From wire and news services

Oscar Tshiebwe of Kentucky and Gonzaga's Drew Timme were unanimous selections to The Associated Press preseason All-America team, announced Monday.

They were joined by North Carolina forward Armando Bacot, Houston guard Marcus Sasser and Indiana forward Trayce Jackson-Davis.

Gonzaga plays Kentucky on Nov. 20 at the Spokane Arena.

Tschiebwe was the consensus men's college basketball player of the year last season, an accomplishment usually followed by a jump to the NBA.

Kentucky's big man decided to take a different route. He's coming back — and he may be even better this season.

"He's a better passer. He's a better dribbler. He has a better feel. He talks," Kentucky coach John Calipari said. "Offensively he knows the plays better. And he's authentic."

Tshiebwe is the ninth AP national player of the year — Bill Walton and Ralph Sampson did it twice — to return for another season, according to Sportradar, and the first since Tyler Hansbrough came back to lead North Carolina to a national title in 2009.

The fourth-ranked Wildcats are hoping Tshiebwe can do the same for them.

The 6-foot-9, 260-pound forward from the Congo led the nation in rebounding at 15.1 per game while averaging 17.4 points. He shot 60% from the field, had 60 steals and 55 blocks, and finished the season with 16 consecutive double-doubles on the way to a school-record 28.

Instead of taking his game to the NBA, Tshiebwe opted to return when projections had him going in the second round of the 2022 draft.

"They (NBA scouts) want my game to expand a little bit," said Tshiebwe, who started his career at West Virginia. "They want me to be able to make one or two 3-pointers, They want me to catch the ball, drive and finish, and get better in dribbling."

Timme made a similar decision — two years in a row. The 6-10 senior was one of the nation's best big men each of the past two seasons, leading the Zags on deep NCAA runs, including a trip to the national title game in 2021. He was a second-team All-American for the second straight season a year ago after averaging 18.4 points and 6.8 rebounds.

Timme still had areas of his game he wanted to work on before heading to the NBA and hoped for one more shot at winning a national title with the second-ranked Zags. The NCAA's name, image and likeness deals made it an easier decision and, besides, college life is a lot of fun.

"We have a chance to do something special, I wanted to get my degree, there's things I want to work on, I want to build on," Timme said. "It was a culmination of a lot of things, but I really enjoy being a college kid."

Bacot also has a chance to do something special with the Tar Heels.

The 6-11 forward tied the NCAA record with 31 double-doubles last season and became the first to have six in the same NCAA Tournament while leading North Carolina to the national title game. The Tar Heels lost to Kansas, but are No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 and among the favorites to win it all with Bacot back.

"I don't go a day where we're not like saying, man, we can't wait to get to that," Bacot said of winning a national title. "Maybe that's not the best approach, but I mean, we're human."

Sasser was a key cog two years ago during the Cougars' first Final Four run since the Phi Slama Jama days, averaging 13.7 points while playing menacing defense.

The dynamic 6-2 guard got off to a strong start last season, but was limited to 12 games after breaking a bone in his left foot. He was named the American Athletic Conference preseason player of the year and a big reason the Cougars are ranked No. 3 in the AP preseason poll.

"It puts a target on your back every night, but it also gives me motivation every day in practice to go out there and work harder," Sasser said.

Jackson-Davis was a preseason All-American last season and led the Hoosiers in scoring (18.3) and rebounding (8.1). The 6-9 forward also helped Indiana reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years, but the run ended with a first round loss to Saint Mary's.

With Jackson-Davis back, the No. 13 Hoosiers are the favorites to win the Big Ten and, they hope, make a deep March run.

"I think I have kind of set the stone of my individual legacy, being an All-American and doing all of those things, but those don't really matter if you don't win something here," he said. "Winning is a big thing here, so winning a national championship and also winning a Big Ten title, those are my two main goals this year."

More information on Gonzaga’s exhibition game Friday vs. Tennessee

Gonzaga and Tennessee will play in the inaugural Legends of Basketball Classic, a charity exhibition game on Friday at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas.

The game is set for 6 p.m. PDT and iNDEMAND — the largest distributor of PPV and on demand programming in North America — will serve as the exclusive streaming and TV distributor of the event. Proceeds from the event will benefit the McLendon Foundation.

iNDEMAND will carry the game in the U.S. and Canada through cable, satellite, and telco PPV providers and will also make the event available worldwide on its streaming service PPV.COM, the first PPV streaming service to offer interactive fan engagement during live-action sports events. Customers can also order the event on TV through their cable, satellite, or telco providers, including Xfinity, Spectrum, DirecTV, Contour, Dish, Verizon Fios, Altice, and other leading providers. The suggested retail price is $9.99 on all PPV platforms.

“Not only is this a chance to see two outstanding college basketball teams and Final Four contenders, Gonzaga and Tennessee, early in the year, but the game is also being played for a great cause,” said Fran Fraschilla, longtime college basketball analyst and former head coach who will work the telecast. “This game will recognize many of the incredible contributions that Hall of Fame coach John McLendon has made to the game of basketball and will directly benefit the McLendon Foundation.”

Fran Fraschilla, longtime college basketball analyst and former head coach, will work the telecast, along with longtime Gonzaga radio play-by-play voice Tom Hudson and former Tennessee standout and current college basketball analyst Dane Bradshaw. Throughout the game, reporter Andy Katz will host an interactive live chat with viewers exclusively on PPV.COM. Viewers who purchase the event on PPV.COM will also be able to post fan-react videos during the game.

The McLendon Foundation was established in 1999 by National Association of Collegiate Directors of America (NACDA) to honor the legacy of Hall of Fame coach John McLendon who was a pioneer in the field of athletics, the game of basketball, and the civil rights arena. The McLendon Foundation’s mission is to empower and develop minorities who aspire to be principled leaders in athletics administration by providing educational resources and access to a life-long community of mentors. All organizational planning for the Foundation directly aligns with the values of Coach McLendon: Integrity, Education, Leadership and Mentorship.

Information: www.minorityleaders.org

WSU’s Murekatete earns honorable mention on preseason Pac-12 women’s basketball team

SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced Monday, October 24, its 2022-23 Women's Basketball Preseason All-Pac-12 team. Washington State junior Charlisse Leger-Walker was selected to the Preseason All-Pac-12 team, while senior Bella Murekatete, from Genesis Prep Academy in Post Falls, earned a Preseason All-Pac-12 honorable mention nod.

The 2022-23 Preseason All-Pac-12 team is voted on by media members that cover Pac-12 women's basketball. It is the second straight year that Leger-Walker has earned a spot on the Preseason All-Pac-12 squad, while it is Murekatete's first preseason all-conference honorable mention nod.

Leger-Walker, a guard, is a two-time All-Pac-12 honoree and was the 2020-21 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

Murekatete burst onto the scene last season for the Cougars, as she set a career-high in nearly every statistical category en route to being named the 2021-22 Pac-12 Co-Most Improved Player of the Year. The 6-3 center, who is the first known Rwandan-born NCAA Division I women's basketball player, averaged a career-best 10.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in 30 starts last season. Her 47.1% shooting percentage paced Washington State last season, while she ranked in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in both blocks (4th; 1.7 BPG) and rebounds (9th; 7.0 RPG).

PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12

Media vote

Cameron Brink, Stanford; Jayda Curry, California; Jenna Johnson, Utah; Haley Jones, Stanford;

Gianna Kneepkens, Utah; Charlisse Leger-Walker, WSU: Jade Loville, Arizona; Charisma Osborne, UCLA; Te-Hina Paopao, Oregon; Shaina Pellington, Arizona; Sedona Prince, Oregon; Cate Reese, Arizona; Endyia Rogers, Oregon; Jaylyn Sherrod, Colorado; Talia von Oelhoffen, Oregon State.

HONORABLE MENTION

Received votes from 3 or more media members

Treasure Hunt, Arizona State; Evelien Lutje Schipholt, California; Rayah Marshall, USC; Leilani McIntosh, California; Kennady McQueen, Utah; Quay Miller, Colorado; Bella Murekatete, WSU; Kiki Rice, UCLA; Jaddan Simmons, Arizona State; Haley Van Dyke, Washington; Kindyll Wetta, Colorado.

WSU’s Gueye named to men’s preseason all-Pac-12 team

Washington State men’s basketball sophomore Mouhamed Gueye was named to the 2022-23 Pac-12 men's basketball preseason all-conference first team, the conference announced Monday.

Voting is by media members who cover the league.

A member of the 2021-22 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team, Gueye, a 6-11 forward, averaged 7.4 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He also tallied 33 blocks, fourth all-time by a WSU freshman, and pulled in 181 rebounds, fifth all-time by a Coug freshman.

PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12 MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM

FIRST TEAM — Tyger Campbell, UCLA; Branden Carlson, Utah; Boogie Ellis, USC; Mouhamed Gueye, WSU; Harrison Ingram, Stanford; Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA; Spencer Jones, Stanford; Drew Peterson, USC; Will Richardson, Oregon; Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona.

SECOND TEAM — Marcus Bagley, Arizona State; Tristan da Silva, Colorado; DJ Horne, Arizona State; Kerr Kriisa, Arizona; Pelle Larsson, Arizona.

HONORABLE MENTION (At least 8 votes from media members) — Amari Bailey, UCLA; Oumar Ballo, Arizona; Jaylen Clark, UCLA; Quincy Guerrier, Oregon; K.J. Simpson, Colorado; Kel'el Ware, Oregon.