While the rest of college basketball sleeps as the calendar flips from Nov. 5 to Nov. 6, a 1,000-seat gym on Elm Street in sleepy Greenville, Illinois, will be gearing up for an unhinged round-robin series involving a group of hoops madmen pushing the game beyond its perceived limits. 

At midnight, the first allowable moment for the Division III season to begin, the two fastest teams at any level of college basketball will tip-off off their season to little external fanfare.

The Grinnell vs. Greenville game isn’t scheduled to be nationally televised, and it won’t be contested between players on seven-figure NIL deals. There will be no NBA scouts in attendance and no pyrotechnics accompanying the starting lineup introductions.

Besides, the starters won’t last more than a couple minutes anyway. Their lungs will be burning 90 seconds into a matchup between two programs that have co-authored the Division III record book with a blistering strategy known simply as the “System.”

The game might approach 300 total points, and its style would seem extreme anywhere else. But the constant full-court pressure, stream of astoundingly quick shots and mass substitutions will be normal for two teams playing at a pace that makes even the fastest Division I programs look slow.

Then, after their track meet is complete sometime in the middle of the night, they’ll both gear up to do it against fellow System program Covenant College over the ensuing 36 hours. The Scots are a relatively new adherent to the philosophy, which calls for possessions to last no longer than 12 seconds.

It made them them the perfect candidate to round out a three-game, season-opening showcase celebrating a style of play that most believe will never be fully adopted in Division I.

“No one else except the guy at Covenant College would even think about coming out to play two System teams in 36 hours,” said Covenant coach Josh Brown. Covenant ranked 268th in Division III in possessions per game during the 2023-24 season before Brown decided his program needed an identity.

He found one after calling an estimated 35-40 coaches, brainstorming about the merits and pitfalls of adopting the System.

“Every single one of them was like, ‘you’re going to get called crazy,’” Brown recalled. “It’s just a part of it. I was OK with being crazy. I’m already crazy for being in this profession. So being called crazy for wanting to play fast is a small price to pay.”

The next season, Covenant, which sits atop Lookout Mountain in Georgia, surged from 81.2 possessions per game to 105.2 and more than doubled its win total. Thus, the Scots became new residents in an enclave of speed demons where Grinnell and Greenville are the landords.

Programs such as Alabama, Texas A&M and Cal Poly are finding success utilizing elements of the System that have been pared down to fit within the outer limits of what most believe could be sustainable at the Division I level.

But they are snails compared to the three who will assemble in Greenville for a lab session on college basketball’s speed frontier. As the most extreme of the bunch, Greenville attempted 100+ shots in 14 of its 26 games last season. 

The last time a Division I team attempted 100+ shots against another Division I opponent was in 2016 when the Citadel did it in a double-overtime loss at UMBC. 

Alabama, commonly viewed as the standard for playing fast at the high-major level, has reached 90 shot attempts once in coach Nate Oats’ seven seasons. That was in a four-overtime game. It took the Crimson Tide 60 minutes to come within 10 attempts of the shot threshold that Greenville aims for in every 40-minute game.

System standard bearers

Grinnell, located between Iowa City and Des Moines, is the Division III standard for System success. The Pioneers are 61-19 over the past three seasons with consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Their nickname is fitting since their former coach, David Arseneault Sr., is widely credited with pioneering the System at Grinnell in the 1990s. 

His son, David Arseneault Jr., is now in charge and putting his own stamp on the System for a program that is humming. Grinnell is still running and gunning, averaging 102.9 points per game in 2025-26. But the Pioneers also finished in the top-50 nationally in defensive efficiency within the 400+ team Division III landscape last season. While they beat Greenville 161-130 head-to-head last season, they didn’t catch the Panthers in the season-long scoring race. 

When it comes to points, everyone is chasing Greenville coach George Barber, who adopted the System from Grinnell and has pushed it even further. The Panthers averaged 113.2 points in 2025-26, which was 22 points more than Division I leader Alabama.

Since surpassing Grinnell atop the Division III points chart in 2015-16, Greenville has not relinquished the scoring crown. 

“I keep asking Dr. Barber when he’s going to retire so that we can lead the country in scoring again,” Arseneault Jr. said. “Or I’m going to have to figure out a way for us to increase our tempo and pace and perhaps be more liberal with our shot selection.”

Excluding the COVID-impacted 2020-21 season, when Greenville played several non-Division III opponents, the Panthers are 145-121 since adopting the System and taking the scoring belt. That winning record has come with a distinct feast-or-famine pattern that has brought both brutal seasons and conference titles.

“In my opinion, there’s so much emphasis, almost too much emphasis, on winning,” Barber said. “We’ve reduced giving it your best shot and challenging yourself. I go to these high school games and both teams are playing zone, and the score is 32 to 31, and we’re in the fourth quarter, I’m going, ‘these poor kids don’t even want pizza. after the game.’ They haven’t even worked hard because the coaches are afraid to lose.” 

System ball isn’t for everyone 

Around Greenville, a town of 7,000 that sits 50 miles east of St. Louis, Barber is known as the mayor. It’s not just because he has been Greenville’s basketball coach for over a quarter-century. He’s actually the town’s mayor.

He’s also a kinesiology professor at Greenville University, which boasts an enrollment of around 1,100. Within the academic tentacles of his brain percolate thoughts on why the System is a worthy philosophy and not the cheap carnival trick that its detractors claim.

“My theory is that young people have a ton of energy,” Barber said. “They want to be pushed. They want to be challenged.”

You will be challenged in the System. Over the past two combined seasons, Greenville, Grinnell and Covenant have ranked first, second and third, respectively, in possessions per game at any level of NCAA-sanctioned basketball. All three far outpace their most high-octane Division I peers.

To make it work, they regularly employ 13-17 player rotations with line changes coming on nearly a minute-by-minute basis to fuel a never-ending marathon of full-court traps. Last season, Grinnell’s minutes leader logged just 17.8 minutes per game on a 22-4 team that reached the NCAA Tournament.

In addition to calling for a goal of 100+ shot attempts (a threshold rarely reached by anyone other than Greenville), relentless full-court defense and regular mass substitutions, System principles also include:

• a dogged “3-pointers or layups” offensive mantra
• offensive rebounds on 30%+ of misses
• creation of 30+ turnovers per game
• a shot margin of 25+

“It’s not for certain people,” Barber said. “It’s just not for them because you have to sub in and out so quickly. You have to be a real team player. It weeds out selfishness, it weeds out lack of hustle. You’re so exposed if you don’t do those things. If somebody ever comes out of the game and says ‘I’m not tired,’ I call that a weed in the garden, and I’m gonna stomp on that weed for about three days.”

Mathematical absurdities come along with the System. Grinnell’s Jack Taylor famously scored an NCAA-record 138 points in a win over Faith Baptist Bible College in 2012. But the statistical marvels also bring political complexities. Greenville once scored 200 points in a game. That got Barber accused of poor sportsmanship. The Panthers have also scored 160 points in a loss while running the System, and they once lost a game by 92 points. 

For better or worse, playing more possessions brings more volatility, which Barber views as one of the System’s positives.

“There needs to be more reward or risk taking,” he said. “I think the fans would like it. I know the kids would like it. Every team we play, the kids like to play us because somebody is going to score 40, and they like to play with this freedom. We are giving them that opportunity.” 

Division I complications

Adopting the System at any level without university-level authorization is ill-advised. What if a ball-knowing booster starts withholding checks when the coach employing a nutty looking 15-man rotation takes a 40-point loss?

“It’s hard for people to step out of their comfort zone, especially at a higher level where there’s more pressure to win and not put an embarrassing product on the floor,” Arseneault Jr. said.

Ugly defeats can happen when your goal is to speed up the game, which naturally gives a talented opponent ample opportunity to pour it on. 

Grinnell’s basketball identity has been tethered to the System for more than three decades. Conversely, Barber picked it up mid-tenure at Greenville. That’s what Brown is now doing at Covenant — but only after heeding warnings from peers like Barber and Cal Poly’s Mike DeGeorge about the risks. 

“You have to have serious administrative support,” said DeGeorge, who employed the System at Division III Rhodes College before climbing to the Division I ranks. 

For programs that have been struggling, there is evidence that a jolt of System-style pace can bring revival.

After inheriting a 4-28 program at Cal Poly, DeGeorge has guided the Mustangs to 30 victories over the past two seasons, including road wins over Stanford and Utah, with a scheme that incorporates System philosophies. He’s won more Big West games in two years than Cal Poly had in its previous seven seasons combined.

Even still, he’s stopped well short of playing at the pace maintained by the System’s Division III standard bearers.

“Anytime you’re doing something that extreme, that’s different from the rest of the world, you’re putting yourself at risk because if it doesn’t go well, they’re just going to blame the style you chose,” DeGeorge said. “It’s a pretty risky strategy in Division I, where there’s not a lot of job security. Just plain and simple.”

System overload

The teams with the fastest pace in NCAA basketball since 2024-25 and how they compare to fastest Division I teams. 

Division III fastest teams

Division I fastest teams

Source: Synergy

DeGeorge is still employing a deep rotation and playing fast offensively at Cal Poly, ranking first in adjusted tempo at KenPom this past season. But he’s not using a full-court press or hockey-style substitution patterns. 

In addition to the potential perils that come with heightened fan and media scrutiny in Division I, there are questions about whether a hardcore version of the System would be viable on the court in Division I. Paul Westhead’s high-octane and highly successful Loyola Marymount teams of the late 1980s are often viewed as a forerunner to the System. But no Division I team has averaged 85+ shots in a game since LMU did in 1989-90, per Sports Reference.

DeGeorge apprenticed under System pioneer David Arseneault Sr. as a Grinnell assistant in 1999-2000 and was a head coach at multiple levels on his path to Cal Poly. The journey has revealed some insights.

“I don’t know if it’s going to have broad-based appeal because of the defensive component,” DeGeorge said. “To me, you lack some analytical ability to be successful long-term doing it that way.”

Then, there’s the recruiting piece. Even at the Division III level, Barber knows he’s lost prospects at Greenville who scoffed at the notion of maxing out at 20 minutes per game.

What’s that DI booster going to say — or what check might he choose not to write — if the last player he stroked a big check to land only plays 19 minutes per game?

Furthermore, running the System at the Division I level would have been particularly challenging from a sheer numbers standpoint before the scholarship limit increased from 13 to 15 with the finalization of the House settlement last year. Walk-ons would have been required to carry significant weight in a team’s third wave for any DI program going all-in on System principles.

Why the System can work in Division III

In a 400+ team Division III landscape made up of eclectic institutions trying to maintain enrollment levels and differentiate themselves, Grinnell and Greenville have proven the System can work over the long run, leading others, like Covenant, to give it a shot.

Forget NIL. Division III doesn’t even have athletic scholarships. Yet, athletes comprise significant percentages of many DIII student bodies. Those who run the System can realistically provide a pathway to playing time for every player on a 20-man roster, keeping players who might be buried on the bench at other schools engaged — and enrolled — for multiple years.

“We’re able to have great team chemistry in large part because we are playing a lot of guys,” Arsenault said.

Grinnell, Greenville and Covenant are each somewhat isolated geographically. They are rooted in either elite academic standards, a deep affiliation with a Christian denomination or both. Running the System meshes with their already distinct cultures and gives them an on-court identity that can transcend fluctuating talent levels.

“Covenant is so unique,” Brown said. “I love that our style of play mirrors that. If we’re going to be a different college than anyone else in the country, then why are we trying to do the same thing everyone else is doing from a basketball standpoint?”

Ideological convention

Arseneault spent two seasons coaching the Reno Bighhorns of the G League, leading the team to a 34-16 mark in 2015-16 before returning to Grinnell to succeed his father as head coach. At the time, he was still in his late 20s and had shown he could get winning results at the professional level using a modified version of the System. 

Even now, he’s young by industry standards and has proven himself to be a consistent winner over the past decade. But the blind ambition that so commonly overtakes many in his profession has never taken root. Arseneault and his wife are raising three kids five blocks from campus and building upon on the family’s pioneering legacy.

“I just love everything about Grinnell,” he said. “We get to have fun. We get to test the limits of the game. I get guys that want to come in and and play and compete really for the love of the sport. I don’t have any interest in going anywhere.”

On his desk, Arseneault keeps a box. When an unorthodox basketball idea creeps into his mind, he’ll jot it down on a scrap of paper and drop it in. 

“Some of those never see the light of day because they might be too crazy,” he said.

Occasionally, he’ll look through the ideas to see if any seem worth trying. Before Grinnell heads to Greenville for its season-opening showdowns with two System teams, Arseneault is going to open the box.

If there were ever a time to add some wrinkles to the System, the “Fastest Weekend in Basketball” would be it.

Barber and Brown are two of the only people who won’t call him crazy, and the rest of college basketball will be fast asleep, oblivious as ever to the anarchy of college basketball’s hidden fast lane.

India captain Shubman Gill on Wednesday reclaimed the No. 1 spot in ICC rankings for batters in ODI cricket while young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi moved up a whopping 230 places to 48th in T20Is after his recent exploits against Zimbabwe. Gill has replaced New Zealand batting mainstay Daryl Mitchell at the top spot in the ODI chart. Mitchell had held the top spot since January this year. “There was some change at the top of the latest ODI rankings following the completion of the recent series between the West Indies and New Zealand as the absence of Black Caps’ right-hander Daryl Mitchell saw Shubman Gill move back to become the No.1 ranked batter in 50-over cricket,” the ICC said.

“Mitchell had held the top billing since January this year,” it added.

Sooryavanshi, who smacked two half-centuries in the recently-concluded India’s tour of Zimbabwe for three T20Is, scored 151 runs at 50.33 in his side’s 3-0 victory.

The 15-year-old batter rose as many as 230 spots to reach 48th in the list of T20I batters, which is led by compatriot Ishan Kishan with 910 rating points.

Kishan had recorded the third highest batting rating of all time behind Abhishek Sharma (931) and Dawid Malan (919) when he reached 916 points after the end of the second T20I against Zimbabwe.

Despite losing some rating points, Kishan maintains a healthy lead over the second-ranked Sahibzada Farhan (848).

“Sooryavanshi’s rating of 536 points is well adrift of his more experienced teammates, but Kishan can now boast of having a better career batter rating than more accomplished Indian players like Suryakumar Yadav (912) and Virat Kohli (909),” the ICC said.

Meanwhile, Tilak Varma moved up two positions to reach sixth while T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer jumped seven places to 24th.

Leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi gained 31 positions to move to 41st in the list of T20I bowlers but Varun Chakravarthy, who missed the Zimbabwe tour due to an injury, dropped three places but remained in the top 10 rankings.

Zimbabwe’s Ryan Burl rose six positions to reach 85th in rankings for batters while Blessing Muzarabani jumped 10 spots to reach 26th among bowlers.

West Indies’ Justin Greaves was also rewarded for his impressive showing against Pakistan in the first Test. Greaves recorded five consecutive wicket-maidens in Tarouba as the West Indies beat Pakistan by 90 runs to take an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series.

Greaves rose 21 spots to move to the 48th position among Test bowlers, and ninth in the list of all-rounders in the longest format.

Jayden Seales moved up to the 24th position while Pakistan’s Mohammad Abbas, who also recorded a five-for, jumped to the 17th spot.

Babar Azam reached 15th after his unbeaten fifty in the second innings. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Spain’s Royal Family Welcomes World Cup Champions To Zarzuela Palace

Brazil’s all-time leading scorer Neymar has officially confirmed his retirement from international football, bringing the curtain down on a career that spanned more than 16 years with the national team. The 34-year-old gave an update on the decision after Santos secured a 4-2 victory over Venezuela’s Universidad Central in the Copa Sudamericana, ending speculation over his international future following Brazil’s exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Brazil’s campaign ended in the Round of 16 after a defeat to Norway, with Neymar making what turned out to be his final appearance for the five-time world champions.

The veteran forward said he leaves the national team with no regrets, insisting he had always given everything while representing his country.

“My time with the national team is over. I made history, I was very happy, I gave my blood, my life, I always fought for the yellow jersey, but now I don’t want to anymore,” Neymar said after the match as quoted by Goal.com

The announcement marks the end of one of the most decorated international careers in Brazilian football. Neymar finishes as Brazil’s all-time leading goalscorer and represented the country in multiple FIFA World Cups, Copa America tournaments and Olympic competitions.

Attention has now shifted fully to his club career with Santos, where he also addressed recent reports claiming he had criticised and intimidated younger teammates in the dressing room following a league match.

The former Brazil captain dismissed those reports, saying his comments after the game were aimed only at demanding higher standards from the team.

“It is sad and annoying, but it is not my fault. These stories reach a lot of people,” Neymar said.

“I spoke after the match, demanded better, and said we could not afford to be so careless. You cannot give away a draw like that. As captain, I have every right to say that. Lucas Verissimo and Gabigol also spoke to the players,” he added.

Despite the off-field speculation, Neymar played his part in Santos’ 4-2 win over Universidad Central, helping the Brazilian club advance to the Round of 16 of the Copa Sudamericana, where they will face Ecuadorian side Macara.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Yamal Laughs At Paredes vs Gavi ‘Fight Of The Year’ Poster During Parade

PSG’s Bradley Barcola verbally agrees to join Liverpool, but clubs apart on valuation, Real Madrid have no plans to sell Vinicius Jr and Everton want around £70m for Iliman Ndiaye.

Paris St-Germain and France forward Bradley Barcola, 23, has verbally agreed to join Liverpool, but there is no certainty over a move as there is a significant gap between the two clubs on the fee. (L’Equipe – in French), external

Barcola’s possible move to Liverpool could lead to Ligue 1 champions PSG trying to beat Real Madrid to the signing of Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande, 19, from RB Leipzig. (L’Equipe – in French), external

Real Madrid do not intend to sell 26-year-old Brazil forward Vinicius Jr, whose contract with the Spanish club runs out next summer, and are confident he will agree a new deal with the club. (Sky Sports), external

Newcastle United sources insist the club are not in talks with Arsenal over a deal to sell Magpies skipper Bruno Guimaraes, 28, to the Gunners and the Tyneside club expect the Brazil international to return to training on Friday. (Northern Echo), external

Bayern Munich have no plans to sell Colombia forward Luis Diaz, despite reported interest from Al-Hilal, and the 29-year-old has told the German champions he wants to stay with them. (Sky Sports Germany), external

Everton will demand around £70m for Senegal winger Iliman Ndiaye, 26, amid interest from Manchester United and Al-Hilal. (Mirror), external

Manchester United are willing to let Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee leave and are in talks with Juventus about a deal for the 25-year-old. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian) , external

Nottingham Forest are close to securing a 40m euros (£34m) deal to sign 22-year-old Ivory Coast centre-back Ousmane Diomande from Sporting. (A Bola – in Portuguese), external

Coventry City have agreed a club record deal worth an initial £22.5m deal to sign English goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, 25, from Brighton. (Telegraph – subscription required), external

Former Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, 27, is training with Crystal Palace having left Ajax in the summer, but no talks have taken place about the Japan international joining the Eagles. (Talksport), external

Every successful era in WWE has been defined by stars the company was determined to build. Sometimes those decisions resonate with fans, while other times it becomes a matter of frustration for them. Ever since Triple H took creative control of WWE, he has pushed several superstars into the spotlight. But not every superstar received a good response from fans.

It has been mainly because of how manufactured their push felt. There have been times when fans resisted seeing certain superstars in the big spots and marquee storylines. However, the creative team continued to thrust them into major programs, leading to frustrations among fans. The current roster of RAW and SmackDown faces the same recurring issue in recent times.

Here are five WWE superstars that Triple H is shoving down fans’ throats:

#5. Jade Cargill

The push behind Jade Cargill has been relentless from the moment she arrived in WWE. Triple H has booked her as an unstoppable force, positioning The Storm in marquee spots and giving her major championship reigns. Despite her relative inexperience, WWE has constantly given Cargill prominent feuds, high-profile matches and big storylines. Even when fans showed disinterest, the company forcibly kept pushing her on major spots and title reigns.

The Storm receives champion-level exposure and creative protection even when her character has started to lose its spark. Rather than allowing her to refine her craft organically and improve her promo skills, management continues to feature Jade Cargill in dominant wins over seasoned veterans. Her constant mainevent showcase therefore feels heavily manufactured, giving off the impression that WWE is prioritizing her marketability and physical aura.

#4. Danhausen

Danhausen is one of the most fascinating characters in WWE right now, and there’s no denying it. His eccentric cursed persona has received an unexpected mainstream boost, becoming a major attraction in recent times. But there was a time when Danhausen’s segment looked actually fresh and exciting. However, Triple H has been featuring the 35-year-old excessively across all platforms to the point where his segments and TV times look superfluous.

The company has been showcasing the same backstage segments where Danhausen is experimenting in his lab. Besides, his “You are cursed” gimmick has been exploited to the point where it no longer feels like a major thing. WWE’s overexposure of Danhausen has eroded the uniqueness of his character, making a lot of fans frustrated. The constant cursing bits and redundant occupying of screentime every week make it feel like forced comedy relief.

#3. Austin Theory & #2. Bron Breakker (The Vision)

Bron Breakker and Austin Theory are two superstars that Triple H is arguably shoving down our throats. As the central focal point of The Vision, they have dominated Monday Night Raw’s main event landscape. Triple H has protected Breakker by constantly booking him as an unstoppable force. Meanwhile, Theory continuously lands in prominent storylines and tag team gold despite receiving mixed crowd reactions.

The perception of them being forcibly pushed comes from how heavily scripted their dominance feels. Week after week, The Vision wreaks havoc and stands tall on Monday Night Raw, eclipsing everyone under their shadow. The amount of push The Vision receives does not quite align with the individual members’ character. While Austin Theory doesn’t look believable, Bron Breakker has lost his credibility of late by suffering setbacks when it mattered the most.

#1. WWE star Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes remains Triple H’s ultimate pet project, often centered in main event title chases and marquee matches. As the undisputed face of the company, the 41-year-old occupies an overwhelming amount of WWE’s weekly television, promotional material and many event slots. Hunter’s booking treats Rhodes as a nearly invincible hero who rarely loses and regularly closes PLEs. The core issue lies in how WWE sacrifices every other superstar just for the sake of The American Nightmare.

Drew McIntyre had to drop his world title just because Triple H wanted Cody Rhodes to walk into WrestleMania 42 as champion. Sami Zayn had to lose his world title in just nine days only because the company wanted to put Cody in the title picture with Punk at SummerSlam. It gave rise to a collective perception as if the company revolves only around The American Nightmare. This is a clear example of how Triple H has been shoving Cody Rhodes down fans’ throats.