Men's College Basketball

After his stellar sophomore season at Cal, transfer guard Andrej Stojakovic is heading to the Midwest for his next destination.

Per ESPN's Jonathan Givony, Stojakovic, the son of former NBA star Peja Stojakovic, committed to Illinois over offers from UNC and Stanford.

"They believe I'm the missing piece to a national championship team," Stojakovic said of the Illini.

Stojakovic began his collegiate career at Stanford in 2023-24 before transferring to Cal last season. He enjoyed a breakout campaign for the Golden Bears, leading the team with 17.9 points and 1.2 blocks while adding 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

Stojakovic is joining an Illinois team that went 22-13 last season and fell to Kentucky in the NCAA tournament round of 32.

"I think the main reasons were pretty clear to my inner circle as a basketball fit," Stojakovic told Givony and Jeff Borzello. "Coach [Brad] Underwood has been very aggressive recruiting me from the start and constantly reiterating how much I'm wanted and needed as a basketball player there."

As a 6'7" guard, Stojakovic said he feels Underwood has had success in getting the best out of players like him.

"Their track record. Ayo Dosunmu, T.J. [Shannon], [Marcus] Domask, Will Riley, Kasparas [Jakucionis], bigger guards that are considered ball-handlers, that can relieve pressure for their teammates," Stojakovic said. "I'm looking forward to being part of a team where I can bring the ball up and have shooters all around. I can also be a shooter, play on the wing, when someone else is bringing the ball up."

Illinois lost Jakucionis and Riley to the 2025 NBA draft, so getting Stojakovic is a strong addition as Underwood rebuilds his backcourt.

"I'm confident we can become one of the best offensive teams in the country, but it's going to take a lot defensively," Stojakovic said. "We have to hone in on the little stuff. It's going to start with the guards, [we] have to set a tone that's going to maybe be surprising to some people. We're ready to surprise people defensively and I think we're going to do great things."

Guard Chad Baker-Mazara announced his decision to transfer to USC for the 2025-26 season on Monday.

Baker-Mazara made the announcement on social media.

He spent the past two seasons at Auburn after opening his college career on Duquesne and San Diego State. He served as a starter on a Tigers squad that advanced to the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA tournament.

Baker-Mazara initially entered the transfer portal on April 17.

The 25-year-old has one year of eligibility left due to the NCAA's temporary waiver that allowed student-athletes who previously suited up for a non-NCAA school to play a fourth season at an NCAA school (h/t ESPN's Jeff Borzello).

Baker-Mazara spent one year at Northwest Florida State before joining Auburn.

He was listed as the No. 24 overall player available in the transfer portal prior to his USC commitment, per 247Sports.

During Baker-Mazara's 2024-25 campaign with the Tigers, he averaged 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game on 44.8/38.1/88.8 shooting splits.

He also used his 6'7" frame to guard multiple positions on defense, recording 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks on a nightly basis.

While Baker-Mazara struggled to consistently connect on long-range shots during Auburn's 2025 March Madness run, he dropped 18 points and four steals on 6-of-10 shooting during the team's Final Four defeat at the hands of Florida.

Now, he'll be joining a USC squad that is looking to return to the NCAA tournament after finishing with a losing record in each of the past two years.

Baker-Mazara should have a large role on the Trojans, especially after 2024-25 leading scorer Desmond Claude entered the transfer portal on April 22.

USC commit Alijah Arenas is out of his medically induced coma following a car crash Thursday morning.

His family said in a statement Friday he "has shown significant signs of progress within the last 24 hours."

The 18-year-old was driving a Tesla Cybertruck when it collided with a tree and a fire hydrant in Los Angeles:

ESPN's Shams Charania reported Thursday afternoon that Arenas had been hospitalized in stable condition.

The Los Angeles Police Department said officers reported to the scene at 4:55 a.m. PT.

Citing LAPD Officer Rosario Cervantes, the Los Angeles Times' Ryan Kartje, Eric Sondheimer and Richard Winton reported Arenas was "pulled from the wreckage and taken to a hospital."

Based on an early investigation, the Times reported police don't believe drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.

Arenas is the son of three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas. He has made a strong reputation for himself on the court, sitting seventh in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2025 class.

The California native announced in January he intends to stay home for college and picked the Trojans.

Head coach Eric Musselman expressed his support for the Arenas family following Thursday's crash.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Alijah and his family following this morning's accident," Musselman said. "Please keep him, his teammates and friends, and the entire Arenas family in your prayers."

Alijah Arenas, who is a USC basketball commit and the son of former NBA player Gilbert Arenas, was hospitalized following a car crash on Thursday.

The Los Angeles Police Department said he was in stable condition, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

Nathaniel Percy of the Los Angeles Daily News reported that Chatsworth boys basketball coach Sam Harris confirmed it was Arenas in the accident. Percy also cited LAPD spokesperson Officer Rosario Cervantes, who confirmed an 18-year-old was taken to the hospital after LAPD responded to the scene.

LAPD found a vehicle that had crashed into a fire hydrant and tree when it arrived.

The Los Angeles Fire Department also arrived for the crash that involved a Tesla Cybertruck. LAFD spokesperson Margaret Stewart confirmed the occupant of the vehicle was no longer inside when firefighters arrived.

Ryan Kartje, Eric Sondheimer and Richard Winton of the Los Angeles Times noted Gilbert Arenas canceled a live stream of his online show, while Laura Govan, who is Alijah Arenas' mother, asked for "all your … prayers" on Instagram.

Alijah Arenas is a 5-star prospect and the No. 7 overall player in the 2025 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He committed to USC in January.

His father played in the NBA for 11 seasons from 2001-02 through 2011-12 for the Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies.

St. John's has restocked this offseason in a major way.

The Red Storm now have the No. 1 transfer portal class this offseason, per Travis Branham of 247Sports, after adding shooting guard Ian Jackson (No. 9 overall), power forward Bryce Hopkins (No. 19), shooting guard Joson Sanon (No. 25), power forward Dillon Mitchell (No. 61) and shooting guard Oziyah Sellers (No. 121).

Jackson was the prized jewel of that haul.

The North Carolina transfer had a strong freshman season for the Tar Heels, putting up 11.9 points per game while shooting 39.5 percent from three, largely off the bench. He'll be in line for a starting role with the Red Storm.

Hopkins will add scoring after averaging 17 points a game for Providence last year while shooting a career-best 40 percent from three. And Sanon impressed during his freshman season for Arizona State, putting up 11.9 points per game while shooting 36.9 percent from beyond the arc.

Mitchell averaged 9.9 points and 6.9 rebounds for the Cincinnati Bearcats last season and will offer St. John's explosive athleticism and a two-way presence.

Finally, Sellers averaged 13.7 points per game last season for Stanford.

The incoming group will join first-team All-Big East selection Zuby Ejiofor and Vince Iwuchukwu to form a potent rotation.

The Red Storm haven't done much in the way of recruiting under head coach Rick Pitino ahead of the 2025-26 season, but they hit the transfer portal hard and now have compiled a team that could enter the season ranked in the AP Top Five.

UNC guard Drake Powell has declared for the NBA draft after one season with the Tar Heels.

Powell made the announcement on his Instagram Wednesday. He also told other outlets the news, including ESPN's Jonathan Givony and On3's Joe Tipton.

Powell ranks 38th overall on the latest Bleacher Report big board from Jonathan Wasserman.

Powell averaged 7.4 points on 48.3 percent shooting and 3.4 rebounds in 25.5 minutes per game. He played in 37 contests, starting 24.

Wasserman offered a pro comparison to former NBA wing Will Barton and had this to say on him in his March 14 big board.

"Depending on Drake Powell's urgency to start his pro journey, it may make more sense to return for a bigger role and NIL money.

"He's played a whopping 50.0 percent of his possessions this year just spotting up, after flashing some ball-handling and playmaking potential as a high school senior. And yet he'd still receive first-round looks if he declared this June.

"Even in an off-ball role, Powell has been efficient with his three-point shooting (39.2 percent) and cutting. And long-term, there is plenty to like about his defensive tools."

Per 247Sports, Powell was a 5-star prospect ranked 11th overall in the class of 2024.

Powell didn't have the most productive season at UNC, but the talent and potential is clearly there. Givony spoke more on his prospects.

As Tipton noted, Powell has stated that he intends to remain in the draft, but he does have the option to back out by the early entry withdrawal deadline of May 28.

Ultimately, signs right now point toward Powell remaining in the mix, meaning he'll be waiting to hear his name beginning Wednesday, June 25, when the draft begins.

The Duke and Michigan men's basketball teams are reportedly "finalizing" a plan to play a neutral-site game at Washington, D.C.'s Capital One Arena in February 2026, Jon Rothstein reported for College Hoops Today.

CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reported that Duke and Michigan have been planning the neutral-site game "for months," and that the game is expected to take place on either Saturday, Feb. 21 or Sunday, Feb. 22, depending on the venue's schedule.

Capital One Arena is the home venue of the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards and Georgetown men's basketball. The arena is set to host men's basketball NCAA tournament games in the spring of 2026.

The programs have yet to settle on a broadcasting partner for the game, according to Norlander.

This will mark the second straight season during which the Blue Devils have played a non-conference opponent at a neutral site in the spring. Duke defeated Illinois at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 22. That game was announced as a sellout with 19,812 people in attendance.

Prior to the game in New York City, Norlander reported that Duke head coach Jon Scheyer "has been consistent about trying to schedule notable nonconference matchups for Duke in a way that can further bolster Duke's preparation for the NCAA tournament."

"Duke has been hunting for a notable program to play a big-time game after the football season when more eyeballs would be looking to watch college hoops," Norlander wrote.

Following last season's coordination with Illinois coach Brad Underwood, it seems Scheyer has found another partner in Michigan head coach Dusty May.

The Blue Devils hold a 10-1 all-time record over Michigan in 11 matchups between 1998 and 2013. The Wolverines' lone win came in December 2008.

Duke and Michigan have played three neutral-site games in the past, although not in the last 14 years. Most notably, the programs clashed in Charlotte during the third round of the 2011 men's basketball NCAA tournament, when Duke narrowly eliminated Michigan with a 73-71 win before going on to lose in the semifinal.

If Duke and Michigan are both ranked at the time of the game, another well-attended matchup next February could help late non-conference games become more popular across the sport.

After a strong freshman season at Rutgers, Ace Bailey is ready to test himself at the NBA level.

According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Bailey declared for the 2025 NBA draft on Wednesday.

"I want to thank everyone at Rutgers," Bailey told ESPN. "The community for supporting us and traveling across the country to watch us. My teammates, coaches and support staff. The donors. The strength and conditioning coach, nutritionist, managers and also the security guards, Rob and Julio, for keeping us safe. Everyone pushed me to get better every day, to be the best version of myself. I am thankful for everything they did for me. I felt a lot of love from everyone.

"I loved being in college and playing college basketball. The student section, the chants, the blackout games, the wins and losses. All of it."

Bailey was a member of the star-studded 2024 college recruiting class that also featured Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper. He was the No. 2 overall player in the class, behind Flagg, per 247Sports.

Rutgers seemed to hit the jackpot by landing both Bailey and Harper. But things didn't come together as expected for the team, which finished a disappointing 15-17 and missed the NCAA tournament.

Despite the team-wide struggles, Bailey lived up to his end of the bargain. He averaged 17.6 points on 46.0 percent shooting (34.6 percent from three), 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game.

Bailey is still regarded as one of the top prospects in the 2025 class. B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected him to be the No. 4 overall pick in his most recent mock released on April 15. He is also No. 5 overall on Wasserman's big board behind Flagg, Harper, VJ Edgecombe and Jase Richardson.

Wasserman compared Bailey's game to Brandon Miller, Michael Porter Jr. and Rashard Lewis. Every team is looking for size and shooting, so the 18-year-old figures to be an attractive prospect in the 2025 draft.

Now that he has declared his intentions to turn pro, Bailey will focus all of his attention of proving to teams he's worthy of the hype that's been around him for years dating back to when he was a high school superstar.

Maryland forward Julian Reese, brother of WNBA star Angel Reese, is entering the NCAA transfer portal, the Field of 68's Jeff Goodman reported Tuesday.

Reese has played four full seasons for Maryland and is not currently eligible for a fifth, Goodman noted.

After coming off the bench during his freshman 2021-22 season, Reese has started for three years with Maryland. He most recently averaged 18.6 points and 12.7 rebounds to help the Terrapins reach the Round of 16 in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

He played in 134 games with 102 starts over four seasons with the Terrapins, during which he joined Len Elmore as the only two players in program history to post at least 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

Maryland head coach Kevin Willard recently said he expects the Terrapins will at some point retire Reese's No. 10.

Reese has not yet declared for the NBA draft. The deadline for early entry is April 26. Should Reese enter his name by then, he would have until June 15 to withdraw.

He was recently invited to the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, an event where seniors can show off their skills in front of NBA scouts.

Reese is one of a series of players with no remaining eligibility entering the transfer portal in order to keep their eligibility open in case of a change in eligibility rules, potentially concerning pending litigation.

As noted by Front Office Sports' Amanda Christovich, at least six cases currently pending in federal court challenge the NCAA's four-year eligibility rules.

CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reported on Monday that the NCAA won't discuss the possibility of adding a fifth year of eligibility until the House v. NCAA antitrust settlement has been finalized. U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken has yet to offer final approval on the settlement, which, if approved, will allow schools to directly pay athletes.

Other players out of eligibility who have recently entered the portal include Clemson's Ian Schieffelin and Kansas star Zeke Mayo.

Three days after Shelton Henderson de-committed from Duke and was released from his National Letter of Intent, the 5-star small forward told Joe Tipton of On3 that he has committed to Miami.

"It was easy to choose Miami because of Coach Jai Lucas," Henderson said. "He believes in me and what I can bring to the program. I just wanted to come into a program and be comfortable knowing I have a great support system, and I think Miami provides that. I can't wait to get down there and win some games with a great group of guys."

The 36-year-old Lucas served as an assistant coach at Duke for the past three seasons before taking the head-coaching position at Miami in March, which seemingly factored into Henderson's decision to leave the Blue Devils for the Hurricanes.

As Travis Branham of 247Sports noted, Lucas was Henderson's "primary recruiter" and the pair have "strong connections... Not only are they both Texans, but Henderson attends the same high school Lucas graduated from and played for a team run by Lucas' family during the summers in Nike's EYBL."

So once Lucas took Miami's gig, Henderson following him was a very real possibility.

"It's going to be a big overhaul," Lucas told reporters at the time about rebuilding the Hurricanes. "My expectation coming in was that I would need to get 13 new players just because that's the way it is. But you never know of the opportunity of people coming back."

Landing Henderson was a great start in that overhaul.

The incoming freshman is considered the No. 21 player overall in the Class of 2025, according to 247Sports' Composite Rankings, the No. 4 small forward and the No. 2 player from the state of Texas.

He was previously part of a loaded Duke class that featured three incoming 5-star freshmen—Cameron Boozer, Nikolas Khamenia and Cayden Boozer, all top-22 prospects. With his departure, Duke now has the No. 3 overall recruiting class in 2025, while Miami now sits at No. 34.