March sadness

The GIST: All four women’s No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 seeds punched tickets to this weekend’s Sweet 16, but not everything is going according to plan: USC sophomore sensation JuJu Watkins tore her ACL in the Trojans’ 96–59 second-round Monday win over No. 9 Mississippi State, ultimately ending her season. Devastating.

The immediate implications: The show must go on, as they say — for both USC and the tournament at large. But with one of the sport’s brightest stars sidelined, the championship picture has been dramatically altered. The Trojans were a national title contender with Watkins in the lineup, but the climb will be significantly steeper without her.

• Watkins started every single game this season, playing almost 35 minutes (out of 40) per contest on average and dominating both ends of the court with nearly 25 points and 1.8 blocks per game as a guard. She’s simply irreplaceable on the Trojans’ roster.

The road ahead: Watkins will reportedly undergo surgery, and while recovery times vary, she’s expected to miss at least nine months. A return next season isn’t out of the question, but the superstar will certainly take her future pro career into account — and with the WNBA negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement this year (more on that below), there could be lots to weigh.

• As for USC, they’ll lean heavily on All-American Kiki Iriafen, who dropped a season-high 36 points on Monday, and the country’s No. 1 freshman class, led by Kennedy Smith and Avery Howell.

• And while the potential upcoming Elite Eight clash between USC and No. 2 UConn (a rematch of a regular-season tilt that drew a season-high 3.8M viewers) has lost some of its aura, UConn’s Paige Bueckers, who tore her ACL in 2022, offers a glimpse at what a post-rehab tourney run could look like. Here’s hoping.

The GIST: Hope you’re using your two days without March Madness action wisely, because the men’s tournament comes roaring back tomorrow with the first half of the Sweet 16. Stretch, down some electrolytes, and set up your split screen — the Madness is only just beginning.

No. 2 seed Alabama Crimson Tide vs. No. 6 BYU Cougars, 7:09 p.m. ET: Hold onto your butts — both of these teams’ MO is high-octane, in-your-face scoring, which means this is bound to be an explosive offensive showing. BYU was crowned as a potential Cinderella and have proven they can pull off dramatic upset wins. If the glass slipper fits.

No. 1 Florida Gators vs. No. 4 Maryland Terrapins, 7:39 p.m. ET: Both squads’ last wins were arguably the two most exciting nail-biters of the second round. Whether they turn those dramatic finishes into fuel or feel their confidence shaken could determine the outcome of this matchup.

No. 1 Duke Blue Devils vs. No. 4 Arizona Wildcats, 9:39 p.m. ET: The Wildcats are looking strong after evading No. 5 Oregon’s upset attempt. But they’ll really need to get their heads in the game if they want a chance against Duke and Cooper Flagg’s totally normal eye — the Blue Devils look near-unstoppable after posting the biggest landslide wins of the first and second rounds.

No. 3 Texas Tech Red Raiders vs. No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks, 10:09 p.m. ET: One of this year’s most compelling storylines centers on Arkansas head coach John Calipari, who shockingly left Kentucky this offseason to rebuild the Razorbacks from scratch.

• Two major upsets later, the Hogs set their sights on Texas Tech and sophomore forward JT Toppin, who has recorded two straight double-doubles.