It’s been over a week since North Carolina fired basketball coach Hubert Davis. Since then, there have been few updates on the Tar Heels’ coaching search.

The silence is deafening, so deafening that despite a dynamic men’s Final Four in Indianapolis this weekend — UConn vs. Illinois, Arizona vs. Michigan — UNC will be a primary topic of discussion, from power broker-filled downtown bars to news conferences in Lucas Oil Stadium, with up to three potential targets involved among the four head coaches.

“People are going to speculate all they want,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Tuesday. “This team has my full focus. Nothing, nothing, I promise you — nothing — is knocking me off that path.”

There is no doubt Lloyd is all about leading the Wildcats to a national title. What he said also wasn’t a denial of interest in the job.

And it is just the start, not just for Lloyd, but Michigan’s Dusty May and even, perhaps, Connecticut’s Dan Hurley. (Illinois’ Brad Underwood is not believed to be on the radar).

The belief is UNC is willing to go “outside the family” — i.e., a non-alumni or former assistant — for the first time since 1952, when it hired St. John’s coach Frank McGuire.

If it wanted anyone else outside the Final Four teams, then this would likely be over. Yet, sources across the sport say Carolina has done little to no outreach to perceived second-tier candidates, suggesting that barring a surprise, they are waiting to talk to their top choice(s).

Meanwhile, there is the transfer portal, which is how rosters are increasingly built. It opens Tuesday. If someone isn’t in place by then — much of the work is actually already being done — then the prospects for next season are already troubling. So what else would explain the delay?

Someone among Lloyd, May and/or Hurley must be the target.

Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan’s name has been floated, but even if he wanted to leave the NBA, there is little chance he would do so before the end of the season on April 12. That makes his timing, portal-wise at least, even worse.

No fan wants to hear their coach linked to an opening. However, in an era where rosters are increasingly year-to-year deals, the impact of such talk is less likely to rattle a locker room.

Maybe the better question is whether any of them would actually go, rather than using the one-sided interest to garner a raise?

UNC remains a special place, and again can be a great program, but this isn’t 10 years ago, let alone 25.

The parts that made it elite — tradition, the ACC, the Duke rivalry, television exposure, fan attention, shoe company alignment, etc. — matter less. Money for players, style of play and personality of the coach matter more.

That certainly doesn’t make every job even — it’s still Carolina — but the gap likely isn’t as wide.

In the extreme, consider Hurley, who can win his third title in four years, which would be more than the two that Smith won across 36 seasons in Chapel Hill. It also would be UConn’s seventh national championship since 1999, or one more than UNC has ever won.

How isn’t UConn the best program in the country, especially for Hurley, whose general demeanor could be described as outraged New York City taxi driver?

That works in the Northeast. Maybe not elsewhere.

As for Lloyd and May, why leave places that have already proved capable of providing the resources and support to construct powerhouse teams? These aren’t upstart clubs on unexpected, underdog Final Four runs. They’ve been dominant all season.

What resources can UNC provide that they don’t currently enjoy? How much better can they get? And on the flip side, what hidden hurdles await in Chapel Hill, political or otherwise?

There is the matter of money. Lloyd (about $5.2 million annually) and May ($5.1 million) have room to climb before hitting the level of Hurley ($7.7 million) or industry leader Bill Self of Kansas ($8.8 million).

However, Arizona AD Desiree Reed-Francois and Michigan AD Warde Manuel have been public about their willingness to rework contracts.

Manuel, whose department is in the middle of an independent review of its practices following a series of mostly football scandals, would seem particularly averse to seeing a bright, popular young coach leave on his watch.

Looming over everything is the opening of the portal just minutes after the conclusion of Monday’s national title game. Not only does Carolina need a coach ASAP but if one of the coaches mentioned were to leave, their old spot would have to scramble. The calendar is chaotic.

So here come the whispers and speculation and news conference questions — a Carolina blue backdrop to the Final Four.

St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn was involved in a terrifying car crash on Wednesday night hours after he delivered a walk-off hit against the New York Mets.

Winn’s vehicle appeared to slip on “wet pavement” as he was driving on Interstate 64, the team said in a statement, via FOX 2 Now. He was the only person involved in the crash.

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“We are grateful that he is OK, and thank the first responders in our community who helped Masyn tonight,” the Cardinals said.

The Cardinals added that he was the only person in the vehicle when the crash occurred and was helped by police, team security and medical staff. He was taken to a hospital and did not suffer any injuries.

The scary moment came after he helped the Cardinals to a win over the Mets in the 11th inning. Winn singled home the game-winning run as St. Louis picked up the 2-1 win.

St. Louis Cardnial’s Masyn Winn tosses his bat after striking out during the second inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in St. Louis.  (AP Photo/LG Patterson)

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“It wasn’t the best swing,” Winn said after the game, via MLB.com. “But I was just trying to get to first base, just in case.”

The Gold Glover was 1-for-4 in the game. He’s batting .160 with four hits and two runs scored through six games this season.

St. Louis tied the game in the sixth inning thanks to a Nolan Gorman RBI. Then, Cardinals pitcher Gordon Graceffo was able to keep the Mets at bay as he pitched out of a jam in the top of the 11th inning.

St. Louis Cardinals’ Masyn Winn throws out a runner during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in St. Louis.  (AP Photo/LG Patterson)

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New York got their lone run from a Juan Soto home run after Francisco Lindor was picked off at first base.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Italy’s sports minister has called on the country’s soccer federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina to resign after the four-time world champions failed to qualify for a third successive World Cup on Tuesday.

Italy‘s penalty shootout loss to 66th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina in the qualifying playoffs comes after the Azzurri were eliminated at the same stage by Sweden ahead of the 2018 World Cup and by North Macedonia in 2022.

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“It’s evident to everyone that Italian soccer needs to be overhauled,” Sports Minister Andrea Abodi said, “and that process needs to start with new leadership at the FIGC.”

Gravina is still holding onto his job after also surviving the qualifying elimination for the 2022 World Cup.

“Next week we will make much deeper reflections on the situation,” Gravina said, hinting that he could call for a new election for the country’s top soccer position. “There are a lot of evaluations to consider.”

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso has also yet to give any indication about his own future after taking over when Luciano Spalletti was fired after Italy lost its opening qualifier to Norway last year.

“I’m not interested at all in talking about my future today,” Gattuso said following the loss in Bosnia. “It hurts, it really hurts. More than hurting me, it hurts to see this group which has really given everything in these months and I think we deserved to get back what we put in and I honestly think it’s too reductive and too immature to be talking about my future today.”

Gattuso was given a contract until the end of this summer’s World Cup, with an automatic renewal until 2028 if Italy reached the tournament in North America.

Even if Gattuso hasn’t made up his mind whether to stay or not, the Italian soccer federation gave a clear sign it would like him to remain on Tuesday.

“I have to praise Gattuso. I think he’s been a great coach, he is a great coach, I’ve asked him to stay on in charge of these players,” Gravina said.

The issues in Italian soccer extend beyond the national team.

The last Italian club to win the Champions League was Inter Milan in 2010; while in this season’s continental competition, all four Italian clubs were eliminated before the quarterfinals.

Added former Italian Premier Matteo Renzi: “Unfortunately the third consecutive elimination from the World Cup is not an April Fool’s joke. It’s a sign that Italian soccer has failed. Soccer isn’t just entertainment in our country; it’s part of our culture and national identity.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.