Willard snagged 5-star recruit Derek Queen and scored in the portal with three other new starters (Ja’kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel) who have already combined to make 91 three-pointers. Maryland had a rough weekend on the West Coast but is projected to finish tied for sixth in the Big Ten.Check the first two […]
Willard snagged 5-star recruit Derek Queen and scored in the portal with three other new starters (Ja’kobi Gillespie, Rodney Rice and Selton Miguel) who have already combined to make 91 three-pointers. Maryland had a rough weekend on the West Coast but is projected to finish tied for sixth in the Big Ten.Check the first two months of this men’s college basketball season for confirmation. I ran the numbers on the Most Improved Teams in the five power conferences — the Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big East, Big 10 and Southeastern.Providence fans were not pleased when Cooley decided go become the replacement for Patrick Ewing with the Hoyas before last season — and Cooley has Georgetown relevant in the Big East again. Harvard point guard Malik Mack and TCU forward Micah Peavy were his best finds in the transfer portal. The Hoyas have nice wins over Creighton and Xavier — and get their shot against UConn at home Saturday.There were moments last March when it seemed like nobody wanted the Vanderbilt job. But the Commodores settled on Mark Byington, who won 32 games at James Madison last season and has six 20-win seasons during his 11-year run at JMU and Georgia Southern. Vandy ranked No. 198 in offensive efficiency and 200 in defensive efficiency in the final season of Jerry Stackhouse. The Commodores are 34 and 85 in those categories this season with wins over Nevada, TCU and LSU.4. GeorgetownLOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — College sports said goodbye to the 5-year plan many years ago. While you’re at it, scratch the 4- and 3-year plans from your vocabulary, too.
3. Vanderbilt
Thomas Boyd
Dusty May projected to be the prize catch in the hiring cycle after leading Florida Atlantic to the 2023 Final Four — and the Wolverines have benefited.Using the computer power ratings at Ken Pomeroy’s analytics site, I ranked the 10 programs that have made the largest jumps this season.
Early January 2024 KenPom Rating: 81
Early January 2025 KenPom Rating: 24
Places Gained: +57
January 2024 Record: 9-6
January 2025 Record: 11-4
W-L Improvement: +2
8. Penn StateThe Blue Demons have been looking for the next Ray Meyer for as long as I have been writing a column. Chris Holtmann probably won’t get DePaul to its first Final Four since 1979 but the Blue Demons are no longer the complete pushover that went 0-20 in the Big East last season. Holtmann fetched his entire starting lineup from the transfer portal, including former Indiana guard C.J. Gunn, who scored 22 in a win over Wichita State.West Virginia coach Darian Devries reacts during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Arizona, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Morgantown, W.Va. (AP Photo/Kathleen Batten)
Early January 2024 KenPom Rating: 71
Early January 2025 KenPom Rating: 10
Places Gained: +61
January 2024 Record: 6-9
January 2025 Record: 12-3
W-L Improvement: +6
Getting it done ASAP is the way of the world. The combination of the NCAA transfer portal and payroll opportunities created by Name/Image/Likeness funding means that rosters can be flipped and upgraded in weeks, not years.10. Maryland
Early January 2024 KenPom Rating: 113
Early January 2025 KenPom Rating: 44
Places Gained: +69
January 2024 Record: 8-7
January 2025 Record: 12-3
W-L Improvement: +4
2. DePaul5. West Virginia
Early January 2024 KenPom Rating: 162
Early January 2025 KenPom Rating: 91
Places Gained: +71
January 2024 Record: 6-8
January 2025 Record: 7-7
W-L Improvement: +1
The Nittany Lions stumbled Sunday against Indiana at The Palestra but second-year coach Mike Rhoades has Penn State in the conversation to make NCAA Tournament with a victory over Purdue. They could benefit from improvement by star Ace Baldwin, who is shooting only 28.6% from distance after making a third of those shots last season.
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Mick Cronin blasted his plays as “delusional” after the Bruins were beaten by Michigan by 20 in Pauley Pavilion Tuesday night, saying that he brought more energy than anybody on his roster or coaching staff. It will be fascinating to see how UCLA responds because they make the first of three cross country trips this week to visit Maryland and Rutgers. UCLA ranks No. 4 in defensive efficiency but lost while scoring 58 at Nebraska and 64 against New Mexico. Cronin is the ultimate outlier on this list. This is sixth season at UCLA, where the Bruins finished 16-17 last year.
Early January 2024 KenPom Rating: 107
Early January 2025 KenPom Rating: 26
Places Gained: +81
January 2024 Record: 6-9
January 2025 Record: 11-4
W-L Improvement: +5
7. Notre Dame
6. UCLA
Kathleen Batten
9. Michigan
Early January 2024 KenPom Rating: 133
Early January 2025 KenPom Rating: 48
Places Gained: +85
January 2024 Record: 5-9
January 2025 Record: 11-3
W-L Improvement: +6
1. LouisvilleAfter shocking Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse last week, the Mountaineers swallowed a 19-point home loss to Arizona Tuesday night. That’s the same Arizona team WVU beat in overtime in the third-place game in The Bahamas in November. Not only did Darian DeVries bring his talented son, Tucker, with him from Drake, he also added guard Javon Small from Oklahoma State. Small sits at No. 10 in KenPom player of the year rankings with an assist rate of nearly 30 while averaging better than two made three-point field goals per game.
Early January 2024 KenPom Rating: 186
Early January 2025 KenPom Rating: 60
Places Gained: +126
January 2024 Record: 8-7
January 2025 Record: 12-3
W-L Improvement: +4
After arriving in College Park from Seton Hall, Willard is in third season with the Terps. Last season was a slog for Maryland. The Terps ranked No. 155 in offensive efficiency and lost early games to Davison, UAB and Villanova.He’s flipped the roster with guys from FAU, Yale, Auburn and Ohio State — and Michigan just went to Los Angeles and beat USC and UCLA. If you like teams that rank in the Top 20 in offensive and defensive efficiency, then you like May’s squad because Michigan is one of eight teams with that credential.
Early January 2024 KenPom Rating: 184
Early January 2025 KenPom Rating: 53
Places Gained: +131
January 2024 Record: 5-10
January 2025 Record: 13-2
W-L Improvement: +8
The Irish are a difficult team to gauge because star point guard Markus Burton missed most of eight games with an injury — and Notre Dame lost five of those games. But Burton was back Saturday when the Irish lost to North Carolina on a 4-point play in the final seconds. They’ll play at North Carolina State Wednesday night and Duke Saturday before the schedule eases. In his second season, Micah Shrewsberry has a top 5 recruiting class coming to South Bend next season.Beating North Carolina, Virginia and Clemson, three programs that made the NCAA Tournament last season, over a 7-day stretch was a confirmation that coach Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals earned the respect that Joe Lunardi gave them by placing U of L in his 2025 NCAA Tournament field in his latest updated bracket projection Tuesday morning. The Cards’ current rating of No. 37 is the highest U of L has been in Ken Pomeroy’s formula since the opening game of Chris Mack’s final season (Nov. 9, 2021). KenPom ranks Chucky Hepburn fourth in the ACC player of the year race but the Cards’ MVP in their last five wins have been five different players — Reyne Smith (Florida State); Terrance Edwards Jr. (Eastern Kentucky); Hepburn (North Carolina); Aboubacar Traore (Virginia) and J’Vonne Hadley (Clemson). Kelsey has done fine work, especially considering the Cards are without two solid contributors out with injuries.
Early January 2024 KenPom Rating: 245
Early January 2025 KenPom Rating: 110
Places Gained: +135
January 2024 Record: 3-12
January 2025 Record: 9-6
W-L Improvement: +6
Maryland head coach Kevin Willard, center, directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oregon in Eugene, Ore., Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Thomas Boyd)The results are clear: Five of the 10 most improved squads are led by first-year coaches. Three others are directed by coaches in their second seasons. The two outliers are former Rick Pitino assistants — Mick Cronin of UCLA and Kevin Willard at Maryland.
Big 12 Baseball Championship • May 21-24 • Arlington, Texas • Globe Life Field OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
27-22 overall (15-12 Big 12) National Ranking: n/a • NCAA RPI: 45
Streak: Won 3 • H: 18-6 • A: 5-12 • N: 4-4
Head Coach: Josh Holliday, 13th Season at OSU (472-260-2) BAYLOR BEARS
33-21 overall […]
Big 12 Baseball Championship • May 21-24 • Arlington, Texas • Globe Life Field
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
27-22 overall (15-12 Big 12)
National Ranking: n/a • NCAA RPI: 45
Streak: Won 3 • H: 18-6 • A: 5-12 • N: 4-4
Head Coach: Josh Holliday, 13th Season at OSU (472-260-2)
BAYLOR BEARS
33-21 overall (13-17 Big 12)
National Ranking: n/a • NCAA RPI: 68
Streak: Lost 1 • H: 22-11 • A: 10-8 • N: 1-2
Head Coach: Mitch Thompson, 3rd season at BU (75-77)
TV: ESPN+ (Clay Matvick & Mike Rooney) Radio: Cowboy Radio Network & The Varsity App KSPI 93.7 FM / KSPI 780 AM okla.state/GetVarsity (Rex Holt & Matt Davis) Stats: okstate.statbroadcast.com X: @osubaseball (in-game scoreboard/updates) Series: Cowboys lead, 59-45 Last: 5/11/25 in Waco; Bears won, 5-4, in 10 inn.
Oklahoma State is 27-22 and closed the regular season by winning nine of its last 10 games with series wins over UCF, Baylor and Arizona State.
OSU finished seventh in the Big 12 standings with a 15-12 conference record.
Up next, the Cowboys open play at the Big 12 Championship with a first-round matchup against Baylor Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
The Pokes own a .256 team batting average and .466 slugging percentage and are averaging 6.6 runs per game. Brayden Smith leads OSU with a .313 batting average and 14 doubles, while Nolan Schubart paces the Cowboys with 17 homers and 53 RBIs.
OSU’s pitching staff sports a 4.34 ERA; the Cowboys rank among the nation’s best in shutouts (5), strikeouts per nine innings (9.9) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.65).
Baylor is 33-21 and completed the regular season by winning 2-of-3 games at UCF.
At 13-17 in Big 12 play, the Bears finished tied for ninth in the conference standings.
The Bears are hitting .288 as a team and averaging nearly seven runs per game. Tyriq Kemp is hitting a team-high .364, while Wesley Jordan leads BU with 10 homers and 41 RBIs.
BU’s pitching staff sports a 4.56 ERA and has 433 strikeouts and 171 walks in 474 innings.
OSU owns a 59-45 advantage in the all-time series and won this year’s regular season series by taking the first two games in Waco earlier this month. OSU is 21-12 against the Bears under head coach Josh Holliday.
Cowboys At The Big 12 Championship
OSU is making its 26th appearance at the Big 12 Baseball Championship. The Cowboys own a 43-43 all-time record in the tournament, including a 30-17 mark under Josh Holliday.
The Cowboys are the No. 7 seed in this year’s 12-team, single-elimination tourney.
OSU has advanced to the tournament final seven times under Holliday — 2014, ’15, ’17, ’19, ’21, ’23 and ’25.
OSU has won four Big 12 Championship titles.
In 2004, the Cowboys defeated Missouri, 10-9, in 13 innings in Arlington, Texas.
The 2017 tourney saw the Pokes knock off Texas in the title game in Oklahoma City, as OSU became the first No. 8 seed in tourney history to claim the crown.
In 2019, the Cowboys returned to the winner’s circle, defeating West Virginia, 5-2, in the final.
Last season, OSU knocked off Bedlam-rival Oklahoma, 9-3, to take the trophy.
Home Away From Home
Over the last four seasons, OSU has played 32 games at Globe Life Field. The Pokes are 18-14 all time at the home of the Texas Rangers, going 5-5 in 2022, 5-4 in 2023, 7-2 in 2024 and 1-3 this season.
Power conferences want schools to sign ‘membership agreement’ for NIL enforcement protection
Change has been inevitable in college athletics since 2021 with the arrival of the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness (NIL). How everything was done for decades almost immediately changed over night. That quickly turned into a bunch of lawsuits against the NCAA that are still ongoing. College sports administrators are now trying to […]
Change has been inevitable in college athletics since 2021 with the arrival of the transfer portal and name, image, and likeness (NIL). How everything was done for decades almost immediately changed over night. That quickly turned into a bunch of lawsuits against the NCAA that are still ongoing.
College sports administrators are now trying to put a stop to the lawsuits once and for all.
On July 1, revenue-sharing is set to arrive in college athletics as long as Judge Claudia Wilken passes the NCAA v. House settlement (which is expected). That means power conferences can share up to $20.5 million with student-athletes. That also means the arrival of an NIL clearinghouse called “NIL Go” that will be run by accounting firm Deloitte. Any deal over $600 must be submitted and approved moving forward. This was a move to stop pay-for-play via NIL collectives from happening. But many were skeptical because antitrust lawsuits could still be used for schools and players to fight back against the NCAA.
Well, college leaders have a plan.
Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger reported on Monday night that officials from the power conferences (Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC) are circulating a document intended to prevent universities from using their own state laws to violate new enforcement rules. This would requires schools to waive their right to pursue legal challenges against the College Sports Commission (CSC). The CSC is serving as the new enforcement arm in college athletics.
“The CSC, soon to hire an executive director, board and enforcement staff, is expected to manage the enforcement and infractions of the new athlete revenue-share era, in a way replacing a much-maligned NCAA-controlled process of lengthy investigations, controversial enforcement decisions and what some believe to be unnecessary committee hearings,” writes Dellenger.
Three weeks ago, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a bill that would allow Memphis, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt — in the simplest terms possible — to break the new rules established by the settlement and continue pay-for-play. That was setting those schools up for the future in a post-settlement world where lawsuits were expected to continue.
The revenue-sharing settlement gives college sports a structure but some in the NCAA membership didn’t seem ready to buy-in completely. This contract now floating around as conferences host spring meetings is a step by leaders to prevent more lawsuits. Dellenger reports that schools that do not comply could face conference expulsion. You know what that could bring? You guessed it. More lawsuits.
Nothing can happen until the settlement passes. Everyone is still waiting on that, but there is going to be a fight over the summer when the settlement arrives. College Commissioners and their offices have a plan in place. Some members might not be willing to play ball. That could create more chaos.
SEC spring meetings run from May 27-29 in Destin. Those just got a lot more interesting.
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State’s women’s tennis team has signed Olivia Lincer to its roster for the 2025-26 season, as was announced on Tuesday by head coach Chris Young. A transfer from UCF, Lincer joins the Cowgirls as the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year after being named the Big 12 Freshman of the […]
STILLWATER – Oklahoma State’s women’s tennis team has signed Olivia Lincer to its roster for the 2025-26 season, as was announced on Tuesday by head coach Chris Young.
A transfer from UCF, Lincer joins the Cowgirls as the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year after being named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year a season prior. The upcoming junior also earned All-Big 12 First Team honors in singles and doubles in 2025 and was named to the 2024 All-Big 12 Freshman Team.
Playing the majority of her matches on court one, Lincer went 15-2 in singles and 11-11 in doubles during the dual season for the Knights. She collected two ranked singles wins and four ranked doubles wins on her way to reaching No. 19 in the national doubles poll.
During her freshman season, Lincer went 7-10 in singles and 5-11 in doubles to earn her multiple conference honors. Five of her singles wins came in conference play, and she notched a win against Kansas at the Big 12 Championships in Stillwater.
Prior to entering collegiate tennis, Lincer ranked as the No. 5 recruit in her class and reached the Round of 16 at the 2022 Wimbledon Juniors. She also ranked as high as the No. 1 junior and No. 8 female player in Poland and entered college with four singles titles and two doubles titles on her resume.
For season-long coverage of Oklahoma State women’s tennis, follow @CowgirlTennis on social media and visit okstate.com.
In 2021, College Sports changed forever when the NCAA allowed student athletes to make money using their name, image and likeness – known as NIL. According to one study – the total NIL market is projected to reach nearly $1.7B this year. Bloomberg Open Interest takes a deep dive into the controversial sponsorships with Learfield […]
In 2021, College Sports changed forever when the NCAA allowed student athletes to make money using their name, image and likeness – known as NIL. According to one study – the total NIL market is projected to reach nearly $1.7B this year. Bloomberg Open Interest takes a deep dive into the controversial sponsorships with Learfield CEO Cole Gahagan. Learfield is a sports marketing company which represents over 200 division 1 colleges and and has helped over 2,000 athletes secure NIL sponsorships
Julian Edelman and Josh Duhamel Speak Out on How NIL Is Affecting Schools Like NDSU
Because of the current transfer portal system and the ongoing NIL landscape, athletes can now earn a healthy amount of money early by signing with a top-tier college. This has created huge problems for mid-level and smaller programs trying to acquire top-tier talent. NFL stars Julian Edelman and Josh Duhamel recently highlighted North Dakota State […]
Because of the current transfer portal system and the ongoing NIL landscape, athletes can now earn a healthy amount of money early by signing with a top-tier college. This has created huge problems for mid-level and smaller programs trying to acquire top-tier talent.
NFL stars Julian Edelman and Josh Duhamel recently highlighted North Dakota State University (NDSU) as one of the schools impacted badly by this shift in college football.
With College Sports Network’s Transfer Portal Tracker, you can stay ahead of the chaos. Follow every entrant, commitment, and decommitment as they happen.
Why Julian Edelman and Josh Duhamel Believe NIL Is Hurting Small-School Football Programs
NFL stars Julian Edelman and Josh Duhamel are speaking up about the growing impact of NIL deals and the transfer portal on college football. During a recent episode of the “Games With Names” podcast, Duhamel opened up about how these changes are making it harder for smaller programs like North Dakota State University (NDSU) to hold on to talent.
“We’re developing a show based on all this stuff. It was called QB Gambit, focused on the quarterback position,” Duhamel said. “We could do spin-offs on the receiver position or other roles, because there’s money out there. But the way these quarterbacks move around changes the trajectory—not only for their career but for their school and conference.”
As a proud NDSU fan, Duhamel explained how one high-profile transfer can create a domino effect. He pointed to Caleb Williams transferring to Oklahoma, which forced Spencer Rattler to move to South Carolina. Then Williams left for USC, pushing Jaxson Dart to Ole Miss. One move can shake up the whole college football map.
Duhamel didn’t hold back when talking about how schools like NDSU are being hit hardest by these changes. He added, “But you know, for schools like NDSU, who really get hurt by this NIL, this transfer portal thing.. so they’re like the Alabama was for all those years. They’ve won like eight of last 10 national championships.”
He also reminded listeners of NDSU’s track record of developing quarterbacks. Their second-leading rusher, Carson Wentz, along with Trey Lance, Easton Stick, and Cam Miller, have all gone to the league in recent years. They may not be superstars, but getting there is tough.
Edelman also added that college football is starting to resemble professional football, where money plays a bigger role in player decisions. “It’s just Pro Football now. It’s crazy,” he said.
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Duhamel’s concerns reflect a growing trend: smaller programs, even dominant ones like NDSU, are struggling to compete in this new era of college football. While schools with strong NIL backing are thriving and stockpiling talent. And nobody has the answer on how to get rid of this problem.
Boogie Fland transferring to Florida: National champions land former Arkansas standout and five-star recruit
Getty Images The national champs have loaded up and may well have a roster to make a push for another Final Four. Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland committed to Florida, he announced Tuesday, meaning the Gators’ 2025-26 backcourt will be led by two high-profile transfers. Xaivian Lee, a former Princeton standout, committed to UF on April […]
The national champs have loaded up and may well have a roster to make a push for another Final Four. Arkansas transfer Boogie Fland committed to Florida, he announced Tuesday, meaning the Gators’ 2025-26 backcourt will be led by two high-profile transfers. Xaivian Lee, a former Princeton standout, committed to UF on April 16.
The NIL deal to land Fland was more than $2 million, sources told CBS Sports. Florida had been involved with recruiting Fland for nearly a month.
The 6-foot-3 lead guard is a former five-star prospect and charts as one of the 10 best portal players in this year’s cycle. He flirted with the pre-NBA Draft process but announced last week he’d be returning to college. Fland averaged 13.5 points, 5.1 assists and 3.2 rebounds at Arkansas last season, playing in 21 games — missing 15 contests due to a thumb injury. He visited Florida over the weekend; momentum had been cresting in the Gators’ favor ever since.
College basketball transfer rankings 2025: Yaxel Lendeborg, PJ Haggerty headline the top 150 free agents
Isaac Trotter
The Fland commitment comes after Florida explored adding USC transfer Desmond Claude before ultimately continuing to look elsewhere. Fland is a creative shot-taker and playmaker, though his inconsistency betrayed some of his potential. He shot a mere 37.9% overall, including 34% from 3-point range. For Florida, the addition means Todd Golden’s Gators will have a roster that is in the mix and likely to land as a preseason top 10 team. With Fland and Lee in the backcourt, the Gators also return power forward Thomas Haugh, power forward Rueben Chinyelu (who withdrew from the draft process a few days ago) and center Micah Handlogten. Also likely to return is big man Alex Condon, who participated at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago, but sources said he’s more likely than not to ultimately make his way back to Gainesville. The Gators will welcome in a pair of four-star freshmen (CJ Ingram and Alex Lloyd) as well.
College basketball rankings: BYU, No. 3 in Top 25 And 1, bolsters roster with impressive transfer portal haul
Gary Parrish
It’s a huge win for Florida, as the Gators are losing Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin and Will Richard to expiring eligibility, plus Denzel Aberdeen (off to Kentucky), so landing at least one more high-ceiling guard was a huge priority. UF in effect traded Aberdeen for Fland. With Fland off the board, the biggest names to watch for in the transfer portal include Texas Tech transfer Derrion Williams, St. John’s t transfer RJ Luis, Memphis transfer PJ Haggerty and Claude.
