You have reached a degraded version of ESPN.com because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer. For a complete ESPN.com experience, please upgrade or use a Mechelle Voepel, espnW.com 2288d McCoughtry's absence is puzzling, Saturday's nationally televised WNBA game between Minnesota and Atlanta (ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET) is supposed to showcase the league's leading scorer against the defending champions. It's a rematch of last year's WNBA Finals, a chance for the Dream to gauge where they are now against the team with the best record in the league. But Atlanta has another issue to worry about besides how to beat the Lynx.

Dream star Angel McCoughtry, who leads the WNBA at 22.7 points per game, might not be playing. Or she might. It seems nobody with the Dream knows for sure. That's because McCoughtry is not with the team.

She didn't make the trip to Washington for Friday night's game against the Mystics. Wednesday, she was at Philips Arena for Atlanta's victory against visiting Chicago, when the Dream honored their Olympic connections in McCoughtry and coach Marynell Meadors (USA) and Erika de Souza (Brazil). But McCoughtry was in street clothes and not only didn't play against the Sky, she wasn't on the Dream bench. Instead, she sat in the stands.

There appeared to be little, if any, interaction between McCoughtry and her teammates. The Dream said she was out for 'personal reasons' and that her absence was indefinite. If your response to this is a heavy sigh, a shake of the head, and an utterance of, 'Oh, for crying out loud!' You're probably in good company. As well as McCoughtry played during the London Games, as big a spark as she provided Team USA off the bench, we were all looking forward to what she might bring to the WNBA in the second half of this season. Indeed, she played well in her first two games back, with 25 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in a victory in Chicago on Aug. 17, and 22 points and 4 rebounds in a loss at Indiana on Aug.

But what has happened since is still a matter of conjecture. Friday's absence will be McCoughtry's eighth game missed this season for the Dream.

Before the London Games, she was dealing with a sprained knee - or something like that. At one point, she talked about needing to rest in preparation for the Olympics, while Meadors countered that McCoughtry's first responsibility was to the Dream. McCoughtry missed back-to-back games on June 17 and 19, both losses. Then she was out the last four games prior to the Olympics, when the Dream went 2-2. In London, she was a reserve who still ended up being the second-leading scorer for the gold-winning Americans. It's fair to say if you've watched the interaction between the two since Meadors drafted McCoughtry out of Louisville with the overall No.

1 pick in 2009, you would surmise that the coach has tried to make allowances for the temperament and personality quirks of her star player. McCoughtry is clearly one of the top women's basketball players in the world. She's so talented that at her best, she's as valuable to her team as anyone in the league. But at least from the outside looking in, McCoughtry seems at times disengaged from those around her.

Does she fully trust her teammates? Exact string search trouble. Does she feel like she has to carry the load too much of the time, especially in critical situations? Or does she actually insist on doing that? Or does it depend on the day and whom you ask? Atlanta is 11-11 going into Friday night's game, which has the Dream in third place in the Eastern Conference.

A playoff spot still seems pretty much assured considering only New York, at 9-13, really is 'chasing' Atlanta now. Chicago has lost eight games in a row and is 8-13, while Washington owns the East basement at 5-17. The Dream went to the WNBA Finals two years ago after finishing fourth in the East, and made it again last year after finishing third. So the fact that they are now six games back of first-place Connecticut does not mean they are long shots for another trip to the Finals. In fact, the postseason has been where Atlanta has played its best basketball in 2010 and '11.

Once they're in the playoffs, the Dream can still make a lot happen. But probably not without McCoughtry. The Dream beat the skidding Sky 82-71 Wednesday even without her playing. But Washington could be tougher, because despite the Mystics' record, they still seem to be competing hard.

And Minnesota (league-best 18-4) has won its three games since the Olympic break by an average of 22 points. The Lynx are at full-speed-ahead mode: very confident at home and on the road. The combination of the insane WNBA travel demands - the Dream have to rise at 4 a.m. Saturday for the flight back home to Atlanta, then play the Lynx at 7 that night - and McCoughtry's absence could make for a disappointingly not-so-competitive matchup. But will she actually be absent?

And even if she plays, what kind of chemistry will the Dream have? What's going on? McCoughtry didn't address the issue with reporters in Atlanta on Wednesday. Calls to her agent weren't immediately returned. A Dream spokeswoman said Friday from D.C.

That at this point, the situation is 'day-to-day.' Then again, you could say that, to a degree, it's always day-to-day with McCoughtry. Even in the best of times, she is - shall we say - a rather complicated individual. Remember, this is a player who in the past talked openly about having an alter ego named 'Lori Ann' who she said was the competitor we all saw on the basketball court.

But in June, McCoughtry told USA Today that after a chat with former Dream assistant Carol Ross last year, she reconsidered whether she really 'needed' an alter ego. And decided she didn't. So long, Lori Ann. For the past year-plus, McCoughtry has been in the process of working on a documentary about her life, which is indeed an interesting tapestry. She also wants to be a recording artist. Plus, she has her overseas basketball commitment.

So there's a lot on McCoughtry's plate, and also a lot on her mind. McCoughtry appeared to have a good rapport with Ross, who is now head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks. Whether Ross' absence has had somewhat of an adverse effect on McCoughtry's relationships with the rest of the Dream players and staff is yet another thing about which to speculate. McCoughtry will be a restricted free agent after this season. Her value as a player is extremely high. But it's at least worth mentioning the WNBA's trade deadline is 8 p.m.

Notre Dame Star Basketball Player Mccarthy Opts For Mac

After that, no deals can be made until the conclusion of the postseason. Maybe this will blow over, and McCoughtry will rejoin the Dream and help the team reach its maximum potential in 2012. Or maybe it's much more serious.

Right now, it's still a mystery that fans of the Dream, and the WNBA in general, would like to see resolved soon. © 2018 ESPN Internet Ventures.

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The three best teams in college basketball are, in some order, Duke, Gonzaga and Kansas. They are the top three teams in both polls. They are the top three teams in just about every power ranking worth paying attention to. They’re all in the top five on KenPom, which still factors in data from before this season. The only other team that has been mentioned in the same breath as those three teams since we realized Kentucky wasn’t what we thought they were has been Virginia. Deservedly so. But it is time to put a fifth team into that tier.

The Michigan Wolverines. I’m not really breaking new ground when I tell you that this iteration of John Beilein’s program is very, very good. They entered Wednesday night as the No. 7 team in the country largely on the back of a 27 point win at Villanova. They’ve won every game that they’ve played by at least 18 points, and that includes Providence and George Washington. Hell, they’re the reigning national runners-up. But this 84-67 demolition of No.

11 North Carolina, however, takes it another level. Look, we know about the defense by now. It’s not surprising that Michigan is able to slow down North Carolina’s fast break or keep them off of the offensive glass, because this might actually be the best defensive team in college basketball this season. There are two brilliant basketball minds on the staff that are there solely to find a way break down the other team, and one of them — Luke Yaklich — lives and breathes defense. Put another way, North Carolina entered Wednesday night as the best offense in the country.

They scored 67 points on 70 possessions, and that was easily the worst night that Michigan has had defensively this year. We know what they are. We know they’re built around toughness and defense and exist as the antithesis of everything you thought you knew about John Beilein. The reason tonight was special? They shot the. out of the ball! Michigan was 11-for-22 from three.

They were shooting 32.6 percent from three as a team in the first six games of the season. That’s a difference-maker. Zavier Simpson looked like Chris Paul as he was slicing up the UNC defense in ball-screen actions. Iggy Brazdeikis had 24 points. Charles Matthews had 21 points.

We know the floor that Michigan’s defense provides. When they can score like this, they can play with — and beat? — anyone in college basketball. The question John Beilein is going to have to answer how he manages to get performances like this more consistently. TALLAHASSEE, Fla.

— Trent Forrest forced a turnover with 16 seconds left and drove the lane to hit a pull-up jumper with 5.2 seconds remaining as No. 15 Florida State stormed back to beat No. 19 Purdue 73-72 on Wednesday night. The basket was Forrest’s only one of the second half, but the defensive play was part of a critical sequence as the Seminoles (6-1) held on after Purdue led by eight points with 3:43 left. Purdue (5-2) didn’t score after holding that eight-point lead.

That included a pair of missed free-throw attempts by Carsen Edwards, who led the Boilermakers with 24 points on 7 of 19 shooting. After Forrest gave Florida State the lead, he stole the ball on Purdue’s final possession to seal the victory. Ryan Cline added 21 points, including four 3-pointers after halftime, for Purdue.

Cline made 7 of 11 3-pointers as Purdue stormed back from a 16-point deficit late in the first half. Cline and Edwards provided the spark in a 14-2 run and the Boilermakers made 7 of 8 3-pointers to open the half. Walker scored 13 points to lead the Seminoles. Forest, Terance Mann, P.J. Savoy and David Nichols had nine points apiece. Mann led Florida State with eight rebounds.

Both teams battled foul trouble. Purdue starting forward Grady Eifert sat on the bench with four fouls, didn’t score and played just 16 minutes. Florida State forward Mfiondu Kabengele fouled out, scoring seven points. Florida State has won three straight games in the ACC-B1G Ten Challenge, knocking off Minnesota, Rutgers and Purdue in consecutive seasons. BIG PICTURE Purdue: The Boilermakers were playing the first of a rigorous five-game stretch that began with Florida State and includes road games against No. 7 Michigan and No.

17 Texas as well as a home game with No. 24 Maryland and a neutral-site game vs. Florida State: The Seminoles finish a tough schedule in which they defeated LSU and UAB but lost to Villanova in the AdvoCare Invitational tournament title game. Now FSU can recharge with four days before the next game. UP NEXT Purdue travels to Michigan on Saturday. Florida State plays host to Troy on Monday.

Wednesday’s college basketball slate was mostly dominated by the ongoing ACC/Big Ten Challenge as road wins turned out to be a big theme of the night. 7 Michigan and No. 15 Florida State made major statements, it was road teams who made the most of the annual non-conference showcase. 15 Florida State comes back to beat No.

19 Purdue The most compelling finish to any game on Wednesday night was in a fun nightcap. The Seminoles had the game-winning bucket from guard Trent Forrest with 5.6 seconds left as they went from up 12 at halftime to being down by two possessions for much of the second half. This is the kind of comeback win that should give the Seminoles a lot of confidence. On a somewhat weird night where they squandered a lead, Florida State was still able to forge a comeback against a top-25 team playing arguably its best stretch of ball during the season.

The Seminoles had eight different players score at least seven points in this one as they remain one of the most deep and athletic teams in the country. Even if someone doesn’t go bananas for Florida State, they have enough in the rotation to wear you down over the course of 40 minutes. 7 Michigan makes a big statement in win over No.

11 North Carolina Another major statement from Michigan as the Wolverines knocked off another potential Final Four team by double-digits. Even after going down early, the Wolverines quickly rallied to fly by the Tar Heels behind 24 points from freshman Iggy Brazdeikis and 21 points from junior guard Charles Matthews. We know that Michigan’s defense is going to be nearly elite on most nights. But if Michigan is shooting 11-for-22 from behind the three-point line, they’re going to be nearly impossible to beat this season. Syracuse, Virginia, Rutgers earn important road wins The ACC/Big Ten Challenge had a lot of road teams picking up wins on Wednesday night. The biggest one of note is Syracuse taking down No. 16 Ohio State to earn an important victory.

The Orange dominated most of the second half of this one as I. Elsewhere, to earn another solid win.

Although the Terps put up a valiant effort with a good offensive effort, the Cavaliers earned the win thanks to solid nights from Kyle Guy (18 points) and Ty Jerome (17 points). And Rutgers quietly picked up one of its biggest wins in years by knocking off Miami for a road win. The Scarlet Knights defense held the Hurricanes to 34 percent shooting as Geo Baker led the way with 16 points. This win is important for Rutgers as they have back-to-back games against ranked Big Ten teams within the next week. The only home team to win in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge besides Michigan on Wednesday was Northwestern. The Wildcats put together a 67-61 win over Georgia Tech.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Tyler Herro had 16 points, Keldon Johnson added 15 and No. 10 Kentucky cruised past Monmouth 90-44 on Wednesday night for its sixth straight victory. The Wildcats (6-1) never trailed, though the winless Eagles (0-8) used a 12-5 spurt to get within 22-18. Kentucky took charge from there, closing the first half on a 22-4 run over 8:46 for a 44-22 halftime lead and stretching the lead to as many as 47 with 2:40 remaining. Herro was strong on both ends, making 6 of 10 attempts to pace Kentucky’s 57 percent shooting, including 64 percent in the second half. The freshman guard added eight rebounds and matched a career-high with five steals.

The Wildcats scored 28 points off 16 turnovers by the Eagles. Quade Green had four 3-pointers for 14 points, and Reid Travis scored 13 for the Wildcats. Kentucky also held Monmouth to 28 percent shooting, a season low for an opponent, and allowed its fewest points this season.

Guard Ray Salnave had 14 points for Monmouth, which shot just 2 of 16 from behind the arc. POLL IMPLICATIONS Barring a collapse or struggle against UNC Greensboro, this rout should keep Kentucky in the Top 10.

BIG PICTURE Monmouth: The Eagles have played most opponents close. That wasn’t the case this time as a lineup with no starter taller 6-foot-8 couldn’t match Kentucky’s length. They were outrebounded 40-25 and dominated 34-18 in the paint. Shooting 23 percent after halftime also hurt.

Kentucky: After struggling to get past lesser opponents, the Wildcats left no doubt in building a good cushion by the break. More important was that everybody contributed, allowing them to stay on the gas and get a confidence-building win. UP NEXT Monmouth visits Bucknell on Saturday in the second of four consecutive road games. Kentucky hosts UNC Greensboro on Saturday.

— More AP college basketball:. — Auburn wanted to pounce on Saint Peter’s early and did just that. Anfernee McLemore and Bryce Brown each scored 19 points to lead No. 8 Auburn to a 99-49 rout of the Peacocks on Wednesday night. The Tigers (6-1) scored the game’s first 13 points and led by as many as 32 before halftime over Saint Peter’s (1-5), which has lost five straight. Auburn players watched film before tipoff of the first four minutes of the Peacocks’ game with North Carolina State, when Saint Peter’s held an early lead.

“They kind of got off to a hot start against N.C. State,” McLemore said. “We made it a point coming into the game to make sure we gained control early on so they didn’t see any daylight from the beginning.” McLemore tied a career high in points and Auburn had five players score in double figures. He hit three 3-pointers after making only two in the first six games. Austin Wiley had 16 points and nine rebounds. Malik Dunbar scored 14 off the bench, including four 3-pointers, and Chuma Okeke added 12.

Okeke was 5-of-5 shooting. The 6-foot-11 Wiley attempted his first career 3-pointer. Earlier, he hit a jump shot with his foot on the line. “(Coach Bruce Pearl) started yelling,” Wiley said. “He didn’t mind the shot, he was like, `Get behind the 3.’ I’ve got to get my size 18s behind the line.” Davauhnte Turner and KC Ndefo scored 12 points each for the Peacocks. Saint Peter’s made just 14 of 52 shots (26.9 percent) and committed 26 turnovers. “They jumped out on us early and it is hard to come back from that,” Peacocks coach Shaheen Holloway said.

The Tigers just missed their third 100-point game this season in their first game since going 2-1 at the Maui Invitational. They made 15 of 31 3-pointers.

“It’s been seven days since we played, and obviously when you leave Maui, there’s a tendency to get a little Polynesian paralysis,” Pearl said. “And so that’s the reason for the seven-day wait before you start to play again.” BIG PICTURE Saint Peter’s: Played its fourth straight road game, including the 85-57 loss to North Carolina State. The Peacocks started 2 of 18 from the field and fell to 3-7 against Southeastern Conference teams. Auburn: The Tigers didn’t allow a field goal in the first seven minutes and led 51-23 at halftime after a one-week break from games following the Maui trip. STAT SHEET Auburn had 25 assists, 16 steals and eight blocked shots. Jared Harper dished out eight assists and had three steals.

POINT GUARD TIME Backup point guard J’Von McCormick tweaked an ankle during the game. Pearl switched Samir Doughty to that position and Doughty had five assists. “It was good to get him out there because we’ve got to develop a little depth at the position,” Pearl said. UP NEXT Saint Peter’s hosts Maine on Saturday in its first home game since Nov. Auburn hosts UNC Asheville next Tuesday. — More AP college basketball:.