With the officiating. With his team's performance. With South Carolina coach Dawn Staley.

The Huskies coach ripped into the officiating crew during a live TV interview and then got into a heated argument with Staley in the final seconds of their 62-48 loss to the Gamecocks in the national semifinals of the women's Final Four on Friday night.

“There were six fouls called that quarter — all of them against us," Auriemma said on the broadcast. "And they’ve been beating the (expletive) out of our guys down there the entire game. I’m not making excuses, ’cause we haven’t been able to make a shot. But this is ridiculous.

“Their coach rants and raves on the sideline and calls the referee some names you don’t want to hear. And now we get 6 to 0, and I got a kid with a ripped jersey, and they go, ‘I didn’t see it.’ Come on, man. It’s for a national championship.”

Auriemma wasn't finished showing his displeasure. The 72-year-old coach walked toward Staley in the final seconds of the game before the two had an angry exchange, with assistants having to get in between them.

Once the game finally ended, Auriemma slowly walked off the court and down the tunnel without shaking hands with the Gamecocks.

UConn's frustration boiled over after a brutal offensive night for the team's All-America combo of Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd. Strong finished with just 12 points on 4-of-16 shooting. Fudd scored eight on 3-of-15 shooting, including 2 of 9 from long range.

It's true that it was a physical game. Bodies were flying under the basket for the majority of the night for both teams. UConn was whistled for 17 fouls, while South Carolina was called for eight.

The problem for Strong and Fudd was they couldn't hit shots even when they had a little space to operate. And their teammates couldn't pick up the slack. UConn’s Kayleigh Heckel missed a layup late in the game and the broadcast showed her starting to cry walking back down court.

Teammates encouraged her and one even lifted her chin, but the damage was done.

UConn's 54-game winning streak is over.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

The Gamecocks will face the winner of Texas and UCLA semifinal on Sunday for the title, capping off another March Madness. South Carolina (36-3) will be looking to win its fourth national championship. Their other three have come in the last decade.

UConn (38-1) entered the Final Four undefeated for the ninth time in school history and for the third straight time left without a title. The Huskies also lost in the 2017 and 2018 national semifinals. This was the fewest points UConn had scored since putting up 49 points in a national championship game loss to the Gamecocks in 2022.

The Huskies and Gamecocks played last season for the title and UConn came away with an 82-59 rout for the school’s 12th national championship. UConn also beat South Carolina handily during the 2024-25 regular season.

With less than a second remaining in the game, UConn coach Geno Auriemma walked across the court to shake hands with Dawn Staley and had an animated conversation with the South Carolina coach while pointing to the floor. Staley yelled back at him as assistants from both teams separated the two.

When the clock ran out finally, Auriemma walked straight to the tunnel and didn’t shake hands. The two teams did shake hands.

“I have no idea,” Staley said when asked what happened between the coaches. "But I’m gonna let you know this, I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did something wrong, to Geno, I had no idea what I did.

"I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know. I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand.

“I don’t know what he came with after the game, but, hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.”

The teams came into the game as the second- and third-leading scoring teams in the nation, both averaging over 87 points per game. This was a defensive battle.

Leading 46-44 a few minutes into the third quarter, South Carolina scored five straight points, capped by Agot Makeer’s 3-pointer to extend the advantage to seven.

Sarah Strong hit a 3-pointer to get the Huskies back within 51-47 with 4:39 left. The Huskies didn't score again until Strong hit a free throw with 30.8 seconds left, after South Carolina had scored 11 straight points.

South Carolina clamped down on UConn’s two stars. Strong, who was honored as the AP Player of the Year on Thursday, had 12 points and 12 rebounds, but went 4 for 16 from the field. Azzi Fudd had just eight points for the Huskies, making only 3 of 15 shots.

UConn had its worst shooting night of the season finishing 19 for 61 (31.1%) from the field.

Trailing 26-24 at the half, South Carolina opened the third quarter with a 12-2 run to take the lead. The Gamecocks extended the advantage to 40-30 — the biggest deficit the Huskies’ had faced this season.

UConn, which missed 10 of its first 11 3-point attempts, then started to get hot from the field, hitting three consecutive 3-pointers, the last by Fudd to get within 40-39. The All-America guard had missed seven of her first eight shots as she was blanketed by South Carolina’s defense.

South Carolina’s Tessa Johnson scored the final four points of the quarter to make it 44-39.

Both teams had cruised to the Final Four, each winning in the first four rounds of the tournament easily. The Huskies had been rarely challenged all season long, routing their Big East opponents by record margins.

Facing their first real test in a long time, they had no answer.

The opening 20 minutes was full of missed shots and turnovers. The two teams combined to shoot 22 for 62 from the field (35.4%) and had 14 turnovers. UConn led 26-24 at the half.

There were dozens of former Huskies and Gamecocks players in the crowd including Diana Taurasi, Paige Bueckers and Aliyah Boston. Boston was sitting next to Flavor Flav, who is a huge supporter of women’s sports.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Well, almost everything.

The one thing Konnor Griffin didn't feel when the Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop — all 19 years and 344 days of him — ahead of his big league debut Friday against the Baltimore Orioles was shock.

“I'm ready for this,” Griffin said a few hours before stepping onto the field at PNC Park as a professional for the first time.

Certainly looks that way.

All of Griffin's considerable physical gifts were on display over 2 hours and 44 electric minutes in a 5-4 victory over the Orioles.

There was the tidy double play, Pittsburgh’s first of the season, he turned in the second inning. There was the rope he hit to the wall in center field in his first at-bat in a few minutes later, a 105 mph laser off the bat against Baltimore's Kyle Bradish that scored Ryan O'Hearn and sent a jolt through a sellout crowd.

There was blistering dash from second to home on a ensuing groundball to right field by teammate Jared Triolo. There was the confidence to successfully challenge a strike call in his third at-bat. Oh, and the composure to gather a chopper he briefly bobbled before firing to first for an out to end the eighth, too.

All part of what Griffin called “hands down one of the best days of my life,” and what everyone involved with the organization hopes is the start of a long successful run for a franchise that hasn't reached the postseason in over a decade.

“He’s a difference maker, it was very apparent today,” said Pirates ace and reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes, who knows a thing or two about entering the majors with outsized expectations.

Just 628 days after Pittsburgh selected him with the ninth pick in the 2024 amateur draft, the athletic and mustachioed 6-foot-3 Griffin found a No. 6 jersey hanging in his locker at PNC Park and his name penciled in the seventh spot in the lineup against the Orioles, making him the first teenage position player to reach the majors since Juan Soto did it with the Washington Nationals in 2018.

On the surface, it seems fast. Not for Griffin, who checked every box — and quickly — while sprinting through the Pirates' system. The final steps came over the last week when he hit .438 in a handful of games for Triple-A Indianapolis.

All of which made for a full-circle moment when Griffin became the youngest Pirate to get a hit in his first game since Hall of Fame second baseman Bill Mazeroski did it on July 7, 1956. The club honored Mazeroski, who died in February at 1989, by having “Maz” painted into the outfield grass behind second, not far from where Griffin — who was scouted and signed by Mazeroski's son Darren — went to work on a warm spring afternoon that had a decidedly early fall playoff-like vibe.

“Darren is the reason I’m here,” Griffin said. "He believed in me and took a chance on me. That’s pretty special right there and I’m going to cherish that a long time.”

Griffin's call-up came less than two weeks after he was one of the last cuts during spring training, where he mashed three homers but also hit just .171. Rather than sulk, he headed to Triple-A and made the adjustments necessary — trying to get back to treating his job like a game of Wiffle ball back home in Mississippi — to get a call that has long felt inevitable.

“He just went right down and hit his stride and was able to reset in a couple of days,” Kelly said. “Which again, for anybody, is really impressive, especially for a 19-year-old kid whose hopes and dreams were to make the big leagues.”

Those dreams became reality when Indianapolis manager Eric Patterson called Griffin to his hotel room early Thursday and told him he was heading to The Show.

The next 24 hours were a blur.

From the short drive from Columbus to Pittsburgh to the scramble for at least 40 friends and family members to make it to the ballpark that's tucked hard against the Allegheny River in time for Friday's first pitch.

Griffin is the latest in a string of high-profile arrivals in Pittsburgh, from Skenes to rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler to catcher Henry Davis.

The future that has been talked about since general manager Ben Cherington was hired in late 2019 is finally arriving. And perhaps it's telling of how far the club has come that Griffin is joining a roster that has undergone a significant upgrade in recent months with the additions of All-Star second baseman Brandon Lowe, All-Star first baseman/outfielder Ryan O'Hearn and veteran designated hitter Marcell Ozuna.

A year ago, fans chanted for owner Bob Nutting to sell the club during the home opener. Those calls have faded, replaced by something seemingly just as rare: optimism for a team that hasn't won a playoff series since the 1979 World Series.

“This team is loaded,” Griffin said. “I get to come in here and just be a piece of this puzzle.”

Perhaps a very big piece. For a very long time. The Pirates and Griffin have engaged in talks about a contract extension that would lock him up for most of the next decade.

Griffin demurred when asked about it Friday, though he made his intentions very clear.

“All I’m going to say is, I want to be a Pirate for a long time,” he said. "This is a special place and I’m thankful to be here.”

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Parker, Holdsclaw and members of the 1996 Olympic team were all in attendance as well as Amar’e Stoudemire and Mike D’Antoni.

They will be joined by longtime NBA official Joey Crawford, NBA coach Doc Rivers and Gonzaga coach Mark Few.

The group was announced at halftime of the women's Final Four with many members in attendance.

Parker won three titles in the WNBA with three teams: Los Angeles, Chicago and Las Vegas. She's the only player in league history to win both the MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same season.

She also won two titles while playing in college for Tennessee under Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt, two Olympic gold medals and two WNBA MVP awards.

Delle Donne won two league MVP awards in 2015 and 2019, the second of which came when she led the Washington Mystics to their lone WNBA championship. Delle Donne became the first player in league history to shoot over 50% from the field, 40% from behind the 3-point line and 90% from the free throw line.

Holdsclaw won three straight titles at Tennessee from 1996-98, the first team to accomplish that. The 1998 championship was Tennessee’s first undefeated season at 39–0 and the Vols also set an NCAA record for the most wins in a season. Holdsclaw went on to an 11-year WNBA career.

Stoudemire, who was the only NBA player in this year's class, was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2003 and six-time All-Star. He spent the first eight years of his career with the Phoenix Suns, where he teamed with D'Antoni.

Rivers got nearly 1,200 victories on his resume which puts him eighth on the all-time wins list. He led the Boston Celtics to the NBA championship in 2008 and was also in charge of the Los Angeles Clippers during their Lob City era.

Few has won over 770 games at Gonzaga in his career at the school. He set the NCAA Division I men's coaching record by winning 81 games in his first three years at the school.

Crawford officiated 2,561 regular-season NBA games and 50 Finals games over his 39-year career. He retired in 2016.

The enshrinement ceremony will take place in August at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Geno Auriemma was only in his eighth season coaching the Huskies. UConn hadn't yet hoisted a national championship trophy. There wasn't nearly the same pressure to win that the Huskies face now. And women's basketball as a whole hadn't seen the unprecedented growth in sponsorships and popularity it is experiencing now.

By the 1994-95 season, Rizzotti and fellow UConn standout Rebecca Lobo helped the Huskies go undefeated en route to their first national title. Everything about the program changed, and even as women's basketball has evolved and skyrocketed in exposure, the Huskies have remained the gold standard.

“There was no thought that we were going to be undefeated,” Rizzotti said. “We didn't have that internal pressure. We didn't have external pressure. That's the last time a UConn team could play that way. Think about that: 1995 is the last time a UConn team could play without that kind of pressure.”

The Huskies have since won 12 national titles, reached the Final Four 25 times and won 30 conference titles. They've been ranked 653 weeks in The Associated Press women's basketball poll, and Auriemma is the winningest coach in women's college basketball history.

As conversations around the Final Four in Phoenix center around how the women's game has grown, the Huskies, who are competing for the second straight national title, have been at the forefront.

“You could tell that everything was aligned for this program to reach that pinnacle," said Rizzotti, who is currently the president of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun. “I don't think anything of us would have predicted that it would have gone on as it had.”

Rizzotti joined former UConn players Stefanie Dolson, currently with the WNBA's Washington Mystics, and Shea Ralph, now Vanderbilt's coach, on a panel Friday at “The AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience,” which is being held at Arizona State’s First Amendment Forum in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Earlier Friday, Big East commissioner Val Ackerman, former Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) commissioner Rich Ensor and AP women’s poll founder Mel Greenberg spoke on a panel moderated by college basketball analyst Debbie Antonelli on the growth of women's basketball at the college and pro levels.

“I think women's basketball has never been more popular,” said Ackerman, who was the first president of the WNBA from 1996-2005. “I think schools that are succeeding are really seeing, feeling and believing in the (return on investment). And UConn's a case in point.”

Ackerman sees the investment that the schools in this year's Final Four — UConn, Texas, South Carolina, and UCLA — have made in their programs to reach back-to-back national semifinals as a reflection of the growing importance of pouring resources into women's hoops.

“And that's done a world of good,” she added. “Programs like South Carolina, UCLA, you see what they're doing for their campuses. The investment is paying off in terms of the brand and engagement with the community and school reputation.”

Even as women's sports are drawing record crowds and WNBA players are set to make more money than ever, Ensor sees much more room to capitalize on this current growth.

“It has been about breaking down barriers, and they still exist,” Ensor said. “We marvel at what's happened, but we still recognize there's a lot more that's to come.”

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Current Grizzlies coach Tuomas Iisalo and Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic, an assistant in Memphis before taking over as head coach of Toronto, said their experiences did not match the comments by James in a "Bob Does Sports” YouTube video earlier this week.

James criticized Memphis and indicated the NBA would be better off if the Grizzlies moved 200 miles east to Nashville where Tennessee's capital city has Vanderbilt University, NASCAR and even the NHL's Predators. He even said he might have opted to say he wouldn't play in Memphis if the Grizzlies had the first pick in the 2003 draft.

“I can say from my own perspective that I have the complete opposite — 180-degree perspective on that,” Iisalo said. “The Memphis where we have arrived less than two years ago has been very warm. Very welcoming.”

Rajakovic added: “I don't care what the rest of the world thinks. I love the people of Memphis. I love the food. I love every single time I come over here.”

James' criticism included NBA players having nothing to do when teams arrive in Memphis for games.

“In Memphis on a (expletive) random (expletive) Thursday," James said. "I’m not even the first guy to talk about it in the NBA, like, ‘You guys have to move. Go over to Nashville.’”

The Raptors arrived in Memphis a day before Friday night's game and visited St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which treats childhood cancer patients at no charge to families. Rajakovic called the visit inspiring with his players thanking him for taking them to the hospital to meet patients.

The coaches of the Grizzlies and Raptors have short ties to Memphis with Iisalo in just his second season and first as head coach. Iisalo said Memphis features one of the NBA's most passionate fan bases with the city rallying behind its team.

"All I can say is Memphis is the right place for the Grizzlies,” Iisalo said.

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The threat of cutting funding to cash-starved schools that don’t comply is real, even if the stricter rules that come out of the executive order he signed Friday could take a while to figure out.

In the order signed hours before the women’s Final Four tipped off one of the biggest weekends in college sports, Trump went after eligibility rules, transfers and the spiraling costs associated with an industry that now pays its players millions of dollars per year.

He called on federal agencies to ensure schools are following the rules and threatened to choke off federal grants and funding — a similar approach his administration has taken to force universities around the country to alter policies involving diversity, equity and inclusion, transgender rights and even the kinds of classes they offer.

In some ways, forcing those changes might seem like child’s play once college sports figures this out. The NCAA, the newly created College Sports Commission, the four power conferences, dozens more smaller ones and hundreds of educational institutions all have a say here: It’s a big reason Congress, which Trump instructed to act quickly, has been stuck for more than a year on this.

“I'm glad to know the President wants Congress to pass something,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., a key member of the Senate committee looking into changes, who mentioned ongoing bipartisan negotiations.

Trump’s order was his second since last July and it included a laundry list of proposed fixes, many of which lawmakers and college leaders have been pushing for since the approval of a $2.8 billion settlement changed the face of games that were once played by pure amateurs.

He called for “clear, consistent and fair eligibility limits, including a five-year participation window," and wants to limit athletes to one transfer with one more available once they get a four-year degree.

“I'm extremely supportive of the President's order,” said Cody Campbell, the Texas Tech regent and billionaire who is helping shape policy. “I'm very excited that we're making progress and look forward to continued work in the (Congress) to permanently preserve a system that's done so much for America.”

At a college sports roundtable he hosted last month, Trump said he anticipated any order he signed would trigger litigation. Athletes have largely won the freedom to transfer almost at will via the portal along with the ability to be paid by schools that are now doling out more than $20 million a year to their athletes.

Some have also been suing the NCAA about eligibility limits, and their right to do that has been a major sticking point in the Congressional deliberations.

As much as the changes he directs, Trump’s call for the Education Department, the Federal Trade Commission and the attorney general’s office to evaluate “whether violations of such rules render a university unfit for Federal grants and contracts” stands out as a way to force change.

Several universities across the country have made policy changes to comply with federal orders and avoid funding-related showdowns with the government. Yet big-named schools like Penn State and Florida State are facing huge debts.

“I haven’t read it, obviously, but I certainly appreciate his interest in the issue," NCAA President Charlie Baker said at the women's Final Four in Phoenix. "And from what I saw, some of the social media traffic, it’s pretty clear that he made clear that we need Congressional action to sort of seal the deal on a number of these things, which is good, because we do.”

Commissioners at the Atlantic Coast and Southeastern Conference released statements thanking Trump for weighing in, with the ACC's Jim Phillips saying “there continues to be significant momentum to preserve the athletic and academic opportunities for the next generation of student-athletes and we appreciate the ongoing efforts.”

Attorney Mit Winter, who follows college sports law, said the order is likely to set up a situation where the NCAA and schools have to decide whether to follow a federal court order or an executive order.

“Either way, we’re likely going to see litigation challenging the EO by athletes and third parties,” Winter said.

University of Nebraska president Jeffrey Gold said he didn't want to try to predict what the courts would do.

“But it is critical to what we must do to keep college athletics in line with what we do," Gold said. “The roundtable a few weeks ago showed there is a profound sense of urgency around this.”

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AP Sports Writers Maura Carey, David Brandt and Eric Olson contributed to this report.

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Doncic is the NBA's top scorer and the driving force behind the Lakers' surge into the third spot in the Western Conference standings, but he injured his leg during Los Angeles' blowout loss in Oklahoma City on Thursday. An MRI exam revealed the severity of the strain.

The Pacific Division champion Lakers (50-27) have just five games left before the postseason, starting Sunday at Dallas.

Grade 2 hamstring strains sometimes require several weeks of recovery, but Doncic also has prior experience with hamstring issues. He missed four games right before the All-Star break with another left hamstring strain, but returned to the lineup after the break.

Doncic is putting up spectacular numbers in his first full season with the Lakers, who acquired the Slovenian superstar from the Mavericks last season. He is averaging 33.5 points, 8.3 assists and 7.7 rebounds per game for Los Angeles, and he was named the NBA's Western Conference player of the month for March after racking up 13 consecutive 30-point performances, including seven 40-point games, a 51-point barrage against Chicago and a 60-point masterclass in Miami.

Doncic scored a whopping 600 points in March, becoming only the 10th player in NBA history to hit that mark in one month. While LeBron James and Austin Reaves have also played well down the stretch, the Lakers thoroughly depend on Doncic, who either scored or assisted on 58% of the their total points in March.

Doncic is all but certain to win his second NBA scoring title — but he has played in only 64 games this season, which means he will finish one game shy of the 65-game threshold to be eligible for the NBA's biggest postseason awards.

He was a lock to be an All-NBA selection, and he had even been making a late run at consideration for the MVP award with his outstanding play down the stretch.

Along with his two absences caused by hamstring injuries and a handful of additional absences for minor medical maintenance early in the season, Doncic missed two games last December while flying to Slovenia for the birth of his second child. He also missed one game last week under suspension for accumulating 16 technical fouls.

Since he sits just shy of the 65-game threshold, Doncic theoretically could challenge the rule by citing the extraordinary circumstances of his daughter's birth in Europe through the grievance process created for these collectively bargained rules. It's wholly unclear whether that appeal would have any chance of success.

If Doncic wins the scoring title but doesn't make the All-NBA teams, he would be only the third scoring champ in league history to fail to do so. Elvin Hayes wasn't selected when he won the crown as a rookie in 1969, and Bob McAdoo wasn't chosen for the teams in 1976.

Lakers coach JJ Redick said Doncic was injured in the first half against the Thunder, but was cleared to return to the game while his team was getting plastered by the defending NBA champion Thunder. Doncic lasted only about four minutes before he spun, stopped and went down on the court in pain, leading to his departure.

The loss was only the Lakers' third in 19 games since Feb. 26, but Doncic's absence casts a cloud of uncertainty over the rest of their year. Los Angeles only leads fourth-place Denver (49-28) by one game, while sixth-place Minnesota (46-30) is 3 1/2 games back with a game in hand.

The Lakers’ regular-season finale is next Sunday, April 12, at home against Utah. Their first-round playoff series is expected to start the following weekend.

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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed to this report.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

The league said in a statement that Rice “has not engaged in conduct that violates the personal conduct policy.”

The Chiefs did not have an immediate comment on the decision, but Rice's attorney, Sean Lindsey, said in a statement that "Mr. Rice wants to thank the NFL for their thorough investigation, and looks forward to the start of the 2026-27 NFL season.”

The 25-year-old Rice missed the first six games of last season after the NFL found that he had violated its personal conduct policy when he caused a multi-car crash on a Dallas highway while driving erratically in speeds nearing 120 mph. Rice left the scene of the accident before police arrived, then took responsibility for the wreck in a statement a couple of weeks later.

Rice turned himself in when an arrest warrant was issued and he subsequently pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony charges last July — collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury — and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years’ probation. He also was required to pay victims’ medical expenses.

The latest off-the-field issue involving Rice came after former girlfriend Dakoda Jones alleged in a lawsuit filed in February in Dallas County, Texas, that he had physically assaulted her multiple times, causing injuries that included bleeding and bruising.

The lawsuit said Rice “grabbed, choked, strangled, pushed, thrown, scratched, hit, and headbutted” Jones, in addition to hitting her with objects. The lawsuit also said Rice had thrown objects, punched walls and broken furniture, and many of these incidents occurred when Jones, who has two children with Rice, was pregnant.

Rice had 53 catches for 571 yards and five touchdowns last season as Kansas City went 6-11 and missed the playoffs.

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Guard Julie Allemand, who played last season for the Los Angeles Sparks, was selected by the Toronto Tempo with its first pick.

The Tempo won a coin flip and opted to take the sixth pick in the college draft on April 13 over the top pick in the expansion draft. So Portland went first on Friday and will have the seventh pick in the college draft.

Carleton, who played last season for the Minnesota Lynx and averaged 6.5 points a game, was an unrestricted free agent.

“Once we finalized our process, and zoomed in on Bridget, and knew we had our first expansion pick, it was obvious we did not want to have Toronto hold our destiny in their hands," Portland general manger Vanja Cernivec said.

Allemand averaged 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5 assists in 34 games last season.

The league's teams protected five players apiece ahead of the expansion draft but those lists were not made public, leading to speculation about which players were available.

On Wednesday, the Chicago Sky announced trades with the Tempo and the Fire, which prevented the expansion teams from selecting Sky players. In exchange, the Fire got the No. 17 pick in the college draft and the No. 26 pick went to the Tempo.

The expansion draft had two rounds, with up to six picks for each team in each round. The teams alternated picks, with the Tempo picking first in the second round after the Fire got the first overall selection.

Teams could only lose two players to the expansion draft. If a player was taken in the first round, a second player from that same franchise couldn't be taken until the second round.

Following Allemand, the Tempo selected center Nyara Sabally from the Liberty, guard Marina Mabrey from the Sun, forward Aaliya Nye from the Aces, guard Lexi Held from the Mercury, and forward Maria Conde from the Valkyries.

In the second round the Tempo selected forward Maria Kliundikova from the Lynx, center Adja Kane from the Liberty, center Nikolina Milic from the Sun, guard Kitija Laksa from the Mercury, and guard Kristy Wallace from the Fever.

After Carleton, the Portland Fire selected guard Carla Leite from the Valkyries, center Luisa Geiselsoder from the Stars, forward Emily Engstler from the Mystics, guard Maya Caldwell from the Dream and forward Chloe Bibby from the Fever.

In the second round Portland took guard Haley Jones from the Wings, forward Nyadiew Puoch from the Dream, guard Sara Ashlee Barker from the Sparks, guard Sug Sutton from the Mystics and guard Nika Muhl from the Storm.

Mabry was also an unrestricted free agent. Each team was allowed to pick only one unrestricted free agent.

Portland previously had a WNBA team, also called the Fire, that played from 2000 to 2002.

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That's rare, but it might be this season's reality.

The roster of award-caliber players who won't be winning awards this season continues to grow, with Doncic — the Los Angeles Lakers standout guard and MVP candidate — now out with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain that will force him to miss the rest of the regular season. Minnesota guard Anthony Edwards is certain to miss the league's 65-game award eligibility threshold as well after he was held out Thursday because of illness.

Doncic has played 64 games, one shy of the threshold. It's worth noting that BetMGM Sportsbook, among others, took Doncic off the list of MVP betting options following his injury Thursday.

“At this juncture of the season, it’s the last thing you want to see,” Lakers star LeBron James told reporters in Oklahoma City after Thursday's game, long before an MRI was performed Friday to determine the extent of Doncic's injury. “Especially anybody on our team, but when you have an MVP candidate on your team, the last thing you want to see is somebody go down with a hamstring injury."

Edwards can now only reach a maximum of 64 games as well, so he won’t be on the ballot for most major NBA awards either.

What is the 65-game rule?

It was collectively bargained — meaning the league and the players association agreed on the terms — and this is the third season of it being part of the NBA rules.

It applies to player eligibility for five awards — MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, the All-NBA Team and the All-Defensive Team. Players have to either play in 65 regular-season games (with some minutes-played minimums in there as well), or at least 62 games before suffering a “season-ending injury."

But even with Doncic's hamstring hurt badly enough that he'll miss the rest of the regular season, it wouldn't be classified as “season-ending” unless a doctor — jointly selected by the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association — says he wouldn't be able to play again through May 31.

There is a grievance process and even a way to challenge the rule citing extraordinary circumstances, but neither would be easily utilized.

Who's out of the award races?

Five of the league's six highest-paid players this season — Golden State's Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler, Philadelphia's Joel Embiid, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo and Boston's Jayson Tatum — aren't eligible for awards. Denver's Nikola Jokic is the exception on the highest-paid list, and he'd likely be ineligible if he misses more than one more game down the stretch.

There were 23 players on the list of those winning MVP, MIP, DPOY, All-NBA and All-Defense last season. Of those, at least 10 are out of the running for honors this season: Antetokounmpo, Curry, Edwards, James, Tatum, Detroit's Cade Cunningham, Indiana teammates Tyrese Haliburton and Ivica Zubac, Utah's Jaren Jackson Jr. and Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams. (Most of those 10 have been out of the awards mix because of injuries for some time; Tatum and Haliburton both tore Achilles in last season's playoffs and it was obvious then that they wouldn't hit 65-game marks this year.)

Another four award winners from a year ago — Jokic, Oklahoma City's Lu Dort, Golden State's Draymond Green and Cleveland's Evan Mobley — aren't at 65 games yet this season but, for now anyway, seem on pace to get there.

Will the rule be changed?

Never say never. The union wants changes to the policy, and it's certain to come up in their conversations with the league office. But many players — and even Andre Iguodala, now the head of the players' association — have said in recent years that the 65-game rule is a good thing.

The league doesn't seem inclined to make a change based solely on what would appear to be an extraordinary number of award candidates not hitting the threshold in one year.

“I think it is working,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said last month. “I think if you look at the numbers, the pre-implementation of this rule, numbers were going in the wrong direction. I may have this a little bit off: I think the three years before we adopted this rule, almost a third of the All-NBA players had not played 80% of the games. That was a huge issue for the league.”

Scoring champion ... but not All-NBA?

As we said, it's rare, but it has happened. Twice, to be exact.

— 1968-69: Elvin Hayes won the scoring title as a rookie, then wasn't even All-NBA — and didn't win Rookie of the Year, either.

— 1975-76: Bob McAdoo won his third consecutive scoring title and was second in the MVP race — but didn't make All-NBA. Players voted for MVP in those days, and McAdoo was an extremely close second behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Dave Cowens was third in the MVP vote but got the second-team All-NBA nod at center, with Abdul-Jabbar the first-team pick.

Doncic now seems likely to join that list. It's not mathematically certain yet that he wins the scoring title, but it would take something extraordinary for it not to happen.

He's averaging 33.5 points per game, with Gilgeous-Alexander at 31.6 per game. For Gilgeous-Alexander — last season's scoring champion — to overtake Doncic, he would need to go on an unbelievable run. An example: He'd need to score 292 points over the final five games to take over the top spot, and nobody other than Wilt Chamberlain has had a five-game run like that.

Of the previous 79 scoring champions, 64 were first-team All-NBA and 13 were second-team.

Jokic is going to win the league's rebounding and assist titles, while averaging a triple-double yet again. But he's also not assured yet of being on the award ballots.

Why can some players win statistical titles but not win All-NBA?

The thresholds are different.

While the award mandate is 65 games in most cases, players are eligible for most statistical awards if they play in 58 games (or 70% of the season). There are different standards for some stat awards, such as field-goal percentage (minimum 300 made), free-throw percentage (minimum 125 made) and 3-point percentage (minimum 82 made).

A player can win a stat award while appearing in less than 58 games.

For example, last season, San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama played only 46 games but still won the blocked shot title. Even if he played in the minimum 58 games and recorded no blocks in the 12 games needed to reach that number he still would have been ahead of the runner-up, Utah's Walker Kessler.

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Shohei Ohtani, Kyle Tucker, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman — the first four hitters in the Los Angeles lineup — all homered Friday in a 13-6 win over the Washington Nationals. It was Tucker's first home run since joining the Dodgers. It was Ohtani's first RBI of the season.

“Rome isn't burning,” manager Dave Roberts cracked.

There wasn't much panic from Roberts before the game, even with Ohtani (.167), Tucker (.174), Betts (.136) and Freeman (.208) all in a bit of a funk through the first six games of the season. Then the first six hitters went down in order before the Dodgers broke through in the third.

Ohtani's three-run shot to right tied the game at 3, and Betts connected for a two-run homer two batters later.

“It's a new day. That's really it,” Betts said. “Nobody in here is panicking or anything. One week, tough week. That probably is not going to be our last week that we don't hit well.”

Andy Pages hit a two-run homer in the fourth that made it 7-4, then Freeman added a two-run shot in the fifth. Tucker's solo homer in the seventh capped a three-hit day for the outfielder who signed a $240 million, four-year deal to go from the Chicago Cubs to the Dodgers.

“It was nice. First homer — first actual ball I've hit in the air well, out in front and everything,” Tucker said. “You can't complain when you hit a homer.”

The first four hitters for Los Angeles combined to go 8 for 21 with four homers, 10 RBIs and six runs. The Dodgers tagged Miles Mikolas for a career-high 11 earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.

“I think a little bit of it is we've had a lot of history with Mikolas,” Roberts said “We've seen him, know some of his tendencies. Outside of that, they were just not missing today.”

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A spokesperson for the American Airlines Center told WFAA-TV in Dallas that the arena has “zero tolerance for any acts of hate and/or discrimination.”

“We strongly denounce the actions that appear to be depicted in the video footage and are conducting an internal investigation,” the spokesperson said. “All fans and attendees are expected to adhere to AAC and, as applicable, NBA or NHL Codes of Conduct when attending events.”

A Stars fan, Courtney Ripley, told the television station she took a 12-second video at a game against Toronto in late December. It shows four fans reacting to a goal by appearing to raise and extend their right arms with a straightened right hand facing downward. The video gained traction this week on several social media platforms.

A Stars spokesperson told ESPN on Thursday that the team is “fully aligned with the arena’s statement and working with them to find out exactly what happened.”

Fan codes of conduct are prominent throughout the NHL. Every team has a scripted segment that is shared on their video boards, through their public address system or both, telling fans about their respective codes of conduct.

The NHL also has a multipoint fan code of conduct that opens by stating, “The best hockey experiences happen in environments that are inclusive, safe and respectful.”

The NHL said possible punishments for violating the code of conduct include ejection, suspension or a lifetime ban from future events.

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The Jaguars are signing the edge rusher to a four-year, $110 million contract extension, according to his agency Elite Loyalty Sports. The deal includes $77 million in guarantees and $50 million fully guaranteed at signing.

The extension continues to show general manager James Gladstone and head coach Liam Coen prioritizing their homegrown talent. While Walker was selected under the previous regime, he’s shown enough to be considered a defensive cornerstone for the Jaguars. He’s been an excellent run defender while learning to be a more refined pass rusher, something Jacksonville is in dire need of.

Walker was set to begin this season playing on his fifth-year option, a precarious position for teams and players. Franchises who want to hold on to a player risk the possibility of alienating them without a new deal because the option only provides a final year of salary, and at a bargain rate for a rising star. Walker was set to earn $14.75 million on the option.

A new contract will allow the Jaguars to lower Walker’s salary cap hit this year and give the University of Georgia product a hefty pay raise and financial security going forward.

The first overall pick in 2022, Walker saw his production jump in both 2023 and ’24 before injuries derailed much of his 2025 year.

The Jaguars went 13-4 and won the AFC South despite a pass rush that lagged with a banged-up Walker. He was limited to 3.5 sacks in 15 games. Jacksonville is counting on Walker to be back at full strength this year. He racked up seasons of 10 and 10.5 sacks and was an ascending player before knee and wrist injuries dragged his performance down. Walker underwent wrist surgery during the season and played parts of the year with a cast on his left arm.

Trent Grisham reached leading off with the first of 11 walks by Marlins pitchers and Judge drove a slider into the left-field seats against Eury Pérez (0-1).

Judge, who had three RBIs, hit a record 20 first-inning home runs last year, when he finished with 53. Three of Judge's five hits this season have been home runs.

Ben Rice homered and hit a two-run double for the Yankees.

Will Warren (1-0) allowed four hits in 5 2/3 innings, including solo homers by Xavier Edwards in the first and Owen Caissie in the fifth.

Miami entered the game at 5-1, matching its franchise-best start, and had spent six days atop the NL East — double its total for 2021-25 combined. Miami pitchers had their most walks since April 2023; they had walked just nine in the team's first six games.

Pérez (0-1) allowed four runs, two hits and a career-high six walks in four innings. He forced in runs on consecutive pitches in the second when he walked Grisham and hit Judge. Tyler Phillips threw a run-scoring wild pitch in the sixth.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and José Caballero each had two stolen bases and Judge one off catcher Liam Hicks, who has allowed 60 steals in 66 attempts since reaching the major leagues last year.

Up Next

Yankees LHP Ryan Weathers (0-0), acquired from the Marlins in January, starts Saturday night against Miami RHP Max Meyer (0-0).

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Redick said Doncic had an issue with the hamstring in the first half of the 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder and was tended to at the break.

“We checked him out, he got work done, he was cleared," Redick said.

Doncic returned to action briefly. On his final play of the game, he spun before trying to go up for a shot against Oklahoma City's Jalen Williams. There was no contact before Doncic stopped, then lay down on the floor while wincing in pain. He left the game for good with 7:39 remaining in the third quarter.

“Those things happen,” Redick said.

Williams, an All-Star in 2025, has missed 27 games this season because of a right hamstring strain. He felt badly for Doncic.

“It’s very, like, spooky in a way to see it happen to him, and I’m the one guarding him," Williams said.

Williams could have stolen the ball after Doncic let it go, but he chose not to take advantage of the situation.

“I tried to let it go out of bounds and give them time to figure it out,” Williams said. “That injury sucks. So I wish him a speedy recovery. Hope it's not anything serious.”

Doncic had scored at least 40 points in five of his previous seven games. He was held to 12 on 3-for-10 shooting against Oklahoma City's relentless defense.

The Lakers trailed 90-58 when Doncic was hurt, so the injury made a bad night worse.

“I mean, it’s something you never want to see as a teammate,” Lakers forward Jake LaRavia said. “So especially in a game like this, it was tough to see him go down. All the prayers for him ... but yeah, you never want to see that.”

Lakers guard Austin Reaves hurt his back during the game, but continued to play. He sat out the fourth quarter with the game out of reach.

“He was in a weird position, stretching for a basketball, loose ball," Redick said. "And he just felt something intercostal, somewhere in his back, in between the ribs. He was able to play through it ... we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”

The Lakers will host a rematch with the Thunder on April 7.

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This story has been corrected to show that the final score of the game was 139-96, not 139-97.

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“I'm happy to announce I'm staying at Arizona,” Lloyd said during his pre-practice news conference at the Final Four. “We've been able to get some things done the past couple days.”

The school also announced it had reached an extension with Lloyd through the 2030-31 season, though it didn't release financial terms. Lloyd had previously been under contract through the 2029-30 season worth an average of nearly $5.5 million in base and supplemental pay for the coming seasons, along with a buyout that dropped from $11 million to $9 million on Wednesday.

Lloyd, 51, had been considered a top potential target for the Tar Heels, who fired Hubert Davis on March 24 after five seasons. He had deflected questions about the UNC opening as the Wildcats (36-2) kept advancing in the NCAA Tournament to their first Final Four since 2001, including as recently as Thursday in Indianapolis.

Lloyd praised UNC as “a first-class organization” and said he appreciated “the way they've handled this.”

“Arizona basketball, you guys know what it means to me, and when I say it’s a special place, that always comes from the bottom of my heart,” Lloyd said.

“I didn’t want to make this entire Final Four about that because I’m just a small part of something much bigger. But on that same note, I’d also like to let you know that North Carolina is an amazing place. I mean, it’s a 1 of 1. It’s an honor to even be considered for that job.”

Lloyd's comments came a day before the Wildcats (36-2) were set to face Michigan in Saturday night's national semifinals in a matchup of the two 1-seeds in Indianapolis.

Wolverines coach Dusty May has also been mentioned as a possible UNC candidate, but said Friday he'll “never respond to any job speculation.”

“I think it’s well documented how happy I am at Michigan,” May said. “Obviously my private life, my personal life, my family, their happiness is very important. Yeah, I love it at Michigan, but you’ll never hear me comment on any other job unless Michigan lets me go and then I’ll comment on every job.”

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Asked whether he’s thinking about reaching 50 goals and catching Nathan MacKinnon for the NHL lead, Caufield deadpanned, “No.” After a brief pause, he smiled and said, “Yeah,” and laughter ensued.

“We’re focused on our team game and winning games, and I think individual stuff comes with that,” Caufield said. “Doing the right things, you get more chances and opportunities. Obviously, it helps when you’re winning games and stuff.”

The Canadiens are winning enough to emerge as a contender to hoist the Stanley Cup and end Canada’s drought that dates to their championship in 1993. They’ve raised a Cup banner more recently than they’ve had a 50-goal scorer, and Caufield has a chance to be the first member of the storied franchise to get to that mark since Stephane Richer in 1990.

"I didn’t know it was (nearly) 40 years," teammate Alex Newhook said. “It’s been fun to watch. It seems like he keeps scoring every night. We’re happy for him. We’re pushing for him. Hopefully he keeps this thing rolling.”

Caufield rolled out of the Olympic break — after not making the U.S. roster — with 17 goals in 17 games, the most of any player in the league. His 83 points are already 13 clear of his previous career high.

“He’s on a tremendous heater right now,” Canadiens captain and leading scorer Nick Suzuki said. “He’s just playing the right way, doing the right things and he’s getting rewarded for it.”

Caufield wasn't always this complete of a player. Undersized at 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds and counted on to produce to offset some defensive inefficiencies, he got sent down to Laval of the American Hockey League in the fall of 2021 when he had no goals and just one assist in 10 games with the Canadiens.

"I think it was worth it," Caufield said, crediting coaches, linemates and others for helping him round out his play. “There’s still a lot more room to grow in my game. I think progressing every year with the team and the staff that we have, it’s pretty easy to kind of find yourself working every day. I think it’s just an addiction to kind of find ways to get better.”

Opponents have noticed the progress from Caufield, who turned 25 in January.

“He thinks the game at a real high level,” New York Rangers coach Mike Sullivan said. “It’s the combination that gives him the competitive advantage that he has. He’s a really good player.”

Sullivan, a two-time Cup champion who also coached the U.S. to gold at the Olympics, called Montreal “one of the emerging teams in the league” because of the mix of high-end skill and speed all over the roster. The Canadiens move the puck around at a rapid pace — on the ice and into the net.

Caufield is a big part of that. Among players with 100 shots on net this season, only two are scoring at a higher rate than his 21.2%, tormenting goaltenders and delighting teammates happy to pick up another assist.

“I enjoy it,” linemate Juraj Slafkovsky said. "You have a goal-scorer like this, you can always pass to him and there is a big chance it’s going in." That’s what we’re trying to do. I hope he can get (to 50) as soon as possible and get a lot more."

The gravity of the situation isn't lost on Caufield, who would be just the seventh Canadiens player to score 50 goals in a season, joining Richer (twice), Guy Lafleur (six times), Steve Shutt, Bernie Geoffrion, Pierre Larouche and Maurice Richard. If he passes MacKinnon and finishes with the most in the NHL, he'd also win the Maurice “Rocket" Richard Trophy named after one of the most decorated players in franchise history.

Caufield insists he's “still hungry." This pursuit, followed by an even more important one in the playoffs, keeps him that way.

“Certainly it’s a good feeling to be producing, but at the end of the day I think I’ve grown a lot as a player and I’m just going to try and continue to do that,” Caufield said. “For me, right now, I still feel like there’s more out there.”

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Varsity 4 Super 6 baseball rankings

Rank, Previous, School, Record, Classification

1. (1) Trinity Christian (16-6, Class 2A)

Quality wins: Baylor (Tenn.), Beachside, Clay, Columbia, Edmond Memorial (Okla.), Lincoln, Lowndes (Ga.), Magnolia Heights (Miss.), North Marion, Richmond Hill (Ga.), St. Johns Country Day, Suwannee, Tocoi Creek, University Christian, West Broward.

Notable: The Conquerors went 2-1 since our last Super 6, including an 11-6 loss to powerhouse St. John Bosco in nine innings at the NHSI, and followed that up with a 9-7 win over nationally ranked Baylor in the finale there. They returned home with an 8-1 win over Clay. Only two Trinity losses have come to local teams (St. Johns Country Day, Creekside). Gage Petrutz (.463, 3 HR, 17 RBI) and Aiden Arnett (.359, 2 HR, 10 RBI) are having excellent seasons at the plate against wicked tough competition. Parker Loew is the only other Trinity batter hitting .300, and he’s right on the nose of that. Tyler Ellis (5-0, 0.70 ERA, 47 Ks, 30 IP) and Brennan Bachtell Jr. (4-0, 1.75 ERA, 28 IP, 39 Ks) are the starters who have multiple decisions who remain unbeaten.

2. (3) Creekside (19-4, Class 7A)

Quality wins: Bartram Trail, Beachside, Bolles, Clay, Hagerty, North Marion, St. Johns Country Day, St. Joseph, Tocoi Creek, Trinity Christian, West Orange, Windermere (twice).

Notable: Solid week for the Knights. They went 2-1, topping St. Johns Country Day (2-1) and Winter Park (5-1). They lost a 2-1 game to Georgia power Lowndes. Dominic Cantona (.350, 2 HR, 16 RBI) bumped his average up 5 points since our last Super 6 against big-time competition. Aramis Guanchez (.319) is right behind. I’m convinced that Creekside can beat any team in 7A with Gavin Duprey or Matt Bysheim throwing. Those guys are elite.

3. (2) Bishop Snyder (15-5, Class 2A)

Quality wins: Baldwin, Bolles, Central (Ala.), Farragut (Tennessee), Fernandina Beach, Hartselle (Ala.), Morgan County (Ga.), Newnan (Ga.), Providence, Sandalwood, South Walton, Suwannee.

Notable: The Cardinals went 1-2 since our last Super 6, with losses to Trinity Catholic (5-2) and Bartram Trail (5-4). They added a quality W over Ponte Vedra (7-1). Not any room for concern for the Cardinals. They’re playing very strong programs and faring very well. Ilias Mamea (.442, 3 HR, 14 RBI) and Tanner Upton (.377, 13 RBI) are leading the offense for Snyder. Cole Dennis (5-1, 1.12 ERA, 63 Ks) is leading the hurlers.

4. (4) St. Johns Country Day (16-6, Class 1A)

Quality wins: Baldwin, Beachside, Bishop Kenny, Clay (twice), Flagler Palm Coast, Providence, Sandalwood, Suwannee, Trinity Christian, University Christian, West Broward, Winter Park

Notable: The Spartans went 2-2 since our last Super 6, topping Clay (6-3) and Bishop Kenny (8-2) while losing to Bolles (3-2) and Creekside (2-1). I’ll say it again for folks who just record watch—you have to take quality of competition into account. The Spartans are a 1A school who have dropped all six games against much larger programs. They close out the regular season next week against Georgia teams North Gwinnett, Parkview and North Oconee. Madden Williams (.375, 3 HR, 17 RBI), Hunter Rodgers (.339, 2 HR, 13 RBI) and Jonas Wells (.333, 13 RBI) lead the bats. While he’s not racking up the monstrous perfect season on the mound like he did in 2025, Brayden Harris (5-2, 81 Ks, 44 IP, 1.75 ERA) remains one of the best arms around. His junior season was just unbelievable.

5. (5) Fernandina Beach (17-3, Class 3A)

Quality wins: Baker County, Baldwin (twice), Bishop Kenny, First Coast, Sandalwood, Tocoi Creek, Trinity Catholic, Union County, West Nassau.

Notable: A 2-0 week, with wins over Fletcher and a quality Tocoi Creek team. They’ve won three straight since a loss to St. Augustine. No reason that the Pirates shouldn’t wrap up the regular season with wins over Fleming Island, Ridgeview and Savannah Christian. Trace Farmer continues to lead the Pirates offensively (.489, 2 HR, 19 RBI).

6. (6) Bartram Trail (13-7, Class 6A)

Quality wins: Bishop Kenny, Bishop Snyder, Bolles, Clay, Columbia, Episcopal, First Coast, Ponte Vedra, Spruce Creek, St. Augustine.

Notable: Turns out that it was the right call to put the Bears in the rankings last week. They stretched their winning streak to six games, including a high quality 5-4 win over Bishop Snyder. Colby Dean (.355, 2 HR) is leading the Bartram offense. Something to be on the lookout for. Bears head coach Ryan Fitzpatrick will be out of action for a bit after the school had to self report a pitch count violation involving a player who threw a total of 103 pitches instead of the maximum of 95. Players between the ages of 13 and 16 years old are only permitted to throw 95 pitches in a game. Players 17 and older can throw a maximum of 105. The pitcher is permitted to finish facing the current batter even after that pitch count is reached, but must leave as soon as that batter is retired. A source said there was an oversight on the player’s age.

On the bubble

Atlantic Coast (11-9, Class 7A); Baldwin (13-10, Class 3A); Beachside (14-9, Class 5A); Bishop Kenny (12-11, Class 4A); Bolles (15-6, Class 2A); Columbia (12-9, Class 5A); Episcopal (14-8, Class 2A); Flagler Palm Coast (15-7, Class 7A); Fleming Island (14-8, Class 5A); Palatka (16-5, Class 3A); Paxon (11-3, Class 3A); Ponte Vedra (12-9, Class 5A); Providence (13-10, Class 2A); St. Augustine (12-10, Class 4A); St. Joseph (16-4, Class 1A); Sandalwood (15-7, Class 7A); Tocoi Creek (11-12, Class 6A); Union County (16-6, Rural).

Hoiberg received 17 votes from a 61-person media panel, edging Duke’s Jon Scheyer (13) to become the Big Ten’s first national coach of the year since Michigan’s Juwan Howard in 2021. Arizona’s Tommy Lloyd received 11 votes.

“It took us some time to get here, but it was all about getting the right players in here, especially the ones that the fans could get behind,” Hoiberg said.

Hoiberg did just that, building a roster that played an exciting style of basketball, locked down defensively and ignited the Big Red fanbase’s excitement for the basketball program and upended the notion that Nebraska is just a football school.

Nebraska went to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 10 years in 2024 and took a bigger step this season, matching the school record of 26 wins before even getting to March Madness. The Cornhuskers also had a school-record 15 wins in the rugged Big Ten.

Voting for coach of the year was done before the tournament, where Nebraska posted its first March Madness win in nine all-time tries with its 76-47 win over Troy. The run ended with a loss to Iowa in the Sweet 16.

“When the sting does wear off, which it will at some point — maybe — these guys deserve a lot of credit for what they have done for Nebraska basketball,” Hoiberg said.

So will the coach with deep roots in Lincoln.

Hoiberg’s grandfather, Jerry Bush, was Nebraska’s head coach from 1953-63 and his grandfather from his father’s side taught at the school for 30 years. Hoiberg was born in Lincoln and both of his parents are Nebraska graduates.

Hoiberg played at Iowa State and, after a 10-year NBA career, returned to lead his alma mater to four straight NCAA Tournaments. When he took over at Nebraska in 2019, the Cornhuskers had been to the tournament once in 21 seasons.

The Cornhuskers went a combined 7-45 in Hoiberg’s first two seasons, but he laid the foundation for success. Nebraska went 23-11 to reach March Madness in 2024 and, after just missing the bracket last season, went on a run that riveted Husker Nation.

Led by sharpshooting Iowa transfer Pryce Sandfort, versatile Dutch big man Rienk Mast and senior point guard Sam Hoiberg — Fred’s son — the Cornhuskers got off to the best start in school history, winning their first 20 games, leading to the program’s highest ranking in the AP Top 25 at No. 5 with the hometown coach calling the shots.

“This place means a lot to me,” he said.

Scheyer was runner-up after guiding the Blue Devils to a No. 1 ranking the final four weeks of the season and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Blue Devils’ run came as the fourth-year coach adjusted his approach following last year’s Final Four run with a perimeter-driven lineup, turning inside to pummel opponents in the paint behind star freshman Cameron Boozer, who became Duke’s second straight AP men’s national player of the year Friday.

Arizona spent nine weeks at No. 1 with Lloyd pulling the strings and earned its first Final Four berth since 2001. He was AP coach of the year in 2022, his first season at Arizona.

Voting for AP coach of the year:

Fred Hoiberg, Nebraska, 17

Jon Scheyer, Duke, 13

Tommy Lloyd, Arizona, 11

Dusty May, Michigan, 9

Travis Steele, Miami (Ohio), 9

Grant McCaslin, Texas Tech 1

Shaheen Holloway, Seton Hall, 1

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AP Basketball Writer Aaron Beard contributed to this story.

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