JOHN CALIPARI

Purdue and Marquette were far from the favorites in their own conferences going into the season.

Antonio Reeves scored 18 points and Oscar Tshiebwe had 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead Kentucky to a 63-56 victory over No. 5 Tennessee on Saturday.

Kentucky has a 10-6 record, is 1-3 in the Southeastern Conference and struggling with chemistry and consistency on both ends of the floor.

Rasir Bolton scored 24 points, Drew Timme added 22 points, and No. 2 Gonzaga beat cold-shooting No. 4 Kentucky 88-72.

Malik Hall forced two extra periods with dunks off inbounds plays, and Michigan State outlasted No. 4 Kentucky 86-77 in double overtime after Oscar Tshiebwe concluded his strong season debut by fouling out.

Tom Izzo is proud of the fact that Michigan State has consistently played tough nonconference schedules throughout his career.

Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky and Gonzaga's Drew Timme are unanimous selections to The Associated Press preseason All-America team.

John Calipari’s push for upgraded practice facilities for his Kentucky basketball team drew a sharp jab from Wildcats football coach Mark Stoops on Twitter after the Hall of Fame coach referred to the university as a “basketball school” in an interview.

Bam Adebayo scored 23 points, Jimmy Butler had 22 points and 12 assists, and the Miami Heat beat the Philadelphia 76ers 119-103 on Wednesday night for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

North Carolina, Duke and Kansas are bona fide basketball bluebloods, the best of the best in the men's college game.

Exactly 10 years after a bunch of one-and-done phenoms for Kentucky cut down the nets in the Big Easy, there is a much more old-school feel to this year’s Final Four.

The matchup between Hall of Fame coaches Mike Krzyzewski of Duke and Tom Izzo of Michigan State highlights the final day of the NCAA Tournament's opening weekend.

Kenny Payne has been hired as Louisville’s men’s basketball coach with a six-year contract through 2027-28 to lead the program.

Tiny Saint Peter’s took down basketball royalty, getting 27 points from Daryl Banks III in an 85-79 overtime victory over second-seeded Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

College basketball fans hungering for a return to normal this March should feel happy.

Kennedy Chandler scored 19 points, Zakai Zeigler added 11 and No. 9 Tennessee held off fifth-ranked Kentucky 69-62 in the final minutes to reach the Southeastern Conference Tournament final for the third time in the last five years.

Auburn remains No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll for the second straight week.

Kellan Grady scored eight points in overtime, including consecutive 3-pointers about a minute apart, and Sahvir Wheeler added two free throws to lift No. 12 Kentucky over Mississippi State 82-74 on Tuesday night.

Freshman TyTy Washington Jr. scored a career-high 28 points, Sahvir Wheeler returned from injury to add 21 points and No. 18 Kentucky shot a season-high 68% to blow out No. 22 Tennessee 107-79.

Former Kentucky basketball coach Joe B.

Kellan Grady spoiled Tubby Smith’s return to Rupp Arena, making seven 3-pointers to lead No. 18 Kentucky to a 92-48 victory over High Point.

The Southeastern Conference and Big East Conference have updated their policies for basketball game postponements, cancellations and rescheduling to give more leniancy to teams that are unable to play because of spiking COVID-19 cases.

This week's men's basketball showdown between No. 21 Kentucky and archrival Louisville in Lexington has been postponed because of multiple positive COVID-19 tests within the Cardinals’ program.

Freshman and hometown star Blake Wesley hit a go-ahead, pull-up jumper in the lane with 11.7 seconds left and Notre Dame beat No. 10 Kentucky 66-62.

Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari says he contracted COVID-19 after being vaccinated, but points out that he is relieved the shot did its job in leaving him with mild symptoms.

John Calipari is awaiting a pivotal ruling on the eligibility of transfers before he will know who’ll be around to help the Wildcats bounce back from the coach's first losing season in Lexington.

Alec Burks scored a season-high 30 points in his return from a three-game absence and the New York Knicks kept up their chase of home-court advantage in the playoffs by rallying to beat the San Antonio Spurs 102-98.

The death of former Kentucky guard Terrence Clarke following a car accident in Los Angeles sparked an outpouring of grief and support from around basketball, including reaction from Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.

Kentucky says freshman guard Terrence Clarke died following a car accident in Los Angeles.

Michael Jordan will present Kobe Bryant for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next month.

But things began spiraling downward for the Wildcats long before Thursday's disappointing 74-73 setback against Mississippi State that sealed their fate: No NCAA Tournament this year. AdDigesting the reality and enduring a losing season at college basketball's winningest program will make for a long offseason for the Wildcats. “But at the end of the day, you've gotta win games and you've gotta be tough and you've got to play winning basketball. The Wildcats rebounded to win their first three SEC games, only to seesaw between a four-game skid and three-game winning streak. One of the main issues for the Wildcats was putting up points, as Kentucky ranked 200th in Division I in scoring.

John Chaney, one of the nations leading Black coaches and a commanding figure during a Hall of Fame basketball career at Temple, has died. He was twice named national coach of the year and his teams at Temple won six Atlantic 10 conference titles. “Coach Chaney was like a father to me,” McKie said. AdIn 1994, he had a heated exchange following a game against UMass in which he threatened to kill coach John Calipari. “John Chaney was more than just a Hall of Fame Basketball coach.

(AP Photo/Matt Stamey, File)GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida forward Keyontae Johnson is back with the team and working as a coach in practice, coach Mike White said Monday. Johnson was released from the hospital last week, 10 days after collapsing on the court at Florida State and needing emergency medical attention. “Our guys are ready to move forward, not move on from Keyontae, but move forward with him," White said. Witnesses said Johnson was standing near midcourt and suddenly fell forward and landed on his face. White said Johnson already has mentioned that he's “ready to roll” and wants to practice, but doctors will decide when and if that happens this season.

(AP Photo/Matt Stamey, File)GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida forward Keyontae Johnson is being released from the hospital Tuesday, 10 days after collapsing on the court at Florida State and needing emergency medical attention. Kentucky's John Calipari is one of many coaches in college basketball who have said they would like to know if Johnson's collapse was related to his positive COVID-19 test months earlier. Witnesses said Johnson was standing near midcourt and suddenly fell forward and landed on his face. Like many of his Florida teammates, Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 during the summer. The SEC mandates strict protocols, including rigorous heart testing, before players can be cleared to return to play following positive COVID-19 tests.

North Carolina won 75-63. Armando Bacot scored 11 of his team-high 14 points in the second half Saturday, rallying No. 22 North Carolina from a double-digit deficit to beat Kentucky 75-63 at the CBS Sports Classic. ... North Carolina has completed its nonleague schedule and will play its next 20 games in the Atlantic Coast Conference. UP NEXTNorth Carolina: Plays at North Carolina State in its ACC opener Dec. 22.

West Virginia and Gonzaga play during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, in Indianapolis. Gonzaga was scheduled to play Baylor but the game was cancelled due to COVID. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)Gonzaga and Baylor remained atop the AP Top 25 men's basketball poll Monday after their hotly anticipated weekend game in Indianapolis was called off about 90 minutes before tipoff because of positive COVID-19 tests and contact tracing within the Bulldogs' program. Wisconsin was tied with the Longhorns, followed by Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Texas Tech, Virginia, Richmond and Florida State. The final five were Rutgers, Ohio State, Arizona State, San Diego State and Louisville.

Moses Wright scored 21 points and Georgia Tech recovered from a poor start to the season to beat No. Georgia Tech (1-2) rebounded with a strong performance following losses to state rivals Georgia State and Mercer. BIG PICTUREEven by Kentucky standards, this is a major rebuilding job and the Wildcats' youth showed against Georgia Tech. It was a key recovery for coach Josh Pastner's Georgia Tech team. Georgia Tech: At Nebraska on Wednesday night in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Juwan Howard's coaching acumen was never in doubt when he took over as Michigan's coach in 2019. Howard's 2021 class, rated No. The first day of the early signing period was Wednesday, but Michigan won't officially announce its 2021 recruiting class until the last player in it has signed on Friday. 4 overall recruiting class, topped by Trey Patterson, a 6-7 forward from Somerset, New Jersey, rated No. Coach Leonard Hamilton and the Seminoles still have three more commits expected to sign soon, including five-star players Matthew Cleveland and Jalen Warley, in a class rated No.