Tag: ncaa basketball

Dick Vitale names Texas A&M HC Buzz Williams his National Coach of the Week

College basketball legend Dick Vitale names Aggie HC Buzz Williams to his Weekly Stars

The legendary Dick Vitale has dropped his “Dicky V’s Weekly Stars,” and Texas A&M basketball head coach Buzz Williams was named National Coach of the Week after beating Purdue 70-66 for another top-25 win.

Buzz is one of the more unique coaches in college basketball who is well-read and extremely animated on the sidelines. He truly believes that developing his players as men is more important than just creating a good basketball team.

Because of this, he has a low transfer rate and tends to have teams that stay together for a long time. He also builds long-lasting relationships with his players and other coaches, who have helped him grow to where he is now. This season is a culmination of what Buzz has been trying to build here at Texas A&M, and the bright future is bright.

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USC is No. 5 in USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll

USC trails only four teams in the new USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll

The USC women’s basketball team is ranked No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll. The Trojans have only one loss this season, their Nov. 23 setback against Notre Dame. They just hammered Oregon on the road this past Saturday in their Big Ten Conference opener.

The four teams ahead of USC in the new poll are No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 UConn, No. 3 South Carolina, and No. 4 LSU. UCLA defeated South Carolina earlier this season, which is why the Bruins are No. 1 and ahead of UConn. South Carolina has responded well to the UCLA loss, blasting Iowa State, Duke, and most recently TCU on Sunday. TCU was ranked in the top 10 going into that game. South Carolina handled the Horned Frogs comfortably.

USC faces UConn on Dec. 21 on a huge sports Saturday. That game will be nationally televised on Fox Sports and will compete against College Football Playoff first-round games.

Duke basketball passes massive national championship test in newest AP Poll

The Duke Blue Devils moved up to fourth in the Week 6 AP Poll, keeping them alive in the national-title hunt according to one recent trend.

The Duke Blue Devils moved up five spots to No. 4 in the Week 6 AP Poll, and according to a recent men’s college basketball trend, that keeps the team on the short list for national title contenders.

Each of the last 20 national champions were within the top 12 of the Week 6 AP Poll, a trend stretching all the way back to 2003-04. If the tea leaves come through again, one of the following teams will cut down the nets:

Eager-eyed Cameron Crazies will notice the Blue Devils are the only ACC team included on that list. The North Carolina Tar Heels dropped from the top 25 after four early losses, and the Clemson Tigers just missed the cut at No. 16 despite a recent upset of Kentucky.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag]’s recent form sure makes any national championship conversations look rational. The superstar freshman averaged 21.5 points and 11.5 rebounds against Auburn and Louisville last week, earning him his third ACC Rookie of the Week award a little more than a month into the season, and he leads the Blue Devils in four of the five major statistical categories.

Where are the Duke Blue Devils in Andy Katz’s latest basketball power rankings?

Were Duke’s wins over Auburn and Louisville enough to move them within the top five of Andy Katz’s latest power rankings?

The Duke Blue Devils made their strongest case yet for why they belong among the top basketball teams in the country last week, beating the Auburn Tigers at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Wednesday before a road comeback over the Louisville Cardinals on Sunday.

Despite the two impressive lines on the resume, however, national analyst Andy Katz needs to see more to put the Blue Devils back in the top five. In his updated Power 37 list on Monday, he only moved Duke up two spots to No. 6.

The Tennessee Volunteers vaulted into the top spot, the same place they occupy in every national ranking after their 8-0 start. The Tigers, Iowa State Cyclones, Marquette Golden Eagles, and Kentucky Wildcats all stayed above the Blue Devils.

The North Carolina Tar Heels entered the season as Duke’s biggest threat in the ACC title race, but after four UNC losses, Katz erased them from his extended rankings. In their place, the Clemson Tigers jumped up to No. 8 after their Kentucky upset.

Katz did list freshman superstar [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] as an early favorite for the All-America team. The 17-year-old forward earned ACC Rookie of the Week honors again after he averaged 21.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals against the Tigers and Cardinals.

Notre Dame men’s basketball defeats Syracuse, ending its losing streak

The losing slide has been stopped for the Irish

It was a much needed win for Notre Dame men’s basketball team on Saturday afternoon, as they defeated Syracuse 69-64 in Purcell Pavilion.

The Irish saw three players score in double-digits, [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag], [autotag]Braeden Schrewsberry[/autotag] and [autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag], with Davis pacing the group with 15-points.

Defensively, Notre Dame didn’t allow a three pointer made by the Orange, although they only attempted just 7 shots from that range. The Irish won the rebounding battle as well, 25-22. They are still having issues with their turnover-to-assist ratio, which saw they give the ball up 12 times to just 5 assists on the game.

Notre Dame ended a five-game losing streak, as they have shown to be extremely streaky this season. They won their first four games, followed by the losing streak, so the hope is that they’ll start another winning streak after this one.

The Irish’s season record now sits at 5-5 with a date with Dartmouth next on Dec. 11 at 7:00 p.m. ET at home.

Notre Dame guard J.R. Konieczny dunks the ball during a NCAA men’s basketball game against Syracuse at Purcell Pavilion on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, in South Bend.

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Olivia Miles triple-double highlights Notre Dame season-opening win

Yeah, she’s back all right.

Notre Dame’s season opener against Mercyhurst was full of storylines. [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] was in her first meaningful game since the end of the 2022-23 regular season. The Lakers were playing their first game at the NCAA Division I level.

There was no denying Miles’ proper comeback story though. She recorded the fourth triple-double of her career (20 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) to help the Irish crush the Lakers, 105-61. Every starter scored in double figures.

Despite having only seven players healthy enough for their season opener, the Irish (1-0) never let the Lakers (0-1) in the contest. They imposed their will from the opening tip with a well-oiled offense, a stifling defense and numerous high-energy plays that the Lakers simply couldn’t keep up with.

[autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] marked her Irish debut with a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds. [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] just missed a double-double but had 19 points, nine boards and three steals.

[autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag] scored 18 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked five shots in her first collegiate game. [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag], who missed most of last season because of injury, completed her own comeback story with 17 points.

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NCAA announces hosting sites for 2027 and 2028 March Madness brackets

The NCAA shared the early hosting sites for the 2027 and 2028 men’s basketball tournaments on Wednesday, including games in North Carolina.

The NCAA revealed the early-round host sites for the 2027 and 2028 men’s basketball national championship tournaments on Wednesday.

The ACC will host first- and second-round games in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the 2027 edition of March Madness. The Louisville Cardinals will also host early-round action on their home court in Kentucky that year.

As for 2028, the only ACC team with hosting duties that season will be NC State as Raleigh will serve as a tournament site. Notable programs like the Ohio State Buckeyes, Washington Huskies, Oklahoma State Cowboys, and UCF Knights will all host games that year as well.

The First Four games will be played in Dayton, Ohio, for both tournaments.

In the 2024 edition of the NCAA Tournament, the Blue Devils played their first two games at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Duke defeated Vermont 64-47 in the first round before eliminating James Madison with a 93-55 victory in the second, the first two games of a run to the Elite Eight.

Nebraska women’s basketball signs Croatian star Petra Bozan

Head coach Amy Williams announced that the team signed Croatian star Petra Bozan to the lineup.

The Nebraska women’s basketball team added another player to its 2024-2025 roster just three months before the start of the season. Head coach Amy Williams announced that the team signed Croatian star Petra Bozan.

Bozan, a 6-foot-3 forward/center from Split, Croatia, joins the Huskers after competing for the KAZL Split in Croatia’s Premier League. Across 22 games, she averaged 15.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocked shots per game.

She finished the season with a shooting percentage of .545 and recorded 17 double-doubles. She scored a season-high 31 points against Zagreb in October 2023 and hauled in a season-high 19 rebounds against Brod Na Savi in November 2023.

Bozan also represented Croatia in the FIBA European Championships for the last three years. She arrives at Nebraska following her recent outing in the FIBA U18 Women’s Eurobasket in Portugal.

Bozan led Croatia in both points (113) and rebounds (70) across seven tournament games. She ranked sixth among all players in the 16-team tournament in scoring, averaging 16.1 points per game, and third in rebounding, averaging 10.0 per game.

Bozan is one of four freshmen on Nebraska’s roster and one of two centers, the other being senior Alexis Markowski. Bozan plans to major in business at Nebraska.

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Nebraska men’s basketball in ESPN 2025 Top 100 recruit Antione West Jr’s final four

An ESPN 2025 Top 100 recruit is down to his final four schools heading into his final year of high school. Antione West Jr. announced that he is deciding between Purdue, Dayton, Ohio State, and Nebraska. Nebraska is in the mix to land a three-star …

An ESPN 2025 Top 100 recruit is down to his final four schools heading into his final year of high school. Antione West Jr. announced that he is deciding between Purdue, Dayton, Ohio State, and Nebraska.

Nebraska is in the mix to land a three-star shooting guard following a massive 2023-2024 season. The Huskers finished 23-11, the second most wins in school history, in a season that involved their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014 and a semi-final finish in the Big Ten Tournament.

West, a 6-foot-3 guard, received an offer from Nebraska in October 2023. He is ranked No. 77 in the ESPN 2025 Top-100 recruit list. He is one of three Top 100 recruits with Nebraska in the hunt. Koa Peat is No. 4 on the list, while Jalen Wilson is No. 95.

The Toledo, Ohio, native is coming off a strong junior campaign. At Whitmer High School, he averaged 20.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. He hit 49 percent of his shots from the floor and 70-of-187 from beyond the arc.

He also eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his career midway through his junior year. He helped the Panthers to the semi-finals and finished 25-3 on the season. He scored 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and four steals in Whitmer’s state semifinal loss to Centerville.

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Nebraska basketball in four-star center’s final five schools

Tommy Ahneman announced he is down to five schools before entering his senior year of high school, with Nebraska in the mix.

The Nebraska basketball team is now in the final five schools for a four-star center from the class of 2025. Tommy Ahneman announced he is down to five schools before entering his senior year of high school, with Nebraska in the mix.

The 6-foot-10 center is playing his senior season at Cretin Derham Hall in Saint Paul, Minnesota, after playing for West Fargo Sheyenne. He is the No. 45 overall recruit in the 2025 class, the No. 7 center prospect, and the No. 1 player in North Dakota.

Ahneman led West Fargo Sheyenne to the Class AA state title, earning the 2024 NDHSAA Class AA State Tournament MVP. He recorded 28 points, 17 rebounds, and two blocks in the championship game and finished the season, setting West Fargo Sheyenne’s career rebounding record with 54 boards.

Ahneman’s performance won him the 2023-2024 North Dakota Gatorade State Player of the Year. He finished the 2023-2024 season averaging 20.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.9 assists.

Ahneman put Nebraska in his final five, alongside Iowa, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and Wisconsin.

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