Gators

After five grueling days of intense, do-or-die games, four teams have emerged as winners of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and booked a trip to the Olympics.&nbsp;
Among the teams making their way to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games are Brazil, Greece, Puerto Rico, and Spain after winning their respective tournaments in 4 various locations around the world. Brazil won in Riga, Latvia while Greece, Puerto Rico, and Spain each defended their home courts in Piraeus, San Juan, and Valencia respectively.&nbsp;
<a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=89fd1b8297&amp;e=2fb0566584">Brazil is celebrating being crowned winners of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Latvia</a> and securing a coveted place in Paris 2024. They will line up at the Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament for the 16th time after they spoiled the party in Riga for the home fans. A stunning opening quarter, which included 8 of 8 from downtown and a half-court buzzer beater, gave Brazil a commanding 34-11 advantage over Latvia, and they never looked back.
Sailing to a memorable 94-69 success, they were powered by forward Leo Meindl with a near double-double of 21 points and 9 rebounds. His teammate Bruno Caboclo also impressed with 21 points, which sealed the deal for him to be deservedly <a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=6024459c3d&amp;e=2fb0566584">crowned the TISSOT MVP of the competition</a>. When Brazil line up at Paris 2024, they will do so in Group B, where they will face host nation France, reigning FIBA Basketball World Cup champions Germany, and Japan.
Greece will compete in the Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2008, after their victory at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 Greece. <a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=6f9cccd2c1&amp;e=2fb0566584">They clinched their fourth win, 80-69 over Croatia</a>, on Sunday in front of 11,810 fans at home in the final of the event.
Greece jumped into the lead soon after the start and led for most of the encounter, although they were only able to truly shake off the resilient Croatia late in the final frame, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nick Calathes, and Giorgos Papagiannis.
<a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=8d44cbbee0&amp;e=2fb0566584">Antetokounmpo, the Greek superstar of the Milwaukee Bucks, was named TISSOT MVP</a> of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Greece. He led the way for his team in the final with 23 points and 8 rebounds, while averaging 22.5 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in the tournament. Greece will be placed in Group A and will face Australia, Canada, and Spain.
<a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=8f7204be13&amp;e=2fb0566584">Puerto Rico triumphed at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 at home</a> in San Juan to clinch a spot in the Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament for the first time since 2004.&nbsp;
Nelson Colon's men were helped by 13,504 passionate supporters who showed up in numbers to will the home side to a 79-68 victory against Lithuania in Sunday's Final. The one-two punch of Jose Alvarado and Tremont Waters proved unstoppable for the Europeans, as Alvarado led the way with a game-high 23 points and Waters chipped in with 18.
<a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=fe2ec4cb22&amp;e=2fb0566584">Alvarado was named the TISSOT MVP</a> of the tournament after averaging 16.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.3 steals, as the hosts went a perfect four-of-four in San Juan.
In the Olympics, Puerto Rico will slot into Group C alongside defending Olympic champions USA, Nikola Jokic-led Serbia, and South Sudan, who will be making their first-ever appearance at the Games.
Spain ensured they were victorious in front of their home crowd to celebrate booking their spot at another Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament. Spain, who were Olympic medalists in 1984, 2008, 2012, and 2016, <a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=fb071af6ca&amp;e=2fb0566584">defeated the Bahamas 86-78</a> in Sunday's final in Valencia in front of over 7,000 supporters.
Lorenzo Brown played an important role in the victory with 18 points, including four three-pointers, helping to spark a pivotal run late in the first half. Deandre Ayton posted 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Buddy Hield contributed 19 points and 6 rebounds to lead the Bahamas. However, their efforts were not enough to overcome Spain's experience in such elimination games.
<a href="https://fiba.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=7033084a6897e1c399b667eb5&amp;id=e6ad446b5f&amp;e=2fb0566584">Santi Aldama collected TISSOT MVP honors</a> with 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2024 in Spain as the hosts won all four games for a perfect week. Rudy Fernandez, 39, is set to become the first male basketball player to compete in six Olympic basketball tournaments.
Spain's return to another Olympics sees them land in Group A alongside Australia, Canada, and Greece.
---
The Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament will commence on July 27 in Lille, concluding with the Final and Third-Place Game at the Bercy Arena in Paris on August 10.

After five grueling days of do-or-die games, four teams have won the FIBA OQT and booked a trip to the Olympics.

2024 FIBA OQT: Brazil, Greece, Puerto Rico, Spain book a ticket to Paris

The Los Angeles Lakers' victory over the Indiana Pacers in Saturday's inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament Championship Game from Las Vegas averaged 4,580,000 viewers on ABC and ESPN2, making it the most-watched non-Christmas NBA game during the regular season on any network in nearly six years, since February of 2018, according to Nielsen.
Viewership peaked with 5,680,000 viewers at 11 p.m. ET. The average audience was up 46 percent vs. last year&rsquo;s NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC season debut, which is the comparable window (Boston Celtics vs. Golden State Warriors).
The audience for the NBA In-Season Tournament Championship Game was also up 64 percent from last season&rsquo;s NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC average. It was the most-watched program in primetime and among all key demographics for Saturday, December 9.
The traditional game broadcast aired on ABC, while NBA Unplugged with Kevin Hart, the alternate presentation, aired on ESPN2. NBA Unplugged with Kevin Hart garnered nearly 10 percent of the overall audience in in its debut.
NBA Countdown, ABC&rsquo;s pregame show, averaged 2,060,000 viewers prior to the Championship Game. It was up 30 percent compared to the comparable window last year &ndash; the pregame show for NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC season debut.
The Lakers defeated the Pacers, 123-109, at the T-Mobile Arena to earn the NBA Cup and a $500,000 prize for every player on their roster. LeBron James was named the In-Season Tournament MVP after contributing 24 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, while shooting 47.6% from the field.

The Lakers' victory over the Pacers in Saturday's NBA In-Season Tournament Championship Game averaged 4,580,000 viewers.

In-Season Tourney Championship: Most-watched non-Christmas game since 2018

ESPN had its most-watched NBA opening night in 11 years and its second-most watched opening night ever, according to Nielsen.
Viewership for the season-opening doubleheader was up 80% from last year. The first two games of the season on ESPN generated an average audience of 2,756,000 viewers, up from 1,532,000 viewers in 2022.
The Boston Celtics' victory over the New York Knicks averaged 2,552,000 viewers, peaking with 4,351,000 viewers at 9:45 p.m. ET. It was the most-watched ESPN season-opening early game since 2012 and up 76% from last year&rsquo;s early game (New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies).
The nightcap, which featured the debut of Victor Wembanyama, averaged nearly 3 million viewers (2,989,000) as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs. It peaked with 3,903,000 viewers at 10 p.m. ET. It was up 83% vs last year&rsquo;s comparable game (Dallas Mavericks vs. Phoenix Suns) and is the most-watched season-opening ESPN late game since 2012. Excluding Christmas Day, it is the most-watched Spurs or Mavericks regular-season game ever on ESPN.
The NBA also announced that NBA League Pass viewership was up 220% vs. last year's regular-season average. Wembanyama is also driving a ton of views across social media. Since the start of the 2023-24 NBA preseason, Wemby has generated 214 million video views, the most of any player over that span.
The NBA on ESPN was the most-watched primetime programming across all of television &ndash; broadcast and cable &ndash; for October 25 amongst people under 50, adults 18-34, adults 25-54, males 18-34, males 18-49 and males 25-54.

ESPN had its most-watched NBA opening night in 11 years and its second-most watched opening night ever, according to Nielsen.

Wemby Mania: ESPN had most-watched NBA opening night in 11 years

Paying customers and plenty of media members have loudly expressed their frustrations with how the New Orleans Pelicans have handled the injuries and updates regarding Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, to the point of calling the organization outright liars.
Sure, there were frustrations with injuries derailing the season, but the messaging did not come from a place of dishonesty. It came from the type of misunderstandings and miscommunications that can ravage any type of relationship.
The obvious friction within the team the last few seasons were publicly expressed through curt answers and solemn body language on gamedays. Executive vice president David Griffin even admitted last July that the Pelicans &ldquo;did a really bad job organizationally" in handling some situations, especially after Williamson&rsquo;s viral pregame dunk and vague comments to the media. It took a summer of reconciliation, but the most pressing relationship issues have been resolved. Everyone understands how to speak each other&rsquo;s basketball love language and approach expectations for the coming season.
It all started with listening sessions this summer, which were a reason Williamson stuck around town for the offseason. But go back and listen to how Williamson and Ingram talk about basketball in press conferences over the years. Examining how they speak about the game explains a lot in how they&rsquo;ve approached their careers thus far.
Ingram has been using the term "professional" and "basketball" while talking like a hardwood scientist since his rookie season. It would not be surprising for B.I. to break down film at 4 a.m., making calls to wake sleepy-eyed teammates. Specifically, Devonte&rsquo; Graham and Josh Hart have shared on record how Ingram&rsquo;s film studies helped their game. Even when Ingram was out with an injury, the deep film sessions to help his teammates improve remained part of his routine. His methodical game reflects his intense devotion to his craft, though Ingram&rsquo;s personality comes off as a bit more laid back.
Williamson &ldquo;just loves hooping&rdquo; by his admission this Monday and in past interviews. Both are highly talented and naturally gifted and, as one source put it, &ldquo;They both love the game, but show it in different ways. The game has loved them back in different ways.&rdquo; Organizationally, there have been some growing pains as perhaps some things got taken for granted along the way for a franchise shaping a new identity.
That&rsquo;s starting to change and it is a two-way street. This team knows it was in first place last December and Williamson&rsquo;s renewed commitment has been the theme of the offseason with those I&rsquo;ve spoken with.
"This was the first summer where we&rsquo;ve seen Zion take his profession seriously like that and invest in it off the court on his own in a way that, I think, is meaningful," Griffin revealed during media day.
This is a reassuring development considering the past four years. Now, Zion still loves to hoop. There is no doubt. No one shows up on an outdoor court in New Orleans to work up a mid-summer sweat with some high-school kids without loving to hoop. Roll a ball out on a court and a smiling Williamson is like an overeager puppy. At least Alvin Gentry got that right in Zion&rsquo;s rookie season.
However, Williamson has not had a healthy relationship with NBA basketball the last few years. The NBA Draft is a crap shoot and New Orleans was not exactly a prime location. The new front office had a few growing pains earlier than expect as a result. NBA HQ added some bumps and bruises to the process as well. The national-TV-heavy schedule as a rookie and through the COVID bubble was unwarranted, unnecessary attention; it was just premature pressure on someone who couldn't legally buy a drink.
Attention before production paired with injury setbacks put pressure on every strained relationship, which partly factored into the Pelicans parting ways with coaches Gentry and Stan Van Gundy after just a year each with Williamson on the roster. Zion even went to rehab in Oregon away from the team, returning to the bench just weeks before the team&rsquo;s playoff run.
Publicly and privately, it&rsquo;s &ldquo;all water under the bridge&rdquo; between the locker room and front office. Aaron Nelson is still with the team, but in an advisory role that&rsquo;s far more hands-off on the day-to-day. Newly-hired Amy Atmore, the team's physical/performance therapist and director of rehabilitation, has already made the players comfortable with the revamped staff and new "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" process. There are a few more full-time staffers to welcome into the group but by all accounts, head coach Willie Green has righted the ship culturally in the locker room. The leadership hierarchies and trust circle bonds are very strong and have been unanimously agreed upon.
In contrast to Williamson&rsquo;s on-court hooper mentality paired with a dozen endorsement deals, Ingram loves professional basketball and has been able to operate as an under-the-radar, one-time All-Star. This approach leads to multi-generational wealth that secures family futures. Ingram did not sign a contract extension this summer because "they handing a lot of people big money, [and] I&rsquo;m trying to get some big money&rdquo; next summer.
Ingram smiled while delivering that media-day-gold statement, but Zion was refusing to flash a grin for anyone to start training camp. This isn&rsquo;t just hooping anymore. This is serious, professional basketball and it would be a disservice to his talents and teammates to not approach this season as the opportunity of a lifetime. It&rsquo;s also a chance to win back all the fans and provide a return on the team&rsquo;s investment. Williamson loves to be loved. Ingram, especially after the FIBA experience, is after All-NBA respect before negotiating a contract extension.
The revamped player performance and medical staff changes were a direct result of the front office listening to player feedback. Williamson, who just signed a max-level extension, can see that.
"The Pelicans have put in a lot of things this offseason&hellip;" Williamson said. "I think what the Pelicans have done is add good structure and we'll see as the season goes&hellip; being on the same page with the personal trainers, really locking into every aspect of my body.''
Williamson also listened to feedback from the front office and the team&rsquo;s veterans. He got the message from CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr., who played through injuries last season, to set an example.
"I think [the changes] should help us," McCollum said. &ldquo;A lot of it is on us and how we prepare. Your staff can only do so much."
Off the court, Williamson&rsquo;s larger-than-life, crowd-pleasing ways mesh well with Ingram&rsquo;s reserved, low-key-funny, musically-inclined chill. Now, the Pelicans need them to make it work on the court when the stakes are highest. Like any relationship seemingly stuck running in place, huge consequences are resting on the next decision.
&ldquo;If this team can&rsquo;t take that next step, we need to know that as quickly as possible,&rdquo; Griffin stated straightforwardly at media day.
It&rsquo;s tough to hear for a young team, but at least the tough love is understood as coming from a place of caring about what&rsquo;s best for everyone.
Former NBA vet and Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon said he felt players have returned with a bitter taste in their mouths after the way last season ended and expects them to come into camp highly motivated to show their true potential. Griffin, who is passing off some of the medical-team-oversight responsibilities to Langdon, feels this group is &ldquo;really optimistic."
"We have pieces that can be really dynamic and win together," Griffin said. "They haven&rsquo;t done a lot of it and they know they have something to prove."
Williamson definitely has something to prove and has new motivations in life to live up to his potential. The expecting father with no more viable professional excuses or blame to be placed on youth ''wanted change."
"If I want change, I have to do something different so I sat down with the Pelicans and came up with a great plan," Zion said.
All public signs from the front office, All-Stars and those speaking behind the scenes point to a mended, healthy relationship between all parties as reason for future optimism. Reports of mutiny or group dissension are downright wrong according to what I&rsquo;ve been hearing. Hot takes to insinuate the franchise operates from behind a smoke screen miss the mark at best and at times show the worst of biases from people who wouldn&rsquo;t know which coach or player had a family sitting next to them in the arena.
There were no ultimatums. It was a remodel, not a revolt. The front office took feedback from their players and ran with it. That&rsquo;s a positive relationship. It&rsquo;s boring for offseason news but has long-term benefits for the team and it&rsquo;s fans.
"If we would have controlled the narrative, it would have made (the media&rsquo;s) jobs a lot more boring, but it would have put [Williamson[ in a better position to succeed," Griffin said last summer. "I feel like to a huge degree, I failed him in that sense."
The Pelicans and Williamson are now in a position to succeed with a clear narrative: Win and show the world their true capabilities. Williamson, who trained to be &ldquo;un-guardable&rdquo; this offseason, switched vocabulary halfway through the press conference with an admission that he is &ldquo;a basketball player."
"I simply want to win and impact the game. I train to impact the game from all areas&hellip; Griff, Trajan and Swin [Cash], those three have been really helpful," Williamson added. "They've supported me, they've had my back and we all got the same goal in mind, which I think is what family is about &ndash; people having your back no matter what and wanting the best for each other.&rdquo;
Williamson went further, going out of the way to declare his loyalty to New Orleans.
&ldquo;This is home for me. This is where I want to be&hellip;" he said. "If something were to happen to me where basketball wasn&rsquo;t there or my life is changed, who would be there for me? Realistically, who would be there for me? I had to come to that realization that when it comes to them, the family, and the city, it&rsquo;s always good so I focus on that.&rdquo;
Frankly, if that doesn&rsquo;t hit you right in the feels as a fan of the Pelicans, it might be time to re-examine your engagement with basketball and this team. Either way the franchise is moving forward with stronger relationships just as their championship window is truly opening. A great start to the season might even feel like a second honeymoon for fans with an open mind and little bit of hope for the future.
Other news from around the web: <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/dress-to-impress-why-barbie-and-ken-are-the-hottest-couples-costume-this-halloween/ar-AA1iaTEh" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barbie and Ken are the hottest couples costume this Halloween</a>

The New Orleans Pelicans are all on the same page and could be poised for a big season, writes Christopher Dodson.

Pelicans better understand love languages of All-Star relationships

The Orlando Magic have had their fair share of ups and downs in their relatively short history. However, since the franchise was established in 1989, they have provided their fans with some unforgettable seasons. From the early success of Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway to the dominant play of Dwight Howard in the late 2000s, the Magic have had some remarkable teams.
The Magic have had quite a bit of lottery luck, landing the No. 1 pick in 1992 (which allowed them to select O'Neal), 1993 (which allowed them to pick Chris Webber and trade him to the Golden State Warriors for Penny Hardaway and three future first-round picks), 2004 (which allowed them to select Howard) and 2022 (which allowed them to draft Paolo Banchero).&nbsp;
The current Magic squad has fans in Orlando excited about the future, with a core of Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr. and Markelle Fultz among others. But today, let's look back at the past and examine the five best seasons in franchise history.
5. 2007-08 SEASON RECORD: 52-30 FINISH: LOST IN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
This season, the Magic won 52 games and finished as the third-best team in the Eastern Conference. The team was led by a 22-year-old Dwight Howard, who earned his second All-Star selection while emerging as a two-way force. During the regular season, Howard averaged 20.7 points, 14.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks, while shooting 59.9% from the field. He was even more dominant in the playoffs, averaging 18.9 points, 15.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks. Orlando defeated the Toronto Raptors in five games in the first round, but they were ultimately eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. This season laid the groundwork for Orlando's Finals run in 2008-09.
4. 2009-10 SEASON RECORD: 59-23 FINISH: LOST IN CONFERENCE FINALS
Despite coming off of an NBA Finals run, the Magic decided to make some big changes entering this 2009-19 season. Orlando acquired Vince Carter in a blockbuster trade with the New Jersey Nets and added some new role players in Matt Barnes, Jason Williams, Ryan Anderson and Brandon Bass. The Magic won 59 games, which was the second-best record in the Eastern Conference. Orlando was once again led by Howard, who earned his second-straight Defensive Player of the Year award. The Magic were dominant through the first two rounds of the 2010 NBA Playoffs, sweeping the Charlotte Bobcats and Atlanta Hawks. But in the Eastern Conference Finals, they faced off against the Boston Celtics and lost in six games. Still, their regular-season success and deep postseason run cannot be overlooked.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/8887.jpg" alt="" width="728" height="384" />
3. 1995-96 SEASON RECORD: 60-22 FINISH: LOST IN CONFERENCE FINALS
The 1995-96 season was another successful year for the Magic. The team finished with a record of 60-22, which was the second-best in the Eastern Conference and is still the franchise record for most wins in a single season. Led by one of the best one-two punches in the league in Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway, Orlando went 7-1 through the first two rounds of the 1996 NBA Playoffs, eliminating the Detroit Pistons and Atlanta Hawks with ease. But in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Magic ran into Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, who got their revenge from the previous year by sweeping Orlando.
2. 2008-09 SEASON RECORD: 59-23 FINISH: LOST IN NBA FINALS
This team was ahead of its time, as Stan Van Gundy surrounded Dwight Howard with shooters and made teams pick their poison. The Magic had a terrific core of Howard, Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson, plus excellent role players such as Rafer Alston, Courtney Lee, Mickael Pietrus, J.J. Redick and Marcin Gortat. Orlando's run in the 2009 NBA Playoffs was incredible, as they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics (led by the Big Three) and Cleveland Cavaliers (led by LeBron James). Until this year, the Magic were the only team to defeat James in a Conference Finals series. In the NBA Finals, the Magic matched up against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, ultimately losing in five games. What if Courtney Lee hits the game-winning layup at the end of Game 2 in the 2009 NBA Finals? That's one of the biggest "what ifs" among Magic fans to this day.
1. 1994-95 SEASON RECORD: 57-25 FINISH: LOST IN NBA FINALS
The 1994-95 season was the most successful season in the Magic's franchise history. Shaquille O'Neal was virtually unstoppable, averaging 29.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 blocks, while shooting 58.3% from the field. Penny Hardaway was excellent as well, averaging an efficient 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals on 51.2/34.9/76.9 shooting splits. The team won 57 games, which was the best record in the East. Prior to the 1995 NBA Finals, the Magic became the only team to eliminate Michael Jordan in the playoffs during the 1990s, beating Chicago in six games in the Conference Semifinals. Jordan came out of retirement midseason and the Magic spoiled his return. After defeating the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the Conference Finals, the Magic faced off against the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals. Hakeem Olajuwon put up 32.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per game and helped the Rockets sweep the Magic. Still, the Magic's run to the Finals was nothing short of spectacular.
While the Magic have not won an NBA championship, they have had some great seasons and provided their fans with plenty of memorable moments.&nbsp;

From Shaq and Penny to the Dwight Howard era, Basketball News looks back at the five best teams in Orlando Magic history.

Ranking the 5 best seasons in Orlando Magic history

All eyes were on San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama when he made his NBA Summer League debut on Friday night.
In a game against No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller and the Charlotte Hornets, Wembanyama was terrific on the defensive end, blocking five shots and altering many others.
Offensively, he struggled, finishing with 9 points on 2-for-13 shooting from the field (including a pair of air-balled three-point attempts in the fourth quarter). He also chipped in 8 rebounds and 3 assists in the Spurs' 76-68 win over the Hornets.
While the packed crowd at Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas wanted to see Wemby take over the game and dominate, he was often looking to pass and set up his new teammates. After the game, Wembanyama admitted that he has a lot to learn.
"Honestly, I didn't really know what I was doing on the court tonight, but I&rsquo;m trying to learn," he told reporters.
It's clear that Wembanyama needs to bulk up, and working with the Spurs' strength and conditioning staff should help him in that department.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Thoughts on Victor Wembanyama's Summer League debut? 🤔 Full Stats 📊 &bull; 9 PTS &bull; 8 REB &bull; 5 BLK &bull; 3 AST &bull; 2/13 FGM &bull; 1/6 3PM &bull; 27 MIN <a href="https://t.co/nTgAIjtbB8">pic.twitter.com/nTgAIjtbB8</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1677677350912405504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

The game was likely the most-watched Summer League contest ever, and while Wemby didn't dominate, he did show glimpses of brilliance.&nbsp;
&ldquo;All in all, I think he did a good job," Spurs Summer League coach Matt Nielsen said. "You can see his basketball IQ is elite."
The hype around Wembanyama is largely due to his long-term upside. We've never seen a player of his size with his skill-set, so there's no question he has a ton of potential. And it's clear that his defense should immediately translate to the NBA level. On the offensive end, he needs some work, but he'll be in good hands with Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich and his staff.
The Spurs' next Summer League game is Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers, who may not play No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson after he sustained a shoulder injury on Friday against the Houston Rockets.
Wemby is only expected to play one or two more games, then the Spurs will likely shut him down to ensure that he stays healthy.

All eyes were on San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama when he made his NBA Summer League debut on Friday night.

Spurs' Victor Wembanyama shows flashes in NBA Summer League debut

DENVER (AP) &mdash; The latest sanctions, if any, that the NBA plans to levy against&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nba-ja-morant-gun-investigation-adam-silver-13a26256b8e38c02c6f3bf6e2c191167">Memphis guard Ja Morant</a>&nbsp;for his second instance of displaying a gun on social media will be announced shortly after the finals, Commissioner Adam Silver said Thursday.
Silver did not say what the penalties were, not even saying if Morant would be available at the start of next season. Morant was suspended for eight games by the NBA in March for an incident where he broadcast himself on Instagram&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ja-morant-grizzlies-nba-gun-investigation-instagram-863e2f6217ab2ba438a85a31e4a492d5">displaying a gun in a suburban Denver club</a>, and was&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/ja-morant-nba-investigation-gun-7fe15dae343f85d0366a4c959d5313b3">suspended by the Grizzlies last month</a>&nbsp;after another video showed Morant displaying what appeared to be a gun yet again.
Silver said the league has discovered more information during its current investigation, but the decision was made to not have the next round of Morant news overshadow the NBA Finals.
&ldquo;We probably could have brought it to a head now, but we made the decision &mdash; and I believe the players&rsquo; association agrees with us &mdash; that it would be unfair to these players and these teams, in the middle of this series, to announce the results of that investigation,&rdquo; Silver said.
The first suspension cost Morant about $669,000 in salary. The second incident was streamed on the Instagram account of Morant associate Davonte Pack. The video shows Morant in the passenger seat of a vehicle, briefly appearing to display a handgun. At the very brief moment &mdash; maybe less than a second &mdash; when Morant is shown holding what appears to be a weapon, the livestream had 111 viewers.
&ldquo;In assessing what discipline is appropriate, if that&rsquo;s the case, we look at both the history of prior acts but then we look at the individual player&rsquo;s history as well and the seriousness, of course, of the conduct,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;Those are all things that get factored. It&rsquo;s not an exact science. It comes down to judgment at the end of the day on the part of me and my colleagues in the league office.&rdquo;
This will be at least the third known NBA investigation surrounding Morant and the possible involvement of firearms so far in 2023.
Morant&rsquo;s actions were investigated after a Jan. 29 incident in Memphis that he said led to Pack &mdash; someone Morant calls &ldquo;my brother&rdquo; &mdash; banned from Grizzlies home games for a year.
That incident followed a game against the Indiana Pacers; citing unnamed sources, The Indianapolis Star and USA Today reported that multiple members of the Pacers saw a red dot pointed at them while they were near the loading dock where their bus was located, and The Athletic reported that a Pacers security guard believed the laser was attached to a gun.
The NBA confirmed that unnamed individuals were banned from the arena but said its investigation found no evidence that anyone was threatened with a weapon.
Silver said he&rsquo;s hoping this episode sparks change for Morant.
&ldquo;He seems to be a fine young man, in terms of my dealings with him,&rdquo; Silver said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s clearly made some mistakes. But he&rsquo;s young and I&rsquo;m hoping now, once we conclude at the end of our process, what the appropriate discipline is, that it&rsquo;s not just about the discipline. It&rsquo;s about now what we, the players&rsquo; association, his team, he and the people around him around him are going to do to create better circumstances going forward. That&rsquo;s ultimately what&rsquo;s most important."
COMPETITIVE BALANCE
The NBA Finals matchup no longer seems predictable months in advance, and Silver doesn&rsquo;t mind that fact whatsoever.
Silver, speaking just before the start of a Denver-Miami matchup in the title series, said those two clubs making the finals &ldquo;speaks a lot to the competitiveness in this league.&rdquo; This is the league&rsquo;s sixth different finals matchup in the last six seasons, and nine different teams have played for a title in that span.
&ldquo;With just a little over a week left in the season, you had 26 teams still competing for the playoffs,&rdquo; Silver said in his annual pre-finals address. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a record.&rdquo;
Denver is in the finals for the first time, and Miami is the second team to get there as a No. 8 seed &mdash; plus the first to get there after needing to survive the play-in tournament just to qualify for the playoffs. It&rsquo;s also a matchup of teams in the middle of the pack of the NBA market; Denver is No. 16 in market size, according to Nielsen, while South Florida is No. 18.
&ldquo;I think that&rsquo;s intriguing,&rdquo; Silver said.
There&rsquo;s been no shortage of examples of the same team &mdash; or two, even &mdash; making the finals on what seems like an annual basis.
Golden State played Cleveland four consecutive times from 2015 through 2018; Miami was in four consecutive finals from 2011 through 2014 and played San Antonio in the last two of those years; and the Los Angeles Lakers played three consecutive finals from 2008 through 2010, two of those matchups against Boston.
There were seven teams with better odds of winning the NBA title going into the season than Miami; there were eight with better odds than Denver.
&ldquo;Competition is great for the league,&rdquo; Silver said.

Adam Silver spoke about the NBA's investigation of Ja Morant and said the league will be making an announcement after the Finals.

Adam Silver: NBA to announce latest Ja Morant decision after Finals

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

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

Entering the 2023 NBA Playoffs, the Sacramento Kings vs. the Golden State Warriors was arguably the most anticipated first-round series.
The Kings, with the most efficient offense in NBA history, were breaking their 16-year playoff drought. The defending-champion Warriors were finally at full strength and ready to chase their fifth title in nine years.
Ticket prices were through the roof, with Game 1 going down as the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kingswarriors-breaks-record-for-most-expensive-firstround-tickets" target="_blank" rel="noopener">most expensive non-Finals game on record</a>.
The series, which is currently tied 2-2, has not disappointed.
Kings-Warriors has been must-see TV, and the ratings reflect this. Game 4 between the Kings and Warriors drew the largest audience for a first-round NBA playoff game across any network over the last 21 years, according to Nielsen.
The broadcast averaged 7,523,000 viewers, peaking with 10,406,000 viewers during the 6 p.m. ET quarter hour.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🚨 WILD ENDING 🚨 Relive the final 5 minutes of Game 4 between the Warriors &amp; Kings as the game went down to the very last shot! 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBASundays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBASundays</a> <a href="https://t.co/hgVvkD337h">pic.twitter.com/hgVvkD337h</a>
&mdash; NBA UK (@NBAUK) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAUK/status/1650364443342290944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

When was the last time a first-round match-up had this kind of audience?
When Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal led the Los Angeles Lakers against the Portland Trail Blazers on April 28, 2002, for an average audience of 8,555,000 viewers. That was an elimination game, with the Lakers defeating the Blazers 92-91.&nbsp;
The ABC broadcast of Kings-Warriors was the most-watched program across all of television on Sunday, including in all key demographics.&nbsp;
Game 5 between the Kings and Warriors is Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on TNT.
While there was some uncertainty about De'Aaron Fox's availability for Game 5 due to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/deaaron-fox-doubtful-for-game-5-with-broken-finger" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a broken index finger on his shooting hand</a>, the All-Star guard told reporters that he's expecting to play in front of the rabid Sacramento crowd.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s no if, ands or buts&hellip; I&rsquo;m playing," Fox told <a href="https://twitter.com/JandersonSacBee/status/1650960862910492672" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.</a>

Game 4 between the Kings and Warriors drew the largest audience for a first-round game across any network over the last 21 years.

Kings-Warriors Game 4 drew largest first-round audience in 21 years

When he was introduced last June as coach of the Sacramento Kings, Mike Brown didn&rsquo;t make any grand proclamations or wild predictions.
He talked about work. He talked about culture. He talked about winning.
&ldquo;One of the main reasons I was brought here,&rdquo; Brown said that day, &ldquo;was to bring some leadership.&rdquo;
Ask around, and no coach did a better job leading this season than Brown. He was announced Wednesday as the unanimous winner of the NBA&rsquo;s Coach of the Year award, an easy call after his first season in Sacramento saw the Kings make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. All 100 voters from a panel of reporters and broadcasters had Brown atop their ballot.
&ldquo;These honors don&rsquo;t come around often so you&rsquo;re very appreciative of them,&rdquo; Brown said on the TNT broadcast of the announcement. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m really appreciative of being in Sacramento. The fans, the city has been fantastic.&rdquo;
Brown won the award for the second time, adding this trophy to the one he got after he and LeBron James led Cleveland to a 66-16 record in the 2008-09 season. The other finalists this season were Oklahoma City&rsquo;s Mark Daigneault and Boston&rsquo;s Joe Mazzulla.
Daigneault was second, Mazzulla third, and 14 coaches got at least one vote on the ballots where the selection panel was asked to pick their first-, second- and third-place choices.
The Kings were 48-34, the seventh-best record in the league and the first time they were a top-seven team since 2003-04. They led the league in points per game, had the best road record in the Western Conference, snapped a run of 16 consecutive losing seasons and won a division title for the first time since 2003.
&ldquo;Accountability has been big since Day 1,&rdquo; Kings guard De&rsquo;Aaron Fox said. &ldquo;When he was hired, I told him that&rsquo;s the most important thing, I felt like, to me was just being able to hold everybody accountable. &hellip; That&rsquo;s definitely the biggest thing.&rdquo;
Brown&rsquo;s victory was the third major event for the Kings in three days. On Monday, they beat Golden State for a 2-0 series lead in their Western Conference first-round matchup. On Tuesday, Fox was announced as the inaugural winner of the NBA&rsquo;s clutch player of the year award. Wednesday brought the coaching award &mdash; and Thursday will see Sacramento trying to take a 3-0 lead over the defending champion Warriors.
Brown was there last year with Golden State as an assistant coach, winning his fourth NBA title, all as an assistant &mdash; the first under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio, the other three under Steve Kerr with the Warriors.
&ldquo;Everybody in our building just feels so happy for Mike and strongly about what he did for us while he for us while he was here, how much he contributed to our championships here and our culture,&rdquo; Kerr said before the Kings-Warriors series started. &ldquo;We miss him, but we&rsquo;re thrilled that he had this amazing season.&rdquo;
Brown becomes the 11th person to win the NBA&rsquo;s coach award more than once, joining three-time recipients Pat Riley, Popovich and Don Nelson, along with fellow two-time winners Gene Shue, Bill Fitch, Hubie Brown, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Mike D&rsquo;Antoni, Tom Thibodeau and Mike Budenholzer.
Until now, Toronto&rsquo;s Nick Nurse was the record-holder for the most votes in a Coach of the Year race, getting 90 first-place picks in 2020. And Brown topped two highly deserving finalists on his way to the unanimous win.
Daigneault got Oklahoma City into the play-in tournament and a game from the No. 8 seed in a season where the Thunder were widely expected to struggle &mdash; especially after Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 pick in last year&rsquo;s draft, suffered a foot injury over the summer and would miss the entire season.
Mazzulla wasn&rsquo;t even supposed to be a head coach this year, then was forced to take over just before training camp when Boston suspended Ime Udoka following the disclosure of an inappropriate relationship with a female team employee. But Mazzulla, only 34, led Boston to the second-best record in the NBA and did so well that the Celtics removed the interim title and installed him as the full-fledged coach in February.

After helping the Kings make the playoffs for the first time since 2006, Mike Brown won the NBA's Coach of the Year award.

Sacramento’s Mike Brown named unanimous Coach of the Year

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Amid and happiness and on-court celebration for Maryland reaching the Elite Eight for the first time in eight years, Terps coach Brenda Frese took a few moments to smile and reflect how far her team has come in the past year.
The best part for Frese is the journey&rsquo;s not done yet.
Diamond Miller and Shyanne Sellers had 18 points apiece as the Terps (28-6) took control in the third quarter to defeat depleted No. 3 seed Notre Dame 76-59 on Saturday and move a victory away from a trip to the Final Four.
The Terps will play either defending champion South Carolina, the top overall seed, or No. 4 seed UCLA on Monday night for a trip to Dallas.
Chasing a championship didn&rsquo;t look promising at the end of last season. Frese had lost 85 percent of her offense a year ago as Maryland went through a roster transition with nine new faces. The group gelled quickly and are among the last teams still standing in March Madness.
&ldquo;What I felt like a year ago and to where we are today,&rdquo; recalled Frese, who won an NCAA title 2006 and last reached the Elite Eight in 2015. &ldquo;Yeah, this one is going to be one I&rsquo;ll remember for a very long time.&rdquo;
Miller, the transcendent 6-foot-3 All-American, was asked why she didn&rsquo;t join the exodus from Maryland after her junior season a year ago.&nbsp;
She reasoned that stay or go, she&rsquo;d play with new, unfamiliar players. &ldquo;When you look at it like that, I was like, &lsquo;I&rsquo;m just going to stay and trust the process.&rsquo; And I&rsquo;m so happy I did,&rdquo; Miller said.
Miller and Sellers combined for 30 of their 36 points in the final two quarters.
The third-seeded Fighting Irish (27-6) played once again without injured leading-scorer Olivia Miles after her knee injury at the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament earlier this month.
Miles and guard Dara Mabrey, both starters, were injured spectators for Notre Dame, which hung tight with Maryland for 25 minutes before Miller and Sellers took over.
Miller, the first-team All-American, shook off a poor first half as Maryland gained control. Tied at 44-all, Lavender Briggs had a 3-pointer and Miller followed with a three-point play as the Terps closed the third quarter on a 13-1 run.
Notre Dame, which fought off Mississippi State on its home floor to advance last week, could not respond.
Maryland used its defensive pressure to break out early, forcing eight turnovers by the Fighting Irish to build a 19-14 lead. But Notre Dame showed its NCAA Tournament resiliency once more with a 13-0 burst to move in front 27-19.
Miller and Brinae Alexander each hit 3-pointers in the final 80 seconds of the half to cut the lead to 32-31.
Things changed in the second half as the Terps and their leading scorers turned up the fire.
&ldquo;I just felt like they were confident and aggressive and they got really good looks, and they nailed every shot that they took,&rdquo; Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said.
Part of Notre Dame&rsquo;s success was holding Miller in check the first 20 minutes. She was just 1-of-4 shooting with two rebounds and three of her team&rsquo;s eight turnovers. When Miller got going, Maryland was moving on to where it hadn&rsquo;t been since 2015.
Sonia Citron led the Fighting Irish with 14 points, their only double-figure scorer.
BIG PICTURE
Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish were not expected to get this far after Miles knee injury at the ACC Tournament. Ivey thought her team&rsquo;s run to the Sweet 16 will give them confidence to get back to work and put up another stellar season.
Maryland: Frese has been enthralled by this team after folding so many new faces this season. Maryland will look for perhaps its most unexpected Final Four visit when it plays for the Greenville 1 Regional on Monday night.
STAT WATCH
Maryland was just the third team in the women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament this century to allow two 3-pointers or less, record 15 or more steals and win by 15 or more points, according to OptaSTATS. Duke accomplished the other two, first in 2002 against Texas, then in 2012 against St. John&rsquo;s. Notre Dame made just two threes and finished with a season-high 25 turnovers.
MILES WATCH
Ivey said second-leading scorer Olivia Miles will have surgery next week and is hopeful she can take part when the Fighting Irish return for workouts this summer. Ivey said much depends on how the knee surgery goes and how long it will take to recuperate.&nbsp;

The Terps took control in the third quarter to defeat depleted Notre Dame 76-59 to move a victory away from a trip to the Final Four.

Maryland Madness: Miller leads Maryland to Elite Eight

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

It was a rough week for Ohio State, which lost all three of its games and tumbled down the AP Top 25 as a result.
The previously unbeaten Buckeyes fell from second to 10th in The Associated Press women&rsquo;s basketball poll released Monday after losing to Iowa and Indiana, two top 10 teams, as well as Purdue. Ohio State fell two games back in the Big Ten Conference standings.
South Carolina remained No. 1 for the 32nd consecutive week. The Gamecocks, who were again a unanimous choice from the 28-member national media panel, have the fourth-longest streak ever atop the poll. Only UConn (51 and 34 weeks) and Louisiana Tech (36) have had longer runs at No. 1.
Stanford moved back up to No. 2 in the poll and the Cardinal were followed by LSU, Indiana and UConn in the top five. LSU is the only other undefeated team in women&rsquo;s basketball besides South Carolina, which visits UConn for a top-five showdown on Sunday.
Iowa jumped out four spots to sixth with Utah, Maryland and Notre Dame coming in ahead of Ohio State. The Hawkeyes started the season No. 4 in the poll.
The Fighting Irish split a pair of games last week against ranked opponents, routing Florida State before falling to N.C. State.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of parity right now, which is great, great for the game,&rdquo; Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. &ldquo;The game is growing, which is what you want. But yeah, I mean, every night, especially the ACC, the ACC is the strongest league and, you know, we have just a tough stretch every night.&rdquo;
One week after falling out of the rankings, Texas re-entered the poll at No. 24. The Longhorns routed then-No. 14 Oklahoma and Oklahoma State last week. South Florida also came in at No. 25. Colorado and Illinois fell out of the poll.
RISING BULLS
No. 25 South Florida continued its streak of being ranked for at least one week every season since the Bulls entered the poll for the first time in 2015.
&ldquo;For us not being in a so-called football five conference, that&rsquo;s a huge accomplishment,&rdquo; South Florida coach Jose Fernandez said. His team has won 10 consecutive games and has 20 victories this season. The team&rsquo;s four losses have all come against ranked opponents (Michigan, Villanova, Ohio State and N.C. State).
&ldquo;This group has been fun to coach. We always play a great non=conference schedule,&rdquo; Fernandez said. &ldquo;We won on the road at Texas, beat Alabama, beat Arkansas. We challenged ourselves in November and December.&rdquo;
RECORD PERFORMANCES
Cameron Brink carried Stanford to a win over Oregon with a triple-double that included 10 blocks. It was the first triple-double in NCAA Division I women&rsquo;s basketball featuring double-digit blocks since Tamari Key did it for Tennessee in an overtime win against Texas on Nov. 21, 2021.
No. 20 Oklahoma&rsquo;s Taylor Robertson set the all-time NCAA women&rsquo;s career record for 3-pointers when she hit her 498th in a loss to Iowa State on Saturday. Robertson has 503 entering this week. The all-time NCAA record, men or women, is held by Antoine Davis of Detroit Mercy, who has 534 and counting.

The Gamecocks have the fourth-longest streak ever atop the poll. Only UConn (51, 34 weeks) and La. Tech (36) have had longer runs.

South Carolina tops women’s AP Top 25; Ohio State tumbles

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Billy Packer, an Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS, died Thursday. He was 82.
Packer&rsquo;s son, Mark, told The Associated Press that his father had been hospitalized in Charlotte for the past three weeks and had several medical issues, and ultimately succumbed to kidney failure.
Packer&rsquo;s broadcasting career coincided with the growth of college basketball. He worked as analyst or color commentator on every Final Four from 1975 to 2008. He received a Sports Emmy for Outstanding Sports Personality, Studio and Sports Analyst in 1993.
&ldquo;He really enjoyed doing the Final Fours,&rdquo; Mark Packer said. &ldquo;He timed it right. Everything in life is about timing. The ability to get involved in something that, frankly, he was going to watch anyway, was a joy to him. And then college basketball just sort of took off with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and that became, I think, the catalyst for college basketball fans to just go crazy with March Madness.&rdquo;
Packer played three seasons at Wake Forest, and helped lead the Demon Deacons to the Final Four in 1962, but it was his work as an analyst that brought him the most acclaim.
He joined NBC in 1974 and called his first Final Four in 1975. UCLA beat Kentucky in the title game that year in what was John Wooden&rsquo;s final game as coach.&nbsp;
Packer was also part of the broadcast in 1979 with Dick Enberg and Al McGuire when Magic Johnson&rsquo;s Michigan State team beat Larry Bird&rsquo;s Indiana State squad in the title game. That remains highest-rated game in basketball history with a 24.1 Nielsen rating, which is an estimated 35.1 million viewers.
Packer went to CBS in the fall of 1981, when the network acquired the rights to the NCAA Tournament. He remained the network&rsquo;s main analyst until the 2008 Final Four.
In 1996 at CBS, Packer was involved in controversy when he used the term ``tough monkey&Prime; to describe then-Georgetown star Allen Iverson during a game. Packer later said he ``was not apologizing for what I said, because what I said has no implications in my mind whatsoever to do with Allen Iverson&rsquo;s race.&Prime;
Sean McManus, the chairman of CBS Sports, said Packer was &ldquo;synonymous with college basketball for more than three decades and set the standard of excellence as the voice of the NCAA Men&rsquo;s Basketball Tournament.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He had a tremendous impact on the growth and popularity of the sport.&rdquo; McManus said. &ldquo;In true Billy fashion, he analyzed the game with his own unique style, perspective and opinions, yet always kept the focus on the game. As passionate as he was about basketball, at his heart Billy was a family man. He leaves part of his legacy at CBS Sports, across college basketball and, most importantly, as a beloved husband, father and grandfather. He will be deeply missed by all.&rdquo;
Packer was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale took to Twitter as word of Packer&rsquo;s death spread. &ldquo;So sad to learn of the passing of Billy Packer who had such a passion for college basketball,&rdquo; Vitale tweeted. &ldquo;My (prayers) go out to Billy&rsquo;s son Mark &amp; the entire Packer family. Always had great RESPECT for Billy &amp; his partners Dick Enberg &amp; Al McGuire-they were super. May Billy RIP.&rdquo;
College basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla tweeted: &ldquo;We fell in love (with) college basketball because of you. Your voice will remain in my head forever.&rdquo;
Packer was viewed as a controversial figure during his broadcasting days, often drawing the ire of college basketball fans, particularly on North Carolina&rsquo;s &ldquo;Tobacco Road.&rdquo;
&ldquo;As a kid, I was a big NC State fan growing up, and I would watch a game and the next day I&rsquo;d be like, &lsquo;Boy you sure have it out for NC State, don&rsquo;t you?&rsquo; And he would just laugh,&rdquo; Mark Packer said.
The younger Packer, who is the host of ACC PM on the ACC Network, said it didn&rsquo;t matter what school &mdash; most fans felt the same way about his father.
&ldquo;He would cover North Carolina game and Tar Heels fans would be like, &lsquo;you hate North Carolina,&rsquo;&rdquo; Mark Packer said. &ldquo;Wake (Forest) fans would be like, &lsquo;you hate us.&rsquo; And Billy just sort of got a kick out of that.&rdquo;
Mark Packer said that while most fans will remember his father as a broadcaster, he&rsquo;ll remember him even more for his business acumen. He said his father was a big real estate investor, and also owned a vape company, among other ventures.
&ldquo;Billy was always a bit of a hustler &mdash; he was always looking for that next business deal,&rdquo; Packer said.
___
AP Sports Writer Joe Reedy contributed to this report.

Billy Packer, an Emmy award-winning college basketball broadcaster who covered 34 Final Fours for NBC and CBS, died Thursday.

College basketball broadcaster Billy Packer dies at 82

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Shahada Wells scored 17 points as No. 14 TCU beat No. 2 Kansas 83-60 on Saturday in one of the worst losses in Bill Self&rsquo;s 20-year coaching career with the Jayhawks.
The loss snapped a 16-game winning streak at home for Kansas and was the second-largest home loss under Self. The Jayhawks (15-3, 5-2 Big 12), who lost 83-82 in overtime at Kansas State on Tuesday, had not lost consecutive games in the state since 1989 &mdash; against K-State and Missouri.
Kansas trailed by 10 at halftime and never closed the gap within single digits. TCU extended the lead to as many as 24 points. The Jayhawks shot only 32.1% in the second half.
TCU (15-4, 4-3 Big 12), which shot 54.4% (31 of 57) from the field, got 15 points from Mike Miles Jr. and 11 from Damion Baugh.
NO. 4 ALABAMA 85, MISSOURI 64
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Noah Clowney and Mark Sears each scored 17 points, and Alabama remained undefeated against unranked teams this season.
Freshman Brandon Miller added 15 points and eight rebounds for Alabama (17-2, 7-0 Southeastern Conference), and reserve Jahvon Quinterly scored 13 points. Clowney also had 14 rebounds, and Sears finished with eight rebounds and three steals.
Isiaih Mosley led Missouri (14-5, 3-4) with 19 points. Mohamed Diarra had eight points and 12 rebounds.
NO. 11 ARIZONA 58, NO. 5 UCLA 52
TUSCON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Oumar Ballo scored 16 points, Azuolas Tubelis had a double-double and Arizona withstood a late rally to end UCLA&rsquo;s 14-game winning streak.
The Wildcats (17-3, 5-3 Pac-12) took a 56-44 lead on Ballo&rsquo;s alley-oop dunk with 2:07 left. But the Bruins (17-3, 8-1) fought back, creating four straight turnovers to pull within 56-52. UCLA then blocked consecutive shots but couldn&rsquo;t convert on two shots of its own. Arizona&rsquo;s Pelle Larsson hit two free throws with 0.9 seconds to close it out.
Tyger Campbell led the Bruins with 13 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 12 with 11 rebounds.
NO. 6 GONZAGA 99, PACIFIC 90
STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 24 of his career-high 38 points in the second half, including 18 straight points during one stretch, and Gonzaga pulled away in the closing minutes.
Timme made 17 of 23 shots and almost all of them within a couple feet of the rim. Anton Watson added 16 points and 13 rebounds for Gonzaga (17-4, 6-1 WCC). Rasir Bolton added 16 points for the Bulldogs, who had won their previous three road games in conference play by a combined eight points, and Julian Strawther had 15.
Jordan Ivy-Curry led five Pacific players in double figures with 17 points. Nick Blake scored 16 before fouling out. Keylan Boone finished with 15, Luke Avdalovic added 13 and Judson Martindale finished with 12. Pacific (10-12, 3-4) made eight 3-pointers in the first half and was tied at 47 at halftime, but the Tigers were just 1 of 8 from deep in the second half.
NO. 7 TEXAS 69, WEST VIRGINIA 61
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- Marcus Carr scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half to lead Texas.
Dylan Disu added 13 points before fouling out, and Christian Bishop and Tyrese Hunter scored 11 apiece for the Longhorns (16-3, 5-2 Big 12), who bounced back from a double-digit loss at No. 12 Iowa State on Wednesday.
The Mountaineers (11-8, 1-6) had several players in early foul trouble. Kedrian Johnson had a career-high 22 points, but his teammates fell flat in the second half against the Longhorns.
NO. 8 XAVIER 95, GEORGETOWN 82
CINCINNATI (AP) &mdash; Zach Freemantle tied a career-high with 30 points and Colby Jones had 20 as Xavier handed Georgetown its 29th straight Big East loss.
Adam Kunkel scored 14 points to help the Musketeers (16-4, 8-1 Big East) bounce back from a 73-72 loss at DePaul on Wednesday.
Primo Spears scored a career-high 37 points and Akok Akok had 14 for the Hoyas (5-15, 0-9 Big East), who have lost 10 straight. Spears&rsquo; previous high was 34 against LaSalle on March 5, 2022.
NO. 9 TENNESSEE 77, LSU 56
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Josiah-Jordan James scored a season-high 22 points and Tennessee defeated LSU, which has lost six straight.
James, who missed eight games in November and December due to injury, made his second straight start for the Volunteers (16-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference). Playing 31 minutes, James was 9-of-16 from the field and matched his career-high with four 3-pointers.
Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler had 12 points and 10 assists, which tied his career high. Julian Phillips and Tyreke Key each had 10 points.
KJ Williams led LSU (12-7, 1-6) with 16 points. Trae Hannibal added 10 points. The Tigers committed 19 turnovers which resulted in 33 Volunteers points.
NO. 10 VIRGINIA 76, WAKE FOREST 67
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Armaan Franklin scored 18 of his 25 points during the first half and Virginia survived blowing nearly all of a 19-point lead to beat Wake Forest.
Kihei Clark added 12 points despite getting into foul trouble for the Cavaliers (15-3, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). But it was a day of wild swings for Virginia, who went from missing its first eight shots to suddenly being unable to miss to go up 34-15 &mdash; only to see the Demon Deacons push back to within a single point with 8 1/2 minutes left.
Damari Monsanto had a career-high 25 points for the Demon Deacons (14-6, 6-3), highlighted by making 7 of 15 3-pointers.
OKLAHOMA STATE 61, NO. 12 IOWA STATE 59
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Avery Anderson scored 18 points, including the go-ahead free throws, and Oklahoma State defeated Iowa State for its first win over a ranked team this season.
Kalib Boone added 13 points for the Cowboys (11-8, 3-4 Big 12), who won their second straight game.
Osun Osunniyi scored 15 points and Gabe Kalscheur added 14 for Iowa State (14-4, 5-2), which had won seven of its last eight games. Cyclones sharpshooter Caleb Grill spent most of the second half on the bench wearing a back brace and wasn&rsquo;t in the game in the closing minutes.
NO. 13 KANSAS STATE 68, TEXAS TECH 58
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists in Kansas State&rsquo;s win over Texas Tech.
Keyontae Johnson had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats (17-2, 6-1 Big 12), who won for the 11th time in 12 games. Ismael Massoud scored 12 points.
Pop Isaacs and De&rsquo;Vion Harmon each scored 13 points for Texas Tech (10-9, 0-7), which shot 32.4% (23 for 71) from the field.
NO. 16 AUBURN 81, SOUTH CAROLINA 66
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Johni Broome had a season-high 27 points and 11 rebounds as Auburn took control late in the opening half to run past struggling South Carolina.
Broome&rsquo;s performance helped the Tigers to their fifth straight win and offset a career-best 30 points from Gamecocks&rsquo; freshman Gregory &ldquo;GG&rdquo; Jackson II.
The 6-foot-10 Broome took full advantage of South Carolina&rsquo;s undersized interior for the Tigers (16-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference). He hit 12 of his 17 shots in 30 minutes for his sixth double-double this season and fifth against an SEC opponent.
Meechie Johnson was the only other player for South Carolina (8-11, 1-5) in double figures with 11 points.
DUKE 68, NO. 17 MIAMI
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Kyle Filipowski had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Jeremy Roach scored 14 points in his first game in more than two weeks to lift Duke over Miami.
Tyrese Proctor had 11 points and Dariq Whitehead added 10 points for the Blue Devils (15-4, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who played their first game of the season without a national ranking.
Jordan Miller&rsquo;s 19 points and Nijel Pack&rsquo;s 18 were tops for Miami (15-4, 6-3), which has lost three of its last five games.
NO. 18 CHARLESTON 87, NORTHEASTERN 61
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Ben Burnham scored 15 points, Pat Robinson III added 14 and Ryan Larson had 12 to lead Charleston to its 20th win in a row.
The Cougars (21-1, 9-0 Colonial Athletic Association) scored 13 straight points in the first half to pull away and extend the longest active winning streak in the nation. They have not lost since the second game of the season, to then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 11, climbing to their highest ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 since 1999.
Chris Doherty had 11 points and 13 rebounds and Jared Turner also scored 11 for Northeastern (8-11, 4-4). The Huskies haven&rsquo;t beat a Top 25 team since 2015.
NO. 19 CLEMSON 51, VIRGINIA TECH 50
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Hunter Tyson&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 12 seconds left lifted Clemson to a dramatic victory over Virginia Tech.
Tyson caught a pass just left of the key, took a look at at the basket and let it fly. The crowd exploded as the ball went through and the Tigers (16-4, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) continued their unexpected run atop the ACC.
PJ Hall led Clemson with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Grant Basile led the Hokies (11-8, 1-7) with 13 points.
NO. 20 MARQUETTE 74, SETON HALL 53
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) &mdash; Kam Jones scored 22 points, Oso Ighodaro had 18 on 7-for-7 shooting and Marquette beat Seton Hall.
Marquette (16-5, 8-2 Big East) shot 54% (29 for 54) from the field in its second straight win since an 80-76 loss to Xavier last weekend.
Kadary Richmond led Seton Hall (12-9, 5-5) with 10 points and five assists. The Pirates committed a season-high 26 turnovers.
NO. 21 BAYLOR 62, OKLAHOMA 60
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Bridges scored 11 points and hit a trio of game-turning 3-pointers in the final five minutes as Baylor rallied to hold off Oklahoma.
Adam Flagler had 16 points and five assists, and Keyonte George added 11 points as Baylor (14-5, 4-3 Big 12) won its fourth straight game after opening conference play with three straight losses and briefly dropping out of The Associated Press Top 25.
Jalen Hill had 17 points and nine rebounds, while Tanner Groves added 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots for the Sooners (12-7, 2-5).
NO. 22 PROVIDENCE 75, DEPAUL 64
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Noah Locke had a career-high 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, to help Providence fend off DePaul.
Bryce Hopkins added 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Friars (15-5, 7-2 Big East) snapped a two-game losing skid and improved to 11-0 at home. They are 2-2 without point guard Jared Bynum, who missed his fourth consecutive game with a torso injury.
The Blue Demons (9-11, 3-6) came in fresh off a home victory over eighth-ranked Xavier. But they dropped their sixth straight road game and are now 0-4 in conference games away from home. Umjoja Gibson had 16 points and five assists for DePaul and Da&rsquo;Sean Nelson added 13 points.
NO. 24 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 67, UTEP 59
EL PASO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Johnell Davis scored 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting and Florida Atlantic extended its program record for consecutive wins to 18.
Davis hit 2 of 3 attempts from 3-point distance and was perfect on six shots from the line for FAU (19-1, 9-0 Conference USA). Vladislav Goldin finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks for the Owls.
Calvin Solomon finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Tae Hardy also scored 16 points for UTEP (11-9, 4-5). Mario McKinney Jr. added 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
NO. 25 ARKANSAS 69, OLE MISS 57
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Anthony Black scored 17 points, reserve Joseph Pinion had 13 and Arkansas snapped a four-game losing streak by topping Mississippi.
Only nine teams in Division I had made fewer 3-pointers than Arkansas (13-6, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) this season, but the Razorbacks tied a season high by making eight from beyond the arc. They led by as many as 21 points.
Pinion and Devo Davis each made three 3s. Davis had 16 points and Jordan Walsh finished with 13.
Ole Miss (9-10, 1-6) committed 17 turnovers. The Rebels had six giveaways in the first six minutes of the second half, helping Arkansas extend its three-point halftime lead to 11 at the first media timeout after the break.

A roundup of Saturday's top-25 action in men's college basketball includes a TCU rout of the second-ranked Jayhawks on the road.

No. 14 TCU blows out No. 2 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse

The reigning champion Las Vegas Aces have made their first move of the offseason.
On Saturday morning, the Aces announced the trade of All-Star forward Dearica Hamby to the Los Angeles Sparks. Along with Hamby, they'll be sending a 2024 first-round pick to the Sparks for the rights to Amanda Zahui B. and a 2024 second-round pick.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Las Vegas Aces General Manager Natalie Williams announced today that the team has acquired the rights to center Amanda Zahui B. and a 2024 second round pick from the <a href="https://twitter.com/LASparks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LASparks</a> in exchange for the contract of Dearica Hamby and a 2024 first round pick.
&mdash; Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) <a href="https://twitter.com/LVAces/status/1616828749663866880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

Hamby has been a crucial part of the Aces' recent success, winning Sixth Woman of the Year twice (2019, 2020) and making a pair of All-Star teams (2021, 2022) within the past four seasons. Her ability to pley 3-through-5 &mdash; and more importantly, defend 3-through-5 &mdash; enhanced the Aces' lineup versatility.
Hamby often served as a connector for the Aces offensively, making heady short-roll plays, flowing into handoffs with Vegas' bevy of talented creators or simply keeping things moving with strong drive-and-kick sequences. Her ability to handle the ball allowed her to kick-start transition opportunities; they don't call Hamby "Big Guard" for nothing.
When available &mdash; Hamby is currently pregnant, though <a href="https://twitter.com/MylesEhrlich/status/1580338051091660800?s=20&amp;t=A6Umio7P6hgHOreszMUGew" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hopes to be ready</a> by the start of the 2023 season &mdash; her versatility could be a huge boost to the Sparks.&nbsp;
In a worst-case scenario, Hamby can serve as a bit of frontcourt insurance. The Sparks <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/los-angeles-sparks-acquire-former-allstar-jasmine-thomas-from-connecticut-sun" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently traded away Olivia Nelson-Ododa</a> as part of the package to bring in Jasmine Thomas. More critically, Nneka Ogwumike and her sister Chiney Ogwumike are both unrestricted free agents.
For the Aces, this gives them a bit more flexibility. Before today's trade, the Aces had the lowest amount of cap space in the W (roughly $138K) with two roster spots to fill. They'd essentially have two minimum contracts to work with.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
With this deal, their cap space balloons to over $300K. If they're able to reach an agreement with Zahui B., it's likely her figure would come in lower than Hamby's ($169K). That would give the Aces the ability to be players among mid-tier free agents &mdash; or higher, if their targets are willing to take paycuts to join a ready-made contender.
Zahui B. garners intrigue as a big with center size (listed at 6-foot-5, 184) but stretch elements to her game. She's comfortable pulling from deep, particularly above the break. She's two seasons removed from averaging nearly five three-point attempts, and knocking those down at a respectable 34% clip.&nbsp;
You'd love for that to be higher, but her blend of volume and comfort relocating around the arc has garnered the attention of opposing bigs. For three-point shooters, their reputation &mdash; and the attention they draw &mdash; can surpass the efficiency you may see on the box score.
For an Aces team that often saw teams aggressively help off Hamby &mdash; and mostly ignore Kiah Stokes &mdash; when spaced on the perimeter, Zahui B.'s presence could further unlock possibilities for an already-elite offense.

Nekias Duncan gives his early thoughts on the trade between the Las Vegas Aces and Los Angeles Sparks.

WNBA trade: Aces deal All-Star forward Dearica Hamby to Sparks

It would appear the Connecticut Sun aren't done making moves.
Not even 24 hours after reportedly agreeing to trade superstar Jonquel Jones to the New York Liberty as part of a three-team deal, the Sun have moved another franchise staple.
Jasmine Thomas, who has spent the last eight years of her 12-year career in Connecticut, is being traded to the Los Angeles Sparks, per Khristina Williams of Girls Talk Sports. In return, the Sun are getting a three-player package headlined by former UConn star Olivia Nelson-Ododa.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Sun will receive: Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Jasmine Walker, and the rights to Kianna Smith. The Sparks receive: Jasmine Thomas, and Connecticut&rsquo;s 2023 first round draft pick (No.10 overall). <a href="https://t.co/kYTq2IXUi1">https://t.co/kYTq2IXUi1</a>
&mdash; Khristina Williams (@Khristina) <a href="https://twitter.com/Khristina/status/1615016958734245896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 16, 2023</a></blockquote>

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

Thomas has long established herself as one of the best guard defenders in WNBA history, with five All-Defensive team selections under her belt to boot. She only appeared in five games last season, with her campaign being cut short by an ACL injury. In her last full season (2021), Thomas averaged 10.6 points, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals while converting 40% of her threes (3.1 attempts).
Even accounting for some slippage, Thomas should be a positive two-way contributor for the Sparks next season. With multiple guards set to hit the market this offseason -- Brittney Sykes, Jordin Canada and Lexie Brown are unrestricted free agents -- Thomas' acquisition also serves as a bit of a buffer if any of them leave for greener pastures.
Though it's a late first-round pick, snagging the No. 10 overall pick is no small thing for the Sparks. They didn't have a first this year, with their selection (No. 4 overall) currently residing with the Washington Mystics (from the Atlanta Dream) due to the <a href="https://www.si.com/wnba/2022/02/05/report-la-sparks-to-acquire-chennedy-carter-in-blockbuster-trade-with-atlanta-dream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chennedy Carter trade last offseason</a>.
For the Sun, this deal serves as another example of prioritizing younger (and versatile) talent. Honoring Jonquel Jones' trade request helped open the door to use the core designation on Brionna Jones, effectively ending her free-agency tour before it began.
In this deal, I'm enamored by the potential of Nelson-Ododa. Due to injury and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/report-liz-cambage-set-to-leave-the-los-angeles-sparks-chiney-ogwumike-olivia-nelson-ododa" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a contract divorce</a>, the Sparks' frontcourt rotation was a bit of a revolving door last season. That opened up playing time for Nelson-Ododa, who showcased fun flashes on both ends of the floor.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Across her last seven games (six starts), she averaged 7.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.9 assists (though that undersells her high-post passing), 1.6 blocks and 0.7 steals in a shade over 25 minutes.
The Sparks used her as a connector offensively, letting her handle the ball on the perimeter to flow into handoffs or to pick out the occasional cutter. She showcased solid feel as a screener, often doing a good job of getting her ball-handler and herself open.
What's encouraging is the scoring. Nelson-Ododa was intentional about looking for her own offense as the year went on. That's seemingly continued in overseas play, where she's averaging 11.3 points (65.3% from the field) in the WNBL right now. Despite being slight, she looks more comfortable using her body to create openings for interior shots.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/bymreu" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
The defense mostly speaks for itself. The former Big East co-Defensive Player of the Year is long and rangy, allowing her to defend quicker forwards in space. Even if traditonal centers can move her off her spot, her length allows her to alter shots anyway. I'm already excited to watch her and Alyssa Thomas wreck worlds whenenver they share the floor.
(The spacing issues between those two might not be as pronounced as it sounds on paper. Thomas is a wicked post threat and aggressive sealer; Nelson-Ododa's passing can be utilized higher on the floor, generating enough room for both to exist in the half-court.)
Jasmine Walker hasn't quite found her footing in The W, but her ability to stretch the floor -- she drilled roughly 37% of her threes during her <a href="https://rolltide.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/jasmine-walker/6426" target="_blank" rel="noopener">four-year college career</a> -- and put the ball on the deck is worth monitoring. Kianna Smith appeared in 11 games for the Sparks last season, with heavier bench minutes coming during Carter's absence from the rotation.

Nekias Duncan examines the four-player trade between the Los Angles Sparks and Connecticut Sun.

WNBA trade: Sparks acquire former All-Star Jasmine Thomas from Sun

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson had 21 points and nine rebounds, Gradey Dick added 12 points, and No. 5 Kansas tuned up for the Champions Classic next week by routing perennial Summit League contender North Dakota State 82-59 on Thursday night.
MJ Rice added 10 points in his college debut, and the Jayhawks (2-0) ramped up the defensive pressure against the Bison (0-2), building a 48-19 lead by halftime and coasting to their Division I-leading 13th consecutive victory.
They did so without coach Bill Self, who along with assistant Kurtis Townsend served the second game of school-imposed four-game suspensions. The penalty, part of the fallout of an FBI investigation into college basketball, also will keep Self from the bench for the Jayhawks&rsquo; showdown against No. 5 Duke on Tuesday night in Indianapolis.
Grant Nelson had 11 points and Boden Skunberg scored 10 for the Bison (0-2).
North Dakota State gave the Jayhawks all they could handle when they met in December 2020 in Allen Fieldhouse, leading for more than 28 minutes only for the Jayhawks to score the final seven points and eke out a four-point win.
It wasn&rsquo;t nearly as close Thursday night.
Wilson got off to a hot start, scoring 17 points in the first half, and Rice provided some additional energy with a high-flying dunk after missing the Jayhawks&rsquo; opening win over Omaha with a back injury earlier in the week.
But it wasn&rsquo;t until Wilson&rsquo;s bucket with about 12 minutes to go that the game got out of hand.
Kansas proceeded to score 10 straight points, highlighted by Rice&rsquo;s ally-oop dunk, and the run stretched to 13-2 on a 3-pointer by Joseph Yesufu. And when the Bison finally got a bucket, Yesufu answered with another 3, triggering another 11-0 run that gave the Jayhawks a 40-16 lead by the under-4 minute media timeout.
The Jayhawks shot 56% from the field in the half, helped along by four ally-oop dunks, while the Bison resorted to shooting desperation 3-pointers late in the shot clock. Twenty of their 28 shots in the first half came from beyond the arc.
The Bison never threatened Kansas in the second half.
THE TAKEAWAY
The Jayhawks were brutally efficient on offense, but they really shined on defense. Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar Jr. has lived up to his billing as a perimeter stopper, and KJ Adams Jr. and Ernest Udeh Jr. dominated the paint. On nights when shots aren&rsquo;t falling, the Jayhawks will be able to lean on their defense to keep them in games.
UP NEXT
While the Jayhawks head to Indianapolis to face the Blue Devils in one of the marquee nonconference games of the season, the Bison travel back to Fargo for their home opener against Pacific on Sunday.

Jalen Wilson had 21 points and nine rebounds, Gradey Dick added 12 points, and No. 5 Kansas tuned up for the Champions Classic.

Wilson leads No. 5 Kansas to 82-59 rout of North Dakota St

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

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

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

The Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences have led the way among the so-called power leagues in hiring coaches of color to lead women&rsquo;s basketball programs.
The two conferences each have five Black head coaches, including three women changing jobs in the most recent cycle: Texas A&amp;M&rsquo;s Joni Taylor, Syracuse&rsquo;s Felisha Legette-Jack and Virginia&rsquo;s Amaka Agugua-Hamilton. Four of the ACC coaches are Black women while Virginia Tech&rsquo;s Kenny Brooks is the only Black male head coach of a women&rsquo;s team at a Power Five school.
The total number doesn&rsquo;t suggest a major shift over the past two seasons across 65 Power Five schools with 14 Black women being in charge of teams &mdash; up one from 2021. That&rsquo;s less than 22% of the total in a sport that was played by more Black athletes (40.7%) than any other race, according to a report with data from the 2020-21 season.
Still, hiring trends are leaning towards more equality with five of the 12 openings in the Power Five conferences this past offseason going to women of color.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a very solid number,&rdquo; Richard Lapchick, who is the head of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida, said of the ACC and SEC. &ldquo;If that persisted over a number of years, I think there would be a lot of happy black women head coaches spread across the Power Five conferences that aren&rsquo;t there now.&rdquo;
Lapchick also pointed to the fact that the ACC has two Black female athletic directors (at Duke and at Virginia). The SEC also has two female minority ADs, at Vanderbilt and Missouri.
&ldquo;I think there is something to be said about leaders making decisions,&rdquo; Duke AD Nina King said. &ldquo;You have a diverse group and you&rsquo;ll bring a diverse group of coaches to the table.&rdquo;
King said that the conversations need to continue: &ldquo;We need to understand what the barriers are and why aren&rsquo;t there more Black women getting hired. We need to knock down the barriers.&rdquo;
The Pac-12 and Big Ten have been giving more Black women a chance. Three of the last four hires in the Pac-12 have been women of color and two of the last three in the Big Ten. The Big 12 has no Black coaches of its women&rsquo;s basketball teams after four hirings over the past two seasons.
&ldquo;There needs to be more opportunity, it should be equal opportunity,&rdquo; Agugua-Hamilton said. &rdquo;And obviously, statistics have shown that that&rsquo;s been a little skewed. So I like to see that the times are changing a little bit and more people are getting opportunities, including myself.&rdquo;
Lapchick pointed to the success of Dawn Staley, who became the first Black coach, male or female. to win two national championships. She was rewarded last year by South Carolina with one of the biggest contracts in women&rsquo;s basketball history, a landmark $22.4 million, seven-year contract.
&ldquo;I think Dawn getting a million-dollar contract was one of the biggest breakthroughs in women&rsquo;s sports,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Long overdue, but it actually happened. So this is going to be good for other women following in her footsteps, not just there but around the country at other schools as well.&rdquo;
Staley has been happy to see the door open for more Black women.
&ldquo;There is an influx of Black women getting opportunities,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Black women are getting more chances to be the head honcho of their programs. I hope we can continue to be successful.&rdquo;
Staley has inspired other Black coaches not just with what she&rsquo;s done on the court, but also what she&rsquo;s done off it, by sending them a piece of her championship net from 2017.
&ldquo;Dawn Staley is a staple for women of color,&rdquo; Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey said. &ldquo;She talks about it, she had the net that she sent out to everyone just to empower all the female head coaches. And I think just having opportunity, understanding how much how much representation really does matter, I think is powerful. I definitely think we&rsquo;re trending in the right direction. And I think it&rsquo;s a positive thing.&rdquo;
Ivey wants to continue what Staley has done.
&ldquo;I want to do a great job because I want my opportunity to be able to extend to someone else,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Obviously you don&rsquo;t want to fail and then the tide changes. It&rsquo;s not something that I think about as far as pressure. I&rsquo;m blessed to be in this role. I&rsquo;m going do my best because I love what I do and I love this university. And I&rsquo;m hoping that my work speaks for itself.&rdquo;
___
AP Basketball Writer Aaron Beard and AP Sports Writer Teresa M. Walker contributed to this story.

The Atlantic Coast and Southeastern conferences have led the way among power leagues in hiring coaches of color in women's hoops.