College Basketball

Mark Sears Alabama enters the season as perhaps the Southeastern Conference’s best hope to end its national title drought in men’s basketball. Nate Oats and the second-ranked Crimson Tide are fully embracing those expectations, with Mark Sears and Grant Nelson returning and several newcomers immediately grabbing starting roles. A 110-54 win over UNC Asheville was a nice way to break …

March is still months away, but the opportunity for madness persists on a nightly basis in men’s college basketball. There was even a court storm on the very first night of the season! But there’s so much to look forward to the rest of the way, from high-profile nonconference matchups to new faces in new places. Plus, we’ve got a …

Michigan State’s Frankie Fidler shoots against Monmouth during the first half on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. The college basketball season tipped off earlier this week, and we are already looking ahead to March Madness. Joe Lunardi of ESPN has released his first batch of Bracketology for the regular season, and to no surprise …

Rutgers basketball’s most anticipated season in decades will open without one of its star attractions. Freshman wing Ace Bailey, a candidate to be the first overall selection in June’s NBA Draft, will miss tonight’s opener against Wagner due to an injury suffered in practice Monday, the program announced. Bailey’s status is day-to-day and his injury, the nature of which is …

Nov. 6—No opening night jitters Will Riley’s 31 points on 77/83/86 shooting certainly makes a case for the best debut among the Class of 2024 five-stars. But some of the Illinois freshman’s peers were just as dominant Monday on the first night of the 2024-25 college basketball season. These five also stood out, courtesy beat writer Scott Richey: Flory Bidunga, …

Ok, I didn’t get this series done by opening day like I wanted to, but oh well. I know this exercise feels a bit worse after Monday’s loss, but basketball season doesn’t end after one game, so we’re going to keep rolling through the end of the season. After 25 games, I have the Tigers sitting at 18-7 overall and …

Apr 3, 2023; Houston, TX, USA; Connecticut Huskies mascot performs before playing against the San Diego State Aztecs in the national championship game of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports The UConn men’s basketball team’s quest for a  historic third straight national championship begins on Wednesday at Gampel Pavilion against Sacred Heart. While …

MANHATTAN — Max Jones and Brendan Hausen were the snipers who eventually shot New Orleans down and delivered an opening-night victory for Kansas State basketball. They can thank David N’Guessan for the opportunity. With New Orleans on fire and K-State shooting blanks through the first 10 minutes, it was N’Guessan’s hard work under the basket that kept the Wildcats within …

The Indiana State men’s basketball team took on Florida Atlantic University on college basketball’s opening night Monday at the John Wooden Family Fieldhouse and dropped a 97-64 decision. ISU coach Matthew Graves gave props to FAU after the game, while also saying at the same time how it was a good test for them. “At the end of the day, …

Indiana University will open its 125th season of competition in men’s basketball with a non-conference title against SIU-Edwardsville at 8 p.m. EST Wednesday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The Big Ten Network and IU Radio Network will provide live coverage of the game. IU coach Mike Woodson is 3-0 in home openers and holds an overall record of 18-2 in …

Nov 4, 2024; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Ven-Allen Lubin (22) reacts as guard Seth Trimble (7) dunks the ball in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Without Armando Bacot in a North Carolina Tar Heels uniform any longer, UNC is in big need of players to step …

I’m not going to write columns about every basketball game, just the ones I feel inspired to write something about. So don’t expect one Saturday or Sunday morning about the Tigers beating Howard. I took a night to think about and evaluate my feelings from Monday’s season-opening loss to Memphis and here’s where I ended up. The second half felt …

Arkansas basketball is officially set for its 2024-25 season-opener, as the Lipscomb Bisons will face the Razorbacks on Wednesday evening at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. The game is set for a 7 p.m. CT tipoff and it will stream on SEC Network-Plus. The matchup will mark the first ever regular season look at the Hoop Hogs under first-year head …

Wisconsin basketball began its 2024-25 season with an 85-61 victory over Holy Cross on Monday. Despite the final 24-point margin, the win was far from a wire-to-wire dominant showing. The Badgers trailed 13-3 in the first minutes, 23-7 halfway through the first half and 36-35 at halftime. The team eventually found its form, but could not coast to an easy …

The day Arkansas basketball fans have been waiting for is here at last. Head coach John Calipari and the Razorbacks open the 2024-25 season against Lipscomb on Wednesday, starting a non-conference gauntlet that’ll prep Arkansas for a a grueling SEC slate and lead to a hopeful run into the latter stages of March. Arkansas enters its opener ranked No. 16 in the …

Nov. 5—CHAMPAIGN — Brad Underwood walked off the court at TD Garden in Boston on March 30 with two thoughts clear in his mind. The first was he had just witnessed a championship-caliber team run roughshod over his own. What would be back-to-back champs, ultimately, when Connecticut defended its NCAA title nine days later in front of 74,423 fans at …

Nov. 5—Gonzaga coach Mark Few said several times leading up to Monday’s season opener against Baylor there’s not much difference between the Zags’ starters and top reserves. Both put on a show against the eighth-ranked Bears. Dusty Stromer and Braden Huff provided big minutes off the bench and the starting five — Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman, Khalif Battle, Ben Gregg …

Vermont men’s basketball started its season with a big win at UAB on Monday night. The Catamounts have an even bigger test for their next nonconference game: At the No. 11 Auburn Tigers. Auburn won the SEC Tournament crown a year ago and then lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Yale. The Tigers were picked to …

BLOOMINGTON — The Indiana basketball team opens the 2024-25 season on Wednesday night at Assembly Hall with a game against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. The No. 18 Hoosiers enter the year having assembled one of the country’s more talented rosters through the transfer portal. Indiana coach Mike Woodson’s success in reeling in some of the biggest names available, from Oumar Ballo to Myles …

Nov. 5—From staff reports For all of the offensive highlights No. 6 Gonzaga generated in a blowout victory over No. 8 Baylor in the season opener, it was a member of Scott Drew’s squad who produced the one that’s been circulating through social media and internet spheres since the final buzzer sounded Monday night at the Arena. Late in the …

Nov. 5—Ben Gregg played 1 minute of mop-up duty in Gonzaga’s 2021 national championship loss to Baylor, played 17 minutes off the bench in a 2022 neutral-site loss against the Bears in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and had a much bigger say in how things played out during a third career meeting with Scott Drew’s program Monday night at the …

HAMILTON, N.Y. (AP) — Nicolas Louis-Jacques had 21 points in Colgate’s 95-62 season-opening victory against SUNY-Canton on Tuesday night. Louis-Jacques shot 7 for 10 (3 for 6 from 3-point range) and 4 of 5 from the free-throw line for the Raiders. Jeff Woodward scored 17 points and added nine rebounds and six assists. Brady Cummins had 11 points and went …

The FGCU women’s basketball team let an 11-point lead get away from them, as Davidson closed well down the stretch to win the season opener for both teams by one, 57-56, Tuesday night in Davidson, N.C. The Eagles (0-1) led for more than 35 minutes but were held to just 7 points in the final 10 minutes of action, as …

SEATTLE (AP) — Great Osobor scored 15 points and tied a career high grabbing 17 rebounds and Washington rallied late to beat UC Davis 79-73 to usher in the Danny Sprinkle era on Tuesday night. In the season opener for both teams, Washington used a balanced attack with Mekhi Mason scoring 13 points and reserves Zoom Diallo scored 12 and …

Nov. 5—MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Cumberland’s men rallied to tie the game late, but Faulkner made the plays down the stretch to wind up with an 89-82 win last Saturday. Faulkner did not score from the floor the final 12 minutes of the game, but the Eagles picked up 40 points at the free-throw line as the Eagles made their way …