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Sports

Elite 8 winners, losers: UConn comeback, droughts end, Duke chokes again

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We have our Final Four.

After four rounds, 64 teams have been sent home and four remain in the hunt for a national championship. Connecticut, Arizona, Michigan and Illinois are en route to Indianapolis, two wins away from winning it all.

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Some of the representatives aren’t much of a surprise, as the top-seeded Wildcats and Wolverines have looked like a tier above the rest of the sport, and anything less than a Final Four appearance would have been a disappointment. The Huskies stunned its away back to a familiar place, and Illinois isn’t really a shocker and are far from an underdog after a very successful season, proving worthy of its spot.

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The results of the weekend not only impacted the championship race, but the sport as a whole. Here are the winners and losers of the Elite Eight:

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Winners

UConn’s comeback

UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) celebrates after making the game-winning three-point basket against the Duke Blue Devils in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena.

UConn Huskies guard Braylon Mullins (24) celebrates after making the game-winning three-point basket against the Duke Blue Devils in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena.

A return to the Final Four didn’t seem possible when Connecticut was down 19 points late in the first half against Duke, but did the Huskies respond.

UConn clawed back in the second half, slowly chipping away at the lead before a 7-0 run put it in striking distance with under four minutes left. The Blue Devils couldn’t stop the momentum and Connecticut pulled out a shocking victory, punctuated by Braylon Mullins’ 3-pointer at the final second. UConn outscored Duke 44-28 in the final 20 minutes for its third trip to the Final Four in four seasons.

It was one of the largest comebacks in NCAA Tournament history, and UConn made Duke the first No. 1 seed to lose a game after being up by at least 15 points at halftime in an ending for the ages.

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Big Ten

The Big Ten rolls onto the biggest stage with the conference getting two teams into the Final Four with Michigan and Illinois. It’s the first time the conference has accomplished the feat since 2015 and fourth time since 1999.

The tournament has been a Big Ten showcase after seven of its nine teams won their first round game. It put a record four teams in the Elite Eight, and was guaranteed to get at least one Final Four team with the Illinois-Iowa winner, and could’ve had up to three, but two is still a very successful result.

It’s been the winner of every round so far. Now all that’s left is finishing it on top with a 50% shot at a national championship, the first since 2000. It could be sealed with an all-Big Ten title game, very much possible.

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See the best photos of Arizona basketball’s run to 2026 Final Four

Arizona Wildcats forward Ivan Kharchenkov (8) reacts in the first half against the LIU Sharks during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena.

Breaking droughts

The 2026 Final Four is more than two decades in the making for Arizona and Illinois, getting back to the final stage after falling short so many times.

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Arizona is in the Final Four for the first time since 2001, a relief on the shoulders of the Wildcats after losing all of its past five Elite Eight appearances. They did it in emphatic fashion with a major second half comeback over Purdue to cruise toward a stress-free finish against the Boilermakers. Illinois was able to put away the surprise run against Iowa to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2005, the last time it was close to winning its first national title.

Two successful programs redeemed years of frustrations, and not only have they finally broken through, but they are viable national championship contenders, with Arizona on the verge of its second title and Illinois on the cusp of its biggest accomplishment yet.

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See the best photos of Illinois basketball’s run to 2026 Final Four

Illinois Fighting Illini center Zvonimir Ivisic (44) dunks the ball against the Penn Quakers in the second half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Andrej Stojakovic

Watch out dad, son can definitely hoop, too. The son of Peja, Andrej Stojakovic came up clutch for Illinois, a catalyst for his team surviving and advancing.

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Iowa jumped out to a quick double-digit lead, but Stojakovic came in and helped his team recover quickly and eventually win. He made some clutch shots at the end and most importantly, defended Iowa star Bennett Stirtz down the stretch to prevent any late heroics. Even though Keaton Wagler was the star with 25 points, Stojakovic had 17 points and his plus/minus of +19 was the best on the team, proving how vital he was to his team’s success.

The Elite Eight isn’t the only time Stojakovic has come up big in the tournament, but Illinois may have been cooked if he wasn’t the sparkplug he was against the Hawkeyes. His presence keeps his team’s title hopes alive and well.

Losers

Duke chokes

It’s another stunning March loss for Duke. The top overall seed looked destined for the Final Four after jumping to a 19-point lead against UConn in the first half.

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Then came the second half.

The Blue Devils couldn’t stop UConn from rallying at the end, and had the game in its hands in the final seconds, but a shocking turnover turned into a game-winning 3-pointer by the Huskies. UConn outscored Duke 15-5 in the final five minutes. Duke now is the first No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament history to lose after leading by at least 15 points at halftime, as they were 134-0 in such instances. The 19-point blown lead is tied for the sixth largest in the tournament.

The shocking loss keeps Duke away from winning its first national championship in the Jon Scheyer era, with the last title in 2015. Its the longest the Blue Devils have gone without a championship this century.

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SEC

March doesn’t mean more in the SEC as the conference finishes with a dud to follow its historic past season.

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It was going to be hard to follow up two teams in the Final Four en route to a national champion, but the SEC didn’t get close to replicating some of that success. It only got one team in the Elite Eight in Tennessee, and it got blown out by Michigan. The SEC will not be represented in the semifinals for the first time since 2023.

To add insult to injury, the conference did not do well against its fellow Power league in the Big Ten. The SEC went 0-5 vs. Big Ten teams in the tournament, which ended up getting two teams to the Final Four. After an amazing showing in 2025, this one has been a forgettable month in the Southeast.

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Lower seeds

Make way for the heavyweights. The 2026 Final Four will feature two No. 1 seeds, a No. 2 and a No. 3 seed, another season of no surprise runs to the semifinals.

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While it’s no surprise when the favorites at the start of the tournament ended up making it to the final weekend, it’s exactly what happened last season when we had an all-No. 1 group. This marks back-to-back years where the Final Four doesn’t feature a team seeded No. 4 or lower, which hasn’t happened since a three-year streak from 2007-09.

This year’s tournament had upsets and some magical runs, but none of them reached the final stage. Are even really solid teams going to have trouble winning a region, and are true Cinderellas dead?

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Tennessee

Another Elite Eight, another exit for Rocky Top. The Volunteers are left searching again for their first Final Four after getting stopped at the doorstep.

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Tennessee’s optimism was quickly wiped out early against Michigan, leading to a 33-point rout in one of the largest blowouts in Elite Eight history. While the Vols have nothing to be ashamed about given it was a good run as a No. 6 seed, it’s the third straight season the Vols were eliminated in the regional final.

Rick Barnes has maintained winning in Knoxville, but after coming up short so often, will Tennessee ever get over the hump?

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Elite 8 winners, losers: UConn, Big 10, Duke headline March Madness ups, downs

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Sports

Man United’s full five-player injury and withdrawal list as Michael Carrick eyes top two finish

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6 minutes ago

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30 March 2026

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Michael Carrick has five Manchester United injury concerns to contend with ahead of the Premier League clash against Leeds United

Manchester United have five players managing vastly different injury problems over the March international break. Michael Carrick has been rather fortunate regarding the fitness of his squad since his arrival as interim head coach, but that has somewhat changed over the last few weeks.

Matthijs de Ligt, Patrick Dorgu and Lisandro Martinez have all missed at least the last month, while minor fitness concerns for Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko led to them withdraw from international duty with Cameroon and Slovenia, respectively.

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Neither are expected to miss the visit of Leeds United in a fortnight, with the two attackers competing for the striker spot in Carrick’s team. The duo will have spent the last week at Carrington alongside the likes of Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount.

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The latter has missed a significant period of 2026 but returned off the bench against Bournemouth earlier this month. Noussair Mazraoui missed that trip to the Vitality Stadium through illness but was able to join up with Morocco and played the full 90 minutes of their friendly against Ecuador.

Elsewhere, Martinez has not played since the draw with West Ham United in early February, but Carrick has issued a very positive update on his condition.

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He said: “[Lisandro is] closer, a lot closer. He’s getting there, so after this one. I think he’ll be alright.” Given the time spent out of the team, the Argentine could be eased back into the fold.

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Dorgu and De Ligt are also yet to return from extended absences, with the latter having not played since November because of a back injury.

It is a hamstring issue for Dorgu that Carrick has confirmed will keep him out for a bit longer, but he was able to deliver a positive update on the Netherlands international before the trip to Bournemouth.

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He said: “It’s [a] similar [situation] really, and frustrating for Matta. He’s obviously trying to work to get back, but it’s just the back issue, really, that’s proving difficult. We’ll keep working as hard to get him back as quickly as we can.”

While some of United’s injured defenders could be back for the game against Leeds in mid-April, Harry Maguire will definitely miss out as he serves a suspension for the red card picked up against the Cherries.

If neither De Ligt or Martinez are fit enough to feature from the off, Leny Yoro could end up being partnered at the back by Ayden Heaven.

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The 19-year-old has enjoyed his international break after being called up to train with the senior England squad. He returned to the under-20s later in the week and scored in their 3-3 draw against Italy.

England’s 2026 World Cup kits

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England and Nike have launched the new home, away and goalkeeper kits to be worn at this summer’s FIFA World Cup. You can get free delivery on all orders with the code: ENGFREEDEL

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Eagles GM Howie Roseman drops blunt response about AJ Brown trade questions

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19 minutes ago

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30 March 2026

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Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was faced with many questions about wideout AJ Brown from the local media at the league meetings on Sunday. Brown has been linked with a trade away from Philly this offseason, after a frustrating 2025 season with the team.

However, Roseman opted to offer a blunt response regarding Brown amid the ongoing trade speculation around the wide receiver.

“I understand that there’s interest in the A.J. Brown story. I, unfortunately, don’t have a home under a rock,” Roseman said. “But my answer to any question on A.J. Brown is A.J. Brown is a member of the Eagles. From my perspective, anything you ask me about A.J. Brown, I’m going to go right back to that answer. But I understand the interest. I put on the TV, and I see that there’s interest, but my answer is A.J. Brown is a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.”

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The Eagles acquired Brown via a trade with the Tennessee Titans in the 2022 offseason. He helped Philly reach two Super Bowls, winning one in 2025.

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It remains to be seen if Brown will remain with the Eagles next season.

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Howie Roseman’s Eagles will have No. 23 pick in 2026 NFL draft

Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman - Source: ImagnPhiladelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman - Source: Imagn
Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman – Source: Imagn

Howie Roseman’s Philly won the NFC East crown last season. However, the Eagles crashed out of the playoffs with a loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the wild-card round.

Philly has the No. 23 pick in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL draft. Some draft experts have suggested that the Eagles might want to bolster their offensive line with their first selection this year.