College Basketball

LEXINGTON — Kentucky men’s basketball returns to Rupp Arena tonight. And for the first time since the 2008-09 season, the Wildcats will be led by a coach other than John Calipari. First-year coach Mark Pope and UK’s new-look roster have their first preseason exhibition today, hosting in-state school Kentucky Wesleyan. Pope, a Kentucky alum who was a team captain of …

Syndication: South Bend Tribune Notre Dame (13-20, 7-13 ACC) Coach Micah Shrewsberry endured a rough first season in South Bend, but Year 2 already looks different. Second-year guards Markus Burton and Braden Shrewsberry are the cornerstones of the 2024-25 team. They were the only two scorers to average in double figures last season. Plus, they have a stronger supporting cast. …

Recruiting News Tom Izzo will not go quietly into that good night like many expected. After what feels like a decade of speculation that Izzo could retire any year now, all reports are that Izzo has been hitting the recruiting trail as hard as ever this summer, and that work paid off in a big way on Tuesday when the …

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 21: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on prior to the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center on March 21, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) Michigan State basketball continues to remain safely in the field of 68 in ESPN’s NCAA Tournament …

The CBS broadcasting logo is seen outside the CBS Broadcast Center in Manhattan, New York, U.S., July 30, 2018. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton The Notre Dame men’s basketball team is on the verge of something special. It won’t happen this year, but it likely will when the Irish’s top-ranked 2025 recruiting class comes in. Until then, there’s interest in where the Irish …

Tom Izzo for president? Nah, he wouldn’t fit in Washington. But he sure is working the D.C. area like a skilled politician these days. Michigan State basketball picked up its second commitment for 2025 as four-star recruit Cam Ward announced his pledge Tuesday night. RELATED: Couch: Michigan State’s game at Northern Michigan was an incredible event. The basketball is worth …

STORRS — Dan Hurley’s philosophy in recruiting changed after the UConn men’s basketball team had its season ended by New Mexico State in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Since that point, he and his staff have sought out and gone after more polished offensive players and loaded their roster with shooters year after year. “We recruit really …

Tom Izzo for president? Nah, he wouldn’t fit in Washington. But he sure is working the D.C. area like a skilled politician these days. Michigan State basketball picked up its second commitment for 2025 as four-star recruit Cam Ward announced his pledge Tuesday night. MORE ON IZZO: Tom Izzo’s Yooper homecoming: Michigan State basketball coach has U.P., hometown abuzz The …

Team Durant’s Cam Ward (3) grabs a rebound during a game against Team Mokan Elite during the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League session one on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at the Memphis Sports & Event Center in Memphis, Tenn. Michigan State basketball has added a major piece to it’s 2025 recruiting class, earning the commitment of 4-star Cam Ward. The …

Tom Izzo for president? Nah, he wouldn’t fit in Washington. But he sure is working the D.C. area like a skilled politician these days. Michigan State basketball picked up its second commitment for 2025 as four-star recruit Cam Ward announced his pledge Tuesday night. MORE ON IZZO: Tom Izzo’s Yooper homecoming: Michigan State basketball coach has U.P., hometown abuzz The …

LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball still has the 2024 edition to play, but the Jayhawks now know where the 2025 Champions Classic will be played. An ESPN Events release Tuesday outlined next year’s matchup between Duke and Kansas, which is a part of the annual event, will take place in New York City at Madison Square Garden. The game will be …

USC star JuJu Watkins and UConn’s Paige Bueckers headline The Associated Press preseason All-America women’s college basketball team released Tuesday that for the first time includes three sophomores in a clear sign of the young talent in a sport coming off a record year of fan interest. Watkins and Bueckers were unanimous choices by the 30-member national media panel that …

It’s a Rivals Rankings Week for the 2026 class and we start things off today with Rob Cassidy counting down our five-stars, from No. 13 to No. 1. 2025 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position | Team 2027 Rankings: Top 60 Transfer Portal: Full coverage | Player ranking | Transfer tracker | Player search 1. SG BRANDON MCCOY JR. Cassidy’s Take: Brandon …

GotNext-1920×1080.png Former college basketball players, current WNBA insiders, and NBC Sports talents, Zora Stephenson and Meghan McKeown talk all things women’s basketball as they bring their expertise to NCAA and WNBA games on their new podcast — Got Next with Meghan and Zora. The podcast trailer is already available on Apple and Spotify. The first episode drops Tuesday, October 29. …

It’s a Rivals Rankings Week for the 2026 class and we start things off today with Rob Cassidy counting down our five-stars, from No. 13 to No. 1. 2025 Rankings: Rivals150 | Position | Team 2027 Rankings: Top 60 Transfer Portal: Full coverage | Player ranking | Transfer tracker | Player search 4. ALIJAH ARENAS Cassidy’s Take: The son of …

DURHAM – Comparatively speaking, Tony Bennett wasn’t coaching in the ACC for that long. His 15 years at Virginia is less than half of what Mike Krzyzewski spent at Duke, less than Roy Williams’ North Carolina tenure and equal to his Kansas one, and it’s far less than Jim Boeheim spent at Syracuse. And then, there’s this nugget from Jon …

LAWRENCE — Kansas basketball coach Bill Self signed the transfers who joined the program during the offseason for a reason. Just take a look at senior guard David Coit (Northern Illinois) and graduate guard Shakeel Moore (Mississippi State). Last season, Self realized the team needed more playmaking guards besides Dajuan Harris Jr., now a graduate guard himself. These new additions fill …

Missouri State basketball coach Cuonzo Martin brings 15 newcomers to the Bears’ roster as he returns to the Great Southern Bank Arena sideline for the first time since 2011. Martin’s new-look roster includes two returners, one sidelined for the season. It also features a mixture of Division I and juco transfers and a handful of incoming freshmen. The Bears were …

Homecoming festivities at the University of Cincinnati began Friday evening as two in-state teams that hadn’t met since 2019 tipped off in the CareSource Charity Classic basketball event. Those supporting the cause were treated to an entertaining and athletic night as the Cincinnati Bearcats pulled away from Ohio State early and notched the 80-62 win. New forward Dillon Mitchell was …

The last time Xavier fans saw forward Jerome Hunter play in a game, the Musketeers were fighting for a spot in the 2023 Elite Eight. Hunter missed all of last season after a cardiac episode in the offseason and a torn Achilles in February. It’s been an even longer wait for sixth-year forward Zach Freemantle. The New Jersey native needed …

Alabama’s Mark Sears and North Carolina’s RJ Davis looked into the possibility of leaving for the NBA before deciding to return for another college season. Their decisions helped their teams earn top-10 rankings in the AP Top 25 and earned both players some preseason honors, too. Sears was a near-unanimous selection for The Associated Press preseason All-America men’s basketball team …

BIRMINGHAM — Alabama basketball had Boutwell Auditorium bouncing for the first time in more than 45 years on Friday. The historic Birmingham venue welcomed the Crimson Tide and Wake Forest, along with a room packed full of fans, for a rematch of last season’s charity exhibition in the inaugural “Bama in Boutwell” game. For their next exhibition appearance, coach Nate …

LAWRENCE — The Kansas basketball programs were able to experience a renovated Allen Fieldhouse on Friday, during the Jayhawks’ annual Late Night in the Phog event. On the men’s basketball side, during the scrimmage, freshman forward Flory Bidunga shined with 13 points and a couple of rebounds. He was on the blue squad, which won 30-26 against the crimson squad. …

LAWRENCE — There’s a lot to think about, as Kansas basketball’s season opener nears. The Jayhawks have a trio of returning veteran starters in graduate guard Dajuan Harris Jr., graduate center Hunter Dickinson and senior forward KJ Adams Jr. They have a collection of newcomers battling for roles. They play a challenging schedule that includes a Nov. 8 home game …

Ryan Williams #2 and the Alabama Crimson Tide will play the Tennessee Volunteers this Saturday in Week 8 of NCAA Football. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) No. 10 ranked Tennessee will host no. 7 Alabama this Saturday, Oct. 19, for a football showdown that will air on ABC. The game will be called on-air by play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough and former …