Sports
Reports: NCAA finalizing plan to expand March Madness to 76 teams
The March Madness logo is pictured during a second-round game in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament between Nebraska Cornhuskers and Vanderbilt Commodores at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Saturday March 21, 2026. The men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament fields will expand from 68 to 76 teams in 2027.
The plans for expansion are expected to be approved by NCAA committees and formalized as soon as May, multiple reports said Tuesday.
CBS Sports reported that the NCAA plans for 52 teams to slot into the main bracket and the other 24 teams will face off in 12 games on the Tuesday and Wednesday after Selection Sunday, filling out the Round of 64 with the winners. It will no longer be called the “First Four,” with the terminology expected to be “opening round” for the play-ins and “first round” for the Round of 64.
Per ESPN, the NCAA is completing contract negotiations with its media partners. That step must come before votes from the men’s and women’s basketball committees, the men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees, the Division I Cabinet and the Division I Board of Governors.
It would mark the first expansion of the tournament since the field moved from 65 to 68 teams with the addition of the First Four games in 2011. The field had been 64 or 65 teams since 1985.
The Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference were the leading voices behind tournament expansion, Yahoo Sports reported earlier this month. NCAA president Charlie Baker has also voiced his support.
“I said all along that I think there are some very good reasons to expand the tournament,” Baker told ESPN in February. “So, I would like to see it expand.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Former WNBA MVP Tina Charles retires after 14 seasons
Aug 21, 2025; Uncasville, Connecticut, USA; Connecticut Sun center Tina Charles (31) reacts after his basket against the Washington Mystics in the second half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images Eight-time All-Star and former WNBA Most Valuable Player Tina Charles announced her retirement Tuesday after 14 seasons with six teams.
Charles, 37, is the league’s all-time leader in made field goals (3,364) and rebounds (4,262) and ranks second with 8,396 points behind only Diana Taurasi (10,646).
The 6-foot-4 center posted Tuesday on X that she had “experienced the highest highs and lowest lows, and I’m thankful for all of it.”
“At some point, you have to edit your life,” Charles wrote. “Not everything and not everyone is meant for the whole journey. Growth requires honesty, and for me, that meant recognizing when my impact was being called in a new direction.”
Charles never won a WNBA championship but won two national championships at UConn and three Olympic gold medals with Team USA.
The No. 1 pick in the 2010 WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Sun, Charles won 2010 Rookie of the Year and 2012 Most Valuable Player honors. She led the league in scoring twice and rebounding four times while making nine All-WNBA teams and four All-Defensive teams. She twice won the Dawn Staley Award for community leadership.
Charles averaged 17.8 points and 9.0 rebounds in 473 games (464 starts) with the Sun (2010-13, 2025), New York Liberty (2014-19), Washington Mystics (2021), Phoenix Mercury (2022), Seattle Storm (2022) and Atlanta Dream (2024).
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert issued a lengthy statement on Tuesday.
“Tina Charles has defined excellence and consistency throughout one of the most remarkable careers in WNBA history. From earning unanimous Rookie of the Year honors to being named league MVP, to becoming the WNBA’s all-time leading rebounder and second all-time leading scorer, Tina’s impact on the game will be felt for generations to come.
“Beyond her extraordinary accomplishments, Tina has represented the very best of the WNBA throughout her career. Through her leadership and dedication to giving back — including her work with her Hopey’s Heart Foundation — she has made a meaningful impact far beyond the game, earning the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award twice. On behalf of the WNBA, I want to thank Tina for her lasting contributions to the league and the sport of basketball. Her legacy will be defined not only by her excellence on the court, but by the standard she set as a leader, a teammate, and a champion for the communities she touched.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Seahawks land Dante Fowler on 1-year deal
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) was able to throw the ball before Dallas Cowboys defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. (13) was able to get to him, Sunday, October 5, 2025. Veteran edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. is signing a one-year deal worth up to $5 million with the Seattle Seahawks, NFL Network reported on Tuesday.
Fowler serves as the Seahawks’ answer to losing Boye Mafe to the Cincinnati Bengals in free agency. Seattle did not select an edge rusher during the 2026 NFL Draft.
Fowler, who turns 32 in August, visited the Seahawks prior to the draft. He’ll see a familiar face in Seattle defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who was an assistant in Atlanta and Dallas.
Fowler recorded 15 tackles and three sacks in 17 games (11 starts) with the Cowboys in 2025.
He has 294 tackles, 58.5 sacks, 15 forced fumbles, an interception and five fumble recoveries in 159 career games (58 starts) with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2016-18), Los Angeles Rams (2018-19), Falcons (2020-21), Washington Commanders (2024) and Cowboys (2022-23, 2025). He was selected by the Jaguars with the third overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Phil Mickelson out of LIV Virginia, PGA Championship status uncertain
Aug 22, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Phil Mickelson of HyFlyers GC walks the course during the quarterfinals of the LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship at The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images Phil Mickelson will miss this week’s LIV Golf Virginia tournament and his status for next week’s PGA Championship is uncertain, according to multiple reports on Tuesday.
The six-time major winner has only participated in one event on the 2026 LIV Golf schedule due to a family health matter.
Mickelson, 55, finished T48 at LIV Golf South Africa in March before missing last month’s Masters, where he is a three-time champion.
Scott Vincent will replace the HyFlyers GC captain for this week’s LIV Golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C.
As a two-time winner, Mickelson has a lifetime exemption into the PGA Championship. This year’s tournament will be held from May 14-17 at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square, Pa.
–Field Level Media
Former WNBA MVP Tina Charles retires after 14 seasons
Report: Seahawks land Dante Fowler on 1-year deal
