The weekend in college hoops 🏀

It felt like 2016 with LeBron James and Cleveland making headlines this weekend, didn’t it?

Oh, wait. Not that LeBron and not that Cleveland. Ya know what, let’s just get to the news.

1. Fight (br)On

In the immortal words of Dr. Dre, “Let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild west.” Because USC will have all eyes on it come November, thanks to its first team All-Pac-12 returner, its top-rated recruit and its latest addition — who happens to have the highest profile of the bunch.

Since he was 14 years old, Bronny James has drawn speculation regarding his basketball future. Duke, Oregon and Ohio State have all taken turns driving the rumor mill over the past five years, but the 6-3 guard ended his recruitment Saturday with a commitment to USC.

Andy Enfield and the Trojans gained a versatile backcourt weapon who has ascended the recruiting ranks in the past 18 months. But naturally, the off-court attention will be just as fascinating to monitor.

Now, USC is no stranger to matriculating the offspring of mega-famous people (see: Barack and Michelle Obama, Kobe Bryant, Master P, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf; that’s the comprehensive list, right?) But James will command the brightest spotlight of all — mainly because of 1) the expectations that stem from having a top-2 basketball player of all time as a father. And 2) that same father expressing his desire to play with his son in the NBA.

But on the court, what is a realistic outlook for Bronny’s freshman season? Listen to Jeff Goodman and Rob Dauster break it down below.

Now, as the two discuss, James will undoubtedly carve out a role at SC — he’s a fringe 5-star recruit for a reason. However, due to the Trojans’ roster construction (namely, Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier), he may come off the bench all season.

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. His two best skills — defense and shooting off the catch — make him a malleable piece that should fit into most lineups. Minutes shouldn't be an issue even with Collier and Ellis in the fold.

And last time I checked, the 3-and-D archetype is still pretty desirable in today’s NBA.

(Also, LeBron’s comments on the commitment were pretty cool.)

BROUGHT TO YOU BY SHUTTERSTOCK

Create something remarkable

Looking for high-quality, royalty-free images and videos? Look no further than Shutterstock. With a vast library of over 350 million assets, Shutterstock has something for every creative project.

Try Shutterstock today.

2. Heels vs. Huskies

We’ve hit that point in the offseason when MTE schedules start releasing. And while most teams’ rosters are far from finalized, it’s still fun to envision individual matchups. The latest announcement came Friday concerning the first half of the Jimmy V Classic. The showdown will pit North Carolina against UConn in Madison Square Garden in early December.

The two teams are coming off of very different seasons. The Heels entered last year at No. 1 and failed to make the NCAA Tournament, while the Huskies started outside the rankings and won the whole thing. Nevertheless, both squads still have questions to answer at this offseason stage.

Let’s start with UNC. RJ Davis and Armando Bacot are about as good as you’ll get at the 1 and the 5. But what to make of the rest of the team? Harrison Ingram should fix the Heels’ ball movement issues from last season, and Cormac Ryan will help amend their spacing issues.

But despite Dauster’s optimism, I’m not sold on their roster just yet. They still need a piece (or two) on the perimeter to get back to the standards that their fans expect. Another shooter — or a plus athlete — would go a long way.

UConn, on the other hand, faces the most uncertainty regarding its players’ draft decisions. Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins won’t return to Storrs, but what about Tristen Newton and Andre Jackson?

Newton received an invite to the G-League Combine, while Jackson secured one for the NBA Combine. Their decisions could still be a few weeks off. But regardless of how the perimeter rotation stakes out, UConn will deploy a National Player of the Year contender down low in Donovan Clingan. The 7-2 behemoth’s matchup with Bacot will heavily factor into the outcome.

As will the crowd — and there’s a better chance at a 50-50 split than the average fan realizes. The Husky faithful affectionately refers to MSG as “Storrs South,” so expect them to show up, especially considering the momentum the program built last year. But plenty of UNC alums reside in the Empire State. Just look back at North Carolina’s win over Ohio State last December, when Tar Heel backers packed the Garden. The fan support underlined why Hubert Davis wants to play there every season.

If it helps the Tar Heels get a Q1 win in the non-con, I certainly won’t complain.

3. Cleveland raises Cane

A lot can change in two and a half months. The last time Matthew Cleveland was in Coral Gables, he capped off a 25-point comeback with an unforgettable buzzer-beater. Now, he’s taking his talents to South Beach.

The former 5-star recruit steps into a massive void on the wing vacated by Jordan Miller. Jim Larrañaga will hope to have as much success with Cleveland as he did with the departed George Mason transfer.

To be clear, he isn’t the hyper-efficient scorer that Miller is. However, like his predecessor, Cleveland will impact the game by making all the hustle plays — he’s a strong rebounder and an underrated passer, and he will absolutely shine as a weakside rim protector next to Norchad Omier.

Plus, he has flashed as a dynamic slasher. Through two seasons, Cleveland has attempted 41.2 percent of his shots at the rim, converting on a solid 63.6 percent. That number should increase with Nijel Pack and Wooga Poplar opening the floor for him.

Assuming Cleveland lives up to his pedigree, Miami should be just below Duke in the preseason ACC rankings.

Other notable commitments

Joe Girard (Syracuse) to Clemson
Good news for Joe Girard — he won’t have to swap out all of his orange clothing when he travels southbound. The super-senior bucket-getter brings an injection of scoring to the offense and pairs nicely with floor general Chase Hunter. Clemson will most benefit from his shooting — he has made a whopping 297 3s in four years. Now, defending up to Brad Brownell’s standards is a different question.

Ismael Massoud (Kansas State) to Georgetown
Staying on the subject of snipers, Ed Cooley landed his latest target over the weekend when Ish Massoud chose the Hoyas. The 6-9 forward showcased his marksmanship on the national stage during K-State’s Elite Eight run, and he’ll step into a larger role at Georgetown.

Tre White (USC) to Louisville
Louisville, once again, lacks guards on its roster … but at least it has some solid wings? Tre White became the latest newcomer over the weekend. The former top-50 recruit looks to bring a tantalizing combination of slashing, size and athleticism to a team that should take all the talent it can get.

Quick hitters

• RJ Luis (UMass) to St. John’s

• Elijah Fisher (Texas Tech) to DePaul

• Kebba Njie (Penn State) to Notre Dame

• Jason Edwards (D-II) to North Texas

Latest entrants

• Zuby Ejiofor (Kansas)

Payne-ful season

After a 4-28 season, how much wiggle room does Kenny Payne have at Louisville? If the Cardinals aren’t good in his second season, will that be it?

Subscribe to The Field of 68 on YouTube here and subscribe here to AFTER DARK.

Links as you make plans to visit your nearest Golden Corral:

• NC Central’s Devin Butts passed away on Saturday. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and the Eagles’ program.

• UNC transfer Will Shaver de-committed from Belmont.

• DePaul landed one of the few remaining uncommitted high school seniors — 4-star big man Churchill Abass from NBA Academy Africa.

• Ray Allen graduated from UConn.

• Would you take an Elite Eight run over a conference championship?

BROUGHT TO YOU BY DOOR DASH

Restaurants and more, right to your door

DoorDash is the ultimate solution for all your food delivery needs. Whether you're craving a late-night snack, a quick lunch, or a fancy dinner, DoorDash has you covered.

Try Door Dash this weekend.

Thanks for reading The Field of 68 Daily! If you have a news tip or feedback, email us at [email protected].