Like, really good. “We going through the Netherlands,” Barkley said confidently on TNT’s Inside the NBA. “We opening up a can of whoop-ass. I guarantee the Netherlands is in trouble.” If that wasn’t enough, the NBA legend then called out a number of countries. “I want Spain, I want Brazil, I want Germany, I want France — oh, they got that boy [Kylian] Mbappé over there in France, he ain’t no joke....

In the latest development in the sports feud between former NBA player Barkley and NBA never-was Ball, Barkley is openly rooting for Ball’s son, UCLA guard Lonzo Ball, and the Bruins to lose their Round of 64 matchup Friday Night vs. Kent State. Barkley did it with some flash, too, wearing a Kent State jersey during a CBS studio show. MORE: Interactive, printable NCAA Tournament bracket (As an aside, that’s a pretty snug jersey there, Chuck....

This time he wandered into the New England Patriots' locker room after their 43-22 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Barkley made the rounds, speaking with Tom Brady, LeGarrette Blount and even a few reporters. As expected with Barkley, whatever words he offered were to the point and hilarious.

Because if it had at Texas, Charlie Strong wouldn’t still be dealing with off-field issues that lead to suspensions that impact the welfare of his team. MORE: SN coach rankings | 2014’s new head coaches | Week 2 picks “We will not cut corners, I can promise you that,” Strong said earlier this summer. Translation: he’s not putting up with crap. Not when he first arrived in early January amid heavy second-guessing by rabid Orangebloods....

After a week of mixed signals, the Longhorns fell to 5-7 with a 31-9 home loss to TCU on Friday. That’s only going to make Strong’s seat hotter, regardless of whether Texas decides to keep the coach moving forward. MORE: Charlie Strong timeline Strong’s three seasons have produced a 16-21 record; that might not be enough to save his job. Here are five possible scenarios for the program: Option 1: Keep Strong in the hope it works Texas could decide to give Strong a fourth year, citing Mike MacIntyre at Colorado as an example of that fourth season making a difference....

It's not exactly the same as Tyus Edney's famous coast-to-coast layup that propelled UCLA past Missouri in the 1995 NCAA Tournament, but it's pretty close. MORE: CBB coaches then and now | Epic poster dunk | Smallest, tallest players meet (Play starts at 3:10 mark) Kloof finished with with a team-high 18 points. Three other Bonnies scored in double figures, including Dion Wright, who added 11 rebounds to go with his 14 points....

Major announced Friday that he is taking a leave of absence to deal with several issues. He is expected to return by the start of the school year. "My family has a history of heart and eye issues, and I plan to have procedures done over the next couple of months to address them," Major, 45, said in a statement released by the university (per The Charlotte Observer). Athletic director Judy Rose said Major waited a long time to schedule the procedures....

Budinger was waived Saturday morning, as everyone involved knew he would be and as Sporting News first reported Thursday. But first, he played 12 minutes in a 108-101 loss to the Hornets. The awkward situation is the result of an injured Pacers team needing bodies before incoming point guard Ty Lawson can join the team. MORE: Best active player of every age, from 19 to 39 Budinger’s next step? “I have no idea,” he told Sporting News after the game....

MORE: NASCAR releases stage lengths for every race When Gordon made his first premier series start in the 1992 season finale, he took over the number from Butch Gilliland, who had driven a family-owned No. 24 Pontiac at Phoenix two weeks earlier. The No. 24 made only two appearances in 1992, with Gilliland behind the wheel, before Gordon ran the number at Atlanta Motor Speedway. As he made his debut in the Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Gordon did so with no weight of history on his shoulders....

If there was any doubt that the Manny Pacquiao doesn’t like Floyd Mayweather, he now gets to punch the welterweight champion’s face every day leading up to the big fight. That’s because Robert Shapiro, a well known “celebrity lawyer,” gave Pacquiao a one-of-a-kind gift earlier this week: a speed bag with Mayweather’s face painted on it. MORE: Fight promotional video | Rousey visits Pacquiao | Pacquiao releases … a music video?...

The two-time champion showed off his newly-finished closet on Instagram and there’s one common theme: Air Jordans. And lots of them. MORE: Amazing Jordan photos | Blazers tried to sign Allen | Smith hits ridiculous shot Allen, a longtime member of the Jordan Brand, has hundreds of pairs from the famous line, enough to cover three of the walls in his huge closet. Breathe, sneakerheads. Breathe.

It was a fixture that the Lilywhites actually dominated but it was the efficiency of their opponents, and more specifically left wing-back Marcos Alonso, that decided the game in the guests’ favour. Indeed, in a match in which Tottenham mustered 18 efforts on goal against just nine from their opponents, it spoke volumes of their finishing that they required an own goal from Michy Batshuayi to break their duck....

Conte responds to Alexis to Chelsea links The league leaders won all three games during the month, scoring eight goals, conceding just one and ending Tottenham’s unbeaten run along the way. Antonio Conte, most recently masterminding a come-from-behind win away to title rivals Manchester City, has picked up the manager of the month award for November. Spain striker Diego Costa, meanwhile, has been named the best player and Pedro’s stunning strike against Tottenham has scooped the best goal....

Chelsea great Lampard has returned to the club during the close season, replacing Maurizio Sarri after the Italian moved to Juventus. Making the transition trickier – in theory – for Lampard and Chelsea is the club’s transfer embargo, meaning trust in their academy products is likely to be necessary, particularly given the sale of Eden Hazard to Real Madrid. Watch Premier League beginning August 2019 | Soccer Live Streaming | DAZN CA...

The 24-year-old moved to Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer and has started in games against both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich as he aims to impress people in both Germany and back home. Only Messi and Ronaldo better than Eden Hazard, says brother Thorgan Between his career at Reading and Chelsea, Hector has been on loan at a staggering thirteen clubs, with Reading loaning him out at five non-professional sides as a youngster....

The 25-year-old’s award win was for the month of October where he scored three goals and got an assist in his side’s four league games - while he also scored twice in Chelsea’s last match, which took place in November, as the side went on to beat Everton 5-0 at Stamford Bridge. Conte reveals Fabregas & Oscar future Meanwhile, Hazard has gone on the best run of his career having scored in Chelsea’s last four games....

The record is surprising when you consider that he has managed to put four past Arsenal, a hat-trick against Manchester City and he has scored in two different finals versus Manchester United. Chelsea have a number of defenders who have stopped Messi as he registered 29 shots across his eight games against the west London club, including a penalty miss in 2012 when they last faced each other in the Champions League....

Ampadu is the son of Arsenal Under-18s coach Kwame but when the 17-year-old Exeter native left his hometown club in July, he joined Chelsea - not the side his father had represented in his youth. In Wednesday’s League Cup clash with Everton, Ampadu showed that Arsenal’s loss is very much Chelsea’s gain. Chelsea 7/2 to win Carabao Cup In just his second appearance for the Blues, Ampadu excelled in midfield alongside Danny Drinkwater, who was belatedly making his debut having been sidelined with a calf problem since joining from Leicester just before the close of the summer transfer window....

Lindelof a statement signing for Man Utd The Spain international revealed Blues boss Antonio Conte has made it clear that he does not feature in his plans ahead of the 2017-18 Premier League season, leaving Costa searching for a new club. Costa had previously fallen out with Conte following a January bid from the Far East which the Stamford Bridge club duly dismissed. The 28-year-old remains unsettled in the English capital and has previously made it clear to the Chelsea board that he would like to leave the club....

The Belgium international has been in good form this season after a disappointing 2015-16 campaign, scoring nine goals in 20 Premier League outings. Who are Europe’s most valuable players? Nevertheless, personal success is not what drives Hazard, who claims he just wants to enjoy himself and please the supporters. “For me, football is like this: I go on the pitch and I try to enjoy it. I do not look at statistics, I do not look at goals, I just want to go on the pitch,” Hazard told Chelsea Magazine....