US reaches first Olympic curling mixed doubles final, will face Swedish siblings for gold

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Korey Dropkin whooped and hollered and directed a string of fist pumps to a small pocket of American curling fans chanting “U-S-A! U-S-A!”

The U.S. is headed to the mixed doubles final at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics — and has quashed the title hopes of the host nation in the process. Dropkin and his more stoic partner, Cory Thiesse, guaranteed the U.S. its first Olympic medal in the mixed event with a 9-8 victory over Italy in a riveting semifinal match on Monday.

“I bring out a little bit more energy than I probably should,” Dropkin said, grinning through a voice hoarse from yelling in celebration.

“You don’t see football players, basketball players, baseball players always hiding their emotions,” he continued. “You know when they’re pissed off and you know when they’re having a good time. Why not curlers, too?”

Thiesse, from the curling haven of Duluth, Minnesota, becomes the first woman to win an Olympic medal for the U.S.

In Tuesday's title match, the Americans will play Sweden, whose brother-and-sister team of Isabella and Rasmus Wrana upset the British pair of Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat in a 9-3 blowout in just seven ends.

Dropkin, of Massachusetts, and Thiesse are competing in their first Olympics and they hugged tightly after the final rock settled to earn two points and the win for the Americans.

Thiesse said it was “crazy" she was going to be playing in a final, adding: “Just a dream week really.”

Asked how it felt to beat the Italians, Dropkin said: “There’s no better way to make the Olympic final than to go through the reigning Olympic champions."

Stefania Constantini and Amos Mosaner have enjoyed raucous support over the past week, with Italian fans registering their approval by banging on the old wooden bannisters inside the Cortina Curling Stadium and screaming “Italia! Italia! Italia!” In Constantini, Italy found a new Olympic darling — and she looked stunned as the tables slowly turned.

The Italians had defeated the U.S. earlier in the day.

Dodds and Mouat, who entered the field as favorites, shook hands with the Wrana siblings with one end still to play. Sweden’s brother-and-sister combo grew up as rivals and now they could win gold together.

“We knew that we had to play our best game of the week to have a chance to beat Great Britain because they’re so good," Rasmus Wrana said.

Asked how they came back from three losses in a row earlier in the round robin, Isabella Wrana said: “Mixed doubles, anything can happen.”

Italy will take on Britain in the bronze-medal match a few hours before the final.

In mixed doubles curling, teams with one woman and one man face off against one another.

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

United States' Korey Dropkin reacts following the semi-finals round of the mixed doubles curling match against Italy, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

United States' Korey Dropkin, left, and United States' Cory Thiesse react following their semi-finals round of the mixed doubles curling match against Italy, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

United States' Korey Dropkin and United States' Cory Thiesse hug after winning the semi-finals round of the mixed doubles curling match against Italy, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Sweden's Rasmus Wranaa reacts during the semi-finals round of the mixed doubles curling match against Britain, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

Sweden's Rasmus Wranaa hugs Isabella Wranaa during the semi-finals round of the mixed doubles curling match against Britain, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

United States' Korey Dropkin, left, and United States' Cory Thiesse react following the semi-finals round of the mixed doubles curling match against Italy, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)

UConn, UCLA, Texas and South Carolina are projected No. 1 seeds in the women's NCAA Tournament when the bracket is announced Sunday night.

The Huskies head into March Madness undefeated and need six more wins to complete the seventh undefeated season in school history. If they win, UConn will be the first repeat champion since the team won four in a row from 2013-16.

UCLA has won 25 straight games in dominant fashion with the lone loss this season coming against Texas on a neutral court. The Bruins reached the Final Four last year before losing to UConn. Cori Close’s team ran through conference play and has an experienced group led by center Lauren Betts looking to win the school’s first NCAA championship and the first for the Big Ten since 1999.

The Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Big 12 are expected to have many of the teams in the tournament.

The Longhorns (31-3) are coming into the tournament on a roll after beating South Carolina to win the SEC Tournament title. They beat the Gamecocks in two of the three meetings this season.

The Gamecocks have been a No. 1 seed for the past five seasons and are looking to win their fourth national championship.

For the second consecutive year, teams in the women's tournament will be financially compensated, in a similar fashion to the men's field, for each round they play. “Units” are what the NCAA calls its tally of wins, automatic qualifiers and at-large bids that determine how much conferences are paid. A unit is money paid to conferences when one of its teams appears in the NCAA Tournament.

This year, the NCAA is giving teams that reach the championship game and the one that wins the title extra units. That extra compensation was added to the overall pool and doesn't decrease the overall value of the units.

The top 16 seeds in the 68-team field will host first- and second-round games, with the regional rounds being played at two neutral sites for the fourth straight year. Fort Worth, Texas, will host half of the Sweet 16 and Sacramento, California, will host the other eight teams.

The Final Four will be played in Phoenix on April 3 and the championship game is two days later.

For the first time the NCAA revealed the 16 host schools a day early. By doing that it gave schools an extra day to sell tickets, broadcast partner ESPN to start to move its equipment to the locations and the NCAA to get its marketing materials to sites.

Tennessee is trying to keep its streak alive of reaching ever NCAA Tournament since the first one in 1982. The Lady Vols, who have lost seven consecutive games, only had 16 wins this season and it would be the fewest for an at-large team since Oklahoma also had 16 in 2018.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Texas in the final of the Southeastern Conference tournament, Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)