Cutthroat doesn’t even begin to cover it
From The GIST College Sports (hi@thegistsports.com)
Great news!
There are only 20 days (!!!) between you and March Madness. If that’s 19 too many, not to worry — there’s plenty of high-stakes hoops happening right here, right now.
— No. 5 UConn women’s basketball head coach and legend of the game Geno Auriemma on what it was like when he first took over the Huskies back in 1985. Hey, you don’t become the winningest coach in college basketball history overnight.
Women's basketball
🏀 Hopping on a conference call
The GIST: Welcome to the last week of the regular season, where squads are frantically jockeying to finish strong in the standings. On the line? Regular-season titles (which go to the team or teams with the best in-conference record) and seeding for next week’s conference tourneys.
- Here’s how things are shaking out in the top conferences as we near the finish line. Buckle your seat belt — we’re in for a wild week.
ACC: No. 1 Notre Dame would have locked down the title and No. 1 seed yesterday, but despite guard Sonia Citron’s heroics, the Irish suffered their first ACC loss, a 104–95 double-overtime (OT) L to No. 13 NC State. With the upset, the Wolfpack move to just one game behind ND and could steal or split the championship if the Irish stumble again. In the hunt, indeed.
Big 12: This race is crowded at the top: Not only are No. 10 TCU and No. 19 Baylor tied atop the standings, but they’re just two of five squads who could feasibly win the ’ship. Baylor has a high-risk, high-reward week ahead: They can claim the crown with a win over No. 12 Kansas State tonight at 7 p.m. ET and against TCU on Sunday.
Big East: The aforementioned Auriemma’s Huskies, as per usual, are the top dog here, but they’re just one game ahead of No. 23 Creighton. They can win the title outright with a dub against…you guessed it, the Bluejays, on Thursday. Living for the drama.
Big Ten: West Coast, best coast? One of the Big Ten’s LA schools, either No. 3 UCLA or No. 4 USC, is guaranteed to win the championship their first season in the mainly Midwestern conference. Assuming UCLA survives Wednesday’s road game at unranked Wisconsin, it’ll all come down to a Saturday rematch between these two neighboring powerhouses. A hoops lover’s dream.
SEC: The SEC is also as tight as can be. No. 6 South Carolina holds a narrow lead, but it’s extremely likely to turn into a tie if No. 2 Texas beats a troubled Georgia tonight at 7 p.m. ET. Also in the conversation is No. 7 LSU, who took No. 14 Kentucky out of contention with yesterday’s 65–58 road win. Cutthroat doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Men's basketball
🏀 Hoop, there it is
The GIST: There are still two weeks left in the men’s regular season, but that doesn’t mean things are any less dramatic on their courts. Case in point? This Saturday saw some major shakeups on the hardwood.
Oregon tops No. 11 Wisconsin in OT thriller: The Ducks executed the weekend’s biggest upset, and it was a nail-biter. They roared quacked back from a 17-point deficit and nailed a desperation three-pointer to send things to OT, where they pulled away from the Badgers to win 77–73 on the road. Ducking amazing.
Guards lead No. 5 Houston and No. 6 Tennessee to top-10 wins: Tennessee dominated No. 7 Texas A&M on their home court, bringing a 77–69 victory back to Knoxville. Fifth-year Chaz Lanier was nearly unstoppable from the three-point line, putting up 22 points in the first half alone to finish with a game-best 30. Too hot, hot damn.
- Houston also captured a big dub, topping No. 8 Iowa State 68–59. The Cougars’ signature lockdown defense was outshone only by grad student L.J. Cryer, who led all players with 28 points.
- Houston’s not out of the woods just yet, though — they have their second top-10 matchup in three days on deck, visiting No. 9 Texas Tech tonight at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
No. 15 Missouri fails heat check: Just after we hyped them up Friday, the Tigers suffered a disappointing 92–85 loss at Arkansas, only the fifth conference win for the Razorbacks. Goes to show you, you can never sleep on the SEC.
No. 14 Michigan State wins rivalry game: Is there anything better than beating your blood rival in a ranked matchup on their home court? Yes, when that dub also gives you the lead in the Big Ten — which is exactly what happened when the Spartans beat No. 12 Michigan 75–62. All hail the Mitten kings.
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🤸 No. 1 Oklahoma gymnastics silences doubters with dominant weekend
After suffering their first loss of the season to then-No. 2 LSU last Friday, the Sooners were flipping for a chance to bounce back. They had two weekend meets and scored above a 198 (the universal mark of an incredible meet) in both of them, topping No. 5 Florida Friday and No. 24 UNC yesterday. Junior Faith Torrez was extra impressive, recording the Sooners’ first perfect 10 of the year Friday.
🥎 No. 20 Stanford softball hands No. 1 Texas their first loss of the season
The Cardinal bats were simply too hot for Texas’ typically impeccable pitching, as Stanford soared to a 9–5 dub on Friday. It’s the Cardinal’s first major win of the post–NiJaree Canady era — boding well for the rehabbing program.
- But Texas wasn’t the only team to take their first loss: Twelve Division I squads entered the weekend undefeated, and only five emerged unscathed: No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 5 LSU, No. 9 Georgia, No. 24 South Carolina, and Robert Morris (who has played only two games all season).
👟 Oregon women set NCAA distance medley relay (DMR) record in indoor track & field regular-season finale
It’s the second NCAA record of the indoor season for Ducks junior Silan Ayyildiz, who also made history with her 4:23.46 mile last weekend. The historic mark also comes just a week after three other NCAA records fell, including the Washington’s men’s team setting the world record in the DMR. They have the need, the need for speed.
🏈 Conference commissioners will meet to decide future of the College Football Playoff
The leaders of all FBS conferences (plus the athletic director from Notre Dame, which flies solo) head to Dallas this week to review and tweak the innovative playoff format that debuted this year.
- Expect changes to the seeding system, arguments over automatic bids, and the Big Ten and SEC throwing their weight around as the two superconferences consolidate power.
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Celebrate Black History Month with these recs:
⚽ What to read
This article about Black soccer players. From DaMarcus Beasley to Weston McKennie, these footballers are playing for American soccer respect overseas.
🏇 Who to know
James M. Jeter, Ralph Lauren’s first Black Creative Director for Men’s Polo. He started as an intern and worked his way up to designing the groundbreaking Morehouse & Spelman Collection, shifting Polo’s legacy in the process.
🛒 Where to shop
Playa Society. Founded by former D1 hooper Esther Wallace, the brand celebrates women’s basketball with bold, empowering apparel.
Today’s email was brought to you by Katie Kehoe Foster and Briana Ekanem. Fact checking by Mikaela Perez. Ops by Marga Sison and Elisha Gunaratnam. Ads by Katie Kehoe Foster, Alessandra Puccio, and Lisa Minutillo. Managing edits by Lauren Tuiskula. Head of content Ellen Hyslop.