After chaotic week, which women's basketball teams remain undefeated?

Parity is at an all-time high inwomen's college basketball, yet a dozen teams remained undefeated nearly halfway through the season. That all changed in the matter of seven days as conference play got underway.

Eight undefeated teams lost for the first time between Monday, Dec 29 and Sunday Jan. 4—No. 5LSU, No. 6Maryland, No. 7TCU, No. 10Iowa State, No. 24Alabama, No. 26Nebraska, in addition toArizona StateandGeorgia—marking the first time that many teams with a 10-0 or better record lost in that span in 27 years. Only four undefeated teams remain.

Perfection is hard to achieve. Only 10 teams have completed an undefeated season in four decades, most recently the 2024 champion South Carolina Gamecocks. But if you're going to lose a game, it's best for it to happen before the postseason and could prove to be beneficial in the long run.

"You don't want to play your best basketball in January," said Iowa State's Audi Crooks, who leads the nation in scoring. "You don't want to be a monster in January. You want to be a monster in March, and in order to do that you need to recognize your flaws. You need to recognize your shortcomings."

Here's a rundown on where every team stands:

No. 1 UCONN opens season against No. 19 Louisville at U.S. Naval Academy

Which undefeated teams lost?

Here's a timeline of how it all went down:

• Dec. 29: Nebraska lost at home against No. 16 USC, the Cornhuskers' first ranked opponent of the season. Nebraska followed up the loss with a double-digit loss to No. 14 Iowa on Jan. 4.

• Jan. 1: Alabama ran into a buzzsaw against No. 3 South Carolina and the Crimson Tide's 14-game win streak was snapped with a 83-57 loss.

• Jan. 1: LSU opened SEC play with a 80-78 loss to No. 12 Kentucky on its home floor. Wildcats guard Tonie Morgan knocked down a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to hand LSU its first loss of the season. The Tigers had the opportunity to bounce back on the road on Jan. 4 against No. 11 Vanderbilt, but suffered LSU another loss after surrendering 22 turnovers. Kim Mulkey ripped her team as "not tough enough."

• Jan. 1: Georgia faced its first ranked opponent of the season in No. 17 Ole Miss. Dani Carnegie dropped 24 points, but it was not enough as the Bulldogs fell 79-62.

• Jan. 1: Maryland's Yarden Garzon (17 points), Saylor Poffenbarger (15) and Oluchi Okananwa (12) each reached double-digits, but Illinois came out with the win after a fourth quarter surge. The Fighting Illini went on a 10-1 run late in the game to capture the lead and the win.

• Jan. 3: Arizona State's best start in program history ended at 15 consecutive wins after suffering a 71-62 loss at BYU. The Cougars outrebounded the Sun Devils 54-25, leading to a 20-7 second-chance points advantage that proved the difference.

• Jan 3: TCU suffered an 87-77 overtime loss at Utah to snap the Horned Frogs' 14-game win streak to start the season. Olivia Miles had 31 points, seven assists and seven rebounds for TCU, but Utah went on a 7-0 run to secure the win. The Utes held the Horned Frogs to a season-low 37% shooting from the field.

• Jan. 4: Iowa State matched its best start in program history with 14 consecutive wins before falling to Baylor, 72-70. Bears guard Taliah Scotthit a 15-foot jumper with 2 seconds remaining to win the game.

Which undefeated teams remain?

• No. 1 UConn (15-0), Big East: The reigning champion Huskies have held down the No. 1 spot in the USA TODAY Sports women's basketball coaches poll for the entirety of the season and for good reason. UConn's average margin of victory is by 37 points and that includes four wins over ranked opponents Louisville, Michigan, USC and Iowa. The Huskies' winning streak is likely to continue as they enter Big East conference play, where UConn is on a 53-game win streak.

• No. 2 Texas (17-0), SEC: Texas has the most Quad 1 wins of the remaining undefeated teams with five, including back-to-back victories over No. 4 UCLA and No. 3 South Carolina. Texas has had its fair share of blowout victories, but the Longhorns have also shown their ability to grind out tough matchups, including the team's dramatic 67-64 win over No. 17 Ole Miss to open SEC play and improve to 17-0 for the first time since the 1985-86 season.

• No. 21 Texas Tech (16-0), Big 12: Texas Tech has benefitted from a lighter schedule to reach the program's best start in school history. The Lady Raiders have only faced one ranked opponent so far, defeating No. 21 Baylor by a point on Dec. 21. The back half of the season won't be as friendly. Texas Tech will face Big 12 foes Iowa State on Jan. 31 and TCU on Feb. 1, matchups that'll serve as a barometer for Krista Gerlich's squad.

• No. 12 Vanderbilt (15-0), SEC: Vanderbilt's best win of the season came against No. 5 LSU, where the Commodores held the nation's highest scoring offense to 61 points, 45 points under the Tigers' average. The win marked Vanderbilt's lone Quad 1 win. Vanderbilt is three wins away from tying the program's best start in history — the 1992-93 Final Four squad started 17-0 — but the competition will ratchet up with matchups against SEC powerhouse No. 8 Michigan, No. 3 South Carolina and No. 17 Ole Miss in January.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:After chaotic week, which women's basketball teams remain undefeated?

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 06, 2026

After chaotic week, which women's basketball teams remain undefeated?

Parity is at an all-time high inwomen's college basketball, yet a dozen teams remained undefeated nearly halfway thro...

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The NBA season is nearing the midway point. There are some surprises, good and bad

A year ago at this time, the Boston Celtics had a starting lineup of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Jrue Holiday.

The Celtics were in second place in the Eastern Conference.

Brown is still starting for Boston. Every other name in that first unit has since changed. Tatum hasn't played this season because of an Achilles injury, Porzingis is with Atlanta, Horford is with Golden State, and Holiday is with Portland.

And the Celtics are in second place in the Eastern Conference.

The NBA regular season is nearing the midway point — some teams will start hitting the 41-game mark, the halfway mark of the 82-game slate, this weekend — and surprise stories have emerged in many cases, some good, some bad. The Celtics are surely on the good side of that list.

Consider what the expectations were a few months ago: Tatum was dealing with the Achilles tear, Porzingis and Holiday were traded and Horford chose to join the Warriors. Many of the decisions the Celtics made were to get out from under a potential luxury tax bill that was going to be bigger than the gross domestic product of Micronesia. But while the perception that Boston was entering a rebuild, reset or reload year, the Celtics insisted that wasn't the reality.

At 23-12, it sure looks like they were right.

"Guys have an understanding of what they're supposed to do, and that's top to bottom," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said Monday night. "I think when you have that, you just have a better level of connectivity and then you're just able to do your job and execute what needs to be executed. ... Have an understanding of who we are as a team, have an understanding of what the game plan is, execute that regardless of who you're out there on the floor with and make sure you play hard."

It sounds so easy.

Boston is far from the only story that could be considered a surprise to some this season. Detroit, at 27-9 and leading the East, is off to the second-best 36-game start in its history — topped only by a 31-5 mark in 2005-06. (The Pistons were also 27-9 in 2007-08.)

New York coach Mike Brown has known Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff forever; he revealed at the NBA Cup in Las Vegas last month that he actually used to babysit Bickerstaff. He gets why people may think the Pistons being 27-9 is a surprise, but he's not surprised to see Bickerstaff having success.

"It helps to have some good players, too. None of us can do this by ourselves without players and a good staff," Brown said. "But when you're a leader in an organization like that ... over time you can see how they've just propelled upwards every day. A lot of credit is deserving of him and the job that he's done in Detroit."

The Pistons and Celtics would be 'good' surprises. So would Phoenix, a team that is squarely in the mix in the Western Conference despite many thinking that the loss of Kevin Durant to Houston would doom the Suns.

"We're going to go in there and play hard every day," the Suns' Jordan Goodwin said.

Milwaukee, at 16-20 largely due to injuries, is not a good surprise. Neither is the slow start for the Los Angeles Clippers, who are beginning to make up ground but still far from looking like a contender. And Atlanta, a team that was supposed to be in the hunt for East supremacy, now may be on the verge of trading away point guard Trae Young. It's an interesting situation for the Hawks; he is their franchise player (until the trade comes, anyway) but Atlanta has clearly been better this season without Young in the lineup.

So, halftime nears on this season. There's a lot for some teams to like, and a lot for other teams not to be happy about.

The good news for those teams that aren't liking where they are right now is this: There's still a long way to go. In the NBA, little is decided until the second half anyway.

Around The NBA analyzes the biggest topics in the NBA during the season.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/nba

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 06, 2026

The NBA season is nearing the midway point. There are some surprises, good and bad

A year ago at this time, the Boston Celtics had a starting lineup of Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Al H...

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No. 3 Iowa State aims to continue winning ways in clash vs. Baylor

Iowa State has matched the best start in program history while Baylor is the college leader in coming under scrutiny.

The Bears will strive to knock the No. 3 Cyclones from the unbeaten ranks when the two Big 12 rivals meet on Wednesday night at Waco, Texas.

Iowa State (14-0, 1-0) has 10 victories by 20 or more points while matching the best-start school mark of the 2013-14 squad, coached by Fred Hoiberg. The Cyclones routed visiting West Virginia 80-59 in their Big 12 opener on Friday.

Baylor (10-3, 0-1) established a season low for points in its Big 12 opener, losing 69-63 at TCU on Saturday.

That contest marked the controversial Bears' debut of big man James Nnaji, who was an NBA second-round draft pick in 2023 and has played four seasons of pro ball in Europe.

When the 7-foot Nnaji entered the game, he was greeted with boos.

That reaction is tame compared to the opinions of some college coaches. Michigan State's Tom Izzo, Arkansas' John Calipari, St. John's Rick Pitino and Gonzaga's Mark Few are among those who sharply have criticized the decision to add Nnaji to the Baylor roster. The move was cleared by the NCAA.

The Nigerian-born Nnaji had five points, four rebounds and four fouls in 16 minutes against TCU.

Baylor coach Scott Drew maintains there has been no wrongdoing in terms of adding Nnaji to the roster.

"James did nothing wrong," Drew said after the contest. "Baylor did nothing wrong, and I know he's human and just making sure he doesn't feel that. If James was an NBA player today, he would be in the NBA."

Nnaji might not need to score much for Baylor, which has six players averaging in double digits.

Cameron Carr has led the attack with a 21.0 scoring average while shooting 57% from the field. Tounde Yessoufou is averaging 18.6 points and leads the squad with 31 steals.

The Bears average 93.1 points despite the low output against TCU. They have scored 110 points or more on four occasions, but the outputs came against light opposition in which Sacramento State was the toughest competitor.

The Cyclones have five players averaging in double digits in points, including the star trio of Milan Momcilovic (18.5), Joshua Jefferson (17.5) and Tamin Lipsey (14.0). Momcilovic has a team-best 58 3-pointers, and his 56.3% success rate led the nation entering the week.

He matched his career best of eight 3-pointers and scored 26 points in the victory over the Mountaineers.

"I know we're going to talk about his shooting, and it's amazing," Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said. "But I'm really proud of him for the complete player that he is, and the defender, rebounder. I want to honor those things, too, because he's worked really hard on all aspects of his game, and it's paying off for him."

Jefferson had 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists to post the ninth triple-double in Iowa State history. He leads the Cyclones in rebounding (7.3) and assists (5.4).

Otzelberger said Jefferson has a top-notch feel for the game.

"He can impact it on the glass, he can impact it with his passing, he can impact it with his scoring, getting downhill," Otzelberger said. "And so, it's just night-in and night-out, him taking advantage of all the skills that he has to impact winning, and then him continuing to trust his teammates, like he did (against West Virginia), and you end up with 10 assists."

Iowa State has won five of the past six meetings with the Bears, including a 74-55 home victory in last season's lone matchup.

--Field Level Media

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 06, 2026

No. 3 Iowa State aims to continue winning ways in clash vs. Baylor

Iowa State has matched the best start in program history while Baylor is the college leader in coming under scrutiny. ...

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Fall at Olympic trials gave glimpse of Jordan Stolz's dominance

MILWAUKEE, WI — A fall might have shown more about Jordan Stolz's potential than anything else he did at the Olympic trials.

Well, maybe not the fall so much as what he did after.

Stolz was pre-qualified in all four of his individual events — the 500 meters, 1,000 meters, 1,500 meters and mass start — because of his dominance on the World Cup circuit. All he had to do was show up at the start line at the Olympic trials, take a few steps and his spot in that distance would be confirmed for Milano Cortina.

He didn't need to go all out, he didn't need his usual speed, he didn't need to finish on the podium. Heck, he didn't even need to finish the race.

Yet after falling in the 1,000 meters on Saturday night, Stolz's competitive fire kicked in.

In a sport where every thousandth of a second is precious, a fall is usually disastrous. And this wasn't a little stumble. Stolz was sprawled on the ice after catching his toe pick a few steps off the start line.

Though Stolz quickly jumped back up, Conor McDermott-Mostowy, the other skater in the pair, was so far ahead it looked as if he was skating his own race. But Stolz gradually closed the gap. Give him another 100 meters or so, and it's a good bet he could have overtaken McDermott-Mostowy.

As it was,Stolz finished third, skating a 1:07.97 that was 0.36 seconds behind McDermott-Mostowy and 0.24 seconds behind Cooper McLeod.

"It shows that, even being tired and with the cold, he still is a pretty phenomenal skater," longtime coach Bob Corby said.

"I think he was impressed that he was 1:07 even with a fall. That was like, `Wow.' That was pretty good."

Jordan Stolz goes to Milano Cortina as a gold-medal favorite

To be clear, that wasn't normal.

Then again, nothing Stolz is doing these days is normal.

Stolz has dominated speed skating the last three years and goes to Milano Cortina as a favorite for gold in all four of his individual events. He won the 1,000- and 1,500-meter races at each of the first four World Cups this season, and five of the seven 500-meter races.

He also made the podium twice in the mass start, an event he only put back in his program this year after a three-year absence.

And that's with Stolz not even being in peak shape, as he expects to be in Milano Cortina.

"There's a lot of confidence there. I had some really good races in Heerenveen and Norway," Stolz said Monday night, referring to the third and fourth World Cups, which were last month. "With what I'd done leading up to that, it wasn't anything super planned out. Now that I'm actually planning a peak, I think it can get better.

"And even if it's the same, I think I still have really good chances at the Olympics."

MORE:Jordan Stolz recognizes Olympics, not Olympic trials, are what matter

Stolz's speed is not a secret. He swept the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters at the world championships in 2023 and 2024, and was the season champion in all three distances last season.

His competitors know very well what he's going to do. They just can't catch him.

"By the time we got to the end of the (World Cups) … you could see it in their faces. They were like, `OK, I have six weeks until the Olympics and I don't think that's enough time to catch you,'" Corby said. "There were a couple of guys that were really down.

"It wasn't planned," Corby said, "but it was a psychological benefit for him."

So, too, what Stolz did at the Olympic trials.

Because his spots were already assured, Stolz did not try and peak for trials. Instead, he used the last two weeks as a heavy training block. He also picked up a cold last week.

Despite that, he pulled off that recovery after the fall in the 1,000 and won the first 500-meter race on Sunday. Largely recovered from his cold on Monday, he demolished the field in the second mass start, finishing first by almost four seconds.

"I'm really pleased with where we are right now," Corby said. "We're hoping (the Olympics) are going to be pretty phenomenal."

If that doesn't demoralize his competitors, there is also this: Stolz is only 21. Good as he is, he's got even more in him.

"I think," Corby said, "he has even more potential than he's showing right now."

Stolz's competitors already know he is scary fast. Pretty soon, the rest of the world will, too.

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are coming!Sign up for our Chasing Gold newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:World about to learn what competitors know: Jordan Stolz is scary fast

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 06, 2026

Fall at Olympic trials gave glimpse of Jordan Stolz's dominance

MILWAUKEE, WI — A fall might have shown more about Jordan Stolz's potential than anything else he did at the Olympic ...

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2026 US Figure Skating Championships: How to watch, stream, schedule

It's time to determine who will be the figure skaters representing the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

American skaters head to the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships in St. Louis for one final chance to prove they belong on Team USA in Milano-Cortina. The event won't solely decide who gets to qualify, but it could be the difference for some Olympic hopefuls.

While it hasn't been confirmed yet, favorites like Ilia Malinin, Alysa Liu, Amber Glenn and the team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates are expected to make the roster, and could generate some momentum with a U.S. championship. The skating will take place throughout the week, culminating with the Olympic roster being revealed on Sunday, Jan. 11.

Here's how to watch the 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships:

Jason Brown of the United States competes during the Men's Short program at the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Skate America at Herb Brooks Arena on November 14, 2025 in Lake Placid, New York.

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Olympic hopefuls compete in Skate America 2025. See their moves

Jason Brown of the United States competes during the Men's Short program atthe ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Skate Americaat Herb Brooks Arena on November 14, 2025 in Lake Placid, New York.

How to watch 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

• Dates: Jan. 7-11

• Location: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri

• TV: NBC, USA Network

• Livestream: Peacock

The 2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships will take place Jan. 7-11 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Some events will air on NBC and USA Network, while the entire event will be streamed onPeacock.

Watch 2025 Skate America on Peacock

2026 U.S. Figure Skating Championships schedule, TV/streaming

Here is the full schedule of the U.S. Championships, along with broadcast and streaming information.

All times Eastern.

Wednesday, Jan. 7

• Pairs short program: 5:30 p.m. (Peacock)

• Women's short program: 8 p.m. (USA Network, Peacock)

Thursday, Jan. 8

• Rhythm dance: 5 p.m. (Peacock)

• Men's short program: 8 p.m. (USA Network, Peacock)

Friday, Jan. 9

• Pairs free skate Group 1: 3 p.m. (Peacock)

• Women's free skate Group 1: 3:57 p.m. (Peacock)

• Pairs free skate Group 2 and 3: 7:20 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)

• Women's free skate Group 2 and 3: 8 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)

Saturday, Jan. 10

• Free dance Group 1: 3:25 p.m. (Peacock)

• Men's free skate Group 1: 4:25 p.m. (Peacock)

• Free dance Group 2 and 3: 7 p.m. (USA Network, Peacock)

• Men's free skate Group 2 and 3: 8:50 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)

Sunday, Jan. 11

• Team USA Olympic announcement: 2 p.m. (NBC, Peacock)

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics are coming!Sign up for our Chasing Gold newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:How to watch US Figure Skating Championships: TV, stream, schedule

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 06, 2026

2026 US Figure Skating Championships: How to watch, stream, schedule

It's time to determine who will be the figure skaters representing the United States at the 2026 Winter Olympics. ...

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Czechs pick three NHL goalies plus forwards Necas and Pastrnak for Winter Olympics

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic included three NHL goaltenders in its squad for the Cortina MilanWinter Olympicson Tuesday.

They were Lukas Dostal of the Anaheim Ducks, Karel Vejmelka of the Utah Mammoth and Daniel Vladar of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Colorado Avalanche center Martin Necas, Boston Bruins right winger David Pastrnak and Vegas Golden Knights center Tomas Hertl were among 12 NHL players on the team which is missing Vancouver Canucks forward Filip Chytil, who has not recovered from concussion.

Pastrnak teammate Pavel Zacha, Ondrej Palat of the New Jersey Devils and Radek Faksa of the Dallas Stars were other forwards in the squad.

Only two defensemen play in the NHL — Radim Gudas from Anaheim and Filip Hronek from Vancouver — showing a decline in Czech players in North America in recent years.

Nineteen of the 25-man squad helped the Czechswin the world championshiptwo years ago in Prague.

The Czechs open the Olympic tournament against Canada on Feb. 12. France and Switzerland are also in Group A.

AP Olympic coverage:https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 06, 2026

Czechs pick three NHL goalies plus forwards Necas and Pastrnak for Winter Olympics

PRAGUE (AP) — The Czech Republic included three NHL goaltenders in its squad for the Cortina MilanWinter Olympicson Tuesd...

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From unknown to memorable: Kobe Sanders' breakout game against the Warriors

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kobe Sanders found out just before gametime that he'd starting for the Los Angeles Clippers against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

WithJames Harden a late scratchbecause of shoulder stiffness, it would be up to Sanders and fellow guard Kris Dunn to contain Curry.

It wasn't his first start of the season, but he made it his best one yet.

Sanders scored a career-high 20 points and had seven rebounds (all defensive) in 36 minutes of a103-102 victory.

"I knew nothing about him," Snoop Dogg admitted to Clippers star Kawhi Leonard in a postgame interview on the Peacock streaming service.

Now, the rapper and a whole of others know the 23-year-old.

Sanders was a second-round pick out of Nevada last year by the New York Knicks, who traded him to the Clippers. He spent four years at Cal Poly, where he was a 1,000-point scorer, before transferring to Nevada and earning All-Mountain West honors while playing a fifth year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Although I'm a rook, I've played a lot of basketball in my life," said Sanders, who is from Spring Valley, California, an unincorporated town east of San Diego. "Just playing basketball for such a long time, you pick up IQ, you pick up just little things here and there."

And no, he isn't named after the late Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant. Sanders' parents named him for Kobe Japanese Steak House near Palm Springs, California, their favorite getaway spot.

Sanders knew he was going to play a lot of minutes with Harden out, so he wasn't nervous about getting yanked if he made a mistake.

"I think I felt that freedom most of the season," he said. "They instill a lot of confidence in me, telling me to be aggressive, telling me to keep going."

Leonard is among those in Sanders' ear.

"I always tell him to keep being aggressive in the game," Leonard told Snoop Dogg. "That's your time to get better right there so don't shy away from it, just keep executing."

Curry fouled out late for the first time since 2021 after scoring 27 points, and Sanders said he felt "a little bit of relief."

The Clippers have struggled with a slew of injuries this season and have a 13-22 record. But they're 7-3 in their last 10 games, having recently won six in a row.

"With James being down, we had 20 turnovers, but we didn't have a lot extra ballhandling on the floor, so for him to carry that load, I thought was really good," coach Tyronn Lue said, ticking off some of Sanders' attributes. "His poise, his ability to understand what we're doing defensively and offensively, and just getting more and more confident."

Teammate John Collins described Sanders' performance as "big time."

"He's had a rough intro to the league, playing, not playing," he said. "Having this start probably shocked him a little bit, but he did exactly what we all expected him to do and proud of him."

The Clippers are known for rarely playing rookies, but that doesn't dissuade Sanders.

"You learn a new thing every game," he said. "The NBA is consistency and opportunity. I was blessed with the opportunity and I'm just trying to stay consistent."

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/nba

byCristiano Ronaldo

in

January 06, 2026

From unknown to memorable: Kobe Sanders' breakout game against the Warriors

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Kobe Sanders found out just before gametime that he'd starting for the Los Angeles Clippers ...

Read More