March Madness Kicks Off Thursday — Here's Everything You Need to Know
Nothing major to report on the local sports front today — no scores or roster moves specific to the Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves, Wild, Lynx, United, or Gophers came through. Check back as March Madness gets underway ...
Minnesota Teams
Nothing major to report on the local sports front today — no scores or roster moves specific to the Vikings, Twins, Timberwolves, Wild, Lynx, United, or Gophers came through. Check back as March Madness gets underway and the NBA regular season heads toward the playoffs.
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NFL
Free agency is in full swing, and the biggest splash so far is the Denver Broncos trading for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from the Miami Dolphins. The Broncos are clearly going all-in on winning now, while Miami appears to be pivoting toward a rebuild. Meanwhile, the Dolphins look like they're moving on from their win-now window.
Elsewhere, six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay has officially retired after 13 seasons. He won a Super Bowl in 2025 and played for Detroit, Philadelphia, and one other team during his career. Several quarterbacks — including Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers — are still looking for new teams.
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NBA
The NBA playoffs are less than a month away, and the Western Conference is getting tight. The Lakers and Rockets are jostling for position, so every game matters from here on out. Big names like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum are the ones to watch as contenders sort themselves out.
In off-court news, the WNBA and its players' union reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement — ending a prolonged labor standoff. That's big for the league's future stability. Also: Caitlin Clark looked sharp returning from injury in FIBA World Cup play for Team USA.
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MLB
The 2026 World Baseball Classic just wrapped up — it was apparently a thriller. The bad news for fans who loved it: the next one isn't until 2030, though MLB stars could appear in the 2028 Olympics as a bridge. Spring training is underway and teams are finalizing rosters ahead of the regular season.
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NHL
The Colorado Avalanche are the team to beat right now, but the Dallas Stars are right on their heels heading into Week 22 of the season. In the Eastern Conference, the Pittsburgh Penguins are chasing the Carolina Hurricanes for a playoff spot — they played each other Wednesday, so that race is heating up. The San Jose Sharks, a surprise story this season, are still in the mix for a playoff berth or wild card spot.
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College Sports
March Madness is here. The First Four games (the play-in round before the main bracket) are happening Wednesday and Thursday, with the full 64-team bracket tipping off Thursday, March 19. Experts are already picking upsets and Cinderella teams — so now's your last chance to fill out that bracket.
A notable off-court story: Alabama's Aden Holloway, the team's second-leading scorer, was arrested on a felony drug charge right before the tournament and is temporarily off the team. That's a significant blow for the Crimson Tide heading into the dance.
On the transfer portal front, Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg — the Big Ten Player of the Year — turned down a reported $7–9 million offer from Kentucky to stay with the Wolverines. He said he chose player development over the money, which is a rare and notable decision in today's college sports landscape.
In women's basketball, UConn is the odds-on favorite to win the national championship, with UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina right behind them.
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Other Sports
Tiger Woods' golf team, Jupiter Golf Links, is on a roll in the TGL (a tech-driven indoor golf league). They dominated the Boston team and are heading to the finals — impressive for a squad that won nothing in its inaugural season. Woods himself didn't play, but his team is carrying the flag.
In soccer, Arsenal cruised into the Champions League quarterfinals, with midfielder Eberechi Eze being the standout performer — he's scored five goals since February. On the other end, Norway's Bodo/Glimt got knocked out by Sporting CP (5–0), ending a feel-good Champions League run for a small-market club that punched well above its weight.