UCLA's Adam Plutko was in control from the start Monday night as the UCLA Bruins took a 1-0 lead over Mississippi State in the best-of-three College World Series final.The right-handed junior was ice cold in front of a pro-Mississippi State crowd the likes of which the College World Series hasn't seen since Nebraska qualified for the CWS in 2005. Plutko pitched six innings, allowing only one run en route to a 3-1 Bruins win.Plutko got ...

In a close-knit affair, UCLA defeated Mississippi State, 3-1, in Game 1 of the College World Series final on Monday in Omaha.UCLA struck first on Monday.With one out, Kevin Kramer struck out swinging but advanced to first base on a wild pitch. After a double by Eric Filia and an RBI single by Pat Valaika, Kramer scored to give the Bruins a 1-0 lead.The Bruins had another chance to score in the second inning. After ...

Kyle Wiltjer announced his intention to transfer from Kentucky in an open letter to Big Blue Nation earlier today. Wiltjer, a standout high school player when he was recruited by John Calipari, will have to take a season off in compliance with the NCAA’s rules on transferring schools, but he will have two years of eligibility remaining after his redshirt season. “I want to find a situation that will help me [develop physically] as well ...

If only the excise police could play point guard.Fresh off a tumultuous weekend on Butler's campus in which 33 students were arrested by undercover excise police officers for the weekend known as "midsummer", at least basketball fans can breathe a sigh of relief that none of those 33 were one of Brad Stevens' prized athletes.Still, that doesn't mean the 2013-14 roster is immune to negative speculation. Multiple questions continue to plague the Bulldogs as they ...

Indiana basketball is known for producing plenty of NBA talent. Isiah Thomas, Calbert Cheaney, Alan Henderson and Eric Gordon are just a few of the many Hoosiers that have made it to the next level. In this week's upcoming NBA Draft, two more Hoosiers, Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller will make the leap to the NBA. This begs the question; which players on the current roster have the potential to follow suit when their IU careers ...

Kyle Wiltjer made the decision to leave Kentucky on Monday (via ukathletics.com).But, really, head coach John Calipari made it for him in the last year. This is the situation that Calipari has created. It's pretty remarkable that Wiltjer is the first guy whom the coach would have preferred to stick around but who decided to transfer instead. Calipari recruits talent over need—as in he doesn't need all the paper stars he signed in the latest recruiting class, ...

The 2013 College World Series is upon us, as the Mississippi State Bulldogs will take on the UCLA Bruins in the championship round. After taking down their favored opposition, the two underdog squads will now rely upon their stars to win it all.The question is, who are the hottest stars heading into the College World Series championship?The Bulldogs enter the title round with a combination of elite hitting and strong pitching. Their balance has helped ...

The final round of the 2013 College World Series pits two teams of contrasting styles against one another for the chance to win a national championship. UCLA sports one of the nation's top pitching staffs and struggles to produce runs on the offensive side, while Mississippi State features one of the top hitters in the nation and a lineup capable of putting points on the board in bunches.It's a classic case of offense versus defense. The team ...

After a long, arduous regular season and pressure-packed postseason tournament, UCLA and Mississippi State are ready to duke it out for the national championship in Omaha. The three-game Championship Series begins on Monday night, June 24 at 8 p.m. ET, and there are phenomenal players worth watching on both squads.Both teams fended off worthy opponents and overcame long odds. As is usually the case, getting to this point in the proceedings required a blend of offense, defense ...

With one of the most talent-laden incoming draft classes of all time seemingly set to diminish his role, soon-to-be junior Kyle Wiltjer has decided to transfer from the University of Kentucky. Rivals' Brett Dawson has the news:Wiltjer also wrote a letter further detailing the reason for his decision, via Kentucky's official athletics website:Heading into college my dream was to win a National Championship and compete with and play against the best players in the country. Without ...