College Basketball

UConn men’s basketball wraps up its exhibition slate Tuesday night in Hartford, as the Huskies welcome Purdue to PeoplesBank Arena in a rematch of the 2024 national championship game. Both teams head into this matchup as their final exhibition games with 2-0 exhibition records. The Boilermakers have taken down Ball State and Purdue Fort Wayne in preseason play, while UConn …

Fans can catch their first glimpse of Ben McCollum’s bunch tonight as Iowa meets Illinois Springfield in an exhibition from Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. After a run to the Elite Eight, Hawkeye fans are hungry to see what McCollum and his staff can accomplish in year two in Iowa City. Advertisement But, not everyone is a believer in the …

College basketball fans don’t need to wait until March to see some high-profile matchups. They don’t even need to hold out for the start of conference play. This year’s men’s college basketball schedule features plenty of huge games long before Christmas. Advertisement The most notable early-season games include a rematch of last year’s NCAA Tournament final as well as a …

VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) — At Villanova University, all roads — or at least many of them — seem to lead to Rome, thanks to famed alumnus Pope Leo XIV and the school’s growing ties to the Vatican. Even its vaunted basketball program is getting in on the act. “We certainly have a bigger footprint there now than we used to,” …

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas basketball showed promise against Gonzaga. John Calipari wants to see progress against Memphis. The Razorbacks host the Tigers in the second and final fall exhibition on Wednesday, Oct. 28. It will mark the second consecutive preseason Calipari has coached against his former employer. Arkansas went on the road and rolled to a 24-point victory in 2025. Advertisement …

We are now through two exhibition games for the Kentucky Wildcats as the regular season quickly approaches for Mark Pope’s squad. With a win over Texas Tech this past Friday in Rupp Arena, the BBN got to see this team start to click against a top-25 team and one that has deep postseason aspirations. Looking good on both ends of …

After a magical run through March to end last season, Iowa men’s basketball makes its return on Tuesday night with an exhibition matchup against Illinois Springfield from Xtream Arena in Coralville, Iowa. The Hawkeyes advanced to the Elite Eight for the first time in 39 years last season, downing Clemson, Florida, and Nebraska along its NCAA Tournament run. Iowa ended …

WEST LAFAYETTE — Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter did not seek UConn as a third exhibition opponent for a particular style matchup or to test specific vulnerabilities. No reason to overthink this. That national championship game victory over the Boilermakers in 2024 was the program’s sixth in 25 years. It took a minor miracle to reach a third Final …

The Iowa State Cyclones men’s basketball team has proven time and time again that when they are the underdogs and underestimated, it is when they play their best. Entering the 2026-27 season, it certainly looks as if they are being undervalued by some people again. The injury to Killyan Toure is a massive blow to overcome, but the Cyclones were …

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs head into the 2026-27 season with just four returners from last year’s roster and a bevy of new faces brought in via the transfer portal, international market, and the 2026 recruiting class. Many of last year’s players have moved on to start professional basketball careers, but six of them are still in college – …

This time, Nebraska didn’t play with their food. Though the Huskers finished their exhibition slate with a 1-2 record, fans of the Big Red have got to be feeling pretty good after what we saw Monday night. More importantly, Nebraska had one final opportunity to work through some issues before the games start counting for real. Advertisement In a neutral-site …

Here’s a look at how potential 2027 NBA Draft picks performed in recent exhibition games. Latrell Allmond, Oklahoma State The freshman accounted for 14 points, four rebounds and two assists, shooting 7-of-8 from the field against Tulsa. Advertisement Listed at 6-foo-8, Allmond was rated the No. 32 overall player and No. 7 power forward in the 2026 recruiting class by …

Steven Pearl during an Auburn vs. Tennessee game on March 12th. 2026. Getty Just before the start of the 2026-27 college basketball season, Auburn has made a major front office move. General manager Brian Kloman has been fired, due in part to a recruiting issue involving international prospect Mantas Rubstavicius. Advertisement According to ESPN, Kloman was aware that Rubstavicius had …

There is a difference between building a family legacy and treating a major college basketball program like a family business. Auburn basketball is learning that lesson the hard way. Bruce Pearl spent 11 years building the Tigers into a national power. He won SEC championships, reached two Final Fours and delivered the kind of success Auburn fans once could only …

Between the 247Sports Crystal Ball and Rivals Recruiting Prediction Machine, five recruiting experts have entered official predictions for the high-profile recruitment of Hillgrove High School (Ga.) senior small forward Asa Montgomery. And at this late juncture in the race, all five point to Jon Scheyer and the Blue Devils as the clear frontrunner to come out on top. Now, add …

It’s midterm season in Champaign, and despite Illinois basketball’s season having yet to official tip off, our grades are rolling in. In this space, we’ll rate each Illini on their performance on the court in the team’s exhibition loss to Baylor. (All players who logged fewer than 10 minutes received an incomplete.) Grading Illinois basketball players after Baylor exhibition loss …

It was a tale of two halves for Illinois in its exhibition loss to Baylor. Unfortunately for the Illini, their first 20 minutes were so painfully bad that their final 20 minutes – the vast majority of which were mighty impressive – weren’t enough to save the day. Here is what went wrong – and right – on Friday night …

The Iowa State Cyclones may have a new unsung hero in town. On Sunday afternoon, Iowa State went on the road to take on the Northwestern Wildcats in a second and final exhibition. And they dominated, winning 94-59 in a game that was over within just a few minutes. Coming in, many were expecting star guard Tamin Lipsey to be …

Following the Duke basketball squad’s 90-84 road exhibition victory over the Kansas Jayhawks on Sunday afternoon, fifth-year head coach Jon Scheyer emphasized to the media the preseason’s value in providing vital lessons for his deep cast of 2026-27 Blue Devils. Those lessons seem especially important for the star-studded freshmen, including one who won’t turn 18 until after the season but …

After three Michigan State exhibition games, one thing is clear: the Spartans’ offense will need a spark early and often, and that might come at the hands of McDonald’s All-American freshman Jasiah Jervis. The 6-foot-4 guard has been a bright spot on a team that has shown too much poor play throughout its exhibition schedule. Advertisement Despite the Spartans losing …

SEATTLE, Wash. – Leaving the floor at Hec Edmundson Pavilion was a big party line of yelling, smiling and fist-pumping heading to the locker room. Don’t tell the Washington State Cougars that their 84-80 win over the host Washington Huskies in the ‘Apple Cup’ men’s basketball exhibition game didn’t mean much Sunday. Advertisement It was their first win together as …

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs have one final tuneup before the 2026-27 college basketball season officially gets underway – hosting local NAIA school Lewis-Clark State on Wednesday evening. Gonzaga played its first exhibition game over the weekend, falling 76-72 to Arkansas in Fayetteville after a rough shooting performance. Star wing Davis Fogle (leg) did not suit up, with coach …

The Kentucky Wildcats are in a battle for one of the best recruits in the country. Fittingly, they’re battling with some other Wildcats — the ones from Arizona. Kentucky and Arizona are two of the top-four teams remaining in the running for a five-star recruit who’s currently a senior in high school. Advertisement That recruit: Adan Diggs. Some recruiting services …

Duke basketball is a brand, and whether fans of other teams want to disagree, the reality is that if Duke wants a player, it has a very good chance of landing him. The Blue Devils have been among the best teams in college basketball for nearly all of their existence, and with the way Duke can spend on its roster, …

The Kentucky Wildcats are on bye this week and lead the SEC. Up next, a road game at the Tennessee Volunteers. Right now on FanDuel, Kentucky is a 5.5-point underdog. Kentucky’s moneyline is +172, while Tennessee’s is -210. The over/under on the game is 49.5. Advertisement It wouldn’t be surprising if Will Stein uses a similar approach to this game …