CBB

AP Basketball WriterArizona State eyeing third straight NCAA TournamentBy JOHN MARSHALLTEMPE, Ariz. (AP) Arizona State ended a three-year NCAA Tournament drought two years ago behind a band of fast-playing, 3-point-shooting players dubbed ''Guard U.''The Sun Devils made their second NCAA appearance under coach Bobby Hurley a year ago...

Associated PressReturn of CJ Elleby good news for Washington State hoopsBy NICHOLAS K. GERANIOSThe biggest win during Kyle Smith's first few months on the job at Washington State was keeping one of the stars he was inheriting from moving on to the NBA.CJ Elleby tested the NBA waters after...

AP Sports WriterSouth Carolina's Frank Martin welcomes back familiar rosterBy PETE IACOBELLICOLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) South Carolina coach Frank Martin found himself with extra time on his hands this offseason instead of scrambling around searching for players to plug holes in a roster riddled with transfers and departures.''We've had...

AP Sports WriterNo. 15 Oregon hopes for consistency this seasonBy ANNE M. PETERSONPayton Pritchard wants Oregon to dominate from the start this year.The Ducks are No. 15 in the AP preseason poll. They were ranked at the start of last season, too, but before their surprising run in the...

AP Sports WriterNo. 23 LSU seeking stability, and another NCAA Tourney runBy BRETT MARTELBATON ROUGE, La. (AP) Skyler Mays and the 23rd-ranked LSU Tigers are hoping for a lot less off-the-court drama this season.They also hope that what they went through last year - from the preseason shooting...

AP Sports WriterHard-nosed Cronin charged with reviving UCLA in 1st seasonBy BETH HARRISLOS ANGELES (AP) Mick Cronin's task at UCLA is daunting. Rebuild a tradition-laden program that hasn't been a national powerhouse in recent years while overcoming skeptics.He got the job 100 days after Steve Alford was fired...

AP Sports WriterOats trying to bring fun, wins back to Alabama basketballBy JOHN ZENORKira Lewis Jr. likes Nate Oats' style, both his personal ''swagger'' and the aggressive, fast way his teams play.The Alabama point guard figures some of that attitude will translate to the team under the Crimson Tide's...

Blake Harris leaves NC State program for personal reasonsRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) North Carolina State says guard Blake Harris is no longer with the program for unspecified personal reasons.Team spokesman Craig Hammel announced the roster move Thursday, three days before the Wolfpack plays Mount Olive in an exhibition game.Harris...

AP Sports WriterBuzz Williams working to put mark on Aggies in 1st seasonBy KRISTIE RIEKENCOLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) As Buzz Williams tried to put his stamp on the team as he prepared for his first season in charge at Texas A&M, he acknowledged there were some growing pains...

AP Basketball WriterArkansas looking to play fast in Musselman's first seasonBy JOHN MARSHALLEric Musselman's Nevada teams played an up-tempo style predicated on crisp passing and 3-point shooting. The Wolf Pack certainly had success with it, earning three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program...

AP Sports WriterBig 12 wide open after Kansas stranglehold ended last seasonBy DAVE SKRETTAKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Kansas State coach Bruce Weber shrugged off the early predications that the Wildcats, who just a few months ago were still reveling in the glow a shared Big 12 championship, would...

AP Sports WriterPurdue hoping to add new chapter in replacement storyBy MICHAEL MAROTPurdue coach Matt Painter turned the page on the Carsen Edwards era long ago.Now he expects everyone else to do the same.Seven months after Edwards nearly led Purdue to the Final Four and four months after he...