Plus, we kick off Masters week with our first couple of preview items
By Carter Bahns Apr 6, 2026 at 8:55 am ET • 10 min read 
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🏆 Five things to know Monday
- UCLA won the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, and we'll crown a men's champion tonight. The Bruins are national champions for the first time in the NCAA Tournament era. A 28-point win over South Carolina on Sunday gave them the third-largest margin of victory in championship history, and it came as Lauren Betts recorded yet another double-double to close out her remarkable college career. The men's tournament, meanwhile, concludes tonight when Michigan and UConn square off at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Here's how to watch the final game of the year.
- Tommy Lloyd and Dusty May will not take the North Carolina job. The Tar Heels' top two candidates are off the board. Lloyd, prior to Arizona's loss in the Final Four, announced he will sign a new contract with the Wildcats. According to Matt Norlander, it's expected to be a five-year deal that makes Lloyd one of the five highest-paid public school coaches in the nation. Norlander also reported Sunday that May informed everyone involved he will stay with the Wolverines. The expectation now is that UNC will target Billy Donovan.
- Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves will miss the rest of the regular season. The Grade 2 hamstring strain Dončić sustained in the Lakers' Thursday blowout loss to the Thunder will keep him out through at least April 12. There is no word yet on his availability for the playoffs. His absence brings forth another argument against the league's unpopular 65-game rule, as he will miss eligibility for All-NBA honors by the slimmest of margins. That is one of numerous ripple effects of this injury, which has implications for the Lakers and the rest of the Western Conference as the postseason nears. Oh, and Reaves could reportedly miss the entire first round due to his Grade 2 oblique strain.
- The Islanders made a late-season coaching change. With just four games left until the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Islanders fired Patrick Roy and hired former Stars coach Peter DeBoer as his replacement. This is the franchise's second change in leadership in the past two years and comes after a four-game losing streak that put the Islanders' postseason hopes in serious jeopardy. DeBoer was the top coach on the market and may be viewed as a long-term leader even if he fails to keep New York on the right side of the postseason cut line.
- A flurry of MLB stars landed on the injured list. The first full week of the major-league season took its toll on a few of the biggest names in the sport. Most notably, the Astros lost their ace and potential Cy Young candidate, Hunter Brown, for at least 15 days due to a throwing shoulder strain, and the Dodgers saw Mookie Betts go down with an oblique strain. The Cubs will also be without one of their top arms as Cade Horton hit the IL with a right forearm strain. And the hits keep on coming for the Blue Jays as Alejandro Kirk fractured his thumb.
🏀 Do not miss this: Everything to know from the Final Four
Imagn Images Five of the six contests across the men's and women's Final Fours are complete, leaving us with just 40 minutes of game time to go in the 2026 season. We already have one of our two champions, and the other will cut nets tonight.
Here's how we got here, starting with the women's tournament.
- South Carolina 62, UConn 48: The basketball world should have been celebrating South Carolina's commanding win over the reigning national champion, but instead it was Geno Auriemma who generated the most postgame attention. His heated exchange with Dawn Staley in the handshake line stole the show and, in the eyes of many, tarnished his image. Auriemma apologized for his outburst, but the damage to his reputation was already done.
- UCLA 51, Texas 44: The Bruins extended their winning streak to 30 games behind a double-double from Betts, who put the game on ice when she blocked a Madison Booker shot in the final minute. Booker had the worst shooting performance of her career in Texas' defeat.
- UCLA 79, South Carolina 51: It took less than two minutes for the Bruins to take their first lead in the national championship game, and they were off to the races from there in a game that got out of hand quickly. UCLA cut down the nets for the first time since 1978 -- four years before the first Women's NCAA Tournament began -- while South Carolina was routed in a second consecutive title game. This tournament was not a failure by any means for Staley, though.
And on the men's side …
- UConn 71, Illinois 62: The Huskies watched a 14-point lead evaporate into just a four-point advantage before Braylon Mullins delivered his second clutch shot in as many games to fend off the Fighting Illini. Dan Hurley is now 11-0 in the Sweet 16 and beyond, and UConn is 18-1 in its last 19 NCAA Tournament games. This dynasty is one win away from its third title in four years. But it might not be at full strength as Solo Ball suffered a left foot sprain, leaving his status for the national championship up in the air.
- Michigan 91, Arizona 73: What had the chance to be a legendary battle between No. 1 seeds never turned out to be particularly close as the Wolverines led by as many as 30. Arizona's 3-point shooting shortcomings finally caught up to it in a game where it needed to score in bunches. This historically dominant Michigan team turns its focus now to the title game and may also be less than fully healthy as Yaxel Lendeborg battles knee and ankle injuries.
Tonight's men's national championship game is a matchup for the ages between the best team in the country and the most prolific program of the century. Michigan is the betting favorite by a meaningful margin, but UConn simply does not lose this deep into the tournament. Study up on the rosters and how they were constructed (including how UConn has a former Michigan player in its lineup) before the final game of this thrilling campaign. And here are some trends that could determine the outcome.
📊 Pistons jump Lakers in NBA power rankings
Getty Images The Dončić and Reaves injuries could be catastrophic to the Lakers' hopes of making a deep postseason run. And for the rest of the regular season, Los Angeles will not have the same firepower as the other teams near the top of the standings. That's why Brad Botkin dropped the Lakers out of the top five in this week's NBA Power Rankings.
Replacing them are the Pistons, who leaped three spots as the second-biggest risers of the week.
- Botkin: "It looks like Cade Cunningham is going to miss the rest of the regular season, but the Pistons have won seven of nine since he went out with a collapsed lung. Boston is everyone's East favorite now, but let's not forget who's been the best team in the conference all season."
The top two teams are obvious. The Thunder and Spurs combined to win 43 of their last 46 games. Here's the rest of the top five:
- Thunder (Last week: 1)
- Spurs (2)
- Nuggets (4)
- Celtics (3)
- Pistons (8)
🔢 48-team World Cup power rankings
Getty Images FIFA handed out the final six tickets to the 2026 World Cup last week, finalizing the first 48-team field in the tournament's history. Now that we know who will make the trip to North America, it's time to rank them. Francesco Porzio took on the marathon task of stacking all 48 qualifiers up against each other.
Let's start with a look at the last six teams into the field.
- Turkiye: No. 14
- Sweden: No. 20
- Czechia: No. 29
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: No. 36
- Iraq: No. 41
- DR Congo: No. 46
Of course, how far the USMNT advances will be one of the tournament's biggest storylines. Francesco placed the Americans outside the top 10 in the power rankings, which does not paint the prettiest of pictures.
- Porzio: "I don't want to ruin the dreams of the fans or the ones of Mauricio Pochettino, but we shouldn't overrate them too much. Anything beyond the Round of 32 would be a great achievement."
Speaking of the USMNT, we will soon know which 26 players will represent the United States. Chuck Booth took a stab at predicting the squad, which Pochettino is set to announce May 26.
Also, significant international news struck over the weekend outside of the World Cup field. Just days after Italy failed for the third straight time to qualify for the tournament, manager Gennaro Gattuso stepped down less than a year into his reign. The Italian soccer federation also needs to hire a new president after Gabriele Gravina resigned last week.
👍👎 The best (and not-so-best) of the rest
Getty Images - It's Masters week! Let's start things off with 10 players who could break through and win their first major. Plus, here's what's new at Augusta National this year.
- The Fire and Tempo built their inaugural rosters in the WNBA expansion draft to kick off a busy and condensed offseason. Up next is free agency, and we can expect A'ja Wilson to re-sign with the Aces. Then comes the draft, for which we have updated predictions.
- The Basketball Hall of Fame announced the rest of the 2026 inductees.
- The awards keep coming for Cameron Boozer, who is the 2026 Naismith Men's College National Player of the Year.
- Stephen Curry returned from injury even though the Warriors have little to gain. Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to do the same, and Joel Embiid was upset with the 76ers for holding him out last week.
- The Jaguars reached a deal with Travon Walker on an extension that makes him the 12th-highest-paid edge rusher in the NFL on a per-year basis.
- President Trump signed an executive order regarding college sports reform. If it was applied retroactively, five players at the Final Four would have been ineligible.
- TCU reportedly came to terms with Sonny Dykes on a multiyear extension.
- J.J. Spaun won the Texas Open and now sets his sights on the Masters.
- Jo Adell did the unthinkable, robbing the Mariners of three home runs in one game.
- The NFL will not discipline Rashee Rice following its investigation into domestic violence allegations.
- Aden Holloway plans to return to Alabama next season despite his indictment on felony drug charges.
- Cooper Flagg might have a Rookie of the Year case after becoming the first rook since Allen Iverson to have back-to-back 40-point games.
- The flyweight title fight between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira was pushed back to UFC 328.
- A court denied Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris a seventh year of eligibility.
- The NFL will not award the Bears compensatory draft picks for former assistant general manager Ian Cunningham's exit.
- Miami secured a commitment from the No. 2 quarterback in the 2027 recruiting class.
- The White Sox will retire Ozzie Guillén's number.
- Manchester City are through to the FA Cup semifinals thanks to an Erling Haaland hat trick. Arsenal, however, were upset in the quarterfinals.
- Watch Lionel Messi score his first goal at Inter Miami CF's new stadium.
- Two-time NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga returned from injury to make her 2026 season debut.
- Maria José Marín won the Augusta National Women's Amateur with a record score.
- Renato Moicano snapped his two-fight losing streak in the UFC Fight Night main event.
- WWE SmackDown featured two title bouts and new WrestleMania storylines, including one featuring Pat McAfee.
- A potential lightweight contender emerges from Zuffa Boxing 05's main event as Andres Cortes earns decision over Eridson Garcia.
📺 What we're watching Monday
⚽ AC Milan at Napoli, 2:45 p.m. on Paramount+ ⚾ Cubs at Rays, 4:10 p.m. on Peacock 🏀 Knicks at Hawks, 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Network 🏒 Lightning at Sabres, 7 p.m. on NHL Network ⚾ Dodgers at Blue Jays, 7:07 p.m. on FS1 🏀 Men's NCAA championship: UConn vs. Michigan, 8:50 p.m. on TBS/TNT/truTV ⚾ Braves at Angels, 9:38 p.m. on ESPN Unlimited ⚾ Phillies at Giants, 9:45 p.m. on MLB Network
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