UC San Diego Draws No. 3 TCU in NCAA Tournament First Round as Big West Champion Tritons Eye Major Upset

Fresh off their second straight Big West title, the 14-seeded Tritons head to Fort Worth to face powerhouse TCU in a high-stakes NCAA Women’s Tournament showdown.

The NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament is known for dramatic upsets and Cinderella runs — and UC San Diego is hoping to write the next chapter in that tradition.

The Big West Champion Tritons (24–8) earned the No. 14 seed and will face No. 3 seed TCU (29–5) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. The matchup is part of the Sacramento Regional, with the winner advancing to face either No. 6 Washington or No. 11 South Dakota State in the second round.

For UC San Diego, the tournament berth represents another milestone in the program’s rapid rise since transitioning to NCAA Division I competition.

Tritons Riding Momentum After Big West Championship

UC San Diego enters the tournament with confidence after capturing its second consecutive Big West Tournament championship, defeating Hawai‘i in Henderson, Nevada.

Star guard Makayla Rose delivered a standout performance throughout the tournament and was named Most Valuable Player, helping propel the Tritons to a perfect 5–0 all-time record in the Big West Championship Tournament.

UCLA Stuns Michigan State 88–84 in Big Ten Tournament Thriller as Spartans’ Late Rally Falls Just Short

Jeremy Fears Jr. breaks Michigan State’s single-season assists record, but sixth-seeded UCLA holds off a furious Spartans comeback in the Big Ten quarterfinals in Chicago.

CHICAGO | A furious late comeback from No. 8 Michigan State nearly flipped the script Friday night, but sixth-seeded UCLA held firm in the closing seconds to secure an 88–84 victory in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals at the United Center.

Despite trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half, the third-seeded Spartans rallied to within two points in the final minute, but clutch free throws and a late layup from UCLA sealed the win and ended Michigan State’s run in the conference tournament.

The Bruins improve to 23–10, while Michigan State drops to 25–7 and will now turn its focus to the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Sunday as the program seeks its 28th consecutive March Madness appearance.

Jeremy Fears Jr. Makes History in Defeat

While the loss was a tough one for the Spartans, Jeremy Fears Jr. delivered a historic performance.

The redshirt sophomore scored 21 points and dished out 13 assists, setting a Michigan State single-season record with 294 assists, surpassing the previous mark of 291 set by Cassius Winston during the 2018–19 season.

Fears has now scored in double figures in 20 straight games and recorded his ninth 20-point performance this season, continuing a breakout year that has solidified him as one of the Big Ten’s premier guards.

Bruins’ Hot Shooting Sets the Tone

UCLA’s offensive efficiency proved to be the difference in the game.

The Bruins shot 55.6 percent from the field and connected on 48.1 percent from three-point range, building a commanding lead by halftime.

UCLA went into the locker room ahead 44–33, fueled by a stretch where Michigan State went more than five minutes without a field goal late in the first half.

The Bruins also shot an impressive 63 percent from the floor in the first half, creating the cushion they would ultimately need to survive the Spartans’ late surge.

Michigan vs. Purdue: Wolverines, Boilermakers Set for High-Stakes Big Ten Tournament Championship Showdown

No. 3 Michigan rides late-game heroics into the title game against No. 18 Purdue as the rivals battle for the 2026 Big Ten Tournament crown at Chicago’s United Center.

CHICAGO | Championship Sunday in the Big Ten Tournament is set, and it features one of the conference’s most compelling matchups of the season. No. 3 Michigan (31-2, 19-1 Big Ten) will face No. 18 Purdue (26-8, 13-7 Big Ten) for the tournament title Sunday at the United Center, with tipoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS.

The Wolverines arrive with momentum after a dramatic semifinal win over Wisconsin, capped by Yaxel Lendeborg’s game-winning three-pointer with just 0.3 seconds remaining. The buzzer-beater secured Michigan’s return to the championship game for the second straight year and reinforced the team’s reputation for late-game poise in March.

Michigan now seeks its fifth Big Ten Tournament title and its second consecutive championship after defeating Wisconsin in last year’s final.