College Basketball

Revisiting How Some Items From College Basketball Preview Played Out

... What happened: The Ducks tied with Arizona for the conference crown and made it the Final Four for the first time since 1939. Item: "Honestly, being in practice around coach (Bill) Self, he knows that I'm kind of a special player," Kansas freshman Josh Jackson said, "and he still never takes it easy on me. He never kisses me on my butt. He's really hard on me and sometimes I think I need that. ". What happened: Jackson broke or tied four freshman school records and will be a lottery pick. Kansas lost in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament and was bounced in the Elite Eight. Item: LSU, which sent Ben Simmons to the Sixers, was picked to finish 12 th in the SEC. What happened: The Tigers finished 13 th, closed the season by losing 17 of 18 and fired coach Johnny Jones. Item: Rutgers is on its seventh coach since its last NCAA Tournament appearance in 1991. "We're trying to change the culture here," said new head man Steve Pikiell. What happened: The Scarlet Knights finished last in the Big Ten, but went 15-18 and won a conference tournament game for the first time in school history. They were 7-25 last season. Item: The 14-team ...

Hoya Legend Patrick Ewing Named Next Georgetown Coach

... college basketball," Georgetown director of intercollegiate athletics Lee Reed said. "To hire a head coach with this depth of coaching experience and personal achievements is tremendous. It is a thrill to have him come back to his alma mater and continue the legacy of tradition and success he had as a student-athlete on the Hilltop.". During his illustrious career, Ewing had the opportunity to play for, and coach, alongside some of the great coaches in basketball, including Pat Riley (New York Knicks), Jeff Van Gundy (Knicks, Houston Rockets), Stan Van Gundy (Orlando Magic), Tom Thibodeau (Orlando Magic) and Steve Clifford (Charlotte). RELATED:  Georgetown dismisses coach John Thompson III. "My four years at Georgetown were the best of my life," Ewing said. "Georgetown is my home and it is a great honor for me to return to my alma mater and serve as the next head coach. I have been preparing to be a head coach for many years and can't wait to return to the ...

Tar Heels Take Ncaa Title

... Press. North Carolina's Theo Pinson (1) takes a shot against Gonzaga's Johnathan Williams (3) during the first half in the finals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 3, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Chris Steppig, Pool). North Carolina players celebrate after the Final Four NCAA championship game against Gonzaga on Monday night in Glendale, Ariz. The Tar Heels won 71-65. breaking editor's pick featured. Redemption: Tar Heels take NCAA title. EDDIE PELLS AP National Writer. 1 hr ago. North Carolina's Kennedy Meeks, right, celebrates with teammate Theo Pinson after Monday night's NCAA championship game against Gonzaga at Glendale, Ariz. North Carolina won 71-65. The Associated Press. North Carolina's Isaiah Hicks (4) takes a shot over Gonzaga's Zach Collins (32) during the first half in the finals of the Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament, Monday, April 3, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP ...

College Basketball's Super Early Preseason Top 25 Teams For The 2017-18 Season

... has been as impressive as any coach recruiting, and he has a his top-four class for 2017. The Crimson Tide should hit their stride with five-star recruits Collin Sexton and John Petty joining a team headed by sophomores Braxton Key and Dazon Ingram. ► Recruiting class: A+. 19. Gonzaga. It’s unclear whether All-American point guard Nigel Williams-Goss will leave for the NBA, where he’s a projected second-round draft pick. Gonzaga’s already losing a lot with big man Przemek Karnowski and guard Jordan Mathews graduating. And Zach Collins is a likely lottery pick. But assuming Williams-Goss returns and stretch forward Johnathan Williams comes back too, there’s enough talent to keep the ’Zags in the national mix. ► Recruiting class: C. Villanova guard Jalen Brunson brings the ball up-court in 2016-17. (Photo: Adam Hunger, USA TODAY Sports). National player of the year finalist Josh Hart is ...

Way-too-early College Basketball Top 25 For 2017–18

... recruits, 6’11” Jaren Jackson and 6’9” Xavier Tillman. If 6’8” freshman Nick Ward bypasses the NBA draft, that would give the Spartans an imposing, albeit young, frontcourt. 9 Wichita State Shockers. The Shockers went 31–5 and pushed Kentucky to the brink without a single senior in their rotation. 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Gophers lose just one senior starter from a squad that closed hard and finished fourth in the Big Ten. 11 Kansas Jayhawks. Frank Mason and Josh Jackson aren’t coming back, but there is plenty of perimeter talent remaining in Lawrence, especially with the addition of Mississippi State transfer Malik Newman. Bill Self really needs a big win in the spring signing period. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Bonzi Colson could be the ACC’s preseason player of the year, and tough-as-nails point guard Matt Farrell will be back for his senior season. Mike Brey expects incoming guard D. J. ...

College Basketball Rankings 2016-17

... Round of 32. Star performers. A trio of holdovers from Villanova's 2016 national title team led the way again this season, with seniors Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins and sophomore Jalen Brunson combining to average 46.5 points, 13.1 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game. Hart scored 18.7 per game, the highest rate for a Wildcat since Randy Foye averaged 20.5 in 2005-06. Villanova had five players make at least 40 three-pointers while shooting 36 percent or better, but it was even better from the foul line and in overall shooting. The Wildcats ranked third nationally on free throws, at 79.0 percent, and their 49.5 percent field-goal rate was eighth-best. Why they're here. The defending national champions experienced the same fate most such teams have in recent years. Other than the Florida teams that won consecutive titles in 2006 and 2007, no other defending champ has advanced beyond the Sweet 16 since 2002. Failing to get out of the first weekend of the NCAA tourney isn't enough to warrant dropping ...

Gonzaga, Coach Mark Few Never Doubted They Would One Day Play For A National Championship

... time. “It’s easier to get here coaching at the places I’ve been coaching,” said Williams, who led Kansas to four Final Fours before taking the Tar Heels to five. “I don’t pat myself on the back too much about that.”. Nor does Few. But it’s different. It took Few’s urging for Gonzaga to supply the coach with resources he needed to stay successful. Ot long into his tenure, Few and Roth met with the school president at the time, Robert Spitzer, who had previously been recalcitrant about upgrades to the basketball facilities. “He asked us, ‘What are things we need?’” Roth said. “Mark was emphatic. ‘We need a new arena.’ We were in a gym. You’re not going to recruit certain athletes to a gym.”. A new 6,000-seat arena opened in 2004, and at around the same time, Gonzaga became the first West Coast school to charter flights to all its road games. Few’s winning percentage in the West Coast Conference over the last 10 years.893. The perennial questions about whether Gonzaga really is legit playing in a middling conference with one, maybe two, threatening opponents each year is somewhat offset by the aggressive scheduling of non-conference games that the new arena made possible. This trip ...

College Hoops' Royalty Leads Way-too-early Top 25 For 2017-18

... Connaughton; last year, it was Zach Auguste and Demetrius Jackson. Mike Brey keeps putting really good teams on the floor. Most important, Bonzie Colson - a revelation as a 6-foot-5, long-armed, small-ball "center" who does a quality poor man's Draymond Green impression - was only a junior. He'll be back, and any offense built around him - and engineered by Brey - is bound to put points on the board. 19. Butler Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are suffering their fair share of losses this offseason, from Andrew Chrabascz , one of the Big East's best big men, to Tyler Lewis , one of the nation's best passers from the point. But they're also retaining plenty. Kamar Baldwin and Tyler Wideman are a potent inside-out offensive combo, and George Washington transfer Paul Jorgensen could assume point guard duties. The big question is Kelan Martin. Martin spent ...

Three Storylines To Follow In The Women's National Championship Game

... said. “She has to really stay engaged and make it difficult. Morgan William is going to make shots, she's going to make plays. But if she's in a groove and she's playing as she's played over the past five games, it's going to be a long night for us.”. Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer echoed Staley’s sentiments, adding that William is playing with “a lot of confidence”. “Well, I think [Morgan’s] just got to continue to make good decisions,” Schaefer told reporters on Saturday. “I don’t think I need to talk to her about what not to do. She’s got a good feel for that and she understands her role — the leadership, the responsibility, etc. Again, the kid’s playing with confidence. She wants to be in that moment.”. South Carolina Athletics. South Carolina guard Bianca Cuevas-Moore (1) will likely draw the assignment of guarding Morgan William. If ...