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LOS ANGELES – For Tom Brady, throwing the football is like riding a bike – something perfected over time that never leaves your muscle memory. And during practice for Saturday’s inaugural Fanatics Flag Football Classic, it certainly looked like Brady had spent some time working and preparing for his return to competitive play. “I feel great,” Brady said, when I asked what kind of shape he was in. “Fortunately, as an athlete your body is your asset over a period of time and you learn how to take care of it. Even when you retire, I felt like I still wanted to do the same things after football when I was playing. I still want to be active. I want to be outside. I want to continue to live a healthy, active lifestyle. “And I learned a lot of good, healthy habits over the course of a 23-year career. So, it’s basically been the same. I ran and I threw a little bit. I’ve thrown more over the last three months than I’ve had over a period of time. But there’s no feeling like going out there and throwing a football, and to watch it go exactly where you want. I don’t think that feeling will ever get old.” Brady was the headliner of the three-team flag football event at BMO stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday. Loaded with current and former NFL stars, the three-team tournament featured Team Founders and Team Wildcats as well as Team USA, the reigning world champion in flag football. The game followed modified Olympic-style flag football rules, featuring two, 15-minute halves with a running clock on a 50-by-25-yard field. All three teams met in a round-robin tournament, with the top two teams advancing to the championship. Brady’s Founders were beaten by Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow’s Wildcats, as well as Team USA. Those two other teams faced off for the championship on Saturday night. While the 48-year-old seven-time Super Bowl champ looked like he could still lace him up, Brady dispelled speculation that he was interested in playing for Team USA Football in the upcoming Olympics set for Los Angeles in 2028. “I would love to play some role in USA flag football, but it won’t be on the field,” Brady said. However, other current players, like Burrow, were looking forward to earning a chance to play on Team USA Football and represent their country in the Olympics. “The Super Bowl is obviously the pinnacle of what we do,” Burrow said.  “Tom brought up being an ambassador for the game and for the league. And that’s something I take very seriously. And I think the league tries to reward people that go out of their way to help in that context. “I’ve always wanted to play in the Olympics. I never necessarily played in an Olympic sport before. So, when this got announced, I was pretty excited about it. The opportunity to win a gold medal is something I’ve thought about an opportunity like that for a long time as a kid. And I think it would be something that’s very special.” Of course, Burrow will have to compete for one of those spots against current players on USA Football like quarterback Darrell Doucette, whose team haven’t lost an International Federation of American Football (IFAF) tournament since 2018. Doucette said he appreciates the respect elite NFL players like Burrow has shown him and his teammates this week, but also understands Saturday is a prime opportunity to show that he and his teammates can compete with the best athletes in the world. And that means keeping things close to the vest when it comes to scheme. “We give them little things like rules, but we’re not going to give them strategies,” joked Doucette. “There’s too much on the line. We’re not going to give them any secrets.” Doucette did lead Team USA to a 2-0 record on Saturday in round-robin play, impressively beating both teams full of NFL stars. While he’s looking forward to taking the field again, Brady said the overarching goal is to bring more attention to one of the fastest growing sports in the country in flag football, with the Olympics two years away. “For me, it’s seeing some of the best athletes in the world try something different,” Brady said. “Some of the skill sets are similar, but the rules are quite a bit different. But really, it’s a great gauge for all these players, and the players that will be playing in L.A. in 2028 to see where we’re at, and what we need to do in the next two years.”​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson is a long shot to play in the No. 2 seeded Cyclones’ game against No. 7 seed Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday after the All-American arrived at the arena for practice with a boot still on his sprained left ankle. The Cyclones’ second-leading scorer and top rebounder was hurt about 2 1/2 minutes into Friday’s 108-74 rout of Tennessee State when he landed awkwardly on his ankle following a layup. Jefferson needed help from their training staff to leave the court, and while X-rays were negative, the 6-foot-9 forward wound up watching the rest of the game from the bench. He was still using crutches to help him get around as the Cyclones practiced Saturday at Enterprise Center. “Right now, we’re continuing to evaluate,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “It appears unlikely, but you never want to rule out anything. We’ll just continue to do what we can in his best interest, and we’ll be prepared to go either way.” Jefferson said he was doing “as much rehab as I can,” but time is not on his side. “A lot of compression and then moving it around,” Jefferson said, when asked what he can do to help his recovery. “The best thing right now is to get it moving as much as I can, and then start to be able to walk again.” Jefferson is averaging 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists for the Cyclones, who matched the best NCAA seed in school history and are trying to reach their first Final Four since 1944. Those across-the-board numbers are a big reason why Jefferson was a second-team AP All-American this season, missing out on the first team by a single point in voting. “It definitely affects us. What he does is special. Not a lot of people can do what he does,” Cyclones guard Jamarion Batemon said, “but the preparation we put in — we’ve got a deep bench, and players are ready to step up when their number is called.” Iowa State has experience playing without one of its most important players. Tamin Lipsey missed multiple games after getting hurt during the Players Era Festival early in the season; the veteran point guard also hurt his groin in the Big 12 Tournament. “So that allowed us to play with some different lineups,” said Blake Buchanan, whose interior presence will be counted upon even more should Jefferson be unable to play. “Our staff does a good job of having confidence in us and knowing what we can do. “It’s unfortunate with J-Jeff,” Buchanan said, “but they have confidence that, yeah, he’s out, but we have other guys that can play.” Kentucky coach Mark Pope said the Wildcats would prepare as if Jefferson would play on Sunday. But he also said what the Cyclones do probably won’t change a lot regardless of who Otzelberger is able to put on the floor. “They have such an ingrained identity of who they are,” Pope said. “He’s a special player, don’t get me wrong, but Iowa State is going to be Iowa State whoever T.J. rolls out on the court. He could grab five guys from the rec center and come out in a week and be an incredibly intense defensive juggernaut, and find ways to score. We’ll prepare for who Iowa State is.” Jefferson, a senior from Las Vegas, began his career at Saint Mary’s, where his sophomore season was cut short by an injury. Once he transferred to Iowa State, he flourished into a team leader, helping the Cyclones reach the second round of the NCAA tourney last year. Jefferson’s fervent hope is the Cyclones can go at least one more step, and give him another opportunity to suit up this season. “The fact that he did get injured early (Thursday) allowed some guys who haven’t played as much to expand their role a little bit. That was good that way,” Buchanan said. “Obviously, we hope he can be out there with us; he’s an All-American and a big part of our team. But T.J. just told us to honor him in everything we do if he can’t be out there.” Reporting by The Associated Press.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Coen Carr recorded his first career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Jeremy Fears Jr. had 16 assists as Michigan State advanced to the Sweet 16 for the 17th time under coach Tom Izzo, beating Louisville on Saturday 77-69 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Fears added 12 points on 3-for-13 shooting but did the most damage for Michigan State with his precision passing. The country’s assists leader, who came in averaging 9.2 per game, became the first Big Ten player with 10 or more assists in each of the first two games of an NCAA tourney. He had 11 in the Spartans’ first-round win over North Dakota State. Fears also broke Magic Johnson’s longstanding record for most assists by a Michigan State player in a single game in NCAA Tournament history. Johnson had double-digit assists in four NCAA Tournament games during the Spartans’ run to the 1979 national title, before assists became an official stat. Third-seeded Michigan State will play the winner of Sunday’s game between No. 2 seed UConn and No. 7 seed UCLA in the East Region semifinals on Friday night in Washington. Carr, a high-jumping, 6-foot-6 junior forward, reached double-digit rebounds for the first time and came within one point of his best scoring game. Trey Fort contributed 12 points off the bench for Michigan State, and Jaxon Kohler had 10 points. Ryan Conwell led No. 6 seed Louisville (24-11) with 21 points and Adrian Wooley scored 17. The Cardinals were seeking their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2015, when they reached the Elite Eight under Rick Pitino. Michigan State used a 17-5 spurt to take a 10-point lead on Cooper’s 3-pointer midway through the first half. Louisville got within a basket twice after that but never evened the score. Reporting by The Associated Press.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said Saturday the school is evaluating “all facets” of its tradition-rich men’s basketball program after another early exit from the NCAA Tournament under Hubert Davis. Cunningham said in a statement he is working with UNC chancellor Lee Roberts and executive associate athletic director Steve Newmark — who will take over as Cunningham’s successor in the coming months — in that review. “Every year at the end of the season, it’s important to evaluate all facets of the program and look for ways to improve,” Cunningham said. “The chancellor, Steve and I are doing that together now and will continue to have discussions over the coming days.” Davis closed his fifth season Thursday as successor to retired Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams with an overtime loss to VCU in the South Region, coming after the Rams rallied from 19 down for the biggest comeback in first-round history. The program, with six NCAA titles and a national-record 21 Final Fours, now has just three March Madness wins in the four seasons since an unexpected run to the 2022 national title game in Davis’ debut season. That includes reaching the Round of 32 only once in that span, a Sweet 16 appearance two years ago as a No. 1 seed that lost in an upset to Alabama. Davis signed a two-year extension last season running through 2029-30. The school would owe Davis $5 million in base salary payments for the remaining years of his deal, plus additional payments for the remaining months of the 2025-26 season. Reporting by The Associated Press.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Darrell Green already has a gold jacket as a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He’s returning to the field at 66 years old for a chance at a gold medal in flag football. Green, the longtime defensive back for Washington who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2002, is taking part in the national team trials this weekend in Chula Vista, California. He joins a host of athletes trying out with all levels of football experience, from flag to tackle to 20 NFL seasons (see: himself). At stake is an invitation to training camp next month and possibly a roster spot on the 2026 national flag football squad that will compete at the world championships in Germany this summer. It’s just another step in a series of steps ahead of flag football making its Olympic debut at the 2028 LA Games. “Darrell qualified through our digital combine. He’s later in his career than the other trials participants, but his testing results were impressive,” said Callie Brownson, the senior director of high performance and national teams for USA football. “Our coaches and staff felt he deserved a closer look. … He’s a rare athlete who has stayed in shape and is ready to compete this week.” Lockdown defensive back with 20 years of NFL experience Green was known for his lockdown coverage skills, blazing speed and durability over a career that spanned 20 seasons. A first-round pick in 1983, Green helped Washington to a pair of Super Bowl titles. He had 54 interceptions and another six in the postseason, including a pick of Jim Kelly in Super Bowl 26 when Washington beat the Buffalo Bills, 37-24. At 66, Green has his work cut out for him to make the roster. The U.S. men’s flag football squad is already the gold standard, winning six of the last seven IFAF world championship tournaments since 2010. On USA Football’s Instagram page, Green said: “I’m going to give it my best, and I’ll walk away with my head up, either way.” There are roughly 100 men and women attempting to stand out in front of U.S. national team coaches and personnel this weekend. Other players at trials include basketball standouts Loryn Goodwin, who was a second-round selection in the 2018 WNBA draft, and O’Mariah Gordon, an all-ACC guard for Florida State. “The agility, creativity, hand-eye coordination and vertical leaping ability on the basketball court translates well to a flag football field,” Brownson said. “Our pipeline continues to gain traction with athletes from many different backgrounds. We’ll keep putting a lot of effort into exploring talent transfers as we build towards flag’s Olympic debut at LA28.” The players who are selected out of training camp will join those from last year’s squads and compete to earn spots on the 2026 U.S. national team roster. The squads will take part in the IFAF flag football championships in Düsseldorf, Germany from August 13-16. “When you see a Hall of Famer, players with high-level tackle football backgrounds, former flag football gold medalists and elite athletes from other sports showing up to compete for a spot on this team, that tells you something,” Brownson said. “It speaks to the legitimate level of excitement and interest high-performing athletes have in Olympic flag football. It’s the deepest pool of athletes we’ve ever had at trials.” A busy weekend for flag football Meanwhile, up the road in Los Angeles, a cast of Team USA players will be facing a group of NFL players in the Fanatics Flag Football Classic on Saturday. The event will be held at BMO Stadium, which will be the home site when flag football makes its Olympic debut. The list of players taking part includes Tom Brady, the retired seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow. In addition, there will be pass rushers Von Miller and Myles Garrett, along with numerous others. Three teams, including Team USA, will square off in a round-robin tournament. The top two squads earn a spot in the championship game. “We wanted this opportunity to be able to face these guys,” U.S. team quarterback Darrell “Housh” Doucette III said. “Just show what flag football is truly about.” Reporting by The Associated Press.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

One day was madness, the other was mundane. Split across Thursday and Friday, the opening round of this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament became an exercise in polarity. The former dripped with excitement in the form of Ohio State-TCU, Wisconsin-High Point, VCU-North Carolina and an instant classic between Siena and Duke in which the event’s No. 1 overall seed was nearly felled. The latter brought an onslaught of predictability as every single betting favorite advanced to the Round of 32 in the chalkiest of slates. Now we move onto the weekend. Here are my takeaways from the opening round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament: 1. St. John’s sends a message to the selection committee [NCAA Men’s Tourney: 68 Names To Know] By and large, there wasn’t much for the masses to complain about when this year’s men’s NCAA Tournament bracket was revealed earlier this month. The four No. 1 seeds had separated themselves enough during the regular season to quiet any debate about who deserved to land on the top line. The bubble was so weak and barren that nobody on the outside looking in could really have a legitimate gripe. Every team and every seed felt comfortably within the expected margin for error — except what happened to St. John’s. Winners of both the Big East regular season and tournament titles for the second consecutive season, the Red Storm (28-6 overall) were inexplicably handed a No. 5 seed and shipped across the country to play first- and second-round matchups in San Diego. Head coach Rick Pitino voiced his displeasure in a pregame news conference on Thursday afternoon. “We’re a 5-seed because the Big East is not regarded the way they used to be when I was at Louisville,” Pitino said. “So that’s the problem.” There’s no question that the Big East largely endured a down season, evidenced by only three teams reaching the NCAA Tournament in St. John’s, UConn and Villanova. While Seton Hall (21-12, 10-10) permeated most bubble conversations down the stretch, other perennial league powers like Creighton and Marquette finished below .500 in conference play. When eighth-seeded Villanova lost its opening-round game by double digits to Utah State on Friday afternoon, the league’s reputation took yet another hit. But punishing a Red Storm team that doled out a 20-point thumping of UConn in the Big East Tournament last weekend simply because the rest of the league is soft never made much sense. Especially considering how favorably the committee treated Duke (1-seed) and Virginia (3-seed) in what was nothing more than a modest season in the ACC. Two things can be true simultaneously: Sure, the Big East struggled this year, but St. John’s still performed well enough to receive a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament. Though Pitino downplayed the idea that his team would harbor any kind of grudge when it took the floor against No. 12 Northern Iowa, the instant domination seemed to speak for itself. St. John’s opened the game on a 13-0 run and led by 19 points at halftime, smashing the Panthers on the glass and burying them with a barrage of seven makes from beyond the arc. When the game finally and mercifully ended late on Friday evening, the Red Storm had cruised to an emphatic 79-53 victory that set up a meeting with fourth-seeded Kansas on Sunday. Just imagine what Pitino’s team could have done to an even lesser opponent if the committee seeded St. John’s properly. 2. An injury to Iowa State star Joshua Jefferson could radically change the Midwest Region [MEN’S BRACKET: NCAA Tournament Bracket, Leaders & Stats] Everything about the potential outcome in the Midwest Region, where Michigan holds the 1-seed, quaked and quivered when Iowa State forward Joshua Jefferson suffered an injury fewer than three minutes into his team’s opening-round game against No. 15 Tennessee State on Friday afternoon. Jefferson soared toward the hoop for an attempted layup with 17:23 remaining in the first half when he landed awkwardly beneath the basket, his left ankle rolling quite significantly. He slapped the floor in frustration and rocked back and forth in pain before the Cyclones’ trainer arrived at his side. Eventually, Jefferson was helped off the floor and into the locker room without putting any weight on his injured leg. Television cameras later showed Jefferson on crunches in the tunnel. He wore a boot in the locker room after the game. “He has a sprained left ankle,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said in his postgame news conference. “We had an X-ray and the X-ray was negative. So we’ll continue to reevaluate over the next day or two and just see where things are when we get to Sunday.” Though Iowa State pounded Tennessee State, 108-74, the Cyclones will need to adapt their game plan significantly if the injury to Jefferson proves significant enough to sideline him in the Round of 32 against No. 7 Kentucky on Sunday. Jefferson, a senior, is second on the team in scoring (16.9 points per game), first in rebounding (7.6 per game), second in assists (4.9 per game), second in steals (1.7 per game) and tied for first in blocks (0.9 per game). He is second in this season’s Player of the Year rankings on KenPom behind power forward Cameron Boozer of Duke.Losing a player of Jefferson’s ilk for any prolonged period of time would drastically lower the Cyclones’ ceiling in a season when they’ve established themselves as one of the best teams in the country. Otzelberger’s group entered the Big Dance having notched victories over fellow NCAA Tournament teams St. John’s, Purdue, Iowa, UCF, Kansas, Houston and Texas Tech. They lost the Big 12 Tournament title game to then-No. 2 Arizona by just two points, pushing an elite 1-seed to the brink.The short-term benefactor in this situation could be Kentucky, which needed a 40-foot shot at the end of regulation to force overtime against No. 10 Santa Clara on Friday before ultimately prevailing. Beyond that, No. 3 Virginia and top-seeded Michigan loom as the other heavyweights in this quadrant. How much time Jefferson might miss and how impactful he’ll be after a potential return are now the defining storylines in the Midwest Region. 3. New head coaches make an immediate splash in Round 1 In all likelihood, the heartrate for Duke head coach Jon Scheyer still hadn’t returned to normal levels during his postgame interview after an incredible scare. His Blue Devils, the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, narrowly escaped what would have been just the third 16-over-1 upset in the event’s history, erasing a double-digit deficit to fend off Siena. Scheyer promptly acknowledged what everyone who watched the game could plainly see. “G-Mac,” Scheyer said in reference to Saints’ head coach Gerry McNamara, “he outcoached me. They were more ready to play. And the readiness and toughness by our guys just to weather that storm in the second half, I’m proud of them. It’s great to get this win. I think there’s a lot that we can learn for moving forward.” Though the Saints ultimately deflated in an eventual 71-65 loss to Duke, the nature of Siena’s performance was emblematic of a theme that personified the opening round: A flurry of first-year coaches guiding their teams to the Big Dance and then either pushing the powers that be to the brink or defeating them outright. Never has program building and roster reconstruction happened faster than it is right now — thanks to the transfer portal, an influx of talent from abroad and a new wave of forward-thinking coaches whose schemes are built on modern analytics. No. 12 High Point, under the direction of first-year coach Flynn Clayman, scored the biggest upset of the opening day by toppling No. 5 Wisconsin and burying 15 shots from beyond the arc. No. 11 VCU, led by first-year coach Phil Martelli Jr., the son of former Saint Joseph’s head coach Phil Martelli, roared back from a 19-point deficit to stun No. 6 North Carolina in overtime, riding a starting lineup that included three transfers and one true freshman. No. 11 Texas, navigating its first season under head coach Sean Miller, buried a last-second shot to beat fellow No. 11 seed NC State in the First Four before toppling No. 6 BYU in the opening round, matching its deepest NCAA Tournament run since getting to the Elite Eight in 2008. No. 10 Texas A&M, which made the bold decision to hire then-41-year-old Bucky McMillan last April, only a few years removed from when he was still coaching high school basketball, smothered No. 7 Saint Mary’s in a convincing double-digit win. All of those results speak to how quickly a program’s trajectory can change in the modern era. The age when athletic directors were willing to wait three, four and five years for new coaches to settle in is almost certainly gone. 4. This version of Texas can make a deep run [NCAA ODDS: Latest Men’s March Madness Odds, Favorites] From now until the trend no longer holds true, one particular stat will continue to make the rounds in college basketball circles as fans across the country fill out their brackets. The most updated version looks like this: Twenty-two of the last 23 national champions have finished the season ranked among the top 25 nationally in both offensive and defensive efficiency. The lone outlier? A UConn team from 2014 that, improbably, won the whole thing as a 7-seed behind star guard Shabazz Napier. Some of the more interesting groups to consider in a tournament setting are the ones who navigated their entire pre-March Madness season with wildly lopsided metrics. Which brings us to 11-seed Texas, a team that arrived at the SEC Tournament with an offense ranked 16th nationally and a defense that checked in 119th, according to Torvik. Not exactly the balanced recipe that, in the 21st century, tends to produce national champions. But if you fast-forward a few weeks, the circumstances surrounding the Longhorns suddenly seem quite different. Back-to-back wins over fellow No. 11 seed NC State in the First Four and No. 6 BYU in the Round of 64 have painted head coach Sean Miller’s team in a far different light. Suddenly, Texas’ defense, which held the Wolfpack to 66 points and the Cougars to 71 points, now ranks 13th nationally since the NCAA Tournament began. “I think the last couple of games, from a defensive perspective, is about as good as we’ve done all year,” Miller said in his postgame news conference after defeating BYU on Thursday night. “When you connect the defense with the offense that we’ve played, you have a team that’s certainly dangerous. That’s what I would call us right now.” Miller is absolutely correct. His teams have always played high-level offense across prior coaching stints at Xavier (twice) and Arizona, with this year’s Texas squad following right along. The Longhorns have four players averaging at least 13 points per game entering Saturday’s matchup with No. 3 Gonzaga, and they draw more free throws than all but two teams in the country: Dayton and New Orleans. If the defense holds firm, Texas can hang with just about anyone. 4½. What’s next? Here are a few storylines to watch over the weekend as we move into the Round of 32: No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 4 Nebraska (Saturday) — Whichever team emerges victorious on Saturday will be operating in rarified air. The Cornhuskers had never won an NCAA Tournament game prior to hammering No. 13 Troy in the opening round. The Commodores have not reached the Sweet 16 since 2007 and would be seeking the first Elite Eight appearance in school history. No. 10 Texas A&M vs. No. 2 Houston (Saturday) — This is a fascinating contrast in styles when it comes to pace. The Aggies employ a hectic, up-tempo brand of basketball under McMillan that operates at a rate of 70.2 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranks 39th nationally. The Cougars are far more methodical and deliberate under head coach Kelvin Sampson, playing an average of 63.4 possessions per 40 minutes, which ranks among the 15 slowest teams in the country. No. 9 Utah State vs. No. 1 Arizona (Sunday) — Analytically speaking, Utah State has an excellent résumé for a mid-major program. The Aggies rank 27th nationally in offensive efficiency, 43rd in defensive efficiency and 31st in Wins Above Bubble. But prior to Friday’s win over Villanova, they had only played two games against teams in this year’s NCAA Tournament: a win over VCU and a loss to South Florida. Now, Arizona presents what is by far the toughest challenge of the season for a team that — at least on paper — should acquit itself reasonably well. No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 4 Alabama (Sunday) — A fun game between two high-flying offenses projects as a battle of the supporting casts now that both teams are operating without key contributors. Texas Tech lost first-team All-American power forward JT Toppin (21.8 points, 10.8 rebounds per game) to a torn ACL on Feb. 17. Alabama entered the NCAA Tournament without guard Aden Holloway (16.8 points per game) following his arrest earlier this week on a felony drug charge.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Santa Clara was less than three seconds away from pulling off an upset over No. 7-seeded Kentucky and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Then, the improbable happened. After Santa Clara forward Allen Graves hit a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining in the game for No. 10-seeded Santa Clara, Kentucky’s Otega Oweh made a near-halfcourt shot off-glass for Kentucky to tie the game at 73-all and force overtime. Kentucky went on to win in overtime, 89-84. But in the eyes of Santa Clara head coach Herb Sendek, the final Kentucky possession of the second half should’ve been stunted. [NCAA Men’s Tourney: 64 Names To Know] “I unequivocally called timeout [after Graves’ 3-pointer], but they [the referees] didn’t grant it, and I think the video evidence is clear [of that],” Sendek said in his postgame press conference. “Anybody’s able to pull it up, which is a likely response after Allen [Graves] hits the 3-pointer that the coach would be calling timeout to set the defense, which I tried to do, and I was successful in doing other than it wasn’t acknowledged or recognized.” [MEN’S BRACKET: NCAA Tournament Bracket, Leaders & Stats] The aforementioned Oweh finished with a game-high 35 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Wildcats. Senior forward Elijah Mahi had a team-high 20 points for Santa Clara. The soul-crushing first-round loss puts the finishing touches on a 26-9 season (15-3 in West Coast play) for the Broncos, who made the NCAA Men’s Tournament for the first time in 30 years (1995-96). The combined 26 wins are the most for the Broncos in a single season across Sendek’s 10 seasons at the helm. Next, Kentucky will play No. 2-seeded Iowa State in the second round of the tournament on Sunday.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

When Alex Karaban decided to return to UConn for another season, his fifth with the program, the clear and obvious goal was to win another national championship. Now a redshirt senior, Karaban entered the 2025-26 campaign having already won two titles with the Huskies. And after the chance for a three-peat fell short last spring, the star forward bypassed the chance to turn pro for one more run alongside head coach Dan Hurley. There were three championships to chase for a team that entered the year with sky-high expectations: a Big East regular season title, a Big East Tournament title and the school’s third national championship in four years. The first two opportunities came and went. UConn stumbled in its final regular season game against Marquette, which handed St. John’s the outright title, and then got walloped by the Red Storm in the Big East title game last weekend. Now, the only championship remaining for Karaban to chase is the sport’s ultimate prize. The Huskies earned a No. 2 seed in the East Region and will begin their pursuit on Friday night against No. 15 seed Furman in Philadelphia. It’s officially Karaban’s last dance. “I feel no pressure whatsoever,” Karaban told me this week during an interview that also promoted his brand partnership with Great Clips. “Yes, we didn’t accomplish the goals that we wanted, but that only means that people don’t believe in us. People [picked] us to win the Big East, people saw all these accomplishments for us, and we didn’t do it. We didn’t do it. It was our fault. It’s obviously a disappointing feeling that we have. But at the end of the day, I think that just made people not believe in us. So if people don’t want to believe in us, that’s their choice.” Here’s our conversation, which has been condensed and edited for clarity. You’ve gone through a few Selection Sundays by now. What was the emotion for you knowing that this was your last one? Karaban: It was cool going through Selection Sunday. I think the nerves never really change. You always get excited just knowing who you’re going to play and where you’re going to go. March Madness, it’s almost like a new season in a way, and it’s an exciting feeling. It’s exciting to see your teammates that haven’t been a part of March Madness kind of feel those emotions as well. You work so hard the entire year for March Madness, so it’s exciting. And now it’s really time to lock in one game at a time. What is the mood of the team after the Big East title game didn’t go your way? You’re still 29-5. How are you feeling about where the group is mentally right now? Karaban: We’re in a good spot. Obviously, Saturday didn’t go the way that we wanted to, and a lot of disappointment and really trying to still flush that game out of our system. But at the end of the day, we’ve gotta move on, knowing the opportunity that we have ahead of us and how exciting March Madness is for everybody. I was part of a team where we didn’t win the Big East Tournament, and we were able to flip that to winning a national championship [in 2022-23]. We can’t let what happened on Saturday define how our season goes, and we’ve really just got to continue to move forward and learn from it — but also make sure that doesn’t happen again. [MEN’S TOURNEY: 68 Names To Know In March Madness] Both championship teams during your time at UConn were very dominant in the NCAA Tournament. What were some of the keys to finding that level of consistency to win six straight games? Karaban: We never looked ahead in the bracket. We started one game at a time. For us, it will be Furman to start [this run]. Just locking in and really blocking out all the outside noise. We didn’t want to hear anything from other people besides the people in our circle. Those were the only voices that mattered. We stayed with it, we had a positive attitude every single day, and really just trusted one another, trusted the coaches and leaned on each other as teammates to ultimately get what we wanted. There are many times throughout the year when Coach Hurley talks about how much credit he gives to the coaching staff for drawing up game plans and scouting. Is that side of the game amplified during these quick turnarounds in the NCAA Tournament? Karaban: I always have confidence in the coaching staff. Every single game this year, I felt more than prepared, and I felt ready for every single game. It’s just on us as players to go out there and execute what they want us to do. Whatever assistant [coach] has the scout always does a great job, and throughout my experience in March Madness, they’ve been preparing nonstop for any opponent. So I feel more than ready. I know we’ve got the best coaches, and Coach Hurley also chimes in, too, for the scouts on every single game and makes sure that we’re locked in for it. It’s always a collective effort from the coaches, and they’re the best. They’re truly the best coaches. [NCAA TOURNAMENT: Expert Men’s Bracket Picks and Analysis] The non-conference schedule that you played early in the year included numerous teams that are now seeded quite high in the NCAA Tournament. How well do you think that prepared you for some of the teams you’ll see now that aren’t necessarily from the Big East? Karaban: Oh, that prepared us a lot. All the schools that we played — Arizona, Kansas, BYU — just all those elite, non-conference opponents that we played, one, it gives us confidence in how good of a team we are. But also, [it showed us] what it’s like to play against the best. We felt like we had the best non-conference [schedule] to prepare us for moments like March Madness. We’ll be ready. We’re going to prepare. We’re really going to have our sights locked in on Furman and move forward. I’m excited. I think there’s just a whole belief system going through our program, knowing what we did in the non-conference could really translate to March. In the moments this season when UConn has played its best basketball, what clicks for this particular team? Karaban: I think we were out there just really leaning on each other. We were out there giving each other confidence. We were out there having fun. And we were really playing like we just let loose out there. Really just playing as if there was no worry in the world. You saw the joy that we had, you saw the excitement. But really, I think it started on the defensive end, too. We were really bought in defensively. We were taking care of the basketball and just played off one another. I think that’s something we’ve got to do in March and really just enjoy everything that we’re part of. Why do you think the style of UConn’s offense, which includes so many actions and movements, is so difficult for teams to defend in the NCAA Tournament? Karaban: I think it starts with we’re definitely the team that uses the most off-ball movement and all those complicated actions. There’s not really other teams in other conferences that do as much off-ball [movement] as we do. I think that can throw teams for a loop knowing that most [of the time] they’re just guarding ball screens or just guarding a single pin down, when we have so many actions with so many counter-punches to a certain action, too. I think that’s extremely difficult. And then also, if we’re able to win on Friday, you get a one-day prep as well for us. And I think having such a short prep for us can really be an advantage for us with teams not able to see us the entire year. [NCAA ODDS: Latest Men’s March Madness Odds, Favorites] When you get a chance to talk to some of your teammates who haven’t played in the NCAA Tournament yet, whether those are freshmen or some of the transfers, what do you tell them about the seriousness it takes — but also what it’s like to enjoy the experience? Karaban: There’s obviously a level of seriousness that you need to have. Every team that makes March Madness is good. I mean, they’re all in it for a reason. So you’ve got to have a level of seriousness and ultimate respect for anyone you’re going to play against. But you’ve got to have fun with it, too. You’ve dreamed of playing in March Madness. We all dreamed of playing college basketball, and we all watched March Madness growing up. So to be a part of it is always special, it’s always a blessing, and you can’t take it for granted. In Who Is?, we’ll help you get to know breakout stars, newcomers and more with this Q&A series.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

The World Baseball Classic Final had it all. A pitcher’s duel. A game-tying home run. A clutch response. It all made for a historic night on FOX, with Tuesday night’s game drawing over 10.78 million viewers, making it the most-watched WBC telecast on any network in the history of the tournament. The viewership for Tuesday’s final broke the previous record, which was set during Sunday’s semifinal game between team USA and the Dominican Republic. Venezuela beat team USA 3-2, scoring the decisive run in the top of the ninth inning when Eugenio Suarez’s double scored Javier Sanoja. Viewership peaked in those final innings, reaching over 12 million viewers. Team USA met that moment, its bats waking up as Bryce Harper launched a two-run home run to straightaway center field. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough to reclaim the WBC title, as relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock conceded that run in the top of the ninth and the U.S. couldn’t answer.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

It’s quite clear there is nothing timid about Michigan, as the 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament is upon us. Not the way head coach Dusty May attacked the transfer portal to construct one of the strongest rosters in the sport. Not the way his players began referring to themselves as “the best team ever assembled” during interviews. And certainly not the way the Wolverines have blasted one opponent after another to post an average scoring margin of plus-17 points per game en route to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. So it was no surprise earlier this week when star forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors, laid out the loftiest of goals for 31-3 Michigan in the coming weeks. “We want to say, ‘Natty or bust,’ honestly,” Lendeborg told me during an interview that also promoted his brand partnership with TurboTax. “We still think that we’re the best team in college basketball. We let three [games] slip away now. We still won’t let that define us, regardless of what’s going on. We know that in order to win a championship, we can’t slip up again. So we’re going to play our hearts out, we’re going to play as hard as we have to and just continue to try to dominate.” For Michigan, that journey begins Thursday against No. 16 Howard in Buffalo. The Wolverines are now chasing just the second national championship in school history, with Lendeborg leading the way. Here’s our conversation, which has been condensed and edited for clarity. How would you describe the Selection Sunday experience and seeing your name pop up? Lendeborg: It was fun. Being able to have another game after losing the [Big Ten Tournament] championship [to Purdue], it definitely adds a brighter side to such a gloomy day or such a gloomy finish. But still, we’re super excited to be able to continue to play for Michigan and continue to keep our hopes of a national championship alive. How much pride do you take in earning a 1-seed based on how well the team has played all season? Lendeborg: We take a lot of pride in that, you know? We work really hard. We tried to make this season as historic as possible. Obviously, we failed in that [against Purdue on Sunday] in terms of adding another hit to the legacy, but we’re still super happy, super excited for what’s coming ahead. How can you bounce back from the loss to Purdue? Lendeborg: We’ve just got to learn. We’re all going to be watching film and figuring out what went wrong and what they were doing to exploit our defense the way they did. And then once we figure that out, we’re just going to play more aggressive, you know? Dictate the tempo in the rest of these games and then continue to out-tough every team that we [face]. [NCAA TOURNAMENT: Expert Men’s Bracket Picks and Analysis] When Michigan lost games during the regular season, the team responded well each time. What is it about this group that allows you to be resilient and not let one loss turn into two or three or four? Lendeborg: I would say it’s just because of how many assets we have. It makes it a lot easier for us to lean on each other. Those first two games [that we lost], I wasn’t having the best games that I wanted, but those guys really harped on me and were just talking to me about how they have my back regardless. And we just give each other confidence to continue to drive, continue to do more. Every other game we played, our defense always travels, you know? Regardless of how our offense is going, our defense is going to make up for that. And then eventually, it’s just going to start clicking. Was there a moment when you looked around the gym in Ann Arbor and realized this team could be special? Lendeborg: When I first got there, I was already like, “Yeah, this team is really good.” But then when it really clicked, I would probably say it was in [the Players Era Championship] in Las Vegas. Everything really changed for us there. We had a different goal to play for, rather than just being the best team Michigan ever had. Seeing how hard we played for each other and how much we all sacrificed to get those wins for each other was really inspiring. I was super, super happy. And it made me feel really grateful that I was able to play for this team. One of the talking points surrounding Michigan this season has been the frontcourt and the tremendous size this team has. How would you describe the process of jelling with power forward Morez Johnson Jr. and center Aday Mara to become as in-sync as you are right now? Lendeborg: Honestly, jelling with them was super easy. Morez is super, super professional. A super tough kid that is all about business. Aday is more like the goofy kind, but he still wants to win at all costs. So we all had an even balance, pretty much. Me and Aday are kind of the same, goofy but still want to win. Morez is all about winning. So it was great. And then on the court, we all have different things that we bring. Aday is pretty much a post mismatch for whoever is guarding him, blocks all the shots that come his way. Morez is a dog on the rebounds. If you hit him on the short roll, it’s pretty much going to be a dunk every time. And then me, I try to even out both of their talents and just try to give them space. We all have our different things that we bring to the team, and it’s been fun. [MEN’S TOURNEY: 1 Thing To Know About Every Men’s Team] There have been interviews this season where you’ve talked about feeling like it’s important to take over offensively with scoring. How do you pick those moments? What do they feel like? Lendeborg: It’s like an instant feeling of anger, I guess you could say. Throughout the whole game, I am pretty even-keeled. I’ll use [the last Purdue game] as an example. We were down by 10 with about 10 or 12 minutes left, and now it’s starting to feel like all the wind is getting taken out of us. I was just like, “I’ve got to try to make something happen.” I get one layup to go, OK, now let me get another one, boom. Now it’s starting to feel a lot more energetic, I’m starting to feel a lot more hot. And then it’s like, “All right, let me pick it up on the defensive end.” And energy travels, you know? You make one or two plays, and the rest of the team is getting excited, the bench gets into it a little bit more, and it just starts working out for you. With the versatility that you have defensively, it’s been interesting to watch you defend point guards that are a lot smaller at times. What are you focusing on during those matchups? Lendeborg: I found joy in kind of full-court pressing guards this year. This is my first time ever doing it. The reasoning behind it is because when I was going through all the NBA stuff [last summer], the scouts and execs, they wanted to see me be a more versatile defender. So I just took that personally. There’s been times this year when I took matchups a little too personal, and I kind of was disregarding our switches and stuff like that. But I find it super fun. I like harassing guards. I get a little bit of a joy out of it when they start trying to purposefully get me off of them. During Michigan broadcasts, fans can often hear announcers say that because of the versatility you and Morez Johnson Jr. have, the team can switch defensively at four positions — if not all five. Can you explain how valuable it is to have defenders capable of guarding multiple positions? Lendeborg: It’s super valuable. It makes it a lot easier on the guy guarding the ball. They don’t have to worry about getting over the screen. It pretty much bogs down a lot of the offensive plays that they’re running in the moment. It does make life a lot easier. And then if we do have a switch and there’s sort of a mismatch, it’s not like our big man is up at the 3-point line. He’s going to be down low to protect you. So we’ve been thriving off of that, especially with Aday down there getting blocks. It’s been working out very well for us. [NCAA ODDS: Latest Men’s March Madness Odds, Favorites] When Michigan’s defense has been at its absolute best, what is clicking? Lendeborg: I would say [defending] our gaps, our aggressiveness in that manner. We always try to guard the ball as aggressively as possible. But then when there’s a drive [by the opponent] and they think they have it, as soon as you take one dribble you see somebody else rushing at you. I wouldn’t say that puts fears in your mind, but you start to second guess whether you should go that way or not. So whenever that really gets clicking [for us], it’s like, where are you gonna go? And then teams start forcing up bad shots after that. Then we go on our run. In terms of preparing for the NCAA Tournament, how has Michigan weathered the season-ending injury to guard L.J. Cason? How have you seen teammates step forward into roles that were bigger than what they might have had before? Lendeborg: Trey [McKenney] has been doing a good job stepping up lately. Pretty much trying to provide instant offense for us, because that’s what L.J. was for the team. So Trey has been getting a lot more comfortable just getting in his bag and creating his shot for the team. I would say it was kind of a big adjustment because now we’re trying to figure out do I need to be the backup ball handler whenever EC [Elliott Cadeau] is getting pressure? Do I need to do something to relieve the pressure a little bit more? We’re still kind of experimenting with who will kind of be that backup point guard, you know? There’s been games where it’s me, Roddy [Gayle] or Trey — but it’s just like, we’ve gotta figure out who the designated one will be. We still have to learn the plays and figure out what’s going to work with me at the “1” and Trey at the “1.” So I would say that’s the biggest adjustment is just figuring out when EC can take a break and what lineup can be on the court. You’ll have to win six games in a row to cut down the nets in Indianapolis. What are the keys to maintaining the consistency needed to climb that mountain? Lendeborg: Making sure our defense travels, man. That’s the key to all of our success, you know? There’s been games where we let our offense dictate how we play defense, and those pretty much have been all the games that we’ve lost. Duke, they did a good job defending us. We were missing shots we shouldn’t miss. Now we start feeling a little lazy, a little bit sorry for ourselves and don’t play as aggressively on defense. But as long as we bring that [defense], we should be able to beat anybody. From what you’ve observed this season, what makes Dusty May capable of flipping the program as quickly as he has — and to the level that you guys are now performing? Lendeborg: I would say just the people that he brings on board. It’s like a different level of kumbaya that he has, you know? As soon as you get there, you feel the love, you feel the passion that he has for you. And he’s a big basketball head, man. He’s watching basketball on all levels to figure out what schemes, what plays he can run to get somebody open. And then, just the way he articulates everything works out well. He gives you confidence and ultimate belief in his team. That’s what really drives all of us. No one is going to feel sorry for each other because we know we played as hard as we could for him. And he’s not going to feel sorry for us because we didn’t do what we have to do. The only thing he cares about is effort, and that’s the only thing he really tries to harp on us. Whether it’s a big thing or a small thing, what would you say is one ingredient in the secret sauce that has made Michigan so good this season? Lendeborg: That’s a good one. I’m gonna bring it back to two [things]. One, everybody talks about the unselfishness thing. That’s pretty much the biggest thing, you know? We always play for each other. The roles that we all have, everybody buys into those roles. We’ve had players that were the No. 1 option in high school, No. 1 option at their other school, and we’ve all taken a lesser role for the team. I would say Will [Tschetter] and Nimari [Burnett], Roddy, L.J. and those guys, they were all here. They sacrificed their points for the team. And then secondly, I would just say Elliott’s control of the game. Whether he’s having a bad game or not, just his gravity really helps all of us out. Him coming off a ball screen, you’re really worried about him not just as a passer but as a scorer. There’s been games where he’s leading us as a scorer, too. So however he can handle the game is really what sets us apart. In Who Is?, we’ll help you get to know breakout stars, newcomers and more with this Q&A series.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports