Mike DeCourcy | Sporting News

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Tennessee one game away from first Final Four

For only the third time in their history, the Tennessee Volunteers are one game removed from the NCAA Final Four.

Mike DeCourcy

Kentucky's Mark Pope explains how he's juggling Sweet 16, transfer portal

Mark Pope is busy preparing the Kentucky Wildcats for a Sweet 16 matchup against rival Tennessee - while he's also busy working to find the next group of Wildcats in the transfer portal. That's college coaching today.

Mike DeCourcy

Duke and Cooper Flag are halfway to a title, but the SEC is standing in the way

Duke's Cooper Flagg showed again what an extraordinary talent he is. But now he's got almost an entire league -- the best league, the SEC -- standing between him and the NCAA Championship.

Mike DeCourcy

Can Cooper Flagg pull off a Carmelo? The parallels of the freshmen run deep

In 2003, Carmelo Anthony was a versatile forward for the Syracuse Orangemen who redefined what was possible for freshmen in college basketball. Duke's Cooper Flagg is looking to follow his flight path to the 2025 NCAA Championship.

Mike DeCourcy

Welcome to the Southern-fried Sweet 16: Ranking every team's chance to win it all

The SEC gobbled but seven of the Sweet 16 spots in this year's tournament.

Mike DeCourcy

Walter Clayton delivers the dagger as No. 1 Florida finally puts away UConn

Florida All-American Walter Clayton had a rough first half, but down the stretch he was clutch and landed the Gators in the Sweet 16.

Mike DeCourcy

John Calipari uses his superpower to launch Arkansas past St. John's to Sweet 16

In a physical, old school basketball game, it was Calipari's Razorbacks who proved too much for Pitino's Red Storm and landed in the Sweet 16.

Mike DeCourcy

UConn knows it needs a big-time upset of No. 1 Florida to keep NCAA streak alive

In Connecticut basketball's four decades of dominance, one thing that's rarely been required is an NCAA Tournament upset. To continue toward a third straight title, though, they'll need to take down heavily favored Florida.

Mike DeCourcy

No red Flagg for Duke as freshman superstar looks 100 percent in blowout

Cooper Flagg said there was never any doubt he was playing in Round 1, and he contributed to the expected blowout of Mount St. Mary's.

Mike DeCourcy

Hall of Famers and UK legends Rick Pitino, John Calipari set to battle again

Rick Pitino and John Calipari have had an amazing rivalry through the years, and they will renew acquaintances when Pitino's second-seeded St. John's Red Storm faces Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks in the second round.

Mike DeCourcy

After acting like a fool off the court, Will Wade proves he's a heck of a coach

Will Wade knows how to coach the five players on the floor. So why does he have so much difficulty with the rest of the job?

Mike DeCourcy

Mike DeCourcy's expert bracket for 2025: Duke has the look of a champion

Almost every NCAA title team has had an NBA first-rounder and a top 20 offense and defense. Duke fits that mold.

Mike DeCourcy

Indiana must escape its past to become the dominant program its fans expect

Indiana football was among the best teams in the country immediately after hiring a new coach. The basketball program will try to follow suit.

Mike DeCourcy

Ranking the 68 best teams in the NCAA Tournament, from Duke to St. Francis

Duke and Florida look like they have the goods to cut down the nets in San Antonio.

Mike DeCourcy

South Region Breakdown 2025: Best first-round game, upsets, sleeper and more

Auburn and Michigan State may slug it out in Atlanta for a trip to San Antonio. And how, exactly, did North Carolina get a bid?

Mike DeCourcy

East Region Breakdown 2025: Best first-round game, upsets, sleeper and more

Duke is the team to beat, but there are some veteran mid-major coaches plus a dangerous No. 6 seed in BYU itching to get a crack at the Blue Devils.

Mike DeCourcy

West Region breakdown 2025: Best first-round game, sleeper, upsets and more

Two East Coast teams could be battling for a spot in the Final Four in the West Region final in San Francisco.

Mike DeCourcy

Midwest Region breakdown 2025: Best first-round game, upsets, sleeper and more

Whoever emerges from Indianapolis and heads to the Final Four will be featuring a strong defense.

Mike DeCourcy

Former Memphis, Georgia Tech coach Josh Pastner has 'burning desire' to coach again

Josh Pastner was let go by Georgia Tech after the 2023 season and has thrived as a TV basketball analyst.

Mike DeCourcy

Cooper Flagg appears to have avoided the cruel fate Kenyon Martin suffered in 2000

Cooper Flagg left on a wheelchair after an ankle injury, but it appears his season is not lost.

Mike DeCourcy

Sporting News Coach of the Year: Kelvin Sampson has Houston at top of the sport

When Kelvin Sampson was offered the Houston head coaching job, he was in no position to be picky if he wanted to run his own program again. You'd never recognize the place now.

Mike DeCourcy

The Sporting News 2024-25 College Basketball All-America Team

Cooper Flagg of Duke and Johni Broome of Auburn lead the 2024-25 All-America team for The Sporting News. Who joins them in being honored?

Mike DeCourcy

Bubble Watch: Duke-UNC highlights big weekend of make-or-break matchups

North Carolina will be fighting for its tournament life against No. 2 Duke, but there are several games to keep an eye on as the men's regular season comes to a close.

Mike DeCourcy

It just means more (bids) for the powerhouse SEC in 2025 NCAA tournament

The SEC will break all sorts of NCAA Tournament records on Selection Sunday. What it wants now is to finish it with a title.

Mike DeCourcy

Expanding the NCAA Tournament is a solution in search of a problem

There's not more money in it. Fans don't want it. The product as it is remains wildly popular. So why would anyone want to mess with expanding the NCAA Tournament?

Mike DeCourcy

DeCourcy's Dozen: Don't underestimate the difference between a No. 1 and 2 seed

No. 1 seeds have far outperformed No. 2s historically, which makes the race for the top line that much more compelling this season.

Mike DeCourcy

College hoops weekend preview: Auburn-UK one of many matchups to watch

Teams are putting the finishing touches on their March Madness resumes, and this weekend will go a long way toward shaping the field on Selection Sunday.

Mike DeCourcy

DeCourcy's Dozen: Ranking the top 12, and has Duke been too good for its own good?

When a team is winning by double-digit margins as routinely as Duke, the players might forget what it's like to be involved in the kind of basket-for-basket battle that comes up in the NCAA Tournament.

Mike DeCourcy

How the relentless Rick Pitino has St. John's closing in on a Big East title

Steve Masiello is associate head coach at St. John's, so maybe he's a little biased, but he'll eagerly make the case that his boss, Rick Pitino, is the best there ever was in this game.

Mike DeCourcy

USA vs. the World might be the only way to save the NBA All-Star Game

The NBA All-Star Game needs help. That's why we're here.

Mike DeCourcy

DeCourcy's Dozen: Ranking the top 12 in college hoops, with Auburn at the top

If Auburn is going to win the NCAA championship, they're going to do it at least a little differently than most teams that achieved this goal. Or maybe even a lot differently.

Mike DeCourcy

Jalen Hurts may not be elite, but he can still lead a team to a championship

Jalen Hurts is a very good NFL quarterback. But there are elements of his game that suggest he does not rank with the very best at his position. If he's in charge of the very best team, though, does that matter -- and what does that say to the rest of the league?

Mike DeCourcy

Nick Sirianni proving doubters wrong like Bill Cowher, Tom Coughlin before him

Nick Siranni has gone from the colloquial coaching "hot seat" to the sideine of his second Super Bowl in three years. That doesn't happen often. But when it does, it tends to work out well.

Mike DeCourcy

Nine coaching candidates to replace Mike Woodson at Indiana

The Hoosiers about to launch what amounts to a sixth search for a men’s basketball head coach in the past 25 years.

Mike DeCourcy

How the Chiefs' dynasty stacks up with Patriots, Cowboys, Steelers

The Chiefs are establishing a new standard for NFL dynasties in the 21st century. But what if we take it back a ways, to around the time the Super Bowl era began. How would they rate against the greatest championship runs in the league's history?

Mike DeCourcy

John Calipari deserves a fond reception when he returns to Rupp Arena

Rick Pitino is asking Kentucky fans to be respectful, Matt Laurance is expecting they will be, and John Calipari isn't sure what will hapopen. Coach Cal's return to Lexington as Arkansas coach should be something to watch this college basketball weekend.

Mike DeCourcy

Heel of a challenge: North Carolina will try to reignite its season at Duke

With North Carolina falling to 13-9 with a mid-week loss at Pitt, it could be argued there's no worse time for the Tar Heels to be facing the sizzling Duke Blue Devils. On the road. But perhaps America's best sporting rivalry can energize the Heels.

Mike DeCourcy

Florida coach Todd Golden accused of sexual harassment, stalking

The University of Florida student publication the Alligator reported details of a Title IX complaint filed in September against third-year head coach Todd Golden, who led the team to the NCAA Tournament in 2023-24.

Mike DeCourcy

Chiefs on the verge of establishing a new standard for NFL dynasties

The Chiefs are on the verge of establishing a new standard for NFL dynasties — and redefining what the word "dominant" can mean in sports.

Mike DeCourcy

Midseason hoops review: SEC is for real, so is Cooper Flagg, and expansion has been OK

If you've spent the nights when the College Football Playoff was not in action breaking down game film, you've missed a pretty cool start to the 2024-25 college basketball season. We're here to catch you up.

Mike DeCourcy

Sporting News 2024-25 midseason college basketball All-America team

There's no Zach Edey in college hoops this year, but there are some pretty big guys who are pretty big deals.

Mike DeCourcy

Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman has made history, and has a chance to make more

One more win will make Marcus Freeman the first Black head coach to win a national championship in his sport.

Mike DeCourcy

Chiefs' Super Bowl legacy, like the 70s Steelers, will be felt for decades

The Steelers of the 1970s won four Super Bowls in six years, a record unmatched by any team in NFL history. This year's Chiefs can match that achievement -- and set a standard no one in the league has even approached.

Mike DeCourcy

George Pickens can show his value in NFL playoffs, but will he want to?

George Pickens could be a $100 million receiver in the NFL. Does he want that?

Mike DeCourcy

Bad weather and playoff games make for greatest football TV weekend ever

It’s a little like March Madness with helmets. The winners move on. The losers go home.

Mike DeCourcy

Let the record show, Eagles making the right call resting Saquon Barkley

The Eagles are making the proper decision in resting star back Saquon Barkley for a meaningless final regular season game -- no matter what record might be at stake.

Mike DeCourcy

Here's a vote against Nick Saban being named college football commissioner

Penn State coach James Franklin thinks his sport needs a commissioner. It doesn't.

Mike DeCourcy

Shohei Ohtani is The Sporting News Male Athlete of the Year

You didn't need 20/20 vision to see that Shohei Ohtani crossed the threshold from baseball superstar to sporting icon with his 50/50 season and World Series title with the Dodgers. That made him SN's Male Athlete of the Year.

Mike DeCourcy

Four CFP blowouts show the seeding must be fixed in the 12-team format

If the CFP had been seeded by achievement, rather than granting preferential treatment to the highest-ranked conference champions, the first-round games might have featured more drama, less comedy.

Mike DeCourcy

Say what? Indiana's Curt Cignetti's wins Sporting News Coach of the Year

Indiana, statistically and historically, was the worst power conference football program when Curt Cignetti arrived to coach the Hoosiers last December. They were among the best 12 games later, and there was no one better equipped to talk about it.

Mike DeCourcy

Penn State losing its backup QB to the portal is the cost of business in this new era

There's no real way to fix the calendar that essentially mandated Beau Pribula leave Penn State before the College Football Playoff begins. But people will complain about it, anyway.

Mike DeCourcy

Can Bill Belichick defy father time and elevate UNC?

North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick as football coach seems a desperate reach for an aging, fading Hall of Famer

Mike DeCourcy

Pressure is on BYU after AJ Dybantsa commits

It would seem obvious that upgrading a team's talent leads to greater success, but it hasn't always been that way with one-and-done, 5-star freshmen like Anthony Edwards, Shabazz Muhammad and Tristan Thompson.

Mike DeCourcy

College football can't afford to ditch conference title games

There's a movement around college football to eliminate conference championship games. But in the P4 leagues, the two-team final is the only way to establish a legitimate champ.

Mike DeCourcy

Disastrous non-conference performance once again will hurt ACC in March

ACC principals have complained -- loudly -- about receiving only five NCAA Tournament bids in each of the past three seasons. With the way they've performed in non-league games in 2024-25, getting five teams in the field might be an achievement.

Mike DeCourcy

Lack of major non-league matchups makes CFP committee's job almost impossible

The College Football Playoff committee has a difficult job selecting and seeding teams when there's so little direct competition among the contenders.

Mike DeCourcy

Cooper Flagg is just different from most young stars

Trying to find the stat that defines Duke freshman star Cooper Flagg can be as challenging as trying to stop him from accumulating huge numbers in most every positive category.

Mike DeCourcy

The Rivalry Week day when the winners became losers and losers stayed losers

In the college football rivalry games that ended in a rash of performative flag-plantings, there were no winners. Only losers, and losers that scored more points.

Mike DeCourcy

Hunter Dickinson's dirty play becoming a pattern

Kansas will not be returning to the Final Four, as planned, if its best player won't realize battling every opponent over every perceived slight is a losing strategy.

Mike DeCourcy

The 12-team CFP will ruin the regular season? That fear has been put to rest

Promises that the arrival of the 12-team College Football Playoff would make the 2024 season more involving and compelling than any year, ever, turned out to undersell the magnificence of what we're seeing.

Mike DeCourcy

Kurtis Rourke's play — not his words — speak volumes ahead of Ohio State matchup

Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke doesn't say much to the press. Instead, he's let his play do the talking ahead of a historic showdown vs. Ohio State on Saturday.

Mike DeCourcy

Indiana is trying to crash the CFP party, and that's not going over well with some

Indiana has less historic success in football than almost any power conference team. Except in 2024, with the Hoosiers undefeated through 10 games. The field of the College Football Playoff should be decided on current excellence, not historic success.

Mike DeCourcy

How the Steelers have contained, and beaten, Lamar Jackson more often than not

The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the few NFL teams to have regular success against Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson. How have they done it?

Mike DeCourcy

ESPN's CFP rankings show is as phony as any other reality TV show

The College Football Playoff committee's process for selecting and seeding teams too secret, and the inconsistencies of its weekly bracket presentation leave everyone involved wondering what matters.

Mike DeCourcy

Kentucky's strength in numbers silences Cooper Flagg

When longtime Kentucky coach John Calipari left for Arkansas, replacement Mark Pope had only one way to build a roster: the transfer portal. Tuesday's win over Duke showed he made all the right choices.

Mike DeCourcy

Sporting News 2024-25 college basketball Preseason All-America team

The group of basketball players who project at the start of the 2024-25 season as the next batch of The Sporting News All-Americans are a lot more experienced than is usually the case. (Except for Duke's Cooper Flagg, of course).

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

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

USWNT player grades: Olympic performance against Zambia was only perfect for a minute

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

New USWNT coach Emma Hayes searching for connection, scoring as team prepare to open Paris Olympics

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

John Calipari replacements: Ranking Kentucky's best coaching candidates, from Mark Pope to Rick Pitino

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

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

NC State March Madness star DJ Burns says he has 'zero' interest in tackling an NFL career

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

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

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

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

The Sporting News 2023-24 College Basketball All-America Team

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

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

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