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Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
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Saturday / December 14.
  • LunardiAs of this Monday morning, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi had both St. John’s and Providence among the First 4 out of the NCAA Tournament.

    Those two teams will tangle in what could be a play-out  game in Thursday’s Big East Tournament quarterfinals at 2:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.

    “It’s a significant game for a number of reasons,” Johnnies coach Steve Lavin said Monday.

    Yet Lavin said we shouldn’t overstate the significance of this game and said it’s possible both teams are already in the Big Dance.

    Below are the players selected for the Jordan Brand Classic set for April 18 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

    From the New York/New Jersey area, Syracuse commit Chris McCullough of IMG Academy, Seton Hall signee Isaiah Whitehead of Brooklyn Lincoln and Kentucky commit Karl-Anthony Towns of St. Joe’s-Metuchen were all selected.

    All four Kentucky and all four Duke pledges made the game. Myles Turner is the lone uncommitted player in the game.

    Here is the McDonald’s All-American roster for comparison.

    McCullough (Syracuse), Daniel Hamilton (UConn), Kameron Chatman (Michigan) and Shaqquan Aaron (Louisville) were named to the Jordan Classic but not the McDonald’s Game.

    The Jordan Regional and International rosters will be named later.

    EAST

    Grayson Allen (Duke)

    Joel Berry (North Carolina)

    James Blackmon Jr. (Indiana)

    JaQuan Lyle enjoyed his weekend official visit to Memphis and a decision on his college choice is expected later this month when he takes his spring break March 15-23.

    “The visit went well,” Lumecha Garrett, Lyle’s mother, told SNY.tv by phone. “He’s supposed to decide over spring when he’s at home.”

    The 6-foot-4 Huntington (W.V.) Prep guard was on hand when Memphis beat SMU, 67-58, on Senior Day on Saturday.

    EmbiidJoel Embiid, the projected No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft and a key to Kansas’s chances of winning a fourth NCAA championship, traveled to California Sunday to see a back specialist for a second opinion on his back.

    He will be evaluated Monday morning before returning to campus.

    The development was reported by several outlets, including Mike DeCourcy of The Sporting News and Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com.

    Kansas coach Bill Self told the Kansas City Star the injury was “more significant” than the lower back strain he was originally diagnosed with.

    Here’s the bracket for the first ACC Tournament featuring Syracuse, Pitt and Notre Dame.

    If the seeds hold, No. 1 Virginia and No. 4 North Carolina would meet in one semifinal on Saturday and No. 2 Syracuse would face No. 3 Duke for the third time this year.

    2014 ACC MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

    (all games played at the Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, N.C.)

     

    Wednesday, March 12, 2014

    Game 1: No. 12 Wake Forest vs. No. 13 Notre Dame, 1 p.m., ESPN2/ACC Network

    Game 2: No. 10 Miami vs. No. 15 Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m., ESPN2/ACC Network

    Game 3: No. 11 Georgia Tech vs. No. 14 Boston College, 7 p.m., ESPN2/ACC Network

    4_947897

    By JACK LeGWIN

    Special to ZAGSBLOG

    Four schools are working hardest to convince sophomore point guard Payton Pritchard to suit up for them, starting in the Fall of 2016.

    “Virginia, Wisconsin, Villanova and Oregon are all working really hard right now,” Pritchard told SNY.tv. “I want to go to a place where I can develop as a player, but also be able to play right away. I talk to the assistant coaches mostly, sometimes the head coaches as well.”

    Pritchard, a sophomore at West Linn (Ore.), has led the Lions to a 22-3 record, including a win over Jahlil Okafor and Whitney Young (Ill.), giving the team a realistic shot at a 6A State title for the second year in a row. 

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