NCAABB

1:51 PM ET Head coach Steve Wojciechowski is out at Marquette after seven seasons, the school announced Friday. Marquette finished 13-14 overall and 8-11 in Big East play this past season. “After a thorough evaluation of our program over the last week, which included multiple conversations with Steve, I concluded that now is the right

12:41 PM ET The day is finally here. March Madness has begun. There has not been the upset-filled, drama-packed, bracket-busting, 12-hours-on-the-couch, first day of the tournament in two years. The 2021 NCAA tournament begins in earnest today after Thursday’s First Four action. Texas Southern, Drake, Norfolk State and UCLA survived. No. 1 seeds Illinois and

12:14 PM ET Jeremy WillisESPN.com March Madness is full of escapes and displays of immense joy and camaraderie from a team. The BYU Cougars had both on Thursday and they haven’t even played an 2021 NCAA men’s tournament game yet. According to the NCAA’s health and safety protocols, team members and staff must undergo daily

10:35 AM ET Minnesota star Marcus Carr has entered the transfer portal, sources told ESPN. Carr, a 6-foot-2 guard from Toronto, earned third-team All-Big Ten honors this season after averaging 19.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists. He immediately becomes the most sought-after available transfer. Minnesota parted ways with head coach Richard Pitino earlier this

10:16 PM ET WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Drake won its first NCAA tournament game in exactly 50 years Thursday, overcoming two long scoring lulls to rally past Wichita State 53-52 in a First Four matchup of No. 11 seeds at Purdue’s Mackey Arena. The Bulldogs’ last tournament win came on March 18, 1971, when they

7:02 PM ET Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Richard Pitino has barely taken over at New Mexico and he’s already fielding a challenge for his Lobos. The would-be opponent is Iona, the program coached by Pitino’s father, Rick. “When I got the job, I got a text right away, ‘How about we play an Iona-New

12:55 PM ET Associated Press T.J. Otzelberger is returning to Iowa State as head basketball coach after two years at UNLV, athletic director Jamie Pollard announced Thursday. This will be the 43-year-old Otzelberger’s third stint in Ames, his first as head coach. He was an assistant under Greg McDermott, Fred Hoiberg and Steve Prohm, who

12:38 PM ET INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA has completed more than 9,100 COVID-19 tests heading into the NCAA tournament with only eight total positives among Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 personnel. The tournament begins Thursday with the First Four, featuring games at Indiana’s Assembly Hall and Purdue’s Mackey Arena. The NCAA does not

7:39 AM ET Rayna Banks ANYTIME YOU SEE three missed calls and three voicemails in 45 minutes from Mom, something’s wrong. “Give me a call whenever you get this. Thank you.” Another red flag: She skipped saying, “Please.” My dad had gone in that Tuesday afternoon in 2019 for an MRI to get answers about

Mar 14, 2021 ESPN Sports Betting After a year without the NCAA tournament, the 2021 men’s basketball showcase kicks off Thursday with the First Four games, followed by 32 first-round games on Friday and Saturday. We have you covered with all the lines, and we will be updating and tracking the action as it comes.

7:30 AM ET The NCAA tournament begins Thursday, with 12 players from the 15-player final ballot for the 2021 John R. Wooden Award scheduled to take part in this season’s version of March Madness. With that in mind, we asked our panel of ESPN college basketball experts to weigh in on the player with the

7:00 AM ET JALEN SUGGS PACES in front of the television in his hotel room in Provo, Utah. The minutes are ticking down to tipoff for Gonzaga’s nationally televised men’s basketball game on Feb. 8 against BYU, but in Storrs, Connecticut, the seconds are ticking down on his friend Paige Bueckers. Suggs is wearing out

11:02 PM ET Georgia Tech star Moses Wright, the ACC player of the year, will miss the Yellow Jackets’ first-round game against Loyola Chicago in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, sources told ESPN on Wednesday night. Wright also likely will be out if Tech beats Loyola Chicago and advances to face the winner of Illinois–Drexel,

10:28 PM ET ESPN News Services LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky forward Isaiah Jackson says he will enter the NBA draft and be evaluated but not hire an agent, leaving the door open for him to return to school. The 6-foot-10 freshman averaged 8.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game and blocked 65 shots this season

8:26 PM ET Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa — Drake basketball coach Darian DeVries has agreed to an eight-year contract extension through 2028-29, athletic director Brian Hardin announced Wednesday night. DeVries has led the Bulldogs to 20-win seasons each of his first three years at the school. Drake, at 25-9, has the third-most wins in

8:57 PM ET Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. — Marquette assistant Dwayne Killings was hired as Albany’s men’s basketball coach Wednesday. Killings served as associate head coach at Marquette under Steve Wojciechowski. Killings replaces Will Brown, who was not offered a contract extension after the season. “When I set out on this journey to become a

5:10 PM ET Oklahoma guard De’Vion Harmon will miss the Sooners’ first two games of the NCAA tournament after testing positive for COVID-19. No other players are in contact tracing, coach Lon Kruger said on Wednesday. Harmon, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, started 23 of 25 games for Oklahoma this season. He’s the team’s second-leading scorer, averaging

5:36 PM ET Associated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina basketball hall of famer Art Whisnant has died, the school announced Wednesday. No cause of death was given. He was 81 years old. Whisnant played for the Gamecocks from 1959 to ’62 and was a three-time all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection during that time. He finished