Florida's tall order

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1. Repeat? Florida’s gotta find its rhythm first

What’s life as a reigning champ without a few challenges?

Florida announced Tuesday that it entered into a multi-year agreement with the Players Era, which will place the Gators into a loaded tournament field. The good news? It won’t participate until the 2026 event.

Which means the 2025 NCAA Tournament champs can find tests elsewhere in its quest to cut down the nets again this season.

Remember, only two programs (Florida in 2006 and ‘07) and UConn (2023 and ‘24) have won back-to-back NCAA Tournament titles since 1975. Could Florida do it (again)?

To start, they’ll need to adjust to life with a new backcourt. The new guards, Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee are talented. And as Jeff Goodman and Matt McCall discussed in our Offseason Grades series, they’ll be supported by a formidable frontcourt.

You already know the names of that four-man interior: Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, Rueben Chinyelu, and Micah Handlogten. Condon and Haugh are versatile and can serve as ball-movers with some shooting. Meanwhile, Chinyelu and Handlogten are tough rim protectors.

Still, the defense doesn’t have a perimeter stopper like Alijah Martin from last season. That'll put more pressure on the bigs to hold guards from scoring at the rim. There’s already pressure on Fland and Lee to provide scoring punch — not that anyone can replace what Walter Clayton Jr. provided last season — but the defense is the real question.

Coach Todd Golden is somewhat of a guard whisperer, so working with talented guards should work but I want to see it first. Both are smaller guards who are best with the ball in their hands. Can they mesh? Golden told 247 Sports in the spring that the mix was ideal for his offense.

"I see it working really, really well. I'm excited about it. To have two guys that can play so well with the ball in their hands, they make plays for themselves but also for others really, really well. They both have great assist rates. They both take care of the ball really well," Golden said.

"When you have two point guards that are out there making plays, I think it makes your offense really dynamic. So we're excited. I think you can have both those guys start the offense. They're both going to have the ball in their hands a ton, being able to play out of the ball screen, being able to push in transition, weapons that teams are going to have to account for."

Another question: Is Golden willing to play Haugh as a full-time wing? He played his best at the four with Condon at the five. Perhaps 5-star freshman CJ Ingram, or Ohio transfer AJ Brown snags the role at the three and forces Golden to play the two more versatile bigs in crunch time.

But these are “nice-to-have” problems. We should all be so lucky to be making these decisions coming off a title.

2. Where does Cincy turn without Jizzle James?

Cincinnati dismissed Jizzle James from the men’s hoops program, coach Wes Miller said Tuesday.

“Jizzle James has been dealing with personal issues throughout the summer. We removed him from the team last month. He is currently not a member of our basketball program. As this is a personal matter, I have no further comment at this time,” Miller said in a statement.

The 6-1 junior started 37 games the last two seasons and led the Bearcats in scoring (12.7 ppg) last season.

So where do the Bearcats turn to for their new floor general?

The obvious answer is veteran point guard Day Day Thomas. He averaged 10 ppg and turned up his game during Big 12 play. The there’s Kerr Kriisa, who is well-traveled but provides experience and can shoot it. The real x-factor is top-60 recruit Keyshaun Tillery. Before Tuesday's news dropped, Tillery didn't have a real path to minutes. Now he could start next to Thomas.

James’ departure isn’t a death knell for Cincy’s NCAA Tournament hopes, either. He was a tough defender and solid guard, but he shot just 40% from the floor and 28% from 3. Freshman wing Shon Abaev, a top-25 recruit, can help replace James's scoring, while the trio of point guards can replace the play-making aspect of James's game.

The Bearcats’ interior, which features Jaylen Haynes (George Mason), Moustapha Thiam (UCF) and Baba Miller (FAU) also could be in good shape. Each of the three guys fills a different role. Haynes is a bruising interior scorer, Miller can play either forward spot and shoot and Thiam is a rim-protecting dynamo.

3. K-State, Radford add more international players

What would this summer be without a program adding an international recruit?

Kansas State added Dorin Buca on Tuesday, who’ll be third international player on its roster.

The 7-1 center played for Libertas Livorno in the Italian second division. He's old (almost 23) and averaged 5.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg this season with a block per contest.

K-State likely will start UNCW transfer Khamari McGriff at the five with Tyreek Smith and JUCO import Stephen Osei headed for backup minutes. Buca could play a reliable role behind McGriff, which allows Smith to slide to the four if needed.

Meanwhile, Radford also added its third international player to its roster in Piotr Winkowski.

The Highlanders already have freshmen from Denmark and Brazil. Adding the 6-11 Polish big man only increases the international appeal.

Winkowski last played for Enea Astoria Bydgoszcz in his native Poland. He averaged 8.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and a block per contest. In most clips of Winkowski, it’s evident he’s an athlete. Expect some high-flying dunks off lobs and some finishes off pick & roll reads from point guard Del Jones.

There’s a chance he’ll start right away for new coach Zach Chu.

Also in international additions: UNC Greensboro announced that Danish guard Noah Norgaard committed.

4. Must-see games from NEC and America East slates

Whenever a conference announces its league schedule, it’s a good day because we get to dive into games we can’t wait to watch. Today, we get to do that for the America East and Northeast Conference.

We’ll start with the America East. The grid guide is here.

UMass Lowell vs Albany (Jan. 3)

Can UMass Lowell bounce back with a new-look roster? A win here would be a huge start. I’m excited to see the guard duo of Angel Montas (7.2 ppg at Mercer) and Khalil Farmer (4.3 ppg at Hofstra). Both should start. On Albany’s side, it lost Amar’e Marshall (14 ppg at Albany), but found a possible improvement in Fordham transfer Will Richardson.

Maine vs Binghamton (Jan. 24)

Winning at Maine hasn’t been easy during the Chris Markwood era. He’s turned the Black Bears from bottom dweller into a legitimate program. Can Binghamton, which added Jeremiah Quigley (1.2 ppg at George Mason) get a rare win here?

New Hampshire vs NJIT (Feb. 12)

Perhaps NJIT climbs out of the league basement. It won’t be easy with Tariq Francis gone, but returning guard Sebastian Robinson and St. Francis transfer Jeremy Clayville should help. New Hampshire added two underrated transfers. One is the versatile forward Belal El Shakery from Wofford and guard Kijan Robinson from Hofstra. Both should be standouts.

Vermont vs Bryant (Feb. 14)

A Valentine’s Day tilt between last season’s conference champion and the league’s dominant program. Vermont will be the AmEast favorites, but it’ll be a big opportunity for new coach Jamion Christian to earn a big victory.

UMBC vs Vermont (Feb. 19)

Allow me to set the stage. I think Vermont enters this contest unbeaten in league play. And this will be no cakewalk. The Retrievers return guard Ace Valentine, while adding Old Dominion transfer Devin Ceaser. There’s a real chance for a big upset

Let’s switch to the NEC. There’s an easy-to-read grid guide from the league here. The best games are below.

Long Island vs Central Connecticut (Jan. 2)

What better way to begin the conference slate than Long Island, who has the NEC’s most talented roster, facing the 2025 regular-season champ? The Sharks return dynamic scorer Malachi Davis, who could win NEC POY, plus they added former Iona standout Greg Gordon. The Blue Devils usher in a new roster, led by returning sophomore Darin Smith Jr. He’s the top returning scorer and could be one of the top league’s top players.

Chicago State vs Wagner (Jan. 2)

The Landon Bussie era at Chicago State begins! He’s just 37-years-old and led Alcorn State to a pair of SWAC regular-season titles. He’ll lead Chicago State’s first NEC game in the Bussie era versus a proven team in Wagner.

New Haven vs Fairleigh Dickinson (Jan. 10)

Welcome to D-I, New Haven. It’ll host Fairleigh Dickinson to begin its NEC era. The Chargers have seven incoming freshmen, so could be interesting. As for Fairleigh Dickinson, I loved the adds of Taeshaud Jackson II and Noah Melson. Jackson II was a stud for VMI two years ago, and Melson will get a real chance after being a bench piece at Chattanooga.

Long Island vs Fairleigh Dickinson (Jan. 19)

I think these are the top-two NEC squads. The Sharks have tons of talent and FDU took swings on some more experienced players, like Jackson II and Melson. This might be the NEC game of the year.

St Francis (PA) vs Wagner (Feb. 19)

St Francis (PA) won’t be D-I much longer, but it sure parlayed its NCAA Tourney bid into portal wins. The Red Flash added two high-impact guards in Zion Russell and Skylar Wicks. Wicks could be a top-tier scorer in the NCAA. Wagner has Donald Copeland at the helm, which is a huge benefit. He’s an elite defensive coach, which raises its overall floor.

5. Kansas makes an intriguing assistant coach hire

Kansas added another member to its coaching staff, and it’s a familiar one: Tony Bland.

Bland, who replaces the retired Norm Roberts, coached at Washington last season. He had spent three years away from the game due to an NCAA show cause penalty stemming from the 2017 FBI corruption investigation.

A long-time assistant and former player at Syracuse and San Diego State, Bland has strong recruiting ties to the West Coast. He’s expected to have an immediate impact in Kansas’ 2026 recruiting efforts, and beyond.

That makes the Kansas staff top assistant Kurtis Townsend, along with Joe Dooley, former KU star and NBA coach Jacque Vaughn, and Bland.

Get those storylines straight

Is the race for the 2026 NCAA Tournament wide open? Could we see some coaches establish themselves as premier leaders? Does the SEC have the same success? And what about a budding Big East rivalry? The DTF crew takes you through some storylines.

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Links as you wonder how many more homers the Yankees can hit tonight.

• Non-conference schedules to know: UConn, Alabama, Pitt, and TCU.

• The CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic was finalized with Duke, Arkansas, Northwestern and Oklahoma State.

• Louisville promoted Peyton Siva to assistant coach.

• North Florida hired assistants Bob Marlin and Carter Hendricksen.

• The Big Sky will keep its men’s and women’s tournaments at Idaho Central Arena in Boise through 2031.

• Ex-ODU coach Jeff Jones, a cancer survivor, is hosting a cancer fundraiser featuring several notable coaches as speakers.

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