UNDATED (AP) — Top-ranked and unbeaten Miami heads to North Carolina on Saturday for the headlining game on the Atlantic Coast Conference's weekly schedule. The Hurricanes are rolling with the nation's top offenses and have generally won games in blowouts. The Tar Heels are coming off a loss to Syracuse and are 0-11 all-time against No. 1-ranked teams. The schedule includes No. 14 Wake Forest's home game against Virginia and Clemson's trip to Florida State in a matchup of struggling brand-name programs. N.C. State also hosts California in its first game since the midseason firing of longtime coach Dave Doeren.
UNDATED (AP) — A Kentucky Court of Appeals judge has denied the NCAA's request for emergency relief, allowing 30 college athletes to remain eligible as the basketball season is about to begin. The athletes, including Missouri's Mark Mitchell and LSU's Skyy Clark, received a temporary injunction on October 16. This allows them to compete while the NCAA appeals a ruling related to the new five-for-five eligibility model. Kentucky judge Sara Walter Combs said in her ruling that the NCAA failed to prove imminent harm from the injunction. The ruling also affects football players who will continue to compete for their teams.
UNDATED (AP) — The eligibility chaos playing out in lawsuits and courthouses all over the country has reached the basketball season. The first Division I men's and women's basketball games start Sunday. Yet that comes as legal cases tied to eligiblity inch their way through the court system. Many cases are centered on the NCAA's adoption of an age-based model giving athletes a fifth year going forward. Others deal with athletes returning to college after signing with professional teams. The cases have created volatility with players still waiting to be cleared or facing hearings that could change their status abruptly during the season.
UNDATED (AP) — Duke coach Jon Scheyer’s frank message made an impression on John Blackwell when the former Wisconsin guard entered the transfer portal. Blackell said Scheyer didn't sugarcoat things and noted that “we're going to push you every single day.” Blackwell scored 1,505 points in three seasons at Wisconsin to rank 11th on the Badgers’ career scoring list. He averaged 19.1 points and 5.1 rebounds last season while helping Wisconsin go 24-11. Blackwell heads our list of men's college basketball transfers who should make a major impact this season.
UNDATED (AP) — Once again it was a busy year in the transfer portal with Stanford, Iowa State and Tennessee losing most of their rosters. Their losses were others gains as nearly 1,600 players entered the portal this past year. Audi Crooks, Addy Brown, Liv McGill are three players that will make immediate impacts this season for their new teams.
