Men's College Basketball

Florida head coach Todd Golden has respect for Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson, but his team isn't fearful of the Cougars entering the national championship game of the 2025 NCAA tournament.

"I obviously respect everyone that we're playing against," Golden said, per ESPN's Myron Medcalf. "We don't fear people. We respect them. That goes for the coaches, as well. All these guys that we're competing against at this point are either Hall of Fame coaches or potentially on their way to being Hall of Fame coaches or really, really successful head coaches."

The Gators punched their ticket to the national title game with a 79-73 win over Auburn in the Final Four on Saturday.

Florida trailed by eight points at halftime, but it surged back in front during the second half as senior guard Walter Clayton Jr. scored 34 points on 11-of-18 shooting.

Golden is in the midst of his third season with the Gators and never advanced beyond the first round of March Madness prior to 2025, while Sampson has three Final Four appearances under his belt and is in his 11th year at Houston.

Golden praised Sampson, but he also wasn't letting himself be affected by the difference in experience between them.

"The fact that we've been able to compete and stay alive through five games in the tournament, [we're] incredibly proud of that," Golden said, via Medcalf. "This is a great opportunity again for us [Monday] night. Coach Sampson is a Hall of Fame head coach. If we're able to beat them, it will be a great honor."

Florida's offense has remained sharp throughout its March Madness run, averaging 84.4 points per game across five tournament contests.

The Gators have a tough test ahead of them, as Sampson's squad owns the No. 1 scoring defense in the country by allowing just 58.5 points per game.

Houston held Duke to just nine points over the final 10 minutes of its 70-67 victory in the Final Four on Saturday night.

Florida and Houston are set to battle for a national title on Monday, with tip-off at 8:50 p.m. ET.

Duke reportedly has a hefty amount of NIL money available to spend on its 2025-26 roster.

According to Pete Nakos of On3.com, a "range of sources" said the Blue Devils have "roughly $8 to $10 million" available for their roster next season and are considered to be one of the most well-funded programs in college basketball.

One source told Nakos that Duke's NIL war chest is “unlimited.”

Head coach Jon Scheyer's team will be looking to build upon its 2024-25 campaign, which ended in the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA tournament on Saturday.

While standout forward Cooper Flagg could hear his name called with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, Duke's incoming freshman class is one of the best in the country.

The Blue Devils' 2025 recruiting class was ranked No. 1 in the nation, per 247Sports. Their list of recruits includes standouts such as Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer and Shelton Henderson.

Flagg's NIL valuation of $4.8 million is the highest among all college basketball players, via On3.

Now, Duke will focus on helping its incoming freshman class ramp up for the 2025-26 season while looking for additions in the transfer portal.

The Blue Devils' primary basketball NIL collective is the One Vision Futures Fund (h/t Nakos). It was started by Jeff Fox, the CEO and founder of the investment firm Circumference Group, Dan Levitan, co-founder of the venture capital firm Maveron, and former Goldman Sachs partner Steve Duncker. All three are Duke alumni.

Their goal is to give Scheyer the resources he needs "to compete, to support his vision and never be a distraction" from winning a national title, per Andrew Beaton of The Wall Street Journal.

As Duke prepares to defend its ACC tournament title and go on a deeper March Madness run, it appears to be headed towards a busy offseason.

Flory Bidunga isn't going anywhere after all.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Sunday the big man "agreed to a deal to stay at Kansas" after there was no shortage of speculation he might end up transferring to Auburn. Bidunga was a highly regarded option in the transfer portal after he was listed as a 5-star prospect and the No. 4 center in the 2024 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

"I'm really excited to be back for another year to continue to grow and develop and bring a national championship to Kansas," Bidunga said, per Thamel.

This is a difficult break for Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl, who was certainly looking to put Saturday's Final Four loss behind him with a key addition in the portal given the previous reporting that the big man could be joining the Tigers.

"There's still a chance Flory Bidunga will return to Kansas. I'm actually told they are currently in second on his suitor list," national basketball analyst Travis Branham said Friday on the College Basketball Show (three-minute mark). "The team in the lead and the team to beat is the Auburn Tigers. Bruce Pearl recruited him heavily out of high school and did a great job with them. Auburn finished second to Kansas."

Alas, he is staying with the Jayhawks and is in position to make a significant jump in 2025-26.

Bidunga averaged 5.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 16.3 minutes per game as a freshman. He shot 69.8 percent and took advantage of some of his limited opportunities despite starting just six games.

He flashed his potential with 19 points and seven rebounds in a January game against a Houston squad that will play in Monday's national championship game when given an opportunity to start.

And those starting chances will surely come far more often next season with Hunter Dickinson no longer on the roster. That will open up more time in the frontcourt for Bidunga, which was surely part of the decision-making process to stay with the Jayhawks.

The Big 12 team certainly hopes that decision pays off in 2025-26.

UConn men's basketball head coach Dan Hurley had a sarcastic response to a report that head coaches in the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA tournament were complaining about officiating.

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl and Florida head coach Todd Golden "shared a lot of words with the officials" in the matchup between their teams on Saturday that were "not safe for television," per John Fanta of Fox Sports and NBC Sports.

Hurley previously generated attention for his comments regarding officials following the Huskies' March Madness defeat at the hands of the Gators on March 23.

Hurley shared the message with Baylor, which was scheduled to play next, as he was walking off the floor after UConn's 77-75 loss.

"I hope they don't f--k you like they f--ked us," Hurley said in a video from Joey Ellis of Queen City News. "I hope they don't do that to you Baylor."

Hurley later acknowledged there were things that “I wish I didn’t do” when exiting the game, per the Associated Press.

The head coach has developed a reputation for being demonstrative when disagreeing with calls throughout his tenure with the Huskies, which included consecutive national titles in 2023 and 2024.

Still, he's repeatedly expressed his belief that his reactions aren't different than other coaches.

"I just wish they would show these other coaches losing their minds at the officials in other Big East games that I'm coaching where ... I'm not talking to officials; I see the other coaches as demonstrative as I am," Hurley said after a win on Jan. 21, via ESPN.

While UConn's 2024-25 season ended in the second round of the NCAA tournament, it was still an impressive finish from a team that lost multiple starters from its championship-winning squad in 2024.

As Hurley begins to navigate through the offseason, he also brought attention to complaints from other coaches regarding March Madness officiating.

Alijah Arenas is looking to follow in his father's footsteps and eventually make the NBA.

But the son of Gilbert Arenas is first following in the former NBA player's footsteps with Adidas.

TMZ Sports reported Sunday that the younger Arenas revealed he is signing an endorsement contract with Adidas. Gilbert Arenas, who played in the NBA from 2001 through 2012 for the Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies, had a signature shoe and endorsement deal with Adidas during his career.

TMZ noted there was no word on the monetary figures for Alijah Arenas' contract.

The McDonald's All-American committed to USC in January during an episode of his father's podcast:

He is a 5-star prospect and the No. 7 overall player and No. 1 shooting guard in the 2025 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. Arenas is part of a strong overall class for the Trojans that also includes 4-star prospects Jerry Easter and Elzie Harrington.

According to 247Sports' composite rankings, USC's class is ranked No. 8 in the country.

Alijah Arenas impressed during the McDonald's All-American game with his outside shooting with multiple three-pointers as he helped lead the West team to a victory.

The elder Arenas was best known for his time on the Wizards, as he was a three-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection during his tenure with the Eastern Conference team.

His son, though, doesn't have to wait until he is in the NBA to land a contract with Adidas in the current name, image and likeness era of college sports.

Rick Pitino was the best coach in men's college basketball during the 2024-25 season, at least in the eyes of those who vote on the Naismith Award.

The St. John's coach was named the Naismith Men's College Coach of the Year Award winner on Sunday. He won over fellow finalists in Houston's Kelvin Sampson, Auburn's Bruce Pearl and Duke's Jon Scheyer, who all made the Final Four.

"I'm truly honored to be the recipient of the Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year award, especially with the incredible coaching of the other finalists this past season," Pitino said in a press release.

"I want to thank my players and coaches for making this possible after a historic season for St. John’s Basketball. I am also grateful to the Atlanta Tipoff Club and the Naismith Awards selection committee for this prestigious honor."

This comes after Pitino and Pearl made history as the first men's college basketball coaches to ever share the Associated Press Coach of the Year Award for their respective efforts this season.

This caps off an incredible season for Pitino, who quickly turned things around at St. John's to establish the program as a Big East champion.

In just his second season at the job, Pitino led the Red Storm to a 31-5 overall record. The 31 wins tied a program record, while an 18-2 record in conference gave St. John's its first outright Big East championship in 40 years. 

Those 18 wins also tied last season's UConn team for the most wins in a regular season in Big East history.

St. John's wasn't done, as Pitino led the team to its first Big East tournament championship in 25 seasons and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. It was the first appearance in the Big Dance for the program since 2019.

The tournament started off in ideal fashion for the Red Storm with a 30-point victory over Omaha, marking their first NCAA tournament win since 2000.

It seemed to set the stage for a deep run, but they lost to 10th-seeded Arkansas in the second round thanks to a cold shooting night that saw the No. 2 seed go 2-of-22 (9.1 percent) from three-point range.

Still, it was an impressive overall season for Pitino and St. John's, and the Naismith Award serves as further validation and another accomplishment for one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history.

Pitino has stops with Hawai'i, Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona and St. John's on that resume that includes two national championships, seven Final Fours, 11 regular-season conference crowns and 15 conference tournament titles.

He is 51-18 in two seasons at St. John's and will look to continue building on the momentum created by his award-winning effort in 2024-25.