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March Madness 2026: Texas joins rare company of First Four teams in Sweet 16

March Madness 2026: Texas joins rare company of First Four teams in Sweet 16

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It’s not been a great NCAA Men’s Tournament for the double-digit seeds. That is, unless you’re Sean Miller’s Texas Longhorns.

The No. 11 seed avoided disaster with some late Travon Mark heroics against NC State in the First Four, then vanquished AJ Dybantsa and BYU in the first round, and now they’ve taken out No. 3 seed Gonzaga 74-68 in front of an unsurprisingly pro-Gonzaga crowd at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. It’s the first time Texas has advanced to the Sweet 16 as a 10-seed or lower since 1997, and it’s tied for the lowest seed Mark Few has ever lost to in his distinguished coaching career.

With Texas up 69-68 in the closing seconds, Cam Heide, who’d only played 13 minutes and hadn’t scored all game, was left wide open in the corner for what was effectively a dagger three. The transfer from Purdue shot 46 percent from deep on the year, and he picked on hell of a time to get on the scoresheet.

Texas turned it over just five times to 20 assists, with guard Dailyn Swain putting in a highly efficient 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Lithuanian big man Matas Vokietaitis wasn’t as dominant as he was versus BYU, but he still put up 17 points and 9 rebounds and had a better time at the foul line than the 3-of-11 nightmare against the Cougars.

After a late-season slump saw them lose five of their last six games, the Longhorns had to sweat out Selection Sunday to see if they would even make the tournament with an 18-14 record, and now they’ve joined the shortlist of teams to go from First Four to the second weekend.

Only six First Four teams have advanced to the Sweet 16

This year marks the 15th season of First Four games in the NCAA Men’s Tournament. Texas is only the sixth of 60 First Four winners to get to at least the Sweet 16.

Last season, Sean Miller knocked Texas out in the First Four as Xavier head coach, and now in his first season as Longhorns head coach he’s two wins away from his first Final Four. It’s no wonder he’s called this team “resilient” with the road they’ve travelled.

Who will Texas play next?

Having gone from Dayton to Portland in a rapid-fire turnaround following their win over NC State, the Longhorns will get some well deserved rest before heading down to San Jose, California, where they’ll take on the winner of No. 7 seed Miami vs. No. 2 Purdue either Thursday or Friday. At this point, who’s to doubt their chances of becoming the next UCLA or VCU? They’ve done an incredible job making it this far, and they’ve assured that this chalk-heavy tournament will still have a double-digit seed in the Sweet 16.

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Deadspin | Penguins prepare for playoffs with season finale vs. Blues Apr 12, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) covers Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) in the final minute during the third period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Penguins are locked into second place in the Metropolitan Division and know who they’ll play in the first round of the playoffs. That said, they still have some areas to clean up heading into their regular-season finale on Tuesday night against the host St. Louis Blues. The Penguins will host their in-state rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, in the first round beginning later this week, but they don’t plan to stroll through their matchup against St. Louis. “It’s going to be important to finish off the regular season the right way,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said. “I’d love to do that with a win.” The Penguins (41-24-16, 98 points) lost their past two games, a home-and-home series against the Washington Capitals. Pittsburgh got shut out 3-0 in Washington on Sunday, but Muse thought his team played better in the second game after losing 6-3 at home on Saturday. “Opportunities for rebounds were there,” Muse said. “We were able to generate some good looks, too. Their guy played well, so that’s part of the game as well. It was better than (Saturday), but still some things we’ve got to take away and make sure that we’re cleaning up.” Muse definitely would like to see some pucks go in the net before the playoffs begin. “Going off of (Saturday), I felt like we weren’t in the offensive zone very much and it’s a credit to (the Capitals),” Muse said. “I thought we did a better job of getting and spending some more time there, I think. Even still, some opportunities to shoot more pucks, get pucks into the net front area.” Pittsburgh will have home-ice advantage against the Flyers in the first-round series. “We’ve got a work week now, too, where we’ll be able to get a couple good practice days before Game 1,” Muse said. “There will definitely be some areas we can continue to work on and just make sure we’re feeling good about all parts of our game.” The Penguins played without forwards Noel Acciari (upper body), Anthony Mantha (lower body) and Ben Kindel (upper body) as well as defensemen Ryan Shea (upper body) and Connor Clifton (upper body). Each is day to day. The Blues, who are coming off a 6-3 win at the Minnesota Wild on Monday, will conclude their disappointing season on Thursday at the Utah Mammoth. St. Louis (35-33-12, 82 points) stayed in the Western Conference playoff race up until Saturday. Despite beating the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-3, the Blues were eliminated when the Los Angeles Kings recorded a 1-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. It’s the third time in the past four years that St. Louis will miss the playoffs. The Blues have faced scoring issues most of the season, both at even strength and with the man-advantage. They are averaging 2.73 goals per game, which ranks 28th in the league this season, Their 17.5% success rate on the power plays ranks 27th. “It could be hard to come out in these games when you’re eliminated and they’re sitting nine regulars and it has that feel to it,” Blues forward Jake Neighbours said. “But, you’ve got to find a way as a player to come out with a little more energy and passion and play for the fans and play for the logo.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Penguins #prepare #playoffs #season #finale #BluesApr 12, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) covers Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) in the final minute during the third period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Penguins are locked into second place in the Metropolitan Division and know who they’ll play in the first round of the playoffs.

That said, they still have some areas to clean up heading into their regular-season finale on Tuesday night against the host St. Louis Blues.

The Penguins will host their in-state rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, in the first round beginning later this week, but they don’t plan to stroll through their matchup against St. Louis.

“It’s going to be important to finish off the regular season the right way,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said. “I’d love to do that with a win.”

The Penguins (41-24-16, 98 points) lost their past two games, a home-and-home series against the Washington Capitals.

Pittsburgh got shut out 3-0 in Washington on Sunday, but Muse thought his team played better in the second game after losing 6-3 at home on Saturday.

“Opportunities for rebounds were there,” Muse said. “We were able to generate some good looks, too. Their guy played well, so that’s part of the game as well. It was better than (Saturday), but still some things we’ve got to take away and make sure that we’re cleaning up.”

Muse definitely would like to see some pucks go in the net before the playoffs begin.

“Going off of (Saturday), I felt like we weren’t in the offensive zone very much and it’s a credit to (the Capitals),” Muse said. “I thought we did a better job of getting and spending some more time there, I think. Even still, some opportunities to shoot more pucks, get pucks into the net front area.”


Pittsburgh will have home-ice advantage against the Flyers in the first-round series.

“We’ve got a work week now, too, where we’ll be able to get a couple good practice days before Game 1,” Muse said. “There will definitely be some areas we can continue to work on and just make sure we’re feeling good about all parts of our game.”

The Penguins played without forwards Noel Acciari (upper body), Anthony Mantha (lower body) and Ben Kindel (upper body) as well as defensemen Ryan Shea (upper body) and Connor Clifton (upper body). Each is day to day.

The Blues, who are coming off a 6-3 win at the Minnesota Wild on Monday, will conclude their disappointing season on Thursday at the Utah Mammoth.

St. Louis (35-33-12, 82 points) stayed in the Western Conference playoff race up until Saturday. Despite beating the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-3, the Blues were eliminated when the Los Angeles Kings recorded a 1-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

It’s the third time in the past four years that St. Louis will miss the playoffs.

The Blues have faced scoring issues most of the season, both at even strength and with the man-advantage.

They are averaging 2.73 goals per game, which ranks 28th in the league this season, Their 17.5% success rate on the power plays ranks 27th.

“It could be hard to come out in these games when you’re eliminated and they’re sitting nine regulars and it has that feel to it,” Blues forward Jake Neighbours said. “But, you’ve got to find a way as a player to come out with a little more energy and passion and play for the fans and play for the logo.”

–Field Level Media

#Deadspin #Penguins #prepare #playoffs #season #finale #Blues">Deadspin | Penguins prepare for playoffs with season finale vs. Blues Apr 12, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) covers Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) in the final minute during the third period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images The Pittsburgh Penguins are locked into second place in the Metropolitan Division and know who they’ll play in the first round of the playoffs. That said, they still have some areas to clean up heading into their regular-season finale on Tuesday night against the host St. Louis Blues. The Penguins will host their in-state rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, in the first round beginning later this week, but they don’t plan to stroll through their matchup against St. Louis. “It’s going to be important to finish off the regular season the right way,” Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said. “I’d love to do that with a win.” The Penguins (41-24-16, 98 points) lost their past two games, a home-and-home series against the Washington Capitals. Pittsburgh got shut out 3-0 in Washington on Sunday, but Muse thought his team played better in the second game after losing 6-3 at home on Saturday. “Opportunities for rebounds were there,” Muse said. “We were able to generate some good looks, too. Their guy played well, so that’s part of the game as well. It was better than (Saturday), but still some things we’ve got to take away and make sure that we’re cleaning up.” Muse definitely would like to see some pucks go in the net before the playoffs begin. “Going off of (Saturday), I felt like we weren’t in the offensive zone very much and it’s a credit to (the Capitals),” Muse said. “I thought we did a better job of getting and spending some more time there, I think. Even still, some opportunities to shoot more pucks, get pucks into the net front area.” Pittsburgh will have home-ice advantage against the Flyers in the first-round series. “We’ve got a work week now, too, where we’ll be able to get a couple good practice days before Game 1,” Muse said. “There will definitely be some areas we can continue to work on and just make sure we’re feeling good about all parts of our game.” The Penguins played without forwards Noel Acciari (upper body), Anthony Mantha (lower body) and Ben Kindel (upper body) as well as defensemen Ryan Shea (upper body) and Connor Clifton (upper body). Each is day to day. The Blues, who are coming off a 6-3 win at the Minnesota Wild on Monday, will conclude their disappointing season on Thursday at the Utah Mammoth. St. Louis (35-33-12, 82 points) stayed in the Western Conference playoff race up until Saturday. Despite beating the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-3, the Blues were eliminated when the Los Angeles Kings recorded a 1-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. It’s the third time in the past four years that St. Louis will miss the playoffs. The Blues have faced scoring issues most of the season, both at even strength and with the man-advantage. They are averaging 2.73 goals per game, which ranks 28th in the league this season, Their 17.5% success rate on the power plays ranks 27th. “It could be hard to come out in these games when you’re eliminated and they’re sitting nine regulars and it has that feel to it,” Blues forward Jake Neighbours said. “But, you’ve got to find a way as a player to come out with a little more energy and passion and play for the fans and play for the logo.” –Field Level Media #Deadspin #Penguins #prepare #playoffs #season #finale #Blues

A new story from ESPN on the rise of the Hornets this season put Melo’s impact on the team into full focus, especially when it came to the team finding their missing piece. Charlotte seemingly had shooters with their nucleus of Ball and Brandon Miller, but when LaMelo was asked by GM Jeff Peterson about the player in the 2025 class that he liked, there was only one answer.

Although Cooper Flagg was the consensus can’t-miss prospect, Ball was talking up Kon Knueppel to the Hornets GM. Ball had watched Duke play during the season and told Peterson how savvy he thought the forward was. He was struck by Knueppel’s basketball IQ and understanding of the game — impressive even for a five-star prospect. And of course, there was Knueppel’s elite shooting.

This discussion happened before the NBA Draft lottery took place, without Charlotte knowing they would be picking 4th overall. The 19-63 Hornets had the third-worst record in the NBA, which gave them the identical 14% chance to land the top pick as the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards. Despite all this Knueppel was the player that Ball couldn’t stop talking about.

“He’s spot on with those traits,” Peterson told ESPN of that break-of-dawn draft breakdown. “He was very detailed in his evaluation of why he liked him. That was even more impressive that he was able to kind of highlight him because there were some other guys that he didn’t highlight.

“He may have a future in the front office if he wants.”

The Hornets improved to 44-38 this season, good enough to make the NBA Play-In Tournament, and Knueppel is a mammoth reason why. His lights out shooting, and veteran-level ability to play off the screen has paired perfectly with a healthy Ball and Miller this season to transform Charlotte into one of the NBA’s hottest teams, and a legitimate nightmare matchup should they manage to make it through to the playoffs and face a top seed.

It’s impossible to know what the Hornets would have looked like had they landed the No. 1 pick and Flagg. There is no question that Flagg has the superstar ability to take over the league and become a legitimate top player in the NBA, but it’s unclear if he would have been a good fit alongside Ball and Miller. Meanwhile, Knueppel’s team-first, unselfish play has allowed Charlotte to flourish with perimeter shooting, stretching the floor, and morphing from a spot-up shooter early in the season, to now being a threat that has to be accounted for, opening up passing lanes for LaMelo Ball.

All in all, Kon Knueppel to Charlotte has been a match made in basketball heaven, and the Hornets are now a team to watch in the East for 2026-27, regardless of what happens in the postseason. LaMelo Ball is a huge part of that for identifying the Duke forward and helping to turn everything around.

#LaMelo #Ball #helped #convince #Hornets #draft #Kon #Knueppel">LaMelo Ball helped convince the Hornets to draft Kon Knueppel LaMelo Ball has been a lightning rod for criticism throughout his NBA career due to his loose play, seemingly unserious attitude, and deservedly for his dangerous driving. One thing that has been a total myth is his lack of basketball IQ, because inside of his floaty, street ball style is a guy who really understands ball.A new story from ESPN on the rise of the Hornets this season put Melo’s impact on the team into full focus, especially when it came to the team finding their missing piece. Charlotte seemingly had shooters with their nucleus of Ball and Brandon Miller, but when LaMelo was asked by GM Jeff Peterson about the player in the 2025 class that he liked, there was only one answer.Although Cooper Flagg was the consensus can’t-miss prospect, Ball was talking up Kon Knueppel to the Hornets GM. Ball had watched Duke play during the season and told Peterson how savvy he thought the forward was. He was struck by Knueppel’s basketball IQ and understanding of the game — impressive even for a five-star prospect. And of course, there was Knueppel’s elite shooting.This discussion happened before the NBA Draft lottery took place, without Charlotte knowing they would be picking 4th overall. The 19-63 Hornets had the third-worst record in the NBA, which gave them the identical 14% chance to land the top pick as the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards. Despite all this Knueppel was the player that Ball couldn’t stop talking about.“He’s spot on with those traits,” Peterson told ESPN of that break-of-dawn draft breakdown. “He was very detailed in his evaluation of why he liked him. That was even more impressive that he was able to kind of highlight him because there were some other guys that he didn’t highlight.“He may have a future in the front office if he wants.”The Hornets improved to 44-38 this season, good enough to make the NBA Play-In Tournament, and Knueppel is a mammoth reason why. His lights out shooting, and veteran-level ability to play off the screen has paired perfectly with a healthy Ball and Miller this season to transform Charlotte into one of the NBA’s hottest teams, and a legitimate nightmare matchup should they manage to make it through to the playoffs and face a top seed.It’s impossible to know what the Hornets would have looked like had they landed the No. 1 pick and Flagg. There is no question that Flagg has the superstar ability to take over the league and become a legitimate top player in the NBA, but it’s unclear if he would have been a good fit alongside Ball and Miller. Meanwhile, Knueppel’s team-first, unselfish play has allowed Charlotte to flourish with perimeter shooting, stretching the floor, and morphing from a spot-up shooter early in the season, to now being a threat that has to be accounted for, opening up passing lanes for LaMelo Ball.All in all, Kon Knueppel to Charlotte has been a match made in basketball heaven, and the Hornets are now a team to watch in the East for 2026-27, regardless of what happens in the postseason. LaMelo Ball is a huge part of that for identifying the Duke forward and helping to turn everything around. #LaMelo #Ball #helped #convince #Hornets #draft #Kon #Knueppel

deservedly for his dangerous driving. One thing that has been a total myth is his lack of basketball IQ, because inside of his floaty, street ball style is a guy who really understands ball.

A new story from ESPN on the rise of the Hornets this season put Melo’s impact on the team into full focus, especially when it came to the team finding their missing piece. Charlotte seemingly had shooters with their nucleus of Ball and Brandon Miller, but when LaMelo was asked by GM Jeff Peterson about the player in the 2025 class that he liked, there was only one answer.

Although Cooper Flagg was the consensus can’t-miss prospect, Ball was talking up Kon Knueppel to the Hornets GM. Ball had watched Duke play during the season and told Peterson how savvy he thought the forward was. He was struck by Knueppel’s basketball IQ and understanding of the game — impressive even for a five-star prospect. And of course, there was Knueppel’s elite shooting.

This discussion happened before the NBA Draft lottery took place, without Charlotte knowing they would be picking 4th overall. The 19-63 Hornets had the third-worst record in the NBA, which gave them the identical 14% chance to land the top pick as the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards. Despite all this Knueppel was the player that Ball couldn’t stop talking about.

“He’s spot on with those traits,” Peterson told ESPN of that break-of-dawn draft breakdown. “He was very detailed in his evaluation of why he liked him. That was even more impressive that he was able to kind of highlight him because there were some other guys that he didn’t highlight.

“He may have a future in the front office if he wants.”

The Hornets improved to 44-38 this season, good enough to make the NBA Play-In Tournament, and Knueppel is a mammoth reason why. His lights out shooting, and veteran-level ability to play off the screen has paired perfectly with a healthy Ball and Miller this season to transform Charlotte into one of the NBA’s hottest teams, and a legitimate nightmare matchup should they manage to make it through to the playoffs and face a top seed.

It’s impossible to know what the Hornets would have looked like had they landed the No. 1 pick and Flagg. There is no question that Flagg has the superstar ability to take over the league and become a legitimate top player in the NBA, but it’s unclear if he would have been a good fit alongside Ball and Miller. Meanwhile, Knueppel’s team-first, unselfish play has allowed Charlotte to flourish with perimeter shooting, stretching the floor, and morphing from a spot-up shooter early in the season, to now being a threat that has to be accounted for, opening up passing lanes for LaMelo Ball.

All in all, Kon Knueppel to Charlotte has been a match made in basketball heaven, and the Hornets are now a team to watch in the East for 2026-27, regardless of what happens in the postseason. LaMelo Ball is a huge part of that for identifying the Duke forward and helping to turn everything around.

#LaMelo #Ball #helped #convince #Hornets #draft #Kon #Knueppel">LaMelo Ball helped convince the Hornets to draft Kon Knueppel

LaMelo Ball has been a lightning rod for criticism throughout his NBA career due to his loose play, seemingly unserious attitude, and deservedly for his dangerous driving. One thing that has been a total myth is his lack of basketball IQ, because inside of his floaty, street ball style is a guy who really understands ball.

A new story from ESPN on the rise of the Hornets this season put Melo’s impact on the team into full focus, especially when it came to the team finding their missing piece. Charlotte seemingly had shooters with their nucleus of Ball and Brandon Miller, but when LaMelo was asked by GM Jeff Peterson about the player in the 2025 class that he liked, there was only one answer.

Although Cooper Flagg was the consensus can’t-miss prospect, Ball was talking up Kon Knueppel to the Hornets GM. Ball had watched Duke play during the season and told Peterson how savvy he thought the forward was. He was struck by Knueppel’s basketball IQ and understanding of the game — impressive even for a five-star prospect. And of course, there was Knueppel’s elite shooting.

This discussion happened before the NBA Draft lottery took place, without Charlotte knowing they would be picking 4th overall. The 19-63 Hornets had the third-worst record in the NBA, which gave them the identical 14% chance to land the top pick as the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards. Despite all this Knueppel was the player that Ball couldn’t stop talking about.

“He’s spot on with those traits,” Peterson told ESPN of that break-of-dawn draft breakdown. “He was very detailed in his evaluation of why he liked him. That was even more impressive that he was able to kind of highlight him because there were some other guys that he didn’t highlight.

“He may have a future in the front office if he wants.”

The Hornets improved to 44-38 this season, good enough to make the NBA Play-In Tournament, and Knueppel is a mammoth reason why. His lights out shooting, and veteran-level ability to play off the screen has paired perfectly with a healthy Ball and Miller this season to transform Charlotte into one of the NBA’s hottest teams, and a legitimate nightmare matchup should they manage to make it through to the playoffs and face a top seed.

It’s impossible to know what the Hornets would have looked like had they landed the No. 1 pick and Flagg. There is no question that Flagg has the superstar ability to take over the league and become a legitimate top player in the NBA, but it’s unclear if he would have been a good fit alongside Ball and Miller. Meanwhile, Knueppel’s team-first, unselfish play has allowed Charlotte to flourish with perimeter shooting, stretching the floor, and morphing from a spot-up shooter early in the season, to now being a threat that has to be accounted for, opening up passing lanes for LaMelo Ball.

All in all, Kon Knueppel to Charlotte has been a match made in basketball heaven, and the Hornets are now a team to watch in the East for 2026-27, regardless of what happens in the postseason. LaMelo Ball is a huge part of that for identifying the Duke forward and helping to turn everything around.

#LaMelo #Ball #helped #convince #Hornets #draft #Kon #Knueppel

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