“I mean, if we’re gonna play, why not be as competitive as you can and go as hard as you can? Because if you’re not going hard, to me, it’s not fun. It’s not how the game’s supposed to be played,” she says.

That’s been the mantra the 6-2 wing has played under for her entire hoops career. Pull up the tape and you’ll see.

On the offensive end, Knox gets buckets from all levels, scoring in the post and occasionally letting one fly from deep. Defensively, she locks down opponents on the interior, blocking shots like A’ja Wilson—the player she molds her game after.

But most notable on the tape is Knox’s hustle. She makes timely cuts, sets brick-wall screens and comes down with every 50/50 ball. “Even if other things, like points, aren’t showing, I was taught that other things matter, like rebounding, 50/50 balls, playing defense—and those can really determine the game at the end of the day,” she says. “Just trying to focus on what I’m good at, and I’m pretty athletic, so I think that helps a lot and brings a lot to my game.”

Knox always had athletic talent, originally aspiring to play in the NFL. Once she moved on from that dream, she switched to basketball. With the help of her father, she started seriously working at the game. After hooping in Nevada, Knox transferred to Etiwanda High School in California to better prepare for college and gain higher levels of exposure.

She dealt with nagging back injuries, which sidelined her for her sophomore season, leading to a lengthy rehabilitation process. Throughout that journey, she received vital support from her family and used her goal of playing college hoops to motivate herself to recover. Even from the bench, Knox still improved her game in different areas.

“I think it helped me as well in an IQ way, just learning the floor from a different angle, from a different perspective, and just kind of seeing things that I wouldn’t see if I was playing,” she says.

When she returned to the court, the accolades began piling up.

Playing alongside guard Puff Morris, Knox averaged 17.2 points and 11.9 rebounds per game in her junior season, leading the Eagles to a CIF Open Division state championship. During her senior season, Knox averaged another double-double and was stuffing around four shots a game. She was named a McDonald’s All-American and played in the Nike Hoop Summit.

As if scouts weren’t already turning their heads after the showcases, her final playoff push cemented her status as a top player in the nation.

Knox closed out her high school career in a league of her own, winning her second CIF Open Division state championship in a row.

It’s easy to see why Knox received over 40 DI offers during her recruitment. Powerhouse programs like USC, Texas and Tennessee offered her, but she eventually committed to LSU in November. “I felt like their program in general, their style of play, matches really well with how I want to be able to play and develop along the years,” Knox says. “The culture had a lot to do with my decision as well, just the family welcoming, comfortable culture, just knowing that I’ll be taken care of.”

But more importantly, coach Kim Mulkey’s development program factored into her decision.  The four-time champion’s pipeline goes far. Brittney Griner. NaLyssa Smith. Angel Reese. The talent speaks for itself. Now, Knox is in a prime position to become Mulkey’s next great wing.

Alongside fellow five-star recruits ZaKiyah Johnson and Divine Bourrage, Knox headlines LSU’s No. 2 ranked recruiting class (according to 247sports) for the 2025-26 season.

Her goal for the upcoming season is simple, and one that will have Tiger Nation excited for what’s to come. Knox said she wants to bring home hardware and hang another championship banner in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. “My goal is to eventually become a starter during my freshman year,” she says. “I want to be on the first All-Conference team for the SEC and just [win] as many freshman accolades as I can, just so people know who I am and that I can prove myself.”

Portraits by Sam Muller.

The post Grace Knox, the No. 7-Ranked Player in the Class of 2025, is Poised to Make a Whole Lot of Noise at LSU appeared first on SLAM.

It’s a fitting representation of the game and the opening line of the new book Courtside Candy.

Everybody remembers their first time watching basketball. The satisfaction of swishing a jumper or using creativity to get to the rack. In a new book, former SLAM Editor-in-Chief Ben Osborne explores the impact of the game beyond these core moments.

In collaboration with German independent publishing house gestalten, Courtside Candy explores how the game has transcended beyond the court—how it’s created new fashion, art and a subculture that brings all hoop fans together.

“The photos are spectacular. It’s basically a coffee table book that anyone who appreciates basketball culture will love,” Osborne says.

There are five sections in the book. An introduction about basketball’s impact beyond the court and a personal tribute to Stephon Marbury, a player whom Osborne believes embodies the book’s message. Displays of basketball fashion trends, the game’s global reach, artistic interpretations and the variety of courts found worldwide fill the pages.

Nearly 40 artists, photographers and fashion designers are featured, with each page draped in a myriad of colorful images and short essays that tell the unique backstories of each work.

“I’m not sure a book has been presented in this manner that kind of tries to touch all the different things that basketball has influenced,” Osborne says. “I think it’s really like a love letter to the game.”

Courtside Candy is out July 1.

Photos courtesy of Wenpeng Lu, Walter Looss Jr., Maddy Talias, An Rong Xu and Jorge Espinoza.

The post Former SLAM Editor-in-Chief Ben Osborne Showcases the Game’s Global Impact in New Photo Book Courtside Candy  appeared first on SLAM.

Now, the Hall of Famer transitions into a front office role as the President of Basketball Operations, a position he announced by revealing a shirt that said “El Jefe” on the front.

Although he’ll still be involved with the Spurs organization, Popovich’s impact on the sidelines, the League and San Antonio hoops in particular is one that cannot be overlooked.

Before his 29 years with San Antonio, Popovich started with the Air Force Academy.

After playing high school basketball in Indiana, where he grew up, Popovich enrolled in the Air Force Academy, where he played for the basketball team. Popovich was a key contributor, leading the team in scoring during the 1970 season, averaging over 14 points a night.

While on active duty, he earned a roster spot on the U.S. Armed Forces all-star basketball team, and played consistently across Europe. He earned a tryout to the U.S. Olympic trials, which were attended by Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown, who had just begun his coaching career in the ABA.

Popovich failed to make the team, and later began a coaching career with his alma mater as an assistant coach. After spending six seasons with the Air Force Academy, Popovich was hired by the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens, a Division III joint-basketball program shared between Pomona College and Pitzer College in California. He rebuilt the struggling program into a powerhouse, leading the Sagehens to a conference title in the 1980’s, their first in 68 years.

With his success at the Division III level, Popovich was hired by Brown, who was then coaching the Kansas Jayhawks. Brown would give Popovich the breakthrough he needed, as when he became the Spurs head coach in 1988, he again added the Hall of Famer to his staff.

Under Brown, Popovich first crossed paths with a superstar who he would eventually coach years later—David Robinson.

“I loved Pop from the beginning because Pop’s a military guy,” Robinson said in an interview on Joe Buck’s podcast. “Pop had a vision. He knew what he wanted to accomplish. He knew how he wanted to accomplish it, so guys started to buy into it. That really was the big turnaround, that was when things started falling into place.”

After a two-year stint as an assistant with the Warriors, Popovich returned to San Antonio for the 1994 season.

He became the general manager of the Spurs, helping sign veteran point guard Avery Johnson from the Golden State Warriors, and trading away fan-favorite Dennis Rodman to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for center Will Perdue, both who would eventually be contributors to San Antonio’s first title in 1999.

After a 3-15 start, Popovich hired himself as head coach for the 1996-1997 season, in what proved to be a lost season for the Spurs.

Robinson suffered a season-ending foot injury after playing only six games, while the team’s second-leading scorer Sean Elliott only played 39 games due to a knee injury. Chuck Person, another team veteran was out for the entire season with a back injury.

With a roster turning over with injuries, the Spurs ended the season with a 20-62 record, the worst record in franchise history. Popovich himself had coached the team to a 17-47 record.

However, it proved to be a blessing in disguise.

The Spurs won the 1997 Draft Lottery, earning the rights to draft Tim Duncan, the consensus top-overall pick out of Wake Forest.

From then on, the two would form a 19-year partnership. But more importantly, a standard for how Popovich would treat his players.

“The standard you set. You showed up after I got drafted, you came to my island. You sat with my friends, my family. You talked with my dad. I thought that was normal—it’s not. You are an exceptional person, thank you for teaching me about basketball, but even beyond that, teaching me that it’s not all about basketball,” Duncan said in his Hall of Fame speech.

Duncan’s impact on the Spurs was immediate. Popovich coached San Antonio to a 56-26 record in his second season on the sidelines.

Under Pop, Duncan ran away with the Rookie of the Year award, averaging 21.1 points per game and nearly 12 boards a game. As a 21-year-old, he was named to the All-NBA First-Team and immediately became San Antonio’s best player.

With a youthful roster, the team fell short in the playoffs to the Utah Jazz, but bounced back.

In his third season, Popovich led the Spurs to their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history. In the 1999 lockout season, the Spurs cruised through the postseason, only losing two games en route to a 4-1 Finals victory over the underdog New York Knicks.

In only three seasons, Popovich transformed the small market Spurs into a title-winning franchise, led by an emphasis on tough defense and slow-paced games that grinded opponents down. With Robinson and Duncan manning the paint, San Antonio boasted the third-best scoring defense in the League, and ranked top in defensive rating.

Strong defenses and an emphasis on a slower, high movement offense would be the standard for Pop-led teams moving forward.

That same season, Popovich drafted an unknown international talent out of Argentina in the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft named Manu Ginobili.

Two years later, he drafted French point guard Tony Parker in the 2001 NBA Draft, setting the foundation for the San Antonio’s Big Three.

After remaining contenders for the next three seasons, the Spurs failed to get past the Shaq and Kobe Lakers, but finally broke through in the 2003 season.

Ginobili made his NBA debut after playing Italy for three seasons, and the Spurs formed their Big Three of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker.

Under the Big Three, the franchise won three more titles in 2003, 2005 and 2007. In 2003, the Spurs helped Robinson close out his career with a ring, defeating the New Jersey Nets in six games.

Pop’s team spread the ball, with four players averaging in double-digit points in those Finals, while having the rookie Ginobili provide a spark off the bench. In the closeout game, San Antonio’s defense suffocated the Nets, holding them to 77 points while Duncan nearly posted a quadruple-double, falling two blocks short on the stat sheet.

In 2005, the roster gained new role players—who instantly found their place in Popovich’s schemes. Players like Robert Horry, Brent Barry, Rasho Nesterovic and Nazr Mohammed played tough defense while the Big Three continued to play selfless basketball. On Popovich’s teams, everybody had a role, regardless of their standing in the rotation.

Especially Horry, who carried the offensive load in Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals and hit the game-winning three to return to San Antonio up 3-2 in the series. San Antonio would close out the series against the defending champion Detroit Pistons, after clamping up Detroit for an 81-74 Game 7 victory, earning Popovich his third ring.

In 2007, the Spurs won their third championship of the 2000’s, sweeping a young LeBron and an overmatched Cleveland Cavaliers team. That season, Ginobili voluntarily relinquished his starting role to come off the bench to help spark the team’s offense.

Ginobili’s selfless play represented Popovich’s teams—selfless basketball, and players who put their egos and statistics aside for the better of the team.

From that standard, it wasn’t a surprise that Popovich was the first coach to believe in Kawhi Leonard. After being drafted to the Pacers on draft night, the Spurs traded George Hill and the rights to two players for Leonard, who instantly made an impact in Texas.

Leonard became a star playing alongside the Big Three, helping lead the franchise to its most recent championship in 2014 over the Miami Heat. Popovich helped coach Leonard into a superstar, with the San Diego State product earning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2015 and 2016.

With a revolving door of contributing role players and the core of Parker, Duncan, Ginobili and Leonard, the Spurs were always racking up wins and contending—even if it didn’t turn into championships.

However, fans don’t remember the defensive efforts or focus on the fundamentals, but rather Popovich’s revolutionary offense. The Spurs taught the world how to pass, run a motion offense and emphasized ball movement. Star players would pass up difficult shots to give a teammate a better look. At their peak, fans called the team’s style, “The Beautiful Game.”

Even now, Pop’s younger rosters still show flashes of the offense that made the Spurs famous.

With their selfless play and adaptable offense, San Antonio remained title contenders for nearly Popovich’s entire tenure with the team. The Spurs made the playoffs for 22 consecutive seasons, leaving him with a 170-114 career postseason record.

Even as the Spurs have been rebuilding for the past few years, it feels as if history is repeating itself.

San Antonio won the 2023 Draft Lottery, earning the rights to draft another generational prospect—Victor Wembanyana.

Similar to Duncan, Wembanyama instantly became the best player on the court. He won Rookie of the Year in a unanimous decision, and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Rudy Gobert.

Pop has helped coached Wembanyama into a lockdown defender, and an offensive threat who can score from anywhere on the court. For the past two seasons, he’s been coaching and teaching Wemby the right way to play the game.

A season later, he helped coached another Rookie of the Year winner in Stephon Castle.

With the talent, draft capital and trajectory San Antonio has been on, there’s still a chance Popovich could get his sixth ring in a few seasons, and first outside of the sidelines.

But with all the hypotheticals aside, the accolades speak for themselves. 1,422 wins, the most ever. Three NBA Coach of the Year awards. A 62.1% winning percentage. Five rings. But most importantly, the care and mentorship he gave to his players, past and present.

Duncan summed up the sentiment in his Hall of Fame speech.

“For everything, thank you for being the amazing human being that you are,” he said.

The post Gregg Popovich leaves behind a legacy of greatness in San Antonio Hoops appeared first on SLAM.

After being voted as the most overrated player by his counterparts in The Athletic’s anonymous player poll back in April, the two-time All-Star has all but silenced those critics with clutch shots and signature performances.

He first crossed up Giannis to hit a series-winning layup to eliminate the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs.

Then after being down by as much as 20 on the road to the top-seeded Cavs, the Pacers clawed their way back into Game 2 within the final minute of play.

As the “overrated” chants followed Haliburton to Cleveland, he silenced the home crowd with one shot.

Down two with seconds to play, Haliburton grabbed his miss on a free throw and reset Indiana’s offense at the top of the key. He hit Ty Jerome with two crossovers before stepping back and draining a cold-blooded three to put Indiana up one.

Ballgame.

Not a single “overrated” chant could be heard in the Rocket Arena. However, those chants and detractors only fuel the Iowa State product, who thrives when people doubt him.

“I love negativity. I love seeing negativity on Twitter. I love hearing people say negative comments about my game. It always interests me. It could be somebody with, like, no followers, I just want to prove them wrong,” Haliburton said in an interview with SLAM.

This postseason, Haliburton and his team have done just that—continuously proving everyone wrong.

The Pacers have been one of the most efficient teams in the postseason. Haliburton himself is averaging a double-double, dropping a quiet 18.4 points per game while dishing out 10.7 dimes a game against top competition.

They easily handled the Bucks in the first round, and after being underdogs in both games against the Cavaliers, stole home-court advantage from the top dogs in The Land.

With the Pacers traveling back to their home court up 2-0, Haliburton’s got everybody in the state of Indiana excited—especially his fellow star counterpart on the Fever.

The post Tyrese Haliburton calls game AGAIN—this time against Cleveland in Game 2 appeared first on SLAM.

The Rockets had all the momentum, rattling off two consecutive wins after being down 3-1 in the series. Following a gritty Game 6 that saw the Rockets stave off elimination on Golden State’s home court, Draymond Green, set the message straight with a passionate speech for the deciding Game 7.

“I wanted to come out and prove again just who I am—with poise, but with the same fire, same tenacity. I think I delivered that and gave our guys something to follow,” Green said. “That was the message, that was the goal and we got it done.”

On the road, the Dubs came out firing with energy, even from the most unlikeliest of postseason heroes.

Buddy Hield delivered a signature performance, draining nine triples on a 12-15 shooting night, posting a playoff career-high 33 points to lift the Warriors to a 103-89 win over the Rockets in Game 7.

Stephen Curry finished with a double-double, posting 22 points and 10 rebounds after a shaky first half. Jimmy Butler added 20 points, while Green finished with 16.

Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 24 points, while Alperen Sengun finished with a 21-point, 14-rebound double-double. Fred VanVleet finished with 17 points after a strong performance in Game 6.

The Dubs opened up the game hot, quickly cracking double-digit points three minutes into the game. Green continued his streak of delivering in Game 7’s, knocking down two threes while Brandin Podziemski added another.

The Rockets were able to battle back, forcing a 13-13 tie after efficient scoring in the paint from Sengun and Thompson.

Later in the quarter, Jalen Green made an and-one layup to give Houston a 19-17 lead with just over a minute remaining in the opening frame. That two-point lead was Houston’s only lead for the entire game, lasting for 13 seconds.

Hield quickly drained a triple on the ensuing possession to give the lead back to the Dubs. Houston played catch-up for the remainder of the game. To cap off the quarter, Hield launched from 42-feet out and sank a buzzer-beater from just beyond the half-court line to give Golden State a 23-19 lead at the end of the quarter.

“When I shot it, I knew I had a chance. I didn’t know it was going in—I knew I had a chance,” Hield said. “When that went in, that just helped me relax. I didn’t celebrate too much because I know we had three more quarters to go.”

The Dubs carried the momentum from Hield’s half-court heave into the second quarter. They quickly opened up a double-digit lead with under three minutes in the quarter before rattling off a 12-8 run to close out the quarter.

Hield sank three triples on three consecutive possessions, before Curry scored his first points of the game with 33 seconds to play. Golden State rode that scoring run to a 12-point advantage at the half.

The Rockets battled back in the third quarter, consistently chipping away at the lead. After going on a 17-7 scoring run, Houston cut the lead to a one-possession game after Jabari Smith Jr. sank a three. However, the Rockets failed to tie the score up and take the lead.

The three-point deficit would be the closest Houston got to overcoming the lead. Golden State closed out the quarter with two Green buckets and a Butler triple to take an eight-point lead into the final frame.

It was all Golden State from there. Curry scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone, and the Dubs outscored the Rockets 33-27 in the quarter. Hield made another three with eight minutes to play to give the Warriors a 10-point lead, and they never looked back. The Rockets failed to cut the deficit to single-digits.

In a fitting end, Golden State’s final bucket was a deep three by Hield, capping off his signature performance.

The story of the game was Golden State’s offensive efficiency from beyond the arc. The Dubs shot 41.9% from three and drained 18 triples, while Houston struggled, only knocking down six threes. Houston also shot 40.5% from the field, but missed easy opportunities inside the paint.

With the series win, Golden State has now eliminated the Rockets from the playoffs for the fifth time since 2015.

The Warriors will now match up against Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round. But for now, they’re going to enjoy their victory on the road.

“We were lucky to get out of this series,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “I’m not talking about Minnesota right now, we’ll talk about them tomorrow. We’re just gonna enjoy the win tonight, spend the night and we’ll get ready for Minnesota tomorrow.”

The post Dubs Advance after 103-89 Game 7 Victory over the Houston Rockets appeared first on SLAM.

“Make that next step now.”

Minnesota dominated in the series, winning three out of their four dubs by double-digits, and putting the clamps on the Lakers’ offense. In the closest game of the series, Edwards delivered a signature 43-point performance in Game 4.

Upon returning to the West Coast, the Timberwolves were still 5.5 point underdogs. In the closeout game, Edwards cooled off, scoring 15 points.nBut it didn’t even matter as Minnesota’s depth took over and they won the series, 103-96.

After the game, as fans shuffled out of the Crypto.com arena, Edwards took a victory lap around the LA where he was greeted by numerous fans and heckling Lakers fans. Hilariously, even Laker fans were going up to Edwards asking for photos or handshakes, despite having been trounced by the Ant-Man himself.

In his postgame interaction with LeBron, James told the Georgia product to “Make that next step now.”

Edwards and the T-Wolves will now await to see who they’ll play next, as Warriors are tangled in a gritty first-round matchup with the Houston Rockets.

But for now, Edwards seems to be basking in the glory of his victories out in Cali.

The post LeBron James to Anthony Edwards: ‘Make that Next Step.’ appeared first on SLAM.

At his celebratory press conference, San Antonio’s previous Rookie of the Year winners: all-time greats David Robinson and Tim Duncan and a future face of the league Victor Wembanyama, all appeared on stage to hand Castle the trophy and welcome the UConn product into elite company.

Castle’s victory marked the first time since 2016 an NBA team had back-to-back Rookie of the Year winners after Wembanyama took home the award last season. The last team to do so was the Minnesota Timberwolves, when Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns won the award in 2015 and 2016.

In a landslide victory, Castle earned 92 out of 100 first-place votes. He also earned seven second-place votes and a single third-place vote. Castle finished with 482 points, 237 ahead of Atlanta Hawks forward Zaccharie Risacher, the top overall pick in the draft, who finished with 245 points.

Risacher garnered five first-place votes 64 second-place votes and 28 third-place votes. Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaylen Wells finished with three first-place votes, 23 second-place votes and 39 third-place votes. No other candidate received any first-place votes.

Castle had a breakout rookie season for a rebuilding Spurs team built around Wembanyama. He appeared in 81 games, starting in 47 of them, and averaged 14.7 points per game. He posted two 30-point performances, including a career-high 33 points on Feb. 7 in a 117-116 loss to the Hornets, where the rookie shot an efficient 10-15 from the field and 60% from beyond the arc.

To cap it off, he even took three-time dunk contest winner Mac McClung to the wire in the final round of this year’s contest.

The Spurs currently are one of the youngest teams in the league rebuilding a young core, with only three rostered players over the age of 30. Despite their youth, the Spurs improved their win total from last year by 12 wins, finishing with a 34-48 record.

With a talented draft class entering the 2025 NBA Draft, San Antonio is hoping the lottery falls into their favor to potentially draft another Rookie of the Year candidate.

The post Stephon Castle wins Rookie of the Year Award appeared first on SLAM.

According to the NBA, the Hustle Player of the Year Award is given to a player who makes effort plays that aren’t represented on stat sheets, but often positively impact outcomes of games—a microcosm of Green’s entire career with the Warriors.

Green is the ninth recipient of the award, joining Alex Caruso, Marcus Smart, Thaddeus Young, Montrezl Harrell, Amir Johnson and Patrick Beverley as the only players to win the award since its inception during the 2016-17 season.

According to the NBA, deflections, loose balls recovered, drawing charges, setting screens, boxing-out and contesting opposing shots all quantify under “hustle stats,” which are tracked and compared to determine the winner of the award.

This season, Green ranked within the top-40 of all hustle statistic categories, earning him the win. Green ranked sixth in charges drawn, second in contested-three-point shots and 10th in defensive box outs.

This comes as no surprise for Green, who has always been known as the emotional leader and key defender for the Warriors dynasty. Green’s versatility on defense has allowed him to guard all five positions, and provide a tenacity and motor that doesn’t stop until the final buzzer sounds.

In his 13th season with Golden State, Green has continued to remain a factor in the lineup, starting 66 games and averaging 29.2 minutes per game. He averaged nine points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game, 5.6 assists per game, 1.5 steals per game and a block per game.

Currently, the Dubs have battled in a tightly contested opening round series against the upstart Houston Rockets. Both Games 1 and 2 have been low-scoring slugfest games, with Green already making his presence known, leading the Dubs in total rebounds, while averaging three steals and a block over the course of the two games so far.

For the Dubs to pull off the first-round upset, Green will have to continue making hustle plays to extend possessions and lock up Rockets star center Alperen Sengun.

The post Draymond Green Named Hustle Player of the Year appeared first on SLAM.

But for this season, that phrase became the standard for forward Evan Mobley, who took home the franchise’s first-ever Defensive Player of the Year Award in a tightly contested race.

In the closest award-race so far, Mobley garnered 35 out of 100 first-place votes. However, he also earned 30 second-place and 20 third-place votes. Mobley finished with 285 points, 88 ahead of Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, who had a breakout season.

Daniels finished with 25 first-place votes, 17 second-place and 21 third-place votes while Draymond Green finished with 15 first-place votes, 20 second-place and 19 third-place votes.

Mobley, already a well-respected defender across the league, had a breakout 2024-25 season. The USC product made his first All-Star team and averaged 18.5 points per game, 9.3 rebounds per game and 1.6 blocks per game.

According to the NBA, opponents shot only 44.5% from the field when Mobley was the primary defender, in addition to his 10.4 contested shots per game, the third-highest of qualified players.

Mobley’s frame and athleticism have allowed him to guard nearly every position on the court and captain the Eastern Conference’s top dogs alongside Jarrett Allen.

However, Mobley’s impact defensively goes far beyond the stat sheet. With a new coaching staff led by head coach Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland ranked eight in defensive rating and opposing field goal percentage. According to the NBA, with Mobley on the court, Cleveland’s defensive rating skyrocketed to the second-highest in the League.

Currently, the Cavaliers are out to prove that they belong as the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and are matched up against the Miami Heat in the first round.

Although Cleveland runs a help defensive scheme, Mobley has guarded Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jovic throughout the series, where he has held both scorers to under 50% shooting from the field so far.

With the Cavs poised for a deep postseason run, expect Mobley to man the paint and lock up the top option in each playoff game to come.

The post Evan Mobley Wins Defensive Player of the Year Award appeared first on SLAM.

The award embodies a player who delivered when the lights shined the brightest and came through late in close games. Brunson joins De’Aaron Fox and Stephen Curry as the three winners of the award since its inception during the 2022-23 season.

Brunson won the award in a landslide victory, garnering 70 out of 100 first-place votes. He finished with 426 total points, 114 points ahead of Denver Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokic, who finished with 312 points.

Jokic, Anthony Edwards, Curry and LeBron James were the only other players to receive first-place votes.

Despite the new additions of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, Brunson has remained the Knicks’ closer.

The star guard made his second-consecutive All-Star team and averaged 26 points per game this season. He improved his efficiency from last year, getting buckets at a 48.8% clip from the field while draining 38.3% of his shots from beyond the arc.

That high efficiency continued even when the lights were bright. According to the NBA, Brunson averaged a League-high 5.6 points per game in clutch situations—possessions within the final five minutes of a game when the score is within five points. He also drained 52 clutch field goals and shot over 51.5% from the field within the final minutes of games.

As the Knicks battle against a gritty Detroit Pistons squad in the opening round of the playoffs, Brunson’s clutch gene has delivered in both Games 1 and 3. In Game 1, Brunson helped cap off a 21-0 run by hitting a go-ahead hook shot and making two layups to help the Knicks pull away for a 123-112 victory. In Game 3, Brunson shot 4-6 in the fourth quarter, including sinking four free throws that iced the game in the final seconds of a 118-116 game.

Since the Pistons keep games close, look for the Knicks to rely on their closer and Clutch Player of the Year winner to close out games and advance to the second round of the playoffs.

The post Jalen Brunson Named Clutch Player of the Year appeared first on SLAM.

Pritchard won the award in a landslide victory, receiving 82 out of 100 first-place votes. Pritchard finished with 454 total points, 175 points ahead of Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley, who finished second with 279 points.

Beasley, Ty Jerome, De’Andre Hunter and Naz Reid were the only other players to receive first-place votes.

The Oregon product’s fifth season with the Celtics has been the best of his career. Pritchard appeared in 80 games, mainly coming off the bench to provide instant offense.

Despite coming off the bench, Pritchard still logs 28.4 minutes per game and has seen his shot volume and efficiency increase. He has been shooting close to 11 shots per game, knocking down those attempts at a 47.2% clip, the highest field goal percentage of his career, and has also been lights out from deep, shooting 40.7% from beyond the arc. With his increased shot volume and role within Joe Mazzulla’s offense, Pritchard averaged 14.3 points per game, the highest of his career and a near-five-point increase from last season.

Earlier this season, in an interview with SLAM, Pritchard talked about his mindset and mentality in terms of his game. He said his mindset was: “Don’t think, just shoot.” For Pritchard, that means for any shot, from half-court buzzer beaters to pull-up triples. It doesn’t matter the difficulty, the man gets his buckets no matter the circumstances.

Especially on March 5 in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers. In a dogfight with the Cavaliers for the top seed in the East, a short-handed Celtics team squared off against the Portland Trail Blazers. Without Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis, Pritchard played nearly 43 minutes off the bench and dropped a career-high 43 points on a 14-20 shooting night. That also included draining 10 triples and posting a double-double, crashing the glass hard for 10 boards.

Nights like these aren’t uncommon for Pritchard, and with the Celtics determined to go back-to-back, expect the Sixth Man of the Year to continue turning in scoring outbursts off the bench when it matters most.

The post Payton Pritchard Wins Sixth Man of the Year Award appeared first on SLAM.

After every win—68 in the regular season to be exact—the Thunder would surround the postgame interview and bark repeatedly into the mic, a tradition started by Jalen Williams last season.

Since then, it’s become Oklahoma City’s identity, reflecting a gritty team that finds a way on both ends of the court to get the job done.

And on Thursday night, they lived up to that mentality.

Down by as many as 29 on the road, the Thunder pulled off the second-largest comeback in postseason history to defeat the Memphis Grizzlies 114-108 and take a commanding 3-0 lead in the first round of the playoffs.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder with 31 points, while Williams and Holmgren dropped 26 and 24 points respectively. Alex Caruso and Isaiah Joe both contributed 10 points off the bench.

Scotty Pippen Jr. led the Grizzlies with 28 points, while Jaren Jackson Jr. added 22 points. Ja Morant scored 15 points before exiting with a hip injury towards the end of the first half. He did not return for the remainder of the game.

Two days removed after being routed by 19 points, Memphis came out the gates hot on their own home court.

Two Zach Edey free throws within the first minute of the opening quarter gave Memphis an early lead they wouldn’t relinquish until the final frame.

They continued to build off that momentum, quickly gaining a double-digit lead in the first quarter after putting on a sharpshooting clinic from beyond the arc. Pippen, Jackson, Santi Aldama and John Konchar combined to drain eight triples in the first quarter to give Memphis a 40-29 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Memphis continued to pile it on. Midway through the period, the Grizzlies rattled off a 16-0 run to gain a 65-37 advantage.

However, immediately after the run, Morant suffered a game-ending injury after a hard foul.

After Pippen intercepted a Williams pass, the Grizzlies opened up a two-on-one fast-break opportunity. Pippen sensed Luguentz Dort behind him and quickly dished a behind-the-back pass to a trailing Morant.

Dort lost his footing as Morant skied for a dunk, sending him to the deck hard. He fought through the pain to shoot two free throws before exiting into the tunnel. Morant was reportedly seen on crutches during the fourth quarter of the game, as reported by ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, and his status for Game 4 is unknown.

After Morant’s injury, Memphis closed out the quarter holding a 26-point lead after Luke Kennard splashed a triple at the buzzer.

In the third period, Oklahoma City found their footing. Led by Holmgren, the Thunder outscored the Grizzlies 36-18 in the period.

Holmgren scored 16 points in the third quarter from all three levels, splashing four threes and getting buckets in the paint.

The Thunder’s defense stepped up, holding the Grizzlies to only five-made field goals in the period. With the run, the Thunder entered the final frame facing an eight-point deficit.

For the fourth quarter, OKC opened up on an 12-4 run to tie the game at 99, the first tie since the score was 4-4 three minutes into the first quarter. As both teams traded buckets, the Thunder finally captured their first lead of the game with just over a minute to play on a Williams free throw.

After Desmond Bane missed a go-ahead triple, Holmgren sank two free throws to give the Thunder a three-point lead.

On the ensuing possession, Caruso stole the ball from Pippen, leading to two free throws for Dort. With the chance to ice the game, Dort missed both attempts from the line, keeping the Thunder’s lead within one possession.

With the chance to tie the game, the Grizzlies found Konchar wide open in the left corner for a triple, but saw his attempt come up short.

In a heads-up play, Caruso streaked down the court away from defenders and calmly laid in a fast-break layup to ice the game for the Thunder with less than 20 seconds on the clock.

Memphis’ inefficient second-half offense doomed them, as they combined for only 31 points in the final two quarters of play. In addition, they failed to score any points over the final five minutes of the game, with missed looks and turnovers.

OKC’s comeback was the second-largest in postseason history, only behind the LA Clippers’ 31-point comeback against the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 Playoffs.

The Thunder will now to look to complete the opening sweep on Saturday afternoon.

The post Thunder Complete Historic Comeback to Take 3-0 Lead Against Memphis Grizzlies appeared first on SLAM.

Indiana does not Fear the Deer. Giannis put the team on his back with 36 points—but it wasn’t enough. Indiana dropped 28 dimes and could not miss, routing the Bucks. Ever since last year, the Pacers have been Milwaukee’s kryptonite.

Russell Westbrook got the last laugh against his former teammate in James Harden. He splashed a go-ahead corner three in fourth quarter crunch time and clamped up an inbound pass for The Beard in OT. For the postseason alone, Denver struck gold signing Brodie in the offseason.

The Knicks survived a Game 1 scare against Cade and ’em. With Malik Beasley and Tobias Harris cashing in threes, New York was down in the fourth quarter—until they pulled off a 21-0 run to blow the roof off MSG and secure the Game 1 dub. New Yorkers will be partying in the streets tonight.

The Ant-Man and Jaden McDaniels got KD last year. Now, they may get LeBron and Luka. The crypto.com arena looked like a three-point shooting contest, as Minnesota hit 21 triples—all while talking trash the entire time. The Ant-Man truly is the next poster child of our league.

The Thunder proved why they are the top dogs in the League. Oklahoma City steamrolled Memphis by 51 without a signature postseason performance from Shai. They’re the deepest team in the League and most dangerous team in the League. The biggest takeaway: J-Dub is a BAD man.

Paolo Banchero is made for the bright lights—dropping 36 on the defending champs. However, Boston plays best with a target on their back, shooting the lights out of the TD Garden. Derrick White and Payton Pritchard cashed 11 threes en route to a Celtic victory.

Cleveland proved they belonged in the top seed of the East. Ty Jerome came off the bench and silenced Heat Culture, dropping 28 points. Miami—always dangerous as an underdog—could only muster a two-point lead. In The Land, Kenny Atkinson has the Cavs hooping.

Don’t let the seventh seed fool you: Playoff Jimmy and Chef Curry are a dangerous duo. The Dubs flew out to H-Town and silenced the postseason takeoff for the Rockets. Curry and Butler combined for 56 points.

Now that Game 1’s are done with, who you got in each series?

The post THE WARM UP: Nuggets Strike Gold in OT, Dubs Silence H-Town in Game 1 Action appeared first on SLAM.

Some squads are back in the postseason for the first time in a minute, while others are making their return with a ton of momentum. The matchups are set, the storylines are still being written and the vibes? Immaculate.

The first round is just getting started. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of tonight and Sunday:

Eastern Conference:

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kenny Atkinson has his Cavaliers hoopin’ in his first season in The Land. The Cavs snagged the top-seed in the East after posting a 64-18 record, the second-best in franchise history. Atkinson’s Cavaliers boast a fast-paced, pass-heavy offense that allows for Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell to shoot more, while allowing Evan Mobley to give interior defenders nightmares in the post. The Cavs are out to prove this historic season is legit. Better believe it.

“Until we have this parade in Cleveland, [and I’m] on the floats and [have] a ring on my finger. We haven’t done anything.” – DG

READ CAVS COVER STORY

Boston Celtics: The defending champs are looking to run it back. The Celtics cruised to a 61-21 record and will now have Kristaps Porzingis for their entire playoff run, too. Joe Mazzulla’s Celtics play with a high-pace across the roster and take a high volume of shots behind the arc. Boston is looking to make their way back into the Finals and bring a parade back to the city, Duck boats and all.

New York Knicks: The Knicks are back in the postseason, but with a few new faces in the lineup. Tom Thibodeau’s squad plays a fast-paced shooting offense, but has struggled to emulate their trademark defense from the past few seasons. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges have boosted New York’s starting five, ready to fire from deep at any point. In front of the most passionate fans in the league, the Knicks will look to advance past the second round, where they were eliminated the past two seasons by the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers.

 I love our grit—that New York grit. 

READ KAT COVER STORY

Indiana Pacers: The Pacers return most of last year’s squad that made the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Running a fast-paced, pass-heavy offense led by Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana gets buckets any way they choose to. Indiana outscores opponents at a rapid rate to get the job done. Expect a high-scoring series against the Milwaukee Bucks, with Indiana fighting to get over the hump and break through for their first Finals appearance since 2000.

Milwaukee Bucks: Behind midseason moves, including a parting with franchise legend Khris Middleton, the Bucks are back in the playoffs. With an offensive revolving around the freight train named Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have thrived while playing mostly iso-ball. The Bucks are looking to get Damian Lillard back for the playoffs, providing a playmaking and sharpshooting threat. Milwaukee will look to avenge their first-round exit from last season playing against a familiar foe in the Indiana Pacers.

Detroit Pistons: Detroit is back in the postseason. The Pistons turned a 30-win turnaround into a playoff berth led by cover star Cade Cunningham. They play scrappy defense behind Ausar Thompson and Isaiah Stewart, while grinding points through Cunningham and sharpshooter Malik Beasley. They will try to advance past the first round for the first time since ’08.

 “That was one of the main things that I wanted to do coming to Detroit: start us getting back to winning.”  – Cade

READ CADE COVER STORY

Orlando Magic: Orlando cruised their way through the Play-In Tournament to snag the seventh seed to square off against the defending champions. Marred by injuries throughout the year, Orlando plays a fast-paced offense that loves to shoot the long ball with Cole Anthony and Franz Wagner, while flying high in the paint with Paolo Banchero. Orlando will look to avenge last season’s first-round exit and advance for the first time since 2010.

Miami Heat: Heat Culture is the real deal. With constant lineup changes and midseason moves, Erik Spoelstra has the Heat back into the postseason. With scrappy defense and hustle, Miami grinds their way to victories through the long ball and winning on the glass with Bam Adebayo and Haywood Highsmith. Tyler Herro had the best season of his career as the team’s first option, and will look to shoot Miami into an upset over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Western Conference

Oklahoma City Thunder: The Thunder proved last season was no fluke, posting a league-best 68-14 record. The Thunder have sharpshooters across the board, lockdown defenders and SGA: one of the flyest frontrunners in the MVP discussion. OKC looks like the most complete two-way team in the mix. With postseason experience under their belt, OKC is looking to prove that the postseason lights are not too bright, and potentially take home the franchise’s first title since 1979.

I think [now] I just understand the bigger picture in winning at this level, for sure. I’ve gotten a little wiser in that aspect. – Shai

READ

Houston Rockets: The Rockets surprised everyone this season, winning 52 games and clinching the No. 2 seed. Led by an electric bench and energetic core of Jalen Green and Amen Thompson and versatile big man Alperen Sengun, the Rockets boast one of the deepest rotations in the League. Houston is looking to prove that they are the real deal in the team’s first postseason appearance since 2020.

I just gotta put my little sauce on it and my finesse on it and, sh-t, they do the rest. – FVV

READ ROCKETS COVER STORY

Los Angeles Lakers: Two words: Luka and LeBron. The Lakers have thrived off the two-man game of LeBron and Luka, with bench and crowd vibes at an all-time high. JJ Redick’s offense allows for Luka to cook defenders in man-to-man coverage, while drawing up motion that frees up shooters. The Lakers made it clear they’re in “win-now” mode, and will look to raise Doncic’s first Larry O’Brien trophy.

SHOP LAKERS COLLECTION

Denver Nuggets: Despite being the No. 4 seed in the West, there’s always a chance with a three-time MVP on the roster. Nikola Jokic put together another historic season after averaging a triple-double. He leads Denver’s fast-paced offensive attack. Boasting a strong bench, the Nuggets will look to make it back to the Finals and win their second Championship in two seasons.

LA Clippers: The opposite of the Pacers, the Clippers enter the playoffs as a matchup nightmare. A team with lockdown defenders scattered across the starting five and bench, LA wears opponents down to grind out victories. With electric energy from the bench and “The Wall” of fans, the Clippers will look to make noise in the postseason and make a run with a fully-healthy Kawhi Leonard and roster.

Minnesota Timberwolves: The Timberwolves are back, and have found their stride at the right time. The team plays with two-way excellence, and boasts one of the most dynamic scorers in the league in Anthony Edwards. The Ant-Man has sparked the team’s energy, displaying the highest-level of confidence in the league, which has reflected across the lineup. Minnesota added sharpshooters to their starting five, and will look to advance to their first Finals in franchise history after falling in the Western Conference Finals last season.

Golden State Warriors: Golden State may be a seven seed, but never count out Playoff Jimmy and Steph Curry. The Warriors have continued their three-point barrage against opponents, with Curry playing at a near-MVP level. Butler’s addition has brought the team’s energy up, and the Warriors appear to have found their stride at the right time. They will try and make a postseason run, first by upsetting the upstart Houston Rockets.

Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies mowed down the Mavericks in the Play-In Tournament last night to clinch the final seed in the West. Memphis has been at the center of media frenzy, which has shifted attention away from their balanced squad. Ja Morant leads a team that can score at any level—beyond the arc and in the paint—while also boasting elite interior defenders. The Grizzlies donned throwback uniforms that electrified the crowd last night, and with vibes at a high point, Memphis will look to pull off a shock upset over the top dogs in the League.

The post NBA Playoff Preview: What to Know Ahead of the First Round appeared first on SLAM.

After Trae Young missed a triple trying to draw a foul, Cole Anthony pushed the ball down the court and found the sophomore guard in the corner, who laced his three to give the Magic a 104-85 lead.

During the ensuing possession, Young got to his spot on the left wing and blew past Black. He glided into the paint for a scoop layup before Black recovered and blocked Young’s shot off the backboard to save two points.

Paolo Banchero sped down the court in transition and despite being outnumbered on the fast break, found Anthony wide-open for a dagger three.

Instant offense created from great defense—a trend throughout the game.

In a game where the Magic displayed two-way brilliance, Orlando clinched the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference after routing the Hawks 120-95 in the first game of the Play-In Tournament.

Anthony led the Magic with 26 points off the bench, while Wendell Carter added 19. Franz Wagner posted a double-double, dropping 13 points and grabbing 13 rebounds, and Banchero finished with 17 points and nine boards.

Young led the Hawks with a game-high 28 points, while George Niang contributed 15 points off the bench. Dyson Daniels finished with seven points and 12 rebounds and Mouhamed Gueye added 12 points on a perfect 5-5 from the field.

The Magic dominated on their home court, closing out the first quarter with a 15-point advantage.

The Hawks grabbed an early 8-4 lead after Gueye put back a Daniels miss three minutes into the opening frame. The four-point advantage would be Atlanta’s largest lead of the game.

After both teams traded buckets, Orlando broke through with an Black layup off of a Banchero miss to give the Magic a 17-15 lead they would never look back on.

Black’s make kicked off a 17-2 run over the final five minutes of the first quarter, giving the Magic a 32-17 lead after one.

Orlando continued to run away in the second quarter. Despite Atlanta scoring 30 points in the frame, the Magic scored 29 and retained a double-digit lead entering halftime. Throughout the period, the Hawks were unable to cut the deficit to single digits.

In the third quarter, Atlanta came out the gates hot. A Caris LeVert layup with three minutes to play in the quarter capped off a 13-3 run that saw Atlanta pull within three points.

However, three points was the closest the Hawks got to erasing the deficit.

Anthony made a jumper and a tough layup between three Hawk defenders and Jonathan Isaac threw down a putback slam off a Wagner miss to give the Magic a six-point cushion heading into the final period.

Orlando quickly pulled ahead by double-digits off two Anthony triples and ran away with the game, outscoring Atlanta 41-22 in the final frame to secure the seventh seed.

The Hawks struggled offensively, shooting 38.1% from the field and only made four triples at a 19% clip.

Orlando shot nearly 50% from the field, making 48.4% of their shots and 11 triples at a 28.2% clip. The Magic also recorded nine blocks and six steals.

Orlando will now play the defending champion Boston Celtics in the first round.

Atlanta will face off against the winner of the 9th-10th place matchup between the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.

The post Orlando Magic clinch No. 7 seed following 120-95 rout in the Play-In Tournament appeared first on SLAM.

With the Gator logo draped on a championship banner between the team, head coach Todd Golden, his players and the crowd began doing their signature Gator Chomp celebration as they hoisted the trophy.

From that point on, a message was sent to the entire nation.

Florida basketball is back.

Down by as many as 12 points in the second half, Florida rallied to defeat the Houston Cougars 65-63, winning the program’s third NCAA Championship and first since 2007.

Will Richard led the Gators with 18 points and eight rebounds. Alex Condon followed suit with 12 points and Walter Clayton Jr. capped off his legendary tournament run with 11 points and seven assists.

L.J. Cryer led Houston with 19 points and four triples. No other Cougar finished with double-digit scoring numbers. Mylik Wilson added nine points off the bench and J’Wan Roberts finished his collegiate career with eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Both teams battled in the opening frame, causing three lead changes and five ties.

The Cougars threatened to pull away late in the first half after Wilson made a triple to give Houston a 29-21 lead with five minutes to play in the opening half.

However, Florida responded by closing out the final minutes on a 7-2 run led by a Condon steal and layup and two triples from Richard.

Florida’s run cut their deficit to three, leaving Houston up 31-28 lead into the half. Clayton struggled in the first half, closing out the opening frame with zero points after missing four attempts from beyond the arc.

In the second half, Houston’s came out of the half hot. Cryer hit a triple on the opening possession of the half, starting off an 11-2 Houston run that gave the Cougars a 42-30 lead. Houston’s defense suffocated Florida over this run, forcing three Gator turnovers that resulted in eight Cougar points.

However, Florida began to chip away. Clayton stole the ball from Milos Uzan and drew a foul, scoring his first points of the game from the free throw line. The Gators played tough defense, drawing fouls and contesting jumpers, even when Roberts snagged offensive rebounds to extend possessions.

On the offensive end, Florida scored eight consecutive points from a Denzel Aberdeen layup, Alijah Martin triple and a Thomas Haugh and-one. After their 8-0 run, the Gators cut the double-digit deficit to three points.

Houston maintained their slim lead over the next five minutes. The Gators continued to score, but could not break through to capture the lead. Finally, they forced a tie with just over three minutes to play.

Clayton, who had an off-shooting night while being guarded by Emanuel Sharp, showed up when his team needed him the most. With crunch-time approaching, Clayton curled around a screen and pulled up from the right wing, burying a triple to tie the game at 60 apiece.

Cryer quickly responded with a follow-up tip after a missed layup, but Richard drew a foul and calmly sank two free throws to keep Florida equal. After Joseph Tugler split a pair of free throws, Florida’s defense stepped up.

Up one, Cryer drove in hard to the paint, but had his shot rejected from Haugh. Condon pushed the ball down the court, where Alijah Martin eventually drew a foul on Tugler on a fast-break layup attempt.

Martin sank both of his free throws to give the Gators a 64-63 lead.

On Houston’s ensuing possession, Sharp held the ball at the top of the wing. He used a Roberts screen to drive hard right, but was stripped by Richard as he approached the paint. The ball ricocheted off Sharp’s hands, forcing another Houston turnover.

After the Cougars intentionally fouled Aberdeen, he split his free throws, leaving Houston a chance to tie with a two, or a chance to win with a triple.

On their final possession, Houston began to bleed the clock. As seconds clicked off the clock, Sharp darted out to the top of the key and received the pass from Cryer. He pulled up from deep, but Clayton contested hard, forcing Sharp to spike the ball at the ground. Sharp, unable to touch the ball due to a travel, tried to box out players for a teammate to receive the ball. Condon hustled and dove for the ball, securing possession and effectively bleeding out the final seconds on the clock.

Houston was unable to put a shot on the rim for their final three possessions of the game.

As Kelvin Sampson blankly looked onward, the Gator bench cleared to begin the celebration, with Clayton jumping into the arms of Micah Handlogten. Clayton would be named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, and rightfully so.

Both teams were inefficient on the offensive end—a product of their elite defenses. Florida shot 39.6% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc, slight increases from Houston’s 34.8% from the field and 24% from beyond the arc.

Florida’s ability to get to the free throw line proved to be one of the difference-makers in the game, as the 19 Cougar fouls turned into 17 Gator points off free throws.

With the win, Florida earned their third NCAA Championship in program history, with Golden becoming the youngest coach to win a title since Jim Valvano in 1983.

In a full circle moment, the team Valvano beat to win that iconic 1983 title—the Houston Cougars.

But for now, Florida will enjoy their one shining moment and look to try to go back-to-back next year, just like they did in 2006 and 2007.

The post Florida Rallies to Win Third National Title appeared first on SLAM.

The shock move, confirmed by ESPN’s Shams Charania, comes after the Nuggets squandered a 13-point lead in front of their home fans in a 125-120 loss to the Indiana Pacers. Denver lost the game despite Nikola Jokic posting another triple-double, ending with a statline of 41 points, 15 boards and 13 assists.

“While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship-level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now,” Josh Kroenke, Vice Chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, the holding company that owns the Nuggets, said in a press release.

Denver currently sits in a four-way tie for fourth place in the Western Conference, holding tiebreakers over the Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies. The team is 47-32, but has seen poor form recently, going 3-7 in their last 10 games and are currently riding a four-game losing streak. However, one game separates these teams from a first-round bye or a berth to the Play-In Tournament.

Similarly to Taylor Jenkins, who was relieved of his duties by the Memphis Grizzlies, Malone’s Nuggets have taken a step back defensively. The team still finds offensive production from Jokic, but has plummeted to the 25th ranked scoring defense in the league after ranking sixth last season. The team has allowed 117.1 opposing points per game after only allowing 109.6 last season.

In Malone’s 10 seasons in the Mile High City, he posted a 471-327 record and headlined the most successful decade in franchise history, winning Denver’s first NBA Finals in the 2022-23 season. He led the Nuggets to six consecutive playoff appearances and has a career postseason record of 44-36.

For now, assistant coach David Adelman will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

The post BREAKING: Denver Nuggets Part Ways With Head Coach Michael Malone, GM Calvin Booth appeared first on SLAM.

Whether it be drills of fighting for offensive rebounds or players diving for loose balls, Kelvin Sampson’s squad has mastered the fundamentals and little details.

So when the Cougars were down nine with just over two minutes to play, they seemed unfazed and continued chipping away at the seemingly insurmountable 64-55 Duke lead.

It started with Emanuel Sharp gathering a full head of steam and blowing past SLAM cover star Cooper Flagg for an easy layup, cutting the deficit to seven. Then after a Joseph Tugler steal, Sharp drew a foul in the paint from Maliq Brown before calmly sinking both shots from the line.

After Flagg and Sharp responded with two free throws each, Tugler reached in at the ball on the ensuing inbound, resulting in a technical free throw for Duke. Kon Knueppel stepped up to the line and calmly sank the technical free throw with over a minute to play. Knueppel’s free throw would be the last points Duke would score for the remainder of the game.

As Duke ran clock, Knueppel drove in the paint for a layup, but was met by Tugler, who launched the ball off the backboard.

Houston hurried down the floor and found Sharp, who pulled up from deep to cut the lead to three.

The Cougars then switched to a full-court man-to-man press on the inbound. Sion James tried to find Flagg, but his errant pass was tipped and stolen by Mylik Wilson. Wilson retreated to the three-point line but missed long, leading to a Tugler putback dunk that sent the Cougar bench into a frenzy. Tugler’s dunk cut the deficit to a single point.

When Houston intentionally fouled Tyrese Proctor for a one-and-one, Proctor’s first free-throw hit back iron, leading to a controversial over-the-back call on Flagg, who fought with J’Wan Roberts for the rebound.

With Houston in the bonus, Roberts calmly sank both of his free throws to give the Cougars a 68-67 lead.

Roberts then got it done on the defensive end, putting a tough contest on Flagg’s go-ahead turnaround jumper with seconds remaining on the clock.

After two free throws made the contest a three-point game, Duke’s last gasp effort sailed over the basketball to seal their fate.

With Houston’s last effort comeback, the Cougars made their first National Championship game since 1984.

L.J. Cryer led the Cougars with 26 points, while Sharp finished with 16 points. Roberts posted a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 12 boards.

Flagg led the Blue Devils with 27 points and seven rebounds, while Knueppel finished with 16 points. No other Duke player finished the game in double-digit scoring.

Duke controlled the majority of the game, capturing the lead at the 14-minute mark in the first half after Flagg made a triple to give Duke an 8-6 lead. The Blue Devils built on that lead throughout the half and entered halftime with a six-point advantage.

Duke continued to pile on points but was unable to pull away from the Cougars. After a Proctor free throw gave Duke a 14-point lead with eight minutes to play, Cryer responded with a triple, free throw and a jumper to cut the lead to single digits.

Houston added two more layups from Roberts and Tugler to bring the deficit to four points. However, Proctor responded with two free throws and Flagg drilled a triple from the right wing to give Duke a 64-55 lead with three minutes to play.

Houston then embarked on their 15-3 run to close out the game and complete the comeback victory.

Duke’s inexperience in close games and dealing with the Cougars’ full-court pressure proved costly, as missed opportunities and turnovers led to the Blue Devils scoring only three points in the final three minutes of the game.

Houston shot efficiently from beyond the arc, draining 10 triples at a 45.5% clip, while Duke only made seven. However, the Blue Devils were more efficient from the field, shooting 39.6% compared to Houston’s 37.7%.

With the win, Houston will play the Florida Gators for a chance to win the program’s first National Championship in history, having previously lost back-to-back title games in 1983 and 1984.

The post Houston Completes Last-Second Comeback to Clinch Championship Game Berth appeared first on SLAM.

“He’s on a Kemba Walker type run. I mean, that’s it,” Greenberg said on Get Up!

Walker immortalized his collegiate career with an elite postseason run in 2011. After UConn finished ninth in the Big East, the Huskies rattled off five wins in five days to win the Big East Tournament, including when Walker hit his iconic ankle-breaking buzzer beater against Pittsburgh in the quarterfinal game.

In the NCAA Tournament, Walker continued his scoring tear, opening the tournament with a 18-point, 12-assist double-double in a rout against Bucknell. He then followed it up with back-to-back 30-point performances against Cincinnati and San Diego State before dropping 20 against Arizona to advance to the Final Four.

Then against a Kentucky team boasting six NBA players, Walker scored 18 points before grinding past Butler in the National Championship game.

But after Saturday afternoon, Walter Clayton Jr.’s run may be in a league of his own.

Having previously carried Florida to victories against UConn and Texas Tech, Clayton saved his best for the Final Four.

Clayton dropped 34 points to defeat the Auburn Tigers 79-73, bringing the Gators to their first National Championship game since 2007.

Alijah Martin finished with 17 points while Thomas Haugh added 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

Chad Baker-Mazara led the Tigers with 18 points and four steals. Johni Broome added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Denver Jones finished with 10 points.

After a tightly-contested first-half that saw nine lead changes, the Tigers pulled away in the final minutes of the opening frame.

After Clayton made a layup with under four minutes to play in the half, Auburn closed out the half on a 13-9 run to take an eight-point advantage into the half.

SLAM cover star Tahaad Pettiford—who recently declared for the NBA Draft—made three free throws, while Broome added two post shots to pad the Auburn lead. A Miles Kelly triple gave Auburn a nine-point lead, its biggest advantage of the half.

Into the second half, Florida came out the gates hot. The Gators took the lead after going on a 13-3 run behind an and-one from Will Richard and two triples from Clayton and Martin.

After both teams traded blows and underwent seven lead changes,. Clayton took over in the final four minutes.

Up one, Clayton took a handoff from Haugh and buried a triple from the left wing to give Florida a four-point lead. He then split two defenders for an easy layup before spinning past Jones en route to a tough and-one.

With time running out, Clayton threw an inbound pass to Haugh, who threw up a hook shot after being fouled from behind by Broome. The ball caromed around on the rim before falling for a dagger and-one.

After Haugh missed the free throw, Baker-Mazara responded with a triple to cut the deficit to five with 32 seconds remaining. Florida converted on enough free throws to keep a two-possession lead and eventually closed the game out.

Fittingly, Clayton sunk the final two free throws to ice the game.

Timely shooting from beyond the arc was the difference-maker for the Gators, who shot 38.1% from beyond the arc and an efficient 47.2% from the floor. Auburn made seven triples, but at a lower 28% clip.

Clayton is almost a shoo-in for the Most Outstanding Player award. Clayton is averaging 24.6 points per game and is shooting 48.7% from beyond the arc for the tournament. He has put up back-to-back 30-point games and has scored in double-figures in all five rounds.

All he needs now is a ring to place his NCAA Tournament run in the same realm as Kemba Walker’s 2011 masterclass.

Clayton and Florida will now have the chance to do so after advancing to their first National Championship game since 2007 against the Houston Cougars.

The post Walter Clayton Jr.’s 34 points propels Florida into the title game appeared first on SLAM.

In the Dubs’ 134-125 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night, Curry posted a statline that had only been replicated once in the league’s history.

The two-time MVP splashed 12 triples, finishing with 52 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and five steals. Curry shot 60% from beyond the arc and was a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line.

The only ever player to post 50 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and five steals in a game was another Warrior—franchise legend Rick Barry in 1974.

Maybe it’s a Golden State thing.

Jimmy Butler added 27 points while Draymond Green finished with a 13-point, 12-assist and 10-rebound triple-double.

Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 36 points, while SLAM Cover star Jaren Jackson Jr. finished with 22 points. Rookie center Zach Edey posted a double-double, dropping 10 points and grabbing 16 boards.

Curry started off the game scorching hot, hitting five triples in the first quarter alone. He rested for most of the second quarter, but added two more to close out the half, with his second in the quarter coming from way downtown.

Golden State took a 74-66 lead into the third quarter, and the three-point barrage continued. The Warriors made 22 total triples on the night, but none were more surprising then when Kevon Looney faded to the corner with the shot clock winding down and nailed a three, sending the Warriors bench into a frenzy.

After Looney’s triple, the Grizzlies responded with a three from Santi Aldama and two Edey dunks end the third quarter deadlocked at 103.

In the fourth quarter, both teams battled, posting 10 lead changes in the final frame.

With Memphis clinging to a one-point lead with under three minutes to play, Green swung a pass to the corner, where Curry hit his 12th triple of the night. Golden State then closed out the final minutes of play on a 13-5 run to seal the deal.

Curry’s 12 three-pointers were tied for his second-highest mark in his career, one short of tying his performance in 2016 when he shot a ridiculously efficient 13-17 from beyond the arc in a victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

With the win, the Dubs jumped three teams in the Western Conference standings and now sit in fifth place, one spot clear of the Play-In Tournament.

Memphis, having fired coach Taylor Jenkins, have free-fallen into eighth place. The Grizzlies are 2-8 in their last 10 games.

The post Stephen Curry Cooks Up Signature Performance Against Memphis Grizzlies appeared first on SLAM.

In the Nuggets’ 140-139 double-overtime loss to the Timberwolves, the Joker made history by posting the third 60-point triple-double in league history. He joins elite company alongside Luka Doncic and James Harden, the first two players to achieve the illustrious feat.

Jokic finished with a statline of 61 points, 10 assists and 10 boards. He shot 62% from the field on an efficient 18-29 night, drained six triples and was money at the free throw, cashing in on 19 of his 24 attempts.

To top it off, Jokic dropped this statline while being guarded by Rudy Gobert, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

Another masterclass and vintage Jokic performance—that wasn’t enough to get the dub.

Denver, without Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. put up a fight against a fully-healthy Timberwolves team. Aaron Gordon dropped 30 points, while Christian Braun posted a double-double, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Russell Westbrook added 12 points, six rebounds and dished out seven assists off the bench.

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 34 points, while Julius Randle and Nickeil Alexander-Walker each finished with 26 points. Gobert and Edwards both logged double-doubles, finishing with 19 points and 12 rebounds and 34 points and 10 rebounds respectively.

Both teams battled for the first three quarters, with neither team establishing a double-digit lead at any point in the game. In the fourth quarter, a Jokic and-one gave Denver an 11-point lead with just over six minutes remaining.

However, the TWolves battled back. Edwards made a three and dished out two assists for a Gobert dunk and Randle triple to cut the lead to five. He then scored eight consecutive Minnesota points to gain a three-point lead. But after Edwards turned the ball over on an offensive foul, the Joker went back to work.

Down two, Jokic drew a foul and calmly sank two pressure free throws to send the game to overtime.

In the first extra period, Jokic played hero-ball again. Down two with 12 seconds to play, the Joker was matched up with Edwards. He bullied his way down low and calmly drained a floater to tie the game at 125 apiece.

In the second overtime period, the madness began. Jokic split a pair of free throws to give the Nuggets a 139-138 lead with 17 seconds left. Denver’s defense double-teamed Edwards, who threw the ball way, initiating a 2-on-1 fast-break. Braun dimed Westbrook, who missed the fast-break layup, sending Minnesota sprinting the other way.

In scramble mode, Edwards split a sea of Nuggets defenders and found Alexander-Walker wide-open on the wing. Westbrook closed out hard and fouled on the shot just as the buzzer sounded.

As chaos ensued, the referees reviewed the call and upheld the foul call, giving Alexander-Walker a chance to win the game with three free throws. He drilled the first two before intentionally missing the third to seal the game.

Edwards summed up what all NBA fans were thinking. “That might’ve been the best game of my life that I’ve ever been a part of,” he said after the win.

Jokic is now averaging 29.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists on the season. He is within the top three in averages per game for all three statistical categories. With six games left in the regular season, Jokic seems poised for finishing the regular season out averaging a triple-double and would become the third player ever to do so, joining an exclusive club with Westbrook and Oscar Robertson.

With the MVP race essentially becoming a two-man contest between Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jokic’s performance has certainly made a statement for bringing the Serbian big man his fourth MVP trophy in his illustrious 10-year career.

The post Nikola Jokic Makes History in Double-OT Loss to Timberwolves appeared first on SLAM.

The Gonzaga product dominated in March Madness, giving opponents nightmares with excellent footwork and post moves en route to becoming Gonzaga’s all-time leading-scorer in the NCAA Tournament.

With his signature mustache and celebration, Timme finished his collegiate career as a three-time All-American and averaged 17.2 points per game.

After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft, Timme dominated the G-League, averaging nearly 24 points per game for the Long Island Nets. Most recently, the Gonzaga product posted a 50-point masterclass against the Motor City Cruise on March 22 on a ridiculously efficient 21-26 shooting night. Timme even showed off his range, draining three of his five attempts from beyond the arc.

For scouts and the Brooklyn Nets, Timme’s dominance was not unnoticed. Facing injuries, the Nets signed the forward to a multi-year contract on March 28.

He picked up right where he left off.

In his NBA debut, Timme posted a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 10 boards in Brooklyn’s 132-100 loss on Friday night.

Then, in his second career game, the Nets went to their rookie in crunch time. Down one with seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Timme caught the ball at the top of the key. He handed the ball off to a curling Tyrese Martin and cut towards the basket.

Martin drove hard and threw a perfect pass to the cutting Timme, who laid the ball in just before Wizards center JT Thor pinged the attempt off the backboard.

However, Thor was a second late. The referees signaled defensive goaltending, counting the basket and giving Timme his first career game-winning shot.

Timme’s game-winner gave the Nets a 115-112 win, giving Brooklyn their 24th win of the season. He finished with 19 points and six rebounds off the bench on an efficient 9-14 from the field.

In his third game against the Dallas Mavericks, Timme battled against the Mavericks’ defensive frontcourt of Anthony Davis and Daniel Gafford. Despite the tough interior defense, Timme drained a three and scored six points in the final frame to help lift the Nets to a 113-109 comeback victory.

In his first three games in the league, Timme has epitomized instant offense off the bench, with his 30 combined points across his first two NBA games tying a Nets record with Derrick Coleman, the team’s No. 1 overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft.

With his signature celebration, post moves and ability to shoot the long ball, Timme has found himself a home in Brooklyn, and will likely play alongside Nic Claxton under the Barclays lights in the foreseeable future.

The post Drew Timme’s March Heroics Continue for the Nets appeared first on SLAM.

Here’s how every top-seed secured their spot in San Antonio for a chance to play in the National Championship.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 1 Florida defeated No. 3 Texas Tech

Just a week ago, Walter Clayton Jr. shot Florida into the Sweet 16 after helping the Gators defeat the two-time defending National Champion UConn Huskies.

Clayton drilled a three-pointer over Alex Karaban with under three minutes to play in the second half to give Florida a 62-61 lead. The Iona transfer then faked a drive and shot a fadeaway triple over Hassan Diarra to bury a dagger that extended Florida’ lead to six. The Gators won 77-75.

On Saturday, Clayton found March Magic again.

With the Gators down 10 with just over five minutes remaining in the second half, Clayton drilled a three from the corner after a shooter’s bounce cut the lead to seven. He then drove hard right past Christian Anderson to muscle in a layup and dished out back-to-back assists to Thomas Haugh for two threes.

On the ensuing possession, Clayton wrapped around a screen and matched up with Darrion Williams. He put the moves on the forward, snatching back and creating space en route to burying a game-tying triple from the left wing.

He saved his best for last. Clayton caught a pass inside the paint and immediately dribbled out to the three-point line. Texas Tech was slow to pick up on the most dangerous shooter on the floor. As two defenders rotated over, it was too late. Clayton pulled up and cashed in a shot over two defenders that gave Florida a 78-77 lead they never looked back on.

Clayton finished the game with 30 points to help lead the Gators to an 84-79 victory over Texas Tech to secure their first Final Four bid since 2014. Haugh added 20 points off the bench with four threes and Alijah Martin scored 10 points.

Williams led the Red Raiders with 23 points while JT Toppin posted a double-double, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Chance McMillian, who hadn’t played in a game since the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal, posted 14 points in his return to action.

Both teams battled early, with Florida taking a 40-37 advantage into the half after a back-and-forth frame that saw four lead changes.

In the second half, Texas Tech hung close with the Gators before building their 10-point lead with just over five minutes to play. Behind Clayton and Haugh, the Gators rattled off a 17-6 run to take the lead on Clayton’s triple. Once Texas Tech began intentionally fouling, Clayton, Martin and Will Richard calmly sank their free throws to keep the game out of reach.

The Red Raiders went cold over this period, failing to convert on two one-and-one opportunities and missing three shots from beyond the arc.

Fouls burned Texas Tech, as 18 personal fouls turned into 27 free throw attempts for the Gators, in which they converted 25. The Red Raiders struggled from the line, shooting 53.8% on 13 attempts.

They will now play a familiar foe—SEC rival Auburn in the Final Four with a trip to the National Championship game on the line.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 1 Duke defeated No. 2 Alabama

Duke defeated Alabama 85-65 to advance to their 18th Final Four in program history.

Kon Knueppel led the Blue Devils with 21 points while Tyrese Proctor continued his dominant tournament, finishing with 17 points on an efficient 7-10 shooting night. SLAM cover star Cooper Flagg scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds while his frontcourt partner Khaman Maluach finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.

Freshman star Labaron Philon led the Crimson Tide with 16 points. Chris Youngblood and Grant Nelson both finished with 10 points. Despite boasting the top scoring offense in the country, Alabama only had three players crack double-digit scoring numbers. Mark Sears, the Tide’s leading scorer, could not replicate his 34-point clinic against BYU, as he finished with six points on an inefficient 2-12 shooting night.

Duke dominated the entire game, never giving up the lead. They held the nation’s top offense to 65 points, 25 points less than Alabama’s average of 90.7 points per game. The Crimson Tide struggled to find efficiency, as the team shot 35.4% from the field and only made eight triples, a stark contrast from the 25 they sank in the Sweet 16.

Duke took a 46-37 lead into halftime and rattled off a 20-7 run in the final eight minutes of the game to punch their ticket to San Antonio.

The Blue Devils will now play the Houston Cougars on Saturday in what will shape out to be a defensive slugfest between two of the top-ranked scoring defenses in the nation.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 1 Houston defeated No. 2 Tennessee

Houston routed Tennessee 69-50 to advance to their second Final Four under head coach Kelvin Sampson.

L.J. Cryer led the Cougars with 17 points and seven boards while Emanuel Sharp added 16 points and four triples. Projected first-round draft pick Joseph Tugler finished with six points and nine rebounds.

Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey both led the Vols with 17 points each. Lanier struggled with efficiency, shooting 4-18 from the field and 2-12 from beyond the arc. Coming off the bench, Gainey shot 6-12 from the field and made 40% of his attempts from beyond the arc. No other Tennessee player scored more than five points in the game.

Houston dominated the first half, holding the Tennessee offense to 15 points. The Cougars quickly built a double-digit lead only nine minutes into the first half after a balanced attack led by Cryer, Milos Uzan and Sharp.

The Vols didn’t break 10 points on offense until there were just over three minutes left in the opening frame. Houston rode their defensive momentum into taking a 34-15 lead into the half.

The Vols regained their offensive identity in the second half, as they scored 35 points from triples and drawing fouls to get to the free-throw line. But after cutting the Cougars’ lead to 10 points with just over five minutes to play, Houston rained threes to pull away late.

Sharp, Mylik Wilson and Cryer each buried five triples on consecutive possessions to build an 18-point lead and close out the game.

Houston’s defense held the Vols to 28.8% shooting from the floor and 17.2% from beyond the arc, a stark contrast to their 50.9% shooting night against Kentucky in the Sweet 16.

The Cougars will now look to lock down Duke in the Final Four for a chance at advancing to the program’s first National Championship appearance since 1984.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 1 Auburn defeated No. 2 Michigan State

An injury wasn’t going to stop the SEC Player of the Year from showing out in the biggest game of his career.

After attempting to block a reverse layup by Frankie Fidler, Broome landed awkwardly, clutching his left knee and right elbow.

Shaking his head, Broome was greeted on his walk to the locker room by a standing ovation from the Auburn faithful. Minutes later, Broome got an even bigger ovation.

Broome came out of the locker room and immediately checked into the game. He set a screen for Miles Kelly and immediately buried a three to give Auburn a 12-point lead with under five to play, sending a roar from the Auburn crowd throughout the arena.

Broome’s double-double helped lift Auburn to a 70-64 victory over Michigan State, sending the Tigers to their second Final Four in program history.

Broome led the Tigers with 25 points and 14 rebounds, while fellow SLAM cover co-star Tahaad Pettiford added 10 points off the bench.

Jaxon Kohler led Michigan State with a double-double, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Jaden Akins added 15 points and Jase Richardson scored 11 points on an inefficient 4-13 shooting night.

Auburn threatened to pull away early, opening the game on a 23-8 run. The Spartans responded with triples from Kohler and Fidler, cutting the deficit to single digits before the Tigers took a nine-point lead into the half.

Michigan State battled in the second half, cutting the lead to five three minutes into the final frame. However, that would be the closest they would get. A Chad Baker-Mazara triple and Dylan Cardwell layup pushed the deficit back to double-digits, and the Spartans failed to catch up for the remainder of the game.

Despite outscoring Auburn 40-37 in the second half, the first-half woes proved too large to overcome for Michigan State.

The Spartans shot an inefficient 34.4% from the field and 30.4% from beyond the arc. Auburn shot 42.6% from the floor and 28% from beyond the arc. Despite winning by six, the Tigers struggled from the free-throw line, converting 11 shots in 20 attempts.

The Tigers will now face Florida in the Final Four for a chance to advance to the program’s first-ever National Championship game.

The post Top Seeds Dominate in the Elite 8 to reach the Final Four appeared first on SLAM.

Here’s everything you need to know before tickets to San Antonio get punched later today.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 2 Michigan State defeated No. 6 Ole Miss

With five minutes to go in a one-point game, Coen Carr raised the State Farm Arena roof.

After Ole Miss grabbed a defensive rebound and tried to hustle down the court, Jeremy Fears Jr. stole Sean Pedulla’s outlet pass, likely saving a transition bucket on the other end of the court.

Fears leapt in the air, intercepted the pass, and quickly threw it to Carr. Carr took two dribbles and a step inside the free-throw line before taking flight, cocking back a vicious left-handed tomahawk slam that sent the arena into a frenzy.

The Spartans rode the momentum from Carr’s dunk to close out a tightly contested 73-70 game over the Rebels, punching their ticket to the Elite 8.

Freshman phenom Jase Richardson led the Spartans with 20 points on an efficient 6-8 shooting night. In Carr’s first start of the season, he finished with 15 points. Jaden Akins, the team’s leading scorer, finished with 13 points.

Pedulla led the Rebels with 24 points. Matthew Murrell added 13 points and Malik Dia finished with 11 points.

The Rebels, despite being two-possession underdogs, hung close with the Spartans for the majority of the game. They built a 10-point lead with four minutes remaining in the first half, but squandered the opportunity to ride the momentum into the half after the Spartans rattled off a 12-4 run to enter halftime down two.

In the second half, both teams battled, forcing eight ties throughout the final frame. After Carr’s electric dunk, the Spartans took the lead after Akins drained tough running jumper.

Michigan State later sealed the game after converting six consecutive free throws after the Rebels started intentionally fouling, maintaining a slim two-possession lead.

With the win, Tom Izzo added an 11th Elite 8 trip to his legendary resume, and will look to reach his ninth Final Four when the Spartans face the top-seeded Auburn Tigers.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 2 Tennessee defeated No. 3 Kentucky

Tennessee routed Kentucky 78-65 to reach their second-consecutive Elite 8.

SLAM cover star Zakai Zeigler led the Vols with a double-double, finishing with 18 points and 10 assists. Fellow cover star Chaz Lanier followed suit with 17 points and Jordan Gainey added 16 points off the bench.

Lamont Butler led the Wildcats with 18 points on an efficient 7-10 shooting night. Amari Williams added 14 points and Otega Oweh finished with 13 points.

The Vols dominated early, outscoring Kentucky 43-28 in the first half and holding the lead for nearly the entire game. Felix Okpara’s layup at the 17:22 mark in the first half gave Tennessee a 4-3 lead that they never looked back on. Kentucky was only out in front for 32 seconds in the game.

Tennessee posted an efficient scoring night, shooting 50.9% from the floor, but struggling from deep. They only cashed in five of their 19 attempts from beyond the arc. However, physical play in the paint drew fouls, creating 20 free throw attempts—which they converted 15 of.

Kentucky shot 49% from the field and 40% from deep but were unable to dig themselves out of the first-half hole.

The Vols will now face the top-seeded Houston Cougars to try and reach their first Final Four in program history.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 1 Auburn defeated No. 5 Michigan

With Michigan holding a nine-point lead in the second half, Auburn went to their spark plug off the bench for instant offense.

SLAM cover star Tahaad Pettiford delivered.

Pettiford immediately cashed a deep triple to cut the deficit to six. He then drove hard into the paint and threw a bullet pass to Denver Jones as he was falling out of bounds. Jones buried the corner three to cut the lead to three.

After Johni Broome made a tough post shot off glass, Auburn had a chance to take the lead. Broome went up for a layup and missed, fighting for the offensive board amidst a sea of players.

The ball found its way into Pettiford’s hands, where he blew past Rubin Jones and swished a go-ahead stepback jumper.

The freshman continued his second-half tear, blowing past Vladislav Goldin for an easy layup and hitting an and-one fadeaway to cap off a 28-6 Auburn run.

Pettiford’s 20 points off the bench helped spark a comeback 78-65 Auburn victory over Michigan, earning the Tigers their third-ever trip to the Elite 8.

Broome posted a double-double, leading the Tigers with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Jones added 20 points and four triples. The Tigers dominated despite Miles Kelly and Chad Baker-Mazara combining for only 11 points.

Danny Wolf led Michigan with 20 points, while Goldin finished with 10 points and nine rebounds. Nimari Burnett scored 10 points and grabbed seven boards. Tre Donaldson struggled against his former team, finishing with five points and four turnovers.

Both teams were inefficient from the field, shooting under 40% and under 30% from beyond the arc.

Both teams kept the game close in the first half, with Auburn gaining a one-point advantage at the half after Broome tipped-in his own miss.

After Michigan opened the second half on a 19-9 run, Auburn quickly responded with their own scoring run to pull away late.

Auburn will now face Michigan State with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 1 Houston defeated No. 4 Purdue

With three seconds remaining in a tied game, Kelvin Sampson drew up the perfect play.

For the entire game, Purdue had left a free defender to help guard the open man on inbound plays, leaving the inbounder open.

So when Braden Smith left Milos Uzan to help defend L.J. Cryer, Uzan quickly inbounded the ball to Joseph Tugler just inside the free-throw line.

Tugler threw a pass right back to a cutting Uzan, where he finished a layup at the rim to give Houston a 62-60 in the final second.

Ballgame.

Uzan’s game-winner helped lead the Cougars to a 62-60 victory, reaching their third Elite 8 under Sampson.

Uzan led the Cougars with 22 points and drained a season-high six triples. Emanuel Sharp followed suit with 17 points. Cryer, Houston’s leading scorer, finished with five points on an inefficient 2-13 shooting night.

Fletcher Loyer led Purdue with 16 points. Trey Kaufman-Renn added 14 points and Smith dished out 15 assists.

Both teams battled in the first half, with Purdue entering halftime with a two-point advantage after Smith made two free throws with zeroes on the clock.

Houston quickly opened the final frame with an 11-1 run, opening up an eight-point lead early. However, Purdue battled, keeping the lead within single digits for the remainder of the half.

Down three with under a minute remaining, Smith missed a triple with the shot. Kaufman-Renn secured the offensive board to extend the possession, which later turned into a game-tying triple from Camden Heide in the corner.

On the ensuing possession, Uzan missed a turnaround jumper. However, with a sea of players fighting for the rebound, the ball fell out of bounds off of Purdue, later setting up the game-winning play.

Houston will now play Tennessee for a chance to advance to their second Final Four under Sampson.

The post Men’s Sweet 16 Closes Out With Four-Game Friday Slate appeared first on SLAM.

With no timeouts, the Crimson Tide raced down the court as precious seconds ticked off the overtime clock.

Diana Collins dribbled into two Maryland defenders before Sarah Ashlee Barker rotated to the top of the key. With one second left, Collins tossed the rock to Barker, who launched a deep-trey for the tie.

Saylor Poffenbarger quickly raised her hands to contest the shot but closed out too hard, crashing into Barker.

With the center spotlight on her and a nervous energy surrounding the XFINITY Center, Barker calmly walked up to the free throw line.

She followed her routine and sank the first free throw. Then the second. As the home court cheered, Barker swished the third to tie the game at 96 apiece, triumphantly waving her fists as her teammates celebrated sending the game to double overtime.

Unfortunately, Alabama ran out of steam, falling in the second overtime period to Maryland 111-108.

Despite the loss, Barker’s performance was one for the ages, as the graduate student shattered a program and SEC record for points in an NCAA Tournament game, finishing with 45 points, eight rebounds and three assists.

Barker’s final collegiate game was a testament to her status within the program as a legend. She graduates from Tuscaloosa as the program’s all-time player efficiency rating leader and box/plus minus, establishing herself as the ultimate two-way guard.

After transferring from Georgia, Barker wraps up her Alabama career averaging 13.9 points, nearly six boards and two steals across three seasons in Tuscaloosa. That doesn’t include a deadly shot from beyond the arc, knocking down triples at a near 35% clip.

With the clutch gene, Barker has always been in the spotlight.

Alongside leading the No. 21 team in the nation, Barker also energized audiences with pre-game vlogs that highlighted the travel, practice and preparation before every tournament game.

But now, Barker may be vlogging for games at the professional level.

Before the NCAA Tournament, Barker had been present on WNBA mock drafts as a potential late first-round pick. However, a 45-point explosion on the biggest stage on an efficient 17-25 from the field is a stat line that will catch the scouts’ attention.

With the WNBA Draft only two weeks away, Barker may have played herself into a higher draft position.

With the hypotheticals aside, Barker summed up what all basketball enthusiasts thought about regarding Alabama’s game.

“If you’re a fan of women’s basketball, I think that every single person could say that was one of the best games they’ve ever watched,” she said.

The post HER MOMENT: Sarah Ashlee Barker Delivers the Most Clutch Performance Ever Against Maryland appeared first on SLAM.

The move comes after a lopsided 125-104 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder last night. The loss was the fourth double-digit defeat the Grizzlies suffered in their past five games of action.

“This was a difficult decision, given the consistent and tangible development of our players and overall success under Taylor’s leadership. I wish Taylor the very best moving forward,” Grizzlies president and general manager Zach Kleiman said in a press release.

The Grizzlies currently sit tied for fourth place in the Western Conference with the Lakers with a 44-29 record and are in contention for a higher seeding in the playoffs. This season has been a bounce-back from last year’s injury-riddled squad that posted a 27-55 record.

Despite the strong record, the Grizzlies have regressed from their previous playoff teams. The team’s scoring defense has plummeted to 24th in the league, a major dip in defensive production from last year’s 11th-ranked scoring-defense. Even with former DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr. and rookie paint presence Zach Edey in the starting lineup, the team still allows close to 117 points per game.

In his six seasons in Memphis, Jenkins posted a 250-214 record with three playoff appearances from 2020-2023. Jenkins has a career 9-14 record in the postseason, including a shock first-round exit in 2023 to the seventh-seeded Lakers. He has one career playoff series win—a first-round victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2022 Playoffs.

An interim head coach has not been named yet by the organization ahead of the team’s next game tomorrow night against the Lakers.

The post BREAKING: Grizzlies Part Ways With Head Coach Taylor Jenkins appeared first on SLAM.

On Saturday, he fell two steals short of a quadruple-double, posting 15 points, 17 assists, 10 rebounds and eight steals in a 146-115 drubbing of the Lakers. Two days later, he followed it up with a 26 point performance against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets.

But yesterday may top all of that.

After Austin Reaves may a tough layup to give the Lakers a one-point lead with seconds remaining, Giddey raced down the court. He pulled up from just around the half-court line, held his follow-through and watched his prayer hit nothing but net.

Ballgame.

On top of his game-winner, Giddey posted another triple-double, finishing with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists in the comeback victory.

Coby White led the Bulls with 26 points and Kevin Huerter added 21 points.

The King’s double-digit scoring streak continued, as LeBron finished with 17 points and 12 assists, while Luka Doncic posted 25 points and 10 boards. Reaves led the Lakers with a 30-point night.

The Lakers held a 10-point lead with six minutes to play in the fourth quarter, but squandered the opportunity to close it out. Triples by Patrick Williams, Huerter and Nikola Vucevic helped Chicago stay within striking distance until the very end.

With 10 seconds left, Williams made a triple to cut the lead to two. The Bulls tightened up their defense on the inbound, and Giddey stole LeBron’s inbound pass, finding White for a go-ahead three.

After Reaves’ go-ahead layup, Giddey sealed the comeback victory, hitting the shot over the King’s outstretched arm.

The Bulls have found incredible form, posting an 8-2 record in their last 10 games and currently sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference.

The Lakers have fallen down to fourth place and are tied with the Grizzlies in the Western Conference.

The post Josh Giddey Hits Half-Court Heave to Lift Bulls to 119-117 Victory appeared first on SLAM.

Here’s everything you need to know to be caught up on the madness before the final eight teams are all set.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 2 Alabama defeats No. 6 BYU

Nate Oats’ Crimson Tide had boasted the top-ranked scoring offense all season long, averaging around 91.4 points per game.

In the first two rounds, they weren’t able to surpass that mark.

They survived a first-round scare against No. 15 seed Robert Morris, failing to pull away despite shooting 58.3% from the field. They then grinded out a tough win against No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s, the fifth-best scoring defense in the nation. Alabama scored 90 points and 80 points in those games.

But against BYU in the Sweet 16, Nate Oats’ fast-paced, high-scoring shooting offense finally came to life.

Alabama trounced BYU 113-88, setting an NCAA Tournament single-game record with 25 three-pointers and punching their second straight ticket to the Elite 8.

Mark Sears led the Crimson Tide with 34 points and eight assists. The senior guard was unconscious from the floor, draining 10 triples on an efficient 11-18 shooting night. Aden Holloway added 23 points and six threes off the bench while Chris Youngblood drained five shots from beyond the arc to finish with 19 points.

Richie Saunders led the Cougars with 25 points, six boards and four steals. Egor Demin followed suit with 15 points, but struggled from beyond the arc, only cashing in one of his eight attempts.

BYU could not keep up with Alabama’s high-powered offense. The Crimson Tide shot 53% from the field, 49% from beyond the arc and made 18 free throws.

BYU kept the first half deficit within single digits for the first 15 minutes before Alabama pulled away. The Crimson Tide outscored the Cougars 51-40 in the first half and 62-48 in the final frame to close out the game.

Alabama will now face off against Cooper Flagg and Duke for a trip to San Antonio.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 1 Florida defeated No. 4 Maryland

Florida defeated Maryland 87-71 to advance punch their ticket to the Elite 8.

Will Richard led the Gators with 15 points. Alijah Martin and Walter Clayton added 14 and 13 points, and Thomas Haugh and Denzel Aberdeen both logged double-digit scoring numbers off the bench.

Fresh off his buzzer-beater, Maryland freshman phenom Derik Queen finished with 27 points and five boards. Queen also shot a perfect 10-10 from the free-throw line. Ja’Kobi Gillespie finished with 17 points and Julian Reese and Rodney Rice each finished with 12 points.

Both teams kept things close in the first half, as Florida entered halftime clinging onto a two-point lead. But in the second half, the Gators started to run away with the game. Five minutes into the final frame, Florida went on a 15-6 run to grab an 11-point lead and never looked back.

Despite Queen’s scoring efforts, including showing off his range for a triple, the Terrapins could not recover. Back-to-back dagger triples from Richard and Aberdeen extended the Gator lead before a barrage of fast-break layups from Haugh and Alex Condon sealed it.

The Gators now play Texas Tech in the Elite 8 with a Final Four berth on the line.

_________________________________________________________________________________

No. 1 Duke defeated No. 4 Arizona

Cooper Flagg had his March Moment.

The consensus number-one overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft silenced any critics who argued against that label.

Flagg put the team on his back, dropping 30 points, dishing out seven assists and grabbing six rebounds in Duke’s 100-93 victory over Arizona.

Flagg showed it all on the floor. He showcased his elite playmaking ability when he found Khaman Maluach for two alley oops and his ability to shoot on and off the dribble. But Flagg’s range was on full display, especially when he pulled up from 30-feet out to drain a triple at the first-half buzzer.

Fellow freshman Kon Knueppel finished with 20 points while Sion James added 16 points. Maluach finished with 13.

Caleb Love gave another signature March performance, finishing with a team-leading 35 points on an 11-21 shooting night. Jaden Bradley scored 15 points and Henri Veesaar contributed 13 off the bench.

The Blue Devils were proficient on offense, shooting 60% from the field and 57.9% from beyond the arc while making 11 triples. They also converted 23 of their attempts from the free-throw line.

Arizona kept things close, entering halftime facing a six-point deficit. However, the Blue Devils opened up a double-digit lead early into the second half and never looked back.

Duke will now play Alabama in the Elite 8.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 3 Texas Tech defeats No. 10 Arkansas

With seconds left in a tied game, Darrion Williams got the matchup he wanted.

When Arkansas’ Karter Knox switched onto the junior forward, he went to work. Williams backed down the freshman before hitting a drop-step to create separation. His shot banked off the glass and slowly caromed on the rim before falling in.

The Red Raiders then clamped up D.J. Wagner’s game-tying attempt to advance to the Elite 8, securing an 85-83 overtime victory.

Williams finished with 20 points, while Christian Anderson led Texas Tech with 22 points. JT Toppin, the team’s leading scorer, added 20 points and nine rebounds.

Johnell Davis led the Razorbacks with 30 points, including going a perfect 11-11 from the free-throw line. Knox added 20 points and Wagner finished with 13 points.

Arkansas came out the gates hot. They immediately built and 11-point lead 10 minutes into the half and held Texas Tech’s 28th-ranked scoring offense to under double-digits during that time frame.

The Red Raiders gained some momentum back after Williams nailed a triple at the end of the first-half to cut their halftime deficit to seven. However, the single-digit deficit was short-lived.

Arkansas built a 16-point lead with 12 minutes to play after Davis made a three. The Red Raiders quickly bounced back, posting a 20-10 run over eight minutes to cut the lead to six points with just over two minutes to play.

After Anderson made back-to-back triples to cut the lead to three, Tech had a chance to tie. Anderson passed up the shot and found Williams, who drained a three from the right wing to send the game to overtime.

Both teams battled in overtime, posting three lead changes and five ties before Williams hit the game winner.

Tech’s 16-point comeback victory marked the second largest comeback ever in the Sweet 16, and the program’s first Elite 8 appearance since the 2018-19 season, when they lost in the National Championship.

The Red Raiders play Florida with a trip to San Antonio on the line.

The post Everything You Missed From the First Half of the Men’s Sweet 16 appeared first on SLAM.

Down one with just under four seconds left, the Terrapins went to their freshman phenom center and projected NBA Draft pick. Queen caught the inbounds pass near the top of the key, turned the jets on and drove left on Colorado State guard Ethan Morton.

Morton stood his ground, pushing Queen out of the paint. Queen took two steps and faded away, hovering as he let go a shot from the left block just over Morton’s outstretched arm.

His shot banked off the top of the backboard and fell through.

Game.

The Maryland bench and his teammates mobbed him as Colorado State players put their hands over their heads, stunned at what had just transpired.

Queen’s buzzer-beater had prevented Colorado State’s upset bid, elevating the Terrapins to a 72-71 victory and punching their ticket to the Sweet 16 for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

The “Crab Five” showed out, each posting double-digit scoring efforts. Queen led the team with 17 points. Julian Reese posted a double-double, finishing with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Rodney Rice scored 16 points, and Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Selton Miguel contributed 11 points each.

Maryland’s bench only had two points the entire game.

“That was my first game-winner. When Coach drew up the play, my teammates trusted me, he trusted me. I was a little nervous, but I knew I was due for one,” Queen said.

Nique Clifford led the Rams with 21 points. Jalen Lake followed suit with 13 points and Kyan Evans, fresh off a six-triple performance against Memphis, finished with 10 points.

The Rams picked up right where they left off, quickly building a 12-point lead halfway through the first half. After Lake hit a three-pointer to give the Rams a 12-8 lead, they rattled off a 12-4 run to take a 24-12 lead. However, the Terps continued to battle.

Maryland scored 10 consecutive points off two triples by Rice and Miguel and jumpers by Queen and Reese to cut the lead back to single-digits.

Both teams continued to trade buckets till the very end of the half, with Clifford splitting a pair of defenders for a tough lefty layup before the buzzer sounded. Clifford’s layup gave the Rams a seven-point lead heading into halftime.

Maryland quickly built momentum, erasing the halftime deficit after Rice hit an and-one jumper to give the Terps a 49-47 lead.

Both teams continued to battle throughout, logging nine lead changes throughout the second half, with three coming in the last thirty seconds of the game.

With 23 seconds left in a tied game, Miguel fired a three-pointer that was off. Reese skied for a clutch offensive rebound and was fouled by Rashaan Mbemba. He calmly sank two pressure free throws to give Maryland a two-point lead.

On the ensuing possession, Clifford began posting up Miguel before rifling a bullet pass to the wing to Lake. Lake fired a deep three and buried it, sending the Rams bench into a frenzy.

But on the final possession, Queen called game.

The win finally marked a buzzer-beater going the right away from Maryland, who were plagued by devastating losses all season.

On Jan. 16, Nick Martinelli hit a fadeway dagger from the right block to give the Northwestern Wildcats a buzzer-beating 76-74 overtime victory. On Feb. 6, they choked a 17-point lead to the Ohio State Buckeyes after Bruce Thornton banked in a contested three with the shot clock winding down. Later that month, they lost on a half-court heave from Michigan State’s Tre Holloman.

Then, most recently, they let Michigan’s Tre Donaldson go coast-to-coast for a tough layup at the buzzer in the Big Ten semifinal game.

Finally, one shot did go their way when it mattered most.

“Give Colorado State a lot of credit, they’re an excellent basketball team,” head coach Kevin Willard said. “I feel bad that they had to go that way, but I really felt like maybe we were due eventually for one of those to go for us.

That buzzer-beater now sends Maryland to the Sweet 16 to face off against the top-seeded Florida Gators on Thursday.

The post Maryland Survives Upset-Bid From Colorado State on Derik Queen Buzzer-Beater appeared first on SLAM.

They lost in a heartbreaker to conference opponent NC State, who went on a Cinderella run to the Final Four. Proctor struggled in the 76-64 defeat, shooting 0-9 from the field and finished with a zero in the box score.

But in this year’s tournament, Proctor put it all behind him.

He posted a 19-point, five assist night against Mount St. Mary’s in the opening round, but saved his best for the next round.

Against a talented team of draft prospects and veteran players, including Cooper Flagg’s former high school point guard Rob Wright and former Duke guard Jeremy Roach, the Australian junior was unconscious on Sunday afternoon.

Proctor scored a team-high 25 points on 9-10 shooting from the field and drained seven triples to lead the top-seeded Blue Devils to an 89-66 rout over the Baylor Bears, earning a trip to the Sweet 16.

Freshman phenom Cooper Flagg—who graced the cover of SLAM—finished with a near triple-double, posting 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Experts and fans alike can finally agree that it’s safe to say the ankle injury isn’t bothering him anymore.

Kon Knueppel rounded out Duke’s double-digit scorers, dropping 12 points on an efficient 4-5 from the field.

Projected lottery pick VJ Edgecombe led the Bears with 16 points, while Norchad Omier’s consecutive double-double streak of 10 games finally came to a close. The Miami transfer finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Langston Love and Wright each finished with 11 points and Roach contributed seven points off the bench against his former team.

The game was tightly contested for the majority of the first half. Neither team could pull away from one another, keeping any lead to within single digits. However, the wheels fell off for Baylor towards the end of the opening frame.

With Duke clinging to a 35-30 lead with three minutes left in the first half, the Blue Devils went on a 12-0 run to enter halftime up 17.

Flagg scored a layup, dunk and drained a three, Sion James and Patrick Ngongba made free throws and Caleb Foster hit a jumper to crush any momentum Baylor had.

“When we stick to our defense, stick to our habits, we’re a really hard team to score on. Once we started getting loose balls and rebounds, we could push in transition and play our offense,” Proctor said.

Baylor could never recover from the momentum shift. Duke outscored the Bears 42-36 in the second half, and maintained a double-digit lead for the entire 20 minutes of play.

The Blue Devils dominated on the offensive end, shooting 64.4% from the field and 54.5% from deep. They also converted 19 free throws at an 82.6% clip. On the defensive end, they held the Bears to 36.8% shooting from the field and 32% from deep. They played physical on-ball defense, contesting without fouling, only allowing 10 free throw attempts for Baylor. Only two Baylor players—Omier and Edgecombe—shot above 50% from the field for the game.

“To win by this margin, I think speaks to the level of killer instinct that our guys have, the competitiveness and the connectivity,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer said. “Sweet 16 sounds great, we know it’s a quick turnaround, but we’re going to enjoy this one tonight and then get back to it.”

Duke will now face off against a familiar foe donning a different jersey. The Blue Devils will take on Caleb Love and the Arizona Wildcats in the Sweet 16 on Thursday.

The post Duke trounces Baylor 89-66 to advance to the Sweet 16 appeared first on SLAM.

The two legendary coaches both were compared to each other all throughout their career paths, ranging from rebuilding programs into championship contenders in the Northeast, to playing under the bright lights of Rupp Arena with the Kentucky Wildcats.

They’ve met each other nearly 30 times in their illustrious careers, with Calipari holding a 17-12 advantage, including a Final Four victory in 2012 over Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals.

But given the circumstances, this one has to be up there.

Nobody gave the Razorbacks a chance against the red-hot Red Storm. The team had lost leading scorer Adou Thiero with a knee injury and started out their regular season poorly, opening SEC play with an 0-5 record. They suffered devastating close losses to their ranked counterparts, and even gave last-place South Carolina their second SEC win of the year in a 19-point romp.

St. John’s, on the other hand, entered this game with the complete opposite trajectory. Pitino’s squad rattled off 30 wins in the regular season, tied for the most ever in a regular season. They had scoring threats all across their lineup, with RJ Luis Jr. being named Big East Player of the Year.

Billed in as 7.5 point underdogs, Calipari’s Razorbacks pulled off the shock of the tournament, knocking off the St. John’s 75-66, ending the Red Storm’s dream season.

Freshman Billy Richmond led the Razorbacks with a career-high 16 points and nine rebounds while coming off the bench. Freshman Karter Knox finished with 15 points and four blocks, and Johnell Davis added 13 points.

Zuby Ejiofor led the Red Storm with a double-double, posting 23 points and 12 rebounds. Deivon Smith added 13 points off the bench.

Luis, the team’s leading scorer, was held to only nine points on a poor 3-17 shooting night, leading to him being benched for the last minutes of the game.

St. John’s shooting woes were on full display. With the main criticism being a lack of an efficient three-point shooter entering the tournament, the Johnnies silenced all critics by draining 14 triples at a 37.8% clip en route to a 30-point blowout of the Omaha Mavericks in the first round.

Saturday afternoon could not have been more different.

The Red Storm shot a dismal 9.1% from beyond the arc, only hitting two of their 22 attempts from beyond the arc. They didn’t fare better from the floor, making 28% of their shots from the field.

The Razorbacks defense held Kadary Richmond and Luis to a combined 14 points on 5-24 shooting. Their relentless burst and drives to the paint racked up Richmond’s foul count, with the graduate student eventually fouling out after only 16 minutes of game time.

“They were the better team. They outplayed us and they deserve to move on, and we don’t,” Pitino said.

Arkansas didn’t fare much better. The Razorbacks shot 10.5% from beyond the arc, nailing only two triples. However, they found better efficiency in the field, primarily the paint, shooting 42.9%.

The Razorbacks got off an efficient start, building a lead early and attacking St. John’s in the paint to draw fouls or finish layups at the rim.

St. John’s struggled to score with efficiency despite extending possessions with 28 offensive rebounds. The paint presence of Knox and Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo forced difficult putback looks and created numerous possessions of Red Storm players firing multiple layups at the rim that never fell.

“There are some games we played this year where the other team said ‘that was a physical team,'” Calipari said. “I told them it reminded me of that. I know St. John’s is physical, but we’re physical too.”

Arkansas took a three-point lead into the half after freshman Boogie Fland made a layup with seconds remaining in the opening frame. In his return from a thumb injury, Fland finished with six points and four rebounds.

The Razorbacks took that momentum in the second half, building a double-digit lead after rattling off a 14-6 run capped off by an Aidoo and-one.

St. John’s played catchup for the remainder of the half, eventually cutting the lead to four with just over four minutes to play.

After Billy Richmond sank a mid-range jumper to bring Arkansas’ lead back to four off a flare, Fland stole the ball, leading to a D.J. Wagner layup to extend the lead to six.

St. John’s entered panic mode, firing contested threes that caromed off the rim. Despite grabbing two offensive rebounds in a single possession, the Red Storm failed to gain ground on the lead, as Aaron Scott missed two free throws that would have cut the lead to four.

Scott, Smith and Luis, St. John’s three-leading sharpshooters, combined to go 1-11 from beyond the arc. Scott struggled mightly from the field, shooting 1-10 and mustering seven points off one triple and free throws.

As the team continued to rain missed threes, Knox and Davis made their free throws once St. John’s began intentionally fouling to close out the game.

When Billy Richmond was fouled with four seconds left, both teams could feel the result. The Arkansas bench and players ran to their side of the court, leaping as they raised their hands.

Pitino had already made his way to half court to shake hands with his nemesis before the final buzzer sounded.

With the win, Calipari advanced to his 16th Sweet 16 and became the second coach in Division I history to take four different schools to the Sweet 16. Calipari took a UMass team with Marcus Camby to the Final Four, a Derrick Rose-led Memphis squad to the National Championship and countless Kentucky teams to deep runs in the tournament.

He can now add the Razorbacks’ team-effort in his debut season.

“We had a long up-and-down season, so we just all came together, put our egos to the side and just became one heartbeat like (Coach Calipari) said and just play a fearless 40 (minutes),” Billy Richmond said.

Arkansas will now play Texas Tech and JT Toppin in the Sweet 16.

The post Arkansas Shocks St. John’s to Advance to the Sweet 16 appeared first on SLAM.

Here’s everything you need to know to be caught up on the madness so far heading into the round of 32.

________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 9 Baylor defeated No. Mississippi State

Baylor defeated Mississippi State in a 75-72 game that came down to the wire.

Freshman facilitator Rob Wright led the Bears with 19 points, while Langston Love added 15. Miami transfer Norchad Omier posted a double-double, dropping 12 points and grabbing 10 boards.

However, off all the Bears, the nation was introduced to VJ Edgecombe, a projected lottery pick in the NBA Draft. On the NBA’s mock draft, experts project Edgecombe to be drafted third overall.

On the biggest stage of his career, Edgecombe showed the flashes of his potential, dropping 14 points and grabbing five boards. The freshman guard showcased his explosiveness, slicing into the paint to draw fouls—good for six free throws—and his sharpshooting ability with a team-leading two triples.

Josh Hubbard led Mississippi State with a game-high 26 points. Claudell Harris Jr. added 13 points and Riley Kugel contributed 11 points off the bench.

The game was evenly matched, coming down to the wire. After Edgecombe calmly sank two free throws to give Baylor a three-point lead, Harris had the chance to tie the game with seconds remaining, but came up short.

The Bulldogs outshot the Bears, making 50% of their shots from the field, but were doomed by turnovers. Baylor played handsy defense, logging 10 steals in the game. Mississippi State’s 14 turnovers turned into 15 points for Baylor, the difference in the game.

Baylor will now play Duke in the round of 32, a revenge game for Bears point guard Jeremy Roach and a reunion of between high school teammates Wright and phenom Cooper Flagg.

________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 2 Alabama defeated No. 15 Robert Morris

Grant Nelson was the X-Factor in Alabama’s win over the No. 1 seeded North Carolina Tar Heels in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

He made fought for a tough and-one layup that gave Alabama the lead with 39 seconds to play. He then sank two free throws to ice the game for the Crimson Tide.

This year, Nelson came to the rescue again.

Nursing a leg injury, Nelson came off the bench and immediately provided a spark. He threw down a ferocious alley-oop to put Alabama out in front with under 10 minutes left in the second half, and played stellar defense. In Nelson’s seven minutes of game time, the NDSU transfer finished with five points, three rebounds and a steal.

That spark propelled Alabama to avoiding a first-round upset against Robert Morris, defeating the Colonials 90-81.

Mark Sears finished with a double-double to lead the Crimson Tide, dropping 22 points and dishing out 10 assists. Clifford Omoruyi scored a season-high 17 points and Mouhamed Dioubate an 18 point, 10 rebound double-double off the bench.

Alabama’s star freshman guard Labaron Philon finished with his lowest scoring output of the season, sinking only one free throw while dishing out eight assists.

Amarion Dickerson led the Colonials with 25 points and Alvaro Folgueiras posted a 15 point, 10 rebound double-double.

Alabama’s top-ranked scoring offense lived up to the hype, shooting 58.6% from the field. However, the Crimson Tide struggled from beyond the arc, shooting only 28.6% from beyond the arc.

Robert Morris kept up with Alabama’s high offensive pace, taking a four-point deficit into halftime, and eventually gaining the lead with seven minutes to play.

However, Nelson’s contributions kicked off a 24-16 run, which allowed Alabama to close out the game.

Alabama will play Saint Mary’s in the round of 32.

________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 3 Iowa State defeated No. 14 Lipscomb

Iowa State routed Lipscomb 82-55.

Despite losing star guard Keshon Gilbert for the tournament, the Cyclone offense dominated.

Milan Momcilovic led Iowa State with 20 points while Curtis Jones, the team’s leading-scorer, finished with 17 points off the bench. Joshua Jefferson nearly posted a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.

Jacob Ognacevic, the ASUN Player of the Year, finished with a team-leading 18 points. Gyasi Powell followed suit with 11 points. Ognacevic and Powell were the only two double-digit scorers for the Bison.

Iowa State ran away with the game from the start. After Lipscomb took a 16-15 lead halfway into the first half, Iowa State recaptured the lead and never looked back.

The Cyclones outscored the Bison 40-24 in the first half, and later 42-31 in the second half.

The Cyclones will now play Ole Miss in the round of 32.

________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 12 Colorado State upsets No. 5 Memphis

Despite the lower seeding, the Colorado State Rams were favored over the Memphis Tigers in their first round matchup.

Riding the momentum from their Mountain West Tournament run, the Rams played up to that expectation.

Colorado State put on a three-point shooting clinic to pull off the upset against Memphis, 78-70.

Kyan Evans led the Rams with 23 points. He was deadly from beyond the arc, cashing six triples. Nique Clifford, the team’s leading scorer, finished with a near-triple double, logging 14 points, eight boards and six assists.

Dain Dainja led the Tigers with a double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 12 boards. Wooden Award candidate PJ Haggerty and Colby Rogers each followed suit with 18 points.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, with numerous lead changes in the first half. Memphis entered halftime with a five-point lead, but quickly saw the Rams tie the game up five minutes into the second half, going on a 17-12 run.

After Clifford drilled a jumper to give the Rams a 50-48 lead, Colorado State never looked back.

Memphis was doomed by their inefficient shooting from beyond the arc. The Tigers shot 26.1% from deep and only converted on 70% of their free-throw attempts. The Tigers also struggled with foul trouble, logging 20 personal fouls that turned into 19 Ram free-throws.

Colorado State continued their three-point barrage, nailing 11 triples total. This was the third consecutive game in which the Rams have made 10 or more three-pointers.

The Rams will now play Maryland in the round of 32.

________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 1 Duke defeated No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s

The overall storyline for the Duke Blue Devils heading into the first round was the health of freshman phenom Cooper Flagg.

Flagg’s performance all but erased that narrative.

The potential top overall pick in the NBA Draft immediately took off, converting an and-one and scoring in the paint. To cap it off, Flagg caught an alley-oop from Patrick Ngongba and threw down a thunderous slam to send the crowd into a frenzy.

No problem with the ankle there.

Flagg finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks to help lead the Blue Devils to a 93-49 rout over Mount St. Mary’s.

Tyrese Proctor led the Blue Devils with 19 points and freshman center Khaman Maluach went a perfect 5-5 from the field, finishing with 11 points.

Arlandus Keyes led the Mountaineers with 15 points off the bench. Keyes was the only Mountaineer to post double-digit scoring numbers.

Duke ran away with this game from the beginning, building a 26-point halftime lead before closing out the game in the second half. The Blue Devils shot 50% from the field and splashed 14 triples in the game.

Duke will now play Baylor and fellow projected lottery pick VJ Edgecombe in the round of 32.

________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 7 Saint Mary’s defeated No. 10 Vanderbilt

Randy Bennett wasn’t going to led his Gaels be a first-round exit again.

After falling in a shock upset to Grand Canyon last year, the Gaels appeared to be on upset watch again. Playing a tough Vanderbilt team appearing in their first NCAA Tournament since 2017, the Commodores started out hot, jumping out to a 12-point lead.

However, the Gaels dug deep, relying on their elite defense to get the job done.

In a gritty comeback win, Saint Mary’s erased a 12-point deficit to secure a comeback 59-56 victory over Vanderbilt.

Jordan Ross led the Gaels with 15 points, while Augustas Marciulionis added 14 points and eight rebounds. Mitchell Saxen and Luke Barrett both recorded double-doubles, with Saxen posting 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Barrett posting 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Jason Edwards led the Commodores with 18 points. He was the only Vanderbilt player to finish the game in double-digit scoring.

Vanderbilt jumped out to an early lead, and carried a seven-point 29-22 lead into the half. They immediately opened the second frame with a 10-5 run, building up a 12-point lead.

However, the Gaels heated up. They responded with a 16-4 run off of a pair of Ross triples and Saxen layups. At the seven minute mark in the second half, Marciulionis hit a three to give the Gaels a lead they wouldn’t look back on.

With 30 seconds left, Saxen had a chance to the ice the game with two free throws, but split the pair, giving Vanderbilt a chance to tie the game with a three.

With the clock running down, Devin McGlockton pulled up from the corner, but saw his game-tying attempt clank off the rim.

Despite an inefficient shooting night, the Gaels knocked down seven triples, which helped them erase the deficit and pull off the comeback victory.

Saint Mary’s will now play Alabama in the round of 32.

________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 6 Ole Miss defeated No. 11 North Carolina

With momentum favoring North Carolina with a minute to play, the Rebels turned to their go-to man.

Sean Pedulla, who had recently hit a dagger three to send Arkansas packing in the SEC Tournament, took a handoff from Jaemyn Brakefield. He faked dribbling to the corner and spotted up a three.

He cashed it, just like he had done a week prior. As Pedulla emphatically threw down the three logo to the Ole Miss bench, his dagger three elevated the Rebels’ lead to five with under a minute to play.

With the team closing out the game, the Rebels secured their first tournament win since 2015 by defeating North Carolina 71-64.

Pedulla’s 20 points led the Rebels, while Dre Davis added 15 points and eight rebounds. Brakefield also contributed 12 points off the bench.

RJ Davis scored 15 points to lead the Tar Heels in his final collegiate game. Ven-Allen Lubin added 14 points, but later fouled out in the game.

The Tar Heels were dominated for most of the game, failing to ever capture the lead. Ole Miss opened the game up hot, posting a double-digit lead and carrying an 18-point lead into the half.

However, the Tar Heels battled back. Down 13 points with eight minutes to play, the Tar Heels went on a 14-3 run to cut the lead to two points, capped off by a Davis and-one that sent Kevin Harlan and the crowd into a frenzy.

Pedulla’s three silenced the crowd, and helped the Rebels close out the game.

The Rebels were the more efficient team, shooting 44.4% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. North Carolina struggled to find efficiency, as they only made five triples in 24 attempts.

Ole Miss will now play Iowa State in the round of 32.

________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 4 Maryland defeated No. 13 Grand Canyon

Maryland routed Grand Canyon 81-49 to advance the “Crab Five” to the round of 32.

Julian Reese led the Terps with 18 points, while freshman phenom Derik Queen posted a dominant 12 point, 15 rebound double-double. Ja’Kobi Gillespie added 16 points and Selton Miguel scored 13.

Tyon Grant-Foster led the Lopes with 23 points. He was the only Grand Canyon player to score more than six points in the game.

Maryland dominated for the entire game. The Terps shot 50.8% from the field and rained down seven triples at a 43.8% clip on the Grand Canyon defense.

The defense held Grand Canyon to 28.6% shooting from the field and 21.7% from beyond the arc.

Grand Canyon grabbed an early five-point lead in the first half. However, a Gillespie jumper eight minutes into the opening frame gave Maryland a lead they would never look back on.

The Terps took a 14-point lead into the half and then outscored the Lopes 39-21 in the final frame to close out the game.

Maryland will take on Colorado State in the round of 32.

________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 1 Florida defeated No. 16 Norfolk State

Florida routed Norfolk State 95-69 to earn their first tournament win since the 2021.

Walter Clayton Jr. led the Gators with 23 points on an efficient 6-11 shooting night and Alijah Martin added 17 points. Alex Condon dropped 12 points and added two steals and two blocks, and Thomas Haugh contributed 13 points off the bench.

Christian Ings led the Spartans with 16 points and Jaylani Darden added 15 points and six boards. Chris Fields Jr. contributed 14 points off the bench on an efficient 7-12 night.

Florida dominated the entire game. Their defense held the Spartans to 14.3% shooting from beyond the arc and forced 12 turnovers.

On offense, the Gators shot 48.3% from the field and knocked down 10 triples. They drove hard into the paint, drawing 24 Spartan fouls. Those fouls turned into 33 free-throw attempts, of which the Gators converted 27.

Norfolk State trailed the entire game.

The Gators will now play the two-time defending National Champion UConn Huskies in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 3 Kentucky defeated No. 14 Troy

Kentucky routed Troy 76-57 to kick off the Mark Pope era in the NCAA Tournament

Otega Oweh nearly put up a triple-double, scoring a team-high 20 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Elite sharpshooter Koby Brea, Andrew Carr and Brandon Garrison each contributed 13 points.

Myles Rigsby scored 17 points to lead the Trojans and Tayton Conerway added 12 points. Rigsby and Conerway were the only two Trojans to finish with double-digit scoring numbers. Sophomore forward Thomas Dowd, the team’s third-leading scorer, was held scoreless. However, Dowd did contribute on the glass, grabbing 11 rebounds.

Kentucky dominated throughout, taking an eight-point lead into the half before outscoring the Trojans 41-30 in the final frame to close out the game.

The Wildcats’ offense clicked, shooting 47.5% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. Kentucky knocked down 10 threes, with Brea knocking down a team-high three triples.

Kentucky’s defense held Troy to 8-32 shooting from beyond the arc and 34.9% from the field.

The Wildcats will now play Illinois in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 10 New Mexico defeated No. 7 Marquette

New Mexico defeated Marquette 75-66.

The Lobos’ two-headed monster of Donovan Dent and Nelly Junior Joseph excelled on the big stage, combining for 40 points. Tru Washington added 12 points and CJ Noland contributed 11 points off the bench.

David Joplin led the Golden Eagles with 28 points, while Kam Jones added 15 points in what was likely his final collegiate game.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, with New Mexico holding a slim three-point lead at the half. However, the Lobos pulled away in the second half. After being deadlocked at 53, the Lobos rattled off a 17-8 run, building a nine-point advantage with a little over a minute to play.

Marquette was unable to catch up and surrendered another devastating loss.

Poor shooting doomed the Golden Eagles, who converted on 40.7% of their shots from the field and 36.7% of their threes. However, despite winning the turnover margin 13-12, Marquette failed to capitalize on the opportunities. New Mexico scored 21 points off of the Marquette turnovers, which became the difference-maker in the game.

The Lobos will now play Michigan State in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 4 Arizona defeated No. 13 Akron

Arizona routed Akron 93-65.

Jaden Bradley scored 19 points to lead the Wildcats while Oakland transfer Trey Townsend added 16 points and eight rebounds. Caleb Love scored 10 points, while Carter Bryant and KJ Lewis contributed a combined 22 points off the bench.

Tavari Johnson and Nate Johnson both scored 13 points to lead the Zips. Shammah Scott contributed 11 points off the bench.

Arizona dominated the entire game, as the Zips failed to take the lead at any point in the game.

The Wildcats put on a clinic, draining 12 three-pointers at a 48% clip and shooting 56.5% from the field. They held the Zips in check, holding them to 33.3% shooting from the field and only allowing seven three-pointers.

Arizona took a 10-point lead into the half and later outscored Akron 52-34 in the final frame to close out the game.

Arizona will now play their former Pac-12 rival Oregon in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 8 UConn defeated No. 9 Oklahoma

Projected lottery pick Jeremiah Fears went out with a bang. In likely his last collegiate game, the freshman guard showcased his whole bag.

He started early with an explosive drive to the basket that immediately drew free throws and followed it up with another tough lefty layup.

He then continued his scoring tear, draining a triple and hitting a highlight reel 360 layup that left Jaylin Stewart in the dust.

Fears finished the game with a game-high 20 points, adding five boards, four assists and two steals as well. A true one man show.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Dan Hurley’s veteran UConn squad took down the Sooners 67-59 in a back-and-forth affair.

Solo Ball led the Huskies with 14 points and Alex Karaban added 13 points. Tarris Reed Jr. lived up to his Big East Sixth Man of the Year Award by contributing 12 points off the bench.

Jalon Moore finished with 13 points and seven rebounds for Oklahoma. No other Sooner posted double-digit scoring numbers.

The Sooners fell behind early and struggled to gain any momentum. UConn outscored the Sooners 32-26 in the first half, and matched every bucket the Sooners made.

In the second half, Oklahoma battled back, taking the lead off of a Mohamed Wague tip-shot. However, it lasted 17 seconds. UConn quickly took the lead back on a Ball pull-up jumper and never looked back.

Oklahoma brought the lead down to four points with two minutes to play, but the Huskies defense only allowed a single Sooner point in that final frame.

The Sooners struggled with efficient shooting from beyond the arc, knocking down only 17.6% of their threes. UConn didn’t fare much better, shooting 24% from deep, but were far more efficient from the rest of the field.

UConn will now play Florida in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 6 Illinois defeated No. 11 Xavier

Illinois defeated Xavier 86-73.

Will Riley led the Fighting Illini with 22 points on an efficient 8-12 night. He also knocked down three triples. Tomislav Ivisic recorded a double-double, posting 20 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman phenom Kasparas Jakucionis finished with a 16 point, 10 assist double-double.

Dailyn Swain led the Musketeers with 27 points, while Dayvion McKnight and Ryan Conwell both added 12 points. Zach Freemantle, Xavier’s leading scorer, struggled. Freemantle was held to five points on 2-9 shooting.

The game was tight for the majority of the first half, with Illinois taking a five-point lead into halftime.

However, after building up a double-digit lead in the second half, Xavier began to regain momentum, slicing the deficit to eight points.

The Musketeers looked to continue their momentum after Jakucionis missed a three. However, Kylan Boswell soared for the offensive board who quickly swung a pass out to Riley, who promptly drilled a dagger three.

Illinois later closed out the game to advance to the round of 32 to face Kentucky.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 2 Michigan State defeated No. 15 Bryant

Michigan State survived an early scare against upset-minded Bryant, defeating the Bulldogs 87-62.

Coen Carr led the Spartans with 18 points. However, his nine rebound performance put on a show. Carr grabbed four offensive rebounds and threw down thunderous dunks, showcasing his incredible vertical. Carr continuously attacked the paint, finishing tough layups and drawing fouls on an efficient 7-10 night.

Alongside Carr, Tre Holloman contributed 14 points off the bench, and Jase Richardson finished with 15.

Rafael Pinzon led the Bulldogs with 21 points and Earl Timberlake added 14 points. Barry Evans, the team’s third-leading scorer, only managed seven points on a tough 3-7 shooting night.

The Bulldogs kept the game close early, entering halftime in a five-point hole. However, the Spartans quickly built a double-digit lead behind a pair of Richardson triples and never looked back. They used an 18-9 run to build a 19-point lead, and closed out the game comfortably.

The Spartans, who had struggled with three-point shooting in the regular season, proved the doubters wrong. They drained 10 triples at a 38.5% clip and shot 44.3% from the field. Their defense tightened up, only allowing Bryant to sink five three-pointers, well below their average of around eight per game.

With the win, Michigan State now plays New Mexico in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 5 Oregon defeated No. 12 Liberty

In the last game of the first round, Oregon routed Liberty 81-52.

Jackson Shelstad led the Ducks with 17 points, while Keeshawn Barthelemy added 10 more. Center Nate Bittle finished with a double-double, logging 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Zach Cleveland led Liberty with 10 points. He was the only Flame to post double-digit scoring numbers in the game.

Oregon dominated in every category, shooting 54.4% from the field and 47.6% from beyond the arc. Their defense held a fast-paced Liberty offense to 32.8% shooting from the field and 21.6% from beyond the arc. Oregon also forced 12 turnovers, which turned into 17 Oregon points.

Oregon led the entire game, opening up the first half on an 18-2 run. Liberty was unable to cut the lead down to single-digits at any point afterwards.

The Ducks carried a 44-20 halftime lead, and later outscored the Flames 37-32 in the second half to secure the win.

Oregon will now play former Pac-12 rival Arizona in the round of 32.

The post Everything You Missed From Friday’s March Madness Slate appeared first on SLAM.

Here’s everything you need to know to be caught up on the madness so far heading into Friday’s slate of games.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 9 Creighton defeated No. 8 Louisville 89-75

As a light drizzle passed over Lexington, a downpour of threes pelted Rupp Arena.

Everything the Creighton Bluejays put up in their opening round clash with the Louisville Cardinals seemed to fall through.

After the game was deadlocked at 15, the Bluejays began firing from deep. With snipers at nearly every offensive position, Creighton immediately built a double-digit lead solely on three-pointers from Steven Ashworth, Jamiya Neal and Jackson McAndrew.

When halftime rolled around, the Cardinals found themselves in a 15-point hole. Creighton had drained nine first-half triples.

The energy carried over into the second half. On Creighton’s first possession, Kalkbrenner faked a screen for Neal. Neal pitched it back to the reigning Big East Defensive Player of the Year.

Kalkbrenner stepped into a three and drilled it, summing up how the game went for the Bluejays—they simply couldn’t miss.

Neal led Creighton with a double-double, recording 29 points on 11-16 shooting and grabbing 12 rebounds. Neal finished four assists shy of a triple-double. Ashworth added 22 points, and Kalkbrenner, one of the premier shot-blockers in college hoops, tallied four blocks and 14 points.

Chucky Hepburn led the Cardinals with 22 points, while Terrence Edwards Jr. added 21. Creighton’s defense held Reyne Smith, one of the premier sharpshooters in the nation, to five points on one-made three.

Despite the disappointing end, Louisville looks to have a bright future under head coach Pat Kelsey, who orchestrated a 19-win turnaround in his first season with the program.

Creighton will move on to face off against No. 1 Auburn, the top overall seed in the tournament.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 4 Purdue defeated No. 13 High Point

On Selection Sunday, High Point was a popular pick to pull off a shock upset against last year’s runners-up. For most of the game, that seemed like a possibility.

Both teams battled for the first 18 minutes of the half, until the Boilermakers shifted the momentum.

Up 31-25, Camden Heide missed a three-pointer. The ball caromed off the rim, and Myles Colvin crashed the glass hard, throwing down a ferocious jam that sent the bench into a frenzy.

Colvin then stole the ball from High Point’s Terry Anderson and sprinted towards the basket. His layup barely missed.

But Heide, with shades of his electric slam in last year’s National Championship, threw down a two-handed putback jam.

Back-to-back slams.

Purdue rode the energy to a 10-point halftime lead.

Purdue took that momentum into the second half. They tightened up on offense, matching High Point’s high-powered offense by outscoring the Panthers 38-36 in the second half to secure the dub.

Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with a team-leading 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Big Ten Player of the Year Braden Smith finished with 20 points, and Heide recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.

D’Maurian Williams led the Panthers with 12 points and Trae Benham added 11 points. Williams and Benham were the only two High Point players to score double-digit points.

The Boilermakers dominated the glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds and 45 total, outrebounding High Point by 21.

The Panthers outshot the Boilermakers from deep 10-5, but recorded 20 personal fouls. Those fouls turned into 22 free throws for Purdue, of which they converted 14, the difference in the game.

Purdue will now play the upset-minded McNeese State Cowboys and their manager Amir Khan in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 3 Wisconsin defeated No. 14 Montana

The Wisconsin Badgers defeated the Montana Grizzlies 85-66.

John Blackwell led the Badgers will 19 points. Steven Crowl added 18 and John Tonje, the team’s leading scorer, finished with 15 points.

The Badgers had five players crack double-digit scoring, with Nolan Winter adding 10 points and six boards, while Xavier Amos dropped 11 off the bench.

Te’Jon Sawyer and Kai Johnson finished with 15 points each to lead the Grizzlies.

The Badgers were efficient on the offensive end, shooting 55.4% from the field and 80% from the free throw line on 20 attempts.

While Montana kept the game close, cutting the lead to four in the second half, the Badgers pulled away, outscoring the Grizzlies 45-34 in the final frame.

Wisconsin will now play BYU in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 1 Houston defeated No. 16 SIU Edwardsville

Houston defeated SIU Edwardsville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in a 78-40 rout.

Oklahoma transfer Milos Uzan led Houston with 16 points, while L.J. Cryer added 15 points on four three-pointers.

The Cougars had four double-digit scorers, with Ja’Vier Francis and Terrance Arceneaux adding 13 and 10 points respectively off the bench.

Brian Taylor II and Ray’Sean Taylor led SIU Edwardsville with 10 points each.

Houston dominated, grabbing an early lead three minutes into the game and never looking back. The Cougars led by 40 points in the second half at one point, their largest of the game.

Houston’s defense held the Cougars to 30.6% shooting from the field, and 2-24 from beyond the arc. The Cougars’ offensive output of 40 points was their fewest points scored in a game all season.

Taylor II and Taylor were the only SIU Edwardsville players to crack double-digit scoring.

Houston will look to lock up Gonzaga’s second-ranked scoring offense on Saturday in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 1 Auburn defeated No. 16 Alabama State

The Auburn Tigers defeated the Alabama State Hornets 83-63.

Miles Kelly led the Tigers with 23 points, his second-highest scoring night of the season. National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome finished with a double-double, dropping 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Freshman phenom Tahaad Pettiford added 16 points and five assists and boards.

Amarr Knox, who scored the game-winning layup in the Hornets’ First Four game, led the team with 18 points. TJ Madlock followed suit with 11 points. Knox and Madlock were the only two Hornets players who finished with double-digit points.

The Tigers struggled to pull away early, with the Hornets erasing a double-digit deficit into a one-possession game with a little over a minute to play in the first half.

However, Auburn outscored the Hornets 42-32 in the second half to close out the game.

Auburn’s defense stepped up, holding the Hornets to 37.1% shooting from the field and 24% from deep.

They will try to carry that defensive over to a red-hot Creighton team who shot the Louisville Cardinals out of Rupp Arena,

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 12 McNeese upset No. 5 Clemson

Amir Khan’s aura could be felt throughout the Amica Mutual Pavilion walls.

The McNeese State basketball manager was everywhere, from signs in the crowd to socks on the cheerleaders.

When Khan led the walkout, equipped with his customized speaker draped around his neck and surrounded by his teammates singing, the makings of an upset were set.

The Cowboys took the energy to the court, jumping out to a massive lead early, and holding on to secure a 69-67 upset victory over the Clemson Tigers.

Brandon Murray led the Cowboys with 21 points off the bench, and Quadir Copeland added 16 more. Christian Shumate recorded a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Jaeden Zackery led the Tigers with 24 points, and Chase Hunter finished with 21 in the final game of his collegiate career. Ian Schieffelin and Viktor Lakhin, Clemson’s second and fourth leading scorers, finished with a combined seven points.

The Cowboys clamped up early, holding the Tigers to 13 points in the first half alone, while scoring 31. The Tigers only made five field goals in the first half.

In the second half, McNeese appeared to have control of the game. The Cowboys maintained a double-digit for most of the half, logging a 17-point advantage with just over four minutes to play.

However, the veteran Tigers weren’t going to go down without a fight. The Tigers drained five triples in the final two minutes of the game, miraculously cutting the previous 24-point McNeese lead into a one possession game with under a minute to go.

However, Garcia made one of his two free throws to ice the game with a four point lead.

Despite the dominant beginning, the Cowboys shot inefficiently from deep and from the free-throw line. They went 4-19 from beyond the arc and 11-22 from the free-throw line.

Clemson didn’t fare better, shooting 36.8% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc on 30 attempted triples. However, they were efficient from the free-throw line, knocking down 16 of their 19 attempted shots.

Despite the dramatic comeback, the hole they dug themselves in the first half doomed them.

With the win, Wade earned his first NCAA Tournament win since the 2020-21 season, when he coached the LSU Tigers. The victory marked the first tournament win in McNeese’s program history.

The Cowboys move on to play last year’s runners-up, the Purdue Boilermakers in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 6 BYU defeated No. 11 VCU

For the third straight time, the BYU Cougars earned a No. 6 seed in the Big Dance. For the past two years, they fell to a No. 11 seed.

In the 2020-21 season, a scrappy UCLA team led by Johnny Juzang and Jaime Jaquez rolled past them. Then last year, the A-10 Champion Duquesne Dukes pulled off a shocking upset.

However, the third time was the charm.

With program legend Jimmer Fredette in attendance, BYU silenced any critics who labeled them on “upset alert” by defeating the VCU Rams 80-71.

Richie Saunders led the Cougars with 16 points and Egor Demin added 15 points. Fousseyni Traore added 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Zeb Jackson led the Rams with 23 points off the bench. Jack Clark, Max Shulga and Joe Bamisile each added 12 points of their own.

The Rams outshot the Cougars in the game, draining 15 triples to BYU’s seven. However, VCU doomed themselves by getting into foul trouble. The Rams committed 23 personal fouls, which turned into 19 points for the Cougars at the charity stripe, the difference in the game.

BYU took an 11 point lead into the half. The Rams were unable to recover, having only led for the first two minutes of the game.

The victory marked first-year head coach Kevin Young’s first ever tournament win in his career.

The Cougars will now take on Wisconsin in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 8 Gonzaga defeated No. 9 Georgia

On Selection Sunday, experts and analytics believed Gonzaga was better than their seeding showed. On Thursday, they played like it.

The Zags rolled through Georgia’s defense, routing the Bulldogs 89-68.

Khalif Battle led Gonzaga with 24 points on 9-13 shooting, while Nolan Hickman and Braden Huff each added 18 points. Gonzaga’s leading scorer Graham Ike finished with 13 points.

Georgia freshman Asa Newell led the Bulldogs with 20 points. Silas Demary Jr. also added 15 points and a team-leading four assists. In what could be Newell’s final collegiate game, the potential NBA lottery pick went out with a bang.

Newell showed finesse and his bag against veteran Gonzaga defenders Ike and Huff, shooting 60% from the field and 8-10 from the free-throw line. Newell added eight boards to his statline. The NBA’s mock draft has him currently going 12th overall, but his stock can still rise.

The Zags dominated early, jumping out to a double-digit lead off of a 13-0 run. Georgia entered halftime in a 21-point hole and never recovered.

Gonzaga’s second-ranked scoring offense showed out. The team shot 60% from beyond the arc and 55% from the field. The team made 12 triples, with four of those coming from Battle, who earned approval from the boss.

With the victory, Zags coach Mark Few earned his 44th tournament win and 16th-consecutive opening round victory.

Gonzaga will now square off against No. 1 Houston, in what is shaping up to be a battle of two premier college basketball programs and coaches.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 2 Tennessee defeated No. 15 Wofford

The Tennessee Volunteers defeated the Wofford Terriers 77-62.

Chaz Lanier led the Volunteers with 29 points and Zakai Zeigler recorded a double-double, dropping 12 points and dishing out 12 dimes.

Lanier’s scoring ability was on full display, draining six three-pointers and making tough fadeaway jumpers off the dribble. Lanier’s 29 points were the most the North Florida transfer scored since Tennessee’s Feb. 22 win against Texas A&M.

Jackson Sivills led the Terriers with 15 points and Corey Tripp added 14 points. The Terriers finished the game with four double-digit scorers.

Wofford outshot the Vols from deep, draining 11 triples to Tennessee’s 10. However, turnovers and 20 fouls held them back. Tennessee earned 22 free throw attempts from those fouls, which turned in 15 points.

The Vols now move on to play UCLA in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 10 Arkansas defeated No. 7 Kansas

In the battle of premier coaches, John Calipari emerged on top.

In what was billed as a battle between Bill Self and Calipari, Calipari’s Razorbacks defeated Self’s Kansas Jayhawks 79-72.

Tennessee transfer Jonas Aidoo led the Razorbacks with 22 points. Trevon Brazile posted a double-double, dropping 11 points and recording 12 rebounds. FAU transfer Johnell Davis added 18 points and Kentucky transfer D.J. Wagner finished with 14 points.

Zeke Mayo led the Jayhawks with 18 points, while AJ Storr contributed 15 points off the bench. Star center Hunter Dickinson finished out his collegiate career with 11 points and nine rebounds, and KJ Adams Jr., who injured his achilles in the game, dropped 13.

Kansas outshot the Razorbacks from beyond the arc and the three-point line, draining eight triples and 14 free throws. Arkansas struggled with three-point efficiency, only making 25% of their attempts from beyond the arc.

Despite the higher efficiency, Kansas turned the ball over 16 times, which proved to be the difference-maker in the game.

Calipari will now face off against a former rival, Rick Pitino and the St. John’s Red Storm.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 4 Texas A&M defeated No. 13 Yale

On Selection Sunday, this game was deja vu.

Last year, the Yale Bulldogs won the Ivy League title and squared off with the Auburn Tigers, a solid SEC squad. Behind John Poulakidas and Danny Wolf, the team battled and upset the Tigers 78-76.

This year, Yale, led by Poulakidas was billed to play Texas A&M. Same seeding. Same conference opponent.

The only difference—the result.

Texas A&M took care of business, defeating Yale 80-71.

Pharrel Payne led the Aggies with an efficient double-double, dropping 25 points on 10-12 shooting and grabbing 10 boards. Payne’s 25 points were a career high for the junior forward. Star guard Wade Taylor IV finished with 16 points, and Jace Carter added 10 more.

Poulakidas, the kryptonite of Auburn in last year’s tournament, finished with 23 points. Nick Townsend added 15 more, and Isaac Celiscar contributed 12 off the bench.

A Yale victory was the most picked No. 13 upset in the country, but a tough Aggie defense prevented that from happening. The Aggies held Yale to only 38.1% shooting from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs also struggled from the free-throw line, shooting 64.3% from the charity stripe in 14 attempts.

Bez Mbeng, Yale’s third-leading scorer, was held to only two points on the night. Mbeng finished with nine assists and eight boards, but could not find the bottom of the net.

Texas A&M will now move on to play the Michigan Wolverines in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 11 Drake upset No. 6 Missouri

Experts and fans new Bennett Stirtz was a bucket.

The Division II star joined Drake, along with his head coach, Ben McCollum from Northwest Missouri State.

He had always been a bucket, but could never seem to find the national spotlight.

Maybe a few people noticed when he dropped 22 points in an overtime win against power-conference opponent Kansas State, when he went coast-to-coast before draining a deep go-ahead three of a snatch-back.

Maybe it was when he dropped 30 points on Southern Illinois on only 11 field goals.

However, in his tournament debut, Stirtz put everyone notice.

With momentum favoring Missouri, Stirtz caught the ball with time winding down on the shot clock. He dribbled to the top of the key and pulled up a running-three pointer off of one leg.

He drained it, giving Drake an 11 point lead with just under nine minutes to play, sending the INTRUST Bank Arena crowd into a frenzy.

Stirtz’s 21 points on 8-11 shooting helped propel the Drake Bulldogs to an upset victory over the Missouri Tigers, their first NCAA Tournament win since the 2020-21 season.

Alongside Stirtz, Tavion Banks added 15 points and nine boards. Stirtz and Banks were the only two Bulldogs to finish in double-digit scoring.

Caleb Grill led the Tigers with 14 points and Tamar Bates added 10 points. Mark Mitchell, Missouri’s leading scorer, was held in-check with eight points and eight rebounds.

Drake’s slow pace of play proved to be the difference-maker in the game, as the Bulldogs found efficiency all over the court. Drake shot 54.3% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc, nailing five triples. They shared the ball, with seven different players recording assists and were able to outrebound the Tigers 31-26.

However, despite a 10-point victory, the Bulldogs left opportunities at the free-throw line slip away. Drake shot 12-24 from the free-throw line. Despite the inefficiencies, they still grinded out a victory.

Missouri struggled from the field, only making 15 field goals for the entire game. They shot 33.3% from the field and 4-16 from deep. Grill, the Tigers’ primary sharpshooter only shot 1-7 from beyond the arc and struggled to get going offensively.

Most of Missouri’s points came from the free-throw line, which they converted 23 of 26 total opportunities.

After being down for nearly the entire game, Missouri erased a double-digit lead in the second half, cutting it down to a three-point game. That was the closest the Tigers would get.

Drake, despite missing many of their free-throws while in the bonus, played lockdown defense to only allow six points in the final four minutes of the second half, outscoring the Tigers 13-6 in that frame.

The Bulldogs will now face off against another high-powered offense in Texas Tech in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 7 UCLA defeated No. 10 Utah State

UCLA defeated Utah State 72-47.

Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. led the Bruins with 14 points each. Adey Mara contributed 10 points off the bench and added five blocks.

Mason Falslev led the Aggies with a double-double, dropping 17 points and grabbing 10 boards. Deyton Albury added 12 points. No other Aggie player scored more than four points.

It was a Mick Cronin special: a dominant defensive performance.

The Bruins held the Aggies to 30% shooting from the field and 12.9% from deep. They forced 11 turnovers and never relinquished the lead after taking a 10-8 lead five minutes into the first half.

UCLA’s experience proved to be the difference-maker. The veteran squad took efficient shots, shooting 48.1% from the field and 41.7% from deep, draining 10 triples. They also went perfect from the free-throw line.

UCLA will look to build off of this performance when they take on another elite defensive team in Tennessee in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 2 St. John’s defeated No. 15 Omaha

Rick Pitino and St. John’s are back in March.

On the heels of a dream season that has seen the Johnnies capture a Big East regular season and conference title, the team made the Big Dance for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

Their seeding as a No. 2 seed—hasn’t been seen since the 1999-00 season, where they were upset by an upstart Gonzaga team led by Richie Frahm.

However, with New York City on their back, the Johnnies took care of business, dominating Omaha 83-53.

Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr. led the Johnnies with 22 points, while Simeon Wilcher added 13. Kadary Richmond and Zuby Ejiofor, other members of the team’s Big Three, added 10 points each.

JJ White led the Mavericks with 15 points, while Marquel Sutton added 11. Sutton and White were the only two Omaha players to finish in double-digit scoring.

However, the story of the game was not St. John’s defense, but rather their shooting.

The Red Storm silenced all critics who were worrisome about their inefficient three-point shooting, knocking down 14 triples at a 37.8% clip.

Luis and Wilcher knocked down five and three triples respectively, while sharpshooters Aaron Scott and Deivon Smith drilled two each.

Combined with a lockdown defense that held the Mavericks to 25.7% shooting from the field and 5-36 from beyond the arc, the Johnnies appear to be peaking at the perfect time in March.

Pitino will now clash with a familiar foe, John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks in the round of 32.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 5 Michigan defeated No. 12 UC San Diego

Down two with two minutes to play against a scrappy mid-major with an upset in mind, Tre Donaldson found himself in a similar spot.

Last year, the junior guard was playing for the Auburn Tigers, who landed the No. 4 seed in last year’s tournament. The Tigers squared off against a Yale team led by John Poulakidas and Danny Wolf—Donaldson’s current teammate with Michigan.

At the free throw line down two with seconds left, Donaldson missed his first attempt. He intentionally missed the second, and after a blocked layup and missed triple, the rest was history. A 78-76 Yale upset.

But in his first tournament game with Michigan, he wasn’t going to let history repeat itself.

In crunch time, Donaldson caught a pass and took one dribble to the wing, pulling up from deep. He held the follow-through, stepping back—almost as if he knew it was going in.

His shot was money, putting the Wolverines up 66-65, a lead they would not relinquish.

After a multiple tough defensive possessions, Vladislav Goldin made two clutch free throws, giving Michigan a three-point lead.

After Tyler McGhie’s game-tying shot caromed off the rim, the Wolverines escaped with a 68-65 victory.

Goldin led the Wolverines with 14 points, while Donaldson added 12, including his go-ahead trey. Roddy Gayle Jr. added 11 points off the bench. Wolf, Michigan’s point-forward, finished with nine points and 11 rebounds.

McGhie led the Tritons with 25 points, while Nordin Kapic and Hayden Gray added 15 and 10 points respectively. Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, the team’s leading scorer, fouled out after playing only 25 minutes. He finished with seven points, his lowest scoring output since Nov. 21.

Despite losing their leading scorer, the Tritons fought throughout the game. Michigan threatened to run away early, opening the game on a 10-0 run. Facing a 14-point halftime deficit, the Tritons battled, cutting the lead to three only four minutes into the second half.

A McGhie jumper gave the Tritons their first lead of the game with just over two minutes to play. However, on the ensuing possession, Donaldson’s clutch three snagged the advantage back for the Wolverines.

The Wolverines will now face No. 4 Texas A&M Saturday.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

No. 3 Texas Tech defeated No. 14 UNC Wilmington

In a tightly contested affair, the Texas Tech Red Raiders defeated the UNC Wilmington Seahawks 82-72.

Kerwin Walton led the Red Raiders with a career-high 27 points, making eight triples. All of Walton’s 19 shot attempts came from beyond the arc. The team’s leading scorer JT Toppin posted a double-double, dropping 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Elijah Hawkins also posted a double-double, dropping 14 points and dishing out 10 assists.

Nolan Hodge led the Seahawks with 18 points off the bench. Donovan Newby, the team’s senior leading scorer, was held in check, finishing with eight points.

The Seahawks gave the Red Raiders a fight when nobody expected them to. Entering the game as 15.5 point underdogs, the Seahawks matched Texas Tech’s high-powered offense, closing out the first half only down four points following a Hodge triple.

Both teams traded buckets in the second half, with the Red Raiders outscoring the Seahawks 44-38 in the final frame.

While UNC Wilmington shot more efficiently than Texas Tech, the Red Raiders’ barrage of three-pointers proved to be the difference-maker in the game. Texas Tech shot 28.3% from beyond the arc, but nailed 13 triples throughout the game, compared to UNC Wilmington’s seven.

Texas Tech will now move on to play Drake in the round of 32.

The post Everything You Missed From Thursday’s March Madness Slate appeared first on SLAM.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

South Region:

No. 1 Auburn vs. Winner between No. 16 St. Francis (PA) vs. No. 16 Alabama State

No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Bryant

No. 3 Iowa State vs. No. 14 Lipscomb

No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 13 Yale

No. 5 Michigan vs. No. 12 UC San Diego

No. 6 Ole Miss vs. Winner between No. 11 San Diego State vs. No. 11 North Carolina

No. 7 Marquette vs. No. 10 New Mexico

No. 8 Louisville vs. No. 9 Creighton

Top Seed

The Auburn Tigers are the top overall seed in the tournament. Coming off a historic season led by Wooden Award candidate Johni Broome and star freshman Tahaad Pettiford—who recently met with SLAM—the Tigers posted a 28-5 record, tied for the third-best in program history. Broome is averaging a double-double at 18.9 ppg and 10.6 rpg, while Pettiford averages 11 ppg off the bench. The team also consists of lockdown defender Denver Jones and scoring threats Chad Baker-Mazara and Miles Kelly, all of whom are scoring in double-digit figures. Their offensive depth makes them poised for a deep run in March.

Key Matchups

The Michigan-UC San Diego matchup will be a chess match. Michigan is led by a star group of transfers in Danny Wolf, Vlad Goldin and Tre Donaldson and are fresh off winning the Big Ten Tournament. The Wolverines run a unique offense, with Wolf acting as a point forward who can pass and get buckets when needed. The Wolverines’ size will make it difficult on the Tritons, who are one of the hottest teams in the country. The team went 30-4 and is an elite sharpshooting team led by seniors Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones, Tyler McGhie and Hayden Gray. The Tritons boast the sixth-ranked defense in the nation and a top-50 offense. Expect a gritty, physical matchup between two teams who have seen program revivals.

The Marquette-New Mexico matchup will feature a battle between two of the best guards in the nation. Marquette is led by senior Kam Jones, who has established himself as one of the best scorers in the nation, averaging 19.3 ppg and landing on the Wooden Award Watchlist. However, he will be tasked with guarding Donovan Dent, the star guard of their opponent, the No. 10 seed New Mexico Lobos. Dent is a certified bucket-getter, averaging 20.6 ppg and knocking down 3’s at a 41.5% clip en route to a Mountain West Player of the Year award. Expect a battle between two of the most talented guards in the country.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

West Region:

No. 1 Florida vs. No. 16 Norfolk State

No. 2 St. John’s vs. No. 15 Omaha

No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 14 UNC Wilmington

No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon

No. 5 Memphis vs. No. 12 Colorado State

No. 6 Missouri vs. No. 11 Drake

No. 7 Kansas vs. No. 10 Arkansas

No. 8 UConn vs. No. 9 Oklahoma

Top Seed

The Florida Gators are the No. 1 seed in the region. Led by an elite backcourt of Alijah Martin, Will Richard and Walter Clayton Jr., the Gators won their first SEC conference tournament since 2014. The Gators posted a 30-4 record in the SEC and are one of the favorites to win the National Championship. With their backcourt, all averaging over 13 ppg and a threat down-low in Alex Condon, who is averaging 11.2 ppg and nearly eight boards, Florida’s explosive offense and lights-out shooting are built for March.

Key Matchups

Kansas-Arkansas will feature a clash between legendary coaches Bill Self and John Calipari. Kansas, the No. 1 ranked team in the preseason has had a tumultuous season, finishing with a 21-12 record. Star center Hunter Dickinson is the team’s leading scorer, averaging a double-double with 17 ppg and 10 boards. Transfer Zeke Mayo has also contributed on the offensive end, averaging 14.5 ppg. In his first season, Calipari led the Razorbacks to a 20-13 record. The Razorbacks are led by junior forward Adou Thiero and freshman guard Boogie Fland, who is expected to return from injury for the game. Thiero and Fland average 15.6 and 15.1 ppg respectively. Although both teams haven’t seen the rapid success they were expected to, expect both brilliant basketball minds to put forth an exciting game.

The battle between the two-time defending champion UConn Huskies and Oklahoma Sooners will feature two of the best freshmen in the country. Oklahoma is led by freshman guard Jeremiah Fears, who is averaging 17 ppg. Fears has established himself as a mid-range assassin equipped with a strong driving ability. His offensive production has found himself as a potential lottery pick in NBA mock drafts. UConn’s star freshman is forward Liam McNeeley, who is averaging 14.5 ppg. McNeeley is a three-level scorer who can score in the paint and from beyond the arc, knocking down 33.3% of his 3’s. McNeeley is another projected lottery pick in NBA mock drafts. Expect the two draft prospects to put on an offensive show in this one.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

East Region:

No. 1 Duke vs. Winner of No. 16 American vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary’s

No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 15 Robert Morris

No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Montana

No. 4 Arizona vs. No. 13 Akron

No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 12 Liberty

No. 6 BYU vs. No. 11 VCU

No. 7 Saint Mary’s vs. No. 10 Vanderbilt

No. 8 Mississippi State vs. No. 9 Baylor

Top Seed

The No. 1 seed in this region is the Duke Blue Devils, who finished with a 31-3 record and an ACC regular season and conference title. The team is led by star freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. Flagg has become one of the key players on the Wooden Award Watchlist, averaging nearly 19 ppg, 7.5 rebounds and four assists a game. Knueppel has been an elite sharpshooter for the squad, averaging 14.4 ppg on 39.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Duke also has scoring threats from all positions, including Tyrese Proctor, Sion James, Isaiah Evans and lockdown defender Khaman Maluach. However, the story for this team is the status of Flagg, who suffered an ankle injury in the ACC Tournament. Coach Jon Scheyer said he expects to have Flagg return for the first round, but nothing has been made official yet.

Key Matchup

The matchup between Saint Mary’s and Vanderbilt is an intriguing one. Both teams present opposite strong suits, with Saint Mary’s excelling on the defensive end and Vanderbilt containing an explosive offense. The Gaels are a veteran team led by seniors Augustas Marciulionis and Mitchell Saxen, who are averaging double-digit points. The Gaels play at a slow pace and hold teams to 60.7 ppg, the fifth best in the nation. They square off against a Vanderbilt squad led by All-SEC guard Jason Edwards, who is averaging 17 ppg. The Commodores are dancing for the first time since the 2016-17 season. They have a balanced offense with Edwards, sharpshooter Tyler Nickel and double-double machine Devin McGlockton. Expect a close battle between these two squads.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Midwest Region

No. 1 Houston vs. No. 16 SIUE

No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 Wofford

No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 14 Troy

No. 4 Purdue vs. No. 13 High Point

No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 McNeese

No. 6 Illinois vs. Winner between No. 11 Texas vs. No. 11 Xavier

No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 10 Utah State

No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 9 Georgia

Top Seed

The Houston Cougars are the top seed in this region, earning a No. 1 seed for the third consecutive year. The Cougars posted a 30-4 record en route to a Big 12 regular season and tournament title. They retain the majority of last year’s roster, being led by guards L.J. Cryer and Emanuel Sharp, who average 15.2 and 12.6 ppg respectively. The Cougs also added Oklahoma transfer Milos Uzan, who has filled Jamal Shead’s void, averaging 11.5 ppg and facilitating the offense. However, Houston’s strong suit is interior defense led by J’Wan Roberts, Joseph Tugler and Ja’Vier Francis. Tugler averages 2.1 blocks a game and has found his way up draft boards on mock drafts. The Cougars have the second-best defense in the nation, allowing 58.5 ppg and are poised for another deep run in March.

Key Matchups

The Midwest region boasts an intriguing matchup between Gonzaga and Georgia. The Zags are in their 26th consecutive Big Dance and boast the nation’s second-best offense. They are led by Wooden Award Watchlist guard Ryan Nembhard, the nation’s assist leader and forward Graham Ike, who averages 17.1 ppg. Georgia is in the tournament for the first time since the 2014-15 season. The team’s star is freshman forward Asa Newell, who is averaging 15.3 ppg and nearly seven boards a game. Newell was named to the All-SEC Freshman team and is a projected lottery pick. Expect a battle between the two forwards down low.

The matchup between Clemson and McNeese State is also a barnburner. The Clemson Tigers possess a dangerous veteran lineup led by guard Chase Hunter and forward Ian Schieffelin. The Tigers were the only team to take down Duke in conference play and posted a 27-6 record. However, their mid-major opponent is no pushover. Will Wade has McNeese back in the Big Dance after posting a 27-6 record. They are led by guards Javohn Garcia and Sincere Parker, who average 12 ppg. However, their biggest weapon is their manager, Amir Khan, who orchestrates the toughest walkout with the team before every tip-off. Expect a close battle between two balanced teams.

The post Everything You Need to Know From the Men’s Selection Sunday appeared first on SLAM.

Here is everything you need to know before the First Round tips off on Thursday.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Region 1 Spokane:

No. 1 UCLA vs. Winner between No. 16 UC San Diego and No. 16 Southern

No. 2 NC State vs. No. 15 Vermont

No. 3 LSU vs. No. 14 San Diego State

No. 4 Baylor vs. No. 13 Grand Canyon

No. 5 Ole Miss vs. No. 12 Ball State

No. 6 Florida State vs. No. 11 George Mason

No. 7 Michigan State vs. No. 10 Harvard

No. 8 Richmond vs. No. 9 Georgia Tech

Top Seed:

The UCLA Bruins are the top seed overall seed in the tournament. They enter the tournament coming off a historic 30-2 season, where they set a program record for wins in a single season. The Bruins are led by star center Lauren Betts, the Big Ten DPOY and a First-Team All-Big Ten selection. Betts is averaging 19.6 ppg and 2.9 blocks per game and helps provide interior defense to UCLA’s top-50 ranked defense. In the backcourt, junior guard Kiki Rice leads the charge, averaging 12.8 ppg and 1.6 steals per game. Rice joined Betts on the All-Big Ten First Team this season. The Bruins run a deep nine-player rotation that includes Gabriela Jaquez, Londynn Jones and Angela Dugalic. With offensive depth and stellar defense, the Bruins are poised to make a deep run in March.

Key Matchup

The matchup between Richmond and Georgia Tech is poised to be a close one. The Spiders received an at-large bid into the tournament after falling to St. Joe’s on a buzzer-beater in the A-10 semifinals. The Spiders enter the tournament with a 27-6 record and are led by juniors Maggie Doogan and Rachel Ullstrom. Doogan enjoyed another dominant season, averaging 16.3 ppg en route to being named A-10 Player of the Year. Ullstrom leads the Spiders’ backcourt as a scoring guard, averaging 15.5 ppg. The Spiders have an efficient shooting offense, hitting 38.3% of their shots from behind the arc as a team while making the second most in the A-10 this season. They square off against a deep Georgia Tech team led by Kara Dunn, Tonie Morgan and Dani Carnegie. The three average double-digit points, with Carnegie providing instant offense off the bench, dropping 13.1 ppg alongside her ACC Sixth Player of the Year award this season. Tech has the 28th-ranked offense in the nation, so expect a high-scoring affair for this one.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Region 2 Birmingham

No. 1 South Carolina vs. No. 16 Tennessee Tech

No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 Lehigh

No. 3 North Carolina vs. No. 14 Oregon State

No. 4 Maryland vs. No. 13 Norfolk State

No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 12 Green Bay

No. 6 West Virginia vs. Winner between No. 11 Columbia and No. 11 Washington

No. 7 Vanderbilt vs. No. 10 Oregon

No. 8 Utah vs. No. 9 Indiana

Top Seed

The South Carolina Gamecocks are the top seed in this region. Led by legendary coach Dawn Staley and a deep rotation of scorers, the Gamecocks finished with a 30-3 record and an SEC Championship. The team boasts an elite trio of Chloe Kitts, MiLaysia Fulwiley and Joyce Edwards, who all recently met with SLAM. Edwards has filled the void left by Kamilla Cardoso in her first season in Columbia, averaging 13.2 ppg while dominating in the paint and interior game. Fulwiley has provided instant offense off the bench averaging 12 ppg and 1.6 steals. Kitts has become a double-double machine, averaging 10.1 games and nearly eight boards, while also recently dropping a triple-double in a rout vs. Ole Miss. Complementing the trio are veterans Te-Hina Paopao, Raven Johnson, Bree Hall and Tessa Johnson. Staley’s deep and experienced squad has been here before and is looking to repeat their success and go back-to-back.

Key Matchup

Many experts are choosing the Green Bay Phoenix to upset Alabama in the first round of the tournament. The Phoenix are one of the hottest teams in the country, entering the tournament on a 22-game winning streak. They are led by All-Horizon guards Natalie McNeal and Maddy Schreiber. McNeal is averaging 14.9 ppg and 7.3 rebounds per game, while Schreiber is scoring 12.7 points a night. The team can score and lock opponents down, boasting the nation’s 17th-best scoring defense in the country. They will look to hold one of the nation’s best offenses in check. Alabama enters the tournament with the 20th-ranked scoring offense, averaging 78.4 points a night. They boast a lineup full of elite sharpshooters Sarah Ashlee Barker, Zaay Green, Aaliyah Nye and Karly Weathers, all of whom knock down over 35% of their 3’s. Bama’s scoring efficiency and pace could be problematic for the Phoenix, so expect a tight matchup between the two teams.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Region 3 Birmingham

No. 1 Texas vs. Winner between No. 16 High Point and No. 16 William & Mary

No. 2 TCU vs. No. 15 Farleigh Dickinson

No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin

No. 4 Ohio State vs. No. 13 Montana State

No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 12 South Florida

No. 6 Michigan vs. Winner between No. 11 Iowa State and No. 11 Princeton

No. 7 Louisville vs. No. 10 Nebraska

No. 8 Illinois vs. No. 9 Creighton

Top Seed

The Texas Longhorns are the top seed in this region, finishing the season with a 31-3 record and a regular season title. The Longhorns are led by All-American and SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker. Booker’s sophomore year was equally as impressive as her first, averaging 16.2 ppg, 6.6 boards and nearly three assists and 1.6 steals a night. Booker has established herself as a three-level scorer, knocking down shots in the paint and shooting 43.9% off occasional three-pointers—teams cannot leave her open anywhere on the court. Alongside Booker are veteran players Taylor Jones, Rori Harmon and Kyla Oldacre, who have provided threats at all spots in the starting lineup, with the three averaging over nine ppg. Texas enters the tournament as one of the most balanced teams in the country, boasting the 16th-best offense and 22nd-best scoring defense, and is looking to use its experience to make a deep run.

Key Matchup

Michigan’s first four opponents could be problematic in their first-round matchup. The Wolverines are penciled in to play Iowa State or Princeton, two strong squads. The Cyclones boast elite center Audi Crooks—who recently graced the digital cover of SLAMU—who is having an even better season than last year. Crooks is averaging 23.2 ppg, the eighth-highest in the nation and grabbing 7.6 rebounds a game. She is partnered with frontcourt mate Addy Brown, who has also seen an uptick in scoring. Brown is averaging 15.2 ppg, 7.6 rebounds a game and 5.2 assists. Crooks and Brown’s elite scoring ability down low could be problematic for a Michigan team that is weak defensively, allowing 65.7 points a night. However, the Cyclones would need to get past the Tigers first. Princeton enters their first four matchup with an elite defense, allowing only 56.8 points a night. They boast a scoring trio of Skye Belker, Ashley Chea, and Fadima Tall. All three average double-digit points a night and knock down over a third of their triples. Expect an exciting first-four matchup with the winner giving Michigan a run for their money.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Region 4 Spokane

No. 1 USC vs. No. 16 UNC Greensboro

No. 2 UConn vs. No. 15 Arkansas State

No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 FGCU

No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 13 Liberty

No. 5 Kansas State vs. No. 12 Fairfield

No. 6 Iowa vs. No. 11 Murray State

No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. No. 10 South Dakota State

No. 8 California vs. No. 9 Mississippi State

Top Seed

The USC Trojans are the top seed in this region. Led by Player of the Year candidate JuJu Watkins, the Trojans finished 28-3 and secured their second consecutive No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Watkins is following up her breakout freshman campaign with another dominant season, averaging 24.6 ppg and nearly seven rebounds and two steals a night. Watkins gets buckets in any way. She can shoot from beyond the arc, knocking down 33% of her 3’s. She can hit off-dribble mid-range jumpers and knife her way into the paint with ease. A one-on-one matchup is not enough to stop her. Alongside Watkins is Stanford transfer Kiki Iriafen, who is having an elite debut season in Los Angeles. Iriafen is averaging 18.2 ppg and 8.3 rebounds a night, and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team alongside Watkins. The two headline USC’s nine-ranked scoring offense, and are poised to make a deep run in March.

Key Matchup

Many experts are picking Fairfield to pull off an upset in their first-round matchup. The Stags are one of the hottest teams in the country, winning 22 of their last 23 games en route to a 28-4 record. The team is led by Meghan Andersen and Kaety L’Amoreaux, who are averaging 15.1 and 12.5 ppg respectively. Both players are efficient scorers, knocking down over 30% of their shots from beyond the arc. However, Fairfield’s strong suit is their elite defense, allowing only 54 points a night, the 10th-best margin in the country. They will look to put the clamps on a Kansas State team whose leading scorer’s status is unknown. Star center Ayoka Lee hasn’t played since February and may be good to go for the NCAA Tournament. If Lee plays, she will add elite interior scoring and defense. In her 19 games this season, Lee averaged 15.5 ppg and 6.1 rebounds. Lee’s offensive output would help spread the ball between her, facilitator Serena Sundell and Temira Poindexter. The Wildcats rank out as the 15th-best offense in the nation, so expect a battle between two teams that specialize on one side of the ball.

The post Everything You Need to Know From the Women’s Selection Sunday appeared first on SLAM.

With a little over three seconds left in the game and needing to go the entire length of the court for a bucket, Alabama State coach Tony Madlock drew up the perfect play.

With shades of Christian Laettner and Grant Hill in ’92, Hornets guard Micah Simpson threw a hail-mary pass into a sea of players. The ball deflected, tipped in the air and caromed off multiple players—right into the hands of Amarr Knox.

Knox then put up a layup to put the Hornets ahead by two with one second left, sending the bench into a frenzy as they stormed the court to celebrate.

The perfect deflections led to the Hornets winning their first-ever game in the NCAA Tournament, defeating St. Francis 70-68 in a back-and-forth affair.

Knox’s game-winner capped off his team-leading 16-point night. He shot 8-15 and added two steals.

Guards CJ Hines and TJ Madlock also finished with double-digit points, scoring 11 and 10 points respectively. Madlock grabbed seven boards and dished out two assists.

Red Flash freshman Juan Cranford led the game with 18 points and eight boards. He was a sniper from deep, nailing 5-7 shots from beyond the arc.
Valentino Pinedo and the team’s regular season leading scorer, Riley Parker finished with 17 and 12 points respectively.

The Red Flash had a more efficient scoring night, shooting 50% from the field and 45.5% from deep. They also had 10 more free throw attempts than the Hornets, going 10-14 from the charity stripe.

However, sloppy turnovers and errant passes doomed the team, who combined for 15 turnovers in the game. The turnovers limited scoring possessions and created 26 points for the Hornets.

St. Francis led the entire second half until a Hines three gave the Hornets a 62-60 lead with less than five minutes to play.

The Hornets will now travel to Lexington, Kentucky, to take on the tournament’s top overall seed—the Auburn Tigers.

The post Alabama State wins first-ever NCAA Tournament game on miracle layup by Amarr Knox appeared first on SLAM.

Blue and white Villanova jerseys flashed throughout the arena. A yellow mob of students emerged near the opposing bench, dressed in flashy banana costumes—a new superstition that debuted against St John’s. The bananas hyped the student section up while inflatable bananas flew across the crowd.

Amidst all the chaos, former Wildcat Kyle Lowry—who has seen rowdy crowds in the Wells Fargo Center before with the 76ers—was in attendance.

The Villanova community came alive in the team’s final regular season game at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Wildcats (16-12, 9-8 Big East) entered their final game in Philadelphia needing a win to bolster their tournament resume. Standing in their way was the No. 16 Marquette Golden Eagles (20-7, 11-5 Big East), a team who once ranked as high as No. 5 this season.

However, despite being underdogs at their second home court, the Wildcats took care of business in front of a boisterous crowd of 10,862—earning their fourth victory against a ranked opponent this year.

In a dominant performance, Villanova defeated No. 16 Marquette 81-66, snapping a two-game conference skid and maintaining ground for fifth place in the Big East conference.

Coming off two road losses against conference rivals Providence and UConn, the Wildcats seemed to erase the memories of their shortcomings and opened the game with a three-point barrage.

The Wildcats won the tip-off, leading to senior guard Wooga Poplar finding graduate forward Eric Dixon, who knocked down a three to put Villanova out front early.

Two possessions later, graduate guard Jhamir Brickus knocked down threes on back-to-back Villanova possessions. Dixon would later tack on another three on the ensuing offensive set.

The leading scorer in the nation finished with a team-leading 23 points.

With barely three minutes passing in the opening half, Villanova was perfect on four attempts from beyond the arc and held a 10-point 14-4 lead.

“We can do that—that’s something that this team has,” Villanova coach Kyle Neptune said. “We have high-level three-point shooters, guys that can really make shots.”

Marquette played catch-up from that point on.

The Golden Eagles struggled to find offensive efficiency early. Already in a double-digit hole, Marquette didn’t crack double-digit points until halfway through the opening frame.

Villanova’s pressured on-ball defense limited scoring opportunities for Marquette’s three leading scorers. The Wildcats held seniors Kam Jones, David Joplin and Stevie Mitchell to 12 combined points in the first half and 17 for the whole game.

While Marquette’s offensive core struggled, Villanova’s team remained scorching hot.

Brickus would add two more threes with style. He put the moves on Mitchell, hitting a nasty crossover stepback jumper, nearly breaking Mitchell’s ankles. It hit nothing but net.

He later drained another one from behind the arc, giving Villanova a 13-point halftime lead. Brickus finished the game with 21 points, his second-most on the season behind a 22-point performance against St. Joe’s on Nov. 12.

In the first half, Villanova went 12-15 from beyond the arc, seemingly unable to miss. The Big East’s No. 1 three-point shooting offense had rekindled their former identity.

“We did not do a good enough job having a level of hand pressure and activity and disruptivity to take those shots away,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart said.

In the second half, both teams cooled off.

In the second half, Villanova shot 32% from the field, while Marquette shot 36.67 percent. The Wildcats’ lights-out three-point shooting faded away, as they converted on only three of their 11 attempts from behind the arc.

Both teams traded blows early, with Marquette opening the second half on an 8-5 run to cut the lead to 10. Junior guard Chase Ross opened the scoring with an and-one tip-in, followed by a Jones layup and three-pointer from junior forward Ben Gold.

With the lead cut down to the smallest it had since the 13-minute mark in the first half, sloppy mistakes halted any comeback attempt for the Golden Eagles.

Two fouls on back-to-back three-point attempts netted six points on free throws by senior guard Jordan Longino and freshman Jordann Dumont.

Dumont’s free throws capped off a perfect shooting night for the freshman, who had only scored 14 career points before Friday’s game. He finished with 15 points on 4-4 shooting from beyond the arc and a perfect 3-3 from the charity stripe after coming off the bench.

“Guys did a good job just finding me,” Dumont said. “I stayed ready for when my number was called.”

Similarly, Marquette found efficient production from their rotation as well.

Sophomore guard Zaide Lowery had a career night, scoring 25 points on 9-10 shooting and a perfect 5-5 from beyond the arc. Lowery kept the Golden Eagles within striking distance, scoring 16 points in the second half. However, their inconsistent first half proved far too large to overcome.

In addition to inconsistent shooting, Marquette, the team with the highest turnover margin in the Big East, failed to generate many turnovers. Forcing 15.37 turnovers on average, the Golden Eagles only forced seven Villanova turnovers, the same amount as themselves, mitigating any statistical advantage.

Combined with Villanova’s three-point barrage and poor scoring from their stars, Marquette never led or tied the score for the entire game following Dixon’s opening possession three.

“Tonight we were going to come in and try to play our hardest, try to defend and rebound the highest level no matter what,” Neptune said. “I thought either way we put ourselves in a great spot. We really held (Marquette) especially early defensively. I thought that was key.”

With the victory, Villanova adds another Quad 1 victory to their tournament resume before the Big East Tournament. The Wildcats will play Seton Hall on Feb. 26.

The Golden Eagles have now lost four of their last six games. They will look to turn this trend around on Feb. 25 when they host Providence.

Photography by Luke Kaiser.

The post Red-Hot Shooting Night Propels Villanova to Upset Against No. 16 Marquette appeared first on SLAM.

A quick hesi and between the legs. A stepback three over Kessler’s outstretched arm.

Bang.

The LA crowd erupted into a standing ovation for Doncic’s first points in the purple and gold.

“The first of many to come for Luka Doncic,” ESPN announcer Dave Pasch said.

The crowd had anticipated this moment. Just a week before, fans saw one of the wildest trade deadlines in League history, capped off by a historic deal that sent the Mavericks superstar and franchise cornerstone to the Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis.

But Doncic hadn’t played since Christmas due to a calf strain. When news of the superstar’s status was changed to active, yellow No. 77 jerseys scattered the Crypto.com Arena. It was a night to remember in the City of Angels.

In front of a nationally televised audience, the Lakers made sure Doncic’s debut wasn’t to be ruined, as the Lake Show dominated the Jazz in a 132-113 romp on Monday night.

Lakers coach JJ Redick was adamant that Doncic would be eased back into action. Doncic played under a minutes cap of 24 minutes, finishing with 14 points on 5-14 attempts from the field and tallying five boards and four assists. However, the flashes of Luka Magic were evident.

Doncic showed off his hustle by crashing the glass hard for an offensive rebound on a Hachimura miss, which turned into an easy layup. He then squared up on Johnny Juzang and drilled a Dirk-esque fadeaway with the man himself watching from the crowd.

“The way they receive me—everybody, teammates, front office, everybody here. I heard a lot of noise when I was introduced. So I really appreciate it, it was a special moment,” Doncic said. “I think the ball was moving very well on the offensive end, I think we can locking down a lot of players, so I was just happy to be on the court again.”

Aside from Luka’s magic, the Lakers handled business as a squad. The team shot 54.3 percent from the field and knocked down 35.7 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. A total of seven Lakers finished in double-digit scoring, with LeBron, Austin Reaves and Hachimura finishing with 24, 22 and 21 points respectively.

Off the bench, Gabe Vincent added 11 points and Jordan Goodwin added 17 points on 8-11 shooting in only his second game for the squad.

To top it off, all the discourse from fans criticizing the Lakers center depth were silenced after Jaxson Hayes scored 12 points on thunderous slams and alley-oops from Doncic and James.

The Jazz struggled to generate consistent offense, shooting an inefficient 30 percent from beyond the arc and 46.4 percent from the field. The team also 19 turnovers, which the Lakers turned into 25 points.

John Collins and Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 17 points each. Collins and Kessler both had double-doubles, with the two snagging 11 and 12 boards respectively.

The game was within reach for Utah in the first quarter, but a 25-point halftime deficit was too large for the Jazz to overcome.

With the victory, the Lakers improve to 32-19 and currently sit in fourth place in the Western Conference. Utah falls to 12-40, and is now tied for last place in the Western Conference with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Lakers and Utah will now square off in a rematch in Utah on Wednesday at 9 p.m.

The post Everything that Happened in Luka Doncic’s Lakers Debut Against Jazz appeared first on SLAM.

Contending teams have added pieces to bolster their lineups, while teams have invested in the future for young talent and draft picks.

Here are the list of moves that went down in one of the craziest weeks to date.

Feb. 6

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Toronto Raptors acquired center James Wiseman from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for a future draft pick.

The former No. 2 overall pick appeared in only one game for Indiana, scoring six points. Wiseman has battled injuries throughout his career, which spanned two seasons with the Warriors and two seasons with the Pistons. He will likely provide center depth for Toronto alongside veteran big man Jakob Poeltl.

Toronto also receives cash considerations.

The Pacers receive a top-55 protected future draft pick.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 6

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Clippers acquired Milwaukee Bucks forward MarJon Beauchamp in exchange for Kevin Porter Jr.

Beauchamp was drafted in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft by Milwaukee and has seen limited playing time, mainly playing rotational minutes off the bench. In 26 games this season, Beauchamp is averaging two points per game.

Porter has spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers. He emerged as an offensive threat in Houston, averaging 17.2 points per game in three seasons. Porter joins a Bucks team sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference and will likely provide instant offense off the bench playing behind Damian Lillard.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 6

The Wizards continued to make moves in the trade window.

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Memphis Grizzlies acquired forward Marvin Bagley III in exchange for Marcus Smart in a three-team deal involving the Grizzlies, Wizards and Kings.

Memphis receives the former No. 2 overall pick, guard Johnny Davis, a 2028 second-round pick and a future second-round pick. After spending time with the Sacramento Kings and Detroit Pistons, Bagley experienced an uptick in scoring after moving to the capital city during last year’s trade deadline, averaging 13.3 points per game. This season, Bagley has battled injury and only appeared in 19 games, averaging 4.9 points per game. Bagley and Davis join a talented Grizzlies team in contention for the top seed in the Western Conference.

The Wizards acquired guard/forward Colby Jones, Smart, Alex Len and a 2025 first-round pick. After nine seasons in Boston, Smart spent two seasons with the Grizzlies, where he battled injuries. In his two seasons with Memphis, Smart appeared in 39 games and averaged 11.6 points per game and 1.6 steals per game. The former DPOY and 11-year veteran will provide leadership to a rebuilding Wizards team who recently acquired Khris Middleton.

The Kings also receive forward Jake LaRavia from Memphis.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 6

In a three-team move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Atlanta Hawks acquired guard Terance Mann from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for guard Bogdan Bogdanovic.

The Hawks bolstered their backcourt room, adding Mann and Bones Hyland. Mann has appeared in 37 games for the Clippers this season, mainly coming off the bench. He is averaging six points per game.

In addition to Bogdanovic, the Clippers also receive three second-round picks. Bogdanovic has dealt with injury in the 2024-2025 season, only appearing in 24 games while dealing with a hamstring injury. He will provide sharpshooting ability to a Clippers backcourt consisting of James Harden and Norman Powell.

The Rockets also acquired veteran center Cody Zeller and a 2028 second-round pick in the move.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 6

The Cleveland Cavaliers are acquiring forward De’Andre Hunter from the Atlanta Hawks in a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Atlanta will acquire guard Caris LeVert, forward Georges Niang, three second-round picks and two future pick swaps.

Hunter has emerged as a great two-way wing, averaging 14.8 points per game in his six seasons with the Hawks. This season, Hunter has appeared in 37 games, mostly providing instant offense off the bench. He is in the midst of his best offensive season, averaging 19 points per game and shooting 39.3% from beyond the arc. Hunter will now join a Cavaliers team sitting at the top of the Eastern Conference.

LeVert and Niang will now join a Hawks team sitting in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, currently in position for a play-in tournament berth. The two veterans will provide depth to Atlanta’s guard and forward positions, spots currently held by No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and steals leader Dyson Daniels.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 6

Patrick Baldwin Jr., a piece in the trade package in the Kyle Kuzma trade, is joining the San Antonio Spurs in a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The Spurs will receive an undisclosed amount of cash.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 6

After trading away their center, the Charlotte Hornets brought a veteran one back.

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Hornets acquired center Jusuf Nurkic in exchange for forward Cody Martin and guard Vasilije Micic.

Nurkic is an 11-year veteran who spent time with the Portland Trail Blazers, Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns. He has averaged 12 points per game and nine rebounds over his career.

In addition to the players, Charlotte also receives a 2026 first-round pick, and Phoenix receives a 2026 second-round pick.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 6

Two cornerstones from Baylor’s NCAA championship squad in 2021 have been dealt in this deadline.

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Miami Heat acquired guard Davion Mitchell from the Toronto Raptors in exchange for forward P.J. Tucker.

Mitchell brings two-way guard play to Miami, while Tucker provides a veteran presence to a rebuilding Raptors squad.

In addition to Tucker, Toronto also receives the Lakers’ second-round pick in 2024 and cash considerations for an undisclosed amount.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 6

The Washington Wizards continued their busy trade deadline. The team acquired guard Reggie Jackson in a move confirmed by ESPN.

In addition to Jackson, Washington also receives a 2026 less favorable first-round pick of the Thunder, Rockets and Clippers.

Philadelphia receives former NCAA champion Jared Butler, a most favorable 2027 second-round pick of Golden State and Phoenix, Golden State’s 2028 second-round pick, a most favorable 2030 second-round pick of Phoenix and Portland and Washington’s 2030 second-round pick.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 5

Jimmy Butler finally got his wish.

In a blockbuster move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Miami Heat superstar is heading to Golden State in a multi-team trade involving the Heat, Warriors, Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons.

The Heat receive Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, P.J. Tucker and a protected first-round pick.

The Dubs receives Jimmy Butler, who is signing a new deal that will keep him through the 2026-27 season.

The Utah Jazz receive point guard Dennis Schroder.

The Detroit Pistons receive Lindy Waters III and Josh Richardson.

Butler’s move to Miami ends a tumultuous saga that saw numerous suspensions and trade requests from the superstar. Butler was indefinitely suspended on Jan. 27 after walking out on a team shootaround. He leaves Miami as a franchise legend, helping orchestrate two NBA Finals appearances and coining the nickname “Playoff Jimmy.” In his six years in Vice City, Butler made two All-Star appearances and averaged 21 points per game. He will now form a new big three in San Francisco—Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Butler.

Miami’s return package signals the end of Wiggins’ time in California. The former No. 1 overall pick enjoyed his most efficient years with the Dubs, averaging 16.7 points per game and appearing in one All-Star game. Wiggins was instrumental in the team’s 2022 Finals run, as he was the team’s second leading scorer behind Curry. Wiggins will provide a veteran presence to the Heat’s young front court of Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 5

In a blockbuster move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Toronto Raptors acquired New Orleans Pelicans star Brandon Ingram.

In exchange for Ingram, New Orleans receives a package of forward Bruce Brown, forward/center Kelly Olynyk, and a first and second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Ingram joins a rebuilding Toronto Raptors team currently rebuilding around All-Star forward Scottie Barnes. The nine-year veteran spent three seasons with the Lakers and six seasons in New Orleans, helping lead the Pelicans to two postseason runs in 2022 and 2024. Ingram averaged 23 points per game with the Pelicans over six seasons and was named an All-Star and Comeback Player of the Year in the 2019-20 season.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 5

After fans across the world said the Lakers needed a center following the Anthony Davis trade, the team made a move on one.

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Los Angeles Lakers acquired center Mark Williams from the Hornets in exchange for rookie Dalton Knecht and forward Cam Reddish.

After an injury riddled sophomore season, Williams has appeared in 22 games in the 2024-2025 season, averaging 16 points per game. He will likely become the Lakers’ starting center upon arrival.

Charlotte receives a rookie sharpshooter in Knecht who has showed flashes of upside. The Tennessee product is averaging 9.4 points per game this season and has shot 35.8% from beyond the arc. He will join star point guard LaMelo Ball in the Hornets’ backcourt.

In addition to Knecht and Reddish, Charlotte will receive a 2031 unprotected first-round pick and a 2030 pick swap.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 5

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Sacramento Kings are acquiring center Jonas Valanciunas from the Wizards in exchange for guard/forward Sidy Cissoko and two second-round picks.

Valanciunas is a 13-year veteran who played for the Toronto Raptors, Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans and Washington Wizards. This season, Valanciunas appeared in 49 games and started 12. He primarily came off the bench in the rotation between himself and No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr. In those 49 games, he averaged 11.5 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game.

He will now look to light the beam alongside frontcourt mate and All-Star Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento.

In return, Washington receives guard Sidy Cissoko, who Sacramento originally received in the De’Aaron Fox trade. Cissoko was drafted in the second round in 2023 to San Antonio, where he saw limited playing time across two seasons.

Washington also receives Denver’s 2028 second-round pick and a 2029 second-round pick.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 5

The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired center Daniel Theis from the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for cash considerations, in a move confirmed by the team.

Theis is an eight-year veteran who played for the Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls and Pelicans. He has averaged 7.1 points per game and 4.7 rebounds this season playing alongside rookie center Yves Missi.

Oklahoma City also receives a 2031 second-round pick.

New Orleans receives cash considerations for an undisclosed amount.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 5

In a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Boston Celtics are trading Jaden Springer to the Houston Rockets.

Boston receives a 2031 top-55 protected second-round pick.

Houston receives Springer, a 2030 second-round pick and a protected future second-round pick.

Springer spent three seasons in Philadelphia with the 76ers and two season in Boston, where he won a championship last year. Despite playing limited rotational minutes, the guard is still 22-years old, and will help an exciting Houston Rockets team with depth in the backcourt.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 5

The Detroit Pistons received forward KJ Martin and two picks from the Philadelphia 76ers in a move reported by the Inquirer’s Keith Pompey and confirmed by ESPN.

Martin, the son of former Nets great Kenyon Martin previously played for the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and 76ers. Martin played rotational minutes off the bench for the 76ers, averaging 4.5 points per game over his two seasons in Philadelphia.

Detroit also receives Milwaukee’s 2027 second-round pick and Dallas’ 2031 second-round pick.

The Sixers receive cash considerations for an undisclosed amount.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 5

In a blockbuster move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Milwaukee Bucks dealt away franchise legend Khris Middleton for Kyle Kuzma in a multi-trade with the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks.

In addition to Kuzma, Milwaukee also receives forward Patrick Baldwin Jr., center Jericho Sims and a second-round draft compensation.

In addition to Middleton, Washington receives guard AJ Johnson an a 2028 first-round pick swap.

The Knicks receive guard Delon Wright and cash considerations.

The three-time All-Star leaves Milwaukee after 12 years with the Bucks, where won an NBA Championship in 2021 alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday. Middleton ends his Milwaukee career averaging 17.1 points per game and 38.9% shooting from beyond the arc. He will provide veteran leadership to a Wizards team with an exciting young core of Jordan Poole, Bilal Coulibaly, Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George and Alex Sarr.

Kuzma leaves Washington after four seasons. In the capital city, Kuzma enjoyed his best offensive seasons, averaging 19.5 points per game and 7.2 rebounds across four seasons. He will likely provide a scoring boost to the small forward position, forming a frontcourt partnership between himself and Antetokounmpo. The Bucks currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

The former NBA champion also reportedly reduced his trade bonus in his contract to help with roster building in the future, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks and Shams Charania.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 4

The Dallas Mavericks stayed active in the trade deadline, acquiring forward Caleb Martin from the Philadelphia 76ers, in a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Martin leaves Philadelphia having played in 31 games and starting 24. He averaged 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. The 2022 playoff hero will provide crucial depth for Dallas at both the small and power forward position. He will likely play behind P.J. Washington and Anthony Davis as an instant offense two-way player off the bench.

In return, Philadelphia will receive guard Quentin Grimes and their own second-round pick in the upcoming draft. Grimes appeared in 47 games for the Mavericks, averaging 10.2 points per game on 39.8% shooting from behind the arc. Grimes will provide depth at the shooting guard and small forward position for an injury-marred 76ers squad.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 3

The Charlotte Hornets and Oklahoma City Thunder engaged in a pick-swap in a move announced by both teams.

Charlotte receives the Phoenix Suns’ 2029 second-round pick, while Oklahoma City receives the Denver Nuggets’ 2030 conditional second-round pick.

Sam Presti is back at it again.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Feb. 2

De’Aaron Fox and Zach LaVine are parting ways with the teams they spent years with. In a multi-team trade reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, LaVine is joining the Chicago Bulls and Fox is joining the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs receive All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin from the Kings and Bulls respectively.

The Kings receive guards Zach LaVine and Sidy Cissoko from the Bulls and Spurs respectively and a haul of five draft picks. Sacramento receives a top-14 protected first-round pick in the upcoming draft, a second-round pick in the upcoming draft, a first-round pick in the 2027 Draft and two second-round picks in the 2028 Draft.

The Bulls receive forward Zach Collins and guard Tre Jones from the Spurs and guard Kevin Huerter from the Kings. The package also includes a first-round pick in the upcoming draft.

Fox joins a Spurs team in the midst of an exciting rebuild centered around generational prospect Victor Wembanyama. Fox will join a frontcourt led by rookie Stephon Castle and veteran Chris Paul and will look to be dropping dimes and lobs to Wembanyama.

San Antonio is one win away from matching their season win-total from last year before the All-Star break as the team has steadily improved over time. The Spurs are two games out of tenth place and a berth for the play-in tournament.

LaVine joins a Sacramento team led by All-Star center Domantas Sabonis and veteran DeMar DeRozan. LaVine will be reunited with DeRozan, who he spent three seasons with in Chicago. After a six-game losing streak left Sacramento with a 13-19 record, the team has found a resurgence in form, going 11-5 in their last 16 games to sit at 24-24. The Kings currently hold the last seed for the play-in tournament.

_________________________________________________________________________________________ Feb. 2:

In one of the most shocking trades in NBA history, the Dallas Mavericks traded superstar Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis in a move reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania that sent social media, pundits and basketball fans into an uproar. The move comes as a shock, as the Mavericks, fresh off of a NBA Finals appearance, traded away their franchise cornerstone.

The Mavericks receive nine-time All-Star and NBA Champion forward/center Davis, guard Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.

The Lakers receive five-time All-Star and perennial MVP candidate Doncic and forwards Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris.

The Jazz receive guard Jalen-Hood Schifino from the Lakers and two second-round picks in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Davis will team up with perennial All-Star Kyrie Irving and Splash Bro Klay Thompson in Dallas. He is projected to play power forward in Dallas—his natural position—with Daniel Gafford taking the center role. Dallas currently sits in ninth place in the Western Conference, well within reach of a berth in the play-in tournament.

Doncic will join a Lakers team sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference under first-year head coach JJ Redick. Doncic will team up with LeBron James, who ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported had dreamed about playing alongside the Slovenian superstar.

The post NBA Trade Tracker: Jimmy Butler joins Dubs, Andrew Wiggins to Heat appeared first on SLAM.

It’s been a wild free agency so far (word is the MNBA has also been chaos), but things are just getting started. From new-look squads to OGs re-signing and your favs reuniting, here’s everything you need to know. We’ll be updating this as we the news drops, so stay tuned.

Feb. 3

Monique Billings has signed with Golden State.

Diamond DeShields has signed a one-year deal with the Sun, the team announced.

Feb. 2

Six-time All-Star and two-time WNBA Champion DeWanna Bonner are reportedly joining the the Indiana Fever, per ESPN.

Bonner is a 15-year veteran who played 10 seasons with the Mercury and five with the Sun. Bonner opened her career winning three-consecutive Sixth Woman of the Year awards and has averaged nearly 15 points per game for her entire career.

Bonner joins a Fever team that stayed busy in the offseason, pairing the forward with an exciting young team who recently made the playoffs for the first time in seven seasons.

With Alyssa Thomas reportedly joining the Mercury, Tyasha Harris joining the Wings, Brionna Jones signing with the Dream and DiJonai Carrington joining the Wings, the move represents the first time in League history a team lost all five starters from its last playoff game in the following offseason.

However, the Sun made moves of their own. That same day, Connecticut signed eight-time WNBA All-Star center Tina Charles to a one-year deal. In addition to the moves of Charles and Bonner, teams were active on Sunday night.

After days of re-working pieces, the four-team trade involving the Phoenix Mercury, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings and Connecticut Sun was finalized. The headlining pieces were Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally. The outline goes as follows:

Phoenix Mercury receive Satou Sabally, Kalani Brown and Sevgi Uzun from Dallas and Alyssa Thomas from the Sun.

Indiana Fever receive the Mercury’s Sophie Cunningham and No. 19 pick in the upcoming draft and Jaelyn Brown from Dallas.

Connecticut Sun receive Dallas’ Jacy Sheldon, Phoenix’s Rebecca Allen and Natasha Cloud and Indiana’s No. 8 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

Dallas Wings receive Connecticut’s DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris and the right to swap second round picks in the 2026 draft, Indiana’s NaLyssa Smith and the right to swap third-round picks in the 2027 draft and Phoenix’s rights of Kiki Herbert Harrigan and No. 12 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

The Wings signed Joyner Holmes from Seattle, Kaila Charles and Luisa Geiselsoder to contracts during training camp.

The Indiana Fever waived Grace Berger, their first-round selection in the 2023 Draft.

The Phoenix Mercury signed guard Sami Whitcomb. Whitcomb won two championships with the Seattle Storm as a key rotational piece for the squad.

The day ended with the Los Angeles Sparks signing forwards Emma Cannon and Anneli Maley.

Feb. 1

In a multi-team trade, the Dallas Wings will receive guard DiJonai Carrington and the No. 12 pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft and the rights to swap second-round picks in the 2026 draft. The Sun will receive the No. 8 overall pick in the 2025 draft and guard Jacy Sheldon.

The Minnesota Lynx re-signed guard Natisha Hiedeman and French center Marieme Badiane. Hiedeman contributed consistent minutes off the bench during the Lynx’s Finals appearance against the eventual champion New York Liberty. Their opponents made a move of their own, re-signing Kennedy Burke.

In addition to Griner and Jones, the Atlanta Dream continued their dream offseason by signing Shatori Walker-Kimbrough in free agency. Walker-Kimbrough became a key rotational piece for the Washington Mystics and came in third in voting for Sixth Woman of the Year last season.

The Los Angeles Sparks re-signed one-time All-Star Odyssey Sims, who the Sparks acquired midseason. The Chicago Sky also re-signed forward Michaela Onyenwere.

The Sky also are set to receive guard Rebecca Allen from the Connecticut Sun, who was previously a piece in the package Connecticut received for Alyssa Thomas. In return, Connecticut will receive guard Lindsay Allen and the rights for Nikolina Milic.

Chicago also signed guard Kia Nurse, previously of the Los Angeles Sparks.

The busy night ended with the Dallas Wings signing forward Myisha Hines-Allen on a one-year deal.

Jan. 31

Two-time All-Star and three-time WNBA Champion Natasha Howard announced her return to the team that drafted her—the Indiana Fever. Howard was drafted fifth overall in the 2014 WNBA Draft by Indiana, and had two breakout seasons in 2018 and 2019 with the New York Liberty, taking home the Most Improved Player Award and the DPOY.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Later that day, the Seattle Storm re-signed nine-time All-Star Nneka Ogwumike in a move reported by ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike—her sister. Ogwumike spent 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks and dominated, taking home MVP and Rookie of the Year honors.

________________________________________________________________________________________

ESPN’s Kendra Andrews and Alexa Philippou also reported that the Mercury are receiving two-time All-Star Satou Sabally from the Dallas Wings in a three-team trade that also includes the Fever.

The Wings are set to receive Tyasha Harris, who Phoenix received in their package for Alyssa Thomas, Kiki Herbert Harrigan, NaLyssa Smith and the No. 8 overall pick in 2025.

The Fever will receive guard Sophie Cunningham and the No. 19 overall pick in 2025

Phoenix will receive center Kalani Brown and guard Sevgi Uzun.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Jan. 30

On Jan. 30, ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported that three-time All-Star Brionna Jones is leaving the Connecticut Sun to sign with the Atlanta Dream, whose blockbuster free agency continues.

Jones played her entire career in Connecticut, starting as a key rotational piece before breaking out in the 2020 season. Over her last five seasons with the Sun, Jones has averaged 13.8 points and six boards per game.

She won the Most Improved Player award in the 2021 season and later generated instant offense coming off the bench in the 2022 season, winning her the Sixth Woman of the Year Award.

Jones joins a Dream team that recently signed Mercury superstar Brittney Griner and a backcourt of Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray.

________________________________________________________________________________________

Jan. 29:

Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell announced that she will re-sign with the team on a one-year supermax contract.

Mitchell has played with the Fever since 2018, when the team drafted her second overall. She has been an offensive threat in her seven seasons with the Fever, averaging 16.8 points per game and making two All-Star teams. Playing alongside rookie sensation Caitlin Clark and rising forward/center Aliyah Boston, Mitchell reached the postseason for the first time in her career.

That same day, guard Courtney Vandersloot announced that she is signing with the Chicago Sky on a one-year deal. Vandersloot will return to the team that drafted her third overall in 2011 after a successful two seasons with the New York Liberty, resulting in an All-Star berth and a championship.

The seven-time assist champion will now look to be dropping dimes to the Sky’s exciting young core of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.

Jan 28:

In a blockbuster signing, 10-time All-Star Brittney Griner signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Dream. Griner spent her entire career with the Phoenix Mercury, winning a WNBA Finals in 2014 and receiving back-to-back DPOY awards in 2014 and 2015. Griner’s dual-threat ability helped lead the Mercury to nine consecutive postseason berths.

________________________________________________________________________________________

In a move reported by ESPN’s Alexa Philippou and The Next’s Howard Megdal, the Mercury are reportedly trading Natasha Cloud, Rebecca Allen and the No. 12 overall pick to the Sun for Tyasha Harris and five-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas.

Thomas leaves after spending her entire career with the Sun, helping lead them to two WNBA Finals berths in 2019 and 2022.

Jan. 26

In a blockbuster trade reported by ESPN’s Alexa Philippou and Shams Charania, Kelsey Plum is being traded to the Los Angeles Sparks, while Jewell Loyd will join the Las Vegas Aces in a three-team deal.

Loyd leaves Seattle after being named to six All-Star teams and spending her entire career in Seattle after being drafted first overall in 2015. Loyd has a key piece to two championship teams in 2018 and 2020.

Plum leaves the Aces after making three-consecutive All-Star teams and forming a tandem with league-MVP A’ja Wilson.

In return for Loyd, the Storm will receive the No. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft, center Li Yueru and the Aces’ first-round pick in 2026.

The Aces will receive the No. 13 pick in the upcoming draft, and the Sparks will receive the No. 9 pick in the upcoming draft and Seattle’s second-round pick in 2026.
________________________________________________________________________________________

The post WNBA Free Agency Tracker + LIVE UPDATES: Monique Billings to Golden State appeared first on SLAM.

In a defensive back-and-forth game between the Creighton Blue Jays and Villanova Wildcats, the senior point guard redeemed himself.

Up one and looking to ice the game with 14 seconds left, Ashworth threw an errant pass to Wildcats point guard Wooga Poplar. Poplar raced down the court and threw a thunderous slam, sending the Wells Fargo Center into a frenzy. Villanova up one.

In response, Ashworth raced down the court and pulled up for a go-ahead three. It hit nothing but air. However, he got a second chance. Forward Jasen Green corralled the board and was awarded a timeout while falling out of bounds.

Shooters always shoot. Eight seconds left. While Villanova guarded the paint and center Ryan Kalkbrenner, Ashworth flared to the corner. He caught a pass and fired a corner-three. His high-arcing shot hit off the top corner of the backboard and sank in—a miracle shot. Blue Jays up two.

After a Villanova turnover, Creighton escaped with a two-point victory.

Ashworth’s miracle shot capped off a 13-point, seven assists and rebound performance in Creighton’s 62-60 victory against Villanova on Saturday afternoon.

“I knew that I’d have some space. But also, as soon as I caught it, trying to make sure that I had a good clean look it at it,” Ashworth said when talking about the final shot. “Back-pedalling to the corner with the pass coming from the basket isn’t the easiest type of shot. Obviously, I missed it a little left, but that’s why the backboard is there.”

Alongside Ashworth, Kalkbrenner and forward Jamiya Neal handled most of the scoring, posting 22 and 13 points, respectively.

The Wildcats struggled offensively, putting up inefficient scoring numbers. The No. 1 three-point scoring offense in the Big East shot only 3-17 from behind the arc and 39.7% from the field. Poplar’s 24 points led all Wildcats. Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer, scored 17, his second-lowest output of the year.

The game was a defensive slugfest—neither team led by double-digit points. Villanova was effective on the defensive end, forcing 18 turnovers, including 13 total steals. Creighton only forced six.

The win locks Villanova in a four-way tie for fifth place with Providence, Xavier and Georgetown. In the upcoming Big East Tournament, the top-5 teams receive a first-round bye.

Creighton will travel to play Providence on Feb. 5. Villanova will play Georgetown at home on Feb. 4.

The post Creighton Grinds Past Villanova on Miracle Three by Steven Ashworth appeared first on SLAM.

In a matchup that went down to the wire between the Rockets and the Grizzlies, tensions were high in the crowd due to a controversial timeout call that nullified a go-ahead bucket. It was then that the former DPOY took matters into his own hands.

Thirteen seconds on the clock, down one. Grizzlies ball. Luke Kennard to inbound.

Jackson caught the ball on the wing, put his shoulder down and went right at his former teammate, Dillon Brooks. He backed him down low and drew a foul, Brooks’ sixth, giving Memphis a chance to take the lead.

Jackson stepped up to the charity stripe and calmly made two free throws. After Fred VanVleet’s game-winning attempt fell short, the Memphis crowd went into a frenzy.

Jackson’s game-winning 21-point performance was the difference maker in Memphis’ gritty 120-119 victory against the Houston Rockets on Friday night. Without Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Kennard each scored 24 and 22 points respectively, with Bane putting up a double-double with 12 boards, a season-high.

“They’re really good on the offensive glass, you know just try to make it real scrappy. We feel like we got punked earlier in the year against them, so you know you got to stand your ground. You know, we did that,” Bane said after the game.

For Houston, who was without All-Star center Alperen Sengun due to a calf injury, Steven Adams and Tari Eason manned the paint, combining for 23 boards, 12 being on the offensive end. Despite leading for most of the fourth quarter, the Rockets could not pull away from the Grizzlies, who ended the game on a 13-4 run.

“We knew it was going to have to the fourth quarter. As the runs kept going back-and-forth, timeouts, stoppages, just the collective approach from the guys defensively, offensively. Their head-spaces were unbelievable just staying the course for 48 minutes,” Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said after the game. “Big time victory against a great team.”

Houston saw an efficient offensive effort across the board that saw Jalen Green, Amen Thompson and Brooks score more than 20 points each. However, the Grizzlies executed down the stretch and snatched the victory away from Houston, who went ice-cold in the final two minutes of the game, shooting 0-3 from the field and turning the ball over once.

The win snapped the Rockets’ four-game winning streak and closed the gap between the No. 2 and 3 seeds in the Western Conference.

The Rockets play the Nets at home on Saturday, while the Grizzlies head to Milwaukee on Sunday.

The post Jaren Jackson Jr. Calls GAME as Grizzlies Pull Past Rockets appeared first on SLAM.

In a clash of Western Conference powerhouses, the Memphis Grizzlies will face the red-hot Houston Rockets tonight at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The Rockets lead the season series 3-0, but the games have been a battle throughout. Houston is riding a four-game win streak that saw them take down the top two teams in the Eastern Conference and a signature moment for Amen Thompson.

Memphis enters this game with its six-game win streak snapped in a blowout loss at the Garden to the Knicks.

For fans tuning in, one thing to look for in both teams is their elite defense and depth across the board.

In the victory against Atlanta on Jan. 28, the Rockets scored 30 points off the bench, headlined by a 16-point night by Jae’Sean Tate.

“(Tate) was huge—and our bench in general,” head coach Ime Udoka said after the win. “We talk about our depth with Steven (Adams) being out, Tari (Eason) being out, some others being banged up a little bit, it’s good to have those guys come in and give us a boost.”

Houston’s depth will need to step up again against a deep, physical Grizzlies team strong on both sides of the ball. With former DPOY Jaren Jackson Jr. and enforcer Zach Edey guarding the paint, there are no easy buckets. Combine elite scorers Ja Morant and Desmond Bane with a bench filled with shooters Santi Aldama and Luke Kennard, and you’ve got a recipe for the top-scoring offense in the league.

As for Houston, their defense has been locking teams up. Houston leads the League in rebounds per game and is allowing the fifth-fewest points per game. Led by two-way wings Thompson and Dillon Brooks, the Rockets’ frontcourt has put the clamps on opposing threats, while center Alperen Sengun has handled scoring and grabbing boards in the paint. Houston’s backcourt of Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green have produced on the offensive end, with Green averaging 21.3 points per game.

It’s going to be a battle. Despite both teams’ high defensive rankings, expect an explosive, physical game between two teams contending in the Western Conference.

The post Houston Rockets-Memphis Grizzlies Preview: Western Conference Powerhouses Clash appeared first on SLAM.

Brittney Griner, a 10-time All-Star and one of the greatest players in Phoenix Mercury history has left the team in free agency, signing with the Atlanta Dream on a one-year contract, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.

Griner leaves Phoenix as a legend, spending her entire illustrious career with the Mercury. After being drafted No. 1 overall in 2013, Griner has been a force on the court. She was a 10-time All-Star, a WNBA Champion in 2014, back-to-back DPOY recipient in 2014 and 2015 and an eight-time blocks leader. That doesn’t include her career 17.7 points per game and two scoring titles.

Pure dominance on both ends of the court—being a key contributor on nine consecutive postseason runs.

Griner announced her decision in an Instagram video on a fishing trip with her new teammates, specifically Jordin Canada, Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by BG (@brittneyyevettegriner)

“It was a hard decision because you’re leaving what you know, what I’ve known for my whole career,” Griner said. “But I’m also—there’s an exciting factor of like ‘Okay, this is a rebrand now, I get to show them something different.'”

Her new teammates are definitely hyped.

Last season, the Dream went 15-25 and were swept by the eventual champion New York Liberty in the opening round of the postseason.

Griner’s signing provides a strong inside scoring boost and compliments the star guard tandem of Howard and Gray. The Dream now hope their biggest free agent signing in franchise history can help improve upon last season’s successes.

The post Brittney Griner Leaves Phoenix Mercury to Join Atlanta Dream on One-Year Deal appeared first on SLAM.

In another massive trade reported by The Next’s Howard Megdal and ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, the Connecticut Sun are reportedly trading five-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas to the Phoenix Mercury for two players and a first-round draft pick.

Due to a sign-and-trade, the trade won’t be official until February 1, according to ESPN.

Thomas, a five-time All-Star, will leave the Sun as a franchise legend. She has spent her entire career in Connecticut, leading the team to eight consecutive postseasons and two WNBA Finals appearances in 2019 and 2022.

Thomas is also the franchise leader in games played, total rebounds, assists and steals and is second all-time in scoring. Over the past three seasons, she has played some of her best basketball, averaging 13.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists, in addition to finishing top-5 in the MVP race.

The Mercury are reportedly also getting guard Ty Harris, who had a breakout 2024 season. After starting 38 games, Harris averaged 10.5 points per game, including a 20-point performance in the WNBA Semifinals to stave off elimination in Game 4 against the Minnesota Lynx.

In return, the Sun will reportedly receive guard Natasha Cloud and forward Rebecca Allen. Cloud started 38 games last season and led the W in assists in 2022. Allen started 18 games in the regular season but was sidelined indefinitely due to a back injury. Reports say they will also obtain the Mercury’s No. 12 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

A full breakdown of the trade is below.

The post Connecticut Sun Reportedly Trade Alyssa Thomas to the Phoenix Mercury appeared first on SLAM.

Vince Carter, who is undeniably one of the greatest dunkers, ever, had his jersey retired during Brooklyn’s Jan. 25 game against the Miami Heat.

The ceremony was fitting for the superstar. Carter sat next to a painting of himself throwing down a thunderous dunk, while Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson raved about his tenacious shooting and finishing. Before Lob City was popularized in LA, it was in New Jersey between Kidd and Carter.

Carter joined the formerly-named New Jersey Nets in the ’04-05 season, teaming up Kidd, an elite point guard. The duo thrived, with Carter enjoying the most efficient scoring years of his illustrious career, averaging 23.6 points per game, three playoff runs and making three All-Star appearances.

“He was doing things in a Nets uniform that has never been seen before,” Nets announcer Ian Eagle said.

You can check out the full ceremony video below:

Carter watched alongside his family as his No. 15 jersey was raised, all with the Nets crowd cheering him on. After spending so much time soaring on the court, now his name—immortalized in two stadiums—hangs in the rafters.

Salute to the legend.

The post Vince Carter Gets His No. 15 Jersey Retired in Brooklyn appeared first on SLAM.