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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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Monday / December 30.
  • Amile Jefferson will take an unofficial visit to Duke March 3 for the North Carolina game and then make a college decision shortly thereafter, his father told SNY.tv.

    The 6-foot-8, 205-pound McDonald’s All-American out of Philly Friends Central is down to Duke, Kentucky, N.C. State, Ohio State and Villanova.

    “He’s going to go visit Duke on the 3rd so all the other schools he’s been to,” Malcolm Musgrove told SNY.tv Thursday by phone. “He’ll go take a look at Duke for a visit and from there he’s going to sit down and make his decision shortly after that.”

    Here is what the pairings of the Big Esat Championship would look like if the tournament started today, based on the conference tiebreaking procedures. Please note that since the schedule is not complete, and that teams have played an uneven number of conference games, teams that hold tiebreaker advantages today may not necessarily hold those advantages at the end of the season.

     

    Tuesday, March 6 – First Round (ESPN2/ESPNU)

    Noon      No. 16 DePaul vs. No. 9 Connecticut

    2:00        No. 13 Pittsburgh vs. No. 12 Rutgers

    7:00        No. 15 Providence vs. No. 10 West Virginia

    9:00        No. 14 Villanova vs. No. 11 St. John’s

    South Florida is 17-11 on the season and 10-5 in the Big East, yet they’ve hardly dented the national consciousness.

    Having lost to No. 2 Syracuse 56-48 Wednesday night, the Bulls have a chance to get a signature win in their last three outings that could help propel them into the NCAA Tournament.

    “We just haven’t been in the tournament in forever,” USF coach Stan Heath said Thursday. “It’s been 20 years, and when you’re not maybe a known commodity, one of the teams that’s perennially in there. You can’t just lightly knock on the door. You’ve got to kick it in sometimes. That’s what we’re going to have to do. We’re going to have to kick the door in.”

    Chris Walker will visit Florida State Thursday for the Duke game, and won’t be at Kansas this weekend, he told SNY.tv.

    “Florida State tomorrow,” he said by text.

    The 6-foot-9 Walker is the Rivals No. 2 power forward in the Class of 2013 and recently listed Kansas in his top three, along with UConn and Florida.

    “They’re recruiting me hard and say I can come in and start and be an instant impact,” Walker told Five-Star Basketball in December in reference to Kansas.  “They’re recruiting me for the three and four.”

    NEW YORK — The last time Jeremy Lin faced the Miami Heat, he got a DNP-Coach’s Decision.

    This time around, he figures to see a lot of playing time — and a healthy dose of LeBron James.

    “Obviously, LeBron is a great player and a great, great defender,” Lin said after putting up 17 points and nine assists in the Knicks’ 99-82 win over the Hawks at MSG. “So just gotta continue to be aggressive and not change anything on my end.”

    The Knicks (17-17) will try to get above .500 for the first time in six weeks when they face a Heat team (26-7) that has won seven straight and spent the day resting.

    NEW YORK — J.R. Smith says the criticisms of Carmelo Anthony “hurt” his friend, but that he’s a pro who will work through them.

    “He doesn’t let stuff like that get to his head,” Smith said Wednesday when discussing criticisms of how Anthony fits into the Jeremy Lin-centric Knicks. “I mean he knows he’s a great player. He knows what he brings to the table. He just wants to go out there and win just as bad as the next person.

    “I’m sure it hurts at some point but at the same time we’re all professional basketball players. He’s one hell of a player so I don’t think it’s that much of a factor to him.”

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