Category: NCAAB

Carson Beck commits to Miami, where girlfriend Hanna Cavinder is a basketball player

Congratulations to Carson Beck and Hanna Cavinder!

A big name in the college football transferred portal made a quick decision as former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck committed to Miami.

Beck, a two-time College Football Playoff national champion at Georgia, originally declared for the 2025 NFL Draft but reportedly entered the transfer portal on Thursday.

Then by Friday afternoon, his commitment to Miami was publicized.

He will replace Cam Ward, a Heisman Trophy Finalist who will turn pro as this season is complete. Ward played one season for Miami after transferring from Washington State and is considered one of the top quarterbacks in this draft class.

Beck is an experienced and accomplished quarterback who can help a program trying to win next season under head coach Mario Cristobal.

MIAMI WBB: Why Hanna Cavinder says she’s un-retiring from college basketball

He also has some immediate connections to the university as his girlfriend, Hanna Cavinder, is currently on the women’s basketball team.

She is in the starting lineup alongside her twin sister Haley Cavinder.

Although his girlfriend is currently in her final year of collegiate eligibility, perhaps her endorsement of the campus and athletic department helped to convince Beck to make his decision rather than stay at Georgia or turn pro.

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Latest 2025 NBA mock draft from ESPN has Kasparas Jakucionis as a top-5 pick

The freshman from Lithuania looks AMAZING.

While he wasn’t one of the most touted names before the NCAA season began, Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis is climbing up mock drafts.

Jakucionis, who previously played for Barcelona in Spain, is one of the best young guards in college basketball. He is averaging 16.4 points as well as 5.6 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game while shooting 41.4 percent on 3-pointers for Illinois.

With good positional size in the backcourt and also still a very young prospect, there is a lot to like about his game. Here is more from Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo (via ESPN):

“The 6-foot-6 Lithuanian is playing fantastic basketball, controlling games with outstanding pace as a scorer and passer, getting to spots on the floor and playing through contact or finishing skillfully around the basket while making high-level pick-and-roll reads and hitting 3-pointers off the dribble.

The 18-year-old has made significant strides physically over the past 18 months and is on an impressive trajectory, making the transition from Europe to college look easy. He has been showcasing his talent on one of the best teams in college basketball.”

Already very impressive in the pick and roll and able to create his own jumper on 3-pointers, the scoring upside is huge for the guard. Jakucionis scored at least 20 points in six consecutive games between November 25 and December 22.

He is averaging 1.4 unassisted 3-pointers per game, per CBB Analytics, which is the most among all freshman.

ESPN’s mock draft has Jakucionis going to the Hornets, but plenty of teams will have interest in his services if he keeps playing this well.

Meanwhile, for more prospect coverage, here is our latest NBA mock draft at For The Win.

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Bryce James continues family tradition of spurning Ohio State with Arizona commitment

Bryce James is officially an Arizona Wildcat.

Bryce James, the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, has officially committed to a college basketball program.

On Wednesday, the young James shared on Instagram that Arizona will be his next stop once he finishes his playing days at Sierra Canyon.

Bryce James follows in the college basketball footsteps of his brother, Bronny James, who played a season at USC before joining his dad in the NBA with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Funny enough, Ohio State was one of the teams trying to land Bryce James, who will now play for Tommy Lloyd and the Wildcats.

Outside of Ohio State, Notre Dame and Duquesne also offered Bryce James ahead of his Arizona commitment, per Rivals.

Tough luck, Buckeye fans.

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Greg Gumbel dies: Sports fans pay tribute to CBS broadcaster

The longtime CBS Sports broadcaster and host of the NCAA tournament selection show died at the age of 78 on Friday.

Greg Gumbel, a broadcaster who worked for CBS Sports from 1988-94 and again since 1998, died on Friday at the age of 78  after a battle with cancer. Gumbel’s family announced his passing with a statement, which was released by CBS Sports.

“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of our beloved husband and father, Greg Gumbel,” the statement read. “He passed away peacefully surrounded by much love after a courageous battle with cancer.  Greg approached his illness like one would expect he would, with stoicism, grace, and positivity.

“He leaves behind a legacy of love, inspiration and dedication to over 50 extraordinary years in the sports broadcast industry; and his iconic voice will never be forgotten.

“Greg’s memory will forever be treasured by his family, dearest friends, colleagues and all who loved him.”

Gumbel, who also worked for NBC from 1994-98, was a seasoned play-by-play broadcaster who called two Super Bowls during his career. He was well-known in recent years as the voice of the NCAA tournament selection show and the head of CBS’ tournament panel.

Gumbel was absent from CBS tournament coverage in 2024 as he dealt with what was described at the time as an undisclosed “health issue.”

After Gumbel’s death, tributes to him poured in from across the sports media world.

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Jim Larrañaga is stepping down as Miami basketball coach. Meet new interim Bill Courtney.

This is a huge opportunity at Miami.

After more than a decade with the program, Miami Hurricanes men’s basketball coach Jim Larrañaga is reportedly stepping down.

Larrañaga joined the staff at Miami in 2011 and was the head coach for more than a dozen years. He helped lead his team to the Final Four in 2023, though the team did not cut down the nets.

The coach previously had a similarly impressive tournament run at George Mason, where he was head coach between 1997 and 2011, in 2006.

He was also the head coach at Bowling Green (between 1986 and 1997) as well as American International (between 1977 and 1979). During his time as an assistant coached, Larrañaga worked at Virginia and Davidson.

Now at 75 years old, per ESPN, he could step down as soon as Thursday.

His expected replacement is Bill Courtney, who was the associate head coach for the staff. Courtney has worked at Miami since 2019, serving as one of the assistant coaches on staff.

Courtney was a head coach in the Ivy League for Cornell between 2010 and 2016.

He also brings experience as an assistant for DePaul, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Providence, George Mason, Bowling Green, and American.

His time with Larrañaga overlapped at Bowling Green in 1996-97 and then at George Mason from 1997 until 2005. He is known as the lead recruiter on the staff.

Courtney was a point guard and team captain at Bucknell, where he had set various scoring records.

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A Lipscomb walk-on immediately broke down during surprise reveal of a full scholarship

This is pretty powerful.

Lipscomb men’s basketball guard Jack Ingold lived into the hope all walk-ons have on Tuesday by earning a full scholarship, and his reaction to it will make you a bit misty.

Ingold, a senior from West Virginia, wrote for the school’s athletics website about wanting to play for the Bisons after a fifth-grade trip to see the campus. He’d eventually attend the school and latch on with the men’s basketball program, though not as a player at first.

After working his way up from being a team manager to a walk-on, Ingold finally saw his basketball dream come true this week.

Ingold read a note of encouragement that Lipscomb coach Lennie Acuff wrote about him during a team meeting, one that ended with the revelation of the former landing a full scholarship.

Ingold could barely get through the reading after reaching the big news before he broke down in tears and was immediately swarmed by his teammates in a heartfelt celebration.

Like, c’mon, how can you not be moved by this?

It’s always powerful to watch a walk-on be given a full scholarship, but the raw emotion in Ingold’s reaction to it will warm your heart for the rest of winter. Just the look on his face alone as he processes the reveal is a wallop.

What a cool gesture from the team to a guy who sure seems like he’s earned it and then some.

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Doug Gottlieb didn’t show up for his radio show after losing to a DII school he called ‘Nobody U’

A terrible, no-good, very bad season so far for Doug Gottlieb and UW-Green Bay.

Well, this week just keeps spiraling for Doug Gottlieb. And it’s only Wednesday, folks!

The UW Green Bay head coach and Fox Sports radio host got roasted earlier this week by ESPN’s Adam Schefter after he tried to call out the NFL insider for a report on Michael Vick.

Not only did Schefter specify that his reporting on the story was accurate, but he also took Gottlieb to task for being a terrible basketball coach. Which, you know, that’s pretty fair! At the time, Gottlieb’s team was on a 7-game losing streak. That’s bad. Very bad.

It’s now worse.

UW-Green Bay lost to Division II Michigan Tech University on Wednesday. It was a close game! But, guys. This was not supposed to be a close game.

Gottlieb referred to Michigan Tech as “Nobody U” ahead of the game and insinuated that his team would win by 20.

“I don’t really like the idea of Nobody U coming in here…I always say, ‘What do we learn by playing a game where we win by 20?’,” Gottlieb said. “But there’s a methodology to it, and I’m going to have to adjust moving forward.”

Gottlieb’s team did not lose by 20. They lost by two. The final score was 72-70. That’s so embarrassing. Stack that on top of the Schefter call out and, whew boy, Gottlieb is having himself a week.

Things were so bad that he didn’t even show up to host his own radio show three hours after the game this morning.

The next time we see Gottlieb he might be wearing a paper bag over his head. Things are that bad for him right now.

On one hand, it’s hard to blame him. Losing like that to a team you shouldn’t lose to is never great. On the other hand, you talked all that smack. You’ve got to show up when things don’t go your way.

Either way, I guess this just shows you you can’t hire a hot-take merchant to coach a basketball team. Yikes.

Tom Izzo and Greg Kampe wore matching Grinch sweaters while coaching against each other

You probably haven’t seen this one before.

Something strange happened: The Michigan State and Oakland head coaches intentionally wore the same outfit to coach against each other.

Michigan State’s Izzo and Oakland’s Kampe played in Detroit at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday. Izzo has led his Spartans to eight Final Four appearances, earning a title in 2000. He is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Kampe has coached at Oakland, in Michigan, since 1984. You may remember Kampe as a beloved character from the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Last year, his program upset No. 3 Kentucky during the first round of March Madness.

Last night was not the first time he has worn an ugly sweater around this time of year, making headlines for this heinous 3-D moose outfit in 2016.

But getting Izzo to join in on the fun was a particularly nice touch.

After the game, the two coaches sat down for a rare but thrilling joint press conference.

Izzo made fun of Kampe for buying the “ugliest sweaters” ever and teased him for actually paying for the purchase.

Kampe also made jokes about his own team getting hurt during warmups.

The whole exchange was absurd and hilarious and we need more content of Izzo and Kampe together.

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Pelicans select Dylan Harper in latest 2025 NBA mock draft from Bleacher Report

This would change EVERYTHING for New Orleans.

While this draft was long considered one centered around Cooper Flagg, there is suddenly some competition at the top with Dylan Harper.

After a blazing start to the season for the Rutgers freshman, the 6-foot-6 guard is beginning to get some buzz to potentially enter the conversation at No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.

As of right now, Flagg is still the overwhelming favorite to hear his name called with the first overall pick. But whatever team lands the second pick should not feel disappointed, either, especially if Harper keeps playing this well.

The latest projections from Jonathan Wasserman has the Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year and McDonald’s All-American Game MVP at No. 2 overall to the Pelicans (via Bleacher Report):

“Dylan Harper has begun to separate himself from the No. 3 prospect, whoever it may be come draft night.

He’s coming off a buzzer-beater pull-up three to beat Seton Hall and continuing to sell scouts on his potential star capabilities.

Despite receiving unreliable support from Rutgers role players, Harper is leading all freshmen in scoring on an impressive efficiency (59.5 percent 2PT, 61.9 percent true shooting) while also still assisting on 29.2 percent of teammates’ field goals and taking excellent care of the ball.

He’s in a tough spot to be a No. 1 option and shoot a high percentage or limit the forced plays/decisions, but he’s averaging 23.5 points, 4.4 assists and 2.3 turnovers on 52.0 percent from the floor.

Three-point shooting consistency will inevitably come up when scouting Harper and perimeter players in general. But what we’ve seen feels different from the conversations around highly drafted, weaker shotmaking guards such as Scoot Henderson, Stephon Castle, the Thompson twins, Anthony Black, Jaden Ivey or Killian Hayes.

He’s at least putting pressure on Cooper Flagg in the No. 1 overall discussion.”

This would be a fantastic return in the draft for the Pelicans, who have had a season otherwise decimated by health.

While they traded for Dejounte Murray, his immediate injury made it a tough pill to swallow.

DYLAN HARPER: Rutgers star is the most exciting offensive prospect in the 2025 NBA Draft

New Orleans could add a potential franchise cornerstone in their backcourt with Harper as the future remains uncertain with both Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

Harper would have the highest offensive box plus-minus (9.8) among all freshmen in the NCAA since Williamson (12.8) in 2019.

Here is our latest NBA mock draft at For The Win, where Harper goes to the Washington Wizards.

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North Carolina weirdly pitched AJ Dybantsa on Duke’s success during failed recruitment

Why did North Carolina do this?!?

AJ Dybantsa decided to play college basketball at BYU, but before that, he considered various other schools including North Carolina.

Picture this scenario that Dybantsa experienced: You are the top basketball recruit in the nation and while meeting with the program, the university opts to weirdly invoke the success of their biggest rival as a reason to attend their school.

That is somehow exactly what happened for Dybantsa when he met with UNC, according to a recent profile by Matt Norlander. It makes no sense, but alas, here is what Dybantsa was reportedly told (via CBS Sports):

“North Carolina pitched him a vision of being the next all-time scoring superstar to wear Tar Heel Blue, following in the footsteps of Michael Jordan, Vince Carter and Jerry Stackhouse. They referenced how Zion Williamson’s net worth skyrocketed by choosing to play at Duke instead of Clemson, laying out what one season at a blue blood did for his career in advance of being drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans, including a shoe deal worth upward of $50 million before ever playing an NBA game.”

That was an absolutely absurd decision, and Duke seemed to troll UNC afterward by posting a GIF of Williamson:

After hearing this pitch, and the whopping NIL deal, it isn’t exactly as much a surprise that the projected No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft decided BYU as a better fit than UNC.

Whoever mentioned Williamson should probably reconsider that for future meetings with recruits.

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