Author: alaskaadmin

Who will be the next head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels’ men’s basketball team? Nearly two weeks after the program fired Hubert Davis, there seems to be a lot of unknowns about who’ll be the next head coach of one of college basketball’s blue bloods. Let’s take a closer look at some of the rumored candidates to replace Davis, and who might remain in the running to become the next head coach of North Carolina. Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls head coach Donovan, who hasn’t coached the college game in over a decade, might be the favorite to become UNC’s next head coach. In fact, Donovan is one of the Tar Heels’ primary targets, CBS Sports reported. If UNC wants to hire Donovan, though, it might have to wait a little longer than it might like to. The Bulls’ regular season doesn’t end until April 12, which is several days after the transfer portal opens on April 7. But there have been hot-seat rumors about Donovan’s future in Chicago as the Bulls are set to miss the playoffs for a fourth-straight season. Donovan, 60, was one of the top coaches in college basketball before he left for the NBA in 2015. He helped Florida win back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007, posting a 467-186 record in 19 seasons in Gainesville. Dusty May, Michigan head coach May was the latest head coach to pull out of the running to become North Carolina’s next head coach. May has informed Michigan officials that he won’t pursue other college basketball jobs this offseason, ESPN reported Sunday. May, 49, has quickly become one of the top coaches in the sport over the last five years or so. He led Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023 and has quickly turned Michigan around. The Wolverines are on the precipice of winning a national championship as they prepare to face UConn in the national championship game on Monday night in May’s second year at the helm. Prior to Sunday, May had been among the top names speculated as a potential candidate to replace Hubert Davis. Nate Oats, Alabama head coach Oats was another speculated candidate for the North Carolina job. However, he is no longer in the running. Oats has signed a new contract that will make him one of the five-highest-paid coaches in the sport, ESPN reported Sunday. In his seven seasons at Alabama, Oats has helped the Crimson Tide become one of the more consistent programs in college basketball this decade. Alabama has reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in five of the last six seasons, including a Final Four appearance in 2024. Tommy Lloyd, Arizona head coach Lloyd said he turned down a larger offer from North Carolina before signing an extension with Arizona on April 3. Prior to the extension, Lloyd was UNC’s top choice for the job, CBS Sports reported. Lloyd, 51, has quickly helped Arizona become one of the top teams in college basketball again. The former Gonzaga assistant has a 148-36 record in five seasons, making the NCAA Tournament in all five seasons he’s been with the Wildcats. Arizona went 36-3 in 2025-26, reaching its first Final Four since Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Stevens quickly removed his name from consideration to be North Carolina’s next head coach, CBS Sports reported on March 25. Stevens was widely regarded as one of the top coaches in college basketball after he led Butler to two straight national championship games in 2010 and 2011. However, he’s remained out of the college game since he became the Celtics’ head coach in 2013. He became the team’s president of basketball operations in 2021.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The UCLA women’s basketball team’s star-studded senior class will go out on the highest possible note. UCLA defeated South Carolina, 79-51, to win its first NCAA women’s basketball championship on Sunday, completing a 37-1 season. UCLA dominated Sunday’s national championship game, leading for all but one minute. The Bruins were able to get a double-digit lead in the final seconds of the first quarter, with guard Kiki Rice’s 3-pointer giving them a 21-10 lead. That was the last time the Gamecocks were within striking distance as well, with the Bruins leading by at least 10 points for the entirety of the final three quarters. After a relatively even second quarter, UCLA was really able to run away in the third. The Bruins turned their 36-23 halftime lead into a 61-32 advantage by the end of the third quarter. Guard Gabriela Jaquez was seemingly all over the place in that quarter, making hustle plays on both ends to allow the fourth quarter to be a formality. She had seven of her game-high 21 points in the frame, adding 10 rebounds and five assists in Sunday’s win. UCLA star center and First-Team All-American Lauren Betts also pitched a strong effort in her final college game. She scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the victory, further etching her spot as one of the program’s best players ever after transferring from Stanford in 2023. Betts, Jaquez, Rice, guard Gianna Kneepkens and guard Charlisse Leger-Walker headlined a loaded UCLA senior class that helped bring the program some of the best years it’s ever had. The Bruins made their first Final Four in the women’s NCAA basketball tournament in 2025 and reached the Sweet 16 in each of the last four seasons, something they had only done once before. All five of those aforementioned players are projected to be picked early in the 2026 WNBA Draft later in April. The title is also the crowning achievement in UCLA women’s basketball head coach Cori Close’s career. Now in her 15th season, Close has made UCLA one of the sport’s powerhouses, posting a 358-144 record in her time with the program. While Sunday marks UCLA’s first NCAA title in women’s baseball, it won the AIAW championship in 1978. That tournament was before the start of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in 1982. UCLA’s title also marks the first women’s basketball championship for the Big Ten in 27 years. Purdue was the last Big Ten team to win the national championship in women’s college basketball, doing so in 1999. With UCLA’s win on Sunday, the Big Ten can also do something that no conference has done in nearly two decades. If Michigan beats UConn in the men’s basketball national championship game on Sunday night, the Big Ten will be the first conference to win the football championship plus the men’s and women’s basketball championships in the same academic year since the SEC did so in 2006-07.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports