Congratulations to Carson Beck and Hanna Cavinder!
A big name in the college football transferred portal made a quick decision as former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck committed to Miami.
Beck, a two-time College Football Playoff national champion at Georgia, originally declared for the 2025 NFL Draft but reportedly entered the transfer portal on Thursday.
Then by Friday afternoon, his commitment to Miami was publicized.
He will replace Cam Ward, a Heisman Trophy Finalist who will turn pro as this season is complete. Ward played one season for Miami after transferring from Washington State and is considered one of the top quarterbacks in this draft class.
Beck is an experienced and accomplished quarterback who can help a program trying to win next season under head coach Mario Cristobal.
She is in the starting lineup alongside her twin sister Haley Cavinder.
Although his girlfriend is currently in her final year of collegiate eligibility, perhaps her endorsement of the campus and athletic department helped to convince Beck to make his decision rather than stay at Georgia or turn pro.
Purdue women’s basketball coach Katie Gearlds effusively praised UCLA superstar Lauren Betts, comparing her to Purdue legend Zach Edey.
After the UCLA Bruins defeated Purdue 83-49 to match the best-ever start to a season in Bruins’ history, Boilermakers head coach Katie Gearlds had kind words for UCLA coach Cori Close and her team. During the postgame press conference, a reporter asked Gearlds about the Bruins’ center, Lauren Betts. The reporter referred to Betts as “one of the best” post players in the country, but Gearlds cut the reporter off. “Not one of,” Gearalds said. “The best post player in the country. Probably National Player of the Year, right? She’s that good.” Gearlds compared Betts to a Purdue great, Zach Edey, who won Naismith Men’s College Player of the Year last season and is now with the Memphis Grizzlies.
“It’s like Zach Edey. You gameplan everything around her and the other kids come in and make shots,” Gearalds said of Betts. “We play a lot of good post players in the Big Ten, but not anyone like that.”
Betts led the Bruins with 17 points and seven rebounds in the win, despite playing just 22 minutes in the blowout win. Betts has also been able to take the brunt of the opponents’ defensive attention and still produce while making things significantly easier for her Bruin teammates.
Gearlds also shared how Close would call and encourage the head coach, who’s in her fourth season as the Boilermakers head coach.
“I talk to Coach Cori all the time. She’s like ‘Kate’,” Gearlds said, while doing an impression of Close. “It took me nine years to get it turned around here. You got to stay with it, you got to trust your process.”
Now Close and UCLA will try to secure the best start in program history on Sunday at home against Northwestern.
Lindsay Gottlieb and the rest of the Trojans are thinking of everyone in LA and personally know people whose lives have been uprooted by the wildfires.
On Wednesday night, USC women’s basketball racked up a huge road victory over No. 8 Maryland. While the Trojans were taking down the Terrapins on the East Coast, however, a tragedy was unfolding back in LA. As the game was being played, wildfires continued to ravage Southern California’s urban areas, destroying numerous homes and businesses.
During her postgame press conference, USC head coach Lindsay Gottlieb made sure to touch on this.
“We’ve been on the road for whatever it is now, five days, and our city is on fire,” Gottlieb said following Wednesday’s game. “It’s been hard to be away and watch those scenes.
“Just wanna send our thoughts and prayers to the first responders, to those impacted—I have friends that have been displaced, I know our players probably do too. That’s more important obviously than what we’re doing.”
USC is currently scheduled to host Penn State at Galen Center Sunday evening. Given that several other major sporting events in Los Angeles have been either postponed or moved, it will be a situation to monitor as the game gets closer.
Not to be dramatic, but how does Aneesah Morrow do it?!
We need to have a conversation about Aneesah Morrow.
Admittedly, we’ve kept tabs on LSU throughout the season. The team is undefeated, and they’ve got plenty of ballers on the squad that bear watching, including Aneesah Morrow. But something about Morrow is different this year. She’s on a blistering double-double streak, and none of it makes sense.
Through 18 games, Morrow has 16 double-doubles— yes, SIXTEEN—the most in Division I women’s basketball. She has TWO 20-point, 20-rebounds this season and is the only player to do so. Her efforts on the court also have her up to 90 career double-doubles, tied for the third-most in DI history. Did I mention she’s only 6-foot-1, leading the country in rebounds? SHE AVERAGES *checks notes* OVER 14 REBOUNDS A GAME. Say what now, Aneesah Morrow?! This is sorcery.
Okay, it’s not sorcery, per se. It’s wizardry. Magic. SOMETHING. It defies logic. And, truthfully, you can’t do this kind of stuff on a court without an unrelenting motor.
Head coach Kim Mulkey tried to warn everyone about Morrow back in November. “She’s constantly working. No one outworks her,” Mulkey said then. “No one outworks her in practice. No one outworks her in a game…Everything she gets, she deserves.”
Kim Mulkey says that Aneesah Morrow “gets everything she deserves.”
Kim Caldwell is offended when people think Tennessee is rebuilding. This is why.
Tennessee isn’t rebuilding, and don’t you dare say they are.
When new head coach Kim Caldwell arrived to coach the Lady Volunteers, she was already an unconventional hire. Despite her years of experience, none was in Division I basketball—a departure from Tennessee’s track record. Then, Caldwell introduced a style of play to her team that was unlike what most teams do, making other teams hate to play Tennessee. But she doesn’t seemingly subscribe to what others do or think, including that her team is rebuilding.
“I get a little bit offended with, “‘You have time to rebuild. You have time to rebuild. These seniors aren’t your players,'” Caldwell recently said. “That offends me. They are my players. They chose to stay, and I chose to coach them. And so, I don’t want to wait. I don’t want people to say, ‘When you get your players in here.’ These are my players. I want to win for them. I want to win right now.” (See the clip below and 9:47 mark of the YouTube video.)
"I get a little bit offended with 'you have time to rebuild, these seniors aren't your players'…They are my players."
Kim Caldwell says the #LadyVols two losses are especially frustrating for her seniors in their final season.
This week, Mulkey’s undefeated squad faced the Tennesee Lady Volunteers in a top-25 showdown. There’s been a lot of chatter about the matchup, including Mulkey telling reporters earlier in the week that if pregnant Tennessee coach Kim Caldwell had her baby during the game, she would help deliver it. When the two coaches met ahead of Thursday night’s game, Mulkey gave Caldwell a gift for her soon-to-be-born baby.
“Pat Summit was gracious to me when I was an assistant at Lousiana Tech,” Mulkey explained. “And basically mentored me and said, ‘You can do this. Don’t you get out of the business. You can have a baby, and you can raise a child. And you can be a great coach….I just gave her a gift.” Wow. That’s super kind. Mulkey even made a clever joke about the gift. “It was an LSU onesie. No, I’m just teasing. That’s a joke.”
NEW YORK — Sitting in a suite at the world’s most famous arena is a women’s basketball star of equal acclaim: Paige Bueckers.
In what somehow feels like just yesterday and also a lifetime ago, the UConn women’s basketball point guard had one of the most sensational freshman campaigns we have ever seen from an NCAA basketball player.
After later missing significant time due to a very rare knee injury, she continued playing some of her best basketball yet again once healthy.
Now in what is very likely her final year of college, she is focused on pursuing her first collegiate national championship before she eventually turns pro.
But on Monday night, Bueckers found some time on a well-earned off-day to relax. She wore a grey Eric Emanuel sweatsuit with Swarovski crystals and in New York City, she decided to watch some NBA basketball with all of her teammates.
Despite suffering a minor injury the previous night on Sunday against Villanova, the UConn star caught up with For The Win in the Verizon Club at Madison Square Garden while the Knicks played the Magic on Monday.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
How has Minnesota produced so many great basketball players recently like you, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Suggs?
Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Bueckers: The fact that it is so cold there, people who play basketball are inside the gym all of the time working on their craft and getting better. I think it’s an escape from the cold just to be able to play. I think the “Minnesota Nice” phrase comes to mind. People from Minnesota have a chip on their shoulder just because they’re not expected to be good basketball players. We all have this toughness about us.
It means everything to be able to represent Minnesota. It is known as a hockey state but the basketball production is great as well. I’m close with Jalen and Chet and so many other basketball players who have done so well these past few years. It’s really cool to see the growth and the exposure and Minnesota getting a little bit of credit for basketball.
What are the top storylines everyone should know in women’s basketball right now?
Bueckers: The growth. The amount of talent throughout college, the WNBA, and even high school. The more exposure we get, you see the views going up and the attention going up and the accessibility to watch going up. You see positive results every single time. I think we need to acknowledge that women’s basketball is great to watch. Whenever we get the platform, we perform. There are big names, but when you tune in to watch the big names, you leave as fans of so many others because it is such a beautiful sport we play and it is a team effort.
Bueckers: USC’s JuJu Watkins was a great matchup with me. She gets the attention she deserves. Olivia Miles is another player, and she plays with another great player in Hannah Hidalgo. Those two together are tough. My teammate Sarah Strong is extremely good. She is just a freshman but she has shown everybody how great she is already. We play Tennessee and South Carolina on the road in February and those are going to be great games. Those are great teams. Tennessee and UConn always have a rivalry.
What is something you have picked up from Geno Auriemma if you were to ever coach?
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Bueckers: I would take his ability to challenge his players. I feel like he has a good spot on his players and how to challenge them and how to support them and when to use which. But that comes with connecting with his players, building relationships with his players, and that is the most important part of what makes him a great coach.
But he is our toughest opponent every single day at practice so we are prepared for the biggest games. When the opponent is shooting 100 percent on 3-pointers or when the crowd is crazy, he is the toughest opponent and he prepares us that way every single day.
Do you feel you have been more aggressive after returning to UConn for one more season?
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Bueckers: It is going well. It is all a toss up because you don’t want to get outside of yourself and outside of the team and start shot-hunting. But I’m looking to be aggressive first and look for my shot and that leads to distribution to others and getting my teammates open. I think I’ve done a pretty good job. I’m growing every single day.
I can only get better from here as well. It is all part of the new challenges that this year has presented. We are very young and we don’t have a ton of experience. So being a leader and having to use my voice and find that new challenge every single day, I’ve enjoyed growing and learning and embracing the ups and downs of it.
You have the first player edition shoe for an NCAA player. Do you think we will ever see a collegiate signature shoe and what would yours look like?
(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
Bueckers: It is very cool to have a player edition shoe. I’m very blessed and grateful. It is an amazing opportunity. I’m extremely grateful to Nike that they saw that in me.
That’s a good question about the signature shoe, though. I think it might be coming down the line. Obviously, with players starting to sign in high school now, it can be in the works sooner. I like low-top shoes. I love Kobe’s. I like Sabrina’s now. I would want it to look different, though. There are so many shoes that are starting to look similar. So I’d have to make mine pretty different, I think.
How big of a role did NIL opportunities play in your decision to return to college?
Bueckers: I don’t think NIL necessarily played a big role in me coming back. But it has done tremendous things for me and players around the country so we can build our brand and our platform and these relationships with different brands and people. You can continue to help grow who you are and grow who your teammates are with this platform. NIL has seen more college players in the media and commercials, so it is great for the growth of the game as well. A lot of these players deserve what they are getting and they work hard for it, so it is such a beautiful thing to see.
How do you choose your NIL deals and what are some things you look for?
Bueckers: I think giving back is huge. I like to have opportunities to give back to my hometown and where I am playing now and where I want to play in the future. I want to give opportunities to people who are less fortunate. I definitely want to run camps in the future. When I leave college, I’ll have more time in the offseason where I invite kids and give back to communities who need it and deserve it. I’ve been very blessed growing up so I just want to give the platform that I have.
So for example, I’m at the Knicks game tonight with Verizon. They have a lot of the same values that I do. We’re working together for the future with that, which is really exciting. They’ve done a tremendous job with me here tonight inviting us to the lounge and suite and they gave me the opportunity to give gifts to my teammates. I think that is huge. I’m not getting these deals by myself. My opportunities play a huge part in that. No success in basketball is an individual thing. It is a team thing. So being able to share that with my teammates is amazing.
Here’s what we know about Kiyomi McMiller’s return to basketball.
This story has been updated to reflect a change in reporting.
In recent days, Rutgers freshman Kiyomi McMiller was strangely benched without much explanation. If you’re here, you’re probably wondering: when will she return to the court?
Here’s the answer. McMiller’s playing status is currently unclear. This is what we know.
Per Joey Chandler of NJ Advance Media, Rutgers associate director of communications Erin Nerithe confirmed that the young hooper practiced this week and traveled with the team for its Wednesday game against Minnesota.
However, whether McMiller will play remains unknown. The team and the university have not revealed any information about her status. The Scarlet Knights declined to comment, instead deferring to an availability report expected to be released Wednesday evening.
UPDATE: Despite being available to play per a Big Ten report, McMiller did not suit up for Wednesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Gophers.
UCLA took a 10-0 lead in the first 100 seconds of its game against Purdue. The Bruins cruised and gave a lot of players a chance to play.
The wins continue to come for the No. 1 UCLA Bruins, who improved to 16-0 with an 83-49 win over Purdue Tuesday night. UCLA women’s basketball will now head back home from Indiana, leaving the state with a pair of victories. UCLA defeated the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday.
The Bruins didn’t have to sweat it out on Tuesday. UCLA took a 29-13 lead through the first quarter and then a 44-19 advantage at the half. UCLA notably got the comfortable lead without any individual player having to put on her Superwoman cape. Junior forward Janiah Barker led the team with 10 field goal attempts off the bench.
Lauren Betts had a solid but not out-of-the-ordinary night, with 17 points to pace the Bruins in just 22 minutes, her second-lowest total of the season. Junior forward Timea Gardiner hit four threes off the bench, scoring 16 points in 15 minutes.
The one-sided score made it easy for UCLA head coach Cori Close to give her players lighter minutes to wrap up the road trip. UCLA’s offense as a whole was very efficient on Tuesday, shooting 53% from the field and 45% from three.
It wasn’t just their shooting which stood out; the Bruins handled Purdue in every facet, having a 17-0 advantage in second chance points, holding a 40-12 lead in points in the paint and finishing with eight more fast break points. It did not take long for UCLA to establish a lead, taking a 13-0 lead in less than three minutes.
The Bruins are now 5-0 in Big Ten play, one of four schools without a conference loss. Next UCLA will host Northwestern on Sunday, with Northwestern being one of the four winless schools in the Big Ten so far this season.
UConn star Paige Buckers was injured during a January 5 matchup against Villanova. If you’re here, you might wonder: When will she return to the court?
Here’s the answer. It’s uncertain when she will be back.
On Tuesday, Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma explained that she has a knee sprain. Thankfully, there is no tear and her ankle, which was also thought to be injured, is fine. Bueckers “could return within a week,” but her timeline for return is unclear. If she misses the next several days or so of action, that would likely be matchups against Xavier, Georgetown and St. John’s.
.@UConnWBB coach Geno Auriemma said Paige Bueckers has injury similar to Azzi Fudd’s recent injury. She won’t play tomorrow but it is not a season-ending injury pic.twitter.com/jNeZKmJYod
