Around this time of year, those in the world of college basketball like to claim that “it’s hard to beat a team three times.” Coaches use the line as a truism, and it often spreads to their players. In his memoir, Dean Smith wrote, “It was extremely hard to beat a good team three times […]
Oscar Tshiebwe may be the national player of the year in men’s college basketball this season, but a year ago his team couldn’t find a place for him. After averaging fewer than 20 minutes per game with West Virginia in the first 10 games of 2020-21, Tshiebwe was in a rough place. He stepped away […]
The potential No. 1 pick in the NBA draft isn’t typically deployed as a decoy with the game on the line. However, that’s precisely what happened when Auburn and Florida lined up for the final possession of a conference matchup in mid-February. Jabari Smith, the 6-foot-10 freshman who has skyrocketed up draft boards, idled in […]
There wasn’t a conference more grateful for summer break than the Atlantic Coast Conference after the 2020-21 men’s college basketball season. Long the sport’s gold standard, the ACC entered the big dance without the Duke Blue Devils for the first time in 26 years — and that wasn’t even the oldest streak it snapped in […]
John Calipari’s 13th basketball team at Kentucky is, like most of his first 12, a legitimate Final Four contender. But something unusual is happening with this year’s juggernaut in Lexington. Calipari is relying mostly on a cadre of seasoned older players, including several transfers, who have brought some experience to the traditionally young Wildcats. The […]