#college-basketball-freshmen

#college-basketball-freshmen

I had some conversations with higher-ups in the NFL. They all usually start with conversations about our current players and turn into: Would you be interested in making a transition to the NFL? I'm glad I had those conversations. I learned a lot.

Avdalas, a 6-foot-9 native of Greece, averaged 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists as a freshman in Blacksburg. In the second game of his career, Avdalas had 33 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, going 5-for-8 from 3-point range, in a win over Providence. He skyrocketed up in NBA mock drafts on the heels of that game, looking like a projected first-round pick.

Vaaks was ranked as a top-10 transfer in ESPN's rankings, demonstrating his potential and impact in college basketball after a strong season at Providence.

"Kids show up to school when they feel connected to adults, peers and are engaged in something meaningful," said Hedy Chang, chief executive of Attendance Works.

Wilkinson averaged 15.1 points at California as a freshman and 17.4 points at Georgia as a sophomore, showcasing his scoring ability at power-conference programs.

Cameron Boozer was awesome, baby. A legit super stud who brought the goods every night -- no off nights, no soft nights, just dominance.

"A year ago you guys took a chance on a kid from New Hampshire with zero high major offers, welcoming me with open arms and allowing me to be the best version of myself on and off the court."

You'd have to catch me off the record to answer that question. The implication was clear: Now that every school can pay players -- either through direct revenue share or name, image and likeness dollars -- Big Ten schools are no longer disadvantaged in recruiting by everything from booster bag men to shoe company AAU connections.

Last year's men's tournament produced only 13 outright underdog wins -- tied for the fewest since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The Elite Eight comprised only top-3 seeds, tying it with 2007 as the chalkiest quarterfinal round in tournament history. Additionally, for the first time in modern tournament history, we have witnessed three straight tournaments without multiple double-digit seeds reaching the Sweet 16.

Duke outscores opponents by 19.6 points per game (scoring 82.5 per game to rank 47th in college basketball while allowing 62.9 per contest to rank third in college basketball) and has a +647 scoring differential overall.

While projected top-five pick Caleb Wilson will sit out the entire ACC Tournament and all of March Madness with a left hand fracture, the Boozer twins and several other 2026 NBA Draft prospects will be very available.

A short-handed Stanford women's basketball team couldn't take advantage of an opportunity to improve its NCAA Tournament resume Thursday, falling 84-66 to No. 7 Louisville at Maples Pavilion. Stanford (15-7, 4-5 ACC) committed 10 turnovers in the second quarter as the Cardinals took an 18-point halftime lead in their first-ever trip to The Farm and maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half.

Duke is the pre-tournament favorite for a second straight year and the 10th time overall, tying North Carolina for the most tournaments as the favorite since 1979, according to ESPN Research. The pre-tournament favorite has won eight of the last 20 tournaments.