STORRS, Conn. — Liam McNeeley announced himself in college basketball on Wednesday night, leading the No. 25 UConn men’s basketball team past No. 15 Baylor, 76-72, in a sold-out Gampel Pavilion.

Without three-year starter and leading scorer Alex Karaban (concussion protocol), coach Dan Hurley said the team would need the type of performance...Read more

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The ACC/SEC Challenge series might have made for good TV basketball content, but it didn’t prove to be much of challenge, did it? Certainly not at the Smith Center.

No. 10 Alabama rolled in and punched out a 94-79 victory over the No. 20 Tar Heels, leading nearly start to finish in an impressive display of aggressive ...Read more

MIAMI — Rui Hachimura stopped. Anthony Davis stood. Tyler Herro moved. Tyler Herro scored.

One game after being badly embarrassed on the offensive end in Minnesota, the Lakers were clobbered on the other in Miami — their body language, their lack of energy and worst of all, their general lack of fight all reasons for serious concern.

After...Read more

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — After a month of waiting to see how things play out, a month in which North Carolina lost to every good team the Tar Heels played, Wednesday’s thumping at the hands of Alabama at the Smith Center left no doubt.

They have a long way to go.

Does North Carolina have the talent to beat anybody in the country? Unquestionably...Read more

LEXINGTON, Ky. — You thought Kentucky basketball was going to go undefeated?

Is that what you thought? That the Cats would run the table? That first-year coach Mark Pope’s experienced roster would handle every challenge against every team in every environment? The coming-out party would last forever?

It doesn’t work that way, of course. ...Read more

SEATTLE — After weeks of silence, the Storm issued a statement Wednesday afternoon following player allegations of mistreatment by the coaching staff, which sparked an investigation into the charges.

“The Storm recently received internal allegations of potential workplace policy violations,” reads the statement. “The organization ...Read more

DENVER — The Nuggets made their own luck toward the end of a 119-115 win over the Warriors on Tuesday, flying after loose balls and making scrappy defensive plays to engineer a game-ending 10-0 run in the last 2 minutes, 30 seconds.

But whether or not they earned it, luck did play a role.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr criticized the referees for...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Paul George joined the Philadelphia 76ers to complement fellow standouts Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

The nine-time All-Star was focused on serving as a facilitator and elite defender who could take the scoring pressure off the duo when needed.

Well, the Sixers (5-14) needed him to provide much more Tuesday night, and ...Read more

The Golden State Warriors’ “strength in numbers” motto was all well and good in October and early November.

Then the numbers started whittling down, the league wised up, and the problem the Warriors never solved began rearing its ugly head once again.

After a red-hot start to the season, the Dubs have lost five straight games.

That No. ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — The champagne hadn't even dried after the New York Liberty won the WNBA championship when the players association announced it would opt out of the league's collective bargaining agreement, which was set to expire in 2027.

A dramatic increase in revenues due primarily to the emergence of Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and ...Read more

Almost every Nuggets game is following the same exhausting blueprint, up to a point.

Questionable sums of engagement put toward defending in the first half. A teaspoon of Nikola Jokic rest minutes that cause an upset stomach, at best. A deficit of 12 points (maybe 14 or 15) late in the second quarter or early in the third. An energizing run and...Read more

The Clippers were eliminated from NBA Cup contention during Tuesday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Intuit Dome.

The primary goal on this night, however, was for the Clippers to continue to compete at a high level and play their smothering defense.

With Norman Powell scoring with efficiency and James Harden keeping up ...Read more

CLEMSON, S.C. — Kentucky is no longer perfect in the Mark Pope era.

The Wildcats suffered their first loss under their new basketball coach Tuesday night, a 70-66 defeat at the hands of Clemson in Littlejohn Coliseum, the first road game of the 2024-25 season.

Kentucky, which was ranked No. 23 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, won its first ...Read more

The Wolverines made an opening statement in coach Dusty May’s Big Ten debut.

Fueled by a combined 44 points by Vlad Goldin and Danny Wolf, Michigan handed No. 11 Wisconsin first loss of the season, 67-64, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

Goldin had 24 points and scored the go-ahead basket with 1:34 to go and Wolf added 20 for Michigan (7-...Read more

NEW YORK — For a few minutes Tuesday, the Knicks’ hopes of moving on to the next round of the NBA Cup appeared to be in jeopardy.

The red-hot Orlando Magic, winners in 12 of their last 13 games, drained 3-pointers on their first three possessions, jumping out to a 9-2 lead in the win-and-advance affair at Madison Square Garden.

It was an ...Read more

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — What should we make of the Philadelphia 76ers’ winning streak?

Is it the result of the Sixers playing their best basketball of the season? Or could it be the result of playing two struggling and depleted teams?

Those are legitimate questions for a team trying to find its groove this season. And the Sixers will get the ...Read more

DENVER — Paul Millsap, who spent four of his 16 NBA seasons with the burgeoning Denver Nuggets, announced his retirement from basketball on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Millsap, 39, most recently suited up for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2022. He averaged 13.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 blocks per game in a ...Read more

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons walked into Little Caesars Arena for a significant game on Tuesday.

It was the final night of the NBA Cup Group play, and with a victory, the Pistons had a chance to advance to the knockout round. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff viewed the game as a chance to compete in a high-stakes environment, with teachable moments ...Read more

HARTFORD, Conn. — The Connecticut Sun announced Tuesday that former UConn women’s basketball standout Morgan Tuck has been promoted to general manager after two years serving as assistant general manager under former GM Darius Taylor.

Tuck has been a part of the Sun since May 2021 when she was hired as the director of franchise development,...Read more

CHICAGO — With just over a month left before the first stage of the free agency cycle, Chicago Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca and new head coach Tyler Marsh are facing one of the hardest decisions of the offseason: whether or not to re-sign guard Chennedy Carter.

On paper, this might seem like a no-brainer. Carter led the Sky in scoring, ...Read more