The Rebels (13-12 overall, 4-8 SEC) look unassuming on paper, but Ole Miss has played its strongest month of basketball yet.

Five legendary former Montana State athletes and a pair of men’s basketball squads that thrilled Bobcat fans are set for induction in the Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday.

Missouri guard Dru Smith lines up for a free throw on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020, at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers played in front of a season-high crowd of 12,506.

The MU guard faced self-doubt and little prep recruitment. It took leaving his only home to find himself and the talent those who believed in him always knew he had.

The Tigers can't earn their way into the postseason, thanks to the NCAA. So what's to play for? The answer: Plenty.

It took some conditioning, but after strong back-to-back statlines, the freshman is looking to make his energy and pizzazz permanent staples of the Missouri rotation.

As far as Dicaprio Bootle is concerned, this is no offseason.The intense workouts, early morning lifts and long hours with teammates suggest something else to the veteran Nebraska defensive back — that next fall’s football team is getting better right now.“Every day we come in, we come in with killer intent,” Bootle said recently in a "Sports Nightly" radio interview. “And we just trying to make it happen.”All has mostly appeared quiet of late outside the football facility. The recruiting dead period will endure through February with the 2020 class now complete. Spring football practices are still a month away. A few Nebraska-sponsored video tweets of workouts in the Hawks Center and weight room have been among the few glimpses of the Huskers in action since the day after Thanksgiving.Bootle, a senior-to-be, said motivation hasn’t been a factor. Players recall the finale against Iowa — a 27-24 loss in the final seconds — to encourage each other if they need an extra spark to last through strength coach Zach Duval’s infamous metabolic training sessions known simply as “El Circuito” among those who face them.“It’s been very high energy lately,” Bootle said. “A whole lot of energy every day, turning the music all the way up and just trying to make the weights bang louder than the music does. A lot of guys go in there just pumped and ready to go whether it’s 7 in the morning or 10 or even the developmental lifts later on in the day at 4:40. They’re going hard in there too.”NU coach Scott Frost has noticed the attitude as well. In a recent appearance on his “Husker Football Show,” he said the camaraderie and leadership among players as they condition is finally what the third-year staff wants.“Maybe for the first time since I've been at Nebraska, the culture's about there,” Frost said. “Watching the guys work out, we still have a long way to go, we've got to get bigger, stronger, faster, better, we've still got to execute. But I love the attitude in there."How close are the Huskers to busting through after three straight bowl-less seasons? All Bootle can say is the group wants to be “better versions of ourselves than we were previously.” If everyone arrives daily and improves mentally and physically, they’ll be in good shape when they open the 2020 season Sept. 5 inside Memorial Stadium against Purdue.Bootle, a defender from Miami who has started 25 games and appeared in 36, said it’s been fun mentoring younger players. Nebraska signed seven prep players from his home state of Florida in the 2020 class, including early enrollees and defensive backs Henry Gray and Jaiden Francois. He joked he has already warned both not to stay out in cold temperatures too long.Meanwhile, with an offseason to reflect, Bootle said he sees more clearly the process the program is going through to “build it from the ground up” under Frost. He is one of just 20 scholarship players left on the roster who were in Lincoln before Frost was hired in December 2017.Whatever happens seven months down the road is growing roots now, Bootle said. And to borrow a phrase from his head coach, he sees the Huskers moving in the right direction.“We’re definitely finding ourselves right now,” Bootle said. “We’re going through the days, learning more about us as a team, learning more about our stamp — what we’re going to be known for as a team. I can tell you right now we’ve got a lot of tough guys.”

Montana State had lost a couple coaches, and head coach Jeff Choate worried he might lose a few recruits as well.

The Rams' Super 25 standout tallied 5,275 all-purpose yards and 68 touchdowns in his career.

GREAT FALLS — Much has changed since the Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals began in 1979, but a familiar feeling prevailed on Sunday afternoon as the 41st annual event concluded at Pacific Steel and Recycling Four Seasons Arena.

Results from the final round of the 41st Annual Montana Pro Rodeo Circuit Finals, Four Seasons Arena, Montana Expo Park, January 12, 2020.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – Tom Brady sat in a coffee shop off Fairfax Avenue, completely unnoticed. People walked past without batting an eye at his athletic physique, or pausing to listen to his distinct voice. If Brady minded, he didn’t show it.