NCAA

The University of North Carolina has found its replacement for Roy Williams -- the Tar Heels are set to announce alum Hubert Davis as their next head coach ... making him the first black head coach in team history.

50-year-old Davis BLEEDS Carolina blue -- he played for the Tar Heels under legendary head coach Dean Smith from 1988-1992 ... and has served as an assistant coach under Williams since 2012.

The North Carolina native was a BALLER during his time at Chapel Hill ... averaging more than 21 points per game his senior year.

Davis also has a ton of experience at the next level -- he was selected with the 20th overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft ... and played 12 seasons in the league, most notably with the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.

Davis has ENORMOUS shoes to fill -- Williams won 3 NCAA titles during his 18 seasons with the Tar Heels (2005, 2009 and 2017) ... and accumulated a 485-163 record.

Williams reached the Final Four with the Tar Heels 6 times ... and tacked on 9 ACC regular-season championships.

The Davis era is all but official ... with The News & Observer reporting the school's board of trustees will vote on the hire during a meeting on Monday.

But, with a résumé like Davis' ... who's gonna say "no?!?"

Kansas Jayhawks basketball coach Bill Self just signed a "lifetime" contract with the school -- guaranteeing him MILLIONS of dollars and protection from being fired over the current NCAA probe into KU.

Pretty good deal for Self, huh!?

58-year-old Self -- who's been at Kansas since 2003 -- was entering the final year of a 10 year deal with Kansas that guaranteed him more than $50 MILLION. That deal was set to expire at the end of the 2021/22 season.

But, Self has crushed it during his time at Kansas -- racking up a 522–118 record with an NCAA title in 2008 -- so the school decided to make him a "lifetime" offer he just couldn't refuse.

Here's the deal ... Self will make roughly $5.4 million every year with an annual $200,000 raise.

The contract is technically a 5-year deal which will automatically renew a 1-year extension at the end of each season ... for as long as he wants to stay at Kansas.

Kansas is currently being investigated by the NCAA for alleged unauthorized payments to star players. The NCAA has charged the school with a handful of Level 1 violations -- but the org. has not formally punished the University.

But, get this, Self negotiated a clause in which he can not be fired for cause based on the findings or punishment from the current probe -- but he could take a salary hit if he's suspended.

Per the contract, if the NCAA suspends Self  -- he'll take a 50% reduction in salary for the time missed.

In other words, if he's out for a month -- he'll make 50% for that month before returning to his full salary.

The school can fire Self for cause if they determine he violates the law or NCAA rules moving forward -- but he's protected in the scope of the current investigation.

Self issued a statement about his new deal thanking KU leadership "for their belief and faith in me to provide this lifetime contract."

UCLA star Johnny Juzang has made himself a WHOLE LOT of money over the past 2 weeks ... so says Kenny Smith, who tells TMZ Sports the hooper is now a surefire 1st-round NBA draft pick!

Juzang has been a BEAST for the Bruins in their march from the First 4 to the Final 4 in this year's NCAA Tournament ... he's scored 20 or more points in 3 of UCLA's 5 games so far.

And, when we asked The Jet about the kid out at LAX on Wednesday ... he gushed over the former Kentucky transfer -- saying his stock has skyrocketed after UCLA beat Michigan on Tuesday.

"This puts him -- this year, next year -- in the first round," Smith said of Juzang's tourney performances. "And, high in the first-round possibly. For sure."

Smith also said Juzang's accomplishments will help UCLA for years to come.

The NBA on TNT analyst said the Bruins' run to a potential national championship should help the Bruins' recruiting tremendously ... telling us they've got a way better shot of keeping all the California 5-stars in California now.

"UCLA basketball is back," Smith says.

As for what's next for Juzang and UCLA ... they've got Gonzaga -- the best team on earth right now -- on Saturday night.

How did UCLA students celebrate their first Final Four berth in over a decade???

COUCH FIRE NEAR CAMPUS, BABY!!!

Dozens of Bruins supporters hit Westwood streets Tuesday night just minutes after UCLA secured a 51-49 win over Michigan ... and a massive blaze in a roadway quickly ensued.

Video from the scene showed people burnt a couch, a bookshelf and much more ... and then everyone danced around the inferno with glee!!

Don't worry ... the fire department showed up quickly to douse the flames -- and law enforcement said no arrests were made and no injuries were reported.

Of course, the night was a long-awaited one for UCLA fans ... the once-storied program had been in a lull since its last Final 4 appearance in 2008.

In the 12 seasons that followed that run ... the Bruins had only advanced to the Sweet 16 three times, and had been largely mediocre or worse.

But, Mick Cronin's clearly got the guys rollin' this year ... and they'll try to beat Gonzaga on Saturday for a spot in the National Championship game.

An NCAA college basketball referee collapsed on the court during the Gonzaga vs. USC game on Tuesday -- but he was conscious and alert as he was taken to the locker room.

Just 4 minutes after tipoff in the Elite Eight matchup, Bert Smith crashed to the floor in a terrifying scene -- triggering team trainers and other medical personnel to race to his aid.

Smith was positioned on the baseline near the Gonzaga bench ... when he suddenly fell backward. It looks like his head may have slammed on the court during the fall.

Trainers from both teams wasted no time sprinting to Smith's side to provide immediate medical attention -- while another person rushed over with a stretcher.

The good news ... Smith began moving around relatively soon after the incident -- and by the time he was loaded onto the gurney, he was able to sit up and cross his arms.

He was even chatting with the trainers as he was wheeled off the court.

No word yet on what caused Smith to collapse -- but video shows he was having difficulty standing up during the previous possession.

Smith was replaced by William Henderson -- an alternate referee who was at the game in case of an emergency. Obviously, alternate refs never hope to be called into action, but Henderson was ready and stepped up so play could resume.

Smith has been an NCAA ref for years ... and has previously spoken about his passion for basketball and being a part of the game.

"I love being part of the game," Smith said in an article on Referee.com. "The arrival at the arena, the pregame, being with various partners, the competition, the players, coaches, ambience, the focus and concentration needed on each possession."

The Michigan Wolverines women's basketball team has NEVER been more excited to get the hell OFF an airplane after going through a terrifying emergency landing Saturday night following their NCAA tourney loss.

The team aircraft had major issues while flying through a string of nasty thunderstorms after departing from San Antonio -- and at one point, the cabin lost pressure and oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling.

Yeah, really scary stuff.

It all took place late Saturday after Michigan suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to Baylor in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament.

After an 8:16 PM take-off on a Boeing 737-400 aircraft, the flight experienced rough turbulence on the way back to Ann Arbor.

The decision was made to divert the plane to Evansville, Indiana for an emergency landing -- requiring the pilots to make an "aggressive descent."

The plane eventually touched down safely just after 10 PM -- and while no one suffered any major injuries, a few passengers reported bloody noses and obviously some were shaken up.

Another plane eventually flew the team from Indiana back to Ann Arbor.

After the incident, Michigan assistant coach Toyelle Wilson tweeted -- "Just went through the worst flying experience. We are flying back to MI & hit a storm- lost pressurization- the oxygen masks dropped from the compartments."

"Told bc we dropped at a certain feet & had to use them. We have just emergency landed in Evansville, IN. Please [prayer emoji] for us."

To their credit, the team posed for a thumbs-up photo after the plane landed safely.

COVID has just ruined yet another sports team's season ... Michigan men's ice hockey officials said Friday the squad will have to pull out of the NCAA Tournament over positive tests.

The school made the announcement in a lengthy statement ... explaining the team had multiple positive results within U-M's Tier I testing group.

"I'm devastated for these players," Wolverines head coach Mel Pearson said. "These student-athletes have done a wonderful job all year of making sacrifices to get to this point of the year."

"It's unfortunate. I don't completely understand the final decision but I have to respect it."

Michigan -- the tournament's #2 seed -- was set to face two-time defending national champion Minnesota Duluth on Friday ... but the game has now been ruled a no contest.

As a result, Minnesota Duluth will now automatically advance to the quarterfinals ... where it'll play the winner of North Dakota vs. American International.

Grand Canyon University hoops star Oscar Frayer -- who scored 8 points in his team's NCAA Tournament game Saturday -- died in a car crash Tuesday ... school officials confirmed.

He was just 23 years old.

Frayer was one of three people riding inside of an SUV at around 2:30 AM Tuesday in Lodi, Calif. when California Highway Patrol officials said it veered off the road and slammed into a CHP patrol vehicle.

Officials say the SUV then continued onward, struck a tree and became fully engulfed in flames. All 3 passengers in the SUV -- which included Frayer's older sister, Andrea Moore -- tragically died.

The CHP says two of its officers were injured in the wreck, but are expected to survive. CHP officials added "both will have a long road to recovery and we will eagerly await their return to full duty."

Frayer -- a senior this year -- is regarded as one of "the most accomplished players" in GCU basketball history, according to school officials ... and the team mourned his death in a lengthy statement released Thursday night.

"He was the heartbeat of our team with his vibrant, energetic personality," GCU men's basketball head coach Bryce Drew said.

"I cannot put into words the hurt and sadness we all feel, but we know he is in heaven and that gives us great joy to know we will be together again."

Frayer played 26 minutes in GCU's loss to Iowa on Saturday. The Lopes entered the tournament as a #15 seed.

The game was the 107th career start for Frayer at GCU ... and he had tweeted after the loss, "I bleed purple FOREVER!!!! THANK YOU LOPE NATION for the last 5 years..it’s been nothing less than amazing."

Johnny Manziel may have never become Johnny Football if it weren't for his 2012 arrest ... 'cause the former superstar says his grueling punishment after getting in trouble led to his Heisman-winning season.

Manziel was arrested for disorderly conduct and having a fake ID after getting in a fight at College Station on June 29, 2012 ... months before his breakout redshirt freshman season at Texas A&M.

28-year-old Manziel is now opening up on the fallout from his wild night of Irish car bombs and Patron ... saying he was forced to run gassers before and after every Aggies football practice as punishment -- which ended up being the ultimate blessing in disguise for a guy that was 4th on the depth chart at the time.

"In 11 days, I won the (starting) job doing these sprints, doing the whole thing," Manziel said on his "Ball Don't Lie" podcast with Mike.

"At the end of the year, I rushed for 1,500 yards. I outrushed Todd Gurley in the SEC. Nuts. My redshirt freshman year, the year I won the Heisman."

"I believe all that was directly correlated to me running those sprints at the beginning of the year and being in the dumbest shape on the team."

In other words, Johnny says if he hadn't gotten in trouble, his whole career would have played out completely differently.

"Without a doubt. I got punished and I won a Heisman for it. It's crazy. The bad doesn't always turn out so bad down the line."

Manziel became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman in 2012 ... but says he could have won ANOTHER if he had put in the work -- and it's his biggest regret.

"I think every day if I would of done what I need to do in between seasons, not only would I of won another Heisman, I would of put my team in a position to win a national championship."

He added ... "I wasn't voted team captain after winning the Heisman because I didn't show up to workouts, I didn't do what I need to do and I wasn't accountable to guys on my team."

Russell Wilson got to enjoy some sports from the stands for once on Tuesday ... hitting up the Stanford vs. Oklahoma State game in the NCAA women's tourney to watch his sister, Anna, ball out!!

Of course, Russ ain't the only star athlete in the Wilson fam -- 23-year-old Anna is a 5th-year senior for the #1 Cardinal ... and she put her skills on display in front of her Super Bowl-winning bro as her team punched their tickets to the Sweet 16!!

Wilson ended up going 4-5 from the field with 11 points in the 73-62 win over the #8 Cowgirls ... and you can tell big bro loved every second of it.

In fact, Russ fanboyed out during the starting lineup announcement ... documenting the whole thing on his IG story, cheering Stanford on from the crowd and tweeting his excitement for his sister's team.

"SWEET 16!!! Let’s Go @StanfordWBB," Wilson tweeted Tuesday night.

But, don't worry, Seahawks fans -- Russ was masked up (with a covering that featured his own signature logo) and social distanced ... so the guy was being safe.

The Cardinal will now face their next opponent on Saturday ... and we know Russ can't wait.

"I just felt an emptiness in my stomach."

Colorado Buffalos head basketball coach Tad Boyle said coaching just hours after the tragic shooting in his school's Boulder hometown was VERY difficult ... explaining Monday, "It puts basketball in its proper place."

Boyle broke it down for media members after the Buffs lost their NCAA tournament second-round matchup to Florida State ... saying win or lose, the game didn't feel as significant as it should have after the "senseless act of violence" near campus.

"It puts this game in perspective," Boyle said. "It certainly puts losing in perspective."

"But even if we would have won this game and celebrated going to the Sweet 16, it would have put a damper on it. So my heart goes out to the families that were affected and those that lost their lives."

Ten people in total -- including a first-responding police officer -- were shot and killed when a gunman opened fire at a local Boulder, Colo. supermarket Monday afternoon.

Boyle said he didn't discuss the tragedy with his team prior to tip-off... noting he thought it was best to address it afterward.

"We've got to figure out a way to stop this stuff," Boyle said of the shooting. "I don't know the answer, but we've just got to figure out a way."

Colorado's other major sports teams sent condolences to victims in wake of the shooting ... with the Rockies, Broncos and Avalanche all issuing statements.

"Our heart breaks for the lives needlessly lost and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this shooting," the Rockies said, adding the team is "devastated."

The Broncos wrote, "Our hearts go out to the innocent victims, grocery store associates & families of those affected by today's shooting at a King Soopers in Boulder, Colo. We are grateful for the law enforcement & medical professionals who bravely responded to yet another senseless tragedy."

Added the Avalanche, "We are all deeply saddened by the events in Boulder today. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those impacted by this terrible act."

Bracket busted and need a new one?? President Barack Obama's autographed entry from the 2012 NCAA men's tournament is hitting the auction block ... and it's got a $10,000 starting bid!!

Of course, Obama is a huge fan of hoops ... and loves to share his March Madness picks for all to see -- for better or worse.

This particular bracket is from when #44 teamed up with ESPN's Adam Katz to fill out his "office pool" entry back in 2012 ... and the whole thing was recorded for a segment called "BARACK-ETOLOGY."

Barack shared his picks live on the network ... channeling his inner Dick Vitale and explaining why he thought he had the perfect bracket.

Obama's bracket was filled out on a 63 by 36-inch whiteboard (which has since been framed) -- and after he made his picks, Barack signed it with a pen.

FYI, Obama's bracket was anything but perfect -- he picked North Carolina to win it all. Instead, Anthony Davis and the Kentucky Wildcats took home the title that season.

While BO's autographed bracket was busted, it's clearly a collector's item -- and will now go to the highest bidder courtesy of Goldin Auctions ... with bids starting at $10,000.

But, let's get real ... Obama memorabilia is always in high demand and with the sports collectibles market exploding in recent months, this thing could easily hit the 6-figure mark.

Bidding starts Tuesday ... good luck!!

Court Street turned into a rager for the ages after Ohio upset Virginia in the NCAA tourney ... and now, officials are trying like hell to keep fans from becoming COVID super spreaders if the Bobcats win again on Monday.

Folks in Athens flooded the streets, climbed lamp posts and crowd surfed after Jason Preston and the #13 Bobbies took down the defending champs in the first round on Saturday.

It was an insane sight to see ... and one that had to make Dr. Fauci's skin crawl.

The Athens City-County health department is hoping fans stand up and cheer responsibly if Ohio handles #5 Creighton and reaches the Sweet 16 on Monday ... laying down a list of safety tips to prevent spreading the coronavirus.

Some pointers include staying inside and watching from home, wearing masks and social distancing outside, putting up yard signs to show support, or hosting Zoom watch parties.

In other words, the health dept. is begging fans to do anything but cram together in the streets and breathe on each other without a mask on.

Will it work?? Probably not -- after all, OU used to be the #1 party school in the country -- but ya gotta admire the attempt to keep everyone safe.

"Childish ... They know they messed up."

Deion Sanders was PISSED after his opponent trolled him after beating his Jackson St. football squad over the weekend ... slamming Alabama St. officials in a scorched earth rant.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer -- who took over JSU's football program just a few months ago -- suffered his first loss of the season on Saturday in a 35-28 nail-biter.

And, after the game, ASU decided to jab at Prime over the L ... posting a throwback photo of the NFL legend on its scoreboard.

Turns out ... Deion did NOT find it funny at all -- and ripped his opponent for the move.

"We’ve got to keep it on the field and make it about the kids, make it about the fans," Deion said. "It’s not about me.”

Deion had Jackson State at 3-0 heading into Saturday's game ... and nearly pulled off the comeback win over ASU -- but the storyline afterward was clearly his postgame disdain for the Hornets.

Prime was not only upset over the scoreboard bit ... he also said ASU refused to sell tickets to his JSU fan base. The 53-year-old added ASU officials did not let his team into its locker room until just a few hours before the game's kickoff as well.

"I’m going to call them out on it,” Sanders said.

For ASU's part, its head coach, Donald Hill-Eley, said after the game he had no say in the scoreboard trolling ... explaining, "I'm only in charge of the guys with the helmets."

The NCAA delivered on filling in the women's weight room ahead of the start of the big tournament in San Antonio -- but even this isn't quite enough by comparison to the men.

The "upgraded" weight room was revealed Saturday on ESPN's College GameDay show, where correspondent Holly Rowe showed off the new digs. Yes, there are more weights and equipment scattered about ... but it still feels pretty hollow compared to Indianapolis.

Here's another weird thing ... Rowe goes out of her way to point out that the area that Ducks forward Sedona Prince filmed in her now-viral video isn't technically meant to house weights or be a training room, per se -- but rather, a place for players to confer and "loosen up."

Rowe says she'd been told the carpeted space Prince panned across is actually the compliment area to the practice court -- and yet, even that has been littered with more dumbbells, racks and row machines ... albeit sparingly. Rowe then showed off what she described as the actual weight room -- implying that Prince mighta been misinformed.

She says the space Prince was in was always meant to be a complement space next to the court, despite the fact there was a meager set of dumbbells in the middle of the floor to begin with. Weird way to spin it.

The "real" weigh room, as it's now being described, looks super slapped together and about as makeshift as can be -- and doesn't seem much different than where Prince filmed. All these rooms look like conference rooms, so who the hell knows. That said, there is a bit more equipment here ... but again, it's not nearly as robust as the men's facility at all.

It's interesting ... Rowe seems to be saying the actual weight room she's showing off was there all along, but she does say the NCAA upgraded that space too. So the question then becomes ... what's the truth??? In our eyes, it seems the weight room(s) -- whether it was the one Prince thought she was in or the one Rowe's showing now -- both sucked.

The NCAA admitted as much, saying they did, indeed, fall short in providing equitable equipment/space to the men's and women's teams ... and that they'd try to fix it ASAP.

This appears to be a quick Band-Aid fix -- unclear if they plan to bring in even more stuff as the tournament kicks off Sunday. Either way ... this was a complete blunder on the org's part.

The NCAA is ADMITTING it gave the men's tournament teams a better weight room set up than the women -- but it's blaming the disparity on a lack of space.

Riiiiight.

It all started when Stanford's performance coach, Ali Kershner, exposed the difference in the two setups Thursday on social media ... showing a giant workout area for the men in Indianapolis complete with machines, benches, racks, etc.

The women in San Antonio got stuck with yoga mats and 6 sets of dumbbells.

The post drew outrage from WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu and NBAers like Ja Morant and CJ McCollum ... who blasted the NCAA over the disparity.

"Thought this was a joke," Ionescu said. "WTF is this?!?"

NCAA VP Lynn Holzman tried to justify the difference by claiming they simply couldn't find the space for a larger, more comprehensive training area ... and the organization was working on getting more equipment to the women's facility.

"We acknowledge that some of the amenities teams would typically have access to have not been as available inside the controlled environment," Holzman said.

"In part, this is due to the limited space and the original plan was to expand the workout area once additional space was available later in the tournament."

Oregon Ducks player Sedona Prince was quick to call B.S. on the NCAA ... sharing a video of plenty of open space at the women's facility.

The vid caught Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry's attention ... who demanded the issue be fixed.

"Wow-come on now," Curry said. "@marchmadness @NCAA yall trippin trippin."

Holzman added the NCAA is "actively working to enhance existing resources at practice courts, including additional weight training equipment," ... although it's unclear when that'll actually happen.