Elite Eight Set, Women’s Sweet 16 Starts, and MLB Opening Weekend Is Here

Sports IQ with Larry Smith sets the stage for a huge sports weekend. Larry, and Tony break down the men’s NCAA Tournament as the Elite Eight begins to take shape, including Iowa’s historic run, Illinois’ dominant form, Purdue surviving a scare, and Arizona setting up a showdown with the Boilermakers. The crew also looks ahead to Friday’s Sweet 16 matchups, with Rick Pitino and St. John’s chasing history and several Big Ten teams continuing their surge.

Yahoo Sports’ Lo Yarnall joins the show to talk women’s basketball as the Sweet 16 gets underway. She discusses the rise of teams like Virginia, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt, the impact of home-court sites in the women’s tournament, UCLA’s path forward, and which non-No. 1 seed could crash the Final Four. She also shares thoughts on the WNBA’s new landscape, expansion, player protection decisions, and how the NCAA Tournament can reshape draft stock.

Tom Kakert of HawkeyeReport.com stops by after Iowa’s win over Nebraska to discuss the Hawkeyes’ surprising march into the Elite Eight, their first trip this far since 1987. He previews Iowa’s matchup with Illinois, reflects on Ben McCollum’s first-year impact, and explains why this border-state showdown means so much to fans in the region.

Later, Tony sits down with veteran broadcaster Paul Crane to kick off baseball season. They revisit a thrilling World Series, discuss the excitement and future of the World Baseball Classic, debate MLB’s automated ball-strike challenge system, and preview the biggest storylines in both leagues as Opening Weekend arrives. The episode closes with a Moment of Awe honoring the first-ever NCAA men’s basketball championship game in 1939, when Oregon defeated Ohio State for the inaugural title.