North Carolina made up for last year's title-decider heartbreak by putting together a late run to overhaul Gonzaga 71-65 in the final of the NCAA men's basketball championship.

Alanna Smith was again a key contributor but her Stanford Cardinal couldn't overcome South Carolina in their Final Four clash.

Cyclone Debbie has left Marianna Tolo's family home in Mackay without power and they are fast running out of water.

Victoria's Alanna Smith is playing a key role in Stanford University's run in the NCAA Tournament and they play in the Final Four on Saturday.

Australian basketball has welcomed back Erin Phillips, confident the Opal's AFLW success won't prompt a talent drain to football as the AFL considers expansion.

Devin Booker scored 70 points, becoming the sixth player in NBA history to reach that total, but it wasn't enough to give his side a victory as the Phoenix Suns fell 130-120 to the Boston Celtics.

The Los Angeles Lakers have honoured Shaquille O'Neal with a bronze statue of the Hall of Fame centre who helped them to three consecutive NBA titles.

New Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman is wasting no time building the roster and ethos to compete for an NBL championship.

Andrej Lemanis coached the Boomers to within seconds of a bronze medal in Rio, he will get the chance to go one better in Tokyo after being reappointed until the end of the 2020 Olympics.

Could Melbourne Boomers be chasing Liz Cambage? They won't confirm or deny it.

After 12 minutes Chima Moneke and his University of California Davis teammates thought they could make college basketball history.

Dandenong Rangers coach Larissa Anderson will push her players to use their grand final loss to the Sydney University Flames as a stepping stone to future success.

Sydney Uni Flames are the WNBL champions.

The St Mary's Gaels and their six Australian players have battled their way to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, but waiting for them is a University of Arizona squad featuring two giants, a future NBA guard and Perth's Keanu Pinder.

Melbourne United have signed Dean Vickerman as coach for the next two seasons replacing Dean Demopoulos.

Melbourne guard Dejan "DJ" Vasiljevic has done this as well as could be expected in his freshman season with University of Miami Hurricanes and his reward will be getting to play in March Madness.

Wade's regular season ended when an MRI exam revealed a small fracture in his right elbow.

Canberra product Chima Moneke recorded his 14th double-double of the season to lead UC Davis into the next round of March Madness.

When Dandenong Rangers are fighting to keep the WNBL grand final series alive on Friday night they will look to retiring centre Jacinta Kennedy and fight even harder.

He could walk down the streets of Canberra unnoticed but Chima Moneke is turning heads on college basketball's biggest stage.

Australian Joe Ingles starred with 18 points in Utah's 114-108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, while a number of his countrymen continued their strong form in the NBA.

Andrew Bogut's time at Cleveland is over after 11 days, with the NBA club - as expected - waiving him on Monday (Tuesday AEDT).

Marianna Tolo has praised a WNBL landmark deal which will see Australia's best basketballer's paid a minimum wage.

Australian guard Dante Exum has scored a career-high 22 points in his Utah Jazz team's 104-112 NBA loss against Oklahoma City Thunder.

Jesse Wagstaff never imagined he would be a four-time NBL champion while watching the Canberra Cannons.

So many of Dandenong Rangers best moments this season have been inspired by emotion but cold-hearted attention to detail may be the key to keeping the team's championship hopes alive.

The next wave of elite Australian basketball talent will be on show across the US the next three weeks as tens of millions of Americans feast on a sporting event rivalling the Super Bowl for hype and attention.

Dandenong and Sydney University clashed in game one of the WNBL grand final series on Saturday night with the Flames taking the win.

Jacinta Kennedy can still play in the WNBL but the grand final will be her last appearance in the league.

Both coaches in the WNBL grand final have more than earned their place in this year's series.

Andrew Bogut's season with the Cleveland Cavaliers is officially over.

Jenna O'Hea will return to the WNBL next season as Melbourne Boomers' signal their intent to climb back to into the elite sides in the WNBL.

• ANALYSIS

Andrew Bogut's left tibia fracture has come at the worst possible time, both for his championship hopes and his impending free agency.

Andrew Bogut's debut with LeBron James and his NBA defending champions Cleveland has ended disastrously with a broken leg after just 58 seconds on the court.

• UPDATED

Andrew Bogut has had a horror start at the Cleveland Cavaliers with an injury after just one minute on the court.

Australian centre Andrew Bogut has overcome a US visa issue but still might not make his debut for the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Miami Heat.

Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green had a lot to say after their match up on Sunday when the New York Knicks announced just seconds before tip-off that they would play the first half without music, video, or in-game entertainment.

The Wildcats have secured their eighth NBL title, with star import Bryce Cotton draining 45 points to lift his side to a 95-86 win over Illawarra in Sunday's grand final clash at Perth Arena.

The Wildcats have secured their eighth NBL title, with star import Bryce Cotton draining 45 points to lift his side to a 95-86 win over Illawarra in Sunday's grand final clash at Perth Arena.