Category: Basketball

With four teams on the top three lines, the Big Ten continues to show out in USA TODAY Sports’ latest installment of bracketology.

But one Big Ten heavyweight, Purdue, drops to a No. 4 seed after falling 72-67 to Indiana on Tuesday night for its third loss in a row. The Boilermakers are now 7-3 in conference play, two games behind co-leaders Michigan, Illinois Nebraska and Michigan State.

The updated bracket finds s place for the Hoosiers, who have rebounded from a four-game slide with two wins in a row to climb to 14-7 overall and 5-5 in league play.

The Wolverines remain on the No. 1 line, joined by Arizona, Duke and Connecticut. Nebraska is a No. 2, along with Illinois, while Michigan State is a No. 3.

Purdue is replaced on the No. 3 line by Texas Tech, which moved to 16-4 on the heels of a five-game winning streak that included marquee victories against Brigham Young and Houston.

There was one slight change in the SEC. Auburn and Kentucky swapped spots, with the Tigers moving up to a No. 7 after winning four in a row and the always confounding Wildcats down to a No. 8 after getting losing by 25 points to Vanderbilt on Tuesday night.

March Madness Last four in

UCLA, New Mexico, Miami (Fla.), Indiana.

March Madness First four out

TCU, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Missouri.

NCAA tournament bids conference breakdown

Multi-bid leagues: Big Ten (11), SEC (10), ACC (8) Big 12 (7), Big East (3), Mountain West (3), West Coast (2).

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness Bracketology: Big Ten leads NCAA Tournament projection

Above Travis Steele’s desk in his office on the Miami University campus in Oxford, Ohio is a three-by-five index card tacked to the wall, right above a picture of his five-year-old whoodle Ryder.

On it is a message written in red ink:

Be obsessed with your trajectory, not your current results.

Mid-major power rankings: Keep eye on these college basketball teams in March

Bracketology: Big Ten dominates March Madness projection as Purdue slides

It’s a mantra Steele is trying to embody in the middle of his fourth season as the RedHawks’ men’s basketball coach. Wins and losses matter, of course, but success is ultimately judged by whether his players and program are getting better on a given day.

This season, though, the results have been too good to overlook — and the rest of the country’s starting to take notice.

As February approaches and the start of the NCAA tournament inches that much closer, there are two remaining undefeated teams in men’s college basketball. There’s No. 1 Arizona, a squad led by a pair of five-star freshmen who are representing one of the most decorated programs in the sport over the past 40 years. The other? Steele’s Miami team, which is 21-0, off to the best start in the history of the Mid-American Conference and ranked in the top 25 for the first time in 27 years.

Along the way, the RedHawks have become one of the biggest stories in the sport, with a long-stagnant program enjoying the kind of attention and acclaim it hasn’t received since a Wally Szczerbiak-led run to the Sweet 16 in 1999.

“It’s really flipped,” Steele said to USA TODAY Sports. “It just shows that anything can be done anywhere in the country. It just takes a lot of people pulling in the same direction and it takes a vision. If you have all the alignment right, man, anything can happen.”

The run hasn’t exactly come from out of nowhere — Miami won a program-record 25 games last season, after all — but it has thrust Steele, his players and the school into a position few could have realistically envisioned even three months ago.

“It’s exciting for me to be doing what I’ve been doing with CBS since 2010 and now have my alma mater so relevant in the national landscape of college basketball,” Szczerbiak said to USA TODAY Sports. “It’s awesome. It’s a dream for me.”

REQUIRED READING: Race for No. 1 seeds in March Madness: Who is in the hunt?

Miami Ohio basketball's long road back to relevance

Miami’s path to perfection has been hard-earned.

For decades, it was one of the more successful mid-major programs in the sport, crashing the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament four times from 1958-99 and serving as a launching pad for future NBA standouts like Szczerbiak and Ron Harper.

Since the turn of the century, though, the RedHawks’ fortunes waned. They’ve made the NCAA Tournament just once since their Sweet 16 appearance in 1999. In many of those years, they haven’t gotten particularly close, either. Over a 15-year stretch, from 2009-24, they finished with a winning record just once — and that was a 12-11 mark during the COVID-19-affected 2020-21 season.

When the university hired Steele after the 2022 season, it was in search of a long-awaited jolt.

“They wanted it, but the fan attendance wasn’t there, the support wasn’t there,” Steele said. “I knew it was going to be a rebuild in a lot of ways when I took it over. I knew we’d have to get more talent and get the culture right. But I probably didn’t realize quite how much the rebuild was going to be because of the disconnect with former players and the current program and the community and the current program. It just wasn’t there.”

At the time, Miami’s new coach was in search of a restart just as much as the program he was inheriting.

In 2018, at 36 years old, Steele was named the head coach at Xavier, where he’d helped lead the Musketeers to a Big East championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as their top assistant the previous season. His teams never bottomed out, but they had a clearly defined ceiling, never winning more than 19 games and missing out on the NCAA Tournament four years in a row at a program that had made it to March Madness in 26 of 33 seasons before he took over. After going 19-13 in his fourth season at the school with a team that missed the tournament despite a 16-5 start, Steele was fired.

In the days that followed, he mulled his future. He wasn’t burnt out and didn’t feel the need to step away from coaching. While he felt like he didn’t have a purpose being away from a team and a locker room, he also didn’t want to rush back to the sideline for the sake of it. The fit had to be right.

In Miami, he found just that — a school with a strong academic reputation and an idyllic campus that allowed him to stay in southwest Ohio, where his wife, Amanda, was from and where he had lived since 2008. Just 15 days after he was let go at Xavier, he’d accepted a new challenge.

“You live and you learn, right?” Steele said. “I made a lot of mistakes at Xavier. I made some mistakes and you don’t want to make those again. You figure out fit is everything. What are your non-negotiables?”

Miami Ohio's basketball renaissance

In his early discussions with Miami athletic director David Sayler, Steele warned that his approach may take some time to materialize.

He wasn’t wrong. The RedHawks struggled in their first two seasons under their new coach, going 12-20 in the 2022-23 season and before a modest improvement to 15-17 in 2023-24. 

By Steele’s third season, and with players he brought aboard earlier in his tenure stepping into larger roles, Miami got a long-awaited breakthrough. It went 25-9, its first 20-win season since the 1999 Sweet 16 team, and fell one game short of the NCAA Tournament, losing to Akron 76-74 in the MAC championship game on a layup with two seconds remaining.

Now, a team picked to finish second in the MAC has shattered even the more optimistic expectations that greeted it entering the season. While it’s not rare for a power-conference program to flirt with an undefeated season heading into February, Miami’s only the seventh non-Gonzaga team from a mid-major league to start a season 20-0 since 1990.

“You really just enjoy the moment when you have it because you may never have this again,” freshman guard Justin Kirby said to USA TODAY Sports.

The RedHawks haven’t just gotten to 21-0, but they’ve done so with an unmistakable flair. 

Steele overhauled his style after arriving at Miami, leaving behind his more plodding approach at Xavier for an offense that’s now 46th of 365 Division I teams in tempo, according to KenPom. They’re not just fast, but efficient, ranking fourth nationally in 2-point percentage, 18th in 3-point percentage and 23rd in free-throw percentage while rarely turning the ball over. Six players are averaging at least 10 points per game and six of the team’s top eight scorers are shooting at least 40% from 3 — and the two who aren’t are both at 39.4%. They’ve managed to do that despite playing about half the season without starting point guard and team captain Evan Ipsaro, who tore his ACL in a Dec. 20 win against Ball State.

It’s a free-flowing style, another contrast from Steele’s Xavier tenure. He said he sometimes calls as few as five set plays over the course of a game, preferring for his veteran roster to play in the flow of a contest with the concepts he has taught them.

The 21-0 mark hasn’t come without some fits of anxiety. Miami’s past three wins have come by a combined 11 points, with two of those victories — against Buffalo and at Kent State — coming in overtime. In the Buffalo game, Eian Elmer hit a buzzer-beating 3 to send the game to overtime before Peter Suder broke a tie with a 3 of his own with one second remaining in the extra period. On Tuesday, the RedHawks overcame a 10-point first-half deficit to knock off UMass.

Miami (OH) hit TWO BUZZER-BEATERS vs Buffalo to remain undefeated at 19-0 🚨

First one was to get to overtime, then another to win the game 🤯

RedHawks simply REFUSED to take their first loss 🔥 pic.twitter.com/om1R84cRlt

— The College Sports Company (@CollegeSportsCo) January 17, 2026

Miami’s unblemished start has been made possible, in part, by a soft non-conference schedule that KenPom ranks as the fourth-easiest in the country. Three of its wins came against non-Division I teams and of the nine Division I squads they faced in non-conference play, only one (Wright State) currently has a winning record.

The RedHawks’ success isn’t a mirage, though. Their strength of record is 20th among all Division I teams, putting them above the likes of No. 18 North Carolina, No. 19 Clemson, No. 20 Louisville, No. 23 St. John’s and No. 25 Iowa.

As their wins mount, interest in the program has, too, with a fan base hungry for national relevance embracing the team that has given it to them. After averaging 2,656 fans per game last season, Miami moved to 8-0 in a Dec. 6 win against Maine in front of a home crowd of 1,349 on hand for the final home contest before the fall semester ended. With students back on campus, Tuesday’s 86-84 victory against UMass attracted 9,223 fans. It was the 10th-largest crowd in the history of 57-year-old Millett Hall, the RedHawks’ home arena, and the largest since 1996.

“The program has just totally taken off,” Szczerbiak said. “Ticket sales are through the roof. The excitement is there. It’s exactly what the program deserves and needs.”

Beyond attendance figures, the storybook start has reconnected generations of Miami fans to the program.

A quarter-century since he last suited up for the RedHawks, Szczerbiak has a daughter who’s a sophomore at Miami who attends all the games. Sophomore guard Luke Skaljac, who stepped in for Ipsaro after his injury, is the son of two Miami graduates and grew up in suburban Cleveland hearing stories from his father about Harper and Szczerbiak’s heroics.

Now, those halcyon days are back.

“It’s definitely surreal for him,” Skaljac said to USA TODAY Sports. “He’s kind of amazed this is happening right now and that I’m a part of it.”

luke skaljac overtime; miami ohio vs kent state pic.twitter.com/sA8Bgvq6Mn

— ◇ (@F0RGIAT0) January 21, 2026

How Miami Ohio built a winning roster — and kept it together

The RedHawks have been an unlikely success story, not only because of their record, but the way they’ve reached it.

During an age when immediate eligibility for transfers can radically reshape rosters at a given school annually, Miami has been a model of continuity. Twelve of the 15 players who have logged at least one minute this season for the RedHawks began their college careers at the school. 

Like virtually anyone else in the sport, Steele has used the transfer portal. Three of Miami’s top six scorers this season — Suder (from Bellarmine), Almar Atlason (Bradley) and Antwone Woolfolk (Rutgers) — transferred in from other Division I programs. It’s been more of a complementary tool, one used to fill in holes rather than build an entire team. For Steele, retention is his No. 1 priority.

At a mid-major like Miami, that’s far easier said than done. Every spring, eager power-conference programs pluck the top scorers and best players of teams from smaller leagues with shallower pockets.

For the most part, the RedHawks have managed to avoid that fate in a sport increasingly designed to make stories like theirs impossible. Though they lost players to Kentucky and Georgia Tech over the offseason, they brought back five of their top six scorers from last season’s 25-win squad, all of whom had remaining eligibility. It’s not just players, either. Four of Steele’s five assistant coaches have been by his side since he took over at Miami.

How’d they do it? Steele and his players credit a close-knit, familial atmosphere that has been fostered over the years, which has been enough to hold on to many standouts at a program that’s reportedly in the middle of the MAC when it comes to name, image and likeness resources.

“You just aren’t going to find a better fit than Miami, especially for a lot of us,” Skaljac said.

Steele said he doesn’t give a breathless recruiting pitch to his players after every season, instead stressing the value of long-term decisions over short-term ones and how staying at Miami and earning a degree from the school benefits them. 

“The grass isn’t always greener. It’s not,” Steele said. “I think those guys know that. They’ve heard stories from friends that are at other places. What we have is special. That doesn’t mean we’re going to be perfect keeping everybody. I’m OK with that. I want guys that want to be here.”

That carryover has allowed the RedHawks to dream at this late stage of the season.

As of right now, Miami figures to be a favorite in each of its 10 remaining regular-season games and it has already beaten the two teams directly behind it in the MAC standings, Akron and Kent State. Some sizable obstacles remain, though, with KenPom giving the RedHawks a 5.1% chance of finishing the regular season unbeaten.

But an undefeated season, while nice, was never the goal for this group. After the gutting loss in last year’s MAC title game, the biggest priority has been getting back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in nearly 20 years. Even with Miami’s hot start, that’s hardly a guaranteed destination, especially coming out of what’s almost always a one-bid league. One ill-timed slip-up or an off shooting night could undo weeks and months of perfection.

That leaves the RedHawks with a straightforward objective – just keep winning. So far, they’ve been pretty good at it.

“The results will take care of themselves if our process is right,” Steele said. “It may not always happen immediately, but eventually it will figure itself out. That’s why our guys have been so loose. We feel no pressure, none. Our guys are enjoying it. We’re having fun on this journey together.”

Miami Ohio basketball 2026 schedule

Here's who the RedHawks have left on their schedule:

• Jan. 31: vs. Northern Illinois, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
• Feb. 3: at Buffalo, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
• Feb. 7: at Marshall, 4 p.m.
• Feb. 13: vs. Ohio, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)
• Feb. 17: at UMass, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
• Feb. 21: vs. Bowling Green, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
• Feb. 24: at Eastern Michigan, 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
• Feb. 28: at Western Michigan, 2:30 p.m. (ESPN+)
• March 3: vs. Toledo, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
• March 6: at Ohio, 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
• March 12-14: MAC Tournament, at Cleveland

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miami Ohio basketball is one of two undefeated teams left in NCAA

The trading deadline isn’t the only major event currently happening in the NBA calendar.

The league will reveal its reserves for the 2026 All-Star Game Sunday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. ET during the pregame show of the “Sunday Night Basketball” premier on NBC.

This comes after the league on Jan. 19 announced the 10 players — five from each conference — who were named All-Star starters.

Of course, there are more than 10 players deserving of the honor, and NBA coaches will determine the 14 reserves — seven from each conference — who will be making the trip to Los Angeles for the All-Star Game Feb. 15.

NBA All-Star Game reserve selection process

There are 24 All-Stars, with 12 per conference. Players are selected without regard for position.

The 10 starters (five per conference) are selected through three tranches: fan votes (50%), current NBA player votes (25%) and a media panel (25%).

For reserves, the collection of NBA coaches will cast votes for the players they think deserve the honor, and the totals are tallied, regardless of position.

There is one wrinkle this year, however.

Because the league is using a USA versus the world format in which three, 8-player teams will compete in a round-robin tournament, NBA commissioner Adam Silver will intervene and appoint additional All-Stars so that there are enough players to reach the quota of at least 16 U.S.-born players and eight international players. If necessary, the international players can include American players with ties to other countries.

NBA All-Star Game reserves predictions

Based on their performance from this season, here are the players I would pick as All-Star reserves.

Eastern Conference

Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers

Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks

Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons

Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors

Brandon Ingram, Toronto Raptors

Michael Porter Jr., Brooklyn Nets

Norman Powell, Miami Heat

Western Conference

Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves

Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets

Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns

Kevin Durant, Houston Rockets

Deni Avdija, Portland Trail Blazers

Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

NBA All-Star Game starters

Here are the players already selected as All-Star starters.

Eastern Conference

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons (second All-Star selection)

Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks (third)

Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers (second)

Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics (fifth)

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks (10th)

Western Conference

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors (12th All-Star selection)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder (fourth)

Luka Dončić, Los Angeles Lakers (sixth)

Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs (second)

Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets (eighth)

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NBA All-Star roster predictions: Who will be the reserves?

The long, frigid month of January is coming to a close, but the action on basketball courts on college campuses nationwide is as hot as ever.

Our list of the five best men’s college games of the weekend includes a pair of top-10 showdowns in the Big Ten bookending the schedule. The Saturday offerings include a top-20 tilt in the Big 12 and a heated west-coast rivalry that is sadly about to become a thing of the past. There are plenty of other games to watch as well, so feel free to dial around if you’re stuck indoors awaiting the spring thaw.

No. 2 Michigan at No. 8 Michigan State

Time/TV: Friday, 8 p.m. ET, Fox

The Starting Five gets a Friday night jumpstart with this rivalry clash with maximum intensity guaranteed. The Wolverines haven’t been posting the huge victory margins as they were in December but have still been finding ways to win in the rugged Big Ten. The Spartans, of course, are also in the mix as usual hoping to hold on to a share of the league lead by defending their storied home floor at the Breslin Center. Veteran MSU point guard Jeremy Fears directs the offense well, but points on the interior will nevertheless be hard to get against the Wolverines, who average nearly six rejections a game. Michigan’s front court is equally effective at the offensive end, with Yaxel Lendeborg rarely choosing bad shots.

No. 13 Brigham Young at No. 14 Kansas

Time/TV: Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

The headliner in the Big 12 this weekend features a couple of teams that are comfortably in the bracket hoping to optimize their seeding. This is not a new situation for the Jayhawks, of course, but they could use more high-end results regardless. The Cougars have won the games they were supposed to, but a win here in the hostile environs of Allen Fieldhouse would demonstrate real March staying power. Continuity has been fleeting for Kansas with freshman sensation Darryn Peterson in and out of the lineup, but improved production from Flory Bidunga has helped. BYU’s own touted rookie A.J. Dybantsa is coming off one of the least efficient games of his young career in Monday night’s loss at top-ranked Arizona, so a few early buckets would be most beneficial.

Saint Mary’s at No. 6 Gonzaga

Time/TV: Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

These West Coast Conference rivals have staged some epic contests over the last couple of decades. Gonzaga’s pending departure for the new Pac-12 means it won’t be a regular event after this year, so we must enjoy the final installments. Unfortunately the Zags will still not be at full strength with leading scorer Braden Huff out with a knee injury, though center Graham Ike (ankle) might be back in the lineup. As usual, stingy defense is the Saint Mary’s hallmark, holding opponents to just 40.4% shooting. When the Gaels need a bucket, they most often look inside for Paulius Murauskas.

No. 23 Alabama at No. 21 Florida

Time/TV: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, ABC

The SEC has been well-represented in recent Final Fours. These two programs have been part of that success, and they arguably have the highest ceiling of the league’s candidates this year. The Gators feature a frontcourt trio of Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon and Rueben Chinyelu, which will be a matchup problem for the Crimson Tide, even with the return of Charles Bediako. But the 3-point arc is the equalizer for Alabama, especially if primary facilitator Labaron Philon’s own shots are also falling.

No. 10 Illinois at No. 5 Nebraska

Time/TV: Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET, FS1.

We wrap up the weekend back in Big Ten territory, where the Cornhuskers look to bounce back from their first loss of the season by completing a regular-season sweep of the Fighting Illini. It was way back on Dec. 13 when Illinois dropped a thriller at home to Nebraska, but the Illini have produced some impressive results since then. With no history of tournament success the Cornhuskers are not household names yet, but fans should get to know high-scoring forwards Pryce Sandfort and Rienk Mast. The Illini roster is similarly constructed, but Keaton Wagler requires extra attention at the arc. Backcourt mate Kylan Boswell remains sidedlined with a hand injury.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball games to watch schedule features Big Ten, Big 12

College basketball is past the midway point of the regular season, and a few low- and mid-major programs are starting to pull away as the top contenders from outside the power conferences to make the 2026 NCAA men's tournament.

That means the coaches of those smaller programs are also starting to gain attention across the sport — potentially even for jobs at bigger programs once the coaching carousel starts.

There were numerous mid-major coaches to jump to power programs after the 2024-25 season, with Will Wade heading to North Carolina State from McNeese after an tournament win and Bucky McMillan taking his up-tempo style from Samford to Texas A&M. Richard Pitino, the son of Rick Pitino, also moved from New Mexico to Xavier, a team that commonly faces his dad's St. John's squad, and Ben McCollum went from Drake to Iowa.

REQUIRED READING: Paying attention to Texas Tech yet? You should. That and more from college basketball weekend

Some of the top recent coaching hires among Power Four teams have come from the mid-major level. Michigan's Dusty May and Vanderbilt's Mark Byington, from Florida Atlantic and James Madison, respectively, have achieved turnarounds in their second seasons at new schools.

So, which coaches are in line to make a similar jump after this year? Here's a look at the top college basketball coaches who could be the next in line for a bigger job after the 2025-26 season:

Top college basketball head coaches on the rise

Josh Schertz, Saint Louis

Schertz will be likely one of the top names in the upcoming coaching carousel, as he has led Saint Louis to a 20-1 record and a No. 22 ranking in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

The 50-year-old former Indiana State coach finished 32-7 in his final season with the Sycamores in 2023-24, and was one of the first four teams out of the field after falling to Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference championship game. He went 19-15 last season at Saint Louis.

Saint Louis features seven players averaging nine or more points per game this season, with his leading scorer averaging 13.1 points per game. The balanced attack could make Saint Louis a tough out in the tournament, should it get there.

Jerrod Calhoun, Utah State

Jerrod Calhoun, hired away from Youngstown State, led Utah State to an No. 10 seed in his first season in 2024-25. The Aggies are on track to reach March Madness again in 2026.

Calhoun and Utah State are 17-3 and tied for second in the Mountain West standings. He has done a nice job keeping the Aggies' forward momentum after former coach Danny Sprinkle left for Washington after the 2023-24 season.

Takayo Siddle, UNC Wilmington

Takayo Siddle has done nothing but win since taking over at UNC Wilmington in 2020-21, accumulating a 122-49 record through six seasons, with a CBI Championship in 2021-22. The former longtime Kevin Keatts assistant led the Seahawks to a tournament appearance last season and is primed for another bid this season.

Siddle, 39, will be an intriguing option for numerous potential power conference openings.

Travis Steele, Miami (Ohio)

Travis Steele's tenure didn't go well at Xavier, as he was fired after the 2021-22 season without reaching the NCAA tournament. He has turned it around at Miami (Ohio) with the 21-0 RedHawks one of two unbeatens left in the country. He could be in line for a jump back to a bigger school.

Steele went a combined 27-37 in his first two seasons at Miami (Ohio) but has a 46-9 record the past two seasons. His team runs a fast-paced offense, which leads the country in scoring (94.6 points per game).

Tony Skinn, George Mason

Tony Skinn took over as a first-time head coach at his alma mater in 2023-24, and is nearing his third consecutive 20-win season after winning Atlantic 10 coach of the year honors last season.

Skinn, 42, has the Patriots at 19-2 and in second place in the league standings behind Saint Louis. He was a key member of George Mason's Cinderella run to the Final Four in 2006, when he averaged 12.6 points per game as a senior.

Skinn was twice an assistant for now-Villanova coach Kevin Willard, serving as an assistant coach at Seton Hall from 2018-21 and again as an assistant at Maryland from 2022-23.

Eric Olen, New Mexico

Eric Olen landed one of the top mid-major jobs in college basketball last offseason after spending more than 20 years at UC San Diego as an assistant and head coach.

Olen led UC San Diego to four consecutive NCAA Division II tournament berths from 2015-19 and was 30-1 in 2020 before the tournament was canceled. He then oversaw the Tritons' jump to Division I and led the program to its first-ever Division I bid last season after finishing the regular season with a 30-5 record in the Big West.

Olen has kept things rolling in his first season at New Mexico, leading the Lobos to a 17-4 record with an 8-2 mark in Mountain West play. New Mexico's roster was gutted after Richard Pitino left for Xavier, but Olen has managed a roster led by two freshmen leading scorers.

Bryan Hodgson, South Florida

Bryan Hodgson spent eight seasons as an assistant at Buffalo and Alabama under Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats from 2015-23. Hodgson is in his third season as a head coach, and first at USF.

The 38-year-old New York native went 45-28 in his first two seasons at Arkansas State and has led the Bulls at 14-7 with a 6-2 record in American play so far this season.

Hodgson deploys a similarly high tempo offense like Oats', as USF ranks 17th nationally in adjusted tempo, per KenPom. USF also ranks No. 12 nationally in scoring offense, averaging 89.8 points per game.

Scott Cross, Troy

Scott Cross was fired by Texas-Arlington after the 2017-18 season despite being the school's all-time wins leader and the only coach in program history with a winning record.

He spent a season as an assistant at TCU during the 2018-19 season under Jamie Dixon before taking over at Troy, which he led to its third-ever tournament berth in 2024-25. The Trojans are 15-7 with an 8-2 mark in Sun Belt play with Cross looking for his fifth consecutive 20-win season after the Trojans won 20 combined games in his first two campaigns.

The 51-year-old has been a head coach for 19 years with a winning record in all but five seasons at two unassuming programs.

Ryan Miller, Murray State

A longtime assistant, Miller got his first head-coaching gig this season, and has led Murray State to a 16-6 record while sitting second in the Missouri Valley standings.

Miller, the older brother of 17-year NBA veteran Mike Miller, was an assistant at Creighton under Greg McDermott from 2021-25, and was also an assistant under Dixon at TCU from 2016-21. He also coached at Memphis as an assistant under John Calipari, along with stints at Pepperdine, New Mexico, Auburn and UNLV.

Miller might need a year or two at Murray State, but depending on how the Racers finish, he could be a hot name this cycle.

Matt Braeuer, Stephen F. Austin

Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland already has a solid coaching tree despite being in his third season at Texas Tech.

Braeuer is a first-year coach at Stephen F. Austin and is off to an 18-3 start this season with a first-place standing in the Southland. McCasland assistants have done well, with Ross Hodge at West Virginia, Dave Smart at Pacific and Braeuer at SFA.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Top college basketball head coaches on the rise for high-major jobs

AL MAZROWIAH, Bahrain (AP) — Patrick Reed shot 5-under 67 in the second round of the Bahrain Championship on the European tour on Friday and was 10 strokes behind clubhouse leader Calum Hill of Scotland.

Reed won the Dubai Desert Classic on Sunday and announced on Wednesday he was leaving LIV Golf.

The American will play on the European tour for the rest of the year, with the aim of finishing high enough in the Race to Dubai standings to earn full status on the PGA Tour in 2027.

Reed made seven birdies. Hill made 11 — and no bogeys — in his 61 to move onto 16-under par for the tournament and held a four-shot lead midway through the second round.

___

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

It's quite fascinating how when the NCAA men's basketball tournament picture gets magnified, the bubble for teams hoping to make the field begins to move in all sorts of ways.

Teams like UCLA and Indiana pick up major victories that put them on track to avoid this uncomfortable position in the March Madness conversation. Then you get ones like TCU and Seton Hall that start to get punched in the mouth by their conference foes and are having a hard time recovering.

The bubble watch has taken notice and now reaches another critical point: January is wrapping up, which means there's about one month left in the regular season, and teams can be worry free or completely stressed by the time conference tournaments begin.

Here are the teams currently on the bubble in the latest USA TODAY Sports Bracketology.

UCLA

• Record: 15-6 (7-3)
• NET Ranking: 42
• Quad 1 record: 2-5
• Projected seed: No. 11 (first four)
• Quality wins: vs. Purdue
• Bad losses: vs. California (neutral)

The Bruins are in a resurgence at the right time, with its win against Purdue kick starting a three-game win streak. While a Quad 2 game, this weekend's home contest against Indiana will be a big opportunity to get out of the bubble. In the top half of the Big Ten, UCLA must stay in that group before the schedule gets tough in the middle of February.

New Mexico

• Record: 17-4 (8-2)
• NET Ranking: 38
• Quad 1 record: 1-3
• Projected seed: No. 11 (first four)
• Quality wins: at Virginia Commonwealth
• Bad losses: at New Mexico State, at Boise State

The Lobos are doing all they can to maintain their stock while the opportunities to impress aren't necessarily there, bumping the Quad 2 record to 4-0. However, New Mexico needs to handle San Jose State to set up a monster Mountain West showdown with Utah State on Feb. 4, which is shaping up to be a Quad 1 chance, one it needs to get off the bubble.

Miami (Fla.)

• Record: 17-4 (6-2)
• NET Ranking: 36
• Quad 1 record: 1-3
• Projected seed: No. 11 (first four)
• Quality wins: At Wake Forest.
• Bad losses: vs. Florida State

A team that has tumbled down the bracket, the Hurricanes find themselves in the bubble thanks to a missed opportunity against Clemson and a bad Quad 3 loss to Florida State. The lone Quad 1 victory is against Wake Forest, not really impressive. Miami has at least responded accordingly with two consecutive wins, and it will have to keep it going with California and Boston College on deck to avoid falling completely out of the field.

Indiana

• Record: 14-7 (5-5)
• NET Ranking: 32
• Quad 1 record: 1-6
• Projected seed: No. 11 (first four)
• Quality wins: vs. Purdue
• Bad losses: at Minnesota

Has some of the football magic rubbed off on Hoosier basketball? Whatever it is, things are going great in Bloomington with the hoops team trending up. Indiana finally got the much-needed Quad 1 win, and it's even sweeter it came against rival Purdue. Hopefully, the momentum travels to Los Angeles for a massive West Coast trip, with Quad 1 games in UCLA and Southern California up next. At least a split is needed, but a perfect visit would keep the good times rolling.

TCU

• Record: 13-8 (3-5)
• NET Ranking: 46
• Quad 1 record: 3-5
• Projected seed: First four out
• Quality wins: vs. Florida (netural), vs. Wisconsin (neutral)
• Bad losses: vs. New Orleans, vs. Notre Dame, at Utah

The Horned Frogs now see themselves currently on the outside looking in as the Big 12 gauntlet rages on. They did get a Quad 1 win against Baylor but couldn't build upon it by losing to Houston. There's no reason to panic yet since TCU does have a slight break facing Colorado and Kansas State next, so just win those games to get back to .500 in conference play.

Seton Hall

• Record: 15-6 (5-5)
• NET Ranking: 50
• Quad 1 record: 1-3
• Projected seed: First four out
• Quality wins: vs. North Carolina State (neutral)
• Bad losses: at DePaul

What started off as a promising season for Shaheen Holloway's team has fizzled out of a bit. The Pirates lost four consecutive games, including games against Butler and DePaul, that resulted in Seton Hall falling out of the field. It needs to improve its conference record and capture those few Quad 1 opportunities to boost that NET ranking, which is possible with trips to Villanova and Creighton on the horizon.

Missouri

• Record: 14-7 (4-4)
• NET Ranking: 73
• Quad 1 record: 3-4
• Projected seed: First four out
• Quality wins: vs. Florida, at Kentucky
• Bad losses: at Notre Dame, at Mississippi

Missouri really helped its case when it won three of its first four SEC games, but regressed when it proceeded to lose three of the next four. The Tigers have some quality wins, but their No. 73 NET ranking is extremely high for an at-large team. The Tigers need to handle Mississippi State and South Carolina when their resume can't afford to lose those contests.

Virginia Tech

• Record: 16-6 (5-4)
• NET Ranking: 54
• Quad 1 record: 1-5
• Projected seed: First four out
• Quality wins: vs. Virginia
• Bad losses: vs. Stanford

The Hokies are making progress toward being a major in the bubble, with three wins in the last four games. It only makes Virginia Tech think what if it were able to close out some of those conference losses, as two of them were by one point and another by three points. Regardless, Virginia Tech is trending upward, and there is no greater chance to continue them climb with Duke coming to town and then another Quad 1 chance at North Carolina State.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness bubble watch sees Indiana rise in tournament projection

Good morning, it’s Friday, January 30th. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 29-20 and play the Phoenix Suns tonight at 9 PM. They beat the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday.

This is Cleveland’s second and final game against the Suns this season. They previously beat the Suns at home on New Year’s Eve. We hope you like staying up late — because the Cavs will be in a different time zone for the next week and a half.

Today’s Game of the Day

• Portland Trail Blazers at New York Knicks – 7:30 PM, NBA League Pass

The Knicks have snapped back into a rhythm after their recent 2-8 funk. They are now on a four-game winning streak and will look to extend it on their home floor against a scrappy Blazers team that has hopes of making the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

The Rest of the NBA Slate

• Los Angeles Lakers at Washington Wizards – 7 PM
• Toronto Raptors at Orlando Magic – 7:30 PM
• Memphis Grizzlies New Orleans Pelicans – 7:30 PM
• Sacramento Kings at Boston Celtics – 7:30 PM
• Cleveland Cavaliers at Phoenix Suns – 9 PM
• LA Clippers at Denver Nuggets – 9 PM
• Brooklyn Nets at Utah Jazz – 9:30 PM
• Detroit Pistons at Golden State Warriors – 10 PM

Honorable mention to the Pistons and Warriors game. That could be worth checking on if the Cavs game ends up being a blowout one way or the other.

Cavs links of the day

• Cavs reportedly considering a home run swing before the deadline – Fear The Sword
• LeBron James tears up over Cleveland tribute video – ESPN
• “This is Donovan Mitchell’s city now,” Jaylon Tyson gets his viral moment after Cavs win over Lakers – Cleveland.com
• Cavs unusual raised court draws new scrutiny after Luka Doncic injury – New York Times

NBA links

• NBA Power Rankings: Cavs finally making moves – CBS Sports
• NBA Trade Deadline Preview – Yahoo Sports

On the Celtics off day, Anfernee Simons gave back to the Boston community and hosted the 2025-26 ‘Fit For a Cause’ event at the Auerbach Center. The purpose of the program is to encourage individuals to lead healthy and active lifestyles, while simultaneously raising money for their communities.

Simons was joined by fifty Boston Scientific employees, and thirty youth from the Boys & Girls Club of Boston, Boys & Girls Club of MetroWest, and YMCA of Greater Boston. After the event, Simons took questions from reporters on a multitude of topics from trade rumors, his defensive improvements, and giving back to the community.

Anfernee Simons is here at a fitness event at the Auerbach Center with 30 youth from the Boys & Girls Club of Boston, Boys & Girls Club of MetroWest, and YMCA of Greater Boston. pic.twitter.com/SaEj9IVKZn

— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) January 29, 2026

Trade rumors

NBA Insider Chris Haynes went on to the SiriusXM NBA Radio and said that “Anfernee Simons is someone who is on the trade market.” Haynes continued on by saying the Celtics were looking for front court help and big man reinforcement. He thinks Boston will make a trade even if it is small, but mentioning Simons would make you think that it will be a legitimate contributor.

When asked about the rumors, Simons said: “Once you’ve been in the league for eight years, the trade rumors become constant…control what you can control.” Simons has been linked to a couple of trade rumors from early in the season in deals for Ivica Zubac and Nikola Vucevic according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.

Scotto reported that “when the Clippers were struggling with a 6-21 record to begin the season, the Celtics inquired about an exploratory framework around Simons, a first-round pick, and a future first-round pick swap for Ivica Zubac and salary filler, which didn’t gain any traction.”

“The Chicago Bulls inquired on the possibility of trading center Nikola Vucevic for Simons and a Celtics first-round pick, which would have lowered Boston’s tax bill, but the Celtics weren’t interested, league sources told HoopsHype.”

Anfernee Simons on dealing with trade rumors this time of year pic.twitter.com/NT20ykAZOo

— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) January 29, 2026

DEFENSE

When Simons was first traded to Boston for All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday, there were a lot of concerns about his defense. Simons was known as a negative defender for most of his career but this season has shown real strides in that area. He is averaging 0.6 steals a game this season with a defensive rating of 119.0 which are both tied for the third best marks of his career. Simons also is a +162 which is the highest mark of his career and currently 5th on the Celtics. Simons was asked about his defensive improvements while working with Celtics Player development coach Ross McMains and what specific areas that he has worked on.

“Just overall, having that mindset, finding ways to play make in that area. I think from the first day I got here, we drilled that every single day. That was the first thing we did, before we even touched the basketball, dribble the basketball, we dedicated the first 30 minutes of the workout to play making on defense and positioning on the defense.”

Asked Anfernee Simons about Ross McMains’ role in his growth on defense.

“That was the first thing we did before we even touched a basketball, dribbled a basketball, we dedicated the first 30 minutes of the workout to playmaking on defense and positioning on defense.” https://t.co/fW4ZbXWXR1pic.twitter.com/oSmHCOXe7C

— Bobby Krivitsky (@BobbyKrivitsky) January 29, 2026

COMMUNITY WORK

Anfernee Simons spent time talking to the kids about his daily routine and workout regiment, working with the Celtics strength and conditioning staff on orchestrating a sprinting drill, and showed them how to make healthy smoothies. Simons recognized the importance of giving back to the community and has really felt embraced by the city of Boston.

“Obviously, The community has been very welcoming to me. Everybody’s been trying to do their best to make me feel comfortable…I said before, it feels like I’ve been here longer than I actually have been here…family type organization and it feels very comforting coming to a new situation and everybody is wrapping their arms around you and making you feel welcome.”

Anfernee Simons on being embraced by the community in Boston:

“Obviously, The community has been very welcoming to me. Everybody's been trying to do their best to make me feel comfortable.”

“I said before, it feels like I've been here longer than I actually have been… pic.twitter.com/6skmdxOxar

— Ian Inangelo (@iinangelo) January 30, 2026

The ‘Fit For a Cause’ program is a fitness program that employees from Boston Scientific will participate in. It motivates employees to increase their physical activity while having the opportunity to improve their communities with a “pay it forward” prize: the opportunity to work with Boston Scientific and the Celtics to select a renovation project. The launch event will include a discussion about healthy living, “Train like the Celtics” competitions, and a nutrition demonstration.

Mercyhurst Lakers (11-11, 6-3 NEC) at Chicago State Cougars (2-19, 0-8 NEC)

Chicago; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Mercyhurst will look to keep its four-game win streak alive when the Lakers take on Chicago State.

The Cougars have gone 1-5 in home games. Chicago State ranks sixth in the NEC with 7.9 offensive rebounds per game led by CJ Ray averaging 2.2.

The Lakers are 6-3 against NEC opponents. Mercyhurst has a 2-2 record in games decided by less than 4 points.

Chicago State is shooting 39.3% from the field this season, 3.4 percentage points lower than the 42.7% Mercyhurst allows to opponents. Mercyhurst averages 6.0 made 3-pointers per game this season, 4.8 fewer made shots on average than the 10.8 per game Chicago State gives up.

The matchup Saturday is the first meeting of the season between the two teams in conference play.

TOP PERFORMERS: Doyel Cockrill III is shooting 43.0% and averaging 13.3 points for the Cougars. Ray is averaging 1.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Bernie Blunt is averaging 16 points for the Lakers. Jake Lemelman is averaging 12.6 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cougars: 0-10, averaging 61.7 points, 25.5 rebounds, 10.8 assists, 8.0 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 37.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.8 points per game.

Lakers: 7-3, averaging 67.9 points, 29.3 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 7.5 steals and 3.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 61.4 points.

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Over the last ten games, the Celtics are 5-5 with clutch losses to the Spurs, Pacers, Bulls, and Pistons. Only the Hawks on Wednesday night really roughed up Boston.

There hasn’t exactly been a statistical drop off from their overachieving regular season.

Poor shooting has bit them in the butt every third game or so, and they’ve put up some stinkers of late. But really, they’ve just been the victim of some hot shooting of late: a 21-of-45 avalanche in a three-point loss to the Bulls, the Pacers uncharacteristically hitting 16-of-37 in a two-point loss, and the Hawks making 18-of-42 in a blinding display on Wednesday.

There were some marked free throw disparities in the mix too, notably only four trips to the line against the Spurs and then just 9 two days later in Indiana and 9 again against the Bulls last week. But then again, that’s the way the league has been trending for the last month or so.

The .500 record could just be the product of a late-January swoon or the basketball gods tipping the scale one way or another. As Joe Mazzulla put it after a thorough thrashing by the Hawks, it was just a “bad day at the office.”

Maybe it was. Maybe it was just a motivated Atlanta team exacting revenge after the Celtics hung 132 ten days prior in State Farm Arena.

Or maybe it wasn’t.

“Honestly, we just guard the ball well,” Nickeil Alexander-Walker explained after seemingly stumping the now slumping Celtics. “We did a better job of staying in front, staying out of rotation. The last few games, like they were getting clean looks off screens and we were a step behind, step slow. We weren’t as physical. Tonight was. It was a two-way street like just up in the physicality as a whole, and then allowing us to be more, I would say, allowing us to be more aggressive.”

With a long and rangy trio of Alexander-Walker, Dyson Daniels, and Jalen Johnson as point-of-attack defenders, the Hawks were able to blow up a lot of the Celtics early actions between Payton Pritchard (5-of-11, zero assists), Derrick White (5-of-13, three assists), and Jaylen Brown, and generate sixteen turnovers.

And you have to think that there’s a throughline between that Hawks defense and the Celtics’ 3-1 record against the beast of the East, Detroit Pistons. While the -11 total point differential over those four games suggests a close matchup between them, the eye test shows Boston’s struggle with the ball pressure.

Zoom out and the Celtics are still just a fraction away from having the most efficient offense in the league, second to only the Nuggets. That’s certainly a feather in Mazzulla’s cap given the circumstances entering the season. However, with the trade deadline on the horizon and Jayson Tatum’s impending decision to return, it has to give the front office and coaching staff a moment of reflection that come playoff time when the games become a little more physical and handsy, what are Boston’s realistic chances in raising Banner 19?

Moses Moody just carved his name into Warriors history, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect. With 26 points, five rebounds, and five three-pointers on 78% true shooting against the Utah Jazz, Moody joined a list that reads like a Warriors Ring of Honor ballot. He’s now tied for 10th in franchise history with 12 games of 5+ threes in a Warriors uniform.

But here’s what makes this moment so fascinating: Moody accomplished this on the same night Jonathan Kuminga’s trade rumors reached a fever pitch and while Jimmy Butler sits out with a torn ACL. The Warriors are searching for answers to their championship puzzle, and one of those answers just went for 26 on elite efficiency while everyone was looking elsewhere.

Moses Moody tonight:

26 PTS
5 REB
5 3PM
78% TS
+28

Now in the Top 10 in franchise history for games with with 5 3PM (12). pic.twitter.com/cW48LrhGl9

— WarriorsMuse (@WarriorsMuse) January 29, 2026

Let’s talk about that list for a second, because when I saw it I had to see if I could guess everyone else with at least 12 games with 5 made triples or more in a Warriors uniform. Follow along and see how many you guess!

Stephen Curry sits at the top with 404 games of 5+ threes because of course he does. The man invented the modern three-point revolution and continues to redefine what’s possible at 37 years old. Klay Thompson’s 171 games in second place represent the purest shooting excellence this franchise has ever seen outside of Curry himself. These aren’t just numbers. They’re testament to a dynasty built on the three-point line.

Jordan Poole’s 31 games at third place remind us of what the Warriors once had, a young guard who could get scorching hot from deep before the relationship soured and he was shipped to Washington. Jason Richardson’s 22 games take us back to the dark days when he was the lone bright spot, throwing down posters and launching threes for terrible Warriors teams. Andrew Wiggins at 17 games shows you what this team gained when they salvaged his career, turning a disappointment into a championship contributor.

The history gets deeper. Tim Hardaway with 16 games brings back Run TMC nostalgia. Baron Davis with 14 games reminds us of the “We Believe” magic. Kevin Durant’s 13 games packed more championship firepower into three seasons than most franchises see in a decade. And then you get to the Moody level: Buddy Hield at 14 games proving why the Warriors signed him, Stephen Jackson at 12 games representing that 2007 playoff upset, Draymond at 12 games reminding us he could shoot when it mattered most, and D’Angelo Russell’s 12 games from that brief rental season.

Moses Mood☔️

15.2 PPG on 53% shooting from deep over the last nine games pic.twitter.com/kfyBEWamnI

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 29, 2026

Moses Moody just joined that group. At 23 years old, he’s showing the kind of shooting consistency that makes you wonder why the Warriors are exploring trades with him when they might already have the Splash Son they need. With Butler out for the season and Kuminga potentially heading elsewhere, Moody is proving he can fill a role this team desperately needs: a young wing who can space the floor, defend multiple positions, and not wilt under pressure. He’s shooting 40% from downtown this season folks!

The Warriors built their dynasty on shooting. They won championships because they could punish defenses from 30 feet and make the impossible look routine. Maybe the answer was already on the roster. Maybe instead of trading the Arkansas product for the next big name, the Warriors should invest in the young man who just showed he belongs on a list with franchise legends. Because on nights like tonight, Moses Moody doesn’t just look like a role player. He looks like a piece of the future of Warriors basketball, shooting threes at a historic rate while everyone else is too busy looking at trade rumors to notice.

The Warriors have always been built on shooting. Maybe it’s time they remember that.

The Rockets, as perhaps an oracular punishment for blowing a lead against the Spurs the night before, and getting embarrassingly run off the court to close that game, were sent out on the road to Atlanta the very next night. There was little doubt that the Rockets would in fact play this game, but considerable doubt as to the out come. The first of several doubts to plague the contest.

The game started, so it was clear the Rockets couldn’t avoid the back-to-back, somehow. Soon after one of the worst opening tip offs ever, there was serious doubt that the first half of this contest met the criteria for an actual NBA game, played by professionals. There were possibly extenuating circumstances.

The Hawks were injured. Broken wings, cracked beaks, patchy feathers, you name it. They were missing starting center Onyeka Okongwu, starting forward Jalen Johnson, high draft pick Zacharie Risachertorte, usually injured or ill player Kristaps Pozingis, and former Rocket, N’Faly Dante.

The Rockets were of course missing Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams and also, because it was the second night of a back to back, Tari Eason and Dorian Finney-Smith.

That said, the Hawks had won four games in a row, due largely to strong play from Jalen Johnson, Dyson “Sphere” Daniels, and CJ McCollum. MCollum has been essentially a less fraught one for one replacement for Trae Young, except the Hawks don’t feel compelled to start him. His shooting is better, his passing a bit worse, and his defense roughly the same as Trae’s. Even down so many players, the Hawks still used McCollum as a bench scoring ace, perhaps they wanted to counter the Rockets size? Atlanta started (Zag Alert!) Corey Kispert and his 80s music video hair and headband, Christian Koloko, Vit Kejci, and Nikeil Alexander-Walker along with the aforementioned Dyson Sphere.

The Rockets largely rolled out their regulars, with Josh Okogie starting in place of Tari Eason, who isn’t really helping his reliability case at all this season.

The first half was one to forget. Or one to cherish if you love bad, listless, basketball, and seemingly never ending parade of clanks. To describe the first half as a rock fight denigrates the dignity and accuracy of a thrown rock. The first quarter was “A Low Scoring Affair” as the commentators say, with both teams getting 23 points officially recorded, somehow. Not to worry, it would get worse. The second quarter would see the Hawks failing to break 20 points at 19, but the Rockets accomplishing that terrific feat in the mildest flurry of scoring possibly ever in the NBA, to close the half.

It was anyone’s game at 43-42 at the half, as the grim truth dawned on all those Rockets fans watching: the Hawks, who seemed barely present, including actual game participants, might well beat the Rockets anyhow. Hovering above those Rockets fans was also doubt that the second half would be worth watching. These doubts proved unfounded.

The Rockets came out in the second half, and by mid to late third quarter seemed to be establishing a lead on the Hawks. A few consecutive made threes brought Atlanta close again, but the Rockets didn’t call a timeout, and mean mugged the lead back into existence. Well, actually they did things on offense that looked pretty good, and made shots. They grabbed all the rebounds. The Rockets ultimately scored 34 points to the Hawks 24, which was the most they’d manage in any quarter.

The fourth quarter was similar, but featured the Rockets coasting to victory, in their own unique way. That way consisting of playing the starters until around 2 minutes remained, despite a steady 19 point lead.

The score looks easy, and the Hawks genuinely appeared to down tools sometime in the third quarter. By the fourth they were barely running anywhere, unless there might be a chance for an easy basket. Otherwise Atlanta looked like it was ready to hit the bottle, or Magic City for, ah, those famous lemon pepper chicken wings.

Kevin Durant remains a terminator, scoring 31 points on 12-22 shooting, and playing a low, low, 34 minutes. Jabari Smith almost had a get-right game, but did throw down a thunderous dunk in the 4th quarter for his Atlanta family and friends. Amen Thompson had a forgettable game, after his strenuous night in Houston on Wednesday. It was so forgettable I forget the stats, ok, he did have 3 steals and 2 blocks. Alperen Sengun, who looks hurt, exhausted, sick or all three had a straight bad outing. He did grab 10 rebounds. With Adams out, and Udoka distrustful of or unconvinced by Clint Capela, and Jabari at center, it seems Alpie is just going to have to go out and be bad. Rather than maybe resting and getting well.

Josh Okogie had quite a good night, grabbing 10 rebounds, and making his open looks, and generally played with high energy, intensity and great individual defense. The Rockets got a strong 18 minutes from Clint Capela, and it was a lineup with both Clint and Reed Sheppard that fueled their lead, and pulling away from the Hawks. He went 10pts/7rbs/2ast/1stl/2blk in 18 minutes, and it seemed to me he might well double those numbers in double the minutes. But Ime once again failed to consult with me, or TDS.

Tate played an impactful and useful 20 minutes without a great number of stats to show for it. Sheppard continued his pattern of bad first half, great second half. He had 13pts/4rbs/4ast/1stl in 26 minutes, and really did turn the tide. Two legitimate perimeter scoring threats on the court at the same time for the Rockets (Jabari and Tari don’t count, for various reasons) really changes the entire geometery of the offense for the Rockets. Reed went 5-14 which isn’t efficient at all, but 3-7 from three, which very much is. He seems to be overthinking everything, still, and probably should be fed a great deal more three point opportunities. He’s developing a nice chemistry with Capela, and still has a clunky one with Durant.

Any win on a SEGABA is a good one, and any game holding NBA players to only 86 points is a good one, too.

The Rockets play on Saturday back home in Houston against the Mavericks, in a prime time ABC game. I hadn’t realized the Rockets were allowed to play Dallas in Houston, but the schedule indicates they are.

The Lakers’ search for a wing could take them to an interesting landing spot.

If LA is set on landing a 3-and-D wing at the trade deadline, it’s going to come with some caveats. It will likely either cost them an arm and a leg, an asking price they can’t really afford, or it’s going to force them to take a player with a large contract.

It’s that latter point that finds them linked to De’Andre Hunter. Ironically, Hunter was selected with the Lakers’ No. 4 pick in the 2019 draft, which was included in the Anthony Davis trade. After he was dealt to the Hawks on draft day, Hunter was sent to the Cavs at last year’s trade deadline.

With the Cavs underperforming and looking to downsize their huge payroll and Hunter struggling while on a big contract, Cleveland has made him available, which brings the Lakers into the equation. After recently being linked with the purple and gold by Brad Turner of the LA Times, Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints added some more context to that on Thursday.

According to him, the Lakers and Cavs have had discussions about a trade with some in Cleveland’s front office fond of the idea of Dalton Knecht as a buy-low candidate.

There are some within the Cavs organization who like the idea of adding Dalton Knecht in a buy-low spot to get off Hunter’s contract, yet discussions have been ongoing.

The Lakers have expressed interest in Haywood Highsmith and Day’Ron Sharpe from Brooklyn. https://t.co/TfrBXa2KeR

— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) January 30, 2026

Hunter’s season averages are a far cry from his career numbers. He’s shooting 42% from the field and a career-worst 30.9% from the 3-point line. Prior to this campaign, Hunter had shot 38.2% from range over the last four seasons.

Because of the aprons placing limitations on both the Lakers and Cavs — thanks again for that CJ McCollum — a trade for Hunter effectively requires a third. The Lakers are hard-capped at the second apron and sit just under $1 million below it right now, while Cleveland, as a second-apron team, can not take back more money in a trade.

That leaves too fine a needle to thread, whereas simply bringing in a third team, like the Nets, alleviates most of those issues.

Hunter is on the books for $23.3 million this season and a guaranteed $24.9 million next season. Aggregating two of Jaxson Hayes, Gabe Vincent and Jarred Vanderbilt with Dalton Knecht gets them just above that figure, which could bring in the likes of Haywood Highsmith and/or Day’Ron Sharpe.

Even then, it’s not a straightforward deal but that framework will likely be one the team works with. Ideally, the Lakers open up a bit of wiggle room below the second apron, allowing them to sign a buyout player this season as well.

But even in that scenario, this is a risk for the Lakers. Similar to the Cavs buying low on Knecht, the Lakers would be buying low on Hunter. Both teams would have to have the belief that a change of scenery would benefit the player.

It would also change the future outlook as well. While he would be an expiring contract and still could be dealt this summer if needed, he would still be future money on the books. It would show intent behind the report last offseason that the Lakers were going to be more aggressive moving forward.

With the Lakers in a precarious position and looking for improvement, Hunter could be the type of player the team makes a deal for and hopes that the gamble pays off, giving them another viable starter. The best version of Hunter can certainly slot into the starting lineup, but can the Lakers unlock that version of him again?

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

Dallas Mavericks' Cooper Flagg became the first teenager to score 49 points in an NBA game as they lost 123-121 against the Charlotte Hornets at American Airlines Center.

The 19-year-old beat Clifford Robinson's previous record of 45 points set in 1980 when playing for the New Jersey Nets against the Detroit Pistons.

Flagg, making his 43rd appearance of the season, also became the youngest player to score at least 40 points and 10 rebounds.

The Hornets' Kon Knueppel, who was room-mates with Flagg at Duke University, also posted impressive numbers.

The 20-year-old scored a career-high 34 points and was successful with eight of his 12 three-pointer attempts - setting a rookie record for Charlotte.

Their combined 83 points was the highest of any opposing rookies in more than 50 years, and they were the first pair of opposing rookies from the same college to each score 30-plus points in the same game.

The Dallas Mavericks sit 12th in the Western Conference after falling to four successive defeats, while the Charlotte Hornets have won five in a row and are 11th in the Eastern Conference.