Photo of the UCLA bench reacting to a play. Several players and coaches are standing up and cheering.

Within the next few hours, we will pass 75 stories tagged "2026 NCAA Tournament" at The IX Sports. A HUGE shoutout to the incredible team of writers, editors and photographers helping to tell these stories all year round. #WFinalFour

🔗 www.theixsports.com/tag/2026-ncaa-tournament/
📷 Domenic Allegra

Kara Lawson's return to Sacramento | The IX Basketball Duke's head coach made both her WNBA and broadcasting debut in the city when she played for the Monarchs and covered the Kings.

"...it's special to win a game here in this arena.”

Before she became a coach, Kara Lawson made both her WNBA and broadcasting debut in Sacramento.

@heintzelman.bsky.social on her return to the city and what it means to win there after Duke upset LSU:

Jackson's buzzer-beater ends classic LSU-Duke Sweet 16 game | The IX Basketball The Blue Devils gave up a late run to LSU, but Ashlon Jackson nailed a buzzer-beater to send Duke to the Elite Eight.

Ashlon Jackson's game-winning shot put an exclamation point on a full day of March Madness on Friday. Our @heintzelman.bsky.social shares his takeaways from an unforgettable battle between Duke and LSU in the Sweet 16. #NCAAWBB

BUZZER BEATER: LSU makes big comeback, but Duke's Ashlon Jackson gets the final say #marchmadness YouTube video by The IX Sports

Every second counted in No. 3 seed Duke's win over No. 2 seed LSU in the Sweet 16 on Friday. Live from Sacramento, our @heintzelman.bsky.social breaks down how the final play unfolded, as Ashlon Jackson sent the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight. #NCAAWBB

North Carolina, Duke lean on strengths and advance to Sweet 16 | The IX Basketball North Carolina's guards attacked Maryland on the inside, while Duke cracked down on defense against Baylor to advance to the Sweet 16.

In their final home games of the season, Duke and North Carolina put on a show to advance to the Sweet 16. Martin Heintzelman reports live from the Triangle:

ACC coaches comment on scheduling, location before tournament | The IX Basketball Every skipper discussed the conference's brutal competition this year, as well as shared thoughts on the controversial new hosting rotation.

In his latest, @heintzelman.bsky.social gets us hyped up for the ACC tournament:

www.theixsports.com/ncaa-basketb...

With upset of No. 12 Duke, Clemson finally finds its statement win - IX Sports The Tigers took down a tough Blue Devil squad, giving head coach Shawn Poppie's group a big boon for its postseason prospects.

Clemson is showing what they're made of, right on time:

www.theixsports.com/upset-duke-c...

A dance with the Devils: How Clemson handed Duke its first loss in 2.5 months #womensbasketball YouTube video by The IX Sports

Our @heintzelman.bsky.social was at Littlejohn Coliseum on Sunday, when Clemson hit a buzzer-beater to take down No. 9 Duke 53-51. Here's how the Tigers sprung the upset and dealt the Blue Devils their first loss since Dec. 4. #NCAAWBB

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First article for the IX, first bluesky post. What a day!