As the college basketball season surges toward its climax, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI) has updated its Final Four predictions following a dramatic second round of the NCAA Tournament. The landscape has shifted significantly after the upset of top-seeded Florida by ninth-seeded Iowa, a result that has sent ripples through bracket challenges nationwide.
The BPI, a measure of team strength designed to predict future performance, now forecasts a Final Four featuring No. 1 seeds Duke, Arizona, and Michigan, alongside No. 2 seed Houston. This adjustment comes after several surprising outcomes, including Iowa’s stunning victory over the defending national champions.
In the men’s tournament, the pursuit of a perfect bracket has become increasingly challenging. The final perfect entries in ESPN’s contest were eliminated following Tennessee’s victory over Virginia and Iowa’s monumental upset of Florida. Similarly, the women’s tournament has seen its share of upsets, though a higher number of perfect brackets remain.
The NCAA Tournament is not the only league making headlines. In the WNBA, players have overwhelmingly voted to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement. The WNBA Players Association announced that over 90% of players participated in the vote, with the results being a unanimous “yes.” This new CBA ushers in a revenue-sharing model, a first for women’s sports, with the salary cap for the 2026 season set at $7 million and projected to exceed $10 million by the end of the agreement.
Meanwhile, the NBA season continues with teams vying for playoff positioning. Preseason predictions for the 2025-2026 NBA season, as reported by ESPN, indicated strong performances from teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers (59-23) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (64-18). As of March 23, 2026, the NBA schedule is in full swing, with various matchups taking place.
