By Nunnie Robinson, WGS Sports Editor
With NCAA conference championships up for grabs across the college basketball landscape, surprises and upsets have become the norm. SEC favorites, the Lady South Carolina Gamecocks, were dominated by the Lady Longhorns, establishing Texas as one of the four No. 1 seeds in NCAA women’s basketball, along with undefeated UConn — my pick to win it all — followed by UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina.
In the SIAC Division II tournament championship, Morehouse defeated my Tuskegee Golden Tigers, earning the right to travel to sunny South Florida to face powerhouse Nova Southeastern University in Davie. TU President Dr. Mark Brown stated enthusiastically, “I am immensely proud of our Golden Tigers. They finished with the best overall record in the SIAC this season. Kevin Draper was named SIAC Player of the Year, and Coach Benjy Taylor earned SIAC Coach of the Year honors. These achievements speak volumes about the character and commitment of this program.”
Jackson State defeated rival Alcorn to win the women’s 2026 SWAC Championship, while the top men’s seeds are Bethune-Cookman, Florida A&M, Southern, and Texas Southern. In first-round action, Alcorn eliminated Alabama State, and Grambling ousted Mississippi Valley.
Marquette upset UConn, ceding the Big East title to St. John’s and head coach Rick Pitino.
Huskies coach Dan Hurley, upset with an official about a perceived foul that wasn’t called, protested vehemently and appeared to bump the referee. The incident resulted in a $25,000 fine, though officials claimed they couldn’t definitively determine whether physical contact occurred. Trust me — he clearly did make contact. On to the next game.
College basketball will continue producing amazing highlights, close competitive matchups, and major upsets. March Madness is in full effect.
In the NHL, our two-time defending Stanley Cup champions suffered a 5–1 loss to New Jersey — their third straight defeat — seriously jeopardizing their playoff hopes. The struggles this season can largely be attributed to a roster depleted by injuries. Key players such as Sasha Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Dmitry Kulikov, and Tomas Nosek have all missed significant time. Tkachuk only returned in January, Kulikov and Nosek returned just this past week, while Barkov remains on injured reserve.
As a result, the Panthers may become sellers rather than buyers if the season continues heading south. That could even include trading their magnificent goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, though he does have a 16-team no-trade list in his contract, and he and his family are very happy in South Florida. The Panthers have fallen 10 points behind the Boston Bruins in the race for the final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot.
Meanwhile, the NFL refuses to let basketball dominate the spotlight as free agency began. The Miami Dolphins made a signature move, signing former Titans No. 1 draft pick quarterback Malik Willis to a three-year, $67.5 million contract following the outright release of Tua Tagovailoa, who subsequently signed with the Atlanta Falcons. The Dolphins are still obligated to pay Tua his guaranteed $54 million.
The Dolphins now appear poised to replicate the playing style of the frozen-tundra Green Bay Packers — for obvious reasons.
