Ohio State will forever be known as a football powerhouse first and foremost, but the basketball program has significantly closed the gap under Thad Matta. Part of that process is sending players to the next level, which Matta has done on a consistent basis. While the NBA jury is still out on many of Matta’s young players, there have been some formidable professionals who spent their college years in Columbus. With that in mind, read ...

College basketball’s major conferences no longer have a monopoly on top teams, but when it comes to individual star power, it’s tough to beat the big-name programs. That situation makes for some awfully competitive battles for the distinction of the best player, or even the best at a given position, in any of those conferences. In the Pac-12, for example, California’s Justin Cobbs is coming off a brilliant season for an NCAA tournament team, but ...

The 2013 College World Series has redefined the term "unpredictable," as the favorites have been eliminated and two powerful underdogs remain. The Mississippi State Bulldogs and the UCLA Bruins have run through the competition, albeit unexpectedly, and now prepare to battle for the College World Series crown.Before we look forward, however, we must review what has already been—the path that UCLA has traveled to the championship.The Bruins have defied logic and thus reached the College ...

It's been a while since we last took a trip down Tobacco Road for a rivalry piece. This time, we will settle an age-old argument between Duke and North Carolina fans: Do the Tar Heels or Blue Devils reign supreme in the NBA today?There is no doubt UNC owns the past with Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Vince Carter...You get the point.But now we have folks that like to play ...

Despite its success, Michigan State isn't an NBA player factory. No, that honor goes to programs such as Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina. But that doesn't mean head coach Tom Izzo has trouble putting guys in the Association. And it doesn't mean that Izzo's current roster is devoid of NBA-caliber talent.As of this year, the Spartans have two guys who will surely run NBA courts in the near future: senior Adreian Payne and sophomore Gary Harris.Branden Dawson, ...

Duke is undeniably one of the greatest college basketball programs of all time. Legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski has attracted top talent to the Blue Devils. As a result, fans have seen a long list of great players don the blue and white jerseys of Duke. Fans of the Blue Devils are also familiar with one of the most repeated criticisms of their cherished program: that Duke doesn’t produce any good NBA players. Why a fan ...

In less than a week, Cody Zeller (pictured) and Victor Oladipo will join a line of Indiana Hoosiers who were afforded the opportunity to take their talents to the NBA.Both are expected to be lottery picks. The duo would become only IU's fourth and fifth such selections, joining Calbert Cheaney, Jared Jeffries and Eric Gordon.While those three have enjoyed fairly successful pro careers, none of them makes the cut to rank among the Hoosiers' five ...

We’re just a few days away from seeing another historic dog pile.As we’ve seen throughout the entire College World Series, it takes a team effort to advance through the bracket. A program won’t win if they don’t play as a team. But it’s important to keep in mind that there are players who have bigger roles than others. A starting pitcher is more likely to help his team win than the fourth outfielder on the ...

After nearly a month of highly competitive baseball, just two teams remain. The Mississippi State Bulldogs are set to face off with the UCLA Bruins for the NCAA Men's Baseball Championship. The best-out-of-three series to determine the 2013 champion will get rolling on Monday. Here's information regarding when and where to catch the games in a series that promises to be interesting:Where: TD Ameritrade Park, Omaha, Neb. When: Monday-Tuesday, June 24-25, Wednesday, June 26 if needed. All ...

And then there were two. Either the Bruins of UCLA or the Bulldogs of Mississippi State will win the College World Series national championship. The two programs will begin a best-of-three series to determine the champion on Monday night in Omaha.Mississippi State and UCLA are both undefeated throughout the College World Series. Neither was expected to make it this far.Mississippi State had to get by No. 3 Oregon State in its opener and then kept ...