AP Marshall Henderson vs. BJ Young: Easily the most entertaining individual matchup this weekend will be when Marshall Henderson and Ole Miss square off with BY Young’s Arkansas team. If you’ve never seen Henderson play, he’s kind of similar to Jimmer in that he’s got no conscience when it comes to shooting, but that comparison only works if you imagine Jimmer having the personality of a professional wrestler. Young, on the other hand, is an athletic and dynamic comb0-guard that fits perfectly in with Mike Anderson’s uptempo style of play.
Making this game all the more interesting is that it is actually relevant. The Rebels are 3-0 on the season in the SEC and 14-2 overall. They have a real chance at earning an at-large bid this year. But losing to a team like Arkansas is not the best way to go about solidifying your resume.
Will someone step up in the ACC?: Here’s what we know about the ACC right now: Duke, when healthy, is the league’s best team. When they aren’t healthy, NC State and Miami might have a shot at claiming that title. Beyond that? It’s a mess, and part of the reason is that we really have no idea what is going on with Maryland or North Carolina.
Which is why the timing of the Terps’ trip to Chapel Hill couldn’t have been more perfect. Maryland is coming off of a big win over NC State at home on Wednesday, but one where they again struggled to execute and needed a last-second tip-in from Alex Len to win the game. Can UNC take advantage of Maryland’s flaws, though? That’s the big question that needs to be asked, because the Heels are very much a work in progress themselves. That said, they are coming off of a nice win over Florida State. If PJ Hairston and Reggie Bullock are both playing well, UNC can still be pretty good.
How good is Pitt?: I think that’s a question we’re all waiting to get an answer on. They had to Hartford on Saturday to take on the Huskies. Tray Woodall is back and healthy after the concussion he suffered against Marquette and will have his hands fulll with UConn’s guards. Pitt is now 2-3 in the Big East, but they’ve won their last two roads with the loss to Marquette coming in overtime when Woodall was out. If the Panthers can knock off UConn, it might be time to take them a little more seriously.
Let down for Wisconsin?: The Badgers travel to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m., which has been a place that Bo Ryan’s team has struggled in recent seasons. They got swept by Iowa last season and were taken to overtime on the road in 2011 by the Hawkeyes. They are also coming off of a win over Indiana in Assembly Hall, which sets them up perfectly for a disappointing performance against a scrappy Iowa team that really needs a win.
Key mid-major battles: North Dakota State travels to Western Illinois (Sat. 8:00 p.m.) for the right to first place in the Summit League. NDSU is 7-0 in conference play while WIU is 6-1. The big news, however, is that NDSU won’t have leading scorer Taylor Braun. And while Louisiana Tech may lead the WAC, Utah State at Denver (Sat. 6:30 p.m. ROOT) will be a battle for second place.
You can find Rob on twitter @RobDauster.
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Is Sheldon Jeter’s transfer ‘issue’ because of a lack of communication?
May 24, 2013, 10:20 AM EDT
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In the aftermath of Sheldon Jeter’s decision to transfer from Vanderbilt it was reported that Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings was blocking Pittsburgh as a possible destination. Some assumed that tampering was the reason for the move, but according to a report by Andy Katz of ESPN.com that may not be the case. Regardless of…
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Illinois forward Myke Henry requests release from scholarship
May 24, 2013, 8:52 AM EDT
AP
With the graduation of leading scorers Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson, there was a chance that 6-6 forward Myke Henry would see more opportunities to produce for Illinois in 2013-14. However it seems as if the Chicago native won’t be around to realize such possibilities, as it was reported by the Champaign News-Gazette that Henry…
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Charlotte, head coach Alan Major agree to extension through 2017-18
May 23, 2013, 10:50 PM EDT
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Head coach Alan Major led the Charlotte basketball program to its first 20-win season since 2008 this past year, as the 49ers won 21 games and received a bid to the Postseason NIT. Next up for Major’s program is Conference USA, and the former Ohio State assistant will make the move with a new contract…
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Colorado assistants get new titles in hopes of bolstering head coaching prospects
May 23, 2013, 9:30 PM EDT
AP
While the head coaching carousel is the focus every offseason the many changes within a coaching staff can also have an impact. At Colorado, head coach Tad Boyle is fortunate to have led the same staff for each of his three seasons in Boulder, resulting in the most successful stretch in the history of the…
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Saint Louis, Wisconsin headline 2013 Cancun Challenge field
May 23, 2013, 8:00 PM EDT
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The eight-team field for the 2013 Cancun Challenge is finally set, with 2013 NCAA tournament participants Saint Louis and Wisconsin headlining the field. The event will feature two four-team fields, with the Billikens and Badgers being joined by Old Dominion and West Virginia in the Riviera Division. The Mayan Division bracket consists of Bowling Green,…
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Atlantic 10 announces that all members will play in 2014 conference tournament
May 23, 2013, 6:20 PM EDT
With four departures (Butler, Charlotte, Temple and Xavier) and one arrival (George Mason), the Atlantic 10 Conference will have 13 members for the 2013-14 academic year with Davidson joining in 2014. Those changes have brought about another for the conference: beginning next season, all members will play in the Atlantic 10 tournament at the Barclays…
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Coach K: ACC will be ‘best conference in the history of the game’
May 23, 2013, 5:26 PM EDT
While much of this past season was spent lamenting the changing of the Big East, another result of conference realignment was the improvement of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s basketball product. Sure Duke and North Carolina managed to carry their share of the load in the years following the move from nine to 12 schools, but…
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Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski made it official on Thursday afternoon: he’ll be coaching Team USA basketball through at least the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. That’s been known for almost a week now. The interesting bit of news that came out of his press conference on Thursday afternoon had nothing to do with…
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I’m not sure there is a coach in the country that is better at developing players in his program than Bill Self at Kansas. Over the years, the best players that have come through Lawrence during his tenure have been moderately recruited — i.e. somewhere around the top 40 or top 50 of most lists…
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Bringing in ex-Gator Cody Larson worth the risk South Dakota State
May 23, 2013, 1:05 PM EDT
Cody Larson’s basketball career never got off the ground in Florida. After redshirting as a freshman, Larson was involved in a bizarre incident along with a team manager and Erik Murphy where he tried to break into a car after sneaking into a bar after closing time to inquire about a lost wallet. After being…
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It’s late May, it’s Thursday, and you don’t want to be paying attention at work when it’s nice out. So take 10 minutes and watch some dunks.
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Vanderbilt has made a change to their coaching staff, as Kevin Stallings went out and plucked Yanni Hufnagel off of Tommy Amaker’s staff at Harvard. “I couldn’t be more excited to join Coach Stallings and the rest of his outstanding staff here at Vanderbilt,” said Hufnagel. “Coach Stallings is not only recognized as one of…
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Michigan has no plans to part ways with Adidas at any point in the near future, according to a report from MLive.com. There had been some speculation in the last month that the Wolverines would end their contract with the apparel company because of the way that Adidas had handled a worker’s rights issue at…
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Kentucky phenoms choose 2013-14 preparation over other possibilities
May 22, 2013, 10:04 PM EDT
AP
As a recruiting class that has been hailed by some as the best in the history of college basketball, Kentucky’s incoming freshmen will receive a lot of attention throughout the 2013-14 campaign. And with the skills that players such as Julius Randle, Aaron and Andrew Harrison, Dakari Johnson and James Young possess a number of…
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AP
A third player with eligibility remaining will not return to the BYU program next season, as it was reported that 6-8 forward Agustin Ambrosino will not be a member of the basketball program in 2013-14. Ambrosino, who played an average of 6.2 minutes in 31 games last season, joins Raul Delgado (transferring to Metro State)…
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UMKC head coach Kareem Richardson completes coaching staff
May 22, 2013, 7:07 PM EDT
One week ago UMKC announced the addition of a fourth player to the program, as 6-10 forward/center Isaac Kreuer will return to the Kansas City metropolitan area after spending last year at the Impact Basketball Academy in Las Vegas. According to the Kansas City Star, first-year head coach Kareem Richardson has filled out his coaching…
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Report: Elon to officially join Colonial Athletic Association Thursday
May 22, 2013, 5:55 PM EDT
AP
With the loss of four institutions the Colonial Athletic Association has some work to do on the realignment front. Apparently the league has found a new member, as it was reported by the Wilmington Star-News that Elon will officially join the CAA on Thursday. Elon has announced a press conference for 2:00 p.m. EST Thursday…
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Nate Robinson, other Washington greats to play in alumni game June 23
May 22, 2013, 4:44 PM EDT
University of Washington
On Tuesday, the University of Washington announced plans for an alumni basketball game to be held on June 23. Returning for the game will be former Husky stars such as Brandon Roy, Nate Robinson and Jon Brockman among many. Festivities will begin at 1:00 p.m., with there also being three-point and slam dunk competitions for…
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Will Yeguete out four months after another surgery on right knee
May 22, 2013, 3:10 PM EDT
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Will Yeguete just cannot get healthy. The Florida forward missed the final nine games of his sophomore season with a broken foot and then had to sit out much of February after arthroscopic surgery on his right knee as a junior. He returned to play the final six games of the season. Yeguete underwent more…
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Is Antonio Barton the answer for any of the four schools chasing him?
May 22, 2013, 2:04 PM EDT
On Monday afternoon, former Memphis big man Tarik Black announced that he would transferring to Kansas where he’ll team up with Andrew Wiggins, Wayne Selden and Joel Embiid to give Bill Self the nation’s best non-Kentucky recruiting class and a shot at a national title. Black, who will be eligible immediately, may never end up…
