Michigan Wins March Madness, UCLA Claims Women's Title — Plus Masters Golf Tees Off This Week
No Timberwolves, Wild, Twins, Vikings, Lynx, United, or Gophers scores were in today's reports — it may have been a rest day for most Minnesota squads. One local bright spot: **Gianna Kneepkens**, a Minnesota native, ...
Minnesota Teams
No Timberwolves, Wild, Twins, Vikings, Lynx, United, or Gophers scores were in today's reports — it may have been a rest day for most Minnesota squads. One local bright spot: Gianna Kneepkens, a Minnesota native, helped the UCLA Bruins win the women's NCAA national championship on Sunday. She'll now head into the WNBA Draft on the back of a title — a pretty great week for a home-state kid.
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NBA
The Milwaukee Bucks are having a rough time, and it's not just on the court. A lengthy ESPN report describes the relationship between star player Giannis Antetokounmpo and the organization as feeling like "a funeral" — a season-long breakdown after 13 years together. Rumors are swirling that coach Doc Rivers could shift to a different role within the team, with the Bucks already quietly exploring replacement options. It's starting to look like a big offseason shakeup is coming to Milwaukee.
In other NBA news, North Carolina made a surprising hire, bringing in Michael Malone — who coached the Denver Nuggets to the 2023 NBA championship — as their new college basketball head coach. It's an unusual jump from the pros to college, and people have mixed feelings about it.
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MLB
Baseball is back, and the Dodgers are squaring off against the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday in an early-season matchup worth watching. ESPN also put out a fun "watchability" ranking of MLB teams this season, with the Phillies, Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox, and Yankees topping the list for sheer entertainment value. Behind the scenes, MLB is reportedly moving toward an international draft after a report highlighted fraud, abuse, and broken promises in the current system for signing players from countries like the Dominican Republic.
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NHL
The Tampa Bay Lightning had a wild moment when forward Pontus Holmberg crashed into an unlatched penalty box door and hurt his left arm — the NHL is now investigating how that was allowed to happen. Coach Jon Cooper was understandably annoyed. On the playoff front, both Tampa Bay and the Buffalo Sabres look set for the postseason, but the battle for the Atlantic Division's top seed is still wide open. Tuesday features an 11-game slate with major playoff implications across the league.
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College Sports
Michigan won the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship, beating UConn on Monday night to claim their first title since 1989. It's being called one of the greatest tournament runs in March Madness history. The "One Shining Moment" video — that emotional highlight reel that closes out the tournament every year — is already making the rounds, and it's a good one.
On the women's side, UCLA beat South Carolina on Sunday for their first-ever women's national championship. South Carolina had been chasing a third title in five years but came up short. Minnesota native Gianna Kneepkens was a key contributor for the Bruins and is now heading to the WNBA Draft.
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Other Sports
The Masters golf tournament at Augusta National is this week, and it's one of the sport's most prestigious events. Rory McIlroy is considered a favorite but at least one expert is "fading" him (betting against him). Ludvig Åberg, a young Swedish star, is among the players people are most excited to watch. Notable absence: Tiger Woods is not in the field for personal reasons.
In soccer, Real Madrid host Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals — a massive matchup between two of Europe's biggest clubs. Real Madrid's coach made headlines by calling it a "privilege" to manage superstar Kylian Mbappé.