12:18 PM ET Associated Press North Carolina surprised just about everyone last year when a talented team led by first-year coach Hubert Davis parlayed a No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament into a run to the national title game. The Tar Heels won’t be sneaking up on anyone this year. With four starters back
NCAABB
8:00 AM ET John GasawayESPN Insider Close ESPN Insider college basketball contributor First began covering college hoops in 2004 Has written for Basketball Prospectus and the Wall Street Journal This marks the first preseason in 48 years in which Mike Krzyzewski is not a Division I men’s college basketball head coach. The legendary Duke coach
4:53 PM ET ESPN 60 guard John Mobley announced his commitment to Ohio State on Sunday, becoming the Buckeyes’ first pledge in the 2024 class. Mobley chose Ohio State over a final six that also included Arizona State, Creighton, LSU, USC and Xavier. “I have ties to the area,” said Mobley, who attends Bishop Gorman
11:53 PM ET Six months after its 72-69 win over North Carolina in the national title game, Kansas unveiled its sixth national title banner on Friday. A packed crowd at Late Night in the Phog, KU’s season-kickoff event, cheered as the 2022 national championship banner joined the school’s other banners from 1922, 1923, 1952, 1988
9:09 PM ET For Jim Boeheim, the only true barometer of a conference’s success is its record in the NCAA tournament. Based on that criteria, the longtime Syracuse coach said the Big Ten, which finished 9-9 in the NCAA tournament last year, was inferior to the ACC, which finished 14-5 and sent three teams to
7:27 PM ET Top-five senior Aaron Bradshaw committed to Kentucky on Friday night, choosing the Wildcats over in-state rival Louisville and others. Bradshaw gives John Calipari his second top-five prospect in the 2023 class and third-ranked inside the top eight — which has Kentucky poised to make a strong push for the No. 1 recruiting
6:46 PM ET Associated Press DALLAS — Kennesaw State was approved for membership in Conference USA on Friday, and will join the league on July 1, 2024. Conference USA is going through a transition of its makeup, with six of the league’s 11 current members in their last academic year before moving to the American
3:33 PM ET Bowling Green, Kentucky — Whenever Jamarion Sharp walks into the gym at Western Kentucky, Division I basketball’s tallest player always brings his puppy. For the 7-foot-5 center and last year’s top shot-blocker (4.6 BPG), his dog Joker — a mixed breed he purchased with his name, image and likeness cash two weeks
1:25 PM ET Associated Press SWAC members Grambling State and Southern have been invited to play in the second NBA HBCU Classic at this season’s All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City. The Feb. 18 game, which will precede All-Star Saturday night’s lineup featuring the NBA’s dunk contest, 3-point shootout and skills competition, will be shown
1:21 PM ET Lexington, Ky. — The Monday arrest of Kentucky staffer Chris Woolard, associate athletic director of basketball operations, for driving under the influence of alcohol will be handled “internally,” per a statement from the school. Woolard, who was hired during the 2011-12 season, has played a significant day-to-day role on John Calipari’s staff.
8:58 AM ET Pete ThamelESPN Georgia Tech has targeted Alabama’s J Batt, the Crimson Tide‘s executive deputy athletic director, to become Tech’s next athletic director, sources told ESPN on Friday. The search is expected to conclude soon after a few final steps, and the hire is expected to be formalized in the upcoming days, sources
9:00 AM ET The third annual Top Flight Invite will feature eight elite club basketball teams vying for a tournament championship in Las Vegas. This year’s tournament might feature the strongest group of star power and talent with 28 prospects ranked in the 2023 ESPN 100, 2024 ESPN 60 or 2025 ESPN 25, including commits
7:00 AM ET We’re accustomed to projecting the college basketball players we expect to excel each season via our preseason honors lists. Coaches usually have to wait until their season is over, however, to get the same accolades. Until now. Here, we’ve predicted the top 2022-23 men’s college basketball coach in each league based on
11:50 AM ET Jeff Borzello Close ESPN Staff Writer Basketball recruiting insider. Joined ESPN in 2014. Graduate of University of Delaware. Pete Thamel The felony charges against Emoni Bates, a former top recruit now at Eastern Michigan, are set to be dismissed next week, his lawyer told ESPN. Attorney Steve Haney said in a phone
8:00 AM ET As the 2022-23 men’s college basketball season draws closer, ESPN.com’s panel of experts is predicting the order of finish for the nation’s top conferences. Having already looked at Gonzaga and Division I’s top mid-majors, the focus now shifts to the American Athletic Conference (AAC). The Houston Cougars will welcome back Marcus Sasser
7:00 AM ET The coaching carousel has completely rebounded from the COVID-impacted 2020 cycle that saw only one power conference program change coaches. In 2021, there were 14 changes in the top seven leagues. And last spring, there were even more, with 17 jobs in the top seven leagues changing hands — including a couple
9:38 PM ET CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After coming up one win short of a national championship last April, North Carolina players have a clear goal for the 2022-23 season, and anything short of that would be considered a disappointment. “It’s national championship or bust,” guard Caleb Love told ESPN on Tuesday at ACC Media Day,
7:54 PM ET CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told ESPN on Wednesday that “there’s a lot of push” to expand the College Football Playoff in 2024. The CFP’s board of managers voted in early September to expand the playoff to 12 teams in 2026, but the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame