Andrew Kerth The updated FIBA Women’s World Cup bracket after Thursday’s quarterfinals began: the United States beat Hungary 108-56 and is into Saturday’s semifinals. France vs China, Belgium vs Germany and Australia vs Spain fill out the rest.
A naturalized player is one who obtained the passport of the country she represents after turning 16. Every national team may carry exactly one on a 12 player roster. The label has nothing to do with heritage or how long she has lived there. It is purely about the date on the document. BASKETBALL · … Read more
A player must hold the legal nationality of the country she represents. How she got that nationality usually does not matter, but when she got it matters enormously. The dividing line is her 16th birthday, and it decides whether she counts as a local player or against a team’s single naturalized player slot. BASKETBALL · … Read more
Under FIBA rules, the moment a shot strikes the rim the ball is live and any player may touch it. A defender can swat it off the iron, an offensive player can tap it in, and neither is a violation. That is the single biggest rules difference between international basketball and the WNBA or NBA. … Read more
Forty minutes of game clock, split into four 10 minute quarters. In real time a FIBA game usually runs about an hour and 45 minutes to two hours with stoppages, halftime and television breaks. Overtime periods are five minutes each. BASKETBALL · RULES 40 minutes, four quarters Roughly two hours of real time Level Structure … Read more
Five. A player is disqualified from a FIBA game after a fifth personal foul, and technical fouls count toward that total. The WNBA and NBA both allow six. That single foul is the most commonly misunderstood difference in international basketball. BASKETBALL · RULES Five fouls and you are out Technicals count toward the total in … Read more
The two rulebooks are closer than people assume, but the differences change how games are played and coached. FIBA gives players one fewer foul, lets anyone play the ball once it hits the rim, has no defensive three second rule, and uses a possession arrow instead of jump balls. Here is the full comparison. BASKETBALL … Read more
Every 2026 MLB playoff race tracked: division margins, both wild card scrambles and the magic numbers – updated 2-3x weekly down the stretch.
MLB playoff seeding through September 5: Milwaukee and the Dodgers hold the NL byes, Tampa Bay and the Yankees lead the AL, and the third wild card in each league is still open.
MLB standings through September 5: Milwaukee leads baseball at 88 and 55, all six divisions with games back, and the wild card races that are still open.