Sports
After winning one title since John Wooden, how much blue is left in UCLA's blood?
Grainy game footage and yellowed newspaper clippings confer UCLA’s standing as college basketball royalty, the team’s status as a blue blood rooted in the success of a coach who retired nearly 50 years ago.
John Wooden’s 10 national championships in a 12-year span are more than any other program has won in its history. On the flip side, the Bruins have won just one championship since Wooden’s departure, Jim Harrick’s 1995 team preventing the school from going 0 for the last half century.
UCLA’s Ed O’Bannon celebrates after the Bruins won the 1995 national championship game.
(Associated Press)
North Carolina, the fellow blue blood that the Bruins will face Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in the CBS Sports Classic, has won five of its six titles since 1982. By comparison, the bulk of UCLA’s success can feel like something accomplished on peach baskets.
As the years pass, those banners hanging inside Pauley Pavilion fade like the memories of those championships. UCLA has gone 30 years without a title while 10 teams have added multiple banners to their collection over that same span. Has the fundamental power structure of the sport changed? Might the Bruins be on the verge of ceding their hallowed status, their blood no longer the deepest shade of blue?
“Hell no,” Marques Johnson, a member of Wooden’s final national championship team in 1975, said this week. “I just don’t think you give up that spot in terms of the prestige and elite-level claim that you deserve based on historically what you’ve done as a program.”
A blue blood, in Johnson’s view, is more of a historic honor than a contemporaneous one, belonging to teams that dominated the sport when it was gaining a foothold in the nation’s consciousness more than 50 years ago. Once you’re in, Johnson said, you never give up membership.
Historical references go back many decades, a 1951 story in the Cincinnati Enquirer describing Xavier’s early season losses as having come against teams listed in “college basketball’s blue blood directory.” The term has long become a favorite of broadcasters even if it was never one that Wooden used, according to Gary Cunningham, who played for the legendary coach before becoming one of his early successors.
Johnson’s bonafide blue bloods — UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke and Kansas — largely jibe with the list of the most decorated programs. Kentucky’s eight national championships rank second behind UCLA, followed by North Carolina and Connecticut (six each), Duke and Indiana (five each) and Kansas (four).
While Indiana won titles in 1940 and 1953, the Hoosiers are more widely associated with their success under coach Bobby Knight, who won three more championships in the 1970s and ‘80s. Johnson puts Indiana in his second tier of elite teams.
“We’ve got to slide them in there,” Johnson said, “because they were a little bit late to the party, not exactly nouveau riche but around and dominant long enough where they definitely need to be talked about in the same breath.”
Connecticut guard Tristen Newton celebrates after their win against San Diego State to clinch a national championship on April 3, 2023.
(Brynn Anderson / Associated Press)
Who does Johnson consider nouveau riche? He listed UConn and Gonzaga, teams that have enjoyed wild success the last few decades but haven’t won enough historically to be considered classic blue bloods. Gonzaga continues to seek its first title, having lost in the championship game in 2017 and 2021.
UCLA’s run of 10 titles from 1964 to 1975 puts the Bruins in a standalone category, according to Johnson.
“That’s something,” Johnson said, “that will never ever be duplicated by any school in history for a number of reasons, as we know — NIL and one-and-dones and all that.”
Even though Duke has won all of its titles since 1991, Johnson said the Blue Devils qualify as a blue blood based on their having been a top team long before that, reaching Final Fours in 1963, 1964 and 1978.
Jay Bilas, a center for the Blue Devils as the team was establishing itself as a national power under coach Mike Krzyzewski in the mid-1980s, said his definition of blue blood mirrors that of the Supreme Court when it comes to obscenity.
“I can’t define it,” BIlas said, “but I know it when I see it.”
A blue blood, as far as Bilas is concerned, combines sustained high-level success with a tradition of championships. Bilas agreed with Johnson’s characterization of UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas and Duke as no-brainers but added UConn as a top-five school based on the Huskies’ recent run that has six championships since 1999 and back-to-back titles the last two seasons under coach Danny Hurley.
“Nobody’s been better than UConn the last 25 years,” said Bilas, now a veteran analyst for ESPN.
Part of the fun in discussions of who qualifies as a blue blood is that there’s rarely consensus.
Bilas said he considered Michigan State, which won titles in 1979 and 2000 and has made eight additional Final Four appearances, a blue blood but understood not everyone agreed — including Spartans coach Tom Izzo.
“Oddly enough,” Bilas said, “Izzo would say no and I used to argue with him and say, ‘No, you’re a blue blood’ and he’d be like, ‘Nah, I’m not sure we’ve achieved that.’ ”
UCLA remains firmly entrenched as a blue blood despite its recent lack of titles, Bilas said, because of its three consecutive Final Fours under coach Ben Howland from 2006-08 and another appearance under coach Mick Cronin in 2021.
“It’s kind of hard to go against UCLA winning 10 out of 12 and they’re not a blue blood,” Bilas said. “Now, even though UCLA hasn’t really sustained the same sort of dominance, they haven’t fallen off a cliff, either. It’s just when your standard is to win 10 out of 12, nothing looks quite as good. So UCLA is in there and they’re probably top five.”
One of the biggest questions in parsing blue bloods is where is the cutoff line? Do schools like Louisville and Villanova, with multiple championships, belong? What about Syracuse, which won just one title but enjoyed a decades-long run of success under coach Jim Boeheim?
UCLA coach John Wooden and his players celebrate with their trophy after defeating Duke to win the 1964 national title in Kansas City, Mo.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
“To me,” Bilas said, “blue blood is more of a feeling than a recognized moniker that we hand out like, ‘OK, here are our blue bloods’ and ‘Hey, you’re almost a blue blood, another few years and you’ll get in.’ There’s no arbiter for that, but it’s an interesting barroom question.”
Cronin said he considered a blue blood to be defined by the public’s perception of who’s supposed to be good, listing the New York Yankees, Dallas Cowboys and Dodgers based on their success when most adults were growing up.
“These teams are historically good teams and have won titles and competed at a high level, so there’s a connotation with a certain program whether it’s college football or basketball, whether it’s the NBA or whatever,” Cronin said. “Who are the blue bloods in the NBA? You would say [Boston] Celtics, Lakers. And then really, that stems from the ‘80s, but we would say that because that’s what we all [knew as children.]”
But perception can differ from reality, Cronin said, given downturns by those same teams. UCLA and North Carolina are trying to rebound from recent struggles — the Bruins posted a losing record last season and the Tar Heels failed to make the NCAA tournament two years ago. Both have learned that being considered a blue blood doesn’t put extra points on the scoreboard.
Along those lines, Cronin said, he’d rather be a big boy — a team with the most money — than a blue blood.
“All you’ve got to do is look at who’s getting what recruits,” Cronin said. “Look, you’re talking about certain kids, they’re going to the highest bidder now — 90% of these kids in basketball and football. I’d rather be a big boy than a blue blood in this era because the big boy’s got the advantage.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Ask anyone who is favored to win Young Player of the Tournament for the upcoming 2026 World Cup, and presumably, you would struggle to hear a name other than Lamine Yamal.
The Spanish sensation, at only 18, is already viewed as one of the game’s greatest players — and he hasn’t even come close to his prime.
With that, let’s check out the odds for who will win Young Player of the Tournament as of July 12.
This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports.
Young Player of the Tournament odds
Lamine Yamal: +130 (bet $10 to win $23 total)
Desire Doue: +280 (bet $10 to win $38 total)
Pau Cubarsí: +380 (bet $10 to win $48 total)
Nico O’Reilly: +850 (bet $10 to win $95 total)
Here’s what to know about this oddsboard:
The Race: Lamine Yamal has been the favorite since before the tournament began and has not moved from the top of the oddsboard. Statistically, Yamal has only one goal and no assists in this World Cup, but his presence on the field has clearly opened up things for Spain on numerous occasions en route to its semifinal berth. Doue has a goal and an assist in three starts for France.
It was never actually in doubt. Dearica Hamby was going to stay a member of the Sparks. That was just how she worked.
Even when Nneka Ogwumike came into the fold and the frontcourt became crowded, Hamby didn’t doubt her decision to return to the organization that traded for her four years ago.
Loyalty mattered more than anything else.
“That’s who I am,” she said. “I don’t run away from things. I wanted to stay here and help L.A. get back to where it was and is capable of being.”
In a loaded frontcourt, the 32-year-old Hamby has still found ways to shine. Hamby has led the Sparks in scoring four times and led or tied for rebounding 16 times this season after signing a three-year, $3.5-million contract.
She ranks in the top 20 in the league in rebounds and field-goal percentage (plus 25th in scoring) and is eighth in offensive rebounds in establishing herself as an essential piece to the Sparks’ “win now” attempt.
“I think it’s the challenge, because we are so good and we have so much talent,” said Hamby, who is averaging 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 52.8% from the field. “You’re forced to produce, but it’s also a blessing. I know it’s probably hard for coach to manage the three’s playing time and stuff like that, but it’s a beautiful problem.”
Hamby was in the headlines when the Aces traded her after she was pregnant. In September of that year, she filed a federal discrimination complaint against the team and league, claiming she was traded because she was pregnant. The two sides resolved matters before trial.
The new CBA this year created a new rule that requires a pregnant player’s consent to be traded.
“I feel like she’s such an anomaly,” said forward Rae Burrell. “I remember when she had her son, and it was crazy because everybody was saying she was coming back so early, I thought that was insane, but now being her teammate, I see it, she’s just kind of a freak of nature, like she’s so athletic, she can do all types of things on the court that you think looks unorthodox, but she makes it happen, but also just love being her teammate. She’s just good people.”
Since that trade, she has been a regular in the Sparks’ starting lineup while averaging double-digit scoring and around eight rebounds per game. She’s one of the most efficient scorers in the league, too.
But Hamby’s games have been all over the board. Against the Aces, she missed all seven of her shots. Against Dallas and Indiana, she made six of eight shots. She’s had eight games with a shooting percentage above 60% and four games under 40%.
Sparks forward Dearica Hamby, left, tries to steal the ball from Mercury forward DeWanna Bonner during a game in Phoenix.
(Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
Having the three frontcourt players has been an adjustment for coach Lynne Roberts to find how to implement them all in the offense.
“I’m trying to implement the new offense, we’re plugging pieces into play, and things that I may have been able to do last year as freely I’m not as able to do this year,” Hamby said. “So just adjusting for sure, but I think that’s across the board for everybody.”
Before the season, Roberts said that Cameron Brink would come off the bench and Hamby would start. Brink, the only natural center on the team, averages just 17.5 minutes per game primarily because of her 3.7 fouls.
“She’s my vet,” Brink said of Hamby. “I think she’s just such a grounding force for us, and she’s someone that does everything, so I just really feel like I learn from her every day, and I’m just very thankful to be in her presence.”
Hamby averages 3.2 fouls per game and has expressed frustration about the new officiating norms this season, but has avoided true foul trouble. She and Ogwumike work as two fours instead of a team with a traditional five.
“She has a lot of energy,” Ogwumike said. “I think she does a really good job of just having a high motor and going out there and kind of like doing the dirty work. I feel like it’s beneficial to have a loaded frontcourt, to be able to have so many different types of players and a depth where anytime one of us is in, there’s no letdown.”
The Sparks have been the worst defensive team in the league this season and struggled to score when point guard Kelsey Plum was out of the lineup with an ankle injury. Ogwumike might be the other veteran leader, but Hamby has stayed with this Sparks team the past two seasons while Ogwumike was in Seattle.
Now her role has changed, even with that loyalty. She’s playing just over a minute less and they’re asking for better defense and efficiency.
Hamby chose to come back. Now she’s choosing to help build the Sparks up.
“I know my usage is a lot lower,” Hamby said. “A goal of mine the last two seasons was to have those numbers, so to have the same numbers just at a more efficient rate, and so I mean offensively, but with like two fewer shots a game, that’s pretty impressive.”
Sports
Conor McGregor’s long-awaited Octagon return cut short by apparent knee injury seconds into UFC 329
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Nearly five years after his last walk to the Octagon, Conor McGregor made his long-awaited UFC return Saturday night against fellow MMA star Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 in Las Vegas.
McGregor opened aggressively, attempting a running kick before throwing a head kick moments later. He appeared to slip on both tries. Holloway quickly capitalized after the second, taking top position and landing a right hand before McGregor was able to work his way back to his feet.
Moments later, McGregor hit the canvas again after trying to throw a kick with his right leg, which appeared to buckle underneath him.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Conor McGregor of Ireland participates in the walkout before facing Max Holloway of the United States in their welterweight bout during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
The official inside the Octagon waved off the fight moments later, giving Holloway a TKO victory.
During the broadcast, UFC CEO Dana White pointed to a first-round replay that appeared to show the moment McGregor suffered the injury. The apparent injury was not to the same leg McGregor broke during his 2021 fight against Dustin Poirier, which led to a lengthy absence from the Octagon.
The loss extended McGregor’s long winless drought, with his last UFC victory coming by first-round TKO against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in January 2020.
JAKE PAUL’S BUSINESS PARTNER GIVES TIMELINE ON RETURN TO RING AFTER CAREER-THREATENING INJURY
McGregor earned a unanimous decision over Holloway in a featherweight clash in 2013, when neither was an MMA megastar. In the blink of an eye, McGregor’s star rose.
Conor McGregor and Max Holloway face off during the UFC 329 ceremonial weigh-in at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 10, 2026. (Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
On Wednesday, he admitted he got caught up in his own stardom after winning UFC belts in two weight classes and becoming one of the biggest names in combat sports.
“I launched an Irish whiskey,” McGregor said. “I didn’t drink heavily, if at all, at that time of my life. I was an athlete at the top of my game. Next thing you know, thousands upon thousands of bottles (are) in my garage.
RONDA ROUSEY REVEALS WHAT INSPIRED HER TO END NINE-YEAR MMA HIATUS FOR ONE FINAL FIGHT
“‘Sell this, Conor.’ OK, I’d leave my property with two bottles under my arm, and that was it. I was caught. And I wasn’t used to it. And that’s it. God gave me these lessons. That’s it. I was trapped and caught, and it is what it is.”
Conor McGregor jumps into the air for a kick as he fights Max Holloway in a welterweight bout at UFC 329 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (John Locher/AP)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Easier said than done, perhaps, as the controversial former champion has been embroiled in multiple controversies and legal issues over the past several years.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
-
World5 minutes agoNew Germany sex-crime figures reignite migration fight as exploitation probe expands
-
Politics12 minutes agoGraham’s death ignites GOP scramble for Senate seat as Trump hints he already has a favorite
-
Health15 minutes agoMan turns tragic loss of best friend to suicide into urgent outreach to lonely strangers
-
Sports20 minutes ago2026 World Cup Young Player of the Tournament Odds: Lamine Yamal Favored
-
Technology27 minutes agoRescue robot of tomorrow may be a cockroach in scuba suit
-
Business30 minutes agoL.A. cardrooms applaud court ruling to allow blackjack
-
Entertainment35 minutes agoDan Finnerty profaned Bonnie Tyler’s hit in ‘Old School.’ He regrets the f-bombs at her shows
-
Lifestyle42 minutes agoWelcome to the summer of hot store openings and must-see art shows in L.A.
