Women’s NCAA bracket announced
Those No. 1 seeds — all familiar powerhouses to college basketball fans and all previous winners- anchored the NCAA women’s tournament bracket, with the Lady Vols opening defense of their championship in the Oklahoma City Regional.
• DePaul women’s basketball team is the No. 10 seed in the New Orleans regional and will play No. 7 Marist in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
• Notre Dame is the No. 5 seed in the Oklahoma City regional and will face No. 12 Souther Methodist in the first round.
• Illinois State is also in the Oklahoma City regional and with the No. 13 seed with face No. 4 Oklahoma in the first round.
Hackett signs with Panthers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Help is on the way for Steve Smith .
Determined to end the constant double teams of their star receiver, the Carolina Panthers came to terms Monday with Seattle free-agent D.J. Hackett on a two-year, $3.5 million deal.
Hackett is the second receiver the Panthers have added since missing the playoffs last season without a reliable second option after Smith. Muhsin Muhammad was signed last month.
Keary Colbert and Drew Carter , who shared the starting spot opposite Smith last season, were not re-signed after combining for a meager 70 catches.
Nadal, Blake win third-round matches
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Defending champion Rafael Nadal defeated Donald Young in their first meeting, and James Blake evened his record against familiar foe Carlos Moya in third-round matches Monday at the Pacific Life Open.
Nadal beat his 18-year-old American opponent 6-1, 6-3. Blake took a methodical 6-3, 6-4 victory over Moya.
The 28-year-old Blake, at No. 9 the highest-ranking U.S. player remaining in the tournament since No. 6 Andy Roddick was eliminated a day earlier, won for the sixth time in 12 career meetings against Moya, the former No. 1 now ranked 19th.

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