UNC basketball got all the competition it wanted—and then some—during its August exhibition trip to the Bahamas. The Tar Heels split a pair of games at the Summer of Thunder tournament, falling to the Providence (Bahamas) Storm on a late three-pointer before pummeling a team of Bahamian All-Stars by a 109-52 margin. Exhibition games rarely, if ever, provide a clear picture of the season ahead, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some useful information for Carolina ...

Alvin Ellis III averaged all of 7.9 minutes and 1.9 points per game during his freshman year at Michigan State.  Today, he's preparing for his sophomore year with the Spartans, who will absolutely need every bit the 6'4", 195-pound shooter out of Chicagoland has to offer. Here's a hint: It's much more than a shade under eight and two per outing.  Coach Tom Izzo is known for makeovers. He can mold an unheralded 3-star, which Ellis was, ...

In a sport where fans start petitioning for a new head coach after less than three years, the lifespan of a college basketball coach who fails to make the NCAA tournament can rival that of a fruit fly. The college basketball coaching carousel is a fierce one, claiming 45 head coaches this past offseason alone. By and large, a coach has a very limited time after signing his contract to get his new team to the Big Dance. For ...

Ryan Rhoomes' role on the 2014-15 Fordham Rams just got a whole lot bigger. Last week, the school announced that center Ryan Canty will need back surgery and is out indefinitely. He's not expected to return until mid-December at the earliest. It was going to be an important year for Rhoomes, a 6'8" power forward, no matter what. Now, he'll be counted on even more. "I'm stepping up a lot now," Rhoomes told Bleacher Report following last Saturday's ...

Despite having a talented and deep roster, the 2014-15 version of Kentucky basketball has plenty of question marks heading into the season. With a plethora of big guys and only a set amount of minutes in each game, there is a logjam in the post position. On the flip side, will Kentucky head coach John Calipari be able to find minutes for point guards Tyler Ulis and Andrew Harrison to keep them happy?  Let's take a look ...

Maybe last season didn't go as well as planned, or maybe that's been the case for a few years. Perhaps the 2013-14 results were so unexpected—but in a good way—there's concern whether they can be replicated. Or despite being given a fresh start, the pressure to perform right away makes for tension right from the get-go. Whatever the case, several college basketball coaches head into the 2014-15 season with a lot to prove. That isn't just ...

When considering this year's Syracuse basketball team, there are more questions than answers. Jim Boeheim has to replace three starters, and two of those spots will likely be filled by freshmen. Aside from the returning starters, the rest of the lineup will be composed of players who played at most 15 minutes a game last year. Boeheim is a Hall of Fame coach, and he will need every ounce of what got him there to make this ...

Every year, there are a few dark horses who end up winning regular-season championships in the major conferences of college basketball. I mean, come on, how many people had Virginia beating Duke, North Carolina and Syracuse to win the ACC last year? And I don't seem to recall anyone picking Villanova to win the Big East while we were busy handing the title to Marquette on a silver platter. The teams on this list aren't the favorites ...

Michael Albrecht isn't a household name in college basketball.  In fact, most of those outside of the Big Ten only know of the Michigan junior guard because of his unique nickname, "Spike," which pays homage to a childhood favorite.  "I got [the nickname] when I was like 5 years old," he said during an interview in 2013 with MGoBlue TV's Michelle Roberts. "I got my first pair of baseball spikes...I'm a big baseball fan...Baseball was like my ...

There are few bets in all of college basketball that are safer than saying at least one Duke player will be on the All-ACC team. With all the talent that head coach Mike Krzyzewski brought in this offseason, that will once again be the case in the 2014-15 season. The question now becomes which player or players make that distinguished squad. Jahlil Okafor may be the headliner of the Blue Devils' loaded recruiting class and the potential ...