All posts tagged: college basketball

How Koa Peat and Brayden Burries Became the Breakout Freshmen Duo of the NCAA Tournament

How Koa Peat and Brayden Burries Became the Breakout Freshmen Duo of the NCAA Tournament

Published by Jenni Sidey

The Arizona duo will join a bunch of other electric one-and-doners to make up the most exciting set of prospects in over 20 years. Headlined by BYU’s AJ Dybantsa, Kansas’s Darryn Peterson, and Duke’s Cameron Boozer, many basketball observers are comparing the 2026 draft class—which could see as many as 20 freshmen selected—to the iconic classes of 1984 (Hakeem, MJ, Barkley, Stockton), 1996 (Iverson, Ray Allen, Kobe, Nash), and 2003 (LeBron, Melo, Bosh, D-Wade). Those drafts were loaded with transformational talents, but never has the NBA seen so many polished 18, 19, and 20-year-olds projected to enter the league in the same year. Most mock drafts predict Burries to be a late lottery selection while Peat is likely to be chosen in the top 20. But before they peace-out of school and devote their attention to the pros, the fabulous freshmen are looking to ace college basketball’s final exam. The duo were a big reason why (aside from their first half against Purdue) Arizona has cruised through the NCAA Tournament. The Cats have won their …

Dan Hurley Might Be the NCAA’s Most Inspiring Coach

Dan Hurley Might Be the NCAA’s Most Inspiring Coach

Published by Jenni Sidey

The Dan Hurley era at the University of Connecticut was first announced in March 2018, but it officially started with a win over Syracuse in October of that year. The underdog Huskies won a close game against their rival at Madison Square Garden and Hurley, previously at tiny Wagner College and a prep school in Newark, was aggressively pumped. The resulting video is the first time Hurley went viral for his intensity. As the buzzer sounded, one of his players gave him a chest bump so aggressive ribs could have been bruised. Hurley let out a primal scream. Then, instantly relaxed, he calmly shook the Syracuse coach’s hand in the postgame line. It was an announcement of character as much as it was the trumpeting of a big win. Connecticut, meet Dan Hurley. This is your new coach, and he’s a different kind of dude. Now in his eighth year as head coach of UConn, Dan Hurley is the same overeager maniac that he was after his first big win as Huskies coach. Immediately after …

Why Watching March Madness Just Isn’t That Fun Anymore

Why Watching March Madness Just Isn’t That Fun Anymore

Published by Jenni Sidey

I used to regularly skip school on the first two days of March Madness. Those beguiling opening-round days, where it feels like absolutely anything can happen from the first tipoff on Thursday morning to the final buzzer on Friday night, ranked among my favorite forms of hooky. Sure, being anywhere other than chemistry class was a huge part of the appeal, but so too was the chance to watch hours upon hours of uninterrupted basketball. And as a West Coast kid, the first game of the day starting around 9 a.m. also meant the dopamine started flowing early. Maybe it’s because I’m no longer an indulgent teenager, but lately, the NCAA Tournament hasn’t seemed nearly as enticing. I still look forward to filling out a bracket every March—the more uniformed the better. It’s still fun tuning into the final minutes of a game where a university with roughly the same enrollment as my high school tries to slay a giant. But as for waddling up to the college basketball buffet and remaining there all day, …

How to Watch March Madness 2026

How to Watch March Madness 2026

Published by skeptic

Spring is upon us, which means the beginning of the end of seasonal depression (fingers crossed), spring breaks with the kids, and of course, brackets and betting with March Madness. This is the annual tournament that determines which men’s and women’s Division I teams will win the NCAA Basketball championships. This year, the games begin on Tuesday, March 17 for the men and Wednesday, March 18 for the women. However, 2026 March Madness officially starts this weekend, with the announcement on March 15 of the participating teams on Selection Sunday. You can watch the March Madness games live if you still subscribe to the old-school cable box, but who are we kidding—I know you’ve cut the cable and want to stream the games on the internet. To stream March Madness games for the NCAA Championship, you’ll have to access various platforms. I’ve done all the research for you, including how much it costs and what’s included (and when you should cancel your membership after March Madness ends). Where to Stream HBO Max ($18.49 a month …