ACC features a number of hot seats, including Adrian Autry and Jeff Capel.
Will Lane Kiffin remain the only new coach at LSU? Matt McMahon in trouble.
Penny Hardaway follows a good season with a really bad one at Memphis.

Jerome Tang called his Kansas State basketball team ’embarrassing.’ No argument on that point. K-State fans wore paper bags over their heads. Embarrassed by all of it, the university fired Tang.

Tang won’t be the last college basketball coach fired these next several weeks. The hot seat steams from Syracuse to LSU to Oklahoma and lands in between.

Adrian Autry, Syracuse

Why it’s hot: Syracuse is mired in a yearslong nosedive. Never mind the glory days, is it too much to ask the Orange to make the NCAA Tournament? No, it shouldn’t be too much to ask. It might be time for Syracuse to break with the Jim Boeheim coaching tree.

Jeff Capel, Pittsburgh

Why it’s hot: This is Capel’s eighth season. He’s been to the NCAA Tournament once. This season has been a disaster, including losses to Hofstra and Quinnipiac. If Pitt keeps Capel, take that as a sign it’s too poor to pay his buyout. There’s no other case for retention.

Jake Diebler, Ohio State

Why it’s hot: On one hand, Diebler’s buyout would be a de minimis housekeeping cost for a revenue behemoth like Ohio State. On the other hand, the Buckeyes are on the bubble for the Big Dance. If they go dancing, there’s probably nothing to see here. If not, stay tuned.

Kim English, Providence

Why it’s hot: Providence became an NCAA Tournament regular under Ed Cooley, English’s predecessor. With English, the Friars are a Big East doormat. A recent loss to St. John’s included a brawl, the latest embarrassing moment in a bad season.

Steve Forbes, Wake Forest

Why it’s hot: Forbes won 25 games in his second season. An affable coach, he’s delivered some decent years and good soundbites. Eventually, though, every coach needs an NCAA bid. Forbes, now in Year 6, hasn’t gotten Wake Forest there.

Earl Grant, Boston College

Why it’s hot: Grant isn’t the sole problem at Boston College. This program lost its way almost 15 years ago and hasn’t found its way back. But Grant hasn’t been the solution, either. This bleak season includes a loss to Central Connecticut. That’s the definition of a call to action.

Penny Hardaway, Memphis

Why it’s hot: Hardaway is following a good year (he won 29 games last season) with one of his worst. Memphis probably would hesitate before firing one of its own, but Hardaway knows as well as anyone this program has standards. He’s not meeting them.

Bobby Hurley, Arizona State

Why it’s hot: It’s never a good sign when a coach admits he’s “failing.” Hurley offered that brutal assessment after a loss in January. Well, you said it, coach. Prep the buyout cannon, but hold off on firing after ASU’s upset of Texas Tech.

Matt McMahon, LSU

Why it’s hot: McMahon was great at Murray State. He’s gone splat at LSU. If LSU wants to be an “everything school,” it must fix its basketball program. What better time than with a new athletic director, new president and new board of supervisors chairman? Would Will Wade listen to a ‘strong-ass offer’?

Wes Miller, Cincinnati

Why it’s hot: Bob Huggins and Mick Cronin set a high bar for Cincinnati. Miller isn’t meeting the standard through five seasons. Cincinnati isn’t the type of program that’s OK with going 0-for-5 in NCAA bids under the same coach.

Porter Moser, Oklahoma

Why it’s hot: Like his SEC counterpart McMahon, Moser thrived at a mid-major but fizzled in the Power Four ranks. A tale as old as peach baskets. Oklahoma endured a nine-game losing streak earlier this winter. That’s the foundation for a firing.

Lamont Paris, South Carolina

Why it’s hot: Paris has a meaty buyout, and South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer will enter this season on the hot seat. How many buyouts do the Gamecocks want to stomach this year? And yet, two straight disaster seasons leave Paris in trouble.

Damon Stoudamire, Georgia Tech

Why it’s hot: Within an ACC with a handful of bad teams, Georgia Tech might be the worst.The decision here will be a test of how badly (and how quickly) first-year Georgia Tech athletic director Ryan Alpert wants to address this program.

Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.

MILAN — Entering the 2026 Winter Olympics, Team USA had only won four cross-country skiing medals in Olympic history. The Americans have nearly matched that in Milano Cortina alone after picking up another medal.

Team USA claimed silver in the men’s team sprint free on Wednesday. Ben Ogden and Gus Schumacher posted a time of 18:30.35 for the U.S. cross-country skiing team’s third podium finish after Jessie Diggins claimed bronze in the women’s 10km and Ogden won bronze in the individual sprint.

In team sprint, each pairing is made up of two athletes who alternate laps. In the final round, teams start at the same time and complete six total laps (three per team member). Whoever crosses the finish line first wins.

Ogden and Schumacher finished 1.37 seconds off the top pace of Norway. Italy claimed the bronze medal.

Norwegian sensation Johannes Høsflot Klæbo won another gold medal with partner Einar Hedegart with a time of 18:28.98. Klaebo has won gold in every men’s cross-country event so far at the 2026 Winter Games, with one more event to go. Klaebo improves to 10 total gold medals and joins Michael Phelps (23) as the only Olympians, Summer or Winter, to reach double-digit gold medals.

This silver medal is the second of the 2026 Games for Ogden. He also captured silver in the men’s sprint classic, finishing with a time of 3:40.61, less than a second behind Norwegian star Johannes Høsflot Klæbo. Norway’s Oskar Opstad Vike finished with the bronze medal with a time of 3:46.55.

Ogden’s silver in the classic sprint ended a nearly 50-year Olympic medal drought for the American men. He became just the second American man to win an Olympic cross-country skiing medal and the first to make the podium since Bill Koch captured silver in 30km at the 1976 Innsbruck Winter Olympics.

Now, Ogden and Schumacher have added another entry to the American history books.

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Sweden is 2-0 against the USA in the NHL era of the Winter Olympics.

The United States will try to change that history when it faces Sweden (3:10 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

Sweden defeated the USA 4-2 in 1998 in the first Olympics to use NHL players and it also won in 2006 on its way to a gold medal.

The USA is the higher seed in 2026 in the NHL’s first Olympics participation since 2014. The Americans finished 3-0 in the preliminary round and earned a bye to the quarterfinals. Those wins came against teams with fewer NHL players, so Sweden will be the United States’ toughest opponent to date.

Sweden lost to NHL-stocked Finland in the round robin and is playing on back-to-back days. It beat Latvia 5-1 in the qualification round, the same score as the USA’s win over the Latvians.

Which team will advance to the semifinals? USA TODAY Network staffers weigh in:

Watch USA vs. Sweden men’s hockey on Peacock

Mike Brehm, USA TODAY

USA 4, Sweden 2: The Americans are getting balanced scoring and played a near-perfect game against Germany, shutting down superstar Leon Draisaitl and getting two goals from Auston Matthews. Sweden will be a tougher test, but the Americans’ depth and goaltending will get the job done.

Kevin Skiver, USA TODAY

USA 5, Sweden 3: Though the Swedes managed to find life against Latvia in the qualification playoff round – helped along by Gabriel Landeskog and Lucas Raymond – long flat stretches plagued them throughout the preliminary round. The United States have also looked slow on the ice at times, but the scores haven’t reflected it to date. Ultimately, talent wins out and Team USA manages to find the net enough to move past Sweden with relative ease, but not without wishing for more from its top players ahead of the semifinals.

Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

USA 5, Sweden 3: The USA has the better goaltending and overall depth in general, so expect the Americans to advance to the semifinals. This should be the best test of their tournament so far, though the Swedes haven’t looked as good as they arguably should given the stars on their roster.

PHOENIX — In one of the most tumultuous days in the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s proud history, union chief Tony Clark resigned after an internal investigation revealed an inappropriate relationship with his sister-in-law – a union employee – with players debating later in the day who should take over his job on an interim basis.

The union had a conference call with their 30 player representatives and eight executive council members to discuss Clark’s forced resignation and vote on whether Bruce Meyer, the union’s lead negotiator, should be his replacement. While the executive council expressed support for Meyer, there was pushback from at least three different players on the call who opposed Meyer, according to one player, and no vote was taken.

The players are scheduled to convene again Wednesday on a conference call after player representatives are able to speak to their teammates, with the executive council expected to push for a vote. If Meyer is not approved, the union could promote an attorney from its general counsel for a vote taken of players. Meyer would be asked to remain as their lead negotiator with the collective bargaining agreement set to expire Dec. 1.

Meanwhile, after the union postponed its first spring training meetings with the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, Meyer and union officials are scheduled to meet at 10:30 a.m. ET Wednesday with Kansas City Royals players. Meyer is expected to address the media after speaking to the players.

Clark, who was cleared by the union’s internal investigation for handling its finances, still faces a federal investigation by the Eastern District of New York. The federal investigation uncovered the relationship between Clark and his wife’s sister, who has worked at the union’s Scottsdale, Arizona, office since it opened in 2023. She earned $83,101 in 2023 and $96,524 in 2024, according to union financial statements.

The union issued a release late Tuesday night confirming Clark’s resignation, but did not specify the reason, saying only that their union staff, outside counsel and players had discussed the next steps.

“As always, the players remain focused on their ongoing preparations for collective bargaining this year,’ the statement read. “The strength of this union is – and will always be – the solidarity of our membership. We have a long history of fighting for the rights of every player, and we’re committed to making sure we can continue that fight successfully.’

Several members of the executive subcommittee, speaking to reporters Tuesday, insisted that Clark’s departure would not leave the union in disarray as they’re about to embark on negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement. The owners are expected to seek a salary cap like the other three major sports, while the union is vehemently opposed to even discussing the concept.

“I don’t think it has any impact on negotiating,” Detroit Tigers Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, a member of the subcommittee, told reporters in Lakeland, Florida. “Bruce has been our lead negotiator. He’s done it in the past. Although Tony has been the face of the PA in terms of negotiating, I’m still as confident as ever in Bruce and everyone else that we’ve got behind him.”

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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 Wednesday, Feb. 18, 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 Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, at 8:19 a.m.

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

1. Norway: 32 Total (15 Gold, 8 Silver, 9 Bronze)
2. Italy: 25 Total (9 Gold, 4 Silver, 12 Bronze)
3. United States: 23 Total (6 Gold, 11 Silver, 6 Bronze)
4. Germany: 21 Total (5 Gold, 8 Silver, 8 Bronze)
5. Japan: 19 Total (4 Gold, 5 Silver, 10 Bronze)
6. Austria: 17 Total (5 Gold, 8 Silver, 4 Bronze)
7. France: 16 Total (5 Gold, 7 Silver, 4 Bronze)
8. Netherlands: 13 Total (6 Gold, 6 Silver, 1 Bronze)
8. Sweden: 13 Total (6 Gold, 5 Silver, 2 Bronze)
10. Canada: 12 Total (3 Gold, 4 Silver, 5 Bronze)
11. Switzerland: 11 Total (5 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze)
12. China: 7 Total (1 Gold, 3 Silver, 3 Bronze)
12. South Korea: 6 Total (1 Gold, 2 Silver, 3 Bronze)
14. Australia: 5 Total (3 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
15. Czech Republic: 4 Total (2 Gold, 2 Silver, 0 Bronze)
16. Slovenia: 4 Total (2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze)
17. Poland: 4 Total (0 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze)
18. Finland: 4 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 4 Bronze)
19. Great Britain: 3 Total (3 Gold, 0 Silver, 0 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. Georgia: 1 Total (0 Gold, 1 Silver, 0 Bronze)
26. Belgium: 1 Total (0 Gold, 0 Silver, 1 Bronze)

2026 Winter Olympics medal events schedule

Feb. 13

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Men’s 10km Interval Start Free
SNOWBOARDING: Women’s Cross Final
SPEED SKATING: Men’s 10000m
FIGURE SKATING: Men’s Free Skate
SNOWBOARDING: Men’s Halfpipe Final
SKELETON: Men’s Heat 4

Feb. 14

FREESTYLE SKIING: Women’s Dual Moguls Final
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Women’s 4×7.5km Relay
ALPINE SKIING: Men’s Giant Slalom Final
BIATHLON: Women’s 7.5km Sprint
SPEED SKATING: Men’s 500m
SKELETON: Women’s Final
SKI JUMPING: Men’s Large Hill
SHORT TRACK: Men’s 1500m

Feb. 15

BIATHLON: Men’s 12.5km Pursuit
FREESTYLE SKIING: Men’s Dual Moguls Final
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING: Men’s 4×7.5km Relay
ALPINE SKIING: Women’s Giant Slalom
SNOWBOARDING: Mixed Team Cross Final
BIATHLON: Women’s 10km Pursuit
SPEED SKATING: Women’s 500m
SKELETON: Mixed Team
SKI JUMPING: Women’s Large Hill

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

MILAN – USA goes into the quarterfinals of the men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics with a distinct advantage. Two, actually.

The Americans are well rested after having two days between the preliminary round and the games on Feb. 18, which will decide who plays in the semifinals. But they’re also used to the 9:10 p.m. Italy time starts, which normall in the NHL would be around when the third period begins.

‘We just went through a stretch where we played three games in four nights,’ coach Mike Sullivan said. ‘We had a nine o’clock game every night. So guys weren’t getting to sleep very early. But I thought the guys played extremely hard. I thought the last game was our best against Germany, certainly our most complete on both sides of the puck. That’s the game that we’re trying to get to more consistently, and that’s the game you’re going to need to get to have success moving forward when the competition gets stiffer.’

The competition doesn’t get any stiffer than win or go home. USA plays Sweden, Canada plays Czechia, Slovakia plays Germany and Finland plays Switzerland.

There haven’t been any upsets so far, but Czechia hopes to change that despite losing to Canada 5-0 in its opener.

‘We let them win the first one because we knew that we’re not going to win two in a row against Canada,’ Martin Necas, who plays for the Colorado Avalanche, said jokingly.

Follow along for Olympic men’s hockey quarterfinal action as teams either win or go home:

Slovakia 6, Germany 2

The Germans, confident they were hitting their stride, stumbled instead, losing to plucky Slovakia, who went from group winner to Olympic semifinalist. The Slovakians, well-rested from having two days between games, made it 1-0 in the first period on a goal from Pavol Regenda. Slovakia really took over in the second period, with goals from Milos Kelemen and Oliver Okuliar 33 seconds apart early in the second period, prompting Germany to take a timeout. 

Dalibor Dvorsky furthered the damage to 4-0 before Lukas Reichel put Germany on the board.

Regenda scored again in the third period, and Frederik Tiffels edged Germany within three goals with 11 minutes to play. Tomas Tatar put his Slovaks back up by four with an empty-net goal with 3:27 to play.

The Germans looked tired from having played the previous day, needing to advance to the quarterfinals by beating France in a qualification game.

Olympic men’s hockey scores and schedule today

All times Eastern and accurate as of Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at 5:36 p.m.

6:10 a.m. – Slovakia vs. Germany, quarterfinals on Peacock
10:40 a.m. – Canada vs. Czechia, quarterfinals on USA, Peacock
12:10 p.m. – Finland vs. Switzerland, quarterfinals on Peacock
3:10 p.m. – USA vs. Sweden, quarterfinals on NBC, Peacock

Where to watch Olympic men’s hockey

Watch Olympic men’s hockey on Peacock

How the Olympics men’s hockey tournament works

The 12 teams are divided into three groups. They are:

Group A: Canada, Switzerland, Czechia, France
Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy
Group C: USA, Germany, Latvia, Denmark

Teams play one game each against the other three teams in their group. Countries get three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime win, one for an overtime/shootout loss and zero for a regulation loss.

After the preliminary round is complete, teams are seeded 1 through 12 under the following criteria:

Higher position in the group
Higher number of points
Better goal difference
Higher number of goals scored for
Better IIHF world ranking

The top four teams (group winners and best second-place team) get a bye to the quarterfinals. Teams 5-12 play in a qualifying round, with the winners going to the quarterfinals.

Playoff qualification games are on Feb. 17, quarterfinals are Feb. 18 and semifinals are Feb. 20.

The bronze medal game is Feb. 21 and the gold medal game is Sunday, Feb. 22.

The United States cricket squad’s run in the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup has officially come to an end.

Following Pakistan’s victory over Namibia on Wednesday, Feb. 18, the U.S. was eliminated from the Group A standings, finishing in third place with a 2-2 record. It opened the tournament with back-to-back losses against India and Pakistan.

Team USA bounced back with wins over the Netherlands and Namibia. However, with India winning four matches and Pakistan three, the U.S. finished behind the two countries it lost to due to points in the standings and in the win column.

As the top two teams from each of the four groups advance to the Super 8 round ― the round the U.S. reached in the 2024 T20 World Cup ― Pakistan and India will play on, while Team USA returns home following a strong showing.

The Super 8 phase for the T20 World Cup 2026 begins on Feb. 21 and will conclude on March 1.

Here’s a look back at how Team USA performed in the 2026 T20 World Cup:

How did Team USA cricket perform in T20 World Cup?

Feb. 7: India defeated the United States by 29 runs
Feb. 10: Pakistan defeated the United States by 32 runs
Feb. 13: United States defeated the Netherlands by 93 runs
Feb. 15: United States defeated Namibia by 31 runs

The United States opened the tournament by giving India all it could handle, limiting the defending champions to a score of 161 with nine wickets in the full 20 overs. However, while the bowling did its job, the batting struggled against India’s strong bowling attack.

Against Pakistan, the final score made the match seem closer than it was, as the USA was never competitive after Pakistan posted a 190 score on the batting side. But until the final bowl, the United States hung around.

Following the back-to-back losses, Team USA had its best batting performances against the Netherlands and Namibia. The U.S. scored 196 in 20 overs and lost just six wickets vs. the Dutch, and then the bowling attack got the Netherlands all-out for 103 runs in 15.5 overs.

Against Namibia, the U.S. bested its highest score ever in the T20 World Cup two days after setting the record with a 199 score for the loss of just four wickets. The United States used the strong batting performance to pick up a 31-run win over Namibia to both help its net-run rate and keep itself alive in the tournament.

Top Team USA performers in T20 World Cup

Captain Monank Patel, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Saiteja Mukkamalla and Shubham Ranjane each recorded a run score of 50 in a T20 World Cup match. Patel and Krishnamurthi each scored 50s in the win over Namibia. Krishnamurthi had 68 off 33 balls in that match.

Mukkamalla recorded the highest single-game score of 79 runs off 51 balls in the USA’s win over the Netherlands, while Ranjane was the most consistent player with scores of 37 (off 22 balls), 51 (30) and 48 (24) over the first three games.

In the four games for the U.S., Shadley van Schalkwyk led the bowling attack with 13 wickets taken, with four-wicket performances against India and Pakistan. Harmeet Singh recorded seven wickets, while Mohammad Mohsin added four wickets.

USA cricket stats leaders

Most runs:

1. Shubham Ranjane, 141 runs
2. Sanjay Krishnamurthi, 106 runs
T-3. Saiteja Mukkamalla, 98 runs
T-3. Monank Patel, 91 runs

Most wickets:

1. Shadley van Schalkwyk, 13 wickets
2. Harmeet Singh, 7 wickets
3. Mohammad Mohsin, 4 wickets

DAVIDSON, NC — WNBA scouts attended the Richmond women’s basketball’s 11th consecutive win, over Davidson on Feb. 14, to get a look at one player.

They had their eyes on Maggie Doogan, who put on a show by scoring 26 points on 10-of-14 shooting and had six rebounds. The Spiders senior forward also reached a career milestone, becoming the third player in program history to score 2,000 points.

“People don’t realize, like, this was done in four years, right? This is not 2,000 points over five years,” Richmond coach Aaron Roussell told USA Today Sports. “It was just a calm. She made the right decisions, and it helps when you’re making shots. Just really, really proud of her overall, what she’s done at this level and what she’s done for this program. It’s really hard to top.”

It’s becoming increasingly likely Doogan will become the first Richmond player to be selected in the WNBA draft. One WNBA staffer likened her game to Maddy Siegrist, the former Villanova forward who now plays for the Dallas Wings after being selected in the first round in 2023.

Both Doogan and Siegrist are 6-foot-2, can score inside and out and come from outside the Power 4 conferences. Doogan is averaging of 21.9 points and 8.1 rebounds. As a senior at Villanova in 2023, Siegrist led the nation in scoring with 29.2 points a game and averaged 9.2 rebounds.

While Siegrist might be the better rebounder and inside scorer, a case can be made Doogan is a more efficient player and superior passer. Doogan is averaging 4.1 assists per game this season and shooting 51% from the floor, 41% from 3-point land and 88% from the free throw line. Siegrist never averaged more than two assists a game or shot better than 36% from behind the arc.

Doogan and Richmond’s Rachel Ullstrom are the only teammates in the country who attempt more than 6.5 3-pointers per game and shoot better than 40% from behind the arc. Doogan is also the only player in the nation averaging at least 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists a game while shooting north of 50% from the floor.

One WNBA scout who spoke to USA Today Sports complimented Doogan’s basketball IQ and competitiveness, pointing out how vocal she is on the defensive end. Another WNBA staffer said simply, “She won’t be available when the third round (of the draft) starts.”

‘The skill set that she has, I think she’s already ready…’ Roussell said. ‘She’s had some of her best games against some of the best players that are going to be in the WNBA. So I think her game translates And she’s a hard worker.”

Indeed, Doogan has often plays well in big games. She had 30 points and 15 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament upset of Georgia Tech last season, scored 27 points against UCLA in the second round and scored in the 20s against both TCU and Texas this season. She also participated in trials for the AmeriCup last summer with Team USA.

Doogan turned heads the last time she faced Davidson too, scoring 48 points in a triple-overtime win that set the single-game scoring mark for the season.

Despite losing at George Mason on Monday afternoon in a makeup game postponed due to a winter storm last month, Richmond is one of two teams in the Atlantic-10 with a resume worthy of consideration for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, joining Rhode Island. The Spiders are now 39th in NET, 40th in WAB and a perfect 20-0 in Quad 3 and 4 games — meaning they don’t have any bad losses.

Doogan’s draft stock will likely continue to rise if the Spiders can get that NCAA bid.

“Her best games are ahead of her,” Roussell said of Doogan’s WNBA prospects. “People are seeing what she is now, but she’s going to get stronger and she’s going to get more athletic.’

Things got so bad during UCLA’s blowout road loss to Michigan State on Tuesday night that Bruins coach Mick Cronin apparently felt the need to eject one of his own players.

The incident occurred late in the second half of an eventual 82-59 loss on Feb. 17 when UCLA center Steven Jamerson II picked up a flagrant foul for hacking a Spartans player from behind on a dunk attempt.

Cronin explained afterward he didn’t appreciate Jamerson’s actions, especially coming with just 4:26 to go and the Bruins trailing 77-50.

‘I was thoroughly disappointed,’ Cronin told reporters after the game. ‘The guy was defenseless in the air. I know Steve was trying to block the shot, but the game’s a 25-point game. You don’t do that.’

Frustrations continue to mount for the Bruins, who lost to top-ranked Michigan by 30 points on Saturday after entering the weekend winning five of their last six.

Cronin also had a testy exchange with a reporter after the game. When asked about the Michigan State student section chanting the name of former Spartans player Xavier Booker − who transferred to UCLA last year after two underwhelming seasons in East Lansing − Cronin fired back angrily.

‘I would like to give you kudos for the worst question I’ve ever been asked,’ he said. ‘You really think I care about the other team’s student section?’

The loss dropped UCLA to 17-9 overall and 9-6 in the Big Ten. Michigan State improved to 21-5 and 11-4 in Big Ten play.