Scottie Scheffler is No. 1 in the world and one of 12 at the Ryder Cup

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Scottie Scheffler has been the standard everyone is chasing for the last 856 days. That's how long he has been No. 1 in the world, the longest stretch in golf for anyone since Tiger Woods.

Now he is one of 12 at the Ryder Cup. His matches at Bethpage Black count no more than anyone else, whether it's Patrick Cantlay or Harris English or Bryson DeChambeau.

“At the end of the day, it's just all about going and winning your point,” Justin Thomas said Tuesday. "All of us are very happy that he's on our team this week so we don't have to try to figure out how to beat him in an individual tournament. It's nice that he's on our side.

“No, he's just viewed as one of the 12. And we're all one and the same, I'd say.”

It was like that for Scheffler when he was world No. 1 at Marco Simone two years ago, and he failed to win a match by going 0-2-2. That included being on the losing end with Brooks Koepka in the shortest match in Ryder Cup history. Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland won in 11 holes.

There isn't a great history for No. 1 players in the Ryder Cup, at least on the American side. Dustin Johnson was at the top of his game when he went 1-4-0 in Paris.

As for Woods, he didn't have a winning record until his fifth Ryder Cup, in 2006 at The K Club in Ireland, when he went 3-2-0 as the Americans lost by nine points.

None of this matters to Scheffler. Very little does when it comes to golf. His credo has been to show up at the first tee — Bethpage Black, Royal Portrush, Muirfield Village — knowing he has done everything possible to be ready. And then go compete.

“Should the expectations of me be different than any other player? I don't really think about that kind of stuff,” Scheffler said. “I truly don’t think about expectations or anything like that. That’s wasted space in my brain.”

But there always seemed to be a burden for Woods, a different cat. He never really was one of 12 because he was Tiger Woods. He was THE one of 12.

A European win over Woods counted as one point. Motivationally, it felt like two.

There also was the issue of finding Woods a good partner for foursomes and fourballs. He played with 10 players in his first four Ryder Cup appearances.

Scheffler has had six partners — three each for the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup — though he and Russell Henley appeared to be a good fit last year at Royal Montreal in the Presidents Cup and are likely to be together at Bethpage Black.

“I think we have 12 guys that are all equal. I don’t think one player is more important than another. I think that is something that is through our team room,” Scheffler said. "I’d like to think that I’m not difficult to pair with people. I’d like to think of myself as someone that’s a nice guy and easy to get along with.

“I’ve had different partners over the years and have had some success. I would definitely not put myself in that category.”

Scheffler's rookie year on the PGA Tour was the last time Woods competed in team matches, so it's a subject on which he has limited knowledge.

“It could just be the aura that was Tiger Woods,” he said.

Europe has had its share of No. 1 players with a different result.

Jon Rahm was 3-1-1 when he was at No. 1 for the 2021 matches at Whistling Straits. His one loss was to Scheffler, who birdied the opening four holes for a comfortable win.

Rory McIlroy went 3-2-0 at No. 1 in the world when Europe won at Medinah in 2012, and he was 2-1-2 as the top-ranked player at Gleneagles in Scotland in 2024.

Nick Faldo was 2-1-2 when he played as the world No. 1 at the Belfry in 1993. The only No. 1 player from Europe with a losing record was Ian Woosnam (1-3-0) in 1991.

“Rory has talked about this many times — he loves what the Ryder Cup represents,” European captain Luke Donald said. “You can see the emotion both ways.”

There were tears from McIlroy when Europe lost big at Whistling Straits. There was that dispute with Patrick Cantlay's caddie on the 18th green at Marco Simone two years ago, that resulted in McIlroy having to be restrained later that evening in the parking lot.

He used that as motivation for Europe on Sunday to finish the job by smoking the Americans.

“He sees himself as a leader, but also just one of the 12,” Donald said. “We try and talk about that a lot. We all have an opportunity to contribute to the team. To have someone of his caliber, though, what he’s achieved in the game is tremendous.”

Scheffler is a leader of the U.S. team by his sheer stature in the game, even if he doesn't see it that way. This is only his third Ryder Cup. Then again, Thomas is the most experienced American and this is only his fourth appearance.

It's a young U.S. team by experience — the 12 players have combined to play in 15 Ryder Cups. Scheffler is among six players on the last team in Rome.

“I don’t think it can be understated how difficult of a week Rome was for us. I think we could have done better, for sure,” he said. “That wasn’t how I expected the week to go. I think we learned from it, and we’re as prepared as ever this time.”

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Scottie Scheffler hits from the sixth tee during the first round of the Procore Championship golf event, Thursday, Sept 11, 2025 in Napa, Calf. (AP Photo/Doug Ferguson)

Europe's Jon Rahm walks on the 16th hole during a practice round for the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y., at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Europe's Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, tosses balls in the air during a practice round for the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y., at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Europe's Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts after missing a putt on the second hole during a practice round for the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y., at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

United States' Scottie Scheffler speaks during a news conference before a practice round at the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y., at Bethpage State Park's Black Course between the United States and Europe. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

United States' Scottie Scheffler hits from the bunker on the 11th hole during a practice round for the Ryder Cup golf tournament, Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, in Farmingdale, N.Y., at Bethpage State Park's Black Course. (AP Photo/Robert Bukaty)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Tarris Reed Jr. sat at his locker Thursday, fielding questions about his run as the interior-scoring, rebound-snagging force in UConn's latest Final Four push.

Yet he wasn't the main attraction.

That's because across the room, an even bigger gaggle of reporters waited for freshman guard Braylon Mullins — the Indiana kid who hit an all-timer of a shot to send the Huskies back to the sport's biggest stage — to return for his own round of interviews.

“Guards are the ones that hit the big shots,” Reed said Thursday when asked about big men getting their due, adding with a grin: “We just do our job, we do the dirty work — and we're used to doing it our whole life so we have fun doing it.”

Maybe so, but there's no minimizing the impact of size this week in Indianapolis. Not with the Final Four boasting its biggest quartet of teams going back roughly two decades, starting with guys such as Reed, Michigan's Aday Mara, Arizona's Koa Peat and Illinois' 7-foot Ivisic twins as anchors to lineups with size radiating all the way out to the perimeter.

The average height of the Final Four teams is nearly 79.1 inches, or roughly 6 feet 6, according to KenPom’s analytics site. That edges last year’s average of nearly 78.3 inches for the biggest of any Final Four going back to the start of KenPom’s data in 2007.

Illinois (28-8) is Division I's tallest team with an average roster height of nearly 6-7 (80 inches), while Arizona (36-2) is seventh at nearly 6-6 (79 inches). Michigan (35-3) and UConn (33-5) are in the top 30 nationally with nearly identical averages slightly behind the Wildcats.

Consider it a sign of the premium each team put on building a roster to overwhelm teams inside, on the glass and with game-altering length spanning the gaps between.

That kind of size, strength and wingspan creates trouble cascading through the matchups. ACC Network analyst Luke Hancock said teams are also thriving by finding power forwards and centers capable of stepping outside to stretch defenses further and create space, eliminating the ability for a defense to simply collapse on a lone big man.

“Guards still win in March,” said Hancock, the most outstanding player of the 2013 Final Four in Louisville’s later-vacated title run. "But I think these guys have become almost like a necessary component. If you want to win championships, you need a big 4 and a monster 5.”

And it's manifesting in several ways as March Madness reaches its final act.

The Illini have had the best defensive tournament efficiency of the Final Four teams while dominating the glass to complete those stops. Their roster includes an influx of European talent, including Tomislav (7-1) and Zvonimir Ivisic (7-2), as well as 6-9 forward David Mirkovic from Montenegro.

The Illini also brings 6-9, 235-pound graduate Ben Humrichous off the bench, while the outlier in the big lineup is 6-2 senior guard Kylan Boswell as a strong backcourt defender.

The South Region champion has allowed .976 points per possession in the NCAA Tournament to lead the remaining four teams. Throw in the fact that Illinois is outrebounding opponents by 16.3 per game, and it's been a perfectly timed boost to an already elite offense with those forwards and centers capable of hitting from behind the arc, too.

"Playing in the summer, you could tell it’s a little bit harder to do some things just because you’ve got Z at the rim, who’s 7-foot-2 and a great shot blocker," 6-6 forward Jake Davis said. “You got Tommy down there. So anybody you’re going up against in practice is super tall. ... We’ve just got a bunch of length everywhere. And you could tell early on that we could cause problems for other teams.”

The Illini will be tested against Reed, a 6-foot-11, 265-pound senior whose scoring (21.8) and rebounding (13.5) averages in the tournament are the best of any player still standing.

That included opening the tournament with a video game-type stat line of 31 points and 27 rebounds against Furman, making him the first player with 30-plus points and 25-plus rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game since Houston’s Elvin Hayes did it twice in 1968.

He’s coming off a 26-point showing in the comeback from 19 down to stun Duke in the Elite Eight.

“He’s a monster,” said UConn senior Alex Karaban, who was part of the Huskies’ 2023 and 2024 title winners. “He’s been so dominant. He’s really playing like the most dominant player in college basketball right now.”

When it comes to the No. 1 seeds, the Wolverines have hummed with 90-plus points in four tournament wins. The Wildcats have been right behind in offensive efficiency despite being shooting fewer 3-pointers than just about every other Division I team all season.

Their meeting Saturday matches strengths.

Michigan has used the 7-3, 255-pound Mara to protect the paint, flanked by a pair of versatile 6-9 forwards in Associated Press first-team All-American Yaxel Lendeborg (240 pounds) and Morez Johnson Jr. (250).

“Our size definitely makes it tougher for smaller guards,” Lendeborg said. “Because we’re so versatile ... we can switch and guard point guards, make their life a little harder. And you know, we’re all strong bodies too. So we try to wear down teams.

“And then, toward the end of the game, that’s when we usually make our runs when we need it.”

Michigan will be tested against the Wildcats with 7-2 center Motiejus Krivas (10.4 points, 8.2 rebounds) and Peat, a 6-8, 235-pound freshman considered a strong NBA prospect.

“If you don't have the big to defend other bigs, you can't compete at this level in my opinion,” Hancock said.

“How do you make it so you're really tough to guard and you have an advantage? It’s the 4-men in this Final Four who are just so talented and the diversity of their skill sets — they can do so many things. That is the ultimate to me.”

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

Arizona forward Koa Peat (10) dunks during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament against Purdue, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Kelley L Cox)

Iowa's Tavion Banks (6) has his shot blocked by Illinois' Zvonimir Ivisic (44) during the first half of an Elite Eight game in the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

UConn forward Tarris Reed Jr. (5) reacts after the team's win against Duke in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)