We’re less than four weeks away from Selection Sunday, and some teams considered locks in the preseason for March Madness will let their dancing shoes gather dust.

While teams like Miami (Ohio), Saint Louis, Clemson and Virginia have been surprises, plenty of men’s basketball teams have gone splat this season.

Here’s a look at 10 schools who have disappointed this year, including one already looking for a new coach and a few bluebloods who have fans nervous.

Oregon

Ranked just outside the preseason coaches poll (received second-most votes outside top 25), the Ducks have been a disaster this season. Losing All-Big Ten guard Jackson Shelstad to a season-ending injury didn’t help, but Oregon was already just 6-6 when he went down.

The Ducks (9-16, 2-12) finally snapped a 10-game losing streak on Feb. 14 by beating last-place Penn State.

‘The guys were feeling it,’ coach Dana Altman said. “It’s been a long six weeks, that’s for sure, for them, as much or more than our staff.”

Altman had won at least 20 games in each of his previous 15 seasons in Eugene, but the Ducks are on pace to their worst season since going 8-23 in Ernie Kent’s second-to-last campaign in 2008-09.

Baylor

We’re sure there aren’t too many people shedding a tear for the Bears. Baylor opened the season 10-2, then added a former NBA draft pick to its roster, causing plenty of consternation across the country.

Since the addition of 2023 draft pick James Nnaji, Baylor is 3-9 and sinking to the bottom of the Big 12 standings.

The Bears received 13 votes in preseason top 25, but at 13-12 they are flirting with their first losing season since 2006-07.

Baylor has won at least one game in each of the past six NCAA tournaments. This March, they will be lucky to play in the NIT or Crown.

By the way, Nnaji is averaging 1.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Creighton

The Bluejays were ranked No. 23 in the USA TODAY Coaches preseason poll and picked to finish third in the Big East. That ain’t gonna happen. Unless Creighton (13-13, 7-8) wins the Big East tournament it’s likely going to miss the NCAA tournament for the first time in six seasons.

Creighton is risking its first losing season since going 14-19 in 2014-15 (its second season in Big East). The Bluejays have lost five of their past six games and get No. 5 UConn and No. 17 St. John’s next.

Kansas State

Kansas State was picked to finish ninth pick in Big 12 and received a vote in preseason top 25. So expectations weren’t exactly soaring coming into the season, but anything but this.

Fans are wearing brown paper bags over their heads at games, and coach Jerome Tang says he would too. After a third straight home loss of at least 24 points on Feb. 11, Tang unloaded on his team, saying ‘they don’t deserve to be here.’

‘These dudes do not deserve to wear this uniform, and there will be very few of them in it next year. I’m embarrassed for the university, I’m embarrassed for our fans, and our student section. It’s just ridiculous.’

The Wildcats (10-15, 1-11) are headed to back-to-back losing seasons, and the school bit the bullet on the $18.6 million for Tang’s buyout and fired him on Sunday, Feb. 15.

UCLA

Ranked No. 12 in the preseason coaches poll, UCLA was a darkhorse Final Four team with transfer addition of Donovan Dent, a 20-point scorer from New Mexico. However, dent is pretty much what the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year has done to the rim, shooting a paltry 18.6% from behind the arc.

The Bruins’ record looks good (17-8, 9-5 in the Big Ten) but really only has one notable win (a 69-67 win over Purdue on Jan. 21). All of UCLA’s other conference wins have come against the Big Ten’s bottom half, and the Bruins are 2-6 in Quad 1 games.

The most interesting part of UCLA’s season has been Mick Cronin’s postgame rants as it seems the veteran coach doesn’t really like his team. A 30-point loss to Michigan last time out didn’t help.

Kentucky

The Wildcats began the season ninth in the coaches poll and are now out of the top 25 rankings.

A 5-7 record vs. Quad 1 teams will do that.

Mark Pope was under considerable heat early in the season with some massive nonconference beatdowns: a 28-point loss to in-state rival Louisville, a 17-point loss to Michigan State and a 35-point loss to Gonzaga.

Things have improved since then, but as Florida coach Todd Golden chided after the Gators’ win over the Wildcats on Feb. 14, a $22 million roster should yield greater results.

Kentucky (17-8, 8-4) have a favorable final stretch, with its two games left against ranked teams at Rupp Arena. But lose those, and Big Blue Nation waits for no man. Not even an alum.

Notre Dame

The seat is warming under Micah Shrewsberry with the Irish headed to a third straight losing season with him on the bench.

Picked to finish eighth in the ACC poll, the Fighting Irish (12-14, 3-10) were expected to contend for an NCAA tournament berth.

Instead, Notre Dame is 15th in the 18-team league with just two wins since the calendar flipped to 2026 and are a combined 3-12 in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games.

Notre Dame’s only moment of relevancy this season was when Shrewsberry nearly assaulted a referee after a Jan. 2 loss to Cal.

Mike Brey built a underappreciated, consistent program in South Bend with 12 NCAA tournament appearances in his 23 years. If the Irish finish this season with a losing record, it would mark the first time Notre Dame has had four straight losing seasons in more than 100 years (six straight losing years from 1917-23).

Providence

Kim English’s Providence tenure may be on borrowed time. Picked to finish fourth in Big East, the Friars (11-15, 4-11) are rooted at the bottom of the conference standings with Marquette. Providence had to replace five of its top six scorers from last season, including Brycen Hopkins who transferred to St. John’s. If you’re looking for a bright spot, four of Providence’s losses came in overtime, but that’s grasping at straws.

The low point came int he Feb. 14 loss to St. John’s with a dirty play by Duncan Powell on a hard foul on Hopkins that resulted in a fight and six ejections. Even worse, Powell’s haircut. IYKYK.

Marquette

How about some more Big East futility?

Marquette has made the NCAA tournament in each of Shaka Smart’s four seasons in Milwaukee. Not this year.

You knew it was going to be a rough year when a retooled Indiana team beat Marquette by 23 points in the third game of the season. The Golden Eagles (9-17, 4-11) followed that up with nonconference losses to fellow strugglers Maryland (10-14) and Oklahoma (13-12).

Marquette, which was picked to finish fifth in the Big East, sits in last place of the league standings, is 0-9 vs. Quad 1 teams and flirting with the most losses in program history (21 losses in 1963-64 — the season before Al McGuire arrived).

Ole Miss

Fresh off a Sweet 16 appearance last season, Ole Miss was expected to be a bubble team — at worst — this year.

The Rebels (11-14, 3-9) are in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, the latest a double-digit home loss to in-state rival Mississippi State.

Ole Miss is 1-10 vs. Quad 1 teams and is dealing with a major regression in Chris Beard’s third season.

Others under consideration: Alabama, Boise State, Princeton, Tennessee

Eileen Gu is the only free ski athlete competing in all three disciplines: big air, slopestyle and halfpipe.
Gu called the competition schedule ‘unfair’ after advancing to the big air finals prevented her from attending a halfpipe practice session.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) denied her requests for an alternate training time.

LIVIGNO, Italy – Normally, China’s Eileen Gu said, the International Ski Federation (FIS) – the governing body that oversees Olympic free skiing and snowboarding (among other disciplines) – is an accommodating organization.

Except in this case.

As Gu looks to repeat as the Olympic gold-medalist in the women’s big air event (finals are Monday, Feb. 16, at 1:30 p.m. ET) and go 5-for-5 in medals at her second Olympics, she is a tad perturbed by the schedule that only she has to confront.

Making big air finals prevented Gu from practicing during the allotted three-hour training session allowed for free skiers in the halfpipe on the other side of Livigno Snow Park.

‘Which is really unfair, and difficult for me to deal with,’ Gu said after qualifying Saturday.

Gu petitioned to train with snowboarders during their training last week, or to at least have an extra hour at another time. No dice, though.

FIS’ response and reasoning didn’t make sense to her. Generally, Gu said, FIS is accommodating and takes care of the athletes. Gu is the lone athlete – man or woman – to compete in all three disciplines; typically, halfpipe athletes specialize in that event, while those who compete in big air also do slopestyle.

‘This situation, I think, is really unfair,’ Gu said. ‘Because, for me, the Olympics should represent aspiration, and should be all about making dreams come true, doing the impossible. That’s the entire narrative of this contest. So I feel, because I’m the only person – the fact that I made big air finals for being the only person, only woman trying to compete in three events.’

Gu won gold in the halfpipe as the Beijing Games and said it is her favorite event. She took silver in slopestyle in back-to-back Olympics and has the chance to defend her big air title Monday night.

The American-born Gu, a Stanford student, said she was proud to make big air finals despite taking a break from the event since the last Olympics. She wanted to at least try and prove something to herself.

‘Sometimes I think that young women, particularly, are scared of failure before they can actually fail,’ the 22-year-old said. ‘So for me, I wanted to overcome a fear of failure just by trying. I just wanted to step up there and say, ‘Hey I haven’t competed in four years, I just want to try’ – as the defending Olympic gold-medalist.’

Gu qualified for big air finals by landing her first and third tricks despite not competing in the event in nearly four years, since she won it in China during the 2022 Beijing Games when she became a sensation in China and launched a personal brand that netted her more than $20 million last year, making her one of the biggest-earning female athletes in the world.

Snowboarder Jake Pates advanced to the 2026 Winter Olympics halfpipe final after a four-year retirement.
Pates retired from competitive snowboarding in 2020 due to mental health struggles and a concussion.
He started the Happy Healthy Brain Foundation to help others after his own experience with a brain injury.
Pates credits his return to the sport to the support of friends and fellow competitors.

LIVIGNO, Italy – As a pre-competition news conference was winding down for the United States men’s halfpipe snowboarding team at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Jake Pates leaned toward the microphone:

“Can I say one last thing?”

Pates wanted to take advantage of the platform, he said, to send a message.

“I think it’s really important to try to find the gratefulness in life and believe in yourself,” he said. “I’ve been someone who’s gone through a lot, I think, in my own way. … When you do have those tough moments, if you do lose hope and you do lose belief in yourself, you can find it again and you will find it again. You’ve just got to keep pushing.”

Just wanted to throw that out there, he closed, “if anyone is listening, going through a struggle.”

Watch Winter Olympics on Peacock

Pates knows what he was describing. The fact that the 27-year-old from Colorado is even competing at these Olympics – much less having advanced to the 12-man Olympic halfpipe final – is one of the most improbable comeback stories in the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.

Once a fast-rising young star in the sport and an Olympian at age 19 in Pyeongchang in 2018, Pates ended up retiring from competitive snowboarding in 2020 for self-described mental health reasons.

“My reason for retirement was rooted in that loss of belief (in myself),” Pates said. “But it also had to do a lot with the presence of mental health issues that I was dealing with. Things like doubt, just negative spiraling, ruminating, depression. I had so much going on, so much anxiety.”

In 2019, Pates suffered a concussion in 2019 while competing, and according to the Team USA website, he initially lied to medical staff to avoid being sidelined. “When I did go back out, I was just all over the place with symptoms,” Pates later told Olympics.com. “Headache, dizziness, nausea, all the above. At the time, I never understood the impact that serious brain injuries could become.”

The ordeal led to Pates starting a non-profit in 2020, the Happy Healthy Brain Foundation, during a time when he also was stepping away from the sport.

“I took a full four years off of competing,” he said. “I would ride a little bit. I had probably two years where I only rode like 10 days each year. That amount of time, especially at the pace this sport progresses, is kind of crazy. … I just feel like I’m so blessed that I’ve been able to make this happen and come back. But I haven’t been able to do it by myself.”

He credits Japan’s Ayumu Hirano, a long-time friend and snowboard competitor (and 2022 halfpipe gold-medalist), and his brother Kaishu for helping convince him to return to the sport and helping train him to have a chance to do it successfully.

Pates returned to world cup competition about two years ago, gradually working to earn a place – through coaches’ discretion, per Team USA – on the 2026 Olympic team that was headed to Italy.

On a chilly Feb. 11 evening in Livigno, Pates fell on his first halfpipe run in Olympic qualifying. True to form, though, he bounced back. He scored a clutch 75.50 on his second run. Pates needed to surpass a 74 to climb into 12th place. A tense wait remained, but none of the final competitors passed him.

“It was kind of a nailbiter,” Pates said, “but we made it happen.”

So the final snowboarder on the U.S. halfpipe team (barely) was now the last finalist in Livigno (barely, again). Pates will be first to drop in a Feb. 13 finals field that’ll also include Ayumu Hirano.

“It’s unreal, man,” Pates said. “The journey has just been crazy. I’m blown away that I’m even at the Olympics, nonetheless being in the finals. Just filled with gratitude.

‘My heart is full.”

Reach Gentry Estes at gestes@gannett.com and hang out with him on Bluesky @gentryestes.bsky.social

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO — Players come, players go and, yet, the result remains the same.

USA women’s hockey has won gold or silver at every world championships since they began in 1990. They’ve won gold or silver at all but one Olympics since women’s hockey made its debut in 1998.

The list of players who’ve worn the U.S. jersey is a who’s who of the game: Cammi Granatto, Angela Ruggiero, Jenny Potter, Julie Chu, Karyn Bye-Dietz, Natalie Darwitz, Hilary Knight, Kendall Coyne Schofield — you get the idea.

While nothing is said outright, every young player knows that history. And has no interest in being part of the team that screws it up.

‘There is definitely some pressure, of course, because we care and we want to keep that standard alive and be playing great USA hockey,” said Caroline Harvey, who despite still being a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is playing in her second Olympics.

‘But it’s more enjoyable than anything because it’s just so exciting,” Harvey said. ‘You’re playing with the best of the best. Definitely nerves at times, but good nerves, and trying to channel that into good things.”

With Hilary Knight already saying these Olympics, her fifth, are her last and Coyne Schofield and four other players 30 or older, Milano Cortina is something of a changing of the guard for the U.S. women.

Of the 23-person team, 12 are newcomers and four made their Olympic debut in Beijing. Seven are still in college and nine are 23 or younger. Of the 10 Americans who are on the list of scoring leaders through the first five games at the Olympics, seven are under 25.

That includes Harvey, who leads all scorers with nine points.

“It’s fun to see a younger version of yourself in them and kind of remind you where you were when you were their age,” Coyne Schofield said. “But also just taking a step back and realizing how incredible they are. They’re leaders in their own way. They (are) young in age only. They’ve won. They’ve scored big goals. They’ve carried a team on their back. They’ve won national championships. They’ve done it all.

‘Whether it’s the Olympic games or not, they’ve pretty much done it all.”

The arrival of the next generation doesn’t mean there won’t still be room for the veterans in the next Olympic cycle. But there is a danger in sticking with what’s worked and expecting that will continue for another four years. (Cough, Canada, cough.)

By integrating the young Americans into the U.S. team while players like Knight, Coyne Schofield and Alex Carpenter are still around and in their prime, it assures the team of sustained success.

‘When I first was a part of the national team, I was like, ‘Well, this is cool. This is an honor (to be) amongst the best.’ But there’s a lot more to it than that. It’s how you represent yourself and you represent your country, on and off the ice, and how you carry yourself. What you’re doing to better yourself and your teammates,” said Laila Edwards, who is an Olympic rookie but is already poised to be one of the next generation’s big stars.

‘I just made sure to take in something every day, whether that was from my teammates, the captains, the coaches,” Edwards added. “I think that’s what the U.S. is about. We’re never content with where we’re at. We’re always wanting to get better.”

The approach is working.

The Americans beat archrival Canada in overtime last April to win the title at the world championships. Since then, the U.S. has outscored Canada by a whopping 29-7, including a 5-0 thrashing in the preliminary round in Milano Cortina.

The Americans are undefeated going into the semifinals, and their plus-25 goal differential is the best of the four teams left.

“It’s incredible where they’re going to take the sport,” Knight said. “They’re already so good … and this is just scratching the surface of what their capabilities are.”

Johnson became the third member of the Miami Heat organization to win the Slam Dunk Contest.

He held off San Antonio Spurs rookie Carter Bryant in the final round.

Both players represented California, with Bryant coming from Riverside and Johnson representing Oakland.

Johnson considered himself an under-the-radar second-year player entering the week, with the mindset of wanting to make a name for himself.

“I can’t make this up right now.  I’m still kind of speechless,” Johnson told USA TODAY. “This all started with it just being a dream. I was a kid who grew up watching the slam dunk contest, which was the main event for me.”

Johnson had the opportunity to celebrate his victory with basketball fans by taking the trophy down to Venice Beach as part of the AT&T Dunk District event.

The trophy will be making its way back to the Bay Area, where it will reside with his mom, along with the many other trophies that have been won by him and his siblings over the years.

He stayed energetic throughout the competition, often dancing after successful dunk attempts and remained true to his roots.

Johnson invited notable Bay Area rapper E-40 to join him and participate in his first dunk.

“I met him a few times when I was younger, but we crossed paths again after my manager reached out to him and he made it happen,” Johnson said. “E-40 was on board with the plan after he learned that a Bay Area native was in the dunk contest and now we are family forever.”

The rapper made himself available and even participated in a practice dunk session the day prior, allowing Johnson to get comfortable with dunking over E-40.

Johnson’s support group went beyond the Bay Area with several members of the Heat organization in attendance for the contest.

Heat president Pat Riley was in the crowd, cheering on his young player.

Miami guards Norman Powell, Jahmir Young and center Kel’el Ware were also seen on the sideline showing their support after competing in their respective events on Saturday.

“’Heat Culture’ was in the building,” Johnson said. “They told me after ‘we had faith and knew you were going to win it.’ They had seen me in my element and were confident in me.”

MILAN — Ilia Malinin made his first public statement since his devastating finish in the men’s singles figure skating competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The 21-year-old posted on Instagram on Monday, Feb. 16 with a statement on mental health. The post was accompanied with a video of Malinin celebrating his victories and him sitting with his hands on his head.

‘On the world’s biggest stage, those who appear the strongest may still be fighting invisible battles on the inside. Even your happiest memories can end up tainted by the noise,’ he wrote. ‘Vile online hatred attacks the mind and fear lures it into the darkness, no matter how hard you try to stay sane through the endless insurmountable pressure. It all builds up as these moments flash before your eyes, resulting in an inevitable crash. This is that version of the story.’

The post teases something ‘coming February 21, 2026.’ It likely indicates Malinin has something special planned for the figure exhibition gala, which takes place that day and he will be part of, USA TODAY Sports confirmed.

Malinin was the heavy gold medal favorite in men’s figure skating and had a lead going into the free skate. However, he suffered several falls and mistakes, resulting in a stunning eighth place finish for his first non-first place finish in more than two years.

The performance of the ‘Quad God’ has reignited the conversation around pressure and mental health in the Olympics, as it can be a nerve-wracking feeling on the world’s biggest stage. Malinin told reporters after the performance that before the skate, he felt like ‘all the traumatic moments of my life really just started flooding my head.’

“People only realized the pressure and the nerves that actually happened from the inside. It was really just something that overwhelmed me,” he said. ‘I just felt like I had no control.’

Malinin has stayed in Milano since the competition, and was even spotted at Milano Ice Skating Arena on Sunday, Feb. 15 to watch the pairs’ short program.

Athletes from more than 90 countries will compete for Winter Olympic medals in 116 events over 16 days, and USA TODAY is keeping a tally of every nation finishing on the podium. Here’s a look at the latest medal standings on the morning of Monday, Feb. 16, as well as when each medal event will take place.

USA TODAY Sports has a team of more than a dozen journalists on the ground in Italy to bring you behind the scenes with Team USA and keep you up to date with every medal win, big moment and triumphant finish. Get our Chasing Gold newsletter in your inbox every morning and join our WhatsApp channel to get the latest updates right in your texts.

Broadcast coverage of the 2026 Milano Cortino Winter Olympics is airing exclusively airing across NBC’s suite of networks with many competitions airing live on its streaming service, Peacock, which you can sign up for here.

What is the medal count at the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics?

All data accurate as of Monday, Feb. 16, 2026, at 8:13 a.m.

Meet Team USA 2026: Get to know the athletes behind the games

1. Norway: 26 Total (12 Gold, 7 Silver, 7 Bronze)
2. Italy: 22 Total (8 Gold, 4 Silver, 10 Bronze)
3. United States: 17 Total (5 Gold, 8 Silver, 4 Bronze)
4. Japan: 17 Total (3 Gold, 5 Silver, 9 Bronze)
5. France: 15 Total (4 Gold, 7 Silver, 4 Bronze)
6. Germany: 15 Total (4 Gold, 6 Silver, 5 Bronze)
7. Austria: 13 Total (4 Gold, 6 Silver, 3 Bronze)
8. Netherlands: 12 Total (6 Gold, 5 Silver, 1 Bronze)
9. Sweden: 11 Total (5 Gold, 5 Silver, 1 Bronze)
10. Canada: 10 Total (1 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Bronze)
11. Switzerland: 9 Total (4 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze)
12. South Korea: 6 Total (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze)
13. Australia: 5 Total (3 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
14. Czech Republic: 4 Total (2 Gold, 2 Silver, 0 Bronze)
15. Slovenia: 4 Total (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
16. China: 4 Total (0 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze)
17. Great Britain: 3 Total (3 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
18. Poland: 3 Total (0 Gold, 2 Silver, 1 Bronze)
19. Finland: 3 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 3 Bronze)
20. Latvia: 2 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
21. New Zealand: 2 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
22. Bulgaria: 2 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 2 Bronze)
23. Brazil: 1 Total (1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
24. Kazakhstan: 1 Total (1 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 Bronze)
25. Belgium: 1 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 1 Bronze)

2026 Winter Olympics upcoming medal events schedule

Feb. 16

SHORT TRACK: Women’s 1000m
ALPINE SKIING: Men’s Slalom
FIGURE SKATING: Pair Skating Free Skate
FREESTYLE SKIING: Women’s Big Air Final
SKI JUMPING: Men’s Super Team Final Round
BOBSLED: Women’s Singles

Feb. 17

NORDIC COMBINED: Large Hill/10km: 10km
SNOWBOARDING: Women’s Slopestyle Final
BIATHLON: Men’s 4×7.5km Relay
SPEED SKATING: Men’s, Women’s Team Pursuit Finals
BOBSLED: Men’s Doubles

Feb. 18

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Women’s, Men’s Team Sprint Free Final
FREESTYLE SKIING: Women’s Aerials Final
SNOWBOARDING: Men’s Slopestyle Final
ALPINE SKIING: Women’s Slalom
BIATHLON: Women’s 4x6km Relay
SHORT TRACK: Women’s 3000m Relay
SHORT TRACK: Men’s 500m

Feb. 19

FREESTYLE SKIING: Men’s Aerials Final
SKI MOUNTAINEERING: Women’s, Men’s Sprint
NORDIC COMBINED: Team Sprint/Large Hill 2×7.5km
ICE HOCKEY: Women’s Final
SPEED SKATING: Men’s 1500m
FIGURE SKATING: Women’s Free Skate

Feb. 20

FREESTYLE SKIING: Women’s Cross Final
BIATHLON: Men’s 15km Mass Start
SPEED SKATING: Women’s 1500m
CURLING: Men’s Bronze Medal Game
FREESTYLE SKIING: Men’s Halfpipe Final
SHORT TRACK: Men’s 5000m Relay Final
SHORT TRACK: Women’s 1500m Final

Feb. 21

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Men’s 50km Mass Start Classic
FREESTYLE SKIING: Mixed Team Aerials Final
FREESTYLE SKIING: Men’s Cross Final
SKI MOUNTAINEERING: Mixed Relay
CURLING: Men’s Gold Medal Game, Women’s Bronze Medal Game
BIATHLON: Women’s 12.5km Mass Start
SPEED SKATING: Men’s, Women’s Mass Start
FREESTYLE SKIING: Women’s Halfpipe Final
ICE HOCKEY: Men’s Bronze Medal Game
BOBSLED: Women’s Doubles: Heat 4

Feb. 22

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Women’s 50km Mass Start Classic
CURLING: Women’s Gold Medal Game
BOBSLED: Men’s Quads Final
ICE HOCKEY: Men’s Gold Medal Game

INGLEWOOD, CA — The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is officially a wrap.

An entertaining showcase on Sunday, Feb. 15 resulted in a victory for Team Stars — a squad composed of mostly younger U.S.-born players — reinvigorated the event, which has faced repeated criticism over a lack of competitive play.

In the All-Star Game championship, Team Stars defeated Team Stripes, which mostly featured a collection of more experienced veterans like LeBron James of the Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Rockets and Kawhi Leonard of the Clippers.

Here are the winners and losers from the 2026 NBA All-Star Game:

WINNERS

The new format

It wasn’t perfect, but the “U.S. vs. World” format the NBA deployed for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game was a marked improvement over previous iterations of the event. Several players said after the game that it increased motivation and incentive and it helped inject competition into an event that had desperately lacked it.

In essence, the four, 12-minute games converted each contest into its own fourth quarter, ramping up the drama, particularly inside the final minutes. The first three games were decided on the last shot, with two game-winners. The first game went into overtime.

Yet, while the format does deserve ample credit, the real champions were the players who invested their competitive energy into the exhibition.

Anthony Edwards

During All-Star media day on Saturday, Feb. 14, Edwards had more or less shrugged when asked about the lack of competitive behavior in NBA All-Star Games. Apparently, all it took was seeing a fellow future face of the league, Victor Wembanyama, going hard for him to ramp it up.

Edwards scored 32 points across the three games he played and won his first career All-Star Most Valuable Player award.

Victor Wembanyama

He was on the losing side, with Team World being eliminated before the championship game, but Wembanyama was widely seen as the catalyst to inspire more invested, competitive play. That became obvious from the start, as Wembanyama won the tip-off and then slashed to the basket, sealing off Cade Cunningham (Team Stars) for a quick dunk six seconds into the event. It generated instant attention.

“He set the tone, man, and it woke me up,” Edwards told reporters after the game. “For sure.”

Wembanyama played extremely well, scoring 33 points on 10-of-13 shooting across two games. He was also visibly upset after Team World lost the first game of the night in overtime, indicating that the league — and All-Star — is in good hands with him as a leader.

Kawhi Leonard

Playing in front of his home fans, Leonard popped off for Team Stripes in Game 3, scoring 31 of the team’s 48 points in the game — or 64.6%. Leonard drew MVP chants from the crowd and at one point scored 11 consecutive points, willing his team to win. The game-winning, stepback 3 over Karl-Anthony Towns represented his greatness in the game.

Think of it this way: scoring 31 points in an NBA game is elite. Doing it in what’s essentially a 12-minute quarter, against the world’s best players, is a singular achievement.

Adam Silver

As Silver, the NBA commissioner, has taken criticism recently over his handling of several off-court scandals and his management of the NBA All-Star Game, having the jewel of the weekend succeed is a massively positive step.

There is still work to be done, especially with the Slam Dunk Contest, but there were plenty of fans wondering if the NBA should do away entirely with the All-Star Game. If this is what fans will get, however, the move should be to continue to refine and improve the product.

“Oh, most definitely,” 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, a member of Team Stars, told reporters when asked if the format could set the tone for future All-Star Games. “I think if you have these same type of guys in it, these guys compete.”

LOSERS

Nikola Jokić and Luka Dončić

They are two of the biggest stars in basketball, but they were the lone available players for Team World to record DNP (did-not-play) designations. Granted, both players have been dealing with injury concerns so it made sense to be cautious. But they are also notorious for loafing through All-Star Games. More than anything, however, having two players on a nine-player team sit out put an unfair burden on the Team World stars who were available.

Team Stripes runs out of gas

In what was a compelling matchup of younger domestic stars versus grizzled veterans, it was the uncs and old heads who ran out of steam. Team Stripes went brutally cold in the championship game, missing its first 8 shot attempts of the contest before starting just 3-of-16 (18.8%).

It probably didn’t help that Team Stripes had to play consecutive games with little rest.

“Yeah, we can make that excuse,” Durant joked after the game. “We can go ahead and make that excuse.”

Former NFL offensive lineman Tre’ Johnson died on Sunday while the family was on a trip, according to a Facebook post from his wife, Irene. He was 54 years old.

‘It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that my husband, Tre’ Johnson, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly … during a brief family trip,’ Irene Johnson wrote. ‘His four children, Chloe, EJ, EZ and Eden, extended family, friends, and I are devastated and in shock.’

After playing college football at Temple, he was selected with the 31st overall pick in the 1994 draft by Washington. Johnson spent the first seven seasons of his NFL career in Washington before spending the 2001 season with the Browns.

He returned to Washington for his final season in the league, starting three of the 10 games he played in during the 2002 season.

He started 72 of the 93 games he played in, and was also named to the Pro Bowl in 1999.

The Washington Commanders posted the following on their official X account: ‘We’re heartbroken to learn of the loss of former Washington All-Pro guard Tre’ Johnson. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.’

After finishing his NFL career, he became a history teacher at Landon School, a private school in Bethesda, Maryland. Johnson had taken a leave of absence from the school due to recent health issues, according to his wife.