FRIDAY SPORTS, MARCH 20, 2026
DAKOTA WESLEYAN
— Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball will face Lindsey Wilson in the NAIA national tournament Round of 16 in Sioux City on Friday at 1 pm.
— Dakota Wesleyan softball opened GPAC play by splitting a doubleheader on Thursday vs. Northwestern, winning the first game 8-3 before losing game two 8-0. The Tigers will host Hastings on Saturday for a doubleheader at 2 pm at McWhirter Field.
— Dakota Wesleyan baseball split a Thursday doubleheader at Drake Field on Thursday, defeating Midland 11-6 in game one, before losing 8-4 in game two. The Tigers will be at Hastings on Friday at 2 pm for a doubleheader.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
— South Dakota State earned a No. 11 seed in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament and will face No. 6 Washington in the first round Friday in Fort Worth, Texas. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m. The winner will advance to play either No. 3 TCU or No. 14 UC San Diego in the second round. This marks SDSU’s 14th NCAA Tournament appearance in 18 seasons, after the Jackrabbits secured an automatic bid by winning their fourth straight Summit League tournament.
— South Dakota State baseball hosts North Dakota State for a three game home series starting on Friday at 3 pm.
— South Dakota State softball begins Summit League play on Friday with the start of a three-game series at USD starting at 3 pm.
— Four South Dakota State wrestlers are still alive after Day 1 of the NCAA Championships in Cleveland. At 125 pounds, Brady Roark bounced back from an opening loss to win by major decision and advance in the consolation bracket. He’ll face defending national champion Vince Robinson next. Cael Swensen also stayed alive at 157, earning a major decision in wrestlebacks after a narrow opening loss. At 174, Moses Espinoza-Owens recovered from an overtime loss to pick up a decision and move on, while Bennett Berge at 197 won his first match before falling in the round of 16. He continues in the wrestlebacks against Indiana’s Gabe Sollars. Julian Tagg and Luke Rasmussen were both eliminated on Thursday. Action continues with quarterfinals on Friday and championship finals on Saturday.
SOUTH DAKOTA
— USD women’s basketball will take on Northern Colorado in the second round of the WNIT on Sunday at 1 pm.
— USD softball hosts South Dakota State for a three-game series this weekend starting on Friday at 3 pm.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
— The Minnesota Vikings are bringing back veteran quarterback Carson Wentz on a one-year deal. Wentz, who started five games last season, joins newcomer Kyler Murray, along with J.J. McCarthy and Max Brosmer. Murray is considered the favorite to start, but the team has not named a No. 1 quarterback, leaving the competition open. Wentz went 2-3 as a starter in 2025, throwing for over 1,200 yards while playing through a shoulder injury that eventually required surgery.
NAIA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
No. 1 Dordt 75, No. 4 MidAmerica Nazarene 53 – Macy Sievers with a triple-double of 20 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
No. 2 St. Francis (Ind.) 67, No. 11 Hastings 60
No. 3 Dakota State 73, No. 10 Indiana Wesleyan 65
No. 1 Bethel (Tenn.) vs. No. 4 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) – 11 am on Friday
No. 2 Dakota Wesleyan vs. No. 3 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) – 1 pm on Friday
Dakota Wesleyan would advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday at 6 pm with a win.
NBA
— The Detroit Pistons will be without star guard Cade Cunningham for at least two weeks after he suffered a collapsed lung. The injury, described as mild, occurred during Tuesday’s game when Cunningham collided with a Washington Wizards player while diving for a loose ball. He’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks, putting his availability for the end of the regular season in question. Cunningham is averaging nearly 25 points and 10 assists per game and has been a key reason Detroit owns the top record in the Eastern Conference. There is optimism he could return in time for the playoffs, which begin in mid-April. His absence could also impact postseason awards, as he is currently just short of the 65-game minimum required for honors like MVP and All-NBA.
— Luka Doncic scored 60 points and LeBron James had a triple-double on a night where he tied the NBA record for games played, as the Los Angeles Lakers pushed their season-best winning streak to eight games with a 134-126 win over the Miami Heat. It tied the second-most points Doncic has ever scored in a game, behind a 73-point night against Atlanta in 2024 and matching a 60-point night against New York in 2022. James finished with 19 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.
— Victor Wembanyama hit a 17-foot, pull-up jumper with a second left as the San Antonio Spurs wrapped up a playoff spot to end a six-season drought, beating the Phoenix Suns 101-100. Wembanyama had 34 points and 12 rebounds.
— James Harden scored 36 and had seven three-pointers, while Evan Mobley added 26 points and 14 rebounds as Cleveland hung on to beat the Chicago Bulls 115-110.
— Rookie VJ Edgecombe scored a career high 38 points with 11 assists, while Justin Edwards was 7 of 11 from 3-point range and finished with 32 points, as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Sacramento Kings 139-118.
— Jalen Duren had 24 points and 11 rebounds as Detroit never trailed in a 117-95 victory over the Washington Wizards.
— Coby White had 27 points and led the Charlotte Hornets’ 3-point barrage in a 130-111 rout of the Orlando Magic. White shot 5 of 8 from beyond the arc and was one of four players with three or more 3-pointers as the Hornets finished 21 of 46 overall from deep.
— Trey Murphy III scored 27 points as New Orleans extended their home winning streak to seven games with a 105-99 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
— Ace Bailey made seven 3-pointers and scored 33 points as the Utah Jazz snapped a four-game losing streak with a 128-96 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
MLB
— Major League Baseball is entering an official partnership with Polymarket and has an agreement with the federal commission overseeing prediction markets to collaborate on integrity concerns. MLB said in a statement it has a memorandum of understanding with the chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, to “further protect the integrity of baseball by ensuring swift response to incidents and anticipating emerging trends more strongly.” Prediction markets have raised concerns from sports leagues already working to combat issues around legal sports gambling.
WNBA
— WNBA players are having information sessions over the next day or two to learn more about the new collective bargaining agreement that was agreed to in principle early Wednesday morning. Through zoom calls and one-on-one conversations the players are hearing about some of the details of the transformational new deal that will last for the next seven years with an opt-out after six, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
NCAA MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT – THURSDAY
No. 1 Duke 71, No. 16 Siena 65
No. 1 Michigan 101, No. 16 Howard 80
No. 2 Houston 78, No. 15 Idaho 47
No. 3 Michigan State 92, No. 14 North Dakota State 67
No. 3 Illinois 105, No. 14 Penn 70
No. 3 Gonzaga 73, No. 14 Kennesaw State 64
No. 4 Nebraska 76, No. 13 Troy 47
No. 4 Arkansas 97, No. 13 Hawaii 78
No. 5 Vanderbilt 78, No. 12 McNeese 68
No. 6 Louisville 83, No. 11 South Florida 79
No. 9 TCU 66, No. 8 Ohio State 64
No. 9 St. Louis 102, No. 8 Georgia 77
No. 10 Texas A&M 63, No. 7 St. Mary’s 50
No. 11 VCU 82, No. 6 North Carolina 78 (OT)
No. 11 Texas 79, No. 6 BYU 71
No. 12 High Point 83, No. 5 Wisconsin 82
NCAA MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT – FRIDAY
No. 7 Kentucky vs. No. 10 Santa Clara – 11:15 am on CBS
No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 12 Akron – 11:40 am on TruTV
No. 1 Arizona vs. No. 16 Long Island – 12:35 pm on TNT
No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State – 12:50 pm on TBS
No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 15 Tennessee State – 1:50 pm on CBS
No. 4 Alabama vs. No. 13 Hofstra – 2:15 pm on TruTV
No. 8 Villanova vs. No. 9 Utah State – 3:10 pm on TNT
No. 6 Tennessee vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio) – 3:25 pm on TBS
No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Iowa – 5:50 pm on TNT
No. 5 St. John’s vs. No. 12 Northern Iowa – 6:10 pm on CBS
No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Central Florida – 6:25 pm on TBS
No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 15 Queens – 6:35 pm on TruTV
No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Prairie View A&M – 8:25 pm on TNT
No. 4 Kansas vs. No. 13 California Baptist – 8:45 pm on CBS
No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Furman – 9 pm on TBS
No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Missouri – 9:10 pm on TruTV
Class B Boys Basketball State Tournament – Quarterfinals
No. 8 Lyman 49, No. 1 Viborg-Hurley 44 – MJ Diehm led the way for Lyman with 15 points, seven rebounds. Brady Schroedermeier was limited to 12 points and nine rebounds for Viborg-Hurley.
No. 2 Freeman 63, No. 7 Sully Buttes 55 – Tayden Kerrigan led Freeman with 17 points, knocking down five 3-pointers. David Walter added 15 points and seven rebounds.
No. 5 Castlewood 53, No. 4 Aberdeen Christian 50 – Kamden Keszler with 30 points on 12-of-24 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
No. 6 Wall 60, No. 3 De Smet 57 – Teelan Kjerstad led Wall with 31 points, while Grant Wilkinson had 40 points and 19 rebounds for De Smet.
Class A Boys Basketball State Tournament – Quarterfinals
No. 1 Sioux Falls Christian 82, No. 8 St. Thomas More 59 – Brant Wassenaar had a game-high 26 points on 11-of-16 shooting.
No. 2 West Central 75, No. 7 Cheyenne-Eagle Butte 41 – Connor Mebius had a game-high 25 points for West Central.
No. 3 Clark/Willow Lake 66, No. 6 Stanley County 36 – Chris Bevers led Clark/Willow Lake with 24 points, adding six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
No. 4 Hamlin 65, No. 5 Groton Area 61 – Boden Stevenson led Hamlin with 27 points, while Jackson Wadsworth added 20 points.
Class AA Boys Basketball State Tournament – Quarterfinals
No. 1 SF Lincoln 69, No. 9 Tea Area 44 – Sam DeGroot led all scorers with 21 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
No. 2 SF Roosevelt 58, No. 7 Brandon Valley 47 – Memphis Bylander with a game-high 14 points.
No. 3 Huron 60, No. 6 O’Gorman 45 – Blake Ellwein led Huron with 16 points, six rebounds and four steals, while Anderson Porisch added 11 points and 12 rebounds.
No. 4 Harrisburg 65, No. 5 Watertown 61 – Crayton Jibben led Harrisburg with 19 points, while Carter Buisker had 23 points, including six 3-pointers, for Watertown.