College Basketball

What does it mean to earn the distinction of being the preseason National Player of the Year? More than anything, it sets the stage for one player and one program. The expectations become official. It’s a big deal, and it should be.  Typically, the guy who’s picked to be the best player in college basketball […]

For the first time in a long time, college basketball has moved back into a phase of having only five “major” conferences. Those five leagues account for 79 schools. That means there are another 285 schools (a voluminous 78%) filling up 26 more conferences that comprise Division I.  As we do every year, this is […]

Kansas is ranked No. 1 ahead of Alabama and defending champion UConn in the 2024-25 preseason AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll released Monday. The Jayhawks earned 30 of a possible 60 first-place votes to earn the honor for a second consecutive season. Alabama earned 14 first-place votes and ranks No. 2 in the […]

The SEC released its preseason predicted order of finish on Monday ahead of the 2024-25 college basketball season. Alabama was picked to win in the annual preseason poll, and its star guard, Mark Sears, was given conference Player of the Year honors after deciding to skip the 2024 NBA Draft and return to school. The […]

The AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll was released Monday, signaling the start of the 2024-25 college basketball season is on the horizon. Kansas earned the No. 1 spot for the second consecutive year after earning 30 of 60 possible first-place votes. Alabama and UConn — the teams ranked second and third behind them — […]

Student-athletes now being allowed to profit off of their name, image and likeness has brought a lot of things to college athletics — not all of them great. But one undeniable positive is that some talented players are remaining in school longer than they probably otherwise would. Mark Sears is an obvious example. After an […]

An NIL company co-founded by former NBA player Kendrick Perkins in February faces scrutiny after an ESPN investigative report found the company used predatory tactics akin to offering high-interest loans. The company, Nilly, offers athletes upfront payments in return for the use of, or sale of, an athlete’s name, image and likeness (NIL) for up to […]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The leaders of the two most powerful conferences in college athletics made clear Thursday they have zero interest in ceding any of that power to third parties like private equity.  In the aftermath of a historic meeting between Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, the two were in […]

If you thought the previous and most recent iteration of the Big 12 we saw in the 2023-24 season was a gauntlet — with Houston and BYU among the teams joining the conference last season — then you’ll be thrilled about the competitive chaos that lies ahead for the conference this season.  While Texas and Oklahoma […]

The Big Ten will look drastically different during the 2024-25 college basketball season with Oregon, UCLA, USC and Washington joining the league. The additions of the four West Coast-based programs will swell league membership to 18, tying it with the ACC for the largest power conference in the nation.  Because of conference realignment and expansion, […]