Braylon Heard and Kentucky coach Mark Stoops both attended Cardinal Mooney High School in Youngstown, Ohio. (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Former Nebraska running back Braylon Heard will transfer to Kentucky, according to ESPN.com.

Heard, who rushed for 348 yards while averaging 6.7 yards per carry with the Huskers last season, chose Kentucky over Pittsburgh.

Heard was a highly recruited back out of Cardinal Mooney High School of Youngstown, Ohio — the same high school new Kentucky coach Mark Stoops attended. Heard said he wanted to play for a school closer to his hometown.

“I feel it is the right spot because I feel like I fit in well at the university,” Heard told ESPN. “Kentucky will set up the run really well. They have good players on the outside, three good QB’s, a great line and backs. And yes, can’t beat being in the SEC.”

The Huskers are left with Ameer Abduallah and Imani Cross as the only two running backs on the roster with experience.

Louisville coach Rick Pitino and legendary former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian have been elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame according to reports.

The 2013 inductees are scheduled to be officially announced Monday at the NCAA Tournament Final Four in Atlanta. The coaches were among 12 finalists considered for induction.

Pitino, 60, will coach Louisville against Wichita State in Saturday’s semifinal, with the winner to face either Syracuse or Michigan in the Monday final. It’s Pitino’s seventh Final Four team. The only coach to lead three schools to the semifinals won his only national title with Kentucky in 1996. Pitino’s career NCAA record is 662-239.

Tarkanian, 82, coached UNLV to four Final Fours and won the national championship in 1990. He was 307-42 in 10 seasons coaching the Runnin’ Rebels. His college career record was 784-202 including seasons at Fresno State and Long Beach State.

#Louisville coach Rick Pitino has won induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame, source tells ESPNNewYork.com—
Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) April 05, 2013

Jerry Tarkanian is headed to the Hall of Fame, sources told CBSSports — cbssports.com/collegebasketb…—
Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) April 05, 2013

Louisville is the NCAA Tournament favorite and the most valuable college basketball program. (Elsa/Getty Images)

The Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team is No. 1 this week in more ways than one. The top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament is No. 1 in money making as well.

According to Forbes Magazine, Louisville tops this year’s list as the most valuable college basketball team with an estimated value of $38.5 million. The figures are based on revenues and expenses from the 2011-12 season.

Coming in second is Kansas ($32.9 million), followed by North Carolina ($32.8 million), Kentucky ($32.1 million) and Ohio State ($23.1 million) to round out the top five.

Duke took a slide this year, now ranked 11th with a value of $17.1 million, thanks partly to changes in the athletic department’s accounting practices. The Blue Devils also fell because they simply spend more than any other team. In fact, Duke is one of just six teams to break $25 million in basketball revenue, but it ranks 12th in terms of team profit.

The top 20 most valuable programs are valued at an average of $20.4 million, up from $19.1 million the previous year.

Gorgui Dieng has been out of the Louisville lineup since fracturing his wrist on Nov. 23. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Louisville center Gorgui Dieng will play Saturday against rival Kentucky, Cardinals coach Rick Pitino told CBSSports.com.

Dieng, who has been sidelined with a broken wrist suffered while drawing a charging call against Missouri on Nov. 23, practiced with the team on Wednesday.

Pitino said last week that Dieng would not return to play until Jan. 2 against Providence. Two screws surgically inserted into the wrist in late November have helped shorten his recovery time.

The 6-foot-11 junior from Senegal is averaging 8.2 points, eight rebounds and two blocks this season.

Dieng’s parents are scheduled to attend the Kentucky game. It reportedly will be the first time to see their son play for Louisville.

Mark Stoops accepted an offer to be head coach at Kentucky, according to a report from CBS Sports. He replaces Joker Phillips who was fired on Nov. 4 after the team had a 1-9 start.

Stoops was the defensive coordinator at FSU and also served as defensive coordinator on his brother Mike Stoops’s staff for six years at Arizona. His older brother, Bob Stoops, is Oklahoma’s head coach.

ESPN’s Brett Murphy tweeted Mark’s reaction:

UK coach Mark Stoops: "I will be focused & driven to create a positive, winning atmosphere for the program all of Kentucky can be proud of"—
Brett McMurphy (@McMurphyESPN) November 27, 2012

Kentucky has not yet made the news official, but CBS Sports’ Bruce Feldman spoke with a source close to the matter:

Source confirms FSU asst. Mark Stoops will be named next football coach at UK, as initially reported by KYSportsRadio.—
Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) November 27, 2012

Stoops oversaw vast improvements to FSU’s defense when he joined in 2010: The Seminoles were ranked 108th in total defense in 2009 and moved up successfully each year and were ranked second in 2012.

Joker Phillips will be removed as Kentucky head coach after this season. (Wesley Hitt, Getty Images)

The University of Kentucky will be searching for a new head football coach this offseason. In an open letter posted to the university’s official athletics site, Director of Athletics Mitch Barnhart announced that Joker Phillips will be relieved of his duties after three years in charge of the team. The change will take place at the conclusion of the current season, as the Wildcats have two games remaining on their schedule.

Phillips has endured an especially rough season in 2012, as his Wildcats went 1-9, including a 0-7 mark in the Southeastern Conference. The team plays Samford at home next weekend before concluding their season with a trip to Tennessee.

After much conversation, evaluation and prayer, I have determined that it is in the best interest of our athletics program to make a change in our football coaching staff at the conclusion of the season. I do so with a heavy heart for a man who has served his alma mater for almost 22 years as a player and a coach. Joker Phillips has carried the banner for the Blue and White with honor and pride. I have enjoyed working alongside him and am thankful for his friendship for the last decade. His concern for the entire program, his work and teaching of young people, his humanitarian work, and the friendship we all enjoy with him will long surpass the scoreboard. I want to thank him for all of those things on behalf of Kentucky.

Andrew Wiggins has been ranked the nation’s top basketball recruit all summer, but college coaches and boosters have anxiously awaited his decision on when he’ll take his game to the next level. Wiggins ended speculation by deciding to reclassify from the Class of 2014 to the Class of 2013 today.

Huntington (W.V.) Prep coach Rob Fulford confirmed Wiggins’ decision on Twitter:

Spoke to Andrew father Mitch. Both he and Andrew are comfortable with him reclassifying to 2013. He wants to concentrate on school & season—
Rob Fulford (@rfulford) October 25, 2012

Fulford told Scout.com that Wiggins is more than ready.

He didn’t need to be in high school another year,” Fulford said. “Obviously it’s been the question of the summer,” Fulford said. “Our stance from the get go would be that we would support Andrew’s decision in whatever direction he decided. But this is the smart decision for him.

“His grades are good and he has enough credits,” the Huntington Prep coach continued. “We’ll just have to enroll him in an additional English course so he can graduate on time.”

The 6-foot-8 son of former NBA player Mitchell Wiggins and Marita Payne-Wiggins, who won two track-and-field silver medals for Canada in the 1984 Olympics, is being recruited by Kentucky, Florida State, North Carolina, Ohio State and Kansas among others.

Wiggins confidently detailed his approach and plan for getting himself into the NBA to USA Today.

“I just try to kill whoever is guarding me,” Wiggins said. “I don’t practice to play against people in high school like Julius Randle and Jabari Parker. I practice to play against guys in the NBA because I want to be better than them. I practice to beat the best player in the world because I want to be the best player in the world.”

Aaron and Andrew Harrison announced their commitment to Kentucky this afternoon.

Andrew and Aaron Harrison decide to go to Kentucky. #sorryterps—
David Aldridge (@daldridgetnt) October 04, 2012

The highly recruited twin brothers out of Texas had narrowed their list to Kentucky and Maryland.

Many had speculated that UnderArmour founder Kevin Plank’s ties to Maryland would help land the coveted duo for the 17-15 Terps.

The twins’ father, Aaron Harrison Sr., has been outspoken as to the type of coach he was not going to let his sons play for:

“For college coaches to come in and tell me, ‘I’m holier than thou,’ it doesn’t work like that,” Harrison Sr. said in a recent interview. “You are in that business because that business makes a lot of money. That means you are pushed by money..”

Aaron and Andrew Harrison, top-five twin guards from Texas, may choose to play at Maryland rather than Kentucky thanks to an Under Armour deal, reports Big Lead Sports’ Jason McIntyre. Aaron, a 6′ 5″ shooting guard, is ranked third in the country, and his brother Andrew, a 6′ 5″ point guard is fourth. According to McIntyre, “every college basketball coach in the country wants the Harrison twins.”

Both play for the Houston Defenders, an AAU team sponsored by Under Armour, and USA Today’s Eric Prisbell tweeted the following about the recruiting situation:

Harrison Sr. told me college coaches not allowed to call his sons directly. Only person allowed to call them: One Under Armour official.—
Eric Prisbell (@EricPrisbell) October 02, 2012

In the same way that Nike, headquartered in Beaverton, Ore., played a strong role in recruiting decisions at Oregon, Under Armour may be looking to do something similar at Maryland:

By all accounts, Duke and Kentucky are in the mix, but Maryland might be the favorite. Maryland, of course, is a school that wears jerseys courtesy of Under Armour. Guess where UA is headquartered? A three-pointer away from the Terps’ College Park campus in Baltimore.

The competition between Under Armour and Nike extends far back to when Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank would send a Christmas card to Nike founder Phil Knight that said, “You will hear about us one day.” And during a game between Under Armour school Utah and Oregon (also Knight’s alma mater), the two had the following exchange, according to Forbes:

“Sorry about the weather,” Knight said.

“We’ll be ready because we’re Under Armour,” Plank replied.

Knight then started to walk away when Plank asked, “Want to make a bet on the game?”

Plank says Knight turned and smiled and then said, “I think we already have.” (Knight remembers the exchange the same way.)

The twins are expected to announce their decision on ESPNU on Thursday.

Kentucky’s John Calipari is comfortable Nerlens Noel will play in ’12-13.(AFP/Getty Images)

The USA TODAY reports Kentucky coach John Calipari feels “comfortable” that freshman center Nerlens Noel will be able to play for the Wildcats this season.

Noel’s academic and amateur standing have been the subjects of speculation this summer. After the NCAA cleared Noel’s reclassified standing, SI.com’s Pete Thamel reported that the NCAA was expanding its inquiry into his amateur status.

While Noel, a 6-11 center from Everett, Mass and USA TODAY’s high school player of the year, has remained silent since enrolling in August, Calipari spoke on his top recruit’s near future.

“We feel comfortable. “It’s a review that those kinds of players go through. When you reclassify, you’re going to have reviews. When you reclassify and some people are mad you reclassified, there are going to be some reviews. That’s how it is. We’re comfortable that he’s done everything he was supposed to do.”

Kentucky is hoping Noel, who picked the Wildcats over Georgetown and Syracuse, can provide a  dominating inside defensive presence similar to Anthony Davis, who became the No. 1 pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

After a rash of injuries has put a sizable dent in the American basketball roster for the Olympics this summer, USA Basketball has made the decision to add James Harden of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Anthony Davis of the University of Kentucky, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports has learned.

Yahoo! Sports has received confirmation that USA Basketball will add Thunder F James Harden & Kentucky F-C Anthony Davis, a source said.

—
Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) May 03, 2012

LaMarcus Aldridge, Chauncey Billups, Dwight Howard, Kevin Love and Derrick Rose are among the notable members of Team USA to come down with significant injuries in the last two months. The program was in desperate need of another guard and another big man, and these additions appear to fit those needs.

“After reviewing our roster, we think these two additions strengthen our National Team program immeasurably,” USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo told Spears.

Andrew Bynum, Josh Smith and Rajon Rondo are among the American stars still on the outside looking in at the roster for Team USA; more additions to the roster could still be to come. Preliminary rounds of this summer’s Games don’t get underway until July 29.

Kentucky freshmen Anthony Davis, Marquis Teague and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and sophomores Terrence Jones and Doron Lamb have all declared for the NBA Draft, according to USA Today.

“This is a players’ first program,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said, according to USA Today. “During the season, it’s about the team. … When the season is over, it’s about moments like this.”

The five, led by Davis (14.3 points per game) combined to score 61.2 points per game for the Wildcats. Senior Darius Miller will join the five players in going to the draft – the six total players combine for 92.3% of the team’s points, according to ESPN.

Draft Express projects Davis as the first overall pick.

The national champion University of Kentucky basketball team will have a different look next season — likely totally different. Kentucky starters Anthony Davis, Doron Lamb, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, and Marquis Teague will announce their decision whether to stay in school or jump to the NBA at a Tuesday afternoon press conference, the school announced Monday.

It was reported earlier Monday that Terrence Jones would be turning pro, and all indications are that the others will follow suit.

Doron Lamb, however, could be the one hold out. Adam Zagoria tweeted Monday that Lamb’s father was unsure of his son’s decision.

Doron Lamb's father tells @SNYtv he "doesn't know" if Doron will come out or not—
Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) April 16, 2012

Most draft projections have Teague, Kidd-Gilchrist, Davis, and Jones in the first round, with Lamb lingering around late first round.

The wait is over — top high school basketball recruit Nerlens Noel has made his decision, and he’s headed to Kentucky next season.

Nerlens Noel announced he'll attend Kentucky. Wow. He's following in Anthony Davis's shoes. Huge get for Coach Cal.

—
Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) April 12, 2012

Noel had narrowed down his choices to UK, Georgetown and Syracuse, and he announced his decision in an unusual way — by shaving the logo of his chosen school into the back of his head. Here’s a photo of Noel’s Kentucky logo, which he revealed to a national television audience on ESPNU tonight.

Noel is originally from Everett, Mass., and he attended the Tilton School in New Hampshire. This was his junior year, but the 6-foot-11 center opted to graduate early and enter college this fall. He instantly vaulted to the top of the 2012 class.

An agile center with a propensity for blocking shots, Noel will make for the perfect replacement for Anthony Davis, who leaves Kentucky this spring to enter the NBA draft.

UConn Huskies power forward Alex Oriakhi is headed elsewhere for his senior season — the only question is where. Jeff Goodman of CBS has offered up a couple of answers — Oriakhi is reportedly visiting with Kentucky and Xavier to discuss a possible transfer before next season.

Alex Oriakhi met with John Calipari last night. The UConn transfer will meet with Xavier's @coachchrismack today.

—
Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanCBS) April 06, 2012

Oriakhi averaged 6.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for UConn last season, somewhat of a down year for him, and he’s looking to restore his reputation as a serious threat to go high in the 2013 NBA draft. He’s also been connected to North Carolina, Duke, Missouri, Washington and Gonzaga in various rumors this week.

Oriakhi is leaving UConn at the right time — coach Jim Calhoun has an uncertain future, star players Jeremy Lamb and Andre Drummond may well be leaving this spring for the NBA, and the Huskies are ineligible for the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

According to their official athletics store website, the Kansas Jayhawks have already won the 2012 NCAA Championship.  Hours before the Jayhawks take on the Kentucky Wildcats tonight, the Kansas athletics store is currently selling t-shirts crowning the Jayhawks as champions, according to CBS St. Louis.

“Congratulations Kansas Jayhawks on the 2012 Final Four Championship!” the website states.  “Show your team pride with this Kansas Jayhawks 2012 Mens Basketball Nothin But Net Champ Tee.”

The t-shirts are still posted for sale on the KU Store website for $19.99.

The championship game between Kansas and Kentucky is scheduled at 9 p.m. ET tonight on CBS.

Fans back in Lexington, Ky., rioted in the streets following the Kentucky Wildcats’ Final Four win tonight over the Louisville Cardinals, according to the independent student newspaper The Kentucky Kernel.

The Kernel reports that cars were flipped, windows were smashed and multiple fires were started on State Street shortly after UK’s 69-61 win at the Superdome in New Orleans. Police were forced to release pepper spray on a crowd that included fans on top of cars.

A couch fire was reported at Rose and Maxwell streets shortly after 9 p.m.; several others started shortly thereafter. A police scanner reported an injury from a beer bottle on Conn Terrace as well.

Stay tuned to the Kernel for further updates throughout the night.

University of Kentucky forward Anthony Davis has been named the Associated Press’ College Basketball Player of the Year, according to Kentucky’s Twitter account. Davis received 43 votes from the 65-member panel.

You can add another award to Anthony Davis' resume. He was just named Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year.

—
Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthleticsNews) March 30, 2012

Davis averaged 14.3 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game in his freshman season for the Wildcats. He joins Kevin Durant as the only two freshmen to win the award.

A lot’s been made of the ineptitude of the NBA’s worst teams like the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Bobcats and the dazzling skill of college basketball’s elite, the Kentucky Wildcats. But Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy says no matter — there’s still no way Kentucky could beat an NBA team.

“Look, it’s absurd,” he told the Associated Press. “I mean, people will say, ‘Oh, Kentucky, you know’s, got four NBA players.’ Yeah, well the other team’s got 13.”

The Wildcats are expected to produce not only the No. 1 overall pick in this spring’s NBA draft in Anthony Davis, but also another high lottery selection in Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. But Van Gundy insists there’s still no comparison.

“Could anything happen on a one-night thing? I mean, I suppose, you have major upsets all the time. So, maybe, but it’d be rare and in a series it’d be a joke,” the Magic coach said. “It wouldn’t be close. That’s just the way it is. John Calipari’s got a lot of talent; he does not have 13 NBA players. He just doesn’t. And even if those guys all are, they’re all NBA rookies. I mean, when has that ever been a success in the NBA? So, no, they’re not going to win.”

Regardless of how the Kentucky men’s basketball team fares in this weekend’s Sweet Sixteen, one of its players has already had a successful weekend — Anthony Davis today was named the winner of the 2012 Adolph Rupp Award, given to the national player of the year.

Anthony Davis has been announced as the winner of the 2012 Adolph Rupp Award for national player of the year.

—
Kentucky Athletics (@UKAthleticsNews) March 22, 2012

It’s far from the first national recognition Davis has earned — the freshman big man was also named the Robertson Trophy winner and the Sporting News player of the year.

Davis is the second Kentucky Wildcat to win Rupp honors in three years — John Wall also took home the award in 2010.

Davis is averaging 14.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game for a Kentucky team that’s 34-2 and favored by many to win the national championship. The Wildcats take on the Indiana Hoosiers in tournament action tomorrow night.

Kentucky freshman basketball star Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has professed his desire to stay in school and earn a degree, but there’s evidence to the contrary. Multiple sources tell ESPN’s Chad Ford that Kidd-Gilchrist plans to be one-and-done, entering the NBA draft this spring.

“He hopes he’ll be able to announce right after they win the NCAA championship,” one source told Ford. “But even if they don’t win it all, he’s coming. He knows he’s going to be a top-five pick. He can’t pass that up.”

Kidd-Gilchrist has been fantastic for Kentucky this season. The 6-foot-7 forward is averaging 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds in 31.3 minutes per game, and the Wildcats have rolled to a 34-2 record. They take on Indiana tomorrow night in the Sweet Sixteen.

Kidd-Gilchrist and Kentucky classmate Anthony Davis are both regarded as high lottery picks in June, assuming they take the plunge into the pros.

“He’s the type of kid that you always want on your team,” one NBA GM said of Kidd-Gilchrist. “Coaches love him, his teammates love him and he does all the little things that matter on the court. He cares about winning and that’s it. I doubt he ever looks at a box score.”

Star Atlanta high school running back Justin Taylor, a former Alabama commitment who instead signed yesterday with Kentucky, spoke candidly about being mistreated by Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban during the recruitment process.

“The way they talked to me, they respected me … but as far as pulling the scholarship, I think they did me wrong,” Taylor told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I was the No. 7 to commit, that’s all I’ve got to say. I was committed to them for a year. They could’ve handled it better.”

Taylor committed to the Crimson Tide last season, but Saban then went back on his promise and asked him to “grayshirt,” or enroll in January 2013 instead. Saban claimed it was because of Taylor’s knee injury senior year, but it’s been speculated that Saban may have oversigned recruits for next fall.

“I knew I wasn’t going to Alabama when I met with Coach Saban at my high school a couple of weeks ago,” Taylor said. “When Coach Saban came down, I just had this feeling in my heart. I prayed about it and God told me … and I know this sounds kind of crazy … but God told me that Alabama was not the place for me.”