March Madness Saturday recap: John Calipari's Sweet 16 redemption, Big Ten's perfect start ends, is JuJu OK?
The third day of the NCAA tournament is now in the books.
Here are the biggest stories from Saturday's games as the men worked through the second round of their tournament and the women wrapped up their opening round.
John Calipari gets his redemption
Kentucky, you're on deck.
In his first season post-breakup, former Kentucky coach John Calipari is back in the Sweet 16. He got there with 10th-seeded Arkansas, the first double-digit seed he's coached in 24 NCAA tournament appearances.
His Razorbacks advanced thanks to a win over No. 2 St. John's Saturday to knock out the tournament's highest-seeded team to be eliminated so far. They did so by defeating Calipari's longtime rival coach Rick Pitino, who fell to 2-3 in tournament games against Calipari with the loss.
It's all pretty sweet for Calipari, who's been one of the most criticized coaches in college basketball for the better part of the last decade. The crux of that criticism was Kentucky's NCAA tournament failures under his watch with rosters brimming with NBA talent.
Calipari coached Kentucky to a national championship in 2012. But he's probably best-remembered in Lexington for failing to advance the Wildcats to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament in his last five chances.
Cal sure can recruit. But can he coach with the game's best? Saturday's win over St. John's suggests that yes, he can.
Kentucky and first-year coach Mark Pope have their opportunity to counter on Sunday with a Sweet 16 berth at stake against Illinois.
—Jason Owens
Is JuJu Watkins OK?
JuJu Watkins had an excellent game on Saturday to lead the top-seeded Trojans to a 71-25 shellacking of UNCG. But the USC All-American got banged up in the process.
Watkins appeared to injure her left hand early and was repeatedly seen massaging it in the first half. Then she rolled her left ankle in the second half and briefly left the court to have it looked at.
Juju Watkins rolled her ankle pic.twitter.com/wlNiSaOcHK
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) March 22, 2025
Watkins quickly returned to the bench and the game even though the outcome was long determined. She finished with a game-high 22 points alongside 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals while nearly outscoring UNCG by herself.
Watkins downplayed the injuries in a sideline interview on ESPN, calling them "end-of-the-season knick-knacks." She maintained that stance in her postgame interviews, telling reporters "I’m all right, don’t worry.”
We'll know more on Monday, when USC takes on No. 9 seed Mississippi State. Playing hurt against No. 16 seed UNCG is one thing. It's another as the competition stiffens.
-Jason Owens
Big Ten’s perfect start comes to dramatic end
Michigan beat Texas A&M Saturday afternoon to advance to the Sweet 16 and improve the Big Ten’s record in NCAA tournament play to 10-0. But 11-0 was not meant to be.
Wisconsin trailed BYU by double digits in the late window only to mount a rally and have a look at a game-tying basket in the final seconds. But John Tonje’s contested jumper missed the mark, and BYU held on for a dramatic 91-89 win that featured a Wisconsin rally sparked by a flagrant 2 foul for "non-incidental contact to the groin.”
Wisconsin will not advance to the Sweet 16, and it was the first Big Ten team eliminated from the field. Tennessee then beat UCLA in the last game of the day to drop the Big Ten to 10-2.
Each of the Big Ten’s eight NCAA tournament participants (Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan, Oregon, Michigan State, Illinois, Maryland and UCLA) won in the first round. In a season filled with well-deserved hype around the SEC, the Big Ten staked its own claim to excellence early in the tournament.Alas, the perfect start is no more.
-Jason Owens
UConn grabs wild 69-point win to lead blowouts on Saturday
It’s only one game, but Paige Bueckers and the Huskies look ready to run their Spokane region.
No. 2 UConn absolutely demolished No. 15 Arkansas State on Saturday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA tournament. The Huskies picked up a 69-point win, which set up a second-round matchup with No. 10 South Dakota State on Monday. It was the largest margin of victory in the tournament so far.
Azzi Fudd led the way with 27 points, seven assists and six steals in the blowout win, and Sarah Strong added 20 points and 12 rebounds. Bueckers had 11 points, and shot 5-of-9 from the field. They shot almost 59% from the floor as a team while looking like a truly vintage NCAA tournament team built by longtime coach Geno Auriemma.
The blowout was one of several seen throughout the day. No. 2 NC State, No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 3 North Carolina, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 UConn, No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Iowa and No. 6 West Virginia all rolled to double-digit wins in their respective first round matchups. The only true upsets we saw were from the Jackrabbits, who beat No. 7 Oklahoma State, and No. 9 Mississippi State’s win over No. 8 Cal.
Top seeds USC and Texas each walked away with huge blowout wins, too. The Trojans nearly tripled up on UNC Greensboro, and Texas rolled to a 105-61 win over William & Mary on Saturday night.
While it’s still early, and a lot needs to happen, a battle between USC and UConn with a spot in the Final Four on the line looks even better now than it did on Selection Sunday.
-Ryan Young
CBS’s brutal score bug error
You’d think, by the third day of play, that CBS would have it together.
But during BYU’s win over Wisconsin on Saturday, their score bug went completely haywire in a wild fashion. It wasn’t a one-time error, either. It kept happening randomly throughout the game and seemingly tried to give Wisconsin a leg up.
CBS has a real problem on its hands. 🏀📺🎢😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫 #MarchMadnesshttps://t.co/ZwpKg2L6ILpic.twitter.com/eSRzWt19Qb
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 23, 2025
But, even with the boost from CBS, the Badgers couldn’t pull off the win. And in the network’s credit, this was the first game of the tournament with a significant technical issue.
Hopefully it was just a hilarious one-off mistake.
-Ryan Young
Last men’s perfect bracket is busted
The last perfect bracket, at least on the men’s side, has been busted.
That’s not that big of a surprise, considering both the quest for a perfect bracket is a seemingly impossible one and that only 11 brackets entered in Yahoo Sports’ Men’s Bracket Mayhem were perfect entering the day on Saturday. But the brackets disappeared quickly even with how relatively straightforward the games were.
But it was Arkansas’ win over St. John’s that eliminated the bulk of the brackets on Saturday. That upset left just one perfect bracket alive though Michigan’s win over Michigan State ruined that almost immediately.
The women’s side was a little bit better. Nearly 98% of brackets were busted to start the day on Saturday, but by the end of the first round just more than 100 of them remained intact. We’ll see how long those last when the second round gets started on Sunday.
-Ryan Young
Topics
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Arkansas, Calipari stun Pitino and No. 2 St. John's to reach Sweet 16 of March Madness
It was Arkansas vs. St. John's. It was John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino. It was a tense, physical affair. It resulted in Arkansas reaching the Sweet 16.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
March Madness: Kentucky beats Illinois to return to Sweet 16 for first time since 2019
Kentucky's back in the Sweet 16 behind a big game from Koby Brea and will join John Calipari in the NCAA tournament's second weekend.Yahoo Sports - 17h -
Arkansas upset second-seeded St John’s to reach Sweet 16 in March Madness stunner
No 10 Arkansas beat No 2 St John’s 75-66 in second round Purdue end McNeese’s run 76-62 to get back to Sweet 16 Cheat sheet: highlights and how to win your bracket John Calipari is heading to ...The Guardian - 1d -
Calipari bests Pitino in March Madness and leads Arkansas to sweetest Sweet 16 appearance yet
John Calipari is heading back to the Sweet 16 after sending a second straight Hall of Famer home from the NCAA Tournament’s “Region of Coaches.”ABC News - 1d -
Arkansas, Calipari end St. John's dream season to advance to Sweet 16 in upset win
Arkansas HC John Calipari got the better of his old rival Rick Pitino once again to return to the Sweet 16.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Rick Pitino vs. John Calipari: Rivalry once stoked in hate gets proper resurrection Saturday in March Madness
These two classic foes facing off one more time, with a Sweet 16 trip on the line, is the matchup of the weekendCBS Sports - 2d -
Calipari bests Pitino in March Madness and leads Arkansas to sweetest Sweet 16 appearance yet
John Calipari is heading back to the Sweet 16 after sending a second straight Hall of Famer home from the NCAA Tournament’s “Region of Coaches.” One game after knocking out good friend Bill Self ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Michigan State basketball's Big Ten tournament run ends with 77-74 loss to Wisconsin
Michigan State basketball's Big Ten tournament came to an end Saturday with a loss to Wisconsin. Next up, the real March Madness.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 15 -
Men's March Madness winners, losers: John Calipari shines again, offense dooms St. John's
John Calipari revived his reputation while offensive woes spelled the end of the road for St. John's and Texas A&M.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
'Legend' Calipari leads Razorbacks into Sweet 16
John Calipari is heading to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time, guiding the Razorbacks past nemesis Rick Pitino and second-seeded St. John's 75-66 to bring his fourth school to the NCAA tournament's ...ESPN - 23h -
Purdue ends McNeese’s March Madness run 76-62 to get back to Sweet 16
The Purdue Boilermakers used a fast start to roll to a 76-62 win over McNeese in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Sweet 16: Calipari guides Arkansas past Pitino, St. John's 75-66 for 16th trip to regional semifinal
John Calipari is heading to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time, and this one could be the sweetest of all. Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks beat longtime nemesis Rick Pitino and No. 2 seed St. John’s ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Ole Miss women get March Madness redemption in Waco with 69-63 win over Baylor for Sweet 16 spot
Mississippi advanced to the Sweet 16 of the women’s NCAA Tournament with a 69-63 victory over Baylor on the Bears’ home court Sunday.Yahoo Sports - 18h -
Michigan basketball finds more March Madness magic to beat Texas A&M, make Sweet 16
Michigan basketball's March Madness run continued on Saturday with a win over Texas A&M to continue to the Sweet 16.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
RECAP: John Tonje leads Wisconsin to thrilling Big Ten Tournament win over Michigan State
Wisconsin basketball defeated the Michigan State Spartans 77-74 in a Big Ten Tournament thriller on Saturday afternoon in Indianapolis, Indiana.Yahoo Sports - Mar. 15 -
Purdue ends McNeese's March Madness run 76-62 to get back to Sweet 16
Trey Kaufman-Renn had 22 points and 15 rebounds, and the Purdue Boilermakers used a fast start to roll to a 76-62 win over McNeese in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday. Fletcher ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
In March Madness thriller, BYU gets back to Sweet 16 with 91-89 victory over Wisconsin
BYU withstood a ferocious charge from Wisconsin's John Tonje to hold off the Badgers for a 91-89 victory Saturday that sends the program to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011 — the days of ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Houston ends Gonzaga's Sweet 16 streak in men's March Madness, takes active lead
Gonzaga's Sweet 16 streak ends at nine and Houston is in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the sixth consecutive time.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Michigan State basketball outlasts New Mexico in March Madness to make Sweet 16
Michigan State didn't have its best, but made the big plays in the second half to beat New Mexico in March Madness to advance to the Sweet 16.Yahoo Sports - 14h -
March Madness Sunday recap: Florida ends UConn's 3-peat quest, Maryland stuns with wild buzzer-beater
Derik Queen hit a ridiculous buzzer beater to send the Terps past Colorado State and into to the Sweet 16 on Sunday night.Yahoo Sports - 12h -
March Madness Thursday recap: No redemption for bad ACC, rare early exit for Kansas and Calipari vs. Pitino is renewed
The SEC largely held its own on the first day of the NCAA tournament.Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Watch John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino in March Madness: Time, channel for Arkansas-St. John's
It's John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino when Arkansas faces St. John's in March Madness. Time, TV channel to watch ex-Kentucky (or Louisville) coaches.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
John Calipari's not done yet: Sweet 16 run after besting Rick Pitino adds new chapter to complicated career
Arkansas is in the Sweet 16 and, after his shocking leave at Kentucky a year ago, Calipari is once again finding ways to prove a lot of people wrongCBS Sports - 1d -
Women's March Madness Day 3 guide: Analysis and recaps as half of Sweet 16 set
Half the Sweet 16 is set. No. 5 seeds Tennessee, Ole Miss and Kansas State and a pair of 1-seeds won on Day 3.ESPN - 1h -
Big Ten sends four teams to NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
The Big Ten will have a quarter of the field in this year's regionals.Yahoo Sports - 3h -
March Madness: St. John's rolls past Omaha, sets up showdown between Rick Pitino, John Calipari
John Calipari and Rick Pitino will renew their rivalry when Arkansas faces St. John's in the second round of the NCAA tournament.Yahoo Sports - 3d -
Purdue into Sweet 16, ends McNeese's March run
Purdue used a fast start to roll to a 76-62 win over McNeese in the second round of the NCAA tournament.ESPN - 1d -
Rick Pitino, John Calipari aren't friends, but respect obvious before March Madness showdown
Don't expect drama in John Calipari vs. Rick Pitino showdown in men's NCAA Tournament. Their dynamic in March Madness is unenthusiastically respectful.Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Coming off a loss, JuJu Watkins and USC eager to resume winning ways in March Madness
JuJu Watkins and her Southern California teammates have had plenty of time to stew and then get over their loss to rival UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament title game. Nearly two weeks later, the ...Yahoo Sports - 2d -
Arkansas weathered miserable SEC start to make unlikely Sweet 16 run with St. John's win
Arkansas needed direction after starting 0-5 in the SEC. They found it and are in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA men's tournament after topping St. John's.Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Rick Pitino’s St. John’s dream season comes to end in NCAA Tournament loss to John Calipari-led Arkansas
Moments before they renewed their decades-long rivalry, Rick Pitino and John Calipari met near midcourt and shared a few laughs. But by the end of Saturday’s much-hyped slugfest in the NCAA ...Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Rick Pitino explains why he doesn’t view his St. John’s comeback as a ‘redemption’ story
NEW YORK — Rick Pitino doesn’t look at his return to college basketball’s biggest stage as a redemption story. He said as much Saturday after leading St. John’s to its first Big East Tournament ...Yahoo Sports - 6d -
March Madness veterans power Arkansas basketball, John Calipari past Kansas in first round
John Calipari brought Jonas Aidoo and Johnell Davis to Arkansas for March. In the first round, the two transfers delivered in an upset win over Kansas.Yahoo Sports - 3d -
With John Calipari leading Arkansas to Sweet 16, pressure's now on Mark Pope to get Kentucky there as well
If the Wildcats don't beat Illinois on Sunday, Calipari will be the winner of his breakup with UK for nowCBS Sports - 1d -
March Madness: ESPN ranks Florida basketball ahead of 2025 Men's NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
Here's where the Florida Gators rank in ESPN's men's March Madness 2025 NCAA Tournament rerankings ahead of the Sweet 16.Yahoo Sports - 1h -
No. 2 St. John's knocked out of NCAA Tournament by No. 10 Arkansas
John Calipari is heading to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time, guiding the Arkansas Razorbacks past nemesis Rick Pitino and St. John's.CBS News - 1d -
March Madness perfect bracket tracker: 3 remain after Saturday men's games
How many perfect brackets remain in March Madness? Here's a look at those yet to have busted brackets in the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments:Yahoo Sports - 1d -
Who will Tennessee basketball play in 2025 March Madness Sweet 16?
Tennessee's Sweet 16 opponent announced in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.Yahoo Sports - 17h -
March Madness: Betting lines for Men's Sweet 16 games
Here are the odds for every Sweet 16 game at BetMGM sportsbook.Yahoo Sports - 3h
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