247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL



Class: 2026
Position: RB
School: Forney(TX) Forney
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 190lbs

Login to view embedded media

purdue vs uconn

UConn beats Purdue and cruises to sixth NCAA championship​

"What could you say?" UConn coach Dan Hurley said. "We won -- by a lot again."

And after one of the most dominant NCAA tournament runs in history last year, when UConn beat its six opponents by 20.0 points per game, it was even more unbeatable this year. The Huskies' average scoring margin in their six 2024 NCAA tournament wins was 23.3 points.

Once again, all six wins came by double digits -- making that 12 straight NCAA tournament wins by at least 10 points dating back to last season.

The keys that won UConn the 2024 men's national championship​

UConn has done it. The Huskies repeated as national champions with a convincing 75-60 victory over Purdue. Coach Dan Hurley's team is the first reigning champion to defend its title successfully since Florida won back-to-back championships under Billy Donovan in 2006 and 2007.

The much anticipated clash of the big men lived up to its billing. Zach Edey put up his usual impressive numbers for the Boilermakers: 37 points to go with 10 rebounds. Even so, Donovan Clingan guarded Edey straight up and enabled his teammates to stay on Purdue's perimeter shooters.

With this loss for the Boilermakers, the Big Ten's streak now stands at 24 years and counting since Michigan State won a title for the conference in 2000. Over that span, the Big Ten is 0-8 in national title games.

What was the key to UConn's win?

With UConn in 2024, you have to point at keys, plural. The Huskies out-Purdued Purdue in terms of getting more shots. They didn't turn the ball over at all and crashed their offensive glass. Tristen Newton showed no fear of Edey in attacking the paint repeatedly. Most of all, UConn's defense stayed on Purdue's shooters. Edey scored from the field, but he didn't get to the line, Purdue didn't get its usual share of second chances and there was only one made 3.
.
.
.
continued

UConn, Duke open as betting favorites to win 2025 NCAA title​

A heavy betting favorite -- both in the odds and for the public -- throughout March Madness, UConn is the first back-to-back NCAA men's basketball champion since Florida in 2007. But it's uncertain if the Huskies can make it three in a row in a highly volatile college basketball landscape.

UConn is the favorite to win the 2025 national championship at ESPN BET and Caesars Sportsbook, opening with +900 and 10-1 odds, respectively. However, DraftKings (10-1) and FanDuel (11-1) have Duke favored to take home the top prize next season, with the Huskies coming in at second (14-1) and sixth (18-1) on those respective odds boards. BetMGM has Kansas and Duke tied at the top (11-1), with UConn right behind (12-1).

Dan Hurley plans to stay at UConn, eyes 'dynasty in modern times'​

With Kentucky's coaching job expected to officially open Tuesday, UConn's Danny Hurley made clear Monday night that he plans to stay with the Huskies and attempt to win a third straight national title.

After UConn beat Purdue 75-60 to repeat as NCAA tournament champions, Hurley addressed the opening with a few jokes, telling reporters he doesn't "think that's a concern" when asked about Kentucky. He added they should ask his wife, Andrea, who is also a native of New Jersey.

"Oh my God, Kentucky or anywhere that's going to take her further from New Jersey," he said when asked about her reaction to a potential move. "I mean, we just went to Rhode Island, which I had to drag her to, and then to Connecticut. I got her closer. And now further? I can't afford a divorce right now, too. I just started making money."

Hurley went on to give some insight into what's next for his program: "Now you're thinking in your brain, as I'm looking at the locker room, about the chance to do it three times, like a dynasty in modern times. I mean, that's what I'm thinking about."

UConn officials are in line with that thinking, as they gave Hurley a hefty new contract last year in the wake of his first national title at UConn. Hurley made $5 million this season as part of the six-year deal that was announced in June.

Just sayin': Of the 8 UConn players (that played more than 1 minute); only Newton and Spenser are out of eligibility. Karaban, Clingan, Castle, Stewart, Johnson, and Diarra could return next year. Regardless, being considered a legitimate NCAA Champion contender next season UConn should be very attractive to some very good transfers.

Will Hurley actually stay at UConn?

Will UConn 3-PEAT in 2024/2025?

Would 3 consecutive NCAA wins be considered a dynasty?

OHIO STATE HIRES N.C. STATE ASSISTANT JOEL JUSTUS AS ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH​

Jake Diebler has found his associate head coach.

Joel Justus, who helped lead N.C. State to a Final Four berth this season, officially joined Ohio State’s coaching staff on Monday.

Login to view embedded media
“Joel is someone I have known for a while and I’m excited to have him join our staff,” Diebler said in a statement. “He is a well-rounded coach with great experience in the development and recruiting spaces, while winning everywhere he’s been. His vision for building a program and developing a winning culture is something I was looking for and I can’t wait for him to get started.”

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL


Class: 2026
Position: RB
School: Marietta(Ga) Kell
Height: 6ft
Weight: 195lbs

Login to view embedded media

247
Rivals
HudL


Class: 2026
Position: RB
School: Pittsburgh(CA) Westinghouse
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 160lbs

Login to view embedded media

Nice article (that's really worth reading) on a past head coach:

HAROLD OLSEN BUILT OHIO STATE BASKETBALL INTO A CONTENDER DURING HIS 24-YEAR TENURE AS BUCKEYES’ COACH​

As the final weekend of the 2024 NCAA Tournament begins, we take a look back at Harold Olsen, Ohio State’s longest-tenured basketball coach ever and the first to lead the Buckeyes to sustained success.

After guiding Ohio State to a 53-46 drubbing over heavily favored Northwestern to clinch the Big Ten championship in 1946, the triumphant Harold G. “Oley” Olsen told reporters that his squad performed at “near perfection” and that he “was never any prouder of any ball club I’ve been connected with.”

It was arguably Ohio State’s greatest hardcourt victory to that point and it happened in front of an overflow crowd of 22,822 in the old Chicago Stadium, the largest crowd ever to watch a basketball game at the time. It secured an unprecedented third consecutive bid to the NCAA tournament for OSU and capped what was unquestionably the most successful three-year run in Buckeye basketball history to that point.

Olsen called the upset the “highlight” of his coaching career. And then, as classes began in the fall, Oley abruptly resigned from a job that he’d held for 24 years.

Olsen took what had been a markedly mediocre program and built it into a nationally respected enterprise. Yet, despite a reputation that made him a part of the charter class of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame alongside some of the game’s greatest luminaries, Olsen’s name is all but forgotten from Ohio State’s hardcourt lore.

Olsen was hired in 1923 to transform Ohio State into a consistent contender. Buckeye cagers struggled during their first decade in the Big Ten, where they managed to win only 34 of their 103 games.

He was a two-time all-conference player at Wisconsin and led the Badgers to two conference championships. He was a disciple of coach Walter Meanwell, whose innovative concepts set basketball in motion in a way it hadn’t ever been before. In the “Wisconsin System,” players moved in criss-crossing patterns using screens to open the floor. As a coach, Olsen’s Ohio State teams posted a .570 winning percentage using the same offense.

TALENT EVALUATOR​

Columbus Dispatch sports editor Russ Needham said Olsen’s greatest gift was “recognizing latent talent in a flash, and the added skill of developing it to the utmost.” Needham pointed to Mel Shaw and Johnny Miner, two players who were cut during tryouts under Olsen’s predecessor. Shaw was “discovered” during spring open-gym workouts Olsen had introduced. Miner caught Oley’s eye while playing in an intramural game in the old Armory.



The 5’8” Miner led the Buckeyes to their first conference title in 1925. Local scribes dubbed him “the Chic Harley of Buckeye basketball” after overflow crowds filled the Fairgrounds Coliseum to watch OSU’s first All-American cager.

Ohio State became more competitive under Olsen, and his teams excelled when he had a roster laden with gifted athletes. If one of those athletes was a talented center, the Buckeyes were competing for championship rings.

The 1925 team was bolstered by a dominant big man named Harold “Cookie” Cunningham. A native of Mount Vernon, Cunningham was such a gifted athlete that he played both basketball and football professionally after leaving OSU.

The career of Wilmer “Bill” Hosket, Sr. may best illustrate how much better Oley’s teams fared with a top-notch man in the pivot. The Buckeyes thrived when the Dayton Stivers product was in the starting quintet. Unfortunately, eligibility issues cut short both his sophomore and senior seasons and those teams finished 9-9 and 8-12. During the 1932-33 season, his junior year, he was able to overcome his academic struggles and the Buckeyes finished 17-3 and won the Big Ten crown.
.
.
.
continued

Harold G. Olsen
Born: May 12, 1895
Coached at Ohio State: 1922 thru 1946
In 1922, Olsen followed George Trautman as head coach of the Ohio State University. In 24 years he guided the Buckeyes to a 259–197 record, as well as five Big Ten championships (1925, 1933, 1939, 1944, 1946). He served as a chair on the NCAA Basketball Committee. Olsen helped initiate the 10-second rule in 1937, which requires teams to advance the ball over the center line within 10 seconds of gaining possession. In 1939, Olsen spearheaded efforts to create the NCAA postseason national playoffs, now known as the NCAA tournament, one that could compete with the National Invitational Tournament, which started play in 1938 with games hosted at Madison Square Garden in New York. The first NCAA tournament in 1939 saw Northwestern University host eight teams. Oregon beat Ohio State to become the first tournament champion in a format that has expanded several times to go with its popularity as the premier tournament for college basketball.

Died: October 29, 1953

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL


Class: 2025
Position: RB
School: Belleville(IL) Althoff Catholic
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 180lbs

Login to view embedded media

TEAM COLLEGE BASKETBALL POSTSEASON TOURNAMENT, COLLEGE BASKETBALL CROWN, THAT WILL INCLUDE BIG TEN TEAMS​

FOX Sports will soon provide an extra postseason destination for teams that don’t make the NCAA Tournament.

This week, the network and its partner, AEG, announced their creation of the College Basketball Crown, a 16-team postseason tournament that will start in 2025.

Login to view embedded media
According to FOX Sports’ press release, the 16-team, single-elimination bracket will feature teams from the Big Ten, Big 12, and Big East and include other at-large bids. Two teams from each of the Big Ten, Big 12 and Big East will receive automatic bids into the tournament, which is positioned to be a competitor to the NIT.
.
.
continued
.
.
MGM Grand Garden Arena and T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will host the tournament. As of now, it is unclear if the new tournament will affect the selection process for the NIT.

“The Big Ten Conference looks forward to competing in the inaugural College Basketball Crown,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said in a statement. “It is sure to be an exciting post-season opportunity for our student-athletes, coaches and fans across the country.”

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL



Class: 2025
Position: RB
School: Chattanooga(TN) Baylor School
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 215lbs


Login to view embedded media

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL



Class: 2026
Position: LB
School: Matthews(NC) Weddington
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 215lbs

Login to view embedded media

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL



Class: 2026
Position: DL
School: Matthews(NC) Weddington
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 240lbs

Login to view embedded media

It’s official folks!

Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media
Login to view embedded media

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL



Class: 2025
Position: TE
School: Greer (SC) Riverside
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 220 lbs

enjoy

DU Pioneers win ugly (again) and advance to the F4. Boston U leading Minny 4-3 after 2 periods. BU looks like the class of the field. Sparty plays tCun tomorrow. Quinnipiac plays BC for the last spot. Nightmare scenario would be for two Masshole teams to get in. Go Pios!!!!!!

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL


Class: 2026
Position: WR
School: Santa Ana(CA) Mater Dei
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 190lbs

Login to view embedded media

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL



Class: 2026
Position: QB
School: Cartersville(GA) Cass
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 190lbs

Login to view embedded media

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL



Class: 2026
School: Las Vegas(NV) Desert Pines
Position: LB
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 205lbs

Login to view embedded media

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL



Class: 2026
Position: QB
School: San Marcos(CA) Mission Hills
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 205lbs

Login to view embedded media

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL


Class: 2026
Position: LB
School: Santa Ana(CA)) Mater Dei
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 225lbs

Login to view embedded media

SEREbuckeye said:

These guys are dialing in for some hardware in the NIT. They seems so much more focused as the games have went on under Deibs.

Diebler was asked Monday if conversations about players’ futures are ongoing during the Buckeyes’ NIT run.

“That’s been player-led that we’re gonna wait till after the season,” Diebler said. “I think our guys are really focused on what we have going on right now. And they want to get out there and win. We’ve done everything we can to just lock in on that.

“I think the way we finished the season, the way they performed in the postseason says a ton about who they are as people,” Diebler said. “It says a lot about the chemistry within this team and program and speaks to their pride for what’s on the chest of their jersey but also playing for guys who this is the end of their college basketball career and playing for each other.”

Diebler later noted: “I think our guys are motivated by the fact that there’s a there’s a game to be won, there’s a championship to be won, that we’re playing really good teams, and they’re motivated to play for each other.”

Click to expand...

11W's 2023-24 OHIO STATE BASKETBALL ROSTER

11W's OHIO STATE BASKETBALL SCHOLARSHIP GRID

NOTES​

• Zed Key participated in Senior Day festivities but still has another year of eligibility.

Of the remaining scholarship players, it will be interesting to see who comes back (and who doesn't).

The NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), which governs college sports in the United States, has set a limit on the number of scholarships that can be awarded by Division I schools. For men's basketball, there are 351 Division I teams and each team is allowed to offer up to 13 full scholarships per year.

DZ83CK said:

The more I think about OSU adding a guard through the portal, the more I think Meechie might not be the best move. Obviously Meechie has been outstanding for South Carolina and has a lot of talent, the NIL folks are drawn to him for good reason. At first glance it seems like a no-brainer to go for him, but we're talking about having a team, not just having the best collection of talent. One option is don't add any guards in the portal & rely on your current players and recruits there, but I doubt that everyone will want to stay. So probably someone will need to come through the portal at guard, the question is who would be best.

OSU already has very good starters at the 1 & 2 spots that you want to do your best to make sure they stay. I don't think Meechie is truly a better PG than Bruce. Areas of relative weakness with the roster as is are shooting, rebounding & physicality near the basket. So to me if you're adding a guard from the portal, you want to target a proven shooter who would accept & fit well in a reserve role at OSU. And of course make sure Bruce and Roddy stay. Meechie has shot under 40% from the field in college, and he'd be switching from PG to the 2, so I also worry that the team might not improve as much as people would hope even if everyone stays & he comes.

Right now there are 2 guys that are in the portal I'd be looking at for a backup guard role for OSU - Jalen Sullinger (Kent St) and Matt Allocco (Princeton). Both are from the Columbus area with just 1 year left, both have been great shooters. I have to say, with my college coach GM hat on, considering all the ramifications of adding aomeone in the portal, right now I'd be leaning to going after Matt Allocco. Both he and Jalen have been outstanding shooters & had similar stats. Allocco has been on better teams, playing slightly tougher competition, & has starting experience on a Sweet 16 team (2023 Princeton). He's 6-4 and has the size and strength to fit in the rugged Big 10. And perhaps if they don't spend the bulk of their resources on Meechie, the NIL people can use their money to add a starter that would be a legitimate upgrade from the talent currently on the roster at his position.

Click to expand...

You make a good point. Compare the stats of each guy:

Matt Allocco: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4898232/matt-allocco

Jalen Sullinger: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4898316/jalen-sullinger

Meechie Johnson: https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4710770/meechie-johnson

If you could get just one; based on their stats, I'd probably take Matt Allocco too. However, (needless to say) there are other attributes that have to be considered too: like effect on team chemistry, being a team player, speed & quickness, playing defense, character issues, and academics, etc.

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL




Class: 2026
Position: QB
School: Lake Mary(FL) Lake Mary
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 205lbs

Login to view embedded media

The Ohio State men's basketball team is still in the NIT. They will play Georgia in a NIT quarterfinal game Tuesday, March 26, 2024 at 7 PM in the Schott.

Ohio State Buckeyes to host Georgia Bulldogs for NIT semifinals berth
Ohio State will host Georgia in the third round of the NIT with a shot at the final four on the line.

The Buckeyes, by virtue of being the No. 2 seed in their quadrant, will host No. 4 seed Georgia on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. ESPN will televise the game.

Entire article: https://www.dispatch.com/story/spor...tuesday-for-nit-semifinals-berth/73085493007/

247
Rivals
Twitter
HudL



Class: 2025
Position: DL
School: (NJ) Hun School
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 270lbs

Login to view embedded media