It’s a real-life boogie and a real-life hoedown

The GIST: The parity shifts in women’s basketball (WBB) and men’s basketball (MBB) have created anarchy this season, and the past two days brought enough photo finishes to send your blood pressure through the roof. Deep breaths, then let’s go.

Buzzer-beaters deliver MBB upsets: LSU’s aforementioned win over No. 17 Kentucky wasn’t the only Wednesday game that came down to the wire: New Mexico’s 68–66 defeat of No. 22 Colorado State also ended with a buzzer-beater, while Penn State mounted a furious late comeback to take down No. 12 Illinois 90–89. TL;DR? It ain’t over ’til the big dawg sings.

No. 4 Iowa WBB runs into a buzzsaw: Hawkeye superstar Caitlin Clark fell just one assist short of a triple-double, but her showing wasn’t enough to overcome monster performances from No. 14 Indiana guard Sara Scalia and forward Mackenzie Holmes that secured last night’s 86–69 upset win — an Indiana miracle after their own brutal upset loss on Monday.

Carolina’s women shake up the ACC: Duke and UNC pulled off big wins last night: The Blue Devils bagged a decisive 58–45 road win over No. 17 Syracuse, while lights-out shooting helped UNC shock No. 6 NC State 80–70. No one’s safe in this cutthroat conference.

No. 21 Washington State MBB runs it back: The newly-ranked Cougars captured their eighth straight win last night, and it was a biggie: They locked down a season sweep of No. 4 Arizona with a 77–74 win, snagging the Pac-12’s top spot in the process. Junior forward Jaylen Wells led the Cougs with 27 points while freshman guard Myles Rice led with a whole lotta heart. Inspiring.

Showdowns to watch: The No. 7 USC women have two crucial weekend matchups against teams that already handed handed them tough season losses: First, they’ll host No. 11 Colorado tonight at 10 p.m. ET, then No. 18 Utah on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

• And on the men’s side, No. 2 Houston takes their four-game win streak to No. 11 Baylor for a Big 12 battle tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET. Because of course the weekend’s biggest game is in the country’s most chaotic conference.

The GIST: Winter sports’ postseasons have officially begun! Conference championships are happening in three sports this weekend, and while winning doesn’t guarantee teams a spot in their respective national tournaments, this hardware is still a BFD.

🏊 Swimming & diving: Teams don’t nab tickets to the late-March natty pool, but individuals can by making a splash with qualifying times or scores. Thirteen conferences hold their ’ships this week, but don’t miss the ACC women’s meet, which wraps up tomorrow. No. 1 Virginia is absolutely crushing it thanks to junior Gretchen Walsh breaking records left and right.

• As for the men, the SEC Championship, which also holds its grand finale tomorrow, is stunningly competitive. The conference boasts six ranked teams, including four in the Top 10, so expect a strong southern presence when the NCAAs begin on March 27th.

👟 Indoor track & field: Just like swimming & diving, individuals can race into early March’s national championship with standout performances at this weekend’s meets. The SEC has the most ranked women’s and men’s teams…but it’ll be hard to disrupt Arkansas’ reign of terror, so monitor the also-competitive Big 12 ’ship, which ends tomorrow.

⛷️ Skiing: The selection process for the national tourney, which begins March 6th, is complicated, but winning one of the three regional titles goes a long way toward bagging a bid. Without a doubt, this weekend’s RMISA finals are the ones to watch as four-time reigning champ Utah battles powerhouse rivals Denver and Colorado.

🤽 Women’s water polo: Barbara Kalbus Invitational — Today through Sunday at various times — Live stats here

• Anybody who’s anybody will be at this tournament: Nearly every single contender ranks in the nation’s Top 13. The team to beat? No. 1 UCLA, who haven’t dropped a match all season.

🤸 Women’s gymnastics: No. 2 LSU Tigers (7-2) vs. No. 5 Florida Gators (9-1) — Tonight at 7 p.m. ET — ESPN2

• These SEC rivals have serious history: Tonight’s dual marks their 12th straight as Top 10 foes, and their meetings are usually decided by razor-thin margins. Prep for perfection as some of the sport’s top athletes will bring their A-game.

🏒 Women’s ice hockey: No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes (28-2-0) vs. No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers (28-4-0) — Tonight at 8 p.m. ET and tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET — B1G+

• The country’s two best teams, neither with a loss since early December, in a rematch of last year’s national championship? Say less.

🥎 Softball: No. 12 Stanford Cardinal (5-4) vs. No. 2 Texas Longhorns (8-0) — Tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET — LHN

• The Longhorns are rolling with five run-rule wins and four Top 10 dubs already under their belt, including a 9–2 beatdown of Stanford last Friday. But the Cardinal stars are still a major threat, and they’ll be rarin’ for revenge at this real-life boogie and real-life hoedown.