Rams

Two weeks after winning the women&rsquo;s NCAA national title, Paige Bueckers has taken her act to the WNBA.
The Dallas Wings picked the historic UConn guard to be their 1st overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft Monday night at The Shed in New York City.
Bueckers, who led the Huskies to their 12th national title, becomes the sixth player from the school to get drafted no.1 overall. She joins Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Tina Charles, Maya Moore, and Breanna Stewart in the exclusive list.
Now, Bueckers will be teaming up with WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale to form a dynamic backcourt for the Dallas Wings as they try to rebuild and get back to championship contention as soon as possible.
The draft also highlighted the league's growing international presence, with French center Dominique Malonga selected second by the Seattle Storm and Lithuanian guard Justė Jocytė picked fifth by the expansion team Golden State Valkyries.​
USC star Kiki Iriafen and Notre Dame mainstay Sonia Citron rounded up the top 5 picks of the first round after they were selected by the Washington Mystics.
Check out the complete recap of the draft below:
<h4>First Round</h4>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dallas Wings &ndash; Paige Bueckers (G, UConn)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Seattle Storm &ndash; Dominique Malonga (C, France)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Mystics &ndash; Sonia Citron (G, Notre Dame)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Mystics &ndash; Kiki Iriafen (F, USC)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Golden State Valkyries &ndash; Justė Jocytė (G, Lithuania)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Mystics &ndash; Georgia Amoore (G, Virginia Tech)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Connecticut Sun &ndash; Aneesah Morrow (F, LSU)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Connecticut Sun &ndash; Saniya Rivers (G, NC State)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Los Angeles Sparks &ndash; Sarah Ashlee Barker (G, Alabama)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chicago Sky &ndash; Aj&scaron;a Sivka (F, Slovenia)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chicago Sky &ndash; Hailey Van Lith (G, TCU)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dallas Wings &ndash; Aziaha James (G, NC State)​</li>
</ol>
Note: The Las Vegas Aces forfeited their first-round pick due to a league rules violation.
<h4>Second Round</h4>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Las Vegas Aces &ndash; Aaliyah Nye (G, Alabama)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dallas Wings &ndash; Madison Scott (F, Ole Miss)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Minnesota Lynx &ndash; Anastasiia Olairi Kosu (F, UMMC Ekaterinburg)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chicago Sky &ndash; Maddy Westbeld (F, Notre Dame)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Golden State Valkyries &ndash; Shyanne Sellers (G, Maryland)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Atlanta Dream &ndash; Te-Hina Paopao (G, South Carolina)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Indiana Fever &ndash; Makayla Timpson (F, Florida State)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Indiana Fever &ndash; Bree Hall (G, South Carolina)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Los Angeles Sparks &ndash; Sania Feagin (F, South Carolina)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chicago Sky &ndash; Aicha Coulibaly (G, Texas A&amp;M)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Mystics &ndash; Lucy Olsen (G, Iowa)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Minnesota Lynx &ndash; Dalayah Daniels (F, Washington)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Connecticut Sun &ndash; Rayah Marshall (F, USC)</li>
</ol>
<h4>Third Round</h4>
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Los Angeles Sparks &ndash; Serena Sundell (G, Kansas State)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dallas Wings &ndash; JJ Quinerly (G, West Virginia)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Los Angeles Sparks &ndash; Liatu King (F, Notre Dame)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Seattle Storm &ndash; Madison Conner (G, TCU)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Golden State Valkyries &ndash; Kaitlyn Chen (G, UConn)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dallas Wings &ndash; Aaronette Vonleh (F, Baylor)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Washington Mystics &ndash; Zaay Green (G, Alabama)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Indiana Fever &ndash; Yvonne Ejim (F, Gonzaga)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Seattle Storm &ndash; Jordan Hobbs (G, Michigan)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Las Vegas Aces &ndash; Harmoni Turner (G, Harvard)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Atlanta Dream &ndash; Taylor Thierry (G, Ohio State)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Minnesota Lynx &ndash; Aubrey Griffin (F, UConn)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">New York Liberty &ndash; Adja Kane (F, Landerneau Bretagne Basket)​</li>
</ol>

The Dallas Wings picked Paige Bueckers to be their 1st overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft Monday night at The Shed in New York City.

2025 WNBA Draft: Paige Bueckers goes no.1 to the Dallas Wings

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has officially announced its Class of 2025, with NBA luminaries Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard leading a distinguished group of inductees. The enshrinement ceremony is scheduled for September 5&ndash;6, 2025, at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut and the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Carmelo Anthony, a ten-time NBA All-Star, concluded his illustrious career ranked ninth on the NBA's all-time scoring list, amassing over 28,000 points. His journey began with the Denver Nuggets, followed by impactful stints with the New York Knicks and the Portland Trail Blazers. Internationally, Anthony secured three Olympic gold medals and one bronze with Team USA. Reflecting on this honor, Anthony expressed profound gratitude, stating, "This is it. It don't get no better than this."
Dwight Howard, an eight-time NBA All-Star, is celebrated for his dominance as a center, particularly during his tenure with the Orlando Magic, where he led the team to the 2009 NBA Finals. Howard's accolades include three NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards and a pivotal role in the Los Angeles Lakers' 2020 championship run. His defensive prowess and rebounding excellence have left an indelible mark on the league. ​
2008 U.S. Olympic 'Redeem Team' Recognition
Both Anthony and Howard will also be enshrined as members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team, famously known as the "Redeem Team." This squad, featuring legends like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Dwyane Wade, reclaimed Olympic gold in Beijing, reinstating USA Basketball's global dominance.
Celebrated Women's Basketball Icons
The Class of 2025 also honors WNBA legends Sue Bird, Maya Moore, and Sylvia Fowles. Bird, a five-time Olympic gold medalist, is renowned for her leadership with the Seattle Storm. Moore's exceptional career includes four WNBA championships with the Minnesota Lynx, while Fowles, also a key figure in the Lynx's success, holds the WNBA's all-time rebounding record.
Contributors and Officials
Additional inductees include Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan, Miami Heat managing partner Micky Arison, and esteemed NBA referee Danny Crawford, each recognized for their significant contributions to the sport.
The enshrinement festivities will commence with the Tip-Off Celebration and Awards Gala on September 5, followed by the official ceremony on September 6. Tickets and VIP packages are available through the Hall of Fame's official website.
This year's class epitomizes excellence across playing, coaching, and executive roles, reflecting the diverse and profound impact these individuals have had on basketball.​

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has announced its Class of 2025, led by Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard.

Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard headline 2025 Basketball Hall of Fame Inductees

The 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament has culminated in a formidable Final Four lineup, featuring UCLA Bruins, South Carolina Gamecocks, Texas Longhorns, and UConn Huskies. These teams will compete for the national championship at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, with semifinal games scheduled for Friday, April 4, and the title game on Sunday, April 6. ​
UCLA Bruins
UCLA secured its inaugural Final Four appearance by defeating LSU Tigers 72-65 in the Elite Eight. The Bruins showcased resilience and strategic play to overcome a formidable LSU team bannered by Aneesah Morrow, Flau'Jae Johnson, and Mikaylah Williams.&nbsp;
South Carolina Gamecocks
Maintaining their dominance, South Carolina reached its fifth consecutive Final Four by edging out the Duke Blue Devils with a 54-50 victory. The Gamecocks' tenacious defense and experience were pivotal in this hard-fought win. ​
Texas Longhorns
The Longhorns earned their first Final Four berth since 2003 by defeating TCU Horned Frogs 58-47. Madison Booker led Texas with 18 points, while Rori Harmon contributed 13 points. The team's robust defense forced 21 turnovers, nine steals, and six blocks, effectively neutralizing TCU's offensive threats, most particularly TCU star guard Hailey Van Lith.
UConn Huskies
UConn continued its storied tradition by advancing to its 24th Final Four, overcoming USC Trojans 78-64. Paige Bueckers delivered an outstanding performance with 31 points and six assists, marking her third consecutive 30+ point game and surpassing 100 points over three tournament games&mdash;a first in UConn's history. Bueckers also moved up the UConn scoring records after surpassing Napheesa Collier for third all-time, only trailing Breanna Stewart and Maya Moore. As for USC, the loss of star guard Juju Watkins due to injury in the Sweet Sixteen was too much to overcome the determined Bueckers and her Huskies.
Final Four Matchups
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Texas Longhorns vs. South Carolina Gamecocks: This semifinal pits Texas' robust defense against South Carolina's seasoned tournament experience.​</li>
<li>UConn Huskies vs. UCLA Bruins: UConn's offensive prowess, led by Bueckers, will be tested against UCLA's resilient defense led by Lauren Betts in a highly anticipated matchup.</li>
</ul>

The 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament has culminated in a formidable Final Four lineup.

March Madness 2025: Top seeds converge in women’s Final Four

The Miami Heat honored one of their legends &ndash; Dwyane Wade &ndash; with his own signature statue outside the Kaseya Center on Sunday.
Arguably the greatest Miami Heat of all time, Wade is the Heat&rsquo;s all time leading scorer.
Wade becomes the only player in franchise history to receive a statue and rightfully so. The 6-foot-4 guard led the Heat to their first title in 2006, winning Finals MVP. Wade then added two more when he teamed up with LeBron James, winning back-to-back in 2012 and 2013.
The likeness of the statue was modeled from Wade's signature celebration &lsquo;this is my house&rsquo; standing on top of the scorer&rsquo;s table after every epic and memorable game-winner of his career.
According to AP, the statue is accompanied by a wall listing Wade&rsquo;s career accomplishments and has been placed outside the front doors of the team&rsquo;s arena.
&ldquo;This is crazy,&rdquo; Wade said moments after the unveiling. &ldquo;I wanted to feel this. Life goes by so fast and it&rsquo;s very rare that we get to feel things, because we&rsquo;re always off to the next thing. &hellip; I wanted to feel this, man. I wanted to look at it.&rdquo;

The Miami Heat honored one of their legends – Dwyane Wade – with his own signature statue outside the Kaseya Center on Sunday.

Heat unveils ‘Dwyane Wade’ statue in Miami

Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards has reached an exclusive list even the greatest shooter of all time Stephen Curry was not able to do early in his career.
On Saturday night, Edwards became the youngest player in NBA history to hit 800 three-pointers in their career. At just 23-years-old, Edwards' game has evolved from the time he was drafted in 2020 with his high-flying antics and rim-soaring dunks. Now in his 5th NBA season, Edwards has become a respectable shooter, and a hotshot at that as he gains more reps into his shot.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
youngest player in <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a> history to make 800 threes. that's our <a href="https://twitter.com/theantedwards_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theantedwards_</a>. 🐜🐜🐜 <a href="https://t.co/3mAzbLaGLh">pic.twitter.com/3mAzbLaGLh</a>
&mdash; Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/1850634826090524699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2024</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Edwards has made it a point to shoot more threes this season. Over the Wolves&rsquo; first three games, Edwards has been 21-45 from three, shooting at a 39% clip.
Edwards has been making his threes in a variety of ways. There have been times he hits threes on the move, off the dribble, stepbacks and on some catch and shoot opportunities. This has highlighted his shotmaking and has been a main source of Minnesota&rsquo;s offense to start the year.
According to Wolves&rsquo; media Dane Moore, Edwards has more than 50% of his shots from three, something that he&rsquo;s increased this year. Last season, only 30% of his shots were from three, this year it&rsquo;s up to 58% to start the season.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Through 2.5 games, Anthony Edwards has taken 60 shots, and 35 of them have been 3s. That's 58% of his shots. Last season 30% of his shots were 3s. <a href="https://t.co/FyEgJZMs8A">pic.twitter.com/FyEgJZMs8A</a>
&mdash; Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaneMooreNBA/status/1850347919251042524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2024</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Moreover, Edwards joined Curry and Kemba Walker as the only players in NBA history to hit 5+ 3PT in three straight games to start a season, <a href="https://x.com/StatMamba/status/1850366050308690045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1850366050308690045%7Ctwgr%5E78ba9d628247b21d3ac56c3d1dadad80a8e28fd1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2Fwarriors%2Fnews%2Fanthony-edwards-makes-nba-history-joins-steph-curry-on-exclusive-list-01jb5y1c17pc">per Stat Mamba on X</a>. The 6-foot-4 guard scored his 7,000th point in their game against the Toronto Raptors.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
7,000 career points and counting. 🐜 <a href="https://t.co/Wb8oWY23Y4">pic.twitter.com/Wb8oWY23Y4</a>
&mdash; Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/1850362817079062547?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2024</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Edwards has had a good start to his NBA career, and he&rsquo;s one of the young players being groomed as one of the next faces of the league.

On Saturday night, Edwards became the youngest player in NBA history to hit 800 three-pointers in their career.

Anthony Edwards makes NBA history as youngest player to hit 800 three-pointers

In front of a sea of Lynx fans, the Minnesota Lynx retired jersey no.23 in honor of legend and franchise icon Maya Moore, Saturday night in Minneapolis. Arguably the greatest Lynx of all time and one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, Moore&rsquo;s career was cut short in 2018 after she retired abruptly to fight for social justice due to his husband being wrongfully convicted of a crime. Despite that, Moore has put up a legendary career with Minnesota that spanned eight seasons, including winning the WNBA title 4 seasons.&nbsp;
Moore spent her entire career with the Lynx after being drafted no.1 overall in 2011. She won Rookie of the Year, Finals MVP in 2013, and League MVP in 2014. Moore averaged over 18 points per game with Minnesota, which would be the 9th highest mark in the league. She took it a step further in the playoffs, with career averages of over 19 points in 56 games, and Moore also holds the record for most points in the Finals.
Maya Moore is also a two-time Olympic Gold medallist with Team USA and a two-time FIBA World Cup winner.&nbsp;
Moore&rsquo;s no.23 is the fifth Minnesota Lynx number retired by the franchise after her former teammates Lindsay Whalen (no. 13), Rebekkah Brunson (no. 32), Seimone Augustus (no. 33), and Sylvia Fowles (no. 34).

The Minnesota Lynx retired jersey no.23 in honor of legend and franchise icon Maya Moore, Saturday night in Minneapolis.

Minnesota Lynx retires Maya Moore’s jersey

Blake Stern previews the NBA's Central Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and burning question entering the year.

NBA Central Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

Today, the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) and Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) announced their continued partnership in hosting the fifth&nbsp;annual Top 50 Basketball Camp. The camp will take place July 27&ndash;29 at Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, GA. &nbsp; The best players from each conference will be featured at the camp in a model like the NBPA's Top 100 Camp. Players at the Top 50 Camp will participate in basketball skill training exercises and attend leadership and life development sessions off the court. &nbsp; "NBPA members have a true appreciation for HBCUs, and the Top 50 Camp is a great way for the NBPA to continue strengthening its connection with the HBCU community," said Purvis Short, the NBPA's Chief of Player Programs. "Our partnership with the SIAC and SWAC has given us a unique opportunity to host a productive learning experience for HBCU athletes to better themselves as men on and off the court." The camp also aims to cultivate and create coaching and talent pipelines for current and retired NBA players exploring the transition into careers in intercollegiate athletics. &nbsp; "The Southwestern Athletic Conference is elated to continue our partnership with the NBPA Top 50 Camp," said SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland. "This partnership is an amazing opportunity for our student-athletes to participate in athletic and professional development initiatives that will positively impact them both on and off the court. This event has steadily grown and has quickly become a signature event that our student-athletes look forward to participating in on an annual basis." &nbsp; In addition to skill development and on-court drills, the camp will include a series of highly-competitive scrimmages and games, allowing the players to showcase their talent against the best of their neighboring conference. &nbsp; "I commend the NBPA for its commitment to HBCUs as The Top 50 Camp serves as a basketball combine for our student-athletes to showcase their talents while receiving instruction from current and former NBA players," said SIAC Commissioner Anthony Holloman. &nbsp; Camp participants from the SIAC include:
<table border="0" width="432" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">First Name</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Last Name</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">College or University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Aziel</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Blackwell</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kentucky State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Devin</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Booker</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Tuskegee University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Eleik</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Bowles</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Savannah State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Gregg</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Boyd II</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Tuskegee University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Steven</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Dulley</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Tuskegee University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Ashton</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Hawkins</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Spring Hill College</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Martez</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jones</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Tuskegee University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Robert</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kendrick</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Fort Valley State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kong</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kong</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kentucky State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Myson</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Lowe</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Fort Valley State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Steven</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Lyles</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Spring Hill College</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Chris</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Martin</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Clark Atlanta University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Joemel</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">McNair</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Morehouse College</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jamir</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Moore</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Albany State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Sean</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Paige</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Central State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Ayjay</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Plain</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Savannah State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Antwoin</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Reed Jr</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Central State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kerry</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Richardson</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Morehouse College</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jordan</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Simpson</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Albany State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Raevon</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Thomas</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Central State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Terin</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Wofford</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Albany State University</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<div>&nbsp; &nbsp; Camp participants from the SWAC include: &nbsp;</div>
<table border="0" width="432" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">First Name</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Last Name</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">College or University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Chase</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Adams</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jackson State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jaylen</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Bates</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Florida A&amp;M University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Eric</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Coleman</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alabama State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Zeke</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Cook</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jackson State university</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Dhashon</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Dyson</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Bethune Cookman University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Ken</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Evans Jr.</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jackson State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jeremiah</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Gambrell</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alcorn State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kolby</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Granger</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Texas Southern University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Zion</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Harmon</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Bethune Cookman University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">P. J.</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Henry</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Texas Southern University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Elijah</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Hulsewe</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Bethune Cookman University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Byron</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Joshua</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alcorn State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jeremiah</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kendall</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alcorn State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">T. J.</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Madlock</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alabama State</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Romelle</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Mansel</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jackson State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Kylen</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Milton</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">University of Arkansas Pine Bluff</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Zytarious</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Mortle</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Texas Southern University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Festus</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Ndumanya</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Southern University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Omari</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Peek</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alabama A&amp;M</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Dailin</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Smith</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alabama A&amp;M</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">D. K.</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Thorn</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alcorn State University</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Cameron</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Tucker</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alabama A&amp;M</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Ernest (EJ)</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Williams</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Alabama A&amp;M</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Rashad</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Williams</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">University of Arkansas Pine Bluff</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Coltie</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Young</td>
<td nowrap="nowrap">Jackson State University</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>

The NBPA, SIAC and SWAC will host the fifth annual Top 50 Basketball Camp from July 27-29 in Atlanta.

NBPA, SIAC and SWAC to host 5th annual Top 50 Basketball Camp

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Erik Spoelstra has preached about the value of adversity for months, not shying away from saying that it helped the Miami Heat get to these NBA Finals.
And now Denver is dealing with a little taste of it as well.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals is Wednesday night in Miami, the series between the eighth-seeded Heat and top-seeded Nuggets is knotted at a game apiece. It got that way after Miami <a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-jokic-382683d300ee31327a39bbb477b5981a">rallied to win Game 2 in Denver 111-108</a>&nbsp;on Sunday night, an outcome that prompted Nuggets coach Michael Malone to openly share frustrations &mdash; primarily over a lack of discipline on a lot of possessions.
&ldquo;We had a really good film session this morning,&rdquo; Malone said Tuesday. &ldquo;I gave an opportunity for everybody on our team to speak and talk about what they saw on the film. It was a very honest conversation. Guys owned what they needed to own. We have to learn from Game 2 to use it to our advantage.&rdquo;
In other words, Denver needs to do what Miami did coming out of Game 1.
The Heat faced significant deficits in both games in Denver &mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-finals-2023-heat-nuggets-jokic-278674ca5c096db5880b812c7cc348dc">24 points in Game 1</a>&nbsp;and 15 points in Game 2. And while there was a comeback try in the opener, getting within nine late, the Heat managed to erase the whole deficit and then some in Game 2.
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re in the finals,&rdquo; said Spoelstra, seeking his third championship as coach of the Heat. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re going to be dealing with great players, great teams. You have to find a way to overcome it and make it difficult and do a lot of things that are tough.&rdquo;
Wednesday&rsquo;s winner obviously gets the upper hand with a 2-1 series lead, and history will tip in that team&rsquo;s favor as well. When a finals is tied 1-1, the Game 3 winner has gone on to eventually claim the title 80% of the time (32 times in 40 past instances). And 2-1 series leaders, regardless of whether they won Game 3 or not, have taken the title 79% of the time (49 times in 62 past instances).
The Heat are in the finals for the second time in four seasons, but are playing their first finals game actually at home since 2014 &mdash; the 2020 appearance was in the bubble, with no fans in the buildings for most of that experience and only a few family members for the finals.
&ldquo;No matter what, they are going to be behind you,&rdquo; Heat guard Kyle Lowry said. &ldquo;They are going to give you energy. You know, if the other team is on the run, they are going to give you a little boost. If you&rsquo;re on a run, there&rsquo;s going to be a crazy boost. The overall energy for your team and your group, it will give you a little bit of a lift &mdash; but it won&rsquo;t win you the game, because you&rsquo;ve still got to go out there and hoop.&rdquo;
Hooping at the end of games hasn&rsquo;t been an issue for Miami in this series. The Heat are outscoring Denver 66-45 in fourth quarters in this series, shooting 64% to the Nuggets&rsquo; 44% in the final period and holding a 33-9 edge in points off 3-pointers.
But the first three quarters, they&rsquo;ve trended big-time toward Denver. The Nuggets have outscored Miami 167-138 in those periods, outshooting the Heat 53% to 39%. Miami has outscored Denver 57-48 on 3s in those quarters, but that&rsquo;s nothing like the unmanageable margin the Nuggets have dealt with in final quarters.
&ldquo;Just don&rsquo;t get them wide-open looks,&rdquo; said Denver&rsquo;s Nikola Jokic, who is averaging 34 points, 10.5 rebounds and nine assists in his first two finals games. &ldquo;Yes, we know they&rsquo;re going to score. Yes, we know they have talented players. But we cannot give them open looks, and that was the main key.&rdquo;
There wasn&rsquo;t a lot of worry coming from either side Tuesday, when the teams had to go through the obligatory public workouts as part of the NBA media off-day slate. The Nuggets were loose, smiling a lot. The Heat were doing much of the same.
Moods will change by the end of Wednesday night. One of the teams &mdash; either the big pre-finals favorite Nuggets, or the eighth-seeded, nothing-to-lose Heat &mdash; is going to be two wins away from a title.
&ldquo;When we&rsquo;re working we still like to have fun and keep it loose,&rdquo; Heat forward Kevin Love said. &ldquo;It keeps us loose out there on the court starting the game and throughout 48 minutes. But it&rsquo;s not without intention and the willingness to do whatever it takes.&rdquo;

Game 3 of the NBA Finals is Wednesday in Miami, and the series between the eighth-seeded Heat and top-seeded Nuggets is tied 1-1.

Entering Game 3 of NBA Finals, Heat are loose and Nuggets facing adversity

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

Women&rsquo;s basketball seems to have found a winner with its new Sweet 16 format in March Madness and the timing couldn&rsquo;t be better with looming TV contract negotiations on the horizon.
There were record-setting attendance at the two sites &mdash; Greenville, South Carolina and Seattle &mdash; along with record numbers for TV ratings. It fueled the momentum heading into a star-packed Final Four lineup in Dallas.
NCAA selection committee chair Lisa Peterson expects the format success to help in upcoming contract negotiations. The current NCAA TV deal ends next summer.
&ldquo;It has to,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m very much looking forward to seeing those conversations. It only can be good for the game. People are talking about it.&rdquo;
TV ratings for games on Friday and Saturday averaged 1.2 million viewers, a 73% increase over last year. Saturday afternoon&rsquo;s Ohio State and UConn matchup on ABC was the most watched women&rsquo;s Sweet 16 game on record with an average of 2.4 million.
Ratings were also up for the games Sunday and Monday on ESPN &mdash; up 43% gain and averaged 2.2 million. Sunday night&rsquo;s Iowa-Louisville contest which featured dynamic guard Caitlin Clark led the way at 2.5 million, making it the most watched Elite Eight game on record.
Tag Garson, Wasserman&rsquo;s senior vice president of properties, said this year&rsquo;s ratings will be one of many pieces that factor into what path the NCAA will take.
&ldquo;When you&rsquo;re looking at how ratings are performing as you&rsquo;re preparing for a negotiation you don&rsquo;t just look at one year,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You&rsquo;re looking at the historical value while projecting out the future value.&rdquo;
The NCAA is expected to decide by this fall whether to separate the women&rsquo;s tournament or keep it as part of the championships TV package that includes at least 24 sports.
Peterson and her group will have a lot to review.
Arenas in Greenville and Seattle were mostly full which created an entertaining atmosphere. While attendance was expected to be high in Greenville with the undefeated Gamecocks there. the closest team to Seattle was Colorado &mdash; 1,300 miles away.
The distance didn&rsquo;t stop fans from flocking to Seattle, with strong support from basketball fans around the city thanks in part to the success of the WNBA&rsquo;s Storm over the last two decades. In the end, the Seattle region outdrew its South Carolina counterpart by a few thousand. Overall 82,275 fans took in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games, including 43,556 in Seattle.
&ldquo;It really was a great atmosphere to play in. You love to play in these kind of atmospheres with this kind of crowd and play in a great building like this,&rdquo; said UConn coach Geno Auriemma whose team played in Seattle.
The NCAA also hopes the success leads to more cities bidding to host the regional games and eventually the Final Four.
&ldquo;The number of cities that had bid (in the past), we didn&rsquo;t have that many more options,&rdquo; Peterson said. &ldquo;With the success we&rsquo;ve had hopefully it opens up new doors so we don&rsquo;t keep going to the same cities.&rdquo;
The local organizing committee in Seattle said that they expected the tournament to generate more than $8.3 million to the city.
&ldquo;When we host events like this there&rsquo;s no playbook to say it&rsquo;s a guaranteed success,&rdquo; Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell told The Associated Press. &ldquo;You don&rsquo;t know how the fans are going to come out, but what has been proven time and time again, particularly around women&rsquo;s sports is that they come from all over the state even come from Canada. ... The revenue is incredible for our tax base.&rdquo;
Harrell threw Seattle&rsquo;s hat in the ring for a future women&rsquo;s Final Four, saying he would love it if his city got that opportunity.
One of the next steps the NCAA is planning for upcoming two regional sites is to turn them into &ldquo;mini Final Fours.&rdquo;
Many fans seemed to enjoy the new format going to more than just their team&rsquo;s games. Dave Lichliter, who is from Pennsylvania, went to games both Friday and Saturday and enjoyed the expanded field.
&ldquo;You get to see more teams,&rdquo; said Lichliter, who was wearing an LSU championship football shirt from 2019. &ldquo;Next year is Albany (New York) and Portland (Oregon), so we&rsquo;ll see how that goes.&rdquo;
So will the NCAA.
The two-city format will be in place at least another three years. The next bid cycle starts in July where regional hosting will be decided from 2027-31.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re doing this for three years. It&rsquo;s not a permanent deal,&rdquo; Peterson said. &ldquo;As always we&rsquo;ll evaluate it. If we feel it doesn&rsquo;t work, we&rsquo;ll see what we need to do to change it. Whether it&rsquo;s changing formats, or if that&rsquo;s adding a day, Whatever that looks like, we&rsquo;ll keep looking at it.&rdquo;
There were a few logistical bumps with the two sites.
With eight schools at one venue required some adjustments by teams and arena staffs. Practice time on the court was cut from 90 minutes to 60 to allow all eight time on the court. It also required a little more coordination when it came to the locker rooms with teams having to double up.
But none of it seem to bother the players. Some said it felt like an AAU tournament from their younger days with so many teams in the same place.
&ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s fun. I think it&rsquo;s cool,&rdquo; said Clark, before he Hawkeyes guard added: &ldquo;Obviously we&rsquo;re not going to be coming to all the games, that&rsquo;s just not really how it works, but I think I like the two regional sites.&rdquo;
___
AP Sports Writers Tim Booth in Seattle, Pete Iacobelli in Greenville, South Carolina and Joe Reedy contributed to this story.

There were record-setting attendance at the two sites — Greenville, South Carolina and Seattle — along with record numbers for TV.

Women making case in tourney for own March Madness TV deal

On Wednesday afternoon, Ed Cooley was introduced as the new head coach for the Georgetown Hoyas.&nbsp;
This move follows 12 successful seasons at Providence, including seven NCAA tournament bids in the past nine years it has been held and a Big East regular-season championship in 2021-22.
"I am excited for the opportunity to lead the men's basketball program at Georgetown University," Cooley said in a statement. "I plan on hitting the ground running, getting to work on the court and cultivating relationships in and around the District. Accepting this opportunity with Georgetown is not a decision I took lightly."
In an <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/college-basketball/exclusive-ed-cooley-on-why-he-left-providence-for-georgetown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exclusive interview with John Fanta of FOX Sports</a>, Cooley described his reasons for leaving Providence.
"When I did a deep dive of what's important &mdash; I always said yes to everybody, and I always said no to Ed. Coach Cooley did everything, but Ed needed a change," Cooley said. "I thought Georgetown was the place for me to make that change. As hard as it was because it's in-conference, and because a lot of people look at that as villainous or betrayal, I hope people give me an opportunity to serve Ed. And it sounds selfish, it sounds real selfish, but sometimes change is need on both sides and I felt for me change was needed...
"The Big East has a lot to do with the change even though it's tough because it's in-conference. I love the Big East. I love basketball-centric places. They're the recruiting fertile ground of the DMV area that expands.&rdquo;&nbsp;
I caught up with two Georgetown Hoya legends in Jerome Williams (a.k.a. Junk Yard Dog) and Michael Sweetney to discuss their thoughts on the changing of the guard at their alma mater and the direction of the program.&nbsp;
Jerome Williams (JYD)&nbsp;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/280613766_5301049609946020_6743750996342787581_n.jpg" alt="" width="515" height="515" />
Etan: Talk to me about your first thoughts on the new hire Ed Cooley for Georgetown.
JYD: "From first impressions, he hit the ball out the park. He really ushered in the alumni. He even got people like Reggie Williams commenting positivity about him taking over the reins of Georgetown&rsquo;s basketball program, and that&rsquo;s a long-term Hoya alumni who helped bring a national championship to the hilltop. So right now, all of the alumni, myself included, we're very excited.
"We&rsquo;ve always supported every regime that has been at Georgetown since I&rsquo;ve been here, and that includes Coach Patrick (Ewing), Coach JT3 (John Thompson III), Coach (Craig) Esherick. And obviously, I was blessed to have Coach John Thompson. So Ed Cooley is no different in terms of the support that he will receive from me, and the Junk Yard Dog Dogg Pound. I&rsquo;m here to support this alma mater through thick and thin. But like I said, Ed Cooley&rsquo;s first impression has really gone over well with everyone. And add to that &mdash; he has the resume of what he accomplished at Providence that has really energized this entire Georgetown community, with him being a Big East Champion and Coach of the Year, so that all helps. So yeah, we&rsquo;re all definitely excited."
Etan: Yeah, people are really buzzing here in the DMV. This seems like this was the coach that a lot of people wanted. You heard the chatter even during the tournament before Providence lost. But the electricity around the program seems to have been reignited. Would you say that&rsquo;s an accurate description?&nbsp;
JYD: "Definitely, the electricity is back. When he says he wants to sell out the arena which holds 20,000 [people], that&rsquo;s exactly what needs to happen. And that starts with the alumni, it starts with the students and it starts with the overall community. So that&rsquo;s the key."
Etan: Now, of course, programs don&rsquo;t turn around overnight and it&rsquo;s been a tough few years for Georgetown just as far as wins and losses. So what would your advice be to Hoya fans as far as patience?&nbsp;
JYD: "My advice would definitely be that everything is a process and Rome wasn&rsquo;t built in a day. But, with the world the way it is around college sports and the transfer portal, you look at teams like Missouri, who transformed very quickly into a winning program. And that was largely due to the transfer portal."
Etan: Yeah, the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-the-ncaas-transfer-portal-getting-out-of-control" target="_blank" rel="noopener">transfer portal is definitely a game changer</a>, but it&rsquo;s like musical chairs; you lose four players and then you get four new players. It&rsquo;s an interesting dynamic right now that we&rsquo;re in with college basketball.
JYD: "That's absolutely correct. In some ways it&rsquo;s damaging, and in other ways, it can be transformative."
Etan: Very true. So let&rsquo;s talk about the history of Georgetown and why it&rsquo;s so historically special as a program and what it means to the DMV area and really all of college sports.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
JYD: "Well, it helps when the Georgetown University basketball program is in a good place. It helps all of college basketball. And Georgetown has meant so much to the Black community from what Coach Thompson has built not only as an individual for himself, not only as a program and a university, but for what he has done for other Black coaches who helped build other programs. The John Chaneys and Nolan Richardsons and countless others who he has helped open doors for, including Ed Cooley. So that&rsquo;s where, when Georgetown is in a good place, they represent a larger piece to the masses."
Etan: That&rsquo;s great. So are we going to see you at some of the games? Can fans expect to see you and the Junk Yard Dog Dogg Pound representing on the sidelines this season?
JYD: "Yes sir, you saw me at many of the games this season supporting Patrick (Ewing) and the program. I was able to move back to the area this year. My son [Jeremiah] goes to St. Albans now and plays for Team Takeover, so I&rsquo;m here ready to continue to support the program. My daughters [Gabby and Giselle] are playing volleyball for Georgetown, so I&rsquo;m here."
Etan: That&rsquo;s great, and what year is your son? I&rsquo;ve seen some of the clips you&rsquo;ve posted on social media. He looks like he&rsquo;s gonna be good&nbsp;
JYD: "Thanks I appreciate that, and your son [Malcolm] as well. But my son is a little younger. He&rsquo;s [in the] 2029 [class] and he is just loving the game, working hard, and getting better and better. And that&rsquo;s all you can ask at this age. But let me say, thank you for writing this and showing some love to your school&rsquo;s biggest rival historically."
Etan: No problem, it&rsquo;s always been nothing but respect for Georgetown.
Michael Sweetney&nbsp;
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/97028325_3148150111902658_5846889772051595264_n.jpg" alt="" width="517" height="641" />
Etan: Okay, so how do you feel about the new hire of Coach Ed Cooley and the new direction that Georgetown is going in? What were your first initial thoughts?&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Well, first let me say that it was sad for me personally to see how it went for Patrick (Ewing) these last couple of years. Winning trumps everything, and we&rsquo;ve had it tough for his last few years, so I was definitely sad to see Patrick struggle the way that he did. He loves Georgetown so much and had such a special relationship with Coach Thompson, and I know he really wanted to be successful. So that part was definitely sad for me to see."
Etan: Yeah, I grew up a Patrick Ewing fan. I was a Knicks fan. I actually <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rematch/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-48-nba-hall-of-famer-patrick-ewing-talks-knicks-days,-turning-the-hoyas-around,-charles-oakley,-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interviewed him on The Rematch last year.</a> It was just an honor to be able to sit down with him. I mean, Patrick is a legend.&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Exactly, I definitely feel the same way. And he&rsquo;s a great guy all around. But to answer your question about the Ed Cooley hire, I think everyone is excited about what&rsquo;s to come. I personally really respected the way he immediately connected with the alumni and made a concerted effort to make the point clear that he wanted the alumni to be involved, and that&rsquo;s important. It&rsquo;s no secret that, for a long time, a lot of the guys felt distant from the program. So for him to come in and that&rsquo;s one of the first things on his agenda was to reach out to the alumni, it made a lot of ears throughout the Georgetown community perk up. It was a great first impression for all of us, so we&rsquo;re all excited about that aspect for sure."
Etan: Now, I&rsquo;ve heard that from a few guys that over the last decade or so, there has been distance from the program. I don&rsquo;t understand why, but I&rsquo;ve heard quite a few former players mention that.&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Yeah, that&rsquo;s pretty accurate, because a lot of guys have been feeling like that. I don&rsquo;t think it was intentional. It&rsquo;s just a lot of people from the program never reached out and said, 'Hey guys, come to the games,' or, 'We&rsquo;re going to have this special program to bring the alumni back together and back into the fold of the program.' It was really no interaction. It was almost like, 'Hey if you want to come to the game, you have to jump through hoops.'
"Luckily for me, I had direct access. So I would just call Pat Jr. and he would always look out. But it was never anyone from Georgetown who ever contacted me and said, 'Hey, come around. We have this event.' I don&rsquo;t even know if they had anyone assigned to do that &mdash; not really sure why. I don&rsquo;t think it was personal. But yeah, a lot of guys felt they weren&rsquo;t embraced the way alumni who have given so much to the program should be."
Etan: And what did Coach Cooley do differently? You and JYD both mentioned this, so I'm just curious. What exactly did he do?&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Well, for example, he held a Zoom [meeting] just yesterday and JYD was on there. But it was just with a lot of Georgetown former players and he introduced himself to us, told all of us how honored he was to be given this opportunity for a program he has so much respect for. He was knowledgeable of the history of the program, and he specifically told us, 'Hey, I want you all to be involved. This is a family thing and whatever I have to do to make things comfortable for you all, just let me know because I want you to be a part of this entire process.'
"And a few players &mdash; I don&rsquo;t want to say their names because it wasn&rsquo;t a public meeting &mdash; but a few guys specifically said that, for years, they thought the program didn&rsquo;t like them or respect them, so this was a breath of fresh air. So yeah, Coach Cooley definitely started off on the right foot with all of us."
Etan: You know, the DMV is really excited about the direction of the program. Do you get that same feeling?&nbsp;
Sweetney: "Definitely. And a large reason for that is because Cooley is saying all the right things. And what he did at Providence, when he got there, the program was where it was, and he&rsquo;s shown that he can turn programs around. He has the resume to support that, and people in the DMV are hoping that he can do the same thing here. And also, with the DMV being a hotbed as far as recruiting, it&rsquo;s one of the top places in the country for high school players going on to play Division I. So hopefully, he can get in and develop those relationships in the DMV and get some of this local talent."
Etan: So you mentioned that, and that&rsquo;s something else that&rsquo;s always brought up. One of the biggest criticisms you hear around the DMV is that two of the biggest schools in the area &mdash; Georgetown and Maryland &mdash; haven&rsquo;t kept the local DMV talent local. You saw Coach Kevin Willard came in on Day 1 last year and made a concerted effort to recruit guys from the DMV: Jamie Kaiser, Deshawn Harris-Smith and Jahnathan Lamothe. All of them are from the area.
Do you expect that same level of focus from Coach Cooley? People don&rsquo;t understand the level of talent in this area, but for a long time, so many have left to play somewhere else. I just watched Jordin Hawkins for UConn light up Arkansas for 24 points last night. They&rsquo;re headed to the Sweet 16 and he&rsquo;s from right here and went to DeMatha.
Sweetney: "Definitely, that&rsquo;s one of the things Coach Cooley mentioned. He&rsquo;s definitely aware of it and he told us specifically that he wanted to focus on and develop those relationships in the DMV and get some of this local talent to stay home. And I hope that&rsquo;s the case because there is so much talent in this area."
Etan: There definitely is. It&rsquo;s really amazing. KD made that documentary a few years ago &mdash; "Basketball County: In The Water.&rdquo; So I think that really showed the world how special the DMV is.
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Sweetney: "Now, let me ask you a question if you don&rsquo;t mind?"
Etan: Oh, you&rsquo;re gonna take over the interview? (Laughing) Sure, go ahead.
Sweetney: (Laughing) "No, but seriously. Because we were discussing the DMV talent and I&rsquo;ve seen your son Malcolm play, he is a tremendous talent and can do a lot on the basketball court. But would you be open to him coming to Georgetown? I know we&rsquo;re a rival school and you&rsquo;re Syracuse royalty, but 'What If' you know?"
Etan: Oh, you just gonna put me on the spot huh? (Laughing) Well honestly, and people ask me this all the time, that&rsquo;s one of the reasons <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-malcolm-thomas-qa-dematha-stags-season-acit-championship-recruiting-maryland-dmv-etan-thomas-prospect" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I did an article with Malcolm</a>. We sat down and discussed this because so many people say to me, "So Malcolm is definitely going to Syracuse?" And I always respond with, "He&rsquo;s going to whatever situation is best for him, whether that&rsquo;s Syracuse or somewhere else." Of course, both his parents went there, so yes, there is history there. But I was glad to hear him echo that he wants to go to the best place for him.&nbsp;
Sweetney: "So it wouldn&rsquo;t be weird for you to cheer for Georgetown if he came to us?"
Etan: Not at all. Listen, I bleed Orange, make no mistake, but I genuinely want him to go to the situation that&rsquo;s best for him. My situation at Syracuse worked out for me, but it has to be the right situation for him.&nbsp;
Sweetney: "That makes total sense."
Etan: I mean, Malcolm grew up here. He&rsquo;s a PG County kid. Although he has his love for Syracuse because both his parents went there, he grew up watching Georgetown, Maryland and all the DMV schools and surrounding schools like all of the other kids who grew up here. What do you think with your sons? I know they&rsquo;re a little young now, but when they get older.
Sweetney: "It&rsquo;s funny because people always say that to me too. They say they&rsquo;re future Hoyas and I&rsquo;m like, 'Well I don&rsquo;t know, we&rsquo;ll see.' But like you said, I want them to do whatever is best for them. Whatever fits their needs and their happiness. So I get it. Just had to ask you that, and honestly, that&rsquo;s good to hear because your son can play. So I'm glad to hear that you&rsquo;re open to it.
"But yeah, we&rsquo;re in a good place as a program and going in a good direction, so I think fans can expect an entire wave of local talent coming to Georgetown and exciting times in the near future."

Etan Thomas talks to Jerome "Junk Yard Dog" Williams and Michael Sweetney about their first impressions of Ed Cooley at Georgetown.

Georgetown legends Jerome Williams, Michael Sweetney on Ed Cooley hire

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Oscar Tshiebwe kept battling for position, pushing his way to daylight and grabbing seemingly every loose rebound with a rugged relentlessness.
No one was going to stop him, either.
When it was over, the two-time Associated Press All-American had turned in the best rebounding performance in the NCAA Tournament in nearly a half-century &mdash; and Kentucky was free to move past last year&rsquo;s one-and-done showing.
Tshiebwe pulled down 25 rebounds and Antonio Reeves scored 22 points, helping the Wildcats beat Providence 61-53 in Friday night&rsquo;s first round.
Tshiebwe&rsquo;s rebounding output represented the most in any tournament game since 1977. Eleven of his rebounds came on the offensive glass &mdash; a big factor in the sixth-seeded Wildcats (22-11) staying in control as both offenses grinded to a halt after halftime.
&ldquo;I told (my teammates), I said, &lsquo;This year we come in and fight, last year doesn&rsquo;t matter anymore,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Tshiebwe, who entered as the nation&rsquo;s leading rebounder at 13.1 per game.
The &ldquo;last year,&rdquo; of course, was the&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-saint-peters-upsets-kentucky-b0fdd8fbd0ea432a9b6150f0cd8e6b22" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shocking first-round exit against 15th-seeded Saint Peter&rsquo;s</a> that had hung over the program all season. Now the Wildcats are moving on to face the Montana State-Kansas State winner Sunday in the East Region.
&ldquo;Yeah, it was a big relief obviously,&rdquo; forward Jacob Toppin said.
When the horn sounded, guard Cason Wallace let out a scream before giving a chest bump to Reaves. And Tshiebwe soon emerged from a postgame TV interview by gleefully skipping his way off toward the locker room.
His rebounding total was the most in the tournament since Michigan&rsquo;s Phil Hubbard had 26 boards against Detroit Mercy in 1977.
Behind Tshiebwe, Kentucky finished with a 48-31 rebounding advantage, controlling the offensive glass (plus-10) and dominating in second-chance points for an 18-2 edge.
That was vital considering shots weren&rsquo;t falling; Kentucky shot 36.5% overall but just 7 of 28 (25%) after halftime.
Reeves hit five 3-pointers to lead the offense, while Toppin had his own big game with 18 points. Tshiebwe managed eight points, but he was still an indomitable force that the 11th-seeded Friars (21-12) just couldn&rsquo;t manage.
&ldquo;Sometimes you just have an &lsquo;it,&rsquo; a la Dennis Rodman, Ben Wallace,&rdquo; Providence coach Ed Cooley said. &ldquo;Those guys just have an &lsquo;it&rsquo; for it. Some guys have an &lsquo;it&rsquo; to score. Some people have an &lsquo;it&rsquo; to pass. He has an incredible &lsquo;it,&rsquo; an elite &lsquo;it&rsquo; to rebound.&rdquo;
Ed Croswell scored 16 points for Providence, which shot just 36.2% while making 5 of 24 3-pointers. The Friars matched the Wildcats&rsquo; second-half troubles, making just 8 of 27 shots (29.6%).
&ldquo;You can say you wish you could win this game and all that,&rdquo; Friars guard Jared Bynum said, &ldquo;but you have to embrace the moment at the end of it.&rdquo;
BIG PICTURE
Providence: The Friars have been to the NCAAs seven times in the past nine seasons under Cooley, including last year&rsquo;s Sweet 16 before falling to eventual champion Kansas. But they entered this game just 3-6 in NCAA games under Cooley.
Kentucky: The Wildcats got off to a successful though grinding start to March Madness &mdash; and that was good enough for coach John Calipari.
&ldquo;If in this tournament, winning is a relief, what the heck are you doing here?&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;This is joy.&rdquo;
KEY STRETCH
Tshiebwe came through in a tight game, starting with &mdash; what else? &mdash; his rebounding.
With Kentucky leading 50-46, he leapt to dunk home Wallace&rsquo;s missed drive. Minutes later, he came up with a steal, then an offensive rebound off his own miss before feeding Chris Livingston on the other side of the paint for the layup and a 54-46 lead with 2:43 left.
BUMPY REUNION
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/march-madness-transfers-blake-hinson-bryce-hopkins-5bafaa08f771c7cb8e389f9fbe750213" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The game marked a reunion</a>&nbsp;between Providence star Bryce Hopkins and the Kentucky program he left behind. Hopkins came in averaging 16.1 points, but finished with just seven on 2-for-9 shooting in a tough night while being chased primarily by Toppin.
Hopkins fought back tears as he made his way through the postgame handshake line with Calipari and former teammates.
FULL STOP
The game&rsquo;s oddest moment&nbsp;came at the foul line.
With 8:36 left before halftime, Providence&rsquo;s Clifton Moore launched a free throw that hit the rim on the left side and rolled all the way around the inside of the rim before popping out and sitting on the back of the goal.
And then, it just stopped and stayed there.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
What are the odds? 😂<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="https://t.co/XGCiyy9pVd">pic.twitter.com/XGCiyy9pVd</a>
&mdash; NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessMBB/status/1636875109322612738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 17, 2023</a></blockquote>

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The 6-foot-9 Toppin stood next to an official under the net looking up at the ball, his hands on his hips, before jumping to tap it loose.
It went down as a miss. Moore made the second.
LOOK-INS
<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/no-16-fairleigh-dickinson-stuns-no-1-seed-purdue-in-march-madness" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The upset by 16th-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson against No. 1 seed Purdue</a>&nbsp;in Columbus, Ohio, drew a captivated audience in Greensboro Coliseum for live look-ins being shown on the scoreboard.
During one timeout, with Fairleigh Dickinson up five in the final seconds, fans in Greensboro began chanting &ldquo;FDU! FDU!&rdquo; and booing whenever the game was taken off the scoreboard even when Providence-Kentucky had resumed on the court below.

Oscar Tshiebwe pulled down 25 rebounds, helping the Kentucky Wildcats beat Providence 61-53 in Friday night’s first round.

Tshiebwe’s 25 boards helps Kentucky top Providence in NCAA opener

Longtime pro Jordan Crawford opens up to Spencer Davies about his unpleasant NBA experience, his Detroit connection and more.

Ex-NBA pro Jordan Crawford has a story to tell — and a whole lot more

After months of wondering and waiting if the Los Angeles Lakers would make a deal, the team finally took initiative and struck before the NBA trade deadline &mdash; but they didn&rsquo;t just make one move.
The Lakers made four separate trades between Jan. 23 and Feb. 9, switching out nearly half of their roster after underperforming for the majority of the year. So far, the results have been quite promising.
Since acquiring D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Mo Bamba and Davon Reed, the Lakers are 4-1; most recently, it includes a massive 27-point comeback win against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. LA now sits at No. 12 in the Western Conference, but is just one game back of the New Orleans Pelicans for the final spot in the Play-In Tournament.&nbsp;
When you look at this retooled version of the Lakers roster, it looks like a competent, balanced mix that makes sense together. Despite having two of the best players in the NBA in LeBron James and Anthony Davis, it&rsquo;s been a while since this team could say that.
You have to go back three seasons &mdash; all the way to the 2019-20 campaign &mdash; to find the last time that happened; ironically, LA won a championship that year. However, since then, vice president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka and the Lakers front office have tried to reshape the roster over and over to try to find the magic again. Those attempts led to disastrous results; the Russell Westbrook experiment was perhaps the poorest decision, as LA gave up its best shooters and significant depth to acquire him.
It appears that, this time around, the Lakers finally learned their lesson, as Pelinka and Co. executed a full reversal. The franchise dealt Westbrook for three pieces in Russell, Beasley and Vanderbilt as part of its revamped "2.0" roster, and it&rsquo;s just what the team needed as it makes a push toward the playoffs.
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Russell &mdash; who is nursing an ankle injury but should be back in the lineup soon &mdash; has shown to have good chemistry with LeBron and AD so far in what has been a small sample size. He won&rsquo;t wow anyone with his numbers, but he&rsquo;s playing a smart, controlled game by picking his spots. Russell has a solid feel for when to look for his own shot and is limiting his turnovers, which are down to just 1.5 per game so far in his second stint with the Lakers.&nbsp;
Beasley is the &ldquo;laser&rdquo; that LeBron has been openly hoping for to help solve the Lakers' shooting problems from three-point range. Even when he isn&rsquo;t hitting his shots, teams have to account for him and his 38% career clip from deep.&nbsp;
Vanderbilt is infectious with his energy and effort, especially on the defensive end of the floor. He was the tone-setter Sunday with 15 points, 17 rebounds and 4 steals to spearhead LA's rallying victory against the Mavericks. (Vando looks to be the steal of the trade deadline.)
Hachimura hasn&rsquo;t blown the doors off since putting on the purple and gold, but he has added size and another shooting presence that teams have to deal with, providing more balance and space for the Lakers' offense.&nbsp;
That quartet of players has breathed a new life into the Lakers as a whole &mdash; particularly with experience.
&ldquo;Adding those pieces, I think it brings more balance,&rdquo; Lakers head coach Darvin Ham recently said. &ldquo;We have guys in that second unit that have been in the starting lineup and played starters' minutes and closed games for us, and had big moments in big games. So we have confidence in the entire roster. But that&rsquo;s a great shot in the arm that we were able to pick up at the trade deadline.&rdquo;
(Bamba debuted with three blocks for LA and registered a double-double in his second game with the team as well.)
Maybe most importantly, this Lakers team looks like it&rsquo;s having fun. There are smiles and high-fives galore with players rooting for one another. You can feel the energy shifting following those roster moves.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Never get discouraged &mdash; compete harder. <a href="https://t.co/ojRZCVcd9M">pic.twitter.com/ojRZCVcd9M</a>
&mdash; Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1630002602443153410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2023</a></blockquote>

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There&rsquo;s still plenty of work to be done. The Lakers have two more games on an all-so-important road trip. Tuesday night, they'll play the Memphis Grizzlies and then, they'll take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday in a back-to-back. (Plus, LA won't have LeBron for an extended period of time due to a foot injury, which obviously is a huge blow.)
There is no margin for error at this point. The last thing that LeBron, AD and the new-look Lakers want to do is miss the playoffs yet again. With that said, all signs are pointing up.
These guys believe in one another. They believe they can win. And, so far, they&rsquo;re showing it on the court.
Maybe, just maybe, they finally have the right pieces.
"I've always been confident in any club that I've been on [that] once we got into the playoffs, that we can compete with anyone, and I feel no different now," LeBron said. "With the roster, the way we're shaped up right now, if we can finish off this regular season on the right foot, then we can compete versus anyone in the Western Conference, if not the whole league...
"If we can punch our ticket, we can compete versus anyone."

Brian Fritz checks in on the new-look Lakers and how their new additions have given the team a jolt.

Lakers may have found the right formula following trade deadline moves

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Miller scored 24 points and Mark Sears made seven of eight free throws over the final 1:04 to help No. 2 Alabama top Arkansas 86-83 on Saturday.
Miller delivered his second straight huge game for the Crimson Tide (25-4, 15-1 Southeastern Conference) since police alleged in courtroom testimony that he brought a gun to former teammate Darius Miles, who is charged with capital murder in a fatal shooting.
The week&rsquo;s details cast a different light on Miller&rsquo;s regular pregame introduction, which is a Tide staffer giving him a pat down. Coach Nate Oats said after the game that intro for Miller is now over.
Fellow freshman Nick Smith Jr. of Arkansas (19-10, 8-8), another potential NBA draft lottery pick who helped keep the Razorbacks in it with a late 3-pointer, scored 24 points. Davonte Davis added 21 points for Arkansas, Council scored 20, and the rest of the team combined for 18 points.
Jahvon Quinerly had 16 points and seven assists for the Tide, and Noah Clowney had 10 points and 13 rebounds.
NO. 1 HOUSTON 76, EAST CAROLINA 57
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Marcus Sasser scored 22 points to help Houston clinch outright possession of the American Athletic Conference regular-season title.
Tramon Mark added 20 points for the Cougars (27-2, 15-1), while J&rsquo;Wan Roberts had 17 points and 12 rebounds in Houston&rsquo;s ninth straight victory.
East Carolina (14-14, 5-10) had an energetic home crowd for the first-ever visit from a No. 1-ranked team to Minges Coliseum, as well as the program&rsquo;s first game against a top-ranked opponent in more than 31 years. But the Cougars never trailed and led for all but 56 seconds. Ezra Ausar scored 15 points to lead the Pirates.
NO. 3 KANSAS 76, WEST VIRGINIA 74
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Dajuan Harris was one point shy of a career high, scoring 17 points to help lift Kansas over West Virginia.
The Jayhawks&rsquo; stifling defense kept West Virginia from attempting a shot in the final 20 seconds. The Mountaineers&rsquo; Joe Toussaint traveled on their final possession of the game. Baskets by K.J. Adams and Kevin McCullar extended the Jayhawks&rsquo; lead to 75-68 late as they grinded out the victory.
Harris led Kansas (24-5, 12-4 Big 12) with 7-of-9 shooting from the field and had six assists and six steals.
Erik Stevenson led West Virginia (16-13, 5-11) with 23 points. Tre Mitchell scored 20, Kedrian Johnson scored 15 and Emmitt Mathews Jr. had 13.
NO. 17 INDIANA 79, NO. 5 PURDUE 71
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Hood-Schifino scored a career-high 35 points and Trey Galloway added 10 of his 13 in the second half to lead Indiana over Purdue.
The Hoosiers (20-9, 11-7 Big Ten) snapped a seven-game losing streak in West Lafayette and pulled their first season sweep in this bitter rivalry since 2012-13.
Zach Edey led the Boilermakers with 26 points and 16 rebounds and Fletcher Loyer added 14 points. Purdue (24-5, 13-5) has lost three of four and blew a chance to clinch a share of the conference crown in front of its home fans, who stood outside in chilly temperatures and snaking lines for hours before tip-off.
NORTH CAROLINA 71, NO. 6 VIRGINIA 63
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Pete Nance scored 22 points to lead North Carolina past Virginia.
Nance shot 7 of 10 from the floor and was 4 of 4 from behind the arc, the most 3-pointers the fifth-year forward has made in ACC play. He added two assists and four blocks.
R.J. Davis notched the fourth double-double of his career with 16 points and 10 rebounds for North Carolina (18-11, 10-8 Atlantic Coast Conference), which got a much-needed boost to its NCAA Tournament resume with a Quadrant 1 win &mdash; the first of the season for the Tar Heels.
Jayden Gardner had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead Virginia (21-6, 13-5), which lost its second in a row. Armaan Franklin added 14 points.
ARIZONA STATE 89, NO. 7 ARIZONA 88
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Desmond Cambridge Jr. hit a 60-foot shot at the buzzer and Arizona State rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat Arizona.
The Wildcats (24-5, 13-5 Pac-12) built a 10-point lead midway through the second half before going more than six minutes without a field goal as Arizona State pulled ahead by one.
The Sun Devils (20-9, 11-7) went up 86-85 on Warren Washington&rsquo;s layup with just a minute left, but Pelle Larsson put Arizona back up on a layup with 29 seconds left. Arizona State&rsquo;s DJ Horne missed a jumper with 4 seconds left and the Sun Devils had a final shot after Oumar Ballo hit one of two free throws.
Catching the ball with 2.4 seconds left, Cambridge launched a shot from beyond half-court to finish with 19 points and give the Sun Devils a big boost in their bid to make the NCAA Tournament.
NO. 9 BAYLOR 81, NO. 8 TEXAS 72
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Jalen Bridges had 17 points for ninth-ranked Baylor, which overcame a huge deficit with an impressive run right after freshman standout Keyonte George left injured early and beat Big 12 co-leader Texas.
Adam Flagler had 14 points for the Bears (21-8, 10-6). Dale Bonner added 13 points, including seven in an quick spurt after halftime while Flo Thamba had 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Dylan Disu had a season-high 24 points for Texas (22-7, 11-5), which twice got even early in the second half but never could regain the lead.
NO. 10 MARQUETTE 90, DEPAUL 84
MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Kam Jones and Tyler Kolek each scored 22 points while helping Marquette clinch a share of its first Big East regular-season championship in a decade.
Kolek also had 14 assists as Marquette (23-6, 15-3) rolled to a 49-28 halftime lead and hung on after DePaul (9-20, 3-15) got close down the stretch. Marquette has won nine of its last 10, while DePaul has lost 10 straight.
This is Marquette&rsquo;s first conference title in 2013, when the Golden Eagles shared the Big East crown with Georgetown and eventual national champion Louisville.
Umoja Gibson led DePaul with 20 points and eight assists. Nick Ongenda added 16 points and 12 rebounds.
NO. 11 TENNESSEE 85, SOUTH CAROLINA 45
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Josiah-Jordan James came back from missing four games with an injury to score 18 points to lead Tennessee to a rout of South Carolina.
James, who suffered an ankle injury against Vanderbilt on Feb. 8, shot 4 of 7 on 3-pointers for the Volunteers (21-8, 10-6 Southeastern Conference). Jahmai Mashack scored 14 points, Zakai Zeigler had 13 points and 11 assists, and Olivier Nkamhoua and Uros Plavsic scored 10 each.
Hayden Brown led the Gamecocks (10-19, 3-13) with 18 points.
NO. 12 GONZAGA 77, NO. 15 SAINT MARY&rsquo;S 68
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 19 points and Gonzaga earned a share of the West Coast Conference regular-season title with a win over Saint Mary&rsquo;s.
Anton Watson had 17 points and Malachi Smith added 13 off the bench for the Bulldogs, who have won or shared the conference title in 11 straight seasons. Gonzaga (25-5, 14-2) also reached the 25-win mark for the 16th season in a row &mdash; and avenged a loss to the Gaels earlier this month in Moraga.
Logan Johnson led the Gaels (25-6, 14-2) with 27 points.
Because the teams shared the regular-season title, the WCC will use the NCAA&rsquo;s NET rankings to determine the top seed for the conference tournament.
FLORIDA STATE 85, NO. 13 MIAMI 84
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Matthew Cleveland&rsquo;s 3-pointer as time expired capped Florida State&rsquo;s comeback from a 25-point second-half deficit and a win over Miami.
Jordan Miller had given Miami the lead on a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left. But Cleveland let fly from about 25 feet and the ball swished to give the Seminoles (9-20, 7-11 Atlantic Coast Conference) their best moment of the season.
Cleveland and Darin Green Jr. each had 20 points for Florida State, which also got 13 from Caleb Mills and 11 from Jalen Warley.
Miller led Miami (23-6, 14-5) with 21 points. Norchad Omier had 15, Isaiah Wong scored 14 and Bensley Joseph added 12 for the Hurricanes, whose seven-game winning streak and perfect home season were ended.
NO. 18 UCONN 95, ST. JOHN&rsquo;S 86
NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Jordan Hawkins scored 20 points, Adama Sanogo added 18 points and nine rebounds, and UConn beat St. John&rsquo;s.
Andre Jackson Jr. had 15 points, Joey Calcaterra also scored 15 to lead a strong effort by Connecticut&rsquo;s bench and the resurgent Huskies (22-7, 11-7 Big East) avenged an 11-point loss to St. John&rsquo;s at home last month.
UConn won for the sixth time in seven games, closing in on a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament.
AJ Storr had 20 points and Posh Alexander added 18 for the Red Storm (17-13, 7-12), who had won three of four.
NO. 14 KANSAS STATE 73, OKLAHOMA STATE 68
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell had 22 points, eight assists and four steals in Kansas State&rsquo;s third straight win, beating Oklahoma State.
Keyontae Johnson added 17 points for the Wildcats (22-7, 10-6 Big 12), who swept the regular-season series.
Kalib Boone scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half on Senior Day for Oklahoma State. Caleb Asberry scored 13 points and John-Michael Wright added 12 for the Cowboys (16-13, 7-9), who have lost four straight.
VILLANOVA 79, NO. 19 CREIGHTON 67
PHILADELPHIA (AP) &mdash; Eric Dixon scored 18 of his career-high 31 points in the first half, Cam Whitmore added 17 and Villanova defeated Creighton.
Dixon also set a career high with six 3-pointers for Villanova (15-14, 9-9 Big East), which has won five of six.
Arthur Kaluma scored 19 points and Ryan Kalkbrenner had 18 for Creighton (18-11, 12-6). The Bluejays have lost three of four following an eight-game winning streak.
NO. 22 SAN DIEGO STATE 73, NEW MEXICO 71
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) &mdash; Lamont Butler&rsquo;s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave San Diego State a win at New Mexico.
After Jaelen House&rsquo;s steal and end-to-end run for a layup with 5.6 seconds left gave New Mexico a 71-70 lead, Butler unhurriedly brought the ball up court before dropping his shot, giving him 10 points for the Aztecs (23-5, 14-2 Mountain West).
Darrion Trammell scored 18 points to lead the Aztecs. Matt Bradley added 11 as San Diego State won its sixth straight.
Jamal Mashburn Jr. finished with 20 points for New Mexico (20-9, 7-9) and House had 15.
OKLAHOMA 61, NO. 23 IOWA STATE 50
AMES, Iowa (AP) &mdash; Jacob Groves led Oklahoma with 16 points as the Sooners knocked off Iowa State.
The Sooners (14-15, 4-12 Big 12) had lost nine of their previous 11 games but erased an early 11-point deficit and seized control with a 17-2 run in the second half.
Groves shot 4 of 5 from the 3-point line. Tanner Groves added 9 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.
The Cyclones (17-11, 8-8) shot just 31%. Gabe Kalscheur led Iowa State with 12 points.
NO. 24 TCU 83, TEXAS TECH 82
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) &mdash; JaKobe Coles made two free throws with 4.3 seconds remaining, and TCU beat Texas Tech despite blowing a 12-point lead in the final eight minutes.
After De&rsquo;Vion Harmon&rsquo;s steal and layup put the Red Raiders in front by one with 12 seconds remaining, Coles caught a pass from Emanuel Miller in the lane and was fouled by Fardaws Aimaq going up for the shot. The Horned Frogs (19-10, 8-8 Big 12) weren&rsquo;t in the bonus.
Harmon&rsquo;s desperation 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded wasn&rsquo;t close, ending a four-game winning streak Texas Tech (16-13, 5-11).
Mike Miles Jr. scored 24 points for the Horned Frogs, who had lost five of six and were coming off a loss to No. 3 Kansas at home. Miller had 14 points and 12 rebounds for TCU.
Aimaq scored 19 points, Harmon had 18 and Kevin Obanor finished with 17 points and nine rebounds for Texas Tech.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 69, NO. 25 TEXAS A&amp;M 62
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Tolu Smith had 17 points and Shakeel Moore had 14 as Mississippi State knocked off Texas A&amp;M.
Cameron Matthews had 11 points for the Bulldogs (19-10, 7-9 Southeastern Conference), who held the Aggies to one field goal in the final 14 minutes and outscored them 34-18 during the same time period.
Wade Taylor IV led Texas A&amp;M (21-9, 13-3) with 21 points, including four 3-pointers, and Henry Coleman III and Andersson Garcia each had 11.

A recap of Saturday's slew of action in top 25 NCAA men's college hoops.

Miller has another big game as No. 2 Alabama tops Arkansas

Since the 2013-14 season, the NBA has used player-tracking technology to collect all kinds of interesting data, including a player&rsquo;s average speed, distance traveled, number of touches and more.
Second Spectrum is the NBA&rsquo;s &ldquo;official optical tracking provider,&rdquo; and they&rsquo;ve installed a player-tracking system in the catwalk of every NBA arena. Using multiple cameras, state-of-the-art machine learning and computer-vision techniques, the software identifies and locates every player and the ball 25 times per second. If something happens on the court, the player-tracking system catches it, and the data gets uploaded to <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com</a>.
That&rsquo;s how we know that five players &mdash; Mikal Bridges, Miles Bridges, Tyrese Haliburton, Tyrese Maxey and Scottie Barnes &mdash; ran more than 200 miles throughout the course of last season. And for the second-straight season, Fred VanVleet led all players in average distance traveled, running 2.82 miles per game.&nbsp;
Which players are currently covering the most distance this season? And which players have the fastest and slowest average speed? Let&rsquo;s take a look:
MOST MILES PER GAME
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.933%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">LaMelo Ball</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.8 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Fred VanVleet</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.77 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Terry Rozier</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.74 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Mikal Bridges</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.73 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Pascal Siakam</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.72 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Dejounte Murray</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.69 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Tyler Herro</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.69 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Scottie Barnes</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.68 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">C.J. McCollum</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.64 miles per game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 18.5985%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">Zach LaVine</td>
<td style="width: 22.4998%; height: 22px; text-align: left;">2.64 miles per game</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
MOST TOTAL MILES
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.7996%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Mikal Bridges</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">163.7 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Anthony Edwards</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">159.6 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Buddy Hield</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">156.2 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Franz Wagner</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">155.3 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Julius Randle</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">154.1 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Scottie Barnes</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">153 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Evan Mobley</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">151.5 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Jalen Brunson</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">150 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">P.J. Washington</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">149.2 miles</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 22.5067%; height: 22px;">Domantas Sabonis</td>
<td style="width: 24.0045%; height: 22px;">148.9 miles</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
Clearly, a player's role and their team's style of play influence how many miles they're running each game.
FASTEST AVERAGE SPEED
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.933%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Wendell Moore Jr.</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.71 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Luka Garza</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.62 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">T.J. McConnell</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.62 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Jordan McLaughlin</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.61 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Blake Wesley</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.59 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Caleb Martin</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.58 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Cody Martin</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.57 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Sam Hauser</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.57 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Dalano Banton</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.56 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.3733%; height: 22px;">Aaron Wiggins</td>
<td style="width: 22.7734%; height: 22px;">4.55 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
SLOWEST AVERAGE SPEED
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 50.7996%; height: 209px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Chris Paul</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.55 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Joel Embiid</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.55 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">James Harden</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.56 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">DeAndre Jordan</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.59 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Eric Gordon</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.63 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Luka Doncic</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.66 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">Kevin Durant</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.67 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">John Wall</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.7 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 11px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 11px;">Kyle Lowry</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 11px;">3.7 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 24.386%; height: 22px;">LeBron James</td>
<td style="width: 22.2461%; height: 22px;">3.72 miles per hour</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
If you're interested in checking out all of the NBA's tracking data, <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/speed-distance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">it can be found here</a>.

The NBA uses player-tracking technology to find out every player’s average speed, average distance traveled and much more.

Tracking data shows which NBA players run the most miles per game

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash;&nbsp;Alabama standout freshman Brandon Miller <a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-virginia-cavaliers-marquette-golden-eagles-top-25-college-basketball-today-atlantic-coast-conference-82200ec00836019097d99c4a4c318222" target="_blank" rel="noopener">was in the starting lineup and had a career-high scoring game</a> in a win over South Carolina on Wednesday night &mdash; one day after police said he delivered a gun ahead of a fatal shooting that took place near campus in mid-January, and hours after the university said he&rsquo;d remain an &ldquo;active member&rdquo; of the No. 2-ranked Crimson Tide and is not considered a suspect.
Alabama&rsquo;s support for the Miller, one of college basketball&rsquo;s top players, made little difference to Gamecock fans at Colonial Life Arena, who focused on the 6-foot-9 forward even before the Southeastern Conference game started. The crowd booed each time Miller touched the ball. Members of the student section chanted, &ldquo;Lock him up,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Guilty!&rdquo; several times as Miller played.
Miller, who finished with 41 points, scored the decisive basket with 0.9 seconds left in OT as SEC-leading Alabama beat South Carolina 78-76.
The game capped an eventful few days for Miller, who authorities say is allegedly connected to the shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Jonae Harris last month. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/Nate-Oats-Brandon-Miller-Alabama-Basketball-4efc92362b106b01ab0d0a2ee9a4ea6c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tuscaloosa Police investigator Brandon Culpepper testified this week</a> that Miller brought a gun to now-former teammate Darius Miles on the night of the shooting after Miles texted him and asked him to do so.
Earlier Wednesday, an attorney for Miller said his client never handled the gun officials say was involved.
&ldquo;Based on all the information that we have received, Brandon Miller is not considered a suspect in this case, only a cooperative witness,&rdquo; the university said in a statement released before Wednesday&rsquo;s game. &ldquo;Today&rsquo;s statement from Brandon&rsquo;s lawyer adds additional context that the University considered as part of its review of the facts. Based on all the facts that we have gathered, Brandon remains an active member of the team&rdquo;
Alabama coach Nate Oats acknowledged that some of his players may have let the past few days affect their game against South Carolina. But not Miller.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of the most mentally tough kids I&rsquo;ve ever coached,&rdquo; Oats said.
Neither Miller nor other players were made available to the media after the game.
Miller was on the court about 80 minutes before tipoff, warming up with teammates before fans were allowed in the building. Once the doors opened, students filled several areas around the court and focused on Miller, who didn&rsquo;t react while continuing his pregame drills.
He started the game slowly, missing two wide-open 3-pointers, and the Crimson Tide found themselves in a battle against the Gamecocks, trailing 35-31 at the half. Miller warmed up near the end of the half, scoring on a 3-pointer and a pair of high-flying jams and accounting for almost half of his teams points. He finished the half with a team-high 15 points, three rebounds, a block and a turnover.
It was a highly charged atmosphere and at least two fans were led out of the arena by police as the South Carolina crowd cheered.
Miller&rsquo;s attorney, Jim Standridge, said his client never handled the gun owned by Miles, who prosecutors say is accused of providing his gun to Michael Davis, who fired it and killed Harris.
&ldquo;Brandon never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange to Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur,&rdquo; Standridge said in a statement.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/alabamas-brandon-miller-delivered-gun-in-shooting-police-say" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Miller&rsquo;s alleged involvement in the death of Harris</a> was detailed Tuesday at a preliminary hearing for Miles and Davis, who both face capital murder charges in Harris&rsquo; death. Culpepper testified that Miles texted Miller to bring him his handgun.
Oats has said the team was aware Miller allegedly brought the gun to Miles.
Standridge said in the statement that Miles asked Miller for a ride to a club. Standridge said Miles&rsquo; brought his &ldquo;legal handgun and left it in the backseat of Brandon&rsquo;s vehicle. Brandon never saw the handgun nor handled it.&rdquo;
Miles later texted Miller to bring him the gun. Miller never got out of his vehicle, was not part of the exchange with Davis and did not interact with anyone in Harris&rsquo; party, according to Standridge.
Miles quickly drove off when gunfire took place, Standridge said. When Miles was told someone was hurt and police wanted to speak to him, &ldquo;he has fully cooperated with law enforcement&rsquo;s investigation,&rdquo; Standridge said.
Standridge said the events of the shooting were captured on video. &ldquo;There is no dispute about Brandon&rsquo;s activities during this evening,&rdquo; Standridge said.
Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne, on the ESPN College GameDay podcast, said the school learned new information in the case this week that it used to make its decision to let Miller play. He said Oats did not have all facts when he first addressed the media on Tuesday &mdash; Oats described Miller&rsquo;s situation as &ldquo;Wrong spot at the wrong time&rdquo; &mdash; and didn&rsquo;t handle things in the best way.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve addressed that with him,&rdquo; Byrne said.
Miller leads the Crimson Tide, averaging 18.7 points and eight rebounds per game entering Wednesday&rsquo;s action. He&rsquo;s considered a possible lottery pick in June&rsquo;s NBA draft.&nbsp;

Miller, who finished with 41 points, scored the decisive basket with 0.9 seconds left in OT as Alabama beat South Carolina 78-76.

Embattled Miller scores 41 as No. 2 Alabama beats South Carolina

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Keyontae Johnson scored 25 points, Markquis Nowell added 14 points and 10 assists, and No. 14 Kansas State followed a long first-half slump with a big second-half run to beat ninth-ranked Baylor 75-65 on Tuesday night.
Cam Carter added 10 points for the Wildcats (21-7, 9-6 Big 12), who trailed 34-31 at the break before their 18-4 charge gave them control. They coasted from there to a school record-tying seventh win over a ranked team this season.
Keyonte George hit six 3-pointers and scored 23 points for Baylor (20-8, 9-6), which had won seven of its last eight against the Wildcats and three straight in Manhattan. LJ Cryer added four 3s and finished with 16 points.
The game was a rematch for Bears coach Scott Drew and Kansas State counterpart Jerome Tang, who spent 19 years on Drew&rsquo;s bench. And it was every bit as wild as the Wildcats&rsquo; 97-95 overtime win in early January.
NO. 8 TEXAS 72, NO. 23 IOWA STATE 54
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice and Tyrese Hunter each scored 15 points and Texas raced away from Iowa State with a big first half to keep the Longhorns at the top of the Big 12.
Texas (22-6, 11-4) is tied with No. 3 Kansas for first place with three games left in the regular season. The Longhorns haven&rsquo;t won even a share of the league crown since 2008.
Osun Ossunniyi scored 12 points to lead the Cyclones (17-10, 8-7), who beat Texas in their first matchup.
NO. 10 MARQUETTE 73, NO. 19 CREIGHTON 71
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Tyler Kolek&rsquo;s short jump shot gave Marquette the lead with 29 seconds left, and the Golden Eagles took a huge step toward the Big East regular-season title with a win over Creighton.
The Golden Eagles (22-6, 14-3) saw a 10-point lead with eight minutes left evaporate before Kolek came up big during a wild finish before a sellout crowd at CHI Health Center.
Kam Jones led Marquette with 19 points and Kolek and Oso Ighodaro added 18 apiece.
Baylor Scheierman had 18 points to lead the Bluejays (18-10, 12-5). Ryan Nembhard added 16.
NO. 25 TEXAS A&amp;M 68, NO. 11 TENNESSEE 63
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) &mdash; Wade Taylor IV scored 25 points, including four free throws down the stretch, and Texas A&amp;M extended its winning streak to six games.
Julius Marble added 21 points and nine rebounds for the Aggies (21-7, 13-2 Southeastern Conference), who haven&rsquo;t lost since Jan. 21.
It&rsquo;s the fourth loss in five games for the Volunteers (20-8, 9-6), with their only win in this stretch coming in a 68-59 victory over then-No. 1 Alabama on Wednesday.
Santiago Vescovi and Zakai Zeigler had 14 points each for Tennessee.
NO. 13 MIAMI 76, VIRGINIA TECH 70
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) &mdash; Norchad Omier had 17 points and 14 rebounds as Miami won its seventh straight.
Nigel Pack added 16 points for the Hurricanes (23-5, 14-4 Atlantic Coast Conference), who placed five players in double figures. Isaiah Wong finished with 13 points and Jordan Miller had 11 for Miami, which shot just 42.2% (27 of 64) after leading the ACC at 48.7 percent coming into the game. The Hurricanes helped themselves with 14 offensive rebounds.
Sean Pedulla led Virginia Tech (16-12, 6-11) with 17 points. Hunter Cattoor finished with 15 points for the Hokies, who shot 46.7% (28 of 60).
VILLANOVA 64, NO. 16 XAVIER 63
CINCINNATI (AP) &mdash; Justin Moore scored 25 points to give Villanova its biggest victory under first-year head coach Kyle Neptune.
Cam Whitmore added 11 points for the Wildcats (14-14, 8-9 Big East) who dealt a big blow to the Musketeers&rsquo; Big East title hopes.
Souley Boum led Xavier (20-8, 12-5) with 17 points. Jerome Hunter added 14 and Jack Nunge scored 12.
MICHIGAN STATE 80, NO. 17 INDIANA 65
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Tyson Walker shook off a slow start to score 23 points and lifted Michigan State in its first home game since last week&rsquo;s shootings on campus that killed three students and hospitalized five students.
The Hoosiers (19-9, 10-7) relied heavily on Trayce Jackson-Davis, as usual, and he had 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Michigan State&rsquo;s A.J. Hoggard had three turnovers early in the game, then didn&rsquo;t have another turnover and finished with 22 points and five assists. Joey Hauser and Malik Hall each scored 10 points for the Spartans (17-10, 9-7 Big Ten), who have won three of their last four games.
Jalen Hood-Schifino scored 16 and Trey Galloway had 11 points for the Hoosiers.
NO. 22 SAN DIEGO STATE 77, COLORADO STATE 58
SAN DIEGO (AP) &mdash; Jaedon LeDee scored 14 points and Matt Bradley scored 10 of his 13 in the first four minutes of the second half for San Diego State, which overwhelmed Colorado State for its fifth straight win.
Bradley, SDSU&rsquo;s leading scorer, appeared to hurt a finger on his left hand and was subbed out during a timeout with 7:47 left and the Aztecs leading 69-48. He returned with 4:55 to go but didn&rsquo;t play the final two minutes.
Micah Parrish added 12 and Lamont Butler and Darrion Trammell had 11 each for SDSU (22-5, 13-2 Mountain West), which solidified its lead in the conference race. The Aztecs have won nine of their last 10 games dating to an 82-76 overtime win at Colorado State on Jan. 18.
John Tonje scored 18 and Isaiah Rivera 15 for the Rams (12-16, 4-11), who have lost seven of nine.&nbsp;

A recap of Tuesday night's action in men's college hoops a battle of top-15 squads in a crucial Big 12 matchup.