USC’s Bronny James received standing ovation after checking in for the first time since cardiac arrest

Pops LeBron James was excited to see Bronny make his debut against Long Beach State.

On Sunday afternoon, Bronny James checked into a college basketball game for the first time as his USC Trojans faced Long Beach State. James received a standing ovation and rousing applause from the home crowd, which included his NBA superstar father, LeBron James.

Bronny’s playing future was surrounded with questions after he suffered a cardiac arrest back in July during practice. Although Bronny missed the first team practice in September, he was expected to be able to make his collegiate debut this season. LeBron James was elated to see his son enter the game, filming on his phone from court side.

It didn’t take long for the son to look like his father, getting back in transition to block a shot off the backboard.

And later, Bronny scored his first ever points in college on a nice transitional three-pointer!

It is so good to see him back out on the court. Here’s to many more highlight reels.

13 men’s college basketball coaches joining new programs for the 2023-2024 season

These 13 head coaches should definitely be on your radar.

The 2023-2024 men’s college basketball season starts on November 6th, and with the new season comes fresh new faces, all vying to improve their programs.

Per ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, 61 schools welcomed new leadership to their staff, a change that started with vacancies at several large programs. Some of those openings were filled with mid-major coaches, creating a chain reaction of teams shuffling the best talent that Division I basketball has to offer, all for a chance at post-season glory.

With basketball just days away, there are 13 new coaches that you’ll want to keep an eye on, including some who are jumping into head coaching for the first time.

UConn mascot Jonathan the Husky finally made it to the Final Four despite flight drama

UConn’s very good boy has made it to Houston.

Fret not, UConn fans and animal lovers: Jonathan the Husky has made it to Houston for the Final Four.

The Huskies are the only team left that has not only made a Final Four, but also won a men’s NCAA title. Connecticut’s last men’s basketball national championship came under Kevin Ollie after an unprecedented run in 2014.

The live mascot of the University of Connecticut — officially named Jonathan the XIV — seemingly wasn’t going to be able to take the trip due to being just a very big boy with lots of fluffy fur. A tweet from the official account of the mascot shared a picture of a very sad Jonathan.

Immediately, the powers that be mobilized. Just three days after the initial tweet, the same account shared a smiling Jonathan aboard a flight to Houston, thanking UConn, the NCAA and Delta for making his pooch dreams come true.

Since arriving in Houston, Jonathan has become a tourist and has taken to the streets to see all the sights.

Congrats on the biggest win of the tournament, UConn. Here’s hoping Jonathan has the absolute most fun.

11 pictures that prove how chill Miami’s Isaiah Wong is on the court

Miami will need his relaxed play to pull off an upset of No. 1 seed Houston on Friday night.

When the No. 5 seed Miami Hurricanes take on top-seeded Houston Friday night in the Sweet 16, viewers will have a chance to watch the most chill athletes in men’s college basketball. Isaiah Wong, a guard for the Hurricanes, is an incredible player. He’s in his fourth year of college basketball, and the Piscataway, New Jersey native has the chance to lead his team back to the Elite Eight for the second-straight season.

MORE: 2023 March Madness: Staff picks against the spread for the men’s Sweet 16

Wong does a little bit of everything with steals, assists and a 39 percent mark from three. What really stands out, however, is just how chill the guy is at all times on the basketball court. Whether he’s playing defense or shooting the ball or in the huddle, Wong keeps his cool. His expression level.

Here are 11 pictures that illustrate just how chill he really is.

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Michigan State is the Big Ten’s last hope in 2023 to break the conference’s long title drought

It has been over two decades since a Big Ten team has won an NCAA title in men’s basketball.

The hopes of the Big Ten once again rest on the shoulders of Michigan State as the Spartans are the final team left in the NCAA tournament from the conference.

Eight Big Ten squads made the postseason, with three losing in the first round and four following suit in the second. No. 1 Purdue highlighted the first round failures and lost in historic fashion to No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson. Hot-handed Penn State fell in a valiant effort to Texas in the Round of 32.

Over the last three years — 2021, 2022 and 2023 — a total of 26 Big Ten teams have made the NCAA tournament. Only three have earned a spot in the Sweet 16, including this year’s No. 7 seed Michigan State.

Since 2015, only two Big Ten teams have made the Final Four, and no Big Ten team not named Michigan State, Michigan or Wisconsin has made the Final Four since Ohio State did it 2012.

So you might be asking: When did a team from the Big Ten last win an NCAA title in men’s basketball?

That would be 23 years ago when — you guessed it — Michigan State defeated Florida in the 2000 title game. Can Tom Izzo break a streak that dates back to when The Road to El Dorado was number one in theaters? In order to do that, they’ll first have to get past a very good Kansas State squad in the Sweet 16.

This Sweet 16 will be missing the ‘Blue’ bloods

I guess you can say they are feeling…BLUE.

This year’s field in the Sweet 16 is going to look a little bit different. For the second time since 1980, the field of 16 won’t feature four mainstays in the tournament. This feat didn’t occur once from 1980 to 2019.

Per a tweet from CBS Sports, much like the 2021 field, it will be missing the [autotag]Duke Blue Devils[/autotag], [autotag]Kansas Jayhawks[/autotag], [autotag]Kentucky Wildcats[/autotag], and North Carolina Tar Heels.

That year the field featured the following teams:

This year’s field has some similar names including Alabama, Arkansas, and UCLA already punching their tickets to the Sweet 16. The team that ultimately won the title, Baylor, can add their name to the list with a victory over Creighton on Sunday evening.

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5 Cinderella candidates (College of Charleston!) in the men’s NCAA tournament

Shine off those glass slippers, folks. Let’s head to the Big Dance.

The bracket for the 2023 NCAA men’s tournament is now live, so it’s time to dig into the matchups. Cinderella stories are always one of the best parts of postseason college basketball. Last season, Saint Peter’s charmed the nation on a dream run that took the small Jersey City school to the Elite Eight with wins over powerhouses like Kentucky and Purdue.

This year, the field of 68 feels more balanced than ever before, meaning we could be ripe for another double-digit seed making its way through the bracket.

Let’s take a look at some of the most likely candidates to become Cinderellas in 2023.

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March Madness is officially here and it comes to you in the form of Southern Utah University game-winners

Southern Utah University is absolutely unreal right now

We all love March, man. It’s basketball season. Conference tournaments are well underway and we’re just hours away from the start of the NCAA tournament at large.

Jobs are on the line. Draft stocks are, too. And so is glory. This time of year is truly for all the marbles. That’s what makes it so special.

But you know March Madness is officially upon us when we start to see the ridiculous game-winning shots pour in from across the country. These are the shining moments everyone talks about.

And, fortunately for us, Southern Utah’s Men’s and Women’s basketball teams just gave us two of the wildest game-winners we’re probably going to see this March on back-to-back nights, no less. And the NCAA tournament hasn’t even started yet.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

Is Virginia’s Reece Beekman better when he goes without a t-shirt?

An in-depth and very serious investigation into Beekman’s stats with and without a tee in ACC play.

It was evident early in the ACC tournament quarterfinal between Virginia and North Carolina on Thursday night that Cavalier guard Reece Beekman was going to have himself a game. The 2023 ACC Defensive Player of the Year was in his bag early with three steals and eight points in the first 13 minutes of the game.

Beekman finished with a stat line that included 15 points, five assists, five steals and no turnovers, something that hasn’t been done in the ACC tournament since 1997.

For teammates like Jayden Gardner, it’s easy to tell when Beekman is going to have one of those games. “When he’s playing in the passing lanes and getting a lot of steals and dunking it, you know,” Gardner said after Virginia’s nine-point win over the Tar Heels.

“I know he’s going to cook every game,” first year shooter Isaac McKneely said with a smile as fellow freshman Ryan Dunn chimed in with a chorus of “Buckets. Just buckets.” from the locker next to him.

Beekman had a slightly different reasoning for his big performance. “It’s usually when I don’t wear an undershirt. That’s a key sign right there of a good game for me.”

After saying that in Virginia’s open locker room post game, fifth year Kihei Clark chimed in from a couple spots over. “You should do that more often.”

“My roommate Leon [Bond] was like, ‘I don’t think you should wear a shirt today,'” Beekman continued as he laughed. “I said, ‘Really?’ and just stuck with it.”

Based on some very in-depth research [read: skimming box scores and deep-diving into the team Instagram], Beekman might be overselling the tee-less performances. He wore no undershirt just four times in ACC play, and all on the road at Syracuse, Wake Forest, Florida State and Pitt. Virginia went 3-1 in those four games, with the lone loss coming at Pitt.

In those games, he went a combined 11-for-29 (38 percent) from the field, but 8-for-15 (53 percent) from three with 13 rebounds, 15 assists, four turnovers, one block and one steal. If you add in Thursday night’s performance, his shooting bumps up to 16-for-40 (40 percent) from the field and dips from three to a still solid 9-for-19 (47 percent) with 16 rebounds, 20 assists, four turnovers, one block and six steals.

So does he actually play better sans tee shirt? In the other 16 ACC games where he was burdened with sleeves, Beekman his stats per game for rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks are pretty comparable. His shooting from the field — 48-for-125 (38 percent) — is a hair below the average set in that five game sample, but his three-point shooting is a dismal 8-for-32 (25 percent) in ACC games where he covered his shoulders.

After conducting this VERY (not very) scientific research, it feels fair to say Beekman needs to let the arms breathe for the postseason if the Hoos want to see that three ball go through.

Virginia plays Clemson on Friday evening in the ACC tournament semifinals. The game is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Rock Chalk at the top: Kansas wins 4th national title, Self gets his second

USA Today’s Mackenzie Salmon looks at how the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team won their 4th national title and first in 14 years.

USA Today’s Mackenzie Salmon looks at how the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team won their 4th national title and first in 14 years.