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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander adds to MVP candidacy as Pistons fall to Thunder
DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons dropped their second consecutive game, a 113-107 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added to his MVP candidacy with a game-high 48 points, shooting an efficient 17 of 26 and dishing six assists to lead the Thunder.
Cade Cunningham struggled to ...Read more

Heat skid reaches seven after 125-91 no-show vs. Grizzlies, even with Morant out
Not good enough. Again. For the seventh consecutive game.
Through all the lineup changes (including yet another one) and the alternating between falling behind early or collapsing late, defeat has become a constant for the Miami Heat, including Saturday night’s 125-91 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum, their most lopsided road loss...Read more

St. John's wins first Big East Tournament since 2000 with second-half surge vs. Creighton
NEW YORK — The last time St. John’s won the Big East Tournament, RJ Luis Jr. wasn’t born yet.
Neither were Zuby Ejiofor or Kadary Richmond.
Rick Pitino was coaching the Boston Celtics — a job he held before his stints with Louisville, Greece’s Panathinaikos, Iona and, finally, St. John’s.
But on Saturday night, that group further ...Read more
John Niyo: With new attitude, Michigan hammers home statement win over Maryland
INDIANAPOLIS — When push came to shove, Michigan finally figured something out.
They didn’t like it.
And if there was a lesson learned by the Wolverines in the aftermath of another rivalry loss to end their regular season last weekend, that was probably it.
“We got tired of getting punked,” forward Roddy Gayle said.
So they decided ...Read more

Adam Hill: Power conferences need to leave greedy hands off NCAA Tournament
LAS VEGAS — The debate over NCAA Tournament expansion is simple on the surface for many casual college basketball fans, particularly those who believe the sport doesn’t begin until around St. Patrick’s Day.
More games, more madness.
It’s so obvious. Except that it’s not.
Because while another round of expansion appears imminent, it�...Read more

Maxwell Lewis' coming out party spoiled as Nets' rally against Celtics falls short
NEW YORK — The Nets fell to the Boston Celtics, 115-113, on Saturday in the first game of a back-to-back set at Barclays Center. They are now in sole possession of the fifth-best NBA draft lottery odds.
Brooklyn (22-45) has lost 11 of 13 games since the All-Star break and three in a row since upsetting the Los Angeles Lakers at home on Monday...Read more

With Kyle Neptune out, who's next to coach Villanova? Here are some candidates to watch.
PHILADELPHIA — Villanova on Saturday did what was expected when it fired men’s basketball coach Kyle Neptune after three seasons.
The Wildcats will miss the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. New athletic director Eric Roedl and school president Rev. Peter Donohue decided to move in a new direction.
The immediate question is...Read more

Donaldson's drive drops Maryland, puts Michigan in Big Ten title game
INDIANAPOLIS — The Michigan Wolverines moved a step closer toward checking one of their season goals off the list.
After squandering a 15-point lead in the second half, No. 3 seed Michigan used a last-second layup by Tre Donaldson to dispatch No. 2 seed Maryland, 81-80, in Saturday’s Big Ten tournament semifinal at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
...Read more

Nets' Cam Thomas to miss remainder of season with hamstring strain
NEW YORK — Cam Thomas re-injured his left hamstring in Thursday’s 116-110 road loss to the Chicago Bulls and will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 regular season, the Nets announced on Saturday.
Thomas suffered two prior strains to the same hamstring this season, which forced him to miss 13 straight games from Nov. 27-Dec. 27 and 24 ...Read more

'They told me to go play, so I go play.' Austin Reaves can carry the Lakers when asked.
LOS ANGELES — Inside a locker room, geography matters and Friday night in Denver, Austin Reaves was in the big seat.
Using the space typically assigned to LeBron James inside the Nuggets' visiting locker room, Reaves sat closest to the showers, players passing him on their way in and out after they'd fumbled a chance to stun Denver.
Cam ...Read more
John Clay: There is a silver lining in Kentucky basketball's bloody SEC Tournament blowout
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The bad news: Kentucky’s 99-70 loss to Alabama on Friday night was the Wildcats’ worst loss, by margin, in the history of the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The good news: Kentucky basketball will not play Alabama or Auburn or Florida or Tennessee or any of UK’s fellow 15 SEC hoops members for the rest of the 2024-...Read more

UNLV basketball coach fired after 4 seasons
LAS VEGAS — UNLV men’s basketball coach Kevin Kruger has been fired with two years remaining on his contract, the university announced.
The program will now need to come up with the funds for the $2.35 million buyout included in the contract extension Kruger inked in June 2022.
Kruger was scheduled to make $800,000 in each of the next two ...Read more

Mike Sielski: Kyle Neptune was overwhelmed as Villanova's head coach. The Wildcats need a dynamic leader.
NEW YORK — At the moment that erased any doubt that his season and his career as Villanova’s head coach would soon be over, Kyle Neptune was hunched over with his hands on his knees near midcourt at Madison Square Garden, assuming a stance similar to someone exhausted from a race he couldn’t even finish.
Connecticut’s Samson Johnson was...Read more

Tonje leads Wisconsin past Michigan State, 77-74, in Big Ten semifinal
INDIANAPOLIS — Michigan State's Big Ten Tournament run is over.
In Saturday's first Big Ten semifinal at Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse, John Tonje powered fourth-seed Wisconsin to a 77-74 upset over top seed Michigan State. Jase Richardson and Jeremy Fears Jr. provided firepower for Michigan State's comeback bid, but it fell short and ...Read more

Villanova fires men's basketball coach Kyle Neptune
PHILADELPHIA — Villanova has fired head men’s basketball coach Kyle Neptune.
Neptune, in three seasons, went 54-47 overall and 31-29 in the Big East after taking over the program in 2022 following the retirement of Jay Wright, under whom Neptune coached at Villanova for eight seasons before leaving to become the head coach at Fordham for ...Read more

Sam McDowell: Here's the Kansas basketball secret sauce that has disappeared this season
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Arizona guard KJ Lewis paraded down the T-Mobile Center floor, moments after one last steal and one final layup, motioning his right hand to and fro.
A goodbye wave might’ve meant something, except that, well, there wasn’t much of anybody left to receive the message. A game had long been decided, its crowd long gone. ...Read more

Austin Reaves' 37-point effort not enough as Lakers fall to Denver in wild finish
DENVER — Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick often makes reference to a lyric from an old Jay-Z song: “It was all good just a week ago.”
Entering Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, things were not good for the Lakers. They entered on a three-game losing streak. They were down three starters in LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and ...Read more

Kentucky falls short in SEC Tournament again. Alabama blows out the Cats in Nashville
The Kentucky Wildcats are headed home after two nights at the SEC Tournament.
Alabama defeated the Cats 99-70 on Friday night in Bridgestone Arena, completing a rare three-game season sweep of the UK men’s basketball team and ending the chances of Mark Pope’s team to bring a league trophy back to Lexington.
The loss was UK’s most ...Read more

Michigan punches out Purdue in Big Ten Tournament
INDIANAPOLIS — Round 1 was a first-half knockout. Round 2 went down to the final bell.
Round 3 between Michigan and Purdue was a decisive decision in the Wolverines’ favor.
No. 3 seed Michigan took control early against No. 6 seed Purdue, never let up and snapped a three-year streak of early exits in the Big Ten Tournament with an 86-68 ...Read more
No way out: UConn men dig too deep a hole, fall to Creighton in Big East semifinals, 71-62
NEW YORK — The UConn men’s basketball team couldn’t overcome the crater it put itself in on Friday night, falling to No. 2 seed Creighton in the Big East Tournament semifinal at Madison Square Garden, 71-62.
The Huskies fell behind by as many as 17 points early in the second half as Creighton made 21 of its first 30 shots from the field (...Read more
Popular Stories
- Mike Sielski: Kyle Neptune was overwhelmed as Villanova's head coach. The Wildcats need a dynamic leader.
- Sam McDowell: Here's the Kansas basketball secret sauce that has disappeared this season
- Michigan punches out Purdue in Big Ten Tournament
- With Kyle Neptune out, who's next to coach Villanova? Here are some candidates to watch.
- Villanova fires men's basketball coach Kyle Neptune