Jayhawks

Kobe Bryant built a career that turned routine nights into events. The lasting takeaway for some opponents and teammates is not a move or a moment. It is a warning about time.
Jason Terry says Bryant pushed him to treat life with the same intensity he treated preparation. Terry shared a lesson he says Bryant repeated as a reminder that the clock is not negotiable.
&ldquo;The most important thing I learned from Kobe is this: He once said that, as humans, we always think we have more time &mdash; that there will be a next play, another game, another day, or another opportunity to tell your daughters or your family members that you love them,&rdquo; <a href="https://r.org/2026/01/20/six-years-later-kobe-bryants-legacy-still-comes-back-to-time/">Terry shared with Ratings</a>.
&ldquo;But nothing is guaranteed. That&rsquo;s probably the biggest life lesson: live every moment to the fullest and strive to be the best.&rdquo;
Bryant&rsquo;s own words cut even tighter: &ldquo;The biggest mistake we make in life is thinking we have time.&rdquo;
<h2>A Day That Hit Close</h2>
For Terry, the message is tied to a memory that still feels too close to real time. <a href="https://www.kold.com/2021/01/27/kobe-bryant-was-supposed-take-jason-terry-again/">KOLD News 13 reported</a> Terry and Bryant were scheduled to coach against each other on Jan. 26, 2020, as their daughters played in a youth event.
Terry told the station he had seen Bryant and watched Gianna play in the days before the crash. The matchup never happened.
A plan on the calendar is not a guarantee.
<h2>A Rookie Who Stayed Late</h2>
Derek Harper remembers Bryant earlier, back when the story was still being written. Harper was with the Lakers during Bryant&rsquo;s rookie season in 1996, and he says the clearest sign of what was coming had nothing to do with a game.
&ldquo;Fun times, to be quite frank with you. The thing that stands out the most to me about Kobe Bryant is that, you know, you always, as players, get your ankles taped to go to work,&rdquo; <a href="https://r.org/2026/01/20/six-years-later-kobe-bryants-legacy-still-comes-back-to-time/">Harper said to Ratings</a>.
&ldquo;Well, Kobe was one of those guys. This is how I knew he would be great. He&rsquo;s one of those guys who, once everybody left after practice, yeah, he would re-tape his ankles to work on his individual game. And if someone is that dedicated to anything that they do, they&rsquo;re going to find success. And clearly, he goes down as one of the all-time greats.&rdquo;
That is not a highlight reel story. It is a habit story.
The gym was empty. He stayed anyway.
<h2>Confidence Without Needing Permission</h2>
Harper said Bryant did not need a veteran&rsquo;s approval to carry himself like a pro.
&ldquo;Is there anything that you know that you were able to teach him during that process? No, Kobe didn&rsquo;t need my teaching. I was open and willing to, but he just breathed confidence as a player, and not that he wouldn&rsquo;t have listened,&rdquo; Harper said. &ldquo;Kobe had his own demeanor. He had his own game, and he&rsquo;s one of the top 75 players in the history of the NBA.&rdquo;
The reputation for relentless work was not a late-career invention. Teammates saw it in the smallest routines.
<h2>How People Still Remember</h2>
<a href="https://people.com/remembering-kobe-and-gianna-bryant-on-the-5th-anniversary-of-their-deaths-8779979">People noted that</a>, five years after the crash, memorials and tributes continued worldwide and Vanessa Bryant announced plans to publish &ldquo;Mamba &amp; Mambacita Forever,&rdquo; a catalogue of murals honoring Kobe and Gianna.
<a href="https://www.si.com/onsi/athlete-lifestyle/news/russell-wilson-s-touching-kobe-bryant-gigi-tribute-on-five-year-death-anniversary">Sports Illustrated&rsquo;s Athlete Lifestyle highlighted</a> a tribute from Russell Wilson and Ciara, friends of the Bryant family, on that same anniversary.
<h2>What Stays With Players</h2>
Terry&rsquo;s lesson and Harper&rsquo;s memory come from different eras, but they point in the same direction. Time is shorter than you think. Work is louder than talk.
For players, that is the bridge between life and basketball. You prepare because the moment is coming, and you love people because you do not control how long you get.
&nbsp;
Kobe&rsquo;s legacy will always include championships and points.
But it also lives in the quiet hours after practice.

Kobe Bryant’s lessons still travel the world, inspiring athletes and fans with relentless work ethic, resilience, and a fearless pursuit of greatness.

Kobe Bryant’s Lessons Still Travel Worldwide

Alyssa Thomas has never been ordinary. She has never conformed to the traditional archetypes that have long defined basketball positions, nor has she allowed physical limitations &ndash; most notably two torn labrums in her shoulders &ndash; to dictate her game. Instead, she has rewritten the rules of what a forward can be, becoming the WNBA&rsquo;s most unique playmaker, a relentless competitor whose power and precision leave indelible marks on every contest.
Now, Thomas stands on the precipice of the one achievement that has eluded her: a WNBA championship. With the Phoenix Mercury, she is no longer just one of the league&rsquo;s most distinctive stars &ndash; she is the heartbeat of a team that has fought its way past both of last year&rsquo;s finalists, the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx, to sit just one series away from hoisting the trophy.
The one-of-a-kind blueprint
Thomas&rsquo; game is a study in contradictions. Listed at 6-foot-2, she is undersized compared to most dominant forwards, yet she plays with a ferocity that makes her feel much larger. She has no jump shot to speak of &ndash; her chronic shoulder injuries have left her unable to lift her arms fully above her head &ndash; yet she is among the WNBA&rsquo;s most creative offensive engines, manufacturing buckets through brute force, footwork, and finesse around the rim.
What sets her apart, however, is her vision. Thomas operates as a point forward in the truest sense, initiating offense with the instincts of a guard while anchoring the interior with her strength. No player in league history has more triple-doubles than Thomas, who has piled them up not through chasing numbers, but by simply playing the only way she knows: involving everyone, rebounding relentlessly, and attacking mismatches with precision.
Thomas is the ultimate connector, and when she is on the floor, everyone gets easier looks. Thomas is going to wear you down on both ends, and there&rsquo;s really no one else like her in the league.
Phoenix&rsquo;s resurgence this season
The Mercury have long been defined by legends, from Diana Taurasi&rsquo;s scoring brilliance to Brittney Griner&rsquo;s dominance in the paint, Phoenix&rsquo;s championship pedigree has always been tied to its superstars But this season, it&rsquo;s Thomas&rsquo; tenacity and versatility that have become the foundation of the Mercury&rsquo;s title pursuit.
In the quarterfinals, Phoenix knocked out the New York Liberty &ndash; a team that spent much of the season viewed as the championship favorite. Thomas imposed her will throughout the series, controlling tempo, dictating matchups, and ensuring Phoenix never wilted against a roster loaded with talent.&nbsp;
Then came the Minnesota Lynx, last season&rsquo;s runner-up, in the semifinals, a team known for physicality and defensive toughness. Once again, Thomas proved to be the difference, her relentless motor overwhelming Minnesota&rsquo;s interior presence while her passing picked apart their rotations.
Now, Phoenix sits at the doorstep of a championship. Thomas has emerged as the Mercury&rsquo;s lodestar &ndash; the player whose fingerprints are on every possession and whose competitive fire fuels the group &ndash; along with capable star teammates Satou Sabally and Kahleah Copper.
Redefining greatness and the reflection of a leader
Thomas&rsquo; rise to this moment is about redefining what greatness looks like in the WNBA. For decades, the league&rsquo;s superstars have often been bucket-getters &ndash; high-scoring guards or dominant post players who could bend games with sheer offensive output. Thomas represents a different mold.
Her greatness is measured in the connective tissue of the game: the rebound that sparks a fast break, the no-look pass to a cutting teammate, the defensive rotation that prevents a layup. She is the star who doesn&rsquo;t need the spotlight, the engine whose work is most felt in the way her teammates shine brighter.
And yet, Thomas herself has built a resume that cannot be ignored. She is the WNBA&rsquo;s all-time leader in triple-doubles, a perennial All-Star, and a force who consistently pushes her teams to overachieve. Still, for all her accolades, the absence of a championship has loomed large. With Phoenix, that narrative has a chance to finally change.
It is no coincidence that Phoenix&rsquo;s postseason surge has mirrored the very qualities Thomas embodies. The Mercury have played with resilience, grit, and selflessness &ndash; the same hallmarks of Thomas&rsquo; game. Every possession feels like a battle, and every victory has been earned through effort rather than ease.
This title run is about Thomas validating a career defined by sacrifice and unconventional brilliance. Few players would have thrived without a jump shot in today&rsquo;s game, but Thomas has carved a path by emphasizing everything else: defense, rebounding, playmaking, and leadership. She has shown that dominance comes in many forms, and that sometimes it is not just about the one filling up the scoring column, but the one making sure everyone else is in position to succeed.
Legacy in the making
The Mercury&rsquo;s journey is not complete. A championship series looms, either with the Indiana Fever or 3-time MVP A&rsquo;Ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces, and with it, the most difficult test of all. Opponents will key in on Thomas, daring Phoenix to find answers elsewhere. But Thomas has spent her entire career proving doubters wrong, overcoming obstacles that might have ended others&rsquo; careers, and finding ways to impose her will regardless of circumstance.
This, perhaps, is her ultimate chance to etch her name alongside the greats. Not just as the triple-double queen, not just as the league&rsquo;s most unique forward, but as a champion.
If Phoenix completes this run, it will be impossible to tell the story of the 2025 WNBA season without Alyssa Thomas at its center. She has already changed the way the game is played and understood, expanding the definition of stardom and forcing observers to appreciate the value of versatility.
Now, with the Mercury one step away from glory, Thomas is poised to add the ultimate chapter to her legacy. For a player who has done everything except win it all, the moment has arrived. And if the past few weeks are any indication, she is more than ready &ndash; because Alyssa Thomas has never been ordinary &ndash; she has been extraordinary in every sense of the word.

Alyssa Thomas, the WNBA’s triple-double queen, is powering the Phoenix Mercury’s title run.

WNBA triple-double queen Alyssa Thomas ready to lead Phoenix Mercury to a title

The Chicago Sky don’t deserve Angel Reese. Read more why:

The Chicago Sky as an organization do not deserve Angel Reese

Superstardom in basketball often comes wrapped in fireworks. The game&rsquo;s biggest names make their presence known through show-stopping moves, deep three-pointers that ignite crowds, or sheer force of dominance that leaves opponents powerless. Caitlin Clark electrifies arenas with logo-range bombs and flair; A&rsquo;Ja Wilson overwhelms foes with two-way dominance that commands respect every trip down the floor; Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier anchor their teams with consistent excellence, night after night.
Then there&rsquo;s Paige Bueckers.
Her game does not scream &ndash; it whispers, it slices, it dissects. Watching her on the floor is less like witnessing an explosion and more like marveling at a surgeon&rsquo;s steady hand. Every dribble, every step, every release feels intentional, deliberate, and clean. The impact is undeniable, even if it doesn&rsquo;t come with the same flash. In her own quiet way, Bueckers is staking her claim as one of the league&rsquo;s next great superstars &ndash; and perhaps its most efficient.
<h3>The silent assassin</h3>
Bueckers&rsquo; style of play is surgical. For a rookie, she looks far too calm, too assured, too unbothered by the chaos around her. She is often described as a &ldquo;silent assassin,&rdquo; and it&rsquo;s easy to see why. She doesn&rsquo;t pound the ball endlessly to create a shot, and she doesn&rsquo;t force the issue. Instead, she glides to her spots, punishes defenses with midrange precision, and makes the right play look effortless.
That simplicity is what makes her lethal. There&rsquo;s no wasted motion, no overcomplication. Just a commitment to the fundamentals, elevated by elite shot-making. If Clark&rsquo;s game is fireworks on the Fourth of July, Bueckers&rsquo; is a perfectly composed symphony &ndash; less noise, more harmony.
And when the time comes, she knows how to deliver a performance that can&rsquo;t be ignored.
<h3>A record-breaking Night</h3>
The night Paige Bueckers truly announced herself to the league will be etched in WNBA history: Forty-four points. That was the most ever by a rookie in a single game. The most points scored by any player in the league this season. And she did it with surgical efficiency &ndash; 17-for-21 from the field, a perfect 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.
No rookie had ever scored 40 on 80% shooting. No player, period, had ever combined that level of volume with that level of accuracy. It wasn&rsquo;t just a scoring explosion &ndash; it was a masterclass in efficiency.
It was the kind of performance that silenced even the staunchest skeptics. The league is used to rookies flashing brilliance in spurts, maybe stringing together a few highlight games. What Bueckers did was different. It wasn&rsquo;t a fluke; it was the kind of controlled, methodical dominance that signals something greater.
For her, it was another step toward validating the superstar whispers that have followed her since her UConn days. For the league, it was the beginning of something that feels inevitable.
<h3>Rookie of the Year, but just the beginning</h3>
The accolades have already started piling up, Bueckers has won rookie of the year in a relatively loaded class. A record-breaking scoring outburst and a seat at the table with the league&rsquo;s biggest names &ndash; but what&rsquo;s more striking is how early in her career Bueckers is already shaping the narrative around her.
Unlike some rookies who burst onto the scene with loud declarations, Paige is building her case brick by brick, possession by possession. Her rookie campaign has been defined less by empty flash and more by a sustainable, repeatable style that screams longevity.
The comparisons to Clark, Wilson, Stewart, and Collier are natural &mdash; and instructive. Clark draws eyes with her audacity and range. Wilson establishes control by bending both ends of the court to her will. Stewart and Collier embody steadiness, a relentless rhythm of production.
Paige is carving her own lane. Efficiency is her weapon and precision is her calling card. Her game doesn&rsquo;t demand your attention, but it earns it.
<h3>More than just the numbers</h3>
What makes Bueckers&rsquo; rise so compelling is that her impact stretches beyond box scores. People talk about her composure, her ability to settle games when the pressure mounts. Coaches praise her basketball IQ, her uncanny ability to make the right reads. Fans, whether long-time WNBA followers or newcomers drawn by the league&rsquo;s surge in visibility, are seeing in her a different kind of star power &ndash; one that doesn&rsquo;t need theatrics to shine.
That contrast is important for the league. In an era where personalities and highlight reels often drive narratives, Bueckers provides balance. She shows there&rsquo;s room for a quieter kind of greatness, one that speaks through results rather than volume.
And yet, there&rsquo;s no mistaking the emotional pull of her story. To watch Paige play is to witness someone making the extraordinary look routine. That subtlety can be easy to overlook &ndash; until the records pile up, the accolades accumulate, and the wins keep coming.
<h3>A superstar in the making</h3>
Superstar trajectories are rarely linear, but Bueckers&rsquo; feels inevitable. She has the pedigree, the poise, and the production. More importantly, she has the unique ability to captivate audiences not by trying to be anyone else, but by leaning into exactly who she is.
The WNBA is in the midst of a golden era, with a wave of talent redefining what the league looks like. Clark, Wilson, Stewart, Collier, and others are pushing boundaries in different ways. Bueckers is right there with them &mdash; her rise just happens to sound more like a whisper than a roar.
And maybe that&rsquo;s the point.
In the end, superstardom isn&rsquo;t always about volume. Sometimes it&rsquo;s about precision. About making the difficult look simple. About showing the game in its purest form, without the extra noise.
Paige Bueckers doesn&rsquo;t need to scream to be heard. She&rsquo;s proving, possession after possession, that there&rsquo;s more than one way to define greatness. And in her own, quiet way, she&rsquo;s already making her case as the next face of the league.

Fresh off winning WNBA Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers is making her superstar case in her own, quiet way. Read how, here:

WNBA: Paige Bueckers is making her superstar case in her own, quiet way

For much of this season, it felt like the Las Vegas Aces were sleepwalking. The two-time defending champions stumbled out of the gates to start the season, unable to string together consistent wins, looking far from the juggernaut that had terrorized the WNBA over the past two summers. Critics circled, doubt crept in, and whispers of a dynasty unraveling began to surface.
Through it all, A&rsquo;Ja Wilson stayed steady.
And now, as the Aces have rattled off nine straight victories, Wilson has reminded the league &ndash; and the world &ndash; exactly who she is.
Over this scorching run, Wilson has been nothing short of historic. She delivered the first 30-point, 20-rebound stat line in WNBA history, a testament to her sheer dominance on both ends of the floor. She&rsquo;s scored 30 or more points in four of the nine games, imposing her will offensively while anchoring Las Vegas&rsquo; defense. The Aces, once floating outside the upper tier of the standings, are suddenly right back in the thick of the playoff picture, now sitting at the No. 3 seed.
This surge hasn&rsquo;t just been about winning games. It has been about reasserting Wilson&rsquo;s place at the top of the basketball hierarchy.
<h3>A reminder of greatness</h3>
When Las Vegas was losing early, it almost felt like people forgot. Wilson &ndash; a three-time WNBA MVP, two-time WNBA champion, two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, and Olympic gold medalist &ndash; was suddenly viewed as secondary in conversations about the best player in the world. Napheesa Collier and the league-best Minnesota Lynx drew the spotlight. Breanna Stewart, fresh off her title run in New York, remained a constant measuring stick. And with the Aces vulnerable, Wilson&rsquo;s brilliance was easier to overlook.
Even NBA 2K leaned into the narrative, releasing ratings that had Wilson just behind Collier. No disrespect to Collier &ndash; who has been phenomenal this year and is very much an MVP frontrunner &ndash; but Wilson&rsquo;s case isn&rsquo;t about who&rsquo;s having the better season. It&rsquo;s about who holds the crown when everything is on the line. And time and time again, Wilson has proven that the crown still belongs to her.
What makes Wilson the best in the world isn&rsquo;t just her numbers &ndash; though they are staggering. It&rsquo;s that at 6-foot-5, she can do everything a modern superstar needs to do. She can dominate inside with post-ups and rolls to the rim. She can step out and knock down jumpers. She can attack off the bounce like a guard. She rebounds relentlessly, blocks shots as the anchor of the defense, and even facilitates for her teammates when defenses send multiple bodies her way.
Few players in the history of the league have ever possessed this kind of versatility. And fewer still have been able to pair it with the consistency Wilson brings every single night.
<h3>Carrying the weight of expectations</h3>
What makes Wilson&rsquo;s current stretch even more impressive is the context. The Aces were vulnerable &ndash; and in the WNBA, that&rsquo;s rare for them. Their early-season struggles had many questioning if the dynasty window was closing. Was the roster too top-heavy? Was the wear-and-tear of consecutive title runs finally showing?
Instead of folding under the weight of those questions, Wilson absorbed them and responded with one of the best stretches of her career. She didn&rsquo;t just save the Aces&rsquo; season &ndash; she reminded everyone that Las Vegas&rsquo; championship pedigree begins and ends with her.
That&rsquo;s the definition of the best player in the world.
Wilson&rsquo;s greatness extends beyond the box score. It&rsquo;s the way her presence warps defenses, the way her intensity raises the level of her teammates, the way opponents know they have to prepare for her every second she&rsquo;s on the court.
In a league where talent has never been deeper, where stars are emerging left and right, Wilson still feels like the constant. She&rsquo;s the player you trust when the stakes are highest, the one you&rsquo;d bet on in a must-win game.
That&rsquo;s why her recent tear carries so much weight. It&rsquo;s not just domination for domination&rsquo;s sake. It&rsquo;s a reminder: this is still A&rsquo;Ja Wilson&rsquo;s league. Everyone else is just trying to catch her.
<h3>Respecting the competition, claiming the throne</h3>
None of this is to diminish what Collier and the Lynx have accomplished. Minnesota&rsquo;s resurgence has been one of the best stories in the league, and Collier has been spectacular. She may very well win MVP this season.
But the title of &ldquo;best player in the world&rdquo; doesn&rsquo;t always align perfectly with MVP voting. Sometimes, it&rsquo;s about more than a single year&rsquo;s worth of stats. It&rsquo;s about sustained dominance, the ability to elevate your team when everything is against you, and the proof that when it matters most, no one else can match your impact.
Wilson has proven it in championships. She&rsquo;s proven it with her defense, her scoring, her rebounding. And now, with her back against the wall earlier this season, she&rsquo;s proven it once again by dragging her team back into contention.
&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;
As the Aces continue to climb, the spotlight is returning to Wilson. The doubters have quieted. The conversations are shifting. And the league is being forced to reckon with the fact that, even in a year where other stars are shining, A&rsquo;Ja Wilson still stands tallest.
She doesn&rsquo;t just want to win games &ndash; Wilson wants to remind everyone who she is: the heartbeat of a dynasty, the cornerstone of her franchise, and the player who, no matter what happens this season, has earned the right to be called the best in the world.

A’Ja Wilson has powered the Aces back into contention, proving once again why she remains the best player in the world.

A’Ja Wilson reminds everyone why she’s the best player in the world

The WNBA has unveiled the ten starters for the highly anticipated 2025 AT&amp;T WNBA All‑Star Game, set for July 19 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Veterans Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever) and Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx) have already been confirmed as captains, earning the most fan votes &ndash; 1,293,526 for Clark and 1,176,020 for Collier.
Joining Clark and Collier in the backcourt are Paige Bueckers (Dallas Wings), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), and Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty). Bueckers, the No. 1 overall rookie, leads her class in scoring and assists and becomes the first Wings rookie starter. Gray notches her third straight All‑Star nod, while Ionescu secures her fourth.
The frontcourt lineup showcases elite talent: Aliyah Boston (Fever), A&rsquo;ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces), Breanna Stewart(New York Liberty), Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm), and Satou Sabally (Phoenix Mercury). Wilson and Stewart each earn their seventh All‑Star selection, while Ogwumike makes history with her 10th &ndash; a milestone tying legends like Tamika Catchings. Boston, in just her third pro season, maintains dominance with 15.9 PPG and 8.2 RPG. Sabally rounds out the frontcourt with her third nod.
The selection process combined fan (50%), player (25%), and media (25%) votes. Clark led guards in fan voting, while Wilson topped frontcourt tallies in player and media polls. Though star power in the voting was clear, several players, like Angel Reese, who are huge fan favorites, were snubbed, underscoring the high level of competition.
Looking ahead, All-Star reserves will be chosen by head coaches and announced on July 6, with team rosters revealed via a draft on July 8. The matchup kicks off All‑Star Weekend, spotlighting the WNBA&rsquo;s elite and celebrating its growing influence in women&rsquo;s sports.

The WNBA has unveiled the ten starters for the highly anticipated 2025 AT&T WNBA All‑Star Game, set for July 19.

Stars align: 2025 WNBA All‑Star Starters announced

Caitlin Clark had the 2nd triple-double of her impressive young WNBA career when she led her Indiana Fever to a win at home against the visiting Los Angeles Sparks Wednesday night.
The phenomenal super rookie had 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to cap off yet another strong performance for Indiana. Clark shot 47 percent from the field overall and had 3 steals.
This performance was just a cherry on top for Clark, who was awarded with both the Rookie of the Month and Eastern Conference Player of the Month before the game. Clark led the Fever to a 5-1 record to push them above .500 while averaging 24 points, 8.5 assists, and 5.2 rebounds.&nbsp;
Clark also continued to make history by becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to earn Player of the Month honors, and being the only rookie in WNBA history to record triple-double stat lines twice.
Indiana now moves to an impressive 18-16 record and firmly in playoff position after a horrid start at just 1-8. The Fever have completely turned it around behind Clark, a generational talent reaping the benefits of her hard work and tenacity.
All-star teammate Aliyah Boston accompanied Clark&rsquo;s effort with 24 points of her own and 14 rebounds for her double-double statline while Kelsey Mitchell and NaLyssa Smith added 18 and 13 points respectively.&nbsp;
Indiana has clinched their playoff spot, currently sitting in 6th place with six remaining play dates to go. The Fever have yet to make the playoffs since 2016, an 8-year drought.
On the other hand, A&rsquo;Ja Wilson continued to tear up the league with yet another dominant showing against the Chicago Sky.
The Las Vegas Aces superstar had 30 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals against rookie rebounding machine Angel Reese, who had 12 points and 16 rebounds of her own.&nbsp;
This was Las Vegas&rsquo; 3rd straight win to push their record to 21-12, currently the 4th seed in the league&rsquo;s playoff picture.

Caitlin Clark had the 2nd triple-double of her young career when she led her Indiana Fever to a win against Los Angeles Sparks.

Caitlin Clark puts up triple-double to lead Fever past Sparks

The USA Women&rsquo;s National Basketball team got what they needed as they proceeded to the knockout rounds flawlessly after defeating Germany, 87-68, at the Pierre de Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France in the 2024 Paris Olympics.&nbsp;
The Americans played well with no complacency at all despite already clinching their quarterfinal berth against a dangerous German team that beat Belgium in pool play. Team USA leaned on their talent and length on defense that made the Germans work on the offensive side of the floor.&nbsp;
That is now Team USA Women&rsquo;s 58th straight win in the Olympics as they secure the no.1 overall seed coming in the knockout rounds. Only 3 more wins and they complete yet another gold medal run and extend their dynasty to 8 straight Olympics.
A&rsquo;Ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart dominated once again for the Americans with 14 and 23 points respectively, but it was Jackie Young who starred in this game with 19 points built on 4 three-pointers.&nbsp;
Next up for Team USA Women&rsquo;s is a date between Nigeria who already have the country&rsquo;s best showing in the Olympics by making the quarterfinals. The other quarter-final pairings are the following, per FIBA after the Paris 2024 Olympics Basketball Tournament draw:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Spain v Belgium</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">France v Germany&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Serbia v Australia</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
ROAD TO GOLD 🥇 Women&rsquo;s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Basketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Basketball</a> Quarter-Finals are here 🔥<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Paris2024?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Paris2024</a> <a href="https://t.co/fRJCaPeLRI">pic.twitter.com/fRJCaPeLRI</a>
&mdash; FIBA (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1820213878132772893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2024</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

Team USA Women’s got what they needed as they proceeded to the knockout rounds flawlessly after defeating Germany, 87-68.

Team USA Women’s beat Germany, set up Paris 2024 quarterfinals matchups

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

Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White has been named the 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year, the WNBA announced today.&nbsp;
White becomes the fourth former WNBA player to win the award, joining Becky Hammon (2022), Sandy Brondello (2014) and Suzie McConnell-Serio (2004). This marks the fifth Coach of the Year honor in Sun history, and White is the third different Connecticut coach to earn the award (Mike Thibault, 2006 and 2008; Curt Miller, 2017 and 2021).
White received 36 votes from a national panel of 60 sportswriters and broadcasters.&nbsp;Latricia Trammell of the Dallas Wings finished in second place with 11 votes, and Brondello of the New York Liberty was third with six votes.&nbsp; Hammon of the Las Vegas Aces received three votes; Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx and Tanisha Wright of the Atlanta Dream each received two votes.
In her third season as a WNBA head coach and her first with the Sun, White guided Connecticut to a 27-13 record and set the franchise record for victories in a season. The No. 3-seeded Sun will continue its quest for the franchise&rsquo;s first WNBA championship when it hosts the No. 6-seeded Lynx today in Game 2 of a first-round playoff series (1 p.m. ET, ESPN). Connecticut leads the series 1-0.
White was named the WNBA Coach of the Month for May after leading the team to a 4-1 record, marking the best start by a Sun head coach in their debut season with the franchise. The Indiana native earned a spot as a head coach in the 2023 AT&amp;T WNBA All-Star Game after guiding the Sun to the second-best record (12-4) in the league through June. At the All-Star Game in Las Vegas, White led Team Stewart to a 143-127 victory over Team Wilson.&nbsp;
Beginning the season with a talented veteran core, White replaced the production of former Kia WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones, who had departed via free agency, and subsequently guided the Sun through the loss of 2022 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year and two-time All-Star Brionna Jones, who sustained a season-ending Achilles injury on June 20.
Under White&rsquo;s guidance, forward Alyssa Thomas and forward-guard DeWanna Bonner were selected as 2023 WNBA All-Stars during their memorable seasons. Thomas posted a WNBA single-season record six triple-doubles and became the first player in league history to log triple-doubles in consecutive games, doing so twice. She also led the league in rebounding (9.9 rpg), ranked second in assists (7.9 apg) and equaled her career high in scoring (15.5 ppg). Bonner became the first player in Sun history to record consecutive games of 30 or more points and scored a career-high 41 points in a 94-77 win over the Aces on June 8. She averaged 17.4 points for the season, the third-highest figure of her career.
As a team, the Sun ranked second in the WNBA in defensive rating (98.8) and fourth in offensive rating (103.2). Connecticut allowed a league-low 79.0 points per game.
The 2023 season marks White&rsquo;s 16th&nbsp;in the WNBA. She began her WNBA career with five seasons (1999-2003) as a player, first with the Charlotte Sting, then the Indiana Fever. As a coach, she spent four seasons as an assistant with both the Chicago Sky (2007-10) and the Fever (2011-14), helping Indiana win the 2012 WNBA championship. She took over as Fever head coach in 2015, leading Indiana to the WNBA Finals in her first season and another playoff appearance the following year.
Below are the voting results for the 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year Award:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/unnamed-2.png" alt="" width="540" height="212" />

Connecticut Sun head coach Stephanie White has been named the 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year, the WNBA announced today.

Connecticut Sun's Stephanie White named 2023 WNBA Coach of the Year

The NBA recently announced the top performers at this year's NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, headlined by Summer League MVP Cam Whitmore of the Houston Rockets.
Whitmore was widely projected to be a top-10 pick entering the 2023 NBA Draft, but he ultimately slipped to No. 20 overall. Houston jumped at the chance to add Whitmore to their talented young core.
Whitmore averaged 19.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists per game and showed plenty of flashes throughout Summer League.
The league also announced the All-Summer-League Teams, which can be found below. (Some of the most recognizable names didn't earn a spot on either team since they were shut down early.)
All-Summer-League First Team:
&bull; Keyonte George, Utah Jazz &bull; Sam Merrill, Cleveland Cavaliers &bull; Orlando Robinson, Miami Heat &bull; Hunter Tyson, Denver Nuggets &bull; Cam Whitmore, Houston Rockets
All-Summer-League Second Team:
&bull;&nbsp;Max Christie, Los Angeles Lakers &bull;&nbsp;Javon Freeman-Liberty,&nbsp;Chicago Bulls &bull;&nbsp;Xavier Moon, Los Angeles Clippers &bull;&nbsp;Emoni Bates, Cleveland Cavaliers &bull;&nbsp;Jabari Smith Jr., Houston Rockets &bull;&nbsp;Jalen Wilson, Brooklyn Nets
Due to a tie in voting between Christie and Moon, both players were added to the All-Summer-League Second Team.

The NBA recently announced the top performers at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

NBA announces Summer League MVP and All-Summer-League teams

It&rsquo;s the easiest call of the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-draft-2023-wembanyama-b3449d1a5f7a7de5906bb1979ffb2a26">NBA draft</a>: The San Antonio Spurs won.
That&rsquo;s not to say other teams didn&rsquo;t do very well on Thursday, when 58 players were selected as the league&rsquo;s newest members. But the Spurs being able to take generational French talent Victor Wembanyama puts them at the head of the class.
Some of the teams that also did well: NBA champion Denver, Golden State, Toronto &mdash; even with just one pick &mdash; and Orlando, which might now be closer to returning to the postseason mix.
A breakdown of which teams had Excellent drafts, those that had Good drafts and others that will have to Wait and See:
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h2 Component-p-0-2-71">EXCELLENT</h2>
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">DALLAS MAVERICKS</h3>
Picks: Dereck Lively II (12, via trade); Olivier-Maxence Prosper (24, via trade).
Dallas got the big man it wanted and created opportunity by moving Davis Bertans. Hard to argue that it wasn&rsquo;t a good night. And now free agency awaits. Prosper is another player with big potential and was extremely hard to guard at Marquette.
Picks: Julian Strawther (29), Jalen Pickett (32, will be acquired via trade), Hunter Tyson (37),
Pickett should have gone in the first round. He&rsquo;s that good, and the NBA champions just got another do-it-all guy who will also serve as insurance should Bruce Brown leave in free agency.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">DETROIT PISTONS</h3>
Picks: Ausar Thompson (5), Marcus Sasser (25, via trade), James Nnaji (31)
No matter what, the Pistons were going to get better and deeper on Thursday night. Thompson is incredibly athletic (even by NBA standards) and plays defense with a ton of energy.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS</h3>
Picks: Brandin Podziemski (19), Trayce Jackson-Davis (57, via trade)
Play to your strength, and the Warriors got another shooter to add to the mix with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Podziemski could add something right away, and came to Golden State on the same day that the Warriors swung a deal for Chris Paul by sending Jordan Poole to Washington.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">HOUSTON ROCKETS</h3>
Picks: Amen Thompson (4), Cam Whitmore (20)
Thompson is a great move and gives Detroit another great option as it builds. If Whitmore is healthy, then Houston got an absolute steal by getting the Villanova forward at No. 20.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER</h3>
Picks: Cason Wallace (10, via trade), Keyontae Johnson (50)
Wallace was great for Kentucky in his lone college season and played perhaps his best game in the Wildcats&rsquo; finale in the NCAA tournament. He can score; he didn&rsquo;t look to score quite often enough at times in college.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">ORLANDO MAGIC</h3>
Picks: Anthony Black (6), Jett Howard (11)
Paolo Banchero got a couple more shooters to help him out, and the young and talented Magic got more young talent. An excellent night again and it&rsquo;s time to start thinking about Orlando as a team that should make a run at the play-in &mdash; at minimum.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">SAN ANTONIO SPURS</h3>
Picks: Victor Wembanyama (1), Sidy Cissoko (44).
Their grade was secured at the very moment that the last ping-pong ball appeared at the lottery last month. Wembanyama was a no-brainer, and now it&rsquo;s up to the Spurs to start the real work &mdash; get him into the gym, see how he fits, and figure out what the plan is going forward.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">TORONTO RAPTORS</h3>
Pick: Gradey Dick (13)
Dick showed up to the draft in a red-and-black jacket &mdash; a nod to Dorothy from &ldquo;The Wizard of Oz&rdquo; and his Kansas roots. The color scheme will work in Toronto as well. Dick is a pure shooter, and no team can have too many of those. The jury&rsquo;s still out on what the Raptors will be this coming season, but this kid will be a rotation piece.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">UTAH JAZZ</h3>
Picks: Taylor Hendricks (9), Keyonte George (16), Brice Sensabaugh (28)
Hendricks is what an NBA big pretty much is now; a power forward who can also defend centers. George was the Big 12 rookie of the year at Baylor and is a proven scorer. He&rsquo;s good from the line, has 3-point potential and can get to the rim. There&rsquo;s some work to do, but he&rsquo;s a serious prospect.
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h2 Component-p-0-2-71">GOOD</h2>
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">BROOKLYN NETS</h3>
Picks: Noah Clowney (21), Dariq Whitehead (22), Jalen Wilson (51)
Clowney is an athletic big from Alabama whose game is still a bit unfinished. Whitehead has enormous potential and was highly recruited by Duke, but foot issues are a concern. Wilson was the Big 12 player of the year at Kansas. The Nets likely didn&rsquo;t choose three elite programs accidentally. Lot to like here.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">CHARLOTTE HORNETS</h3>
Picks: Brandon Miller (2), Nick Smith Jr. (27), Amari Bailey (41).
Miller made sense over Scoot Henderson because the Hornets have a point guard already. But Henderson might be the more NBA-ready player.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">INDIANA PACERS</h3>
Picks: Jarace Walker (8, via trade), Ben Sheppard (26), Julian Strawther (29), Mojave King (47, via trade), Isaiah Wong (55)
Walker plays hard on both ends, and this is rare to say, but he might play harder on defense than he does on offense. And getting Wong &mdash; the ACC player of the year &mdash; so late is a steal.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS</h3>
Picks: Kobe Brown (30), Jordan Miller (48)
Brown is a strong player, addicted to rebounding, and probably needs to improve considerably on the offensive end. Miller did a little of everything for the Miami Hurricanes in their run to the Final Four.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">LOS ANGELES LAKERS</h3>
Picks: Jalen Hood-Schifino (17), Maxwell Lewis (40, via trade).
Hood-Schifino got NBA coaching in college last season; Indiana is coached by Mike Woodson. He&rsquo;s a winner; his high school teams won, his Indiana team went to the NCAA Tournament and he&rsquo;ll obviously benefit from time with LeBron James.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">MIAMI HEAT</h3>
Pick: Jaime Jaquez Jr. (18)
A four-year college player whose game got more complete each year, Jaquez has a notorious work ethic that should fit in quite well with the Eastern Conference champions.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">NEW ORLEANS PELICANS</h3>
Pick: Jordan Hawkins (14)
Hawkins was a big part of UConn&rsquo;s team that won the national title last spring, earning his way onto the All-Tournament team. New Orleans got a winner.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS</h3>
Picks: Scoot Henderson (3), Kris Murray (23), Rayan Rupert (43).
Henderson has shown that he&rsquo;s NBA-ready. The Blazers drafted well. But really, the only question now is whether Damian Lillard is happy or not. Murray is the twin brother of Sacramento&rsquo;s Keegan Murray and had a big season for Iowa &mdash; averaging just over 20 points per game.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">WASHINGTON WIZARDS</h3>
Picks: Bilal Coulibaly (7, via trade), Tristan Vukcevic (42)
The Wizards are starting over, and on the day they also agreed to acquire Jordan Poole from Golden State they just happened to get a French player. (No, not that one.) But Coulibaly is highly touted by No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, and that&rsquo;s enough of an endorsement for us.
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h2 Component-p-0-2-71">WAIT AND SEE</h2>
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">ATLANTA HAWKS</h3>
Picks: Kobe Bufkin (15), Mouhamed Gueye (39, via trade), Seth Lundy (46)
Bufkin had a great second half of the season at Michigan, and left-handers always provide defenses with an extra challenge. The best way to describe his game is this: He doesn&rsquo;t do much wrong. Very solid, can help the Hawks in a lot of ways.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">BOSTON CELTICS</h3>
Picks: James Njaji (31, via trade), Jordan Walsh (38, via trade)
Still only 18, Njaji started playing the game about seven years ago and is not even close to reaching his potential yet. Big prospect.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">CHICAGO BULLS</h3>
Pick: Julian Phillips (35, via trade)
The Bulls had to forfeit what would have been their pick because of free-agency violations last summer, and swung a deal with Boston to land the Tennessee wing.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">CLEVELAND CAVALIERS</h3>
Pick: Emoni Bates (49)
He was touted as a star since basically middle school, had more than his share of promising moments in college, and now has to really prove himself.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES</h3>
Picks: Gregory Jackson II (45), Tarik Biberovic (56)
Prospects. They&rsquo;re not expected to provide any real help anytime soon.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">MILWAUKEE BUCKS</h3>
Picks: Andre Jackson (36, via trade), Chris Livingston (58)
Jackson was a big part of UConn&rsquo;s national championship. He&rsquo;s only going to benefit from being around Giannis Antetokounmpo every day.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES</h3>
Picks: Leonard Miller (33, via trade), Jaylen Clark (53)
Miller had a lot of big moments playing with Scoot Henderson and the G League Ignite this past season. Athleticism is tough to ignore.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">NEW YORK KNICKS</h3>
No picks.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</h3>
No picks.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">PHOENIX SUNS</h3>
Pick: Toumani Camara (52)
Given the trades that they&rsquo;re making, this might be one of their last picks for quite some time. There&rsquo;s nothing wrong with not valuing the draft, but giving up on it entirely is a dangerous game to play too often.
<h3 class="Component-root-0-2-81 h3 Component-p-0-2-71">SACRAMENTO KINGS</h3>
Picks: Colby Jones (34, via trade), Jalen Slawson (54)
Jones has skills the Kings crave; great shooter, great passing and great vision. A young Kevin Huerter-type in those regards.

Which teams came away from the 2023 NBA Draft as big winners? Check out the AP's draft report cards.

NBA draft report cards: Spurs, Rockets among teams that hit it big

On Tuesday afternoon, the NBA announced the 78 players who are expected to attend the 2023 NBA Draft Combine, which will take place at the Wintrust Arena and Marriott Marquis in Chicago from May 15-21.
Players will have interviews with NBA teams and participate in five-on-five games as well as shooting and strength-and-agility drills. Coverage of the 2023 NBA Draft Combine will begin May 17 on ESPN2 from 2-6 p.m. ET and continues May 18 from 4-8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
The NBA Draft Combine will also be available on the ESPN App. Strength-and-agility drills and shooting drills will be broadcast live on the NBA App on May 15 from 3-5 p.m. ET.
Additionally, a select number of standout players from the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-g-league-announces-45-draft-prospects-competing-in-g-league-elite-camp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2023 NBA G League Elite Camp</a>, which takes place May 13-14 at Wintrust Arena, will be invited to participate in the NBA Draft Combine.
Unfortunately, projected No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama won't be in attendance at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine as he has yet to finish his season overseas with Metropolitans 92.
Below is a list of expected attendees for the 2023 NBA Draft Combine:
<table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Trey Alexander (Creighton)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Seth Lundy (Penn State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Amari Bailey (UCLA)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Kevin McCullar (Kansas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Emoni Bates (Eastern Michigan)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Mike Miles Jr. (TCU)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Reece Beekman (Virginia)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Brandon Miller (Alabama)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Anthony Black (Arkansas)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Jordan Miller (Miami)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Adem Bona (UCLA)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Leonard Miller (G League Ignite)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Kobe Brown (Missouri)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Judah Mintz (Syracuse)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Kobe Bufkin (Michigan)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Dillon Mitchell (Texas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Toumani Camara (Dayton)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Omari Moore (San Jose State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Sidy Cissoko (G League Ignite)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Kris Murray (Iowa)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Jaylen Clark (UCLA)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Grant Nelson (North Dakota State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Noah Clowney (Alabama)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
James Nnaji (Barcelona [Spain] )
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Ricky Council IV (Arkansas)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Julian Phillips (Tennessee)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Gradey Dick (Kansas)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Jalen Pickett (Penn State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Nikola Djurisic (Mega [Serbia] )
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Brandin Podziemski (Santa Clara)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Zach Edey (Purdue)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Olivier-Maxence Prosper (Marquette)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Adam Flagler (Baylor)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Rayan Rupert (New Zealand Breakers [Oceania] )
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Keyonte George (Baylor)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Adama Sanogo (Connecticut)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Mouhamed Gueye (Washington State)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Marcus Sasser (Houston)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Coleman Hawkins (Illinois)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Brice Sensabaugh (Ohio State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Jordan Hawkins (Connecticut)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Terrence Shannon Jr. (Illinois)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Ben Sheppard (Belmont)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Taylor Hendricks (UCF)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Jalen Slawson (Furman)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
DaRon Holmes II (Dayton)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Nick Smith Jr. (Arkansas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Jalen Hood-Schifino (Indiana)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Terquavion Smith (North Carolina State)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Jett Howard (Michigan)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Julian Strawther (Gonzaga)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Andre Jackson Jr. (Connecticut)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Amen Thompson (Overtime Elite)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
GG Jackson II (South Carolina)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Ausar Thompson (Overtime Elite)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Trayce Jackson-Davis (Indiana)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Drew Timme (Gonzaga)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Jaime Jaquez Jr. (UCLA)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Keyontae Johnson (Kansas State)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Colby Jones (Xavier)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Tristan Vukcevic (Partizan [Serbia] )
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Ryan Kalkbrenner (Creighton)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Jarace Walker (Houston)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Arthur Kaluma (Creighton)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Cason Wallace (Kentucky)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Mojave King (G League Ignite)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Jordan Walsh (Arkansas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Bobi Klintman (Wake Forest)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Dariq Whitehead (Duke)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Maxwell Lewis (Pepperdine)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Cam Whitmore (Villanova)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Dereck Lively II (Duke)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Jalen Wilson (Kansas)
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td valign="top" width="312">
Chris Livingston (Kentucky)
</td>
<td valign="top" width="354">
Isaiah Wong (Miami)
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

The NBA announced the 78 players who are expected to attend the 2023 NBA Draft Combine.

NBA announces 78 Draft Combine participants, but no Victor Wembanyama

The NBA announced that 242 players have filed as early-entry candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft. Here is the complete list.

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme&nbsp;of Gonzaga is one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the men&rsquo;s college basketball player of the year.
He&rsquo;s joined by Zach Edey of Purdue, Trayce Jackson-Davis of Indiana, Houston&rsquo;s Marcus Sasser <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-auburn-houston-71fdd7fe1b3336cec5b544bf12d30e83">Marcus Sasser</a>&nbsp;and Jalen Wilson of Kansas.
Timme took his team farthest in the upset-riddled NCAA Tournament with Gonzaga losing in the Elite Eight. Sasser helped Houston reach the Sweet 16. Purdue lost in the first round, while Indiana and Kansas were beaten in the second round.
The winner will be announced April 4 on ESPN. All five players have been invited to Los Angeles for the 47th annual presentation on April 7.
Also among the top 10 vote getters were: Jaime Jaquez Jr. of UCLA, Brandon Miller of Alabama, Penn State&rsquo;s Jalen Pickett, Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky and Arizona&rsquo;s Azuolas Tubelis.
Voting took place from March 13-20.
South Carolina&rsquo;s Dawn Staley will receive the Legends of Coaching Award during the ceremony at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Drew Timme of Gonzaga is one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the men’s college basketball player of the year.

Gonzaga’s Drew Timme among 5 finalists for men’s Wooden Award

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

Anyone trying to fill out their NCAA Tournament brackets ought to start by figuring out which teams have the best backcourts.
This has been a guard&rsquo;s event for years.
When Kansas&rsquo; Ochai Agbaji helped the Jayhawks win the national title last season, he became the ninth straight guard to be selected as a Final Four&rsquo;s most outstanding player. The list started with Duke&rsquo;s Tyus Jones in 2015 and continued with Villanova&rsquo;s Ryan Arcidiacono, North Carolina&rsquo;s Joel Berry II, Villanova&rsquo;s Donte DiVincenzo, Virginia&rsquo;s Kyle Guy and Baylor&rsquo;s Jared Butler.
Occasionally a big man can dominate the college basketball landscape the way Anthony Davis did while leading Kentucky to the 2012 title, but they&rsquo;re the exceptions. The NCAA Tournament generally is all about guard play.
Here&rsquo;s a look at six backcourts that merit watching.
BAYLOR: L.J. Cryer, Adam Flagler and Keyonte George.
Baylor won the NCAA Tournament two years ago behind its outstanding backcourt and will try to do it again with a different set of guards. All three of them score at least 14.5 points per game. Flagler was one of five finalists for the Jerry West Award given to the nation&rsquo;s top shooting guard. He also earned AP first-team all-Big 12 honors. George, the best pro prospect in the trio, was a second-team all-Big 12 pick. Baylor ranks second in Division I in adjusted offensive efficiency, a metric measured by college basketball stats guru Ken Pomeroy that essentially translates to points scored per 100 possessions when adjusted for the level of competition.&nbsp;
HOUSTON: Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead.
Sasser is one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Award given to the national player of the year He&rsquo;s eager for this NCAA Tournament showcase after a foot injury ended his 2021-22 season after just 12 games. He injured his groin in the American Athletic Association Tournament and didn&rsquo;t play in Sunday&rsquo;s championship game, so it remains to be seen how close he is to full strength. Sasser has scored over 17 points per game each of the last two seasons. Shead has nearly three times as many assists as turnovers.
KANSAS: Gradey Dick, Dajuan Harris and Kevin McCullar Jr.
The defending national champions had to replace virtually their entire nucleus from last year but still put together an outstanding backcourt to complement forward Jalen Wilson, the AP Big 12 player of the year. Dick, a freshman, is a Jerry West Award finalist, scoring nearly 15 points per game; he arguably is more a small forward at 6-foot-8, but Kansas lists him as a guard. Dick and McCullar both were AP second-team all-Big 12 selections. McCullar, a Texas Tech transfer, has scored in double figures three straight seasons and is pulling down over 7 rebounds per game. Harris is dishing out over 6 assists per game and ranks third among all Division I players in assist-turnover ratio.
MARQUETTE: Kam Jones, Tyler Kolek and Stevie Mitchell.
Kolek, a Naismith Award semifinalist and the Big East player of the year, has 7.7 assists per game and has well over three times as many assists as turnovers. He was named the Big East Tournament MVP. Jones, a second-team AP all-Big East selection, leads Marquette in scoring and makes nearly three 3-pointers per game. Mitchell has over 7 points per game but is best known for his defense. This group helped Marquette win its first Big East outright regular-season title and first Big East Tournament championship.
MIAMI: Jordan Miller, Nijel Pack and Isaiah Wong.
This trio helped Miami win a share of the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title and earn the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2013. Wong is a Jerry West Award finalist and AP first-team all-ACC pick. He was named ACC player of the year by a 75-member panel including coaches and media representatives. Wong, Miller and Pack are each scoring over 13 points per game.
XAVIER: Souley Boum, Colby Jones and Adam Kunkel.
This trio helped Xavier lead all Division I teams in assists per game. Boum and Jones are each averaging over 4 assists per game, while Kunkel has 3 per game. They&rsquo;re also scoring about a combined 42 points per game. Boum, an AP first-team all-Big East selection, ranks second in the conference in scoring. Jones was an AP second-team all-Big East pick.

A look at six backcourts that merit watching in the upcoming men's NCAA Tournament.

March Madness: 6 backcourts worth watching in 2023 Men's NCAA Tourney

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) &mdash; The players flooded off the Texas bench, right past interim coach Rodney Terry and to the middle of the court inside T-Mobile Center, where they couldn&rsquo;t wait to get their hands on the trophy crowning them Big 12 champions.
After the season they had, who could blame them?
It began under the darkest of clouds with their high-profile coach, Chris Beard, fired following a domestic incident. Terry was given the job and the tall task of guiding the Longhorns through a grueling schedule, and what many have called one of the toughest conferences in college basketball history.
But after finishing second to Kansas in the regular season, the seventh-ranked Longhorns proved Saturday night they were champs in their own right, blowing out the third-ranked Jayhawks 76-56 in the Big 12 finals.
Dylan Disu overcame early foul trouble to score 18 points and was tournament MVP. Marcus Carr and Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice, who also landed on the all-tournament team, had 17 apiece. And just about everyone wearing burnt orange had a hand in shutting down the Jayhawks, who were trying to win a second straight tournament title.
&ldquo;There probably hasn&rsquo;t been a team challenged as much in terms of adversity or staying the course,&rdquo; Terry said, his voice long gone hoarse. &ldquo;There was no nights off. This tournament, we knew, was going to be tough as well, but we were excited about it, and these guys&rsquo; approach and their attitudes &mdash; they wanted to be champions, and they made it happen.&rdquo;
After going more than two decades without a Big 12 tourney title, the Longhorns (26-8) have won two of the past three, and likely wrapped up a No. 2 seed in next week&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament with their performance in Kansas City.
&ldquo;You only take this win for one night,&rdquo; said Brock Cunningham, who was on that 2021 title team that was then bounced in the first round of the NCAA tourney. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll have this win tonight and then we&rsquo;ll get back to work.&rdquo;
The Jayhawks played once again without Hall of Fame coach Bill Self, who went to the emergency room on the eve of their quarterfinal for an undisclosed medical procedure. Self&rsquo;s longtime assistant and acting coach, Norm Roberts, said afterward that he hopes to have Self back when they begin defense of their NCAA title next week.
Jalen Wilson scored 24 points and Joseph Yesufu, pressed into the starting lineup due to injuries, finished with 11 for the Jayhawks (27-7), who had won 13 of their previous 16 trips to the Big 12 finals.
The question now is whether the defending national champs did enough before Saturday night to earn the overall No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament, and with it a favorable road through Kansas City in the regional round.
&ldquo;Give Texas a lot of credit. They played really well,&rdquo; Roberts said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re very athletic; we knew that. Fast. They have some really good offensive players. I thought we did a good job early in the game, but then we missed a bunch of bunnies, easy shots and putbacks that could have kept us in the game, and then I think fatigue took over.&rdquo;
Both teams were missing starters Saturday night due to injuries &mdash; Kevin McCullar Jr. for the Jayhawks, Timmy Allen for the Longhorns &mdash; yet there was still plenty of star power on display inside T-Mobile Center.
Wilson, the league&rsquo;s player of the year, kept the Jayhawks afloat during a scattershot first half. He scored 17 points, more than half their total, while pounding the glass and even picking up a steal.
Texas, meanwhile, relied on depth and balance in forging a 39-33 halftime lead. It had to after losing Disu, a revelation in the previous two rounds, to a pair of fouls less than eight minutes into the game.
&ldquo;Everybody on the court was doing their part,&rdquo; Carr said later, &ldquo;cutting, moving, knocking down shots.&rdquo;
When Disu returned, the big man went right to work. He had a couple of baskets in the opening minutes, and a nearly five-minute drought by Kansas allowed the Longhorns to extend their lead to 53-41 with 12 minutes to go.
By that point, about 500 Texas fans sounded like 15,000. And about 15,000 Kansas fans were dead silent.
The knockout blow came moments later, when Disu&rsquo;s baskets bookended one by Rice, and Arterio Morris added an ally-oop dunk. That pushed the Longhorns&rsquo; lead to 70-50 with 4 1/2 minutes to go, and while Roberts finally called a timeout to slow the onslaught, it came far too late to make a difference.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think we really thought about the game was over at any point,&rdquo; Rice said. &ldquo;We just kept playing, and whatever the outcome was going to be when the buzzer sounded, that&rsquo;s what we cared about.&rdquo;
MISSING STARTERS
McCullar, the Jayhawks&rsquo; defensive dynamo, has been dealing with back spasms that flared up again during a semifinal win over Iowa State; he watched from the bench in sweats.
The Longhorns were without Allen all tournament while the veteran leader rested a lower leg injury ahead of the NCAA Tournament.
THE TAKEAWAY
Texas shot 50% from the field but was especially good inside the arc &mdash; the Longhorns were just 4 of 17 on 3s. And rarely did they go more than a couple of minutes without a basket, preventing Kansas from getting its crowd into the game.
Kansas was forced to use some different lineups with McCullar out, playing freshman MJ Rice extra minutes. The Jayhawks rarely seemed in sync, and that was evident in Dajuan Harris Jr. turning the ball over an uncharacteristic four times.
UP NEXT
The Longhorns and Jayhawks are headed to the NCAA Tournament. They&rsquo;ll learn Sunday night who, when and where they will play in the first round.

The seventh-ranked Longhorns blew out the third-ranked Jayhawks 76-56 in the Big 12 finals on Saturday.

No. 7 Texas rolls past No. 3 Kansas 76-56 for Big 12 title

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) &mdash; Tyler Kolek had 21 points and 10 assists, and No. 6 Marquette clinched its first outright Big East championship by beating Butler 72-56 on Tuesday night.
The victory was the fifth in a row and 10th in 11 games for the surprising Golden Eagles (24-6, 16-3), picked ninth by the league&rsquo;s coaches in the preseason poll.
Marquette, which had already secured a share of its first Big East title since 2013, had not won an outright regular-season crown since doing so in Conference USA in 2003.
Olivier-Maxence Prosper added 14 points and Oso Ighodaro had 12 for the Golden Eagles, who will be the top seed in the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden &mdash; an event Marquette has never won.
Jayden Taylor scored 13 and Jalen Thomas had 10 for Butler (14-16, 6-13), which finished 4-6 in Big East home games.
NO. 3 KANSAS 67, TEXAS TECH 63
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson scored 21 points in his Allen Fieldhouse farewell, fellow senior Kevin McCullar Jr. added 14 points and nine rebounds, and Kansas clinched a share of the Big 12 regular-season championship.
Dajuan Harris had 16 points for the Jayhawks (25-5, 13-4), who would capture the outright crown if ninth-ranked Texas loses to No. 22 TCU on Wednesday night. Otherwise, the Jayhawks &mdash; now with an NCAA-leading 64 conference championships &mdash; would need to beat the Longhorns in a head-to-head showdown Saturday in Austin.
De&rsquo;Vion Harmon had 15 points to lead Texas Tech (16-14, 5-12), which was just 3 of 16 from the 3-point line. Kevin Obanor added 14 points, Fardaws Aimaq had 13 points and 18 rebounds, and Pop Isaacs finished with 11 points.
NO. 12 TENNESSEE 75, ARKANSAS 57
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Olivier Nkamhoua scored 16 points and Tennessee earned its second consecutive win.
Despite the victory, the Volunteers (22-8, 11-6 Southeastern Conference) may have sustained a significant loss. Three minutes into the game, sophomore point guard Zakai Zeigler, who brings energy on offense and defense, went down with an injury to his left knee. The extent of the injury wasn&rsquo;t immediately known, but he did not return.
Santiago Vescovi, who took over the role of point guard for Zeigler, added 14 points and Josiah-Jordan James scored 11.
Anthony Black and Davonte Davis each scored 13 for the Razorbacks (19-11, 8-9). Nick Smith Jr. scored 14 and Ricky Council 11.
NO. 13 VIRGINIA 64, CLEMSON 57
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Jayden Gardner had 12 points and nine rebounds, Armaan Franklin and Isaac McKneely each scored 12, and Virginia stopped a two-game skid.
The Cavaliers (22-6, 14-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) moved into a tie for second place in the league with No. 16 Miami with one game remaining.
PJ Hall led the Tigers (21-9, 13-6) with 19 points and Hunter Tyson had 17. Clemson got within 59-55 with 33 seconds left, but Virginia made five free throws and had a steal, sending the Tigers to their fifth loss in eight games.
IOWA 90, NO. 15 INDIANA 68
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Kris Murray scored 26 points, Tony Perkins flirted with the first triple-double in Iowa history and the Hawkeyes defeated Indiana.
Perkins had 23 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high eight assists for Iowa (19-11, 11-8 Big Ten).
Trayce Jackson-Davis led the Hoosiers (20-10, 11-8) with 26 points and 13 rebounds. He became the school&rsquo;s career rebounding leader with 1,096 &mdash; on a night the Hoosiers lost their fourth in a row in the series.
BOISE STATE 66, NO. 18 SAN DIEGO STATE 60
BOISE, Idaho (AP) &mdash; Max Rice scored 26 points and reeled off 12 straight points in a 14-0 run to close out the game and Boise State remained perfect at home in conference play.
The Broncos (23-7, 13-4 Mountain West Conference) avenged a 20-point loss to San Diego State on Feb. 3. It was the Broncos&rsquo; first win over a ranked team this season. Tyson Degenhart scored 14 for Boise State, while Naje Smith added 10.
San Diego State (23-6, 14-3), which had already claimed a share of the conference crown with its buzzer-beating win over New Mexico on Saturday, failed to hold onto a late nine-point lead. Matt Bradley paced San Diego State with 16 points, and Micah Parrish chipped in 11.
NO. 24 TEXAS A&amp;M 69, MISSISSIPPI 61
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Tyrece Radford scored 13 points as Texas A&amp;M erased an early 12-point deficit to beat Mississippi.
Wade Taylor IV added 12 points and seven assists and Julius Marble scored 10 for the Aggies, who went 13 of 16 from the free-throw line in the second half to stave off the Rebels&rsquo; attempt at a late rally.
Texas A&amp;M (22-8, 14-3 Southeastern Conference) trailed 20-8 after seven minutes but took a 29-26 lead on Taylor&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 4:06 left in the first half. The Aggies never trailed again.
Matthew Murrell made 8 of 11 from 3-point range and scored 26 points to lead Ole Miss (11-19, 3-13).

The Golden Eagles had not won an outright regular-season crown since doing so in Conference USA in 2003.

No. 6 Marquette clinches first outright Big East title

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) &mdash; Big 12 scoring leader Jalen Wilson was struggling with his shot for third-ranked Kansas, and standout freshman Gradey Dick didn&rsquo;t score again after reaching 19 points only two minutes into the second half.
The Jayhawks, in pursuit of their 21st Big 12 regular-season title, still never trailed after halftime and extended the league&rsquo;s longest active winning streak to five in a row, beating 24th-ranked TCU 63-58 on Monday night.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve said all along, we&rsquo;ve got five guys that can all go out there and play and take over the game. And that&rsquo;s the beauty of our team,&rdquo; said Wilson, who had 13 rebounds while making only 3-of-11 shots for seven points, more than 13 below his season average. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re all going to have some type of effort to win. ... That&rsquo;s part of a championship team.&rdquo;
Damion Baugh missed a potential tying 3-pointer with five seconds left for TCU (18-10, 7-8 Big 12). Shahada Wells missed a follow-up layup before Kevin McCullar, who finished with 15 points, was fouled and made two free throws to seal it for the Jayhawks (23-5, 11-4).
Kansas began the night tied with idle eighth-ranked Texas for the conference lead. Coach Bill Self&rsquo;s reigning national champions have won seven of eight games since a three-game losing streak that included a 23-point home loss to the Horned Frogs.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t accomplished jack, but we&rsquo;ve put ourselves in a favorable position to maybe do something,&rdquo; Self said. &ldquo;Everybody talked about our sky&rsquo;s falling when we lost three in a row. In this league, that can happen easily. But we&rsquo;ve recovered pretty good since then.&rdquo;
Not even an appearance from Heisman Trophy runner-up Max Duggan could get the Frogs over the hump. They were within 56-53 with 6:07 left when the four-year starting quarterback, still in his tuxedo after receiving the Davey O&rsquo;Brien Award in a ceremony about four miles from campus, waved the crowd into a frenzy while going to a courtside seat.
&ldquo;He looked good tonight with the tux on,&rdquo; Self said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m just glad he didn&rsquo;t get here any earlier.&rdquo;
Neither team made a field goal in the final 4:19. TCU missed its last six shots over that span, while the Jayhawks were 0-for-4 in the final 4:45.
The Frogs tied the game at 48 with 10:13 left when Jakobe Coles made a tough leaner while being fouled, but missed the free throw that would have put them in the lead.
Mike Miles Jr. had 13 points for TCU, which has lost five of its last six games. The first four of those losses came when the guard was out with a hyperextended right knee. Coles added 12 points and Baugh had 11.
It was only the second game Miles and big man Eddie Lampkin played together for the Frogs since their 83-60 win at Allen Fieldhouse on Jan. 21. That was the second-worst home loss for Kansas in Self&rsquo;s 20 seasons.
With both of them starting again, TCU beat Oklahoma State 100-75 at home Saturday to end a four-game losing streak while hitting the century mark in a Big 12 game for the first time. Lampkin, who missed four of six games after a high left ankle sprain in the first meeting against the Jayhawks, had two points and eight rebounds in the rematch.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s disappointing how we played and how we executed and how we handled the situation,&rdquo; TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. &ldquo;Obviously played good in our last game, excited about having our guys back. But we just didn&rsquo;t carry it over.&rdquo;
BIG PICTURE
Kansas: The Jayhawks reached 11 conference wins for the 29th consecutive season, a streak that began in 1994-95 and is the longest active in Division I. They have three regular-season games left, two at home before the finale at Texas.
TCU: After shooting a season-high 68.6% against Oklahoma State two days earlier, the Frogs were a season-low 30.3% (20 of 66) from the field against Kansas. They missed their first eight shots in the first 5 1/2 minutes of the game, then missed their last six shots before the break. TCU missed nine of it last 10.
UP NEXT
Kansas is home Saturday to play West Virginia.
TCU travels to Texas Tech on Saturday.&nbsp;

The Jayhawks extended the league’s longest active winning streak to five in a row.