HOUSTON — Illinois coach Brad Underwood got the traditional honors of the final snip of the scissors cutting down the nets in the Toyota Center after Illinois’ 71-59 win against Iowa to win the South Regional title and secure a spot in next weekend’s Final Four. He climbed to the top of the ladder, cut the net and took a moment to celebrate the achievement. Not as a moment that cements decades of ladder-climbing through the coaching ranks with decades in junior college and as a mid-major assistant, but as a moment for Illinois. 

For the first time since 2005, Illinois is headed to the Final Four. And just like that group which was led by Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head, this year’s Fighting Illini have a group with undeniable chemistry and resilience. It’s a group that the Illinois fans similarly adore, and so when Underwood paused at the top of the ladder, net in hand, he turned to both sides of an orange-clad lower bowl let them in on the celebration with a couple hearty “I-L-L” calls. 

“One of the most fulfilling moments personally that I just had was standing on the ladder with the net, and then seeing our fans,” Underwood said still soaking wet from yet another Super Soaker battle with his team in the locker room celebration. “That wasn’t about me. That was about our fans, and that was about what’s probably going on in Champaign right now, because that’s what you believe this to be.” 

Earlier in his career, Underwood told an staffer that being at Illinois was his “dream job.” His wife bought his son, Tyler, who is now an assistant on the team, a Brian Cook jersey when he was two years old. He’s been intimately aware of what Illinois can be, and how badly Illini fans want to embrace a big-time winner. 

“I don’t want to sound arrogant,” Underwood said. “I’ve never doubted us getting to a Final Four would happen, I have thought we have had other teams capable. But I also know how doggone hard it is to do it. For that, I just say thank you. I say thank you to everybody involved. And I’m going to get emotional, but I’ve been doing this 39 years, and you dream about this as a kid, and I dreamt about doing it at Illinois.”

Saturday’s win against Iowa is a true “program win” for a group that has been as adaptable to the modern times as anyone in college basketball. Underwood and his staff are utilizing European connections and the transfer portal while also remaining true to traditional methods of roster building with high school recruiting and player development. Every box is checked with this 2026 team in terms of how they arrived at Illinois, but once they did get together for the first time it did not take long for them to gel into the lovable Final Four-bound squad that’s now two wins away from the school’s first-ever national championship. 

A freshman star that makes the right plays 

Keaton Wagler had a game-high 25 points in the win vs. Iowa and was named the South Regional’s Most Outstanding Player. It’s yet another honor to go with the All-Big Ten and All-American and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors that have come from a stunning debut for a player who was a four-star prospect but ranked outside the top 100 in his recruiting class. Underwood knew quickly in the recruiting process that Wagler would be a difference-maker for the program based on the way he played. 

Interestingly enough, Wagler only scored two points the first time Underwood came to see him live in high school. Yet the Illinois coach couldn’t wait to call his son and assistant coach, Tyler, to rave about what he had just seen. See, Underwood’s relationship with Wagler’s AAU coach, Victor Williams, clued him into what an undersized guard out of Kansas could be at the next level. 

“The night before he had had 36. The night I went to see him he had two,” Underwood said. “They blitzed him, they got it out of his hand, but he made every right play, he was not selfish, he was not a pig, he wasn’t trying to force things. He just let the game come to him. Very, very mature as a senior in high school when you’re the guy. And he just played the game. 

“And so I felt great about it. Did I know a 178-pound kid coming in was going to be this? I didn’t. To be the South Region MVP and an All-American is, you know, I would be lying. I’m proud as heck of him, because no one works harder than him, and no one’s a better human being than him.” 

You could see on film that Wagler could shoot it well and had skills that could translate, but the intangibles of how he handled adversity offset any of the concerns about his size that may have led to him being overlooked by other top programs. Whether it’s recruiting out of high school, recruiting overseas or recruiting out of the transfer portal, a competitive spirit and the ability to handle adversity are timeless X-factors still valued as Illinois’ builds its rosters. 

Unruly horn causes 11-minute delay in Illinois vs. Iowa Elite Eight game inside Houston’s Toyota Center

David Cobb

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Tapping in to a European connection 

It’s taken years, but Illinois has truly established a pipeline to Europe that has helped lead a run at a national championship. It’s a great marriage of styles for how Underwood wants to coach, utilizing positional side and great shooting that has come with many of the players who’ve come through in recent years. He credits the work of assistants Geoff Alexander and Orlando Antigua for building those relationships overseas, but also using NIL resources to help enhance their ability to attract top talent. 

“I’m a spoke in the wheel,” Antigua said Saturday night in the celebration, deflecting the credit Underwood was handing out earlier. “It’s an unbelievable program, we’ve got a lot to sell, and [Underwood] has allowed us to go do what we do.” 

Antigua was interrupted in the moment, mobbed by Tomislav Ivisic who jumped in with a surprise bear hug and a loud “Que Pasa?!?”

All those years of making connections overseas and establishing those relationships with players and coaches in Europe is starting to pay dividends. Any school can try to offer NIL money to a skilled player abroad to bring them to the program, but the relationship-building is how you know what kind of player you are adding when it comes ot the team chemistry. 

This year’s team obviously has David Mirkovic (Montenegro) and the Ivisic brothers Tomislav and Zvonimir (Croatia), but the success also includes Second team All-Big Ten forward and NBA Draft pick Kasparas Jakucionis (Lithuania). Underwood said  they plan to continue looking overseas for talent, noting that it’s a great fit for Illinois but “not for everybody.”  

“They fit our university,” Underwood said. “We’re a diverse university with a lot of international students, so it’s a perfect fit for them. Basketball-wise it’s a great fit for me, and I like coaching them. The way we’re playing with positional size and shooting, it’s just — it’s a great marriage and a great fit. So we’ll continue it.”

How the pieces fit together 

With college basketball being transient and transactional, every season is filled with teams who spend spend resources on their roster construction only to find the pieces don’t fit together. Illinois is blessed with a resource advantage that comes from its commitment to basketball success and the revenue machine that is life in the Big Ten, but not every Big Ten team that spends finds itself having the kind of consistent success that Underwood has established as the standard in Champaign. 

To make sure he was getting the right personalities, Underwood leaned on his players that knew the program best. Tomislav Ivisic was a big key, he said, as was Kylan Boswell in getting background on new additions to the squad and helping get those players acclimated to how Illinois runs its program. Guys like Ben Humrichous and Jake Davis, too, who although they started their careers elsewhere have now become pivotal to the chemistry in the locker room as they have opted back in to the program when there were opportunities to transfer elsewhere. 

“I think our chemistry is off the charts. This team, very special on and off the court. We’re a great group of guys,” Davis said on the court at the after cutting his piece of the net. “You couldn’t ask for anything more.” 

And that chemistry travels.. 

On the court as Illinois’ was celebrating the win was Coleman Hawkins, a four-year player who transferred out of the program prior to last year. He was a great player for the Fighting Illini and helped the team make four NCAA Tournaments. Hawkins had a huge smile on his face watching the team take a group picture, and he rushed to grab a photo with his old coach to commemorate the moment. 

“I’m probably different than most coaches. When guys leave for whatever reason, if they have been a part of us, they’re still part of my family,” Underwood said. “He’s a diehard Illinois guy. He comes back every chance he gets. And he’s always welcome.” 

‘We’re coming to win two more games’

When Illinois fans think back to that 2005 team and the run to the national championship game, which is certain to happen often throughout the week leading into next weekend’s events in Indianapolis, they are going to remember a lot that is reflected in this group in 2026. That Fighting Illini team, memorably, stormed back from a double-digit deficit against Arizona in the Elite Eight. This year’s team just flipped the script on Iowa after trailing by 10 points in the first five minutes of its Elite Eight win. That group was also the culmination of years of building across two different coaches, and while this year’s team has four of its top eight players as new additions to the roster the chemistry and competitive standard has been years in the making. 

That 2005 team will no doubt be represented in Indianapolis, but it will also be represented on the court. Because while the makeup of Illinois’ roster is extremely modern and different from the way college basketball was 21 years ago, the chemistry, energy and charm of the 2026 squad has a proud Illinois fan base finally seeing their program climbing back to the top of the sport. 

In a college basketball landscape that’s changing all the time, Brad Underwood has found advantages on the margins of roster construction. With European talent, overlooked diamonds in the rough and program-first players who help set the tone and the culture, Illinois has pulled together a unique group that’s capable of pushing the program to heights it has not seen in decades. But while tonight is filled with Super Soakers and celebrations in Houston and Champaign, the internal drive of this team remains focused. 

“I think last thing I’ll say is I don’t want anybody to think that this is it,” Stojakovic said after the game with a load-bearing certainty in his voice. “We didn’t get to the Final Four just to get there. We’re coming to win two more games and we’ll take it one game at a time.”

Only biological women will be allowed to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics following a landmark decision by the International Olympic Committee banning transgender women and those with differences in sexual development.IOC President Kirsty Coventry said the policy was “led by medical experts.”The IOC used gene testing in the 1980s, but it was abolished in the 1990s.The policy change comes after years of controversy over the participation of transgender and DSD athletes in women’s competition.Selina Sykes has more.

Every year before the NFL Draft, VikingsTerritory updates the lay of the land for the Minnesota Vikings’ roster for youth’s sake. It would be silly to do it after the draft — because obviously most of the newcomers would top the list. So, here’s this year’s edition.

Minnesota still has a young core developing behind its veteran foundation.

The Vikings actually have one of the NFL’s oldest rosters right now; they’ll need to nail the upcoming draft and a few more after that to keep a championship window in place.

A Closer Look at the Freshest Faces on the 2026 Vikings Roster

This article is about the youth.

5. J.J. McCarthy (23)
Birthdate: January 20, 2003

Yes, the fact remains that McCarthy is still quite young, despite entering Year No. 3 in 2026. The man just turned 23; he was a young rookie.

Now, McCarthy will be forced to battle for his job this summer, as the Vikings signed 28-year-old quarterback Kyler Murray, who should have no problems outlasting McCarthy this summer at training camp. The good news for McCarthy? Murray isn’t necessarily a beacon of pristine health. History suggests McCarthy will crack the starting lineup again when Murray goes down.

4. Dallas Turner (23)
Birthdate: February 2, 2003

Turner fired up a wonderful second half of the season in 2025, banking 8 sacks altogether and holding down the fort when Jonathan Greenard suffered a season-ending injury in December.

The 2024 1st-Rounder is so young that he’d be “middle-aged” compared to this year’s rookie EDGE class. That is — if Turner were a rookie in 2026, teams would not consider his age to be old. He has all the time in the world to hone his craft, and all signs point to a breakout campaign in 2026, assuming he gets the reps.

Our Janik Eckardt noted on Turner earlier in the offseason, “If that comfort level continues to grow, Turner could take on an even larger share of pass-rush snaps in 2026, particularly in obvious passing situations where his burst and closing speed are most disruptive. Improved hand usage and counter moves would only raise his ceiling further, turning pressure flashes into more consistent sack production across a full season.”

“In the upcoming season, Turner will once again compete for snaps with his two 2024 Pro Bowl teammates. The good news is that outside linebackers can rotate, and probably should rotate more to keep them fresh. Van Ginkel will turn 31 in the summer and Greenard 29 in May.”

The Vikings traded a king’s ransom in EDGE rusher-speak to get Turner, so he must break out before too long. Otherwise, the trade to get him will look silly.

Eckard added, “Barring a significant surprise, Turner should continue to play a major role in the rotation. He already led the trio in defensive snaps in 2025, with injuries providing him some help.”

“Turner has the physical tools and trajectory to become a foundational piece for the Vikings, making the breakout projection a realistic next step rather than a stretch.”

3. Tai Felton (23)
Birthdate: March 15, 2003

Felton has one thing on his side: age. Minnesota “reached” for him in Round 3 last year; most draft heads had him pegged as a 5th-Round pick. Then, the 2025 season rolled around, and the Vikings hardly used Felton on offense.

Thankfully for his sake, the Vikings let WR3 Jalen Nailor walk via free agency earlier this month, landing with the Las Vegas with an impressive contract. The club currently has no other WR3 options in its roster orbit. It’s just Felton.

He should see more playing time in 2026, so long as Minnesota doesn’t draft a more promising rookie or find a way to get Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers, for example.

2. Gavin Bartholomew (22)
Birthdate: April 30, 2003

Bartholomew did not play in 2025; The 5th-Rounder from last year’s draft missed the whole season with an injury, not an ideal development for a team that desperately must start to connect on draft picks.

However, TE1 T.J. Hockenson is scheduled for just one more season in Minnesota. He’ll be a free agent next March. In theory, Bartholomew can make his case for an enhanced role in 2026 and 2027, now that he’s healthy.

He’s young enough to have a do-over rookie season in 2026.

1. Tyrion Ingram Dawkins (22)
Birthdate: June 26, 2003

The Vikings picked Ingram-Dawkins in Round 5 last year, and he wound up playing about 250 defensive snaps, an impressive amount for a late-round rookie defensive tackle.

He’s also had an accidentally good offseason, with Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave leaving in free agency for new teams. If the 2026 regular season began tonight, Ingram-Dawkins would start for the Vikings.

For the next 3.5 weeks, Ingram-Dawkins is the single youngest player on the purple team’s depth chart.

Manchester United legend David Beckham has hailed Michael Carrick for bringing a calming presence to Old Trafford, saying the last few months have been more comfortable than the last decade

David Beckham has praised Michael Carrick for restoring a sense of calm to Manchester United – something he feels has been absent for a decade. Carrick has triumphed in seven of his 10 fixtures since taking on the interim head coach’s role in January and has built a compelling argument to get the job on a permanent basis this summer.

United faced an uphill task to qualify for the Champions League at the time when Ruben Amorim was dismissed at the beginning of the year, with the squad languishing in sixth place in the Premier League.

Carrick has suffered defeat only once thus far, amassing 23 points from a possible 30 in the league to lift the team up to third as they pursue qualification for next season’s Champions League.

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The former midfielder has made an outstanding impression on the squad and his influence is such that director of football Jason Wilcox and chief executive Omar Berrada have yet to engage in discussions with potential candidates for the permanent role.

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Carrick’s prospects of securing the position grow stronger with each result and Beckham has become the latest high-profile former player to express his admiration.

“Yeah, I must admit, the last few months have been a lot more comfortable than the last 10 years, to be honest. It’s been tough over that time,” Beckham said when asked on talkSPORT if he was surprised by Carrick’s success at United so far.

“But I think Michael’s got experience. I think he’s got a calmness about him that he’s brought into the club. He knows the club. He knows the players. He knows the way Man United play and the way Man United should play.

“And I’ve always liked Michael as a coach. You know, when you look at him, there’s a calmness. There’s, on the side of the pitch, there’s, I don’t want to say elegance because I’m not sure that’s the right thing to say, but there’s an elegance in the way he is, whether it’s the way he celebrates, whether it’s the way he gets angry.

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“You know, all of those things are important in a manager. And I think that the way he’s got the team and brought the team together has been, has been incredible. And I think as a United fan, it’s exactly what we needed.”

Carrick has repeatedly deflected questions regarding securing the role on a permanent basis, remaining firmly focused on the outstanding seven Premier League fixtures, reports the Mirror.

United enjoy a six-point cushion over Liverpool in fifth place and, with no other competitions to contend with, are strong contenders to secure a top-four finish.

United’s leadership installed Carrick on a deal until the end of the campaign, always intending to take their time before settling on a permanent replacement for Amorim.

The club have been linked with Bournemouth head coach Andoni Iraola, Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner and Roberto De Zerbi, formerly of Marseille, along with ex-England boss Gareth Southgate.

England’s 2026 World Cup kits

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A former Manchester United forward, who made over 300 appearances for the club, has been hit with disciplinary action

Life after Manchester United hasn’t been a walk in the park for Anthony Martial.

The Frenchman, who scored 90 goals in 317 appearances for the club, has reportedly been banished from first team training at his current club Monterrey. It came after he threw a strop after being overlooked as a substitute during their clash with Chivas de Guadalajara last weekend.

According to Mexican outlet TUDN, Martial was left fuming when youngster Joaquin Moxica was brought on from the bench instead of him with 15 minutes to go while Monterrey were 3-0 down.

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His angry reaction was spotted by coaching staff, who reported it to manager Nicolas Sanchez. As punishment, Martial was ordered to train away from the main group until the end of the week.

Despite Martial’s protests, the decision proved inspired: Monterrey surged back late on, scoring twice to cut the deficit to 3-2 and set up a tense finish. Ultimately, however, Guadalajara held firm to secure the victory.

It’s perhaps no surprise that Martial was overlooked on Sunday given his struggles in Mexico. Since joining Monterrey last September, the 30-year-old has managed just one goal in 21 appearances.

Martial moved to Old Trafford in 2015 for an initial £36million fee – the highest ever paid for a teenager at the time. With add-ons and bonus clauses – including one now-infamous Ballon d’Or-winning stipulation – the transfer fee could have risen to £57.6m, though United ultimately paid £44.7m.

His career in Manchester started brightly, with Martial scoring against Liverpool on his debut. He went on to net 17 goals in all competitions that season and looked destined to become the focal point of United’s attack.

But managerial changes, fluctuating form and recurring injury problems made consistency elusive. In five of his nine seasons at Old Trafford, Martial’s goal tally remained in single figures. He enjoyed a standout 2019/20 campaign, scoring a career-best 23 goals – but managed just 19 across the four seasons that followed.

Midway through the 2021/22 season he was loaned to Sevilla, having spent much of the campaign warming the bench following the summer arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho. However, he struggled in Spain, scoring just once in 12 appearances.

The curtain was finally brought down on Martial’s United career in 2024 when he left following the end of his contract. He subsequently joined AEK Athens before eventually moving to Monterrey a year later.

The France international had to wait 15 games to open his account for Monterrey, finally doing so against relegation-threatened Mazatlan in a match where he also provided two assists. Since then, however, the goals have dried up again.

Mexico and Portugal ​played out a 0-0 draw at the Estadio Azteca on Saturday in a friendly to mark the stadium’s reopening ahead of the World Cup.

The match doubled as a test event ⁠for the revamped stadium, drawing a festive crowd eager to sample the atmosphere ahead of the June 11 to July 19 global football showpiece, which Mexico is co-hosting with the United States and Canada.

“It’s the best possible scenario, ⁠as I’ve said; to play here, ​you’ve ⁠got to have guts, because the fans are demanding and want to win and see good football,” Mexico coach ⁠Javier Aguirre told reporters.

“The players gave it their all right to ​the ⁠end against Portugal, who are ‌not an easy team. They’re a top-10 side, a really solid team.”

Portugal’s Joao Felix went close in the 14th minute before Goncalo ‌Ramos struck the post midway through the ‌first half.

The visitors continued to look the more dangerous side after the break, with Bruno Fernandes firing just wide.

Tensions briefly flared between Pedro Neto and Jesus Gallardo, ⁠while the introduction of Toluca’s Portuguese striker Paulinho was met with loud cheers from the home crowd.

Mexico almost claimed a late winner through substitute Armando Gonzalez ⁠but the forward’s header went wide.

“I think we had 10 shots on goal, which isn’t far off what we were aiming for,” Portugal coach Roberto Martinez said.

“What isn’t good is the number of shots on target; we lacked accuracy. Success or failure isn’t just about the ‌score. There are many more factors at play these days. ​I think that, after 90 minutes, the team is ‌better prepared for the World ⁠Cup.”

Mexico, who were booed by sections of the crowd ‌at the final ​whistle, face Belgium in another friendly ‌on Tuesday, while Portugal take on ​the United States the same day.

Ahead of the Grand Prix of Alabama, an IndyCar driver walked away from a scary crash that prompted an emergency response.

Scott McLaughlin lost control of his car attempting to make a hard left turn. Commentators estimated he was traveling at least 150 mph at impact.

The car went off course and crashed into the wall, rear end first. 

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Scott McLaughlin, driving the Team Penske Chevrolet during the NTT IndyCar Series’ Children’s Of Alabama Indy Grand Prix March 27, 2026, at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.  (Brett Farmer/Lumen via Getty Images)

A view from inside of McLaughlin’s car showed McLaughin bringing his hands to his head when he began to lose control.

McLaughlin was able to walk away from the wreck on his own.

McLaughlin has seven victories to his name, including two in Alabama in 2023 and 2024. He also finished in third place at the race last year.

Scott McLaughlin during the NTT IndyCar Series Children’s Of Alabama Indy Grand Prix March 27, 2026, at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.  (Michael L. Levitt/Lumen via Getty Images)

LINDSEY VONN KEEPING RETURN TO SKIING ON TABLE DESPITE INJURIES: ‘I DON’T LIKE TO CLOSE THE DOOR ON ANYTHING’

His best finish in the Indy 500 was sixth two years ago after earning the pole position. Last year, he crashed during the pace laps and finished 30th.

Scott McLaughlin during the NTT IndyCar Series Java House Grand Prix of Arlington March 13, 2026, in Arlington, Texas.  (Perry Nelson/Lumen via Getty Images)

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McLaughlin has finished in third in the IndyCar Series twice, doing so in 2023 and 2024. He made his IndyCar Series debut in 2020 at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

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NEW DELHI: Sam Curran has opened up on the groin injury that ruled him out of IPL 2026, admitting the issue had been building for a while before finally forcing a “tough decision” to withdraw.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The England all-rounder, who was set to represent Rajasthan Royals after a trade move, pulled out just ahead of the tournament following the T20 World Cup, where England reached the semi-finals.