A multi-screen weekend
From The GIST (hi@thegistsports.com)
But there’s no bad luck here as the WNBA and the WNBA Players Association continue to make progress on collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations, with another multi-hour bargaining session taking place overnight.
- And that’s not the only thing to keep an eye on this weekend: The NWSL season kicks off tonight (of course we’ll have a special edition preview later today), then the NCAA March Madness brackets will be set this Selection Sunday. So much to discuss…
— WNBA Players Association president Nneka Ogwumike, providing a promising update amid ongoing CBA negotiations. Watching, waiting…
NCAA men’s basketball
🎓🏀 Ball don’t lie
The GIST: Dust off your dancing shoes because March Madness is right around the corner with Selection Sunday slated for, you guessed it, this Sunday. Most of the women’s conference tournaments have already wrapped, but the men are in the thick of it. Let’s shimmy into the latest.
⚙️ How it works: All 31 conferences crown a champ, an accomplishment that comes with an automatic bid to March Madness. The other 37 spots in the 68-team field will be granted via at-large berths decided by the selection committee. That means every win (and loss) matters.
📺 What to watch: With this much chaos, there’s really no wrong answer. Just ask the Big Sky’s No. 7 seed Idaho, the bid thieves who used three straight upset Ws to earn their first Big Dance berth since 1990. As for the top dogs, they hoop in the Power Four: the ACC, SEC, Big 12, and Big Ten — save nationally-ranked No. 6 UConn (Big East) and No. 12 Gonzaga (the WCC champs).
- Despite being without their star point guard for the rest of the season, Duke, aka the nation’s No. 1 team, clinched a semifinal spot yesterday in the always-tough ACC, while both the Big 12 and Big Ten boast three teams each in the AP top 10. Multiple screens at the ready.
☝️ One more thing: The Miami Ohio RedHawks were the last remaining undefeated men’s team, that is until yesterday’s stunning 87–83 loss to No. 8 seed UMass in the MAC quarter-finals. Without an automatic berth, the RedHawks’ March Madness dreams are now in the hands of the committee. May the odds be ever in their favor.
🏎️ New regulations draw ire as Formula 1 heads to China alongside F1 Academy
Ahead of Sunday’s 3 a.m. ET Chinese Grand Prix, rumor has it “no one likes” this year’s cars. Once lauded for risky racing, F1 in 2026 relies more on strategy and less on guts. The new power unit rules mean drivers can’t go all out all the time on track: They must slow down during every lap to harvest power, a completely new approach to racing.
- While F1 grapples with their new reality, F1 Academy — the sport’s women-only circuit — is so back with a whopping 11 rookies (of 17 drivers) making their debuts. And after reigning champ Doriane Pin moved on to greener pastures, this year’s field is wide open. Buckle up.
🎾 The Indian Wells Open semis are set
It was a tough fight, but world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka took down No. 10 Victoria Mboko in straight sets yesterday to book her spot in tonight’s 7 p.m. ET purple court semi, where she’ll meet No. 14 Linda Nosková. On the other side of the bracket, it’s No. 9 Elina Svitolina vs. No. 3 Elena Rybakina, who ousted the last American gal standing, No. 5 Jess Pegula, last night.
- As for the men, three of the world’s top four players — No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, No. 2 Jannik Sinner, and No. 4 Alexander Zverev — are through to tomorrow’s semis before the fierce competition wraps from California on Sunday. Aces.
🏒📺 PWHL scores first national U.S. broadcast
Mark your calendar for March 28th, when ION will nationally broadcast the 1 p.m. ET showdown between the NY Sirens and Montréal Victoire, making the Detroit Takeover Tour game accessible to more than 126M American households. If you stream it…
- Speaking of the Takeover Tour, the next stop is in Denver this Sunday, pitting the Sirens against friend of The GIST Taylor Heise and her fearsome Minnesota Frost.
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⛳ THE PLAYERS Championship — Today through Sunday — TSN/TSN+
- There’s a four-way tie atop the leaderboard featuring three Americans, including Full Swing star and world No. 76 Sahith Theegala. No. 1 Scottie Scheffler finished round one at TPC Sawgrass even, while defending champ Rory McIlroy is two over par.
🏅🏒 Paralympic ice hockey: Canada vs. China — Today at 2:05 p.m. ET — CBC Gem
- Team Canada and Team USA are once again on a collision course to Sunday’s gold medal game, but in order to get there, both will need to win their respective semis. Canada will undoubtedly lean on captain Tyler McGregor, who is inspiring confidence everywhere he goes.
⚾ World Baseball Classic quarter-finals: Team Canada vs. Team USA — Tonight at 8 p.m. ET — Sportsnet
- Not only did Canada advance out of the WBC group stage for the first time ever, they also won their Pool, going a stellar 3-1 in the first round. Their reward? A must-win game against tourney favorites Team USA, who are hungry for redemption. *gulps*
🇨🇦🏀 FIBA Women’s World Cup qualifiers: Canada vs. Argentina — Tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. ET — TSN
- Minnesota Lynx standout Bridget Carleton’s been a walking bucket in the Canucks’ first two games (a Wednesday loss to Türkiye and yesterday’s win over Hungary). Now, it’s onto an Argentinian squad Canada beat by one last year. That World Cup ticket won’t punch itself.
Today’s email was brought to you by Alessandra Puccio, Lisa Minutillo, Lauren Tuiskula, Grace DePaull, and Charlotte Mackenzie. Fact-checking by Elisha Gunaratnam and Mikaela Perez. Ops by Briana Ekanem and Elisha Gunaratnam. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula and Alessandra Puccio. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.