Sports
Kansas coach Bill Self will take time to evaluate future
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 Bill Self was noncommittal about his future as Kansas coach after the Jayhawks’ season-ending loss in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, saying he plans to meet with his family to discuss what comes next.
“I haven’t really gone through much on the court,” Self said after No. 4 seed Kansas fell to No. 5 seed St. John’s on a buzzer-beater in the second round. “I’ve gone through some stuff off the court. So I’ll get back and get with family and visit and see what’s going on.
“I love what I do. I need to be able to do it where I’m feeling good and healthy to do it fairly well. I’ll get back home, and it will all be discussed.”
Self’s comments indicate his decision will be made based more on his own health than the turbulent season his team just completed, which was marked throughout by instability around freshman phenom Darryn Peterson’s availability. Peterson, one of the frontrunners to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft this June, missed 11 games with multiple ailments, including quad and hamstring injuries, an issue that became a near-constant point of discussion.
Self’s own health issues first cropped up in 2023, when he was hospitalized with chest tightness and had two stents inserted to treat blocked arteries in his heart, causing him to miss the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments. He had another two stents inserted in July 2025.
In mid-January, he was taken to Lawrence Memorial Hospital after he felt unwell and ultimately received IV fluids and did not travel with the team for a game at Colorado.
“I don’t know about completely,” Self said Sunday about his health, “but I’m feeling — I feel as good as I’ve felt in a long time. I’m not making any statements whatsoever.
“When you get to be doing it as long as I’ve done it, I look at it in five-year increments. Now I’m probably looking at it in more two-year increments, so to speak. So I try to focus on this season and try to get us to a second weekend, which we failed at. So I’ll go back now and break it down and see where that leads.”
Self, 63, has won two national championships (2008, 2022) and taken Kansas to four Final Fours since being hired in 2003, compiling a remarkable 648-167 (.795) record. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Kirby Smart, SEC Continue Complaining About College Football’s Future
As the calendar flips to the next day, things continue to change; however, one consistency will always come to the forefront, and it’s that the SEC will be the biggest crybabies on the planet.
Similar to its geographic counterparts, Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart went to the media to discuss the SEC’s potential to secede from the NCAA. There are currently two issues causing strife for the SEC.
The major power conferences and Notre Dame want to expand the playoffs to 24 teams, while the SEC only wants to expand to 16 teams. I personally don’t think any expansion should occur, as the regular season should still matter in college football. That said, I’m shocked the SEC doesn’t want the larger expansion.
A larger playoffs means more money, more potential home games, and smaller schools feeling that they can genuinely compete for national titles. The SEC complains every year when their 9-3 teams miss the playoffs, so I’m shocked they wouldn’t want half their conference playing in the postseason.
Kirby has his complaints about playoff expansion, but uncontrolled NIL expansion is his bigger concern. I think most people with common sense believe there needs to be more guardrails around NIL. I’m just not sure that head coaches are the right messengers for these complaints.
NIL isn’t going anywhere, either.
College football head coaches tend to be the highest-paid public worker in most states. They can also leave their job whenever they want and hold their universities over the fire for more money. When you hear Kirby Smart complaining about these kids, many of whom coming from limited money, it feels super disingenuous. These high level coaches keep complaining about the current state of NIL, but aren’t coming up with better solutions. Our current “wild west” of NIL is significantly better than these college athletes playing for free in years past.
NIL isn’t the death of college sports, but the SEC leaving the NCAA would be. Smart argues that the SEC can stand on its own, and doesn’t need to play by rules they don’t like.
Things like this is why everyone hates the SEC. If they don’t get everything they like, they take their ball and go home. If the SEC ever left the SEC, maybe the NCAA could survive, but it would always be a shell of its former power.
Also, I feel this is mostly just a bad bluff by Kirby Smart. Yes, SEC fans love their teams, but having an entire season of only SEC football feels like a disaster waiting to happen. Fortunately, the SEC is locked into contracts through the next 5 years, so they’ll have to wait a little before getting too off the rails.
Sports
Report: Serena Williams wants to make comeback at Queen's Club
Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian of Los Angeles Golf Club watch their team against Jupiter Links GC during the TGL finals at SoFi Center on March 23, 2026, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida Serena Williams reportedly is planning a return to professional tennis.
The Telegraph reported Thursday that Williams, 44, plans to request a wild card to play doubles with Victoria Mboko, 19, of Canada in the Queen’s Club Championships next month in London. The tournament, which begins on June 8, serves as a grass-court tune-up for Wimbledon.
Williams had great success on the courts at Wimbledon, where she won seven singles titles. She also teamed with her sister, Venus Williams, for six doubles championships in London.
Serena Williams last played on the WTA Tour in a loss to Ajla Tomljanovic in the third round of the 2022 U.S. Open.
In her time away from tennis, Williams gave birth to her second daughter in August 2023.
She reportedly re-entered the registered testing pool for the International Tennis Integrity Agency in December. She has completed the mandatory six-month period in that pool.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion initially dismissed comeback rumors in December before slightly changing her tune during an appearance on the “Today” show in late January.
“I’m just having fun and enjoying my life right now,” Williams said, when asked on the show about a potential comeback. “That’s not a yes or no. I don’t know. I’m just gonna see what happens.”
–Field Level Media
Sports
MAAC rebranded, now The Metro Conference
Iona Men’s Basketball vs Siena in MAAC men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal game in Atlantic City on March 10 7:30 PM
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The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference is shedding part of its name while trying to maintain tradition.
The conference will rebrand as The Metro Conference effective July 1, as an element of strategic planning launched three years ago.
“The goal of this project was to establish a bold and clear identity that eliminated longstanding confusion surrounding the Conference’s name,” said Travis Tellitocci, MAAC commissioner, in a news release. “Throughout this process, we wanted to create a brand that better positions the Conference for the future while still honoring the tradition and foundation that have defined this league for the past 45 years. We are excited about this next chapter and the future of the Metro Conference.”
Confusion existed with the similar-sounding Mid-American Conference — the Cleveland-based MAC. The length of the full name of the conference also “created inconsistencies in how the brand was referenced and frequently led to the conference being referred to incorrectly,” the new Metro Conference said in its release.
The rebranding includes a new red-and-blue logo with a bold type.
The MAAC was founded in 1980 and has 13 member schools, largely based in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut: Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Marist, Merrimack, Mount St. Mary’s, Niagara, Quinnipiac, Rider, Sacred Heart, Saint Peter’s and Siena.
–Field Level Media
Kirby Smart, SEC Continue Complaining About College Football’s Future
Report: Serena Williams wants to make comeback at Queen's Club
