🚨 Quick Hit: Duce McBride is the only NBA player averaging 6+ 3PA per game while shooting 45% from three.

🧩 FT Pop Quiz: Which of these players are not part of the top-5 shooters from mid-range (16-24 feet)? *minimum 50 attempts

A. Donovan Mitchell
B. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
C. Devin Booker
D. Joel Embiid

Meme of the Week → Magic vs. Grizzlies at 2PM in Germany felt wrong… but it might have given us the poster of the year:

FT Pop Quiz Answer → B. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (47.9%)

Point-Shaving Scandal Hits College Hoops → Federal prosecutors charged 20 people — including 15 former college basketball players from the 2024–25 season — in an alleged scheme tied to fixed NCAA and Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) games. Reports say players were paid up to $30,000 per game to manipulate outcomes.

NBA All-Star Starters Revealed → The 2026 All-Star starters are official. Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo lead their conferences. The starting lineups include Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson, Jaylen Brown, and Giannis in the East, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Stephen Curry, and Victor Wembanyama in the West.

Trae Young Lands in Washington → Trae Young is officially a Washington Wizard, kicking off a new era in D.C. The trade sends Trae to the Wizards and Cj McCollum & Corey Kispert to the Hawks.

Jimmy Butler Tears ACL as Warriors Trade Buzz Grows → Warriors star Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending torn ACL. A brutal blow for Golden State as the trade deadline approaches and the team looks to retune its roster to maximize Steph Curry’s prime.

Pro-to-College Floodgates Open → Former Alabama big man Charles Bediako — who left for the pros back in 2023 — is reportedly eligible to return to the NCAA immediately after receiving a temporary court order. This feels like the next domino after the James Nnaji situation… except Bediako actually played college hoops already. If this becomes normal, college basketball is about to look completely different.

The Boston Celtics currently sit #2 in the East and look like the most complete team in the conference. The offense is elite, the defense is legit, and if Jayson Tatum returns anywhere near full strength, Boston has the cleanest formula to win the East. Late in playoff games, they can close with anybody. A trio of Tatum + Jaylen Brown + Derrick White is nasty, and White has quietly been one of the most valuable defenders in basketball — 1.5 BPG and 1.3 SPG, with only him and Evan Mobley averaging 1.5 blocks + 1 steal per game. Even with his FG% dipping, he’s still giving them 18 PPG with real DPOY-level impact.

And what’s impressed me most is the post-second apron survival. People thought Boston would fall off after moving off names like Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis, but they’ve replaced that production with real depth. Payton Pritchard has stepped up as a reliable creator, and role guys have filled in without the Celtics losing their identity. Most importantly, Jaylen Brown has been playing like a superstar — nearly 30 a night on ~ 50% shooting. Add Tatum back on top of that and Boston isn’t just “good”… they’re built to punch a ticket out of the East.

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The week-to-week grind in the Big 12 is different — there aren’t many easy nights or “free wins.” Off rip, you’ve got #1 Arizona, #7 Houston, #9 Iowa State, #12 Texas Tech, and #13 BYU all ranked in the AP Top 25, and that’s just the front of the pack.

But what really separates the Big 12 is the middle. Even the so-called “average” teams in this league are built like NCAA Tournament teams. Kansas started the year shaky due to injuries, but since getting healthier they’ve picked it up — including blowout wins over #9 Iowa State (84–63) and Baylor (80–62). UCF sits around NET #43 with a Top-50 offense, while Cincinnati (#6 DRtg) and TCU (#25 DRtg) both have legit Top-25 level defenses. In other words, there’s no coasting.

And the analytics back it up — the Big 12 has five teams ranking top-20 nationally in offense and six teams ranking top-20 nationally in defense, which is a crazy balance for one conference. ESPN’s early bracketology might have the SEC and Big Ten projecting more teams into the tournament right now, but when March hits, the Big 12 will have more teams standing in the Elite 8 than people expect.

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NBA STOCK WATCH

📈 Rising:

📉 Falling:

NCAA STOCK WATCH

📈 Rising:

📉 Falling:

NBA

NCAA

Speaking of conference wars, we’ve got a must-see matchup between two Big Ten heavyweights as Illinois travels to face Purdue in their only regular-season meeting. These teams are nearly identical on paper — both own a top-5 offense with defenses hovering around the top-20 range.

The swing factor here is size and rebounding. Illinois is the biggest team in the country (average height 6’7), and while Purdue has elite size in the front-court, their edge isn’t as strong on the perimeter. When the Boilermakers don’t control the glass, their games tighten up fast — we saw that recently vs. USC (1/17), Iowa (1/14), and Penn State.

Illinois has enough shooting to punish second-chance lapses, and their size gives them a real chance to control the glass in this one. The biggest concern is that the Illini will be without Kylan Boswell (broken hand), who plays a major role in their creation and tempo — and beating Purdue on the road is already hard enough at full strength.

🎯 Full Timeout Pick: Purdue

Luka returns to Dallas for a must-see matchup in Texas. The Lakers are 5–5 over their last 10 games, while the Mavericks are 6–4 — and Dallas is currently riding a 3-game win streak, shooting 40%+ from three in each of those wins.

The Lakers have been shaky away from home (1–3 on the road in January), and I expect that trend to show up again here. Dallas is also expected to get key pieces back soon — including P.J. Washington — which should give them a boost on both ends. Austin Reaves went off for 38 points in the last meeting, but expecting a repeat performance in Dallas is a tough ask, and I don’t see LA generating enough consistent offense to keep pace.

🎯 Full Timeout Pick: Dallas Mavericks

Catch you at the next one,