11:28 PM ET The defending national champions are out after one game. Virginia, winners of the 2019 NCAA tournament, suffered another shocking first-round upset loss on Saturday, falling to 13-seed Ohio on Saturday, 62-58. The Cavaliers had a seven-point lead early in the second half, but then went more than 10 minutes without a field
NCAABB
8:12 PM ET INDIANAPOLIS — After guiding Iona to the men’s NCAA tournament in his first season as coach, Rick Pitino has no plans to leave. Pitino on Saturday said he wants “no part of the so-called big time anymore,” as the Gaels’ season concluded with a 68-55 loss to No. 2 seed Alabama in
6:57 PM ET Saturday’s first-round game between Oregon and VCU has been declared a no-contest because of COVID-19 protocols within VCU’s program, the NCAA announced. Oregon automatically advances to the second round. “The NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee has declared the VCU-Oregon game scheduled for Saturday night at Indiana Farmers Coliseum a no-contest because
5:17 PM ET Associated Press WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Michigan standout Isaiah Livers, who is out with a foot injury, wore a shirt with #NotNCAAProperty written on it during the top-seeded Wolverines’ NCAA tournament opener against Texas Southern on Saturday. The hashtag is part of a social media effort to raise awareness about inequities in
4:45 PM ET INDIANAPOLIS — Kansas forward David McCormack arrived Friday and went through about 70 percent of the team’s practice wearing a heart monitor, which tracked his response after being sidelined because of COVID-19. “We had a pretty good gauge on his fatigue,” coach Bill Self said. McCormack, who hadn’t played since March 4
12:49 PM ET Ready for another day of March Madness? How’s your bracket? The first round of the 2021 NCAA tournament continues Saturday. No. 1 seeds Gonzaga and Michigan play today. However, Friday’s first-round games were not kind to the Big Ten. The league lost two top-four seeds (Ohio State and Purdue). According to ESPN
11:23 AM ET After a year without it, March Madness returned in a big way Friday with a No. 15 seed, a No. 13 seed, a No. 12 seed and a No. 11 seed all advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament. And with it came the return of “bracket busters” — the
3:16 AM ET Ohio State forward E.J. Liddell responded to a pair of angry fans who he said sent him threatening messages following the Buckeyes’ first-round exit from the NCAA tournament Friday, writing in part on his Twitter account, “What did I do to deserve this? I’m human.” Liddell and the No. 2-seeded Buckeyes fell
1:53 AM ET INDIANAPOLIS — After the buzzer sounded in West Virginia‘s 84-67 win over Morehead State in the first round of the NCAA tournament, coaches and players surrounded Bob Huggins, giving “Huggie Bear” all the bear hugs. Huggins, 67, won his 900th career game Friday, becoming the sixth Division I coach to reach the
12:07 PM ET Friday gave the world the peak March Madness experience it had been missing for the past two years, with Oral Roberts’ overtime takedown of Ohio State in a 15 vs. 2 upset and North Texas’ OT shocker over Purdue among the top highlights. If history is any guide, Saturday will bring us
11:33 PM ET INDIANAPOLIS — In the closing seconds of North Texas‘ first-ever NCAA tournament win, star guard Javion Hamlet screamed toward the mostly Purdue crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium. “Don’t ever doubt me! Don’t ever doubt me,” Hamlet later recalled. “That’s what I told the Purdue fans. That’s what I’m telling the whole world.
9:25 PM ET The Watt household was divided on Friday night when Wisconsin, the alma mater of new Arizona Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt, faced off against North Carolina, the alma mater of Chicago Red Stars forward Kealia Watt. Ultimately, J.J. got the better of wife Kealia, with his Badgers pulling out a 85-62 win
7:38 PM ET As Oral Roberts head coach Paul Mills prepared his players for overtime Friday against Ohio State, a 2-seed in the NCAA tournament and the Big Ten tournament runner-up, he had one message for them. “We’re winning this,” he said. Mills said he preached confidence to the 15-seed Golden Eagles, who beat the
7:31 PM ET Jeff Borzello Close ESPN Staff Writer Basketball recruiting insider. Joined ESPN in 2014. Graduate of University of Delaware. Tim Bontemps Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens said Friday he’s not considering the head coaching vacancy at Indiana University, issuing his strongest denial yet. “I said it the other day: I’m not (considering it),”
2:08 PM ET Associated Press Florida will have to contend with Virginia Tech without sophomore forward Omar Payne. The 6-foot-10 Payne is being held out of the seventh-seeded Gators’ first-round matchup with the 10th-seeded Hokies. The school said the decision was made by head coach Mike White. Payne was ejected from the SEC tournament quarterfinals
4:17 PM ET Associated Press HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Hofstra men’s basketball coach Joe Mihalich, who missed last season after taking a medical leave, will shift jobs and become a special adviser to the school’s athletic director. The school announced the move Friday. In August, Hofstra said the 64-year-old Mihalich would be out but didn’t specify
2:09 PM ET Associated Press Virginia has finally arrived in Indianapolis for the NCAA tournament, the 68th and final team to do so. The Cavaliers remained in Charlottesville after a positive COVID-19 test caused them to pull out of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament before a semifinal game against Georgia Tech on March 11. The
2:19 PM ET Florida guard Tyree Appleby left the Gators’ first-round NCAA tournament victory against Virginia Tech on Friday after taking an elbow to the forehead in the second half. Appleby received stitches and did not return to the Gators’ 75-70 overtime win at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. He did come back to the team’s