Raegan Beers, Oklahoma in Sweet 16, 'living an answered prayer'

Star center Raegan Beers leads Oklahoma to Sweet 16, knows she’s ‘living an answered prayer’

By Kevin Mercer Mar 24, 2026

Oklahoma's Raegan Beers, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Oklahoma is one of 16 teams left standing after a busy first weekend in the women’s NCAA Tournament, as the No. 4-seeded Sooners advanced past Idaho, 89-59, and Michigan State, 77-71, to earn a date with No. 1 seed South Carolina in the Sweet 16 on Saturday. Back in January, Oklahoma handed South Carolina one of its three losses on the season.

In order to take down the powerhouse Gamecocks again, Oklahoma will need another stellar performance from star center Raegan Beers. The 6-foot-4 senior from Littleton, Colorado, has registered double-doubles in both NCAA Tournament games so far while shooting 65% (13 for 20).

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Beers had a team-leading 18 points and 10 rebounds against the Vandals on Friday, and against the Spartans on Sunday she poured in another 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds (a team high) to help OU overcome a five-point halftime deficit and win. Beers also had four steals and two blocks.

BEST BIG IN THE COUNTRY! @RaeganBeers // 📺 ESPN pic.twitter.com/qATbU8hNLj

— Oklahoma Basketball (@OU_WBBall) March 23, 2026

SOONERS KEEP ON DANCIN' 🔥

4-seed Oklahoma takes down 5-seed Michigan State in Norman 💥 pic.twitter.com/UQVFnS79St

— espnW (@espnW) March 23, 2026

In the postgame press conference, Beers was asked why she was emotional at the end of the game.

“Gratitude,” she said as she got teary-eyed, reflecting on her final game at OU’s Lloyd Noble Center. “I love this place. I love these people. … This is a really cool team — a coaching staff that has poured a lot into me for two years that I’m so, so grateful for, and a team that has just loved on me since the minute I came last year and this year. They continue to develop you as people and not just as basketball players, which I really appreciate.”

Beers transferred to Oklahoma ahead of the 2024-25 season after two with Oregon State, and her arrival in Norman has lifted the Sooners on the court; they’ve now advanced to the Sweet 16 in back-to-back years, their first two appearances in the tournament’s second weekend since 2013.

But perhaps even more impactful to the Sooners than Beers’ post presence has been her locker-room presence. Sitting next to Beers in Sunday’s press conference was her teammate, Payton Verhulst, who took time in her comments to compliment her friend.

“Raegan’s just a really special teammate and person,” Verhulst said. “Like not even speaking of basketball, [journalists] get to write and see everything she does on the basketball court, but she’s such a great person, and I genuinely mean that. Like, she’s one of the most selfless people I’ve ever met and ever played with.”

After Oklahoma’s tough loss in the Sweet 16 last season, Beers made sure to express her gratitude to people around her, and to God for making it all possible.

“It’s so cool to have that (support), because it just solidifies where you are and the program I chose,” she said. “… The core of my family was like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re gonna love it there, and I know you’re gonna love it there.’ My high school coach has poured into me all year, texting me every single day I think for the past two weeks. To have that is such a blessing.

“The Lord has truly given me a gift to play basketball with people that I love, surrounded by so many people that I love, and I cannot be more thankful for them.”

She includes a banner photo with the words “I am fearfully and wonderfully made” on her X account, echoing the Bible verse Psalm 139:14. She also declares that “I am His” and lists the Bible verse Isaiah 43:1 in her Instagram bio.

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A post shared by Raegan Beers (@raeganbeers)

Beers, who is very involved with OU’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) chapter, was a guest on an episode of Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast in February 2025. She talked on the podcast about the importance of prayer in her decision to transfer.

“I trusted that the Lord was going to get me through it,” she said, “and He did because He does every time. He’s gotten me this far through a bunch of different things, so it was my job to put it on Him and say, ‘All right, this is Yours. This is Your burden.’ … It was really a moment of just trusting the Lord and being like, ‘I know you’re going to be before me and behind me and with me all the time’ (Deuteronomy 31:8).”

As she reflected on that time of uncertainty and transition, Beers said God answered her prayers very clearly.

“It was a moment after a game — I don’t remember which game — but it was a moment where I was just like, ‘Wow, I prayed for this a couple months ago. I was praying for this and I’m living it now,'” she said. “‘Take a second. You are living an answered prayer.'”

"I'm now living an answered prayer." – @RaeganBeers

Hear more from @OU_WBBall's Raegan Beers on this week's What's Up podcast! #boomersooner #beadavid https://t.co/38w3bP9ARo pic.twitter.com/sh2YcSPRGn

— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) February 17, 2025

As she lives in thankful recognition of God’s incredible work in her life, Beers and her Oklahoma teammates now head to Sacramento, California, the site of their showdown with South Carolina. Tipoff between the Sooners and Gamecocks is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET Saturday.

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Bennett Stirtz leads Iowa into Sweet 16 for first time since 1999: ‘Win or lose, give glory to God’

By Jon Ackerman Mar 23, 2026

Iowa guard Bennett Stirtz drives against Florida, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Even though Bennett Stirtz was enduring an off shooting night, Florida still knew Iowa’s leading scorer was a threat. So with the defending-champion Gators holding a 72-70 lead with 8.9 seconds left in their second-round NCAA Tournament matchup Sunday, they didn’t want Stirtz to beat them with a three.

He didn’t — but he beat them with an assist on the 3-pointer to win the game.

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Stirtz took an inbounds pass, raced up the right side of the court, and as two Florida defenders converged on him, he slipped a bounce pass to a wide open Alvaro Folgueiras, who took a step behind the 3-point line in the corner and sank a dagger that sent the top-seeded Gators home early. They’re the first No. 1 seed to fall in this year’s NCAA Tournament, and No. 9-seeded Iowa heads to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999.

ARE. YOU. JOKING.

IOWA LEADS. THIS IS MARCH. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/sNDHTqaGj1

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2026

Folgueiras, a 6-foot-10 junior from Spain, was ready for the moment, and told Stirtz as much before the play.

“This dude came up to me,” Stirtz said in the postgame press conference, referring to Folgueiras, “and he’s like, ‘I’m going to be ready and I’m going to make it.’ That’s what he actually did.”

Stirtz was then asked where his confidence in Folgueiras comes from, and he said a bond from the team hanging out together so much over the past year.

“We’re unselfish, too,” he said. “So we like seeing other people succeed more than ourselves. That’s what also makes it so special.”

Folgueiras finished the game with 14 points, second on the team behind Tavion Banks’ 20. Stirtz, meanwhile, managed 13 points despite missing all nine of this 3-point attempts. He connected on three deep balls in Iowa’s first-round win over Clemson, but still only shot 23.5% from the field in that game, finishing with 16 points.

Bennett Stirtz gets his first bucket from deep to fall 😮‍💨#MarchMadness @IowaHoops pic.twitter.com/BLe4Jv30Zl

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026

Those numbers are down from Stirtz’s season average of 19.7 points on 47.8% shooting, but that’s what can happen when opponents devise game plans to specifically stop you. It’s a credit to the Hawkeyes’ depth that they gutted out two wins despite Stirtz being held mostly in check. And Stirtz’s five assists on Sunday show he’s still able to contribute, while he once again played all 40 minutes of the game.

Stirtz said afterward that Sunday’s game was the biggest of his career considering the stakes involved, but acknowledged that the next game will be bigger. Iowa will face No. 4 seed Nebraska on Thursday in the Sweet 16, the first such appearance for the Cornhuskers. As Big Ten rivals, Iowa and Nebraska have already squared off twice this season, with the Hawkeyes pulling out a 57-52 win at home Feb. 17 (when Stirtz scored 25), and the Cornhuskers defending their home court in an 84-75 overtime win March 8.

Stirtz isn’t as much of an unknown as he was last year in the NCAA Tournament, when he and head coach Ben McCollum — whom Stirtz followed to Iowa — led 11th-seeded Drake to a first-round upset of Missouri, followed by a second-round loss to Texas Tech. Stirtz scored 21 points in each of those games, drawing national attention.

And the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 is a long way from where Stirtz began his college career, at Division-II Northwest Missouri State, where McCollum coached at the time. But they’ve risen the ranks together and Stirtz is now an All-Big Ten second teamer and projected first-round NBA Draft pick.

McCollum was one of the few coaches who recruited Stirtz coming out of Liberty (Mo.) High School, where Stirtz was coached by his father, Roger. But Stirtz was thrilled to get an offer from a program coming off three straight D-II national championships.

“It was pretty simple, and luckily, it was simple,” Bennett told Sports Spectrum for a Summer 2025 magazine feature. “I didn’t really have many offers. If I had other offers, I probably wouldn’t have gone and played for Coach Mac, to be honest. God worked it out that way, and He obviously has a plan.”

Only God satisfies.

To learn how @bennett_stirtz went from a Division II unknown to a March Madness star, check out his feature in our latest magazine!https://t.co/QnbAc5bIUr pic.twitter.com/Jf6qdDUwE8

— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) August 15, 2025

Taking time to discern God’s plan and develop a relationship with Him truly began in college for Stirtz.

“That’s really where my faith and my relationship with Jesus just started to strengthen because I went to Him every day,” he told Sports Spectrum. “In high school, to be honest, I didn’t really do that. I just started getting in the Word every day.”

Following his strong junior year at Drake, Stirtz said he turned down “a lot of money” from other programs in the transfer portal because he wanted to stay with McCollum.

“Money is never going to satisfy you,” he told Sports Spectrum. “Fame will never satisfy you. Nothing in this world is going to satisfy you except for God.”

Being grounded through his faith is what helps Stirtz — who calls himself a “Christ follower” on X and Instagram — deal with the fame and recognition coming his way. He aims to deflect the glory to his Heavenly Father, as he did Sunday when interviewed on the court after the game.

“Win or lose, give glory to God,” he told TNT Sports. “He gave me a platform and I just want to use it for Him.”

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A post shared by Holy Athletes™ │ Faith │ Motivation (@holy.athletes)

“That’s one of the reasons why — and probably the biggest reason why — I play basketball,” Stirtz told Sports Spectrum last year. “Just having the platform and using the platform in the right way to give the glory to Him.”

Stirtz and Iowa will tip off against Nebraska at 7:30 p.m. ET Thursday in Houston.

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UNC coach Hubert Davis looks for deep NCAA Tourney run, sees job as ‘missionary work’

By Cole Claybourn Mar 19, 2026

North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)

The results on the court have been up and down for Hubert Davis in his five years as the head coach at North Carolina. What’s remained consistent, however, is his faith in Jesus and willingness to be bold in sharing it.

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After serving as an assistant coach for Roy Williams from 2012-2021, Davis was elevated to head coach ahead of the 2021-22 season. From the start, he said he viewed his job as more than just coaching basketball.

“I’ve said this a number of times, that I’ve been put, placed, purposed and planned to be in this position at such a time as this,” Davis said on “The Drive with Will Dalton” ahead of this season. “I’m on assignment. It is missionary work. It’s an act of service … it’s a position of great honor, and I love being in [it].”

That perspective hasn’t changed, even as the results and the sport itself have.

On the court, his team’s next task is a first-round matchup in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday against a No. 11-seeded VCU team that just won the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament. The No. 6-seeded Tar Heels enter the tournament looking to right the ship following a 15-point loss to rival Duke in the regular-season finale and a one-point loss to Clemson in their first game of the ACC Tournament.

After a first-round loss last year, UNC is looking to rekindle some of the magic that led to a run to the 2022 championship game in Davis’ first season at the helm. They’ll have to do so without star forward and projected NBA Draft lottery pick Caleb Wilson, who led the team in scoring (19.8 points per game), rebounds (9.4), steals (1.5) and blocks (1.4) before undergoing season-ending thumb surgery in early March.

UNC missed the NCAA Tournament the year after the runner-up finish, but returned as a No. 1 seed in 2024. That season ended with a Sweet 16 loss, however, to No. 4-seeded Alabama.

The topsy-turvy nature of UNC’s results have coincided with significant changes in the college game, most notably the transfer portal and NIL (name, image and likeness) rules that allow for players to make upwards of six or seven figures in some cases. That has resulted in heavy roster turnover, including losses of key Tar Heels like Caleb Love and Elliott Cadeau.

While some coaches have stepped away amid the changing landscape, Davis has embraced the challenge.

“Obviously there’s differences, but I think it’s been really exciting to maneuver through the differences in college athletics,” Davis told Dalton. “But again, with all the changes, my mission and my assignment haven’t changed at all. It’s to be in these kids’ lives and be able to serve them and give back to them.

“Regardless of how many changes happen, my assignment has stayed the same. I love this assignment. I enjoy it. As I’ve said before, it’s a privilege to be in this position, having a front-row seat to be able to do it on a daily basis.”

The stage is set. pic.twitter.com/EC7kmtoBRI

— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) March 18, 2026

That sense of purpose is rooted in Davis’ own story.

Before his coaching career — and even before his 12-year NBA journey — Davis was a player at North Carolina under legendary coach Dean Smith from 1988-1992. It was during that time that his faith in Christ took shape.

In 1990, just before his junior year, Davis attended a service at Chapel Hill Bible Church while searching for answers following the death of his mother two years earlier.

“During that time, I was really struggling,” Davis said on Dalton’s show. “I was going to a number of churches, and the reason being I was looking for answers. I was looking for answers in regards to why my best friend, my mom, passed away two years earlier of cancer. That’s the only reason I was going to church.”

After that church service, a man named Mike Echstenkamper — who was working with Athletes In Action on the UNC campus — approached him.

“He introduced himself and I broke down crying,” Davis told Dalton. “I met him on campus the next day, and that was the day I accepted Christ into my life.

“I was going to church looking for answers, and obviously I never found that answer. But I did find out and was able to see the things that my mom told me — how much Jesus loved me and the plan and purpose that He had for me.”

That moment continues to shape how Davis leads today. He’s remained unapologetic about sharing his faith, even though he knows some may find it inappropriate or controversial.

“When I’m asked a question, the only thing I know how to do is to be myself,” he told Dalton. “My personality is my personality and this is what you get for 55 years. I’m very secure and confident in my own skin and I feel very passionate about the things that I love and care about.”

UNC and VCU tip off at 6:50 p.m. ET Thursday on TNT.

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Oluchi Okananwa has Maryland eying deep NCAA Tourney run as she seeks to ‘do it all for Jesus’

By Kevin Mercer Mar 17, 2026

Maryland's Oluchi Okananwa handles the ball, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Jayne Kamin-Oncea)

Countless stars have shuffled through the Maryland women’s basketball program under head coach Brenda Frese, and this year, the perennial contenders eye another deep run in the NCAA Tournament behind star guard Oluchi Okananwa.

The junior from Boston helped the Terrapins (23-8) earn a No. 5 seed in Regional 1, and they will take on No. 12-seeded Murray State (31-3) in the first round.

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Okananwa transferred to College Park last April after two years at Duke, and with the Terps she became a starter and quickly proved to be one of the better portal pickups in the country. She led her team in scoring (18.0 points per game on 52.4% shooting) while adding 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.3 steals per game. For her efforts, she was named to the All-Big Ten first team as well as the all-defensive team.

Oluchi Okananwa adds another two for @TerpsWBB 😤

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/tHEYmOSLCv

— Big Ten Women's Basketball (@B1Gwbball) March 6, 2026

Okananwa’s transition into Maryland’s program has been seamless.

“When you’re in the transfer portal, there are no guarantees. I think it’s sometimes tragic when you see a player not get the right fit,” Coach Frese told TestudoTimes.com last week. “It was a perfect fit for us with Oluchi.”

Okananwa wholeheartedly agreed.

“The grass is green wherever you water it,” she told TestudoTimes.com. “No one should be transferring expecting things handed to them on a silver platter. It’s going to take two. You have to meet God, you have to meet your coaches, you have to meet everyone halfway.”

When asked in a NCAA March Madness social media video in February what a privilege it has been to play for a program like Maryland, Okananwa credited her Heavenly Father.

“First and foremost, all glory to God,” she said. “Without Him, I would not be in the position that I am, and I would not have made it this far. … I’ve looked up and I’m here, by God’s grace.”

Her decision to transfer was also one of the topics of conversation when Okananwa appeared as a guest on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast last week. She shared that it was God who sustained her throughout the process.

“My sophomore year in college (at Duke) was one of the hardest seasons I’ve gone through, basketball-wise and in my relationship with [God],” she said. “He taught me so much about patience, and what it really looks like to have faith in Him. … You’re really gonna have to trust Him, and your actions are going to have to be in accordance to that trust and to that faith that you’re putting in Him.”

"No, I cannot do it without him."

We loved this story from @TerpsWBB's @oluchi_okananwa! Hear more from Oluchi now! https://t.co/X50HFy3lWH pic.twitter.com/PtRhvw9X9j

— Sports Spectrum (@Sports_Spectrum) March 10, 2026

At Maryland, Okananwa has helped to foster a strong team-wide atmosphere of faith. There are chapels before games where the team prays and reads Scripture, and the team says another prayer just before running out onto the court. Even during games, Okananwa finds herself looking to her Heavenly Father for help.

“It’s honestly an open dialogue between Him and I during a game,” she said on the podcast, “most of the time just me trying to calm myself down and understanding that it’s in His hands and the outcome is going to be exactly the one that He designed.”

Okananwa is never one to shy away from talking about Christ, including a banner photo with the words “do it all for Jesus” on her X account. She also describes herself as a “child of God” in her Instagram bio.

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And now, as she enters the NCAA Tournament for the first time with Maryland (after two appearances with Duke), she will once again lean on God’s sustaining grace.

Tip-off between Okananwa’s Terrapins and the Murray State Racers from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. ET. If Maryland advances, it will play either No. 4-seeded North Carolina or No. 13-seeded Western Illinois on Sunday.

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Star Dominique Daniels leads Cal Baptist to 1st NCAA Tournament, aims to give ‘all glory to God’

By Kevin Mercer Mar 16, 2026

Cal Baptist's Dominique Daniels Jr., Dec. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Let the madness begin.

Following a jam-packed weekend of conference tournaments, the bracket for the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament was officially released on Sunday evening. And as fans scramble to dissect every matchup before filling out a bracket, one name to know is Dominique Daniels Jr. of California Baptist University.

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Cal Baptist, a small private Christian university in Riverside, California, is one of two teams making its first-ever appearance in the Big Dance (the other is Queens University in Charlotte), in large part because of Daniels’ heroics in the closing minutes of Saturday’s Western Athletic Conference Tournament.

The No. 2-seeded Lancers found themselves down six against No. 1-seeded Utah Valley in the championship game with two minutes remaining, and Daniels was having an off shooting night at the worst possible time. But suddenly, he hit one 3-pointer at the 1:50 mark and another on the ensuing possession to tie the game at 60. Then Utah Valley drained one of two free throws, putting the ball back in Daniels’ hands with 39.7 seconds left and a chance to win it.

After nearly losing his dribble, Daniels hit a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key to give CBU a 63-61 lead with 14 seconds left. Utah Valley couldn’t equalize on its final possession, and the Lancers’ bench erupted in celebration. Cal Baptist earned a No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face No. 4-seeded Kansas in the first round.

CALIFORNIA BAPTIST IS GOING DANCING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY 🕺

Dominique Daniels Jr. iced the game for the Lancers ❄️ pic.twitter.com/To0nEp7SKC

— ESPN (@espn) March 15, 2026

Daniels played the entire game and once again led his team in scoring (23 points), afterward being named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. He has scored more points this year than any CBU player in a single season (741), and he’s fifth this season in scoring among all Division-I players (23.2 points per game).

The diminutive 5-foot-10, 185-pound senior with the heart of a lion helped his team to its best season in the program’s brief Division-I history, winning 25 games. The Lancers only moved to the D-I level in 2018-19 and first became eligible for postseason play in 2022-23.

Few may know about Daniels — yet. And that’s something he’s perfectly fine with. He wants others to know the One who should be glorified.

“It’s all glory to God at the end of the day,” he said, as he often does, after scoring a school-record 47 points in a win against Utah Valley in January. “He’s the reason why I’m able to do what I’m able to do. He put me in this position for a reason, and I just give Him all the praise and all the glory and all the honor at the end of the day.

“I wouldn’t be able to do this without Him. It’s no credit to me. He put the hard work in me, He put the determination in me, so I give all credit to God.”

In addition to frequently giving glory to God after his big performances, Daniels says he also prays before every game. He lists the Bible verse Hebrews 11:1 in his Instagram bio, a verse that reads, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

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A post shared by #UNO1 (@domobeast_1)

Daniels may become a nationwide darling in the days ahead as the country learns about one of college basketball’s most dynamic players. But no matter the attention he gets for his play, he knows his basketball ability is nothing but a gift from God.

CBU’s opening-round game against Kansas from Viejas Arena in San Diego is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. ET Friday.

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