The NBA, now approaching its first month of the season, is in full swing.

And as the third week of the season wraps up, the NBA Cup is underway, with a loaded slate Friday. The Eastern Conference representative of last year’s in-season tournament final, the Indiana Pacers, take on the Miami Heat in a matchup of East B contenders.

Later Friday evening, fans will get an intriguing showdown between an established big in the Western Conference, Anthony Davis of the Los Angels Lakers, against phenom Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs.

And then on Sunday, the weekend wraps up with a fascinating showdown between a pair of Western Conference heavyweights, when the Dallas Mavericks head to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder.

Here are some takeaways from the fourth week of the NBA regular season.

Mavericks are on a skid. Is it time for concern?

No, it’s far too early, but there are opportunities for growth. The Mavericks (5-6) are sitting in the 12th spot in the West, and their three losses this week came against the Warriors (9-2), Nuggets (7-3) and Suns (9-3).

The ball often stagnates on offense, especially late in games. During its three-game losing streak, Dallas has lost by three, two and one. The shot quality, characterized generously, has been audacious. A far better descriptor is impractical. Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić have launched perimeter heaves against tight defense and scoring has suffered; Dallas is tied for dead last in clutch winning percentage (.167), with the Mavericks going 1-5 in clutch games.

Every single Dallas player to have played clutch minutes has a negative in plus-minus, with the exception of Dwight Powell, who has an even 0.0. Inside the final two minutes of clutch games, Dallas is shooting 27.8% from the field, ranked 27th — ahead of only the Trail Blazers, Bulls and Wizards.

Injuries to stars impacting early season strategies and outcomes

They’re an inevitability, but — with all teams having played at least 10 games — star players are missing time at a staggering pace. No team is feeling that more than the Pelicans, who lost Dejounte Murray (broken hand) after the season opener, and who are also now facing an extended absence of Zion Williamson (hamstring). The Pelicans have gone 2-9 in Murray’s absence.

That’s just the start.

Players with at least one All-Star appearance who are facing extended time away include: Kevin Durant (Suns; left calf), Ja Morant (Grizzlies; hip), Kawhi Leonard (Clippers; right knee), Tyrese Maxey (76ers; hamstring), Paolo Banchero (Magic; oblique), Jimmy Butler (Heat; ankle), Scottie Barnes (Raptors; orbital fracture), Khris Middleton (Bucks; ankle) and Kristaps Porzingis (Celtics; ankle).

USA TODAY Sports research revealed that, through each team’s first 10 games this season, star players combined to miss a total of 83 games. Compared to the same period last season, that figure is up 23.9% (67) from last season and 6.4% (78) from the year previous, but down 15.7% (96) from 2021-22. For this purpose, star players are ones who reached All-NBA nominations or All-Star nods in the last three seasons.

After early-season stumbles Nuggets return to championship form

And, as always, it’s ball movement and assists that have Denver thriving on offense during its current five-game winning streak. The Nuggets (7-3) lost three of their first five games of the season. During that stretch, the team averaged 27.8 assists per game.

Since then, during this five-game winning streak, the Nuggets have averaged 33.6 assists per game. It’s no surprise, then, that Denver’s scoring has improved, too; the Nuggets averaged 115.6 points per game through their first five and 126.2 since then.

Also, as always, it has been Nikola Jokić’s excellence, his vision and efficiency, that has Denver looking like an elite contender. Jokić has six triple-doubles through 10 games, leads the NBA in assists (11.7 per game) and is second in in player impact estimate (21.4), a comprehensive measurement of value and contribution, behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo (21.5).

Franz Wagner (and his brother) are keeping the Magic afloat without Banchero

After ascending star Paolo Banchero suffered a torn right oblique, the Magic lost the first four games they played without him. Since then, Orlando (7-6) has won four in a row and is hanging around the top third of the Eastern Conference.

The difference this week has been forward Franz Wagner, who’s averaging 27.8 points per game during Orlando’s four-game winning streak. His older brother, Moritz Wagner, has also been essential. Coming off the bench, Mo Wagner is averaging 15.3 points per game over Orlando’s last four.

Granted, Orlando’s winning streak has come against the Pelicans (3-9). Wizards (2-8), Hornets (4-7) and Pacers (5-6), so the Magic will need to show they can sustain this level against better competition.

A duo off the bench is elevating the Rockets

Houston is 8-4 so far this season. The Rockets are crazy athletic and they’re deep. They’ve done it, primarily, on defense, which is no surprise, given that it’s the identity coach Ime Udoka relies upon. The Rockets rank third in defensive rating (107.1), and they’re continuing to race back to force opponents to plod through half-court sets; Houston leads the NBA in transition defense, allowing a league-low 10.3 fast break points. The Rockets also led the league in that category last season, though they’ve improved from 11.5 fast break points allowed per game.

Udoka started with Houston last season. The year before he took over, the Rockets ranked dead last in the NBA in fast break defense (17.5).

Athleticism is just one part. Udoka has a deep rotation, and has relied on forward Amen Thompson and Tari Eason to inject defensive energy and spot scoring in the second unit.

Tennessee fields a better defense than Georgia, and college football turns on its head.
Tennessee faces CFP bubble with a loss, while Georgia could be eliminated from playoff with a loss.
Kirby Smart calls one of his players ‘an idiot.’ Just another day in the life in bizarro world.

We’re living in college football bizarro world, and Tennessee coach Josh Heupel is the mayor of this strange land, while Georgia Kirby Smart insults one of his own players.

Everything you think you know about this sport turned on its head in this wackiest of seasons.

Among the crazy twists: No. 4 Tennessee boasts a better defense than No. 10 Georgia, ahead of their clash Saturday in Athens.

Such a statement might have been expected throughout the Volunteers’ 1990s glory days, but during the first three years of the Heupel era, the Vols played offense at a breakneck pace. They spread the field, uncorked the deep shots, cranked up the tempo and asked the defense to do just enough.

Vols fans fell in love with Heupel’s system two years ago, when Tennessee won 11 games behind an offense that led the nation in scoring. Throughout that special “Vols are back!” season, the Vols hung 40 points on LSU, 52 on Alabama and 66 against Missouri. Sixty-six.

This year, the Vols could require three games to score 66 points. Heupel built what could go down as his best team by assembling a veteran defense that wreaks havoc at the line of scrimmage.

Heupel even dialed down his trademark tempo, trusting a defense that relishes the dirty work.

‘Extremely disruptive’ Tennessee defense rules in bizarro world

Not a single opponent scored at least 20 points against Tennessee (8-1) throughout nine games.

“They’re extremely disruptive,” Georgia’s Kirby Smart said of Tennessee’s defensive front.

Tennessee’s disruptors are more reliable than those who reside on Georgia’s schizophrenic defense, which got torn asunder by Alabama, shut down Texas, but couldn’t cover Ole Miss’ receivers. The Rebels bullied Georgia in a 28-10 takedown last weekend.

We’ve seen Smart lose before. Rarely, though, do we see his Bulldogs get pushed around, but that’s exactly what happened in Oxford.

Ole Miss flat whipped Georgia at the lines of scrimmage, and Tennessee comes armed with the personnel to do the same.

“We’re on a long journey,’ Smart said. ‘It’s a long journey.”

Not only long, but arduous.

Georgia (7-2) has faced the nation’s toughest schedule, and although it landed some punches, it also absorbed an inordinate amount of body blows along the way.

While attempting to pay respect Monday to Georgia’s talent, Heupel described this as “a typical Georgia defense.’ That’s a big, fat fib.

Tennessee ranks No. 2 in the SEC for scoring defense, four spots ahead of Georgia.

Georgia stands on brink of CFP bracket elimination

As we travel down the road into the heart of bizarro world, we arrive at another stunning discovery.

It’s worth mentioning that, for all of Georgia’s warts, it hasn’t lost at Sanford Stadium since Oct. 12, 2019, when a bad South Carolina team marched out of the hedges with a shocking upset.

At my core, I know Smart remains a master motivator, and his Georgia teams often achieve their greatest feats when they believe folks doubt them, but do historical norms apply in bizarro world?

Somewhere along the journey from supremacy to bizarro world, Georgia lost its mean streak.

Georgia’s struggling quarterback Carson Beck grinned like a jester on the sideline late in the fourth quarter Saturday, while he watched Ole Miss stomp his team.

While Rebels fans stormed the field, Georgia safety Jake Pope bumped into some family friends wearing Rebels gear that he knew from back home. They jumped up and down together in apparent joy, creating a strange scene of a losing player celebrating with the opponent’s fans, a sight you’d never see anywhere but in bizarro world.

“What an idiot,” Smart said of Pope, two days later. “Just stupid.”

Smart reversed his initial assessment more than 24 hours later and declared that he shouldn’t have labeled Pope ‘an idiot.’ While Smart argues with himself, a dunce cap sits atop his head. Bizarre, eh?

Smart usually has players’ backs through thick and thin, even after they set speedometer records while leaving rubber on the road racing the streets of Athens.

His remark about Pope registered as an unusually harsh dig at a Georgia player.  

Welcome to bizarro world. The strain of a few months living in this most unusual place takes its toll and leaves folks acting out of sorts.

Here’s what else I’m eying in this “Topp Rope” view of college football:

A Heisman Trophy ballot with no quarterbacks?

Heisman ballots give each voter first-, second-, and third-place votes. I became a Heisman voter in 2016, and if my memory serves, I’ve had at least two quarterbacks on my ballot in each year I voted.

This year, I could make a case for a ballot that includes no quarterbacks:

Start the conversation with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty and Colorado’s two-way standout Travis Hunter. They’re fabulous. Neither player’s team would be in the playoff hunt without them.

What other non-quarterbacks warrant consideration? I propose Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson, Indiana linebacker Aiden Fisher and Mississippi linebacker Chris Paul Jr.

Voters shouldn’t – and won’t – ignore quarterbacks.

Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Miami’s Cam Ward, Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders populate on my shortlist of quarterbacks.

If you ask me who’s going to win, I predict Oregon’s Gabriel, Miami’s Ward or Colorado’s Hunter.

Emails of the week

My response: I highly doubt it.

Jim writes: How can you criticize a team’s strength of schedule when they have no control over who they play? The Big Ten decides who each team plays. This means you are so stupid no one should believe anything you say. 

My response: Well, you do schedule who you play in the non-conference, and if you’re referencing Indiana, the Hoosiers played three yummy cupcakes.

As to Big Ten scheduling, yes, Penn State and Indiana received favorable draws, and they didn’t control that. Not saying they shouldn’t be in the top 10, but it’s funky to see Penn State eight spots ahead of Georgia when we can appreciate the one-game difference between those teams’ records stems from scheduling.

Larry writes: What would it take for Boise State to rise to a first-round host spot?

My response: Forget hosting a first-round game, because the No. 13 Broncos have an avenue to receive a bye into the quarterfinals.

Picture this: Boise State wins the Mountain West, finishes 12-1 and a team other than Brigham Young wins the Big 12, such as two-loss Colorado, ranked No. 17 by the CFP. The Buffaloes are currently positioned to play BYU in the Big 12 title game.

Three and out

1. Other than No. 1 Oregon, No. 4 Penn State enjoys the best CFP positioning. The Nittany Lions will close with games against lowly Purdue, middling Minnesota and mediocre Maryland. Win those, and rest your case at 11-1. Sit back, relax and watch Ohio State (assuming the Buckeyes win out), play a rugged rematch with Oregon in the Big Ten championship. Collect a No. 6 seed in the bracket, and host a first-round playoff game. Ideal positioning.

2. Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer delivered a Year 1 victory against LSU, and his recruiting class ranks No. 2 nationally. With that, sanity and smiles are restored in Tuscaloosa. Just don’t lose the Iron Bowl.

3. Army sits atop the AAC and retains a chance to go 13-0. Army would bolster its résumé if it upsets Notre Dame next week. Meanwhile, Boise State is positioned to win the Mountain West at 12-1. The committee must admit at least one Group of Five team, but no rule prevents it from selecting another as an at-large qualifier. Two G5s in a 12-team playoff? Now, that sounds like a narrative fit for bizarro world.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. The ‘Topp Rope’ is his football column published throughout the USA TODAY Network. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

IRVING, Texas – Mike Tyson and Jake Paul declared they’re ready for their fight Friday at AT&T Stadium, but only one of them did it in style.

Paul arrived for Wednesday’s press conference with something shiny around his right ear.

“I’m not getting my (expletive) bit off on Friday night, so I got my diamond-spiked ear covers right there,’’ Paul said, a reference to Tyson famously biting off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear during a 1997 fight.

Tyson did not react – a departure from the often jovial demeanor shown by the former world heavyweight champion during the buildup to the fight. He has grown increasingly disengaged as the bout approaches.

Netflix, which will livestream the fight, also livestreamed the press conference – the final one before the fight – that was a contrast in styles.

Paul, 27, wore a black sleeveless T-shirt that looked dusted with glitter, and sunglasses.

“I fear no man, so I want him to be that old savage Mike,’’ Paul said. “… I’m ready. I want that killer. I want the hardest match possible Friday night and I want there to be no excuses from everyone at home when I knock him out.’’

With the men sitting about 15 feet apart, Paul looked at Tyson and said, “So is that what you’re going to bring, homicidal?’’

Tyson, 58, wore a black T-shirt and a dark jean-style jacket and pants. Would he go homicidal Friday night, Paul wanted to know?

Tyson just stared ahead. And stared.

“I’m just ready,’’ Tyson finally said.

The press conference ended with host Ariel Helwani polling the 12 other boxers on the fight card about who they think will win the Tyson-Paul fight.

Nine said Tyson and three said Paul.

They will meet again at the weigh-in Thursday before meeting inside a boxing ring Friday at the middle of the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium.

Parity is growing in women’s college basketball every day, evidenced in part by so many good early season, non-conference matchups. These games also help increase parity. 

The parity of women’s hoops is also evidenced by all the movement this week in the USA TODAY Sports women’s basketball coaches poll. Stanford, Illinois and South Dakota State made their season debuts, while Baylor and Duke tumbled down the rankings (and in FSU, Creighton and Indiana’s case, completely out of the poll). 

That means after a slate of ranked matchups this week, even crazier things could happen in next week’s poll. The more parity, the better (and even though the NCAA Tournament feels very far away right now — the more parity, the more entertaining March Madness will be). 

With that in mind, here are five women’s games to watch this week:

Creighton at No. 11 Kansas State

Thursday, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

The most under-covered player in women’s college hoops is Kansas State’s Ayoka Lee, a 6-foot-6 center who holds the NCAA single-game scoring record (61 points). Lee is a handful at both ends of the floor, and she’s got a lot around her including Tulsa transfer Temira Poindexter (19.0 ppg) and Missouri State transfer Taylor Kennedy (17.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg). Meanwhile, Creighton did indeed fall to unranked South Dakota State last week, though Lauren Jensen (23 points) was the scoring machine expected. The Blue Jays tend to shoot a lot of 3s and the key to picking up a tough road win this week will be draining a lot of those attempts.

No. 2 UConn at No. 15 North Carolina

Friday, 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2

UConn coach Geno Auriemma will tie the all-time wins record with a victory against the Tar Heels, and you can bet Alyssa Ustby (10.7 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and North Carolina would love nothing more than to spoil that party. Ustby and guard Lexi Donarski (15.0 ppg) will have their hands full with a healthy Paige Bueckers (17.5 ppg, 4.0 apg) and Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen (6.0 ppg, 6.0 apg). But keep an eye on UConn freshman Jana El Alfy, a 6-foot-5 freshman center from Cairo, Egypt, who is finally healthy and has come off the bench to give UConn some excellent minutes (11.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg) early this season. She will be a difference maker. 

No. 18 Louisville at No. 19 Kentucky

Saturday, 6 p.m. ET, SECN+

This is a matchup of two of the best coached programs in the country, and an early look at Kentucky under first-year coach Kenny Brooks, who brought All-American guard Georgia Amoore (12.0 ppg, 9.0 apg) and center Clara Strack (18.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg) with him to Lexington. Jeff Walz’s group boasts one of the country’s most underappreciated post players in Olivia Cochran (12.3 ppg, 62 FG%) while freshman guard Tajianna Roberts (15.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg) has shown why she was a five-rated prospect coming out of high school. This is one of the best rivalries in women’s hoops and with Kentucky hiring Brooks last offseason, it only got better. 

No. 23 Stanford at Indiana

Sunday, 2 p.m. ET, FS1

Few people expected much of Stanford this season, as the Cardinal feature a new coach and almost entirely new roster. Picked to finish seventh in the ACC, Stanford thumped Gonzaga last week on the day its home floor was named Tara VanDerveer Court. But that’s not the most impressive thing about the Cardinal four games through the season — it’s the fact that Stanford is shooting a staggering 57.7% from 3. Sophomore forward Nunu Agara (19.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) does everything for the Cardinal and will be a handful for Indiana, which has dropped back-to-back games to Harvard (yes, Harvard) and Butler. Lilly Meister (12.3 ppg, 7.7 rpg) and Sydney Parrish (11.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg) will be eager to put those losses behind them.

No. 10 NC State at TCU

Sunday, 3 p.m., ESPN

Hailey Van Lith’s TCU debut went about as well as it could have, as the super senior guard turned in a stat line of 21 points, five rebounds, seven assists and six steals. Now she’ll get to go up against one of the best defenses with Wolfpack guards Aziaha James (15.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and Saniya Rivers (7.5 ppg, 7.0 rpg) patrolling the perimeter. The difference maker could very well be seventh-year senior Sedona Prince (19.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 5.7 bpg), or maybe sophomore transfer Donovyn Hunter (8.5 ppg, 4.0 apg). 

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell

Mike Tyson, during a recent break from training for his fight with Jake Paul, reflected on fatherhood.

He has six children ranging in age from 13 to 34.

“Well, listen, there’s a long journey because everything didn’t start out the way it is today,’’ Tyson told USA TODAY Sports. “You know, I was a young kid. I was really basically only based my life on my career. I didn’t think much about my children. I was very self-centered at that time.’’

As a result, Tyson said, he did not have a good relationship with his children.

“As time went on in life, going through adversity, we’ve grown and gained a bond and we’re friends now,’’ he said. “But I had to go through the difficulties.’’

There also was tragedy. Tyson’s daughter Exodus was 4 when she died accidentally when she strangled on a treadmill cord.

“But I had to go through the difficulties to receive the ease,’’ Tyson said of his relationship with his children, “and I’ve very happy to have gone through the difficulties with them.’’

A look at Tyson’s children:

Michael “Miki” Lorna Tyson

Age: 34

Mother: Kimberly Scarborough

Although his first children is a girl, Tyson bestowed his name on her. She now goes by “Miki’’ and as a child struggled with obesity.

In 2016, she appeared on the cover of Queen Size Magazine and said she’d lost about 150 pounds from her highest recorded weight, 390 pounds.

“I have been battling obesity my entire life,’’ she said.

Of herself, she told the magazine, “Michael is a triumphant girl from Harlem who loves life, culture and people. Many people can find me intimidating because they know my stock and I recognize I tend to have a lioness glare about me.’’

That year Miki modeled at Harlem Fashion Week, her breakout event.

On Oct. 31, Miki looked drastically slimmed down in a photo posted on her father’s Instagram page marking the recent release of a song she wrote and performed.

Ramsey Tyson

Age: 28

Mother: Monica Turner

Born a girl, Rayna, Tyson’s second-oldest daughter, now goes by Ramsey. Ramsey is a transmasculine and nonbinary individual who uses they/them pronouns, according to “Them,’’ an online magazine that covers the LGBTQ+ community. Ramsey also uses the pronouns on their Instagram page, which is set to private.

He was telling the story of how during Tyson’s former podcast, Ramsey confronted Boosie Badazz, a rapper who had made transphobic comments after Dwyane Wade’s child who was born male came out as transgender in 2020.

Tyson lauded Ramsey for addressing the matter with Boosie.

“Part of the reason why I wanted to talk to Boosie about it is because I’m a nonbinary person who’s socially transitioned amongst my friends and started a medical transition,” Ramsey told “Them” magazine. “I felt like I couldn’t not say something.”

Ramsey graduated from film school at New York University in 2018. According to IMDb, they were a set staff assistant on “The Joker” in 2019 and a research intern on “The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson.”

Amir Tyson

Age: 27

Mother: Monica Turner

In September, Mike Tyson and his oldest son, Amir, did commentary during Cage Wars 67, an MMA event in Schenectady, New York.

It was more than a lark for Amir.

He’s expected to participate in Netflix’s livestream of his father’s fight against Paul, and he’ll be drawing on professional experience.

In 2016, when he was an 18-year-old freshman at American University, Amir was among more than 100 people cited for suspected underage drinking at an off-campus party, according to WUSA9 TV.

After graduating from American University in 2019 with a degree in broadcast journalism, he put the degree to work. He was part of Triller’s coverage of an exhibition bout between Manny Pacquiao and DK Yoo in 2022, DAZN’s coverage of the heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Francis Ngannou in 2023 and DAZN’s coverage of the super middleweight bout between Edgar Berlanga and Padraig McCrory in February.

Amir also has his own streetwear brand, Debonair Attire.

Miguel Tyson

Age: 22

Mother: Sol Xochitl

He is a skilled pianist and global traveler who has attended the University of Southern California and thrived despite tragedy.

On May 26, 2009, Miguel was 7 when he discovered the lifeless body of his 4-year-old sister Exodus. According to police, Exodus died when a cord dangling from a treadmill became wrapped around her neck in the home where Mike Tyson lived with his then-girlfriend, Sol Xochitl.

Mike Tyson later addressed the death of his daughter.

Miguel’s Instagram page documents a busy year. He worked with Prince Jackson, son of the late Michael Jackson, for the Heal Los Angeles Foundation; spent time in Africa living with the Maasai, a semi-nomadic tribe that has faced violent evictions from its land; and visited London, the Faroe Islands of Demark and Hawaii.

“I kind of always felt like he was thinking on a much bigger level than for his age, and really was looking to do something major to help humanity,’’ said Tim Blenkiron, a tennis coach who worked with Miguel’s younger sister Milan. “I always thought was pretty cool.’’

Milan Tyson

Age: 15

Mother: Lakiha “Kiki” Tyson

Milan, who will turn 16 next month, is a promising tennis player with Grand Slam connections. She knows Serena Williams and has trained with Williams’ former coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, at his academy in France. Yes, there’s videtaped footage. And she plans to turn pro next year, Mike Tyson said during a Netflix documentary to promote the fight.

Milan’s tennis career was forged in the Las Vegas area, where she worked with Blenkiron, a highly regarded coach at No Quit Tennis Academy.

“She hits forehands like Mike does right hand punches,’’ said Blenkiron, who’s also the executive director and owner of the tennis academy. “Not only is she a strong athlete, a powerful athlete, but she plays very, very free and doesn’t appear to get overly stressed on the tennis court. So that combined with the fact that she looks like she loves the training, I think you could never say that a player like that is limited on potential.’’

The Tennis Recruiting Network rates Milan a four-star recruit but Blenkiron said he thinks she’d be a Top 100 player if she turned pro. Earlier this year, she notched signature victories over two five-star recruits: Summer Chandler and Samvrutha Jawahar.

Morocco Tyson

Age: 13

Mother: Lakiha “Kiki” Tyson

On Jan. 25, 2011, Mike Tyson became a father for the seventh time with the birth of Morocco Elijah Tyson. It was the same year he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

A photo posted on Morocco’s Instagram account – yes, he has his own Instagram page, “managed by parents’’ – shows him wearing boxing gloves when he was still a pipsqueak. Combat sports appeared to lead him elsewhere. A photo posted by his grandmother on Facebook on Nov. 9, 2019 shows Morocco wearing a taekwondo uniform.

The caption says Morocco successfully earned his green belt and, “He broke his board in one hit.’’

He also has played golf and tennis and posed for an especially sweet photo with his father.

Follow Josh Peter on social media @joshlpeter11

The U.S. men’s national soccer team will play its first meaningful game of the Mauricio Pochettino era as it takes on Jamaica in the first leg of a Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal on Thursday night.

When last we saw Pochettino’s USMNT, it was getting out-classed by Mexico in a friendly match at Estadio Akron in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico. That undesirable result came three days after Pochettino won in his USMNT debut, a 2-0 victory over Panama in a friendly match in Austin, Texas.

Now, the stakes are higher. The USMNT are three-time defending Concacacf Nations League champions, having won the competition in 2021, 2023 and 2024.

The two-leg series versus Jamaica will conclude on Sunday, when the U.S. hosts Jamaica at Energizer Park in St. Louis.

The other Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal matchups are Costa Rica vs. Panama, Suriname vs. Canada and Honduras vs. Mexico. The semifinals and final will be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, from March 20-23.

Here’s everything you need to know for Thursday’s Concacaf Nations League match:

When is the USMNT’s Nations League game against Jamaica?

Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Nov. 14.

Where will the USMNT’s friendly against Mexico be played?

Leg 1 of the USMNT vs. Jamaica Concacaf Nations League quarterfinal will be played at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. The USMNT has played at Jamaica 10 times, with the U.S. holding a narrow advantage with three wins, one loss and six draws.

How to watch USMNT vs. Jamaica on TV

The television broadcast will be available on TNT and truTV, with pregame coverage starting at 7 p.m. ET. The Spanish-language television broadcast is available on Universo.

How to stream USMNT vs. Jamaica

The match will stream on Max and Peacock, with pregame coverage starting at 7 p.m. ET.

Which players are on the USMNT and Jamaica rosters?

USMNT roster

Goalkeepers (4): Diego Kochen (FC Barcelona Atletic/Spain), Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Zack Steffen (Colorado Rapids), Matt Turner (Crystal Palace/England)

Defenders (7): Mark McKenzie (Toulouse/France), Tim Ream (Charlotte FC), Chris Richards (Crystal Palace/England), Antonee Robinson (Fulham/England), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), Joe Scally (Borussia Mönchengladbach/Germany), Auston Trusty (Celtic/Scotland)

Midfielders (8): Brenden Aaronson (Leeds United/England), Gianluca Busio (Venezia/Italy), Johnny Cardoso (Real Betis/Spain), Weston McKennie (Juventus/Italy), Aidan Morris (Middlesbrough/England), Yunus Musah (AC Milan/Italy), Tanner Tessmann (Olympique Lyon/France), Malik Tillman (PSV Eindhoven/Netherlands)

Forwards (6): Cade Cowell (Guadalajara/Mexico), Ricardo Pepi (PSV Eindhoven/Netherlands), Christian Pulisic (AC Milan/Italy), Brandon Vazquez (Monterrey/Mexico), Tim Weah (Juventus/Italy), Alex Zendejas (Club América/Mexico)

Jamaica roster

Goalkeepers (3): Andre Blake (Philadelphia Union/USA), Shaquan Davis (Mount Pleasant), Jahmali Waite (El Paso Locomotive FC/USA)

Defenders (9): Amari’i Bell (Luton Town/England), Di’Shon Bernard (Sheffield Wednesday/England), Tayvon Gray (New York City FC/USA), Mason Holgate (West Bromwich Albion/England), Richard King (IBV/Iceland), Greg Leigh (Oxford United/England), Dexter Lembikisa (Yverdon Sport/Switzerland), Damion Lowe (Al Okhdood/Saudi Arabia), Ethan Pinnock (Brentford/England)

Midfielders (5): Karoy Anderson (Charlton Athletic/England), Isaac Hayden (Newcastle United/England), Joel Latibeaudiere (Coventry City/England), Tyreek Magee (Colorado Springs Switchbacks/USA), Kasey Palmer (Hull City/England)

Forwards (7): Michail Antonio (West Ham United/England), Leon Bailey (Aston Villa/England), Renaldo Cephas (Ankaragücü/Turkey), Kaheim Dixon (Charlton Athletic/England), Demarai Gray (Al-Ettifaq/Saudi Arabia), Shamar Nicholson (Spartak Moscow/Russia), Romario Williams (Indy Eleven/USA)

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