Michigan beats UConn for men's NCAA title; who wins the Masters; UNC hires Michael Malone

Plus we've got a major WNBA trade as Chicago deals Angel Reese to Atlanta

By Brent Brookhouse Apr 7, 2026 at 9:38 am ET • 8 min read

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This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

🏆 Five things to know Tuesday

Michigan completes dream season. After riding at or near the sport's top spot all season, the Wolverines (37-3) completed the mission and won the men's basketball national championship with a 69-63 takedown of UConn. It wasn't pretty, but Dusty May's squad did just enough to hold off a relentless Huskies squad. Michigan became the first school to win a national title by starting an all-transfer team, and North Carolina transplant Elliot Cadeau won Most Outstanding Player honors. If you want to watch "One Shining Moment," we've got it right here. And, if you know anything about us here at CBS Sports, we've already got an eye on who's likely to cut down the nets in Detroit next year.
Sky trade Angel Reese to Dream. One of the most exciting young players in the WNBA, Reese has been an All-Star in both of her seasons since being drafted seventh in 2024. After setting rebounding records for disappointing Chicago teams, Reese came under fire for harsh comments about the team, management and the coaching staff. Now, she has a chance for a fresh start after being traded to the Atlanta Dream. In our trade grades, Atlanta received an "A," while Chicago received a very disappointing "F."
Tar Heels hire Michael Malone as next coach. North Carolina has a new head basketball coach after hiring Malone. Malone last coached college basketball in 2001, spending time in the NBA since, meaning he'll have to get up to speed on the transfer portal, which opens Tuesday. We have a look at Malone's strengths and weaknesses as he takes over the reins at Chapel Hill.
Pete Prisco's NFL Mock Draft 2.0. Prisco is back with the second edition of his 2026 mock draft. The updated look at how the draft could play out leans a bit heavier on offensive linemen because, as Prisco puts it, "There are only so many big people on the planet who can play offensive line -- and even that's debatable by some of the line play we see these days."
Champions League action returns. The first leg of two quarterfinal pairings go down today, with the other two pairings meeting in their first leg on Wednesday. We have predictions and expert picks for Sporting CP vs. Arsenal and Real Madrid vs. Bayern Munich.

🏌 Do not miss this: Who will win the Masters?

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Practice rounds at the Masters began Monday at Augusta National Golf Club, and golf fans are asking one of the biggest questions of the season every year: Who will wear the green jacket? Patrick McDonald attempted to answer that question, looking at options from the obvious, like Scottie Scheffler, to the idea of a debutant. No one has won their first Masters tournament since Fuzzy Zoeller in 1979, though in the last six Masters, three debutants have finished runner-up.

McDonald: "Statistically speaking, Scheffler is operating at an elite clip, closer to his level of play in 2023 as opposed to the last two years when he combined for 15 worldwide wins. So, why is that, exactly? The simple answer: his iron play. The man who led the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach in 2023, 2024 and 2025 has been average with his irons in 2026. That's not average for Scheffler's standards; that's average for PGA Tour standards (+0.08 strokes gained approach per round). "It's fair to suggest that if Scheffler returns to the iron player of the last three years, he will return to the winner's ceremony for the fifth straight Masters -- this being his third as the man slipping on the green jacket and not putting it on someone else. The historical implications of such are hard to ignore."

We have much more Masters content. Be sure to check out:

⚾ Who is thriving, and who is disappointing in early MLB season?

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Yes, the MLB season is young, but when has that ever stopped a fan -- or the media -- from overreacting to those early results? If you're in a Red Sox fan, it likely feels as though the sky is falling after a 2-8 start. Meanwhile, the Pirates are now a surprising 6-4, even more surprising when you consider they started the season 1-3.

In the latest MLB Power Rankings, Matt Snyder was most interested in talking about the Brewers, who check in at No. 3.

Snyder: "Let's not sleep on the Brewers. I've said many times over the last several years that they are actually what so many people profess the Rays to be. In the smallest market in baseball, the Brewers have made the playoffs seven of the last eight seasons and entered 2026 having won the NL Central three straight seasons. They had the best record and run differential in baseball last year. How do things look in 2026? More of the same, really. They won by a combined 20-3 in the first two games of the season before falling behind 7-2 in the third game, only to come back and win that one late (they scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth). It was a nice reminder that sometimes they can throttle you, and other times they pull off a magical comeback. They finished their opening homestand with a 5-1 record, and naysayers could argue they faced two likely last-place teams (I'll take that bet on the White Sox, by the way; they won't finish last). So the Brewers went into Kansas City and took two of three. That was an early statement, in my view, as I'm bullish on the Royals this season."

👊 The biggest storylines for Saturday's UFC 327

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UFC 327 goes down on Saturday in Miami. As always, every UFC event streams live on Paramount+ with your subscription. In Saturday's main event, former light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka attempts to regain the belt when he faces fast-rising Carlos Ulberg. The title is up for grabs after Alex Pereira vacated to move up to heavyweight and fight for the interim title at UFC Freedom 250, which will be held on the South Lawn of the White House.

Brian Campbell took a look at Saturday's card to identify the five most intriguing UFC 327 storylines to keep an eye on, including Prochazka's ability to be one of the best in the world while fighting at his most reckless.

Campbell: "It's sometimes easy to forget that the 33-year-old former champion from the Czech Republic is 6-0 with six finishes inside the Octagon against anyone not named "Poatan" Pereira. Prochazka, who hasn't had a fight go the distance since 2016, has earned performance or fight of the night bonuses in all six of his UFC wins (including twice earning both). And he proved in his come-from-behind knockout of former title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. last October (after losing the first two rounds) that wasting time altering his style or trying to carry out a strategic gameplan simply doesn't maximize his unique and dangerous talents. Pereira, who twice scored second-round TKO wins over Prochazka in title bouts, has moved up to heavyweight. That leaves the transient light heavyweight title picture as Prochazka's to own, once again, if he can get past Ulberg. The good news is there isn't anyone else in the division who can match Pereira's pinpoint counterstriking ability in terms of speed, timing and precision. And with the Brazilian legend's exit, there isn't anyone at 205 pounds as dangerous as Prochazka and his impressive cardio when he commits to pressing forward in search of a knockout for every second of the fight."

👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest

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Mets superstar left fielder Juan Soto has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a calf strain, though the team noted "a typical return to play for this type of injury is approximately 2-3 weeks."
Defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has requested a trade from the Giants amid a long-running contract standoff. Lawrence would become the hottest name on the market if the Giants actually make him available.
While basking in her team's NCAA women's basketball national championship, UCLA coach Cori Close told her mom, "The transfer portal just got easier." Also, while there was no doubt, UCLA finished No. 1 in the final AP Top 25 of the season.
Pitching injury woes continue to pile up for the Cubs as they placed Matthew Boyd on the injured list due to a left biceps strain.
The Bulls fired executive vice president Artūras Karnišovas and general manager Marc Eversley on Monday. The team is 29-49 this season and in 12th place in the East.
Cal Raleigh produced arguably the greatest offensive season for a catcher in history. So far this year, Raleigh has been surprisingly inept at the plate including 20 strikeouts in 38 at-bats. Even though it's early in the season, and he's got just one home run after last night, should we be worried about Raleigh?
Luka Dončić is seeking specialized medical treatment in Europe in the hopes of making it back from injury in time to participate in the playoffs, but would putting him on the floor be an irresponsible move for the Lakers?
Superstar Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was in attendance for the first day of the team's voluntary offseason workout program.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr believes the team is "back in the fight" after Stephen Curry put up 29 points on 11-for-21 shooting in 26 minutes in his first game since January.
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said he didn't know George Gervin had the nickname "Iceman" when he filed a trademark on the nickname.
Patrick Agyemang's hopes of playing for the United States Men's National Team in the World Cup may have been dashed after he was stretchered off in Derby County's EFL Championship match.

📺 What we're watching Tuesday

⚽ UEFA Champions League: Bayern Munich at Real Madrid, 3 p.m. on Paramount+ ⚽ UEFA Champions League: Arsenal at Sporting CP, 3 p.m. on Paramount+ 🏒 Flyers at Devils, 7 p.m. on ESPN ⚾ Dodgers at Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. on TBS 🏀 Hornets at Celtics, 8 p.m. on NBC 🏒 Oilers at Mammoth, 9:30 p.m. on ESPN 🏀 Rockets at Suns, 11 p.m. on NBC

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