Sports
Vanderbilt pursues first tourney win since 2012 in matchup with McNeese State
Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner (3) battles for the ball during the first half of the SEC tournament championship game against Arkansas at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, March 15, 2026. Vanderbilt, the No. 5 seed in the South Region, aims for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2012 when it faces 12th-seeded McNeese State in Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon.
The Commodores (26-8) nearly replicated the path of the 2012 team, which stunned powerhouse Kentucky to clinch the school’s last Southeastern Conference tournament title. Arkansas pulled away in the final minutes of the title game to win 86-75.
Vanderbilt’s best two players, guards Tyler Tanner (19.1 points, 5.1 assists, 2.4 steals per game) and Duke Miles (16.5 points, 4.5 assists, 2.7 steals), were brilliant in the three-game tournament run as the Commodores knocked off ranked Tennessee and Florida squads.
The Commodores felt they’d earned better than what they received from the NCAA Tournament selection committee. But coach Mark Byington downplayed the angle as Vanderbilt kept its focus on what’s ahead.
“One of the things I told the guys earlier, I was like, ‘whatever number they put beside us, ignore it,'” Byington said. “It does not make a difference. We are playing a good team.”
The Cowboys (28-5) were the 12-team Southland Conference’s second-place finisher in the regular season. McNeese got the league’s automatic bid by defeating UT Rio Grande Valley 84-80 in triple overtime, then winning 76-59 over regular-season champion Stephen F. Austin.
Bill Armstrong became the first coach in Southland history to take his team to the NCAA Tournament in his first Division I season. He took over for Will Wade, who led McNeese to consecutive berths before leaving for NC State.
“We haven’t lost a game that wasn’t on someone else’s home court this year,” Armstrong said. “We’re 19-0 now when we’re not on someone else’s home court. This group’s been able to find a way to win games in different ways all year long.”
The Cowboys are paced by a formidable backcourt trio — Southland Freshman of the Year Larry Johnson (17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals per game), fellow first-team all-league pick Tyshawn Archie (14.3 points, 2.9 assists, 1.7 steals) and last year’s Southland Player of the Year Javohn Garcia (12.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals).
McNeese ranks first in the country in forcing turnovers (24.1% of possessions, per KenPom), points off turnovers (27.7%) and fourth in block rate (15.8%).
Getting the ball away from Vanderbilt hasn’t been easy this season. They are 11th nationally with a 13.3% turnover rate and top 20 in avoiding blocked shots (7.1%, 18th).
Vanderbilt also ranks fourth nationally in free-throw percentage (79.3%) while opponents scored 23.9% of their points at the line, 24th nationally per KenPom.
Vandy’s Tyler Nickel (13.5 points per game) snapped a long shooting slump by hitting 5 of 7 from distance against Arkansas.
Other key Commodores include bigs Devin McGlockton (9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds per game) and Jalen Washington (9.1, 5.7), both of whom struggled with foul trouble.
The Cowboys aren’t particularly big, and they shoot only 31.6 percent from 3-point range. But they’re athletic — seven players had at least 25 steals and six blocked at least 10 shots — and love to press. Their best interior player is 6-foot-10 Jerrell Colbert (5.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per game), who previously played at LSU, Kansas State and SMU.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 4 Nebraska survives No. 5 Vandy on Braden Frager's late winner
Nebraska’s Sam Hoiberg (1) drives up court as Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner (3) defneds 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. Braden Frager drove for the winning layup with 2.2 seconds left Saturday night and fourth-seeded Nebraska rallied for a 74-72 win over fifth-seeded Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA Tournament’s South Region in Oklahoma City.
The result wasn’t secured until the Commodores’ Tyler Tanner, who scored a game-high 27 points, barely missed a 3-point shot from beyond halfcourt as time expired. Tanner’s heave hit the glass and went in and out, causing a gasp and then a wild ovation from the pro-Cornhusker crowd inside Paycom Center.
Prager and Pryce Sandfort each scored 15 points for Nebraska (28-6), which will play either top-seeded Florida or No. 9 Iowa Thursday in Houston. The Gators and Hawkeyes match up on Sunday night in Tampa.
Rienk Mast added 13 and Berke Buyuktuncel contributed 12 points for the Cornhuskers, who converted 29 of 52 field goal attempts, including 9 of 19 from the 3-point line. Nebraska will make its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance.
Tyler Nickel added 16 points for Vanderbilt (27-9), which rallied in the second half by canning 10 of 22 3-pointers. Tanner’s layup gave the Commodores a 72-70 edge with 58 seconds remaining but Mast equalized with 37.0 seconds on the clock by tipping home Sam Hoiberg’s missed layup.
The game featured wildly contrasting styles. Vanderbilt sought to speed Nebraska up with pressure and the Cornhuskers attempted to carve up the Commodores with precise halfcourt execution.
In the first half, it was Nebraska’s halfcourt sets that ruled, even though the Commodores were able to force seven turnovers in 31 possessions. The Cornhuskers were able to overcome the high turnover rate by drilling 15 of 25 field goals, including 6 of 10 on 3-pointers.
Mast connected on 3 of 4 first-half 3-point attempts, helping Nebraska open up a 31-21 lead at the 3:59 mark. Vandy got a little traction later in the half but still headed for the break looking at a 39-32 deficit.
Tanner kept the Commodores in contention with 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting before intermission.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NWSL roundup: Kiki Van Zanten's brace leads Houston to rout of Boston
Mar 21, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA;
Houston Dash midfielder Kat Rader (22) celebrates after scoring a goal in the second half against the Boston Legacy FC at Shell Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images Kiki Van Zanten scored a brace for the Houston Dash in an impressive 3-0 victory against the visiting Boston Legacy on Saturday.
Van Zanten scored in the 43rd and 59th minutes to give the Dash a commanding lead and match her scoring total in 17 NWSL matches last season for Houston.
Katherine Ann Rader added the final goal in the 65th minute for Houston (2-0-0, 6 points), which is in pursuit of its first playoff berth since 2022 and just the second in 13 seasons.
Boston (0-0-2, 0 points), which got four saves from Casey Murphy, is still looking for the franchise’s first win. The Legacy’s inaugural season kicked off with a 1-0 home loss to Gotham FC on March 14.
Gotham FC 0, North Carolina Courage 0
Gotham FC and North Carolina Courage combined for 23 shots (four on goal) but played to a draw in Harrison, N.J.
The Courage (1-0-1, 4 points) completed nearly 170 more passes (459-290) and had three of the four shots on goal, two from Ashley Sanchez. Kailen Sheridan was tasked with just one save.
Gotham FC (1-0-1, 4 points) got three saves from and held 59% of the possession despite being outshot 13-10. Rose Lavalle had the side’s lone shot on goal. Ann-Katrin Berger made three saves to maintain the scoreless draw.
Angel City 3, Bay FC 1
Sveindís Jonsdottir had a brace as Angel City FC defeated Bay City FC in San Jose, Calif.
Gisele Thompson also found the back of the net in the 32nd minute on an assist from Jonsdottir for Angel City (2-0-0, 6 points), which is atop the standings two weeks in with a plus-six goal differential.
Taylor Huff had the lone goal in the 56th minute for Bay FC (1-1-0, 3 points) on an assist from Cristiana Girelli.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hot start helps Hyo Joo Kim take 5-shot lead at Fortinet Founders Cup
Apr 27, 2025; The Woodlands, Texas, USA; Hyo Joo Kim of Korea hits a tee shot on the first hole during the final round of The Chevron Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim improved her grip on the lead to five strokes with a 6-under-par 66 on Saturday at the Fortinet Founders Cup in Menlo Park, Calif.
Kim, a seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour and the 2015 Founders Cup champion, led by two shots after the opening round and four through Friday’s play. The 30-year-old shot 6 under for the first six holes on Saturday and is 17-under 199 after three rounds at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club, which is hosting the event for the first time.
World No. 2 Nelly Korda, competing for the first time since winning the weather-shortened Tournament of Champions to open the 2026 season, is five strokes back at 12 under after she matched Kim’s 66.
Kim, ranked No. 8 in the world, had an adventurous round with only seven pars. She started on fire with birdies at Nos. 1, 3 and 4 before an eagle at the par-5 fifth hole to get to 16 under for the tournament. Another birdie followed at No. 6, then the first of her three bogeys on the day to make the turn in 31 shots.
“The start up to hole 6, I believe, was unbelievable golf and I can’t even believe it,” Kim said. “I had a lot of birdies and (an) eagle, too. But I did also have some bogeys I shouldn’t have done. The start felt like almost a game.”
The back nine included birdies at Nos. 10 and 13 sandwiched around two bogeys and her seventh birdie of the round at the par-4 No. 16.
Kim hit eight of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation on Saturday.
Korda carded 33 on both the front and back nines in her bogey-free round. Birdies came at Nos. 2, 7, 8, 10, 16 and 18.
“It’s nice to have a clean scorecard wherever you play,” Korda said. “Doesn’t matter. With kind of how tough it is off the tee and into the greens, just really happy with my round today.”
She needed only 27 putts in hitting 10 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation.
China’s Ruixin Liu (66 on Saturday) and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez (65) are tied for third at 11 under.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who leads the Race to CME Globe standings, is tied for fifth at 9 under with three others: Australia’s Karis Davison (69), Japan’s Erika Hara (67) and South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi (69).
–Field Level Media
No. 4 Nebraska survives No. 5 Vandy on Braden Frager's late winner
Netflix's Hit Fantasy Series Turned A Fan-Favorite Storyline Into Pure Nightmare Fuel
NWSL roundup: Kiki Van Zanten's brace leads Houston to rout of Boston
Sports
Vanderbilt pursues first tourney win since 2012 in matchup with McNeese State
Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner (3) battles for the ball during the first half of the SEC tournament championship game against Arkansas at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, March 15, 2026. Vanderbilt, the No. 5 seed in the South Region, aims for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2012 when it faces 12th-seeded McNeese State in Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon.
The Commodores (26-8) nearly replicated the path of the 2012 team, which stunned powerhouse Kentucky to clinch the school’s last Southeastern Conference tournament title. Arkansas pulled away in the final minutes of the title game to win 86-75.
Vanderbilt’s best two players, guards Tyler Tanner (19.1 points, 5.1 assists, 2.4 steals per game) and Duke Miles (16.5 points, 4.5 assists, 2.7 steals), were brilliant in the three-game tournament run as the Commodores knocked off ranked Tennessee and Florida squads.
The Commodores felt they’d earned better than what they received from the NCAA Tournament selection committee. But coach Mark Byington downplayed the angle as Vanderbilt kept its focus on what’s ahead.
“One of the things I told the guys earlier, I was like, ‘whatever number they put beside us, ignore it,'” Byington said. “It does not make a difference. We are playing a good team.”
The Cowboys (28-5) were the 12-team Southland Conference’s second-place finisher in the regular season. McNeese got the league’s automatic bid by defeating UT Rio Grande Valley 84-80 in triple overtime, then winning 76-59 over regular-season champion Stephen F. Austin.
Bill Armstrong became the first coach in Southland history to take his team to the NCAA Tournament in his first Division I season. He took over for Will Wade, who led McNeese to consecutive berths before leaving for NC State.
“We haven’t lost a game that wasn’t on someone else’s home court this year,” Armstrong said. “We’re 19-0 now when we’re not on someone else’s home court. This group’s been able to find a way to win games in different ways all year long.”
The Cowboys are paced by a formidable backcourt trio — Southland Freshman of the Year Larry Johnson (17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals per game), fellow first-team all-league pick Tyshawn Archie (14.3 points, 2.9 assists, 1.7 steals) and last year’s Southland Player of the Year Javohn Garcia (12.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals).
McNeese ranks first in the country in forcing turnovers (24.1% of possessions, per KenPom), points off turnovers (27.7%) and fourth in block rate (15.8%).
Getting the ball away from Vanderbilt hasn’t been easy this season. They are 11th nationally with a 13.3% turnover rate and top 20 in avoiding blocked shots (7.1%, 18th).
Vanderbilt also ranks fourth nationally in free-throw percentage (79.3%) while opponents scored 23.9% of their points at the line, 24th nationally per KenPom.
Vandy’s Tyler Nickel (13.5 points per game) snapped a long shooting slump by hitting 5 of 7 from distance against Arkansas.
Other key Commodores include bigs Devin McGlockton (9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds per game) and Jalen Washington (9.1, 5.7), both of whom struggled with foul trouble.
The Cowboys aren’t particularly big, and they shoot only 31.6 percent from 3-point range. But they’re athletic — seven players had at least 25 steals and six blocked at least 10 shots — and love to press. Their best interior player is 6-foot-10 Jerrell Colbert (5.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per game), who previously played at LSU, Kansas State and SMU.
–Field Level Media
Sports
No. 4 Nebraska survives No. 5 Vandy on Braden Frager's late winner
Nebraska’s Sam Hoiberg (1) drives up court as Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner (3) defneds 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. Braden Frager drove for the winning layup with 2.2 seconds left Saturday night and fourth-seeded Nebraska rallied for a 74-72 win over fifth-seeded Vanderbilt in the second round of the NCAA Tournament’s South Region in Oklahoma City.
The result wasn’t secured until the Commodores’ Tyler Tanner, who scored a game-high 27 points, barely missed a 3-point shot from beyond halfcourt as time expired. Tanner’s heave hit the glass and went in and out, causing a gasp and then a wild ovation from the pro-Cornhusker crowd inside Paycom Center.
Prager and Pryce Sandfort each scored 15 points for Nebraska (28-6), which will play either top-seeded Florida or No. 9 Iowa Thursday in Houston. The Gators and Hawkeyes match up on Sunday night in Tampa.
Rienk Mast added 13 and Berke Buyuktuncel contributed 12 points for the Cornhuskers, who converted 29 of 52 field goal attempts, including 9 of 19 from the 3-point line. Nebraska will make its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance.
Tyler Nickel added 16 points for Vanderbilt (27-9), which rallied in the second half by canning 10 of 22 3-pointers. Tanner’s layup gave the Commodores a 72-70 edge with 58 seconds remaining but Mast equalized with 37.0 seconds on the clock by tipping home Sam Hoiberg’s missed layup.
The game featured wildly contrasting styles. Vanderbilt sought to speed Nebraska up with pressure and the Cornhuskers attempted to carve up the Commodores with precise halfcourt execution.
In the first half, it was Nebraska’s halfcourt sets that ruled, even though the Commodores were able to force seven turnovers in 31 possessions. The Cornhuskers were able to overcome the high turnover rate by drilling 15 of 25 field goals, including 6 of 10 on 3-pointers.
Mast connected on 3 of 4 first-half 3-point attempts, helping Nebraska open up a 31-21 lead at the 3:59 mark. Vandy got a little traction later in the half but still headed for the break looking at a 39-32 deficit.
Tanner kept the Commodores in contention with 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting before intermission.
–Field Level Media
Sports
NWSL roundup: Kiki Van Zanten's brace leads Houston to rout of Boston
Mar 21, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA;
Houston Dash midfielder Kat Rader (22) celebrates after scoring a goal in the second half against the Boston Legacy FC at Shell Energy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images Kiki Van Zanten scored a brace for the Houston Dash in an impressive 3-0 victory against the visiting Boston Legacy on Saturday.
Van Zanten scored in the 43rd and 59th minutes to give the Dash a commanding lead and match her scoring total in 17 NWSL matches last season for Houston.
Katherine Ann Rader added the final goal in the 65th minute for Houston (2-0-0, 6 points), which is in pursuit of its first playoff berth since 2022 and just the second in 13 seasons.
Boston (0-0-2, 0 points), which got four saves from Casey Murphy, is still looking for the franchise’s first win. The Legacy’s inaugural season kicked off with a 1-0 home loss to Gotham FC on March 14.
Gotham FC 0, North Carolina Courage 0
Gotham FC and North Carolina Courage combined for 23 shots (four on goal) but played to a draw in Harrison, N.J.
The Courage (1-0-1, 4 points) completed nearly 170 more passes (459-290) and had three of the four shots on goal, two from Ashley Sanchez. Kailen Sheridan was tasked with just one save.
Gotham FC (1-0-1, 4 points) got three saves from and held 59% of the possession despite being outshot 13-10. Rose Lavalle had the side’s lone shot on goal. Ann-Katrin Berger made three saves to maintain the scoreless draw.
Angel City 3, Bay FC 1
Sveindís Jonsdottir had a brace as Angel City FC defeated Bay City FC in San Jose, Calif.
Gisele Thompson also found the back of the net in the 32nd minute on an assist from Jonsdottir for Angel City (2-0-0, 6 points), which is atop the standings two weeks in with a plus-six goal differential.
Taylor Huff had the lone goal in the 56th minute for Bay FC (1-1-0, 3 points) on an assist from Cristiana Girelli.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Hot start helps Hyo Joo Kim take 5-shot lead at Fortinet Founders Cup
Apr 27, 2025; The Woodlands, Texas, USA; Hyo Joo Kim of Korea hits a tee shot on the first hole during the final round of The Chevron Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim improved her grip on the lead to five strokes with a 6-under-par 66 on Saturday at the Fortinet Founders Cup in Menlo Park, Calif.
Kim, a seven-time winner on the LPGA Tour and the 2015 Founders Cup champion, led by two shots after the opening round and four through Friday’s play. The 30-year-old shot 6 under for the first six holes on Saturday and is 17-under 199 after three rounds at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club, which is hosting the event for the first time.
World No. 2 Nelly Korda, competing for the first time since winning the weather-shortened Tournament of Champions to open the 2026 season, is five strokes back at 12 under after she matched Kim’s 66.
Kim, ranked No. 8 in the world, had an adventurous round with only seven pars. She started on fire with birdies at Nos. 1, 3 and 4 before an eagle at the par-5 fifth hole to get to 16 under for the tournament. Another birdie followed at No. 6, then the first of her three bogeys on the day to make the turn in 31 shots.
“The start up to hole 6, I believe, was unbelievable golf and I can’t even believe it,” Kim said. “I had a lot of birdies and (an) eagle, too. But I did also have some bogeys I shouldn’t have done. The start felt like almost a game.”
The back nine included birdies at Nos. 10 and 13 sandwiched around two bogeys and her seventh birdie of the round at the par-4 No. 16.
Kim hit eight of 14 fairways and 14 of 18 greens in regulation on Saturday.
Korda carded 33 on both the front and back nines in her bogey-free round. Birdies came at Nos. 2, 7, 8, 10, 16 and 18.
“It’s nice to have a clean scorecard wherever you play,” Korda said. “Doesn’t matter. With kind of how tough it is off the tee and into the greens, just really happy with my round today.”
She needed only 27 putts in hitting 10 of 14 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation.
China’s Ruixin Liu (66 on Saturday) and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez (65) are tied for third at 11 under.
World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who leads the Race to CME Globe standings, is tied for fifth at 9 under with three others: Australia’s Karis Davison (69), Japan’s Erika Hara (67) and South Korea’s Hye-Jin Choi (69).
–Field Level Media
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