Take Madness | The Sleepers Division

Today is the third matchup of the first round of Take Madness, The Pitt News Sports Desk’s take on March Madness. 

Today’s division is the Sleepers Division, filled with the “unsung heroes of the desk,” according to our bracket preview. Topics in today’s edition include March Madness and the best time of year on the sports calendar. 

Readers can vote for their favorite take @PittNewsSports on Instagram and X, where a poll will be posted for 24 hours. The writer with the most votes will move on to the next round.

Sleepers Division: Danny Shanholtzer, Staff Writer vs. Kianna Opont, Staff Writer

The college basketball world needs more mid-major vs. high-major college basketball games in the early regular season // Danny Shanholtzer, Staff Writer

With the recent success of Ohio’s Miami University and High Point University in March Madness this year, it is clear that there is tremendous talent across college basketball. Miami University finished the regular season with a perfect record of 31-0, but after a hard-fought loss against UMass in the first round of the MAC tournament, it was controversial whether Miami University deserved a spot in the big dance because of their strength of schedule coming in at No. 298. Miami got a chance to play for the No. 11 seed and made the most of it, defeating SMU 89-79 in a first-four matchup.

The Redhawks proved they belonged in the dance and helped mid-major basketball get the respect it deserves. High Point did the same thing when they bested Wisconsin 83-82 on Thursday. Fans yearn for storylines and thrilling games, which is why the NCAA must implement a rule that requires Power 5 programs to schedule a minimum of three games against mid-major competition as part of their non-conference schedule.

While this rule change may take a bit of time to get used to, it would tremendously boost viewership of college basketball games during the non-conference portion of the season. This change would allow mid-major basketball players the opportunity to play on a big stage and gain exposure. It would have the potential to create and restore local rivalries. Miami University could play Ohio State. Highpoint University could play Duke, and maybe Pitt could play Duquesne. Most importantly, this rule change would hopefully make the NCAA tournament selection process a bit easier for the selection committee. More high-major vs. mid-major games have the potential to change the college basketball world, I think, for the better.

Expect the unexpected in March Madness 2026 // Kianna Opont, Staff Writer

As this March Madness begins, we know every year, fans try to build the perfect bracket, and every year, by the first round, everyone is devastated. No amount of rankings, projections or analytics can fully predict what will happen once the tournament begins. In the men’s tournament, Duke — the number one overall seed — entered the games with dominating plays and continued to reproduce successful plays. Michigan and Arizona are also expected favorites and presumed to make deep runs, while the women’s side continues to be led by dominating teams like the UConn Huskies and the UCLA Bruins. However, March Madness has never been defined by its favorites — it’s defined by the underdogs, the teams no one sees coming. 

Already, lower-seeded teams are stepping up. Twelve-seed High Point’s upset over five-seed Wisconsin and 11-seed Miami University’s win over SMU highlight how quickly the bracket can shift. These teams are playing with determination and nothing to lose, proving that seeding does not guarantee success. They are not just competing but changing the direction of the tournament. 

This is what makes March Madness so compelling and why it draws in millions of viewers. One game can define the entire tournament, leaving no room for error. These games prove that while dominant teams may headline the tournament, it’s the sleepers who define it. 

When it comes to March Madness, always expect the unexpected. 

Sleepers Region: Mitch Bloom, Staff Writer vs. Rithika Praturu, Staff Writer

April is the best sports month // Mitch Bloom, Staff Writer

The best month of sports is undoubtedly April. It’s a month that acts as the bridge between cold, dark winters and warm, sunny springs. Not only does April bring good weather, but it’s also a month that hosts a handful of worldwide sporting events. Often referred to as the “sports equinox,” April has the most entertaining, high-stakes sports of all other months. 

As March wraps up and April begins, so do the NBA and NHL Playoffs. The postseasons for basketball and hockey are typically played in early-mid April, with 16 teams competing for the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy and the Stanley Cup, respectively. 

In addition, the Masters Tournament, hosted at Augusta National Golf Club, always takes place the second week of April. The Masters is one of the four Major Championships on the PGA Tour and is widely considered the most prestigious golf tournament in the world. Legendary golfers such as Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are among many who have won at Augusta.
For soccer lovers, the Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals typically take place in April, which hosts the top teams from the world’s most competitive leagues, including several teams from the English Premier League and Spain’s La Liga.

If you’re a football fan, while the season is not in session, the draft is held in late April. This year’s NFL Draft is April 23-25 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Recent Heisman winner and National Champion Fernando Mendoza is the projected number one pick by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Lastly, the MLB season begins with the classic opening day series to kick off the 162-game season. In short, April is the best month of sports, and nobody will convince me otherwise.

Breanna Stewart is the GOAT of March Madness // Rithika Praturu, Staff Writer

As this year’s March Madness Tournament takes off, we have seen chaos in action in these first few games. Right now, every team in the bracket is fighting just to survive one weekend. Upsets are everywhere, rotations tighten, and even top seeds can fall before the second round. That’s what makes March Madness so brutal — consistency is nearly impossible.

And that’s exactly why Breanna Stewart’s legacy stands out.

While playing for the UConn Huskies, she didn’t just win in March — she owned it. Four straight national titles — from 2013 to 2016 — means she navigated this exact chaos year after year and came out on top every single time. In a tournament where one bad game ends your season, she never suffered that slip. She was part of 151 victories and only five losses in her time at UConn, and was Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four an unprecedented four times. 

There is never and was never a player like her in college basketball.

Even the best teams today would consider one championship a huge success. This stands true in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, but Stewart made winning the expectation.

That’s what makes her one of the greatest collegiate players ever — not just dominance, but dominance in the most unpredictable, high-pressure environment the sport has to offer.