December 29 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, OK
ESPNU
"18-game grind"
"rim protector" (3)
"the mount rushmore of college basketball"
"a nose dive into the hardwood"
"stretch four"
"ball hawk"
"create help situations"
"basketball" (17)
"they share the basketball"
"hedging ball screens"
Games 463-464: A Thursday pair
464 - Kennesaw State at Mercer
December 28 at Hawkins Arena in Macon, GA
espn3.com
Mercer is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country and I saw why Thursday.
The Bears, sixth nationally coming into the night, hit 10-of-18 from behind the arc and used a dominant second half to roll to a 89-56 win.
It was a 38-31 lead for the hosts through 20 minutes, but a blistering shooting performance in the second half - 72% (!), including 7-of-11 shooting performance from three - allowed Mercer to pull away.
Ria'n Holland is a top-20 scorer nationally and was right around his average with 20 points. Holland and Jordan Strawberry (seven assists) are a pair of really good guards that should help Mercer stay at the top of the Southern Conference all year.
Mercer had 24 assists on 35 made baskets, led by Strawberry and Holland, who added five assists.
463 - NJIT at Buffalo
December 28 at Alumni Arena in Amherst, NY
espn3.com
Wes Clark was superb in the Bulls' 86-81, overtime victory.
Clark, a senior playing just his third game with Buffalo (he's a Missouri transfer who enrolled late and was finally eligible to play last Tuesday at Syracuse), had 27 points on 8-of-11 shooting, six assists, four steals and only one turnover in 37 minutes.
Clark scored 13 straight Buffalo points during a stretch in overtime, single-handedly turning a tie game into an 84-77 lead with about a half-minute to go.
December 28 at Hawkins Arena in Macon, GA
espn3.com
Mercer is one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country and I saw why Thursday.
The Bears, sixth nationally coming into the night, hit 10-of-18 from behind the arc and used a dominant second half to roll to a 89-56 win.
It was a 38-31 lead for the hosts through 20 minutes, but a blistering shooting performance in the second half - 72% (!), including 7-of-11 shooting performance from three - allowed Mercer to pull away.
Ria'n Holland is a top-20 scorer nationally and was right around his average with 20 points. Holland and Jordan Strawberry (seven assists) are a pair of really good guards that should help Mercer stay at the top of the Southern Conference all year.
Mercer had 24 assists on 35 made baskets, led by Strawberry and Holland, who added five assists.
463 - NJIT at Buffalo
December 28 at Alumni Arena in Amherst, NY
espn3.com
Wes Clark was superb in the Bulls' 86-81, overtime victory.
Clark, a senior playing just his third game with Buffalo (he's a Missouri transfer who enrolled late and was finally eligible to play last Tuesday at Syracuse), had 27 points on 8-of-11 shooting, six assists, four steals and only one turnover in 37 minutes.
Clark scored 13 straight Buffalo points during a stretch in overtime, single-handedly turning a tie game into an 84-77 lead with about a half-minute to go.
Game 462 - San Diego State at Wyoming
December 27 at Arena-Auditorium in Laramie, WY
espn3.com
Both Hayden Dalton & the broadcast team of Shawn Kenney and Richie Schueler had huge nights on Wednesday. Dalton scored a career-high 36 points to lead the Cowboys to an 82-69 win in the Mountain West opener, while Kenney and Schueler provided this list of nonsense:
"the dome of doom"
"ran out of real estate"
"court vision" (2)
"the Steve Fisher era"
"he's an absolute bulldog to the basket" (2)
"he's like a Swiss army knife, he just has so many weapons"
"Wyoming came out guns a blazing" (2)
"the main rim protector"
"road warriors"
"sharp shooting sniper uncorked"
"still trying to get his game legs"
200 Game Season legs rankings
1. road legs
2. game legs
3. young legs
4. tired legs
"high low action"
"bingo! Devin Watson splashes her in"
"hero ball"
"San Diego State not starting on the foot that they wanted to"
espn3.com
Both Hayden Dalton & the broadcast team of Shawn Kenney and Richie Schueler had huge nights on Wednesday. Dalton scored a career-high 36 points to lead the Cowboys to an 82-69 win in the Mountain West opener, while Kenney and Schueler provided this list of nonsense:
"the dome of doom"
"ran out of real estate"
"court vision" (2)
"the Steve Fisher era"
"he's an absolute bulldog to the basket" (2)
"he's like a Swiss army knife, he just has so many weapons"
"Wyoming came out guns a blazing" (2)
"the main rim protector"
"road warriors"
"sharp shooting sniper uncorked"
"still trying to get his game legs"
200 Game Season legs rankings
1. road legs
2. game legs
3. young legs
4. tired legs
"high low action"
"bingo! Devin Watson splashes her in"
"hero ball"
"San Diego State not starting on the foot that they wanted to"
Game 461 - Delaware State women at Florida
December 27 at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, FL
Gator IMG Sports Network
Not a well-played game by either team, though Florida extended to a double-digit lead late in the first quarter and was never threatened in winning 85-51.
Big day for Haley Lorenzen as the senior not only led all scorers with 18 points, but became the 24th player in Florida history to score 1,000 points, reaching that plateau with a 3-pointer midway through the second. But the hosts were sloppy, turning the ball over 21 times, and despite hitting ten 3-pointers, which was right in line with their top-15 national average of 9.8, were only 15-of-26 from the free-throw line.
Things get much tougher for Florida as they begin SEC play Sunday at Auburn.
A miserable season continued for Delaware State with Wednesday's sixth straight loss. The Hornets (1-10), already without MEAC preseason player of the year NaJai Pollard, who suffered a knee injury December 6 against Robert Morris, shot 25% (20-of-78) from the field and actually were worse in this game from three-point range (17%, 5-of-29) than their season mark of 19% coming in.
I knew Florida had a distinct advantage on the glass and had grabbed a ton of rebounds, but 68 in a 40-minute game is absurd. Nineteen of those rebounds came on the offensive end.
Gator IMG Sports Network
Not a well-played game by either team, though Florida extended to a double-digit lead late in the first quarter and was never threatened in winning 85-51.
Big day for Haley Lorenzen as the senior not only led all scorers with 18 points, but became the 24th player in Florida history to score 1,000 points, reaching that plateau with a 3-pointer midway through the second. But the hosts were sloppy, turning the ball over 21 times, and despite hitting ten 3-pointers, which was right in line with their top-15 national average of 9.8, were only 15-of-26 from the free-throw line.
Things get much tougher for Florida as they begin SEC play Sunday at Auburn.
A miserable season continued for Delaware State with Wednesday's sixth straight loss. The Hornets (1-10), already without MEAC preseason player of the year NaJai Pollard, who suffered a knee injury December 6 against Robert Morris, shot 25% (20-of-78) from the field and actually were worse in this game from three-point range (17%, 5-of-29) than their season mark of 19% coming in.
I knew Florida had a distinct advantage on the glass and had grabbed a ton of rebounds, but 68 in a 40-minute game is absurd. Nineteen of those rebounds came on the offensive end.
Game 460 - USC vs. New Mexico State
Diamond Head Classic championship game
December 25 at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, HI
ESPN
Now seems as good a time as any to make a key adjustment to the Scoochie Smith All Stars. The 200 Game Season all-name team has been around since the site began more than two years ago, and we've seen several USC games, but until tonight, Bennie Boatwright was a glaring omission.
Boatwright became the 34th member of the Scoochies, then went out and poured in a career-high 33 points in USC's 77-72 victory to win its second Diamond Head Classic championship.
With the game tied at 72-72, Boatwright saved his best for last, draining a three (his sixth in 10 attempts on the night) from about four feet beyond the arc with 4.2 seconds left for the game-winner.
In the ninth year of the event, USC became the first two-time winner.
New Mexico State, which picked up a huge victory over No. 6 Miami in the semi finals, came up just short. The Aggies got 28 points on 6-of-9 shooting from long range from Zach Lofton and a near-triple-double from Jemerrio Jones (13 & 11 with eight assists), and led 72-68 with two minutes to play on an impressive Eli Chuha put back over 6-11 Chimezie Metu, but didn't score again.
Jordan McLaughlin grabbed an offensive rebound off a Metu miss & banked in a 12-footer to make it 72-70, then Metu had a huge block late in the shot clock on Lofton that led to a tying, transition lay-in by Jonah Matthews. New Mexico State missed a three, and after a time out, Boatwright hit the winner.
McLaughlin finished with 12 points and his 21st career game with at least eight assists.
December 25 at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, HI
ESPN
Now seems as good a time as any to make a key adjustment to the Scoochie Smith All Stars. The 200 Game Season all-name team has been around since the site began more than two years ago, and we've seen several USC games, but until tonight, Bennie Boatwright was a glaring omission.
Boatwright became the 34th member of the Scoochies, then went out and poured in a career-high 33 points in USC's 77-72 victory to win its second Diamond Head Classic championship.
With the game tied at 72-72, Boatwright saved his best for last, draining a three (his sixth in 10 attempts on the night) from about four feet beyond the arc with 4.2 seconds left for the game-winner.
In the ninth year of the event, USC became the first two-time winner.
New Mexico State, which picked up a huge victory over No. 6 Miami in the semi finals, came up just short. The Aggies got 28 points on 6-of-9 shooting from long range from Zach Lofton and a near-triple-double from Jemerrio Jones (13 & 11 with eight assists), and led 72-68 with two minutes to play on an impressive Eli Chuha put back over 6-11 Chimezie Metu, but didn't score again.
Jordan McLaughlin grabbed an offensive rebound off a Metu miss & banked in a 12-footer to make it 72-70, then Metu had a huge block late in the shot clock on Lofton that led to a tying, transition lay-in by Jonah Matthews. New Mexico State missed a three, and after a time out, Boatwright hit the winner.
McLaughlin finished with 12 points and his 21st career game with at least eight assists.
Game 459 - Dallas Mavericks at Atlanta Hawks
December 23 at Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA
Fox Sports Southeast
Some really good individual performances in this one, a 112-107 Hawks' victory, but none better than Dennis Schroder.
The Atlanta guard scored 33 points, 29 of which came in the second half, including a long, go-ahead three with 1:21 to play. Schroder also had seven assists a night after sitting out a loss to Oklahoma City with an ankle injury.
J.J. Barea was outstanding as well off the Dallas bench. The diminutive guard was by far the Mavericks' best guard, handing out 12 assists to go along with 15 points in 29 minutes.
* Ersan Ilyasova added 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting for Atlanta, while Harrison Barnes scored 22 (10-of-21) for the Mavericks.
Fox Sports Southeast
Some really good individual performances in this one, a 112-107 Hawks' victory, but none better than Dennis Schroder.
The Atlanta guard scored 33 points, 29 of which came in the second half, including a long, go-ahead three with 1:21 to play. Schroder also had seven assists a night after sitting out a loss to Oklahoma City with an ankle injury.
J.J. Barea was outstanding as well off the Dallas bench. The diminutive guard was by far the Mavericks' best guard, handing out 12 assists to go along with 15 points in 29 minutes.
* Ersan Ilyasova added 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting for Atlanta, while Harrison Barnes scored 22 (10-of-21) for the Mavericks.
Game 458 - Georgia State at Chattanooga
December 23 at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, TN
espn3.com
Now that is how you close out the non-conference portion of your schedule.
D'Marcus Simonds scored right on his average at 21 points and the GSU defense was excellent in a 71-48 romp on Saturday afternoon.
Simonds already had 14 by the time his team went up 20-7 at the 8:48 mark, and it was 24-7 with 5 1/2 minutes to play. Chattanooga missed 19 of its first 22 shots and finished at 18% (5-for-27) in the opening half as GSU went into the locker room up 33-15. It got worse right away as Simonds had a runner and a foul line pull up, while Malik Benlevi and Jeff Thomas drained threes in GSU's 10-0 run to open the second half & it was a 43-15 game.
The Mocs were 30% shooters overall, while the visitors shot 60%.
Georgia State set the school record for non-conference wins in a season, moving to 9-4 with the lopsided victory.
It's disturbing, and I didn't realize it until the broadcast began, but this ended up being Georgia State's second win IN 26 ALL-TIME MEETINGS IN THE SERIES (and second consecutively, they started 0-24). The teams entered Division 1 around the same time - mid-1970s or so - and Chattanooga has had a bunch of tournament teams, including four each in the 1980s and 1990s, but good heavens that's a horrendous all-time mark against a fellow mid-major program, not to mention local rival.
A kid from southern Tennessee absolutely is considering Georgia State. Good program & not that far - 1 1/2 hours? That's a regional/local rival for recruiting players and it should be that way on the court as well. Chattanooga and Georgia State are actually natural rivals.
Hopefully Saturday's impressive win, and another victory at McKenzie in December, 2010, means the Panthers are prepared to put that putrid past behind them & keep going a winning streak against their neighbors to the north.
They play again in Atlanta December 12, 2018.
espn3.com
Now that is how you close out the non-conference portion of your schedule.
D'Marcus Simonds scored right on his average at 21 points and the GSU defense was excellent in a 71-48 romp on Saturday afternoon.
Simonds already had 14 by the time his team went up 20-7 at the 8:48 mark, and it was 24-7 with 5 1/2 minutes to play. Chattanooga missed 19 of its first 22 shots and finished at 18% (5-for-27) in the opening half as GSU went into the locker room up 33-15. It got worse right away as Simonds had a runner and a foul line pull up, while Malik Benlevi and Jeff Thomas drained threes in GSU's 10-0 run to open the second half & it was a 43-15 game.
The Mocs were 30% shooters overall, while the visitors shot 60%.
Georgia State set the school record for non-conference wins in a season, moving to 9-4 with the lopsided victory.
It's disturbing, and I didn't realize it until the broadcast began, but this ended up being Georgia State's second win IN 26 ALL-TIME MEETINGS IN THE SERIES (and second consecutively, they started 0-24). The teams entered Division 1 around the same time - mid-1970s or so - and Chattanooga has had a bunch of tournament teams, including four each in the 1980s and 1990s, but good heavens that's a horrendous all-time mark against a fellow mid-major program, not to mention local rival.
A kid from southern Tennessee absolutely is considering Georgia State. Good program & not that far - 1 1/2 hours? That's a regional/local rival for recruiting players and it should be that way on the court as well. Chattanooga and Georgia State are actually natural rivals.
Hopefully Saturday's impressive win, and another victory at McKenzie in December, 2010, means the Panthers are prepared to put that putrid past behind them & keep going a winning streak against their neighbors to the north.
They play again in Atlanta December 12, 2018.
Game 456 - Southern Miss at Florida State
December 21 at Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, FL
ACC Network
Adrian Crawford!
Other notable "basketball" performances:
Michael Reghi & Dave Cecutti - Toledo-Akron, February, 2017
Steve Smith
ACC Network
Adrian Crawford!
Other notable "basketball" performances:
Michael Reghi & Dave Cecutti - Toledo-Akron, February, 2017
Steve Smith
Game 455 - Georgia Tech at Georgia
December 19 at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, GA
ESPN2
Georgia put together one of the finest shooting halves we've seen at 200 Game Season, a big reason it pulled away for an 80-59 victory.
The Bulldogs (8-2) went 15-of-21 from the field (71%) in the second half, including knocking down their first eight shots, and defeated their rival for the third consecutive season.
It was just a 36-34 lead at halftime for Georgia, but six different players made shots during that 8-for-8 start that lasted the first 7 1/2 minutes of the half. By that time, Georgia led 54-41 and Tech couldn't get any closer than nine points the remainder of the night.
Yante Maten is a potential SEC player of the year and showed why in this one, finishing with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting to lead Georgia.
* Mike Morgan and Sean Farnham:
"the difference in swagger for Georgia Tech"
"it deviated from the consistency in his program"
"he gets downhill on you"
"xs and os"
"hang their hat defensively"
"RPI killers"
"surveying the defense"
"style points"
Made-up nonsense
"recruitability"
"run out"
"valuing the basketball" (2)
"he's a grinder"
"just a nice rip through"
ESPN2
Georgia put together one of the finest shooting halves we've seen at 200 Game Season, a big reason it pulled away for an 80-59 victory.
The Bulldogs (8-2) went 15-of-21 from the field (71%) in the second half, including knocking down their first eight shots, and defeated their rival for the third consecutive season.
It was just a 36-34 lead at halftime for Georgia, but six different players made shots during that 8-for-8 start that lasted the first 7 1/2 minutes of the half. By that time, Georgia led 54-41 and Tech couldn't get any closer than nine points the remainder of the night.
Yante Maten is a potential SEC player of the year and showed why in this one, finishing with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting to lead Georgia.
* Mike Morgan and Sean Farnham:
"the difference in swagger for Georgia Tech"
"it deviated from the consistency in his program"
"he gets downhill on you"
"xs and os"
"hang their hat defensively"
"RPI killers"
"surveying the defense"
"style points"
Made-up nonsense
"recruitability"
"run out"
"valuing the basketball" (2)
"he's a grinder"
"just a nice rip through"
Game 454 - Elon at Canisius
December 19 at Koessler Athletic Center in Buffalo, NY
espn3.com
The broadcast team of Jay Moran and Richard Walsh had a solid night of saying the word "basketball" with a total of 23 in Canisius' 67-51 win.
Walsh led with a game-high 13, including eight in the first half.
Also, these two things were said by Walsh, though I'm not sure what either means:
"Elon's got their road legs early, they haven't gotten their game legs yet."
"This is a weight room half."
espn3.com
The broadcast team of Jay Moran and Richard Walsh had a solid night of saying the word "basketball" with a total of 23 in Canisius' 67-51 win.
Walsh led with a game-high 13, including eight in the first half.
Also, these two things were said by Walsh, though I'm not sure what either means:
"Elon's got their road legs early, they haven't gotten their game legs yet."
"This is a weight room half."
Games 452-453: Holiday tournament
Holiday Inn Express Classic
December 18 at Dorough Field House in Atlanta, GA
453 - Centenary (La.) women vs. Oglethorpe (Ga.)
Just a mismatch from the opening tip as the hosts used an extreme height advantage to roll to a 74-46 win.
The Stormy Petrels weren't particularly efficient on the offensive end, collecting those 74 points on 83 possessions, and making just 28 field goals on 82 (!) attempts (and 1-of-18 from three), but the edges in offensive rebounding (29-13) and paint points (46-16) were more than enough to cruise.
6-2 freshman Savannah LeGate and 6-0 junior Lauren Ransom each finished with 11 points & a rebound shy of a double-double (LeGate grabbed seven offensive rebounds) to lead Oglethorpe.
Freshman guard Darelzray Bellard was one of the few bright spots for Centenary, finishing with a game-high 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from three-point range.
452 - Birmingham Southern (Al.) women vs. Emory & Henry (Va.)
Emory & Henry's defense was excellent in the first game of the night as the Wasps forced 27 turnovers and allowed just 27% shooting in a 67-45 victory.
Emory had 18 steals - five from point guard Myesha Logan, who had a nice all-around game with five assists and no turnovers and nine points - & turned those miscues into 32 points at the other end.
The defense was particularly sound in shutting down Birmingham Southern's top long-range shooting threat Christian McGowan, who was just 2-of-8 from behind the arc. The Alabama school missed 14 of its 17 three-point attempts.
It wasn't the crispest outing for the Wasps, who turned the ball over 18 times themselves and were 1-of-12 from three. But long field goal droughts for Birmingham Southern, which included the last 8+ minutes of the opening quarter & the first four minutes and last three of the third, were too much to overcome.
Nice game for Emory & Henry's Sydney McKinney, whose double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds led all players.
December 18 at Dorough Field House in Atlanta, GA
453 - Centenary (La.) women vs. Oglethorpe (Ga.)
Just a mismatch from the opening tip as the hosts used an extreme height advantage to roll to a 74-46 win.
The Stormy Petrels weren't particularly efficient on the offensive end, collecting those 74 points on 83 possessions, and making just 28 field goals on 82 (!) attempts (and 1-of-18 from three), but the edges in offensive rebounding (29-13) and paint points (46-16) were more than enough to cruise.
6-2 freshman Savannah LeGate and 6-0 junior Lauren Ransom each finished with 11 points & a rebound shy of a double-double (LeGate grabbed seven offensive rebounds) to lead Oglethorpe.
Freshman guard Darelzray Bellard was one of the few bright spots for Centenary, finishing with a game-high 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from three-point range.
452 - Birmingham Southern (Al.) women vs. Emory & Henry (Va.)
Emory & Henry's defense was excellent in the first game of the night as the Wasps forced 27 turnovers and allowed just 27% shooting in a 67-45 victory.
Emory had 18 steals - five from point guard Myesha Logan, who had a nice all-around game with five assists and no turnovers and nine points - & turned those miscues into 32 points at the other end.
The defense was particularly sound in shutting down Birmingham Southern's top long-range shooting threat Christian McGowan, who was just 2-of-8 from behind the arc. The Alabama school missed 14 of its 17 three-point attempts.
It wasn't the crispest outing for the Wasps, who turned the ball over 18 times themselves and were 1-of-12 from three. But long field goal droughts for Birmingham Southern, which included the last 8+ minutes of the opening quarter & the first four minutes and last three of the third, were too much to overcome.
Nice game for Emory & Henry's Sydney McKinney, whose double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds led all players.
Game 451 - Central Connecticut State at Boston College
December 17 at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, MA
ACC Network
This was only a seven-point game early in the second half before the host Eagles went on a long run to pull away and win 84-65.
Jerome Robinson had five points and assisted on two other baskets during a 19-2 run over a 4 1/2-minute span that turned a 45-38 lead into a 64-40 advantage. The lead grew to as large as 70-43 on a Luka Kraljevic 3-pointer at the 10:39 mark. Ky Bowman, an excellent all-around player for the Eagles, assisted on that bucket (one of 17 Boston College assists on 32 made baskets).
Bowman finished with 14 points, one of five in double figures (Robinson had 13), while Steffon Mitchell had 13 points and 14 rebounds (8! offensive), Jordan Chatman led the way with 15 points & reserve Nik Popovic added 11 points and four assists.
Central Connecticut State played well in the opening half, shooting 54% from the field, including hitting eight of its first 12 shots. The long Boston College run at the start of the second half contributed heavily to the Blue Devils shooting just 31% (11-for-35) over the final 20 minutes.
Mustafa Jones had a nice night for the visitors, showcasing a soft touch around the rim and jumpers from a variety of distances to finish with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. His teammate, Tyler Kohl led all scorers with 17 points.
ACC Network
This was only a seven-point game early in the second half before the host Eagles went on a long run to pull away and win 84-65.
Jerome Robinson had five points and assisted on two other baskets during a 19-2 run over a 4 1/2-minute span that turned a 45-38 lead into a 64-40 advantage. The lead grew to as large as 70-43 on a Luka Kraljevic 3-pointer at the 10:39 mark. Ky Bowman, an excellent all-around player for the Eagles, assisted on that bucket (one of 17 Boston College assists on 32 made baskets).
Bowman finished with 14 points, one of five in double figures (Robinson had 13), while Steffon Mitchell had 13 points and 14 rebounds (8! offensive), Jordan Chatman led the way with 15 points & reserve Nik Popovic added 11 points and four assists.
Central Connecticut State played well in the opening half, shooting 54% from the field, including hitting eight of its first 12 shots. The long Boston College run at the start of the second half contributed heavily to the Blue Devils shooting just 31% (11-for-35) over the final 20 minutes.
Mustafa Jones had a nice night for the visitors, showcasing a soft touch around the rim and jumpers from a variety of distances to finish with 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. His teammate, Tyler Kohl led all scorers with 17 points.
Games 449-450: Saturday night doubleheader
450 - Utah at BYU
December 16 at Marriott Center in Provo, UT
ESPN2
Elijah Bryant was magnificent for the Cougars, who won for the sixth consecutive time and snapped a three-game losing streak against their rivals.
The junior guard scored 29 points on 8-of-13 shooting (5-of-7 from three) and added nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in the 77-65 victory.
BYU, which hadn't beaten Utah since December, 2012, was excellent shooting the ball from three-point range (10-of-20) and overall (27-of-52, 52%). The Cougars are now 4-0 against the state of Utah (Utah Valley, Utah State and Weber State).
449 - Georgia State at Dayton
December 16 at University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, OH
A10 Network
December 16 at Marriott Center in Provo, UT
ESPN2
Elijah Bryant was magnificent for the Cougars, who won for the sixth consecutive time and snapped a three-game losing streak against their rivals.
The junior guard scored 29 points on 8-of-13 shooting (5-of-7 from three) and added nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in the 77-65 victory.
BYU, which hadn't beaten Utah since December, 2012, was excellent shooting the ball from three-point range (10-of-20) and overall (27-of-52, 52%). The Cougars are now 4-0 against the state of Utah (Utah Valley, Utah State and Weber State).
449 - Georgia State at Dayton
December 16 at University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, OH
A10 Network
Game 448 - Cincinnati Christian women at Wright State
December 14 at Nutter Center in Fairborn, OH
espn3.com
I guess the good news for Cincinnati Christian was the game ended before 1 pm. Get on the bus, get back to Cincinnati as soon as you can.
Wright State did what a good mid-major, Division 1 team is supposed to do against an NAIA team: hold that NAIA team to 22% shooting and roll to a 99-36 victory.
Wright State (9-2) scored 37 consecutive points during the first and second quarters of this late-morning contest, turning a 6-5 lead into a 43-5 advantage after Kiana Adderton's lay-up at the 2:52 mark of the second quarter. During that run, Cincinnati Christian went a staggering 15 minutes without a field goal, missing 22 straight shots and committing eight of its 21 turnovers.
The teams have now played three times in as many seasons and the average margin in three victories for the Raiders is 50 points.
The hosts had five in double figures, but I was most impressed with sophomore guard Jalise Beck, who came off the bench to score a game-high 14 points and handed out six assists with no turnovers.
espn3.com
I guess the good news for Cincinnati Christian was the game ended before 1 pm. Get on the bus, get back to Cincinnati as soon as you can.
Wright State did what a good mid-major, Division 1 team is supposed to do against an NAIA team: hold that NAIA team to 22% shooting and roll to a 99-36 victory.
Wright State (9-2) scored 37 consecutive points during the first and second quarters of this late-morning contest, turning a 6-5 lead into a 43-5 advantage after Kiana Adderton's lay-up at the 2:52 mark of the second quarter. During that run, Cincinnati Christian went a staggering 15 minutes without a field goal, missing 22 straight shots and committing eight of its 21 turnovers.
The teams have now played three times in as many seasons and the average margin in three victories for the Raiders is 50 points.
The hosts had five in double figures, but I was most impressed with sophomore guard Jalise Beck, who came off the bench to score a game-high 14 points and handed out six assists with no turnovers.
Game 447 - Charlotte Hornets at Houston Rockets
December 13 at Toyota Center in Houston, TX
ESPN
Chris Paul was outstanding throughout Wednesday's 108-96 win for Houston.
Paul was three rebounds shy of a triple-double - 31 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds - as the NBA-best Rockets won their 11th consecutive game. James Harden didn't quite match the triple-double he put together the last time these two teams played on October 27, but he still handed out eight assists to go along with 21 points. It was the 26th consecutive game in which Harden has scored at least 20 points.
During the win streak, Houston has won by an average margin of 17 points.
* It's time for some Hubie Brown We All Knows
"We all know.....
Chris Paul is a good three-pointer shooter"
Chris Paul is one of the great assist men in the game"
Dwight Howard is going to get his rebounds"
[talks about Houston's rotation]
ESPN
Chris Paul was outstanding throughout Wednesday's 108-96 win for Houston.
Paul was three rebounds shy of a triple-double - 31 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds - as the NBA-best Rockets won their 11th consecutive game. James Harden didn't quite match the triple-double he put together the last time these two teams played on October 27, but he still handed out eight assists to go along with 21 points. It was the 26th consecutive game in which Harden has scored at least 20 points.
During the win streak, Houston has won by an average margin of 17 points.
* It's time for some Hubie Brown We All Knows
"We all know.....
Chris Paul is a good three-pointer shooter"
Chris Paul is one of the great assist men in the game"
Dwight Howard is going to get his rebounds"
[talks about Houston's rotation]
that Nene's a proven guy in this league"
Games 445-446: College/pro doubleheader
446 - Philadelphia 76ers at Minnesota Timberwolves
December 12 at Target Center in Minneapolis, MN
ESPN
The 76ers pulled off a 118-112 overtime victory thanks in large part to Joel Embid.
Embid was fantastic, finishing two assists short of a triple-double - 28 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists - and Philadelphia never trailed in the extra session. Embid can do everything offensively, including make free throws, and his pair with 15 seconds to go in regulation tied things up and were the final points of the fourth.
Embid was 11-of-12 from the line, while JJ Redick finished a perfect 11-for-11 and scored 26 points for the visitors. The 76ers overcame 24 turnovers and Jimmy Butler's huge night - 38 points - to move back over .500 at 14-13.
Butler missed a potential winning jumper at the fourth quarter buzzer to send the game into overtime.
445 - Point at Georgia State
December 12 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
I'm not a big fan of D'Marcus Simonds shooting three-pointers.
He's an excellent offensive player, but from long range he struggles (7-for-37 on 3-pointers coming into Tuesday's game). The sophomore didn't struggle tonight, though, hitting 6-of-9 for 33 points in GSU's 90-70 win.
Simonds, the reigning Sun Belt Conference freshman of the year, is averaging 21 points through 10 games.
It wasn't pretty at times - the NAIA Skyhawks, who fell to 3-13, pulled even at 25-25 with about 6 1/2 minutes to go in the first half and were within seven points on two occasions in the second half - but the hosts hit 51% of their shots and had a 50-20 advantage in the paint and pulled away.
Three others were in double figures for GSU (7-3) as Malik Benlevi (13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, nine rebounds), Devin Mitchell (12 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five assists and three steals) and freshman reserve Kane Williams (11 points, 5-of-7 shooting, six rebounds) all had efficient nights to compliment Simonds.
December 12 at Target Center in Minneapolis, MN
ESPN
The 76ers pulled off a 118-112 overtime victory thanks in large part to Joel Embid.
Embid was fantastic, finishing two assists short of a triple-double - 28 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists - and Philadelphia never trailed in the extra session. Embid can do everything offensively, including make free throws, and his pair with 15 seconds to go in regulation tied things up and were the final points of the fourth.
Embid was 11-of-12 from the line, while JJ Redick finished a perfect 11-for-11 and scored 26 points for the visitors. The 76ers overcame 24 turnovers and Jimmy Butler's huge night - 38 points - to move back over .500 at 14-13.
Butler missed a potential winning jumper at the fourth quarter buzzer to send the game into overtime.
445 - Point at Georgia State
December 12 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
I'm not a big fan of D'Marcus Simonds shooting three-pointers.
He's an excellent offensive player, but from long range he struggles (7-for-37 on 3-pointers coming into Tuesday's game). The sophomore didn't struggle tonight, though, hitting 6-of-9 for 33 points in GSU's 90-70 win.
Simonds, the reigning Sun Belt Conference freshman of the year, is averaging 21 points through 10 games.
It wasn't pretty at times - the NAIA Skyhawks, who fell to 3-13, pulled even at 25-25 with about 6 1/2 minutes to go in the first half and were within seven points on two occasions in the second half - but the hosts hit 51% of their shots and had a 50-20 advantage in the paint and pulled away.
Three others were in double figures for GSU (7-3) as Malik Benlevi (13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, nine rebounds), Devin Mitchell (12 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five assists and three steals) and freshman reserve Kane Williams (11 points, 5-of-7 shooting, six rebounds) all had efficient nights to compliment Simonds.
Game 444 - Sacred Heart at Hartford
December 11 at Chase Arena in West Hartford, CT
espn3.com
Few things for Hartford: Hassan Attia blocked seven (!) shots, which is a crazy amount of blocks for one player at any level, Travis Weatherington was 7-of-8 from the field, 4-of-5 from three-point range and scored 18 points, while the hosts shot 57% from the field (33-for-58) in an 86-72 win.
Sacred Heart's Joseph Lopez is a really impressive post player and he finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds in a losing effort.
Broadcast team of Sean Saint Jacques & Adam Finklestein, close it out....
"stick a rhythm pull up"
"traditional big"
"heat check"
"verticality"
"physicality"
"you call that rim running" (4)
"tight whistle"
"pep in his step"
"small ball lineup"
"they're gonna have to gang rebound" (3)
"the bank is open, after hours, in Hartford!"
espn3.com
Few things for Hartford: Hassan Attia blocked seven (!) shots, which is a crazy amount of blocks for one player at any level, Travis Weatherington was 7-of-8 from the field, 4-of-5 from three-point range and scored 18 points, while the hosts shot 57% from the field (33-for-58) in an 86-72 win.
Sacred Heart's Joseph Lopez is a really impressive post player and he finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting and grabbed 10 rebounds in a losing effort.
Broadcast team of Sean Saint Jacques & Adam Finklestein, close it out....
"stick a rhythm pull up"
"traditional big"
"heat check"
"verticality"
"physicality"
"you call that rim running" (4)
"tight whistle"
"pep in his step"
"small ball lineup"
"they're gonna have to gang rebound" (3)
"the bank is open, after hours, in Hartford!"
Games 442-443: Sunday doubleheader
443 - Texas women at Tennessee
December 10 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN
SEC Network
* Associated Press No. 11 Tennessee is now 10-0 after an 82-75 win over the second-ranked Longhorns. Tennessee struggled from three (2-of-13), so instead attacked the rim with post players Jaime Nared (game-high 23 points) and Mercedes Russell (15 points 7-of-13 shooting) leading the way. During an excellent fourth quarter in which the Vols made nine of their 13 shots (the visitors were 11-of-16), all 34 points came either in the paint on lay-ins (18) or at the free-throw line after penetration (16).
* For the second time in as many Texas games at 200 Game Season Brooke McCarty struggled. The talented senior guard was 2-of-15 from the field and scored just eight points Sunday. Not coincidentally, Texas lost both games.
It was the Longhorns' first loss after starting the year 7-0.
* Some basketball phrases/nonsense:
"verticality"
"sluggo route"
"taken a turn toward the chippy side"
442 - Western Kentucky at Ohio
December 10 at Convocation Center in Athens, OH
espn3.com
"run out" (4)
"that was a man-sized collection of that board"
"the Convocation Center faithful"
"sense of urgency"
"ready to square and launch"
December 10 at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN
SEC Network
* Associated Press No. 11 Tennessee is now 10-0 after an 82-75 win over the second-ranked Longhorns. Tennessee struggled from three (2-of-13), so instead attacked the rim with post players Jaime Nared (game-high 23 points) and Mercedes Russell (15 points 7-of-13 shooting) leading the way. During an excellent fourth quarter in which the Vols made nine of their 13 shots (the visitors were 11-of-16), all 34 points came either in the paint on lay-ins (18) or at the free-throw line after penetration (16).
* For the second time in as many Texas games at 200 Game Season Brooke McCarty struggled. The talented senior guard was 2-of-15 from the field and scored just eight points Sunday. Not coincidentally, Texas lost both games.
It was the Longhorns' first loss after starting the year 7-0.
* Some basketball phrases/nonsense:
"verticality"
"sluggo route"
"taken a turn toward the chippy side"
442 - Western Kentucky at Ohio
December 10 at Convocation Center in Athens, OH
espn3.com
"run out" (4)
"that was a man-sized collection of that board"
"the Convocation Center faithful"
"sense of urgency"
"ready to square and launch"
Game 441 - Southern Utah at Michigan State
December 9 at Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI
Big 10 Network
Important stuff
* First "dribble drive" - 5:49 left in second half
* More Kevin Kugler & Shon Morris:
"even though it's a mythical bird, the thunderbird, you have a couple birds on the verge of extinction!"
"showing some gumption...that was a Prius taking on an SUV!"
"he's our microwave guy, he can heat up in a hurry"
"a plethora of front line bulk"
"they can run not just bodies, but quality bodies"
Other games watched:
Wichita State at Oklahoma State
Minnesota at Arkansas
Big 10 Network
Important stuff
* First "dribble drive" - 5:49 left in second half
* More Kevin Kugler & Shon Morris:
"even though it's a mythical bird, the thunderbird, you have a couple birds on the verge of extinction!"
"showing some gumption...that was a Prius taking on an SUV!"
"he's our microwave guy, he can heat up in a hurry"
"a plethora of front line bulk"
"they can run not just bodies, but quality bodies"
Other games watched:
Wichita State at Oklahoma State
Minnesota at Arkansas
Game 440 - Montana at Georgia State
December 9 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
Game No. 440 for us was game No. 100 in Isaiah Williams' career and the senior guard put together a nice night to celebrate.
Williams came off the bench to equal teammate Jeff Thomas with a game-high 15 points and GSU survived blowing another large lead and won 71-68.
The Panthers led by as much as 17 points just four days after losing a 16-point cushion in an overtime loss to Liberty. Montana trailed for virtually the entire second half, but pulled even at 68-68 on a tip-in by Jamar Akoh with 1:10 to go. A minute of bad possessions followed before GSU's Devin Mitchell battled for a rebound and was fouled, making two free throws with 12 seconds to play for a 70-68 lead.
Montana's Ahmaad Rorie (game-high 22 points) dribbled into three players at the other end, leading to a turnover and another free throw at the other end providing the winning margin.
Thomas, who is turning into the Panthers' best all-around player - he can rebound, has gotten better and better defensively and can shoot the three - added eight rebounds to go along with his 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
espn3.com
Game No. 440 for us was game No. 100 in Isaiah Williams' career and the senior guard put together a nice night to celebrate.
Williams came off the bench to equal teammate Jeff Thomas with a game-high 15 points and GSU survived blowing another large lead and won 71-68.
The Panthers led by as much as 17 points just four days after losing a 16-point cushion in an overtime loss to Liberty. Montana trailed for virtually the entire second half, but pulled even at 68-68 on a tip-in by Jamar Akoh with 1:10 to go. A minute of bad possessions followed before GSU's Devin Mitchell battled for a rebound and was fouled, making two free throws with 12 seconds to play for a 70-68 lead.
Montana's Ahmaad Rorie (game-high 22 points) dribbled into three players at the other end, leading to a turnover and another free throw at the other end providing the winning margin.
Thomas, who is turning into the Panthers' best all-around player - he can rebound, has gotten better and better defensively and can shoot the three - added eight rebounds to go along with his 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting.
Game 439 - Loyola-Chicago at Florida
December 6 at Exactech Arena in Gainesville, FL
SEC Network
What a great win for Loyola, which defeated a top-5 team (Florida was ranked fifth coming in) for the first time since a win over No. 4 Illinois in December, 1984.
Aundre Jackson was fantastic - 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting - and the Ramblers overall hit 52% of their shots.
Couple other notes:
* Florida was dreadful from three-point range (2-of-19) and in losses this week to Florida State and now Loyola (part of a three-game losing streak after a 5-0 start), the Gators were 8-of-44 from behind the arc.
* Loyola won this game without senior guard Ben Richardson, an important player who remains out with a hand injury, and lost another guard, second-leading scorer Clayton Custer, in the second half to an ankle injury.
* Nice work by Mike Morgan & Dane Bradshaw, who like all good basketball broadcast teams artfully combined overused phrases with made-up nonsense:
"talented floor man"
"you can't change your DNA"
"the rowdy reptiles" (4)
"playing with house money"
"maturation process"
"ice in his veins"
"out-toughed"
"good character kids"
"mouse in the house, go to work young man!"
And we close with this glorious top 3:
"inconsistent intensity"
"they're igniting on all cylinders"
"they can execute you to death"
SEC Network
What a great win for Loyola, which defeated a top-5 team (Florida was ranked fifth coming in) for the first time since a win over No. 4 Illinois in December, 1984.
Aundre Jackson was fantastic - 23 points on 10-of-12 shooting - and the Ramblers overall hit 52% of their shots.
Couple other notes:
* Florida was dreadful from three-point range (2-of-19) and in losses this week to Florida State and now Loyola (part of a three-game losing streak after a 5-0 start), the Gators were 8-of-44 from behind the arc.
* Loyola won this game without senior guard Ben Richardson, an important player who remains out with a hand injury, and lost another guard, second-leading scorer Clayton Custer, in the second half to an ankle injury.
* Nice work by Mike Morgan & Dane Bradshaw, who like all good basketball broadcast teams artfully combined overused phrases with made-up nonsense:
"talented floor man"
"you can't change your DNA"
"the rowdy reptiles" (4)
"playing with house money"
"maturation process"
"ice in his veins"
"out-toughed"
"good character kids"
"mouse in the house, go to work young man!"
And we close with this glorious top 3:
"inconsistent intensity"
"they're igniting on all cylinders"
"they can execute you to death"
Game 438 - Covenant College at Emory
December 6 at Woodruff PE Center in Atlanta, GA
I'd like to start by saying what a pleasure it was to watch the first half of this game. Only one timeout was called (!) and it came with 5:15 to go until halftime. I've watched thousands and thousands of college basketball games, and despite obviously not being able to remember every one of them, can comfortably say I've never (1) watched an entire half where just one timeout was called, and (2) watched a half where the first one was called with less than six minutes to go.
Of course, Covenant, which fell 80-73, called all six of its timeouts in the second half (Emory stopped play twice).
Emory held on for the win thanks in large part to completely shutting down Patjo Twagirayezu. The senior forward made just one basket at the 11:44 mark of the second half and scored three points - 18 below his average. He was a clear focal point for the Emory defense, which did allow shooters to knock down threes - sophomore guard James Mitchell was 6-for-9 from behind the arc, while senior Berto Dryden hit three - but Twagiravezu being a non-factor was a big reason Emory won for the eighth time in nine all-time meetings between the schools.
Really nice all-around game for Christopher Avant. The senior post player came in averaging a little less than seven rebounds, but grabbed 17 Wednesday to go along with 12 points (one of five in double figures) and five steals.
Emory (5-2) recently fell out of the d3hoops.com Division III top 25 after a loss at Hampden-Sydney last weekend.
I'd like to start by saying what a pleasure it was to watch the first half of this game. Only one timeout was called (!) and it came with 5:15 to go until halftime. I've watched thousands and thousands of college basketball games, and despite obviously not being able to remember every one of them, can comfortably say I've never (1) watched an entire half where just one timeout was called, and (2) watched a half where the first one was called with less than six minutes to go.
Of course, Covenant, which fell 80-73, called all six of its timeouts in the second half (Emory stopped play twice).
Emory held on for the win thanks in large part to completely shutting down Patjo Twagirayezu. The senior forward made just one basket at the 11:44 mark of the second half and scored three points - 18 below his average. He was a clear focal point for the Emory defense, which did allow shooters to knock down threes - sophomore guard James Mitchell was 6-for-9 from behind the arc, while senior Berto Dryden hit three - but Twagiravezu being a non-factor was a big reason Emory won for the eighth time in nine all-time meetings between the schools.
Really nice all-around game for Christopher Avant. The senior post player came in averaging a little less than seven rebounds, but grabbed 17 Wednesday to go along with 12 points (one of five in double figures) and five steals.
Emory (5-2) recently fell out of the d3hoops.com Division III top 25 after a loss at Hampden-Sydney last weekend.
Game 437 - Montana State at Central Michigan
December 5 at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant, MI
espn3.com
Quite a difference a year makes for the Central Michigan defense.
A year ago, the Chippewas had one of the nation's worst defenses, allowing an average of nearly 88 points, including surrendering at least that average in 20 of their 32 games. The first eight games of the 2017-18 season have been a different story.
The defense has been one of the nation's best (11th in scoring defense and tied for 12th in field goal percentage defense) and that continued Tuesday as the Chippewas held Montana State to 28% shooting, and a miserable 1-of-16 performance from three-point range in a 75-48 win.
In winning its sixth consecutive game, Central Michigan (7-1), allowed its fewest points since a 75-43 victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in November, 2014.
"I just think we got some guys that are buying in on the defensive end," CMU coach Keno Davis told espn3. "Forty-eight points to give up on the defensive end...it's nice to be able to win both on the offensive end and the defensive end."
The hosts did a tremendous job on Tyler Hall. The junior guard and Big Sky preseason player of the year came into the night top-30 nationally in scoring, but had the first scoreless outing of his career (72 games) and went 0-of-9 from the field in just 11 minutes.
* Quick set of basketball phrases/nonsense from the broadcast team of Adam Jaksa and Matt Devries:
"same page defense"
"perimeter close outs"
"run out"
"they can not find any mojo"
"bringing the juice for the Chips"
"international flavor"
"there's a lid on the bucket"
"rim protector"
espn3.com
Quite a difference a year makes for the Central Michigan defense.
A year ago, the Chippewas had one of the nation's worst defenses, allowing an average of nearly 88 points, including surrendering at least that average in 20 of their 32 games. The first eight games of the 2017-18 season have been a different story.
The defense has been one of the nation's best (11th in scoring defense and tied for 12th in field goal percentage defense) and that continued Tuesday as the Chippewas held Montana State to 28% shooting, and a miserable 1-of-16 performance from three-point range in a 75-48 win.
In winning its sixth consecutive game, Central Michigan (7-1), allowed its fewest points since a 75-43 victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in November, 2014.
"I just think we got some guys that are buying in on the defensive end," CMU coach Keno Davis told espn3. "Forty-eight points to give up on the defensive end...it's nice to be able to win both on the offensive end and the defensive end."
The hosts did a tremendous job on Tyler Hall. The junior guard and Big Sky preseason player of the year came into the night top-30 nationally in scoring, but had the first scoreless outing of his career (72 games) and went 0-of-9 from the field in just 11 minutes.
* Quick set of basketball phrases/nonsense from the broadcast team of Adam Jaksa and Matt Devries:
"same page defense"
"perimeter close outs"
"run out"
"they can not find any mojo"
"bringing the juice for the Chips"
"international flavor"
"there's a lid on the bucket"
"rim protector"
Game 436 - Liberty at Georgia State
December 4 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz hadn't even attempted a three-point shot before overtime of Monday's game, so naturally he hit both of his long range attempts in the extra session, including the game-winner at the buzzer in Liberty's 77-74 victory.
The way the second half unfolded, it was inevitable that the visitors would win it on a three. During an 11-minute stretch in the second, Liberty hit 8-of-9 from behind the arc (Lovell Cabbil hit four of his five and Ryan Kemrite three of his five during the stretch), turning a 16-point deficit into a five-point lead with 2:41 to go.
The hosts had no answer for the long-range shot and unfortunately it ended up being the difference.
Georgia State rallied thanks to D'Marcus Simonds, who had six of his career-high 35 points down the stretch of regulation, including a lay-in with 37 seconds left that were the last points of regulation & tied the game at 68-68.
Simonds hit that career high on a 13-for-24 shooting night, but turned the ball over eight times and I thought was bailed out by some shaky officiating on what could've been a couple more turnovers.
Overtime saw Simonds hit a huge three to give GSU a 74-71 lead with just over two minutes to play. But GSU failed to score again and Ortiz nailed a tying 3-pointer with 45 seconds left, and on the final possession, stopped his dribble and leaned in and knocked down Liberty's 14th trey (on 26 attempts) to send his team home to Lynchburg with a win.
21 assists on 27 made baskets by Liberty, which came into the night 216th nationally in three-point field goal percentage.
Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz hadn't even attempted a three-point shot before overtime of Monday's game, so naturally he hit both of his long range attempts in the extra session, including the game-winner at the buzzer in Liberty's 77-74 victory.
The way the second half unfolded, it was inevitable that the visitors would win it on a three. During an 11-minute stretch in the second, Liberty hit 8-of-9 from behind the arc (Lovell Cabbil hit four of his five and Ryan Kemrite three of his five during the stretch), turning a 16-point deficit into a five-point lead with 2:41 to go.
The hosts had no answer for the long-range shot and unfortunately it ended up being the difference.
Georgia State rallied thanks to D'Marcus Simonds, who had six of his career-high 35 points down the stretch of regulation, including a lay-in with 37 seconds left that were the last points of regulation & tied the game at 68-68.
Simonds hit that career high on a 13-for-24 shooting night, but turned the ball over eight times and I thought was bailed out by some shaky officiating on what could've been a couple more turnovers.
Overtime saw Simonds hit a huge three to give GSU a 74-71 lead with just over two minutes to play. But GSU failed to score again and Ortiz nailed a tying 3-pointer with 45 seconds left, and on the final possession, stopped his dribble and leaned in and knocked down Liberty's 14th trey (on 26 attempts) to send his team home to Lynchburg with a win.
21 assists on 27 made baskets by Liberty, which came into the night 216th nationally in three-point field goal percentage.
Game 435 - Dayton at Mississippi State
December 3 at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, MS
ESPNU
That was one of the uglier games we've seen in 2+ years at 200 Game Season, though it did end with a last-second basket.
Quinndary Weatherspoon's steal and driving lay-up through two Dayton players with .9 seconds to play let Mississippi State escape and stay unbeaten with a 61-59 victory.
The Bulldogs (7-0 for the first time since winning their first 11 in 2011-12) blew a 21-point lead as Dayton pulled even for the last time at 59-59 on a 1-2 trip to the free throw line by Darrell Davis (17 points, 10 rebounds) at the 1:09 mark. After MSU's 24th turnover, Dayton missed a 3-pointer, got the offensive rebound and during that second chance ended up committing its 26th and final turnover, which led to Weatherspoon's game-winner.
Mississippi State was up 43-25 before Jalen Crutcher scored seven points and Davis added a four-point play and an assist during a 13-0 spurt that got us to the 13-minute mark.
Tyson Carter led all scorers with 20 points and was an excellent 6-of-10 from three-point range. The sophomore gave the Bulldogs a 56-50 lead with a three at the 4:45 mark (assisted by Weatherspoon), then again at 59-56 with another long ball with 2 1/2 minutes left (assisted by Nick Weatherspoon).
It was the first meeting between the teams since a 56-54 MSU win on December 19, 1975.
ESPNU
That was one of the uglier games we've seen in 2+ years at 200 Game Season, though it did end with a last-second basket.
Quinndary Weatherspoon's steal and driving lay-up through two Dayton players with .9 seconds to play let Mississippi State escape and stay unbeaten with a 61-59 victory.
The Bulldogs (7-0 for the first time since winning their first 11 in 2011-12) blew a 21-point lead as Dayton pulled even for the last time at 59-59 on a 1-2 trip to the free throw line by Darrell Davis (17 points, 10 rebounds) at the 1:09 mark. After MSU's 24th turnover, Dayton missed a 3-pointer, got the offensive rebound and during that second chance ended up committing its 26th and final turnover, which led to Weatherspoon's game-winner.
Mississippi State was up 43-25 before Jalen Crutcher scored seven points and Davis added a four-point play and an assist during a 13-0 spurt that got us to the 13-minute mark.
Tyson Carter led all scorers with 20 points and was an excellent 6-of-10 from three-point range. The sophomore gave the Bulldogs a 56-50 lead with a three at the 4:45 mark (assisted by Weatherspoon), then again at 59-56 with another long ball with 2 1/2 minutes left (assisted by Nick Weatherspoon).
It was the first meeting between the teams since a 56-54 MSU win on December 19, 1975.
Game 434 - North Carolina vs. Davidson
December 1 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC
ESPN2
Good night of silliness for Roy Philpott and Jason Capel during this 85-75 North Carolina win:
"rim run"
"the first big down the floor usually eats"
"skill set" (2)
"you can't measure what was in his heart"
"ball don't lie"
"moved his feet built his wall"
"smooth operator"
"hybrid forward"
"the show and go" (2)
"take the air out of the basketball"
"the Swiss army knife for the Tar Heels"
ESPN2
Good night of silliness for Roy Philpott and Jason Capel during this 85-75 North Carolina win:
"rim run"
"the first big down the floor usually eats"
"skill set" (2)
"you can't measure what was in his heart"
"ball don't lie"
"moved his feet built his wall"
"smooth operator"
"hybrid forward"
"the show and go" (2)
"take the air out of the basketball"
"the Swiss army knife for the Tar Heels"
Game 433 - Notre Dame women at Michigan
November 29 at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, MI
Big 10 Network
Just a phenomenal performance by Notre Dame's Arike Ogunbowale in this Big 10/ACC Challenge game.
Ogunbowale hit a variety of nice pull up and fade away jumpers on her way to 32 points (tied a career high) as the Associated Press No. 3 Irish stayed unbeaten at 7-0 with an 83-63 victory.
Ogunbowale, a junior guard, made 65% of her field goal attempts (13-of-20), but it was a bit of her distribution that allowed Notre Dame to start to pull away. The visitors led 43-34 at halftime and it was a still a nine-point game early in the third when No. 22 Michigan turned the ball over and missed a lay up, which each led to perfectly executed Ogunbowale-to-Jackie Young fast break lay-ups that made it a 50-37 game.
Young, coming off an MVP performance in the Gulf Coast Showcase, had 18 points and 14 rebounds.
It was already Notre Dame's fourth win over a ranked opponent through the season's first three weeks. The Irish have also defeated No. 5 and defending national champion South Carolina in the Gulf Coast title game, No. 17 South Florida and 21st-ranked Oregon State. Connecticut will be the fifth when the Irish visit Storrs on Sunday.
Tough night for Katelynn Flaherty. The senior guard, Michigan's all-time leading scorer and second-leading scorer nationally coming into the night, missed 13 of her 18 field goal attempts and finished with just 13 points. Junior center Hallie Thome picked up the slack, scoring 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
Other games watched:
Columbia at Connecticut
Louisiana Tech at Alabama
Big 10 Network
Just a phenomenal performance by Notre Dame's Arike Ogunbowale in this Big 10/ACC Challenge game.
Ogunbowale hit a variety of nice pull up and fade away jumpers on her way to 32 points (tied a career high) as the Associated Press No. 3 Irish stayed unbeaten at 7-0 with an 83-63 victory.
Ogunbowale, a junior guard, made 65% of her field goal attempts (13-of-20), but it was a bit of her distribution that allowed Notre Dame to start to pull away. The visitors led 43-34 at halftime and it was a still a nine-point game early in the third when No. 22 Michigan turned the ball over and missed a lay up, which each led to perfectly executed Ogunbowale-to-Jackie Young fast break lay-ups that made it a 50-37 game.
Young, coming off an MVP performance in the Gulf Coast Showcase, had 18 points and 14 rebounds.
It was already Notre Dame's fourth win over a ranked opponent through the season's first three weeks. The Irish have also defeated No. 5 and defending national champion South Carolina in the Gulf Coast title game, No. 17 South Florida and 21st-ranked Oregon State. Connecticut will be the fifth when the Irish visit Storrs on Sunday.
Tough night for Katelynn Flaherty. The senior guard, Michigan's all-time leading scorer and second-leading scorer nationally coming into the night, missed 13 of her 18 field goal attempts and finished with just 13 points. Junior center Hallie Thome picked up the slack, scoring 24 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
Other games watched:
Columbia at Connecticut
Louisiana Tech at Alabama
Game 432 - UT-San Antonio at Tulsa
November 28 at Reynolds Center in Tulsa, OK
espn3.com
A couple of years ago at my baseball site I took a game off from the announcers and played a bunch of great single songs. Still don't have a new name for it, but Tuesday's 100-96 Tulsa victory was also 200 Game Season's first Singles Night.
Up and Running/The Great Circle Route - Bela Fleck
Night Train/C-Jam Blues - Oscar Peterson Trio
Over My Head/Monday Morning - Fleetwood Mac
Satellite of Love/I Love You - Lou Reed
Chartered Trios/Pink Turns to Blue - Husker Du
Blank Space - Taylor Swift/Sydney - Brett Dennen
Personality Crisis/Subway Train - New York Dolls
Shamus O'Brien/Simple Tune - Cumberland Records sampler
Rabbit Heart/Between Two Lungs - Florence and the Machine
Detlef Schrempf/Infinite Arms - Band of Horses
Issues - Julia Michaels/If I Aint Got You - Alicia Keys
Because the Night/Perfect Day (Lou Reed) - Patti Smith Group
Pep/Buddy Bolden's Blues - Jelly Roll Morton
Tuesday AAC roundup
espn3.com
A couple of years ago at my baseball site I took a game off from the announcers and played a bunch of great single songs. Still don't have a new name for it, but Tuesday's 100-96 Tulsa victory was also 200 Game Season's first Singles Night.
Up and Running/The Great Circle Route - Bela Fleck
Night Train/C-Jam Blues - Oscar Peterson Trio
Over My Head/Monday Morning - Fleetwood Mac
Satellite of Love/I Love You - Lou Reed
Chartered Trios/Pink Turns to Blue - Husker Du
Blank Space - Taylor Swift/Sydney - Brett Dennen
Personality Crisis/Subway Train - New York Dolls
Shamus O'Brien/Simple Tune - Cumberland Records sampler
Rabbit Heart/Between Two Lungs - Florence and the Machine
Detlef Schrempf/Infinite Arms - Band of Horses
Issues - Julia Michaels/If I Aint Got You - Alicia Keys
Because the Night/Perfect Day (Lou Reed) - Patti Smith Group
Pep/Buddy Bolden's Blues - Jelly Roll Morton
Tuesday AAC roundup
Games 429-431: Monday triple header
431 - Alabama State at Cincinnati
November 27 at BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, KY
ESPNU
"spicy shooter"
"the splash brothers"
"next level" (4)
"all everything"
"under the radar"
"it's a block party here in northern Kentucky!"
"playing on their heels"
"the face of this program"
430 - Tennessee Tech women at Georgia
November 27 at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, GA
SEC Network
"a child of the SEC"
"letting the game come to her"
"she wants to see growth on her team in a maturity perspective"
"post touches
"quality minutes"
429 - Toledo women at Iona
November 27 at Hynes Athletics Center in New Rochelle, NY
espn3.com
November 27 at BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, KY
ESPNU
"spicy shooter"
"the splash brothers"
"next level" (4)
"all everything"
"under the radar"
"it's a block party here in northern Kentucky!"
"playing on their heels"
"the face of this program"
430 - Tennessee Tech women at Georgia
November 27 at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, GA
SEC Network
"a child of the SEC"
"letting the game come to her"
"she wants to see growth on her team in a maturity perspective"
"post touches
"quality minutes"
429 - Toledo women at Iona
November 27 at Hynes Athletics Center in New Rochelle, NY
espn3.com
Game 428 - Tulane at Georgia State
November 26 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
Malik Benlevi got off to a rough start Sunday afternoon, picking up two early fouls, including a technical. But the junior rebounded quickly and put together a huge game in GSU's 70-59 victory.
Benlevi finished with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range and grabbed 10 rebounds. He was one of two Panthers with a double-double as Jordan Session had one of the best games of collegiate career (15 and 10 on 7-of-14 from the field).
GSU (4-2) led by just three points at halftime, but used an 18-4 start to the second to build a double-digit cushion. Benlevi had a pair of threes and D'Marcus Simonds (16 points) added three lay-ins on strong drives to the basket, the sophomore guard's specialty on the offensive end, one of which turned into a three-point play and it was a 46-29 game at the 13:19 mark.
Freshman guard Kane Williams had a nice afternoon as well for GSU, handing out a career-high seven assists with just one turnover and joined his three teammates as a double-figure scorer with 12 points. If Williams can handle the point guard position even if just for stretches, Simonds can play off the ball and not have so much pressure to always be creating, and that makes GSU a better team.
Tulane, which got a game-high 20 points off the bench from Samir Sehic, lost for the first time in its sixth game of the season.
espn3.com
Malik Benlevi got off to a rough start Sunday afternoon, picking up two early fouls, including a technical. But the junior rebounded quickly and put together a huge game in GSU's 70-59 victory.
Benlevi finished with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from three-point range and grabbed 10 rebounds. He was one of two Panthers with a double-double as Jordan Session had one of the best games of collegiate career (15 and 10 on 7-of-14 from the field).
GSU (4-2) led by just three points at halftime, but used an 18-4 start to the second to build a double-digit cushion. Benlevi had a pair of threes and D'Marcus Simonds (16 points) added three lay-ins on strong drives to the basket, the sophomore guard's specialty on the offensive end, one of which turned into a three-point play and it was a 46-29 game at the 13:19 mark.
Freshman guard Kane Williams had a nice afternoon as well for GSU, handing out a career-high seven assists with just one turnover and joined his three teammates as a double-figure scorer with 12 points. If Williams can handle the point guard position even if just for stretches, Simonds can play off the ball and not have so much pressure to always be creating, and that makes GSU a better team.
Tulane, which got a game-high 20 points off the bench from Samir Sehic, lost for the first time in its sixth game of the season.
Game 427 - San Diego at Grand Canyon
November 25 at GCU Arena in Phoenix, AZ
espn3.com
Plenty of great nonsense and basketball phrases from the energetic broadcast team of Barry Buetel and Scott Williams from this one, a 72-62 win for San Diego.
"holiday hangover"/"post-turkey hangover"
"hostile environment"
"euro step" (2)
"albatross-like wingspan"
"he had a mouse down low and put him in a torture chamber"
"I like the way this kid has brought his hard hat and his lunch pail"
"Josh Braun doing Josh Braun things"
"parting of the red sea"
"stat sheet stuffer"
"house of havoc" (2)
"the noise meter"
"from the land of three"
"he's got hall of fame hands"
"Johnny on the spot"
"tough sledding"
"a bunny hop"
"playing with a ton of moxie"
espn3.com
Plenty of great nonsense and basketball phrases from the energetic broadcast team of Barry Buetel and Scott Williams from this one, a 72-62 win for San Diego.
"holiday hangover"/"post-turkey hangover"
"hostile environment"
"euro step" (2)
"albatross-like wingspan"
"he had a mouse down low and put him in a torture chamber"
"I like the way this kid has brought his hard hat and his lunch pail"
"Josh Braun doing Josh Braun things"
"parting of the red sea"
"stat sheet stuffer"
"house of havoc" (2)
"the noise meter"
"from the land of three"
"he's got hall of fame hands"
"Johnny on the spot"
"tough sledding"
"a bunny hop"
"playing with a ton of moxie"
Game 426 - VCU women at Georgia State
November 24 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
It looked as though VCU was going to cruise to its first win of the season, building a lead as large as 21 points in the opening half. But the second half was a much different story, and GSU responded with an impressive performance over the final 20 minutes and instead picked up its first win of the season, 61-56.
VCU led 37-16 with just over two minutes to go until halftime, but scored just 24 points the rest of the day.
GSU's defense allowed just 19 second-half points (five in the fourth quarter) and a 6-of-20 shooting performance in the second half. Madison Newby, the 2015 Sun Belt freshman of the year who missed nearly all of the last season with an injury, knocked down two free throws with 45 seconds to go in the fourth that put GSU up for the first time at 55-53.
The Panthers were excellent at the line (22-of-26), while the Rams were not (8-of-18), and the hosts made 53% of their shots in the second after making only 4-of-29 during a dreadful opening half.
Newby and back court mate K.K. Williams each scored a game-high 15 points, sharing top scoring honors with VCU's Bria Gibson.
espn3.com
It looked as though VCU was going to cruise to its first win of the season, building a lead as large as 21 points in the opening half. But the second half was a much different story, and GSU responded with an impressive performance over the final 20 minutes and instead picked up its first win of the season, 61-56.
VCU led 37-16 with just over two minutes to go until halftime, but scored just 24 points the rest of the day.
GSU's defense allowed just 19 second-half points (five in the fourth quarter) and a 6-of-20 shooting performance in the second half. Madison Newby, the 2015 Sun Belt freshman of the year who missed nearly all of the last season with an injury, knocked down two free throws with 45 seconds to go in the fourth that put GSU up for the first time at 55-53.
The Panthers were excellent at the line (22-of-26), while the Rams were not (8-of-18), and the hosts made 53% of their shots in the second after making only 4-of-29 during a dreadful opening half.
Newby and back court mate K.K. Williams each scored a game-high 15 points, sharing top scoring honors with VCU's Bria Gibson.
Game 425 - Long Beach State vs. Oregon State
November 24 at HP Fieldhouse in Orlando, FL
[Advocare Invitational consolation round]
espn3.com
Long Beach State got some revenge for a loss to the Beavers back on November 18, winning 74-69 Friday afternoon.
Two big reasons for the 49ers picking up a split in the season series:
1. Junior guard Deishuan Booker, in his first season with Long Beach after transferring from the College of Southern Idaho, had 12 assists and just two turnovers to go along with 14 points. In the loss in Corvallis, Booker was held to five points and had a 1-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
2. The OSU duo of Tres Tinkle and Drew Eubanks had a combined 46 points on 16-of-23 shooting in match up No. 1, but weren't much of a factor on Friday (21 points, 9-of-22 from the field).
Long Beach shot 52% (13-of-25) from the field in the second half. That's after knocking down 51 percent of its second half shots in the first meeting.
[Advocare Invitational consolation round]
espn3.com
Long Beach State got some revenge for a loss to the Beavers back on November 18, winning 74-69 Friday afternoon.
Two big reasons for the 49ers picking up a split in the season series:
1. Junior guard Deishuan Booker, in his first season with Long Beach after transferring from the College of Southern Idaho, had 12 assists and just two turnovers to go along with 14 points. In the loss in Corvallis, Booker was held to five points and had a 1-to-5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
2. The OSU duo of Tres Tinkle and Drew Eubanks had a combined 46 points on 16-of-23 shooting in match up No. 1, but weren't much of a factor on Friday (21 points, 9-of-22 from the field).
Long Beach shot 52% (13-of-25) from the field in the second half. That's after knocking down 51 percent of its second half shots in the first meeting.
Game 424 - Thanksgiving eve matinee
Farmingdale State women at Stony Brook
November 22 at Island Federal Credit Union Arena in Stony Brook, NY
espn3.com
This had the look of a Division 1 team hosting a Division 3 school as Stony Brook used another stifling defensive performance to cruise to a 76-25 victory.
Stony Brook is 4-0 for the first time since 1997-98.
Farmingdale made just 10 field goals (18%) from the field and three from behind the arc in 26 attempts (11%). Senior forward Essence Casey came into the game averaging 18.2 points through Farmingdale's first four games, but struggled Wednesday, scoring just eight points on 3-of-16 shooting.
Through four games, the Stony Brook defense is surrendering just 31% shooting from the field and 18% on threes.
On the other hand, the Stony Brook offense has a bit of work to do. Facing a smaller, slower Division 3 team, the Seawolves turned the ball over 16 times and didn't score their first point until the 5:06 mark of the opening quarter. The hosts did follow with a 16-0 run that effectively put the game away.
Carl Reuter
Let me start by saying 1. I really love saying and writing Farmingdale. 2. Also: Reuter was by himself for this broadcast. No color commentator. That's rare, and I commend anyone handling a broadcast by her/himself.
I should know all about it. I broadcasted 7 minutes of a game once.
BUT, that doesn't mean Carl didn't provide some nonsense:
* Farmingdale was playing its second game in as many nights, and Tuesday it lost in overtime to Brooklyn, so Carl said seven times that the Rams had "tired legs".
Honorable mentions
"dribble drive"
!
[4:50 left in the third quarter]
"leak out
"she's strong, she's durable, and a take charge player"
"building the culture"
"stick a J"
"take the air out of the ball"
"snakes her way and the foul!"
"in the act of shooting"
This had the look of a Division 1 team hosting a Division 3 school as Stony Brook used another stifling defensive performance to cruise to a 76-25 victory.
Stony Brook is 4-0 for the first time since 1997-98.
Farmingdale made just 10 field goals (18%) from the field and three from behind the arc in 26 attempts (11%). Senior forward Essence Casey came into the game averaging 18.2 points through Farmingdale's first four games, but struggled Wednesday, scoring just eight points on 3-of-16 shooting.
Through four games, the Stony Brook defense is surrendering just 31% shooting from the field and 18% on threes.
On the other hand, the Stony Brook offense has a bit of work to do. Facing a smaller, slower Division 3 team, the Seawolves turned the ball over 16 times and didn't score their first point until the 5:06 mark of the opening quarter. The hosts did follow with a 16-0 run that effectively put the game away.
Carl Reuter
Let me start by saying 1. I really love saying and writing Farmingdale. 2. Also: Reuter was by himself for this broadcast. No color commentator. That's rare, and I commend anyone handling a broadcast by her/himself.
I should know all about it. I broadcasted 7 minutes of a game once.
BUT, that doesn't mean Carl didn't provide some nonsense:
* Farmingdale was playing its second game in as many nights, and Tuesday it lost in overtime to Brooklyn, so Carl said seven times that the Rams had "tired legs".
Honorable mentions
"dribble drive"
!
[4:50 left in the third quarter]
"leak out
"she's strong, she's durable, and a take charge player"
"building the culture"
"stick a J"
"take the air out of the ball"
"snakes her way and the foul!"
"in the act of shooting"
Game 423 - Notre Dame vs. LSU
November 21 at Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, HI
[Maui Invitational semifinals]
ESPN
Impressive victory for the Fighting Irish, who moved into the tournament final with a 92-53 win.
The defense held LSU to 36 percent shooting (19-of-52) and forced 17 turnovers. Meanwhile, point guard Matt Farrell was in control of the game from the start, finishing with 17 points and seven assists. Great night as well for Temple Gibbs (26 points, 6-of-10 shooting from three).
Led by Farrell, the 5-0 Irish had 18 assists on 33 made field goals and turned the ball over just five times.
Wichita State's excellent guard Landry Shamet goes up against Farrell in what should be a great championship game on Wednesday.
[Maui Invitational semifinals]
ESPN
Impressive victory for the Fighting Irish, who moved into the tournament final with a 92-53 win.
The defense held LSU to 36 percent shooting (19-of-52) and forced 17 turnovers. Meanwhile, point guard Matt Farrell was in control of the game from the start, finishing with 17 points and seven assists. Great night as well for Temple Gibbs (26 points, 6-of-10 shooting from three).
Led by Farrell, the 5-0 Irish had 18 assists on 33 made field goals and turned the ball over just five times.
Wichita State's excellent guard Landry Shamet goes up against Farrell in what should be a great championship game on Wednesday.
Game 422 - Delaware at UNC-Greensboro
November 20 at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC
espn3.com
The second half for UNC-Greensboro was a perfect example of how dangerous the three-point shot can be. The Spartans hit 8-of-14 over the final 20 minutes (and 14-of-27, 51%, for the game), erasing an 11-point deficit and winning 79-66 in the first meeting between the teams since 2006.
Delaware had that 11-point cushion at 44-33 early in the second half and still led 48-39 with about 14 minutes to go. Greensboro followed with an 18-0 run over the next six minutes & Delaware never got back into the game.
Francis Alonso was sensational for Greensboro. The junior and national leader in three-point shooting a year ago hit eight of his 10 three-point attempts Monday for a game and career-high 32 points.
Also sensational: the broadcast team. They mixed basketball phrases with nonsense splendidly.
"that really changes the landscape"
"hopefully tonight a get right game"
"rise and fire"
"screening action"
"curling action"
"both teams are literally attacking the glass"
"guard oriented"
"one and done"
"he brings energy on top of energy"
!
"dribble drive"
! - 14:04 in the second
"head and shoulders above the rim"
"textbook team defense"
"principal verticality"
!
"forced tempo"
"threes are raining"
espn3.com
The second half for UNC-Greensboro was a perfect example of how dangerous the three-point shot can be. The Spartans hit 8-of-14 over the final 20 minutes (and 14-of-27, 51%, for the game), erasing an 11-point deficit and winning 79-66 in the first meeting between the teams since 2006.
Delaware had that 11-point cushion at 44-33 early in the second half and still led 48-39 with about 14 minutes to go. Greensboro followed with an 18-0 run over the next six minutes & Delaware never got back into the game.
Francis Alonso was sensational for Greensboro. The junior and national leader in three-point shooting a year ago hit eight of his 10 three-point attempts Monday for a game and career-high 32 points.
Also sensational: the broadcast team. They mixed basketball phrases with nonsense splendidly.
"that really changes the landscape"
"hopefully tonight a get right game"
"rise and fire"
"screening action"
"curling action"
"both teams are literally attacking the glass"
"guard oriented"
"one and done"
"he brings energy on top of energy"
!
"dribble drive"
! - 14:04 in the second
"head and shoulders above the rim"
"textbook team defense"
"principal verticality"
!
"forced tempo"
"threes are raining"
Games 420-421: Holiday tournament week begins
421 - VCU vs. Marquette
November 20 at Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, HI
[Maui Invitational quarterfinals]
ESPN2
A couple gems from the excellent Jay Bilas:
"your eyes make lay ups"
"he's played a really nice floor game"
420 - Clemson vs. Temple
November 19 at TD Arena in Charleston, SC
[Charleston Classic championship]
ESPN2
November 20 at Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, HI
[Maui Invitational quarterfinals]
ESPN2
A couple gems from the excellent Jay Bilas:
"your eyes make lay ups"
"he's played a really nice floor game"
420 - Clemson vs. Temple
November 19 at TD Arena in Charleston, SC
[Charleston Classic championship]
ESPN2
Game 419 - Georgia State at Mississippi
November 17 at The Pavilion in Oxford, MS
SEC Network
GSU just can't seem to find a way to beat an SEC team & it's getting extremely frustrating.
The winless streak against the conference reached nine after a double-digit lead turned into a 77-72 defeat Friday evening.
It was a different story offensively in the second half for the Panthers, who shot 53 percent (16-for-30) from the field and were 5-of-8 from three in the opening half to grab a 44-36 lead at the break, but just 34 percent (8-for-23) and 3-of-13 from three in the final 20 minutes.
Mississippi started the second on a 10-0 run and though GSU briefly took the lead back, Breein Tyree's 3-pointer with 12 minutes to go gave the hosts the lead for good.
It was a 73-70 deficit with 20 seconds left when, with two really good long range shooters on the floor in Devin Mitchell and Jeff Thomas, freshman Kane Williams missed the first 3-pointer of his collegiate career that pretty much ended the Panthers' hopes. There were a ton of reasons Georgia State came up short - 17 turnovers, the poorer shooting in the second half, the fact that the referees called the visitors for an absurd 30 fouls - so it seems a bit silly to pick on one play. But that possession in that situation and you get that shot? It just can't happen.
GSU led by as much as 11 points in the opening half with Simonds using one strong drive after another to collect 19 of his game-high 29 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Simonds tried to do a bit too much, I think, in the second half and it cost him a couple times on charge calls (he had seven of GSU's 16 turnovers). Mitchell and Thomas each knocked down three 3-pointers, but Mitchell, in his second year after transferring from Alabama, took only two shots in the second half. That's not nearly enough.
I'm expecting a really good year from Thomas and Friday he played well. The junior played 39 of the 40 minutes and just missed a double-double (14 points, nine rebounds).
SEC Network
GSU just can't seem to find a way to beat an SEC team & it's getting extremely frustrating.
The winless streak against the conference reached nine after a double-digit lead turned into a 77-72 defeat Friday evening.
It was a different story offensively in the second half for the Panthers, who shot 53 percent (16-for-30) from the field and were 5-of-8 from three in the opening half to grab a 44-36 lead at the break, but just 34 percent (8-for-23) and 3-of-13 from three in the final 20 minutes.
Mississippi started the second on a 10-0 run and though GSU briefly took the lead back, Breein Tyree's 3-pointer with 12 minutes to go gave the hosts the lead for good.
It was a 73-70 deficit with 20 seconds left when, with two really good long range shooters on the floor in Devin Mitchell and Jeff Thomas, freshman Kane Williams missed the first 3-pointer of his collegiate career that pretty much ended the Panthers' hopes. There were a ton of reasons Georgia State came up short - 17 turnovers, the poorer shooting in the second half, the fact that the referees called the visitors for an absurd 30 fouls - so it seems a bit silly to pick on one play. But that possession in that situation and you get that shot? It just can't happen.
GSU led by as much as 11 points in the opening half with Simonds using one strong drive after another to collect 19 of his game-high 29 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Simonds tried to do a bit too much, I think, in the second half and it cost him a couple times on charge calls (he had seven of GSU's 16 turnovers). Mitchell and Thomas each knocked down three 3-pointers, but Mitchell, in his second year after transferring from Alabama, took only two shots in the second half. That's not nearly enough.
I'm expecting a really good year from Thomas and Friday he played well. The junior played 39 of the 40 minutes and just missed a double-double (14 points, nine rebounds).
Game 418 - Georgia State women at Mississippi State
November 16 at Humphrey Coliseum in Starkville, MS
SEC Network
Other games watched:
St. Louis vs. Virginia Tech
Wright State women at Missouri
Washington vs. Providence
SEC Network
Other games watched:
St. Louis vs. Virginia Tech
Wright State women at Missouri
Washington vs. Providence
Game 417 - Iowa State vs. Appalachian State
November 16 at HTC Center in Conway, SC
[Puerto Rico Tip Off quarterfinals]
ESPNU
Oh, Alvaro Martin and Debbie Antonelli, give us some basketball phrases!
"he's a shot seeker"
"face of the program"
"incredible upside"
"he's a Toronto Raptor baby"
!
"stretch four"
"floor burns"/"skin burns"
"post presence" (3)
"he's a curl specialist"
"pick and pop" (2)
"basketball hot spot"
"faceupability"
"a high IQ transition play"
"the fabric of your program and your culture"
[Puerto Rico Tip Off quarterfinals]
ESPNU
Oh, Alvaro Martin and Debbie Antonelli, give us some basketball phrases!
"he's a shot seeker"
"face of the program"
"incredible upside"
"he's a Toronto Raptor baby"
!
"stretch four"
"floor burns"/"skin burns"
"post presence" (3)
"he's a curl specialist"
"pick and pop" (2)
"basketball hot spot"
"faceupability"
"a high IQ transition play"
"the fabric of your program and your culture"
Game 416 - Indiana State vs. Auburn
November 16 at TD Arena in Charleston, SC
[Charleston Classic quarterfinals]
ESPNU
Indiana State routed in-state rival Indiana in Bloomington in the season opener, but game two went decidedly different.
Auburn was quicker to the rim offensively and played excellent defense, holding the Sycamores to 30% shooting in an 83-64 victory.
ISU knocked down 17 three-pointers in the win over the Hoosiers last Saturday, but had just 17 field goals total and were 6-of-20 from behind the arc Thursday afternoon. Auburn got 14 and 12 from Desean Murray, 15 points from Bryce Brown and seven assists from point guard Jared Harper. Six players scored at least nine points for the Tigers, who are still playing without suspended players Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley.
Based on how they looked Thursday and the fact that I'm assuming two of their rotation players will eventually return from suspension, Auburn looks to be a contender in the Southeastern Conference.
Brenton Scott made life miserable for Indiana - 24 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three - but was a non-factor against Auburn (3 points, no made field goals). Jordan Barnes, who had 18 points in the opener, led the Sycamores with a game-high 19 points.
It should be a good one in the semifinals as Auburn takes on Temple, a 76-65 quarterfinal winner over Old Dominion.
[Charleston Classic quarterfinals]
ESPNU
Indiana State routed in-state rival Indiana in Bloomington in the season opener, but game two went decidedly different.
Auburn was quicker to the rim offensively and played excellent defense, holding the Sycamores to 30% shooting in an 83-64 victory.
ISU knocked down 17 three-pointers in the win over the Hoosiers last Saturday, but had just 17 field goals total and were 6-of-20 from behind the arc Thursday afternoon. Auburn got 14 and 12 from Desean Murray, 15 points from Bryce Brown and seven assists from point guard Jared Harper. Six players scored at least nine points for the Tigers, who are still playing without suspended players Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley.
Based on how they looked Thursday and the fact that I'm assuming two of their rotation players will eventually return from suspension, Auburn looks to be a contender in the Southeastern Conference.
Brenton Scott made life miserable for Indiana - 24 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three - but was a non-factor against Auburn (3 points, no made field goals). Jordan Barnes, who had 18 points in the opener, led the Sycamores with a game-high 19 points.
It should be a good one in the semifinals as Auburn takes on Temple, a 76-65 quarterfinal winner over Old Dominion.
Game 415 - Montana at Penn State
November 15 at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, PA
Big 10 Network
With just under 10 minutes to play in this one, Montana had gotten to within 51-50 on Ahmaad Rorie's lay up. The Grizzlies made just two field goals the rest of the way.
Shep Garner shook off a facial injury by knocking down consecutive 3-pointers to help Penn State pull away late in a 70-57 victory.
Montana, which was coming off an upset win in overtime at Pittsburgh on Monday, was down just 58-55 with a little more than four minutes to play after a Jamar Okoh offensive rebound led to a three from Michael Oguine, the Grizzlies' first field goal since the 9:50 mark.
Before that, Garner had collided with Nazeer Bostick on a loose ball and Garner had to leave the game while trainers dealt with his bloody nose. He returned just after Oguine's bucket and drained consecutive threes to put the Nittany Lions up 64-55 with 2:42 left and effectively end Montana's bid for a second upset in three days.
All 12 of Garner's points came on threes. Josh Reaves also had 12 points for Penn State (3-0).
Lamar Stevens, who led all scorers with 25 points, hit a pair of free throws with 12:20 to go that put Penn State in front 51-41. But Montana wouldn't go away. The visitors scored the next nine points as Rorie had two baskets and assisted on another during the run.
Rorie led Montana (2-1) with 16 points, while Oguine added 15.
Big 10 Network
With just under 10 minutes to play in this one, Montana had gotten to within 51-50 on Ahmaad Rorie's lay up. The Grizzlies made just two field goals the rest of the way.
Shep Garner shook off a facial injury by knocking down consecutive 3-pointers to help Penn State pull away late in a 70-57 victory.
Montana, which was coming off an upset win in overtime at Pittsburgh on Monday, was down just 58-55 with a little more than four minutes to play after a Jamar Okoh offensive rebound led to a three from Michael Oguine, the Grizzlies' first field goal since the 9:50 mark.
Before that, Garner had collided with Nazeer Bostick on a loose ball and Garner had to leave the game while trainers dealt with his bloody nose. He returned just after Oguine's bucket and drained consecutive threes to put the Nittany Lions up 64-55 with 2:42 left and effectively end Montana's bid for a second upset in three days.
All 12 of Garner's points came on threes. Josh Reaves also had 12 points for Penn State (3-0).
Lamar Stevens, who led all scorers with 25 points, hit a pair of free throws with 12:20 to go that put Penn State in front 51-41. But Montana wouldn't go away. The visitors scored the next nine points as Rorie had two baskets and assisted on another during the run.
Rorie led Montana (2-1) with 16 points, while Oguine added 15.
Game 413 - Minnesota at Providence
November 13 at Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI
Fox Sports 1
Jordan Murphy followed a 35-point, 15-rebound performance in Minnesota's season-opening win over USC-Upstate with 23 points (on 10-of-15 shooting) and 14 rebounds in an 86-74 victory.
29 points and 14.5 rebounds in two games for the junior forward.
And it's not just Murphy. Minnesota, coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013, had a stretch in the second half where it pulled away from a good Providence team by scoring points on 12 consecutive possessions. That's not easy to do.
The Golden Gophers are hoping great guard play - pre-season all-Big 10 senior Nate Mason had 17 points and sophomore Amir Coffey, 15 Monday - and the emergence of Murphy as a stand out will elevate to the next level a team that hasn't been past the round of 32 in 20 years.
Other games watched:
South Carolina women at Maryland
Central Michigan at Michigan
Fox Sports 1
Jordan Murphy followed a 35-point, 15-rebound performance in Minnesota's season-opening win over USC-Upstate with 23 points (on 10-of-15 shooting) and 14 rebounds in an 86-74 victory.
29 points and 14.5 rebounds in two games for the junior forward.
And it's not just Murphy. Minnesota, coming off its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013, had a stretch in the second half where it pulled away from a good Providence team by scoring points on 12 consecutive possessions. That's not easy to do.
The Golden Gophers are hoping great guard play - pre-season all-Big 10 senior Nate Mason had 17 points and sophomore Amir Coffey, 15 Monday - and the emergence of Murphy as a stand out will elevate to the next level a team that hasn't been past the round of 32 in 20 years.
Other games watched:
South Carolina women at Maryland
Central Michigan at Michigan
Game 412: Monday matinee
NC Central at Evansville
November 13 at Ford Center in Evansville, IN
The Valley on espn3
Evansville got 29 points from Ryan Taylor and never trailed in a 68-55 victory. I wrote about it here.
November 13 at Ford Center in Evansville, IN
The Valley on espn3
Evansville got 29 points from Ryan Taylor and never trailed in a 68-55 victory. I wrote about it here.
Games 410-411: Opening weekend doubleheader
411 - Howard at Indiana
November 12 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN
Big 10 Network
It was a nice night of basketball phrases and general nonsense from the Big 10 Network duo of Brandon Gaudin and Stephen Bardo.
"a jack of all trades" (3)
"the pressure cooker that is the Indiana Hoosiers"
"integral cog in the attack"
"rise and fire"
"he's got a lot of city in his game"
"Bob Hurley and St Anthony's"
"tear drop" (2)
"volume shooters"
"court vision"
"and now, a teaching moment"
"on NBA scouts radar"
"hoops hotbed"
"old school"
"tremendous upside" (2)
"the Butler way"
410 - Loyola Marymount at UT Arlington
November 11 at College Park Center in Arlington, TX
espn3.com
November 12 at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN
Big 10 Network
It was a nice night of basketball phrases and general nonsense from the Big 10 Network duo of Brandon Gaudin and Stephen Bardo.
"a jack of all trades" (3)
"the pressure cooker that is the Indiana Hoosiers"
"integral cog in the attack"
"rise and fire"
"he's got a lot of city in his game"
"Bob Hurley and St Anthony's"
"tear drop" (2)
"volume shooters"
"court vision"
"and now, a teaching moment"
"on NBA scouts radar"
"hoops hotbed"
"old school"
"tremendous upside" (2)
"the Butler way"
410 - Loyola Marymount at UT Arlington
November 11 at College Park Center in Arlington, TX
espn3.com
Game 409 - Carver College at Georgia State
November 10 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
Not a bad way to open up a new season.
Sophomore D'Marcus Simonds led four in double figures, recording the first triple-double in school history as GSU rolled 90-50.
Last year's Sun Belt Conference freshman of the year is expected to be one of the league's top players again this season and Simonds showed a lot of that promise on opening night. He finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists & the Panthers held the Division III Cougars to 35% shooting.
GSU had a disappointing finish to the 2016-17 season, losing as the No. 2 seed to sixth-seeded and eventual league champion Troy in the Sun Belt semifinals. But with Simonds, a hopeful next step taken by junior Malik Benlevi (17 and 7 on Friday), and contributions from transfers (junior Jordan Tyson from St. Bonaventure and Damon Wilson from Pittsburgh) and freshmen (guard Kane Williams and forward Josh Linder), the Panthers have the pieces to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014-2015.
Devin Mitchell had 18 points and hit five threes, while Jordan Session had a near double-double (10 points, nine rebounds) and Tyson and Linder added eight points each off the bench to help lead the hosts.
espn3.com
Not a bad way to open up a new season.
Sophomore D'Marcus Simonds led four in double figures, recording the first triple-double in school history as GSU rolled 90-50.
Last year's Sun Belt Conference freshman of the year is expected to be one of the league's top players again this season and Simonds showed a lot of that promise on opening night. He finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists & the Panthers held the Division III Cougars to 35% shooting.
GSU had a disappointing finish to the 2016-17 season, losing as the No. 2 seed to sixth-seeded and eventual league champion Troy in the Sun Belt semifinals. But with Simonds, a hopeful next step taken by junior Malik Benlevi (17 and 7 on Friday), and contributions from transfers (junior Jordan Tyson from St. Bonaventure and Damon Wilson from Pittsburgh) and freshmen (guard Kane Williams and forward Josh Linder), the Panthers have the pieces to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014-2015.
Devin Mitchell had 18 points and hit five threes, while Jordan Session had a near double-double (10 points, nine rebounds) and Tyson and Linder added eight points each off the bench to help lead the hosts.
Game 408 - Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers
November 1 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA
Fox Sports Southeast
Philadelphia is a strange word to say out loud and to type. Let's just start there.
As for the game, the 76ers ended a long losing streak in the series - seven straight, including four in a row at home - winning 119-109.
The duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are the main reason why I think the 76ers could be a team that gets to a top-4 spot in the East this season and each was excellent in this one. Embiid had 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while Simmons just missed a triple-double with 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
Robert Covington also hit six three-pointers on his way to a team-high 22 points.
Dennis Schroder is Atlanta's best player by a large margin and the point guard led the way with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go along with six assists. But the Hawks, who lost their seventh straight after winning on opening night, have very little besides Schroder. Taurean Prince, in his second year out of Baylor, had 17 points and 11 rebounds, but he made just 6-of-17 shots, and the third option Wednesday was reserve Luke Babbitt (16 points, 7-of-12 from the field).
It could be a really long season for Atlanta.
Fox Sports Southeast
Philadelphia is a strange word to say out loud and to type. Let's just start there.
As for the game, the 76ers ended a long losing streak in the series - seven straight, including four in a row at home - winning 119-109.
The duo of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are the main reason why I think the 76ers could be a team that gets to a top-4 spot in the East this season and each was excellent in this one. Embiid had 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while Simmons just missed a triple-double with 19 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
Robert Covington also hit six three-pointers on his way to a team-high 22 points.
Dennis Schroder is Atlanta's best player by a large margin and the point guard led the way with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting to go along with six assists. But the Hawks, who lost their seventh straight after winning on opening night, have very little besides Schroder. Taurean Prince, in his second year out of Baylor, had 17 points and 11 rebounds, but he made just 6-of-17 shots, and the third option Wednesday was reserve Luke Babbitt (16 points, 7-of-12 from the field).
It could be a really long season for Atlanta.
Game 406 - Memphis Grizzlies at Dallas Mavericks
October 25 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX
Fox Sports Southeast
Our first game of season 3 was a 103-94 Dallas victory, but more importantly, the broadcast team of Pete Pranica and Brevin Knight was in mid-season form.
Gentleman......?
"the Grizzlies wrap up their Texas two step"/"the Big D" (2)
"defensively is where we're buttering our bread"
"that's been his stock and trade"
"marksman"
"attack mode"
"sense of urgency"
"bully basketball"
"dribble drive"
! - first one of the season, 8:03 left in the second quarter
"situational basketball"
"an Xs and Os situation"
"textbook defense"
"finish through contact"
"extend the chicken wing"
"a kiss off the windowpane"
"the Beale Street Bears"
"fourth quarter wizard"
"sharpshooter"
Fox Sports Southeast
Our first game of season 3 was a 103-94 Dallas victory, but more importantly, the broadcast team of Pete Pranica and Brevin Knight was in mid-season form.
Gentleman......?
"the Grizzlies wrap up their Texas two step"/"the Big D" (2)
"defensively is where we're buttering our bread"
"that's been his stock and trade"
"marksman"
"attack mode"
"sense of urgency"
"bully basketball"
"dribble drive"
! - first one of the season, 8:03 left in the second quarter
"situational basketball"
"an Xs and Os situation"
"textbook defense"
"finish through contact"
"extend the chicken wing"
"a kiss off the windowpane"
"the Beale Street Bears"
"fourth quarter wizard"
"sharpshooter"
Game 405 - (2) San Antonio Spurs at (3) Houston Rockets
Western Conference semifinals
May 5 at Toyota Center in Houston, TX
ESPN2
May 5 at Toyota Center in Houston, TX
ESPN2
Games 403-404: Opening round continues
404 - Western Conference first round
Golden State Warriors at Portland Trailblazers
April 22 at Moda Center in Portland, OR
ESPN
403 - Western Conference first round
San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies
April 22 at FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN
ESPN
Kawhi Leonard, my goodness. Leonard scored 43 points, including the tying three in the corner with 10 seconds left in overtime. Unfortunately for the Spurs, Marc Gasol's 12-foot floater with less than a second to go was the difference in Memphis' 110-108 victory. Memphis, which was swept by the Spurs in last season's opening round, evened the best-of-7 series at 2-2 with game five set for April 25.
Leonard, who scored the last 16 (!) San Antonio points in regulation & also had six of his team's 11 steals, and Mike Conley (franchise postseason-record 35 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) went back and forth all game.
Gasol (16 and 12) also beat the halftime buzzer with a Conley-assisted long two.
Golden State Warriors at Portland Trailblazers
April 22 at Moda Center in Portland, OR
ESPN
403 - Western Conference first round
San Antonio Spurs at Memphis Grizzlies
April 22 at FedEx Forum in Memphis, TN
ESPN
Kawhi Leonard, my goodness. Leonard scored 43 points, including the tying three in the corner with 10 seconds left in overtime. Unfortunately for the Spurs, Marc Gasol's 12-foot floater with less than a second to go was the difference in Memphis' 110-108 victory. Memphis, which was swept by the Spurs in last season's opening round, evened the best-of-7 series at 2-2 with game five set for April 25.
Leonard, who scored the last 16 (!) San Antonio points in regulation & also had six of his team's 11 steals, and Mike Conley (franchise postseason-record 35 points, nine rebounds, eight assists) went back and forth all game.
Gasol (16 and 12) also beat the halftime buzzer with a Conley-assisted long two.
Game 402 - Rio Grande Valley Vipers at Oklahoma City Blue
NBDL Western Conference Finals
April 19 at Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, OK
ESPN
Rio Grande Valley had five in double figures, led by Houston Rockets' rookie Kyle Wiltjer (28 points, including six threes), and advanced to the NBDL finals with a 114-102 victory.
There were 12 lead changes, but Rio Grande Valley had a 31-18 advantage in the fourth quarter. The Vipers will meet Raptors 905, the league's top team with 39 wins during the regular season, in the best-of-3 final starting April 23.
Dakari Johnson was fantastic in a losing effort, finishing with a game-high 31 points on 11-of-13 shooting.
April 19 at Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, OK
ESPN
Rio Grande Valley had five in double figures, led by Houston Rockets' rookie Kyle Wiltjer (28 points, including six threes), and advanced to the NBDL finals with a 114-102 victory.
There were 12 lead changes, but Rio Grande Valley had a 31-18 advantage in the fourth quarter. The Vipers will meet Raptors 905, the league's top team with 39 wins during the regular season, in the best-of-3 final starting April 23.
Dakari Johnson was fantastic in a losing effort, finishing with a game-high 31 points on 11-of-13 shooting.
Game 401 - (6) Milwaukee Bucks at (3) Toronto Raptors
Eastern Conference first round
April l5 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada
ESPN
The playoff series opener has not been kind to the Toronto Raptors.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was fantastic, scoring a career-high 28 points on 13-of-18 shooting as the Bucks controlled most of the second half with a 97-83 win, Toronto's ninth consecutive loss in a game one.
Saturday was actually my first time seeing Antetokoummpo play. I'd heard great things, but I watch an obscene amount of college hoops and neglect the NBA quite a bit.
Antetokounmpo was the best player on the floor whenever he was on it. He can shoot from mid-range, he's incredibly strong and athletic, & his passing probably isn't underrated - it should be properly rated - good - but I think that part of Antetokounmpo's game will improve.
And Toronto really stunk over the last quarter and a half of the game.
It was a 68-64 Raptors' lead at about the four-minute mark of the third quarter, but Milwaukee finished the game on a 33-15 run & ended up out-scoring the hosts 51-32 in the second half. All six Bucks who played at least 24 minutes had a positive +/-, including Greg Monroe (+15), who came off the bench to grab a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with 14 points.
Game two is Tuesday.
April l5 at Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada
ESPN
The playoff series opener has not been kind to the Toronto Raptors.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was fantastic, scoring a career-high 28 points on 13-of-18 shooting as the Bucks controlled most of the second half with a 97-83 win, Toronto's ninth consecutive loss in a game one.
Saturday was actually my first time seeing Antetokoummpo play. I'd heard great things, but I watch an obscene amount of college hoops and neglect the NBA quite a bit.
Antetokounmpo was the best player on the floor whenever he was on it. He can shoot from mid-range, he's incredibly strong and athletic, & his passing probably isn't underrated - it should be properly rated - good - but I think that part of Antetokounmpo's game will improve.
And Toronto really stunk over the last quarter and a half of the game.
It was a 68-64 Raptors' lead at about the four-minute mark of the third quarter, but Milwaukee finished the game on a 33-15 run & ended up out-scoring the hosts 51-32 in the second half. All six Bucks who played at least 24 minutes had a positive +/-, including Greg Monroe (+15), who came off the bench to grab a game-high 15 rebounds to go along with 14 points.
Game two is Tuesday.
Game 400 - (1) Gonzaga vs. (1) North Carolina
NCAA Tournament national championship game
April 3 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ
CBS
It's always a 50-50 emotional split for me on the final Monday of the college basketball season. One half of me is excited about watching the national title game, and the other half knows this is it until mid-November.
North Carolina won its sixth national championship, 71-65, though it was far from a well-played/officiated game. Neither team shot well from the field - Gonzaga was 34% on its field goal attempts, Carolina, 35 (the Tar Heels were 4-of-27 from three-point range!) - and the free-throw shooting was horrendous (Gonzaga, 17-for-26, UNC 15-for-26). An absurd 44 fouls were called.
Anyway, we haven't laughed about what announcers say in a while, so let's close the collegiate season with some firsts from Monday's title game:
First time "value the basketball" was said - 18:52 left in first half
"Pick and pop" - 12:23 in first
"Dribble drive" - 11:44 in first
"Blow by" - 12:15 in second
Also, Bill Raftery said "the plum bob" when describing a post move, and I'm just not sure what that means.
April 3 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ
CBS
It's always a 50-50 emotional split for me on the final Monday of the college basketball season. One half of me is excited about watching the national title game, and the other half knows this is it until mid-November.
North Carolina won its sixth national championship, 71-65, though it was far from a well-played/officiated game. Neither team shot well from the field - Gonzaga was 34% on its field goal attempts, Carolina, 35 (the Tar Heels were 4-of-27 from three-point range!) - and the free-throw shooting was horrendous (Gonzaga, 17-for-26, UNC 15-for-26). An absurd 44 fouls were called.
Anyway, we haven't laughed about what announcers say in a while, so let's close the collegiate season with some firsts from Monday's title game:
First time "value the basketball" was said - 18:52 left in first half
"Pick and pop" - 12:23 in first
"Dribble drive" - 11:44 in first
"Blow by" - 12:15 in second
Also, Bill Raftery said "the plum bob" when describing a post move, and I'm just not sure what that means.
Games 398-399: Championship game next
NCAA Tournament national semifinals
April 1 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ
CBS
399 - (3) Oregon vs. (1) North Carolina
398 - (7) South Carolina vs. (1) Gonzaga
So, after 4 1/2 months of basketball, top seeds Gonzaga and North Carolina will play for the national title on Monday.
In the first game of the night, Gonzaga used another excellent performance from its best player, Nigel Williams-Goss (23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, six assists) and survived, 77-73.
South Carolina saw its improbable tournament come to an end, though the seventh-seeded Gamecocks' 16-0 run allowed them to erase a 14-point, second-half deficit and lead 67-65 at the seven-minute mark. Gonzaga reasserted itself and followed with seven quick points (Zach Collins hit a three and assisted on another basket and Williams-Goss had the other two assists during the spurt) and the Bulldogs hit just enough free throws to hang on.
It seems pretty fitting that Gonzaga will play North Carolina for the title as these two have seemed like the best all-around clubs in the country for much of the year.
The Tar Heels had a double-digit lead, but a late Oregon flurry (and UNC missing its final four free throws in the last five seconds) made the final score - 77-76 - a bit closer than it really was for much of the second half. Kennedy Meeks came up big for the Tar Heels, pouring in 25 points, 14 rebounds (eight offensive!) on a silly 11-of-13 shooting from the field. ACC player of the year Justin Jackson added 22 points for UNC, which returns to the championship game after last year's heartbreak at the hands of Kris Jenkins and Villanova hoping for its sixth national title.
Gonzaga, of course, is playing on the season's final day for the first time.
April 1 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, AZ
CBS
399 - (3) Oregon vs. (1) North Carolina
398 - (7) South Carolina vs. (1) Gonzaga
So, after 4 1/2 months of basketball, top seeds Gonzaga and North Carolina will play for the national title on Monday.
In the first game of the night, Gonzaga used another excellent performance from its best player, Nigel Williams-Goss (23 points on 9-of-16 shooting, six assists) and survived, 77-73.
South Carolina saw its improbable tournament come to an end, though the seventh-seeded Gamecocks' 16-0 run allowed them to erase a 14-point, second-half deficit and lead 67-65 at the seven-minute mark. Gonzaga reasserted itself and followed with seven quick points (Zach Collins hit a three and assisted on another basket and Williams-Goss had the other two assists during the spurt) and the Bulldogs hit just enough free throws to hang on.
It seems pretty fitting that Gonzaga will play North Carolina for the title as these two have seemed like the best all-around clubs in the country for much of the year.
The Tar Heels had a double-digit lead, but a late Oregon flurry (and UNC missing its final four free throws in the last five seconds) made the final score - 77-76 - a bit closer than it really was for much of the second half. Kennedy Meeks came up big for the Tar Heels, pouring in 25 points, 14 rebounds (eight offensive!) on a silly 11-of-13 shooting from the field. ACC player of the year Justin Jackson added 22 points for UNC, which returns to the championship game after last year's heartbreak at the hands of Kris Jenkins and Villanova hoping for its sixth national title.
Gonzaga, of course, is playing on the season's final day for the first time.
Game 397 - (2) Mississippi State women vs. (1) Connecticut
NCAA Tournament national semifinals
March 31 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX
ESPN2
Morgan William!
After some cold water splashed on my face and about 10 minutes of failed leads, that's the best I could come up with for this classic ending.
The Mississippi State guard, all 5-5 (5-3?) of her, hit a pull-up jumper at the overtime buzzer that sent the No. 2 seed to a 66-64 victory over previously-unbeaten Connecticut and into the national championship game.
Not only did Connecticut's bid for five consecutive national championships come to an end, but so did the Huskies' 111-game winning streak. They lost for the first time since November, 2014, while Mississippi State, which will play for its first-ever national title on Sunday, avenged a 60-POINT LOSS TO THE HUSKIES IN LAST YEAR'S SWEET 16.
William followed an absurd, 41-point performance in a win over top seed Baylor in the Elite 8 with the greatest shot in the history of womens college basketball.
Unbelievable.
Connecticut actually had two huge chances to first tie, then win the game themselves at the end of overtime. First, in a two-point game, Mississippi State's Dominique Dillingham was called for a flagrant 1 foul when she hit Katie Lou Samuelson in the throat on a loose ball play with 26.6 left. Terrific commentators Doris Burke and Kara Lawson seemed adamant about it being a flagrant. I wasn't sure. Either way, Samuelson hit two free throws to tie the game at 62-62.
Because of the foul call, Connecticut also kept the ball and should've just held for the final shot, but Saniya Chong inexplicably drove the lane with plenty of time still remaining and threw an air ball out of bounds. The Bulldogs got the ball with 12 seconds to go and after dribbling for a bit at the top of the key, Dillingham handed off to William, who drove to the right elbow and drained the jumper over the out-stretched arm of Gabby Williams.
MSU out-played the defending champions in the first half, stunning basically everyone on the face of the earth by building a nine-point lead after one, as much as a 16-point cushion in the second quarter and eventually taking a 36-28 lead into the halftime locker room.
Not surprisingly, Connecticut fought back and took its first lead of the night (40-39) at the 6:16 mark. The teams were tied at 48-48 after three, then after a back and forth fourth quarter, William actually had her first chance to win the game against Williams, but the Huskies' star, playing with four fouls, blocked a driving lay up with about three seconds to go.
MSU went up 64-62 on a lay-in by Teaira McCowan at the 1:12 mark of overtime. It was one of only three combined field goals made over the final five minutes.
I have a feeling we'll remember No. 3 for a long time.
March 31 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX
ESPN2
Morgan William!
After some cold water splashed on my face and about 10 minutes of failed leads, that's the best I could come up with for this classic ending.
The Mississippi State guard, all 5-5 (5-3?) of her, hit a pull-up jumper at the overtime buzzer that sent the No. 2 seed to a 66-64 victory over previously-unbeaten Connecticut and into the national championship game.
Not only did Connecticut's bid for five consecutive national championships come to an end, but so did the Huskies' 111-game winning streak. They lost for the first time since November, 2014, while Mississippi State, which will play for its first-ever national title on Sunday, avenged a 60-POINT LOSS TO THE HUSKIES IN LAST YEAR'S SWEET 16.
William followed an absurd, 41-point performance in a win over top seed Baylor in the Elite 8 with the greatest shot in the history of womens college basketball.
Unbelievable.
Connecticut actually had two huge chances to first tie, then win the game themselves at the end of overtime. First, in a two-point game, Mississippi State's Dominique Dillingham was called for a flagrant 1 foul when she hit Katie Lou Samuelson in the throat on a loose ball play with 26.6 left. Terrific commentators Doris Burke and Kara Lawson seemed adamant about it being a flagrant. I wasn't sure. Either way, Samuelson hit two free throws to tie the game at 62-62.
Because of the foul call, Connecticut also kept the ball and should've just held for the final shot, but Saniya Chong inexplicably drove the lane with plenty of time still remaining and threw an air ball out of bounds. The Bulldogs got the ball with 12 seconds to go and after dribbling for a bit at the top of the key, Dillingham handed off to William, who drove to the right elbow and drained the jumper over the out-stretched arm of Gabby Williams.
MSU out-played the defending champions in the first half, stunning basically everyone on the face of the earth by building a nine-point lead after one, as much as a 16-point cushion in the second quarter and eventually taking a 36-28 lead into the halftime locker room.
Not surprisingly, Connecticut fought back and took its first lead of the night (40-39) at the 6:16 mark. The teams were tied at 48-48 after three, then after a back and forth fourth quarter, William actually had her first chance to win the game against Williams, but the Huskies' star, playing with four fouls, blocked a driving lay up with about three seconds to go.
MSU went up 64-62 on a lay-in by Teaira McCowan at the 1:12 mark of overtime. It was one of only three combined field goals made over the final five minutes.
I have a feeling we'll remember No. 3 for a long time.
Game 396 - (2) Stanford women vs. (1) South Carolina
NCAA Tournament national semifinals
March 31 at American Airlines Arena in Dallas, TX
ESPN2
Two huge things in this game, which South Carolina won 62-53 to advance to its first-ever national title game:
1. A'ja Wilson was the best player on the floor. The junior All America grabbed 19 (!) rebounds, eight on the offensive end, and added 13 points, four assists and three blocked shots. She started a bit slowly, as did most of the Gamecocks, but caught fire as her team turned a nine-point halftime deficit into the lead for good with a dominant third quarter.
The Gamecocks trailed 29-20 at the break, then used a 13-0 run to out-score the second-seeded Cardinal 21-8 and hold them to 4-of-21 shooting in the third.
2. Thanks in large part to an ankle injury suffered midway through the second quarter, Karlie Samuelson was a non-factor. Samuelson was the nation's leading 3-point shooter coming into the night (49%), but played sparingly and missed both of her long range attempts. The Cardinal as a team shot just 4-of-14 from behind the arc.
There were other key factors, of course, none bigger than the work of Allisha Gray. The South Carolina junior guard scored a game-high 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including a huge shot with 4:13 to go in the game, falling away on the baseline for a banked in bucket that turned into a three-point play and a 53-45 lead.
Marta Sniezek had a really nice first half off the bench for Stanford, scoring eight points and handing out four assists. But the sophomore guard, like most of the Cardinal in the second 20 minutes, struggled, and was held scoreless with just two more assists.
March 31 at American Airlines Arena in Dallas, TX
ESPN2
Two huge things in this game, which South Carolina won 62-53 to advance to its first-ever national title game:
1. A'ja Wilson was the best player on the floor. The junior All America grabbed 19 (!) rebounds, eight on the offensive end, and added 13 points, four assists and three blocked shots. She started a bit slowly, as did most of the Gamecocks, but caught fire as her team turned a nine-point halftime deficit into the lead for good with a dominant third quarter.
The Gamecocks trailed 29-20 at the break, then used a 13-0 run to out-score the second-seeded Cardinal 21-8 and hold them to 4-of-21 shooting in the third.
2. Thanks in large part to an ankle injury suffered midway through the second quarter, Karlie Samuelson was a non-factor. Samuelson was the nation's leading 3-point shooter coming into the night (49%), but played sparingly and missed both of her long range attempts. The Cardinal as a team shot just 4-of-14 from behind the arc.
There were other key factors, of course, none bigger than the work of Allisha Gray. The South Carolina junior guard scored a game-high 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting, including a huge shot with 4:13 to go in the game, falling away on the baseline for a banked in bucket that turned into a three-point play and a 53-45 lead.
Marta Sniezek had a really nice first half off the bench for Stanford, scoring eight points and handing out four assists. But the sophomore guard, like most of the Cardinal in the second 20 minutes, struggled, and was held scoreless with just two more assists.
Games 394-395: Pair of finalists in Atlanta
395 - Washington State women at Georgia Tech
WNIT semifinals
March 29 at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
Despite awful nights from both three-point range (3-of-17) and at the free-throw line (12-of-26!), the Tech women joined their male classmates in the finals with Wednesday's 69-61 victory.
Rebounding was a huge factor as Tech had a 50-35 edge - Zaire O'Neal and Elo Edeferioka each had 16 boards. O'Neal was the main cuplrit from the line (6-of-13), but she also scored a game-high 20 points and added four assists.
Tech, 22-14, visits Michigan in Saturday's championship game.
394 - Cal State Bakersfield vs. Georgia Tech
NIT semifinals
March 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
ESPN
The season for the Georgia Tech men had already been incredible before Tuesday's 76-61 win when you consider that they (1) had a new head coach and (2) many thought they'd maybe win one or two games in the ACC (they won eight). For the Yellow Jackets to get to the title game - and pick up their 21st win - has as much to do with the development of post player Ben Lammers and the immediate contribution from freshman Josh Okogie as anything.
Lammers went from a bench player to the ACC's top defensive player and a legit scoring threat inside and from the mid-range in less than a year, while Okogie turned in one of the finest freshman seasons in the conference. Lammers had 15 and 11 with five blocked shots; Okogie contributed a game-high 22 points with nine rebounds in Tuesday's win.
Tech will play in its second NIT final (and first since 1971) against TCU on Thursday.
* Couple other nice performances in this one, including Tech reserve guards Tadric Jackson and Justin Moore, who combined for 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting with four assists and just one turnover. Bakersfield's Dedrick Basile hit five threes and led the Roadrunners with 18 points.
WNIT semifinals
March 29 at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
Despite awful nights from both three-point range (3-of-17) and at the free-throw line (12-of-26!), the Tech women joined their male classmates in the finals with Wednesday's 69-61 victory.
Rebounding was a huge factor as Tech had a 50-35 edge - Zaire O'Neal and Elo Edeferioka each had 16 boards. O'Neal was the main cuplrit from the line (6-of-13), but she also scored a game-high 20 points and added four assists.
Tech, 22-14, visits Michigan in Saturday's championship game.
394 - Cal State Bakersfield vs. Georgia Tech
NIT semifinals
March 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY
ESPN
The season for the Georgia Tech men had already been incredible before Tuesday's 76-61 win when you consider that they (1) had a new head coach and (2) many thought they'd maybe win one or two games in the ACC (they won eight). For the Yellow Jackets to get to the title game - and pick up their 21st win - has as much to do with the development of post player Ben Lammers and the immediate contribution from freshman Josh Okogie as anything.
Lammers went from a bench player to the ACC's top defensive player and a legit scoring threat inside and from the mid-range in less than a year, while Okogie turned in one of the finest freshman seasons in the conference. Lammers had 15 and 11 with five blocked shots; Okogie contributed a game-high 22 points with nine rebounds in Tuesday's win.
Tech will play in its second NIT final (and first since 1971) against TCU on Thursday.
* Couple other nice performances in this one, including Tech reserve guards Tadric Jackson and Justin Moore, who combined for 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting with four assists and just one turnover. Bakersfield's Dedrick Basile hit five threes and led the Roadrunners with 18 points.
Game 392-393: Last half of final four set
NCAA Tournament regional finals
393 - (3) Florida State women vs. (1) South Carolina
March 27 at Stockton Arena in Stockton, CA
ESPN
392 - (10) Oregon women vs. (1) Connecticut
March 27 at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT
ESPN
I can't imagine being a beat writer for the Connecticut womens basketball team. What is left to talk about on a game-by-game basis?
The Huskies rolled to an unbelievable 10th consecutive final four with Monday's 90-52 win. Geno Auriemma is now the winningest coach in NCAA Tournament history, passing Tennessee's Pat Summitt with No 113.
Auriemma is 113-17 all-time in the tournament. Ridiculous.
Few quick things about the Huskies' top three players:
The All America teams were announced before the game and for some reason Gabby Williams was not named to the first team. That's an interesting decision because I think she might be the best all-around player in the country. Williams has the quickness to get to the rim and is a really good mid-range shooter (58% from the field overall), and knows her range (only six three-point attempts all year (one make!)). She's an excellent rebounder (averaging 8.4) and distributor (leads the team in assists, averages 5.2) and has the size - 5-11 - to be an impact pro.
The second-team All-American had 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting and added six rebounds, three assists and four steals in Monday's rout.
Napheesa Collier was one Connecticut player deservedly named to the first team, and she was tremendous in this one, scoring 28 points (on 12-of-20 shooting) to go along with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Between the third and fourth quarters, Auriemma told ESPN that he was upset with Collier, stating that she "isn't playing any defense". I think either Auriemma was joking or just might be running out of things to be upset about.
Fellow first-teamer Katie Lou Samuelson, who averages 20 points, showed her value in several other areas Monday despite shooting just 4-of-13 from the field and scoring eight points. The sophomore had five of Connecticut's 16 steals and handed out four assists with no turnovers.
393 - (3) Florida State women vs. (1) South Carolina
March 27 at Stockton Arena in Stockton, CA
ESPN
392 - (10) Oregon women vs. (1) Connecticut
March 27 at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT
ESPN
I can't imagine being a beat writer for the Connecticut womens basketball team. What is left to talk about on a game-by-game basis?
The Huskies rolled to an unbelievable 10th consecutive final four with Monday's 90-52 win. Geno Auriemma is now the winningest coach in NCAA Tournament history, passing Tennessee's Pat Summitt with No 113.
Auriemma is 113-17 all-time in the tournament. Ridiculous.
Few quick things about the Huskies' top three players:
The All America teams were announced before the game and for some reason Gabby Williams was not named to the first team. That's an interesting decision because I think she might be the best all-around player in the country. Williams has the quickness to get to the rim and is a really good mid-range shooter (58% from the field overall), and knows her range (only six three-point attempts all year (one make!)). She's an excellent rebounder (averaging 8.4) and distributor (leads the team in assists, averages 5.2) and has the size - 5-11 - to be an impact pro.
The second-team All-American had 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting and added six rebounds, three assists and four steals in Monday's rout.
Napheesa Collier was one Connecticut player deservedly named to the first team, and she was tremendous in this one, scoring 28 points (on 12-of-20 shooting) to go along with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots. Between the third and fourth quarters, Auriemma told ESPN that he was upset with Collier, stating that she "isn't playing any defense". I think either Auriemma was joking or just might be running out of things to be upset about.
Fellow first-teamer Katie Lou Samuelson, who averages 20 points, showed her value in several other areas Monday despite shooting just 4-of-13 from the field and scoring eight points. The sophomore had five of Connecticut's 16 steals and handed out four assists with no turnovers.
Games 390-391: First half of final four set
NCAA Tournament regional finals
391 - (3) Oregon vs. (1) Kansas
March 25 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO
TBS
The Ducks reached the program's first final four since 1939 with a 74-60 victory, thanks to a defense that held top seed Kansas to 20% shooting from three and 35% overall, but the invidual performances of Jordan Bell and Tyler Dorsey stood out.
Bell did everything, finishing with eight (!) blocked shots, 13 rebounds (seven on the offensive end), and added 11 points and four assists. Dorsey was 6-of-10 from three-point range and poured in 27 points. An absolutely phenomenal evening at the perfect time for both of these gifted players.
Oregon will be a very tough opponent for either North Carolina or Kentucky in next week's national semifinals despite the fact that whomever wins that Sunday regional final will almost certainly be favored.
390 - (11) Xavier vs. (1) Gonzaga
March 25 at SAP Center at San Jose in San Jose, CA
TBS
Historic day for Gonzaga, which reached the final four for the first time in program history (and first for the West Coast Conference since 1957 and those great San Francisco teams), with a dominant performance.
The Bulldogs' defense was exceptional, holding the 11-seed to 35% shooting from the field and 12% from three, while Gonzaga itself made half of its 24 three-point attempts in an 83-59 win.
Gonzaga was at its best defensively in the guarding of Trevon Bluiett, who came into the game averaging 25 points in the tournament, but was held to 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting.
His free-throw shooting wasn't pretty (2-of-8), but otherwise, Johnathan Williams was fantastic for Gonzaga. The junior had 19 and 8 and added three blocks, while Nigel Williams-Goss was his usual steady self, leading the way with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
391 - (3) Oregon vs. (1) Kansas
March 25 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO
TBS
The Ducks reached the program's first final four since 1939 with a 74-60 victory, thanks to a defense that held top seed Kansas to 20% shooting from three and 35% overall, but the invidual performances of Jordan Bell and Tyler Dorsey stood out.
Bell did everything, finishing with eight (!) blocked shots, 13 rebounds (seven on the offensive end), and added 11 points and four assists. Dorsey was 6-of-10 from three-point range and poured in 27 points. An absolutely phenomenal evening at the perfect time for both of these gifted players.
Oregon will be a very tough opponent for either North Carolina or Kentucky in next week's national semifinals despite the fact that whomever wins that Sunday regional final will almost certainly be favored.
390 - (11) Xavier vs. (1) Gonzaga
March 25 at SAP Center at San Jose in San Jose, CA
TBS
Historic day for Gonzaga, which reached the final four for the first time in program history (and first for the West Coast Conference since 1957 and those great San Francisco teams), with a dominant performance.
The Bulldogs' defense was exceptional, holding the 11-seed to 35% shooting from the field and 12% from three, while Gonzaga itself made half of its 24 three-point attempts in an 83-59 win.
Gonzaga was at its best defensively in the guarding of Trevon Bluiett, who came into the game averaging 25 points in the tournament, but was held to 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting.
His free-throw shooting wasn't pretty (2-of-8), but otherwise, Johnathan Williams was fantastic for Gonzaga. The junior had 19 and 8 and added three blocks, while Nigel Williams-Goss was his usual steady self, leading the way with 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Game 389 - (4) UCLA women vs. (1) Connecticut
NCAA Tournament regional semifinals
March 25 at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT
ESPN
That's consecutive win No. 110 for Connecticut, which advanced to the Elite 8 with an 86-71 victory Saturday afternoon.
Napheesha Collier was fantastic - NCAA Tournament career-high 27 points, 14 rebounds, five assists - Gabby Williams also did a lot of everything (17 points, nine rebounds, six assists) and the Huskies nearly had all five starters in double figures (Kia Nurse scored nine points).
Coach Geno Auriemma tied former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt for the most wins in tournament history (each has 112), and the unbeaten Huskies will look to make Auriemma No. 1 when they play 10th-seeded Oregon in Monday's regional final.
Great night for UCLA's Jordan Canada, who handed out 11 assists to go along with a team-high 20 points before fouling out with a minute to play.
Other game watched:
(10) Oregon vs. (3) Maryland
March 25 at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT
ESPN
That's consecutive win No. 110 for Connecticut, which advanced to the Elite 8 with an 86-71 victory Saturday afternoon.
Napheesha Collier was fantastic - NCAA Tournament career-high 27 points, 14 rebounds, five assists - Gabby Williams also did a lot of everything (17 points, nine rebounds, six assists) and the Huskies nearly had all five starters in double figures (Kia Nurse scored nine points).
Coach Geno Auriemma tied former Tennessee coach Pat Summitt for the most wins in tournament history (each has 112), and the unbeaten Huskies will look to make Auriemma No. 1 when they play 10th-seeded Oregon in Monday's regional final.
Great night for UCLA's Jordan Canada, who handed out 11 assists to go along with a team-high 20 points before fouling out with a minute to play.
Other game watched:
(10) Oregon vs. (3) Maryland
Games 387-388: Sweet night
NCAA Tournament regional semifinals
388 - (4) Purdue vs. (1) Kansas
387 - (7) Michigan vs. (3) Oregon
March 23 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO
CBS
The top seed Jayhawks and third-seeded Ducks will meet in Saturday's regional final.
Kansas turned a seven-point halftime lead into a lopsided, 98-66 victory mainly because the Jayhawks have three terrific guards.
Frank Mason is a national player of the year candidate for a reason: the senior can do it all. Thursday, Mason had 26 points (9-of-11 from field, 4-of-5 from three), seven assists and seven rebounds and was in complete control of the Jayhawks' offense. Devonte Graham also scored 26 (7-of-15, 5-of-9), while Josh Jackson added 15 points and 12 rebounds. In fact, the freshman Jackson had three more rebounds than the Purdue duo of 6-9 Caleb Swanigan and 7-2 Isaac Haas.
Kansas was only up six about six minutes into the second half, but rolled the rest of the way and shot 53% from three-point range.
The Big 12 regular season champion is right now playing better than anyone in this tournament.
In the first game of the night, Michigan's Derrick Walton missed a three with about three seconds to go that would've been the game-winner as Oregon survived, 69-68.
Walton's final collegiate game was another good one - 20 points and eight assists - though for once, it wasn't enough. Zak Ervin was also really good for Michigan - he and Walton combined for 39 points on 14-of-24 shooting, but the rest of the team shot just 11-of-34 from the field.
Outstanding game for Oregon's Jordan Bell, who scored 16 points and was a monster on the glass with 13 rebounds. He and Tyler Dorsey (20 points, including five threes) are the big reasons why Oregon is in the Elite 8 for the second consecutive season looking for its first final four since the first tournament back in 1939.
Other game watched:
(4) West Virginia vs. (1) Gonzaga
388 - (4) Purdue vs. (1) Kansas
387 - (7) Michigan vs. (3) Oregon
March 23 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO
CBS
The top seed Jayhawks and third-seeded Ducks will meet in Saturday's regional final.
Kansas turned a seven-point halftime lead into a lopsided, 98-66 victory mainly because the Jayhawks have three terrific guards.
Frank Mason is a national player of the year candidate for a reason: the senior can do it all. Thursday, Mason had 26 points (9-of-11 from field, 4-of-5 from three), seven assists and seven rebounds and was in complete control of the Jayhawks' offense. Devonte Graham also scored 26 (7-of-15, 5-of-9), while Josh Jackson added 15 points and 12 rebounds. In fact, the freshman Jackson had three more rebounds than the Purdue duo of 6-9 Caleb Swanigan and 7-2 Isaac Haas.
Kansas was only up six about six minutes into the second half, but rolled the rest of the way and shot 53% from three-point range.
The Big 12 regular season champion is right now playing better than anyone in this tournament.
In the first game of the night, Michigan's Derrick Walton missed a three with about three seconds to go that would've been the game-winner as Oregon survived, 69-68.
Walton's final collegiate game was another good one - 20 points and eight assists - though for once, it wasn't enough. Zak Ervin was also really good for Michigan - he and Walton combined for 39 points on 14-of-24 shooting, but the rest of the team shot just 11-of-34 from the field.
Outstanding game for Oregon's Jordan Bell, who scored 16 points and was a monster on the glass with 13 rebounds. He and Tyler Dorsey (20 points, including five threes) are the big reasons why Oregon is in the Elite 8 for the second consecutive season looking for its first final four since the first tournament back in 1939.
Other game watched:
(4) West Virginia vs. (1) Gonzaga
Game 386 - Illinois at Central Florida
NIT quarterfinals
March 22 at CFE Arena in Orlando, FL
ESPN2
Well, there's one thing you can say about Johnny Dawkins: he sure can coach in the NIT.
He moved to 14-1 all-time in the event as Central Florida advanced to the semifinals with a 68-58 win. The hosts provided their usual strong defense - they came into the night leading the nation in field goal percentage allowed and fifth in scoring defense - holding the Illini to 33% shooting.
Dawkins won NIT titles at Stanford to close both the 2011-2012 and 2014-2015 seasons and he's two wins away from No. 3.
UCF plays TCU in next Tuesday's final four.
Outstanding final collegiate game for Illinois' Malcolm Hill, who scored a game-high 29 points and on the other end of the floor added three of the Illini's 10 steals. Hill hit 9-of-18 from the field, though his teammates were just 10-of-44.
March 22 at CFE Arena in Orlando, FL
ESPN2
Well, there's one thing you can say about Johnny Dawkins: he sure can coach in the NIT.
He moved to 14-1 all-time in the event as Central Florida advanced to the semifinals with a 68-58 win. The hosts provided their usual strong defense - they came into the night leading the nation in field goal percentage allowed and fifth in scoring defense - holding the Illini to 33% shooting.
Dawkins won NIT titles at Stanford to close both the 2011-2012 and 2014-2015 seasons and he's two wins away from No. 3.
UCF plays TCU in next Tuesday's final four.
Outstanding final collegiate game for Illinois' Malcolm Hill, who scored a game-high 29 points and on the other end of the floor added three of the Illini's 10 steals. Hill hit 9-of-18 from the field, though his teammates were just 10-of-44.
Game 385 - Georgia Tech at Mississippi
NIT quarterfinals
March 21 at The Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, MS
ESPN2
The remarkable season for Georgia Tech continued on Tuesday.
Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year Ben Lammers provided his usual dominance (eight blocked shots and four steals), Josh Okogie scored 26 points and the Yellow Jackets were neither tied nor behind in winning 74-66.
In coach Josh Pastner's first season, Tech is a 20-win team and headed to Madison Square Garden for the NIT semifinals.
Lammers also had 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting and added four assists. Okogie, just a freshman, went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, including four straight over the final 1:22 to seal the victory. Mississippi took 28(!) threes, but made just six and wasted a great performance from all-SEC center Sebastian Saiz (19 points, 8-of-11 shooting, 15 rebounds).
Josh Heath had seven of Tech's 21 assists (on 26 made baskets), and the Atlanta school shot 51% from the field in winning for just the third time in 13 road games.
Tech, which failed to get past the quarterfinal round in last season's NIT, will play either Sun Belt Conference regular season champion UT-Arlington or WAC runner-up Cal-Bakersfield March 28.
March 21 at The Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, MS
ESPN2
The remarkable season for Georgia Tech continued on Tuesday.
Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year Ben Lammers provided his usual dominance (eight blocked shots and four steals), Josh Okogie scored 26 points and the Yellow Jackets were neither tied nor behind in winning 74-66.
In coach Josh Pastner's first season, Tech is a 20-win team and headed to Madison Square Garden for the NIT semifinals.
Lammers also had 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting and added four assists. Okogie, just a freshman, went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line, including four straight over the final 1:22 to seal the victory. Mississippi took 28(!) threes, but made just six and wasted a great performance from all-SEC center Sebastian Saiz (19 points, 8-of-11 shooting, 15 rebounds).
Josh Heath had seven of Tech's 21 assists (on 26 made baskets), and the Atlanta school shot 51% from the field in winning for just the third time in 13 road games.
Tech, which failed to get past the quarterfinal round in last season's NIT, will play either Sun Belt Conference regular season champion UT-Arlington or WAC runner-up Cal-Bakersfield March 28.
Games 383-384: Sweet 16's next
NCAA Tournament second round
384 - (12) Quinnipiac women at (4) Miami
March 20 at Watsco Center in Coral Gables, FL
ESPN
383 - (5) Tennessee women at (4) Louisville
March 20 at KFC Yum Center in Louisville, KY
ESPN
We watched some history in both games as Louisville started the night with a 75-64 win to advance to its fourth Sweet 16 in the last five seasons.
It's incredible to even be writing these words, but this was Tennessee's first-ever loss in 29 second-round games. Hard to win when you shoot 33% from the field, 27% from three-point range and your best player, Diamond DeShields, is a non-factor. DeShields finished with 15 points, but sat for a good portion of the second quarter with two fouls, missed nine of her 12 field goal attempts and just never got going.
Tennessee stayed close thanks to a great night from Jaime Nared (28 points, 11 rebounds).
Louisville's stand out sophomore, Asia Durr, wasn't at her best for much of the game - 23 points, though on just 8-of-22 shooting (1-of-8 from three) - but that didn't matter nearly as much as it might have because Mariya Moore picked up the slack.
The junior was a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range and had 19 points. It was a 47-46 Tennessee lead after three quarters before Moore took over at the start of the fourth. Moore scored the first eight points of the final period and her three at the 7:22 mark put her team up 54-47. The Volunteers got as close as 55-51, then Durr followed with consecutive jumpers to make it an eight-point game with just over five minutes to go.
In the nightcap, Quinnipiac got an absurd evening off the bench from Morgan Manz (22 points, 6-of-8! from three-point range) & continued its remarkable run, winning 85-78. I think the most impressed I was with Quinnipiac tonight was when they just kept the lead, though slim at times, throughout the stretch where top players Adily Martucci and Jen Fay sat each with four fouls.
The Bobcats' bench out-scored Miami's 41-8.
And, the Bobcats accomplished the following things Monday:
- Reached the school's first Sweet 16. This follows the first-ever NCAA win - a 68-65 triumph over Big East champion Marquette - in Saturday's opening round.
- Defeated a ranked team for the first time. Miami was No. 16 in the Associated Press final regular season poll.
- Defeated their first Atlantic Coast Conference team.
The Bobcats face top seed South Carolina in Stockton, CA this weekend with a spot in the Elite 8 on the line.
This is just great for womens basketball - a second team from Connecticut is also two wins from the Final Four.
384 - (12) Quinnipiac women at (4) Miami
March 20 at Watsco Center in Coral Gables, FL
ESPN
383 - (5) Tennessee women at (4) Louisville
March 20 at KFC Yum Center in Louisville, KY
ESPN
We watched some history in both games as Louisville started the night with a 75-64 win to advance to its fourth Sweet 16 in the last five seasons.
It's incredible to even be writing these words, but this was Tennessee's first-ever loss in 29 second-round games. Hard to win when you shoot 33% from the field, 27% from three-point range and your best player, Diamond DeShields, is a non-factor. DeShields finished with 15 points, but sat for a good portion of the second quarter with two fouls, missed nine of her 12 field goal attempts and just never got going.
Tennessee stayed close thanks to a great night from Jaime Nared (28 points, 11 rebounds).
Louisville's stand out sophomore, Asia Durr, wasn't at her best for much of the game - 23 points, though on just 8-of-22 shooting (1-of-8 from three) - but that didn't matter nearly as much as it might have because Mariya Moore picked up the slack.
The junior was a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range and had 19 points. It was a 47-46 Tennessee lead after three quarters before Moore took over at the start of the fourth. Moore scored the first eight points of the final period and her three at the 7:22 mark put her team up 54-47. The Volunteers got as close as 55-51, then Durr followed with consecutive jumpers to make it an eight-point game with just over five minutes to go.
In the nightcap, Quinnipiac got an absurd evening off the bench from Morgan Manz (22 points, 6-of-8! from three-point range) & continued its remarkable run, winning 85-78. I think the most impressed I was with Quinnipiac tonight was when they just kept the lead, though slim at times, throughout the stretch where top players Adily Martucci and Jen Fay sat each with four fouls.
The Bobcats' bench out-scored Miami's 41-8.
And, the Bobcats accomplished the following things Monday:
- Reached the school's first Sweet 16. This follows the first-ever NCAA win - a 68-65 triumph over Big East champion Marquette - in Saturday's opening round.
- Defeated a ranked team for the first time. Miami was No. 16 in the Associated Press final regular season poll.
- Defeated their first Atlantic Coast Conference team.
The Bobcats face top seed South Carolina in Stockton, CA this weekend with a spot in the Elite 8 on the line.
This is just great for womens basketball - a second team from Connecticut is also two wins from the Final Four.
Game 382 - (6) Cincinnati vs. (3) UCLA
NCAA Tournament second round
March 19 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA
TBS
The second half was just about UCLA offense at its finest.
Led by the dynamic Lonzo Ball, the Bruins turned a three-point halftime deficit into a 79-67 victory and the program's third Sweet 16 in the last four seasons.
UCLA had a 7-0 run early in the second, made 8-of-10 field goals at one point, and took the lead for good at at the 13 1/2-minute mark on Ball's 3-pointer. The guard handed out nine assists - he leads the country in that category - and also had 18 points and seven rebounds.
UCLA's offense, which is tops nationally in scoring and field goal percentage, shot 63% from the field in the second half & was also remarkably efficient throughout the game (21 assists and just three turnovers).
Aaron Holiday had five of those assists off the bench.
Speaking of the benches, Cincinnati reserve freshman Jarron Cumberland had a really nice night leading the sixth-seeded Bearcats with 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Cumberland rebounded his own miss and hit a jumper with about 4 1/2 minutes to go that pulled the Bearcats to within 70-63, but they got no closer.
UCLA will try to reach its first Elite 8 since the program went to three consecutive final fours from 2005-2008.
March 19 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA
TBS
The second half was just about UCLA offense at its finest.
Led by the dynamic Lonzo Ball, the Bruins turned a three-point halftime deficit into a 79-67 victory and the program's third Sweet 16 in the last four seasons.
UCLA had a 7-0 run early in the second, made 8-of-10 field goals at one point, and took the lead for good at at the 13 1/2-minute mark on Ball's 3-pointer. The guard handed out nine assists - he leads the country in that category - and also had 18 points and seven rebounds.
UCLA's offense, which is tops nationally in scoring and field goal percentage, shot 63% from the field in the second half & was also remarkably efficient throughout the game (21 assists and just three turnovers).
Aaron Holiday had five of those assists off the bench.
Speaking of the benches, Cincinnati reserve freshman Jarron Cumberland had a really nice night leading the sixth-seeded Bearcats with 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Cumberland rebounded his own miss and hit a jumper with about 4 1/2 minutes to go that pulled the Bearcats to within 70-63, but they got no closer.
UCLA will try to reach its first Elite 8 since the program went to three consecutive final fours from 2005-2008.
Game 381 - (6) Missouri women at (3) Florida State
NCAA Tournament second round
March 19 at Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, FL
ESPN2
This was actually just a five-point game at halftime, but the third quarter belonged to the host Seminoles.
FSU, which advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in school history with a 77-55 win, scored the first eight points of the third and was just getting started. The Seminoles hit seven of their first 10 field goals in the period, including five straight at one point, then began the fourth by scoring the first 10 and went up 66-37 on a Brittany Brown three with 8 1/2 minutes to play.
The No. 3 seed was excellent from behind the arc, hitting 7-of-14, and the defense forced 23 turnovers. Brown handed out eight assists to go along with 16 points, while Shakayla Thomas had 20 and 11.
Missouri still hasn't made a Sweet 16 since 2001.
Other game watched:
(9) Michigan State men vs. (1) Kansas
March 19 at Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee, FL
ESPN2
This was actually just a five-point game at halftime, but the third quarter belonged to the host Seminoles.
FSU, which advanced to the Sweet 16 for the fifth time in school history with a 77-55 win, scored the first eight points of the third and was just getting started. The Seminoles hit seven of their first 10 field goals in the period, including five straight at one point, then began the fourth by scoring the first 10 and went up 66-37 on a Brittany Brown three with 8 1/2 minutes to play.
The No. 3 seed was excellent from behind the arc, hitting 7-of-14, and the defense forced 23 turnovers. Brown handed out eight assists to go along with 16 points, while Shakayla Thomas had 20 and 11.
Missouri still hasn't made a Sweet 16 since 2001.
Other game watched:
(9) Michigan State men vs. (1) Kansas
Game 380 - (8) Northwestern vs. (1) Gonzaga
NCAA Tournament second round
March 18 at Vivint Smart Arena in Salt Lake City, UT
CBS
Other games watched:
(11) Xavier vs. (3) Florida State
(12) Middle Tennessee vs. (4) Butler
(7) St. Mary's vs. (2) Arizona
March 18 at Vivint Smart Arena in Salt Lake City, UT
CBS
Other games watched:
(11) Xavier vs. (3) Florida State
(12) Middle Tennessee vs. (4) Butler
(7) St. Mary's vs. (2) Arizona
Game 379 - (8) Wisconsin vs. (1) Villanova
NCAA Tournament second round
March 18 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY
CBS
Villanova made a remarkable run to the national championship last season, and I think that has made some forget that the Wildcats haven't been very good the last half-decade or so in the round of 32.
Nigel Hayes' nifty reverse lay-up with 11 1/2 seconds to play was the difference as Wisconsin knocked out the defending champions with a 65-62 victory.
That's the fourth time since 2010 that Villanova has been eliminated in the second round and each time it was either a No. 1 or 2 seed.
Hayes shared a game-high in points (19) with Villanova's Josh Hart, who was looking for the tying basket when he drove and didn't get a shot off with four seconds to play.
Hayes (8-of-15 from the field) and Bronson Koenig (7-of-11, 17 points) led a Badgers' team that shot 53% from the field & continued the best four-year run in program history. Wisconsin advanced to their fourth consecutive Sweet 16 and are looking to get to the national semifinals for the third time during that four-year stretch.
One thing to look out for as Wisconsin moves on (they'll play either No. 4 seed Florida or fifth-seeded Virginia in the regional semifinals) is the free-throw shooting. The Badgers are one of the nation's worst teams from the line - 64% coming in - and they made just 7-of-16 Saturday.
March 18 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY
CBS
Villanova made a remarkable run to the national championship last season, and I think that has made some forget that the Wildcats haven't been very good the last half-decade or so in the round of 32.
Nigel Hayes' nifty reverse lay-up with 11 1/2 seconds to play was the difference as Wisconsin knocked out the defending champions with a 65-62 victory.
That's the fourth time since 2010 that Villanova has been eliminated in the second round and each time it was either a No. 1 or 2 seed.
Hayes shared a game-high in points (19) with Villanova's Josh Hart, who was looking for the tying basket when he drove and didn't get a shot off with four seconds to play.
Hayes (8-of-15 from the field) and Bronson Koenig (7-of-11, 17 points) led a Badgers' team that shot 53% from the field & continued the best four-year run in program history. Wisconsin advanced to their fourth consecutive Sweet 16 and are looking to get to the national semifinals for the third time during that four-year stretch.
One thing to look out for as Wisconsin moves on (they'll play either No. 4 seed Florida or fifth-seeded Virginia in the regional semifinals) is the free-throw shooting. The Badgers are one of the nation's worst teams from the line - 64% coming in - and they made just 7-of-16 Saturday.
Games 377-378: Moving on
378 - (10) Marquette vs. (7) South Carolina
March 17 at Bon Secours Wellness Center in Greenville, SC
CBS
377 - (11) Rhode Island vs. (6) Creighton
March 17 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA
TBS
It's incredible that a major conference team can go 44 years without an NCAA win, but South Carolina did until Friday.
Sindarius Thornwell had 29 points and 11 rebounds and P.J. Dozier added 21 and the Gamecocks ran away from Marquette in a 93-73 win. Playing in the tournament for the first time since 2004, South Carolina won for the first time since a March, 1973 victory over Lafayette in a third-place game. That's how long it had been.
It was also the first tournament win for Rhode Island since the 1998 team made a run to the Elite 8.
The Rams, Atlantic 10 champions, had a terrible day shooting the three (4-of-21), but made up for it with great free-throw shooting (28-of-31) and having four players in double figures, led by Jeff Dowtin's 23 points.
I'm really looking forward to Rhode Island's round of 32 match up with third-seeded Oregon.
March 17 at Bon Secours Wellness Center in Greenville, SC
CBS
377 - (11) Rhode Island vs. (6) Creighton
March 17 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA
TBS
It's incredible that a major conference team can go 44 years without an NCAA win, but South Carolina did until Friday.
Sindarius Thornwell had 29 points and 11 rebounds and P.J. Dozier added 21 and the Gamecocks ran away from Marquette in a 93-73 win. Playing in the tournament for the first time since 2004, South Carolina won for the first time since a March, 1973 victory over Lafayette in a third-place game. That's how long it had been.
It was also the first tournament win for Rhode Island since the 1998 team made a run to the Elite 8.
The Rams, Atlantic 10 champions, had a terrible day shooting the three (4-of-21), but made up for it with great free-throw shooting (28-of-31) and having four players in double figures, led by Jeff Dowtin's 23 points.
I'm really looking forward to Rhode Island's round of 32 match up with third-seeded Oregon.
Games 375-376: Pair of night games
376 - (12) Nevada vs. (5) Iowa State
NCAA Tournament first round
March 16 at Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI
TruTV
375 - (16) Mount St. Mary's vs. (1) Villanova
NCAA Tournament first round
March 16 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY
CBS
Other games watched:
(14) Florida Gulf Coast vs. (3) Florida State
(9) Virginia Tech vs. (8) Wisconsin
(10) VCU vs. (7) St. Mary's
(15) South Dakota vs. (2) Arizona
NCAA Tournament first round
March 16 at Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI
TruTV
375 - (16) Mount St. Mary's vs. (1) Villanova
NCAA Tournament first round
March 16 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY
CBS
Other games watched:
(14) Florida Gulf Coast vs. (3) Florida State
(9) Virginia Tech vs. (8) Wisconsin
(10) VCU vs. (7) St. Mary's
(15) South Dakota vs. (2) Arizona
Game 374 - (12) Middle Tennessee vs. (5) Minnesota
NCAA Tournament first round
March 16 at Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI
TNT
When the brackets were unveiled on Sunday, it seemed Middle Tennessee and its 30 wins were a bit under-seeded and Minnesota, despite a big turn around & a 24-win regular season may have been a bit over-seeded. That seemed to play out Thursday afternoon as the Conference USA champions pulled off their second consecutive March upset, 81-72.
The Blue Raiders knocked off No. 2 seed Michigan State in the opening round a year ago and they had four in double figures in this year's win.
Reggie Upshaw again came through in a big way, following his 21-point performance against the Spartans last March with 16 of his game-high 19 points in the second half on Thursday.
MTSU led by as much as 15 before Minnesota got to within 62-58 on Eric Curry's three-point play at the 6:44 mark. That was as close as the Golden Gophers would get, mainly because Upshaw followed with a three, a nice reverse lay-in and a fade away jumper from about 10 feet that made it 69-61 with about 4 1/2 minutes to go.
Other game watched:
(9) Vanderbilt vs. (8) Northwestern
March 16 at Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI
TNT
When the brackets were unveiled on Sunday, it seemed Middle Tennessee and its 30 wins were a bit under-seeded and Minnesota, despite a big turn around & a 24-win regular season may have been a bit over-seeded. That seemed to play out Thursday afternoon as the Conference USA champions pulled off their second consecutive March upset, 81-72.
The Blue Raiders knocked off No. 2 seed Michigan State in the opening round a year ago and they had four in double figures in this year's win.
Reggie Upshaw again came through in a big way, following his 21-point performance against the Spartans last March with 16 of his game-high 19 points in the second half on Thursday.
MTSU led by as much as 15 before Minnesota got to within 62-58 on Eric Curry's three-point play at the 6:44 mark. That was as close as the Golden Gophers would get, mainly because Upshaw followed with a three, a nice reverse lay-in and a fade away jumper from about 10 feet that made it 69-61 with about 4 1/2 minutes to go.
Other game watched:
(9) Vanderbilt vs. (8) Northwestern
Game 373 - (12) Princeton vs. (5) Notre Dame
NCAA Tournament first round
March 16 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY
CBS
Princeton was trying to become the third consecutive Ivy League 12-seed to win a first-round game, but Devin Cannady's 3-pointer with a few seconds left was a bit long and the Irish survived 60-58.
Cannady had a great look and I thought at first it was good. The Tigers, in the tournament for the first time since 2010-2011, had a 19-game winning streak snapped and lost for the first time since last December 20. Princeton's last NCAA win came in 1998.
Notre Dame escaped thanks to Bonzie Colson (18 and 7, 6-of-13 from the field) and Matt Farrell (16 points, 6-of-9 with four assists) because the rest of the team shot just 30%.
I was surprised to learn that the Irish are the only team to appear in each of the last two Elite 8s. Two more wins and the Big East runner-up will make it three straight.
Other games watched:
(12) UNC-Wilmington vs. (5) Virginia
(16) South Dakota State vs. (1) Gonzaga
March 16 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY
CBS
Princeton was trying to become the third consecutive Ivy League 12-seed to win a first-round game, but Devin Cannady's 3-pointer with a few seconds left was a bit long and the Irish survived 60-58.
Cannady had a great look and I thought at first it was good. The Tigers, in the tournament for the first time since 2010-2011, had a 19-game winning streak snapped and lost for the first time since last December 20. Princeton's last NCAA win came in 1998.
Notre Dame escaped thanks to Bonzie Colson (18 and 7, 6-of-13 from the field) and Matt Farrell (16 points, 6-of-9 with four assists) because the rest of the team shot just 30%.
I was surprised to learn that the Irish are the only team to appear in each of the last two Elite 8s. Two more wins and the Big East runner-up will make it three straight.
Other games watched:
(12) UNC-Wilmington vs. (5) Virginia
(16) South Dakota State vs. (1) Gonzaga
Games 371-372: Two more advance
372 - (11) Providence vs. (11) USC
371 - (16) NC Central vs. (16) UC-Davis
NCAA First Four
March 15 at University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, OH
TruTV
Incredible comeback by USC in the nightcap as the Trojans rallied from 17 down to win 75-71 and advance to play No. 6 seed SMU on Friday.
It was the seventh-largest comeback in NCAA history and the Pac 12 school's nation-leading 12th when trailing by 10 or more points. Providence led 46-29 early in the second, but USC chipped away and eventually took the last lead of the night (61-60) with just under seven minutes left on a jumper by Chimezie Metu.
Over the final 12 minutes of the game, USC made 11-of-17 field goals, including six straight during the stretch in which they completed the comeback and grabbed the lead. Starting with Metu's jumper, he and Bennie Boatwright (game-high 24 points) scored 12 of the Trojans' final 16 points.
UC-Davis has only been in Division I since 2007 and 10 years later, the Aggies picked up their first NCAA win, 67-63.
MEAC champion NC Central came into the night with the 10th-best field goal percentage defense in the country, but it was the Big West champions that were the best defensive team in Dayton. Central was held to 35% shooting & just 19% from three (5-of-26).
UC-Davis, which had the best player on the floor in Chima Moneke (18 points on 6-of-10 shooting with 12 rebounds), plays top seed Kansas in Friday's first round.
371 - (16) NC Central vs. (16) UC-Davis
NCAA First Four
March 15 at University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, OH
TruTV
Incredible comeback by USC in the nightcap as the Trojans rallied from 17 down to win 75-71 and advance to play No. 6 seed SMU on Friday.
It was the seventh-largest comeback in NCAA history and the Pac 12 school's nation-leading 12th when trailing by 10 or more points. Providence led 46-29 early in the second, but USC chipped away and eventually took the last lead of the night (61-60) with just under seven minutes left on a jumper by Chimezie Metu.
Over the final 12 minutes of the game, USC made 11-of-17 field goals, including six straight during the stretch in which they completed the comeback and grabbed the lead. Starting with Metu's jumper, he and Bennie Boatwright (game-high 24 points) scored 12 of the Trojans' final 16 points.
UC-Davis has only been in Division I since 2007 and 10 years later, the Aggies picked up their first NCAA win, 67-63.
MEAC champion NC Central came into the night with the 10th-best field goal percentage defense in the country, but it was the Big West champions that were the best defensive team in Dayton. Central was held to 35% shooting & just 19% from three (5-of-26).
UC-Davis, which had the best player on the floor in Chima Moneke (18 points on 6-of-10 shooting with 12 rebounds), plays top seed Kansas in Friday's first round.
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