UNDATED (AP) — Michigan is No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for the 2025-26 season after winning the program’s first national championship in 37 years. The Wolverines claimed all 57 votes in Tuesday’s poll in the third year the AP has released its last poll after the completion of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan beat UConn 69-63 in Indianapolis for the program's first NCAA title since 1989. UConn finished second, followed by Arizona, Duke and Illinois. No. 15 Iowa and No. 22 Texas jumped into the poll after reaching the tournament's second weekend.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan men’s basketball returned to campus as national champions and coach Dusty May told the fans who greeted them at the Crisler Center that “this trophy is yours.” May and his players stood atop the Junge Family Champions Center on Tuesday and overlooked a crowd of maize and blue. Michigan held off UConn 69-63 in Monday night’s title game, an effort powered by its all-transfer starting lineup. Point guard Elliot Cadeau, named the Final Four’s most outstanding player, led Michigan with 19 points. Morez Johnson Jr. had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The transfer portal has opened in college basketball, marking a crucial phase for teams aiming for the 2027 title. More than 1,200 players have already entered the portal, with hundreds more expected. Michigan won the NCAA championship with transfers playing key roles. The Big Ten swept the football championship and both Division I basketball titles this year.
UNDATED (AP) — The value of name, image and likeness deals that can avoid review by the College Sports Commission over whether they are appropriately priced has risen from $600 to $2,500, providing an athlete doesn’t make more than $15,000 total. That's according to a memo the commission issued Tuesday to Division I schools. The CSC was formed to oversee NIL payments to athletes in college sports. The raised amount is expected to allow the commission to act faster in approving deals and focus more on the big-money arrangements between players and third parties that need more scrutiny.
UNDATED (AP) — Kansas big man Flory Bidunga, Wake Forest’s Juke Harris and Saint Mary’s Paulius Murauskas are among the parade of players entering the transfer portal on the first of 15 days Division I men’s basketball players can go looking for a new school. Bidunga was the Big 12 defensive player of the year and an all-conference first-team pick. Harris was voted the Atlantic Coast Conference’s most improved player after he increased his scoring average from 6.1 points per game to 21.4. Murauskas was the West Coast Conference’s second-leading scorer with 18.4 points per game and had two 30-point games.
UNDATED (AP) — Fernando Mendoza, expected to go first overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, will watch the NFL draft with family and friends in Miami, someone with knowledge of the quarterback’s plans said Tuesday. That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Mendoza hasn’t made his plans public. The draft will take place in Pittsburgh starting on April 23, and many top players will be there to receive congratulations and a hug from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. But players, even those who are drafted first, sometimes prefer to watch from a different location.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin has struggled to keep quarterbacks healthy or produce many points lately. None of that bothers new Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph, who believes his success at Old Dominion can translate to the Big Ten. Joseph heads a list of 34 transfer newcomers eager to help Wisconsin bounce back from consecutive losing seasons. Joseph will try to spark a Wisconsin offense that scored just 12.8 points per game and gained 253.1 yards per game last year to rank ahead of only UMass among Football Bowl Subdivision schools.
PHOENIX (AP) — Cori Close and the UCLA Bruins are going to have to work hard to repeat as champions. They lose their top six players to graduation after putting on one of the most dominant performances in championship history to win their first NCAA title and second overall, routing South Carolina by 28 points. But with the transfer portal opening Monday, the UCLA coach can build a new team quickly. Close has said that the school will be very active, looking to add five players. Challenging the Bruins will be the runner-up Gamecocks and coach Dawn Staley. The Gamecocks will be one of the favorites for the title when the Final Four moves to Columbus, Ohio, next year.
