A game where your team played mediocre or worse while the opponent was playing the same way. I generally don’t like these type of games just like most sports fans but this is an interesting topic.

For me, it would be Louisville vs Kentucky in 2020. Kentucky was bad but the game just simply came down to who was truly the worse team since we didn’t play great neither. And as you would imagine, the atmosphere was very small since this was during the pandemic which was underwhelming because it was a home game. Even the best plays we made in that game, I couldn’t witness peak volume that the crowd would be in. We ended up barely winning by 3 (62-59) which ended up being the most stressful last seconds of a game ever.

Welcome to Whose Line is it Wednesday, where all the fouls are made up, but the points still matter.

• Keep skits in the form of a statement, not a question
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• If you add any additional commentary, put the skit in quotations. If you don't understand the concept, a skit looks like this: "Things you could say to Chris Jones that you couldn't say to your girlfriend."
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IT'S THE FINAL GROUP! To be very honest, even though it likely wont be the last one every year, I really like this one being the final one. Even though I'm a hater sometimes Duke and UNC finishing out the season just feels like the right move. My apologies to all the basketball fans in North and South Carolina who always have to wait on it.

Link to today's action - https://play.toornament.com/en_US/tournaments/2282875881964738559/

Link to the main hub - https://www.reddit.com/r/CollegeBasketball/comments/1l4r73p/introducing_the_college_basketball_national_cup/

Play in Results:

The Citadel 71, USC Upstate 63
USC Upstate 93, The Citadel 62
USC Upstate 61, The Citadel 58

Round 2

Group A

Recap - A few surprises here while other things stayed the same. Duke was obviously going to win this group and did so easily. What I didn't see coming was a 7-2 Charlotte running into the next round or a 1-8 UNC Greensboro who was largely uncompetitive. Last years Cinderella in Wofford manages to make it through while Campbell surprisingly slips around High Point and Davidson to join them.

Group B

Recap - This group was alright to follow along with. Places 6-10 were out of the hunt pretty early, but the battle to advance in the top 5 was fierce. App State were the ones sent packing after a shocking loss to Gardner Webb while Furman and Charleston both won their games.

Group C

Recap - This group had a more obvious conclusion than the other 2 did. It was always extremely likely that 3 of the top 4 spots were going to go to Clemson, Wake Forest, and NC State. Charleston Southern in spot 4 though? Ok that one is strange. Presbyterian also being in the hunt? Also strange. UNC Wilmington had to have been the favorite to advance on but that's why we play the games folks. A 1-4 start was just too much to overcome.

Round 3:

Recap - And here we go. The final qualifying group. Duke was obviously the best team in this conference and showed that, being up top the entire way. South Carolina was able to make good on being an SEC punching bag by locking in a national cup spot. Clemson was a clear favorite to advance and they do, and last year's surprise team Wofford makes it a solid 2 years in a row of being the underdog advancing to the cup. So that just left 2 teams alive. North Carolina and NC State. A rivalry game to take the final qualifying spot both from the group and the entire tournament? Yeah sign me up. UNC cruised to a victory to head back into the field.

Alright, decided to stick these here so the next post can be a simple one showing off the National Cup Draw and nothing else. Here's a reminder of who is playing who!

Lone Star 5th place(TCU) vs. Heartland 5th place(Drake)
New England 5th place(Northeastern) vs. Golden 5th place(San Diego State)
Pacific Mountains 4th place(Washington State) vs. Four Corners 4th place(Arizona State)
Delta 8th place(Mississippi State) vs. Great Lakes 9th place(Michigan State)

TCU vs. Drake

TCU survives a close one to move past Drake and into the cup. Bennett Stirtz's 21 points almost got them there but just wasn't enough. TCU had Ernest Udeh 13 points and 13 rebound while Trazarian White's 16 points to punch their bid to the National Cup

Northeastern vs. San Diego State

This one was not close. San Diego State punches their first ever Cup ticket on the backs of Nick Boyd's 21 and Myles Byrd's 18 points. Northeastern had Rashad King finish with 12 and 7 while Harold Woods ends up with 10 and 7, but ultimately it wasn't enough to make it close.

Washington State vs. Arizona State

Back to back blowouts here as Washington State curb stomps Arizona State. For the Sun Devils only BJ Freeman could really find the bucket, hitting 4 3s and finishing with 16 points. Shawn Phillips Jr made his way to the FT line a little but only finished with 10 points while the team overall shot 35% for the game. For Wazzu, Lujaun Watts ended up with 12 points and 11 rebounds, but the star was Dane Erikstrup who finished with 18 points while shooting 7 for 11 from the field.

Mississippi State vs. Michigan State

Last season's runner up falls! Michigan State survives a close one to head back to the cup once again. This was off the back of Jaxon Kohlar's 11 point and 12 rebound double double and Jaden Akins 18 points. Josh Hubbard did his best with 19 points and 4 3s but the Bulldogs come up just short, being the final team eliminated from qualifying much like they were the final team to fall in the cup last season.

Thank you everyone for following the series up to this point! I'm going to try and have the National Cup draw posted very soon, a busy weekend for me upcoming may mean either tomorrow or Sunday night. I'll see you all soon for the final draw of the year.

• Alex Condon – Florida; Forward, 2.11m; Junior from Perth
• Oscar Cluff – Purdue; Centre, 2.11m; Senior from Sunshine Coast (Transfer from South Dakota State)

Hey everyone! I do these conference rankings every year so it's finally that time when rosters are more or less set for the upcoming season.

I have * next to players who are injured for the start of the 2025-26 season, confirmed to redshirt this season, or out/uncertain for another reason.

Big East Breakdown

The Big East has two behemoths at the top of the conference in UConn and St. John's. Creighton should be solid too but beyond that there are a lot of question marks in the Big East and we may be looking at a very down year for the conference overall. I think this is a four bid league but it's very possible they only get three.

UConn is my pick to win the Big East this year. Hurley has much better roster construction this season to fit his playbook. Last year Mahaney was a bust, McNeeley was injured, and Diarra was not the type of PG Hurley has won it all with in the past. Hurley's plan starts and ends with Solo Ball who I predict will take another big leap. He shot 41% from 3 last year, a 10 point jump from his freshman season. Silas Demary Jr. will be the next big combo guard much in the same vein as Tristen Newton and Stephon Castle (though perhaps not quite at their level). Tarris Reed should be a double-double machine now that he is manning the post by himself. Alex Karaban is still a star and should be better now that he will not be the focal point of the team. The Huskies are a much better shooting team and it has real depth, something they lacked last season. Top 15 freshman guard Braylon Mullins, Dayton transfer PG Malachi Smith, experienced European combo guard Uros Paunovic, plus returnees Jaylin Stewart and Jayden Ross give Hurley a lot of options on any given night. Reibe, Furphy, and Elezay might get some minutes too. Furphy is someone who can be unleashed for instant offense even though his defensive prowess is not quite where it needs to be for big time minutes in his freshman year. UConn is a real contender and has shooting, playmaking, size, versatility, and experience which will come in handy in March.

Rick Pitino has the Johnnies flying higher than ever. They lose R.J. Luis, Kadary Richmond, and Deivon Scott but Pitino did a hell of a job in the portal. Ian Jackson, Oziyah Sellers, and Joson Sanon all offer better shooting than they had last season at the guard spot though the only problem is none of these guards are true point guards. Zuby Ejiofor, my pick for Big East Preseason POY, should dominate down low and Bryce Hopkins, if healthy, should provide some scoring pop. Dillon Mitchell will be a defensive spark off the bench and Dylan Darling from Idaho State could takeover at PG if the Ian Jackson at point experiment fails. Prey and Liotopoulos hopefully can show a bit more in their sophomore seasons. Health and a true PG might be the only thing that can slow down this team though there is no reason St. John's could not make the Final Four with Pitino at the helm

Gone are Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth but there is plenty to be excited about in Omaha. McDermott landed a pair of Iowa transfers in Owen Freeman and Josh Dix who should make impacts right away. Blake Harper from Howard is a stat sheet stuffer and Nik Graves is a good get too. Jackson McAndrew I think is the one to watch out for. He shoots well from 3, has great size, and is a decent defender. Fedor Zugic should see an increase in usage now that he's cleared by the NCAA. Returnees Green and Traudt, freshman Hudson Greer, Miami transfer Austin Swartz, and two European imports Kerem Konan and Aleksa Dimitrijevic should be good depth pieces. Creighton might not be as good as UConn and St. John's but make no mistake they are a tourney team and a team to watch in the Big East.

Shaka Smart continues to do things his way in Milwaukee. They lost Kam Jones, David Joplin, and Stevie Mitchell but got nothing out of the transfer portal. If the Golden Eagles freshmen class doesn't step up this could be a rough year for Smart. Chase Ross figures to be the new go to guy and Sean Jones is back to run the point after not playing last year due to injury. Ben Gold, Zaide Lowery, Royce Parham, and Tre Norman need to make leaps to replace the outgoing production. Nigel James and Adrien Stevens should be ready to go. I'm not sold on Marquette this year but the rest of the Big East minus the top 3 are nothing to write home about either. Providence went a disappointing 12-20 last season but did so with their star Bryce Hopkins missing most of the season. Hopkins is gone but there are several new faces that can jump start this team. Jason Edwards from Vandy, Jaylin Sellers from UCF, Duncan Powell from Ga Tech, and Daquan Davis from FSU should all be immediate contributors. I'm very high on Jamier Jones who is your high motor, scrappy defender, and rabid rebounder all wrapped into one. This is a solid squad put together by Kim English and they will be in the hunt for a bid. Nova fired Kyle Neptune and hired Kevin Willard away from Maryland to rebuild. There is a few pieces I like here namely freshman guard and former UK commit Acaden Lewis, returnee Tyler Perkins, and JMU transfer Bryce Lindsay. I do worry about this team's ability to rebound and their ability to defend the rim at a high level. Duke Brennan, Tafara Gapare, and Braden Pierce have all either player sparingly or at lower levels of competition. The guard play will be fine in Philly in year one but the front court might have some issues. I don't think this is a tourney squad but Willard will get there soon.

Georgetown, like Villanova, has a stable of backcourt options but not much in the front court after Thomas Sorber kept his name in the draft. Malik Mack, K.J. Lewis, Langston Love, Jeremiah Williams, and DHS form a deep backcourt and should keep this team competitive. Halaifonua and Iwuchkuwu will need to find that switch if Georgetown is to get back to the dance. Xavier is in year one under Richard Pitino who put together a squad of mid-major stars and one holdover from last year's squad in Roddie Anderson III who redshirted. Gabriel Pozzato, Tre Carroll, All Wright, and Anthony Robinson are names to watch out for but this Xavier squad doesn't look to be ready to compete at the top this soon. I do believe in Pitino long term here as it took him a couple years to fire on all cylinders at New Mexico.

DePaul showed flashes in year one under Chris Holtmann and I expect them to continue to improve. CJ Gunn, Layden Blocker, and NJ Benson are a decent enough returning core and Holtmann brought in some high upside transfers in Kaleb Banks, Brandon Maclin, and RJ Smith. DePaul looks better than they have in a long time but still not enough to get them out of the basement tier. Butler lost Jahmyl Telfort, Pierre Brooks, and Patrick McCaffery and their portal class just isn't up to snuff. Ajayi and Traore struggled at Gonzaga and SMU respectively while Jalen Jackson dominated much lower competition. Another year with no dancing for Thad Matta. Seton Hall went 7-25 last year and won only 2 conference games. I don't know if they will be much better than that this year. There is not a star on this team as most of the transfer class comes from the lower levels of D1 and the few power transfers are not enough to move the needle.

Tier Rankings:

Tier 1 (Title Contenders) - UConn, St. John's

Tier 2 (Top 25 Team) - Creighton

Tier 3 (Bubble) - Marquette, Providence, Villanova

Tier 4 (No Man's Land) - Georgetown, Xavier

Tier 5 (Basement) - DePaul, Butler, Seton Hall

Predicted Number of Tourney Bids: 4

All-Conference Predictions

All-BE 1st Team: Ian Jackson, Solo Ball, Alex Karaban, Zuby Ejiofor, Owen Freeman

All-BE 2nd Team: Malik Mack, Silas Demary Jr., Chase Ross, Bryce Hopkins, Tarris Reed Jr.

All-BE 3rd Team: Jason Edwards, Oziyah Sellers, K.J. Lewis, Josh Dix, Jackson McAndrew

Player of the Year: Zuby Ejiofor

Coach of the Year: Greg McDermott

Freshmen of the Year: Braylon Mullins

Here are my rankings (but keep in mind the tiers where I could realistically see those teams finishing in any order within their respective tiers):

#1 Connecticut Huskies

Departures: Liam McNeeley, Hassan Diarra, Samson Johnson, Aidan Mahaney, Ahmad Nowell, Isaiah Abraham, Youssouf Singare

Returning: Alex Karaban, Solo Ball, Tarris Reed Jr., Jaylin Stewart, Jayden Ross

Additions: Silas Demary Jr., Malachi Smith, Dwayne Koroma, Alec Millender, Braylon Mullins, Eric Reibe, Jacob Furphy, Uros Paunovic, Rrezon Elezay, Jacob Ross

Projected Starting Lineup: Demary Jr., Ball, Mullins, Karaban, Reed Jr.

#2 St. John's Red Storm

Departures: R.J. Luis Jr., Kadary Richmond, Simeon Wilcher, Aaron Scott, Deivon Smith, Brady Dunlap, Vince Iwuchukwu, Jaiden Glover, Khaman Maker

Returning: Zuby Ejiofor, Ruben Prey, Lefteris Liotopoulos, Sadike Ibine Ayo

Additions: Bryce Hopkins, Oziyah Sellers, Ian Jackson, Joson Sanon, Dillon Mitchell, Dylan Darling, Handje Tamba, Imran Suljanovic, Kelvin Odih, Casper Pohto

Projected Starting Lineup: Jackson, Sellers, Sanon, Hopkins, Ejiofor

#3 Creighton Bluejays

Departures: Ryan Kalkbrenner, Steven Ashworth, Pop Isaacs, Jamiya Neal, Mason Miller, Frederick King, Sterling Knox

Returning: Jackson McAndrew, Jasen Green, Isaac Traudt, Fedor Zugic, Ty Davis

Additions: Josh Dix, Owen Freeman, Blake Harper, Nik Graves, Austin Swartz, Liam McChesney, Hudson Greer, Kerem Konan, Aleksa Dimitrijevic

Projected Starting Lineup: Graves, Dix, Harper, McAndrew, Freeman

#4 Marquette Golden Eagles

Departures: Kam Jones, David Joplin, Stevie Mitchell, Al Amadou

Returning: Chase Ross, Ben Gold, Sean Jones, Zaide Lowery, Royce Parham, Demarius Owens, Tre Norman, Caedin Hamilton, Joshua Clark

Additions: Adrien Stevens, Nigel James, Michael Phillips, Ian Miletic, Sheek Pearson*

Projected Starting Lineup: Jones, Ross, Lowery, Parham, Gold

#5 Providence Friars

Departures: Jayden Pierre, Bryce Hopkins, Bensley Joseph, Christ Essandako, Wesley Cardet Jr., Jabri Abdur-Rahim, Justyn Fernandez, Anton Bonke, Eli DeLaurier

Returning: Corey Floyd Jr., Oswin Erhunmwunse, Ryan Mela, Rich Barron

Additions: Jaylin Sellers, Jason Edwards, Duncan Powell, Daquan Davis, Cole Hargrove, Jamier Jones, Stefan Vaaks, Jaylen Harrell, Peteris Pennis

Projected Starting Lineup: Edwards, Sellers, Floyd Jr., Powell, Erhunmwunse

#6 Villanova Wildcats

Departures: Eric Dixon, Jordan Longino, Wooga Poplar, Jhamir Brickus, Enoch Boakye, Kris Parker, Josiah Moseley, Nnanna Njoku, Jordann Dumont, Aleksandar Gavalyugov, Malcolm Thomas

Returning: Tyler Perkins, Matthew Hodge

Additions: Devin Askew, Bryce Lindsay, Duke Brennan, Zion Stanford, Tafara Gapare, Malachi Palmer, Braden Pierce, Malcolm Flaggs, Acaden Lewis, Chris Jeffrey, Nico Onyekwere

Projected Starting Lineup: Lewis, Askew, Perkins, Hodge, Brennan

#7 Georgetown Hoyas

Departures: Thomas Sorber, Micah Peavy, Jayden Epps, Jordan Burks, Drew Fielder, Curtis WIlliams Jr., Drew McKenna

Returning: Malik Mack, Caleb Williams, Julius Halaifonua, Kayvaun Mulready, Jayden Fort, Seal Diouf

Additions: K.J. Lewis, Langston Love, Jeremiah Williams, Vince Iwuchukwu, DeShawn Harris-Smith, Isaiah Abraham

Projected Starting Lineup: Mack, Lewis, Love, C. Williams, Iwuchukwu

#8 Xavier Musketeers

Departures: Dayvion McKnight, Ryan Conwell, Zach Freemantle, Dailyn Swain, Marcus Foster, Dante Maddox Jr., Trey Green, Jon Hugley IV, Cam Fletcher, Lassina Traore

Returning: Roddie Anderson III

Additions: Gabriel Pozzato, Tre Carroll, Malik Moore, All Wright, Isaiah Walker, Mier Panoam, Filip Borovicanin, Anthony Robinson, Papa N'Diaye, Jovan Milicevic, Kason Westphal, Jadon Forsythe

Projected Starting Lineup: Anderson III, Moore, Pozzato, Carroll, Borovicanin

#9 DePaul Blue Demons

Departures: Isaiah Rivera, Conor Enright, Troy D'Amico, Jacob Meyer, J.J. Traynor, David Skogman, David Thomas, Chris Riddle, Sekou Konneh

Returning: C.J. Gunn, Layden Blocker, N.J. Benson, Theo Pierre-Justin

Additions: Kaleb Banks, Jeremy Lorenz, R.J. Smith, Brandon Maclin, Amsal Delalic*, Khaman Maker, Ilija Milijasevic, Kruz McClure, Isaiah Medina

Projected Starting Lineup: Blocker, Smith, Gunn, Banks, Benson

#10 Butler Bulldogs

Departures: Jahmyl Telfort, Pierre Brooks II, Kolby King, Patrick McCaffery, Andre Screen, Landon Moore, Boden Kapke, Augusto Cassia, Colt Langdon

Returning: Finley Bizjack, Jamie Kaiser Jr., Evan Haywood

Additions: Jalen Jackson, Yame Butler, Michael Ajayi, Drayton Jones, Yohan Traore, Azavier Robinson, Jack McCaffery, Jackson Keith, Efeosa Oliogu, Bryson Cardinal

Projected Starting Lineup: Jackson, Bizjack, Kaiser Jr., Ajayi, Traore

#11 Seton Hall Pirates

Departures: Isaiah Coleman, Prince Aligbe, Garwey Dual, Dylan Addae-Wusu, Chaunce Jenkins, Scotty Middleton, Yacine Toume, Emmanuel Okorafor, Gus Yalden, Zion Harmon, David Tubek

Returning: Jahseem Felton, Godswill Erheriene, Assane Mbaye

Additions: Adam Clark, Elijah Fisher, T.J. Simpkins, Stephon Payne III, Joshua Rivera, A.J. Stanton-McCray, Trey Parker, Mike Williams III, Patrick Suemnick, Jacob Dar, Najai Hines

Projected Starting Lineup: Clark, Simpkins, Fisher, Rivera, Erheriene

Brad Stevens was a young up and coming coach and tremendously successful at Butler and was wanted by almost every big name program back in the days. Obviously the game has changed a lot since he’s moved on to the NBA. But if he ever came back and coached at a big program. Do you think that he would able to bring that magic back and win multiple championships.

https://

Hello everyone, I am a sophmore college basketball player i have been contemplating for awhile now my future with the sport starting off my freshman year, I was with a different school and I honestly realized I didn’t really love the sport as much as I thought, I hated practices, I hated most workouts, the only thing I really enjoyed was the lifting aspect and socializing and meeting new people, i was honestly planning on quitting and then late this summer I decided to transfer and accept a walk on spot at a school close to home while still grasping onto this image that i have subconsciously in my mind that I love the sport, we are roughly 2 weeks into the pre season and I’m feeling the same thing I felt all of last year, it’s taken the same toll physically and mentally, i have all of the pieces I feel are necessary 6’7 220 pounds but i genuinely just don’t enjoy the sport anymore and thought it would change,

Any advice would be great,

Thank you all.

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RALEIGH – The NC State men's and women's basketball teams are set to play in a doubleheader exhibition on Sunday, Oct. 26 at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. The women's team will tip off vs. Maryland at 2 p.m. and the men's team will follow by playing South Carolina at 4:30 p.m.

Although the games won't count toward either team's overall record, the Wolfpack and Terrapins have a rich history in the all-time series being former Atlantic Coast Conference foes. NC State leads in the all-time series, 45-36.

An original founding member of the ACC like the Wolfpack, South Carolina and NC State have played each other 77 times on the hardwood, but have played each other just five times since the Gamecocks left the ACC after the conclusion of the 1971 season. NC State leads the all-time series with USC, 49-28.

Tickets for the games can be purchased starting on Friday, August 22 HERE. Television or streaming information will be released at a later date.

Tip-off times and television designations for NC State's full slate of games will also be released at a later date.

Paunovic, the 6'4, 22-year-old played 22 minutes per game in ABA League 2 and the Serbian KLS for KK Zlatibor, representing Serbia at the FIBA U20 level.

Elezay, the 7'2, Kosovan-born, Turkish national played at the FIBA U17 and U18 junior levels, spending this past season at Besiktas. High-major development piece with strong mobility and length.

https://gocards.com/news/2025/8/18/mens-basketball-brian-kloman-promoted-to-executive-director-of-player-personnel-and-strategic-initiatives