For the second time in two weeks, Kentucky will play back-to-back road games within a three day span. The Wildcats are coming off of their best win of the season at No. 16 Ole Miss, and will play Texas A&M on Feb. 2.John Calipari's squad looks like a team that has turned the corner.But we have heard this script before.On Jan. 19, Kentucky defeated Auburn in a seemingly impressive performance. The Wildcats played their best 40 minutes ...

The Butler Bulldogs suffered a massive upset Thursday night, losing 75-58 to the Saint Louis Billikens.Holding the No. 9 ranking coming into the week, the Bulldogs (17-4) are certainly due for quite a fall next week. The Billikens, on the other hand, may find themselves inching ever closer to a Top 25 ranking as they now stand at 15-5.Butler really shot itself in the foot in the loss, turning the ball over 23 times. Saint ...

In a parity-filled season in college basketball, the flaws in a team or a player are more telling than ever before. For the Duke Blue Devils, a team that has earned the label this season as a potential Final Four favorite, they also have their share. With tremendous balance on either end of the floor, it will not be any surprise if they are ending their season cutting down the nets in Atlanta, Georgia. However, ...

It may be the single most important determiner in a team's ultimate success, and the one we, as sports pundits, are least likely to acknowledge: luck.Pure. Dumb. Luck.You see, it's our job as analysts to ascribe meaning, assign blame and project future outcomes. We can't do any of that unless we convince ourselves—and you, the reader—that everything happens for a reason.That Kentucky is 14-6 because of some radical default in its composition, or Baylor is 14-6 because ...

When Adreian Payne was recruited as a 5-star prospect (class of 2010), Michigan State Spartans followers were under the impression that Payne would immediately become a force in the Big Ten. After all, at 6'10" and 215 pounds (at the time of his recruitment), Payne possessed the size that typically translates well to college basketball. However, Spartans fans didn't get what they had hoped for, not from the start. Payne struggled to establish physical dominance during his first two ...

Points are exactly what we’ve come to expect from Deshaun Thomas, the Big Ten’s leading scorer. It’s why I’m not entirely impressed or surprised with his scoring prowess, even if he did score 25 points in Tuesday’s win over Wisconsin, the league’s stingiest defense.  Instead, it was his four assists that have me far more intrigued. For months, all we’ve heard is that Ohio State lacks a complementary scorer. Who's going to step up? Deshaun ...

College football head coaches get paid the big bucks when they build a program into a powerhouse championship contender that can consistently compete for big BCS bowl berths.Still, just because it’s the coaches who receive the credit, the publicity and the big day, that doesn’t mean that they’re playing the biggest factor in their team’s success. The talent out on the field is what wins you national championships. It’s no big secret. If you want to compete ...

Although the Michigan Wolverines lost one of their two verbally committed prospects from the class of 2014, head coach Brady Hoke should not lose any sleep over parting ways with offensive tackle Denzel Ward (Chicago).Chantel Jennings of ESPN.com broke the news this afternoon, and Sam Webb of Scout.com confirmed that the coaching staff decided to part ways with Ward: #Michigan has decided to part ways with 2014 IMG Academy OL, Denzel Ward— Sam Webb (@SamWebb77) January 29, 2013 ...

In a scary moment on Tuesday night at Silvio O. Conte Forum on the campus of Boston College, North Carolina guard P.J. Hairston had to be taken off the court by stretcher after hitting his head hard on the deck in the first half.After being removed by stretcher, the University announced Hairston suffered a concussion, and would not return for the second half against Boston College.Chris Moore had an on-court look at Hairston as he ...

With national signing day rapidly approaching, coaches all over the country are trying to put the finishing touches on their 2013 recruiting classes. Will Muschamp and his coaching staff have put together the No. 1-ranked recruiting class according to ESPN and are still in a position to add to their current 26-man recruiting class. Florida's recruiting class is not only filled with blue-chip prospects but has also addressed depth concerns on both sides of the ball. While Florida's class is ...