Category: Sports News

UCLA men's basketball flat-out outplayed USC in Tuesday night's 81-62 win. The archrivals met for the first of their two Big Ten clashes on Feb. 24 in what was a crucial game for two teams on the bubble in USA TODAY Sports' latest Bracketology.

The two have been on opposite trajectories as of late, with the Bruins entering Tuesday fresh off Donovan Dent's overtime buzzer-beater to beat No. 11 Illinois and secure a much-needed quad 1 win. The Trojans, meanwhile, entered the night in the midst of a three-game losing streak capped off by a stunning 71-70 home loss to Oregon in which they led by six points with 59 seconds to go.

Those trends played continued as UCLA's physical defense and a 30-point gem from Donovan Dent derailed a Trojans team that couldn't find much offense from anyone not named Chad Baker-Mazara (25 points, eight rebounds, two assists).

"They're a very athletic team, obviously Baker-Mazara is a potent offensive player that can turn your lights out. Proud of the guys that got the job done," Bruins head coach Mick Cronin said postgame. "This late in the year, guys are just trying to win and stay healthy. ... Happy with the win, and nobody got injured. So, onward."

Here are the winners and losers from the first leg of the USC-UCLA rivalry:

Per a Spurs press release:

The NBA G League announced that Austin Spurs forward Harrison Ingram has been named NBA G League Player of the Week for games played Feb. 9-22. This marks the first Player of the Week honor of Ingram’s career and the first for an Austin player this season.

Ingram averaged 22.2 points, 13.4 rebounds and 7.4 assists over five games. He recorded four double-doubles and one triple-double as the Austin Spurs went 4-1.

Ingram also posted a season-high 30 points against the Iowa Wolves on February 10th.

In his second season with the Silver and Black, Ingram has appeared in 76 games (72 starts) and holds career averages of 13.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 33.3 minutes. His 31 career double-doubles rank third in franchise history.

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The game against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night opened with signs that the Suns had steadied themselves after the loss to Portland, the narrow win over Orlando, and the beating they took against San Antonio. Injuries have weighed heavily on them, but for a half, Phoenix looked functional. They trailed 50-46 at the break, and the offense felt balanced, which was a welcome sight. Shots were falling, something that has been rare for this team throughout February. There was flow. There was purpose.

Then the third quarter arrived.

It turned into an avalanche of green inside the Mortgage Matchup Center, and at times it sounded like TD Garden had relocated to downtown Phoenix. The Suns opened the night 7-of-14 from three. They then missed their next 12 straight. The Suns also got overwhelmed on the offensive glass. They surrendered 22 offensive rebounds to Boston and finished with 25 defensive rebounds of their own. Boston only turned those extra chances into 15 second-chance points, but the issue remains. Phoenix continues to struggle with closing possessions and preventing second and third opportunities, and that lack of control keeps resurfacing at costly moments.

That pattern is becoming far too familiar. Long shooting droughts, extended inefficiency from deep, poor rebounding, and an inability to steady themselves when the offense freezes over. Injuries factor into it, but schematically, the counter never arrives. Whether that is personnel, competition, or system-related, the result is the same. Phoenix becomes a team that survives through the three, and lately, it has not survived at all. The third quarter broke the game open, with Boston outscoring the Suns 30-11. Against a team operating like a machine, that margin is fatal.

Phoenix pushed, because they always do, opening the fourth on a 9-0 run that trimmed the deficit to 14. It did not matter. The damage was already done. Shooting 18.2% in the third quarter sealed it long before the final horn.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

The Portland game, with 77 total points, is one we’d like to forget. But it is one may never will. Why? Because it is the first game that Khaman Maluach earned Bright Side Baller honors. Here’s to many more, Khaman.

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 59 against the Celtics. Here are your nominees:

Collin Gillespie
15 points (6-of-11, 3-of-6 3PT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 1 turnover, -5 +/-

Grayson Allen
14 points (2-of-12, 1-of-9 3PT, 9-of-10 FT), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 turnovers, -13 +/-

Jalen Green
13 points (5-of-18, 1-of-8 3PT, 2-of-2 FT), 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, -33 +/-

Ryan Dunn
10 points (4-of-6, 2-of-2 3PT), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 0 turnovers, -3 +/-

Royce O’Neale
9 points (3-of-6, 3-of-4 3PT), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, -19 +/-

Oso Ighodaro
5 points (2-of-5), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, +4 +/-

Votin’ time…

Let’s talk about resilience, Dub Nation. The Warriors limp into FedExForum tonight missing Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Kristaps Porzingis, carrying their playoff hopes on the backs of Moses Moody, Brandin Podziemski and a collection of contributors who were largely afterthoughts two months ago. And somehow, the Warriors are still eighth in the Western Conference at 30-28, clinging to that play-in spot with both hands.

Next up in there way is the new look Memphis Grizzlies, who have let go of pretty much anybody who played in these two teams short lived rivalry besides Ja Morant. Oh by the way, he’s out with an elbow injury for another week and a half at least.

Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies

When: February 25, 2026 | Time 4:30pm

TV: NBC Sports Bay Area

Radio: 95.7 The Game

Last night in New Orleans was painful. Zion Williamson dropped 26, Dejounte Murray made his return from a torn Achilles like he never missed a beat, and the Warriors shot a brutal 24.4% from three on 45 attempts. You can survive a lot of things in this league. Making eleven threes on 45 attempts isn’t one of them. Melton’s season-high 28 and Moody’s 24 weren’t enough to close a four-point gap with under two minutes left, and Golden State fell 113-109 to a Pelicans team that seemed like an easier win on paper than real life.

Now it’s time to face Memphis one night later. The Grizzlies that once made this rivalry genuinely threatening, the Dillon Brooks-led outfit that tortured Golden State in the 2022 playoffs, barely exists anymore. Jaren Jackson Jr. is gone. The team just lost to the Sacramento Kings, who had dropped sixteen straight and hadn’t won since January 16th. They are decimated by injuries, missing eight players in the loss to Sacramento. Some relative unknowns are running this show now, and the Ja Morant trade rumors are so loud at this point that ESPN’s insiders are writing offseason previews about it in February.

Here’s what matters: Golden State has handled Memphis twice this season, 131-118 in October and 114-113 in a February nail-biter. Only nine Warriors saw action Tuesday. Tonight won’t look much different. But this is a winnable game against a rebuilding team that just got embarrassed by the league’s worst record. The play-in picture is close enough that every W matters.

Game tips off tonight at FedExForum. Come on, Dub Nation. This one’s there for the taking.

Next week, the month of March arrives.

But for college basketball fans, the angst and excitement of March Madness has already arrived. With conference tournaments around the corner, the excitement for the 2026 NCAA Tournament is building among many fan bases.

REQUIRED READING: March Madness bracketology prediction for NCAA Tournament has another shakeup

Fans have been treated to potential Final Four previews, with Duke-Michigan and Houston-Arizona facing off on Saturday, Feb. 21. Another big one ― No. 11 Illinois hosting No. 3 Michigan ― is on the docket for Friday, Feb. 27, which could help determine final seeding for the tournament.

However, while fans of programs are certainly excited, the bigger joy fans get is watching the teams currently on the bubble playing for their postseason lives. For all intents and purposes, their NCAA Tournament has already begun for these teams.

Here's a look at the latest NCAA Tournament preview, including bubble teams and locks to reach March Madness:

While there are still regular-season games and conference tournaments to be played, the March Madness picture for men's college basketball is starting to come into shape.

Strong national championship contenders for the 2026 NCAA Tournament include Duke (led by Cameron Boozer), Arizona (led by Brayden Burries), Michigan (led by Yaxel Lendeborg), Iowa State (led by Milan Momcilovic), Connecticut (led by Solo Ball), Houston (led by Kingston Fleming) and Illinois (led by Keaton Wagler). Reigning national champion Florida has also started to re-enter the mix in recent weeks with a few wins over Alabama and Kentucky.

There are, of course, a handful of teams sitting on the bubble that are hoping to secure a key win (or a few) to change their status from "March Madness maybes" to "March Madness locks" over the next few weeks.

REQUIRED READING: Who is rising, falling in latest March Madness bracket prediction?

The Final Four is set for five weeks from this upcoming Saturday in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium, the first time the Final Four is being held in the NFL stadium of the Indianapolis Colts since the COVID-19 bubble tournament in 2021, when Baylor took down Gonzaga.

Here's what to know on the when March Madness gets underway for men's college basketball:

When is March Madness?

March Madness gets going on Tuesday, March 17 in Dayton, Ohio, at UD Arena with the First Four. The condensed 64-team bracket will then officially get underway with first-round games two days later on Thursday, March 19.

When is Selection Sunday?

• Date: Sunday, March 15

Selection Sunday for the 2026 men's NCAA Tournament is set for Sunday, March 15 at 6 p.m. ET. The unveiling of the 68-team bracket will take place after the conclusion of the Big Ten championship game.

Complete March Madness 2026 schedule

Here’s a rundown of the schedule for the 2026 NCAA men's tournament:

• First Four: March 17-18
• First round: March 19-20
• Second round: March 21-22
• Sweet 16: March 26-27
• Elite Eight: March 28-29
• Final Four: Saturday, April 4 (at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis)
• National championship game: Monday, April 6 (at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis)

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When is March Madness? Complete schedule, dates for 2026 tournament

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers picked up one of their most impressive wins of the season, as they downed the New York Knicks 109-94 after losing their previous two meetings.

Knicks head coach Mike Brown didn’t take the bait when asked pregame if his team lost something they could exploit against the Cavs since they don’t have two smaller guards after swapping out Darius Garland for James Harden.

“I don’t necessarily think that,” Brown said diplomatically.

Brown did, however, go into all the ways that Harden changes the offensive dynamic. It isn’t that the Cavs necessarily want to do different things; they’re just better at doing so due to his size and strength.

“Your backside [defense] has to be on point. Your transition [defense] has to be on point because everybody wants to run because he’s great at throwing that long pass. There are a lot of things you have to pay attention to. At the end of the day, they still have Donovan (Mitchell).”

They also still have Jarrett Allen, who’s playing the best basketball of his career.

Unlike Sunday against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Allen was an active part of the offense early, which led to him controlling the paint on both ends. He finished with 19 points on 7-8 shooting to go along with 10 big rebounds.

Performances like this have become the norm in February, to the point that his teammates are jokingly referring to this version of Allen as “Black History Month J.A.” In February, he’s averaging 21.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game on 74% shooting.

Allen has been one of the best centers in the league during that stretch, and it was all spurred on by head coach Kenny Atkinson challenging him several weeks back when it was announced Evan Mobley would be a few weeks with a calf strain.

“He told me you’re going to have to pick it up,” Allen said. “You’re gonna have to make up for the loss of rim protection, lost offensive ability, and I took it to heart.”

It’s fair to say Allen has. And the Cavs have been at their best this season when he’s actively involved in the offense. They’re now 19-2 when he’s scored 15 or more points in a game. His rim pressure simply opens everything up for the offense, and that’s even more true after the addition of Harden.

The two-man game between Harden and Allen is lethal, given how well their skillsets match.

“He understands when to roll to the basket, when to short roll, when to find the pocket, screening angles, different things like that,” Harden said. “He’s so athletic, he gets into the role, to the screen, out of the screen so fast, which you know, I got to get used to that.”

Allen’s grasp of how to do these things pairs incredibly well with someone like Harden, who may be the best pick-and-roll manipulator in the history of the game.

“Just his patience,” Allen said. “He’s not going to force any lob…He’s not going to try to make the hero play. He’s going to try to pick the other team apart. Just try to understand their defense and try to make the right play.”

This play is a great example of how Allen’s feel and Harden’s patience can work in tandem.

Here, Allen sets a high screen for Harden, but holds it long enough to get OG Anunoby to trail on the play, forcing Karl Anthony-Towns to step up. Instead of Harden trying to blow by Towns, he slowly strings him out across the court, creating more separation between him and the roller. By the time Harden delivers the pass to Allen, the only thing the defense can do is foul or give up what would be an easy lay-in with how far out of position they are.

Good players can create mismatches and advantages. Great ones can amplify those advantages to consistently break a defense.

Harden processes the game at such a high level. He can diagnose and dissect what is happening in real time, allowing him to make the correct decision seemingly whenever he’s running the pick-and-roll.

“The first option is myself scoring the basketball off the pick-and-roll,” Harden said. “Then it’s the big, and then, once they figure that out, then it trickles down to the corner threes and the pull-behind guys and so forth.”

Allen said after the game that the offense has been clicking because they’ve been able to repeatedly run the same set and consistently score.

The Cavs have been able to do that with the pick-and-roll. It’s such a simple action, but when you run it correctly, there’s seemingly unlimited positive outcomes.

This is a good example of that. The Knicks know that they want to get the ball to Allen, so they crash to keep that from happening. This leads to the kickout to Dean Wade. But in the shuffle, the off-balance defense lost Allen, which set up another easy dunk inside.

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The Cavs have become a one-play Madden spammer. But no matter what the defense does, it’s nearly impossible to take away all the possible outcomes if it’s run correctly. Someone is bound to be left alone. It just comes down to execution at that point.

Being able to lean on the pick-and-roll has made the offensive adjustment easy; the same can’t be said for the defense, even on a night they held the Knicks under 100 points.

The defensive strategy has been simple since the trades: protect the rim at all costs and live with the three-point variance. These last two games show how differently that can play out depending on the night.

It didn’t work against the Thunder. They hit over half of their threes. Conversely, the Knicks converted just 27% of them, which led to their offense sputtering, particularly in the third quarter when they went 1-12 from three and essentially lost the game in that span.

Playing this way is a good short-term strategy, but it may not be how this team reaches its ceiling. That’s why both Allen and Harden brought up the defense as an area of concern postgame, even though they just held one of the best offenses in the league to only 94 points.

“Defense is going to be the key,” Harden said. “If we can find a way to really hone in defensively, and really get stops and limit teams to one shot, we’re going to be very, very tough.”

The Cavs are a better team now than they were the previous two times they played the Knicks. Swapping out an injured Garland for Harden has drastically changed the offense, as has finding legit bench contributors in Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis, who’ve done an incredible job of stabilizing the second unit.

In their Christmas Day meeting, the Cavs got up big in the third quarter, but coughed it all up in the fourth due to an inability to execute offensively, combined with poor defensive rebounding.

Tuesday night was different as they simply kept their foot on the gas, never giving the Knicks any hope that they could come back from their 18-point deficit at the end of the third. This speaks to how much more prepared the Cavs are to face elite opponents, despite their limited time together.

“I think we’re pretty good, but the crazy part is, we’ve had two practices (since the trade),” Mitchell said. “There’s some groups out there where we’re just playing off [feel]. Like, Dennis came in and created this play for me the first game we’ve got here, and we’ve been runnnig that. … We’ve just been going off film and going off our IQ. … Thats a credit to the guys coming in here.”

The scary thing is that the Cavs believe they’re nowhere near their ceiling for this group.

“We’ll continue to get better and better,” Mitchell said. “The fact that were doing what we’ve been doing at a high level without much time together, it speaks to a lot, but we’re not even close to where we want to be. We have a lot more we can figure out.”

When the Boston Celtics acquired Nikola Vučević at February’s NBA trade deadline, it gave them options.

Adding Vučević provided Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla the flexibility to lean on the two-time All-Star, roll with a double-big lineup, or bring him off the bench behind Neemias Queta — the plan Boston has used to acclimate Vooch. But the Anfernee Simons–Chicago Bulls swap in the final 48 hours before the deadline has not only benefited Vučević, now in a contending environment, and Boston’s need for frontcourt depth; it’s also gone a long way for Queta’s breakout campaign as a first-year starter.

“It’s been huge,” Queta told reporters following Tuesday night’s win over the Phoenix Suns, per CLNS Media. “I’m trying to pick his brain every day, trying to figure out how I can get better with my game as well. Credit to him — I think he’s been a great addition in terms of spacing the floor, being able to be a threat down low. He’s going to rebound for sure, too. He’s going to be key for us late in the season, and we’re still trying to figure out a couple of things with him — how to get him in his best spots, and he’s trying to get loose too.”

Vučević has only been around for six games, and Queta isn’t squandering the opportunity of sharing a locker room with the 15-year veteran’s expertise.

For the first 52 games of the season, Queta was on his own. Chris Boucher, a nine-year veteran and two-time champion, joined the Celtics but fizzled out of the rotation early before a deadline trade to the Utah Jazz. With only six games of prior starting experience, Queta was elevated from his usual backup role in response to the offseason departures of Kristaps Porziņģis, Al Horford, and Luke Kornet, becoming Joe Mazzulla’s starting center. It marked the first true opportunity of Queta’s career, and easily the most challenging.

So as soon as Vučević entered Boston’s locker room for the first time, Queta spotted an avenue, and he wasn’t going to pass it up.

Vučević spent nine years with the Orlando Magic and his six most recent seasons in Chicago, fortifying himself as one of the league’s most skilled perimeter big men. Over the years, he was frequently linked to Boston in trade rumors, and each time landed in Beantown to face the Celtics, fans across the city made their desire clear — offering warm welcomes and not-so-subtle invitations to join the fold, even though it took until his age-35 season for that desire to come to fruition.

In his prime, Vučević was an automatic double-double, capable of averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds. Today, he remains one of the league’s best at spacing the floor and knocking down the three-ball, but it’s the finer details of Vučević’s game that Queta has been eyeing for years.

Now, Queta has the luxury of working alongside Vučević daily, seeing it all up close.

“Being able to seal guys off, how he can be a threat down low, how he can make quick moves down there in the paint, in the post, and just how much more effective I can be,” Queta explained. “Just picking his brain on anything.”

Queta made his 53rd start in 54 appearances this season on Tuesday night in Phoenix. He scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, recording his second consecutive double-double for the first time in his career. His performance wasn’t beyond what Queta has proven capable of as a full-time starter, but it was an extension of the player he’s been before Vučević arrived — eager to learn and ready to step up wherever the team needs him.

“(He’s) curious about the details, wants to get better, understands what he has to do to help us win games, and takes pride in that,” Mazzulla told reporters, per CLNS Media.

That attitude will be most beneficial as Queta logs big, meaningful minutes while Vučević serves as both a teammate and a reliable shoulder to lean on. Whether in practice, on off-days, or during games, Queta can look to Vučević as a source of guidance straight from an expert’s perspective.

What began as a daunting task for Queta has become an ideal situation for the 26-year-old. He’s been a vital part of the retooled Celtics offense, particularly when running the Spain pick-and-roll, and has quietly eased Boston’s frontcourt concerns. Replacing Porziņģis, Horford, and Kornet is no small task, but the promotion has paid off, and now having Vučević in the mix is somewhat of a reward that could pay dividends for Queta over time.

Boston’s fourth straight victory, without Jaylen Brown, was just the latest indicator of his ascension.

“That’s a sign of the consistency that he’s playing with,” Mazzulla told reporters. “That’s the growth of a guy — when you can earn being counted on every night — and he’s earned that. We know, heading into every game, that we can count on him. So it’s a credit to him.”

Queta isn’t looking to put a cap on his potential development.

This season was penciled in as a bridge year for Queta to get his feet wet, but that’s no longer the prevailing sentiment. Boston is flourishing, as is Queta, and expectations have been restored, pushing the Celtics back into the conversation as contenders. He’s no longer viewed as an easy-to-pull-for underdog thrown into a tough situation. Queta has been legit, and he’s been legit throughout the season’s entirety. If anything, he’s underrated when compared with the rest of the league’s starting centers, and little by little, he’s continuously changing the narrative around him.

“I feel like I’ve taken strides in so many different aspects of my game,” Queta told reporters. “And there’s so much more I can get better at. I don’t wanna pinpoint just one thing. I feel like it’d be a disservice to all the stuff I’m getting better at. By thinking, ‘Oh, this is the biggest thing I’ve done,’ I’d be shortchanging what’s coming next. I’m still hungry, and I still wanna keep on getting better.”