Men's College Basketball

Former Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward is adding the title of college basketball head coach to his storied resume.

Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, Ward and Florida A&M are in the process of finalizing a deal for him to take over as coach of the Rattlers.

Thamel noted Florida A&M's board of trustees have a meeting scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday where Ward's contract will go through the approval process.

The Rattlers' job became open last week after Patrick Crarey, who was hired in April 2024, left the program to take the same role at Grambling State.

Crarey's departure came two months after the FAMU board approved a two-year, $330,000 contract extension. His deal with Grambling State was reported to be worth $1.3 million over five years, plus additional bonuses.

The 2024-25 season was a revival for Florida A&M under Crarey. He led the program to a 14-17 record, surpassing its win total from the previous two seasons combined (13).

Florida A&M is still in the process of rebuilding after the athletic department was placed on five years' probation from the NCAA in May 2019 stemming from 93 athletes in various sports being improperly certified to compete from 2010 to 2017.

Ward is returning to the city of his greatest success as an athlete. He was a superstar athlete for four years at Florida State in Tallahassee, where Florida A&M is also located.

During his tenure with the Seminoles, Ward was a two-sport athlete in football and basketball. He won the Heisman Trophy as a senior in 1993, throwing for 3,032 yards and 27 touchdowns to help Florida State win its first national title.

Ward also played in 91 games over four seasons for the Seminoles' basketball team. He helped them reach the NCAA tournament in each of his first three years, including a trip to the Elite Eight in the 1992-93 season.

Despite not having any head-coaching experience at the college level, Ward has worked as a coach in the NBA. He was an assistant on Jeff Van Gundy's staff with the Houston Rockets for two years from 2005 to 2007.

Ward has also been a head coach at the high school level, most recently at Florida High.

Alex Condon is keeping both the NBA and a third season with Florida open as options for next fall.

The 20-year-old will declare for the 2025 NBA draft while maintaining his NCAA eligibility, he told ESPN's Jonathan Givony on Wednesday.

Condon averaged 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game as a sophomore starter to help lead the Gators to a national title.

He told Givony that, should he choose to withdraw from the draft by the May 28 deadline, he will return to Florida for his junior season:

"There's no way I could go to any other school. If I have confirmation from NBA teams that I'm in the 15-30 range, if something is guaranteed, I will consider keeping my name in. I have a great situation at Florida. It would have to be something pretty special, my family would have to agree that we can't turn that down."

Condon is listed as the No. 36 overall prospect on the latest 2025 NBA Draft Big Board from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman.

He received draft hype after posting 27 points and 10 rebounds against Alabama in one of the final games of Florida's regular season.

Condon struggled at points during the NCAA tournament after suffering a sprained ankle in a Sweet 16 win over Maryland, finishing the six-game stretch having averaged 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

He was still visible as a playmaker throughout the run, which he capped off by diving to secure the ball in the final seconds of the Gators' 65-63 national championship game victory over Houston.

Wasserman compared Condon to Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl, but he noted "at this stage, he's still mostly an idea."

"It's reasonable to think a team could reach in the first round if it's willing to buy his shooting," Wasserman wrote.

Condon shot 49.3 percent from the field, including 53.7 from two-point range and 32.8 from three, during his sophomore season.

Last season, Walter Clayton Jr. withdrew from the draft to return to Florida and win the national title. He is now ranked as the No. 30 overall prospect on Wasserman's Big Board.

Should Condon decide to return for a third college season, he could look to earn a similar jump into projected first-round territory ahead of the 2026 draft.

Meanwhile, Florida will need to wait for Condon's decision before deciding what next season's frontcourt will look like. Center Rueben Chinyelu, center Micah Handlogten and forward Thomas Haugh are all expected to return next season, per Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.

Kentucky star Otega Oweh could be joining the professional ranks after a phenomenal season with the Wildcats.

Oweh, who just played his third season of college basketball, declared for the 2025 NBA Draft but is maintaining his eligibility, he announced on his Instagram.

“To the best fans in the nation, the Big Blue Nation – Getting to play the game I love each day, knowing I have your support alongside my family and friends, has truly been a dream come true, and I am incredibly blessed,” he said in a statement on Instagram. “I’m taking the next step and have declared for the 2025 NBA Draft, while maintaining my NCAA eligibility.”

Oweh, who spent the first two seasons of his career with Oklahoma before transferring to Mark Pope's squad ahead of the 2024-25 season, had a breakout year with the Wildcats. He put up a career-high 16.2 points and 4.7 rebounds, leading the team in scoring. He posted 20-plus points 13 times this season, including a 20-point outing against Troy in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

While Oweh has turned into a fantastic college player, it's hard to gauge where he might land should he keep his name in the NBA Draft. He's a solid scorer but posted average numbers from deep, shooting 35.5 percent from behind the three-point line. That, coupled with the fact that he's a bit undersized to be an NBA shooting guard at 6'4", means he might not be climbing up scouts' draft boards.

Still, it's never a bad idea to test the draft waters while maintaining eligibility. Oweh will have the chance to work out with other pro hopefuls and get some feedback from NBA scouts. If he shows out at the combine, he could end up on a roster next season. If not, Pope will welcome him back to Lexington with open arms as the Wildcats look to build off a solid year.

Following a breakout sophomore season at South Carolina, Collin Murray-Boyles is turning pro.

Murray-Boyles told ESPN's Jonathan Givony he is declaring for the 2025 NBA draft.

"This is exactly how I thought my college career would turn out," Murray-Boyles said of his decision. "South Carolina had a vision for me to lead the team. They gave me freedom to express myself."

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman has Murray-Boyles ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect in the 2025 class.

The 2024-25 season was extremely disappointing for the Gamecocks. They finished 12-20 and missed the NCAA tournament after a 26-win campaign in 2023-24.

Those struggles had nothing to do with Murray-Boyles. He led the team in scoring average (16.8 points per game) on 58.6 percent shooting, rebounds (8.3) and blocks (1.3).

Murray-Boyles was named to the All-SEC second team. He also made the SEC All-Freshman team in 2023-24.

Despite some draft chatter after his debut season, Murray-Boyles explained returning to South Carolina for his sophomore year was always part of the plan.

"I think I made my decision before I enrolled in college that I was going to come back," Murray Boyles told Trevyn Gray of the Charlotte Observer in October. "I wasn’t really deciding on whether I wanted to leave or stay. I was always going to stay. So, it wasn’t really a choice for me."

It's a move that seems likely to pay off handsomely for Murray-Boyles. He could hear his name called in the 2025 draft early thanks to a combination of strong post play and defensive aptitude.

Wasserman cited Julius Randle and Anthony Mason as the NBA comparisons for Murray-Boyles based on his skill set. He doesn't have the most diverse offensive profile, having shot 9-of-39 from three-point range in 60 games at South Carolina.

As long as Murray-Boyles' strength down low on both ends of the court translates to the next level, he should have no problem becoming a quality starter in the NBA.

Former NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski shocked the sports world in September 2024 when he retired as basketball's most famous news-breaker to become the general manager of the basketball program at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, but he is still facing challenges at his new job.

Many of those challenges will be familiar ones to college sports fans who have consistently seen headlines about the transfer portal and money from name, image and likeness opportunities impacting football and basketball in particular.

And smaller programs like St. Bonaventure are facing even more challenges than powerhouse ones with more resources available.

"The biggest thing for us in getting these deals done is we have to get value on every contract," Wojnarowski said, per Ben Portnoy of Sports Business Journal. "I have to get high-major players for mid-major money."

He compared his predicament to the one the Oakland Athletics faced under general manager Billy Beane both in reality and in Hollywood.

"I think about the Moneyball scene all the time with Brad Pitt [portraying Oakland A's GM Billy Beane], where he's sitting in the room and he says to the scouts, 'If we try to play with the Yankees in here, they're going to kill us out there,' or whatever that line was," Wojnarowski said. "I think about that every day."

Portnoy noted one way Wojnarowski is attempting to get around some of the challenges is through the use of Players Health, which is a sports tech company that provides insurance to sports organizations.

In essence, players receive more valuable deals than St. Bonaventure otherwise would have been able to offer through the use of the insurance company.

"Take a hypothetical starting point guard, for example: St. Bonaventure could write into his deal that he'd receive a $25,000 bonus if he earns all-conference honors," Portnoy wrote. "If he makes the team, Players Health pays out the bonus difference. If not, the company has already secured money from the Bonnies based on the premium paid on the front end."

The Bonnies men's team went 22-12 overall and 9-9 in Atlantic 10 play during the 2024-25 campaign. They landed the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament and lost to top-seeded VCU in their second game.

They qualified for the NIT but lost their first game to Kent State.

St. Bonaventure hasn't reached the NCAA men's tournament since the 2020-21 campaign, and Wojnarowski is facing something of a rebuilding process.

But he has a strategy if his latest comments are any indication.

The 2025-26 outlook for the Purdue men's basketball team got a lot better Monday.

That is because guard Braden Smith revealed he will return for his senior season after leading the Boilermakers during the 2024-25 campaign:

Smith was a member of the Associated Press All-American First Team and one of the best players in the country, but he is putting any NBA dreams on hold to return to the Big Ten program for one more season.

"Running it back one last time," Smith said on Instagram. "Purdue has given me everything: Memories, challenges, growth, and a family. There's still more to prove, more to accomplish, and more moments to create with my brothers.

"Much love to my guys and Boiler Nation! Let's make this next year unforgettable!"

The Boilermakers star won the Big Ten Player of the Year and Bob Cousy Award as the nation's top point guard while averaging 15.8 points, 8.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game and shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from deep.

He consistently took over games as both a scorer and a facilitator and was a major reason the Boilermakers reached the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16.

Smith played all 40 minutes in each of Purdue's three games in the Big Dance and dished out 15 assists in the two-point loss to Houston in the Sweet 16. Houston went on to reach the national title game, where it lost to Florida.

Purdue has established itself as one of college basketball's best programs in recent years with a run to the 2024 national championship game, two Big Ten regular-season titles and a Big Ten tournament crown in just the last three seasons alone.

While it is yet to lift the national championship trophy, Smith's return means it will surely be on the short list of contenders next season. He will also be on the short list of preseason favorites for the Wooden and Naismith Awards.

It remains to be seen whether Smith's skill set that makes him so dominant at the college level will translate over to the NBA. B/R's Jonathan Wasserman did not project Smith to be drafted in his most recent two-round mock draft, and the decision to return suggests the guard may not have been given a positive outlook about his NBA chances this year.

But there is no doubt he is a star player in college and will look to lead Purdue to a national championship in his senior season.

Illinois guard Kasparas Jakučionis is entering the 2025 NBA draft.

"This has been my dream from a young age," he said to ESPN's Jonathan Givony. "I've waited for this moment a long time. Saying good bye to Illinois will be the hardest part. I've made friendships and built real relationships with players, coaches, support staff, and everyone around Champaign. My goal now is to work as hard as I can, and be the best version of myself."

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report ranked Jakučionis 13th overall in his most recent big board.

The 6'6" freshman averaged 15.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game with the Fighting Illini. He shot 44.0 percent overall and 31.8 percent from the perimeter.

Jakučionis was named to the All-Big Ten third team and the conference's All-Freshman squad.

Wasserman compared the Lithuanian to Hall of Fame point guard Chauncey Billups in terms of his skill set and playing style.

"Without ideal quickness or explosion, Kasparas Jakučionis uses positional size, change of speed, timing, shotmaking and finishing craft," the draft expert wrote. "He's a skilled, high-feel guard, capable of both scoring 20 or quarterbacking offense as a setup passer.

"I have some doubts about how well or consistently he'll be able to create easy looks for himself. And opposing NBA guards are going to attack his defense.

"Offensively, however, Jakučionis has the type of skill versatility and clever improvisation to overcome athletic limitations."

The NIL era has given college athletes more to contemplate when it comes to the draft. In some cases, the endorsement money is enough to effectively cover what a player would earn in the pros, and there's the opportunity to improve their stock and be in a stronger position the following year.

With Jakučionis already a potential lottery selection, the allure of the NBA was clearly too good to pass up.

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood, meanwhile, has some reinforcements on the way. The Illini have signed 4-star guard Brandon Lee and 3-star guard Keaton Wagler to fortify their backcourt, and big man Zvonimir Ivišić transferred in from Arkansas to join brother Tomislav.

Houston guard Milos Uzan is declaring for the 2025 NBA draft, his agent Aman Dhesi told ESPN's Jonathan Givony.

Uzan has one year of college eligibility remaining and has until May 28 to decide whether he wants to remain in the draft or return to school. If he takes the latter route, Dhesi said he would return to Houston.

Uzan had a strong junior season, averaging 11.4 points and 4.3 assists while shooting 42.8 percent from the field for the NCAA tournament's runners-up. He had a number of excellent performances in March Madness, including a 16-point game in the first round, a seven-point, eight-assist showing in the second round and a 22-point, six-assist effort in the Sweet 16, which included the game-winning layup against Purdue.

His ability to affect the game as a playmaker, defender and scoring could make him attractive to NBA teams, though it would be a major loss for a Houston team already losing top scorer L.J. Cryer and J'Wan Roberts to graduation.

Where he would go in the draft remains to be seen. B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected Uzan to go No. 36 overall to the Brooklyn Nets, noting that his "three-point shooting, an elite floater game and outstanding assist-to-turnover ratio should earn Uzan mentions in every teams' second-round discussion."

Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Conner has him ranked No. 42 on his big board, meanwhile, calling him a "high-IQ combo guard who knits teams together with his playmaking skills and defensive hustle, and he's since honed his jumper to give him the skill-set to thrive as a connective piece in a multi-creator offense."

And ESPN's Jeremy Woo and Givony projected Uzan to go No. 42 overall to the Sacramento Kings in their latest mock.

So at this point, it seems likely that the Houston guard will be a second-round selection. If he doesn't feel like another year in college will meaningfully change his draft stock, however, heading to the NBA now would make sense.

​The Florida Gators men's basketball team celebrated its 2025 national championship during halftime at the Orange & Blue spring football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday.

Florida secured a 65-63 victory over the Houston Cougars on Monday behind leading scorer Will Richard, who posted 18 points in the win.

Head coach Todd Golden joined his team in front of nearly 60,000 fans in the ceremony wearing the Final Four net that he cut down in the team's win in San Antonio.

"It's just absurd. Today was awesome. I think I credit our administration. Trying to put together things in a short period of time is really difficult to do," Golden said during halftime. "Our guys, especially our older guys, are going to be moving on to go train for the draft. You don't know if they're going to be around. To be able to put something like this together on kind of short notice and do a great job honoring out players in front of our fans, which to me is the most important thing, people that have been supporting us really all year got to see these guys together again one last time. It was special. I really appreciate them doing that for our program."

The Gators took down No. 1 overall seed Auburn 79-73 in the Final Four semifinals, capping off a dominant tournament run with wins over Texas Tech, Maryland, UConn and Norfolk State.

Richard and Walter Clayton Jr. led the Gators in scoring throughout their tournament run, with Richard posting a team tournament-high 34 points in the 79-73 win over Auburn.

The Gators secured their third national championship and their first since their back-to-back run in 2006-07.

Top European prospect Andrija Jelavic is headed to Kentucky for the 2025 season, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony.

The 6'11" forward played 53 games over the past two seasons with Belgrade, Serbia-based Mega Superbet in the Adriatic League, averaging 10.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.2 assists while shooting over 60 percent from the field.

During his 2023-24 season he averaged 10.3 points while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 28.7 percent from three-point range in addition to posting 7.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 steals.

He had a dominant stretch during the playoffs that year, averaging 13.8 points while shooting a stellar 70.4 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc, adding 5 rebounds and 1.8 assists over their four-game playoff run.

Jelavic joins a Kentucky program that has been stockpiling talent this offseason through the transfer portal.

The Wildcats have added Arizona State's Jayden Quaintance, Pittsburgh's Jaland Lowe, Tulane's Kam Williams and Alabama forward Mouhamed Dioubate.

Mark Pope's program reached the Sweet 16 of last month's NCAA Tournament before it was eliminated by Tennessee.

Kentucky will look to improve on that finish in 2026 behind a strong group of transfers and the country's 24th-ranked incoming recruiting class.