The No. 2 UCLA women's basketball team extended its win streak to 20 games and clinched the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament Thursday night. The Bruins beat Washington 82-67 at Pauley Pavilion. Lauren Betts scored a game-high 23 points and was one of five UCLA players to finish with double-figure scoring, while Washington freshman Brynn McGaughy recorded the second-highest point total of her college career with 19.
It was a laborious effort where the 905 made a boatload of turnovers (21), and didn't move the ball well, but overcame their deficiencies by killing the Capital City Go-Go on the glass and running hard in transition, driving their 115-104 road victory. Much of the success the 905 had capitalizing on advantages in the halfcourt came by way of Tyreke Key (25 points) and Olivier Sarr (24 points, 14 rebounds, three assists, three blocks). The pair finished with identical 8-of-14 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 shooting from 3, with Key making one more free throw than Sarr.
Although I wasn't initially high on his potential, Toronto definitely landed a promising prospect in Collin Murray-Boyles after selecting him ninth overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. While Collin Murray-Boyles may not match the level of Kon Knueppel or Derik Queen (another prospect I was initially low on during the pre-draft process), CMB's potential and unique skill set still provide valuable upside for Toronto.
Kentucky dropped out of these Power Rankings back on Dec. 4, following a 5-3 start. A day later, the Wildcats lost by 35 points to Gonzaga in Nashville, and it looked like the wheels were falling off. Less than three weeks later, Mark Pope's team returns to the mix. Kentucky has won four straight games, all by double-figures, including 12-point victories over Indiana and St. John's.
SAN FRANCISCO Kevon Looney had navigated Chase Center's winding halls hundreds of times during his 11-year career. But Saturday afternoon's trek through the glitzy San Francisco arena was his first as a visiting player, an unfamiliar experience for the former Warrior still adored by the organization and its fans. I thought I knew the Chase Center like the back of my hand, Looney, now a member of the Pelicans, said.
South Carolina guard Ta'Niya Latson drove into the paint in the third quarter. As she went up for the layup, she was met by USC guard Kennedy Smith, who rose up and swatted the ball so hard into the stands that it knocked the hat off a fan sitting a couple rows deep in the Crypto.com Arena crowd. That ended up being the highlight of the Trojans' second half.
Behind another dominant performance from three-time MVP Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets slammed the door on the Miami Heat Wednesday evening with a 122-112 win inside Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. Jokic tallied his fifth triple-double of the season, dropping an absurd 33-point, 15-rebound, 16-assist statline across 37 minutes, shooting 12-of-18 from the floor and 2-of-5 from 3-point range. Denver completely undressed Miami on the glass,
Boozer got the message -- and then proceeded to take over the game. After failing to score in the first half, Boozer rallied to finish with 15 points and 13 rebounds -- 10 of those after halftime -- as the sixth-ranked Blue Devils overcame a 33-32 halftime deficit to beat Texas 75-60 in the Dick Vitale Invitational at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
However, with a depleted Cavs squad, it became more a matter of handling Mobley and supporting pieces like De'Andre Hunter and Jaylon Tyson. While the Cavaliers' size might lead some to believe they would outclass Toronto, it was worth noting that the Cavs have been struggling with rebounding too, ranking in the bottom five league-wide ( averaging 40.7) alongside the Raptors (who are averaging 38.0).
