Virginia last night won its first NCAA Tournament championship, besting Texas Tech 85-77 in OT before a crowd of 72,062 at U.S. Bank Stadium (WASHINGTON POST, 4/9). It was a "thrilling game" (NBCSPORTS.com, 4/8). It featured "two titans going shot for shot for an epic, all-time duel" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 4/9). SI.com goes with the header, "Virginia's Thrilling Win Over Texas Tech Capped Off One Of The Best NCAA Tournaments Ever." LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL header: "Title Game Just What The NCAA Needed."

FRONT-PAGE HEADLINES: Charlottesville Daily Progress: "National Champions!" ... Washington Post: "Virginia Finds Redemption" ... Hampton Roads Daily Press: "First, At Last" ... Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: "So Close" ... Dallas Morning News: "Dream Wrecked" ... N.Y. Times: "After Last Year's Big Loss, Virginia Triumphs"

After the game, "streams of celebratory Hoos poured from the bars and into the streets" of Charlottesville as "screams of joy echoed." About 8,000 students and local residents watched the game at John Paul Jones Arena (Charlottesville DAILY PROGRESS, 4/9). Virginia athletics is inviting fans to "greet team members when they arrive" at the on-campus arena today, and the team "will be the center of celebration Saturday afternoon at Scott Stadium" (Charlottesville DAILY PROGRESS, 4/9).

Meanwhile, Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO Kevin Plank prior to the game "gave a pep talk" to the Texas Tech squad, UA's "first sponsored team to make it to the final game" (BALTIMORE SUN, 4/9). 

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes sat courtside for last night's NCAA title game, supporting his alma mater, Texas Tech. However, Mahomes is sponsored by Adidas, while Texas Tech is an Under Armour school, so Mahomes found a "creative solution." He wore a Texas Tech shirt but taped "over the Under Armour logo with the words 'Adidas.'" Adidas "knew that this sort of reaction would be featured on the broadcast and couldn't take a chance" (USATODAY.com, 4/8).

Meanwhile, grocery chain Hy-Vee is adding Mahomes to its "roster of celebrity partnerships," which also includes such recognizable figures as Mark Wahlberg and Oprah Winfrey. Further details of Mahomes' deal with Hy-Vee "will be revealed at a news conference" today (DES MOINES REGISTER, 4/9).

cavaliers

Quicken Loans Arena is being renamed Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Cavaliers Owner and Quicken Loans Founder & Chair Dan Gilbert today is announcing the arena name with Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and other officials. Rocket Mortgage, a digital arm of Quicken Loans, will have new exterior and interior signage at the arena, including LED roof signs and its logo on the court and rink. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The Cavs' and AHL Monsters' arena is also going through a $185M renovation that increases the building’s footprint from 95,380 to 152,970 square feet via a new glass façade and atrium, along with eight new hospitality spaces. The venue will host the NBA All-Star Game in '22 and the women’s Final Four in '24.

The Int'l Swimming League today will announce its U.S. teams and plans for a season finale in Las Vegas in December. The startup league, bankrolled by Ukrainian billionaire Konstantin Grigorishin, will place teams in N.Y., DC, S.F. and L.A., along with unknown European locations, for the season that will start Oct. 4. The finals are set for Dec. 20-21 at Mandalay Bay Events Center. Also today, officials will announce GMs for each team. Rosters and meet schedules will be released in the coming weeks, sources said.

The ISL is challenging FINA's dominance of the sport by promising elite swimmers more chances to win prize money; Grigorishin has said there will be a $6-7M budget for prizes and appearance fees this season. Three top-tier U.S. swimmers -- Katie Ledecky, Ryan Murphy and Nathan Adrian -- have signed on as ISL ambassadors, but are not confirmed competitors. FINA previously threatened to suspend athletes who swam in ISL events, but the governing body has since backed off. USA Swimming CEO Tim Hinchey said U.S. athletes are free to participate. Meanwhile, FINA has developed a high-prize-dollar property of its own: the FINA Champions Swim Series.

The Red Sox today host their home opener with a 2:20pm ET game against the Blue Jays, and they will commemorate their '18 World Series title with pregame ceremonies starting at 1:00pm. Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy has confirmed that "members of the Patriots will be in attendance to celebrate" their most recent Super Bowl title as well. The Red Sox' uniforms "will feature gold-trimmed hats and jerseys, gold stitching around World Series patches on the hats and jersey sleeve," plus gold stitching "around the letters and numbers on the jersey" (BOSTON GLOBE, 4/9). A source said that Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are "not expected to attend" (BOSTON HERALD, 4/9).

The Orioles last night had an announced attendance of 6,585 at Camden Yards for their game against the A's, the "lowest in the history of the ballpark for an open-admission game." The previous low was exactly a year ago on April 9, when they drew 7,915 fans against the Blue Jays (TWITTER.com, 4/8).

Meanwhile, the Giants last night drew "just 28,625" fans to Oracle Park for their 6-5 loss to the Padres, the ballpark's "first crowd under 30,000 since May 27, 2010" (NBCSPORTSBAYAREA.com, 4/9).

Inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Jennifer Kupcho and runner-up Maria Fassi appeared on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” last night, with Kupcho saying there have been “so many fans, so many people” congratulating her for the win. Host Jimmy Fallon noted the duo appeared on NBC’s “Today” show as well: “But now, do you go back to being college students?” Fassi: “Unfortunately. We have to go back to real life.” Fassi called Augusta National an "amazing venue" and said of the tournament, “The people were loving it, we were loving it. It was just amazing, and I think it should be like that every last round, every Sunday.” Host Jimmy Fallon: “Congratulations on winning, but also for making history” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 4/8).

U.S. Soccer is "set to officially announce that the men’s national team will visit Cincinnati for a friendly against Venezuela on June 9" at Nippert Stadium, according to sources (PROSOCCERUSA.com, 4/8).

PBR Canada extended its broadcast agreement with TSN for '19 (PBR Canada).

Motivational speaker Tony Robbins and musician Pitbull have partnered to launch a new boxing fitness chain. Grit BXNG will open its flagship location in N.Y. this June (Grit BXNG).

"I’m going to [be] the manager of this team until I’m not the manager of the team. At that point, I’ll worry about what’s next" -- Red Wings Exec VP & GM Ken Holland, on rumors that he could be replaced by former Lightning GM Steve Yzerman after missing the playoffs for the third straight year. Holland has one year remaining on his contract (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 4/9).

"The way our team has performed and established the Golden State brand around the world -- from China to South America and everywhere in Europe -- right now, it’s a no-brainer to keep the name" -- Warriors President & COO Rick Welts, on keeping the team name intact following the upcoming move to S.F. (L.A. TIMES, 4/9).

USA TODAY writes under the header, "Imagine What Golf Might Look Like Had Augusta National Invited Women To Compete 20 Years Ago." What if Augusta National had "earnestly welcomed women as competitors and equals in the late 1990s rather than so publicly and angrily denying membership to women until 2012?"

Also:

• Pitt's rebrand "strikes the right balance between new and old."
• Portland OREGONIAN columnist makes case for Rays to relocate.
• Why are personal attacks against NBAers soaring? Liquid courage.

I want to thank the US Basketball Writers for inducting me in their Hall of Fame today, for the too many to mention who helped me along the way and for my great friend and inspiration ⁦@wojespn⁩ for writing this, which is, well, humbling https://t.co/haZgfnKXSC

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) April 9, 2019

At halftime, CBS should’ve highlighted big college hoops news, broken by its own Jon Rothstein, about Chris Mullin out at St. John’s & Rick Barnes shunning UCLA. Big names and big city news.

— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) April 9, 2019

State of Texas men's basketball drought continues, 53 years and counting since Texas Western (now UTEP) won the only title. But with coaches like Chris Beard and now Buzz Williams in the state, drought shouldn't last much longer.

— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) April 9, 2019

Not a good sign when the first words you see on the Augusta weather forecast for today are flood advisory.

— RonGreenJr (@RonGreenJr) April 9, 2019

Luis Perez is signing with the Eagles on 1 yr deal after workout with 2 other AAF QB's yesterday. The legacy of the shortlived league goes on

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) April 9, 2019

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Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Hollywood History.”

“On June 6, 2018 the Chinese Theatre dimmed its lights to honor Jerry Maren, who lived to the greatest age of any of this 1939 group.”

Last night’s edition of CBS’ “The Late Show” featured the segment “Just One Question: March Madness Edition." Host Stephen Colbert: "This weekend we sent our crew up to Minneapolis to talk to the Final Four teams, and three of them said yes” (“The Late Show,” CBS, 4/8).

NBC’s Jimmy Fallon said a new '20 presidential poll found that U.S Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is “currently in third place in her own home state." Fallon: "But keep in mind, second place is a Dunkin' Donuts cashier, and first place is Gronk" (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 4/8). 

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel said there is an "unusual sport story” behind Red Sox IF Brock Holt being "out for 10 days." Kimmel: "He’s on the injured list because he got poked in the eye by his two-year-old son. ... Let that be a lesson to all the working dads out there. Never spend time with your children” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 4/8).

“Who are the Munchkins?”

Professional sports gambler James Holzhauer continued his impressive run, winning his third game with $50,845, for a total of $133,451.