Class AAAAAA quarterfinals
February 28 at North Atlanta HS gymnasium in Atlanta, GA
Big night for Heritage, which went on the road in front of a raucous North Atlanta crowd and won 59-53 to reach the state semifinals for the first time since 1984-85.
The Patriots (17-8) will play Gainesville, a 111-66 winner over Lakeside-Evans Wednesday, in the Class AAAAAA final four.
Here's the full story
Game 547 - (8) Murray State women vs. (1) Belmont
Ohio Valley first round
February 28 at Ford Center in Evansville, IN
OVC Digital Network
The Associated Press No. 22 Bruins got a bit of a scare, leading by a single point late in the third quarter, but a strong fourth sent the regular season champions to the semifinals.
It was 41-40 after Murray State's Bria Bethea (team-high 21 points) converted a lay-up with about 4 1/2 minutes to play in the third. Darby Maggard drained three 3-pointers as Belmont (29-3) closed the third on a 17-8 run, then the Bruins out-scored the eighth-seeded Racers 30-16 in the final period.
The junior Maggard, top-30 nationally in three-point percentage, hit 5-of-12. She's also a top-40 in assists and she handed out six Wednesday and Belmont had 23 as a team on 34 made baskets. Kylee Smith (21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists) and Sally McCabe (19 points on 9-of-14 shooting, 13 rebounds) were both excellent for Belmont (29-3), which has won 38 consecutive games against league opponents.
Last game for Ke'Shunan James, the OVC player of the year, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds, but was just 6-of-21 from the field.
February 28 at Ford Center in Evansville, IN
OVC Digital Network
The Associated Press No. 22 Bruins got a bit of a scare, leading by a single point late in the third quarter, but a strong fourth sent the regular season champions to the semifinals.
It was 41-40 after Murray State's Bria Bethea (team-high 21 points) converted a lay-up with about 4 1/2 minutes to play in the third. Darby Maggard drained three 3-pointers as Belmont (29-3) closed the third on a 17-8 run, then the Bruins out-scored the eighth-seeded Racers 30-16 in the final period.
The junior Maggard, top-30 nationally in three-point percentage, hit 5-of-12. She's also a top-40 in assists and she handed out six Wednesday and Belmont had 23 as a team on 34 made baskets. Kylee Smith (21 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists) and Sally McCabe (19 points on 9-of-14 shooting, 13 rebounds) were both excellent for Belmont (29-3), which has won 38 consecutive games against league opponents.
Last game for Ke'Shunan James, the OVC player of the year, who had 17 points and 11 rebounds, but was just 6-of-21 from the field.
Game 546 - Christian Heritage girls at Holy Innocents'
Class A quarterfinals
February 27 at Holy Innocents' School in Atlanta, GA
Story at dailycitizen-news
February 27 at Holy Innocents' School in Atlanta, GA
Story at dailycitizen-news
Game 545 - (8) USC-Upstate at (1) Florida Gulf Coast
Atlantic Sun quarterfinals
February 26 at Alico Arena in Key West, FL
espn3.com
The top seed is two wins away from a three-peat after shooting 60 percent from the field in a 96-76 win.
The Eagles (22-10), who won the league title as a No. 4 seed in 2015-16 and a No. 1 seed last season, hit 37-of-62 from the field (and were 11-of-20 from three-point range).
The hosts trailed by a point in the early moments of the second half, but Zach Johnson's 3-pointer at the 18:20 mark gave FGCU the lead for good. Johnson, a first-team all-Atlantic Sun honoree, had a great night, scoring 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Also a big night for reserve post player Antravious Simmons, who added season-high 18 points (more than 11 above his average).
A miserable season for USC-Upstate (7-25) came to an end, but not before Mike Cunningham tied a career-high with 28 points, though the junior's last basket of the night came at the 9:25 mark. It was 73-65 at the time, but the visitors made only three more field goals the rest of the night.
February 26 at Alico Arena in Key West, FL
espn3.com
The top seed is two wins away from a three-peat after shooting 60 percent from the field in a 96-76 win.
The Eagles (22-10), who won the league title as a No. 4 seed in 2015-16 and a No. 1 seed last season, hit 37-of-62 from the field (and were 11-of-20 from three-point range).
The hosts trailed by a point in the early moments of the second half, but Zach Johnson's 3-pointer at the 18:20 mark gave FGCU the lead for good. Johnson, a first-team all-Atlantic Sun honoree, had a great night, scoring 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting. Also a big night for reserve post player Antravious Simmons, who added season-high 18 points (more than 11 above his average).
A miserable season for USC-Upstate (7-25) came to an end, but not before Mike Cunningham tied a career-high with 28 points, though the junior's last basket of the night came at the 9:25 mark. It was 73-65 at the time, but the visitors made only three more field goals the rest of the night.
Games 543-544: Saturday doubleheader
544 - Gonzaga at BYU
February 24 at Marriott Center in Provo, UT
ESPN2
Eric Rothman and Caron Butler combined to say "Zags" 25 times, and also said these things:
"they don't rebuild they just reload"
"they all have sweat equity in these conferences"
"play with a bulls eye on their back"
"he's a shot maker not a shot taker" (pardon?)
"the glue guys"
"winning basketball pass"
"effort plays"
"hanging their hat on the defensive end of the floor"
"you have to stay goal oriented"
"carve out that space"
"change the culture"/"winning a culture"/"creating a winning culture"
543 - Georgia State at UT Arlington
February 24 at College Park Center in Arlington, TX
espn3.com
February 24 at Marriott Center in Provo, UT
ESPN2
Eric Rothman and Caron Butler combined to say "Zags" 25 times, and also said these things:
"they don't rebuild they just reload"
"they all have sweat equity in these conferences"
"play with a bulls eye on their back"
"he's a shot maker not a shot taker" (pardon?)
"the glue guys"
"winning basketball pass"
"effort plays"
"hanging their hat on the defensive end of the floor"
"you have to stay goal oriented"
"carve out that space"
"change the culture"/"winning a culture"/"creating a winning culture"
543 - Georgia State at UT Arlington
February 24 at College Park Center in Arlington, TX
espn3.com
Game 542 - Bradwell Institute at Heritage HS
Class AAAAAA second round
February 22 at Curtis Bell Gymnasium in Conyers, GA
Heritage got 27 points from Josh Guilford and reached the state quarterfinals for the first time since 1985-86 with an 83-73 win.
Story
February 22 at Curtis Bell Gymnasium in Conyers, GA
Heritage got 27 points from Josh Guilford and reached the state quarterfinals for the first time since 1985-86 with an 83-73 win.
Story
Game 541 - New Hampshire at Hartford
February 21 at Chase Arena in West Hartford, CT
espn3.com
Couple quick things:
1. Has anyone else in the history of basketball missed put backs, gotten his or her own rebound a couple times and eventually scored? Because according to announcers, only Moses Malone did it.
How many times has this event happened and you immediately hear "padding those rebounding stats!....Moses Malone!"
2. Jeff Dooley & Adam Finkelstein with a tremendous job of saying the word "basketball".
First half: said 15 times
Dooley - 12
Finkelman - 3
Second half: 20
Dooley - 16
Finkleman - 4
Totals: 35 (average .87/game minute)
espn3.com
Couple quick things:
1. Has anyone else in the history of basketball missed put backs, gotten his or her own rebound a couple times and eventually scored? Because according to announcers, only Moses Malone did it.
How many times has this event happened and you immediately hear "padding those rebounding stats!....Moses Malone!"
2. Jeff Dooley & Adam Finkelstein with a tremendous job of saying the word "basketball".
First half: said 15 times
Dooley - 12
Finkelman - 3
Second half: 20
Dooley - 16
Finkleman - 4
Totals: 35 (average .87/game minute)
Game 540 - Kentucky at Arkansas
February 20 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR
ESPN
This game was tied at 43-43 at halftime, but Kentucky played a strong second half - shot 45% from the field and held the second-leading scorer in the SEC, Jaylen Barford, to just four points on 1-of-8 shooting - in an 87-72 win.
Kevin Knox finished with a team-high 23 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander handed out seven assists with just two turnovers and added 18 points for the Wildcats. That's six straight in the series for Kentucky (last Arkansas win was in February, 2014).
Daryl Macon did all he could for the Razorbacks, who saw a four-game winning streak come to an end. The SEC's fourth-leading scorer dropped in a game-high 26 (8 1/2 above his average) and was the only Arkansas player to provide much of anything in the second half as he scored 12 on 4-of-8 shooting while his teammates added just 17 points over the final 20 minutes.
Arkansas opened up an 11-0 lead three minutes into the game. Kentucky eventually settled in, taking a three-point lead late in the opening half and went up for good on Knox's lay-in with just under 12 minutes to play.
Bench production was a complete mismatch as Kentucky reserves out-scored Arkansas's 38-6 with three Wildcats' finishing in double figures and contributing in other ways: P.J. Washington (13 points and 10 rebounds), Quade Green (12 points, six rebounds and four assists) & Jarred Vanderbilt (11 points and nine rebounds).
ESPN
This game was tied at 43-43 at halftime, but Kentucky played a strong second half - shot 45% from the field and held the second-leading scorer in the SEC, Jaylen Barford, to just four points on 1-of-8 shooting - in an 87-72 win.
Kevin Knox finished with a team-high 23 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander handed out seven assists with just two turnovers and added 18 points for the Wildcats. That's six straight in the series for Kentucky (last Arkansas win was in February, 2014).
Daryl Macon did all he could for the Razorbacks, who saw a four-game winning streak come to an end. The SEC's fourth-leading scorer dropped in a game-high 26 (8 1/2 above his average) and was the only Arkansas player to provide much of anything in the second half as he scored 12 on 4-of-8 shooting while his teammates added just 17 points over the final 20 minutes.
Arkansas opened up an 11-0 lead three minutes into the game. Kentucky eventually settled in, taking a three-point lead late in the opening half and went up for good on Knox's lay-in with just under 12 minutes to play.
Bench production was a complete mismatch as Kentucky reserves out-scored Arkansas's 38-6 with three Wildcats' finishing in double figures and contributing in other ways: P.J. Washington (13 points and 10 rebounds), Quade Green (12 points, six rebounds and four assists) & Jarred Vanderbilt (11 points and nine rebounds).
Game 539 - Nicholls at Central Arkansas
February 17 at Farris Center in Conway, AR
espn3.com
A huge turnaround season continued for Nicholls as Roddy Peters' near-triple double led to an 87-83 win.
That's five straight for the Colonels, who went 14-17 a year ago, but remained atop the Southland Conference at 12-2 (18-9 overall). Peters was fantastic, scoring 30 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists in 31 minutes off the bench.
Jordan Howard is second nationally in scoring and he showed why, scoring a game-high 37 points in a losing effort for Central Arkansas.
A ridiculous 47 fouls were called, leading to these free throw shooting numbers:
* Central Arkansas went 28-of-37
* Nicholls was 24-for-31
* Howard, who is one of only 30 players in the country shooting 88% or better from the line, went 19-for-19, while Peters was 14-for-16
espn3.com
A huge turnaround season continued for Nicholls as Roddy Peters' near-triple double led to an 87-83 win.
That's five straight for the Colonels, who went 14-17 a year ago, but remained atop the Southland Conference at 12-2 (18-9 overall). Peters was fantastic, scoring 30 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists in 31 minutes off the bench.
Jordan Howard is second nationally in scoring and he showed why, scoring a game-high 37 points in a losing effort for Central Arkansas.
A ridiculous 47 fouls were called, leading to these free throw shooting numbers:
* Central Arkansas went 28-of-37
* Nicholls was 24-for-31
* Howard, who is one of only 30 players in the country shooting 88% or better from the line, went 19-for-19, while Peters was 14-for-16
Games 537-538: A Friday Pair
538 - Georgia State at Georgia Southern
February 16 at Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, GA
ESPN2
Things that were said:
"you've got to win the scoreboard"
So, win?
537 - Rhode Island at Saint Bonaventure
February 16 at Reilly Center in St. Bonaventure, NY
ESPN2
Things that were said:
"they're throwing a shampoo bottle on the floor, so it's a class B technical foul"
Scoochie Smith All Stars
Rhode Island sophomore forward Cyril Langevine, welcome to the all-name team.
February 16 at Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, GA
ESPN2
Things that were said:
"you've got to win the scoreboard"
So, win?
537 - Rhode Island at Saint Bonaventure
February 16 at Reilly Center in St. Bonaventure, NY
ESPN2
Things that were said:
"they're throwing a shampoo bottle on the floor, so it's a class B technical foul"
Scoochie Smith All Stars
Rhode Island sophomore forward Cyril Langevine, welcome to the all-name team.
Game 536 - Villanova women at Marquette
February 16 at Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, WI
Big East Network
Really strong second half, and fourth quarter in particular, for Marquette, which won 90-69 to end Villanova's six-game winning streak.
The Golden Eagles led by five at halftime, then shot 66% (10-of-15) over the final 20 minutes. Starting at about the minute and a half mark of the third - with an Erika Davenport lay up - the hosts went on a 21-7 run and midway through the fourth it was 73-57.
Davenport played really well, contributing 16 points on 8-of-15 shooting and grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. Combine that performance with the job done by Natisha Hiedeman, who dazzled all day, scoring 26 points (more than 13 above her average) on 10-of-14 shooting (in only 24 minutes!), and didn't commit a turnover, and Danielle King, who had eight assists and one turnover to go along with 15 points in a team-high 35 minutes.
That's how Marquette moves to 12-3 in league play and remains in the running for the top seed in next month's tournament.
Big East Network
Really strong second half, and fourth quarter in particular, for Marquette, which won 90-69 to end Villanova's six-game winning streak.
The Golden Eagles led by five at halftime, then shot 66% (10-of-15) over the final 20 minutes. Starting at about the minute and a half mark of the third - with an Erika Davenport lay up - the hosts went on a 21-7 run and midway through the fourth it was 73-57.
Davenport played really well, contributing 16 points on 8-of-15 shooting and grabbing a game-high eight rebounds. Combine that performance with the job done by Natisha Hiedeman, who dazzled all day, scoring 26 points (more than 13 above her average) on 10-of-14 shooting (in only 24 minutes!), and didn't commit a turnover, and Danielle King, who had eight assists and one turnover to go along with 15 points in a team-high 35 minutes.
That's how Marquette moves to 12-3 in league play and remains in the running for the top seed in next month's tournament.
Games 534-535: Mountain West doubleheader
535 - Nevada at Boise State
February 24 at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, ID
ESPNU
We've had Drew Fellios and Sean Harrington before and they never disappoint.
Drew!
Sean!
"juice are flowing! lot of energy in this building"
"bracketologist"
"joey brackets"
"that's a heat check, and the heat is on!"
"he doesn't have the green light, he has the neon green light"
"quiet assassin"
"Caleb Martin going to dunkland"
"one shot away from really setting Taco Bell Arena ablaze"
534 - Utah State at New Mexico
February 14 at The Pit in Albuquerque, NM
Mountain West Network
Huge performance from long range for Anthony Mathis, who hit 7-of-10 from behind the arc in a 78-63 win for the Lobos.
Both teams came in 7-6 in league play, but Mathis, and a 33-point effort from the bench, allowed the hosts to pull a game ahead of the Aggies.
Sam Merrill was somehow a bit better than Mathis from distance (7-of-8), scoring a career-high 33 points, but Merrill's teammates added just 30 themselves and that ultimately doomed the visitors. Utah State committed 23 turnovers, which didn't help either.
* Each time the broadcast came back from a commercial, a graphic like this one
would appear on screen.
Rebounds, fouls, blocks, steals, assists - fine.
Hustle stats?
I'm sure it meant an accumulation of deflections, charges drawn, things like that. But there was no explanation from the broadcast team about what it meant. So, I'm sorry, Mountain West Network, but you can't just put HUSTLE STATS on the screen, assign a number to each team and not explain what is going on.
February 24 at Taco Bell Arena in Boise, ID
ESPNU
We've had Drew Fellios and Sean Harrington before and they never disappoint.
Drew!
Sean!
"juice are flowing! lot of energy in this building"
"bracketologist"
"joey brackets"
"that's a heat check, and the heat is on!"
"he doesn't have the green light, he has the neon green light"
"quiet assassin"
"Caleb Martin going to dunkland"
"one shot away from really setting Taco Bell Arena ablaze"
534 - Utah State at New Mexico
February 14 at The Pit in Albuquerque, NM
Mountain West Network
Huge performance from long range for Anthony Mathis, who hit 7-of-10 from behind the arc in a 78-63 win for the Lobos.
Both teams came in 7-6 in league play, but Mathis, and a 33-point effort from the bench, allowed the hosts to pull a game ahead of the Aggies.
Sam Merrill was somehow a bit better than Mathis from distance (7-of-8), scoring a career-high 33 points, but Merrill's teammates added just 30 themselves and that ultimately doomed the visitors. Utah State committed 23 turnovers, which didn't help either.
* Each time the broadcast came back from a commercial, a graphic like this one
would appear on screen.
Rebounds, fouls, blocks, steals, assists - fine.
Hustle stats?
I'm sure it meant an accumulation of deflections, charges drawn, things like that. But there was no explanation from the broadcast team about what it meant. So, I'm sorry, Mountain West Network, but you can't just put HUSTLE STATS on the screen, assign a number to each team and not explain what is going on.
Game 533 - Umass Lowell women at Maine
February 14 at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, ME
espn3.com
Impressive night for Blanca Millan, who came in averaging a team-best 17.7 points and though she scored 14 points it came on 5-of-18 shooting. Where Millan was most impressive was on the defensive end as the sophomore came within one of tying the program record for steals (she had nine of Maine's 16 (!)) in a 70-65 victory.
Tanesha Sutton picked up a lot of the offensive slack for Maine, scoring 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting to help the first-place Black Bears improve to 11-3 in America East play and 18-9 overall.
Twenty turnovers really hurt Umass Lowell, but otherwise this didn't look like a now 4-22 team. The River Hawks hit 51% of their shots (24-of-47) and got excellent games from a pair of guards as both Brianna Rudolph (21 points, 8-of-14 shooting) and Paula Lopez (15 points on 7-of-12 shooting with five assists) led the way.
* Commentator Sandy Thompson took saying the ridiculous phrase "dribble drive" to ridiculous levels. Not only did Thompson give us the extremely-rare pre-game "dribble drive", she added eight (!) more the rest of the night. That's an average of one every five game minutes. Hall of Fame performance, Sandy.
espn3.com
Impressive night for Blanca Millan, who came in averaging a team-best 17.7 points and though she scored 14 points it came on 5-of-18 shooting. Where Millan was most impressive was on the defensive end as the sophomore came within one of tying the program record for steals (she had nine of Maine's 16 (!)) in a 70-65 victory.
Tanesha Sutton picked up a lot of the offensive slack for Maine, scoring 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting to help the first-place Black Bears improve to 11-3 in America East play and 18-9 overall.
Twenty turnovers really hurt Umass Lowell, but otherwise this didn't look like a now 4-22 team. The River Hawks hit 51% of their shots (24-of-47) and got excellent games from a pair of guards as both Brianna Rudolph (21 points, 8-of-14 shooting) and Paula Lopez (15 points on 7-of-12 shooting with five assists) led the way.
* Commentator Sandy Thompson took saying the ridiculous phrase "dribble drive" to ridiculous levels. Not only did Thompson give us the extremely-rare pre-game "dribble drive", she added eight (!) more the rest of the night. That's an average of one every five game minutes. Hall of Fame performance, Sandy.
Game 532 - Vanderbilt women at Auburn
February 12 at Auburn Arena in Auburn, AL
SEC Network
Auburn is one of the better teams in the country in forcing turnovers (fifth) and steals (second) and it showed on Monday as the visitors turned it over 24 times (10 Auburn steals) in a 63-60 victory.
Unique Thompson had 16 points and nine rebounds to lead three in double figures for Auburn, which shook off a tough shooting night (4-of-21 from three-point range and 35% overall).
Basketball phrases/nonsense
"instant offense"
"defensive stopper"
"attack with composure"
"dribble drives" - ! (8:30 left in second quarter)
"defensive personality"
"nice job by Vandy to pin their ears back and get in attack mode"
"she's a downhill player, she's got wheels, she's got jets"
SEC Network
Auburn is one of the better teams in the country in forcing turnovers (fifth) and steals (second) and it showed on Monday as the visitors turned it over 24 times (10 Auburn steals) in a 63-60 victory.
Unique Thompson had 16 points and nine rebounds to lead three in double figures for Auburn, which shook off a tough shooting night (4-of-21 from three-point range and 35% overall).
Basketball phrases/nonsense
"instant offense"
"defensive stopper"
"attack with composure"
"dribble drives" - ! (8:30 left in second quarter)
"defensive personality"
"nice job by Vandy to pin their ears back and get in attack mode"
"she's a downhill player, she's got wheels, she's got jets"
Games 531: Louisville women at Connecticut
February 12 at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, CT
ESPN2
I've been covering college basketball games at this site for three years, and there just isn't anything new to say about Connecticut (25-0).
Katie Lou Samuelson scored 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting, the Huskies had 22 assists on 29 made baskets and a 69-58 victory wasn't even close to indicative of how the game actually went. That's 76 consecutive home victories for the nation's No. 1 team.
The Connecticut offense came in leading the country in scoring at 91.1 points and they fell well below that, but the defense came in fifth nationally in scoring defense (53.8) and they held the visitors to 28% shooting in the first half in building a 42-22 halftime lead. Louisville's Asia Durr scored 20 points, which was actually right at her average (top-35 nationally), but it was a struggle all night for the junior guard.
She started 0-for-5 from the field (and the Cardinals trailed 24-6 after one period) and didn't collect her first points until the 5:46 mark of the second quarter. By that time, Connecticut had built a double-digit lead they wouldn't relinquish. Durr took 29 shots to get her 20 points. Meanwhile, no other Louisville player scored more than 13.
Gabby Williams is such a terrific player and a joy to watch.
She had another phenomenal night Monday, finishing with 12 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.
ESPN2
I've been covering college basketball games at this site for three years, and there just isn't anything new to say about Connecticut (25-0).
Katie Lou Samuelson scored 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting, the Huskies had 22 assists on 29 made baskets and a 69-58 victory wasn't even close to indicative of how the game actually went. That's 76 consecutive home victories for the nation's No. 1 team.
The Connecticut offense came in leading the country in scoring at 91.1 points and they fell well below that, but the defense came in fifth nationally in scoring defense (53.8) and they held the visitors to 28% shooting in the first half in building a 42-22 halftime lead. Louisville's Asia Durr scored 20 points, which was actually right at her average (top-35 nationally), but it was a struggle all night for the junior guard.
She started 0-for-5 from the field (and the Cardinals trailed 24-6 after one period) and didn't collect her first points until the 5:46 mark of the second quarter. By that time, Connecticut had built a double-digit lead they wouldn't relinquish. Durr took 29 shots to get her 20 points. Meanwhile, no other Louisville player scored more than 13.
Gabby Williams is such a terrific player and a joy to watch.
She had another phenomenal night Monday, finishing with 12 points, 15 rebounds and six assists.
Game 530 - Maryland women at Rutgers
February 11 at Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, NJ
Big 10 Network
Ugly game for Rutgers, which turned the ball over 22 times (Maryland had 13 (!) steals) in a 72-54 loss.
On the other side, that's seven consecutive wins for Associated Press No. 10 Maryland. The Terrapins swept Rutgers and in the two games held Tyler Scaife, a top-40 scorer nationally, to 16 total points on 8-of-29 shooting (27%).
Maryland is one of the better offensive teams in the country and Sunday five were in double figures, led by Eleanna Christinaki's 18 points.
* Let's get a quick list of Basketball Phrases/Nonsense:
"floor general"
"live ball turnovers"
"she brings the extra savvy"
"keep your head on a swivel"
"unicorn-like game" (?)
"a lollypop pass"
"stay available to the basketball"
"dial it up, dig a little deeper"
"screen the screener action"
Big 10 Network
Ugly game for Rutgers, which turned the ball over 22 times (Maryland had 13 (!) steals) in a 72-54 loss.
On the other side, that's seven consecutive wins for Associated Press No. 10 Maryland. The Terrapins swept Rutgers and in the two games held Tyler Scaife, a top-40 scorer nationally, to 16 total points on 8-of-29 shooting (27%).
Maryland is one of the better offensive teams in the country and Sunday five were in double figures, led by Eleanna Christinaki's 18 points.
* Let's get a quick list of Basketball Phrases/Nonsense:
"floor general"
"live ball turnovers"
"she brings the extra savvy"
"keep your head on a swivel"
"unicorn-like game" (?)
"a lollypop pass"
"stay available to the basketball"
"dial it up, dig a little deeper"
"screen the screener action"
Games 526-529: Final day for Region 8
Region 8-AAAAAAA Tournament
February 10 at Newton HS in Covington, GA
529 - Grayson HS (GA) vs. Newton HS (GA)
528 - South Gwinnett HS (GA) girls vs. Newton HS (GA)
527 - South Gwinnett HS (GA) vs. Archer HS (GA)
526 - Archer HS (GA) girls vs. Grayson HS (GA)
Recap
February 10 at Newton HS in Covington, GA
529 - Grayson HS (GA) vs. Newton HS (GA)
528 - South Gwinnett HS (GA) girls vs. Newton HS (GA)
527 - South Gwinnett HS (GA) vs. Archer HS (GA)
526 - Archer HS (GA) girls vs. Grayson HS (GA)
Recap
Game 525 - Louisiana-Monroe women at Georgia State
February 10 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
This was a game GSU had to have, mainly because its in danger of being the No. 12 seed in next month's Sun Belt Tournament. This 70-57 win, which moved them to 2-11 in conference, gave them a potential tie-breaker over 1-11 ULM and allowed them to also possibly finish ahead of Georgia Southern (also 2-11, but GSU won the first match up and they play again on February 17).
Saturday, Madison Newby was her usual steady self, contributing 15 points and seven assists. Nice day for Janessa Murphy as well, who led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. GSU had 18 assists on 24 made field goals and held Gabriella Cortez, who was fourth in the conference in scoring at 16.4 points coming in, to just nine on 3-of-14 shooting.
* A bit of nonsense from both play-by-play man Sam Crenshaw:
"possessions are important"
and commentator Kelcey Roegiers:
"adjusting to their culture and their chemistry"
espn3.com
This was a game GSU had to have, mainly because its in danger of being the No. 12 seed in next month's Sun Belt Tournament. This 70-57 win, which moved them to 2-11 in conference, gave them a potential tie-breaker over 1-11 ULM and allowed them to also possibly finish ahead of Georgia Southern (also 2-11, but GSU won the first match up and they play again on February 17).
Saturday, Madison Newby was her usual steady self, contributing 15 points and seven assists. Nice day for Janessa Murphy as well, who led all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting. GSU had 18 assists on 24 made field goals and held Gabriella Cortez, who was fourth in the conference in scoring at 16.4 points coming in, to just nine on 3-of-14 shooting.
* A bit of nonsense from both play-by-play man Sam Crenshaw:
"possessions are important"
and commentator Kelcey Roegiers:
"adjusting to their culture and their chemistry"
Games 521-524: Region semifinals
Region 8-AAAAAAA Tournament
February 9 at Newton HS in Covington, GA
524 - Archer HS (GA) vs. Newton HS (GA)
Hagans, Brown too much for Archer
523 - Newton HS (GA) girls vs. Grayson HS (GA)
Rams cruise into region title game
522 - Grayson HS (GA) vs. South Gwinnett HS (GA)
Anderson's bucket in final seconds wins it for Grayson
521 - South Gwinnett HS (GA) vs. Archer HS (GA)
Comets reach region 8 final
February 9 at Newton HS in Covington, GA
524 - Archer HS (GA) vs. Newton HS (GA)
Hagans, Brown too much for Archer
523 - Newton HS (GA) girls vs. Grayson HS (GA)
Rams cruise into region title game
522 - Grayson HS (GA) vs. South Gwinnett HS (GA)
Anderson's bucket in final seconds wins it for Grayson
521 - South Gwinnett HS (GA) vs. Archer HS (GA)
Comets reach region 8 final
Game 520 - Seattle at UMKC
February 8 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO
WAC Digital Network
UMKC came in just 6-19 overall, 1-7 in WAC play and on a five-game losing streak, but pulled off the upset thanks to big nights from Jordan Giles and Xavier Bishop.
The duo scored 18 points each and the Kangaroos were 30-for-35 from the free-throw line in the 74-67 victory. Giles added 10 rebounds and two others were in double figures for UMKC as Brandon McKissic and reserve Isaiah Ross added 11 each. The hosts made just
Basketball phrases/nonsense
"he's cut from a different cloth"
"international flavor"
"Seattle kind of has an iron group"
"protecting the home wood"
"it's things like that that happen that don't show up in the box score, except for a turnover" (?)
"and it tickled everything!"
(after a driving lay-up) "oh my goodness, dinner is served!
"7-2...something you just can't teach"
WAC Digital Network
UMKC came in just 6-19 overall, 1-7 in WAC play and on a five-game losing streak, but pulled off the upset thanks to big nights from Jordan Giles and Xavier Bishop.
The duo scored 18 points each and the Kangaroos were 30-for-35 from the free-throw line in the 74-67 victory. Giles added 10 rebounds and two others were in double figures for UMKC as Brandon McKissic and reserve Isaiah Ross added 11 each. The hosts made just
Basketball phrases/nonsense
"he's cut from a different cloth"
"international flavor"
"Seattle kind of has an iron group"
"protecting the home wood"
"it's things like that that happen that don't show up in the box score, except for a turnover" (?)
"and it tickled everything!"
(after a driving lay-up) "oh my goodness, dinner is served!
"7-2...something you just can't teach"
Game 519: Louisiana at Georgia State
February 8 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
Well that was a thoroughly enjoyable victory.
The GSU offense put together one of its finest performances in conference play in a long time and extended the team's winning streak to 10 with a 106-92 victory.
The Panthers (19-6) moved to 10-2 in Sun Belt play and handed Louisiana its first league loss in 11 games. In fact, the Ragin' Cajuns, now 20-4 overall, had won all 10 of their games by double-digits. I imagine this was a fairly stunning defeat.
GSU had six players in double figures and three players score at least 20 points - Jordan Session and D'Marcus Simonds had 22 and Devin Mitchell added 20 - which are two things that never happen to this team. The Panthers pride themselves on a very strong defense (sixth in field goal percentage defense and 20th in scoring defense nationally coming in), but Thursday night was all about an impressive offense.
Session in particular was outstanding, finishing strong around the rim all evening (he was 10-of-14 from the field and I'm not sure any of his 10 field goals came from more than two feet away) to put together his career-high scoring effort. Simonds continued to stake his claim as the Sun Belt's top player, just missing his second triple-double of the season by handing out eight assists to go along with nine rebounds. Mitchell, coming off a career-high 38 points and 10 three-pointers in a win over Little Rock last weekend, drained another five threes.
GSU even shot 87% from the free-throw line (20-of-23), a place where they struggle most years, including this one (66%, 10th in the league coming in). AND, they out-rebounded one of the league's best rebounding teams while holding individual rebounding leader Bryce Washington to five below his season average of 11.
It was a fantastic win and if there was any hope at stealing the top seed from Louisiana, the Panthers had to have it. Now, just a half game separates the teams in the standings with six left to go for GSU and seven for the Ragin' Cajuns.
Well that was a thoroughly enjoyable victory.
The GSU offense put together one of its finest performances in conference play in a long time and extended the team's winning streak to 10 with a 106-92 victory.
The Panthers (19-6) moved to 10-2 in Sun Belt play and handed Louisiana its first league loss in 11 games. In fact, the Ragin' Cajuns, now 20-4 overall, had won all 10 of their games by double-digits. I imagine this was a fairly stunning defeat.
GSU had six players in double figures and three players score at least 20 points - Jordan Session and D'Marcus Simonds had 22 and Devin Mitchell added 20 - which are two things that never happen to this team. The Panthers pride themselves on a very strong defense (sixth in field goal percentage defense and 20th in scoring defense nationally coming in), but Thursday night was all about an impressive offense.
Session in particular was outstanding, finishing strong around the rim all evening (he was 10-of-14 from the field and I'm not sure any of his 10 field goals came from more than two feet away) to put together his career-high scoring effort. Simonds continued to stake his claim as the Sun Belt's top player, just missing his second triple-double of the season by handing out eight assists to go along with nine rebounds. Mitchell, coming off a career-high 38 points and 10 three-pointers in a win over Little Rock last weekend, drained another five threes.
GSU even shot 87% from the free-throw line (20-of-23), a place where they struggle most years, including this one (66%, 10th in the league coming in). AND, they out-rebounded one of the league's best rebounding teams while holding individual rebounding leader Bryce Washington to five below his season average of 11.
It was a fantastic win and if there was any hope at stealing the top seed from Louisiana, the Panthers had to have it. Now, just a half game separates the teams in the standings with six left to go for GSU and seven for the Ragin' Cajuns.
Games 515-518: Region quarterfinals
Region 8-AAAAAAA Tournament
February 7 at Newton HS in Covington, GA
518 - Shiloh HS (GA) vs. South Gwinnett HS (GA)
Jackson sends South Gwinnett to semifinals
517 - Archer HS (GA) girls vs. Shiloh HS (GA)
Defending champs one step closer to repeat
516 - Rockdale HS (GA) vs. Archer HS (GA)
Archer emphatic in its quarterfinal win
515 - Grayson HS (GA) girls vs. Rockdale HS (GA)
Rams win, top seed Newton next
February 7 at Newton HS in Covington, GA
518 - Shiloh HS (GA) vs. South Gwinnett HS (GA)
Jackson sends South Gwinnett to semifinals
517 - Archer HS (GA) girls vs. Shiloh HS (GA)
Defending champs one step closer to repeat
516 - Rockdale HS (GA) vs. Archer HS (GA)
Archer emphatic in its quarterfinal win
515 - Grayson HS (GA) girls vs. Rockdale HS (GA)
Rams win, top seed Newton next
Game 513 - Southern at Jackson State
February 5 at Williams Assembly Center in Jackson, MS
ESPNU
I tuned in not only to see a pair of teams battling for seeding in the SWAC (Jackson State came in 7-3, Southern, 5-5), but to take a look at the potential NBA prospects of Southern forward Jared Sam.
Southern didn't trail over the final 5 1/2 minutes & pulled the minor upset with a 67-62 victory and Sam was a big reason why with his 18-point, 12-rebound double-double. The 6-10 senior is a very good rebounder (top-65 nationally), can shoot in the mid-range and near the rim (and knows how to get to the foul line) and has good court vision in passing out of double teams. I think Sam's defense is a bit underrated as well.
He's unlikely to be selected in June, but I think he's worth a look as a potential undrafted free agent.
* Some nonsense from Dave Lamont and Malcolm Huckaby:
"bracketology"
"Joey brackets"
"high-quality basketball" (3)
"that pass was just a little lazy, and Southern paid the freight"
"big boy move"
"single handily he is on fire"
"sweat mopping that needs to be taken care of right here"
"see if this is any part of the flagrant foul family"
ESPNU
I tuned in not only to see a pair of teams battling for seeding in the SWAC (Jackson State came in 7-3, Southern, 5-5), but to take a look at the potential NBA prospects of Southern forward Jared Sam.
Southern didn't trail over the final 5 1/2 minutes & pulled the minor upset with a 67-62 victory and Sam was a big reason why with his 18-point, 12-rebound double-double. The 6-10 senior is a very good rebounder (top-65 nationally), can shoot in the mid-range and near the rim (and knows how to get to the foul line) and has good court vision in passing out of double teams. I think Sam's defense is a bit underrated as well.
He's unlikely to be selected in June, but I think he's worth a look as a potential undrafted free agent.
* Some nonsense from Dave Lamont and Malcolm Huckaby:
"bracketology"
"Joey brackets"
"high-quality basketball" (3)
"that pass was just a little lazy, and Southern paid the freight"
"big boy move"
"single handily he is on fire"
"sweat mopping that needs to be taken care of right here"
"see if this is any part of the flagrant foul family"
Game 512 - Illinois-Chicago at Detroit
February 4 at Calihan Hall in Detroit, MI
Horizon League on espn3
A little over a month ago, Illinois-Chicago was 5-10 and sitting at 0-2 in Horizon League play after losses to Wright State and Northern Kentucky.
A lot has changed since.
The Flames got 23 points from Dikembe Dixson and used a stingy defense to win their sixth straight game, 78-69 on Sunday.
In a three-day span this weekend, Illinois-Chicago (14-11, 9-3) did an excellent job on two of the Horizon's top scorers. Friday, Oakland's Kendrick Nunn, who is second to Trae Young of Oklahoma in scoring nationally, scored 22 points but mostly from the free-throw line (13-of-16) as the Flames held him to just 3-of-22 shooting from the field. Sunday, it was Detroit's Kameron Chatman (17.8 points coming in) who slumped, missing all but four of his 18 shots.
UIC was also great in its three-point defense this weekend, holding the teams to a combined 7-for-49 from distance. The Flames remain just back of both Wright State & NKU (each 10-2) atop the conference standings.
Outstanding game from Josh McFolley, who set career highs in points (30) and steals (6) in a losing effort.
Horizon League on espn3
A little over a month ago, Illinois-Chicago was 5-10 and sitting at 0-2 in Horizon League play after losses to Wright State and Northern Kentucky.
A lot has changed since.
The Flames got 23 points from Dikembe Dixson and used a stingy defense to win their sixth straight game, 78-69 on Sunday.
In a three-day span this weekend, Illinois-Chicago (14-11, 9-3) did an excellent job on two of the Horizon's top scorers. Friday, Oakland's Kendrick Nunn, who is second to Trae Young of Oklahoma in scoring nationally, scored 22 points but mostly from the free-throw line (13-of-16) as the Flames held him to just 3-of-22 shooting from the field. Sunday, it was Detroit's Kameron Chatman (17.8 points coming in) who slumped, missing all but four of his 18 shots.
UIC was also great in its three-point defense this weekend, holding the teams to a combined 7-for-49 from distance. The Flames remain just back of both Wright State & NKU (each 10-2) atop the conference standings.
Outstanding game from Josh McFolley, who set career highs in points (30) and steals (6) in a losing effort.
Games 510-511: Saturday afternoon doubleheader
511 - Eastern Washington at Portland State
February 3 at Pamplin Sports Center in Portland, OR
Big Sky TV
Portland State's got a very impressive freshman on its roster and we were able to witness Holland Woods' finest collegiate game on Saturday.
Woods scored a career-high 29 points on a perfect 10-of-10 shooting from the field as the high-scoring Vikings (fourth nationally in scoring) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 94-81 victory.
The 6-0 guard's field goal performance, which included a number of impressive drives and tough finishes at the rim, set a school record for most field goals made on a perfect shooting day; the old record was seven set by several players. Woods, who added nine assists and didn't commit a turnover, came into the day averaging 10.2 points, but nearly tripled that mark.
510 - Florida Gulf Coast women at Jacksonville
February 3 at Swisher Gymnasium in Jacksonville, FL
espn3.com
In a battle of the league's top two teams, Florida Gulf Coast moved to 7-1 with the season sweep of Jacksonville (6-2), winning 65-63.
More importantly, play-by-play man Joe Mixie said some things and I want to type them out here so we can all get a better look.
Talking about FGCU after the final buzzer sounded
"They take back first place [pause] they never lost it, but they'll keep it."
On Jacksonville coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin
"If you're coach Yo, you're not gonna be happy with any opportunity that Florida Gulf Coast has to score."
Describing Florida Gulf Coast when it was down 44-40 just two minutes into the second half
"FGCU has dealt with adversity before, they'll have to deal with a four-point deficit now."
Miscellaneous Nonsense
"This game gets closer and farther apart, but the attitudes remain the same."
"Most of the balls that have been thrown up there in the first half have been around the glass."
February 3 at Pamplin Sports Center in Portland, OR
Big Sky TV
Portland State's got a very impressive freshman on its roster and we were able to witness Holland Woods' finest collegiate game on Saturday.
Woods scored a career-high 29 points on a perfect 10-of-10 shooting from the field as the high-scoring Vikings (fourth nationally in scoring) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 94-81 victory.
The 6-0 guard's field goal performance, which included a number of impressive drives and tough finishes at the rim, set a school record for most field goals made on a perfect shooting day; the old record was seven set by several players. Woods, who added nine assists and didn't commit a turnover, came into the day averaging 10.2 points, but nearly tripled that mark.
510 - Florida Gulf Coast women at Jacksonville
February 3 at Swisher Gymnasium in Jacksonville, FL
espn3.com
In a battle of the league's top two teams, Florida Gulf Coast moved to 7-1 with the season sweep of Jacksonville (6-2), winning 65-63.
More importantly, play-by-play man Joe Mixie said some things and I want to type them out here so we can all get a better look.
Talking about FGCU after the final buzzer sounded
"They take back first place [pause] they never lost it, but they'll keep it."
On Jacksonville coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin
"If you're coach Yo, you're not gonna be happy with any opportunity that Florida Gulf Coast has to score."
Describing Florida Gulf Coast when it was down 44-40 just two minutes into the second half
"FGCU has dealt with adversity before, they'll have to deal with a four-point deficit now."
Miscellaneous Nonsense
"This game gets closer and farther apart, but the attitudes remain the same."
"Most of the balls that have been thrown up there in the first half have been around the glass."
Game 509 - San Diego at Gonzaga
February 1 at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, WA
ROOT Sports
Solid night of nonsense from the broadcast team in this 69-59 Gonzaga win:
"picking up loose change"
"50-50 balls" (2)
"picking their poison"
"put the ball on the deck"
"physicality" (2)
"hang their hat on the defensive end"
"high-drama basketball"
"completely changed the chemistry and the culture"
ROOT Sports
Solid night of nonsense from the broadcast team in this 69-59 Gonzaga win:
"picking up loose change"
"50-50 balls" (2)
"picking their poison"
"put the ball on the deck"
"physicality" (2)
"hang their hat on the defensive end"
"high-drama basketball"
"completely changed the chemistry and the culture"
Games 507-508: First half of Arkansas trip
508 - Georgia State at Arkansas State
February 1 at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, AR
espn3.com
Some good:
* Five in double figures, led by D'Marcus Simonds' 21-point, nine-rebound, six-assist effort to extend GSU's winning streak to eight games.
* Shot 55% (29-of-52) and held Arkansas State to 36% (22-of-61) in the 77-66 victory. The Panthers are seventh nationally in field goal percentage defense.
* The teams top-two post defenders - Jordan Session and Malik Benlevi - combined for five blocked shots. GSU is top-40 nationally in that category.
Some not so good:
* Arkansas State had 21 offensive rebounds. 21! This has become a problem. In the Panthers' last five games their opponents have grabbed 21, 18, 18, 12 & 21 offensive rebounds (average of 18). Arkansas State only turned that into 17 second-chance points, but the Red Wolves aren't very good. Better teams will punish you for allowing that many second chances and two of GSU's next three games come against two of the top-4 Sun Belt teams in Georgia Southern and the league's top rebounding team, Lafayette.
* Reserve guard Isaiah Williams had a nice night - 10 points, 2-of-3 from three-point range and three assists - but the other three players who saw time off the bench (guard Kane Williams and forwards Jordan Tyson and Josh Linder) combined for two points and six fouls in 21 total minutes. GSU coach Ron Hunter has basically went with a six-man rotation for nearly all of the conference season (Williams plus the usual five starters), and I've heard Hunter say in press conferences he's going to go with those main players to try and win a league title. I like the top-6 guys, they're as good as any top-6 in the Sun Belt, and yes, the bench is extremely young - four freshman, one sophomore and the redshirt-junior, Tyson. I just worry a bit about the lack of depth.
507 - Georgia State women at Arkansas State
February 1 at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, AR
espn3.com
The GSU women fell to 0-10 on the road (average margin of defeat is 20 points) and 1-9 in league play, 76-63 in the first game of the night.
You can't win many games when you turn the ball over 17 times and only hand out nine assists. And it's tough to win on the road against a pretty good team when you shoot 3-of-17 from three-point range overall and 31% from the field in the second half. GSU was down just 55-53 through three quarters.
Point guard Madison Newby had an extremely uneven game for the visitors, finishing with a game-high 15 points (though on just 4-of-14 shooting), four assists (but six turnovers) and five steals.
Arkansas State, which had four in double figures led by Akasha Westbrook and Lycia Peevy (11 points each), moved to 6-4 in the Sun Belt. Those four losses were by a combined 26 points.
February 1 at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, AR
espn3.com
Some good:
* Five in double figures, led by D'Marcus Simonds' 21-point, nine-rebound, six-assist effort to extend GSU's winning streak to eight games.
* Shot 55% (29-of-52) and held Arkansas State to 36% (22-of-61) in the 77-66 victory. The Panthers are seventh nationally in field goal percentage defense.
* The teams top-two post defenders - Jordan Session and Malik Benlevi - combined for five blocked shots. GSU is top-40 nationally in that category.
Some not so good:
* Arkansas State had 21 offensive rebounds. 21! This has become a problem. In the Panthers' last five games their opponents have grabbed 21, 18, 18, 12 & 21 offensive rebounds (average of 18). Arkansas State only turned that into 17 second-chance points, but the Red Wolves aren't very good. Better teams will punish you for allowing that many second chances and two of GSU's next three games come against two of the top-4 Sun Belt teams in Georgia Southern and the league's top rebounding team, Lafayette.
* Reserve guard Isaiah Williams had a nice night - 10 points, 2-of-3 from three-point range and three assists - but the other three players who saw time off the bench (guard Kane Williams and forwards Jordan Tyson and Josh Linder) combined for two points and six fouls in 21 total minutes. GSU coach Ron Hunter has basically went with a six-man rotation for nearly all of the conference season (Williams plus the usual five starters), and I've heard Hunter say in press conferences he's going to go with those main players to try and win a league title. I like the top-6 guys, they're as good as any top-6 in the Sun Belt, and yes, the bench is extremely young - four freshman, one sophomore and the redshirt-junior, Tyson. I just worry a bit about the lack of depth.
507 - Georgia State women at Arkansas State
February 1 at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, AR
espn3.com
The GSU women fell to 0-10 on the road (average margin of defeat is 20 points) and 1-9 in league play, 76-63 in the first game of the night.
You can't win many games when you turn the ball over 17 times and only hand out nine assists. And it's tough to win on the road against a pretty good team when you shoot 3-of-17 from three-point range overall and 31% from the field in the second half. GSU was down just 55-53 through three quarters.
Point guard Madison Newby had an extremely uneven game for the visitors, finishing with a game-high 15 points (though on just 4-of-14 shooting), four assists (but six turnovers) and five steals.
Arkansas State, which had four in double figures led by Akasha Westbrook and Lycia Peevy (11 points each), moved to 6-4 in the Sun Belt. Those four losses were by a combined 26 points.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)