NEW YORK — Rick Pitino doesn’t look at his return to college basketball’s biggest stage as a redemption story.

He said as much Saturday after leading St. John’s to its first Big East Tournament championship in 25 years, then reiterated that stance Monday during an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”

“I really don’t ...Read more

CHICAGO — Courtney Vandersloot never really left Chicago.

When she exited in 2022, the change was a necessity. The last two years with the New York Liberty lifted Vandersloot to a new level of competition. But part of her was always stuck on the Sky, the team that drafted her in 2011, where she met her wife, won her first title and grew into ...Read more

DENVER — For a man of so many hats, one of Roger Kinney’s favorites still has a place of honor in his basement, 35 years later.

It’s still in good shape, too — a wide-brimmed, light brown Stetson, a classy number with feathers and a bow. This particular piece of headwear was given to each of the teams that visited Denver for the 1990 ...Read more

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The clock ran out, and Bez Mbeng sat on the floor at Pizzitola Sports Center, cradling the Ivy League Madness trophy.

“Just reminiscing,” Mbeng said. “Everything we’ve been through this year. We’ve been through a lot, but we stuck together. That’s all I was thinking about, sticking to the prize and we got it ...Read more

MINNEAPOLIS — The last time the Timberwolves played the Utah Jazz on Feb. 28, Anthony Edwards was watching somewhere away from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, serving a one-game suspension for picking up 16 technical fouls during the season.

The Wolves lost that night in the final seconds, and after that game, Jaden McDaniels said it was ...Read more

NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets took care of business on Sunday, with complete disregard for NBA Draft lottery odds, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 122-114 at Barclays Center on the second night of a back-to-back set.

Brooklyn snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 23-45 with 14 regular-season games left. It retains the fifth-best draft...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The Clippers are trending in the right direction, and on top of it, they are becoming whole with leading scorer Norman Powell back and with James Harden sustaining his high level of play.

They've won six of their last seven games, with the Clippers' 123-88 blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday at the Intuit Dome ...Read more

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — John Poulakidas, Yale’s perimeter marksman, missed seven of his first eight shots in the Ivy League championship game, but with another NCAA appearance on the line, he wasn’t about to stay cool for long.

Poulakidas hit his first seven shots of the second half, finishing with 25 points, to lead the Bulldogs to an 90-84 ...Read more

GAINESVILLE, Fla.— Florida will open NCAA Tournament play Friday in Raleigh, N.C., against Norfolk State as the No. 1 seed in the West Region.

The Gators’ emphatic win Sunday against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament championship game ended the debate on whether the Gators would earn a No. 1 seed.

The only question after Sunday’s 86-77 win...Read more

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas Jayhawks were awarded a No. 7 seed in the West Regional of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

KU (21-12) will meet No. 10 seed Arkansas of the SEC in a first-round contest on Thursday in Providence, R.I.

If the Jayhawks win their opener in the annual men’s basketball tournament, they’ll play either St. John...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats (22-11 overall) will be a No. 3 seed in the 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats, a No. 3 seed in the Midwest Regional (Indianapolis), will begin March Madness with a round-of-64 matchup against No. 14 seed Troy (23-10) on Friday in Milwaukee.

The Trojans went 13-5 in regular ...Read more

EAST LANSING, Mich. — The No. 1 team in the Big Ten is a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

For the 27th straight season, Michigan State will play in March Madness. After an unexpected run to the top of the Big Ten standings this season, the Spartans (27-6) earned a No. 2 seed in the South Region, where it faces No. 15 seed Bryant (23-11) on ...Read more

DURHAM, N.C. — After an impressive run through the season, including an ACC championship, the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils begin their quest for a sixth NCAA championship in their own area code.

The Blue Devils (31-3) were awarded the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament’s East Region and will begin play Friday at Raleigh’s Lenovo Center against ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina’s Tar Heels, to a man, left Charlotte and the ACC Tournament believing they should and would be playing in the NCAA Tournament.

The NCAA selection committee has made the call, and has included the Tar Heels. UNC (22-13) will face San Diego State (21-9) in a First Four game Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio, with winner ...Read more

NEW YORK — Let the Madness begin for St. John’s.

Rick Pitino’s resurgent Red Storm are the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region and will face No. 15 Omaha on Thursday in Providence, R.I., in the Round of 64.

With a win, St. John’s would face the winner of No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas on Saturday in Providence in the ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The 68-team bracket for the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is set, but matchup starting times will not be announced until later Sunday.

The First Four begins Tuesday and first-round games begin on Thursday. The women's NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on ESPN starting at 5 p.m. PDT.

Here's a look at the NCAA ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — The Wolverines let one Big Ten title slip through their fingers. They weren’t going to let that happen again.

Not this time.

No. 3 seed Michigan rallied from an 11-point deficit in the second half and reeled off its third win in as many days, beating No. 5 seed Wisconsin, 59-53, in Sunday’s Big Ten Tournament championship ...Read more

INDIANAPOLIS — What a difference a year makes.

At this time last March, Michigan’s season was already over. There was no reason to tune into Selection Sunday after a miserable 8-24 campaign that set a single-season program record for losses.

Fast forward to this Sunday, and the Wolverines already knew their fate before the NCAA Tournament ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Dorian Finney-Smith hobbled around, the ankle problems that kept him off the court in the Lakers' losses to Brooklyn and Denver, obvious. Still, he fought with Kevin Durant and helped push the Phoenix star into missing eight of his first nine shots.

In the second half, Finney-Smith would hit two big threes and have a key ...Read more

STORRS, Conn. – The path to a third consecutive NCAA Tournament title is a bit overgrown and rugged, having not been walked in over half a century.

John Wooden’s UCLA teams won seven national championships in a row from 1967-73, and the trail was a bit wider then. For this UConn men’s basketball team, which went 23-10 after losing four of...Read more