One of the most driven and talented teams to take the ice for Minnesota in decades is seeking to bring a national championship back to the program for the first time in 20 years. The Gophers are going to the Frozen Four for the 23rd time. This will be their fifth appearance since the most recent NCAA title in 2003. Annual expectations exceed that, though. Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said he fully realized that when he took the job five years ago. The Gophers face Boston University in the national semifinals on April 6. Quinnipiac plays Michigan in the other game.

Ticket prices on the secondary market are substantially higher for the women's Final Four than for the men. The women play in a much smaller venue. They also have more recognizable names in the their Final Four. Only UConn on the men's side is anything close to a traditional power. An all-session ticket for the women's Final Four was at least $475 on StubHub and $335 on Vivid Seats before fees. Men's all-sessions tickets were going for at least $65 and $66.

The college basketball season started with familiar faces and ended up with an unexpected Final Four. North Carolina was the preseason No. 1-ranked team only to miss the NCAA Tournament. Fellow bluebloods like Duke and Kentucky all fell out of the rankings at points. And reigning champion Kansas was among the first No. 1 seeds to fall short of making even the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. The transfer portal allowing players to move freely is a factor in redistributing talent to quickly change rosters. That meant more opportunities for some and tougher roads for some traditional top programs.

Indiana coach Teri Moren is The Associated Press college women's basketball coach of the year. She led Indiana to its first Big Ten regular season championship in 40 years. 

Iowa's Caitlin Clark is The Associated Press college women’s basketball Player of the Year. She led Iowa to the Big Ten tournament title and to its first Final Four in 30 years. 

Today is Thursday, March 30, the 89th day of 2023. There are 276 days left in the year.

There are some pretty good uses for an old cellphone, if it is not too beat-up or broken. Here are five things you can do with your old phone, and none of them require an active SIM card.

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Padres third base coach Matt Williams has colon cancer and will have surgery on Friday.

The NFL took another step at the owners meetings to increase diversity throughout the league while continuing to face criticism and a lawsuit for lack of representation among head coaches. Each team is now required to have a person in charge of diversity, equity and inclusion. Currently, 15 clubs have a DEI head and two others have someone leading that department and another one.

While three teams are looking for their first NCAA title, UConn is pursuing a return to glory. The Huskies are the biggest name left playing basketball this season. They made the Final Four as a No. 4 seed, joining fifth-seeded Miami and San Diego State and ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic. But while Connecticut can boast four titles, the most of any school in college basketball over the last quarter-century, this week’s trip to the Final Four is the men’s first since their last championship in 2014.