College Basketball

On Oct. 13, I sat in the press conference room at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and listened to UConn Huskies men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley speak optimistically about his team’s defense heading into the 2026-27 season. He said he liked the upside for his team’s defense, and he called Silas Demary Jr. perhaps the most ball-hawking guard in …

MIAMI, Fla. – In less than a week, the No. 14 Miami Hurricanes will travel to Tampa (Fla.) and tip off the 2026-27 college basketball season against the No. 1 Florida Gators, thus beginning Shelton Henderson’s sophomore campaign to stardom. Last year, as a freshman, the 19-year-old had veterans such as Ernest Udeh Jr., Tre Donaldson, and Malik Reneau to …

There are times when a preview of UNC’s sophomores would have entailed mostly, if not entirely, players that we’d seen some amount of as first-year players, hoping to establish themselves with bigger roles with a year of strength and conditioning and practice experience under their belts. Due to a combination of a coaching change and the era of player movement …

The 2026-27 college basketball season is right around the corner, so let’s dive into the Marquette men’s basketball roster and take a look at what to expect from each player this season. Going forward in these Player Previews, we’ll be going in this order: The two freshmen going in alphabetical order by last name then doing the same for the …

Nate Oats has substantially raised the perception of Alabama basketball over his seven seasons, building the program around his fast-paced, uptempo offense that attracts fans and elite scorers alike. But, after being dominated in the paint by a huge Michigan squad in the Sweet 16 last season, he made it clear that the team had to get bigger in order …

The North Carolina Tar Heels didn’t expect to go to overtime against Charlotte, but history once again repeated itself on Tuesday, Oct. 27. The 49ers enjoyed a 15-point first-half lead, but that would quickly fade once UNC got into a rhythum. Advertisement This game stayed close for quite some time, but undoubtedly the biggest moment of the game was the …

The UConn Huskies men’s basketball team rolled over Purdue on Tuesday night in the final exhibition game of the season, and is now ready to embark on the regular season, which begins on Monday night against Gardner-Webb. Dan Hurley’s team took on a challenging exhibition slate, beating Syracuse, Michigan State and Purdue, and they won all three games by at …

The men’s college basketball season tips off Sunday in Rome, Italy, when Villanova faces Notre Dame in a matchup pitting Pope Leo XIV’s alma mater against a fellow Catholic power. To celebrate the start of the new season, here are 68 76 predictions sure to come true (unless they don’t). 1. This will be college basketball’s year of the asterisk. …

Favour Ibe picked Virginia because of what it did for Ugonna Onyenso. When the 7-foot-1 center committed on May 9, days after his official visit to Charlottesville, he chose the Cavaliers over Tennessee, Alabama and Villanova. Tennessee, as Virginia fans are painfully aware, is the same program that ended Virginia’s season in March. Ibe told 247Sports that Onyenso’s growth under …

Tuesday night had all the excitement in Chapel Hill. Not only did it mark UNC’s first home basketball game since early March, but also fans’ first time seeing Michael Malone coach inside the Dean Dome. North Carolina welcomed the Charlotte 49ers, featuring former Tar Heels Wes Miller and Marcus Paige, for one final exhibition tilt. UNC showed how good of …

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have one final tuneup before the 2026-27 season officially gets underway, hosting local NAIA program Lewis-Clark State on Wednesday evening at the McCarthey Athletic Center. Gonzaga will look to bounce back from Saturday’s 76-72 exhibition loss at Arkansas, a game where the Zags shot an ugly 6-28 (21.4%) from three and allowed the Hogs …

The Iowa State Cyclones are getting ready for their highly anticipated start to the 2026-27 college basketball season. They will begin on Monday, Nov. 2nd, against the Memphis Tigers. It’s going to be a big game for both teams. Iowa State is coming into the year as a top contender in the Big 12 conference. With an abundance of depth …

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 Blake Fagbemi. Find our scouting reports of other Illinois players as they’re added below. Blake Fagbemi | Guard | …

If we didn’t know better, we would think Illinois basketball’s season is already in full swing. The Illini, who just played Friday night against Baylor, are back at it for another exhibition outing on Wednesday against in-state Missouri Valley squad UIC. Here are three areas to monitor as Illinois strives to find its rhythm before the 2026-27 campaign officially gets …

Pharrel Payne’s return to Maryland men’s basketball will draw the majority of fans’ attention this season — and rightfully so. But the Terps depth lies in the backcourt, with prominent players from the transfer portal and recruiting class pairing up with two returning guards. Head coach Buzz Williams brought in five guards during the offseason to replace Maryland’s departing backcourt …

After a brutally long offseason, college hoops fans can rejoice now that exhibition games are wrapping up and we finally have some real data to dissect for Kentucky Basketball. When it comes to breaking down data and using it to predict outcomes, there aren’t many people on the planet better than Evan Miyakawa. Advertisement A true basketball junkie, Miyakawa has …

The college basketball season officially begins Monday night, and the Big Ten should once again rank among the best conferences in the sport. Last season was arguably the league’s best in years, as Michigan won the national championship and Illinois reached the Final Four. The Big Ten had multiple lottery picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, and the conference could …

CHICAGO — When David Mirković thought back to the Illinois men’s basketball team’s postseason run in the spring, his favorite experience off the court was deboarding the plane at Willard Airport after the Elite Eight win over Iowa. The Illini had just made their first Final Four in 21 years, and people came out en masse to celebrate the team …

Mark Pope and the Kentucky basketball team take the floor today for their third and final exhibition game of 2026 against the UCF Knights. They beat Little Rock in an ugly game to open things up, then looked much better in a win over Texas Tech last week. Tonight, the Wildcats will look to knock off any remaining rust, and …

HARTFORD, CT — Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter asked for a “beehive,” and UConn certainly brought a swarm to PeoplesBank Arena on Tuesday night. That doesn’t mean the Boilermakers wanted to get stung quite this badly. A 76-53 loss exposed this still-coalescing team in ways its wins over Ball State and Purdue Fort Wayne could not. Advertisement That was …

In UCLA’s final exhibition match of the season, the Bruins took care of business against a tough San Diego team at home, winning 82-50. While UCLA got the result they wanted, this game proved there’s still some work to do before the season opener in less than a week. Advertisement Strong Number of Offensive Options One of the biggest takeaways …

One of the most legendary voices of Nebraska men’s basketball and football is hanging up the headset. Longtime play-by-play announcer Kent Pavelka, who began calling Cornhusker games in 1974, announced Monday evening on Huskers Radio Network that he will retire after the 2026-27 season, per the Daily Nebraskan. Advertisement “It’s time,” Pavelka said on the radio show. “It takes just …

It sure looks as though fifth-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer trusts second-year Blue Devil Sebastian Wilkins enough to be one of the first players off the bench this season. That was the case throughout the squad’s 3-0 run in preseason action. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound Boston native, who reclassified as a prep to arrive in Durham a year early …

Purdue closed out the exhibition portion of its 2026-27 season on Tuesday in Hartford. The Boilermakers fell 76-53 to No. 4 UConn, a preseason contest that exposed multiple deficiencies as Matt Painter’s team prepares to open the regular season next week. The glaring statistic from the game was Purdue’s struggles from behind the three-point line, converting on just two of …

Auburn Tigers basketball guard Tahaad Pettiford is receiving national recognition heading into his junior season, as he has been named to the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List. The award, presented by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, recognizes the top point guard in college basketball. Advertisement Pettiford is one of 20 players nationally …