Upon first glance, Skylar McBee does not look like a Division I basketball player. Maybe it’s the mop of long hair on his head that flops directionless when he runs up and down the court. Maybe it’s because he’s listed at 6-3 but is probably closer to 6-0. Or maybe it is the year-old mustache that seems suited more for a man going through his mid-life crisis than a 21-year-old college basketball player. Read More »

In March, I wrote a story about the astonishing decline of former Tennessee head coach Bruce Pearl. I talked about how in one year’s time, Pearl had taken Tennessee the furthest they had ever gone, reaching the Elite Eight in 2010, to being mired in scandal. Pearl was eventually fired, along with his three assistant coaches. Pearl was the face of Tennessee Basketball for the six years he coached in Knoxville, and with his charisma and outgoing personality making him a hit in the college basketball community, most thought it wouldn’t be long before he was coaching in a position of prominence yet again. And that appears to be happening, with the D-League’s Texas Legends pursuing him hard to be their next head coach. Read More »

Brian Williams is one of the winningest players in University of Tennessee basketball history. During his freshman year, the team was ranked number one in the nation for the first time in school history. During his junior year, he helped lead Tennessee to the Elite Eight, the furthest the school had ever gone. In the NCAA Tournament, he averaged over 10 rebounds per game including a nine point, 12 rebound performance against Ohio State in the Sweet Sixteen. Read More »

Russell Westbrook better be ready tonight. This is it. This is his moment. In Game 2, he was benched, for differing reasons. Some sources said it was because he screwed up a play at the end of the third quarter. Others maintained it was only because Eric Maynor, James Harden and the rest of the bench was playing so well. But in Game 3 with the series tied at one, this is big. The winner takes control. The loses faces their mortality. Read More »

Friday was an absolute bonanza of basketball, both college and pro. NCAA Tournament games all day and a 12-game slate of NBA games had us locked in sitting in front of a TV from noon til after midnight … Arguably the best game of the entire day was the Bulls/Pacers overtime battle in Indy. Two weeks ago it looked like the Pacers’ season was a wrap, but after outlasting Chicago 115-108 last night have now won three of their last four … Seriously, the Tyler Hansbrough thing is starting to become ridiculous. He had another monster game, going for 29 point and 12 boards, and when he fouled out in OT, it seemed like there was a definite “Uh oh, what do we do now?” vibe among the Pacers and their fans … Odd night for Derrick Rose. He tied a career-high with 42 points, but he only had 2 assists in 39 minutes. Yes, the Pacers were doubling him all over the place, but for a guy who has the ball in his hands 80% (maybe more) of the time on Chicago possessions, he needs to be setting up guys better than that … Read More »

Last March, Bruce Pearl was on top of the coaching world. He had taken his Tennessee Volunteers within one point of the Final Four as a six-seed which was the culmination of one of the most impressive coaching jobs in recent memory.

Pearl’s 2009-10 team was incredibly talented, and expected to contend for the SEC title with seniors Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism leading the way. Things were going along just fine for the 14th-ranked Vols until everything changed on Jan. 1. Read More »

With a New Year upon us, it’s always necessary to recount the past year and make – better yet keep – a few promises to ourselves. Likewise, college basketball surely could use a few resolutions for 2011. Here’s a shortlist of what I believe will be the burning questions of the 2011 NCAA hoops scene, all while recapping some of the big storylines from 2010. Read More »

In case you didn’t know, today is High School Basketball Signing Day. And ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will televise the “ESPNU Signing Day Special” today from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. live from Charlotte, N.C. This year more than ever, some of the country’s best players haven’t committed yet. So be sure you tune in. The show will feature the announcements of some of high school basketball’s class of 2010 and 2011 superstars including a Top 5 senior in Brandon Knight and a Top 5 junior in Michael Gilchrist. Read More »

As a former high school All-American with an NBA body and Lottery-pick potential, Scotty Hopson was supposed to be Tennessee’s top scorer and take on a leadership role. Next year.

But when UT head coach Bruce Pearl dismissed All-SEC senior wing Tyler Smith from the team in January following Smith’s arrest on misdemeanor gun and drug charges — an incident from which three other players were suspended — Hopson had to step up. Two days after Smith was dismissed, the sophomore scored 17 points to lead the Volunteers in an upset win over No. 1-ranked Kansas. Read More »

That’s right, the start of the college hoops season is just one week away and you know what that means: it’s time to unleash the mother effing fury! For the past seven months, I’ve been bottling up a vicious mixture of excitement and rage, just waiting for the moment to release my emotions onto the rest of the world. Well that time has come. Your boy Matty D is back to give you a look at the top teams in the country and to separate the champs from the chumps. Read More »