SURPRISE, Ariz. − Kids are standing on the back fields of the Texas Rangers’ spring training complex, getting autographs from everyone wearing a uniform, when Jacob deGrom emerges.

Parents tug on their kids’ arms, whisper in their ears, tell them to drop what they’re doing, and go grab deGrom’s signature.

Suddenly, there are more than 100 kids surrounding deGrom, most of whom have never seen him pitch, let alone suit up for the Rangers, but they’re taking the advice from their giddy parents that this 36-year-old man must be pretty important.

They are told that this man just may be one of the greatest pitchers in baseball … when healthy.

The problem, of course, is that he just hasn’t been healthy.

It has been six years since deGrom last pitched a full season, capturing his second consecutive Cy Young award. It has been four years since he has pitched more than 96 innings in a season. It has been nearly three years since he signed a five-year, $185 million free-agent contract with the Rangers, pitching just 41 innings the past two seasons.

“Obviously, they’ve taken a toll,’ deGrom tells USA TODAY Sports. “You feel the disappointment. You feel terrible. I haven’t been out on the field nearly as much as I’d like to be. You feel like you’re letting everybody down because you’re not playing.

“And that hurts. It hurts bad.’

Now, after two Tommy John surgeries and a litany of injuries later, hoping to prove to the world, most of all to himself, that he once again can be the most dominant pitcher in the game, perhaps still giving himself a shot at Cooperstown.

He feels as good as he has in years. The fastball velocity is back to 98-mph. His curveball and slider are crisp. The changeup is lethal. And the pinpoint control has returned.

“If deGrom is throwing a pen,’ Rangers rookie starter Jack Leiter says, “it’s pretty much a stop-and-watch kind of event. Anybody in the area is putting down what they’re doing and watching because it’s probably the most impressive bullpen anyone has ever seen.’

And when he’s healthy, and pitching in games, well, there may be no one better.

“He’s a unicorn,’ Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux says. “He plays catch at 95-mph, and commands the ball. His stuff is as good as anybody’s in the game, and he commands the ball as good as anyone I’ve seen.

“Most guys that have that kind of velocity are like blow-and-go guys. He’s driving it through a spot pretty consistently. He’s kind of like a Lamborghini, you know, he’s got to be finely tuned. One he gets in those lanes he’ll start stepping on the gas a little bit, and he’ll be just like he was a few years ago.’

There was a five-year span with the New York Mets when deGrom was the best pitcher in baseball. He won two Cy Young awards, finished in the top 10 in Cy Young voting five seasons, led the league in strikeouts twice, won an ERA title, and was so dominant in 2021 he actually had more hits himself than earned runs he allowed in the season.

“You can make the argument that he’s in the category of the most dominant pitcher of all time,’ says Rangers outfielder Kevin Pillar, who also played with deGrom with the Mets. “It’s just the perfect blend of power and finesse and accuracy. He’s the perfect pitcher when healthy.

“I’ve been on 10 teams now, and I’ve been around a lot of really good pitchers, great pitchers, but there was nothing like coming out of the dugout in New York when he was on top of his game, ‘Simple Man’ was playing and feeling like you were about to witness history. I’ve never seen anything like him.’

It was just those injuries, everything from the elbow, shoulder, forearm, wrist, back, neck, side and hamstring, along with the Tommy John surgeries, keeping him from perhaps going down as one of the finest pitchers in history.

“You know, I try not to look at things that way,’ deGrom says. “There’s a lot of things that could be different. You can’t play the what-ifs. It’s out of your control. You do everything you can to stay out there. If somebody knew exactly what would work, then nobody would get hurt. Some guys go their whole careers with nothing. The reality is that it happened.’

DeGrom, married with three kids, made just six starts into his free-agent contract before undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2023. He broke down in tears in front of TV cameras and reporters at a press conference to announce the decision.

“He even pulled a few of aside,’ former teammate Travis Jankowski says, “and told us, ‘Man, I just feel like I’m letting the team down. I’m so sorry.’ He felt like he was letting the owners down. He felt like he was letting C.Y. [GM Chris Young] down. He felt like he was letting his teammates down, the city down. You go through an injury like that first year after signing the contract, he felt terrible.

“We said, ‘Dude, you’re 1% of a 1% of a 1% pitcher. This isn’t something that you were out on a jet ski and fell off and broke your arm. Dude, this is an injury that happened in the game. You have nothing to feel bad about. We’re going to pick you up. Then, in the coming years, it’s on you.”

Now is that time, and really, even though deGrom had made only nine starts for the Rangers, his health really hasn’t cost them. The Rangers won the World Series without him in 2023. They were 78-84 and finished 10 ½ games out of first place in the AL West last year. So, even if he were healthy, the Rangers weren’t going to do better than winning the World Series two years ago and likely still wouldn’t have made the postseason last year.

Really, the way the Rangers see it, deGrom is arriving healthy just at the right time.

“Obviously, I haven’t been out on the field nearly as much as I’d like to be,’ deGrom says. “As a player, you feel like a disappointment because you’re supposed to be out there. You leave it all out on the field, and it’s then taken away from you.

“It just stinks.’

Can you imagine deGrom’s career if he was healthy this entire time? In deGrom’s four seasons in which he pitched 200 innings, he went 50-35 with a 2.53 ERA, striking out 968 in 913 ⅓ innings. In 2018, he was the best pitcher on the planet, going 10-9 with a 1.70 ERA, striking out 269 batters and walking only 46 in 217 innings. He still has the lowest career WHIP (0.944) and second-lowest ERA (2.52) of any starting pitcher in the live-ball era.

DeGrom refuses to feel sorry for himself, curse at the heavens or lament his fate. He knows he feels as good as he ever has, believe he can be dominant once again, and isn’t about to worry about the past.

“This game is funny,’ deGrom says. “Throwing the baseball is bad for you, right? All you can do is play this game, and we’re very fortunate to do it. It’s what you love to do. All the prep that goes into it, and all the offseason training. Then it’s taken away from you. It’s shines new light on it.

“I had my second Tommy John. I did my rehab. You’re upset it happened, sure, but you can’t get down yourself. So, here we we go, let’s see what we can do moving forward.’

DeGrom, who was able to make three starts at the end of last season and showing flashes of his brilliance, averaging 97-mph on his fastball and yielding a 1.69 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 10 ⅔ innings. He went home to Florida and was finally able to have a normal off-season. He felt like himself again and had a normal off-season workout routine. He tinkered with his delivery, believing his arm path got a little long, so he shortened it. He also has tried to ease up on his velocity, wanting to believe he can get the job done just as well throwing 95-96 mph than 101.

“The trouble is that it’s easier said than done,’ deGrom says. “It’s a thing you fight with when a batter steps into the box. It’s go-time. Where I struggle with it is that if I throttle down, and somebody hits a home run, you’re like, ‘Well, what if I didn’t throttle down. Maybe that wouldn’t have been the result.’

“So, it’s going to be something I play with. Locations wins most of the time. I’ve got to get back to that and we’ll see.’

The Rangers plan to be cautious with deGrom, making him the fifth starter to ease his workload, giving him extra days when needed. DeGrom still wants to make 30 starts, but the Rangers want to make sure he’s healthy come October. They plan on being back in the postseason, and who in the world would want to face a healthy deGrom.

“He looks good, and when he’s smiling like he is,’ Maddux says, “he makes everybody feel good.’

Who knows, if deGrom returns like the deGrom of old, stays healthy, he still could be a candidate one day for Cooperstown. While his focus is on winning another World Series, he’d by lying if the Hall of Fame didn’t cross his mind. He also knows he needs to stay healthy and rack up innings. He has pitched just 1,367 innings, which is nearly 1,000 innings fewer than Sandy Koufax’s 2,324 ⅓ total.

“Obviously, the highest honor you can get is to be elected to the Hall of Fame,’ says deGrom, “That was the goal. There’s some things that set me back, but I think I’ve got some years ahead of me to keep doing this so we’ll see where that that takes me.

“As a kid, you dream of being a baseball player, and then to play at the highest level, it’s pretty special. I’ve been able to do some pretty cool things in my career. But I know that’s in the past too. So, my goal is to put up zeroes, put my team in a position to win, and wherever that takes me, we’ll see.

“All I know is I’m ready. I’m excited to be out there. I can’t wait to see what’s ahead.’

Neither, of course, can anyone else.

“It’s the perfect time,’ Pillar says, “for him to be an ace again.’

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NEW YORK — Jayson Tatum, at the top of the key, collected the ball tipped to him. All five defenders locked in on him, waiting for what he would do.

It was the middle of the fourth quarter and the shorthanded Brooklyn Nets were making a run. Tatum paused, used his eyes to bait a defender to dash toward the wing to an open Payton Pritchard, leaving a cutting Kristaps Porziņģis streaking down the paint for an easy flush.

Tatum backpedaled nonchalantly, pointed in acknowledgement to Porziņģis and settled back into defense.

On a team with so much weaponry, a team in which any starter — and even most reserves — can pop off for 25-plus points on any given night, it’s patience, deference and sacrifice, a trio of overlooked but utilitarian traits, that keeps the Boston Celtics (50-19) ticking. Put more simply: Boston thrives because it spreads the floor with shooters, and priority goes, always, to the open man.

“We have really good players — really good guys — they all want to do what it takes to win,” coach Joe Mazzulla said recently. “They have a knack to want to make the right play, regardless of the role that they’re in. I really just kind of trust the guys in that and their ability to make plays. You’ve seen at different times, different guys make different kind of plays, different kinds of roles. To me that’s just a testament to who they are as players.”

It’s not just the stars who benefit. In a March 10 victory over the Utah Jazz, the Celtics were without Tatum, Porziņģis and forward Al Horford. Undrafted forward Sam Hauser, a glue player earning a spot start, laced seven 3s in the third quarter alone en route to a career-high 33 points.

Sensing he was in a rhythm, his teammates kept feeding him; Hauser put up 23 attempts, 19 from beyond the arc, also career highs.

“I feel like a lot of us do a really good job of whoever’s hot, just trying to find them and get a couple more up,” Hauser said after his career night.

That’s merely one part of why it works. While Boston freely distributes the ball, it becomes incumbent on players to move without it, work symbiotically to space the floor and find soft spots in opposing defenses.

Detroit coach J.B. Bickerstaff, whose Pistons got thumped by Boston in a 24-point loss in December in which the Celtics recorded 34 assists, one off their season high, called the Celtics “one of the most unselfish teams” the Pistons had seen.

“I know this sounds crazy, but there aren’t that many teams that will just throw the ball to the open man,” Bickerstaff said then. “That shows the ultimate amount of trust in team. … They just seem like they care about winning more than anything else.”

This is only magnified, now that Porziņģis has returned to the team. (He came back Saturday after missing eight games with a non-COVID, upper-respiratory illness.) Perhaps more than any other big in the NBA, Porziņģis, at 7-foot-2, can stretch the floor with his range and draw out opposing rim protectors; in his return Saturday night, Porziņģis played 32 minutes and led all scorers with 24 points.

No Celtic has had to sacrifice more than Tatum. One of the elite wings and a near-permanent presence in USA TODAY Sports’ NBA Most Valuable Player power rankings, Tatum has often patiently deferred when the game dictates it, opting to set up his teammates.

In Saturday’s victory against the Nets, once Jaylen Brown left the game with a lower-back spasm, Brooklyn constantly threw double-teams at Tatum when he was set to initiate Boston’s offense. Even during pick-and-roll actions, the Nets repeatedly held their defenders at the mesh point, clogging up possible lanes for Tatum to take.

Tatum, for his part, practiced patience, scanning the floor and waiting for other Celtics to find creases in the defense. After the first quarter, Tatum led all scorers with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting. He would finish the game with only 20 points, though he scooped eight rebounds and dished out eight assists — many created because of the extra defensive attention he drew.

“Shoot, double-, triple-teams, they was doing it all,” Tatum said. “It’s just scanning the floor, take your time, don’t be rushed, know where your outlets are and deliver the pass.”

The Nets are far from the only team to employ this tactic against Tatum, who’s averaging 27.1 points — sixth-highest in the NBA — 8.7 rebounds and a career-high 5.9 assists per game.

But, even though Boston has Porziņģis back, Brown (back) and Tatum (knee) missed Tuesday night’s victory over the Nets. Derrick White (knee) and Horford (toe) have also missed games within the last week. As the grind of the regular season gives way to the playoffs, injuries may continue to be a factor down the stretch.

The Celtics stress they’re built to overcome it, and it all comes down to trusting the open man.

“We have an identity,” Tatum said Saturday. “We know what we’re trying to accomplish on the floor, and we’ll just try not to skip a beat when we plug in and replace guys.”

Confused by IU basketball’s rush to hire Darian DeVries from West Virginia? You weren’t alone. But look deeper. The more you study DeVries, the more you realize: He’ll get it done at Indiana.
DeVries won immediately at Drake and West Virginia, two places where the time or place – or both – wasn’t conducive to winning. His career record in seven seasons: 169-68.
DeVries will surely bring his son, 6-7 guard Tucker DeVries, a two-time MVC player of the year who played just eight games at West Virginia – where his dad proved, again, he can win without his son.

The Indiana basketball program has hired West Virginia’s Darian DeVries as coach, and I love it. Could I love it more? Yes, but only if DeVries changed the way he spelled his last name. What would look better? S-t-e-v-e-n-s. But Brad Stevens wasn’t coming to save IU basketball. Which means IU athletic director Scott Dolson needed another superhero.

And Darian DeVries looks great in a cape.

Mega-trades involving stars such as the Miami Heat dealing Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors or the Dallas Mavericks trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, sent shockwaves throughout the NBA in February.

We’ve just passed the halfway point between the end of the season and the NBA trade deadline with some of the biggest blockbuster trades in recent memory, and many of those moves have already paid off. Most teams have played about 18 games since the trade deadline on Feb. 6, and about 15 games remain for each in the regular season.

Here’s how teams surrounding big trades, have fared since making major changes to their rosters ahead of the playoff push:

LeBron James’ injury slows Los Angeles Lakers’ momentum

The Lakers were rolling before the trade deadline and kept it going when the acquired Luka Doncic days before the trade deadline. From Jan. 15 through March 6, the Lakers were 20-4. Doncic and LeBron James played well together, we’re getting better together and Doncic’s minutes with James on the bench were fantastic for the Lakers.

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The Lakers were 40-21 and tied for second place in the Western Conference on March 6 after beating the New York Knicks in overtime. Then, James sustained a groin injury, sidelining him for about two weeks, and the Lakers lost four consecutive games. They rebounded with victories against Phoenix and San Antonio and are in fourth place, one game behind Denver and Houston.

James remains out while he rehabs. Getting him back in the lineup is key for playoff success, and there were plenty of signs the Lakers can be dangerous and go deep into the playoffs with James and Doncic on the court. 

Injuries hurt Dallas Mavericks, but Max Christie is a bright spot

At best, the Mavericks’ stunning trade – sending Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and one first-round draft pick – receives an incomplete grade. It was widely panned as a bad move: Who trades an All-NBA player entering the prime of his career? The Mavs didn’t even get a full game with Davis before he left Dallas’ game against Houston with an adductor strain. Then, Mavs guard Kyrie Irving sustained a season-ending knee injury March 3. Since the Doncic-Davis trade, Dallas is 7-13 and has lost eight of its past nine games. 

The Mavericks are 33-36 and in 10th place in the West, trying to hold off 11th-place Phoenix (32-37) for the final play-in game spot. Christie has taken advantage of his new role with more minutes and more shots, averaging 11.9 points (38.6% on 3-pointers), 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 19 games with Dallas.

Jimmy Butler gives the Golden State Warriors a lift

So far, the Jimmy Butler trade has been a home run for Golden State.

The Warriors are 14-2 in games in which Butler has played. He’s averaged 16.8 points, 5.9 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals and shoots 44.8% from the field, 22.6% on 3-pointers and 86.2% on free throws. His value appears greater than his individual statistics, though. The Warriors’ victories are piling up, jumping from 10th place in the Western Conference to tied for sixth place.

The Warriors have improved drastically offensively and defensively with Butler. Before Butler’s arrival, Golden State scored 111.8 points and allowed 112.2 points per 100 possessions. Since acquiring Butler, the Warriors are scoring 7.6 more points and are allowing 4 fewer. They also register more assists, steals and free throws per game with Butler than without.

Zach LaVine gives the Sacramento Kings a lift

The Kings have been up-and-down since getting Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls. They are 9-9 with LaVine – a stretch that includes seven victories in nine games and a four-game losing streak.

The Kings, who lost De’Aaron Fox to the Spurs at the trade deadline, are 34-33 and in ninth place in the West – two games ahead of 10th-place Dallas and 3½ games behind the eighth-place Los Angeles Clippers. Golden State and Minnesota are 4½ games ahead of the Kings in a virtual tie for sixth place.

For his part, LaVine has brought his strong offensive game to the Kings. He was having one of the best shooting seasons of his career with the Bulls. And that has continued with Sacramento, averaging 22.7 points on 52.7% shooting from the field, 44.1% on 3-pointers and 89.4% from the foul line.

He has given the Kings a boost offensively, but Sacramento has dropped a bit defensively since the trade. 

Victor Wembanyama-De’Aaron Fox combination on hold in San Antonio

The Spurs were hoping to finish the season with second-year sensation Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox, who they acquired at the trade deadline. That didn’t happen. Wembanyama was shut down for the season at the All-Star break after a blood clot was discovered in his shoulder, and Fox had season-ending finger surgery scheduled for Tuesday.

They only played five games together, but Fox showed what he can do in 17 games with San Antonio. He averaged 19.7 points, 6.8 assists 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 44.6% from the field. Having both healthy at the start of next season is paramount for the franchise.

Winning gets tougher in Miami after the Jimmy Butler trade

The Jimmy Butler situation became untenable for the Heat, and they had to trade him at the deadline. However, they lost a player who made them better. Since trading Butler, the Heat are 4-15 and have lost eight consecutive games through Monday’s loss to the New York Knicks.

The Heat are 29-39 and have fallen from sixth place in the East to a ninth-place tie with Chicago. Since the trade, the Heat have the second-worst offense. Miami acquired Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and Kyle Anderson as part of the trade. Wiggins has averaged 18.3 points but on 42.2% shooting from the field and 30.9% on 3-pointers. Mitchell has provided solid minutes (8.9 points per game on 48.3% shooting), and Anderson is at 4.9 points per game.

The Heat also have Golden State’s top-10 protected first-round pick in the 2025 draft, which should fall in the low 20s, giving the Heat two first-round picks.

Still hot in Cleveland

The Cavaliers were already the best team in the Eastern Conference, and then the front office led by Koby Altman made a savvy move, trading for De’Andre Hunter, a reliable 3-pointer shooter and defender on the wing. Hunter has been a valuable addition to a team that is in great position to dethrone the Boston Celtics, who won the title last season.

The Cavs are 13-1 with Hunter in the lineup; he averages 14.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and shoots 48% from the field and 48.5% on 3-pointers. The Cavs were already a great defensive team, and they’re even better with Hunter on the court, allowing just 106.2 points per 100 possessions compared to their season mark of 110.8 points per 100 possessions. The Cavs’ top-ranked offense is also slightly better with Hunter on the court.

Milwaukee Bucks add Kyle Kuzma but struggle with Bobby Portis suspension

The Bucks are 11-7 with Kyle Kuzma, who the team landed in a deal with Washington. The Bucks are tied for fourth place with Indiana – five games behind the New York Knicks and one game ahead of the Detroit Pistons.

The Bucks gave up longtime franchise cornerstone and fan favorite Khris Middleton to get the deal done. Kuzma averages 13.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and shoots 42.4% from the field and 29.3% on 3-pointers. Milwaukee’s offensive production has dropped but its defense has improved. However, the Bucks have a negative net-rating per 100 possessions and were plus-4.5 with Middleton. A larger issue is Bobby Portis’ 25-game suspension announced Feb. 20 for violating the terms of the NBA/NBPA Anti-Drug Program by testing positive for tramadol.

Gonzaga’s Mark Few the headliner on Mount Rushmore of top active college basketball coaches without a national championship.
By consistently winning at multiple schools, Bruce Pearl and Rick Barnes are also on that Mount Rushmore, but each enjoys a chance to get off that list this March Madness.
Kelvin Sampson becomes model of consistency coaching Houston Cougars.

Gonzaga basketball players cannot possibly remember a time when the Bulldogs did not make the NCAA Tournament. Mark Few made sure of that.

Few will make his 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance as Gonzaga’s coach this week. He twice finished as a national runner-up while coaching a mid-major that functions as a high-major and traded in its glass slipper long ago.

Few ranks as my best active college basketball coach to never win a national championship. He enjoys good company within that conversation.

Houston’s Kelvin Sampson, Auburn’s Bruce Pearl and Tennessee’s Rick Barnes join Few on my Mount Rushmore of top active coaches without a Division I championship ring. Together, they’re career winners and March Madness regulars with a combined six Final Four appearances. Pearl owns a Division II national title from his 1995 season coaching Southern Indiana.

All four are coaching in the NCAA Tournament once again, and there’s a real chance my Mount Rushmore will require modification within a month – because, one of these guys could cut down nets in April.

Bruce Pearl, Kelvin Sampson coming for that national title

Being on this particular Mount Rushmore rates as more of a compliment than a criticism. Only a coach who’s an NCAA Tournament regular could earn this distinction, but each of these coaches has stomached repeated stinging March Madness defeats. A championship ring elevates perception of a coach’s career.

Pearl secured a spot on this list in part because of his underdog coaching performances. He took Wisconsin-Milwaukee to the Sweet 16 as a No. 12 seed, Tennessee to the Elite Eight as a No. 6 seed and Auburn to the Final Four as a No. 5 seed, but he’s also suffered his share of March disappointments, including last year’s stunning first-round loss to Yale. Now, for the first time, he’s coaching a No. 1 seed.

I trust veterans in March Madness, and there’s no better veteran in college basketball than Auburn big man Johni Broome.

Thirst for basketball relevance? Hire Pearl. He’s won at a Division II school, plus a Division I commuter school and later two SEC football schools.

The knock on Pearl’s Auburn tenure? He’s frequently fizzled in March. He took Auburn to the 2019 Final Four, but four other NCAA appearances at Auburn ended in the first or second round.

If not Auburn for the title, how about Houston? Remember, I gravitate to March Madness teams with reliable veterans. Well, Houston boasts four juniors or seniors averaging in double figures scoring. I also trust teams that are reliable on both ends of the court. Houston joins fellow No. 1 seeds Duke and Florida as the only teams that rank in the top 10 nationally of KenPom’s advanced metrics for both offense and defense.

Sampson has become a model of consistency at Houston, enjoying five straight tournament appearances that finished in the Sweet 16 or beyond. The Cougars lost in November to Auburn and Alabama, but the margins were close, and the Big 12 schedule wasn’t as grueling as the SEC’s battle royale. That could work to Houston’s advantage. The Cougars lost only once since November.

Sampson and Barnes built careers on defense and consistency.

Tennessee’s NCAA history featuring no Final Fours lurks in the background. So does Barnes’ NCAA Tournament record that barely tops .500. His lone Final Four appearance came in 2003 at Texas, and he repeatedly failed to return to the Final Four with teams as talented as this one. But, this squad pairs defense with dead-eye 3-point marksman Chaz Lanier, while veteran point guard Zakai Zeigler conducts the orchestra. That’s proven a winning combination.

Among my Mount Rushmore, Few came closest to a Division I title. Gonzaga led North Carolina in the 2017 national championship game with less than 2½ minutes to play, but the Tar Heels prevailed in a slugfest. Few’s current Bulldogs won the West Coast Conference Tournament, but, as a No. 8 seed, this team doesn’t rate near his best, so he’s most likely to remain on this Mount Rushmore.

Old guard of coaches ready to rule this March Madness

My Mount Rushmore of top active winners without a title ranges in age from Few, 62, to Barnes, 70. Barnes enjoyed his best finish at Tennessee just last season, taking the Vols to their second-ever Elite Eight. Sampson, 69, wins as much as he ever has. Pearl celebrated his 65th birthday two weeks after winning the SEC’s regular-season title. This quartet’s continued success debunks the narrative that NIL and transfer freedom would trigger a wave of early retirement by veteran coaches.

So, who’s going to win their first NCAA title? Well, the list of contenders doesn’t end with this Mount Rushmore. Duke’s Jon Scheyer, Florida’s Todd Golden or Alabama’s Nate Oats could snag that first ring.

Or, a couple of ring-toting vampires might interfere. I’m referring to Michigan State’s Tom Izzo and St. John’s Rick Pitino, septuagenarians who fielded their best teams in ages. Wouldn’t it be something if Pitino, at age 72, won a national championship just five years after coaching in Greece while ostracized from the college game? 

If Pitino pulls it off, he’d become the first coach to win a national championship at three different schools. Could happen, but I think it’s more likely I’ll soon need to update my Mount Rushmore of best coaches without a championship.

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.

Coming into the First Four, questions persisted about whether North Carolina men’s basketball deserved a spot in the men’s NCAA Tournament.

That question was soundly answered by a hungry Tar Heel squad that won 95-68 over San Diego State on Tuesday in the First Four at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio. UNC won the 11-seed in the play-in matchup and earned a date with No. 6 seed Ole Miss in the first round.

On Sunday, the decision to include UNC in the NCAA Tournament was met with anger and confusion from around the college basketball world. Tar Heels’ fans hit back on social media with their reactions to a dominant win.

Former UNC player Ty Lawson was among those on social media calling out critics of North Carolina following the dominant performance.

Here’s a sampling of the best social media reactions to North Carolina basketball’s dominant win over San Diego State in the First Four:

UNC dominates San Diego State: Social reactions

The Alabama State Hornets men’s basketball team has won its first NCAA Tournament game, thanks to a Hail Mary in their First Four victory over the St. Francis Red Flash on Tuesday.

The Hornets defeated the Red Flash 70-68 at the University of Dayton’s UD Arena with a game-winning layup by guard Amarr Knoxin the closing seconds of the contest.

With the game tied up at 68 points with 3.4 seconds remaining, the Hornets’ Micah Simpson threw a full-court pass that was reminiscent of a football throw to inbound the ball. Four players from both teams went up for the ball, which ricocheted toward the basket and fell into the hands of Knox. He laid the ball up to give the Hornets the lead with less than a second remaining. Knox finished with a team-high 16 points and two steals.

The Hornets advance into the final 64-team field and play No. 1 overall seed Auburn on Thursday. 

‘These guys are amazing. Each and every day they come in and work, no matter if we are up or down. They find a way to help us win this game,’ Knox said Tuesday, before looking ahead to facing the Tigers. ‘We are going to try to get the win.’

Watch the final play here:

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