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Meet the 4 teams that just made the NCAA men's tournament for the first time

Meet the 4 teams that just made the NCAA men's tournament for the first time

Yahoo17-03-2025
It seems like too many teams take Selection Sunday for granted these days.
Most often, we see the biggest brands sitting in their meeting rooms, patiently awaiting their matchup with no real hint of concern.
Thats why it's always such a joy when the Selection Sunday broadcast cuts to a small, relatively unknown program as it makes the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. It looks like an absolute event. Packed gyms, fans going crazy and players hollering right beside them. That's what March is all about.
SURVIVOR POOL: Free to enter. $2,500 to win. Can you survive the madness?
Sunday saw four schools officially make the men's tournament for the first time ever and it'll be hard not to root for them this week.
Let's get to know them.
It's been a long time coming This game will go down as one of the best games in program history 🤞#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl pic.twitter.com/xx6kcyVK5g
— HPU Men's Basketball (@HPUMBB) March 14, 2025
High Point moved to Division I in 1999 but never had enough success to go to the big dance. That finally changed this week as the Panthers came back from down 15 points in the Big South tournament title game to lock up an automatic bid.
Head coach Alan Huss has this program rolling with a 56-14 record over his first two years. And the fan support has been electric. Check out the scenes on Sunday.
The fans showed out for Selection Show Sunday 🤩#GoHPU x #OnTheProwl pic.twitter.com/874XVBOwSL
— HPU Men's Basketball (@HPUMBB) March 16, 2025
Omaha hadn't experienced a winning season since 2018-19. In Year 3 of the Chris Crutchfield Era, the Mavericks not only got over .500 (22-12), they're headed to their first NCAA tournament. The No. 15 seed has a tough draw in the Round of 64 against No. 2 St. John's, but it's not an upset we haven't seen before.
The Summit League champs are led by forward Marquel Sutton, who averages 19.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
The moment Omaha hears its name - Mavs ready to dance @OmahaMBB @KETV pic.twitter.com/PatssJwrrd
— Andy Kendeigh (@AKendeighKETV) March 16, 2025
Time to dance.🕺 See you in Wichita!#RollCougs | #FindAWay pic.twitter.com/PBAHe1Rdrb
— SIUE Hoops (@SIUEMBB) March 16, 2025
That's Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from just outside St.Louis.
The Cougars will face another clan of Cougars in the Round of 64, thanks to their matchup with No. 1 Houston, but SIUE has a lot to celebrate before then. The program only moved to Division I in 2008 and didn't have a winning season at the NCAA's top level until 2022-23. Now the Cougars are dancing after wining the Ohio Valley Conference tournament.
Watch out for guard Ray'Sean Taylor and his 19.3 points per game.
Here's the reaction from @UCSDmbb when they heard their name called for their 1st ever NCAA Tournament bid. pic.twitter.com/KLdZbjbiEk
— Todd Strain (@TODDSTRAINNBCSD) March 16, 2025
Two decades ago, UCSD was playing in Division III. Five years ago, the Tritons were in Division II. On Sunday they officially earned a berth in the NCAA tournament by winning the Big West tournament. What an epic rise for head coach Eric Olen, who has led the Tritons since 2013 and compiled a 210-114 record in the process.
Get used to hearing the name Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, by the way. The senior guard from New Zealand is averaging 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 57.6 percent from the field.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: 4 teams (including Omaha!) making their NCAA tournament debut in 2025
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45-year-old Venus Williams becomes the oldest woman since Martina Navratilova to win a singles match
45-year-old Venus Williams becomes the oldest woman since Martina Navratilova to win a singles match

Associated Press

time25 minutes ago

  • Associated Press

45-year-old Venus Williams becomes the oldest woman since Martina Navratilova to win a singles match

Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] WASHINGTON (AP) — Venus Williams wanted to send a message — to herself and to others — about coming back from a long layoff, about competing in a sport at age 45, about never giving up. Yes, there was something special about just being back on a tennis court Tuesday night. There also was this: She really, really wanted to win. And Williams did just that, becoming the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match in professional tennis, delivering some of her familiar big serves and groundstrokes at age 45 while beating Peyton Stearns — 22 years her junior — by a 6-3, 6-4 score at the DC Open . 'Each week that I was training, I was, like, 'Oh, my God, I don't know if I'm good enough yet.' And then there would be weeks where I would leap forward. And there would be two weeks where I was, like, 'Oh, God, it's not happening.' Even the week leading up, (I thought), 'Oh, my gosh, I need to improve so much more.' So it's all a head game,' Williams said after her first singles match in more than a year and first singles victory in nearly two. Navratilova is the only woman older than Williams to win a singles match The only older woman to win a tour-level singles match was Martina Navratilova, whose last triumph came at 47 in 2004. The former No. 1-ranked Williams had not played singles in an official match since March 2024 in Miami, missing time while having surgery to remove uterine fibroids. She hadn't won in singles since August 2023 in Cincinnati. Until this week, she was listed by the WTA Tour as 'inactive.' 'I'm just constantly praying for good health, so that way I could have an opportunity to play with good health,' Williams said. 'A lot of this for me is being able to come back and try to play at a level (and) to play healthy.' Venus Williams won four Grand Slam titles before Peyton Stearns was born Backed by a crowd that clearly was there to see, and support, her at the hard-court tournament in the nation's capital, Williams showed glimpses of the talent she possesses and the skills she displayed while earning all of her Grand Slam titles: seven in singles, 14 in women's doubles — all alongside younger sister Serena — and two in mixed doubles. 'I wanted to play a good match,' Williams told the fans, then added a phrase that drew appreciative roars: 'and win the match.' In Tuesday's second game, Williams smacked a return winner to get things started, then delivered a couple of other big responses to break Stearns, a 23-year-old who won singles and team NCAA titles at the University of Texas and is currently ranked 35th. In the next game, Williams sprinted forward to reach a drop shot and replied with a forehand winner. The first chorus of cheers arrived when Williams walked out into the main stadium at the DC Open, a 7,000-seat arena that's more than twice as large as where she was for her doubles victory a day earlier. Another came when she strode from the sideline to the center of the court for the coin toss. The noise reached a crescendo when Williams began hitting aces — at 110 mph and faster — the way she used to. Keep in mind: Williams won four Grand Slam trophies before Stearns was born. Venus Williams hit big serves and groundstrokes just like she always did 'She played some ball tonight,' Stearns said. 'She was moving really well, which I wasn't expecting too much, honestly. Her serves were just on fire.' There also were moments where Williams — whose fiance was in the stands — looked as if it had been just as long as it actually has since she competed, including in the opening game, when she got broken at love this way: forehand wide, forehand into the net, forehand long, backhand long. At the end, it took Williams a bit of extra effort to close things out. She kept holding match points and kept failing to convert them. But eventually, on her sixth chance, Williams powered in a 112 mph serve that Stearns returned into the net. That was it: Williams smiled wide as can be, raised a fist and jogged to the net to shake hands, then performed her customary post-win pirouette-and-wave. 'It's not easy. It won't be easy. It's not easy for anyone out here,' said Williams, who next faces No. 5 seed Magdalena Frech, who's 27. 'So I know I'll have to fight for every match. But I'm up for that.' ___ AP tennis:

45-year-old Venus Williams becomes the oldest woman since Martina Navratilova to win a singles match
45-year-old Venus Williams becomes the oldest woman since Martina Navratilova to win a singles match

The Hill

time2 hours ago

  • The Hill

45-year-old Venus Williams becomes the oldest woman since Martina Navratilova to win a singles match

WASHINGTON (AP) — Venus Williams wanted to send a message — to herself and to others — about coming back from a long layoff, about competing in a sport at age 45, about never giving up. Yes, there was something special about just being back on a tennis court Tuesday night. There also was this: She really, really wanted to win. And Williams did just that, becoming the second-oldest woman to win a tour-level singles match in professional tennis, delivering some of her familiar big serves and groundstrokes at age 45 while beating Peyton Stearns — 22 years her junior — by a 6-3, 6-4 score at the DC Open. 'Each week that I was training, I was, like, 'Oh, my God, I don't know if I'm good enough yet.' And then there would be weeks where I would leap forward. And there would be two weeks where I was, like, 'Oh, God, it's not happening.' Even the week leading up, (I thought), 'Oh, my gosh, I need to improve so much more.' So it's all a head game,' Williams said after her first singles match in more than a year and first singles victory in nearly two. Navratilova is the only woman older than Williams to win a singles match The only older woman to win a tour-level singles match was Martina Navratilova, whose last triumph came at 47 in 2004. The former No. 1-ranked Williams had not played singles in an official match since March 2024 in Miami, missing time while having surgery to remove uterine fibroids. She hadn't won in singles since August 2023 in Cincinnati. Until this week, she was listed by the WTA Tour as 'inactive.' 'I'm just constantly praying for good health, so that way I could have an opportunity to play with good health,' Williams said. 'A lot of this for me is being able to come back and try to play at a level (and) to play healthy.' Venus Williams won four Grand Slam titles before Peyton Stearns was born Backed by a crowd that clearly was there to see, and support, her at the hard-court tournament in the nation's capital, Williams showed glimpses of the talent she possesses and the skills she displayed while earning all of her Grand Slam titles: seven in singles, 14 in women's doubles — all alongside younger sister Serena — and two in mixed doubles. 'I wanted to play a good match,' Williams told the fans, then added a phrase that drew appreciative roars: 'and win the match.' In Tuesday's second game, Williams smacked a return winner to get things started, then delivered a couple of other big responses to break Stearns, a 23-year-old who won singles and team NCAA titles at the University of Texas and is currently ranked 35th. In the next game, Williams sprinted forward to reach a drop shot and replied with a forehand winner. The first chorus of cheers arrived when Williams walked out into the main stadium at the DC Open, a 7,000-seat arena that's more than twice as large as where she was for her doubles victory a day earlier. Another came when she strode from the sideline to the center of the court for the coin toss. The noise reached a crescendo when Williams began hitting aces — at 110 mph and faster — the way she used to. Keep in mind: Williams won four Grand Slam trophies before Stearns was born. Venus Williams hit big serves and groundstrokes just like she always did 'She played some ball tonight,' Stearns said. 'She was moving really well, which I wasn't expecting too much, honestly. Her serves were just on fire.' There also were moments where Williams — whose fiance was in the stands — looked as if it had been just as long as it actually has since she competed, including in the opening game, when she got broken at love this way: forehand wide, forehand into the net, forehand long, backhand long. At the end, it took Williams a bit of extra effort to close things out. She kept holding match points and kept failing to convert them. But eventually, on her sixth chance, Williams powered in a 112 mph serve that Stearns returned into the net. That was it: Williams smiled wide as can be, raised a fist and jogged to the net to shake hands, then performed her customary post-win pirouette-and-wave. 'It's not easy. It won't be easy. It's not easy for anyone out here,' said Williams, who next faces No. 5 seed Magdalena Frech, who's 27. 'So I know I'll have to fight for every match. But I'm up for that.'

EA Sports drops college basketball bombshell
EA Sports drops college basketball bombshell

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

EA Sports drops college basketball bombshell

The post EA Sports drops college basketball bombshell appeared first on ClutchPoints. It appears an NCAA college basketball video game could be coming from EA Sports after bringing back College Football. EA Sports dropped the bombshell tease on Monday, June 30, 2025. They posted an image of a basketball with their logo on it, and the caption read, 'Bring the Madness. Let's run it back.' This is huge news for college basketball fans. It has been over a decade since the last college basketball video game came out from the game studio. When did EA Sports' last NCAA college basketball game come out? It has been nearly 16 years since the last NCAA Basketball game came out from EA Sports. NCAA Basketball 10 was released on November 17, 2009, before the series' hiatus. Blake Griffin was the cover athlete of the game. He retired in 2023 after playing in the NBA for over a decade. During his career, Griffin played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, and Boston Celtics. EA Sports then discontinued the game after the 2010 edition. It would go on the shelf for over a decade until now. EA appears to be bringing it back. The move should not come as a surprise to fans. EA recently brought back their college football series in 2024 with EA Sports College Football 25. It was the first college football video game to come out in 14 years. NCAA Football 14 was released in July 2013, and then the series was put on the shelf for a while. Luckily, the revival was a success for the studio. College Football 26 is set to be released on July 10, 2025. The series will likely continue to go on for as long as players buy the game. Fans will have to wait and see when EA Sports announces more details regarding their NCAA college basketball game. It will probably come out sooner rather than later. If they follow the release cycle of the last games, it could come out in November 2025. Related: Backyard Baseball 01 Release Date, Gameplay, Trailer Related: New Madden 26 Superstar Mode Details Revealed

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