The Pac-12 Tournament could be one of the most closely contested conference tournaments of the 2020-21 season. The tournament’s No. 1 overall seed — Oregon (19-5, 14-4 in Pac-12 play) — wasn’t even determined until the final day of the regular season. The Ducks earned their spot thanks to an 80-67 win over rival Oregon State on Sunday. Oregon and […]
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How Kansas, Iowa and others avoided COVID-19 issues — and what it will mean in the tournament
Covers college basketball Joined ESPN.com in 2011 Graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato Kansas Jayhawks star David McCormack remembers the eerie feeling on campus when he finally returned last summer. The normally bustling university, where 28,000 students are enrolled, was quiet. “You get back on campus and you’re ready to see student life,” he said. […]
NBL21: Injury crisis making life tough for Melbourne United coach Dean Vickerman
Dean Vickerman just wants a full, healthy squad out on the court. Despite battling an injury curse for most of the season, Melbourne United remains at the top of the NBL ladder, but lost a little sheen in a 99-86 loss to Brisbane Bullets Sunday. After seven straight single-digit victories, including 3-point thrillers against Sydney […]
Bubble Watch 2021: Is Duke done?
ESPN Insider college basketball contributor First began covering college hoops in 2004 Has written for Basketball Prospectus and the Wall Street Journal This season, we’ve become accustomed to many strange things: no fans or very few in arenas; games being cancelled; and championships being awarded in leagues where teams played very different numbers of games. […]
Arizona hoops accused of five Level I violations
Senior college football writer Author of seven books on college football Graduate of the University of Georgia The NCAA has charged Arizona with five Level I rules violation allegations, including two alleged instances of academic misconduct within the men’s basketball program, according to a notice of allegations the university released to ESPN on Friday through […]
A Duke-UNC encore and the big questions for college basketball’s final weekend of the regular season
A 2020-21 men’s college basketball season that began with major questions about its format and duration will reach a key mile marker on Sunday, as the regular season concludes for all of the game’s power leagues. Champ Week and the most unique NCAA tournament in history are moving nearer on the horizon, but not before […]
Villanova’s Gillespie (MCL) likely out for season
Basketball recruiting insider. Joined ESPN in 2014. Graduate of University of Delaware. Villanova guard Collin Gillespie has suffered a torn MCL in his left knee and is expected to miss the rest of the men’s basketball season, the school announced Thursday. Gillespie left Wednesday’s game against Creighton with 6 minutes, 38 seconds remaining in the […]
Jim Boeheim continues beef with Syracuse reporter by mocking his height
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim criticized a reporter during his post-game press conference Wednesday night. Boeheim, coming off a 64-54 win over Clemson, was asked a harmless question by The Athletic’s Matthew Gutierrez about the defensive development of players Quincy Guerrier and Alan Griffin. Boeheim started with a typical response, and then delved into insults. Here is the exchange: Gutierrez: […]
Bubble Watch 2021: Indiana slumping in bid to make the cut
ESPN Insider college basketball contributor First began covering college hoops in 2004 Has written for Basketball Prospectus and the Wall Street Journal Indiana won the second of its five national championship banners in 1953, when coach Branch McCracken guided a team headed by Don Schlundt to a one-point victory over Kansas in the title game. […]
March Madness bracket predictions 2.0: Projecting the Field of 68 for 2021 NCAA Tournament
It’s March. That’s as much of an intro to this week’s Field of 68 NCAA Tournament projections as you need, right? Cool. Let’s go. As always, Sporting News’ Field of 68 projections are based on where teams should be seeded based on how resumes compare, if the season ended yesterday. For each team, I’ve included […]