No average person believes that conference realignment in intercollegiate athletics is a good thing.  One of the reasons for the disdain of the common folk, college basketball scribes included, is that the athletic directors and university presidents who care about money fail to remember the great rivalries their teams have had over the years.  No conference has suffered from this more than the Big East Conference.  What once was a conference stacked with rivalry game after rivalry game ...

The first Michigan basketball practice of the 2013-14 season should have been an exciting day for the Maize and Blue faithful. Instead, head coach John Beilein announced the star of the Wolverines' Final Four run, Mitch McGary, would be limited in practice due to a "lower back condition," as Mark Snyder of USA Today reported. McGary's status will be considered day-to-day until further notice. Apparently, the rising sophomore has been battling the condition since the end of summer. "(It’s ...

During his three years at Indiana, Will Sheehey has been a reliable player. Last season was the best of his career, and he was named the Big Ten's Sixth Man of the Year. As he begins his senior season, Sheehey's game has really come together. Slowly but surely, he's turned into one of the conference's best players. He's become IU's leader and is expected to carry the Hoosiers. This should come as a little bit of a surprise ...

Bob Kurland, the former Oklahoma State standout during the 1940s who is credited as the first player to ever dunk a basketball in a regulation game, died in his South Florida home on Sunday.  He was 88.  Oklahoma State's official website notified media of Kurland's passing on Monday with the blessing of his family. He's said to have died in his sleep after a long battle with an unknown illness. Current Cowboys head coach Travis Ford released a ...

Someone get this guy a cape, cowl and Batmobile he can use while stopping crime around the Utah campus.  The Salt Lake Tribune's Tony Jones (h/t The Big Lead) reports on a story that should have would-be bike thieves cowering in fear, and that goes double for anyone pilfering smartphones.  According to the report, Utes men's basketball head coach Larry Krystkowiak saw a peculiar sight: a man riding a bike while holding onto another.  Rather than ignore the oddity and ...

John Calipari wants to play fast. Actually, John Calipari knows Kentucky is going to play fast this season. That's what the coach told CBSSports.com's Jon Rothstein: What is the best way to play with this group? There's a lot of ways we can play. We're going to press a little bit more. ... I can't say right now that I know how we're going to play. I can't say we're going to do these drills or use this system. ...

For what it's worth, Adreian Payne shouldn't be entering his senior season at Michigan State.  The former 5-star prospect, per Rivals, left Jefferson High (Dayton, Ohio) ranked as the No. 3 center of 2010, behind only former Syracuse star Fabricio de Melo and Ohio State standout Jared Sullinger, both made an early jump to the NBA. With national player of the year potential and a rising stock among bigs, at 6'10" and 245 pounds, Payne has certainly ...

As the face of Ohio State basketball enters his senior season, expectations have never been higher for Aaron Craft. CBSSports.com recently named him to its Preseason All-American Second Team, essentially deeming him the best point guard in the nation not named Marcus Smart. Even though Deshaun Thomas, the Big Ten's leading scorer in 2012-13, declared for the NBA draft, the Buckeyes are still expected to contend for a conference title, largely because of Craft. But there was ...

University of Kansas coach Bill Self has never finished anywhere other than atop the Big 12 standings. Oklahoma State has a chance to knock down the Jayhawks, though it won't be an easy task. Iowa State is on the rise under Fred Hoiberg, while Baylor returns a dangerous frontcourt. The rankings of these players are based on a Big 12 mock draft that I participated in this past Sunday evening, along with others. Your roster contains ...

Tommy Amaker has brought an unprecedented level of success to the Harvard University men's basketball program, and on Sunday night he netted 4-star center Chris Egi, who announced on Twitter that he committed to the Crimson. 24/7 Sports' composite rankings list Egi as the 100th-best prospect and 11th-best center in the 2015 class, but as Rivals' Alex Kline pointed out, the big man will reclassify into the class of 2014 and be eligible to play next season. This is ...