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Kansas basketball crushed by BYU in 2nd straight loss. Is this rock bottom for Jayhawks?

Sports / Basketball /

Before Tuesday’s matchup against BYU, Kansas coach Bill Self said there had been “enough talk” from the players and coaching staff about the Jayhawks’ struggles.

He wanted the team to “go out and do it.”

Instead, the Jayhawks had their worst outing of the season in Provo, Utah. The game was an unequivocal disaster that ...Read more

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LeBron James questionable to play Wednesday, Luka Doncic to see minutes increase

Sports / Basketball /

LOS ANGELES — The biggest news Tuesday with the Lakers was about the health of LeBron James and the increased minutes for Luka Doncic.

James, who didn’t play in Sunday’s All-Star Game in San Francisco because of lingering ankle and foot discomfort, has been listed as questionable for the Lakers game against Charlotte on Wednesday night at...Read more

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Storm give first comments since Jewell Loyd alleged mistreatment

Sports / Basketball /

SEATTLE — In their first public comments since Jewell Loyd’s allegations of player mistreatment by the Storm coaching staff and a trade demand that sent her to Las Vegas Aces, Storm general manager Talisa Rhea and coach Noelle Quinn said the team is moving forward and focused on the upcoming WNBA season.

Rhea said the Storm have “...Read more

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How Duke can navigate its final stretch without injured Maliq Brown -- again

Sports / Basketball /

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — What looked like a normal occurrence — Maliq Brown deflecting the ball away from an opponent — instead has thrown a wrench into Duke basketball’s final stretch of what’s been a sterling regular season.

A key to Duke’s solid defense, the 6-9 Brown dislocated his left shoulder on an otherwise innocuous play ...Read more

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Warriors announce plans to celebrate 10-year anniversary of 2014-15 championship

Sports / Basketball /

Fresh off hosting an All-Star Game that celebrated the most important member of the Warriors’ dynasty, Stephen Curry, the team will pay tribute to the remaining cast members during its first homestand out of the break.

Players from the 2014-15 team will be on hand Feb. 25 to honor the 10-year anniversary of the NBA title that kicked off their...Read more

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Trazarien White, Noah Reynolds lead TCU to upset victory over No. 9 Texas Tech

Sports / Basketball /

FORT WORTH, Texas — TCU picked the perfect time to add a signature win to its NCAA Tournament resume with a 69-66 victory over No. 9 Texas Tech on Tuesday night at Schollmaier Arena.

The Horned Frogs avenged their 71-57 loss on Jan. 21 in Lubbock in front of former TCU legend Desmond Bane — who had his jersey retired at halftime — in a ...Read more

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UConn men's basketball completes 14-point second half comeback to defeat Villanova, 66-59

Sports / Basketball /

HARTFORD, Conn. — The UConn men’s basketball team came back from down 14 points with 12 minutes to go in the second half to beat Villanova at the XL Center, 66-59, on Tuesday night.

Liam McNeeley and Tarris Reed Jr. combined to score UConn’s last 17 points to secure a much-needed victory for the Huskies, who improved to 18-8 on the year ...Read more

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No. 2 Florida overwhelms Oklahoma behind veteran backcourt

Sports / Basketball /

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida continued its February flurry with March Madness inching closer for a team poised to make a postseason run.

The No. 2 Gators overwhelmed Oklahoma, 85-63, Tuesday night in the O’Connell Center behind double-digit 3-pointers for the fifth straight game and an SEC-low six turnovers.

A month that began with a 20-...Read more

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Sparked by Carr's jam, Michigan State dumps Purdue in key Big Ten battle

Sports / Basketball /

EAST LANSING, Mich. — It’s a play nearly anyone who’s watched Michigan State men’s basketball has seen: Coen Carr dunking like he's in the All-Star Game. But every time he does it, he still brings the crowd to its feet. And every time he does it, it brings his team to life.

A typically atypical Coen Carr jam proved the inflection point ...Read more

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Troy Renck: Nuggets' selfess Aaron Gordon navigates adversity with perspective, support of teammates

Sports / Basketball /

DENVER — Aaron Gordon is everything the NBA is not.

He plays hurt. He plays out of position. He plays his role. He does it for his teammates.

But for the last eight months, he has needed them as much as they need him. Gordon’s 33-year-old brother Drew, also a professional basketball player, died in a car accident in May. Aaron has leaned ...Read more

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Heat half empty: Unmet expectations fueling a season of regression

Sports / Basketball /

MIAMI — All the perspective that is needed about where the Heat stand at the All-Star break starts here: The overarching goal going into this season was to be better positioned this season than last season, to avoid a third consecutive trip to the play-in round. Last season, the Heat stood 30-25 at the break; this season the record at the ...Read more

Could a winter storm postpone the NC State-UNC men's basketball game? What we know.

Sports / Basketball /

RALEIGH, N.C. — For the second time this year, the forecast of wintry weather in the Triangle is causing concerns about the playing of an N.C. State-North Carolina men’s basketball game.

The Wolfpack and Tar Heels are scheduled to play Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Smith Center in Chapel Hill. But the forecast calls for snow to begin falling ...Read more

Thokbor Majak: SDSU's 7-footer from South Sudan with a tall perspective on life

Sports / Basketball /

SAN DIEGO — People see Thokbor Majak on campus at San Diego State, see his 7-foot frame carrying a book bag on the way to class, and ask him where he’s from.

He tells them South Sudan.

They ask what it’s like.

“I say, ‘It’s home, it’s good,’” Majak says. “It’s a totally different setting from here, the lifestyle, the ...Read more

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Knicks to face run of championship contenders after NBA All-Star break

Sports / Basketball /

NEW YORK — The Knicks won’t exactly be able to ease back into action after the NBA All-Star break.

Three of the Knicks’ next five games are against the NBA’s elite, including the only two teams in the Eastern Conference with a better record than theirs.

The Knicks (36-18) are set to resume play Thursday with a soft spot on their ...Read more

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Pennsylvania native Lonnie Walker IV agrees to two-year, $3 million deal with Sixers

Sports / Basketball /

PHILADELPHIA — This is sort of a homecoming for Lonnie Walker IV.

The Reading native, who played AAU basketball for Delaware County-based Team Final, has agreed to a two-year, $3 million deal to play for the 76ers. The second year of Walker’s deal has a team option.

The shooting guard will return to the NBA after being bought out of his ...Read more

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Dom Amore: UConn men must 'play angry,' and begin the fight to save season vs. Villanova

Sports / Basketball /

HARTFORD, Conn. — It’s not about chasing history now. The UConn men are in a fight to save their season, their basketball lives in 2025.

They seem to know that, though it will come down to showing it Tuesday night.

“We’ve got to play with desperation,” Liam McNeeley said. “That’s the point we’re at. It’s do or die right now....Read more

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Kobe Bryant greets Laker Luka Doncic in new LA mural based off 2019 meeting at game

Sports / Basketball /

LOS ANGELES — Casual fans might assume Kobe Bryant never crossed paths with Luka Doncic. After all, Bryant retired three years before Doncic debuted at age 19 in 2018.

But when the Dallas Mavericks visited the Lakers on Dec. 29, 2019, early in Doncic's second season, Bryant — wearing a green Philadelphia Eagles beanie and orange jacket — ...Read more

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Mac Engel: What may prevent Texas Tech from having another good coach poached by a 'power' name

Sports / Basketball /

For the second time this century there is a thread between the school in Lubbock, Texas, and the one in Bloomington, Ind.

In 2001, it was Texas Tech that hired former Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight to take over the Red Raiders.

It’s 2025, and it is Indiana that will have an eye on current Texas Tech coach Grant McCasland.

For ...Read more

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John Clay: Solving shorthanded Kentucky basketball's problems is something easier said than done

Sports / Basketball /

AUSTIN, Texas — Reality hit Kentucky basketball on Saturday. You can say being shorthanded doesn’t matter. You say you can overcome it. You can say you have all the pieces you need to succeed. But sooner or later it all gets real. Sooner or later, you pay a price.

Kentucky paid the piper Saturday. For 37 minutes at Moody Coliseum, Mark Pope...Read more

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Painful win: Three takeaways as Duke topples Virginia, but loses key reserve to injury

Sports / Basketball /

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Another superior performance from freshman Cooper Flagg, who got plenty of scoring help from his teammates, led No. 3 Duke to its latest lopsided ACC win on Monday night.

Flagg produced a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds, leading the Blue Devils to an 80-62 win over Virginia at John Paul Jones Arena.

Winner...Read more