Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa kicked off his campaign at the prestigious Candidates Tournament by breaking through the defenses of Dutchman Anish Giri to secure a full point and now shares the lead after the first round with American GM Fabiano Caruana and Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov in Paphos. In an eventful first round, World Cup champion Sindarov showcased his excellent tactical skill to turn the tables on Russia’s Andrey Esipenko, while pre-event favourite Caruana stunned fellow American Hikaru Nakamura. The other game of the eight-player double round-robin tournament between Germany’s Matthias Bluebaum and China’s Wei Yi ended in a stalemate with both players sharing a point.

In the women’s section being held simultaneously, Indian Grandmaster and Women’s World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh drew with Ukraine’s Anna Muzychuk, a last-minute replacement for Koneru Humpy, while R. Vaishali survived some anxious moments before sharing the point with Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva.

It was, in fact, a day of stalemates in the womens’ section as Russia’s Aleksandra Goryachkina drew with compatriot Kateryna Lagno and the all-Chinese clash between Zhu Jiner and Tan Zhongyi also ended in a shared point.

Praggnanandhaa had been struggling in recent months leading up to the Candidates but has now bounced back in style, and Giri, one of the most consistent and solid players on the circuit, was simply no match for him on Saturday.

It was a battle of nerves as the Indian began with the Grand Prix Aatack to challenge Giri’s Sicilian Defense with the black pieces, and whether the opening achieved its intended effect is debatable, but it certainly gave Praggnanandhaa a valuable lead on the clock.

Giri is not used to surprises and while he was resourceful enough in the early middle game and equalised, Praggnanandhaa won a pawn in the ensuing rook-and-minor-pieces endgame.

Giri, running low on time, blundered in a lost rook-and-pawns endgame with a pawn less. The rest was easy for Praggnanandhaa.

But perhaps the most impressive game was played by Caruana who used his white pieces to perfection.

Nakamura was close to levelling the game as the middle game arrived, but the American, who is currently more active as a streamer than as a player, found himself in an opposite-coloured bishops middle game where his bishop was restricted to a passive role.

Caruana sealed the game with precise calculation in the endgame.

The Candidates is being contested in both the Open and Women’s sections to determine the challengers for the next World Championship matches against reigning champions D Gukesh and Ju Wenjun of China.

Results (round 1) Open: R Praggnanandhaa (Ind) beat Anish Giri (Ned); Javokhir Sindarov (Uzb) beat Andrey Esipenko (Rus); Matthias Bluebaum (Ger) drew with Wei Yi (Chn); Fabiano Caruana (USA) beat Hikaru Nakamura (USA).

Women: Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) drew with Kateryna Lagno (Rus); R Vaishali (Ind) drew with Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kaz); Divya Deshmukh (Ind) drew with Anna Muzychuk (Ukr); Jiner Zhu (Chn) drew with Zhongyi Tan (Chn).

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

NEW DELHI: Former India captain Anil Kumble believes a resurgent Rohit Sharma could spell trouble for the rest of the IPL, after the Mumbai Indians opener announced his return in style with a match-winning knock against Kolkata Knight Riders.Rohit smashed a scintillating 78 off just 38 balls to power MI to a six-wicket win in their season opener at the Wankhede Stadium, ending their long-standing jinx of losing the first match of an IPL campaign.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Kumble was particularly struck by the authority and ease with which Rohit dominated quality bowling, calling it a sign of a dangerous new phase in his career.“Rohit Sharma seems to have arrived in his 2.0 avatar, and his innings showed he is ready to dominate again. The way he hit the ball all around the ground reminded me of his prime,” Kumble said on Star Sports.The former India coach highlighted how Rohit made light work of a potent spin attack featuring Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, along with pacer Blessing Muzarabani.“It is not easy to hit sixes against bowlers like Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Blessing Muzarabani, but he made it look easy. He has worked a lot on his fitness… when you come back after a short break, it takes time to find rhythm,” Kumble noted.“This was a fantastic innings… the six-hitting looked easy, and even though the boundaries were small, those shots were going into the stands. This knock shows that Rohit means business and this version of him will worry all IPL teams,” he added.KKR’s spin strategy under scrutinyWhile praising Rohit, Kumble also pointed out tactical lapses from Kolkata Knight Riders, particularly their under-utilisation of key spinners.“KKR are relying too much on Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, and Narine did not even complete his quota, which was surprising. The disappointing part was that Ajinkya Rahane did not bring him on in the Powerplay,” he said.According to Kumble, the delay in introducing Narine proved costly as Mumbai’s openers had already taken control.“By the time Narine came on, the damage was already done… they need to use their resources better. When you have two world-class spinners, you need to use them well,” he added.

Terence Crawford‘s long-term trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre believes there is one man that all other fighters would be wise to avoid sharing the ring with.

For many years Crawford was a fighter who appeared to be avoided himself, before finally landing the big fight he craved when he took on Errol Spence in an undisputed welterweight title showdown in July 2023.

Crawford dominated that bout and claimed a ninth round stoppage win, and that was seen as the biggest win of his career until he stepped up to 168lbs and dethroned Canelo Alvarez to become undisputed super-middleweight champion in September.

That looks set to be the final time ‘Bud’ will step into the ring as he hung up the gloves in December, paving the way for a new fighter to take Crawford’s place and emerge as a superstar of the sport.

Crawford’s well-respected coach BoMac appears to found someone who possesses the skills to do just that, as he told Fight Hub TV that other fighters should avoid Shakur Stevenson due to the skill level of the unbeaten star.

“Shakur has got a great boxing mind. That’s just it. Once he put his mind to it he gets the job done. You probably want to stay away from that kid man.”

BoMac also heaped praise on Stevenson for the performance he produced in his recent victory over Teofimo Lopez to become WBO super-lightweight champion.

“He looked so smooth, calm and relaxed. It was a boxing lesson. The future young guys in the amateurs just turning pro, watch that, it was beautiful.”

That win saw Stevenson become a four-weight world champion, and at just 28-years-old, it certainly appears he can go on to achieve plenty more within the sport.

The Minnesota Vikings set sail on the 2026 NFL Draft in 25 days, so let’s take a look at the past to size up the best selections in franchise history. Next week, we’ll profile the naughty list: the worst selections by Minnesota since 1961.

Ranking the Franchise Picks That Delivered the Biggest Payoff

The criteria are simple: the Vikings players who put the biggest thumbprint on the team.

Ranking the Franchise Picks That Delivered the Biggest Payoff

Counting down from Justin Jefferson to an obvious No. 1.

8. Justin Jefferson | WR

Here’s the stat to know about Jefferson:

Not bad.

7. Adrian Peterson | RB

Peterson’s off-the-field antics have turned wacky as of late, but before that, he was the best running back of his era in the NFL. In fact, no one has quite replicated him stylistically since he left the sport in 2021. Derrick Henry came close, but he’s just not quite as fast.

The only player with more rushing yards and rushing touchdowns in NFL history than Peterson is Emmitt Smith, who was an obvious Hall of Famer.

Peterson will be up for Hall of Fame Consideration soon; he better get in right away without any voter shenanigans.

6. Chris Doleman | DE

Doleman spent 10 years in Minnesota, appearing in 154 games and logging 96.5 sacks along the way. He navigated the rough stretch of mid-1980s Vikings football and helped get the Dennis Green era off the ground in style.

He ranks seventh all-time in sacks on the “unofficial” leaderboard and fifth on the official version. He would’ve ranked No. 5 on this list, but No. 5 fundamentally changed how the sport is played.

5. Randy Moss | WR

Moss is widely known for revolutionizing the passing game in both the NFL and during his exciting 7.5 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.

Jerry Rice is the only wide receiver in NFL history with more receiving yards and receiving touchdowns than Moss.

4. Randall McDaniel | G

Though offensive guards rarely receive top billing, McDaniel’s accomplishments warrant consideration, as his resume speaks for itself.

From 1988 to 1999, McDaniel anchored Minnesota’s offensive line with remarkable consistency and versatility. After his departure to Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl the following season.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

3. Carl Eller | DE

Eller was a cornerstone of the Purple People Eaters and a Hall of Famer. Before joining the Vikings, Page starred at the University of Minnesota, further enhancing his already impressive credentials.

He ranks 19th all-time in sacks on the unofficial leaderboard, which includes numbers from before 1982, when official sack tracking began.

2. Alan Page | DT

Page’s 148.5 sacks rank eighth all-time, a remarkable achievement for a defensive tackle. While the choice between him and Eller for this spot was extremely close, Page’s statistics give him a slight edge, earning him the No. 2 spot.

He also served on the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1993 to 2015.

1. Fran Tarkenton | QB

Tarkenton’s No. 1 spot stems from three key factors: his position as quarterback, the most impactful on the field; his unexpected arrival to the Vikings as a 3rd-Round pick 65 years ago; and his remarkable longevity with the team.

Tarkenton’s career spanned roughly the length of Harrison Smith’s current tenure, plus another rookie contract — all while playing quarterback. Imagine Smith playing until 2029; that’s Tarkenton’s career.

Upon his retirement in 1978, he held the league’s top records in major passing categories, marking the end of an era closely tied to Minnesota’s Super Bowl aspirations.

Honorable Mentions

CHICAGO — Even back in November, when the nascent college basketball season was barely a ripple on the national sports radar, Michigan and Arizona were eying each other like boxers in opposite corners, waiting for the bell to ring.

Though their paths did not cross, they were practically mirror images, their dominance made obvious by the wins they were racking up against quality teams — often by big margins. As far back as Thanksgiving week, when Michigan polished off the Players Era tournament with a 40-point win over Gonzaga while Arizona had already banked wins over Florida, UConn and UCLA, it would not have been a hot take to suggest they would be on a collision course for the Final Four.

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“There were glimpses of this happening,” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said Sunday amid the net-cutting celebration at United Center, where the Wolverines had dominated Tennessee, 95-62. “But there was a long season.”

A long season that will end much as it began: With the two teams who flashed the earliest Final Four potential facing each other in the Final Four.

“We always wanted to play against that team,” Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg said. “That’s what everybody goes to college basketball for, to play those blockbuster-type games. They got a bunch of NBA guys. We got a bunch of NBA guys. It’s gonna be a fun matchup, man, and I hope everybody’s ready to play because I am.”

Is it the de facto national championship game? That’s probably unfair. UConn and Illinois, who will be paired in the other semifinal, are excellent teams.

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Should the Final Four be reseeded? Now that’s a good debate topic because it certainly appears that the two best teams — and the two best teams all season long — are going to be playing Saturday night rather than Monday.

How hard is it to be as good as Michigan and Arizona from start to finish? Well, you saw it Sunday when Duke, the overall No. 1 seed, melted down in the second half against UConn.

College basketball deciding its champion with a single-elimination, six-round tournament has long been the sport’s blessing and curse. It makes the stakes of every game sky high and creates Cinderella storylines out of nowhere. It also means the national champion is sometimes not the best team but rather the team that got hot at the right time and avoided bad luck or injury. The uniqueness of March Madness has made that tradeoff worthwhile.

But thanks to Michigan and Arizona making it this far, there will be no such caveats this year.

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Even before conference play began, you could have reasonably watched those two teams shred everyone in sight and conclude they were on a level above everyone else.

This wire-to-wire trend, however, goes against much of what we’ve learned over the decades about college basketball. Sure, there have been a handful of outlier teams that were locked and loaded from the beginning, but coaches have generally looked at the season as a way to prepare and peak for March.

When a team flashes national championship potential so early the way Michigan did — there was a 10-game stretch in November and December when the Wolverines were beating teams by an average of 34.5 points, including some true quality opponents — it’s almost problematic.

“The most difficult part is that everyone starts getting so much more attention, advice — literally everything they get more of,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “And it’s difficult not to make it about you because the people you’re talking to are making it about you. There’s just a lot of distracting information, and if you’re not mature and you’re not connected to this group and not willing to be held accountable by the staff and each other, then it’s not going to work.

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“And once it creeps in, it’s almost impossible to weed it out. So our guys never let it in. And trust me, they all had different fires that were ignited.”

If you lump this tournament in with last year, where all four No. 1 seeds made it to the Final Four, it seems like we may be moving away from an era of parity in college basketball and toward a cluster of superpowers. Michigan won its four tournament games by an average of 22.5 points, while Arizona’s margin was 20.5. Neither faced a true second-half challenge on their way to winning their regional.

Tennessee was a top-15 team in the predictive metrics and not some overachieving mid-major, but it was almost comical how overmatched the Vols looked trying to generate decent offense against this Michigan squad.

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“Some teams have a little more room for error than others,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said.

In a way, college basketball and college football have switched roles in the NIL era. Whereas there used to be no parity at all in college football because of how stacked the superpowers like Alabama and Georgia used to be, conference commissioners are now talking about expanding the playoff beyond 12 because we might be leaving out viable teams.

Meanwhile, March Madness has played out pretty true-to-form for two straight years.

It’s hard to know exactly what to make of that. You can point to the transfer portal and the ability for a program like Michigan to go get an established star like the 23-year-old Lendeborg out of UAB, but here’s Arizona with three freshmen in its starting lineup. Perhaps there’s something to the idea that teams like Michigan and Arizona, which play big frontcourt lineups and don’t rely on making a bunch of 3-pointers to win, aren’t as susceptible to being upset.

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Still, college basketball programs are judged by what happens in March. And we have decades of history telling us that it’s extremely hard, and rare, for two teams to be on a collision course all season and actually end up playing each other in the Final Four.

“This was obviously one of the goals because of the talent we had,” May said. “We have a sign in our locker room — “April Habits” — and from Day 1 we’ve challenged these guys to develop championship-level habits that would allow us to win a Big Ten championship and would also allow us to turn the calendar from March until April. Now we put ourselves in position to do that.”

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Even though Michigan and Arizona showed four months ago that they were probably on a level above almost everyone else in college basketball, there was no guarantee they’d actually get to settle it on the floor. So many obstacles to overcome and landmines to avoid.

But they will finally touch gloves next Saturday in Indianapolis. Let’s get ready to rumble.

Bruno Fernandes’ Manchester United future is still up in the air despite the midfielder’s fine recent form

Despite being one of Manchester United’s most influential and consistent performers in recent years, Bruno Fernandes’ long-term future at Old Trafford has rarely felt entirely secure.

The 31-year-old, in excellent form once again this season, has registered eight goals and 17 assists in all competitions so far. But despite his output and his strong bond with both the club and its supporters, speculation over a potential departure has persisted.

That sense of uncertainty was heightened during Ruben Amorim’s time at United when reports emerged that the club were open to a lucrative sale to Saudi Arabia, temporarily straining the relationship between player and club.

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However, with the Portugal international now back to his best and firmly in the conversation for PFA Player of the Year, the situation appears to have stabilised – at least for the time being.

Here, MEN examines the wider picture surrounding Fernandes, including the details of a mammoth contract proposal and a little-known release clause in his deal at Old Trafford.

£700k-a-week offer

Last year, it was reported that Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal were prepared to submit a £100m offer to sign Fernandes, alongside a staggering £700,000-per-week contract that would have placed him among the highest earners in world sport.

With the midfielder approaching the twilight of his career and United working to carefully balance their finances, the club were open to sanctioning a sale. However, the stance did not sit well with Fernandes, who was understood to be “hurt” that United were willing to cut ties with him.

Ultimately, the bid was never officially tabled, allowing United to keep their captain but simultaneously denying them what would have been a club-record sale.

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Release clause

While Fernandes has made it clear that he wants to stay at United, the club are technically powerless to stop him from him leaving. That’s because of a new £56.68million release clause in his contract, one that can only be triggered by foreign clubs.

While that sum may deter some European teams from signing a player who turns 32 in September and has little resale value, it would not be a problem for the Saudis.

Al-Hilal were prepared to offer £100m because they were desperate to sign Fernandes ahead of last year’s Club World Cup, which began in June before the clause came into effect and there is expected to be renewed interest from the Middle East this summer.

Should Fernandes stay put, United are expected to open discussions over a new contract, with his current deal running out in 2027. They do, however, have the option to extend it by a further 12 months.

United want to keep Bruno

Despite previous links to a move away, the club’s stance has shifted firmly towards keeping Fernandes. While there is an ongoing push to reduce the wage bill – Fernandes is earning £300,000-a-week – United remain intent on retaining their captain’s influence on the pitch.

That position has reportedly been communicated directly to the player in an effort to ease any doubts over his future. He is also believed to be more settled since Michael Carrick took charge in January.

Jermain Defoe has been named as the new head coach of National League side Woking.

His appointment comes after the club dismissed former Wimbledon midfielder Neal Ardley earlier this month and is the 43-year-old’s first permanent role as a club manager.

The former Spurs striker has previous experience working in Tottenham’s academy as well as on the interim coaching staff at Rangers in 2021.

Woking’s own interim coach, Craig Ross, will lead the club for Tuesday’s match against Altrincham before Defoe takes over the full-time role. Ross has overseen four wins, three draws and one defeat in his eight matches in charge so Defoe will pick up a team in good form.

Woking’s club chairman Todd Johnson said: “Jermain’s achievements as a player speak for themselves, but what stood out to us during the process was how he sees the game, how he drives standards, and his approach to leadership and player development.

“We have a clear plan for where we want to go as a club, and we believe Jermain is the right person to build on the strong foundations already in place and help take us forward in the next phase of that journey.”

Defoe will be assisted by former Fulham and Halifax manager Paul Bracewell, with Ross and Jake Hyde remaining on the club’s coaching staff.

Defoe scored 305 goals in 763 senior appearances and won 57 England caps, representing his country at the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 European Championships. He retired from playing in 2022 and began to work on his coaching badges.

He earned his Uefa A-licence while working in the Spurs academy for two years but left his former club in the summer of 2024 to pursue a full-time managerial role.

“Woking is a historic club with huge potential, and I’m thrilled to be part of this exciting project,” said Defoe. “I can’t wait to get started.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Huddles are supposed to be the holiest of spaces, the one place where five basketball players can block out five opponents and tens of thousands of fans and regroup, in good times and bad, whether in need of a pump up or a calm down.

But UConn veteran Alex Karaban also recognized it as a sign of No. 1 overall seed Duke wilting under the pressure as the Blue Devils’ lead shrunk and shrunk and shrunk and then, on Braylon Mullins‘ game-winner for the ages, disappeared altogether. 

“You feel the momentum swing, you feel them start to huddle up a lot more, really just get tight,” Karaban said. “You can just tell. When you’re a player, you can tell when the momentum’s swinging and when the other team is trying to regroup themselves.”

Karaban knows the magic of March well. He has two national titles and is now headed to another Final Four.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer knows the agony, the brutality, the suddenness of March even better.

Somehow, Duke — for all its talent, all its dominance, all its moments of pure basketball brilliance — has collapsed again. Scheyer bore the brunt of it last year, when the Blue Devils blew a seven-point lead with 1:15 left in the Final Four against Houston. Sunday’s was worse, on the wrong end of a 19-point UConn comeback that tied for sixth largest in NCAA Tournament history, with an all-time dagger to boot. 

One collapse can be credited to the madness of March, perhaps. A second? It’s a downright failure from everyone, and a failure from Scheyer. He cannot, in the exact moment, control whether a Cooper Flagg game-winning attempt goes down in 2025 (it did not). He cannot, in the exact moment, pull the plug on whatever idea Cayden Boozer had to even try and pass the baksetball with Huskies swarming and the clock ticking (Boozer of course put the ball in the air). But a coach can keep his players composed, keep them aggressive in the right spots, and keep them playing their game. Scheyer is failing to do that. 

“There’s not a person in this room, including me, that doesn’t replay everything that you could do and how you can help,” Scheyer said. “I mean, obviously. That’s part of being in this seat. That’s part of being in this spot. … End of the day, we’ve got to finish it off. We’ll reflect. We’ll learn, do all that. But yeah, of course.”

It simply isn’t good enough.

The anatomy of a titanic Duke collapse

Incredibly, UConn actually made a mistake on the play that led to Mullins’ three. Down 72-70, the Huskies were supposed to foul Dame Sarr, who received the ball after inbounding to Cameron Boozer. But they couldn’t get there in time — you can even see on replay Jayden Ross desperately reaching for Sarr — and Sarr zipped a pass to Cayden Boozer. With under seven seconds left, all he had to do was hold onto the ball and get fouled.

“I should have been strong with the ball,” Cayden Boozer said, tears in his eyes, emotions at once swelling and muting his voice. “I cost our team our season. We knew that they were gonna trap. [Scheyer said] ‘Be strong with the ball.’”

But one play did not blow a 19-point lead. One play did not blow a 15-point halftime lead; No. 1 seeds had been 134-0 in NCAA Tournament when leading by that margin at the break, by the way.

“There’s no heat on Cayden at all,” freshman Nik Khamenia said. “This game is not on him at all. He carried us for long, long, long portions of the game, making big play after big play. You can go through every single one of us at different points in the game we messed up. The game of basketball never relies on one possession, so, no, it’s not on him at all.”

This was a collapse from the moment the teams took the floor in the second half.

Duke could have surged. Duke should have surged. The Blue Devils had dominated UConn’s guards, picked apart UConn’s defense and generally gotten whatever it want offensively. Scheyer can’t go out and make the plays for his players, but he can instill them the small advantages to succeed in tough moments — the mental fortitude, the X’s and O’s, the calm nature required of a champion. Either he didn’t instill it Sunday, or his players were unable to instill it in themselves.

“I think as a whole we could have gave a lot more in the second half,” Cameron Boozer said. “We came out a little flat and gave them a little bit of life. When you’re playing a team as good as UConn, that’s all they really need.”

“We didn’t have our competitive edge,” Cayden Boozer said. “We were guarding them pretty well in the first half. We didn’t do the best job of it, but at the end of the day, I’m sticking with our guys no matter what. We had a chance to win no matter what in the second half.”

“In some moments we kind of let up a little bit, we let them off the hook,” Sarr said. “Just … I don’t know.”

Halftime adjustments are generally overrated as a concept. Every coach makes them — some more successfully than others — but it’s up to the players to fulfill them.

Duke’s didn’t, and the issues became apparent immediately. UConn star big man Tarris Reed Jr. had 12 points at halftime, and UConn, even down big, never stopped feeding him. He drew fouls in bunches and got the Huskies into the bonus before the second half was even six minutes old.

After four turnovers in the first half, Duke had eight in the second half. The offense got stagnant: Over the final eight minutes, Duke had as many field goals as turnovers (four), and only one of the makes was assisted. Prior to that, 16 of their 21 makes had been assisted.

“It’s easy to look at that play,” Scheyer said. “I look at every play that happened, especially in that second half, this is not about one play. It’s about every play that put us in that position, and that’s what you don’t want to do, where one play something could happen.”

Duke’s nightmarish déjà vu

Could Scheyer have saved the offense? It’s impossible to say. Could he have saved the defense, maybe putting Cameron Boozer on Reed, rather than have Boozer guard one of the ball handlers? Again, it’s hard to say. The game plan he had drawn up in the first half had worked, after all. It’s easy to praise players when things go well and fault coaches when things go poorly.

“I don’t have the words,” Scheyer said after the loss. “I don’t have the words.”

The problem? He needed to have the words during the game. If he had the words, he needed them to resonate more.

“I’m sure there’s a lot more that I could have done to help our guys at the end there,” Scheyer said after last year’s Final Four loss. “That’s the thing that kills me the most. The amount of game situations we’ve watched this year. We haven’t had the real-life experience all the time, but that’s something I really felt we prepared for. So I feel like I let our guys down in that regard.”

And this year?

“I’m incredibly sorry for these guys that they’ve got to go through this,” Scheyer said. “This is on us.”

Just like Scheyer can’t make the plays or avoid the mistakes on the court, he also can’t control some circumstances. Patrick Ngongba II missed five games — including the first round of the NCAA Tournament — earlier this month. Point guard Caleb Foster broke his foot just over three weeks ago and made a miraculous recovery to not only play but shine in the Sweet 16. However, Foster was ineffective in the Elite Eight. He hadn’t even practiced five-on-five with the team since the injury, and playing a second game in two days was always going to be an uphill battle.

These are not excuses. These are facts. Is a healthy Foster on the floor in Cayden Boozer’s spot in the final seconds? Does he avoid that turnover? In some aspects, Scheyer was correct when he told CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson, “All I know is these guys don’t deserve that ending.”

The issue is that implies anyone deserves anything in the NCAA Tournament. No one does. Not Duke, not UConn, not any player or any team. You have to take it. You have to earn it. You have to be the aggressor. You can’t lose your way for a moment. Scheyer’s teams have now done it twice. His teams’ youth has been celebrated for months and then exposed in the crucial moments each of the last two seasons.

“We’re playing this 10-to-12, 10-to-11-point game, and we knew once we got under 10, once we cut it to single digits, it was going to be over,” Reed said. “You can really see it in their faces. The body language is a huge indicator.”

In an alternate universe, Boozer’s throw-ahead pass connects, and Duke gets an easy dunk and is onto the Final Four. In an alternate universe, Silas Demary Jr.’s high ankle sprain costs him an inch or two more on his jump, and he doesn’t tip the ball away.

“We’ve been telling the guys the whole year, there’s a very famous quote that says, ‘Victory is measured in inches, not miles,’” Dan Hurley explained.

But the inches have gone against Scheyer’s No. 1-seeded teams twice now, showing he has miles to go to get over the hump.

That doesn’t mean he can’t cover those miles. Roy Williams won 40 NCAA Tournament games before winning his first title. He ended up with three championships. Scheyer’s predecessor at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski won 26 NCAA Tournament games before winning his first title. He ended up with five.

But in order to cover those miles, Scheyer must get his teams to close consistently. He has to find a message that hits home, a strategy that works. He has to find a way to empower his players, and more importantly have players who empower each other in the biggest moments.

Duke’s NCAA Tournament finishes under Scheyer

Scheyer, who is otherwise off to one of the best coaching starts in college basketball history, must eventually get lucky.

The 38-year-old said he had never seen a locker room like Sunday’s before, but that’s not true. There must have been a similar scene after the Houston loss. He was likely caught up in the moment, which is OK in the moment. But in the weeks and months and, yes, maybe even years to come, he’ll have to find away to avoid having more of those mistake-riddled, regret-filled locker rooms.

The locker room was a mess. Blood, sweat and tears. Lots and lots of tears, some body-shaking, some subdued. Answers barely above whispers. Handshakes and hugs. More tears. Ngongba covered his face with a towel and eventually excused himself. Cameron Boozer, sporting a black eye, and Cayden Boozer took questions with poise beyond their years. The bumps and bruises the team had prided itself on just days earlier after a hard-fought win over St. John’s now represented a team stunningly beaten down.

After the St. John’s win, as media members left the locker room, one Duke player joyously shouted out “No team can f**k with us!”

Perhaps not. But March Madness sure can.