Madness! Finally! Texas Tech wins OT thriller

I said throughout the week, as well as in a column yesterday, that the lack of major upsets in the 2025 NCAA Tournament meant that we were due to some great heavyweight battles. I was right. March finally felt like Madness late Thursday night.

On one screen, there was Duke forward Cooper Flagg and Arizona guard Caleb Love going toe-to-toe and shot for shot. And just at the moment that Duke was putting the finishing touches on a 100-93 victory — Flagg had 30 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds to Love’s 35 points and 4 rebounds — Texas Tech guard Darrion Williams was drilling a three-pointer to send the Red Raiders’ game against Arkansas in overtime, where Texas Tech prevailed 85-83. That’s what the NCAA Tournament should feel like.

Our reporters were at those two games, as well as Florida’s win over Maryland and Alabama’s drubbing of BYU. The women’s Sweet Sixteen also tips off tonight so you will want to read this excellent preview by Eden Laase. We have coaching drama to speculate on (Kevin Willard, anyone?) and the biggest winners and losers from the first week of the transfer portal. And for all you bettors (you know who you are), we have a Day Two of the Sweet Sixteen Daily Best Bets column from our Betting Editor Justin Perri.

The only way to enjoy all of this is to become a Hoops HQ member. And there’s never been a better time to join our squad — we’ve got a Sweet Sixteen sale where you get one full year of HHQ for just $16. Enjoy the games tonight, and thanks as always for your support. —Seth

Madness! Texas Tech, Down 16 in Second Half, Beats Arkansas in Overtime Thriller

Arkansas made threes it usually bricks. Texas Tech trailed by 16 midway through the second half.

Then, all of a sudden and of all things, a game materialized out of nowhere. Nothing made sense Thursday night at Chase Center in San Francisco.

Enter Darrion Williams. A 6-foot-6 junior forward loaded with composure and heroics, he was the man of the moment for Texas Tech. Two moments, actually.

His three-pointer with 9.7 seconds remaining in regulation gave the Red Raiders a 72-72 tie and an extra five minutes of overtime life no one could have seen coming midway through the second half.

His penetration to loft a three-foot bank over his right shoulder with 7.3 seconds remaining provided the winning margin as third-seeded Texas Tech beat — stunned, gutted — 10th-seeded Arkansas 85-83 to advance to the West Regional final on Saturday against Florida.

Which Schools Are the Transfer Portal’s Early Winners and Losers?

By Riley Frain

With the transfer portal cycle four days in — and with over 1,250 players already entered — we’ve started to see our first publicly reported interest, school visits and early commitments.

Many programs are already fully immersed in the portal and engaging with the nation’s top free-agent transfers. Other schools, however, are quickly being left behind, slowed down by late coaching hires or deep runs in the Tournament.

With help from The Portal Report, let’s have a look at which schools are the portal's biggest winners and losers so far...