Here's where UNC basketball could turn next, with Tommy Lloyd off table

Tommy Lloydwent into Leonardo DiCaprio mode on Friday and said the words everyArizona basketballfan must love to hear: He's not leaving.

"I'm happy to announce I'm staying at Arizona," Lloyd said, ahead of his Wildcats facing Michigan in the Final Four in abattle of 1-seeds.

Lloyd calledNorth Carolinaa "one of one" job and said it's an "honor to even be considered for that job," but he's agreed to a contract extension at Arizona that runs through the 2031 season.

Toppmeyer:UNC coaching search looms over Final Four — ask Kansas how that goes

With Lloyd off the table, where does UNC turn?

March 13: Wes Miller, Cincinnati

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 13: Kim English, Providence

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 11: Jeremy Ballad, Florida International

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 11: Adrian Autry, Syracuse

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 9: Mike Jones, UNC Greensboro

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 9: Phil Cunningham, Louisiana Monroe

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 9: Ed Schilling, Pepperdine

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 8: Earl Grant, Boston College

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 8: Stan Heath, Eastern Michigan

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 8: Dwayne Stephens, Western Michigan

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 8: Damon Stoudamire, Georgia Tech

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 7: Rashon Burno, Northern Illinois

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 7: Michael Lewis, Ball State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 7: Mark Schmidt, St. Bonaventure

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 6: Darrell Walker, Arkansas-Little Rock

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> March 3: John Pelphrey, Tennessee Tech

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> February 27: Billy Gillispie, Tarleton State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> February 26: Wayne Tinkle, Oregon State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> February 20: Joe Scott, Air Force

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> February 18: Steve Lavin, San Diego

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> February 17: Jerome Tang, Kansas State

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> January 12: Marvin Menzies, Kansas City

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

NCAA coaches fired during the 2026 college basketball season

March 13: Wes Miller, Cincinnati

Four candidates come to mind:

Dusty May, Michigan

Unlike Lloyd, May hasn't said the magic words — or announced the magic contract agreement — to extinguish North Carolina speculation. "I think it's well-documented how happy I am at Michigan," May said.

Could he be even happier at UNC? He'd be the home-run choice, if so.

This really isn't about job ceiling, because May, 49, already has provenhe can thrive at Michiganand perform at the highest level.

The most logical move for May would seem to be to keep crushing it at Michigan, until such time that the NBA comes calling, if that's a move that would interest him.

Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls

Does Donovan want to return to college basketball? That's the key question. If he does, now would be a good time to go, with a blue-blood job available, and his Bulls tenure stalling out.

At one time, Donovan was the best in the college basketball business. A lot's changed within college sports since then. How would he fare in the pay-for-play and perpetual free agency era that college basketball finds itself in now?

That's not to say Donovan, 60, wouldn't be a great hire if he can negotiate a breakup with the Bulls. We just don't know for sure how it would look, as compared to May, who's a proven commodity in this ecosystem.

Hiring Donovan would come with a hint of risk, given his 11 years away from college basketball, but the potential reward is obvious, too. He's a high-level coach with national title rings.

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Mark Byington, Vanderbilt

Once you get past the flashier names on this list, you realize Byington, 49, would be a really compelling choice.

Consider this:

∎ He's from Virginia, and he played at UNC-Wilmington, so he knows the terrain.

∎ He's been an assistant inside the ACC, so he knows the conference.

∎ He was a smashing success at James Madison, and he rectified Vanderbilt's program.

∎ His career keeps trending up.

Sure, he's never made a Sweet 16, but he's never been at a program like North Carolina, either.

Todd Golden and Nate Oats had never been to a Sweet 16 before coaching at Florida and Alabama, respectively. Now, they're two of the best coaches in the sport.

No telling how Byington would handle the scrutiny and expectations of UNC, but here's a chance to catch someone on his way up.

Ben McCollum, Iowa

Speaking of an elevator that's on the way up, McCollum, 44,keeps climbing.

Just two years ago, he was at Division II Northwest Missouri State, where he won four national championships. In one year at Drake, his Bulldogs reached the NCAA's second round. Then, he took Iowa to the Elite Eight in Year 1.

With only one season of Power Four experience, there'd be risk baked into this choice. Plus, McCollum is an Iowa native who's never coached east of the Mississippi River. Makes you wonder about fit, but winning fits anywhere, and McCollum wins. Google it. He profiles as a good fallback plan if higher profile targets say no.

Two other names to consider:Grant McCasland (Texas Tech), Nate Oats (Alabama). Both are established winners who enjoy great situations right where they are, but UNC is a powerful ego stroke.

Blake Toppmeyeris a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him atBToppmeyer@gannett.comand follow him on X@btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:UNC basketball coach Plan B may include Mark Byington, Ben McCollum

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April 03, 2026

Here's where UNC basketball could turn next, with Tommy Lloyd off table

Tommy Lloydwent into Leonardo DiCaprio mode on Friday and said the words everyArizona basketballfan must love to hear: He...

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Illinois basks in Final Four moment, intent on clipping UConn

INDIANAPOLIS -- Forgive Brad Underwood if he takes an extra beat to appreciate the novelty of his weekend surroundings as Illinois returns to the Final Four for the first time since 2005.

Ready and waiting, perhaps unimpressed by the pomp and circumstance on the periphery of a third trip to the Final Four in four years, stand UConn and head coach Dan Hurley. And that's the piece of the Fighting Illini itinerary in Indy that Underwood finds painfully familiar.

UConn demolished Illinois 74-61 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 28 and waylaid the Illini in the 2024 Elite Eight in Boston, a blowout by every measure that is memorable for the Huskies' 30-0 run and 77-52 final score.

Only senior forward Alex Karaban remains from UConn's previous tournament win over Illinois and the teams are changed in major ways since the November game. But in the days since Illinois defeated No. 9 seed Iowa to win the South, Underwood found a couple of common denominators comparing his losses to UConn's 19-point comeback to defeat East No. 1 seed Duke on Sunday.

"I look at one guy -- well, two. I look at Danny (Hurley) and then I look at Karaban," he said. "Their culture is, I think this is their third Final Four. You understand why they're here. It's never -- things have to go right in a 19-point comeback, and they did. But there was no quit. There was no lay-down. We've talked a lot about that."

UConn (33-5) tournament breakout star Tarris Reed Jr. was coming off of an injury when the teams played earlier this season and All-American Keaton Wagler was a non-factor for Illinois (28-8), serving in a vastly different catch-and-shoot role as a spot-up sniper on the baseline. These days, the Big Ten Freshman of the Year handles the ball on every possession and gets the offense going as a point guard or point forward.

The Most Outstanding Player in the South Region, Wagler had 25 against the Hawkeyes and his best game of the year came in the state. He poured in 46 points on Jan. 24 at Purdue in a national coming-out party that featured 9-of-11 shooting from 3-point range. He led Illinois in scoring 19 times this season.

"It does give you a lot of confidence when they put that much trust in you," Wagler said.

Wagler leads the Illini in scoring (17.9) and assists (4.3), ranks third in rebounding (5.0) and drew praise from UConn for not being a superstar in one sense that you "never see him take bad shots." Wagler played only 14 minutes in the loss to UConn.

Hurley stressed to his newbies in the locker room, which happens to include Indiana kid and Elite Eight hero Braylon Mullins, that the Huskies aren't here to hang a Final Four banner. The participants in the national semifinals receive watches in swag bags this week. Hurley couldn't care less about the timepiece. The treasure Hurley wants the Huskies to focus on can't be dug up until Monday night, and only after winning twice in the Final Four.

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He said Friday he's even willing to embrace the criticism received since he went eyebrow-to-eyebrow with referee Roger Ayers, risking a technical or ejection in the moments after Mullins had his "One Shining Moment" against Duke.

"I'm not a victim. I've done everything. I did what I did," Hurley said. "We don't allow victims in our program, and I'm not a 53-year-old man sitting up here like I'm some victim. I don't want to waste a lot of time with it because it takes away from the team. But for me, the way I view what we're going into in the game, when some people, again, view it as a game, just my family, how I was raised in the sport, where I'm from in Jersey, we look at it more like a battle."

Underwood has attended the Final Four regularly during his 39 years in coaching -- hundreds of college head coaches, assistants, eager recent grads, are in attendance again this weekend -- which culminated in his first trip to the Final Four this week.

He's been openly emotional about the realization of the dream walking around Lucas Oil Stadium and stepping on the elevated court with a fist pump for friends, family and Illini fans in attendance at Friday morning's practice. It was No. 112 for Illinois since the journey began in October and a blatant reminder to Underwood his time for reflection isn't here just yet.

"I'm 62 years old. I was a kid. I grew up watching this event," Underwood said. "You're the kid that's in your driveway shooting hoops and you're going to hit the game winner in the National Championship game. I never got to do that. It's been well-documented my journey has been a little bit different than a lot of people, 26 years to become a head coach and some different paths to get here. You watch it, and you dream. I say this all the time: There's no bigger dreamer than me. You get here, and there's a moment of reflection when we got here. ... There's never a moment lost not thinking about the next game, thinking about maximizing the opportunity. And there will be more time for reflection after this is over."

Karaban has won titles as a complementary piece to the likes of Stephon Castle, Cam Spencer and Donovan Clingan.

He enters Saturday's national semifinal as the second-leading scorer (13.2 points per game) to Reed (14.7) with guards Solo Ball (12.9) and Mullins (11.9) capable of leading the team in scoring on a given night. Karaban had only five points against Duke but assisted on Mullins' buzzer-beater and averaged 22 points in three 2026 NCAA Tournament games before he was tracking Cameron Boozer around the court in the Elite Eight.

Wagler, who turned 19 in February, ascended sharply since he last saw UConn and is projected to be a lottery pick if he opts to depart Illinois -- the only major college program that recruited him out of Mission Northwest High School in Kansas -- after one season. He was still having a few pinch-me moments in the Illinois locker room adorned with player photos and team logos, even asking aloud if he's able to take some of the mementos when Illinois departs the Final Four.

Because the Fighting Illini are in Indy for banners and rings, too, but Underwood doesn't mind a few smiles and fun along the path.

"So there's a lot of excitement, but there's a lot of gratitude for where we are," Illinois senior Ben Humrichous said. "And what gratitude I think does for us and this team is adds an extra energy and effort to each of our moments, even just a focus in our preparation and commitment to our process. For me and a lot of our -- for our team, it's just gratitude, thankful for the moment. So we want to celebrate the success, but then even approaching the game with the respect that it deserves because of the culmination of the efforts up to this point."

--Jeff Reynolds, Field Level Media

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April 03, 2026

Illinois basks in Final Four moment, intent on clipping UConn

INDIANAPOLIS -- Forgive Brad Underwood if he takes an extra beat to appreciate the novelty of his weekend surroundings...

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Portland Fire select Lynx's Bridget Carleton No. 1 in WNBA expansion draft

Follow along with USA TODAY Sports for live updates and analysis of the2026 WNBA expansion draft here.

Minnesota LynxforwardBridget Carletonis heading to Portland.

The Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire tip off play this season as the 14th and 15thWNBAfranchises, and both teams began assembling their rosters Friday, April 3 through theWNBA expansion draftafter a new collective bargaining agreement was reached last month.

With the No. 1 overall pick, Portland selected Carleton out of Minnesota. Carleton started all 44 games for the Lynx last season and averaged 6.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists in their run to the 2025 WNBA semifinals, as Minnesota fell short of its second consecutive WNBA Finals appearance.

Portland Fire general manager Vanja Černivec said Carleton "immediately stood out" to the franchise and quickly became their No. 1 target in the expansion draft. The Fire had the No. 1 overall pick of the expansion draft after the Toronto Tempo opted to take the sixth pick in the2026 WNBA Draft– scheduled for April 13 – instead of the seventh.

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"The obvious logic was she's going to be our number one pick," Černivec said during ESPN's broadcast. "Bridget (Carleton) is someone that, number one, everybody wants to play with. Her character speaks herself and then what she brings on court on both ends of the floor, it's something it's hard to find new player. So we're very excited to see her excel defensively but also kind of stretch her floor."

Carleton was selected out of Iowa State with the 21st overall pick of the 2019 WNBA Draft. Carleton was dropped by the Sun after four games, but signed a 7-day contract with the Lynx in August 2019 and found a home in Minnesota. She spent seven seasons in Minnesota before being selected by the Fire on Friday.

Following her selection, Minnesota shared a social media graphic, saying, "Thank you for everything."

Here's the entire Portland Fire roster following the expansion draft:

Portland Fire Roster

First Round

• F Bridget Carleton - Minnesota Lynx

• G Carla Leite - Golden State Valkyries

• C Luisa Geiselsöder - Dallas Wings

• G Emily Engstler - Washington Mystics

• G Maya Caldwell - Atlanta Dream

• F Chloe Bibby - Indiana Fever

Second Round

• F/G Haley Jones - Dallas Wings

• F Nyadiew Puoch - Australia

• G Sarah Ashlee Barker - Los Angeles Sparks

• G Sug Sutton - Washington Mystics

• G Nika Mühl - Seattle Storm

Reach USA TODAY National Women's Sports Reporter Cydney Henderson at chenderson@gannett.com and follow her on X at@CydHenderson.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Portland Fire take Bridget Carleton No. 1 in WNBA expansion draft

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Portland Fire select Lynx's Bridget Carleton No. 1 in WNBA expansion draft

Follow along with USA TODAY Sports for live updates and analysis of the2026 WNBA expansion draft here. Minnesot...

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Evangelical churches who backed Trump now feel like 'collateral' in his deportation agenda

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Pastor Erick Salgado used to preach to his Brooklyn congregation that they shouldn't fear immigration officers because "they are after criminals."

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April 03, 2026

Evangelical churches who backed Trump now feel like 'collateral' in his deportation agenda

Advertisement Pastor Erick Salgado used to preach to his Brooklyn congregation that they shouldn't fear im...

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Millions of eyedrops sold at major pharmacies and stores voluntarily recalled

More than 3 million bottles of eye drops sold at CVS, HEB, Kroger, Meijer, Walgreens and other stores nationwide have been voluntarily recalled due to a "lack of assurance of sterility," according to anoticefrom the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The recalled eye drops were produced by KC Pharmaceuticals Inc., a private label maker, and were sold under multiple brand names, including Best Choice, CVS, Discount Drug Mart, Gericare, Kroger and Walgreens.

The drops were initially recalled on March 3, according to the FDA.

On March 31, the FDA assigned the recall a Class II designation,definedby the agency as a recall in which use of the affected product may cause "temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences or where the probability of serious adverse health consequences is remote."

Voluntary recall issued for eye drops sold nationwide

The recall impacts 3,111,072 bottles of eye drops with the following labels:

• 182,424 bottles of Sterile Eye Drops AC (tetrahydrozoline HCl 0.05%, zinc sulfate 0.25%), 0.5-ounce (15-milliliter) bottles

• 303,216 bottles of Eye Drops Advanced Relief (dextran 70 0.1%, polyethylene glycol 400 1% and tetrahydrozoline HCl 0.05%), 0.5-ounce (15-milliliter) bottles, sterile

• 1,023,096 bottles of Dry Eye Relief Eye Drops (glycerin 0.2%, hypromellose 0.2% and polyethylene glycol 400 1%), 0.5-ounce (15-milliliter) bottles

• 245,184 bottles of Ultra Lubricating Eye Drops (polyethylene 400 0.4%, propylene glycol 0.3%), sterile, 0.5-ounce (15-milliliter) bottles

• 378,144 bottles of Sterile Eye Drops Original Formula (tetrahydrozoline HCl 0.05%), 0.5-ounce (15-milliliter) bottles

• 315,144 bottles of Sterile Eye Drops Redness Lubricant (glycerin 0.25% and naphazoline HCl 0.012%), 0.5-ounce (15-milliliter) bottles

• 74,016 bottles of Sterile Eye Drops Soothing Tears (polyethylene glycol 400 0.4% and propylene glycol 0.3%), 0.5-ounce (15-milliliter) bottles

• 589,848 bottles of Artificial Tears Sterile Lubricant Eye Drops (polyvinyl alcohol 0.5%, povidone 0.6%), 0.5-ounce (15-milliliter) bottles

A full list of recalled eye drops and their brand names, lot numbers, UPC codes and expiration dates can be found on theFDA website.

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CVS shared several recall notices on its website forGeriCare Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops,CVS Lubricant Eye Drops Redness Reliever, CVS Lubricant Eye Drops Dry Eye, and two-packs of CVS Lubricant Eye Drops Redness Reliever, citing potential microbial contamination.

In a statement to ABC News on Friday, a CVS spokesperson said the four products were "discontinued nearly a year ago," and that the company was "fully cooperating" with the manufacturer recall.

Systane eye drops recalled due to fungal contamination: FDA

"We're committed to ensuring the products we offer are safe, work as intended, comply with regulations, and satisfy customers' needs," the spokesperson said.

Customers who purchased the products may return it to any CVS Pharmacy for a refund, they added.

ABC News has reached out to KC Pharmaceuticals Inc. for comment.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to include new comments from a CVS spokesperson.

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April 03, 2026

Millions of eyedrops sold at major pharmacies and stores voluntarily recalled

More than 3 million bottles of eye drops sold at CVS, HEB, Kroger, Meijer, Walgreens and other stores nationwide have ...

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