Bulls

On Sunday night, Charlotte Hornets rookie Brandon Miller had the best performance of his young NBA career, scoring a career-high 35 points on 10-of-25 shooting from the field and 5-of-12 from three while grabbing 6 rebounds and blocking 2 shots.
Miller did it in a variety of ways, including stepbacks, floaters and drives to the rim. He hit 5 threes and showcased the three-level-scoring potential that helped him go No. 2 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
No. 2 Pick Brandon Miller dropped a career-high 35 PTS in Charlotte against the Pacers! <a href="https://t.co/WWhBGqHFf1">pic.twitter.com/WWhBGqHFf1</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1754346021788713293?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2024</a></blockquote>

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This outing served as a statement game for Miller, who has mostly been an afterthought in the Rookie-of-the-Year race since his fellow freshmen Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren are having all-time rookie seasons. Miller has faced a lot of doubters, as people have been skeptical since the pick was made, with many citing No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson as the better overall prospect.
Over his last 10 games, the 6-foot-9 forward has been averaging 22.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists, on 48% shooting from the field, 40% from three and 85% from the free-throw line. Miller is starting to figure it out and proving he belongs in the league.
The 21-year-old&rsquo;s career-night made him the first Hornets rookie since 1993 to have a 35+ point game, joining Alonzo Mourning and Rex Chapman as the only rookies to do so in Charlotte&rsquo;s franchise history.
With Miller averaging 28 points over his last four games, the No. 2 overall pick did something that turned heads. With nine minutes in the second quarter, Miller tallied his first field goal of the game with a driving layup over Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner. After scoring, Miller sprinted down the floor on the other end as TJ McConnell found Obi Toppin leaking out on a fastbreak. However, Toppin was not able to catch the ball, leading to the turnover. Despite that, Miller was clearly distraught at his teammates' lack of effort and was heard saying &ldquo;get the f*** back!&rdquo;
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Brandon Miller: "Get the fuck back!" 🗣️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LetsFly35?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LetsFly35</a> <a href="https://t.co/2QVlojAkpX">pic.twitter.com/2QVlojAkpX</a>
&mdash; /r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) <a href="https://twitter.com/HornetsReddit/status/1754292522816290932?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2024</a></blockquote>

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Even after scoring and making the layup, Miller was the first one back on defense ahead of the other Hornets players, who were jogging nonchalantly with just three minutes elapsed in the second quarter.
It sent a message to his teammates, coaching staff, organization and the whole city of Charlotte raring to see a competitive basketball team in their lifetimes: they now have a someone who cares and is willing to give everything night in and night out to win. And it came from their prized 21-year-old rookie.
This type of winning mentality separates the good players from the great players &mdash; the willingness to work hard, the ability to motivate himself and others to win, and being a leader who holds teammates accountable on their mistakes.
As Charlotte looks to build a winning team after being stuck in mediocrity, perhaps Miller is the cornerstone they've been looking for in recent years.

Charlotte Hornets No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller is turning heads with his recent play and attitude.

Brandon Miller looks like a franchise cornerstone for the Hornets

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is not a big fan of the transfer portal, lamenting that it gives young athletes an easy out instead of an opportunity to overcome challenges.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll say until the day I die, I do not see anything good for the players in it,&rdquo; Izzo said Tuesday.
The seventh-seeded Spartans, however, would not be in the Sweet 16 for the 15th time under their Hall of Fame coach without former Northeastern guard Tyson Walker and ex-Marquette forward Joey Hauser.
The Spartans, of course, are not alone in relying on transfers. Not anymore. They are all over March Madness.
Third-seeded Kansas State, which will face the Spartans on Thursday night in New York, has relied heavily on transfers with 12 on its roster under first-year coach Jerome Tang. Former Florida forward Keyontae Johnson and ex-Arkansas-Little Rock guard Markquis Nowell, both of whom earned third-team All-America recognition, are starring for the Wildcats.
UCLA and Princeton are bucking the trend because they&rsquo;re still in the Tournament without a transfer player.
Izzo could have dipped back into the portal to bolster this season&rsquo;s team after losing his top three scorers and a solid post player from last year&rsquo;s team. Instead, he chose to stick with the players he had after they chose to stay.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s something they believed in here,&rdquo; Izzo said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the beauty of sticking together. And if it carries us through the weekend, it&rsquo;ll be one of the great life lessons learned.&rdquo;
EAST REGION
No. 4 seed Tennessee vs. No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic
Like many transfers, Tyreke Key left a smaller program (Indiana State) for a bigger one and the Volunteers are glad he did. After sophomore point guard Zakai Zeigler tore a knee ligament in the final week of the regular season, Key became even more valuable for the postseason.
Vladislav Goldin, meanwhile, went against the grain by leaving a larger school for a mid-major program. The 7-foot-1, shot-blocking Russian bolted from Texas A&amp;M to play for the Owls in search of more playing time. He found what he was looking at FAU, starting in 33 games.
SOUTH REGION
No. 1 seed Alabama vs. No. 5 seed San Diego State
All-America freshman forward Brandon Miller leads the Crimson Tide on the court, but key roles have been filled by a few transfers, including Mark Sears. The former Ohio University guard trails only Miller in scoring and has provided much-needed, 3-point shooting.
Four of San Diego State&rsquo;s top five scorers are transfers, including former California standout Matt Bradley, who is averaging a team-high 13 points per game.
No. 6 seed Creighton vs. No. 15 seed Princeton
The Bluejays have two transfers, two more than the Tigers. Baylor Scheierman starts and Francisco Farabello comes off the bench for Creighton. Scheierman was the Summit League player of the year last year at South Dakota State and Farabello played at TCU for three seasons.
MIDWEST REGION
No. 1 seed Houston vs. No. 5 seed Miami
The Courgars have recruited and developed most of their best players, but former Arkansas forward Reggie Chaney is in the rotation. The Hurricanes second-, third- and fourth-leading scorers are transfers: Jordan Miller (George Mason), Norchad Omier (Arkansas State) and Nijel Pack (Kansas State).
No. 2 seed Texas vs. No. 3 seed Xavier
The Longhorns often have four transfers in their starting lineup and leading scorer, Marcus Carr, has left two schools. The former Pittsburgh and Minnesota guard along with ex-New Mexico State guard Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice, the team&rsquo;s second-leading scorer, are in their sixth season of college. Carr and Rice took advantage of an extra year of eligibility that the NCAA gave athletes if they were in school when the pandemic started.
Souley Boum, who started his career at San Francisco and went on to become a star at New Mexico State, leads the Musketeers with 16.5 points a game and is also in his sixth year of college. Former Iowa forward Jack Nunge, ex-Belmont guard Adam Kunkel and former Indiana forward Adam Kunkel are also among Xavier&rsquo;s top players.
WEST REGION
No. 2 seed UCLA vs. No. 3 seed Gonzaga
While the Bruins have no transfers, the Zags have Rasir Bolton, who ranks fourth on the team in scoring, played at Penn State and for Iowa State before landing at Gonzaga. Malachi Smith went from Wright State to Chattanooga before choosing a lesser role at Gonzaga.
No. 4 seed UConn vs. No. 8 seed Arkansas
The Huskies&rsquo; backcourt is full of transfers. Former East Carolina star Tristen Newton runs the point, averaging 10-plus points and nearly five assists per game. Grad student Joey Calcaterra spent four years at San Diego and Nahiem Alleyne was a three-year starter at Virginia Tech.
The Razorbacks are in the Sweet 16 for a third straight year in part because coach Eric Musselman has made good use of the portal. Former Wichita State guard Ricky Council leads Arkansas in scoring and Makhi Mitchell, who played at Maryland and Rhode Island, is one of team&rsquo;s top rebounders and scores seven points a game.
___
AP Sports Writer John Zenor, Bernie Wilson, Eric Olson, Tom Canavan, Teresa M. Walker, Dave Skretta, Tim Reynolds, Jim Vertuno and Beth Harris contributed.

Nearly every team of the men's Sweet 16 field has been significantly impacted by the NCAA transfer portal.

Transfer portal provided boost for most March Madness teams

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark sat in the locker room watching video on his phone, trying to figure out how Virginia could have avoided another early exit from the NCAA Tournament.
Five years to the day after losing as a No. 1 seed to 16th-seeded UMBC, the Cavaliers were eliminated in the first round as the higher-seeded team again Thursday &mdash; this time, falling 68-67 to 13th-seeded Furman.
Virginia hasn&rsquo;t won an NCAA Tournament game since its 2019 triumph over Texas Tech for the title. Clark&rsquo;s bad pass was intercepted by Garrett Hien in the closing seconds, leading to a wide-open 3-pointer that JP Pegues sank without hesitation.
Clark starred as a freshman on Virginia&rsquo;s 2019 national title-winning team. His long career with the Cavaliers had a much more unsatisfying conclusion.
So, what would he have done differently?
&ldquo;Call timeout, maybe could have threw it to Armaan (Franklin) on the right wing maybe,&rdquo; Clark said. &ldquo;He was open. Couldn&rsquo;t see. It was a good trap.&rdquo;
Coach Tony Bennett wasn&rsquo;t surprised Clark patiently answered questions from reporters.
&ldquo;This is part of the game. I&rsquo;ve used this line before, but when you step between the lines, you take the good and you take the hard with it. You try to handle them both with dignity and respect,&rdquo; Bennett said.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve loved coaching him in his career. He had the most amazing assist to get us to a Final Four. We would not be in this spot without him, all the success,&rdquo; Bennett added. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s had an unbelievable career. You always look to that last moment, and there&rsquo;s so many what-ifs and who knows.&rdquo;
Making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 43 years, the Paladins (28-7) advanced to the second round in the South Region, where they will play fifth-seeded San Diego State (28-6) on Saturday. The Aztecs held off No. 12 seed Charleston 63-57.
&ldquo;All year we&rsquo;ve been saying that this team just knows how to win. ... It&rsquo;s an unbelievable moment,&rdquo; Furman coach Bob Richey said.
&ldquo;This game is &mdash; interesting might be the word I&rsquo;d use,&rdquo; Bennett said. &ldquo;You feel like, we got it, we got it, and then all of a sudden in a moment&rsquo;s notice, it changes at the end. That&rsquo;s tough.&rdquo;
Furman earned its first tournament berth since 1980 by beating Chattanooga for the Southern Conference title, capping a season-long quest to redeem itself after losing the league&rsquo;s automatic berth to the Mocs in overtime on a 35-foot buzzer-beater last year.
&ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t help but go back when I saw the shot in the air to a year ago. It&rsquo;s just a reminder, like we said it all year, count on joy, and you don&rsquo;t know timing of things. ... This team has persevered, and they did it today,&rdquo; Richey said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a microcosm of what they learned, and they just keep reliving the lesson and keep finding ways.&rdquo;
In the aftermath of last year&rsquo;s disappointment, Jalen Slawson and his best friend, Mike Bothwell, both decided to return for their fifth seasons with the Paladins. Slawson took over the game when Bothwell fouled out with just over six minutes remaining, scoring nine consecutive points to turn a 54-48 deficit into Furman&rsquo;s first lead of the game, 57-54, with 5:02 to go.
Slawson, the Southern Conference player of the year, finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
&ldquo;I told Mike that we weren&rsquo;t going to let today be his last time putting a jersey on, and I know if roles were reversed, the same thing would have happened,&rdquo; Slawson said. &ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t have to just be me. But the game was up there for the taking, and these guys told me they believed in me and told me I was being a little bit passive, told me to be a little bit more aggressive.&rdquo;
The winning shot was Pegues&rsquo; only 3 of the game.
&ldquo;As soon as I saw it go into Garrett Hien&rsquo;s hands, I was like, I want the ball. I feel like those are moments I&rsquo;ve created my whole life, and I feel like I&rsquo;m built for,&rdquo; Pegues said. &ldquo;I had full belief that it was going in, and it did.&rdquo;
Reece Beekman&rsquo;s deep 3-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim and Virginia (25-8) was eliminated in the first round as the higher-seeded team for the third time in its past four NCAA tournaments. The Cavaliers were also a No. 4 seed two years ago, when they were beaten by 13th-seeded Ohio.
Kadin Shedrick led the Cavaliers with 15 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Beekman scored 14 and Isaac McKneely added 12.
Marcus Foster scored 14 points and Pegues and Bothwell both finished with 11 for Furman.
WHAT&rsquo;S GOING ON
Pegues&rsquo; shot sent shock waves throughout the tournament.
Gradey Dick was shooting free throws late in the first half in Des Moines, Iowa, when the crowd roared, startling the Kansas freshman. Fans were reacting to the final seconds of the Furman-Virginia game being shown on the center-court video board. Dick made the first free throw, turned around and looked up at the video board to see what the commotion was about, and then sank the second. Another loud roar went up when time expired on the Furman upset, but it didn&rsquo;t disrupt Kansas&rsquo; win over Howard because the teams were in a timeout.
UP NEXT
Furman: The Paladins made six appearances in the tourney between 1971 and 1980. Their only other victory came against South Carolina in 1974. Slawson doesn&rsquo;t see any reason why the Southern Conference champions can&rsquo;t win again.
&ldquo;This team has done a great job making history all year,&rdquo; Slawson said, &ldquo;so you know, Saturday is going to be another chance to make history.&rdquo;

Making their first trip to the NCAA Tournament in 43 years, the Paladins (28-7) advanced to the second round in the South Region.

Pegues’ three gives No. 13 seed Furman 68-67 win over Virginia

Will Wade, who was fired last year by LSU because of alleged recruiting violations, has been hired as head men&rsquo;s basketball coach at McNeese State.
The hiring of Wade was announced by athletic director Heath Schroyer on Sunday, just days after former Cowboys coach John Aiken was fired following his second season.
&ldquo;I will not make excuses for why we can&rsquo;t win and win big. Quite frankly, there is no excuse,&rdquo; Schroyer said. &ldquo;The days of us celebrating making conference tournaments or accepting mediocrity in all of our sports, let alone in basketball, are over.&rdquo;
While Wade was a controversial figure at LSU and spawned an ongoing NCAA investigation into the program&rsquo;s alleged offering of improper benefits to players &mdash; before the current Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) era &mdash; his teams were competitive.
The Tigers won a Southeastern Conference regular-season championship in 2019 and received bids to the NCAA Tournament in 2019, 2021 and 2022. (There was no tournament in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
When LSU fired Wade, President William F. Tate and athletic director Scott Woodward, said Wade&rsquo;s tenure and the allegations that followed him place the men&rsquo;s basketball program &ldquo;under an exhausting shroud of negativity.&rdquo;
LSU received a formal notice of allegations from the NCAA&rsquo;s Complex Case unit, including multiple charges alleging Wade&rsquo;s personal involvement in &mdash; or awareness of &mdash; Level I misconduct.
Level I violations can include a head coach&rsquo;s lack of oversight on compliance matters; failure to cooperate in an NCAA investigation; unethical or dishonest conduct; or prohibited cash or similar benefits provided to recruits.
LSU&rsquo;s statement at that time, however, stressed that Wade&rsquo;s firing was &ldquo;not an acknowledgement of agreement with any of the allegations.&rdquo;
Wade went 105-51 at LSU, winning 20 games or more in three of his five seasons. He has 196 career wins during his nine years as a head coach. From 2015 to 2017, Wade went 51-20 at VCU. Wade also was the head coach at Chattanooga for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, going 40-25.
&ldquo;I wanted someone who not only understands my expectations for our basketball program on and off the court, but actually embraces them,&rdquo; Schroyer said. &ldquo;There isn&rsquo;t a better fit for this basketball program, university or community at this moment than Will Wade.&rdquo;
Wade&rsquo;s formal introduction at McNeese was scheduled for Monday.

Wade went 105-51 at LSU, winning 20 games or more in three of his five seasons. He has 196 career wins during his nine years.

Will Wade hired by McNeese a year after LSU firing amid probe

March Madness is quickly approaching! Here is everything you need to know, including some key games to watch and who&rsquo;s on the bubble ahead of Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament:
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-68 h2 Component-p-0-2-59">CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS</h2>
All eyes will be on the conference tournaments this week:
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://theacc.com/sports/2018/1/12/2017-18-new-york-life-acc-tournament.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The ACC Tournament is March 7-11</a>&nbsp;in Greensboro, North Carolina.
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://admin.big12sports.com/tournaments/?id=1041" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Big 12 Tournament is March 8-11</a>&nbsp;in Kansas City, Missouri.
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://bigten.org/sports/2022/10/20/2023MBBT.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Big Ten Tournament is March 8-12</a>&nbsp;in Chicago.
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.bigeast.com/tournaments/?id=146" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Big East Tournament is March 8-11</a>&nbsp;in New York.
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://pac-12.com/mens-basketball-tournament-2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Pac-12 Tournament is March 8-11</a>&nbsp;in Las Vegas.
&mdash;&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.bridgestonearena.com/events/detail/2023-sec-mens-basketball-tournament" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The SEC Tournament is March 8-12</a>&nbsp;in Nashville, Tennessee.
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-68 h2 Component-p-0-2-59">MARCH MADNESS</h2>
Selection Sunday is March 12, when&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bracket matchups will be set</a>&nbsp;for the First Four and first- and second-round&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2023-02-21/2023-march-madness-mens-ncaa-tournament-schedule-dates-times" target="_blank" rel="noopener">games that stretch from Florida to California</a>.
Sweet 16 weekend will see games in New York City (East Region), Las Vegas (West), Kansas City, Missouri (Midwest), and Louisville, Kentucky (South).
Where is the Final Four? In Houston, on April 1, with the championship game on April 3.
Basketball aficionados, take note:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-kansas-city-march-madness-264616d053a2dc26ccf1f59999c0ea5b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The women&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament</a>&nbsp;will hold its Final Four in Dallas, a four-hour drive from Houston.
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-68 h2 Component-p-0-2-59">BETTING GUIDE</h2>
Who&rsquo;s going to win the national championship? With the regular season over, the betting favorites as of this week to reach the Final Four are Houston, Alabama, Kansas and Purdue, according to&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/ncaab?tab=final-four" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FanDuel Sportsbook</a>. That matches the top teams in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2023-02-18/division-i-mens-basketball-committee-reveals-top-16-seeds-three-weeks-selection" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the NCAA&rsquo;s initial seed watch</a>. UCLA is in the mix near the top in&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the AP Top 25</a>&nbsp;too.
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<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-68 h2 Component-p-0-2-59">WHO&rsquo;S IN</h2>
These teams are already going dancing after landing their league&rsquo;s automatic bid:&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/kennesaw-state-liberty-asun-atlantic-sun-conference-5b09f7866f7c962b6240905cfb971449" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kennesaw State</a>&nbsp;(26-8, Atlantic Sun),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/campbell-unc-asheville-big-south-conference-a41680d93065815045140d736d2929dc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">UNC Asheville</a>&nbsp;(27-7, Big South),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-ziggy-reid-javon-bennett-tanner-thomas-nico-galette-c22c114822b241c1990b7f789466574f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fairleigh Dickinson</a>&nbsp;(19-14, Northeast),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/mvc-championship-drake-bradley-0cafbe568b4c18386c99944f407b2f1d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drake</a>&nbsp;(27-7, Missouri Valley),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/chattanooga-furman-southern-conference-socon-f73c63056db9426a1cd7728db9cf86c7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Furman</a>&nbsp;(27-7, Southern),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/sun-belt-south-alabama-louisiana-tournament-ncaa-560ca5dfbffdf02126b1aa254f5e50d1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Louisiana-Lafayette</a>&nbsp;(26-7, Sun Belt),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/southeast-missouri-state-tennessee-tech-ovc-a1c488e92b79f977e42cb9a431f90c30" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Southeast Missouri State</a>&nbsp;(19-16, Ohio Valley),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/gonzaga-saint-marys-west-coast-conference-ncaa-tournament-8309d967f68424b76b6eb8d40e35babc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gonzaga</a>&nbsp;(28-5, West Coast),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/charleston-unc-wilmington-a5a96b049c0254c4e02e13b104f2583f" target="_blank" rel="noopener">College of Charleston</a>&nbsp;(31-3, Colonial Athletic Association),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/north-dakota-state-oral-roberts-d72cdca23a50685e2b63eca07e7f8ed9" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oral Roberts</a>&nbsp;(30-4, Summit League),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/northwestern-state-texas-am-corpus-christi-b6bda8e49d4f699d690bbb8b318980dc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi</a>&nbsp;(23-10, Southland),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/northern-arizona-montana-state-big-sky-conference-c956fc0ad669863a5b90839c4b29f6d6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montana State</a>&nbsp;(25-9, Big Sky),&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/northern-kentucky-cleveland-state-75d8750c09d58ac260f2ab8469945170" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Northern Kentucky</a>&nbsp;(22-12, Horizon League) and&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/lafayette-colgate-a865298447d891db81c6243f7f85902b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colgate</a>&nbsp;(26-8, Patriot League).
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-68 h2 Component-p-0-2-59">BUBBLE WATCH</h2>
Arizona State (22-12, 11-9 Pac-12):&nbsp;The Sun Devils could have strengthened their NCAA Tournament hopes by beating Arizona for a second time this season. Arizona State failed in that bid, losing to their rival 78-59 in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals, but still should be in good shape after beating Southern California in the tournament quarterfinals.
Oklahoma State (18-15, 8-10 Big 12): The Cowboys&rsquo; NCAA Tournament chances looked good not that long ago. Closing the season with six losses in eight games, including to No. 7 Texas in the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals, may dash their hopes.
Clemson (23-10, 14-6 ACC): The Tigers tied for third in the ACC regular season but will be sweating out Selection Sunday during a down year in the ACC. Clemson missed out on a big resume-booster by losing by 20 to No. 13 Virginia in the ACC Tournament semifinals.
Providence (21-11, 13-7 Big East):&nbsp;The Friars closed the season with three straight losses, which will lead to some tense moments on Selection Sunday. A close loss to No. 11 UConn after a huge rally in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals, along with a solid resume, could nudge them into the bracket.
<h2 class="Component-root-0-2-68 h2 Component-p-0-2-59">GAMES TO WATCH</h2>
Florida Atlantic (30-3) vs. UAB (25-8), Conference USA championship, Saturday, 8:30 p.m. Eastern (CBSSN):&nbsp;Every team riding the NCAA Tournament bubble will be rooting for the Owls, who could slip into the dance as an at-large team if they lose to the Blazers in the finals. They would much rather FAU take the automatic berth and free up another spot for them.
Ohio State (16-18) vs. No. 5 Purdue (27-5), Saturday, 1 p.m. Eastern (CBS): The Buckeyes have been the biggest surprise of any conference tournament, but every team on the bubble will be pulling for the Boilermakers to knock them out. With two more wins, Ohio State would be swiping another bid from a potential at-large team.

Here's everything to know about March Madness, including games to watch, who’s on the bubble ahead of Selection Sunday and more.

March Madness 2023: Last chances arrive for bubble teams

On the latest episode of The Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins, the guys are joined by 15-year NBA veteran and Rex's former teammate Kendall Gill.
The Illinois native has returned to Chicago, and is now calling games for the Chicago Bulls. How did life in Chicago and Champaign help mold him into the man he is today? Also, Rex and Kendall revisit classic moments the two share from the early 1990's Hornets. Watch the full episode below:
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A5DY7c4hWwo" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

On The Rex Chapman Show, 15-year NBA veteran Kendall Gill joins the guys to talk about Chicago, old Hornets memories and more.

Kendall Gill on ‘90s Hornets, Chicago’s hoops scene, Bulls broadcasting

Basketball News highlights the reporting, analysis and podcasts that defined a year of basketball in 2022.

Best of Basketball News: Spotlighting our top content from 2022

Paul Silas, a member of three NBA championship teams as a player and LeBron James' first coach in the league, has died, his family announced Sunday. He was 79.
The family revealed the death through the Houston Rockets, for whom Silas' son, Stephen, is a second-generation head coach. The Boston Globe first reported Silas' death, and no official cause was immediately announced.
&ldquo;Our heartfelt thoughts are with Stephen and his family during this difficult time,&rdquo; the Rockets said in a statement.
Paul Silas began his career as a head coach with a three-year stint leading the then-San Diego Clippers starting in 1980. After spending more than a decade as an assistant, he returned to being a head coach and spent time with the Charlotte Hornets, the New Orleans Hornets, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Charlotte Bobcats.
He took four of those teams to the playoffs, winning exactly 400 games &mdash; 387 in the regular season, 13 more in the postseason.
&ldquo;Paul made a huge contribution to the game of basketball and will be sorely missed!&rdquo; Hall of Fame guard and Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson wrote on Twitter.
The Rockets were playing host to Milwaukee on Sunday night. It was not immediately clear how long Stephen Silas would be away from the team; the Rockets were planning to have John Lucas lead the team on an interim basis while the Silas family grieves.
Stephen Silas got into the NBA world when his father was coaching in Charlotte, starting as an advance scout and eventually serving as an assistant on his father's staff with the Hornets in 2000. It took Stephen Silas two decades to get a chance to be a head coach, that coming when Houston hired him in 2020.
&ldquo;My dad, obviously, he was my No. 1 mentor, someone who I could lean on, ask questions and he asked questions of me,&rdquo; Stephen Silas said in a 2021 documentary produced by the Rockets about his coaching journey. &ldquo;He really valued my opinion, which was kind of weird to me, me being so young and not having much experience.&rdquo;
Stephen Silas persevered for a long time before getting his big chance. He saw his father wait a long time for the job he wanted as well. Paul Silas was fired by the San Diego Clippers in 1983 and wouldn't have a head coaching opportunity again until 1999 &mdash; coming when Dave Cowens, for whom Paul Silas was an assistant, stepped down in Charlotte after a 4-11 start to the shortened 1998-99 season.
&ldquo;I was known as not a hard, hard, hard worker and it really hurt me when I was an assistant coach, for about 10 years, when I couldn&rsquo;t get a head job,&rdquo; Paul Silas told the Rotary Club of Charlotte while giving a speech there in 2013. &ldquo;I really talked to teams about being a head coach, but I didn&rsquo;t get one. What happened is I stayed positive. I had a positive attitude. Even though I couldn&rsquo;t get the job, I said, &lsquo;No, I&rsquo;m not going to be negative. I&rsquo;m going to be positive.&rsquo;&rdquo;
Eventually, Silas would take over in Cleveland. He got there in 2003, the same year the Cavaliers drafted James.
&ldquo;I coached LeBron for two years, his first two years, and LeBron was unbelievable," Paul Silas said. &ldquo;At 18 years old, he knew about Bill Russell, he knew about a lot of players who came through that most players his age don&rsquo;t even know. And he understood the game. I made LeBron a point/forward because I didn&rsquo;t have one when he first started. He didn&rsquo;t say a word to me. He just took over the game and we did well.&rdquo;
In time, James would become a champion. It took Paul Silas a few years to get to that level as a player as well.
He was a five-time All-Defensive team selection who averaged 9.4 points and 9.9 rebounds in 16 seasons with the St. Louis and Atlanta Hawks, Phoenix, Boston, Denver and Seattle. Silas won two titles with the Celtics &mdash; the first coming in his 10th season as a player &mdash; and claimed a third with the SuperSonics. He averaged 12.8 points and 13.8 rebounds in the 1976 Finals for Boston against the Suns.
&ldquo;Paul Silas was a giant in basketball circles," former NBA player Rex Chapman wrote Sunday on Twitter. &ldquo;A great man. Was fortunate to spend a couple of seasons with Paul when he was an (assistant) coach with the Suns. I don&rsquo;t know anyone with a bad word to say about him &mdash; ever. A sad day."
Paul Silas played his college basketball at Creighton, averaging 20.5 points and 21.6 rebounds in three seasons. He was voted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.
&ldquo;I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Creighton legend Paul Silas," Bluejays coach Greg McDermott said. &ldquo;His illustrious career as a player and coach will be matched by few."

Paul Silas, a member of three NBA championship teams as a player and LeBron James' first coach in the league, has passed away.

Paul Silas, 3-time NBA champion and longtime coach, dies at 79

On the latest episode of The Rex Chapman Show with Josh Hopkins, the guys are joined by the legendary Mike Krzyzewski a.k.a. Coach K.
During the show, Coach K revisits his incredible tenure at Duke and watching the team play under Jon Scheyer now, the Redeem Team, his coaching philosophy and much more. Watch the full episode below:
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Time Stamps
5:30 - Should Christian Laettner have been ejected in 1992?
7:00 - After a storied career, what is Coach K up to these days? What's life after coaching like for him? There's still plenty of basketball.
9:15 - Is it difficult watching Duke basketball from a different capacity? Are there any regrets after leaving the bench, and now watching Jon Scheyer take over as head coach?
11:30 - What did Coach K see in Scheyer in his playing days at Duke that made him the perfect archetype to be a great coach?
18:30 - Where did Coach K gain his unparalleled work ethic? He goes back to his childhood and what he learned at West Point, and discusses what he continues to use to this day.
22:30 - At West Point, it wasn't just learning from Coach Bobby Knight on the basketball court, but there were so many facets of leadership and life skills he learned at the academy.
24:00 - Coach K's philosophy to "be worthy of winning"&nbsp;
28:00 - On the recruiting trail, Coach K always made it a point of emphasis to understand what a player's relationship was with their mother, and you could learn even more if they had an older sister.
31:30 - With the success Coach K has had, especially in the NCAA Tournament, he describes how several of his teams may have been worthy of a national championship, but may have fallen short because the one thing you can't fast-track is experience.
42:00 - Where coaching USA Basketball ranks among the accomplishments of Coach K's career. To him, there's no greater honor than representing your country on the world stage.
45:30 - What was so special about The Redeem Team of 2008 under the leadership of Kobe Bryant? It was about winning a gold medal, but more so about winning the respect of their country.
48:00 - Kobe Bryant approached Coach K in 2008 and asked to guard the best player on the opposing team: "Most people don't dream of moments."
52:00 - Coach K says Rex Chapman was one of the players Coach K always wanted to coach because he had a spirit and passion for the game.
54:00 - Coach K recalls "The Shot" and gives the guys his view of those final seconds in that incredible victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. It was at that moment he recognized he had to say something to the team he had just beaten.
59:00 - What Coach K's expectations are for Kentucky this season, and how hard it must be for John Calipari to have to go out and win every game for the fans.

On The Rex Chapman Show, the iconic "Coach K" Mike Krzyzewski discusses the Blue Devils, his philosophies and much more.

Legendary 'Coach K' Mike Krzyzewski talks Duke, USA Basketball, more

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Tennessee senior center Tamari Key will miss the rest of this season because of blood clots in her lungs, coach Kellie Harper said Thursday.
Doctors found the issue during testing. Key is expected to make a full recovery after treatment from University of Tennessee doctors, Harper said, adding that her sole concern is Key getting the medical care she needs to heal and return to full strength.
Key missed the first game of her career in a win Tuesday night over Chattanooga after playing her first 99.
&ldquo;This is much bigger than basketball. We are so grateful that this medical condition was caught,&rdquo; Harper said in a statement. &ldquo;Our entire program will be right beside Tamari during this process and welcomes prayers and positive thoughts from Lady Vol Nation and beyond.&rdquo;
The Lady Vols opened the season ranked fifth but currently are 5-5.
The 6-foot-6 Key from Cary, North Carolina, currently is Tennessee&rsquo;s third-leading scorer averaging 8.4 points a game and averaged 4.2 rebounds per game. She started all 34 games as the Lady Vols reached their first Sweet 16 since 2016 last season and set the school record with 119 blocked shots.
Key had 18 blocks this season and 295 for her career, five away from becoming the eighth woman to reach that mark in Southeastern Conference history.

Key is expected to make a full recovery after treatment from University of Tennessee doctors.

Lady Vols center Tamari Key out for season with blood clots

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Hayden Brown scored 21 points, freshman Gregory Jackson II had 18 points and 10 rebounds in his debut and South Carolina beat South Carolina State 80-77 on Tuesday night for the first victory for coach Lamont Paris.
S.C. State&rsquo;s Davion Everett tipped in a miss with 4.5 seconds left to pull within 79-77, and the Bulldogs fouled Jacobi Wright, who made 1 of 2 free throws. South Carolina elected to foul Rakeim Gary in the backcourt and it paid off as he missed the first free throw and the second was waived off after a lane violation.
Wright added 14 points and Meechie Johnson, a transfer from Ohio State, scored nine points for South Carolina. Jackson, who was rated the country&rsquo;s sixth-best college prospect by ESPN.com, was 7 of 15 from the field.
Lesown Hallums led South Carolina State with 20 points. Rahsaan Edwards added 13 points, Gary had 12 and Everett scored 11.
Paris, who spent the past five seasons coaching Chattanooga, leads a relatively new roster as eight players, including four starters, departed after Frank Martin was fired.
South Carolina faces state rival Clemson on Nov. 11, then plays in the Charleston Classic, an in-state, eight-team tournament that also features ACC Tournament champion Virginia Tech and Penn State of the Big Ten.&nbsp;

Hayden Brown scored 21 points, freshman Gregory Jackson II had 18 points and 10 rebounds in his debut and South Carolina won.

South Carolina gets first win for coach Lamont Paris

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Jeremy Roach scored 16 first-half points to help seventh-ranked Duke open Jon Scheyer&rsquo;s coaching tenure with a 71-44 win over Jacksonville on Monday night.
Freshman Mark Mitchell had a team-high 18 points for the Blue Devils, who used a 25-4 run spanning halftime to blow the game open.
It was a quality start to a season of massive change for the Blue Devils, starting with Scheyer taking over for retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski. Duke has 11 new players, including the nation&rsquo;s No. 1-ranked recruiting class and two power-conference transfers. The Blue Devils didn&rsquo;t have top freshmen Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead for this one as they recover from preseason injuries.
Mike Marsh scored 15 points to lead the Dolphins, who shot 34% and missed 18 of 19 3-pointers before making two meaningless 3s late.
NO. 1 NORTH CAROLINA 69, UNC WILMINGTON 56
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Love and RJ Davis scored 17 points apiece and North Carolina began a season of grand expectations by pulling away from UNC Wilmington.
Armando Bacot added 16 points and nine rebounds for the Tar Heels, who were perhaps most impressive at the defensive end. UNCW shot 29.8% from the field.
The Tar Heels, who were the NCAA Tournament runner-up in April, began the new season with the top ranking for the first time in seven years. It&rsquo;s a record 10th time that North Carolina has been ranked No. 1 to start a season &mdash; one more than rival Duke.
Trazarien White scored 19 points for UNCW, which faced a top-ranked team for the first time in program history.
NO. 2 GONZAGA 104, NORTH FLORIDA 63
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 22 points, Julian Strawther added 16 and No. 2 Gonzaga used a big first-half run to beat North Florida in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Anton Watson had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and five steals for Gonzaga, which won its 68th consecutive home game, the nation&rsquo;s longest such streak.
Carter Hendricksen scored 16 points, Jadyn Parker 13 and Jose Placer 12 for North Florida, a veteran-laden team from the Atlantic Sun Conference that returned its top four scorers from last season.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 83, NORTHERN COLORADO 36
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Marcus Sasser scored 21 points, J&rsquo;Wan Roberts added 12 points and six rebounds, and Houston opened the season by beating Northern Colorado.
Sasser, a preseason All-American, scored 11 points in the first half. He finished 7 of 14 from the field and made 4 of 8 3-pointers. The senior guard missed the second half of last season and all of Houston&rsquo;s run to the Elite Eight with a toe injury.
Houston coach Kelvin Sampson won his 700th career game and 200th with the Cougars.
Matt Johnson II, Riley Abercrombie and Caleb Shaw each scored eight points for the Bears.
NO. 4 KENTUCKY 95, HOWARD 63
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Antonio Reeves scored 22 points, CJ Fredrick had 20 and Kentucky beat Howard with All-American Oscar Tshiebwe and two other players sidelined.
Tshiebwe had a procedure last month on his right knee. Point guard Sahvir Wheeler (right leg) and sophomore forward Daimion Collins (personal reasons) were also out, but the Wildcats still shot 55% against the overmatched Bison.
Jacob Toppin and freshman Cason Wallace each added 15 points for Kentucky.
Kobe Dickson scored 17 points and Elijah Hawkins had 14 for Howard, which shot 34%.
NO. 5 KANSAS 89, OMAHA 64
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson had 19 points and 11 rebounds, Gradey Dick added 23 points in his debut, and Kansas began defense of its national championship without suspended coach Bill Self by routing Omaha.
Bobby Pettiford Jr. added 13 points, Dajuan Harris had 11 points and eight assists, and Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar Jr. scored 10 for the Jayhawks, who broke open a close game in the second half with two big runs.
Self served the first of a four-game punishment along with assistant Kurtis Townsend as part of the fallout from a 2017 federal investigation into college basketball corruption.
Jaeden Marshall scored 13 points and Luke Jungers had 12 for the Mavericks.
NO. 5 BAYLOR 117, MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE 53
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Adam Flagler scored 21 points to lead six players in double figures as Baylor won the opener of its 20th season with coach Scott Drew.
Flagler, a preseason All-Big 12 pick who also was the Bears&rsquo; leading scorer last season, also had eight assists and one of his four 3-pointers started a 24-0 run midway through the first half.
LJ Cryer had 16 points and Dale Bonner, another returning guard, had 14.
Alvin Stredic scored 14 points and Terry Collins 10 for Mississippi Valley State in its first game for new coach George Ivory.
NO. 9 CREIGHTON 72, ST. THOMAS 60
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Baylor Scheierman made back-to-back 3-pointers midway through the second half to give Creighton the lead for good.
Arthur Kaluma scored 17 points, Trey Alexander had 12 and Scheierman added 11 as the Bluejays won their 25th opener in 26 years.
St. Thomas, a Summit League member beginning its second season in Division I, gave the Bluejays all they could handle until the last few minutes. Andrew Rohde had 15 points to lead the Tommies.
NO. 10 ARKANSAS 76, NORTH DAKOTA STATE 58
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Trevon Brazile had 21 points and 12 rebounds in his debut as Arkansas won its season opener.
Brazile, a sophomore transfer from Missouri, scored six straight points during an 11-0 run early in the second half that gave Arkansas a 16-point lead with 15 minutes left.
Wichita State transfer Ricky Council led the Razorbacks with 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting.
Grant Nelson and Boden Skunberg had 17 points apiece to lead North Dakota State.
NO. 11 TENNESSEE 75, TENNESSEE TECH 43
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Tyreke Key came off the bench to score 17 points and Tennessee beat Tennessee Tech in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Key, an Indiana State transfer, connected on 4 of 8 3-pointers to ignite a sluggish Volunteer offense. Zakai Zeigler scored all but two of his 12 points in the second half.
Brett Thompson led the Golden Eagles with 15 points.
NO. 12 TEXAS 72, UTEP 57
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) &mdash; Tyrese Hunter scored 18 points to lead Texas past UTEP in the debut of its new arena.
Hunter, a transfer from Iowa State, was 6-of-8 shooting and added five rebounds. Ze&rsquo;Ri Onyema led UTEP with 10 points.
Texas this season moved to the $375 million Moody Center on the edge of campus, leaving behind the old Frank Erwin Center after 45 years.
NO. 13 INDIANA 88, MOREHEAD STATE 53
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) &mdash; Preseason All-American Trayce Jackson-Davis and freshman Malik Reneau each scored 15 points, helping Indiana beat Morehead State in the season opener for both teams.
The Hoosiers have won all six matchups in the series and are 26-0 all-time against Ohio Valley Conference foes.
Mark Freeman led the Eagles with 14 points, and Drew Thelwell had 11 for the OVC favorites.
NO. 14 TCU 73, ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF 72
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Mike Miles hit a 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining to finally put TCU ahead to stay against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which built an early 20-point lead in the season opener for both teams.
Miles, the preseason Big 12 player of the year, hit from deep beyond the top of the key for a 71-68 lead.
Emanuel Miller had 15 of his 19 points in the second half, and Miles finished with 15 points for the Horned Frogs. They returned all five starters and five other scholarship players after winning their first NCAA Tournament game since 1987.
Shaun Doss had 25 points with four of Arkansas-Pine Bluff&rsquo;s 13 3-pointers.
NO. 15 AUBURN 70, GEORGE MASON 52
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Wendell Green Jr. scored 16 points while K.D. Johnson and Johni Broome each had 12 to lead Auburn to a season-opening win over George Mason.
The Tigers weren&rsquo;t really challenged much in their first game since losing NBA first-round draft picks Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler.
Ronald Polite III led George Mason with 10 points, and Victor Bailey Jr. had nine.
NO. 16 VILLANOVA 81, LA SALLE 68
VILLANOVA, Pa. (AP) &mdash; Caleb Daniels scored 24 points to make coach Kyle Neptune a winner in his Villanova debut.
Neptune replaced Hall of Famer Jay Wright, who retired in the offseason. The Wildcats returned three starters (a fourth, Justin Moore, was injured) from the team that lost a national semifinal game to Kansas. Eric Dixon added 20 points for Villanova.
Daniels made his first five 3-pointers and the Wildcats used an early 10-0 run to put away their city rival and spoiled 74-year-old coach Fran Dunphy&rsquo;s return to the bench.
Josh Nickelberry scored 22 points to lead the Explorers.
NO. 17 ARIZONA 117, NICHOLLS STATE 75
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis scored 23 points and Arizona went on a massive opening run to begin its second season under coach Tommy Lloyd with a rout.
Ballo scored 18 points, helping Arizona set a school record with 71.7% shooting from the floor against the reigning Southland Conference regular-season champions. The Wildcats opened the game with a 30-4 run.
Micah Thomas led Nicholls State with 20 points.
NO. 18 VIRGINIA 73, NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL 61
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman sparked a 15-2 second-half run, and Virginia beat North Carolina Central after blowing a 16-point first-half lead.
Armaan Franklin led Virginia with 21 points in the season opener for both teams, and Francisco Caffaro had 10.
Justin Wright scored 20 and Eric Boone had 18 for the Eagles, who used a 12-0 run just after halftime to go ahead. But Clark hit a 3 and Beekman followed with a steal and a breakaway.
NO. 19 SAN DIEGO STATE 80, CAL STATE FULLERTON 57
SAN DIEGO (AP) &mdash; Darrion Trammell hit three 3-pointers during a 29-10 run to open the second half and finished with 18 points as San Diego State beat Cal State Fullerton.
Fellow newcomer Jaedon LeDee and Lamont Butler scored 11 points apiece and Nathan Mensah had 10 for the Aztecs, who won their 10th straight season opener and their 17th in 18 seasons.
Vincent Lee scored 11 and Jalen Harris 10 for the Titans, the defending Big West Conference champions.
NO. 20 ALABAMA 75, LONGWOOD 54
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) &mdash; Freshman Brandon Miller had 14 points and 13 rebounds in his debut as Alabama beat Longwood.
Fellow freshman Rylan Griffen also scored 14 for the Crimson Tide, and point guard Mark Sears had 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Freshman guard Jaden Bradley added 11 points and six boards.
Alabama held Longwood to 27% shooting and blocked nine shots. Michael Christmas led Longwood with 12 points.
NO. 21 OREGON 80, FLORIDA A&amp;M 45
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) &mdash; N&rsquo;Faly Dante had 16 points and 10 rebounds as Oregon opened with an easy win over Florida A&amp;M.
Keeshawn Barthelemy added 13 points for the Ducks, ranked to start the season for the ninth straight year. Will Richardson scored 11.
Jordan Tillmon and Jordan Chatman had eight points apiece for the Rattlers, who have 11 new players. Florida A&amp;M coach Robert McCullum was on Oregon coach Dana Altman&rsquo;s staff from 2014-17.
NO. 22 MICHIGAN 75, PURDUE FORT WAYNE 56
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) &mdash; Hunter Dickinson had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and freshman Jett Howard added 21 points in Michigan&rsquo;s season-opening win.
After Purdue Fort Wayne opened an 8-4 lead, Michigan went on a 20-0 run to take control.
Quinton Morton-Robertson scored 15 points and Bobby Planutis added 13 for the Mastodons.
NO. 23 ILLINOIS 87, EASTERN ILLINOIS 57
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) &mdash; Terrence Shannon Jr. scored 24 points and Coleman Hawkins had 23 points and 12 rebounds as Illinois cruised past Eastern Illinois.
Dain Dainja added 17 points on 8-of-9 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Illini, who outrebounded the Panthers 53-30 in the opener for both teams.
Kinyon Hodges scored 14 points and Yaakema Rose added 10 for Eastern Illinois.
NO. 24 DAYTON 73, LINDENWOOD 46
DAYTON, Ohio (AP) &mdash; Mustapha Amzil scored 14 points, DaRon Holmes II and R.J. Blakney each had 13 and Dayton beat Lindenwood in a sluggish opener for both teams.
Dayton was without injured point guard Malachi Smith and didn&rsquo;t play particularly well until late, but it had a large margin for error against Lindenwood, which was playing its first game after moving up to Division I.
Chris Childs had 15 points for the Lions, who shot 33% from the field.
NO. 25 TEXAS TECH 73, NORTHWESTERN STATE 49
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) &mdash; Daniel Batcho had 12 points and 10 rebounds as Texas Tech rolled past Northwestern State in both teams&rsquo; opener.
Texas Tech broke it open late in the first half and led 42-23 at halftime.
Isaac Haney led Northwestern State with 16 points.

It was a quality start to a season of massive change for the Blue Devils, starting with Jon Scheyer taking over Duke's program.

Roach leads No. 7 Duke past Jacksonville in Scheyer’s debut

MARYVILLE, Mo. (AP) &mdash; There is growing fear among college basketball coaches at the lower levels of the sport, the vast majority of which do not make seven-figure salaries, fly around the country in private jets or hang out with rich and famous boosters and fans.
It&rsquo;s a fear that comes with success.
It only takes a couple of marquee players to compete for championships at the Division II or III level, the NAIA or even in low-major Division I leagues. But in an era of freedom of transfer and name, image and likeness endorsement money, the reality is this: If your program is too good, there&rsquo;s a good chance those prolific players will be playing elsewhere next season, recruited to major programs that can offer them more exposure, opportunities and financial benefits.
When it happens, lower-level coaches who might be coming off a 20-win season could be left rebuilding their rosters and fighting for 10 wins and, potentially, their jobs.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s always been an opportunity to poach kids if you want to poach them, but it&rsquo;s all become easier now,&rdquo; said Joe Lombardi, the longtime coach of Division II powerhouse Indiana (Pa.). &ldquo;I believe in karma. I&rsquo;m not doing that, OK? But some places it has become a way of life. It&rsquo;s disappointing that people invest in kids and, you know, they get poached.
&ldquo;They don&rsquo;t just go to the market,&rdquo; Lombardi added. &ldquo;Some do, but a lot of them are talked into it.&rdquo;
His team reached the Final Four last season thanks largely to shooting guard Armoni Foster, who averaged 18 points for the Crimson Hawks, but who will be playing Division I ball for Buffalo this season. And while Lombardi encouraged him to seek a better opportunity for his final year of eligibility, the coach acknowledges that won&rsquo;t always be the case.
Especially when players no longer have to sit out a year under the NCAA&rsquo;s transfer rules.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had guys that Division I schools made overtures about and I&rsquo;m eventually going to lose someone, and it might not be amicable,&rdquo; Lombardi said. &ldquo;I might not be happy with the move. But if you&rsquo;re in it long enough, that will happen.&rdquo;
It happened at Nova Southeastern, the top seed in the NCAA Tournament last year. Sekou Sylla, who averaged 22.4 points and 10.4 rebounds for the Division II program, will be playing for Towson at the Division I level this season.
And it happened at Hillsdale, another strong Division II program, where Patrick Cartier caught the attention of Colorado State. And at Bentley, which saw shooting guard Colton Lawrence follow up a strong season by leaving for Maryland-Baltimore County, a low-major program but nonetheless an opportunity for him to compete at the Division I level.
Even the bluest of the bluebloods have kept their eyes open for lower-level transfers.
Cam Martin, a bruising 6-foot-9 forward, was a two-time All-American for Missouri Southern who chose to continue his career elsewhere. He landed at Kansas, the defending Division I national champion, about a 3-hour drive from the Lions&rsquo; campus in Joplin but light years away in terms of opportunity and experience.
Martin, who graduated from Missouri Southern and is pursuing his graduate degree at Kansas, went from starting every game and playing major minutes to being a key practice player but rarely seeing the floor in actual games.
&ldquo;You have the good and bad stories that come of it,&rdquo; acknowledged Dennis Gates, the new Missouri coach who brought three players with him when he was hired from Cleveland State. &ldquo;But the rules give student-athletes an opportunity, no different than coaches have opportunities now, to represent a different program.&rdquo;
Still, as TCU coach Jamie Dixon admitted, the fact that players no longer have to sit out has changed the dynamic.
&ldquo;A kid having success at a lower conference than, say, the Big 12, was likely not to transfer and sit out because he&rsquo;s playing well,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s getting his minutes. Why would he want to sit out?&rdquo;
When the NCAA removed that impediment, it became easier for players to move on &mdash; and move up. And when NIL legislation came along, allowing players to profit off their celebrity, it created a situation where high-major programs can effectively offer financial benefits unavailable at most lower-level programs.
Throw in the chance to compete at a higher level and it&rsquo;s hard for kids to turn their back on the opportunity.
Fardaws Aimaq remembers playing for Utah Valley in the WAC Tournament last spring, and five or six NBA scouts were sitting in a corner. Aimaq dominated the first half of the Wolverines&rsquo; game, only to see the scouts get up and walk out, and he recalled thinking, &ldquo;Why did they leave?&rdquo; Aimaq texted his advisers afterward, and the answer was simple: &ldquo;They wanted to know if I was really that good or the competition was not that good.&rdquo;
Aimaq ended up transferring from the low-major school to Texas Tech in the hopes of raising his NBA draft profile this season.
&ldquo;Leaving was hard,&rdquo; he said, &ldquo;but it was just the best decision for me business-wise.&rdquo;
Just like it was for Malachi Smith, a prolific shooting guard who spent the last two seasons at Chattanooga but will play for Gonzaga this season, or Johni Broome, a 6-10 forward who transferred from Morehead State to Auburn.
Transfers go both ways, of course. Plenty of players leave high-majors for low-majors, or even lower divisions, where they might go from benchwarmer to starter. But they are typically easier for big-budget programs to replace.
It&rsquo;s tougher to accept at small schools, though, when a player who might have slipped through the recruiting cracks not only got an opportunity to play but was also developed over time &mdash; only to take their game somewhere else.
&ldquo;There could be a great player at Division III. I will not make an overture for that kid. I will not do it,&rdquo; said Lombardi, the Division II coach at Indiana (Pa.) &ldquo;Maybe I would if I was 10-20 for three straight seasons &mdash; I might then. But I just don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s for the good of the kid or the good of athletics.&rdquo;

There is growing fear among college basketball coaches at the lower levels of the sport.

Portal chaos puts pressure on hoops coaches in lower levels

Creighton has its best preseason ranking ever thanks in part to the big victory it earned in the transfer portal.
Baylor Scheierman&rsquo;s decision to return to his home state and play for Creighton after three stellar seasons at South Dakota State gave Creighton one of the nation&rsquo;s more versatile players.
Scheierman, a first-team all-Summit League selection each of the last two years, was the only Division I player last season to lead his conference in both rebounds (7.8) and assists (4.5). He was a finalist for the Lou Henson Award given annually to the nation&rsquo;s top mid-major player.
South Dakota State went 68-22 in Scheierman&rsquo;s three seasons, including a 30-5 mark last season that included an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Now he&rsquo;s taking his game to the Big East.
&ldquo;It was definitely a tough decision,&rdquo; Scheierman told reporters. &ldquo;Obviously, being there for three years and winning as much as we did, the relationships were pretty strong. This was a move for me individually, hoping to reach my dreams of playing in the NBA.&rdquo;
Scheierman, who is from Aurora, Nebraska, showed his ability to deal with Big East competition in his final game at South Dakota State. The 6-foot-7 guard collected 18 points and 10 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament loss to Providence.
His addition has helped Creighton earn a No. 9 ranking in the preseason AP Top 25. The Bluejays also return three players who averaged at least 10 points last season in Ryan Kalkbrenner, Arthur Kaluma and Ryan Nembhard.
&ldquo;He can score the basketball, but he&rsquo;s an elite, elite passer,&rdquo; Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. &ldquo;Adding that to what we already had returning is quite a skill to add to this group.&rdquo;
Scheierman is one of the more notable players switching teams this season (former schools are included in parentheses):
MEMPHIS G KENDRIC DAVIS (SMU)
Davis will try to defend his American Athletic Conference player of the year title at a different school. The 6-footer led the AAC with 19.4 points per game at SMU and also ranked third in the league in assists (4.4) at SMU last season.
KANSAS STATE F KEYONTAE JOHNSON (Florida)
Johnson was the Southeastern Conference&rsquo;s preseason player of the year in 2020-21 but collapsed during a game in December 2020 and hasn&rsquo;t played since. This season marks his comeback with a new team. Johnson was an Associated Press second-team all-SEC selection in 2019-20. He had 14 points and 7.1 rebounds per game that season.
NORTH CAROLINA F PETE NANCE (Northwestern)
Nance never got to play in an NCAA Tournament for Northwestern but the 6-foot-11 graduate student now gets a chance to play for the top-ranked Tar Heels, who reached the national championship game last season. Nance, the son of former NBA player Larry Nance, had 14.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last season while shooting 45.2% from 3-point range.
MIAMI G NIJEL PACK (Kansas State)
This 6-footer earned first-team all-Big 12 honors last season and was named the conference&rsquo;s most improved player. He averaged 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals. He also made 95 3-pointers and shot 43.6% from beyond the arc. Pack was one of seven Division I players to score at least 17 points per game while shooting at least 43% from 3-point range.
GONZAGA G MALACHI SMITH (Chattanooga)
Smith was the Southern Conference player of the year and won the Lou Henson Award as the nation&rsquo;s top mid-major performer last season. He had 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.7 steals per game while helping Chattanooga reach the NCAA Tournament.
LSU F KJ WILLIAMS (Murray State)
This 6-10 forward followed coach Matt McMahon from Murray State to LSU after leading the Ohio Valley Conference in scoring (18.0 ppg) and ranked second in the league in rebounding (8.4) last season. He had 18 points and seven rebounds as Murray State defeated San Francisco in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. Williams averaged 13.7 points for Murray State in 2019-20 and 15.6 points in 2020-21.&nbsp;

Creighton has its best preseason ranking ever thanks in part to the big victory it earned in the transfer portal.

Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman tops list of impact transfers

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme wasn&rsquo;t ready to grow up, at least not without giving it one more shot at bringing an elusive national title to Gonzaga.
&ldquo;My heart&rsquo;s in Spokane,&rdquo; Timme said. &ldquo;And I wasn&rsquo;t ready to be an adult yet, I guess.&rdquo;
Timme is the leader of a Bulldogs team that should again be among the contenders to lift the championship trophy next April in Houston.
Gonzaga begins the season ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP Top 25. Not being in the top spot in the rankings has been an outlier for the majority of Timme&rsquo;s career.
The standout forward played his first three seasons on Gonzaga teams that were ranked No. 1 in the country for more weeks than they were ranked below the top. The Zags were No. 1 for 30 weeks over the past three seasons, and were ranked lower for just 26 weeks.
&ldquo;We really believe if we stay true to who we are, the sky is the limit for us,&rdquo; Timme said. &ldquo;We demand a lot of ourselves.&rdquo;
Timme&rsquo;s decision to return was a bit of a coup for Gonzaga, especially after Chet Holmgren made the expected decision to enter the NBA after just one season in Spokane.
Timme will be joined by fellow returnees Julian Strawther, Rasir Bolton and Anton Watson to make up the core of this group of Zags.&nbsp;
Young guards Nolan Hickman and Hunter Sallis will take on bigger roles this season. And Gonzaga was active again in the transfer portal, landing Malachi Smith, the Southern Conference player of the year last season after he averaged 19.9 points at Chattanooga.
&ldquo;This team has a chance to do something special,&rdquo; Timme added. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s going to be a fun, exciting, different team this year, and I&rsquo;m excited to be part of it.&rdquo;
Gonzaga went 28-4 last season before losing to Alabama in the NCAA Tournament. After reaching the national title game and losing in 2021, getting bounced in the Sweet Sixteen this year was a disappointing conclusion.
Timme averaged 18 points and nearly seven rebounds per game last season. In addition to his on-court skills, Timme&rsquo;s fun-loving personality has opened numerous name, image and likeness opportunities.
Timme has said his endorsements in Spokane, which include frequent comedic ads for a local casino, add up to what he might have earned as a second-round NBA draft pick.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s the epitome of what&rsquo;s good right now with NIL and everything that&rsquo;s going on with the attention,&rdquo; Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had some great characters over the years and also just incredible players, and he&rsquo;s certainly at the top of all those lists.&rdquo;
Few believes Timme&rsquo;s persona sometimes overshadows what he has accomplished on the floor.
The Zags are 90-7 in his first three seasons, including that trip to the national championship game last year. He is the reigning West Coast Conference player of the year and a two-time second-team AP All-America selection.
THE GAUNTLET
The gauntlet is what Timme has called a three-week span when Gonzaga plays some monster opponents. This season it begins with Michigan State in the Armed Forces Classic on Nov. 11, played on an aircraft carrier in San Diego. That&rsquo;s followed by a road game against No. 12 Texas on Nov. 16 and a date with No. 4 Kentucky at the Spokane Arena on Nov. 20. The Bulldogs play in the Phil Knight Legacy in Portland, Oregon, over the Thanksgiving holiday with a potential matchup against No. 7 Duke. They play No. 5 Baylor on Dec. 2 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They also play No. 20 Alabama on Dec. 17.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think people give coach the credit for what he was able to pull off,&rdquo; Timme said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how many people (would) do that because you could wind up losing all of them just as easily as you could win all of them.&rdquo;
UP FRONT
Gonzaga doesn&rsquo;t have a significant amount of depth in the front court aside from Timme and Watson. A big addition &mdash; literally and figuratively &mdash; was LSU transfer Efton Reid III. The 7-footer started all 34 games for LSU last season and averaged 6.3 points while playing about 20 minutes per game.
WCC FAVORITES
For the 11th year in a row, Gonzaga was selected by coaches as the preseason favorite to win the West Coast Conference regular season title. The Bulldogs will open conference play on Dec. 31 against Pepperdine.
BRING ON KENTUCKY
Gonzaga and Kentucky will play a six-game series beginning this year in Spokane. Gonzaga will go to Kentucky twice and there will be neutral site games in Nashville and Seattle before the series concludes in 2027 back in Spokane.&nbsp;

“We really believe if we stay true to who we are, the sky is the limit for us,” Drew Timme said. “We demand a lot of ourselves.”

Timme back as No. 2 Gonzaga seeks elusive national title

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; First-year coach Lamont Paris didn&rsquo;t have to go far to find a welcome and willing resource on how to go about building a championship program at South Carolina: Gamecocks&rsquo; women&rsquo;s coach Dawn Staley.
Paris, who spent the past five seasons coaching Chattanooga, has had several chats with Staley since taking the men&rsquo;s basketball job this past March, not long before Staley and her team won the national title.
Paris wanted to know Staley&rsquo;s process of taking the women&rsquo;s team from the &ldquo;outhouse to the penthouse&rdquo; after her arrival before the 2008-09 season. Staley&rsquo;s early teams struggled to make a dent in the Southeastern Conference. She didn&rsquo;t make an NCAA Tournament until her fourth season, the first of 10 consecutive trips including winning it all in 2017 and last season.
Paris said he asked &ldquo;how important the community was in supporting her and getting some local players even.&rdquo;
Staley&rsquo;s a great example there, too. South Carolina has led in women&rsquo;s basketball home attendance the past seven season, including attracting 12,431 fans per game in 2021-22. She&rsquo;s signed hometown standouts like WNBA champion A&rsquo;ja Wilson, who has a statue outside the Gamecocks arena, and has another in five-star freshman Ashlyn Watkins of Columbia.&nbsp;
Paris has tried to follow Staley&rsquo;s example. He signed highly regarded freshman forward G.G. Jackson II from Columbia, who was rated the country&rsquo;s sixth-best college prospect by ESPN.com.
Jackson should lure plenty of area fans to Colonial Life Arena, where the men have often been an afterthought in an 18,000-seat arena where their crowds often don&rsquo;t approach what the women draw.
Paris knows he&rsquo;s got a tough enough job melding a roster where eight players, including four starters, departed after Frank Martin was fired.
Paris lured five transfers, including Meechie Johnson from Ohio State and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk of Illinois this season. The Big Ten newcomers are no surprise since Paris was a longtime assistant at Wisconsin under Bo Ryan before moving to Chattanooga.
Jackson said the team is coming together in practices and is confident they&rsquo;ll be competitive this season.
Anyone who watched practice, Jackson said, would think, &ldquo;&lsquo;Oh, yeah, this team (has) got something nice.&rsquo;&rdquo;
LURING G.G.
G.G. Jackson, considered by some recruiting service as the No. 1 prospect for the 2023 cycle, was leaning toward South Carolina when Martin was coach. After the change to Lamont Paris, Jackson committed to North Carolina. But he and his family met and liked Paris so much that the 17-year-old Jackson reclassified and enrolled to play this winter.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m still trying to adjust to the college life a little bit, but it&rsquo;s not something I can&rsquo;t deal with,&rdquo; Jackson said.
REASON FOR CHANGE
South Carolina bounced back from a 6-15 season in 2020-21 to go 18-13 last year. But the school and some fans had grown dissatisfied that Martin&rsquo;s teams, aside from a remarkable run to the Final Four in 2017, had missed the NCAAs in nine of his 10 seasons. Paris took over after five seasons with Chattanooga, where he led the Mocs to the NCAA Tournament last March.
ROSTER SHAKEUP
There are just six returners from last season and only Jacobi Wright and Chico Carter Jr. started. In all, eight players who made 143 starts last season had exhausted their eligibility or did not return. Paris will lean heavily on his transfers. Hayden Brown averaged 18.8 points a game for The Citadel a year ago and will be looked at to add scoring punch this season.
SCHEDULE
South Carolina faces state rival Clemson on Nov. 11, then plays in the Charleston Classic, an in-state, eight-team tournament that also features ACC Tournament champion Virginia Tech and Penn State of the Big Ten. SEC play starts at Vanderbilt on Jan. 3.&nbsp;

First-year coach Lamont Paris didn’t have to go far to find a welcome and willing resource on how to build a championship program.

New South Carolina coach Paris taps into Staley’s knowledge

Overtime Elite's recruiting period for the program's second season has concluded with the addition of 7-foot high school junior Somtochukwu Cyril, <a href="https://247sports.com/college/basketball/recruiting/Article/College-Basketball-Recruiting-Somto-Cyril-joins-Overtime-Elite-and-retains-college-eligibility-193787494/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to 24/7 Sports</a>.
<blockquote>
One of the most physically imposing frontcourt players in the country regardless of class, Cyril has built up quite the reputation over the past few years at Chatanooga (Tenn.) Hamilton Heights and during the summer with EAB Tennessee. He is a ferocious rebounder, terrific shot blocker, runs the floor and has been developing nicely on the offensive end of the floor.
</blockquote>
Per the article, Cyril will join OTE as a scholarship player with no professional pay, allowing him to retain his college eligibility.
&ldquo;Somto stands out immediately on the court with his physical presence affecting play on the defensive end and cleaning up the boards,&rdquo; <a href="https://247sports.com/college/basketball/recruiting/Article/College-Basketball-Recruiting-Somto-Cyril-joins-Overtime-Elite-and-retains-college-eligibility-193787494/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said Tim Fuller, VP Recruiting and Player Personnel</a>. &ldquo;What OTE provides from a player development standpoint will be perfect for Somto as he continues to get better with his physical frame allowing him to take that next step as a basketball player. We&rsquo;re happy to welcome him and his family to the OTE family.&rdquo;
&ldquo;As good as Somto is on the court, he&rsquo;s as good of a person off the court and we&rsquo;re lucky to have him at OTE,&rdquo; said Kevin Ollie, OTE Director of Player Development. &ldquo;His size and athleticism add an element in the paint to our program that will be a challenge for all of our players next season. We can&rsquo;t wait to get to work and help him reach his goals.&rdquo;

Per 24/7 Sports, Cyril will join OTE as a scholarship player with no professional pay, allowing him to retain his college eligibility.

Overtime Elite signs Somto Cyril to cap recruiting period for 2022-23

In his "Blazing the Trail" series, Mat Issa analyzes the offensive splendor of Dirk Nowitzki and the dramatic evolution of his career.

Blazing the Trail: Dirk Nowitzki, the unicorn that became world champion

NBA champion Matt Barnes joined "The Rex Chapman Show" and discussed that infamous ball-fake against Kobe Bryant and how they became brothers later on.&nbsp;
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMjGQpNhxN4&amp;t=0s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch the full episode with Matt Barnes here.</a>

NBA champion Matt Barnes joined "The Rex Chapman Show" and discussed that infamous ball-fake against Kobe Bryant.

Matt Barnes tells the infamous Kobe Bryant ball-fake story

A four-time NBA champion. The greatest shooter of all-time. One of the best guards in NBA history.
Before Stephen Curry became all of those things, Duke didn't even want him as a walk-on.
Stephen's father, Dell Curry, confirmed this during <a href="https://youtu.be/GaoGYLVodhg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an appearance on "The Rex Chapman Show"</a> last year. Rex Chapman and Dell played together on the Charlotte Hornets, and they've been close for many years.
At one point during their hour-long podcast conversation, Rex brought up Stephen's recruitment and how he tried to help him land a spot on Duke's roster as a walk-on. However, Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski and associate head coach Johnny Dawkins ultimately turned him down.
"When Steph was in high school, he was going into his senior year and he wanted to go to an ACC school &mdash; he wanted to go to Duke," Chapman said, and Dell agreed. "And I knew Johnny Dawkins a little better than you did at the time, because I was with [agent] David Falk and Johnny was also with David Falk. I remember you said, 'Steph would like to go there!' Johnny and Coach K won't like that I'm telling this, but so what... I called Johnny one day and I said, 'Look, Dell's son, Stephen, he's [good]...' And he said, 'Yeah, yeah, I know. Let me get back with you.'
"This was just to be a walk-on. This was just to be a walk-on! He got back with me the next day and he said, 'We're full up this year, maybe next year though.' So, Stephen signed with Davidson."
After passing on Curry, the Blue Devils' starting backcourt that season ended up being Greg Paulus and Jon Scheyer (who is now Duke's head coach). How did Duke fare that year? They entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed, and they ultimately lost in the first round to 11th-seeded VCU.&nbsp;
Curry dominated as a freshman at Davidson, averaging 21.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.6 threes, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals, while shooting 46.3% from the field, 40.8% from three and 85.5% from the free-throw line.
Suddenly, Duke was interested in Stephen.
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"Well, Stephen blows up, of course. At the end of that year, everybody in the country wanted Stephen," Chapman said. "They saw that he was at Davidson and thought, 'No way he stays at Davidson.' And when I say everybody, I mean&nbsp;everybody &mdash;&nbsp;Kentucky, Tennessee, Duke, everyone wanted Stephen to come. And I had people calling me [asking], 'Can you put me in touch with Dell?'
"I called you and I said, 'Hey, there are two or three schools that are really interested in having Stephen.' And you said, 'Let me get back with you.' A day went by... You called me and you said, 'He told me, 'Dad, if they didn't want me then, I don't want them now. F*** 'em. I'm staying at Davidson.' I got goosebumps, and I almost started to cry! That's exactly the answer I hoped I would get!"
Rex asked him if he remembered any of that, and Dell confirmed the whole story.
"Oh yeah, absolutely," Dell said. "He's always been a loyal guy... Stephen knew he wasn't meeting the eye test with the ACC schools, but when [Davidson head coach] Bob McKillop recruited him, he told him, 'I'll take you just like you are right now.' That struck a chord.
"Plus, Stephen picked Davidson not only for Bob McKillop and because it was a great institution academically, but because they were playing a big, tough, D-I schedule. They were playing the Carolinas and NC States; they were not afraid to play the big boys to get them ready for conference play. So he thought, 'Hey, I'm playing against the schools that didn't recruit me and didn't want me, so I'm gonna play with a chip on my shoulder!'"
Curry ultimately played three seasons at Davidson before declaring for the 2009 NBA Draft, where the Golden State Warriors selected him No. 7 overall. The rest is history.
However, the Blue Devils did manage to land one of Dell's sons, as Seth Curry transferred from Liberty to Duke in 2009 and played three seasons under Coach K.&nbsp;
<a href="https://youtu.be/GaoGYLVodhg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Click here to watch the full hour-long conversation between Rex Chapman and Dell Curry.</a>
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Before Stephen Curry was a four-time champion, Duke didn't even want him as a walk-on. Rex Chapman and Dell Curry tell that story.