CHICAGO (AP) — Donovan Dent had 12 points, 12 assists and a career-high 10 rebounds — the first triple-double in the history of the Big Ten Conference Tournament — to help sixth-seeded UCLA beat No. 14 seed Rutgers 72-59 on Thursday night in the third round.
Dent became the fifth player in program history to record a triple-double, joining Bill Walton, Toby Bailey, Jelani McCoy and Kyle Anderson.
UCLA (22-10) plays No. 11 and second-seeded Nebraska in the quarterfinals Friday.
Tyler Bilodeau led the Bruins with 21 points, Trent Perry scored 12 and Eric Dailey Jr. 10.
Dailey hit a jumper and then threw down a fast-break dunk before Bilodeau made a 3-pointer to spark a 14-2 run that made it 46-31 with 15:18 left in the game and UCLA led by at least nine the rest of the way.
Lino Mark led Rutgers (14-19) with 17 points, five rebounds and five assists. Tariq Francis, who set a the program record for points in a Big Ten Tournament game with 29 as the Scarlet Knights beat Minnesota 72-67 in the second round, finished with six points on 2-of-11 shooting against the Bruins.
The Dallas Mavericks beat the Memphis Grizzlies 120-112 Thursday night in Memphis, snapping the Mavericks eight-game losing streak.
Khris Middleton had a career night, with 35 points off the bench, 22 of those coming in the fourth quarter. It was the highest scoring quarter of Middleton’s career and nearly a Mavericks team record for points in a quarter, which Dirk Nowitzki holds with 29.
It was a very wild game, which is part for the course for this Mavericks team. Memphis was extremely interested in losing this game by any means necessary, dressing only eight players and their starting lineup featuring mostly G-League-tier players. GG Jackson, Jaylen Wells, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper were the only credible NBA players that played for the Grizzlies tonight, and Hendricks inexplicably came off the bench and only played 24 minutes, despite scoring 17 points. Memphis wanted to lose this game.
The Mavericks, to their credit (or discredit, depending on what side of the tanking coin you fall on), did what they always do: play hard as hell. Dallas opened up a double-digit lead in the first quarter, before extending it to 20 before halftime.
Turnovers and sloppy play doomed the Mavericks in the third, where Memphis actually tied the game late in the quarter before the Mavericks got some late free throws to take a lead into the fourth.
From there it was the Middleton show, and Dallas comfortably one what was once a nail-bitter. Here’s what we noticed.
Khris Middleton was insane
The numbers don’t do Middleton’s night justice, although the numbers themselves are great: 35 points on 10-of-17 shooting, and 8-of-10 from three. Middleton didn’t rack up a lot of assists, but that’s because he was letting it rip as soon as he had the ball, and you can’t blame him.
Middleton scored 16 of the Mavericks first 20 points of the fourth quarter. He started with catch-and-shoot threes, then worked the mid-range with some post-ups, and by then it was over: he started raining down heat-check threes and desperation, bail-out long twos at the end of the shot clock. The Grizzlies did nothing to disrupt his rhythm and once Middleton was locked in, the game felt done and dusted.
There will be a segment of the Mavericks fan base dismayed that a 34-year-old veteran that doesn’t figure into the Mavericks long-term plans costing the team a crucial tank loss, but who cares. Yes, it would be cooler if the Mavericks won games behind their youth, especially Cooper Flagg, but Dallas lost eight in a row before this. Middleton can have a career-game, as a treat.
Paint points, again
Dallas is a top-five team in scoring in the paint, and they did it again against Memphis. The Mavericks went 24-of-34 in the restricted area and 8-of-15 in the “floater range” (in the paint, outside the restricted area.
Daniel Gafford was the biggest reason, with a monster 22-point, 14-rebound effort. Gafford had six offensive rebounds, and the Mavericks as a team had a ridiculous 21 offensive rebounds. All those second opportunities led to some easy putbacks and paint finishes. Dallas’ size was a clear advantage all game.
Cooper Flagg is still rusty
Cooper Flagg hasn’t really had a good game yet since coming back from his foot injury that sidelined him for three weeks. He struggled again tonight with 13 points on 16 shots.
His jumper is kind of broken again. Flagg was a decent 6-of-11 in the paint, but missed every single jumper he took, going 0-for-5 on jumpers. He just doesn’t look the same before the injury and surely part of that is timing, conditioning, and natural rust from such a long layoff.
There’s nothing too much to fret here, Flagg is the future and is allowed to have a bad week of games. But it is a bummer when he was skyrocketing upward right before his injury. It feels like Flagg got knocked back into November 2025, and it’s like his development just hit rewind. That’s not the real story, and Flagg will be fine. These games have just been a bummer for him.
We’ve finally hit the home stretch. Brooklyn Nets games are feeling more and more like exhibitions. Players that are merely passing through see big minutes, only to be remembered by the most die-hard fans.
On Thursday afternoon, the Nets shut down Day’Ron Sharpe for the season. Sharpe, with a torn ligament in his thumb, joined #8 overall pick Egor Dëmin as the first Nets to skip ahead to the offseason. They may not be the last.
On Thursday night, the Nets faced the Atlanta Hawks, who won the previous matchup in Barclays Center on February 22. The Hawks had not lost a game since, beating up on a bunch of bad and/or injured teams for seven in a row. With Michael Porter Jr., Ziaire Williams, and Nolan Traore also missing action, the Hawks had a golden opportunity to make it eight.
The Nets played their part early on, starting three rookies next to Nic Claxton and Noah Clowney, who largely struggled…
couple rough turnovers for the rookies (last time I'll post about Saraf not getting to two feet), thought Jordi might sub em out pic.twitter.com/UmIByspfKe
Ben Saraf scored ten points for the second consecutive game, the first time in his career he’s done so, shooting 4-of-7 with four assists and five turnovers. Drake Powell and Danny Wolf combined to shoot 6-of-20 with five turnovers, occasionally dribbling into traffic without a plan, overwhelmed by Atlanta’s gaggle of feisty defenders. Much to Jordi Fernández’s dismay, the Nets turned it over 20 times.
So, a blowout with no bright spots, eh? Not quite. A second unit seemingly designed to maximize the tank…
The Nets' second unit tonight:
Tyson Etienne Terance Mann Jalen Wilson Chaney Johnson Josh Minott
…actually outperformed the starters. Fernández even expanded the rotation to 11 players, as E.J. Liddell earned 12 second-half minutes. That means all three two-way players touched the court — not to mention Josh Minott, who has spent some time with Long Island lately — and they all held their own.
Tyson Etienne fouled out but hit two 3-pointers, and his lineup kept the game close in the first half. Same for Chaney Johnson, who played hard and finished with a 3/3/3 statline. Liddell scored four points with six boards, but may have had the sequence of the night for Brooklyn…
Alas, it was Josh Minott who turned in the night’s most important performance. If the rest of his season is an audition — as Brooklyn has a team-option on his contract for next year — he certainly aced Thursday night. The 3-and-D wing was everywhere, doing more than just sitting in the corner and talking on defense.
Minott posted a ravishing 24/3/1/3/3 line, the 24 points a new career-high. He shot 4-of-7 from deep and took ten free-throws while bringing the athleticism and physicality that Brooklyn has long missed from their wings…
Josh Minott put up 24/3/1/3/3 today, a career-high in points while bringing defensive activity and general force/athleticism, the performance Nets fans have been waiting for: pic.twitter.com/rGGQqY6Lnz
Fernández made sure to point out that he thought Chaney Johnson was “awesome” defensively, before praising Minott: “It was great. He was aggressive, I mean, you see the line … a little bit more rebounding, maybe, because that’s where we struggle and he provides size.”
Thanks to a cold shooting night from Atlanta and the energy of the Brooklyn bench, the grabbed a lead in the fourth quarter. Somehow. Sure, they got killed on the glass (22-4 in second-chance points) and in the turnover department again, but they fought, and Atlanta seemed stunned.
Then it was tanking time. Claxton and Clowney did not return in the fourth quarter. Nor did Terance Mann. Nope; the most experience Net on the court for winning (losing) time was Minott, and even then, he was subbed out for a couple minutes midway through the quarter. The magic finally ran out. Atlanta used an 11-0 run to seal the deal, quickly shaking off the embarrassment of a potential nail-biting end to a contest against benchwarmers and two-way players.
The Nets, meanwhile, did what they’ve long been reluctant to do and got shameless with it. Noah Clowney and Nic Claxton (combined 18 points on 8-of-15 shooting) weren’t lighting the world on fire, but relegating them to cheerleader-status in the closing minutes certainly didn’t help Brooklyn’s chances of winning.
Jalen Johnson went right at his overmatched competition to score nine of his 21 points in the final frame while CJ McCollum played a supporting role, and the Hawks handled business. So did the Nets, for that matter.
Said Fernández: “I thought everybody played the right way, even though I put them in different spots … We had a group that was very physical right there, [Atlanta] got a little stagnant because we switched a little bit. So I thought that all that was very positive.”
It was. The Nets really went for the tank, and it worked. It wasn’t even that much of an eyesore Though Drake Powell shot just 4-of-13, it marked the first time he’s taken more than ten shots in a game, while Minott gave fans real hope that he indeed may be a steal. Will this behavior continue for the final 16 games? I can’t wait to find out.
Final Score: Atlanta Hawks 108, Brooklyn Nets 97
Milestone Watch
For Minott, three steals tied a season-high, accomplished with both Boston and Brooklyn. His 24 points, four triples, and eight free-throws are all career-highs.
Tankathon Standings
The Nets, sadly, did not gain any ground in the tank-off. The Washington Wizards took the Orlando Magic to overtime but did not pull off the upset on Thursday night, while the Indiana Pacers lost regular style. The Sacramento Kings were off. Here’s the standings, courtesy of Tankathon…
Next Up
<p>Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images</p><br>
Brooklyn wraps up their brief two-game road trip by visiting the Philadelphia 76ers. Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.
Mar 11, 2026; Miami, FL, United States; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) drives to the basket against Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first quarter at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The Milwaukee Bucks battled, but were unable to extinguish the Miami Heat, losing 112-105 as the Heat won their seventh straight game. Despite not having Tyler Herro, the Heat pulled through because of Pelle Larson, who had a career-high 28 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 31 points were not enough.
A new starting lineup was rolled out for Milwaukee: Kevin Porter Jr. returned and started in place of Ryan Rollins. The Bucks began the game sluggishly on offense, unable to get any easy looks near the rim. Miami slowly extended its lead as the quarter progressed, while Milwaukee continued to struggle to generate any good offense, dribbling the ball excessively, which resulted in turnovers. Bobby Portis did his bit to come in and provide something on that end, but the Heat had an answer at every turn. Milwaukee trailed 31-21 after the first quarter
The second quarter was much better for Milwaukee, as they found their rhythm on both ends (the Heat went four minutes without a field goal). Bobby Portis hit some jumpers, and Taurean Prince scored his first points since returning from neck surgery. Giannis found a breakthrough too, throwing down some dunks and asserting his will. The Bucks’ three-ball was falling (primarily from Rollins and Turner), which helped them come back to tie the game at 51. However, Miami would end the final two minutes on an 8-0 run, taking a 59-51 lead into halftime.
Milwaukee continued its trend of starting the third quarter flat-footed as Miami scored a quick five points. The Bucks didn’t score a field goal for the first four and a half minutes—and 7 minutes of game time between the second and third quarters—before Giannis finally broke the drought. Milwaukee’s bench reduced the deficit somewhat, going on an 11-2 run in a three-minute stretch, but the Bucks still ended the third quarter trailing 85-77.
The bench (plus Giannis) continued to slowly chip away at the Heat’s lead to open the fourth. After not scoring for the first three quarters, Kyle Kuzma scored five straight points to get the visitors within just two points halfway through the fourth as the Bucks went on a 10-2 run, forcing a Miami timeout halfway through the frame. Milwaukee kept it close throughout the fourth quarter—getting back to that two-point margin later after a Jericho Sims and-one—but the Heat kept getting to the charity stripe and extending the lead. Still, the Bucks had a shot with less than a minute remaining to tie the game with a three; the problem was… it was Giannis who shot it (with heaps of time left on the shot clock, I might add). The Heat got the rebound, came down, and kicked it out to Pelle Larsson, who made his three. Game over.
Stat That Stood Out
The only reason the Bucks were even in this game was because of their bench. Milwaukee’s bench scored 56 points—led by Bobby Portis with 19—and outscored all the non-Giannis starters combined.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: Devin Booker #1 of the Phoenix Suns shoots the ball during the game against the Indiana Pacers on March 12, 2026 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Jalen Green and Devin Booker dominated the Phoenix Suns’ 123-108 win over the Indiana Pacers. The two Suns guards combined to score 79 points on 28-for-44 shooting and 7-of-16 from three. It was a dazzling display from the midrange as both players found the space to operate against an overmatched Indiana backcourt and hit contested midrange shots all game long. This game type of game should not come as a surprise to Suns fans, the last time the Suns played the Pacers, both Booker and Dillon Brooks scored over 30 in another dominant win.
While it was against the worst team record-wise in the NBA, the Suns’ backcourt showed its ceiling as one of the best duos in the NBA when Green is hitting shots. They played well with each other, and when Jordan Ott staggered them at the beginning and ends of quarters. We have been waiting months for this kind of Booker scoring barrage, and it appears to be coming at just the right time for Phoenix, which is now one game behind the pack for a top-six spot in the Western Conference.
As for Green, he struggled out of the gates in his return from injury, but after playing against some of the lesser teams in the NBA, he seems to have found his groove in the Suns’ offense. He will not hit every midrange jump shot as he did against Indiana, but he is building chemistry with his teammates and taking steps every single game. He still makes infuriating passes that lead to turnovers, and the shot selection is always a concern, but his ascension over this Suns win streak has certainly changed the ceiling of what this Suns team can be if he continues to play at this level.
Top Performers
Suns
Devin Booker: 43 points, 14-of-31 field goals, 4-for-7 from 3, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists
Jalen Green: 36 points, 14-of-23 field goals, 3-for-9 from 3, 4 assists, and 3 steals
Royce O’Neale: 15 points on 5-of-8 from 3
Rasheer Fleming: 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 2 blocks, and a team high +16
Pacers
Andrew Nembhard: 23 points, 6-for-7 field goals and 2-for-2 from 3
Jarace Walker: 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists
Ben Sheppard: 10 points, 4-of-5 field goals, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist
Jalen Slawson: 10 points, 3-of-9 field goals, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists
Game Flow
First Half
The Suns and Pacers both got off to fast starts; neither team missed a shot for the first four minutes of the game. As has been the pattern over the last few games, Jalen Green came out firing and scored 6 quick points and hit Royce O’Neale for two early 3-point shots. The two-man game between him and Ighodaro was clicking in the first quarter. After playing multiple seasons with a similar passing big in Alperen Sengun, it was only a matter of time before they started to figure things out.
Then it was the Devin Armani Booker show; he scored 15 points in the first quarter on a plethora of midrange shots and attacking the basket, even his misses practically hit the bottom of the basket before popping back out. Unfortunately, the Suns’ defensive intensity was lacking in the first quarter, and the Suns’ poor defense and mental lapses allowed Andrew Nembhard (11 first-quarter points) and the Pacers to have the game tied 36-36 after the first quarter.
The second quarter started with the Suns setting the tone on the defensive end. Ighodaro was everywhere during his early stint and engineered an 18-3 Suns run with a block on Zubac and a dunk on the other end. He and Green continued to play a lot of two-man offense with pick-and-rolls or dribble handoffs. Green had a nice drive to the rim, where he hit Rasheer Fleming for the dunk, who slot cut from the wing.
Green, while up and down, continues to show growth as a playmaker against the bottom teams in the NBA as he has gotten more reps with his teammates. The Suns led by as many as 14, up 58-44, and looked poised to crack this game wide open, but the Pacers responded. With Maluach and Jamaree Bouyea in to close the second quarter, Nembhard and Zubac closed the half strong. They hit closely contested shots for Indiana while turnovers and an out-of-rhythm Phoenix offense allowed Indiana to cut the deficit to six, with the Suns up 67-61 at halftime. Booker finished the half with 22 points, and Nembhard finished with 23 for Indiana.
Second Half
The Pacers were playing a little too well in the first half, so Rick Carlisle decided to take out Zubac and Nembhard in the third quarter. Without their two best players, the Suns jumped out to a 79-68 lead after back-to-back 3s from O’Neale and Booker. Again, the Suns were close to breaking the game open, but could not because of defensive breakdowns and the offense stalling out. Multiple times in the third quarter, Ighodaro let Huff drive right to the basket without any resistance, and Ben Sheppard got himself going for the Pacers, scoring multiple times in the third quarter.
Booker was trying to do it all for the Suns in the third quarter, forcing his way to the basket and foul-baiting. He did not get many calls, and the other Suns turned the ball over, resulting in easy baskets for Indiana to get back into it, down 83-79. Then the Suns went small with Fleming at the five and O’Neale, Booker, Goodwin, and Green, where the Suns exploded to end the quarter up 96-88 after a 3-point barrage from Booker to end the quarter, and some exceptional switching defense took the Pacers out of rhythm. The quarter was almost capped off by Green crossing up Jarace Walker and postering a poor Pacers defender, the dunk hit back rim and bounced out… oh so close.
The fourth quarter was more of the same for Phoenix. A Goodwin steal and score started the Suns off, but the Pacers quickly cut into the Suns’ lead to 98-92. Then it became the Jalen Green show. Green attacked hard off the dribble and got any Pacers defender on him sprinting back to the rim, then Green pulled back time and time again to hit the 15-foot midrange jumpers. Then the threes were falling as well as he hit one in the corner off movement from Gillespie, and another from Booker off of his gravity.
Defensively, the Suns made enough plays to keep Indiana at bay. Fleming emphatically blocked two shots in the quarter, resulting in the Suns’ fastbreaks the other way. The game was dominated by the two Suns guards, and the rest of the team filled in enough of the gaps to get the 123-108 win. While a blowout would have helped Phoenix on the second night of a back-to-back, the Green and Booker show was a joy to watch the entire game. Let’s hope the shots keep going in for the rest of the road trip.
Mar 12, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Washington Wizards guard Trae Young (3) drives against Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second quarter at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images
The Washington Wizards’ valiant comeback effort fell short on Thursday against the Orlando Magic in a 136-131 contest at Kia Center.
The Wizards got buried in a 19-point hole in the third quarter that made the game look like it was about to turn into a good, old-fashioned blowout. But Bilal Coulibaly led a furious fourth-quarter rally that got the Wizards to within a single possession.
With the Wizards trailing 123-120 in the closing seconds of regulation, the basketball gods blessed Bilal with a banker to send the game to overtime.
BILAL COULIBALY GAME TYING THREE TO SEND IT TO OVERTIME
Coulibaly finished with 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, but it wasn’t enough as the Wizards could not get a stop in overtime.
Washington also allowed a career-high 26 points from second-year big man Tristan Da Silva. But on the bright side, at least our guys didn’t allow anyone to score 83 points this time around.
Sarr tallied 16 points and 5 blocks, while Tristan Vukcevic had himself an 11-11 double-double off the bench. Tre Johnson struggled with his shot, going 1-of-11 for just 3 points. Trae Young had 15 points and 6 assists in his 21 minutes of action.
The Wizards close out their four-game road trip on Saturday with a matchup against the Boston Celtics.
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanayama will miss Thursday night's game against the Denver Nuggets due to right ankle soreness.
Wembanyama was questionable and ruled out after going through pre-game warmups.
The 7-foot-4 center from France went through his pre-game workout about 25 minutes earlier than normal. He walked off the court after shooting free throws and speaking to a member of the Spurs training staff.
San Antonio, which has won five straight and 16 of its last 17 games, is second in the Western Conference at 48-17. Denver (40-26) is fifth in the West.
Wembanyama was named the West's Player of the Week after leading the Spurs to a 4-0 record for the week ending March 8. He averaged 26 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 blocks.
Wembanyama must play in 13 of San Antonio's final 16 games for end-of-season award eligibility. The NBA requires players to play at least 20 minutes for 65 games during the 82-game regular season.
Wembanyama has played in 51 games this season. He is credited with a 52nd game after playing in the NBA Cup Final, which does not count toward the regular-season standings or statistics, but is part of the 65-game requirement.
Spurs forward Harrison Barnes, who missed five straight games with a left ankle injury will play Thursday. Barnes played in 364 consecutive games before sitting out.
TORONTO (AP) — Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews left Thursday night against Anaheim after a knee-on-knee hit from Ducks defenseman Radko Gudas.
Trying to make a move around Gudas in the slot in the second period, Matthew stook a direct blow to his left leg and crashed to the ice. The U.S. Olympic captain stayed down before being helped to the locker room.
Gudas, the bruising Czech defender whose hit ended Canadian captain Sidney Crosby’s Olympics in the quarterfinals, was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct.
Matthews snapped a 12-game goal drought earlier in the period on a power play. The center has 27 goals and 26 assists in 60 games this season.
CLEVELAND, OHIO - FEBRUARY 02: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives to the basket between Olivier-Maxence Prosper #8 and Dante Exum #0 of the Dallas Mavericks during the third quarter at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 02, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Mavericks 144-101. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dallas hasn’t had much success in the win column this season, but Flagg is the real deal. He’s one of the most well-rounded prospects we’ve seen in recent seasons, as he’s a solid playmaker and a threat to score at all three levels, even though he has some room to grow with this three-point shot. Flagg is averaging 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game on .470/.299/.804 shooting splits.
As seen on Wednesday, the Cavs are a work in progress, especially defensively. We’ll see if the Cavs can clean up that end of the floor against a Mavs team that will be on the second leg of a back-to-back.
Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE. The link to the 2016 championship shirt HERE.
Cavs injury report: Jarrett Allen – OUT (knee), Tyrese Proctor – OUT (quad), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Olivier Sarr – OUT (G League)
Mavs injury report for Thursday’s game vs. Grizzlies: Kyrie Irving – OUT (knee), Dereck LIvely II – OUT (foot), Klay Thompson – OUT (rest), Moussa Cisse – OUT (G League), John Poulakidas – OUT (G League), Tyler Smith – OUT (G League)
Cavs expectedstarting lineup: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley
Mavs expected starting lineup: Naji Marshall, Max Christie, Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford
Last year, on its way to the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and the program’s second Final Four appearance, Auburn became one of the most breathlessly discussed teams in men’s college basketball.
The Tigers’ star player, Johni Broome, was at the center of a season-long national player of the year debate with Duke’s Cooper Flagg. They had an exceptionally old roster, with five players in their rotation who were at least 21 years old, including one, 25-year-old Chad Baker-Mazara, who was old enough to run for a seat in Congress. At the head of the operation was coach Bruce Pearl, a man who, for all of his teams’ accomplishments, has been a subject of controversy for much of his career, going all the way back to his days as an assistant at Iowa in the late 1980s (you can Google “Bruce Pearl Deon Thomas”).
And, to think, the 2025-26 edition of the Tigers may be even more polarizing.
Even with Pearl enjoying retirement and his son, Steven, at the helm, Auburn has perhaps the most contentious resume for an at-large berth to the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The Tigers have a power-conference pedigree, a talented roster and a handful of highly impressive wins, but they’re just 17-16 this season after falling 72-62 to Tennessee in the second round of the SEC tournament Thursday, March 12.
Its tournament case has touched on some of the rawest, most searing divides in college basketball — namely, whether the final at-large spots should go to middling power-conference teams or mid-major squads with gaudy records that fell short in their conference tournaments. It’s a split that has only gotten more pronounced as the NCAA mulls tournament expansion, raising questions about which kind of teams will end up getting those additional spots.
So what’s at the heart of the dispute over the Tigers? Let’s take a deeper look at their NCAA Tournament resume:
The SEC tournament loss to Tennessee was Auburn’s 16th defeat of the season, putting it only one game above .500 (mind you, the NIT used to require participants have at least a .500 record). If the Tigers are selected for the 68-team field, they’d have the most losses ever for an at-large team. No squad with more than 15 losses has ever made the cut for March Madness.
That record includes a 7-11 mark in SEC play during the regular season, which put it 12th in the 16-team conference. Though the conference was considered stronger and deeper last season, six SEC teams got into the 2025 NCAA Tournament with sub-.500 conference records, including two, Oklahoma and Texas, that were 6-12 in league competition.
Those subpar records for Auburn become even more glaring when compared to other teams fighting for the final at-large berths into the tournament — a group that includes, among others, 20-13 SMU, 20-12 Missouri, 21-11 UCF, 26-8 Santa Clara, 24-7 VCU and, of course, 31-1 Miami (Ohio).
Auburn’s March Madness resume metrics are solid
While win-loss records understandably are the most obvious way to measure a team, there are a slew of other metrics that are a part of the team sheet examined by the NCAA Tournament selection committee when trying to fill in the 68-team bracket.
Thankfully for Auburn, a number of those statistical barometers are much kinder to the Tigers.
As of early Thursday evening, Auburn is No. 38 in the NCAA’s NET rankings (though it will likely drop a spot or two when those are updated Friday morning), No. 39 on KenPom, No. 41 on Torvik, No. 26 on BPI and No. 45 on KPI (those final two, like the NET, haven’t been updated to reflect the Tennessee loss).
How can a team that narrowly avoided a losing record be well within the statistical range of a typical at-large team? Much of it comes back to the quality of the Tigers’ schedule.
Auburn has played 17 Quad 1 games this season, tied for the most of any Division I team. Though it hasn’t fared particularly well in those contests, with a 4-13 record, it has picked up a handful of notable wins. The Tigers beat No. 13 St. John’s in a neutral-site game on Nov. 26. It has home victories against No. 17 Arkansas and Kentucky. And, most impressively, it has a 76-67 road win over reigning national champion Florida, which is the Gators’ only home loss this season.
For all those numbers, the most important one to keep in mind heading into Selection Sunday may well be this one: 0.62. That was the Tigers’ Wins Above Bubble mark entering the day Thursday. It’s a metric NCAA senior vice president for basketball Dan Gavitt has said will be weighed heavily when trying to sift through bubble teams. That mark ranks Auburn No. 44, putting it behind, among others, No. 31 TCU, No. 33 Miami (Ohio), No. 35 Ohio State, No. 36 UCF, No. 37 Santa Clara, No. 40 Missouri and No. 42 VCU, though it also puts it ahead of No. 45 SMU, No. 46 Texas, No. 49 New Mexico, No. 51 Indiana and No. 53 Oklahoma.
Will Auburn make NCAA Tournament?
There’s nothing resembling a clear consensus on whether the Tigers will make the field, though they’re just outside of the field according to Bracket Matrix, which compiles and averages out dozens of mock brackets.
Here’s a look at where various outlets have Auburn:
There was a lot of reaction to Bam Adebayo’s historic, 83-point outburst earlier this week, with many ripping the Miami Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra for facilitating it, particularly in the fourth quarter.
When it came time to respond to that criticism, Spoelstra, for his part, said he didn’t care.
“I apologize to absolutely no one, period,” he told reporters Thursday, March 12 prior to Miami’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks. “Going into the game, it’s a Tuesday night game, going against a team where they’re not playing for anything, where their organization is trying to lose — we’ve already lost a game in that kind of situation.
“We (had) players that were sitting out, and I spoke to Bam, as our best player and team captain, for him to be locked in and ready. And he sure was.”
On Feb. 9, the Heat had lost a game against the Jazz when Utah sat Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkić — three of their best players — for the entire fourth quarter.
It became apparent early on Tuesday, March 10 that Adebayo and the Heat were not looking to repeat that same mistake against the Wizards. In the first quarter, Adebayo scored 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. It set the franchise record for most points in a quarter, and was 10 points off of Adebayo’s previous career high for an entire game.
“Everything was at stake,” Spoelstra continued. “The way he played in the first quarter had nothing to do with what happened afterwards. It was about our opportunity. And as the leader of the team, he approached that opportunity appropriately.
“The fact that he was still in the game at the end. This is what our fans want to see, and this is what you really want to see happen in this league: for there to be some competitive storylines. And a brilliant, magical night appeared out of nowhere.”
Many critics of the performance pointed to the fourth quarter as an example of "unethical" basketball and a devolution of the game. At one point, when the Heat were up 27 points late in the quarter, they intentionally fouled Washington so that Adebayo would have more chances to score. Miami also fed Adebayo the ball, so that he could chase the mark for the second-most points scored in an NBA game, 81, previously held by Kobe Bryant.
Adebayo finished the game 20-of-43 and made 36 of his 43 free throw attempts, both of which are NBA records for a single game.
“Most of the people that made comments didn’t even watch the game,” Spoelstra added. “That’s unethical.”
Spoelstra said he and his staff rewatched the fourth quarter to see how the sequence played out.
“He had 70-plus, going back and forth, all that happened under 2 minutes,” Spoelstra said. “He was already 76 deep at that point. And damn right we’re going to go for it.
“I’ve seen people say: ‘You’ve got to be a purist.’ I’m a Darwinist in this league.”
There were also plenty of people, from opposing players or coaches, who expressed admiration for Adebayo’s achievement. One common takeaway from Adebayo’s performance was that it put a target on Miami’s back.
“It doesn’t take away anything from our organization, how we feel about Bam, how special that night was,” Spoelstra said. “Our fan base is electrified by this moment. This locker room has wanted something. …
“There’s going to be a buzz now. There will be a responsibility to that buzz. Good. I want there to be pressure on our team. I’m banking on that bringing out another level for our group.”
The Heat are 37-29 and in sixth place in the East.
Dwight Howard has officially announced the end of his basketball career.
Howard has not played in the NBA in 1,434 days but spent 18 years in the league, playing for seven different teams.
Howard already has received one of the top honors for a player, being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.
Not only was Howard known for his defensive ability, but also for his playful personality during the early years of his career.
After spending the 2021-22 season with the Los Angeles Lakers, he spent the final year of his active playing career with the Taoyuan Leopards in Taiwan for the 2022-23 season.
Dwight Howard career stats
Howard averaged 15.7 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game during his career. He started 1,078 of the 1,242 games he played in. He led the league in rebounds five times and blocks twice.
Dwight Howard success
Howard reached the NBA Finals twice during his career, winning a championship as a key reserve player for the Lakers in 2020.
During his prime, he also led the Orlando Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009 as the Eastern Conference representative. The Magic lost the series to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers 4-1.
Howard was named to eight All-NBA teams and five All-Defensive teams. He finished his career as a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and an eight-time All-Star.
The Hall of Famer also competed in multiple Slam Dunk contests, winning the title in 2008.
NEW YORK (AP) — Brooklyn Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe will miss the rest of the season because of a torn ligament in his left thumb.
The Nets said Thursday that Sharpe would need surgery to repair the tear of the ulnar collateral ligament and that updates would be provided after he had it.
Sharpe is Brooklyn's primary backup to Nic Claxton, playing in 62 games and starting seven. He has averaged 8.7 points and 6.7 rebounds and leads the Nets in field goal percentage at 60.1%. The 2021 first-round pick tops all Nets reserves in total points, assists and steals.
LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Myka Perry scored 15 of her 21 points in the second half, Harmanie Dominguez made five 3-pointers and finished with 18 points, and No. 3 seed Stephen F. Austin beat top-seeded McNeese 71-59 on Thursday to win the Southland Conference Tournament and clinch an NCAA Tournament berth for the second consecutive season.
Stephen F. Austin (25-9), which lost both regular-season matchups against the Cowgirls, have won nine of the last 11 in the series which the Ladyjacks lead 52-15.
McNeese (28-5), which set the program's single season wins record, saw its 21-game win streak — the longest in school history — come to an end.
Kaylinn Kemp made a layup and then a 3 before Perry added a layup that capped a 7-1 spurt to open the fourth quarter and give the Ladyjacks an eight-point lead with 6:39 remaining. Dakota Howard answered with a three-point play but Dominguez made a layup and a 3-pointer to make it 62-42 with 4:28 left.
Ashlyn Traylor-Walker and Dominguez hit 3-pointers and Perry converted a three-point play down the stretch to hold off the Cowgirls.
Howard finished with 23 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals for the Cowgirls. The freshman went into the game leading the team in scoring (12.5 per game), rebounding (6.0), and total steals (80). Arianna Patton and Jalencia Pierre added 11 points apiece.
The Cowgirls, who went 10-21 last season, won the conference’s regular-season title under first-year coach Ayla Guzzardo.
Up next
McNeese: The Cowgirls have an automatic berth into the WNIT.
Stephen F. Austin: Awaits its seeding and opponent in the NCAA Tournament.
DALLAS, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 27: Max Christie #00 of the Dallas Mavericks is defended by Walter Clayton Jr. #4 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the third quarter at American Airlines Center on February 27, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dallas Mavericks (21-44) play the final leg of this six-game road trip on Thursday night against the Memphis Grizzlies (23-41). Dallas is riding the league’s longest losing streak and is looking for some kind of positive momentum. The Grizzlies have lost five in a row after notching wins over Dallas and then Indiana back in late February. This is a theoretical race to the bottom but the last time these two teams play, Memphis beat the brakes off the Mavericks.
Here are the main things you need to know:
WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Memphis Grizzlies
WHAT: Last road game before a very brief stop in Dallas
WHERE: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
WHEN: 7:00 pm CST
HOW: KFAA Channel 29, MavsTV streaming, NBA League Pass
The injury report for the Mavericks is once again pretty solid, which is great now that the team is openly tanking. Of course we won’t be seeing Kyrie Irving or Dereck Lively. The two-way guys are all doubtful again. Klay Thompson is also going to miss this one with planned rest.
It’s the Grizzlies who have a LIST of folks out. Santi Aldama is out with injury management. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is out recovering from surgery. Brandon Clarke has a calf strain. Waler Clayton Jr. has an ankle sprain. Cedric Coward is managing an injury, but it’s undisclosed. Zach Edey is recovering from ankle surgery. Taj Gibson won’t be playing, and he’s essentially listed out with OLD. Ty Jerome is managing an injury. Ja Morant’s been out for a while with his injury. Scotty Pippen is out. Cam Spencer is questionable.
The Mavericks are currently the favorite, which given the health differences, I get the line. But Memphis has also beaten Dallas every time this season. If Dallas does somehow lose this one, that will be an impressive display of tanksmanship.
Be sure to chime in with your predictions in the comments!
Consider joining Josh and me on Pod Maverick live after the game on YouTube, we should start LATE. Thanks so much for spending time with us here at Mavs Moneyball. Let’s go Mavs!
