Just another Madness Monday

The GIST: The Madness is in full swing swish with the women’s second round halfway done. That’s right, eight of the Sweet 16 squads are already locked in, and today’s show-stopping matchups will determine the other eight. May the odds be ever in your team’s — and bracket’s — favor.

No. 5 seed Kansas State punch first Sweet 16 ticket since 2002: Wildcats senior Temira Poindexter may have missed her first six shots of the game, but she nailed the biggest of the night — a game-winner to top No. 4 Kentucky 80–79 in overtime (OT), one of her season-high eight three-pointers in the contest. Cue Hilary.

• And the ’Cats weren’t the only No. 5 seed causing a second-round raucous: No. 5 Ole Miss stunned No. 4 Baylor 69–63 on the Bears’ home court, and No. 5 Tennessee toppled No. 4 Ohio State 82–67.

Top teams keep rolling: The rest of the second-round slate went according to plan…though some games were much closer than expected. No. 2 Duke, who were without freshman standout Toby Fournier, eked out a 59–53 win over No. 10 Oregon, while defending champs No. 1 South Carolina had to fend off yet another Hoosier onslaught to beat No. 9 Indiana 64–53.

• In contrast, No. 3 Notre Dame looked virtually unstoppable, easily dismantling No. 6 Michigan 76–55 yesterday. The Fighting Irish are looking more and more like the squad that won 19 straight regular-season games. Future opponents be warned.

Up next: Twelve straight hours of second-round women’s hoops. The first game, No. 2 NC State vs. No. 7 Michigan State, tips off at 12 p.m. ET, and the last — No. 1 USC (led by resilient sophomore sensation JuJu Watkins) against No. 9 Mississippi State — hits the hardwood at 10 p.m. ET. That’s a lot of buckets.

• If Monday is Mondaying and you only have time for one tilt, commit to No. 3 UNC vs. No. 6 West Virginia at 7 p.m. ET. This matchup boasts two elite but very different defenses: The Tar Heels thrive in the half court while the Mountaineers’ full-court press is nightmare fuel.

The GIST: Four days and 48 games later, the first two rounds of men’s March Madness wrapped last night, and not a single bracket survived. Here are the superlative performances from the weekend as you regroup before Thursday’s Sweet 16 tip-off.

‼️ Biggest upset: No. 10 seed Arkansas’ 75–66 Saturday second-round win over No. 2 St. John’s. First-year Razorbacks head coach (HC) John Calipari won the battle of the former Kentucky HCs in a back-and-forth thriller, pulling away at the end to send infamous Red Storm HC Rick Pitino’s squad packing.

🚨 Splashiest buzzer-beater: No. 4 Maryland freshman Derik Queen’s bank shot to survive No. 12 Colorado State 72–71 — especially glorious when you consider Maryland lost at the buzzer four times this season. March is for redemption.

💔 Biggest heartbreaker: No. 8 UConn’s failed upset attempt against No. 1 Florida. The two-time defending champ Huskies nearly stunned the Gators yesterday, but a scoring drought in the crucial final possessions brought their three-peat quest to an emotional end in yesterday’s 77–75 loss. Pain.

📣 Best cheerleader: No. 6 BYU junior Dawson Baker, who was caught on camera rooting his teammates on from the locker room after being ejected from their 91–89 Saturday upset of No. 3 Wisconsin. Pacing, muttering, and screaming in front of the TV? So relatable.

❤️‍🩹 Best athletic trainer: Whichever one fixed up Cooper Flagg’s ankle and eye. The No. 1 Duke freshman superstar suffered a scary injury during last week’s ACC Tournament and again yesterday, but he was in peak form with 18 points and nine rebounds in their 89–66 drubbing of No. 9 Baylor. Absolutely oop-in’.

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