Sports
Coaches in elite company clash when Kansas faces St. John's
Mar 19, 2026; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas Jayhawks head coach Bill Self speaks at a press conference ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images SAN DIEGO — Only three active head coaches in Division I college basketball have won multiple national championships. Two of them meet for a berth in the Sweet 16 when Bill Self’s No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks face Rick Pitino’s No. 5 St. John’s Red Storm on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament East Region.
Self, winner of the 2008 and 2022 national championships at Kansas, praised Pitino’s continued success over multiple eras. Pitino is 30 years removed from winning his first title with Kentucky in 1996 and won another at Louisville in 2013, although the latter has been officially vacated by the NCAA.
“To me, the coaches (who) are so impressive are (those who) coached without a 3-point line, then became efficient with the 3-point line. Coached without a shot clock, then became one of the best with the shot clock – always evolving with the game,” Self said. “And (Pitino) has done that as well as anybody maybe ever.”
Pitino began his full-time head-coaching career in 1978 at Boston University, seven years before the introduction of the shot clock and eight before the 3-point line was introduced across college basketball.
His longevity puts Pitino in the unique position to guide his fourth different program, along with Providence, Kentucky and Louisville, to the Sweet 16. It would be the first such appearance since 1999 for St. John’s (29-6).
The Red Storm advanced to the second round with a 79-53 rout of No. 12 Northern Iowa on Friday, St. John’s seventh straight win overall and fourth in a row by 10-plus points.
The veteran trio of Oziyah Sellers, Bryce Hopkins and Kansas transfer Zuby Ejiofor have paced St. John’s, combining to average 40.5 of St. John’s 81.6 points per game. Ejiofor, the Big East Conference Player of the Year, posted a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double in Friday’s win.
Kansas (24-10), meanwhile, weathered a furious second-half comeback on Friday to advance past No. 13 Cal Baptist behind standout freshman Darryn Peterson’s 28 points.
The Jayhawks led by as many as 26 points before Cal Baptist cut the deficit to six points with 1:20 left in the 68-60 Kansas win.
Pitino offered effusive praise of Peterson, a potential No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s NBA draft. The 6-foot-6 guard is averaging 20.1 points per game despite battling a variety of injury issues throughout the season.
“He’s got great size,” Pitino said of Peterson. “He’s got a beautiful-looking jump shot. …He’s going to be a great NBA player because he has an NBA game.”
Peterson’s presence on the Kansas roster reflects one of the many positives Pitino touted when analyzing his counterpart in Self. Pitino called the Kansas coach a “great evaluator of talent” on top of being a multidimensional tactician.
“He’s a great offensive coach and he’s a great defensive coach,” Pitino said. “He’s such a well-rounded guy. His teams do everything well.”
The Jayhawks come into the second round with a balanced resume but with especially impressive defensive credentials. They have held opponents to 44.5% shooting on 2-point field-goal attempts and only 30.5% from beyond the arc, both top 25 nationally.
Big men Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller both rank in the top 150 nationally in block percentage, per KenPom.com.
They will clash with a stout St. John’s frontcourt led by Ejiofor, whose 16.3 points per game come on 55% shooting from the floor.
–Kyle Kensing, Field Level Media
Sports
Thunder's win streak at 11 as Wizards lose 15th straight
Mar 21, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Sharife Cooper (13) dribbles as Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell (25) defends during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points as the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Wizards 132-111 on Saturday to stretch their winning streak to 11 and Washington’s skid to 15.
Just before halftime, the Wizards’ Justin Champagnie and the Thunder’s Jaylin WIlliams got into a scuffle that led to their ejections along with Williams’ teammates, Ajay Mitchell and Cason Wallace.
The scuffle moved behind the basket, with the teams’ coaching staffs and security coming over to help break up the brawl.
Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren added 18 points and 10 rebounds and Jared McCain scored 18 off the bench.
Isaiah Hartenstein continued to make a significant impact early, with six rebounds and two assists before scoring his first points since March 1 to put the Thunder up by nine just four minutes in.
Hartenstein finished with nine points, a career-high-tying 20 rebounds and 10 assists, nearly missing out on his second career triple-double.
Though the Wizards (16-54) had been struggling and the Thunder (56-15) soaring, it wasn’t until a late third-quarter burst that Oklahoma City gained control for good.
After Will Riley’s three-point play with less than two minutes remaining tied it, Gilgeous-Alexander took over.
He scored seven points and had an assist in a 10-3 Thunder run to end the quarter. His first and last shots during that sequence were his most impressive.
After Riley tied it, the reigning MVP drove to the basket and got knocked off balance, flipping the ball underhand as he fell for a basket as he fell to the floor.
Then, with time winding down, Gilgeous-Alexander hit a step-back, 27-foot 3-pointer at the buzzer to keep the momentum heading Oklahoma City’s way.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 16 points in the third, going 7 for 12 from the floor with three assists. He finished 17 of 27 with seven assists.
It was Gilgeous-Alexander’s seventh 40-plus-point game of the season.
The Thunder scored the first 15 points of the final quarter to put the game away.
Washington didn’t score for nearly six minutes in the fourth, missing its first 10 shots.
Oklahoma City outscored Washington 64-40 in the paint.
Bilal Coulibaly led six Washington players in double figures with 21 points while Bub Carrington added 19.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Celtics' Luka Garza filling key role as unfocused Wolves visit
Mar 20, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Boston Celtics guard Baylor Scheierman (55) and center Luka Garza (52) react during the fourth quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Nikola Vucevic will remain unavailable with a broken finger when the Boston Celtics face the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday night, but that doesn’t mean Boston won’t have a quality center.
Luka Garza has given the Celtics (47-23) more offense since Vucevic was injured on March 6. Garza averages 7.6 points for the season, but has scored at least 15 points in three of his last four games. That includes a season-high 22 in Friday night’s 117-112 victory over Memphis.
Garza also had seven rebounds, five of which came at the offensive end.
“He was great on both ends of the floor,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He does a great job screening. They (the Grizzlies) play a hectic style. They put a ton of pressure on you from a physicality standpoint and you have to be able to read and make plays and play through physicality. No one’s better at that than Luka.”
Vucevic, who had surgery on his ring finger March 7, isn’t expected back until the first half of April, so Garza likely will maintain his more significant role until then.
“Guys have always stepped up,” Garza said. “In my position, just try to make the little plays and help us win. So it’s definitely fun when you’re the guy doing that.
“I love being a part of this team. We play hard every single night no matter what, and I think when you do that, you put yourself in a good position.”
Jaylen Brown tossed in 30 points during Friday’s game, which extended Boston’s winning streak to four. Brown averages 28.5 points, which ranks fifth in the NBA.
The Timberwolves (43-28) were again without Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid for Friday night’s 108-104 loss to Portland. Edwards, who’s dealing with inflammation in his right knee, ranks third in the NBA with his 29.5 points per game. The Timberwolves are 2-1 in the three games Edwards has missed with the injury. Reid has missed the last two games with a right ankle sprain.
Minnesota allowed 68 points in the first two quarters of Friday’s loss, but limited Portland to 40 in the final two quarters.
“There wasn’t defensive intensity in the first half,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “Thirty-three and 35 in the first two quarters and 40 in the last two tells the story.”
Minnesota trailed Portland by 18 at one point in the second quarter.
“Slow start … a step behind everything in the first quarter,” Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert said. “We got down 18 points and then we started playing hard. The last few games we’ve had a lot of these starts. We got to figure it out because we put ourselves in a tough position.
“We have to find a way to start the game more fired up — be mentally ready at the start of the game. It’s not physical, right? I think it’s just being mentally ready to start the game. We were warmed up, it’s not physical. It’s just mentally being a little sharper at the beginning of the game.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
Padraig Harrington, Thongchai Jaidee tied through two rounds at Cologuard
Padraig Harrington acknowledges the crowd on the 18th green during the final round of the James Hardie Pro Football Hall of Fame Invitational at The Old Course at Broken Sound Club on Sunday, March 8, 2026, in Boca Raton, FL. Ireland’s Padraig Harrington carded a 6-under-par 65 on Saturday to forge a tie with Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee atop the leaderboard with a round to play at the Cologuard Classic in Tucson, Ariz.
Harrington pocketed two impressive eagles over a three-hole stretch (holes 9-11) which also included a birdie as he surged into contention at La Paloma Country Club at 11 under for the tourney.
“You know, every hole out here, if you play it well, you’ve got a birdie chance. But it’s so difficult being committed to your shots,” Harrington said. “Nobody can expect to be perfect, but you’ve got to be committed to whatever number you come up with. Whatever formula you use, you’ve got to stick to it, and probably just roll with the punches when it doesn’t quite work out.”
Harrington finished with two eagles, five birdies and three bogeys.
Jaidee’s day was much calmer, as the veteran went bogey-free while snatching four birdies. His 4-under 67 followed a Friday round that more resembled Harrington’s Saturday: two eagles, four birdies and a bogey (64).
That had been good enough to position him in second, alongside South Africa’s Retief Goosen, who fell off the pace with a 2-over 73. That tumble left Goosen in a tie for 26th.
Defending champion Steven Alker of New Zealand might have raised eyebrows with his scintillating 9-under 62 that tied the course record and brought him back within striking distance at 9 under overall. No player has yet to successfully defend his title at the Cologuard Classic, but Alker will have a chance on Sunday.
“I just wanted to put up a good day to get back in the tournament,” Alker said. “Defending champ, so I wanted to kind of give it a good run. Kind of feel like I’ve put myself in there, three or four back, you never know at the end of the day. Yeah, it was a nice round. Some positive stuff going forward.”
Bo Van Pelt, who had also tied the course record with a 9-under-par 62 on Friday, shot 10 strokes worse than that in Round 2 (1-over 72), dropping him into a tie for eighth at 8 under for the tournament.
Two golfers are ahead of Alker in a tie for third at 10 under after shooting matching 67s: Tommy Gainey and Germany’s Bernhard Langer.
Zach Johnson (65) and Jason Caron (66) are tied with Alker in fifth.
–Field Level Media
Hurdle hints and answers for March 22, 2026
Thunder's win streak at 11 as Wizards lose 15th straight
