Each Wednesday, we’ll be assessing how the top prospects of the 2013 NBA Draft are faring in college and overseas. Stick with us each week for assorted thoughts, including the biggest risers and fallers, the standouts, the sleepers and what we know and don’t know about the next NBA Draft class… Read More »

Midnight Madness is over, and with it went the smoke machines, dunk contests and laser shows that kick off the season. College basketball begins now, and while the excitement still remains it’s time to peel the hype back and see who the nation’s best truly are. That’s why Dime has you covered with individual previews of the nation’s top 15 teams and a few others just outside, all over the course of the next few weeks. Today, Kentucky. Read More »

They call themselves the “White Boy Academy,” and while you can hate on the dance moves, these dudes from off of Kentucky’s bench are rocking some serious bling. Championship rings can do a lot for someone, and apparently, they made Jarrod Polson, Kyle Wiltjer, Robbie T., Allen W., Matt L., & Derek K. do a Karaoke version of Akon‘s “Soul Survivor” (with audio from AJ Hochhalter). And they actually did it quite well, at least for college basketball player standards. 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 »

*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 »

What’s the difference between 82 and 78? Four. In the grand scheme of most things, that’s not a whole lot, especially if we’re talking NBA games. An 82-game schedule pretty much went out the window after last week, but the NY Post is saying if a deal is finalized sometime this week, we could be looking at a 78-game affair. We’ll take it. They’re saying it has to be an even number of games, and that David Stern is willing to push the season back enough to fit in as many games as possible, maybe even push a possible NBA Finals Game 7 to just a few days before the draft. That might affect the way the games are played, but for us it just means more basketball packed into a shorter time. That wouldn’t be such a bad thing … Read More »

Maybe I’d been spoiled over the last few years and become too familiar with seeing my hometown represented at the McDonald’s High School All-American Game.

Since 2003, when Aaron Brooks ended a drought of nearly 20 years as the Seattle area’s first McDonald’s selection since Quin Snyder (1985), we’ve been cranking out certified All-Americans pretty consistently — namely Marvin Williams, Martell Webster, Jon Brockman, Micah Downs, Spencer Hawes, Abdul Gaddy, Peyton Siva and Josh Smith. Read More »

Unlike the NBA and its salary cap limitations, crapshoot nature of the draft and guaranteed long-term albatross contracts, college basketball always provides a glimmer of hope right around the corner. Even for big dogs like Duke, whose unbeaten streak and No. 1 ranking was shaken last night in an upset loss at Florida State, the future almost always appears brighter than the present.

So when the Blue Devils lost on Wednesday in part because they shot 31 percent from the field and struggled to sustain a flow on offense, depressed Cameron Crazies could take solace in one fact: Austin Rivers is coming next year. Read More »

On the summer’s last major stage for high school basketball, the Kentucky Wildcats again couldn’t stay out of the headlines.

During halftime of the nationally-televised Elite 24 showcase at Venice Beach, Calif., Kyle Wiltjer announced his commitment to UK. The 6-9 forward from Portland, Ore., then went on to win co-MVP of the game, scoring 20 points.

If recruiting is more than half the battle in college basketball, John Calipari is setting himself up to win a war (or at least a national championship). Read More »