Initially, the signing of Deandre Ayton looked to have potentially filled the hole at center for the future. However, as the season has progressed, Ayton has looked less and less like the perfect solution, opening up the search for the long-term answer at the position.
One of the names that could come up in the lead-up to the trade deadline could be Pelicans young center Yves Missi. Drafted four picks after Dalton Knecht, Missi is a young, energetic big man who loves to throw down a lob.
Despite sporting a dazzling 11-36 record, the Pelicans have reportedly made a host of their players, including Herb Jones, untouchable, as a team with the worst record in the league should do. Not included among those players, though, is Yves Missi.
Earlier this week. NBA reporter Jake Fischer wrote about Missi being available and potentially being part of a trade involving Benedict Mathurin from the Pacers.
Combo guard Jordan Poole and the feisty Jose Alvarado are said to feature on that list, but recent first-round pick Yves Missi seems to be generating the greatest interest among the players for which the Pelicans have been testing the market. Along with our reporting last week that Indiana has called on Missi — as part of the Pacers’ ongoing search for front-line reinforcements — I’ve been advised that the Chicago Bulls are a team that covets Missi.
While the Lakers are not mentioned in the piece, there has been previous connections between Missi and LA. Over the summer, Missi was one of the players the Lakers reportedly called about in their search for a center.
After a promising rookie season in which he averaged 9.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game, Missi is averaging just 5.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game this season. After finishing last season with 116 dunks in 73 games, he has 30 in 39 games this year.
A lot of his step back in production feels related to his minutes decreasing and, subsequently, fewer shot attempts. The arrival of Derik Queen has dipped into his playing time, as has the improved health of Zion Williamson.
As a result, Missi is available.
At one point, a swap of Dalton Knecht for Missi was fair value, but those days have long passed. But Knecht’s salary could still be involved to make the math work with other compensation to follow. The biggest question is what that other compensation looks like.
If it’s draft picks, the Lakers are going to run into some problems. There’s the possibility that Pelinka pulls off a trade that nets them more future draft picks, but if that doesn’t happen, then the path to a trade isn’t as clear.
The Lakers don’t really have much in the way of enticing young players to add to the deal. Their best bet is offering some sort of salary relief. New Orleans, though, doesn’t have a bad contract that would make sense for the Lakers to trade for. Which means this is a pretty difficult trade to make work for the Lakers.
To that point, when the competition in the trade market is Mathurin, it’s going to make it a difficult trade for the Lakers to pull off. Mathurin is a much more talented young player than the Lakers have, so their deal would have to be structured differently.
What that solution is, though, is unclear, which might make it unlikely for Missi to be a Laker. But the fact that he’s available and the Lakers have been linked to him at least makes it a possibility.
Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey used the 53rd overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft to take Bassey. He appeared in 23 NBA games a rookie, averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes per contest. Bassey had an impressive night in the Sixers’ Nov. 18, 2021 win over the Nuggets, posting 12 points, seven rebounds and three blocks against Denver and superstar big man Nikola Jokic.
The Sixers waived Bassey in October of 2022. He’s appeared in 92 NBA games over the last four years and also suffered two season-ending left knee injuries. Bassey has played 10 times this season for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League and averaged 18.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks.
As PhillyVoice’s Adam Aaronson detailed, adding Bassey brings the Sixers’ roster to 15 players, which enables Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow to remain on two-way contracts for the time being. If the Sixers hadn’t made any moves, both Barlow and Walker would’ve been ineligible to stay on the roster starting Monday.
Barlow and Walker have each contributed much more than the typical two-way player and appear strong candidates to eventually be converted to standard contracts. The 2026 trade deadline is Feb. 5 at 3 p.m. ET.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Mark Mitchell scored 25 points, including a game-winning 3-pointer in overtime, as Missouri edged Oklahoma 88-87 on Saturday.
Mitchell added 10 rebounds for his fifth career double-double and reached 1,500 career points in the second half for the Tigers (14-6, 4-3 SEC). Trent Pierce hit his only field goal of the game, a 37-foot pull-up 3-pointer at the end of regulation to force overtime.
Oklahoma led 37-36 at halftime and carried that edge deep into the second half before the teams traded leads over the final minutes. The Sooners were up 81-78 with five seconds left in regulation before Pierce’s shot tied it at 81 on an assist from T.O. Barrett.
The Tigers trailed 85-83 with less than a minute left in overtime before Barrett tied the game on a driving layup with 24 seconds to go. After Oklahoma regained the lead on a short jumper by Xzayvier Brown with four seconds remaining, Mitchell buried the winning 3 from the top of the arc over two defenders as time expired.
Barrett scored a career-high 21 points to go with six rebounds and three steals in his first career start for Missouri. Jayden Stone added 20 points and seven rebounds, and Shawn Phillips Jr. grabbed nine boards and posted three blocks as the Tigers finished with a 41-29 rebounding advantage.
Nijel Pack scored 25 points for Oklahoma (11-9, 1-6), making five 3-pointers and adding five assists. Brown finished with 19 points and six assists, and Derrion Reid added 12 points and five rebounds.
The loss was Oklahoma’s sixth straight after opening the season 11-3.
Boston Celtics (28-16) at Chicago Bulls (22-22) Saturday, January 24, 2026 8:00 PM ET Regular Season Game #45, Road Game #25 TV: NBCSB, Chicago Sports Network, NBA-LP Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, 670 AM, Sirius XM United Center
The Celtics complete their 2 game road trip with a visit to Chicago to take on the Bulls in the second of back to back games. This is the 2nd of 3 games between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 115-101 in Boston on January 5. They will meet for the 3rd and final time in Boston on February 11. The Celtics won the series 3-1 last season, with the loss coming in Boston. The Celtics are 138-110 overall, all time against the Bulls and they are 55-69 in games played in Chicago. The Celtics are playing on the second night of back to back games. They are 4-2 so far in the 2nd of back to back games.
Unlike the Celtics, who have 8 new players this season, the Bulls haven’t changed their roster all that much since last season. They made one trade that sent Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers in exchange for Isaac Okoro. They had signed Ball to a 2 year extension in February but traded him in the off season. The Bulls also drafted noa Essengue with the 12th pick in the draft and they chose Lachlan Olbrich with the 55th pick, and signed him to a 2 way contract.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4.5 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 2 games ahead of 3rd place New York and 4th place Toronto, 3 games ahead of 5th place Cleveland and 4 games ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 5 games ahead of 7th place Orlando. The Celtics are 21-10 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 15-9 on the road and 6-4 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.
The Bulls are 9th in the East, 11 games behind first place Detroit, 2.5 games behind 6th place Cleveland, 1.5 games behind 7th place Orlando and 2 games behind 8th place Miami. They are 2 games ahead of 10th place Atlanta and 3.5 games ahead of 11th place Milwaukee. The Bulls are 14-15 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 14-9 at home and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 3 games.
The Celtics had one game at home after a 4 game road trip. They are playing in their 2nd straight game on the road in back to back games. Next, they will then have a 4 game home stand where they will host Portland, Atlanta, Sacramento and Milwaukee. Then, they are on the road at Dallas and Houston before playing Miami, New York, and Chicago at home, taking them into the All Star Break.
The Bulls will host the Los Angeles Lakers next before playing one game on the road at Indiana. They will return home to host Miami before playing Miami on the road in back to back games. They will then complete a 4 game road trip with games at Milwaukee and Toronto. After playing Denver at home they will go on the road at Brooklyn and Boston before the All Star break.
Jayson Tatum remains out for the Celtics as he continues to rehab from the Achilles tear he suffered in last year’s playoffs. Josh Minott is out due to a sprained ankle. Jaylen Brown is probable as he is dealing with hamstring tightness. Neemias Queta is probable with a non-covid illness. For the Bulls, Noa Essengue is out with a shoulder injury, Zach Collins is out with a toe injury and Tre Jones is out with a hamstring injury.
Probable Starting Matchups PG: Derrick White vs Coby White
SG: Payton Pritchard vs Isaac Okoro
SF: Jaylen Brown vs Matas Buzelis
PF: Sam Hauser vs Jalen Smith
C: Neemias Queta vs Nikola Vucevic
Celtics Reserves Anfernee Simons Chris Boucher Xavier Tillman Hugo Gonzalez Luka Garza Baylon Scheierman Jordan Walsh 2-Way Players Ron Harper, Jr Max Shulga Amari Williams
Injuries/Out Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out Josh Minott (ankle) out Jaylen Brown (hamstring) probable Neemias Queta (illness) probable Head Coach Joe Mazzulla Bulls Reserves Jevon Carter Ayo Dosunmo Josh Giddey Kevin Huerter Julian Phillips Dalen Terry
2 Way Players Yuki Kawamura Emanuel Miller Lachlan Olbrich Injuries/Out Zach Collins (toe) out Noa Essengue (shoulder) out Tre Jones (hamstring) out
Head Coach Billy Donovan
Key Matchups Derrick White vs Coby White White is averaging 18.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game while shooting 45.5% from the field and 35.2% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he has averaged 11.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game. In the January 5 game against the Celtics, he finished with 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists while shooting 28.6% from the field and 20% from 3. The Celtics need to defend him on the perimeter because, although he is streaky, he can catch fire from out there.
Neemias Queta vs Nikola Vucevic Vucevic is averaging 16.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 50.4% from the field and 37.3% from beyond the arc. Over his career against Boston, he has averaged 16.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. In the first game against the Celtics this season he finished with 15 points, 15 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal while shooting 42.9% from the field and 60% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards, but they also need to defend him on the perimeter as he is a good 3 point shooter. Honorable Mention Jaylen Brown vs Matas Buzelis Buzelis is averaging 14.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.8% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he averaged 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1 steal per game. In the first game against the Celtics this season, he finished with 26 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block while shooting 75% from the field and 75% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to do a better job of defending him in this game.
Keys to the Game Defense – Defense is always a key to winning. The Celtics are 12th in the league with a defensive rating of 113.7. The Bulls are 24th with a defensive rating of 116.6. The Bulls are 16 with an offensive rating of 114.4 while the Celtics are 2nd with an offensive rating of 121.3. The Celtics need to get a strong defensive effort from every player on the court and they need to make defense a priority for all 48 minutes with no slacking off. The Celtics need to especially guard the 3 point line as the Bulls attempt 39.4 threes per game (10th) and they make 14.4 threes per game (9th).
Rebound – The Celtics must box out and crash the boards. They can’t score without the ball and it will take extra effort on their part to beat the Bulls on the boards. The Celtics are averaging 45.1 rebounds per game, which is 10th in the league. The Bulls are averaging 45.3 rebounds per game, which is 9th. The Celtics have to put out more effort to get to the rebounds before the Bulls and give themselves extra possessions and limit those possessions for the Bulls. Energy and Effort for 48 Minutes – The Celtics have to start the game with energy and have to play harder than the Bulls from the opening tip until the final buzzer. The Bulls have beaten some very good teams, among them the Pistons, Knicks, 76ers, Nuggets, Mavericks, Lakers and Clippers. The Celtics can’t expect to win with less than 100% effort for all 4 quarters. They have to be the more aggressive team, getting off to a fast start and playing hard right up to the final buzzer with no let up. They will get the Bulls best effort and so the Celtics must work harder than the Bulls with no let up.
Three Point Shooting – The Celtics often shoot 3s at a historic rate but there are times when their shots just aren’t falling. The Celtics are 2nd in the league, taking 42.4 threes per game. The Bulls are 10th, taking 39.4 threes per game. The Celtics make 15.6 threes per game while the Bulls make 14.4 threes per game. The Celtics need to focus on taking good shots and they need to move the ball so as to get open shots. If the 3s aren’t falling, they need to get to the basket or take mid-range shots. They also must defend the perimeter because the Bulls can get hot and put up a lot of 3 pointers if left open.
X-Factors Road Game and Back to Back – The Celtics are playing on the road and will have the distractions of travel and a hotel stay and playing in front of hostile fans in an unfamiliar arena. The Bulls lost the first game between these two teams and will be motivated to avenge that loss in this game. The Celtics are playing on the second night of back to back games and are coming off a double overtime win on Friday and so fatigue may become a factor down the stretch.
Officiating – The officiating is always an x-factor. Sometimes a crew will call the game tight and blow a whistle on every play. Other times they will let them play and let the game get physical and then change that midway and tighten it up. Sometimes they will favor one team over the other and other times they will call it even. Sometimes they are just bad. The Celtics need to adjust to the way the game is called and not let missed calls or bad calls affect their focus. If the calls are bad, they just need to play harder to make up for them and not waste time arguing with the officials. Most of all, they need to play hard enough to be far enough ahead that a bad call or two won’t make a difference.
After Saturday's game between the Golden State Warriors and Minnesota Timberwolveswas postponed due to a fatal shooting at the hands of a federal officer in Minnesota, television host and former NBA MVP Charles Barkley offered his thoughts live on Inside the NBA, saying people need to "step up and be adults."
Barkley called the situation "sad" and "scary," and said that "two people have died for no reason."
That was in reference to Saturday's shooting as well as that of Renee Good, who was shot by a federal ICE agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
Barkley expressed that things are "going to end badly. It's already ended badly twice."
Ernie Johnson announces that the Timberwolves-Warriors game in Minnesota, which was scheduled as part of the ABC tripleheader, has been postponed by the NBA.
Per the NBA, the Warriors-Timberwolves game that was scheduled for Saturday will now be played on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 p.m. ET at Target Center in Minneapolis.
The Dallas Mavericks have managed to put together another injury-laden season, the probability of which seemed low considering just how disastrous 2024-2025 was on the health front. Dereck Lively and Dante Exum are out for the season, having combined to play seven total games (all Lively). Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington have both experienced lower leg injuries resulting in multiple absences. Anthony Davis has been more injury prone than ever before. Then there is Kyrie Irving, nearing a full year since he sustained a March 3, 2025 ACL tear.
Rumors (a generous term) about Irving’s return began around the start of the new year, a by-product of irresponsible click-baiting and/or hopeful optimism, but now we have some meaningful commentary from someone who is actually close to the situation. Dwain Price wrote a piece for NBA.com wherein he collected some tidbits from Mavs’ head coach Jason Kidd.
“It will probably be after the All-Star break but there’s also other plans that could come into play here, too. Being able to get on the floor and play in an NBA game might be just a little bit different than practice.”
A post-All Star break return puts us about a month out from today for the soonest possible return to action. Should Irving get back on the floor before March, it would be an excellent recovery timeframe for the soon-to-be 34-year old.
Kidd does a good job of burying what may actually be the lede here, however. Is there a possibility Irving returns to practice, but not to games? Of course any player coming off this injury is going to have multiple test runs in practice scenarios to ensure no setbacks and to get themselves back into shape. Still, the phraseology used may be indicative of Irving having a longer than usual runway to return to game action, even after returning to practice.
“[The standings] has nothing to do with it… At some point there will be a timeline, but right now there is not a timeline… It’s about for him mentally and physically being able to play at the highest level in his mind, no one else’s.”
Taking Kidd at face value here, the Mavs making either a PlayIn push or taking a nosedive toward a better pick in the NBA Draft will have nothing to do with Irving’s return. This is good any way you cut it. If you are a fan of tanking toward the most beneficial pick this summer (the last pick the Mavs currently have exclusive control over until 2031), Irving being off the floor only helps that cause. If you’re a fan of seeing Irving paired with Cooper Flagg, waiting until he is 100% recovered is certainly the best option. There is nothing to rush back for.
Again though, there is another layer to the wordsmith onion here. The Mavs are clearly not throwing games, but rather making every effort to play hard and get wins. Irving would likely help in that effort, yet Dallas is allowing him to operate on his own level. The Mavs are going to play their games as though Irving is unavailable, and whenever he is good and ready, he will return to action (in some form) regardless of where the Mavs rank in the standings.
The situation surrounding Kyrie Irving remains intriguing. He seems to be a part of the long term plan in Dallas, but the Mavs also need to be thinking about finding his replacement in the upcoming draft stacked with elite guards. Irving’s continued absence will only help the Mavs odds in having a plethora of options in the draft, while time to fully heal will better the odds that Irving returns to his best post-injury form next season.
I invite you to follow me @_80MPH on X, and check back often at Mavs Moneyball for all the latest on the Dallas Mavericks.
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — JT Toppin had 31 points and 12 rebounds for his 44th career double-double and Donovan Atwell hit consecutive 3-pointers late to put No. 12 Texas Tech ahead to stay in a 90-86 win over No. 6 Houston on Saturday, ending the Cougars' 11-game winning streak.
True freshman Kingston Flemings had a season-high 42 points with six assists for the Cougars (17-2, 5-1 Big 12), who had won their past 16 true road games — all conference games — since a loss at No. 8 Kansas two years ago. That was a school record and the nation's longest active streak.
Texas Tech (16-4, 6-1) had 10 made 3s in the first half when scoring 55 points against a Houston team that coming in ranked second nationally allowing only 60.1 points. The Red Raiders made only two from beyond the arc after halftime, Atwell hitting the go-ahead 3 with 5:55 left and adding another 34 seconds later.
There were eight lead changes and eight ties in the game that Houston led for 18 minutes, 41 seconds, and Tech led 18:12.
Tech is 11-0 at home this season and has won five games in a row overall, and nine of 10 — the loss in that span being 69-65 at Houston on Jan. 6. Tech was the only Big 12 team to beat the Cougars last season, when they were conference champs and national runner-up.
Atwell, who finished with five 3s, and Jaylen Petty both had 18 points. Christian Anderson had 12 points with nine assists.
Emmanuel Sharp had 20 points for Houston.
Toppin's 44 career double-doubles are the second most for active players behind Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg (48). Toppin has 32 in 52 games with Tech since transferring from New Mexico after his freshman season.
Up next
Houston at TCU on Wednesday.
Texas Tech has a break before going to UCF next Saturday.
ROME (AP) — Como routed Torino 6-0 in Serie A on Saturday to follow up its 5-1 rout of the same opponent in November.
Anastasios Douvikas scored twice for Como, and Martin Baturina, Lucas Da Cunha, Nicolas-Gerrit Kuhn and Maxence Caqueret added on for Cesc Fabregas’ team.
Como moved up to fifth place and just outside the Champions League places. It's 40 points are already a record in the top flight for the club located on the Swiss border.
Also, mid-table Cagliari won at Fiorentina 2-1, leaving the Tuscan club in the relegation zone; and Lazio was held at Lecce to 0-0.
On Sunday, second-placed AC Milan visits fourth-placed Roma and third-placed Napoli goes to sixth-placed Juventus.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Malik Reneau had a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double, Tre Donaldson and Shelton Henderson each added 16 points, and Miami defeated Syracuse 85-76 on Saturday.
Reneau picked up his sixth double-double of the season, and was 8-for-12 shooting from the floor and 1 for 2 from beyond the arc. He also dished five assists to tie Donaldson for a team-high.
The Hurricanes (16-4, 5-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) snapped a two-game skid after winning their first four games of conference play.
Miami got off to a hot start, opening on a 9-0 run and building a double-digit lead. They took a 41-36 lead into halftime after Syracuse rallied back, but held the lead for all of the second half to win comfortably.
Tru Washington chipped in with 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting and the Hurricanes turned in a stellar shooting performance, making 61% of their shots from the field and 54% from beyond the arc. They had 20 of 33 made shots off assists.
Miami entered the contest leading the ACC in field-goal percentage and third in assists per game.
For the Orange (12-8, 3-4), Donnie Freeman led with 14 points, and Kiyan Anthony and Naithan George each had 13 points. Syracuse shot 49% from the field and 29% from deep.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Britt Prince scored 20 points, Logan Nissley and Jessica Petrie each scored 15 points and 24th-ranked Nebraska held off Illinois 81-75 on Saturday.
Reserve Petra Bozan scored 11 points for the Cornhuskers (15-5, 4-5 Big Ten) who shot 49% (27 of 55).
Cearah Parchment scored 25 points, Berry Wallace scored 22 points, Destiny Jackson 13 and reserve Maddie Webber 11 for Illinois (15-5, 5-4).
Prince's short jumper not a minute into the second half gave Nebraska its largest lead of the game at 43-24. The Illini got within 56-44 at the end of three quarters, but not until late in the fourth did they become a threat.
Jackson made two foul shots with 2:30 left to get Illinois within double figures for the first time since early in the first. Parchment made 1 of 2 foul shots and Jackson made two more to make it 71-65 with 1:45 left but the Illini couldn't get any closer.
Amiah Hargrove's 3-pointer with 5:18 left in the first quarter gave Nebraska a 9-7 lead and started a 10-0 Cornhuskers run. They led for the remainder.
Nebraska led 19-11 at the end of the first and 41-23 at halftime.
Nebraska leads the series between the two teams 22-8. The Huskers lead 10-2 in Lincoln.
NEW YORK (AP) — Jason Tucker scored twice and Alex Lyon stopped 26 shots and tied a Buffalo record with his ninth straight victory as the Sabres beat the New York Islanders 5-0 Saturday.
Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch also scored as the Sabres won their third straight and for the fifth time in seven games. Ryan McLeod and Mattias Samuelsson each had two assists.
Lyon, who signed with the Sabres in July after two seasons with Detroit, recorded the sixth shutout of his career and tied the Buffalo record of Gerry Desjardins (1976-77) with nine consecutive wins.
Buffalo improved to 18-3-1 in its last 22 games.
David Rittich made 16 saves for the Islanders, who were playing their first home game after a seven-game trip in which they went 3-3-1.
Rittich, who last started on Jan. 17 against Calgary, entered the game with a 4-2-2 record 2.46 goals-against average versus Buffalo. He slipped to 11-7-3 this season.
Zucker opened the scoring 33 seconds into the second period, scoring on a wrist shot, offa rebound of a shot by Jack Quinn. Thompson extended the lead to two goals, scoring past a sliding Rittich at 19:47 of the second.
Zucker's second goal of the game, 25 seconds into the third, stretched the lead to 3-0. Dahlin scored into an empty net at 14:02 of the period and Tuch completed the scoring approximately 30 seconds later by tipping a shot from Samuelsson by Rittich.
Bo Horvat was back on the ice with the Islanders after being sidelined for nine games due to a lower-body injury.
St. John's used a second half surge and held on to beat Xavier, 88-83, on Saturday, Jan. 24 to get Pitino his 900th career win. With the victory, Pitino is now fourth place among Division I men's basketball coaches for all-time wins.
After the Red Storm pulled off the road victory, Pitino was mobbed by his players, who donned shirts to mark the occasion. He didn't want to take the credit for the elite achievement.
"Players get coaches wins, and nothing sweeter than getting 900 because of these guys," he said on the broadcast.
What's left to achieve for Coach Pitino after reaching 900 career wins?
When asked how he was able to get win No. 900, Pitino praised his family, adding he is still enjoying the job at 73 years old.
"I've got a great family, great wife, who have kept me young," he said. "They allow me to work with these guys 12-13 hours a day, and I'm just enjoying it more than ever. Great group, great group to coach."
Speaking of family, it played a part in the game. An interesting storyline was the achievement came thanks to Pitino beating his son Richard, who is the coach at Xavier. Pitino said he doesn't like to be victorious over his son, and praised his work with the Musketeers.
"I don't like beating him, obviously, but it's beating Xavier," Pitino said. "Richard did a phenomenal job. ... I can't love him or be more proud of him."
The win moved St. John's to 15-5 on the season. It now has won six in a row to start Big East play at 8-1.
His 900th career on-court win win came against his son, Richard Pitino, who is in his first season with the Musketeers after coming over from New Mexico. The elder Pitino is now 4-1 all-time against his son as a coach.
"I've got a great family, great wife, who have kept me young," Rick Pitino told TNT's Andy Katz after the game on how he's been able to win 900 on-court wins. "They allow me to work with these guys, 12, 13 hours a day, and I'm just enjoying it more than ever. Great group, great group to coach."
What's left to achieve for Coach Pitino after reaching 900 career wins?
It didn't look like the latest accolade for the Hall of Fame coach was going to happen on Saturday as Xavier pushed its 49-37 halftime lead to 16 points at the 17:05 mark of the second half following a pair of free throws from All Wright.
However, like they have for much of this season, St. John's willed its way to a gritty win by outscoring the Musketeers 51-34 in the second half to earn the come-from-behind victory. Dylan Darling hit a big 3-pointer for the Red Storm with 53 seconds remaining in the second half to start a 7-1 run to finish the game.
St. John's keeps itself one game back of UConn in the Big East standings with a 8-1 conference record.
Here's what to know about the accolade and group of Division I men's basketball head coaches that Rick Pitino joined on Saturday:
Division I men's basketball coaches with 900 wins
With his 900th win on Saturday, Pitino is the seventh men's basketball coach to win 900 games in his career. Here's a look at the other coaches to acheive the feat:
All-time winningest Division I men's basketball coaches
With his 900th career win, Pitino moves into sole possession of fourth place among the all-time winningest Division I men's basketball coaches. He entered the day tied with legendary Indiana coach Bob Knight.
Here's where Pitino ranks among the winningest Division I men's basketball coaches, as shown on the TNT broadcast:
Mike Krzyzewski: 1,202 wins
Jim Boeheim: 1,015 wins
Roy Williams: 903 win
Rick Pitino: 900 wins
Rick Pitino coaching career
Here's a stop-by-stop breakdown of Rick Pitino's coaching career, which includes multiple college basketball programs and NBA organizations:
Head coach position unless noted otherwise
1974-1976: Hawaii (assistant)
1976-1978: Syracuse (assistant)
1978-1983: Boston University
1983-1985: New York Knicks (assistant coach) *
1985-1987: Providence
1987-1989: New York Knicks *
1989-1997: Kentucky
1997-2001: Boston Celtics *
2001-2017: Louisville
2018-2020: Panathinaikos **
2020-2023: Iona
2023-Present: St. John's
* Denotes NBA job
** Denotes EuroLeague job
Rick Pitino coaching record
Career record: 900-316
NCAA Tournament record: 55-22
Final Four appearances: 1987, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2005, 2012*, 2013*
National championships: 1996, 2013*
* Denotes vacated by NCAA
With St. Jon's win over Xavier, Rick Pitino now holds a 900-316 overall record across his 38 seasons as a Division I men's basketball head coach, including a 66-23 record in three seasons at St. John's. He's the lone Division I men's basketball coach to take six different schools — Boston University, Providence, Kentucky, Louisville, Iona and St. John's — to March Madness.
Of note, Pitino's record does include the XXX wins and his 2013 national championship title that the NCAA vacated from his time at Louisville for a recruiting violation that was investigated by the FBI. He won his first national championship in 1996 during his eight-year stint at Kentucky.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Olivia Miles scored 17 points to lead No. 9 TCU to a 67-50 victory over UCF on Saturday.
TCU won for the fifth time in six games and rebounded from its second loss of the season, a 71-69 decision against No. 12 Ohio State on Monday that snapped a four-game winning streak.
Miles shot 7 of 10 from the field and added six rebounds and six assists for the Horned Frogs (19-2, 7-1 Big 12).
Donovyn Hunter scored 12 points and Taylor Bigby added 11. Marta Suarez finished with eight points, seven rebounds and two steals, while Clara Silva added eight points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.
TCU entered the game second in college basketball in field goal percentage defense (.321), and held the Knights to 33% (20 of 60) shooting.
Mahogany Chandler-Roberts led the Knights (10-10, 2-7) with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and added six rebounds. Khyala Ngodu had 10 points, six rebounds and two steals.
The Horned Frogs held the Knights to single-digit scoring and more than doubled their totals in each of the first two quarters. TCU used a 20-0 run starting at the 4:50 mark of the first quarter to build a 37-16 halftime lead.
Bigby led the way with 11 points, and the Horned Frogs shot 50% (14 of 28) and 46% from 3-point range (6 of 13) in the opening half.
Up next
TCU: Hosts Kansas on Thursday, looking to extend its 37-game home winning streak.
In his postgame news conference at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Medved addressed the latest unrest in Minnesota, as a man was fatally shot by federal officers in Minneapolis on Saturday, Jan. 24.
"I think we all just care so deeply about people and each other, and I think that's always the message to these guys. All of it's heartbreaking. Sometimes for us, you play a game, and you want to kind of get away for a second and focus on what you’re doing. All of it really just sucks."
Niko Medved on the unrest in Minnesota and if he’s addressed his team: I think we all just care so deeply about people and each other, and I think that’s always the message to these guys. All of it’s heartbreaking. Sometimes for us, you play a game, and you want to kind of get… pic.twitter.com/w9imFhcoWP
As reported by USA TODAY, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said the shooting occurred Saturday morning while Border Patrol officers were conducting an immigration enforcement operation. Federal officials said a man was armed with a handgun approached the officers, who fired "defensive shots" after the man resisted an attempt to disarm him.
The Gophers return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 28 with a trip to Wisconsin for an 8 p.m. ET tip-off.
