The Cadbury bunny could never
From The GIST College Sports (hi@thegistsports.com)
TGIF!
We’ll miss ya on Monday so our team can celebrate Easter. By the time we’re back in your inbox on Wednesday, the women’s and men’s basketball Final Fours will be set. Gather your peeps and your Peeps, then buckle up for a roller coaster of a long weekend.
— No. 1–seed South Carolina women’s basketball head coach (HC) Dawn Staley throwing respect on No. 3 UConn star Paige Bueckers’s name. The junior guard, who’s making one hell of a Player of the Year campaign post–ACL tear, could literally be Elite (Eight) if her Huskies beat No. 7 Duke tomorrow at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Men's March Madness
🏀 The best defense is a blistering offense
The GIST: Last night’s Sweet 16 games decided the first four Elite Eight teams, and tonight’s matchups will determine the other four who’ll advance. May the odds be ever in your squad’s — and bracket’s — favor.
Last night’s action: The two early games had very different vibes: No. 1 UConn demolished their 2023 title game opponent, No. 5 San Diego State, 82–52, while No. 6 Clemson neutralized No. 2 Arizona star scorer Caleb Love to kill the Wildcats’ natty dreams (and Pac-12 men’s basketball altogether) with a gutsy 77–72 dub.
- Later, No. 4 Alabama won a fast-paced thriller to oust No. 1 UNC 89–87 behind a historic performance from forward Grant Nelson, Bama’s mustached maestro. And No. 3 Illinois’ scoring prowess proved too much for No. 2 Iowa State’s elite D, lifting the Illini to the 72–69 dub.
Tonight’s throwdowns: The second half of the Elite Eight will punch their tickets tonight, and all four games are set to be barnburners. Tipping off the action? Cinderella squad No. 11 NC State and their March darling, forward DJ Burns Jr., who’ll try to keep the party going against No. 2 Marquette at 7:09 p.m. ET on CBS.
- Then, No. 1 Purdue and No. 1 Houston will face their toughest foes yet in No. 5 Gonzaga and No. 4 Duke, respectively, before the 10:09 p.m. ET grand finale between No. 2 Tennessee and No. 3 Creighton — two teams who barely survived the second round. Dance, dance.
Women's March Madness
🏀 Hunting for Easter eggs and Elite Eight berths
The GIST: The women’s Sweet 16 tips off with four games today before another four tomorrow, and either team could win in every one of these must-watch matchups…but these look especially unpredictable:
No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (28-6) vs. No. 3 Oregon State Beavers (26-7), today at 2:30 p.m. ET (ESPN): Thanks to a season in the brutal Pac-12, the Beavs are battle-tested and ready for a fight. But Notre Dame and their freshman phenom, Hannah Hidalgo, are on a scorching 10-game win streak with no signs of slowing down.
No. 2 Stanford Cardinal (30-5) vs. No. 3 NC State Wolfpack (29-6), today at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN): This one pits Stanford’s stellar post play, led by forwards Cameron Brink and Kiki Iriafen, against NC State’s tough D. Both squads were pushed to their limits in the second round, so maintaining poise to capture control will be crucial to becoming Elite.
No. 2 UCLA Bruins (27-6) vs. No. 3 LSU Tigers (30-5), tomorrow at 1 p.m. ET (ABC): LSU struggled with slow opening-round starts, a trend they absolutely cannot afford to continue against this young, yet lethal UCLA team. The battle on the blocks between Bruins center Lauren Betts and Tigers forward Angel Reese could decide the dub.
No. 1 Iowa Hawkeyes (31-4) vs. No. 5 Colorado Buffaloes (24-9), tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC): In arguably the tourney’s most brutal bracket quadrant, some doubt whether the Caitlin Clark–led Hawkeyes have the juice to go all the way, and Colorado poses their most serious threat yet. Will the Buffs oust the GOAT, or will Iowa keep finding ways to win?
🏊 Men’s swimming & diving: National Championship — Today and tomorrow at various times — ESPN+
- Tune in for a few minutes and chances are, you’ll see history made: Every single swimming race in the meet’s first two days has shattered records. What a time to be
alivea swim fan.
🏒 Men’s ice hockey: Wisconsin Badgers (26-11-2) vs. Quinnipiac Bobcats (26-9-2) — Today at 5:30 p.m. ET — ESPNews
- The national championship’s first round is underway, and this is likely its fiercest matchup. Neither has slipped below the Top 10 since October, and both are hungry for revenge after being ousted from their conference tourneys.
🥍 Women’s lacrosse: No. 1 Maryland Terrapins (9-2) vs. No. 2 Michigan Wolverines (11-0) — Tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. ET — Big Ten Network
- Immediately after capturing the poll’s top spot for the first time this season, Maryland suffered a 13–9 upset to No. 14 Penn on Wednesday. There’s only one way for the Terps to keep their shiny new ranking: a road win over the undefeated No. 2 Wolverines.
🥍 Men’s lacrosse: No. 3 Syracuse Orange (9-2) vs. No. 1 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-1) — Tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET — ACCN
- Almost immediately after the women’s Top-2 matchup, the men will start serving premium gouda in a Top-3 tussle of their own. No re-laxing here.
Here’s what has GIST HQ buzzing:
✍️ Who’s snagging scholarships
Student sports journalists. That’s right — students covering college athletics can now apply for a $1,000 scholarship from the Associated Press Sports Editors. Cha-ching!
🧢 What to cop
This lavender WNBA 9TWENTY cap — a spring wardrobe must-have.
📖 Where to meet
In your inbox for The GIST Book Club’s discussion on March’s book of the month, Sidelined: Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America by Julie Dicaro. Subscribe to The GIST Book Club’s newsletters to keep the conversation going.
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