Tag: ncaa basketball

Tommy Bowden says Nick Saban, Charles Barkley should be college sports ‘co-commissioners’

The former Tigers coach said that Saban and Sir Charles could get things ‘squared away’ in college sports.

Like most retired coaches, Tommy Bowden isn’t short on opinions when he talks about the current landscape of college sports.

The former Clemson coach, who led the Tigers from 1999-2008, last week appeared on a podcast with veteran Birmingham-based sportscaster Doug Bell. When asked about the state of college sports, Bowden offered a suggestion for who could “fix” the college game.

“One quick solution, I think, you’ve got to have co-commissioners that’ll get this thing squared away in one year. Let Nick Saban and Charles Barkley be co-commissioners,” Bowden said. “They both bring perspective, unique angles to college football, and that’s what’s needed (with) the professional aspect and NIL. So let Charles Barkley and Nick Saban be co-commissioners, and they’ll have it cleared up in two years.”

Bowden said that Barkley in particular brought a “common sense approach.” “He’d bring a unique perspective, no doubt. And he’d have some colorful comments,” Bowden quipped.

Bowden, whose father Bobby won two national championships at Florida State and built the Seminoles into a national powerhouse with their own unique brand and swagger in the 90s and early 2000s, recently made news for saying that Clemson fans shouldn’t be too critical of Tigers coach Dabo Swinney.

Swinney replaced Bowden midway through the 2008 season after a 3-3 start. Bowden, who turned 70 on July 10, hasn’t set foot on a sideline since then and was asked if he missed coaching.

“I really don’t. I coached 32 years so I was very fortunate,” Bowden said. “Born in Birmingham, heaven would be to coach at Alabama or to coach at Auburn. You usually pick one of the two. I got to coach at both of them and had great experiences at both of them. I was a head coach (at Clemson and Tulane), had some success, and had always had in the back of my mind my mid-50s to get out and do TV for eight or nine years.

“I might have stayed in (coaching) a few more years if that athletic director (Terry Don Phillips) hadn’t come and made the decision for me at six in the morning,” Bowden added with a chuckle.

The full interview with Bowden can be seen below.

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Clemson adds forward from 2024 NCAA Tournament team in transfer portal

Clemson women’s basketball added the final piece of the puzzle to their 2024-25 roster Friday.

The Clemson Tigers and women’s basketball coach Shawn Poppie have added the final piece to the team’s 2024-25 roster with the addition of Cal Baptist transfer forward Kinsley Barrington.

Listed as 6-foot, Barrington was part of a Cal Baptist team that reached the NCAA Tournament a season ago. She averaged career-highs in scoring (11.0 points per game), rebounds (5.3), assists (1.9) and minutes played (26.1).

Barrington reached double figures in 18 games last year, scoring a career-high 23 points against UT-Arlington on March 7.

Cal Baptist went 28-4 overall last season and won both the WAC regular season and conference tournaments. The Lancers lost to UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 84-55.

“Kinsley is the final puzzle piece to Team 50,” Clemson coach Shawn Poppie said in a news release Friday. “As a true stretch forward who plays with toughness, she checked off all of the boxes. She has the ability to shoot the three, post up against mismatches, and plays with great tenacity. Kinsley is a winner, just like many of our transfers, she has NCAA tournament experience. I’m excited to get Kinsley on campus soon to join a group that has been working extremely hard this summer.”

Barrington originally committed to Southern Utah before transferring to Cal Baptist and spending two seasons there. She’ll now finish her career at Clemson under Poppie, who took over as Tigers coach in March after the school parted ways with former head coach Amanda Butler.

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Dick Vitale has Kentucky in way-too-early 2024-25 Sweet 16 projection

Dick Vitale had Kentucky in his way-too-early ranking of Sweet 16 teams for the 2024-25 NCAA Tournament.

Beloved college basketball analyst and commentator Dick Vitale released his way-too-early look at the teams he forecasts to make the Sweet 16 of the 2024-25 NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

Kentucky was one of the teams on Dicky V’s list (at No. 15), one spot ahead of Rick Pitino’s St. John’s team.

Per Vitale:

“With no Sweet 16 appearances since 2019, the Wildcats are looking to make a huge jump with new coach Mark Pope. With nine transfers and three freshmen, the Wildcats need time to mesh and gain confidence but should be primed come March.”

As Vitale noted in his breakdown, Pope inherited a roster with zero returning players after former coach John Calipari bolted for Arkansas and others left for the NBA. Pope has added nine transfers through the portal since being named Wildcats coach.

RELATED: Where Kentucky ranks in way-too-early ESPN college basketball Top 25

Jaxson Robinson joins Pope in Lexington after the two spent the past two seasons at BYU. Guards Otega Oweh and Lamont Butler transferred from San Diego State, as did Koby Brea from Dayton and Kerr Kriisa from West Virginia.

Forwards Amari Williams (Drexel), Andrew Carr (Wake Forest) and Ansley Almonor (Fairleigh Dickinson) also transferred to Kentucky, as did Oklahoma State center Brandon Garrison.

Kentucky will open the season against Wright State Nov. 4 at Rupp Arena before Bucknell visits Lexington five days later. The Wildcats will also face Duke (Nov. 12 in Atlanta), Clemson (Dec. 3 in Clemson), Louisville (Dec. 14 at Rupp Arena), Ohio State (Dec. 2 at Madison Square Garden) and Gonzaga (Dec. 7 in Seattle) in nonconference play.

RELATED: Examining Kentucky’s nonconference schedule game by game

The top four teams in Vitale’s early Sweet 16 prediction were No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 UConn, and No. 4 Houston. Five SEC teams made Vitale’s list, including Calipari’s Arkansas team as well as Auburn and Texas A&M.

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Auburn to take on basketball powerhouse Duke in ACC-SEC Challenge

Auburn basketball will be put to the ultimate test this season when it faces Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

While college basketball may be amid its offseason, that does not prevent any action or news from happening. Various headlines continue to make their way across the nation, especially those relating to next year’s season. For Auburn, news was dropped Wednesday for next year’s SEC-ACC Challenge, some that turned heads across the nation.

The Tigers will be making their third-ever trip to Durham, North Carolina, to face the powerhouse Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Arena on Dec. 4.

The game announcement comes as just one small part of the recent news as both team’s rivals will play each as well when Alabama takes on North Carolina in Chapel Hill that same day.

Auburn has played in Durham twice before in 1975 and 1981. Overall, the Tigers are 0-4 against the Blue Devils, with the most recent game being a 78-72 loss in the Maui Invitational in 2018.

This game is felt as an honor by head coach [autotag]Bruce Pearl[/autotag], as he knows this will be a big task ahead of his team in the midst of another big season.

“I can no longer play the, ‘we don’t get any respect card,’ which I think we’ve earned by winning four conference championships over the last seven years,” Pearl said. “Personally, coaching in Cameron Indoor Stadium against head coach Jon Scheyer and the Duke Basketball program will be extremely meaningful to me. I know that it will be the same for our players and coaching staff.”

This year will be the second year of the cross-conference challenge, with the Tigers winning last year’s matchup against Virginia Tech 74-57 in Neville Arena.

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Nebraska basketball offers 2025 Wyoming guard Abdul Bashir

The Huskers are making offers for the 2025-2026 basketball season. Abdul Bashir, a guard from Casper (Wyo.) College earned an offer from Nebraska. Bashir is a Nebraska native. He hails from Omaha and plays for Omaha Central. He made an unofficial …

The Huskers are making offers for the 2025-2026 basketball season. Abdul Bashir, a guard from Casper (Wyo.) College earned an offer from Nebraska.

Bashir is a Nebraska native. He hails from Omaha and plays for Omaha Central. He made an unofficial visit to Lincoln on Thursday. The 6-foot, 7-inch freshman completed his first season at Casper College.

The guard played in 33 games and earned 32 starts. He averaged 19.4 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, and 3.2 assists per game. He also shot 46.3% from the field, 45.3% from three-point range, and 78.5% from the free-throw line.

Bashir’s highest-scoring game of the season occurred three times over the span of three weeks, dropping 33 points in each. His last big game occurred in the team’s Region IX North Sub-Region Play-In Game, leading his team with 33 points.

Bashir and the Thunderbirds reached the Region IX Tourney in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, but fell to Western Nebraska Community College. He led the team in the loss, scoring 18 points, going 7-of-15 from the field and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.

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Men’s basketball lands UCLA transfer Berke Buyuktuncel

 Berke Buyuktuncel, a power forward from UCLA, officially committed to Nebraska.

The Huskers landed another player in the transfer portal. Berke Buyuktuncel, a power forward from UCLA, officially committed to Nebraska. This is the Huskers’ sixth transfer of the offseason.

The 6-foot, 9-inch power forward played in 26 games during one season with the Bruins. Buyuktuncel averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game and shot 38.5 % from the field, 29.7% from 3-point range, and 62.8% from the free-throw line.

Prior to UCLA, Buyuktuncel represented Turkey on the international stage, including the FIBA U18 European Championship in 2022, during which he averaged 12.3 points, 7.4 boards, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game.

In the summer of 2023, Buyuktuncel helped Turkey finish in third place at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup. In Turkey’s 84-70 win over the United States, Buyuktuncel scored 19 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals.

The Huskers lost two key forwards, Josiah Allick to graduation and Rienk Mast to knee surgery. Buyuktuncel joins Nebraska’s frontcourt, which includes North Dakota State transfer Andrew Morgan and Washington transfer Braxton Meah, each helping fill the void.

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All-American guard returns to Badgers men’s basketball opponent

All-American guard returns to Badgers men’s basketball opponent

Caleb Love, one of the nation’s best college basketball players, announced Wednesday that he is returning to Arizona for the 2024-2025 season.

The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team will square off with him and the Wildcats in the regular season opener on Friday, November 15, at the Kohl Center.

Wisconsin faced Arizona last season, dropping the contest 98-73 in Tucson and Love compiled 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in the game.

Love was nearly a member of the Big Ten ahead of this past season, announcing that he was transferring to Michigan, but he ultimately ended up with the Wildcats instead.

Greg Gard’s squad in Madison will be undergoing some significant reorganizing as both primary guards Chucky Hepburn (Louisville) and AJ Storr (Kansas) transferred this offseason while senior forward Tyler Wahl graduated.

John Blackwell and Kamari McGee stand out as two returning players that could see significant workload increases while the team also added guard Camren Hunter (Central Arkansas), forward Xavier Amos (Northern Illinois) and wing John Tonje (Missouri).

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Fans shared their favorite Bill Walton broadcast moments after news of his death

What are some of your favorite Bill Walton memories?

News broke on Monday afternoon that former UCLA and NBA star Bill Walton passed away at 71 years of age. The Hall of Fame center battled cancer before succumbing to his illness, per the NBA.

Walton, a two-time NCAA champion and two-time NBA champion, had an illustrious basketball career that saw him win Naismith College Player of the Year three times and play 10 seasons in the pros.

Immediately, odes and tributes started pouring in for the iconic and eccentric basketball player and broadcaster.

Over the years, Walton became known for his hilarious — and generally off-topic — comments while calling games and doing radio spots, and fans quickly took to social media and shared their favorite Walton highlights.

It was a lovely way to remember the spontaneous and life-loving man.

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Former Texas A&M men’s basketball player becomes back-to-back national champion at UConn

Hassan Diarra officially hit the individual jackpot by parlaying a spot on the Aggies bench into becoming a back-to-back national champion.

On Monday night in Arizona, a former Texas A&M men’s basketball player officially hit the individual jackpot by parlaying a spot on the Aggies bench into becoming a back-to-back national champion.

After two seasons in College Station, guard Hassan Diarra entered the transfer portal in 2022 and eventually chose the University of Connecticut as his next home. Choosing to play for Dan Hurley and the Huskies was ultimately a wise one as Diarra won his second consecutive title earlier this week.

In 13 minutes of action, Diarra tallied 9 points on 4-of-6 field goal attempts and 1-of-2 from 3-point range with 2 rebounds. In a battle of top seeds, UConn beat Purdue 75-60.

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Despite being in his fourth collegiate season, Diarra has the option to return to school for one more year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It appears very likely that he joins his peer, women’s hoops star Paige Bueckers, in coming back for one more year with the Huskies.

Diarra’s most memorable moment in Aggieland came during the 2022 SEC Tournament second round when he hit an overtime game-winner against Florida.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

What Clemson, Alabama and Tennessee all have in common

NCAA Basketball: The Clemson Tigers finished the 2023-24 season ranked No. 15 in the final USA TODAY Sports Top 25 men’s basketball poll. The Tigers joined Alabama and Tennessee in some rare company with that ranking.

With the final men’s college basketball polls tallied for the 2023-24 season, Clemson is in some rather unique company among the three major men’s college sports.

Clemson finished at No. 14 in the final AP poll and No. 15 in the USA TODAY Sports coaches poll, both released Tuesday, April 9.

It is Clemson’s highest finish in the AP poll since 1997; the Tigers also finished 14th that year.

The Tigers’ run to the Elite Eight ended with the team finishing 24-12 overall. Among ACC teams, Clemson finished behind only North Carolina (29-8) and Final Four participants Duke (27-9) and NC State (26-15) in the polls.

National champion UConn finished its season 37-3 overall after a resounding 75-60 victory over Purdue on Monday night. UConn became the first school to repeat as national champions in men’s basketball since Florida in 2006 and 2007.

Clemson’s final ranking in the men’s basketball polls puts the Tigers in some pretty elite company.

As longtime Clemson Sports Information Director and broadcaster Tim Bourret noted in a social media post to X (formerly Twitter), only Clemson, Alabama, and Tennessee finished the 2023-24 seasons ranked in the final top 25 polls in both football and basketball — while currently ranked in the top 25 in baseball.

Clemson ranked No. 20 in the final AP and coaches football polls after last season’s Gator Bowl victory over Kentucky; Alabama was No. 5 with Tennessee at No. 17.

The Tigers are currently ranked No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll. Tennessee is No. 4 in the poll while Alabama is No. 17.