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Egor Demin: Asked Egor Demin about adjusting to physicality and ball pressure of NBA defenders and what he needs to do to be able to handle it: "It’s a big transition. Same as it was when I just got to college and started playing conference games. The Providence game. Everybody saw this game. I can’t say it was the best experience I’ve ever had. But it was a really useful game because those games prepared me for the most important part of the season in March Madness where I was playing point guard full time. The games against Houston, the games against Iowa State, the games against Arizona, Baylor, where they’re really trying to break you. Especially me when they see me with the high dribbling, right? They’re really trying to, the coach is like, Yo! pressure! Pressure! For me, it’s just time and adjustment. I need to get used to that. Spend more time in practices handling the ball thanks to our guys who are not being selfish by not playing great defense against me. Tyson, Q, TJ, Dre, all these guys were guarding me in the practices, and it’s pretty hard. So, for me having these experiences, not just in the games, but in practice is huge.”
Jon Rothstein: Vanderbilt's Devin McGlockton tells me that he plans to withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft and return to school next season. Averaged 10.3 PPG and 7.9 RPG last season for the Dores, who advanced to the NCAA Tournament in Year One under Mark Byington.
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit brought by Mario Chalmers and other prolific college basketball players against the NCAA. Chalmers, the former Kansas Jayhawk, filed the antitrust class action last year alongside 15 other former college hoopers, who claimed that the NCAA is unjustly enriching itself off the name, image and likeness (NIL) of its athletes to promote the annual March Madness basketball tournament.
Ira Winderman: Jaime Jaquez Jr. said he is looking into the possibilities of seeing his sister and UCLA play in the NCAA Tournament Final Four in Tampa on Friday, with that championship game on Sunday. The Heat are at home and off both of those days.
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If Georgia basketball is going to return to the NCAA Tournament next season, it may have to do it without one of its best players from the last two seasons. Guard Silas Demary Jr. announced on social media Thursday afternoon that he’s entering the transfer portal while also declaring for the NBA Draft.
The NCAA Men’s Final Four this year will feature a March Madness event designed to welcome gay, lesbian and other LGBTQ people to San Antonio. It’s being sponsored by some of the biggest names in American sports, and it’s open to young athletes across the LGBTQ community. The NBA — through NBA Cares and Jr. NBA — are sponsoring the Men’s Final Four event, along with the San Antonio Spurs and TNT Sports. The inclusion of the support of these organizations lends powerful credibility to LGBTQ inclusion at the Final Four.
The short-lived full "Nova Knicks" group may not be playing together at Madison Square Garden, but the quartet will be on basketball fans' screens together in March -- as actors. For a few short months in the 2024 NBA offseason, the New York Knicks' roster featured no fewer than four players who had previously played together with the Villanova Wildcats -- Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Donte DiVincenzo. Each of them spent their college careers on the Main Line, with all four members of the quartet overlapping on the Wildcats' 2016-17 squad. The Knicks' trade for Karl-Anthony Towns in October sent DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves, seemingly breaking up the group for good -- a reality a new AT&T commercial for March Madness is poking fun at.
It had become a narrative: The Lakers would fill a roster hole, and satisfy their long-held ethos for "the story," by selecting the hometown player. The writing on the wall was, to Wechsler, permanent. He told Pelinka he'd speak with them the following day. Wechsler wasn't interested in appearances -- or optics. "The draft is 12 days away," he said. "Kid's been working out since he got done after March Madness. ... In L.A. all that time."
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A 1950 graduate of St. John’s, Carnesecca also coached the ABA Nets for three seasons from 1970-73 before returning to his alma mater. His teams, then known as the Redmen, reached the postseason every year he was in charge, including a Final Four appearance in 1985 when three Big East schools — Villanova and Georgetown were the others — reached the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Defending U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff says it’s “really cool” that Cooper Flagg has signed with New Balance and is looking forward to watching the Duke freshman during March Madness.
Law Murray: Dates that NBA will not play next season - Nov. 5 (Election Day) - Nov. 28 (Thanksgiving) - Dec. 18 (post-NBA Cup) - Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve) - Feb. 14-19 (All-Star Weekend/break) - April 12 (eve of season finale) NBA will play games on day of NCAA Men's basketball Championship.
The two sides now agree that Barkley will not be going anywhere. While TNT Sports is trying its Hail Mary attempt to hold onto the NBA, Barkley will still be utilized on its NCAA Tournament coverage that TNT Sports combines with CBS, while it could explore opportunities with its other properties, including the NHL. The network is also trying to expand its programming on TNT Sports so it doesn’t seem out of the question that it could either build a new studio program around Barkley or try to keep its iconic “Inside The NBA” together even after next year.
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