Besides the big names, there were two players I was actively cheering for last night: Isaiah Thomas and Xavier Silas. And the reason being is that most people assumed they were going to go undrafted. Thankfully, Zeke was picked by the Kings with the 60th pick, but Silas wasn’t so lucky. “Well, I went undrafted,” Silas tweeted after all the picks were in. “All that means is that this journey will be a bit more interesting for you and me. Quote me on this… A journey isn’t a journey without a journey.” You gotta love the positive outlook. So for every Kyrie Irving, there’s a J.J. Barea – a guy who gets overlooked on Draft Night but makes a huge impact in the League. With that, here’s are the top 10 players that didn’t hear their named called last night. Read More »

We all know about the NBA Draft combine. Every year, the future All-Stars and Hall of Famers get tested on everything from standing reach to their hand size. But this year marked the first year the NBA put together a combine for potential draftees and underclassmen still deciding whether or not to stay in the Draft. On May 7-8, 44 underclassmen, even including a few seniors, RSVD’d to attend the “testing the waters” combine. For them, it was another opportunity to showcase themselves and get a feel for what their value would be should they stay in the draft. Read More »

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

1. Arizona (5-1) A national TV win over Kansas would have been a seminal moment for coach Sean Miller as he rebuilds the Arizona program. It didn’t happen Saturday night, but the Wildcats can take a lot away from a close loss against a Jayhawks squad that had been destroying their comp by 40 points per game. Derrick Williams, who put up 27 points and 8 boards against KU, is my early favorite for for Pac-10 Player of the Year. Read More »

College basketball’s Decepticons are back. Duke is in the Final Four for the 11th time during Coach K‘s reign (and the first time since ’04), so if you’d been missing Krzyzewski’s scowl, the army of three-point bombers, the goofy big guys, the smug grins, the confident swagger, and Dick Vitale re-enacting an Extenze commercial with every TV cameo (“I’m bigger!”) you’re glad to see the program the rest of us love to hate back on the biggest stage … The Blue Devils trailed Baylor at halftime, as their turnovers led to transition buckets, and it looked like LaceDarius Dunn outside (22 pts) and Ekpe Udoh inside (18 pts, 10 rebs, 5 blks) might be able to carry the Bears to the win. Read More »

With multiple Cindarellas and plenty of drama at this year’s Big Dance, many fans are wondering who will be crowned the king. While it’s too late to adjust your bracket, the answer is most likely found on each team’s roster. Since 1979, every National Champion (except Maryland in 2002) has had at least one McDonald’s All American on its roster. That’s a 97 percent proof-point. So even though Syracuse and West Virginia are playing well, and Northern Iowa, St. Mary’s and Cornell are hoping to win again before the clock strikes midnight, history is not on their side. Read More »

Granted, watching basketball all the time is part of my job, but it still amazes me how many people don’t (or rarely) watch college hoops until the NCAA Tournament. Because of such inexcusable ignoring of America’s best spectator sport (if you ask me), during the Big Dance I usually get peppered with “Who is that guy?” or “Who does [Team X] got?” questions.

Some of them make sense — even I can’t say I’ve seen Wofford or UC Santa Barbara play this year — but a lot of the players who slip under the mainstream radar don’t deserve the anonymity. So in the days leading up to the Tournament, we’ll be giving you four Players To Watch for each region, starting with the Midwest: 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 »