Will Despart

Averill Park, Las Vegas

Las Vegas Staff Writer at The Sporting Tribune

Las Vegas staff writer for @SportingTrib | NBA/NCAAB writer for @FieldLevelMedia | Prior: @reviewjournal, @GiveMeSport | UNLV alum | Des-part

Articles

NBA Play-In: Mavericks vs. Kings Preview

1 week ago | ballislife.com | Will Despart

The Dallas Mavericks and Sacramento Kings are hoping to save what has turned into disastrous seasons for each, as both teams regressed mightily from 2023-24 and traded their franchise players in the process. The embattled franchises will face off in the Western Conference’s No. 9 vs. No. 10 seed play-in game on Wednesday. The winner earns a chance to face the loser of Tuesday’s Warriors-Grizzlies matchup to determine the eighth and final playoff seed in the West.
NBA Play-In: Heat vs. Bulls preview

1 week ago | ballislife.com | Will Despart

For the second straight season, the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls will face off in the NBA play-in tournament. Miami eliminated Chicago with a 112-91 win in the No. 8 seed game last April, advancing to the postseason for the fifth consecutive year. Wednesday’s matchup is once again an elimination game, but this time, it's a No. 9 vs No. 10 matchup that will only determine which team moves on to the No. 8 seed game on Friday.
NBA Play-In: Warriors vs. Grizzlies Preview

1 week ago | ballislife.com | Will Despart

The Golden State Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies will add another chapter to what has become a heated rivalry on Tuesday, as the teams are set for yet another postseason clash in the first round of the NBA play-in tournament. Memphis and Golden State previously met in the 2022 Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors edged out the Grizzlies in six games, but the series didn’t pass without controversy.
NBA Play-In: Magic vs. Hawks Preview

1 week ago | ballislife.com | Will Despart

Paolo Banchero and the red-hot Orlando Magic are looking to secure their second consecutive playoff berth the hard way. Banchero and company play host to Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks in the opening game of the NBA’s sixth-annual play-in tournament on Tuesday.
2025 WNBA Draft: 3 Roster Sleepers

1 week ago | ballislife.com | Will Despart

Monday’s 2025 WNBA Draft is fast approaching. It doesn’t seem there will be much drama at the top of the draft, with Paige Bueckers and Dominique Malonga penciled in as the top two overall picks on just about every reputable mock. The middle of the first round requires more creative thinking, but the end of the first and the start of the second round is where you’ll likely see the most chaos.
NCAAM Transfer Portal: 5 Most Impactful Commits (So Far)

2 weeks ago | ballislife.com | Will Despart

The NCAA Tournament is officially wraps, which means all of our attention can now shift entirely to the transfer portal. For some teams, the portal has been the immediate priority for nearly a month after conference tournament week ended in mid-March. For teams who competed in the Final Four this past weekend, the portal has been the immediate priority for less than 48 hours. Generously. For now, here are the five most potentially impactful transfer portal commitments of this year’s cycle.
NCAA Title Game Preview: Florida vs. Houston

2 weeks ago | ballislife.com | Will Despart

After Saturday’s Final Four delivered in spades, No. 1 seeds Florida and Houston are set to square off in the NCAA tournament’s national championship game on Monday night. Florida overcame a nine-point first-half deficit to down Auburn with a dominant second half, while Houston pulled off a truly improbable comeback in the final eight minutes to knock off a Duke team that entered the weekend as the overwhelming favorite to win it all.
NCAA Final Four: Top Storylines For Each Team

2 weeks ago | ballislife.com | Will Despart

It’s almost that time. The most highly anticipated Final Four in the modern history of the NCAA Tournament is upon us and it’s ripe with storylines. From a historically great Duke team looking to finish the job, to an all-time great Houston team trying desperately to get its legendary coach his first ring. From an Auburn team that dominated the regular season but suffered an injury scare in the Elite 8, to a Florida team that burst onto the scene this season led by a young head coaching phenom.
NCAA Final Four: It's 2008 Again!

2 weeks ago | ballislife.com | Will Despart

This weekend, San Antonio is going to party like it’s 2008. For the first time in 17 years and just the second time in NCAA Tournament history, all four men's No. 1 seeds are Final Four-bound. Auburn, Duke, Houston and Florida are set to square off in San Antonio’s historic Alamodome. A site truly worthy of the occasion for more reasons than one. In a bit of spectacular irony, that forever memorable Final Four in 2008 just so happened to be at the Alamodome as well.
NCAA Final Four: Duke vs. Houston Preview

3 weeks ago | ballislife.com | Will Despart

If styles make fights, Saturday’s Final Four matchup between Duke and Houston will be a brawl of epic proportions. Not only is it a matchup between the nation’s best offense and the nation’s best defense, it's a matchup between the two highest-rated teams in KenPom’s rankings since 2015. That’s right. Both Duke (+39.62) and Houston (36.47) have better adjusted efficiency margins than some historically great college basketball teams across the last decade. 2018 Vilanova didn’t stack up.