​The final regular-season rankings are in, just in time for the best stretch of the college basketball calendar. It's time for conference championship week, with Selection Sunday right around the corner. My top-3 teams remain unchanged, but UConn’s shocking loss to Marquette could shake up the 1-seed picture and open the door for Florida, a team that has surged after a shaky 5-4 start to the season. The defending champs are now rolling, riding an 11-game winning streak and fresh off clinching the SEC regular-season title. Here’s the latest edition of my men's college basketball rankings. Note on Miami (Ohio): The RedHawks continue to win and are now 31-0, but they're still not close to being ranked in my top 25. I respect their undefeated record, but it matters that their schedule ranks 276th in the country. What's more, they rank 53rd in NET and 90th in KenPom. They deserve to be in the NCAA Tournament, but I don’t believe they'd beat any teams on this list on a neutral floor. Georgia finished the regular season by winning five of its past six games, including a 10-point victory over Alabama at home. Led by star guards Jeremiah Wilkinson and Blue Cain, the Bulldogs own the 12th-best offense in the country. Louisville finished with an important and impressive win this week on the road against Miami (Fla.). The Cardinals secured that win without star freshman Mikel Brown Jr. I don’t know if his back will allow him to play in late March, but senior guard Ryan Conwell should not be overlooked — by any opponent. Tennessee has 10 losses, but the Vols also played the 11th-toughest schedule in the nation. That matters to me. Their wins over Houston, Alabama, Vanderbilt and Louisville have proven that this is one of the top-25 teams in the country. Wisconsin has ping-ponged in and out of my top 25 for the past month and a half. The Badgers finished the regular season with three consecutive wins, including an impressive final stretch at Purdue. Standouts Nick Boyd and John Blackwell — the "Killer B's" — are really hard to guard. Saint Mary's is 27-4, and head coach Randy Bennett still doesn’t get talked about enough on the national stage. I look forward to Game 3 against Gonzaga this year. I have a lot of respect for North Carolina and how it has navigated the Caleb Wilson injury (out for the year with broken thumb). The Tar Heels lost to Duke on Saturday but won four of their past five. The problem is that a fourth-place finish in the ACC isn’t the standard there. I'm curious to see if they can win more than two NCAA Tournament games. Vanderbilt started 16-0 but found SEC play difficult, as the Commodores managed an 11-7 record. I love how they finished, though, with a road win over Tennessee on Saturday. Guard Tyler Tanner led the way with 25 points. The Dores' offense ranks 15th in KenPom and is a joy to watch. Arkansas coach John Calipari has been telling us all year — and then Texas coach Sean Miller spent five minutes of his post-game press conference also telling us: Darius Acuff Jr. is the top point guard in the country, regardless of class. I believe them. The Razorbacks finished the SEC with a 13-5 record and tied with Alabama for second place. The Boilermakers have struggled as of late, dropping three of their last four, including a 97-93 loss to Wisconsin on Senior Night. The last time Purdue topped the 90-point mark and lost was against Iowa State on Nov. 24, 1987. Kansas lost to Arizona State but finished off its up-and-down conference season with a win over Kansas State. Star guard Darryn Peterson had 27 points, five rebounds and four assists to break out of a mini-slump. I have no idea what this team is going to do offensively on a weekly basis, but the Jayhawks' defense is better than every other team below them in my rankings. Texas Tech finished its regular season with back-to-back losses to TCU and BYU — the Red Raiders' first losses since JT Toppin's injury three weeks ago. Last week, they beat Iowa State on the road to prove how good they still are, and that’s ultimately why they only dropped a couple spots in my rankings. St. John's finished the Big East regular season with an 18-2 record and — because of UConn’s upset loss to Marquette — the conference title belongs to the Johnnies for the second consecutive season. Senior center Zuby Ejiofor does whatever needs to be done for this squad. Will his teammates be consistent enough to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament? For the past two months, I’ve consistently said that Gonzaga is the hardest team for me to rank because of the injury to power forward Braden Huff, who's questionable to return any day from a knee issue. The Zags are 28-3 with six wins over top-50 NET opponents. They will likely have another rematch with Saint Mary’s in the conference tournament, which will be crucial for their seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama finished the regular season winning nine of its past 10 games. The Crimson Tide are one of the most unbalanced teams in the country: their offense ranks third, but their defense ranks 66th, according to KenPom. Alabama is not a true title contender, but its offense can blow any team out of the water. Illinois is tall and talented and possesses the top-ranked offense in the country. On the other hand, the Fighting Illini's defense struggles in big stretches, and they rely heavily on 3-point shooting. They could win it all — or lose in the first two rounds. There are very few teams that I can say that about. Virginia isn’t on the same level as Duke, but this is still an excellent team. Led by Thijs De Ridder and Malik Thomas, the Cavaliers picked up wins against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest to end the regular season. They are the second-best team in the ACC. Michigan State is so darn tough, but the Spartans lack the talent and skill to beat Michigan and other elite teams in the country. This team can make a Final Four run, but that's its ceiling. Tom Izzo has done a wonderful job with this group, nonetheless. Nebraska picked up a nice overtime win at home against Iowa on Sunday, as three players went for 15 points. Sam Hoiberg was one of those players, and he had five steals. If he’s that productive in the NCAA Tournament, Nebraska is going to win its first game in the Big Dance. Iowa State limped to the finish line a bit this past week, losing to Arizona by 16 and picking up a win against Arizona State. The Cyclones' defense is still the seventh-best in KenPom, but their offense has been inconsistent. UConn fell to Marquette on Saturday in a stunner. The loss cost the Huskies the Big East regular-season title and will likely cost them a 1-seed, unless they win the conference tournament and get some help from Florida. Houston finished the regular season with three wins against below-average Big 12 opponents. The Cougars don’t have a single win over a top-10 team this year, but I still believe in this roster. Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings should be a star in March. After starting 5-4, Florida finished the regular season 20-2. The Gators are ranked in the top 10 in both offense and defense and have scored 84 points or more in their past five games. This young Arizona squad remains the most fascinating team in the nation to watch because the Wildcats do it their own way. They don’t worry about 3-point shooting and just smash you over the head for 40 minutes. Only two teams have been able to stop them: Texas Tech and Kansas. Michigan is my personal favorite to win the NCAA Tournament, but Duke has earned the No. 1 ranking by their neutral-court win over the Wolverines last month. Dusty May's team finished their regular season sweep of rival Michigan State with a 10-point win on Sunday. Duke and its No. 1-ranked defense just completed a 17-1 ACC regular season. The Blue Devils' only conference loss came on a buzzer-beating 3 at UNC. They got revenge this weekend with a 15-point win over the Tar Heels on Saturday. Read More

​Sergino Dest appears likely to miss the United States' pre-World Cup friendlies against Belgium and Portugal this month because a leg injury. Dest was hurt during PSV Eindhoven's Dutch league match against AZ Alkmaar on Saturday, falling and grabbing at his left hamstring. The 25-year-old defender needed assistance to leave the field. "PSV will not have Sergiño Dest at their disposal for the coming period, a medical examination revealed Sunday," the team said in a statement, describing the ailment as an upper leg injury. "Exactly how long Dest will be sidelined is difficult to predict at this time." The USA hosts Belgium on March 28 and Portugal on April 1 at Atlanta in World Cup warmup matches. American coach Mauricio Pochettino plans to announce his roster in late May, before friendlies against Senegal on May 31 and Germany on June 6. The 15th-ranked USA will start Group D against No. 40 Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, California, and then play 27th-ranked Australia six days later at Seattle. The Americans conclude the group stage on June 25 back at SoFi Stadium against the winner of playoffs among Turkey (25), Slovakia (44), Romania (49) and Kosovo (79). PSV said Dest "is focused on a return toward the final stages of the season, with next summer’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico as an important goal in addition." Dest has two goals in 37 international appearances and started all four U.S. matches at the 2022 World Cup. "I will do everything within my power to be back there top fit towards the end of the season and am confident that I will succeed," Dest said in a statement released by the team. If Dest is unable to play at the World Cup, Tim Weah could be an option at right back along with Alex Freeman and Joe Scally. Read More

​The historic Old Firm rivalry erupted into chaos following a dramatic Scottish Cup quarterfinal clash at Ibrox. What began as a joyous pitch invasion by Celtic supporters celebrating a penalty shootout victory quickly turned violent as Rangers fans breached barriers. Police and stewards were forced to form a human wall to separate the warring factions and restore order. Post-match disorder at Ibrox As reported by the BBC, the immense tension of the Scottish Cup quarterfinal boiled over dramatically immediately after the final whistle. Celtic secured a 4-2 victory on penalties after the game ended in a 0-0 draw following normal and extra time, prompting their ecstatic supporters to spill onto the hallowed Ibrox turf in wild celebration. However, these joyous scenes quickly turned incredibly ugly as furious Rangers fans breached the barriers to confront their bitter rivals. Flares were launched into the air, creating a highly toxic environment that forced police and stewards to urgently form a human barricade between the two groups before the chaotic disorder eventually settled down. Return of away allocations This highly anticipated fixture was particularly significant as it marked the very first time Celtic fans received the full Broomloan Stand allocation since 2018. Approximately 7,500 visiting supporters attended the match, a move intended to restore the traditionally fierce atmosphere of the famous derby. For several years prior, away allocations at both stadiums had fluctuated drastically, often being reduced to fewer than 1,000 seats or entirely removed. Scotland's victims and community safety minister, Siobhan Brown, described the chaos after Sunday's cup tie as "unacceptable." She added: "Of particular concern is the reckless use of pyrotechnics which could have caused serious injury." SFA launches official investigation The Scottish Football Association have also issued a statement, which reads: "The Scottish FA condemns the behaviour from supporters entering the field of play following today's Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Quarter-Final at Ibrox Stadium. An investigation will be carried out immediately in line with the Judicial Panel Protocol." Managers react to the chaos Celtic manager Martin O'Neill reflected on the wild scenes during a post-match interview, saying: "You're asking me a lot of political questions in this moment when I'm in a euphoric state. The fans have spilled over, big scenes at the end, all over the place. I'm not diminishing it at all, I will have a think about it and speak to you in due course." Conversely, Rangers head coach Danny Rohl claimed he largely missed the aggressive confrontations that marred the end of the gruelling encounter. Speaking to Premier Sports shortly after the pitch was cleared, he explained his swift exit from the dugout and his lack of visibility regarding the pitch invasion, simply noting: "I'm not sure what was at the end, I was in the tunnel." Read More