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Good morning! Make a big shot today. Inside:
- 📖 A storybook shot
- 🏈 The NFL’s ref threat
- ⛳ Woodland’s emotional win
Miracles: UConn’s instant lore moment
As Braylon Mullins drained one of the best buzzer-beaters in NCAA Tournament history yesterday, all I could think about was my parents’ driveway. My whole childhood, I had a basketball goal, and spent many days and nights in that driveway dreaming of making a shot like that.
Everyone does. It’s the reason we are sports fans. And it speaks to how improbable UConn’s win over Duke was yesterday. There will be a generation of Huskies fans — and pretty much any non-Duke watchers — who will superimpose themselves into that moment, time and time again, on driveways and in backyards across the country.
So yes, we’re still thinking about the shot a day later. Two points that have crystallized before we get to more ethereal concepts:
- If you didn’t see it, I’ll try to capture it: No. 1 seed Duke, which went into halftime with a 15-point lead, collapsed down the stretch, yet appeared to have won the game after inbounding the ball with 10 seconds left, only having to hold the ball to clinch. Instead, after a few passes, Blue Devils point guard Cayden Boozer turned the ball over and this happened:
UCONN FROM THE LOGO FOR THE WIN 😱
🎥 @MarchMadnessMBB pic.twitter.com/QCZWxYUKnq
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) March 29, 2026
- Before that, No. 1 seeds in the men’s tournament were 134-0 with a 15-point lead at the half. Even after the proverbial dust has settled, I think it’s one of the best endings in the sport’s history. Our David Aldridge agreed. Caitlin Clark expressed it more viscerally.
The real debate sparked among Athletic experts last night: Was that better than Christian Laettner’s iconic game winner over Kentucky in 1992? Go read that argument here, which includes other iconic shots.
But I’m greedy and want your opinion, so we arrive at a new Pulse Poll: What’s the best shot in men’s NCAA Tournament history? Email me thoughts at thepulse@theathletic.com, and make sure you’re subscribed to see poll results in tomorrow’s newsletter.
Can’t wait to see those results. We also had other games yesterday.
Ed Szczepanski / Imagn Images
All of this feels a little unfair to the other Elite Eight games that happened yesterday, but those games were simply “normal,” legacy-cementing results, not the miracle performed above. We’ll be quick:
- On the men’s side, No. 1 seed Michigan is our other Final Four entrant after a 95-62 rout of No. 6 Tennessee. The Wolverines are simply a juggernaut built by Dusty May, who has an argument to be a top-five coach in men’s hoops right now. Both Final Four matchups should be really, really special.
- On the women’s side, we had a slight role reversal, as it was UConn advancing to its 25th Final Four with a mostly comfortable win over Notre Dame. UCLA joined the Huskies, but took on the role of beating Duke with a late comeback.
We could have all four No. 1 seeds make the women’s Final Four if South Carolina and Texas win tonight. I’ll leave you with updated forecasts on who can win the title in both brackets:
Men | Women
Let’s keep moving:
News to Know
Jordan Bank / Getty Images
Woodland’s emotional win
Two weeks ago, golfer Gary Woodland won hearts by being vulnerable. He revealed to the world that he battles PTSD following a 2023 brain surgery, detailing how much he struggles mentally on a day-to-day basis. Which makes yesterday’s visual — playing partners Min Woo Lee and Nicolai Højgaard hyping the crowd for Woodland as the trio walked down the 18th fairway — all the more affecting. Woodland won the Houston Open, then collapsed into tears. What a story.
NFL could hire replacement refs
The NFL and its referees union are at an impasse with two months left on the collective bargaining agreement, and The Athletic reported yesterday the league is preparing to hire and train replacement referees as soon as May if no deal is reached. This comes as the sides are far apart on key issues in negotiations; expect some more fodder this week during the annual league meetings. Read our full report.
Knights fire Cassidy
In one of the more surprising stories of the day, the Golden Knights sacked coach Bruce Cassidy with just eight games left in the season. John Tortorella will take over what is likely a playoff team, sitting three points above the cut line. Cassidy won a Stanley Cup title in Vegas and was overall an excellent coach, but his team floundered in the second half of this season. Read our full report.
More news:
- The Irish rugby player-turned-stud-football-recruit has chosen a college: South Carolina.
- Igor Tudor and Tottenham Hotspur parted ways after the coach spent just 44 days in charge. Spurs will appoint their third coach of the season this week as the club tries to avoid relegation. What a mess.
- Two-time Olympian Caster Semenya criticized the new IOC rule banning transgender women. See her comments.
- The 49ers actually hired outside help to conduct tests at the infamous electrical substation near Levi’s Stadium. Everything was fine.
- An impostor posed as Packers safety Xavier McKinney to steal over $4 million, according to a lawsuit. Read our full story.
- Jets coach Aaron Glenn confirmed: Geno Smith is the starting quarterback in New York.
- How bad is the new F1 car? Max Verstappen is contemplating retirement.
📰 Find more news here 24/7.
Watch Guide
📺 NCAAW: No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 1 Texas
7 p.m. ET on ESPN
The first of our final two Elite Eight games tonight, and this figures to be a tad closer than the ensuing game (No. 3 TCU vs. No. 1 South Carolina). If the Wolverines win, we’d have two schools — Michigan and UConn — with both the men’s and women’s teams represented at the Final Four.
📺 NBA: Pistons at Thunder
9:30 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBC Sports Network
A possible finals preview (without Cade Cunningham present, though) as we approach the end of the regular season. Yes.
📺 MLB: Giants at Padres
9:40 p.m. ET on FS1
I am already morbidly fascinated by Tony Vitello’s tenure in San Francisco because it seems like every time he opens his mouth, he regrets taking the Giants job. His team is 0-3 and has scored one run all season.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
Just watching Ivan Demidov play hockey can be an artistic experience. The Canadiens forward has a preternatural feel for the game and the skills to go with it. As Arpon Basu tells it in a great story today, Ivan was born to skate. Make time for this.
USWNT star Catarina Macario gave a great exclusive interview to The Athletic about her move from Chelsea back to the States, where she’s having fun again.
LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier is closer to QB2 in this NFL Draft than you think, as Ted Nguyen writes today. I did not pay to have this written.
Players in the women’s NCAA Tournament have a favorite pastime this year: reading.
Will Tiger Woods play in the Masters? Brody Miller tried to explain what goes into that now-complicated decision.
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: The crowd roar for Eugenio Suárez’s ABS challenge on CB Bucknor. Incredible stuff.
Most-read on the website yesterday: ☝️
📫 That’s all for now! Say hello at thepulse@theathletic.com, and check out our other newsletters.