An injured star, dominant top seeds and Hall of Fame coaches face off. Here’s what to know for Sunday’s March Madness action

We've had buzzer-beaters,upsets, top seedsnarrowly survivingand national title contenders looking like, well, national title contenders.

It's been a mad, mad weekend and the Sweet 16 in the men's and women's NCAA tournament is starting to take shape.

With eight more games scheduled for Sunday, the men's tournament will wrap up its first two rounds on Sunday. The women, meanwhile, are just getting started with the Round of 32, finishing up their first weekend action on Monday.

Here's what you need to know for Sunday's action.

Iowa State and its injured star

The Midwest No. 2 seed Iowa State Cyclones looked like Final Four contenders on Friday as they eclipsed the century mark with a resounding 108-74 win over the Tennessee State Tigers.

But the joy was tempered by an injury to the Cyclones' second-team All-American Joshua Jefferson. The senior forward landed awkwardly after a layup and rolled his ankle. Jefferson left the court with assistance from athletic trainers and later returned with a boot on his injured left leg.

The 22-year-old was taken for an x-ray, which came back negative, and was diagnosed with a left ankle sprain, team head coach TJ Otzelberger told reporters after the game.

"We will continue to reevaluate over the next day or two and just see where things are when we get to Sunday and we figure out what time we play," Otzelberger added.

Iowa State will face the No. 7 seed Kentucky Wildcats in St. Louis, Missouri, in the second round. Kentucky is in the game thanks to the standout moment of the tournament,a buzzer-beating 3-pointerthat sent their game against Santa Clara into overtime, where they eventually pulled away.

Florida and Arizona look to cruise

The top seeds playing on Sunday barely broke a sweat in their opening games on Friday.

Florida put the hurt on Prairie View A&M on Friday, more than doubling them up with a 114-55 win. Arizona, meanwhile, barely had to get out of second gear against Long Island University, sending the viral 16-seed home after a 92-58 beatdown.

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The Gators and Wildcats are Final Four picks for many bracketologists (professional and amateur alike), and it's likely that they'll not exactly face huge tests on Sunday. The Gators take on Iowa and Arizona takes on Utah State.

If either the Hawkeyes or the Aggies pull off the major upset, ignore everything you just read.

Bill Self vs. Rick Pitino

What a tasty matchup of coaches we'll get in the Kansas-St. John's game.

Two Hall of Fame coaches with multiple national titles going up against each other for a spot in the Sweet 16 – there are few things better.

Self and Kansas have been to 11 Sweet 16s during their time together, which began in 2003, but are looking to get to the second weekend for the first time since winning the 2022 national title. Kansas put together a 24-10 record this year and escaped California Baptist with an eight-point victory on Friday in a game that the Jayhawks would have liked to be a little less stressful.

Pitino and St. John's, meanwhile, had that stressless experience. The Johnnies – smarting at being chosen as a 5-see despite being the Big East regular season and tournament champions – smacked Northern Iowa 79-53 and are looking to go further than they did in last year's tournament. In that Round of 32 defeat to Arkansas, Pitino was defeated by another Hall of Fame contemporary, John Calipari and Arkansas.

Pitino has been to the Sweet 16 with three different schools – Providence, Kentucky and Louisville – and will be looking to take St. John's to the second weekend for the first time this century; the last time St. John's made it to the tournament's second weekend was 1999.

Will there be any upsets in the women's tournament?

Friday was the chalkiest day possible in the women's bracket as not a single upset took place in the Round of 64. With those same teams taking to the court on Sunday, the question remains: Can any of the underdogs pull off a win?

With three different 4 vs. 5 matches, it's possible that one of those teams (Ole Miss, Maryland and Michigan State, which narrowly avoided an upset in its opening game) could pull off the mini upset and advance. But they'll face the unique challenge in the women's tournament that the opening rounds are played in the highest-seeded team's home arena so all three of those teams will playing road games against Minnesota, UNC and Oklahoma respectively.

Otherwise, expect more dominant performances by the tournament's top teams. Michigan, LSU, Duke, TCU and Texas all rolled in their opening games. The closest contest was Duke's 17-point win over the College of Charleston, and most of those games were decided by 30 or more points.

Men's schedule

• No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 7 Miami at 12:10 p.m. ET on CBS

• No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 7 Kentucky at 2:45 p.m. ET on CBS

• No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 5 St. John's at 5:15 p.m. ET on CBS

• No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 6 Tennessee at 6:10 p.m. ET on TNT

• No. 1 Florida vs. No. 9 Iowa at 7:10 p.m. ET on TBS

• No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 9 Utah State at 7:50 p.m. ET on truTV

• No. 2 UConn vs. No. 7 UCLA at 8:45 p.m. ET on TNT

• No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 5 Texas Tech at 9:45 p.m. ET on TBS

Women's schedule

• No. 4 UNC vs. No. 5 Maryland at noon ET on ESPN

• No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 7 NC State at 1 p.m. ET on ABC

• No. 4 Minnesota vs. No. 5 Ole Miss at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN

• No. 2 LSU vs. No. 7 Texas Tech at 3 p.m. ET on ABC

• No. 3 Duke vs. No. 6 Baylor at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN

• No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Oregon at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN

• No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 5 Michigan State at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN

• No. 3 TCU vs. No. 6 Washington at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN

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byAlpha World

in

March 22, 2026

An injured star, dominant top seeds and Hall of Fame coaches face off. Here’s what to know for Sunday’s March Madness action

We've had buzzer-beaters,upsets, top seedsnarrowly survivingand national title contenders looking like, well, nationa...

Read More

Young Girl Struck, Run Over by a Golf Cart at Valspar Championship: 'It Shouldn't Have Happened,' Golfer Brooks Koepka Says

A young girl was struck and run over by a golf cart at the 2026 Valspar Championship

NEED TO KNOW

• The incident took place during the golf tournament in Palm Harbor, Fla., on March 21

• "It's unfortunate. It shouldn't have happened," golfer Brooks Koepka said

A young girl was run over by a golf cart at the 2026 Valspar Championship.

The child was struck and pinned under the golf cart near the 15th hole during the second day of the golf tournament in Palm Harbor, Fla., on Saturday, March 21,Golf Channelreported.

PGA Tour winner Smylie Kaufman reported on the incident as he was coveringBrooks Koepkaand Danny Walker during a third round at the Innisbrook Resort's Copperhead Course.

As medical staff tended to the child, Koepka, 35, also rushed over to her, according to the Golf Channel.

"Brooks Koepka went underneath the ropes to talk to the girl and comfort her," Kaufman, 34, said. "She's going to be okay after medical evaluation."

"[It was a] very scary moment ... I am sure Brooks Koepka's head is still spinning a little bit," he added.

The identity and age of the child struck has not been shared publicly.

The golf cart that hit the young girl was transporting spectators around the course when the incident occurred, per the Golf Channel.

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The child wasn't seriously injured,Golfweekreported.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Reacting to the incident during a press conference after his match, Koepka said he "felt terrible" for the young girl.

"From all the reports you've got, she's okay, thankfully, so that's all that matters, as long as she's okay," he added. "I know she's probably a little scared. I just felt for her at the time."

"It's unfortunate. It shouldn't have happened. But as long as she's okay, nothing crazy happened to her, then it will be okay," the golfer continued.

Koepka made double-bogey at the par-4 16th on March 21, putting him seven shots away from Sungjae Im's lead.

"I'm a long ways away. I felt like I needed to get to, at least, it would have been nice to stay at 6," Koepka said, perGolf. "I need a real low one tomorrow."

PEOPLE reached out to the Valspar Championship for comment but did not receive an immediate response on Sunday, March 22.

Read the original article onPeople

byAlpha World

in

March 22, 2026

Young Girl Struck, Run Over by a Golf Cart at Valspar Championship: 'It Shouldn't Have Happened,' Golfer Brooks Koepka Says

A young girl was struck and run over by a golf cart at the 2026 Valspar Championship NEED TO KNOW The incident...

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Pope Leo calls war in Middle East a 'scandal' to humanity

VATICAN CITY, March 22 (Reuters) - Pope Leo on Sunday said death ‌and suffering caused by the ‌war in the Middle East are a "scandal to ​the whole human family", renewing his plea for an immediate ceasefire.

As the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran enters ‌its fourth week, ⁠the first U.S. pope said that he continues to ⁠follow with "dismay" the situation in the Middle East and in other regions ​torn apart ​by war ​and violence.

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"We cannot ‌remain silent in the face of the suffering of so many people, the defenceless victims of these conflicts. What hurts them hurts the whole ‌of humanity," Leo said ​at his weekly ​Angelus prayer ​in St. Peter's Square.

"I strongly ‌renew my appeal for ​us to ​persevere in prayer, so that hostilities may cease and the way ​may ‌finally be paved for peace," he ​added.

(Reporting by Sara Rossi; Editing ​by David Holmes)

byAlpha World

in

March 22, 2026

Pope Leo calls war in Middle East a 'scandal' to humanity

VATICAN CITY, March 22 (Reuters) - Pope Leo on Sunday said death ‌and suffering caused by the ‌war in the Middle East are...

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Cuba's deputy foreign minister says it is preparing for possible U.S. 'military aggression'

Cuba's deputy foreign minister said Saturday that the nation's military is preparing for "the possibility of military aggression" from the U.S. and that it would be "naive" for Cuba's leaders to ignore the possibility of conflict.

"Our military is always prepared, and in fact it is preparing these days for the possibility of military aggression," Carlos Fernández de Cossío told NBC News' "Meet the Press" in an interview that aired Sunday.

"We would be naive" not to consider the possibility of conflict, he added, "looking at what's happening around the world."

Fernández de Cossío said the country's leaders "truly hope that it doesn't occur. We don't see why it would have to occur, and we find no justification whatsoever."

Tensions between the U.S. and Cuba have been escalating following the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of that nation's president,Nicolás Maduro, who had a close relationship with Cuba's leadership.

During a press conference following the operation, U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned that military intervention in Cuba could be next, with Rubiosaying at the time, "If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I'd be concerned."

In January, the presidentsigned an executive orderthreatening to impose tariffs on goods from countries that sold or provided oil to Cuba. Residents of the island havesuffered daily power outagesamidthe U.S. blockade. Power grids in the countrycollapsedSaturday, leaving the country without electricity for a third time this month.

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On Saturday, Fernández de Cossío said the oil blockade is the result of the United States' aggression against Cuba and it "cannot be sustained forever."

"What's happening today is that the U.S. is threatening with coercive measures countries that might export fuel to Cuba, and that's the reason why Cuba has not received fuel for a long time," the deputy foreign minister said. "It is very severe, and we are acting as proactively as we can to cope with the situation. We do hope that fuel will reach Cuba one way or the other, and that this boycott that the United States has been imposing does not last and cannot be sustained forever."

Earlier this month, Trump said that Cuba "is going to fall pretty soon" and its leaders "want to make a deal so badly." Later in the month, Trump told reportershe would have the "honor"of taking Cuba, saying, "I think I could do anything I want with it." Those comments came just a few days after Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canal acknowledged that Cuban leaderswere in talks with U.S. leadersto make a deal and avoid military conflict.

On Saturday, responding to Trump's comments about having the "honor" of taking over Cuba, Fernández de Cossío said, "We don't know what they're talking about. But I can tell you this, Cuba is a sovereign country and has the right to be a sovereign country."

Fernández de Cossío also responded to comments Rubio made at the White House this week in which the secretary of state told reporters that Cuba is "in a lot of trouble, and the people in charge are — they don't know how to fix it, so they have to get new people in charge."

The Cuban official insisted that regime change was not on the table in talks between the two nations.

"The nature of the Cuban government, the structure of the Cuban government and the members of the Cuban government are not part of the negotiation. That is something that no sovereign country negotiates," Fernández de Cossío told "Meet the Press."

Asked whether Cuban leaders would be prepared to allow more than one political party to operate in the country, Fernández de Cossío slammed the U.S. political system, saying, "It's a domestic issue of Cuba. The United States has only two political parties that can go to government. Are they ready to negotiate, to have 10 with equal possibilities of getting to the presidency, of getting in Congress? I'm sure the United States would not negotiate that with any country."

byAlpha World

in

March 22, 2026

Cuba's deputy foreign minister says it is preparing for possible U.S. 'military aggression'

Cuba's deputy foreign minister said Saturday that the nation's military is preparing for "the possibility of...

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Iran refuses to back down after Trump issues 48-hour deadline over Strait of Hormuz

Tehran has threatened to escalate strikes on energy infrastructure and target critical water desalination facilities should PresidentDonald Trumpmake good on a promise to"obliterate" the country's power plantsif it does not reopen theStrait of Hormuz.

Trump on Saturday evening gave Tehran a48-hour deadlineto reopen the critical trade route, through which around 20% of the world's oil passes, threatening in a post onTruth Socialto target Iran's energy infrastructure if the demand is not met.

Iran has effectively blocked the strait since the U.S. and Israellaunched their attackson the country on Feb. 28, sparking swift retaliation from the Islamic Republic and triggering a wider war in the region.

Threats of retaliation

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told NBC News' "Meet the Press" on Sunday that the Trump administration was leaving "all options on the table" when it comes to seeing the strait reopened.

Asked by moderator Kristen Welker whether the U.S. was scaling back the war against Iran or escalating, he said those two things were "not mutually exclusive."

"Sometimes you have to escalate to de-escalate," he said.

Tehran on Sunday morning showed no signs of backing down, responding to Trump's ultimatum with its own threat of retaliation as it vowed to strike U.S. and Israeli infrastructure in the region in response to any attack on its power plants.

"If Iran's fuel and energy infrastructure is attacked, then fuel, energy, information technology systems and desalination infrastructure used by America and the regime in the region will be struck," Col. Ebrahim Zolfaqari, spokesman for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters, warned on Sunday, according to the IRNA Iranian state news agency.

Desalination, the process of creating drinkable water from seawater, is critical to supplying water across Israel and many of Iran's Gulf neighbors.

Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, speaker of the Iranian parliament, echoed those threats in a post on X on Sunday, warning that "critical infrastructure, energy and oil across the region will be irreversibly destroyed and oil prices will rise for a long time" if Iran's power plants are struck.

Trump's ultimatum came as the war consuming the Middle East entered its fourth week, with Iran targeting a joint U.K.-U.S. base in the Indian Ocean on Saturday, whilenuclear sites in both Iran and Israelwere attacked.

The Iranian judiciary's official news agency, Mizan, reported that there was no leakage following the strike on its Natanz nuclear facility.

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The International Atomic Energy Agency said that no abnormal off-site radiation levels had been observed following that attack, or from an Iranian strike close to an Israeli nuclear site in Dimona.

'Limited options'

Ross Harrison, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute and the author of "Decoding Iran's Foreign Policy," said Trump's threat suggested the president is facing "limited options to open the strait — and I think that may be dawning on him."

"Unless they completely obliterate all potential for the Iranians to respond, which is, I don't believe would be the case, military means alone to open the strait probably would not have the desired effect of easing up on the oil markets and on pricing," Harrison said in a phone interview Sunday.

"The ships are not going to pass, and insurance companies aren't going to insure ships as long as it's an active war," he said.

With Iranian attacks on ships in the area of the Strait of Hormuz effectively closing it off to maritime traffic, oil prices have soared globally, with retail gas prices rising 93 cents per gallon and the price of U.S. crude oil going up more than 70% since the start of the year.

Iran has allowed a small number of vessels to transit through the strait. Ali Mousavi, the country's representative to the United Nations maritime agency, told China's state news agency Xinhua on Friday that vessels except those that "belong to our enemies" could seek Tehran's permission to pass, though Iran has attacked a number of ships that are not American or Israeli.

The Trump administrationsaid Fridayit had lifted some sanctions to allow the sale of oil produced in Iran in the latest bid to temper soaring energy prices. Meanwhile, earlier this month, it also lifted the Jones Act, easing some shipping regulations on oil, with some sanctions on Russian oil also lifted temporarily.

Trump has repeatedlycalled on U.S. alliesto aid in clearing the Strait of Hormuz to little avail, telling reporters on Friday that China, Japan and NATO should be intervening.

Unlikely to capitulate

Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, an associate fellow at Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa program, said it was "unlikely" Tehran would "cave into the pressure" Trump is seeking to build.

"I think this is the result of lack of planning and the fact that the Trump administration didn't foresee the ... response from the Iranian side," she said on Sunday. "But the threats are not likely to have any impact, and Iran is actually going to continue trying to escalate the costs, thinking that this is the only way for the U.S. and therefore for Israel as well to stop threatening further action once this war is over."

Harrison said it was time for Trump to start looking for a viable off-ramp to exit the war against Iran, rather than "moving up the escalation ladder." The question remained, however, whether Tehran would be willing to "let him leave" the spiraling war.

Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, commander of Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said on Sunday that the armed forces' military doctrine had "changed from defensive to offensive" and that "battlefield tactics" had been adjusted accordingly, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported.

"The outcome of the war depends on the will of both sides and in Iran there is unified determination among the people, fighters and leadership to continue until the aggressor is punished, damages are compensated and future deterrence is ensured," he said.

byAlpha World

in

March 22, 2026

Iran refuses to back down after Trump issues 48-hour deadline over Strait of Hormuz

Tehran has threatened to escalate strikes on energy infrastructure and target critical water desalination facilities shou...

Read More