The newsroom
Preseason reporting from basketball and hockey: the calendar, the changes, and the questions worth following.
NBA
NBA · Preseason
One-fifth of the league changed coaches this summer. Two of the six have never been an NBA head coach, one is coming straight from an NCAA title, and one takes over a Bucks team that traded Giannis Antetokounmpo weeks after he was hired.
Read the story By BetMetrics · September 14, 2026NBA · Preseason
The league's official key dates and the Aug. 13 schedule release lay out a season that opens with a Celtics-Pistons, 76ers-Knicks and Thunder-Spurs tripleheader and ends April 11.
Read the story By BetMetrics · September 14, 2026NBA · Preseason
Camps open Sept. 22 for teams playing preseason games outside North America and Sept. 29 for the rest, and the season tips Oct. 20 with the champion Knicks raising a banner against a Philadelphia team that added LeBron James and Jaylen Brown, while Giannis Antetokounmpo starts over in Miami and LaMelo Ball in Minnesota.
Read the story By BetMetrics · September 14, 2026College basketball
College basketball · Preseason
What CBS Sports and On3 say about the 2026-27 contenders, and the sourced roster facts behind each, with the reminder that every ranking here is an outlet's opinion, not a result.
Read the story By BetMetrics · September 14, 2026College basketball · Preseason
Notre Dame and Villanova open the season in Rome on Nov. 1, the NCAA tournament grows to 76 teams for the first time, and defending champion Michigan begins its title defense under Mike Boynton after Dusty May left for the Dallas Mavericks.
Read the story By BetMetrics · September 14, 2026College basketball · Preseason
The Opening Round grows from four games to 12 across Dayton and Wichita, at-large access widens by eight bids, and the NCAA points to $131 million in new distributions; the 64-team weekend stays where it was.
Read the story By BetMetrics · September 14, 2026NHL
NHL · Preseason
Between April 5 and June 23, the Islanders, Canucks, Kings, Maple Leafs, Golden Knights and Oilers all changed head coaches. Here is what each hire replaced and what the front offices said they wanted.
Read the story By BetMetrics · September 14, 2026NHL · Preseason
Carolina, Florida, Vegas, Edmonton, Toronto and Buffalo — BetMetrics' selection, with the specific moves and open questions behind each drawn from NHL.com's team previews.
Read the story By BetMetrics · September 14, 2026NHL · Preseason
The first season under the new CBA adds two divisional games per team, cuts the preseason to eight days, and opens with the champion Hurricanes hosting the Panthers while six teams break in new head coaches.
Read the story By BetMetrics · September 14, 2026
