Category: NBA

DALLAS (AP) — Kyrie Irving won't play this season as the star guard for the Dallas Mavericks continues his recovery from a knee injury sustained almost a year ago.

The nine-time All-Star and the team made the announcement Wednesday, two days before the Mavericks return from the All-Star break. Dallas is on a nine-game losing streak, its longest in 28 years, and out of playoff contention.

“This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right one,” Irving said in a statement released by the team. “I am grateful for the Mavericks organization, my teammates and our fans for their continued support throughout the process. I am looking forward to coming back stronger next season. The belief and drive I have inside only grows.”

Irving tore the ACL in his left knee on March 3. This will be the first time in his 15-year career that the 33-year-old has missed an entire season.

The most significant injury of Irving's career came a month after the Mavericks traded young superstar Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package centered around older and oft-injured big man Anthony Davis. Just nine months earlier, Irving and Doncic led the Mavs to the NBA Finals.

Irving and Davis played together for just 2 1/2 quarters because Davis aggravated an abdominal injury in his Dallas debut and didn't return before Irving went down in a 122-98 loss at home to Sacramento.

The Mavericks converted a 1.8% chance to win the draft lottery and picked former Duke standout Cooper Flagg No. 1 overall. But Irving, Davis and Flagg never played together.

Dallas sent Davis to Washington before the trade deadline, a deal that signaled the Mavericks were moving on from the ill-fated Doncic deal less than three months after firing general manager Nico Harrison in part because of that trade.

The Mavericks appear set to build around Flagg with help from Irving, believing the older of the two one-and-done stars from Duke can complement the new face of the franchise.

“Kyrie has the ultimate respect for Cooper,” said co-interim general manager Michael Finley, who was a two-time All-Star with the Mavericks a quarter-century ago. “He loves the kid’s work ethic. He loves the kid’s love for the game. And I think Kyrie’s embracing the role as a mentor to Cooper.”

The team said Irving would remain “actively engaged” with the team the rest of this season. Dallas is on its way to missing the playoffs for the second year in a row since the five-game loss to Boston in the NBA Finals.

“And I wanted to send a huge shoutout to ALL of my brothers and sisters out there who’ve torn their ACL or gotten injured doing what they love to do every day,” Irving said in the team's statement. “THANK YOU for the inspiration. No fear!”

Before the injury, Irving thrived in two years with the Mavericks following a trade that ended a tumultous three-plus seasons in Brooklyn. There was plenty of drama in Boston before that. Irving was the No. 1 pick by Cleveland in 2011 and won a championship there with LeBron James in 2016.

Irving has averaged 23.7 points and and 5.6 assists per game over 779 games while shooting almost 40% from 3-point range and 89% on free throws.

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

Cheers to commentor 1130PAR for suggesting this topic. Keep ‘em coming!

We Celtics fanatics consume a ridiculous volume of Boston Celtics content and the large majority of the game coverage is fed to us by NBC Sports Boston as the Regional Sports Network for the team. So much so that they become like part of the family.

I have tremendous respect for the work that these individuals put into the coverage and appreciate their efforts. Just like the players, however, there are ups and downs and learning curves for everyone. So give us your thoughts on the job that they are doing.

• Brian Scalabrine and Drew Carter have the unenviable job of following legends Mike and Tommy (no last names needed). With that said, they’ve developed their own cadence and voice over the years.
• Abby Chin has been a been a popular, long-time sideline reporter for the team (which included a brief departure due to budget cuts).
• Eddie House, Tom Giles, Chris Forsberg, Kayla Burton, and Michael Holley others serve as Studio analysts and hosts.
• Behind the scenes there are countless people working on the look, feel, content, and flow of the coverage.

So how are they doing? What kind of feedback would you want to give them? What would you like to see more or less of in their coverage?

We didn’t see the best of Doug Moe in Philadelphia. Hell, we barely saw him at all. He lasted 56 games as the Sixers’ coach in 1992-93, the team’s first after Charles Barkley left town. Thirty-seven of them were losses, two by 56 points – including the last one, on March 6, 1993 in Seattle.

Too bad, because Moe, who died Tuesday at age 87, was funny and fiery and free-wheeling. Also a helluva coach, given the right circumstances, which he most certainly was not given that season.

It could even be said that he was something of a pioneer, since his previous teams, in San Antonio and Denver, favored a wide-open, high-scoring style that anticipated today’s game. He would laugh at that designation, though, because he laughed at a lot of things.

Writing on the Platform Formerly Known as Twitter on Tuesday, longtime NBA chronicler Peter Vecsey described Moe, a Brooklyn native, as “the kind of guy who never stopped hanging out in front of the neighborhood candy store” – always cracking wise, always playing things fast and loose.

When he was coaching the Spurs, Jeff Cohen of the San Antonio Light once wrote, Moe would allow dogs at shootarounds, his thinking being that when the canines did their business on the floor, he could immediately excuse himself to go play golf.

Also – Moe called his wife “Big Jane” and just about everybody else “stiffs.”

“There are good stiffs and bad stiffs,” he told me and the rest of the media corps during his lone training camp with the Sixers. “You always wonder.”

While he predicted that that edition of the team would win 50 games, he soon discovered that he had way too many bad stiffs. Hersey Hawkins was still around, and still a viable player. And Jeff Hornacek, over from Phoenix in the Barkley trade, could ball. But assorted injuries had curtailed Johnny Dawkins’ effectiveness, and the rest of the roster was the Land of the Misfit Toys.

A funnyman before tipoff, Moe turned into a wildman on game night, raging at officials and his team. (Woe to the young fan sitting within earshot of the Sixers’ bench.) But his histrionics had no impact on a team that was ill-equipped to execute his coveted motion offense – the idea was for players to think on their feet, to read the defense and each other – much less run up and down.

There was some levity, though. Bob Ford, then the Inquirer’s beat writer, noted on Facebook Tuesday that before a game one night in Denver, backup center Eddie Lee Wilkins approached him and said, “I wanna pop off.”

Ford discouraged that, as he had already filed his pregame notes and didn’t think it was particularly newsworthy to chronicle the complaints of a guy who was buried behind Andrew Lang, Manute Bol and Charles Shackleford on the depth chart.

Wilkins was shocked by Ford’s stance.

“Man,” he told the scribe, by Ford’s recollection, “when I played for the Knicks if you wanted to pop off there would be 10 dudes standing around you writing it down.”

(In other versions of the story, Wilkins uttered a four-syllable word beginning with “mother” rather than “dudes.”)

Anyway, Ford finally allowed Wilkins to pop off a few days later, and he complained that the team didn’t have any plays, and their practices were a joke. Moe didn’t disagree with any of that but told Ford (again by the writer’s recollection) that he wasn’t going to “beat up these guys trying to get them to play a way they can’t really play.”

Moe’s point being that if given a competitive roster, he could get the most out of it. His track record in Denver, where he went 432-357 over a decade, would suggest as much. Law Murray of The Athletic noted that five of the 31 teams in NBA history to average over 120 points a game were indeed Nuggets clubs coached by Moe.

That was topped by the 1981-82 club, which checked in at 126.5 a night and featured Dan Issel, David Thompson and Kiki Vandeweghe. Also Alex English, who scored more points than any other NBA player in the ‘80s. (And think about some of the others who played in that decade.)

So yeah, the man could coach, despite how it might have looked here. Moe’s 628-529 record over 15 seasons is further testament to that. (Only 18 coaches have ever won more games.) So too are his people skills.

“God bless you BIG STIFF,” former Nugget Bill Hanzlik typed on Twitter Tuesday.

Seems like as fitting an epitaph as any for Doug Moe, who never took himself too seriously, and never stopped hanging out in front of that candy store. 

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin wins gold in Olympic women’s slalom, breaks 8-year medal drought at Winter Games.

A potential Final Four contender suffered a major blow Tuesday night.

Texas Tech star JT Toppin tore his ACL in his right knee during Tuesday's game against Arizona State with about 6 minutes left.

The Red Raiders announced Toppin is out for the rest of the season on Wednesday.

Insider: What JT Toppin's season-ending injury means for Texas Tech

Bracketology: Who is rising in latest March Madness predictions

Toppin, the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year and projected first round NBA draft pick, had 20 points and eight rebounds before the injury. The Red Raiders (19-7, 9-4) would go on to lose to the Sun Devils, 70-67, but the defeat was far less concerning than Toppin's status.

Toppin was attempting to drive to the line in transition but lost his balance and had the ball blocked out of bounds. He stayed on the ground for a period, holding his right leg and asked for trainer Mike Neal to come over and help him.

Gut-wrenching.

You hate to see a guy like JT Toppin go down. He has been one of the absolute best players in the country this year.

You simply cannot replace that kind of impact.
Praying for him.

pic.twitter.com/7cGMXokDZ5

— Zach Schumaker (@ZachSchumaker) February 18, 2026

Coach Grant McCasland and Neal had to help Toppin off the floor as Toppin was not able to put his full weight on his leg.

"I just know he's really disappointed. He's such a competitor," McCasland said postgame.

Texas Tech, a No. 3 seed in USA TODAY Sports' latest bracketology, can't afford to lose Toppin, who was on his way to an All-American season. Toppin was coming off a 31-point, 13-rebound effort in Texas Tech's win over then-No. 1 Arizona on Feb. 14.

March Sadness: College basketball's 10 most disappointing teams

Toppin is averaging 21.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game this season.

"Hate to see a guy go out of the game like that," ASU coach Bobby Hurley said afterward. "One of the best players in the country."

On a personal level, this absolutely sucks for JT Toppin. Watching him become the player he is now the last 2 years has been a joy. Rare to cover players that dynamic. No idea what the future holds for him but no doubt he'll attack this like he has everything else.

— Nathan Giese (@NathanGiese) February 18, 2026

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reporter Nathan Giese contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JT Toppin injury update: Texas Tech star out for season with torn ACL

Things got so bad during UCLA's blowout road loss to Michigan State on Tuesday night that Bruins coach Mick Cronin apparently felt the need to eject one of his own players.

The incident occurred late in the second half of an eventual 82-59 loss on Feb. 17 when UCLA center Steven Jamerson II picked up a flagrant foul for hacking a Spartans player from behind on a dunk attempt.

Cronin explained afterward he didn't appreciate Jamerson's actions, especially coming with just 4:26 to go and the Bruins trailing 77-50.

"I was thoroughly disappointed," Cronin told reporters after the game. "The guy was defenseless in the air. I know Steve was trying to block the shot, but the game's a 25-point game. You don't do that."

Mick Cronin ejected his own player, Steven Jamerson II, after he was assessed a technical foul against Michigan State 👀pic.twitter.com/Zyisx8ys0d

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) February 18, 2026

Frustrations continue to mount for the Bruins, who lost to top-ranked Michigan by 30 points on Saturday after entering the weekend winning five of their last six.

Cronin also had a testy exchange with a reporter after the game. When asked about the Michigan State student section chanting the name of former Spartans player Xavier Booker − who transferred to UCLA last year after two underwhelming seasons in East Lansing − Cronin fired back angrily.

"I would like to give you kudos for the worst question I've ever been asked," he said. "You really think I care about the other team's student section?"

UCLA coach Mick Cronin's thoughts on the Michigan State student section. @ThisistheIZZONEpic.twitter.com/7pJJHEs7sQ

— Owen Oszust (@Owen_Oszust) February 18, 2026

The loss dropped UCLA to 17-9 overall and 9-6 in the Big Ten. Michigan State improved to 21-5 and 11-4 in Big Ten play.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA coach Mick Cronin kicks out Steven Jamerson after hard foul

The first San Antonio Spurs game I ever attended was in 1985. The Spurs were hosting the Denver Nuggets at HemisFair Arena. My parents took my brother and I to the game and after we stuck around to get autographs. We both came home with pages signed by members of both teams. Among the dozen or so signatures we obtained, only two were legible – Spurs guard Johnny Moore and Nugget’s head coach Doug Moe.

I didn’t know who Doug Moe was, but my father did and dropped all kinds of knowledge into my ten-year-old mind. He’d been with the Spurs as they transitioned from the ABA to the NBA and helped define the culture of the team as they navigated the move into the big league.

Doug Moe passed away yesterday at the age of 87.

Former NBA player and Coach of the Year Doug Moe has died at 87.

Moe was the Nuggets' all-time winningest coach upon leaving the position after 10 seasons in 1990. pic.twitter.com/MDcyhWADgg

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 17, 2026

Moe was born in 1938 in Brooklyn, New York. He attended University of North Carolina before being drafted 22nd overall in 1961 by the Chicago Packers (these days known as the Washington Wizards). He eventually played for the ABA, picking up a championship trophy in 1969 and making three All-Star teams.

Moe began his coaching as an assistant coach to his former college teammate Larry Brown from 1972 to 1974 with ABA’s Carolina Cougars.

From 1974 to 1976 Moe continued on with Larry Brown as an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets.

On June 30, 1976, Moe replaced Bob Bass as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, the year of the NBA-ABA merger, effectively making him him the Spurs first NBA coach. He served as head coach for four seasons amassing a regular-season coaching record of 177-135 (.567) only second to Gregg Popovich.

In a career that spanned four decades, Moe became one of the most celebrated coaches in NBA history. His overall NBA head coaching record, 628–529 (.543), is the 19th most in NBA history.

Heartbroken to hear of the passing of Doug Moe. Second on the Spurs all time coaching wins list behind Pop. His sense of humor was second to none. One of my all-time favorites. He will be greatly missed. Prayers for comfort and peace to his wife Jane and entire family. pic.twitter.com/SLyyV3h0Cb

— Don Harris (@DonHarris4) February 17, 2026

Doug Moe was the 2018 recipient of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

Our community guidelines apply which should remind everyone to be cool, avoid personal attacks, not to troll and to watch the language.

At various points across January and February, the Atlanta Hawks looked like a team that needed the All-Star break. Heading into the break on the back of a three-game losing streak would be one such indicator that the break was a welcome one, and could use the team to rest, while also looking fondly at Jalen Johnson’s first All-Star game appearance, and subsequent triumph as part of the winning effort of Team Stars.

Now, the focus returns to the Atlanta Hawks, the team, as the second, unofficial ’half’ of the season looms large. So, with that said, let’s look ahead to the schedule that lies ahead for the Hawks, break it down month-by-month, and unpack the remaining schedule as the Hawks look to improve their place in the Eastern Conference standings; currently sat in 10th with a 26-30 record.

Starting with the remaining month of February:

Total games: 5

Home games: 4

Road games: 1

Back-to-backs: 1

Longest road trip: 1 game

Longest homestand: 4 games

Opponent winning percentage: 37.5%

The Hawks couldn’t have asked for much better in terms of an ease of schedule after the break. Yes, a difficult game against the Sixers on the road to return — and a much better than expected Sixers team since we last did this exercise in the preseason — is not entirely helped by the game being on the first night of a back-to-back with the Miami Heat in town the following night.

However, a game against the languishing, and openly tanking, Brooklyn Nets and, more notably, two fixtures against the Washington Wizards provide an ample opportunity for the Hawks to get a winning streak going. It’s never a guarantee; the Hawks have an unfortunate history of failing to beat the Wizards in seemingly favorable situations and expectations…

Of course, two Washington fixtures mean two meetings against former Hawk Trae Young for the first time since his in-season trade to Washington. However, Young’s injury status is currently unknown ahead of these two fixtures; the last update issued by the Wizards was that Young would be re-evaluated after the All-Star break.

That said, I’d be very surprised if he played in either of these games, with Washington objectives for the season pretty well-set. Still, there will be, undoubtedly, a tribute to the former franchise player and, hopefully, a kind reception for a player who, yes, was flawed, but provided a lot of memorable moments in his time as an Atlanta Hawk.

To March:

Total games: 15

Home games: 10

Road games: 5

Back-to-backs: 1

Longest road trip: 2 games (twice)

Longest homestand: 5 games

Opponent win percentage: 48%

The last ‘full-on’ month of the NBA season is on that is, again, pretty kind to the Hawks. They have a predominantly home-heavy schedule, with 10 of their 15 total games taking place at State Farm Arena. A mixed bag of opponents range from heavy-hitters such as the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on the road, two games against the Boston Celtics, and a difficult road-tilt in Houston. You have a range of play-in teams such as Portland, Orlando, and Golden State, in addition to the play-in chasing Milwaukee Bucks.

Finally, you have a number of teams who have either actively given up — or very close to it — and these include the Nets, two games against the Dallas Mavericks, the Grizzlies, and the Sacramento Kings. Those two games against the Bucks could be critical to determining seeding, especially if Giannis returns for the Bucks. Similarly, the Orlando game may carry significant weight in the final standings among those play-in teams.

Recent acquistions/departees will be reacquainted in the month of March, with both Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, and Kristaps Porzingis all facing former teams in March 21st’s meeting against the Golden State Warriors. The Atlanta meeting between these two teams is usually a boisterous affair, especially if Steph Curry is in action, and with everything surrounding the Kuminga trade, I’m sure this game will be one to circle. A homecoming at the beginning of the month for Vit Krejci, now with the Portland Trail Blazers, is sure to be a popular one as Krejci was very well liked by his teammates.

Finally, to April:

Total games: 6

Home games: 2

Road games: 4

Back-to-backs: 0

Longest road trip: 2 games (twice)

Longest homestand: 1 game (twice)

Opponent win percentage: 53.3%

A difficult stretch to finish, and an extremely important couple of games, most notably on the road in Orlando and in Miami. At least one of those games is very likely to be a rehearsal of a play-in fixture to decide a potential postseason berth, in addition to potentially determine seeding and, potentially, who plays at home in the play-in tournament, versus being on the road. All three teams would consider their scenarios this season as disappointing, and none will provide an inch of advantage over fellow Southeast Division rivals. Time will tell whether the decisions from Orlando and Miami to stand-pat at the trade deadline — compared to the very active Hawks — will pay off in comparison to each other.

Elsewhere, a ‘gimme’ against the Brooklyn Nets is about the only respite compared to two games against two Eastern Conference juggernauts in the New York Knicks, and the rolling Cleveland Cavaliers (twice). Whether the Cavaliers will still be rolling by this stage of the season remains to be seen, but they are absolutely improved following the James Harden trade, and likely to be fighting for seeding by this stage of the season, with any seed from two-to-fifth still reasonably plausible for the Cavaliers. In other words, the Hawks should not expect an easy pass in these spots, and that will include the Knicks game, too.

Per Tankathon, the Hawks have one of the easier strengths of schedule remaining in the NBA; while this is a guarantee of absolutely nothing, it does suggest — and as we’ve looked at now — that the Hawks have a favorable situation to end their season on a more positive note. With the additions of Kuminga and Hield, in addition to Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum a month prior, the Hawks will hope that time in practice and integrate further into the team will provide them with a higher ceiling than when Young was with the team, and when Porzingis absent more often than not.

Irrespective of to what degree of success the Hawks achieve doing this, if any, their end-of-season scenario is unlikely to change: they’ll, very likely, be playing the play-in tournament for the opportunity to enter the NBA postseason as a seventh or eighth seed…just as they for a number of years now. However, a look not-too-far-East to New Orleans may provide a greater sense of optimism heading out of this season than previous seasons…

Until next time!

We have reached the final stop on this ride, the point where the road narrows and we finally reveal the last two tiers and the three players who sit above all else on the Phoenix Suns All-Time Pyramid. What started as a random idea, a Salad and Go cold brew in one hand as the calendar flipped, has slowly turned into something much bigger than I ever anticipated.

16,000+ words later, here we are.

This was always about more than rankings or arguments or filling space on the internet. The goal was simple, even if the execution was not. To build something that could live beyond the moment. Something we can reference years from now, something others might stumble upon long after we are gone. Through it, readers can understand who the best players in Suns history were. And why.

This pyramid is a snapshot of memory, effort, impact, and identity. It is imperfect by design, shaped by perspective, emotion, and lived experience. But it is honest. And now, with everything laid out and the foundation set, it is time to finish the thing and place the final names where they belong.

Somewhere along the way, a realization set in and stayed with me. This franchise may not have climbed all the way to the mountaintop and grabbed a championship banner, but that does not mean it lacks history, weight, or meaning. Far from it.

If your entire sports worldview begins and ends with championships, I genuinely feel bad for you. Not in a condescending way, but in a “missed out” way. Because you are skipping the best parts. You are ignoring the process, the moments, the nights that stayed with you long after the final buzzer. You are reducing something expansive into a single checkbox and calling it analysis.

Basketball is memory. It always has been. As you move through these names and the eras they lived in, nostalgia creeps in whether you invite it or not. That is the beauty of sports. In real time, you feel frustration, joy, anger, pride, and exhaustion. Only later do you really understand what you were watching, how it fit together, and why it mattered.

Those Seven Seconds or Less teams still carry disappointment because they never finished the job, and that reality does matter when you start stacking players and weighing legacies. Barkley and Booker have made the Finals, but like every season in the history of the organization, it ended with disappointment. But it does not erase the magic of what those seasons felt like, or how alive they made this fan base.

That is the spiritual side of sports, and that has been the most rewarding part of this whole exercise. Digging through player histories. Replaying moments in my head. Mining stats. Building graphics. Staring at old photos soaked in purple and orange. That shared color palette, those shared memories, that is the connective tissue. That is what binds us.

Reducing all of that to whether a championship happened is easy. Too easy. It lacks imagination. It lacks depth.

These final two tiers have depth. They invite debate. They demand context. And honestly, there is no wrong answer here. You could place any one of these final three players at the top of the pyramid and make a compelling case. I landed where I landed, and I am comfortable with it, but I also respect the arguments that go another direction.

So, before I explain why I made the final call the way I did, let’s talk about the last three players who occupy the top two tiers of the Phoenix Suns All-Time Pyramid.

I know the second that graphic hit your screen, you felt something. Maybe it was agreement. Maybe you nodded along. Maybe you muttered, “Voita, you’re an idiot, how could you possibly do that?” And honestly, that reaction is the whole point. That push and pull is what makes this such a good conversation in the first place.

So I am asking you for one thing before you sprint to the comment section with the keys smoking. Read the article. Give me the space to explain why I landed where I did, and why certain names went where they went. How I weighed what matters to me in a project like this. I am fully aware that I might not be right. But you know what? I might not be wrong either…

Tier 2: Organizational Royalty

Charles Barkley. The Round Mound of Rebound. If you are looking for the cleanest definition of a supernova in Phoenix Suns history, this is it. No player arrived in the Valley already in his prime with this level of gravity, personality, and immediate takeover energy the way Sir Charles did. This was not a slow burn. This was ignition.

He arrived after the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, riding global stardom into a brand new arena, a new uniform, and a new coach. The timing felt almost cinematic. Loud, eccentric, confrontational, brilliant, Barkley did not blend into Phoenix. He bent it around himself. That 1992–93 run remains one of the most electric seasons not only in Suns history, but in the storytelling fabric of the NBA itself, a moment where basketball felt bigger, louder, and impossibly alive.

I think it is fair to say that the 1992-93 season by Charles Barkley stands as the single greatest season by any player in Phoenix Suns history. Sure, Steve Nash came to Phoenix in his prime and won MVPs. Yes, that team went 62-20. Charles Barkley did that too, and then he carried the Suns all the way to the NBA Finals, doing it with a force of personality that rattled arenas and pulled the entire league into Phoenix’s orbit. Nash floated. Barkley detonated.

That first year, Barkley averaged 25.6 points per game and 12.2 rebounds, won the MVP, made the All-Star team, and earned First Team All-NBA honors. He checked every possible box a superstar season can check. In a moment when Michael Jordan was operating at the absolute peak of his powers, there was a real and serious conversation happening about whether Charles Barkley was the best player in the world.

That debate ultimately met reality in the NBA Finals, where Jordan averaged 41.0 points and 6.3 assists over six games and slammed the door shut, but for that stretch of time, it was not outrageous to ask the question. That alone tells you how high Barkley’s level was.

What followed was a meteoric rise for the Suns as a franchise. Phoenix was no longer a quiet basketball outpost or a historical footnote. After 24 years of existence and a lone Finals appearance in 1976, the city and the team finally commanded national attention. Charles Barkley did not only elevate the Suns on the court, he altered how the league viewed Phoenix altogether, and that impact is impossible to separate from the history of the organization.

Statistically, the Barkley run in Phoenix is as loud as it gets. Over 280 games across four seasons, he was an All-Star every year and made four All-NBA teams. While only one of those landed on the First Team in 1992-93, the consistency still matters.

When you scan the Suns’ record book, his name jumps off the page. He is number one all-time in player efficiency rating, number one in defensive rebounds per game at 8.4, and he owns the single-season mark as well, pulling down 9.1 defensive boards per night in that 1992-93 season. He sits second in rebounds per game at 11.5, trailing only Paul Silas, and despite spending only four seasons in Phoenix, he still ranks fourth in triple-doubles and seventh in total rebounds. That is how concentrated his impact was.

Meteoric is the right word.

When you talk about the greatest players to ever wear purple and orange, Charles Barkley is always part of the conversation. Personally, I think Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Durant belong on that broader list too, which might be another pyramid project I just talked myself into. Still, if you place Barkley at the very top of your Suns pyramid, I am not here to tell you that you are wrong. The case is real, and it is powerful.

Where the discussion gets more layered is in the length and the ending of his time in Phoenix. The first two seasons live warmly in memory, full of energy, relevance, and belief. The final stretch was rockier, emotionally and structurally, and that tension is part of the story whether we like it or not. As Zach Bryan says in his song All Good Things Must Pass, “Nostalgia has a way of lookin’ better in your head.” (Did you honestly think I would write and this entire series without one Zach Bryan philosophical reference?! C’mon…you know me better than that…)

Even so, the weight of what he did here is undeniable. Four seasons. One MVP. One Finals run. A franchise lifted into the national spotlight. That is Tier 2 territory without question, a peak so high and so impactful that it still casts a shadow decades later

I’ve done a lot of soul searching over this thought exercise, and at some point, I had to be honest with myself and allow the list to breathe. Devin Booker was at the top when I started. That felt right in the moment. But the deeper I went, the more I realized his story is still being written, and as much as I believe in where it is headed, there are still rungs left on the ladder for him to climb.

That is not a knock. It is an acknowledgment of motion.

Booker is still adding chapters in real time. Every night reshapes the graphic. Every season stretches the ceiling. He has been here for 11 years now, drafted 13th overall out of Kentucky in 2015, and none of us truly saw this coming. We hoped for a Klay Thompson-type outcome. What we got was a franchise cornerstone, a player whose arc is still bending upward, and because of that, the top spot has to wait.

The numbers will keep shifting because he is still active, still stacking nights, still moving the goalposts. Even so, the shape of the résumé is already clear.

Devin Booker is the leading scorer in the history of the franchise. He sits third all-time in scoring average at 24.5 points per game. Five of the top ten scoring seasons in Suns history belong to him, and his 2023–24 season finished second all-time, ten points shy of Tom Chambers’ long-standing mark. In the postseason, he is second all-time in franchise history at 28.0 points per game across 47 games, which says plenty about how his game scales when the lights get brighter.

He is first all-time in three-point attempts and makes, second in free throw attempts and free throws made, third in minutes played, and third in overall free throw percentage. He owns a spot inside the top five single-season free-throw percentages at 91.9% in 2019–20, ranks fifth in defensive rebounds, and ninth in total rebounds in Suns history.

Taken together, it tells a very clean story. Devin Booker is the greatest scorer this franchise has ever had, not for a moment or a season, but across the full arc of a career. Efficient, repeatable, and relentless, with one of the purest jump shots the league has seen, and a nightly consistency that has defined an era of Suns basketball.

One of the real challenges Booker faces is the era he plays in. We have never had more access, more data, more angles, and more opportunities to dissect every possession a player has. You can go back and pick apart anyone on this pyramid if you want, but with Booker, it feels louder, sharper, more immediate.

We are all plugged in now, walking around with a tiny computer in our pocket, capable of amplifying every frustration, every missed rotation, every off-shooting night, and firing it straight into the void. I do it too. We all do. And through all of that noise, Devin Booker keeps showing up, night after night, carrying this organization with a level of consistency that is easy to overlook precisely because it has become normal.

There is also one detail that cannot be ignored when placing him in Suns history. He is 29 years old. There is still a massive portion of his story left to write in Phoenix. Steve Nash was 30 when he arrived in 2004 and reshaped the franchise. Booker is already deep into his Suns tenure, and while his game is not built the same way, not designed first to supercharge everyone around him, he has grown into a dangerous scorer and a capable playmaker who can bend games in multiple ways.

The fan in me wants him at the top of this pyramid right now. I feel that pull. But the honest version of this exercise says the moment has not arrived yet. He is building one of the greatest careers the franchise has ever seen, and that part is undeniable.

Where he ultimately lands will be decided by the chapters that are still coming, the ones that determine whether his story finishes as great, or transcendent, or something even heavier than that.

Tier 1: Face of the Franchise

Where do you even start with Steve Nash? I suppose the only honest place is the beginning.

Draft night, 1996, the 15th pick out of Santa Clara, a skinny kid from Canada who did not exactly scream future Hall of Fame point guard. At the time, he looked like someone who would survive in the league, maybe carve out a nice career, maybe bounce around a bit. What he eventually became was something far bigger than that.

Steve Nash did not grow into a star quietly. He grew into a force that reshaped the organization, the fan base, and eventually the way basketball itself was played. Trying to define him strictly through numbers almost misses the point, even though the numbers are good. His Suns averages line up closely with Jason Kidd in purple and orange. Both at 14.4 points per game. Kidd actually edges him in assists per game, 9.7 to Nash’s 9.4. On paper, that feels like a wash.

And that is exactly why statistics can lie to you.

Because what Steve Nash did was not about box scores. It was about movement, tempo, spacing, and belief. He turned Phoenix into a basketball laboratory, a place where the game moved faster, smarter, freer. He made shooters better. He made bigs richer. He made role players feel indispensable. Night after night, the ball popped, the floor stretched, and the Suns felt inevitable in a way that no spreadsheet can fully capture.

Steve Nash did not simply play basketball in the Valley. He changed how it was understood. He changed what fans expected. He changed what opponents feared. And in doing so, he left behind something that numbers alone will never be able to explain.

He could have been one of the great scorers of his generation if that had ever been the priority. The skill was there. The efficiency was there. His 43.5% shooting from three is the highest mark from beyond the arc in franchise history. He ranks second all-time in made threes at 1,051 and second in attempts at 2,417, which makes that percentage even louder. And yet, across ten seasons in Phoenix, he averaged only 3.2 attempts per night. The shots were available. He simply chose something else.

That choice tells you everything you need to know about Steve Nash.

He hit his share of unforgettable threes, the kind that live forever in highlight reels and late-night arguments, but scoring was never the point. His obsession was amplification. Make everyone else better. Pull defenders out of position. Turn good players into great ones and role players into weapons. That was the engine. That was the gift. That is why he won two MVPs.

Not because he poured in points, but because he unlocked entire rosters.

In his first MVP season, 2004-05, he averaged 15.5 points per game. That number still surprises people who did not live through it. What matters more is the 11.5 assists per night, the league-leading mark, and what happened around him. A team that had won 29 games the season before he arrived finished 62-20. That does not happen by accident. That happens when one player rewires how basketball is played.

It is difficult to fully articulate what Steve Nash meant to the Suns and to the league at large. People often point to 1992-93 as a turning point for the franchise, and it absolutely was. But what Nash did beginning in 2004 reshaped the entire sport. Pace changed. Spacing changed. Decision-making changed. The league we watch now traces a straight line back to what was happening nightly in Phoenix.

And then there are the numbers, which somehow still feel understated. He sits first all-time in franchise assists, finishing just shy of 7,000. He owns the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and ninth best single-season assist totals in Suns history. He is first all-time in Suns free throw percentage at 90.7%, and he set the single-season franchise record in 2009-10 by hitting 93.8% from the line. He ranks third in win shares and third in total games played.

Steve Nash did not dominate the game by force. He bent it. He guided it. He made everyone around him sharper, faster, and more dangerous. And long after the numbers blur together, that feeling remains.

Nash gave the Suns legitimacy. He gave them relevance. He gave them gravity. He led the league in assists five times during his ten seasons in Phoenix, and the winning followed right along with him. From 2004 through 2012, the Suns went 405-235. That is not a hot stretch. That is sustained excellence. And he was the best guy on the court every night.

In the postseason, he was still Steve Nash, averaging 18.2 points and 9.7 assists on absurd 50/38/90 shooting splits. And yet, the one thing missing still hangs in the air. He never reached the NBA Finals in a Suns uniform. The Spurs and the Mavericks made sure of that.

But yes, he absolutely should sit at the top of the pyramid. Because what he did? It was Nashty.

---

There was one part of this project that ended up being trickier than I expected, even though by the time I reached the end it all settled into place, and that was naming the tiers themselves. The labels are mostly arbitrary, an attempt to give each level a little more personality than Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and so on, but the final tier carries real weight. “The Face of the Franchise”. That is the one where people tend to pause, reread, and start forming opinions immediately.

When you really think about it, the player at the top of any pyramid, for any team, is exactly that. The face. The name that comes to mind first when the organization is mentioned. The mental shortcut your brain takes before you even realize it is happening. That is why the final two tiers matter so much, because all three of those players qualify depending on who you ask.

If you are a newer fan, or someone who came of age watching this current era, Devin Booker is the answer without hesitation. If you are ten or fifteen years older, your brain probably goes straight to Steve Nash. And if you go back another generation, you are likely landing on Charles Barkley, because of what Suns basketball meant nationally at that moment, the visibility, the swagger, the feeling that Phoenix was suddenly on the map.

That is what makes the question so personal. The answer changes based on memory, age, and lived experience. There is no universal response, and that is part of what makes this exercise worth doing in the first place.

For me, when I step back and look at the totality of the franchise history, Steve Nash is the answer that holds up the longest. Fifty years from now, even if no one is playing basketball anymore and all that remains are stories, clips, and context, what Nash did and how he did it will still resonate.

---

The journey has ended. The pyramid is built. The conclusions, though, remain open, because there are still chapters waiting to be written, still performances left to deliver, still awards that have not found their owner.

I want to thank everyone who leaned into these conversations with me over the past few weeks. This was ambitious, something I had kicked around in my head more than once, and then finally decided to sit down and do. A free weekend turned into digging through data, combing through box scores, rewatching highlights, designing graphics, and slowly letting the history of this franchise breathe again. It became more than a project. It became an experience, one that sparked a handful of other thought exercises I might circle back to someday.

By the end of it all, I feel like I landed where I was supposed to land, even if it took longer than expected to get there. I still believe Devin Booker should be the face of the franchise because when his career reaches its conclusion, I believe that is exactly what he will be. That conviction never left me.

What changed came late in the process, during the final pass through the pyramid, while writing the closing pieces and assembling the Steve Nash graphic.

Seeing it all laid out again, the weight of what Nash accomplished in Phoenix hit differently. The longevity. The sustained success. The way he carried the organization year after year and reshaped how basketball was played, not only in the Valley but across the league. He matched the tenure Booker already has, and paired it with a level of consistent winning that is incredibly difficult to maintain.

Nash never reached the NBA Finals in Phoenix, but there are real reasons for that, reasons rooted in usage, roster depth, and the physical toll placed on guards asked to carry everything every night. Mike D’Antoni rode him hard. The margins were thin. The league was unforgiving.

It is a reminder of how difficult it is to win a championship as the best player on a team when you are a guard. You absorb contact. You take the hits. We saw it with Kevin Johnson. Paul Westphal never broke through either. Chris Paul and Devin Booker both reached the Finals, only to run into teams powered by dominant size and strength.

That context matters. It always has.

This pyramid is not a verdict carved in stone. It is a snapshot in time, shaped by history, memory, and perspective. And if there is one thing this exercise reinforced, it is how rich this franchise’s story really is, championship or not.

There are lessons tucked into this whole exercise. There are flowers that deserve to be handed out. There is appreciation to be felt and shared.

The Phoenix Suns have never climbed all the way to the top of the mountain, but that does not mean they have failed to give us something meaningful to hold onto. There is beauty in the process. There is beauty in the game itself. There is beauty in the history, in the conversations that history sparks, in the nights spent inside an arena or on a couch, living and dying with every possession.

Looking back through this pyramid forced me to sit with memories, some joyful, some frustrating, all of them personal. Players I grew up watching. Players I learned about later through numbers, stories, and grainy highlights. Friends and family who were part of my Suns’ experience. Some of them are still with us. Some of them are not.

That is part of the responsibility that comes with being a fan, and part of the responsibility I feel as a writer. To carry those stories forward. To keep them alive. To share them openly. To welcome new fans into the fold without acting like gatekeepers or arbiters of truth.

This was always a subjective process. Disagreement is baked into it. You might not see the pyramid the way I do, and that does not make either of us wrong. Sports history lives in memory as much as it lives in data, and memory is personal by nature. The arguments are part of the fun. The debate is the point.

Alright, maybe there is one exception. If you have Deandre Ayton on this pyramid, we might need to talk. That one probably came from a spreadsheet and not from watching the games. A joke. Mostly.

More than anything, I had fun doing this. I hope you had fun reading it. I hope you learned something you did not know before. I hope it led to a conversation, a text thread, a late-night argument, or a shared laugh. Because that is what makes sports matter. It is never only about the action on the floor. It is about the people watching, reacting, remembering, and connecting through it all.

That is what rooting for the purple and orange has always been about.

---

Jerome Tang called his Kansas State basketball team "embarrassing." No argument on that point. K-State fans wore paper bags over their heads. Embarrassed by all of it, the university fired Tang.

Tang won't be the last college basketball coach fired these next several weeks. The hot seat steams from Syracuse to LSU to Oklahoma and lands in between.

Adrian Autry, Syracuse

Why it’s hot: Syracuse is mired in a yearslong nosedive. Never mind the glory days, is it too much to ask the Orange to make the NCAA Tournament? No, it shouldn’t be too much to ask. It might be time for Syracuse to break with the Jim Boeheim coaching tree.

March Sadness: College basketball's 10 most disappointing teams

Bracketology: Who is rising in latest March Madness predictions

Jeff Capel, Pittsburgh

Why it’s hot: This is Capel’s eighth season. He’s been to the NCAA Tournament once. This season has been a disaster, including losses to Hofstra and Quinnipiac. If Pitt keeps Capel, take that as a sign it’s too poor to pay his buyout. There’s no other case for retention.

Jake Diebler, Ohio State

Why it’s hot: On one hand, Diebler’s buyout would be a de minimis housekeeping cost for a revenue behemoth like Ohio State. On the other hand, the Buckeyes are on the bubble for the Big Dance. If they go dancing, there’s probably nothing to see here. If not, stay tuned.

Kim English, Providence

Why it’s hot: Providence became an NCAA Tournament regular under Ed Cooley, English’s predecessor. With English, the Friars are a Big East doormat. A recent loss to St. John’s included a brawl, the latest embarrassing moment in a bad season.

Steve Forbes, Wake Forest

Why it’s hot: Forbes won 25 games in his second season. An affable coach, he’s delivered some decent years and good soundbites. Eventually, though, every coach needs an NCAA bid. Forbes, now in Year 6, hasn’t gotten Wake Forest there.

Earl Grant, Boston College

Why it’s hot: Grant isn’t the sole problem at Boston College. This program lost its way almost 15 years ago and hasn’t found its way back. But Grant hasn’t been the solution, either. This bleak season includes a loss to Central Connecticut. That's the definition of a call to action.

Penny Hardaway, Memphis

Why it’s hot: Hardaway is following a good year (he won 29 games last season) with one of his worst. Memphis probably would hesitate before firing one of its own, but Hardaway knows as well as anyone this program has standards. He’s not meeting them.

Bobby Hurley, Arizona State

Why it’s hot: It’s never a good sign when a coach admits he’s “failing.” Hurley offered that brutal assessment after a loss in January. Well, you said it, coach. Prep the buyout cannon, but hold off on firing after ASU’s upset of Texas Tech.

Matt McMahon, LSU

Why it’s hot: McMahon was great at Murray State. He’s gone splat at LSU. If LSU wants to be an “everything school,” it must fix its basketball program. What better time than with a new athletic director, new president and new board of supervisors chairman? Would Will Wade listen to a "strong-ass offer"?

Wes Miller, Cincinnati

Why it’s hot: Bob Huggins and Mick Cronin set a high bar for Cincinnati. Miller isn’t meeting the standard through five seasons. Cincinnati isn’t the type of program that’s OK with going 0-for-5 in NCAA bids under the same coach.

Porter Moser, Oklahoma

Why it’s hot: Like his SEC counterpart McMahon, Moser thrived at a mid-major but fizzled in the Power Four ranks. A tale as old as peach baskets. Oklahoma endured a nine-game losing streak earlier this winter. That’s the foundation for a firing.

Lamont Paris, South Carolina

Why it’s hot: Paris has a meaty buyout, and South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer will enter this season on the hot seat. How many buyouts do the Gamecocks want to stomach this year? And yet, two straight disaster seasons leave Paris in trouble.

Damon Stoudamire, Georgia Tech

Why it’s hot: Within an ACC with a handful of bad teams, Georgia Tech might be the worst.The decision here will be a test of how badly (and how quickly) first-year Georgia Tech athletic director Ryan Alpert wants to address this program.

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball coach hot seat includes Penny Hardaway, Porter Moser

James Harden is a walking paradox.

The newest Cleveland Cavaliers star is a man who’s inarguably changed how basketball is played — especially by those at the top of the game. He has birthed an entire generation of players who put their own spin on the heliocentric, perfectly spaced, three-outcome offense he pioneered. Jayson Tatum, Trae Young, Luka Doncic, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are all offshoots of this mold.

The main difference? Two of those players have won a championship. Harden hasn’t. And until he does, Harden won’t get as muchvalidation for changing the game as he deserves.

“At this point of his career, he’s still very, very talented, very, very good,” Donovan Mitchell said. “You look at the desperation of him. The first thing we talked about was, like, man, this could be his last chance to try and go ahead and get a ring. And we’re all in the locker room with the same mindset. So when you have that desperation from everybody up top, everybody else follows.”

On one hand, it’s fair to judge Harden for not being able to deliver a championship. Basketball is a team sport, but when your team’s entire philosophy is built around making sure one person can succeed, you can’t really divorce the team results from the individual.

At the same time, winning a championship is outside of just one person’s control, and it always will be.

“This whole ring culture thing is crazy,” Mitchell said. “It is what it is, right? I can’t fight it. It’s just what it is. That’s the way we value people.”

Two weeks ago, if you told a Cavs fan that there would be a packed house for a weekday game against the shamelessly tanking Washington Wizards team, with nearly everyone in attendance there to see Harden’s debut with the team, they would’ve thought you were crazy. But reality is often stranger than fiction.

We live in a world where James Harden isn’t just on the Cavaliers, he’s why they’re the favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.

The Cavs are soaring up the standings and playing their best basketball of the season. Harden’s ability to unlock Jarrett Allen, provide elite three-level scoring, and, most importantly, not take away from what Mitchell does best is a large reason why the team is succeeding.

The on-court production that Harden provides is apparent. Fans are typically going to like the guys that makes their team good. But embracing Harden to this level and this quickly speaks to how Harden is one of the most entertaining players when you remove the outside noise about his playing style.

For many basketball fans, Harden represents what’s wrong with the current NBA.

Harden hops from team to team as the ultimate basketball mercenary. He is the basketball epitome of the three-outcome baseball player, but in this instance, it’s threes, rim attempts, or free throws. And, the lengths he goes to initiate and highlight defensive contact can be revolting if he’s doing so against your favorite team.

These criticisms are completely fair, but they shouldn’t overshadow the artistry and skill that Harden plays with.

In many ways, Harden is the Drake of basketball. He has the talent and mastery of the craft to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing players of all-time, but sacrificed it all at the altar of commercial success.

Instead of prioritizing the technical mastery of Kobe Bryant operating in the midrange, Harden bypasses that part of the floor altogether by seeing how many steps he can take without dribbling to get from the three-point line to the basket.

Instead of going to the basket with the combination of force and grace that Dwyane Wade did, he’s seeing if he can hook a defender’s arm and still get an off-balance floater to fall.

And instead of hunting for threes by tirelessly navigating off-ball screens like Ray Allen, he’s going to cut out the middle man and create that look himself by taking the largest possible step backward he can and hoist the shot up that way.

These changes have been looked at as deskilling the game, when in reality, it’s just a simplification.

Taking exaggerated step-back threes or contorting your body to highlight contact on drives while still keeping your balance requires incredible talent. Being able to do these things as an individual player, and not relying on others to run specific sets to get these shots off reduces variables and leads to more predictable positive outcomes. This is what has led to Harden consistently captaining elite offenses, regardless of the team context, for the last 17 years.

Some changes to the game are embraced. The way Stephen Curry revolutionized how we thought about three-point shooting and how to create those looks was celebrated. Harden’s ruthless efficiency hasn’t been, even though he’s done more to change how the game is played at the highest level than Curry ever did.

At the height of his powers, Harden completely eliminated the midrange shot and focused only on taking threes, shots at the rim, or getting to the free-throw line. He also played in systems with perfect spacing and minimal off-ball movement. Harden needed to know where everyone was on the court. If the help came, he made the correct pass out to the assist.

During his MVP season, this style of play led to being in the 100th percentile in points per shot attempt, usage, and assist percentage. All the while, with just a slightly below-average turnover rate, which is exceptional considering how much he handled the ball. In short, there are very few offensive engines — especially those that are guards — who have put together as special a season.

This style of play should’ve been the NBA intelligentsia’s dream. Harden is the personification of basketball’s version of Moneyball, with his ruthless pursuit of figuring out how to apply his skills best to get the most success for himself and his team. Instead of being celebrated, he was derided for ruining the game.

Harden is unquestionably one of the best guards ever, and his influence on how the game is played is rivaled by only a few in history, regardless of team success. That, however, won’t be how history remembers him unless he plays a significant role on a championship team.

Fortunately for him, this Cavs team gives him another chance to change that narrative, and he knows it.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve really said that throughout my career,” Harden said about the championship possibilities. “Given the depth, the shooting, the athleticism, the versatility that we have, yes.” 

Maybe validation doesn’t truly matter for Harden. He doesn’t seem like someone who lies awake at night thinking about how the rest of the world perceives him, unlike one of his former teammates in Oklahoma City. At the same time, it would be a disservice to how we talk about the game if he isn’t remembered as one of the very best players of his generation years down the line. And that isn’t right.

Just because you don’t like how the artist applies their skills doesn’t make them less of one.

“But at the end of the day, I don’t think it’s fair,” Mitchell said. “I don’t think it’s right. But, whatever.”

In last summer’s NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg went first to Dallas, Rutgers’ Dylan Harper second to San Antonio, Baylor’s V.J. Edgecombe third to Philly and Flagg’s Duke teammate Kon Knueppel fourth to Charlotte.

In retrospect, San Antonio might have made a mistake. He would have been a great fit with Victor Wembanyama and more importantly, he would have fit in philosophically with what the Spurs have always looked for: smart, team-oriented players.

Woulda, coulda, shoulda. Too late now. And anyway, Knueppel has been great with the Hornets.

After they picked him, a lot of people thought he had gone too soon, but someone with the team – we can’t remember who – said they thought they might have gotten the best player in the draft.

It’s still early, but they might be right, and at a minimum, almost everyone underestimated Knueppel’s impact. He’s been a revelation.

It’s been fun to watch people realize his impact. In this video from All-Star Weekend, Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo spends a little time talking to Knueppel. He demonstrates a move and compliments Knueppel, a rookie, for understanding something that a lot of players have never figured out.

Antetokounmpo goes on to say that Knueppel is one of the smartest rookies he’s ever seen and that, in so many words, his future is bright.

At the end, Knueppel, a Milwaukee native, is clearly excited that the hometown hero is impressed. Who wouldn’t be?

🗣️ Giannis Antetokounmpo to Kon Knueppel: "You're probably one of the smartest rookies I've ever seen… one of the most competitive players that I've seen as a rookie."

"You already got it, and you're only gonna get better." 🤝pic.twitter.com/O2DLdeHDhk

— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) February 17, 2026

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It's mid-February, which means it's time for college basketball fans to get serious about NCAA Tournament brackets.

Conference championships just around the corner, meaning March Madness is nearly here. At this point of the 2025-26 season, we have a good idea of which teams are headed to the Big Dance — and which teams have work left to do.

Bracketology: Who is rising in latest March Madness predictions

March Sadness: College basketball's 10 most disappointing teams

Last year at this time, it was easy to predict an SEC team would win it all, as the conference was dominating the top 25. Eventually, it was Florida that won the national championship.

That conference has taken a step back this year, with the Big Ten emerging as the conference to watch. In USA TODAY Sports' latest look at the bracket, Georgia, UCLA, Ohio State, TCU are the last four teams in the tourney, through Tuesday, Feb. 17. Conversely, New Mexico, California, Missouri and Santa Clara are the first four teams out of the tournament.

Here's an updated look at the NCAA Tournament bubble, with which teams are locks and likely in the field as the conference tournaments begin this week:

March Madness bracket bubble watch tracker

Tracker based on games through Tuesday, Feb. 17

NCAA Tournament locks

• Big Ten (7): Michigan, Purdue, Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa
• ACC (6): Duke, Virginia, Louisville, North Carolina, Clemson and North Carolina State
• Big 12 (6): Arizona, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Texas Tech and Brigham Young
• SEC (6): Florida, Vanderbilt, Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and Kentucky
• Other (5): Gonzaga, Miami (Ohio), St. Louis, Saint Mary's and Utah State
• Big East(3): UConn, St. John's and Villanova

The Big Ten currently leads all conferences with a projected seven teams that look like locks for the NCAA Tournament. Michigan has looked like the best team in the country all season.

Following a slow start, Florida looks like a real threat to win the SEC and get back to the Final Four to defend its national championship. The SEC ties the ACC and Big 12 with six teams looking like potential locks.

The Big East has three potential locks for the tournament, making it a real threat to the other conferences in 2025-26.

NCAA Tournament likely ins

• ACC (2): Miami and Southern Methodist
• Big Ten(2): Indiana and UCLA
• Big 12 (1): Central Florida 
• Big East: None
• SEC (3): Auburn, Texas A&M and Texas 
• Other (6): Howard, New Mexico, Santa Clara, San Diego State, VCU and Yale

Auburn reached the Final Four last season, but still has some work to do to even get back to the tournament in the first season with Steven Pearl leading the team, following the retirement of Bruce Pearl before the season.

Despite losing Richard Pitino to St. John's, New Mexico has held up strongly this year and is a team that could likely earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament if the Lobos have a strong ending to the season.

After winning it all in football, could Indiana make history and follow Florida in becoming schools to win football and basketball national titles in the same academic year?

NCAA Tournament bubble teams

• ACC: None
• Big Ten (2): Ohio State and Southern California
• Big 12: None  
• Big East (1): Seton Hall 
• SEC (2): Georgia and Missouri 
• Other (7): Belmont, High Point, Liberty, Navy, North Dakota State, Stephen F. Austin and Utah Valley

These bubble teams have just over a 50% chance of reaching the NCAA Tournament, according to JThom Analytics. These teams have a strong chance to make the Big Dance, but will need to have strong finishes to the season.

For these teams, winning their conference tournaments would remove doubts about the strength of the schedule, quality of wins, etc. Schools such as Georgia or Missouri in the SEC, or Ohio State and USC in the Big Ten, could use deep runs in their respective conference tournaments to lock in a spot.

At this point, none of the schools on this list should book tickets for the NCAA Tournament — but one good week could change the discourse and make Selection Sunday less stressful.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness bubble tracker: Latest look at who's in, out NCAA bracket

NBA tanking has reached a breaking point, but a modified “Gold Plan” draft format could reward late-season wins, restore competitive integrity, and make every game in March and April matter again.

The first question at NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's annual All-Star Weekend press conference on Saturday was about the league's most pressing issue: tanking.

Just two days earlier, the league fined the Utah Jazz $500,000 and the Indiana Pacers $100,000 for "conduct detrimental to the league," due to roster management designed to lose games to improve their chances to land the top pick in a 2026 draft that's expected to be one of the most talented in recent memory. While teams have historically tried losing games in March and April, Utah was cited for games on Feb. 7 and 9, where it benched top stars Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. for the fourth quarter in winnable games after playing in the first three. (Earlier Thursday, the Jazz announced that Jackson would undergo season-ending knee surgery.)

“Overt behavior like this that prioritizes draft position over winning undermines the foundation of NBA competition and we will respond accordingly to any further actions that compromise the integrity of our games,” Silver said in Thursday's press release. Silver doubled down Saturday, saying that we're seeing worse tanking behavior that we've seen in recent memory and "what we're doing, what we're seeing right now is not working; there's no question about it."

Adam Silver’s full response to tanking: pic.twitter.com/zxw6aET8vK

— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) February 14, 2026

Luckily for the NBA, my solution for tanking is already successfully implemented in other sports leagues and would promote and incentivize winning and competitive basketball for the league's worst teams during the regular season's waning months.

At the 2012 MIT Sloan Sports & Analytics Conference, University of Missouri PhD student Adam Gold presented an anti-tanking plan for hockey. He proposed that once NHL teams were eliminated from playoff contention, every win and overtime loss would count as draft ranking points, with the draft order determined by the most successful bad team toward the end of the season rather than by the bad team that tanks to finish with the worst record. The PWHL adopted the "Gold Plan" in 2024, and the NBA can and should implement a modified model to prevent teams from intentionally losing games in February, March, and April.

Once an NBA team reaches 40 regular-season losses, it can start accumulating wins toward its draft position, which is determined by the teams that win the most games after it's essentially eliminated from playoff contention. At the All-Star break, Sacramento and Indiana are already past 40 losses, while Utah, Washington, and Brooklyn are at 38-39 defeats. This plan ensures that the worst teams will actually want to win games at the end of the season, making the final contests of the year impactful and meaningful for all 30 teams.

Would teams try to tank at the beginning of the season rather than reach 40 losses more quickly? Potentially, but intentionally losing games at the beginning of each season is harder to accomplish for both teams and players, and the NBA's antennae would be on high alert to punish teams over the first half of the season that try to manipulate rosters the way Utah did earlier this month.

Players don't want to tank because their play impacts their stats, which impact their future contracts, and players are competitors who want to win and want to be viewed as winners. Unless they have rock-solid job security, coaches don't particularly like tanking either.

"I don't think it would work with me. I don't think it's right," Hall of Fame former head coach George Karl told Boardroom last week at the premiere for Prime Video's ABA docuseries Soul Power. "There's a problem that I think the commissioner has got to address."

There's no foolproof way to completely eliminate tanking. Whether you eliminate certain draft pick protections in trades, take away draft lottery ping-pong balls, lock the lottery order at a certain date, or prevent teams from taking luxury tax payments, there isn't a perfect plan out there that would eliminate tanking for good. But the Gold Plan would eliminate late-season tanking for good, with increased penalties and scrutiny for early-season offenders that would be too obvious to ignore.

All 30 teams would be motivated to win in March and April, giving every game meaning, purpose, and high stakes heading into the playoffs. And what a breath of fresh air that would be.

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