College Basketball

BLOOMINGTON – Mike Woodson’s Hoosiers eased past Marian on Friday to complete a perfect pair of preseason exhibitions, Indiana winning 106-64 in its first swing through Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall this season. The evening was emotional for Woodson, who welcomed back longtime fried and Marian AD Steve Downing, as well as first-year Marian coach Pat Knight. Here are three observations …

Texas men’s basketball head coach Rodney Terry picked up his program’s first commitment of the 2025 class Friday when Houston-area post John Clark pledged to the Longhorns. Texas basketball received the first commitment for its 2025 class on Friday when four-star forward John Clark picked the Longhorns over finalists Kansas, Texas A&M and Houston. A Houston-area native who played at …

The Field of 68 is partnering with Sanford Sports and the Sanford Pentagon to host the “The Field of 68 Opening Day Showcase,” an event featuring matchups between six college basketball programs, on Monday. The Field of 68 is a college basketball media network created by longtime sports reporters Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman. The inaugural event will feature matchups …

NORMAN — OU basketball coach Porter Moser said Friday, if everything goes to plan forward Sam Godwin, who has been in concussion protocol, should be available for the Sooners’ season opener against Lindenwood on Monday night. Godwin, one of two returning starters from last season, is projected to be one of the Sooners’ leaders this season alongside senior forward Jalon …

Michigan State’s Jesse McCulloch shoots in practice during men’s basketball media day on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Michigan State basketball will be making a decision soon to determine if freshman forward Jesse McCulloch will be redshirted this year. Spartans head coach Tom Izzo met with the media on Friday and touched on the …

The South Georgia Technical College Jets defeated the Dominican Republic Travel Team in overtime, 64 – 61, in a scrimmage Tuesday in the Hangar. The Jets will open the 2024 – 2025 season on the road November 1 in the Northwest Florida Classic in Niceville, FL. They will face Southern Union Community College and Northwest Florida State in that tournament. …

The Big Ten basketball season on NBC and Peacock kicks off with a matchup between the Lehigh Mountain Hawks and Northwestern Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is coming off the most successful run in program history, as the Wildcats made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time ever during the 2023-24 season. A 22-12 record solidified …

Mar 28, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) controls the ball in the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the semifinals of the West Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports In just a few days, the North Carolina Tar Heels will tip …

Kansas State vs. Houston: Staff Predictions for Saturday’s Game (Photo by Christian Proscia) Kansas State will return to the road on Saturday, traveling to the Lone Star State to play the Houston Cougars. Last season, Houston traveled to Manhattan but was shutout, falling 41-0. Running back DJ Giddens led the way, totaling 96 yards and two touchdowns in the win. …

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 24: Head coach Tad Boyle of the Colorado Buffaloes reacts against the Marquette Golden Eagles during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 24, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) Head coach Tad Boyle and the Colorado Buffaloes men’s basketball program have …

Cooper Flagg DURHAM, N.C. — Cooper Flagg wants to keep things simple. Basketball first. Treat the extra attention and hype as an afterthought, as best he can anyway. The versatile 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward for No. 7 Duke arrived as the nation’s top recruit and heads into the season as a potential No. 1 overall NBA draft pick. Hype is churning …

UConn’s Sarah Strong doesn’t need to look far to find inspiration as she gets ready to begin her college career. “Every time you walk into the gym, you just see like the great names,” Strong said, referring to a practice facility that features banners for every national player of the year, Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-American and Olympic gold medalist …

Ian Begley talks to TNT’s Kenny Smith about Knicks’ championship chances | The Putback | SNYOn The Putback with Ian Begley, SNY’s NBA Insider is joined by former NBA star and current TNT Inside the NBA co-host Kenny Smith to discuss how the addition of Karl Anthony-Towns elevates the Knicks to true championship contenders, the ways that Mikal Bridges fits …

SOUTH ORANGE – Seton Hall’s basketball players were gassed. At the end of a two-hour practice, after two full-court wind sprints, it was time for free throws. Here is how the Pirates’ free-throw drill works: Each player takes one shot. If more than three guys miss, the shooting cycle restarts until they get through the entire team with fewer than …

Season glance: Games 20-22 Through 19 games, I have Missouri at a record of 14-5 overall and 3-3 in conference. So let’s get into February with matchups against Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Tennessee. (Photo by Denny Medley – USA TODAY Sports) GAME 20: Hosting Ole Miss. Saturday, Jan. 25, 5 p.m. After winning a close game at Texas, the …

Lutz, who joined the Cowboys in April after stints as head coach at Western Kentucky and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, is faced with rebuilding the Cowboys after former coach Mike Boynton’s departure. The Cowboys return guard Bryce Thompson, but the roster is a near total overhaul from last season. Nov. 4: vs. Green Bay, 8 p.m., ESPN+ Nov. 10: vs. St. …

The Illinois basketball team came together last season under coach Brad Underwood and had one its best seasons in a generation, winning the Big Ten Conference Tournament and advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The Illini lost their top scorers to either the pros or the transfer portal, including superstar wing Terrance Shannon Jr. and crafty point …

LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball is about to embark on a 2024-25 season in which it starts as the No. 1 team in the nation. The Jayhawks are once again led by head coach Bill Self, who’s already won a pair of national titles with the program during his more-than-two-decade-long tenure in Lawrence. They have a trio of veteran returning starters in …

Oct. 31—It’s apparent No. 6 Gonzaga has a demanding nonconference schedule when two are in the preseason AP top eight, four are in the Top 25, two potential foes are in the poll — including another in the top 10 — and four are receiving votes. So, barring upsets at the Battle 4 Atlantis, only one of GU’s nine power …

The last NCAA tournament appearance by a Cincinnati Bearcats basketball team came in March 2019 when Mick Cronin’s final UC team was bounced in the opening round by Iowa in Columbus. Then, 2020 was the COVID-19 year leaving everyone incomplete. Since 2021, Wes Miller has been at the helm of Bearcats hoops. The last two years featured seasons that ended …

The new era of college basketball with NIL and the transfer portal has allowed teams to rebuild new rosters in a matter of weeks. The Xavier Musketeers that begin the 2024-25 season with high expectations are nowhere near the team that walked off the court in Athens, Georgia seven months ago after a first-round NIT defeat.  Xavier, which was ranked …

Oct. 31—With the amount of depth and versatility on Gonzaga’s roster, coaches could probably toss eight rotational players into a hat, blindly pick out five names and emerge with an effective starting lineup. The Bulldogs have already used two different starting units in exhibition games against USC and Warner Pacific, and neither of those resembled the one many thought Gonzaga …

Oct. 31—The preseason accolades continue to pour in for Gonzaga’s Graham Ike, who was named Thursday to the watch list for the Karl Malone Award, given annually to the top power forward in college basketball. It comes one day after Ike was named to the Naismith Trophy and NABC Player of the Year watch list, and two weeks after he …

Oct. 31—Mark Few urged Gonzaga to tighten things up on the defensive end of the floor after the Bulldogs listlessly gave up 96 points to USC during Saturday’s exhibition in Palm Desert, California. The message sank in for Gonzaga after about 10 minutes during Wednesday’s exhibition against Warner Pacific — an NAIA club from Portland — at the McCarthey Athletic …

WEST LAFAYETTE — The No. 14-ranked Purdue men’s basketball team beat NCAA Division II-school Grand Valley State 99-41 in an exhibition game on Wednesday night at Mackey Arena. Purdue coach Matt Painter had 12 different players register at least 10 minutes of playing time. Fletcher Loyer, Trey Kaufman-Renn and C.J. Cox scored 15 points apiece to lead the Boilers and …