INDIANAPOLIS – Rodney Tention couldn’t help but notice the similarities.

The former Arizona assistant returned to Tucson in February to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the program’s last Final Four team, and during the trip, coach Tommy Lloyd invited the group to practice.

“It reminded us of the group that we had,” Tention told USA TODAY Sports.

That sentiment continued to resonate the more they were around the 2025-26 team. The alumni watched them play, talked to them and importantly, got to see how they interact in a locker room. Everything was so similar to the 2000-01 team, they couldn’t help but let Lloyd know.

“We all said it,” Tention said. “I think this is the group that can break through.”

How right they were. This year’s group was, in fact, the one to break through. 

Arizona is back to the Final Four for the first time since that 2001 team. It ended decades of heartbreak for a program that had proven its relevancy, but couldn’t punctuate it with the most sought destination in the sport. 

It felt like there was a hex over the Wildcats. Despite having loaded teams capable of reaching the Final Four, they just didn’t. NBA All-Stars and champions like Andre Iguodala, Aaron Gordon and Channing Frye. High draft picks like Deandre Ayton and Derrick Williams to name a few. They all contributed to Arizona having the sixth-most wins since 2003.

So, what was wrong? Those that have witnessed all those teams try to get back to the Final Four said they just got unlucky.

“It’s hard,” Tention said. “At some point you’ve got to have a little bit of luck on your way. That’s all to it. Balls just got to bounce your way on that one certain day.”

The Wildcats surely had some things go wrong. A 15-point blown lead against Illinois in 2005, running into scorching Kemba Walker in 2011 and tough battles against Wisconsin in 2014 and 2015 are just some of those moments.

All of those games are some March Madness classics, just on the wrong side of history.

“You have shots and moments that happened that you’re just a part of basketball history,” said 2001 starter Richard Jefferson. “There was never any, ‘Oh, there’s some sort of issue.’ It was just like, ‘Yo, we just had a stretch where certain things haven’t gone our way.’”

When asked how the 2001 team made the Final Four, members all had the same message: It was a deep rotation that didn’t try to play hero ball, but emphasized defense. A well-rounded, oiled machine.

It’s easy to forget how stacked that 2001 team was. Jefferson, Gilbert Arenas, Jason Gardner, Michael Wright and Loren Woods were starters while Luke Walton came off the bench. A loaded team that very much resembles the current iteration. 

Both teams were in the top 15 in scoring, defensive field goal percentage and rebound margin. Being high percentage shooters helped each unit be in the top five in scoring margin.

The similarities don’t end there. That team had six players who averaged 20 minutes per game, this one has seven. Five guys who averaged double figure scoring, so does this season’s. 

“I don’t really think they really care who gets the points in the game,” Tention said. “That’s what makes them so dangerous. You don’t know who you gameplan against.”

No one may know that better than Jason Gardner, a sophomore guard on the 2001 team and now director of player relations for the Wildcats. He said the mixture of upperclassman leadership and talented freshmen create the special sauce, and they brought the intensity that was needed.

“I definitely think we’re a little bit more physical than maybe we have been in the past and I think it’s kind of really helped us kind of carry over this year,” Gardner said.

Jefferson notices comparisons in some of the guys he played with, notably with Jaden Bradley, who reminds him of standout Jason Terry from the 1997 national title team.

He also loves Koa Peat, an Arizona kid that knows what the program means to the state and decided to stay home.

It’s not lost on this year’s team the road was paved by those successful squads in the late 20th century, built on the legacy of Lute Olson. Former players and coaches said Lloyd has made an effort to involve them in the program, allowing them to watch and interact with the team so they can truly understand what it means to “Bear Down.”

“It’s really important that we include those guys in everything and they feel like owners of our program because they are owners. They’re 100% owners and they’re great dudes,” Lloyd said. “It’s been one of the coolest things for me to experience: developing relationships with them and having them tell me their stories because their stories are Arizona basketball stories.”

That’s why after Arizona defeated Purdue in the Elite Eight to punch their ticket to Indianapolis, Lloyd shouted out Olson to the large fan presence in San Jose, and why he mentioned postgame how his job was set up to succeed because of those building blocks.

“It’s really pretty gratifying, to be honest,” said Jim Rosborough, Olson’s right-hand man who spent 27 seasons with him, including 18 at Arizona. “(Lloyd’s) been one to recognize what went on before him, that he’s not the inventor of the wheel, but he’s kind of kept the wheel turning.”

All of it makes for one of the most highly anticipated weekends in recent memory. For as large of a brand as Arizona is, Tucson prides itself on a small-town vibe that rallies around its program.

“People live and die with Wildcat sports,” Tention said. Look at how the reception when the team arrived back home in the wee hours after winning the West Region, taking over the local airport. It actually goes beyond Pima County, as Rosborough mentioned, “it’s hard to be in the state of Arizona and not know about this team,” and it doesn’t get much bigger than this.

“To bring this back to the city of something that we were so close numerous times, I think is awesome,” Gardner added.

However, Jefferson sees the 2026 Final Four as more than just for the community and state. Not only did Arizona break the 25-year drought and is going for its second national championship in program history, but it’s also trying to break a drought out West. The 1997 title team is the last from the West Coast to win it all.

“We are in a position where we’re carrying an entire Mid-West-West Coast,” Jefferson said. “They really have half of the country that wants to prove that UCLA, Arizona, Oregon, all of these schools that have been dominant over years, can still win a national championship.”

You’d be a fool to think Arizona is satisfied with just making the Final Four again. This team has its eyes set on cutting down those nets inside Lucas Oil Stadium.

“It’s not like where it feels like we’re back on the mountaintop. It just feels like we have performed up to our standard in the biggest moment,” Jefferson said. “Arizona is not one of those schools that’s like, ‘Hey, we made it to the Final Four. We’re lucky. We’re happy.’ No, we’re one of those schools that say, ‘Hey, we’re proud of you, we’re proud of ourselves, we’re proud of what you guys have done. Now go finish the job.’”

If that happens, you can bet all of Tucson will be shut down, all the way from Flowing Wells to Saguaro National Park, with fans crazed like the javelinas that roam the desert. If it doesn’t happen, it will still be a celebrated squad that will live in Wildcat lore as the ones that finally got Arizona back where it belongs.

Like the teams before them laid the blueprint, the Wildcats hope this one remodels for another reign in the Sonoran Desert.

“Arizona is one of the strongest brands in all of collegiate sports,” Jefferson said. “At the same point in time, they’re awake right now.”

Dawn Staley will coach South Carolina this Friday in its sixth consecutive Final Four appearance when the Gamecocks take on No. 1 overall seed UConn in the national semifinals.

It’s been nearly two decades since Staley left Temple to take the reins at South Carolina, a program that had no history of sustained success in women’s basketball prior to her arrival in 2008. Over her tenure, Staley has transformed the Gamecocks into one of the iconic brands in the sport and put herself in the conversation on a hypothetical Mount Rushmore of women’s basketball coaches.

Under the direction of Staley, South Carolina has won three national championships, appeared in eight Final Fours and has captured 10 SEC titles. WNBA stars like A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston have come through her program and she’s made Columbia, South Carolina, a destination for the top high school recruits, transfer portal talent and women’s basketball fans.

“I was here when Dawn got the job. One concession stand, no line for the restroom. Certainly nobody lined up outside the building to come in, right? No parking jams,” ESPN’s Debbie Antonelli told USA TODAY Sports. “Now, it’s unbelievable. I wish I could take a lot of pictures while driving, because people are outside lined up to come in. Dawn is the perfect example. She cares about the product. She built this.”

But there’s an alternate universe in which Staley never gets the South Carolina job. After Susan Walvius resigned in 2008 when her 11-year tenure fizzled out, Eric Hyman – then the director of athletics for the Gamecocks – initially had his sights set on a different candidate: North Carolina’s Sylvia Hatchell.

“I was offered the job,” Hatchell said in 2024 during an interview with this reporter for a book project. “But I just stayed (at North Carolina). Dawn has done a great job. I was offered the (South Carolina) job twice.”

Entering the 2007-08 season, UNC was considered one of the top programs in women’s basketball. Between 2004 and 2008, the Tar Heels were ranked as high as No. 1 in the AP poll, and never lower than No. 12. Ivory Latta and Erlana Larkins powered the Tar Heels to back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, UNC won its fourth consecutive ACC Tournament crown – Hatchell’s eighth.

And that success made Hatchell a hot commodity for schools aiming to push their women’s basketball program to the next level.

Surprisingly, she was attainable.

At that time, salaries for women’s college basketball coaches paled in comparison to what coaches in the men’s game were being paid, even for ones that had a long history of winning like Hatchell, who was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004 and led the Tar Heels to a national championship in 1994.

Hatchell began to think she was a bit undervalued. She was making a base salary of $260,000 per year, which was lower than Maryland’s Brenda Frese and Duke’s Joanne P. McCallie. And, it lagged far behind the reported $1.3 million that her close friend Pat Summitt was making annually at Tennessee. Hatchell wasn’t among the 20 highest paid coaches in the sport.

So, when South Carolina called, she listened.

As the 2007-08 season ended, the SEC was a women’s basketball league dominated by Summitt’s Lady Vols. Behind the play of Candace Parker, Tennessee won its eighth national title in Tampa, Florida. But other SEC programs had strong programs too.

Despite a revolving door of head coaches, LSU was excelling, making five straight Final Fours. Vanderbilt, coached by Jim Foster and then Melanie Balcomb, had a solid program, winning five SEC Tournament titles from 1995 to 2009 and making three trips to the Elite Eight. And Andy Landers’ Georgia Bulldogs had a losing record in SEC play just once between 1994 and 2013, and went to the Final Four three times.

And then, there were the South Carolina Gamecocks, which at that point had zero SEC championships and had made the Sweet 16 three times. The peak of Walvius’ tenure was an Elite Eight appearance in 2002, in which the Gamecocks lost to Duke by nine points. After a second-round NCAA Tournament exit the next season, things went south quickly for Walvius’ Gamecocks.

Over the next five seasons, South Carolina went a combined 20-50 in SEC play. Three weeks after a second-round WNIT loss to N.C. State, Walvius resigned. Ron Morris, a columnist at the State newspaper in Columbia, wrote that the program was “on life support,” then added, “Now, perhaps more than ever, the opportunity exists for USC to build a national power in women’s basketball.”

South Carolina aimed to get real about this growing sport. The Gamecocks were ready to invest in women’s basketball and they were going to take a big swing at finding their next head coach. A search got underway, and within about 10 days, candidates began to emerge.

Hyman ultimately narrowed his search to four candidates: Chattanooga head coach Wes Moore, longtime Tennessee assistant Holly Warlick, Staley and Hatchell. On April 25, 2008, the Durham Herald-Sun reported that Hatchell had met with South Carolina’s brass at her vacation home in Myrtle Beach. While Hatchell was the oldest among the candidates, she was also the most proven as the only one to win a national championship as a head coach. She was also beloved and respected in the South Carolina basketball community from her long and successful tenure at Division II Francis Marion, where she won national titles at the AIAW and NAIA levels in the 1980s. And she had won in Chapel Hill by recruiting players from the Carolinas, from Charlotte Smith to Latta.

In the days after the report about the meeting between Hatchell and the Gamecocks in Myrtle Beach, UNC athletic director Dick Baddour put on the full-court press to keep his national championship-winning coach. A contingency of UNC leadership visited Hatchell at her vacation home across the state border, and by May 2 she had publicly withdrawn her name from consideration to lead the Gamecocks.

Years later, Hyman said Hatchell used South Carolina to leverage a contract extension from UNC. According to the State, she later sent him $50 worth of McDonald’s gift cards as a thank you. On May 2, 2008, the State ran a story with the headline: “With UNC deal in works for Hatchell, focus shifts to Staley.”

Hatchell indeed got her raise, signing a four-year extension with a base annual salary of $330,000. Sure, it was a pay bump, but it still lagged far behind what other top-level coaches were making and was just about half of the cash South Carolina ultimately gave to Staley – signing her to a five-year deal making $650,000 annually.

“We talked to some high-caliber people,” Hyman said at Staley’s introductory news conference. “But when it was all said and done, (Staley) was the best person. There’s a price for excellence.”

Staley – who was a star at the University of Virginia, won three gold medals leading the U.S. national team, and made six WNBA All-Star appearances – had built Temple into a solid mid-major program, going to the NCAA Tournament six times, but wanted to coach at a high level where she could get better players. She wasn’t initially on Hyman’s radar until Staley’s agent called shortly after Walvius resigned.

“I really wanted to advance further in the NCAA Tournament. I just didn’t think we could do it. I thought we got Temple to a place where we topped off, and it comes down to who you’re able to recruit,” Staley told the State years later. “And I just really got tired of losing in the first and second round.”

This event, Hatchell turning down an offer from South Carolina and then Staley grabbing it with both hands, should be regarded as one of the seismic and crucial sliding-doors moments in the history of women’s college basketball. Because over the next decade, Staley built the Gamecocks into one of the sport’s Death Stars – a powerful force of inevitable – while Hatchell’s Tar Heels began a slow spiral downward, never recapturing the highs it experienced in previous eras.

As Staley and the Gamecocks rose, the best players in the Carolinas – like Tiffany Mitchell, Alaina Coates and A’ja Wilson – wanted to play for her in Columbia, not for Hatchell in Chapel Hill. Wilson even admitted on a podcast recently she considered signing with the Tar Heels, but ultimately chose the Gamecocks. Now, there’s a statue of the four-time WNBA MVP outside of Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.

As Staley built a championship caliber program, the Tar Heels relevance faded. As Staley began to make a significant impact in recruiting the mid-Atlantic and South, and as strong programs like Notre Dame and Louisville later entered the ACC, Hatchell never won another conference championship after 2008 and advanced past the Sweet 16 just one more time.

“When I had John Swofford and Dick Baddour as my athletic directors, they were really, really good,” Hatchell said. “I could go to them and say, ‘Look, I need this,’ and most of the time they would come through for me… I had a really good situation with John Swofford and Dick Baddour. It was a little bit different after that. We struggled.”

In 2019, Hatchell’s career at UNC came to a shocking halt. She had endured the academic fraud scandal at UNC that had engulfed the athletic department in the 2010s, but Hatchell was forced to resign after an investigation of the program by the Charlotte-based law firm Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein confirmed that she had made “racially insensitive” remarks and pressured her players to play through injuries.

UNC lured Courtney Banghart away from Princeton to restore the Tar Heels’ image as a women’s basketball. This season, Banghart’s seventh, UNC made the Sweet 16 for the third time under her direction and hosted NCAA Tournament games during the opening weekend of March Madness in Chapel Hill for the second consecutive season.

Staley’s Gamecocks are 5-4 against the Tar Heels since she took over in Columbia. South Carolina has won four straight meetings against UNC, and took a 47-point victory in their last matchup in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, en route to Staley’s third championship.

This weekend, she’ll try to guide South Carolina to a fourth.

USA TODAY Sports is providing live coverage of the Women’s Final Four match between the No. 1 UConn Huskies and No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Follow along here.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artist Flavor Flav is sitting courtside at the Mortgage Matchup Center for the Final Four matchup in the Women’s NCAA Tournament between South Carolina and UConn on Friday night.

The 67-year-old rapper was wearing his signature clock around his neck along with two other chains, and also rocking a New York Yankees hat and Air Jordans that featured UCLA blue. The No. 1 Bruins play against No. 1 Texas Longhorns in the second semifinal game on Friday.

It’s easy to assume who Flavor Flav was rooting for in the first game as he was seated next to former South Carolina All-American star Aliyah Boston. Before becoming a three-time WNBA All-Star with the Indiana Fever, Boston was the college National Player of the Year in 2022 and powered Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks to its second national title. Boston and Flavor Flav posed for a photo for USA TODAY Sports, but declined an interview request.

Boston isn’t the only South Carolina and UConn alumni in the building. UConn champions Diana Taurasi, Paige Bueckers and Kaitlyn Chen sat together during the matchup. Bueckers participated in the Team USA training camp in Phoenix earlier Friday.

Here are the other celebrities who were spotted in Phoenix on Friday:

Diana Taurasi, Paige Bueckers

Maya Moore

Lisa Leslie

Ilona Maher

Deebo Samuels

Studbudz

Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman are hosting a Final Four alt-at on ESPN2.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

PHOENIX — When Raven Johnson went to the bench with 8:30 to play in the second quarter after picking up her second foul while tightly guarding UConn’s Azzi Fudd, there was a sense of frustration and despair among the South Carolina fans sitting in the Mortgage Matchup Center Friday, April 3 at the Final Four.

Former Gamecocks forward Aaliyah Boston rose from her courtside seat – where she was watching the game with rapper Flavor Flav – to yell at the referees. South Carolina was about to have to endure a long stretch against the undefeated Huskies, the top overall seed in the women’s NCAA Tournament, without their starting point guard and emotional leader.

And indeed, the Gamecocks got through it. They trailed UConn by just two points at halftime, and then started the third quarter on a 16-4 run to take a 10-point lead – which was at that point the largest deficit the Huskies had faced all season.

Johnson returned to the game and provided a steady hand and stellar defense in the second half as one Goliath defeated another with South Carolina taking a 62-48 win over UConn, snapping the Huskies’ 54-game win streak, ending their undefeated season and sending Geno Auriemma into a postgame tailspin.

“It started on the defensive end. We had to get stops,” South Carolina guard Ta’Niya Latson said. “We knew Raven wasn’t out there. She couldn’t really run the show, but we had to have her back. I think we just stayed closer during those times. We stayed together and we fought until Raven got back.”

Latson was a big reason why the Gamecocks were able to pull off the on-paper upset of the Huskies. The senior guard grabbed a career-high-tying 11 rebounds – marking just the fourth time in her collegiate tenure that she’s grabbed double-digit boards – and also scored 16 points, leading South Carolina in both scoring and rebounding.

The 5-foot-8 transfer from Florida State said earlier this week that she was “a little starstruck” to be playing in her first Final Four, but she thrived under the bright lights when South Carolina needed her most.

“I knew I had to impact the game in any way I could. I wanted this win. Whether that was rebounding, scoring, assisting, I was going to do what I had to do,” Latson said. “The balls were coming my way, so I had to grab ’em and snag ’em.”

South Carolina exposed one of UConn’s few weak spots by crashing the glass. The Huskies ranked 136th nationally in total rebounds per game this season, while the Gamecocks entered this game ranking in the top 15 of seven different rebounding statistics this year.

The Gamecocks won the rebounding battle 47-32, grabbed 14 offensive boards and flipped them into nine second-chance points and hammered UConn inside, outscoring the Huskies 34-20 in the paint. UConn also shot a season-worst 31.1% from the floor.

“That was the emphasis for our bigs, we had to crash the boards,” said South Carolina freshman Agot Makeer, who finished with 14 points. “Ta’Niya wanted to join the party, too. That was cool. She’s always going to impact the game. She’s a winner. So she can get it done.”

Latson kept hearing Staley’s halftime message in her head: “Meet the moment.”

As the game unfolded in the second half, and as moments kept coming Latson’s way, she continued to meet them head-on. She shot a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line and also came up with a crucial steal after Johnson left the game in the second quarter that led to an easy fast-break layup to ease some of the anxiety the Gamecocks’ fans were feeling.

When the game was in hand with 30.8 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, Boston rose from her seat again, raised her fist and let out a declarative “Hell yeah!”

On Sunday, the Gamecocks will face UCLA and try to win their fourth national championship in program history. Staley won’t be concerned about whether Latson will be capable of meeting the moment.

“You see players, they just have a different look. When they have it, it gives you confidence to know that they’re ready. Like, you know some players that you got question marks about whether they’re ready. I didn’t have any of that with Ta’Niya,” Staley said. “I think that Ta’Niya just made huge sacrifices, individual sacrifices. She wasn’t an All-American this year. I want her – if she’s not going to get the individual awards – to be part of a national championship team.”

Latson had all those accolades at Florida State. She was the National Freshman of the Year, a three-time All-ACC selection, an All-American and the nation’s leading scorer. But she never advanced to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament with the Seminoles.

Now, she has one game left in her college career, and one last chance to win it all.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark snapped back at Cody Campbell, saying the chairman of the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents “does not run the Big 12” after Campbell complained publicly about the conference and its television partners possibly moving this year’s Texas Tech football game against Houston to a Friday night.

Texas Tech was one of only three Big 12 teams that didn’t play a regular-season game on a Friday night last year. Campbell says that’s going to happen this coming season, and he doesn’t like it.

Campbell posted this week on social media the Big 12 and Fox Sports are looking to move the Texas Tech home game against Houston from Sept. 19, the Saturday on which it’s currently slotted, to Sept. 18. He began his objection by writing that “Friday Night Lights are sacred in the Great State of Texas!”

He also took Yormark to task.

“I heard about it through the (Tech football) staff up here and our administration that it was being discussed,” Campbell told the Avalanche-Journal on Tuesday, March 31. “They (TV partners) have the draft or whatever, and the conference doesn’t want to really acknowledge it, but they do have an ability to influence those decisions. They just chose not to because they were chasing ratings — which I do understand on one hand, but on the other hand, high school football is important in the state of Texas.

“We’ve got a road game the week before. It’s not an ideal situation for us, and … I think our conference should protect us more than they did.”

Campbell is a former Texas Tech offensive lineman, one of six founding members of The Matador Club, a collective that’s supported Tech athletics, and an increasingly prominent voice nationally on college-sports issues.

The Big 12 released the 2026 schedule on Jan. 21 with the usual caveats that TV partners ESPN, Fox Sports and TNT Sports would make their selections for the first three weeks of the season at a later date and that some Saturday games could be moved to Friday or other special dates.

Though there’s been no announcement from the Big 12, Campbell said he thinks the Tech-Houston game moving to Friday is a fait accompli.

“I think it’s done,” he said, “unless they come back and they figure something else out. I think Yormark could have gone to bat for us and didn’t, because, again, he wanted the ratings. I think Fox is not concerned about any individual team. I think, again, they also want ratings, so they picked the game that’s going to give them the most viewership for that weekend.”

Last season, Tech went 12-2, won the Big 12 championship, and was a College Football Playoff quarterfinalist. Houston capped a 10-3 season by beating LSU in the Texas Bowl.

Brett Yormark says Big 12 presidents, ADs approved 12 non-Saturday games a year

Asked on Wednesday, April 1, for a response to Campbell’s comments on social media and to the Avalanche-Journal, the Big 12 issued a statement from Yormark to the A-J.

“Cody Campbell does not run the Big 12,” Yormark said. “Our Board and our ADs approved playing 12 games a year off of Saturdays in an effort to raise the profile, narrative, and viewership of Big 12 Football. Texas Tech hosting a primetime game on Friday night delivers that.

“Friday night Big 12 football games outperformed the Conference’s average rating by 64% in 2025. All of our schools are treated equally during the TV scheduling process and this game fits within our scheduling parameters. I am thankful that our TV partners provide us with these opportunities.”

There were seven FBS regular-season games, including two involving Big 12 teams, played on Friday nights in Texas last season: Auburn-Baylor and UNLV-Sam Houston State on Aug. 29, Colorado-Houston on Sept. 12, South Florida-North Texas on Oct. 10, Memphis-Rice on Oct. 31 and Texas A&M-Texas and Temple-North Texas on Nov. 28.

Texas Tech football would face short week after West Coast trip

Texas Tech plays Oregon State on Sept. 12 in Corvallis, Oregon, so the prospect of Tech-Houston six days later puts the Red Raiders on a short week coming out of a trip to the Pacific time zone.

“We’ll deal with it,” Campbell said. “We’ll play on Monday night if we have to, but I don’t think it’s in the best interest of the kids or our program or even the Big 12 for us to be playing that [Houston] game that night.

“We’ll get back [from Corvallis, Oregon] at 4 o’clock in the morning on Sunday, you know? I mean, they’ll probably have to prepare [for Houston] the week before.”

Kirby Hocutt tells local ADs of potential conflict with Houston at Texas Tech football game

Tech athletics director Kirby Hocutt has advised ADs from Lubbock ISD, Lubbock-Cooper, and Frenship schools that the Red Raiders might play on Friday, Sept. 18, a Tech athletics spokesman said, in case they want to adjust their own games in response.

Yormark’s desire to have a supply of non-Saturday Big 12 games has put him at odds with high school coaches since the beginning of his tenure. He expressed it at the 2023 Big 12 media days when he was starting his second year on the job.

“It’s very hot during the summer months, especially in the (early) fall,” Yormark said in July 2023. “So playing on a Friday night versus Saturday morning does have its benefits. And when you think about the tonnage of college football on air on a Saturday provides a lot of opportunity for us to kind of build our profile on a Friday night.”

At the Texas High School Coaches Association annual convention in July 2024, THSCA executive director Joe Martin said the THSCA objected to Friday night college games, specifically mentioning a Houston-TCU game that fall.

Dave Campbell’s Texas Football quoted Martin as saying, “We are asking all conference commissioners to refrain from scheduling Friday night games during the 11-week Texas high school football regular season. We feel Friday nights should be about the communities involved with Texas high school football.”

The Big 12 conference schedule starts Sept. 12 with Arizona at Brigham Young. Houston-Texas Tech and Arizona State-Kansas are the two Big 12 openers on Sept. 19. Attractive nonconference games that day include two Big 12 opponents playing teams that finished 11-3 last year — West Virginia-Virginia and Kansas State-Tulane — and a Power Four Conference matchup, Colorado-Northwestern.

Last year, Texas Tech and Iowa State were the only two Big 12 teams that played all their regular-season games on Saturdays.

Of the other Big 12 schools, Houston played three Friday games, and Kansas, Colorado, Arizona and Arizona State had two apiece. Four teams played one Thursday game apiece: Central Florida, Oklahoma State, Houston and Cincinnati. TCU opened on a Monday night at North Carolina.

Regarding his social-media post, Campbell said, “I meant what I said. I told Brett Yormark I meant what I said. I’m not going to back down from it. I don’t think, especially in the state of Texas, two Texas teams should be playing on Friday night. It’s different than it is in other parts of the country.”

PHOENIX — UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma had dinner with Diana Taurasi Wednesday night in Phoenix ahead of the Huskies’ Final Four matchup against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

“In typical D fashion, she’s the story,” Auriemma said with a smile, referring to his former player.

The Huskies are staying on Taurasi Way in downtown Phoenix during the Final Four, a street named after the Phoenix Mercury legend who spent her entire 20-year WNBA career in the desert. UConn practiced at Phoenix’s Mountain America Performance Center, where Taurasi’s name and logo graces the basketball courts.

“Being able to practice at her facility, staying on her road, being in her city, it is incredible,” senior guard Azzi Fudd said. “Having someone that you went from looking up to, then meeting them, playing at UConn and knowing that you’re a part of this sisterhood. She’s a resource and she’s someone that we can reach out to and talk to and just look up to and go to for advice that we ever need.”

All the parallels are extra meaningful to the Huskies, but Auriemma said it’s even more special for Taurasi.

“To be here, I know that means a lot to her. I know it means a lot to our players,” Auriemma said. “In my mind, (she’s) the greatest basketball player to ever play college basketball, and maybe the greatest WNBA player of all time. … You don’t often get a chance to do that, you know?”

Fudd joked that she’s “not at that level yet” to receive an invitation to dinner with Auriemma and Taurasi, but she hopes Taurasi comes to watch the Huskies go for their 13th national championship.

 “Obviously, it would mean a lot to have success in her city,” Fudd added. “To see her pave the way and make all this possible now for us, yeah, it would be incredible.”

Taurasi isn’t the only UConn alum that Auriemma’s dined with during the Huskies’ 25th Final Four run. He said the team shared a meal with Paige Bueckers, who led the Huskies to a national championship last season.

“We had dinner with Paige (Bueckers) last night and listened to her speak. It reminded me of how much those five years took off of my life, listening to the things that she says,” Auriemma said on Thursday, March 27 ahead of their 63-42 Sweet 16 win over No. 4 North Carolina. “The interesting thing is I lived through it with Diana (Taurasi) and they’re the only two that put me through that.”

Fudd joked that Auriemma is “definitely more mellow since Nika (Mühl) and Paige (Bueckes) left.”

“I think (they) caused him a lot of headaches, I’m sure,” Fudd joked.

As for if she gives Auriemma trouble, she said, “Never.”

Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.

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Three-time Masters winner Phil Mickelson, 55, will not attend the 2026 Masters Tournament, the lefty announced on social media Thursday.

Mickelson has been dealing with this family matter for quite some time. He missed the first four LIV Golf events of the year while handling the same situation, though he did return to play in an event in South Africa two weeks ago. Mickelson finished 48th.

This news comes just days after five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods announced that he will also miss the event as he seeks treatment and focuses on his mental health following a rollover crash and DUI charge on Friday, March 27.

This will be the first Masters Tournament without both golfers since 1994.

Phil Mickelson update on missing Masters

Mickelson didn’t say much. He started the announcement saying he will not be playing in the event. He then offered thoughts for Augusta National, claiming he has “great respect” for the club, before finishing by wishing everyone luck and saying he will still be watching.

How many Masters Tournaments has Mickelson played in?

Mickelson has played in 32 Masters Tournaments. 2026 would’ve been his 33rd appearance.

Mickelson has won the event three times — 2004, 2006, 2010 — and is one of only three left-handed golfers ever to earn a green jacket — Mike Weir (2003) and Bubba Watson (2012, 2014).

Mickelson recently missed the 2022 Masters after making controversial comments regarding the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabian monarchies.

PHOENIX — Lauren Betts has UCLA women’s basketball’s 2025 Final Four loss to UConn seared into her brain.

The 6-foot-7 center watched the Bruins’ 34-point blowout loss to the eventual national champion Huskies at least 10 times, revealing her anger and confusion was the motivating factor behind her continually pressing rewind. Betts has since retired the footage and doesn’t remember the last time she’s watched it, but the loss has served as extra motivation as the Bruins returns to the Final Four in Phoenix in Friday.

“I knew I just wanted to get back here again. This is not the end goal. We want to keep playing two more games,” Betts said on Thursday. “At the end of the day, our senior season is on the line. We want this so bad.”

Betts said the biggest lesson she learned from the 2025 Final Four is “coming out with a certain level of aggression.” The Bruins trailed UConn 20 points by halftime in the program’s first Final Four appearance last year and the lead only swelled. It’s a troubling trend that’s followed UCLA into the 2026 NCAA Tournament. UCLA has had several shaky starts, including the Bruins’ Elite 8 win over No. 3 Duke, where they trailed 10 points before completing a second-half comeback.

“The amount of confidence that we have in each other to go out and compete from the very beginning, that’s the biggest difference,” Betts said. “We’re going to be ready tomorrow. So I’m really excited for that.”

No. 1 Texas handed UCLA its one and only loss of the season in November. The Longhorns’ stifling defense held Betts to eight points and she only put up eight shot attempts in the loss, but Betts said she’s going to prioritize “creating opportunities to get the ball as much as I can” in UCLA’s rematch against Texas on Friday. That starts with Betts being more aggressive in the paint, she said.

“I think just creating easier catches. (Texas) is really an amazing defensive team. I think as the guards are getting pressured on the perimeter, just trying to become so open that they just can’t like not give me the ball,” Betts said. “It’s not one person versus Texas, it’s a full team. We as a team are trying to beat them.”

UCLA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: Veterans led halftime talk before comeback in women’s Elite Eight

Betts credited UCLA head coach Cori Close and the teams’ staff with helping them sharpen their mentality with “a lot of mental toughness work” throughout the season.

“You have to have the mental reps almost. It’s just like getting yourself to a level where you’re feeling at your best and you want to feel confident,” Betts added. “We actually did one before practice today, and I’m sure we’ll do one tomorrow before the game. We talk about keeping your circle small, having a will that whatever happens during the game you’re going to get the job done, regardless of how you feel. There’s going to be state change. You have to remember what we’re trying to do at the end of the day.”

Reach USA TODAY National Women’s Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

The NBA postseason is rapidly approaching, with less than two weeks remaining in the 2025-26 regular season.

While all postseason berths have been clinched, teams are furiously jockeying for playoff positioning, especially those seeking to remain above the fray of the Play-In Tournament. That’s especially true in the Eastern Conference, where only four games separate the current No. 5 seed, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Miami Heat, currently No. 10.

In the Western Conference, all three divisions have been clinched, with the Oklahoma City Thunder claiming the Northwest, the San Antonio Spurs the Southwest and the Los Angeles Lakers the Pacific. But perhaps the most intriguing story as the regular season winds down is whether the Spurs can catch the Thunder for the top seed in the West.

Heading into the slate of April 2 games, the Cleveland Cavaliers, currently the No. 4 team in the East, can clinch a playoff spot with a win, while the Houston Rockets, currently the No. 5 team in the West, can clinch a playoff berth if the Phoenix Suns lose.

Here are the current brackets for the playoffs and the Play-In Tournament, the NBA standings and the schedule for Thursday, April 2:

NBA schedule for Thursday, April 2

(All times Eastern)

• Phoenix Suns at Charlotte Hornets, 7 p.m.
• Minnesota Timberwolves at Detroit Pistons, 7 p.m.
• Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder, 9:30 p.m. ET
• Cleveland Cavaliers at Golden State Warriors, 10 p.m.
• New Orleans Pelicans at Portland Trail Blazers, 10 p.m.
• San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

NBA standings

All 20 teams – 10 in each conference – that will participate in the postseason have been determined. Here are their records through April 1, and what each of those teams have clinched so far (x-clinched playoff berth; d-clinched division):

Eastern Conference

• (1) d-Detroit Pistons: 55-21
• (2) x-Boston Celtics: 51-25 (4 GB)
• (3) x-New York Knicks: 49-28 (6.5 GB)
• (4) Cleveland Cavaliers: 47-29 (8 GB)
• (5) Atlanta Hawks: 44-33 (11.5 GB)
• (6) Philadelphia 76ers: 42-34 (13 GB)
• (7) Toronto Raptors: 42-34 (13 GB)
• (8) Charlotte Hornets: 40-36 (15 GB)
• (9) Orlando Magic: 40-36 (15 GB)
• (10) Miami Heat: 40-37(15.5 GB)

Western Conference

• (1) d-Oklahoma City Thunder: 60-16
• (2) d-San Antonio Spurs: 58-18 (2 GB)
• (3) d-Los Angeles Lakers: 50-26 (10 GB)
• (4) x-Denver Nuggets: 49-28 (11.5 GB)
• (5) Houston Rockets: 47-29 (13 GB)
• (6) Minnesota Timberwolves: 46-29 (13.5 GB)
• (7) Phoenix Suns: 42-34 (18 GB)
• (8) Los Angeles Clippers: 39-37 (21 GB)
• (9) Portland Trail Blazers: 39-38 (21.5 GB)
• (10) Golden State Warriors: 36-40 (24 GB)

NBA playoffs bracket

(After games played on April 1)

Eastern Conference

• (1) Detroit Pistons vs. (8) Play-In Winner
• (4) Cleveland Cavaliers vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
• (3) New York Knicks vs. (6) Philadelphia 76ers
• (2) Boston Celtics vs. (7) Play-In Winner

Western Conference

• (1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (8) Play-In Winner
• (4) Denver Nuggets vs. (5) Houston Rockets
• (3) Los Angeles Lakers vs. (6) Minnesota Timberwolves
• (2) San Antonio Spurs vs. (7) Play-In Winner

NBA Play-In Tournament

(After games played on April 1)

Western Conference

• (7) Phoenix Suns vs. (8) LA Clippers
• (9) Portland Trail Blazers vs. (10) Golden State Warriors

Eastern Conference

• (7) Toronto Raptors vs. (8) Charlotte Hornets
• (9) Orlando Magic vs. (10) Miami Heat

When do the NBA playoffs begin?

• The NBA Play-In Tournament begins on Tuesday, April 14 and runs through Friday, April 17.
• The NBA playoffs start Saturday, April 18 and feature eight teams in each conference after teams are eliminated in the Play-In Tournament.
• Game 1 of the NBA Finals scheduled for Wednesday, June 3.

Which NBA teams have been eliminated from the playoffs?

Eastern Conference

• Brooklyn Nets
• Chicago Bulls
• Indiana Pacers
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Washington Wizards

Western Conference

• Dallas Mavericks
• Memphis Grizzlies
• New Orleans Pelicans
• Sacramento Kings
• Utah Jazz

The final cases have been made for the 2026 World Cup. Now, Mauricio Pochettino will have to decide.

The U.S. men’s national team made its closing arguments to Pochettino during the March window, which ended with a 5-2 loss to Belgium and a 2-0 reverse against Portugal.

Though the USMNT was ultimately humbled by two top-10 teams, there were some moments of optimism as several players boosted their stock. There were, of course, others who didn’t fare as well.

Now Pochettino will monitor form and fitness over the next two months, which will culminate in his World Cup roster being announced on May 26.

Below are the 26 players we see Pochettino naming for his World Cup roster:

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Goalkeepers: Matt Freese, Patrick Schulte, Matt Turner

In the mix: Chris Brady, Diego Kochen, Roman Celentano, Jonathan Klinsmann, Zack Steffen

Pochettino raised some eyebrows when he gave Turner the start against Belgium after Freese had started the previous 12 matches. Turner performed admirably, making a few strong saves, but wasn’t flawless — particularly on Belgium’s opener.

Though Pochettino declared there was an “open competition” at goalkeeper ahead of the Portugal game, he gave Freese the start and the New York City FC goalkeeper did well enough to presumably retain his place.

The battle for the third goalkeeper spot seems wide open, with Schulte, Celentano and Brady the most likely candidates.

Defenders: Max Arfsten, Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Auston Trusty

In the mix: Joe Scally, Kristoffer Lund, Tristan Blackmon, Walker Zimmerman, Noahkai Banks, John Tolkin

The USMNT back line is in way more flux than Pochettino would like this close to the World Cup. Only Richards seems assured of a starting role. Ream is still the favorite to start at left center back next to him (assuming Pochettino sticks with a back three), but is far from a sure thing at age 38 and after some uneven displays.

The right center back role is also up in the air. Miles Robinson may have entered March slightly ahead but couldn’t play because of injury. Freeman and McKenzie are also candidates.

The big question mark is Banks, who looks to have the quality to start for the USMNT right now — even at age 19. But after he turned down a March call-up and his potential first USMNT cap, it’s hard to see him on the World Cup squad right now.

Dest is another player in doubt due to an injury that has him on track to recover right around the time Pochettino will name his World Cup roster. Any setback would spell the end of his hopes and open the door for Scally to make the team.

Trusty may have played his way onto the squad with his display against Portugal. With so much uncertainty, the Celtic man could even be a candidate to displace Ream in the starting lineup.

Midfielders: Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Diego Luna, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Tanner Tessmann, Malik Tillman

In the mix: Yunus Musah, Cristian Roldan, Aidan Morris, Gianluca Busio, Jack McGlynn, Luca de la Torre, Sean Zawadzki, Timmy Tillman

There is fierce competition in central midfield, which will inevitably result in some deserving players missing out. Pochettino said last week he was “suffering two months in advance” when thinking about picking his midfield spots.

Adams, McKennie and Tillman seem like the only real locks here, and all three appear to be strong bets to start multiple games at the World Cup.

In defensive midfield, Tessmann looks like a safe bet due to his strong season at Lyon and his ability to play center back. It would be surprising, but not shocking, to see him play in the back line at the World Cup.

Behind him, Cardoso, Roldan and Berhalter may be in a battle for two spots. Cardoso played well against Belgium before departing due to a minor injury. If he stays fit and in form with Atlético Madrid, it’s hard to see him being left off — despite an unimpressive track record with the USMNT.

That leaves two Pochettino favorites, Roldan and Berhalter, fighting for one spot. There isn’t much to separate them, but we’ll give Berhalter the slight edge as he enjoyed more playing time in March and is a set-piece threat.

Behind Tillman, Reyna and Luna could both get the nod — or they could be battling for one spot at the No. 10.

Pochettino didn’t give Reyna much playing time in March but his presence on the roster, in the midst of a period with almost no club playing time, suggests he’s got an inside track on a World Cup spot if healthy.

Luna has endeared himself to Pochettino and even though he missed the March window with injury, the Real Salt Lake man should have just enough to make this squad.

Forwards: Brenden Aaronson, Patrick Agyemang, Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Weah

In the mix: Josh Sargent, Alex Zendejas, Haji Wright

Pulisic, Weah and Balogun are the three locks and most likely to form the team’s starting front line against Paraguay on June 12. Weah does have the ability to shift back and play as more of a wingback, but the Marseille man is more effective in an advanced role.

Behind that trio, it gets very tight. Pepi, Agyemang and Wright may be battling for two spots. Pochettino doesn’t appear to have much faith in Pepi, who has been prolific at the club level but — partially due to injury — has barely featured under the Argentine. Even a healthy Pepi barely saw the field in March, putting his World Cup spot in doubt.

Wright and Agyemang have both had excellent seasons in the Championship, but the former missed March camp with injury while the latter played in both games — scoring against Belgium. We would give Agyemang the slight edge here, as his large frame makes him the kind of late-game specialist the U.S. could utilize if chasing a goal.

The battle between Aaronson and Zendejas is also tight. Aaronson has failed to do much under Pochettino but is having a solid campaign at Leeds. Zendejas continues to shine at Club América but wasn’t called in for the March roster.

In the end we’ll give Aaronson the nod due to his inclusion over Zendejas in March. Another possible curveball here would be Wright making the squad over both of them due to his ability to play both as a striker and a winger.

USMNT World Cup roster projection

Goalkeepers (3): Matt Freese, Patrick Schulte, Matt Turner

Defenders (9): Max Arfsten, Sergiño Dest, Alex Freeman, Mark McKenzie, Tim Ream, Chris Richards, Antonee Robinson, Miles Robinson, Auston Trusty

Midfielders (8): Tyler Adams, Sebastian Berhalter, Johnny Cardoso, Diego Luna, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Tanner Tessmann, Malik Tillman

Forwards (6): Brenden Aaronson, Patrick Agyemang, Folarin Balogun, Christian Pulisic, Ricardo Pepi, Tim Weah

Buy World Cup tickets for every city

• Atlanta
• Boston
• Dallas
• Houston
• Kansas City
• Miami
• Los Angeles
• Philadelphia
• New York
• San Francisco
• Seattle

Mexico

• Guadalajara
• Mexico City
• Monterrey

Canada

• Toronto
• Vancouver