David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 86

It was one year ago that Sean Miller was named the head coach of Xavier basketball. Miller was let go at Arizona after the program was forced to vacated regular season and postseason wins due to NCAA violations. Miller actually began his head coaching career at Xavier back in 2004. In his first season in […]

Adjusting to life in the NBA isn’t always easy for rookies. Thankfully for Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins, they have some of the best in the business to learn from as they embark on their professional journey. The Golden State Warriors rookie duo has been learning from both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson this […]

With the first weekend of March Madness nearly over, only two out of the four No. 1 seeded teams remain. The first No. 1 seed to fall was Purdue in a shocking and historical upset by No. 16 Farleigh Dickinson in the first round. The second No. 1 seed to fall was Kansas in the […]

The San Diego State Aztecs survived a March Madness opening round scare against the College of Charleston to advance to the second round. But they had no problem dispatching Furman in the second round to the tune of 75-52. Furman had upset No. 4 seed Virginia in the first round but their Cinderella story ended […]

With the WNBA free agency period firmly in the rearview, teams are now turning their attention to the upcoming draft and the start of training camp. Training camp signals all the roster battles and movement that come along with it. With a shortage of roster spots in the WNBA, there are always some surprise cuts […]

After Penn State upset Texas A&M in their March Madness first round game, the university decided it wanted Micah Shrewsberry to be the coach of this team long term. It wasn’t just an upset, Penn State dominated the game with a final score of 76-59. This is Shrewsberry’s second season as head coach of Penn […]

The Houston Cougars squeaked past Northern Kentucky on Thursday in their March Madness opening round win. They did so without star point guard Marcus Sasser playing in the second half due to injury. Sasser has been dealing with a groin injury that kept him out of Houston’s loss in the AAC Tournament championship game against […]

Fans of Alabama basketball got a little bit of worrisome news this weekend when it was revealed by Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats that star forward Brandon Miller has been dealing with a groin injury. Miller was held scoreless in Alabama’s first round March Madness win over Texas A&M Corpus Christi, missing all five […]

The Portland Trail Blazers got off to a good start this season but things have fizzled as the final stretch of the regular season approaches. The Blazers are hanging on to a thread for their playoff hopes and that has drawn critics of head coach Chauncey Billups. Some have even called for Billups to be […]

Stephen Curry has been one of the best point guards in the NBA for the better part of the last decade with Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young emerging as one of the league’s top up and coming point guards. The two battled it out on Friday as the Golden State Warriors visited the Hawks. The […]

Coming into the 2023 NCAA Tournament, only one No. 16 seeded team had ever upset a No. 1 seed. That was in 2018 when UMBC knocked off Virginia in the first round of March Madness. On Friday, that list got one team longer as the No. 16 FDU Knights defeated the No. 1 seeded Purdue […]

Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards was helped to the locker room on Friday during the Wolves game against the Chicago Bulls. The Timberwolves are in the midst of a tightening playoff race in the Western Conference with several other teams. Edwards was named to his first All-Star team this season and has helped the Wolves […]

When Rick Pitino was dismissed as Louisville’s head coach, it was unsure if he’d ever appear on an NCAA sideline again. Following Louisville, Pitino resurfaced as a head coach for the Greek team Panathinaikos in EuroLeague. He spent two seasons coaching in Greece before he returned stateside and in the NCAA as the head coach […]

As the 2022-23 NCAA season progressed, the UCLA Bruins emerged as legitimate national title contender. A big part of their strong season was the emergence of Jaylen Clark as a defensive presence and all-around key player. Clark’s role has increased each season he’s been at UCLA and his play this season had fans dreaming of […]

The Duke Blue Devils and head coach Jon Scheyer have been tasked with keeping the team among the elite of college basketball after a legacy of coaching from former head coach Mike Krzyzewski. They’re going to have to do that though without the services of one of their top recruits from the class of 2024 […]

The defending NCAA Tournament champion Kansas Jayhawks began their title defense on Thursday as the first round of March Madness tipped off. Kansas easily dispatched the Howard Bison and as they continue their postseason journey, they will do so without a familiar face on the sidelines for the time being. Kansas head coach Bill Self […]

The Sacramento Kings have been the biggest surprise of the NBA season. They are on the verge of snapping the league’s current active streak of missing the postseason and are currently in second place in the Western Conference standings. A big part of their solid season has been the play of guard Kevin Huerter. However, […]

The Alabama Crimson Tide cruised to victory over Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Thursday in their first round NCAA Tournament game. Alabama is one of the favorites to emerge from March Madness and win the national championship. They’ve been one of the best teams in the country all season. The big story of the game […]

After heart-breaking losses, it’s understandable that some athletes might not want to be in the public spotlight right away. With March Madness now in full swing, there’s bound to be several upsetting moments captured on film. In perhaps the biggest storyline of the first round so far, the No. 2 seeded Arizona Wildcats saw their […]

It’s safe to say the Philadelphia 76ers got the better of the trade between them and the Brooklyn Nets involving James Harden and Ben Simmons. The Sixers have morphed into legitimate championship contenders while Simmons has been unable to stay healthy for the Nets. Harden was left off the All-Star team this season which was […]

The Dallas Wings had a decent season last year finishing at 18-18 which was an improvement from the 14-18 they finished the season before. They made the playoffs but lost in the first round to the Connecticut Sun. The Wings will have a new coach this season in Latricia Trammell who had been an assistant […]

It’s probably safe to say the Ben Simmons experiment with the Brooklyn Nets has been a colossal failure to this point. It was though that with a change of scenery Simmons might be able to get back to his All-Star status he often displayed with the Philadelphia 76ers. That has not been the case, however, […]

It’s been a long journey for Kris Dunn to get another NBA contract. The former lottery pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2016 found himself nearly out of the NBA after only five seasons. Dunn suited up in only four games for the Atlanta Hawks during the 2020-21 season due to injury and he found […]

Toronto Raptors wing OG Anunoby has developed into one of the best defensive players in the NBA. He is one of the few players that legitimately can guard every position from point guard to center. Anunoby’s name was being heavily circulated in trade chatter leading up to the deadline with no shortage of teams interested […]

The Baylor Bears basketball team is getting ready to kick off March Madness with an opening round game against UC Santa Barbara this week. They come into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed and looking to advance further than they did last season. Baylor basketball won the national title in 2021 but they […]

The Texas Longhorns basketball team has been without one of their key players recently in fifth-year forward Timmy Allen. Allen suffered a recent leg injury and was sidelined for the duration of the Big 12 Tournament. It didn’t appear to be too much of an issue as Texas made it all the way through to […]

When Damian Lillard was drafted with the No. 6 overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2012 draft, he became an immediate fixture in the team’s rotation and was quickly handed the keys to the franchise. It wasn’t like he was expected to do it alone, however. He had co-star LaMarcus Aldridge alongside […]

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has had some incredible shooting performances throughout his career. With fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry sidelined recently due to injury, Thompson has stepped it up and was instrumental in the Warriors recent five-game win streak. Curry has since returned to the lineup and Thompson has kept up his strong […]

The dust from the WNBA free agency period has long since settled. Most teams already have a sense of what their roster will look like heading into training camp in April. A lot of the focus for WNBA teams right now is on the upcoming draft, but some teams are still making some late additions […]

The Denver Nuggets are about to embark on a tough East Coast road trip as they look to hold on to their status as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference standings. The road trip begins on Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors and culminates next Wednesday, March 22 against the Washington Wizards with games […]

It’s been a few seasons since New York Knicks fans have had something to really cheer about. This has been a resurgent season though and it marks only the second time in the last ten seasons that the Knicks have reached the 40 win plateau. They reached 41 wins during the 2020-21 season which was […]

The New York Knicks are in the midst of a tough West Coast road trip and they’ve been without the services of star point guard Jalen Brunson due to injury. Brunson has missed four of the past five games with a foot injury. Brunson actually played in the Knicks first game of this road trip […]

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is in the midst of an MVP caliber season and has been etching his name in the NBA record books along the way. Jokic is the reigning MVP having won the award in back-to-back seasons now. Should he win this season’s MVP award, he will become only the fourth player […]

The New York Knicks have been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference this season and they’ve rebounded well from a poor start to the season. A big part of that has been the play of Julius Randle. Randle was named to his second All-Star selection this season and is having one of […]

Nikola Jokic is in the midst of an MVP caliber season even with some recent struggles by the Denver Nuggets. Jokic is on the verge of becoming the first non-guard to average a triple-double over the course of an entire season. The only other players to average a triple-double for a whole season are Oscar […]

Despite losing in the championship of the Pac-12 Tournament, UCLA and Mick Cronin still enter March Madness as one of the top teams in the country. They’re a little bit banged up right now with injuries to two starters in Adem Bona and Jaylen Clark. While Clark is out for the remainder of the season, […]

The brackets for the NCAA Tournament were released this weekend and every year there are some very intriguing storylines in the first round of March Madness. This year, one of those potential matchups is between No. 6 Kentucky and No. 11 Providence in the East Region. Kentucky head coach John Calipari will square off against […]

The New York Knicks have been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference after a bit of an uneven start. They have rebounded from inconsistent play and are now firmly in the mix for a playoffs spot. A big part of their success this season has been the play of Jalen Brunson. He […]

Since arriving in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks, Trae Young has been one of the most exciting and explosive point guard in the NBA. Not only is he a dynamic scorer, but he is an elite playmaker as well. As good as he is though, Young has taken his lumps recently for his perceived […]