NCAABB

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

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

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

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,

10:30 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 One of the most striking features of this year’s bubble is the unmistakable prevalence of mid-majors. Usually at this time of year, we should be debating

5:57 PM ET Associated Press WACO, Texas — No. 2 Baylor is set to resume the season Feb. 23 following a six-game hiatus that started because of COVID-19 protocols and there is plenty of uncertainty over the rest of the regular season. The Bears are scheduled to play Iowa State at home after the Big

4:44 PM ET Associated Press DALLAS — The wintry blast causing misery across Texas has prompted the postponement of an NBA game in Dallas and a second consecutive NHL game and has disrupted the college basketball schedule for a number of teams. The Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons were supposed to play Wednesday night. NHL

6:56 AM ET Mike SchmitzESPN STILLWATER, Okla. — Cade Cunningham isn’t your typical No. 1 draft pick. He doesn’t defy physics like Zion Williamson did at Duke. He’s not a human highlight reel like Ben Simmons was at LSU. He’s not loaded with traditional upside like Anthony Davis at Kentucky. He’s not a speed demon

10:00 PM ET The Duke Blue Devils and freshman phenom Jalen Johnson announced in a joint statement on Monday that Johnson would forgo the remainder of his freshman season and enter the 2021 NBA draft. Johnson played in just 13 games during what has been a disappointing season for both the five-star forward and a