Antelopes

Here's the list of NCAA players who have as of April 6 filed for consideration as a candidate for the 2023 WNBA Draft

2023 WNBA Draft: Full list of prospects who have entered

Jim Boeheim enrolled at Syracuse in 1962. Played there until 1966. Started coaching there in 1969. Took over the program as head coach in 1976.
Put simply, he was Syracuse basketball.
Until now.
The Basketball Hall of Famer&rsquo;s 47-year tenure as coach at Syracuse came to an awkward end on Wednesday, with the university saying Orange associate head coach and former Syracuse player Adrian Autry has been promoted to the job. The Orange moved quickly, making the announcement less than three hours after&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/wake-forest-syracuse-dcb7b6ea899dfee2b805972b1ba60897" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Syracuse lost to Wake Forest</a>&nbsp;in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. And if Boeheim knew the announcement was coming, he didn&rsquo;t let on at what was his final postgame news conference.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s up to the university,&rdquo; Boeheim said. &ldquo;They have to make their decision, and it&rsquo;s up to them.&rdquo;
The university didn&rsquo;t wait long before making the decision public, saying in part: &ldquo;Today, as his 47th season coaching his alma mater comes to an end, so too does his storied career at Syracuse University. Associate head coach Adrian Autry &rsquo;94, one of Boeheim&rsquo;s former players and longtime assistant, has been named the program&rsquo;s next head coach.&rdquo;
Autry has been on Boeheim&rsquo;s staff since 2011, and held the title of associate head coach since March 2017.
&ldquo;There have been very few stronger influential forces in my life than Syracuse University and Jim Boeheim,&rdquo; Autry said. &ldquo;They have both played such important roles and without either of them, I am certain I would not have this incredible opportunity before me.&rdquo;
The 78-year-old Boeheim&rsquo;s record in his 47 seasons, officially, was 1,015-441. That reflects 101 wins taken away by the NCAA for violations between the 2004-07 and 2010-12 seasons.
Whether the count was 1,015 or 1,116, only now-retired Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had more wins than Boeheim at the Division I level. Boeheim led the Orange to the 2003 national title &mdash; Carmelo Anthony&rsquo;s lone season in Syracuse &mdash; and saw 46 of his players get taken in NBA drafts. Among them: Anthony, Derrick Coleman, Rony Seikaly, Dion Waiters, Billy Owens, Sherman Douglas and Pearl Washington. Boeheim also was a USA Basketball assistant under Krzyzewski on the teams that won Olympic gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been very lucky to be able to coach my college team, to play and then be an assistant coach and then a head coach, never having to leave Syracuse,&rdquo; Boeheim said in that postgame news conference, one in which he hinted at retirement, then hinted at returning. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great university.&rdquo;
He has, in many ways, been the face of that university. Boeheim and his wife Juli, through their family foundation, have raised millions for children&rsquo;s causes across Central New York. He helped champion what became known as the &ldquo;Coaches vs. Cancer&rdquo; phenomenon with the American Cancer Society.
The 2-3 zone defense he used almost exclusively caused opponents fits for decades. His dedication was unwavering; the best examples were how he returned to work earlier than doctors wanted after he was treated for prostate cancer in December 2001 &mdash; the team was struggling and needed him, Boeheim said at the time &mdash; and how he went to work at 12:01 a.m. on the day his nine-game suspension for NCAA violations was lifted during the 2015-16 season.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s given his heart and soul to that school,&rdquo; said Washington coach Mike Hopkins, a former Boeheim assistant. &ldquo;Still surprised they don&rsquo;t have a statue made of him in the middle of campus. When you think of Syracuse University, you think of Jim Boeheim and you think of the Carrier Dome, and now both of those will be gone, which is very sad.&rdquo;
The dome still stands, just with a different name. The program will continue, just with a different coach. For the first time since 1976, someone other than Boeheim is now the head coach of the Orange.
&ldquo;Jim has invested and dedicated the majority of his life to building this program, cultivating generations of student-athletes and representing his alma mater with pride and distinction,&rdquo; Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a statement distributed by the school.
Boeheim has been synonymous with Syracuse for more than six decades. He was born in the central New York town of Lyons, not far from Syracuse. He enrolled at the school in 1962 as a walk-on, eventually becoming a captain of the then-Orangemen along with Dave Bing.
In 1969, he was hired at Syracuse as a graduate assistant. And on April 3, 1976, he took the program over after Roy Danforth left for Tulane. Boeheim has led the program since; even the court at the dome where Syracuse plays its home games has bore his name since 2002.
&ldquo;There will never be another Jim Boeheim,&rdquo; Buddy Boeheim, one of Boeheim&rsquo;s sons who played for him at Syracuse, tweeted Wednesday. &ldquo;The greatest coach, father, and mentor I could ever ask for. A man that gave a city, program, and university everything he had his whole life with countless accomplishments. Excited for a lot of golf in our future, love you pops.&rdquo;
The Orange were 17-15 this season and will miss the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season. That led to criticism, which led to questions about Boeheim&rsquo;s future, and what the school would ultimately decide.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an honor to play for Coach Boeheim,&rdquo; Syracuse&rsquo;s Benny Williams said after the loss to Wake Forest.
A low point came in November 2011. Bernie Fine, then Syracuse&rsquo;s associate head coach, was fired after being accused of sexual abuse by two former Syracuse ballboys. Boeheim initially called the ballboys liars out to get money, then apologized for being insensitive to victims of abuse and took responsibility. Fine was never charged.
Syracuse reached the NCAA Tournament 35 times under Boeheim, went to the Final Four in five of those appearances, won 10 Big East regular-season titles and five more titles in that conference&rsquo;s tournament.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been just so lucky to be able to coach at Syracuse, a place I love, I place I love to live,&rdquo; Boeheim said. &ldquo;People keep wondering about that, but maybe that&rsquo;s a flaw I have. But I&rsquo;ve lived in Syracuse my whole life, and I&rsquo;ll live there hopefully a long time into the future. I think it&rsquo;s a great place.&rdquo;
Reaction was mixed when word of the coaching change reached the Syracuse campus.
Chris Davis, a freshman, wondered if a coach change will hurt the Orange.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s disappointing to be honest,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;It hurts the students who are here. To see him gone is heartbreaking.&rdquo;
Senior Gracie Carrigan was surprised by the move, saying, &ldquo;It&rsquo;s shocking. He had such a great career. You almost thought he&rsquo;d be here forever, so it&rsquo;s shocking that it&rsquo;s actually happening.&rdquo;
Added freshman Benjamin Perle said: &ldquo;Obviously, massive shoes to fill. I have faith in coach Autry and the coaching staff.&rdquo;
Syracuse clearly has faith in Autry as well.
He played in 121 games in his four seasons for Boeheim, then spent more than a decade on the bench with his former coach.
&ldquo;I have spent much of my time in the game of basketball learning from Jim and am so grateful to him for preparing me to carry on the winning tradition that is Orange Basketball,&rdquo; Autry said.

The Hall-of-Famer’s 47-year tenure as Syracuse's head coach came to an end on Wednesday, with Adrian Autry replacing Boeheim.

Jim Boeheim’s long career at Syracuse ends, Adrian Autry takes over

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

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

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

No. 3 Kansas gets fifth win in a row, 63-58 over No. 24 TCU

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

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

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

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Kalib Boone scored 25 points and Oklahoma State blew a 19-point second-half lead before recovering to beat depleted No. 15 TCU 79-73 on Saturday.
Caleb Asberry added 19 points and John-Michael Wright had 17 for Oklahoma State (14-9, 5-5 Big 12). The Cowboys have won three straight and five of six to move back into the conversation for a potential NCAA tournament berth.
Emanuel Miller led TCU with 17 points and Shahada Wells had 14.
The Horned Frogs (17-6, 6-4) have struggled since their leading scorer, Mike Miles Jr., suffered a hyperextended right knee last Saturday early during a loss to Mississippi State. TCU also was minus injured big man Eddie Lampkin Jr.
TCU coach Jamie Dixon received a technical foul in the final minute of the half and the Horned Frogs trailed 43-29 at the break. Five quick points by Asberry to open the second half gave Oklahoma State its biggest lead at 48-29 with 18:49 left.
An 20-3 run by TCU cut the deficit and Damion Baugh&rsquo;s layup with 11:51 left pulled the Horned Frogs within 51-49 with 11:51 left. Oklahoma State answered with six straight points to quell the immediate threat.
TCU eventually tied it at 59 on three free throws by Baugh with 5:41 left, then took its first lead 33 seconds later on two free throws by Miller.
Wright took over down the stretch for the Cowboys. His 3-pointer with 3:38 left gave Oklahoma State the lead for good at 66-65 and started a 9-0 run that included a dunk by Boone that started with an over-the-shoulder save by Wright.
TCU pulled within 72-70 with 1:33 left on a 3-pointer by Wells, but Boone scored a pair of close-in baskets, the latter with 29.1 seconds left, to make it 76-71 and after a TCU miss, Asberry sealed the win with two free throws with 19.3 seconds left.
Oklahoma State took a 12-0 lead as TCU missed its first eight shots and didn&rsquo;t made a basket for 6 1/2 minutes. Oklahoma State eventually led 22-6 less than eight minutes in and the Cowboys&rsquo; lead never fell below double digits the rest of the half.
BIG PICTURE
TCU: Miles can&rsquo;t return fast enough for the Horned Frogs, who lost to Mississippi State in the game in which he was injured, then struggled to beat West Virginia at home before falling Saturday. The upcoming schedule for TCU looks daunting &ndash; No. 7 Kansas State, No. 11 Baylor and No. 13 Iowa State are its next three opponents, with the K-State and Iowa State games on the road.
Oklahoma State: The Cowboys, now 2-6 this season against ranked foes, need all the big wins they can get as they look to position themselves for a NCAA tournament bid. To pick one up without one of their top players &ndash; Avery Anderson III &ndash; out with an injury is a bonus.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
TCU has been ranked for a program-record nine consecutive weeks and while the Horned Frogs might drop a few spots for the loss to Oklahoma State, they figure to make it 10 in a row, since they beat West Virginia earlier in the week.
UP NEXT
TCU: Will visit No. 7 Kansas State on Tuesday.
Oklahoma State: Will host Texas Tech on Wednesday. The Cowboys are 10-2 this season at Gallagher-Iba Arena.

Kalib Boone scored 25 points and Oklahoma State blew a 19-point second-half lead before recovering to beat depleted No. 15 TCU.

Boone, Oklahoma St blow big lead, recover to top No. 15 TCU

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

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

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

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) &mdash; Jamie Dixon might have the most stable roster in the nation, which is quite a transformation for a TCU program that went through a couple of overhauls before landing its highest-ever preseason ranking this fall.
The 14th-ranked Horned Frogs, with preseason Big 12 player of the year Mike Miles Jr., return all five starters and five other scholarship players. They had consecutive wins over top-10 teams late last season to solidify a spot in the NCAA Tournament, then missed getting to the Sweet 16 after an overtime loss to Arizona.
This is Dixon&rsquo;s seventh season at his alma mater, which before last March hadn&rsquo;t won an NCAA Tournament game since 1987, when he was a senior guard for the Frogs.
&ldquo;I know people thought I was crazy when I talked about expectations when I first got here,&rdquo; Dixon said.
Right away, the Frogs had three consecutive 20-win seasons and made their first NCAA tournament in two decades. But there were many questions when they slipped after that.
Their 16-16 record in 2019-20 was the first time Dixon didn&rsquo;t have a winning record &mdash; he was at Pittsburgh from 2003-16 before going to TCU. There were seven newcomers the following season, when the Frogs were 12-14 before a more extensive overhaul as Dixon embraced the transfer portal.&nbsp;
Eight transfers were added before last season, though several early injuries slowed their progress. All but one of them is back, with the only newcomers being Oklahoma State transfer guard Rondel Walker and highly touted freshman signee PJ Haggerty.
&ldquo;You saw a team getting better and better. ... We&rsquo;ve made great strides,&rdquo; said Dixon, who lauded the benefits of summer workouts coaches can now have with their teams. &ldquo;Everybody got better, because most of them were out there almost the entire time.&rdquo;
LEADING THE WAY
Miles, a 6-foot-2 junior guard, averaged 15.4 points and 3.8 assists last season. He and 6-11 center Eddie Lampkin Jr., both Texas kids who joined the program before the 2020-21 season, are the only scholarship players other than Haggerty who began their college careers at TCU.
Former Memphis transfer guard Damion Baugh (10.6 ppg) and former Texas A&amp;M forward Emanuel Miller (10.3 ppg) were the other Frogs who averaged double-digit scoring last season. Miller and Lampkin led the Frogs with 6.2 rebounds per game.
&ldquo;We know with the work we put in the reward is going to come out,&rdquo; Miller said. &ldquo;We compete at such a high level at practice that we know what we&rsquo;re capable of.&rdquo;
14th NATIONALLY, 4th IN BIG 12
Three other Big 12 teams are ranked above TCU in the preseason AP poll: Kansas and Baylor, the last two national champions who are tied for fifth, and No. 12 Texas. Those are also the three teams picked ahead of the Frogs in the preseason poll as voted on by the 10 coaches
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re good. We believe we&rsquo;re good,&rdquo; Dixon said. &ldquo;But our league&rsquo;s really good.&rdquo;
WELLS REBOOT
One of the transfers last season was Shahada Wells, a 6-foot guard from Texas-Arlington. One of their best guards in offseason workouts, he played only seven games while dealing with a knee injury before the Frogs redshirted him to get him healthy for this season.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s one of our best shooters. He&rsquo;s becoming a very good defender,&rdquo; Dixon said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s our smallest guard. We&rsquo;ve talked to him about him being more physical, trying to play bigger. But he&rsquo;s got great hands, very active on the ball, and just a great kid.&rdquo;
FROGS SLATE
TCU has 12 games before facing the Big 12&prime;s other three ranked teams from Texas in the first 12 days of conference play. The Frogs play their league opener on New Year&rsquo;s Eve at home against No. 25 Texas Tech, then go to No. 5 Baylor, host Iowa State and play at No. 12 Texas. Eight of their dozen games before that are on campus, with another only a few blocks away at Dickies Arena. They will be in Florida after Thanksgiving to play California, then Clemson or Iowa. They take on Utah in Salt Lake City a few days before Christmas.

The 14th-ranked Horned Frogs, with preseason Big 12 player of the year Mike Miles Jr., return all five starters and scholarship players.

No. 14 TCU has stable roster and highest preseason ranking

In recent years, the NBA has seen a wave of superstar point guards come in and command the spotlight right away &mdash; no matter their size. Ja Morant, Trae Young and Darius Garland are a few names that come to mind, and they're setting the tone for those who want to follow suit and be next in line.&nbsp;
As the top point guard in his class, University of Tennessee commit Kennedy Chandler is determined to cut in and join them, and he happens to know all three talented pros personally.
&ldquo;Ja and Trae and Darius, they came from being unknown to being top players in the world,&rdquo; Chandler told BasketballNews.com in a phone interview. &ldquo;Trae, everybody thought he was small, wouldn't be able to make it. Ja, same way, too skinny; nobody knew who Ja was. Just the hunger, I feel like we have a lot in common from being nobody to being one of the top players in the nation, I feel like I can do the same thing they did."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
A recently-turned 19-year-old five-star recruit out of Eads, Tennessee just east of Memphis, Chandler has befriended each at different points in his life. In his younger years, he was a part of &ldquo;We All Can Go,&rdquo; an AAU program that featured Garland and Marvin Bagley III headlining the eighth-grade squad. During that time, Chandler grew close to the Garland family, particularly Darius&rsquo; father, Winston.
&ldquo;His dad and my dad talk probably every day,&rdquo; Chandler said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s when [WACG] were <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3m1DmlHzTE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">competing against a team called Izod</a>. And ever since then, we just built the relationship, my family and his family built the relationship, and I just call him for any advice I [need]. His dad told me I can ask him any questions. His dad was a great basketball player, and I've got a great relationship with him and his family.&rdquo;
The Garlands have told Chandler the amount of work that is required if he wants to make it to the league. (&ldquo;If you really want to do it, you&rsquo;ve got to do it.&rdquo;) They&rsquo;ve also told him about the differences in the level of competition between high school, college and the pros. Winston was a seven-year NBA player, so Chandler has soaked in the knowledge he&rsquo;s been presented.
When he reached eighth grade himself, Chandler began to realize that he could make a career out of basketball. After his first session at the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League with MOKAN Basketball, the offers flooded in.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I was like, 'I really could take this basketball [thing] to a higher level,'&rdquo; Chandler said. &ldquo;And from that point on, I just changed who I was and changed how I needed to work and my work ethic. I just changed everything.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I had a great work ethic from my eighth grade year, but it wasn&rsquo;t how it was after my first EYBL session. Because at first, nobody really knew who I was. I had maybe one offer, two offers. And, you know, it was just me continuing trying to work to prove everybody wrong. From that point on, I picked up more offers after my first game. That made me really think about who I was and what I could do with this game of basketball. And MOKAN helped me be the player I am today.&rdquo;
Part of the reason Chandler came aboard the MOKAN program was because of Young&rsquo;s influence. (Chandler was so committed to MOKAN that he'd actually fly out to Kansas City to practice on the weekends there when he was still at Briarcrest Christian School before he transferred to Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita.) He&rsquo;s also taking a page out of the Atlanta Hawks star&rsquo;s book by playing for a college in his home state.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s amazing. Nothing wrong with playing at your home state &mdash; notice how he played at Oklahoma, I&rsquo;m playing in Tennessee,&rdquo; Chandler said. &ldquo;Knoxville, Tennessee, it&rsquo;s about six hours away from home. So, for me to play here&hellip; the fan base is crazy here. They love basketball and football. And I just can&rsquo;t wait to put on a show for Knoxville.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
This is different Lil bro.... I LOVE IT!!! Ain&rsquo;t nothing like reppin the home state, trust me🙏🏽💯 Go Crazy! <a href="https://t.co/fcIm848v0L">https://t.co/fcIm848v0L</a>
&mdash; Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1294347799048392704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2020</a></blockquote>

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It just so happens that he&rsquo;ll share the Volunteer state with Morant, whom Chandler is closest with out of the point-guard trio. When the Memphis Grizzlies favorite was drafted, he followed Chandler on Instagram after IMG Academy assistant coach Trey Draper suggested the two connect. Morant then sent Chandler a direct message asking where he could get some sessions in.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I texted him back,&rdquo; Chandler said. &ldquo;I was just shocked, you know? I didn&rsquo;t think that he even knew who I was. Ever since then, we've played together in the hoop runs, played against each other, and ever since then, our bond has gotten closer and closer.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I call him anytime. They&rsquo;re like family to me, his family is like family. His dad gives me great advice all the time. He&rsquo;s like a big brother to me.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
my brother 🖤 <a href="https://t.co/EVRmhFCss6">https://t.co/EVRmhFCss6</a>
&mdash; Ja Morant (@JaMorant) <a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant/status/1294284090057908224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 14, 2020</a></blockquote>

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Continuing the theme of looking up to guards like him, Chandler mentions that he actually models his game after Chris Paul. His film sessions focus on how the All-Star maestro gets inside and gets players open. At the moment, Chandler is confident in his finishing around the basket and using his speed and vision to find open teammates. He trusts in his jumpshot and is looking to progress it and extend his range.
Chandler was able to showcase those talents this past summer on Team USA&rsquo;s U-19 World Cup gold medal squad headed by Jamie Dixon. Boasting a roster full of potential and collegiate studs &mdash; Chet Holmgren and Jaden Ivey, plus Mike Miles Jr. and Kenneth Lofton among others &mdash; the Americans jelled overseas in Latvia; however, it didn&rsquo;t come as easily as anticipated.
&ldquo;That was a great experience. That was my first time going across the country,&rdquo; Chandler said. &ldquo;I'd say for my sake, it's more physical over there. They let you play. Them teams there, their chemistry's really good. So for us, we didn't have the chemistry. I don't think nobody really knows, we lost our first scrimmage to Australia. So we had to get used to playing with each other, knowing what each other does, knowing that it's not for us [individually]; it's about what we're wearing on our chest.&nbsp;
&ldquo;For me to win gold was a dream come true as well. I learned a lot from playing over there and coming back over here, me playing for USA and going across to Latvia really helped me."
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Riding that momentum coming into this year, Chandler will have the opportunity to be under the tutelage of Rick Barnes, a well-respected coach in the basketball world who&rsquo;s worked with a number of notable players over the course of his career. Before Barnes came to Tennessee, he made waves with the Texas Longhorns. He coached quite a few guards who were shorter in size, including a highly-touted prospect in 2001 who made his way to the next level: T.J. Ford.
&ldquo;He thinks I'm just like T.J. the way I act. It's kinda funny,&rdquo; Chandler said. &ldquo;I didn't even know who T.J. Ford was, to be honest with you. I didn't know who he was once I committed there, and I started looking to watch his highlights; he was a great player. T.J. texted me and told me he was gonna be down here soon and talk to me 'cause I know he's a trainer down in Houston. So I know T.J. told me he'll come down here soon, work with me. I'm looking forward to meeting him, talking to him.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Coach Barnes had other guards like D.J. Augustin, a small guard. So that's why I came here as well, 'cause Coach Barnes knows what he's doing with his point guards."
Barnes already sees how intense Chandler is in practice. The Vols head coach is keying in on his newest point guard valuing possessions and getting into his assignments defensively. Chandler already has a set of goals for himself going into the season, and Tennessee fans will love to hear his high aspirations.
&ldquo;For me to come in, lead the team. Even though I'm a freshman, being able to lead the team and just bring a different dog,&rdquo; Chandler said. &ldquo;Bring a competitive player, for me, which he knows I am. Bring defense, bring anything to the table as well. But for me, as a small guard, just bringing the hustle... I want to have a great assist-to-turnover ratio. That's what I want to do, and lead the team to somewhere Tennessee's never been, as far as I can...
&ldquo;I just think I'm about to surprise people [with] how well I do this year."
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Basketball News Lead NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock happens to agree with Chandler:
Kennedy Chandler may be on the smaller side, but he possesses elite speed and quickness, which allow him to be a dynamic scorer and playmaker. Since I first watched him a couple of years ago, he&rsquo;s continued to improve his game all the way around. I&rsquo;ve gotten to know Kennedy on a personal level, and in doing so, I&rsquo;ve come to find Kennedy to be a hard worker that is very driven. I&rsquo;ve also been impressed with his eagerness to seek advice and his ability to accept constructive criticism. After a season at Tennessee with veteran head coach Rick Barnes, I&rsquo;m expecting Kennedy to be one of the first point guards selected in the 2022 NBA Draft, if not the very first one.
Chandler&rsquo;s already felt the level increase in the short time he&rsquo;s been in the gym with the Vols. He felt that his lone year at Sunrise Christian Academy was competitive, but he quickly realized that college is a step up. He feels blessed to be playing at a Power Five Division I school, welcoming the challenge that awaits. He can&rsquo;t wait to take on the best that the SEC &mdash; and NCAA as a whole &mdash; has to offer.
Being as notable of a prospect as he is, the bright lights and attention come with it. Chandler doesn&rsquo;t treat it any differently than when he was off the radar, though. He&rsquo;s keeping his head down and staying humble because his journey is still ongoing. He's also fully invested in his studies of Communication &mdash; he'd like to be a basketball commentator when he's finished with his career. It's a big reason he went to school in lieu of going a separate route. (Rod Strickland and the G League Ignite reached out to him when Chandler was a junior, but he was focused on getting an education).
Still, right now, reaching the NBA is the primary goal, and this upcoming campaign with the Vols is critical to achieving that. When asked if he believes that he&rsquo;s the top point guard in his class, the answer is a confident &ldquo;yes&rdquo; because of his work ethic.
&ldquo;I was nothing at first. Nobody knew who I was,&rdquo; Chandler said. &ldquo;My hard work really paid off, and people started recognizing who I was. And my hard work just showed who I really was and that I deserve my respect, you know? That&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;ll continue to do, and I&rsquo;ll continue to work hard every single day.&rdquo;
Underestimate Chandler at your detriment. While he doesn&rsquo;t let the perception around his size get to him, he absolutely takes it as a slight. Not only does he have the desire to outwork everybody, he also has a chip on his shoulder.
&ldquo;I don't think it's fair at all,&rdquo; Chandler said. &ldquo;People, they consider me a small guard, but I'm playing against all big guards you can name that are freshmen now in college that are 6-foot-2, 6-foot-3. Size is just nothing to me. I play as [if] I'm a big guard. I don't believe me saying I'm a small guard really should affect me being [able] to play at the level of the NBA or just wherever I want to play at. I just take that as... it makes me work harder. It just makes me work harder every day 'cause I know me being 6-foot has nothing to do [with] me to play against [anybody] at any level.
&ldquo;That's not gonna bother me, them being taller than me, being this height. 'Cause I know I'm gonna get stronger as I am in college, which I am right now. I'm getting stronger and stronger every single day. So for people to consider me a small guard really doesn't bother me 'cause I've seen lots and lots of small guards that are in the league right now. I know if they can do it, I know I can do it as well.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies chats with Tennessee point guard Kennedy Chandler about his NBA relationships, high aspirations and more.

Tennessee's Kennedy Chandler intent on showing size isn't everything

The Memphis Grizzlies&rsquo; future revolves around Ja Morant. Selected second in the 2019 NBA Draft, the springy athlete has quickly become one of the most explosive and entertaining point guards in the entire NBA. However, some who follow the Grizzlies closely consider 25-year-old wing Dillon Brooks to be the heart and soul of the squad.
Echoing old-fashioned imagery of the Grit 'N&rsquo; Grind era led by Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Tony Allen, Brooks&rsquo; tenacious style of play quickly made him a fan favorite on Beale Street. Last season, Brooks established himself as Memphis&rsquo; top secondary scoring option alongside Morant, putting together a career-best season with averages of 17.2 points, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Brooks is on a bargain contract as well. With two years remaining at $23.6 million, Brooks&rsquo; value is stellar compared to other score-first starting wings around the league. Due for a raise soon enough, likely to double his annual salary, Memphis has <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/-dillon-brooks-kyle-anderson-available-for-the-right-price" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly made Brooks available</a> &ldquo;for the right price,&rdquo; per Cleveland.com's Chris Fedor.
Although Brooks has established himself as a complementary piece in the Grizzlies&rsquo; young core that brings 100% effort on each possession, this is a smart move. And no, this isn&rsquo;t a hot take.
Should Memphis really bet on Brooks being potentially their No. 2 scoring option throughout the prime of Morant&rsquo;s career? It&rsquo;s a risky proposition, especially when you realize how inefficient Brooks&rsquo; offensive profile is.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/field-goals-dillon-brooks_lg.png" alt="" width="548" height="347" />
(Brooks' 2020-21 shot chart, courtesy of InStat)
Brooks is a high-volume shot-chucker who rarely finds a good shot within the flow of an offensive system. Carrying a pedestrian 51.5% True Shooting percentage during the 2020-21 campaign, Brooks put himself in interesting company as it relates to scorers carrying a heavy burden of offensive creation. There are six players who notched a TS% below 52% with a usage rate at or above 25% last season: Russell Westbrook, John Wall, Victor Oladipo, Andre Drummond, Josh Jackson and Brooks.
Factoring in that Wall was coming back from two career-altering injuries, plus Oladipo&rsquo;s quad injury continued to linger, it&rsquo;s not a great list to be a part of. Westbrook remains an outlier due to his all-around play, which makes up for a continued lack of efficiency as a primary scoring option. When you also filter it to players who attempted 15 or more shots per game on a sub-52 TS%, the four included are Westbrook, Oladipo, Wall and Brooks.
And when you realize this is Brooks&rsquo; second time being on that particular list in two seasons under the age of 25, the others who have accomplished that lack of efficiency on multiple occasions should serve as a warning when you&rsquo;re thinking about paying him near $100 million on his next contract. Here are the wings since 2010 who have made multiple appearances on the sub-52 TS% and 25+ USG% list: DeMar DeRozan, Michael Beasley, Tyreke Evans, Dion Waiters, Josh Jackson and Brooks.
DeRozan&rsquo;s evolution throughout his prime years is the lone exception for a success story among those six names mentioned. Honestly, Brooks&rsquo; scoring does mimic an Evans or Waiters-like profile. All three fit within the score-first inefficient criteria, which should give a team serious pause on wanting to cough up big-time money to Brooks unless he undergoes a DeRozan-esque metamorphosis &mdash; and that's very unlikely.
Right now, Brooks&rsquo; value around the league would be at an all-time high. Coming off a playoff series where he averaged 25.8 points per game, a playoff contender could sell themselves on Brooks being a strong scoring punch to toss into their rotation. For a team like Memphis that isn&rsquo;t close to true contention &mdash; potentially another No. 8 seed is its ceiling outcome &mdash; selling high on Brooks would be the smart play long-term.
Three young players on the bench need more playing time alongside Morant &mdash; De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, Desmond Bane and No. 10 overall pick Ziaire Williams. When Morant and Melton shared the floor last season over 453 minutes, the duo outscored the opposition by a team-best 12.6 points per 100 possessions (116.7 ORTG, 104.1 DRTG). Bane showed in Las Vegas Summer League action that he&rsquo;s poised for a sophomore leap, continuing to build upon his strong rookie campaign as an above-average floor-spacing wing who can hold his own defensively. Meanwhile, Williams is a lottery ticket with immense upside. If the lanky wing from Stanford pans out, he&rsquo;s an ideal complement alongside Morant and 2018 No. 4 overall pick Jaren Jackson Jr.
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The Grizzlies are missing an efficient secondary scoring option to take them over the top to consistent contention, which needs to also include another health-permitted leap forward from Jackson Jr. in his fourth season. Brooks is a great piece to the current puzzle in Memphis, but does he make a lot of sense in the long-term picture alongside Morant, Jackson Jr. and other young prospects progressing along the way? It&rsquo;s a legitimate question to ask if you&rsquo;re in the Grizzlies&rsquo; front office.
Brooks is an in-your-face player who brings excellent effort on both ends of the floor. Being able to defend a team&rsquo;s top backcourt option while also knocking down open three-pointers is a necessity in today&rsquo;s NBA. There&rsquo;s no wonder why the city of Memphis is in love with a player like Brooks, but there&rsquo;s a real debate to undergo for whether he&rsquo;s a piece of the next great Grizzlies era. I believe Brooks&rsquo; best role in Memphis or elsewhere would be as a microwave sixth-man scoring option.
For the Grizzlies, they would be wise to canvass the market to see what the current asking price is on the former second-round pick from Oregon. If they are able to add future draft capital or more appealing young assets, Memphis can continue to stockpile intriguing pieces that fit best around their centerpiece in Morant.
Memphis is stuck in the middle right now within a Western Conference arms race that shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. Swapping out Jonas Valanciunas for Steven Adams while moving up seven spots in the draft was an interesting move, but it seems like the Grizzlies also felt uncomfortable paying above market value to keep their starting center around past the 2021-22 season.
The same fate could soon be in store for Brooks, which brings another array of questions for the team&rsquo;s future. Brooks can fill up the stat sheet, but doing so at an inefficient clip in his manner will not help his case if he wants to get a massive raise. Recent history has shown it.

Dillon Brooks has become a strong secondary option for Memphis, but his inefficiency may be in the way of a long-term play.

Why the Grizzlies would be wise to explore trade market on Dillon Brooks

The Brooklyn Nets have reportedly looked into signing Mike James of CSKA Moscow.&nbsp;
Source: <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/1195870/mike-james-a-candidate-to-sign-with-the-nets/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Antonis Stroggylakis &amp; Dionysis Aravantinos/Eurohoops.net</a>
ANALYSIS:&nbsp;James isn't a stranger to NBA action. He played for the New Orleans Pelicans and Phoenix Suns during the 2017-18 season and averaged 10.4 points during the 32 games with Phoenix. James was averaging 19.1 points, 5.7 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game with CSKA Moscow before <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/euroleague/1187948/dimitris-itoudis-suspends-mike-james/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">being suspended for a team incident.</a>
&nbsp;

James played with the Suns and Pelicans during the 2017-18 season.

Nets planning to sign CSKA Moscow guard Mike James

Each day, BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Some are insightful, some are just hilarious (so we had to include them). Without further ado, here are the tweets of the day for March 30, 2021.
Did You See Something?
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The play The refs <a href="https://t.co/V0jKQ9MmEV">pic.twitter.com/V0jKQ9MmEV</a>
&mdash; Jasmine (@JasmineLWatkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/JasmineLWatkins/status/1376704129909858315?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2021</a></blockquote>

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What a way for Baylor to lose on a potential game-winning shot, but also a lesson to never let the game get to a point where it could be decided by calls or non-calls. DiJonai Carrington will get her revenge on Aaliyah Edwards next year in the WNBA though, so it isn&rsquo;t for nothing.
Just Kidding...Unless?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
at this point the raptors could sign channing tatum from coach carter idc just get someone
&mdash; Sahal Abdi (@sAbdi28) <a href="https://twitter.com/sAbdi28/status/1376711885903564803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Listen: He will run suicides. He will do push-ups. He is a team player. If we can&rsquo;t get "Coach Carter" Channing Tatum for basketball reasons, can we at least get "Magic Mike" Channing Tatum for personal reasons?
Works Every Time
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
oh my god ja <a href="https://t.co/E1lzFYPKg2">pic.twitter.com/E1lzFYPKg2</a>
&mdash; Joe Wolfond (@joey_doubleyou) <a href="https://twitter.com/joey_doubleyou/status/1376712731563282440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2021</a></blockquote>

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It feels like every game, we see Ja Morant twist his body into ways we didn&rsquo;t know were possible to make baskets. In this particular scenario, he does what we call &ldquo;the bend and snap&rdquo; from the critically acclaimed 2001 film "Legally Blonde."
Why Not?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Since Russell Westbrook entered the league in 2008, there have now been 12 performances of at least 21 assists in a game. Russ has five of them
&mdash; Joseph Casciaro (@JosephCasciaro) <a href="https://twitter.com/JosephCasciaro/status/1376713707800117248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2021</a></blockquote>

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This is a crazy stat, especially when you consider the narrative that Russell Westbrook is a selfish player whose primary concern is padding his stats. Time to turn that bus around, folks.
Stunt 101/Brown Cow Stunning
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
happy bday to clyde da drip gawd <a href="https://t.co/vmhnlCzK61">pic.twitter.com/vmhnlCzK61</a>
&mdash; Desus Nice (@desusnice) <a href="https://twitter.com/desusnice/status/1376699211899617280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 30, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Nobody does a pattern like Walt "Clyde" Frazier, okay? NOBODY! There is only one other person who can pull off head-to-toe cow print and that is Monique Heart, and only the people at the intersection of NBA basketball and RuPaul&rsquo;s Drag Race will understand this reference.

BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter and compiles the best tweets from the last 24 hours.

NBA Tweets of the Day: 2000s Movies Nostalgia

Each day, BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Some are insightful, some are just hilarious (so we had to include them).
Without further ado, here are the tweets of the day for March 1, 2021.
Let&rsquo;s Do the News
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🚨Evening News🚨 - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Raptors?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Raptors</a>/<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bulls?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bulls</a> cancelled - Adam Silver comments - ATL All-🌟 Social Schedule <a href="https://t.co/DPbh5DBvWv">pic.twitter.com/DPbh5DBvWv</a>
&mdash; Ashley Docking (@SmrtAsh) <a href="https://twitter.com/SmrtAsh/status/1366114525137756160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
Ashley has been killing the post-game wrap-ups as of late, and the postponement of the Raptors-Bulls game didn&rsquo;t stop her from delivering the most important NBA news of the day. It&rsquo;s the S Club 7 for me.
Back In My Day
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
These are the banners the Celtics proudly display behind their net at the their home court btw <a href="https://t.co/qtOdEaWZtP">https://t.co/qtOdEaWZtP</a>
&mdash; Pascal Truther (@premekee) <a href="https://twitter.com/premekee/status/1365889374773272577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
This is accurate. 2008 was basically the 1920&rsquo;s anyway.
Who Do You Think You Are? I Am!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
When Kevin Durant saw Kash Doll refer to herself as KD <a href="https://t.co/50USpGHqKl">pic.twitter.com/50USpGHqKl</a>
&mdash; Rich (@UptownDCRich) <a href="https://twitter.com/UptownDCRich/status/1365703782458392578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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There are two possibilities that people think of when they hear KD; Kevin Durant, or, if you&rsquo;re Canadian, Kraft Dinner. No one, absolutely no one, thinks of Kash Doll.
Sucks To Be You
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
😭😭 <a href="https://t.co/HhH8wEBrci">pic.twitter.com/HhH8wEBrci</a>
&mdash; mikey (@mikelgorby8) <a href="https://twitter.com/mikelgorby8/status/1365346707052122116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
The Eastern Conference is weird. Teams are as close to third place as they are to 13th. The entirety of the conference looking down the standings at the Boston Celtics is even weirder.
Jurassic (Ivy) Park
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
KYLE LOWRY IS A PART OF THE BEY HIVE!!!!!! 🐝🐝🐝🐝 <a href="https://t.co/3lAONpN8cE">https://t.co/3lAONpN8cE</a>
&mdash; Indu 🌙 (@_indusvalley) <a href="https://twitter.com/_indusvalley/status/1365510084420399109?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
*Thinks of Kyle Lowry angrily listening to Beyonce&rsquo;s &lsquo;Sorry&rsquo; after Kawhi left and finding comfort in it.*
&ldquo;Is That My Teammate?&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
A color blind man's nightmare, watching <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/okcthunder?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@okcthunder</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/ATLHawks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ATLHawks</a> is very difficult with tonight's uniform colors. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cmon?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cmon</a> <a href="https://t.co/OXykrx4E9O">pic.twitter.com/OXykrx4E9O</a>
&mdash; Joe Raso (@coachraso) <a href="https://twitter.com/coachraso/status/1365482173185331201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
Thankfully the Thunder were able to change their jerseys at half-time, but the refs and commentators deserve some sort of medal for navigating this for the entire first half.
We&rsquo;re Off to See the (Washington) Wizards
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Giannis joyfully skipping might be the most athletic thing you see today <a href="https://t.co/oFvtJlgQ7x">pic.twitter.com/oFvtJlgQ7x</a>
&mdash; J.A. Adande (@jadande) <a href="https://twitter.com/jadande/status/1366161117081460743?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
How many stairs do you think Giannis could skip at once? 7?
Queen Canada and the King of the North
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Okay but who wore it better? <a href="https://t.co/sFspGDt8GG">pic.twitter.com/sFspGDt8GG</a>
&mdash; kishan 🌸 (@_kishanmistry) <a href="https://twitter.com/_kishanmistry/status/1366212166345515010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 1, 2021</a></blockquote>
Is Marc Gasol copying Canadian legend Celine Dion&rsquo;s outfit a signal that he wants to come back to Toronto? Is he telling us that his heart, will in fact, not go on?

Kelsea O'Brien scoured #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Here is the March 1, 2021 edition.

NBA Tweets of the Day: Whole Lotta 'Fits

Anthony Davis was the biggest player on the floor, and the Houston Rockets had no answers.
Davis had 29 points and 12 rebounds, LeBron James finished one assist shy of a triple-double and the Los Angeles Lakers topped the Rockets 110-100 on Thursday night to take a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series.
James had 16 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists for the Lakers, who outrebounded the Rockets 52-26. Alex Caruso scored 16 points and Rajon Rondo had 11 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Lakers, who held on after frittering away most of a big second-half lead.
&ldquo;Turnovers,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;We had too many turnovers.&rdquo;
That was one of the few complaints the Lakers could make after Game 4.
Russell Westbrook had 25 points and James Harden had 21 &mdash; on 2-for-11 shooting &mdash; for the Rockets, who got 19 from Eric Gordon and 14 from Austin Rivers.
The scoring margins were massive: Houston got outscored 62-24 in points in the paint, 17-3 on second-chance points, 19-2 on fast-break points.
&ldquo;We know we&rsquo;re in a big hole now, but the next game is the game we&rsquo;ve got to win,&rdquo; Rockets coach Mike D&rsquo;Antoni said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ll go out and if we lay it on the line like the way we did in the fourth quarter, we&rsquo;ll be fine.&rdquo;
The Lakers were up by 23 midway through the fourth, well on their way to a blowout win. That&rsquo;s when Houston&rsquo;s offense woke up.
Westbrook made a corner 3 with 3:01 left, Harden got a steal and a pair of free throws on the next possession, and the Rockets put together a 18-2 run to get within 103-96. The Lakers turned the ball over on four consecutive possessions during that stretch, giving Houston life.
&ldquo;I think we did a good job getting more aggressive, and that led to a lot more opportunities offensively," Harden said.
Harden was then asked why the Rockets were flat through three quarters.
&ldquo;Good question," Harden said, later adding, &ldquo;there's nothing we can do about it now."
The Lakers, on their biggest possession of the night, went to Davis &mdash; who was guarded by Gordon, who stands about half-a-foot shorter than Davis. It led to an easy score for Davis with 1:47 left, and the Lakers had a bit of breathing room.
Caruso&rsquo;s 3-pointer off a pass from James with 34.6 seconds left made it 108-100, sealing the win.
&ldquo;Obviously, we've got to be better," James said. &ldquo;We've got to close out games the right way."
This is how easy things were for the Lakers: In the third quarter, James grabbed a defensive rebound, turned and fired a 70-foot pass &mdash; soccer throw-in style &mdash; to Davis, the ball sailing over the five Rockets who were jogging back on defense. Davis caught the pass in stride and laid it in for a score, the ball never touching the ground.
And this is how difficult things were for the Rockets: They went 4 for 20 from the field over a 16-minute stretch spanning from late in the first quarter to early in the third, getting outscored 41-23 and seeing their deficit growing from three to 21.
The Lakers won Game 3 by holding Houston to 38 points in the second half &mdash; and clamped down again in the first half of Game 4. It was 57-41 Lakers at the break, meaning Houston had scored 79 points in its last 48 minutes of basketball.
For context: The Rockets had 79 points in a two-quarter span on five different occasions this season. The stretch in the fourth made it interesting, but the Lakers never lost the lead.
&ldquo;Overall, it's a heck of a win for our group," Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. &ldquo;Again, we're not going to be comfortable playing against this team with the firepower they have."
TIP-INS
Lakers: When James gets to three wins in a series, it&rsquo;s usually over. His teams &mdash; including the Miami and Cleveland stints &mdash; are 13-0 in series with a 3-1 lead, and they&rsquo;re 36-10 overall in the game immediately following the one where they win the third game. ... Dion Waiters (sore left groin) was inactive, but the Lakers are hoping it could be a short-term problem. JaVale McGee sat with a left ankle sprain.
Rockets: Houston is one of the franchises that has overcome a 3-1 deficit, doing so against the Clippers in the second round of the 2015 playoffs. . ... Harden went to the line for the first time with 1.3 seconds left in the first quarter; he&rsquo;s now taken a first-period free throw in 17 of his 18 games in the bubble.
NO HOUSE
Houston was again without Danuel House, while the NBA probes whether he violated conduct rules inside the bubble. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re investigating it and once it&rsquo;s through they&rsquo;ll tell us what the deal is and we&rsquo;ll go with it,&rdquo; D&rsquo;Antoni said.
NO BOARDS
Houston's minus-26 rebounding differential matched the worst in the playoffs this season. Indiana was outrebounded by Miami by 26 in Game 4, as the Heat finished a sweep of that series.
UP NEXT
Game 5 is Saturday.

The Los Angeles Lakers topped the Houston Rockets 110-100 on Thursday night to take a 3-1 lead.

Davis, Lakers take 3-1 lead over Rockets

LeBron James will turn 36 years old in December, but you'd never know it if you saw his performance in the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 3 win over the Houston Rockets.
James dominated on both ends of the floor, finishing with 36 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 threes, 4 blocks and 1 steal while shooting 13-23 from the field (including 4-9 from three-point range).
Anthony Davis also chipped in 26 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal against the small-ball Rockets. Rajon Rondo added 21 points, 9 assists, 3 threes, 2 rebounds and 1 steal off the bench.
For Houston, James Harden and Russell Westbrook combined for 63 points, 17 rebounds, 15 assists, 6 threes and 2 steals on 24-47 shooting from the field (including 6-13 from three) in the losing effort. Jeff Green had 16 points off the bench as well.
In the fourth quarter, Davis and Robert Covington had a scary collision; Davis seemed alright, but a bloody Covington went back to the locker room for treatment. BasketballNews.com will keep you updated on both players' status as more information becomes available.
The Lakers are up 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinals series, with Game 4 on Thursday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS GAME RECAP:
LeBron James added another record to his resume as he continues his chase for a fourth career title.
Nobody has played in as many NBA playoff victories.
James scored 36 points, Rajon Rondo sparked a fourth-quarter rally and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 112-102 on Tuesday night to take a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference playoff series.
The triumph gave James his NBA-record 162nd postseason victory, surpassing former Lakers guard Derek Fisher&rsquo;s 161.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s very humbling,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s something that I never dreamed of.&rdquo;
James had seven rebounds, five assists and four blocks as he helped lead the Lakers&rsquo; second-half defensive surge. The Rockets had 64 points at halftime but were held to 38 the rest of the way.
&ldquo;Nobody impacts winning more than LeBron James,&rdquo; Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s true for this season. That&rsquo;s why he should be MVP. Honestly, it&rsquo;s probably true in the history of the game. Nobody impacts winning more than LeBron James. To see him have that actual numerical statistic is just indicative of that.&rdquo;
James reached the milestone with plenty of help from Rondo, who became the first player to have at least 12 points and five assists in the fourth quarter of a playoff game since James for the Cleveland Cavaliers on April 22, 2010, according to STATS.
Rondo finished with 21 points and nine assists. He scored eight straight points during a 10-0 run early in the period that put the Lakers ahead for good. Rondo assisted on the other basket during that stretch.
&ldquo;I just took what was given,&rdquo; Rondo said. &ldquo;It started on the defensive end for me. Guys found me when I was open, and I took the shots with confidence. And I got some easy layups.&rdquo;
Anthony Davis had 26 points and Kyle Kuzma added 14. James Harden scored 33 points and Russell Westbrook had 30 for the Rockets.
Rockets forward Robert Covington was taken to the locker room after colliding with Davis in the fourth quarter. The left side of Covington&rsquo;s face hit Davis&rsquo; right arm, while Covington&rsquo;s left elbow hit Davis&rsquo; right side.
Houston coach Mike D&rsquo;Antoni didn&rsquo;t have an update on Covington after the game.
The game featured 16 lead changes and 15 ties, with neither team pulling ahead by more than six points until the Lakers took control late.
&ldquo;Too many 50-50 balls we didn&rsquo;t get, too many times we just weren&rsquo;t sharp,&rdquo; D&rsquo;Antoni said. &ldquo;We just weren&rsquo;t quick to the ball or quick to a play and it got away from us. They hit a lot of good hard shots. Tonight they got us. Next time, we&rsquo;ll see what we can do.&rdquo;
Rondo assisted on a layup by James that put the Lakers ahead with about 10 minutes remaining. Rondo then hit a 3-pointer to give the Lakers an 89-85 advantage, their largest lead to that point.
After a Houston timeout, Westbrook missed a shot and Rondo sank another 3. Rondo then stole the ball from Harden and made a layup to cap the 10-0 run.
&ldquo;Playoff Rondo is real,&rdquo; Davis said. &ldquo;His intensity picks up. He wants to guard the best perimeter guy. ... He&rsquo;s shooting the ball very well, making the right passes. His IQ is on another level.&rdquo;
LA controlled the final period for the second straight game. The Lakers blew a 21-point lead in Game 2 but outscored Houston by 10 in the fourth quarter to win 117-109.
&ldquo;I just thought in the second half they played a little bit harder than we did," D'Antoni said. "Our legs, we were a little slow off a lot of things, especially on the defensive end. We didn&rsquo;t create enough turnovers to run.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Lakers: C JaVale McGee returned to action, playing 6 minutes, but G Dion Waiters was unavailable after both players were hurt in Game 2. Vogel said Waiters is day to day with a strained groin.
Rockets: Danuel House missed the game for what D&rsquo;Antoni said were personal reasons unrelated to COVID-19. House had scored 13 points off the bench in Game 2. ... This marked the fourth time in D'Antoni's tenure that Houston split the first two games of a playoff series. In the previous three instances, the Game 3 victor went on to win the series.
UP NEXT
Game 4 is Thursday.

LeBron James didn't look 35 years old in the Los Angeles Lakers' Game 3 win over the Houston Rockets.

Mikey