If you didn’t pick Mississippi State on your NCAA Tournament bracket, watch out. Bulldogs coach Sam Purcell may put you on his list.

The SEC program bested Big Ten opponent Illinois, 70-56, in its First Four game Wednesday. With the win, Mississippi State claimed the No. 11 seed in No. 1 South Carolina’s region, setting the Bulldogs up for a first-round matchup against No. 6 seed Creighton at 6 p.m. ET Friday on ESPNews.

After the victory, though, Purcell came with receipts of several big-name women’s college basketball fans who did not pick Mississippi State to advance in their brackets.

“We’ve got some new people that are not believing in the Bulldogs,” he said. “We’ve got Candace Parker, who did not put us in the bracket. We’ve got President Biden, who did not put us in, A’ja Wilson and Barack Obama.”

Miss. State HC Sam Purcell released his "talk to me nice" list –– a list of people who didn't pick his team to advance.

Candace Parker, A'ja Wilson, President Biden, and Barack Obama all made it 😂

(via @JonSokoloff) pic.twitter.com/9O2qA1mBTD

— Just Women’s Sports (@justwsports) March 17, 2023

Wilson picked Illinois to win the First Four game and then upset Creighton before falling to No. 3 seed Notre Dame.

The Las Vegas Aces star won the NCAA title in 2017 with South Carolina, the No. 1 overall seed and Mississippi State’s SEC rival. She matched Purcell’s joking call-out with her own jibe at the Bulldogs’ expense, saying she would “never root for that maroon and white team.”

I’ll talk real nice @SamPurcellMSU 🫶🏾😂 I’ll never root for that maroon and white team ewwww 🤭😂 https://t.co/5O61H6IbaT

— A'ja Wilson (@_ajawilson22) March 17, 2023

Like Wilson, former president Barack Obama picked Illinois to beat Mississippi State and Creighton to advance to the Round of 32. He picked South Carolina as his national champion.

President Joe Biden picked Creighton to beat the winner of the First Four game between Mississippi State and Illinois in the first round in his bracket. Biden picked No. 4 seed Villanova to win the national title game over the Gamecocks; his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, received a master’s degree from the university.

Good luck to every team in this year's NCAA tournament.

I’ve got Arizona in the men’s tournament and Villanova in the women’s – and as you know, in this household, Villanova always wins. pic.twitter.com/iILzABTCuo

— President Biden (@POTUS) March 16, 2023

LOVB volleyball is coming back to cable, as the pro volleyball league announced a Wednesday night primetime partnership with USA Network for its 2026 season.

From January through April, USA Network will air a "Match of the Week" nearly every Wednesday evening, starting with a 2025 championship rematch between runners-up LOVB Nebraska and title-winners LOVB Austin on January 7th, 2026.

USA Network will also broadcast a portion of LOVB's 2026 postseason, including one semifinal and both games in the league's new two-match championship series.

Gearing up for its second season, LOVB features a talented player pool amid an increasingly crowded pro volleyball market.

One in every five LOVB athletes are Olympians, with 90% of the league's international players and 75% of its US players boasting national team experience.

Even more, growing demand for the sport has expansion on the horizon for the six-team league, with LOVB preparing to launch its seventh franchise in Los Angeles — backed by Angel City and Chelsea FC investor Alexis Ohanian — in 2027.

How to watch the 2026 LOVB season on USA Network

The second season of LOVB opens when inaugural champions Austin take on runners-up Nebraska at 6 PM ET on January 7th, 2026.

Live coverage will air on USA Network.

With the rookie card of Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark still doing numbers, trading card manufacturer Panini America is debuting Caitlin Clark Chronicled this week, dropping a limited-edition release on Monday that features a 22-page collectible book and 100-card set of the WNBA standout.

The book spans images of Clark on and off the court, and includes eight four-card packs and 32 randomly inserted trading cards, as well as autographed exclusives.

"I'm excited to launch 'Caitlin Clark Chronicled' with Panini America and share some of my favorite moments on and off the court from my first two years in the WNBA," Clark said in Monday's statement. "We wanted to create something different that combined great photography with trading cards, including some special exclusives. I am proud of this collection and hope fans enjoy it."

The WNBA superstar is an exclusive Panini partner in the trading card and autographed memorabilia space, with Clark making headlines last July when her one-of-one autographed rookie card sold for more than $600,000 — setting a new world record for a women's sports card.

How to buy Panini's 'Caitlin Clark Chronicled' card set

Panini's limited edition Clark collection is currently available for purchase at Target stores and Target.com.

Tensions remain high between the WNBA and WNBPA, after The Athletic reported on Monday that the latest CBA proposal from Players Association more than doubles the league's revenue share offer — suggesting a deepening rift in negotiations.

The union outlined a deal that would give players around 30% of total WNBA and team revenue — a significant leap from the league's proposed 15% share.

According to sources, the WNBPA also suggested linking the salary cap to the previous season's total revenue, factoring in player benefits and the number of teams in the league.

The move intends to undercut an accusation from the WNBA that the players have yet to put forward an economically viable revenue sharing model.

The union's proposal begins at 29% of the prior season's total league grosses, then grows to 34% by the final year of the CBA with a one-time adjustment for the new 11-year, $2.2 billion WNBA media rights deal.

Notably, the league recently rejected a flat 33% revenue share CBA proposal, prompting this week's 1%-per-year increase system in response.

It's clear that the WNBA office and the WNBPA are at odds, but the union is showing their work as both sides strive for a CBA that will keep players on the court in 2026.

Olympic swimming icon Katie Ledecky has done it again, becoming the first woman to break the 15-minute mile with a time of 14:59.62 at her namesake Katie Ledecky Invitational in Maryland.

Smashing her own US record of 15:01.41, Sunday's sub-15 minute mile gives Ledecky the 1,650-meter freestyle's eight fastest times, with US teammate Erica Sullivan earning the ninth-best in 2019.

"This is a special one for sure," Ledecky said afterwards. "This has been a goal of mine, to break 15 minutes in the 1,650, for probably eight or nine years. So, just putting in the hard work, believing that I could do it someday, and to do it at this meet, is really special."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Just Women’s Sports (@justwomenssports)

The 28-year-old Washington, DC, product is the most decorated women's swimmer in the history of the sport, prompting Nation's Capital Swimming — where Ledecky got her start at age six — to name their annual event in her honor earlier this year.

"I definitely was a little nervous before the race, just knowing there were a lot of eyes on me and all that," she continued. "But I knew I could just relax and have fun with it, and whatever happened, happened."

How to watch Katie Ledecky in action

Ledecky's next major competition will likely be the TYR Pro Swim Series, which kicks off in Austin on January 14th, 2026.

The domestic competition series will be covered across NBC Sports platforms.