NCAA men's Final Four recap: UConn continues March Madness ...

The college basketball world will be focused on Houston, where the men's Final Four tipped off Saturday.

The Cinderellas have taken over the sport in the last two weeks and now four teams who each surprised during the tournament are ready to play after leaving busted brackets along the way.

Florida Atlantic, a school of about 25,000 students located in Boca Raton, Florida, made only its second NCAA Tournament appearance. The Owls blitzed through the East Region, but lost to San Diego State 72-71 after the Aztecs came back from a 14-point deficit and won the game on Lamont Butler's buzzer-beater.

In the second semifinal, UConn continued its March Madness domination, cruising past No. 5 Miami 72-59.

Follow along for live updates throughout the night:

UConn continues NCAA Tournament domination with win over Miami

Forward Adama Sanogo had a game-high 21 points and No. 4 Connecticut continued a historically dominant march through this NCAA men's basketball tournament with a 72-59 win against No. 5 Miami to reach Monday night's national championship game.

The Huskies will face No. 5 San Diego State, which beat No. 9 Florida Atlantic 72-71 in the first national semifinal on a last-second buzzer beater by guard Lamont Butler.

This has been an NCAA tournament for the ages for UConn, which has now beaten five teams by at least 13 points: No. 13 Iona (87-63), No. 5 Saint Mary's (70-55), No. 8 Arkansas (88-65), No. 3 Gonzaga (82-54) and the Hurricanes.

While the Aztecs are the first team in men's tournament history to win Elite Eight and Final Four games by one point apiece, UConn was only the eighth team to reach the semifinals having defeated four opponents by 15 or more points.

This one, like the wins against Arkansas and Gonzaga, saw the Huskies in almost wire-to-wire control.

— Paul Myerberg

Miami's Nijel Pack on bench with broken shoe

Hurricanes sophomore guard Nijel Pack is on the bench with what CBS reports is a broken shoe. The team checked the locker room for a replacement and an assistant came to the bench with a pair of black sneakers. Pack looked them over before shaking his head and handing them back. The assistant ran back to the locker room as Jordan Hawkins made a pair of free throws to extend Connecticut's lead to 53-40.

Pack has eight points for the Hurricanes.

Pack returned to the court with about four minutes left in the game. SportsCenter reports that the UConn staff found a pair of shoes for him to wear.

The UConn Huskies take their largest lead of the game into the half, up 13 points over the Miami Hurricanes after Joey Calcaterra made a three-point shot at the buzzer. The Huskies go into the break up 37-24.

The Hurricanes tied the game at 19 with 8:23 on the clock, but UConn went on an 8-0 run to take back the lead. Miami was held to only nine field goals in the first half.

Huskies junior forward Adama Sanogo is the game's leading scorer with 13 points. Senior guard Jordan Miller has seven points for Miami.

Connecticut star guard Jordan Hawkins has not scored since opening the game with a 3-point bucket.

There is a small window where college basketball intersects with Major League Baseball and Saturday hit the sweet spot. The San Diego Padres were hosting the Colorado Rockies at Petco Park and the starting lineups were being announced right as Lamont Butler won San Diego State's Final Four game with a buzzer-beater. The game was being broadcast on the stadium's video boards and the crowd cheered loudly as their hometown team advanced to its first national championship game.

The Miami Hurricanes didn't stay down for long as they erased a 10-point deficit in five minutes of play. Nijel Pack scored a three-point shot with 8:23 in the first half to tie the game at 19 and slow down the Connecticut Huskies' momentum.

The Hurricanes went on a 15-5 run kicked off by a trey from star guard Isaiah Wong.

The Connecticut Huskies wasted no time in asserting themselves over the Miami Hurricanes. Six minutes into the game, Tristen Newton made a 3-point shot to put the Huskies up 14-4. Adama Sanogo had two buckets from behind the arc to build UConn's lead. Miami is shooting 2-of-14 from the field, for a shooting percentage of 0.143.

UConn sophomore guard Jordan Hawkins is set to start after battling a stomach bug this week, CBS' Tracy Wolfson reported prior to the team's Final Four game against the Miami Hurricanes. He didn't practice Friday and received "round the clock treatment." He was participating in shootaround prior to tipoff Saturday night.

Hawkins averaged 16.3 points for the Huskies during the regular season and is averaging 17.3 points in the NCAA tournament. He had 24 points in the Sweet 16 win against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

He scored the first points of the game, a three-point shot.

The San Diego State Aztecs beat the Florida Atlantic Owls 72-71 Saturday in Houston to advance to their first national championship game.

Lamont Butler made the game-winning shot at the buzzer after San Diego State trailed the entire second half.

"The plan was just to get downhill, they cut me off a little bit, I looked back, there was two seconds left, so I got to a shot that I was comfortable with," Butler said on ESPN after the game, "and I hit it. I'm happy."

The Aztecs were down by as many as 14 points and tied the game at 65 with 4:05 on the clock. The Owls answered with a jumpshot from Giancarlo Rosad, but couldn't quite pull away comfortably. It's the fifth-largest comeback in Final Four history.

Florida Atlantic's sophomore guard Alijah Martin was the game's leading scorer with 26 points. Aztecs senior guard Matt Bradley had 21 points.

After being down by as many as 14 points, the San Diego Aztecs tied the game at 65 points with 4:26 left on the clock in Final Four action. The team came within two of the Florida Atlantic Owls multiple times, but senior forward Aguek Arop made the jumper that finally leveled the score. San Diego has 11 offensive rebounds compared with Florida Atlantic's seven, which is helping the Aztecs in their comeback.

The Florida Atlantic Owls have maintained their lead through the second half, but not without a fight from the San Diego State Aztecs. Brian Dutcher's team is within two after going on a 16-4 run, capped off by a pair of free throws from Matt Bradley. The senior guard had a key three-point shot in the run. The Aztecs are down 60-58 with 9:05 on the clock.

San Diego State also had a short 5-0 run to start the period that shook the Owls' momentum.

Women's Final Four does big ratings for ESPN

With South Carolina's Aliyah Boston and Iowa's Caitlin Clark facing off in the women's Final Four on Friday night, ratings were expected to be high.

They were record-setting for ESPN, the network announced Saturday.

ESPN, which broadcast both NCAA Tournament semifinal games, said the LSU-Virginia Tech early game averaged 3.4 million viewers with a peak of 5 million across network platforms. That was up 57% from last year's early game.

Iowa-South Carolina averaged 5.5 million with a peak of 6.6 million, up 72% from last year's late game.

Both games drew record audiences for a college basketball game – men's or women's – on ESPN+, the network said.

— Mike Brehm

The Florida Atlantic Owls are up 40-33 over the San Diego State Aztecs at the half. The Owls' lead was as large as 10, but Keshad Johnson made a 3-point shot with 39 seconds on the clock to keep the difference single digits.

"We've been able to open up some gaps and drive those gaps," Owls head coach Dusty May said on the CBS broadcast. He said his message to the team in the locker room will be to keep playing, "frame by frame, possession by possession."

San Diego State is shooting 13-of-29 from the field, but has gone 5-of-11 from beyond the arc.

Aztecs senior guard Matt Bradley is the game's leading scorer with 11 points. He's made three treys. For the Owls, freshman guard Nicholas Boyd has nine points.

Florida Atlantic and San Diego State are playing in their first Final Four game. The Owls made a statement first, going up 5-0 with a three-point bucket from Nicholas Boyd and a jumpshot from Johnell Davis. The Aztecs crept ahead with back-to-back baskets from Matt Bradley, but Florida Atlantic took the lead again with a 16-3 run. The Owls are up 21-17 halfway through the first half.

When does Men's NCAA Tournament Final Four start?

The first national semifinal between Florida Atlantic and San Diego State tips off at 6:09 p.m. ET on Saturday.

The second game between UConn and Miami will begin 30 minutes after the first game finishes, at approximately 8:49 p.m. ET.

The winners of the two semifinals will meet in the men's national championship game, which will be played on Monday, April 3, starting at 9:20 p.m. ET.

Miami coach Jim Larranaga has elite March Madness dance moves

The Miami Hurricanes football team of the 1980s won three national championships and was known for its dance moves, flips, touchdown celebrations and sack celebrations.

The men's basketball team carries on the legacy as this season, head coach Jim Larrañaga has led his players to the program's first Final Four. Since taking over the Hurricanes in 2011, he has led Miami to four Sweet 16 appearances and back-to-back Elite Eight berths, including this year's run.

All along the way, he has shimmied and two-stepped along with his team in each victory celebration, delighting fans across the country.

"It's really about March Madness is the big dance," Larrañaga said on CBS' Final Four Show. "You have to have fun. And everybody loves dancing."

- Victoria Hernandez

BIG DANCE:Jim Larrañaga has some elite March Madness dance moves

Final Four predictions

The NCAA men's tournament field has been whittled from 68 to four in a matter of two weeks of postseason games. The remaining quartet arrives in Houston with just one of the top 16 seeds remaining. That school, No. 4 Connecticut, will be joined by three first-time Final Four participants – No. 5 seeds San Diego State and Miami (Florida) and No. 9 Florida Atlantic.

Here's who the USA TODAY Sports has to win:

FAU vs. San Diego State

Dan Wolken: FAU

Paul Myerberg: SDSU

Eddie Timanus: SDSU

Erick Smith: SDSU

Miami vs. UConn

Wolken: UConn

Myerberg: UConn

Timanus: Miami

Smith: UConn

Will Florida Atlantic stay together after Final Four?

In the era of the transfer portal, the most pressing concern for FAU is retaining a talented but overlooked roster put on national display during four successive NCAA men's tournament wins.

"Without a doubt, it's going to be fluid every single day," coach Dusty May said. "And until the ball is tipped up next season, you may not know truly who your roster is going to be, and it's part of it. Luckily, I'm still relatively young and have a lot of energy, because I don't think there's going to be a day where you can just relax and not fear your phone buzzing."

– Paul Myerberg

How Michigan's Fab Five legacy runs through San Diego State

San Diego State's Final Four run traces back to the glory and heartache of the Fab Five era at Michigan, where current Aztecs head coach Brian Dutcher was an assistant under Steve Fisher.

“I’ve heard from all five of them,” Dutcher told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday. “They texted me 'Good luck,' 'Congratulations,' 'Go get ‘em.' "

– Brent Schrotenboer

Connecticut's Sanogo manages fasting for Ramadan while leading team's Final Four run

HOUSTON — Nine minutes before Saturday’s second national semifinal is scheduled to tip off, Connecticut center Adama Sanogo is going to eat.

It won’t be much. Maybe just some oranges and coconut water, but he will get something in his stomach. And that’s going to be a lot better than what Sanogo had to deal with last weekend at the West Regional in Las Vegas.

“I’m not trying to think about it,” he said. “The more you’re thinking about it, the more it’s hard to do it.”

Sanogo, a native of Mali who has arguably been UConn’s best player during the NCAA men’s tournament, is Muslim and currently observing Ramadan, a month where he is not allowed to eat or drink from sunrise to sunset.

- Dan Wolken

SDSU assistant Mark Fisher, living with ALS, is helping Aztecs at Final Four

The assistant confined to a wheelchair helps explain the makeup of the men’s Final Four.

More specifically, to understand how fifth-seeded San Diego State earned the school’s first trip to the Final Four where it will be playing Saturday against Florida Atlantic in Houston, it helps to know Mark Fisher, who serves as an assistant to Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher.

He is the son of Steve Fisher, the retired basketball coach who won a national championship with Michigan in 1989 and took the school back to the Final Four in 1992 and 1993 with the celebrated "Fab Five."

More importantly, Mark Fisher, 44, has no use of his arms and legs.

But before tip-off here is some essential reading to get you ready.

– Josh Peter

From FAU's nasty locker rooms to the Final Four

HOUSTON — In May of 2008, Craig Angelos was looking for something that would give Florida Atlantic basketball a spark. So he drove two miles from campus and went to church.

The purpose of the trip wasn’t prayer, even though the program could have used some. Angelos, then FAU’s athletics director, had gone to meet with Mike Jarvis, the former George Washington and St. John’s coach who had moved to Boca Raton and become an influential member at Spanish River Church. They did the interview right there in the pastor's office.

“He was a great coach, but I also thought, he’s part of this 6,000-member church right by FAU,” said Angelos, now a senior deputy athletics director at Long Island University. “So if we have any of his friends come to games, maybe 100 or 200 or even 1,000 because they want to support their fellow church member, that’s a huge plus. In Boca, you need a guy who can do more than just coach.”

– Dan Wolken

Will Miami's Norchard Omier play football?

HOUSTON — The University of Miami birthed one of the great basketball-to-football conversions of all time when Jimmy Graham, a four-year basketball role player for the Hurricanes, picked up football as a graduate student in 2009.

NFL scouts saw enough of Graham’s size, speed and athleticism in that one year of college football to make him a third-round draft pick. He went on to catch 713 passes in the NFL, make five Pro Bowls and become one of the best tight ends of his generation.

People who watch Miami for the first time Saturday when they play Connecticut in the Final Four may get flashbacks when they see center Norchad Omier, a 6-foot-7 block of steel whose physical profile suggests he could be a big-time NFL prospect.

- Dan Wolken

Here are some stories to get you ready before tip-off.

WHO IS TAKING THE TITLE?: See USA TODAY staff's Final Four staff predictions

EXPECTING SURPRISES: Five bold predictions for the men's NCAA Tournament's Final Four

ANOTHER RUN?: Three ways Florida Atlantic's team can stay together

30 YEARS LATER: Fab Five legacy lives with San Diego State at Final Four

Women's March Madness Final Four 2023: Schedule, times ...

After four exciting rounds, the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament has reached the Final Four with No. 1 seeds South Carolina and Virginia Tech, No. 2 seed Iowa and No. 3 seed LSU the last teams standing.

South Carolina (36-0) is seeking its second consecutive and third national championship overall under coach Dawn Staley, and the Gamecocks are riding a 42-game winning streak dating back to the start of last year's NCAA tournament. Virginia Tech under coach Kenny Brooks, Iowa under coach Lisa Bluder and LSU under coach Kim Mulkey are each seeking a first title — though Mulkey coached Baylor to three national championships before coming to Baton Rouge.

Of the four teams, LSU (32-2) has six Final Four appearances, though this is the Tigers' first since 2008, while South Carolina is playing in its fifth Final Four — all since 2015. Iowa (30-6) is making its second Final Four appearance and first since 1993, while Virginia Tech (31-4) is the newcomer, with the Hokies advancing to their first.

Here is all the information you need to get ready for the NCAA women's basketball Final Four, Friday at American Airlines Center in Dallas:

OPINION:Don't be fooled when South Carolina appears challenged. The kill is coming.

OPINION:Iowa's Caitlin Clark is perfect player at perfect time for women's basketball

When are the NCAA women's Final Four games?

No. 1 Virginia Tech faces No. 3 LSU at 7 p.m. ET, followed by No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 2 Iowa at 9 p.m. ET. Both games are Friday, March 31.

What TV channels are the NCAA women's Final Four games on?

— ESPN and ESPNU are each broadcasting both games with Ryan Ruocco (play-by-play), Rebecca Lobo (color commentary), Holly Rowe (sideline) and Andraya Carter (sideline) on the call.

— ESPN2 will televise "The Bird And Taurasi Show presented by AT&T" at the same times, with women's basketball superstars Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi analyzing the games along with special guests.

— Both ESPN and ESPN2 will televise a pre-game show beginning at 6 p.m. ET.

Will there be a live stream of the NCAA women's Final Four?

Both games can be streamed on Watch ESPN, ESPN+ and the ESPN app.

Who are the players to watch for each team?

— Virginia Tech: C Elizabeth Kitley, senior (18.2 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 2.3 bpg); G Georgia Amoore, junior (16.3 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.0 prg).

— LSU: F Angel Reese, sophomore (23.2 ppg, 15.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg); G Alexis Morris, senior (14.9 ppg, 4.1 apg, 1.9 spg).

— South Carolina: F Aliyah Boston, senior (13.2 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 2.0 bpg); G Zia Cooke, senior (15.1 ppg, 2.0 apg, 1.9 rpg).

— Iowa: G Caitlin Clark, junior (27.3 ppg, 8.6 apg, 7.3 rpg); F/C Monika Czinano, fifth year (17.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 1.4 apg ).

Ohio State stuns UConn in Sweet 16 to advance to NCAA women's ...

SEATTLE — In 1993, the Ohio State women's basketball team made its first and only trip to the Final Four. In every NCAA Tournament since then — all 29 of them — Connecticut has made it at least to the Sweet 16, has won 11 national championships and has made 14 straight Final Fours, while the Buckeyes haven't made it past the Sweet 16.

On Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, facing the Huskies in the Sweet 16, Ohio State changed that. With an 73-61 win, the Buckeyes snapped UConn's historic Final Four streak and are in the Elite Eight for the first time since the Katie Smith-led Final Four run 30 years ago.

Freshman forward Cotie McMahon, unafraid of the largest stage she's played on, led the Buckeyes with 23 points.

The Buckeyes will play No. 1 seed Virginia Tech on Monday for a spot in the Final Four. Virginia Tech defeated 73-64 Tennessee on Saturday.

"We have tremendous respect for Connecticut and all that they have accomplished forever, but certainly this year," Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said. "I told the team, they certainly have had incredible success that no one will ever match again as a program. But they have a really good team this year. They just started getting healthy at the right time. I think we beat one of the best teams in the country today."

The first four minutes were the exact kind of start Ohio State was looking to avoid. UConn built a 10-2 lead, as the Buckeyes struggled to slow the Huskies down in the half court and couldn't score at the other end of the floor.

But after a timeout with 5:57 left in the first quarter, Ohio State no longer looked helpless in the face of UConn's talent. The tide didn't immediately turn, but the Buckeyes began to settle in and slowly chipped away at the Huskies' lead. By the 3:57 mark, led by a layup and a made free throw by McMahon, they'd cut the lead to five points, and started to force more and more turnovers with their full-court press.

"Our goal is to make teams feel uncomfortable and speed them up a little bit," senior guard Jacy Sheldon said. "When we get turnovers and finishes, that just gets us more excited to continue to do that throughout the game."

The Huskies had a scoring drought from 2:37 left in the first quarter to 5:27 of the second. By the end of the first quarter, Ohio State trailed by just two points, and the Buckeyes forced four turnovers over the final three minutes of the quarter.

McMahon, who entered the game 13 of 52 from beyond the arc on the season, hit a 3 to give Ohio State its first lead just over a minute into the second quarter, and she came right back down the floor to make another 41 seconds later. By the time the Huskies ended their scoring drought, the Buckeyes had come from eight points down to take a seven-point lead, 26-19.

By the end of the first half, UConn trailed 36-26 — just the fifth time in NCAA Tournament history that UConn faced a double-digit deficit at halftime. The Huskies were 0-5 in those games, and they're now 0-6.

The Buckeyes forced 18 turnovers in the first half, two more than the Huskies' average of 16 per game, and 25 in the game.

"Ohio State just outplayed us and took us out of a bunch of stuff that we want to do," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "It's unfortunate that we chose tonight to play the way we did, but I think Ohio State had so much to do with that. I thought Kevin's team was really, really good and really well prepared. They knew exactly what they wanted to do and what to take away from us.

"We lost our balance and we lost our equilibrium a little bit and I don't think we ever got it back."

To open the third quarter, the teams traded baskets, but a nearly-four minute scoring drought for Ohio State in the middle of the quarter gave UConn an opening. The Huskies took advantage, making four baskets in a row to get within five points at 44-39.

But out of the ensuing timeout, senior guard Taylor Mikesell made a jump shot — just her second basket of the game — to put the Buckeyes back up by seven, and Ohio State remained just far enough in front for the rest of the quarter. Every time it looked like UConn could break the game open, the Buckeyes responded, refusing to let the Huskies get on a roll.

Guard Azzi Fudd cut the lead to eight with 21 seconds left in the third quarter, but Thierry's layup with just four seconds left put Ohio State back up by 10 points heading into the final 10 minutes.

Mikesell was visibly playing through pain — often receiving treatment on her hamstrings during timeouts — but she made her first 3-pointer of the game to open the fourth quarter. She finished with just nine points, only the third time she's scored in single digits this season, but she played 38:31 despite not being 100% healthy.

"(Mikesell) will run through a brick wall for any of us, even if she's on one leg," Sheldon said. "She's as tough as it gets. She's an amazing player. ... She creates driving lanes for every single person on this team because she's so dangerous offensively. She's an incredible person, a great teammate, and she's tough as nails."

Moments after Mikesell's 3, redshirt junior guard Rikki Harris went on a solo 5-0 run, with two free throws and a 3, to give Ohio State a 16-point lead, its largest of the game. UConn chipped into the deficit from that point.

But after the Huskies got within 10 points with 4:31 to go, on the next possession, McMahon rolled in a layup with just two seconds left on the shot clock, drew a foul and calmly made the free throw to complete the three-point play. UConn had several opportunities to get back in the game over the final three minutes, but Ohio State never allowed it.

With under 30 seconds left, Sheldon could calmly dribble at the top of the key, just waiting for the clock to run out and secure the Buckeyes' historic victory.

"You don't, obviously, want to come into a game expecting to lose or kind of even being nervous," McMahon said. "I feel like, we as a team, we weren't nervous. We looked at it as any other game. I feel like that's really what helped us not to feed in to the fact that they are UConn, this great program, and not to feed into the media and how much they were hyping UConn up.

"We really stayed in our lane, stayed focused, and believed in each other, and I feel like that's really what set us apart from other teams, who lose the game before it even tips off."

bjohnson@dispatch.com

@BaileyAJohnson_

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Men's NCAA Tournament Elite 8 recap: Miami joins San Diego State ...

The Miami, San Diego State and Florida Atlantic men's basketball teams are in the Final Four for the first time.

No. 5 San Diego State rallied to beat No. 6 Creighton in the first of two Elite Eight games on Sunday after each program advanced out of the Sweet 16 for the first time. Darrion Trammell's free throw with 1.2 seconds to play lifted the Aztecs to a 57-56 win. San Diego State will play Florida Atlantic on Saturday night.

No. 5 Miami defeated No. 2 Texas after staging a huge second-half rally. Miami will face UConn, which routed Gonzaga 82-54, in the Final Four.

Brackets:See how the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments have played out

Follow along for Sunday's NCAA men's tournament action:

The No. 5 Miami Hurricanes defeated the No. 2 Texas Longhorns, 88-81, in Kansas City to earn their first trip to the Final Four. The Hurricanes were down as many as 13, but came back in the second half to rally and win the game.

Senior guard Jordan Miller led Miami with 27 points and shot a perfect 7-of-7 from the field along with 13-13 in free throws. The only other player to go perfect from the floor and the charity stripe was Duke's Christian Laettner in a 1992 game against Kentucky.

"No one wanted to go home. We played, we came together, we stuck together, we showed really good perseverance and the will to just get there," Miller said after the game as his teammates stormed around him.

The Hurricanes were knocked out the tournament last year in the Elite Eight, so the win serves as a redemption for the team.

Head coach Jim Larrañaga took George Mason to its first Final Four in 2006, exactly 17 years ago from the day that he did so with the Hurricanes.

Senior guard Marcus Carr led the Longhorns with 17 points. Senior forward Timmy Allen and senior guard Sir'Jabari Rice added 16 and 15 points, respectively.

The Hurricanes and Longhorns are battling it out in the second half as Miami came back to take the lead after being down by as many as 13 points.

They went on a 13-2 run to take a 73-72, capped off by a free throw by Norchad Omier.

Texas answered back with a three-point shot from Tyrese Hunter to take a short lead before Isaiah Wong scored a jumper to tie the game at 75.

The teams have traded buckets with the score tied at 77 with 2:40 left in the game.

The Texas Longhorns carried their momentum from the end of the first half into the second half. Thirty seconds in, Marcus Carr found Dillon Mitchell for a monster dunk. The team had a 6-0 run to extend its lead beyond double digits and continued to dominate from beyond the arc, making nine three-point shots compared to Miami's two.

The Longhorns are up 62-49 with 14:04 on the clock.

Halftime: Texas 45, Miami 37

The first half between No. 5 Miami and No. 2 Texas flew by, as the teams combined for only nine called fouls and play pushed well past the automatic television stoppages.

Texas caught fire at the end of the first half and scored on seven of its last eight possessions. That didn't count a final one in which the Longhorns were fouled on a three-point attempt. Texas has shot lights out from beyond the arc, hitting 7-of-13 attempts (53.8%). Interestingly, Texas actually averages seven made three-pointers per game. The Longhorns have nearly half of their total points (21) coming from players off the bench.

Miami guard Jordan Miller is carrying the Hurricanes and hasn't missed any of his six shot attempts. He leads all scorers with 13 points. While the Hurricanes were aggressive in the first half in attacking the paint, many of their baskets have come from individual efforts, with the Hurricanes assisting on only six of their 16 field goals. The Longhorns, by comparison, have 14 assists on 17 field goals.

Miami, Texas locked in a back-and-forth battle

At different points in the first half, both No. 5 Miami and No. 2 Texas have had to weather shots from their opponents, only to respond. What has made this an interesting game is that both squads are doing it differently.

The Longhorns are doing it from deep and on the bench. Texas has converted 5-of-11 three-point attempts and has 13 bench points; that compares to the Hurricanes going just 1-of-2 from beyond the arc and having only two points off the bench.

Where Miami is dominating is in the paint. Eight of the 12 Hurricane field goals have been in the paint, and Miami is also pushing the tempo, trying to get numbers out on the break. Hurricanes guard Jordan Miller leads all players with 11 points, while Longhorns forward Timmy Allen has posted 10.

Texas leads 31-28, with 4:33 left to play in the half.

Miami aggressive, getting to the cup early, but Texas roars back

No. 5 Miami raced out to a seven-point lead by being aggressive and attacking the basket; each of the first six Hurricanes shots came inside the paint, with Miami converting four.

No. 2 Texas, however, scored seven unanswered in a minute-and-a-half of play to tie the game, 9-9, just more than five minutes into the game.

The Longhorns are edging Miami 5-2 on the boards and shooting 37.5% from the floor. The Hurricanes are isshooting 57.1%. Miami guard Jordan Miller leads all players in the early going with five points.

Bishop gets the start for injured Disu in Texas' matchup vs. Miami

Texas forward Christian Bishop will start only his second game of the season with the injury to Dylan Disu, who suffered a bone bruise on his left foot in the second round. Bishop, a 6-foot-8 senior, has started 86 of his 161 career games, but Sunday’s Elite Eight contest against No. 5 seed Miami marks only his second start this season.

Bishop certainly took care of his business in Friday’s win over Xavier, when he came off the bench and scored a game-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting and pulled down nine rebounds while playing 24 minutes after Disu played only two minutes in the Sweet 16 game. That performance mirrors his career stats; he’s made 61% of his shots and averaged almost 10 rebounds and more than 15 points per 40 minutes in his five college seasons.

Bishop transferred from Creighton before last season, and this season marks his first as a reserve since his freshman campaign with the Bluejays in 2018-19. Now he’ll seek to send No. 2 seed Texas into its fourth Final Four in school history.

— Thomas Jones, Austin American-Statesman

For the first time in program history, SDSU reaches Final Four

No. 5 San Diego State held a two-point lead with 34.2 seconds left in the game. All the Aztecs had to do was inbounds the ball successfully and convert free throws. Instead, an errant pass gifted No. 6 Creighton an easy layup under the basket to tie the game.

The Aztecs, however, recovered, and guard Darrion Trammell was fouled on his game-winning floater attempt down the left side of the lane as the clock ticked down. The foul call instantly set social media ablaze, debating the merits of a call like that in such a tense moment in the game, but Creighton guard Ryan Nembhard did place his left hand on Trammell's back as he took the shot.

With a trip to the Final Four on the line, Trammell missed the first free throw but drained the second. Creighton's desperation inbound heave caromed off of a scrum of players and did not leave enough time on the clock for the Bluejays to get a final shot.

San Diego State won, 57-56 and will face Florida Atlantic in Saturday's semifinals.

Finally, the Aztecs regain the lead

More than 30 minutes of game time elapsed before No. 5 San Diego State finally regained a lead three-quarters of the way through the second half. From then on, the Aztecs regained offensive efficiency, confidently converting pull-up jumpers off of pick-and-roll action.

What’s not helping No. 6 Creighton is the sheer volume of shots missed in the paint, as the Bluejays have four missed field goals in the paint in the second half.

The Aztecs hold a 52-50 lead with 3:30 to play, and a trip to the Final Four on the line.

Creighton goes cold, SDSU still can't quite get over hump

No. 6 Creighton went more than four minutes without a point midway through the second half, but No. 5 San Diego State simply cannot find enough consistency on the offensive end to erase the Bluejay lead.

Every time the Aztecs pull closer, they seem to get cold until Creighton is able to string together a basket or two. While both teams are struggling from three-point range — the two have combined to 5-of-26 (19.2%) — San Diego State is not backing away from more attempts, even if they’re not dropping. The Aztecs though, are putting forth plus effort on the offensive glass, and now hold an 11-8 edge over Creighton in that space.

San Diego State has done a tremendous job on Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner, who only has three points after intermission, in the second half.

The Bluejays hold a 45-41 lead with 7:40 left in the game.

Creighton holding steady, SDSU starts slow

Both offenses struggled from the floor to open the second half, though No. 5 San Diego State’s 6-2 mini-run closed the deficit before No. 6 Creighton’s consecutive trips to the free throw line (including an and-one on the second possession) kept the Bluejays ahead.

The Aztecs have clogged the lane with a 2-3 zone that has made it more difficult for Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner to receive the ball in the post. And San Diego State is actually picking up the slack on the offensive glass in the second half, but is struggling from the field, converting just 5-of-18 (27.8%) shots after halftime.

Creighton leads 43-39 with 11:30 to play in the game.

Aztec guard Lamont Butler leads all players with 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting.

Halftime: Creighton 33, San Diego State 28

No. 5 San Diego State has settled a touch on offense, in large part to the play of guard Lamont Butler, who paces the Aztecs at the half with nine points on 4-of-5 shooting.

There are some warning signs, however, for San Diego State: it is being outrebounded by a margin of 16-14, though minutes earlier, it was 13-7. The Aztecs and have assisted on only two of their 13 field goals. Another concern? San Diego State has taken just one trip to the line and missed that free throw.

Despite all that, the Aztecs are taking a five-point deficit into the second half after Creighton went 3:20 without a field goal in the middle of the first half.

The Bluejays did bounce back from their cold spell and are riding the play of Ryan Kalkbrenner (10 points), Baylor Scheierman (seven points) and Ryan Nembhard (seven points) combining for 72.7% of Creighton’s points.

San Diego State's bench is outscoring Creighton's 8-0.

Creighton building modest lead

No. 5 San Diego State went nearly two-and-a-half minutes without a field goal early in the first half, allowing No. 6 Creighton to start to build a modest lead. The Bluejays are moving the ball fairly well and getting everyone involved; by the midway point of the first half, all five starters had scored. In fact, all starters have combined for 9-of-17 (52.9%) shooting from the floor.

One area where the Aztecs are performing well, however, is on perimeter defense. San Diego State has held Creighton to 1-of-6 shooting from three-point range. The Aztecs, though, need to play with more composure, having committed four turnovers and four player fouls.

The Bluejays are up 22-16, with 7:40 left to play in the first half.

Siblings face off for Final Four spot

Not only are San Diego State and Creighton playing for a spot in the Final Four, but a pair of brothers are playing for bragging rights against another once again.

Creighton sophomore forward Arthur Kaluma and San Diego State senior guard Adam Seiko are meeting against each other in the Elite Eight matchup, the second straight year they will do so in the tournament. Last year, Kaluma and Creighton won their first round matchup against the Aztecs in overtime, 72-69.

Before the Sweet 16, Seiko said it would be a “surreal feeling” if the two teams met with a Final Four berth on the line.

“Something I can’t even put into words, really,” Seiko said.

The siblings' mother, Saira Eva Ariko, is in attendance for the game in Louisville.

— Jordan Mendoza

Offenses finding footing early on in Creighton-SDSU

The perimeter shooting from both teams slagged to start the game between No. 6 Creighton and No. 5 San Diego State, with both teams putting up an airball on three-point attempts on consecutive possessions. But the importance of post play and rebounding already showed its weight, as Creighton forward Arthur Kaluma's offensive board two minutes into the game led to center Ryan Kalkbrenner's flush on an alley-oop feed from guard Trey Alexander.

Both squads have combined to go 1-of-5 from beyond the arc. Kalkbrenner leads the way early with six points on 3-of-5 shooting. Creighton holds an 8-7 lead with 14:05 left to play in the first half.

Sunday's Elite Eight slate

No. 5 San Diego State vs. No. 6 Creighton: San Diego State's defense is off the charts – just ask Alabama. The Aztecs held the top overall seed to 32.4% shooting and completely bottled up future lottery pick Brandon Miller, who finished with just nine points on 3 of 19 shooting, including just one make in 10 attempts from deep. But Creighton could put this defense to the test. The Bluejays have scored at least 80 points in five of the past seven games and are shooting 50.6% from the field in tournament play.

No. 2 Texas vs. No. 5 Miami: After some early struggles, Miami's backcourt has taken over games to help the Hurricanes earn a second trip in a row to the regional finals. Nijel Pack has been on point since the start of tournament play, averaging a team-best 19.7 points per game and dropping a season-high 26 points to lead Miami into the Elite Eight. Texas has gone 22-7 since Rodney Terry replaced Chris Beard in December and is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2008 and just the second time since the tournament expanded from eight teams in 1951. Under Terry, the Longhorns have fought through off-court drama and injuries to peak at the right time.

— Paul Myerberg

Bluejays, Aztecs have familiarity

While in different regions of the country, Creighton and San Diego State are not unfamiliar with each other.

Months ago, the Bluejays and Aztecs shared a chartered flight to the Maui Invitational. Creighton coach Greg McDermott said he sat across from San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher and talked about wanting to face off in the championship because "we would be OK with one of us winning and one of us losing."

Little did they know their meeting this season would be on a bigger stage.

— Paul Myerberg

Texas' Dylan Disu dealing with injury

Dylan Disu, Texas' best player this postseason, played less than two minutes in the Longhorns' Sweet 16 win against Xavier with what team officials called a bone bruise in his left foot. He's officially day-to-day.

He spent most of the game with a walking boot on his left foot. Team officials said he suffered the bone bruise in the win over Penn State in the second round last Saturday. He practiced some but aggravated the injury late in the week.

— Thomas Jones, Austin American-Statesman

Florida Atlantic most-surprising Final Four team ever?

It has become more and more common in recent years for an overlooked, out-of-nowhere tournament team to get hot at the right time and march all the way to the Final Four. Of the nine teams to reach the national semifinals as a No. 9 seed or higher, six have occurred since 2013.

The Owls' run to Houston is among the most unexpected Final Four teams since the tournament expanded that same season. There are eight teams that have shocked the nation most by advancing from off the radar to the national semifinals.

— Paul Myerberg

UConn is now the team to beat -- and Huskies know it

Parity in college basketball, huh? UConn didn’t get the memo.

All those close calls, all those middling years in the wilderness of the American Athletic Conference suddenly seem far away in the rear-view mirror. In his fifth season at UConn, Dan Hurley doesn’t just have the Huskies back in the Final Four, he has them playing in a way that should earn them the school’s fifth national title.

— Dan Wolken

Kansas State coach Jerome Tang shares message with FAU after game

Florida Atlantic may have eliminated his Kansas State team, but Wildcats coach Jerome Tang had nothing but praise for the Owls – and delivered his classy message in person in the celebratory FAU locker room.

“Your toughness, your togetherness, your ability to make plays for each other, the way you communicate with each other – nobody can beat ya’ll,” the first-year K-State coach told the Owls. “Just stay together, don’t get distracted between now and (the Final Four). Stay locked in, keep doing what you’re doing.”

"Ya’ll the toughest son-of-a-guns we’ve played all year long," Tang added. "Just proud of ya and rooting for ya."

Tang’s first year in Manhattan, Kansas, was a tremendous success after little was expected of the Wildcats in the preseason. They nearly made their first Final Four since 1964, falling to Florida Atlantic 79-76. The Owls are making their first Final Four appearance and will play the winner of Sunday’s game between Creighton and San Diego State.

— Jace Evans

Parity creating ultimate March Madness chaos

In a span of mere minutes Friday night, two programs that have had lots of good seasons but rarely seemed like they’re on the cusp of anything significant, evicted the last two No. 1 seeds left, from this NCAA men's tournament.

And with those back-to-back results, this is officially the maddest March of them all.

— Dan Wolken

Women's NCAA Tournament recap: Caitlin Clark lifts Iowa to Final ...

The madness marches on Sunday with the start of the women's college basketball Elite Eight.

To start off the competition, the No. 3 LSU Tigers beat the No. 9 Miami Hurricanes with a record day from Angel Reese. This is the Tigers' first trip to the Final Four since 2008.

Iowa star Caitlin Clark followed with her own record day to send the Hawkeyes to their second Final Four in school history. No. 2 seed Iowa toppled No. 5 seed Louisville, 97-83, in the nightcap behind Clark's 11th career triple-double.

Here's all the action from Sunday's Elite Eight matchups:

Iowa downs Louisville to reach first Final Four since 1993

Caitlin Clark put on show and made sure Iowa would celebrate a huge anniversary.

Clark was electric, recording 41 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to send No. 2 seed Iowa to a 97-83 win over No. 5 Louisville and into its first Final Four in 30 years. The Hawkeyes made their only other Final Four appearance in 1993 under Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer.

Clark, a candidate for national player of the year, recorded the 11th triple-double of her career with a rebound with less than a minute remaining in the game and became the first player in NCAA Tournament history to record a 40-point triple-double. The 6-0 junior from West Des Moines, Iowa, had already tallied her 17th double-double of the season and 43rd career before the end of the third quarter.

Louisville battled back from a 22-point deficit in the final five minutes to close the gap to 10 points when the Hawkeyes shooting went cold, but it was not enough to send the Cardinals to their fifth Final Four.

Hailey Van Lith powered Louisville with 27 points, and Olivia Cochran recorded a double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey has no doubt Gamecocks will be in Final Four

Kim Mulkey is already calling South Carolina in the Final Four.

The defending national champions don’t play their Elite Eight game against second-seeded Maryland until Monday night, but Mulkey doesn’t need to wait around for that. The top-seeded Gamecocks will be in Dallas next weekend, LSU’s coach said Sunday night.

“South Carolina is going. I’m just telling you that, flat out,” she said after LSU clinched its own spot in the Final Four with a 54-42 win over Miami. “That’s nothing against who they play. I just know how good they are.”

South Carolina thumped LSU by 24 points, 88-64, in their one meeting in the regular season. If Mulkey’s team sees the Gamecocks again, a national title would be on the line.

“I’d sure love to be in that championship with them,” Mulkey said.

— Nancy Armour

Iowa pulls away from Louisville in third quarter

Iowa ended the third quarter on a 11-2 run and outscored Louisville 30-16 in the period to take a 78-59 lead into the final quarter. The Cardinals had cut the lead to one point early in the quarter before Caitlin Clark and her Iowa teammates caught fire, especially from three-point range. Clark scored 11 points in the quarter and added six assists, giving her 33 points and 10 assists through three periods. It was her fourth career NCAA Tournament game with at least 20 points and 10 assists.

Louisville shot only 5-for-18 in the third quarter.

HALF: Iowa 48, Louisville 43

The stars have put on a show for both No. 2 seed Iowa and No. 5 seed Louisville in the first half of their Elite Eight game.

Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, a candidate for national player of the year, nearly had a first-half double-double, tallying 22 points and eight assists, while shooting 7-for-11 from the field and 5-for-9 from three-point range. Forward McKenna Warnock was also hot, scoring 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.

But Louisville also got stellar play from its star — Hailey Van Lith. The junior guard scored 17 first-half points and shot 60% from the field to pace the Cardinals, who cut a 12-point Iowa lead to five before the break.

Iowa leads Louisville after first quarter

Louisville jumped out to an early 8-0 lead in Sunday's second Elite Eight game before Iowa stormed back to take a 25-21 lead after the first 10 minutes.

Caitlin Clark, one of the most dynamic players in women's basketball, poured in 15 points and four assists, and McKenna Warnock added seven points to fuel the Hawkeyes' surge. Chrislyn Carr led Louisville with nine first-quarter points, and Hailey Van Lith chipped in six.

Iowa star Caitlin Clark makes more history

Caitlin Clark has set yet another record.

Clark became the first player in Division I history to tally 900+ points and 300+ assists in a single season early in the first quarter of the Hawkeyes' Elite Eight matchup against Louisville.

The junior guard averages 26.9 points per game, the second-most in Division I history, and has recorded 10 career triple-doubles, which is also second-most in DI history.

The No. 3 LSU Tigers are still dancing as they defeated the No. 9 Miami Hurricanes, 54-42, on Sunday to earn their eighth trip to the Final Four and first since 2008.

Senior guard Alexis Morris led the Tigers with 21 points. Sophomore forward Angel Reese had 13 points and 18 rebounds for her 32nd double-double of the season, an SEC record.

Sophomore guard Jasmyne Roberts had 22 points for Miami. No other Hurricane player scored in double figures, and the team went 0-for-15 from behind the arc. They were out-rebounded by the Tigers 49-36 and committed 18 turnovers compared to LSU's 12.

LSU led by as m16 midway through the fourth quarter.

Miami's Lashae Dwyer was hurt with 4:03 remaining when she had contact with Angel Reese in the fourth quarter. She jumped up and fell backwards with her leg folding beneath her. She laid on the court with her eyes closed for several minutes while athletic trainers tended to her. She eventually got up and hobbled off the court with the help of Miami's staff.

Miami was on an 8-0 run prior to her injury. She had four of Miami's eight points in the period.

LSU is leading Miami 38-27 after the third quarter. Angel Reese came alive after not having a field goal in the first half and now has 11 points and 13 rebounds, 10 of which came on defense. This is the sophomore forward's 32nd double-double of the season, which sets an SEC record.

The Hurricanes had a three-minute scoring drought from when Destiny Harden scored a free throw to when Lola Pendande made a layup.

LSU has led by as many as 13.

After her feathery pink ensemble for the Sweet 16, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey went with a more subdued look for the Elite Eight. She wore a grey and pink checkerboard jacket, but the look still stood out because it had plenty of sparkles.

The Tigers mascot gave Mulkey a run for her money, wearing a sparkly butterfly jacket. Mike the Tiger debuted the look, which is modeled after one of the head coach's own, in February of 2022. He broke it out again as LSU fights to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2008.

The No. 3 LSU Tigers lead the No. 9 Miami Hurricanes 26-20 at the half.

Tigers star Angel Reese has seven points, all from free throws, and eight rebounds.

"I'm gonna let the game come to me. I'm missing a lot of shots, but my teammates and coaches are putting a lot of confidence in me, so I'm going to keep shooting," she said on the ESPN broadcast at the break.

Senior guard Alexis Morris leads LSU with 10 points while Miami is led by sophomore guard Jasmyne Roberts' 16 points.

Neither team has made a three-point shot yet.

LSU leads Miami 10-8 after first quarter

As the Miami men completed an epic 88-81 comeback win over Texas to reach the Final Four, the Miami women were locked in a tight early battle with LSU with the third-seeded Tigers leading the ninth-seeded Hurricanes 10-8. LSU ended the quarter on a 6-0 run. Guard Alexis Morris had six points to lead the Tigers, while LSU star Angel Reese was held without a field goal — though she did sink three free throws. The Hurricanes were paced by by guard Jasmyne Roberts, who also scored six.

Miami fans will need split screens for a few minutes

No. 9 seed Miami, seeking the program's first-ever Final Four, tipped of against No. 3 LSU as the men's program was locked in a tie in the final minutes of its own Elite Eight game. The Miami men's team, seeded fifth, was facing off against No. 2 seed Texas with the last Final Four berth at stake. Connecticut, Florida Atlantic and San Diego State have already won Elite Eight games in the men's tournament. LSU vs. Miami is the first of four women's Elite Eight games — with Iowa vs. Louisville to follow on Sunday night.

UConn's dynasty is dead – and that's actually good news

For the first time in 15 postseasons, the women’s Final Four (and Elite Eight) will not include the UConn Huskies, the most dominant program in women’s basketball this century.

"The problem with streaks is the longer they go, you're closer to it ending than you are to the beginning of it,” said Huskies coach Geno Auriemma said.

So the dynasty is dead. And if you’re a fan of women’s basketball, you shouldn’t be rooting for another to take hold (unless you’re a South Carolina fan).

You can’t deny it: When March really is mad, everyone wins.

— Lindsay Schnell

Caitlin Clark playing with chip on her shoulder

It’s all well and good to say last year’s results mean nothing and Caitlin Clark has nothing to prove.

But they do. And she does.

As dynamic and exciting as the Player of the Year front-runner is, Iowa has yet to make the Final Four, since Clark got to campus. Last year the Hawkeyes didn’t even get out of Carver-Hawkeye Arena, falling in the second round.

But with Stanford, seeded ahead of the No. 2 Hawkeyes in the Seattle 4 region, out of the tournament along with Duke and Texas, this is Clark and Iowa’s chance to make a statement.

Clark is as explosive a player as you’ll find in college basketball, racking up points as if she’s playing Pop-a-Shot. She’s averaging 26.8 points per game, third best in the country. She’s had eight 30-point games and two games when she’s gone over 40.

But the best players are not judged on individual accomplishments. Not primarily, at least. What they do to impact their teams matters more, especially at this time of year, and Clark is still looking for that signature moment.

— Nancy Armour

Famous fan Lil Wayne has reason to root for Miami and LSU

The game hasn’t even begun and already Miami and LSU are battling.

And Lil Wayne is in the middle of it.

Miami’s Haley Cavinder and LSU’s Angel Reese each asked the Grammy-winning rapper to come to Sunday’s Elite Eight game, with both teams claiming his allegiance.

Hanna Cavinder tweeted a photo of her and sister Haley FaceTiming with Lil Wayne after the Hurricanes upset Villanova, while the rapper gave Reese a shoutout on Twitter later Friday night.

"I'm on him because he's from (New Orleans) and he called them before he called us," Reese said Saturday. "So luckily he did tweet it out last night. Hopefully he comes to the game."

Haley Cavinder echoed that.

"Hopefully he comes to the game if he likes Angel Reese and our team. Lil Wayne, if you see this ...," she said.

— Nancy Armour

Vanessa Bryant gifts LSU Tigers with Kobe 6 Grinch sneakers

Ahead of their Elite Eight matchup against the Miami Hurricanes, the LSU Tigers received a special gift from Vanessa Bryant. On Saturday the widow of Kobe Bryant surprised the team with Nike Kobe 6 Grinch sneakers.

LSU shared the exciting moment on Instagram with a video of when the players saw the black shoeboxes with the late NBA superstar's logo and then opened them up to reveal the neon green sneakers. The players' faces lit up and they shrieked with the thrill of the special gift.

"Whoop, whoop, whoop, whoop," Emily Ward said while shaking a sneaker in front of the camera.

"That's heat right there," Angel Reese said, nodding her head in approval.

— Victoria Hernandez

South Carolina remains ruthless en route to women's NCAA Final Four

If you can’t see South Carolina play in person, find a cat. Give that cat a toy and watch it bat the toy back and forth, back and forth, back and forth until WHACK! The toy goes flying across the room without warning, the cat having decided it’s had enough of this game.

That’s South Carolina.

The defending national champions are so skilled, so deep and so unflappable it’s only a matter of time before they exert their will. And when they do, opponents can be forgiven if they’re just praying for the end, that’s how deflating the Gamecocks are.

For the first 15 minutes Monday night, second-seeded Maryland gave South Carolina as good a game as it could. It pushed the pace. It bodied the Gamecocks in the paint. It closed off angles. It went right at South Carolina in a way few other teams have the courage to do.

By halftime, the game was effectively over.

In a 3½-minute span, South Carolina ripped off a 14-4 run, scoring on all but one possession. What had been a 1-point Maryland lead became a 10-point Gamecocks advantage.

“Their size, their length, their depth wears you out as the game continues on,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said.

Dallas-bound:South Carolina advances to third straight women's Final Four

Brackets: See how the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments have played out

There is little drop off from South Carolina’s starters to its bench, making their rotations more like hockey shifts, and the Terrapins could only fend off the waves for so long. Worse, by trying to do so, they picked up an albatrossian number of fouls.

But that’s what South Carolina does. It grinds you into submission. The only question is when in the game it’s going to happen.

“The game had to settle down,” coach Dawn Staley said. “Obviously Maryland came out and played extremely fast. I thought it took us a while to get our footing and make adjustments to how they were playing us.

“This team just wants to win. They don’t care how it looks, they just want to do what’s necessary for us to score more points. They know how to win, they know how to win with different styles of play. The main thing is they just don’t want to lose.”

It’s hard to imagine they could. To see how they would.

South Carolina has not lost a game since the SEC tournament championship last year. That’s 42 wins in a row, for those keeping track. Only five teams have gotten within double digits of the Gamecocks this season, and they are beating teams in the NCAA Tournament by an average of more than 22 points.

The Gamecocks have done all this despite carrying a burden that’s two-fold: Everyone wants to steal their crown and every opponent wants to be the one to finally hang a loss on them. South Carolina’s commitment to avoiding the disappointment and anger that follows a loss is even greater, however.

“We know what it feels like to lose. We know what it feels like to be sent home,” said Brea Beal, one of five players left from the team that lost to Stanford on a last-second shot in the Final Four two years ago.

“We don’t want that feeling. Especially this time of year.”

The Gamecocks will play Iowa in the Final Four on Friday, a game that has been hotly anticipated for two seasons now. South Carolina has Aliyah Boston, the national player of the year, while Iowa’s Caitlin Clark is likely to claim the honors this year.

They are the two most dominant players in college basketball, though in very different ways. Boston is quietly – and ruthlessly – efficient, finishing with her 82nd career double-double Monday with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Five assists, too.

Clark is a live wire, making baskets from the logo and zipping passes all over the court. She had a 41-point triple-double Sunday night against Louisville.

“I want to enjoy this,” Staley said when asked about the matchup. “I want to enjoy our team and something special they’ve been able to accomplish today."

There the Gamecocks go, biding their time again.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.

NCAA tournament: Michigan women's basketball loses to LSU, 66 ...

2023 NCAA women's basketball tournament: No. 6-seed Michigan women's basketball (23-9) vs. No. 3 LSU Tigers (29-2)

Matchup: No. 6 Michigan (23-9, 11-7 Big Ten) vs. No. 3 LSU (29-2, 15-1 SEC), NCAA tournament Greenville 2 region second round.

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m. Sunday; Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

TV: ESPN.

At stake: Winner faces either 3-seed Utah or 10-seed Princeton on Friday in Greenville, South Carolina, for spot in Elite Eight.

• Box score

NCAA history

The Wolverines’ victory improved them to 11-10 all time in 11 tournaments, with five straight second-round appearances under head coach Kim Barnes Arico. (Though they made it all the way to the Elite Eight last season.) LSU appears to be achieving the desired results in its second season under longtime Baylor coach Kim Mulkey, starting with a 23-point win over 14-seed Hawaii in the first round on Friday. After losing in the second round last season, the Tigers are 45-27 all-time in the tournament over 28 seasons, with five trips to the Final Four (albeit with no title game appearances). All five Final Four appearances came during a five-season run from 2003-08; the Tigers have made the Sweet 16 just twice (2013-14) since then.

FRIDAY'S FIRST ROUND:Michigan women roll over Rebels, 71-59, to advance to NCAA tournament 2nd round

TROPHY CASE:Michigan women's basketball has 3 players selected to Big Ten all-conference teams

Scouting the Tigers

It’s a simple formula for Mulkey’s Tigers: Shoot often inside the arc (LSU’s 50.2 2-pointers per game ranks sixth in the nation), do it well (50.6% on 2-pointers, good for 34th nationally), and if you miss, rebound the ball (47.2 boards per game, third nationally, and 17.2 per game on offense, good for fourth) and start all over again. What about 3-pointers? We’re not saying LSU can’t hit them — their 35.9% success rage ranked 26th in the nation — but they don’t really try a whole lot, either: Their 15 3s per game ranks just 307th out of 350 teams.

Scouting the Wolverines

The Wolverines’ plan isn’t so different, especially as executed on Friday afternoon against UNLV: U-M attempted just 15 3s, hit six of them (and four of those, on six tries, came from senior guard Maddie Nolan) and shot 45.5% (20-for-44) on 2-point tries. Really, it wasn’t a good shooting day for the Wolverines, who hit nine of 13 shots in the third quarter and just 17 of 46 (36.9%) in the other three frames. Fifth-year guard Leigha Brown seemed to penetrate the Rebels’ defense in the paint with few issues. Doing so against the Tigers will be another matter altogether, but we’ll get to that.

Four on the floor

There are plenty of talented players on both rosters, but here are four players — two Wolverines and two Tigers — who could come up big on Sunday:

U-M’s star: G Laila Phelia

Despite having nearly two weeks off from games, the sophomore may not be fully healthy. In just her third game back after missing seven straight in February and March, she logged 32 minutes and scored eight points with 11 rebounds while wearing a bulky knee brace. Phelia, who hails from Cincinnati, entered the tournament averaging 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals a game. That scoring average is nearly double that of her freshman year (8.8) while only going from 22.9 minutes a game to 33. When Phelia’s scoring game is on, so is the Wolverines’; she scored at least 20 points 10 times this season, with U-M going 8-2 in those games.

Off the bench for U-M: G/F Elise Stuck

Barnes Arico kept her bench short on Friday in Baton Rouge, keeping four of her starters on the court for at least 32 minutes. The lone exception was forward Cameron Williams, who played just under 16 minutes. Filling in for her was Stuck, who logged just over 22 minutes. It was a definite uptick in minutes for the 6-foot-1 junior from Charlevoix, who was averaging 9.7 minutes a game entering the NCAA tournament. She scored just two points (one field goal attempt, one make) but filled the stat sheet in other ways, with seven rebounds, an assist, a steal and three blocks. The Wolverines won’t have the size advantage against LSU — the Tigers feature five forwards listed at 6-2 or taller; the Wolverines have six such forwards, but only two (Williams and Emily Kiser) log serious minutes — that they had against UNLV, but they’ll need every capable minute they can get in the paint.

LSU’s star: F Angel Reese

The reason for that, of course, is Reese, who made the AP’s All-America team for the second straight season. The 6-3 sophomore averaged a double-double (17.8 points, 10.6 rebounds) last season at Maryland, but didn’t do much damage in her first two seasons against the Wolverines, averaging seven points and 7.3 rebounds in three games as a Terp. This season, she posted a double-double in 29 of her 31 games, including the Tigers’ win over Hawaii on Friday (34 points, 15 rebounds). (The only opponents to stop her from getting a double-double: No. 1 South Carolina, which held her to 16 points and four rebounds on Feb. 12, and Georgia, which held her to 15 points and six rebounds on March 3.) This season, Reese has averaged 23.7 points and 15.5 rebounds, all while shooting 54.5% on 2-pointers.

(Perhaps Michigan can convince Reese to try some 3s; she’s just 1-for-6 from beyond the arc this season.) So what lured her to the Bayou? The seafood, apparently. (Remember, she’s from Maryland.) As she told WSLAM magazine, her official visit to Baton Rouge featured an intense seafood spread: “We went to coach's house and we had seafood laid out. ... I'm talking about crab legs, oysters, shrimp, crawfish," Reese said. "I was like, 'Oh, I could get used to this.' "

Off the bench for LSU: F Sa’Myah Smith

Mulkey has ridden her upperclassmen hard, with Reese and three seniors all averaging better than 23 minutes a game. Likewise, Flau’jae Johnson, the SEC Freshman of the Year, averaged 26.7 minutes a game; that doesn’t leave a lot of time for anyone else. Just one other LSU player, junior Kateri Poole, averaged more than 16 minutes.

Smith managed to get a SEC All-Freshman nod despite averaging just 15.8 minutes entering the tournament. Despite the limited time, the 6-2 Texan put up 5.1 points, 44 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game this season. Even when she’s not scoring, she can change the flow of the game: Just ask Texas A&M and Kentucky, who held her to two points combined in back to back games, only to surrender seven combined blocks. Or South Carolina, which saw her paint presence in real time last month.

Ryan Ford’s prediction

The Wolverines have thrived against smaller and less-talented teams this season, but against the cream of the crop, U-M’s offense has frequently gone cold. Expect the same against the host Tigers, with Reese dominating inside. The pick: LSU 74, U-M 52.

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Women's NCAA Tournament winners: 'Down' SEC, super regional ...

The upsets of top-seeded Stanford and Indiana were fun and all, and the double-digit comebacks that shook up the early rounds were wildly entertaining.

If chaos is what you want in your Final Four, however, you’re going to have to watch the NCAA men’s tournament. Even accounting for Virginia Tech reaching the national semifinals for the first time, there are no wild cards left in the women’s bracket.

While the lowest seed left in the men’s tournament is No. 4 UConn, the highest in the women’s tournament is a No. 3. The defending national champion South Carolina is still alive. LSU hasn’t won a title in its previous five trips to the Final Four, but coach Kim Mulkey has. Three, in fact, when she was coaching Baylor.

And Iowa has Caitlin Clark, the front runner for national player of the year, and a starting five that has been together for the last 90 games, most in the NCAA in 20 years.

So no, not exactly a lineup that makes you scratch your head or do a double take and ask how in the world they made it to the Final Four. (Yeah, Florida Atlantic, we are talking about you.) Whatever surprises the women’s tournament had in store already happened.

That doesn’t mean the Final Four will be lacking for drama or intrigue. No team has defended its title since UConn won the last of four in a row in 2016. A women’s coach has never won titles with different programs. The Big Ten won its only national title last century.

There’s going to be plenty to see. Who cares if it isn’t a roller coaster of chaos?

'Absolutely incredible': Iowa star is college basketball's most electrifying (men's or women's) player

Brackets: See how the men's and women's NCAA Tournaments have played out

Here’s a look at the other winners and losers from the Elite Eight:

WINNERS

SEC

The SEC will take your apologies now.

Dissed at the beginning of the season for being “down,” for being South Carolina and not much else, the SEC will have two of the Final Four teams. The defending champion Gamecocks are joining LSU in Dallas after dismantling Maryland on Monday night.

“Two. That’s 50% last time I checked,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “What is down? We had seven make (the tournament), four of the seven made it to the Sweet 16. How down is that?”

The ACC (Virginia Tech) and the Big Ten (Iowa) have the other two Final Fours.

Kenny Brooks

With the 84-74 win over Ohio State, Brooks becomes just the second Black male coach to lead a team to the women's Final Four since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 1994. (The other was former Syracuse coach Quentin Hillsman, who led the Orange to the 2016 Final Four.)

Brooks, now in his seventh year, came to Blacksburg after 14 seasons at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. In his final 11 years at JMU, Brooks won at least 24 games per season including three consecutive CAA championships (2014-2016).

The Hokies were upset last year by 12th-seeded FGCU. This year, after cruising through the ACC Tournament they earned the first No. 1 seed in school history. As one of the few Black male head coaches in women's college hoops, Brooks understands his success resonates with many people who look like him.

“Everything I am doing, I’m doing for myself, my program, for our university,” Brooks said before Virginia Tech defeated Tennessee in the Sweet 16. “I do it for people who look like me. There are a lot of great male Black coaches who deserve an opportunity. If they can see what I’ve done and it inspires them to give another Black male an opportunity. then I’ve done my job.”

Super regional format

It’s an understatement to say the new regional format, with games in two sites instead of four, was a hit.

Part of the thinking in centralizing the regional games was to bolster attendance. It worked, to say the least.

Attendance across the four days in Greenville and Seattle totaled a record 82,275 fans, an average of 10,659 per session. That shattered the previous record of 73,954 total fans for the regional round, set in 2003.

Out of the eight sessions, five drew 10,000 or more fans.

The super regional format will continue next year, with Portland, Oregon, and Albany, New York, set to host. In 2025 it'll be Birmingham and Spokane and in 2026, Sacramento and Fort Worth are scheduled to host.

Alexis Morris

LSU’s point guard is returning home in style.

Morris’ career has taken her to many places – she started at Baylor, transferred first to Rutgers and then to Texas A&M before landing at LSU last season – but she knew where she was going to finish it. Or hoped to, anyway.

The Beaumont, Texas, native said after LSU’s last regular-season home game last month that she didn’t need a Senior Night because she planned to have hers in her home state. Morris made good on her word, finishing with a team-high 21 points, four steals, two rebounds and two assists in LSU’s 54-42 win that earned the Tigers a trip to the Final Four.

“I'm heading to Dallas. I'm ending my senior night where I wanted it to be. Hopefully we can go cut nets in Dallas,” Morris said.

“At one point when I left Rutgers, I wasn't even going to play basketball anymore. So this moment is literally everything to me.”

LOSERS

Haters

Somewhere there's a guy in his basement jumping on social media to rant about how nobody cares about women's sports.

Your loss, dude.

If you can't appreciate Caitlin Clark pulling up from the logo or Aliyah Boston swatting an opponent's shot attempt into the third row or Angel Reese snatching someone's soul along with a rebound or Elizabeth Kitley's feathery touch around the rim, then you really don't like basketball — women's or otherwise.

Truth is, women's basketball is getting better and more popular every year, and another terrific NCAA Tournament will only help grow the game more.

Late surges

Miami and Louisville both turned their seasons around this month. Louisville, which had dropped out of the Top 25 before Christmas never to return, reached the final of the ACC tournament then got to the Elite Eight. Miami lost three of its last four in the regular season only to top-seeded Indiana in the second round, handing the Hoosiers their only loss at home this year.

But both drew tough opponents in the Elite Eight, and it proved to be too big a test.

“Even though we didn't get the outcome we wanted tonight, we've had a hell of a season,” Louisville’s Mykasa Robinson said. “And people can say we didn't, but we know what it is here at Louisville, so I'm just super proud of this team.”

Women's March Madness Elite 8 recap: Virginia Tech in Final Four

Half of the women's NCAA Tournament Final Four field was set on Sunday. The other half was settled Monday night.

The South Carolina Gamecocks and Virginia Tech Hokies will join Iowa and LSU in Dallas.

No. 1 South Carolina — the defending national champions — beat the second-seeded Maryland Terrapins. The Gamecocks are aiming to be the first repeat women's basketball champion since Connecticut won four straight national titles from 2013-16.

In the night's second game, another No. 1 seed, Virginia Tech fended off No. 3 seed Ohio State, 84-74. The Hokies have never reached the Final Four. The Buckeyes, meanwhile, last made the Final Four in 1993 when three-time Olympic gold medalist, WNBA champion and future Hall of Famer Katie Smith was a freshman.

Follow along for updates on all the action from Monday's Elite Eight matchups:

The top-seeded Virginia Tech Hokies defeated the No. 3 seeded Ohio State Buckeyes, 84-74, on Monday in Seattle to earn the program's first trip to the Final Four.

The Hokies had an early lead with strong shooting from behind the arc, but the game was a fierce back-and-forth battle in the first half until they took control in the third quarter. Virginia Tech's largest lead was 13 points.

Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley was the game's co-leading scorer with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Georgia Amoore added 24 points despite being shaken up in the second quarter. For the Buckeyes, Taylor Mikesell also had 25 points.

They will face LSU on Friday in the national semifinals in Dallas.

After a fierce duel in the first half, the Virginia Tech Hokies are starting to take control, up 63-55 over the Ohio State Buckeyes at the end of the third quarter in Elite Eight action.

Georgia Amoore made a leaping three-point shot right before the buzzer to give the Hokies an extra boost of momentum. The Australian has 15 points, tied for a team-high, after suffering an injury in the second quarter. Elizabeth Kitley also has 15.

"I'll go anywhere in the world to find another player like that," head coach Kenny Brooks said of Amoore during the ESPN broadcast. "... Georgia's special to us. She makes us go. She is why we're here."

Ohio State's Taylor Mikesell is the game's leading scorer with 19 points.

The Virginia Tech Hokies are up 48-45 at the half over the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Both teams have traded off the lead several times, but Virginia Tech went ahead again after a layup from Taylor Soule with 1:10 on the clock.

Three players are in double digits for the Hokies, including Cayla King with 12, Soule with 11 and Elizabeth Kitley with 10. Georgia Amoore has eight, including a key three-point shot after going to the locker room when she slammed onto the court.

“We just said she’s carried us this far, so we’ve got to do it for her," King said of the team's mentality when their leading scorer in the tournament went down.

Hokies guard Georgia Amoore was injured when Ohio State's Eboni Walker bumper her shoulder into her face with 8:31 on the clock in the second quarter. Amoore fell backwards and landed on her back. She laid on the court holding her face as her teammates ran over to check on her. She lurched as she stood to her feet with the help of a coach and walked with a wobble toward the bench. She was helped to the locker room with the help of two people.

Amoore returned to the bench soon after and made a three-point shot after reentering the game.

Ohio State has surged ahead as the Buckeyes lead the Virginia Tech Hokies 23-22 after an intense first quarter of play.

The Hokies led from the start until Taylor Mikesell tied the game at 19 with a three-point shot with three minutes left in the quarter. Ohio State finally took the lead at 1:50 remaining when Jacy Sheldon made a layup. She followed that up with a jumpshot to close out the quarter.

Mikesell has nine points for Ohio State, while Cayla King has the same for the Hokies.

The second game of Monday night's action tipped off with buckets galore. Halfway through the first quarter, there are already five total three-point shots with the top-seeded Virginia Tech Hokies leading the No. 3 seeded Ohio State Buckeyes 17-14. Both teams are perfect from behind the arc.

The Hokies tipped off the action with back-to-back treys, one each from Kayana Traylor and Cayla King. King already has six points on the night as does Ohio State's Taylor Mikesell.

It was a rocky start, but No. 1 South Carolina is still in the running to defend their national championship after beating the No. 2 seeded Maryland Terrapins, 86-75, in Elite Eight action on Monday. The Gamecocks are headed to their third straight Final Four. This game marks a school-record 36th win of the season and their 42nd in a row dating to last year's NCAA Tournament.

South Carolina star Aliyah Boston finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds for her 82nd career double-double.

"I'm super excited," Boston said on the ESPN broadcast after the game. "The coaches did a great job on scout. We're going to the Final Four!"

Senior guard Diamond Miller led the Terrapins with 24 points. Abby Meyers finished with 14 points after fouling out in the fourth quarter.

After a slow start, Aliyah Boston powered the South Carolina Gamecocks to what's been another dominant performance. The senior forward exited the game with 4:20 on the clock and her team up 79-63. She finished the night with 22 points and 10 rebounds for her 82nd career double-double.

South Carolina has all the momentum as it ended the third quarter up 62-50 over the Maryland Terrapins and are inching closer to a third straight Final Four appearance.

The Gamecocks went on a 7-0 run toward the end of the quarter and had a lead as large as 15.

Aliyah Boston and Zia Cooke each have 18 points for South Carolina, while Diamond Miller has 15 points for Maryland. Abby Meyers has 14 but got into foul trouble after leading the Terrapins most of the game.

Despite South Carolina's surge, head coach Dawn Staley did not appear happy with her team's inconsistent performance. "Cookie's gotta cook," she said on the ESPN broadcast.

The South Carolina Gamecocks might not have looked like themselves in the first quarter, but they shook off the dust and lead the Maryland Terrapins 38-30 at halftime.

Maryland took nearly two minutes to score in the second quarter as South Carolina inched closer to the lead. Star forward Aliyah Boston put the Gamecocks ahead with a layup and 4:55 on the clock. South Carolina went 9-2 to close the period and were up by as many as 10 points.

Boston is the leading scorer for the Gamecocks with 12 points and Zia Cooke added all nine of her points in the quarter.

Maryland is staying alive with 14 points from senior guard Abby Meyers. She scored a layup with eight seconds on the clock to keep the Terrapins from going into the break down double digits.

The Maryland Terrapins are not making it easy for the South Carolina Gamecocks to reach the Final Four and are up 21-15 at the end of the first quarter. The Terrapins scored 12 unanswered points toward the end of the period as Dawn Staley's team failed to find a rhythm. South Carolina's Laeticia Amihere finally broke the streak with a pair of free throws.

Senior guard Abby Meyers is the game's leading scorer with seven points for Maryland. For South Carolina, star forward Aliyah Boston has six points.

Can Maryland buck the odds and topple undefeated South Carolina?

It’s not often that a No. 2 seed is considered a mammoth underdog to a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, but that’s exactly what the Maryland Terrapins (28-6) are as they head into an Elite Eight showdown with reigning national champion South Carolina.

South Carolina has lost precisely two games in the past two seasons to Missouri and Kentucky in the 2021-22 season. The Gamecocks (35-0) have mostly steamrolled opponents this season and are riding a 41-game winning streak dating back to last year’s NCAA Tournament. Only five opponents have even kept the losses under single digits with two taking the Gamecocks to overtime – Stanford in November and Ole Miss in February.

So, Maryland coach Brenda Frese, who coached the Terrapins to the 2006 national championship, knows what her team is up against: experience, depth and size.

“Obviously, to be undefeated and to look at the depth and the size that they have, you bring the players off the bench, and they just even get better, Frese told the Washington Post. “It’s got to rank up there as one of the best when you talk about all the size being on their roster.”

Maryland is seeking its first Final Four since the Terrapins made back-to-back appearances in 2014 and 2015.

— Ellen J. Horrow

South Carolina guard savoring senior year ahead of WNBA draft

South Carolina senior guard Brea Beal has an additional season of COVID-19 eligibility available but said she doesn't plan to use it and will declare for the 2023 WNBA draft.

"School is not for me, I'll tell you that, so I definitely have (made a decision)," Beal said with a laugh. "So much of my career I feel like a lot of things went unnoticed, so to be able to close out my senior year, to see a lot of people putting me in mocks or just talking about me, it shows that I'm beginning to get noticed and how valuable I can be."

Beal has never been a headliner for the No. 1 Gamecocks, but she has anchored the starting lineup from the moment she set foot on campus. Last year, she earned All-American honorable mention honors for the first time in her career from the Associated Press and was named a finalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year alongside her teammate Aliyah Boston, the reigning winner of the award.

ESPN and The Athletic currently project Beal as the No. 7 overall pick in the WNBA draft on April 10.

— Emily Adams, Greenville (South Carolina) News

South Carolina, Virginia Tech guards are March Madness power couple

On the morning of the 2023 SEC championship game, the first thing South Carolina women's basketball point guard Kierra Fletcher did was text her girlfriend Kayana Traylor good luck.

At nearly the same time as Gamecocks tipped off against Tennessee on March 5, Traylor and Virginia Tech women's basketball were hoisting the ACC championship trophy. Fletcher and South Carolina went on to win the SEC title hours later.

"It was crazy, because right after we played I checked the score and I was like, 'Wow, they won,'" Fletcher said. "I called her as soon as I got time, and we were just talking about how crazy it was that both of us won the conference tournament together."

Traylor, a 5-foot-9 senior guard for the Hokies, first connected with the Gamecocks' starting point guard on social media. They bonded over being from the Midwest — Fletcher is from Michigan and Traylor from Indiana — and have now been together for nearly three years.

Now, South Carolina and Virginia Tech are the only 1-seeds left. If Virginia Tech beats Ohio State and the Gamecocks take down Maryland, Fletcher and Traylor will head to Dallas with a legitimate chance to face each other for the national championship.

— Emily Adams, Greenville (South Carolina) News

Should No. 1 seed Virginia Tech be worried about Ohio State's full-court press?

It didn't take a miracle for Ohio State to advance past the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1993. The Buckeyes, in a 73-61 win over Connecticut on Saturday, simply outplayed the Huskies for the majority of the game.

"As long as we play our game," Ohio State senior forward Eboni Walker said, "we have the utmost confidence in ourselves and in each other."

For Ohio State, playing its game goes hand-in-hand with its full-court press. When the Buckeyes get their press set and start forcing turnover after turnover after turnover, as they did against the Huskies, they can be almost impossible to stop.

Now, No. 1 seed Virginia Tech will have to grapple with Ohio State's press just as UConn did. During the Hokies' Sweet 16 win over Tennessee, the Lady Vols used their own press to come back from an 18-point deficit early in the third quarter to get within one point.

Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks knows Ohio State will employ the full-court press Monday night and says his team will have to play smart but aggressive offense.

"We have to get downhill, break the pressure, and get some easy opportunities, and I think that that will kind of ease it up a little bit," Brooks said. "But they have been doing it all year long. They're really good at it."

— Bailey Johnson, The Columbus Dispatch

LSU coach Kim Mulkey has no doubt South Carolina will be in Final Four

Kim Mulkey is already calling South Carolina in the Final Four.

The defending national champions don’t play their Elite Eight game against second-seeded Maryland until Monday night, but Mulkey doesn’t need to wait around for that. The top-seeded Gamecocks will be in Dallas next weekend, LSU’s coach said Sunday night.

“South Carolina is going. I’m just telling you that, flat out,” she said after LSU clinched its own spot in the Final Four with a 54-42 win over Miami. “That’s nothing against who they play. I just know how good they are.”

South Carolina thumped LSU by 24 points, 88-64, in their one meeting in the regular season. If Mulkey’s team sees the Gamecocks again, a national title would be on the line.

“I’d sure love to be in that championship with them,” Mulkey said.

— Nancy Armour

Iowa star proves she's college basketball's most electrifying (men's or women's) player

To get an idea of just how intoxicating Caitlin Clark’s game is, all you had to do Sunday — if you weren’t near a TV to watch her pile up 41 points, hand out 12 assists and grab 10 rebounds — was scroll Twitter.

In the second half as her Hawkeyes pulled away from Louisville and everyone in Climate Pledge Arena went on triple-double watch, Clark became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter. And as Clark led No. 2 seed Iowa to its first Final Four since 1993, it became clear: the junior guard is the superstar women’s basketball needs, right when the game needs it.

On Saturday, women’s basketball bid an early goodbye to UConn, the program that had made an NCAA-record 14 consecutive Final Fours but will be watching from home this April. On Sunday, it said hello to Clark, the most electrifying player in college basketball, men’s or women’s. Her passes in transition causes gasps, her tendency to pull up from the logo makes opponents shake their heads.

She’s a transcendent talent, a player of the year candidate who elevates everyone around her and loves the big stage. Sunday when Iowa built as much as a 22-point lead she played to the crowd, motioning to fans to cheer louder, cupping her ear to see if they complied. Asked afterward what it’s like to have an entire arena wrapped around your finger, Clark leaned into the mic and admitted sheepishly, “I feel kinda powerful.”

— Lindsay Schnell

March Madness 2023 bracket reveal: Updates on Selection Sunday

March Madness 2023 takes center stage with Selection Sunday, when teams across college basketball learn if they'll earn a berth into the NCAA Tournament.

USA TODAY Sports will provide the latest bracket reveal updates, news, analysis, conference tournament scores and more throughout the day. Follow along.

How to enter USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge with a chance to win $1 million

The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back. There’s a $1 million grand prize for a perfect bracket, $25,000 prize for the top bracket. The Challenge is free to enter for those age 21 and over. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See official rules and get in the game.

Alabama clearly the favorite in South Region, but championship pedigree lurks

The South Region is loaded. It begins at the top with the overall highest seed, but if Alabama is to make its first Final Four in program history, it will have to navigate a bracket filled with lots of accomplished programs, including four programs with national championship banners hanging in their home arenas.

Two of the three most recent NCAA champs are here, Baylor and Virginia. Arizona, a powerhouse of the ‘90’s, is back in the title hunt. Then there’s Maryland, which cut down the nets early this century and is hoping to make noise as one of the Big Ten’s numerous representatives in the field.

— Eddie Timanus

Defending-champion Kansas leads West Region

Good news for the Jayhawks – they wouldn’t have to play Texas again until the Final Four. Even better news – Kansas head coach Bill Self is expected to rejoin the team. He was discharged Sunday from the hospital, where he checked in Wednesday with chest tightness and balance problems.

The No. 2 seed, UCLA, enters the tournament with injury issues. If UCLA hadn’t lost defensive whiz Jaylen Clark to injury in the regular-season finale, there’s a good chance the the Bruins would have had a No. 1 seed and a path to the Final Four.

— Josh Peter

Purdue is No. 1 in East Region, but lots of contenders loom

Purdue is looking to advance to the Final Four for the first time under coach Matt Painter and the first time as a program since 1980. The Boilermakers are built around 7-foot-4 junior center Zach Edey, the favorite for national player of the year.

The East Region doesn't lack for star power: Purdue is joined by No. 2 Marquette, No. 3 Kansas State and No. 4 Tennessee, followed by No. 5 Duke and No. 6 Kentucky.

— Paul Myerberg

Texas A&M, Penn State have little time to bounce back

How can you not like a regional bracket that – if the seedings hold form – will have Texas meeting Texas A&M in the second round and wind its way to Houston and Texas playing for a spot in a Final Four being held in Houston?

The best first-round matchup in the Midwest?

The Texas A&M-Penn State game pairs teams that had great runs this weekend and have tremendous guard play; but both played Sunday and have to come back and play Thursday. (It also matches the sartorial splendiferousness of Aggies coach Buzz Williams and his suit vests against the quarter-zip-casual Micah Shrewsberry.)

— Steve Berkowitz

Alabama men a popular choice to win it all

Dick Vitale and Rece Davis were among the ESPN analysts to pick Alabama basketball to go all the way. Alabama is the No. 1 overall seed in the men’s NCAA Tournament.

Vitale predicted Alabama, Duke, Texas, and Gonzaga would reach the Final Four in Houston, with Alabama winning its first national title.

Davis, an Alabama graduate, also predicted the Crimson Tide would make the Final Four, alongside Duke, UConn, and Texas, with Alabama cutting down the nets. Analysts LaPhonso Ellis and Seth Greenberg agreed, both having the same Final Four and the Crimson Tide as their national champion.

— Mikey DiLullo, The Tuscaloosa News

South Carolina women get top seed overall

COLUMBIA, S.C. — There were no surprises for the South Carolina women's basketball team as it watched the Selection Sunday show for its March Madness placement. As expected, the Gamecocks drew the top overall seed in the 2023 women's NCAA Tournament.

The No. 1 Gamecocks (32-0) will host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, facing Norfolk State (26-6) at Colonial Life Arena on Friday.

South Carolina enters March Madness undefeated for the first time in program history, and the team will look to become just the 10th women's team in NCAA history to complete a perfect season. The Gamecocks also aim to defend their 2022 national championship. Just three programs — Southern California, Tennessee and UConn — have ever won consecutive titles.

— Emily Adams, Greenville News

Texas interim coach only focused on Colgate, not rival Texas A&M

The Texas men’s basketball team will compete in the Midwest region headlined by No. 1 seed Houston. But the region also includes No. 3 Xavier, No. 4 Indiana and No. 7 Texas A&M. If A&M beats Penn State and Texas handles Patriot League champion Colgate, then the Longhorns and Aggies would meet in the second round.

But Texas interim head coach Rodney Terry wasn't interested in any possible theatrics with ancient rivals at Texas A&M, which will renew a conference rivalry with the Longhorns when Texas joins the SEC for the 2024-25 school year. He knows his squad could have their hands full with a dangerous Colgate team that likes to launch an array of 3-pointers - which is a recipe often use by underdogs in March Madness.

"Colgate will be on our minds, and that's what we're going to start working on," he said Sunday. "Our staff will be working tirelessly on (studying) them starting here in a couple of hours. We'll be digging into them; they're a good team, a conference champion."

Houston, powered by point guard Jamal Shead, earned the region's top seed after going 31-3 and winning the regular-season title in the American Athletic Conference. They lost high-scoring guard Marcus Sasser to an injury during the tournament, and he did not play in Houston's 75-65 loss to Memphis in the conference title game Sunday.

— Thomas Jones, Austin American-Statesman

Rutgers among top tournament snubs

A soft non-conference schedule and an injury to forward Mawot Mag likely cost the Rutgers men’s basketball team a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Mag went down with a torn ACL in early February. Rutgers was not the same team without him; the Scarlet Knights were 8-4 in the Big Ten at the time and went 2-6 for the rest of the regular season. The NCAA considers injuries when weighing the selection process, and selection committee chair Chris Reynolds referenced Mag's injury while being interviewed on CBS after the bracket was unveiled.

Asked about Reynolds' comment regarding Mag, coach Steve Pikiell said, “Again, you know they felt like our resume wasn’t good enough, but obviously that changed our team a little but. But I do think we did a lot this year; they’re supposed to look at our entire schedule, our entire body of work.”

Pikiell acknowledged his players' disappointment and added, "every (projected) bracket kind of had them in. I’m sure they were seeing that."

— Jerry Carino, Asbury Park Press

Purdue is your final No. 1 seed and heads East

Lots contenders here to make it to New York for the reginal final. Purdue won the Big Ten regular-season and tournament title but now must face the winner of either Memphis or Florida Atlantic. Not an easy task. Duke is also a dangerous team having run through the ACC tournament now that it is healthy. Getting a No. 5 seed, the Blue Devils get to face a struggling Tennessee in the second round if each advance. Kentucky and Providence - two teams previously coached by Rick Pitino - meet in what should be an entertaining opener. Marquette and Kansas State - the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds - both had surprising successes this year and could face off in Sweet 16.

In Columbus, Ohio

No. 1 Purdue (26-5)

No. 16 Texas Southern-Fairleigh Dickinson

No. 8 Memphis (26-8)

No. 9 Florida Atlantic (31-3)

In Orlando, Fla.

No. 5 Duke (26-8)

No. 12 Oral Roberts (30-4)

No. 4 Tennessee (22-10)

No. 13. Louisiana-Lafayette (26-7)

In Greensboro, N.C.

No. 6 Kentucky (21-11)

No. 11 Providence (21-11)

No. 3 Kansas State (23-9)

No. 14 Montana State (25-9)

In Columbus, Ohio

No. 7 Michigan State (19-12)

No. 10 Southern California (22-10)

No. 2 Marquette (28-6)

No. 15 Vermont (23-10)

Kansas earns No. 1 seed in West

So the Jayhawks don't get to go to Kansas City and head west into a region with UCLA and Gonzaga. Shapes up as one of the best regionals to watch. Arkansas and Illinois will fight to play Kansas in the second round. Bill Self would face his former team if the Illini advance. Saint Mary's and VCU should be an up-and-down gain with a classic 5-12 feel. Iona and Rick Pitino are capable of beating Connecticut in a home-state game. TCU - hurt by a loss to star Mike Miles - was only seeded sixth, but with Miles back are capable of making a run. Gonzaga and UCLA meeting in Las Vegas in the Sweet 16 would be a heck of a showdown.

In Des Moines, Iowa

No. 1 Kansas (27-7)

No. 16 Howard (22-12)

No. 8 Arkansas (20-13)

No. 9 Illinois (20-12)

In Albany, N.Y.

No. 5 Saint Mary's (26-7)

No. 12 Virginia commonwealth (27-7)

No. 4 Connecticut (25-8)

No. 13 Iona (27-7)

In Denver

No. 6 TCU (21-12)

No. 11 Arizona State/Nevada

No. 3 Gonzaga (28-5)

No. 14 Grand Canyon (24-11)

In Sacramento, Calif.

No. 7 Northwestern (21-11)

No. 10 Boise State (24-9)

No. 2 UCLA (29-5)

No. 15 UNC Asheville (27-7)

Houston is the No. 1 seed in Midwest Region

This looks like a very-balanced regional and could feature one of the best first-round games with Texas A&M and Penn State both coming off runs to their conference title games. Texas won the Big 12 tournament and will have a great opportunity to reach the regional final. They could face in-state rival Houston with a trip to the Final Four in ... Houston. Xavier being seeded as high as a No. 3 even with a run to the Big East final. Kent State has a good chance to knock off Indiana in the first round.

In Birmingham, Ala.

No. 1 Houston (31-3)

No. 16 Northern Kentucky (22-12)

No. 8 Iowa (19-13)

No. 9 Auburn (20-12)

In Albany, N.Y.

No. 5 Miami (Fla.) (25-7)

No. 12 Drake (27-7)

No. 4 Indiana (22-11)

No. 13 Kent State (28-6)

In Greensboro, N.C.

No. 6 Iowa State (19-13)

No. 11 Mississippi State-Pittsburgh

No. 3 Xavier (25-9)

No. 14 Kennesaw State (26-8)

In Des Moines, Iowa

No. 7 Texas A&M (25-9)

No. 10 Penn State (22-13)

No. 2 Texas (26-8)

No. 15 Colgate (26-8)

Alabama earns the No. 1 overall seed and plays in South

The Crimson Tide leads the South Regional and gets to play through Louisville in the Sweet 16 if they get that far. Arizona and Baylor are two tough seeds lurking, however, in their path. The first-round matchup of San Diego State and College of Charleston should be a doozy. Nice regional rivalry in the 8-9 game featuring Maryland and West Virginia. Creighton could sleeper team to watch for if they can play as they did in the second half of the season.

In Birmingham, Ala.

No. 1 Alabama (29-5)

No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi-Southeast Missouri State

No. 8 Maryland (21-12)

No. 9 West Virginia (19-14

In Orlando

No. 5 San Diego State (27-6)

No. 12 College of Charleston (31-3)

No. 4 Virginia (25-7)

No. 13 Furman (27-7)

In Denver

No. 6 Creighton (21-12)

No. 11 North Carolina State (23-10)

No. 3 Baylor (22-10)

No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (27-7)

In Sacramento, Calif.

No. 7 Missouri (24-9)

No. 10 Utah State (26-8)

No. 2 Arizona (28-6)

No. 15 Princeton (21-8)

When is Selection Sunday 2023?

Sunday, March 12, 2023. The men’s bracket reveal show begins at 6 p.m. ET and airs on CBS. The women’s bracket reveal show begins at 8 p.m. and airs on ESPN.

PRINTABLE BRACKET:Fill out the NCAA Tournament field as bids are announced

What day does March Madness start?

Games for the men's First Four are March 14-15. The women's First Four will be played March 15-16. First-round games for the men are March 16-17 and March 17-18 for the women.

March Madness 2023 schedule

Here is the men's schedule:

First Four: March 14-15

First round: March 16-17

Second round: March 18-19

Sweet 16: March 23-24

Elite Eight: March 25-26

Final Four: April 1

National championship game: April 3

Here is the women's schedule:

First Four: March 15-16

First round: March 17-18

Second round: March 19-20

Sweet 16: March 24-25

Elite Eight: March 26-27

Final Four: Friday, March 31

National championship game: Sunday, April 2

How to watch March Madness 2023

For the men, CBS will air the Selection Sunday show, as well as the Final Four and the national championship game. TruTV will carry the First Four. CBS, TBS, TNT and TruTV will air first- and second-round games. CBS and TBS will air Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games. CBS will air the men's Final Four and championship game.

For the women, ESPN will air the Selection Sunday show. ESPN and ABC will carry the First Four. ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNews and ABC will air first- and second-round games. ESPN and ABC will air Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games. ABC will air the national championship game.

Who are the March Madness 2023 broadcasters?

For the eighth consecutive year, Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, Grant Hill and Tracy Wolfson will call the men's Final Four and championship game. This will mark Nantz's 32nd – and final – Final Four as lead play-by-play announcer. Nantz announced in October that he would be leaving the longtime role with CBS and Turner Sports to be with his family.

Jay Wright and Stan Van Gundy will join NCAA Tournament coverage as analysts. The network also tried in vain to get Dick Vitale to join its team. Vitale said he turned down the offer, in part, because of loyalty to ESPN, the network he has worked for since 1979.

Greg Gumbel will host studio coverage from the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, joined by Charles Barkley, Clark Kellogg and Kenny Smith as well as Wally Szczerbiak. Ernie Johnson will host studio coverage from WBD Studios in Atlanta alongside Jay Wright, Candace Parker and Seth Davis. Additionally, Adam Zucker and Adam Lefkoe will also serve as hosts from New York and Atlanta, respectively.

Printable March Madness 2023 bracket

Here is a printable version of the men's bracket. Here is a printable version of the women's bracket.

Filling out a March Madness bracket is a daunting task.

Compared to correctly predicting the fate of 68 teams through six rounds, the USA TODAY Sports' March Madness survivor pool games appear to be a much more accessible challenge.

Make a small number of picks each round. If you get them right, you advance. Last the longest without missing a pick and collect some serious cash. And you get two chances to win by competing in both the men's and women's survivor pools.

Is it really that simple?

Well, here's the catch: You can only pick a team once during the entire tournament. Each of your picks must be correct to advance to the next round. If you fail to make any or all picks in a round, you are eliminated.

Ahead of Selection Sunday, which will reveal the 68-team fields for both tournaments, USA TODAY Sports announced two brand new survivor pool games to give fans a chance to win $5,000, the amount awarded to the person who lasts the longest in the men's or women's pools.

Here are the keys to winning the survivor pool.

— Richard Morin

Memphis answers, pulls away to earn AAC title

Though Houston eventually cut the lead to five late in the second half, Memphis tightened up with half-court pressure to help its defense facilitate its offense. The Cougars took the American Athletic Conference championship, 75-65. Leading the charge was guard and Houston-native Kendric Davis, who has ignited for 31 points on 10-of-21 shooting and a perfect 8-of-8 from the line.

With Cougars guard Marcus Sasser (groin) sidelined, Houston went to a short rotation, with only seven players hitting the floor. The offense was disjointed, despite the Cougars taking an overwhelming 21-9 advantage on the offensive glass. Houston shot only 31.3% (20-of-64) from the floor, though the Cougars still have a chance to earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Purdue (barely) closes out Penn State

Purdue had outclassed Penn State in just about every major category. Still, the Nittany Lions nearly pulled off the miraculous comeback, scoring five points inside the final 20 seconds of the Big Ten tournament final to close the gap to one point. The Boilermakers, however, held on, 67-65, to win the conference title.

Penn State had no answer for Purdue center Zach Edey, whose 30-point, 13-rebound performance Sunday prevented the Nittany Lions from ever overcoming the steady deficit they faced throughout the game.

Houston charging back

The Cougars have relied on a zone defense in the second half to smother Memphis, which started the period 1-of-8 from the field. Houston has started to have mid-range and three-point shots drop and started the second half on a 14-3 run.

The only thing that has allowed Memphis to retain its lead has been consistent shooting from the free-throw line, as Houston has fallen into foul trouble midway through the second half. The Tigers lead 55-48 with 11:07 left to play in the American Athletic Conference championship game.

Nittany Lions go ice cold from 3-point

Penn State has struggled to find consistent offense throughout the Big 10 Tournament final and a large part of that has been because of the team's inefficiency from beyond the arc. The Nittany Lions have converted just 3-of-15 (20%) three-point attempts.

Coupled with Purdue's absolute domination on the glass, where the Boilermakers have a 9:3 advantage on offensive rebounds, and Purdue has opened a comfortable 52-41 lead with 9:29 left to play in the game.

Pair of games at the half

With guard Marcus Sasser apparently out for Houston the Cougars simply haven't been able to sustain consistent offense in the American Athletic Conference tournament final. After keeping it close in the first 10 minutes of the game, Houston fell behind and is in danger of being blown out, as Memphis guard Kendric Davis went off for 20 points in the first half. At one point midway through the first half, Davis had scored as many points as Houston's entire team had. The Tigers lead 46-31.

In the Big Ten tournament final, Purdue has opened a 35-27 lead on Penn State. The Nittany Lions finished the half strong, though no player has more points than Camren Wynter's seven. Boilermaker center Zach Edey is dominating, scoring 15 points (on 7-of-10 shooting) and collecting seven rebounds.

Offenses slow to start in Big Ten title game

It has been a slow start for both Penn State and Purdue midway through the first half of the Big Ten Tournament championship, though the Nittany Lions, in particular, have struggled. Both teams have combined to go 10-of-30 (33.3%) from the field, with the Boilermakers taking a 13-6 lead with just fewer than 10 minutes to play in the period.

It has been a different story in the AAC title game

Even with Houston not starting star guard Marcus Sasser (groin), both the Cougars and Memphis have found a rhythm early in the American Athletic Conference championship game. The Tigers, however, are particularly on a roll, connecting on 11-of-20 (55%) shots with 6:25 left to play in the first half. The Cougars slowed a touch after their hot start, and have gone 6-of-21 (28.6%) from the field as Memphis has taken a 26-18 lead.

Sasser, who averaged 17.1 points per game this season, has yet to appear in the game.

Roll Tide Roll

Alabama made its strongest case yet for the NCAA Tournament's No. 1 overall seed, crushing Texas A&M in an 82-63 victory in the SEC Tournament championship. The Crimson Tide excelled on help defense, hustle plays and rebounding, while holding the Aggies to 29.7% shooting (19-of-64).

Alabama outrebounded Texas A&M by a margin of 50-39. The Tide were led by forward Brandon Miller (23 points, 12 rebounds) and guard Jahvon Quinerly (22 points). Texas A&M never held a lead in the game.

This marks Alabama's second SEC title in three seasons, and its 82 points were second most in program history in an SEC Tournament championship.

Another Tournament trip booked

VCU cruised in the second half of the Atlantic 10 tournament championship, outscoring Dayton by 18 after halftime, en route to its 68-56 victory. The Flyers got a huge game from forward Daron Holmes II, who poured in half of Dayton's scoring with a 28-point, 16-rebound day. And while fellow forward Mustapha Amzil scored another 17 points, that was where Dayton's proficiency ended, as the next leading scorer, forward Toumani Camara, scored only six.

VCU put on a clinic from three-point range, connecting on a staggering 8-of-17 (47.1%) from beyond the arc to pull away and make its second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last three seasons.

Crimson Tide pulling away as Aggies stars struggle

Alabama forward Brandon Miller has caught fire in the second half of the SEC Tournament final, chipping in 18 points and 12 rebounds so far as the Crimson Tide are extending their lead.

The Aggies, who have never won a men's SEC Tournament championship, are looking like they will need to wait at least another season to do so. Guard Wade Taylor IV, the team's leading scorer in the regular season, has started the game 0-of-8 and scored only two points midway through the second half. Forward Julius Marble, Texas A&M's fourth-leading scorer, has been sidelined with foul trouble.

The Aggies trail 58-45, with 9:12 left to play.

Kentucky, in 2012, was the last SEC team to win it all.

SEC schools supplied five of the nation’s top 12 men’s basketball coaching salaries when this season began, in USA TODAY’s latest analysis. The salary list features a facelift this year after well-paid stalwarts Mike Krzyzewski and Jay Wright retired.

SEC basketball is on solid footing. The conference may tie its record with eight NCAA selections.

"I think we’re poised to have a team ascend to the top of the competitive mountain this year – and, if not this year, soon," SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey told USA TODAY Sports.

In the past 10 tournaments, the SEC supplied six Final Four teams. That matches the Big 12 and Big East and ranks one shy of the ACC and Big Ten.

But, investment doesn't ensure championships in a tournament celebrated for its madness.

Read the full look into the investment into SEC basketball here.

— Blake Toppmeyer

Tigers punch ticket to Big Dance

For the first time since 2017, Princeton is going to the men's NCAA Tournament. The Tigers had four players reach double figures in a 74-65 victory over Yale Sunday in the Ivy League Tournament championship. Forward Tosan Evbuomwan led the way for Princeton, dropping 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

This marks the 26th trip to the tournament in program history.

Alabama races out to 11-point led in SEC final

The Crimson Tide defense showed up again and held Texas A&M to 20.7% shooting (6-for-29) and 23 points in the first half of the SEC Tournament final. In fact, because the Aggies are 10-of-12 from the line, they have scored just 13 points off of made field goals.

Alabama, meanwhile, has been efficient, scoring at a 40.7% clip. Forward Brandon Miller (eight points) and guard Jahvon Quinerly (13) have led the way for the Tide.

Princeton holding steady, Yale running out of time

The Tigers opened the second half on a 14-8 run to extend their lead, but Yale has battled back to stay within striking distance. The problem for the Bulldogs is that time is running out. Princeton is holding a 55-48 lead with 7:47 left to play in the Ivy League final and the Tigers have done it behind forward Tosan Evbuomwan, whose 20 points (8-of-13 from the field) lead all players.

Princeton is looking to win its first Ivy League Tournament since 2017, the inaugural season of the championship.

Tigers extend lead in first half of Ivy League final

A buzzer-beating three-pointer from Princeton forward Caden Pierce gave the Tigers a 33-29 lead heading into halftime. The Tigers got big first-half contributions from Pierce (eight points), forward Tosan Evbuomwan (10 points) and guard Matt Allocco (nine points), who combined for 27 of Princeton's 33 (81.8%) points. Only five Princeton players, all of whom are starters, have scored points in the Ivy League Championship.

Yale, on the other hand, got a huge spark from reserve forward Matt Knowling, who scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting off the bench. That's tied for the team high through the first half with fellow guard August Mahoney, who did so on 4-of-6 shooting, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.

How Mick Cronin went from being perceived as an underwhelming hire by UCLA almost four years ago to the coach who has revived the school’s basketball program is best illustrated by, well, a dog bone.

It measures two feet long.

It travels with the second-ranked Bruins.

It represents what Cronin has instilled in his players, who along with the dog bone are in Las Vegas this week competing for the Pac-12 tournament title and possibly a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

“When they throw the food out at night from a restaurant, the law of the alley says that the hungry dog’s going to get the bone,’’ Cronin told USA TODAY Sports. “A hungry dog’s going to go fight and get the bone and take all of this clawing and scratching because he’s starving.

“That’s how you have to be as a team.’’

— Josh Peter

Princeton starts hot in Ivy League final, Yale answers

The Tigers did it on both ends to start the Ivy League Championship, scoring the game's first 12 points a quarter of the way through the first half. But the Bulldogs got some defensive stops and then answered with an 11-point run over 3:35 of game time midway through the period. Though it looked like the final was setting up to be a game of runs, both squads settled and traded baskets.

Yale, which is looking for its third consecutive Ivy League Tournament championship, shot 8-of-22 (36.4%) from the field, while Princeton converted 8-of-20 (40%) baskets with 5:15 left to play in the first half. The Bulldogs scored nine points off the bench and are down 23-20.

Texas takeover

This year's men's NCAA Tournament will have some solid representation from the nation's second-biggest state.

Texas is expected to be home to more than 10% of the 68-team field with seven schools likely included when the committee's bracket is unveiled. Texas, Texas Southern and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi each won automatic berths in their conference tournaments. Houston can be the fourth Sunday in the American Athletic title game against Memphis. Even if the No. 1 Cougars lose, they should be one of the top seeds along with other at-large entries from the Lone Star State — Baylor, TCU and Texas A&M.

Winners and losers ahead of Selection Sunday

Selection Sunday starts at 6 p.m. ET but we have plenty to work out before that — like who the No. 1 overall seed will be, and where they’re going to play. The overall No. 1 seed location will dictate where everyone else goes, and a lot can happen on championship Sunday, when conference tournament titles will be awarded in the SEC, Big Ten and AAC, among others.

A lot can happen between now and when the bracket goes from pencil to pen. But for now, these are Saturday's winners and losers. Kansas might be kicking itself for a while after no-showing against the Longhorns, but a run to the Final Four will make everyone feel better and forget about this performance.

These are the winners and losers in men's college basketball ahead of Selection Sunday.

— Lindsay Schnell

There are 32 conference tournaments that produce 32 automatic bids. The other 36 at-large teams selected to the field will be announced on Selection Sunday. Here is who has secured automatic bids.

Alabama: SEC tournament champion

Arizona: Pac-12 Conference tournament champion

Charleston: Colonial Athletic Association tournament champion

Colgate: Patriot League tournament champion

Drake: Missouri Valley tournament champion

Duke: ACC tournament champion

Fairleigh Dickinson: Earns Northeast Conference bid due to title game opponent Merrimack's ineligibility

Florida Atlantic: Conference USA tournament champion

Furman: Southern tournament champion

Gonzaga: West Coast Conference tournament champion

Grand Canyon: WAC tournament champion

Howard: Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament champion

Iona: MAAC tournament champion

Kennesaw State: Atlantic Sun tournament champion

Kent State: MAC tournament champion

Louisiana-Lafayette: Sun Belt tournament champion

Marquette: Big East Conference tournament champion

Memphis: American Athletic Conference tournament champion

Montana State: Big Sky tournament champion

North Carolina-Asheville: Big South tournament champion

Northern Kentucky: Horizon League tournament champion

Oral Roberts: Summit League tournament champion

Princeton: Ivy League tournament champion

Purdue: Big 10 tournament champion

San Diego State: Mountain West Conference tournament champion

Southeast Missouri State: Ohio Valley Conference tournament champion

Texas: Big 12 Conference tournament champion

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: Southland Conference tournament champion

Texas Southern: SWAC tournament champion

UC Santa Barbara: Big West Conference tournament champion

Vermont: America East tournament champion

Virginia Commonwealth: Atlantic 10 tournament champion

Some of the most successful coaches in college basketball rank among the nation's highest-paid, including Kansas coach Bill Self and Virginia's Tony Bennett. But there are many more coaches struggling to match the expectations that come with a contract worth multiple millions in annual salary.

That includes the highest-paid coach in the sport, Kentucky's John Calipari, who is earning $8.5 million in total compensation with a contract that runs through the 2028-29 season. After being knocked out in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats have spent most of this season unranked and on the tournament bubble.

USA TODAY Sports compiled pay information from each school in the Power Five conferences and from each school outside those conferences whose team has appeared in at least three of the past five NCAA tournaments.

These are the five most overpaid coaches in men's college basketball.

— Paul Myerberg