Brown started arguing with officials after he turned the ball over while going out of bounds, saying he felt that Spurs guard Stephon Castle had pushed him.
Then Brown began shouting at official Tyler Ford to state his case and didn't stop, even when another official, Suyash Mehta, called him for a second technical, leading to a game ejection. Brown had to be held back by teammates from going after the officials.
Ford said after the game the first technical was called because Brown was "aggressively pointing and using profanity and resentment to the no-call." The second technical was because Brown "aggressively approached a game official while pointing and using profanity."
The Celtics contingent had plenty to say about the officiating after the game.
"I just give a ton of credit to my high school principal. He had the balls to throw a student out. He didn't leave it to the hall monitor," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. "He was a hell of a principal."
Brown, who was fined $35,000 by the NBA in January for his comments about the officials, took to social media posting, "this the (expletive) I be talking about."
Victor Wembanyama had 39 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio in the victory.
"I disagree with it. The NBA makes a big deal about prime-time games and stars playing and being available," said Jayson Tatum, who scored 24 points in his third game back after returning from an Achilles injury. "National TV game, two of the best teams in the league, and you make a big deal about stars playing, then you (get) trigger-happy and throw somebody out the game, I disagree with it.”
Dec 20, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) celebrates after a basket during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images | Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images
Thanks to the wonkiness that is the NBA Cup, the Houston Rockets are making their third trip the Mile High City to take on the Denver Nuggets this season. Things do even out overall, as Houston got the Los Angeles Clippers three times in Houston and just once in Ballmer’s Toilet Emporium (I think Xiane said this once and it made me cackle, so he gets the credit if you like it).
The Nuggets have dealt with their fair share of injuries this season, but they still boast the league’s most efficient offense. While they don’t jack up a ton of threes, they get to the line a lot and make the highest percentage of threes (39%) in the league. Defensively, they’ve taken a step back this season. They don’t force a lot of turnovers, but when they do they make teams pay. They also rebound well on that side of the ball. Basically, if Houston turns the ball over more than a dozen times (which they will), they won’t have much of a chance. Denver is too good on offense to try to catch them from behind. And when they need buckets, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are two of the best in the league at creating good looks for themselves and teammates.
This game is on national television, which has been a bugaboo for this Rockets squad, and it’s also a back-to-back, another bugaboo. Two bugaboos does not make a bugaright, so the deck is stacked pretty heavily against the good guys in this one. Denver didn’t play yesterday and are coming off a hard-fought loss against their nemesis, the Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s a recipe for a big first quarter from Denver and a sluggish start for Houston (which has been par for the course). I’d be surprised if Houston isn’t down double digits early and having to work out of that hole. I’d love to be proven wrong, but I’ve watched the same team you have all season.
Mar 10, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma (18) shoots over Phoenix Suns center Khaman Maluach (10) during the first quarter at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
Showing big fight fueled by Taurean Prince’s return and Kyle Kuzma’s 10k milestone, the Milwaukee Bucks couldn’t keep the momentum down the stretch, losing to the Orlando Magic 129-114. Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast, Bucks In Six Minutes, below.
Kuzma came to play tonight, and it’s a pity the team couldn’t rally around Big Kuz as he passed 10,000 career points. The big man was in attack mode throughout the first three quarters, driving with purpose and draining deep triples. He was a menace defensively too. Small demerits for losing his touch in the fourth quarter and for a ghastly -16 in the plus-minus. It feels deceptive, though. His energy and marksmanship stood out, carrying the team for significant stretches and fueling big runs.
An up-and-down game for Ryan, with more significant downs than ups. His five turnovers led the team and contributed to a glaring discrepancy that largely decided the game. His giveaways were symptomatic of a player going too fast and losing control. His seven helpers are not to be overlooked, though, nor was his solid shooting.
Throw out the stats. In this case, they’re irrelevant. What mattered was heart, grit, and tenacity. Prince playing in a game this season was something no one expected (and no one had ever done before with the severe neck injury he suffered earlier in the season). Instead of giving up, Prince has been a vocal member of the Bucks’ bench and practices all season, while working diligently to get back on the floor. That season-long commitment was rewarded with a return to action. He’s got a ways to go in regaining rhythm and playing at game speed, but proved to everyone that his heart can never be questioned.
An uncharacteristically sluggish game for the superstar, who was swarmed by two or three Suns every time he touched the ball. Giannis looked a bit hobbled and, for him, low-energy as he returns from injury. He missed some gimmes, didn’t always close out on shooters with his usual verve, and on a few occasions took defensive possessions off. His shoulder was wrapped, hinting at another lingering sore spot.
Turner also came to play tonight, showing the kind of all-around impact player Bucks fans thought they were getting when he joined the team after a decade of tormenting them as a Pacer.
Another no-show game for Green, who in better days would have connected on some long-range missiles to stem the bleeding in the fourth quarter, when the team most needed a lift. The one play that stands out for AJ came for the wrong reason: he fouled old friend Grayson Allen on a three-pointer at the close of the first quarter. Allen drained the jumper and the freebie, padding the Suns’ lead.
Cam’s downturn continued, with this game being more of the same from what we’ve seen over the past few weeks. I mean, Thomas was efficient with the court time he got—particularly with the four assists—but playing just 15 minutes with KPJ out is probably a reflection of where he’s at.
Pete’s minutes weren’t bad, but he really did nothing of note. Two turnovers for a player like him isn’t great either.
Grade: C-
Doc Rivers
Plus side: the team didn’t fall into its familiar habit of a lackluster play to start the third quarter. They were the aggressors, running up an 11-point lead. Downside: the rest of the game, when the Bucks looked like they too often do, a team without an identity or requisite hunger to close out competitive games. How much of it falls on coaching, and how much on personnel—the team was missing Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter Jr., and Jerico Sims tonight—can be debated.
Grade: C+
Limited Minutes: Andre Jackson Jr.
DNP-CD: Gary Harris, Gary Trent Jr., Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Inactive: Bobby Portis, Jericho Sims, Alex Antetokounmpo, Kevin Porter Jr., Cormac Ryan
Bonus Bucks Bits
Huge shout-out to Kyle Kuzma on passing the 10,000-point milestone. He went on one of his scoring benders that happens a few times every season, and was borderline unstoppable during stretches.
Gary Trent Jr. has returned to the doghouse. Did not play. Was the only Buck taking extra shots after the game.
Jalen Green clearly won the battle of the Greens, outscoring AJ 25-3. And let’s not forget that Jalen provided us with the first Fiserv wedgie in a while.
Up Next
The Bucks travel to South Beach for a Thursday night tilt against the Miami Heat. Catch the action at 6:30 p.m. CDT on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.
It was the second-most points scored in a game in NBA history, trailing only Wilt Chamberlain's legendary 100-point effort in 1962.
As he kept piling up the points, Adebayo remained on the court deep into the fourth quarter of Miami's eventual 150-129 win, eventually surpassing the 81 points Kobe Bryant scored in 2006.
Adebayo also filled up the box score in several other categories during his 42 minutes of action. He collected nine rebounds, handed out three assists, blocked two shots and made a pair of steals.
And that just begins to tell the story.
Crazy stats from Bam Adebayo's 83-point game
83 points: second-most in a game in NBA history
36 made free throws: most in NBA history
43 free throw attempts: most in NBA history
22 3-point attempts: tied for third-most in NBA history
Adebayo's previous career high: 41 points
Bam Adebayo points by quarter
First: 31
Second: 12
Third: 19
Fourth: 21
Highest-scoring games in NBA history
Every high-scoring game in the NBA has its own story. Here's a quick look at the 10 highest totals in a game in league history:
League One club took pity and let him watch their game
A Barcelona fan’s navigation mishap turned into an unexpected adventure when he arrived at the wrong St James’ Park on Tuesday for a Champions League clash, ending up 366 miles from where his team were playing.
The Spanish fan, who had travelled from London expecting to watch Barcelona take on Newcastle in the first leg of the last-16 tie, instead found himself at the turnstiles of third-tier Exeter’s St James Park.
After sitting out nine straight games, New York Islanders rookie forward Maxim Shabanov found himself in the lineup on Tuesday night against the St. Louis Blues for the first time since Jan. 31.
He came in for forward Anthony Duclair, who skated on the fourth line in their 2-1 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday. Shabanov played 10:07 minutes in their 4-3 comeback overtime win, which included 1:14 on the second power-play unit, recording two shots on three attempts.
When Shabanov was on the ice at 5-on-5, 8:52, the Islanders were outshot 5-3 and outscored 1-0.
However, they did have four scoring chances, three of which were considered high-danger chances. On the goal against, Shabanov definitely wants to get his stick or body in front of Dylan Holloway's shot from the top of the left circle, which beat a screened Ilya Sorokin.
It happens, especially as a rookie. Other things went wrong on that play.
In the third period, Shabanov made a power move, cutting to the top of the crease off the rush, but Blues netminder Jordan Hofer made the save.
Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Standing at 5'9, he has a strong ability to find open ice, which is what led to that scoring chance. Shabanov doesn't force things, and we saw a handful of times on Tuesday when the 25-year-old Russian forward looked up the ice but opted for the smarter read, sending the puck back to his defenseman to start a cleaner breakout.
It's hard to remain confident in your ability when you sit for as long as Shabanov has, but he's been putting in a ton of work behind the scenes. Whether it's after practice or morning skate, Shabanov seems to always be on the ice for an hour-plus, working 1-on-1 with Benoit Desrosiers.
Getting acclimated to the NHL has been a process, but it says something that Patrick Roy went with him on their road trip finale, a game they really needed to win with the Columbus Blue Jackets breathing down their neck.
Shabanov also saw some minutes with Brayden Schenn and Ondrej Palat afer Calum Ritchie's failed coverage on the Jimmy Snuggerud goal at 9:10 of the second period, which gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead.
The question is, does Roy rotate the fourth-line left-wing spot for a few games before just riding the hot hand?
Are Shabanov's hands warm enough to get another game? Duclair should be the guy in there given his speed and goal-scoring ability, but seeing him come out for Shabanov wasn't a good sign for No. 11 in what's been another difficult season on Long Island.
Kyle MacLean had held that role for quite some time, but a few rough games saw him come out. He's served as one of the two healthy scratches for the last two games.
The Islanders are back in action against the Los Angeles Kings at UBS Arena on Friday, the first of a back-to-back, before they host the Calgary Flames on Saturday. The Kings handed the Islanders a 5-3 loss last Wednesday in Los Angeles.
Bam Adebayo celebrates with teammates after his 83-point night.Photograph: Megan Briggs/Getty Images
Second in points, last in ethics?
That will be the accusation against the Miami Heat and Bam Adebayo, after the big man moved into second on the NBA’s single-game scoring list with 83 points against the woeful Washington Wizards on Tuesday. Adebayo surpassed the 81 points that Kobe Bryant scored in a 2006 game and left only Wilt Chamberlain, with 100 in a game in 1962, ahead of him on the all-time list.
The Heat won, 150-129, and basketball watchers quickly turned their attention to the most skeptical, cynical line of questioning possible: Was Adebayo’s achievement sullied by the Heat’s decision to build their gameplan around letting him pack the stat sheet as much as possible in a long-decided contest? On the record sheet, the answer will be no. But as most people in the NBA well know, the stat line takes a distant second place to fans’ perceptions of players and their accomplishments. And the manner in which the Heat helped Adebayo get to 83 will be under the microscope for a long time.
On the one hand: Anyone who takes issue with Adebayo scoring 83 points –more than the entire Milwaukee Bucks team managed in a game earlier this month – is a pedantic loser. This league holds 1,230 regular-season games each year. Just among starting players, that works out to 12,300 individual games per year. Exactly one of those opportunities, in the whole history of the NBA, has yielded more points than Adebayo put on the Wizards on Tuesday. Objectively, there is no such thing as a “cheap” way to do something that no player other than Wilt has ever done.
Moreover, Adebayo’s 43 field goal attempts are not a major outlier. Chamberlain put up a hilarious 63 shots in his 100-pointer, Bryant 46 on the night he scored 81. Adebayo was also busy in other respects; he pulled down a game-high nine rebounds, with eight of them coming on defense in his 42 minutes, the most of any player on court. It’s not like the 28-year-old was slacking on the other end.
On the other hand, what fun would sports be if we couldn’t spend time and energy tearing players down on the occasion of their grandest achievements? Where Adebayo’s game reaches the theater of the absurd is at the foul line. The previous record for free-throw attempts in an NBA game was 39, reached twice by Dwight Howard during the “Hack-a-Howard” era in 2012 and 2013. Teams knew Howard wouldn’t make much more than six in 10 free throws, and they felt fine sending him to the stripe to make 21 and 25 out of his 39 shots on those respective nights. Adebayo took a new-record 43 free throws on Tuesday and, to his credit, made 36 of them. Nothing dishonorable about cashing in one’s opportunities.
Or maybe there is, when a player’s team turns the late stages of the game into a joke whose sole purpose is to run up one guy’s numbers at the foul line. In the fourth quarter, Adebayo was 3-for-8 from the field and a gruesome 1-of-6 from the three-point line. But the Heat kept feeding him, and the Wizards kept fouling him to send him to the line. That would normally be no big deal, except Miami, leading by nearly 30 points in the final few minutes, repeatedly fouled the Wizards to speed up their possessions and get the ball back. Adebayo hit 14 of 16 foul shots in the final 12 minutes.
Even that doesn’t fully explain how farcical Miami’s effort to get Adebayo to 83 was. The Heat simply gave Adebayo the ball and had him run full steam ahead at the Washington basket, taking low-percentage shots that may or may not lead to a foul call. In just the final five minutes of a game that was long over, Adebayo went 1-of-5 from the field and 7-of-7 at the foul line, with his final points coming at the line with 1:16 left to push the lead to 150-126. You have to watch the video for yourself to understand how uninterested the Heat were in playing anything resembling regular “offense.” The end of this game was pure stat sheet-stuffing, which paid off in buckets when Adebayo nailed his 42nd and 43rd attempts from the stripe. Heat’s head coach, Erik Spoelstra, had the decency to sub Adebayo out eight seconds later, the big fella having inched past Bryant on the scoring list. It was not much different than a 10-year-old video gamer trying to run up a gaudy total against the CPU after school.
None of this means Adebayo’s night wasn’t extraordinary. Eighty-three is the highest point total in the league’s three-point era (since 1979), and for a frontcourt player to get there is truly out of this world. Only Joel Embiid in 2024 and David Robinson in 1994 had even gotten to 70 among big men in that span, and neither cleared 71. Adebayo – an excellent rather than an all-time great player – had a great enough game that historians won’t be able to ignore him. But the manner in which he got into the record books means the haters will still hate. Perhaps he’ll go for 84 sometime.
Auburn, Indiana, West Virginia, Cal and Oklahoma may need more than one win this week to impress the selection committee.
SMU's win over Syracuse in the first round of the ACC tournament Tuesday was a must. As was Cincinnati's win over Utah in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.
Virginia Tech and Stanford's first round losses in the ACC tournament Tuesday pretty much removes them from bubble consideration.
A lot has been made about Auburn's case. The Tigers (16-15) have to beat Mississippi State in the first round of SEC Tournament play (3 p.m., SECN). If the Tigers lose, they can kiss their at-large hopes goodbye no matter how many times Bruce Pearl says otherwise.
Indiana had a chance at a bubble play-in, but blew it at Ohio State over the weekend. The Hoosiers open Big Ten Tournament play at 6:30 p.m. (BTN) against Northwestern State winner.
Twelve teams have already punched their tournament tickets in Long Island (NEC), Queens (ASUN), High Point (Big South), Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley), Tennessee State (OVC), Furman (SoCon), North Dakota State (Summit League), Troy (Sun Belt), Gonzaga (WCC), Siena (MAAC), Wright State (Horizon) and Hofstra (CAA).
Aatu Räty is adjusting to life as a full-time NHLer with the Vancouver Canucks. The 23-year-old has played 48 games this season and is set to hit the 100-game mark for his career before the month is over. With just 18 games left during the 2025-26 campaign, Räty is focused on showing management and the coaching staff that he is ready for a bigger role in the future.
This is the first season in which Räty has not played a game in the AHL. Over his career, he has played 169 games with both the Abbotsford Canucks and the Bridgeport Islanders, scoring 44 goals and recording 119 points. As Räty explained, there is an adjustment period when players go from part-time to full-time at the NHL level.
"I mean, obviously, just getting used to the day-to-day of the NHL," said Räty. "I feel like I'm getting very comfortable here. But also, learning so much from the players and also from the coaches. My defensive games got a lot better, and yeah, just getting more and more comfortable playing the NHL game."
One of the ways Räty is carving out a role for the Canucks is by consistently winning faceoffs. Of the 118 players who have taken at least 400 faceoffs this year, he ranks tied for second in win percentage at 61.1%. Räty's ability to win key faceoffs has also led to him getting more ice time, as he will sometimes jump over the boards for a defensive-zone draw or an overtime faceoff.
"100%, yeah. That's definitely my biggest strength right now. I'm still trying to improve, and definitely want to be one of the best in the league at that. That's a good way to get minutes and, you know, even, like, (against the Jets), get a shift in overtime and stuff like that. So definitely really proud of that. And, yeah, keep trying to work on that."
As for his overall game, Räty continues to work with the coaching staff to get better every day. Not only is there a focus on individual skill, but also on learning how to play as a five-man unit. As Räty explained, he is constantly communicating with the coaching staff in order to find ways to improve his game.
"We're on the same page. I know what I need to work on, and they agree. They give me good pointers and stuff like that. But at the same time, most of the stuff that you're doing during the year, though, you're focused on more team-oriented stuff. Obviously, it's important to work on your own skill set and everything, but I think a lot of stuff is like inside the game. How to mark this guy and more stuff like that.
Jan 19, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Aatu Raty (54) handles the puck against the New York Islanders in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Räty will be a player to keep an eye on for the Canucks over the final month of the season. Not only has he been consistent in the faceoff dot, but he has also shown, with 114 hits, that he can play a physical brand of hockey. Ultimately, Räty is developing into a solid NHLer who should play a key role for the foreseeable future.
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Charlotte Caslick epitomises the term code agnostic. The 31-year-old has clocked up 328 appearances for Australia in rugby sevens, winning Olympic gold, Commonwealth gold and a Sevens World Cup along the way; she’s played rugby union for her state and country; and rugby league in the world’s biggest women’s club competition in any code, the NRLW. So, why is she – and so many other players from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific – good enough to switch between codes – and why do they want to?
“It probably comes down to the way we grow up,” says Caslick. “We play so many different sports all year round, changing between them. Boys will play school rugby on Saturday then club rugby league on Sunday for as long as they can. More girls are starting to do that as well. Throw in touch or oztag, and we have so many opportunities. It challenges athletes to find where they are best suited. Until you get exposed to different formats, you don’t know which one is for you.”
First-leg scorer senses self-belief to reach last eight
‘In the Champions League we have hit our top form’
Harvey Barnes believes Newcastle are primed for historic success against Barcelona after showing they are more than capable of living with them in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.
Barnes’s 86th-minute goal for 1-0 at St James’ Park on Tuesday was cancelled out by Lamine Yamal’s penalty with the last kick of stoppage time. But Newcastle will travel to the Camp Nou for next Wednesday’s return with confidence, Barnes’s assertion that they were the better team brooking little argument and reflecting the mood inside their dressing room.
Mar 10, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Oso Ighodaro (11) shoots during the fourth quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images
The Phoenix Suns began their six-game road trip in Milwaukee on Tuesday night and opened it the right way. A 129-point performance against the Bucks felt almost surreal when you think back a couple weeks. This is the same team that once struggled to scrape together 77 points in a loss. Granted, that stretch came during a period when injuries were chewing through the roster and the offense looked like it was searching for oxygen. What makes the night even funnier in the grand scheme of NBA chaos is what happened elsewhere across the league. One player scored 83 points on Tuesday night. That player was Miami’s Bam Adebayo. Basketball…she’s a funny sport.
SECOND-MOST POINTS IN NBA HISTORY FOR BAM ADEBAYO 😳
It is always interesting when the Suns head to Milwaukee. That building still carries memories that linger, even though the calendar says it has been half a decade since those moments were fresh. And early in the game, it started to feel familiar again.
Giannis Antetokounmpo remains the same force he has always been. A freight train with a runway, barreling toward the rim with the kind of momentum that leaves defenders bracing for impact. If you happen to be standing in that path, the whistle usually follows. That has been part of the experience for years now. Trying to absorb contact from Giannis is almost treated like a violation. Step into the runway, and the call rarely goes your way. That reality has lived in Milwaukee for a long time.
Watching Giannis sometimes feels like watching a fullback run the dive play over and over…except the defense gets called for the foul. We’ve been seeing this shit for too many years
Some things in Milwaukee feel familiar, although one thing has clearly changed. The way the Bucks are built around Giannis does not feel nearly as stable as it once did. It is something I mentioned earlier this season. Yes, they still have that championship banner hanging in the rafters. However, the years that followed have not exactly produced a roster that feels cohesive around their superstar.
You look at this season and it feels like another one slipping through the cracks for Giannis. Injuries have played a role, although the supporting cast has never quite clicked into place. The coaching tenure of Doc Rivers has not brought the level of consistency people expected, either. You could see pieces of that Tuesday night.
Milwaukee had its moments. Players like Kyle Kuzma caught fire for stretches and kept the Bucks within striking distance. Although when the game slowed down and the fourth quarter arrived, Phoenix leaned into its identity.
Defense.
The Suns clamped down and held Milwaukee to 17 points in the final quarter. Possessions became uncomfortable. The pace slowed as the execution tightened. On the other end, the offense continued to produce balance. Three Suns finished with over 20 points for the second consecutive game. I do not even know where to begin digging to see when that last happened, although it speaks to the rhythm this group has started to find.
The result is Phoenix walking out of Milwaukee with another win, opening the road trip the right way. It marks their third straight victory and pushes them to 11 games over .500.
Momentum is beginning to build in Phoenix. That is not something you can currently say about the Bucks.
Bright Side Baller Season Standings
Booker was the engine. He was the gravity. He was the reason the Charlotte Hornets — one of the hottest teams in the league — finally saw their 10-game road winning streak evaporate in the Phoenix desert.
A 30 and 10 night against a team playing that kind of high-level basketball isn’t just a stat line. It is a statement. While we were all (rightfully) impressed with the 24 points that Collin Gillespie and Jalen Green poured in, and we loved every second of Rasheer Fleming’s 16-point breakout off the bench, everything flowed through Number One. He was the catalyst. He was the one bending the defense until it snapped.
Booker rightfully takes home his 15th Bright Side Baller of the season, securing 43% of your votes. That gives him two in a row and means he has accounted for 23.4% of all Baller awards handed out this year. Kudos to Fleming, too, who grabbed 37% of the vote. It was a well-deserved nod for the rookie’s career night.
Bright Side Baller Nominees
Game 65 against the Bucks. Here are your nominees:
They improved to 10-0 in games decided in overtime this season, surpassing the 2020-2021 Vegas Golden Knights, who went nine straight games.
Per @NHLMedia: #Isles recorded their fourth three-goal comeback win in the past decade. The others: Oct. 29, 2022 (vs. COL), Nov. 16, 2019 (at PHI) and Feb. 9, 2018 (vs. DET).
Mathew Barzal scored his second overtime winner of the season, matching Bo Horvat, Matthew Schaefer, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, and Simon Holmstrom.
Because of their overtime success, the Islanders are tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for points (79) but sit third in the Metropolitan Division, with Pittsburgh having one game in hand.
They remain three points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets, who have one game in hand.
They became catnip for night owls, must-see TV for the insomniacs among us.
Hours after ACC basketball hit the hay and after the Big 12 tucked itself into bed, the West Coast Conference, starring Mark Few’s Gonzaga Bulldogs, would treat our bleary eyes.
Gonzaga ‘Til Midnight — or beyond, depending on your time zone — became the college hoops predecessor to Pac-12 After Dark.
It started in earnest in 2001, when ESPN struck a deal with the WCC. By then, the Zags were already of “The slipper still fits!” fame.
Gonzaga served up such late-night ESPN fare as playing St. John’s at midnight Eastern on Thanksgiving night in the ’01 Great Alaska Shootout (RIP), the perfect pairing for your third slice of pumpkin pie.
Gonzaga beat the Johnnies, of course, because Zags basketball is good any time of day, but it’s spectacular in the wee hours.
Trading sleep for hoops meant watching Few’s assembly line of stars. Dan Dickau. Ronny Turiaf. Kelly Olynyk. Rui Hachimura. Drew Timme. Present-day Graham Ike.
And who could forget Mr. Mustache himself, Adam Morrison, the only thing finer in 2006 than J.J. Redick?
The casuals didn’t catch their annual glimpse of Gonzaga until March Madness. The diehards and the sleep-deprived had a catalogue of film on them by then. They watched the WCC grow up alongside Gonzaga.
As BYU cycled in and then out of the league, the WCC maintained staying power to the point it regularly sends multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament. The Gonzaga-Saint Mary’s series blossomed into one of the best rivalries anywhere on the Pacific Coast.
No matter how sturdy the WCC became in any given year, Gonzaga kept showing up in the conference tournament finals.
Death. Taxes. Gonzaga cutting down WCC nets on a weeknight in early March.
Conference realignment consumes all things holy in the end, and Gonzaga’s majestic, nocturnal run in the WCC concluded this season — but not before one last celebration.
Gonzaga beat Santa Clara in the WCC final, 79-68 on Tuesday, because how else was this supposed to end but with Few celebrating his 21st conference tournament title?
“We’re 30-3 now," Few said of his team's record entering March Madness, where the Bulldogs are a projected 3-seed, "which is a hell of a record, a hell of a year."
And not finished yet. Just done with the WCC.
Mark Few exits WCC with another March Madness bid
Gonzaga will move next season into the Pac-Whatever Conference, a Pac-12 cheap-fake.
The decades-long WCC-Gonzaga union provided a runway for Few to go 56-6 in WCC tournament games.
Pause, for a moment, and marvel at that record.
I don’t care the league is filled with a bunch of private California schools with smallish enrollments instead of Duke and North Carolina or Kansas and Arizona, the WCC is no joke, and winning 56 times in 62 tries against teams playing for their shot at a March Madness ticket is serious dominance.
Gonzaga rules West Coast Conference, to the end
This team won’t go down as Few’s most electric, but you wouldn’t have known that with the way Gonzaga rallied after Santa Clara dominated the first half.
“It’s a special feeling to go out the right way — on top,” Ike, Gonzaga’s star, told reporters, with a WCC champions hat perched on his head. “Ultimately, we ended where we started this … We started off with championships. That team and those teams that came before us, we just wanted to continue the success that they had.”
Ike must have remembered at halftime he was the best player in the building. He finished with 15 points on perfect shooting. Few was so pleased he publicly stumped for his senior big man’s All-America bona fides.
“He has absolutely, unequivocally, carried us,” Few said on ESPN afterward.
Gonzaga's got its very own Super Mario, too. That's Mario Saint-Supery, who went off for six 3-pointers and 21 points.
The real story, though, was the same as it's been all year for Gonzaga: Its defense ruled the day, leaving Santa Clara on the NCAA bubble, although in Few’s eyes the Broncos ought to be a slam-dunk selection alongside Saint Mary’s. That’d be good for three WCC bids for the fourth time since 2008 and probably the last time for a while, with Gonzaga leaving.
Gonzaga’s conference departure ranks nowhere near the worst sin of realignment. It’s something of an upset the WCC managed to hang on for so long to this team that outgrew the Cinderella label long ago. Surely, the Zags will keep playing late-night tipoffs in their new home. Networks need late-night programming, and Gonzaga is a reliable supplier.
Gonzaga let the night owls off easy in this WCC swan song. It wasn’t even midnight yet on the East Coast when Few donned the postgame headset for a chat with Scott Van Pelt.
Still, the Las Vegas sun was long gone, and night had replaced it. To the very end, Gonzaga ruled the West Coast after dark.
