College Basketball

SAN JOSE, CA — Purdue is still dancing. The No. 2 seed Boilermakers avoided the upset from 11th-seeded Texas with a last-second put-back shot by Trey Kaufman-Renn, who’s from Sellersburg, Indiana, in the Sweet 16 to continue their March Madness run into the Elite Eight with a 79-77 win. Advertisement It was a back-and-forth game the entire way, and in …

It’ll be a battle of two offensive powerhouses this Friday when the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines face the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide in the men’s Sweet 16 round of March Madness. Even though Alabama continues to play without one of their leading scorers, Aden Holloway, this tournament, they’ve made it this far without him, and the game is anyone’s …

Surviving and advancing in March requires more than just heart. It requires mathematical execution. When Kentucky matched up against Texas earlier this season, the Wildcats found themselves trailing by just three points in the fourth quarter before the Longhorns ultimately pulled away for an 11-point victory. The blueprint for an upset was laid out on that floor. Now, with a …

There’s no denying it anymore. Iowa men’s basketball is elite. For the first time in 39 years, the Hawkeyes are heading to the Elite Eight after an exhilarating 77-71 win over rival Nebraska. The game lived up to all the hype, as both teams traded haymakers in a wild back-and-forth affair. It was Iowa who landed the knockout blow in …

Every March, the air turns electric with the promise of “The Big Dance,” a three-week marathon that pushes the limits of student-athletes’ endurance, coaches’ skill sets, and school spirit. While the NCAA tournament is famous for its mid-major darlings that bust brackets and capture the nation’s heart for a fleeting weekend, the ultimate measure of a program’s greatness doesn’t lie …

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here. The remaining Elite Eight spots will be decided Friday night when eight outstanding teams meet in the Sweet 16. Advertisement We’ll see what promises to be four exceptional matchups, and I’ve found two underdogs with a good chance to play spoiler, including Alabama …

Oldest coaches remaining in March Madness: Where Rick Pitino, Tom Izzo, more rank in 2026 tournament originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The 2026 Sweet 16 is star-studded and full of big names across the four power conferences. Advertisement While the East Region has gotten notoriety for being a …

Whatever happened to the 2-seed/3-seed Sweet 16 matchup? Over the past 10 NCAA tournaments (2016-25), just 14 of the 40 potential regions have featured a 2-3 matchup.  That might have seemed like bad news for East 3-seed Michigan State basketball before March Madness tipped off. But hey! – The Spartans made it, as did 2-seed Connecticut, as they match up …

Is Braylon Mullins related to Chris Mullin? What to know about connection between UConn star, former NBA All-Star originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. For years, the UConn Huskies have been producing elite college basketball talent, both in their men’s and women’s programs. Thanks to top-tier coaches and young …

Last time Big Ten won March Madness: Revisiting 2000 Michigan State and the 26-year drought since originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. When discussing collegiate sports, the term “Power 4” is often used. It refers to the four dominant, most prominent conferences that feature the best teams across most …

Last time St. John’s made Sweet 16: Revisiting 1999 March Madness run led by Ron Artest originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Rick Pitino came to St. John’s to bring a once-prominent New York program back to relevance. That part of his job is done. Advertisement Not only did …

Rick Pitino vs. Jon Scheyer age difference: How much older is St. John’s coach compared to Duke counterpart? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Age is but a number as far as college basketball is concerned. Advertisement The sport is filled with aging talent, both on the floor and …

Ranking Rick Pitino’s best looks, from iconic all-white suit to Lou Carnesecca sweater originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Basketball gyms hardly resemble runways. For all the desire for athletes and coaches alike to sport the finest furs, they typically save their best looks for outside of the spotlight. …

Arizona got over the Sweet 16 hurdle, winning in that round for the first time in 11 years. Now comes an even bigger obstacle in the Elite Eight, where it has fallen short the last time trips to a regional final. But none of those Wildcat teams were this big a favorite. Advertisement Top-seeded Arizona (35-2) has opened as a …

HOUSTON (AP) — Playing in the NCAA Tournament just two miles from campus, the stage was set for the Houston Cougars to have an advantage over Illinois on Thursday night. Problem was, they couldn’t get their shots to fall. Advertisement Houston was limited to its lowest point total of the season in a 65-55 loss to Illinois in the South …

Rick Pitino’s record in Sweet 16: Inside St. John’s coach’s history of success in second weekend of March Madness originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Rick Pitino has won a national championship at two schools and been to a Final Four at three, but the job he has done …

SAN JOSE—There have been plenty of games this season when Arizona jumped out to a big lead early, only to see it get chipped away by the opponent. The win at BYU in January comes to mind, as does the Big 12 final when Houston turned a 15-point deficit into a 1-point game. The Wildcats bucked that trend on Thursday, …

When Arizona celebrated the 25th anniversary of its most recent Final Four team at halftime of a home game last month, Richard Jefferson addressed the crowd with a videotaped message that aired on the McKale Center jumbotron. Jefferson apologized for not being able to attend the ceremony in person, spoke glowingly of the bond his 2001 Arizona team had and …

HOUSTON — David Mirkovic had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and third-seeded Illinois flexed its defensive muscles to eliminate last year’s national runner-up from the NCAA Tournament, beating Houston 65-55 in the South Region semifinals on Thursday night. Next up is a meeting Saturday with ninth-seeded Iowa to see which Big Ten team will advance to the Final Four. It …

Just how we all drew it up. For Illinois to advance to its first Final Four in two decades and have a shot at a national championship, the team standing in its way will be the… Iowa Hawkeyes. Yep. We wouldn’t want it any other way. Advertisement So what does Illinois — which opened as a 5.5-point favorite over the …

HOUSTON —  Three minutes into Iowa’s Sweet 16 game against Nebraska on Thursday night, a casualty occurred on the Hawkeyes’ sideline. Iowa coach Ben McCollum, already red-cheeked and furious at his team’s passive start in a game they trailed by 10 points, snapped a dry erase marker into two pieces in the timeout huddle. Ink went everywhere. Advertisement “We called …

Well, we’re halfway through the Elite Eight. While the other two regions will battle it out on Friday night, four teams are now just a single win away from securing a trip to Indianapolis this spring. No. 9 Iowa rallied back from an early double-digit hole and used a massive run late to get past Nebraska first on Thursday night. …

With 58 seconds standing between Iowa and the Elite Eight, the pressure was on to execute an inbounds play at the highest level. And they did just that, with some help from Nebraska. The Hawkeyes led 71-68 and were inbounding the ball from underneath their own basket following a Braden Frager 3-pointer. The Cornhuskers had just called a timeout to …

Purdue players celebrate after their last-second win over Texas on Thursday. – Kelley L Cox/AP For the last few days, the fans of 16 men’s college basketball teams haven’t been able to get one thought out of their heads: Two more wins until the Final Four. After surviving the gauntlet that is the opening rounds of March Madness, the Sweet …

Iowa might not be an NCAA Tournament Cinderella, but the Hawkeyes’ Elite Eight trip is quite a tale originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. Two years ago, Ben McCollum was the head coach and Bennett Stirtz was the star player for an institution known as Northwest Missouri State. It’s …