Sports
Huskies bark, bite as 'underdog,' bury Illinois again
Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley celebrates after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini in a semifinal of the Final Four of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images INDIANAPOLIS — A gift, and not one UConn coach Dan Hurley saw coming, became fuel for the Huskies long before the team bus pulled up to Lucas Oil Stadium early Saturday afternoon.
From Hurley’s vantage point, the overall national narrative wrote UConn into the Final Four as the underdog against an Illinois team the Huskies beat by double digits earlier in the year.
“You’re coming into the game as an underdog versus a team that you beat by 13 points earlier in the season, which was kind of surprising, that’s how we kind of came into the game. Obviously I’ve been waiting to say that,” Hurley said 12 minutes into the UConn postgame press conference.
Illinois felt UConn’s intensity almost immediately and the Huskies made a full-court, do-or-die mentality the focus of their preparation. Even though the UConn banners arranged in Storrs celebrate a growing tradition of gold-plated victories, Hurley instead preaches an eat-off-the-floor philosophy. That chip on his shoulder Saturday isn’t going away by Monday night.
“I couldn’t be more proud of my guys and how hard they fought when most people probably didn’t think we were going to win the game,” he said. “Or at least a little bit of what I saw on TV today, you know, TNT and some of the different prognostications.”
UConn is back, and at 34-5 playing for a national title on Monday night. With program royalty on hand, from Ray Allen and Richard Hamilton to Khalid El-Amin and Charlie Villanueva, UConn reacted Saturday night like the more experienced team. When things went their way and when they didn’t, the Huskies had an answer.
“We’re a group of fighters. It’s not appealing to everyone,” Hurley said. “I’m sure there’s some people in here that it’s off-putting for. But we are a group of fighters. We are incredibly tough. We’ve got incredible will. We go into these games, we’re ready for battle. Again, for us it’s not a game that we’re just kind of running around in uniforms throwing the ball around, hoping it goes in. That’s not what we’re doing out there. We’re fighting. It’s a life-and-death struggle for us to get to Monday night for the opportunity to win a championship, and then just to be able to prolong this season with each other and to make the people of Connecticut proud, to make the university proud and all the former great players.”
It was the 18th win for UConn when it held the opponent under 40 percent shooting. The Huskies guarded second-team All-American Keaton Wagler, who led Illinois with 20 points, all over the court. They doubled and swarmed, leaned into the wiry Wagler and dared someone else to carry Illinois to its second-ever championship game.
UConn designed a game plan to make Wagler work and stray from the secondary marksmen that helped Illinois average over 83 points per game this season. Illinois made 6 of 26 3-point tries and shot 33.9% in the game.
With UConn’s defense dominating, its offense did enough. Solo Ball, Braylon Mullins and Jayden Ross all made multiple 3s and UConn was 15 of 17 from the line.
Illinois trailed by double digits most of the second half until foul trouble — UConn’s 10th foul put the Illini in the double bonus with nine minutes left — helped the Illini score with the clock stopped to close the gap.
“Even when they had that run, we told ourselves we were fine,” UConn’s Silas Demery said.
Illinois (28-9) coach Brad Underwood said the Illini are heading back west for a short 90-minute ride down I-74 with a painful reminder about the slim margin between winning and losing. It has been a constant talking point this season.
“It’s why I have so much respect for Alex Karaban,” Underwood said of UConn’s senior forward. “He’s been to three of them. It’s freaky.”
In the last three meetings with UConn, Illinois has been held to its lowest scoring output of that season. That includes a loss in November of this season and a blowout in the 2023 Elite Eight. Maybe, Underwood joked Saturday night, it’s “the uniforms.”
“When they beat us in the Elite Eight, I told our coaches, that was a bad feeling. This is even worse,” Underwood said. “It hurts. My gut hurts so bad right now. I feel sad. I’m sad, if you want to know the truth. Seasons coming to an end hurts.”
Tarris Reed Jr. had 17 points to lead UConn, Mullins had 15 and Ball 13.
Hurley felt the offense had a chance to turn the game into a blowout because of the quality of looks UConn was getting. Illinois had the same reaction postgame, pointing to holding UConn to 35 percent shooting.
Even things that didn’t go their way broke right for the Huskies. After not scoring in the second half, Mullins wound up with the ball after Karaban missed a 3. He calmly connected with 52 seconds on the clock and UConn booked a couple more nights at the Marriott in Indy along with the most meaningful bus ride in the sport from Hurley’s experienced perspective.
“There’s no better feeling than being on that bus on Monday night, just being one of the last two teams standing, that bus ride to the stadium,” Hurley said. “It’s just a cool experience.”
–Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media
Sports
Timberwolves not worried about seed, want higher level of play vs. Hornets
Apr 3, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Bones Hyland (8) dribbles] past Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the fourth quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images The Minnesota Timberwolves are not overly obsessed with which specific seed they end up with in the NBA’s Western Conference playoffs.
It’s more important that the Timberwolves feel healthy and are playing well when the postseason tips off.
Minnesota (46-31) will try to snap out of a recent funk when it faces the Charlotte Hornets (42-36) on Sunday evening in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves have lost two games in a row and three of their past four.
The slide has made it increasingly unlikely that the Timberwolves will secure a top-four seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Kyle Anderson said he and his teammates are keeping things in perspective.
“It’s not something you’re going to lose sleep over,” Anderson said when asked about playoff seeding. “(When I played in San Antonio, former coach Gregg Popovich said), ‘You want to win a championship? You’ve got to beat good teams on the road.’
“So that’s what it comes down to. Whoever we see, we’ve got to be willing to do what we’ve got to do to win.”
Minnesota will face a tough test against Charlotte, which is riding a three-game winning streak after victories over the Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns and Indiana Pacers. Their latest win over the Pacers came by 21 points and ensured a winning record in the regular season for the Hornets.
Hornets coach Charles Lee has guided the franchise’s turnaround into a winning team. He said his players needed to keep pressing forward after the big win over Indiana.
“This is not time of year to look past anybody,” Lee said. “You’ve got to stay focused on the opponent in front of you, the opportunity to get better that day. … That team (Indiana), they’re good, they’re well coached. They play fast, force you to communicate and work on your transition defense.
“I thought that we shared the ball phenomenally (against the Pacers). To have six guys in double figures, 31 assists; (I) love how we played.”
The Timberwolves are not certain whether they will have their top player for Sunday’s game. Anthony Edwards is listed as questionable because of inflammation in his right knee, which sidelined him for a couple of weeks in March.
Edwards also dealt with a recent illness but played Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers. He struggled badly as he finished with eight points on 3-for-15 shooting, including 0-for-7 shooting from 3-point range.
“Offensively, it didn’t look like he had a lot of juice (against the 76ers),” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “But all credit for him playing through what he’s been through over the last number of days.”
Edwards leads the Timberwolves with 28.9 points per game on 48.9% shooting. Julius Randle adds 21.1 points per game, but Minnesota will be without defensive standout Jaden McDaniels (14.8 points per game), who is week-to-week (knee).
Charlotte is led by Brandon Miller, who is averaging 20.4 points on 43.7% shooting. LaMelo Ball is next with 19.5 points per game, and rookie Kon Knueppel is averaging 18.8 points while shooting 43.1% from beyond the arc.
–Field Level Media
Sports
ATP roundup: Tommy Paul wins all-American semi to reach Houston final
Mar 25, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Tommy Paul of the United States reacts during his match against Arthur Fils of France in the quarter finals of the men’s singles at the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Frey-Imagn Images No. 4 Tommy Paul rallied for his fourth consecutive win over fellow American and second-seeded Frances Tiafoe, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7), on Saturday in the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship semifinals at Houston.
Paul clinched his first ever ATP clay-court final appearance in a grueling 2-hour, 45-minute match that was marred by rain throughout, including a 90-minute delay during the second set. Paul thrived behind 14 aces and no double faults while converting two of five break-point opportunities in the pivotal deciding set.
It was back-and-forth in the final set with Tiafoe notching the first break and Paul breaking him right back in the next service. Then the reverse happened with Paul grabbing a break and Tiafoe nabbing it right back a service game later. In the deciding tiebreaker, Paul squandered two match points up 6-4 before advancing by winning two straight points to break a 7-7 tie.
In another semifinal between competitors from the same country, Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga easily dispatched Thiago Agustin Tirante 6-1, 6-1 to set up a date with Paul. Burruchaga converted 5 of 8 break opportunities while never facing one. Tirante had 25 unforced errors to Burruchaga’s 10.
Grand Prix Hassan II
Qualifier Marco Trungelliti (ATP No. 117) of Argentina continued his Cinderella run by taking down top-seeded Italian Luciano Darderi 6-4, 7-6 (2) in Marrakech, Morocco.
Trungelliti clinched a spot in the final and is the oldest first-time finalist in ATP Tour history at 36. En route to the final, Trungelliti took down the fifth, third and first seeds. Trungelliti converted four of six break-point opportunities and capitalized on Darderi’s eight double faults to deny the Italian a repeat championship in the event.
Spain’s Rafael Jodar will try to halt Trungelliti’s magical run after he took down Argentinian Camilo Ugo Carabelli in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 in just 63 minutes. Jodar was never broken and held a 23-8 advantage in winners. This would also be the first title for Jodar, who at 19 years old, made his tour debut earlier this year at the Australian Open and is competing in his first tour-level clay tournament.
Tiriac Open
Qualifier Daniel Merida Aguilar of Spain came back from a set down to upset Hungarian third seed Fabian Marozsan 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-1 in a semifinal match in Bucharest, Romania.
After dropping the first set, Merida Agular knocked home four of his six break-point attempts over the final two sets, finishing with 35 winners. He defended his serve well throughout as he saved 17 of the 18 break points he faced to overcome his 39 unforced errors and reach his first tour-level final.
Seventh-seeded Argentinian Mariano Navone saved two match points to come back and beat eighth-seeded Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands 5-7, 7-6 (3), 7-5. Navone capitalized on 65 unforced errors from van de Zandschulp and broke him six times. He hit 82% of his first serves and will also be looking for his first tour-level title after losing the 2024 Bucharest championship match.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Auburn, Tulsa look to cap off postseason runs with NIT championship
Mar 12, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Auburn Tigers guard Tahaad Pettiford (0) reacts after a made three point basketagainst the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images Auburn did not let the disappointment of missing the NCAA Tournament field get in the way of playing good postseason basketball.
The Southeastern Conference school will seek its first NIT championship when it battles with Tulsa in the title game Sunday night in Indianapolis.
The Tigers (21-16) will bring an explosive offense led by top scorer Keyshawn Hall (19.5 points per game) and guard Tahaad Pettiford (15.2 points, 3.7 assists) into the game against the Golden Hurricane (30-7).
First-year Auburn coach Steven Pearl likes his squad’s approach so far, especially after starting center KeShawn Murphy opted out.
Over four NIT victories, the team has averaged 83 points per game and had spurts of fiery offense.
Overall, the Tigers have made 117 of 236 field goals (49.6%) and canned 43 of 115 (37.4%) from outside the arc in the NIT.
The team has rediscovered some happiness along the way.
“I just thought that it was an opportunity to get valuable reps for our players,” said Pearl. “I thought we’ve played with purpose. They’ve found some joy in playing the game, which has been really, really cool to see, and they’re locked in and engaged.”
The club lost nine of its final 12 SEC games including the tournament and was 7-11 in the league, but that appears to be old news to the remaining players.
“That’s all we’ve been talking about recently: Just coming in here, handling business, and finishing the season off right,” said Elyjah Freeman, who appeared to hurt his knee late in Thursday’s tilt but said he was feeling better Friday.
Owning NIT championships in 1981 and 2001, Tulsa has marched its way to the second 30-win season in program history thanks to its extended run to the championship.
Current Kansas coach Bill Self led the 1999-00 Tulsa team to a 32-5 mark and an appearance in the Elite Eight while playing in the Western Athletic Conference.
In Thursday’s 74-69 win over New Mexico, the American Conference squad turned to Tylen Riley.
The junior guard netted nine of his 10 points in the game’s final 4:16. He also produced six rebounds and five assists in a balanced approach.
Riley said his teammates’ reliability on one another is a major strength.
“These are a great group of guys,” said the Las Vegas native, who averages 14.8 points. “When one guy is down, everybody else is going. That’s what happens when you have a great team (and) two starting fives. You’ve always got somebody going even when somebody’s off.”
David Green paces the Golden Hurricane at 15.7 points, while Miles Barnstable and Ade Popoola put in 14.7 and 10.8, respectively.
–Field Level Media
Timberwolves not worried about seed, want higher level of play vs. Hornets
ATP roundup: Tommy Paul wins all-American semi to reach Houston final
