Kentucky Basketball’s coaching staff continues to explore new recruiting avenues, and one potential addition to the roster in the future is G League guard Dink Pate.

According to Jacob Polacheck of KSR, Pate is expected to have a Zoom meeting with the Kentucky staff within the next week. The meeting comes after head coach Mark Pope recently traveled to Philadelphia to see Pate in person while he plays with the Westchester Knicks.

The 6-foot-7 point guard has expressed interest in transitioning to college basketball for the 2026 season.

“I’m going to college, but I’m not set in stone on any school,” Pate told Polacheck of KSR+ in January. “If UK likes me, that’s where I want to go.”

Pate has a connection with Kentucky through assistant coach Jason Hart, who coached him during the 2023–24 season with the NBA G League Ignite. Pate joined Ignite in 2023 and became the youngest professional basketball player in U.S. history.

This season with the Westchester Knicks, Pate has appeared in 27 games, averaging 16.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, while shooting 37.7 percent from 3-point range.

One to watch for.

Jaxson Hayes remembered the bruising the Lakers got at Madison Square Garden a month ago when the New York Knicks bullied them on the boards, outscored them by 14 in the second half and had six players score in double figures. Hayes was happy to return the favor Sunday in the Lakers’ 110-97 win at Crypto.com Arena.

“I just feel like we owed them that one,” the Lakers center said.

The wire-to-wire win over the Knicks (41-24) was only the second time since early November that the Lakers (39-25) recorded a win over a team with a record of .600 or better. They improved to 5-12 against such teams after losing 12 of their last 13 games against the league's upper echelon. With the win and a tiebreaker against Denver, the Lakers moved into fifth in the Western Conference. They play fourth-place Minnesota (40-24) on Tuesday.

Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s win:

Lakers show their playoff mentality

Hayes crawled across the floor for loose balls. Marcus Smart stepped in front of driving opponents. Jarred Vanderbilt leaped into the laps of front-row fans.

With energy and focus from every player, the Lakers delivered one of their best defensive efforts of the season despite circumstances that could have made Sunday's game a snoozer.

The Lakers were playing their third game in four days. Losing an hour of sleep because of daylight saving time had Rui Hachimura sleepwalking into the arena Sunday morning for a 12:30 p.m. tip. Hoping to wake himself up, the Lakers forward said he got into the hot tub when he arrived.

Players tried to hype themselves up in the locker room by blasting music. Instead of listing three defensive keys before the game, coaches whittled the game plan to one focus: multiple efforts.

Read more:Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves carry LeBron-less Lakers to win over Knicks

“It wasn't gonna be an offensive game,” coach JJ Redick said. “This was gonna be a gritty, tough game that we had to win with effort. And we did that."

Smart led that effort with a game-high plus-27 in 29 minutes and 17 seconds. He drew two charges. His signature moment didn't even show up in the game play-by-play. After Luka Doncic turned the ball over with 2.2 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Smart hustled back to force Jordan Clarkson to pass the ball at the buzzer, keeping the Knicks from getting a last-second layup attempt. Smart walked to the bench with his arms extended like a defensive back who had just broken up a touchdown pass.

The Knicks were held to less than 100 points for only the seventh time and had their fourth-worst three-point shooting performance of the season, going eight for 34. The Lakers went nearly five minutes without scoring in the fourth quarter, but held on by forcing eight turnovers.

“It was not a perfect game,” said Doncic, who led the Lakers with 35 points on 11-for-25 shooting. “But we fight at the defensive end. I think we did a great job. It says a lot about the team, bringing this much energy in a game like this.”

Deandre Ayton stands out in return

Returning from left knee soreness that kept him out for one game, Deandre Ayton had a quiet six-point, eight-rebound stat line, but he made a loud statement early by setting the tone with his activity in the first quarter.

Often criticized for his inconsistent effort, the 7-foot center scrambled for an offensive rebound to set up a second-chance three-pointer from Austin Reaves, combined with Hachimura to swat away a layup attempt from Josh Hart and blocked a shot from Karl-Anthony Towns all in the first three minutes. He caught a lob from Doncic that forced the Knicks to take an early timeout.

“I thought he played really hard tonight,” Redick said. “He was great."

Read more:Luka Doncic joins elite Lakers company with 44-point effort in win over Pacers

Ayton was limited to only four minutes and 30 seconds in Thursday’s loss to Denver after he felt discomfort in his left knee. Behind Ayton, Hayes has continued his career season. Not far behind Ayton’s 19 minutes and 55 seconds of playing time, Hayes played 16 minutes and 38 seconds off the bench Sunday with five points — all on free throws as he attacked the rim for high-flying dunk attempts — four rebounds and one steal.

LeBron James, who suffered an elbow contusion in the final minutes against Denver, did not play Sunday, missing his second consecutive game. Redick said Friday he expected James could return against the Knicks, but he was ruled out shortly before tip-off.

JJ Redick won't 'overreact'

With the Lakers having struggled against top competition all season, Sunday’s victory was the type of statement win they were looking for. In Redick’s previous career, it may have led him to serve up hot takes on a podcast or on television. If he were a fan, maybe he would be loudly celebrating only to turn around on the next loss and cry the way he did when he was a child watching Duke.

But not as an NBA coach.

“I'm not in a position where I can overreact,” Redick said when asked about the significance of a gritty win for a team that hasn’t accumulated many of them this season. “You guys do that. The fans, rightfully so, should always overreact. It's what makes fandom so awesome. ... My job is not to overreact.”

The Lakers are 15-9 in their last 24 games, Redick said matter-of-factly. They’re ranked eighth in offense and 14th in defense over that span.

Read more:LeBron James breaks another Kareem Abdul-Jabbar record, but hurts his elbow in loss

It’s close to what the Lakers envisioned for their team entering the season.

With 18 games remaining, the Lakers could still earn home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They’re only one game behind third-place Houston (39-23) and play the Rockets twice next week. This week, they have two more games against Western Conference foes battling for playoff position with Minnesota (40-24) on Tuesday and Denver (39-25) on Saturday.

“Every game is going to matter,” said Hachimura, who had 13 points and seven rebounds while starting in place of James. “We gotta get one by one. We have a big week coming up too. So I think today's game was great. We needed it.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

MUENSTER, Germany (AP) — A masked fan has unplugged the referee's video review monitor at a German soccer game while the referee was deciding on a penalty, in an apparent protest against VAR technology.

The unidentified fan came out of the stands and unplugged the monitor which referee Felix Bickel was trying to use to decide on a penalty in Sunday's second-division game between Preussen Muenster and Hertha Berlin, Muenster said in a statement.

TV footage showed a person in white overalls and a ski mask in Muenster green climbing back into the home fans' stand.

It didn't stop the decision going against the home team as video assistant referee Katrin Rafalski was able to decide remotely and communicated that decision to Bickel. Hertha's Fabian Reese scored the penalty, the opening goal of a 2-1 win.

Muenster said it “regrets the incident and will do everything it can to identify the perpetrator or perpetrators and bring them to justice,” and added it would take steps to stop the incident happening again.

“Initial findings indicate that this was a planned action,” Muenster added. A photo in German media showed home fans displaying a large banner with a message reading “Pull the plug on VAR.”

Muenster captain Jorrit Hendrix said he was happy about the incident, though.

“It shows how the fans experience things and that they want to do everything to win the game,” he said in comments broadcast by TV show Sportschau. “If they can do something to influence it, they do that. I completely understand it and think it's a good thing.”

Ever since VAR was introduced in German soccer in 2017, it's been controversial among fans. Many see video review delays as an unwelcome interruption to the flow of the game.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Get ready for another boring run to the men's Final Four.

What makes March Madness such a spectacle is the unpredictability. Each game can throw away everything we know about the season, allowing Cinderellas to shine and Goliaths to falter. That didn't happen much last year en route to all four No. 1 seeds making the Final Four for just the second time in history.

This season, there is no doubt of who has separated themselves from the rest of the field. Duke, Arizona and Michigan are in a class of their own. They awaited who would join them as the fourth member, and it was answered in the regular-season finale with Florida.

March Madness favorites: Ranking top 20 teams based on odds

March Madness bracketology: Latest NCAA tournament bubble predictions

All No. 1 seed dominance? Guess what? It's going to happen again in 2026.

It sounds crazy to declare who will be in the Final Four before the bracket and matchups are revealed, but it's not hard to understand why it will be Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Florida.

Duke, Michigan and Arizona have been the most consistent. It felt like they could have gone undefeated, and they each finished the regular season 29-2. Florida didn't have an amazing start, but finished on a 16-1 stretch as it obliterated the SEC to end 25-6 overall.

It's one thing to win a lot, but it's another to do it against quality teams. Look at each of their Quad 1 records, as they are conveniently the top four teams in the NET rankings:

• Duke: 15-2
• Michigan: 14-2
• Arizona: 15-2
• Florida: 11-5

These are the only teams win double-digit Quad 1 wins.

Still need more proof? Look at how they're winning these games. These four make up the top eight teams in the country in average scoring margin; Duke wins by 20 points (1st), Michigan by 19 (5th), Arizona by 18 (6th) and Florida by 16 (T-7th). The Blue Devils and Gators made a joke of the ACC and SEC, the Wolverines handled the loaded Big Ten and the Wildcats made the Big 12 gauntlet look like a stroll in the park. It's a type of consistency we saw exactly a year ago with Florida, Houston, Duke and Auburn.

That's why the 2026 tournament is theirs to lose. All it takes is an off night to end a season in 40 minutes. However, these teams haven't had many of those, any everyone else can't say the same.

There are plenty of other teams that have Final Four capabilities, like Connecticut, Iowa State, Houston and Michigan State. The issue though is these teams have shown they can't be trusted. They've each had their own problems, whether it's losing to teams it shouldn't, or going on extended cold streaks.

Oh, and they've all had a chance to play against the Final Four shoe-ins. Only the Huskies were able to beat Florida, all the way back in December when it was much different Gators team.

This isn't saying the tournament won't be eventful. There is bound to be the double-digit seed first round upset or surprise run to the second weekend. Just don't expect it to be at the expense of the No. 1 seeds. Their games may be snoozers.

While it may take out the thrill of it, save the popcorn for when those four teams meet in Indianapolis, because it will be captivating, must-see TV. We already got a preview when Michigan and Duke met in late February, a thriller in the nation's capital. Imagine that happening again with the national championship on the line?

After happening only once in 45 tournaments, does having an all-No. 1 seed Final Four in back-to-back years show parity is dying in a tournament built on it? Not really, it's just the teams that are really good, are in fact, really good.

It's almost become comical how superior each of the projected No. 1 seeds have been. So much so the conference tournaments won't have an effect on their March Madness outlook.

The 2026 NCAA Tournament is for the taking of the Blue Devils, Wildcats, Wolverines and Gators. The other 64 teams are going to need the night of their lives — and then some — to alter the path.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 March Madness can expect four No. 1 seeds in Final Four again

The 2026 NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed in less than a week, and there is still plenty of shifting happening before teams find out where they will be seeded in the Big Dance — or in it at all.

The conclusion of the regular season highlighted how drastic fortunes can change heading into March Madness. Get hot, and you can soar up the seed line and away from the bubble, while others are dropping toward unfavorable spots and at risk of missing out on the tournament.

March Madness automatic bids: Who is in NCAA tournament field of 68?

Now, the chance to improve stock is limited in championship week, heightening the importance of having a big showing to get in the good graces of the selection committee. Here are the teams rising and falling based on the final games of the regular season and the latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology as conference tournaments begin.

March Madness teams rising

Florida

Current projected seed: No. 1 seed (South)

There may be no team more dangerous than the defending national champions, which has ascended to becoming a top seed for the second straight year. The Gators finished the regular season with 11 straight wins. What's impressive is all but two of them were double-digit wins and seven of them were Quad 1 games. Florida had been neck-and-neck with Connecticut for the last No. 1 seed, and the Huskies losing to Marquette opened the door for the Gators to claim the inside track to Selection Sunday, on a warpath to keep its crown.

Michigan State

Current projected seed: No. 2 (East)

While the No. 1 seeds seem virtually locked up, it's a fight for the No. 2 spot. However, Michigan State is separating itself and assuring it gets the seed for the second straight season. The Spartans won five consecutive games, including a major victory at Purdue and picking up another road victory at Indiana. A win over Michigan would have been the perfect ending, but they put up a worthy fight in the loss to keep the good times going.

Wisconsin

Current projected seed: No. 6 (South)

Hot shooting has pushed Wisconsin onward. The Badgers have responded correctly from the head-scratching performance against Oregon with three wins to close the regular season; it started with a Quad 1 win at Washington and ended with another huge result at Purdue. Wisconsin is in a better position than what it was in a month ago, going all the way from a No. 9 seed to now in position for a sixth. If it can keep the momentum rolling, it can find itself moving up another seed line.

TCU

Current projected seed: No. 8 (Midwest)

There isn't a need to worry about making the tournament as TCU has assured itself a spot in the bracket. It's come a long way from the season-opening loss to New Orleans, finishing the season with five straight wins. The last week couldn't have been better, getting wins against hot teams in ranked Texas Tech and Cincinnati. For nearly the entire season, the Horned Frogs were around the bubble, but the recent success has propelled them to a single-digit seed and on track to return to the tournament.

UCLA

Current projected seed: No. 10 (South)

After teetering on the bubble for much of conference play, UCLA has put itself in comfortable position. The Bruins pretty much wiped away the win against Illinois with a loss at Minnesota, but recovered immediately with an emphatic victory against Nebraska to get themselves back on track. They then beat rival Southern California to punctuate a sixth place finish in the Big Ten. UCLA has distance itself enough away from the cutline and can plan to be playing in the tournament once again.

March Madness teams falling

Connecticut

Current projected seed: No. 2 (South)

A No. 1 seed was UConn's for the taking but Huskies have given it right up after an ugly loss at Marquette. It capped off what has been a strange past couple of weeks. It dominated St. John's, but suffered a Quad 3 loss to Creighton and then finished the regular season with a Quad 2 loss to the Golden Eagles. That gave Florida a chance to take UConn's spot, and the Gators didn't mess up their opportunity. The Huskies do remain a national title contender, but losing the No. 1 seed shows how this team can't be fully trusted as much as the other favorites.

BYU

Current projected seed: No. 7 (West)

After starting the season 17-2, the Cougars have gone 4-8 since then and have struggled to adjust without Richie Saunders, who suffered a season-ending injury on Feb. 15. That stretch has included blowout losses to UCF and Cincinnati, resulting in a stunning 10th place finish in the Big 12. At least it was salvaged by getting a win over Texas Tech in the home finale. BYU has gone from being a top 16 overall seed to now trying to stay in the top half of the bracket, with a great chance of not making it out of the first round.

UCF

Current projected seed: No. 10 (East)

A statement victory at BYU that effectively cemented UCF as a a tournament team has lost some spark with a three-game losing skid to end the regular season. It had a Quad 2 loss against Baylor and ugly Quad 3 defeat to Oklahoma State. Then a real struggle at West Virginia meant a missed chance to get a Quad 1 win, finishing with a 5-6 record in the category. The Knights aren't in danger of missing the field, but are now putting themselves in the double-digit seed area, which wasn't the trajectory a few weeks ago.

Missouri

Current projected seed: No. 11 (East)

It's gotten really uncomfortable for Missouri with the Tigers losing the last two games of the regular season. A blowout loss at Oklahoma was disastrous but it could have been redeemed with a Quad 1 game against Arkansas. Instead, the Tigers couldn't hold on and fell to the Razorbacks in overtime. Missouri entered the weekend as a No. 11 seed and likely stays one, but its now in the conversation for the First Four. Even with five Quad 1 wins, being No. 59 in the NET rankings really hurts the chances and it now needs at least one win the SEC tournament to feel confident.

SMU

Current projected seed: No. 11 (Midwest, last four in)

The Mustangs have spent all of 2026 as tournament team. Now, it doesn't look like one. SMU lost its fourth straight game — all Quad 1 chances — which include two defeats to teams that aren't in the March Madness conversation. What's worse is the Mustangs have been blown out in nearly every defeat, finished with a 13-point loss at Florida State. They had slid to the First Four picture, but another confusing loss pushes them toward missing the tournament. Now having to play in the first round of the ACC tournament, SMU needs at least two wins in Charlotte. re

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness bracket: Teams rising, falling in NCAA seed predictions

1. Celtics Clamp Cavs

Over their last 15 games, the Cavaliers were the number 1 offense in the NBA while the Celtics were the number 1 defense — a real clash of the titans matchup where only one could prevail, and this match went to Boston. The Celtics held the Cavaliers to 98 points which is tied for second on the least amount of points that Cleveland has scored this season.

In this first half, Boston held Cleveland to 36 points on 13-45 (29%) from the field and 2-22 (9%) from three. The Cavs would have a hot shooting fourth quarter to boost their numbers up a bit, but they still finished at 35-86 (41%) from the field and 13-45 (29%) from three. Boston also forced 7 turnovers with 13 points coming off those turnovers.

When the Cavs are missing their three pointers they are a very beatable basketball team and the Celtics were able to take advantage of it in this game.

2. Jaylen Brown Big Second Half

Jaylen Brown continued his MVP level season against the Cavs, finishing with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists on 7-17 shooting. Brown started the game a little slow shooting but was able to get his way to the free throw line in the first half.

However, once the third quarter hit, he started to go off with 9 of his 23 points coming in this quarter alone. Brown dominated the midrange in this quarter, getting to his spots and just rising up over everybody. In the fourth quarter he was quiet but made a great play to get an And-1 layup on Keon Ellis.

Brown’s passing was also elite in this game. His 8:1 assist to turnover ratio was huge for Boston in this game. He would routinely attract two Cavs defenders and kick out to the wide open shooter. His best pass came in his big second half, when he found Scheierman on the opposite corner for three.

3. Jayson Tatum Second Game Back

It has been officially 300 Days since Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles and this matchup against the Cavs was his second game of the 2025-26 season. In 27 minutes, he finished with 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists on 6-16 shooting from the field, 2-9 from three, and 6-7 at the free throw line. This was a higher scoring game for Tatum than his debut but his was due to his ability to get to the free throw line that wasn’t showcased a ton against the Mavericks.

Tatum started the game on fire in the first quarter with 12 points on 4-6 shooting. After the Cavs started the game on an 11-3 run, Tatum was able to respond in a huge way with his shot starting to fall and his ability to overpower the defense like in the past.

Tatum would then miss his next 7 shots after his hot start but that didn’t dispel him from shooting in the fourth quarter. He made two huge baskets for the Celtics including the dagger three to give Boston the win.

Postgame, Tatum said that “today felt a lot more normal” when it came to playing his second game of the season after all of the fan fair in his debut. He also confirmed that there is a minutes restriction, most likely of 27 minutes based on that being what he played the last two games. Describing this restriction he said, “Toughest part for me is being on a minutes restriction. That s**t sucks quite frankly…Obviously, I understand the bigger picture.”

3. His Name is Baylor Scheierman

At halftime, the NBA on TNT crew that is now on ESPN were talking about the Cavs not getting back on defense. When they went to get Shaquille O’Neal’s commentary, he said that he had no idea who Baylor Scheierman was when the highlight showed a dunk from him.

In response to this disrespect, Scheierman decided to have one of the best games of his season against the Cavs, finishing with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds on 6-8 shooting from the field and 4-6 shooting from three. He had 9 of these points after Shaq’s comments, showing exactly who he is as a player.

The first half saw Kareem sky hooks and fast-break dunks but the second half saw Scheierman become a flame thrower from beyond the arc while the Celtics were mounting their biggest lead of the game.

A perfect microcausum of what makes Scheierman great was this play in the third quarter when Boston was on a 19-5 run. After Pritchard missed a three, Baylor was fighting for position under the basket and was able to knock out the rebound to give Boston another possession that ended in a Hauser three. This is what makes Baylor Scheierman such a winning player and why he is so huge for this Celtics team.

4. Payton Pritchard 4th Quarter

This is the second game in a row where we got a great Payton Pritchard game after a couple random 0 point performances. Pritchard finished with 18 points and 7 assists on 7-12 shooting from the field against the Cavs in this game where 9 of his points came in the fourth quarter.

His 3-3 shooting in the fourth quarter was huge for Boston because Cleveland was able to cut the lead to 8 points late in the game. Pritchard did a great job of using his dribble moves to create open shots for himself and stymie the momentum that the Cavs were trying to build.

5. Derrick White is Top 5

Before the game, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said that Derrick White is a top-five player in the NBA right now. Some people might disagree but if you watch the game, White is one of the most impactful players in the NBA every single night.

White only finished with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists on 2-9 shooting but it felt like every time he was on the floor, the Celtics would go on a run. He was playing a huge role leading the bench unit in for multiple stretches when both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were out. You can also tell that he missed playing with Jayson Tatum a lot due to the fact that he threw down his third dunk in two games which is more than I ever remember seeing this season.

If you only look at the box score you might not see it, but I agree with Kenny Atkinson: Derrick White is a Top 5 player in the NBA.

6. Sam Hauser Big Game

Sam Hauser was absolutely critical for the Celtics in this game, finishing with 15 points on 5-10 shooting from three. His ability to knock down a big three when Boston needed it most was apparent throughout this game. He was also a big proponent of Boston’s third quarter run that pushed their lead up to at most 26 points.

Hauser is one of the most dangerous players in the league because when his shot is falling, games can get out of hand in a hurry.

8. Celtics Three Point Shooting

I talked about the Cavs shooting only 29% from three in this game as a reason why they lost this game, but Boston’s ability to shoot the three ball was another reason. The Celtics shot 15-38 (40%) from three in Cleveland. These threes came at big moments of the game when Boston jumped out to a 26 point lead but also came up clutch in the fourth quarter when the Cavs were trying to make a comeback.

The three pointer is really the great equalizer in the NBA and watching the Celtics this season has shown this theory to be true.

9. Survived Donovan Mitchell Explosion

Donovan Mitchell has a long and detailed history of going nuclear against the Celtics during his career and most of it coming in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform. Mitchell averages 29.5 points per game against the Celtics in his career which is third in NBA history against Boston, only behind Michael Jordan (30.7) and Luka Doncic (29.8).

So when he had 21 points on 5-12 shooting and Boston held an 86-69 lead going into the fourth quarter, Celtics fans were probably feeling good. Little did we know that Mitchell would start to go off in the quarter, scoring 9 points on 3-6 shooting. This helped the Cavs cut the Celtics lead down to 8 points with 5:01 left in the game. Luckily, Boston was able to hold on but I can’t lie, a small part of me was scared we were going to get another insane Donovan Mitchell comeback.

10. Bring Out the Brooms

For the first time since the 2019-20 season, the Boston Celtics swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in their season series after Boston won this matchup 109-98. Even though Cleveland added James Harden for Darius Garland since their last matchup, Boston added a weapon of their own named Jayson Tatum.

On the season, the Cavs are averaging 118.8 points on 48% shooting from the field and 36% from three. In their three games versus Boston, Cleveland has only averaged 106 points on 42% shooting from the field and 34% shooting from beyond the arc.

History has shown us in the past that sweeping the season series of a team means nothing once the playoffs come around but this season so far, Boston seems to have Cleveland’s number.

How otherworldly was Larry Bird during his memorable season for Indiana State in 1978-79? At one point he made an assist while sprawled on the floor: From his end of the court, he made a one-armed throw to a teammate, who streaked coast-to-coast for a quick bucket.

That season ended with an epic showdown in the NCAA championship game against Magic Johnson and Michigan State. Magic got the better of Bird in that game, but the contest had wider repercussions. Not only did it spark interest in the NCAA Tournament, but Bird and Magic would help revitalize the NBA, after Bird joined the Boston Celtics and Magic the Los Angeles Lakers. But none of this was preordained, especially Bird’s trajectory.

Bird emerges as the ultimate against-the-odds story in a new book – Heartland: A Forgotten Place, An Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird by Keith O’Brien. The author, who previously wrote a biography of the late, controversial Cincinnati Reds star Pete Rose, turns his lens to Bird and the many obstacles he faced.

“I was drawn to that origin story – his rise in rural Indiana in the 1970s and how it almost does not happen at all,” O’Brien says. “…The rise of Larry Bird is one of the most unlikely American sports stories of the past 50 years.”

Stretching nearly 400 pages, the book devotes much of that space to examining what stood in Bird’s path. O’Brien chronicles a troubled early family life in French Lick, Indiana, including the suicide of Bird’s father, a veteran of the second world war and Korea.

“A suicide is a trauma for a family, for a child, for a teenager,” O’Brien says. “We know that now in 2026 … In a lot of ways, Larry Bird really had to shoulder this tragedy and this grief alone.”

Bird was 18 when he lost his father in February 1975. The previous fall, he had gone to the University of Indiana to play for a coach with a growing reputation, Bobby Knight. But he left Bloomington without ever playing a game for the Hoosiers. Returning to French Lick, he played briefly for a vocational school, then for an industrial league, then got a job hauling garbage. And that’s where he was in April 1975 when a similarly down-on-his-luck assistant coach connected with him: Bill Hodges of Indiana State.

“Bill Hodges is an unsung hero in this story,” O’Brien says. “Without Bill Hodges, I’m not sure we would have ever known Larry Bird’s name at all.”

Hailing from another small town in Indiana – Zionsville – Hodges was on his third job in as many years. He had seen Bird play twice, liked what he saw, and drove to French Lick bent on recruiting him despite Bird’s resistance.

“Bill Hodges was a lot like Larry Bird,” O’Brien says. “He was stubborn, he was persistent … he knew what it felt like to be poor in Indiana. Those two men, Bill Hodges and Larry Bird, really connected on a personal level, which ultimately coaxed Bird … to reenroll in college and come to Indiana State.”

The book contrasts the small-town school in Terre Haute with its much larger counterpart in Bloomington. The schools’ basketball programs were headed in different directions too: The Indiana State Sycamores drew sparse crowds and risked dropping to Division II, while the Indiana Hoosiers would win the 1976 NCAA championship. Yet Bird benefited from his time in Terre Haute under head coach Bob King.

“For a kid like Larry Bird, it’s a place that felt more like home,” O’Brien says.

Meanwhile, King and his staff started assembling a strong team around Bird. Progress was not necessarily linear – there were back-to-back exits from the National Invitation Tournament, the second punctuated by Bird getting into it with a Rutgers fan. Bird was notably reticent around the media, including journalists who asked about Bird’s early, brief marriage from which he had a daughter.

Eventually, the national media was paying attention to his play on the court, with Sports Illustrated even putting him on the cover in November 1977 as “College Basketball’s Secret Weapon,” with two Indiana State cheerleaders urging the reader to keep quiet. By Bird’s senior year, the Sycamores had something special in terms of team chemistry.

“It’s the classic story,” O’Brien says. “Not just for sports, but life, business, anything. The guys in the [locker] room get along with each other. They’re friends. They’re not nearly as talented on paper as the year before. But it just works.”

It worked to the point where the Sycamores got key contributions from across the roster – including Bird’s roommate Bob Heaton, who made two memorable shots that season. And they also got great coaching from Hodges, who had to step in after King suffered a heart attack, and then was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, before the season started.

As the Sycamores remained undefeated week after week, interest in Bird grew not only within the NCAA, but also in the NBA. O’Brien delves into the complex racial dimensions of what made Bird appealing to a league that was struggling to attract an audience.

“NBA executives, GMs, scouts, TV executives spoke about how important it was that Larry Bird was white,” O’Brien says. “It was an important aspect for the NBA, the business of the NBA at the time. In 1978-79, in the midst of Indiana State’s miracle season, Larry Bird’s miracle season, the NBA is teetering on the edge of obscurity. It draws abysmal TV ratings … In a lot of ways, in the minds of NBA executives at that time, Larry Bird was a quick fix, a solution.”

Bird, who by his senior year had neither played in the NCAA Tournament nor in a televised game, would get plenty of airtime during the Big Dance. After the Sycamores fended off Sidney Moncrief and Arkansas in the Final Four, they had a dream matchup with Magic and Michigan State in the final.

It was something of an anticlimax for Bird and Indiana State – he scored 19 points in the Sycamores’ 75-64 loss. Yet when the Sycamores returned to Terre Haute, they were greeted by a rousing rally from fans who had followed that memorable season, start to finish. And an NBA rivalry with Magic was in the wings.

“Bird and Magic are going to define the next decade in pro basketball,” O’Brien says. “In a lot of ways, they’re going to save pro basketball.”

Meanwhile, a CBS executive named Kevin O’Malley was impressed by the marquee matchup in the NCAA final and by that year’s tournament in general. As detailed in the book, he eventually conceived an idea for what has become a rite of spring: The NCAA Tournament selection show.

But as Bird finally made good on his potential in 1978-79, and paved the way for stardom in the NBA, there was one more moment that could have changed everything. It happened in a regular-season matchup against New Mexico State, in which Indiana State trailed by two with three seconds left. New Mexico State star Greg Webb stood at the line for a one-and-one. If he made the first free-throw, it would have ended the Indiana State win streak. Instead, he missed. The Sycamores’ Brad Miley grabbed the rebound and fed teammate Bob Heaton for an improbable halfcourt shot to tie the game. Indiana State won in overtime, a perfect season still within reach.

“I tracked down Greg Webb,” O’Brien says. “He did remember [that moment], did want to talk about it. Greg Webb told me the miss and the failure in 1979 was devastating to him.

“Looking back on it through the prism of time, he felt maybe it’s he, Greg Webb, who deserves credit for starting March Madness. If he makes the free throw, maybe Larry Bird does not get there at all.”