NCAA bracket-busters | Top NWSL matchups | WNBA drops TV lineup

Canadian tuxedos 2.0.

Spotting March’s Cinderella stories

The 2025 NCAA Tournament tips off in earnest today, with March Madness fans across the country eager to look beyond the chalk after a rollercoaster 2024/25 season.

• Early upsets aren’t exactly the norm — only one lower seed won their first-round matchup in 2024, and no team seeded below No. 3 has ever gone the distance — but this year’s parity has pushed a few squads into the underdog conversation.

Bracket-busters to watch: It’s all about late-season momentum for potential March Madness upset instigators — a dangerous factor in any single-elimination tournament.

• Even without superstar grad Caitlin Clark, No. 6 seed Iowa upset top-ranked USC in the regular season before narrowly losing to No. 4 seed Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament — if they advance past No. 11 seed Murray State on Saturday (12 PM ET, ESPN), the Hawkeyes could give No. 5 Oklahoma a run for their money in the second round.

• Entering as a No. 10 seed, Ivy League tournament champs Harvard will have their hands full against No. 7 Michigan State on Saturday (4:30 PM ET, ESPN), but Crimson senior Harmoni Turner and her season-average 22.5 points per game have been known to take the reins.

• Currently neck-and-neck in today’s opener (11:30 AM ET, ESPN), No. 11 seed Iowa State and No. 6 seed Michigan are both playing like upset contenders, with a potential second-round matchup against No. 3 seed Notre Dame — fresh off a recent losing skid — awaiting Friday’s winner.

Bottom line: With the brackets locked and the teams loaded, the prospects of twists and turns make the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament exciting — even if this year’s frontrunners appear destined for Tampa.

Tune in: The 2025 NCAA Tournament tipped off today at 11:30 AM ET, with all games airing live across ESPN networks.

Early blockbusters headline NWSL

The NWSL’s second match weekend promises some standout matchups, as last week’s winners look to build while its losers attempt to shift the energy.

• Last year’s top-four finishers square off against one another this weekend, while a pair teams searching for their first points of 2025 will do the same.

What to watch: While not a carbon copy of the 2024 playoffs, these heavyweight clashes could set the early-days tone for 2025’s championship favorites.

• Washington Spirit vs. KC Current, Saturday at 7:30 PM ET (ION): Each coming off big regular-season opener wins, KC travels to DC for a game with great potential for attacking fireworks.

• Gotham FC vs. Orlando Pride, Sunday at 5 PM ET (ESPN2): Orlando sit atop the NWSL table after battering Chicago 6-0 last weekend, but now face a pragmatic and talented Gotham side in a game with chess match written all over it.

• Chicago Stars vs. Houston Dash, Sunday at 3 PM ET (Paramount+): After suffering tough losses last week, both Chicago and Houston are eager to put their first points on the board with bounce-back performances.

Bottom line: With a number of teams already looking close to mid-season form, these early NWSL matchups really could have major implications down the line.

WNBA ups 2025 national broadcasts

The WNBA dropped its 2025 national broadcast slate on Thursday, rewarding last season’s most in-demand teams with a significant uptick in screen time.

• Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever will see a league-record 41 of their 44 regular-season games aired nationally this season — including all five matchups against regional rival Chicago.

• Two-time WNBA champs Las Vegas will see 33 of their games get national coverage, followed by 32 games for the reigning champions New York Liberty.

Big picture: Fueled by 2024’s monster ratings, big-name networks are increasingly viewing the WNBA as a profitable summer product in the lead-up to the league’s planned $2.2 billion television contract in 2026.

• With the 2025 season expanding from 40 to 44 games per team, ION leads broadcasters with 50 regular-season games, with ABC/ESPN, CBS Sports, NBA TV, and Amazon Prime all taking a piece of the pie.

• Networks are also interested in moving games off of the sports channels, with ABC ordering a record 13 matchups and CBS planning to air its first regular-season games in primetime — both between Indiana and Chicago.

Bottom line: The WNBA is shooting for an even more impactful 2025, and easy access to the league’s biggest stars playing in the biggest games undoubtedly holds the key.

NCAA drops women’s payday details

The NCAA is leveling the playing field, with Women’s March Madness teams in line to receive their first-ever prize payouts based on tournament performance — a mechanism the men’s tournament has utilized for decades.

• The NCAA will distribute approximately $15 million total to individual conferences depending on games played, with each March Madness matchup worth about $113,000.

• The overall pool will jump to $20 million in 2026 and $25 million in 2027, before switching to a successive 2.9% increase per year.

Additional perks: Charter flights are also on deck for women’s teams, a benefit that can make all the difference for smaller programs eyeing an upset.

• “Everyone is so excited about the experience. Going from the bus directly to the plane, everyone was so happy,” March Madness debutante William & Mary head coach Erin Dickerson Davis told ESPN ahead of her team’s First Four victory.

IOC elects first woman president

Zimbabwean swimming legend Kirsty Coventry became the first woman and first African to be elected president of the International Olympic Committee on Thursday.

• At age 41, Coventry will also be the youngest-ever president of the organization, succeeding incumbent Thomas Bach’s 12-year tenure.

• “As an nine-year-old girl, I never thought I would be standing up here one day getting to give back to this incredible movement of ours,” the seven-time Olympic medalist said in her remarks.

What’s next: Coventry’s first Olympic Games at the helm will be the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, giving her less than a year to prepare before the Opening Ceremony kicks off.

Quote of the day

JWS founder and CEO Haley Rosen
in a new op-ed for Sportico on the current state — and future — of women’s sports.