Bulldogs

Today, Rolling Loud &amp; The Crew League, announce&nbsp;the premiere of The &ldquo;We Got Next&rdquo; - 3 Point Contest. &nbsp;The Crew League&nbsp;&amp; Rolling Loud partner to present is a first-of-its-kind, unscripted basketball 3 point competition series held backstage on the grounds at&nbsp;Hollywood Park&nbsp;for Rolling Loud California 2024.
Kicking off on Monday, May 6th, the &ldquo;We Got Next&rdquo; 3 pt contest&nbsp;will feature artists from Rolling Loud California&rsquo;s lineup such as, Luh Tyler, Veeze, NLE Choppa, 310babii, 2Rare, Kaliii, That Mexican OT, Jeleel!, Rob49&nbsp;and so many more,&nbsp;along with surprise special guests like AdamW, Jabari Banks, Quincy, Adam22 and so many more, as they compete for bragging rights, a $50,000 cash prize, a custom diamond bracelet designed by Eric the Jeweler &amp; a custom one of one jacket by Jeff Hamilton. &nbsp;
In typical TCL fashion, humor will be at the center of the show. With more than fifty (50+) digestible episodes in the series hosted by comedy star, Ben Da Donnn, &nbsp;music superstar SuperDuperKyle, &amp; Treasure Wilson aka Stat Baby, this competition is sure to entertain all. &nbsp;
Talent List:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/tcl-3pt_690w.png" alt="" />
Quotes:
&ldquo;We are excited to partner with Rolling Loud on such a disruptive concept! &nbsp;Most rappers think they can outshoot everyone from the 3pt line&hellip; &nbsp;Now we have a place for them to prove it&hellip; &nbsp;Excited for what's to come from our partnership&rdquo; &nbsp;- Elie Maroun (Commissioner &amp; Co-Founder of The Crew League)
<a href="https://next.frame.io/share/7842e3d2-68b6-4026-8006-6a605bceaa95/view/cc63fa52-0c07-4519-967b-58f435e66252">Check out the video here.</a>
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About Rolling Loud:
Founded by 7-time Billboard Hip-Hop Power Players Matt Zingler &amp; Tariq Cherif as a one-day Miami show, Rolling Loud has grown into a global festival phenomenon, putting on shows on both coasts and in multiple countries across four continents. Rolling Loud is the premier festival brand in hip-hop, known for its expert curation of wide-ranging lineups that reflect the state of the genre. In 2023, Rolling Loud expanded its empire even further, hosting a series of star-studded festivals in all corners of the globe, including debuts in Thailand and Germany, plus its flagship affair, Rolling Loud Miami, which offered its most diverse and wide-ranging lineup to date.
Throughout 2024, Rolling Loud commemorates "10 Years Of Rolling Loud," celebrating the festival's rise from humble origins to world dominance. Since the first Miami festival, Rolling Loud has evolved into a major force in hip-hop, providing a massive stage for rap's biggest names, giving early exposure to future superstars, including Travis Scott, Juice WRLD, and Ice Spice, and inspiring some of the most memorable moments in the genre's recent history. Now, Rolling Loud is hip-hop&rsquo;s biggest stage, with star-studded festivals on four continents and more milestones to come.
Stay tuned for announcements about Rolling&nbsp;Loud's 2024&nbsp;World Tour, including upcoming festivals in Los Angeles, Europe, and more.

The Crew League & Rolling Loud partner to present is a first-of-its-kind, unscripted basketball 3 point competition series held backstage on the grounds at Hollywood Park for Rolling Loud California 2024.

The Crew League 3PT Contest

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Aaron Gordon scored 27 points, Nikola Jokic added 23 and the Denver Nuggets moved one win away from their first NBA championship by beating the Miami Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the title series.
Bruce Brown scored 21 off the bench for the Nuggets, who took both games in Miami to grab complete command. They&rsquo;ll have three chances to win one game for a title, two of those in Denver, the first of them in what&rsquo;s sure to be a raucous atmosphere for Game 5 on Monday night.
Jamal Murray had 15 points and 12 assists &mdash; his fourth consecutive double-digit assist game &mdash; for Denver.
Jimmy Butler scored 25 points for Miami, which has now fallen into 3-1 holes in each of its last three finals appearances &mdash; this one joining 2014 and 2020. Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Heat, while Kyle Lowry had 13 points.
The Heat walked off the floor in silence, fully aware of how much trouble they&rsquo;re in now.
The Nuggets were overwhelming favorites to start the series, for obvious reasons. Denver was the Western Conference&rsquo;s No. 1 seed; Miami was the Eastern Conference&rsquo;s No. 8 seed. The Nuggets had won nine of the last 10 regular-season meetings between the teams, and their run of success over the Heat has continued through four games of the finals.
Denver led by 13 going into the fourth, and Miami came out for the final quarter with appropriate desperation. The Heat scored the first eight points, Jokic committed his fifth foul and had to go to the bench with 9:24 left &mdash; and it was down to 86-81 when Butler converted a three-point play with 8:42 remaining.
But the Nuggets &ndash; who fell apart in the fourth quarter of Game 2 for their lone loss of the series &ndash; didn&rsquo;t fold, even with their two-time MVP still out. Murray made a 3-pointer to stop Miami&rsquo;s 8-0 spurt, and Jeff Green made a huge corner 3 from near the Heat bench for a 94-85 edge with 6:21 left.
Jokic checked out with Denver up 10. He came back with the Nuggets up nine.
Miami didn&rsquo;t take advantage of that chance, and now finds itself on the wrong end of history. Teams that take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals have won 35 out of 36 previous times, and the Heat will have to buck that trend to keep Denver from winning its title.
The Nuggets even survived a scare. Jokic tweaked his right ankle when he landed on the back of Max Strus&rsquo; foot midway through the opening quarter. He remained in the game after it happened, briefly retreated to the Denver locker room before the start of the second quarter and played the rest of the way with no evident issues.
TIP-INS
Nuggets: Murray played with tape protecting the bottom of his left hand, thanks to a nasty floor burn he got in Game 3. &hellip; It was Denver&rsquo;s 25th win on the road this season, tying a franchise record set last season. ... Michael Porter Jr. scored 11 for the Nuggets.
Heat: It was retiring 20-year veteran Udonis Haslem&rsquo;s 43rd birthday and rookie Nikola Jovic&rsquo;s 20th birthday. Jovic was 58 days old when Haslem signed his first Heat contract. &hellip; If it was Miami&rsquo;s home finale this season, then the Heat went 613-299 in its home arena during his career. &hellip; Miami started the playoffs 6-0 at home. The Heat are 0-4 on their home floor since.
SLOW START
Miami led 21-20 after one quarter. The 41 combined points were the fewest in the first quarter of the last 24 finals games; the first quarter of Game 4 of the Toronto-Golden State series in 2019 had 40 points.
CELEB WATCH
Kentucky coach John Calipari was in the crowd, as was Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, two-time WNBA MVP A&rsquo;ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields and twins Haley and Hanna Cavinder &mdash; who helped the Miami Hurricanes make the Elite Eight in this year&rsquo;s NCAA women&rsquo;s tournament.

The Nuggets moved one win away from their first NBA championship by beating the Heat 108-95 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead.

Nuggets now in full command of NBA Finals, top Heat 108-95 for 3-1 lead

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic got a triple-double in his NBA Finals debut, Jamal Murray scored 26 points and the Denver Nuggets had little trouble with the cold-shooting Miami Heat on the way to a 104-93 win in Game 1 on Thursday night.
Jokic finished with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds for the Nuggets, who waited 47 years to make the finals and didn&rsquo;t disappoint. Aaron Gordon added 16 points and Michael Porter Jr. scored 14 for Denver, which trailed for all of 34 seconds and eventually led by as many as 24.
Bam Adebayo finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds for Miami, which shot 41% for the game &mdash; 33% from 3-point range. Gabe Vincent scored 19, Haywood Highsmith had 18 and Jimmy Butler added 13 for the Heat.
Game 2 is in Denver on Sunday night.
Miami opened the fourth quarter on an 11-0 run, cutting an 84-63 deficit to start the final period down to 84-74. The Heat actually got within nine on a 3-pointer by Highsmith with 2:34 left, but no closer and there wasn&rsquo;t any doubt, either.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone gave his team a pop quiz in shootaround Thursday morning, peppering them with questions about the game plan and what had to be done in the most important game to date in franchise history.
They had all the answers then. Had them all at game time, too. They were the team with minimal NBA Finals experience, only two players having been to the title round before, and yet they looked right at home before the home crowd in Game 1.
Jokic became the second player in the last 25 years &mdash; LeBron James was the other, in 2017 &mdash; to have 10 assists by halftime of a finals game. He had 10 points and 10 assists by the break, and Denver was up 59-42 after the first two quarters.
That wasn&rsquo;t good for Miami. Nor was this: The Nuggets were in full control and Jokic had taken only three shots.
And this part was worse: The Heat just couldn&rsquo;t shoot. At all. Or at least, not until Denver was too far ahead to catch. Max Strus was 0 for 10 through three quarters, 0 for 9 on 3-pointers. Caleb Martin &mdash; who narrowly missed out on winning the MVP award of the Eastern Conference finals &mdash; was 1 for 7.
TIP-INS
Heat: Miami fell to 1-6 all-time in Game 1s of the NBA Finals. The Heat lost the series opener in each of their title years &mdash; 2006, 2012 and 2013 &mdash; and the only win came in 2011, a series they eventually lost to Dallas. &hellip; Adebayo&rsquo;s 25 shots were a career high. He became the third player to score at least 24 points for Miami in a Game 1 of a finals. James did it three times for the Heat and Dwyane Wade did it in 2006.
Nuggets: Jokic became the eighth player to have a triple-double in Game 1 of a finals. None of the others were accompanied by 27 points; Dave Cowens had a 25-point triple-double to open the 1976 finals. ... Bruce Brown, who played his college ball at Miami, scored 10. &hellip; Denver got to the foul line 20 times to Miami&rsquo;s two.
CELEB WATCH
Among those in the sellout crowd: Grammy winner H.E.R., NFL legend and former Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, current Denver quarterback Russell Wilson, Broncos coach Sean Payton and actor-comedian Ken Jeong.

The Denver Nuggets had little trouble with the cold-shooting Miami Heat on the way to a 104-93 win in Game 1 on Thursday night.

Jokic gets triple-double, Nuggets beat Heat 104-93 in Game 1 of Finals

Aaron Rodgers was sitting alone in the dark two months ago, pondering his future while many speculated about his next move.
Now, the New York Jets quarterback is the toast of his new town, bonding with the Big Apple and his excited teammates.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s a legend right there, that&rsquo;s a Hall of Fame player,&rdquo; wide receiver Garrett Wilson said Wednesday during a video call. &ldquo;This is something 20 years from now, 30 years from now, I can tell my kids, &lsquo;You know, I played with Aaron Rodgers.&rsquo; I try not to think about it too much at this point, you know, just because we&rsquo;re going to work and he&rsquo;s my teammate and that&rsquo;s got to be the mindset.
&ldquo;But the reality of it is it&rsquo;s awesome, man.&rdquo;
After an offseason that included Rodgers going on an isolation retreat in Oregon and deciding to continue his playing career &mdash; and with the Jets &mdash; the four-time NFL MVP was&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/aaron-rodgers-new-york-jets-nfl-0a298bb72384d01d8ed5b0bcae9e340e">formally introduced by New York last Wednesday</a>&nbsp;after acquiring him from Green Bay. The deal&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/aaron-rodgers-trade-jets-packers-0a6b5e68c1c3d5c2ab1b9e59312dd181">brought one of the league&rsquo;s greatest players</a>&nbsp;to a franchise frustrated by 12 straight seasons without a playoff appearance and hungry for a winner.
And Rodgers is already making an impact.
&ldquo;We know that all of the sudden, all eyes are on us,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to back it up every time we take the field, you know, practice or game.&rdquo;
Rodgers is also enjoying his turn as New York&rsquo;s newest celebrity while taking in Knicks and Rangers games at Madison Square Garden.
&ldquo;I met Spike Lee, Martha Stewart and Patrick Ewing,&rdquo; Rodgers&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/PatMcAfeeShow/status/1653473013109755905?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said Tuesday on &ldquo;The Pat McAfee Show&rdquo;</a>&nbsp;on YouTube and SiriusXM. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sitting next to Jack Harlow. So much fun. Just having a ball.&rdquo;
He was there&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/jets-allen-lazard-aaron-rodgers-nfl-free-agency-b2e191509441f98a7dc54ef62d77b758">with former Packers teammate Allen Lazard</a>&nbsp;and running back Breece Hall for the Rangers&rsquo; 5-2 win over the Devils in Game 6 last Saturday. Rodgers and Lazard were back the next day for the Knicks&rsquo; playoff loss to Miami in Game 1. On Tuesday night, Rodgers and cornerback Sauce Gardner sat courtside next to actor Jerry Ferrara and former Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist for the Knicks&rsquo; victory in Game 2.
&ldquo;It was great being around a veteran guy like him, a down to earth guy who &mdash; I didn&rsquo;t know he was that funny,&rdquo; Gardner said.
&ldquo;Everybody knew who he was and I was able to just be in his shadow a little bit.&rdquo;
Rodgers, who&rsquo;s 39, teased the 22-year-old Gardner about his age at times during their night out on the town &mdash; which started with the QB picking up the tab for dinner at Carbone restaurant.
&ldquo;We were getting seated (at the Garden) and he was like, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re about to sit by Jessica Alba,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Gardner, last season&rsquo;s AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. &ldquo;I was like, &lsquo;Oh, I don&rsquo;t know who that is.&rsquo; He looked at me like I&rsquo;m crazy.&rdquo;
Rodgers probably would&rsquo;ve had a similar look a few months ago if someone had told him he&rsquo;d be calling the New York/New Jersey area home &mdash; as a member of the Jets.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just pinching myself a lot of days,&rdquo; Rodgers said. &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t believe it&rsquo;s real sometimes. It&rsquo;s been a dream, for sure, just to be here.&rdquo;
Rodgers is participating in offseason workouts, something he hadn&rsquo;t done the past couple of seasons in Green Bay while he feuded with the Packers&rsquo; front office. A&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/nyjets/status/1653096952236503041?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">slow-motion video posted Monday by the Jets</a>&nbsp;of Rodgers throwing a pass to Wilson, last season&rsquo;s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, has gotten more than 9.6 million views.
&ldquo;I ain&rsquo;t gonna lie to you, I was kind of starstruck at first,&rdquo; linebacker Quincy Williams said with a smile. &ldquo;I was like, &lsquo;Hold on, coach, let me just take a little minute to just take this in,&rsquo; just to watch a few throws and seeing him in the green.
&ldquo;And it was like, all right, let&rsquo;s get to work so we can give him more opportunities to throw the ball.&rdquo;
The Jets are counting on Rodgers doing that and jumpstarting an offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in several categories the past two years with Zach Wilson struggling in then-coordinator Mike LaFleur&rsquo;s system. Rodgers is reunited with Nathaniel Hackett, his offensive coordinator for three years in Green Bay, including the last two of his four MVP awards in 2020 and 2021.
Hackett isn&rsquo;t the only former Packers teammate joining Rodgers in New York. The Jets signed Lazard, backup quarterback Tim Boyle and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/jets-billy-turner-aaron-rodgers-hackett-a6c3c931ddc16822cd7db87f8226ac3b">offensive lineman Billy Turner</a>&nbsp;in free agency. They also already had wide receiver Malik Turner and offensive lineman Adam Pankey.
The Jets also&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/jets-randall-cobb-aaron-rodgers-a4d1e5166dd1bd02cf034294ca3c290a">signed wide receiver Randall Cobb</a>&nbsp;on Wednesday night. Cobb had two stints as Rodgers&rsquo; teammate in Green Bay and walked off the field with the quarterback after the Packers&rsquo; season-ending loss to Detroit at Lambeau.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s like the first day of school every single day,&rdquo; Rodgers said on &ldquo;The Pat McAfee Show.&rdquo; &ldquo;Everything&rsquo;s new and exciting and fun.&rdquo;

The New York Jets quarterback is the toast of his new town, bonding with the Big Apple and his excited teammates.

Aaron Rodgers bonds with new Jets teammates at Knicks playoff games

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Eric Musselman and his players rushed across the floor at the final buzzer to celebrate with their joyfully delirious friends from Arkansas.
The 58-year-old coach jumped onto the press table, ripped off his red polo shirt and waved it over his head, shouting all the while to the fans&rsquo; delight, as has become his tradition after the biggest of his wins.
And this was a really big one.
Kansas&rsquo; national title defense ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday when Arkansas&rsquo; Ricky Council IV made five free throws in the closing seconds and the eighth-seeded Razorbacks beat the No. 1 seed Jayhawks 72-71.
&ldquo;I would love to lie and say that I felt composed, but we only led for 1:43,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This has been as challenging and as up-and-down a season as I&rsquo;ve ever been a part of.
&ldquo;For these guys to be rewarded for sticking with it and being able to go to Las Vegas and participate with only 16 teams still standing. ... It&rsquo;s really hard to make this tournament. It&rsquo;s really hard to win a game in this tournament. It&rsquo;s really hard to beat defending champions, No. 1 seed. We did it.&rdquo;
Arkansas was playing a No. 1 seed for the third straight year. Last year, the Razorbacks knocked out Gonzaga on the way to their second straight Elite Eight. This time, the Razorbacks survived shaky offensive play early and foul trouble late. They became the first team to beat a No. 1 seed with three players fouling out, according to&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/OptaSTATS/status/1637245525572440064?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">OptaSTATS</a>.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s such an unbelievable win for our program,&rdquo; Musselman said. &ldquo;I keep telling people that we&rsquo;re getting better. Not many teams can get better this time of year. I&rsquo;ve never been prouder of a team like tonight.&rdquo;
Davonte Davis scored 25 points and Council added 21 as Arkansas rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit. Kansas,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-kansas-bill-self-4ad50feff4c6e12b4722de893edfc059" target="_blank" rel="noopener">playing without ailing coach Bill Self,</a>&nbsp;became the second top seed not to escape the tournament&rsquo;s first weekend after Purdue lost on Friday night to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson.
Arkansas (22-13) is in the Sweet 16 for the third straight year and will play either Saint Mary&rsquo;s or UConn in the West Region semifinals in Las Vegas on Thursday.
Self has been with the Jayhawks (28-8) since they arrived in Des Moines and has attended practices and meetings, but he still didn&rsquo;t feel well enough to coach a game after having a heart procedure March 8 to clear clogged arteries.
Longtime assistant Norm Roberts was acting coach for a fifth straight game in Self&rsquo;s absence.
Kansas, bidding to become the first repeat national champion since Florida in 2006-07, was ahead 35-27 at halftime and lost for the first time in 27 games when entering the second half with a lead. Kansas had been 47-0 in the NCAA Tournament when leading by eight points or more at the half.
&ldquo;Our guys have been terrific all year,&rdquo; Roberts said. &ldquo;They fought to the very end, made huge plays. It was tough not having Coach here, but we don&rsquo;t make any excuses. We have to line up and get it done, and we came up a little bit short today.&rdquo;
Davis scored 21 of his points in the second half. He fouled out with 1:56 left, turning things over to the veteran Council, a transfer from Wichita State who scored nine of the Razorbacks&rsquo; final 11 points.
&ldquo;This team was struggling and we figured it out,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad we did at the right time. Hopefully we continue to do it.&rdquo;
Outside the locker room, a sobbing Musselman hugged Davis and shouted, &ldquo;I (expletive) love you, man!&rdquo;
Council&rsquo;s free throw put Arkansas ahead to stay, 68-67, with 24 seconds left. He then rebounded his own miss of the second free throw and made two more to give the Razorbacks a three-point lead.
The teams traded free throws, and Arkansas sent Kansas&rsquo; Jalen Wilson to the line with 3 seconds left to prevent a potential tying 3-pointer. Wilson made the first free throw and appeared to try to miss the second intentionally, but it banked hard off the glass and in, and Kansas never regained possession.
Wilson led the Jayhawks with 20 points but lamented grabbing only four rebounds, which he said was a factor in Arkansas holding a 15-2 advantage in second-chance points. No missed rebound hurt more, he said, than when Kansas failed to grab the ball off Council&rsquo;s missed free throw in the waning seconds.
&ldquo;It always comes down to one play, especially hustle plays like that,&rdquo; Wilson said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just disappointing to end like that, especially with how great our year was. Credit to them for how they played.&rdquo;
Arkansas,&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-illinois-arkansas-9c5294f8634c1fc2903b6e8b8b84df82" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which beat Illinois in the first round,</a>&nbsp;was considered a scary matchup for the Jayhawks with its explosive transition game and ability to play lockdown defense.
But circumstances were less than ideal for the Razorbacks. Guard Anthony Black tweaked a nagging ankle injury early and went to the bench to get re-taped and change shoes, and fellow guard and projected high NBA first-round draft pick Nick Smith Jr. picked up two quick fouls and was limited to 10 minutes and no points in the first half. Also, big man Kamani Johnson was ill and played with a sore toe.
The Razorbacks were too eager to shoot 3-pointers early. They missed 8 of 9 in the first half and couldn&rsquo;t get their running game going.
Kansas was in control for stretches but never could put away the Razorbacks.
Davis started a game-turning 11-0 Arkansas run in the middle of the second half and Jordan Walsh&rsquo;s 3-pointer with eight minutes left gave the Razorbacks their first lead since their first basket of the game.
Arkansas neutralized Wilson when it mattered most, allowing the All-American only two shots over a 15-minute stretch of the second half.
Arkansas is in the Sweet 16 for the 14th time. The only lower-seeded Razorbacks team to reach a regional semifinal was the 1996 squad, which was a No. 12 under Nolan Richardson, who led the school to its only national title two years earlier.
If Musselman reaches his first Final Four, he will evoke more memories of those glory years.

The 8th-seeded Razorbacks beat the No. 1 seed Jayhawks 72-71, ending Kansas’ national title defense in the second round.

March Madness: Eighth-seeded Arkansas ousts defending champ Kansas

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and overtime, and No. 6 Texas held off Oklahoma 85-83 on Saturday.
Rice&rsquo;s fourth 3-pointer of the game gave Texas an 84-77 lead with 2:26 left in overtime.
Oklahoma, however, had a chance to tie or win when Texas&rsquo; Tyrese Hunter missed one of two free throws with 6.8 seconds left. But Sam Godwin missed a shot from near the rim, and Texas extended its winning streak against Oklahoma to five games.
Marcus Carr added 17 points for Texas (21-6, 10-4 Big 12), and Timmy Allen had 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
Grant Sherfield led Oklahoma (13-14, 3-11) with 18 points, including a 3-pointer that sent the game to overtime. Milos Uzan scored 15 for the Sooners.
NO. 1 ALABAMA 108, GEORGIA 59
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Miller scored 21 points, Nick Pringle had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Mark Sears made five 3-pointers in the first half to lead Alabama.
The Crimson Tide (23-4, 13-1 Southeastern Conference) rebounded from their first SEC loss by racing to a 54-25 halftime lead and a season scoring high. Alabama was coming off a 68-59 loss at No. 10 Tennessee on Wednesday night after rising to No. 1 for only the second time in program history and first in 20 years.&nbsp;
ustin Hill led Georgia (16-11, 6-8) with 17 points. Terry Roberts scored 11 and Braelen Bridges 10.
NO. 4 UCLA 78, CALIFORNIA 43
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 20 points and UCLA routed last-place California to improve to 15-0 at Pauley Pavilion this season and extend the nation&rsquo;s longest home winning streak to 23 games.
Amari Bailey added 16 points and nine rebounds for the first-place Bruins (23-4, 14-2 Pac-12), who clinched a first-round bye in next month&rsquo;s Pac-12 Tournament with their 11th win in a row over last-place Cal.
Kuany Kuany scored 14 points to lead the Golden Bears (3-24, 2-14), who dropped their 11th in a row. They fell to 0-3 against top-5 teams this season, having also lost a pair against No. 8 Arizona.
NO. 5 KANSAS 87, NO. 9 BAYLOR 71
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; DaJuan Harris scored all 14 of his points in the second half as Kansas stormed back from a double-digit halftime deficit.
The Jayhawks (22-5, 10-4 Big 12) outscored the Bears 55-26 in the second half. Jalen Wilson led Kansas with 21 points and 13 rebounds. KJ Adams added 17 points and Gradey Dick had 16.
The Jayhawks are tied with Texas for the top spot in the Big 12 Conference.
Baylor (20-7, 9-5) got nearly all of its scoring from its three-guard combo of Adam Flagler (22 points) Keyonte George (20 points) and LJ Cryer (15 points).
NO. 7 VIRGINIA 57, NOTRE DAME 55
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark scored 15 points, including a pair of critical free throws with 22.6 seconds left, and became Virginia&rsquo;s career assist leader in the narrow win over Notre Dame.
With Notre Dame closing to 55-54, Clark converted both ends of a one-and-one. Trey Wertz made the front end of a one-and-one with 3.9 seconds left for the Fighting Irish, but missed the second after a timeout. The ball was tipped out to Dane Goodwin for a potential game-winning 3-pointer, but his shot bounced off the rim.
Armaan Franklin added 12 points and Reece Beekman had 11 for Virginia (21-4, 13-3 Atlantic Coast Conference). Nate Laszewski led Notre Dame (10-17, 2-14) with 18 points and Goodwin had 12.
NO. 8 ARIZONA 78, COLORADO 68
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Oumar Ballo had 18 points and 16 rebounds, Cedric Henderson Jr. added 15 points and Arizona dominated inside to beat Colorado.
The Wildcats (24-4, 13-4 Pac-12) opened with a rash of turnovers, falling into an early 12-point hole. Arizona righted itself quickly with a big run and slogged through a slowed-down second half by shutting down the Buffaloes.
Tristan da Silva had 18 points the Buffaloes (15-13, 7-10), who shot 38%.
KENTUCKY 66, NO. 10 TENNESSEE 54
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Cason Wallace and Oscar Tshiebwe each scored 16 points and Kentucky rushed to a big lead and beat Tennessee.
The Volunteers (20-7, 9-5 SEC) trailed by 20 points at halftime and lost in their first game since toppling No. 1 Alabama.
The Wildcats (18-9, 9-5) earned their first regular-season sweep of Tennessee since the 2011-12 season. Kentucky defeated the Volunteers 63-56 on Jan. 14 in Knoxville.
Wallace had totaled nine points in the Wildcats&rsquo; previous two games. Chris Livingston added 12 points and Jacob Toppin had 11.
NO. 12 KANSAS STATE 61, NO. 19 IOWA STATE 55
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell hit a 3-pointer from near midcourt with 2:42 remaining to help Kansas State over Iowa State.
Nowell finished with 20 points. Keyontae Johnson had 15 points for the Wildcats (20-7, 8-6 Big 12).
Aljaž Kunc led Iowa State (17-9, 8-6) with 15 points. Without their 3-point leader Caleb Grill in the lineup, the Cyclones worked inside the paint. They had 24 points inside and relied on a balanced scoring line led by Kunc.
NO. 13 GONZAGA 97, PEPPERDINE 88
MALIBU, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 22 of his 34 points in the second half and Julian Strawther added 28 points to help Gonzaga extend its winning streak over the Waves to 45 games.
The Bulldogs (23-5, 12-2 West Coast Conference), who haven&rsquo;t lost to Pepperdine (9-10, 2-12) since Jan. 18, 2002 and have won 20 straight on the road against the Waves.
Timme moved past Bill Cartwright, who scored 2,116 points for San Francisco (1975-79), into eighth on the West Coast Conference&rsquo;s career scoring list with 2,117.
Houston Mallette led the Waves with 22 points. Jevon Porter and Maxwell Lewis added 20 points apiece.
NO. 14 INDIANA 71, ILLINOIS 68
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, Jalen Hood Schifino made two free throws with 30.7 seconds left, and Indiana rallied from a nine-point second-half deficit to beat Illinois.
Hood-Schifino had 13 points for the Hoosiers (19-8, 10-6 Big Ten), who have won nine of 11 overall and 15 straight on their homecourt.
Matthew Mayer scored 24 to lead the Fighting Illini (17-9, 8-7), who were without injured leading scorer Terrence Shannon.
NO. 15 MIAMI 96, WAKE FOREST 87
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Isaiah Wong scored 27 points and Nijel Pack finished with 24 in Miami&rsquo;s win over Wake Forest.
Norchard Omier had 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting while Jordan Miller added 14 points for the Hurricanes (22-5, 13-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who won their sixth straight and improved to 15-0 at home.
Tyree Appleby scored 15 points and Damari Monsanto and Cameron Hildreth had 14 each for the Demon Deacons (17-10, 9-7). Andrew Carr and Mathew Marsh finished with 12 points each.
NO. 16 XAVIER 82, DEPAUL 68
CINCINNATI (AP) &mdash; Jack Nunge had 18 points and 10 rebounds as Xavier bounced back from a pair of narrow losses to beat DePaul.
The Musketeers (20-7, 12-4 Big East) reached the 20-win mark for the 34th time in school history, 32 of which have come since the 1982-83 season. It was the 17th career double-double for Nunge, eighth this season. Adam Kunkel scored 16 points and tied a career-high with eight assists for Xavier.
Umoja Gibson had 17 points and De&rsquo;Sean Nelson 16 for DePaul (9-18, 3-13), which lost its eighth in a row.
NO. 17 ST. MARY&rsquo;S 71, BYU 65
MORAGA, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Logan Johnson scored 27 points and Aidan Mahaney delivered once again in the second half to lead Saint Mary&rsquo;s to its 15th win in 16 games.
Mahaney scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half and Mitchell Saxen added 13. The Gaels (24-5, 13-1 West Coast Conference) won their 16th straight conference home game to maintain a one-game lead over Gonzaga in the standings.
Fousseyni Traore scored 16 points to lead the Cougars (16-14, 6-9). BYU has lost four straight and was swept in the season series by the Gaels.
NO. 18 CREIGHTON 77, ST. JOHN&rsquo;S 67
NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Arthur Kaluma hit three straight 3-pointers down the stretch and Creighton overcame a second-half scoring drought to pull away from St. John&rsquo;s.
Creighton (18-9, 12-4) remained in a three-way tie for second place in the Big East after Providence and Xavier won earlier in the day. Marquette holds a one-game lead in the conference standings.
Ryan Nembhard scored 16 points for the Bluejays. Kaluma finished with 13 points and Ryan Kalkbrenner added 12 as Creighton won for the ninth time in 10 games.
Joel Soriano led St. John&rsquo;s with 15 points and eight rebounds. David Jones added 14 points off the bench but the Red Storm (16-12, 6-11) were unable to get their third straight win.
NO. 20 UCONN 64, SETON HALL 55
STORRS, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Jordan Hawkins scored 20 points and UConn used a big second-half run to beat Seton Hall.
Andre Jackson had a career high 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for UConn (20-7, 9-7 Big East).
Al-Amir Dawes and Tyrese Samuel each had 16 points for Seton Hall (16-12, 9-8), which trailed by 16 points with six minutes to play before a late run that fell short.
NO. 22 TCU 100, OKLAHOMA STATE 75
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) &mdash; Mike Miles Jr. had 15 points in his first game in three weeks, five other TCU players also scored in double figures, and the Horned Frogs snapped a four-game losing streak by beating Oklahoma State.
Emanuel Miller had 18 points to lead TCU (18-9, 7-7 Big 12), which shot a staggering season-high 68.4% (39 of 57) from the field. Damion Baugh had 16 points with 11 assists. Shahada Wells had 15 points, Chuck O&rsquo;Bannon 12 and Micah Peavy 10.
Bryce Thompson had 18 points and John-Michael White 15 for the Cowboys (16-11, 7-7).
NO. 24 PROVIDENCE 85, VILLANOVA 72
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Ed Croswell scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Providence earned its 20th victory of the season.
Bryce Hopkins added 19 points and 12 rebounds. Noah Locked finished with 16 points. Croswell connected on two late free throws to notch the 1,000th point of his career.
The Friars (20-7, 12-4 Big East) have recorded 20 or more wins in seven of coach Ed Cooley&rsquo;s 12 seasons. They improved to 15-0 at home, including 8-0 in conference play.
Eric Dixon had 18 points and eight rebounds and Justin Moore added 17 points for the Wildcats (13-14, 7-9)&nbsp;

A recap of Saturday's action in men's college basketball includes a full slate of top-25 teams in heavy competition.

No. 6 Texas needs OT at home to hold off Oklahoma 85-83

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Grant Sherfield scored a season-high 30 points, and Oklahoma beat No. 2 Alabama 93-69 on Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge to end the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s nine-win streak.
Jalen Hill added a career-high 26 points, helping second-year Oklahoma coach Porter Moser to his biggest win with the program. Tanner Groves had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Sooners (12-9) had lost three straight, but against the Crimson Tide shot 58% from the field.
Rylan Griffen led Alabama (18-3) with 15 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Brandon Miller, who came in averaging 19.5 points per game, finished with 11.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 75, CINCINNATI 69
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Jarace Walker had a career-high 25 points and seven rebounds, and Houston rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat Cincinnati.
Walker, who scored 13 points in the second half, was 10 of 14 from the field. J&rsquo;Wan Roberts added 14 points and six rebounds, and Jamal Shead scored 13 points for Houston (20-2, 8-1 American Athletic Conference).
Houston has won at least 20 games in eight straight seasons under coach Kelvin Sampson.
Landers Nolley II had 24 points, including 6 3-pointers. Vicktor Lakhin added 15 points, and David DeJulius had 14 points and nine assists for Cincinnati (14-8, 5-4).&nbsp;
NO. 4 TENNESSEE 82, NO. 10 TEXAS 71
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Olivier Nkamhoua scored 27 points and Zakai Zeigler had 22 points and 10 assists to lead Tennessee over Texas in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Josiah-Jordan James added 14 and Santiago Vescovi had 12 for Tennessee (18-3), which led by as many as 22 midway through the second half.
Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice scored 21 to lead Texas (17-4). Marcus Carr and Brock Cunningham finished with 11 each.
NO. 5 KANSAS STATE 64, FLORIDA 50
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Keyontae Johnson had 13 points and 11 rebounds against his former team, Markquis Nowell flirted with the first triple-double in Kanas State history, and the Wildcats beat Florida in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Nowell finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and Nae&rsquo;Qwan Tomlin also had 11 points. The Wildcats improved to 18-3 to match the 1972-73 team for the best start through 21 games in school history.
Johnson struggled from the field, going just 5 of 16 and even getting stuffed by the front of the rim during a windmill dunk on a second-half fast break. But it was nevertheless a special night for the senior forward, who collapsed on the Gators&rsquo; sideline due to a heart condition during a game against Florida State just over two years ago.
Colin Castleton scored 13 points for the Gators (12-9). Myreon Jones and Will Richard had 11 apiece.
NO. 6 ARIZONA 95, WASHINGTON 72
SEATTLE (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Oumar Ballo added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Arizona used a big second-half run to pull away to win its fourth straight.
Tubelis topped 20 points for the first time in five games and his rebound putback while being fouled with 4:29 remaining gave the Wildcats a 78-63 lead and sent Washington fans headed for the exits.
Kerr Kriisa added 18 points, hitting six 3-pointers, and Courtney Ramey scored 14 for the Wildcats (19-3, 8-3 Pac-12).
Keion Brooks Jr. led Washington with 25 points and Keyon Menifield added 21. But the Huskies (13-10, 5-7) suffered from too many scoring droughts and didn&rsquo;t have an answer for Arizona&rsquo;s 19-1 run in the early stages of the second half.
NO. 7 VIRGINIA 76, BOSTON COLLEGE 57
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Armaan Franklin and Jayden Gardner scored 18 points each and Virginia used a big first-half run to take control over Boston College for its sixth straight victory.
The Cavaliers (16-3, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 18-15 before starting an 18-4 run over the next 11 minutes. Virginia put the game away with a 16-4 second-half spurt.
Quinten Post scored 24 to lead the Eagles (10-12, 4-7) and Makai Ashton-Langford added 12 points.
Virginia&rsquo;s Isaac McKneely finished with 12 points and Reece Beekman had 11 and eight assists.
NO. 9 KANSAS 77, KENTUCKY 68
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson scored 22 points, including one in a series of huge 3-pointers down the stretch, and Kansas avoided its first four-game losing streak under coach Bill Self.
Wilson made 9 of 18 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds for Kansas (17-4), which finished even with Kentucky at 49% shooting. K.J. Adams Jr. added 17 points, Dick had 13 and McCullar 11 with 12 rebounds as the Jayhawks edged Kentucky 34-29 on the glass.
Oscar Tshiebwe had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Jacob Toppin and Cason Wallace each added 14 for Kentucky (14-7), which had won its previous four.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 81, NO. 11 TCU 74, OT
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Tolu Smith had 27 points, 13 rebounds and five assists to lead Mississippi State to an overtime victory.
Dashawn Davis added 16 points to help Mississippi State (13-8) snap a five-game losing streak. Shakeel Moore had 11, including six in overtime, while Cameron Matthews had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Tyler Stevenson also added 10 points off the Bulldogs&rsquo; bench.
Damion Baugh led TCU (16-5) with 19 points and Emanuel Miller had 13. Shahada Wells and Jakobe Coles each had 12 for the Horned Frogs and Chuck O&rsquo;Bannon had 10.
Davis&rsquo; 3 pointer with 55 seconds left in the second half gave the Bulldogs a 66-64 advantage. Emanuel Miller scored with 32 seconds remaining and then both teams missed chances to win in regulation.
MISSOURI 78, NO. 12 IOWA STATE 61
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Kobe Brown scored 20 points, and D&rsquo;Moi Hodge scored 17 points to help Missouri take down Iowa State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Brown scored 14 of his points in the first half and led Missouri (16-5) with 12 rebounds. Nick Honor added 12 points and DeAndre Gholston scored 10.
Jaren Holmes led Iowa State (15-5) with 19 points, and Gabe Kalscheur added 14.
The Tigers&rsquo; 78 points were a season-high for an Iowa State opponent in regulation; the Cyclones are 0-3 this season when allowing at least 70 points in regulation.
CREIGHTON 84, NO. 13 XAVIER 67
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Arthur Kamula scored 20 points, Creighton&rsquo;s four other starters finished in double-figures and the Bluejays earned their fourth straight Big East win.
Creighton (13-8, 7-3) steadily built a double-digit lead throughout the game and made 34 of its 60 field goal attempts (56.7%) before a sold-out crowd.
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 17 points, Baylor Scheierman had 14, Trey Alexander finished with 13 and Ryan Nembhard added 11 for the Bluejays, who avenged a 90-87 loss at Xavier on Jan. 11.
Zach Freemantle led Xavier (17-5, 9-2) with 18 points, followed by Colby Jones and Adam Kunkel with 13.
NO. 14 GONZAGA 82, PORTLAND 67
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Julian Strawther had a career-high 40 points, including eight 3-pointers, and Gonzaga pulled away down the stretch for its 16th consecutive victory over Portland.
Anton Watson added 17 points for Gonzaga (18-4, 7-1 West Coast Conference).
Strawther is the first player to reach 40 points for the Zags since Kyle Wiltjer had 45 against Pacific in 2016.
Portland (11-13, 3-5) was led by Moses Wood with 19 points. Juan Sebastian Gorosito, a freshman, finished with a career-high 17 points.
WEST VIRGINIA 80, NO. 15 AUBURN 77
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) &mdash; Erik Stevenson scored a career-high 31 points and West Virginia withstood a furious late rally from Auburn to win an SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup.
The Mountaineers (13-8) have won two straight for the first time in a month. Jimmy Bell Jr. added 15 points for the Mountaineers.
Charles Barkley cheered on his alma mater from a courtside seat, but Auburn (16-5) couldn&rsquo;t overcome another slow start. The Tigers have lost two straight for the first time in two years.
Jaylin Williams led Auburn with 18 points. Johni Broome added 15 and Allen Flanigan scored 13.
NO. 16 MARQUETTE 89, DEPAUL 69
CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; David Joplin went 8 for 11 from 3-point range for a career-high 28 points, Tyler Kolek had 24 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds, and Marquette defeated DePaul.
Marquette has won eight of its last nine games, and moved into a tie with No. 13 Xavier atop the Big East.
Marquette (17-5, 9-2) pulled away in the second half. Oso Ighodaro had 10 points, making all five of his shots, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 13 and had 8 rebounds.
Umoja Gibson scored 25 points for DePaul (9-13, 3-8) on 8-of-12 shooting.
NO. 17 BAYLOR 67, ARKANSAS 64
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Keyonte George scored 24 points, including seven in a row down the stretch, and Baylor beat Arkansas in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Baylor (16-5) fell behind by as many as eight points in the second half after an early 11-point lead. But the Bears closed it out after Flo Thamba made two free throws for a 55-53 lead with 3:37 left.
LJ Cryer added 20 points and Jalen Bridges had 10 for the Bears, who won their sixth game in a row despite shooting a 34% (20 of 59) from the field. They offset the season-worst shooting from the field by making 21 of 24 free throws, including two by Cryer with 10 seconds left and two by George with 4.3 seconds remaining.
Ricky Council IV scored 25 points for Arkansas (14-7). Davonte Davis had 16 points, but missed the front end of a 1-plus-1 with 2.3 seconds left, though Joseph Pinion got the ball in the right corner only to miss wildly on a 3-pointer as time ran out.
HOFSTRA 85, NO. 18 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 81
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Aaron Estrada scored 25 points and Darlinstone Dubar added 18 as Hofstra ended College of Charleston&rsquo;s 20-game winning streak.
The Pride (15-8, 8-2 Colonial Athletic Association) were down 28-20 early before rallying past the Cougars (21-2, 9-1), who had not lost since falling to then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 11.
Tyler Thomas had 17 points and eight rebounds for Hofstra.
Ante Brzovic finished with 18 points to lead Charleston.
PITTSBURGH 71, NO. 20 MIAMI 68
PITTSBURGH (AP) &mdash; Blake Hinson tipped in a Jamarius Burton miss with 31 seconds remaining and Pittsburgh rallied past Miami.
The Panthers (15-7, 8-3 ACC) held the Hurricanes (16-5, 7-4) scoreless over the final 2:26 while closing on an 11-0 run to beat a ranked team for the third time this season to bolster its increasingly impressive NCAA tournament resume.
Hinson finished with 21 points for Pitt. Burton had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Panthers stunned Miami in front of a rare sell-out crowd at the Petersen Events Center.
Jordan Miller led the Hurricanes with 18 points. Isaiah Wong added 14 but Miami committed three of its 12 turnovers in the final 35 seconds as the Panthers stormed back.
NO. 21 FAU 70, W. KENTUCKY 63
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Weatherspoon scored 14 points and Florida Atlantic remained undefeated at home.
The victory extended FAU&rsquo;s winning streak to a program-record 20 games, which is now the nation&rsquo;s longest. The Owls&rsquo; 21 victories on the season ties their Division I record set in 2010-11. Western Kentucky (11-11, 3-8 Conference USA) has lost five straight.
Alijah Martin scored eight while grabbing seven rebounds for the Owls (21-1, 11-0).
Jordan Rawls led all scorers with 17 for W. Kentucky. Dayvion McKnight and Emmanuel Akot each had 16.
NO. 22 SAINT MARY&rsquo;S (CAL) 57, BYU 56
PROVO, Utah (AP) &mdash; Logan Johnson had 14 points and freshman Aidan Mahaney scored all 10 of his points, including a fade-away jumper just before the buzzer, in the second half and Saint Mary&rsquo;s (Cal) won its 10th in a row.
Mitchell Saxen had 11 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks for Saint Mary&rsquo;s (19-4, 8-0 West Coast Conference). Alex Ducas scored 12 points and Augustas Marciulionis added 10.
Dallin Hall was fouled on a driving lay-up attempt with 10.2 seconds left and made 1-of-2 free throws to give BYU a 56-55 lead but Mahaney took the inbounds pass, probed the defense before he drove the lane, stopped near the right block and pivoted away from the basket before hitting the winning jumper over the out-stretched arm of defender Fousseyni Traore.
Hall scored a career-high 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting but made just 3 of 6 from the free-throw line for BYU (14-10, 4-5). Fousseyni Traore added 11 points and eight rebounds.
NO. 24 CLEMSON 82, FLORIDA STATE 81
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Chase Hunter drove the lane and drew a foul, sinking the free throw, to help Clemson escape with a win over Florida State.
Hunter Tyson scored 27 points on 10 of 17 shooting for Clemson (18-4, 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which halted an eight-game road losing streak to Florida State. Hunter finished with 25.
Matthew Cleveland scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half for Florida State (7-15, 5-6), which made a season-high 13 3-pointers. Caleb Mills and Darin Green Jr. each hit four 3-pointers for the Seminoles. Freshman forward Baba Miller had his best game, scoring 11 points and pulling down four rebounds in 20 minutes.

A recap of Saturday's action in men's college hoops includes five upsets in the AP top 15.

Oklahoma's rout of No. 2 Alabama one of many top-15 upsets on Saturday

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Kansas State coach Jerome Tang grabbed a microphone and stood amid a sea of purple, moments after delirious fans had flooded the floor to celebrate the No. 13 Wildcats&rsquo; 83-82 overtime win over second-ranked Kansas on Tuesday night.
&ldquo;You have one court-storming,&rdquo; the Wildcats&rsquo; first-year coach told them over the din. &ldquo;After this, we expect to win.&rdquo;
Expectations are sure to soar in the Little Apple now.
After blowing a 14-point first-half lead, the Wildcats responded to every haymaker Kansas threw down the stretch. And when their game went to overtime, and players kept fouling out, Keyontae Johnson delivered for Kansas State, throwing down a go-ahead alley-oop dunk with 25 seconds left that ultimately proved to be the difference.
&ldquo;In order to elevate,&rdquo; Johnson said later, &ldquo;we have to beat teams like Kansas.&rdquo;
Johnson and Desi Sills finished with 24 points apiece, and Nae&rsquo;Qwan Tomlin had 15 points and 10 boards, as the Wildcats (16-2, 5-1 Big 12) bounced back from a blowout loss to TCU by beating the Jayhawks for the first time since Feb 5, 2019.
Jalen Wilson tried to take over in overtime for Kansas, converting a three-point play, knocking down a 3-pointer and making a pair of free throws for an 82-80 lead with just over a minute to go. But after Johnson made a free throw at the other end, Wilson missed a deep 3-pointer as the shot-clock expired to give the Wildcats another chance.
After a timeout, Markquis Nowell threw the lob that Johnson slammed down for an 83-82 advantage.
Kansas (16-2, 5-1) also called a timeout to set up its own finishing play, but normally sure-handed Dajuan Harris Jr. lost the ball in traffic, and the Jayhawks never got a chance to put up a potentially winning shot.
&ldquo;If you told me we&rsquo;d have the ball with a chance to win twice, that&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;d probably sell out for,&rdquo; Kansas coach Bill Self said. &ldquo;That last possession is one possession I probably wish we could take back.&rdquo;
Wilson played all 45 minutes and finished with a career-high 38 points for the Jayhawks. KJ Adams had 17 points and Gradey Dick had 16, though both of the key players were riding the bench at the finish after fouling out.
Both teams had chances to win in the final 30 seconds of regulation.
Kansas had possession first with 23 seconds to go and the game tied at 72, only to watch Harris lose control near the midcourt line &mdash; much like he did at the finish to overtime. The Wildcats grabbed the loose ball and pitched it ahead to Johnson, but the star forward missed a wild shot at the rim just before the buzzer sounded.
Johnson wouldn&rsquo;t miss when he got another winning chance in overtime.
It was the most anticipated Sunflower Showdown in years, drawing a capacity crowd that snaked around Bramlage Coliseum hours before tipoff as it waited to get in. and it was the less-regarded Wildcats rather than the defending national champions that demonstrated early poise and precision.
Kansas State made its first five 3-pointers and shot 52% from the field in the first half. It stuffed Wilson, the Big 12&prime;s top scorer, three times before he made a basket. And at one point, the Wildcats led by as many as 14 points.
&ldquo;They were shooting lights-out,&rdquo; Adams said.
Yet there&rsquo;s a reason the Jayhawks entered the night 29-5 in Bramlage Coliseum.
They always seem to deal with the pressure there.
Wilson finally got on track, scoring 12 in the first half, and Adams found success with floaters in the lane, pouring in 15 by the break. The Jayhawks eventually closed down the perimeter, forcing Kansas State to unsuccessfully drive to the basket, and they slowly trimmed away at their deficit, closing within 44-39 by halftime.
Despite foul trouble, the Jayhawks eventually made it all the way back, taking their first lead since the opening minutes at 59-57 with just under 8 minutes to go. But neither team was willing to give up down the stretch.
That&rsquo;s why 40 minutes wasn&rsquo;t enough to decide it.
&ldquo;The great thing about basketball is we&rsquo;ll have another game in two days, three days. We can&rsquo;t dwell on this,&rdquo; Wilson said quietly. &ldquo;We have another good team coming up and we&rsquo;ll see them again. That&rsquo;s the beauty of the Big 12.&rdquo;
THE TAKEAWAY
Kansas hung around despite foul trouble, going 24 of 34 on free throws and shooting 6 of 29 from the 3-point arc. The Jayhawks did it by turning around early turnover trouble and effectively getting to the rim on offense, though they weren&rsquo;t able to do that given one last chance in overtime.
Kansas State relies heavily on Nowell to make things happen, particularly on offense, and his worst games have led to losses. He was held to 13 points by Butler and committed five turnovers against TCU. But despite scoring just four points against Kansas, he piled up seven assists with none more important than the last.
UP NEXT
Kansas returns home to play No. 14 TCU on Saturday. Kansas State plays Texas Tech the same day.

Keyontae Johnson and Desi Sills finished with 24 points apiece as the Wildcats bounced back from a blowout loss to TCU.

No. 13 Kansas State defeats No. 2 Kansas 83-82 in overtime

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; KJ Adams scored a career-high 22 points and No. 2 Kansas closed the game on an 18-4 run to beat Oklahoma 79-75 on Tuesday night.
Kansas (14-1, 3-0 Big 12) got 17 points from Jalen Wilson, 11 from Dajuan Harris and 10 from Zach Clemence. The Jayhawks have won 22 straight games against Oklahoma in Allen Fieldhouse, including 16 straight under coach Bill Self.
Oklahoma (10-5, 1-2 Big 12) was led by Grant Sherfield&rsquo;s season-high 25 points. Sam Godwin added 12 points, Milos Uzan had 11 and Tanner Groves had 10.
Kansas went more than 12 minutes without a field goal in the second half, but Adams ended that streak with a thunderous dunk at the 5:06 mark.
NO. 5 TENNESSEE 77, VANDERBILT 68
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Santiago Vescovi and Julian Phillips each scored 15 points as Tennessee recovered from a halftime deficit to pull out a win over Vanderbilt.
Vescovi scored 12 of his points in the second half to lead the recovery for the Volunteers (14-2, 4-0 Southeastern Conference), who won their 25th straight game at Thompson-Boling Arena. Uros Plavsic contributed 11 points.
Vandy&rsquo;s 7-foot Liam Robbins won the battle of the big men with 18 points off the bench. Noah Shelby had 12 points and Jordan Wright added 13 for Vanderbilt (8-8, 1-2).
NO. 11 KANSAS STATE 65, OKLAHOMA STATE 57
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell scored 20 points and found Keyontae Johnson for an alley-oop dunk with 38 seconds left as Kansas State held off Oklahoma State.
Johnson added 12 points and Desi Sills had 11 for the Wildcats (15-1, 4-0 Big 12), who won their ninth straight and matched their victory total from last season. Predicted to finish last in the Big 12, Kansas State went from unranked last week to just outside the top 10 in the AP poll.
Kalib Boone scored 23 points and Caleb Asberry had 15 for the Cowboys (9-7, 1-3), who have lost three of four, all by 10 points or fewer.
NO. 13 VIRGINIA 65, NORTH CAROLINA 58
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Ben Vander Plas had 17 points and eight rebounds and Virginia used a 17-2 second-half run to beat North Carolina, which lost leading scorer and rebounder Armando Bacot to a left ankle injury.
Reece Beekman scored 13 points and Armaan Franklin had 12 points and nine rebounds as the Cavaliers (12-3, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their eighth straight meeting with the Tar Heels at John Paul Jones Arena.
Bacot rolled his ankle 1:18 into the game and did not return. RJ Davis led the Tar Heels (11-6, 3-3) with 16 points and Caleb Love and Jalen Washington added 13 each. Washington, a freshman, played 27 minutes in Bacot&rsquo;s absence.
NO. 14 IOWA STATE 84, TEXAS TECH 50
AMES, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Gabe Kalscheur scored a season-high 25 points to help Iowa State roll past Texas Tech.
Kalscheur made five of six shots from 3-point range and was 10 of 14 overall as the Cyclones (13-2, 4-0 Big 12) coasted to their sixth straight win.
Jaren Holmes added 15 points. Caleb Grill finished with 14 after hitting four of his first six 3-pointers. Iowa State finished 12 of 22 from behind the arc.
De&rsquo;Vion Harmon led Tech (10-6, 0-4) with 14 points.
MICHIGAN STATE 69, NO. 18 WISCONSIN 65
MADISON, Wis. (AP) &mdash; A.J. Hoggard made a tiebreaking layup with 41 seconds left and Michigan State rallied past Wisconsin for its seventh consecutive victory in a game that had 14 lead changes.
Wisconsin (11-4, 3-2 Big Ten) was playing its second straight game without leading scorer and three-year starter Tyler Wahl, who averages 13.2 points per game.
Joey Hauser had 20 points for Michigan State (12-4, 4-1), which won its first road game since Dec. 7. Tyson Walker added 13 points, Jaden Akins 12 and Hoggard 10.
Steven Crowl scored 19 points, Chucky Hepburn 14 and Connor Essegian 13 for Wisconsin.
NO. 21 AUBURN 82, OLE MISS 73
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Wendell Green Jr. scored 23 points, including 18 in the second half, and Auburn dominated after halftime to beat Mississippi.
Auburn (13-3, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) trailed 35-34 at the break but put together runs of 6-0, 10-2 and 9-4 in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.
Johni Broome had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Allen Flanigan added 15 points and Jaylin Williams scored 11 for the Tigers, who shot 17 of 28 (60.7%) in the second half.
Matthew Murrell led Ole Miss (8-8, 0-4) with 24 points, adding six rebounds and four assists. Tye Fagan scored 13 points and Jaemyn Brakefield added 12 for the Rebels, who lost their fifth straight.
NO. 23 SAN DIEGO STATE 74, NEVADA 65
SAN DIEGO (AP) &mdash; Matt Bradley scored 17 points and Lamont Butler added 15 and San Diego State took sole possession of first place in the Mountain West Conference.
The Aztecs (13-3, 4-0 MWC) dominated on both ends of Steve Fisher Court in a showdown between the last two undefeated teams in the conference to extend their winning streak to six games. Keshad Johnson added 11 points for SDSU, which has beaten Nevada nine straight times.
Nick Davidson scored 17, Kenan Blackshear 12 and Jarod Lucas 11 for Nevada (14-4, 4-1), whose six-game winning streak was snapped.

A recap of Tuesday's men's top-25 action includes a career night from Jayhawks forward KJ Adams.

No. 2 Kansas extends home win streak against Oklahoma to 22

Basketball News highlights the reporting, analysis and podcasts that defined a year of basketball in 2022.

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) &mdash; Bobby Pettiford Jr. made a twisting reverse layup off a loose rebound with 0.2 seconds left in overtime to give No. 3 Kansas a 69-68 win over Wisconsin in a Battle 4 Atlantis semifinal on Thursday.
Pettiford&rsquo;s layup marked his only points of the game, capping a thriller that saw Wisconsin rally from 15 down early in the second half.
Jalen Wilson scored 29 points and had 14 rebounds for the reigning national champion Jayhawks (6-0), and Kevin McCullar Jr. had 18 points and nine rebounds &mdash; and a 3 to force overtime.
Tyler Wahl led the Badgers (4-1) with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Most of his points came after half in what was at times a one-man comeback, including a spinning drive against a falling Wilson for a layup and a 68-67 lead with 21 seconds left.
Kansas will take on No. 22 Tennessee in the tournament title game on Friday.
NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 89, PORTLAND 81
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Pete Nance scored 28 points, Caleb Love added 23 and North Carolina survived an unexpected test from Portland in the opening round of the Phil Knight Invitational.
The Tar Heels (5-0) needed a late 14-3 run to finally pull away from one of the tournament&rsquo;s host schools. Love carried them in the first half with 16 points and reached the 1,000-point mark in his career, becoming the 80th North Carolina player to reach that mark.&nbsp;
Nance picked up the slack after halftime with 20 points and matched his career high in scoring set last season when he was playing for Northwestern.
Moses Wood led Portland (4-3) with 21 points.
The Tar Heels will face Iowa State in a semifinal game Friday. Portland will play Villanova in a consolation game.
NO. 8 DUKE 54, OREGON STATE 51
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Kyle Filipowski had 19 points and 14 rebounds as Duke held off a challenge from Oregon State in the opening game of the Phil Knight Legacy tournament.
Ryan Young added 11 points and 15 rebounds off the bench and was the only other Blue Devils (5-1) player to score in double figures.
Jordan Pope led the Beavers (3-2) with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Dexter Akanno hit two 3-pointers and scored 11 points.
The Blue Devils will face Xavier in a PKL semifinal on Friday, while the Beavers will take on Florida.
NO. 6 GONZAGA 102, PORTLAND STATE 78
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Malachi Smith led six players in double figures with a season-high 23 points and No. 6 Gonzaga used a big first half to beat Portland State in the opening round of the Phil Knight Legacy tournament.
The Bulldogs (4-1) led by 27 in the first half, led 55-31 at halftime and withstood a sloppy second half.
Drew Timme scored 18 points and the only shot he missed was a dunk attempt midway through the second half. Rasir Bolton had 14 points and a career-high eight assists, while Julian Strawther, Anton Watson and Hunter Sallis all finished with 10. Gonzaga shot 60% for the game.
Jorell Saterfield led Portland State (2-3) with 21 points.
Gonzaga will face No. 24 Purdue in the semifinals Friday.
NO. 18 ALABAMA 81, NO. 12 MICHIGAN STATE 70
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Freshman Brandon Miller scored 17 of his 24 points in the first half and Alabama pulled away to beat Michigan State in the opening round of the Phil Knight Invitational.
After a rather light schedule for the first couple of weeks, Alabama (5-0) passed its first test of the season against the short-handed Spartans (3-2).
Tyson Walker led Michigan State with 21 points and A.J. Hoggard added 18.
Alabama will face No. 20 UConn in the semifinals Friday. Michigan State will play face Oregon in&nbsp;
NO. 20 UCONN 83, OREGON 59
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Tristen Newton scored 23 points, leading UConn to a win over Oregon at the Phil Knight Legacy tournament.
Jordan Hawkins scored 18 points, Adama Sanogo added 12 and Joey Calcaterra came off the bench to score 11 for the unbeaten Huskies (6-0).
Kel&rsquo;el Ware led the Ducks (2-3) with 18 points and nine rebounds off the bench. N&rsquo;faly Dante contributed 15 points.
NO. 22 TENNESSEE 73, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 66, OT
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) &mdash; Julian Phillips scored a season-high 25 points to help Tennessee hold off Southern California in overtime at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
The first-year forward made 7 of 13 shots and 10 of 12 free throws to go with eight rebounds for the Volunteers (4-1), with four of those free throws coming in overtime.
Santiago Vescovi overcame a rough shooting game to hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:45 left in the extra period, while Zakai Zeigler went 4 for 4 at the line in the final 23.7 seconds left of overtime to seal the win.
Boogie Ellis scored 21 points in his second big output in as many days to lead the Trojans (4-2).
The Vols advanced to Friday&rsquo;s championship game to face No. 3 Kansas, which edged Wisconsin in overtime.
NO. 24 PURDUE 80, WEST VIRGINIA 68
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Zach Edey had 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead Purdue past West Virginia in the opening round of the Phil Knight Legacy tournament.
Mason Gillis added 14 points for the Boilermakers (4-0), and Brandon Newman came off the bench to score eight points.
Erik Stevenson scored 17 points as the Mountaineers (3-1) lost for the first time this season. Joe Toussaint added 16 points off the bench.
The Boilermakers will face the No. 6 Gonzaga on Friday in the semifinals.

A recap of the standout games on Thanksgiving Thursday was highlighted by a thriller in the Bahamas.

Pettiford’s last-second layup saves No. 3 Kansas in Bahamas

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Two of the more notable games on Friday&rsquo;s college basketball schedule are taking place on an aircraft carrier and in a baseball stadium.
No. 2 Gonzaga will face Michigan State on the flight deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in the San Diego harbor to celebrate Veterans Day. Wisconsin is playing Stanford at American Family Field, the retractable-roof park that is home to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Staging neutral-site games in non-traditional venues isn&rsquo;t new. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has scheduled games at many different sites over the past two decades.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been &lsquo;Outside the Box U&rsquo; for 20 years and other people are catching up,&rdquo; Izzo said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s good, and that&rsquo;s why I didn&rsquo;t want to pass up this game.&rdquo;
Izzo&rsquo;s penchant for this began in 2003, when Michigan State lost to Kentucky in front of 78,129 fans at Ford Field, the home of the NFL&rsquo;s Detroit Lions. Soon enough, plenty of late-round NCAA Tournament games started taking place in football stadiums.
This won&rsquo;t be the first time Izzo has coached a game on an aircraft carrier.
Michigan State lost to top-ranked North Carolina in November 2011 on the flight deck of the USS Carl Vinson as President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama watched from courtside.
Stanford coach Jerod Haase was a North Carolina assistant coach for that 2011 game. Now, he&rsquo;s preparing his team to play the first basketball game at a baseball-only stadium since San Diego faced San Diego State in 2015 at Petco Park, home of the Padres.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an experience for our guys to talk about when they&rsquo;re old like me, about how they played in a baseball stadium,&rdquo; Haase said.
The offbeat settings come with potential obstacles, particularly when they&rsquo;re outdoors. The roof will be closed for the American Family Field doubleheader that includes a women&rsquo;s game between Wisconsin and Kansas State.
The 2011 North Carolina-Michigan State game on a carrier finished less than an hour before rain fell.
A year later, condensation on the respective courts wiped out an Ohio State-Marquette game aboard the decommissioned USS Yorktown in Charleston, South Carolina, and a Georgetown-Florida game aboard the USS Bataan in Gainesville, Florida. Florida and Georgetown did play the first half before the game was scrapped.
During that 2012-13 season, a Syracuse-San Diego State game aboard the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum was delayed two days due to rain. And, windy conditions affected 3-point shooting when it was played.
The teams involved believe the opportunity is worth the potential drawbacks.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few jumped at the chance when the idea of playing on a carrier was proposed.
&ldquo;Tom Izzo told me it was the coolest thing he&rsquo;s ever done,&rdquo; Few said. &ldquo;I said, &lsquo;OK, I&rsquo;m in.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Wisconsin coach Greg Gard says his hopes of having the Badgers play a game at American Family Field started about 15 years ago, when he was an assistant coach and the stadium was known as Miller Park.
Various plans were discussed over the years.
&ldquo;We were going to do a doubleheader basketball-hockey and set up ice in the outfield,&rdquo; Gard said. &ldquo;Everything was on the table at one point in time.&rdquo;
Gard is about to realize that dream &mdash; minus an ice rink.
Wisconsin and Stanford practiced Thursday on a court that encompasses much of the ballpark&rsquo;s infield, with baskets in the vicinity of first base and third base.
The pitcher&rsquo;s mound was removed, and fans will sit in temporary stands courtside, as well as in some of the stadium&rsquo;s permanent seats.
&ldquo;Listening to our players as we walked up out of the dugout, what their reactions were, I think it turned out really, really good,&rdquo; Gard said.
Wisconsin forward Tyler Wahl, who has attended just one Brewers home game, tried to envision just what to expect on Friday.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited to see what it looks like with basketball, bringing a whole different crew of fans,&rdquo; Wahl said. &ldquo;Hopefully it will be cool.&rdquo;
It might not be a one-time deal.
Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger said he was hopeful that the contest was the first of many chances to host hoop games at the ballpark.
Gard says he&rsquo;d love to see an NCAA regional at American Family Field, though it could be tough to host that kind of event in late March while still having the ballpark&rsquo;s grass surface ready in time for baseball season.
For now, Wisconsin and Stanford are looking forward to a unique experience in an atypical early-season game. Michigan State and Gonzaga feel the same.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a little bit old school and I believe the college education is much more than just what you learn on the classroom and the games themselves,&rdquo; Haase said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s all the experiences around them. I think this provides that.&rdquo;
___
AP Writer Nicholas K. Geranios and AP Sports Writers Larry Lage and Bernie Wilson contributed to this report.

Two notable games on Friday’s college basketball schedule are taking place on an aircraft carrier and in a baseball stadium.

Unusual venues make non-conference games more memorable

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Jeremy Roach scored 16 first-half points to help seventh-ranked Duke open Jon Scheyer&rsquo;s coaching tenure with a 71-44 win over Jacksonville on Monday night.
Freshman Mark Mitchell had a team-high 18 points for the Blue Devils, who used a 25-4 run spanning halftime to blow the game open.
It was a quality start to a season of massive change for the Blue Devils, starting with Scheyer taking over for retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. Duke has 11 new players, including the nation&rsquo;s No. 1-ranked recruiting class and two power-conference transfers. The Blue Devils didn&rsquo;t have top freshmen Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead for this one as they recover from preseason injuries.
Mike Marsh scored 15 points to lead the Dolphins, who shot 34% and missed 18 of 19 3-pointers before making two meaningless 3s late.
NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 69, UNC WILMINGTON 56
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Love and RJ Davis scored 17 points apiece and North Carolina began a season of grand expectations by pulling away from UNC Wilmington.
Armando Bacot added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Tar Heels, who were perhaps most impressive at the defensive end. UNCW shot 29.8% from the field.
The Tar Heels, who were the NCAA Tournament runner-up in April, began the new season with the top ranking for the first time in seven years. It&rsquo;s a record 10th time that North Carolina has been ranked No. 1 to start a season &mdash; one more than rival Duke.
Trazarien White scored 19 points for UNCW, which faced a top-ranked team for the first time in program history.
NO. 2 GONZAGA 104, NORTH FLORIDA 63
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 22 points, Julian Strawther added 16 and No. 2 Gonzaga used a big first-half run to beat North Florida in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Anton Watson had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals for Gonzaga, which won its 68th consecutive home game, the nation&rsquo;s longest such streak.
Carter Hendricksen scored 16 points, Jadyn Parker 13 and Jose Placer 12 for North Florida, a veteran-laden team from the Atlantic Sun Conference that returned its top four scorers from last season.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 83, NORTHERN COLORADO 36
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Marcus Sasser scored 21 points, J&rsquo;Wan Roberts added 12 points and six rebounds, and Houston opened the season by beating Northern Colorado.
Sasser, a preseason All-American, scored 11 points in the first half. He finished 7 of 14 from the field and made 4 of 8 3-pointers. The senior guard missed the second half of last season and all of Houston&rsquo;s run to the Elite Eight with a toe injury.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson won his 700th career game and 200th with the Cougars.
Matt Johnson II, Riley Abercrombie and Caleb Shaw each scored eight points for the Bears.
NO. 4 KENTUCKY 95, HOWARD 63
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Antonio Reeves scored 22 points, CJ Fredrick had 20 and Kentucky beat Howard with All-American Oscar Tshiebwe and two other players sidelined.
Tshiebwe had a procedure last month on his right knee. Point guard Sahvir Wheeler (right leg) and sophomore forward Daimion Collins (personal reasons) were also out, but the Wildcats still shot 55% against the overmatched Bison.
Jacob Toppin and freshman Cason Wallace each added 15 points for Kentucky.
Kobe Dickson scored 17 points and Elijah Hawkins had 14 for Howard, which shot 34%.
NO. 5 KANSAS 89, OMAHA 64
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Gradey Dick added 23 points in his debut, and Kansas began defense of its national championship without suspended coach Bill Self by routing Omaha.
Bobby Pettiford Jr. added 13 points, Dajuan Harris had 11 points and eight assists, and Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar Jr. scored 10 for the Jayhawks, who broke open a close game in the second half with two big runs.
Self served the first of a four-game punishment along with assistant Kurtis Townsend as part of the fallout from a 2017 federal investigation into college basketball corruption.
Jaeden Marshall scored 13 points and Luke Jungers had 12 for the Mavericks.
NO. 5 BAYLOR 117, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 53
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Adam Flagler scored 21 points to lead six players in double figures as Baylor won the opener of its 20th season with coach Scott Drew.
Flagler, a preseason All-Big 12 pick who also was the Bears&rsquo; leading scorer last season, also had eight assists and one of his four 3-pointers started a 24-0 run midway through the first half.
LJ Cryer had 16 points and Dale Bonner, another returning guard, had 14.
Alvin Stredic scored 14 points and Terry Collins 10 for Mississippi Valley State in its first game for new coach George Ivory.
NO. 9 CREIGHTON 72, ST. THOMAS 60
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Baylor Scheierman made back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second half to give Creighton the lead for good.
Arthur Kaluma scored 17 points, Trey Alexander had 12 and Scheierman added 11 as the Bluejays won their 25th opener in 26 years.
St. Thomas, a Summit League member beginning its second season in Division I, gave the Bluejays all they could handle until the last few minutes. Andrew Rohde had 15 points to lead the Tommies.
NO. 10 ARKANSAS 76, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 58
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Trevon Brazile had 21 points and 12 rebounds in his debut as Arkansas won its season opener.
Brazile, a sophomore transfer from Missouri, scored six straight points during an 11-0 run early in the second half that gave Arkansas a 16-point lead with 15 minutes left.
Wichita State transfer Ricky Council led the Razorbacks with 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Grant Nelson and Boden Skunberg had 17 points apiece to lead North Dakota State.
NO. 11 TENNESSEE 75, TENNESSEE TECH 43
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Tyreke Key came off the bench to score 17 points and Tennessee beat Tennessee Tech in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Key, an Indiana State transfer, connected on 4 of 8 3-pointers to ignite a sluggish Volunteer offense. Zakai Zeigler scored all but two of his 12 points in the second half.
Brett Thompson led the Golden Eagles with 15 points.
NO. 12 TEXAS 72, UTEP 57
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Tyrese Hunter scored 18 points to lead Texas past UTEP in the debut of its new arena.
Hunter, a transfer from Iowa State, was 6-of-8 shooting and added five rebounds. Ze&rsquo;Ri Onyema led UTEP with 10 points.
Texas this season moved to the $375 million Moody Center on the edge of campus, leaving behind the old Frank Erwin Center after 45 years.
NO. 13 INDIANA 88, MOREHEAD STATE 53
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Preseason All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and freshman Malik Reneau each scored 15 points, helping Indiana beat Morehead State in the season opener for both teams.
The Hoosiers have won all six matchups in the series and are 26-0 all-time against Ohio Valley Conference foes.
Mark Freeman led the Eagles with 14 points, and Drew Thelwell had 11 for the OVC favorites.
NO. 14 TCU 73, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 72
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Mike Miles hit a 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining to finally put TCU ahead to stay against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which built an early 20-point lead in the season opener for both teams.
Miles, the preseason Big 12 player of the year, hit from deep beyond the top of the key for a 71-68 lead.
Emanuel Miller had 15 of his 19 points in the second half, and Miles finished with 15 points for the Horned Frogs. They returned all five starters and five other scholarship players after winning their first NCAA Tournament game since 1987.
Shaun Doss had 25 points with four of Arkansas-Pine Bluff&rsquo;s 13 3-pointers.
NO. 15 AUBURN 70, GEORGE MASON 52
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Wendell Green Jr. scored 16 points while K.D. Johnson and Johni Broome each had 12 to lead Auburn to a season-opening win over George Mason.
The Tigers weren&rsquo;t really challenged much in their first game since losing NBA first-round draft picks Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.
Ronald Polite III led George Mason with 10 points, and Victor Bailey Jr. had nine.
NO. 16 VILLANOVA 81, LA SALLE 68
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Daniels scored 24 points to make coach Kyle Neptune a winner in his Villanova debut.
Neptune replaced Hall of Famer Jay Wright, who retired in the offseason. The Wildcats returned three starters (a fourth, Justin Moore, was injured) from the team that lost a national semifinal game to Kansas. Eric Dixon added 20 points for Villanova.
Daniels made his first five 3-pointers and the Wildcats used an early 10-0 run to put away their city rival and spoiled 74-year-old coach Fran Dunphy&rsquo;s return to the bench.
Josh Nickelberry scored 22 points to lead the Explorers.
NO. 17 ARIZONA 117, NICHOLLS STATE 75
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis scored 23 points and Arizona went on a massive opening run to begin its second season under coach Tommy Lloyd with a rout.
Ballo scored 18 points, helping Arizona set a school record with 71.7% shooting from the floor against the reigning Southland Conference regular-season champions. The Wildcats opened the game with a 30-4 run.
Micah Thomas led Nicholls State with 20 points.
NO. 18 VIRGINIA 73, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 61
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman sparked a 15-2 second-half run, and Virginia beat North Carolina Central after blowing a 16-point first-half lead.
Armaan Franklin led Virginia with 21 points in the season opener for both teams, and Francisco Caffaro had 10.
Justin Wright scored 20 and Eric Boone had 18 for the Eagles, who used a 12-0 run just after halftime to go ahead. But Clark hit a 3 and Beekman followed with a steal and a breakaway.
NO. 19 SAN DIEGO STATE 80, CAL STATE FULLERTON 57
SAN DIEGO (AP) &mdash; Darrion Trammell hit three 3-pointers during a 29-10 run to open the second half and finished with 18 points as San Diego State beat Cal State Fullerton.
Fellow newcomer Jaedon LeDee and Lamont Butler scored 11 points apiece and Nathan Mensah had 10 for the Aztecs, who won their 10th straight season opener and their 17th in 18 seasons.
Vincent Lee scored 11 and Jalen Harris 10 for the Titans, the defending Big West Conference champions.
NO. 20 ALABAMA 75, LONGWOOD 54
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Freshman Brandon Miller had 14 points and 13 rebounds in his debut as Alabama beat Longwood.
Fellow freshman Rylan Griffen also scored 14 for the Crimson Tide, and point guard Mark Sears had 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Freshman guard Jaden Bradley added 11 points and six boards.
Alabama held Longwood to 27% shooting and blocked nine shots. Michael Christmas led Longwood with 12 points.
NO. 21 OREGON 80, FLORIDA A&amp;M 45
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) &mdash; N&rsquo;Faly Dante had 16 points and 10 rebounds as Oregon opened with an easy win over Florida A&amp;M.
Keeshawn Barthelemy added 13 points for the Ducks, ranked to start the season for the ninth straight year. Will Richardson scored 11.
Jordan Tillmon and Jordan Chatman had eight points apiece for the Rattlers, who have 11 new players. Florida A&amp;M coach Robert McCullum was on Oregon coach Dana Altman&rsquo;s staff from 2014-17.
NO. 22 MICHIGAN 75, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 56
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Hunter Dickinson had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and freshman Jett Howard added 21 points in Michigan&rsquo;s season-opening win.
After Purdue Fort Wayne opened an 8-4 lead, Michigan went on a 20-0 run to take control.
Quinton Morton-Robertson scored 15 points and Bobby Planutis added 13 for the Mastodons.
NO. 23 ILLINOIS 87, EASTERN ILLINOIS 57
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) &mdash; Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points and Coleman Hawkins had 23 points and 12 rebounds as Illinois cruised past Eastern Illinois.
Dain Dainja added 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Illini, who outrebounded the Panthers 53-30 in the opener for both teams.
Kinyon Hodges scored 14 points and Yaakema Rose added 10 for Eastern Illinois.
NO. 24 DAYTON 73, LINDENWOOD 46
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Mustapha Amzil scored 14 points, DaRon Holmes II and R.J. Blakney each had 13 and Dayton beat Lindenwood in a sluggish opener for both teams.
Dayton was without injured point guard Malachi Smith and didn&rsquo;t play particularly well until late, but it had a large margin for error against Lindenwood, which was playing its first game after moving up to Division I.
Chris Childs had 15 points for the Lions, who shot 33% from the field.
NO. 25 TEXAS TECH 73, NORTHWESTERN STATE 49
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) &mdash; Daniel Batcho had 12 points and 10 rebounds as Texas Tech rolled past Northwestern State in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Texas Tech broke it open late in the first half and led 42-23 at halftime.
Isaac Haney led Northwestern State with 16 points.

It was a quality start to a season of massive change for the Blue Devils, starting with Jon Scheyer taking over Duke's program.

Roach leads No. 7 Duke past Jacksonville in Scheyer’s debut

The stage is set with 6:24 left in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals.
The Las Vegas Aces hold a 60-59 lead coming out of a timeout, and have just put their knockout lineup on the floor. Their small unit &mdash; Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Riquna Williams, Jackie Young and A'ja Wilson &mdash; will be tasked with bringing things home.
On the other side, the Connecticut Sun are rolling with their big unit. Courtney Williams, DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, Brionna Jones and Jonquel Jones &mdash; a group that shrinks the floor for the opposition and bludgeons them in the paint &mdash; pose a significant challenge. It's the starkest example of the stylistic clash this series represents.
The Aces have to work on their first possession. Gray brings the ball up the floor while being hounded by Thomas. Plum comes to set a screen for Gray in an effort to pry Thomas away &mdash; and put Courtney Williams in the action &mdash; but Thomas stays attached. Plum eventually gets the ball and drills a tough pull-up triple over Williams, but the shot comes nearly 20 seconds into the possession.
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But that possession is instructive for the Aces. They recognize that the Sun aren't going to allow Gray to beat them. And while they'd love to get Wilson involved as a screener, doing so consistently would invite even more size and length for Gray to have to navigate.
Roughly a minute later, the Aces push after a miss. Gray is once again hounded by Thomas, so the Aces counter with a pair of early drag screens. Wilson sets the first, while Riquna Williams sets the second. Gray is able to get downhill and drag Williams' defender, Jonquel Jones, with her.
A switch is forced as Gray loops around the paint, kicks the ball to Young and receives it back on the left wing. The Sun don't want Jones defending Gray, so Thomas peels over to trap her. Mayhem occurs from there: Gray's pass to the now-open Williams is deflected, but recovered. Young ends up with the ball and pump fakes, then, cans a crucial pull-up jumper.
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It's at that moment the Aces know that Riquna Williams is the pressure point that will bring them home. Or, more coldly: They know Jonquel Jones is the player they want to attack in space.
You know the rest of the story by now. The Aces find gold with Williams setting screens and flaring out above the three-point line. She would finish the game with 17 points, 11 of them coming in the fourth quarter and 8 of those coming in the final two minutes.
For all the discussion about the Aces' bench throughout the season, it's at least a little funny that a bench player slammed the door of a closeout Finals game.&nbsp;
The buckets from Williams were loud, but the calculated nature of the Aces' attack is what spoke loudest to me. Sun head coach Curt Miller described the Aces' offensive attack as "NBA-like'' when asked about it<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wnba-finals-2022-catching-up-coach-curt-miller-connecticut-sun-las-vegas-aces-jonquel-jones-alyssa-thomas-dewanna-bonner" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> ahead of Game 2</a>. He made a similar comparison when asked about the guard-guard screens the Aces ran to close out Game 4.
"The guard-to-guard screens, as they ghosted out of a lot of them, tried to put us in rotation," Miller told Basketball News after the game."
&ldquo;They were searching. They were trying to get some switches to the matchup advantage they were looking for. That was the chess match. Then, as we went big, they started to put different bigs in that action also. Ultimately, a lot of that pro mentality that leaps into the league from the NBA. We become a copycat league, and that was the action they chose to run late."&nbsp;
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Considering the recent background of Aces head coach Becky Hammon &mdash; she was hired as a San Antonio Spurs assistant coach under Gregg Popovich in 2014, and held the position until taking the Aces job this year &mdash; it makes sense that there were NBA elements to her game plan. When asked about coaches that influenced her style, Hammon referenced some of the top coaches in the NBA.
"I really liked watching Brad Stevens, when he was coaching, obviously. Quin Snyder, [Erik] Spoelstra, Mike Malone. There have been a lot of people that I've watched over the years," Hammon told Basketball News.
"I was in San Antonio for eight years. That's close to 700 games; and that's just our games, not me watching other teams' games for scouting purposes. It's a lot of basketball, so you just see certain things along the way. Some of them are stolen right off the page; other ones, I tweak and put different things in different places."
Look at the coaches referenced from Hammon, and you'll see some fingerprints.
Guard screening, on and off the ball, has been <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/changing-of-the-guard-the-future-of-screening-is-here" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on the rise in the NBA</a> for quite some time. The type of mismatch hunting the Aces utilized down the stretch of Game 4 is commonplace in the NBA, particularly in the playoffs.&nbsp;
During Hammon's last season as an NBA assistant (2020-21), Synder's Utah Jazz (17.3 per 100 possessions), Stevens' Boston Celtics (13.4), and Spoelstra's Miami Heat (10.6) all ranked in the top 10 in on-ball screens set by guards per Second Spectrum. That trend holds with off-ball screens, with the Heat (23.0), Malone's Nuggets (20.8) and the Celtics (19.2) populating the top 10.&nbsp;
You'll have to hone in on the ATOs to see some of the "stolen off the page" examples, like Hammon using the "Winner" set that <a href="https://youtu.be/c7i0Fs7QfgY" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stevens' Celtics popularized</a> during the semifinals against the Seattle Storm.
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This doozy was also pulled out against the Storm, a nice call-back to a set ran by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr &mdash; another Popovich disciple.
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A brilliant ATO drawn up by Becky Hammon gave the Las Vegas Aces a crucial basket against the Seattle Storm last night. It looked like a familiar play... because Steve Kerr also drew it up for the Golden State Warriors a couple of months ago vs. the Memphis Grizzlies. <a href="https://t.co/ibjMZL2pOk">pic.twitter.com/ibjMZL2pOk</a>
&mdash; Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeVirayNBA/status/1566818735465172992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2022</a></blockquote>

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But the broader concepts &mdash; the way Hammon uses her stars together to put strain on defenses &mdash; really shine through with the examples she used.
The Aces loved to use "Get" action &mdash; a pitch to a guard that flows into a handoff and next flows into a ball-screen &mdash; as part of their early offensive strategy. That was a Snyder staple in Utah, one used to get Donovan Mitchell (or Mike Conley) downhill against a titled defense.
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There were the Plum screens set for Wilson to pry her free. Between traditional cross screens, pindowns inside the arc and random pin-in screens on the perimeter, you can easily draw parallels between those two and the two-man actions we'd see from Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic under Malone.
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I'd wager the Spoelstra influence is felt more on the defensive side of the ball. He's one of the brightest defensive minds in NBA history, with his hallmark being his team's versatility.
The Aces certainly embodied that, eschewing their conservative style from last season to more of a hybrid system. They were aggressive against ball-screens &mdash; until they weren't. They deployed drop coverage, until they wanted to switch.
There was zone. So much zone &mdash; another Spoelstra hallmark.
(It's also worth noting it's a Ty Lue staple. Aces assistant coach Natalie Nakase brought her experience as a Clippers assistant coach &mdash; among other stops &mdash; with her this season.)
While Riquna Williams was bombing away on one end, the Aces went to a zone to close things out on the other end. That often left Gray, Williams and Young battling on the boards against the Sun's massive frontcourt. This possession still rings in my head.
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When asked about the process about implementing such a varied style, Hammon said she wanted to keep everyone &mdash; her opponents and her team &mdash; on their toes.&nbsp;
"When I went back and watched, obviously, a lot of games from the last year, and just me watching the WNBA over the last eight seasons since I've left, really, [it was] just something to mix things up," Hammon told Basketball News.
"You know, we've tried different defenses on Steph Curry, Dame Lillard. If we can junk it on them, we can junk it on anybody. It was just an idea to try to give people a different look to try to mix it up."
While the schematic shifts and tactical excellence was easy to see this year, it would all be moot without getting commitment from her players. If there's a through line between Hammon and the coaches she referenced, it's the ability to engage players and get them to buy in.
"I think the bigger thing is the players really bought into it," Hammon told Basketball News about the defense.
"It doesn't matter what scheme you're doing; the players have to believe in it. I think, at the end of the day, they saw enough good results. There were times when Chelsea was calling the defense, junk defense. I'm not even putting us in junk; she's putting us in junk. It's a fun way to play and it keeps the players locked in and alert because we do switch it up quite a bit."
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Nakase recently <a href="https://www.ocregister.com/2022/09/20/swanson-becky-hammon-proved-she-can-lead-a-winning-team-next-up-someday-the-nba/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">echoed those sentiments</a>, saying Hammon's "ability to get buy-in is probably the fastest I&rsquo;ve ever seen." That's strong praise for a coach who's spent time working with Lue and Doc Rivers.
It's hard to overstate how good of a job Hammon has done in Year 1. While it would be easy to highlight how foolish some NBA decision-makers should feel for not offering Hammon a head coaching job &mdash; they absolutely should feel foolish &mdash; it's worth celebrating how she flipped the slight on its head.&nbsp;
"I mean, my journey is not by mistake," Hammon said after Game 4. "Every hard thing that I've gone through has built something in me that I've needed down the road, and even though it sucks in the moment to not to be picked or to get hurt or whatever it might be, the hard stuff builds stuff in you that's necessary for life and you'll use it down the road. It may not feel like it in that moment.
"For me, it's not really about proving other people wrong, it's about proving myself right. If you guys haven't figured out yet, I don't really care."
A wonderful bar from a wonderful coach to cap a wonderful debut season.

Nekias Duncan talks to Aces head coach Becky Hammon about some of her NBA influences, then showcases examples.

Becky Hammon's NBA coaching influences showed in Aces' WNBA title run

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Chelsea Gray scored 20 points to lead the Las Vegas Aces to their first WNBA title in a 78-71 road win over the Connecticut Sun in Game 4 on Sunday.
Gray went 9 of 13 from the floor, and was named MVP after averaging 18 points over the run. The Aces improved to 4-0 in this year&rsquo;s playoffs with two days rest.
Riquna Williams added 17 points Kelsey Plum added 16 points for the Aces, Jackie Young had 13 and league MVP A&rsquo;ja Wilson added 11 points to go with 14 rebounds.
Vegas finished on an 8-0 run. As the buzzer sounded Wilson grabbed the ball and stomped the floor before being mobbed by her teammates.
We champs! We champs! We champs!&rdquo; Wilson screamed at teammates as they pulled on their championship hats and T-shirts before the trophy ceremony.
It&rsquo;s the first major pro sports title for a team from Las Vegas, and Wilson surely hopes this is just the beginning.
&ldquo;You see it. You see it,&rdquo; Wilson said in the on-court celebration. &ldquo;This is what we&rsquo;re building. This is what we&rsquo;re doing. This is it. I&rsquo;m so happy right now.&rdquo;
Courtney Williams had 17 points to lead Connecticut and Alyssa Thomas had her second straight triple-double with 11 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Jonquel Jones added 13 points and DeWanna Bonner had 12.
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Las Vegas led by two points at the half and four points after three quarters.
For Aces coach Becky Hammon, who didn&rsquo;t get a title in her standout WNBA career, the ring completed a decades-long quest. She left an assistant coach position with Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs to take over in Las Vegas, and the move paid off.
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re unbelievable on the court but they&rsquo;re unbelievable humans, first and foremost,&rdquo; Hammon said. &ldquo;They care about each other. They invest in each other. It&rsquo;s been an absolute honor to be their coach. I saw excellence and I wanted to be a part of it.&rdquo;
Hammon also paid tribute to former Aces coach Bill Laimbeer, who was on the floor for the ceremony. &ldquo;He put this team together and saw the pieces,&rdquo; Hammon said.
Aces owner Mark Davis, who also owns the NFL&rsquo;s Las Vegas Raiders, wasn&rsquo;t with his football team Sunday. He was in Connecticut to get a trophy. He hoisted it, then turned it over to gleeful players who did the same.
&ldquo;Las Vegas, we are world champions,&rdquo; Davis said.
It was a six-point lead in the fourth when Kelsey Plum was called for a flagrant foul after running into Bonner while the Sun guard was attempting a 3-pointer and sending her to the floor holding her right ankle. Bonner hit all three free throws before Jonquel Jones short jumper cut the lead to a point. The Sun then tied the game at 67 on free throw by Courtney Williams and took a 71-70 lead on two fouls shots from Brionna Jones.
But Las Vegas had the answers.
Riquna Williams 3-pointer put the Aces back on top and Chelsea Gray&rsquo;s step-back jumper extended the lead back to 75-71 with under a minute left A&rsquo;Ja Wilson then stole a pass and Plum hit a short jump shot to secure the win.
Bonner opened the scoring with a leaner from the left wing. But Kelsey Plum&rsquo;s 3-pointer from the left baseline sparked an early 12-0 run for Vegas that shot them out to a 16-6 lead. The Aces, who gave up 34 points to the Sun in in first quarter of Game 3, led 16-12 after 10 minutes on Sunday.
Gray &mdash; who overcame some serious injuries that threatened to sidetrack her career in the past &mdash; was WNBA Finals MVP, to no one&rsquo;s surprise after averaging 18.3 points and 6 assists in the series.
&ldquo;My teammates are awesome,&rdquo; Gray said as she broke into tears. &ldquo;I worked so hard for this.&rdquo;
She wasn&rsquo;t a WNBA All-Star this season, nor was she a first-team all-league pick, and voiced her displeasure about that.
In the end, she also got the last word.
&ldquo;They can keep that All-Star and first team,&rdquo; Gray said. &ldquo;I got the ring.&rdquo;
SCRAPPY GAME
As expected, it was a physical game appropriately played on an NFL Sunday. The Sun got a scare when Bonner took an inadvertent elbow to the gut from Gray late in the first quarter and and was on the floor for a few minutes before being helped to the bench. She came back into the game later in the half, apparently suffering no ill effects. Natisha Hiedeman and Plum got into a short pushing match in the second quarter, eliciting technical fouls on both players. That was all before Plum&rsquo;s flagrant in the fourth.
INCLUSIVE ORGANIZATIONS
Before the game, both coaches reflected on the makeup of organizations in the Final. The Aces are led by Hammon and two Black women executives in general manager Nikki Williams and Nikki Fargas, president of business operations. The Sun are owned by the Mohegan Tribe, have a woman president in Jen Rizzotti and are coached by Curt Miller, a gay man.
&ldquo;Women&rsquo;s basketball is such a story in terms of diversity and inclusion. I mean, our our league defines it and I&rsquo;m so proud to be a part of it, Miller said, adding that he hopes to be an inspiration to any gay child &ldquo;wondering if they can chase a career in sports.&rdquo;
Hammon said she believes the diversity in her team&rsquo;s front office has made it stronger.
&ldquo;You can make a lot better picture with a box full of crayons than just a pencil,&rdquo; she said.
RAIDERS&rsquo; SUPPORT
The start of the celebration was shown on the video screens at the Raiders&rsquo; stadium during the NFL game against Arizona on Sunday, with fans breaking into loud cheers. They can cheer more in a few days: a parade on the Las Vegas Strip is planned for Thursday evening.
&ldquo;What a team, what talent, what a victory! You have made Las Vegas so proud!&rdquo; Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said in a statement. &ldquo;Thank you for your effort, discipline &amp; focus. We can&rsquo;t wait for the celebrations &amp; a great parade!&rdquo;
TIP-INS
The Aces are the fourth WNBA team to win a title with both a league MVP and coach of the year ... The Sun have been among the last four WNBA teams standing for each of the last four seasons, making it back to the Finals for the first time since 2019.

The Aces took down the Connecticut Sun in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday.

Las Vegas Aces win first WNBA title, Chelsea Gray named MVP

WNBA playoff basketball is finally here! With things kicking off on Wednesday night, I decided to highlight an X-factor I'll be keeping tabs on for each best-of-three first round series.
For Part I of this two-part series, let's kick things off with opening night, which features the Las Vegas Aces taking on the Phoenix Mercury and the Chicago Sky against the New York Liberty.
(For deeper thoughts on each series, listen to our playoff preview on the latest episode of&nbsp;<a href="NBA%20playoff%20basketball%20is%20finally%20here!%20With%20things%20kicking%20off%20on%20Saturday,%20I%20decided%20to%20highlight%20an%20X-factor%20I'll%20be%20keeping%20tabs%20on%20for%20each%20first-round%20series.%20Let's%20dig%20in,%20shall%20we?%20%20(For%20deeper%20thoughts%20on%20each%20series,%20listen%20to%20Part%20I%20and%20Part%20II%20of%20our%20series%20previews%20at%20The%20Dunker%20Spot.)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot.</a>)
(1) LAS VEGAS ACES vs. (8) PHOENIX MERCURY
THINGS TO KNOW
<ul>
<li>Aces swept the season series, 3-0
<ul>
<li aria-level="3">May 6: 106-88</li>
<li aria-level="3">May 17: 86-74&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="3">May 21: 100-80</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li aria-level="2">Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard <a href="https://twitter.com/eliavgabay/status/1558959934963740672?s=20&amp;t=zqp_Sll_zu_tCNAC8DEF2g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hasn&rsquo;t ruled out</a> Skylar Diggins-Smith (personal reasons), Diana Taurasi (quad strain), or Kia Nurse (torn ACL) playing in the postseason. I'm not sure I buy it, but it's worth noting at least.</li>
<li aria-level="2">The Aces (26-10) finished No. 1 in offense (109.6 ORTG), No. 6 in defense (102 DRTG), and No. 2 in Net Rating (+ 7.7)</li>
<li aria-level="2">The Mercury (15-21) finished No. 8 in offense (101.7 ORTG), No. 8 in defense (104.1 DRTG) and No. 9 in Net Rating (-3.4)</li>
</ul>
KEY QUESTION: Can the Mercury win the paint battle?
It's fair to say that there's a sizable talent gap between these teams as presently constructed. The Aces have an MVP candidate in A'ja Wilson, two All-WNBA team candidates in Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray &mdash; a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wnba-las-vegas-aces-dont-forget-about-chelsea-gray-commissioners-cup-kelsey-plum-aja-wilson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">big-shot merchant,</a> <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/wnba-through-her-eyes-how-chelsea-gray-sees-what-you-cant-aja-wilson-jackie-young-dearica-hamby-kelsey-plum" target="_blank" rel="noopener">premier ball-mover</a> and All-Star-caliber guard in her own right.&nbsp;
The Mercury have been without Brittney Griner all season due to her wrongful detainment in Russia <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2022/03/05/russia-brittney-griner-arrest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">since February</a>. The star backcourt duo of Diggins-Smith and Taurasi was one of the WNBA's best; you don't just replace that blend of shot-making and playmaking on a whim.
If there's a pathway to the Mercury making this series competitive, it's by owning the paint on both ends.
The Mercury have worked the math this season in terms of their shot profile. Roughly 68.5% of their shots have come from the rim or behind the arc, the highest mark in the WNBA per PBP Stats. Since inserting Sophie Cunningham into the starting lineup <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/sophie-cunningham-giving-phoenix-a-lift-at-the-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">as a small-ball 4</a>, that number has risen (71.1%).
Much will be placed on the shoulders of Diamond DeShields to act as the tip of the spear for the Mercury offensively. Across the last five games of the season, she led the team in shot attempts <a href="https://stats.wnba.com/players/traditional/?sort=FGA&amp;dir=-1&amp;Season=2022&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;LastNGames=5&amp;TeamID=1611661317&amp;PerMode=Totals" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by a wide margin</a>. WIth paint pressure specifically, DeShields took 32 shots at the rim (6.4 average) during that stretch per InStat tracking &mdash; an impressive number considering she's drawn the opposing team's best perimeter defender.
Beyond her, Shey Peddy (16-5-4 over last five games) will have to keep up her aggression. I've enjoyed the play of Jennie Simms as of late. Teams have attempted to stash their weakest defender on her, and she's made them pay with timely off-ball movement and strength-based drives. There may be opportunities to bully Plum if she draws the assignment, or burn Gray with her off-ball relocations.
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The Aces (62.2%) ranked sixth in that shot distribution metric, and have seen their number decline as the season as gone on. You really feel the drop at the rim, specifically.
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The Aces' percentage of shots to come at the rim this season: 1st 6 games: 29% next 6: 28% next 6: 24% next 6: 23% next 6: 30% (played CON, ATL, LA + IND x3) last 6: 16% Finished the season with a 25% rate, 2nd lowest share in the WNBA (SEA, 24%). I have questions.
&mdash; Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1559261845160091651?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 15, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Because of the talent level of the Aces, they've been able to feast from 8 feet and out. Wilson is a face-up weapon; Young can sprinkle in pull-ups, and Gray might be the best tough shot maker in the league among guards. The three-point shooting for the Aces is self-explanatory with Plum leading the way.
I'm going to be especially interested in the Wilson-Brianna Turner matchup. Turner is one of the best defenders in the sport, and has the length, mobility and discipline to bother Wilson. Quiet as kept, Wilson only averaged 13.3 points against Phoenix this season, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/wnba/players/w/wilsoa01w/splits/2022/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">easily her lowest average</a> against a singular team this season.
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Between Young and Gray (and sometimes Plum) getting "unders" in pick-and-roll &mdash; their defender ducking under picks when they call for a ball-screen &mdash; and the Mercury finding comfort with zone, it'll be on Wilson to force the issue and dominate inside.
(2) CHICAGO SKY vs. (7) NEW YORK LIBERTY
<ul>
<li aria-level="2">Sky won season series 3-1
<ul>
<li aria-level="3">May 11: Sky 83-50&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="3">June 12: Sky 88-86&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="3">July 23: Liberty 83-80&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="3">July 29: Sky 89-81</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
THINGS TO KNOW
<ul>
<li>Liberty wing Betnijah Laney missed all but one of the regular-season meetings (the blow-out loss)</li>
<li>The Sky (26-10) finished No. 3 in offense (105.6 ORTG), No. 4 in defense (99.7 DRTG), and No. 3 in Net Rating (+6.0)</li>
<li>The Liberty (16-20) finished No. 9 in offense (99 ORTG), No. 7 in defense (102 DRTG), and No. 8 in Net Rating (-3.0)</li>
</ul>
KEY QUESTION: Which frontcourt will show up in space?
It's a niche thing, but it's something my friend Mark Schindler pointed out <a href="https://www.wnba.com/news/2022-wnba-playoffs-presented-by-google-primer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in his playoff preview</a> and something we fleshed out some on the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-130-christmas-in-august" target="_blank" rel="noopener">latest pod episode</a>. From the man himself, on the Sky's offense:
<blockquote>
They love to initiate sets from the high post, the slots and the elbows, which makes sense considering Candace Parker and Emma Meesseman are two of, if not the best, at playmaking from those spots in the league.
Anytime the Sky offense has fizzled, it&rsquo;s been because those actions weren&rsquo;t respected with an, &ldquo;Okay, shoot it&rdquo; mentality. Even with Parker or Meesseman aggressively taking those shots, it takes them consistently punishing a defense over and over again to cause a shift.
The Aces got REALLY good at this and leaned into it during the Commissioner&rsquo;s Cup Final and their last regular season meeting, and I&rsquo;d consider it the blueprint to trying to contain Chicago.
</blockquote>
Sure enough, you can see the Aces dutifully sagging off and opting to cut off penetration &mdash; either drives or off-ball cuts &mdash; at the risk of leaving Parker or Meesseman open.
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Both bigs are capable shooters; neither are what you would consider a stretch big. It's an additive to what they do, not the main course.&nbsp;
Teams haven't consistently dared them to beat them from deep because they're mostly afraid of giving them free reign to pass without pressure. It's a fair position to hold; no team has scored more off of cuts than the Sky, and they lead the WNBA in assist rate.
The Liberty might make the gamble to dare them to shoot; considering their defensive personnel, they might&nbsp;have&nbsp;to make that gamble in order to prevent the Sky from scoring easy ones.
On the other end, the Liberty's bigs may have more on-ball responsibility. The Sky are one of The W's best defenses, spearheaded by Parker and her ability to hedge on ball screens and make life miserable for ball-handlers. Dialing up the pressure against Sabrina Ionescu isn't an ideal gambit &mdash; she's an incredible passer, and has grown more comfortable with traps as the season has gone on &mdash; but it's easy to see why the Sky may consider that the best of bad options.
In theory, forcing the ball out of Ionescu's hands will lead to a worse player making important decisions. It takes Ionescu out of her scoring rhythm. And considering the Liberty didn't finish far off from the Indiana Fever in terms of turnover rate, I'd feel pretty good about playing the "Let's alleviate our potential half-court issues by forcing a bunch of turnovers" card if I'm the Sky.
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If the Sky come out aggressive defensively, the Liberty's frontcourt will have to keep the chain moving. Pick-and-pops with Stefanie Dolson may need to be fruitful&nbsp;and&nbsp;plentiful. She shot 39.4% from three this season, but did so on fewer than 2 attempts per contest. Her season-high for three-point attempts was 5; one of the two times she hit that mark came against the Sky.
Short-rolling Natasha Howard will need to be in full effect. Han Xu will have to punish rotating defenses if she's the screener for Ionescu. If the Liberty are able to do that, the pathway to an upset becomes more clear.

Nekias Duncan previews two series in the first round of the WNBA Playoffs, highlighting a key question heading into each series.

2022 WNBA Playoff Primer Part I: Aces-Mercury, Sky-Liberty

It really took the entire season for the WNBA to solidify its playoff hierarchy.
We had four teams battling for two spots on the very last day of the regular season with the top seed also in flux. Late-season injuries, breakout players and roller-coaster games made it challenging to even visualize what the 2022 postseason would look like.&nbsp;
Now, the dust has settled, and we've arrived at what should be a chaotic, thrilling three rounds of playoff basketball.
I've listed one noteworthy statistic for each team that's worth remembering as we get into the games. This won't be a full playoff preview (we have one coming though!), but more a snapshot glance at the flavors and storylines surrounding each squad. Get yourself ready for Wednesday's first round here!
1. LAS VEGAS ACES
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Number to note: 37
The Aces have been on top of the league practically all season, and are led by an MVP frontrunner in A'ja Wilson. But the most impressive number I found came from Las Vegas' leading bucket-getter. Kelsey Plum canned 37 unassisted made triples in the regular season. According to the PBP Stats hub, which contains data back to 2009, that's the second-most of any player in a single season behind only Diana Taurasi (47 in 2018).&nbsp;
Plum's stepback game is just filthy. She can also rise into her shot so quickly, which flummoxes screening defenders hoping to contain her. Plum is averaging twice as many unassisted three-point makes per 100 possessions (4.57) as she has in any other season of her career, and she's still shooting over 42% from distance. She will be an instant highlight throughout this postseason.
2. CHICAGO SKY 
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Number to note: 11
The Sky have dished out a whopping 11 at-rim assists per game in the regular season. That's by far the most in PBP Stats' WNBA database, which dates back to 2009. Chicago has lead the league in at-rim assists each of the last five seasons, but the team hit an impressive new frontier in 2022.
Courtney Vandersloot led The W with 3.0 at-rim assists per game this season. Candace Parker (2.4) and Emma Meesseman (1.8) also placed in the top 15. With a dazzling playmaker like Vandersloot, big passing hubs like Parker and Meesseman and an all-world slasher in Kahleah Copper, Chicago can creatively pressure the paint like no other.
3. CONNECTICUT SUN
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Alyssa Thomas (<a href="https://twitter.com/athomas_25?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@athomas_25</a>) had herself a night recording her FIRST career triple-double, becoming the 11th player with a triple-double in WNBA history, and 4th player with a triple-double this season 👏 ✅15 PTS ✅12 AST ✅10 REB ✅3 STL <a href="https://t.co/zeVwHDj0kh">pic.twitter.com/zeVwHDj0kh</a>
&mdash; WNBA (@WNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/WNBA/status/1550897698563244034?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Number to note: 12.7
Don't be fooled by the third-seed billing; Connecticut has been perhaps the hottest team in the league since All-Star weekend. The Sun's 12.7 Net Rating ranks at the top since the break, and they also hold the league's best Defensive Rating (95.9) in that span.&nbsp;
The Sun are, amazingly, the only team with zero players averaging at least 15 points per game post-All-Star. They've had an incredible blend of spotlight stars in the last month. Alyssa Thomas posted the first two triple-doubles in franchise history. Jonquel Jones is maintaining her MVP-caliber dominance with a lighter minutes load. Natesha Hiedeman has drilled 48.6% of her threes since the break.&nbsp;
Connecticut's starting lineup of Hiedeman, Courtney Williams, DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas and Jonquel Jones has the third-best cumulative plus-minus in The W post-All-Star break &mdash; and the team has Brionna Jones coming off the bench. Everything seems to be clicking at the right time.&nbsp;
4. SEATTLE STORM
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Number to note: 84
No WNBA pairing has assisted each other more than the dynamic duo of Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. They've connected a combined 84 times this season, with 62 assists coming from Bird and 22 from Stewart. Seattle has a high-octane offense, and these two help fuel the engine.
Several of these assists come from Stewart getting into her bag in the post. But Bird will also orchestrate sets that give Stewart driving and cutting chances. In return, Stewart recognizes help when she's posting up, and frequently hits Bird for open three-pointers. They've got some of the best chemistry you'll see between any two teammates in the playoffs.
5. WASHINGTON MYSTICS
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Number to note: 24.1
Shakira Austin has entrenched herself as a highlight of an impressive 2022 rookie class. The third overall pick is already one of the top rebounders in the WNBA, and her defensive rebound rate off of missed field goals (24.1%) is third among all players with at least 500 minutes played, per PBP Stats. Austin is also sixth in offensive rebound rate (9.5%). She racked up 40 putback points this season, tying her for seventh with Tina Charles.
Even at 6-foot-5, Austin isn't really a bruiser. The way she hones in on a rebound is almost falcon-like. She soars past boxouts with a burst and can high-point the ball with precision. As Mark Schindler <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/shakira-austin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote earlier this season</a>, Austin's budding two-way skills are also worth following, but she's already arrived as one of the best on the boards.
6. DALLAS WINGS
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Number to note: 3.2
Arike Ogunbowale will miss at least the first round of the playoffs after suffering an abdominal injury. Rookie Veronica Burton has been thrust into the starting lineup in her absence, putting the Northwestern guard into the spotlight just as the young Wings prep for the postseason.
Burton's still experiencing the steep professional learning curve. But, as evidenced by her 3.3% steal rate, the second-best among WNBA players moving on to the postseason, she's already a defensive force.
Burton reads cutters like a fortune teller, as shown in the first two clips above. She also has the lateral movement to play uber-aggressively on digs and help because she can recover; in addition, she's spectacularly active with her arms and timing. It's just fun to watch her play defense, and it can help provide a spark for Dallas as it looks to upset Connecticut in the opening round.&nbsp;
7. NEW YORK LIBERTY
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Marine Johann&egrave;s just hit her sixth three with a one-legged jumper off the screen. 🤯 WHAT?! <a href="https://t.co/hZpcTDUDoL">pic.twitter.com/hZpcTDUDoL</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ownthecrown?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ownthecrown</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WNBATwitter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WNBATwitter</a>
&mdash; Landon Thomas (@sixfivelando) <a href="https://twitter.com/sixfivelando/status/1558900506512203777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Number to note: 41.4
The Liberty generate 41.4% of their team's shots from beyond the arc &mdash; the highest percentage in the WNBA this regular season. Sabrina Ionescu leads the squad from a volume perspective (7.3 attempts per game), but New York sends the ball around to several perimeter-oriented players.
Per PBP Stats, Sami Whitcomb and Marine Johann&egrave;s have the highest three-point attempt rates among anyone who logged at least 500 minutes this season. Whitcomb has made 35.1% of her triples this season, while Johann&egrave;s is a red-hot 43.7% from deep. Rebecca Allen (17th) and Ionescu (19th) also rank among the top 20 players in three-point attempt frequency.
8. PHOENIX MERCURY
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Another crazy stat: Diamond DeShields with 15 points in 18 minutes 🤯🤯<a href="https://t.co/151tuZHl3k">pic.twitter.com/151tuZHl3k</a>
&mdash; WSLAM (@wslam) <a href="https://twitter.com/wslam/status/1558291799755587584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 13, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Number to note: 236
The Mercury have played a grand total of 236 minutes without Skylar Diggins-Smith and Diana Taurasi on the floor this season. That's a small sample size &mdash; 160 of those minutes have come after Aug. 4, the last time either of them suited up for Phoenix. Diggins-Smith is currently out for undisclosed reasons with no timetable; Taurasi also has no updated timetable as she deals with a quad strain. Returning two stars would obviously be beneficial, but for now, Phoenix has to defend its 2021 Finals run with its supporting cast.
Fortunately, several players have stepped up when the Mercury has needed them. Sophie Cunningham has shined in a Swiss Army Knife-type role, as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/sophie-cunningham-giving-phoenix-a-lift-at-the-4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan detailed earlier this summer</a>. Diamond DeShields dropped a pair of 20-plus-point outbursts in two huge games to help Phoenix reach the postseason. Brianna Turner is one of the best shot-blockers in the league.
The Cunningham-Turner-DeShields trio has a minus-4.33 NET this season without Taurasi and Diggins-Smith. Phoenix's most-played lineup since Aug. 5 includes those three, Shey Peddy and Jennie Simms; they're a minus-1 in 68 minutes. We'll see how well they can hold up without the star backcourt duo.&nbsp;

Ethan Fuller lists one noteworthy stat to monitor for each team in the 2022 WNBA Playoffs.

2022 WNBA Playoffs: One key stat to know for each team

It simply wasn't supposed to be this way.&nbsp;
On paper, the Minnesota Lynx were supposed to be one of the dark-horse contenders in the WNBA heading into this season. A Hall-of-Famer on the sidelines in Cheryl Reeve; a dominant frontcourt, headlined by future Hall-of-Fame center Sylvia Fowles and budding star Napheesa Collier. With health, a wing group featuring Kayla McBride and Aerial Powers could give defenses fits in all three levels.
In reality, we haven't seen Collier, as she's been out due to the birth of her first child (congrats!). Fowles is now out indefinitely with a knee injury, halting another All-Star-caliber season and potentially ending her legendary career on a low note. McBride has missed five games due to injury; Powers, with the lack of creation chops around her, has been overtasked for most of the season. Her efficiency numbers &mdash; 36% from two, 29% from three &mdash; are not at all indicative of how good she actually is.&nbsp;
With the roster in flux for most of the season &mdash; heck, you go back to preseason with the surprising release of 2020 Rookie of the Year Crystal Dangerfield, the return of Odyssey Sims and the eventual release of Sims &mdash; the Lynx haven't been able to find a rhythm. They currently sport The W's worst record at 3-13. Though they got off to a slow start last season and ended their campaign by winning 17 of their last 20 games, it's difficult to envision them having a similar turn of fortune.
However, in the midst of the things that have gone wrong for them at this point, I'd like to highlight one of their silver linings. Versatile forward Jessica Shepard has been plugging holes all over the place, particularly on the offensive end.
She's having the best season of her young career: a career-high in minutes (29.1), points (9.6), rebounds (8.4), two-point percentage (51.5%), three-point percentage (26.7%), free throw rate (41.5), True Shooting Percentage (55.2%), and a career-low turnover rate (16.2).
Against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday night, Shepard slapped up a career-best 22 points, 19 rebounds (also a career-high), and 6 assists in 28 minutes off the bench. It was a wildly efficient outing as well; in addition to shooting 9 of 11 from the field, her 6 assists only came with a pair of turnovers. It isn't responsible to define&nbsp;a player by their absolute best game, but Sunday's outing was a nice window into what Shepard's been providing all season.
Though it'd be easy to start with the scoring, I find myself most impressed by the way Shepard reads the floor. She maps it out incredibly well, which is what allows the Lynx to use her directly as a high-post hub, a handoff partner, a short-roll playmaker in ball-screens. If not directly, she's able to find her own offense with impromptu cuts and a nose for the glass. You don't grab 19 boards, 6 on the offensive end, without knowing where to be.
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Not only does Shepard have incredible court awareness, but she also combines it with ball skills that a player her size shouldn't have. She's a deft handler and passer, which opens up the playbook for inverted sets or, again, allows her to take matters into her own hands with randomness.
There was this nifty drive from Shepard against Dearica Hamby, after relocating to the short corner:
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Early in the fourth, the Lynx went to high post with Shepard to set up this screen-plus-flare action for McBride. Peep the live-dribble lefty feed from Shepard.
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This might've been my favorite possession of the night from her as a playmaker.
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It's a beautiful setup from the Lynx.
An Elevator set with McBride in the weak-side corner is certainly a way to spread the floor. Shepard exacerbates things by slipping to the basket after setting her side of the screen. Hamby attempts to pick her up, but she's on Shepard's hip.
A'ja Wilson has to choose between rotating down to cut off a shot from Shepard, or staying home on the sharpshooting McBride. The second Wilson shifts her weight towards Shepard, Shepard hits McBride with a touch pass to the corner for an open triple.
The movement, feel, and playmaking chops were all on display within a six-second span.
On the scoring front, it's important to note Shepard's touch. It hasn't quite translated to three-point range this season &mdash; she shot 4 of 11 (36.4%) from three in the first five games of the season, but has attempted four threes since &mdash; but she's a quality outlet inside the arc. She's comfortable as a pick-and-pop threat against drop coverage. When asked, she can chew up some space and finish in the intermediate area.
Deeper in the paint, Shepard is an able finisher with either hand. More importantly, she does her work early. When she isn't cutting into space at random, she's able to use her frame to shield off defenders to help her set up shop in the paint. There's a reason she's converting a career-high 62.3% inside of 3 feet this season.
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This isn't just the best campaign of Shepard's career, it also happens to be the healthiest. Heading into this season, she had only logged 343 minutes across 28 games. She's already up to 465 minutes this year!&nbsp;
For everyone's sake, hopefully the Lynx as a whole are able to get healthy and put together a run. The talent is there, when it's available.
For now, let's enjoy Shepard's breakout. It's been a long time coming.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the under-the-radar season of Minnesota Lynx forward Jessica Shepard.

Jessica Shepard shining in dark season for the Minnesota Lynx

As a viewer who actually enjoys watching basketball &mdash; and especially playoff basketball &mdash; I get miffed when social media brands with influence post like this:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Biggest lead each game this series: Game 1: Heat by 20 Game 2: Celtics by 34 Game 3: Heat by 26 Game 4: Celtics by 32 Game 5: Celtics by 23 This series sucks. <a href="https://t.co/Ul80OhALE3">pic.twitter.com/Ul80OhALE3</a>
&mdash; StatMuse (@statmuse) <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1529659726438404096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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I recognize that StatMuse isn't a traditional news outlet and that its primary purpose is to, well, let's call it "generate discussion." However, to say "this series sucks" is beyond simplistic and standoffish &mdash; I would even argue it's untrue.
The Eastern Conference Finals' games have not been particularly close on the scoreboard. It might be an acquired taste for NBA fans who want to see a spectacle at the end of a game instead of during the middle quarters. But the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have absolutely slugged it out in a 3-2 battle in the trenches. It's created one of the more bizarre series we've seen, fully loaded with lockdown defense and herky-jerky offense.
The numbers this series is spitting out are also, quite frankly, unreal. I'd like to round some up for you to give you an impression of the bizarre, trippy, straight-up mystifying nature of these past five games.
Let's start with last night, courtesy of the Miami Herald's David Wilson:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The Heat missed 38 three-pointers tonight, the second most in a single playoff game in NBA history.
&mdash; David Wilson (@DBWilson2) <a href="https://twitter.com/DBWilson2/status/1529659717026566144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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The Heat, almost literally, could not buy a perimeter bucket on Wednesday. They shot 7-of-45 from beyond the arc. That 15.6% clip is the fourth-worst of this postseason, but none of the three ahead surpassed 40 attempts in the game. In fact, only twice in the regular season (Dallas on March 9 and Boston on Dec. 29) did a team shoot worse on over 40 attempts.
Doubly-in fact, only two other postseason games have ever seen a team shoot under 20% on at least 40 three-point attempts:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>May 28, 2018: The Houston Rockets went 7-for-44 (15.9%) in one of the most infamous Game 7 meltdowns in playoff history, losing 101-92 to the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.</li>
<li>Aug, 29, 2020: The Oklahoma City Thunder shot 7-for-46 (15.2%) and lost Game 5 to the Rockets in the first round.</li>
</ul>
It was a rough night, led by the backcourt of Kyle Lowry and Max Strus.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Kyle Lowry and Max Strus went a combined 0-15 in Game 5. According to <a href="https://twitter.com/EliasSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EliasSports</a>, that's the worst 0-fer for a starting backcourt in playoff game since starters were officially tracked in 1970-71. <a href="https://t.co/PiGKhQQAA3">pic.twitter.com/PiGKhQQAA3</a>
&mdash; ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNStatsInfo/status/1529661050441834497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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So, this is just an ugly series where the Heat are missing shots, right?
Wrong!
Both the Celtics and Heat have fortified the perimeter. Miami is attempting 12.8 "wide open" perimeter shots per game, categorized as an attempt when the closest defender is at least 6 feet from the shooter. It's even lower for Boston at just 10.4 attempts per game. Both teams are actually shooting fairly well when they find these looks, with the Celtics hitting at a 40.4% clip and the Heat at 37.5%. They just have scarcely found these chances.
The table below compares how made wide-open shots both teams found at different segments of the season, plus the percentage of their total three-point attempts that were wide open (scroll right for full table):
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Season Segment</td>
<td>BOS wide-open 3PA/game</td>
<td>BOS wide-open 3PA/total 3PA</td>
<td>MIA wide-open 3PA/game</td>
<td style="width: 15.745349216710183%;">MIA wide-open 3PA/total 3PA</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Regular Season</td>
<td>16.5</td>
<td>43.8%</td>
<td>13.5</td>
<td style="width: 15.745349216710183%;">37.7%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">First Round</td>
<td>16.5</td>
<td>47.8%</td>
<td>14.2</td>
<td style="width: 15.745349216710183%;">36.9%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Second Round</td>
<td>20.0</td>
<td>47.9%</td>
<td>13.2</td>
<td style="width: 15.745349216710183%;">41.4%</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td style="width: 31.490698433420366%;">Conference Finals</td>
<td>10.4</td>
<td>30.1%</td>
<td>12.8</td>
<td style="width: 15.745349216710183%;">35.9%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Look at that drop-off for Boston! After the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks effectively dared the Celtics' complementary players to knock down threes, the Heat haven't given them breathing room. Meanwhile, Boston has only made life more difficult for a Miami offense that already struggled to create open looks. It's like watching two snakes try to squeeze the life out of each other.
Circling back to Wednesday night, only 14 of Miami's 45 three-ball attempts were categorized as wide open. The Heat actually went 5-for-14 for a half-decent 35.7% clip on those shots... which means they were 2-for-31 (6.5%) on shots with some level of contest. I just shivered.
Let's stay with Game 5:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Half-court offense at the 6:22 mark, per <a href="https://twitter.com/cleantheglass?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cleantheglass</a> Miami: 58.8 ORTG Boston: 50.0
&mdash; Nekias (Nuh-KY-us) Duncan (@NekiasNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1529635748621713410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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When Nekias tweeted this, Jayson Tatum had just fouled Jimmy Butler and the Heat led 27-22. That already is brutal, and these half-court Offensive Ratings are just over half of the 95.8 league average of the playoffs.&nbsp;
Boston figured something out as the game went on and finished Game 5 averaging 92.5 points per 100 half-court possessions. Miami's half-court ORTG: 58.8!?! You don't need me to tell you that's easily the worst rating of the postseason, with the Heat's Game 4 (65.7) not far behind. Miami's half-court offense is in a... state.
But let's not turn on the Heat too much (is that a pun and a double meaning in one sentence?). Miami racked up 19 steals in Game 3, the most by any team in a playoff game since the Bucks swiped 20 in 2015 and the second-most since 2004-05. According to Cleaning the Glass, Boston's 25.5% turnover rate in that contest is the most from the franchise in any game &mdash; regular season or playoffs &mdash; since 2014.
The Heat have three players with a steal rate above 2.0% this postseason, per Cleaning the Glass: Victor Oladipo (2.7%), Butler (2.4%) and Caleb Martin (2.1%). Oladipo and Butler are both averaging 1.8 steals per game in the conference finals, while Lowry (1.3) and PJ Tucker (1.2) aren't far behind. And while Gabe Vincent hasn't gotten the steals to match, his 3.2 deflections per game tie the second-best average in the series behind only Butler.&nbsp;
Miami relies on swarms of event creation to generate turnovers and support its sporadic offense. Boston wants to wear the Heat down in the half-court and take their confidence away.
Embrace the defensive warfare!
It may not look like your typical playoff thriller, but as the series record shows, an NBA Finals berth is still very much in play for both franchises.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>While I was reseraching the wide-open threes, I checked the other two conference finalists as well. The Warriors are in line with the Celtics and Heat, limited to just 11.0 attempts per game against the Mavericks. But Dallas... man. They're free to fire away, to the tune of a whopping 25.3 wide-open triples per game. You have to wonder what happens as they keep falling.</li>
<li>Staying on the subject of playoff shooting, here's a noteworthy graphic from SIS Hoops:</li>
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These conference finals have been defined by variance. Large swings in either direction have led to massive leads from each team in both series. How much of this can be attributed to the rise in three point attempts, as illustrated here? <a href="https://t.co/WCfQcar0HR">pic.twitter.com/WCfQcar0HR</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1529494752206303233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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<ul>
<li>That's exactly right, Slam Studios! Margin of victory doesn't define the playoffs.</li>
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Reminder that everyone&rsquo;s most beloved playoff series was a snooze fest until Game 7: Game 1 &ndash; GSW by 15 Game 2 &ndash; GSW by 33 Game 3 &ndash; CLE by 30 Game 4 &ndash; GSW by 11 Game 5 &ndash; CLE by 15 Game 6 &ndash; CLE by 14 Game 7 &ndash; CLE by 4 Are NBA fans doing some revisionist history? 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/MByPIqUuyL">pic.twitter.com/MByPIqUuyL</a>
&mdash; Slam Studios (@slamstudios) <a href="https://twitter.com/slamstudios/status/1529516755219095553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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