While March is a month known for its basketball “madness,” it’s been plenty busy for a lot of other sports, too. Here are a few headlines that have stood out amidst the buzzer beaters, brackets and basketball so far this month:
First, the college wrestling season is almost at the end after the Big 10 and Big 12 held their conference championships last weekend. In the Big Ten, Iowa came out of championship weekend with nine wrestlers advancing to the NCAA Championships in Cleveland. That’s definitely a positive outcome, but placing fourth in the team standings in the Big Ten, only sending one wrestler to a championship match and having zero individual champions again — and none since Spencer Lee and Real Woods in 2023 — falls well short of the lofty expectations set for the Iowa program. The Brands brothers will (rightfully) be given a chance to get things back on track in 2026-27, but nobody knows what the future beyond that holds if there isn’t a noticeable turnaround.
In the Big 12, Iowa State will send 10 wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, with Rocky Elam and Yonger Bastida each winning individual Big 12 titles in Tulsa last week. Northern Iowa will send five wrestlers to the NCAAs: Caleb Rathjen, Julian Farber, Ryder Downey, Jared Simma and Nick Fox.
The men weren’t the only ones to have their time in the spotlight this month. In women’s wrestling, the NCAA held its first-ever wrestling championships at Xtreme Arena in Coralville. Unfortunately for Iowa fans, the Hawkeyes could not bring home the team title in their own backyard — that went to McKendree University — but Valarie Solorio, Kennedy Blades and Kylie Welker each won an individual crown.
***
In the NFL, the talk of the league is not Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker leaving Seattle to sign with the Chiefs, nor is it the Miami Dolphins cutting ties with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and taking a $99.2 million dead-money hit to their salary cap. No, it’s the record contract given to former Iowa Hawkeye and Solon native Tyler Linderbaum, who reportedly reached agreement on a three-year, $81 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, which includes $60 million in guarantees.
That contract makes Linderbaum, who has been one of the best centers in the NFL since being drafted in 2022, the highest paid at his position in NFL history in terms of guaranteed money — making nearly $10 million more than that of the previously highest-paid Creed Humphrey of the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite Humphrey’s success at the position, and being a multi-time Pro Bowl selection, his fifth-year option didn’t get picked up by the Ravens, allowing him to test the waters. The Raiders took advantage and made Linderbaum a central piece to their rebuild, and it looks like he likely will be snapping the ball to No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza this fall.
Linderbaum isn’t the only player with Iowa ties to cash in as the new league year begins. Former Iowa State tight end Charlie Kolar agreed to a three-year contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, while former Iowa tight end Noah Fant is headed to New Orleans on a two-year pact. Northern Iowa alum Trevor Penning is also staying with the Chargers.
***
Lastly, have you been watching the World Baseball Classic? After the Olympics finished up last month, it’s cool to have another opportunity to cheer on Team USA, even if it maybe doesn’t have the same level of appeal as say, U.S. hockey winning gold over Canada or Alyssa Liu or Mikaela Shiffrin winning an individual medal. But anytime you get best-on-best, like we see with much of the WBC, it’s definitely something worth watching.
Unfortunately for Team USA, their quest for a World Baseball Classic championship may end earlier than they anticipated. After hanging on to beat Mexico 5-3 on Monday night, the Americans were stunned by Italy 8-6 on Tuesday, a game where they fell behind 8-0 before mounting a comeback attempt that fell short. Making matters worse is manager Mark DeRosa’s gaffe of saying in an MLB Network interview early that morning that his team had already advanced to the knockout stage when it actually hadn’t.
Luck was on Team USA’s side, as Italy beat Mexico 9-1 on Wednesday night to win Pool D, and allow the Americans to advance. DeRosa said his team got a “wake-up call” and was “fortunate to be in” the knockout round.
***
March is the month for college basketball, no doubt, but there’s plenty for the sports fan to enjoy all across the world of sports. What are you watching closely this month? Join the conversation weekdays at 4 p.m. on 1600 ESPN!
Spencer Wagen is the host of “Spencer on Sports,” weekdays from 4-6 p.m. on 1600 ESPN. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @SWOnTheRadio.
