College Basketball

It was billed as an exhibition, but nothing about Thursday night at Legacy Arena felt like a preseason warm-up. Alabama and Auburn transformed Birmingham into a March Madness postseason battle, turning “The Feud” into an unapologetic, 40-minute street fight. From a scuffle five minutes into the game to Alabama squeaking out an 87–85 victory, the “Iron Bowl” on hardwood lacked …

Duke plays at Kansas on Sunday, and in Lawrence, they’re calling it the Blue Blood Classic. Okay, the State Farm Blue Blood Classic, but same idea. It’s a big deal. It’s also a long way from what exhibition games were just a few years ago. And Kansas may be different from what it was just a few weeks ago, too, …

The Wisconsin Badgers have some work to do to keep their recent run of NCAA Tournament berths going. They have made the last three tournaments primarily because of their work in the transfer portal. They had to use it big time once again, as John Blackwell transferred to Duke in the offseason. They do have two players back who have …

The NEC knelt to the sword of The Reef last season. LIU ran through the league at 15-3. They won the conference tournament to return to the NCAA Tournament, all while fans brought their hands together above their heads on free throws. “Fins Up” became a national story. But can the Sharks go back-to-back? Le Moyne is eligible for the …

Illinois’ second of three exhibition games takes place on Friday against Baylor in Champaign (7 p.m. CT, B1G+). The Illini are coming off a 105-96 victory at Cincinnati and will face a much different foe in the Bears. Here are three important questions we have about Illinois before the 2026-27 season gets underway: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood …

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Purdue heads to Fort Wayne on Thursday for an exhibition matchup against Purdue Fort Wayne. The Boilermakers will face the Mastodons at Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in a unique in-state matchup. Purdue Boilermakers on SI will have live coverage of today’s exhibition game from Mackey Arena in West Lafayette. Follow along for live updates, news, …

Exhibition games in college basketball are becoming like the NFL Preseason. At least, that’s how it can feel with Kentucky Basketball. The Wildcats have already played one exhibition game, and they still have two remaining before the regular season starts. Friday night is the second of the three exhibition games against the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Advertisement Even though this …

For the most part, college basketball fans have adapted to the portal era reasonably well, and when players leave, they generally understand that they are leaving for better opportunities. And ultimately, everyone understands that, because everyone wants that for themselves. However, it’s not universally true, and it definitely wasn’t true when Louisville visited Kansas. Why? Advertisement Because former Jayhawk Flory …

One of college basketball’s greatest rivalries was renewed Thursday night as the Alabama Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers collided inside Legacy Arena in Birmingham. This latest chapter of the “IBOB” rivalry was a bit different than previous meetings though, as it was not only played on a neutral court, but it was also a preseason exhibition game. Because of this, …

EAST LANSING – Two days after rolling both of his ankles, Jeremy Fears Jr. went through practice in a limited capacity on Thursday, Oct. 22. And with No. 6 Michigan State basketball preparing for one final exhibition tuneup Sunday against Marquette in Milwaukee, coach Tom Izzo plans to proceed with caution with his All-American point guard. Advertisement “I was a …

Because Purdue basketball prefers building its roster from within, it doesn’t spend as much to lure players. In a new report from CBS Sports, the Boilermakers are in the sixth tier (of seven) of college basketball spending, between $7.1 million and $9.9 million for the 2026-27 season. That’s the same tier as Butler, and far below Indiana, which is in …

Is Indiana basketball the biggest spender on its 2026-27 roster? No, but the Hoosiers don’t lack for resources. In a new report from CBS Sports, IU is in the “second tier” of roster spending at just under $20 million. That group includes Arkansas, Kansas and Connecticut. CBS places 11 programs in its top tier, spending more than $20 million. Advertisement …

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – No. 20 Alabama basketball outlasted Auburn 87-85 on Thursday night in the Crimson Tide’s final exhibition of the preseason. Alabama trailed late in this one, but a last push helped the Crimson Tide finish the preseason 3-0. But there was so much to unpack from this one, as calling it a scrimmage would be an insult. Advertisement …

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – It didn’t even take five minutes before Alabama and Auburn got into a scuffle during the exhibition at Legacy Arena. The Iron Bowl of Basketball was known as “The Feud” for this preseason event, and it lived up to that name immediately. With 15:29 remaining in the first half, the ball was tied up off a rebound …

It may have only been an exhibition game, but apparently nobody told Alabama and Auburn. The Crimson Tide escaped Birmingham’s Legacy Arena with an 87-85 victory over the Tigers on Thursday night, but the final score wasn’t the only thing grabbing attention. Advertisement Less than five minutes into the highly anticipated rivalry matchup, tensions boiled over as players from both …

Where to watch Kentucky vs. Texas Tech basketball: Channel, live stream, time, TV schedule for exhibition game originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here. A Top 25 preseason clash is on tap Friday as No. 23 Kentucky hosts No. 19 Texas Tech in Lexington. Advertisement It’s the lone exhibition game …

Star-studded Duke basketball freshman center Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, who didn’t turn 17 until May, arrived in Durham this past summer so early that he plans to spend two years in college before becoming old enough to be eligible for the NBA Draft. And as Jon Scheyer made clear to Duke Blue Devils On SI at ACC Tipoff in Charlotte earlier …

Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats take the floor on Friday for one final tuneup before the regular season gets underway on Monday, Nov. 2, against the UCLA Bruins in Las Vegas. Arizona’s final exhibition game will be against Eastern Washington, led by a coach very familiar to Lloyd in Dan Monson – who was the head coach at Gonzaga …

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the NBA’s most consistent scorers. He pretty much scores at least 20 points in every game for the Oklahoma City Thunder. His first half on Thursday night, though, was totally different. Advertisement Somehow, the Denver Nuggets held Gilgeous-Alexander to just two points for the entire first half. He still could get hot in the second …

Thursday night, Virginia dominated Villanova in a 93-71 road victory to close out the preseason slate. Coach Ryan Odom’s squad is ranked No. 9 in the country for several reasons, some of which were displayed tonight. The Cavaliers have averaged 87 points per game in three exhibition contests. Before the Nov. 3 opener against Drexel, here are instant takeaways from …

Purdue started slowly against Purdue Fort Wayne but ultimately put everything together in the second half to earn a 30-point victory. Now, the Boilermakers turn their attention to an exhibition showdown with UConn in its final tuneup before the regular season. Here are four major takeaways from the Boilermakers’ 92-62 victory over Purdue Fort Wayne. Advertisement West is the guy …

The Iowa State Cyclones had a lot of work to do in the transfer portal this offseason, given how much talent they lost from the roster. Star forward Joshua Jefferson was a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Record-setting shooter Milan Momcilovic tested the NBA draft waters but withdrew and transferred to the Kentucky Wildcats. Point guard Tamin Lipsey …

“Money talks.” It’s an adage that has spanned decades across multiple industries and businesses and now finds its place squarely in the middle of college athletics. Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) has changed the game of college basketball and can easily increase or decrease a team’s chances of winning – and Kansas basketball is no exception. Advertisement Long gone are …

Alabama improved to 3-0 in the exhibition season by defeating in state rival Auburn 87-85 in a thrilling, physical, chippy game. The contest was played in Birmingham at a packed Legacy Arena. The Tide was without freshman sharp shooting guard Cole Cloer, and point guards Aden Holloway and Anderson Diaz. Bama will open the season at home on Tuesday November …

Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs play an exhibition game on Saturday against John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks – the first of two exhibitions for the Zags before the season tips off officially on Nov. 2 vs. Purdue. Gonzaga vs. Arkansas is a matchup of two top 15 teams in the preseason AP poll, although the two coaches are …