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Ray McCallum will enter NBA Draft, according to report

2013-04-28T00:46:18Z

Detroit Mercy's Ray McCallum will enter the NBA draft, according to NBADraft.net and the Detroit Free Press. The Michigan native will forgo his senior year after three stellar seasons in the Horizon League. Some have the 6'3 guard going in the first round, while others project him to go late in the second round with the potential to miss out on being drafted entirely.

A three-year starter at Detroit, McCallum saw his production increase each season. He scored double-digit points in each of his campaigns, topping out at 18.7 points per game in his junior year. Throw in 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in 2012-2013, and it's no surprise that he was the Horizon League's Player of the Year.

McCallum played all three season at Detroit Mercy for his father, Ray McCallum Sr. The two engineered consecutive postseason berths for the Titans, making the NCAA tournament in 2012 and the NIT in 2013.

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NFL Draft rumors: Falcons trying to trade up for cornerback, per report

2013-04-24T21:38:00Z

The Atlanta Falcons may be looking to move up in the draft to select a cornerback, reports Clark Judge of CBS Sports. Judge reports that the Falcons have their eyes set on on two in particular -- Alabama's Dee Milliner and Florida State's Xavier Rhodes, who should both expect to be drafted before Atlanta's current slot at No. 30.

SB Nation draft-ologist Dan Kadar has Milliner going No. 6 and Rhodes being taken No. 29, but many writers have Rhodes going as high as No. 12. The Falcons have played this game before, trading five picks across 2011 and 2012 for the rights to wideout Julio Jones at No. 6. The price for Rhodes or Milliner may not be quite as steep, but two first-round picks would probably be the building blocks of a trade for a slot that high.

After an offseason that saw the Falcons lose Brent Grimes and Dunta Robinson, Atlanta would be wise to get an NFL-ready corner to play opposite ball hawk Asante Samuel.

After allowing the sixth-fewest points in the NFL and scoring the seventh-most, the Falcons reached the playoffs for the fourth time in five years in 2012.

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NFL Draft 2013: Raiders, Lions talking trade, per report

2013-04-24T20:58:26Z

The Detroit Lions are in trade talks with Oakland Raiders about swapping first-round draft picks, according to DraftIndisder.net. The Lions currently hold the No. 5 pick, but are looking to draft one of the two top offensive tackles available. If Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher make it past Kansas City and Jacksonville, the Raiders' No. 3 selection could become available to Detroit.

After a 10-6 season in 2011 that saw their first playoff berth since 1999, the Lions fell back to earth in 2012. They finished 4-12 and just 23rd in the NFL in rushing yards per game. Also, 12-year veteran Jeff Backus retired in the offseason, leaving a vacancy at left tackle the Lions would be wise to fill with a high draft pick.

If the picks get swapped, Draft Insider has the Raiders looking at defensive tackles Sharrif Floyd or Star Lotuleilei with their current No. 5 pick. Floyd enters the draft as a junior from the University of Florida while Lotuleilei finished his career at Utah as a senior.

For more on what the Lions will do in the drat, head over to Pride of Detroit.

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Nike Hoop Summit: Preview, TV time and more

2013-04-20T21:06:38Z

For the sixth straight year, Portland will host the best young basketball players in the country at the 2013 Nike Hoops Summit. A nearly annual event since 1995, Saturday's Summit is the best platform for players all over the world to showcase their skills against their peers and impress NBA front offices. This year's game will feature 10 American players facing off against 11 of their overseas counterparts.

Past games have featured future NBA Hall of Famers like Kevin Garnett and Dirk Nowitzki, and current stars Derrick Rose and John Wall. Foreign players have especially benefited from the event, with NBA front offices sometimes getting their first looks at players who were raised overseas. Tony Parker, Serge Ibaka and Nowitzki are good examples of this. So is Enes Kanter, the current Utah Jazz center who set a Summit record in 2010 with 34 points.

The ten American players are all in the top 25 of the ESPN100, which ranks the best amateur talent. Jabari Parker, the No. 2 player on the list, has committed to play at Duke after winning two state championships in Illinois. Filling out the American team are forwards Noah Vonleh, Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Aaron Gordon and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The guards on the team are highlighted by twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison, who have both committed to Kentucky. Rounding out the backcourt are Kasey Hill and Demetrius Jackson.

The international squad features the most highly touted prospect of the bunch, Canada's Andrew Wiggins. The 6'8 forward has yet to commit to a school, but has the ability to change the landscape of college basketball with his decision. Joel Embiid, a 6'11 center, has committed. The native of Cameroon will join Bill Self's Kansas team next season. The rest of the World Team features players from five continents: Germany's Dennis Schroeder, Montenegro's Nikola Ivanovic, Argentina's Gabriel Deck, Australia's Dante Exum, Russia's Sergey Karasev, Lithuania's Tomas Dimsa, and the Dominican Republic's Karl Towns Jr. There are also a pair of Frenchmen, Mouhammadou Jaiteh and Livio Jean-Charles.

Of the 15 previous games, the United States has won 11. However, the World Team was victorious in the 2012 game, winning 84-75 behind 20 points from Andrew Wiggins.

Date/Time: Saturday, April 20, 7 p.m. ET

Location: Rose Garden, Portland, Ore.

TV Network: ESPN2

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2013 NFL Schedule: Ravens and Bengals seek to keep their playoff streaks alive

2013-04-20T17:30:03Z

In addition to their regular division games, the members of the AFC North will play the AFC East and the NFC North. Though the Patriots and Packers will be no picnic, there are a slew of beatable teams in both divisions. With the talent inside the division and the light schedule, the AFC North could again send two teams to the playoffs, if not three.

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The defending champion Ravens open the season with a heavyweight matchup, playing the Broncos on Thursday night. Their first seven weeks aren't easy overall, having to face the Texans, Packers and Steelers before their Week 8 bye. But the schedule softens later, with the Browns, Lions and a home game against the Bengals.

The premier rivalry in the NFL, the Steelers and Ravens, will play their pair of annual bloodbaths. Pittsburgh will host the first meeting in Week 7, with Baltimore returning the favor in Week 13. After Pittsburgh faces the Patriots in Week 9, the schedule softens, culminating in a home game against Cleveland in Week 17. If it weren't for those pesky Ravens, Pittsburgh would have one of the easier schedules in football.

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To earn their third straight playoff berth, the Bengals will have to survive a late-season onslaught. In their final eight games, Cincinnati plays the Ravens twice, as well as the Colts, Steelers, Chargers. The Bengals can cross their fingers that the Ravens have nothing to play for in their Week 17 meeting.

The Cleveland Browns open the season at home against Miami, and close out visiting the New York Jets and Pittsburgh.

Obviously the main draws are the Steelers-Ravens games, but Baltimore's prime time games against New England and Denver will be musts for NFL fans. The Bengals have been sneaky good the last four years, making the playoffs three times.

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2013 NFL schedule: A closer look at the AFC West

2013-04-20T16:30:03Z

WIth the NFL's current scheduling format, teams within a division play an almost identical list of teams. But the order can be crucial, as is where the respective games are played. This season, the AFC West will take on the teams of the NFC East and the AFC South. Denver is the favorite to run away with the division, but will the schedule give the other three teams an extra boost?

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Seeking their third straight AFC West title, the Broncos open the season against the defending champion Baltimore Ravens. It doesn't get much easier in Week 2 as they travel to New York to play the Giants. After prime time games against the Colts, Patriots and Chargers, Denver closes the season on the road against the Raiders.

Like Denver, the Chargers start their season in prime time, hosting Houston on Monday Night Football. San Diego will face some challenges late in the season, having a three-game stretch against the Bengals, Giants and Broncos that concludes in Week 15. Home games against Oakland and Kansas City finish off the season for a team looking to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

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The Raiders open up the season at Indianapolis, but three of their next four games will be played at home. Oakland closes the season with three straight division games, playing Kansas City, San Diego and Denver.

With the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, the Chiefs will have something to hang their hat on entering the season. They also don't face any playoff teams from a year ago in the first six weeks. For a team that went 2-14 last season, they could easily top that mark in the early going.

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2013 NFL schedule: New England will have a tough road to playoffs with difficult late-season schedule

2013-04-20T14:23:00Z

This season, the four teams in the AFC East have drawn matchups with the AFC North and NFC South. The Patriots, Dolphins, Bills and Jets get a short straw of sorts, going up against the Steelers, Ravens and Falcons in non-divisional play. Then, of course, there are the rivalries within the division, which have mostly favored New England in recent years. Miami has the best chance of unseating the Patriots this season, and the schedule could play an outsized role in making that happen.

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The New England Patriots, perennial favorites to win the AFC East, will play six playoff teams this season. A brutal stretch between Weeks 9 and 16 feature home games against the Broncos and Steelers and visits to Houston and Baltimore. The rest of the division remains weak, and the Patriots will have to play well against those teams to extend their streak of 10-win seasons to 11.

The Jets have a rough stretch as well, but it comes much earlier in the season. Weeks 5-7 feature the Falcons, Steelers and Pats, all teams that have their eye on the Lombardi Trophy. But if the Jets can tread water into Week 13, the schedule finishes with games against the Browns, Raiders, Panthers and two against the Dolphins.

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The Bills could get a big boost early in the season, playing three of their first four games at home. Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of finishing the season with three of four on the road.

Miami best represents the brutality of this year's schedule, facing five of last year's playoff teams in the first eight weeks. As a potential off-season sleeper, the Dolphins could get down early and never recover.

The four teams combine for 11 prime time games, with the Patriots featured in five of them. The annual "Brady-Manning" showdown occurs in Week 12 when the Patriots host the Broncos on Sunday night. If the Bills or Dolphins have any chance of winning this division, they will most likely have to beat the Patriots late in the season. Miami hosts the Pats in Week 15, and Buffalo gets the last lick when they head to Foxborough to close out the season.

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Big Ten to realign by geography in 2014, per report

2013-04-20T02:12:46Z

The Big Ten may undergo division realignment in 2014, according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN. The new divisions would be split up by geography, with "East" and "West" replacing "Legends" and "Leaders." The 2013 season will be played with the current division format.

The proposed East division would consist of Indiana, Maryland, Michigan State, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Rutgers. The West would feature Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin. The Michigan/Ohio State rivalry gets a jolt, as both teams are now in the same division. Previously, the conference made an exception to assure that the rivals would play every season.

The only traditional rivalry threatened by the realignment is Purdue-Indiana. But like the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry before it, the Big Ten has promised to allow these teams to play every season.

After a proposed 10-game conference schedule, the league settled on a nine-game schedule beginning in 2016 to give each team seven home games. The realignment runs concurrently with Maryland and Rutgers joining the conference as the 13th and 14th teams.

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