INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Prized defensive end prospect Rueben Bain Jr. said he hasn't heard any concerns from NFL teams about his arm length.
Bain is widely viewed as one of the top defensive prospects in this year's NFL draft but there have been questions about whether his arms are long enough to succeed in the NFL.
“None of the teams seem to be too concerned with it as long as I just talk the talk and walk the walk and play with technique, nobody really asked me about it,” Bain said Wednesday at the NFL scouting combine.
Bain was one of the most productive pass rushers in college this past season at Miami with 9 1/2 sacks and 15 1/2 tackles for loss as he helped the Hurricanes reach the CFP title game and was picked for the AP All-American team.
Bain is widely projected to be a top-10 pick in the draft in April with a chance to go as high as No. 2 overall despite being expected to measure with shorter arms than ideal for an edge rusher. Bain said he first heard about those concerns late in this past season but he doesn't expect it to impact his draft position.
“They keep bringing that up out of nowhere,” he said about critiques. “But no team, like I said, really brought it up to me so I don't bring it up either.”
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Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (32) speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
Miami defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (32) speaks during a press conference at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)
PHOENIX (AP) — Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma’s coaching rivalry has had something for everyone on and off the court. It reached a dramatic peak Friday night, and the heated exchange between them stirred all the elements that make their match-ups must-see TV.
Auriemma said it started at the beginning of the game, but the ending is what everyone will talk about.
A visibly upset Auriemma went over to Staley in the waning seconds of South Carolina's 62-48 victory over his UConn team in the Final Four and appeared to chastise her before the two shook hands. Staley responded with “don't do that" while assistant coaches from both teams separated them.
Auriemma later said the exchange was about the lack of a traditional pregame handshake between the coaches. Staley said she was confused.
“I have no idea,” Staley said when asked what happened. “But I’m going to let you know this: I’m of integrity. I’m of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Geno, I had no idea what I did. I guess he thought I didn’t shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn’t know. I went down there pregame, shook everybody on his staff’s hand.
“I don’t know what he came with after the game, but, hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.”
The Gamecocks will play UCLA in their third straight title game on Sunday, but not everyone was willing to move on from the exchange so quickly.
Auriemma immediately left the court without shaking hands when the game ended, and the moment quickly spread on social media.
Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, a former Olympic teammate of Staley, posted on X: “It’s a real shame that #Geno took the low road! We have all had to lose with class! Geno of the @UConnWBB needs to start with an apology!!!”
There were no apologies Friday night, but Auriemma explained why he was frustrated.
“For 41 years I’ve been coaching and, I don’t know, 25 Final Fours,” Auriemma said. “The protocol is before the game you meet at halfcourt. Anybody see that before? Two coaches meet at halfcourt and they shake hands, correct? Ever see it? They announce it on the loudspeaker.
“I waited there for like three minutes. So it is what it is.”
Auriemma and Staley have been the gold standard in women's basketball for years, and their battle for supremacy has produced some of the most thrilling moments in women's college basketball over the last decade.
They've coached some of the greatest talent in the game. They have a combined 15 national championships and nearly 2,000 wins with their respective programs, and their teams have faced each other 15 times.
Despite the intensity on the court, Staley and Auriemma have typically exchanged public pleasantries, complementing each others' successes and importance to the women's game. They sparked conversations in 2023 when Staley defended her team after Auriemma criticized the Gamecocks' physicality — but their rivalry had never boiled over in the way it did on Friday.
Auriemma ripped the officiating in the third after the Gamecocks were not whistled for a foul in the quarter. He continued to voice his displeasure with how Staley spoke to the refs in his postgame press conference.
“I’m of the opinion that if I ever talk to an official like that, I would get tossed,” he said. “So I just want to make sure there’s not a double standard, that some people are allowed to talk to officials like that and other people are not. That’s it.”
Staley did not want to talk about the exchange in her postgame news conference.
“You can ask Geno the question,” she said. “He’s the one that initiated the conversation. I don’t want what happened there to dampen what we were able to accomplish today.”
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South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, right, yells at UConn head coach Geno Auriemma, left, after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, left, and UConn head coach Geno Auriemma argue after a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
