NCAA

Miami Hurricanes head coach Jim Larrañaga not only saved the world from a shirtless Charles Barkley ... but then clowned Chuck during his post-game presser.

Yes, not all heroes wear capes.

It all started when Barkley, known for his larger-than-life personality as a commentator, joked he would take off his shirt if his alma mater, Auburn, beat the Hurricanes last night.

Jim got wind of Chuck's comments, and after knocking off Barkley's old school, had a hilarious reaction to it.

“I listened to Charles Barkley tell the CBS crew that if Auburn won, he’d take off his shirt. And, I thought to myself, no one wants to see that, Chuck," Larrañaga said.

Of course, Barkley has ties to Auburn -- he played for the Tigers for three years averaging 14.1 points per game -- so, it's safe to say he was a bit biased in his prediction.

But, Auburn was 7.5 point favorite over Miami, so Barkley, like most people, was stunned when the Hurricanes easily handled Auburn.

Miami dominated the Tigers, 79-61, to advance to the Sweet 16 ... and it seems coach Larrañaga and his team played with extra motivation thanks to Chuck.

After the game, Barkley was a good sport about Larrañaga's pot shot ... and even heaped praise on Jim for the way the Hurricanes beat up on his Tigers.

We also got video of the Hurricanes arriving back in Florida thanks to our intern, Ryan, and the scene on the ground in Miami was pretty incredible.

A group of passionate fans was there to greet coach as early as 2:15 AM ... and coach spent time high-fiving students as they chanted "It's great to be a Miami Hurricane."

"Shark Tank" star Daymond John is having a hard time enjoying this year's NCAA Tournament ... saying he believes it's "horrible," and is actually "modern-day slavery."

The 53-year-old businessman spelled out his beef with March Madness to Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Friday ... explaining he thinks the players are getting a raw deal in the huge event.

John said there's a ton of people making millions -- if not billions -- off the tourney ... yet players aren't seeing much of the pie at all.

"The players make nothing! Zero off of all that," John said. "I think this is modern-day slavery and they're just giving them a little bit of a crumb."

John acknowledged that players do get scholarships and do now have the ability to get paid from NIL deals -- but he insisted that's nowhere near enough.

"These players are bringing in billions of dollars and making absolutely zero," he said. "It is really, I think, what business model do you know that makes billions of dollars and pays their employees zero?"

UFC fighter Eryk Anders suffered a super GNARLY injury this week ... when he was chopping trees down with a chainsaw, and SAWED INTO HIS OWN FOOT!!

And, it's just as gross as it sounds.

TMZ Sports talked to 34-year-old Anders just days after he was forced to seek emergency treatment at a local hospital for the chainsaw injury.

"I was cutting down trees, and of course, I was on the last one, and I'm not a professional or nothing. It was a pretty big tree," Anders says, adding, "and I was cutting it and the tree leaned into the blade, so it kinda got stuck. With my other hand I reached up to push the tree, and I thought the chainsaw would keep cutting."

But, that's unfortunately not what happened.

"I guess I didn't have any pressure on the chainsaw to keep it moving in that direction and it kind of skipped off the tree and bounced off my foot."

Ouch.

How much did it hurt? We asked Eryk.

"I didn't even know I did it. Obviously, I felt the weight of the chainsaw land on my foot. I took a second. And, then the tree fell. So, I had to dodge the tree, so it was a big clusterf**k, all in the snap of a finger."

It goes without saying Anders is one tough dude. Not only is he a UFC fighter ... but he used to be a star on the University of Alabama football team, where he won a national championship under Nick Saban.

Thankfully, Anders was patched up by a doctor at the hospital (he needed 20 stitches) and is already back in the gym (maniac).

But, that's likely the end of Anders's logging career.

"I woke up and I realized that I wasn't dreaming. Saint Peter's did just knock off University of Kentucky on primetime TV and it was so, so many emotions running through my body."

That's St. Peter's College basketball legend Keydren Clark -- who twice led all Division 1 player's points scored in a season -- reacting to the shocking upset Thursday night. Clark starred at the school from 2002 to 2006.

Of course, #2 seed University of Kentucky, lead by Coach John Calipari and future NBA players, lost in overtime to the small Catholic school from Jersey City, NJ.

But, clearly, former Seton Hall University star Shaheen Holloway -- turned St. Peter's head coach -- wasn't intimidated ... and his Peacocks won 85-79 in one of the most shocking upsets in NCAA tourney history.

Even Clark could barely believe what he was seeing.

"Last night, I'm watching the game. Halftime, we in the game. I run downstairs, I put my jersey on. My kids supposed to be in bed, they hear me going crazy like 'Daddy what are you doing?' I said this right here is bigger than anything daddy could've ever done, they're on the brink of doing something special."

And, when the final horn sounded ... sending the 18-point favored Wildcats home, Keydren had all the feels.

"It was so many emotions. I was just so happy and it felt right and I was genuinely happy for the team because I watch them, I follow them, I've been up there, I talk to them before the tournament time and it was just an unreal feeling. I couldn't be prouder to be a Saint Peter's alum."

Now, St. Peter's advances to the second round, where they'll face #7 seed Murray State on Saturday with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line, and Clark says he may fly out to Indiana to watch the game in-person.

An Indiana University cheerleader saved the day at an NCAA Tournament game Thursday night -- soaring high above a backboard to retrieve a basketball for players ... and the improbable rebound was EPIC.

The woman, Cassidy Cerny, jumped into action after a ball got stuck during the Hoosiers' opening-round game against St. Mary's.

At the beginning of the second half, a player missed a shot -- and as the ball rattled around the rim, it somehow got caught above the hoop and didn't come down.

Several players and a ref tried to get the thing to shake loose -- using a chair and a broomstick -- but nobody could knock out the ball.

That's when Cassidy sprang into action with Nathan Paris -- using a cheerleading stunt to get up to the top of the hoop. And, eventually, she got the ball down!!

Check out the footage of the fun moment, the crowd went absolutely nuts following her retrieval.

A short time later, she and Paris were interviewed about the heroic effort ... and she was cool as a cucumber about it all.

"That was nothing, really," she said.

Harry Miller's football career is over -- the Ohio State lineman is medically retiring from football ... after revealing his mental health battle was so bad at one point, he contemplated killing himself.

Miller -- who started 7 games at left guard for the Buckeyes in 2020 -- released a lengthy statement to Twitter on Thursday ... addressing why he's walking away from the sport.

“Prior to the season last year, I told Coach [Ryan] Day of my intention to kill myself," Harry wrote.

The junior player said Day took the conversation seriously ... and immediately connected him with medical professionals to provide assistance.

Miller -- a former 5-star recruit -- said he gave football another try several weeks after revealing to coach he wanted to commit suicide ... adding he had scars on his wrists and throat as he played, but no one seemed to notice.

"They are hard to see, and they are easy to hide, but they sure do hurt," he added. "There was a dead man on the television set, but nobody knew it."

Miller expressed gratitude to coach Ryan Day for the resources he put in place at OSU to help guys like him overcome mental struggles like depression and suicide ... and they proved to be valuable.

“I am grateful for the infrastructure Coach Day has put in place at Ohio State, and I am grateful that he is letting me find a new way to help others in the program," Miller said.

"If not for him and the staff, my words would not be a reflection. They would be evidence in a post-mortem."

Miller's career in college football is over ... but the mechanical engineering major wants his story to help those battling similar mental health issues to speak up and seek assistance.

"I am okay."

Deion Sanders is revealing what his left foot looks like following the amputation of two of his toes -- and, warning, it's extremely graphic.

The NFL legend, in continuing to release details of his horrifying foot injury in bits and pieces, showed the mangled body part in a new video posted to his social media page Wednesday.

In the clip, Deion is showing his sons, Shedeur and Shilo, the injury for the first time -- and imploring them to use his bloody wound and the ensuing recovery process as a reminder to always work hard.

"Anytime y'all ever think about giving up anything, y'all think about this," Deion said. "I've fought through all of this for y'all."

Sanders' two sons -- who both play football for Deion at Jackson State -- appeared to be in shock over the injury, with one of them telling the former Dallas Cowboys cornerback in the footage, "You're a good man."

Shilo added in a post on his social media page Thursday, "I still haven't looked straight at it til this day."

The NEC men's hoops championship game on Tuesday night turned ugly ... after a shirtless fan escalated a huge skirmish in the stands by throwing his drink on another man.

The wild scene all went down with just minutes left in the Bryant vs. Wagner tilt in Rhode Island ... when Bryant fans appeared to get into it with Wagner supporters.

Broadcast cameras captured the scuffle in the seats ... and you can see, punches were thrown -- before a fan with no top on chucked the remnants of his drink at another man.

It looked like a couple Wagner players tried to jump into the fracas too -- but fortunately, it seemed they were all held back before they could get physically involved.

The game was delayed roughly half an hour over the melee ... and one Wagner player, guard Will Martinez, was ejected after video replays showed he was trying to race into the stands.

Cooler heads ultimately prevailed ... and Bryant went on to win the game easily, securing the championship and locking down its first-ever trip to this month's NCAA tournament.

Dick Vitale just scored the first win of March Madness -- the legendary college hoops analyst announced that his recent scans came back clean ... meaning he's cancer-free!!!

Dickie V got his positron emission tomography (PET) scans done on Tuesday ... a procedure that detects early signs of cancer and other diseases.

While he waited for his results, Vitale admitted he was nervous ... and asked his fanbase to send thoughts and prayers.

The good vibes certainly helped ... 'cause the 82-year-old revealed the scans showed no signs of cancer!!

"OMG ALL THE PRAYERS many of (you) have sent have been answered as DR Brown who heads my cancer TEAM called & said PET SCAN came back that NO CANCER is showing," Vitale said on Twitter.

This is great news for Dickie V, who has been challenged with two types of cancer recently -- in the last year, he was diagnosed with lymphoma and melanoma.

Dickie V also had vocal cord surgery last month and was ordered to be on voice rest.

Throughout his journey, he's received nothing but support from fans ... getting an emotional standing ovation in December at the Baylor vs. Villanova game.

"I feel like a coach playing for the Final 4 has a PTPer hit a shot at buzzer," Vitale added.

"My MARCH MADNESS starts with a W baby!"

Now, Vitale gets to rest up and recover in time for the 2022-23 season ... and hoops fans will be more than happy to have him back.

The parents of soccer star Katie Meyer say they fear a possible punishment from Stanford could have led to their daughter's suicide earlier this week.

In an interview with NBC's "Today" show on Friday, Steven and Gina Meyer say their daughter was facing potential discipline over an alleged incident involving her and one of her Cardinal teammates.

The two parents say over the last few weeks Katie had been receiving letters from the school over it all ... and in the past few days, she had gotten "kind of the final letter that there was going to be a trial or some kind of something."

Gina speculated it all might have led to the Stanford goalie's death on Tuesday.

"This is the only thing that we can come up with that triggered something," Gina said.

The school declined to comment on the situation ... telling "Today" in a statement, "We are not able to share information about confidential student disciplinary matters."

Gina and Steven said they've been devastated and heartbroken since Katie was found on Tuesday ... explaining, "the last couple days are a parents' worst nightmare."

Katie was just 22 years old.

Stanford women's soccer star Katie Meyer died by suicide, officials in California announced on Thursday.

In a statement released by the County of Santa Clara, officials said "Meyer's death was determined to be self-inflicted." They added no signs of foul play were found.

"The Medical Examiner-Coroner extends sincerest condolences to the family, friends, and fans of Katie Meyer," the officials said in a statement.

As we reported, Meyer was tragically found dead on Stanford's campus this week at just 22 years old.

She was the Cardinal's starting goalkeeper and a team captain ... and reps for the university called her "a bright shining light for so many."

Her death rocked her family and friends, Stanford's school and the sports world in general.

"There are no words," Katie's sister, Samantha Meyer, said in a social media post earlier this week. "Thank you for all the kindness extended to my family."

Katie joined the Cardinal in 2018 ... and helped the team win a national championship in 2019. A GoFundMe set up in her honor has already raised nearly $150,000.

Former Ohio State star Shane Olivea -- who played for the San Diego Chargers after his time in Columbus -- died on Wednesday, his good friend and ex-Buckeye teammate Bobby Carpenter announced.

He was just 40 years old.

Carpenter did not reveal a cause of the death ... but said the former offensive lineman passed away at night.

"I'll never forget the kindness he showed to a young freshman who was clueless and didn't know anything about anything," Carpenter said in a statement on Twitter. "#RIPShane #Thankyou."

Olivea played for the Buckeyes from 2000 to 2003, and won a national championship with the team in 2002. He went on to get picked by the Chargers in the seventh round of the '04 draft, and started 57 games for the Bolts from 2004 to 2007.

Sadly, an addiction to pain killers ended up derailing his career following the '07 season. Olivea had said to The Columbus Dispatch in 2017 that his addiction during his playing days was so bad, doctors told him he was fortunate to be alive.

Olivea went to rehab and eventually got better, and he later said he had aspirations of coaching football and mentoring kids.

"Very sad to hear the news of my former teammate Shane Olivea," ex-NFL O-lineman Roman Oben said on Twitter after learning of the news. "Praying for his family today."

Stanford women's soccer star Katie Meyer -- a Cardinal goalkeeper and a team captain -- has tragically died, the school announced Tuesday.

She was only 22 years old. No cause of death was revealed.

"Please join us in offering our deepest condolences to her parents and sisters," university officials said of Meyer in a statement. "We would also like to extend our heartfelt condolences to Katie's friends, hallmates, classmates, teammates, faculty and coaches."

School officials added that counseling has been made available all over campus to students and others who are grieving the loss.

Meyer -- described by the school as "a bright shining light for so many" -- was one of the Cardinal's best players ... and had helped the team win the NCAA women's soccer championship in 2019.

During that title game against North Carolina, she made two massive saves to help secure the victory. Her celebration afterward went viral.

Meyer was slated to be a redshirt senior on Stanford's team this season.

Joe Burrow is spending his offseason the right way ... by playing golf with Kendall Jenner's boyfriend, Devin Booker, and his old Ohio State teammates after losing Super Bowl LVI.

Burrow hit the links with D Book in Scottsdale, Arizona recently .... where Joey B's teammate, Sam Hubbard, and 49ers star defensive end, Nick Bosa joined in on the fun.

Hubbard, a defensive end for the Bengals, took to social media to share a few images of the trip as they enjoyed some nice weather out on the course ... followed by a group dinner after.

The Bengals, of course, are still trying to recover from their disappointing 23-20 loss to the Rams in the Super Bowl ... and what better way to do that than having some quality tee time!!

Of course, Sam, Nick, and Joey Franchise all went to Ohio State -- though Burrow would finish his career with the LSU Tigers, where he led them to a national title after defeating Clemson in the 2019 season.

But, it was those OSU and Ohio roots that forged the basis of the foundation for Sam's relationship with Joe ... and it's spilled over into their professional careers.

While the Bengals season is over, the Suns and Booker are still playing ... and with the best record in the NBA, Phoenix looks poised to make a serious run at an NBA championship.

Start celebrating, Trojans fans -- JuJu Smith-Schuster says USC will definitely win a national championship with Lincoln Riley as head coach ... and it could happen as soon as next season!!

JuJu was super stoked to talk about his college team's new hire during Super Bowl week ... going as far as predicting USC will win its first national title since 2004 now that Riley is at the helm.

"Soon, man," he tells TMZ Sports. "This year and whatever God has planned. I think we just gotta keep pushing. I think it's a great move. We have a great coaching staff, so it helps us out a lot."

JuJu played 3 seasons for USC before being drafted by the Steelers in the 2nd round of the 2017 NFL draft ... so of course, he's biased when it comes to the Trojans.

However, many would agree JuJu is right in saying the acquisition of Riley gives USC a serious chance to compete for a CFB championship ... bias or no bias.

The Trojans landed Riley after the ex-Oklahoma play-caller chose to take his talents from Norman to Los Angeles ... making him the 30th head coach in the program's history.

Riley said at the time of the move he was heavily recruited by USC ... and when he met with the university in person, he could tell the school and their football program was a perfect fit for him.

Speaking of USC, JuJu says it's time for his old school to allow another former Trojan legend, Reggie Bush, back on campus -- after the star running back was banned for his reported involvement in an NCAA scandal.

"I think it's time to bring back everybody back on campus with all the greats," Smith-Schuster said. "Especially Reggie Bush."

Juwan Howard has been punished for smacking an opposing coach during a wild altercation over the weekend ... with Michigan reportedly banning the guy from the Wolverines' sidelines for the rest of the regular season.

Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel just reported the news ... one day after Howard kicked off a brawl at the end of the Michigan vs. Wisconsin game by taking a swipe at Badgers assistant Joe Krabbenhoft.

The ban would effectively be a 5-game suspension for Howard ... as the Wolverines have just five contests left before they play in the postseason Big 10 Tournament.

As we previously reported, Howard told media members following the altercation that he got aggressive because Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard had put his hands on him first.

"I think that was very uncalled for, for him to touch me," Howard said after the game, "as we were verbalizing and communicating with one another. So, that's what ended up happening."

Many had speculated Howard would be banned for longer -- and, considering the melee ended up being very, very ugly, some thought it could cost the 49-year-old his job.

Michigan, meanwhile, is 14-11 this season.