One team will head home with a national championship trophy when Michigan, Arizona, UConn and Illinois face off in the Final Four and national championship game this weekend.Another team across the country won't be winning a national title, but will be going home with $300,000 in name, image and likeness cash.The second annual College Basketball Crown, which Nebraska won during its inaugural tournament in 2025, is a five-day tournament in Las Vegas, where eight teams that didn't make the Men's NCAA Tournament compete for cash prizes.REQUIRED READING: March Madness games today: Final Four schedule and game breakdownsOklahoma, Baylor, Creighton and West Virginia already earned at least $50,000 each for reaching the semifinals of the tournament, which are being played Saturday, April 4. The championship game will be held Sunday, April 5.The CBC is a similar postseason tournament to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), which usually features the top non-NCAA Tournament teams in a given season. NIL, though, is shaking up which consolation tournament teams choose to be a part of, especially with the CBC featuring all power conference teams.Here's a look at the payout structure for the CBC in 2026, which features $500,000 in prize money:CBC winner's share: How much does champion make in prize money?CBC champions: $300,000The champion of the College Basketball Crown earns $300,000 in NIL money.College Basketball Crown payout structure 2026Teams competing in the CBC are guaranteed to earn NIL cash prizes as long as they won their first-round game in 2026. Here's how the CBC payout structure works:CBC champions: $300,000CBC runners-up: $100,000Semifinalists: $50,000 eachCollege Basketball Crown bracket, scoresHere's a look at the full College Basketball Crown bracket so far, with scores for each game:Wednesday, April 1Oklahoma 90, Colorado 86Baylor 67, Minnesota 48Thursday, April 2West Virginia 82, Stanford 77Creighton 82, Rutgers 69Saturday, April 4Oklahoma vs. Baylor | 1:30 p.m. ETCreighton vs. West Virginia | 4 p.m. ETSunday, April 5:Championship game | 5:30 p.m. ETThis article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College Basketball Crown payout, winner's share: How much do teams make in CBC?

New York owns the longest playoff drought in major North American sports after Buffalo ended its streak at 14 seasons.

Payal Nag stood 'tall' on the global stage, winning double gold at the World Archery Para Series in a journey that has turned pain into purpose and silence into a statement.

Two veterans nearing the end of their career square off in London on Saturday

PHOENIX There is no handing over the keys to the kingdom if the one holding them preemptively walks off.In this case, its a mere formality. Dawn Staleys reign over womens basketball is only growing stronger. And thats irritating for the coach who has always held court.Geno Auriemma cited the lack of a formal pre-game handshake as the reason for his mounting frustrations in Connecticuts semifinal loss to South Carolina on Friday night. And maybe that was a small irritant on a larger scab.Yet it sure seems like it played cover for a clear shift in the balance of power that has been brewing for a decade. Auriemma and UConn are grasping onto their hold as the standard of womens basketball as vehemently as they can, but it has loosened through 30 years of 24 Final Fours and 12 national championships.Pulling away on their grip is Staley, who has built her South Carolina program into a fresh standard-bearer in her own likeness. No program has been better over the past decade than hers as they play in their third consecutive championship game on Sunday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC), facing UCLA.GOOD MORNING pic.twitter.com/sofhvJGiqZ South Carolina Women's Basketball (@GamecockWBB) April 4, 2026The numbers shes assembled scream vintage UConn. The Gamecocks are playing in their sixth consecutive Final Four, all as No. 1 seeds, and are 206-15 in their six-year run. Staley is pushing stars into the WNBA, beaming at nine players on opening day rosters a year ago. Their annual draft quota rivals the elite UConn groups.Playing for Staley and the Gamecocks gives lower-level talents the benefit of the doubt when WNBA coaches consider brutal roster cuts. And every player who makes a team credits the pro-level preparation of Staley and her staff, the way Huskies have over the years.Thats a lot to take in for anyone, but certainly someone with the asset of longevity. Auriemma joked to a high school reporter on Friday night that he wasnt sure he wanted to coach anymore after the drama of the evening. He will, though. Despite mulling retirement and denying the gift of a perfect exit opportunity a year ago, he just keeps going.Past Pat Summitt, the legendary eight-time champion coach at Tennessee, who had to step away in April 2012 after an early-onset Alzheimers diagnosis. She died in 2016 at the age of 64, ending the rivalry of both coaches and programs that the sport deserved to see amid todays investment.Past Tara VanDerveer, Stanfords all-time winningest coach, who shared the NCAAs title back-and-forth with Auriemma until her retirement in 2024. The three-time national champion spent 45 years with the Cardinal, reaching 14 Final Fours and becoming the first to win championships 30 years apart (1990, 92, 2021).Past Muffet McGraw, his most recent foil at Notre Dame, who retired in 2020 after 33 seasons and two national titles. Their NCAA tournament games will live in infamy. Auriemma said last week he always knew they would have to get past the Fighting Irish to lift the trophy, the same as Tennessee before them.And the same as South Carolina now.Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma and South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley shake hands after a February 2015 game in Storrs, Conn. (John Woike/Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)Hartford Courant via Getty ImagesThis is their sixth Final Four, Auriemma said. This is our 17th out of 18 years. Pretty hard to avoid 'em.He wont make it past Staley, who cautioned a year ago that she wasnt interested in a coaching tenure as long as Auriemma. The former Virginia and WNBA Hall of Famer began her head-coaching career at Temple in 2000 while still playing. She took the South Carolina job in 2008. With a win on Sunday, her fourth national title will tie Kim Mulkey for third place all-time.In womens hoops, a coach needs to build beyond the roster. VanDerveer famously drove the team van as a young coach. Coaches have lobbied their institutions, both loudly and subtly, to invest financially to boost their success. Staley came into nothing and wooed the local media, making it easier to cover her team when she took over.Their pack now rivals that of Connecticut, and she is smart about slyly using it as a megaphone to her advantage, as does any high-level coach. She built the fandom, known as FAMs, into regular sell-outs in Columbia. Her personality and care led to traveling support rivaling the Huskies everywhere all the time blanket that has covered the sport since the 1990s.Win[ning] another championship is important, Staley said on Saturday, dismissing notions of personal accomplishment that will come. It's important for our fans. It's important for our athletics department, our university.The NCAA regionals now often occur in the southeast with strong attendance, when previously they had been near UConn in the northeast, much to the exhaustion of nearly everyone outside of Huskies blue.Staley developed and earned the rare power to work the room and the refs, and the people in charge to boot.After that 2023 undefeated season ended in the semifinals, she took aim at Iowa head coach Lisa Bluders comments that battling the Gamecocks on the boards would be like going to a bar fight and claimed national reporters made derogatory remarks about her team.Asked a question a year ago about UConn senior Paige Bueckers, the day before their national championship matchup, she said sentimental narratives around Bueckers and Caitlin Clark before her puts us at a disadvantage, whether you want to believe so or not. Officials see it. Its all over TikTok. Its all over SportsCenter. Its all over all of that.Each churned their way atop the on-court action of their respective final weekends and offseason.Its that Final Four loss to Iowa with her Freshies, led by former National Player of the Year Aliyah Boston, that she said this weekend haunts her. She answered the call with an unlikely 2024 undefeated championship that required an elite coaching job to turn a daycare into a realized dream.That cemented her status on the throne, not the ensuing furor of Friday night that draws the crux of attention to a very present theme. Any takes on Auriemma tarnishing his legacy miss that Staleys continues to sprint away from his shadow.

Virginia fired women's basketball coach Amaka Agugua-Hamilton on Saturday despite the team's run to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2000.

UConn Huskies coach Geno Auriemma has apologized for his actions during a heated exchange with Dawn Staley at the end of the Huskies' loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks in the women's Final Four. A visibly upset Auriemma went over to Staley in the final seconds of South Carolinas 62-48 victory on Friday night and appeared to chastise her. Coaches from both teams had to separate them. When the game finally ended, Auriemma walked off the court to the locker room without going back to shake hands with anyone from South Carolina. "Theres no excuse for how I handled the end of the game vs. South Carolina. Its unlike what I do and what our standard is here at Connecticut," the Hall of Fame coach said in a statement on Saturday. "I want to apologize to the staff and the team at South Carolina. It was uncalled for in how I reacted. The story should be how well South Carolina played, and I dont want my actions to detract from that. Ive had a great relationship with their staff, and I sincerely want to apologize to them." Staley said Saturday morning she was focused on the title game against the UCLA Bruins on Sunday and not what happened a night earlier. "For me, no distractions at this time. I'm concentrating on winning a national championship, thats it," Staley said. "Thats a little disheartening. This is sports. Sometimes things like this happen. Continue to focus on my team and ability to advance in this tournament and hopefully win another national championship." Staley later said that she would address it at a later point. After the loss, Auriemma said the exchange was about the lack of a traditional pregame handshake between the coaches. Staley said she was confused Friday night. "I have no idea," the South Carolina coach said after the game. "But Im going to let you know this: Im of integrity. Im of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didnt shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didnt know. I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staffs hand. "I dont know what he came with after the game, but, hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on." South Carolina advanced to play UCLA in the title game on Sunday. The Gamecocks are looking for their third championship in five seasons. UConn and South Carolina are set to play each other the next two years with the first game in Connecticut. Reporting by The Associated Press.

Indian Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa played out a quick and easy draw with Hikaru Nakamura of United States while Javokhir Sindarov of Uzbekistan continued with his winning ways as he beat Wei Yi of China in the sixth round of the Candidates chess tournament on Saturday.

SportsLine's Kyle Marley reveals his picks for the UFC Fight Night fight card from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas in the UFC event on Paramount+, featuring 10th-ranked Renato Moicano and Chris Duncan in a lightweight matchup

Mumbai Indians (MI) suffered their first defeat of IPL 2026 after failing to defend a total of 162 against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday. Stand-in captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted his side fell 1520 runs short on what was a good batting surface.'Me and Naman got out at the wrong time' admits SuryakumarReflecting on the total, Suryakumar said MI had aimed for a score closer to 180. When you're batting first, you dont think too much about the score, but we felt 180185 would have been competitive. We were 1520 runs short, he said during the post-match presentation.Despite the loss, the skipper credited Delhis effort. It was a decent wicket. We expected it to be slightly slower, but their batters played really well. I dont want to take anything away from them, he added.Suryakumar led the side in the absence of regular captain Hardik Pandya, who missed the match due to illness. MI posted 162/6 after being asked to bat first, with Suryakumar top-scoring with 51. Naman Dhir contributed a brisk 28 off 21 balls before being dismissed by T Natarajan.Surya admitted that the middle phase proved costly. Me and Naman got out at the wrong time. Otherwise, we could have gone past a par score. There will be days when things dont work, but we will regroup and come back stronger, he said.Rizvis 90 seals comfortable chase for DCDelhi Capitals chased down the target comfortably, thanks to a stunning knock from Sameer Rizvi. The youngster smashed 90 off 51 balls, leading DC to a six-wicket victory.Rizvis innings was historic, becoming the second-highest score by an Impact Player in IPL history, behind Jos Buttlers unbeaten 107 in 2024. It was also the third-highest individual score by a DC batter against MI, following Virender Sehwags 95* in 2013 and Jason Roys 91* in 2018. His seven sixes equalled the record for the most by a DC batter against MI, matching Rishabh Pant (2019) and Tristan Stubbs (2024).Suryakumar was full of praise for Rizvis match-winning effort. At 7 for 2, for someone to come in and bat like that, full credit to him. He never let us get back into the game. We tried everything with the ball, but couldnt find a way through, he said.