Minnesota Teams

The Minnesota Gophers women's basketball team is officially in offseason mode after a Sweet 16 exit, and the focus now shifts to roster building. Expect the program to be busy in the transfer portal as they look to reload for next season.

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NBA

Luka Dončić suspended for one game after picking up his 16th technical foul of the season in a Lakers game against the Nets. Technical fouls are called for arguing with refs or unsportsmanlike behavior — 16 in a season is a lot, and the league has automatic suspensions once you hit that threshold.

The NBA is also reportedly pushing for harsher penalties on teams that intentionally lose games ("tanking") to get better draft picks. The proposal would include taking away or moving back first-round picks from teams caught doing it.

WNBA news: The Connecticut Sun are being sold for a record $300 million and will relocate from Connecticut to Houston in 2027. The Fertitta family (Houston restaurant and casino moguls) are behind the deal, which still needs league approval.

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MLB

Baseball's new automated ball-strike system (ABS) — basically a computerized strike zone — made headlines when veteran umpire C.B. Bucknor had six pitches overturned in a single game, including two consecutive called third strikes that were reversed. It's the first year the system is being tested to help correct umpire mistakes.

There's also labor tension brewing: the Dodgers' owner made comments about "parity" that suggest MLB owners are planning to push for a salary cap when the current labor deal expires — which could mean a work stoppage down the road.

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NHL

The NHL playoffs are about three weeks away and the wild-card races are tight. This past Saturday featured 15 games in what ESPN called "Showdown Saturday," and the results shifted the playoff picture in both conferences. No specific scores were reported in the available coverage, but if you follow a team on the bubble, now's the time to start paying attention.

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College Sports

Men's March Madness is down to the Elite Eight, and the marquee matchup is Duke vs. UConn — two of college basketball's all-time powerhouse programs squaring off for a Final Four spot. Duke's Cameron Boozer and UConn's Tarris Reed Jr. are both averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds, which apparently hasn't happened in a game this late in the tournament in decades. UConn coach Dan Hurley called his team and Duke "the two best programs of the last 30 years," which, fair or not, is a bold statement.

Illinois is heading to the Final Four after snapping a 21-year drought, beating Iowa in the Elite Eight. It's a big deal for a program that hasn't been this far since 2005.

Other Elite Eight matchups this weekend include Purdue vs. Arizona and Michigan vs. Tennessee.

On the women's side, all four No. 1 seeds — UConn, UCLA, Texas, and South Carolina — are still alive heading into their Elite Eight games.

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Other Sports

UFC Fight Night in Seattle produced a big upset: Joe Pyfer knocked out former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in Round 2. Adesanya was once considered one of the best fighters in the world, so this is a significant result for Pyfer's career.

In boxing, 21-year-old Moses Itauma knocked out Jermaine Franklin Jr. and is being talked about as the next big thing in heavyweight boxing — except writers are saying his era isn't coming, it's already here.