The Washington Wizards have a really strong young core heading into next season, headlined by a dynamic backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal. At yesterday’s 2012 Rookie Photo Shoot, where the top NBA rookies posed in their new jerseys, we had a chance to catch up with Beal to talk pregame traditions, the Wizards’ upcoming season and a bold prediction about Florida’s upcoming basketball year. Read More »

Now that we know the brackets and who will be playing where, the real fun begins. Anyone can fill out a bracket with four No. 1 seeds cutting down the nets and making the Final Four. But what fun is that? And more appropriately, how often does that even happen? There will be upsets and inevitably, a mid-level team will get hot. Take a look at LSU in 2006 (as a No. 4 seed) or Alabama in 2004 (as a No. 8 seed). 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 »

One of the biggest storylines in college basketball this season is the Florida Gators’ backcourt. People are saying it is the deepest and most talented backcourt in the country, and comparing their lineup to the four-guard lineup Villanova employed in the mid-2000s with Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Kyle Lowry, and Mike Nardi that helped Nova reach the Elite Eight in 2005. People see the Florida backcourt and they see a fourth-year starter in Erving Walker, a third-year starter in Kenny Boynton, a 16-point per game scorer from the Big East in Mike Rosario, and a top-five recruit in Bradley Beal. However, what people don’t see when talking about that backcourt, or just choose to overlook, is Scottie Wilbekin. Read More »

*College basketball is here (unlike the NBA), and this year might be one of the best in recent memory. The powerhouse is back, while the Cinderellas believe. That’s a deadly combination. We know some of y’all have been asking for some previews. We have you covered – the top 16 teams in the nation will be previewed individually in the next few weeks. After we broke down two talented squads yesterday, we’ll keep this going with No. 10-ranked Florida (ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll).* Read More »

Four teams walked into Baruch College’s ARC Arena last night, but by the evening’s end, only two were left standing. After a pair of back-and-forth semifinal contests, the Nike Pro City championship matchup is now set: tomorrow evening, Sundiata Gaines and The Franchise will look to defend its title against Dyckman/NYAC. Read More »

Every year teams are looking to find hidden gems in the second round of the NBA Draft. Some teams (infrequently) stumble upon stars that fell through the cracks like Gilbert Arenas and Monta Ellis, while others are happy to find great role players like Carl Landry or Daniel Gibson. Well, for any team drafting in the second round, Chandler Parsons will be a solid role player for years to come in this league. Read More »

The Florida Gators were one of the premier college basketball programs in the early and mid-2000s, a run that culminated in back-to-back national championships in ’06 and ’07. However, after 2007, the program has struggled somewhat to return to that level. That is, until this past year. One of the players who helped the Gators advance to the Elite Eight was starting power forward Alex Tyus. Tyus averaged 9.1 points and 6.2 rebounds last season, but saved his best performance for the NCAA Tournament with a 19-point, 17-rebound showing against BYU in the Sweet 16. Alex is known for being a high energy guy with lots of athleticism. I caught up with him at the Nets’ draft workouts this week to talk about his senior year, Rowdy Reptiles and the draft process. Read More »

The Butler is back again. You ever doze off, then wake back up to see the game you thought you were watching be turned upside down? You sit up, confused, eyes straining like “Huh?” Thank Butler for that. They are pretty good at making people look stupid … Gus Johnson called Florida’s style “bullyball.” It took five extra minutes, but eventually that big bully was sent home by the little guy as Butler staked it’s second consecutive trip to the Final Four with a come-from-behind 74-71 overtime win. The Bulldogs got help from everybody but it was Shelvin Mack (27 points) who was the difference. He came back from an ankle sprain in the first half to hit every big shot, including the go-ahead three-pointer with just over a minute left in overtime. … As much credit as Butler deserves, the Gators really screwed up. In the first half, Vernon Macklin (25 points) looked like Kevin McHale. Read More »

For anyone that was free to sit in front of the television all day, they were in for a treat. Between eight NCAA Tournament games and six NBA contests, there were enough highlights to make sure SportsCenter didn’t feel compelled to show us any B-roll from the NFL lockout negotiations. And if you’re a fan of amazing individual performances, you had eight guys drop 30-plus: Jacob Pullen (38), Jimmer Fredette (34), LeBron James (33), Dwyane Wade (32), David West (32), Shelvin Mack (30), Brandon Knight (30) and Blake Griffin (30). So let’s get started … Read More »