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Abby Jones: Dallas Mavericks Co-interim GM, Matt Riccardi on the upcoming draft regarding the upcoming talent playing in the NCAA Tournament: “If you’re just now paying attention during the NCAA tournament, you’re too late. I’ve seen all of our Top 20 guys, 3-4 times live already.”
The Trail Blazers have maintained that the arena needed renovation to attract big events, like the NBA All-Star Game and future NCAA tournament games. The estimated total cost of the project is $600 million. "The Moda Center has become probably the oldest building in the league. There may be a building or two that are older but have already gone through significant renovations," Silver said. "So you know that this work needs to be done, not just for the basketball teams in town, but for all those events, and because I know, on behalf the economy of Portland, you guys have lost out on some big events because this arena hasn't been updated in a long time. So it's just work that needs to get done. But it seems like the spirit is there."
Though a prospect could still leapfrog Peterson or Dybantsa, the widespread expectation is that the third and fourth picks will feature a pair of forwards from Tobacco Road rivals: Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson. Boozer might be the most fascinating player in this year's draft. His numbers entering this week's ACC tournament for the presumptive No. 1 overall seed in this year's NCAA tournament are the stuff of video games: 22.7 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 58% from the field, 40.7% from 3-point range. He led Duke outright in points, rebounds and assists in eight games this season, the most by a freshman in 30 years. That kind of production is why some NBA decision-makers argue that Boozer should join Peterson and Dybantsa as a potential No. 1 pick. "I think there's a top three, and a case for any of them," a second East executive said. "Boozer has always been the best player at every level, and that can help overcome some of his athletic questions. ... I would just say to trust the ultra high-level-feel guys to figure it out."
Charles Bediako's college basketball career is over again after an Alabama circuit judge denied his motion for a preliminary injunction Monday, ending the 7-foot center's season with the Crimson Tide. Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court Judge Daniel F. Pruet halted Bediako's bid to regain eligibility after he left Alabama for the NBA draft in 2023, signed a two-way NBA contract and played the past three seasons in the G League -- moves that disqualified him from collegiate competition, according to the NCAA.
The College of the Holy Cross honored all-time great Bob Cousy by naming its home court in his honor Saturday in Worcester. The floor inside the Hart Center at the Luth Athletic Complex is now officially Bob Cousy ’50 Court – a nod to the 1947 NCAA national champion who went on to win six titles with the Celtics.
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Former UCLA standout Amari Bailey said he is attempting to become the first basketball player to return to college after playing in NBA games. Bailey, 21, has hired an agent and a lawyer to prepare to fight for NCAA eligibility with hopes to join a college team and play one more season.
He said he started to explore a return to college earnestly in 2025 but has wondered if there was a way back to the NCAA since the day he was drafted in 2023. He said he made some mistakes as an 18-year-old freshman and left UCLA with "a lot to prove left on the table." "Right now I'd be a senior in college," Bailey told ESPN. "I'm not trying to be 27 years old playing college athletics. No shade to the guys that do; that's their journey. But I went to go play professionally and learned a lot, went through a lot. So like, why not me?"
Ex-Alabama player Charles Bediako, who has spent the past 2 1/2 years competing in the NBA Summer League and G League, had his college eligibility temporarily reinstated Wednesday by a judge who blocked the NCAA from retaliating for his return to the 17th-ranked Tide. Bediako had signed several NBA developmental contracts since going undrafted in 2023. He played two seasons (2021-23) at Alabama, averaging 6.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks a game, and helped the Crimson Tide make the NCAA Tournament twice.
Nicole Auerbach: NCAA president Charlie Baker: “The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract).”
NCAA president Charlie Baker: “The NCAA has not and will not grant eligibility to any prospective or returning student-athletes who have signed an NBA contract (including a two-way contract).”
— Nicole Auerbach (@nauerbach.com) 2025-12-30T19:36:30.983Z
Mavericks co-interim general manager Matt Riccardi, then in his role as assistant GM, told Nembhard's co-agent Jaafar Choufani as far back as Chicago that they would be trying to acquire a pick so they could draft Nembhard themselves. But Riccardi also assured Choufani early in the process, more than once, that a two-way contract would definitely be waiting for the NCAA assist leader in Dallas if no one drafted him. League sources say it was the only iron-clad promise of a two-way contract that Nembhard received after averaging 10.5 points, 9.8 assists and 1.7 steals for Gonzaga as a senior.
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The 18-year-old confirmed his intention of playing in the NCAA next year, leaving Partizan after this season. "I've had college offers since my sophomore year. I have 25 offers now, and I'm supposed to go to college next year. I'm not turning any of them down, just waiting," Miikka Muurinen said.
He added that the overall structure and player makeup of the G League should largely remain unchanged. At the same time, he expects the new European league to attract significant international talent. "I think the composition and mix of the players in the G League will remain the same. And the European talent that is there today — I think we're going to attract a lot of that European talent as well," he noted. Tatum also suggested that the new league could reduce the growing trend of international players choosing the NCAA because of NIL money.
The NCAA banned three Division I college basketball players by permanently revoking their eligibility on Wednesday, saying they had bet on their own games at Fresno State and San Jose State and were able to share thousands of dollars in payouts.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions released findings from an enforcement investigation that uncovered violations by Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez and Jalen Weaver. The NCAA said the three bet on one another’s games and/or provided information that enabled others to do so during the 2024-25 regular season; two of them manipulated their performances to ensure certain bets were won.