Andrew Wiggins Is Headed To Kansas

Andrew Wiggins and his parents while on an official visit to Kansas last winter. (ljworld.com)

The No. 1 recruit in the country finally made his decision official just after noon eastern time Tuesday as Andrew Wiggins announced he will be playing basketball at Kansas next year.

Florida State had felt like the favorite throughout the recruitment process, as both of Wiggins' parents attended FSU, but it could have been the opening spot left by Ben McLemore and the supporting talent that made the difference for the Jayhawks. Another factor could have been Wiggins' brother, Nick, who is at Wichita State, which will now be about three hours away, and the two are very close. The announcement was a long time coming, but the wait looked to have helped Wiggins in his decision after knowing exactly what he is entering next season.

Kansas is losing all five starters, but now has a class coming in with the No. 1 small forward (Wiggins), No. 1 center (Joel Embiid), No. 4 small forward (Wayne Selden), No. 9 shooting guard (Brannen Greene) and No. 10 point guard (Connor Frankamp), according to ESPN.com.

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NCAA Tournament: Round of 64 Day 2 Recap

No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast had the win of the night by knocking off No.2 Georgetown. (sportsillustrated.cnn.com)

This is more like it. Anyone still feeling good about your bracket? Yeah, I didn't think so. Except for maybe one of our writers, Fred, who somehow picked Harvard and La Salle. Showoff. The tournament balanced a day of blowouts and chalk Thursday with nail-biters and  Cinderella's in training Friday. So naturally the major talking point after Friday is …

Who Wants A Slipper?
Today proved upsets are still alive and well in March. For the second day, a No. 1 was tested before closing out a narrow victory as Kansas held off Western Kentucky. Kansas City didn't see a No. 16 win, but it did see two double-digit seeds pull off victories back-to-back as No. 12 Ole Miss defeated No. 5 seed Wisconsin before No. 13 La Salle blew an 18-point lead to Kansas State before coming back to win. Other notable upsets were No. 11 Minnesota over UCLA, No. 10 Iowa State crushing Notre Dame, No. 9 Temple (upset in name only). Oh and then there was …

The biggest win of the day goes to No. 15 Florida Gulf Coast, a school that wasn't founded until 1991, who outplayed No. 2 Georgetown all game to move on to the next round. This is the second consecutive year a No. 15 has defeated a No. 2 (Leheigh and Norfolk St. last year), and before that it hasn't happened since 2001 (Hampton over Iowa St). The increasing trend of No. 15 seeds winning makes a No. 16 victory seem more likely.

Hot and cold
Don't tell the A-10 it isn't a power conference. Teams from the A-10 are 5-0 (VCU, La Salle, Butler, St. Louis andTemple) and most have a good chance of advancing to the Sweet 16. No BCS conferences can show that kind of record. The Big Ten's only loss has been Wisconsin, and the ACC's was North Carolina State, but the Big XII is 2-3, Pac-12 is 2-2 and the Mountain West has been disappointing with both New Mexico and UNLV falling in the first round.

Milestone for Ol' Roy
UNC's second-round victory over Villanova earned Roy Williams 700th career victory. His reward? Having to face his former school and No. 1 seed Kansas in the third round. Roy has faced KU twice before since he left, both times being in the NCAA Tournament, and Roy is 0-2. Still, 700 wins is a incredible accomplishment for a Hall of Fame coach.

Miami Hurricanes Pick Perfect Time To Rise From Ashes

With the help of Jim Larranaga, no one has been able to stop the Hurricanes in 2013. (miamiherald.com)

It seems like so long ago that George Mason took down one Goliath after another in route to a Final Four appearance. Jim Larranaga's name was being talked about for coach of the year, and he was later named the Clair Bee Coach of the Year for the Final Four appearance.

The George Mason run seems so long ago that Larranaga's name began to fade again, even while his teams continued to put up successful seasons. But now he should be in consideration for a coach of the year award again this year with the job he's done at Miami.

That won't be the only honor or award that's about to flow Miami's way if the last two months are any indication of how the remainder of the season will play out. Most news coming out of the "U" has been negative of late with accusations of improper benefits and the connect of Nevin Shapiro and then-Miami coach Frank Haith. But Larranaga, in only his second season with the Hurricanes, has turned the program around faster and better than most would have imagined.

There was no room at the top of the ACC for the Hurricanes at the start of the season, with the likes of NC State, Duke and UNC claiming attention as the favorites. Then ACC play began. (Fighting off the urge to type the phrase "the storm's coming.")

Wins at UNC and against Maryland in games two and three of conference play made a great start for the Hurricanes. Then came the smashing of No.  Duke 90-63 in game five that turned heads. A one-point, grind-it-out victory at No. 19 NC State made Miami look like this was less of a fluke and then came the thrashing of UNC 87-61 Saturday, making the Hurricanes 10-0 in the ACC and by all accounts legitimate.

Miami does have a few blemishes early on the schedule (all in 2012) with three losses, and two of them considered "bad" losses. It is worth noting the first loss to Florida Gulf Coast was while leading scorer Durrand Scott was suspended and the Arizona and Indiana State losses were while center Reggie Johnson was injured. This is not to make excuses for early failures, but rather pointing out that since the Hurricanes have been healthy, no one has been able to stop them. Balanced scoring, strong defense and big plays makes this group fun to watch and hard to stop.

This is the rise-from-the-ashes success story college basketball was looking for in a year where parity is flowing throughout the game. With no perceivable "great" teams right now, this is the perfect season for a team like Miami to make this sort of unprecedented run. The Hurricanes have handled every talented ACC team thrown their way and have found their stride during conference play. Now they just have to makes sure not to play their best basketball before March.

The early losses still draw questions about whether this team is among the best in the country, but a team can evolve and grow quite a bit between November and February. Until Miami exposes a flaw and a loss as a complete unit, the Hurricanes need to be included in the discussion of the current best teams in the country and Larranaga's needs to again be in the running for national coach of the year.

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Ranking The Top 5 College Basketball States in 2012-13

Kansas and Kansas State have led the way for Kansas to be the most successful state in college basketball. (espn.com)

CBS Sports' Matt Norlander recently published a story examining the best college basketball state of the modern era. The answer may surprise you, but the argument is very much a sound one. This got me to thinking about what other great college basketball states are out there right now. This is not of all-time, but strictly this season. Only looking at the best three Div. I teams in the state (sorry Juco studs), we ranked the top five college basketball states of the 2012-13 basketball season to date. Agree with it? Thank you. Don't agree, let us know your top five.

No. 5 Florida
Florida could have been even higher on the list if Florida State would have been able to carry over the success of last season when they won the ACC Tournament. But the Seminoles have dropped off to a 10-7 record this season and can't seem to win the big games. FSU still has a meeting with Duke and two games against NC State to find a signature win. Miami has been a better surprise, working its way into the top 25 and at the top of the ACC at 4-0 (prior to the Hurricanes game against Duke Wednesday night). Still, the Florida Gators are the best of the state and a legitimate top-10 team who look to be the easy favorite to win the SEC.

State record: 37-12

No. 4 Kentucky
It still feels strange to say that the University of Kentucky is currently holding the state back in our rankings, but a defending national champion is not used to going 12-6 to start the following season. John Calipari has talent, but it's very young talent who still have a lot to learn. Louisville isn't helping matters either, dropping two straight in a talented Big East, but the Cardinals are still a Final Four contender. Murray State has also been down by last year's standards, starting 14-4. The Racers 5-1 in conference play and shouldn't lose too many more before the tournament. Last year the state of Kentucky was stronger with two Final Four teams and all three making the tournament and it should be expected for that level of play to return sooner than later. But right now the state is struggling, by it's standards, which still means two good team and a very good team.

State record: 42-13  

No. 3 North Carolina
This state had by far the most potential at the start of the year. Where Kentucky had two teams who were expected to hang out in the top 10 all year, North Carolina could have potentially had three comfortably in the top 25. Duke lived up to its end as the No. 1 team, but North Carolina's youth and inexperience has made for a tougher path than expected. Roy's boys have rebounded with two straight ACC wins after starting conference play 0-2, but five losses at this point in the season is unfamiliar territory for the Tar Heels. NC State, while still in the top 25, already has four losses and have lost two of three after upsetting Duke. These are still three dangerous tournament teams, but two have a lot yet to accomplish.

State record: 43-10  

No. 2 Indiana
Indiana is synonymous with basketball (enter Hoosier's reference here). But it's the mid-major (if you can even call them that) of the state is actually keeping this basketball powerhouse state ranked so high. Butler's 16-2 start and No. 9 ranking has them talked about the with best of college basketball. The Bulldogs already have wins over UNC, Indiana and most recently Gonzaga. The Hoosiers are one of the favorites to win the Big Ten, although the brutal conference schedule could hurt Indiana's record and ranking. Notre Dame's dismissal from the top 25 after losing three of four games is keeping Indiana from the No. 1 spot.

State record: 47-8  

No. 1 Kansas
Kansas probably wouldn't have been your first guess, right? But the Sunflower State is playing basketball better than anyone. All three Div. I teams are ranked in the top 20 and are showing no signs of slowing down. Kansas has won 16 games in a row while K-State's only loss in the last nine game came at the hands of the Jayhawks Tuesday (this includes a neutral-site win over Florida). Wichita State knocked off Creighton last weekend and is making a claim for a Missouri Valley Conference title and is tied with Creighton for the conference lead. All three teams are practically no-brainers to make the NCAA Tournament and don't be surprised if one or more makes a deep run.

State record: 49-6 

Butler's Brad Stevens Deserves The Respect Of An Elite Coach

Brad Stevens is putting together another great season with Butler. (espn.com)

Brad Stevens has become a household name for college basketball fans, and as a young head coach, he has earned respect in the industry.

But Stevens isn't getting enough credit. He has the wow-look-what-he's-done-with-that-mid-major respect, but it's not enough. Stevens' name should be thrown in with the top 10-15 coaches in the business, and that's a whole new level of respect.

Butler and Stevens had a year to forget last year. The Bulldogs struggled to a 22-15 record after losing key player after key player. (The fact that 22 wins and a winning percentage over .500 is bad by Butler's standards shows what Stevens has done with this program.) And somehow that down year, which all teams go through, negated the fact that Stevens took his teams to back-to-back NCAA Title games. Not only two straight title games, which is impressive for any school, but the first two title games (and Final Fours) in Butler's history.

And this year? Butler is off to an 8-2 start, while taking down two of the great programs, and coaches, in college basketball. The Bulldogs crushed then No. 9 UNC in Maui 82-71 (the final score was not indicative of the game) and Saturday Butler took down No. 1 Indiana 88-86.

Butler may play in the A-10, and the Horizon League before that, but Stevens makes sure to put together a tough out-of-conference schedule. The Bulldogs have also already faced Marquette and Illinois in Maui, and will face Vanderbilt and Gonzaga in the next month. Stevens knows how to get his team to play well against the toughest competition, and Butler has become a terrifying team to schedule early in the year.

It's the nature of the business that Stevens may remain under-appreciated by the rest of the country while at a smaller school. But Stevens could soon be in the running for a few high-profile jobs that, if he continues to succeed, could catapult him into the ranks of one of the most praised and well-paid coaches in the nation.

The rumors have been going on for well over a year. Mike Krzyzewski will be retiring from Duke sometime in the near future, and Stevens' name has been tossed around as a possible replacement. But other schools have been in the rumor mix as well, and if Butler makes the NCAA Tournament again this year, Stevens should have plenty of suitors who come calling.

It's a shame that it will most likely take a high-profile job for Stevens to be viewed in the same light as today's elite coaches, but such is the nature of the business. Stevens will most likely move on to a powerhouse program and find success, finally earning the credit he has deserved for several years.

Until then, admire and don't forget about the young coach who led tiny Butler to the brink of college basketball's elite championship fraternity and completely changed the way we think about seeing Butler on our team's schedule.


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Battle 4 Atlantis, Maui Invitational, Legends Classic Headline Tournaments To Watch Thanksgiving Week

UNC and Texas included in field battling for the Maui Invitational title. (illinoisloyalty.com)

Thanksgiving week is synonymous with football, but if you're looking for a feast, look no further than the slate of college basketball tournaments taking place all around the continent. Here's a quick look at the tournaments you will want to keep an eye on this week.

Maui Invitational - Nov. 19-21, Maui, Hawaii

The favorite: UNC

The field: Marquette vs. Butler; Mississippi St. vs. UNC; Texas vs. Chaminade; USC vs. Illinois

Breakdown: Texas was an early favorite to give UNC a run for its money, but the status of guard Myck Kabongo is still uncertain. Without Kabongo, Texas will struggle to find enough scoring to keep up with the fast-pace scoring of UNC (through two games the Longhorns are only averaging 62 ppg). UNC is young, but has lots of talent and should be able to leave Hawaii with the trophy.

Legends Classic - Nov. 19-20, Brooklyn, NY

The favorite: Indiana

The field: Indiana vs. Georgia; UCLA vs. Georgetown

Breakdown: Indiana should have no trouble taking care of Georgia and advancing to the title game. But the UCLA/Georgetown game became much more interesting after the news that Bruins freshman Shabazz Muhammad is now eligible to play. Georgetown's only early test - against Florida on an aircraft carrier - was canceled, and it feels like this Hoyas team is still searching for its identity. Indiana vs. UCLA would make an entertaining final, where UCLA should stay competitive, but the Hoosiers may prove to have too much firepower offensively.

Battle 4 Atlantis - Nov. 22-24, Atlantis Resorts, Bahamas

The favorite: Louisville/Duke

The field: Duke, Louisville, Missouri, Memphis, Stanford, VCU, Minnesota, Northern Iowa

Breakdown: This has to be the most talent-heavy preseason tournament this year, with a good mix of blue bloods and mid-major darlings. There are no easy roads to the finals in this bracket, so the trophy is up for grabs. Duke and Louisville should both be in the running for the championship game, but don't overlook Memphis or Missouri as an upset pick. Missouri's transfers are starting to get a feel for playing together and Memphis has tons of young talent. Duke came out of the gate hot with a win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic, while Louisville has yet to be tested. The title game could be any number of matchup combinations, which makes this a must-see tournament to watch.

Others To Keep An Eye On

CBE Classic - Nov. 19-20, Kansas City, Mo.
The field: Kansas, St. Louis, Texas A&M and Washington State

Preseason NIT - Nov. 21-23, New York City
The field: Michigan, Pitt, Kansas State, Virginia, Bowling Green, Delware, Fordham, Fairfield, Cleveland St., North Texas, Lamar and Robert Morris


Old Spice Classic - Nov. 22-25, Orlando, Fl.
The field: Gonzaga, Vanderbilt, Davidson, Oklahoma, Clemson, West Virginia, UTEP, Marist


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ACC Preview: NC State Breaks Out From UNC/Duke Shadow

The long wait will soon be over when the first official NCAA basketball game of the 2012-13 season will tip-off on Nov. 15. Some of our favorite players have moved on the ranks of professional athletes, new recruits have been polishing their games in gyms with recognizable logos on the court, and schools have switched conference allegiances. Through a series of conference previews, the BDD crew will do its best to prepare you for the next 4.5 months of collegiate hoops.

C.J. Leslie and the Wolfpack are the favorites to take down Duke and UNC for the ACC crown. (heraldsun.com)

Favorite: NC State
It's hard to imagine an ACC preview without Duke or UNC as the favorite. Don't stress, tobacco road fans, Duke and UNC will be squarely in the hunt for the title, but it would be ignorant to overlook what NC State is entering the season with. The Wolfpack gained a lot of attention last year during their run to the Sweet 16, when it took the national runner-up Kansas to end NC State's season. NC State has long been in the shadows of its in-state foes UNC and Duke, but now has the talent and depth to make a run at the ACC crown. The Wolfpack are long and quick and led by juniors C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown and senior Richard Howell. Add freshman Rodney Purvis, who is expected to make an impact early, and NC State has a good chance to own the state of North Carolina and the ACC in 2012-13.

Dark Horse Team to Watch: Florida State
Florida State had been known for playing spoiler and getting a signature conference win as it tried to move up into the top half of the ACC. Last year, FSU showed it was ready to compete with the big boys, knocking off Duke in Cameron - one of the most hostile home environments in the country - and obliterating UNC at home 90-57 on its way to a 12-4 conference record (and winning the ACC Tournament over UNC) and going 25-10 overall last season. Senior Michael Snaer is the superstar of this team, but having guard and second leading scorer Ian Miller back should take some of the scoring pressure of him. FSU has a pretty light non-conference schedule to find its style and chemistry before the gauntlet of ACC play begins.

Player of the Year: Michael Snaer (Florida State)
Many are handing this award to C.J. Leslie, and that is a hard pick to argue. However, NC State has several talented scorers who will be battling each other for shots, whereas Michael Snaer is FSU's No. 1 and go-to scorer. Snaer didn't drop huge, 30-point games on opponents last year, but he was consistent and effective, especially against the best competition. Snaer had seven 20-point games last season, including a season-high 23 against Clemson. Against the ACC powers (Duke and UNC) Snaer scored 17 points (along with five rebounds and three assists) in the UNC blowout and 18 points in the ACC Championship game against UNC. He also scored 48 points in three games against Duke. At 6-foot-5, Snaer is also an excellent rebounder for a guard (averaging nearly four per game). Expect him to find larger scoring totals this year, while also continuing his consistency.

Coach of the Year: Roy Williams (UNC)
The saying at UNC - along with other powerhouse programs who contend for titles every year - is that they don't rebuild, they reload. Roy Williams will put this saying to the test, and if he succeeds, it will be one of the best coaching jobs in the country. UNC didn't just lose a NBA-lottery-pick talent; it lost four. How do you respond by losing Tyler Zeller, Harrison Barnes, John Henson and Kendall Marshall? You do it by trusting the guys who have experience as role players and had to practice against them every day last year will now be ready to take on the load. That means sophomores James Michael McAdoo - who some are saying will be the ACC Player of the Year - and P.J. Hairston, junior Reggie Bullock and senior Dexter Strickland will be asked to step up, which they should do well. Roy has done this before and will make sure his team remains in contention for a conference title.

Newcomer of the Year: Rodney Purvis (NC State) 
UCONN, Ohio State and Missouri couldn't pull the Raleigh, NC, native and No. 20 recruit on the ESPN 100 away from his hometown team, which is a testament to the product building at NC State. Purvis' body and style - quick and tall - fits in well with the Wolfpack's game plan. The scouting report on ESPN says Purvis is a true wing scorer who has no trouble getting to the basket, although he still needs to improve his jump shot. This looks like a match made in heaven for NC State, which could lead to Purvis having a breakout year as a freshman.


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Long Beach State's New Court Design Finds Successful Middle Ground

LBSU's new beach-themed court (sports.yahoo.com)

College basketball courts aren’t just backdrops to competition anymore. The design of light-wood-colored floors, easily distinguished boundary lines and the school’s symbol at mid-court doesn’t cut it for some schools.

Schools have taken the college football craze of creative and whacky jerseys and applied it to their basketball courts. Along with Oregon’s dozen football jersey combinations, in 2010 the school turned its court into a forest. 

Oregon's forest-covered court (sports.yahoo.com)

The designer of the court also created mockups for eight others schools, all being visually over-the-top. If these designs become reality, players will not only have to worry about trap defenses, but also worry about weeding through palm trees, the bayou and a giant Colonel Sanders. Towson went a slightly less aggressive route but failed by putting subtle tiger stripes on its floor, which from a distance looks like a grease spill.

This brings us to the new court of Long Beach State, which should be congratulated for finding middle ground between the extreme and the mundane. The court shows off the culture of the school and area without making the court an eyesore. Automatically, even non-basketball fans can assume this court is in California, and the combination of the school's colors and "The Beach" written in the middle give the perfect relationship between school branding and environment.

A school’s court is a brand, just like its jerseys and apparel, and it makes sense why programs would want to be unique. Seeing blue turf is automatically associated with Boise State football, and for Boise, that’s a great thing. But it is still just a basketball court, and when the look of the court takes fans’ eyes away from the action of the game, is the purpose successful?

Sure, the school doesn’t want there to be a question of where the game is being played. It is, after all, the team’s home floor, and should reflect as much. But the large, orange “S” at mid-court of the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University or the cutout of the state of North Carolina at UNC’s Dean Dome do a sufficient job of acknowledging where the game is taking place. Painting UNC’s court to look like it is covered in tobacco smoke isn’t necessary.

LBSU now has a surface that stands out among its opponents and honors the geography of the school. It will now be distinguished and remembered among the national audience, but for the right reasons. It took a piece of the surroundings to transform its hoops sanctuary, and players probably enjoy leaving the palm trees outside the complex for the trees on the court.

The key is to take a piece of the school or environment and incorporate it into the court, not the entire landscape. 


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Nike-Sponsored Squads Set For Elite Event in 2017

Nike-sponsored schools will square off in a two-tournament event featuring college basketball's elite in 2017 (nikeblog.com)

It's not too early to look ahead to the 2012 college basketball season, which is three months away. But how about looking ahead to 2017?

Thanks to Michigan State Athletic Director Mark Hollis, the best early-season college basketball tournament won't take place in Maui or Madison Square Garden. This tournament will take place in Portland, and the star power represented by the schools is fitting given the star power of the sponsor they are celebrating. 

According to Andy Katz of ESPN, Hollis was able to receive commitments from 16 Nike-sponsored programs to play in a two-tournament event held over four days in November 2017. This is in celebration of Nike co-founder Phil Knight's 80th birthday, which is the following February.

The premise itself is enticing — having teams sponsored by the same company compete against one another — but it's the programs represented that will make college hoops fans' mouths water. 

The tournament will include a mix of blue bloods (Kentucky, North Carolina, Duke, Michigan St.), as well as power-conference representatives (Florida, Ohio St., UCONN, Georgetown, Texas, Oklahoma, Stanford and Oregon), and some choice mid-majors (Xavier, Butler, Gonzaga and Portland).

Let that sink in for a moment. No matter the combination of seedings, elite programs will have a hard road to win these two tournaments. Unlike other early-season tournaments, there is no Chaminade in the quarterfinals. Even the "mid-majors" are no one to mess with. This event is loaded from top to bottom.

That's what fans want to see. Why else would this event even be a topic of conversation five years early if it wasn't big? The third game of the year against Towson isn't circled on any calendars. If you think your team is better than Duke, and the team doesn't play in the ACC, then you're excited to play the Blue Devils and find out if you're right. 

This not only is a win for fans and for the teams — this should help boost the RPI at the end of the year — but imagine what this does for Nike. It's hard to say which is more impressive:  that Nike sponsors all of these teams or that, when Hollis came calling with the idea, everyone said yes. The king of sports apparel and marketing will have its name on the biggest regular-season basketball event of the year, maybe even the decade, while every player on the court wears its equipment. 

The only downside is this won't take place for another five years. It's unlikely these teams will plummet to mediocrity during the waiting period, so if this upcoming season is any indication, college hoops fans are in for a treat in 2017.


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