There has to be an easier way to shoot the ball.  College Basketball Talk's Terrence Payne spotted this Instagram video featuring a Washington State cheerleader lining up just outside of the opposite three-point arc.  UPDATE: Wednesday, August 21, 12:40 p.m. ET  Kevin Nebeker, take a bow.  Washington State's athletic website has a posting on this shot and informs us that Nebeker decided to start practice with this shot.  If this is how he warms up, I would love to see ...

Former Iowa State guard Kerwin Okoro transferred to Rutgers this offseason following the deaths of his brother and father, but he has been denied a hardship waiver from the NCAA to begin play during the upcoming season, according Nick Creegan of Fox Sports.    Okoro wanted to move closer to home in order to help support his mother, and he planned to begin his sophomore season with the Scarlet Knights in 2013-14. According to Creegan, however, the ...

The 2013-14 Ohio State basketball team is on the short list of contenders for the Big Ten crown, but that doesn’t mean it will be smooth sailing all the way through March. There are issues to be concerned about as the season rapidly approaches, but that is not a unique situation to Columbus. Even the strongest teams in the nation have some weaknesses, otherwise coaches would have nothing to stress about this time of year. Read on ...

Every college basketball season turns on a few surprises, a few players who give their teams the spark that pushes them over the top—or who fail to do so. Just as Victor Oladipo did in 2012-13, some relative unknown is going to become a star by outplaying expectations, and he’ll carry his team up the rankings in the process. One such pivotal player will be Ohio State guard Lenzelle Smith Jr. Entering his fourth year as ...

North Carolina hasn't had the quiet summer it was hoping for. But there is a good chance the Tar Heels will make some noise this season in a more positive fashion. Roy Williams has put together a deep squad of talented players at UNC—all of who will have an impact on the team's success. However, there are at least five players on this squad who will be indispensable to coach Williams. Between their talent and the positional ...

Conference realignment is sucking the fun out of rivalries and geography in college basketball, but in some leagues it's sucking the competition dry as well.  Wait until you see what's left in the WAC. John Calipari could win that league playing with four.  Elsewhere around the country, some leagues are just simply down but have at least one dominant team. February and early March in those conferences could be a bore.  If you love watching a close race ...

There’s a reason no team has ever won three consecutive national titles in a row: it’s extremely hard to stay on top for an extended period of time.  That’s the challenge facing Nick Saban’s Alabama squad in 2013.  The Tide are looking to make history by capturing their third straight crystal football.  To no one’s surprise, Alabama occupied the top spot in both preseason polls. The schedule is favorable and the roster has a nice blend of seasoned ...

Now that we've had a chance to watch the Oregon Ducks in spring practice, a spring game, summer workouts and two and a half weeks of fall camp, it's time to take a look once more at how the 2013 schedule could play out. Okay, so maybe we didn't get to actually see all of this, but through various beat writers and player profiles, fans should have a pretty good idea of what the current team ...

Nebraska football fans have pinned a lot of hopes on quarterback Taylor Martinez and I-back Ameer Abdullah this season—and with good reason. Both of them eclipsed 1000 yards last year, even with Abdullah only serving as a starter replacing the injured Rex Burkhead. Much ink has been spilled about Martinez and his impact on Nebraska, both negatively and positively. But Martinez will have a large impact on Abdullah's success this season as well.   Drawing Fire The primary way ...

Keith Marshall is living up to the hype that was built over a year ago. He may have started only one game last season, but he made an impact, rushing for 759 yards and eight touchdowns on 117 carries. Not bad for a backup running back. The only reason Marshall was a backup was the fact Todd Gurley took the SEC by storm. But Gurley and Marshall spearheaded the Bulldogs to their second consecutive SEC East title ...