When most basketball players think of ways to improve their game, their thoughts center on what they can do physically. Some players need to work on ballhandling or put more shots up. Some need to improve their strength and agility. All these things involve being in the gym. But one area of the game many players neglect is the mental part.

Improving in this area involves watching film to evaluate your own game, studying other players, scouting, and learning what makes them effective. Nobody in college basketball takes advantage of film study quite like former Missouri guard Kim English. Read More »

Between the time that we’re writing this and the time you’re going to read it, the domain name Woodsanity.com will probably be off the market. The Knicks are 2-0 under interim head coach Mike Woodson, which means according to the rules of Linsanity, he should immediately be named NBA Coach of the Year and the MSG team shop should’ve started mass-producing bald wigs and fake Woodson beards yesterday. Woodsanity, baby! Try to catch up … Read More »

I’m not sure what’s more unbelievable: This “OMG” alley-oop in the closing minutes of a close game with the No. 2 team in the nation, or the fact that Markel Brown was ejected for it. Here’s a new one-liner: That dunk was so violent, the refs threw him out. That’s not entirely true, but it does make for great theater. The real story is Brown received a T for taunting, stupid enough by itself but even more dumb considering the same thing happened to him earlier in the game (on another one of his facials). The refs had to throw him out. Oklahoma State won anyways, and we got these two incredible highlights out of it, so I guess it was all worth it. Hit the jump for two of the nastiest college jams you’ll see this season. Read More »

A few weeks ago, Detroit dismantled St. John’s on national television. While this may have surprised a few people, it came as no surprise to hardcore basketball recruiting fans. Ray McCallum denied offers from the likes of Duke and Kansas to play for his father at Detroit. While it is unlikely that McCallum’s decision would have been for Detroit had his father not been the coach, his decision brought up an interesting question: should high-major recruits turn down big offers to play for lower-level schools? Read More »

You can hand out all the midseason grades you want in college basketball, but at either end of the bell curve are the outliers — classes of teams either getting all A’s or F’s.

As conference schedules begin this week, six undefeated and six winless teams remain. Dime examines which teams will drop out of this distinguished (or infamous) company, and when. Read More »

A year after announcing on ESPNU as an Oakland High School senior that he would play college basketball at Oregon, heralded guard Jabari Brown appears to have chosen his next destination in a quieter fashion Monday.

Brown, in a report by ESPN’s Diamond Leung, says he has committed to play for Frank Haith and Missouri. His mother confirmed her son’s decision. Read More »

Ladies and gentlemen… start your engines. With a tentative labor deal being reached, attention has now shifted towards free agency as teams prepare for what could become one of the most hectic, exciting and hopefully unforgettable periods of movement in NBA history. Teams need to make up for lost time, and what better way than to get your star player recruiting on Twitter? This weekend Kevin Durant tweeted at veteran free agent Shane Battier: Hey @ShaneBattier, just wanted to see how you were doing and what size jersey you wear and also do u still want no.31? Battier responded: @KDTrey5 yes #31 is preferable and it’s true that I enjoy OKC steakhouses. And @nickcollison4 is my boy. Hmmmm……big selling points. That should get your juices flowing for the season to start – players schmoozing players, guys using anything in their power to get a leg up on the competition, shamelessly trying to assemble a roster capable of winning a championship. Read More »

If Duke played all of their games out in Maui, they might end up as the greatest college team ever. Yesterday they added to their all-time perfect record (14-0) there and clinched a spot in the championship game, beating Michigan 82-75. Living and dying by the three is the way of the college game now, and however unpredictable it might be, Duke is the best at it. It came through for them again. Michigan needed a perfect night of basketball, but they certainly didn’t get it during the first half. Tim Hardaway Jr., for all the praise we’ve been giving him, was terrible for most of the night. The Devils shut him out in the first half and built up a double-digit lead that withstood any comebacks the Wolverines countered with in the second frame. Read More »

Every year, one team makes a surprisingly deep run in the NCAA Tournament. This past year it was Butler and VCU making the Final Four, while in 2010 it was Butler making the national championship game and sixth-seeded Tennessee reaching the Elite Eight. This coming season, North Carolina, Kentucky and Ohio State are heavy favorites to reach the Final Four in New Orleans, but here are 10 teams that could make a surprising run in March. Read More »