CBB

Get ready to learn some new names as the college basketball season tips off this week. The 2015-16 season was billed as ''the year of the senior,'' but newcomers figure to take center stage this season with the arrival of a talented and deep freshman class. Jerry Meyer, the national director...

Oregon State Preview Capsule By The Associated Press=Oregon StateLast season: 17-14Nickname: BeaversCoach: Wayne TinkleConference: Pac-12.Key returners: Gary Payton II, last season's Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, returns for his senior season after averaging 13.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3.1 steals and 1.2 blocked shots.Who left: Oregon State...

SEATTLE (AP) Midway through Lorenzo Romar's news conference on Thursday the Washington coach was asked if he could assess each of his new players.''All nine of them?'' Romar asked incredulously, half-joking.While it may have been a time-consuming answer - one that Romar completed without complaint - it also...

AP Basketball WriterSMU officially ends Jankovich's wait as Brown's successorBy STEPHEN HAWKINSDALLAS (AP) The wait is over for Tim Jankovich to be SMU's head coach.SMU formally named Jankovich as head coach Monday, three days after Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown abruptly resigned.''I'm still sad and a little...

AP Basketball WriterTOP 25 REWIND: No. 14 Virginia struggles vs ranked ACC foesBy AARON BEARDCHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) Virginia coach Tony Bennett has built a program that thrives on defense, toughness and smart play while running a deliberate offense that doesn't put up big numbers.The past week in...

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) James Blackmon Jr. already looks like a different player.The Indiana guard has added a few pounds, gotten noticeably stronger and been working on his handling.After contemplating leaving early for the NBA last spring, the sophomore is ready to prove that he and the Hoosiers aren't...

Cancer sidelines Austin Peay men's basketball coachCLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) Austin Peay men's basketball coach Dave Loos began a leave of absence Thursday night as he continues chemotherapy for a cancerous lymph node.''This will be our first game without Coach Loos on the sidelines since March 7, 1990,'' assistant...

AP Sports WriterHigh-profile coaches learning it takes time to win in SECBy STEVE MEGARGEENASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The increased star power of the Southeastern Conference men's basketball coaching fraternity hasn't made an immediate impact.Those high-profile coaches have discovered this isn't a conference conducive to quick turnarounds.One year ago, Mississippi...

Penn State Preview CapsuleBy The Associated PressPenn State Preview CapsuleEds: Deletes repeated words in extended headline.By The Associated Press=Penn StateLast season: 16-16, 7-11Nickname: Nittany LionsCoach: Patrick ChambersConference: Big TenWho's gone: F Brandon Taylor, F Donovon Jack, G Devin Foster, C Jordan DickersonWho's back: G Shep Garner. Junior led team...

St. Bonaventure coach Schmidt gets 1-year contract extensionOLEAN, N.Y. (AP) St. Bonaventure men's basketball coach Mark Schmidt has agreed to a one-year contract extension that locks him up through the 2021-22 season.Athletic director Tim Kenney announced Wednesday that Schmidt and his staff have also earned pay raises, which...

AP Sports WriterRoster changes force Painter, Purdue to revamp defenseBy MICHAEL MAROTPurdue coach Matt Painter still believes in traditional basketball principles. He thinks bigger is better, experience matters and teams win with defense.But a revamped roster has forced Painter to rethink some things and adapt to the reality of...

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (AP) Middle Tennessee has added former Arkansas forward Jacorey Williams and Trinity Valley Community College transfer Aldonis Foote to the program.Foote, a 6-foot-6 guard, will be eligible to play for Middle Tennessee immediately. Williams must sit out the 2015-16 season due to NCAA transfer rules.Arkansas coach...