Category: Sports

In a salary-cap league, value is paramount. The overall point of the NFL draft, for example, may be to build your roster for the long term, but it’s also about finding players who can help you win while they’re on relatively cheap rookie contracts, so you can pay up for stars at other positions or reward guys who’ve been great values in the past.

Nowhere is this more important than the quarterback position. Teams with quarterbacks on rookie deals have the opportunity to splurge elsewhere and build out deep, talented rosters that can support that quarterback as he develops or compete for a championship if he develops quickly enough. The most prominent current example of this is the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles with Jalen Hurts.

Teams paying their quarterback at or near the top of the market generally need him to be otherworldly, or at the very least heroic in the biggest moments, because they’re going to be counting on younger, cheaper players at other key positions. The elite quarterback making elite-quarterback money must be able to lift the team beyond its flaws and/or growing pains. The most prominent current example is the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes, who will play the aforementioned Eagles in Super Bowl LVII on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox).

Because value is such an important concept in the NFL — at quarterback specifically — we wanted to take a look at the signal-callers who delivered the most value in 2022. This isn’t necessarily a list or ranking of the best quarterbacks, but rather of those who delivered the most value relative to what their teams paid them. Some are young, cheap players. Some are highly paid stars who played like it. And many are in-between.

How we rank: Quarterbacks are divided into four categories: established starters not on rookie deals, journeyman starters, starters on rookie deals and rookie-deal starters on fifth-year options. Within those subsets, quarterbacks were ranked by their total production in 2022 over what was expected based on their compensation. Total production is measured by clutch-weighted EPA (CWEPA), a stat that is the backbone of QBR. Expected production is an estimate based on compensation — players paid the most are expected to produce the most.

There could be many ways to estimate the true compensation paid in a multiple-year NFL contract. Both current-year salary and cap hit can be greatly misleading, so we estimated a realistic per-year salary for each contract by using “effective compensation,” which is the per-year total obligation up to the point where that obligation is smallest. This almost always coincides with when a player’s release can bring cap savings. For example, a player with a five-year contract for $10 million in salary per year and a $100 million signing bonus, plus a $40 million roster bonus in Year 5 would work out like this:

• Year 1: $110M obligation, $110M for one year of play

• Year 2: $120M obligation, $60M per year

• Year 3: $130M obligation, $43.3M per year

• Year 4: $140M obligation, $35M per year

• Year 5: $190M obligation, $38M per year

In this example, Year 5 is kind of a throwaway year, meant to stretch out the signing bonus and not really intended to be exercised. Realistically, this player is on a four-year contract worth $35 million per year in effective compensation.

With explainers out of the way, let’s take a look.

Jump to a group:
Established | Rookie deals
Fifth-year options | Journeymen

Best bargain: Patrick Mahomes

Make no mistake: With an average effective compensation for our purposes of just under $31 million (and even a 2022 cap hit under $36 million), Mahomes is an absolute bargain. He was by far the best and most valuable quarterback this season: His 132.8 clutch-weighted EPA total easily was first at the position (Josh Allen was second at 119.3) and well above expectations based on his earnings. In other words: Mahomes is worth many, many millions beyond what he’s currently paid. In fact, even if we only considered the $46.8 million cap hit he’s set to cost in 2023, he still would be a value at his current level of play.

Worst bargain: Deshaun Watson

It somehow went slightly under the radar just how badly Watson played in 2022 after returning from an 11-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy by committing sexual assault, as defined by the league, on massage therapists. His QBR was 38.3 — barely beating out Russell Wilson (37.0) and trailing far behind teammate Jacoby Brissett (59.9) — over his six games with the Browns despite signing a deal with $230 million guaranteed last offseason. Lest you think this was just a volume thing: Even if we did this exercise on a per-snap basis Watson would still rank last in his category. Sure, his contract was made with future seasons in mind. But in 2022, even if we focus on only what he did on the field, Watson was the worst quarterback value by a mile. — Seth Walder

Who gets paid next and what can they expect? I still can’t figure out a single good reason for Derek Carr, who has a no-trade clause, to agree to any deal. If he’s still on the Raiders’ roster three days after the Super Bowl, his $32.9 million 2023 salary becomes fully guaranteed, as does $7.5 million of his $41.9 million 2024 salary. Assuming Carr calls the Raiders’ bluff and they release him before that money guarantees, he will be a free agent, eligible to sign with any team at any time — he won’t have to wait until the start of the league year March 15. Carr’s résumé and the number of quarterback-needy teams should enable him to get at least $35 million a year on a free agent deal.

Dak Prescott has two years left on his contract at $31 million for 2023 and $34 million for 2024, but only the 2023 money is guaranteed. Dallas could extend or restructure him to knock down his $49.1 million 2023 cap number. Jared Goff is a steal for the Lions at an average of $26.5 million over the next two years. He could be looking for a raise after his big season, but the fact that he’s two years from free agency hurts his leverage. Detroit could try to work something out with him like Las Vegas did last offseason with Carr — guaranteeing his 2023 salary and injury-guaranteeing some of his 2024 salary — to keep him happy and reward him. — Dan Graziano

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Best bargain: Jalen Hurts

Hurts was in an ideal spot this season playing with great receivers, a good offensive line and an elite defense. But he maximized the opportunity and produced magnificent numbers in 2022. For this exercise, he looks even better. All rookie-deal quarterbacks who perform well are great values, but this is especially true for someone like Hurts, who was selected outside the first round (he was taken at No. 53 overall in 2020). Therefore his effective compensation is even cheaper, making him a better value than players such as Justin Herbert, Daniel Jones and Joe Burrow, who were effective in their own right — though not quite on Hurts’ level, production-wise — but cost more because they were early draft picks.

Worst bargain: Zach Wilson

Wilson has a tough combination of numbers for this exercise: As a former No. 2 overall pick, he’s one of the most expensive players on a rookie deal. But he also was the worst in clutch-weighted EPA because of a combination of time missed (due to injury and benching) and poor play. None of that is great, not that it needs to be said to Jets fans, who know these things all too well. Merely average quarterback play almost certainly would have gotten the Jets — an otherwise quite talented team — into the playoffs. — Walder

Who gets paid next and what can they expect? All eyes will be on the Eagles and Hurts, who had an MVP-level season and should have no trouble cracking the $50 million-per-year threshold. Remember, Hurts was a second-round pick in 2020, so the Eagles do not hold a fifth-year option on him for 2024, as the Bengals do with Burrow, the Chargers with Herbert and the Dolphins with Tua Tagovailoa. There’s more urgency to do Hurts’ deal this offseason.

Burrow and Herbert were both drafted by teams that don’t historically spend a lot, but the Bengals have operated their spending a bit differently since Burrow arrived, leading some to speculate they might be willing to make him guarantees they haven’t in past contracts. Of course, with receivers Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase also up for extensions in the next two offseasons, Burrow may be better off pushing this thing back a year or two to leave some short-term cash free for the team to keep his receiving corps together. If Burrow and/or Herbert sign this offseason, that $50 million a year is likely their floor.

It’s tough to forecast a Tagovailoa extension until there’s clarity on his health situation, so we won’t do that here. Jones may be the most interesting one in this group. He’s a free agent, so if the Giants want to retain him and can’t get a deal done soon, they will have to use the franchise or transition tag to keep him off the market. Their preference would be to do a deal with Jones and then franchise running back Saquon Barkley for about $10 million a year, but you can only tag one player per year. Tagging Jones could cost them Barkley, but quarterback is the more important position. The quarterback franchise tag this year is $32.4 million, and if they were to franchise him again in 2024 it would cost them about $39 million, so if you’re Jones, any extension talk has to begin with at least $71 million guaranteed over the first two years. — Graziano

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Who gets paid next and what can they expect? Lamar Jackson is the obvious headliner, as he and the Ravens have been trying to get an extension done for two years. My expectation is Baltimore will franchise Jackson to keep him off the open market, which will give the team until July 15 to get a deal done. The issue last year was Jackson was seeking a fully guaranteed contract and the Ravens didn’t want to give one on principle, so someone is going to have to change their stance for a deal to get done. Once that happens, the price tag shouldn’t be an issue. Given the state of the market and Jackson’s credentials, this deal should come in north of $50 million per year. — Graziano

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Best bargain: Geno Smith

Smith’s surprise run, not only as the Seahawks’ quarterback, but as a good Seahawks quarterback made him an absolute steal in terms of his contract. He ranked sixth overall in QBR among all signal-callers this season while starting all 17 games, making him clearly the No. 1 QB in terms of clutch-weighted EPA in the journeyman category. He was in a good situation with two excellent receivers and a solid pass-protecting line — but the Seahawks’ offense wouldn’t have worked without Smith playing well. Because no one in this group is paid an extraordinary sum, being the best in the group makes Smith an easy choice as the top value, too.

Worst bargain: Joe Flacco

Even in limited playing time (four starts), Flacco was costly to the Jets. His 34.2 QBR put him in the Davis Mills range. With a $3.5 million compensation for our purposes here, what’s the harm? Well, it’s worse play than the others in the group — even those such as Marcus Mariota who cost a little more were more valuable because they were significantly better and played more (and Flacco would still rank last if this were done on a per-snap basis). — Walder

Who gets paid next and what can they expect? Coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners are going to go their separate ways. He’ll be looking for that starter-level money we discussed for Carr — $35 million or so per year at least.

Is Seattle going to stick with Smith or draft a quarterback at No. 5? It seems to make sense to run it back with Smith on something like $35 million a year for three years. Brissett played well for the Browns while they waited for Watson’s suspension to end. Will he be able to parlay that into a shot at a starter’s job somewhere? If the 49ers don’t land a big fish, could they think about bringing in Brissett as a potential hedge against the injury recoveries of Brock Purdy and Trey Lance?

Taylor Heinicke will probably try to get Washington to give him something similar to the two years and $14.3 million Mitch Trubisky received from Pittsburgh last season, but he’ll probably have to settle for something like the one-year, $5 million deal Brissett obtained from the Browns last year. — Graziano

ESPN senior analytics specialist Brian Burke contributed to this report.

Quarterback Tom Brady, who announced his retirement Feb. 1, said Monday that he won’t begin his work as a sports broadcaster at Fox Sports until the fall of 2024.

“That’s great for me,” Brady in an appearance on FS1’s “The Herd With Colin Cowherd.” “Take some time to really learn, be great at what I really want to do [and] become great at thinking about the opportunity and making sure I don’t rush into anything.

“I think when people really bet on me; one thing about my career — whether it’s when I was drafted with the Patriots or signing in free agency with the Bucs — I want to be fully committed and I never wanted to let people down. I think my biggest motivator was that.”

In the interview on “The Herd,” Brady shared how last week’s retirement unfolded.

“For me, I know in my heart how I feel. I put it out on the field for 23 years and I’m super proud of what’s been accomplished. I just wanted to keep last week really short and sweet. I felt like I’ve given a lot, I’ve gained a lot, I’ve learned a lot, and life is about exciting things ahead, too.

“I’ve loved my time in football. It’s absolutely an incredible love in my life. It’s hard to make decisions like that, but it’s certainly the right time.”

Of his broadcasting career and what he plans to do before starting it, Brady added: “I want to be great at what I do, and that always takes some time, strategizing, learning, growing and evolving. I have so many people to rely on and support me in that world, too. It’s going to be a great opportunity for me to take some time [to prepare] for my Fox broadcasting job, but also catching up on other parts of my life that need some time and energy.”

In May 2022, Brady agreed to join Fox Sports as its lead analyst when his playing career was over.

Fox did not disclose terms of Brady’s deal, but the New York Post reported that it was a 10-year, $375 million contract — the most lucrative in sports broadcasting history.

When Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch announced the news last year, he said Brady will call games alongside lead play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt and also work as an “ambassador” for the network with a focus on “client and promotional initiatives.”

It cannot have escaped your attention that there is a lot of cricket going on.

“The schedule is difficult for people to keeps tabs on and understand what is important and what is not,” said Sky Sports Cricket expert Michael Atherton during England’s three-match one-day international series in South Africa.

Much of that cricket is franchise white-ball cricket.

England’s games against South Africa were shoehorned in between the first and second half of the inaugural SA20, which is taking place the same time as the first International League T20 in the United Arab Emirates.

The T20 tournaments (or 100-ball in The Hundred’s case) just keep on coming, to the benefit of players’ bank accounts but potentially to the detriment of the international game, which Atherton says “is being chipped away at.”

England are not immune to losing players.

Joe Root missed the South Africa series in order to play in the International League T20, while Alex Hales reportedly opted out of the three T20 internationals in Bangladesh in March because he will get significantly more money in the Pakistan Super League.

England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler said: “It’s quite complicated, for sure, and of course there are some frustrations at certain points but I completely understand people’s positions. It’s an individual decision at the end of the day.”

The franchise cricket boom has probably hit West Indies most of all, though, with the Indian Premier League among the tournaments to clash with their home season.

A review following the team’s early exit at the T20 World Cup last year determined that West Indies Cricket will “cease to exist as an entity” if their best players only play in international matches on an “optional” basis while featuring in all T20 leagues.

West Indies Cricket has diminished as an entity already, with the highs of Test series wins at home to England and in Bangladesh mixed with many lows.

The once-mighty Caribbean team sit eighth in the Test rankings, seventh in T20Is and 10th in ODIs. Barring a peculiar set of results, they will have to qualify for the 50-over World Cup in India later this year.

The IPL began a monumental shift in the cricketing landscape ahead of its debut edition in 2008 and while Atherton is pleased players now have ample opportunities, he feels international boards missed the chance to keep the T20 juggernaut in check.

The former England captain said: “It struck me straightaway with absolute clarity that the obvious consequence of the free market coming into the game was that international cricket, for so long the staple of the game, was going to be challenged. That has come to pass.

“I remember standing with a few English journalists when the first IPL auction happened and they were saying ‘this will never catch on’. I was thinking, ‘these players are earning 10 times in a month what they are earning in a year, this is going to change the game’.

“The opportunities now are incredible, for cricketers not necessarily of the top rank. Previously, if you weren’t an international cricketer you didn’t really have a living in the winter months, it wasn’t a lucrative career, but now, if you are perhaps that level below the absolute top-notchers, there are many opportunities.

“That is good for cricketers but if international cricket is to survive and thrive something has to be done.

“World Cups will still be strong – although I don’t think you want one every year as that dilutes things – and Test cricket between sides that can afford it will be strong but the rest of it is being chipped away at by franchise cricket.

“I think administrators were asleep at the wheel from the start. I am not saying it was easy but if they had got together to organise the calendar then maybe they could have made franchise competitions pay an amount for a window that could go into a Test match fund.

“There were innovative ways to think about it but they didn’t think about it as they cannot see beyond the end of the next pay cheque. The game has been damaged now and I don’t see any solutions.”

Atherton’s fellow Sky Sports pundit and former England captain Nasser Hussain views the rise of franchise cricket as a “double-edged sword”, giving fans what they want and rewarding players financially, but impacting national sides and also sometimes stunting cricketers’ development.

Hussain said: “Franchise cricket has already changed the game and there is a lot of good to it – TV companies wouldn’t be paying money if they didn’t think people were watching it. People love franchise cricket and there is nothing wrong with that. But, with everything, there are repercussions, it is a double-edged sword.

“West Indies provide players for the IPL in their primetime home season and it affects them. West Indies have said they can’t do anything – either they let their players go or they try and keep them and the players just go anyway. They can’t win.

“There has been a demise in West Indies cricket and that applies to Zimbabwe and all the other nations, while England, India and Australia [who can pay their players more] get stronger. The ICC must look at that because the sport is better when everyone is given an equal opportunity.

“As for the players, if they get X amount for all those franchise competitions, add that all together and it is going to be a lot more than standing in the field in a four-day game. That is fine, but again look out for the repercussions.

“Suddenly you are just playing white-ball cricket and not getting the rhythm of batting. If your form drops off and someone axes you it will snowball and others will axe you.

“It does concern me that there have been reports of England Lions players not wanting to go on tours because they want to go to T20 leagues. That’s fine if you are playing but some of the younger players may be carrying the drinks.

“Sam Billings, as an example, did this and I only ever saw him with a bib on carrying a drink out to someone. He didn’t improve, he stagnated, so don’t be lured by the cash.”

Atherton thinks a tweak in the way that central contracts are paid could help persuade players to turn out for their country.

“[Nasser and I] were among the first recipients of central contracts – for not very much money, I might add – and they were just for Test cricketers. Now England have a block of 20-odd for all forms paid in various bands depending where the player is at.

“England are now using a larger pool of players so you could reduce the retainer and increase the match and tour fees. Life is about incentive and you want to incentivise people to play.

“At the moment, players have got a whacking retainer but seem to have the freedom within that contract to play elsewhere. By bumping up the match fees, players who want to play for England are encouraged to do so rather than play in franchise cricket.”

Women’s cricket could soon face a similar club vs country conundrum, with the first edition of the IPL – set to take place in March – one of a number of short-form domestic tournaments on the calendar. The five IPL franchises were sold for £465million and players are expected to be paid handsomely.

South Africa’s Lizelle Lee and West Indies’ Deandra Dottin have retired from international cricket – neither will be at this month’s T20 World Cup – in part due to the opportunities elsewhere in the game.

Speaking to the Guardian recently, England captain Heather Knight said: “I think the women’s IPL will be a great thing for the game. It could really kick-start things in other countries. But there are some possible negatives, if it’s not handled properly.

“The differences in pay and professionalism around the world are way more stark in the women’s game compared to the men’s. There also isn’t the same depth in talent for a number of countries.

“The best place you can be is both international and domestic cricket thriving. But you need a good solid plan of how that looks for all countries, not like the men’s game where it has just been allowed to happen without any direction. The women’s game will change far quicker as a result of this.”

As last year’s Super Bowl kickoff grew near, the mobile sportsbook DraftKings reported it was taking 21,000 bets per minute. Mega-operators like DraftKings are able to offer as many props as Kornegay’s SuperBook Sports, if not more, and their customers have come to expect it.

“We’re never going to be able to duplicate the same size of menu or even come close to that, frankly,” said Jeffrey Benson, the sportsbook operations manager at Circa Sports, Las Vegas’s largest sportsbook. Rather than try to compete with the sheer volume of the big operators, Benson decided to compete for originality, crowdsourcing Circa’s prop menu on social media.

He asked bettors on Twitter which props they’d like to see offered and Benson and his team chose dozens of their favorite responses, including “Will Travis Kelce get more receiving yards than Jason Kelce snaps played?” and “Will any player score 8 points on one drive?”

The SuperBook’s menu evolves from year to year as well. “At this point in time, it’s very tough to come up with new propositions,” Kornegay said, “but we came up with a couple new ones.”

This year, the book will offer props on whether either team will convert a fourth down in its own territory, something unthinkable a decade ago, but now an increasingly common occurrence in the N.F.L. “The Eagles have done it like four times,” Kornegay said.

Offering an original Super Bowl prop bet is not without risk, however. Benson and Chris Bennett, Circa’s director of risk, are a two-person team when it comes to pricing these new props. They don’t worry too much about whether or not they get the price right or wrong, instead letting the market do the work while they adjust odds as the bets are placed.

“There’s nothing more disappointing to us than when we spend some time on a proposition and it doesn’t create a lot of interest,” Kornegay said. “If it doesn’t get a lot of interest, meaning a lot of bets, there’s a good chance you won’t see that one next year.”

Los Angeles Rams running back Ronnie Rivers made more than 70% of his 2022 salary in a single stroke of gambling luck.

On Saturday, Rivers won $514,837 playing three-card poker when he hit the Mega Progressive Jackpot at Caesars Palace.

.@CaesarsRewards guest and @RamsNFL player Ronnie Rivers hit the Mega Progressive Jackpot this weekend winning $514,837 on 3-card poker!

21+. Gambling problem? Call 800-522-4700. pic.twitter.com/EVjQISUiUG

— Caesars Palace (@CaesarsPalace) February 6, 2023

According to KTNV, Rivers was in Vegas celebrating his mother’s birthday and plans to buy a house with his winnings. The rookie running back had a base salary of $705,000 last season and is set to make $870,000 in 2023.

Rivers just finished his rookie season in the NFL, first signing with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent. After a short stint with the Seattle Seahawks, Rivers signed with the Rams’ practice squad and after several elevations during the season, was signed to the active roster in November.

Rivers, who started at running back for the Rams in Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers, finished the season with nine carries for 21 yards and five catches for 29 yards.

Two mega-matchups involving four teams in the top five of the ESPN women’s college basketball Power Rankings are on tap this week. The winners will take a firmer grip in their conference races in the Big Ten and SEC.

First up is Thursday’s Big Ten showdown in Bloomington, Indiana, between Indiana and Iowa, Nos. 4 and 5 in this week’s Power Rankings. Then Sunday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App), No. 1 South Carolina hosts No. 3 LSU.

The Gamecocks and Tigers are the last two unbeaten teams in Division I women’s basketball. This past week, South Carolina withstood a challenge from UConn, while LSU survived three single-digit wins, including over Georgia in overtime. The Tigers have this next week to prepare for the Gamecocks, who have to play Auburn on the road Thursday.

The Gamecocks’ win Sunday featured the individual showcase of premier post players Aliyah Boston and Aaliyah Edwards. Another such matchup will come when Boston faces off against LSU’s Angel Reese, who is second in Division I in rebounding (15.8) and fifth in scoring (23.5). Reese has put herself into the national player of the year race — with top contenders Boston and Iowa’s Caitlin Clark — with her 23-game streak of double-double performances.

Boston’s numbers (13.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG) don’t reflect just how dominating she is, because she hasn’t had to play as much with the Gamecocks’ depth and how commandingly they have won a lot of games. But just look at what she did against UConn — 26 points, 11 rebounds, 2blocked shots — if you need any reminder of how good she is.

Both teams have top scoring guards, Zia Cooke for South Carolina and Alexis Morris for LSU. Brea Beal has been exceptional as the Gamecocks’ defensive leader, and center Kamilla Cardoso follows Boston on the boards at 8.2 per game. And LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson is one of the country’s most exciting freshmen.

Meanwhile in the Midwest, the Hoosiers had their biggest regular-season crowd on Jan. 26 vs. Ohio State but might have an even bigger one when triple-double whiz Clark and the Hawkeyes come to town. Indiana (12-1 Big Ten) has played one more conference game than Iowa (11-1), and the teams sit first and second in the league.

Indiana is on a 10-game winning streak and hasn’t lost at home this season; Iowa is on an eight-game winning streak and already has won two Big Ten road games against ranked teams. Both teams have superefficient post players, Indiana’s Mackenzie Holmes and Iowa’s Monika Czinano, who are second and third in Division I in field goal percentage and are the top two among Power 5 conference players.

Both teams have excellent playmakers, with Iowa’s Clark and Indiana’s Grace Berger and Chloe Moore-McNeil. And both have freshmen who have really made an impact: Indiana’s Yarden Garzon and Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke.

This week also brings the NCAA’s first reveal of the projected top 16 seeds, which comes at halftime of Thursday’s game between Stanford and the Arizona Wildcats (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN App).

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Clark is our first repeat winner for Player of the Week this season (previously won Dec. 5). She had some stiff competition, including LSU’s Morris and South Carolina’s Boston, who won Jan. 16.

But it was hard to top Clark’s performances against Maryland (42 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists) and Penn State (23/10/14, for her third triple-double of the season and ninth of her career). Also notable was how well Clark shot the ball this past week: a combined 22-of-36 (61.1%), including 8-of-17 (47%) from 3-point range, in the two victories.

It was a tough week for Stanford with an unexpected loss, but another good week for Stanford alum Lindy La Rocque, who played for the Cardinal 2008-12. Her UNLV team scored 90-plus points in beating both New Mexico and Air Force on the road to stay unbeaten in the Mountain West. The Lady Rebels, 22-2 overall, lead the league at 12-0 and have won 13 consecutive games.

Junior center Desi-Rae Young, the MWC Player of the Year last season, leads UNLV at 17.8 PPG and 10.5 RPG. The Lady Rebels have a hometown feel to them, too: Three starters — Young, Essence Booker and Justice Ethridge — plus La Rocque are Las Vegas natives.

We’ll address what went wrong for Stanford below. But let’s focus here on what went right for Washington. The Huskies have had their struggles, coming into the game at 4-7 in the Pac-12. From Dec. 30 to Jan. 27, they lost seven of eight games.

But most of those games were close, and now UW has won three in a row — including this shocker over Stanford. The Huskies’ execution was what it needed to be for such a big upset. They were the more aggressive team — 16-of-21 from the foul line to Stanford’s 12-of-13 — and beat the Cardinal on the boards 34-24. They had just 11 turnovers to Stanford’s 16.

After trailing 17-8 following the first quarter, the Huskies roared back with a 30-point second quarter that changed the whole vibe of the game. Then, down by one after three quarters, they won the fourth quarter 19-13, including making five free throws in the final 22 seconds.

Reiss had the opportunity to move after last season’s 22-7 record. Many thought she might want a chance to go to Virginia, where she and South Carolina coach Dawn Staley were in the same backcourt from 1988-89 through 1991-92. But Reiss said she wanted to keep building the program at Rhode Island.

The success has continued into this season, with the 19-3 Rams leading the Atlantic 10 at 10-0. They’ve won 10 in a row, including victories this past week over Saint Joseph’s (in double overtime) and Davidson. This week, the Rams take on George Washington on Wednesday and VCU on Sunday (noon ET, ESPNU/ESPN App). On Feb. 16, Rhode Island has a rematch with 19-4 UMass, which is second in the A-10 at 9-1. The Rams won their first meeting 75-68 on Jan. 4.

Reiss, the A-10 Coach of the Year in 2020-21, is 65-34 in her fourth season at Rhode Island.

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Power Rankings

1. South Carolina Gamecocks (23-0)
Previous ranking: 1
This week: at Auburn (Thursday), vs. LSU Tigers (Sunday)

The Gamecocks topped Kentucky and UConn last week. Their depth is due to everyone accepting their role on the team, and it’s not easy to get that buy-in. But Dawn Staley has it. The result: Even though the Huskies’ starting five played as well as they did Sunday, the Gamecocks had 37 points and 17 rebounds off the bench in their 81-77 victory. With this marquee game in South Carolina’s win column, another big matchup awaits with LSU.

2. UConn Huskies (21-3)
Previous ranking: 2
This week: at Marquette (Wednesday), at Georgetown (Saturday)

A victory over the Gamecocks would have been huge, but playing the top-ranked team as close as they did was also big for the Huskies. They hope to have guard Caroline Ducharme — who last played Dec. 31 — back soon, perhaps this week, as she has been in the concussion protocol. UConn still has a rematch with Villanova on the road Feb. 18, but that might be the Huskies’ last real challenge in the regular season.

3. LSU Tigers (23-0)
Previous ranking: 3
This week: at South Carolina (Sunday)

The Tigers walked a tightrope last week, as their unbeaten record looked in jeopardy more than once. But all was well that ended well: They defeated Tennessee, Georgia and Texas A&M. Still, in Sunday’s win at Texas A&M, the fatigue of a challenging week did show a bit. That didn’t stop Reese from getting her third double-double this season that included 20 or more rebounds (26 points, 22 boards), though. And Morris came up big on the perimeter with point totals of 31, 15 and 22.

4. Indiana Hoosiers (22-1)
Previous ranking: 5
This week: vs. Iowa (Thursday)

The Hoosiers beat Minnesota and Purdue, both by 23 points on the road, setting up their showdown with Iowa this week. The Hoosiers helped draw a sold-out crowd at Purdue on Sunday. Indiana’s only loss this season is at Michigan State on Dec. 29. Closing out the regular season without another loss will be a test, as the Hoosiers face ranked teams Iowa (twice), Ohio State and Michigan and have a rematch with Purdue.

5. Iowa Hawkeyes (19-4)
Previous ranking: 6
This week: at Indiana (Thursday), vs. Rutgers (Sunday)

We’ve detailed Clark’s big week, but there was more to the Hawkeyes’ show. Czinano was 21-of-28 (75%) from the field in the wins over Maryland and Penn State. And fellow post player Stuelke is improving game by game in her first season, as she was a combined 9-of-10 from field for 22 points. The Hawkeyes are back in the top five for the first time since Week 1 of the Power Rankings in November.

6. Stanford Cardinal (22-3)
Previous ranking: 4
This week: at Arizona (Thursday), at Arizona State (Sunday)

The Cardinal have lost twice in Pac-12 play, and that is two times more than most were expecting from a team that was practically penciled into the Final Four when the season began. Sunday’s 72-67 loss at Washington was another example of Stanford’s offensive woes. After scoring 90 and 101 points in the team’s first two league wins, against California and Arizona State, the Cardinal have averaged 65 points the past 10 games. That is enough when their defense is up to snuff. That wasn’t the case against Washington. And will it be enough in the NCAA tournament?

7. Maryland Terrapins (19-5)
Previous ranking: 7
This week: at Northwestern (Thursday), vs. Illinois (Sunday)

The Terps stayed in place in the Power Rankings after wins over Penn State and Ohio State and a loss at Iowa. Maryland’s defense struggled against the Hawkeyes, but the Terps are far from the only team to experience that against Iowa. Then Ohio State bore the brunt of Maryland’s frustration three days later as the Terps crushed the Buckeyes 90-54 Sunday. The Terps will play Iowa and Ohio State again to close out the regular season.

8. Utah Utes (20-2)
Previous ranking: 11
This week: vs. Washington (Friday), vs. Washington State (Sunday)

Look who’s tied with Stanford for first place in the Pac-12: the Utes and the Cardinal are 10-2 in league play. Utah survived 75-73 in overtime at Oregon State and then reached 100 points for the third time this season in beating Oregon. Utah’s Alissa Pili was another contender for national player of the week, with a combined 53 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. Stanford won the first matchup with Utah on Jan. 20. Might the regular-season finale between the two in Salt Lake City on Feb. 25 be for the Pac-12 title?

9. Duke Blue Devils (20-3)
Previous ranking: 13
This week: at Boston College (Thursday), vs. Miami (Sunday)

The Blue Devils are atop the ACC at 10-2 after wins over Pitt and Notre Dame. But the victories got much less attention than coach Kara Lawson’s allegation — which came after Thursday’s win vs. Pitt — that a men’s basketball had been used for the first half of Duke’s 70-57 loss at Florida State on Jan. 29. Florida State said that wasn’t the case, and the ACC released a statement saying that after a thorough review, no evidence was found to support Lawson’s claim. The Blue Devils scoring 57 points in that loss was no outlier; they have averaged 60.5 PPG in their past 10 games. What they are winning with is defense.

Incidentally, if the Seminoles, now tied in second at 9-3, face Duke in the ACC tournament, that game might have some heat after Lawson cast doubt on Florida State’s win over the Blue Devils.

10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (18-4)
Previous ranking: 9
This week: vs. Pitt (Thursday), vs. Syracuse (Sunday)

The Irish are 2-2 since losing guard Dara Mabrey to a season-ending injury on Jan. 22, including this past week’s defeat against visiting Duke. Notre Dame still has a lot of talent, and the schedule might be in the Irish’s favor as their last six games are against unranked foes. That includes two meetings with last-place Pitt. However, they also play Louisville twice, and the Cardinals are still dangerous.

11. North Carolina Tar Heels (17-6)
Previous ranking: 8
This week: at Syracuse (Thursday), vs. Boston College (Sunday)

The Tar Heels can attest to how challenging it still is to play Louisville despite the Cardinals being unranked. North Carolina lost 63-55 at Louisville after a 73-62 victory over Virginia this past week. The 55 points was a season low for the Tar Heels, who had their eight-game winning streak snapped. However, North Carolina was without its leading rebounder and third-leading scorer, junior Alyssa Ustby, who has a lower-body injury and missed a game for the first time in her Tar Heels career. Another starter, Eva Hodgson, has been out the past four games.

12. Texas Longhorns (18-6)
Previous ranking: 14
This week: vs. Texas Tech (Wednesday), vs. TCU (Saturday)

Texas is making the case for “It’s not how you start but how you finish.” The Longhorns lost four of their first seven games this season but have lost just two since. They lead the Big 12 at 9-2 and are on a five-game winning streak that includes victories on the road this past week against West Virginia and Kansas.

13. Oklahoma Sooners (18-4)
Previous ranking: 16
This week: at Baylor (Tuesday), at Kansas State (Sunday)

Things can change very quickly in a competitive conference like the Big 12. A week ago, Iowa State was tied for first and looking good after two victories, while the Sooners had just lost two games. It’s the opposite this week, with the Cyclones losing twice and dropping from the Power Rankings and the Sooners climbing three spots after victories over TCU and West Virginia.

Three-point record holder Taylor Robertson also got a chance to meet idol Steph Curry when the Golden State Warriors faced the Oklahoma City Thunder, so it was an all-around good week in Soonerland. But their foes this week, the Bears and Wildcats, are the two teams that just upset Iowa State.

14. Ohio State Buckeyes (20-4)
Previous ranking: 10
This week: vs. Minnesota (Wednesday)

The good news for Ohio State is that star guard Jacy Sheldon returned Sunday at Maryland, after not playing since Nov. 30 because of a foot injury, and had five points and five rebounds in 25 minutes. The bad news is that the Buckeyes’ slide continues; they’ve lost four of their past five after starting 19-0. Their only win in that stretch was against Wisconsin , which is 2-10 in league play. And even with Sheldon, the Buckeyes were not competitive in their 90-54 loss to the Terps. The Buckeyes will try to put the pieces back together this week.

15. Virginia Tech Hokies (18-4)
Previous ranking: NR
This week: at NC State (Monday), vs. Florida State (Sunday)

Part of the four-team logjam tied for fourth at 8-4 in the ACC, the Hokies return to the Power Rankings for the first time since Jan. 2. They are 7-2 since Jan. 1, including a win over Syracuse this past week in which center Elizabeth Kitley led the way with 20 points and 11 rebounds. But the Hokies are facing a difficult week ahead against two ranked teams.

16. Michigan Wolverines (19-5)
Previous ranking: NR
This week: vs. Nebraska (Sunday)

Since making their Power Rankings debut Dec. 5, the Wolverines have dropped out three times. But they keep getting back in again, including this week after wins over Illinois and Michigan State, which has been without coach Suzy Merchant the past three games for medical reasons. Leigha Brown had a combined 56 points, 16 rebounds and 13 assists — she was also a player of the week contender — to fuel Michigan.

Knocked out: Iowa State (No. 12), UCLA (No. 15)

TOP DOG: Tunmise Adeleye, Michigan State

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NEXT LEVEL: Dante Cephas, Penn State

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BEST SIGNAL-CALLER: Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin

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TOP IN-CONFERENCE TRANSFER: Ernest Hausmann, Michigan

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TOP ROADGRADER: Ben Scott, Nebraska

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MR. LOCKDOWN: Ja’Quan Sheppard, Maryland

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CAREER RESURRECTION: Cade McNamara, Iowa

Australia T20 captain Aaron Finch has announced his retirement from all international cricket after 12 years in the national side.

The 36-year-old skippered Australia in 76 T20 internationals – more than any other men’s player – and led the team to a maiden ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title in 2021, making him one of only four men to captain Australia to a World Cup victory.

Finch was also part of the squad that lifted the 50-over ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015, had already retired from ODI cricket in September.

His T20 international career spanned 103 matches, where he averaged 34.28 at a strike rate of 142.5, and his 172 off 76 balls against Zimbabwe in 2018 remains the highest individual score in T20 internationals.

Finch said in a statement: “Realising that I won’t be playing on until the next T20 World Cup in 2024, now is the right moment to step down and give the team time to plan and build towards that event.

“I’d like to thank my family, especially my wife Amy, my team-mates, Cricket Victoria, Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers’ Association for their support to allow me to play the game I love at the highest level.

“I also want to say a huge thank you to all the fans who have supported me throughout my international career. Team success is what you play the game for and the maiden T20 World Cup win in 2021 and lifting the ODI World Cup on home soil in 2015 will be the two memories I cherish the most.

“To be able to represent Australia for 12 years and play with and against some of the greatest players of all time has been an incredible honour.”

Finch had excellent tournament in the domestic Big Bash League, smashing 428 runs at an average of 38.9 to help guide the Melbourne Renegades into their first finals series in three years.

The 36-year-old will continue to play in domestic T20 competitions, was named player of the match in his final appearance, against Ireland at the 2022 World Cup.

Cricket Australia chair Dr Lachlan Henderson said: “On behalf of Cricket Australia, I’d like to congratulate Aaron on an exceptional international career, where he finishes as one of our finest white-ball players.

“In full flight, there were few batters more powerful than Aaron, illustrated by the fact he holds two of the three highest-ever scores in T20 International cricket.

“While he was a tough competitor on the field, Aaron always played the game with a smile on his face and in the right spirit. This earned him the respect of his team-mates, opposition players and fans from around the world.

“As one of only four men’s players to captain Australia to a World Cup victory, Aaron will always have a special place in Australian cricket’s history. Playing at the highest level for over a decade requires incredible determination and dedication, so we thank Aaron for his enormous contribution and wish him all the best in the next phase of his career.”

Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M have landed their quarterback for the 2024 recruiting cycle. Hattiesburg (Miss.) Oak Grove signal caller Anthony Maddox announced his pledge to the Aggies on Monday.

Maddox chose A&M over finalists Alabama and Penn State. He provides Fisher and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino with a building block at the most important position for the remainder of the cycle.

The newest Texas A&M commitment breaks down his decision with Rivals.com.

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“They made it very clear that I am their ’24 guy (at quarterback),” Maddox told Rivals.com about Texas A&M. “Those two offensive minds together — Bobby Petrino and Jimbo Fisher — makes for an explosive and dynamic offense. I feel like I fit very well into that.”

The Aggies wasted little time in pulling Maddox into their class. Fisher and Petrino put the full-court press on the Mississippi passer, and that resulted in an early February commitment.

Petrino was hired as Texas A&M’s offensive coordinator in early January. From the time to he took over duties in College Station to when he extended an offer to Maddox later in the month, their relationship grew.

“We hit it off on our very first conversation,” Maddox said about his relationship with Petrino. “He loves my film, and he said that I remind him of his former quarterback, Lamar Jackson. He said that I have similar traits (to Jackson) and that he would love to do it again with me.”

In addition to Petrino’s track record, Maddox is very familiar with Fisher’s history of developing the quarterback position. That was another selling point in making A&M the place for him.

“I grew up watching Jimbo Fisher at Florida State when he was developing those quarterbacks — Jameis Winston, EJ Manuel, and all of those guys,” Maddox said. “It means a lot that they want me to be their quarterback.”

Maddox made it out to Texas A&M for a game in the fall and raved about the game day environment at Kyle Field. He’s now focused on helping the Aggies continue to add talent around him in the 2024 class.

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Fisher and Petrino identified Maddox and quickly made him a priority after offering in late January. It didn’t take long for the Mississippi signal caller to make the call and jump on board for the Aggies. He now becomes the leader of a class that will be looking to add some serious firepower around him.

Maddox is a dual threat passer that can beat defenses with his arm and his legs. His capabilities go right in hand with what Bobby Petrino has had success with at the position over the course of his career.

The best football is still in front of Maddox after leading Oak Grove to a 12-3 record as a junior. He believes that the combination of Fisher and Petrino are best suited to develop his craft on the next level.

Now, the attention turns to the Aggies landing Maddox’s younger brother, 2025 four-star defensive lineman Andrew Maddox.

With a Matchup Quality of 97.7 (fifth best this season), tonight’s clash between Texas and Kansas (9 p.m. ET, ESPN) is one you won’t want to miss. Two of the top teams in men’s college basketball all season long, the Longhorns and Jayhawks are currently ranked sixth and 13th, respectively, by ESPN Analytics’ BPI. Both have performed well despite difficult schedules, earning Kansas the No. 3 spot and Texas the No. 4 in our strength of record metric.

The similarities don’t stop there. In the preseason, BPI had Texas as the second-best team in the country and Kansas at 13th. Both have been highly efficient on offense and defense, and they’re two of just 10 teams BPI gives more than a 1.5% chance to win it all on April 3. Neither has dropped below 12th in the AP poll at any point this season. Even their pace is within a half possession of each other.

So what could make the difference in their matchup?

Turnovers are first. Texas has forced them on 22.6% of its opponents’ possessions, good for 35th among Division I teams. Its offense has excelled at capitalizing on those turnovers, as highlighted by its 1.16 points per possession on transition plays, according to Synergy Sports, also ranking 35th. When forcing at least 15 turnovers this season, the Longhorns have gone 14-1. When forcing fewer than 15, they’re just 5-3.

This is bad news for Kansas, which coughs up a turnover on 17.8% of its possessions (135th in Division I) and is subsequently slow to get back on defense. Teams average 1.2 points per turnover against the Jayhawks, 91st in Division I. The number 15 could be a breaking point: Kansas has given up 15 turnovers in only five games this season, and is 1-4 in those games and 17-1 otherwise.

The second key comes down to play style and assists. As shown by Synergy Sports’ play type tracking, the Jayhawks can push opponents away from team basketball and into more one-on-one situations. They force isolations at the sixth-highest rate, and pick-and-rolls without a pass more than usual (102nd), in Division I. Conversely, they allow assist-friendly spot-up plays (where the possession ends with either a catch and shoot or catch and drive) less often than 316 other Division I teams.

Of particular use against Texas will be forcing pick-and-roll plays to stay with the ball handler, and avoiding spot-ups. The Longhorns rank 311th in points per possession when the ball handler keeps it, versus 55th when the ball gets to the roll man. On spot-up plays, they rank 125th.

On offense, Kansas capitalizes on spreading the ball around, ranking 14th in assist percentage. Taking advantage of this against Texas will be important, which ranks just 106th in assist percentage allowed. On the season, the Jayhawks are 18-1 when they have more assists than their opponent, and 0-4 when they don’t.

For the winner, this will be a statement game in the grapple for a potential No. 1 seed in the Big Dance. For the fans, it should be a fantastic game featuring two of the best teams in men’s college basketball.

PHILADELPHIA — Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was let go by Andy Reid when Reid took over as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs after the 2012 season. And although Sirianni — Kansas City’s wide receivers coach at the time — said he was appreciative of how Reid handled the situation, he acknowledged that not being retained as a part of Reid’s staff was a motivating force for him.

“Do you always have this little chip on your shoulder? Sure, yeah, you do,” Sirianni said. “But that’s who I am as a coach and as a person — I want to make sure I’m working my butt off to get as good as I possibly can. And sure, you hold on to some of those things.”

That makes for an interesting subplot as Sirianni’s Eagles and Reid’s Chiefs face off Sunday in Super Bowl LVII (6:30 p.m. ET, Fox).

Sirianni’s first NFL coaching job was with the Chiefs, and he met his future wife, Brett, during his time in Kansas City. He started as an offensive quality control coach in 2009 and worked his way up to a role as receivers coach. But when Reid took over as head coach, replacing Romeo Crennel after a 2-14 season, he brought longtime trusted assistant David Culley with him from Philadelphia to fill that post.

“Andy came in because we weren’t good enough in Kansas City. And he stepped in and did an unbelievable job,” Sirianni said. “What I appreciated is that he brought everyone in and talked to them.

“I didn’t coach with Andy, but he gave me a good example of what to do with a hard part of the job of: ‘Hey, I got a guy here.’ He was complimentary. He knew I would be down, so he gave me strength when I was down. I appreciated that, and it sounds like that’s who he is as a person and a coach.”

Sirianni landed a job as a quality control coach with the San Diego Chargers in 2013. He got a little bit of payback that season as the Chargers beat the Chiefs 41-38 in Week 12, prompting a now-familiar demonstrative response from Sirianni.

“I was in the press box standing on the [table] like this [waves arms and pumps fist]. I was just so emotional about it,” he said. “But as time goes on and you mature and you think about it, ‘Hey, I needed to go through that, I needed to be in this situation.’ In a sense, you thank God for the things you had to go through because it makes you who you are today.”

Sirianni spent five years in San Diego, where he was mentored by Frank Reich. He was hired as the Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator when Reich became the head coach there in 2018, which led to Sirianni getting the Eagles’ head-coaching gig in 2021.

“Did I want to leave Kansas City? No. My future wife was from there, we were engaged at the time, she had a nice teaching job there, she had all her friends there, her mom and dad were a half-hour down the road. Of course I didn’t want to leave there,” Sirianni said. “But when I look at it, God’s always put me in great positions and guided my paths. I know I don’t say stuff like that all the time, but I know he has.

“And so, I needed to go to San Diego to learn, to be at a different spot, to be out of a comfort zone, potentially, to meet Frank Reich. To separate there and then go be his coordinator in Indianapolis. Everything happens for a reason.”

There is no shortage of Reid ties in this matchup. Reid was the head coach of the Eagles from 1999 to 2012, guiding Philadelphia to five NFC title game appearances and a trip to the Super Bowl in the 2004 season. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, recently named executive of the year by the Pro Football Writers of America, got his start under Reid.

“I would not be in this position if it wasn’t for Coach Reid,” Roseman said. “I think about the fact that I was this 34-year-old guy and untraditional, and he was willing to have me as the GM and take the time to talk to me and teach me and be patient with this passionate, persistent person. It just means the world. I always root for him.”

CAN ANYONE CHALLENGE COLIN SIMMONS UP TOP?

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ARE THERE ANY MORE FIVE-STARS IN THE MID-SOUTH?

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WHAT WILL THE RUNNING BACK ORDER LOOK LIKE?

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WHO IS THE TOP PLAYER IN LOUISIANA?

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HOW MANY LINEBACKERS IN THE HOUSTON AREA CAN ENTER THE RIVALS250?

CHICAGO — THE BULLS had a golden opportunity.

After starting the season 12-18, the Bulls were riding a season-high three-game winning streak, building momentum with a blowout win at home against the Golden State Warriors, a thrashing of the Detroit Pistons in Paris and a convincing victory over the Atlanta Hawks back at home. With a soft schedule in front of them, the Bulls had a chance to move up in a crowded Eastern Conference play-in race.

“We have a helluva opportunity to write our own story,” Bulls star DeMar DeRozan recalled telling his teammates before boarding their flight to Paris.

Instead, the story followed a familiar script. Chicago blew a 21-point lead against the Indiana Pacers — Indiana’s lone victory in the 11 games that guard Tyrese Haliburton was sidelined with a left knee contusion — then lost by 15 points to the Charlotte Hornets. The Bulls closed January by blowing a 19-point lead in a loss to the LA Clippers, and then rebounded with a pair of home wins over the Hornets and Portland Trail Blazers, leaving them two games below .500 and in ninth place in the East.

It’s the latest microcosm of the team’s struggles this season: The Bulls have had three separate three-game winning streaks, but have yet to win four in a row. In January, they dropped four games when leading by more than 15 points, tied for the most by any team over the past 25 seasons, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information. And the Bulls are 9-10 against teams under .500.

“Take two steps forward, two steps back,” coach Billy Donovan said. “You keep going back and forth like that, it’s hard to grow.”

After finishing 46-36 last season and snapping a five-year playoff drought, the Bulls retained nearly their entire roster: Nine of the team’s top 10 players by minutes played this season are holdovers from the 2021-22 season. Management touted continuity within the organization, believing a step forward was coming as its roster continued to gel.

“What we want to see is obviously improvement,” Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas said in September. “Once you get to the playoffs and have healthy bodies, I think a lot of things can happen. We have to do better than last year. … Those are the expectations.”

Yet, in their second full season with a roster built around DeRozan, Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic, the Bulls are 25-27, three games behind the Miami Heat for the sixth spot in the East — the same spot they finished in last season and were tasked with improving upon.

With Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline quickly approaching, the Bulls have not met their own self-imposed expectation. They find themselves at a crossroads but do not intend to trade core players this week, team and league sources told ESPN.

“They have a talented roster, but what is their identity?” an Eastern Conference scout told ESPN. “What are they supposed to be good at? You’re not sure what you’re going to get every night.”

MORE: Latest trade deadline buzz

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ONE PERSON WITHIN the Bulls organization who isn’t surprised by the team’s struggles is Donovan, who pointed out the team’s good fortune in close games in 2021-22.

The Bulls had the fourth-best record in the league in clutch situations last season at 25-16. They then lost their first seven clutch games to start 2022-23, and at 10-17, already own more clutch losses than all of last season.

“Listen, DeMar was incredible coming down the stretch of games,” Donovan said, while pointing to the game-winning, buzzer-beaters in consecutive games DeRozan hit around New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day in 2021-22. “And if we didn’t have that good fortune, we’d be in the same exact situation we are in right now. Trying to fight to get back in the race.”

So for now, the Bulls are preaching patience to allow the team to work through their offensive struggles despite the individual scoring talents of DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic.

DeRozan was named an All-Star again last week, shooting even better from the field (51%) and on 2s (52%) than last season. LaVine has rebounded from a slow start following offseason knee surgery to average 24 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. And while Vucevic, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, is averaging nearly identical points, rebounds and assists as last season, he is shooting much more efficiently (52% from the field, 36% from 3).

But together, the group is not clicking. Chicago ranks 20th in the NBA in points per 100 possessions despite having its three best players on the court for most of the season. DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic have played 1052 minutes together this season, fifth-most among trios in the NBA, yet the Bulls have outscored opponents by only 16 points in those minutes, a number that just rose into the positive last week. (Chicago was outscored by seven points in 1,206 minutes with that trio on the court last season). In 43 games with that trio, the Bulls are 23-22.

“They’re still working toward it. I feel like some games they look amazing, some games they still look disconnected,” veteran guard Goran Dragic told ESPN. “When I’ve been around stars, it’s kind of funny because during the season at one point, it just clicks. Everybody realized, ‘OK, I cannot win by myself, I need not only stars, but everybody.’”

One of Chicago’s biggest issues on offense is the team is not creating shots for each other as much as it did last season. According to Second Spectrum, 14.4% of the Bulls’ passes have led to an assist opportunity, the third-lowest rate in the league. That percentage drops further when DeRozan, LaVine and Vucevic are on the court together.

“Obviously, we haven’t played to our ability,” LaVine told ESPN at practice last week. “You look at us three, obviously we’re scoring the ball well individually, but team-wise we’re not consistent enough where you can just rely on us to have a great game every night.”

A key player who has not played at all this season and has undergone a pair of arthroscopic knee surgeries since his last game in January 2022 is Lonzo Ball. Despite incremental improvements — running on a treadmill and doing some stationary jumping off his two feet to dunk — Ball is still experiencing pain in his left knee during basketball activities. Donovan reiterated last week that Ball is “nowhere near playing.”

When Ball was on the court with the Bulls’ All-Star trio last season, Chicago outscored teams by 59 points. This season, the Bulls have been starting second-year point guard Ayo Dosunmu in Ball’s absence, and he has struggled in the increased role. Chicago has been 4.1 points per 100 possessions better with Dosunmu off the court this season.

LaVine, who signed a five-year, $215 million contract extension in July, has drawn interest from several teams, including the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, but rival executives say the Bulls have shown little interest in moving him at the deadline. LaVine reiterated his commitment to Chicago recently, stating he signed an extension because he wanted to be with the Bulls and that hasn’t changed.

“Team’s not playing well, so you’re always going to hear those stories,” LaVine told ESPN last week.

Donovan said after the Jan. 26 loss to the Hornets that the Bulls should not shift into teardown mode.

“I’m not at a point to say, ‘OK, this just can’t work,’” he said. “I think there’s too much substance of guys that are good guys who want to do the right things and care. But … we don’t have any margin for error at all.”

That margin for error disappeared when Karnisovas traded two first-round picks to acquire Vucevic from the Orlando Magic in March 2021, then sent another first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs in the sign-and-trade deal for DeRozan, leaving Chicago with limited resources to improve the roster.

Because of the protections on the picks owed to the Magic and Spurs, the Bulls can’t trade any of their own first-round picks. They do have an extra pick owed from Portland that they could include in a trade, but that pick is lottery protected through 2028. They also only have one second-round pick available to trade.

Alex Caruso has drawn interest from other teams and Chicago has been open to listening to offers on the reserve guard, a league source told ESPN, but the Bulls would likely have to be blown away by a deal to trade perhaps their most important defensive player. Coby White is on the final season of his rookie contract and can be a restricted free agent this summer, although several members of the organization are encouraged by his improvements this season. Andre Drummond, one of the team’s free agent additions this summer, has fallen mostly out of the rotation.

After the team missed the play-in tournament in 2020-21, Karnisovas stated his intentions plainly at his first season-ending news conference, and those words loom large heading into Thursday’s trade deadline.

“We will not settle for mediocrity here,” Karnisovas said.

INDIANAPOLIS – After a disappointing season that forced him to confront new and humbling realities, you might expect Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan to happily embrace the idea of retirement.

But even after being traded from the only team he’d ever known (the Atlanta Falcons), being benched twice in Indianapolis and receiving no assurances about his future, Ryan left the door to playing a 16^th season.

“I still love playing,” Ryan said after the Colts’ 4-12-1 season ended. “I’m obviously not committed to anything. Got to see how it shakes out. But I still love playing and still feel like, honestly, there’s a lot of good football [left]. So, we’ll see.”

At the same time, Ryan is also a realist.

That seemed evident from his decision to join the CBS pregame studio crew prior to the divisional playoffs, a possible preview of a postcareer option that might be available to Ryan. He looked comfortable on the set, giving television executives something to think about should he elect to quit playing and assume the lucrative role of former-quarterback-turned-broadcaster.

Ryan, 37, is very good about holding things close to the vest, and that remains true when it comes to revealing his future intentions. But we know this much about Ryan’s next move: It does not appear to be imminent.

There are multiple reasons for this. The first, as Ryan indicated, is that he’s not yet clear on what he wishes to do.

But there’s another critical component that will inform what Ryan ultimately decides: The ball is actually in the Colts’ court.

“[Kyle Shanahan] does a great job of asking [Brock Purdy] to play within his skillset.”@M_Ryan02 is impressed with his former offensive coordinator & his rising star QB in San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/nWTwHcZbwm

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 22, 2023

Because Ryan is under contract and is owed a significant sum of money this spring, the smart business move for him is to do exactly what he’s doing right now – nothing.

“I’m under contract, and until that changes, you kind of go to work,” he said. “There’s a lot that’s going to happen here in the next six, eight weeks, whatever it is. Let’s see.”

There’s a lot of complexity to Ryan’s contractual situation.

Since the Colts restructured his contract after executing the trade with Atlanta, Indianapolis pushed considerable guarantees into 2023. Already, $12 million of Ryan’s more than $29 million in 2023 compensation is guaranteed. It would behoove Ryan to remain under contract and let the Colts make the first move before making any decisions of his own. That would ensure he gets the money he’s owed. From a business perspective, retirement is the wrong move for Ryan — unless and until the Colts decide to move on and release him first.

Releasing Ryan would provide the Colts with $17 million in cash and cap savings.

But the situation is not only complex from a contract perspective. There are other complicating factors for the Colts, like whether it makes some sense to retain Ryan as a backstop to a potential rookie quarterback.

The Colts have the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft and are widely expected to select one of the top quarterbacks available, a group that includes Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud and Kentucky’s Will Levis. Whether current Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger could fill the role as a veteran to accompany the presumed rookie remains to be seen.

But the Colts, it seems, haven’t closed the door on Ryan.

His 2022 season was undoubtedly ugly. Ryan ranked 25^th in QBR (43.1) and 28^th in yards per attempt (6.6). He also threw 13 interceptions, sixth-most in the NFL. But when reflecting on Ryan’s play after the season, general manager Chris Ballard kept an open mind.

“[This season] is not an indictment on Matt Ryan,” Ballard said. “Matt Ryan is as professional a player that I’ve ever been around. I still think he’s got something left in his body to play. He’s smart, knows how to play the game.

“Looking back, early in the season we had some changes to the offensive line, and that’s where our struggles occurred early and we just never really recovered from them. It took us a while to get some continuity. I probably underestimated that.”

The Colts entered the season with high hopes for Ryan after his run in Atlanta, and like most, were shocked at how poorly it went. Asked what went wrong, one team source pointed to Ryan’s inability to trust his protection early in the season as a major factor.

But that individual also cited a miscalculation by the Colts in projecting how quickly Ryan would adapt to an offense that was markedly different from those in which he’d previously played. Ryan’s immediate predecessors – Philip Rivers and Carson Wentz – had spent multiple seasons with former Colts coach Frank Reich on previous teams, giving them a critical foundation that Ryan did not have.

Is there enough context to justify bringing Ryan back? We’ll see. But keep this in mind: If the Colts were to go on the open market and acquire a different veteran quarterback, they’d still be on the hook for at least $12 million with Ryan in addition to paying whatever their new quarterback commands.

But for now, the Colts have a coaching search to resolve before any other consequential decisions are made. And while the team hashes it all out, Ryan intends to keep his distance from football even while keeping the possibility of playing next season on the table.

“I think all of us,” he said, “need a little bit of a break.”