The UNC Tar Heels are dipping into the NBA pool for its next men’s basketball coach.

After Hubert Davis was fired following a shocking loss to VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament earlier this month, the Tar Heels are set to hire Michael Malone, according to ESPN.

North Carolina was previously linked to top college coaches, including Michigan’s Dusty May, who will be competing for an NCAA title on Monday night against UConn. But May took his name out of any running across college, while Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd and Iowa State’s T.J. Otzelberger were also rumored to be in the Tar Heels’ favor.

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Head Coach Michael Malone claps on the sidelines during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo., on April 6, 2025. (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

But Malone, who spent the past 10 seasons leading the Denver Nuggets, is the man they’re settling on to lead the Tar Heels back to greatness.

Malone is the winningest coach in Nuggets history, tallying 471 career wins across his career there, while also winning an NBA title in 2023.

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However, Malone, despite what he means to the franchise record books, was fired by the Nuggets in April 2025. He quickly entered the sports media space, joining ESPN in May 2025, but he’s back in the saddle now in a whole new collegiate world compared to the pros.

Perhaps North Carolina wouldn’t have been searching for another head coach if Davis and the Tar Heels didn’t collapse against No. 10 VCU in the first round, as the Rams mounted the biggest first-round comeback in tournament history to ultimately defeat No. 6 UNC in overtime, 82-78.

“We appreciate all that Hubert has done for Carolina as a player, assistant coach, head coach and community leader – he has helped make special memories we will never forget,” athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. “This was not an easy decision because of Hubert’s tremendous character and all he has given to the program, but we must move forward in a way that allows our team to compete more consistently at an elite level.”

Davis, who made four NCAA Tournaments, including the last three seasons, over his five campaigns with the Tar Heels, released his own statement on the matter. 

Head coach Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets watches the game against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on April 4, 2025. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

“Tonight, I was let go by the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill,” he wrote. “My desire was to continue to coach here. This opportunity has truly been such a blessing. I thank Jesus literally every day for giving me the opportunity, relationships and experiences with the kids and my staff. I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish together.”

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Davis added that he hopes to be coaching “in the very near future.”

Davis, who played for UNC from 1988-92 before being a first-round pick by the New York Knicks in 1992, left the program with about $5.3 million still guaranteed from his contract, per ESPN.

Davis went 125-54 during his 179-game tenure with his alma mater, which included a first-year Final Four appearance during the 2021-22 campaign. The Tar Heels reached the national championship game, falling to the Kansas Jayhawks, who also overcame a double-digit deficit to be crowned champions.

Head coach Michael Malone of the Denver Nuggets looks on during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on April 4, 2025. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

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 After missing March Madness in 2023, the Tar Heels earned themselves a No. 1 seed in 2024, but they were taken down by No. 4 Alabama in the Sweet 16, cutting their national title hopes short. Still, Davis earned himself the ACC Coach of the Year Award that year. 

The Tar Heels want to get back to the Roy Williams days, as the legendary UNC head coach led his squad to six NCAA titles during his tenure, the most recent coming in 2017.

Bayern Munich are waiting on the fitness of “very special” Harry Kane to see if he can lead their challenge to overcome Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final.

The 32-year-old England captain took part in training in Munich on Monday morning, before travelling to Madrid with the rest of Bayern’s squad after the “minor issue” – believed to be an ankle knock – that kept him out of England’s friendly defeat against Japan at Wembley.

Kane was also missing for Bayern’s 3-2 victory against Freiburg, and coach Vincent Kompany was playing his cards close to his chest about his involvement at The Bernabeu.

Kompany said a final decision on whether Kane starts will be made on Tuesday, but speaking on Monday evening, he said: “Harry’s part of the team so that’s positive for us. We have to wait until tomorrow (Tuesday) to get the final information, then we will make our decision.

“It was important that he did a lot of training today (Monday). I don’t think he’s lost his rhythm.”

Kane is a key part of Bayern’s plans for the quarter-final first leg, having scored 10 goals in the Champions League this season. He is also the Bundesliga’s leading scorer with 31 this season.

Bayern team-mate Joshua Kimmich underlined Kane’s importance, as he said: “How many goals has he scored? How many assists does he have? Forty or 50 this season?

“This shows how important he is – apart from all the goals – extremely vital for our game.

“We are glad he is here with us. He is not only a poacher or a selfish goalscorer just trying to score as many goals as he can for us.

“He is an absolute leader who is always trying to have the maximum success for the team. This is a very special mindset for an attacking player. He’s a role model.”

Kimmich added: “It is important to have Harry on the pitch with us with all his qualities of leadership.”

Kompany fielded several questions on Kane’s fitness, saying: “Harry Kane knows how important this game is, but it is important to take a decision with each player.

“You keep asking about Harry Kane and to be honest I like it. I don’t mind but I don’t give you an answer.”

Mikel Arteta insisted he is not pressing the panic button as he vowed to banish the “pain” of two consecutive defeats which have left Arsenal’s season sitting on a knife edge.

Arsenal arrive in Portugal for the opening leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday night following a shock last-eight FA Cup exit at Southampton which arrived off the back of their Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City.

It marked the first time this season that the Gunners have suffered back-to-back losses and raises serious questions about the club’s winning mentality at the business end of the campaign.

But Arteta, whose side still hold a nine-point lead in the Premier League, insisted: “What you have to be is clear. Instead of panic, understand if that happens, why it happened, and bring clarity. And when you analyse that and you accept that, you will be better. That’s it, and that’s the thing that we have to do.

“Have some perspective on how difficult it is. Feel that pain, feel that emotion, and use it to be better and to improve. There are a few things that we have discussed internally, and I’m very convinced that tomorrow we’re going to see that.

“I know what it means to them, and I know how much they want it. Now is the moment to show it, and we have to do it tomorrow at the highest level. We are hungrier than ever, very excited and very, very motivated.”

Arteta will be boosted by the return of Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard for his side’s first leg in Lisbon. Defender Gabriel will also be available despite limping off in the second half of his side’s defeat at St Mary’s with a knee injury.

However, Bukayo Saka and Jurrien Timber have not made the trip, but Arteta is hopeful the duo will return against Bournemouth in the Premier League at the Emirates on Saturday.

Goalkeeper David Raya is set to return to the line-up following a two-match exodus with Kepa Arrizabalaga preferred by Arteta for the cup games.

Kepa’s mistake gifted City their first goal in Arsenal’s Wembley defeat with Raya’s omission raising eyebrows.

However, Raya said: “No, it wasn’t frustrating. It is part of football. Sometimes you get picked and sometimes you don’t. That’s up to the boss.

“You have to be there for your team and your team-mates and in this example, Kepa, and trying to help as much as possible.

“We are ready to go again. I don’t think the word is ‘pressure’. It was disappointing losing to Southampton but that has gone. We have to use that fuel and pain to pick it up for the rest of the season and that starts tomorrow.

“It is an opportunity to show who we are and what we are capable of and we have to grab this massive opportunity and win tomorrow’s game.”

INDIANAPOLIS — Public discussion of how UConn got here makes little sense to Dan Hurley, and one could relate to his openly confounded demeanor on the dais as the Huskies are painted as big underdogs for the second time in two Final Four games on Monday.

Before we talk present day, consider he’s on the verge of his 200th win in eight seasons at UConn (199-74) a winning percentage a lot of his peers would love to have.

Hurley can win a third national title in four years if the Huskies pull off the upset — technically speaking, as UConn was an 8-point underdog Monday morning — and improve the all-time program record in the Final Four to a remarkable 14-1.

A narrative that somehow a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament with 34 wins is a surprise national title game entry is insincere or lazy. You don’t have to agree with Dan Hurley’s sideline antics or appreciate his personality to approve of the context of his rebuttal to the ‘dog label.

“Underdog, I don’t know that we necessarily feel like a huge, huge underdog,” he said. “Obviously we acknowledge Michigan’s greatness and the team that they are, but we’re a 34-win team coming into the game.”

Michigan has rolled through this tournament and hit a level of dominance the past two games — scorching Tennessee in the Midwest regional final by over 30 and holding a lead by the same count against an Arizona team that beat UConn in November — perhaps even on a track to be compared to Hurley’s best UConn team. It was his second of the back-to-back title winners in 2023 and 2024.

But with dominance and elevated expectations comes a new level of pressure. Hurley ushers his team to the court Monday night with nothing to lose. A third Final Four in four years already stamps his legacy as one of the game’s great modern-era coaches.

“In ’24, you know you have the best team. There is a certain level of pressure that comes with — it’s like when you get to the Final Four and you know you have the best team, that was a different level of pressure than in ’23 where we weren’t really sure,” Hurley said. “It was our first time. We weren’t sure we were the best team in ’23, we were just trying to win the next game.”

Hurley did compare the current team to his 2023 club on Friday before showing off a championship-level defense that muted Illinois’ high-octane attack. UConn held the Illini under 65 points for the second time this season and used a brand of physicality that made freshman point guard Keaton Wagler uncomfortable. When money time came around with under 4 minutes to play, Wagler’s legs were toast. He had two open — but extra long distance — looks that clanged the front of the rim as Illinois closed to within two possessions.

When it appeared Illinois had overcome past demons by handling Houston’s heavy on-ball pressure and physical play in the South regional semifinals, UConn’s Big East muscle hit different.

Now the underdogs — Hurley’s refuse-to-lose Huskies — try to squash a fourth Big Ten foe in this tournament (UCLA, Michigan State, Illinois) with another on-brand effort.

“We’re a tough program. We’re a tough program. We’re a group of fighters. It’s not appealing to everyone. I’m sure there’s some people in here that it’s offputting for,” Hurley said. “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.”

Jason Day played his first Masters practice round of the week in a vest covered with birds (scarlet tanagers, eastern bluebirds, red-headed woodpeckers, among others), so you’d be forgiven if you missed a new sponsor he had emblazoned just above his flock of feathered friends.

On Monday, Day and retirement-planning provider TIAA announced a new partnership that named the 13-time PGA Tour winner and 2015 PGA Championship winner as the company’s inaugural “Golf Ambassador.”

In a release, TIAA noted Day’s “tenacity, discipline and relentless focus on the long game,” as well as his ability to reach a younger demographic through his popular YouTube channel, The Lads, as reasons the partnership between the Australian star and the financial planning firm make sense.

“Partnering with TIAA feels right because we share a belief that everyone deserves a secure financial future,” Day said in a statement. “I’ve worked my whole career to build something lasting: for myself, for my family, and for the next generation. TIAA is doing that same work for millions of people, and I’m proud to help bring that message to a new generation.”

Micky Onvural, TIAA’s chief marketing and communications officer said: “Jason Day is not only one of the most accomplished players of this generation, but also part of a movement reshaping what golf looks and feels like. Jason has helped bring the game to new audiences, making it more accessible, authentic, and exciting for younger fans. He has faced setbacks, risen above them, and continued to compete at the highest level, and that spirit of perseverance is exactly what connects him so naturally to TIAA’s mission and to the people we are proud to serve.”

The partnership will see Day and TIAA work together on “a number of brand initiatives, digital content and engagement opportunities.”

Day is ranked 41st in the world. He has two top-10s in seven starts in 2026 and is coming off a T6 finish at the Texas Children’s Houston Open two weeks ago. In 14 career Masters starts, he has five top-10 finishes, including a T8 in 2025.

Before the NFL starts the process of putting the schedule together, each team is allowed to make a few requests and the Kansas City Chiefs definitely took advantage of that this year. For the most part, the requests tend to stay between the team and the league, but that’s not the case with Kansas City. 

Chiefs president Mark Donovan has revealed two of the scheduling requests that his team has made for 2026, so let’s take a look at them and then break down whether the league will grant the Chiefs their wishes. 

Chiefs want to play in Spain

The Atlanta Falcons will be the home team for this year’s game in Spain and the Chiefs want to be the visiting team, something they’ve emphasized in communications with the NFL. “We’ve been very open and aggressive with the league — as we have been since the beginning — that we want to play in Spain this year,” Donovan said, via the Kansas City Star. “We think it would be a great market, game [and] matchup.”

There are two things working in Kansas City’s favor here. For one, the Chiefs have marketing rights in Spain. Kansas City is one of just three teams that has marketing rights in the country along with the Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears. The NFL played in Spain for the first time ever last year and the Dolphins played in that game, so it would make some sense to send Kansas City this year. 

The other thing working in the Chiefs’ favor is that they’re scheduled to play on the road against Atlanta this year. Since the Falcons will be hosting the game, it will come against one of the teams on their home schedule, which consists of the Panthers, Saints, Buccaneers, Bears, Lions, 49ers, Ravens, Bengals and Chiefs. Divisional games usually don’t get moved to Europe and if you throw in the fact that the Lions and 49ers already have international games scheduled, that leaves just four realistic options (Bears, Ravens, Bengals, Chiefs). The Ravens are reportedly playing in Brazil this year against the Cowboys, and if that’s the case, that would eliminate them, so then we’re down to three options, so the Chiefs have to like their chances in that scenario. 

On the other hand, there’s also a chance the NFL could deny the Chiefs’ request. As we just mentioned, Chicago is also an option to play the Falcons in Madrid and the Bears also have marketing rights in Spain, so the NFL could certainly end up sending them to the Spanish capital instead of the Chiefs. 

And then there’s the Bengals, who seem to be a wild card candidate. If the NFL doesn’t want to upset the Bears or Chiefs, who both have marketing rights, they could send a team that doesn’t have marketing rights. In this case, that would be Cincinnati, which is something the league is considering, according to Mike North, the NFL’s Vice President of Broadcast Planning. Joe Burrow wanted to play in Spain last year and the league definitely took notice of it. 

“He’s been vocal about it. I remember he was pretty disappointed last year when you guys didn’t go,” North said recently in an interview with Bengals.com. “I think that’s a real possibility for the Bengals this year. …. Certainly, they’re a candidate to go play Washington in London, certainly a candidate to go play Atlanta in Madrid.”

The Chiefs have played at least one international game in two of the past three seasons with a game in Germany (2023) and a game in Brazil (2025) and they could add to that total this year. 

VERDICT: Don’t book your ticket to Spain just yet if you’re a Chiefs fan. 

Chiefs want to play on Christmas

The Chiefs have played on Christmas for three straight seasons, and now, they want to make it four in a row. 

“We’d love to play on Christmas,” Donovan said, via ESPN. “We respect that the league wants to spread it around. We get it. Right now, we expect to be in a lot of prime-time games. We’ve made it pretty clear that our preference is to play at home on Christmas.” 

This is one request that the Chiefs probably have a good chance of getting, especially with Christmas falling on a Friday this year. We already know there will be three games on Dec. 25 this year, which means that the NFL will need six teams to fill the Christmas schedule. With the holiday falling on a Friday, some teams might he hesitant to volunteer for a game due to the short week, so this could be a spot where the NFL gives the Chiefs what they want. 

Last year, the Chiefs actually asked the league if they could play on Christmas every year, but the NFL shot that idea down. In the short term, though, the Chiefs make sense. This could be Travis Kelce’s final season and featuring him in a Christmas game with his new wife Taylor Swift in attendance — they’re expected to be married this summer — seems like something the NFL would give some serious consideration to. 

VERDICT: Chiefs probably get their Christmas wish fulfilled. 

One more note: Chiefs likely won’t open against the Seahawks

Seattle will be hosting the opening game of the NFL season and the Chiefs are a candidate to play in the game, but don’t look for that to happen. 

Owner Clark Hunt said the league likely won’t tab the Chiefs to play in that Wednesday game since’t it’s not yet clear if Patrick Mahomes would be available for the Sept. 9 game. “I don’t think that’s on the table anymore,” Hunt said. “I think from a league standpoint, there would be some concern whether [Patrick Mahomes] would be ready to go.”

Mahomes tore his ACL back in December and although he’s aiming for a Week 1 return, there’s no guarantee that’s going to happen, and as Hunt said, the league wouldn’t want to risk the chance of scheduling the Chiefs in a such a high-profile game if there’s a chance that Mahomes might not play. 

With the Chiefs out of contention, the means Seattle will face one of the following teams in Week 1: The Cowboys, Giants, Bears, Chargers, Patriots or Cardinals. The 49ers and Rams also play in Seattle this year, but they’re out of the running for the Week 1 game since they’ll be facing each other in Australia. 

UEFA Champions League knockout round action moves into the quarterfinal stage with the first legs taking place on Tuesday, April 7 and Wednesday, April 8. One of those quarterfinal matchups features Sporting CP from Portugal’s Primeira Liga taking on Arsenal from the English Premier League. These sides last met in the 2022-23 UCL Round of 16 and Sporting CP advanced, defeating Arsenal 5-3 on penalties in the second leg after the aggregate score finished at 3-3 in regulation across the two legs.

Kickoff from Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon is set for 3 p.m. ET and soccer fans can stream the action live on Paramount+. Arsenal are -130 road favorites on the 90-minute money line in the latest Sporting vs. Arsenal odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, while the hosts are +360 underdogs. A draw is priced at +280 while the total is set at 2.5 (Over -110, Under -115). Before locking in your wagers for Sporting CP vs. Arsenal in Tuesday’s UCL quarterfinal first leg, you should see what SportsLine soccer expert Martin Green is betting for the game.

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After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper and has covered the game worldwide. Last year, Green was profitable in multiple areas on his soccer betting picks, including Euro qualifying (+6.30 units), EFL Cup (+4.47), FA Cup (+3.07) and Champions League (+3.05), among others. Anyone who follows him could be way up.    

Here are Green’s best bets and analysis for Sporting CP vs. Arsenal on Tuesday, April 7.

Sporting CP vs. Arsenal best bets

• Arsenal money line (-130): 1u
• Viktor Gyokeres anytime goalscorer (+200): 0.5u

Arsenal should be too strong for Sporting Lisbon when the teams clash in the Portuguese capital on Tuesday. The Gunners finished at the top of the Champions League table after winning all eight of their group stage games. They beat elite rivals like Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid and Inter Milan, cementing their status as one of Europe’s best teams. Arsenal have had a wobble in recent weeks, losing to Manchester City and Southampton in cup competitions, but they should return to winning ways on Tuesday. They thumped Sporting Lisbon 5-1 on the road last season, which highlighted the gulf in quality between these teams.

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Raya’s return should boost Arsenal

Two weeks ago, pundits were debating whether Arsenal could complete an historic quadruple this season. The Gunners are nine points clear of Man City at the top of the Premier League table and they were going strong in three other competitions. However, those dreams have gone up in smoke. The Gunners suffered a 2-0 defeat to Man City in the EFL Cup final and they then lost 2-1 to Southampton in the FA Cup quarterfinal on Saturday evening. They are now chasing just two trophies, but they still have a strong chance of winning silverware this season. The Gunners are priced at -1400 with some sportsbooks to win the Premier League, and they’re still the outright favorites to win the Champions League too. Those defeats to Man City and Southampton had one common denominator: Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Arsenal’s backup goalkeeper plays in cup competitions and has endured a disastrous couple of weeks. He dropped the ball onto Nico O’Reilly‘s head in the EFL Cup final, gifting Man City a goal, and his distribution was poor throughout the game. He then delivered another error-strewn display against Southampton, making his defenders jittery throughout. Normal service should be resumed when first-choice goalkeeper David Raya returns to the starting XI against Sporting Lisbon. He’s vastly superior to Arrizabalaga, having won the last two Premier League Golden Glove awards.

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A homecoming for Gyokeres

Viktor Gyökeres was powerless to stop Arsenal thrashing Sporting Lisbon 5-1 in the Champions League last season. The Swedish striker scored 54 goals in 52 games for Sporting, but he didn’t have much joy against Arsenal’s formidable defense. Yet the Gunners were clearly impressed, as they signed him for an initial fee of £55 million ($73 million) last summer. He hasn’t been quite as prolific for Arsenal but he’s starting to find his feet in England. Gyökeres has scored 17 goals in 43 games for Arsenal this season, and he was on target in their defeat to Southampton on Saturday. He also fired in four goals in two matches for Sweden during the recent international break, which should boost his confidence. He’ll now head back to his former club with a point to prove.

Gyökeres could be the man to put Sporting to the sword on Tuesday. They’ve regressed slightly since selling him and they currently trail Porto by five points at the top of the Portuguese league table. Sporting finished seventh in the Champions League group stage with five wins from eight games before beating Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt in the Round of 16. They lost 3-0 in Norway, but they won the second leg 3-0, and it went to extra time. Late goals from Maximiliano Araújo and Rafael Nel then clinched a famous 5-3 aggregate win. That should boost their confidence, but Arsenal still look superior to Sporting.

The Gunners were missing several key players against Southampton and manager Mikel Arteta should field a stronger starting XI on Tuesday. Gabriel Magalhães, Piero Hincapié and Noni Madueke could miss out, while Eberechi Eze and Mikel Merino are definitely missing. Yet Jurriën Timber, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard could all return. Martin Ödegaard has also shaken off an injury, while Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Max Dowman and Gabriel Martinelli are all available in attack. Sporting are missing a few key players too. Fotis Ioannidis, Geovany Quenda and Nuno Santos are all injured, captain Morten Hjulmand is suspended and Luis Guilherme is doubtful. Luis Suarez and Trincão will be dangerous in attack but if Arsenal play anywhere near their best, they should get the better of Sporting.