Purdue’s center Zach Edey announced on social media that he withdrew his name from the 2023 NBA Draft. Instead, Edey will return to Purdue for one last season of college basketball with the Boilermakers.

Edey finished the 2023 college season, averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks. He was named the National Player of the Year at the end of the campaign.

One of the reasons why Edey might have decided to run it back is the disappointing way Purdue’s season ended. They entered the 2023 NCAA Tournament as the No.1 seed but finished their run in the first round, being sensationally knocked out by No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson.

Another reason for Edey’s decision might be the fact that he wasn’t expected to be selected with a high pick in this year’s draft. Several mock drafts had him going in the late second round, while some projected him going undrafted. 

While Edey’s success at college is noteworthy, the NBA scouts don’t seem to think his game would translate well in the pros. He isn’t a perimeter scored and doesn’t attempt three-pointers at all while being slow due to his size. 

Edey will now hope that another year of college basketball will allow him to polish some of his shortcomings and improve his stock before entering the 2024 NBA Draft.

The post Purdue’s Zach Edey, Reigning National Player of the Year, Withdraws From the 2023 NBA Draft appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Many things have changed at UConn since the Huskies won its first national championship in 1999. But what hasn’t change was its status as one of the premier programs in college basketball. That showed in the 2023 National Championship game in which UConn beat San Diego State to capture its fifth title in the past four years.

UConn entered the finals game firing on all cylinders and had a 16-point lead at one point in the first half. San Diego State managed to make a brief run to make it interesting but never seemed close to orchestrating a comeback. Their emotional win against the Florida Atlantic in the semis seemed to have taken its toll.

Junior center Adama Sanogo was the star of the show for the Huskies, scoring 17 points and getting 10 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass. Sanogo, who averaged 20.2 points and 9.8 rebounds in the first five games, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

What was especially impressive about UConn’s run was the dominance they exerted on their opponents. With a 76-59 win over the Aztecs on Monday night, the Huskies became just the fifth team in nearly four decades to win all of the six games with double digits.

“We knew we were the best team in the tournament going in, and we just had to play to our level,” said Huskies’ head coach Dan Hurley.

Hurley, who arrived at UConn five seasons ago now joined Jim Calhoun and Kevin Ollie as one of the three coaches to win the national title for the program. And considering the great job he has done so far, who is to say that he won’t add a few more to the trophy cabinet in the future?

The post UConn Beats San Diego State in NCAA Finals, Wins Its 5th National Title appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Michigan State men’s college basketball coach Tom Izzo has penned a new five-year deal with the team, the university announced on Thursday. Valued at $6.2 million per season, the agreement sees Izzo earn approximately an additional $2 million per year.

At 67 years of age, Izzo has coached Michigan State since the 1995-96 season, when he was promoted from assistant coach to head coach in replacement of the retiring Jud Heathcote. During this time, he led the Spartans to the 2000 National Championship as well as 24 straight NCAA tournaments, including eight Final Four appearances. In addition, he has won the Big Ten title on 10 occasions and six conference tournament championships.

“We greatly appreciate Coach Izzo’s commitment to our outstanding university and his competitive drive to keep Spartan basketball as a national powerhouse,” university president Samuel Stanley remarked following the signing of the deal. According to the university, the rollover contract will need to be approved by its board next month.

While Izzo’s tenure as the head coach got off to a slow start, he gradually strengthened the Spartans’ ranks until they emerged into a national powerhouse, appearing in regular Big Ten competitions.

The post Michigan State Basketball Coach Tom Izzo Signs New 5-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The 2020/21 college basketball season is going to take place despite the challenges caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The news was confirmed on Wednesday by NCAA Division I Council.

According to the Council’s decision, college basketball will return on November 25th, two weeks later than usual. Teams will not be able to held scrimmages or play exhibition games before that.

The unusual circumstances of this season will result in a smaller number of tournaments and cause teams to play fewer games. The minimum amount of games that teams must play in order to be NCAA tournament-eligible is 13 while the max is set on 27 games.

Reportedly, NCAA is currently considering staging eight tournaments in a bubble setting early in the college season. The organization would follow the NBA’s example, and games would be played at Disney World in Orlando.

The outlook of the NCAA men’s tournament is still unsettled, although the division’s leadership expressed hopes to have 68 teams play in 14 different locations. If this isn’t possible, this tournament could also be held in a bubble setting.

The 2019/20 NCAA Division I men’s basketball season concluded prematurely due to the COVID-19 outbreak and all postseason tournaments were canceled.

The post NCAA Announced that College Basketball is Returning in November appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Owing to the circumstances surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has forced the postponement of sporting leagues and events around the world, the NCAA, college basketball’s governing association, has announced the indefinite postponement of its deadline for men’s basketball players to withdraw from the NBA Draft and retain their collegiate eligibility.

Senior vice president of the NCAA Dan Gavitt said, “This modification is being made with the health and well-being of our student-athletes in mind, along with their ability to make the most informed decisions during this uncertain time, and is based on the recent announcement by the NBA to postpone the 2020 NBA Draft Combine.”

The original June 3rd date, which is after the annual combine which gives players more information about when in the draft they will be taken and/or if they will selected at all.

This date is designed to give players who had previously declared themselves selectable in the annual June draft the option to return to school if their professional prospects are unfavorable.

It remains to be seen if the 2020 Draft, scheduled for June 25th, will be able to held on the planned date or if it will be postponed. The NCAA is likely to wait for more NBA announcements before naming a date for players to retain their eligibility.

The post NCAA Postpones Deadline to Exit NBA Draft Indefinitely appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Duke Blue Devils, the #1 ranked college basketball team in the nation, fell at the hands of tiny Stephen F. Austin in a stunning upset on Tuesday night.

Stephen F. Austin shocked everyone by taking the game to overtime, going toe to toe with the top-rated team in the country and one of the most powerful programs in the country.

After ending regulation tied 81-81, the Lumberjacks held Duke to only two points in the extra five minutes. It was a defensive battle, and Stephen F. Austin managed to steal the ball in the final seconds and drive towards the other basket with a chance to win the game.

Nathan Bain took the ball to the other end of the court and laid in the ball as time expired, sending Cameron Indoor Arena into a state of shock as he led his team to the biggest win in program history.

Senior guard Kevon Harris led SFA with 26 points in a big-time performance. Duke center Vernon Carey Jr.’s 20 point, 11 rebound, and 7 block performance led the Blue Devils, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the huge loss.

The loss was Duke’s first against a non-conference opponent at home in 150 games.

The post #1 Duke Stunned at Home By Stephen F. Austin appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Kentucky Wildcats hosted the University of Evansville Purple Aces in what was expected to be an early season, non-conference laugher on Tuesday night in Lexington.

As it turned out, the only ones laughing were the Purple Aces at the end of a shocking game.

#1 ranked Kentucky dropped a stunning game to Evansville by a 67-64 score in front of 19,101 stunned Big Blue fans who couldn’t believe that their squad had lost to a small conference foe.

Evansville entered the night as a 25-point underdog to the Wildcats, and no one expected them to win. It’s not even like Evansville was a mid-major power; the Purple Aces finished with an 11-21 record last season and were picked to finish near the bottom of their conference this year.

However, second-year coach Walter McCarty, a former Kentucky player proved that they are a team to be reckoned with in their toppling of the top-ranked Kentucky team.

Guards Noah Frederking and Sam Cunliffe scored 18 and 17 points, respectively, to lead the offensive charge for the pesky Purple Aces. It was an off night for Kentucky’s offensive, which managed a dismal 37% shooting mark in the loss.

The Wildcats’ reign at the top of the polls will certainly come to an end after this loss, and John Calipari’s men will look to rebound as they tune-up for conference play next month.

The post #1 Kentucky Stunned in Shocking Upset at Home by Unranked Evansville appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Baylor Bears took home the NCAA Women’s basketball crown after holding off Notre Dame on Sunday evening.

Baylor won by a final score of 82-81 despite squandering a 17-point lead in the second half. After being knotted up with just a few seconds to go, Chloe Jackson hit a tie-breaking layup with just 3.9 seconds left to give her team an 82-80 lead.

The Bears weren’t done suffering, however, as Notre Dame received two free throw shots after a foul was committed in the final ticks of the game.

However, Notre Dame’s Arike Ogunbowale was only able to convert one of the two free throws, and Baylor hanged on to win its third NCAA women’s basketball title.

Baylor overcame adversity to win after blowing the aforementioned lead, as well as after losing their star forward, Lauren Cox, to a knee injury in the third quarter of a game.

Cox left the floor in a wheelchair after a scary-looking play that injured her knee and left her crumpled in a heap on the ground.

Despite losing their best player, Baylor showed grit and determination and won to put the cherry on top of a nearly perfect 37-1 season.

The post Baylor Defeats Notre Dame to Win NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After one weekend of the men’s NCAA Basketball tournament, nearly all of its favored teams are still alive.

The first two rounds of the competition took place last weekend in various cities across the countries. Few upsets occurred, something which is quite atypical come tournament time.

Of the 16 teams left, 14 of them are either a 1, 2, 3, or 4 seed in the tournament.

The only two teams which aren’t are 5th seeded Auburn, which won the SEC Tournament, and 12th seeded Oregon, which won the Pac-12 tournament. In short, things are going as expected so far.

One of the tournament’s favorites, #1 seed Duke, was the giant that came the closest to falling over the weekend. They faced off against Central Florida on Sunday and nearly lost on a last-second layup that rolled in and out of the rim.

The Sweet 16 begins on Thursday night with the South and West region games.

After the Sweet 16 games finish on Friday, Elite 8 games will determine the winners of the regions and the teams that will advance to the Final 4. These games will be played on Saturday and Sunday.

Each winner of their respective region will win a berth to play in the Final 4 in the first weekend of April in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The post NCAA Men’s Tournament Sweet 16 is Set, with Few Surprises appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Purdue’s center Zach Edey announced on social media that he withdrew his name from the 2023 NBA Draft. Instead, Edey will return to Purdue for one last season of college basketball with the Boilermakers.

Edey finished the 2023 college season, averaging 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks. He was named the National Player of the Year at the end of the campaign.

One of the reasons why Edey might have decided to run it back is the disappointing way Purdue’s season ended. They entered the 2023 NCAA Tournament as the No.1 seed but finished their run in the first round, being sensationally knocked out by No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson.

Another reason for Edey’s decision might be the fact that he wasn’t expected to be selected with a high pick in this year’s draft. Several mock drafts had him going in the late second round, while some projected him going undrafted. 

While Edey’s success at college is noteworthy, the NBA scouts don’t seem to think his game would translate well in the pros. He isn’t a perimeter scored and doesn’t attempt three-pointers at all while being slow due to his size. 

Edey will now hope that another year of college basketball will allow him to polish some of his shortcomings and improve his stock before entering the 2024 NBA Draft.

The post Purdue’s Zach Edey, Reigning National Player of the Year, Withdraws From the 2023 NBA Draft appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Many things have changed at UConn since the Huskies won its first national championship in 1999. But what hasn’t change was its status as one of the premier programs in college basketball. That showed in the 2023 National Championship game in which UConn beat San Diego State to capture its fifth title in the past four years.

UConn entered the finals game firing on all cylinders and had a 16-point lead at one point in the first half. San Diego State managed to make a brief run to make it interesting but never seemed close to orchestrating a comeback. Their emotional win against the Florida Atlantic in the semis seemed to have taken its toll.

Junior center Adama Sanogo was the star of the show for the Huskies, scoring 17 points and getting 10 rebounds, five of which came on the offensive glass. Sanogo, who averaged 20.2 points and 9.8 rebounds in the first five games, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

What was especially impressive about UConn’s run was the dominance they exerted on their opponents. With a 76-59 win over the Aztecs on Monday night, the Huskies became just the fifth team in nearly four decades to win all of the six games with double digits.

“We knew we were the best team in the tournament going in, and we just had to play to our level,” said Huskies’ head coach Dan Hurley.

Hurley, who arrived at UConn five seasons ago now joined Jim Calhoun and Kevin Ollie as one of the three coaches to win the national title for the program. And considering the great job he has done so far, who is to say that he won’t add a few more to the trophy cabinet in the future?

The post UConn Beats San Diego State in NCAA Finals, Wins Its 5th National Title appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Michigan State men’s college basketball coach Tom Izzo has penned a new five-year deal with the team, the university announced on Thursday. Valued at $6.2 million per season, the agreement sees Izzo earn approximately an additional $2 million per year.

At 67 years of age, Izzo has coached Michigan State since the 1995-96 season, when he was promoted from assistant coach to head coach in replacement of the retiring Jud Heathcote. During this time, he led the Spartans to the 2000 National Championship as well as 24 straight NCAA tournaments, including eight Final Four appearances. In addition, he has won the Big Ten title on 10 occasions and six conference tournament championships.

“We greatly appreciate Coach Izzo’s commitment to our outstanding university and his competitive drive to keep Spartan basketball as a national powerhouse,” university president Samuel Stanley remarked following the signing of the deal. According to the university, the rollover contract will need to be approved by its board next month.

While Izzo’s tenure as the head coach got off to a slow start, he gradually strengthened the Spartans’ ranks until they emerged into a national powerhouse, appearing in regular Big Ten competitions.

The post Michigan State Basketball Coach Tom Izzo Signs New 5-Year Deal appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The 2020/21 college basketball season is going to take place despite the challenges caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The news was confirmed on Wednesday by NCAA Division I Council.

According to the Council’s decision, college basketball will return on November 25th, two weeks later than usual. Teams will not be able to held scrimmages or play exhibition games before that.

The unusual circumstances of this season will result in a smaller number of tournaments and cause teams to play fewer games. The minimum amount of games that teams must play in order to be NCAA tournament-eligible is 13 while the max is set on 27 games.

Reportedly, NCAA is currently considering staging eight tournaments in a bubble setting early in the college season. The organization would follow the NBA’s example, and games would be played at Disney World in Orlando.

The outlook of the NCAA men’s tournament is still unsettled, although the division’s leadership expressed hopes to have 68 teams play in 14 different locations. If this isn’t possible, this tournament could also be held in a bubble setting.

The 2019/20 NCAA Division I men’s basketball season concluded prematurely due to the COVID-19 outbreak and all postseason tournaments were canceled.

The post NCAA Announced that College Basketball is Returning in November appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Owing to the circumstances surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has forced the postponement of sporting leagues and events around the world, the NCAA, college basketball’s governing association, has announced the indefinite postponement of its deadline for men’s basketball players to withdraw from the NBA Draft and retain their collegiate eligibility.

Senior vice president of the NCAA Dan Gavitt said, “This modification is being made with the health and well-being of our student-athletes in mind, along with their ability to make the most informed decisions during this uncertain time, and is based on the recent announcement by the NBA to postpone the 2020 NBA Draft Combine.”

The original June 3rd date, which is after the annual combine which gives players more information about when in the draft they will be taken and/or if they will selected at all.

This date is designed to give players who had previously declared themselves selectable in the annual June draft the option to return to school if their professional prospects are unfavorable.

It remains to be seen if the 2020 Draft, scheduled for June 25th, will be able to held on the planned date or if it will be postponed. The NCAA is likely to wait for more NBA announcements before naming a date for players to retain their eligibility.

The post NCAA Postpones Deadline to Exit NBA Draft Indefinitely appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Duke Blue Devils, the #1 ranked college basketball team in the nation, fell at the hands of tiny Stephen F. Austin in a stunning upset on Tuesday night.

Stephen F. Austin shocked everyone by taking the game to overtime, going toe to toe with the top-rated team in the country and one of the most powerful programs in the country.

After ending regulation tied 81-81, the Lumberjacks held Duke to only two points in the extra five minutes. It was a defensive battle, and Stephen F. Austin managed to steal the ball in the final seconds and drive towards the other basket with a chance to win the game.

Nathan Bain took the ball to the other end of the court and laid in the ball as time expired, sending Cameron Indoor Arena into a state of shock as he led his team to the biggest win in program history.

Senior guard Kevon Harris led SFA with 26 points in a big-time performance. Duke center Vernon Carey Jr.’s 20 point, 11 rebound, and 7 block performance led the Blue Devils, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the huge loss.

The loss was Duke’s first against a non-conference opponent at home in 150 games.

The post #1 Duke Stunned at Home By Stephen F. Austin appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Kentucky Wildcats hosted the University of Evansville Purple Aces in what was expected to be an early season, non-conference laugher on Tuesday night in Lexington.

As it turned out, the only ones laughing were the Purple Aces at the end of a shocking game.

#1 ranked Kentucky dropped a stunning game to Evansville by a 67-64 score in front of 19,101 stunned Big Blue fans who couldn’t believe that their squad had lost to a small conference foe.

Evansville entered the night as a 25-point underdog to the Wildcats, and no one expected them to win. It’s not even like Evansville was a mid-major power; the Purple Aces finished with an 11-21 record last season and were picked to finish near the bottom of their conference this year.

However, second-year coach Walter McCarty, a former Kentucky player proved that they are a team to be reckoned with in their toppling of the top-ranked Kentucky team.

Guards Noah Frederking and Sam Cunliffe scored 18 and 17 points, respectively, to lead the offensive charge for the pesky Purple Aces. It was an off night for Kentucky’s offensive, which managed a dismal 37% shooting mark in the loss.

The Wildcats’ reign at the top of the polls will certainly come to an end after this loss, and John Calipari’s men will look to rebound as they tune-up for conference play next month.

The post #1 Kentucky Stunned in Shocking Upset at Home by Unranked Evansville appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Baylor Bears took home the NCAA Women’s basketball crown after holding off Notre Dame on Sunday evening.

Baylor won by a final score of 82-81 despite squandering a 17-point lead in the second half. After being knotted up with just a few seconds to go, Chloe Jackson hit a tie-breaking layup with just 3.9 seconds left to give her team an 82-80 lead.

The Bears weren’t done suffering, however, as Notre Dame received two free throw shots after a foul was committed in the final ticks of the game.

However, Notre Dame’s Arike Ogunbowale was only able to convert one of the two free throws, and Baylor hanged on to win its third NCAA women’s basketball title.

Baylor overcame adversity to win after blowing the aforementioned lead, as well as after losing their star forward, Lauren Cox, to a knee injury in the third quarter of a game.

Cox left the floor in a wheelchair after a scary-looking play that injured her knee and left her crumpled in a heap on the ground.

Despite losing their best player, Baylor showed grit and determination and won to put the cherry on top of a nearly perfect 37-1 season.

The post Baylor Defeats Notre Dame to Win NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship appeared first on SportzBonanza.

After one weekend of the men’s NCAA Basketball tournament, nearly all of its favored teams are still alive.

The first two rounds of the competition took place last weekend in various cities across the countries. Few upsets occurred, something which is quite atypical come tournament time.

Of the 16 teams left, 14 of them are either a 1, 2, 3, or 4 seed in the tournament.

The only two teams which aren’t are 5th seeded Auburn, which won the SEC Tournament, and 12th seeded Oregon, which won the Pac-12 tournament. In short, things are going as expected so far.

One of the tournament’s favorites, #1 seed Duke, was the giant that came the closest to falling over the weekend. They faced off against Central Florida on Sunday and nearly lost on a last-second layup that rolled in and out of the rim.

The Sweet 16 begins on Thursday night with the South and West region games.

After the Sweet 16 games finish on Friday, Elite 8 games will determine the winners of the regions and the teams that will advance to the Final 4. These games will be played on Saturday and Sunday.

Each winner of their respective region will win a berth to play in the Final 4 in the first weekend of April in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The post NCAA Men’s Tournament Sweet 16 is Set, with Few Surprises appeared first on SportzBonanza.