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We're flipping our calendar at BasketballNews &mdash; but not before taking one look back at a memorable 2021.
Sports never cease to give us compelling storylines. Last year, they came from all places, from the pros in the U.S. and abroad, to college, to youth levels, and even off the basketball court. Below are some of our staff's best stories, arranged in several categories. Read the Best of BasketballNews 2021:
Best Features
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/gary-payton-ii_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-g-league-raptors-905-gary-payton-ii-on-growing-up-in-fathers-shadow-we-have-two-different-paths">Gary Payton II on growing up in father's shadow: 'We have two different paths'</a> &mdash; by Kelsea O'Brien
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Former NBA execs, Overtime Elite seek to revolutionize amateur-to-pro p</a><a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reparation</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-daniel-gafford-washington-wizards-russell-westbrook-bradley-beal-tony-falce-arkansas-razorbacks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Daniel Gafford, Wizards surging since trade: 'When I got here, it clicked automatically'</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pj-dozier-took-a-whirlwind-journey-to-the-denver-nuggets-starting-lineup">Two-way threat: PJ Dozier reflects on whirlwind path to Nuggets</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/g-league-finals-mvp-devin-cannady-remains-focus-bigger-goals">NBA G League Finals MVP Devin Cannady remains focused on bigger goals</a> &mdash; by Kelsea O'Brien
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/theres-plenty-of-blame-to-go-around-for-frank-ntilikinas-failure">There&rsquo;s plenty of blame to go around for Frank Ntilikina&rsquo;s failure</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nikola-vucevic-may-finally-get-credit-he-deserves-with-newlook-bulls">Nikola Vucevic may finally get credit he deserves with new-look Bulls</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/meet-juste-jocyte-15-year-old-phenom-and-professional-record-breaker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meet Justė Jocytė: 15-year-old phenom and professional record-breaker</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kristaps-porzingis-renewed-confidence-leading-to-resurgent-season-with-mavericks">Kristaps Porzingis' renewed confidence leading to resurgent season</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/scoot-henderson-aspirations-far-exceed-any-hype-we-can-give-him" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA G League star Scoot Henderson's aspirations far exceed the hype</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
Best Interviews and Q&amp;As
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/markelle-fultz_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-richaun-holmes-qa-interview-free-agency-all-defensive-team">Richaun Holmes Q&amp;A: 'I definitely feel I&rsquo;m deserving of the All-Defensive Team'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-orlando-magic-rj-hampton-q-and-a-i-dont-think-you-can-put-a-cap-on-our-ceiling">Magic's R.J. Hampton Q&amp;A: 'I don&rsquo;t think you can put a cap on our ceiling'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rex-chapman-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-8-episode-7-stephen-curry">The Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins Episode 7 - Stephen Curry</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-rex-chapman-show/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-10-episode-9-james-jones">The Rex Chapman Show: James Jones on Suns' culture change, player-to-GM leap</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-san-antonio-spurs-derrick-white-dejounte-murray-gregg-popovich-colorado-buffaloes">One-on-One: Derrick White, Spurs' youth trying to make a name for themselves</a> &mdash; with Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-one-on-one-patrick-patterson-los-angeles-clippers-tyronn-lue-paul-george-kawhi-leonard-demarcus-cousins-kentucky-wildcats-basketball">One-on-One: Patrick Patterson opens up as Clippers begin playoff run</a> &mdash; with Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/larry-nance-jr-qa-i-did-not-come-out-here-to-halfass-this-thing">Larry Nance Jr. Q&amp;A: 'I did not come out here to half-ass this thing'</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jermaine-oneal-on-reconciling-with-ron-artest-i-didnt-know-about-mental-health">Jermaine O&rsquo;Neal on reconciling with Metta World Peace: 'I didn't know about mental health'</a> &mdash; with Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/markelle-fultz-reveals-what-really-happened-with-his-shot-shoulder">Markelle Fultz reveals what really happened with his shot, shoulder</a> &mdash; with Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-alex-kennedy-podcast/episodes/basketballnews-com-episode-29-thad-young-on-getting-blindsided-by-trade-to-spurs,-dealing-with-recent-trade-rumors,-the-key-to-nba-longevity,-more-ep-29">Thad Young on being blindsided by Spurs trade, trade rumors, key to longevity</a> &mdash; with Alex Kennedy
Best Player Breakdowns
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/kyle-lowry_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/on-lock-how-jrue-holiday-became-the-nba-finals-xfactor-">On Lock: How Jrue Holiday became the NBA Finals&rsquo; X-Factor</a> &mdash; by Jannelle Moore
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/enough-no-bag-talk-giannis-antetokounmpo-put-the-nba-on-notice-finals-mvp-champion">Enough 'no bag' talk: Giannis Antetokounmpo put the NBA on notice</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-kyle-lowry-brings-to-the-miami-heat">Film study: What Kyle Lowry brings to the Miami Heat</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dime-fest-breaking-down-courtney-vandersloot-historic-night-wnba-playoffs">Dime Fest: Breaking down Courtney Vandersloot's historic night</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/all-signs-pointing-to-marcus-smart-as-the-celtics-swing-player">What does Marcus Smart at point guard look like for the Celtics? </a>&nbsp; &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rudy-gay-is-injecting-the-jazz-with-funk">Rudy Gay is injecting the Jazz with funk</a> &mdash; by Mark Schindler
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-jaren-jackson-jr-a-star-in-making-or-something-else">Is Jaren Jackson Jr. a star in the making, or something else?</a> &mdash; by Matt Brooks
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dissecting-desmond-bane-role-memphis-grizzlies-offense">Dissecting Desmond Bane's growing role in the Grizzlies' offense</a> &mdash; by Jackson Frank
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/is-dave-bing-right-about-cade-cunningham">Is Cade Cunningham a franchise player the Pistons can build around?</a> &mdash; by Mat Issa and Bryce Simon
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/making-the-nba-all-star-case-for-cavs-big-man-jarrett-allen">Making the NBA All-Star case for Cavs big man Jarrett Allen</a> &mdash; by Bryan Fonseca
Best Team and League Breakdowns
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/jarrett-allen_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-to-tank-or-not-to-tank-analyzing-the-toronto-raptors-present-and-future">To tank, or not to tank? Analyzing the Raptors' present and future</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nba-draft-lottery-is-not-rigged-and-heres-why">The NBA Draft Lottery is not rigged, and here's why</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-big-men-take-more-time-to-develop-in-the-nba-than-guards-and-wings">Why NBA bigs take more time to develop: 'They're used to imposing their will'</a>&nbsp;&mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/as-the-offseason-revs-up-what-nba-teams-are-in-the-dead-money-doldrums">As NBA offseason nears, which teams are in the dead money doldrums?</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/suns-create-unnecessarily-awkward-situation-not-signing-deandre-ayton-to-extension">Suns create unnecessarily awkward situation by not extending Ayton</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-the-nba-length-matters-unedited">Length matters: The NBA's long-ball revolution may be coming</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/grindhouse-how-the-grizzlies-are-winning-with-defense">The Grindhouse: How the Grizzlies are winning with defense</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/tom-thibodeau-isnt-the-only-reigning-coach-of-the-year-to-struggle">Tom Thibodeau isn&rsquo;t the only reigning Coach of the Year to struggle</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-power-rankings-warriors-reclaim-top-spot-from-suns">NBA Power Rankings: Bulls are hot, Warriors reclaim top spot from Suns </a>&nbsp;&mdash; by Tommy Beer
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/hornets-embarrassing-defense-sinking-their-enticing-potential">Hornets' embarrassing defense sinking their enticing potential</a> &mdash; by Evan Sidery
Best Opinion
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/draymond-green_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/injuries-galore-the-nba-all-too-soon-return-has-made-losers-of-us-all">Injuries Galore: The NBA&rsquo;s all-too-soon return has made losers of us all</a> &mdash; by Moke Hamilton
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/what-can-the-nba-do-to-prevent-ugly-fan-incidents">What can the NBA do to prevent more ugly fan incidents?</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/rachel-nichols-maria-taylor-incident-exposes-espn-racism-sexism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rachel Nichols-Maria Taylor incident exposes ESPN&rsquo;s racism, sexism&nbsp;</a> &mdash; by Imman Adan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-discourse-around-nba-superteams-is-tiresome-stars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The discourse around NBA stars and super-teams is tiresome</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-beginners-guide-to-nba-stats-written-by-a-beginner">A beginner's guide to NBA stats: The three types of statistics</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/which-nba-players-could-have-realistically-played-in-the-nfl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Which NBA players could have realistically played in the NFL?</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/no-enhancement-necessary-the-nba-should-leave-well-enough-alone">No enhancement necessary: NBA should leave well enough alone</a> &mdash; by Jannelle Moore
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nets-should-be-ashamed-of-themselves">The Nets should be ashamed of themselves</a> &mdash; by Nekias Duncan
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/missing-the-forest-through-the-trees-on-christmas-day-games">Missing the forest through the trees on Christmas Day games</a> &mdash; by Mark Schindler
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/greg-monroe-and-the-brief-case-for-us-to-see-more-nba-veterans-this-season">NBA teams need to show more respect to veterans, and we're seeing why</a> &mdash; by Bryan Fonseca
Best of the NBA Draft
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/james-bouknight_lg.jpg" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Draft Big Board</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/a-behindthescenes-look-at-james-bouknights-predraft-training">Behind the scenes with projected lottery pick James Bouknight</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-nba-draft-prospect-nahshon-bones-hyland-demands-your-attention">Q&amp;A: Draft prospect Nah'Shon 'Bones' Hyland demands your attention</a> &mdash; by Alex Kennedy
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/qa-2021-nba-draft-intel-with-lead-draft-analyst-matt-babcock-rumors-offseason">2021 NBA Draft: Matt Babcock on rumors, trades, risers, fallers</a> &mdash; by Ethan Fuller and Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-little-guy-from-bendigo-dyson-daniels-game-is-unlike-anyone-elses">The Little Guy From Bendigo: Dyson Daniels is unlike anyone else</a> &mdash; by Spencer Davies
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-qa-french-big-man-ismael-kamagate">2022 NBA Draft Q&amp;A: French big man Ismael Kamagate</a> &mdash; by Jason Filippi
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-jean-montero-scouting-report">2022 NBA Draft: Jean Montero scouting report</a> &mdash; by Doc Martin
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/babcocks-takeaways-jabari-smith-patrick-baldwin-jr-matthew-cleveland-more">Babcock&rsquo;s Takeaways: Jabari Smith, Patrick Baldwin, Matthew Cleveland</a> &mdash; by Matt Babcock
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-the-evolution-of-kansas-guard-ochai-agbaji">2022 NBA Draft: The evolution of Kansas guard Ochai Agbaji</a> &mdash; by Derek Murray
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-getting-to-know-alabamas-native-son-jd-davison">2022 NBA Draft: Getting to know JD Davison, Alabama's native son</a> &mdash; by Grant Aqui
Best Player Pieces
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/james-posey_lg.png" alt="" />
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-washington-wizards-troy-brown-jr-bradley-beal-russell-westbrook-outbreak-covid-19-coronavirus-virus-contract-health-safety-protocol">Behind the scenes of the Wizards' COVID-19 outbreak: 'It's been a wild season'</a> &mdash; by Troy Brown Jr.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/its-a-shame-carmelo-didnt-end-up-in-portland-sooner">It&rsquo;s a shame Carmelo Anthony didn&rsquo;t end up in Portland sooner</a> &mdash; by Kenyon Martin
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/my-first-time-getting-traded-learning-what-its-like-to-be-dealt-in-the-nba">My first time getting traded: Learning what it's like to be dealt in the NBA</a> &mdash; by Troy Brown Jr.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kwame-brown-stephen-a-smith-stephen-jackson-matt-barnes-charlemagne-etan-thomas-washington-wizards-media">After 20 years of public degradation, Kwame Brown is fed up</a> &mdash; by Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/paul-george-is-silencing-his-critics-los-angeles-clippers-nba-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Paul George is silencing his critics</a> &mdash; by Etan Thomas
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-nba-is-big-business-and-players-should-be-allowed-to-act-like-it">The NBA is a big business, and players should be allowed to act like it</a> &mdash; by James Posey
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lebron-james-doesnt-seem-to-be-succumbing-to-father-time-just-yet">LeBron James doesn&rsquo;t seem to be succumbing to Father Time just yet</a> &mdash; by James Posey

BasketballNews highlights its best stories over the calendar 2021 year.

The Best of BasketballNews: 2021

The NBA playoffs are here, which means roughly half of NBA fan bases have shifted their focus to the offseason and how their team can improve in 2021-22. With that in mind, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Who is the next big-name player that will be traded?
Imman Adan: The next star to be traded will be Kyle Lowry in a sign-and-trade. (A part of me is hoping if I say it enough, I&rsquo;ll jinx it and it won&rsquo;t happen). Everyone in Toronto had his bags packed at the deadline since there were four teams after him -- the Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers -- and yet, no deal got done. After some potentially early playoff exits for a few of these contenders, maybe a price that seemed too high at the deadline becomes justifiable.&nbsp;
Alex Kennedy: I don&rsquo;t think there&rsquo;s a current All-Star who&rsquo;s poised to be traded, so I&rsquo;ll go with a notable name that was mentioned quite a bit leading up to the 2021 trade deadline: Atlanta Hawks big man John Collins. Multiple outlets reported that Collins was available and that the Hawks spoke with a number of teams about a possible deal. Atlanta had an incredible second half of the season -- going 27-11 after March 1 -- so perhaps they&rsquo;ll stand pat. However, Collins believes he's a max player and he turned down the Hawks&rsquo; $90 million extension offer prior to the season. This offseason, he&rsquo;ll be a restricted free agent, so it wouldn&rsquo;t surprise me if he&rsquo;s dealt in a sign-and-trade if he wants more than Atlanta is willing to pay (especially since the additions of Danilo Gallinari and Onyeka Okongwu make him a bit more expendable).
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Ethan Fuller: I honestly don't see a Tier-1 superstar out there who could be on the move. The most likely candidate for me is in that next level of blossoming All-Stars. Zach LaVine has toiled away on losing teams in Chicago and Minnesota for his entire career, but still earned his first All-Star nod this past season while growing into an elite scorer with above-average facilitating chops. He's also on a very moveable, bargain contract and will be paid just $19.5 million next season. I don't know what Chicago's plans are -- the 26-year-old still barely fits into the franchise timeline -- but other teams in need of a dynamic top-two scoring option should be checking in. A trade will really depend on if the Bulls get to keep their first round pick (top-4 protected) this season.
Moke Hamilton: I wanted to say Damian Lillard or Bradley Beal or Kawhi Leonard or Karl-Anthony Towns, but I can&rsquo;t. Each of those players have expensive running mates and supporting casts that their teams have put around them. While any of them being traded is viable, I think the safest bet is Lonzo Ball. Lonzo was reportedly shopped this past deadline and is heading for restricted free agency. I am assuming that Lonzo will get a near-max offer this summer. New Orleans knows it and will opt to sign-and-trade him after concluding that he&rsquo;s simply a luxury they can&rsquo;t afford right now, not without them being at least a second-round playoff team.
Spencer Davies: Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal appear to be sticking with their respective franchises unless something drastic happens, so from a &ldquo;star&rdquo; perspective, we&rsquo;ll go with a relatively easy one since he&rsquo;s going to be a free agent anyway: a sign-and-trade of DeMar DeRozan by the San Antonio Spurs. There is a clear shift toward youth happening within this organization, as Derrick White <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-san-antonio-spurs-derrick-white-dejounte-murray-gregg-popovich-colorado-buffaloes">detailed to BasketballNews.com recently</a>. It&rsquo;s time for Dejounte Murray, Keldon Johnson, Lonnie Walker and White to transition the Spurs into this new era. LaMarcus Aldridge is gone, and it would be best for San Antonio to try to receive some sort of compensation for DeRozan, because he has been an All-Star caliber scorer and a vastly underrated playmaker who can help any team in need of a second or third guy to push them over the edge.
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Chris Sheridan: There are a couple of players who come to mind who do not qualify as stars anymore -- Al Horford and Kevin Love being two of them -- but I believe Lonzo Ball qualifies on name value alone, and he will be a restricted free agent. With the Pelicans looking to shake things up after one of the most disappointing seasons of any team in the league, a sign-and-trade that sends Ball out makes sense. The destination will depend in large part on the decisions that teams make about their own restricted free agents, and with players on non-guaranteed deals. But Ball to New York or Chicago would put him in a major market, and the Knicks would probably have more to send back because they have a pair of future picks from Dallas.
Jannelle Moore: If the Blazers flame out again, don&rsquo;t be surprised if they trade CJ McCollum. Trade rumors involving McCollum are nothing new since it&rsquo;s believed that the backcourt of McCollum and Damian Lillard hit its ceiling. Portland needs a playmaker in the vein of a Ben Simmons or a Draymond Green to take pressure off of Lillard in terms of facilitating, or a wing who can create his own shots and defend.

Who will be the next big-name NBA player to get dealt? Our BasketballNews.com writers share their thoughts.

NBA Roundtable: Who's the next big-name player that will be traded?

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic had a triple-double after&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/nikola-jokic-suns-owner-ishbia-nuggets-68825fb1632f87930fe30ec72ae5c94f">making up</a>&nbsp;with Suns owner Mat Ishbia and Michael Porter Jr. sank five 3-pointers to help the Denver Nuggets beat Phoenix 118-102 on Tuesday night for a 3-2 series lead.
Joker had 29 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for his 10th career playoff triple-double, breaking a tie with Wilt Chamberlain for most by a center in NBA history.
&ldquo;To be honest, I just like to win the game, so whatever it takes,&rdquo; said Jokic, who was coming off a career-best 53-point performance in Game 4.
Game 6 is Thursday night in Phoenix.
&ldquo;If we play the way we did today,&rdquo; Jokic said, &ldquo;we&rsquo;re going to have a chance&rdquo; to close out the series and advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since the NBA bubble in 2020.
The Suns are confident they can shake this one off just like they did in bouncing back from two losses in Denver last week.
&ldquo;Yeah. I&rsquo;ve been in here a couple of times now,&rdquo; Phoenix star Devin Booker said. &ldquo;I love it. Every game has is its own character. Every game is its own movie, its own different preparation and everything to go with it. We&rsquo;re going watch over film, see how we can be better for Game 6.&rdquo;
The home team has won every game in the series. If that holds true again, the decisive winner-take-all clash will come Sunday back in Denver, where the top-seeded Nuggets own the NBA&rsquo;s best home record at 40-7, including 6-0 in the playoffs.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone devised a five-point plan for the Nuggets to regain control of the series after losing two in Phoenix: patch up their transition defense, slow down Booker, get more from his bench, unleash MPJ and knock down open 3s.
Check, check, check, check and check.
Porter bounced back from a quiet night in Game 4 with 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting from long range. Denver outscored Phoenix 31-23 in fast-break points; Booker scored 28 points but missed 11 of 19 shots; Bruce Brown boosted the Nuggets&rsquo; bench with 25 points and the Nuggets sank 13 of 27 from long range.
Jamal Murray added 19 points for Denver, and Kevin Durant chipped in 26 points for Phoenix but also had an uncharacteristic five turnovers.
The Nuggets turned a three-point halftime lead into a 91-74 cushion with a domiinant third quarter in which Jokic made seven of eight shots for 17 points and Booker was just 1-for-8 for 3 points.
The chippiness of the series reached a new level in the final minute of the third quarter when Nuggets swingman Brown antagonized the Suns as they huddled up on the court and Durant gave Jokic a forearm shiver. A double technical was assessed on Durant and Brown.
&ldquo;Just to see what they were drawing up,&rdquo; Jokic said when asked why he and Brown were spying on the Suns.
Durant called the dust-up &ldquo;absolutely nothing, it wasn&rsquo;t anything serious. They were excited, they were up big and we were trying to draw up some stuff. So, it was nothing.&rdquo;
So, no need for a hug and a handshake next time they play.
Before this game, Jokic shared a warm pregame embrace &mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/MichelleTuckner/status/1656099830685663232?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">and the basketball</a>&nbsp;&mdash; with Ishbia 48 hours after their kerfuffle over a loose ball in Phoenix in Game 4 resulted in a technical foul and a $25,000 fine for the Nuggets big man.
&ldquo;I was hoping he was going to pay my fine,&rdquo; Jokic cracked after the game.
&ldquo;I think he&rsquo;s just making light of a situation that was way overblown,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;The NBA handled it the right way and I give their owner, Mat Ishbia, a lot of credit when he came out after the game and said, &lsquo;Listen, I don&rsquo;t want anyone to be suspended. Let&rsquo;s let the players decide this on the court.&rsquo; So, kudos to him for that.
&ldquo;But yeah, I think it just speaks to Nikola&rsquo;s personality and him being a little bit of a smart (aleck).&rdquo;
The NBA had stickers placed on the first several rows of seats &mdash; including Ishbia&rsquo;s &mdash; reminding spectators, especially those close to the action, of its&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://twitter.com/arniestapleton/status/1656074725368668162?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">fan code of conduct policy</a>&nbsp;and a reminder that violations could result in ejection and revocation of tickets.
TIP-INS
Suns: Seated courtside alongside Ishbia was Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker, derisively known in much of Colorado as &ldquo;Midnight Mel&rdquo; for his departure from the Buffaloes job only hours after telling boosters he was in Boulder to stay.
Nuggets: This marked the first game in the series that the leader after one quarter held on to win the game. ... Among the VIPs in attendance was Broncos new head coach Sean Payton, his quarterback Russell Wilson and John Calipari, who coached Booker and Murray at Kentucky.

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets beat the Phoenix Suns 118-102 on Tuesday night for a 3-2 series lead.

Nuggets beat Suns 118-102 in Game 5 to regain series lead

SEATTLE (AP) &mdash; Caitlin Clark felt it was all happening a little too quick and on the stage of playing in a regional semifinal, Iowa&rsquo;s star needed to slow down for a change.
&ldquo;I felt like I was playing a little frantic. I felt like I was rushed on offense,&rdquo; Clark said.
In this case, slowing down led to a big second half from Clark and the Hawkeyes.
Clark scored 31 points, 18 coming in the second half, and No. 2 seed Iowa shook disappointments the past two seasons and reached the Elite Eight of the women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament with an 87-77 win over Colorado in the Seattle 4 Regional semifinals on Friday night.
After two straight tournaments where Clark&rsquo;s season ended in the round of 16 and the round of 32, the Hawkeyes will play for a chance at just the second Final Four berth in school history on Sunday.
&ldquo;Anytime you get to play basketball for this long, it&rsquo;s really special. None of us want this to end,&rdquo; Iowa&rsquo;s Monika Czinano said.
Clark was the catalyst for Iowa&rsquo;s big second half, and the first-team All-American finished 11 of 22 shooting with four 3-pointers and eight assists. It was her 11th game this season scoring at least 30 points.
But she had plenty of help, especially after Clark sat a chunk of the first half after picking up two fouls.
Czinano added 15 points, including a key basket in the paint with 1:10 remaining. Kate Martin scored 16 and McKenna Warnock scored 10. Iowa shot 54% for the game and 59% in the second half.
&ldquo;We shot the ball very well tonight and I&rsquo;m proud of that because of Colorado&rsquo;s defense,&rdquo; Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. &ldquo;We scored more points than anybody has all year against their defense. Their defense is very good, but we were still able to shoot over 50% from the field. But you do that when you&rsquo;re having the balance of four people in double figures.&rdquo;
Iowa (29-6) will face No. 5 seed Louisville in the regional final on Sunday. It&rsquo;s the fifth Elite Eight appearance for the Hawkeyes, but their only Final Four appearance came in 1993.
Frida Formann led Colorado (25-9) with 21 points, but 19 of those came in the first half when her shooting carried the Buffaloes. But Formann was shut down in the second half and fouled out with 6:37 remaining.
&ldquo;I had a lot of space in the first half and my teammates were just finding me. When it&rsquo;s this stage my job is to shoot the ball so that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m gonna do,&rdquo; Formann said. &ldquo;And then they adjusted defensively and we&rsquo;re a little tighter.&rdquo;
Colorado pulled within 76-70 on Quay Miller&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 4:16 remaining and the deficit was down to 78-74 after Jaylyn Sherrod&rsquo;s steal and layup with 1:40 left. But that was the last push by the Buffaloes as Czinano scored in the paint and Iowa made seven free throws in the final minute.
Aaronette Vonleh added 13 points and Miller had 12 points and 14 rebounds for the Buffs.
&ldquo;To be down twice by double digits against Iowa and to be able to fight back and continue to never wilt, never hang our heads and just keep playing, stay the course was awesome,&rdquo; Colorado coach JR Payne said.
DECISIVE RUN
Colorado lingered far longer than expected, but it was Iowa&rsquo;s run in the early stages of the third quarter and keyed by Clark that finally gave the Hawkeyes some cushion.
Clark started a string of 11 straight points for the Hawkeyes with a driving basket, added a 3-pointer off a loose ball and followed by a steal and layup that gave Iowa a 54-42 lead and forced Payne to burn two timeouts in 2 minutes.
Iowa eventually pushed the lead to 62-47 and Colorado could never catch up over the final 15 minutes leaving Clark and her team celebrating before the large Iowa contingent of fans walking off the court.
&ldquo;I guess it was kind of our crowd. It felt like there was a lot of Hawk fans out there. I don&rsquo;t know if they&rsquo;ve traveled from the state of Iowa, from the Midwest and if they did, we really appreciate that. And if you&rsquo;re from out here, we appreciate you coming too,&rdquo; Clark said.&nbsp;

Caitlin Clark scored 31 points, 18 coming in the second half, and No. 2 seed Iowa shook disappointments the past two seasons.

Clark’s March Madness marches on, Iowa women beat Colorado

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Destiny Harden made a shot in the lane with 3.5 seconds left to send ninth-seeded Miami past top-seeded Indiana 70-68 on Monday night, lifting the Hurricanes to their first Sweet 16 since 1992.
The Hoosiers (28-4) became the second No. 1 seed to be eliminated in two nights. Stanford was upset Sunday on its home court. It&rsquo;s the second time since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1994 that two No. 1 seeds didn&rsquo;t make the Sweet 16. It also happened in 1998.
Harden finished with 18 points and Lola Pendade had 19 points for the Hurricanes (21-12), who never trailed.
Indiana tied the score at 68 on Yarden Garzon&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds left but couldn&rsquo;t get the defensive stop it needed and turned the ball over on the final possession to seal their only home loss of the season.
No. 4 VILLANOVA 76, No. 12 FLORIDA GULF COAST 57
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) &mdash; Maddy Siegrist scored 31 points and sent the winningest team in Villanova history into the Sweet 16 for the second time in program history with a win over Florida Gulf Coast.
The fourth-seeded Wildcats (30-6) won their record 30th game and celebrated the March Madness milestone in front of another packed house at the Pavilion. Siegrist, the first-team AP All-American, made 13 of 24 shots in what was likely her final home game. The four-year star has left some wiggle room that she could return for a fifth season, but all signs point toward her playing in the WNBA this summer.
One thing is sure, Siegrist is headed to the Sweet 16.
The Wildcats are going for the first time since 2003 -- the coach of that team, Harry Perretta, watched this one from behind the basket -- and they will the play winner of Monday&rsquo;s game in Indianapolis between top-seeded Indiana and No. 9 seed Miami.
SEATTLE 3 REGION
No. 4 TENNESSEE 94, NO. 12 TOLEDO 47
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Reserves Sara Puckett and Jillian Hollingshead led five Lady Vols in double figures with 13 points apiece as Tennessee routed Toledo.
This is the first time since 2015 and 2016 that Tennessee (25-11) has reached consecutive Sweet 16s and the first in coach Kellie Harper&rsquo;s fourth season. The Lady Vols now have reached the Sweet 16 for the 36th time as the only program to play in all 41 NCAA Tournaments.
Toledo (29-5) snapped a program record 17-game winning streak and missed out on its first Sweet 16. The Rockets lost for the first time since Jan. 18 at Bowling Green, which was avenged in the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship for their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2017.
Quinesha Lockett led Toledo with 19 points.
No. 3 OHIO STATE 71, No. 6 NORTH CAROLINA 69
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Jacy Sheldon made a tiebreaking jumper in the lane with 1.8 seconds left to lift Ohio State to a win over North Carolina and help the Buckeyes advance to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season.
With the game tied, Sheldon took the pass from Eboni Walker and floated in the game-winning score. North Carolina had one final chance, but turned it over with a second remaining.
Ohio State (27-7) saw its 12-point lead with 7:02 to go erased as the Tar Heels went on a 13-2 run midway through the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels did most of that run without star Deja Kelly, who exited midway through the final quarter with a leg injury. She went to the locker room, but returned to the court a short time later.
Trailing 66-63, Kelly made two free throws before Paulina Paris made a layup in transition to give the Tar Heels (22-11) its first lead of the game with 2:09 left.
No. 2 UCONN 77, No. 7 BAYLOR 58
STORRS, Conn. (AP) &mdash; Azzi Fudd scored 16 of her 22 points in a decisive third quarter, leading UConn to a win over Baylor and into a 29th straight Sweet 16.
Aaliyah Edwards added 19 points and Nika Muhl had 10 assists for the Huskies (31-5). Dorka Juhasz chipped in with 11 points and Caroline Ducharme added 10.
Ja&rsquo;mee Asberry scored 15 points and Jaden Owens had 14 for Baylor, which finishes its season 20-13. Bella Fontleroy scored 12 points for the Bears, who made 12 3-pointers after hitting 14 in their first-round win over Alabama.
But the Huskies dominated inside, outscoring the Bears 36-12 in the paint and outrebounding Baylor 42-31.
SEATTLE 4 REGION
No. 5 LOUISVILLE 73, No. 4 TEXAS 51
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Hailey Van Lith scored 21 points and Louisville rolled over Texas on the Longhorns&rsquo; home court to send the the Cardinals to the Sweet 16 for the sixth NCAA Tournament in row.
In a matchup of two teams that began the season in the Top 10 only to all out of the rankings before regrouping late, the Cardinals smothered the Longhorns and standout point guard Rori Harmon all night, stretching a 14-point halftime lead to 21 by end of the third quarter.
Louisville (25-11) led by as much as 27 early in the fourth. The win sends the Cardinals to the Seattle 4 Region to play No. 8-seed Mississippi, which upset No. 1 Stanford on Sunday.
DeYona Gaston scored 12 points to lead Texas (26-10).
No. 6 COLORADO 61, No. 3 DUKE 53
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Quay Miller had 17 points and 14 rebounds, and Aaronette Vonleh converted two overtime baskets in the lane after picking up her fourth foul, helping Colorado beat Duke.
Jaylyn Sherrod had 14 points and Vonleh finished with 12 as the Buffaloes (25-8) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time in 20 years.
Elizabeth Balogun scored 14 points and Reigan Richardson had 10, but the Blue Devils didn&rsquo;t hit a field goal in overtime. Duke overcame a 13-point deficit in regulation.
Next up for Colorado is Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Seattle 4 Region semifinals.
Duke lost for the third time in its last four second-round home games in the NCAA tourney.
GREENVILLE 1 REGION
No. 4 UCLA 82, No. 5 OKLAHOMA 73
LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; Charisma Osborne scored a career-high 36 points in her final game at Pauley Pavilion and UCLA rallied in the fourth quarter after blowing an 18-point lead to defeat Oklahoma.
The Bruins, who had an 18-point lead in the second quarter, found themselves trailing 54-50 late in the third quarter before Osborne started the comeback. She drove the lane and hit a layup while being fouled by Beatrice Culliton. Osborne made the ensuing free throw to bring them within one.
She had 13 points in the final 10 minutes as the Bruins (26-7) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2019. UCLA regained control by going on a 6-1 run at the beginning of the fourth.
Kiki Rice added 14 points for the Bruins, who will face top-ranked South Carolina on Saturday in a Greenville 1 Regional semifinal. UCLA hung tough with the Gamecocks earlier in the season before losing 73-64.
Madi Williams scored 24 points and Ana Llanusa 15 for the Sooners, who end their season 26-7.

A recap of Monday's action of the 2023 Women's NCAA Tournament includes yet another eight seed upending a top seed.

Miami women shock top-seed Indiana in March Madness

LAS VEGAS (AP) &mdash; The Pac-12 Conference is having likely its best women&rsquo;s basketball season, which has a chance to get even stronger.
As the conference tournament gets underway Wednesday with four first-round games, the Pac-12 could place at least eight teams in the NCAA Tournament. The Pac-12 sent seven teams in 2017, a conference high.
&ldquo;I think from top to bottom we&rsquo;re as strong as we&rsquo;ve ever been,&rdquo; said Rhonda Lundin Bennett, Pac-12 associate commissioner for women&rsquo;s basketball and sports management.
Lundin Bennett was chairwoman of the NCAA Division I women&rsquo;s basketball committee in 2018 and 2019. She also served on the committee from 2014-21, except for 2020, when COVID-19 wiped out NCAA Tournament.
She said the circumstances change year to year in how fields are put together, but there are general principles that remain the same such as strength of schedule and how well teams are playing late.
Many Pac-12 teams have been playing well throughout the season, and the conference has five in the AP Top 25, including No. 3 Utah and No. 6 Sanford.
Eight teams are in the top 40 of the NET rankings, one of the factors the committee uses to determine at-large spots for the tournament.
&ldquo;I think we definitely have at least eight very quality programs, and possibly nine, that deserve consideration,&rdquo; Lundin Bennett sad. &ldquo;It just depends on how they finish out and what other teams do. But I think we&rsquo;ve got a really, really strong season and top to bottom are one of the best leagues, if not the best league in the country.&rdquo;
Utah&rsquo;s Lynne Roberts, named Tuesday as the conference&rsquo;s coach of the year, said the depth of competition should help the Pac-12 teams that make the NCAA Tournament.
&ldquo;Every weekend you&rsquo;re playing somebody that&rsquo;s top 25, somebody that&rsquo;s coached by an elite coach, and it really does prepare you,&rdquo; Roberts said.
A NO. 2 GOING FOR A NO. 1
Utah (25-3) enters the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed, even though the Utes are ranked ahead of No. 1 seed Stanford (27-4).
Both teams went 15-3 in league play and split their two meetings, but the Cardinal had a better record against third-seeded and 20th-ranked Colorado (22-7, 13-5).
The Utes built on last season&rsquo;s achievements. They made the conference championship and then appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.
&ldquo;That was a great confidence boost, and there&rsquo;s really no better way to get confidence than from success,&rdquo; Roberts said. &ldquo;It propelled us into the offseason. I do think it was a springboard of genuine confidence like: &lsquo;OK, we can we can do this. Let&rsquo;s just get better.&rsquo;&rdquo;
STANFORD GETS TESTED
Stanford captured at least a share of its third consecutive Pac-12 regular-season title, but it was tight down the stretch.
The Cardinal not only lost 84-78 to Utah on Saturday, it recently went to double overtime to beat Colorado, edged No. 19 UCLA by five points and defeated Southern California by three.
&ldquo;This has been a tough road for us at the end of the season,&rdquo; Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer said after the loss to Utah. &ldquo;Our team battled (the Utes). We were right there. It could&rsquo;ve gone either way, and hopefully this will make us very hungry coming into the Pac-12 Tournament.&rdquo;
BUFFS ON THE RISE
Colorado reached 20 victories last season for the first time in nine years, and now the Buffaloes have their best seeding since entering the Pac-12 in 2011. They are expected tp make their second NCAA Tournament in a row for first time since appearing four straight years (2001-04).
ODDS AND ENDS
Utah junior forward Alissa Pili was named Pac-12 player of the year after leading the conference with 20.6 points a game and shooting 59.9% on field goals. Only she and Indiana&rsquo;s Mackenzie Holmes have put up those kinds numbers nationally this season. Pili has scored in double figures in all but one game. ... No. 21 Arizona has won at least 10 conference games for the fourth consecutive season. ... USC went 11-7 in Pac-12 play, the first time it has reached double figures since 2014.

As the conference tournament gets underway Wednesday with four first-round games, the Pac-12 could place at least eight teams.

Pac-12 women hope to send record number of teams to NCAAs

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) &mdash; Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 17 points and Tyger Campbell had 13 of his 14 points in the second half as No. 4 UCLA hung on to beat Colorado 60-56 on Sunday.
Amari Bailey added 11 points for UCLA (25-4, 16-2 Pac-12), which won its eighth in a row to close out an undefeated February and clinch the regular-season conference title.
&ldquo;This doesn&rsquo;t change anything,&rdquo; UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. &ldquo;Our goal along the way was going to have to be winning the Pac-12 to try to be able to stay in the West (for the NCAA Tournament). So, we&rsquo;ve got more games to win to be able to try to accomplish that goal. Also, we have the longest home winning streak (23 games) in the country we take a lot of pride in. So we&rsquo;re focused on Arizona State.&rdquo;
With the Pac-12 tournament and NCAA Tournament on the horizon, Jaquez agreed with his coach that now was not the time to rest on their regular-season title.
&ldquo;That was one of the goals that we had in the beginning of the year. And we accomplished it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And now, we&rsquo;ve got two more goals that we want to accomplish, as well. And we&rsquo;re just going to keep working hard.&rdquo;
KJ Simpson had 14 points to lead Colorado (15-15, 7-12). Tristan da Silva, who left the game with just over five minutes remaining with an apparent lower leg injury, and Luke O&rsquo;Brien each scored 13 points. Colorado nearly pulled off the upset against UCLA after coming off a lopsided loss to USC.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a different feeling today after the loss than after Thursday night&rsquo;s loss, and something I talk to the players about, is that the reason that they&rsquo;re down and disappointed tonight is because they fought their tails off,&rdquo; Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. &ldquo;They competed their tails off, and they came up short.&rdquo;
The Buffaloes fought back to take a 45-44 lead on da Silva&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 8:13 remaining, capping an 8-2 run by the Buffaloes. The game remained tight down the stretch with the score tied twice in the final 3:41.
Jaquez made one of two free throws with 2:17 left to put UCLA on top by a point and Campbell added another basket for the Bruins. The Buffaloes got back within two points on a pair of free throws by Lawson Lovering with seven seconds remaining. Amari Bailey was fouled on the subsequent inbounds play and he made both free throws to secure the victory over Colorado, which did not get a shot off in the final seconds.
Down by a basket at the break, UCLA scored the first seven points of the second half to go in front 35-30. It was the Bruins&rsquo; first lead since Jaquez scored on a dunk in the opening minute of the game. Tyger Campbell capped the burst with a 3-pointer, the first make from beyond the arc for the Bruins, who went 0 for 6 in the first half.
UCLA missed 10 of its first 11 shots and fell behind 11-2 before gradually cutting into the deficit, pulling to within 30-28 on a layup by Jaylen Clark just before the halftime buzzer. Colorado couldn&rsquo;t build on its early lead because of offensive problems of its own and actually finished the first half shooting 37.9%, some two percent lower than UCLA in the same span.
3-POINT STREAK
The Bruins made one of their 14 3-point tries but that was enough to extend a 23-year streak. Tyger Campbell&rsquo;s 3-pointer early in the second half extended UCLA&rsquo;s streak with at least one made 3-pointer to 782 games. The Bruins have not gone without a 3-pointer in a game since going 0 for 14 from beyond the arc in a 78-63 loss at then No. 2 Stanford on Feb. 3, 2000.
BIG PICTURE
UCLA: The Bruins earned a gritty victory that will serve them well as they turn their attention to post-season tournament. They overcame a slow start and spotty offensive play by maintaining their composure against an underdog, but determined, opponent, leaning on their defensive intensity to see the game through to a win.
Colorado: The Buffaloes put up a strong effort against a high-powered UCLA team, going toe to toe with their opponent until the final moments. They showed they can compete with the best in the conference and, with a young squad, showed they have the potential to improve in the near future.
UP NEXT
UCLA: Opens last regular season homestand Thursday against Arizona State ahead of Saturday&rsquo;s finale against No. 7 Arizona. The Bruins are riding a 23-game home winning streak dating to last season, the longest active streak in the nation.
Colorado: Hosts Utah on Saturday in a regular-season finale.

The Bruins won their eighth in a row to close out an undefeated February and clinch the regular-season conference title.

No. 4 UCLA tops Colorado, claims Pac-12 regular-season title

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) &mdash; This was Haley Jones&rsquo; take on playing a career-high 50 minutes at elevation: &ldquo;It was fun,&rdquo; the Stanford senior guard said.
Easy to see why.
Jones scored 13 of her 23 points over the two overtime periods and the third-ranked Cardinal held off No. 21 Colorado 73-62 on Thursday night.
Jones also had 11 rebounds and seven assists for the Cardinal (27-3, 15-2 Pac-12), who remain on top of the conference standings with one game left on their regular season schedule. Stanford was picked to win the Pac-12 in the preseason poll.
Lauren Betts, who grew up in Colorado, sent the game into double overtime by hitting one of two free throws with 3.8 seconds remaining. She finished with 14 points.
Jones took control in overtime No. 2, helping the Cardinal outscore Colorado by a 13-2 margin. It was the first double OT game for Stanford since 2017.
&ldquo;Feels great. A &lsquo;W&rsquo; is a &lsquo;W&rsquo; in my opinion, even though we have lots of things to work on,&rdquo; Jones said. &ldquo;We learned a lot, but it also proves that we&rsquo;re very gritty and a tough team.&rdquo;
Jaylyn Sherrod led Colorado (21-7, 12-5) with 19 points, including the game-tying basket with just under 30 seconds remaining in regulation. She briefly left the game in the fourth after appearing to turn her ankle. The Buffaloes, who trailed by as many as eight in the fourth, were missing their third-leading scorer, Frida Formann, due to an illness.&nbsp;
&ldquo;What anyone who watched this game saw on full display wasn&rsquo;t a bunch of superstars. It was a team that&rsquo;s tough, and gritty, and fights and scraps for every single possession. That&rsquo;s who we are,&rdquo; said Colorado coach JR Payne, whose team shot 28.8% from the floor. &ldquo;It really hurts to lose a game like this to Stanford, but incredibly proud of how we played.&rdquo;
The usually sure-shooting Cardinal missed their opening 15 shots and trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half. They entered on short rest after beating UCLA on Monday.
The games between the Buffaloes and Cardinal are typically back-and-forth. Entering Thursday, six of the last last 10 were decided by single digits, including two that went into overtime. This was another thriller.
&ldquo;We kind of made it exciting for TV,&rdquo; Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a tournament team. Colorado has had a great season. ... We can both get better because of a game like this.&rdquo;
Cameron Brink fouled out in overtime after scoring eight points. Her string of reaching double figures ended at 21 straight games.
Stanford didn&rsquo;t score its first basket of the game until Brooke Demetre hit a 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. But Colorado could only open up a 13-5 advantage.
Missed opportunity?
&ldquo;They&rsquo;re really hard to score against because they&rsquo;re so big at every position,&rdquo; Payne said. &ldquo;So that makes it challenging.&rdquo;
BIG PICTURE
Stanford: Since losing to No. 1 South Carolina in OT on Nov. 20, the Cardinal have now won 10 straight over ranked teams.
Colorado: The Buffaloes remain on three wins over ranked teams this season. The last time they knocked off four in the same season was 2001-02.
THIS &amp; THAT
Colorado center Quay Miller 17 points. ... Stanford outrebounded Colorado by a 53-42 margin. ... Stanford guard Hannah Jump had 14.
HALL OF HONOR
Longtime Colorado women&rsquo;s basketball coach and administrator Ceal Barry will be inducted into the Pac-12 Hall of Honor. The 2023 class marks the first all-female class to be enshrined in the league&rsquo;s Hall of Honor. It&rsquo;s in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
UP NEXT
Stanford: Close out the regular season Saturday at No. 8 Utah.
Colorado: Host California on Saturday.

Haley Jones scored 13 of her 23 points over the two overtime periods and the third-ranked Cardinal held off No. 21 Colorado.

Haley Jones leads No. 3 Stanford by No. 21 Colorado in 2 OTs

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Zia Cooke scored five of her 24 points in overtime to help No. 1 South Carolina remain unbeaten with a 64-57 victory over Mississippi on Sunday.
The defending national champion Gamecocks (27-0, 14-0 Southeastern Conference) got one of their biggest scares of the season before winning their 33rd straight game. The Rebels (20-7, 9-5) never trailed by more than six points in regulation and flirted with their first win over a No. 1 team in 46 years.
Cooke had six rebounds and four assists to help off-set a 7-of-18 shooting performance. Aliyah Boston added 13 points and 11 rebounds on 4-of-14 shooting and didn&rsquo;t score in the first quarter.
The deep Gamecocks didn&rsquo;t get their usual supply of scoring help for the two stars, though Kamilla Cardoso had eight points and 11 boards.
Angel Baker led Ole Miss with 17 points.
No. 2 INDIANA 83, PURDUE 60
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Mackenzie Holmes scored 20 points, Grace Berger added 14 points and 10 assists and Indiana beat Purdue to clinch a share of its first Big Ten regular-season title in 40 years.
The Hoosiers (26-1, 16-1 Big Ten) won their 14th straight, matching the second-longest winning streak in school history, before cutting down the nets in front of the program&rsquo;s first home sellout. Indiana has broken the single-game attendance mark four times this season, this time celebrating its 18th straight home win in front of 17,222.
Lasha Petree led Purdue with 23 points and Abbey Elliss added 12. The Boilermakers (17-8, 8-7). have lost nine straight in this rivalry.
No. 4 UTAH 74, ARIZONA STATE 69
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Gianna Kneepkens scored 22 points and Jenna Johnson added 15 to push Utah to a Pac-12 victory over stubborn Arizona State.
The Utes (23-3, 13-3), who had a seven-game winning streak stopped at No. 18 Arizona on Friday, struggled to put away Arizona State without post player Alissa Pili.
Pili, the Pac-12&rsquo;s leading scorer at 20.7 points per game, did not play after suffering an apparent right ankle sprain the final minutes of the loss at Arizona. Her ankle was re-taped on the bench after the first quarter but she never entered the game.
Sydney Erikstrup had 15 points, Treasure Hunt had 13 and Kayla Mokwuah had 11 for the Sun Devils (7-18, 0-16), who lost their 16th straight game despite leading most of the way.
No. 5 LSU 90, FLORIDA 79
GAINSVILLE, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Angel Reese had her ninth first-half double-double, Jasmine Carson had a career-high five 3-pointers before the break, and LSU raced past Florida.
Reese finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds for her 25th double-double of the season, two shy of Sylvia Fowles&rsquo; LSU single-season record. She also had five assists, three blocks and two steals.
Carson also scored 25 points, a career-high, as the graduate transfer from West Virginia went 7 of 14 behind the arc, helping the Tigers (25-1, 13-1 Southeastern Conference) to a season-best 11 3s on 20 attempts. The last time LSU had a player hit seven 3-pointers was in 1997.
KK Deans, a West Virginia transfer, matched her career high with 30 points, for the Gators (14-13, 3-11), who have lost five straight.
No. 9 DUKE 56, VIRGINIA 52
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Elizabeth Balogun scored 12 points, Taya Corosdale had 10 and Duke survived a stern test from Virginia.
The Blue Devils (22-4, 13-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) led only 47-45 with just over eight minutes left, but Celeste Taylor hit a 3-pointer from right in front of the Duke bench to make it a five-point game, starting a 7-2 run that gave them some breathing room and they held on.
Taylor Valladay led Virginia (15-12, 4-12) with 19 points and McKenna Dale had 10. The Cavaliers had split their last six meetings with the Blue Devils after ending a 26-game losing streak in the series, but still lost for the 30th time in the last 33 meetings.
No. 10 NOTRE DAME 83, PITTSBURGH 43
PITTSBURGH (AP) &mdash; Maddy Westbeld and Sonia Citron scored 13 points each and Notre Dame used a huge first-quarter push to race by Pittsburgh.
The Fighting Irish (22-4, 13-3 ACC) went on an 18-3 burst over the final 6:47 of the opening frame to build a 16-point lead that the Panthers (10-17, 3-13) never really threatened.
Ten days after avoiding an upset at home against Pitt and three days after Olivia Miles hit a game-winning jumper at the buzzer to top Louisville, the Fighting Irish made sure no such heroics were necessary this time around.
No. 11 VIRGINIA TECH 75, N.C. STATE 62
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) &mdash; Roommates Elizabeth Kitley and Georgia Amoore both had double-doubles and Virginia Tech won its fifth straight, defeating North Carolina State.
Kitley had 24 points and 10 rebounds for her 50th career double-double and had six blocks. Amoore had 15 points and 11 assists, which tied her career high.
Virginia Tech (22-4, 12-4 ACC) has won six straight, the previous three against ranked teams, starting with a 73-61 win over the Wolfpack. That marked the Hokies&rsquo; first-ever win in Raleigh and now they have their first-ever sweep of NC State.
Aziaha James scored 20 points in her first start for the Wolfpack (18-9, 8-8), who are out of the poll for the first time in 96 weeks dating to February of 2018.
No. 15 OKLAHOMA 86, KANSAS 80
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Madi Williams scored 23 points, Liz Scott had a double-double, and Oklahoma held off Kansas.
A free throw by Zakiyah Franklin drew Kansas within 82-80 with 3:12 remaining. Neither team would score another field goal as Kansas missed its last nine shots and Oklahoma&rsquo;s last field goal came with 5:12 remaining.
Williams made two free throws with 37 seconds left and Ana Llanusa added two more with nine seconds left to wrap up Oklahoma&rsquo;s sixth consecutive victory.
Scott had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Sooners (22-4, 12-3 Big 12).
The Jayhawks got 73 of their 80 points from the trio of Franklin, Holly Kersgieter and Taiyanna Jackson. Franklin led with a career-high 30 points, Kersgieter added 24 and Jackson 19 for Kansas (16-9, 6-8). Jackson added 13 rebounds.
No. 17 TEXAS 74, WEST VIRGINIA 48
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Shaylee Gonzales had 18 points, Rori Harmon scored 16 and Khadija Faye added a double-double to power Texas to a romp over West Virginia.
Gonzales made half of her six 3-pointers and all seven of her free throws for the Longhorns (21-7, 12-3 Big 12 Conference). Harmon sank 10 of 12 fouls shots and added six rebounds and six assists. Faye finished with 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 11 rebounds.
Ja&rsquo;Haiya Quinerly had 16 points before fouling out to pace the Mountaineers (16-9, 7-7). Madisen Smith hit three 3-pointers and scored 12. Jayla Hemingway pitched in with nine points and seven rebounds.
No. 18 ARIZONA 61, No. 21 COLORADO 42
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Shaina Pellington scored 19 points with five assists and Arizona smothered Colorado, ending the Buffaloes&rsquo; five-game winning streak.
The Wildcats (21-6, 11-5 Pac 12 Conference) held the Buffaloes to their lowest total of the season and their worst shooting game, 28.3% overall (15 of 53), 1 of 12 from 3-point range (8.3%).
Esmery Martinez had 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and seven rebounds for the Wildcats, who were coming off a 10-point win over No. 4 Utah and have won five of six.
Tameiya Sadler led the Buffaloes with 12 points and Quay Miller added 10 with 10 rebounds.
No. 19 NORTH CAROLINA 71, WAKE FOREST 58
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Deja Kelly had 24 points, five rebounds and six assists to lead North Carolina to a victory over Wake Forest.
Destiny Adams added 11 points off the bench and Kennedy Todd-Williams scored 10 for the Tar Heels (19-8, 10-6 ACC).
North Carolina went up by 20 midway through the fourth quarter and cruised from there, making just two field goals and three free throws over the final 6 1/2 minutes.
Wake Forest (14-13, 5-11) shot 3 for 14 in the third quarter and was outscored 16-6. The shooting slump came after the Demon Deacons shot 50% in the first half and trailed just 40-36 at halftime.
No. 24 FLORIDA STATE 80, GEORGIA TECH 66
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Ta&rsquo;Niya Latson scored 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 9-of-10 free throws, leading Florida State to a victory over Georgia Tech.
Latson scored 24 points through three quarters and the Seminoles took a 63-57 lead into the fourth. Latson, a freshman averaging 21.8 points per game, had gone nine games without reaching 20 points.
Georgia Tech got within four points early in the fourth quarter, but the Seminoles responded with an 8-0 run that gave them a 73-61 lead with 4:11 remaining. Florida State added 3-pointers from Latson and Erin Howard to close out the victory. The Yellow Jackets made one of their last 12 shots from the field.
Sara Bejedi scored 14 points and O&rsquo;Mariah Gordon added 10 off the bench for Florida State (22-7, 11-5 ACC).
Cameron Swartz scored 17 points, Kara Dunn 16, and Kayla Blackshear 10 for Georgia Tech (13-13, 4-11).
CALIFORNIA 81, No. 25 USC 78, OT
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Jayda Curry scored 27 points and Michelle Onyiah had six points in overtime as California upended USC.
The Trojans (19-8, 9-7 Pac-12), back in the rankings for the first time since 2016, had their chances to win this one after falling to No. 3 Stanford 50-47 on Friday.
From the final four minutes of regulation until Destiny Littleton hit a 3-pointer with 1:08 to go in overtime, USC missed eight straight shots. After Littleton tied the game at 78 and Leilani McIntosh put the Golden Bears (13-14, 4-12) on top with two free throws with 44 seconds to go, the Trojans came up empty on their next possession despite two offensive rebounds.
Onyiah made 1 of 2 from the line with eight seconds to go and Littleton&rsquo;s late 3 was off the mark.

A recap of a busy Sunday in top-25 women's action includes a thriller between the Gamecocks and Rebels that had to go to overtime.

Top-ranked South Carolina edges Ole Miss in OT

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

South Carolina beat a top opponent to remain No. 1 in The Associated Press women&rsquo;s college basketball poll released Monday and now has a showdown with another one looming this weekend.
The Gamecocks (23-0) topped then- No. 5 UConn 81-77 on Sunday to remain unbeaten and stay the unanimous choice atop the poll from the 28-member national media panel. After facing Auburn on Thursday, South Carolina will play No. 3 LSU on Sunday in a matchup of the last two unbeatens in Division I women&rsquo;s college basketball.
Dawn Staley&rsquo;s team has won 29 consecutive games and has been No. 1 in the poll for 33 consecutive weeks. That&rsquo;s one week short of tying the Huskies for the third-longest streak atop the poll. Only UConn (51 weeks) and Louisiana Tech (36) have had longer runs at No. 1.
While South Carolina has had a stranglehold on No. 1 for more than a year, Indiana is making its first appearance ever at No. 2 after Stanford lost to Washington.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to relish this for a minute, knowing where the program was to where it is,&rdquo; Indiana coach Teri Moren said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve made a lot of history since we&rsquo;ve been here in our nine seasons and it&rsquo;s one of the more historical things we&rsquo;ve been able to accomplish. Give our players credit, I don&rsquo;t want to discount what a big achievement this is. We&rsquo;re more than humbled to be No. 2.&rdquo;
Indiana has won 10 straight since suffering its lone loss of the season to Michigan State. The Hoosiers have a tough stretch coming up, starting with a home game against No. 5 Iowa on Thursday. Indiana, which hadn&rsquo;t been ranked higher than fourth before Monday, then plays No. 13 Ohio State and 12th-ranked Michigan.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we take it one game at a time, but you understand the magnitude of what&rsquo;s ahead of us. I tell the kids all the time we&rsquo;re in control of our own destiny,&rdquo; Moren said.
LSU remained at No. 3 after close wins over Tennessee, Georgia and Texas A&amp;M. The Tigers have a week to prepare for the Gamecocks.
UConn moved up one spot to fourth after its close loss to the Gamecocks and Iowa was fifth.
The Cardinal fell to sixth with Utah, Maryland, Duke and Notre Dame rounding out the top 10. The Blue Devils beat the Irish on Sunday to take over sole possession of first in the ACC and vault up six spots in the poll. It&rsquo;s Duke&rsquo;s best ranking since the team finished the 2017 season ranked ninth.
The NCAA will have its first reveal of the top 16 teams in the tournament to this point on Thursday.
FALLING CYCLONES
It was a rough week for Iowa State, which lost to Kansas by one point and Baylor by six. The Cyclones fell nine spots in the poll from 12th to 21st.
RE-ENTRY
Colorado came back into the poll at No. 25 after beating Oregon and Oregon State over the weekend. The Buffaloes were ranked for four weeks before falling out last week. Middle Tennessee dropped out of the poll after losing both its games last week.

While South Carolina has had a stranglehold on No. 1 for more than a year, Indiana is making its first appearance ever at No. 2.

Indiana reaches No. 2 in women’s AP Top 25; SC still No. 1

Baylor&rsquo;s 19-year run in The Associated Press women&rsquo;s college basketball poll is over.
The Bears had been ranked for 365 consecutive polls before falling out Monday after losing twice last week. Baylor had been in the AP Top 25 since Jan. 5, 2004, including a 21-week run at No. 1 in 2011-12.
Only Tennessee (565) and UConn (556) have had longer streaks in the 46-year history of the poll. The fifth-ranked Huskies&rsquo; run in the poll is still active.
While Baylor is sitting just outside the Top 25, South Carolina continued its stay at No. 1. The Gamecocks, who were the unanimous choice again from a 28-member national media panel, have held the top spot for 30 consecutive weeks. That streak ties UConn for fourth longest all-time.
Ohio State moved up a spot to No. 2 after Stanford lost to Southern Cal on Sunday. The Cardinal fell to fourth. It&rsquo;s the Buckeyes best ranking since they were second in the final poll of the 2006 season. Ohio State has never been No. 1.
LSU is third for the Tigers&rsquo; highest mark since Feb. 27, 2006. The Tigers, who honored all-time great Seimone Augustus with a statue before Sunday&rsquo;s game, are one of three unbeaten teams left, joining South Carolina and Ohio State.
The Gamecocks and Tigers meet on Feb. 12 in South Carolina.
Indiana was sixth and Notre Dame seventh. Utah, UCLA and Iowa finished off the top 10.
Texas returned to the AP Top 25 at No. 25 after falling out of the poll in late November. The Longhorns started the season at No. 3, but an injury to star guard Rori Harmon sidetracked them early. They had a great week, beating then-No. 23 Kansas and then-No. 15 Iowa State last week.
Colorado also entered the poll this week at No. 24, a year after the team&rsquo;s last appearance. The Buffaloes beat then-No. 14 Arizona on Friday, a week after handing Utah its first loss of the season. Arizona fell to 19th this week.
Kansas also fell out of the poll.
STREAKING
Maryland now has the second-longest active poll streak, having been ranked for 241 consecutive weeks. South Carolina is third with 198. Stanford and North Carolina State round out the top five, with 94 and 93 weeks, respectively.
FALLING WOLFPACK
N.C. State dropped nine spots to 20th in the poll &mdash; its lowest mark since the team was No. 21 in the final poll of 2018. The Wolfpack have lost three of their last four games, including getting swept last week by Florida State and North Carolina.

The Bears had been ranked for 365 consecutive polls before falling out Monday after losing twice last week.

Baylor out of women’s AP Top 25 for 1st time since 2004

DAYTON, Aug. 2, 2022 - Blue Collar U&rsquo;s TBT debut came to a screeching halt with a semi-final loss to Team 23 last summer. This year, the University of Buffalo alumni squad left no doubt as to who TBT&rsquo;s best team was.
Nick Perkins led the way with 19 points, and five players reached double figures for Blue Collar U, which never trailed en route to an 89-67 victory over Americana for Autism in TBT's 2022 $1 million, winner-take-all TBT championship game. Blue Collar U received the $1 million prize via Zelle during the team's postgame celebration.
C.J. Massinburg scored 18 points, Wes Clark added 17 and Lamonte Bearden had 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting for the victors, who captured their first TBT title. Blake Hamilton had 11 points, eight rebounds and a game-high five steals.
&ldquo;[Winning TBT] means everything,&rdquo; said Massinburg, who was named the tournament&rsquo;s MVP. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why we play. It&rsquo;s one thing to play with a team of talented guys that somebody just put together. We can hold each other accountable, and that gave us the competitive edge.&rdquo;
Clark, who was named to the All-Tournament Team and has never lost in nine TBT games, scored 14 of his 17 points in the first half.
&ldquo;These guys give me so much confidence&hellip;and make me feel above the world,&rdquo; said Clark. &ldquo;The compliments are more to [my teammates].&rdquo;
Montell McRae, who made the final dunk in the Elam Ending to capture the title for Blue Collar U, received a $10,000 bonus for making the championship-winning shot in a pair of Pumas.
The core of Blue Collar U won three Mid-American Conference titles in four years, and the team grew close to the city of Buffalo, which continues to heal from this spring&rsquo;s fatal supermarket shooting. Of the 13 players on the roster, 10 of them have one of the victims&rsquo; names on the back of their jersey, while the remaining three say &ldquo;Buffalo Strong.&rdquo;
The city of Buffalo rallied around Blue Collar U as TBT continued this summer, and watch parties were commonplace in western New York on Tuesday night.
&ldquo;This means everything for Buffalo,&rdquo; said Massinburg. &ldquo;I know that we&rsquo;ve got a lot of support. A lot of fans were watching. Our phones are going crazy right now. The city was behind us.&rdquo;
Tuesday's championship game capped TBT's ninth year. TBT&rsquo;s attendance for this year's event grew 60% over its previous record (set in 2021), and ticket revenue is up 30% from its previous record as well (also 2021). Nine games from four different locations in 2022 cracked TBT&rsquo;s top 15 all-time game attendance list, including games in Wichita, Dayton, Charleston (WV), and Albuquerque.
Blue Collar U improves to 10-1 all-time in two TBT summers and cleaned up this summer&rsquo;s awards as well. Massinburg (15.2 ppg) took home the MVP award. Clark and Perkins join Massinburg on the All-Tournament team. Guards Scoochie Smith (Red Scare) and Chris Warren (Florida TNT) round out the All-Tournament squad.&nbsp;
Blue Collar U becomes the fourth straight alumni team to win the TBT title, joining Carmen&rsquo;s Crew (The Ohio State University, 2019), the Golden Eagles (Marquette University, 2020) and Boeheim&rsquo;s Army (Syracuse University, 2021). College alumni teams have won five of the nine TBT titles. Overseas Elite leads TBT with four titles (2015-2018).
Blue Collar coach Adam Bauman took home the Coach of the Year award, while Americana for Autism&rsquo;s Griffin Taylor was named the GM of the Year.

It was an 89-67 victory for Blue Collar U over Americana for Autism in TBT's 2022 $1 million, winner-take-all TBT championship game.

Buffalo's Blue Collar U wins The Basketball Tournament's $1 Million prize

For the first time in decades, the San Antonio Spurs are in a spot to do the unthinkable within their organizational history: Tank.
Missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons, which has never happened in the franchise&rsquo;s 54 years in the NBA, San Antonio has the opportunity to hit the full reset button during the 2021-22 campaign.
After LaMarcus Aldridge was bought out midseason, and with DeMar DeRozan hitting unrestricted free agency with a very slim chance of re-signing, San Antonio&rsquo;s roster is filled to the brim with young players. Add in veterans Patty Mills and Rudy Gay hitting the open market, and there&rsquo;s a real chance that 27-year-old combo guard Derrick White will be the Spurs&rsquo; oldest player throughout next season. So in an absolutely loaded Western Conference where potentially 11 or 12 teams have realistic shots of making the playoffs, San Antonio would be wise to embrace the tank completely.
The cupboard is not completely barren in The Alamo, though.
White and Dejounte Murray are great complements to one another in the backcourt, both averaging over 15 points per game last season. Keldon Johnson is beginning to emerge as an underrated two-way wing, and his confidence will only grow after being on Team USA in the Olympics. Devin Vassell, San Antonio&rsquo;s No. 11 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, has the potential to become another two-way wing with high-end potential flanking Johnson.
Jakob Poeltl, who was acquired alongside DeRozan in the Kawhi Leonard trade, is a throwback big who can anchor a defense. Bouncy wing Lonnie Walker and stretch big Luka Samanic are other young prospects off the Spurs' bench who could emerge with more playing time and bigger roles next season.m
Altogether, that&rsquo;s an impressive collection of talent with the ability to grow together under Gregg Popovich, and it also doesn&rsquo;t include the Spurs&rsquo; upcoming No. 12 pick in Thursday&rsquo;s draft.
&ldquo;I wouldn't say [there&rsquo;s] pressure. You just want to go out there and compete,&rdquo; White&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-san-antonio-spurs-derrick-white-dejounte-murray-gregg-popovich-colorado-buffaloes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told BasketballNews.com's Spencer Davies in an interview this past May</a> about the changing of the guard. &ldquo;You're aware of the history and all that, but just going out there, competing, playing the game you love. San Antonio fans are great, so you want to do well for them... I mean, basketball as a whole is changing, so you kinda have to change with the times, and we're no different. So it's just exciting that this is the way that basketball is going. It's been entertaining and it's fun to play.
&ldquo;I'm just blessed to be a part of this organization. You kinda see the day-to-day, what goes into it. Just their great history, going back from '99 to where we are now. So I'm thankful to be a part of this organization and learning from Coach Pop, probably the greatest coach of all-time. So, it's been great.&rdquo;
Shown in the advanced metrics as well, there&rsquo;s promise in the long-term for San Antonio. The Murray, White and Johnson trio a.k.a. "<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-san-antonio-spurs-derrick-white-dejounte-murray-gregg-popovich-colorado-buffaloes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the 29 Boys</a>" &mdash; arguably the three most important pieces of the next great Spurs team &mdash; carried a positive net rating (+0.5 in 532 minutes) on the court last season. With that foundation in place for multiple years, all that&rsquo;s missing for the Spurs is a true star. Murray, White and Johnson are solid starters, but not ones that will wow you, nor can you build an entire organizational plan around.
Five-star recruit Chet Holmgren, who committed to Gonzaga, is the odds-on favorite to become the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. Let&rsquo;s say Holmgren lands in San Antonio, inserting his tantalizing modern two-way ability for a big man alongside Murray, White and Johnson. The trajectory would completely change for an organization that seems to be stuck in no man&rsquo;s land at the moment.
The smart play for the Spurs is to finally go in the direction they&rsquo;ve avoided throughout their history. It&rsquo;s a tough pill to swallow, but it needs to be done. Gregg Popovich is 72 years old and wants to field an immediate contender, but there needs to be a realistic outlook on where the roster currently sits.
Over the last 30-plus years, the Spurs landed the No. 1 pick twice. Those prospects were David Robinson (1987) and Tim Duncan (1997). Championships soon followed once those foundational moves occurred in San Antonio.
Entering a crucial rebuilding season for their young core, San Antonio must realize the next Robinson or Duncan is needed to vault the organization back to where it belongs as a consistent playoff threat and NBA Finals contender.

For the first time in a long time, the Spurs could hit the reset button. Evan Sidery explains why that would be a wise move.

As vets depart, the time has come for the Spurs to embrace a rebuild

Damn, it feels good to be back.
I had a lot of thoughts while I was holding my first practice with my team at the Tampa Bay Pro Combine earlier this month, but the main one was just that I truly missed being on the sidelines, shouting out instructions and hearing the familiar sound of the ball bouncing and sneakers squeaking.
The fact that I was doing it in a setting that allowed some guys who maybe flew under the radar a bit to get exposure made it even more rewarding &mdash; especially after my team ended up going undefeated and winning the championship at the four-day event.
For a lot of guys, making it to the NBA has as much to do with exposure as it does talent. You could be one of the most gifted players out there, but if nobody discovers you or sees you play, it won&rsquo;t make a difference. There&rsquo;s why events like the Tampa Bay Pro Combine are so valuable &mdash; they serve as another avenue for players to be seen.
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Taking a step back for a second, even though the G League is starting to provide some competition for the NCAA, Division I basketball is still the primary farm system for the NBA. The European leagues get a lot of attention now, too, and that will only continue with Luka Doncic dominating the NBA.
But for players who don&rsquo;t get that many minutes in college or who go overseas and have a tough time, at least historically, there haven&rsquo;t been many opportunities for them to showcase their talents. The NBA has its own draft combine, but it&rsquo;s invitation-only.
In recent years, the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament &mdash; held in Portsmouth, Virginia &mdash; has become a very popular event because there have been some really talented players who went &ldquo;undiscovered&rdquo; through those traditional platforms, then broke through at Portsmouth and ended up having long, successful careers in the NBA. Of those guys, Jimmy Butler is probably the biggest success story, but <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-san-antonio-spurs-derrick-white-dejounte-murray-gregg-popovich-colorado-buffaloes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Derrick White</a>, Richaun Holmes and James Ennis are other current players who join a long list of guys who played at Portsmouth.
Because of the pandemic, Portsmouth was canceled for the second consecutive year, so that created a huge void for some of those lesser-known players. In that respect, the Tampa Bay Pro Combine was a really good look.
I took pride in knowing that.
So yeah, it felt good to be back, in more ways than one.
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I landed in Tampa on Wednesday and got a copy of my roster. I immediately began pulling clips of my players and doing some scouting to understand their strengths and weaknesses. When we held our first practice on Thursday, I told them, straight up, that I came to Tampa to win and that I wasn&rsquo;t going to accept anything less than winning attitudes and winning mentalities from my team. Some guys might think that a relatively small combine, especially one in its first year, is going to be fun and games. I learned a long time ago that you can&rsquo;t approach anything like that, because you just never know who&rsquo;s watching.
At the end of the day, when you decide to become a pro player (or a coach for that matter), everything you do and every positive or negative experience you have becomes a part of your resume. For a lot of the players on my team, this would be their only chance to showcase their skills to the scouts and agents that attended the event.
I asked them all a simple question&hellip;
&ldquo;How do you want to be remembered?&rdquo;
Fortunately, even though we were only together for a few days, I got my team to buy in to my message. It was a good group of young guys, and I was appreciative of the opportunity to be their coach and help them get a little bit of glory.
We played four games, one went to overtime and one went to double-overtime. And you know what? We walked away undefeated and as champions. From a personal standpoint, the experience was rewarding. And just based on the joy I saw on my players&rsquo; faces, I think the same can be said for them.
Hopefully, years later &mdash; no matter where their careers take them &mdash; they&rsquo;ll always look back at Coach Posey and consider me an ally who helped teach them some valuable lessons about winning. That&rsquo;s my hope.
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Playing in the NBA and serving as an assistant coach, I&rsquo;ve seen and heard about a lot of players and the individual paths they took to get to the league. Some guys go to well-renowned collegiate programs and get the exposure they need to become first-round draft picks, while others take a longer path &mdash; playing elsewhere and earning themselves an opportunity in the league.
Back in 2013, in one of my first coaching opportunities, I coached one of the teams at the NBA D-League tryouts in New York (it was still called the &ldquo;D&rdquo; League back in those days), and, similar to Tampa, my team there also ended up going undefeated and winning the championship.
Years later, while I was an assistant coach with Cleveland, one of my former players showed up at a few games at both Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center and would call out to me from the stands, either before or after the game, or even during halftime.
&ldquo;Coach Posey. Coach Posey. Remember me? I was on your team at the D-League tryout!&rdquo;
Even all these years later, I&rsquo;m so proud that I had a positive impact and helped give some of those young players &mdash; most of whom would never even make it to the NBA &mdash; a great experience through the game of basketball.
This game has given me so much and taught me so much about overcoming obstacles, being humble and always being prepared, and I think whether you work a traditional 9-to-5 job or you're playing pro ball, those are skills that can help you succeed in life, no matter what.
Being able to impart that wisdom on young men is one of the most rewarding things about the job, and that&rsquo;s one of the things that excited me most about participating as a coach at the Tampa Bay Pro Combine.
Truth be told, we need more events like this. The game of basketball has simply become too popular and is played all over the world. We need more channels for players to showcase their talents. The next Jimmy Butler is out there, somewhere.
For all we know, I may have just had the opportunity to coach him.

James Posey lead his team to the championship at the Tampa Bay Pro Combine. The coach reflects on his experience at the event.

What it was like coaching at the inaugural Tampa Bay Pro Combine

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; After relying heavily on veterans for two decades, the San Antonio Spurs are having growing pains in their transformation to a younger roster.
For the first time, San Antonio missed the playoffs for a second straight season after an NBA-record 22 straight appearances.
&ldquo;Unique, roller coaster, weird,&rdquo; Spurs veteran guard DeMar DeRozan said. &ldquo;I think those are three things that sum up this season.&rdquo;
The days of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili guiding a veteran roster have given way to Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson and Lonnie Walker learning on the fly through injuries, little practice and a compacted schedule because ot he pandemic.
It was one of the most confounding seasons for Gregg Popovich, but also one of the most rewarding in his 25 years as Spurs coach.
&ldquo;If any team needs practices to work on consistency and execution, we did,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;(But) I don&rsquo;t know if I have ever been more proud of a team that just doesn&rsquo;t quit. No matter what the mistakes, no matter what the circumstances are, they really fight. That&rsquo;s a good base. So, I&rsquo;m really proud of the way they conducted themselves and played to win.&rdquo;
Popovich, 72, completed the first year of a three-year extension with Spurs. He will coach the U.S. team in the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
San Antonio finished 10th in the Western Conference, losing to Memphis in a play-in game. San Antonio trailed by double digits in 58% of this season&rsquo;s games, finishing 9-33 in those contests. The Spurs also led by double digits in 51% of their games, finishing 28-9.
They overcame or lost double-digit leads in multiple games.
&ldquo;Regardless of the situation, we just kept fighting,&rdquo; Johnson said.
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VETERANS
DeRozan and fellow veterans Rudy Gay, Patty Mills and Gorgui Dieng are all unrestricted free agents. San Antonio would like to have all back, but their returns are uncertain.
San Antonio should have money to spend: The Spurs are projected to be second only to the New York Knicks in available cap space this summer.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Spurs have the 10th-youngest roster in the NBA with an average age of 25.3, but that drops to a league-low 23 years old without the four 30-something veterans.
&ldquo;I think overall we can be proud of us for a big majority of our season, but we also know we have a lot that we have to improve on,&rdquo; Spurs starting center Jakob Poeltl said.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-san-antonio-spurs-derrick-white-dejounte-murray-gregg-popovich-colorado-buffaloes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[Editor's note: Be sure to check out this exclusive interview with Derrick White by our Spencer Davies]</a>
IN AND OUT
The Spurs battled multiple injuries this season, including a series of foot and ankle injuries that forced White to miss half the season.
The team also had multiple players miss two weeks after contracting or being exposed to COVID-19. The league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols forced San Antonio to cut short their annual rodeo road trip in February. Those games were rescheduled for the second half, leading the team to essentially play every other day over the final three months.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a long season,&rdquo; Walker said. &ldquo;We came out and (fought) and gave it our all despite injuries after injuries and not really having a full team. But time goes on and we&rsquo;re going to continue to work hard. We&rsquo;re going to continue to get better. I just don&rsquo;t like losing. I wanted to get to the playoffs.&rdquo;

After relying heavily on veterans for two decades, the Spurs are having growing pains in their transformation to a younger roster.

Growing pains as Spurs transition to younger roster

In San Antonio, iron is sharpening iron. It might not be coming in the usual form of an unprecedented playoff streak or championship gold, but it is instead manifesting itself through the development of its highly-touted young talent, as the Spurs transition from the old era to a new one.
Spearheading the evolution is a crop of late first-round draft picks from the past five years, all learning from the guiding hand of the legendary Gregg Popovich. One of those first-rounders is Derrick White, who had taken a significant jump in team responsibility before suffering a season-ending ankle injury on April 26 in Washington, D.C.&nbsp;
"I'm just staying with them. I told 'em when I got hurt that I was with 'em 'til the end,&rdquo; White told BasketballNews.com in a phone interview. &ldquo;We've still got a lot of talent on our roster, so I'm excited for these last couple games and hopefully, we finish strong and playing the right way for the play-in."
The Spurs are currently the 10th seed in the Western Conference at 31-34 with seven games left in the season and the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings on their heels.
Prior to another untimely setback, White posted career-high averages in points (15.4), field goal attempts (12.6) and minutes (29.6) over his 36 games of action. Alongside Dejounte Murray, Lonnie Walker IV and Keldon Johnson, White is a part of a core with the onus of keeping up with an ever-progressing sport, yet upholding the tradition of a first-class franchise with a stellar reputation.
"I wouldn't say [there&rsquo;s] pressure. You just want to go out there and compete,&rdquo; White said. &ldquo;You're aware of the history and all that, but just going out there, competing, playing the game you love. San Antonio fans are great, so you want to do well for them... I mean, basketball as a whole is changing, so you kinda have to change with the times, and we're no different. So it's just exciting that this is the way that basketball is going. It's been entertaining and it's fun to play.
&ldquo;I'm just blessed to be a part of this organization. You kinda see the day-to-day, what goes into it. Just their great history, going back from '99 to where we are now. So I'm thankful to be a part of this organization and learning from Coach Pop, probably the greatest coach of all-time. So, it's been great.&rdquo;
Murray and White have a unique perspective that the others do not. They were taken under the sure-to-be Hall-of-Fame wings of Manu Ginoboli and Tony Parker, getting a firsthand look at the standard-bearers of professionalism and what it meant to be a Spur.
&ldquo;It was cool to be a part of that team and see them and just be around them and all they've done for San Antonio," White said. "And then now we've kinda got a lot of young guys and we're all trying to make a name for ourselves, so it's been a cool transition.&rdquo;
White, Murray and Johnson were all selected in the same exact draft position: No. 29 overall.
&ldquo;We're all, like, the &lsquo;29 Boys,&rsquo;&rdquo; White said with a laugh. Murray was the first to receive a contract extension. White said that once his backcourt partner signed his contract extension, Murray told him, &ldquo;You&rsquo;re next.&rdquo;
Sure enough, White inked a four-year, $73 million extension with the Spurs in December.&nbsp;
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That&rsquo;s back-to-back late first-round picks who earned deals past their rookie-scales, and their chemistry together is a big reason why. This season, according to NBA.com, the Spurs have scored 114.2 points per 100 possessions <a href="https://go.nba.com/3s26" target="_blank" rel="noopener">with White and Murray on the floor together</a>, just behind White and DeMar DeRozan as the Spurs&rsquo; top offensive duo (min. 650 minutes).&nbsp;
In the 266 minutes without either Murray or White on the floor (in games they&rsquo;ve played), San Antonio has a <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612759&amp;Season=2020-21&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=1628401,1627749&amp;OnlyCommonGames=true" target="_blank" rel="noopener">net rating of negative-25.7</a>, per PBP Stats. Needless to say, they&rsquo;re kind of important to the team&rsquo;s success, which is why White feels so grateful to be considered a cornerstone with Murray.
&ldquo;He's special. He's able to do a lot of different things on the court and he's gotten better each and every year that he's played,&rdquo; White said of Murray. &ldquo;That hard work and just wanting to be great. We just get along well off the court, and it makes it easy on the court.&rdquo;
Walker and Johnson have been added to the mix over the last three seasons, and are following a similar pattern. White sees that Walker is &ldquo;uber-talented and uber-athletic,&rdquo; while observing that Johnson &ldquo;plays his tail off every two seconds.&rdquo; The drive to improve and be great makes each of these four push one another in order to become the best they can.
There&rsquo;s also another aspect of White&rsquo;s approach that's undergoing maturation: vocalizing and teaching what he's soaked in from those before him.
White appreciated how productive Ginobili was at 40 years old. When he retired and Parker exited to the Charlotte Hornets, LaMarcus Aldridge played a pivotal role in helping White&rsquo;s development and keeping his head up during his second season. Similarly, then and now, he says that DeRozan will answer any question that gets asked.
&ldquo;All the vets that we've had here have been amazing. That's kinda the thing, is there's always great people around,&rdquo; White stated.
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The way leadership works is that you instill values into the people you&rsquo;re in charge of, so that when they grow older and wiser, they can impart the wisdom onto the next generation. White learned the proper lessons; being a fourth-year pro, it&rsquo;s his turn to move up the ladder.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The front office and Pop have been on me [about] trying to be more of a leader,&rdquo; White said. &ldquo;It's something that I'm continuing to develop in. The more confidence you have, the more you're doing the right things, the more you can hold other people accountable. So it's a constant thing that I'm developing, and hopefully I just keep getting better and better at it."
White, an avowed introvert, admits it is an adjustment: "I'm pretty quiet at the start. But once I get to know people, I start talking more. (laughs)"
As White tries to blossom into a more vocal figure, his skill set can do the talking for now. Defensively, he is a thorn in everybody&rsquo;s side, sticking to his assignments, closing out hard on shooters and standing pat when the opposition tries to drive on him.
Get this: Among those playing at least 25 minutes and defending a minimum of three field goal attempts at the rim per game, there are only 14 NBA players holding opponents under 55% on those tries. White is <a href="https://go.nba.com/dxmv" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a part of that group</a>, and all but Miles Bridges and White are big men.&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s not every day you see a 6-foot-4 guard averaging more rejections (1.0) than steals (0.7), either.
&ldquo;I always tell people I'm a shot-blocker,&rdquo; White quipped. &ldquo;I don't know. I'm just trying to get a stop. It's something that I've always kind of done is just be able to block shots. I just kinda have a knack for it, and I'm just trying to do whatever it takes to get some stops and get us the ball back.
&ldquo;[Strategically, my approach] depends on the matchup. There's a lot of talented guards and wing players that I've been guarding. Try to limit their touches, try to push them out of their spot. There's so many talented people in the league that they're gonna get their points. Just try to make it difficult for them."
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White&rsquo;s offensive burden has ramped up more this season, sporting a career-high 22.7% usage rate, in addition to doubling his three-point attempts to nearly seven per game.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Coach [Pop] said if I was open or anything just to let it fly and, hopefully, I can continue to get in the gym, continue to get shots and reps up, and my percentage and everything will just continue to grow as my game grows,&rdquo; White said. &ldquo;I'm pretty confident [in my shot]. I mean, it was kinda a rough offseason and then getting hurt and then COVID and everything, so it was kinda inconsistent, I feel like, 'cause I just didn't really get a lot of reps in during the offseason stuff. But just staying in and staying confident, and I think good things are starting to happen."
Though the traditional statistics don&rsquo;t jump out and he&rsquo;s missed more shots than he&rsquo;s accustomed to making, White&rsquo;s advanced numbers indicate his effect on the game. As specified by Cleaning the Glass, San Antonio&rsquo;s offensive rating dips by 4.7 with White off the floor. He&rsquo;s also incredibly careful with the basketball, as the team has a <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4304/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mere 11% turnover rate when he&rsquo;s on the court</a>.
Last week, Popovich expressed that White&rsquo;s season is over. It&rsquo;s been an unfortunate series of events that will hold back the 26-year-old guard from having the chance to be a part of the Spurs&rsquo; chase in the postseason play-in.
It&rsquo;s times like these when White leans on a support system that&rsquo;s been with him from the start. His mother, Colleen; his father, Richard; his sister, Brianna; his fiancee, Hannah; even his friends that he hooped with growing up -- all of these people cheer him on and keep him level-headed. White is grateful that he has them in his corner, keeping him &ldquo;boosted&rdquo; when he needs it.
Besides Russell Westbrook welcoming him to the NBA early his rookie year ("guarding Russ for the first time was pretty eye-opening. He didn't take it easy, that's for sure"), one of the favorite moments of White&rsquo;s embryonic career is when he burst onto the scene in the 2019 playoffs vs. his hometown Denver Nuggets, a series his parents witnessed up close and personal.
&ldquo;I grew up watching the Nuggets and everything, so to play them my first playoff round while really playing, it was crazy,&rdquo; said White, whose Spurs ultimately fell by four points in Game 7. &ldquo;It did a lot for my confidence, but it also showed that I had a lot of room to grow. So I was happy that I played well, but still wanted more out of it.
&ldquo;My mom and my dad went to every game in Denver, and then they were in San Antonio for Games 3 and 4. So they saw pretty much all of 'em. They were in San Antonio when I kinda blew up and scored 36, so it was cool to hang out with them after the game and just get dinner and get food with them after. It was nice to see and it was good to have them there."
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White&rsquo;s family saw his growth -- physically, mentally and professionally -- from when he was generously listed at 6-feet tall in high school, to catching eyes at Division II Colorado-Colorado Springs and, ultimately, landing at the University of Colorado for one year and being drafted by the Spurs in 2017.
&ldquo;It's kinda crazy,&rdquo; White said of his journey. &ldquo;UCCS kinda gave me a preferred walk-on, basically, and I just thought it was cool 'cause it had my major [sports management], but it actually worked out perfectly. I was able to start right away, and they kinda just gave me the keys to the whole program from like Game 5 on, so that did a lot for my development, confidence, everything. Three years there, and it was amazing. But Marcus Mason, my trainer, was like, 'I think it's time for you to go on.'&nbsp;
&ldquo;And so, I have an opportunity to transfer to CU, to the PAC-12, and compete at that level; I couldn't turn it down. So I transfer in there, redshirting and just working out for a whole year trying to get better and then, just competing that one year there, trying to make a name for myself as quickly as I could. So it was all pretty crazy. But I mean, I think everything happens for a reason, so it all works out for me."
When asked what he&rsquo;s most appreciative about regarding his unusual path to the greatest basketball league in the world, White pondered before responding.
&ldquo;I mean, just sticking with it, not giving up,&rdquo; White said. &ldquo;I could've just called it quits [and said], 'It is what it is.' But I just continued to work. Obviously, growing helped, but I worked harder than I had before and good things started happening for me."
If White's path is any indication, it&rsquo;ll take a lot more than a few bumps in the road to keep him from achieving whatever he puts his mind to.

Spencer Davies chats with Spurs guard Derrick White about the franchise's new era, what his coaches are asking of him and more.

Colorado Buffaloes