Sports

UCLA once again living the 'we over me' mantra in NCAA tournament

Published

12 months ago

March 22, 2025

UCLA once again living the 'we over me' mantra in NCAA tournament

All Nike-sponsored schools playing in the NCAA tournament wear different colors of the same warmup shirt. The now-ubiquitous long-sleeve white shirt has “Nothing Easy” printed on the front in bold letters. An emphatic period punctuates the sentence and each school’s logo is printed underneath.

What makes UCLA’s otherwise cookie-cutter postseason look stand out is on the back: “We” printed over a horizontal bar and “me.”

During the tournament that transforms careers and makes stars, UCLA is recommitting to its mantra of “we over me” to lift the program to new heights.

“We’re only playing for the letters on the front of the jersey,” coach Cori Close said. “And trusting that when you play fully committed to only playing for what’s on the front of your jersey, that usually it comes back to the letters on the back of your jersey 10-fold.”

The top-seeded Bruins host No. 8 Richmond on Sunday at 7 p.m. (ESPN) at Pauley Pavilion in the second round of Spokane Regional 1. UCLA (31-2) is trying to return to the Sweet 16 for the third consecutive year.

While selflessness has been a pillar of UCLA’s program under Close, the Bruins lost sight of the goal toward the end of the regular season. Graduate student Charlisse Leger-Walker pointed it out during a team meeting after the Bruins lost to USC at home in their regular-season finale.

UCLA started reemphasizing “we over me” going into the Big Ten tournament. The tactic worked perfectly as the Bruins won their first conference tournament title since 2006. Basketball director of operations Pam Walker then had the “we over me” symbol added to the backs of UCLA’s shirts for the NCAA tournament.

“Throughout the season we’ve had highs and lows, and it’s just a reminder of if we stick together, we can achieve what we want to happen,” forward Angela Dugalic said.

Dugalic, a former five-star recruit who played for the Serbian national team during the Paris Olympics, is one of nine former McDonald’s All-Americans on UCLA’s roster. The roster bursting with talent makes it even more important — and difficult — to find players who are willing to buy into UCLA’s abundance mentality, Close said.

Instead of those who fret about how coaches will split up the 200 minutes of playing time available in each game, Close is looking for players who want to sign up for the “most impactful growth experience.” When forward Janiah Barker came through the transfer portal, Close wondered if the Texas A&M star really understood the assignment.

Barker, another former McDonald’s All-American recruit, averaged 26.5 minutes per game as a sophomore at Texas A&M. She was an established starter averaging 12.2 points per game. The Bruins, who were returning the core of a talented junior class that took the team to the No. 2 ranking in the nation, would not have a large role for her.

She was more interested in what she could bring to the Bruins.

UCLA players jump up from the bench to celebrate the win over Southern on Friday.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Close called the athletic 6-foot-4 forward a “missing piece” for the Bruins’ hopes to reach their first NCAA Final Four.

“She brings great energy on the court,” junior Gabriela Jaquez said. “We really feed off of her. And the way she rebounds and jumps so high to grab those boards and fights down there is really huge. The level of physicality she brings is really important to our team.”

Barker, who was chosen Big Ten sixth player of the year and averages 7.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, was one of six scorers in double figures for the Bruins during their opening-round rout of Southern on Friday as she came off the bench for 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Bruins overwhelmed the No. 16-seeded Jaguars, who were two days removed from their first NCAA tournament win in program history, by dishing 23 assists on 26 field goals.

Naturally, the team that emphasizes the group’s success over individual accolades led the Big Ten in assists per game this season.

Sports

ESPN star rips iconic college basketball team with $22M roster for disappointing season

Published

4 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

ESPN star rips iconic college basketball team with M roster for disappointing season

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The Kentucky Wildcats basketball team may still make the NCAA Tournament, but Dick Vitale thinks this iconic program should be much better than their 19-12 record this season considering their whopping $22 million roster.

The legendary ESPN college basketball analyst didn’t hold back his feelings about the Wildcats as they played Florida during Saturday’s prime SEC matchup. After the Gators hit some free throws to extend their first-half lead to 26-19, Vitale started to lay into the Wildcats.

Head coach Mark Pope of the Kentucky Wildcats in a game between the Florida Gators and the Kentucky Wildcats on March 7, 2026, at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY. (Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire)

“I’m going to say this right here, I’ve done several Kentucky games, win or lose, $22 million this team [which has been reported] in terms of the NIL for their players,” he said, per Awful Announcing. “I think in $22 million, they could have put together a better roster than they did. I really do.”

The Wildcats ended up losing by a score of 84-77, and Vitale continued about Kentucky near the end of their 12th loss of the season.

“I’ll tell you one thing, you don’t want to walk out of here thinking you got a moral victory,” Vitale said, referencing a hard-fought game against the No. 5-ranked Florida team. “Moral victories don’t count at this level of basketball. And you hear some of the people, ‘We played them close. We played them tough.’

“The bottom line is you’re Kentucky. You’re Kentucky. And you’ve got to leave here with a win, especially at home. There are no moral victories. Come on. I don’t want to hear that.”

Collin Chandler and Jasper Johnson of the Kentucky Wildcats celebrate in the first half against the Ole Miss Rebels at Rupp Arena on Jan. 24, 2026 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

The Wildcats were once the top program in the country under former Coach John Calipari, who left for Arkansas after being unable to make a long March Madness run in recent seasons, including a shocking first round upset to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats have been coached by Mark Pope since, and they made the Sweet 16 in last year’s tournament before losing to Tennessee.

Kentucky Jasper Johnson in action vs Michigan State at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on Nov. 18, 2025. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated )

But this year, Kentucky is 10-8 in SEC play, and now face the No. 9 seed in the upcoming tournament this week. The winner of each conference earns a tournament berth, but the Wildcats know good seeding in the NCAA Tournament requires a strong run heading into Selection Sunday this upcoming weekend.

The Wildcats will start their SEC Tournament play on Wednesday against No. 16 LSU.

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Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

Sports

Chargers agree to deal with former Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold

Published

5 hours ago

March 9, 2026

Press Room

Chargers agree to deal with former Dolphins fullback Alec Ingold

The Chargers bolstered their efforts to protect quarterback Justin Herbert all while diversifying their offense by agreeing to a multiyear deal with veteran fullback Alec Ingold on Sunday, the team announced.

Ingold’s deal with the Chargers reportedly is for two years and $7.5 million.

Ingold will be no stranger to the Chargers’ plans on offense. He played the past four seasons in Miami under coach Mike McDaniel, the Chargers’ new offensive coordinator. Last year he caught eight passes for 52 yards and ran the ball twice in 17 games.

Ingold caught 47 passes for 372 yards and rushed for 34 yards in 20 carries in four seasons with the Dolphins. He also had two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown.

Before his time in Miami, Ingold played three seasons with the Raiders.

The deal comes two days after the Chargers signed veteran center Tyler Biadasz to take over for the retiring Bradley Bozeman. They agreed to terms on a one-year deal with edge rusher Khalil Mack on Saturday.

With the free agency negotiation period set to begin Monday at 9 a.m. PDT, the Chargers remain in strong position to be significant players in the free-agent market. They rank among the top-five teams in salary cap space, per Overthecap.com.

Sports

Cowboys star, fiancée end relationship month before wedding: report

Published

16 hours ago

March 8, 2026

Press Room

Cowboys star, fiancée end relationship month before wedding: report

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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and his fiancée, Sarah Jane Ramos, reportedly broke up with their wedding around the corner.

Prescott and Ramos’ relationship had been “rocky” in the weeks leading up to the breakup and things exploded between the two at their joint bachelor and bachelorette parties, TMZ Sports reported on Saturday.

Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos attend the Farrah Fawcett Foundation Tex-Mex Fiesta on Oct. 30, 2025 in Dallas, Texas. (Omar Vega/Getty Images for Farrah Fawcett Foundation)

Ramos shared pictures of her trip with her friends on Instagram on Friday.

“I truly believe you can get through anything in life as long as you have really great friends. I love these girls so much,” Ramos captioned the collage of snaps.

Prescott was not pictured in any of the 16 photos and videos posted to her social media account.

Sarah Jane Ramos and Dak Prescott pose for a photo before Dak Prescott’s Faith Fight Finish Foundation Gala on May 17, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images for Faith Fight Finish Foundation)

Ramos also posted photos of her bridal shower back on Feb. 23. There were no photos of Prescott in the carousel either.

“The most intimate and beautiful bridal shower of my dreams,” she added on Instagram. “So grateful for my aunts who hosted it and my girlfriends and family that came to celebrate. I love you all so much and can’t wait to marry the love of my life with all of you by my side.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Prescott’s representative for comment.

Prescott posted a series of photos on his Instagram of Ramos and his family on July 20, 2025. There’s only a September advertisement posted on his account since.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Sarah Jane Ramos pose on the NFL Honors Red Carpet before Super Bowl LX at Palace of Fine Arts on Feb. 5, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

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The NFL star and Ramos announced they were engaged on Oct. 18, 2024. The couple have two children together.

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