No. 1 seeds UConn & UCLA punch Final Four tickets

Legends aren't born, they're made.

UConn & UCLA punch Final Four tickets

This year’s Final Four is half decided, as No. 1 seeds UConn and UCLA punched their tickets to Phoenix with yesterday’s Elite Eight victories.

• UConn overcame a rough offensive start to thwart No. 6 Notre Dame’s upset bid, securing the 70-52 win behind Sarah Strong’s 21 points, seven rebounds, and five steals. (Watch full highlights)

• The Bruins rallied from a halftime deficit to top No. 3 Duke 70-58, with Lauren Betts’s double-double silencing a red-hot Blue Devils team fresh off Friday’s buzzer-beater victory over No. 2 LSU. (Watch full highlights)

Fair fight: UConn and UCLA looked like formidable foes on Sunday, tapping into depth and professionalism to offset lower-seed momentum.

• “So proud of the way that we’re able to just stay calm and still hold each other accountable while also just competing at the highest level,” said Betts.

• “I don’t know if I’ve ever been prouder to take a team to the Final Four than this one,” Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma said of his unbeaten squad.

Up next: The teams now get some rest before the Final Four tips off on Friday, live on ESPN.

Texas & South Carolina shoot for Final Four returns

After all four No. 1 seeds reached the 2025 Final Four, Texas and South Carolina will look to repeat history in tonight’s Elite Eight closers.

• The Gamecocks open the slate against No. 3 TCU, aiming to punch a sixth straight Final Four ticket before the Longhorns try to conjure last year’s magic against No. 2 Michigan.

• “We have a lot of room to grow, and I think we’re growing at the right time,” South Carolina senior Raven Johnson said. “Everybody’s clicking. I feel like the ceiling is high for us.” (See full bracket)

Guard trouble: Both SEC titans will face determined backcourts, as the Horned Frogs and Wolverines aim to crash next weekend’s party in Phoenix.

• “Anybody can come out and have a night,” said Michigan guard Syla Swords. “We’re an exciting brand of basketball to watch, and we can beat anybody in the country.”

• “That’s just another bonus,” star TCU transfer Olivia Miles said after advancing to the Elite Eight. “I truly feel like the people around me have helped me to love basketball again.”

Tune in: The Elite Eight concludes tonight starting at 7 PM ET, live on ESPN.

Denver shatters NWSL record in Saturday draw

The Summit reached a new peak on Saturday, shattering the NWSL’s single-game attendance record when 63,004 fans watched 2026 expansion team Denver take on Washington inside the NFL’s Mile High Stadium.

• The crowd topped Bay FC’s 40,091-fan high by more 23,000, while also smashing Seattle’s doubleheader record of 42,054 set in 2023.

• “I will never forget walking out of that tunnel today and hearing the crowd screaming for us,” said Summit captain Janine Solis, as No. 8 Denver picks up a point to keep pace above the playoff line. (Watch full highlights)

Quiet storm: The big day yielded few on-field fireworks, with the 0-0 finish extending the No. 12 Spirit’s early season winless streak to four.

• “We’ve been moving in the right direction,” Washington midfielder Hal Hershfelt said. “It’s just going to take time to build that chemistry.”

• “We’re not going to get obsessed with one result,” said Spirit manager Adrián González. “We know we want to get better every week, and this is what we are doing.” (See full standings)

Report: Connecticut Sun is moving Houston

The Connecticut Sun is on the move, as the Mohegan Tribe reportedly sold the WNBA team to Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and family on Friday.

• According to sources, the $300 million deal will set a new WNBA record, though the sum doesn’t include a relocation fee.

• Operated by the Mohegan Tribe since 2003, the Sun will see out the 2026 season in Uncasville, before tipping off as the revived Houston Comets in 2027. (See full report)

Big moves: The sale reflects the league’s growing influence, after WNBA leadership blocked a $325 million bid to bring the team to Boston last August, among other front office interventions.

• An official announcement is expected today, with the Sun set to tip off its 2026 campaign on May 8th. (See full schedule)

Caster Semenya blasts Olympic gender policy

Olympic runner Caster Semenya is speaking up, as the two-time gold medalist voiced concerns about the IOC’s decision to reinstate sex verification tests for women’s sports athletes last week.

• “For you as a woman, why will you be tested to prove that you fit?” Semenya said. “You know, it’s like now we need to prove that we are worthy as women to take part in sports.”

• After being diagnosed with DSD, Semenya has been advocating against the IOC’s restrictive gender testing since 2016. (See full report)

Big picture: The Committee plans to reimplement the policy ahead of the 2028 LA Olympics, after the tests were abandoned in 1999 due to ineffectiveness.

• “Eligibility for any female category event at the Olympic Games or any other IOC event, including individual and team sports, is now limited to biological females, determined on the basis of a one-time SRY gene screening,” the IOC said Thursday. (See full release)

Aryna Sabalenka wins the Sunshine Double

The world No. 1 has done it again, as Aryna Sabalenka took down No. 3 Coco Gauff 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to win her second straight Miami Open title on Saturday — and her first-ever Sunshine Double.

• “You’re a fighter, and you also ‌push me so hard to be a better player, and I like our rivalry,” Sabalenka told Gauff after the win, gaining a 7-6 head-to-head advantage over the US favorite. (Watch full highlights)

Sunny days: After winning Indian Wells earlier this month, Sabalenka became just the fifth WTA star to complete the hardcourt sweep, joining Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters, Victoria Azarenka, and Iga Świątek.

Up next: Tennis now turns to clay, as the Charleston Open kicks off today at 11 AM ET, live on The Tennis Channel.

Quote of the day

Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer
on adding fuel to his team’s defensive fire during Texas’s March Madness run.