When the Kentucky Wildcats take the floor in Lexington against rival Tennessee tonight, they’ll be going into battle in their Nike Hyper Elite Platinum uniforms. We were at a special unveiling of the unis last week in NYC.

Check them out after the jump and let us know what you think. Do you like them more than their traditional look? Read More »

Just because LeBron James wrecked Bill Walker on Friday and jumped over John Lucas III on Sunday, don’t forget there was a solid weekend of college basketball being played, too. There were two days of action, but only five teams won the weekend. Here they are: Read More »

Shabazz Muhammad certainly knows how to leave a lasting impression.

With about 30 seconds left in Bishop Gorman’s 73-65 victory over No. 5 Dematha at the Hoophall Classic on Monday, the No. 1 player in the Class of 2012 punctuated a 37-point performance with a sensational windmill dunk, later named No. 3 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. Even Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, sitting two seats down from Kentucky counterpart John Calipari on the baseline, raised an eyebrow. Read More »

For those of you that have ever been to Lexington, Ky., you know that there’s a bit of a rivalry with their in-state pals, Louisville. And in preparation for last Saturday’s matchup between the No. 3 Wildcats and the No. 4 Cardinals, Lexington-based boutique Oneness (featured in Dime #59) decided to stir up the pot, releasing a hoodie referencing John Calipari‘s choice to pretend Louisville doesn’t exist. Read More »

In just his first two years in Lexington, John Calipari has had six former Wildcat players get selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. All but one fell under the one-and-done generation of players.

His career has benefitted greatly from the “one year removed” policy. After each season, Calipari sees talented players head to the NBA, while he welcomes in another crop of blue-chip prospects. But through it all he’s missed one thing: an NCAA Championship. Read More »

Dirk Nowitzki wants back in. He’s had his vacation, his time off. He wants to ball again. Without the NBA, there are only a few options left for him. He admits he’s not in the greatest shape, but expects he’ll be ready to go within a few weeks. Now it’s just a matter of where. The NBA probably isn’t coming back anytime soon. He’s heard the rumors about Real Madrid’s interest, and says he would play there. There’s also their rival Barcelona who could be a good fit. And finally, there’s his hometown league, the German Bundesliga, which holds weight. It’s the best way to promote this game in the area he grew up, as well as a nice finishing touch. That’s where he started his career. It would be great to go back at some point … Read More »

On a night where history was in the air, fans from the South, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions flocked to the World’s Most Famous Arena to see four of the top teams in college basketball. As impressive as coach Mike Krzyzewski’s record breaking 903rd victory was, the night might have been overshadowed by the sheer dominance of the Kentucky Wildcats. I left Madison Square Garden last night dreaming about the potential of a Duke vs. Kentucky match-up. Read More »

Coach K is a pretty cool dude. Always smooth. Always chill. But at about the 12.9 second mark of the second half last night – after he had seen Michigan State chip into Duke’s lead and Mason Plumlee get called for a five-second violation – he had to be feeling that sweat on his brow just a little bit. But after a Spartan miss, the biggest drama of the night was over, the Dukies had won 74-69 and Mike Krzyzewski had the record. He’s now the winningest coach in Division I men’s basketball history with 903 wins, passing one of the men calling the game, Bob Knight. Seriously though, this joint couldn’t have been scripted any better: in MSG, against another great coach in Tom Izzo, playing against a gritty and tough team, and with his mentor looking on, Coach K got what he came for. Read More »

Screw you Dave Checketts. Screw you. If you were following along with lockout news yesterday, you would’ve noticed that at some point in the late afternoon, people started getting really excited. It’s because this dude Checketts – who used to be general manager of the Jazz, president of the New York Knicks and president of Madison Square Garden – said in a radio interview that he had heard the players and owners had agreed to a deal. Checketts knows David Stern well, and his name is big enough that it gave people a quick fluttering of the stomach. But it wasn’t long before everyone and their momma shot it down. 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 are being previewed individually here. After we broke down Ohio State earlier this morning, we’ll keep this going with No. 2-ranked Kentucky (ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll).* Read More »