College Basketball

When Arkansas basketball assistant coach Chin Coleman sat down to watch film with Zvonimir Ivišić this week, the duo spent time examining the play of NBA star Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis is a 6-foot-10 center who excels at everything for the Sacramento Kings. Also hailing from Europe, Sabonis operates efficiently from the high post, spraying passes to open shooters and back-door …

WEST LAFAYETTE − CJ Cox and fellow freshman guard Gicarri Harris had never seen a Purdue basketball game from inside Mackey Arena. Their first resulted in an easy 99-41 exhibition victory over Division II Grand Valley State. It came with an announced sellout crowd backing the Boilermakers’ newest backcourt duo, who helped highlight a one-sided first half. Cox scored nine …

Alabama basketball’s first four home games will bring sold-out crowds to Coleman Coliseum, according to the school’s website. Season tickets to see coach Nate Oats alongside returning starters like SEC Preseason Player of the Year Mark Sears have sold out. The ticket ordering tab for basketball on Rolltide.com shows Alabama’s home opener against UNC-Asheville on Nov. 4, Arkansas State on …

8 takeaways from 96-51 win over Slippery Rock Adrian Autry (Photo by Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports) Syracuse finished their modest two-game exhibition slate at the JMA Wireless Dome on Wednesday night by defeating Slippery Rock, 96-51. The Orange made 15 3-pointers, all in the game’s first 29 minutes, in cruising to victory. Chris Bell hit five of the triples for …

RALEIGH — N.C. State basketball got a look at its retooled roster on Wednesday against Division II Lees-McRae in the Wolfpack’s lone exhibition game ahead of the 2024-25 season. It was a nerve-wracking opener for N.C. State, which had to fight to the finish against the feisty Bobcats to earn a 79-75 win at the Lenovo Center. The Wolfpack had …

Things couldn’t have been much different for Purdue in its second and last exhibition game before its season opener next week than its six point loss at #15 Creighton. Purdue was at home for this one and playing an outmatched Grand Valley State team. It didn’t take long for Purdue take control of the game on the way to rolling …

WEST LAFAYETTE − CJ Cox and fellow freshman guard Gicarri Harris had never seen a Purdue basketball game from inside Mackey Arena. Their first resulted in an easy 99-41 exhibition victory over Division II Grand Valley State. It came with an announced sellout crowd backing the Boilermakers’ newest backcourt duo, who helped highlight a one-sided first half. Purdue vs. GVSU player ratings: …

WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue basketball concluded the non-dramatic half of its exhibition schedule with a 99-41 victory over Grand Valley State on Wednesday night. Not the same competition level as the Boilermakers faced at Creighton, but a final tune-up for Monday’s season opener against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Purdue led 40-12 at one point and did what it was supposed to …

Michigan State’s Frankie Fidler shoots against Ferris State during the second half on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in East Lansing. On Tuesday, Michigan State basketball hosted Ferris State for their final exhibition matchup of the offseason before the team heads into the 2024-25 season. During that game between the Spartans and Bulldogs, Spartans wing Frankie Fidler had a nice drive …

Michigan State’s Tre Holloman, left, steals the ball form Ferris State’s Tyler Hamilton during the first half on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in East Lansing. Michigan State basketball wrapped up their final exhibition of the offseason, defeating Ferris State 85-67 inside of the Breslin Center on Tuesday night. This offseason, MSU fans have gotten a huge dose of Spartan basketball, …

LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball wrapped up its preseason exhibition slate Tuesday with an 84-53 win at home against Washburn. Head coach Bill Self’s squad still wasn’t at full strength, with graduate center Hunter Dickinson and graduate guard Shakeel Moore both out, but junior guard Rylan Griffen was able to return to action. Griffen helped the Jayhawks, a Division I program, build …

Michigan State’s Frankie Fidler moves the ball against Ferris State during the first half on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in East Lansing. One Wednesday, less than a week from the start of the regular season, a Michigan State basketball forward was named to a prestigious watch list. Incoming transfer Frankie Fidler was named to the Julius Erving Award watch list, …

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — KJ Adams Jr. is sitting in a corner of Hadl Auditorium, just down the hallway from Allen Fieldhouse, the historic home of the top-ranked Kansas basketball team, and the place that the senior forward has called home for the past four years. He is a rarity these days, when players are allowed to transfer freely, often …

Ben Fletcher TAMPA, Fla. — South Florida introduced Ben Fletcher as interim basketball coach, saying he’s the right man to lead the Bulls following the death of Amir Abdur-Rahim. Fletcher, a close friend of Abdur-Rahim who helped the late coach turn around struggling programs at Kennesaw State and USF, promised to help grieving players cope with the loss and uphold …

RJ Davis CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — RJ Davis accomplished enough in four years at North Carolina for his jersey to eventually earn a place among the honored numbers in the Smith Center’s rafters for the blueblood program. Yet he’s still here. “With five years, I know some people may say, ‘Oh, you need to go get a job now,’” Davis …

Purdue basketball hosts Grand Valley State in an exhibition at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, at Mackey Arena. The Boilermakers, who are coming off a national championship game appearance in 2024, are ranked No. 13. They lost 93-87 to No. 14 Creighton in an exhibition on Oct. 26. Coach Matt Painter is entering his 20th season, and brings …

It’s not that uncommon for blueblood programs to have two five-star prospects arrive on campus the same year. It rarely happens at schools that don’t have that kind of tradition. And that’s what makes No. 25 Rutgers one of the most intriguing stories of the season as the Scarlet Knights welcome Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. Bailey was the nation’s …

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese helped bring women’s basketball to new heights over the past two years. While there may be a ratings dip from last season’s record high, there are plenty of talented players like Paige Bueckers, JuJu Watkins, Deja Kelly and Hannah Hidalgo ready to continue the rise. “I know we lost some great ones in Angel and …

Oct 12, 2024; Cherokee, NC, USA; Mandatory Credit: North Carolina Tar Heels guard Ian Jackson (11) reacts in the second half at the Dean E. Smith Center. Bob Donnan-Imagn Images After two exhibition games, North Carolina is looking forward to kicking off their men’s college basketball season with a home game at the Dean E. Smith Center on Monday against …

Bryce Hopkins has been named to the Naismith Trophy watch list for the second straight year. The Providence College senior enters the 2024-25 campaign among 50 players on the radar for national men’s college basketball Player of the Year honors. Hopkins was a preseason All-Big East selection at the league’s media day in October and is expected to return early this …

Sedona Prince Sedona Prince is beginning her seventh and final year of college basketball. From her viral video back in the NCAA Tournament bubble in 2021 to her role in a landmark antitrust lawsuit that will help get money for college athletes, she has already left her mark off the court. If she can help TCU have a memorable season …

Michigan State’s Coen Carr goes after the ball during the second half in the game against Ferris State on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in East Lansing. Michigan State basketball defeated Ferris State in their final exhibition game on Tuesday, 85-67. A big part of the MSU performance was Coen Carr, who was second for the Spartans in scoring in the …

Mar 14, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; LSU Tigers guard Mike Williams III (2) celebrates three point basket against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports It was a blowout win for the LSU men’s basketball team in its preseason scrimmage against NAIA Loyola (New Orleans) on Tuesday night. The Tigers …

Mar 15, 2024; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo reacts during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports Michigan State basketball finished their final exhibition of the offseason with a win over Ferris State on Tuesday inside of the Breslin Center. Within the game, a main focal …

MANHATTAN — If Kansas State’s basketball team needed a reminder that exhibition games seldom are perfect, look no further than Wildcat forward Coleman Hawkins. For Hawkins, a 6-foot-10 super-senior transfer from Illinois, just getting inside Bramlage Coliseum for Tuesday night’s game against Fort Hays State was a challenge. “I didn’t know how to get through the back door,” Hawkins said …