The Los Angeles Lakers will move for Connecticut Huskies head coach Dan Hurley to succeed Darvin Ham, according to reports.

The Lakers fired Ham last month after suffering a five-game exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.

They have only gone beyond the first round of the postseason once in four years since winning their last NBA championship in 2019-20, missing the playoffs in 2021-22.

According to a report from ESPN, the Lakers have interviewed several candidates for the role and have now settled on Hurley, who has had six seasons with UConn and led them to back-to-back national titles in the last two years.

The report said the Lakers are now preparing a huge, long-term contract offer to Hurley, who has previously spoken of his ambition to coach in the NBA.

Hurley has a 141-58 record with the Huskies and appears to have seen off competition from Charlotte Hornets assistant James Borrego, Boston Celtics assistant Sam Cassell and Denver Nuggets assistant David Adelman, all of whom were reportedly interviewed. 

UConn coach Dan Hurley was thrilled to have come through on his promise of doing "something big" after his team's NCAA title triumph.

The Huskies beat San Diego State 76-59 in Houston on Monday, capping their brilliant tournament with a sixth straight double-digit win, maintaining their perfect 5-0 record in National Championship games.

Of UConn's five titles, four have been won in Texas, while the last one came in 2014.

Hurley took over UConn in 2018, and said this was the vision he had sold to the university and its players.

"Obviously a dream come true for all of us," he told reporters.

"It's part of the programme, we sold the vision – I sold the vision to the university that I could put together a special group of people, a coaching staff, and unbelievable players like this, so it feels great to come through.

"This was our vision, this was our dream, this is what we said when we recruited these guys – to get together and do something big. It's just great to come through on promises made to these players and the university. It was an honour to play against San Diego State, too.

"It was probably the most physical, toughest team we’ve played this year – certainly one of the best. I've just got so much admiration for how they play and their coach, he's one of the best coaches in the country."

Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher was gracious in defeat.

He said: "First of all I congratulate coach Danny Hurley and UConn Huskies. Very deserving. They've played at an elite level the entire tournament.

"We battled, we battled back to five in the second half but gave them too much separation. We weren't at our best. We had to be at our best to win the game. A lot of that has to do with UConn."

Dutcher, though, had few complaints with how his team performed through the championship.

"I'm proud of our guys. These guys have given me everything they've had," he added.

"These guys are what it’s all about – college athletics. Good people, good students and they're really good players.

"We can feel good about the things we did. We're disappointed in the loss, but there's a brotherhood in the locker room that will never be divided by a margin of victory or not winning at all. That brotherhood is going to last a lifetime, I told them that."

UConn secured their fifth NCAA Division title on the back of double-doubles from Adama Sanogo and Tristen Newton in a 76-59 victory over San Diego State in Texas on Monday.

The Huskies capped their brilliant NCAA tournament with a sixth straight double-digit win, maintaining their perfect 5-0 record in National Championship games. It was also the fourth time UConn has claimed the national crown in Texas.

It ends San Diego State's wonderful campaign having made the National Championship game for the first time in their history.

Newton top scored with 19 points along with 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Sanogo added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Hawkins contributed 16 points. Malian big man Sanogo won the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award.

The Huskies shot 23-of-53 from the field, along with 24-of-27 from the free-throw line, opening up a 36-24 half-time lead and never looking back.

The Aztecs got within five points at 60-55 with 5:19 left in the second half, but UConn immediately responded with a Hawkins three-pointer.

Keshad Johnson top scored for the Aztecs with 14 points, while Darrion Trammell and Final Four hero Lamont Butler both added 13 points. SDSU shot six-of-23 from three-point range.

Huskies head coach Dan Hurley said: "We knew we were best team in the tournament going in and we just needed to play to our level."

UConn's triumph means they draw level with Duke and Indiana for fourth-most all-time in NCAA history, having lifted the title in 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014 and now 2023.

UConn secured their fifth NCAA Division title on the back of double-doubles from Adama Sanogo and Tristen Newton in a 76-59 victory over San Diego State in Texas on Monday.

The Huskies capped their brilliant NCAA tournament with a sixth straight double-digit win, maintaining their perfect 5-0 record in National Championship games. It was also the fourth time UConn has claimed the national crown in Texas.

It ends San Diego State's wonderful campaign having made the National Championship game for the first time in their history.

Newton top scored with 19 points along with 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Sanogo added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Hawkins contributed 16 points. Malian big man Sanogo won the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award.

The Huskies shot 23-of-53 from the field, along with 24-of-27 from the free-throw line, opening up a 36-24 half-time lead and never looking back.

The Aztecs got within five points at 60-55 with 5:19 left in the second half, but UConn immediately responded with a Hawkins three-pointer.

Keshad Johnson top scored for the Aztecs with 14 points, while Darrion Trammell and Final Four hero Lamont Butler both added 13 points. SDSU shot six-of-23 from three-point range.

Huskies head coach Dan Hurley said: "We knew we were best team in the tournament going in and we just needed to play to our level."

UConn's triumph means they draw level with Duke and Indiana for fourth-most all-time in NCAA history, having lifted the title in 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014 and now 2023.

UConn secured their fifth NCAA Division title on the back of double-doubles from Adama Sanogo and Tristen Newton in a 76-59 victory over San Diego State in Texas on Monday.

The Huskies capped their brilliant NCAA tournament with a sixth straight double-digit win, maintaining their perfect 5-0 record in National Championship games. It was also the fourth time UConn has claimed the national crown in Texas.

It ends San Diego State's wonderful campaign having made the National Championship game for the first time in their history.

Newton top scored with 19 points along with 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals, while Sanogo added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jordan Hawkins contributed 16 points. Malian big man Sanogo won the tournament's Most Outstanding Player award.

The Huskies shot 23-of-53 from the field, along with 24-of-27 from the free-throw line, opening up a 36-24 half-time lead and never looking back.

The Aztecs got within six points with 5:19 left in the second half, but UConn immediately responded with a Hawkins three-pointer.

Keshad Johnson top scored for the Aztecs with 14 points, while Darrion Trammell and Final Four hero Lamont Butler both added 13 points. SDSU shot six-of-23 from three-point range.

Huskies head coach Dan Hurley said: "We knew we were best team in the tournament going in and we just needed to play to our level."

UConn's triumph means they draw level with Duke and Indiana for fourth-most all-time in NCAA history, having lifted the title in 1999, 2004, 2011, 2014 and now 2023.

Lamont Butler scored a buzzer-beating game-winner to send San Diego State into the National Championship Game where they will face Connecticut after edging Florida Atlantic 72-71 on Saturday.

Butler got downhill and hit a 17-foot two-point shot as time expired completing a remarkable 14-point second-half comeback for the Aztecs.

It was the first buzzer-beater during this NCAA tournament and only the fifth in the Final Four history.

Aztecs coach Brian Dutcher opted against calling a timeout when Nathan Mensah rebounded Johnell Davis' missed jumper with the Owls leading 71-70 with 10 seconds left, before Butler drove on and took responsibility with his buzzer-beater for the ages.

"I didn't really know how big it was," Butler said who was mobbed by teammates and coaches. "We're going to the national championship. That's not things many people do."

After trailing 40-33 at half-time, SDSU found its defensive grip to work its way back into the contest, with Matt Bradley scoring 21 points with six rebounds.

Alijah Martin top scored for FAU with 26 points including three triples along with seven rebounds.

The Aztecs will face UConn who accounted for the Miami Hurricanes 72-59 with forward Adama Sanogo outstanding with 21 points including two three-pointers and 10 rebounds.

UConn advanced to their fifth National Championship game, with the Huskies having not lost to a non-conference opponent this year and winning all five NCAA games by double digits.

Huskies guard Jordan Hawkins overcame illness to contribute 13 points, while Miami's Isaiah Wong scored a team-high 15 points on four-of-10 shooting with their offense blunted, going at 32.3 per cent from the field as a team.

The unlikely March Madness run from the Florida Atlantic Owls continued on Saturday as they defeated the Kansas State Wildcats 79-76 to punch their ticket to the first Final Four in school history.

It is not just the first Final Four the Owls have ever reached, as they had never won a game in the NCAA Tournament prior to this season, with their only previous appearance being a first-round exit in 2002.

After knocking out eight-seed Memphis, 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson and four-seed Tennessee, Florida Atlantic won the East region and cut down the nets by eliminating the third-seed Wildcats.

The Owls had to deal with another spectacular performance from Kansas State talisman Markquis Nowell as the five-foot-eight point guard put up 30 points (eight-of-21 shooting), 12 assists and five steals.

But while the Wildcats leaned on their star, Florida Atlantic spread it around, with four players scoring at least 13 points, led by Bryan Greenlee's 16 on four-of-seven shooting. Seven-foot-one Russian center Vladislav Goldin controlled the interior with 14 points (six-of-11), 13 rebounds and two blocks.

The win means Florida Atlantic will play the winner between Creighton and San Diego State for a spot in the National Championship game.

It was far smoother sailing on the other side of the bracket as the four-seed Connecticut Huskies pummelled the three-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs 82-54 in a statement-making effort.

UConn's top draft prospect Jordan Hawkins drained six triples for his 20 points and six rebounds, while do-it-all wing Andre Jackson Jr flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 10 assists, nine rebounds and eight points.

It is the first time in NCAA Tournament history a team seeded fourth or lower won four consecutive games by double digits.

With it, Connecticut earned their sixth Final Four trip in program history, and first since 2014. They will meet the winner between five-seed Miami and two-seed Texas for a spot in the final game of the season.

Gonzaga Bulldogs center Drew Timme was a man amongst boys as he carried his side to a comeback 79-76 victory over the two-seed UCLA Bruins in Thursday's Sweet 16 action at the NCAA Tournament.

Timme, a senior, was named a consensus First-Team All-American this year after back-to-back Second-Team selections in his sophomore and junior seasons.

While his career at Gonzaga has been littered with individual honours, the six-foot-10 fringe NBA prospect looked destined to end his run as a Bulldog without capturing their elusive first National Championship as they trailed 46-33 at half-time.

But Timme would not let three-seed Gonzaga go down quietly, putting together a monstrous 36 points on 16-of-24 shooting while adding 13 rebounds, four assists and two blocks to turn their deficit into a 72-62 lead with 2:30 remaining.

UCLA's Jaime Jaquez Jr made things interesting with a quick eight-point burst on his way to a team-high 29 (12-of-25 shooting), 11 rebounds, three assists and three steals, setting up Amari Bailey for a three-pointer to put the Bruins back in front 76-75 with 13 seconds on the clock.

With the game on the line, Julian Strawther drained the clutch three to give Gonzaga the lead and the win, booking their fifth Elite 8 trip from the past eight editions of the tournament.

Gonzaga will face the four-seed Connecticut Huskies next after they wiped the floor with the eight-seed Arkansas Razorbacks 88-65.

It was another strong performance from UConn's top NBA prospect Jordan Hawkins, as the lanky six-foot-five wing dropped a game-high 24 points on six-of-13 shooting with three assists, marking the third tournament game in a row he has drained at least three three-pointers.

The nine-seed Florida Atlantic Owls are through to their first Elite 8 in school history after upsetting the four-seed Tennessee Volunteers 62-55.

The Owls came into the tournament at 31-3, and while there were questions about their strength of schedule, they have continued to prove they are one of college basketball's best teams this year, holding Tennessee to just 33 per cent shooting.

Florida Atlantic will play Kansas State in the next stage after the Wildcats survived a thrilling 98-93 overtime battle against Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans.

Five-foot-eight Wildcats point guard Markquis Nowell played the game of his life, ending up with 20 points (seven-of-18 shooting), 19 assists, five steals and just two turnovers in his 43 minutes. 

He joins Chris Paul and James Harden as the only players from either division one college basketball or the NBA in the past decade to put up a game of at least 20 points, 15 assists and five steals.

Hall of Fame Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo earned his 15th trip to the Sweet 16 after eliminating two-seed Marquette 69-60 in Sunday's second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Spartans rode a 23-point performance from senior point guard Tyson Walker, while Joey Hauser – brother of Boston Celtics wing Sam Hauser – collected 14 points and 10 rebounds.

As well as pulling into a tie for the sixth-most Sweet 16 appearances in head coaching history, Izzo also claimed the record for the most ever NCAA Tournament wins as the lower seed, with this his 16th.

He is one more Sweet 16 trip away from tying Louisville legend Denny Crum for the fifth-most, with only North Carolina's Roy Williams (19), Syracuse's Jim Boeheim (20), Michael Jordan's North Carolina coach Dean Smith (21) and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (26) having more.

The seven-seed Spartans will next face three-seed Kansas State after they won the battle of the Wildcats 75-69 against six-seed Kentucky.

Reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe was monstrous with 25 points and 18 rebounds, while projected first-round draft pick Cason Wallace impressed with 21 points (nine-of-11 shooting), nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.

But their performances were not enough to lift Kentucky to the victory, as diminutive five-foot-eight point guard Markquis Nowell dropped a game-high 27 points and nine assists to carry Kansas State through.

Following his massive 28-point, 13-rebound showing in his side's opening-round win, Connecticut Huskies center Adama Sonogo starred again with 24 points (11-of-16 shooting) and eight rebounds in a 70-55 win over the Saint Mary's Gaels.

After Marquette, the top seed to fall Sunday was the three-seed Baylor Bears. Despite 30 points from Baylor guard L.J. Cryer, the Creighton Bluejays received a game-winning 30 points from Ryan Nembhard in the 85-76 triumph.

Nembhard is the younger brother of Andrew, who has been a rookie standout for the Indiana Pacers this season.

Following their stunning upset of one-seed Purdue, where they became the second 16-seed to ever advance past the first round, the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights were sent packing 78-70 by the nine-seed Florida Atlantic Owls.

Three-seed Xavier were in control throughout their 84-73 win against Pittsburgh, five-seed Miami prevailed 85-69 over four-seed Indiana, and four-seed Gonzaga sent six-seed TCU home 84-81.

The Fairleigh Dickinson Knights made history on Friday as they knocked off one-seed Purdue 63-58 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

In doing so, FDU became the second 16-seed in tournament history to advance into the second round, joining the 2018 UMBC Retrievers.

Adding to the unlikeliness of their upset, the Knights are the shortest team in all of division one basketball this season – among 363 teams – and they had to deal with seven-foot-four National Player of the Year candidate Zach Edey.

Edey still had his way, scoring 21 points on seven-of-11 shooting while adding 15 rebounds and three blocks. He became the first player in tournament history to put up those numbers and still lose, dating back to when blocks became an official stat in 1986.

It was the only shocking upset of the day, although the six-seed Iowa State Cyclones were totally outmatched in their 59-41 defeat at the hands of the 11-seed Pittsburgh Panthers.

Despite a quiet game from the top NBA prospect in action Friday – Keyonte George – the three-seed Baylor Bears had no issue sending home the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos 74-56. 

George, a six-foot-four freshman guard, is averaging 15.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists as a starter on a quality outfit, but he had just nine points against the Gauchos as the Baylor starters got an early rest.

The most eye-catching individual performance of the day came from reigning National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe, with the six-foot-nine senior piling up 25 rebounds in the six-seed Kentucky Wildcats' 61-53 triumph over the 11-seed Providence Friars.

Tshiebwe finished with 11 offensive rebounds to go with 14 on the defensive end, adding eight points, three steals and two blocks.

The other top seeds in action all survived and advanced, with two-seed Marquette beating 15-seed Vermont 78-61, three-seed Gonzaga getting the better of Grand Canyon 82-70, and three-seed Xavier surviving an early scare to overcome Kennesaw State 72-67.