Cinderella has been kicked out of the dance early for the second straight season.
Following a madness-promising first day of upsets, the NCAA Tournament has turned into a high-major affair.
The Sweet 16 invite is for power-conference programs only.
Advocates for fewer automatic qualifiers and bracket expansion will have a field day with this one.
“I think parity is great for the game, but things change,” said Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd, who spent 21 seasons as an assistant at Gonzaga.
The Big Ten is the big conference on the block, pushing through a league-record six teams into the Sweet 16 — three in the same region.
The SEC has four Sweet 16 teams, the Big 12 three, the Big East two, the ACC one.
Mid-majors: zero for the second straight season.
The top three seeds made it through the East.
St. John's is the Darling.
The fifth-seeded Red Storm (30-6) blew a 12-point lead against Kansas, but Dylan Darling, who hadn't hit a shot all day, scored at the buzzer for a 67-65 win that sends St. John's to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999
Next up for the Johnnies is a date with Duke on Friday in Washington.
The Blue Devils (34-2) and star freshman Cameron Boozer had an opening 1-vs-16 scare against Siena, but took it out on TCU with an 81-58 win to reach the Sweet 16 for the third straight season.
The second regional semifinal will likely leave both teams bruised and battered.
UConn (31-5) lost in the second round last season following consecutive national championships, but clamped down on UCLA to earn a Sweet 16 return.
Michigan State (27-7) is in the Sweet 16 for the 17th time under coach Tom Izzo, led by the dynamic duo of Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr.
No. 2 seed Houston avoided having to play reigning national champion Florida — Iowa made sure of that — and will be playing at home for the South Region.
The Cougars (30-6) will be surrounded by Big Ten teams, starting with a two-mile trip from campus against Illinois on Thursday.
The Illini (26-8) are big — bigger than any team in the country.
They used that size to their advantage, clobbering Penn and VCU to reach the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons under coach Brad Underwood.
The second East semifinal will be the battle of the corn.
No. 4 seed Nebraska (28-6) is the closest thing the Sweet 16 has to an underdog — only because it had never won an NCAA Tournament game prior to this season.
No. 9 seed Iowa (23-12) finished 10-10 the Big Ten, but has bulled its way through the bracket so far, reaching the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 by ending Florida's repeat bid.
Michigan has looked every bit a top seed, winning its first two games by an average of 22 points.
Next up is a showdown with No. 4 seed Alabama on Friday in Chicago.
The Crimson Tide (25-9) washed away Texas Tech by raining down 19 3-pointers in a 90-65 thrashing to reach the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight season.
No. 2 seed Iowa State took a big hit when All-America forward Joshua Jefferson sprained his ankle in the Cyclones' opener and didn't play against Kentucky.
It did little to slow them down; the Cyclones (29-7) spun away from Kentucky 82-63 to reach the Sweet 16 for the third time under coach T.J. Otzelberger.
Iowa State hopes to have Jefferson back for Friday's game and will likely need him against Tennessee.
The No. 6 Vols (24-11) have been Sweet 16 regulars under coach Rick Barnes and made it four straight by outlasting Virginia 79-72.
The West has an SEC team disguised as Cinderella.
Texas has a world of resources and plays in the SEC, yet found itself in Dayton as a No. 11 seed.
The Longhorns (21-14) pulled it together at just the right time in their first season under coach Sean Miller, knocking off No. 3 seed Gonzaga to become the sixth First Four team to reach the Sweet 16.
That earns them a spot in the West semifinals against No. 2 Purdue Thursday in San Jose, California
Coach Matt Painter has molded the Boilermakers (29-8) into a model of consistency, reaching the Sweet 16 seven times the last nine seasons — including the 2024 title game — with their 79-69 win over Miami.
The showdown between No. 1 Arizona and No. 4 Alabama will be an NBA scout's delight.
The Wildcats (34-2) go eight deep in potential future pros and guard Jaden Bradley has a knack for making the biggest plays at the biggest moments.
John Calipari set the standard for recruiting NBA lottery picks at Kentucky and it's been no different in his second season in Fayetteville. Fabulous freshman Darius Acuff Jr. was the star in Arkansas' 94-88 win over High Point, scoring 36 points in the Razorbacks' second straight Sweet 16 berth.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
Miami's Malik Reneau (5) heads to the basket as Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) and Oscar Cluff, right, defend during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 22, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer during the second half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
PARIS (AP) — Emmanuel Grégoire, a Socialist little known to the French public, was elected mayor of Paris in a runoff vote Sunday, succeeding fellow party member Anne Hidalgo.
Soon after claiming victory, Grégoire, 48, took a city bike through the streets of Paris toward City Hall, echoing his promise to make the French capital greener.
Grégoire won over 50% of the votes, beating out prominent conservative contender Rachida Dati who reached 41% while hard-left contender Sophia Chikirou got about 8%.
The race for Paris mayor was part of France’s second round of municipal elections. Sunday's vote showed clear gains for the traditional left and right, and one major win for the far right in the French Riviera city of Nice.
Long a discreet figure in French politics, Grégoire had for years worked by Hidalgo’s side.
Hidalgo was elected in 2014 and reelected in 2020 but chose not to seek a third six-year term after leading the city through the 2015 extremist attacks and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Here are five things to know about Paris’ new face.
Grégoire was well-placed to step into the limelight when Hidalgo decided not to seek a third term.
He had joined the Socialist party at 24 in 2002, got involved in Paris politics and eight years later became the chief of staff of Paris’ then-mayor, Bertrand Delanoë.
Grégoire subsequently worked in the prime minister’s office under Socialist President Francois Hollande. He was first elected to the Paris City Council in 2014 and became Hidalgo’s first deputy mayor from 2018 to 2024, overlooking key portfolios, including budget, urban policies and public services.
In 2024, he was elected a lawmaker to the National Assembly and last year launched his bid to succeed Hidalgo.
“An advantage we have is that we know Parisians very well,” Grégoire told The Associated Press ahead of the election.
“I believe that in politics, it’s healthy when grassroots work pays off more than social media” he said — a stab at his rival Dati, known for her outspoken style and being a regular guest in television shows.
Grégoire recently revealed publicly he had been a victim of sexual abuse while in elementary school between the ages of 9 and 10.
“This is the story of a child who … was sexually abused for several months during after-school activities at a municipal swimming pool,” Grégoire told France Inter Radio last year. “At the time, I couldn’t find the strength, the means, or the words to express that pain and suffering.”
“I kept it hidden for decades,” he added.
Child abuse has been a key topic in Paris electoral campaign, as several reports of alleged abuse in Paris public schools recently broke out, which Grégoire said reopened his own scar. Critics accused him of having done nothing on the issue.
Grégoire said that since 2024, he was no longer in charge at City Hall.
At the city level, Grégoire has led a broad left-ecologist political coalition of Socialists, Greens and Communists, but has ruled out any alliance with the hard-left party France Unbowed of veteran leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
France Unbowed once used to be a traditional ally of other left-wing parties. But the alliance collapsed as political rivals accused its politicians of tolerating antisemitic rhetoric. Some critics also blamed the hard left for fueling tensions after a far-right militant was beaten to death in the city of Lyon last month.
Ahead of the runoff, France Unbowed candidate Chikirou offered to join forces with Grégoire against Dati, but he declined, saying they do not share the same “values.”
The remark reflected Grégoire’s perception of Chikirou as being too radical while he defends a more moderate approach.
Grégoire, for whom the housing issue has been central to his campaign, has repeatedly said that “Airbnb is my enemy.”
“I’m fine with Parisians renting out their primary residence when they go on vacation. But I don’t want entire neighborhoods in Paris to be emptied of their residents because apartments are used exclusively to house tourists,” he said during the campaign.
With Paris long one of the world’s top tourist destinations, tens of thousands of apartments are used as tourist rentals instead of being available to Parisians, Grégoire said.
He pledged to create 60,000 new social and affordable housing units as mayor.
“We have the same problems in Paris as in New York, San Francisco, cities with which I have worked a lot on these issues,” Grégoire told the AP. “What happens if we don’t regulate? Speculation drives residents out.”
Grégoire also vowed to fight overcrowding in places like the Louvre Museum and the Montmartre neighborhood by highlighting less-visited sites and urging tourists to experience different locations.
In line with his predecessor's policies, Grégoire promised to further increase the number of cycling lanes and make the River Seine cleaner.
Gregoire was long seen in the Socialist camp as the favorite to succeed Hidalgo, but a dispute between the two in 2024 almost derailed his bid.
“Anne Hidalgo didn’t back me. She did everything she could to torpedo my candidacy. I am neither her candidate nor her heir,” Grégoire told the Franceinfo news broadcaster about the feud last month without elaborating.
However, Grégoire acknowledged their closely shared views but said his approach is “different,” describing himself as “available, accessible and always listening.”
Hidalgo initially supported another Socialist figure to succeed her, but she ultimately endorsed Grégoire after he was chosen as mayoral candidate by party members last year.
She welcomed Grégoire with a hug and a rose at the City Hall on Sunday evening, praising his “very, very beautiful victory.”
French socialist candidate for Paris mayoral election Emmanuel Gregoire, center left, and, Anne Hidalgo, center right, give a speech after Gregoire won the second round of France's municipal elections in Paris, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French socialist candidate for Paris mayoral election, Emmanuel Gregoire gives a speech after he won the second round of France's municipal elections in Paris, France, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French socialist candidate for Paris mayoral election, Emmanuel Gregoire, center, celebrates after he won the second round of France's municipal elections in Paris, France, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French socialist candidate for Paris mayoral election, Emmanuel Gregoire, center right, and former Paris' mayor Bertrand Delanoe, left, celebrate after Gregoire won the second round of France's municipal elections in Paris, France, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
French socialist candidate for Paris mayoral election Emmanuel Gregoire celebrates after he won the second round of France's municipal elections in Paris, France, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
