Markquis Nowell said the back-and-forth clash between the Kansas State Wildcats and the Michigan State Spartans in Thursday's Sweet 16 round at the NCAA Tournament was "like a Rocky fight."

Nowell starred as the Wildcats won 98-93 in overtime, recording 19 assists to break the tournament record for a single game.

The five-foot-eight guard has 64 points, 42 assists and 11 steals in his three outings so far, with the last division one college basketball or NBA player to reach all of those numbers over any three-game span being Allen Iverson in 2005.

"It was like a 'Rocky' fight," Nowell said about the game, which saw 16 lead changes and neither team ever holding a double-figure lead.

Nowell's 19 assists were complimented by 20 of his own points, joining Chris Paul and James Harden as the only players from either division one college basketball or the NBA in the last 10 years to put up a game of at least 20 points, 15 assists and five steals.

And he attributed his success to his team-mates, with the Wildcats setting up an Elite 8 clash with the Florida Atlantic Owls on Saturday.

"We're at our best when we're sharing the ball, passing the ball around the perimeter and different guys is getting into double figures in the scoring category," Nowell said. "I wouldn't have 19 assists if they didn't make any shots."

He produced a stunning alley-oop pass to Keyontae Johnson late in the game, and Johnson heaped praise on Nowell, especially after sustaining an ankle injury during the second half that still did not slow him down.

"He's our starting point guard," he said. "His IQ, his feel for the game, he brings everybody confidence, and when he came back... everybody saw how he was trying to fight through his injury, and we just wanted to fight back for him."

Bayern Munich shocked the Bundesliga by making a dramatic change in the dugout, replacing Julian Nagelsmann with Thomas Tuchel.

The decision came with Borussia Dortmund posing a serious threat to Bayern's hopes of an 11th consecutive league title.

Tuchel arrives with Bayern sitting one point off the Bundesliga summit and through to the Champions League quarter-finals, with the former BVB and Chelsea boss facing several pressing tasks.

Fending off his former club's challenge for domestic glory and plotting a route past Pep Guardiola's Manchester City will be among the immediate concerns, but there are others requiring Tuchel's attention.

From the futures of club stalwarts Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller, to the need to suitably replace Robert Lewandowski, there will be plenty to keep Tuchel occupied until the end of the season and beyond.

Here, Stats Perform looks at five of the most pressing tasks facing Tuchel on his return to Germany.

Fix Bayern's sloppy backline

While Bayern boast the Bundesliga's best defensive record with 27 goals conceded this term, Tuchel – who was successful in making Chelsea tough to beat in his last managerial assignment – will be keen to examine a series of shortcomings at the back.

Having beaten Augsburg 5-3 in Nagelsmann's penultimate game at the helm, Bayern suffered a damaging 2-1 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen last time out, with Benjamin Pavard and Dayot Upamecano clumsily conceding a pair of second-half penalties.

With Nagelsmann known for employing a high defensive line and adopting an aggressive approach, Bayern have often appeared too open this campaign.

Of the Bundesliga-high 13 errors leading to shots made by Bayern players this season, three have resulted in goals, while last year's big-money recruit Matthijs de Ligt is yet to establish himself as a dominant defensive presence.

Tuchel's Chelsea kept five clean sheets in seven Champions League knockout games en route to being crowned European champions in 2021 – he will be confident of having a similar impact in his new job, given the defensive talent at his disposal.

Make crucial Neuer decision

The most controversial incident in Bayern's season before the change of coach came in January, when captain Neuer hit out at the club's decision to fire close friend and goalkeeping coach Toni Tapalovic.

Those comments were met with a furious reaction from the club's hierarchy, throwing Neuer's future in Munich into doubt.

A series of injuries – the latest a broken leg sustained during a skiing holiday – have limited Neuer to 16 appearances across all competitions this term, and with Yann Sommer's arrival giving Bayern two top-class goalkeepers to choose from, Tuchel has a decision to make.

While Neuer boasts a better save percentage (75.44 per cent) than Sommer (64.1) for Bayern this term, the 2014 World Cup winner will be 37 by the time he returns to fitness, and there may not be room for both shot-stoppers in Bayern's long-term plans.

Find Lewandowski's successor

No discussion of Bayern's inconsistent season would be complete without a mention of their failure to find an adequate replacement for goal machine Lewandowski.

Lewandowski left for Barcelona last year, having led the Bundesliga's scoring charts in six of his eight seasons with Bayern (2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21 and 2021–22).

The Poland international hit 35 goals in as many league appearances in his final season with the Bavarian giants. This term, Jamal Musiala is their top Bundesliga marksman with 11 goals, one ahead of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

While having five separate players on double figures across all competitions this term is no bad thing (Choupo-Moting, Musiala, Leroy Sane, Serge Gnabry and Sadio Mane), an established successor to Lewandowski is surely required.

Solve the Mane conundrum

On a related note, getting the best of last year's marquee arrival Mane will also be high on Tuchel's to-do list, with the Senegal attacker yet to hit the heights he reached at Liverpool.

Injuries and mixed form have meant Mane has started just 14 of Bayern's 25 league games, failing to net in any competition since a 6-2 win over Mainz in October.

Tuchel's previous success with a fluid forward line could bode well for Mane. In his only full Premier League campaign with Chelsea, the Blues were only outscored by Manchester City and Liverpool, with a plethora of players chipping in as the returning Romelu Lukaku fell out of favour.

Examine Muller's role

While the acquisition of a centre-forward will surely be at the forefront of Bayern's plans at the end of the season, the Bavarians' chances of short-term success could hinge on finding a regular role for Muller.

Muller, who became Bayern's all-time leading outfield appearance maker in the Bundesliga last month, has started just 14 league games this campaign, but his tally of 11 goal contributions (four goals, seven assists) in just 1,062 minutes demonstrates his lasting quality.

With Nagelsmann alternating between 4-2-3-1 and 3-5-2 shapes in recent weeks, Muller has featured in a number 10 role – where he previously thrived under Hansi Flick – and in a front two.

With high-stakes clashes against Dortmund and City on the horizon, Tuchel's first month at the helm could prove decisive, and finding a place for the experienced Muller could help the new boss make a flying start.

Thomas Tuchel was appointed head coach of Bayern Munich on Friday as the club ruthlessly sacked Julian Nagelsmann.

Reports of Nagelsmann's demise as Bayern boss first emerged on Thursday, and confirmation of the 35-year-old's dismissal meant he lasted less than two full seasons at the helm.

The former RB Leipzig chief guided Bayern to the Bundesliga title last season and led them into the quarter-finals of the Champions League this term, with Manchester City awaiting them in that competition.

Bayern went into the international window second in the Bundesliga, a point behind bitter rivals Borussia Dortmund ahead of their meeting in Der Klassiker on April 1.

The club have opted to act now, during the international break, and Tuchel is the man they have chosen to take the high-pressure job.

A former Chelsea, Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain head coach, Tuchel had also been strongly linked with Tottenham in recent days. Spurs could part ways with Antonio Conte before the end of the season.

Bayern were long-term admirers of Tuchel, and he takes over at Allianz Arena with an opportunity to make a trophy-winning impact.

The first game in charge for Tuchel will be against his old club Dortmund, a potentially pivotal match in the title race.

Nagelsmann is unlikely to be out of work for long, having built a strong reputation during his time with Hoffenheim, Leipzig and Bayern.

Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is keen to keep Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Sergio Ramos at the club.

Another disappointing exit in the Champions League round of 16 has cast doubt over the future of some of PSG's key players, as well as head coach Christophe Galtier.

Both Messi and Ramos are out of contract at the end of this season, with reports the former could make a shock return to Barcelona, while Mbappe has also been linked with a move away despite signing a bumper new contract at the start of this season to keep him at the club until 2025.

Despite the uncertainty at the club, Al-Khelaifi remains hopeful PSG will be able to keep their best players, though he also wants to see more young talent introduced into the team.

When asked about the futures of Messi, Mbappe and Ramos on Friday, Al-Khelaifi told Marca: "People want to know what is happening.

"We are committed to seeing them continue. We will examine what we are doing and how to ensure that we can continue and that we get it right.

"We're not going to make any mistakes. I think it's very important that we focus now on our season.

"We focus on youth and young talents. We will continue to invest in the club and in the transformation of the future within the academy."

PSG's second consecutive last-16 exit means their long wait to lift their maiden Champions League trophy goes on, with Mauricio Pochettino losing his job at the end of last season despite helping the club cruise to the Ligue 1 title.

With PSG so desperate to win Europe's top prize for the first time, Al-Khelaifi remains positive over the club's future, explaining: "We have three superstars, but also other fantastic talents. We are going to analyse the team, we have to work. 

"The last four years have been fantastic, we have reached the final and it is important to improve every year as a club and to improve the team.

"It is not easy to win. There are many big clubs that fight to achieve it. You have to be in the Champions League, be lucky, make an effort, hope that there are no injuries.

"There is no margin for error, in the Champions League you pay dearly. There are pressures because there are many teams that qualify and many very big clubs. 

"We are going to try every year and fight to achieve it."

Wayne Rooney believes Harry Kane deserves to be viewed as the greatest forward in England's history after the captain became his country's all-time leading goalscorer.

Kane scored his 54th international goal as England began their Euro 2024 qualification campaign with a 2-1 win over Italy on Thursday, the penalty taking him past Rooney's total of 53.

The total for Kane includes a record 12 England goals at major tournaments (World Cup/European Championship), while he overtook Jimmy Greaves to become Tottenham's all-time leading scorer last month.

Writing in The Times on Friday, DC United manager Rooney backed Kane to set a difficult target for future England strikers to reach, comparing his hunger for goals to that of Robert Lewandowski.

"When I broke the England goalscoring record with a penalty against Switzerland in September 2015, Harry Kane was the first player to run over and celebrate with me," Rooney wrote.

"Even then, with only four caps under his belt, I knew he could become England’s greatest scorer if he kept going the way he was and I wanted to give him encouragement.

"I believe that when he stops playing he will leave the England record in a place where it will be very difficult for someone else to break it.

"He wants to be like Poland's Robert Lewandowski, a goal machine who is still at the very top in his mid-thirties, and he has it in him to make that happen. I think Harry will finish with an England goals total well into the seventies."

Rooney also compared Kane's playing style to that of Roma legend Francesco Totti, approving his talent for delivering passes to unlock defences.

While Kane is yet to inspire Gareth Southgate's team to major tournament glory, Rooney believes the 29-year-old already has a more impressive legacy than any other England forward. 

"Where does he stand among England strikers? He is probably the best," Rooney added. "I was not an out-and-out number nine and if you look at the great England strikers – Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Jimmy Greaves, Michael Owen – Harry is as good a scorer as any of them and just as relentless, but unlike them he is not only a finisher.

"His all-round football qualities make him the best, and that is not just what he does in an England shirt, but at club level. He will break Shearer's Premier League goals record if he stays fit."

Barcelona's "doors are open" for Lionel Messi to return to the club, according to president Joan Laporta.

Messi joined Barca at the age of 13, going on to enjoy a hugely successful spell with the Catalan giants that saw him lift 10 LaLiga titles and win the Champions League on four occasions.

Barca's financial troubles meant Messi left the club in 2021, signing with French side Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal with the option to extend it for a third.

However, Messi is yet to agree to the extension and with his existing deal due to run out at the end of this season, there are rumours he could make a shock return to Camp Nou, with close friend and former team-mate Sergio Aguero rating the probability of Messi returning to Barca at "50 per cent".

Messi scored his 800th career goal with a stunning free-kick as Argentina returned to action after World Cup glory in Qatar with a 2-0 victory over Panama on Thursday.

Laporta says the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner is welcome to rejoin Barca, telling YouTube show The Business and Money Behind Sports: "Messi is the best player in history. He has been the most important player in the history of Barca.

"I have to be very careful with what I say. Messi is a PSG player and I have to have respect.

"Leo knows we have him in our hearts. He is part of our emblem. The legacy I found myself in when I became president was not good, and I had to make a decision that I'm not satisfied with. I have to find a way to improve Messi's current relationship with Barca.

"We'll see, but he knows that the doors of Barca are open."

Messi's Argentina are back in action on Tuesday against Curacao, when the 35-year-old will have the opportunity to score his 100th goal for La Albiceleste, having reached 99 with his historic strike against Panama.

Coco Gauff loves the inner "dog" in Jimmy Butler's basketball game and hopes the Miami Heat star saw plenty to admire about her own tenacity as she made a positive start at the Miami Open.

Winning 6-4 6-3 against Canadian Rebecca Marino got Gauff off the mark at this fortnight's WTA 1000 tournament, with the 19-year-old American very much at home in Florida.

Butler was watching at courtside, and the 33-year-old was so close Gauff could hardly ignore his presence.

"I mean, he was right next to my towels. I had no choice but to see him," Gauff said.

Gauff is a fan of the Heat, so to be watched by six-time NBA All-Star Butler was flattering for the teenager.

She is a high achiever herself, reaching the French Open final last year and setting up camp in the WTA top 10 rankings, so there was mutual respect, and the pair met up after Thursday's match.

"It was really cool because I love watching the Heat, they're my team. He has just that mentality, that dog in him, something that I really admire a lot," Gauff said. "I always do that when I'm on the court, but I was, like, I hope he sees that in me."

Gauff also spoke about having met players from the Buffalo Bills, the NFL franchise owned by world number three Jessica Pegula's parents.

"They might have been here for Jess, but I'm glad they stayed to watch my match," Gauff said.

Pegula beat Katherine Sebov in the match directly after Gauff's clash on the Stadium court.

Gauff said it was a "privilege" to be watched by fellow sports stars.

"I think it means more than maybe an actor or singer watching me, because it's like, as an athlete, finding the time to appreciate other sports is really hard," she said. "For them to want to do that, especially for a sport like tennis, which generally most of them don't understand, is really cool."

Gauff next faces Anastasia Potapova, the Russian player who beat Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk at the last-64 stage.

That match was notable largely for Kostyuk's refusal to shake hands afterwards with Potapova, a player who earlier this month was warned by the WTA for wearing a Spartak Moscow jersey at Indian Wells.

Russian and Belarusian players are competing under a neutral flag on the WTA Tour this season, amid the continuing invasion of Ukraine.

Mercedes are missing the influence of Niki Lauda amid their ongoing struggles, team principal Toto Wolff said.

Three-time champion Lauda held a non-executive chairman role with Mercedes until his death in 2019 and played an integral role during the team's dominant years in Formula One.

That spell at the top now seems a million miles away, having conceded the Constructors' Championship to Red Bull last season when they won just a single race.

Mercedes' struggles look set to continue in 2023 after failing to get on the podium in either of the first two races of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where Red Bull dominated.

While the team are in need of development upgrades to close the gap on their rivals, Wolff outlined why the absence of Lauda is also a hindrance.

"Niki's missed all those years because Niki always simplified things to really what mattered," he said.

"I'm having to think what would he have said, and how would he have positioned [things], and the two of us worked well together in that sense that sometimes oversimplification can lead you straight to the results.

"But there are lots of nuances. This is a technical sport, so maybe my role was to translate it in a way that we actually were able to execute it in the car design.

"But this is very simple: the stopwatch never lies, and we see on the data where we are missing and that needs to be corrected."

Bayern Munich and Germany midfielder Joshua Kimmich lauded Julian Nagelsmann as "easily" being among his top three coaches ahead of the 35-year-old's expected dismissal by the Bundesliga giants.

Strong reports began to circulate on Thursday suggesting Bayern would remove Nagelsmann from his post despite club officials recently describing him as a "long-term project".

It was stated Bayern had made their decision and communicated it internally, with the news expected to be made official on Friday as the club apparently prepared to appoint Thomas Tuchel.

Many of Bayern's players are away on international duty this week, and Kimmich – among their most senior stars – appeared in Germany's pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of a friendly against Peru.

While unwilling to openly discuss the rumours, he was unequivocal in his regard for Nagelsmann.

"It's generally understandable that it's a hot topic, but there was no confirmation from the club, so I ask for your understanding that I won't say much more about it," he said.

"Of course, such talk concerns you [as a Bayern player]. It's about the coaching position in your own club, he's the coach you work with every day.

"But that shouldn't play a role in [Saturday]'s game or in training here."

He added: "Julian Nagelsmann is an outstanding coach.

"I've had a lot of top coaches now, but I'd say he's easily in the top three of my previous coaches. But I can't say anything about the current state of affairs."

The situation appears to have come out of the blue given Bayern won the Bundesliga last season, are firmly in the title race this term, and remain in contention in the Champions League.

However, it has been suggested the club's hierarchy are unimpressed by the team's form since the turn of the year, dropping 12 points in 10 Bundesliga games.

That has contributed to them falling a point behind rivals Borussia Dortmund, their next opponents in Der Klassiker on April 1.

There is also a theory Bayern have been pressed into action because of Tuchel's availability – or the possibility he might have soon become unavailable again.

The former Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Dortmund coach has been out of work since September but was being strongly with Tottenham – who are expected to part ways with Antonio Conte – and PSG, where Christophe Galtier's future is uncertain following Champions League elimination.

Nagelsmann's predecessor at Bayern was Hansi Flick, the current Germany head coach. Flick did not hide his shock at the situation on Friday, but was eager to ensure it did not become a distraction.

"We were very, very surprised by the headlines last night, but I don't think Bayern Munich has commented on that yet," Flick said.

"Out of respect for Julian and Bayern, I won't say anything on the subject during the press conference. That says it all."

He added: "It's not going to impact everyone. Still, it's my job to talk to all the players – I've already done that. Now we have to wait and see what really comes out in the end."

Steve Clarke has signed a new deal to remain Scotland head coach until 2026.

Clarke, who was appointed in 2019, will stay in charge of the national team until after the next World Cup in Canada, Mexico and United States.

The 59-year-old's new deal was announced ahead of Scotland's Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, which they start with a double-header against Cyprus and Spain at Hampden Park.

Clarke masterminded Scotland's promotion to UEFA Nations League Group A last year and is determined to guide them to a major tournament.

He said: "I am proud that my coaching team and I will continue to lead the team through the next two qualifying campaigns, as well as Nations League Group A, but being able to do so is a testament to the squad of players who have been central to our improvement.

"The immediate focus is ensuring a positive start to our Euros campaign against Cyprus, who were the opposition for my first match in charge in 2019.

"When we named our squad for the double-header, I spoke with my coaches about how the quality and depth of the squad has evolved in those four years. We now have an experienced core who have been constants throughout, but we have also added quality and competition in every area of the team.

"We also played that game in front of around 30,000 fans and will walk out on Saturday, and Tuesday against Spain, to a full house at Hampden Park.

"It's imperative that we keep the fans and the nations engaged and entertained and that is something we are all committed to achieving through winning games and qualifying for more major tournaments, starting with Germany next year."