Neil Blackmon

TAMPA —It was 9:43 p.m. ET when the final first round game of the South regional tipped in Tampa, meaning reigning national champion Florida had to wait longer than any defending champion in recent memory to take the floor and begin its title defense. That was just fine with the Gators. Patience has been a theme all year with this team, The 5-4 start, with heartbreaking (Duke, UConn, Arizona) and head-scratching (TCU) losses demanded it. The new faces on the roster played like they needed it. If you ask Todd Golden and his coaching staff, it's never been a title…

— There's nothing like March. The NCAA Tournament is the greatest single event in American sports for a reason.

North Carolina Tar Heels fired head coach Hubert Davis on Tuesday evening after 5 up-and-down years as head coach.

Say what you will about Will Wade, and goodness is there plenty to say, but he's unapologetically himself. He hasn't changed, and doesn't intend to change.

— The stage is set for the Final Four on Saturday and the question most folks in the hoops mecca that is Indianapolis keep asking is simple: Is

Dusty May led another impressive 2-year turnaround for Michigan basketball, mirroring what Curt Cignetti did for Indiana football.

Thomas Haugh is perhaps the unlikeliest and most storybook of University of Florida heroes, all at once.

Formalized expansion could come as early as next month, with changes being implemented in the March 2027 edition of the NCAA Tournament.

That's the transfer portal window and the time when the bulk of player retention and portal addition that makes up modern roster building occurs.

In college basketball, championships are won in the NCAA Tournament, but in the transfer portal era, championship rosters are largely built in April.