Mark Cuban on Dirk Nowitzki: "Maybe this year will be his last year. I tend to think he wants to beat Kobe and be that guy." Nowitzki is joining Kobe Bryant as the only players in NBA history to play 20 seasons with only one team.
As one of the last two teams to play in a weekend of demonstration regarding President Donald Trump's comments, the Dallas Cowboys are planning to show unity before Monday Night Football, sources say.
The kicks worn by Mavs PG Dennis Smith Jr., Under Armour's new prized pitchman:
Seth Curry to ESPN on Donald Trump uninviting the Warriors to the White House and singling out his brother, Stephen: "I just think it's childish, first and foremost. I'm proud of the way that Steph and the whole Warriors organization handled that situation. I think they were very mature about it. I'm proud of the way Steph took a stand and didn't back down from it and things like that. That's a great role model for kids to look up to and for the country to look at. Guys like him, LeBron, some of those stars in the NBA who have spoken out, took their stands and have been positive and great leaders. I mean, if you can't look at the president as somebody who you can look up to, you have other people who you know their names that can set a good precedent for the way kids should act in this day and age." On Trump criticizing athletes for peacefully protesting, Seth Curry said: "It's not good. It's not a good precedent to set where people get criticized for doing things peacefully and causing no problems violently or things like that, just letting their voice be heard. It's not a good precedent to set. I'm proud of the way the NBA's handling it, a lot of the players are handling it, speaking out. It's just a sad day when you've got NBA players – Steph and LeBron and those guys – who are acting more mature than the president of the United States. I follow their lead in trying to change the culture and change the climate of the country by using my voice and trying to use it in a positive way and not letting the supposed leader of our country [dictate where he] is taking us."
Nerlens Noel on potential future with Mavs: "I love the city of Dallas. I do, but we all know what happens in this business."
Nerlens Noel: "I have a very simple mindset: Come in and play the best basketball that I can play."
Dirk Nowitzki on Dennis Smith Jr.: "I've rarely seen an athlete like this at the point guard spot. Just freakish. ... He's going to be hopefully a cornerstone for our franchise for a long, long time. He's going to be fun to play with and he's going to be fun for our fans to watch."
Dirk Nowitzki: "Twenty seasons is special. I don't care if it's with one franchise or anywhere. Twenty years is a long, long time. I definitely wanted to get to this goal. ... I'm happy and glad that it was in one place. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
Matt Schick, Adam Rittenberg and Chris Low weigh in on TCU's victory over Oklahoma State, noting that wins like this should no longer come as a surprise for Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs.
Rick Carlisle on Nerlens Noel: "I'm not sure that he's going to start. ... There's a very good chance that he could come off the bench." Carlisle says the Mavs are best with Dirk Nowitzki starting at center.
Mavs guard J.J. Barea finally got to talk to his parents in Puerto Rico on Sunday and confirmed that his family is safe.
The Horned Frogs probably aren't ready to take on the Crimson Tide, but Gary Patterson made his reputation beating heavy favorites.
Anderson's huge day helped TCU earn a major upset on the road, with his 42-yard TD putting the game out of reach in the final minutes. Texas Tech's Dakota Allen earned honors on defense after stuffing the stat sheet against Houston, while Baylor kicker Connor Martin got the nod on special teams in a losing effort.
As the Cowboys make their final roster decisions for Monday night's game vs. the Cardinals, they may choose to stack up their defenders.
Texas coach Tom Herman, on the premise of taking Iowa State lightly: "There are a lot of guys here that were there for 24-0 (in Ames two years ago). There will be zero taking of (Iowa State) lightly."
The Bulldogs moved up four spots after handling Mississippi State, while the Horned Frogs jumped seven thanks to a win over Oklahoma State. The top five is unchanged, although Alabama garnered seven more first-place votes this week, while Clemson lost seven.
Baylor coach Matt Rhule on QB Zach Smith, who threw 463 yards and 4 TDs against Oklahoma: "It cements to him, hey I can do this. For him to play the way he did, it really gives him the confidence that he can make the big play, while not making bad decisions. ... That's something to build on."
Baylor coach Matt Rhule on K-State: "My kind of football team. If I could think of what I'd want a football team to look like, it would be them."
3-0 Texas Tech ranks second nationally in turnover margin, and has forced nine turnovers. Said Kliff Kingsbury, "That's what we've been searching for. That's why I was so excited about having (defensive coordinator) David Gibbs for a third year. We're developing a culture, developing an identity."
The Horned Frogs have already discovered an identity on both sides of the ball, which will serve them well in the Big 12 race.
West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen on next opponent TCU: "They're really, really good. It's hard to win in Stillwater and they did it convincingly. The quarterback (Kenny Hill) is playing as good as anybody in the country. They look like a top 10 team to me."
TCU has converted 63 percent of its third downs this season. Since at least 2004, when the NCAA began keeping third down statistics, no team has finished with a better third-down rate.
What's been the best performance so far this week? What was Sunday's most surprising result? And which of the two remaining undefeated teams is better?
As they prepare to face off Monday night, Larry Fitzgerald and Jason Witten look back on a decade-plus of admiring each other's work.
After beating Oklahoma State, TCU has jumped up to No. 3 in Strength of Record. SOR is purely a measure of accomplishment, quantifying the percentage chance an average top-25 team could achieve a record a team has given the opponents and circumstances in that team's games. Oklahoma remains atop the list.
| TEAM | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 77 | 68 |
| Washington | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | 71 | 60 |
| Dallas | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | 36 | 45 |
| New York | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | 37 | 70 |
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | 95 | 60 | .613 | - | L1 |
| Los Angeles | 77 | 78 | .497 | 18 | W1 |
| Texas | 76 | 79 | .490 | 19 | L3 |
| Seattle | 75 | 81 | .481 | 20.5 | L2 |
| Oakland | 72 | 83 | .465 | 23 | W7 |
| TEAM | CONF | OVR |
|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma | 1-0 | 4-0 |
| TCU | 1-0 | 4-0 |
| West Virginia | 1-0 | 3-1 |
| Texas Tech | 0-0 | 3-0 |
| Iowa State | 0-0 | 2-1 |
| Kansas State | 0-0 | 2-1 |
| Texas | 0-0 | 1-2 |
| Oklahoma State | 0-1 | 3-1 |
| Kansas | 0-1 | 1-3 |
| Baylor | 0-1 | 0-4 |
