College Basketball

NCAA Basketball: Under-evaluated headlines of the week (Pro Day edition)

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:21 p.m. ET

foxsports

No In-Editor Preview for 120 Sports Videos

Video DetailsID: Source: 120 Sports

Duke and Kentucky are hosting NBA pro days before they tip-off their NCAA basketball campaigns.

It’s now mid-September. Recruits are taking visits, teams are getting ready for the start of fall practices, coaches are approaching crunch time and fans are increasingly gaining excitement as the regular season is just under two months away.

Just think, very soon we will be evaluating teams on the court and players will begin to either stand out or become bust material.

We cover all the major headlines and preview the world of college basketball here at Busting Brackets, but every week there will be under-evaluated storylines that need some extra attention.

Sure, they may not be breaking news stories, similar to a monster commitment or a surprising transfer, but they are important in terms of tracking your favorite recruit, team, player or even coach.

In the lead up to the start of the college basketball regular season in mid-November (November 11 is the start date), Busting Brackets will have those under-evaluated headlines covered at the end of every week.

This week we continue with four stories, including Larry Brown potentially coaching high school basketball, Jalen Lindsey and his off-season work at Providence, the schedule for college basketball’s 24-hour tip-off marathon has been released and two programs will get set to host NBA pro days before the season takes center stage.

Mar 3, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; Southern Methodist Mustangs head coach Larry Brown calls a play in the first half against the Connecticut Huskies at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

4. Larry Brown considering coaching high school basketball

At the beginning of July, Larry Brown resigned as head coach of the SMU Mustangs. Brown wanted a long term contract extension but SMU was hesitant to give the 76-year old Hall of Fame head coach a deal that would’ve locked him up through the 2020 season.

Brown is now debating his next move, which could come in the form of coaching a high school basketball team on Long Island or a squad in Italy.

This is not particularly surprising. Brown’s love for teaching and coaching basketball has never been in question. Instead, what has been in question is his loyalty to one organization or program. Brown has coached 13 different teams (three college and 10 pro teams), with the longest stint of his career coming in Philadelphia, where he stayed six years.

If Brown really wants to dive into high school basketball, this would be a huge plus for the school that lands his services. Not only would the kids receive valuable lessons in their run up to college, but this would obviously help the school in terms of adding more students.

Brown legacy in college basketball will likely stand as someone who never was satisfied with his position and brought baggage in the form of NCAA violations.

However, he also brought SMU back into the national conversation. He led the Mustangs to a 94-39 overall record during his time, helped them reach the NCAA Tournament in 2014-15 and led them to the NIT Final at Madison Square Garden in 2013-14.

They won 25 games last year but were ineligible for the NCAA Tournament because of academic fraud and unethical conduct.

Mar 5, 2016; Queens, NY, USA; Providence Friars guard Jalen Lindsey (21) dribbles the ball as St. John’s Red Storm forward Ron Mvouika (24) defends during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Friars won 90-76. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

3. Jalen Lindsey’s off-season work

With two-time Big East Player of the Year Kris Dunn and his sidekick Ben Bentil in the NBA, the Providence Friars need multiple returnees to take their game to the next level in 2016-17.

One of those players is junior forward Jalen Lindsey, who has yet to live up to the expectations he had coming out of high school. Lindsey was a four-star recruit and a member of ESPN’s top 100 back in 2014, but he has been vastly inconsistent in his two years at Providence.

Lindsey averaged just 3.8 points per game in year one and struggled mightily with his efficiency. He played less than 20 minutes per game and had more of an impact on the defensive end than the offensive end.

Last season, Lindsey put up 7.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 26.1 minutes per game. While he should have improved as a shooter, Lindsey actually performed worse in 2015-16 by shooting just 27 percent from beyond the arc.

The Friars need Lindsey to score in double figures this year. They need Lindsey to shoot the ball like he was expected to coming out of Huntington Prep. They need Lindsey to be an alpha dog, similar to what he was in the Friars’ game against St. John’s at Madison Square Garden last March when he dropped 30 points.

So I guess it’s good news that Lindsey is doing serious work in the off-season to improve his body and frame.

Providence's Jalen Lindsey is now up to 224 pounds, Ed Cooley told @CBSSports. Arrived on campus at 180. #pcbb

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) September 15, 2016

Obviously this doesn’t guarantee consistency, but what it does do is it will help Lindsey body up stronger players when he’s on defense and give him a better chance to attack the lane and finish though contact.

Maybe Lindsey could even potentially play some minutes at the power forward, which would give the Friars a smaller, quicker lineup that could shock teams for short stints. Lindsey is a good rebounder and has good size, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if the added pounds helped him battle in the paint with opposing four men.

The Friars are likely in for a rebuilding season. They don’t have a single senior on the roster. However, Ed Cooley always does more with less, so Lindsey’s development is critical to the Friars’ ultimate success.

Mar 19, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach John Calipari reacts in the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers during the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

2. Tip-off marathon schedule released

One of the best days of the year for a college basketball junkie is the 24-hour tip-off marathon that happens on the ESPN family of networks.

More from Busting Brackets

This year’s schedule (Monday, November 14 to Tuesday, November 15) was released earlier this week, and there are a host of games that provide plenty of intrigue.

The two best match-ups of the day will take place during the marathon’s final hours as Kentucky battles Michigan State and Duke takes on Kansas in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. Earlier in the day, Oregon travels to Waco to face the Baylor Bears, while the Dayton Flyers take on a rebuilding Alabama team coached by Avery Johnson.

And if your willing to stay up late on Monday night (into Tuesday morning), BYU hosts a sneaky good Princeton team (10 p.m. ET Monday) and two of the top mid-majors in the country, Gonzaga and San Diego State, take center stage in Spokane (midnight).

The only interesting mid-major games on the slate include Stephen F. Austin (post Thomas Walkup) playing Longwood at 11 a.m. ET and Winthrop traveling to Manhattan (8:45 p.m. ET).

Regardless, this is the day when we truly feel that college basketball is back.

Mar 13, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats fans after the second half of the championship game of the SEC tournament against Texas A&M Aggies at Bridgestone Arena. Kentucky Wildcats won 82-77. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports

1. Duke, Kentucky to host NBA pro days

The Blue Devils and Wildcats compete for the same one-and-done prospects, the same National Championship trophy and both teams send players to the NBA Draft on a yearly basis.

However, John Calipari’s Wildcats were the first program to host 30 NBA scouts for a “NBA pro day.” The unprecedented event, which was televised on ESPNU, started in 2014 when the Wildcats welcomed professional personnel for two days of practices in October. They continued the “Combine” last season, with UNLV also following suit, and will once again host their NBA pro day on October 9 and 10 of this year.

It seems as if Calipari is starting another trend because Kentucky’s “rival” is getting in on the fun.

The Duke Blue Devils have opted to host their first ever NBA pro day. On October 19 and October 25, Mike Krzyzewski will host all 30 teams for an inside look at Jayson Tatum, Harry Giles, Grayson Allen, Marques Bolden, Frank Jackson and Amile Jefferson.

The first practice will consist of skill work and drills, while the second practice will be a full scrimmage with game officials in attendance.

Interestingly enough, Duke, like Kentucky, will not allow NBA personnel to attend any practices during the course of the regular season.

Why are the Wildcats and Blue Devils opting to do this?

Well, not only do scouts have the opportunity to watch these players in the games, but both teams have a main goal of minimizing distractions. With coaches and front office executives attending practice on a consistent basis, these young players may try to do too much in order to impress the people in the building.

Practice time is supposed to be about developing players and helping them learn from their mistakes. And the best way to do that is to let the youngsters play without having to worry about their draft stock.

It’s a smart tactic by both coaches, especially when you have multiple lottery picks on your roster. You want them to be focused on the task at hand, which is building chemistry and getting ready for when ACC play roles around.

This article originally appeared on