Caitlin Clark is the best scorer in women’s basketball this season. She has moved into fourth place on the all-time women’s scoring list. And soon, Clark might be the best scorer in NCAA basketball history.

Clark, known for her logo 3s, is on pace to top Kelsey Plum’s women’s scoring record (3,527), set in 2017. Perhaps more impressively, she could also top the men’s scoring record, set by Pete Maravich in 1970 (3,667 points), set back before the 3-point line existed. It would be an impressive feat for the senior All-American who led Iowa to the national championship game in April.

Clark started the 2023-24 season with 2,717 career points, and through 21 games she’s averaging 32.0 points per game. Given that she’s never averaged less than 26.6 per season, she’ll likely break Plum’s record in mid-February (provided she stays healthy). Then again, this is a player who has a history of 40-point performances, so it could happen sooner. 

Should Clark return for a fifth year – because of COVID she has one extra season of eligibility if she wants it – she would undoubtedly shatter both records.

How many points did Caitlin Clark score in Iowa’s last game?

vs. Nebraska, Jan. 27: Clark led all scorers with 38 points in Iowa’s 92-73 win over Nebraska, including a 8-of-15 performance from 3. She also grabbed 10 rebounds, handed out six assists and nabbed two steals. It was the 53rd double-double of her career.

The win puts the No. 5 Hawkeyes back on track after their upset loss at Ohio State last week. 

How many career points does Caitlin Clark have?

Caitlin Clark has 3,389 career points (and counting!) after scoring 38 vs. Nebraska.

Points shy of breaking Plum’s record: 139

Points shy of breaking Maravich’s record: 279

When do Caitlin Clark, Iowa women’s basketball play again?

Clark and the Hawkeyes play Wednesday at Northwestern in a game that is, of course, sold out. Tip is set for 8 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on Peacock.

Caitlin Clark game-by-game points in 2023-24

Here’s a breakdown of Clark’s scoring this season for the Hawkeyes:

vs. Nebraska, 1/27/2024: 38 points
at Ohio State, 1/21/2024: 45 points (season-high)
vs. Wisconsin, 1/16/2024: 32 points
vs. Indiana, 1/13/2024: 30 points
at Purdue, 1/10/2024: 26 points
at Rutgers, 1/5/2024: 29 points
vs. Michigan State, 1/2/2024: 40 points
vs. Minnesota, 12/30/2023: 35 points
vs. Loyola Chicago, 12/21/2023: 35 points
vs. Cleveland State, 12/16/2023: 38 points
at Wisconsin, 12/10/2023: 28 points
vs. Iowa State, 12/6/2023: 35 points
vs. Bowling Green, 12/2/2023: 24 points
vs. Kansas State, 11/26/2023: 32 points
vs. Florida Gulf Coast, 11/25/2023: 21 points
vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, 11/24/2023: 29 points
vs. Drake, 11/19/2023: 35 points
vs. Kansas State, 11/16/2023: 24 points
at UNI, 11/12/2023: 24 points
vs. Virginia Tech, 11/9/2023: 44 points
vs. FDU, 11/6/2023: 28 points

How many points does Caitlin Clark average per game?

Through 21 games in the 2023-24 season, Clark is averaging 32.0 points. Over her career, she’s averaged 28.0 points.

One of the most impressive parts of Clark’s game is that she’s averaged more points each season. Here’s how it breaks down:

Freshman year: 26.6 points
Sophomore year: 27.0 points
Junior year: 27.8 points
Senior year: 32.0 points

What is Caitlin Clark’s shooting percentage?

In a word: impressive. Clark is currently connecting on 48.4% of her shots and 40.7% from 3-point range, eye-popping when you consider the attention she demands from defenses. Her ability to score consistently from long-range is especially impressive considering that she takes so many 3s from 25 feet or deeper (the college 3-point line is 22 feet, 1.75 inches).

What is Caitlin Clark’s highest-scoring game?

Clark’s highest-scoring game came in her latest game in the 2023-24 season, when she hung 45 points on Ohio State. Clark shot 12-for-25 that game, including 7-for-18 from 3. She also grabbed three rebounds and handed out seven assists in the 100-92 loss.

Michigan has promoted offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Sherrone Moore to head coach, the school announced Friday, moving quickly to tap one of the key figures behind this year’s championship run as Jim Harbaugh’s successor.

Moore, 37, is the first Black head coach in program history.

“I have been preparing my entire coaching career for this opportunity and I can’t think of a better place to be head coach than at the University of Michigan,” Moore said in the school’s announcement. ‘We will do everything each day as a TEAM to continue the legacy of championship football that has been played at Michigan for the past 144 years.

‘Our standards will not change. We will be a smart, tough, dependable, relentless, and enthusiastic championship-level team that loves football and plays with passion for the game, the winged helmet and each other.’

Moore was seen in college football circles as Michigan’s most obvious replacement should Harbaugh leave for a second stint in the NFL. Harbaugh agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday after going 89-25 in his nine seasons with the Wolverines.

By finding a new head coach within the existing staff, Michigan is banking on a seamless transition to help continue the Wolverines’ greatest run in recent history. The Wolverines have claimed three outright Big Ten crowns in a row, beaten Ohio State three years in a row and just claimed their first national championship since 1997.

Moore is the fifth head coach in the program’s modern era to be promoted as an assistant. All four of the previous hires reached a Rose Bowl and two, Lloyd Carr and Bennie Oosterbaan, won a national championship.

According to the memorandum of understanding obtained by USA TODAY Sports, Moore is receiving a five-year deal worth $6 million per season to start: $500,000 base salary, a $500,000 retention bonus if he is employed for the entire contract year, and $5,000,000 in ‘additional compensation,’ which is to increase by 2% ($100,000) each subsequent contract year.

Moore would get a $500,000 bonus for winning the Big Ten, $200,000 for reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff, $300,000 for reaching the second round of the playoff, $500,000 for reaching the playoff semifinals, $750,000 for a national title game appearance and $1,000,000 for winning the national championship.

If Moore is fired without cause, Michigan would owe him 75% of his base salary and additional compensation for the remainder of the term. If Moore were to leave after one year, he would owe Michigan $5,000,000, and the buyout decreases by $1 million after each year.

A former offensive lineman at Oklahoma, Moore began his coaching career at Louisville (2009-13) and Central Michigan (2014-17) before being tapped to join Harbaugh’s staff at Michigan in 2018 to coach the tight ends.

He was one of the few assistants to survive a major staffing purge following the Wolverines’ disastrous 2020 season. Beginning in 2021, Moore was promoted to co-offensive coordinator and line coach before taking over as the sole coordinator this past year. Michigan’s offensive line won the Joe Moore Award as the best line in the Bowl Subdivision in 2021 and 2022, becoming the first program to repeat as winners.

Moore spent two separate stints this past season as the interim replacement for a suspended Harbaugh, who was suspended by the school for the first three games because of recruiting violations and the final three games of the regular season by the Big Ten over Michigan’s alleged sign-stealing. He was the acting coach for a win against Bowling Green in September and again in November for wins against Penn State, Maryland and Ohio State.

“Sherrone stepped up this fall and served as the interim head coach when the program and especially the team needed him,” athletic director Warde Manuel said in the team’s release. “Sherrone handled that situation in a way that sealed my already-growing confidence in him. He didn’t make it about him, it was always about the team!’

As an athlete, appearing on the cover of a video game provides a sense of validation in being a big name in a sport, but for WWE’s Bianca Belair, appearing on the cover of WWE 2K24 is about representation.

Appearing alongside Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley on the deluxe edition of the video game, it is the first time in series history two women will be on the cover. But Belair’s appearance marks the first time a woman of color is a cover star, which makes this “surreal” milestone mean “so much more.”

“I’m so glad that can be a part of my legacy, that I can go down in history as being one of the women in WWE that’s breaking barriers,” Belair told USA TODAY Sports. “My main purpose, goal and why has always been representation. That’s been at the forefront of everything that I’ve done.

“Women and little girls that look like me can look at this cover and see representation and see that it’s possible for them.”

But Belair doesn’t want people to just see her and Ripley on the cover. She wants people to think about all the past women wrestlers, especially women wrestlers of colors, because “they laid the foundation” for this to be a possibility.

“I’m the first, but I will say I don’t want to be the last,” she said. “I’m excited to be the one to break that barrier, but I just want to open up that door for more to come and do it after us.”

Riding momentum into Royal Rumble, WrestleMania

The video game cover isn’t the only thing Belair has achieved as a groundbreaking wrestling star. 

When she defeated Sasha Banks for the Smackdown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 37, it marked the first time two Black women headlined WWE’s flagship event. A three-time champion and previous Royal Rumble winner, Belair also has one of the longest women’s title reigns in the past 20 years. 

And if her star power in the ring wasn’t enough, her and husband Montez Ford have become such major celebrities they will be starring in their own reality show, airing next month. She also mentioned her husband had spent the past two years speaking it into existence that she’d appear on the cover of the video game.

With all that’s going right for Belair, she’s hoping the high she’s on right now will translate into a successful road to WrestleMania, which begins with Royal Rumble on Saturday.

“I think I’ve set the tone that I am a history maker, that I’m breaking barriers, so I will love to become the first woman to ever win the Royal Rumble twice and go to WrestleMania,” Belair said.

The “EST” of WWE has had her eyes on the WWE Women’s Champion Iyo Sky ever since she lost the title at SummerSlam when Sky cashed in her Money in the Bank contract. Winning the Royal Rumble would give her a chance to get a match for it back, but it would also give her the opportunity to face Ripley at WrestleMania. A possible coincidence for the two cover stars?

“We might be manifesting,” Belair said.

Carousels have always been a popular metaphor for the annual NFL head coaching cycle, and they tend to spin fastest between the end of the regular season and Super Bowl – 2024 being no exception despite modified rules teams had to follow when interviewing prospective candidates.

Yet musical chairs are also an apt analogy – maybe never more so than at a time when it doesn’t appear there’s going to be a seat in 2024 for Bill Belichick, the man who’s won more Super Bowls than any coach in league history. That outcome became increasingly apparent Thursday, when the Atlanta Falcons – team owner Arthur Blank and his lieutenants had multiple meetings with Belichick – hired Raheem Morris instead.

Where does that leave BB? Here’s where things stand:

How many teams interviewed Bill Belichick?

He was expected to be a hot commodity after he and the New England Patriots mutually parted on Jan. 11. But the Falcons are the only team known to have interviewed Belichick, 71, since. It’s currently unclear if he wasn’t right for Atlanta, Atlanta wasn’t right for him … or maybe this was another ‘mutual’ decision. Regardless, Belichick won’t be joining the franchise seven years after breaking its collective heart with the Pats’ legendary second-half comeback from a 28-3 deficit in Super Bowl 51.

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How many NFL teams still need coaches in 2024?

Seattle Seahawks

In a fairly surprising move, they kicked Pete Carroll, who’s one year older than Belichick, upstairs on Jan. 10. Like the Falcons, they also lost a Super Bowl stunner to New England. With the job sitting open, nothing theoretically stops Seattle from bringing Belichick in. However he’d almost certainly have to fit into an established football operations structure already topped with long-serving GM John Schneider, who has a highly successful track record in terms of talent evaluation. Seems telling that there’s been no connection between Belichick and Seattle to date, especially since the Seahawks have interviewed more than a half-dozen candidates.

Washington Commanders

They also have no apparent interest in Belichick. And that probably makes sense given Washington and its new search committee initiated the organization’s overhaul by appointing Adam Peters as general manager, a post he’s never held elsewhere in the league. The team has also been strongly linked to Ben Johnson as its next head coach, though the Commanders wouldn’t be able to hire the Detroit Lions’ offensive coordinator until their season ends.

Which NFL teams might need a head coach in 2025?

This month serves as a stark reminder that the league’s landscape can change dramatically, suddenly and unexpectedly, the departures of Belichick, Carroll and the Tennessee Titans’ Mike Vrabel testament to that. Trying to project what’s going to happen a year from now is a bit of a fool’s errand, but here are eight teams sure to be under a microscope in 2024:

Arizona Cardinals

Despite a 4-13 record, rookie HC Jonathan Gannon largely kept this crew competitive as it awaited QB Kyler Murray’s midseason return from ACL reconstruction – and he likely won’t return to 100% until next season. But if things go south in 2024, could there be outreach to Belichick from Cards GM Monti Ossenfort, who spent 15 years in the Patriots front office?

Buffalo Bills

They’ve had a pretty good thing going in Western New York, including assumption of AFC East dominance the past four seasons after the Patriots dynasty collapsed. But could a team that hasn’t reached the Super Bowl in three decades consider a drastic pivot if QB Josh Allen and Co. remain maxed out at very good under HC Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane?

Chicago Bears

Despite a slow start, they improved by four wins to 7-10 in Year 2 under Matt Eberflus. But the draft and free agency are expected to bring another major talent infusion in 2024, when more will almost be surely expected of a club that hasn’t won a playoff game in 13 years.

Dallas Cowboys

Darth Vader Jones is only going to accept a finite number of apologies. Sure seems like Mike McCarthy was fortunate to issue one more earlier this month.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Their charge to 9-8 in 2022 and the AFC South crown felt a lot different from this year’s collapse to 9-8, which concluded sans playoff tickets. Owner Shad Khan isn’t afraid of big swings – Urban Meyer, whoops – and might be compelled to take one if QB Trevor Lawrence and a talented roster underachieve again.

New York Giants

Belichick has a strong affinity for the franchise where he grew up as a sublimely gifted coordinator, one who earned his first two Super Bowl rings in 1986 and ’90 while orchestrating a legendary defense. Could be a relatively easy marriage if divorce from HC Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen becomes necessary after a major regression in 2023.

New York Jets

Would Belichick return to the Patriots’ supposed archrivals? Could he? He’s already been the nominal HC of the NYJ on two occasions, though never coached a game for them. However the club is far more stable from an ownership perspective than when Belichick abruptly left 24 years ago before turning up in New England shortly thereafter. The roster is also primed to win now – which coach Robert Saleh and GM Joe Douglas probably need to do extensively in 2024 with QB Aaron Rodgers back. If not?

Philadelphia Eagles

Nick Sirianni is 36-20 over three seasons, all ending with playoff berths plus that near-miss defeat in Super Bowl 57. Yet the 2023 Eagles also appeared to have a championship-caliber roster before losing six of their final seven games – the disappointment plainly evident on owner Jeff Lurie’s face during a decisive wild-card ouster in Tampa. Last year, Sirianni lost his offensive and defensive coordinator to head coaching gigs; this year he fired both in a bid to get this team back on track. But if it’s not humming a year from now, might he be out of work if Lurie decides he needs a mastermind’s touch?

Could Bill Belichick work in television?

What? A dour septuagenarian who traffics in clipped answers and hoodies? But before you dismiss the possibility, understand that Belichick has a renowned sense of humor behind closed doors and is generally quite comfortable offering expansive, insightful answers to football questions that steer clear of the state secrets surrounding his teams.

A TV gig, whether as a studio or broadcast analyst, would also theoretically afford Belichick opportunities for further networking throughout the league while evaluating other teams, players and facilities. And don’t forget, he’s already won a Sports Emmy for his work with NFL Films and NFL Network on 2019’s ‘NFL 100 All-Time Team’ series.

How many wins does Bill Belichick need to break the NFL record?

Belichick has 333 victories, including playoffs, as head coach with the Cleveland Browns (1991-95) and Patriots (2000-23). It is believed he wants to, at least, notch the 15 additional ones he’d need to overtake Hall of Famer Don Shula’s standard (347).

What is Bill Belichick saying?

He hasn’t appeared publicly since his final news conference in Foxborough two weeks ago. But Belichick left little doubt that he planned to continue coaching.

“It’s with so many fond memories and thoughts that I think about the Patriots. I will always be a Patriot,” he said. “I look forward to coming back here. But, at this time, we’re going to move on. I look forward, am excited for the future.”

***

Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on X, formerly Twitter @ByNateDavis.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic lit up the Atlanta Hawks for 73 points Friday night in the Mavericks’ 148-143 victory at State Farm Arena.

His 73-point outing ties for the fourth-most points scored in an NBA game, and marks just the 15th time a player has scored 70 points in one contest. The 14th 70-point game just happened Monday, when reigning MVP Joel Embiid accomplished the feat in the Philadelphia 76ers’ win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Doncic’s 73 points match him with Hall of Famers David Thompson and Wilt Chamberlain, who scored 73 twice. The only players to score more points in one game than Doncic did Friday? Chamberlain (NBA-record 100 and 78) and Kobe Bryant (81).

‘Those names are special,’ Doncic said after the game. ‘It’s unbelievable.’

The Mavericks star hit 25 of 33 shots, including eight of his 13 3-pointers in 45 minutes against the team that technically drafted him in 2018. (Doncic was traded to the Mavericks on draft night in a deal that sent draftmate Trae Young to Atlanta.) Doncic went 15-for-16 from the free throw line and pulled down 10 rebounds while dishing seven assists.

‘The three assists (he didn’t get) are what he’s probably thinking about in the locker room to have a triple-double,’ Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.

Doncic’s previous career high was 60 points, which also served as the Mavericks’ team record until Friday, and he broke Dirk Nowitzki’s team record for points in a half by scoring 41 before the break against the Hawks.

Kylie Kelce knows her husband.

So she was OK with Jason Kelce hopping out of the suite and roaring shirtless with a beer in his hand during Sunday’s divisional playoff game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.

To an extent…

‘The first time he jumped out of the suite, I was, ‘You know what, go ahead. That’s my husband!” she said in an interview with ‘Good Morning America’ posted on Friday. ‘And then the second and third time he did it, I was like, ‘I’m gonna need you to get back in because the poor cops that are out front trying to keep the chaos at a minimum, you’re making their jobs harder.’ So at first, I was all for it. And then I had to try and reel him back in.’

Kylie and the Philadelphia Eagles center were at the game to support Jason’s brother, Chiefs tight end Travis. It was their first time in public with his girlfriend, pop superstar Taylor Swift. They were able to attend the game because the Eagles were ousted from the playoffs in the wild card round.

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Jason said Wednesday on his ‘New Heights’ podcast with Travis that Kylie told him to ‘be on my best behavior because we were meeting Taylor.’ But, after his own playoff loss, ‘this was an opportunity to, honestly, just go someplace and forget about all that. Just go have fun and root on your brother.’

Kylie said Jason wanted the full Bills Mafia experience, which contributed to his high energy during the game. Buffalo’s fans are known for their tailgating parties that include drinking from bowling balls and jumping on tables to break them. The All-Pro player was able to cross one of the two off his bucket list. But not the other one.

‘They are notorious or famous for their tailgating skills, I will say,’ she said. ‘He desperately wanted to go through a table. It was on his checklist for the day, top priority of the day: go through table. He did not get a chance to do that.

‘And so when he got into the suite, he said to me, ‘I’m gonna take my shirt off and I’m gonna jump out. And I was like, ‘I don’t think that’s the best idea.’ But I think that it was that continued energy from when he was hyping himself up to break a table.’

At least he broke the internet.

Mikaela Shiffrin escaped serious injury after a crash during a downhill race at the venue for the 2026 Olympics.

Shiffrin was taken off the mountain by a helicopter, standard protocol at the venue, and then driven to a clinic in Cortina, Italy, where “initial analysis shows the ACL and PCL (in her left knee) seem intact,” U.S. Ski and Snowboard said in a post on X.

Shiffrin responded to the post saying, “Thank you for all your support,” followed by praying hands and heart emojis.

She later posted a photo of herself with a large ice bag on her left knee.

‘Very thankful it’s not worse, but I’m pretty sore at the moment. I won’t be skiing the rest of this weekend, and I won’t be skiing in Kronplatz,’ she wrote, referring to a giant slalom race Tuesday.

‘Beyond that, it’s quite hard to say right now. Need a little more time to process with my team and see how everything is feeling in the coming days! Thank you all!’

Shiffrin crashed near the top of the Olympia delle Tofane course, which will be used for the Milan-Cortina Olympics in 2026. She was heading into the Tofana schuss, a narrow chute through rock walls that is the signature part of the course, when she hit a patch of soft snow while landing a small jump.

Shiffrin crashed into the safety netting at the edge of the course and was attended to for about 10 minutes. But she was able to stand and limp off, keeping her left boot off the ground and using her poles for support.

Three U.S. women finished in the top 20, and Shiffrin gave her teammates a shoutout along with her status update.

‘Looking at the results for our speed team today made me smile so much!!’ she wrote.

Shiffrin broke Ingemar Stenmark’s record for total World Cup victories last season with her 87th win and has continued to add to it this season. She’s won eight World Cup races, including a slalom last weekend, and has a significant lead in the standings for what would be her sixth overall title.