NCAA

Caitlin Clark's team hasn't pounced on the Big3's $5 million offer just yet ... with Ice Cube revealing his basketball league doesn't know whether she'll take the massive payday.

The 3-on-3 organization cofounder joined the "Pat McAfee Show" on Wednesday to discuss the historic proposal ... and despite the radio silence on Clark's end so far, he's holding out hope until he gets a definitive "yes" or "no."

"They have it and if they wanna sign it, we'll be happy to have her play in the Big3," Cube said.

7:30 AM -- Ice Cube is now speaking out on the offer ... saying it was a no-brainer to pitch Caitlin Clark to his organization.

"Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3," he said minutes ago on X ... while also pointing out the league has a track record of breaking barriers with female coaches like Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie.

"With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes," Cube added.

The BIG3 founder also thinks his org. will be a better alternative for WNBA athletes to make money during the offseason ... so they don't have to take their talents to "often dismal and dubious foreign countries" to earn a living.

"And they should have more than just one professional option in the US at a time when American pro sports leagues are being infiltrated by autocratic, anti-women regimes such as Qatar," he said. "Our pathbreaking offer to Caitlin Clark demonstrates that BIG3 now offers another choice for athletes."

Caitlin Clark is in line to make more history -- the NCAA phenom could become basketball's first-ever $5 million woman, if she accepts a massive deal from Ice Cube's Big3 league ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Dan Dakich is offering up some free advice to any player in this weekend's Sweet 16 looking for tips on how to prepare for the big games ... saying simply, "Don't start thinking you're a star!"

The former Indiana Hoosiers guard said in a talk with TMZ Sports this week it's easy for players who've made it this far in the NCAA tournament to start losing focus.

He said as teams return to campus and feel all the love -- it's common for players to get a big head ... and then falter when the lights come back on for the tourney's next round.

Brendan Paul -- Sean "Diddy" Combs' alleged "mule" who was arrested on Monday while the rap mogul and his crew were stopped by federal law enforcement agents -- previously had a career as a college basketball player.

Paul suited up for the Syracuse Orange from 2018-2020 ... and while he wasn't exactly a star there -- he did log minutes in 17 games during his two seasons.

Paul went on to transfer to Fairmont State University in West Virginia after his time in New York ... and he fared much better on the court in his two years there -- recording 51 points, 23 rebounds, 19 assists and 11 steals.

The NCAA tournament wasn't all fun and games for the Utah Utes women's basketball team ... 'cause several players were allegedly called the N-word and other "racial hate crimes" while at the team hotel.

Utes head coach Lynne Roberts revealed the cruel acts following their 2nd round loss to 4-seeded Gonzaga on Monday, claiming they had to relocate the entire team from their hotel in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho over the incredibly offensive treatment.

"We had several instances of some kind of racial hate crimes towards our program," Roberts said during the post-game press conference. "Incredibly upsetting for all of us."

A college basketball player seemed to suggest Kylie Jenner was recently trying to holler at him -- but unfortunately for him ... that couldn't be further from the truth, TMZ has learned.

23-year-old UNC shooting guard Paxson Wojcik was leaning into this notion that Kylie was interested in him in the digital world -- at least based on a video a reporter took of him after a game last week ... where the interviewer name-dropped the beauty mogul directly.

Check it out ... Paxson gets peppered with questions by this guy post-game, and the line of questioning is pretty direct -- "What do you have to say about rumors that Kylie slid into your DMs???" BTW, there really weren't any rumors until his homeboy floated this online.

Bronny James might not have broken any scoring records during his freshman season at USC, but Metta World Peace isn't worried one bit about LeBron's son's potential at the next level ... telling TMZ Sports the young hooper has a promising future in the NBA.

Bronny's hopes of playing alongside his pops took a hit this season ... with critics pointing out his stats (4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game) don't necessarily scream top draft prospect.

Metta came to Bronny's defense when asked about the 19-year-old's impending decision to either stay in school or enter the draft this week ... saying, "He's only a freshman."

"A lot of people was talking about his numbers, but name a freshman that never averaged more than 4 or 5 and then had no chance going pro? Freshman numbers are freshman numbers."

Metta -- who played college basketball at St. John's in the late '90s -- believes Bronny already has some qualities that make him a pro, especially his selfless plays on the court ... but he just has to develop and mature a little more.

"I think he has a shot to be a really good point guard. A starting point guard," the former NBA star said. "Maybe even All-Star!"

Of course, LeBron thinks so, too ... even going as far as saying his son is better than some of the current NBA players he's been watching, calling it "lightweight hilarious."

95% of brackets had Kentucky beating Oakland in the first round of the NCAA Tourney, so while nearly no one in the outside world believed in the Golden Grizzlies, their squad did, including star hooper Trey Townsend who hopes this proves rankings ain't everything!

As you know, the 14th-ranked Oakland Golden Grizzlies officially kicked off the Madness in March when they defeated John Calipari's number 3-seeded Kentucky Wildcats ... the tournament's biggest upset (so far).

"You can't put that mindset on yourself going to a game thinking you're lesser than your opponent, because you're, per se, shooting yourself in the foot and giving yourself a disadvantage mentally," Townsend said.

"We come in confident and play our best game, play as hard as we can and we're just as good and can compete with anyone in the country. We proved it [Thursday]," the team leader told us.

Now, Oakland (located in Michigan, not California) will face No. 11 North Carolina State in the second round on Saturday ... and Townsend believes they've got a real path to the Sweet 16! Especially with Jack Gohlke shooting lights out (he knocked down 10 threes)!

"I think it's just playing the way we have all season," Townsend said. "The biggest thing, especially at this time of the year, is to stay consistent to what you've done to get you to this point."

"We're not gonna take anything lightly, even though we just had a big win. You gotta keep that in your back pocket for now and we can celebrate after a long run in this tournament."

As if Trey and Oakland's story wasn't already cool enough, his dad Skip Townsend, who was not only a credentialed media member working Thursday's game, but also a former hooper on the Golden Grizzlies team.

In fact, Skip played for Oakland's CURRENT coach, Greg Kampe, way back in the 80s! His mom Nicole was also on the women's basketball team.

"I always wanted to be an Oakland uniform and be like my dad," Trey said.

1:10 PM -- Bijan Robinson is perfect no more ... Marquette just ruined the NFL star's previously unblemished NCAA tournament bracket.

The No. 2-seed Golden Eagles defeated No. 15-seed Western Kentucky, 87-69, making it the only game so far that Robinson hasn't gotten right.

What a run!!!

NCAA tournament bracket already busted? Bijan Robinson can't relate -- the NFL superstar is perfect through Day One!!

The Atlanta Falcons tailback didn't get one of his 16 picks wrong on Thursday -- somehow nailing Oakland's upset over Kentucky AND Duquesne's big victory over BYU.

The feat is incredibly rare ... out of the 22 million-or-so brackets that were filled out this week -- less than 2,000 remain unblemished!!

The 22-year-old was thrilled to be right ... he posted a pic to his Instagram page late Thursday night, flashing a million-dollar grin with the caption, "They said it was crazy."

"Yessirski," he added.

The running back will have quite the hill to climb in order to stay undefeated going forward. He's got No. 11-seed North Carolina State and No. 12-seed Grand Canyon advancing to the Elite Eight ... as well as his alma mater, Texas -- a No. 7 seed -- winning the whole thing.

But, hey, if the guy made it this far this good, perhaps the choices aren't that wild after all!!

His NFL team, meanwhile, celebrated the feat with a late-night tweet Thursday -- writing, "A PERFECT bracket for @Bijan5Robinson on day one?! 🤯"

Tip-off for Day Two is just a couple hours away -- if you need betting tips for the afternoon, probably best to check out Robinson's bracket above!!

NC State might wanna triple team Jack Gohlke in their second round matchup of the NCAA tournament … 'cause Oakland's March Madness hero simply cannot miss -- nailing a full-court shot at practice!!

Gohlke drained 10 three-pointers en route to the Golden Grizzlies' first tourney win in school history on Thursday ... helping No. 14 Oakland get the upset win over No. 3 Kentucky.

The hot streak continued on Friday ... with the sharp shooter pulling up from the opposite baseline and connecting on the loooooooooong three-point attempt.

Luckily, Gohlke's teammate, Evan Solomon, was recording the whole thing ... and the dude celebrated by yelling and chest-bumping his squad.

"That's a good sign," someone is heard saying in the video ... and it could be bad news for the Wolfpack.

Gohlke oozed confidence following the Grizzlies' huge 80-76 win ... saying he knew his team would be able to pull it off.

"I know they have draft picks, and I know I’m not going to the NBA … but on any given I can compete with those type of guys and our team can compete with those type of guys," Gohlke said after the win.

"That’s why I say we're not a Cinderella."

Even the college basketball world took a momentary pause to digest Kate Middleton's cancer announcement on Friday ... with CBS interrupting its NCAA tournament coverage to bring the news to fans.

With around five minutes remaining in the FAU vs. Northwestern game ... Norah O'Donnell came on the screen to inform CBS' audience that Middleton had just revealed she's been diagnosed with cancer.

The broadcast then played around 30 seconds of Middleton's video explaining her prognosis.

O'Donnell spoke on camera for roughly a minute more ... before the network resumed its planned coverage of the big hoops game.

Owls and Wildcats supporters didn't miss a second of in-game action ... as a lengthy timeout had been called on the floor during the special report.

Tim McGraw showed love to Iowa's biggest star when he performed in Des Moines ... wearing Caitlin Clark's Hawkeyes jersey while he rocked out on stage!

The country music legend was in the Hawkeye state at Wells Fargo Arena for the latest stop on his Standing Room Only Tour ... and he was spotted rockin' a black and yellow Clark jersey while singing his hits, including the platinum song, "Truck Yeah".

"Gotta represent," 56-year-old McGraw said while pointing to his jersey.

The Iowa Hawkeyes-themed performance comes just two days before Clark and her top-seeded squad play the Holy Cross Crusaders in the first round of the NCAA tourney.

It's an interesting wardrobe choice for TM, a Louisiana native who pledged Pi Kappa Alpha at Northeast Louisianan University.

But, when in Rome ... not to mention Clark is one of the biggest women's basketball stars we've ever seen. In fact, she's the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, men or women, in addition to holding numerous other records.

Soon, Clark won't be hooping in Iowa ... she recently declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft.

There's a good chance LSU and Iowa may see each other down the road ... they're on a collision course that could see the rivals play in a highly anticipated Elite 8 matchup.

Travis Hunter is the early leader in the clubhouse for Son of the Year ... the college football star blessed his mom with a big, brand-new home, and her reaction was priceless!

The Colorado Buffaloes cornerback and receiver surprised his mother over St. Patrick's Day weekend when his family, plus fiancee Leanne, took a trip to Savannah, GA, to celebrate the holiday.

Hunter took his whole family to view the massive house, and while they were there, he gave his mom a card to read aloud ... and when she was done, confetti flew everywhere.

That's when mom realized the house was hers ... and she completely lost her mind when Trav handed her the keys!

"Y'all got me good," Hunter's mom said about the surprise. "Wooooo!!!!"

Hunter, 20, noted the "nice ass house" -- 5 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths -- was one of the two biggest purchases he's ever made.

Travis is a super generous person. Last year he got his fiancee a custom Hello Kitty Tesla along with a massive diamond ring when he proposed in February.

Hunter obviously isn't paid to play football yet (just wait), but he has benefited from several NIL deals, including one with Michael Strahan's company.

The money is well-deserved ... TH is one of the most talented and versatile athletes in all of college football. In fact, under Deion Sanders' tutelage at Jackson State and Colorado, he's racked up 5 interceptions and 50 total tackles in two seasons as a DB.

On offense, Hunter has 911 receiving yards and nine touchdowns ... and was awarded the 2023 Paul Hornung Award for being the most high-level performer in college football.

12:14 PM -- LeBron James was clearly watching every second of the first-round matchup ... 'cause the Lakers superstar was quick to congratulate his former coach on the 71-67 upset win over BYU.

"YEAAAAHHHH @DruOnDemand LFG!!!! Go Dukes @DuqMBB," Bron said on Thursday.

As the saying goes ... it's gotta be the shoes!!

The Duquesne basketball team got a sweet surprise before their first-round game in the NCAA Tournament ... brand new LeBron James XXI kicks -- from the King himself!

The Lakers superstar had the white and light blue sneakers delivered to the 11th-seeded team this week before Thursday's game against 6th-seeded BYU ... in the tourney's East Region.

The players were HYPED when they saw the new shoes ... and were super appreciative of the gift.

FYI, the LeBron 21s "Blue Diver" dropped this month ... with Air Zoom cushioning and a glow-in-the-dark outsole. The shoe was modeled after an Oyster shell.

There's a deeper meaning ... and it's a tribute to Bron's daughter, Zhuri, and how the proud dad protects his daughter just as a shell shelters a pearl.

You're probably asking, why Duquesne? Well, James' former high school basketball coach is their current HC ... Keith Dambrot, who has been the coach of the Dukes since 2017.

The special delivery comes on the heels of Duquesne's biggest basketball game in decades ... they haven't been in the NCAA tourney in 47 years, and last made a trip to the Final 4 in 1940, 84 years ago.

Metta World Peace says St. John's was snubbed by the NCAA Tourney committee, but he isn't trippin' ... 'cause the former Red Storm star says the squad will be dancing next season!

TMZ Sports talked to the Queens-born, ex-SJU and NBA star after St. John's was left out of the 68-team field, despite finishing with a 20-13 (11-9 in the Big East) record. St. Johns won 6 of their last 7, with the one loss coming to UCONN, the number 1 overall seed.

Still, the Big East, one of the most talented and competitive conferences in the sport, was disrespected ... only receiving 3 bids, while SJU and Seton Hall were shafted.

"Rick Pitino is getting it going back in the right direction," Metta told us earlier this week. "It was unfortunate, but I think next year, they'll go to the NCAA tournament."

Of course, if anyone can do it, it's Pitino. The legendary coach, who just finished his first season in Queens, has been to seven Final Fours ... and won two NCAA titles. He has over 850 collegiate wins. Rick's also spent time in the NBA, with coaching the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics.

Speaking of coaching, Metta -- who played at St. John's from 1997 to 1999 -- is no stranger to the sidelines himself. MWP has served as an assistant for Cal State L.A.'s women's basketball team.

A.J. Hoggard's NCAA tournament run didn't get off to the best start -- the dude accidentally played the first few minutes of Michigan State's game Thursday with his shorts on backward!!!

Eagle-eyed fans noticed the wardrobe mishap just seconds into the Spartans' tourney-opening game against Mississippi State ... pointing out that his uniform certainly looked different from his teammates'.

You can see in images from the game's broadcast, while every other MSU player on the floor had a Spartan on the left side of their leg and a design on the right ... but Hoggard's were flipped.

Thankfully, it seems somebody informed the senior of the issue after just a few minutes on the court ... because following a break in the action, the direction of his shorts suddenly changed.

Doesn't seem it had any effect on his game, though ... the point guard balled out in the first half, piling up five points, two rebounds and five assists -- as MSU leads Mississippi St., 31-24, at the break.