The 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed in less than a week, and there is still plenty of shifting happening before teams find out where they will be seeded in the Big Dance — or in it at all.

The conclusion of the regular season highlighted how drastic fortunes can change heading into March Madness. Get hot, and you can soar up the seed line and away from the bubble, while others are dropping toward unfavorable spots and at risk of missing out on the tournament.

Now, the chance to improve stock is limited in championship week, heightening the importance of having a big showing to get in the good graces of the selection committee. Here are the teams rising and falling based on the final games of the regular season and the latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology as conference tournaments begin.

March Madness teams rising

Florida

Current projected seed: No. 1 seed (South)

There may be no team more dangerous than the defending national champions, which has ascended to becoming a top seed for the second straight year. The Gators finished the regular season with 11 straight wins. What’s impressive is all but two of them were double-digit wins and seven of them were Quad 1 games. Florida had been neck-and-neck with Connecticut for the last No. 1 seed, and the Huskies losing to Marquette opened the door for the Gators to claim the inside track to Selection Sunday, on a warpath to keep its crown.

Michigan State

Current projected seed: No. 2 (East)

While the No. 1 seeds seem virtually locked up, it’s a fight for the No. 2 spot. However, Michigan State is separating itself and assuring it gets the seed for the second straight season. The Spartans won five consecutive games, including a major victory at Purdue and picking up another road victory at Indiana. A win over Michigan would have been the perfect ending, but they put up a worthy fight in the loss to keep the good times going.

Wisconsin

Current projected seed: No. 6 (South)

Hot shooting has pushed Wisconsin onward. The Badgers have responded correctly from the head-scratching performance against Oregon with three wins to close the regular season; it started with a Quad 1 win at Washington and ended with another huge result at Purdue. Wisconsin is in a better position than what it was in a month ago, going all the way from a No. 9 seed to now in position for a sixth. If it can keep the momentum rolling, it can find itself moving up another seed line.

TCU

Current projected seed: No. 8 (Midwest)

There isn’t a need to worry about making the tournament as TCU has assured itself a spot in the bracket. It’s come a long way from the season-opening loss to New Orleans, finishing the season with five straight wins. The last week couldn’t have been better, getting wins against hot teams in ranked Texas Tech and Cincinnati. For nearly the entire season, the Horned Frogs were around the bubble, but the recent success has propelled them to a single-digit seed and on track to return to the tournament.

UCLA

Current projected seed: No. 10 (South)

After teetering on the bubble for much of conference play, UCLA has put itself in comfortable position. The Bruins pretty much wiped away the win against Illinois with a loss at Minnesota, but recovered immediately with an emphatic victory against Nebraska to get themselves back on track. They then beat rival Southern California to punctuate a sixth place finish in the Big Ten. UCLA has distance itself enough away from the cutline and can plan to be playing in the tournament once again.

March Madness teams falling

Connecticut

Current projected seed: No. 2 (South)

A No. 1 seed was UConn’s for the taking but Huskies have given it right up after an ugly loss at Marquette. It capped off what has been a strange past couple of weeks. It dominated St. John’s, but suffered a Quad 3 loss to Creighton and then finished the regular season with a Quad 2 loss to the Golden Eagles. That gave Florida a chance to take UConn’s spot, and the Gators didn’t mess up their opportunity. The Huskies do remain a national title contender, but losing the No. 1 seed shows how this team can’t be fully trusted as much as the other favorites.

BYU

Current projected seed: No. 7 (West)

After starting the season 17-2, the Cougars have gone 4-8 since then and have struggled to adjust without Richie Saunders, who suffered a season-ending injury on Feb. 15. That stretch has included blowout losses to UCF and Cincinnati, resulting in a stunning 10th place finish in the Big 12. At least it was salvaged by getting a win over Texas Tech in the home finale. BYU has gone from being a top 16 overall seed to now trying to stay in the top half of the bracket, with a great chance of not making it out of the first round.

UCF

Current projected seed: No. 10 (East)

A statement victory at BYU that effectively cemented UCF as a a tournament team has lost some spark with a three-game losing skid to end the regular season. It had a Quad 2 loss against Baylor and ugly Quad 3 defeat to Oklahoma State. Then a real struggle at West Virginia meant a missed chance to get a Quad 1 win, finishing with a 5-6 record in the category. The Knights aren’t in danger of missing the field, but are now putting themselves in the double-digit seed area, which wasn’t the trajectory a few weeks ago.

Missouri

Current projected seed: No. 11 (East)

It’s gotten really uncomfortable for Missouri with the Tigers losing the last two games of the regular season. A blowout loss at Oklahoma was disastrous but it could have been redeemed with a Quad 1 game against Arkansas. Instead, the Tigers couldn’t hold on and fell to the Razorbacks in overtime. Missouri entered the weekend as a No. 11 seed and likely stays one, but its now in the conversation for the First Four. Even with five Quad 1 wins, being No. 59 in the NET rankings really hurts the chances and it now needs at least one win the SEC tournament to feel confident.

SMU

Current projected seed: No. 11 (Midwest, last four in)

The Mustangs have spent all of 2026 as tournament team. Now, it doesn’t look like one. SMU lost its fourth straight game — all Quad 1 chances — which include two defeats to teams that aren’t in the March Madness conversation. What’s worse is the Mustangs have been blown out in nearly every defeat, finished with a 13-point loss at Florida State. They had slid to the First Four picture, but another confusing loss pushes them toward missing the tournament. Now having to play in the first round of the ACC tournament, SMU needs at least two wins in Charlotte. re

The 2026 World Baseball Classic continues on Monday, March 9 with Dominican Republic vs. Israel taking place in Miami at LoanDepot Park.

‘We haven’t achieved anything yet. Our goal is to win this tournament,’ Dominican manager Albert Pujols told reporters after his team’s win on Sunday. ‘When you get the trophy, then you can speak about the different matches and the emotions and stuff.

‘But so far, we have to face important teams, and our goal is to stay focused on winning and to obtain the victory for our country.’

Keep up with the latest scores and news all the way through the grand finale in Miami to decide the WBC championship. Sign up for our daily sports newsletter to get the biggest storylines straight to your inbox.

See the full tournament schedule here. Here’s everything you need to tune into Monday’s action.

Buy 2026 WBC tickets

Dominican Republic vs. Israel: How to watch on Monday

Matchup: Dominican Republic vs. Israel
Time: Noon ET
Location: Miami (LoanDepot Park)
TV: FS1
Streaming: FOX One App

Stream the World Baseball Classic on Fubo

Israel gets on the board on Horwitz homer

Held without a baserunner for the first three innings, Israel finally got to Dominican Republic starter Brayan Bello in the fourth when DH Spencer Horwitz of the Pittsburgh Pirates clubbed a leadoff homer run to cut the deficit to 6-1.

Bello settled down by getting the next three batters in order. He’s thrown 46 pitches over four innings with seven strikeouts and just the one hit.

Oneil Cruz goes deep for 6-0 Dominican lead

It’s a nice luxury for Dominican Republic manager Albert Pujols to be able to give some of his stars a day off and never have the offense seem to miss a beat. That was the case when Oneil Cruz got the start vs. Israel in place of regular center fielder Julio Rodriguez.

Cruz, who hits the ball as hard as anyone in the game, ripped a pitch from Israel’s Zach Weiss on a line over the right-center field fence for a solo home run in the top of the fourth to give the Dominicans a 6-0 lead.

Fernando Tatis breaks game open with grand slam

The powerful Domincan Republic lineup flexed its muscles early, taking advantage of four walks from Israel starter Ryan Prager and a grand slam from Fernando Tatis Jr. to build a 5-0 lead in the second inning.

Prager couldn’t find the strike zone in walking Manny Machado, Carlos Santana and Oneil Cruz to load the bases. The Dominicans’ first run crossed the plate when Geraldo Perdomo drew another walk with two outs. That set the stage for Tatis’ long blast to left field.

Israel lineup for today’s game vs. Dominican Republic

Spencer Horwitz, DH
Noah Mendlinger, 2B
Harrison Bader, CF
RJ Schreck, RF
Cole Carrigg, SS
Garrett Stubbs, C
Zach Levenson, LF
Matt Mervis, 1B
Colby Halter, 3B

SP Ryan Prager

Manager: Brad Ausmus

Dominican Republic lineup for today’s game vs. Israel

Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
Ketel Marte, 2B
Juan Soto, LF
Manny Machado, DH
Junior Caminero, 3B
Carlos Santana., 1B
Oneil Cruz, CF
Agustin Ramirez, C
Geraldo Perdomo, SS

SP Brayan Bello

Manager: Albert Pujols

How the 2026 World Baseball Classic works

The 20 teams are divided into four groups. They are:

Pool A (San Juan): Puerto Rico , Panama , Cuba , Canada , Colombia
Pool B (Houston): United States , Mexico , Italy , Great Britain , Brazil
Pool C (Tokyo): Japan , South Korea , Australia , Czechia , Chinese Taipei
Pool D (Miami): Venezuela , Netherlands , Dominican Republic , Israel , Nicaragua

Teams play one game each against the other four teams in their pool. The top two teams from each pool advance to the knockout rounds in Houston and Miami. Teams are re-seeded after the quarterfinals.

Teams that remain tied in the standings following round robin play will be seeded based on the following criteria:

Head-to-head performance between the teams who are tied
Fewest runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
Fewest earned runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
Highest batting average in games between the tied teams.
Drawing of lots conducted by WBCI

Pool play games will occur from March 4 to March 11. Quarterfinals begin on March 13. The semifinals begin March 15.

The championship game is set for March 17 in Miami.

Paralympian Steve Emt is aiming for the first-ever U.S. medal in wheelchair curling at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.
Emt, a former basketball player, was paralyzed in a drunk driving accident and now works as a motivational speaker.
After a last-place finish in 2018, Emt dedicated himself to intense training and has led Team USA to a semifinal appearance.
Emt and his teammate are competing in the new mixed doubles event, with Team USA guaranteed its best finish since 2010.

MILAN — Eight years ago in Pyeongchang, Steve Emt left the ice with his head hung low. A member of the U.S. Olympic wheelchair curling team, his squad just finished in 12th place. Dead last.

Emt spent two days sulking before the Hebron, Connecticut, native channeled his feelings into something else — fuel. Training more, pushing his teammates harder, and striving to be a better teammate himself, Emt claimed his role as a leader on the team.

Four years later, Team USA finished fifth at the Beijing Games, one spot outside the playoffs. Now Emt is at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Milano Cortina, where he hopes to bring home the Americans’ first Paralympic medal in the sport. 

“We will be successful,” Emt said. “And we will be on that podium.”

Watch Winter Paralymics on Peacock

Emt is already one step closer to his ultimate goal. It took consecutive wins that were not for the faint of heart — a game against Italy on March 8 that came down to the final stone, and a come-from-behind victory over undefeated China on March 9 — to advance the Emt and teammate Laura Dwyer past round-robin play for only the second time in program history.

The semifinal appearance is a product of Emt’s work back in the U.S.

On the ice six days a week, Emt trained. He ran dry firing exercises in his living room, consulted with a sports psychologist, and used NeuroTracker technology designed to improve performance in complex, fast-paced environments to enhance his decision-making.

A medal for Emt would come at a time of unprecedented support for the Paralympic movement in the United States, including in the form of financial investment from the USOPC and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to support athletes on travel expenses and post-competition financial awards.

It is the type of support critical for elevating Team USA Paralympics.

“The teams above us, they are all professional athletes, their governments fund them fully,” Emt said of countries like Korea and China, who dominate his sport. “I’m a public speaker on our team, we’ve got an accountant, we’ve got two lawyers, I mean, the women’s team, they’ve got a dental assistant.”

Emt, a motivational speaker and former high school basketball coach for two decades, was involved in a car accident as a result of his drinking and driving that left him paralyzed at 25 years old.

“For about six months after my crash, I did not accept what I had done. I was lying to myself. I was lying to everyone around me. I didn’t want kids to look at me in my hometown,” said Emt, a former walk-on player for the UConn Huskies men’s basketball team. “I told everybody a deer ran out in front of me.”

Six months after his crash, a newspaper reporter approached Emt to write a story on his journey, but recognized that something was missing in the details.

“I think he knew I was lying, and up until that point, I hadn’t accepted,” Emt said. “When we mess up in life, you’ve got to forgive yourself, right?”

For 29 years, Emt has traveled across the country almost weekly to speak at schools, reaching out to students as a motivational speaker, leading discussions on social-emotional learning, and providing alcohol awareness education.

“That’s my label, yeah, I’m a curler, yeah, I’m a speaker, yeah, I’m a drunk driver, I’m in a wheelchair because I’m a drunk driver, and I want everyone to know it,” Emt said. “And I want you to learn from me.”

It was Emt who was the student when he first encountered curling, however. The former Husky said he was “stalked” into the sport in 2013, when a man approached him late one night while he was by himself in Cape Cod.

“I saw you pushing up the hill back there, and with your build, I can make you into a Paralympian in a year,” Emt recalled the man telling him.

The stranger turned out to be Tony Colacchio, a renowned recruiter and coach for the National Wheelchair Curling Team. The teamwork, competition and skill gave Emt a competitive rush he had not felt since playing for the Huskies. He was hooked instantly.

Three months later, Emt received an offer to join the national team for USA Curling, setting record numbers for a rookie along the way.

Emt now calls DeForest, Wisconsin, his home and holds the title of the oldest athlete on Team USA this Paralympics at 56. He is leading the surge in curling, hosting Learn to Curl events nationwide. He is competing in Cortina in mixed doubles with Dwyer of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, in a brand-new event to Paralympic competition.

Emt hasn’t forgotten what it was like to feel low. The last-place finish in PyeongChang. The lies he told himself after his crash. But now he is ready to continue his own turnaround and finish on the ice what he has already accomplished in his personal life. 

With this semifinal appearance, USA Curling can finish no worse than fourth place, which would tie its best finish in history at the 2010 Vancouver Games.

For the former seventh-grade math teacher, it’s not just about the results at Cortina. It’s about what the sport has brought into his life and how he can give back to a community that supported him from the very beginning.

“Curling has changed my life, it hasn’t saved it, but it’s definitely changed it,” said Emt. “Curling has taught me in life, has taught me in relationships, has taught me in my job to appreciate all the little things. When I get up on a stage in front of 600 17-year-olds, I go through the same thing every time, I go through the process, and I love it. That’s what it’s about.”

The United States will enter the knockout stage as a two-seed with revenge on its mind. The doubles pair suffered its worst loss of round-robin play to Korea, 10-1 on March 7. Now, on Wednesday, USA Wheelchair Curling will compete for a chance at Paralympic gold at 9:35 a.m. ET. 

Alex Carpenter is a reporter for the Paralympics Project, a partnership between USA Today Network and the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

Get ready for another boring run to the men’s Final Four.

What makes March Madness such a spectacle is the unpredictability. Each game can throw away everything we know about the season, allowing Cinderellas to shine and Goliaths to falter. That didn’t happen much last year en route to all four No. 1 seeds making the Final Four for just the second time in history.

This season, there is no doubt of who has separated themselves from the rest of the field. Duke, Arizona and Michigan are in a class of their own. They awaited who would join them as the fourth member, and it was answered in the regular-season finale with Florida.

All No. 1 seed dominance? Guess what? It’s going to happen again in 2026.

It sounds crazy to declare who will be in the Final Four before the bracket and matchups are revealed, but it’s not hard to understand why it will be Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida.

Duke, Michigan and Arizona have been the most consistent. It felt like they could have gone undefeated, and they each finished the regular season 29-2. Florida didn’t have an amazing start, but finished on a 16-1 stretch as it obliterated the SEC to end 25-6 overall.

It’s one thing to win a lot, but it’s another to do it against quality teams. Look at each of their Quad 1 records, as they are conveniently the top four teams in the NET rankings:

Duke: 15-2
Michigan: 14-2
Arizona: 15-2
Florida: 11-5

These are the only teams win double-digit Quad 1 wins.

Still need more proof? Look at how they’re winning these games. These four make up the top eight teams in the country in average scoring margin; Duke wins by 20 points (1st), Michigan by 19 (5th), Arizona by 18 (6th) and Florida by 16 (T-7th). The Blue Devils and Gators made a joke of the ACC and SEC, the Wolverines handled the loaded Big Ten and the Wildcats made the Big 12 gauntlet look like a stroll in the park. It’s a type of consistency we saw exactly a year ago with Florida, Houston, Duke and Auburn.

That’s why the 2026 tournament is theirs to lose. All it takes is an off night to end a season in 40 minutes. However, these teams haven’t had many of those, any everyone else can’t say the same.

There are plenty of other teams that have Final Four capabilities, like Connecticut, Iowa State, Houston and Michigan State. The issue though is these teams have shown they can’t be trusted. They’ve each had their own problems, whether it’s losing to teams it shouldn’t, or going on extended cold streaks.

Oh, and they’ve all had a chance to play against the Final Four shoo-ins. Only the Huskies were able to beat Florida, all the way back in December when it was much different Gators team.

This isn’t saying the tournament won’t be eventful. There is bound to be the double-digit seed first round upset or surprise run to the second weekend. Just don’t expect it to be at the expense of the No. 1 seeds. Their games may be snoozers.

While it may take out the thrill of it, save the popcorn for when those four teams meet in Indianapolis, because it will be captivating, must-see TV. We already got a preview when Michigan and Duke met in late February, a thriller in the nation’s capital. Imagine that happening again with the national championship on the line?

After happening only once in 45 tournaments, does having an all-No. 1 seed Final Four in back-to-back years show parity is dying in a tournament built on it? Not really, it’s just the teams that are really good, are in fact, really good.

It’s almost become comical how superior each of the projected No. 1 seeds have been. So much so the conference tournaments won’t have an effect on their March Madness outlook.

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is for the taking of the Blue Devils, Wildcats, Wolverines and Gators. The other 64 teams are going to need the night of their lives — and then some — to alter the path.

The Dallas Cowboys acquired pass rusher Rashan Gary from the Green Bay Packers for a 2027 Day 3 draft pick.
This trade comes several months after the Cowboys sent star pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Packers.
The Cowboys have been actively seeking pass-rush help, also showing interest in Maxx Crosby and Trey Hendrickson.

Jerry Jones loves to deal with the Green Bay Packers. 

Several months removed from shipping one of the league’s best pass rushers – Micah Parsons – to the Packers, the Dallas Cowboys acquired Rashad Gary for a 2027 fourth-round pick, according to multiple reports. 

Gary had posted on social media Friday a goodbye message to Green Bay that indicated his release ahead of the start of the new league year. He quickly removed the post, however, as he wound up being traded instead. 

A first-round (12th overall) pick by the Packers in 2019, Gary had 7.5 sacks in 2024 and 2025, with his career best in that department coming in 2021 (9.5). Gary and Green Bay had agreed to a four-year, $96 million extension that takes him through his age-30 season in 2027.

Dallas has been active in the pass-rush market and was one of the teams monitor the availability of Maxx Crosby, who went to the Baltimore Ravens. The Cowboys have also been linked to pending free agent Trey Hendrickson. 

The return for Parsons before the start of last season netted the Cowboys two first-round draft picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark, whom Gary will reunite with in Dallas. 

Tua Tagovailoa, former Miami Dolphins quarterback.

That will take some getting used to as Miami general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan announced March 9 the team will release the quarterback at the start of the new league year.

‘I recently informed Tua and his representation that we are going to move in a new direction at the quarterback position and will be releasing him after the start of the new league year,’ Sullivan said in a statement released by the team. ‘As I shared with Tua, I have great respect for the person and player he is. On behalf of the Miami Dolphins, I expressed our gratitude for his many contributions, both on the field and in the community, during his six seasons in Miami.’

The Dolphins will take on a record $99.2 million in dead money by releasing Tagovailoa. Miami will split Tagovailoa’s dead-cap hit over two seasons by designating him a post-June 1 release, per reports.

An era that began with the ‘Tank for Tua’ campaign, it comes to a close with the team having determined there is nothing left in that tank.

It was a decision that appeared to be inevitable once the Dolphins elected to fire head coach Mike McDaniel on Jan. 8, a move that came just months after the team mutually parted ways with GM Chris Grier on Oct. 31. The Dolphins responded by hiring the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator, Jeff Hafley, as head coach and also Sullivan, the team’s vice president of player personnel, to be the new GM.

While the new regime certainly didn’t boost Tagovailoa’s chances of sticking around in South Beach, his time with the Dolphins has been in doubt since being benched ahead of Week 16. Tagovailoa appeared to welcome a change of scenery after the season concluded.

‘That would be dope,’ Tagovailoa said via Palm Beach Post’s Joe Schad, when asked if he was hoping for a fresh start this offseason. ‘I would be good with it.’

The quarterback struggled to remain on the field since being drafted with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, missing at least one game in 5 of 6 seasons. Concussions have been the main storyline for the former Alabama star.

Tagovailoa has suffered four documented concussions during his career. A trio of them have come since entering the NFL.

Tua Tagovailoa contract details

Despite the injury concerns, Miami still inked him to a four-year, $212.4 million deal ahead of the 2024 season, which carried an average annual value (AAV) of $53.1 million and came with over $167.1 million guaranteed, according to Spotrac.

Tua dead cap hit

The penalty for moving on from Tagovailoa this quickly is steep, though the Dolphins will be able to split his record $99.2 million dead-cap hit over two seasons.

Miami will have options for how to do that, according to OverTheCap.com. They can either take on a $67.4 million in dead cap for 2026 – costing them $11 million in cap space for the upcoming season – while still having $31.8 million in dead money tied to Tagovailoa in 2027 or take on $55.4 million in 2026 while having $43.8 million leftover in 2027.

It simply depends what the Dolphins plan on doing with Tagovailoa’s $15 million option bonus, which can be exercised at any point during the first 10 days of the new league year.

Tua Tagovailoa record

Tagovailoa will finish his Dolphins’ career with a 44-32 record in 76 games as a starter. He completed 68% of passes, tossed 120 touchdowns and 59 interceptions.

Now the southpaw will head to free agency in the hopes that a fresh start can get his career back on track.

Where is Tua going? Falcons among top landing spots

The Falcons are expected to make a ‘strong push’ for Tagovailoa as he hits free agency, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

Atlanta could use a veteran quarterback to challenge Michael Penix Jr. and provide insurance behind him as he recovers from an ACL tear that prematurely ended his 2025 NFL season.

Tagovailoa would provide that and could thrive in new Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski’s system. Similar to Miami, the passer would operate in an offense that features top-tier skill position talent.

The remainder of Tagovailoa’s free-agent market remains murky, but a couple of teams looking for a stopgap may be interested in the veteran passer:

New York Jets: New York is familiar with Tagovailoa as a division rival. Aaron Glenn and Co. will need a floor of competent QB play for new offensive coordinator Frank Reich, something which Tagovailoa can provide.
Arizona Cardinals: With Kyler Murray set to hit free agency, Tagovailoa could slot into Mike LaFleur’s offense while they figure out a long-term plan at the position.

The opening race of the 2026 Formula 1 season was marred by more complaints over new hybrid cars being used on the circuit for the first time and even led multiple drivers to reference feeling like they were in a video game in the middle of the Australian Grand Prix on Saturday, March 7.

‘This is like the mushroom in Mario Kart,’ Charles LeClerc of Ferrari quipped at one point as he dueled with Mercedes lead driver and eventual 2026 Australian Grand Prix winner George Russell.

LeClerc was referring to the overtake and boost mode buttons drivers can now use during races as part of F1’s new rules, most notably the introduction of hybrid engines featuring a 50-50 split between combustion energy and electrical power. It forces teams to manage their car’s battery energy throughout the race, often at the expense of acceleration in the corners.

The controversial change has not gone over well with some of F1’s most notable drivers after their first weekend of qualifying and racing in the new cars, with reigning F1 champion Lando Norris telling reporters in Melbourne, Australia, ‘we’ve come from the best cars ever made in Formula 1 and the nicest to drive to probably the worst.’

Norris didn’t seem convinced otherwise after his first 2026 F1 race with McLaren’s new car, even though F1 announced this year’s Australian Grand Prix saw 120 overtakes compared to 45 in the 2025 F1 opener.

‘It’s chaos, you’re going to have a big accident,’ Norris said about the boost mode capabilities of the new F1 cars, according to ESPN. ‘We’re the ones just waiting for something to happen and go quite horribly wrong, and it’s not a nice position to be in, but there’s nothing we can really do about that now.’

‘It’s painful because you can’t do much as drivers,’ added Haas driver Esteban Ocon. ‘Once you use the boost button, and you have not managed to overtake, or even if you overtake, you are just vulnerable again on the next straight.’

‘We’re taking quite a bit away from the pure driving,’ noted Pierre Gasly.

Mercedes emerged with Russell in first place and teammate Kimi Antonelli in second place at the Australian Grand Prix. LeClerc joined them on the podium in third place. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari had one of the few positive remarks about the new rules following the Australian Grand Prix, telling reporters he thought ‘it was awesome.’

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, however, remained among the vocal critics, wondering if F1’s pivot is good for the sport.

‘No,’ he told reporters when asked if he enjoyed the first race with new rules and hybrid cars.

Ronda Rousey won’t be the only former UFC champion stepping into the cage May 16 when she fights Gina Carano at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

Ngannou, 39, will fight Philipe Lins, a 40-year-old Brazilian who previously fought in UFC’s light heavyweight division and in 2018 won the Professional Fighters League heavyweight tournament.

Ngannou, nicknamed ‘The Predator,” will be fighting for the first time since October 2024.

“Stepping back into the cage isn’t just a return; it’s a reclamation,’’ he said, according to a news release issued by MVP. “My return to MMA demanded a stage that matched the scale of my ambition, and partnering with MVP to bring this event to Netflix ensures the entire world is watching.’’

The sports world figures to be focused on Rousey, who will be fighting for the first time since 2016. But Ngannou, the hard-punching Cameroonian, gives the card added zest.

He won the UFC heavyweight title in 2021 and defended it once before leaving UFC and making a foray into professional boxing.

Ngannou stunned the combat sports world when he knocked down Tyson Fury in his pro boxing debut. But in his next fight, Ngannou suffered a brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua.

He returned to MMA at PFL Super Fights: Battle of the Giants in October 2024, when he knocked out Renan Ferreira in the first round.

The 2026 World Baseball Classic continues on Monday, March 9 with Dominican Republic vs. Israel taking place in Miami at LoanDepot Park.

‘We haven’t achieved anything yet. Our goal is to win this tournament,’ Dominican manager Albert Pujols told reporters after his team’s win on Sunday. ‘When you get the trophy, then you can speak about the different matches and the emotions and stuff.

‘But so far, we have to face important teams, and our goal is to stay focused on winning and to obtain the victory for our country.’

Keep up with the latest scores and news all the way through the grand finale in Miami to decide the WBC championship. Sign up for our daily sports newsletter to get the biggest storylines straight to your inbox.

See the full tournament schedule here. Here’s everything you need to tune into Monday’s action.

Buy 2026 WBC tickets

Dominican Republic vs. Israel: How to watch on Monday

All times Eastern and accurate as of Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 10:14 p.m.

Matchup: Dominican Republic vs. Israel
Time: Noon
Location: Miami (LoanDepot Park)
TV: FS1
Streaming: FOX One App

Stream the World Baseball Classic on Fubo

How the 2026 World Baseball Classic works

The 20 teams are divided into four groups. They are:

Pool A (San Juan): Puerto Rico , Panama , Cuba , Canada , Colombia
Pool B (Houston): United States , Mexico , Italy , Great Britain , Brazil
Pool C (Tokyo): Japan , South Korea , Australia , Czechia , Chinese Taipei
Pool D (Miami): Venezuela , Netherlands , Dominican Republic , Israel , Nicaragua

Teams play one game each against the other four teams in their pool. The top two teams from each pool advance to the knockout rounds in Houston and Miami. Teams are re-seeded after the quarterfinals.

Teams that remain tied in the standings following round robin play will be seeded based on the following criteria:

Head-to-head performance between the teams who are tied
Fewest runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
Fewest earned runs allowed divided by the number of defensive outs recorded in the games between the tied teams
Highest batting average in games between the tied teams.
Drawing of lots conducted by WBCI

Pool play games will occur from March 4 to March 11. Quarterfinals begin on March 13. The semifinals begin March 15.

The championship game is set for March 17 in Miami.