Vinícius Júnior has called for Brazil to push the reset button following their alarming 4-1 defeat at Argentina in Tuesday's World Cup qualifier.

Playing without injured captain Lionel Messi, Argentina outplayed Brazil at the Monumental stadium in Buenos Aires, with the visitors having just one shot on target.

"Everyone did badly, we played badly, and Argentina played an excellent game, with their fans," Vinícius told reporters. "We have to rethink everything we've been doing, because the pressure will come, the people want us to win.

"The World Cup is only a year away and I've already played in a World Cup and I don't want to lose again. I think we have to do a lot of different things and take the good things we're doing in qualifying to build a squad. Everyone knows how difficult it is to play in this kit, but we have to improve, keep our heads up, because we're Brazilians and we never give up. We're going to qualify for the World Cup and try to do everything for our country."

Tuesday's loss was Brazil's fifth defeat in qualifying and their first since a 1-0 setback at Paraguay in September.

The outcome left Dorival Júnior's side fourth in the South American qualifying group, 10 points adrift of leaders Argentina, who have already sealed a spot at the 2026 World Cup.

"Argentina have been working together for a long time," Vinícius said. "[They have] a lot of players that have played together for a long time in the national team, they won the last World Cup, they have the confidence. We're trying to find our way of playing, to win the fans' confidence, but it's a long job. We have to keep improving."

Argentina's Julián Álvarez said Raphinha's comments ahead of the game acted as an incentive.

Outstanding for Barcelona this season, Raphinha spiced up the South American clásico by saying "We'll beat them up!" in an interview with Brazil great Romário ahead of the match.

"Obviously that way of talking [by Raphinha] adds flavour to the game in a match like this," Alvarez told TyC Sports. "But with our humility and hard work, we played a great game and we gave them the runaround."

Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martínez said Raphinha spoke too soon.

"I don't understand those types of players that like to speak before a game," Martinez told TyC Sports. "I was always taught to speak after a game or do the talking on the pitch. It serves us. Let's hope they continue to speak about us as it lights up the dynamite."

Dorival took full responsibility for his team's poor showing on Tuesday but believes he can turn things around.

"I have no doubt that we will find a way," he said. "In all my years and experience in football, this is perhaps the most delicate moment.

"I never give up and I have always achieved important goals in the clubs I have managed.

"No one expected what we saw, and the responsibility is entirely mine. The Argentina team was superior in every way. I even apologize to the Brazilian fans, because the expectations were very different from what we saw, from what we presented."

Brazil's Football Confederation (CBF) president Ednaldo Rodrigues did not speak to the media after the game. Amid mounting pressure on Dorival, reports in Brazil claim long-time target Carlo Ancelotti is being considered again by the CBF as a candidate for the hot seat should Dorival be dismissed in the coming months.

Ancelotti, who has been a target of the CBF since Tite stepped down as Brazil coach in December 2022, has a contract with Real Madrid until June 2026.

Another candidate that is reportedly being considered is Flamengo coach Filipe Luis.

Since Dorival took command of the national team in January 2024, Brazil have won seven, drawn four and lost two of their 16 games.

The Canarinha were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Copa América by Uruguay, a tournament that was won by Argentina.

Brazil are back in action in June when they visit Ecuador and host Paraguay in their next World Cup qualifiers.

Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies suffered an ACL tear in his right knee while on international duty with Canada and will be out for several months, the Bundesliga club said on Wednesday.

Davies was forced off in the 12th minute of Canada's 2-1 win over the United States in the Concacaf Nations League third-place playoff on Sunday. The 24-year-old left-back will miss the rest of the season.

"Unfortunately, during international breaks there's always the risk that players will return injured -- this time it's hit us particularly hard," Bayern's director of sport Max Eberl said in a statement, which added that Davies faces months out of action.

In another blow to Bayern's backline, defender Dayot Upamecano has also been ruled out for several weeks with a knee injury, the club said, after the 26-year-old France international was diagnosed with loose joints in his left knee.

"The absences of Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano are a heavy blow for Bayern," Eberl added.

"Phonzy will get all the support he needs on his way back. We will also follow Upa closely in the coming weeks and assume that he will be available again soon. Our squad is strong and will compensate for these absences."

League leaders Bayern hold a six-point lead over second-placed Bayer Leverkusen.

Vincent Kompany's side host St Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday before welcoming Serie A leaders Inter Milan for the first leg of their Champions League quarterfinal on April 8.

In some ways, this was worse than the 7-1. At least that World Cup semifinal defeat to Germany 11 years ago can be put down to an emotional collapse in a mad few minutes. But Brazil's 4-1 defeat to Argentina on Tuesday -- their heaviest loss to its rival since 1964 -- was 90 minutes of unrelenting humiliation. The gulf between the two teams was frankly embarrassing.

Styles make fights, as the boxing writers like to say. This showdown in Buenos Aires was always going to be a clash of approaches -- a team that loves to maneuver the ball around the midfield against an opponent that seemed to regard central midfield as an optional extra.

Even so, going into the game, it looked as if Brazil might have a counter-puncher's chance. That Argentina defensive unit has not been renewed since the last FIFA World Cup when, in game after game, it threatened to collapse under pressure. How would it cope against the unbridled speed and talent of Vinícius Júnior, Rodrygo, Raphinha and Matheus Cunha? Surely there was the chance of Argentina self-destructing?

And it happened, once in the game. Under no immediate pressure, Cristian Romero delayed and was caught by Cunha, who scored with a perfectly placed shot from outside the area. Argentina duly handed over its present.

The problem was, Brazil was already two goals down. And this, together with a long-range free kick from Raphinha, was to be its only attempt on goal in the match. Brazil created absolutely nothing.

Meanwhile, Argentina passed holes in the visitor's defense, moving the ball back and forth, breaking in little clusters, switching the play and could have scored many more than the four delightfully worked goals it put past Selecao keeper Bento.

The gulf between the teams was horrifying, and here is the sting: Man for man, many of the Brazil players would be worthy of a place on Argentina's team.

Brazil has goalkeepers, center backs and wingers that any team in the world would be proud to have. How can a team with such good players be so bad? The result against Argentina is astonishing. The level of performance less so. Brazil has been playing at this level for a while. Against Colombia last week, and Chile late last year, it won games with a goal right at the end. A flash of individual talent saved the day when it mattered. Not this time. Against a Lionel Messi-less Argentina, they all went down together.

Fourteen rounds of World Cup qualifiers should have made one thing clear: It is obvious why Brazil was prepared to wait a year for Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. The quality of domestic coaches is not good enough, hence the fact that the Brazilians have been losing space to the Argentines and, especially, to Portuguese coaches in the domestic game. The original Ronaldo was recently forced to end his campaign to become president of Brazil's football association, the CBF. It was always clear he would not gain sufficient support in the internal politics of the Brazilian game. One of his positions was to bring in a foreign coach -- the Brazilians, he feels, have been left behind.

Brazil went to the past two World Cups -- where it perhaps deserved better luck than a pair of quarterfinal eliminations -- under Tite, the outstanding Brazilian coach of recent times. His teams were solid, competitive and occasionally brilliant. Since Tite stepped down, Brazil has been a shambles. In the 17 matches of the previous set of qualifiers, Brazil conceded only six goals. In 14 rounds so far, it has given up 16.

For the first six rounds, Brazil was under the command of Fernando Diniz, an unorthodox figure who was seen as a stopgap while it was waiting for Ancelotti to be available. Without time on the training ground, it always looked like a long shot. He fell after a defeat to Argentina, and the same will very possibly now happen to current coach Dorival Junior after this latest humiliation.

Dorival was the local choice after political infighting in the CBF frightened off Ancelotti. Many, particularly older fans, were delighted that the foreigner did not come, and Dorival started his reign a year ago with considerable backing. That has now frittered away. He has spent 12 months arguing that his team is evolving -- a claim that is not supported by the evidence on the field.

It's true there is a problem in the vital central midfield area. In the 1990s, there was a brutal separation of Brazil's midfield quartet into two who defended and two who attacked. All round midfielders went out of fashion, and it has been some time since the country produced a genuinely world-class box-to-box midfielder. But if this is the reality, accept it and work to minimize it. As the old saying goes, if you can't outplay them, outnumber them. But against Argentina, Brazil was both outnumbered and outplayed in central midfield. This explains why it was passed to pieces, and also why the team never gave a platform to the attacking talent that it has.

That is the fault of the coach. The team's lack of emotional balance is also down to Dorival. Was there really a need to try to press Argentina so high? Or was the team caught up in its own rhetoric, in the unwise words of Raphinha that it would be ready to kick its opponents on and off the pitch? There was a clear case to be made for defending deep, staying compact, drawing Argentina forward and then creating space for the counterattack. But Brazil appeared too hyped up for such clear thinking.

In terms of selection, strategy and emotional approach, all roads would seem to lead to the door of Dorival -- and it is unlikely he will be in charge when the team next takes the field at Ecuador in June.

Four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs and the New England Patriots reached an agreement Tuesday on a three-year, $69 million deal that includes $26 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Diggs, 31, suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 8 while with the Houston Texans but is on track to return for Week 1 of the upcoming season, a source told ESPN.

Up to that point, Diggs ranked seventh in the NFL in catches (47) and was second on the Texans in receiving yards (496). Quarterback C.J. Stroud had a passer rating of 104 and completed 73% of his passes when targeting Diggs.

The Patriots made an aggressive push to sign receiver Chris Godwin in free agency, which reflected their desire for a No. 1-caliber receiver to pair with second-year quarterback Drake Maye. When Godwin returned to Tampa Bay, the Patriots eventually turned to Diggs, bringing him to town for a visit last week.

Diggs joins a receiving corps with free agent signing Mack Hollins, veteran Kendrick Bourne and third-year players Kayshon Boutte and DeMario Douglas among those near the top of the depth chart.

The Texans acquired Diggs from the Buffalo Bills last year and, as part of the trade, wiped out the final three years of his contract, allowing him to become a free agent in 2025.

Diggs set several team and league records during his time with the Bills, including being one of four players in NFL history to record four consecutive seasons with 100-plus receptions (Antonio Brown, Davante Adams and Marvin Harrison are the others).

A fifth-round pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2015, Diggs has 857 receptions for 10,491 yards and 71 touchdowns (70 receiving) in 10 NFL seasons.

ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime and Mike Reiss contributed to this report.

Xavier is expected to hire New Mexico's Richard Pitino as its next head coach, sources told ESPN on Tuesday night.

Pitino now will coach in the same league as his father, Hall of Famer Rick Pitino, who won Big East Coach of the Year earlier this month after leading St. John's to the league's regular-season and tournament championships.

Pitino is coming off arguably his best season as a head coach, leading the Lobos to the second round of the NCAA tournament before losing to 2-seed Michigan State on Sunday. The Lobos went 27-8 overall and won the Mountain West regular-season title before beating 7-seed Marquette in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

He guided New Mexico to the NCAA tournament in each of the past two seasons, going 53-18 over that span.

In a statement Tuesday night, New Mexico athletic director Fernando Lovo confirmed that Pitino had notified the school that he accepted another job.

"For more than a month, we have been engaged with Coach Pitino and his representatives in extensive contract discussions and made an extremely aggressive retention offer -- reflective of our commitment to him, his staff, and our basketball program. Ultimately, Coach Pitino made a personal decision to pursue a new opportunity."

Lovo went on to thank Pitino for his contributions to the program and said a national search for his replacement already is underway.

Prior to taking over in Albuquerque in 2021, Pitino was the head coach at Minnesota for eight seasons. He led the Gophers to two NCAA tournament appearances, including a first-round win over Louisville in 2019.

At Xavier, Pitino replaces Sean Miller, who was announced as Texas' new coach Monday. Miller spent the past three seasons in charge of the Musketeers, returning to the program after leading them from 2005 to 2009.

Pitino emerged as one of the hottest candidates of this coaching cycle, with varying levels of interest from Villanova, West Virginia, Virginia and VCU, sources told ESPN.

Charleston's Chris Mack, who was the head coach at Xavier from 2009 to 2018 before spending four seasons at Louisville, was initially perceived as the favorite to replace Miller, but announced Tuesday night he was returning to the Cougars for his second season.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Up to this point in the offseason, the New England Patriots hadn't done enough to support quarterback Drake Maye.

That changed in a big way Tuesday night.

In agreeing with veteran receiver Stefon Diggs on a three-year, $69 million contract with $26 million guaranteed, the Patriots made a decisive move to give Maye, their second-year franchise quarterback, what he lacked last season -- a No. 1-caliber pass catcher who wins with elite route-running ability.

Diggs, 31, might not be what he once was, as he works to return from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered Oct. 27. But he's immediately the best the Patriots have, a competitor and a worthy risk for the team to take. Diggs' rehab is on course, and he is expected to be ready for Week 1, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Consider that Patriots receivers ranked 28th in the NFL last season with 161 catches and 10 touchdowns and last with 1,723 receiving yards and 78 first downs (tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers).

And up to this point this offseason, their only addition to address the position was signing Mack Hollins to a two-year, $8.4 million deal. The 6-foot-4, 221-pound Hollins can help, but to truly give themselves a chance to elevate to the upper tier -- and maximize what they have in Maye on his rookie contract and with Josh McDaniels returning as offensive coordinator -- the Patriots needed to be bolder.

This does it. Before the injury ended his 2024 season early, Diggs had a streak of six straight 1,000-yard seasons. The Patriots have not had a 1,000-yard receiver since Julian Edelman in 2019.

If anyone should know how dangerous Diggs, formerly a member of the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills, can be, it's the Patriots. Diggs' 61 catches against New England are tied for his most against any opponent in his career, while his 779 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns are his second most against any opponent.

The reaction of Patriots players on social media -- such as cornerback Christian Gonzalez and veteran receiver Kendrick Bourne -- spoke volumes of the respect he garners.

In Houston last season, quarterback C.J. Stroud raved about Diggs, saying: "He's been nothing but just amazing to this team and to his teammates. He's helped me out a ton." In January, Stroud had expressed his hope that Diggs might return to the Texans in 2025.

How the Maye-Diggs combination grows together will be one of the Patriots' more compelling storylines. When the two started following each other on Instagram this week, it provided a public glimpse of their steps to begin forming a bond.

The pairing was weeks in the making.

When the legal negotiating period of free agency began March 10, the Patriots were offering big money to receiver Chris Godwin, who took less to return to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Patriots considered trading for DK Metcalf, who ended up going to the Steelers. Then they passed on trading for veteran Cooper Kupp, who later signed with the Seattle Seahawks. The higher-end options were dwindling (Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen, etc.).

Diggs and the Patriots seem like a perfect match. Diggs gets a big-money contract that was unlikely to come from another team based on his return from injury. The Patriots had a glaring need and money to spend.

There is more to be done, for sure. The left side of the offensive line remains a concern and likely will be dealt with in the draft.

But this has potential to be a game changer in New England, with Maye the primary beneficiary.

MIAMI -- Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry sat out Tuesday night's 112-86 loss to the Miami Heat.

Speaking before the game, coach Steve Kerr said Curry felt something toward the end of his individual workout Monday, and the team decided that it was best to give the point guard more time to recover from a pelvic contusion he suffered Thursday in a win over the Toronto Raptors.

Curry missed his second straight game.

Kerr said he hopes to have Curry back in the lineup Friday when the Warriors play at New Orleans.

"He worked out and looked good," Kerr said. "But at the very end of the workout, just one movement that he made just didn't quite feel right.

"Knowing the schedule, knowing we've got the next two days off, I think it'll be a full week when he returns. We expect him to return into New Orleans. We'll see ... a full week off and that could really take care of the injury and regenerate, recharge his batteries. So I think that's a good plan."

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points, and the Oklahoma City Thunder became the first team to reach 60 wins this season with a 121-105 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night.

The Thunder's 60 wins matched the 2012-13 team for the most for the club since it left Seattle after the 2007-08 season. The franchise record for wins is 64 in 1995-96.

Gilgeous-Alexander shot 10-of-23 from the field and 9-of-10 from the free throw line for his league-best 45th 30-point game this season.

Chet Holmgren had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Alex Caruso scored 15 to give the NBA-leading Thunder their 14th win in 15 games. It was also Oklahoma City's franchise-record 11th straight road win, which tied the Cleveland Cavaliers for longest road winning streak this season.

"We play every night to get better, to become a better group ourselves," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "And that's the reason why we've clinched this early. That's the reason why we've been the fastest team to 60 wins in franchise history. No matter what we've done in the past, what we've accomplished, if we focus on using the opportunity in front of us to get better, we have to look up at the end of a season and be better, and that's all you can control."

Keegan Murray scored 28 points with nine 3-pointers and Zach LaVine had 19 to lead the Kings. Sacramento has dropped four straight games.

The Thunder broke out to a big lead in the first half that grew to 24 points. The Kings scored 16 straight early in the third quarter to get the deficit back into single digits but were never able to get closer than six the rest of the way.

Oklahoma City then pulled away in a dominant fourth quarter and rolled to its 46th double-digit win, tied for the fourth-most double-digit wins in a season in NBA history.

ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, also known as a blood clot, in his right calf that will sideline him indefinitely, the team announced Tuesday.

Lillard, 34, is on a blood-thinning medication, which has stabilized the clot, according to the team. He went through a series of meetings with specialists over the past several days to diagnose the blood clot, sources told ESPN's Shams Charania. He has been on blood thinners for a period of time now.

"Damian's health is our No. 1 priority," Bucks general manager Jon Horst said in a statement. "We will support him as he moves through this weekly process of strict criteria to ensure that it is safe for him to return to play. Doctors have indicated that his situation is very unlikely to occur again. We are thankful that this was identified and medicated quickly, which helps with the recovery."

The San Antonio Spurs shut down star big Victor Wembanyama in February after he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

Lillard had sat out Milwaukee's past three games with what was called a calf strain at the time, but coach Doc Rivers indicated before Monday's game that Lillard was not improving. He was also sidelined for 10 days in December because of an injury to the same calf.

The injury deals a setback to the Bucks as they battle for their spot in the standings in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee has lost three of its past five games and six of 10, dropping it to No. 5 in the East and only a half-game ahead of the Detroit Pistons. The Bucks are 8-5 this season when Lillard sits, but their scoring drops significantly -- 108.5 points per game compared to the (115.7) when he plays.

The Bucks have 11 games left in the regular season.

Lillard was selected to his ninth All-Star Game this season and is averaging 24.9 points and 7.1 assists. In his second season playing alongside superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, the duo is averaging 55.1 points, the highest-scoring combination in the league, according to ESPN Research.

It's the second consecutive season the Bucks are dealing with a major injury as the playoffs near. Last season, Antetokounmpo sat out their first-round series loss to the Indiana Pacers because of a calf injury, and Lillard played only four of the six games.

MIAMI -- Jimmy Butler III sat on the Golden State Warriors bench and watched a nearly 40-second video of his Miami Heat highlights play on the big screen above him at Kaseya Center.

From his iconic hunched-over, in-exhaustion moment in the 2020 NBA Finals to some of the other hits from his five-plus seasons with the Heat, Butler watched the tribute.

When the video ended, Butler was introduced by the Miami public address announcer as the last Warrior to be announced in the starting lineup. Butler raised both his arms in the air as a sign of appreciation to the fans who cheered him.

Then, the Heat spoiled Butler's return with a 112-86 rout over the Stephen Curry-less Warriors before a sellout crowd of 19,897.

"I got a lot of love in the city for the fan base here," Butler said. "Video was nice. I won't say that there was a lot of emotions, though. I think I went into this thing level-headed. We wanted to win a game. It didn't go the way that we planned. We'll be all right.

"... I mean [the video] took me back to some good times when I was wearing a Miami Heat jersey. Very appreciative of those times, to help me become the player that I am, the individual that I am in this league, the teammate, the leader, all of those things. I don't think I could be who I am today without my opportunity here."

Butler, who was booed the majority of the time when he touched the ball, missed 5 of his first 6 shots before finishing with 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Miami's starting five all scored in double figures, led by Bam Adebayo's 27 points and eight rebounds.

Just about the only thing that went wrong for Miami on this night was that the hype video which precedes its lineup announcement was played without audio. Heat fans provided their own soundtrack by chanting, "Let's go, Heat!"

"I didn't know what was going on pregame because there was a video with no sound," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said when asked how amped up the atmosphere was for Butler's return. "So, I was wondering what was happening. Miami, it's a great place to live, and so people don't ever seem too amped up around here. They're living a good life. So it really wasn't that rabid of an environment.

"It was typical Miami, and I think the main part of Jimmy's return is that the Heat were ready and [Miami coach Erik Spoelstra] had them ready. I mean you shoot 17-for-25 from 3, you're going to win. But I thought it was how hard they played, how well they competed. They took it to us tonight."

The Warriors have opened this six-game road trip with two consecutive losses at Atlanta and Miami. Curry missed both with a pelvic contusion, although Kerr says he expects his franchise star to play in the next game on Friday at New Orleans.

"We're living, we are in the fight and we got 10 games to go and I can't wait," said Kerr, whose Warriors are clinging to the sixth playoff seed in the Western Conference, ahead of the LA Clippers by a half-game. "I think Friday's the biggest game of the year for us. We've lost two games in a row, very poor performances. It's time, and we got to bounce back and that's what good teams do and I'm confident that we'll do that."

Butler wanted the win badly in his return to Miami. He said he caught up with a few members of the Heat like former teammate Kevin Love. But he also said that his chapter with the Heat was over.

Butler was traded by the Heat to the Warriors before the trading deadline after the All-Star expressed his desire to be traded. Butler wanted a contract extension, and when he said he wasn't playing with joy anymore in his situation, the partnership began to deteriorate. Miami suspended him multiple times for a variety of violations before he was traded.

Butler signed a two-year, $111 million contract extension upon being traded to the Warriors and has repeatedly talked about how his joy is back and how much he feels wanted by the team.

He spent the past couple of days in Miami visiting his coffee shop, playing dominoes with friends and, most important, spending time with his family and kids.

"A chapter has ended," Butler said of his time with the Heat. "What I will say is I always say I'm very appreciative for the time here, the bonds that I've built here and when you look down the road, it's just a huge part of my career.

"So, I continue to say that I'm very grateful. I ain't spiteful towards nobody. Always grateful for the opportunity. A lot of the fan base. ... It's not bad. It's not all bad."