Beloved ESPN College Basketball Analyst Dickie V will not call any more games this season, he announced. He was diagnosed with dysplasia in the vocal cords and was ordered to rest as well as season-ending surgery. “Dickie V” is planning on returning next season following a lymphoma diagnosis in October, saying “I will continue to provide updates as I go along, and I am firm in my belief that I will win this battle and be back doing what I love—calling games at courtside next season,” he said. “In the meantime, I will enjoy all the great games from my living room and savor the love of my marvelous family. Thank you all.”
On Wednesday, Louisville announced the firing of head basketball coach Chris Mack. Following an NCAA Tournament-caliber regular season in 2019-2020, the former Xavier coach had the Cardinals at 24-7, before the season was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. Louisville struggled after that season, including this season when they dropped to 11-9 following a loss to Virginia on Monday.
Arkansas signees Nick Smith and Jordan Walsh joined many top 2022 basketball prospects in being named to the 2022 McDonald’s All-American game. While COVID-19 has cancelled the game in 2020 and 2021, the game is scheduled for March 29 in Chicago.
Per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, “The 2022 men’s tournament will go back to its customary format: a 68-team field played out across three weeks at 14 site, starting with the First Four in Dayton. NCAA Executive Vice President of College Basketball also said the men’s and women’s tournaments “will be quite different from last year” even with COVID procedures ‘still on the table’.
