Nolan Smith

Nate Britt Jr. , a 2011 All-Met guard who recently finished his junior year at Gonzaga , said Sunday he has left the District private school and will play his final high school season at Oak Hill Academy, which runs a nationally renowned boys' basketball program in southwestern Virginia. Britt, a 6-foot-1 point guard who has orally committed to play at North Carolina , averaged 15.8 points as a junior last season while leading the fifth-ranked Eagles to a 27-7 record.

Nate Britt Jr. , a 2011 All-Met guard who recently finished his junior year at Gonzaga , said Sunday he has left the District private school and will play his final high school season at Oak Hill Academy, which runs a nationally renowned boys' basketball program in southwestern Virginia. Britt, a 6-foot-1 point guard who has orally committed to play at North Carolina , averaged 15.8 points as a junior last season while leading the fifth-ranked Eagles to a 27-7 record.

Derek Smith taught his son that great basketball players never take a play off. He taught him that no amount of money, fame or possessions could ever mean more than family. And in the years following Derek Smith's death, at 34, of an undetected heart defect, Nolan Smith, then 8, developed an expertise that no one wants: How to go on without a father who reached his massive arms up to heaven the day his children were born and rearranged the universe with them at its center. In so...

In the hours leading up to the 2011 NBA draft , Maryland's Jordan Williams joked on his Twitter account that he had waited 20 years for this moment, so having to wait a few extra hours to hear his name called wouldn't matter in the end. That logic proved prophetic, as the 6-foot-10 forward watched team after team bypass him in the first round Thursday night. But more than three hours after the draft began, the New Jersey Nets ended his anxiety-filled night, selecting Williams with the...

Gerald Henderson scored 21 points and No. 2 Duke pulled away late to beat North Carolina State, 73-56, last night in Durham, N.C. Nolan Smith hit consecutive three-pointers 30 seconds apart to start the decisive run for the Blue Devils (17-1, 4-0 ACC). They closed the game on a 27-5 run and shot 76 percent in the second half. Kyle Singler had 14 of his 17 points in the second half and Smith finished with 13 to help Duke overcome a horrible start. Brandon Costner and Ben McCauley both scored 15 points for the Wolfpack...

Both teams are strong on the perimeter, with suffocating defenses and balanced offenses. Villanova holds opponents to 67.1 points per game; Duke keeps teams to 65.6 points. The key matchup will be Duke sophomore forward Kyle Singler against Villanova senior forward Dante Cunningham. Singler is a do-it-all forward who can hurt opponents on the glass and on the perimeter. He is also an able passer, which allows the Blue Devils to run their offense through him. Cunningham, who went to Potomac...

Who: Virginia Tech vs. Duke When: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Va. Records: Hokes 17-10, 7-6 ACC; Blue Devils 23-5, 9-4. TV: WJLA (Channel 7), WMAR (Channel 2). Radio: WWXT (92.7 FM), WWXX (94.3 FM), WTEM (980 AM). ON THE BRINK OF MADNESS: Virginia Tech bolstered its hopes of securing an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament with Wednesday's road win over No. 12 Clemson. Beating No. 7 Duke might be the finishing touch. If the Hokies fall to the Blue Devils, they will need to beat either No. 4 North...

Bo Ryan made a point to Jon Leuer, sending him to the bench for most of the first half. Then Leuer made his points in the second half. Playing without its leading scorer on the floor, No. 23 Wisconsin still managed to build a big lead on No. 15 Ohio State. The host Badgers maintained the defensive pressure in the second half, pulling away for a 65-43 victory Thursday in the Big Ten opener for both teams. "I was really enjoying my spot on the bench watching them," Leuer said.

CHARLOTTE, March 15 -- Trevor Booker scored 18 points, Cliff Hammonds added 17 and Clemson, the perennial pushover in the ACC, stunned No. 7 Duke, 78-74, on Saturday to reach the tournament title game for the first time in 46 years. The third-seeded Tigers (24-8), who had lost 22 straight games to the Blue Devils, pulled away in the second half to spoil a much more familiar North Carolina-Duke rematch in the championship. Instead Clemson, which has never won the ACC title, will get a shot at the top-ranked Tar...

Michigan looked like the team it expected to be while No. 15 Connecticut struggled -- again. Zack Novak made a tiebreaking three-pointer with 1 1/2 minutes left and Manny Harris followed with a layup to power the host Wolverines to a 68-63 win over the Huskies on Sunday. The Wolverines (10-7) earned the signature win they needed in a season that started with them ranked 15th, coming off their first NCAA tournament appearance since 1998. They'll have to finish the season very strong to earn another bid, but beating Connecticut...

Derek Smith taught his son that great basketball players never take a play off. He taught him that no amount of money, fame or possessions could ever mean more than family. And in the years following Derek Smith's death, at 34, of an undetected heart defect, Nolan Smith, then 8, developed an expertise that no one wants: How to go on without a father who reached his massive arms up to heaven the day his children were born and rearranged the universe with them at its center. In so...

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The biggest caveat with Arizona during a resurgent season was that the Wildcats were a one-man team. Thursday night against Duke , Derrick Williams, a 6-foot-8 forward with an array of talents, reinforced the notion that he is one of the nation's best players by scoring a career-high 32 points, including 25 in a singular first-half effort. The shocker was that the sophomore's complementary pieces showed in the second half that they are also up to the task.

CHARLOTTE — The stands were empty and the television crew was packing up, the game between top-seeded Duke and No. 8 seed Michigan long since over. But there stood Wolverine sophomore Darius Morris on the arena floor, re-enacting the exact shooting motion in the exact spot where just an hour earlier he could have completed a stunning Michigan comeback. The real thing — a floater from just inside the free throw line with two seconds remaining Sunday — bounced off the back rim and the Blue Devils...

CHARLOTTE — A week has passed now, but C.J. Lee still is amazed at what he saw when the Michigan basketball team gathered last Sunday night to watch ESPN's documentary on the Fab Five. Much has been made in recent days about the comments made in the film by former Wolverines player Jalen Rose, who said the black players recruited by Duke — specifically Grant Hill — were "Uncle Toms. " But that wasn't what caught Lee's attention. "What people may not realize is it was a lot of...

Virginia Tech could have removed any doubt as to whether it would make its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2007 with a victory Saturday at Greensboro Coliseum. But when it comes to March Madness, Coach Seth Greenberg's bunch never seems to make life easy on itself. Less than 24 hours after a stunning turn of events propelled the Hokies into the ACC tournament semifinals, they lost to No. 5 Duke, 77-63 , and must once again wait...

greensboro, n.c. It ended almost exactly as it began for Maryland . In November at Madison Square Garden, in their first big test of the new season, the Terrapins had a golden opportunity to knock off then-fourth ranked Pittsburgh. But Jordan Williams , who was superb in every other aspect of the game, made only 2 of 7 free throws and the Panthers survived, 79-70 . Friday night at Greensboro Coliseum, the Terrapins were right there again: hanging with fifth-ranked Duke late...

Jon Scheyer scored 24 of his career-high 36 points in the first half to lead No. 7 Duke past Gardner-Webb, 113-68, on Tuesday night in Durham, N.C. Scheyer was 11 of 13 from the field and hit a career-best seven three-pointers while flirting with a triple-double for the Blue Devils (8-1). Duke never trailed, broke the game open with a huge early run and shot 65.2 percent for the game. Auryn MacMillan scored 14 points and C.J. Hailey added 11 to lead Gardner-Webb (3-5). The Runnin' Bulldogs turned it over 23 times and went more...

Kyle Singler had career highs of 30 points and eight three-pointers to lead No. 10 Duke past No. 21 Georgia Tech, 86-67, on Thursday night in Durham, N.C. Jon Scheyer added 21 points for the Blue Devils (18-4, 6-2 ACC), who were strong inside and outside -- hitting nearly 67 percent of their three-pointers and dominating the Yellow Jackets' foul-plagued front line. Duke held a 40-32 rebounding edge and remained atop the ACC by claiming an easy win in a matchup of the league's only two ranked...

GREENSBORO, N.C. — In its third and most critical game against Duke over the last 10 weeks, and with a place in the ACC tournament semifinals at stake, the Maryland men's basketball team battled with an aggression and belief that eluded it toward the end of the regular season. But the outcome was the same as the first two games, with Maryland stumbling down the stretch Friday night and falling, 87-71 . The Terrapins were soundly outplayed over the final six minutes following a toe injury that sent...

Kyle Singler had career highs of 30 points and eight three-pointers to lead No. 10 Duke past No. 21 Georgia Tech, 86-67, on Thursday night in Durham, N.C. Jon Scheyer added 21 points for the Blue Devils (18-4, 6-2 ACC), who were strong inside and outside -- hitting nearly 67 percent of their three-pointers and dominating the Yellow Jackets' foul-plagued front line. Duke held a 40-32 rebounding edge and remained atop the ACC by claiming an easy win in a matchup of the league's only two ranked teams.