Category: College Basketball

With signature performance against Duke, N.C. State’s Aziaha James demands our attention

“Duke and (North) Carolina – them blues, it don’t sit right with me.”

As part of its annual Play4Kay Game – which aims to uplift cancer survivors, celebrate the impact of legendary coach Kay Yow and raise money for research – N.C. State’s women’s basketball players wear special custom uniforms: white jerseys with pink striping and lettering. And where the last names of players are typically situated on the back are instead powerful words like “inspire” and “courage.”

Below the No. 10 on Aziaha James’ fit was the word “fight.” And after trailing by 11 points to rival Duke at halftime, the Wolfpack senior guard did just that.

Now, James didn’t engage in fisticuffs, of course. She battled with her skills on the basketball court, her competitiveness, her swagger, her tenacity, and her penchant for playmaking. She rose above defenders and sank sweet jumpers. She raced to the rim and seemingly invented new mid-air angles as she connected on a flurry of layups. And James grabbed a handful of hard-fought rebounds and engaged with the fans, bringing the sellout crowd at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh to its feet again and again.

When the dust settled, James had a new career-high of 36 points, and the 14th-ranked Wolfpack defeated the No. 10 Blue Devils 89-83 on Monday night.

And in front of a nationally televised audience on ESPN2 in a Big Four rivalry game, James demanded everyone’s attention. She reminded folks that she’s one of the best players in the country and is someone who should be talked about much more often.

“She’s amazing, as you can see,” said James’ N.C. State backcourt mate Zoe Brooks. “She’s scoring the ball in so many ways. You can’t guard her. It’s literally impossible.”

James seemed unstoppable after halftime, where she scored 27 of her points in the final two quarters. She sliced through Duke’s defense like a hot knife against butter to get to the rim with relative ease, while also stepping back to drain a pair of 3-pointers.

In the fourth frame, James scored 15 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the floor. In all, she made 15-of-19 field goals and grabbed six rebounds as she helped N.C. State erase a 13-point deficit to extend its home winning streak to 18 games.

“She makes tough shots,” Duke coach Kara Lawson said of James. “She’s a talented scorer when she gets going. A lot of her stuff comes in transition… A lot of it comes off the attack, and she did a good job one-on-one, breaking down and getting to the lane.”

James was a big part of N.C. State’s recipe for outscoring Duke 36-17 on fast breaks and 58-34 in the paint. Her lightning speed, fearlessness and shot-making earned her All-ACC First Team honors a season ago, and this year has placed her on the Ann Meyers Drysdale USBWA National Player of the Year Watch List, which was released just hours before the Wolfpack’s win over Duke.

The native of Virginia Beach is one of just 15 players in the country this season averaging at least 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while shooting north of 46.5% from the floor. Monday night’s performance marked the first time since last February that she scored 30 points or more. That came amidst a stretch where the Wolfpack won 11 of their final 15 games to advance to the Final Four for just the second time in program history.

N.C. State women’s basketball guard Aziaha James plays against Duke on Feb. 3, 2025, at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh. (Mitchell Northam / For The Win)

James was a crucial component of N.C. State’s surge to Cleveland last season, and coach Wes Moore is expecting her to lead the way as another March Madness approaches.

“Sometimes, you just got to get out of the way and let her go,” Moore said. “This is her time of year. Last year, February and March, she was unbelievable.”

James has a knack for playing well in big games. But what really set her off on Monday wasn’t the fact that the calendar had flipped to February. It was the color of the jersey on the other side of the court.

“It’s a rivalry, you know? Today meant a lot for us. This is Kay Yow’s day. We didn’t want it to go a different way,” James said. “Duke and (North) Carolina – them blues, it don’t sit right with me. I’m bringing out my all every time we play them. That’s just it – we just don’t like blues.”

With the ACC’s new scheduling model – rejiggered this season because of the additions of SMU and Pac-12 refugees Cal and Stanford – N.C. State won’t play Duke or North Carolina twice in the regular season like they have in recent years. So, for James and the Wolfpack, one rival is down and another awaits.

James will get the opportunity to make her mark against the other Tobacco Road team that wears blue, the Tar Heels, on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN. The only thing that’s for sure is that game will be a must-watch, and the play of James is a major reason why.

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Caitlin Clark’s custom Nike jacket for her Iowa jersey retirement had the coolest details

Caitlin Clark wore a sweet custom Nike jacket to her Iowa jersey retirement.

Caitlin Clark’s custom jacket for her Iowa jersey retirement was excellent.

On Sunday, when Caitlin pulled up to Carver-Hawkeye arena for her jersey retirement, she was all smiles and wearing a pretty dope letterman jacket. Nike made a custom creation for the former Iowa legend, which did not disappoint. The interior had a host of fantastic details in gold-colored font.

What were the details? Oh, nothing. It was just a list of her accomplishments as Hawkeye, including NCAA D1 all-time leading scorer, NCAA D1 single-season 3-point record and two-time Naismith College Player of the Year. The jacket also included a nod to the Indiana Fever and a tag saying, “Made exclusively for Caitlin.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFlX1UZyZix/?img_index=1&igsh=NTBpbDRkaW5uYWhw

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John Calipari got loudly booed in his Kentucky return with Arkansas

John Calipari got his boos during his return to Kentucky.

Arkansas men’s basketball coach John Calipari made his anticipated return to Rupp Arena on Saturday night as he faced his old team Kentucky on the road.

As expected, Calipari got very loud boos from Big Blue Nation as he took the court for the evening’s big game. Like, a lot of boos.

To be fair, there was a spattering of applause for Calipari, who is one of the most successful coaches in Wildcats history. It made sense for at least a couple of Kentucky fans to give Coach Cal his immediate due in his return.

However, he was still the enemy on Saturday night, and Kentucky fans gave him a shower of boos that you could hear a mile away.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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Fran Fraschilla’s genuine shock at Kansas blowing a historic lead spoke volumes

Yikes.

No. 11 Kansas men’s basketball seemingly had Baylor on the ropes until it blew the biggest lead in program history (21 points) on Saturday while on the road.

ESPN’s Fran Fraschilla was in genuine shock to see the Jayhawks falter in such a major way after having such a commanding lead, and his reaction probably spoke for many at home watching this bizarre collapse.

“This is unbelievable!” Fraschilla exclaimed on the broadcast to partner Jon Sciambi, as it really was unbelievable to see Kansas falter down the stretch in such epic fashion.

The Jayhawks have such an established history of excellence, but Saturday’s game will most likely be quickly forgotten by Kansas fans for plenty of reasons. It was a rough one.

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Vanderbilt’s Mikayla Blakes had a nonchalant response to scoring a record-breaking 53 points

If you were not familiar with Mikayla Blakes, allow us to introduce you.

If I scored 53 points, you’d never be able to shut me up. For Vanderbilt freshman Mikayla Blakes, that’s just another day at the office.

Yeah, I’m not kidding.

Mikayla averages 22.4 points a game and has created this kind of production on the court over her last four matchups: 23 points and a game-winner against Tennessee, 24 points versus Arkansas, 33 points against Alabama and 53 big ones versus Florida.

EXCUSE ME, MIKAYLA BLAKES. WHAT KIND OF SORCERY IS THIS?!

The 53-point outing is the most impressive. She did it on 67 percent shooting and was 5-of-9 from deep. MY GIRL WAS COOKING. She broke a Vandy record, an SEC freshman scoring record and JuJu Watkins’ NCAA D1 record. WHEW.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFeP0EpRQiG/?img_index=1&igsh=b3Fmc3o0Zm5ndmhp

You would think she’d be screaming from the mountaintops after a performance like that. But, nope, she was totally cool.

“Just come in and take over the game,” Blakes said casually after the matchup. WHAT?

However, I guess I can’t expect too much. That seems pretty on-brand for a top-tier hooper. She just scored 53 points and broke multiple records—no big deal.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFeTBr6xnwY/?igsh=MWpmc3Q4MTA0d24wNQ==

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Kim Mulkey rudely slapped a clipboard out of Seimone Augustus’ hands

Seimone Augustus’ look of utter confusion afterward is all of us.

Kim Mulkey was so incensed after a technical foul that she slapped a clipboard out of the hands of LSU legend and assistant coach Seimone Augustus.

Yes. Kim was so heated about a flopping foul that she slapped the nearest thing (seemingly in frustration?), a clipboard that Seimone was holding.

Look, I get it. Thursday’s LSU-Oklahoma matchup was a wild one. There were two ejections and over 50 fouls, including techs on both head coaches. But this is just bizarre and misplaced rage by Kim.

Let me show you what I mean.

While fussing about the call, she hits the clipboard and keeps yelling at anyone who will listen; Kim leaves poor Seimone bewildered and with open hands, wondering what just happened.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFeSVjiNhG_/?igsh=MW9jdHU5NG85dWpibw%3D%3D

Hopefully, Kim apologized. We all make mistakes. But Seimone and that clipboard did not deserve this.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Micah Shrewsberry revealed angry Notre Dame fan texted him mid-game with a savage message

Texting a coach mid-game takes guts, but it’s also kind of wild.

Notre Dame men’s basketball Micah Shrewsberry really received an angry text from a fan mid-game, and it’s as unhinged as it sounds.

On Tuesday, the Fighting Irish were battling the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets when someone boldly texted Shrewsberry’s phone. What time was it? According to Shrewsberry, it was 10:15 p.m., and the game was still going on. They didn’t say who they were; they just laid into him about his coaching.

“What the [expletive] am I watching?” the fan allegedly said to the Notre Dame coach. “Do you have any plays written up because holy [expletive], your team is unorganized as [expletive]? What are they paying you for?” Whew. Despite the savage message, Shrewsberry seemingly got a kick out of the whole thing, telling the media, “That right there, fellas, is a lesson in humility. As good as you feel, some people think you stink.”

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Should Kentucky fans boo or cheer for John Calipari in his return to Rupp Arena? Why not both!

To boo or not to boo, that is the question.

Kentucky men’s basketball fans have a difficult decision ahead of them on Saturday evening when former coach John Calipari makes his grand return to Rupp Arena with Arkansas.

To boo or not to boo, that is the question.

Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to cheer the Wildcat years of Cal’s outrageous fortune or to take arms against the sea of troubles of his departure and by opposing jeer him. To boo—to root, no more.

Calipari’s anticipated return to Lexington should bring plenty of mixed emotions for Kentucky fans, and the question of whether to ceremoniously boo Calipari or give him his flowers has been making the rounds in Big Blue Nation.

Calipari said he expects to get booed during his first game back as the coach of another team and doesn’t seem too bothered by it.

“You get booed,” Calipari said, via Hogs Plus. “I’ve done this so long… I tell you, I got bazooka holes in my body. So when you shoot arrows, it doesn’t even hit skin. It just goes through one of those bazooka holes.”

New Kentucky coach Mark Pope gave Calipari plenty of love on his radio show but also left the door open for all kinds of Kentucky feelings at Calipari’s return.

“It’s a little bit of a complicated relationship right now because he’s coaching the other team,” Pope said, adding that he knows Rupp Arena will be an emotional place to be on Saturday.

“It’s also a competition, right? So it’s just going to be what it is. But I have a ton of love for Cal, and I’m grateful for what he did here at Kentucky.”

There seems to be a very clear answer to this question. Like that kid in the Ovaltine commercial said, why can’t it be both?

Calipari is probably going to have a moment during the game where attention is brought to him on the jumbotron, and Kentucky fans will give him a standing ovation. That’s just common practice when a former player or coach returns to the arena they once occupied. Calipari will most likely get that.

On the other end, Calipari seems very prepared for the boos that he’ll get when he arrives. And he should be! Booing your old coach is just part of the territory, particularly when you’re such a big personality as Calipari is. He’s going to take those boos in stride; Wildcat fans should go wild with them.

At the end of the day, both Kentucky and Arkansas will want to leave the arena that night with a win. That’s the main concern for both of these programs. Whether or not Calipari gets booed shouldn’t really matter, but … c’mon now, he absolutely should… but he should also get cheers!

Pope is right; it’s just complicated right now. However, Kentucky fans shouldn’t have to necessarily choose what emotion they show. Booing and cheering will rightfully mix in the air at Rupp on Saturday, but getting one over on the old coach on the basketball court should be the main priority.

As long as somebody buys Coach Cal one of those famous ice cream cones for old time’s sake, all will be well.

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Pelicans select Ace Bailey in latest 2025 NBA mock draft from Bleacher Report

Ace Bailey could potentially replace Brandon Ingram.

This was not a good season for the New Orleans Pelicans, but the good news is that it could get better with some luck in the 2025 NBA Draft lottery.

After all of the compounded injuries and disappointing performances on the court, the Pelicans have lost a ton of games this season. As such, however, it may lead to an exciting young player to add their core.

Unlike other teams with poor records, the Pelicans are in a position in which they could potentially contend again soon once healthy. They already have a very solid core that includes several players capable of winning now. Perhaps they can add to that with an early pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Here is more from Jonathan Wasserman about the fit of a star Rutgers freshman (via Bleacher Report):

“Ace Bailey has looked much better lately attacking the rim and using his height and touch to finish around the basket. His float game has been a reliable weapon as well. More driving and less settling for tough jumpers will help eliminate any hesitation from NBA teams over Bailey’s style of play and general outlook.

Mixing up his offense more has led to some outstanding scoring efficiency as of late. It’s difficult to have a cleaner game than 30 points on two missed shots.

Bailey has also been noticeably more disruptive defensively using his length to get deflections and block shots.

Meanwhile, he continues to sell himself as a special shotmaker with four made threes in four of his last seven games.”

Bailey would provide a potential replacement for Brandon Ingram if the forward decides to walk via free agency.

The 6-foot-10 freshman is one of the best midrange shooters we have evaluated as a prospect, even if the game is trending away from long 2-pointers as a valuable shot.

He struggled to provide a positive impact to begin his collegiate career. During his first 10 games in the NCAA, his box plus-minus (0.1) was dangerously low.

Even by his 13th game of the season earlier this month, his BPM (2.1) would still have ranked lower while in college than any other top-5 pick since 2008-09. In fact, among those picked No. 12 or earlier, Bailey would have finished ahead of only Ziaire Williams.

As noted by Wasserman, however, Bailey has picked it up a bit lately and the numbers reflect as much. He has increased his BPM all the way up to 4.9 and that is a far more respectable output. (For comparison, that is the exact same box plus-minus former No. 1 overall pick Anthony Edwards had while at Georgia.)

Here is our latest NBA mock draft at For The Win, where Bailey goes to the Toronto Raptors.

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UCLA remains atop USA TODAY Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll

UCLA is still tops in the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll

Not only have the UCLA Bruins made history by being the longest consecutively-ranked No. 1 school in Big Ten Conference history; coaches around the nation have also taken notice. Once again the Bruins, in their first year in the Big Ten, have taken the top spot in the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll. UCLA grabbed 30 of 31 first place votes, with No. 2 South Carolina earning one vote despite the Gamecocks losing 77-62 when the two schools played in November. 

UCLA began the season ranked sixth in the coaches poll. The Bruins remained in the six-spot until their win over South Carolina, which bumped the Bruins to No. 2 behind UConn. In early December, UCLA took the top spot in the poll and hasn’t relinquished the position over the past nine polls. 

You don’t have to look too far down the poll to find UCLA’s conference opponents, with USC sitting at No. 4 and Ohio State at No. 8. Maryland and Michigan State are the only other two Big Ten schools ranked in the poll. Minnesota, which the Bruins will face this Sunday, fell out of the rankings. 

Before the season began it would have been hard to imagine UCLA’s move to the Big Ten going quite as well as it has through the first 20 games, with the Bruins remaining unbeaten and staying atop almost every ranking. It won’t be easy to stay there, though. After the Bruins’ matchup with Minnesota, they’ll face Ohio State on Wednesday at home for another top-10duel.