Kevin Willard faces the daunting task of reviving Villanova basketball after 3 straight NCAA misses

Kevin Willard waited in the Boston Celtics’ staff room as Rick Pitino unloaded after a crushing last-second loss and delivered one of the great rants in ticked-off sports coach history. Pitino’s tirade is remembered and mimicked to this day — how Larry Bird and other Celtics greats weren’t “walking through that door” — a reminder that the championship days were over and it was past time for fans to embrace patience with a younger team. “He walked out the door and went right into the staff room,” Willard said with a laugh.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few seeks to return the No. 21 Bulldogs to national title contention

Coach Mark Few wants to return No. 21 Gonzaga to the list of national title contenders, and he's assembled a loaded team to get there. Gonzaga went 26-9 last season, and finished 14-4 in the West Coast Conference, losing the regular-season title to archrival Saint Mary's. The Zags lost to top-seeded Houston in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the first time since 2012 they did not advance to the second weekend.