Tag: Andy Katz

MSU basketball freshman SF Coen Carr is receiving national recognition

Coen Carr is receiving a lot of national praise ahead of the 2023-24 season:

In Andy Katz’s latest preseason rankings, Spartan freshman small forward Coen Carr received some high praise and recognition from the national media analyst.

Katz ranked the top ten wings in the nation heading into the 2023-24 season and Coen Carr checked in at No. 9 on his rankings.

Michigan State may be getting a special player for this season with expectations being high for the Spartans true freshman.

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Andy Katz lists MSU basketball in top five of updated power rankings for 2023-24 season

Michigan State basketball will enter the 2023-24 season as one of the favorites to win it all

Michigan State basketball will enter the 2023-24 season as one of the favorites to win it all.

Michigan State got some great news on Wednesday when both AJ Hoggard and Jaden Akins announced they would be returning for another season in East Lansing, Mich. Those two and the return of Tyson Walker means the Spartans will have arguably the best backcourt in the country next year.

College basketball analyst Andy Katz must agree because he has the Spartans at No. 3 in his updated power rankings. Michigan State is behind only Kansas (No. 1) and Duke (No. 2).

Katz also is high on Purdue at No. 4. Other Big Ten teams included in his top 36 power rankings are Ohio State (No. 19), Illinois (No. 20), Maryland (No. 22), Northwestern (No. 24), Indiana (No. 27), Wisconsin (No. 31) and Rutgers (No. 36). So it should be yet another great year of basketball in the Big Ten in 2023-24.

Click on the tweet below to view the complete rankings from Katz:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

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Andy Katz singles out Ohio State basketball as Big Ten’s top stock riser

We’ll see if it translates to success on the court. #GoBucks

College basketball doesn’t begin and end with the start and finish of the basketball season any longer. With a slew of potential one-and-done players and early entries into the NBA draft, transfer portal moves and NIL temptations, rosters can be shaped and formed in drastic ways through the offseason.

We’ve seen that so far under Chris Holtmann who has seen his fair share of players leave the program, but who has also enticed many to back the U-Haul up to the banks of the Olentangy as transfers. And with a couple of portal additions this offseason, that trend has continued.

The Big Ten Network’s Andy Katz recently took to Twitter to name the top five stock risers in the Big Ten after the spring and singled out Ohio State as his No. 1 team.

“Ohio State had great momentum because of their play in the Big Ten Tournament,” Katz said. “What did they do this spring? Well, they went within the Big Ten to add two key pieces. Jamison Battle from Minnesota — who is going to be a big-time scorer for the Buckeyes — and Evan Mahaffey from Penn State — certainly will be a major factor in the rotation.”

Behind the Buckeyes, Katz singled out Northwestern (2), Indiana (3), Wisconsin (5) and Penn State (5) as rounding out the top five teams that helped themselves in the spring from the conference.

There’s no doubt that Ohio State has some returning talent to work with, an influx of talented freshmen, and a couple of pieces through the transfer portal that should be a good mix. What remains to be seen is if all the pieces fit together to form the border of a fantastic turnaround this winter.

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WATCH: Brice Sensabaugh opens up to Andy Katz at NBA combine

Hear what Sensabaugh thinks of how well he thinks the OSU basketball team will be next year. #GoBucks

All indications point to Ohio State forward Brice Sensabaugh sticking in the 2023 NBA draft, especially with the Buckeyes seemingly without a spare scholarship for the talented, rising sophomore, and with most NBA types considering him a lock for the first round.

But if there’s something that Sensabaugh has to show, it’s his ability to be a two-way player. His offensive game was on full display last season but his defense was often looked at as an area of improvement.

Sensabaugh is onsite to take part in the NBA scouting combine and he took a few minutes to talk to Andy Katz. It’s a quick interview, but if you haven’t seen it, it’s worth taking just a couple of minutes to hear the former OSU star talk about his defense, what he thinks of next year’s Ohio State hoops team, and how he transitioned himself into a one and done player.

This year’s NBA draft is set to take place Thursday, June 22, and we’ll be here to bring you everything surrounding Sensabaugh’s experience, and ultimately, his landing spot when everything plays out.

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Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on Twitter.

Michigan State basketball guard Tyson Walker named a top ten player in NCAA Tournament by Andy Katz

Tyson Walker named a top ten player in NCAA Tournament by Andy Katz

After helping lead Michigan State basketball to the Sweet Sixteen of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Tyson Walker has officially arrived in college basketball.

This week, Andy Katz dropped his top ten players from March Madness, and it wasn’t a major surprise to see Tyson Walker make that list. You can see where he placed, along with the full top ten, below.

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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Ducks ranked among Andy Katz’s Top 36 college basketball teams for 2023 season

Andy Katz puts Oregon in his “way-to-early” rankings for 2023-24, suggesting the Ducks’ March Madness drought is about to end.

The men’s basketball season just ended and some are already thinking about next season.

NCAA.com and former ESPN reporter Andy Katz is one of those thinking about the 2023-24 season and he has put out his “way-too-early” Top 36 teams for the next year and Oregon is among those listed.

The Ducks have missed the last two NCAA tournaments, but with an incredible recruiting class coming in that will be mixed with some savvy veterans, it would be a shock if Oregon didn’t participate in March Madness in 2024.

Katz’s rankings include most of the usuals such as Kansas and Kentucky, but there are some surprises such as Florida Atlantic ranked as high as they are, suggesting the Owls weren’t a fluke during their deep tournament run in 2023.

While Oregon will have a lot of new pieces next season, there’s some early confidence that they can be among the top teams in the nation. Here’s where Katz had them ranked.

Andy Katz lists MSU in top 10 of initial ‘Power 36’ rankings for 2023-24 season

Michigan State basketball is a fringe top five team entering next year in the eyes of college basketball analyst Andy Katz

Michigan State basketball is a fringe top five team entering next year in the eyes of college basketball analyst Andy Katz.

Katz — who works for the Big Ten Network and NCAA.com — released his initial “Power 36” rankings for the 2023-24 season, and he has Michigan State near the top. The Spartans come in at No. 6 on Katz’s rankings.

Michigan State was the highest-ranked team from the Big Ten at No. 6. Other teams from the conference that were listed are Purdue at No. 8, Ohio State at No. 17, Maryland at No. 23 and Northwestern at No. 28.

Check out Katz’ complete rankings in the tweet below:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on Twitter @RobertBondy5.

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BTN Andy Katz speaks with Caleb McConnell about his time with Rutgers

Rutgers men’s basketball guard Caleb McConnell talks about the future of the program.

Caleb McConnell believes that he helped set the foundation for Rutgers basketball to be successful, not just in the past three seasons but he believes for the future as well.

McConnell had the opportunity to compete in the Reese’s Division I All-Star Game on Friday, featuring the top senior student-athletes. The former Rutgers guard was a member of the West roster, led by head coach Buzz Williams (Texas A&M). The West defeated the East 104-99, as McConnell played 25 minutes and contributed six points, eight rebounds, two steals, and one assist.

After the game, Big Ten Network college basketball analyst Andy Katz had a chance to interview McConnell. During the interview, Katz asked the Scarlet Knight what he thought about his Rutgers career and what the future brings for the program under head coach Steve Pikiell.

“The future is bright,” McConnell told Katz.

“You know coach Pikiell has been doing some great things and he just kind of set the foundation and I’m glad you know guys like me, Geo (Baker), Ron (Harper Jr.) and you know guys from the past – we kind of set the foundation…we kind of set the tone but only thing Rutgers is going to get better you know, it’s not just going to be defensively I think it’s just going to the be all around you know, team and we’re gonna be good.”

As for his own future, McConnell said he will continue to make his defense his calling card.

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Last week, the Rutgers guard was the first player in school history to win the Lefty Driesell Award, given to the top defensive player in Division I basketball. McConnell will officially receive this 2023 award during the 2023 men’s NCAA Basketball Championship.

McConnell finished his career first all-time on the Rutgers steals list (221), breaking Eddie Jordan’s 220 career steals. Also, he is the first Scarlet Knight to win a national defensive player of the year award twice this season.

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WATCH: Tyson Walker discusses Sweet 16 loss to Kansas State with Andy Katz

WATCH: Tyson Walker discusses Sweet Sixteen loss to Kansas State with Andy Katz

Michigan State basketball fell to Kansas State in overtime of the Sweet 16 on Thursday, as we all know, in a game many are calling one of the best of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

After the game, MSU guard Tyson Walker spoke to Andy Katz about the loss, where things went wrong and more.

You can watch it below:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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WATCH: Tyson Walker talks coming home to NYC, Sweet 16 matchup with Andy Katz

Watch Tyson Walker’s interview with Andy Katz following Wednesday’s practice

Following Michigan State’s practice on Wednesday, Tyson Walker was caught by Andy Katz on behalf of the NCAA. Katz did a one minute interview with Walker getting into the mind of the Spartans star guard.

In the interview, Katz talked about Walker coming home to New York City, the matchup with Kansas State star point guard Markquis Nowell and the belief he and his teammates have in making a run.

You can watch the full interview on Twitter:

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Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner.