College Basketball

Chad Baker-Mazara no longer with USC men’s basketball program

On Saturday, USC men’s basketball suffered a loss to Nebraska that effectively ended the team’s NCAA Tournament hopes. On Sunday, the news went from bad to worse for the Trojans with the stunning report that star Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer with the program. “Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer a member of the USC Men’s Basketball program, the team announced …

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No. 1 Duke vs. NC State predictions: Odds, recent stats, trends and best bets for March 2

The nation’s top-ranked team makes the short trip from Durham to Raleigh Monday night as the Duke Blue Devils (27-2, 15-1) take the court against the Wolfpack of NC State (19-10, 10-6 ACC). After dominating the Virginia Cavaliers, 77-51, over the weekend, the Blue Devils will secure the outright ACC regular-season championship with a win over NC State. For their …

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Villanova head coach Kevin Willard reflects on ‘miserable experience’ working for Rick Pitino after bad losses

Kevin Willard didn’t have to imagine what the inside of the St. John’s basketball practice facility looked like in the days following their embarrassing 72-40 loss to UConn. He’s lived it. As an assistant coach for ten years under Rick Pitino when he led the Boston Celtics and Louisville men’s basketball, Willard experienced plenty of success working under the Hall …

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UNC’s star big man responds to halftime message, fuels victory

North Carolina defeated Virginia Tech 89-82 on Saturday night, but one of its star big men needed a jolt at halftime. The Tar Heels went into the break tied 44-44 with Virginia Tech, a struggling but well-coached team desperate for a win as it lingered on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Advertisement North Carolina had appeared to seize control early, building …

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USC Basketball loses second-leading scorer at critical point in season

USC Basketball loses second-leading scorer at critical point in season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. The timing honestly could not be worse for USC. Advertisement With March right around the corner and every game carrying real weight, the Trojans suddenly find themselves adjusting on the fly. On Sunday, …

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Quick Reaction: Indiana men’s basketball falls to Michigan State 77-64

Indiana men’s basketball’s late season spiral continued on Sunday afternoon with a 77-64 loss to Michigan State at home in Assembly Hall. The Hoosiers entered this final four game stretch on a slightly comfortable side of the bubble following two blowout road losses against Illinois and Purdue. A loss to Michigan State was affordable given the Spartans’ standing nationally and …

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Moments that Mattered: Jake Diebler remains undefeated against Purdue, winning 82-74

The Ohio State men’s basketball team (18-11, 10-8) faced Purdue (22-7, 12-6) Sunday afternoon, which was about as close to a do-or-die game as it could possibly be without mathematically being a do-or-die game. With three games remaining, Ohio State came into Sunday’s game desperately needing to pin a big-time, quality win on its resume. Neither Penn State nor Indiana …

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Adrian Autry calls Syracuse basketball’s toughness into question: ‘You gotta be tough to play college basketball’

Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry chooses his words carefully when addressing media. Typically measured in public speech, Autry is mindful of his words, considerate of both their impact and the feelings of those he’s speaking about. So it felt significant when he expressed public frustration following Syracuse’s 88-83 defeat to Wake Forest. Autry’s emotions were controlled, but he spoke …

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Three Takeaways from UNC’s win over Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech came to Chapel Hill badly needing a win against the Heels to bolster their resume for a possible NCAA tournament bid. UNC had been perfect at home so far this season and needed a win to continue to move up the ranks in ACC tournament seeding. Caleb Wilson had his cast removed earlier this week but once again …

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