While everyone else put “Mad Men” on the TV at 6 in the east, it was time for Heat-Thunder. Is there really a question what you should have watched? The atmosphere in OKC was like a late-round playoff game and the Thunder came out hot. James Harden’s full-court dime to Kevin Durant was finished by KD’s off-balance righty layup over Shane Battier (11 points) and Dwyane Wade. That was the appetizer. Read More »

If you have no collegiate allegiance and prefer the pro game, there are still plenty of reasons to watch the NCAA Tournament this season.

The game those fans play could be named “Spot the Future NBA All-Star” with the lineup of top freshmen in their first (and likely only) NCAA Tournament appearance before bolting to the pros.

We’ve highlighted the best five here while we wait to see their tournament debuts — and possibly at the same time, tournament finales. Read More »

It makes sense, given its roots in the ivory towers of higher education, but no sport attracts volunteer experts quite like college basketball. Major League Baseball, the NBA and the NFL may have embraced new math, but college hoops has its own science: That thing we call Bracketology.

And in almost every interview I’ve heard and column I’ve read from these experts this season, one question has been consistently asked and answered: “Who is the next VCU?” Read More »

Since he watches so much college basketball, you’ll be pressed to find someone besides Doug Gottlieb with a better handle on which NBA Draft prospects will succeed and which ones will become busts. With that, we give you an exclusive conversation we recently had with the ESPN analyst. In part one of this conversation that we ran Sunday afternoon, Gottlieb broke down the tournament and college basketball in general, speaking on parity and the notion that recruiting has drastically changed in the past few years. Read More »

Forget Steve Nash and Baron Davis. Jeremy Lin is taking over NYC. The Knicks survived New Jersey 99-92, and it was their popular bench warmer who had the city juiced. Deron Williams (21 points, 11 assists), the former best point guard in the world, was getting worked over by Lin (25 points, five rebounds, seven assists) down the stretch. Jumpers. Pick-n-rolls Everything was out of wack for New York. Carmelo (3-for-15) couldn’t make a shot, and Amar’e Stoudemire wasn’t much better, but Lin was pulling out reverses, and after a three-point play, Tyson Chandler was doing the Brandy Reed celebration from back in the day … Read More »

Nothing hurts more than losing your spot at the gym because you lost to a bunch of random dudes. That’s what happened to the Lakers last night in Milwaukee. With Stephen Jackson corporate thuggin’ it off-court (suspended for verbal abuse of an official), Andrew Bogut out with his yearly injury and Brandon Jennings playing more passively than at any point over the past month, the Lakers took body blows from Drew Gooden, Mike Dunleavy and Ersan Ilyasova before finally falling 100-89. Read More »

Watching Jay Williams address the completely enrapt New Hampton Prep basketball team late Sunday night at the Hoophall Classic, it was clear he was firmly in his element. Basketball has obviously always been a big part of Williams’ life, but you could make a case he’s never been quite as immersed as he is now.

As an ESPN college basketball analyst, Williams splits his time between calling games and working on studio shows, while also commentating for the network’s rapidly expanding interest in high school ball. The latter assignment gives him the opportunity to take part in one of his favorite pastimes: mentoring young athletes. There isn’t a player on any level that doesn’t have the utmost respect for the former No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft, and he commonly takes time to pull players aside and offer a few words of wisdom. Read More »

Miami’s pretty good when they put it together. The Spurs played perfectly through 24 minutes, and even got two ridiculous buzzer beaters from the same player, and yet it couldn’t stop them from getting completely stomped out on South Beach. After surrendering 63 first half points, the Heat responded with 71 of their own in the second half, LeBron and Bosh combined for 63 points and Miami ran away with the game, 120-98. Going into last night, the Spurs hadn’t won a road game all year. Miami had lost three in a row. One of the streaks had to end last night, and the Heat broke their visitor’s back. Read More »

We’re sure you already know, but the high school basketball season is heating up. In addition to nationally televised games, holiday tournaments are giving us some of the best highlights we’ve seen since the AAU circuit. As always, HighSchoolHoop.com has been all over everything, from the biggest news to amazing video highlights. See what you may have missed: Read More »

It’s finals week on many college campuses, which means it’s a good time to take a look at which players are in the lead for National Player of the Year. It’s only six weeks into the season, so don’t worry if your favorite player (Austin Rivers?) isn’t listed quite yet.

Some of these names aren’t the standard fare, but rest assured, you’ll likely be seeing these names as March approaches. Rather than a traditional Top 10, I’ve chosen to go with a Top 8 to reflect a coaches’ regular rotation. Read More »