tomorrow (ESPN2): West Virginia takes care of the ball better than anyone in the country, which will prove an interesting challenge for the Tigers’ feisty defense. Keep an eye out for Princeton senior forward Ellie Mitchell, who’s been tearing up the Ivy League all season.
Women's ice hockey
🏒 Brr, it’s cold in here
The GIST: The sport of women’s hockey just keeps on winning, which means the pinnacle of the collegiate season — this weekend’s Frozen Four — couldn’t come at a better time. Future PWHLers will face off in Sunday’s 4 p.m. ET national championship game, but first, they have to survive today’s semifinals, featuring the nation’s four most dominant teams.
No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (33-4-0) vs. No. 4 Clarkson Golden Knights (33-4-2), 4 p.m. ET (ESPN+): These squads’ quarter-finals were wildly different: Clarkson needed four (!!!) overtimes to take down No. 5 Minnesota 3–2, while the Buckeyes blasted unseeded Minnesota Duluth 9–0. Let’s hope these Knights are rested and ready for a fight.
No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers (34-5-0) vs. No. 3 Colgate Raiders (32-6-1), 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+): Wisconsin boasts the nation’s top offense, but powerful defense helped Colgate outscore their five postseason opponents 21–4. When they met in last year’s quarter-final, the Badgers glided past Colgate with a 4–2 upset — so tonight’s a great opportunity for some Raider revenge.
🏒 Men’s ice hockey: Maine Black Bears (23-10-2) vs. Boston University Terriers (25-8-2) — Today at 7:30 p.m. ET — NESN/ESPN+
- Hockey East is one of the nation’s toughest conferences, which earns their postseason tournament the star treatment. Both semifinals — including this Top-10 bout — and tomorrow’s title game will be decided on Boston’s legendary TD Garden ice. Fancy.
🥎 Softball: No. 13 UCLA Bruins (17-6) vs. No. 9 Washington Huskies (20-4) — Today at 8 p.m. ET — Pac-12 Network
- Two Pac-12 powerhouses will meet for a three-game series starting tonight. UCLA’s clawing back from a rough start to the season — with three run-rule dubs in their last four games to prove it — and a few wins over Washington would look outstanding on their resume.
⚾ Baseball: No. 12 Florida State Seminoles (19-0) vs. No. 4 Clemson Tigers (19-2) — Tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET — ACCNX
- Florida State’s the last undefeated team standing in Division I, but Clemson — their toughest challenge yet — could spoil that streak. Will the ’Noles survive the three-game anti–ACC derby?
🤸 Women’s gymnastics: SEC Championships Session 2 — Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET — SEC Network
- Of all the conference ’ships going down this weekend, the SEC’s is the most competitive. All eight teams made the national Top 25, and the four Session 2 contenders are Top-10ers, with 23 perfect scores between them. So much greatness, so few auto-bids to the natty.
Peep our squad’s MVPs (Most Valuable Picks):
🌞 What to toss in your carry on
Your colorful, $25 goodr sunglasses, a standout (and totally affordable) pair of non-slip shades that will have all your besties asking, “Where’d you get those?” *
💻 What to check out
This Wikipedia edit-a-thon hosted by the NWSL's Angel City FC. In partnership with the LA Central Library, they’re on a mission to close the information gap between the men's and women's games. RSVP here.
🎧 What to listen to
She Got Game, the podcast that interviews women who've made their mark on the sports world, from Olympic athletes to coaches to journalists.
*P.S. This is a sponsored post.Today's email was brought to you by Katie Kehoe Foster, Ruth Lenzen, Emma Fernandez, and Briana Ekanem. Editing by Lindsay Jost and Isabella Troia. Fact checking by Mikaela Perez. Ops by Lisa Minutillo and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Lauren Tuiskula, and Dee Lab. Managing edits by Dee Lab. Head of Content Ellen Hyslop.