Novak Djokovic has dominated the competition in Australia for the past several years and while playing in the United Cup in Perth, he surprised his Serbian teammates and the media when was asked to say “Happy New Year” in Chinese.

Not only did Djokovic respond after Serbia’s victory over the Czech Republic, but he also added a few more thoughts in Chinese.

“How are you?” he said. “Thank you for your support. I love you China, my good friend!”

Djokovic was hampered by a right wrist injury and in the next match against Australia’s Alex de Minaur he was beaten 6-4, 6-4, losing in the country for the first time in more than six years and snapping a 43-match winning streak.

The world’s No. 1 player will attempt to win his 11th Australian Open and extend his record of 24 Grand Slam men’s singles titles when the tournament starts on January 14.

Caitlin Clark is more than the best passer in college basketball and a logo-shooting supernova: She’s about to become the best scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history, and maybe NCAA history. 

Clark, a senior All-American who led Iowa to the national championship game in April, is on pace to top Kelsey Plum’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), back before the 3-point line existed. 

Clark started the 2023-24 season with 2,717 career points, and through 15 games she’s averaging 31.5 points per game. Given that she’s never averaged less than 26.6 per season, she’ll likely break Plum’s record toward the end of 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. Michigan State, Jan. 2: Clark turned in another 40-point game, including the game-winner as time expired, in Iowa’s 76-73 win over Michigan State. It was the 10th 40-point game of Clark’s career, the most by any Division I player – male or female – over the past 25 seasons.

For awhile, it looked like she might be stuck on 19 though: Clark didn’t score for the first 8:27 of the third quarter, missing eight consecutive shots dating back to the first half. But when she finally connected on a 3 with 1:33 to play in the third, she got hot quickly, scoring eight points in the third. In the fourth, she tacked on another 13. She also handed out five assists. 

How many career points does Caitlin Clark have?

Caitlin Clark has 3,189 career points (and counting!) after her 40-point performance against Michigan State.

Points shy of breaking Plum’s record: 339

Points shy of breaking Maravich’s record: 479

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

Clark will be back in action when the Hawkeyes travel to Rutgers on Friday, Jan. 5. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.

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

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

vs. Michigan State, 1/2/2024: 40 pointsvs. Minnesota, 12/30/2023: 35 pointsvs. Loyola Chicago, 12/21/2023: 35 pointsvs. Cleveland State, 12/16/2023: 38 pointsat Wisconsin, 12/10/2023: 28 pointsvs. Iowa State, 12/6/2023: 35 pointsvs. Bowling Green, 12/2/2023: 24 pointsvs. Kansas State, 11/26/2023: 32 pointsvs. Florida Gulf Coast, 11/25/2023: 21 pointsvs. Purdue Fort Wayne, 11/24/2023: 29 pointsvs. Drake, 11/19/2023: 35 pointsvs. Kansas State, 11/16/2023: 24 pointsat UNI, 11/12/2023: 24 pointsvs. Virginia Tech, 11/9/2023: 44 pointsvs. FDU, 11/6/2023: 28 points

Caitlin Clark scores 3,000 points

On Dec. 6, Clark crossed the 3,000-point milestone with 6:10 to play in the third quarter vs. Iowa State, fittingly, on a deep 3, becoming just the 15th player in the NCAA era to do so. (Former Iowa State All-American Ashley Joens was the most recent player to hit that mark, scoring 3,060 points from 2018-2023.) Clark is the first college player, men’s or women’s, to tally 3,000 points, 800 rebounds and 900 assists.

How many points does Caitlin Clark average per game?

Through 15 games in the 2023-24 season, Clark is averaging 31.5 points. Over her career, she’s averaged 27.7 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 pointsSophomore year: 27.0 pointsJunior year: 27.8 pointsSenior year: 31.5 points

Can Caitlin Clark break the scoring record?

Absolutely. The real question is, can Clark break both scoring records? Former Washington All-American Plum, now a WNBA All-Star with the Las Vegas Aces, holds the Division I women’s record with 3,527 points. Pete Maravich holds the Division I men’s record with 3,667. Depending on how deep Iowa plays into the postseason, both of those records are within reach for Clark.

What is Caitlin Clark’s shooting percentage?

In a word: impressive. Clark is currently connecting on 46.9% of her shots and 40.2% 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, according to ESPN, 68% of the 3s she takes are 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 early in the 2023-24 season, when she hung 44 points on Virginia Tech, another 2023 Final Four participant. Clark shot 13-for-31 that game, including 5-for-16 from 3. She also grabbed eight rebounds and handed out six assists in the 80-76 win.

Is Caitlin Clark a senior?

Caitlin Clark is indeed a senior — but she’s got another year of eligibility left if she wants it.

Clark is part of the last ‘COVID class’ in the NCAA, where athletes who played in the 2020-2021 season, Clark’s freshman year, were awarded a fifth year of eligibility because of how wonky the pandemic made college sports. Schools are inconsistent in how they notate this on their websites: Clark is listed as a senior on Iowa’s roster, whereas Angel Reese, who is the same recruiting class as Clark, is listed as a junior on LSU’s roster.

Should she decide to go pro after this season, Clark is projected as the No. 1 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Follow Lindsay Schnell on social media @Lindsay_Schnell

The Grambling State women’s basketball team set a new record for margin of victory when they routed the College of Biblical Studies 159-18 on Tuesday.

The 141-point win shattered the previous record for margin of victory when Savannah State beat Wesleyan (Georgia) 155-26 in 2018.

Grambling raced out to a 34-0 lead and had eight players score in double figures, led by Arianna Mosley, who finished with 27 points. All 13 Tigers who appeared in the game scored at least six points.

The Ambassadors did not score until there was 2:14 left in the first quarter and trailed 82-10 at halftime.

Grambling shot 59% from the field and had 39 steals, while the Ambassadors committed 57 turnovers and shot just 18.6%.

The defeat dropped the College of Biblical Studies to 0-7, which includes a 94-22 loss to Xavier of Louisiana on Nov. 4.

The College of Biblical Studies, located in Houston, is in its first year of playing basketball and competes in the Southwest Region of the Division II National Christian College Athletic Association.

Think of the guts it took.

Think of the belief and trust that Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh put in quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Think of the complete conviction Harbaugh had in Blake Corum.

To make one play.

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According to ESPN, Ohio State will host former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard in the coming days. He is reportedly also considering entering the NFL draft after visiting both Miami and Southern California.

Howard, a former three-star quarterback in the 2020 class, spent four seasons with the Wildcats, accumulating 5,786 passing yards, 48 touchdowns and 25 interceptions.

In 2023, Howard led Kansas State to a 9-4 record, a Big 12 championship and a win in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against NC State, completing a career high 61.3% of his passes for 2,643 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also added 10 touchdowns as a runner or receiver.

He has a 12-5 record as a starter in the past two seasons.

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Howard is a Downington, Pennsylvania native, who was the No. 33 pro-style quarterback and No. 888 player in the 2020 class per 247Sports’ composite rankings.

Ohio State lost quarterback Kyle McCord to the transfer portal. McCord signed with Syracuse.

In Ohio State’s 14-3 loss to Missouri in the Cotton Bowl, quarterbacks Devin Brown and Lincoln Kienholz combined for 106 passing yards and no touchdowns.

When it comes to his stance on LIV Golf, Rory McIlroy is backtracking a bit.

During an appearance on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast that published Wednesday, the four-time major champion said he regretted his comments that criticized the golfers who defected from the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed LIV tour over the past couple of years.

‘I think, at this point, I was maybe a little judgmental of the guys who went to LIV Golf at the start, and I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realize that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Woods’ position,’ McIlroy said during the podcast.

‘We all turn professional to make a living playing the sports that we do, and I think that’s what I realized over the last two years. I can’t judge people for making that decision.’

McIlory, 34, had previously been an ardent defender of the PGA Tour and routinely criticized the players and executives who helped make LIV Golf a possibility.

Bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf offered astronomical sums to a handful of the sport’s biggest names — including Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson — to poach them from the PGA Tour, which initially suspended the defectors.

Critics of LIV Golf have accused the Saudi government of using the franchise as a form of ‘sportswashing,’ or a way to improve their nation’s reputation by hosting a prestigious sporting event, or financing a popular team or league.

Recently, the No. 3 player in the World Golf Ranking, Jon Rahm, announced that he was making the move to join LIV Golf, starting with the 2024 season, in a deal that is reported to be worth around $500 million.

‘I wouldn’t say I’ve lost the fight against LIV, but I’ve just accepted the fact that this is part of our sport now,’ McIlroy said on the podcast. ‘Competition is good to help improve the sport of golf overall, but the PGA Tour competing with LIV and the Saudis’ money is completely unsustainable. You’re never going to win a fight if you’re going money for money, because we’ve seen that in other sports where no one is spending money like the Saudis.’

After years of contention and posturing against each other, the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the DP World Tour in June 2023 announced a partnership that would join all three leagues into a single operation. The organizations had set a Dec. 31 deadline for the specifics of the deal to be finalized, but it was not completed in that timeframe; on Sunday, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan sent players a memo that said ‘meaningful progress’ had been made and that talks would continue.

‘I don’t begrudge anyone for going and taking the money and doing something different, but don’t try to burn the place down on your way out,’ McIlroy said. ‘I think it’s just created this division that will hopefully stop soon because I think it’s the best thing for golf too.’