NCAABB

3:45 PM ET Gonzaga forward Corey Kispert and Baylor guard Jared Butler, who will attempt to lead their teams into the Elite Eight this weekend, were among the five finalists announced Friday for the 2021 John R. Wooden Award. Kispert and Butler are the only two active NCAA tournament players vying for the Wooden, awarded

12:58 PM ET UCLA coach Mick Cronin criticized the NBA and the G League on Friday for their pursuit of Daishen Nix, a former Bruins recruit who signed with the G League in April 2020. Nix, a point guard from Las Vegas and ESPN’s No. 21 recruit in the 2020 class, committed to play for

11:42 AM ET Texas‘ Shaka Smart is in talks with Marquette to become the Golden Eagles’ next head basketball coach, sources told ESPN. A deal is expected to be done imminently. Smart, a Wisconsin native, has been the head coach at Texas for six seasons. The Longhorns have gone to three NCAA tournaments under Smart

12:02 PM ET While the NCAA Division I men’s basketball championship budget for the 2018-2019 season was $28 million — almost twice as much as the women’s budget — information provided by the NCAA on Friday also shows the men’s tournament brought in a total net income of $864.6 million that season. The women’s event

10:09 AM ET Jeff Borzello Close ESPN Staff Writer Basketball recruiting insider. Joined ESPN in 2014. Graduate of University of Delaware. Paul Biancardi Close Basketball Recruiting National Recruiting Director for ESPN.com 18 years of coaching experience at Division I level Former Horizon League coach of the year at Wright State Five-star guard Hunter Sallis, one

10:52 AM ET Kelly CohenESPN Frank Hancock may say the giant NCAA March Madness bracket on the side of the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis is “a lot like wallpaper,” but to the average passerby, it’s more than that. “When I drove past the huge bracket … I thought about how awesome it is that

7:25 AM ET Brackets are busted all over the college basketball universe as March Madness enters the Sweet 16, with the likes of Oral Roberts, Oregon State, Loyola Chicago and even past heavyweights that were not supposed to have the firepower to make it here, such as UCLA and Syracuse, surviving and advancing to the

7:30 AM ET Seven of the 15 players on the final ballot for the 2021 John R. Wooden Award will be in NCAA tournament action this weekend, with three Gonzaga Bulldogs stars (Corey Kispert, Jalen Suggs and Drew Timme) joining Baylor’s Jared Butler, Michigan’s Hunter Dickinson, Villanova’s Jeremiah Robinson-Earl and USC’s Evan Mobley trying to

10:35 PM ET Grand Canyon standout Oscar Frayer died in a car accident in northern California early Tuesday morning, according to a release from the school. He was 23 years old. Frayer’s older sister, Andrea Moore, and a third person in their vehicle were also killed in the crash, the school confirmed. Frayer, a 6-foot-6

7:20 PM ET Associated Press GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gators guards Noah Locke and Ques Glover entered the transfer portal Thursday, one a surprise and the other expected. Losing them creates an even bigger backcourt hole for coach Mike White. Locke started 51 of the team’s last 52 games. He averaged 10.6 points and shot

8:51 PM ET Associated Press CHARLESTON, S.C. — Pat Kelsey is leaving Winthrop to become College of Charleston’s men’s basketball coach. Charleston athletic director Matt Roberts announced Kelsey’s hiring Thursday. Kelsey, 45, spent nine seasons with the Eagles, leading them to three NCAA tournament berths, including this past season. Winthrop, seeded 12th, fell to No.

6:55 PM ET Associated Press JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville University hired Florida assistant Jordan Mincy as its head coach Thursday, landing an up-and-comer to lead a basketball program that hasn’t been relevant since making the NCAA championship game in 1970. The 34-year-old Mincy followed Gators coach Mike White from Louisiana Tech in 2015. Florida went

2:54 PM ET Oklahoma men’s basketball coach Lon Kruger is retiring after 45 years in coaching, it was announced on Thursday. Kruger, 68, has been in charge of the Sooners for the last decade, leading them to seven NCAA tournaments and a Final Four appearance in 2016. They finished 16-11 overall this season, going 9-8

5:06 PM ET When Loyola Chicago reached the Final Four in 2018, Sister Jean never thought she’d see another run through March. The Ramblers are now just two wins away. “I’ll be jumping around, literally, not figuratively, I’ll be jumping around as much as they are,” said Sister Jean, who is confined to a wheelchair,

4:48 PM ET Associated Press CHENEY, Wash. — Eastern Washington promoted David Riley to head basketball coach Thursday following the school’s NCAA Tournament appearance. Riley will replace Shantay Legans, who left Eastern Washington this week to take over as the head coach at Portland. Riley has been with the Eagles’ program for the past decade

2:54 PM ET Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger is retiring after 45 years in coaching, sources confirmed to ESPN. Kruger has been in charge of the Sooners for the last decade, leading them to seven NCAA tournaments and a Final Four appearance in 2016. They finished 16-11 overall this season, going 9-8 in the Big

3:09 PM ET Virginia Tech guard Jalen Cone plans to enter the transfer portal, he told ESPN on Thursday. Cone, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, was considered one of the best 3-point shooters in the ACC. “I just want to explore some other options that will put me in a better position to achieve my end goal,

1:06 PM ET Associated Press ATLANTA — Georgia Tech senior guard Bubba Parham will take advantage of the extra year of eligibility provided by the NCAA due to the coronavirus pandemic and return for the 2021-22 season. Coach Josh Pastner announced Parham’s decision Thursday. Pastner said other seniors, including top scorers Moses Wright and Jose