David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 36

The Wisconsin Badgers had an up and down, uneven regular season, but the made an appearance in March Madness this year thanks to a strong Big 10 Tournament run. They knocked off the favorite in Purdue before ultimately falling to Illinois. The Badgers couldn’t keep their momentum going though as they were upset by James […]

The LSU Tigers are the defending national champions, but the biggest storyline surrounding them as March Madness has gotten underway is a rumored upcoming article from the Washington Post that threatens to expose LSU head coach Kim Mulkey. Hints of the article first surfaced on social media by Pat Forde of Sports Illustrated. Forde reported […]

When Taiyanna Jackson was a junior at Kansas, she became the first Jayhawk to be named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team. One of the nation’s leading shot blockers, Jackson has established herself as one of the best defensive anchors in college basketball as March Madness has tipped-off. She averaged 3.1 blocks per game this […]

The North Carolina Tar Heels and head coach Hubert Davis came into March Madness with championship aspirations. With a No. 1 seed in hand, the Tar Heels rolled past Wagner in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But in the second round, they faced a tough challenge in Tom Izzo-led Michigan State. But North […]

It’s been quite the freshman season for USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins. The Pac-12 Conference freshman of the year has been setting records left and right. In many instances, Watkins has surpassed Trojan legend and Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller. So it seemed fitting that in Watkins March Madness debut, an 87-55 win against Texas […]

One of the best things about March Madness is the unpredictability. Every season an unexpected lower seed knocks off a top seed and sends the country into a frenzy. The Yale Bulldogs just became one of those teams with a 78-76 win against Auburn. For longtime Yale head coach James Jones, this win was against […]

The Colorado Buffaloes came into the NCAA Tournament as an underdog and they just keep winning. This time, they punched their ticket to the round of 32 after a thrilling 102-100 win over Florida in an upset. Junior guard KJ Simpson hit the game winner and following the game, head coach Tad Boyle had a […]

When it comes to March Madness, a win is a win no matter what. The LSU Tigers may have found themselves in a dogfight with the underdog Rice Owls, but they hung on for a 70-60 win to advance to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Following the game, both head coach Kim Mulkey […]

Despite having a roster made up of potential NBA players, the Kentucky Wildcats suffered another humiliating March Madness exit on Thursday. This time, at the hands of the No. 14 seed Oakland Golden Grizzlies. Within the past four years, Kentucky has lost in the first round twice, lost in the second round and missed the […]

With day one of March Madness in the books, several teams have already punched their ticket to the round of 32. In one of the more intriguing matchups of the second round, the Oregon Ducks and head coach Dana Altman will square off against his former team, the Creighton Bluejays. Oregon advanced to the next […]

Heading into the first round of March Madness on Thursday, the No. 2 seeded Arizona Wildcats against the No. 15 seeded Long Beach State seemed like an ultimate David vs. Goliath showdown. The storylines were fantastic as well considering Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson once recruited Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd when the […]

The No. 8 seeded Nebraska Cornhuskers are preparing for their opening round March Madness matchup against the No. 9 seeded Texas A&M Aggies and the program recently gave head coach Fred Hoiberg a contract extension. Throughout the 2023-24 college season, it wasn’t always clear that the Cornhuskers were going to make the NCAA Tournament, but […]

One of the most popular pastimes among fans and media alike when it comes to March Madness and the NCAA Tournament is debating which teams got snubbed and actually deserved to be there. One team noticeably absent is St. John’s and head coach Rick Pitino blasted the selection committee for not including the Red Storm. […]

With the NCAA Tournament set to tip-off this week, NBA scouts are preparing to hit the road and do some scouting in advance of the NBA Draft. While college success does not always translate to NBA success, players have used March Madness as a means to improve their draft stock. There are a few players […]

The NCAA Tournament is finally here and one of the top storylines every year is the coaches who are looking to make a statement. Maybe it’s a coach looking to get their program some respect or maybe it’s a coach who is shockingly looking for their next opportunity. Or it could be a coach who […]

The Kansas Jayhawks and head coach Bill Self had a poor finish to the 2023-24 season and into the Big 12 Tournament. Despite that, the Jayhawks, with a 22-10 record, were selected as a No. 4 seed in Midwest Regional. But the biggest question facing Kansas is the health of their top two players in […]

The Dallas Mavericks are currently fighting for playoff positioning in the Western Conference standings. They’re currently neck and neck with the Sacramento Kings for the sixth seed and avoiding a play-in game. They needed a win on Sunday and Kyrie Irving delivered with a crazy game-winner. Following the shot, Mavericks star Luka Doncic dropped to […]

What was supposed to be a major clash between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers with Western Conference seeding implications, instead turned into a referendum on the NBA’s replay policy. A major malfunction with the shot clock in the fourth quarter stopped play for about 16 minutes. Following the game, Warriors head coach […]

The Los Angeles Lakers came into Saturday with a huge game against the Golden State Warriors in terms of potential Western Conference seeding implications. Both teams are jockeying for the final two play-in spots in the West. But perhaps the biggest story in the Lakers vs. Warriors game turned out to be the NBA’s own […]

All season long, the Houston Cougars have been the top team in the Big 12 Conference. They’ve been ranked No. 1 in the nation for a good portion of the 2023-24 season and they headed in to the Big 12 Tournament as the top overall seed. But the Iowa State Cyclones pulled off a mini-upset […]

March Madness is finally here and with it come all the ups and downs, joys and heartbreaks. Sometimes those heartbreaks are quite tragic and such was the case during the Mid-American Conference Tournament. Akron and Kent State squared off in the MAC Tournament championship game and it looked like Kent State was about to punch […]

The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the bottom-feeding teams in the NBA this season, but have actually played a bit better since the trade deadline when they acquired a few new players. While a few other notable rookies have garnered the majority of the attention, Hornets rookie wing Brandon Miller is having a noteworthy […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have been plagued with injury issues this season. They’ve had one of the lengthiest injury reports in the NBA and have needed some of their rookies and two-way contract players to play major minutes so they can field a roster. But as the season winds down, they’re slowly but surely getting players […]

UCLA’s string of NCAA Tournament appearances under head coach Mick Cronin will come to an end this season after the Bruins loss to Oregon in the second round of the Pac-12 Tournament. It’s been a tough year for the Bruins and Cronin who has garnered headlines this season for some of his postgame comments. But […]

Rick Pitino and the St. John’s Red Storm had the opportunity to pull off an upset in the Big East Tournament Semifinals going up against the defending NCAA champion UConn Huskies. They fell short in their attempt, 95-90. St. John’s will hope for a little luck from the seeding committee to make the NCAA Tournament. […]

To say that this season has been a disappointing one for the Washington Wizards would be an understatement. The Wizards have officially dropped below the Detroit Pistons for the worst record in the NBA. With the season lost a long time ago, the main focus for the Wizards roster becomes long-term development. With that in […]

The Detroit Pistons are no longer the worst team in the NBA record-wise as they’ve been surpassed by the Washington Wizards. But even during the Pistons record-setting losing streak, they were competitive in some of those games. This is a young team in need of veteran leadership and it appears as if the Pistons have […]

Tragedy struck the Raptors organization this week with the passing of RJ Barrett’s younger brother, Nathan. At this time, details of his death have not been disclosed, only that he passed away on Tuesday of this past week. The Raptors had a game on Friday against the Orlando Magic at home, and prior to tip-off, […]

The New York Knicks have been one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference this season, and they just got a major boost this week with the return of OG Anunoby who had been out of the lineup due to injury. But a big part of the Knicks success this season has been the […]

Caitlin Clark is the biggest name in college basketball right now with fans lining up in droves to watch her play. With her incredible offensive game and ability to shoot from anywhere on the court, it’s not surprising that Caitlin Clark has drawn comparisons to Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry. During a recent appearance […]

The San Antonio Spurs may be one of the bottom dwellers in the Western Conference this season, but fans have reason for optimism. There hasn’t been a rookie with as much hype and potential as the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama, since LeBron James. Wembanyama has so far lived up to his hype and is the overwhelming […]

The Orlando Magic are the surprise team of the season. After several years of futility, the Magic are not only firmly in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, but fighting for a top four seed and homecourt advantage in the first round. They Magic recently signed head coach Jamahl Mosley to a contract extension […]

There hasn’t been much for Detroit Pistons fans to cheer about this season. It’s been a struggle, with the team setting a not-so great accomplishment. With a losing team, it’s important to have quality veterans in the locker room who can keep the team together and help maintain focus. For James Wiseman, one of the […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves have held on to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for much of this season, but a recent rash of injuries and tough stretch has them slipping in the standings. The Timberwolves have a big game with seeding implications against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday and they may be […]

The Kansas Jayhawks, last season’s NCAA champions, begin their postseason play this week with the Big 12 Tournament. The Jayhawks have been an inconsistent team this season and have struggled in Big 12 Conference play. And now, Kansas will be without two of its top players in Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. as both […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves have lost their hold on the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference amid a bunch of injuries to key players. During the Timberwolves 120-109 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, they were missing Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Monte Morris and Kyle Anderson. Following the game, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards […]

The Sacramento Kings have not been as consistent of a team as they were last season when they finished with a top-three record in the Western Conference. This season has been uneven and they’re fighting to get out of the play-in positioning. This weekend, the Kings suffered a disappointing loss to the Houston Rockets who […]

The New York Knicks have been one of the surprise teams of the season, playing some incredible basketball and fighting for a top four seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture. But on Sunday, the Knicks suffered a bad 79-73 loss at home to the short-handed Philadelphia 76ers. Following the game, Knicks star Jalen Brunson […]

The USC Trojans have been one of the top teams in the country this season and that’s largely due to the play of freshman sensation JuJu Watkins. Watkins is arguably the top player in the country and recently won the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Award. USC defeated crosstown rival UCLA to advance to the […]