If you follow high school basketball at all, you’ve probably heard of Jabari Parker, the standout rising junior who is near the top of all the recruiting boards for the Class of 2013. Some call him Grant Hill with a jump shot, and that’s because his versatility and aggressiveness is only a sign of things to come. Read More »

Five NCAA teams that got my attention this past weekend for various reasons:

1. Michigan State (7-3) Considering the Detroit Pistons’ fall from NBA grace and Michigan State’s rise to NCAA elite, I’m not sure if Saturday’s doubleheader at The Palace of Auburn Hills was meant to showcase Pistons/Raptors as the main event or the undercard. Before the Pistons blew a 25-point lead and lost their game, the Spartans barely hung on to beat unranked Oakland. Read More »

A mere 1,000 yards from the Pacific Ocean, an eight-team field is taking center court in the 27th edition of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. This year’s tournament showcases an elite lineup of teams, including former national champions Connecticut, Kentucky and Michigan State, as well as Oklahoma, Virginia, Washington, Wichita State and host school Chaminade University. With the action tipping off today, check out the Nike Hyperdunk 2010 – which comes with eight different laces representing the field that will be on the hardwood. Read More »

Now that the Top 25 has come out, it is time to preview some of the best college teams in the 2010-11 season. The key to having a successful team is having the perfect blend of athleticism, fundamentals and chemistry. Last week, we broke down the No. 1 ranked Duke Blue Devils. This week’s profile will be on Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans. Read More »

With it becoming increasingly likely that Tom Izzo takes the Cavaliers head coaching job, those at Michigan State must be wondering who can replace their legendary coach if he decides to leave. With that in mind, here are some potential candidates: Read More »

You already know that there’s a shakeup going on in Cleveland, but now it appears that the Cavs could be making a bold move: Offering their head coaching job to Michigan State’s Tom Izzo. According to Bob Finnan of The News-Herald, a league source has stated that the Cavs have in fact already made him an offer to be their next head coach, and that it’s going to take a lot of money to convince him to leave the college ranks. Read More »

Before you settle in this afternoon for the Final Four games (Butler/MSU tips off at 6 p.m. EST), first you should read these: The Dime crew’s best arguments for Michigan State, West Virginia, Butler or Duke walking away with the national championship after the dust settles Monday night. And for a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like for the players in Indianapolis, check out Dime’s Final Four Diary with WVU’s Kevin Jones … Five minutes into last night’s Spurs/Magic game, things were looking bleak for the home team. Read More »

For all of those haters and “experts” who have been crying from moment the original NCAA Tournament seedings were announced weeks ago (and there were many) that Duke was handed a cakewalk to the Final Four, know this: when the smoke clears, Duke will have absolutely earned their stripes by battling through what has quickly become the most difficult road to a national championship faced by any team in the field. Read More »

Let me get this out of the way: Gordon Hayward is not Jimmy Chitwood, and the Butler Bulldogs are not the Hickory High Hoosiers. But if all goes according to plan, Butler’s historic run to the Final Four will go down as one of the greatest in college basketball history.

Look at the teams they’ve beaten: 12-seed UTEP, 13-seed Murray State, 1-seed Syracuse and 2-seed Kansas State. Read More »

Why will Michigan State win the national championship? As I sat down and thought about what to plug into the blank document in front of me, I really believed I could finish this post and still feel completely vindicated with a mere two words: Tom Izzo.

Izzo, in my opinion, is arguably the best coach in the nation — a tier accompanied by only a few other greats — and prepares his players like no other. Read More »