College Basketball

After back-to-back trips to the Final Four and national championship games, Iowa women’s basketball begins the post-Caitlin Clark era in the receiving votes category of the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Iowa received 28 points in the preseason Coaches Poll to sit outside the initial top 25 rankings. The Hawkeyes were also unranked in the preseason AP Top 25 …

Alabama basketball is in the running to sign the first five-star of its 2025 recruiting class. Per reports from On3, the Crimson Tide and Louisville are “carrying momentum” for Florida-based point guard Mikel Brown Jr. The 6-foot-3, 165-pound recruit’s top schools also include Georgia Tech, Indiana, Kentucky, Texas and UCF. The University of Alabama unveiled the first banner honoring the …

Dec 20, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Oklahoma Sooners forward Jalon Moore (14) dunk against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) during the first half at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports Oklahoma Men’s Basketball will open the season on Nov. 4. With less than two weeks to the start of the 2024-2025 men’s basketball season, …

Arkansas basketball has a core philosophy when thinking about the early part of its upcoming season, a first under new head coach John Calipari. ‘Win to learn’. The Razorbacks believe they are going to learn a lot about themselves Friday night (8 p.m., SEC Network) when No. 1 Kansas comes to Bud Walton Arena for a preseason exhibition. Associate head …

BYU head coach Kevin Young addresses the media during Big 12 men’s basketball media day, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. | Charlie Riedel, Associated Press KANSAS CITY — As has been widely reported, the Big 12 is the first conference in the history of the Associated Press Top 25 preseason college basketball poll since its first release …

NEW YORK — Rick Pitino wasn’t afraid to voice his opinion on the current landscape of college basketball and college athletics on Wednesday at Big East basketball media day. The former Kentucky and Louisville basketball coach, now in his second year at St. John’s, talked at length in his appearance at Madison Square Garden regarding conference realignment — and how …

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 28: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Nick Pringle #23 of the Alabama Crimson Tide jump for the opening tip during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament West Regional at Crypto.com Arena on March 28, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) North Carolina is set to start their …

After a season of massive television ratings and attendance records, women’s college basketball will have a much different look in 2024-25. Gone are two of the sport’s biggest stars – Caitlin Clark of Iowa and Angel Reese of LSU. But there will be new faces and some familiar faces who become stars, as well as several teams looking to dethrone …

Nothing surprises Memphis basketball coach Penny Hardaway anymore. As far as off-the-court distractions go, he’s pretty much seen it all. So, when Tyreek Smith came to him last week and requested “a couple of personal days,” Hardaway granted them without hesitation. Only when word of Smith’s absence from practice was made public – and was subsequently misinterpreted as an intent …

NEW YORK — Providence College has some climbing to do and could use a couple of players to emerge if Wednesday’s men’s basketball predictions are to be believed. The Friars were picked sixth in the Big East preseason poll, which was released at Madison Square Garden. Bryce Hopkins was selected to the all-conference first team, a hopeful conclusion for a …

NEW YORK — A lone year at Alumni Hall due to COVID-19 restrictions couldn’t pass quickly enough. Providence College has certainly made up for lost time since returning to Amica Mutual Pavilion. The Friars are a combined 45-8 downtown over the last three seasons, including 14-5 in Kim English’s debut season last year. Providence was off to a perfect 10-0 …

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Kansas basketball coach Bill Self had something in mind when he scheduled the Jayhawks’ preseason exhibition game on the road against Arkansas, which is set to tip off Friday. Self, speaking Wednesday during Big 12 Conference media days at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, wanted to see how his players would react in front of a …

NEW YORK CITY − A lot can change in college basketball. For proof, just look at the Xavier Musketeers. Seven months after being knocked out of the Big East Tournament quarterfinals by UConn in a 27-point blowout, Xavier is back at Madison Square Garden for Media Day expected to be in contention for a conference title this season. Wednesday marked …

There is no injury prognosis or timetable for return for UCF senior guard Jaylin Sellers — the team’s top returning scorer — after he sustained an undisclosed injury Sunday in an exhibition against Florida Gulf Coast, Knights coach Johnny Dawkins said. Dawkins took to the podium Wednesday during the Big 12 Conference men’s basketball media day in Kansas City, Missouri. …

The start of the long journey toward ‘One Shining Moment’ is just a couple of weeks away, and our panel of voters has weighed in to determine who gets the honor of entering the men’s basketball season as the No. 1 team. Well, that honor can be a curse in some cases, as fans of this year’s choice are well …

The preseason men’s basketball poll is out after the 31 coaches on the voting panel submitted their ballots. The ranking is dominated by teams from the Power Four conferences and has traditional powerhouse programs occupying most of the top positions. Like previous seasons since the advent of the transfer portal, there has been a tremendous amount of roster turnover with …

OXFORD − Ole Miss men’s basketball was ranked No. 25 in the USA TODAY Sports preseason coaches poll released Wednesday. Mississippi State was not ranked but was among the 21 other teams that received votes. The Rebels are coming off a 20-12 season where they finished 7-10 in SEC play. It amounted to a 10th place season that Ole Miss …

CLEMSON — Clemson basketball is unranked in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll released on Wednesday. The Tigers received eight points to miss the Top 25 and be ranked 11th in the receiving votes category. They are the third-highest ACC team, finishing behind No. 5 Duke and No. 10 North Carolina. One other ACC school earned votes: Wake Forest. Clemson’s preseason …

Virginia Tech (19-15, 10-10 ACC) Mike Young led Virginia Tech to the postseason for the fourth consecutive season last spring as the Hokies advanced to the second round of the NIT. Now, entering his sixth season as the coach, Young faces arguably the biggest challenge in his more than three decades in coaching. The Hokies lost all five starters, including …

In the opening USA TODAY Top 25 Preseason coaches poll, the University of Cincinnati Bearcats are ranked No. 20, just as they were in the first Associated Press poll. Coming off a 22-15 season and the NIT quarterfinals, the Bearcats are out to secure their first NCAA tournament berth under head coach Wes Miller. Miller added key transfers Dillon Mitchell …

The 2024-25 college basketball season is nearly upon us. The SEC is hoping to have another fantastic season, led by No. 2 Alabama, who’s set to be among the nation’s top national championship contenders after making the Final Four last season. A slew of other SEC teams were also listed in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, which released …

Expectations are high for this year’s Iowa State men’s basketball team, and it looks like coaches across the nation are also thinking highly of the Cyclones ahead of the upcoming season. The USA TODAY Sports preseason men’s basketball coaches poll was released on Wednesday. Where do the Cyclones stand in the coaches’ eyes? Iowa State coaches’ poll rankings update The …

MADISON – The Wisconsin men’s basketball team has one believer out there. The Badgers received one point in the USA TODAY Preseason Poll, meaning one of the 31 coaches on the panel ranked the team No. 25 on his ballot. Consider it a sign of respect for a program that is a regular in the NCAA Tournament but also a …

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — There are only six coaches left in men’s Division I basketball that know how it feels to raise a national championship trophy. Two of them are in the Big 12 Conference. That makes Bill Self of Kansas and Scott Drew of Baylor suited to opine on the state of the game, especially after they watched …

Could the 2024-25 college basketball season be a rebuilding year for the Big Ten? The conference only had four teams listed in the preseason USA TODAY Coaches Poll on Wednesday, with Purdue leading the way at No. 13 a season after falling to UConn in the national championship game. REQUIRED READING: Michigan basketball opens Dusty May era with rout of …