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Out with old, in with new

Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils are favored to repeat on the hardwood.

With most of the focus currently on baseball and upcoming football seasons, now marks an ideal time to get an early jump on the college basketball season.
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Wall leads mass exodus from Kentucky

College basketball future odds are one of the hardest things to predict due to...

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NCAAB College Odds: Tom Izzo back for title run

Tom Izzo's chances of a second college hoops title at Michigan State sure look better...

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The Latest In Sports News

09/02/2010

09:30 Gonzaga Coach Few Happy With BYU's Move
Gonzaga Coach Few Happy With BYU's Move
One or two Mark Few's coaching friends have teased him for years that he can sleep 10 hours a night in January and February because of the clear advantage Gonzaga has enjoyed over the rest of the West Coast Conference.

The top of the WCC figures to become more crowded with BYU on its way to join the league.

"It's all right by me," Few told Sporting News. "They have great tradition. Their RPI and power ratings are always high. That's going to help us. It's going to enhance our situation."

Although the WCC has been strengthened by consistent excellence from Saint Mary's, flashes of success from San Diego and impressive development from Portland, it was only the 13th-ranked RPI league last season a position it has held for four consecutive years.

BYU's entrance should improve that standing; the Cougars ranked between 18th and 29th in the RPI over the past four years. "It'll be nice to have some help," Few said.

The attempt to catch up to the Zags has been taxing to other members of the WCC, which has seen every school in the league save for Saint Mary's change coaches since 2006.

The league is composed primarily of small, private, religious-affiliated schools with enrollments under 10,000. But they've approved the entrance of BYU, a relative goliath with big football money to spend and an enrollment in the 30,000 neighborhood.

09/01/2010

15:11 Missouri recruit Mitchell reportedly ineligible
Missouri recruit Mitchell reportedly ineligible
Highly touted Missouri forward Tony Mitchell did not meet eligibility requirements to enroll at the school and play for coach Mike Anderson, according to multiple reports.

Mitchell, who is rated as the No. 12 in the 2010 class by Rivals.com, was first reported to be ineligible by Rivals writer Jerry Meyer. Meyer cited Mitchell's AAU coach as the source for his report.

The loss of Mitchell is a significant blow to the Tigers, who were rated as the No. 12 team in Sporting News senior college basketball writer Mike DeCourcy's top 25.

Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman posted additional details on Twitter about Mitchell's options.

"I've been told Missouri hopeful that Mitchell will go to junior college in hopes of re-joining team for 2nd semester," Goodman wrote. "Other option for Tony Mitchell is to work on his academics and not attend a JUCO in hopes of qualifying to play at Missouri in 2nd semester."

Mitchell averaged 20.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game as a senior last season.

08/31/2010

08:25 Marcus Jordan's partying under investigation
Marcus Jordan's partying under investigation
Marcus Jordan, the 19-year-old son of NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, is having some recent partying in Las Vegas investigated by Nevada gambling regulators, according to the Associated Press.

Officials were examining whether the casino operator violated laws prohibiting drinking or gambling by minors, Nevada Gaming Control Board enforcement chief Jerry Markling said.

People under 21 often try to gamble or drink in Las Vegas, but punishment for casino operators depend on the circumstances, Markling said.

The investigation stems from a series of posts on Twitter by Marcus Jordan.

"Last night was stupid, " 35k at Haze", Totals 50k something the whole day.. Damn!! Going to the pool again today.. Gotta relax!"

Marcus Jordan later tried to downplay the posts on Twitter when speaking with Fox Sports.

I didn't mean it the way it came across," Marcus Jordan said. "My family and friends know the type of person I am."

During his freshman season at Central Florida, Marcus Jordan averaged 8 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

08/30/2010

12:37 UK Adds Another Top Recruit To 2011 Class
UK Adds Another Top Recruit To 2011 Class
Kentucky's loaded 2011 recruiting class, which is already drawing historical comparisons to some of the top classes of all-time, became even stronger over the weekend with the commitment of forward Kyle Wiltjer.

Wiltjer, a 6-foot-9 forward out of Oregon, announced his commitment to Kentucky at halftime of the Boost Mobile Elite 24 game in Venice Beach.

Wiltjer is rated as the No.25 player in the 2011 class according to Rivals. He joins point guard Marquis Teague (No.2 in the class), Michael Gilchrist (No.3) and Anthony Davis (No.6) in John Calipari's recruiting class for 2011.

08/29/2010

15:50 Kentucky's Vargas cleared to play
Kentucky's Vargas cleared to play
Eloy Vargas, a 6-foot-11, 225-pound junior forward from Plantation, Fla., and one of two big men who didn't make Kentucky's recent trip to Canada, has been cleared to play, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.

Vargas, who began his college career at Florida, finished required degree work at Miami-Dade (Fla.) Community College, enabling him to become academically eligible at UK. He averaged 21.1 points, 14.1 rebounds and 3.4 blocked shots per game for Miami-Dade last season. He will have two years of eligibility with the Wildcats.

Vargas missed the first 11 games of his freshman season at Florida while recovering from ankle surgery and saw game action upon his return, averaging 0.6 points and 0.7 rebounds. He also had academic troubles and transferred to Miami-Dade after his freshman season.

Meantime, the Herald-Leader reported that Kentucky is awaiting word on the eligibility of 6-foot-11 Enes Kanter, a freshman who has qualified academically but whose time with a professional team in Turkey is being looked into by the NCAA.
10:00 Ex-UK basketball star sentenced in ticket scam
Ex-UK basketball star sentenced in ticket scam
One of the University of Kentucky's all-time leading scorers in basketball has been sentenced to eight years in prison for his involvement in a ticket scam.

Ed Davender received the sentence Friday in a courtroom not far from the Lexington campus.

Davender pleaded guilty in Fayette County Circuit Court in May to taking money for Kentucky men's basketball season tickets, but never producing them. Victims lost tens of thousands of dollars.

Davender will be eligible for parole after serving 20 percent of his sentence.

He had been on probation after pleading guilty to charges related to the scam in other counties.

The 44-year-old Davender played for UK from 1984 through 1988. He is 11th on the program's scoring list, with 1,637 points. He's also fourth in steals, with 191.

08/28/2010

13:00 Chris Crawford, Hippolyte Tsafack Cleared by NCAA
Chris Crawford, Hippolyte Tsafack Cleared by NCAA
NCAA Declares Chris Crawford, Hippolyte Tsafack Eligible For 2010-11 Season.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. University of Memphis head basketball coach Josh Pastner announced Friday that the NCAA has completed, through its normal processes, the review of Chris Crawford and Hippolyte Tsafack's academic records, declaring them both eligible for the 2010-11 basketball season.

“We are very pleased with the decision from the NCAA that clears Chris and Hippolyte for competition this season, Pastner stated. As we did in Will Barton's case, we (the university) continued to provide additional documentation to the NCAA for its review, which is part of its normal routine process.

We're happy to be at full strength as we move forward with preparations for the 2010-11 season.

Crawford was a two-time Tennessee Sports Writers Association (TSWA)Class AA All-State pick, and averaged 19.7 points while helping his Sheffield High School squad to a 25-6 overall record as a senior in 2009-10.

The 6-foot-4 guard led the Knights to their first Memphis Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Class AA city title since 1985. The Memphis, Tenn., native also helped Sheffield win the District 16-AA crown, and he took home tournament MVP honors after scoring 17 points in the District 16-AA championship game.

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