2026 NCAA Tournament - Special coverage at The Spokesman-Review

Sports > NCAA basketball

Michigan fends off UConn to win first national championship since 1989

UPDATED: Mon., April 6, 2026

INDIANAPOLIS – Dominant. Scary. A machine. “The Monstars.”

Sports > NCAA basketball

UCLA clobbers South Carolina for first NCAA national title in program history

UPDATED: Sun., April 5, 2026

PHOENIX – With gold confetti falling from the rafters, Lauren Betts couldn’t hold back the tears.

Sports > NCAA basketball

First look at UConn vs. Michigan in men’s basketball national championship game

UPDATED: Sun., April 5, 2026

The stage is set. UConn and Michigan will play for the national championship in men’s basketball Monday night in Indianapolis.

Sports > NCAA basketball

South Carolina hands UConn first loss, reaches 4th NCAA final in 5 years

UPDATED: Fri., April 3, 2026

PHOENIX – One of the first things South Carolina saw every morning during the offseason was the score of its national championship loss to UConn a year ago.

Sports > NCAA basketball

Arizona got to Final Four by bucking 3-point trend. Even Steve Kerr approves

UPDATED: Fri., April 3, 2026

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Steve Kerr, coach of the team that broke basketball as we know it, sat just behind Arizona’s bench during last week’s Sweet 16, watching his Wildcats … mostly ignore the 3-point line. It was a strange sight, to say the least.

Sports > Gonzaga basketball

As he takes powerhouse Arizona into the Final Four, Tommy Lloyd’s humble Gonzaga beginnings don’t feel that distant

UPDATED: Fri., April 3, 2026

Tommy Lloyd’s tenure as a graduate assistant was all of two weeks old when newly appointed Gonzaga coach Mark Few phoned predecessor Dan Monson.

Sports > NCAA basketball

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

UPDATED: Sun., March 29, 2026

We have our Final Four.

Sports > NCAA basketball

UConn stuns Duke with Braylon Mullins’ deep 3 to cap wild comeback, return to Final Four

UPDATED: Sun., March 29, 2026

WASHINGTON – Braylon Mullins swished a 3-pointer from near half court with 0.4 seconds left and second-seeded UConn erased a 19-point deficit and stunned top-seeded Duke 73-72 Sunday to go to the Final Four for the third time in four years.

Sports > NCAA basketball

If college sports are broken, why is March Madness as popular as ever? | Commentary

UPDATED: Sun., March 29, 2026

SEATTLE – We’ll start with the complaints in college sports, because there is certainly no shortage of them.

Sports > NCAA basketball

Top seeds UConn, UCLA advance to women’s Final Four

UPDATED: Sun., March 29, 2026

Top-seeded UConn is back in the Final Four, but it wasn’t the two All-Americans and Naismith finalists who carried the Huskies when things were shaky.

Sports > NCAA basketball

Illinois’ size prevails as Illini pull away from Iowa to reach first Final Four since 2005

UPDATED: Sat., March 28, 2026

Houston – Two nights after showing he could contribute beyond just scoring for Illinois, standout freshman guard Keaton Wagler returned to doing what he does best.

Sports > NCAA basketball

Women’s Sweet 16 takeaways: Michigan beats Louisville; TCU ends Virginia’s Cinderella bid

UPDATED: Sat., March 28, 2026

The Sweet 16 continues to whittle down to the Elite Eight at the NCAA Tournament regional sites in Fort Worth, and Sacramento, California.

Sports > Gonzaga women

Gonzaga women using quick NCAA Tournament exit as ‘jumping pad for next year’

UPDATED: Sat., March 28, 2026

Sometimes what winning coaches say about their opponent following a game can sound obligatory, bordering on cliche.

Sports > NCAA basketball

Men’s March Madness 2026: UConn, Duke hold on late to reach Elite Eight

UPDATED: Fri., March 27, 2026

The final night of the Sweet 16 promised top-tier basketball, and the four games more than delivered.

Sports > NCAA basketball

Women’s Sweet 16 takeaways: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame take down Vanderbilt

UPDATED: Fri., March 27, 2026

The second-to-last weekend of the women’s college basketball season is here.

Sports > NCAA basketball

Dylan Darling’s 3-pointer misses in final seconds, St. John’s falls to Duke in Sweet 16

UPDATED: Fri., March 27, 2026

After sending St. John’s to the Sweet 16 with a buzzer-beating layup, Dylan Darling had a chance to be the hero again.

Sports > NCAA basketball

Men’s March Madness 2026 takeaways: Purdue survives Texas in thriller; Iowa beats Nebraska

UPDATED: Thu., March 26, 2026

The Purdue Boilermakers outlasted the Texas Longhorns 79-77 in the West Regional semifinal on Thursday to advance to the Elite Eight for the seventh time in program history.

Sports > Gonzaga basketball

Tommy Lloyd responds to potential North Carolina interest: ‘(Arizona) deserves my full focus’

UPDATED: Wed., March 25, 2026

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Tommy Lloyd’s name has been linked to one of the premier coaching jobs in college basketball.

Sports > WSU basketball

Former Washington State center Oscar Cluff found ‘perfect fit’ with Purdue team eyeing Final Four run

UPDATED: Thu., March 26, 2026

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Matt Painter straddles the halfcourt line at SAP Center, monitoring what’s happening at both ends of the floor during an open practice session one day before Purdue’s Sweet 16 matchup against Texas.

Sports > NCAA basketball

How Texas seized momentum, impact of Huff’s injury on GU’s season | Zags Insiders Podcast

UPDATED: Tue., March 24, 2026

A look at Gonzaga pre- and post-Huff injury, the momentum-shifting sequence in the round-of-32 loss to Texas and offered perspectives on the Zags' 31-4 season.

Michigan fends off UConn to win first national championship since 1989

UCLA clobbers South Carolina for first NCAA national title in program history

First look at UConn vs. Michigan in men’s basketball national championship game

South Carolina hands UConn first loss, reaches 4th NCAA final in 5 years

Arizona got to Final Four by bucking 3-point trend. Even Steve Kerr approves

As he takes powerhouse Arizona into the Final Four, Tommy Lloyd’s humble Gonzaga beginnings don’t feel that distant

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

UConn stuns Duke with Braylon Mullins’ deep 3 to cap wild comeback, return to Final Four

If college sports are broken, why is March Madness as popular as ever? | Commentary

Top seeds UConn, UCLA advance to women’s Final Four

Illinois’ size prevails as Illini pull away from Iowa to reach first Final Four since 2005

Women’s Sweet 16 takeaways: Michigan beats Louisville; TCU ends Virginia’s Cinderella bid

Gonzaga women using quick NCAA Tournament exit as ‘jumping pad for next year’

Men’s March Madness 2026: UConn, Duke hold on late to reach Elite Eight

Women’s Sweet 16 takeaways: Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame take down Vanderbilt

Dylan Darling’s 3-pointer misses in final seconds, St. John’s falls to Duke in Sweet 16

Men’s March Madness 2026 takeaways: Purdue survives Texas in thriller; Iowa beats Nebraska

Tommy Lloyd responds to potential North Carolina interest: ‘(Arizona) deserves my full focus’

Former Washington State center Oscar Cluff found ‘perfect fit’ with Purdue team eyeing Final Four run

How Texas seized momentum, impact of Huff’s injury on GU’s season | Zags Insiders Podcast

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Gonzaga vs. Texas (March 21, 2026)