Duke star and likely first-round pick Khaman Maluach faces possible deportation after a new visa policy was announced by the Trump Administration.

Maluach, a South Sudanese national, could be affected by Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s promises to revoke the visas of South Sudanese nationals.

“I am taking actions to revoke all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders,” Rubio said on X.

Maluach, 18, was born in Rumbek, South Sudan. He represented South Sudan at the Olympics last year.

The swift action from Rubio comes from South Sudan’s transitional government’s refusal to accept U.S deportees in a “timely manner.”

Maluach had no comment regarding Rubio’s statement.

Maluach is one of 46 non-immigrant visas issued to South Sudanese nationals in January, according to State Department data. Unless the government in South Sudan is under “full cooperation,” these 46, with Maluach among them, would face the risk of being deported.

Maluach and Duke and coming off a 70-67 loss in the Final Four to Houston. Maluach, who averages 8.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, finished with six points and zero rebounds in 21 minutes.

The past five years have heralded an unprecedented jump in the popularity of women’s college basketball – and with it, awareness of its mistreatment compared to the men’s game.

From training facilities to transport to tournaments, the often-overlooked women’s teams received lower quality and starkly less funding. Even as improvements have been made, though, one financial hurdle remained: women’s teams made no money from tournament games.

To reframe, the 2024 women’s NCAA basketball championship game, boasting Caitlin Clark‘s Iowa Hawkeyes and Dawn Staley‘s undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks, drew 18.7 million viewers (an 89% increase from 2023). The men’s championship, featuring a second consecutive UConn Huskies victory over the Purdue Boilermakers, drew about three million fewer viewers. And the women’s teams received a grand total of zero dollars for their participation.

Now, finally, that revenue will be evened.

NCAA membership followed the example of the Division I Board of Governors Wednesday, voting unanimously to approve a pay structure for women’s teams in March Madness. Starting this year, women’s teams will be awarded ‘performance units’ of revenue, totaling $15 million in 2025 and increasing to $25 million by 2028.

“The long awaited, hard fought for and well-earned day is here,” said North Carolina coach Courtney Banghart. “I am so grateful for the effort of so many to bring this reality to our sport. Women’s basketball is more popular than ever before, seats are filled, arenas are sold out and games are on national TV almost every night.”

Staley agreed, adding, “This continues our fight to lift women’s basketball to historic levels.”

Women’s basketball is currently valued at around $65 million per tournament, according to the NCAA’s new media rights deal – a jump of nearly ten times the previous deal.

While the women’s game still has a lot of ground to make up, its growth and increasing sophistication is undeniable. As college stars JuJu Watkins and Paige Bueckers continue to draw viewers to women’s basketball on that level, the WNBA has seen a massive jump in attention as well, highlighting stars Clark, A’ja Wilson, and Sabrina Ionescu, among others. This revenue-sharing agreement is just another step in the right direction, but it’s one that the players and league have thoroughly earned.

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The North Carolina State Wolfpack defeated the Texas Longhorns in the Elite Eight of the NCAA women’s college basketball tournament, but something wasn’t right the entire game.

Before Sunday’s matchup, it was discovered that one side of the court’s three-point line differed from the one on the other side. The women’s college basketball three-point line was moved in 2022, but the court in Portland still needs to make those changes fully, just on one end of the court.

“The NCAA was notified today that the 3-point lines on the court at Moda Center in Portland are not the same distance,” a statement from the NCAA said.

The court had been used on Friday and Saturday for the preceding round’s games, but the error wasn’t noticed until Sunday afternoon. Both coaches were made aware of the issue and were given the decision of whether they wanted to play or not.

“At first, Vic [Schaefer] was hesitant about it,” NC State head coach Wes Moore said. “And then he finally said, ‘I didn’t want to wait an hour or something to play the game.’ I was ready to get going. But Vic probably figured it out. Do you know what? This line down here is what we’re used to. That line down there isn’t.”

Ultimately, both coaches opted to play the game with the error on the court instead of waiting more than an hour to have the court remeasured and retaped. With both sides having to play on the end with the error, the thought was that it would just cancel each other out.

“At the end of the day, we had already played a game on it,” Schaefer said. “We both won, so we just decided to play.”

By the final whistle and after all of the games played on the court with the error, it was found that teams shooting on the original three-point line made a higher percentage of their shots than those on the side with the error. They also found that teams shooting on the standard three-point line averaged more than four points per game more than the team shooting on the opposite end. Despite that, both NC State and Texas were not pleased with the issue arising in the first place.

“I wish I hadn’t had known, to be honest with you,” Moore said.

“Well, I hate to say this, but I have a lot of colleagues that would say, ‘Only in women’s basketball,'” Schaefer said. “I mean, it’s a shame that it even happened. But it is what it is… I mean, I’m not the culprit here. You guys are asking me about something I had no control over.”

Following the incident on Sunday night, the NCAA announced that it would investigate how the issue happened and said it would be fixed before the USC vs. UConn game on Monday night.

The NCAA men’s basketball March Madness tournament bracket was announced over the weekend, but many schools and fanbases are upset with the seeding and teams that got in. Most notably, the Big East Conference only saw three teams receive a bid, compared to eight teams getting in the postseason tournament from the Big 12 and SEC conferences. St. John’s, Providence and Seton Hall all finished with at least 20 wins this year, but were all left out of the field of 68 while UConn, Marquette and Creighton are all top three seeds.

Selection for the tournament takes into account multiple different algorithms as well as expert opinion. Those include the Basketball Power Index (BPI) and the NET rankings, which rank teams based on their strength of schedule and how well they performed in those games. Rick Pitino‘s St. John’s team finished 24th overall in the BPI and 32nd in the NET rating and lost to UConn in the conference semifinals, but weren’t picked by the selection committee.

“First off, I think we should all probably never mention that word [NET] again because I think it’s fraudulent,” Pitino said. “I think the NET is something that shouldn’t even be mentioned anymore… We tried to play a tough schedule. We tried to do things the right way, and we didn’t get in. But I never make excuses. I respect the committee for what they do.”

Along with Pitino’s Red Storm, the Indiana State Sycamores were highly rated in the NET rankings at 28th, but also missed out on the tournament despite finishing second in their conference tournament with only six losses on the year. Indiana State was the highest NET ranking team to not make the postseason tournament this year.

The Providence Friars finished the year with a 21-13 record and 58th in the NET rankings in a season which included multiple big wins against Marquette and Creighton. Despite making it to the semifinals of the conference tournament, the Friars only finished seventh in the Big East standings under head coach Kim English.

“I think the analytics are bulls—,” English said to reporters following the March Madness tournament selection. “I think you could schedule bad teams in your nonleague and beat the snot out of them, beat them by 50 or 60. Coaching for so long has been a gentleman’s agreement: You have a large lead at the end of the game, for health reasons, you take guys out. To get some other guys the opportunity to play, you take guys out. But right now might be a change in college basketball. Scheduling to beat teams by 40 and 50 might be a thing to do.”

The Oklahoma Sooners were also left out of the end-of-season tournament despite eight other teams from their conference making the Big Dance. They finished with a 20-12 record with no Quad 1 losses but ended ninth in the conference as they lost nine of their last 14 games.

The Pittsburgh Panthers were in a similar spot, finishing the season with a 22-11 record which included wins in 12 of their last 16 games. Even with a win at Duke which kicked off their late-season run, the Panthers finished fourth in the ACC with eight conference losses and missed out on the tournament.

Multiple bids for the tournament were stolen in conference tournament week, including the Pac-12 being won by 11-loss Oregon and the ACC being won by 14-loss North Carolina State. Oklahoma, Seton Hall, Indiana State and Providence were the first four teams out of the March Madness tournament due to these upset wins, seemingly missing out by sheer bad luck.

St. John’s, Oklahoma and Pittsburgh all declined their invitation to the NIT tournament after not being selected for the March Madness tournament.

Iowa women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark will enter the WNBA Draft this summer. The Hawkeyes phenom will soon appear in the NCAA Tournament and said that her final college basketball season is “far from over.”

“It is impossible to fully express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me during my time at Iowa — my teammates, who made the last four years the best; my coaches, trainers, and staff who always let me be me; Hawkeye fans who filled Carver every night; and everyone who came out to support us across the country, especially young kids,” Clark said in a statement on social media.

In three seasons at Iowa, Clark has captured the imagination of countless basketball fans and has become the leader of a movement to elevate women’s basketball to mainstream status. With a handful of regular season games remaining, she in on pace to pass Pete Maravich to become the highest scorer in NCAA history.

Clark’s announcement will be sure to make this year’s WNBA Draft in April a national event. The first overall pick, which currently belongs to the Indiana Fever, is now the most valuable draft position in the history of the league.

Within minutes of Clark’s announcement, Indiana Fever made a flurry of posts on X, reminding fans that the team had the #1 pick and advertising season tickets for the 2023-24 season. The team’s conspicuous activity all but confirms that Clark will be the surefire top pick.

Clark’s future may be secure, but Iowa’s road to a potential championship this season isn’t easy by any measure. The Hawkeyes are ranked sixth overall, behind the likes of powerhouses South Carolina, currently 27-0, and Ohio State, who leads Iowa in the Big 10 standings with a 15-1 conference record. Right behind Iowa in the rankings, teams like USC, UConn and LSU, the team that eliminated Iowa last season, are also likely to make some noise in March.

This year’s March Madness, filled with upsets, shockers and Cinderella runs, is coming close to an end.

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament has now reached the Final Four, as two weeks of hard fought basketball had lead to three final games being played on Saturday (semi finals) and Monday (championship). Each region now has a champion, with Gonzaga (30-0) winning the West, UCLA (22-9) winning the East, Baylor (26-2) winning the South and Houston (28-3) winning the Midwest. These four teams will now battle it out to see who emerges as a national champion.

The first matchup, with a scheduled tip off of 5:14 pm on April 3, pits the No. 1 seed Baylor Bears of the South against the No. 2 seed Houston Cougars of the Midwest. The Bears have been dominant throughout the year, ranking within the top five in the AP poll during the course of the regular season. Despite falling short in the Big 12 tournament, they have cruised through the South region, winning all their games by nine or more points. They defeated No. 3 seed Arkansas in the Elite Eight, 81-72, to reach the Final Four. Led by strong defense, with an average of 17.3 forced turnovers per game in the tournament, as well as leading the nation in three-point shooting (41.1%), the Bears will be a tough out.

However, they go up against a Houston team that was top five in the nation in both offensive and defensive efficiency, the only team in the nation to do so. After a scare against No. 10 seed Rutgers in the second round, the Cougars have righted the ship and defeated No. 12 seed Oregon State, 67-61, to reach the Final Four. The Cougars’ slow-tempo style is also built to defeat a faster paced Baylor team. This matchup will be a very entertaining clash.

The second game, tipping off at 8:34 pm, is between the No. 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs of the West and the No. 11 seed UCLA Bruins of the East. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, and for good reason – they are (until proven otherwise) the best team in college basketball. They chase history this season, as they remain unbeaten with a 30-0 record. With two more wins they would become the eighth ever undefeated national champion, and the first since 1976. The Bulldogs have shown no sign of weakness in the tournament, blowing out opponents left and right, capped off by a 85-66 defeat of No. 6 seed USC for the West regional championship. The Bulldogs have a stacked roster, with sophomore forward Drew Timme leading the way with 21.3 points per game in the tournament. Along with Timme are senior forward Corey Kispert as well as five-star freshman point guard Jalen Suggs. Coming into this Final Four matchup as 14-point favorites, Gonzaga will be the ultimate test for any team looking for a championship.

That being said, never count out a Cinderella story, and that’s exactly what exists in the UCLA Bruins. From First Four to Final Four, the Bruins have an impressive resume of wins this tournament, most notably No. 2 seed Alabama in the Sweet 16 (88-78 in OT), and No. 1 seed Michigan in the Elite Eight (51-49). The Bruins are led by sophomore guard Johnny Juzang, who leads all players with 108 points scored in the tournament. UCLA will look to keep the game low-scoring, as they did against Michigan. They will have to keep the high-powered Gonzaga offense in check if they hope to have a chance in this game.

With history on the line, major upsets still possible, and exciting matchups ahead, this should be an entertaining final weekend of March Madness.

March Madness continues as we are now entering the elite eight phase of the tournament. Among the eight teams that have advanced are both USC and UCLA together. It is the first time for both Californian teams to be together among the eight.

For USC Trojans, it is the first time they are back into the elite eight since 2001 as they continue to trounce their opponents. On Sunday, the Trojans faced their Pac-12 Conference rival Oregon in the Sweet 16 round.

The Trojans were on a mission against their rivals, and they made it known during the first half. The Trojans took an early 41-26 lead and shot 58.6% in the first half. For USC, it was a familiar sight. In the previous rounds, they had controlled the game and blew their opponents out, and this was no different. The Trojans were led by brothers, Isaiah Mobley and freshman Evan Mobley. Although the brothers combined for 23 points, both made big highlights in the game. USC pummeled Oregon 82-68 to advance to the elite eight.

Meanwhile, the UCLA Bruins had a closer game on their way to the elite eight. UCLA faced the second-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide on Sunday. It was looking to be a tough match for the Bruins, but the first half said otherwise. At the end of the first half, the Bruins led 40-29.

The second half became a different story as the Crimson Tide mounted a comeback. Alabama outscored the Bruins as they started to chip away the Bruins lead. With just four seconds left in the game, and UCLA leading 65-62, Alabama did what it had to do to stay alive. Alabama’s Alex Reese hit the game-tying three-pointer to force overtime.

In overtime, it was all Jaime Jaquez Jr., who did it all for the Bruins. Jaquez scored for the team to keep the game out of reach for Alabama. The Bruins fended off Alabama to win the game 88-78.

On Wednesday, both USC and UCLA will play to decide who makes it to the final four. USC will face Michigan and UCLA will face Gonzaga.

The Oregon Ducks will be dancing for at least another week.

The Ducks, who are the No. 7 seed in the West region of March Madness, upset the No. 2 seed Iowa Hawkeyes on Monday, 95-80. Oregon advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the past five tournaments, along with three other teams from the Pac-12.

Despite being in the round of 32, the Ducks had not yet played a game in the NCAA Tournament. Their first round game against No. 10 seed VCU resulted in a forfeit due to a COVID-19 outbreak on Virginia Commonwealth’s team. This led to a matchup against the favored Hawkeyes, who many believed were capable of making a deep run in the tournament. The Hawkeyes were led by two-time All-American and expected Wooden national player of the year Luka Garza. Garza averaged 24 points per game this season, while converting 55 percent of his shots. He did not disappoint in the matchup against the Ducks, leaving it all out on the court as he put up a game-high 36 points. However, it was not enough to top the Ducks, who were hitting on all cylinders.

The Ducks had four of their five starters score double-digit points, led by guard Chris Duarte, who put up 23. They shot 56% as a team and hit 11 three-pointers, as the Hawkeyes could find no answers on defense. Oregon will now face Pac-12 rival USC in the Sweet 16, with the winner of that game advancing to the Elite 8 to face the winner of No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga and No. 5 seed Creighton.

The Oregon upset comes as one of many in a particularly upset filled March Madness. Among other unexpected outcomes are No. 15 seed Oral Roberts advancing to the Sweet 16 after defeating No. 2 seed Ohio State and No. 7 seed Florida, as well as three other double digit seeds: No. 11 Syracuse, No. 11 UCLA and No. 12 Oregon State, who all reached the Sweet 16. There will be many options for a Cinderella story to make a run deep into the tournament.

The 2021 NCAA Tournament bracket has been released. March Madness is upon us!

Selection Sunday determined the 68-team field. Millions of college basketball fans around the world have been waiting for this moment. Now, they get to fill out their brackets and watch some of the most exciting basketball of the year.

In the west region, Gonzaga is the top dog. They earned the top seed in the entire tournament after finishing the regular season with a flawless 26-0 record. Some other top teams in the west are Iowa, Virginia and Kansas. It is plausible that there could be a Gonzaga-Iowa rematch in the Elite Eight, which would stir up plenty of excitement considering how well Luke Garza has been playing lately.

In the south region, Baylor is considered the team to beat after earning the No. 1 seed. Assuming they get by Hartford on Friday, they will play the winner of the North Carolina-Wisconsin matchup.

In the Midwest region, the Illinois Fighting Illini have taken the top spot. Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Houston are also teams that have a shot at representing the region in the Final Four.

In the east region, Michigan is unsurprisingly the No. 1 seed. Florida State, Texas and Alabama are the other top teams in the region. This might be the most competitive region of all considering how well Alabama has been playing. Fans may be predicting plenty of upsets in this region.

The four play-in teams that play prior to Thursday are Mount St. Mary’s, Texas Southern, Norfolk St. and Appalachian St.

Here is the official seeding list:

Here are five teams to keep an eye on who might have a cinderella story this year:

1. Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Arkansas Razorbacks
3. Houston Cougars
4. Iowa Hawkeyes
5. Ohio State Buckeyes

So there you have it. The field is set. Now start filling out those brackets!

Last Friday, the NCAA announced that they would welcome fans to Indianapolis and San Antonio, where men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are to be held this season. This move will generate millions in ticket revenue, but it will also risk further spread of COVID-19.

On March 18, a 68-team men’s tournament will be played in Indianapolis in front of crowds of up to 25 percent capacity at sites ranging from 9,100-seat Hinkle Fieldhouse to Lucas Oil Fieldhouse, which can normally seat up to 70,000 fans for the regional finals and the Final Four.

On March 21, the 64-team women’s tournament will begin in San Antonio, allowing 17 percent capacity from the regional semifinals through the championship finals. Those games will take place at the Alamodome, which has a 31,900 seat capacity for basketball.

It should be noted that crowds at the first and second-round games, especially those played in smaller arenas, will be limited to several hundred friends and family members. These limits were decided after consultation with local health authorities, according to the NCAA.

The NCAA decided to move its entire tournaments, which are each normally played at more than a dozen sites around the country, to Indianapolis and San Antonio to create restrictive environments to increase the safety of the dozens of teams involved and to avoid interruptions because of positive tests.

Fans will be required only to wear masks and practice social distancing in arenas. The NCAA said it would announce information on ticket sales for the basketball tournaments next month.

Virginia made history on Monday night for the second year in a row. This time, it was much sweeter.

After becoming the first-ever No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed in NCAA Tournament history, they were crushed. Virginia Cavaliers star Kyle Guy had no answers about the team’s philosophy, its heart and its legitimacy. All that loss did was expose those.

“I try to use every single experience I’ve been through to help me through hard times or good times or any times,” Guy said. “I think that UMBC is the greatest life lesson I’ve ever learned.”

Virginia Wins NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Game

But in it, the Cavaliers found resolve. They won their first-ever National Championship.

On Monday in Minneapolis, Virginia answered any questions its critics had. They ended this year in the final round. More importantly, they won against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, 85-77. It took an overtime performance as well as a 12-second comeback but still, it was their bus that had the custom wrapping reading “2019 National Champions” on it.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

That’s not to say that their fans ever expected it. The Cavaliers put awe into the hearts of their fans and probably caused heart attacks in a few. They averaged a 7.5-point margin of victory, the third smallest for any winner since the field expanded in 1985 and the smallest by any No. 1 seed. Three of their six games came down to the final possession in regulation as well. Braxton Key blocked a Texas Tech jumper as time expired to force overtime and a few days earlier, Guy hit three free throws in the final seconds of the Final Four.

Guy scored 24 points and grabbed 3 rebounds in the game. De’Andre Hunter was good for 27 points and 9 rebounds as well as the game-tying three-pointer with 12 seconds left. He pushed himself up a few mock draft boards with his performance. Head coach Tony Bennett proved that his slow-tempo offense, ranked 316th or lower, can win big.

Most importantly, the Cavaliers avenged the pain of last year’s tournament the best way possible, with a win this year.

The 2019 National Championship Game on Monday night will make history as each of the two teams, the Virginia Cavaliers and the Texas Tech Red Raiders, have yet to capture a national title.

It’ll be the first time in 40 years that a matchup doesn’t include a previous winner. March Madness will come to an end ironically on April 8 at 9:20 p.m. EST. The game will air on CBS.

Texas Tech To Face Virginia In NCAA Title Game

The No. 1-seed Cavaliers will face off against the No. 3-seed Red Raiders at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis in the pinnacle of college sports.

The two teams boast lockdown defenses, with Virginia ranking No. 1 in the nation and allowing just 55.5 points per game compared to Texas Tech’s No. 4 defense that gives up only 58.8 points to their opponents. It makes for a close game in the opinions of sportsbooks. Currently, Virginia is favored by only 1.5 points and the over-under is set at 118 points.

Virginia hasn’t been dominant in their run to the title but they’ve won throughout. The Cavaliers beat Purdue by five in overtime and Oregon by four before winning by just one against Auburn on Saturday. They lack a big star, with four different leading scorers in five tournament games. However, the Cavaliers’ defense has held opponents to 38.4% from the field and 28.7% from behind the arc. And Virginia has kept on advancing.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

While Texas Tech is ranked lower than the Cavaliers overall and on defense, they’ve outperformed Virginia without the ball. Against their first four opponents, the Red Raiders held them to 23 points under their season averages. In the Final Four, they beat Michigan State 61-51, holding the Spartans to 26.6 points below their season average.

The matchup raises a compelling argument that schools without success can disrupt college basketball unlike any other. While weeks ago, a six-time national champion Duke versus five-time national champion North Carolina seemed like one of the most likely matchups, Virginia and Texas Tech beat out both schools with less talent and pedigree. The college basketball season was dominated by the high-flying, often electric offense of Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, yet the two schools had to buck trends and follow their own path. Luckily for them, it led to success. While the NCAA may hate that the national championship lacks high-scoring offenses and storied schools this year, it provides a glimmer of hope for teams that feature neither of those. Only 34 teams have won a national championship. There are 353 in Division I teams. Virginia or Texas Tech will win their first title on Monday night. In total, 319 schools will also win.

Auburn, Virginia, Texas Tech & Michigan State comprise Final Four

March Madness, the most exciting time in college basketball, has ended but the tournament is not over yet.

After everyone’s bracket has been destroyed, we come down to four final teams. After defeating the No. 1 seed Gonzaga, Texas Tech were able to advance to their very first Final Four.

Texas Tech has been playing strong basketball all season and it’s gotten them this far. Texas Tech is one of the few teams in the tournament that didn’t have big star recruits headlining their program such as Zion Williamson at Duke. Texas Tech is a strong defensive team that relies on good ball movement and team basketball to win and that’s what they look to do when they face off against Michigan State in the Final Four on Saturday, April 6 at 8:49 p.m. EST.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

The Duke SLayers

Before the start off the 2018-2019 college season, one of the most powerful college teams was assembled when four of the top 100 players all decided to commit to Duke, with two of them ranked within the top five of their class. Many people saw them going undefeated, others wondered if they could beat NBA teams but who would have thought they would lose in the Elite Eight to Michigan State.

Duke was the favorite by many to win this year, having a great combination of talent in players such as Williamson, R.J Barrett, Cam Reddish and Tre Jones. Michigan State was able to beat them by keeping Williamson and Barrett out the lane on the offensive side and forcing their teammates to make plays that they weren’t familiar with.

Auburn, whether it be in football or in basketball, has always been known as a scrappy team who is wiling to get the job done, and they proved it on their way to the tournament. Auburn has always been more of a football school. Their basketball team has been great over the years but has yet to be a top choice for most people to want attend. Most schools like Kansas, Kentucky and UNC are all big-time basketball recruiting schools. And these are all the teams that Auburn were able to upset on their path to the Final Four.

With Auburn suffering from the lost of their teammate Chuma, the Tigers have been able to rally behind this loss and they allowed it to help propel them to the Final Four.

Virginia men’s basketball have made their first Final four appearance since 1984. Virginia is another team like Auburn: they’re not filled with stars nor do they center their program around their star players. It’s team basketball and team defense and that’s how they get it done.

Texas Tech is set to face off against Michigan State, who are coming off the biggest upset of the tournament. The game takes place on Saturday April 6, at 8:49 p.m. EST. Auburn (No. 5 seed) is facing off the against No. 1 seed Virginia. Auburn looks to lean on their seniors for the tough road ahead. The game takes place on Saturday April 6, at 6:09 p.m. EST. Both games will air on CBS and can also be live-streamed on NCAA.com.

Auburn star Chuma Okeke tore his ACL in the Tigers’ victory over North Carolina on Friday night. Of course, this drew panic from fans who couldn’t imagine how the team would advance after losing a centerpiece while already a No. 5 seed.

But the resulting changes might have worked to their advantage when they took on No. 2 seed Kentucky on Sunday. Either way, the Tigers won 77-71 on Sunday to head to their first Final Four in school history.

Auburn To Face Virginia In Final Four

The Tigers seemed to represent what the Elite Eight became in its last two games: Underdog teams relying on defense beat out sloppy play by teams loaded with players killing a year before they go pro. Auburn joins two other teams with a first-time coach in this year’s Final Four. Their Bruce Pearl will square off against Virginia coach Tony Bennett in hopes of taking on either Texas Tech coach Chris Beard or Michigan State coach and “Mr.March” Tom Izzo.

Down five at the end of the first half, Auburn looked for something to carry them, not knowing the game was going to go to overtime. They simply hoped to hang close. Then, Okeke was wheeled out behind the bench.

“It gave our team a lift,” Tigers guard Jared Harper said of seeing Okeke join the Auburn bench. “He told us before the game that he was hurting a little bit and that he probably wasn’t going to make it in. But Coach told us at halftime that Chuma was on the way to come support us. We needed that support.”

Auburn outscored Kentucky 30-25 in the second half. While Okeke was out, the big-man rotation that included Anfernee McLemore, Austin Wiley, Danjel Purifoy and Horace Spencer filled in. It was that group that made sure to stop Kentucky from getting up a last-second chance at victory in regulation.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

In overtime, Auburn ran off and outscored Kentucky by six points. Auburn made circus shots on assists dished out by Harper to stay in the lead. Coach Pearl was sure to give him credit.

“It’s an honor to even be on the floor with those programs, and then when you play, your kids play hard and play unselfishly and play together, obviously they’re the Cinderellas of this tournament,” Pearl said. “And that’s what makes March so special, which team is it going to be?”

After they defeated Kentucky and made school history, the Tigers made sure to include Okeke. From his wheelchair, he pasted Auburn’s name on the Final Four line in a tournament bracket out at midcourt.

“Coming into the game, we said this is all for Chuma,” Harper said. “Going to the Final Four and trying to compete for a national championship is all for Chuma. He put so much on the line for us this year.'”

Auburn will take on No. 1 seed Virginia, the only remaining top seed, on Saturday.

What may have been the sweetest victory in this year’s NCAA Tournament might be the toughest one for coach Mike Krzyzewski to stomach.

At 72 years old and with the age of one-and-done coming to a close, Coach K blew his shot at a sixth NCAA Championship with what may have been his most talented team.

Michigan State To Face Texas Tech In NCAA Final Four

In March Madness, your best asset against the favorites tends to be a good defense. Offenses can sputter out. Defenses rarely do because of the nature of the player a good one needs. No. 2 Michigan State embodied that. On Sunday, they held tight on defense and blocked Duke from advancing to the Final Four with a 68-67 win over the No. 1 overall seed.

Despite coming into the tournament with all eyes on them, Duke had one too many close calls before their elimination. Single-possession wins over UCF and Virginia Tech might have brought the team back to earth. Despite this, they remained the favorites. In the end, the season was a failure.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

However, Michigan State seems to have disappeared in the aftermath. Coach Tom Izzo wasn’t simply pushing a Cinderella squad another day closer to April. He built a better team. For 40 minutes, the Spartans seemed in control and led for 22 minutes. Most importantly, they led at the final buzzer.

While Duke was powered by one-and-done stars Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish, Michigan State fell back on Junior guard Cassius Winston. Despite a lack of press surrounding him, the guard contributed 20 points and dished out 10 assists. Of course, it was the Big Ten Player of the Year who they entrusted with securing the win in the final seconds. Kenny Goins also made sure to hit a clutch shot to lock up the win.

While Williamson and Barrett contributed a combined 45 points and 20 rebounds, they showed the naivety of freshmen. Turnovers, bad shots and missed passes all came back to haunt them. The Spartans were able to score 15 more points than Duke off of turnovers, a large part of it due to the freshman who hadn’t ever gone deep into the playoffs. Now Duke faces the possibility that their team collapses, as Williamson hinted after the game.

The Spartans will appear in their 10th Final Four next week when they face No. 3 seed Texas Tech in Minneapolis.

Gonzaga wasn’t always this good. In fact, they’re best summed up by a tweet that read, “Remember when people used to knock Gonzaga for not being a program that could survive the first weekend on a regular basis?”

Now, the team will head to its third elite eight in the last five years. They’ll do so with the sweet taste of revenge in their mouths after beating Florida State, who upset them in last years Sweet 16.

The no. 1 seed Bulldogs blew out the Seminoles 72-58 on Thursday night. “This year we came with revenge and we did it,” said Rui Hachiumura, who led Gonzaga with 17 points.

Gonzaga came out and played more physical than their opponent. On both offense and defense they made sure to know the limits of what they could do and push against them. “We wanted to be more physical than them, take the fight to them both on offensive and defensive ends, trying to switch up schemes and don’t let them get too comfortable,” said Zach Norvell Jr, who scored 15 points.

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Brandon Clarke also played a huge role in the win. He had 15 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocked shots but more importantly had Florida State’s 7-foot-4 center, Christ Koumadje, in foul trouble early. The senior ended the night with only eight points and 12 minutes played. Clarke became the first player with 15 plus points and 5 plus blocks in consecutive tournament games.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

“It’s always tough when you’re playing a player that’s 7-4, so that just always kind of has you second-guessing when you’re driving in the lane,” he said. “But I feel like this year we weren’t really doing that and we were just, you know, going in strong and just playing the game that we always play.”

After the game, the Bulldogs celebrated in the locker room and coach Mark Few made sure to do a handstand, as he’s done every time the team has won this March.

Up next for Gonzaga is Texas Tech. The two teams have played each other once before in March Madness with the Red Raiders winning 71-69 in a second-round matchup in 2005.

Throughout the NCAA Tournament, there are matchups that feature two teams duking it out to advance deeper and deeper into March, setting school records.

These teams get excited over Sweet 16 appearances and wonder if the Elite Eight is possibly within reach. Tennessee and Purdue are not those schools.

The No. 3 seed Boilermakers and No. 2 seed Volunteers are both experienced with ongoing elimination games. Purdue is in their third straight Sweet 16 and in the midst of a five-year NCAA Tourney appearance run. While Tennessee can’t compare in recent success, they’re in their sixth Sweet 16 since 2000 and eighth overall. The two squads meet up on Thursday night at 7:29 p.m. EST. The game will air on TBS.

Purdue Vs. Tennessee game Preview

Currently, the Vols are favored by one point in a game with an over-under for total points scored of 146.5. Each team is on a win streak, as they’re still alive. Purdue has won eight of their last 10 and held its opponents to 59.9 points per game, 36 percent shooting and 28 percent from 3-point range for the last nine games.  However, Tennessee is on the verge of setting a school record for most wins in a season.

With a line so close to even, this game could go either way. The Iowa comeback that the Volunteers survived on Sunday only magnified the defensive struggles of the team. Their opponents have scored 106 points per 100 possessions over the past 12 games. However, as Sports Illustrated suggested, the Vols could use that as fuel for the fire. Their staff predicts that Purdue will fall to a refocused Tennessee squad.

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Tennessee’s Admiral Schofield will draw significant attention. After benching himself in overtime, his leadership and play will be under fire in what could potentially be the last game of his NCAA career. He’s declared for the 2019 NBA Draft, with some slotting him to fall to the Cleveland Cavs, who hold the Houston Rockets‘ first-round pick.

The winner of this game will face the winner of Oregon and Virginia Saturday. The No. 1-seed Cavaliers and the No. 12-seed Ducks will face off at 9:57 p.m. EST on Thursday, while No. 2-seed Michigan will play No. 3-seed Texas Tech just before this, at 9:39 p.m. EST.

Tennessee basketball found itself in the midst of a potentially historic collapse on Sunday after blowing a 25-point lead to Iowa. Yet, the team’s best player, Admiral Schofield, was on the bench during overtime. Fans were confused at how head coach Rick Barnes could make such a choice.

Vols Basketball Star Admiral Schofield Coud Join Cavs

However, after the game, Barnes said, “He didn’t want to play.” Schofield explained that he “just made a sacrifice, and said, ‘You know what, take me out.’”

For a hypercompetitive, All-SEC 21-year-old, the move could be viewed as wisdom and poise beyond his years. With four fouls, he knew that the opposing offense would go after him and that he couldn’t guard the way his team needed him to.

“I’m a winner,” Schofield said. “At the end of the day, if I don’t have to be on the floor to win, that’s fine.”

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

Schofield declared for the 2019 NBA draft this year. While he could still return to the Vols, rumors are beginning to drum up about the star that he very well could fall to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Most of the team’s draft focus will go to their own pick, which is projected to be the No. 2 overall selection. But they also hold the Houston Rockets‘ 2019 first-rounder. The Cavs do have to address both issues on defense and in playmaking, however, Schofield could slot in as a much-needed addition.

Since trading shooter Kyle Korver to the Utah Jazz, the team has lacked a go-to 3 and defensive guy. With an NBA-ready body, pure shooting ability and the size and skill to guard up to four positions, Schofield could be a solid building block for the team. With Brandon Knight and Jordan Clarkson under contract for 2020, Schofield could develop and then anchor the second unit by as soon as next year.

As Kevin Love provides stability, Collin Sexton is developing into a strong player, and the No. 2 overall pick still ready to be used, Cleveland shouldn’t remain irrelevant. Schofield may never be the sole reason a team wins a championship, but James Jones and Shane Battier all helped LeBron James to the NBA Finals.

Duke was supposed to steamroll their way to the NCAA Championship this year. Going into March Madness 2019, the team had 5-to-1 odds to win it all. But things looked like they were about to go south on Sunday when a veteran UCF squad came out and didn’t buy into the hype. Early in the second half, Duke found itself tied with a No. 9 seed.

Duke basketball Edges UCF In March Madness Round 2

The two teams battled it out until the clock withered down to mere seconds. Then, Duke turned Central Florida’s strategy on its head. It’s easy to do when you have the most famous coach in college history. Coach Mike Krzyzewski used a timeout to address his team. It worked.

“When the greatest coach of all time looks at you and tells you that you’re made for this moment, it’s like the most confidence you can be given,” star Zion Williamson said after the game. “So when I went to the basket, I knew it was going in.”

Williamson’s and-one, along with a put-back by RJ Barrett after Zion’s missed free throw, put Duke on top with a one-point lead. However, 11 seconds remained on the clock. The Blue Devils then got ready to defend.
Though UCF guard B.J. Taylor got a great look and Aubrey Dawkins had the chance for a put-back like Barrett’s seconds earlier, neither fell. Guard Cam Reddish used the game as an opportunity to dismiss the critics of Duke who said they were too young a team to succeed.

“We’ve been through so much together. Being together during those last couple minutes of the game, they hit some tough shots,” he said. “For us to stay together, obviously we’re a young group of guys and people say a lot of stuff about that. But we had trust the coaches and trust in each other. It’s a good win for us.”

Duke will next face No. 4-seed Virginia Tech in the Sweet 16 on Friday night. Here are some highlights:

30 SPORTS FIGURES WHO DIED IN 2018 – TRIBUTE SLIDESHOW

No. 2 Texas narrowly beat out no. 3 Xavier 78-76 to move on. Tyrique Jones led his squad with 22 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. No. 1 North Carolina blew out ninth seed Washington 81-59. Fletcher Magee also failed to build up his NCAA record of most career three-pointers, going 0 for 12 behind the arc. The Wofford Terriers fell to Kentucky 56-62 to cap off an impressive career for Magee.

It’s March and that means that basketball analyst Charles Barkley is living his best life. He’s commenting on games that he doesn’t have a clue about. At halftime of the Yale versus LSU game, he was quick to praise the Tigers roster and play.

Barkley said “No team has as much talent top to bottom.” He added, “This is the most talented team arguably in the country.”

LSU, seeded no. 3, built up a 45-29 lead going into the second half against no. 14 Yale when Barkley decided to comment. LSU’s head coach, Will Wade, is out on an indefinite suspension after being caught by a federal wiretap talking with a basketball middleman about making a “strong-ass” offer to a recruit. However, a no. 3 seed eliminates a no. 14 seed in 84.6% of their NCAA tournament matchups. Predictably, LSU went on to a 79-74 win as Tremont Waters scored 15 points and dished out seven assists.

LSU will play Maryland in the second round after they beat Belmont 79-77.

While Barkley makes a lot of newsworthy remarks, what makes this one so interesting is that the Auburn University product fights with his TNT co-host Shaquille O’Neal almost daily. Shaq is an LSU alumni. Fans were quick to take to social media about Barkley doing all day analysis.

Here’s some of the best tweets about Sir Charles, the round mound of rebound: