The final game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament has arrived, and the college basketball world will set its sights on Indianapolis on Monday night for a fantastic finale as No. 1 seed Michigan takes on No. 2 seed UConn for the national championship. With 70 combined wins on the season, both teams have been among the top picks to compete for a title throughout much of the season and now get 40 minutes to fulfill that destiny. 

For Dusty May and Michigan, a win would be a warning sign to the sport of what’s to come from the Wolverines under his watch. A Michigan program operating at peak efficiency can be among the most disruptive forces in a college basketball landscape that can often get familiar with its main characters. But teams like Houston, Florida, Duke, Arizona, Kansas or Purdue aren’t the ones still playing, and you get the feeling looking at how Michigan has navigated this quick turnaround under may that it has already jumped up into a tier to be taken seriously on a regular basis. A win would also snap a 26-year title drought for the Big Ten, which has not seen a current member win it all since Michigan State in 2000 (interestingly enough, in Indianapolis). 

But the one main character of college basketball who is still playing, and stands in the way of that break through for Michigan and the Big Ten, is UConn. 

Dan Hurley is pursuing his third ring in four years and the program is on the cusp of claiming its seventh national championship since 1999. That would leave UConn with the third-most titles all-time trailing only UCLA (11) and Kentucky (8). And it should be noted that the Huskies have won all seven of their championships since UCLA won its most recent in 1995. 

Yet this UConn team which exemplifies elite performance in the NCAA Tournament finds itself as an underdog in the national title game, a stage where the Huskies have yet to lose. That speaks to the greatness of Michigan and how well-constructed, well-rounded and well-coached the Wolverines have been all season and in this tournament. 

The health status of key players for both teams threatened to throw a wrench into the matchup. Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg was injured during the first half of the Wolverines’ national semifinal win against Arizona, but he returned to action and has indicated his plans to play in the title game after receiving treatment on his knee and ankle between games. UConn also has a major injury to note with Solo Ball suffering a foot injury in the win against Illinois. Ball was seen with a boot during media availability on Sunday, however neither player was listed on their school’s NCAA initial player availability report indicating thy will play in Monday’s game. For title contenders the phrase “next man up” becomes crucial to the pursuit of a title, but which team can get the most from its walking wounded or can supplement their production will have an edge in a game that could be decided at the margins. 

Now that the stage is set let’s get into the picks. Since we have been in the habit of offering multiple picks from full tournament slates in this series, there are going to be multiple angles to entertain for this single game left in the 2025-26 season. But in addition to thoughts on the spread and the total, we have included more a traditional approach with straight up and against the spread selections via our Expert Picks panel. 

National Championship preview: Key trends to know ahead of the Michigan vs. UConn NCAA Tournament title clash

Isaac Trotter

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(1) Michigan vs. (2) UConn 

8:49 p.m. on TBS | March Madness Live 

The math says Michigan but the mood says UConn finds a way. The Huskies’ resilience through injuries and deficits throughout this tournament echoes the call of Dan Hurley for his teams to show the heart of a champion in the postseason. The Huskies are going to face a tough foe in Michigan’s front line, but they are coming into the game after facing another team with size in Illinois and passing the test. In fact, UConn’s tournament run has included three single-digit seeds from the Big Ten with Michigan being the fourth, and the Huskies had a strong showing defensively against all three teams. The key for UConn will be to get down into those final minutes within a couple of possessions, because if this pack of dogs smells blood they are going to be ready to deliver in crunch time. Michigan could win this thing by 10-15 points in a coronation moment for Dusty May and the Big Ten, but if it’s close I like the Huskies to not just cover the spread but close it out by cutting down nets. 

As for the total points scored, the trends do favor lower-scoring games by the time we get to Monday night’s national championship. The under has gone 6-2 in the last eight national title games, which might be as much of a reflection on late-round fatigue as it is the football stadium setting of the Final Four. But here the reasoning is focused far more on the matchup, where as we mentioned earlier UConn has had some great game plans and execution three of its last four tournament opponents and Michigan has been absolutely stifling in its recent wins against Tennessee in the Elite Eight and Arizona in the Final Four. Any kind of shooting regression for UConn from 3-point range will lower output after the Huskies knocked down 12 3-pointers against Illinois, and of course any limitation for Yaxel Lendeborg lowers Michigan’s offensive ceiling as well.    Picks: UConn ML +240, Under 144.5

Former Chelsea winger Joe Cole has responded to Chelsea being drawn against Leeds United in the FA Cup semi finals.

The Blues smashed Port Vale 7-0 at the weekend to go through to the semi finals of the competition, alongside Manchester City, Leeds, and Southampton.

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Chelsea have had a very favourable road to Wembley so far, and many will see this still as a pretty decent draw even though it is against Premier League opposition. They’ve managed to avoid Manchester City, and other than City, it looks like a really good chance for Chelsea to get silverware.

Leeds and Chelsea is a historic match, with a real rivalry between the two sides dating back to the 70s. There has been some nasty encounters between the two sides, so this is being billed as a mouth-watering semi final clash.

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Cole’s reaction to the tie

Joe Cole doing punditry for TNT Sports. (Photo by Eddie Keogh/Getty Images)

In comments picked up by The Chelsea Chronicle, Joe Cole instantly responded with “ooh, that is feisty, 1970”, briefly mentioning the final 56 years ago on TNT Sports.

I certainly expect it to be another feisty one, with both sides being up for it, or at least I hope Chelsea will be up for it.

In other news today…

After recent injury struggles, Chelsea attacker Cole Palmer says he is feeling much better now in news that will be very nice to hear for Blues fans. Palmer wore the captains armband for the club at the weekend, and they need him fit and firing.

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Palmer also says the 7-0 thrashing of Port Vale on Saturday night will give everyone a much needed lift going into a crucial run of games for the rest of the season.

If you enjoy Chelsea News coverage and want to see more of it, add us as a preferred source on Google to make us a favourite and see more of our content.

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Enthusiasm is jacked for the Minnesota Vikings in the 2026 NFL Draft, mainly because the franchise found a quarterback in Kyler Murray, the previously poor-drafting general manager has been removed from his chair, and the club has nine picks to spend. Nevertheless, like every year, a few nightmare scenarios lurk.

Several draft outcomes would leave Minnesota in a much worse spot after Round 1.

From bad to awful, consider the following list a worst-case scenario compilation for the Vikings at the end of the month.

A Handful of Draft Outcomes Could Go Sideways for Minnesota

How livid would you be if these events transpired?

Drafting an OT

Would it be fundamentally terrible to select an offensive tackle in Round 1? No, not at all. That spot is a premium position.

However, Minnesota jumping into a bed with Round 1 offensive tackle would forebodingly suggest a grim fate for Christian Darrisaw’s ACL. If the Vikings need a new tackle, it would mean they don’t trust Darrisaw for the long haul — or that Brian O’Neill’s days are numbered.

Picking an OT is not a popular sentiment right now in the mock-draft community, but it would cause head-scratches among fans if it came to fruition.

Reaching for a Round 2 Player

A dirty little secret about last year’s draft for the Vikings? Their 1st-Rounder, Donovan Jackson, lived at No. 39 on the Consensus Big Board, and Minnesota drafted him at No. 24. While the working theory suggests the Houston Texans would’ve grabbed Jackson via the following pick after Minnesota, it still reached for a guy that most draft heads pegged as a 2nd-Rounder.

Jackson has worked out so far in Minnesota, and nobody really regrets the pick. But reaching for 2nd-Rounders should not be the new normal.

For example, if you hear on Thursday, April 23rd, “With the 18th pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select …. cornerback Chris Johnson, San Diego State,” that will mean Minnesota picked the draft’s 42nd-best player on the Consensus Big Board at No. 18.

That’s not the ideal scenario.

An example: in March, A to Z Sports‘ Tyler Forness mock-drafted Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen to Minnesota, explaining, “Linebacker isn’t at the top of the needs for the Vikings across the board, but it’s one long-term need. They don’t have a linebacker signed to the roster after the 2026 season, with Blake Cashman set to be a free agent. Allen has all of the ability to thrive in Brian Flores’ defense and can be eased into the role.”

Allen is a fine prospect, but picking him 18th is a reach.

Trading Too Far Down

On the other hand, while trading down with a team at No. 18 might be smart — the Vikings can probably get a 2nd-Rounder or 3rd-Rounder by moving down 10-15 spots — they must avoid getting too cute.

For instance, a trade down to No. 28 is fine. Let’s do it. A trade down to No. 45 is not good business. Interim general manager Rob Brzezinski must thread the needle if he trades down, adding another Top 100 pick but still staying in Round 1 or at the Top of Round 2.

There’s a risk of stockpiling five or six players from the draft’s Top 10 — but not landing a blue-chip 1st-Rounder.

The Lewis Cine trade from four years ago is a good (bad?) recent example.

Our Brevan Bane wrote this week, “It is my belief that the Vikings should double-up in the secondary with their first two selections. They also hold the 49th overall selection in the second round, where someone like D’Angelo Ponds or Chris Johnson could be available.”

“Corners are very hard to predict, as we thought there would be plenty taken in the first round last year, when in reality, there were only 2.5 (.5 being Travis Hunter) taken. The first true CB, Jahdae Barron, wasn’t taken until pick 20 by Denver.”

Drafting Ty Simpson at No. 18

The Vikings don’t need a quarterback from this draft. They just don’t.

Some, like former NFLer Chase Daniel, have suggested that Minnesota should take a flyer on Simpson in Round 1, even if Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy are attached to the roster. Daniel is wrong; Murray and McCarthy are enough for Minnesota to determine in 2026 if it has a franchise quarterback.

Additionally, the upcoming draft class stinks for quarterback talent, and if Murray and McCarthy don’t pan out, the 2027 draft class is much deeper at the position. The Vikings shouldn’t reach for a quarterback just because McCarthy hasn’t fully blasted off yet.

In fact, there’s a decent chance that Murray plays so well that the franchise considers him the quarterback for the long haul.

The Freedman brothers duo reclaimed the spotlight in the winner’s stall during day one of The Championships at Randwick, with Profoundly enhancing her Australian Oaks bid via success in the Adrian Knox Stakes.

Under Michael Freedman’s care, the filly who placed in her latest Kembla Grange Classic is jointly owned by brother Lee, a Hall of Fame figure who sourced her for $65,000 at the sales, managed her initial breaking-in, before joining Michael’s Gold Coast operation last July.

“I bought her when I was training for $65,000,” Lee Freedman said.

“Then when I turned it up, I was looking for a good trainer, and my brother rang me.

“I was really happy that the form from Kembla worked out, because a lot of people were saying it was slowly run and it wouldn’t be good form.

“But I just knew that this filly had improvement to come, and we’d never run her over a mile-and-a-quarter. All she wanted to do was stay.”

With Tommy Berry in the saddle, Profoundly at $5 stormed home to win by 2-1/4 lengths from $3 favourite Soverato, Satono Invader ($51) 1-1/4 lengths adrift in third.

Michael Freedman eyes a swift return to Randwick for the Group 1 Oaks (2400m) in seven days with the Adrian Knox Stakes (2000m) champion, pending a positive week.

“Why not? I think we’ll be here next week,” Michael Freedman said.

Heightening the win’s appeal is Profoundly’s use of the Freedman family racing colours – red with purple sash, white sleeves, purple cap – immortalised by stars including 1992 Melbourne Cup winner Subzero, 1994 Golden Slipper hero Danzero and 2003 Caulfield Cup winner Mummify.

Berry is set to continue with Profoundly for the Oaks, assured by her breathing and recovery.

“She is a very clean-winded filly. She pulled up lovely then,” Berry said.

“She spends no petrol in the run, and she does it without any effort.”

Profoundly advanced to second in the Australian Oaks betting at $4.50, following New Zealand classic winner Ohope Wins at $2.20.

Discover competitive racing betting markets for the Australian Oaks featuring Profoundly.

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) made a spectacular start with the ball in their second IPL 2026 clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Sunday, and their owner Sanjiv Goenka’s happiness was there for everyone to see. Veteran pacer Mohammed Shami dismissed the dangerous SRH opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head cheaply, and Prince Yadav clean bowled Ishan Kishan to leave SRH tottering at 11/3. Sanjiv Goenka, watching on from the stands, appeared to thank the heavens as LSG made the perfect start.

LSG suffered defeat in their opening game of the season against Delhi Capitals. As a result, their sensational start against SRH must have been a relief for Goenka.

Fans on the internet were also quick to point out Goenka’s reaction, which came in the fourth over after Prince Yadav dismissed Ishan Kishan.

MOST HAPPIEST MAN LSG OWNER SANJIV GOENKA pic.twitter.com/CJB6N5R0Yk

— Ravi (@RaviWritess) April 5, 2026

Prayers worked

Sanjiv Goenka celebrates as Lucknow Super Giants rattle Sunrisers Hyderabad top order early! pic.twitter.com/ik7LWstW8Y

— (@imGauravsingh96) April 5, 2026

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SRH vs LSG, IPL 2026: As it happened

Mohammed Shami’s figures of 2/9 and an unbeaten 68 by skipper Rishabh Pant led Lucknow Super Giants to a tense five-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL on Sunday.

Pace bowler Shami’s inspirational opening spell had Hyderabad tottering at 26/4 before the home team reached 156/9 at the Uppal stadium.

Lucknow started strongly but wobbled in the middle phase before the left-handed Pant kept calm to steer the team home with one ball to spare for their first win of the season in two matches.

Aiden Markram’s 45 off 27 balls set up the chase but Lucknow lost quick wickets including impact substitute Ayush Badoni, stumped for 12, and Nicholas Pooran, run out for one.

Needing nine off the final over, Pant, a wicketkeeper-batter, hit three fours including the winning boundary off Jaydev Unadkat.

Shami stood out after he took down Hyderabad’s dangerous openers Abhishek Sharma, for a duck, and Travis Head, for seven, on successive balls in his first two overs.

He had Sharma caught at short third off the last delivery of his opener and Head then taken at mid-off from the first ball of his second over.

With AFP inputs

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IPL 2026: One Trophy, Ten Teams – Who Writes History?

J.J. Spaun had a dream season in 2025. But for the first few months of his follow-up campaign, things looked more like a nightmare.

Through seven starts entering this week, Spaun had made just three cuts, with a T24 finish standing as his high-water mark. His strokes-gained metrics had declined across the board, and his putting was so poor that he ranked among the 10 worst on Tour.

At TPC San Antonio, none of that mattered.

Spaun, playing this week as a final tune-up before the Masters, fired a final-round 67 to win the Valero Texas Open by one shot over Matt Wallace, Michael Kim and Robert MacIntyre. The victory marked Spaun’s second at the Texas Open (he also won in 2022) and the third of his PGA Tour career.

“I haven’t been in the form I wanted based on last season,” Spaun said. “It means a lot to come back and win here at a place that’s been so good to me.”

Returning to a course filled with positive memories proved to be the spark he needed. At the Players, Spaun recorded his best finish of the season to that point with a T24. He missed the cut the following week at the Valspar, but a return to the familiar setting of the Texas Hill Country seemed to bring something out of him.

After opening with back-to-back rounds of 69, Spaun surged over the weekend in soggy conditions. With play suspended midway through his third round on Saturday, he returned early Sunday morning to complete a six-under 66, putting himself firmly in contention. When the final round began, he kept the momentum rolling, carding four birdies and an eagle en route to a five-under 67 to claim the clubhouse lead. When none of the contenders on the course could track him down, the burden of his nightmare start had finally been lifted.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself at the start of the year, and a lot of expectations,” Spaun said. “It’s the complete opposite of the mantra I had all year last year that really helped me, so I tried to get back to that. Went into the last few weeks starting at The Players just trying to be freed up and put less pressure on myself. It’s been trying, but sticking to that mantra has really helped me.”

With the win, Spaun earns a custom pair of cowboy boots and a $1.76 million paycheck. More importantly, he heads to Augusta for the Masters in his best form of the season — and you can’t put a price tag on that.

Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan (Agency Image)

A small but telling moment involving Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan caught the eye during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s dominant win over Chennai Super Kings at the Chinnaswamy. As Sarfaraz walked back after a blazing knock, Kohli called out to him amid the noise of the crowd. When the CSK batter turned around, Kohli applauded and gave him a thumbs-up, acknowledging an innings that briefly brought life into an otherwise struggling chase. Sarfaraz had taken charge when CSK were in deep trouble. Reduced to 30 for 3 inside the first three overs while chasing 251, the visitors were staring at an early collapse. It was then that he counterattacked with intent, finding boundaries consistently and racing to a 25-ball fifty. His effort helped CSK reach 77 by the end of the powerplay, offering a glimmer of hope. However, the momentum did not last long. Sarfaraz was dismissed on the first ball after the powerplay, stumped off Krunal Pandya by Jitesh Sharma, ending a crucial stand just when CSK needed him to carry on. Earlier in the evening, RCB had set up the match with a commanding batting display. Kohli and Phil Salt gave them a steady start before Devdutt Padikkal took charge with a fluent half-century. The innings then exploded at the death, with skipper Rajat Patidar and Tim David unleashing a relentless assault, adding 99 runs in just 35 balls to propel RCB to 250 for 3. In response, CSK never fully recovered from the early blows delivered by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jacob Duffy. Contributions from Prashant Veer and Jamie Overton helped them cross 200, but the target remained well out of reach as they were bowled out for 207 in 19.4 overs, slumping to their third straight defeat. While RCB sealed a comprehensive 43-run win, it was Kohli’s gesture towards Sarfaraz that stood out, a moment of appreciation in the middle of a high-intensity contest.

Bernardo Silva’s glittering Manchester City career appears to have entered its final few weeks.

However, it could yet end with silverware after City were paired with Sky Bet Championship Southampton in the FA Cup semi-finals, with Leeds facing Chelsea in the other tie.

The Saints’ quarter-final victims Arsenal will look to ease their cup heartache when they return to Champions League action against Sporting Lisbon this week.

No Silva lining for Bernardo?

Bernardo Silva is set to leave Manchester City this summer, assistant manager Pep Lijnders has indicated.

The Portugal midfielder, who has won six Premier League titles, the Champions League, two FA Cups and five Carabao Cups in a 450-appearance City career, is in the final year of his contract and his future has been the subject of speculation throughout the current season.

Lijnders appeared to confirm the 31-year-old’s imminent departure while carrying out media duties on behalf of manager Pep Guardiola after Saturday’s FA Cup win over Liverpool.

The Dutchman, responding to a question about how City might replace him, said: “Every good story comes to an end and I hope he enjoys the last months – because there is only six weeks – and has a good farewell. He deserves all the attention as well.”

Saints get City draw

Southampton’s reward for dumping Premier League leaders Arsenal out of the FA Cup is a semi-final showdown with City.

The Championship promotion hopefuls, who beat the Gunners 2-1 on Saturday evening, were paired with Guardiola’s men in Sunday’s draw.

Leeds will face Chelsea in the other semi-final after a dramatic conclusion to their quarter-final clash with West Ham.

The West Yorkshire club led 2-0 at the London Stadium, but saw the hosts score twice in added time to take it to an extra 30 minutes, only for the visitors to eventually triumph 4-2 on penalties and claim a place in the last four for the first time since 1987.

The ties will be played on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26 at Wembley.

Arsenal gunning for Sporting Lisbon

Christian Norgaard has urged Arsenal not to dwell their shock FA Cup exit as the Premier League leaders look to bounce back in the Champions League.

Mikel Arteta’s men were dumped out by the Saints on Saturday evening as substitute Shea Charles’ late strike compounded their Carabao Cup final loss to Manchester City a fortnight ago.

The Gunners will attempt to get back to winning ways in Lisbon in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Sporting, before the runaway league leaders host Bournemouth in a key game on Saturday.

Experienced midfielder Norgaard said: “The message is to have a positive body language, to talk with your team-mates, with the coaching staff.

“Now is not the time to go with our heads down for too long. It’s fine to be frustrated tonight and also tomorrow to analyse what went wrong, but then we also have to look forward because there are so many big games coming up for this club.”

What’s on today?

The focus is on the Sky Bet Championship on Easter Monday with leaders Coventry looking to defend their 11-point lead over Millwall when they head for play-off contenders Hull.

The Lions, who climbed into the automatic promotion places after their Good Friday victory at top-two rivals Middlesbrough, host Norwich, while Boro travel to Swansea and fourth-placed Ipswich are at home to Birmingham.

At the other end of the table, Leicester and Oxford will attempt to climb out of the bottom three with away games at Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth respectively.