Happy Monday, friends and fans!

The Oklahoma Sooners are officially set to take the floor against the 9-seeded Missouri Tigers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this Saturday, Mar. 20 with a tip-off time scheduled for 6:25 p.m. CT on TNT.

After going head-to-head 211 times in the past, these two former Big 12 Conference opponents will meet in the Big Dance this weekend for just second time ever.

As the start of the tournament approaches closer, stay tuned right here all week for more OU March Madness coverage.

Now onto this week’s Monday edition of Hot Links! Patty Gasso’s squad continues to roll, an Oklahoma pledge receives All-American status, Drew Brees announces his retirement and more!

OU Links

• Over the weekend, No. 1 Oklahoma Softball (22-0) swept the competition with wins over Houston, Kansas City and Liberty. Once again, I am asking you to follow this team if you’re not already doing so. They are embarking on all-time special territory, both in the record books and the win/loss column.

• After OU Baseball (8-7) split its double-header against Arkansas State on Sunday, the Sooners and the Red Wolves squared off once again for the series crown. Tyler Hardman delivered once again, going 3-4 one day after hitting for the cycle.

• Following his Pro Day performance, Ronnie Perkins has continued to move up mock draft boards, including Mel Kiper Jr.’s. The ESPN draft guru recently spoke in depth about OU’s former star defender. SI Sooners’ Ryan Chapman has more.
• 2022 four-star WR commit Talyn Shettron was recently recognized as an Under Armour High School All-American (seen wearing No. 74 in the picture below). The Edmond Santa Fe product is currently rated as the No. 2 player in the Sooner State and the No. 7 overall pass-catching prospect in the nation.

• OU women’s gymnastics (18-0) remains tied with the Florida Gators for the top spot in this week’s National Qualifying Score (NQS) rankings. Boomer!

Around the Sports World

• The Indiana Hoosiers have reportedly fired head men’s basketball coach Archie Miller after four seasons. Under his leadership, IU went a combined 67-56, including 33-43 in Big Ten play.
• This week, the NCAA Football Oversight Committee is expected to propose an end to the current dead period that has now existed for 13 consecutive months. In that span, recruits and college coaches have been prohibited from having in-person contact with one another, and official visits have only been conducted virtually.
• Boxers Tyson Fury (30-0-1) and Anthony Joshua (24-1) have signed a two-fight deal that will unify the heavyweight world championship titles. Dates and locations for the two bouts are still TBD.
• Over the weekend, Carmelo Anthony passed Hakeem Olajuwon for 11th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. All that stands between Melo and the top 10 now is Elvin Hayes, who currently leads the 36-year-old scorer by 358 points.

• After 20 years in the NFL and 15 seasons with the New Orleans Saints, Drew Brees is officially calling it a career. The former Purdue Boilermakers QB and Super Bowl XLIV MVP owns several league records, including the most passing yards in a career (80,358 yards).

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