These college basketball stars are playing in 2024 March Madness after hitting the transfer portal

Caleb Love, Hunter Dickinson and Harrison Ingram are familiar names in fresh places.

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Now that we’ve reached March Madness, it’s a great time to look at the impact of the transfer portal in NCAA men’s college basketball.

Although it’s undeniable that roster continuity matters when it comes to constructing a championship contender, it’s also imperative for a modern team to successfully manage the portal as well.

Before the season began, we knew that many big names were transferring to new programs. With postseason play right around the corner, though, we can finally see which players have settled in as the best fits in their new homes.

Here are some notable names who made the tournament last season, changed schools and have made the tournament again:

  1. Shahada Wells (TCU → McNeese State)
  2. Walter Clayton Jr. (Iona → Florida)
  3. Max Abmas (Oral Roberts → Texas)
  4. Keshad Johnson (San Diego State → Arizona)
  5. Steven Ashworth (Utah State → Creighton)

A few other names that fit this category include Great Osobor (Utah State), Darrion Williams (Texas Tech), Kadin Shedrick (Texas) and DJ Horne (NC State).

Additionally, there are some fascinating players who did not make the tournament last season. These are some transfers who will have a chance to carve their place in history on their new teams in this tournament:

  1. Dalton Knecht (Northern Colorado → Tennessee)
  2. Cam Spencer (Rutgers → UConn)
  3. Caleb Love (North Carolina → Arizona)
  4. Hunter Dickinson (Michigan → Kansas)
  5. Harrison Ingram  (Stanford → North Carolina)

Other players like this include Tyrese Samuel (Florida), Keshon Gilbert (Iowa State), Isaac Jones (Washington State) and Grant Nelson (Alabama).

It’s an exciting time for these players who can show the world who they’ve become at their new

SURVIVOR POOL: Free to enter. $2,500 to win. Can you survive the madness?

 Prospects with NBA range

Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

March Madness gives college basketball players an opportunity to turn themselves into legends.

One way that many of these athletes are able to do that is with 3-point shooting and in the modern game, those around the NCAA are continuing to shoot the ball from farther and farther. Both men’s and women’s college basketball players shoot from the international 3-point line, which is 22 feet and 1.75 inches.

We were given access to the database at CBB Analytics, which tracks how many field goals players have made from at least 25 feet away from the basket. For comparison, it is also beyond the NBA distance, which is 23 feet and 9 inches at the top of the key.

This list highlights those who are both regularly (and accurately) shooting from at least more than few feet behind the NCAA’s 3-point line. Here are 20 players in March Madness with incredible shooting range.

Shootaround

Coley Cleary / USA TODAY Sports Images

HoopsHype’s aggregate mock draft: Zaccharie Risacher, Nikola Topic, Cody Williams, and Reed Sheppard are rising

— Mics caught LeBron James saying the funniest 6-word NSFW reaction to the Lakers-Warriors malfunctioning shot clock

— The Magic posted (and deleted) a suggestive Gradey Dick jersey swap post-game photo

— Kelly Oubre Jr. reacts to Sixers bringing in Kai Jones on a 10-day

2024 Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament Tracker: Full schedule, all results, updated bracket

Our Big Ten women’s basketball tournament tracker is live with updated matchups, TV times, betting odds, bracket and more.

The Big Ten women’s basketball tournament is now set with the conclusion of the regular season now behind us. Ohio State claimed the top spot in the final Big Ten standings and will own the top seed in the women’s basketball tournament while Iowa and Caitlin Clark are looking to capture a third consecutive Big Ten tournament championship in a final push for a no. 1 seed in the NCAA women’s basketball tournament.

This year’s Big Ten women’s basketball tournament will take place in the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota for a second straight year (the same venue will host next week’s Big Ten men’s basketball tournament as well). Games throughout the tournament will be aired on the Peacock streaming platform, Big Ten Network or CBS and Paramount+.

Here is a look at the full bracket.

We will be keeping track of the results and updated betting lines as the tournament plays out with our Big Ten women’s basketball tournament tracker. This will be updated throughout the Big Ten tournament so be sure to bookmark this link for future reference.

All times are Eastern.

Ohio State basketball ends regular season on high note with win at Rutgers

What a different looking team. #GoBucks

It has been a much different Ohio State basketball team than what we saw under  former head coach Chris Holtmann. Since interim head coach Jake Diebler took over, the Buckeyes are 5-1 after yet another win on Sunday, this time on the road against a Rutgers team that is awfully hard to take down at home. The final score wasn’t even close; OSU won 73-51.

For those efforts, Ohio State has improved from 13th to no worse than 10th in the league standings. The placement isn’t anything to write home about, but it does get OSU closer to being a bubble team, which would have been unthinkable just three weeks ago.

The Buckeyes raced to a 10-1 lead, but Rutgers clawed its way back thanks to some stiff defense. It closed the gap to two, and OSU headed to the locker room up 30-28.

The second half was a different story, however. Defensively, OSU’s looked like the better team, which led to some runouts and good possessions on the offensive end. The lead gradually grew and made the outcome no longer in doubt.

Roddy Gayle Jr. led Ohio State with 14 points, but three others also finished in double figures: Thornton (11), Jamison Battle (10) and Felix Okpara (10).

The win improves Ohio State’s overall record to 19-12 and its Big Ten mark to 9-11. Next up is the Big Ten Tournament, and with a little bit of a run there, who knows …

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

Ohio State basketball vs. Rutgers: How to watch, stream the game

Regular season finale in Piscataway. #GoBucks

The Ohio State men’s basketball team is trying to play itself into the NCAA tournament. Winners of four of the last five games, the Buckeyes will head to Piscataway to face Rutgers in the regular season finale.

OSU got the best of Rutgers way back in early January with a four-point win in Columbus. However, the road struggles have been well documented with this team. The Buckeyes were able to get their first road win a couple of weeks ago in East Lansing over Michigan State but can Ohio State get another win away from the Schott and go into postseason play on a high note?

Here’s how to see all the action.

Basic info

When: Sunday, March 10, at 2 p.m. EDT

Where:  Jersey Mike’s Arena (Piscataway, New Jersey)

How to watch/stream/listen:

Broadcast: BTN

Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Radio: IMG Radio Network (flagship station WBNS 97.1 The Fan)

Radio announcers:

  • Paul Keels (play-by-play)
  • Ron Stokes (analysis)

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

Big Ten men’s basketball tournament if the season ended today

Northwestern and Minnesota drop in the Big Ten seeding, while Michigan State makes a big move up. Here is the updated Big Ten tournament seeding outlook.

The college basketball regular season is beginning to wind down, which means seeding in the Big Ten men’s basketball conference tournament is beginning to fall into place. Purdue continues to be on pace to lock up the top seed in this year’s conference tournament but the jockeying for position to grab a coveted double-bye is still active, as is the battle for a first-round bye.

The bottom four teams in the Big Ten will be paired up in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. The no. 5 through no. 9 seeds will begin play in the second round of the Big Ten tournament. The top four seeds will get a double bye and begin competing in the Big Ten tournament in the quarterfinals.

This year’s Big Ten men’s basketball tournament will be held in the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. Games will air on Peacock, Big Ten Network, or CBS and Paramount+.

We’ll be keeping track of the Big Ten tournament picture from now until the end of the regular season by updating this Big Ten tournament outlook on a daily basis.

This outlook was last updated on the morning of March 36

Huskers take down Rutgers 67-56 on Senior Night

Nebraska completed its final home game of the regular season against Rutgers.

Nebraska completed its final home game of the regular season against Rutgers. The Huskers took down the Scarlet Knights in a stellar 67-56 win to accompany their celebration of Senior Night.

Nebraska honored four seniors on the night: Keisei Tominaga, Josiah Allick, C.J. Wilcher, and Jarron Coleman. The squad combined for 36 points on the night, nearly half of the points scored by Nebraska in the win. The Huskers spent almost the entire game with the lead, and Rutgers never held it.

Tominaga led Nebraska in scoring, tallying up 18 points on the night. Juwan Gary dropped 15 points in the win and hauled in 11 rebounds to earn his fifth double-double of the season. Allick also earned a double-double, scoring 10 points and snatching a team-high and season-high 12 rebounds, his first of the season.

The Huskers move to 21-9 on the season and 11-8 in conference play. Nebraska will hit the road to face Michigan for its final regular season game. Tipoff is set for Sunday morning at 11 a.m. and can be viewed on the Big Ten Network.

Vikings 2024 NFL draft scouting report: Rutgers CB Max Melton

Rutgers CB Max Melton is the brother of Packers WR Bo Melton. Is he the same athlete as his brother? What is his 2024 NFL Draft stock?

Welcome to SKOL Search!

This series will be your guide to the 2024 draft class. From scouting reports to mock drafts and exploring different scenarios, we will be covering the NFL draft and the future of the Minnesota Vikings from all angles.

The focus of the draft class in this space will be on the Vikings’ major needs at quarterback, running back, defensive line and edge rusher. We will also focus on wide receiver since it’s a loaded class and an increased chance to get a Stefon Diggs-type steal in the later rounds.

The Vikings are slated to have 9 picks going into the NFL draft and they need to make the most out of them.

How the Big Ten stacks up in Joe Lunardi’s latest ESPN bracketology update after Purdue’s weekend upset

After a big loss this weekend by Purdue, how does the Big Ten look in Joe Lunardi’s latest bracketology update?

We are now less than a month away from Selection Sunday, with March 17 being the day every No. 1 seed or bubble team will know its fate. At this point in the season there is little movement among the top four seed lines, but when conference tournaments start in the next few weeks is where things can get interesting.

ESPN bracketologist Jor Lunardi released his latest bracket Tuesday morning, and the Big Ten was well represented with six teams in the 68-team bracket, which includes the First Four teams.

Lunardi also released his conference breakdowns, which highlight the teams he considered for one of the 68 slots and teams looking from the outside in at the bubble.

Most Big Ten teams only have five games left before the regular season ends on March 10, and then the conference tournament starts in Minneapolis on March 14.

Zach Edey and Purdue led over Illinois is down to 1.5 games after the Boilermakers were upset this past weekend by the Ohio State Buckeyes. The loss also took the No. 1 overall seed away from Purdue. The slim conference lead makes the two schools’ March 5 matchup in Champaign all the more exciting.

In Lunardi’s new bracket, six Big Ten teams are in the fold for the tournament: Purdue, Illinois, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Michigan State, and Nebraska. There has been a little movement since last Tuesday, most notably Michigan State jumping from a nine seed to a seven seed after wins against Penn State and Michigan.

Iowa, Ohio State, and Rutgers are three teams that Lunardi considered for the bracket, but they would need a big showing in Minneapolis to make the field.

Let’s take a look at where Lunardi puts the six Big Ten teams in this edition of his 2024 bracket.

Seventh-inning rally helps Duke softball win first game of Friday doubleheader

Duke needed all seven innings against Rutgers in the first game of a Friday double-header, but three late runs and some hometown heroics from senior Kelly Torres handed the team its fifth straight win.

Duke softball needed every inning on Friday against Rutgers, but the Blue Devils managed to power past the Scarlet Knights for a 4-1 victory after a seventh-inning surge.

Star pitcher Jala Wright, who started the season by winning ACC Pitcher of the Week for her opening weekend, shined again in the circle. She went the distance, pitching all seven innings and allowing three hits and a single run.

After a 1-2-3 opening inning, Rutgers catcher Katie Wingert took Wright deep to open the second inning for the game’s first run. Instead of letting the blast rattle her, the Blue Devils pitcher responded by taking down the Scarlet Knights’ next three batters to limit the damage to a single run.

In fact, Wingert’s home run was the only time a Rutgers batter reached first base in the first three innings. Wright allowed a walk with two outs in the bottom of the fourth before striking out outfielder Jillian Anderson to end the inning. The Scarlet Knights never gained any momentum, and Rutgers didn’t record multiple base runners in any of the seven innings.

Wright struck out six batters on Friday afternoon, bringing her season total to 19 through just 17.2 innings pitched. The run she surrendered in the second inning was just her second of the young season, and her ERA still sits at just 0.79 after the outing.

As impressive as Wright was on the mound, however, it took Duke some time to gain momentum in the batter’s box. Less than 48 hours after a record-setting 18-run performance against North Dakota State powered by three grand slams, the Blue Devils didn’t put a run on the board for the first four innings.

Finally, Duke broke through in the fifth inning. Senior catcher Kelly Torres, playing in front of her home Fort Lauderdale crowd in Florida, smashed a home run to lead off the inning and tie the game.

The Blue Devils couldn’t capitalize farther in the fifth or sixth innings, however, and the game remained tied as the final inning began. At the buzzer, however, Torres came through again. With two runners on, the hometown hero brought home the go-ahead run with a sacrifice bunt.

One batter later, for a little extra insurance, freshman Amiah Burgess doubled into left-center field to bring home Torres and Sarah Goddard, stretching the Duke lead to three runs.

The three runs were more than enough of a buffer for Wright, who only needed three batters to force the game’s final three outs and cement Duke’s fifth straight victory.

The victory moves the Blue Devils, a consensus top-10 team in the country, to 5-1 on the young season as Duke hasn’t lost since the season opener against No. 1 Oklahoma.

Duke will take on host Florida International University later on Friday for its second game of the day.

Top 20 Big Ten football non-conference games in 2024

The top 20 Big Ten non-conference games of 2024 includes a few home games against SEC opponents.

The world of college football is about to look a lot different this 2024 season. Conference expansion has exploded once again with the Big Ten set to add four new members from the West Coast (Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington), and the SEC is landing two mega programs from the Big 12 (Oklahoma and Texas). Meanwhile, the Big 12 is picking up some of the beefier leftovers from the Pac-12 and the College Football Playoff is about to expand from four teams to 12! Yes, this is going to be a college football season unlike any we have seen before.

The latest realignment changes and playoff expansion has been suggested by some to take away from the importance of the regular season. And conference expansion could once again be a blow to some storied rivalries. Fortunately in 2024, Big Ten expansion has not killed off a couple of key in-state rivalries from the Pac-12 just yet. This season will see three different SEC schools travel into a Big Ten stadium, something once only thought to be a dream for Big Ten fans ripping SEC schedules over the years.

Here is a look at the top 20 non-conference games on the Big Ten schedule this upcoming college football season.