College Basketball

Arkansas State nearly upset No. 2 Alabama on Friday night, but eventually fell 88-79 at Coleman Coliseum. The Red Wolves (1-1) tied the game at 70 with less than eight minutes left, but Alabama (2-0) secured the win with crucial shots and free throws. Arkansas State’s 79 points are the most against a top-25 team since they scored 80 against …

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The “Dakota Durant” is back for Alabama basketball. After a quiet season opener on Monday, Grant Nelson drew a roar from the Coleman Coliseum crowd multiple times during the Crimson Tide’s 88-79 victory over Arkansas State on Friday night. The South Dakota native showed off his body control in the first half, driving from the top of …

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — A flight carrying the No. 11 Auburn basketball team was grounded shortly after takeoff on Friday after two players got into a fight onboard, according to multiple reports. “We had two players that got into a physical altercation, clothes were ripped,” the pilot was heard saying to air traffic controllers in audio obtained by WBRC-TV. The …

Mizzou beats Howard, 77-62 (Photo by Denny Medley – USA TODAY Sports) It wasn’t pretty. The Tigers couldn’t hit a 3, yet kept taking them, and the Howard Bison cut the lead close late. But Missouri held on for a 77-62 win at Mizzou Arena on Friday, the first Tiger win since Dec. 30, 2023. “We won the game defensively,” …

Nov 8, 2024; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Arkansas State Red Wolves guard Terrance Ford Jr. (11) drives against Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) during the first half at Coleman Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Will McLelland-Imagn Images The No. 2 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide overcame a first-half foul fest and a cold shooting night in a 88-79 win over the Arkansas …

The Bearcats improved to 2-0 on Friday night following their 83-56 victory over Morehead State which was Head Coach Wes Miller’s 250th career win as head coach. The Bearcats were led by Dillon Mitchell who finished with a game high 14 points and nine rebounds on a perfect (7-7) shooting. The Texas transfer was the difference maker in this one …

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Only a dozen times in their storied histories had North Carolina and Kansas met on the hardwood. They made sure No. 13 would be memorable. The top-ranked Jayhawks raced to a 20-point first-half lead Friday night, led by All-American center Hunter Dickinson and a highly touted class of transfers. And the ninth-ranked Tar Heels mounted a …

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas men’s basketball head coach Bill Self added to his legacy with the Jayhawks on Friday with his team’s 92-89 win against No. 10 North Carolina. Self now has 590 career victories with the Jayhawks, tying him with Phog Allen, who coached the Jayhawks for more than 30 seasons, as the program’s all-time winningest head coach. Self …

CINCINNATI (AP) — Simas Lukosius had 14 points and a team-high six assists and No. 20 Cincinnati beat Morehead State 83-56 on Friday night. Jizzle James and Dillon Mitchell also scored 14 points, and Aziz Bandaogo had 12 for the Bearcats (2-0). Arrinten Page added 13 points off the bench for Cincinnati. Kenny White Jr. scored 10 points and Dieonte …

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Dickinson had 20 points and 10 rebounds for No. 1 Kansas, which blew a 20-point first-half lead against No. 9 North Carolina before holding on for a 92-89 victory when the Tar Heels’ Elliot Cadeau missed a 3-pointer as time expired Friday night. Zeke Mayo had 21 points and KJ Adams Jr had 14 for …

INDIANAPOLIS — Butler started Friday night’s game slowly, ended the first half in a malaise and woke up briefly in the second half before flaming out at the end, losing 68-66 to Austin Peay at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Butler had no answer for lightning-quick NC State transfer LJ Thomas. The 6-2 guard led all scorers with 29 points. Patrick McCaffery led …

Multiple newsrooms reported Friday evening that the plane carrying the Auburn men’s basketball team to Houston for a Saturday game had to return to Alabama after an altercation between players on the Auburn team. Jonathan Hardison of television station WBRC in Birmingham, and Jeff Goodman of Field of 68 said that the team’s plane was required to turn around. Hardison …

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Cooper Flagg had 13 points and 11 rebounds and No. 7 Duke rolled to a 100-58 victory over Army on Friday night. Khaman Maluach had 11 points and 14 boards for the Blue Devils (2-0). Kon Knueppel added 15 points, Tyrese Proctor tallied 14, Sion James had 12 and Caleb Foster scored 11 for Duke. For …

Exactly one minute into No. 14 Purdue’s Friday night game against Northern Kentucky, freshman center Daniel Jacobsen hit the floor with an apparent injury. Jacobsen collided with a Norse player’s forearm as he was dashing across the court in an off-ball move, and fell to the floor clutching his lower leg. He was helped up from the floor and off …

Alabama basketball will welcome a familiar face back to Coleman Coliseum on Friday. Despite being stranded for two hours when the team bus broke down on route to Alabama, Arkansas State made it to Tuscaloosa against the odds to face the Crimson Tide in game No. 2 of the 2024-25 season. Arkansas State coach Bryan Hodgson, who was previously an …

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Benny Gealer scored a career-high 20 points and made six 3-pointers — all in the second half — and Maxime Raynaud had 14 points and 14 rebounds to help Stanford beat Cal State Fullerton 80-53 on Friday. Stanford led by three points, 30-27, at halftime after Raynaud made a 3-pointer with 23 seconds left. Cal State …

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Kendall Bostic helped the Illinois women’s basketball team upset No. 19-ranked Florida State 83-74 in the Illini’s season opener Thursday night. Bostic scored 18 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished two assists in 39 minutes of playing time. She also had one blocked shot and one steal. The former Northwestern High School star was her usual efficient …

Nov. 7—MIDLAND — The No. 13-ranked Odessa College men’s basketball team used a strong second half run to pull away from Weatherford College in a 73-59 win in the first game of the Bob Chapman Classic Thursday at the Chaparral Center. Playing their third game in four days, the Wranglers moved to 2-1 while the Coyotes fell to 0-2. Leading …

Former Wisconsin basketball star AJ Storr is among the favorites to win the Wooden Award entering the 2024-25 college basketball season. BetMGM places Storr’s odds at +2000, tied for the eighth-highest in the sport. The Wooden Award is annually awarded to the most outstanding college basketball player in men’s and women’s hoops. Previous winners include Zach Edey, Zion Williamson and …

Tennessee State Tigers (1-0) at Colorado State Rams (1-0) Fort Collins, Colorado; Friday, 9:30 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Rams -20.5; over/under is 146.5 BOTTOM LINE: Tennessee State visits Colorado State after Ron Jessamy scored 23 points in Tennessee State’s 96-66 win against the Fisk Bulldogs. Colorado State went 25-11 overall a season ago while going 15-2 at home. The …

LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball will go up against UNC on Friday at home in a non-conference matchup. The No. 1 Jayhawks (1-0) recently defeated Howard in their season opener. No. 10 North Carolina (1-0) opened its season with a win against Elon. It’ll be the first time these two sides will have faced off since the 2022 national championship game in …

What I’m looking at: Howard I’m going to try out a new idea to publish a couple of hours before basketball games this season, let me know what you guys think or have any suggestions for other things you’re looking for. It will be part basic scouting report, part matchups and part what I’m keeping an eye out for or …

Northern Kentucky Norse (0-1) at Purdue Boilermakers (1-0) West Lafayette, Indiana; Friday, 7 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Boilermakers -19.5; over/under is 148.5 BOTTOM LINE: No. 14 Purdue hosts Northern Kentucky after Fletcher Loyer scored 21 points in Purdue’s 90-73 victory over the Texas A&M-CC Islanders. Purdue went 16-0 at home last season while going 34-5 overall. The Boilermakers averaged …

NJIT Highlanders (0-1) at Villanova Wildcats (1-1) Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania; Friday, 8:30 p.m. EST BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Wildcats -21.5; over/under is 138.5 BOTTOM LINE: Villanova plays NJIT after Eric Dixon scored 33 points in Villanova’s 90-80 loss to the Columbia Lions. Villanova finished 18-16 overall a season ago while going 10-6 at home. The Wildcats allowed opponents to score 65.6 …

Montana State Bobcats (0-1) at Wichita State Shockers (1-0) Wichita, Kansas; Saturday, 7 p.m. EST BOTTOM LINE: Wichita State faces Montana State after Justin Hill scored 31 points in Wichita State’s 91-84 win against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Wichita State finished 15-19 overall last season while going 10-5 at home. The Shockers averaged 6.3 steals, 4.2 blocks and 11.9 turnovers …