Sports
Vanderbilt pursues first tourney win since 2012 in matchup with McNeese State
Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner (3) battles for the ball during the first half of the SEC tournament championship game against Arkansas at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, March 15, 2026. Vanderbilt, the No. 5 seed in the South Region, aims for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2012 when it faces 12th-seeded McNeese State in Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon.
The Commodores (26-8) nearly replicated the path of the 2012 team, which stunned powerhouse Kentucky to clinch the school’s last Southeastern Conference tournament title. Arkansas pulled away in the final minutes of the title game to win 86-75.
Vanderbilt’s best two players, guards Tyler Tanner (19.1 points, 5.1 assists, 2.4 steals per game) and Duke Miles (16.5 points, 4.5 assists, 2.7 steals), were brilliant in the three-game tournament run as the Commodores knocked off ranked Tennessee and Florida squads.
The Commodores felt they’d earned better than what they received from the NCAA Tournament selection committee. But coach Mark Byington downplayed the angle as Vanderbilt kept its focus on what’s ahead.
“One of the things I told the guys earlier, I was like, ‘whatever number they put beside us, ignore it,'” Byington said. “It does not make a difference. We are playing a good team.”
The Cowboys (28-5) were the 12-team Southland Conference’s second-place finisher in the regular season. McNeese got the league’s automatic bid by defeating UT Rio Grande Valley 84-80 in triple overtime, then winning 76-59 over regular-season champion Stephen F. Austin.
Bill Armstrong became the first coach in Southland history to take his team to the NCAA Tournament in his first Division I season. He took over for Will Wade, who led McNeese to consecutive berths before leaving for NC State.
“We haven’t lost a game that wasn’t on someone else’s home court this year,” Armstrong said. “We’re 19-0 now when we’re not on someone else’s home court. This group’s been able to find a way to win games in different ways all year long.”
The Cowboys are paced by a formidable backcourt trio — Southland Freshman of the Year Larry Johnson (17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals per game), fellow first-team all-league pick Tyshawn Archie (14.3 points, 2.9 assists, 1.7 steals) and last year’s Southland Player of the Year Javohn Garcia (12.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals).
McNeese ranks first in the country in forcing turnovers (24.1% of possessions, per KenPom), points off turnovers (27.7%) and fourth in block rate (15.8%).
Getting the ball away from Vanderbilt hasn’t been easy this season. They are 11th nationally with a 13.3% turnover rate and top 20 in avoiding blocked shots (7.1%, 18th).
Vanderbilt also ranks fourth nationally in free-throw percentage (79.3%) while opponents scored 23.9% of their points at the line, 24th nationally per KenPom.
Vandy’s Tyler Nickel (13.5 points per game) snapped a long shooting slump by hitting 5 of 7 from distance against Arkansas.
Other key Commodores include bigs Devin McGlockton (9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds per game) and Jalen Washington (9.1, 5.7), both of whom struggled with foul trouble.
The Cowboys aren’t particularly big, and they shoot only 31.6 percent from 3-point range. But they’re athletic — seven players had at least 25 steals and six blocked at least 10 shots — and love to press. Their best interior player is 6-foot-10 Jerrell Colbert (5.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per game), who previously played at LSU, Kansas State and SMU.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Andrej Stojakovic, No. 3 Illinois blow past No. 11 VCU
Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) scores near VCU Rams forward Michael Belle (8) March 21, 2026 during the first half of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round East Region game at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. GREENVILLE, S.C. – Andrej Stojakovic scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half to help No. 3 Illinois breeze past No. 11 VCU for a 76-55 win in a second-round South Region matchup on Saturday night.
Tomislav Ivisic added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Illinois (26-8), which advanced to its second Sweet 16 in 21 years. It will face No. 2 Houston on Thursday in Houston.
Keaton Wagler scored 14 and Kylan Boswell finished with 12 for the Fighting Illini, who won their first two NCAA Tournament games by a combined 56 points.
Terrence Hill Jr. led VCU (28-8) with 17 points and seven boards, while Barry Evans and Tyrell Ward had 11 apiece. The Rams shot just 7-for-32 (21.9%) on 3-point attempts in the lopsided loss.
Holding a seven-point halftime lead, Illinois opened the second half with Wagler and David Mirkovic’s back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the margin to 13.
Zvonimir Ivisic’s dunk and Boswell’s trey were part of a 7-0 Illinois spurt that put the Fighting Illini ahead 50-32 with 13:24 left. Five straight points from Hill sparked a brief Rams rally, but Wagler’s consecutive baskets, Stojakovic’s dunk and Tomislav Ivisic’s triple gave the Fighting Illini a 59-37 lead.
Illinois’ overwhelming cushion ballooned to 23 on Tomislav Ivisic’s dunk, which was answered by Ward’s 3-pointer at the 3:31 mark. Ben Humrichous’ 3-pointer with 1:52 remaining punctuated the Fighting Illini’s resounding win.
Mirkovic’s layup stamped an early 9-0 run to give Illinois an 11-2 lead. After Boswell’s 3-pointer pushed the margin to 12, VCU stormed back with a 15-3 spurt, tying the game at 23 on Ward’s putback layup.
The Rams grabbed their first lead on Hill’s mid-range jumper with 3:09 left in the first half. From there, Stojakovic answered with a personal 9-0 run to close the half and give the Fighting Illini a 35-28 lead at the break.
– Jack Batten, Field Level Media
Sports
Andrej Stojakovic, No. 3 Illinois blow past No. 11 VCU
Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) scores near VCU Rams forward Michael Belle (8) March 21, 2026 during the first half of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round East Region game at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. GREENVILLE, S.C. – Andrej Stojakovic scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half to help No. 3 Illinois breeze past No. 11 VCU for a 76-55 win in a second-round South Region matchup on Saturday night.
Tomislav Ivisic added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Illinois (26-8), which advanced to its second Sweet 16 in 21 years. It will face No. 2 Houston on Thursday in Houston.
Keaton Wagler scored 14 and Kylan Boswell finished with 12 for the Fighting Illini, who won their first two NCAA Tournament games by a combined 56 points.
Terrence Hill Jr. led VCU (28-8) with 17 points and seven boards, while Barry Evans and Tyrell Ward had 11 apiece. The Rams shot just 7-for-32 (21.9%) on 3-point attempts in the lopsided loss.
Holding a seven-point halftime lead, Illinois opened the second half with Wagler and David Mirkovic’s back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the margin to 13.
Zvonimir Ivisic’s dunk and Boswell’s trey were part of a 7-0 Illinois spurt that put the Fighting Illini ahead 50-32 with 13:24 left. Five straight points from Hill sparked a brief Rams rally, but Wagler’s consecutive baskets, Stojakovic’s dunk and Tomislav Ivisic’s triple gave the Fighting Illini a 59-37 lead.
Illinois’ overwhelming cushion ballooned to 23 on Tomislav Ivisic’s dunk, which was answered by Ward’s 3-pointer at the 3:31 mark. Ben Humrichous’ 3-pointer with 1:52 remaining punctuated the Fighting Illini’s resounding win.
Mirkovic’s layup stamped an early 9-0 run to give Illinois an 11-2 lead. After Boswell’s 3-pointer pushed the margin to 12, VCU stormed back with a 15-3 spurt, tying the game at 23 on Ward’s putback layup.
The Rams grabbed their first lead on Hill’s mid-range jumper with 3:09 left in the first half. From there, Stojakovic answered with a personal 9-0 run to close the half and give the Fighting Illini a 35-28 lead at the break.
– Jack Batten, Field Level Media
Sports
Harper matches career high in first pro start as Spurs hammer Pacers
Mar 21, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) looks over in the first half against the Indiana Pacers at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images Rookie Dylan Harper poured in a career-high-tying 24 points in his first career start and Keldon Johnson also hit for 24 points as the host San Antonio Spurs rolled to a 134-119 win over the hapless Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
The Spurs (53-18) remain on a torrid pace as they won their fifth straight game and for the 21st time in their past 23 contests. San Antonio has lost just twice in March after going undefeated in February and remain three games behind Oklahoma City for the best record in the NBA with 11 games left.
Meanwhile, Indiana dropped its 16th consecutive outing. The Pacers (15-56) continue to establish a dubious team mark for losses in a row with every setback and have already been eliminated from postseason consideration.
San Antonio led by 13 points at halftime and by 100-85 entering the final period. Victor Wembanyama rang up 10 points over the first three and half minutes of the fourth quarter, with his 3-pointer with 8:34 to play boosting the Spurs’ advantage to 21 points. San Antonio cruised to the finish while leading by as many as 28 points in the stretch run.
Wembanyama finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots in 26 minutes of court time. De’Aaron Fox added 14 points for the Spurs, with Harrison Barnes scoring 12 and Julian Champagnie hitting for 10.
San Antonio played without star guard Stephon Castle for the second straight game because of right hip stiffness. Devin Vassell (right hamstring tightness) also missed the game for the Spurs.
Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard led all scorers with 25 points while Jarace Walker tallied 21,
Pascal Siakam scored 14 in his first game back after missing six contests with a sprained right knee and Obi Toppin added 11.
The Spurs were in command from the game’s early minutes and carried a 42-29 advantage after 12 minutes of play.
San Antonio stoked its lead to 21 points when Barnes poured in a jumper from beyond the arc with 2:42 to play in the second period.
But the Pacers swung back, finishing the half with 10-2 run capped by Siakam’s jumper with 26 seconds left that allowed Indiana to draw to 66-53 at the break.
Johnson paced all scorers with 16 points before halftime while Siakam led the Pacers with 12 points in the first half.
–Field Level Media
Andrej Stojakovic, No. 3 Illinois blow past No. 11 VCU
Andrej Stojakovic, No. 3 Illinois blow past No. 11 VCU
Harper matches career high in first pro start as Spurs hammer Pacers
Sports
Vanderbilt pursues first tourney win since 2012 in matchup with McNeese State
Vanderbilt guard Tyler Tanner (3) battles for the ball during the first half of the SEC tournament championship game against Arkansas at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, March 15, 2026. Vanderbilt, the No. 5 seed in the South Region, aims for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2012 when it faces 12th-seeded McNeese State in Oklahoma City on Thursday afternoon.
The Commodores (26-8) nearly replicated the path of the 2012 team, which stunned powerhouse Kentucky to clinch the school’s last Southeastern Conference tournament title. Arkansas pulled away in the final minutes of the title game to win 86-75.
Vanderbilt’s best two players, guards Tyler Tanner (19.1 points, 5.1 assists, 2.4 steals per game) and Duke Miles (16.5 points, 4.5 assists, 2.7 steals), were brilliant in the three-game tournament run as the Commodores knocked off ranked Tennessee and Florida squads.
The Commodores felt they’d earned better than what they received from the NCAA Tournament selection committee. But coach Mark Byington downplayed the angle as Vanderbilt kept its focus on what’s ahead.
“One of the things I told the guys earlier, I was like, ‘whatever number they put beside us, ignore it,'” Byington said. “It does not make a difference. We are playing a good team.”
The Cowboys (28-5) were the 12-team Southland Conference’s second-place finisher in the regular season. McNeese got the league’s automatic bid by defeating UT Rio Grande Valley 84-80 in triple overtime, then winning 76-59 over regular-season champion Stephen F. Austin.
Bill Armstrong became the first coach in Southland history to take his team to the NCAA Tournament in his first Division I season. He took over for Will Wade, who led McNeese to consecutive berths before leaving for NC State.
“We haven’t lost a game that wasn’t on someone else’s home court this year,” Armstrong said. “We’re 19-0 now when we’re not on someone else’s home court. This group’s been able to find a way to win games in different ways all year long.”
The Cowboys are paced by a formidable backcourt trio — Southland Freshman of the Year Larry Johnson (17.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals per game), fellow first-team all-league pick Tyshawn Archie (14.3 points, 2.9 assists, 1.7 steals) and last year’s Southland Player of the Year Javohn Garcia (12.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals).
McNeese ranks first in the country in forcing turnovers (24.1% of possessions, per KenPom), points off turnovers (27.7%) and fourth in block rate (15.8%).
Getting the ball away from Vanderbilt hasn’t been easy this season. They are 11th nationally with a 13.3% turnover rate and top 20 in avoiding blocked shots (7.1%, 18th).
Vanderbilt also ranks fourth nationally in free-throw percentage (79.3%) while opponents scored 23.9% of their points at the line, 24th nationally per KenPom.
Vandy’s Tyler Nickel (13.5 points per game) snapped a long shooting slump by hitting 5 of 7 from distance against Arkansas.
Other key Commodores include bigs Devin McGlockton (9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds per game) and Jalen Washington (9.1, 5.7), both of whom struggled with foul trouble.
The Cowboys aren’t particularly big, and they shoot only 31.6 percent from 3-point range. But they’re athletic — seven players had at least 25 steals and six blocked at least 10 shots — and love to press. Their best interior player is 6-foot-10 Jerrell Colbert (5.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per game), who previously played at LSU, Kansas State and SMU.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Andrej Stojakovic, No. 3 Illinois blow past No. 11 VCU
Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) scores near VCU Rams forward Michael Belle (8) March 21, 2026 during the first half of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round East Region game at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. GREENVILLE, S.C. – Andrej Stojakovic scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half to help No. 3 Illinois breeze past No. 11 VCU for a 76-55 win in a second-round South Region matchup on Saturday night.
Tomislav Ivisic added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Illinois (26-8), which advanced to its second Sweet 16 in 21 years. It will face No. 2 Houston on Thursday in Houston.
Keaton Wagler scored 14 and Kylan Boswell finished with 12 for the Fighting Illini, who won their first two NCAA Tournament games by a combined 56 points.
Terrence Hill Jr. led VCU (28-8) with 17 points and seven boards, while Barry Evans and Tyrell Ward had 11 apiece. The Rams shot just 7-for-32 (21.9%) on 3-point attempts in the lopsided loss.
Holding a seven-point halftime lead, Illinois opened the second half with Wagler and David Mirkovic’s back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the margin to 13.
Zvonimir Ivisic’s dunk and Boswell’s trey were part of a 7-0 Illinois spurt that put the Fighting Illini ahead 50-32 with 13:24 left. Five straight points from Hill sparked a brief Rams rally, but Wagler’s consecutive baskets, Stojakovic’s dunk and Tomislav Ivisic’s triple gave the Fighting Illini a 59-37 lead.
Illinois’ overwhelming cushion ballooned to 23 on Tomislav Ivisic’s dunk, which was answered by Ward’s 3-pointer at the 3:31 mark. Ben Humrichous’ 3-pointer with 1:52 remaining punctuated the Fighting Illini’s resounding win.
Mirkovic’s layup stamped an early 9-0 run to give Illinois an 11-2 lead. After Boswell’s 3-pointer pushed the margin to 12, VCU stormed back with a 15-3 spurt, tying the game at 23 on Ward’s putback layup.
The Rams grabbed their first lead on Hill’s mid-range jumper with 3:09 left in the first half. From there, Stojakovic answered with a personal 9-0 run to close the half and give the Fighting Illini a 35-28 lead at the break.
– Jack Batten, Field Level Media
Sports
Andrej Stojakovic, No. 3 Illinois blow past No. 11 VCU
Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) scores near VCU Rams forward Michael Belle (8) March 21, 2026 during the first half of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round East Region game at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. GREENVILLE, S.C. – Andrej Stojakovic scored 16 of his 21 points in the first half to help No. 3 Illinois breeze past No. 11 VCU for a 76-55 win in a second-round South Region matchup on Saturday night.
Tomislav Ivisic added 14 points and 11 rebounds for Illinois (26-8), which advanced to its second Sweet 16 in 21 years. It will face No. 2 Houston on Thursday in Houston.
Keaton Wagler scored 14 and Kylan Boswell finished with 12 for the Fighting Illini, who won their first two NCAA Tournament games by a combined 56 points.
Terrence Hill Jr. led VCU (28-8) with 17 points and seven boards, while Barry Evans and Tyrell Ward had 11 apiece. The Rams shot just 7-for-32 (21.9%) on 3-point attempts in the lopsided loss.
Holding a seven-point halftime lead, Illinois opened the second half with Wagler and David Mirkovic’s back-to-back 3-pointers to extend the margin to 13.
Zvonimir Ivisic’s dunk and Boswell’s trey were part of a 7-0 Illinois spurt that put the Fighting Illini ahead 50-32 with 13:24 left. Five straight points from Hill sparked a brief Rams rally, but Wagler’s consecutive baskets, Stojakovic’s dunk and Tomislav Ivisic’s triple gave the Fighting Illini a 59-37 lead.
Illinois’ overwhelming cushion ballooned to 23 on Tomislav Ivisic’s dunk, which was answered by Ward’s 3-pointer at the 3:31 mark. Ben Humrichous’ 3-pointer with 1:52 remaining punctuated the Fighting Illini’s resounding win.
Mirkovic’s layup stamped an early 9-0 run to give Illinois an 11-2 lead. After Boswell’s 3-pointer pushed the margin to 12, VCU stormed back with a 15-3 spurt, tying the game at 23 on Ward’s putback layup.
The Rams grabbed their first lead on Hill’s mid-range jumper with 3:09 left in the first half. From there, Stojakovic answered with a personal 9-0 run to close the half and give the Fighting Illini a 35-28 lead at the break.
– Jack Batten, Field Level Media
Sports
Harper matches career high in first pro start as Spurs hammer Pacers
Mar 21, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Dylan Harper (2) looks over in the first half against the Indiana Pacers at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images Rookie Dylan Harper poured in a career-high-tying 24 points in his first career start and Keldon Johnson also hit for 24 points as the host San Antonio Spurs rolled to a 134-119 win over the hapless Indiana Pacers on Saturday.
The Spurs (53-18) remain on a torrid pace as they won their fifth straight game and for the 21st time in their past 23 contests. San Antonio has lost just twice in March after going undefeated in February and remain three games behind Oklahoma City for the best record in the NBA with 11 games left.
Meanwhile, Indiana dropped its 16th consecutive outing. The Pacers (15-56) continue to establish a dubious team mark for losses in a row with every setback and have already been eliminated from postseason consideration.
San Antonio led by 13 points at halftime and by 100-85 entering the final period. Victor Wembanyama rang up 10 points over the first three and half minutes of the fourth quarter, with his 3-pointer with 8:34 to play boosting the Spurs’ advantage to 21 points. San Antonio cruised to the finish while leading by as many as 28 points in the stretch run.
Wembanyama finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five blocked shots in 26 minutes of court time. De’Aaron Fox added 14 points for the Spurs, with Harrison Barnes scoring 12 and Julian Champagnie hitting for 10.
San Antonio played without star guard Stephon Castle for the second straight game because of right hip stiffness. Devin Vassell (right hamstring tightness) also missed the game for the Spurs.
Indiana’s Andrew Nembhard led all scorers with 25 points while Jarace Walker tallied 21,
Pascal Siakam scored 14 in his first game back after missing six contests with a sprained right knee and Obi Toppin added 11.
The Spurs were in command from the game’s early minutes and carried a 42-29 advantage after 12 minutes of play.
San Antonio stoked its lead to 21 points when Barnes poured in a jumper from beyond the arc with 2:42 to play in the second period.
But the Pacers swung back, finishing the half with 10-2 run capped by Siakam’s jumper with 26 seconds left that allowed Indiana to draw to 66-53 at the break.
Johnson paced all scorers with 16 points before halftime while Siakam led the Pacers with 12 points in the first half.
–Field Level Media
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