Weekend Wrap-Up: March Madness Reigns, Rodgers’ Move, Piastri Wins Chinese GP and More

Recovering from the first weekend of #MarchMadness 💪 pic.twitter.com/45dsitXX0O

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 24, 2025

Between upsets upon upsets and most predicted favorites making their initial title contention plans be heard around the tournament (besides you St. Johns) it’s safe to say the first full weekend of March Madness action has not disappointed.

THE LAST PERFECT MEN’S BRACKET FALLS‼️

The last perfect bracket gets its first loss after Kentucky defeats Illinois 84-75 👏 pic.twitter.com/U95dZ8CtL5

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 23, 2025

Staying on upset alert and returning to St. John’s, this year’s defending Big East season champions, and an initial March Madness Tournament odds contender, their loss against Arkansas could easily be taken as the biggest flop of the tournament so far.

Besides that, Ole Miss took out Iowa State to reach the Sweet 16 phase, BYU sent Wisconsin home, Michigan told Texas A&M to pack it up and leave, New Mexico also told Marquette “bye-bye”, Colorado State routed Memphis, Baylor gave Mississippi State its walking papers out of the tournament, Drake showing Missouri the exit door, McNeese pulling off the immense Aura win against Clemson and Creighton kicking Louisville to the curve, I get if people feel a bit upset after this weekend.

Get it? Upset.

I crack myself up sometimes.

Leaving upsets to the side for a second, there have also been some pretty awesome moments too, my favorite being Maryland’s game-winner against Colorado State to head to the Sweet 16.

With the last 32 teams ready to duke it out for a spot in the Elite Eight, how can you not love March Madness?

Admit It, We’ll All Miss ‘Aura’ Khan

Let me be the first person here to admit that if it wasn’t for Nick ‘Aura’ Khan, I would have never turned into any McNeese State NCAAB games at all.

Sorry Cowboys but I’m not about to start lying here.

In what will go down as this season’s best feel-good story, McNeese State’s team manager Ahmir “Aura” Khan became everybody’s favorite student manager in all of college hoops.

Shoutout to ALL the team managers doing the behind the scenes work that makes the squad go – enjoyed catching up with @McNeeseMBB’s Amir Khan – who has earned the first NIL manager deal in NCAA history.

Our latest for SC: pic.twitter.com/NemqrUS4u0

— Michele Steele (@MicheleSteele) March 20, 2025

Leading the Cowboys with his boombox and enough swag to fill up every arena in the world, Khan showed the world what repping for your team is all about, leading him to become the first non-athlete to land NIL deals upwards of six figures based solemnly on his impact on the team.

Amir “Aura” Khan is the hero we didn’t know we needed. $100K+ of NIL deals is only the start.🙌 pic.twitter.com/xjHnVKKzWp

— LunarCrush.com Social Data (@LunarCrush) March 23, 2025

Now I don’t know about you, but if I had a guy like Khan leading me everywhere I go, I’d be ready to pick a fight with King Kong and show him what’s up.

Now that the Cowboys are out of the tournament, what started as NCAAB rumors are now a reality as Khan will be joining new North Carolina State Wolfpack head coach, Will Wade, formerly with McNeese, next season to be the school’s basketball team05
;’jugt6fff0 graduate manager.

The end of an era: Amir “Aura” Kahn is following Coach Will Wade to NC State as a graduate manager, per @MattNorlander. pic.twitter.com/1gv1kAK1kZ

— Complex Sports (@ComplexSports) March 22, 2025

Get ready Wolfpack, you’re about to get an immense dose of aura coming your way.

Damn, Coach Hurley, You Didn’t Have to Talk That Way

Coming hot in the March Madness flipside, following last season’s champions UConn falling against Florida, Huskies coach Dan Hurley, aka, one of the most lovable characters in college ball, if you’re a Huskies fan at least showed no restraint whatsoever when speaking post-game about the loss and the game’s refs.

Dan Hurley is the biggest crybaby in the history of sports 🤣 pic.twitter.com/mRrKR5UdG5

— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) March 23, 2025

For a coach who’s responsible for leading UConn to back-to-back titles before this tournament, it’s safe to say Hurley does not take losing lightly, managing with his tirade to fuel up haters left and right showing why hating the Huskies’ coach is slowly becoming a new March Madness tradition.

“You have to be a sick individual if you are enjoying watching Dan Hurley lose”

Me: pic.twitter.com/og7FvqAqb6

— Tony Milan (@tony_milan3) March 23, 2025

Better luck next year at UConn.

Rodgers Had Play Date With the Steelers

If you’ve been keeping up with Aaron Rodgers’ chill approach to finding a new team to play with in the upcoming season, we’ve got some NFL news for you.

Following a six-hour visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers, it appears as if Rodgers might be closing in on deciding for next season, with speculation flying up and down about the former Green Bay Packers and New York Jets quarterback getting closer and closer to joining Pitt.

𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: It’s a “safe bet” Aaron Rodgers will eventually end up signing with the Steelers, per @ProFootballTalk

Rodgers spent more than six hours visiting the Steelers on Friday. pic.twitter.com/DxrCpe5ns9

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 24, 2025

Of course, it didn’t take long for various football experts to dish out their two cents on whether the Steelers were shooting themselves in the foot by waiting on Rodgers to make up his mind.

“The Steelers are making a monumental mistake waiting on Aaron Rodgers. He’s a band-aid on a situation that needs constructive surgery.”

— @EmmanuelAcho pic.twitter.com/ITeOPOkjKc

— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) March 24, 2025

As of now, Rodgers continues to chill and the Steelers are playing Jack Johnson’s “Sitting, Waiting, Wishing” on repeat.

Piastri Gets the W in Chinese GP

If you’re keeping up with early season Formula 1 stats, chalk this Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix win over to Mclaren driver Oscar Piastri!

OSCAR PIASTRI WINS THE CHINESE GRAND PRIX 🎉#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/kce8j2t9Xw

— Formula 1 (@F1) March 23, 2025

After landing the pole position and setting a new lap record, Piastri not only won the race at Shanghai International Circuit but did so by beating fellow McLaren driver and last week’s Australian GP winner Lando Norris by a 9.748-second difference.

got pole, set a new lap record, won a race, served face, oscar piastri pic.twitter.com/OhuwdOyeDq

— nina (@81oscunt) March 23, 2025

With the Japanese GP coming up next weekend, will we see another 1-2 punch from McLaren’s drivers?

Canada Shows the US Who Rules the North…in Soccer at Least

The US Men’s Soccer Team cannot catch a break!

Following last week’s loss against Panamá in the CONCACAF Nations League Semifinals by 1-0, which also led to one of the coolest celebrations in recent times from the Panamanians, featuring Thierry Henry, the US took another “L” this weekend, this time at the hands of Canada.

USA shocked by Panama today in the final minute losing 1-0 pic.twitter.com/JUg2Gyz2Lv

— Bleacher Brothers (@BleacherBrother) March 21, 2025

Losing by 2-1 against a strong Canadian team who brought the fight from the get-go, Mauricio Pochettino’s team looked more like an imploding mess than a team that’s been up in everybody’s grill bragging about their golden generation of players.

350 million population In US and 39 million in Canada and we’re not just better than you at hockey but also soccer 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦#CanMNT pic.twitter.com/CPoDyuvFLD

— Kai (@twoovegg) March 24, 2025

I wonder how some people up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in DC took it.

One More Lap Around the Block

Staying with soccer to wrap it all up, can we please take a moment and bow down to Spain’s, Germany’s, Portugal and France’s performance this weekend as they cemented their places in the UEFA Nations League Semifinals?

Over in Valencia, looking at their previous 2-2 tie from earlier in the week and saying “Hold my Sangria and Gouda”, Spain and the Netherlands put on another instant classic, finishing in a 3-3 tie which would see the Spaniards go on to win via penalties by 5-4.

8’—Spain 1-0 Netherlands
54’—Spain 1-1 Netherlands
67’—Spain 2-1 Netherlands
79’—Spain 2-2 Netherlands
103’—Spain 3-2 Netherlands
109’—Spain 3-3 Netherlands

This. Game 🍿 pic.twitter.com/nJ9RRAHG18

— B/R Football (@brfootball) March 23, 2025

Germany understood that following their 2-1 win over Italy at the historic San Siro Stadium in Milan last Thursday the Italians were looking at their 2nd leg game yesterday at Signal Iduna Park, home of Borussia Dortmund as a potential battle waiting to happen.

So what did end up happening? All-out soccer war!

Germany beat Italy to become the first semi-finalists of UEFA Nations League 💪🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/339uTeAngf

— OneFootball (@OneFootball) March 23, 2025

With a 3-3 tie, which would leave the series score at 5-4 in favor of Julian Nagelsmann’s team, Germany once again proved English legend Gary Lineker’s words: “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.”

At Stade de France in Paris, Kylian Mbappé and company were not about to let Croatia walk into their field and walk out with a spot in the Nations League Semifinals without any resistance.

After leveling the series score at 2-2, following a 2-0 win, France would go on to defeat Croatia 5-4 in penalties to advance.

France come back to beat Croatia on penalties to qualify for the UEFA Nations League semi-finals 💪🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/CRBa9km4ID

— OneFootball (@OneFootball) March 23, 2025

Last but not least, Cristiano Ronaldo, aka Portugal’s GOAT and the best soccer player in international games in history (don’t even start Messi fans, we all know CR7 rules in national team games), led Portugal past Denmark in a 5-2 stomping at Jose Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon, following a 1-0 first-leg loss in Copenhagen last Thursday.

Cristiano Ronaldo said on Saturday that he hoped that Rasmus Hojlund would see him hit the “SIUUU” in Portugal’s match vs. Denmark on Sunday.

He’s a man of his word 😉 pic.twitter.com/fAhxmYDT2v

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) March 24, 2025

As Germany now gets ready to face Portugal in Munich, and Spain gears up to play France in Stuttgart, who will come out on top following what can easily be touted as one of the best weekends in recent soccer history?

What a night of football!🔥
Germany 3-3 Italy (5-4 on aggregate)
Portugal 5-2 Denmark (5-3 on aggregate)
Spain 3-3 Netherlands (5-5 on aggregate). Spain win it on penalties 5-4.
France 2-0 Croatia (2-2 on aggregate). France win it on penalties 5-4. pic.twitter.com/3ewrXI4ctP

— Minja (@UtdMinja) March 23, 2025

If only we could get weekends like this all the time.

Until next week, stay classy peeps.