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 »

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 »

After Rutgers stunned No. 10 Florida, 85-83, in double overtime on Thursday night, nobody could stop talking about the brilliant performance by freshman Eli Carter.

Everyone except, that is, for Eli Carter. Read More »

I’ve been to some good games at some great venues – Madison Square Garden for the NBA, CenturyLink Field in Seattle for the NFL, Busch Stadium in St. Louis for Major League Baseball – but I doubt there’s a better place to watch a big game than Assembly Hall at Indiana University.

The house that Bob Knight turned into NCAA hoops holy ground was the site of not only the best college basketball game of the season on Saturday, but maybe the best game of any sport in 2011. Sports Illustrated writer Seth Davis tweeted afterward that Indiana’s buzzer-beating upset of No. 1 Kentucky might have been the best regular-season game he’s ever seen. Read More »

One thing was clear coming into this season of college hoops: the excitement was at a high not seen in about five years. For the first time since the 2006-2007 season, college basketball has a collection of talent that rivals nearly any other time before it. That season, talents like Greg Oden, Kevin Durant and Mike Conley all played their obligatory one year of college basketball before entering the NBA.

This year we have an impressive group of freshmen starting that same journey and numerous key figures from last year all returning for another year on campus. All of this talent has scouts flooding gyms across the country to see who is going to be the right guy for their team in the upcoming draft. Read More »

Before the NBA All-Star Game’s hottest debate turned into a LaMarcus Aldridge celebration — I think the people of Portland are vying to get LMA awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom as we speak — the big argument was over Yao Ming being voted in as an All-Star starter despite playing only five games this season.

In high school basketball, a similar situation has surfaced with today’s unveiling of the Jordan Brand Classic rosters. The annual prep all-star game, played April 16 at the Charlotte Bobcats’ arena, is one of the most popular postseason showcases where college fans get their first look at next year’s freshmen. Read More »

Experience is priceless in college basketball, which is why the Florida Gators have to be considered a legit threat to make another Final Four run and possibly contend for a national championship in 2010-11.

Florida is returning its entire starting five from last season, a group that won 21 games and earned an NCAA Tournament berth: Erving Walker, Kenny Boynton, Chandler Parsons, Alex Tyus and Vernon Macklin. Read More »

It’s been three years since Florida Gators basketball had their slice of victory pie. After the “Gator Five” — Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green and Lee Humphrey — took off for the pros, head coach Billy Donovan has been working day and night trying to get his program back to title contention. Read More »