NCAA: Ballin’ like March Madness

The GIST: The last conference champs have been crowned, the fields are set, our (women’s and men’s!) GIST-exclusive bracket challenge is open. Let the madness begin.

Women’s: In an early preview of the potential upsets to come, hours before Selection Sunday, No. 7 Texas defeated No. 4 Baylor 67–58 to win their first Big 12 title since 2003 and snap Baylor’s streak of three consecutive championship wins.

• And that upset shook up the tourney bracket, bouncing Baylor from their expected No. 1 seed down to No. 2. Instead, the first-ever women’s 68-team field will be headlined by No. 1 seeds South Carolina, Louisville, NC State and reigning national champion Stanford. Drama.

• The inaugural women’s First Four tips off on Wednesday, and our full preview will hit your inbox on Thursday, ahead of Friday’s official March Madness start. Can’t wait.

Men’s: March is already marchin’ on the men’s side, as unranked Virginia Tech stunned No. 7 Duke 82–67 on Saturday to win their first-ever ACC title, while No. 9 Tennessee defeated Texas A&M 65–50 yesterday to win their first SEC title since 1979.

• As for the national tourney, Gonzaga earned the No. 1 overall seed for the second consecutive season, with Arizona, Kansas and defending champs Baylor grabbing the remaining top spots.

• And the best news is we don’t have to wait much longer for the action to tip off, with two “First Four” games set for tomorrow. Texas A&M Corpus Christi faces Texas Southern at 6:40 p.m. ET, then Indiana faces Wyoming at 9:10 p.m. ET. Let’s ball.