ESPN Men's Basketball

We wrote earlier about how the presence of Tarik Black might impact Joel Embiid, but what is most fascinating about Kansas is how quickly Bill Self's squad has gone from fringe top 25 team to preseason national title contenders. The addition of Andrew Wiggins vaults the Jayhawks to arguably the nation's second-best recruiting class (Kentucky still obviously has the top group of newcomers), and now that the former Tiger big Black is on the roster, both the frontcourt and backcourt are deep enough to sustain foul troubles next season.

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After committing to Wisconsin in July 2010, Jarrod Uthoff will finally step onto a college court this season and be eligible to compete. The 6-foot-8 forward redshirted his first season in Madison, then decided to transfer to Iowa, but because he transferred within the Big Ten, Uthoff had to pay his own way this season while sitting out; however, by the time the 2013-14 season tips, Uthoff will be on scholarship, so we wondered how he might impact the Hawkeyes in his inaugural season.

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ESPN 100 center Dominic Woodson (Huntington, W.Va./Huntington Prep) was granted a release from his Letter of Intent by Baylor on Monday, and now the attention turns to where the promising big man will go from here.

Huntington Prep coach Rob Fulford told ESPN's Dave Telep that Woodson's intention is to keep his list short, with Marshall and Memphis in the mix. Do any other schools have a chance?

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The recruitment of rising 2014 center Myles Turner (Euless, Texas/Euless) is rapidly picking up, with offers coming from all around the country. Who's standing out to the 6-foot-11 big man out of Texas?

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Last month, Arizona freshman Grant Jerrett raised more than a few eyebrows when he declared for the NBA draft after a disappointing season where he averaged just 5.2 points and 3.6 rebounds. Jerrett, as you know, was a top 10 recruit in 2012 who failed to make a huge impact and just like that, he was gone.

Going pro seemed a little far-fetched at the time, but following an impressive shooting display at the NBA Draft Combine, that sentiment may have changed. Here's the latest on Jerrett and where he could be picked on draft day.

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UPDATE: Theo Pinson (Greensboro, N.C./Wesleyan Christian Academy) will make his college decision on Wednesday at 12:15 p.m., per ESPN's Dave Telep. On Sunday, we speculated that Indiana could be the school to beat for the highly touted 6-foot-6 swingman, but Telep writes today that another school could have even better chances.

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The addition of Tarik Black means many things to Kansas. It makes them deeper up front. More experienced. Bigger. And maybe most importantly, coming after last week's commitment from Andrew Wiggins, it puts the Jayhawks in even stronger position to contend for the national championship in 2013-14.

What can't be overlooked, though, is the impact it could have on highly touted freshman center Joel Embiid.

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The departure of Trevor Mbakwe and Rodney Williams will require new Minnesota coach Richard Pitino to rely on little-used players like junior bigs Elliott Eliason and Maurice Walker next season.

Walker, Pitino says, has shown a commitment to improving, which could be a sign that he's up for the challenge after averaging only 6.6 minutes as a sophomore.

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It's almost been a week since 6-foot-4 shooting guard Joe Coleman was granted his release from Minnesota, and since then a number of schools have come up as possible landing spots.

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At the moment, our own Chad Ford has Allen Crabbe slotted in at No. 27 on his big board. But the former California shooting guard could very well climb even higher if all goes well for him in the weeks leading up to the draft.

As Ford predicted in the days before the combine, Crabbe is the sort of player who could stand out to NBA scouts if he puts on a shooting display during workouts. And, as it turns out, that's exactly what he did. Meanwhile, our own Fran Fraschilla picked the talented scorer as one of the main prospects likely to enhance his status before June 27, noting Crabbe's 6-foot-6, 210-pound frame as a good fit for his position at the next level.

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Just last month, Juan Anderson announced he was looking to leave Marquette. With two years of eligibility remaining, his plan was to play the remainder of his college career closer to his family in California.

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When Deuce Bello first committed to Baylor, he brought plenty of expectations with him. He arrived in Waco as the nation's No. 54 overall recruit in the 2011 class, but he never really got rolling with the Bears. Now he's looking to revitalize his college career elsewhere, and Missouri is the school in line to benefit.

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It's been a rough few days for the Baylor basketball program. First, former ESPN 100 recruit (2011) Deuce Bello decided to transfer away, then L.J. Rose (No. 64 overall in the 2012 class) followed suit. And now Dominic Woodson appears to be decommitting.

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Ohio State has some work to do if it plans on matching last year's 29-win effort and subsequent trip to the Elite Eight. Especially with Deshaun Thomas heading to the NBA. But the foundation for another successful run is already in place, thanks to the return of Aaron Craft, Lenzelle Smith, Jr. and LaQuinton Ross. And reinforcements are on the way.

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