MILWAUKEE — After six long years, the Kentucky Wildcats are headed back to the Sweet 16. And it happened in Mark Pope’s first season on the job.

The Cats defeated Illinois 84-75 at the Fiserv Forum on Sunday night, silencing a Milwaukee crowd that consisted mostly of Illini fans and punching UK’s ticket to the second week of the NCAA ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Unusually for a player who makes being in the right place at the right time look unfathomably easy, Cooper Flagg’s face was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Norchad Omier was going to come down with the rebound, but his left arm flailed out and poked Flagg straight in the right eye.

Unintentional and accidental, to be ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — There were tears, because there are supposed to be tears in a moment like this. There was intense, excruciating pain written all over the faces and croaking in the voices because it’s supposed to hurt when something this good comes to an end.

“I don’t want to take off this jersey,” Alex Karaban said, between sobs in ...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons began their three-game homestand with a 136-130 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday at Little Caesars Arena.

Due to injuries to Cade Cunningham and Tim Hardaway Jr., the Pistons were extremely shorthanded against the Pelicans.

However, Ron Holland II played a crucial role in helping Detroit fill the gap,...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Even Cooper Flagg’s brief first-half respite after picking up two fouls couldn’t slow No. 1 Duke’s march to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16.

With and without Flagg, the Blue Devils pulled away from Baylor to open a 17-point halftime lead on Sunday and roll to a 89-66 win over the No. 9 seed Bears in an East Region game ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Florida’s Sweet 16 dream continued as UConn’s NCAA Tournament dominance came to an abrupt end.

The two-time defending national champions didn’t go quietly. But after controlling much of the game, the Huskies ultimately could not contain guard Walter Clayton Jr. during the Gators’ 77-75 come-from-behind win Sunday.

...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. – The UConn men’s basketball team wouldn’t relinquish its crown without a fight.

Minutes from an upset of top-seed Florida, the reigning back-to-back national champions saw their record-long 13-game NCAA Tournament winning streak come to an end after a valiant effort at the Lenovo Center Sunday afternoon, the final score 77-...Read more

NEW YORK — Back in February, after St. John’s finished off a season sweep of two-time defending NCAA champion UConn, Huskies head coach Dan Hurley offered his assessment of the resurgent Red Storm.

“They’ve got a championship-level defense,” Hurley said. “I think they have championship-level offensive rebounding. How their season ...Read more

MIAMI — The duality of Jimmy Butler is one amply familiar to followers of the Miami Heat.

There has always been … this Jimmy Butler and that Jimmy Butler.

This Jimmy Butler, the one who has so wonderfully meshed with the Golden State Warriors since his Feb. 6 acquisition at the NBA trading deadline, the one so familiar to Heat followers ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — There was less than a second left in the first quarter when LeBron James went to the sideline to inbound the ball. Sensing a moment to get the hottest player in the building, Luka Doncic, one more shot, the Lakers rushed their new star into the game.

Doncic hustled to the scorer’s table, unwrapping the heat pack from his lower...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Given all the similarities in defense and toughness, the prevailing narrative about UCLA facing Tennessee was that it would be like looking in the mirror.

Except the Bruins kept stumbling into the thing, shattering any chance they had of beating a team possessing far more ammunition in what was supposed to be a rock fight of...Read more

NEW YORK — This isn’t a game that should have been close.

In fact, for the majority of the Knicks’ matchup against the league-worst Washington Wizards on Saturday, the game was a no-contest.

Mikal Bridges erupted for 20 points in the second quarter to open up a 25-point halftime lead, an advantage that swelled as large as 33 through two ...Read more

DENVER — They streamed in by the caravan from seven hours west, vibrating with hope in their eyes and bass in their throats for a return to Cougar glory. Denver and Ball Arena simply became Utah East on Saturday night.

Few of them, the rows of BYU blue threatening decibels at every bucket or every unfavorable foul, had seen much like this. ...Read more

DENVER — Michael Malone hates the Nuggets’ defense. And his players don’t care. There is no other conclusion to draw after the Trailblazers torched Denver late Friday night.

The Nuggets were outmuscled and outhustled. This marks the first time this season they have lost both games of a back-to-back. And before rolling out the excuse that ...Read more

MILWAUKEE — I sit in Section 235 at Rupp Arena. Far corner, upper arena. Those are the media seats for Kentucky basketball home games. I’m not complaining. We can see the floor. We’re in the building. It’s all good.

Thursday night at the Fiserv Forum, I had a different seat. Second row from the floor, just behind the scorer’s table. ...Read more

A dream season for St. John’s ended with the Big East Player of the Year on the bench.

RJ Luis Jr. did not play the final 4:56 of Saturday afternoon’s 75-66 loss to Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after he shot 3 of 17 from the field, including 0 of 3 on 3-point attempts.

“You know he was 3 for 17,” Pitino said when...Read more

Steph Curry didn’t travel to Atlanta, and neither did the Golden State Warriors’ defense.

Golden State yielded 40 points in the first quarter and never slowed down the Hawks, who shot 57% from the field in the game. Atlanta outscored the Warriors 60 to 44 in the paint as center Onyeka Okongwu (22 points, 12 rebounds, six assists) controlled...Read more

DENVER — The Wolverines are marching into the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Vlad Goldin and Roddy Gayle Jr. made sure of it.

Thanks to a game-changing 20-5 run fueled by Goldin and Gayle, No. 5 seed Michigan stormed back from a 10-point second-half deficit and surged past No. 4 seed Texas A&M, 91-79, in Saturday’s second-round ...Read more

Sometimes awkward scheduling has its perks.

The Nets playing back-to-back road games against the Indiana Pacers meant they had opportunity to quickly avenge Thursday’s overtime loss inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse, a game that featured a heated scuffle between the teams and Trendon Watford’s first career ejection.

Things were just as dramatic...Read more