Illinois coach Brad Underwood stole a quote from Houston coach Kelvin Sampson after the Fighting Illini's Final Four loss to UConn.
Sampson, one of the greatest coaches to never have won a national championship, knows a thing or two about March Madness heartbreak, which is exactly what Underwood was feeling after Illinois' 71-62 loss on Saturday, April 4, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
"I feel sad," Underwood told reporters after the game. "I'm sad. If you want to know the truth, I'm sad. But I'll reflect on some of the other stuff later. Seasons coming to an end sting. I'm going to steal a quote from Kelvin Sampson: 'I may not be as big a part of their life, but they are my life.'"
Illinois had beaten every team it faced in the 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament by double-digits until facing the Huskies, who have given the Illini fits in recent years. Illinois' three-lowest scoring outputs of the past three seasons all came against UConn, scoring 52 points in 2024's Elite Eight loss, 61 points in a nonconference game this season and 62 in its Final Four loss on April 4.
UConn denied passing lanes all night and made things difficult for Illinois' potent offense, limiting the Illini to only three assists as a team, two of which came from star true freshman Keaton Wagler, who also scored 20 points with eight rebounds.
Underwood took the road less traveled to Illinois as the head coach at Dodge City Community College in Kansas and Daytona Beach Community College in Florida before becoming a multi-year assistant at Kansas State and South Carolina. He got his Division I coaching start at Stephen F. Austin and parlayed a one-year Oklahoma State stint into his current role at Illinois.
The 62-year-old coach didn't take Illinois' run back to the Final Four for the first time since 2005 lightly, especially given his career path.
"If you guys don't know me, I'm about relationships," Underwood said. "If anybody remembers me for wins and losses, then I didn't do a very good job as a human being. The one thing this did for me was bring a lot of people who I haven't talked to reached out, and there's a lot of people here supporting me and my family.
"That's what this experience is about for me. For that group of guys in there, that's a lifetime memory, and I couldn't be more excited about that."
Underwood didn't spend much time discussing what went wrong for Illinois after the game, although he did note the Fighting Illini's poor shooting night, as they shot 34% from the field and 23% from 3-point range.
He did make an emphasis, though, on giving his 2025-26 roster their flowers after an impressive season that came up short.
"Am I competitive? Does today stink? It hurts. My gut hurts so bad right now, I feel for all of them," Underwood said. "But I'm also excited about the joy that we brought a lot of people in this run. And we got Illinois back to a level where they're in Final Fours again.
"By God, as long as I'm ball coach, I better not take 21 (expletive) years to get back there."
Joe Mazzulla wasn’t supposed to be the long-term answer.
A week before training camp in 2022, the Celtics’ future was clear and it was beautiful. They had just come off a Finals loss against the Warriors, the roster was intact, and the next few years of contention felt inevitable.
Then, the Ime Udoka situation forced everything sideways, and a 34-year-old assistant coach was suddenly running a contender with championship expectations and no runway to grow into the job.
That kind of transition usually leaves a scratch on an organization when you look back at their history. Even good teams wobble when the voice in the room changes overnight. Boston didn’t. In Mazzulla’s first year, they opened 18–4, carried over the same edge from the previous season, and kept stacking wins as if nothing had really changed. At the time, that steadiness felt temporary, like the roster was strong enough to carry the rookie coach while things settled.
A few years later, it’s clear that wasn’t what was happening.
An emergency replacement
Early on, the question followed Mazzulla everywhere: how much of the success was him, and how much of this was already built? It’s a fair question when you inherit a Finals team with two All-NBA wings entering their prime. Plenty of coaches could keep that group competitive. Far fewer can shape it into something more sustained and defined.
That’s where Mazzulla has separated himself. The Celtics play with a level of clarity that reflects a coach who knows exactly what he wants each game to look like. Offensively, the system is built on quick decisions and spacing that stretches defenses until something gives. The three-point volume gets a lot of the attention, but the real story is how those shots are created. The ball rarely sticks. Actions flow into each other. Role players are involved by design.
You see it in players like Payton Pritchard stepping into larger responsibilities, whether that’s as a starter or off the bench. You see it in how Jaylen Brown’s usage shifts depending on who’s available. The system holds up through the constant roster changes that come with an NBA season. When Jayson Tatum missed extended time, the Celtics stayed organized offensively and avoided drifting into isolation-heavy stretches. When he returned, the structure didn’t need to be rebuilt.
That kind of continuity points to a system that has been intentionally constructed. So how did he do it in such a short period of time?
“Give the game what it needs”
Defensively, the identity has always been deliberate, even if it shows up in less obvious ways. Boston prioritizes protecting the paint and controlling possessions, even if it means living with certain perimeter looks. The help is aggressive. Rotations are early and often. The goal is to shape the game into something predictable and repeatable over long stretches.
That approach requires discipline across the roster, especially when lineups change or when less experienced players are on the floor. It also requires buy-in. Players have to trust the tradeoffs possession after possession, even when the results don’t always look clean in the moment.
What’s interesting is how different this feels from the versions of the Celtics we’ve seen under previous coaches.
Under Brad Stevens, the emphasis was also on structure and execution, but maybe even more so than Mazzulla. Everything was precise, often methodical, and built to minimize mistakes. Under Ime Udoka, the identity shifted toward physicality and accountability. That group defended with force, leaned into toughness, and played with an edge that carried them to the Finals.
Mazzulla has taken pieces of both and made the team his own. The structure of Brad is still there, as is the defensive edge of Udoka, but the games (and results) are better than they’ve ever been. There’s more trust in players to make the next read, to take the next shot, to keep the possession moving without overthinking it.
That’s where “give the game what it needs” shows up. It’s not about running a perfect possession every time, but instead recognizing what’s available and acting on it quickly. Sometimes that means a quick three. Other times it means one more pass or trusting a role player to make the right play in a big moment (see Xavier Tillman in Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals).
Opposing coaches have pointed out how clearly Boston plays to its strengths and how consistent the approach is on both ends. That level of execution typically develops over time. In Boston’s case, it came from a coach stepping into a volatile situation and establishing structure quickly, then giving it room to breathe.
There’s also growth that’s easy to overlook. Mazzulla’s first playoff run had moments where things unraveled, and some of the criticism at the time was fair. Since then, the adjustments have improved. So while the learning curve has been steep, he’s handled it just about as well as you could have asked.
“Nobody cares”
At some point, the context around how Joe Mazzulla got here starts to fade into the background. What replaces it is the résumé, and it’s already difficult to wrap your head around. A championship. The highest winning percentage the league has ever seen. Year after year of 50-plus wins. A team that hasn’t drifted, hasn’t fractured, hasn’t taken a step back at a time when most contenders eventually do.
What’s almost as impressive as the results is the environment he’s maintained. Two superstars entering their primes, in a league where that usually comes with questions about timelines, pressure, and whether something else might be out there for them. Instead, the Celtics, top to bottom, have stayed aligned. The expectations have risen, and the response has been nothing but steadiness. That part doesn’t show up in a statistic, but it might be the most impressive thing he’s done to date.
All of that from a coach who, a few years ago, was an assistant from Rhode Island who had never held a head coaching job, outside of a stop at Fairmont State.
But the thing is that we, Celtics fans around the world, care. Deeply. Not about the award or the optics, though Celtics fans agree that his name should be on the shortlist for COTY candidates. It’s that the Celtics were thrown into massive uncertainty and ended up with a coach who has kept them at the center of the league, defined how they play, and helped push them over the line.
There wasn’t a plan for this. How could there have been? It was a moment that could have gone a lot of different ways, most of which you’d expect to go badly.
Boston, MA - November 8: Boston Celtics SF Jayson Tatum high fives C Neemias Queta after Tatum's dunk brought the Celtics within a point of the Brooklyn Nets in the third quarter. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
We’re back! And Jayson Tatum might be…like…ALL the way back. Welcome to the Celtics’ Top-5 Highest IQ Plays of the Week!
Sure, we love the high-flying dunks and the deep, off-the-dribble step-back threes, but this is a place for the under-the-radar plays that might not get the credit they deserve. The plays that get the basketball sickos and nerds out of their chairs. The plays that even YOU could make in your weekly rec league game.
Each week, the plays will be ranked from five to one—one being the smartest—and will only be taken from games that occurred within the past week. For this week, games from March 29th to April 4th are considered. The Celtics went 3-1 this week, with wins over the Hornets, Heat, and Bucks but a loss to the Hawks.
Every basketball coach talks about pass fakes, but it’s rare to find a player who uses them as effectively as Baylor Scheierman. On this play, the lefty throws his entire body into the fake and doesn’t immediately get rid of the ball, which is the perfect read on this play. With LaMelo having to guard two players and Gonzalez being the other three-point shooting option, Scheierman makes the ideal play in real time. Sometimes the simplest plays are the most effective.
Tatum has very quickly reintegrated himself into NBA basketball. But he might have somehow come back a better passer than he was before. I absolutely love his vision on this play—seeing both defenders converging on him and Kon lurking in the passing lane—and throwing a perfect lead pass to Queta for the dunk. Perhaps it’s because he had time off to watch his teammates and see the game in a different way, or perhaps the Celtics just have a better offense than they did last year, but Tatum looks like he’s leveled up as a passer.
Wondering about that aforementioned improved Celtics offense? This is it in a nutshell. More flare screens, Spain pick-and-roll, passing and off-ball movement, and all of it happening earlier in the shot clock. Here, Hauser runs completely perpendicular to the ball-handler in an unconventional flare cut that results in a wide open shot on the wing thanks to Garza’s crushing screen and White’s heady passing. Plays like these have been a staple of Boston’s offense this season.
Payton Pritchard does his best Ja-Marr Chase impression on this play, getting rid of the ball and then shifting Pelle Larson into his own basket before peeling away and setting his feet for the jumper. I love that Payton cuts behind Larson, thus making it impossible for his fake cut to be seen or reacted to effectively. So smart.
1. Smart hustle
NEW STORY: I wrote 1,000 words on my favorite play of the year: a Derrick White sprint.
“I told JT — that’ll go in my Hall of Very Good nomination.”
Derrick White makes a play here that very few other players would. Right after he throws the beautiful lob to Brown, he hauls his behind back to the defensive end of the floor and essentially blocks Larson’s buzzer-beater attempt. Special hustle from the Celtics’ highest IQ player and one of the smartest players in the entire NBA.
Nikola Jokic outshone fellow Most Valuable Player contender Victor Wembanyama with a game-high 40 points as the Denver Nuggets ended the San Antonio Spurs' 11-match winning streak.
Serb Jokic, a three-time winner of the NBA's MVP award, starred as Denver recorded their eighth straight win with a 136-134 triumph in overtime.
Wembanyama led San Antonio with 34 points but the Frenchman's team squandered a 107-96 advantage in the fourth quarter.
Both players are among the leading names to claim this season's coveted individual award, given to the best performer during the regular season, and were full of praise for the other after the match.
Jokic said of Wembanyama to ESPN: "I think the first time I played against him, I told you guys he's going to change the league. He's going to change basketball.
"I still think that. And I think he has an opportunity, a chance to be the most unique basketball player to ever play the game."
Reflecting on defeat, Wembanyama said: "I think it was an amazing game. One of the most fun games. I wish we could have closed it out.
"It was a real test against a team that's playing for something right now. They've got the best offensive player in the world."
Both teams have already clinched a place in the post-season play-offs, which begin on 18 April.
But while San Antonio are assured of a top-two seeding in the Western Conference - they trail reigning champions Oklahoma City Thunder - Denver's final placing within the top six is still to be decided.
The Thunder can move closer to a third straight Western Conference title against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seeks back-to-back MVP crowns.
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic could be out of MVP contention after the NBA's leading scorer was ruled out for the rest of the regular season with a hamstring injury on Friday.
Mar 5, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) is fouled by Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during overtime at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Of course Stephen Curry is coming back for this game.
Not that it matters, of course. The Houston Rockets have lost multiple games against the Golden State Warriors over the past couple of seasons in which Curry didn’t play. Houston lost earlier this year at Toyota Center. In the one game Curry did play, Reed Sheppard had his coming out party and Houston came back and won without Kevin Durant. Maybe that’s the key? Whichever team is missing its best player wins?
Tonight starts Houston’s final road trip of the season. They will head to Phoenix to take on the Suns on Tuesday. Earlier this season when Houston went on the road to play the Warriors and Suns, Durant missed both games due to personal reasons. So it’s only fitting that Houston is playing both teams again on the same trip. The Phoenix game will be more emotional since KD’s time with the Suns ended poorly compared to his time in the Bay Area.
The Warriors are all but guaranteed to be the 10 seed in the West. Mathematically they still have a shot at 9 or even 8, but that would require something pretty extreme. In reality, they are going to need to win two road games in the play-in to play the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round. As I mentioned in the Jazz preview, this isn’t the worst year to end up in the lottery, and if they do you know the league will make sure they’re rewarded (if the lottery is rigged).
This is going to be a tough game. That building is going to be loud.
BOTTOM LINE: Washington travels to Brooklyn looking to break its four-game road losing streak.
The Nets are 12-34 in Eastern Conference games. Brooklyn is the worst team in the league with just 39.5 rebounds per game led by Nic Claxton averaging 6.9.
The Wizards are 11-36 against Eastern Conference opponents. Washington is 8-47 in games decided by 10 points or more.
The Nets' 13.2 made 3-pointers per game this season are only 0.4 fewer made shots on average than the 13.6 per game the Wizards allow. The Wizards' 46.2% shooting percentage from the field this season is 3.3 percentage points lower than the Nets have given up to their opponents (49.5%).
The teams square off for the fourth time this season. The Nets won the last meeting 127-113 on Feb. 7, with Michael Porter Jr. scoring 23 points in the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Noah Clowney is averaging 12.3 points for the Nets. Josh Minott is averaging 9.6 points over the last 10 games.
Bilal Coulibaly is shooting 41.6% and averaging 11.4 points for the Wizards. Jaden Hardy is averaging 3.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nets: 1-9, averaging 101.4 points, 35.1 rebounds, 23.2 assists, 10.0 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 43.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 117.0 points per game.
Wizards: 1-9, averaging 115.1 points, 37.4 rebounds, 25.0 assists, 8.1 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 47.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 131.3 points.
INJURIES: Nets: Ziaire Williams: out (foot), Noah Clowney: day to day (ankle), Nic Claxton: out (hand), Danny Wolf: out for season (ankle), Egor Demin: out for season (foot), Day'Ron Sharpe: out for season (thumb), Michael Porter Jr.: out for season (hamstring), Terance Mann: day to day (achilles), Ben Saraf: day to day (back).
Wizards: Anthony Davis: out (finger), Tristan Vukcevic: day to day (knee), Cam Whitmore: out for season (shoulder), Alex Sarr: day to day (toe), Kyshawn George: out for season (elbow), D'Angelo Russell: out (not injury related), Trae Young: out (quad).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
New York Knicks (50-28, third in the Eastern Conference) vs. Atlanta Hawks (45-33, fifth in the Eastern Conference)
Atlanta; Monday, 7 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Atlanta will look to keep its four-game win streak going when the Hawks take on New York.
The Hawks are 26-22 in conference play. Atlanta ranks second in the Eastern Conference with 18.4 fast break points per game led by Jalen Johnson averaging 4.1.
The Knicks are 32-16 in Eastern Conference play. New York has an 8-4 record in games decided by less than 4 points.
The Hawks' 14.6 made 3-pointers per game this season are only 0.8 more made shots on average than the 13.8 per game the Knicks allow. The Knicks are shooting 47.6% from the field, 0.4% higher than the 47.2% the Hawks' opponents have shot this season.
The teams play for the third time this season. The Hawks won the last matchup 111-99 on Jan. 3. Onyeka Okongwu scored 23 points to help lead the Hawks to the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nickeil Alexander-Walker is averaging 20.6 points and 3.7 assists for the Hawks. CJ McCollum is averaging 19.7 points over the last 10 games.
Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging 20.1 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Knicks. Jalen Brunson is averaging 18.9 points and 6.4 assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Hawks: 8-2, averaging 124.0 points, 42.6 rebounds, 30.2 assists, 10.2 steals and 5.1 blocks per game while shooting 49.6% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.5 points per game.
Knicks: 7-3, averaging 116.8 points, 44.3 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 8.2 steals and 3.6 blocks per game while shooting 50.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.9 points.
INJURIES: Hawks: Jock Landale: out (ankle).
Knicks: Karl-Anthony Towns: day to day (elbow).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
INDIANAPOLIS — Yaxel Lendeborg kept it together, barely, as he limped away from the court in the first half.
He'd worked so hard. Come so far. And now he feared it was all over, his hopes for a national championship ruined by an injured left knee and once-again throbbing ankle.
"As soon as I got in the tent, I started crying," Lendeborg said, his left knee heavily wrapped. "... I definitely felt like I did all this for nothing in the moment. I definitely had to calm down for a little bit, speak with myself, get out of my thoughts.
"The training staff, they were being very nice to me, just being genuine, assuring me that I'm going to be OK."
OK? If Lendeborg isn't the best player in the country, he is for sure the toughest.
As his Michigan teammates got up a couple last shots before halftime ended, Lendeborg returned to the court with a trainer. He walked on his tip toes. He ran the width of the court. He hopped on both feet. And when the second half began, Lendeborg was on the floor with the rest of Michigan's starters.
Despite spraining his left MCL and aggravating the ankle injury he suffered in the Big Ten tournament, Lendeborg would play nine minutes in the second half. He made two 3-pointers in an 80-second span and grabbed two rebounds as Michigan routed fellow No.1 seed Arizona, 91-73.
At one point, Lendeborg had more points (11) than minutes played (10).
"We know what type of guy Yaxel is. If he can play, he's going to play," Elliott Cadeau said. "He told us when he got on the court, he was going to give it his all."
As for the national title game on Monday, April 6, Lendeborg laughed when asked if he would play. So long as he can walk, he said, he's playing.
"(The trainers) say they've got my back," he said. "They're going to make me feel good and we're going to spend a lot of time together tomorrow and Monday before the game."
Michigan has scary depth — of the eight players in its main rotation, all but two had nine or more points against Arizona — but Lendeborg is what transforms the Wolverines from a good team into a great one. He was the Big Ten player of the year and a first-team All-American. He also was on the Big Ten's all-defensive team.
A 6-foot-9 guard, Lendeborg is the basketball equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. He can score around the basket and make 3s from the logo. He can get rebounds and run the offense. He can shut down guards and big men.
He's unselfish, too. If Michigan needs him to score, he'll do it. If one of his teammates is on a heater, he's happy to help make their spotlight.
"Yax is about winning. And from day one, he's always just been one of the guys," Michigan coach Dusty May said. "When you have a first-team All-American potential player of the year that just wants to be one of the dudes, it helps everyone else fall in line and just accept their role."
So, too, when they see Lendeborg playing through the pain to make sure Michigan extended its season for one more game. The game that's been their goal since last summer.
Lendeborg had to take a seat after picking up two fouls in the first 90 seconds of the game. He came back in after sitting for about almost six minutes and quickly made a 3-pointer. But with 8:51 left in the first half, Lendeborg and Motiejus Krivas collided and Lendeborg stepped on Krivas' foot.
The pain, and the fear, was immediate.
"I tried my best to get up as quickly as possible to try to not dwell with the pain, try to walk it off," Lendeborg said. "It didn't get walked off."
Lendeborg made his free throws and then headed back to the locker room. When he returned to the Michigan bench six minutes later, he had a towel on his head and looked downcast. He didn't stay on the bench for long, returning to the locker room to get more treatment.
Though Michigan had things under control without Lendeborg, thanks in large part to Aday Mara's career night, Lendeborg knew he wanted to play in the second half. He owed it to his teammates.
More importantly, he wanted to prove to himself he could play before the title game.
"I told them I was going to stay to the 3-point line and not go into paint," he said, smiling. "I want to get a feel for the rim and try as best as I can because I want to play Monday. So those two shots going in were big-time for me and my confidence."
Lendeborg wasn't at 100% in the second half. Nowhere close. He won't be Monday, either. But nothing is going to stop him from playing.
Not when there's only 40 minutes standing between him and a national title.
"Watching the game back here in the locker room, it's like, man, we can really do this," Lendeborg said. "This is what we talked about all year, and we're really one step away from getting that goal."
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
No. 1 seed Michigan vs. No. 1 seed Arizona. Two of the most dominant teams of the season meeting in the Final Four. Unstoppable force vs. immovable object. A box office attraction that billed heavyweights duking it out in what could be one of the all-time games in tournament history.
“No one's been able to do that to us all year,” said Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd. “It was an impressive performance.”
It wasn’t one of the largest blowouts in Final Four history, but the 18-point differential doesn’t fully grasp how much of a beatdown this was. The Wolverines blitzed Arizona out of the game with a 10-1 run to open the game and never looked back in the wire-to-wire win.
“We came out, and we really knew how high the stakes were,” said Michigan guard Trey McKenney.
It took just less than 10 minutes for Michigan to hand Arizona its largest deficit of the season at 14 points, stunning the Wildcats. When Yaxel Lendeborg suffered an injury, Arizona cut the deficit and it felt like we had a game. Then the depth of Michigan flexed its muscle to show it’s far more than the Big Ten player of the year.
For as ugly as the first half was for Arizona, it had a knack for being a second half team. Before Saturday, the Wildcats were 6-0 when they trailed at halftime. Sure, the 16-point deficit was quite large, but Arizona had shown all season it was never out of games. Plus, Michigan didn't shoot the ball that great. There was a chance to come back.
Instead, it only got worse.
Michigan gave a dose of deja vu out of the break, once again unleashing a full assault while Arizona was already clinging onto the ropes. The only drama left was how much more Lendeborg would play.
The lead only ballooned from there, with the Wolverines up by as much as 29 points. The Maize and Blue inside Lucas Oil Stadium were already celebrating by singing “Mr. Brightside” midway through the second half. It made the final 10 minutes just a formality, the game already well decided and Arizona just trying to not make it as ugly as it was.
In the end, it was a disastrous showing for Arizona.
“Michigan just did a great job, and we weren't able to kind of catch up,” said Arizona guard Jaden Bradley.
So how did it happen? Despite the physicality and size Arizona brought to Indianapolis, Michigan coach Dusty May felt his team matched up extremely well to the Wildcats. The interior battle was going to be a key point, and the size of Michigan’s bigs made it tough for Arizona to drive downhill in the paint.
If Michigan could establish a hold inside early and make some perimeter shots, it was going to quickly force Arizona into an uncomfortable position, and the plan unfolded to near perfection.
“Once they get on a good start, (May) kind of really knows how to control the game,” Lloyd said. “When you're controlling the game and you're running your actions and you're getting some open shots or semi-open shots, you knock them down, it makes it really tough to come back, and that's what they were able to do.”
The Wildcats were ninth in the country in shooting percentage, and it shot a season-worst 36.6% from the field. One of the best fast break teams just had two points on breakaways. Michigan’s 91 points was the most Arizona allowed this season, and the 47.8% shooting percentage was the third-best an opponent had against the Wildcats this season.
All of it resulted in a sudden end to one of the best seasons Arizona has had in decades. When it finally broke the spell that cast a 25-year Final Four drought, it felt like these weren’t the same old Wildcats, and this one had a real good shot of winning it all.
Instead, their season ends in another March disappointment. It does sting to have another disappointing March Madness ending. It doesn’t take away it’s still a season worth celebrating in Tucson, and the game said a lot more about Michigan than it did Arizona, with the Wolverines becoming the first team to score at least 90 points in five straight NCAA Tournament games.
“Michigan gets all the credit today. I mean, it wasn't our night, but it probably had a lot to do with them,” Lloyd said.
If anything, it showed Connecticut another weapon of mass destruction is on the way, and it better be prepared – or Michigan will drop it again.
INDIANAPOLIS — For a moment there, Michigan looked in trouble.
All-America forward Yaxel Lendeborg picked up his first foul 72 seconds into the Final Four matchup against Arizona and then was whistled for another just five seconds later, sending the senior to the bench.
Worse yet, Lendeborg began favoring his left leg after landing awkwardly with nine minutes left in the half, which forced him to enter the locker room for treatment. After returning to the Michigan bench with five minutes left in the first half, Lendeborg was again escorted through the tunnel. He ended up playing a season-low 14 minutes, though he poured in 11 points in this limited duty.
“I had to calm down a little, speak to myself, get out of my thoughts,” Lendeborg said of the injury. “I didn’t feel like I was going to be OK. I was definitely really worried.”
Losing your star and your leader early in the national semifinals would be a doomsday scenario for nearly anyone in college basketball — just not these Wolverines.
Even without Lendeborg making his usual impact, the Wolverines rolled to an impressive 91-73 win against the Wildcats and will meet Connecticut in Monday night’s championship game.
The win is proof of a key point about this team: Michigan is more than the sum of its parts, with a powerful supporting cast that more than overcame Lendeborg’s absence and could clearly do the same if he’s limited against the Huskies.
“We’re an unselfish team,” forward Joe Tschetter said. “It can be anybody’s night on any night. That’s what we’ve showed all year.”
Five players scored in double figures. Six of the seven players who logged the most-significant minutes outside of garbage time scored at least nine points. The Wolverines assisted on 22 of their 33 made field goals. They forced 14 turnovers. A lengthy and aggressive defense held Arizona in check from start to finish, stymieing what was one of the nation’s top-scoring offenses.
“With our depth, it allows us to be able to pick up where he left off, especially being able to plug in other guys in different areas,” guard Roddy Gayle Jr. said. “And everyone feels comfortable in that.”
Taking on a beefier role, center Aday Mara scored a career-best 26 points while making 11 of his 16 attempts. Forward Morez Johnson Jr. had 10 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Point guard Elliot Cadeau had 13 points, 10 assists and 4 steals. Despite dealing with foul trouble of his own, guard Trey McKenney had 16 points and was a team-best plus-22 across his 27 minutes of playing time off the bench.
“That shows how much versatility we have in this group,” said Lendeborg. “Aday's been dominating all year. So I'm super happy that he did his thing today, tonight. Trey had a big game, man. We talked about this a lot. We spent a lot of time together, so I'm really happy for the (freshman). As long as we continue to keep playing team basketball, we should be in good shape.”
On the defensive end, Mara keyed a suffocating effort that held Arizona to a season-worst 36.6% shooting and forced 14 turnovers, leading to 19 second-chance points.
“Aday was sensational,” coach Dusty May said. “He was at the rim, catching lobs. He was a force down low. He was a pressure release up top. I mean, he's such a smart basketball player.”
Teammates didn’t realize the extent of Lendeborg’s injury until halftime; for one, Gayle thought he’d just been taken out because of his foul trouble and remained out of the rotation as Michigan built a double-digit lead.
Clued into the situation in the locker room, the Wolverines rallied around their senior leader: Let’s do this for Yaxel, Gayle said to the team.
But when Michigan exited for the second half with a 16-point lead, there was Lendeborg back on the court, in the lineup despite the double-digit advantage and the possibility that he could further aggravate his injury — causing him to not only miss the championship game but also potentially damage his NBA draft stock.
He drilled a 3-pointer to push Michigan’s edge to 53-32 with 17:47 to play, and then added another a minute later. That put the Wolverines in front 56-34 and sent a pro-Michigan crowd at Lucas Oil Arena into a frenzy.
“I think it just shows the guy who Yaxel is,” McKenney said. “I mean, he just wants to put it all on the floor for Michigan, and he wants to give the fans what they came here for. I'm just really grateful to have him as a teammate. He's one of the best players in the country and he showed that tonight. But he's selfless as well.”
Lendeborg would be removed from the game with 13:30 to play but asked to be reinserted about six minutes later after Arizona had gone on a 15-4 run. When he was taken out with 5:19 left, Michigan had an 86-64 lead and was on cruise control into Monday’s final.
“I felt like they were making sort of a run and I wanted to kind of neutralize it,” he said. “I wanted to be the guy who helps out. I didn’t want to sit out when my teammates needed me.”
Whether Lendeborg plays against Connecticut will be the dominant storyline heading into the championship game. “I want to play on Monday,” he said.
Even if Lendeborg is available, there will be questions about his ability to produce on one healthy leg against an opponent that’s allowing just 65 points per game in this tournament and held Illinois to just 19 of 56 shooting from the field in a 71-62 win.
But few teams — maybe the Huskies in 2024, but not many others — will enter the championship with this much confidence. Facing a fellow No. 1 seed with an equal amount of NBA talent and an equally explosive offense, the Lendeborg-less Wolverines advanced out of the national semifinals with ease.
“This game was very indicative of how this group has played throughout the season, unselfish basketball,” May said. “A connected group who defends, gets out in transition and then shares the basketball.”
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - APRIL 02: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on April 2, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Lakers (50-27) are back in action on Easter Sunday against the Dallas Mavericks (24-53) on the road.
L.A. looks to sweep the four-game season series against Dallas this season.
And just like that, the state of the Lakers feels more bleak than ever. With the playoffs beginning in less than two weeks, a championship now feels more out of reach for Los Angeles than ever before. Now, they’re left having to figure out what to do in the midst of all of this instead of gearing up for the most crucial time of the year.
The Lakers will have to do that starting Sunday when they face a lottery-bound Mavericks team that’s currently on a three-game losing streak. While it’s tempting to say that it’s just the Mavs and that this game is pretty much meaningless for them, it’s hard to do so knowing that the purple and gold’s faith now relies on 41-year-old LeBron James.
For as incredible as James still is, the superstar can’t carry this team by himself and without Dončić and Reaves, it’s hard to picture how this Lakers team can be competitive.
That said, they’re going to have to try and that means practicing the next man up mentality. Can Rui Hachimura, Jake LaRavia, Deandre Ayton and the rest step up? They obviously won’t be able to fill the void that Dončić and Reaves left but at the very least, it would be nice to see if they can help keep this team competitive.
Note that the Mavericks may be in the middle of a three-game losing streak but their rookie Cooper Flagg is still playing at a high level. Flagg is coming off a 51-point performance and is surrounded with quality role players like Max Christie, Klay Thompson, Naji Marshall, Brandon Williams and Daniel Gafford. So this one isn’t by any means going to be a walk in the park.
For the first time ever this season, it feels as if the Lakers are very much the underdogs without two of their best players. On Sunday, we’ll get a first look at how they’ll be until the end of the regular season and into the playoffs.
Sigh.
Let’s see if there’s anything still worth being hopeful about for the purple and gold on Easter Sunday.
Notes and Updates
For the Lakers’ injury report, Luka Dončić (left hamstring strain), Austin Reaves (left oblique muscle strain) and Marcus Smart (right ankle contusion) are out.
Jared Vanderbilt (right calf soreness) is also listed on the report as questionable.
As for the Mavericks, Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery), Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery), Caleb Martin (right plantar fascia) are out.
Marvin Bagley III (left shoulder impingement) is probable while Tyler Smith (low back spasms) is questionable.
A game that was expected to be a thriller between two of the best teams in the country was far from it, as Michigan blitzed the Wildcats right out of the gate. Arizona couldn't ever really recover as Michigan relentlessly built a lead that ballooned to 30 points at one point.
It's not often you see lopsided games on the biggest stage in college basketball, but it has happened before. But does Michigan's victory rank among the biggest Final Four blowouts in history?
Here's what to know:
Biggest Final Four blowouts
Here are the biggest blowouts in men's Final Four history:
Note: List begins when tournament expanded to 16 teams in 1951.
1. 44 points: Villanova (95) vs. Oklahoma (51), 2016 Final Four
2. 36 points: Princeton (118) vs. Wichita St. (82), 1965 third place game
T-3. 34 points: Cincinnati (80) vs. Oregon St. (46), NSF, 1963 Final Four
T-3. 34 points: Michigan St. (101) vs. Penn (67), 1979 Final Four
5. 33 points: Kansas (94) vs. Marquette (61), 2003 Final Four
6. 32 points: UCLA (101) vs. Houston (69), 1968 Final Four
7. 30 points: UNLV (103) vs. Duke (73), 1990 Final Four
8. 27 points: Purdue (92) vs. North Carolina (65), 1969 Final Four
T-9. 26 points: Kansas (79) vs. Washington (53), 1953 Final Four
T-9. 26 points: Ohio State (95) vs. St. Joseph’s (69), 1961 Final Four
INDIANAPOLIS — A Final Four matchup of high-scoring offenses was instead decided by Michigan’s defense, which held Arizona in check and delivered a 91-73 win to send the Wolverines to Monday night’s national championship game.
Michigan won despite the extended absence of All-America forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who battled foul trouble and an apparent lower-body injury and played a season-low 14 minutes. He still managed to score 11 points on 3 of 4 shooting.
Without Lendeborg serving as the focal point, the Wolverines leaned on center Aday Mara, who had a career-best 26 points to go with nine rebounds and three blocks. Point guard Elliot Cadeau had 13 points and 10 assists while guard Trey McKenney added 16 points while hitting 6 of 9 attempts.
Arizona was led by forward Koa Peat's 16 points, though the freshman made just 6 of 18 shots from the field. Overall, Arizona shot 36.6% and committed 14 turnovers. The Wildcats came into the semifinal ranked 11th with an average of 86.5 points per game.
Thanks to a suffocating style that unsettled Arizona’s tempo, Michigan took a 26-10 midway lead through the opening half despite losing Lendeborg, who picked up two quick fouls and then limped off the court later in the half to have his ankle re-taped.
After returning to the Wolverines’ bench with about five minutes to go, Lendeborg was escorted back to the locker room and didn’t return until entering the lineup to open the second half.
The Wildcats finally gained their footing with a 13-2 spurt to make it 28-23 with 6:43 to play until halftime. Michigan answered with a quick 7-2 run of its own and pushed the lead to as many as 18 points before heading into the break ahead 48-32.
The 48 points were the most in the first half of a national semifinal since North Carolina had 49 against Villanova in 2009.
Both teams went into halftime with foul issues. Morez Johnson jr., Mara and McKenney also had two fouls for the Wolverines. Arizona guard Jaden Bradley picked up three fouls, limiting him to just 11 minutes in the first half, while star freshman Brayden Burries had two fouls and was 0 of 5 from the field.
The Wolverines kept their foot down coming out of the break, pushing the lead to 53-32 on a Lendeborg 3-pointer with 17:47 to play. That edge grew to 23 points at 64-41 on a Mara dunk with 14 minutes left and then ballooned to 27 points under two minutes later.
Michigan would continue to control the flow of the game on both ends, answering every brief Arizona run with a key bucket while forcing the Wildcats into increasingly difficult looks thanks to its lengthy frontcourt.
After the Wolverines went in front 77-47 with 10:31 to play, the only question left in this matchup asked they'd become the first team to score 100 points in the Final Four since Michigan State in 1979.
While they came up short of the century mark, the Wolverines’ 91 points were the program’s most in a semifinal since beating Princeton 94-76 in 1965.
Michigan is chasing the program’s second national title. The Wolverines previously reached the title game in 1965, 1976, 1989, 1992-93, 2013 and 2018, winning it all in 1989.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 4: Adem Bona #30 of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks the ball during the game against the Detroit Pistons on April 4, 2026 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
2025-26 Sixers Bell Ringer season standings:
Tyrese Maxey – 22.5 VJ Edgecombe – 12 Joel Embiid – 10.5 Paul George – 8 Kelly Oubre Jr. – 5 Justin Edwards – 4 Quentin Grimes – 3 Jared McCain :’( – 3 Dominick Barlow – 2 Andre Drummond – 2 MarJon Beauchamp – 2 Adem Bona – 1 Cam Payne – 1 Jabari Walker – 1 Trendon Watford – 1 15th roster spot – 1
Well, that wasn’t great.
The Philadelphia 76ers fell 116-93 to the Detroit Pistons on Saturday evening. The game was the close of the 15th of 16 back-to-backs for the Sixers this season after they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves just last night. Unfortunately, the Sixers looked like a team on the end of a back-to-back.
Joel Embiid was out on Saturday for oblique injury management and illness (he hadn’t played both legs of any back-to-back this season, though). The Pistons were without Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart.
It’s a testament to the Pistons’ depth how good they still are even without a player like Cunningham. Every time the Sixers would pull close to them, Detroit would suddenly have a burst of scoring to stretch their lead again. For the first half, Philadelphia were doing an alright job hanging in and battling back and forth.
The third quarter, as it has been so many times this season, was a different story. The Sixers started falling victim more often to the Pistons defense, committing a number of turnovers (some relatively unforced, even) while the Detroit offense continued to cook. In what truly felt like one fell swoop, the Sixers were suddenly down nearly 20 points. The Sixers were never able to recover in any meaningful way from then on.
With tonight’s loss, Philadelphia falls to the No. 7 seed in the East at least temporarily, now half a game behind the Toronto Raptors who did not play on Saturday. The Pistons, meanwhile, clinched the No. 1 seed in the conference with their victory over the Sixers.
The Sixers get a day to rest on Sunday before getting back to work on Monday visiting the San Antonio Spurs. Just four games remain.
Until then, let’s get to the Bell Ringer.
Paul George: 20 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
<p>(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)</p><br> | NBAE via Getty Images
Paul George was available to play tonight after initially being listed as probable. Good thing, too, because he went right back to work doing exactly what he’s been able to do since returning from suspension: pretty much whatever he wants. He scored nine points in the first four minutes of the game by way of a catch-and-shoot three and a few mid-range jumpers. The only thing that slowed PG down was picking up two early fouls in the first. It didn’t stop him for long, however, with George reentering the game to start the second quarter and sinking yet another catch-and-shoot three in the first two minutes. By halftime, he was leading the field with 18 points on 6-for-7 field goal and 3-for-4 long range shooting in just under 14 and a half minutes on the floor.
PG’s night slowed down drastically from there as did the night for all of the Sixers, but it was still a good sign to see how well George is playing coming out of 25 games sidelined due to suspension.
George finished the game with 20 points on 7-for-14 field goal and 3-for-5 three-point shooting. He also had five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Paul George still looking DAMN good since returning, starts this one off with nine points in the first four minutes 🔥 pic.twitter.com/OoEX6VAV0p
<p>(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)</p><br> | NBAE via Getty Images
Tyrese Maxey hit a number of really tough twos in the first and led the Sixers with 14 points after one on 5-for-8 field goal shooting (1-for-2 from long range). That being said, Maxey was another Sixer hamstrung by early fouls, picking up two in the first frame (and he was NOT happy about it). He went scoreless in the second, but fortunately PG and Edgecombe picked up in the slack in that frame.
As the game went on, Maxey seemed to start to fall out of sorts. Not sure if it was the fatigue of playing last night, a testament to the Detroit defense, or maybe a bit of both, but Maxey struggled in the third frame with some sloppiness and missed shots. His body language and facial expressions seemed to match the issue, with Maxey looking tired and/or frustrated quite a bit as things went on. He struggled, and the Sixers struggled without his offensive production setting the tone and pace the way it typically does.
Nevertheless, Maxey still found ways to chip in offensively here and there, and it added up. Despite what could probably be considered a lackluster game by Maxey’s standards, he still led the Sixers with 23 points. He also finished the game with one rebound, one assist and one steal.
<p>(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)</p><br> | NBAE via Getty Images
It took a little bit for the rookie to get going tonight, posting just two points on 1-for-4 field goal shooting in the first frame, but he seemed to lock in quick once the second came around. Edgecombe began relying more on his speed and footwork and suddenly the shots started falling, totaling 11 points on 4-for-5 field goal shooting in the second quarter.
It just continues to be impressive to see the shots that the rookie is able to create for himself even against the better teams in the NBA. It doesn’t seem to matter how many defenders are right in his face, Edgecombe is able to use his athleticism and quick footwork to create just enough space that he’s able to sink buckets. Sometimes, I think we even take for granted just how good Edgecombe looks at just 20 years old, still in his first year as a professional. Sure, his efficiency shooting still leaves some to be desired on nights like tonight (he shot just 7-for-18 from the floor), but there’s so many positives to this rookie’s game night in and night out that it’s easier to have some grace for that… especially since no one else on the team can seem to shoot either at times.
The rookie finished with 19 points, six rebounds (three offensive), one assist, two steals and a block.
VJ Edgecombe makes the most of a little space and the rookie is up to 13 points so far tonight pic.twitter.com/ljzny7qb5C
<p> (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)</p><br> | Getty Images
Nick Nurse opted to start Andre Drummond instead of Adem Bona in place of the absent Embiid tonight, but Bona made the most of his minutes on the floor. He started his first stint with a tap-in put-back, something we have seen him do plenty of times. Then, however, he found success in a much different way: putting some genuinely nice footwork moves on Jalen Duren to find buckets. It was nothing incredibly wild, but it was really unexpected from someone we typically don’t see that from like Bona. Nevertheless, it paid off with six points on 3-for-3 field goal shooting in the first half (in addition to an offensive board and two assists).
Bona continued his efforts in the second half, seemingly having a lot more success against the Pistons (both offensively and defensively) than Drummond was able to at any point.
Bona finished the game with 10 points on perfect 5-for-5 field goal shooting with four rebounds (three offensive) and two assists in 23 minutes off the bench.
Just a really nice sequence from the Sixers here to pull within two of the Pistons. Another PG three, a steal, and Adem Bona with a great move for a bucket. pic.twitter.com/uKxnnmeXia
