12:20 PM ET Walking through an airport on April Fools’ Day, I received a notice on my phone. North Carolina’s Roy Williams is announcing his retirement from coaching. At first, it seemed unreal, but everything seems unreal now. After a few moments and texts, I knew it was true. And, it’s so Roy Williams. 2
NCAABB
11:28 AM ET The Texas Longhorns are expected to hire Texas Tech‘s Chris Beard as their next men’s basketball head coach, sources told ESPN. Beard’s buyout to go to another Big 12 school dropped to $4 million on Thursday morning, sources told ESPN, and the two sides moved quickly to come to an agreement. Beard
10:29 AM ET ESPN News Services Roy Williams, who has led North Carolina to three NCAA titles in his 33 seasons as a college basketball head coach, is retiring, the school announced Thursday. The 70-year-old Williams, after a 48-year coaching career, will hold a news conference on the court that bears his name at 4
11:07 AM ET Western Kentucky junior Charles Bassey is entering the 2021 NBA draft, he told ESPN Thursday. “I’m declaring for the draft and hiring an agent. I’m completely going into this one for sure.” The 6-foot-11 Bassey is the No. 25 prospect in the ESPN Top 100, after averaging 15.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and
10:07 AM ET DePaul is expected to hire Oregon assistant Tony Stubblefield as its next head coach, sources told ESPN. Stubblefield will replace Dave Leitao, who was fired last month after six seasons and five straight last-place Big East finishes. Considered one of the best recruiters in the country, Stubblefield has been at Oregon the
9:50 AM ET Associated Press OMAHA, Neb. — Christian Bishop, who excelled as the Creighton Bluejays‘ undersized center the past two years, is planning to transfer. Bishop announced on Twitter on Wednesday night that he would enter the NCAA transfer portal. “After coming to a decision with my family I believe it’s best for me
7:00 AM ET INDIANAPOLIS — In the days leading up to his team’s Final Four matchup against Houston on Saturday, Baylor coach Scott Drew will focus primarily on the X’s and O’s in a game pairing two Texas powerhouses. The Cougars could be a handful. But Drew said he at least knows he’ll face that
1:59 PM ET The justices of the Supreme Court of the United States questioned whether amateurism is an essential part of the NCAA’s business model Wednesday during a landmark hearing for the future of college sports while also expressing concerns about starting a slippery slope of judicial rulings that could lead to the destruction of
11:54 AM ET UConn Huskies sophomore guard James Bouknight is entering the 2021 NBA draft and plans to hire an agent, Bouknight told ESPN. Bouknight, a 6-foot-5 guard ranked No. 18 in ESPN’s Top 100 of available players, has lottery pick potential and developed into the driving force in reestablishing UConn as a Top 25
9:46 AM ET Oklahoma guard Austin Reaves will declare for the 2021 NBA draft and will forgo his remaining college eligibility. “I have decided to declare for the NBA draft and will be hiring an agent in the near future,” Reaves told ESPN. “My family and I believe this is best decision for my future
12:40 AM ET The 2021 Final Four is here in men’s college basketball, and it’s dominated by heavyweights and historic programs. Even in an NCAA tournament where Cinderellas received plenty of the spotlight, the penultimate and ultimate stages will be dominated by two teams that were talked about all season long — the Gonzaga Bulldogs
10:18 PM ET When March Madness comes around, millions of brackets are filled out every year and everyone probably thinks they are an NCAA tournament expert. However, ESPN does have its very own experts. Does that mean they all picked a completely perfect Final Four? Not exactly. ESPN’s group of college basketball writers, commentators and
11:16 PM ET About 24 hours prior to leading his team to the men’s Final Four and a 30-0 record, Gonzaga star Jalen Suggs FaceTimed his good friend and Connecticut star Paige Bueckers just after she had carried the Huskies to the Women’s Final Four with a game-high 28 points in a 69-67 win over
12:24 AM ET INDIANAPOLIS — First Four to Final Four. UCLA, which was one of the last four at-large teams selected to the NCAA tournament and earned an 11-seed, became the first team since VCU in 2011 to advance from the First Four to the Final Four, holding on to upset top-seeded Michigan 51-49 on
7:33 PM ET Associated Press NCAA President Mark Emmert is planning to meet this week with a group of basketball players who used a social media campaign at the start of March Madness to protest rules banning college athletes from earning money from their names, images and likenesses. Ramogi Huma, executive director of the National
6:22 PM ET Associated Press MARTIN, Tenn. — UT Martin has hired Ryan Ridder as the Skyhawks’ new men’s basketball coach. Athletic director Kurt McGuffin announced the hiring Tuesday, and Ridder will be introduced next week on campus. Ridder, 36, spent the past four seasons at Bethune-Cookman in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. He had a
7:48 PM ET INDIANAPOLIS — A referee collapsed early in the first half of Tuesday night’s Elite Eight matchup between Gonzaga and USC. Official Bert Smith was alert as he was placed on a stretcher and moved off the court at Lucas Oil Stadium. The NCAA said he left the game with a medical issue.
6:28 PM ET Associated Press SYRACUSE, N.Y. — After Syracuse was eliminated by Houston in the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament, Orange coach Jim Boeheim said he expected players to leave the program. He was spot on. Point guard Kadary Richmond, forward Robert Braswell, and center John Bol Ajak entered the NCAA transfer