Minnesota Teams

The Minnesota Gophers women's basketball team's season is over after a Sweet 16 loss, and the program is already looking ahead to the transfer portal to rebuild. It's the off-season question every eliminated team faces: who stays, who goes, and who can you bring in to make a deeper run next year?

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NBA

The big story: The Connecticut Sun are moving to Houston. The WNBA franchise was sold to the Fertitta family (who also own the Houston Rockets) for a record $300 million, and they'll be relocating from Connecticut to Houston in 2027. Houston used to have a WNBA team — the Comets — so this is a homecoming of sorts for the league in that city.

The NBA is also cracking down on "tanking" — that's when teams intentionally lose games to get better draft picks. The league is reportedly proposing harsher penalties, including taking away or moving back a team's first-round draft picks if they're caught doing it.

On the rookie front, the race for Rookie of the Year is basically decided. The San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama continues to generate buzz around the league as a potential title contender — NBA insiders are saying he "breaks all the rules" in terms of what a big man can do.

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MLB

It's Opening Day weekend! The Los Angeles Dodgers kicked things off Thursday against the Arizona Diamondbacks — the Dodgers are considered the team to beat in baseball this year. If you haven't been following, the Dodgers have been on a massive spending spree the last couple of years and are loaded with talent.

There's also a labor story brewing in the background: the Dodgers' owner made comments about "parity" that matter because MLB's current collective bargaining agreement (the deal between owners and players) is set to expire, and owners are pushing for a salary cap — something baseball has never had. A potential lockout or work stoppage could be on the horizon.

On a lighter note: every team unveiled their promotional giveaways for the season. If you go to a game this year, there's some creative stuff being handed out at the gates.

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NHL

The NHL playoffs are three weeks away, and this Saturday features 15 games — dubbed "Showdown Saturday" — that will help shape the playoff picture. If you want to tune into hockey for the first time, this weekend is a great entry point as teams fight for their postseason lives.

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College Sports

March Madness is in full swing, and we're at the Elite Eight — just eight teams left standing. Here's what you need to know:

On the men's side, Iowa pulled off an epic Sweet 16 finish, and Purdue hit a buzzer-beater to advance. Illinois also won, setting up an all-Big Ten Elite Eight matchup between Illinois and Iowa on Saturday. The Big Ten conference hasn't had a national champion in 26 years, so one of those teams will end that drought or keep the streak alive.

Notre Dame's Hannah Hidalgo put on one of the greatest individual performances in women's tournament history, carrying the Irish past Vanderbilt and into the Elite Eight. If you watch one highlight this weekend, make it hers.

In coaching news, Boston College hired Luke Murray — a top assistant from powerhouse UConn and, fun fact, the son of actor Bill Murray — as their new head coach.

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Other Sports

Israel Adesanya, one of the most recognizable names in UFC, is fighting this weekend at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle against Joe Pyfer. Adesanya is a former middleweight champion, so this is worth a look if you're a combat sports fan.

In soccer, ESPN ranked the most valuable (MVP) player at each of the Premier League's top six clubs — Liverpool and Arsenal are the class of England's top league right now if you're just getting into it.