With 80 matchups already down, the men’s and women’s brackets have brought equal amounts of drama, buzzer beaters, and upsets. But equal is a relatively new concept for the tourney. Scroll on as we examine the recent and rapid growth on the women’s side. Ballin’, baby.

After an edge-of-your-seat opening day, the rest of the men’s field hits the dance floor today, gloriously converging with the women’s first-round tip-off for a thrilling 32 high-stakes games in one day.

It’s time to dance — the NCAA Division I (DI) women’s basketball national tournament (aka, March Madness) tips off with today’s First Four matchups. Before you enter a bracket (or three!) in The GIST’s very own women’s bracket challenge, let’s dig into everything you need to know about the most chaotic tournament in sports.

And they’re off! March Madness officially tipped off with two men’s First Four games last night, and the women start their party with their own First Four games tonight (keep an eye out for a Special Edition later today featuring everything you need to fill out your bracket).

The wait is over — March Madness officially begins with today’s men’s First Four tip-off, so we’re hitting your inbox with everything you need to know about the men’s version of the most chaotic tournament in sports. Cue “One Shining Moment.”

Selection committee controversies, heartwarming reaction videos, legendary broadcaster Dickie V making us emotional…March Madness is officially upon us. We have special edition tourney previews heading to your inbox tomorrow and Wednesday, but first, here’s Selection Sunday’s biggest moments, by the numbers.

The Big Dance isn’t the only shimmying and shaking happening on the hardwood. After last night’s semifinals, tonight’s Unrivaled final is set: Rose BC vs. Vinyl BC at 7:30 p.m. ET. And this one’s for all the marbles, plus a cool $50K for each member of the championship-winning squad. Cha-ching.

The selection committee will announce the 68-team field for the men’s tournament tonight at 6 p.m. ET, and the women’s bracket follows at 8 p.m. ET. So we’re here to dish out the deets and help you prep for The GIST’s very own bracket challenges. Game on.

The NCAA men’s basketball conference tournaments are officially heating up with automatic berths to the national tourney on the line. Even an NCAA women’s hoops legend is locked in. It’ll be a few more days before our Selection Sunday Scroll lands in your inbox ahead of Sunday’s big decision shows, but trust us — the madness is already here. Here’s what’s happening and what to watch this weekend.

Unrivaled enjoyed a strong debut in its inaugural season, but some are concerned the novelty has worn off. With the exception of its 1v1 tournament, league viewership has petered off since January, with TNT Sports execs telling the Sports Business Journal’s Mollie Cahillane they believe the league should consider touring to reach new markets.

We’re still six long days from Selection Sunday, but March is already March-ing with a handful of NCAA women’s basketball conference tournament winners crowned over the weekend, securing automatic bids to the 68-team national tournament in the process.

Last Friday, WNBA stars Angel Reese and DiJonai Carrington spoke on Reese’s Unapologetically Angel podcast about upcoming CBA negotiations. According to them, the sentiment around the league is that if players don’t get certain table stakes, they’re ready to walk.