College Basketball

North Carolina made a big splash this offseason, hiring Mike Malone to be the new head coach in Chapel Hill. Malone comes from coaching in the NBA for over twenty seasons, including winning the 2023 NBA Championship while coaching the Denver Nuggets. Malone assembled an almost entirely new roster. Jarin Stevenson was the only returner who had a large role …

EAST LANSING – Defend, rebound and run. Those are cardinal tenets of Tom Izzo’s basketball philosophy. The unspoken fourth element the Hall of Fame coach demands from his Michigan State basketball players is communication. About which he had plenty to say with the first real game looming – starting with getting his guys to stop being so quiet. Advertisement “That …

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -Arkansas basketball has plenty of athleticism and offensive potential entering the 2026-27 season. The Razorbacks’ biggest question might be whether their frontcourt can consistently keep opposing big men from taking advantage of the same interior space Arkansas wants to exploit offensively. Advertisement The concern surfaced during Wednesday’s 93-81 exhibition victory over Memphis. Arkansas forced turnovers, ran the floor …

Jon Scheyer and the Duke basketball program have added another big-time talent. On Wednesday, Duke landed a commitment from 2027 5-star forward Asa Montgomery, the No. 8 overall player and No. 3 small forward in the 2027 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports 2027 Composite Rankings. The 6’7″ forward joins 5-star wing Kager Knueppel and Australian point guard Luke Paul …

In the days leading up to Illinois’ Nov. 2 regular-season opener at Champaign’s State Farm Center, Illinois on SI will share a scouting report for each Illini player on the team’s official 2026-27 roster. Today, we shine a light on guard Stefan Vaaks. Find our scouting reports of other Illinois players as they’re added below. Stefan Vaaks | Guard | …

The exhibition season is in the books and now Purdue turns its attention to its first game of the season. On Monday, the Boilermakers will play No. 15 Gonzaga in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas. It’s an opportunity for this year’s team to open a new season with a marquee victory. On Thursday, just two days after …

Arizona forward RJ Godfrey took a big swing at trying to get eligible for Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats before Monday’s season opener, but unfortunately he picked up another loss in the courts. On Wednesday Godfrey withdrew from the lawsuit filed under his name in Georgia, after oral hearings in that case were scheduled for Jan. 12 – way too …

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 20: Acaden Lewis #55 of the Villanova Wildcats dribbles the ball defended by Adlan Elamin #35 of the Utah State Aggies during the first half in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena at San Diego State University on March 20, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean …

Tennessee men’s basketball hit the practice floor inside Pratt Pavilion Thursday, just five days away from the season opener against Wofford at Food City Center. The Vols are coming along, and a lot of time was spent on defensive reps. One point of emphasis was playing through screens. “Good guards don’t get screened,” was a phrase I heard loud and …

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Chauncey Wiggins made a bold decision to withdraw from his current eligibility lawsuit and try to latch onto a case in Waco, TX, which would have given him eligibility through mid-December. The decision didn’t pay off, however, as Texas Judge Ryan Luna denied the temporary restraining order for all the players who attempted to jump in from …

The Iowa Stat Cyclones have to replace two star players in their men’s basketball lineup this season: forwards Milan Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson. Replicating their level of production is going to be virtually impossible for a single player to do. Momcilovic had arguably the best 3-point shooting season in men’s college basketball history, while Jefferson was a do-it-all performer on …

BLACKSBURG – For Virginia Tech men’s basketball, November will be about more than simply getting off to a winning start. After another season that left the Hokies searching for answers, head coach Mike Young enters the 2026-27 campaign with an opportunity to establish whether his program has addressed the inconsistencies that have prevented Virginia Tech from returning to the NCAA …

Mizzou Basketball lost their exhibition game against UNLV on Thursday night. The game didn’t count, so as much as I’m not going to talk up their win over Kansas State, I’m not going to talk down this loss to UNLV. Winning always feel better than losing, regardless of whether the game counts or not. But it looked like Dennis Gates …

FINAL: UNLV 90, MIZ 81 A costly turnover immediately followed by a monster poster from Tyrin Jones on Nicholas Randall and a Sebastian Mack 3-pointer puts Missouri to bed. Tigers were outrebounded 44-31 in the contest. Crowe led the Tigers with 25 points on 6-for-18 shooting. Bryant and Davis were the only other Tigers in double figures, each scoring 10. …

Arizona State basketball is expected to struggle in Randy Bennett’s first year as head coach. The Big 12 media says so. In the Monster Energy Big 12 Men’s Basketball Media Preseason Poll, Big 12 media members picked the Sun Devils to rank just 12th out of 16 in the conference for the 2026-27 season. Advertisement This comes after a season …

There’s no use in bloating it up here: It’s end-of-game execution. That proved to be Virginia Tech’s bane in the 2025-26 season, resulting in nine single-digit losses – including four by one possession and three by a single point. Like the period entering last campaign, the Hokies’ roster has seen a dramatic overhaul; only five of the 15 players on …

Tennessee is starting to look more like a basketball team. Now Rick Barnes wants the Volunteers to play with some bite. After a preseason that exposed the challenges of blending 13 new players, Barnes saw encouraging progress during Tennessee’s scrimmage against Davidson. The ball movement improved, the shot selection sharpened and the effort gave the coaching staff something to build …

Tennessee will have nights when shots refuse to fall. Rick Barnes wants his team to have another way to win.For DeWayne Brown II, that message stood out while discussing the Volunteers’ preseason work against Xavier and Duke. Tennessee is still building chemistry. But its defense needs to provide a foundation as the regular season approaches.Brown pointed to a problem the …

The start of the 2026-27 Illinois basketball season is just days away, and we could be in for a special year. Illinois is coming off a Final Four run that filled the veins of Illini fans with hope and promise for the future. Advertisement That future is here. The likes of Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell are gone. Illinois’ next …

Fifth-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer was in his home state of Illinois for recruiting purposes on Thursday. And his trip translated into the Blue Devils’ fifth offer recipient in the 2028 cycle, as Bolingbrook High School standout junior combo guard Brady Pettigrew revealed his latest suitor via a post on social media. “After a great conversation with Coach …

Illinois basketball will begin the regular season on Monday, November 2, inside the State Farm Center. The Illini will host Fairleigh Dickinson and are expected to be heavy favorites. The betting line has yet to be released, but KenPom currently projects Illinois to win by 34 points. FDU was one of the worst teams in college basketball last season and …

FAYETTEVILLE – The fact that Arkansas head coach John Calipari wasn’t happy after the Razorbacks’ 93-81 exhibition win over Memphis on Wednesday tells you all you need to know. “Well, we got a lot of work to do,” Calipari said in his opening statement post-game. “Give Memphis credit. Get them down 20, whatever it was. We have a chance, let’s …

The Brief The Gophers men’s basketball team opens its season Nov. 2 against North Dakota. A decision on Cade Tyson’s eligibility has still not been announced. Tyson, last year’s top scorer for the Gophers, is seeking a fifth year via the NCAA’s 5-for-5 rule. Medved also talked about scheduling St. Thomas, and takeaways from their exhibition game at Creighton. MINNEAPOLIS …

In Kentucky’s three exhibition games, Zoom Diallo had his fair share of struggles offensively. That led to some fans piling on him and even wondering if Mason Williams, who has been one of Kentucky’s best through the exhibition games, should get the start over him. While Diallo continues to adjust, the turnovers have hurt him in the process. Against Little …

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -Arkansas basketball does not need to rely exclusively on perimeter shooting to overwhelm opponents. With its combination of athletic guards, versatile forwards and developing frontcourt players, the Razorbacks have another potential advantage that could become increasingly important as the season progresses. They can attack the basket. Advertisement Arkansas offered a glimpse of that potential in its 93-81 exhibition …