The UConn Huskies men’s basketball team is headed back to the national championship game for the third time in the last four years after defeating the Illinois Fighting Illini in the Final Four.

The Huskies, who were leading by as much as 14 points, fended off a late 10-0 run from Illinois to keep their championship hopes alive. Tarris Reed Jr. ended the run with a lay-up in the paint, then a turnover led to a Solo Ball one-handed slam.

UConn forward Jayden Ross celebrates his shot against Illinois during the first half of an NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four in Indianapolis on April 4, 2026. (Abbie Parr/AP)

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A new speedster is here – Ashok Sharma. Remember the name. The Gujarat Titans pacer breached the 150 kmph mark twice in the IPL 2026 match against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday. First, he bowled a 150.7 kmph delivery on the fourth ball of the 16th over to Donovan Ferreira. Then, on the final delivery of the over, Ashok unleashed a 154.2 kmph screamer to Dhruv Jurel. Ashok currently has the fastest and third-fastest deliveries of IPL 2026. Lucknow Super Giants’ Anrich Nortje (150.9 kmph) has the second-fastest delivery.

154kpmh from Ashok Sharma @StarSportsIndia pic.twitter.com/DE2VMZU9n4

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Talking about the match, Dhruv Jurel beautifully blended aggression with discretion in his 42-ball 75 to guide Rajasthan Royals to a challenging 210 for 6 against Gujarat Titans after the opening pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi laid the platform in an IPL match here on Saturday. In the RR innings, Jaiswal looked to be getting back into the groove with a 55 off 36 balls after ‘Boy Wonder’ Sooryavanshi smashed an 18-ball 31 in an opening stand of 70 in just 6.2 overs.

Jurel seemed settled in his new role at No. 3 and showed that there is room for conventional shots while still striking at a rate of over 150. The pick-up pull off Ashok Sharma after completing his fifty was a delight-a testament to his strong core and excellent hand-eye coordination. He hit five sixes and an equal number of boundaries.

For Gujarat Titans, Ashok Sharma (1/37 in 4 overs), in only his second IPL game, emerged as the ‘next big pace hope’ after clocking 154.2 clicks and consistently bowling at speeds north of 145 kmph. However, BCCI coaches would need to be cautious, as there are lessons to be learned from the stories of Mayank Yadav and Umran Malik.

Jurel’s knock was a throwback to the early days of the IPL, when one batter would hold the innings together before throwing the kitchen sink at the opposition. A six off Rashid Khan over deep mid-wicket after dancing down the track was the highlight of his innings.

With Shubman Gill missing from the playing XI due to muscle spasms, Royals skipper Riyan Parag rightly opted to bat, and the explosive opening pair did not disappoint. The Sooryavanshi-Jaiswal combination may still be relatively new, having come together last year, but a statistic from Cricviz underlines their dominance.

Out of 113 pairs in IPL history with 500-plus runs together, Jaiswal and Sooryavanshi stand out with a scoring rate of 12.04 runs per over and are third on the list behind Travis Head–Abhishek Sharma (12.57) and Sunil Narine–Phil Salt (12.46).

With the quartet of Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna and Ashok extracting extra bounce and pace off the surface, shot-making during the Powerplay became relatively easy, as batters were able to use the pace of the ball.

The fearless Sooryavanshi started with a flurry of boundaries, including one off Rabada lofted over mid-off. The standout shot was a last-moment adjustment to a short ball from Ashok, which he cut uppishly for a six.

Rashid Khan eventually dismissed Sooryavanshi, who played one shot too many, but Jurel and Jaiswal added another 56 runs for the second wicket

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The Los Angeles Lakers appeared to have taken another hit to their lineup with only five games remaining before the playoffs tip-off.

The Lakers will be without Austin Reaves for the rest of the regular season as the guard suffered a left oblique muscle injury, ESPN first reported on Saturday. Reaves is reportedly expected to miss 4-6 weeks. The team will have a road game against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

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Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves drives against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ajay Mitchell during the first half of an NBA game in Oklahoma City on April 2, 2026. (Gerald Leong/AP)

The franchise later announced the injury.

Reaves has emerged as one of the Lakers’ top players since he joined Los Angeles before the 2021-22 season. The former Oklahoma and Wichita State player joined the Lakers as an undrafted free agent. He started to earn starting time during his third season with the franchise.

The 27-year-old has played in 51 games this year. He’s averaging 23.3 points, 5.5 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game. He played 27 minutes in the team’s 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night.

NBA FACES PRESSURE TO ALTER 65-GAME ELIGIBILITY RULE FOR PLAYERS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR AWARDS

Lakers guard Austin Reaves brings the ball up court during the second half against the Washington Wizards in Los Angeles on March 30, 2026. (Ryan Sun/AP)

Word of Reaves’ season-ending ailment came a day after the team also lost Luka Doncic for the rest of the regular season with a left hamstring strain. Doncic was in the running for the NBA MVP award and scored 600 points in the month of March.

“Our mission, it hasn’t changed,” Lakers head coach J.J. Redick said earlier Saturday. “The rest of these guys and my staff, we’re going after the 3-seed, and we’re going to try to win a playoff series.”

Reaves will be eligible for a lucrative contract extension in the offseason if he declines his player option for the 2026-27 season. Reports indicated that Reaves will likely decline the option.

The Lakers’ final game of the season will come on April 12 against the Utah Jazz.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves drives against Washington Wizards guard Will Riley during the second half of an NBA game in Los Angeles on March 30, 2026. (Ryan Sun/AP)

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Derek Chisora suffered a points defeat by Deontay Wilder in a wild heavyweight contest at London’s O2 Arena in what is expected to be his final professional bout.

Chisora, 42, was dropped in the eighth round and sent through the ropes. The Briton looked close to being stopped several times as Wilder pushed for the finish, but the veteran somehow fought his way back.

American Wilder was awarded a split decision with scores of 115–111 and 115–113, while one judge scored it 115–112 to Chisora.

Post-fight, Wilder said: “I had an adorable opponent. I knew Derek was going to bring everything he had.

“In the ring I saw his temple start to swell, I said ‘you’ve got to live for your kids’. Too many lives have been lost in this ring, nobody gives a damn about us. Us fighters have to look out for each other.

“Tonight, I looked out for him, I want him to live for his kids. It’s time for us to take care of each other. I have seven of my own, those are my best friends. Kids, I’m coming home.”

Both men absorbed heavy punishment as the contest, almost inexplicably, went the distance.

Chisora had his moments, notably stunning Wilder, 40, in the fifth round, but the former world champion ultimately deserved the decision.

Remarkably, it was the 50th bout of both men’s careers. Londoner Chisora – now with 14 defeats – had said beforehand it would be his last fight, but he hesitated to confirm his retirement when joined in the ring by his family.

It was not pretty, nor particularly elite, but it was undeniably entertaining. For Wilder, this represents his best win in recent years and extends a career that may also be nearing its end.

After completing his career grand slam at last year’s Masters, Rory McIlroy will try to make it two in a row at Augusta National Golf Club. He enters the 2026 Masters as one of the favorites at +1200 (risk $100 to win $1,200), behind Scottie Scheffler, who is +500 in the 2026 Masters odds, and Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau, both at +1000. McIlroy, 36, has 44 professional wins, including 29 on the PGA Tour. Besides last year’s Masters, he has major wins at the PGA Championship (2012, 2014), U.S. Open (2011) and The Open Championship (2014).

The Masters 2026 gets underway on Thursday, April 9, and this will be the 90th edition of the event. The tournament, with a $21 million Masters purse, will be played on a par-72 course measuring 7,555 yards. Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson will not play this year for personal reasons. Before making any 2026 Masters picks, you need to see the 2026 Masters predictions and best bets from golf expert Brady Kannon. 

Kannon is an elite golfing betting handicapper with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. He has called eight major winners since 2013 and hit six PGA winners, including 110-1 longshot Harris English at the Farmers Insurance Open, in 2025. He also hit on Matt Fitzpatrick (15-1) at the Valspar Championship on March 22 for an outright winner. Additionally, he’s 32-27-4 on head-to-head bets since joining SportsLine.

Now, Kannon has focused his attention on the 2026 Masters Tournament field and locked in his best bets, sleepers and golfers to avoid. You can only see them here. 

Top 2026 Masters expert picks

One of Kannon’s 2026 Masters Tournament predictions: He’s fading Tyrrell Hatton at 70-1, avoiding him in outright bets and head-to-head bets.

“I see the other three majors as better fits for Hatton and not the test that the Masters presents. Furthermore, his game has been quite inconsistent on the LIV circuit this season with finishes of 47th, 45th and 38th wrapped around a 3rd and a 10th. The Masters, or any major, really, is not necessarily receptive to volatility in one’s current game. Remember: Here, we are dealing with 50-some players on LIV and Hatton ranks 44th in scrambling, 33rd for greens in regulation and 27th in putting average. Normally, I might say Hatton is worth a look at a top 20 finish, but with the way he’s been all over the place this season on LIV, another missed cut at the year’s first major championship could be in Hatton’s near future.” See who Kannon is backing at SportsLine.

How to make 2026 Masters picks

Kannon has revealed his best bets, and his top outright pick is a surprising longshot who hasn’t won an event in more than three years. He’s a perfect course fit, and anyone who backs him could hit it big. You can only see who it is at SportsLine.

What are the best bets for the 2026 Masters, and which overlooked golfer should you target? Check out the 2026 Masters odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Brady Kannon’s top picks for the 2026 Masters, all from the expert who nailed six outright winners last season. 

2026 Masters odds, field

See Masters picks, best bets and predictions here.

Odds via FanDuel (subject to change)

Scottie Scheffler +500
Bryson DeChambeau +1000
Jon Rahm +1000
Rory McIlroy +1200
Xander Schauffele +1600
Ludvig Åberg +1600
Matt Fitzpatrick +2200
Cameron Young +2200
Tommy Fleetwood +2200
Justin Rose +3000
Robert MacIntyre +3300
Patrick Reed +3300
Collin Morikawa +3500
Hideki Matsuyama +4000
Jordan Spieth +4000
Brooks Koepka +4000
Min Woo Lee +4000
Si Woo Kim +4500
Chris Gotterup +5000
Viktor Hovland +5000
Russell Henley +5500
Shane Lowry +6000
Akshay Bhatia +6000
Adam Scott +6500
Justin Thomas +6500
Sepp Straka +7000
Tyrrell Hatton +7000
Patrick Cantlay +7000
Jason Day +7000
Jake Knapp +8000
Jacob Bridgeman +8000
Marco Penge +8000
Sungjae Im +10000
Sam Burns +10000
Harris English +10000
Corey Conners +10000
J.J. Spaun +10000
Cameron Smith +10000
Nicolai Højgaard +10000
Maverick McNealy +10000
Gary Woodland +10000
Max Homa +10000
Daniel Berger +12500
Ben Griffin +12500
Rasmus Højgaard +15000
Kurt Kitayama +15000
Aaron Rai +15000
Wyndham Clark +15000
Ryan Gerard +15000
Brian Harman +15000
Sam Stevens +17500
Max Greyserman +17500
Ryan Fox +17500
Jarvis Casey +17500
Keegan Bradley +17500
Haotong Li +17500
Dustin Johnson +17500
Alex Noren +17500
Harry Hall +17500
Nicolas Echavarria +17500
Sami Valimaki +22500
Nick Taylor +22500
Sergio Garcia +22500
Carlos Ortiz +22500
Kristoffer Reitan +25000
Matt McCarty +25000
Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen +25000
Andrew Novak +25000
Aldrich Potgieter +25000
Tom McKibbin +25000
Michael Brennan +35000
Michael Kim +35000
Davis Riley +50000
Bubba Watson +50000
John Keefer +50000
Zach Johnson +50000
Charl Schwartzel +75000
Angel Cabrera +100000
Mason Howell +100000
Fifa Laopakdee +100000
Ethan Fang +100000
Brian Campbell +100000
Vijay Singh +100000
Jose Maria Olazabal +100000
Brandon Holtz +100000
Naoyuki Kataoka +100000
Danny Willett +100000
Jackson Herrington +100000
Fred Couples +100000
Mateo Pulcini +100000
Mike Weir +100000

Deontay Wilder consigned British heavyweight Derek Chisora to defeat in his final fight but only after an exhilarating fight of the year contender at a raucous O2 Arena.

In the 50th bout of Chisora’s eventful professional career, ‘Del Boy’ showed remarkable powers of recovery to come back from a punishing eighth round and take former WBC champion Wilder to the distance.

After the American showed the power early on in London which once made him one of the most formidable punchers in heavyweight history, Chisora’s farewell threatened to turned into a nightmare during a one-sided start.

However, Chisora rallied back in sensational fashion in a thrilling fourth and after he got up off the canvas in round eight, the 42-year-old made it through to earn a hero’s reception before, during and after the last three-minute round of his journey in the professional ranks.

It was not enough to seal Chisora one last victory after the judges scored the bout 115-111, 112-115 and 115-113 in favour of Wilder to earn the ‘Bronze Bomber’ a split-decision triumph, which may put his name back in the mix for the biggest fights in the division.