MORE FROM Mike DeCourcy

Florida smartly goes against the grain and will give Billy Napier more time

Florida's administration could have waited through a brutal season-ending stretch of games to establish grounds to move on from coach Billy Napier. Instead, they saw progress and promise and chose to embrace the possibility of a brighter future.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg ready to unleash his game on college basketball

Expected to be the No. 1 pick in the next NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg has hype like Zion Williamson, a game like Brandon Ingram and competitiveness like Kevin Garnett.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Alabama, Houston, Duke lead Sporting News preseason Top 25

Alabama rode the transfer portal to the Crimson Tide's first-ever Final Four in 2023-24. They're loaded enough to travel two steps farther by April in San Antonio.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Sporting News 2024 MLB Player of the Year: Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani was voted MLB's Player of the Year by his peers -- and it wasn't a 50/50 decision.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Thank Tony Bennett for his class and career, but don't scold college hoops for precipating his retirement

If we're going to talk about how the changes in college athletics are chasing out coaches like Tony Bennett, we also must discuss that changes that made him exceptionally wealthy make it that much easier to walk away.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Yunus Musah has his moment as USMNT wins Mauricio Pochettino's debut

The USMNT did not play a beautiful game in their first game under new head coach Mauricio Pochettino, but they got the result they wanted and a clear first step in the direction of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Mike DeCourcy

•

If the ACC wants more March Madness bids, it needs to tell its story on the floor

The ACC has talked a lot about its diminished number of NCAA Tournament bids being a problem of public relations -- not enough people talking about how great the league is. But you've got to win games for those stories to be told.

Mike DeCourcy

•

SEC and Big Ten don't need extra spots in College Football Playoff — they'll earn them, anyway

At their summit this week in Nashville, the Big Ten and SEC are discussing lots about the future of college football. One significant item is the assurance that each league will receive four spots in the College Football Playoff. That would hurt the CFP as a competition, and they don't need them, anyway.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Jets move on from their coach when the quarterback seems to be the problem

Robert Saleh was reminded Tuesday that head coaches are far more expendable in the NFL than quarterbacks -- especially those QBs who are extravagantly paid.

Mike DeCourcy

•

'Still demanding? You're damn right': Tom Izzo enters Year 30 at Michigan State

As Tom Izzo enters his 30th season as Michigan State head coach and approaches his 70th birthday, he has reaffirmed his commitment to be tough and demanding with his players — but available enough so they understand his methods.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Juju Watkins is capable of filling void left by Caitlin Clark in NCAA women's hoops

Caitlin Clark made Big Ten women's basketball must-see TV for years at Iowa. Now it is up to USC's JuJu Watkins to keep fans coming to arenas and turning on their televisions.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Even with Gonzaga, 'new' Pac-12 is far from a college basketball power

Gonzaga's entry into the Pac-12 can't turn a group of solidly competitive programs (plus powerful San Diego State) into a national basketball force.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Gonzaga should not consider leaving WCC if Pac-12 comes with an offer

Gonzaga has earned a record-tying nine consecutive trips to the Sweet 16. It doesn't need the Pac-12.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Monday Night doubleheaders are an admission one game will likely be a bore

ESPN's doubleheaders are one more dent in the treasured Monday Night Football brand.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Matthew Sluka's saga at UNLV is not an indication college football is in decline

The fact anyone cared that UNLV's quarterback left his team after a 3-0 start showed college football is doing as well as ever. Maybe better.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin not ready to name Justin Fields full-time starter

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin sees no need to make a final public declaration about his quarterback position when one of the two candidates for the position isn't healthy enough to compete.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USC-Michigan shows conference realignment has been a trip worth taking

Big Ten expansion is pairing up bluebloods USC and Michigan on a regular basis, and the sport will benefit.

Mike DeCourcy

•

It will be the players, not the coach, who will feel the heat if USMNT does not excel

Fans of USMNT now have the coach they want. Expectations will be squarely on the players' shoulders now.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino introduces himself to America

New USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino met the American soccer media Friday in New York. He showed off a joyful optimism that suggests he believes this team can do well at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Alabama will show how much of a home run hire Luke Fickell has been at Wisconsin

Luke Fickell is only starting his second season with Wisconsin. So is it fair to say Saturday's home showdown with No. 4 Alabama could be a defining game for his time with the Badgers?

Mike DeCourcy

•

Deshaun Watson making the Browns regret trade more now than ever before

When they traded for Deshaun Watson, the Browns knew he faced the possibility of a long suspension from the NFL and had already missed an entire season. They spent a truckload of assets and cash on him, anyway. They might have done better if they'd bet it all on a roulette wheel.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Coach Prime's response to critics won't do Colorado any favors

Deion Sanders has invited public scrutiny for nearly 40 years -- as an NFL cornerback, a Major League Baseball outfielder and most recently as a college football coach. It's surprising he doesn't know how to deal with the attention when it turns negative.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Florida State can't seem to win in the 'secondary' conference it is trying to leave

That Florida State would disregard its ACC history and its own prior decisions and launch a costly campaign to escape a conference it is currently 0-2 in to start 2024 has helped make it a punchline.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DECOURCY: This is the college football season I've been waiting for my whole life

For as long as college football has been determining national champions, the winner has been determined largely -- or exclusively -- by a vote. That's not how sport decides who's best. That's how it works at the Academy Awards.

Mike DeCourcy

•

If Mauricio Pochettino wants to live in Europe as USMNT coach, that's fine

Reports indicate soon-to-be-appointed United States men's national team coach Mauricio Pochettino will want to live in Europe while he's in charge. He can do the job from there.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Mauricio Pochettino and the USMNT is a match made in soccer heaven

Among many who follow the United States men's national team, all they wanted was a coach who had a big name. (And preferably, not an American name.) They got way more than they wished in Mauricio Pochettino.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Ranking the nine USA men's Olympic basketball teams in the NBA era

There may be an obvious choice at the bottom of the list, but which of America's NBA-based Olympic basketball teams was the best?

Mike DeCourcy

•

If we're going to do an Olympic medal count, can we at least do it right?

We've been subjected to the simplistic "medal count" statistic during the Olympic Games for more than 50 years, and it's been bad math from the start. The International Olympic Committee does not award one gold for basketball. There are 12. It should be counted like that.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Winners (Alyssa Naeher) and losers (3x3 basketball) from Paris 2024

The Sporting News presents our list of the winners and losers of Paris 2024 -- and not just what you might get from reading a list of Olympic medalists.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Steph Curry's golden threes unlike anything the sport has ever seen

This was Steph’s moment. His golden moment.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USWNT was never as far ahead, or behind, the rest of the world as we thought

The United States hasn’t been all that terribly far ahead of its competition since at least the turn of the century, and the only difference now is the competition has multiplied.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USA Basketball player ratings: Humiliation avoided thanks to some D from KD

Kevin Durant never has made All-Defense in two decades of NBA stardom, but it was a big dose of D that KD provided as United States secured a spot in the Olympic men's basketball gold medal game.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USA Basketball player ratings: LeBron James precision passing slices up Brazil

The USA Basketball men advanced to the medal round of the Olympics, again, conquering Brazil as expected with some of the best team offense they've played at the Games.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USWNT player ratings: Goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher a perfect 10 in win vs. Germany

The USWNT is onto the gold medal game at Paris 2024 after Sophia Smith's big goal and Alyssa Naeher's superb save helped rescue the team against Germany's NFL-style defense.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Boxing's grand Olympic history is imperiled by low blows from dismissed IBA

The mess with the International Boxing Association's campaign against Olympic fighters Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting is not helping the endangered status of the sport's future in the Summer Games.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Ryan Crouser climb the list of greatest US Olympians

Three of the United States' biggest stars at Paris 2024 -- Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky and Ryan Crouser -- performed so well they will change The Sporting News list of Greatest U.S. Summer Olympians.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Slow start robs Sha'Carri Richardson of what felt like her golden moment

Sha'Carri Richardson waited three years to erase the biggest mistake of her career. She made another one, though -- not as profound or punishing, but one that will haunt her just as long.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USWNT player ratings: Crystal Dunn a perfect '10' in narrow win over Japan

The USWNT had a challenging time breaking down an entrenched Japan defense in Olympic soccer quarterfinals. But Crystal Dunn, after spending her afternoon breaking up a series of Japan counterattacks, also delivered an assist on the game-winning goal.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Olympic boxer Imane Khelif's current opponent is bigger than her sport

Imane Khelif, by all accounts, was raised a girl in a religiously strict country that prohibits gender transitioning. She is listed as female on her Algeria passport. So how did her participation in the Olympic boxing competition become the subject of so much public outrage?

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy: Simone Biles sticks the landing (again), officially claiming GOAT title

Simone Biles' stutter on the uneven bars injected some genuine suspense into the Olympic gymnastics all-around competition. That just made her victory that much more impactful.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USA Basketball three takeaways: Joel Embiid benched, top lineup, Devin Booker shines

The USA Basketball senior men's team made some significant adjustments to their lineup and rotation in a pool play game at the Paris Olympics. Most of them seemed to pay dividends.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USWNT player ratings: Emma Hayes makes gaffe by trusting Sam Coffey

This is not only Emma Hayes' first major tournament as USWNT head coach -- it's her first major international tournament, period. And though her team went 3-0 in group play, she still was guilty of a signficant error in the 2-1 win over Australia.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Simone Biles comes all the way back, leads USA gymnastics to team gold

There still are some who call Simone Biles a "quitter" because of the condition that caused her to withdraw from the team competition at the Tokyo Olympics. The gold medal she helped the USA earn Tuesday was not for quitting.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Liverpool's Arne Slot primed for challenge of replacing Jurgen Klopp

An exhibition tour in the United States is giving new Liverpool coach Arne Slot a chance to show what the team might look like with Jurgen Klopp gone.

Mike DeCourcy

•

How Jimmer Fredette was coaxed into leading USA's 3x3 gold medal hopes

After the disappointment of missing out on the introduction of the men's 3x3 competition at Tokyo 2020, USA Basketball brought in Fran Fraschilla to better organize the qualifying efforts. He got Jimmer Fredette on board, and the U.S. will be in Paris.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USWNT player ratings: High marks for Smith, Swanson, Rodman in rout of Germany

The United States women's national team blasted a top-5 opponent in Germany. Some will say that's as it used to be. It's really not. This was a much different look for them in major tournament play.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Three takeaways from USA Basketball's dominance of Serbia in Olympics opener

Kevin Durant shined, and Jayson Tatum reclined -- a lot happened in the opening game for USA Basketball's senior men's national team at Paris 2024.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Ranking the best Olympic men's basketball players at every age in Paris

From a Duke-bound teenager to a retirement-bound Brazilian point god -- someday, we think -- these are the best men's basketball players at every single age who will compete at the Paris Olympics.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Top 15 former college basketball players on non-U.S. Olympic rosters for 2024

Where would the Olympic men's basketball competition be without the NCAA? It'd be half-empty. That's how many players American colleges have produced across 10 of the 12 nations that will compete in Paris.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

The USWNT scored all their goals against Zambia in a short burst. There's still so much room to grow.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Simone Biles, already America's greatest gymnast, is poised to raise the bar in Paris

Simone Biles will return for her third Olympic Games at Paris 2024, and erasing the disappointment from Tokyo is only part of why she's returned at age 27.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

The United States women's national team produced just one goal in their final two exhibition games prior to departing for France and the 2024 Olympics. New coach Emma Hayes is more focused on assuring her players build chemistry.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Team USA makes great choice with LeBron James as Olympic flag-bearer

There could be no better choice to carry the American flag at the 2024 Paris Olympics than LeBron James, whose dedication to his sport and community activism have set an ideal example for fellow athletes.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy: Joel Embiid at the center of concerns for Team USA

Philly's Joel Embiid is one of only two true centers USA Basketball chose to include on its roster for the Paris Olympics, which means right now, the U.S. has one functional center. Embiid needs to get it together. Soon.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Don't blame US: Copa America disaster will not be repeated when World Cup comes in 2026

CONMEBOL, South America's governing body for soccer, wanted to be in charge of Copa America 2024 so it could get all the money that would be generated. With that earning potential comes responsibility, which they mostly shirked.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Team USA's oldest men's basketball team starts a bit slow in exhibition opener

USA vs. Canada suggested the Americans' decision to take an older squad to Paris might have created some functional problems with the lineup.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy: With Berhalter out, USMNT needs a leader who's in complete command

The next U.S. men's national team coach must be someone who owes none of the current players anything. They need a leader who's firmly in charge, a designation Gregg Berhalter lost after the Gio Reyna debacle of 2022.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy: With Argentina in Copa America final, is Lionel Messi set for 'last battles'?

Lionel Messi again used the stage of Met Life Stadium to suggest he might be done with playing international soccer after Argentina appears in Sunday's Copa America final.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Why FIFA rules eliminate Christian Pulisic, other stars from Olympic rosters

FIFA rules for the men's and women's soccer tournaments are not the same -- at all -- which is why you'll find Lindsey Horan in Paris, but not Kylian Mbappe.

Mike DeCourcy

•

There's no answer for US Olympic men's soccer excluding star Diego Luna

Diego Luna of Real Salt Lake ranks third in Major League Soccer in assists, but that wasn't enough to earn him a spot on the U.S. men's soccer roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Tyrese Haliburton ready to meet gold standard set by USA Basketball at Olympics

USA Basketball has won each of the past four Olympic men's basketball competitions, and 84 percent of those it has entered. Perfection is not an easy standard to meet, but Americans like Tyrese Haliburton aren't ducking it.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Despite poor form, can England win Euro 2024?

England fans who are worried about their team's lousy performances through four games of Euro 2024 have a right to be. But the recent history of major championships indicates even teams that are playing terribly can still win it all — so long as they stay in the tournament.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Berhalter insists he's still the man to lead USMNT, but Copa America suggests otherwise

U.S. Soccer sporting director Matt Crocker will have a difficult time defending Gregg Berhalter as USMNT coach after the team busted out of Copa America following two defeats in three games.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USA frustrated by Copa America ref antics but Weah red was right

The referee assigned to the United States-Panama group game in Copa America did a dreadful job that played a huge part in the Americans' disappointing 2-1 defeat.

Mike DeCourcy

•

No matter how they dress it up, 2024 NBA Draft looks like it will be a bust

The underwhelming French prospects at the top of the draft. The lean talent available from US colleges. Sometimes it's obvious before anyone plays a game that a particular NBA Draft won't do much to make the league better.

Mike DeCourcy

•

How England ended up with a dream draw for Euro 2024 knockouts

England could not have played much worse, but their luck could not have been better. The curious results in other groups at Euro 2024 left the bottom half of the knockout-round bracket short on elite national teams.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Youth movement: Alex Morgan does not make USWNT's Olympics roster

The United States women's national team will field one of its youngest rosters ever for the 2024 Olympic Games with new coach Emma Hayes making some tough decisions about veteran players.

Mike DeCourcy

•

NBA Draft: Ranking the top 15 college players, from Stephon Castle to Yves Missi

The top-end talent is missing from this year's college crop, but some players will emerge as good NBA players. It is up to the teams to find them.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Why Christian Pulisic is the best USMNT player ever

A goal and an assist in a 2-0 Copa America victory over Bolivia offered two more pieces of evidence of why Christian Pulisic has surpassed Landon Donovan as the USMNT's greatest player.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USA's soccer explosion traces back to a single event: the 1994 FIFA World Cup

There may have been no event that transformed the American sports scene to the same degree as the 1994 World Cup, which brought the world's most popular sport to the U.S. and showed everyone what they'd been missing.

Mike DeCourcy

•

When Jayson Tatum wins title, critics will need to conjure another villain

Jayson Tatum has built himself into one of the NBA's best players even though he does not rank among the league's most dynamic athletes or accurate shooters. That hasn't been enough for his many critics, but what will they say when the championship arrives?

Mike DeCourcy

•

USMNT's impressive draw vs. Brazil should quiet Gregg Berhalter's critics

The anti-Berhalter sect of U.S. men's national team fans spent the time in between games against Colombia and Brazil concocting unflattering stats about the team's coach. He and the players spent that time putting together a game plan that produced a historic result.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Alex Karaban and UConn can celebrate Dan Hurley's return to the Huskies

Dan Hurley will return as UConn men's basketball coach in 2024-25 rather than accepting a lucrative offer to coach the LA Lakers. It's a huge win for blossoming star forward Alex Karaban.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Dan Hurley leaving UConn would be a loss for college sports, not the end

The suggestions that Dan Hurley leaving UConn for the Los Angeles Lakers would reflect calamity in college athletics are entirely over the top.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Possible Dan Hurley replacements: Ranking UConn's best coaching candidates

UConn may need to find a coach after 68 other Division 1 openings have already been filled. Where will it turn?

Mike DeCourcy

•

Dan Hurley will have a more difficult time saying 'no' to the Lakers than Coach K did

The NBA has come calling for elite college coaches in the past: Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo, John Calipari seemingly twice a year. But Dan Hurley's decision about the Lakers' offer will be different than any they faced.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Grant Wahl's collection of his best work, 'World Class' illustrates his lasting impact

Grant Wahl was a courageous journalist, a pioneer in covering soccer in American and one of the key figures in the sport's American growth story. With the publication of "World Class", a collection of his finest work, his colleagues in the media offered their appreciation of what he meant to the sport and their business.

Mike DeCourcy

•

The WNBA seems to have no idea how to handle its brightest star

It isn't all that surprising some of Caitlin Clark's WNBA competitors are taking shots at her on the floor, but the apathy of game officials and the league's own mishandling of her arrival have added to the problem.

Mike DeCourcy

•

House v NCAA settlement means 10 more years of March Madness

This problem belongs to all of Division I. It was created by all of Division I, prolonged by Division I and, as you can see from the current absence of cogent policies on transfers and NIL, never truly resolved by Division I.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Gio Reyna relationship with Gregg Berhalter never stronger for USMNT

After one of the most open and soapy sports dramas in recent years, young American Gio Reyna and the United States men's national team have discovered they really, really need one another.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Klopp Anfield legacy sits alongside Shankly, Paisley and Dalglish

Sunday at Anfield, Jurgen Klopp will coach his final game at Liverpool FC. It will not be easy for Reds fans to watch him go.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy: NFL must respond more assertively to Harrison Butker's offensive speech

Harrison Butker made assertions that were offensive to a broad swath of the NFL's public when in presenting a commencement speech at Benedictine College in Kansas. The league's two-sentence statement isn't enough of a response.

Mike DeCourcy

•

An 18-game NFL schedule is unnecessary, and unnecessarily dangerous

NFL teams don't need an 18th game, and their franchises don't need the income such an expansion of inventory would deliver from broadcasters. But sometimes businesspeople can't help themselves.

Mike DeCourcy

•

The Hawks won the NBA Draft lottery, but No. 1 picks ain't what they used to be

It used to be that gaining the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft offered teams the opportunity to select team-changing players like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Tim Duncan. Being first in line too often doesn't mean what it used to.

Mike DeCourcy

•

College sports are changing, but the end is not near

When Georgia saw fit to give Kirby Smart a significant raise from $11 million a year, it was another signal that the complaints about the state of college athletics were hollow and misguided.

Mike DeCourcy

•

It won't cost much to draft Bronny James, but his dad must know better

There is plenty of speculation regarding which team, including the Lakers, might be willing to spend a 2024 draft pick on young Bronny James to lure LeBron James onto its roster. It's a terrible idea for all involved.

Mike DeCourcy

•

LeBron James has done more in an NBA uniform than any player before him

If the playoff loss to the Nuggets was the last we see of LeBron James in an NBA uniform, he'll have shown us as much as anyone ever to play in the league.

Mike DeCourcy

•

The outrage over Caitlin Clark's WNBA salary should start with the rookie scale

The rookie salary scale is the most odious off-the-field innovation in American sport, a contraption devised by gutless, guileless team owners and embraced by players associations content to essentially haze those pledges entering the fraternities and sororities of professional athletes.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Grading the college basketball hires, from John Calipari to Kevin Young

When Kentucky hired Mark Pope, the last of the major head coaching vacancies in college basketball was filled. You know what that means: time to judge the hires before anyone has worked a game.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Kentucky is still a blueblood, but that may mean less in the NIL era

What is the value of "blueblood" status in an NCAA basketball environment increasingly dictated by Name/Image/Likeness payments? It's not nothing, but whether it dictates excellence remains to be seen.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

John Calipari's sudden departure for Arkansas leaves Kentucky in a coaching search lurch at a time when the administration would prefer to be planning for the 2024-25 season.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Another overwhelming march to a title leaves Dan Hurley at the top of his sport

You do not win one of these titles without being an extraordinary coach. You don’t win two of them without being elite. And you don’t win them consecutively unless you rank among the very best.

Mike DeCourcy

•

College basketball's way-too-early Top 25: Alabama, Iowa State, Duke on top

Rosters for the 2024-25 college basketball season will change a bit between now and when the first ball is bounced, but we're here to give you an idea how it all might work out when the Final Four convenes next April in San Antonio.

Mike DeCourcy

•

How dominant has UConn been? Let's look at the numbers

If UConn wins by a margin of just three points in the NCAA Championship game against Purdue, it will have constructed the most dominant run in the NCAA Tournament’s expanded bracket era.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Dan Hurley's coaching brilliance has Huskies on brink of NCAA Tournament history

UConn's Dan Hurley could make NCAA Tournament coaching history Monday night, and the people who hired him to run the Huskies pretty much knew this was possible.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Making sense of news linking John Calipari to Arkansas

After 15 seasons, four Final Fours and one NCAA championship, the John Calipari era at Kentucky appears to be over. And not because Kentucky says so.

Mike DeCourcy

•

How Fletcher Loyer helped Purdue reach NCAA title game

When Loyer opened February with a slump, there was reason to wonder if Purdue might meet a similar end in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, the Boilermakers will play for the championship.

Mike DeCourcy

•

No. 1 UConn vs. No. 1 Purdue stands as one shining matchup to decide it all

Let’s simply appreciate what we’ve been granted, how rare and extraordinary it is to be anticipating this game Monday night for the NCAA Championship.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Purdue's Zach Edey does not leave the floor until the job is done. Literally

Of the many astonishing elements of Zach Edey's season, there may be nothing more so than this: He rarely leaves the game.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Where does Zach Edey rank among all-time college players? Higher than you think

Zach Edey's two-year run and four-year career at Purdue have him among the best of all-time when it comes to college players.

Mike DeCourcy

•

John Thompson: Forty years ago, a leading voice in the sport made history

The first black coach to win an NCAA title carried a heavy influence in a time of change.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Fans use foul language when it comes to Purdue's Zach Edey and the whistles

Do officials call too many fouls against defenders playing Purdue's Zach Edey? Is it possible they don't call enough? Those are some of the defining questions for the 2024 Final Four.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

College basketball stars from Mo Alie-Cox to Antonio Gates wound up in the NFL rather than the NBA, but don't expect NC State star DJ Burns to join their ranks in the future.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Ranking Final Four teams in 2024 NCAA Tournament from UConn to Alabama

Theoretically, each of the four teams remaining in March Madness can win the NCAA Championship. All they need to do is win two more games. It's a lot tougher than that, which is why we rank the teams in the order we have.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Purdue ends decades of disappointment with a big game from a very big man

Purdue All-American Zach Edey came up with -- of course -- a big way to celebrate the occasion of the Boilermakers at last reaching the NCAA Final Four after 44 years of heartbreak.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Can anyone challenge these UConn Huskies? No one has yet

Center Donovan Clingan dominated the NCAA East Region final in the way UConn in general has dominated the 2024 NCAA Tournament. They now are two wins away from becoming a rare March Madness repeat champion.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Purdue's Zach Edey is running with the legendary Big Dog in this NCAA Tournament

Zach Edey's scoring run through three rounds of the 2024 edition of March Madness recalls when Purdue star Glenn Robinson carried the Boilers to the 1994 Elite Eight

Mike DeCourcy

•

Purdue on brink of ending painful Final Four drought after blitzing Gonzaga

Purdue has been one of the best teams in this season, and in this tournament. But this fan base has endured some cruel endings prior to the Final Four.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Terrance Shannon, Illinois earn date with UConn; is it a blessing or a curse?

Illinois won a battle against No. 2 seed Iowa State, which earned them the right to face UConn in the East Region final. The Illini will have to determine how to take on a red-hot Huskies juggernaut.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Coaches are jumping as soon as they lose in March Madness; why can't players?

It took less than 24 hours for four different NCAA Tournament coaches to change jobs after their teams lost. But we're still hearing complaints about the transfer portal being opened during March Madness. Why?

Mike DeCourcy

•

Ranking the Sweet 16's chances to win it all, from UConn to San Diego State

One of the deepest Sweet 16s ever features 75 percent of the teams granted protected seeds in advance of the tournament. That means a rich round of big games as March Madness' second weekend beckons.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Purdue's Matt Painter goes on rant about Zach Edey being good only because he is tall

Purdue's coach's message to those who say size is Zach Edey's only weapon: They shouldn't cover basketball.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Purdue steamrolls into the Sweet 16, but Zach Edey is far from satisfied

Two things are true at once. This team has basically all the same players as a year ago and is not remotely the same team.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Tyler Kolek erases year-old nightmare as Marquette reaches Sweet 16

Marquette made it clear that memory of a second-round loss to Michigan State in 2023 was fresh, even if it occurred more than 370 days ago.

Mike DeCourcy

•

With UConn up next, Boo Buie can add to his considerable Northwestern legacy

If the Wildcats are to stun UConn in the second round, Northwestern's all-time leading scorer will need to play a leading role.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Repeat after me: Coach K, Billy Donovan, Bobby Hurley weigh in on UConn's challenge

Only seven programs in NCAA men's basketball history have won consecutive championships. The title Dan Hurley and the Connecticut Huskies are attempting to secure would be different than any repeat, even, but they all feel the same -- tremendous.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Oakland shocks Kentucky: These Wildcats never learned from their mistakes

Kentucky had the national freshman of the year, Reed Sheppard, but remained a group prone to errors that cost the Wildcats what could have been a share of the SEC title.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Nebraska's Keisei Tominaga brings his dazzling style to March Madness

There is no player in all of NCAA men’s basketball who can put the ball in the basket in more different ways than Nebraska's Keisei Tominaga.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Keith Dambrot is not done yet as Duquesne pulls off first-round upset of BYU

Coach Keith Dambrot has announced he is retiring at the end of Duquesne's season, and that season has been extended at least one more game.

Mike DeCourcy

•

East Region Breakdown: Upsets, sleepers to watch and Final Four pick

Duquesne is the best story in the East region, but the best team is UConn, and it isn't particularly close.

Mike DeCourcy

•

West Region Breakdown: Upsets, sleepers to watch and Final Four pick

If North Carolina is going to get to the Final Four, it will have to overcome and old frenemy.

Mike DeCourcy

•

South Region Breakdown: Upsets, sleepers to watch and Final Four pick

A potential matchup of defensive-minded Houston and offensive-minded Kentucky looms for the Elite Eight.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Midwest Region Breakdown: Upsets, sleepers to watch and Final Four pick

For the last 40-plus years, the Final Four has not seen either Purdue or Tennessee. They enter the 2024 NCAA Tournament as the top two seeds in the Midwest.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Mike DeCourcy's expert bracket for 2024 NCAA Tournament

The weekend’s events made it clear that the Huskies not only are the reigning champions, and the betting favorite to win 2024 edition of March Madness, but they also are the No. 1 overall seed.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Ranking the top 68 teams in March Madness 2024

Everybody who enters the NCAA Tournament would love to win the championship. Not all of them can. If you want to find the ones with the ability, check the top of this list.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Who might replace Juwan Howard at Michigan?

Michigan had a dreadful season in 2023-24, but it was still a surprise to see Juwan Howard dismissed. Here's where Michigan might look next.

Mike DeCourcy

•

UConn's Dan Hurley earns Sporting News Coach of the Year award

After years of following in the shadows of his Hall of Fame father and all-time great brother, Dan Hurley had the toughest act yet to follow: his own.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Zach Edey named Sporting News College Basketball Player of the Year

Only five players before Purdue's Zach Edey became two-time consensus national Player of the Year, and their names are among the greatest in the sport's history. The Sporting News award is the first step toward Edey joining their company.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

Reigning Sporting News Player of the Year Zach Edey of Purdue rules the 2023-24 Sporting News All-America team. But there's at least one massive surprise among the quintet on the first team.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy's Dozen: Let's appreciate the greatness of Houston, Purdue and UConn

The Big Three at the top of the sport have produced extraordinary seasons, and when that happens, one usually cuts down the nets.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

The full list of winners for the 2024 Oscars. Oppenheimer, which was nominated for 13 categories, won for best picture and had seven total Oscars.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Bubble Watch: 17 games to track as teams try to lock up their at-large bids

Wake Forest has a chance to improve their chances if it can halt its three-game slide.

Mike DeCourcy

•

The Big 12 may have gamed the NCAA NET, but ACC's complaints feel hollow

If manipulating the NCAA's NET rankings is as easy and beneficial as some ACC coaches are claiming -- why didn't they do it?

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy's Dozen: For Arizona, going from Tucson to Glendale will be tough

Unless your clothes are all stitched out of cardinal and navy with very large “A” attached prominently, you aren’t buying that Arizona is headed up Interstate 10 to greater Phoenix for the 2024 NCAA Final Four.

Mike DeCourcy

•

NCAA Bubble Watch: Gonzaga needs a win at Saint Mary's to lock up bid

Gonzaga could all but clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament field with a win at Saint Mary's, but the Gaels will not give this up easily.

Mike DeCourcy

•

The road forward to the WNBA was the only path Caitlin Clark could have taken

Caitlin Clark's decision to enter the WNBA Draft after Iowa's season ends was the only choice for a supreme competitor -- and she is all of that -- to make.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Bigger isn't better: Why significantly expanding March Madness is a bad idea

Some of the authorities in power conferences are angling for an expansion to the NCAA Tournament over concern about access for those competing in 16- or 18-team leagues. But there's no reason to believe that'll be a problem.

Mike DeCourcy

•

The pluses and minuses of a 50-year-old-stat continue to be debated

Not quite a half-century ago, Andy Hill was a junior college basketball coach who came up with a new idea for a statistic. What the plus/minus rating has become in the years since still surprises him.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Decourcy's Dozen: Ranking the top 12, plus who should be behind Zack Edey for POY?

Purdue's Zach Edey is a shoe-in for Player of the Year? But who are some players that are at least worth a mention?

Mike DeCourcy

•

Bubble Watch: Will Texas A&M volunteer to sit out March Madness?

Texas A&M's once-secure position in the NCAA Tournament field has been imperiled by recent struggles. A road game to Tennessee could fix everything -- or wreck it all.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Caitlin Clark doesn't need Jay Williams or Pete Maravich to define her greatness

There still is one important college basketball career scoring record out there for Caitlin Clark to break. But it doesn't belong to LSU legend Pete Maravich.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy's Dozen sees change in leadership as UConn storms past Purdue

How much should Purdue be punished in DeCourcy's Dozen for losing to a team that just got done firing its coach? A little, at least.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Purdue's No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament bracket preview reveals one thing

The NCAA Tournament selection committee showed they valued big victories more than power ratings when they revealed which teams would be the top four seeds in each region if the tournament started now.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Caitlin Clark brings greatness to her sport, but why are the greats not embracing it?

It's strange that the people most involved in women's basketball have been so resistant to the popularity Iowa superstar Caitlin Clark has attracted to the sport.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy: Chris Holtmann's biggest problem at OSU? Players who got too good, too fast

If a coach signs a player who'll head to the draft after one season, it better be someone like Zion Williamson or Anthony Davis — or that coach better have a lifetime's worth of job security. Very few, including former Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann, can survive "surprise" one-and-dones.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy's Dozen: Top 12 hoops teams ahead of committee's preview bracket

Purdue and UConn are the top two teams in the nation, and each has a different preferred path to the Final Four.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

Even on an evening when he appeared to trend toward ordinary, burgeoning Chiefs legend Patrick Mahomes found a way to deliver a game-changing performance and grab Super Bowl 58 for Kansas City.

Mike DeCourcy

•

The 'wow' moment: When coaches, media knew Caitlin Clark was different

Caitlin Clark is going to become the leading career scorer in NCAA women's basketball history. Soon. Those who knew her when discuss how it all came about.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Decourcy's Dozen: Kansas charges forward, but still chasing Purdue, UConn

Kansas' victory over Houston makes the Jayhawks the most notable mover in DeCourcy's Dozen.

Mike DeCourcy

•

College football voices need not fret over losing coaches to the NFL

There were more laments about the transfer portal and player movement when Boston College's Jeff Hafley took a job with the Green Bay Packers as defensive coordinator. What they're missing: He left for a better job.

Mike DeCourcy

•

St. John's coach Rick Pitino is back in the Big East; and in the hunt for an NCAA bid

Rick Pitino spent a half-dozen years in relative exile after being dismissed by Louisville in the aftermath of allegations about improper recruiting in the program. He's in the big time again, and it's exactly where he belongs: New York, New York.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Meet Dalton Knecht, the nation's best transfer and surprise All-American candidate

Dalton Knecht was second-team All-Big Sky in his most recent college basketball season, and now he could be first-team All-America. What happened other than a change of venue to Tennessee?

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy's Dozen: Defending champ UConn is even better than last year

The Huskies are not at the top of this chart, but they could become the first repeat champ since 2006-07 Florida.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy: Dan Campbell's reckless coaching decisions cost Lions shot at Super Bowl

Just in the last decade, we've seen some dreadful and baffling coaching decisions on the NFL's biggest stage, but the Lions' Dan Campbell doubled down on his poor strategy, which might have made his performance twice as bad.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Lions QB Jared Goff is no underdog, but the former No. 1 pick feels like one

Jared Goff does not fit the quarterback stereotype -- except the part where he stands tall and wins football games The rest of it is for someone else.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Caitlin Clark's near injury another example why fans don't belong on the court

If things had gone in another direction – by maybe an inch, maybe less, who can know? – the biggest star in college basketball might have seen her 2024 basketball season end almost before it began.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy's Dozen: Auburn's weak schedule takes shine off string of blowouts

Auburn has managed to play 18 games of a 31-game regular season without defeating anyone ranked higher than 38th by KenPom, or 39th by the NET.

Mike DeCourcy

•

How the Ravens' new offense has turned Lamar Jackson into a potential Super Bowl-winning QB

Lamar Jackson won an MVP and the Ravens were winning regular season games with an option-style attack, but it rarely produced results in the postseason. Now, their embrace of his potential as a passer has changed their ceiling as a franchise.

Mike DeCourcy

•

The shot that changed everything: Notre Dame's Dwight Clay slays mighty UCLA

He was not Notre Dame's star or leading scorer, but when the Fighting Irish ended UCLA"s record 88-game winning streak 50 years ago, Dwight Clay -- the Iceman -- landed the clinching shot. Because it was not in March Madness, though, its importance is being overlooked.

Mike DeCourcy

•

LeBron James can do Bronny a favor by allowing him to develop at his own pace

LeBron James is not doing his son any favors by talking about how he's ready to play for the Lakers now -- when he is struggling to make an impact in college because of his late-summer heart scare.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy's Dozen: The power teams are not looking so powerful right now

North Carolina isn't getting challenged much by the ACC. There's always Duke to give it a go.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Kalen DeBoer's story is a magnificent one, but it has the potential to take a turn

Kalen DeBoer accepted one of the most prestigious coaching positions in sports when he agreed to coach the Alabama Crimson Tide. It's also one of the most pressurized.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

Let's just say NFL fans aren't happy about Saturday's Peacock-only NFL playoff game. It doesn’t have to be all bad, though.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Nick Saban's sudden exit did not do Alabama any favors to find his successor

Nick Saban took a different approach to retirement than Duke legend Mike Krzyzewski, who announced a year in advance he would retire.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy's Dozen: How does the college hoops world line up behind Purdue?

Our new weekly college basketball column will endeavor to rank the most accomplished teams in advance of Selection Sunday. No one said anything about the "best teams", because we take our analysis seriously.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Why does the NFL refuse to address wild card seeding issues year after year?

The NFL continues to move forward with an arcane playoff system that rewards division champions -- often over teams that produce better regular seasons. It means less will be on the line in the season's final weekend than should be.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Penny Hardaway has a better Hall of Fame case than you think

Knee issues that robbed Penny Hardaway of his explosiveness impacted the length of his career and his level of play as a veteran. His best, though, ranked with the best of the best — which makes him the Gale Sayers of the NBA.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese named The Sporting News Athletes of the Year

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark each play basketball with flair -- and with grand accomplishment. Their meeting in the 2023 NCAA Championship game accelerated the growth of their sport in a way that could become historic.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

Kalen DeBoer has been an extraordinary success everywhere he's been, but he's been mostly been places where national TV coverage isn't plentiful. If you don't know his name, you will.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

The Steelers' loss Sunday to the Cardinals has Mike Tomlin's critics again playing the song that he should be removed as the team's head coach. Even though they've got a front-row seat to how stability has kept the Pittsburgh franchise among the league's most successful, they contend the Steelers should operate like those who win less.

Mike DeCourcy

•

The SEC's past success makes picking this bracket a challenge for committee

With three undefeated power conference teams, and Big 12 champion Texas owning a head-to-head victory over the fifth league winner, the College Football Playoff committee's decision shouldn't be that difficult. But the solution is complicated by the reputation of the SEC.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Georgia's SEC-record winning streak among the greatest of all-time

It can be argued the winning streak authored by the Georgia Bulldogs since the 2021 College Football Playoff began is the greatest in the sport's history. The longer it continues, the stronger the Dawgs' argument will become.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Conference title games promise to have drama on the field and off

Come for the conference championship games. Stay for the conference championship trophy presentations.

Mike DeCourcy

•

College basketball must solve its non-conference scheduling issues

With the Big Ten and ACC headed toward 18-team conglomerations and the SEC and Big 12 soon to be at 16 teams, there are questions to be answered about how each of them will conduct their league competition, and how that will affect interconference play.

Mike DeCourcy

•

CFP committee cannot exclude Florida State because of Jordan Travis injury

So many undefeated college football teams have been denied the opportunity to compete for a national championship. It's starting to feel like Florida State could join four different Penn State teams and teams from Arizona State, Boise State and UCF in a very frustrating category.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

Sergino Dest showed once again he's a talented soccer player who can help the U.S. men's national team win big games. And then he reminded us he's still a young player with a volatile temper who needs to learn what it means to put his team first.

Mike DeCourcy

•

UCLA forward Berke Buyuktuncel cleared by NCAA to compete

Young Turkish forward Berke Buyuktuncel gained clearance to compete by NCAA in time to compete at the Maui Invitational, according to sources close to the situation.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

Ricardo Pepi has been through ups and downs in his young soccer career that might have wrecked a lesser man -- especially one who is only 22 years old. And he's become a super-sub for United States coach Gregg Berhalter.

Mike DeCourcy

•

DeCourcy: Michigan's acceptance of the Jim Harbaugh suspension may be late, but still welcomed

Michigan accepted the three-game suspension issued to head football coach Jim Harbaugh by dropping its attempt to earn a temporary restraining order against the Big Ten Conference. At last.

Mike DeCourcy

•

USMNT has come a long way since 2017 World Cup qualifying disaster

The United States men's national team went to Trinidad in October 2017 needing only a draw against the last-place team in World Cup qualifying to reach Russia 2018. As anyone who follows the team can tell you, that didn't happen. But a lot of good has developed since.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

All four teams at Tuesday's Champions Classic believe they can cut down the nets in April. But each showed in this doubleheader the apparent flaws that need to be addressed before that becomes possible.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Michigan State is Big Ten's best shot to end NCAA basketball title drought

Although there has been an abundance of NCAA Tournament entrants and Final Four teams, no Big Ten Conference team has won the national championship since Michigan State in 2000. This year's Spartans appear to have the goods to take MSU back to the top.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

The 2023-24 preseason All-America team for The Sporting News is a big deal. A very big deal. And that's just not us touting our own selections; the big men are the stars in the college game now.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Jim Harbaugh suspended by Big Ten: Michigan got off easy

The Big Ten did the right thing Friday by suspending Harbaugh from coaching on the sideline until the end of the regular season. It just wasn’t quite right enough.

Mike DeCourcy

•

No Pulisic, No Weah means no great comfort for USMNT

The United States front line will be missing two starters for its November games in the CONCACAF Nations League. Whether or not one values this competition, missing Christian Pulisic and Timothy Weah for games that convey Copa America qualification is not ideal.

Mike DeCourcy

•

College basketball rankings 2023-24: Duke, UConn, Kansas lead the way

It's never been harder to project a college basketball top 25 than it is now, with so many players changing teams and transfers becoming eligible immediately. But that doesn't mean we don't have confidence in our picks.

Mike DeCourcy

•

The recruit: Dane Fife wanted everything Bob Knight represented at Indiana — and still wishes he had more

Why did top prospects still want to play for Bob Knight at Indiana even after the thrown chair and the head-butt and the public displays of temper? Dane Fife can answer that question as well as anyone, even if all of us might not understand.

Mike DeCourcy

•

None

The NCAA's decision to change the qualification process for the NIT is not about squeezing out the little guy in future editions of March Madness.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Cooper Flagg, the best American prospect in a decade, commits to Duke

Cooper Flagg is only 16, but already he is showing he is the best American basketball prospect in a decade. His commitment to Duke offers plenty of hope to Blue Devils fans, but Flagg himself could represent a throwback to when the best prospects routinely became the greatest pros.

Mike DeCourcy

•

The 1988 Dodgers: A Kirk Gibson story you've never heard

Middle reliever Brian Holton, who played a critical role for the Dodgers in the legendary opening win over the A's in the 1988 World Series, witnessed a stunning exchange between Tommy Lasorda and the Game 1 hero.

Mike DeCourcy

•

The final Big Ten East race with Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan will be magical

This week will begin the annual three-way competition between the Wolverines, Buckeyes and Nittany Lions to determine a spot in Indianapolis -- the start of the last ride for the Big Ten East.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Reyna's Ghana performance means he has a place in USMNT lineup — if healthy

Gio Reyna scored twice and dominated the midfield for the USMNT in a 4-0 blowout of Ghana in an international friendly. It was the kind of performance his coaches have been waiting for -- because he hasn't been available to deliver that in nearly two years.

Mike DeCourcy

•

MLB needs a salary cap to ensure competitive balance

While baseball refuses to adopt a salary cap system, its audience shrinks and stagnates at the time time sports such as the NFL and NHL continue to grow.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Gio Reyna looks good in start, but USMNT falters in finish vs. Germany

Installing Gio Reyna in the midfield was an obvious decision for USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter, but there was no obvious fix for the absence of defensive specialist Tyler Adams.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Caitlin Clark's dazzling game set to bring the spotlight back to Iowa and women's hoops

NCAA women's basketball has never seen a player like Iowa guard Caitlin Clark -- which is a very big reason a lot more people are seeing NCAA women's basketball lately.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Gonzaga joining the Big 12 makes no sense for Gonzaga or the Big 12

The Big 12 Conference does not need Gonzaga. The Zags don't need the Big 12. So, yeah, Gonzaga to the Big 12 probably will happen.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Deion, Taylor and Messi are bringing sports to non-fans, and that's a good thing

A Icon, a pop megastar and a GOAT walked into American sports in 2023, and – well, it’s not a joke, it’s what actually happened.

Mike DeCourcy

•

Geno Smith's career revival with Seahawks is almost without precedent in NFL

Geno Smith isn't just winning games for the Seahawks. He's enjoying a career renaissance at QB that is almost without precedent in NFL history.

Mike DeCourcy

•

A legend says goodbye: Megan Rapinoe's final USWNT game

Megan Rapinoe plays her final game with the U.S. women's national team on Sunday. A living legend on and off the field, The Sporting News celebrates Rapinoe's final match with live commentary and perspective celebrating a remarkable career.

Mike DeCourcy

•

What's wrong with the Steelers offense?

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense was outscored by their own defense in Monday Night's 26-22 victory over the Browns. How much longer will they stick with offensive coordinator Matt Canada if some improvement doesn't manifest?

Mike DeCourcy

•
Newer Latest News Older