Zak Irvin picked Michigan over Butler on Sunday.

Irvin is 6-foot-6 and will be a junior at Hamilton Southeastern. He is ranked No. 97 by Rivals in the class of 2013.

“I’ve liked Michigan for a while,” said Irvin. “But it was a really tough decision because I felt like I had a good relationship with (Butler coach Brad Stevens).”

Irvin, who averaged 11.4 points and 2.7 rebounds as a sophomore, also had offers from Baylor, Illinois, Indiana, Miami (Fla.), Purdue, Tennessee and Xavier. 

Irvin sees himself being used in a similar way as Tim Hardaway Jr.

“They talked a lot about how they can use me coming off ball screens, either shooting or creating,” Irvin said. “I watched them a couple games in the NCAA Tournament last year and watched how Tim Hardaway Jr. played. I think I can play the same way.”

Tim Hardaway, Jr. of Michigan scored 21 points and Jeremy Lamb of NCAA champion Connecticut tipped in his own miss with 29 seconds to play to give the United States a 78-77 victory over Australia on Sunday in the fifth-place game of FIBA’s Under 19 World Championships.

Lamb finished 2 for 16 from the field for the U.S. (7-2), which came in as the defending champion but was beaten in the quarterfinals by Russia.

Hugh Greenwood had 26 points for Australia (6-3), including six 3-pointers, but he missed a desperation 3 in the final seconds against some solid defense by Hardaway.

The University of Miami men's basketball team will be sporting LeBron James-branded Nike gear this coming season thanks to a sponsorship deal with the Miami Heat superstar, two sources said Friday.

James will also be sponsoring Ohio State and Kentucky.

UM players were told the news by Coach Jim Larranaga on Thursday.

James' publicist, Keith Estabrook, said he wouldn't comment on the matter and directed all questions to Nike, which didn't immediately return an email from the Sun Sentinel.

Ohio State's Jared Sullinger says he’s lost 10-15 pounds since the end of last season.

"I weigh 275," he said. "I've lost 10 to 15 pounds since the end of the season. I want to get down to 255-260 and stay there."

Sullinger said he’s lifting weights regularly, running the stairs, and boxing.

"I did the boxing spring quarter against the [heavy] bag. I did boxing, kicks, punches. I would do jabs with each arm, a minute straight; hooks each arm a minute straight, and body blows, left-right-left, a minute straight," he said. "With all the running we do, the strength and conditioning we do, all the open gyms we have, it's only a matter of time before the weight starts to fall off."

Sophomore Jared Sullinger, 19, has some unfinished business at Ohio State, which finished 32-2 during his freshman year in 2010-11.

"I wanted to be a kid," he said on Wednesday at the LeBron James Skills Academy at the University of Akron. "I wanted to play basketball. Obviously, there is an NBA lockout. But that had no influence on my decision.

"I wanted to live college life. You only get to live life once. I can't go back to college and be a college athlete if I go to the pros. I just decided to wait."

Scouts thought he would be a top 10 selection in the draft, quite possibly in the top five. That's a risky move, not to mention all the potential money he left on the table.

"I could care less, honestly," Sullinger said. "People can say it's risky. People can say it's good for me or bad for me. I really don't care. It's my life. I made the decision that was best for me. You only live life once. Why not live it to the fullest?"