No. 1 Arizona dominates No. 4 Arkansas to advance to NCAA tournament Elite 8 for first time since 2015

Arizona showed why it's a favorite to win theNCAA tournamentagainst Arkansas.

TheNo. 1 Wildcats throttled the No. 4 Razorbacks 109-86 in the Sweet 16to advance to theElite Eight on Saturday against No. 2 Purduein the West region. Arizona was absolutely unstoppable on offense as the Razorbacks could not do a single thing to slow down the onslaught.

The Wildcats shot 64% in the first half as they led by 11 at the break. They immediately extended that lead in the second half.

The lead grew to 18 points less than three minutes into the second half and broke the 20-point mark less than seven minutes into the half. Arkansas did its best on the offensive end to cut into the deficit. But it's hard to cut into a lead when you can't prevent the other team from scoring. Arizona shot 64% from the field in the second half too.

Arizona got baskets at the rim, in the lane and outside the arc — though they didn't need the 3-point shot at all to make the blowout happen. Just eight of Arizona's 58 field-goal attempts came from 3-point range. The Wildcats bullied their way to the basket as often as they could. And Arkansas was happy to oblige.

All five Arizona starters scored at least 14 points as the Wildcats had 80 points with 10:36 to go. The Wildcats entered the game averaging 86 points per contest.

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Arizona's first Elite Eight in 11 years

All five Arizona starters scored in double figures as the Wildcats had 80 points with 10:36 to go. The Wildcats entered the game averaging 86 points per contest.

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Despite being one of the best programs in college basketball over the past decade, it's been a while since Arizona has been to the Elite Eight.

The Wildcats haven't been this far in the NCAA tournament in 11 years. In that span, Arizona has made seven previous tournaments and made the Sweet 16 four times. But the run always ended at that point.

And there were a couple of embarrassing first-round losses mixed in too. In 2016, Arizona lost to No. 11 Wichita State as a No. 6 seed. In 2018, the Wildcats were blown out by No. 13 Buffalo as a No. 4 seed.

The most embarrassing game came in coach Tommy Lloyd's second season, however. The Wildcats were a No. 2 seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament but lost 59-55 in the first round to No. 15 Princeton.

Since then, Arizona made the Sweet 16 in three straight seasons, but never sniffed a Final Four. Until now.

Freshman guard Brayden Burries had 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting while freshman forward Koa Peat scored 21 as he was 8-of-11 from the field.

Arkansas got frustrated

As the game was out of reach,Arkansas was very unhappy. Billy Richmond II was ejected in the second half for a Flagrant 2 foul for an off-ball push on Ivan Kharchenkov with just over seven minutes to go.

Fewer than two minutes later, Arkansas coach John Calipari got a technical foul for something that he said while Arizona was shooting free throws with a 22-point lead.

It was an ignominious end for a Razorbacks team that won its first two games in the NCAA tournament by a combined 45 points behind the star power of freshman point guard Darius Acuff. But it's hard to beat a team that has 100 points with over five minutes to go. And Arkansas realized that.

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No. 1 Arizona dominates No. 4 Arkansas to advance to NCAA tournament Elite 8 for first time since 2015

Arizona showed why it's a favorite to win theNCAA tournamentagainst Arkansas. TheNo. 1 Wildcats throttled ...

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For women's hockey fans, the league's first U.S. broadcast is a watershed moment

Growing up, Kate Hoos was told girls don't play hockey.

"If you can find a girls team, we'll let you play," she recalled being told. But there was no girls team at the time — and it wouldn't be until a decade later, at age 20, that she learned to skate.

Now 44 and fresh off a championship with herrecreational teamin New York City, she'll be watching Saturday as the Professional Women's Hockey League has its first nationally broadcast game in the U.S.

The New York Sirens will face the Montréal Victoire (1 p.m. ET, ION) at Detroit's Little Caesars Arena as part of the league's Takeover Tour featuring regular-season games played in cities without franchises to increase exposure.

For PWHL fans, the broadcast is a watershed moment that reflects their long-held truth: Women's hockey deserves national attention.

"This is the world that I knew would exist," said Hoos, whose fandom stretches back to the U.S. women's winning gold at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

"Everybody back then told me I was crazy. It'll never happen. It'll never make money. No one will ever care. There won't be enough players. Every excuse under the sun," she added. "And it took a while. It was a long and it was a thorny road, but now I feel that we're finally emerging into the world that I knew would exist."

Interest in women's hockey skyrocketed at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The gold medal final between Team USA and Canada became the most-watched women's hockey game on record, amassing5.3 million viewersacross USA Network and Peacock.

The first three PWHL games after the Olympic break were sold out, including one in Seattle that had a record turnout of 17,355. And upcoming games at Madison Square Garden in New York on April 4 and Boston's TD Garden on April 11are also sold out.

The broadcast "represents all the growth that we're seeing in women's hockey right now," said Jackie Johnston, a content creator known as "Coach Jackie" to her more than 1 million social media followers. "It's always great for that to be recognized by broadcasters who think and know that if they want to make money and they want to be successful in their business that women's sports is the place to be right now."

The PWHL, which began in 2024, has broadcast partners in Canada but has yet to secure a full-time national TV deal in the U.S. Games are available on its YouTube channel for free and on some local channels. Now, ION will bring this weekend's match to more than 126 million households nationwide.

Rachel Donner, co-host of "At Even Strength," a women's hockey podcast, described her reaction to the broadcast as a combination of excitement and "finally."

"The people that love it seek it out on YouTube or through social media," she said. "But if it's just on the grid and people are searching and they can see it there, that will bring new fans to the game."

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The timing of the Olympics midseason provides money and visibility that allow the league to capitalize on the surge in interest. Fans can follow players from the international tournament to the professional league, a "natural onboarding" that helps the PWHL grow, Donner said. Sixty-one PWHL players from eight countries competed at the Milan Cortina Games, returning with 41 medals.

Ava Wood, a content creator and newsletter writer whose brand365HockeyGirlhas more than 50,000 followers across social media, called thenational broadcast announcementa "relief." After a history of instability in women's professional hockey, it brings salience to an eight-team league just three seasons old, she said, assuaging her nagging worries that the PWHL could fold.

"That signals to me the PWHL will be here to stay and it'll really be sustainable," she said.

Wood said her TikTok following nearly doubled after the Olympics, and she's also hopeful that Saturday's broadcast will help usher in a new wave of support for the league.

"There are so many people that are going to become PWHL fans once they just see it," she said.

But as excitement builds, so do concerns about whether American broadcasters will portray female athletes' stories with respect and authenticity. How the game is aired will have implications for the way audiences perceive the sport.

Some fans criticized the commentary during women's hockey games at the Olympics forcentering male voices— whether it be tying players back to their husbands' accomplishments orone instancewhen an interview with the NHL's Brady Tkachuk was aired over women's gameplay.

Wood said she'd like to see broadcast partners be intentional about elevating female commentators, dedicating time to a pre- and a post-game show or even having a PWHL rules expert be fully inclusive and accessible to fans at all levels.

"There is still this culture, perhaps, to have to seemingly validate women's hockey through the male gaze," said Erica L. Ayala, founder ofBlack Rosie Mediaand co-host of "At Even Strength."

Ayala, a veteran sports broadcaster who called more than 100 games with the Premier Hockey Federation, is optimistic that ION will meet the moment with care, given its track record with other women's sports, such as the WNBA and the National Women's Soccer League.

"I've been very impressed with [ION's] level of commitment to bring on and engage new WNBA fans while also being able to truly embrace OG fans," Ayala said.

Ultimately, the broadcast is another aspect of the PWHL's growth — one that brings visibility to the talent supporters know has existed for years. The next step is seeing the players get rewarded, Ayala said.

"Women's hockey deserves much more than a flash in the pan," she said. "I don't know that there's much more that the sport and the athletes have to prove. I go back to the comment that [University of South Carolina basketball coach] Dawn Staley made several years ago: Are the powers that be going to get out of the way? Are they going to let them cook?"

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For women's hockey fans, the league's first U.S. broadcast is a watershed moment

Growing up, Kate Hoos was told girls don't play hockey. "If you can find a girls team, we'll let ...

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Trump says he will pause attacks on Iran's energy plants

By Bhargav Acharya and Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was ‌pausing attacks on Iran's energy plants for 10 ‌days at what he cast as the Iranian government's request, and said talks ​with Tehran were going "very well."

"As per Iranian Government request... I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time," ‌Trump said in a ⁠post on Truth Social.

"Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake ⁠News Media, and others, they are going very well," he said.

"I gave them a 10-day period. They asked for seven," ​Trump later ​told Fox News' "The Five" show.

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Trump, ​who has offered shifting goals ‌and timeline for the Iran war, ranging from overthrowing Iran's government to destroying its military and missile capabilities, told Fox News he thinks the U.S. has won the war.

"In a certain sense, we have already won," Trump said.

Trump has said ‌Iran must make a deal or ​face a continued onslaught.

The war began ​on February 28 when ​the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. Tehran subsequently ‌responded by launching its own ​attacks on Israel ​and Gulf states with U.S. bases.

Joint U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands. ​The war has ‌also raised oil prices and shaken global markets.

(Reporting by ​Bhargav Acharya, Kanishka Singh and Jasper Ward; Editing by ​David Ljunggren and Bill Berkrot)

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Trump says he will pause attacks on Iran's energy plants

By Bhargav Acharya and Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, March 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thu...

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Iowa continues improbable March run, beating Nebraska to reach Elite Eight

HOUSTON (AP) — Alvaro Folgueirasconverted a critical three-point playwhen Nebraska only had four defenders on the floor, and ninth-seeded Iowa continued its unpredictableNCAA Tournamentrun under first-year coach Ben McCollum, beating Nebraska 77-71 in a South Region semifinal on Thursday night.

Bennett Stirtz scored 20 points and Folgueiras had 16 for the Hawkeyes (24-12), whoknocked off top-seeded Floridain the second round on Folgueiras' 3-pointer in the closing seconds.

Iowa will face either Illinois or Houston on Saturday for a spot in the Final Four. McCollum, who won four Division II national titles at Northwest Missouri State, has now led Iowa to its fifth Elite Eight and first since 1987.

Fourth-seeded Nebraska (28-7) took an early 10-point lead against its Big Ten rival, and Iowa tied it four times but never led until Stirtz buried a 3-pointer to make it 68-65 with 2:10 to go. Sage Tate hit another 3 to cap a 9-0 run and put Iowa ahead 71-65.

The Cornhuskers got within three on a second-chance 3 by Braden Frager, but they were disorganized on the inbound play, leaving Folgueiras unguarded near the rim. He slammed it home — popping up screaming after he finished through contact as Iowa fans roared — and converted the free throw for a six-point lead.

Another dunk by Folgueiras with 34 seconds left made it 76-68.

Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort made six 3s and scored 25 points for Nebraska, which won the first two March Madness games in program history to get this far. Frager added 16 points for coach Fred Hoiberg's Cornhuskers, who delighted a traveling contingent of red-clad fans throughout their tournament run.

SOUTH REGION

NO. 3 Illinois 65, NO. 2 HOUSTON 55

HOUSTON (AP) — David Mirkovic had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Illinois flexed its defensive muscles to eliminate last year's national runner-up, beating Houston.

Next up is a meeting Saturdaywith ninth-seeded Iowato see which Big Ten team will advance to the Final Four. It will be the 11th Elite Eight appearance for Illinois (27-8) and its second in three seasons under Brad Underwood.

In theSweet 16for a seventh consecutive time, the second-seeded Cougars (30-7) were thrilled to be playing a game just over two miles from their campus. But their poor shooting gave Houston fans little to cheer about and delighted the orange-clad Illini faithful who made the long trip to Texas.

Star freshman point guard Kingston Flemings, who expected to be an NBA lottery pick, had 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting and Milos Uzan made just 2 of 11 shots.

But they were far from the only Cougars who struggled offensively. The team shot just 34% in its lowest-scoring game of the season.

Illinois finished well under the 84.7 points a game it averaged entering Thursday. But its offense was still plenty powerful enough to send Houston back to its nearby campus. Keaton Wagler had 13 points and 12 rebounds for the Illini, and Andrej Stojakovic — with his dad, three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic, in the stands — also scored 13.

WEST REGION

NO. 1 ARIZONA 109, NO. 4 ARKANSAS 88

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SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Arizona finally got over the Sweet 16 hurdle under coach Tommy Lloyd, getting 23 points from Brayden Burries and a dominant offensive effort in a win over Arkansas.

Fellow freshmen Koa Peat added 21 points and Ivan Kharchenkov had 15 as the top-seeded Wildcats (35-2) won their 12th straight game overall to tie a school record for wins in a season and advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2015.

Arizona will play second-seeded Purdue on Saturday night for a spot in the Final Four.

Jaden Bradley, Motiejus Krivas and Tobe Awaka all scored 14 points as Arizona became the first team in NCAA Tournament history with six players scoring at least 14 points in a game.

Lloyd has won a record 147 games in his first five seasons as a head coach but has been unable to find tournament success before this season. Arizona had lost three times in the Sweet 16 and once in the first round as a No. 2 seed in Lloyd's first four seasons.

But the Wildcats have rolled through this year's tournament outside of a couple of tense moments in the second round against Utah State, outscoring the opposition by 67 points in three double-digit wins.

Freshman Darius Acuff Jr. scored 28 points for fourth-seeded Arkansas (28-9) in what might be the final college game for the talented freshman who scored 88 points in three tournament games. But he didn't get nearly enough help against the deeper Wildcats.

NO. 2 PURDUE 79, NO. 11 TEXAS 77

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Trey Kaufman-Renntipped in a miss by Braden Smithwith 0.7 seconds left, and Purdue edged hobbling Texas star Tramon Mark and the Longhorns in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Texas (21-15) tied it moments earlier when Dailyn Swain made a driving layup, was fouled and converted the three-point play with 11.9 seconds to go. Smith had scored on his own drive with 38 seconds remaining and finished with 16 points.

Kaufman-Renn hit his first seven shots — going 6 for 6 and grabbing five rebounds in the first half — on the way to 20 points. He was mobbed by teammates right after the final buzzer sounded at SAP Center.

Mark scored 29 for the Longhorns, grimacing and clearly in pain limping on his injured left foot through the closing minutes when the sixth-year senior's team needed him most. His points were the most by a Texas player in an NCAA Tournament game since Kevin Durant scored 30 against Southern California in the second round of the 2007 tournament.

Purdue (30-8) advances to Saturday's Elite Eight game against either top-seeded Arizona (34-2) or No. 4 seed Arkansas (28-8), who were playing the late game at SAP Center.

Texas coach Sean Miller made his ninth Sweet 16 appearance in 21 seasons, the most of any coach who hasn't reached the Final Four.

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage:https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

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Iowa continues improbable March run, beating Nebraska to reach Elite Eight

HOUSTON (AP) — Alvaro Folgueirasconverted a critical three-point playwhen Nebraska only had four defenders on the floor, ...

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A Minneapolis woman recounts death of Alex Pretti as lawyers eye a class action lawsuit

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis woman who confronted federal immigration officers alongsideAlex Prettiin January was among a group of potential litigants who spoke out Thursday about alleged excessive force against people protesting or monitoring the enforcement surge in Minnesota.

Georgia Savageford, who introduced herself as Wynnie at a news conference, said she was inside an officer's vehicle when she saw federal agents shoot Pretti.

"That day has changed me forever," she said. "The trauma will haunt me for the rest of my life, and I will never be the same."

Savageford said she had been legally observing the actions of federal officers in Minneapolis ever since the shooting death ofRenee Goodby a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Jan. 7. She said she was doing so again on the morning of Jan. 24 when an agent pushed her twice and caused her to fall.

"As I was going down, three agents proceeded to tackle me and drag me face-down into the middle of the street. They knelt on my back, twisted my arms and my legs to the ground, and handcuffed me. The cuffs were so tight I lost feeling in my hands, which resulted in temporary nerve damage," she recounted.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not immediately respond Thursday to emails seeking comment. Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration on Tuesday foraccess to evidencethey say they need to independently investigate the killings.

Savageford said Pretti recorded video of her arrest and yelled at agents to leave her alone.

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She said the officers put her in the back of a vehicle, from which she saw agents shoot and kill Pretti on the other side of the street.

"At that moment, I thought I was going to die too. I pleaded with the agents to understand why another life was taken, and to not take mine," she said.

She added that they told her to shut up and to stop being hysterical. She said they then took her to an ICE holding facility where she was held for 12 hours in a cold cell without ready access to food, water or the bathroom until she was released without being charged.

"I did not know him, but I knew he had my back," she said of Pretti. "I know the kind of heart he had. One that loves and protects without limits."

Savageford shared her story at a news conference wherecivil rights attorney John Burris, of Oakland, California, and other lawyers laid out how they're paving the way for potential class-action lawsuits over alleged excessive force used against protesters and monitors.

Burris, who specializes in police misconduct, helped win an $11 million settlement against the Oakland Police Department in 2003, and helped win a civil jury verdict of $3.8 million for the latemotorist Rodney King, who was beaten by Los Angeles police officers in 1991.

He said he and his colleagues have filed complaints with federal agencies involved in the Minnesota enforcement surge on behalf of 10 people, including Savageford, as the first step in a process that's likely to lead to a larger class-action lawsuit.

"We have many others that are under investigation that have not completed the process. But I thought it was important for us to start this process now. Put the government on notice that we're here," Burris said.

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A Minneapolis woman recounts death of Alex Pretti as lawyers eye a class action lawsuit

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minneapolis woman who confronted federal immigration officers alongsideAlex Prettiin January was amo...

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