5:33 PM ET Associated Press COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a virtually empty Value City Arena, the matchup between No. 3 Michigan and No. 4 Ohio State in February looked more like an intense NCAA tournament game in March: good shooting, timely 3-pointers, fierce play under the rim, few mistakes and some late drama. After six
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10:46 PM 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 Thanks to a one-point win at home over Virginia, the Duke Blue Devils can now be found here at Bubble Watch. This is going to take
3:33 PM ET Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — – Minnesota guard Gabe Kalscheur will miss three to four weeks with a broken finger on his shooting hand, taking a co-captain and the team’s best defender out of the lineup for the stretch run. Coach Richard Pitino said Kalscheur was having surgery on Friday to repair the
1:41 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — Dynamic point guard Chris Lykes is unlikely to play again this season for the Miami Hurricanes because of an ankle injury that has sidelined him since Dec. 4. Lykes returned to drills and appeared on the verge of rejoining the lineup in two weeks, but he aggravated the
11:34 AM ET The NCAA will allow a limited number of fans at every round of this year’s men’s NCAA tournament, it announced on Friday. Up to 25% capacity with physical distancing will be permitted at all rounds and the Final Four, a decision made in conjunction with state and local health authorities in Indiana.
8:00 AM ET ESPN’s NCAA tournament Bracketology has been updated through games of Thursday, February 18. ESPN’s March Madness Bubble Watch (ESPN+) is also up to date through Thursday’s contests and will be continuously updated to account for key results through March 14. The 2021 NCAA tournament will begin with the First Four on Thursday,
7:15 PM ET The Atlantic 10 announced Thursday it was swapping the dates of its men’s and women’s conference tournaments to afford more time for any COVID-19 interruptions and issues. The men’s tournament is moving up one week, and the majority of the event will now be held March 3-6 at VCU and Richmond. The
5:57 PM ET Alabama men’s basketball coach Nate Oats has agreed to a contract extension through the end of the 2026-27 season, the school announced Thursday. Oats also received a salary increase to $3.225 million annually. “We are excited to agree to a contract extension with The University of Alabama,” Oats said. “… We feel
5:52 PM ET Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel has received a new five-year contract through June 2026, the university announced Thursday. Michigan’s board of regents approved the deal for Manuel, who has led Michigan’s athletic department since 2016. He competed in both football and track and field for Michigan and earned three degrees from the
11:47 AM ET Shane Laflin The McDonald’s All American Games will not take place for the second year in a row amid the COVID-19 pandemic. McDonald’s announced over 700 girls and boys nominees for the 2021 games on Thursday. It will announce its completed 48-player roster — 24 girls and 24 boys — later this
10:38 AM ET Boston College guard Wynston Tabbs entered the transfer portal Thursday morning, sources told ESPN. Tabbs was suspended on Monday for the remainder of the season due to a violation of the university’s COVID-19 protocols. Boston College had fired head coach Jim Christian earlier that day. Tabbs, classified as a redshirt sophomore after
12:30 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 One of the most striking features of the men’s basketball bubble this year is the unmistakable prevalence of mid-majors. Usually at this time of year, we
7:00 AM ET There are but 20 names on the most recent Watch List for the 2020-21 John R. Wooden Award. There are, of course, more than 20 great players in college basketball, including several who have emerged in recent weeks. With that in mind, ESPN.com’s panelists identified a player worthy of Wooden consideration as
10:04 PM ET Elite high school junior Amari Bailey has committed to UCLA basketball for a second time, he announced Wednesday night. Bailey originally committed to the Bruins and then-coach Steve Alford as a high school freshman, but he decommitted eight months later. Bailey also once committed to DePaul before starting eighth grade, but he
6:48 PM ET Associated Press Three more basketball games in the Atlantic Coast Conference have been postponed, the league announced Wednesday. No. 18 Virginia Tech‘s trip to No. 16 Florida State as well as Clemson‘s visit to Pittsburgh scheduled for Saturday have been postponed. Additionally, North Carolina‘s game at Boston College Tuesday also is postponed.
11:22 AM ET Associated Press NORMAN, Okla. — No. 9 Oklahoma’s home men’s basketball game against No. 12 Texas has been postponed indefinitely due to the inclement weather that hit the Southwest over the past several days. The game was originally scheduled to be played Tuesday. It was moved to Wednesday and then Thursday, and
Handicapping player of the year races is always a difficult task. But in a season filled with paused programs and unequal league slates due to COVID-19 challenges, it has never been harder to identify the top candidates in each college basketball conference. Some teams have played 15 league games. Others have played two. Seriously. Let’s
11:45 PM ET When Illinois faced Northwestern in early January, the Fighting Illini outscored the Wildcats 53-13 in the second half, turning a 15-point halftime deficit into a 25-point win. Coach Brad Underwood must have noticed something in those final 20 minutes, because Illinois on Tuesday picked up where it left off a month ago,