Tag: Purdue Basketball

Wisconsin basketball enters 2024-25 season ‘receiving votes’ in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Wisconsin opens season in ‘receiving votes’ section of USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

The Wisconsin Badgers men’s basketball team will begin their 2024-2025 regular season on Nov. 4 at home against Holy Cross. The preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll was released on Wednesday in advance of the 2024-25 campaign, and Wisconsin begins in the ‘receiving votes’ section.

The USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll is conducted weekly throughout the college basketball regular season using a panel of head coaches at Division I schools. Wisconsin garnered one vote heading into the regular season.

The top five teams open the 2024-2025 campaign are No. 1 Kansas, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 UConn, No. 4 Houston and No. 5 Duke. Kansas is notable in particular to Badgers fans as guard A.J. Storr transferred to join the Jayhawks after one season with Wisconsin in 2023-2024.

Here’s a look at the full preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll:

Rank School Last Year’s Record Points
1 Kansas 23-11 743 (15)
2 Alabama 25-12 718 (6)
3 Connecticut 37-3 717 (6)
4 Houston 32-5 698 (4)
5 Duke 27-9 625
6 Iowa State 29-8 591
7 Gonzaga 27-8 575
8 Baylor 24-11 545
9 Arizona 27-9 510
10 North Carolina 29-8 498
11 Auburn 27-8 465
12 Tennessee 27-9 437
13 Purdue 34-5 390
14 Creighton 25-10 342
15 Texas A&M 21-15 332
16 Arkansas 16-17 272
17 Marquette 27-10 268
18 Indiana 19-14 208
19 Texas 21-13 166
20 Cincinnati 22-15 163
21 Florida 24-12 130
22 UCLA 16-17 123
23 Kentucky 23-10 95
24 Illinois 29-9 87
25 Mississippi 20-12 66

Others Receiving Votes

Texas Tech 60; Rutgers 57; St. John’s 42; Xavier 26; Michigan State 25; Oregon 16; BYU 16; Kansas State 11; Saint Mary’s 9; Boise State 9; Clemson 8; Ohio State 7; Dayton 7; Maryland 4; Grand Canyon 3; Wake Forest 2; Virginia 2; San Diego State 2; Princeton 2; Mississippi State 2; Wisconsin 1;

Within the Big Ten, four programs cracked the top 25, while six others were listed in the ‘receiving votes’ section. Those in the top 25 are No. 13 Purdue, No. 18 Indiana, No. 22 UCLA and No. 24 Illinois. Rutgers (57 votes), Michigan State (25 votes), Oregon (16 votes), Ohio State (seven votes), Maryland (four votes) and Wisconsin (one vote) just missed out.

Texas A&M Basketball’s matchup vs. Purdue Game Time, Channel has been revealed

Texas A&M’s big time Dec. 14 matchup vs. Purdue will air on CBS

Texas A&M’s 2024-2025 basketball season will officially begin on Monday, November 14th, as the Aggies will take on UCF inside Additional Financial Arena to open the year on the road.

While Texas A&M Football is off to a 5-1 start, Aggie basketball under sixth-year head coach Buzz Williams is on the up and up, starting with the return of star point guard Wade Taylor IV. At the same time, Williams added three veterans from the transfer portal this offseason, including former SMU leading scorer Zhuric Phelps.

Outside of veteran guard Tyrece Radford departing the program, two-way guard Manny Obaseki returns to what should be a starting role after ending the 2023-2024 season as one of the most reliable scorers in the SEC, while senior forward Henry Coleman also returns to the front court for a final season.

Over the past two seasons, Williams heard the calls to increase the early season difficulty of the schedule before conference play, seen in droves last season with games against Memphis and Houston, as the Aggies will face Ohio State, Texas Tech, Oregon, and possible Creighton, while one of the toughest matchups against Purdue in a neutral site game.

While Purdue star center Zach Edey has departed for the NBA, the Boilermakers are still one of the top programs in the country. On paper, this will be a guard-based matchup, giving the Aggies a slight edge.

Texas A&M vs. Purdue will be held at 11:00 a.m. CT on Saturday, December 14, inside the Indiana Pacers’ Arena. The game will air on CBS.

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

Alabama basketball announces home-and-home series against Purdue in 2024-25 and 2025-26

Alabama basketball agrees to take on Purdue again in 2024 after 92-86 loss in Toronto a season ago

Since taking over as the head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball program, [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] has completely eradicated the notion that Alabama is only a “football school.” In just five years, Oats has posted a 117-54 record with a laundry list of accolades, including two SEC regular season two titles, two SEC tournament championships, an SEC Coach of the Year award, and guided Alabama to the school’s first-ever Final Four appearance.

Oats has done an outstanding job on the recruiting trail and filling out the Alabama roster, but the thing that has set Alabama apart during his tenure is their desire to play the toughest non-conference schedule possible. In 2023, the Crimson Tide took on a number of ranked opponents such as Creighton, Arizona, Oregon and Purdue among others.

After an outstanding 2023 game, Alabama and Purdue have agreed to run it back in 2024-25 and 2025-26 as the two schools have agreed to the home-and-home series. The Boilermakers got the best of the Tide 92-86 in Toronto a season ago, but with Zach Edey now gone, the Crimson Tide will look for revenge on the road.

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Alabama Basketball close to finalizing home-and-home series with Purdue

According to CBSSports’ Jon Rothstein, Alabama and Purdue are close to finalizing a home-and-home series that would begin in 2024.

If any one thought that the Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team was done finalizing their non-conference schedule, they would be wrong. The Crimson Tide are finalizing a home-and-home series with the Purdue Boilermakers. According to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, the series would begin at Purdue’s Mackey Arena next season. There will be a return game in Tuscaloosa in 2025.

Interestingly enough, Purdue and Alabama met during the 2023-2024 season. The Boilermakers prevailed 92-86 over the Crimson Tide. Now, Alabama will have an opportunity to return the favor in West Lafayette in 2024.

Alabama will have a new-looking roster next season that will contain four high school signees and four incoming transfers. Purdue will look different without big man Zach Edey on their roster. It will be intriguing to see how both teams fair one season removed from a Final Four appearance.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama men’s basketball program.

Familiar face to Wisconsin basketball announces transfer to Duke

Familiar face to Wisconsin basketball announces transfer to Duke

The NCAA men’s basketball transfer portal has been full of twists and turns this offseason. The latest: former Purdue forward Mason Gillis is heading to Duke. After five years with the Boilermakers, the longtime Purdue starter is heading to Durham.

Gillis was a redshirt his freshman season before being an active part of the team’s rotation in West Lafayette for four campaigns, most recently averaging 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds over 39 contests during the 2023-2024 season.

Related: An updated list of Wisconsin basketball’s transfer portal targets

He joins a Duke program that lost in the NCAA Tournament regional final in 2023-24. Head coach Jon Scheyer will be entering his third season in 2024-25, still looking to make his first Final Four run.

Purdue, on the other hand, is reloading its roster after a national championship loss to UConn. Gillis isn’t leaving a bad team for a better one, but rather capitalizing on his final year of free agency.

In the modern age of college basketball, it’s hard to imagine that many players will begin and end their collegiate careers with the same program and Gillis is a great example of just that.

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How to buy Purdue vs. UConn NCAA Men’s National Championship game tickets

Want to watch Purdue and UConn play for the title in person? Limited tickets for the Men’s NCAA Championship game still remain for as little as $192.

After almost three weeks of true basketball madness, chalk reigns supreme in the men’s bracket, as No. 1 Purdue and No. 1 UConn will play for a national championship.

The Boilermakers turned No. 11 NC State’s Cinderella run into the proverbial pumpkin behind 20 points and 12 rebounds from Zach Edey, though the Wolfpack have every reason to hold their heads high after a fantastic tournament run.

No. 4 Alabama played UConn closer than any team so far in the NCAA Tournament, but the Huskies were too much when it mattered most, closing the game on a 30-16 run, and defeating the Crimson Tide 86-72.

SHOP: Purdue vs. UConn NCAA Finals tickets

In a college basketball season marked by upsets, two of the best teams, with two of the best big men in the country will square off with a national title on the line.

The National Championship Game will be played in Glendale, Ariz on Monday, April 8 at 9:20 p.m. EDT, and limited tickets still remain.

Don’t miss the chance to see history, either with Purdue’s first NCAA Tournament title or UConn’s back-to-back championships.

At the time of publication, National Championship Game tickets were still available for as little as $192.

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Zach Edey was a high school baseball pitcher but this video shows basketball was the right choice

Edey eventually outgrew the sport but he was a sight to behold.

Long before he was absolutely dominating during March Madness, Purdue big man Zach Edey was playing a different sport in high school.

Edey, a 7-foot-4 center who is originally from Canada, was the national collegiate player of the year last season and will likely win it again this year. The big man has led Purdue to the Final Four for the first time since 1980.

But what is especially difficult to believe is that Edey did not even play basketball until he was a sophomore in high school. Before that, he was focused on ice hockey and baseball.

This video is resurfacing of him playing baseball and he was not bad! His fastball needed way more velocity but that is an intimidating presence to bat against.

Edey pitched in Ontario for the travel team Leaside. He was even reportedly scouted to play baseball at the University of Alabama.

He had a “stellar” youth baseball career, per The Athletic, and began his career as a first baseman. Edey was also throwing 70 to 75 miles per hour at 13 years old.

Although he wanted to become the tallest MLB player to ever play, Edey admitted that the sport became a lot harder for him as he grew (via Journal & Courier):

“It was something I really wanted during my childhood. Something I dreamed about,” Edey said. “I kind of outgrew the sport. My shoulder was kind of giving out a little bit. It wasn’t very realistic anymore.”

He elaborated about the difficulties of the growth sport (via Stadium):

“I was growing so much, losing muscle mass, and I couldn’t hit,” Edey said. “I was uncoordinated because of the amount of size I put on. My eye line changed, everything changed. I was still pitching fairly well, but had a lot of arm, shoulder and elbow problems. I was throwing too hard for where my muscle development was at, and I lost a lot of my love for the sport because I felt like I was outgrowing it.”

Even though Edey potentially could have played college baseball in the United States, he now has a chance to become a lottery pick as an NBA player.

We projected that the big man will hear his name called in the first round of our latest 2024 NBA Mock Draft.

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NCAA announces officiating crew for Final Four matchups

The officiating crew is set for the Final Four matchups!

The 2024 NCAA Tournament men’s Final Four will get underway on Saturday evening when the semifinal matchups tip-off from Phoenix.

The UConn Huskies are the favorites entering the final weekend of the season as the No. 1 overall seed looks to repeat as national champions. While the Alabama Crimson Tide, Purdue Boilermakers, and NC State Wolfpack will each look to claim a title in the desert.

Like it or not, officials will also play a role in the Final Four matchups, and on Monday the NCAA released the officiating crew that will head out to Arizona to call the semifinal and championship contests.

How to watch Final Four semifinal matchups

  • NC State vs. Purdue, 5:09 p.m. CT on TBS/TNT/truTV
  • Alabama vs. UConn, 7:49 p.m. CT on TBS/TNT/truTV

Can NC State continue its magical run? Can anyone beat UConn? We’ll all find out this weekend as the 2023-24 college basketball season reaches its climax and we say farewell to March Madness.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.

Watch: In high school, Zach Edey was raw and unproven but flashed his potential

In high school, Zach Edey was raw but flashed his potential.

Zach Edey has Purdue heading to the Final Four, having put together another outstanding performance over the weekend in the NCAA Tournament. March Madness has been truly maddening for opposing defenses trying to stop the Purdue center.

All of which makes Edey’s high school recruitment a bit of its own madness. As a center at IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida) in the class of 2020, Edey was certainly under-recruited based on his eventual output for Purdue.

On Sunday, Edey scored 40 points as Purdue booked their ticket to the Final Four with a win over Tennessee. He is averaging 25.0 points per game on the season and a career-high 2.2 blockers per game.

Born in Canada, Edey didn’t start playing organized basketball till his sophomore year of high school. At IMG, he took a significant step forward in his development but was still very much under the radar.

Then a 7-foot-3, 265-pounder center, Edey had offers that included Baylor, Minnesota, Santa Clara and Tulane among others.

In the On3 Industry Rankings, Edey was a consensus three-star recruit and was ranked the No. 255 player in the nation.

 

Watching these highlights of Edey and it is clear that his size was the biggest factor in his high school success. There is just no one at the high school level who was prepared to handle his length.

But the nuances to his game, including his outside game, really began to develop at Purdue. Watching his unrefined potential, however, is a real treat.

Final Four tip times announced for men’s NCAA Tournament

Tip times are officially set for the Final Four!

The 2024 NCAA Tournament Final Four is set for men’s basketball as the Alabama Crimson Tide, the UConn Huskies, the NC State Wolfpack, and the Purdue Boilermakers will soon head to Phoneix to try and claim a national championship as March Madness draws closer to an end.

Alabama is making its first-ever trip to the Final Four and will take on the defending national champion Huskies in one semifinal matchup while the Cinderella Wolfpack will take on the bruising Boilermakers in the other semifinal.

The semifinal matchups will take place on Saturday evening before the championship game takes place on Monday night.

How to watch Final Four semifinal matchups

  • NC State vs. Purdue, 5:09 p.m. CT on TBS/TNT/truTV
  • Alabama vs. UConn, 7:49 p.m. CT on TBS.TNT/truTV

Can NC State continue its magical run? Can anyone beat UConn? We’ll all find out this weekend as the 2023-24 college basketball season reaches its climax and we say farewell to March Madness.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Stacey Blackwood on X (Twitter) @Blackwood89.