December 19 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3.com
Nice way to start Sun Belt Conference play as the Panthers had four in double figures in an 83-77 win.
Damon Wilson, the team's lone senior, led the way with a career-high 22 points, while adding his usual complimentary statistics as well (six rebounds and two assists, two blocks and two steals). The GSU backcourt, which is the clear strength of the team, was excellent tonight with Kane Williams adding 17 points and five assists and Justin Roberts chipping in with 15 points, six assists and five steals.
Another guard and the Panthers' leading scorer, Corey Allen, had a brutal fall on his back in the first half and only played 11 minutes. It'd be tough to lose Allen for any amount of time, though again, if any area of the team can afford an injury, it's the backcourt.
Jalen Thomas, a freshman who is part of young frontcourt (along with fellow freshman Joe Jones) that could help in a big way this season, had 11 points and five blocked shots.
That's six straight wins for GSU, which hasn't lost since falling at Georgetown on November 17.
Game 795 - DePaul at Cleveland State
December 18 at Wolstein Center in Cleveland, OH
espn3.com
Color commentator Pat Vuyancih, midway through the first half:
"Moore right now is like a shark seeing blood in the water...he's feasting off his prey. [couple seconds pass]….and the Vikes are flopping around in the water right now!"
espn3.com
Color commentator Pat Vuyancih, midway through the first half:
"Moore right now is like a shark seeing blood in the water...he's feasting off his prey. [couple seconds pass]….and the Vikes are flopping around in the water right now!"
Game 794 - Southeast Missouri State at Youngstown State
December 15 at Beeghly Center in Youngstown, OH
Penguins Sports Network
Penguins Sports Network
Game 793 - Boise State at Tulsa
December 11 at Reynolds Center in Tulsa, OK
espn3.com
Color commentator Bryndon Manzer with a comment of the year nominee in this 69-56 Tulsa win:
"he was slow to be decisive."
espn3.com
Color commentator Bryndon Manzer with a comment of the year nominee in this 69-56 Tulsa win:
"he was slow to be decisive."
!!
* Boise's Roderick Williams: 19 points, 7-of-9 from the field, rest of team: 37 points, 12-of-41
* Bench points: Tulsa 34-10
Game 792 - Marshall at Toledo
December 8 at Savage Arena in Toledo, OH
ESPN+
This was our first time watching Luke Knapke play and the Toledo senior was impressive.
Knapke scored a career-high 33 points on 12-of-16 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds in the Rockets' 82-72 win.
Knapke, a 6-11 center, can score from anywhere and he added four threes.
Point guard Marreon Jackson had four threes as well and added 24 points and five assists for Toledo, which defeated the Thundering Herd for the second time in a month (96-70 back on November 10) and since losing by two in overtime at Notre Dame November 21 have won four straight.
Nonsense
Mason Lowry (pxp) & Rhett Boyd (cc)
"guys who play above the rim....this dude can play in the rafters!"
"ball security"
"that junkyard dog mentality"
"paralysis by analysis"
"great step through"
"turning defense into offense"
"early energy"
"dribble drive" (!) - Boyd, 17:59 left in first half
Dribble drives
ESPN+
This was our first time watching Luke Knapke play and the Toledo senior was impressive.
Knapke scored a career-high 33 points on 12-of-16 shooting and grabbed 11 rebounds in the Rockets' 82-72 win.
Knapke, a 6-11 center, can score from anywhere and he added four threes.
Point guard Marreon Jackson had four threes as well and added 24 points and five assists for Toledo, which defeated the Thundering Herd for the second time in a month (96-70 back on November 10) and since losing by two in overtime at Notre Dame November 21 have won four straight.
Nonsense
Mason Lowry (pxp) & Rhett Boyd (cc)
"guys who play above the rim....this dude can play in the rafters!"
"ball security"
"that junkyard dog mentality"
"paralysis by analysis"
"great step through"
"turning defense into offense"
"early energy"
"dribble drive" (!) - Boyd, 17:59 left in first half
Dribble drives
Games 790-791: Saturday pair
791 - Bethune-Cookman at Jacksonville
December 7 at Swisher Gymnasium in Jacksonville, FL
espn3.com
December 7 at Swisher Gymnasium in Jacksonville, FL
espn3.com
The hosts led by 17 at the break and thanks to the trio of David Bell (22 and 15, 8-of-11 from the field), DeAnthony McCallum (13 and 11) and Destin Barnes (19 points on 5-of-8 three-point shooting) had no trouble against their in-state rivals.
In an 82-60 loss, Bethune-Cookman got more scoring from its bench than it did its starters (33-27), which is almost never a good thing.
790 - Georgia State at Mercer
December 7 at Hawkins Arena in Macon, GA
ESPN+
790 - Georgia State at Mercer
December 7 at Hawkins Arena in Macon, GA
ESPN+
Game 789 - Georgia State women at Furman
December 5 at Timmons Arena in Greenville, SC
espn3.com
It's hard to win when you shoot 10% (2-of-20) from three-point range and 32% (24-of-73) overall as the Panthers never led in a 62-55 loss on Thursday.
GSU actually cut a 20-point deficit to 58-55 with 19 seconds left, but couldn't get any closer.
Tierra Hodges, who I watched play a couple times at Alcovy High School in Covington, GA, led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while Milicia Manojlovic added 19 points.
Clemson transfer Taylor Hosendove had a huge game on the glass - 18 rebounds, including 14(!) on the offensive end (GSU had 23 as a team, but that had a lot to do with its struggles shooting the ball) - and poured in a team-high 20 points.
espn3.com
It's hard to win when you shoot 10% (2-of-20) from three-point range and 32% (24-of-73) overall as the Panthers never led in a 62-55 loss on Thursday.
GSU actually cut a 20-point deficit to 58-55 with 19 seconds left, but couldn't get any closer.
Tierra Hodges, who I watched play a couple times at Alcovy High School in Covington, GA, led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while Milicia Manojlovic added 19 points.
Clemson transfer Taylor Hosendove had a huge game on the glass - 18 rebounds, including 14(!) on the offensive end (GSU had 23 as a team, but that had a lot to do with its struggles shooting the ball) - and poured in a team-high 20 points.
Games 787-788: Wednesday doubleheader
788 - Utah State at San Jose State
December 4 at Event Center in San Jose, CA
ESPN2
Welcome back, Richie Schueler, we've missed you:
"you have to be able to rebound the basketball to win basketball games"
"in Mountain West circles"
"the sneaky athleticism tool"
"skill set"
"all energy, all the time"
"a high IQ basketball play"
787 - Nebraska at Georgia Tech
December 4 at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, GA
ESPNU
December 4 at Event Center in San Jose, CA
ESPN2
Welcome back, Richie Schueler, we've missed you:
"you have to be able to rebound the basketball to win basketball games"
"in Mountain West circles"
IN MOUNTAIN WEST CIRCLES
"a terrific basketball background"
"they determined it was a basketball play"
"they determined it was a basketball play"
!
"the sneaky athleticism tool"
"skill set"
"all energy, all the time"
"a high IQ basketball play"
787 - Nebraska at Georgia Tech
December 4 at McCamish Pavilion in Atlanta, GA
ESPNU
Game 786 - Luther College at Northern Iowa
December 2 at McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, IA
espn3.com
Quite a performance from Northern Iowa, which went 19-of-38 from three-point range and shot 60% overall in setting a program record for points scored at home in a 110-51 victory over the Division III Norse.
A.J. Green had an impressive night shooting the ball from deep, hitting 5-of-10 from three for 19 points, while Noah Carter was great from two (6-of-8) and three (4-of-8) for a game-high 25 points. Four others were in double figures for the Panthers, who according to the broadcast were playing their in-state rivals for the first time since the 1981-82 season, though I couldn't find a record of the game at sports-reference.com/cbb.
Speaking of the broadcast team, color commentator Kevin Lehman came up with a clutch "dribble drives" at the 1:24 mark of the first half.
Here's the full list of dribble drivers.
espn3.com
Quite a performance from Northern Iowa, which went 19-of-38 from three-point range and shot 60% overall in setting a program record for points scored at home in a 110-51 victory over the Division III Norse.
A.J. Green had an impressive night shooting the ball from deep, hitting 5-of-10 from three for 19 points, while Noah Carter was great from two (6-of-8) and three (4-of-8) for a game-high 25 points. Four others were in double figures for the Panthers, who according to the broadcast were playing their in-state rivals for the first time since the 1981-82 season, though I couldn't find a record of the game at sports-reference.com/cbb.
Speaking of the broadcast team, color commentator Kevin Lehman came up with a clutch "dribble drives" at the 1:24 mark of the first half.
Here's the full list of dribble drivers.
Game 785 - Central Florida vs. Pepperdine
November 29 at Anaheim Arena in Anaheim, CA
Wooden Legacy consolation round
ESPN News
In Central Florida's 78-65 win, we got a great collection of nonsense from the broadcast team of Jon Crispin and Corey Williams:
"he epitomizes swagger"
"isn't that a basketball play?"
"versatile bigs"
"a quasi euro step"
"that's just a heady play"
"screen the screener type of action" (2)
"it's called energy and ego, it's hard to stop that"
"a shot ready pass"
"earned the right to verticality"
"a modified pocket pass"
"can change the scoreboard with a flick of a wrist"
"throw a monkey wrench into your offensive plans"
"a back to the basket type of big man"
"crab dribble"
"he's impacted the basketball game"
Use this word in a sentence twice, please, sir - Corey Williams Edition
"you have to extend this basketball game and the only way to extend this basketball game is to foul"
Wooden Legacy consolation round
ESPN News
In Central Florida's 78-65 win, we got a great collection of nonsense from the broadcast team of Jon Crispin and Corey Williams:
"he epitomizes swagger"
"isn't that a basketball play?"
"versatile bigs"
"a quasi euro step"
"that's just a heady play"
"screen the screener type of action" (2)
"it's called energy and ego, it's hard to stop that"
"a shot ready pass"
"earned the right to verticality"
"a modified pocket pass"
"can change the scoreboard with a flick of a wrist"
"throw a monkey wrench into your offensive plans"
"a back to the basket type of big man"
"crab dribble"
"he's impacted the basketball game"
Use this word in a sentence twice, please, sir - Corey Williams Edition
"you have to extend this basketball game and the only way to extend this basketball game is to foul"
Games 782-783: Tuesday tournament doubleheader
783 - Kansas vs. BYU
November 26 at Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, HI
Maui Invitational semifinals
ESPN
782 - Western Michigan vs. Seattle
November 26 at HP Fieldhouse in Orlando, FL
NIT Season Tip-off third-place game
ESPNU
November 26 at Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, HI
Maui Invitational semifinals
ESPN
782 - Western Michigan vs. Seattle
November 26 at HP Fieldhouse in Orlando, FL
NIT Season Tip-off third-place game
ESPNU
Games 780-781: Sunday doubleheader
781 - Robert Morris women at Kent State
November 24 at Memorial Athletic Convocation Center in Kent, OH
espn3.com
We've had baseball Billys before at 300 Game Season and ILTCSC, but Sunday we had our first basketball Billy. His name is Austin Arnold.
Let's enjoy a Sunday's worth of Billys:
"she's enticing to watch"
"she has absolutely been the engine in the car that keeps them going"
"in the words of many basketball players, 'if you keep shooting the shots will come'"
"Kent State just looking for some type of light to go their way"
"they've been hitting the three-point ball and that's reflective on the way they play"
"ball urgency"
"that almost could've been bad"
"to get this game now within some scoring distance"
"a lot of the Kent State points have definitely been down by that box area"
"she's really impressed a lot of eyes"
[watching replay of a lay up] "Asiah Dingle, [higher-pitched sound] what?!, see ya, I'll take two!"
"that's just another great awareness play"
"you draw a charge, which could be a very well good momentum shifter for the back end of this game"
"she's kind of been like an unsung hero, to say the least, for Robert Morris"
"welcome to the Ezeigbo show...she's done everything whether.....well, she's been doing everything because she's been on the court playing so well.....she's not on the court.....
"this is gonna start to become a barnburner really soon"
"kind of almost reminiscent of deja vu, wouldn't you say?"
"she's done absolutely phenomenal"
"this is going to be a very pivotal point in this game"
"I'm at a loss for words! This reminds me of Bulls-Hornets the other night!"
780 - Columbia vs. Central Connecticut State
Hall of Fame Tip Off consolation game
November 24 at Memorial Athletic Convocation Center in Kent, OH
espn3.com
We've had baseball Billys before at 300 Game Season and ILTCSC, but Sunday we had our first basketball Billy. His name is Austin Arnold.
Let's enjoy a Sunday's worth of Billys:
"she's enticing to watch"
"she has absolutely been the engine in the car that keeps them going"
"in the words of many basketball players, 'if you keep shooting the shots will come'"
"Kent State just looking for some type of light to go their way"
"they've been hitting the three-point ball and that's reflective on the way they play"
"ball urgency"
"that almost could've been bad"
"to get this game now within some scoring distance"
"a lot of the Kent State points have definitely been down by that box area"
"she's really impressed a lot of eyes"
[watching replay of a lay up] "Asiah Dingle, [higher-pitched sound] what?!, see ya, I'll take two!"
"that's just another great awareness play"
"you draw a charge, which could be a very well good momentum shifter for the back end of this game"
"she's kind of been like an unsung hero, to say the least, for Robert Morris"
"welcome to the Ezeigbo show...she's done everything whether.....well, she's been doing everything because she's been on the court playing so well.....she's not on the court.....
"this is gonna start to become a barnburner really soon"
"kind of almost reminiscent of deja vu, wouldn't you say?"
"she's done absolutely phenomenal"
"this is going to be a very pivotal point in this game"
"I'm at a loss for words! This reminds me of Bulls-Hornets the other night!"
780 - Columbia vs. Central Connecticut State
Hall of Fame Tip Off consolation game
November 24 at Mohegan Sun Arena
espn3.com
Game 779 - Alice Lloyd College at Eastern Kentucky
November 19 at McBrayer Arena in Richmond, KY
ESPN+
A really nice pair of STATS WE DON'T NEED provided by the broadcast team in Eastern Kentucky's 99-63 victory over the NAIA Eagles:
1. [EKU wins opening tip]
"Colonels with the tap. They are 3-2 in that category."
2. [Late first half, EKU's Lachlan Anderson with a dunk]
"Anderson, second dunk of the night and 18th of his career."
ESPN+
A really nice pair of STATS WE DON'T NEED provided by the broadcast team in Eastern Kentucky's 99-63 victory over the NAIA Eagles:
1. [EKU wins opening tip]
"Colonels with the tap. They are 3-2 in that category."
2. [Late first half, EKU's Lachlan Anderson with a dunk]
"Anderson, second dunk of the night and 18th of his career."
Game 778 - Georgia State at Georgetown
November 17 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC
Fox Sports 1
Let's just move on from this weekend - fell at Duke 74-63 despite being tied at 40-40 with about 17 minutes to go and holding the No. 2 team in the nation to 34%/25%/58% shooting on Friday, followed two days later by a 91-83 loss to the Hoyas despite leading by as much as seven in the second half and still at 54-53 with just under 12 minutes to go - as quickly as possible.
It's the first three-game losing streak for GSU since February, 2017, which speaks both to the quality of the program now, and also how nauseating the first two weeks of this current season have been.
Fox Sports 1
Let's just move on from this weekend - fell at Duke 74-63 despite being tied at 40-40 with about 17 minutes to go and holding the No. 2 team in the nation to 34%/25%/58% shooting on Friday, followed two days later by a 91-83 loss to the Hoyas despite leading by as much as seven in the second half and still at 54-53 with just under 12 minutes to go - as quickly as possible.
It's the first three-game losing streak for GSU since February, 2017, which speaks both to the quality of the program now, and also how nauseating the first two weeks of this current season have been.
Game 777 - Evansville at Kentucky
November 12 at Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY
SEC Network
Huge night for Evansville, which got 18 points (and an 8-for-8 free throw performance) from K.J. Riley and escaped Rupp Arena with a 67-64 win.
Not only did the visitors, who are coached by former Kentucky national champion Walter McCarty, knock off the Associated Press No. 1 team, but ended the Wildcats' 52-game home winning streak against unranked, non-conference opponents.
Couple quick broadcaster notes:
Paul Sunderland: "despite the icy roads (in Lexington), these guys are leaving everything on the floor. They're not leaving skid marks!"
Andy Kennedy: "the game of basketball is a possessions game."
Also, Kennedy came through with a "dribble drive" with 5:10 left in the game so excellent late-game production out of him.
SEC Network
Huge night for Evansville, which got 18 points (and an 8-for-8 free throw performance) from K.J. Riley and escaped Rupp Arena with a 67-64 win.
Not only did the visitors, who are coached by former Kentucky national champion Walter McCarty, knock off the Associated Press No. 1 team, but ended the Wildcats' 52-game home winning streak against unranked, non-conference opponents.
Couple quick broadcaster notes:
Paul Sunderland: "despite the icy roads (in Lexington), these guys are leaving everything on the floor. They're not leaving skid marks!"
Andy Kennedy: "the game of basketball is a possessions game."
Also, Kennedy came through with a "dribble drive" with 5:10 left in the game so excellent late-game production out of him.
Game 776 - Cal Poly at North Dakota State
November 11 at Scheels Center in Fargo, ND
Mid Coast Sports Network
A ton of great guard play in this one with NDSU point guard Vinnie Shahid leading the way in a 74-67 victory.
Shahid, a preseason first-team all-Summit League member, scored 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Junior Ballard led Cal Poly with 20 on 8-of-13 shooting. Another Cal Poly guard, Jamal Smith, was impressive as well, getting to the rim and knocking down some nice mid-range jumpers to add 17 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting.
Cal Poly had a 17-0 run that stretched from the end of the first half to the first few minutes of the second and led 38-30 on a Ballard 3-pointer. A lot of back-and-forth followed with the hosts taking the lead for good on Tyree Eady's jumper at about the 8 1/2-minute mark.
Mid Coast Sports Network
A ton of great guard play in this one with NDSU point guard Vinnie Shahid leading the way in a 74-67 victory.
Shahid, a preseason first-team all-Summit League member, scored 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Junior Ballard led Cal Poly with 20 on 8-of-13 shooting. Another Cal Poly guard, Jamal Smith, was impressive as well, getting to the rim and knocking down some nice mid-range jumpers to add 17 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting.
Cal Poly had a 17-0 run that stretched from the end of the first half to the first few minutes of the second and led 38-30 on a Ballard 3-pointer. A lot of back-and-forth followed with the hosts taking the lead for good on Tyree Eady's jumper at about the 8 1/2-minute mark.
Game 775 - VMI at East Carolina
November 5 at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, NC
espn3.com
Stan Lewter on opening night? Sounds delightful.
I see Stan Lewter is one of the announcers, I immediately yell "Stan!". Happens every time.
Lewter was in Lewter Season form, saying the word "basketball" 40 times (average of one per game minute) in East Carolina's 80-68 victory.
Lewter's broadcast partner, Evan Lepler added 24 to give the duo a total of 64.
Top "basketballs"
"whistle-free basketball"
"the threes are falling because of basketball spacing"
"he can not come into this basketball game"
Really nice start to the college season for guys saying the word "basketball".
espn3.com
Stan Lewter on opening night? Sounds delightful.
I see Stan Lewter is one of the announcers, I immediately yell "Stan!". Happens every time.
Lewter was in Lewter Season form, saying the word "basketball" 40 times (average of one per game minute) in East Carolina's 80-68 victory.
Lewter's broadcast partner, Evan Lepler added 24 to give the duo a total of 64.
Top "basketballs"
"whistle-free basketball"
"the threes are falling because of basketball spacing"
"he can not come into this basketball game"
Really nice start to the college season for guys saying the word "basketball".
Game 774 - Season 5 gets underway
Denver Nuggets at Portland Trailblazers
October 23, 2019 at Moda Center in Portland, OR
ESPN
Doris Burke getting the new season started the right way with our first "dribble drive". It came with 7:59 left in the fourth quarter of Denver's 108-100 victory.
Here's the full dribble drive list
October 23, 2019 at Moda Center in Portland, OR
ESPN
Doris Burke getting the new season started the right way with our first "dribble drive". It came with 7:59 left in the fourth quarter of Denver's 108-100 victory.
Here's the full dribble drive list
Game 773 - Toronto Raptors at Golden State Warriors
NBA Finals
Game 6
June 13 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA
ABC
Game 6
June 13 at Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA
ABC
Game 772 - (5) Auburn vs. (1) Virginia
NCAA Tournament national semifinals
April 6 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN
CBS
Virginia is one win away from its first national title after a crazy ending Saturday.
Kyle Guy was fouled (?) by Samir Doughty on a three-point attempt with no time on the clock and knocked down all three free throws to secure the Cavaliers' 63-62 victory. Guy finished with 15 points and those were his only free throw attempts. Ty Jerome was great for the Cavaliers, scoring 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
No field goals were made after Bryce Brown's three with 1:56 left gave Auburn a 59-57 cushion. Brown hit four threes, but he and Jared Harper were just 8-of-22 combined from the floor to help send the Tigers home.
Virginia's an incredible story. The Cavaliers, now 34-3, advance to the title game after losses in the 1981 and 1984 final four, and a lot of recent heartache, including as a No. 1 seed to 16-seeded UMBC in the first round of last year's tournament.
April 6 at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN
CBS
Virginia is one win away from its first national title after a crazy ending Saturday.
Kyle Guy was fouled (?) by Samir Doughty on a three-point attempt with no time on the clock and knocked down all three free throws to secure the Cavaliers' 63-62 victory. Guy finished with 15 points and those were his only free throw attempts. Ty Jerome was great for the Cavaliers, scoring 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
No field goals were made after Bryce Brown's three with 1:56 left gave Auburn a 59-57 cushion. Brown hit four threes, but he and Jared Harper were just 8-of-22 combined from the floor to help send the Tigers home.
Virginia's an incredible story. The Cavaliers, now 34-3, advance to the title game after losses in the 1981 and 1984 final four, and a lot of recent heartache, including as a No. 1 seed to 16-seeded UMBC in the first round of last year's tournament.
Game 771 - (3) Texas Tech vs. (1) Gonzaga
NCAA Tournament regional final
March 30 at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA
TBS
March 30 at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA
TBS
Games 769-770: Final two Elite 8 spots up for grabs
770 - (4) Virginia Tech vs. (1) Duke
NCAA Tournament regional semifinals
March 29 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC
CBS
"dribble drives"
13:52 left in first half, Bill Raftery
769 - (5) Auburn vs. (1) North Carolina
NCAA Tournament regional semifinals
March 29 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO
TBS
NCAA Tournament regional semifinals
March 29 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC
CBS
"dribble drives"
13:52 left in first half, Bill Raftery
769 - (5) Auburn vs. (1) North Carolina
NCAA Tournament regional semifinals
March 29 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO
TBS
Game 768: Western Kentucky women at Ohio
WNIT third round
March 28 at Convocation Center in Athens, OH
espn3
In Ohio's 68-60 victory, the Bobcats' school-record 30th, play-by-play man Marty Bannister put together a fine evening of saying the word "basketball":
1st quarter: 7
2nd: 12
3rd: 17
4th: 9
Total: 45 (1.1/game minute)
March 28 at Convocation Center in Athens, OH
espn3
In Ohio's 68-60 victory, the Bobcats' school-record 30th, play-by-play man Marty Bannister put together a fine evening of saying the word "basketball":
1st quarter: 7
2nd: 12
3rd: 17
4th: 9
Total: 45 (1.1/game minute)
Game 766-767: Thursday doubleheader
767 - (12) Oregon vs. (1) Virginia
NCAA Tournament regional semifinals
March 28 at KFC Yum Center in Louisville, KY
TBS
766 - (3) Purdue vs. (2) Tennessee
NCAA Tournament regional semifinals
March 28 at KFC Yum Center in Louisville, KY
CBS
NCAA Tournament regional semifinals
March 28 at KFC Yum Center in Louisville, KY
TBS
766 - (3) Purdue vs. (2) Tennessee
NCAA Tournament regional semifinals
March 28 at KFC Yum Center in Louisville, KY
CBS
Game 765 - (10) Iowa vs. (2) Tennessee
NCAA Tournament second round
March 24 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH
CBS
Chris Webber:
"it's an adjustment in heart"
"he didn't try to play hero ball"
March 24 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH
CBS
Chris Webber:
"it's an adjustment in heart"
"he didn't try to play hero ball"
Games 763-764: Saturday, part 2
764 - (10) Minnesota vs. (2) Michigan State
NCAA Tournament second round
March 23 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA
CBS
763 - (12) Murray State vs. (4) Florida State
NCAA Tournament second round
March 23 at XL Center in Hartford, CT
TNT
Other game watched:
(9) Baylor vs. (1) Gonzaga (second round)
NCAA Tournament second round
March 23 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA
CBS
763 - (12) Murray State vs. (4) Florida State
NCAA Tournament second round
March 23 at XL Center in Hartford, CT
TNT
Other game watched:
(9) Baylor vs. (1) Gonzaga (second round)
Games 761-762: Saturday
762 - (7) Wofford vs. (2) Kentucky
NCAA Tournament second round
March 23 at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL
CBS
"a workhorse forward"
"he understands the pulse of his team"
"the savvy junior"
"big blue nation"
"a heady lead guard"
761 - (11) Tennessee women vs. (6) UCLA
NCAA Tournament first round
March 23 at Xfinity Center in College Park, MD
ESPN2
Other games watched:
(10) Auburn women vs. (7) BYU (first round)
(10) Florida vs. (2) Michigan (second round)
NCAA Tournament second round
March 23 at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL
CBS
"a workhorse forward"
"he understands the pulse of his team"
"the savvy junior"
"big blue nation"
"a heady lead guard"
761 - (11) Tennessee women vs. (6) UCLA
NCAA Tournament first round
March 23 at Xfinity Center in College Park, MD
ESPN2
Other games watched:
(10) Auburn women vs. (7) BYU (first round)
(10) Florida vs. (2) Michigan (second round)
Games 759-760: First round continues
760 - (16) Iona vs. (1) North Carolina
NCAA Tournament first round
March 22 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH
CBS
759 - (14) Georgia State vs. (3) Houston
NCAA Tournament first round
March 23 at BOK Center in Tulsa, OK
TBS
A single-elimination tournament can be quite cruel.
GSU (24-10) had its worst shooting performance at the worst time as Houston ran away in the second half and won 84-55.
The Panthers, in the tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history, hit a season-low 30% from the field and after setting a school-record for three-point field goals, made just six of their 23 attempts from behind the arc against a really good Houston defense.
In their final collegiate games, Devin Mitchell scored 12 points, including a pair of threes, Jeff Thomas had just five points on 2-of-10 shooting, Jordan Tyson grabbed five rebounds in 15 minutes and Sun Belt Tournament MVP Malik Benlevi was never a factor and finished with as many personal fouls (4) as points and rebounds.
In what could've been his final game at the college level, junior D'Marcus Simonds led the way with 18 points. We'll see if Simonds declares for the NBA Draft or returns for his senior season.
Houston's Corey Davis led all scorers with 26 points, including seven 3-pointers. GSU couldn't stop Davis in the first half, and really not much of anything throughout the night. Houston (32-3) shot 51% from the field in each half and had an absurd 51-27 rebounding advantage that felt like 151-27.
NCAA Tournament first round
March 22 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH
CBS
759 - (14) Georgia State vs. (3) Houston
NCAA Tournament first round
March 23 at BOK Center in Tulsa, OK
TBS
A single-elimination tournament can be quite cruel.
GSU (24-10) had its worst shooting performance at the worst time as Houston ran away in the second half and won 84-55.
The Panthers, in the tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history, hit a season-low 30% from the field and after setting a school-record for three-point field goals, made just six of their 23 attempts from behind the arc against a really good Houston defense.
In their final collegiate games, Devin Mitchell scored 12 points, including a pair of threes, Jeff Thomas had just five points on 2-of-10 shooting, Jordan Tyson grabbed five rebounds in 15 minutes and Sun Belt Tournament MVP Malik Benlevi was never a factor and finished with as many personal fouls (4) as points and rebounds.
In what could've been his final game at the college level, junior D'Marcus Simonds led the way with 18 points. We'll see if Simonds declares for the NBA Draft or returns for his senior season.
Houston's Corey Davis led all scorers with 26 points, including seven 3-pointers. GSU couldn't stop Davis in the first half, and really not much of anything throughout the night. Houston (32-3) shot 51% from the field in each half and had an absurd 51-27 rebounding advantage that felt like 151-27.
Game 757-758: First round
758 - (10) Seton Hall vs. (7) Wofford
NCAA first round
March 21 at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL
TBS
757 - (10) Florida vs. (7) Nevada
NCAA first round
March 21 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA
CBS
"dribble drive"
9:30 left in second half, Reggie Miller
NCAA first round
March 21 at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL
TBS
757 - (10) Florida vs. (7) Nevada
NCAA first round
March 21 at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA
CBS
"dribble drive"
9:30 left in second half, Reggie Miller
Game 756 - (16) Fairleigh Dickinson vs. (16) Prairie View A&M
NCAA first four
March 20 at Dayton Arena
TruTV
March 20 at Dayton Arena
TruTV
Game 755: Back-to-back
(2) UT Arlington vs. (1) Georgia State
Sun Belt championship
March 17 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA
ESPN2
Georgia State made program history on Sunday.
The top seed used a stifling defense once again to win convincingly, 73-64 and capture the Sun Belt title for the second consecutive season.
The Panthers, who held UT Arlington to 35% shooting a day after limiting fourth-seeded Texas State to 21% in the semifinals, have reached the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time. All five starters scored in double figures, led by tournament MVP Malik Benlevi, who was fantastic in two games.
Benlevi, one of four seniors who will play in the NCAAs for the second time later this week, finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the final and averaged 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in the two games in New Orleans. Benlevi clearly wants nothing to do with his collegiate career coming to an end, and neither do his teammates:
- Damon Wilson continued his late-season surge as the redshirt-junior scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and was the catalyst at the top of GSU's zone defense, harassing Arlington's guards all afternoon. Guard Brian Warren, who scored 21 points in the Mavericks' semifinal win over No. 2 seed Georgia Southern, was just 4-of-18 from the field on Sunday. Wilson was a huge reason why.
- Sophomore point guard Kane Williams, one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, added 12 points and five assists. Williams has gone from an up-and-down freshman to an integral part of an NCAA Tournament team in just 12 months.
- Another senior, Jeff Thomas added 11 points and was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
- GSU would've been much better than its 25-for-34 performance from the line if it wasn't for D'Marcus Simonds' struggles. The Panthers' top player, and absurdly their only all-Sun Belt recipient, was 2-of-9 from the charity stripe to finish with just 10 points. It's good news for GSU when the junior Simonds can have a tough night (he was also only 4-of-12 from the field) and still have a fairly-comfortable win in the conference championship game.
GSU, which as a 15-seed lost in the opening round to second-seeded Cincinnati in last year's tournament, received a No. 14 seed and will head to Tulsa, Oklahoma for Friday's opening round against another American Athletic Conference team, third-seeded Houston.
Georgia State made program history on Sunday.
The top seed used a stifling defense once again to win convincingly, 73-64 and capture the Sun Belt title for the second consecutive season.
The Panthers, who held UT Arlington to 35% shooting a day after limiting fourth-seeded Texas State to 21% in the semifinals, have reached the NCAA Tournament in consecutive seasons for the first time. All five starters scored in double figures, led by tournament MVP Malik Benlevi, who was fantastic in two games.
Benlevi, one of four seniors who will play in the NCAAs for the second time later this week, finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds in the final and averaged 15.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in the two games in New Orleans. Benlevi clearly wants nothing to do with his collegiate career coming to an end, and neither do his teammates:
- Damon Wilson continued his late-season surge as the redshirt-junior scored 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting and was the catalyst at the top of GSU's zone defense, harassing Arlington's guards all afternoon. Guard Brian Warren, who scored 21 points in the Mavericks' semifinal win over No. 2 seed Georgia Southern, was just 4-of-18 from the field on Sunday. Wilson was a huge reason why.
- Sophomore point guard Kane Williams, one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, added 12 points and five assists. Williams has gone from an up-and-down freshman to an integral part of an NCAA Tournament team in just 12 months.
- Another senior, Jeff Thomas added 11 points and was 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
- GSU would've been much better than its 25-for-34 performance from the line if it wasn't for D'Marcus Simonds' struggles. The Panthers' top player, and absurdly their only all-Sun Belt recipient, was 2-of-9 from the charity stripe to finish with just 10 points. It's good news for GSU when the junior Simonds can have a tough night (he was also only 4-of-12 from the field) and still have a fairly-comfortable win in the conference championship game.
GSU, which as a 15-seed lost in the opening round to second-seeded Cincinnati in last year's tournament, received a No. 14 seed and will head to Tulsa, Oklahoma for Friday's opening round against another American Athletic Conference team, third-seeded Houston.
Games 753-754: Saturday doubleheader
754 - (2) Hawaii women vs. (1) UC-Davis
Big West championship
March 16 at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA
espn3
753 - (4) Texas State vs. (1) Georgia State
Sun Belt semifinals
March 16 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA
ESPN +
Big West championship
March 16 at Honda Center in Anaheim, CA
espn3
753 - (4) Texas State vs. (1) Georgia State
Sun Belt semifinals
March 16 at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans, LA
ESPN +
Games 751-752: Semifinal Friday, part 2
752 - (3) Grand Canyon vs. (2) Utah Valley
WAC semifinals
March 15 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV
ESPN +
"wills the team to victory"
"that championship DNA"
"he's such a downhill player"
"instant offense"
"fell in love with the jump shot"
"strong with the basketball"
751 - (3) SE Louisiana vs. (2) Abilene Christian
Southland semifinals
March 15 at Merrell Center in Katy, TX
ESPN +
WAC semifinals
March 15 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV
ESPN +
"wills the team to victory"
"that championship DNA"
"he's such a downhill player"
"instant offense"
"fell in love with the jump shot"
"strong with the basketball"
751 - (3) SE Louisiana vs. (2) Abilene Christian
Southland semifinals
March 15 at Merrell Center in Katy, TX
ESPN +
Games 749-750: Semifinal Friday
750 - (3) Duke vs. (2) North Carolina
ACC semifinals
March 15 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC
ESPN
749 - (3) Cal State Bakersfield women vs. (2) UT Rio Grande Valley
WAC semifinals
March 15 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV
ESPN +
Other games watched:
Louisiana-Monroe vs. Georgia Southern (Sun Belt quarterfinals)
Charleston Southern women vs. Campbell (Big South semifinals)
"she just ran out of basketball court"
Oregon vs. Arizona State (Pac 12 semifinals)
ACC semifinals
March 15 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC
ESPN
749 - (3) Cal State Bakersfield women vs. (2) UT Rio Grande Valley
WAC semifinals
March 15 at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV
ESPN +
Other games watched:
Louisiana-Monroe vs. Georgia Southern (Sun Belt quarterfinals)
Charleston Southern women vs. Campbell (Big South semifinals)
"she just ran out of basketball court"
Oregon vs. Arizona State (Pac 12 semifinals)
Games 746-748: Wednesday/Thursday tripleheader
748 - Virginia Tech vs. Florida State
ACC quarterfinals
March 14 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC
ESPN
747 - UC Irvine women vs. Cal State Northridge
Big West quarterfinals
March 13 at Bren Events Center in Irvine, CA
ESPN
Lauren Saiki's beautiful feed to Tahlia Garza for a lay-up with two seconds left was the difference in Irvine's 59-57 and the Anteaters' first 20-win season since 1984-85 (!).
But what's important is color commentator Dave Miller said this about Northridge's Channon Fluker (20 points, 14 rebounds):
"Fluker's like LL Cool J, she's doin' it and doin' it well"
Dave!
and this about Irvine's offensive strategy:
"make shots this end, get stops at the other"
thanks, Dave!
Honorable mention
"changing the culture at UC Irvine"
"she's blue collar"
"keeps her chin on the rim"
"she's got killer instinct in her DNA"
"great motor"
"it starts with the rim run"
746 - Miami vs. Virginia Tech
ACC second round
March 13 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC
ESPN
Other games watched:
Fordham vs. Richmond (Atlantic 10 first round)
West Virginia vs. Oklahoma (Big 12 first round)
ACC quarterfinals
March 14 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC
ESPN
747 - UC Irvine women vs. Cal State Northridge
Big West quarterfinals
March 13 at Bren Events Center in Irvine, CA
ESPN
Lauren Saiki's beautiful feed to Tahlia Garza for a lay-up with two seconds left was the difference in Irvine's 59-57 and the Anteaters' first 20-win season since 1984-85 (!).
But what's important is color commentator Dave Miller said this about Northridge's Channon Fluker (20 points, 14 rebounds):
"Fluker's like LL Cool J, she's doin' it and doin' it well"
Dave!
and this about Irvine's offensive strategy:
"make shots this end, get stops at the other"
thanks, Dave!
Honorable mention
"changing the culture at UC Irvine"
"she's blue collar"
"keeps her chin on the rim"
"she's got killer instinct in her DNA"
"great motor"
"it starts with the rim run"
746 - Miami vs. Virginia Tech
ACC second round
March 13 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC
ESPN
Other games watched:
Fordham vs. Richmond (Atlantic 10 first round)
West Virginia vs. Oklahoma (Big 12 first round)
Games 744-745: Saturday pair
745 - Georgia State at Georgia Southern
March 9 at Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, GA
ESPN +
744 - (8) VMI vs. (1) Wofford
Southern quarterfinals
March 9 at US Cellular Center in Asheville, NC
ESPN +
March 9 at Hanner Fieldhouse in Statesboro, GA
ESPN +
744 - (8) VMI vs. (1) Wofford
Southern quarterfinals
March 9 at US Cellular Center in Asheville, NC
ESPN +
Games 742-743: Two on a Friday
743 - (3) Jacksonville State vs. (2) Murray State
Ohio Valley semifinals
March 8 at Ford Center in Evansville, IN
ESPN
742 - (7) Manhattan vs. (2) Canisius
MAAC quarterfinals
March 8 at Times Union Center in Albany, NY
ESPN
Ohio Valley semifinals
March 8 at Ford Center in Evansville, IN
ESPN
742 - (7) Manhattan vs. (2) Canisius
MAAC quarterfinals
March 8 at Times Union Center in Albany, NY
ESPN
Games 740-741: Thursday doubleheader
741 - (8) Hampton at (1) Campbell
Big South quarterfinals
March 7 at Gore Arena in Buies Creek, NC
espn3
Two of the top six scorers in the country were on display in this one, an 86-77 Campbell victory.
Chris Clemons, who is one of the top scorers in NCAA HISTORY (over 3,000 points), scored four above his average with 34 points. The senior was just 7-of-21 from the field, but using his unorthodox method of free-throw shooting - he doesn't stand directly in the center of the line, but almost completely to right - hit 17-of-19 - to help the top seed erase a second-half deficit and advance.
Jermaine Marrow, sixth nationally in scoring coming into the night, led the Pirates with 22 (3 1/2 below his average), but like Clemons struggled with his shot (7-of-20).
Just an insane Clemons' statistic was revealed late in the game. Including Thursday's game, the lightning-quick guard has scored in double figures in 127 of a career 128 games!
740 - (12) Virginia women vs. (5) Syracuse
ACC second round
March 7 at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC
ACC Network
Big South quarterfinals
March 7 at Gore Arena in Buies Creek, NC
espn3
Two of the top six scorers in the country were on display in this one, an 86-77 Campbell victory.
Chris Clemons, who is one of the top scorers in NCAA HISTORY (over 3,000 points), scored four above his average with 34 points. The senior was just 7-of-21 from the field, but using his unorthodox method of free-throw shooting - he doesn't stand directly in the center of the line, but almost completely to right - hit 17-of-19 - to help the top seed erase a second-half deficit and advance.
Jermaine Marrow, sixth nationally in scoring coming into the night, led the Pirates with 22 (3 1/2 below his average), but like Clemons struggled with his shot (7-of-20).
Just an insane Clemons' statistic was revealed late in the game. Including Thursday's game, the lightning-quick guard has scored in double figures in 127 of a career 128 games!
740 - (12) Virginia women vs. (5) Syracuse
ACC second round
March 7 at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC
ACC Network
Games 737-739: Mid-week tripleheader
739 - (8) SIU-Edwardsville vs. (5) Morehead State
Ohio Valley first round
March 6 at Ford Center in Evansville, IN
espn3
738 - (6) Vermont women at (3) Stony Brook
America East quarterfinals
March 6 at Island Federal Arena in Stony Brook, NY
ESPN +
Shania Johnson continued her incredible senior season in leading the third-seeded Seawolves into the semifinals.
Johnson broke her own school record with 16 assists (she's fourth in the country in the category) and added 14 points and India Pagan scored a career-high 21 points (on 10-of-13 shooting) in Stony Brook's 69-58 win.
Johnson's back court mate Jerell Matthews' night became sort of an afterthought, but it shouldn't have been. The 5-9 senior drained six 3-pointers (on 10 attempts) and scored 20 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds.
The Seawolves erased a six-point halftime deficit thanks to a dominant third quarter (28-15).
Vermont got a game-high 28 points from Hanna Crymble.
737 - (13) Florida women vs. (12) Mississippi
SEC first round
March 6 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC
SEC Network
Other games watched:
(7) UT Martin vs. (6) Eastern Illinois, Ohio Valley first round
Ohio Valley first round
March 6 at Ford Center in Evansville, IN
espn3
738 - (6) Vermont women at (3) Stony Brook
America East quarterfinals
March 6 at Island Federal Arena in Stony Brook, NY
ESPN +
Shania Johnson continued her incredible senior season in leading the third-seeded Seawolves into the semifinals.
Johnson broke her own school record with 16 assists (she's fourth in the country in the category) and added 14 points and India Pagan scored a career-high 21 points (on 10-of-13 shooting) in Stony Brook's 69-58 win.
Johnson's back court mate Jerell Matthews' night became sort of an afterthought, but it shouldn't have been. The 5-9 senior drained six 3-pointers (on 10 attempts) and scored 20 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds.
The Seawolves erased a six-point halftime deficit thanks to a dominant third quarter (28-15).
Vermont got a game-high 28 points from Hanna Crymble.
737 - (13) Florida women vs. (12) Mississippi
SEC first round
March 6 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, SC
SEC Network
Other games watched:
(7) UT Martin vs. (6) Eastern Illinois, Ohio Valley first round
Games 735-736: Tuesday doubleheader
736 - (10) NC Asheville at (7) Presbyterian
Big South first round
March 5 at Templeton Center in Clinton, SC
ESPN +
The host Blue Hose hit 21 (!) 3-pointers and cruised to a 106-59 victory to set up a quarterfinal match up with No. 2 seed and defending league champion Radford.
JC Younger was an incredible 8-of-14 from behind the arc for all of his 24 points to lead Presbyterian, while Romeo Crouch added 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Radford and Presbyterian played just once during the regular season and the Highlanders escaped with a 79-77 win on January 12.
735 - (13) LaSalle women at (4) Dayton
Atlantic 10 first round
March 5 at University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, OH
ESPN +
Phenomenal defensive effort by Dayton, which held the visitors to under 40 points (the final was 65-38) and just 27% (13-of-47) shooting to set up a quarterfinal match up with No. 5 seed Davidson.
Eleven different players scored for the host Flyers, led by Lauren Cannatelli's 13 points. The Flyers (16-12), top-65 nationally in scoring defense, held their 12th opponent to 55 points or less.
Also, let's welcome the newest member of the Scoochie Smith All Stars, and our second member of the LaSalle womens team, coach Mountain Macgillivray.
We'll take/need the offseason to decide whether to rename the team The Mountain Macgillivray All Stars.
Big South first round
March 5 at Templeton Center in Clinton, SC
ESPN +
The host Blue Hose hit 21 (!) 3-pointers and cruised to a 106-59 victory to set up a quarterfinal match up with No. 2 seed and defending league champion Radford.
JC Younger was an incredible 8-of-14 from behind the arc for all of his 24 points to lead Presbyterian, while Romeo Crouch added 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting.
Radford and Presbyterian played just once during the regular season and the Highlanders escaped with a 79-77 win on January 12.
735 - (13) LaSalle women at (4) Dayton
Atlantic 10 first round
March 5 at University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, OH
ESPN +
Phenomenal defensive effort by Dayton, which held the visitors to under 40 points (the final was 65-38) and just 27% (13-of-47) shooting to set up a quarterfinal match up with No. 5 seed Davidson.
Eleven different players scored for the host Flyers, led by Lauren Cannatelli's 13 points. The Flyers (16-12), top-65 nationally in scoring defense, held their 12th opponent to 55 points or less.
Also, let's welcome the newest member of the Scoochie Smith All Stars, and our second member of the LaSalle womens team, coach Mountain Macgillivray.
We'll take/need the offseason to decide whether to rename the team The Mountain Macgillivray All Stars.
Games 733-734: Postseason
Atlantic Sun quarterfinals
734 - (5) NJIT at (4) Florida Gulf Coast
March 4 at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, FL
ESPN +
Big night for NJIT, which won for the first time in the Atlantic Sun tournament (in its fourth season in the league) and for the first time at FGCU, 83-78.
The Highlanders shot the ball extremely well - 58% on threes, 54% overall - and got excellent performances from both Diandre Wilson (26 points, including 12-of-13 from the line) and Zach Cooks (25 points). Each player hit four of NJIT's 10 three-pointers.
NJIT is two wins away from its first trip to the NCAA Tournament and will play top seed Lipscomb in Thursday's semifinals.
733 - (6) North Alabama at (3) North Florida
March 4 at UNF Arena in Jacksonville, FL
ESPN +
734 - (5) NJIT at (4) Florida Gulf Coast
March 4 at Alico Arena in Fort Myers, FL
ESPN +
Big night for NJIT, which won for the first time in the Atlantic Sun tournament (in its fourth season in the league) and for the first time at FGCU, 83-78.
The Highlanders shot the ball extremely well - 58% on threes, 54% overall - and got excellent performances from both Diandre Wilson (26 points, including 12-of-13 from the line) and Zach Cooks (25 points). Each player hit four of NJIT's 10 three-pointers.
NJIT is two wins away from its first trip to the NCAA Tournament and will play top seed Lipscomb in Thursday's semifinals.
733 - (6) North Alabama at (3) North Florida
March 4 at UNF Arena in Jacksonville, FL
ESPN +
Games 730-732: Weekend marathon, part 2
732 - Manhattan at Quinnipiac
March 3 at People's United Center in Hamden, CT
ESPN +
Color commentator Bill Mecca, seen here doing this
had a pair of gems in Manhattan's 62-58 victory to close MAAC regular season play:
Late first half
"What it comes down to for Quinnipiac, you just gotta play basketball."
Late second half, just before a Quinnipiac defensive possession
"Gotta make a defensive play here if you're Quinnipiac."
Thanks, Bill!
731 - James Madison women at Towson
March 3 at SECU Arena in Towson, MD
CAA TV
730 - Idaho State at Northern Colorado
March 2 at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, CO
Pluto TV
March 3 at People's United Center in Hamden, CT
ESPN +
Color commentator Bill Mecca, seen here doing this
had a pair of gems in Manhattan's 62-58 victory to close MAAC regular season play:
Late first half
"What it comes down to for Quinnipiac, you just gotta play basketball."
Late second half, just before a Quinnipiac defensive possession
"Gotta make a defensive play here if you're Quinnipiac."
Thanks, Bill!
731 - James Madison women at Towson
March 3 at SECU Arena in Towson, MD
CAA TV
730 - Idaho State at Northern Colorado
March 2 at Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley, CO
Pluto TV
Games 727-729: Weekend marathon, part 1
729 - Prairie View A&M at Alabama A&M
March 2 at T.M. Elmore Gym in Huntsville, AL
Youtube.com
The sound on my computer had been on and off all day, but it was on long enough for some quick, pre-game nonsense from the announcing team. I didn't get anyone's name, so we'll just call them The Billys:
"their valuable piece of real estate is when they play at home"
"any team can lose, anywhere"
"when you play Bulldog basketball, you always come out with a win!"
That's as solid a top 3 as you're going to find in just under two minutes. Excellent work, Billys.
728 - Montana State women at Northern Arizona
March 2 at J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, AZ
Pluto TV
727 - Little Rock at Georgia State
March 2 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
ESPN +
March 2 at T.M. Elmore Gym in Huntsville, AL
Youtube.com
The sound on my computer had been on and off all day, but it was on long enough for some quick, pre-game nonsense from the announcing team. I didn't get anyone's name, so we'll just call them The Billys:
"their valuable piece of real estate is when they play at home"
"any team can lose, anywhere"
"when you play Bulldog basketball, you always come out with a win!"
That's as solid a top 3 as you're going to find in just under two minutes. Excellent work, Billys.
728 - Montana State women at Northern Arizona
March 2 at J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome in Flagstaff, AZ
Pluto TV
727 - Little Rock at Georgia State
March 2 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
ESPN +
Game 726 - William & Mary women at Drexel
March 1 at Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia, PA
Drexel Dragons TV
I?
watched at work the first three quarters of this game, then the final five minutes of the fourth quarter and first overtime on a bus, missed all but 18 seconds of the second overtime while waiting for a train, then watched the third and final overtime on my final bus ("the one-twenty" - teenagers) home.
!
It's the triple-double of something.
It was also a nearly-three-hour adventure for both me and these two Colonial Athletic Conference rivals, and William & Mary pulled the stunner, 77-72, just as we pulled up to my apartment complex.
A truly historic day for 200 Game Season.
The loss snapped Drexel's 12-game winning streak and got the visiting Tribe to .500 overall at 13-13 (6-9 in the CAA).
The hosts had pulled even at 57-57 on a pair of free throws by Niki Metzel with 1:28 left in the fourth quarter. That was the last points for either team in regulation, then W&M went up 61-57 in the first minute and a half of overtime on a pair of buckets from Bianca Boggs. It took until the 1:38 mark of OT for Drexel to snap what turned into a drought of 4:50. Again, W&M built a four-point lead and Drexel tied it, getting a pair of free throws from Metzel with 11 seconds left to force overtime No. 2.
(The Tribe's Misha Jones had a good look from the corner, but missed as time expired).
** Most of the second OT went on without me as I waited on a train - no internet service is available at MARTA train stations, though that half-eaten burrito was. But complain, I will not: 1. when I was a kid, watching college basketball anywhere but inside a building on a television was unheard of, let alone while traveling on a bus; 2. I ate a full burrito just three days ago. The teams went back and forth until Boggs had a chance to put W&M ahead with 36 seconds to play, yet made only 1-of-2 from the line. I got on my final bus just as Jones' second attempt at a game-winning 3-pointer rimmed out.
Third overtime.....
William & Mary picked up a great and memorable road victory, but Drexel helped out quite a bit with poor shooting. After Ana Ferariu hit a jumper 14 seconds into the third OT, the Dragons didn't make another basket the rest of the way & four of the Dragons' third-OT possession resulted in air balls (3) and a shot clock violation (1). Drexel was 1-of-9 from the field in the third overtime and 0-of-10 from 3-point range in the three extra periods.
Hailey Greenberg led the Dragons with 24 points, but was at the forefront of her team's shooting slump, missing all but one of her nine field goal attempts in the overtimes. Metzel added 21.
Boggs' lay-up with 3:42 left gave the Tribe the lead for good. The senior guard scored a game-high 32 points on 11-of-14 shooting and scored 14 of W&M's 20 overtime points.
The Tribe shot 53% for the game and though it took 55 minutes to do it, scored nearly 30 points more than Drexel was allowing per game (nation-leading 47.6).
Game 726 was one of the most hectic and enjoyable ones we've had in 3+ years.
Drexel Dragons TV
I?
watched at work the first three quarters of this game, then the final five minutes of the fourth quarter and first overtime on a bus, missed all but 18 seconds of the second overtime while waiting for a train, then watched the third and final overtime on my final bus ("the one-twenty" - teenagers) home.
!
It's the triple-double of something.
It was also a nearly-three-hour adventure for both me and these two Colonial Athletic Conference rivals, and William & Mary pulled the stunner, 77-72, just as we pulled up to my apartment complex.
A truly historic day for 200 Game Season.
The loss snapped Drexel's 12-game winning streak and got the visiting Tribe to .500 overall at 13-13 (6-9 in the CAA).
The hosts had pulled even at 57-57 on a pair of free throws by Niki Metzel with 1:28 left in the fourth quarter. That was the last points for either team in regulation, then W&M went up 61-57 in the first minute and a half of overtime on a pair of buckets from Bianca Boggs. It took until the 1:38 mark of OT for Drexel to snap what turned into a drought of 4:50. Again, W&M built a four-point lead and Drexel tied it, getting a pair of free throws from Metzel with 11 seconds left to force overtime No. 2.
(The Tribe's Misha Jones had a good look from the corner, but missed as time expired).
** Most of the second OT went on without me as I waited on a train - no internet service is available at MARTA train stations, though that half-eaten burrito was. But complain, I will not: 1. when I was a kid, watching college basketball anywhere but inside a building on a television was unheard of, let alone while traveling on a bus; 2. I ate a full burrito just three days ago. The teams went back and forth until Boggs had a chance to put W&M ahead with 36 seconds to play, yet made only 1-of-2 from the line. I got on my final bus just as Jones' second attempt at a game-winning 3-pointer rimmed out.
Third overtime.....
William & Mary picked up a great and memorable road victory, but Drexel helped out quite a bit with poor shooting. After Ana Ferariu hit a jumper 14 seconds into the third OT, the Dragons didn't make another basket the rest of the way & four of the Dragons' third-OT possession resulted in air balls (3) and a shot clock violation (1). Drexel was 1-of-9 from the field in the third overtime and 0-of-10 from 3-point range in the three extra periods.
Hailey Greenberg led the Dragons with 24 points, but was at the forefront of her team's shooting slump, missing all but one of her nine field goal attempts in the overtimes. Metzel added 21.
Boggs' lay-up with 3:42 left gave the Tribe the lead for good. The senior guard scored a game-high 32 points on 11-of-14 shooting and scored 14 of W&M's 20 overtime points.
The Tribe shot 53% for the game and though it took 55 minutes to do it, scored nearly 30 points more than Drexel was allowing per game (nation-leading 47.6).
Game 726 was one of the most hectic and enjoyable ones we've had in 3+ years.
Games 724-725: Thursday doubleheader
725 - Cal Poly at Cal State Fullerton
February 28 at Titan Gym in Fullerton, CA
espn3
A ton of great performances & storylines in this one:
* Khalil Ahmad and Kyle Allman, two of the top five scorers in Fullerton history, combined for 47 points in the Titans' 86-75 win.
* Fullerton attempted 49 (!) free throws, making 35 (71%).
* Donovan Fields, a diminutive, but excellent senior guard for Cal Poly, had a team-high 22 points. Fields is probably not an NBA prospect, but he might get a un-drafted free agent look & at worst looks to be ready to play professionally somewhere.
But the best moment of the night came with about 25 seconds to play. Fullerton team manager Sammy Jones was cleared by the NCAA to dress for tonight's game and with 11 seconds left, Jones drove the lane and made a runner, was fouled and completed a three-point play for the hosts' final points of the night. Naturally, his teammates and the crowd went nuts, and during Cal Poly's ensuing free throw trip, a "Sammy" chant began in the arena.
Great moment.
724 - Arkansas State at Georgia State
February 28 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
ESPN +
GSU is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country and showed it Thursday.
The Panthers hit 14 with Jeff Thomas's five in eight attempts, and Devin Mitchell's four leading the way for the hosts in a 76-60 victory.
Ty Cockfield came into the night second in the Sun Belt in scoring and while he led the way for Arkansas State with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, none of his teammates reached double figures and shot a combined 14-of-46 (30%).
That's win No. 20 (& an 11-5 record in Sun Belt play) for the Panthers, giving the program at least 20 victories in three consecutive seasons for the first time ever.
It's pretty amazing what coach Ron Hunter has done for the men's basketball program. Hunter, 167-94 in 7 + seasons at the Atlanta school, has now won 20 in six of those eight seasons. In 38 previous seasons, 10 different coaches reached 20 just three times (2000-01, 2001-02, 2003-04).
February 28 at Titan Gym in Fullerton, CA
espn3
A ton of great performances & storylines in this one:
* Khalil Ahmad and Kyle Allman, two of the top five scorers in Fullerton history, combined for 47 points in the Titans' 86-75 win.
* Fullerton attempted 49 (!) free throws, making 35 (71%).
* Donovan Fields, a diminutive, but excellent senior guard for Cal Poly, had a team-high 22 points. Fields is probably not an NBA prospect, but he might get a un-drafted free agent look & at worst looks to be ready to play professionally somewhere.
But the best moment of the night came with about 25 seconds to play. Fullerton team manager Sammy Jones was cleared by the NCAA to dress for tonight's game and with 11 seconds left, Jones drove the lane and made a runner, was fouled and completed a three-point play for the hosts' final points of the night. Naturally, his teammates and the crowd went nuts, and during Cal Poly's ensuing free throw trip, a "Sammy" chant began in the arena.
Great moment.
724 - Arkansas State at Georgia State
February 28 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
ESPN +
GSU is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the country and showed it Thursday.
The Panthers hit 14 with Jeff Thomas's five in eight attempts, and Devin Mitchell's four leading the way for the hosts in a 76-60 victory.
Ty Cockfield came into the night second in the Sun Belt in scoring and while he led the way for Arkansas State with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, none of his teammates reached double figures and shot a combined 14-of-46 (30%).
That's win No. 20 (& an 11-5 record in Sun Belt play) for the Panthers, giving the program at least 20 victories in three consecutive seasons for the first time ever.
It's pretty amazing what coach Ron Hunter has done for the men's basketball program. Hunter, 167-94 in 7 + seasons at the Atlanta school, has now won 20 in six of those eight seasons. In 38 previous seasons, 10 different coaches reached 20 just three times (2000-01, 2001-02, 2003-04).
Game 723 - Richmond at George Mason
February 27 at Eaglebank Arena in Fairfax, VA
ESPN +
FAIRFAX, Va. - Jamal Hartwell and his George Mason teammates were nearly unstoppable from behind the arc in the second half Wednesday.
The Patriots were 8-of-12 from three over the final 20 minutes with Hartwell knocking down three in a 77-63 victory in Atlantic 10 play.
George Mason (16-12, 10-5) trailed by a point when Richmond's Jacob Gilyard hit a jumper with just over 16 minutes left. But George Mason's first five field goals in the second half were threes, including three straight - Hartwell hit two and Otis Livingston added one of his own - to turn that deficit into a 44-37 lead at the 13:50 mark.
Richmond (12-16, 6-9) got as close as four points the rest of the night.
Hartwell, just a freshman, scored a team-high 15 points, all on threes.
The Spiders led by as much as 10 points in the opening half, building a 16-6 lead on Julius Johnson's 3-pointer at the 14:49 mark. Hartwell drained a three with five seconds to play that put the Patriots up 32-29 at the break.
Johnson scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting for Richmond.
ESPN +
FAIRFAX, Va. - Jamal Hartwell and his George Mason teammates were nearly unstoppable from behind the arc in the second half Wednesday.
The Patriots were 8-of-12 from three over the final 20 minutes with Hartwell knocking down three in a 77-63 victory in Atlantic 10 play.
George Mason (16-12, 10-5) trailed by a point when Richmond's Jacob Gilyard hit a jumper with just over 16 minutes left. But George Mason's first five field goals in the second half were threes, including three straight - Hartwell hit two and Otis Livingston added one of his own - to turn that deficit into a 44-37 lead at the 13:50 mark.
Richmond (12-16, 6-9) got as close as four points the rest of the night.
Hartwell, just a freshman, scored a team-high 15 points, all on threes.
The Spiders led by as much as 10 points in the opening half, building a 16-6 lead on Julius Johnson's 3-pointer at the 14:49 mark. Hartwell drained a three with five seconds to play that put the Patriots up 32-29 at the break.
Johnson scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting for Richmond.
Games 721-722: Two on Tuesday
722 - Eastern New Mexico women at West Texas A&M
February 26 at First United Bank Center in Canyon, TX
ESPN +
721 - Ohio at Kent State
February 26 at Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center in Kent, OH
ESPN +
One of my favorite things about writing about college basketball is there are so many teams at several levels, so every day I can discover a player I didn't previously know existed.
Tuesday, I found out about Ohio freshman Jason Preston. He's an excellent passer and really quick to the rim, making him a perfect fit in Ohio's offense, which relies on moving the ball quickly around the perimeter to find open threes. Preston came pretty close to a triple-double in the Bobcats' 78-73 loss - 11 points, eight assists (with no turnovers) and eight rebounds - and I'm looking forward to watching him more over the next three seasons.
For the winners, Jaylin Walker scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half (and was 4-of-6 from three-point range) and carried the Golden Flashes down the stretch of their ninth MAC victory.
February 26 at First United Bank Center in Canyon, TX
ESPN +
721 - Ohio at Kent State
February 26 at Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center in Kent, OH
ESPN +
One of my favorite things about writing about college basketball is there are so many teams at several levels, so every day I can discover a player I didn't previously know existed.
Tuesday, I found out about Ohio freshman Jason Preston. He's an excellent passer and really quick to the rim, making him a perfect fit in Ohio's offense, which relies on moving the ball quickly around the perimeter to find open threes. Preston came pretty close to a triple-double in the Bobcats' 78-73 loss - 11 points, eight assists (with no turnovers) and eight rebounds - and I'm looking forward to watching him more over the next three seasons.
For the winners, Jaylin Walker scored 18 of his game-high 23 points in the second half (and was 4-of-6 from three-point range) and carried the Golden Flashes down the stretch of their ninth MAC victory.
Games 719-720: Monday doubleheader
720 - (2) Southwestern College vs. (1) Oklahoma Wesleyan
KCAC championship game
February 25 at Hartman Arena in Park City, KS
espn3
719 - South Carolina State at NC Central
February 25 at McDougald-McLendon Arena in Durham, NC
ESPNU
Here's a note I wrote just a few minutes before tip-off of NC Central's 72-62 victory: Cory Alexander, don't let me down saying the word "basketball". Be the best Stan Lewter you can be.
Back in December, I scribbled down a similar message for Lewter before the Gardner-Webb-Wake Forest game, and Lewter came through with a fantastic performance. Alexander didn't quite reach that level, but 40 total mentions of the word "basketball" (one per game minute) is nothing to be ashamed of.
Play-by-play man Doug Sherman added 11 of his own for a broadcast total of 51 (1.27/game minute).
Well done, gentleman.
KCAC championship game
February 25 at Hartman Arena in Park City, KS
espn3
719 - South Carolina State at NC Central
February 25 at McDougald-McLendon Arena in Durham, NC
ESPNU
Here's a note I wrote just a few minutes before tip-off of NC Central's 72-62 victory: Cory Alexander, don't let me down saying the word "basketball". Be the best Stan Lewter you can be.
Back in December, I scribbled down a similar message for Lewter before the Gardner-Webb-Wake Forest game, and Lewter came through with a fantastic performance. Alexander didn't quite reach that level, but 40 total mentions of the word "basketball" (one per game minute) is nothing to be ashamed of.
Play-by-play man Doug Sherman added 11 of his own for a broadcast total of 51 (1.27/game minute).
Well done, gentleman.
Game 718 - Milwaukee at Illinois-Chicago
February 24 at Credit Union 1 Arena in Chicago, IL
ESPN +
The trio of Marcus Ottey, Tarkus Ferguson and Godwin Boahen have all had great careers for Illinois-Chicago, and each is just a junior. Sunday, Boahen joined his classmates in the 1,000-point club, and scored a game-high 22 points in the Flames' 74-59 win.
Milwaukee actually erased a 17-point deficit and took a 52-49 lead on a Jake Wright corner three with just under 12 minutes to go in the game. Illinois-Chicago immediately took back control of the game, going on an 18-0 run over the next eight minutes and taking a 67-52 lead on an Ottey 3-pointer at the 4:04 mark.
Ottey added 14 points and eight rebounds, while Ferguson chipped in with 12 points and eight assists. Boahen was 8-of-16 from the field and finished with six assists and eight rebounds.
UIC (9-7 in the Horizon League) hit half of its 54 field goal attempts, while holding the Panthers to just 34% from the field.
ESPN +
The trio of Marcus Ottey, Tarkus Ferguson and Godwin Boahen have all had great careers for Illinois-Chicago, and each is just a junior. Sunday, Boahen joined his classmates in the 1,000-point club, and scored a game-high 22 points in the Flames' 74-59 win.
Milwaukee actually erased a 17-point deficit and took a 52-49 lead on a Jake Wright corner three with just under 12 minutes to go in the game. Illinois-Chicago immediately took back control of the game, going on an 18-0 run over the next eight minutes and taking a 67-52 lead on an Ottey 3-pointer at the 4:04 mark.
Ottey added 14 points and eight rebounds, while Ferguson chipped in with 12 points and eight assists. Boahen was 8-of-16 from the field and finished with six assists and eight rebounds.
UIC (9-7 in the Horizon League) hit half of its 54 field goal attempts, while holding the Panthers to just 34% from the field.
Game 717 - Hofstra women at Northeastern
February 24 at Cabot Athletic Center in Boston, MA
Howlin' Huskies Productions
Just a brutal loss for Northeastern, which blew a 14-point lead, didn't make a basket over the final 6 1/2 minutes and lost 63-62 on a three-point play with two seconds left.
Ana Hernandez-Gil was a huge reason why the visitors came back, knocking down three 3-pointers during a two-minute stretch that saw Hofstra turn a six-point deficit into its first lead of the day (58-57) on the last of the threes at the 1:40 mark.
The lead changed hands four more times after that with Northeastern grabbing a two-point lead at 62-60 on free throws from Ayanna Dublin and Stella Clark. After a time out, Boogie Brozoski (game-high 20 points) was short on a lay-up attempt*, but Sica Cuzic grabbed the rebound, made the lay-in while being fouled and her free throw was the difference.
In Colonial Athletic Association play, Hofstra is 2-0 against Northeastern and 0-12 against everyone else.
Northeastern, which fell to 5-9 in league play, is probably sick of seeing Brozoski. The senior guard scored a career-high 34 points in the win on January 27.
The hosts built a 40-26 lead on a jumper by Jess Genco with 7:12 left in the third and led 51-38 heading into the fourth. The Huskies went 1-of-17 from the field in the final period with the only make coming on a Shannon Todd lay-up with 6:34 to play.
* On that lay-up attempt, play-by-play man Kevin Gehl provided our latest-ever "dribble drive". Not sure who was more clutch, Cuzic or Gehl.
Howlin' Huskies Productions
Just a brutal loss for Northeastern, which blew a 14-point lead, didn't make a basket over the final 6 1/2 minutes and lost 63-62 on a three-point play with two seconds left.
Ana Hernandez-Gil was a huge reason why the visitors came back, knocking down three 3-pointers during a two-minute stretch that saw Hofstra turn a six-point deficit into its first lead of the day (58-57) on the last of the threes at the 1:40 mark.
The lead changed hands four more times after that with Northeastern grabbing a two-point lead at 62-60 on free throws from Ayanna Dublin and Stella Clark. After a time out, Boogie Brozoski (game-high 20 points) was short on a lay-up attempt*, but Sica Cuzic grabbed the rebound, made the lay-in while being fouled and her free throw was the difference.
In Colonial Athletic Association play, Hofstra is 2-0 against Northeastern and 0-12 against everyone else.
Northeastern, which fell to 5-9 in league play, is probably sick of seeing Brozoski. The senior guard scored a career-high 34 points in the win on January 27.
The hosts built a 40-26 lead on a jumper by Jess Genco with 7:12 left in the third and led 51-38 heading into the fourth. The Huskies went 1-of-17 from the field in the final period with the only make coming on a Shannon Todd lay-up with 6:34 to play.
* On that lay-up attempt, play-by-play man Kevin Gehl provided our latest-ever "dribble drive". Not sure who was more clutch, Cuzic or Gehl.
Games 714-716: Saturday tripleheader
716 - San Diego State at UNLV
February 23 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV
ESPNU
715 - Loyola (Maryland) at Boston
February 23 at Case Gym in Boston, MA
Patriot League Network
714 - Georgia State at Coastal Carolina
February 23 at HTC Center in Conway, SC
ESPN +
Other games watched:
Eastern Illinois women at Tennessee State
SIU Edwardsville at Belmont
February 23 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV
ESPNU
715 - Loyola (Maryland) at Boston
February 23 at Case Gym in Boston, MA
Patriot League Network
714 - Georgia State at Coastal Carolina
February 23 at HTC Center in Conway, SC
ESPN +
Other games watched:
Eastern Illinois women at Tennessee State
SIU Edwardsville at Belmont
Game 713 - Davidson at Rhode Island
February 22 at Ryan Center in Kingston, RI
ESPN2
Triple-double!
Jon Axel Gudmundsson finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and Davidson shot 61% from the field as a team in a 75-66 victory.
Gudmundsson is the second Wildcat to pick up a triple-double, joining John Falconi (December 28, 1973 vs. Loyola). It's also the third triple-double in 200 Game Season's nearly-four-year history (D'Marcus Simonds of Georgia State & Michigan's Zavier Simpson).
ESPN2
Triple-double!
Jon Axel Gudmundsson finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists and Davidson shot 61% from the field as a team in a 75-66 victory.
Gudmundsson is the second Wildcat to pick up a triple-double, joining John Falconi (December 28, 1973 vs. Loyola). It's also the third triple-double in 200 Game Season's nearly-four-year history (D'Marcus Simonds of Georgia State & Michigan's Zavier Simpson).
Games 710-712: Three on Thursday
712 - Cal Baptist at Grand Canyon
February 21 at GCU Arena in Phoenix, AZ
ESPN +
"dribble drive"
Color commentator Scott Williams, 16:03 left in the first half
711 - Chicago State at Utah Valley
February 21 at UCCU Center in Orem, UT
WAC Digital Network
Incredible shooting performance from Utah Valley, which thanks to Jake Toolson (25 points, 6-of-9 from three-point range) made 59% of its attempts from behind the arc in a 103-71 win.
Not surprising that Chicago State struggled this much defensively as the visitors came into the night 349th (out of 351 teams) in Division 1 in scoring defense and 342nd in field goal percentage defense (the Wolverines shot 58% overall).
Utah Valley had four others reach double-figures in scoring, led by Richard Harward's 19-point, 16-rebound on 8-of-10 shooting night.
710 - Georgia State at Appalachian State
February 21 at Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, NC
ESPN +
With Texas State's home loss to Louisiana-Monroe Thursday, GSU pulled even at 10-4 for first place in the Sun Belt with an 80-75 win.
Kane Williams, just a sophomore but one of the top point guards in the league, hit a difficult 4-footer and then completed a three-point play with 41 seconds left that put the Panthers (19-8) up for good. Williams then rejected Ronshad Shabazz's jumper with 11 seconds left, part of a defensive effort that held Appalachian State scoreless over the final 1:47.
Malik Benlevi, coming off a 26-point night in a win over South Alabama, again led the way for GSU with 20 points, finishing a rebound short of a double-double.
Williams and D'Marcus Simonds finished with 18 points each for the Panthers.
Justin Forrest led the Mountaineers with 17 points.
February 21 at GCU Arena in Phoenix, AZ
ESPN +
"dribble drive"
Color commentator Scott Williams, 16:03 left in the first half
711 - Chicago State at Utah Valley
February 21 at UCCU Center in Orem, UT
WAC Digital Network
Incredible shooting performance from Utah Valley, which thanks to Jake Toolson (25 points, 6-of-9 from three-point range) made 59% of its attempts from behind the arc in a 103-71 win.
Not surprising that Chicago State struggled this much defensively as the visitors came into the night 349th (out of 351 teams) in Division 1 in scoring defense and 342nd in field goal percentage defense (the Wolverines shot 58% overall).
Utah Valley had four others reach double-figures in scoring, led by Richard Harward's 19-point, 16-rebound on 8-of-10 shooting night.
710 - Georgia State at Appalachian State
February 21 at Holmes Convocation Center in Boone, NC
ESPN +
With Texas State's home loss to Louisiana-Monroe Thursday, GSU pulled even at 10-4 for first place in the Sun Belt with an 80-75 win.
Kane Williams, just a sophomore but one of the top point guards in the league, hit a difficult 4-footer and then completed a three-point play with 41 seconds left that put the Panthers (19-8) up for good. Williams then rejected Ronshad Shabazz's jumper with 11 seconds left, part of a defensive effort that held Appalachian State scoreless over the final 1:47.
Malik Benlevi, coming off a 26-point night in a win over South Alabama, again led the way for GSU with 20 points, finishing a rebound short of a double-double.
Williams and D'Marcus Simonds finished with 18 points each for the Panthers.
Justin Forrest led the Mountaineers with 17 points.
Games 708-709: Two on Wednesday
709 - Denver at South Dakota
February 20 at Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, SD
Midco Sports Network
708 - Incarnate Word women at Lamar
February 20 at Montagne Center in Beaumont, TX
ESPN +
February 20 at Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, SD
Midco Sports Network
708 - Incarnate Word women at Lamar
February 20 at Montagne Center in Beaumont, TX
ESPN +
Games 706-707: Monday doubleheader
707 - Oregon women at Oregon State
February 18 at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, OR
ESPN
706 - Alcorn State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
February 18 at H.O. Clemmons Arena in Pine Bluff, AR
ESPNU
"dribble drive"
Color commentator Malcolm Huckaby, 14:59 left in the first half.
The list
February 18 at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, OR
ESPN
706 - Alcorn State at Arkansas-Pine Bluff
February 18 at H.O. Clemmons Arena in Pine Bluff, AR
ESPNU
"dribble drive"
Color commentator Malcolm Huckaby, 14:59 left in the first half.
The list
Game 705: Division II hoops
Hawaii Pacific at Azusa Pacific
February 16 at Felix Event Center in Azusa, CA
espn3
Color commentator Daimon Beathea had a pair of highlights late Saturday, starting with an early "dribble drive" at the 13:39 mark of the opening half of Azusa's 72-56 victory.
Highlight No. 2 came late in the second half when Hawaii Pacific attempted a shot that didn't touch either the backboard or the rim. Beathea:
"that was a rim bypass right there."
Daimon: it was an air ball.
Say air ball. "Rim bypass" is complete nonsense.
February 16 at Felix Event Center in Azusa, CA
espn3
Color commentator Daimon Beathea had a pair of highlights late Saturday, starting with an early "dribble drive" at the 13:39 mark of the opening half of Azusa's 72-56 victory.
Highlight No. 2 came late in the second half when Hawaii Pacific attempted a shot that didn't touch either the backboard or the rim. Beathea:
"that was a rim bypass right there."
Daimon: it was an air ball.
Say air ball. "Rim bypass" is complete nonsense.
Games 702-704: Saturday tripleheader
704 - Gonzaga at San Diego
February 16 at Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego, CA
ESPN
703 - Stephen F. Austin women at Northwestern State
February 16 at Prather Coliseum in Natchitoches, LA
espn3
Stephen F. Austin's top three players were excellent and the Lumberjacks remained unbeaten in Southland Conference play with an 87-67 win.
Stephanie Visscher scored 21 points and missed just one of her 10 field goal attempts, Imani Johnson also scored 21 and Chanell Hayes added 18 points as the visitors turned a five-point cushion late in the third into a comfortable win.
Stephen F. Austin, which hit 62% of its field goal attempts and had 26 assists on 33 made baskets, won its 13th consecutive game (it hasn't lost since getting crushed at New Mexico, December 20) and moved to 12-0 in league play.
702 - Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh
February 16 at Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA
NBC Sports Washington
That's win No. 20 for Tech, which got 29 points from Kerry Blackshear Jr. to hang on, 70-64.
This will be the fourth consecutive season the Hokies have won at least 20 games, just the second time in school history that has occurred. Led by future NBA players Dell Curry and Perry Young, the program won at least 20 in five consecutive seasons from 1981-1986.
Other games watched:
Northwestern at Nebraska
Arizona State at Utah
February 16 at Jenny Craig Pavilion in San Diego, CA
ESPN
703 - Stephen F. Austin women at Northwestern State
February 16 at Prather Coliseum in Natchitoches, LA
espn3
Stephen F. Austin's top three players were excellent and the Lumberjacks remained unbeaten in Southland Conference play with an 87-67 win.
Stephanie Visscher scored 21 points and missed just one of her 10 field goal attempts, Imani Johnson also scored 21 and Chanell Hayes added 18 points as the visitors turned a five-point cushion late in the third into a comfortable win.
Stephen F. Austin, which hit 62% of its field goal attempts and had 26 assists on 33 made baskets, won its 13th consecutive game (it hasn't lost since getting crushed at New Mexico, December 20) and moved to 12-0 in league play.
702 - Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh
February 16 at Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA
NBC Sports Washington
That's win No. 20 for Tech, which got 29 points from Kerry Blackshear Jr. to hang on, 70-64.
This will be the fourth consecutive season the Hokies have won at least 20 games, just the second time in school history that has occurred. Led by future NBA players Dell Curry and Perry Young, the program won at least 20 in five consecutive seasons from 1981-1986.
Other games watched:
Northwestern at Nebraska
Arizona State at Utah
Game 701 - Northern Kentucky at Wright State
February 15 at Nutter Center in Fairborn, OH
ESPNU
What a night for Bill Wampler, who scored a career-high 28 points off the bench in Wright State's fourth consecutive win, 81-77.
The victory pulled the Raiders even with NKU at 10-4 atop the Horizon League. The teams split the season series and each game was by four points.
Wampler was 10-of-14 from the field and his put back at the 1:15 mark put Wright State up for good.
Loudon Love is a really good post player and his 20 points and 11 rebounds were huge for the hosts, who trailed by as much as 16 points. Love was a big reason why Wright State picked up 38 points in the paint.
NKU went from 61% shooters (19-of-31) in the opening half to just 37% shooters (11-for-29) in the second and that was a big reason why Wright State was able to come back. Drew McDonald, who moved into third place on NKU's all-time scoring list, led the visitors with 23 points.
ESPNU
What a night for Bill Wampler, who scored a career-high 28 points off the bench in Wright State's fourth consecutive win, 81-77.
The victory pulled the Raiders even with NKU at 10-4 atop the Horizon League. The teams split the season series and each game was by four points.
Wampler was 10-of-14 from the field and his put back at the 1:15 mark put Wright State up for good.
Loudon Love is a really good post player and his 20 points and 11 rebounds were huge for the hosts, who trailed by as much as 16 points. Love was a big reason why Wright State picked up 38 points in the paint.
NKU went from 61% shooters (19-of-31) in the opening half to just 37% shooters (11-for-29) in the second and that was a big reason why Wright State was able to come back. Drew McDonald, who moved into third place on NKU's all-time scoring list, led the visitors with 23 points.
Game 700: Comeback
South Alabama at Georgia State
February 15 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3
In the second half, Malik Benlevi scored 17 of his career-high 26 points, Jeff Thomas scored all but six of his 21, and Georgia State overcame an 18-point deficit to win 90-81.
Sourh Alabama went 12-of-19 from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes, building a lead as large as 50-32 and going into the locker room up 53-39. GSU didn't quit, and while the visitors cooled off considerably in the second half from long range - 2-of-13 - (they attempted 32 threes!), the Panthers climbed back into it.
A 16-1 run, which nearly erased the Jaguars' largest second-half lead of 16, was capped by Benlevi's corner three at the 13:53 mark and it was only a 56-55 deficit. Though South Alabama regained a six-point advantage when Josh Ajayi went 1-of-2 from the line at the 8:47 mark, Thomas' 3-pointer, one of four for the senior, put GSU ahead for good at 78-77 with just under four minutes to play.
After shooting 55% from the field in the first half, the Jaguars added just 28 points & shot 29% over the final 20 minutes, making one field goal over the final five minutes.
Benlevi had a huge night, going 5-for-7 from behind the arc and adding a team-high-tying (with Thomas) seven rebounds, five assists and three of GSU's 10 steals. Thomas moved into 15th on the school's all-time scoring list, passing both Jim Jacobs and current GSU radio commentator Lamont McIntosh.
The Panthers had 23 assists on 29 made baskets to move to 9-4 in Sun Belt play with five games to go.
February 15 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
espn3
In the second half, Malik Benlevi scored 17 of his career-high 26 points, Jeff Thomas scored all but six of his 21, and Georgia State overcame an 18-point deficit to win 90-81.
Sourh Alabama went 12-of-19 from three-point range in the opening 20 minutes, building a lead as large as 50-32 and going into the locker room up 53-39. GSU didn't quit, and while the visitors cooled off considerably in the second half from long range - 2-of-13 - (they attempted 32 threes!), the Panthers climbed back into it.
A 16-1 run, which nearly erased the Jaguars' largest second-half lead of 16, was capped by Benlevi's corner three at the 13:53 mark and it was only a 56-55 deficit. Though South Alabama regained a six-point advantage when Josh Ajayi went 1-of-2 from the line at the 8:47 mark, Thomas' 3-pointer, one of four for the senior, put GSU ahead for good at 78-77 with just under four minutes to play.
After shooting 55% from the field in the first half, the Jaguars added just 28 points & shot 29% over the final 20 minutes, making one field goal over the final five minutes.
Benlevi had a huge night, going 5-for-7 from behind the arc and adding a team-high-tying (with Thomas) seven rebounds, five assists and three of GSU's 10 steals. Thomas moved into 15th on the school's all-time scoring list, passing both Jim Jacobs and current GSU radio commentator Lamont McIntosh.
The Panthers had 23 assists on 29 made baskets to move to 9-4 in Sun Belt play with five games to go.
Games 698-699: Thursday!
699 - Southern Utah at Sacramento State
February 14 at The Nest in Sacramento, CA
Pluto TV
1. What is going on with the Sacramento State logo
?
2. Play-by-play announcer Steve McElroy not only gave us an early "dribble drive" (17:12 left in the first half), but also said these things:
"remember how whiny I was when we went to the last break? Well, it's completely turned around"
"and we get a little Tupac music here"
"the Hornets could move from 9th to 7th, based on tonight's results, and various stuff"
"they're also floppers and that's not a criticism, they're really good at it"
"Simon doesn't like it...Simon says 'I'm not happy with that call'"
"the Thunderbirds tried super hardcore pressure"
"the guy who swippers the floor"
698 - Georgia State women at Troy
February 14 at Trojan Arena in Troy, AL
espn3
Other games watched:
Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount
February 14 at The Nest in Sacramento, CA
Pluto TV
1. What is going on with the Sacramento State logo
?
2. Play-by-play announcer Steve McElroy not only gave us an early "dribble drive" (17:12 left in the first half), but also said these things:
"remember how whiny I was when we went to the last break? Well, it's completely turned around"
"and we get a little Tupac music here"
"the Hornets could move from 9th to 7th, based on tonight's results, and various stuff"
"they're also floppers and that's not a criticism, they're really good at it"
"Simon doesn't like it...Simon says 'I'm not happy with that call'"
"the Thunderbirds tried super hardcore pressure"
"the guy who swippers the floor"
698 - Georgia State women at Troy
February 14 at Trojan Arena in Troy, AL
espn3
Other games watched:
Gonzaga at Loyola Marymount
Game 697 - Troy at Georgia State
February 13 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
Sometimes it's nice to just let your best player and the conference's reigning player of the year just take over.
That's what happened Wednesday's as GSU's D'Marcus Simonds was excellent, scoring a game-high 27 points in a 77-63 win.
Simonds, who moved into No. 1 on the school's all-time field goals made list with nine (on 19 attempts), added seven rebounds and six assists in helping snap a brief, two-game losing streak.
It was just a one-point halftime lead before the hosts started the second by scoring the first eight points - Jeff Thomas hit a three and a lay-in, the last of which made it 42-33 and forced a Troy timeout less than three minutes into the half. The lead grew to as much as 18 on one of five Simonds' 3-pointers at the 12:11 mark.
Thomas and Devin Mitchell, the top two outside threats on the team, combined to go 6-for-7 from behind the arc and the Panthers hit 11 as a team. The defense also had 10 steals and forced 19 turnovers, and when that's happening at one end and the threes are falling at the other, GSU is difficult to beat.
The Panthers, now 17-8 overall and 8-4 in the Sun Belt, caught a huge break when Troy's Jordon Varnado missed his third consecutive game with an injury. Varnado has been a problem for the Panthers for the last two seasons of his nearly-2,000 point career, which thankfully ends in March. The senior scored 32 points on 12-of-16 shooting, including the game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left in a 77-75 win back on January 19.
Sometimes it's nice to just let your best player and the conference's reigning player of the year just take over.
That's what happened Wednesday's as GSU's D'Marcus Simonds was excellent, scoring a game-high 27 points in a 77-63 win.
Simonds, who moved into No. 1 on the school's all-time field goals made list with nine (on 19 attempts), added seven rebounds and six assists in helping snap a brief, two-game losing streak.
It was just a one-point halftime lead before the hosts started the second by scoring the first eight points - Jeff Thomas hit a three and a lay-in, the last of which made it 42-33 and forced a Troy timeout less than three minutes into the half. The lead grew to as much as 18 on one of five Simonds' 3-pointers at the 12:11 mark.
Thomas and Devin Mitchell, the top two outside threats on the team, combined to go 6-for-7 from behind the arc and the Panthers hit 11 as a team. The defense also had 10 steals and forced 19 turnovers, and when that's happening at one end and the threes are falling at the other, GSU is difficult to beat.
The Panthers, now 17-8 overall and 8-4 in the Sun Belt, caught a huge break when Troy's Jordon Varnado missed his third consecutive game with an injury. Varnado has been a problem for the Panthers for the last two seasons of his nearly-2,000 point career, which thankfully ends in March. The senior scored 32 points on 12-of-16 shooting, including the game-winning 3-pointer with two seconds left in a 77-75 win back on January 19.
Game 696: Drake at Southern Illinois
February 12 at SIU Arena in Carbondale, IL
The Valley on ESPN
Midway through the first half, color commentator Ray Giacoletti on the Drake offense:
"they play one possession after another."
Thanks, Ray!
The Valley on ESPN
Midway through the first half, color commentator Ray Giacoletti on the Drake offense:
"they play one possession after another."
Thanks, Ray!
Game 695 - Illinois State at Missouri State
February 10 at JQH Arena in Springfield, MO
The Valley on ESPN
Jarred Dixon!
The Missouri State guard banked in a half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer and Missouri State won a thriller, 66-65.
Dixon's shot closed an absurd final possession. Illinois State had the ball with just under eight seconds left, but turned it over. The ball touched the hands of several players diving for the loose ball and Dixon scooped it up and launched a 47-footer for the win.
The ending nearly made me forget about the play of a number of really good mid-major players.
Milik Yarbrough of Illinois State came in as the MVC's leading scorer and took a bit to get going, but finished with 17 points in 31 minutes. His teammate, Phil Fayne, was the most impressive player on the court, dominating for stretches and finishing with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
Meanwhile, Missouri State's Tulio Da Silva led the way for the Bears, not missing any of his eight field goal attempts for a team-high 17 points.
The Valley on ESPN
Jarred Dixon!
The Missouri State guard banked in a half-court 3-pointer at the buzzer and Missouri State won a thriller, 66-65.
Dixon's shot closed an absurd final possession. Illinois State had the ball with just under eight seconds left, but turned it over. The ball touched the hands of several players diving for the loose ball and Dixon scooped it up and launched a 47-footer for the win.
The ending nearly made me forget about the play of a number of really good mid-major players.
Milik Yarbrough of Illinois State came in as the MVC's leading scorer and took a bit to get going, but finished with 17 points in 31 minutes. His teammate, Phil Fayne, was the most impressive player on the court, dominating for stretches and finishing with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
Meanwhile, Missouri State's Tulio Da Silva led the way for the Bears, not missing any of his eight field goal attempts for a team-high 17 points.
Game 694 - UC-Davis at UC Santa Barbara
February 9 at The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, CA
ESPN
Great road win for UC-Davis, who got 21 points from new Scoochie Smith All Star T.J. Shorts II in a 61-57 win.
Shorts, listed at 5-9, but looks closer to 5-5 or 5-6, was 8-of-13 from the field in 36 minutes. Shorts' assist on a Joe Mooney three with 1:24 to play kept the visitors in front for good. That was the last of a trio of 3-pointers for Mooney, who added 13 points.
Anyway, that's three consecutive seasons UC-Davis has come into the Thunderdome and left with a victory.
Santa Barbara struggled from deep as a team (3-of-15) and got just nine points from leading scorer Armond Davis.
ESPN
Great road win for UC-Davis, who got 21 points from new Scoochie Smith All Star T.J. Shorts II in a 61-57 win.
Shorts, listed at 5-9, but looks closer to 5-5 or 5-6, was 8-of-13 from the field in 36 minutes. Shorts' assist on a Joe Mooney three with 1:24 to play kept the visitors in front for good. That was the last of a trio of 3-pointers for Mooney, who added 13 points.
T.J. Shorts THE SECOND!
Anyway, that's three consecutive seasons UC-Davis has come into the Thunderdome and left with a victory.
Santa Barbara struggled from deep as a team (3-of-15) and got just nine points from leading scorer Armond Davis.
Game 693: Division II hoops
Wisconsin-Parkside at Grand Valley State
February 9 at GVSU Fieldhouse in Allendale, MI
espn3
I can't even call what Joey St. Pierre did at the end of overtime a "tip-in". It was more of a shove-in, or a throw-in, but it makes no difference to Wisconsin-Parkside, which picked up an 80-79 win in the final seconds.
With the visitors trailing 79-78, Ramar Evans threw up a shot attempt and St. Pierre jumped for a rebound and with both arms flipped the ball into the basket to make it 80-79. Grand Valley State's Jeremiah Ferguson's attempt at a winning jumper came after the buzzer sounded.
Jake Van Tubbergen's 2-for-2 trip to the free-throw line with 32 seconds left had given the host Lakers their final lead of the day.
St. Pierre scored the last six points and a team-high 20 overall for Wisconsin-Parkside, which shot 47% (11-of-23) from three-point range and improved to 10-5 in GLIAC play.
Grand Valley State (6-9 in GLIAC) got 20 points from both Ferguson and Van Tubbergen.
February 9 at GVSU Fieldhouse in Allendale, MI
espn3
I can't even call what Joey St. Pierre did at the end of overtime a "tip-in". It was more of a shove-in, or a throw-in, but it makes no difference to Wisconsin-Parkside, which picked up an 80-79 win in the final seconds.
With the visitors trailing 79-78, Ramar Evans threw up a shot attempt and St. Pierre jumped for a rebound and with both arms flipped the ball into the basket to make it 80-79. Grand Valley State's Jeremiah Ferguson's attempt at a winning jumper came after the buzzer sounded.
Jake Van Tubbergen's 2-for-2 trip to the free-throw line with 32 seconds left had given the host Lakers their final lead of the day.
St. Pierre scored the last six points and a team-high 20 overall for Wisconsin-Parkside, which shot 47% (11-of-23) from three-point range and improved to 10-5 in GLIAC play.
Grand Valley State (6-9 in GLIAC) got 20 points from both Ferguson and Van Tubbergen.
Games 691-692: Thursday/Friday pair
692 - Georgia State at Louisiana
February 8 at Cajundome in Lafayette, LA
ESPN2
691 - Pacific at Saint Mary's
February 7 at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, CA
ESPNU
Other games watched:
New Mexico State at Cal State Bakersfield
February 8 at Cajundome in Lafayette, LA
ESPN2
691 - Pacific at Saint Mary's
February 7 at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, CA
ESPNU
Other games watched:
New Mexico State at Cal State Bakersfield
Games 689-690: Wednesday doubleheader
690 - McNeese State at Sam Houston State
February 6 at Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, TX
espn3
689 - Georgia State at Louisiana-Monroe
February 6 at Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, LA
ESPN +
February 6 at Johnson Coliseum in Huntsville, TX
espn3
689 - Georgia State at Louisiana-Monroe
February 6 at Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, LA
ESPN +
Game 688 - Mississippi Valley State at Grambling
February 4 at Fredrick C. Hobdy Assembly Center in Grambling, LA
ESPNU
Grambling closed the first half on a 19-3 run, then hit half of its 30 field goal attempts in the second to win 79-57.
The trio of Axel Mpoyo (22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, 11 rebounds), Dallas Polk-Hilliard (20 points, 8-of-14 FG) & point guard Ivy Smith (18 points, seven assists) were excellent for the Tigers, who moved above .500 at 5-4 in SWAC play.
Mississippi Valley State, which dropped to 3-20 overall and remained winless on the road at 0-15, were beaten on the glass (50-32 rebounding edge for the hosts) and saw Grambling score 10 of the first 13 points within the first three minutes of the second half that essentially put an end to this one.
ESPNU
Grambling closed the first half on a 19-3 run, then hit half of its 30 field goal attempts in the second to win 79-57.
The trio of Axel Mpoyo (22 points on 8-of-10 shooting, 11 rebounds), Dallas Polk-Hilliard (20 points, 8-of-14 FG) & point guard Ivy Smith (18 points, seven assists) were excellent for the Tigers, who moved above .500 at 5-4 in SWAC play.
Mississippi Valley State, which dropped to 3-20 overall and remained winless on the road at 0-15, were beaten on the glass (50-32 rebounding edge for the hosts) and saw Grambling score 10 of the first 13 points within the first three minutes of the second half that essentially put an end to this one.
Games 686-687: Saturday night in Conference USA
687 - UTEP at Western Kentucky
February 2 at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, KY
ESPN +
686 - Louisiana Tech at Florida International
February 2 at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, KY
ESPN +
686 - Louisiana Tech at Florida International
February 2 at Ocean Bank Convocation Center in Miami, FL
ESPN +
Other games watched:
Morehead State at Eastern Illinois
UC Santa Barbara women at UC Riverside
Arkansas State at Little Rock
Other games watched:
Morehead State at Eastern Illinois
UC Santa Barbara women at UC Riverside
Arkansas State at Little Rock
Game 685 - Georgia Southern at Georgia State
February 2 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
ESPN +
The last time GSU was on the court, D'Marcus Simonds scored just one point in a win over UT-Arlington last Saturday.
Safe to say, Simonds bounced back a week later.
The junior scored a game-high 29 points, his back court mate Kane Williams added 19 and the Panthers closed the game on a 13-3 run to win 81-72.
Georgia Southern led 69-68 with about 4 1/2 minutes to play on a nice move in the lane by Tookie Brown that led to a lay-up. The Eagles would only score three points the rest of the day as Simonds hit 1-of-2 from the free-throw line to tie it and a jumper from Malik Benlevi with 3 1/2 minutes to go gave GSU (16-6, 7-2 Sun Belt Conference) the lead for good. Williams, who added four assists and four steals, was 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch.
Jeff Thomas, whose follow-dunk of a Benlevi miss with 1:13 to go was the highlight of the afternoon & made it 77-70, did a bit of everything, adding 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go along with six rebounds and two assists. Benlevi added 12 on 5-of-8 shooting.
Quan Jackson led Southern (13-9, 5-4) with 20 points, 16 of which came after halftime.
The teams meet again in Statesboro, Georgia on March 9, the final day of the regular season.
ESPN +
The last time GSU was on the court, D'Marcus Simonds scored just one point in a win over UT-Arlington last Saturday.
Safe to say, Simonds bounced back a week later.
The junior scored a game-high 29 points, his back court mate Kane Williams added 19 and the Panthers closed the game on a 13-3 run to win 81-72.
Georgia Southern led 69-68 with about 4 1/2 minutes to play on a nice move in the lane by Tookie Brown that led to a lay-up. The Eagles would only score three points the rest of the day as Simonds hit 1-of-2 from the free-throw line to tie it and a jumper from Malik Benlevi with 3 1/2 minutes to go gave GSU (16-6, 7-2 Sun Belt Conference) the lead for good. Williams, who added four assists and four steals, was 6-for-6 from the line down the stretch.
Jeff Thomas, whose follow-dunk of a Benlevi miss with 1:13 to go was the highlight of the afternoon & made it 77-70, did a bit of everything, adding 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting to go along with six rebounds and two assists. Benlevi added 12 on 5-of-8 shooting.
Quan Jackson led Southern (13-9, 5-4) with 20 points, 16 of which came after halftime.
The teams meet again in Statesboro, Georgia on March 9, the final day of the regular season.
Games 683-684: From Tennessee to Texas
684 - Temple at Houston
January 31 at Fertitta Center in Houston, TX
ESPN
Color commentator Mark Wise:
"from bonus land" (3)
"rim protectors"
"smash mouth hoops"
"defense doesn't happen by accident, it happens because of your culture"
"effort plays" (2)
"Temple just trying to be the hang-around team"
"the help the helper defense...it's not necessarily the helper, but who is helping the helper"
"blow by"
"that was a basketball play"
"he comes at you with all these arms and legs, he's like Inspector Gadget!"
"degree of difficulty...10!"
"we talk about resume builder, this was a resume protector for Houston"
683 - Western Carolina women at Chattanooga
January 31 at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, TN
ESPN +
January 31 at Fertitta Center in Houston, TX
ESPN
Color commentator Mark Wise:
"from bonus land" (3)
"rim protectors"
"smash mouth hoops"
"defense doesn't happen by accident, it happens because of your culture"
"effort plays" (2)
"Temple just trying to be the hang-around team"
"the help the helper defense...it's not necessarily the helper, but who is helping the helper"
"blow by"
"that was a basketball play"
"he comes at you with all these arms and legs, he's like Inspector Gadget!"
"degree of difficulty...10!"
"we talk about resume builder, this was a resume protector for Houston"
683 - Western Carolina women at Chattanooga
January 31 at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, TN
ESPN +
Games 681-682: Southland Wednesday
682 - Nicholls women at Lamar
January 30 at Montagne Center in Beaumont, TX
ESPN +
681 - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Abilene Christian
January 30 at Moody Coliseum in Abilene, TX
January 30 at Montagne Center in Beaumont, TX
ESPN +
681 - Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Abilene Christian
January 30 at Moody Coliseum in Abilene, TX
espn3
I didn't get the names of the broadcasters, but late in the first half of Abilene Chrsitian's 78-71 win (it's first over A&M in 10 all-time meetings) the play-by-play man said "he's been out-athleted at the basket".
So we can't let him get away with that.
I didn't get the names of the broadcasters, but late in the first half of Abilene Chrsitian's 78-71 win (it's first over A&M in 10 all-time meetings) the play-by-play man said "he's been out-athleted at the basket".
So we can't let him get away with that.
Game 680 - Ohio State at Michigan
January 29 at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, MI
ESPN2
Triple-double!
Always a rare treat to watch a player collect a triple-double and Tuesday, Michigan's Zavier Simpson was fantastic - handing out a career-high 11 assists to go along with 11 points and 10 rebounds. It's the sixth triple-double in Michigan history and it was a huge reason why the Associated Press No. 5 Wolverines turned a six-point halftime deficit into a 65-49 win.
That's 20 consecutive home wins for Michigan, which improved to 20-1 overall and 9-1 in the Big 10.
For us at 200 Game Season, we've had plenty of close calls & this was just our second triple-double after Georgia State's D'Marcus Simonds accomplished the feat in November, 2017.
Other games watched:
Virginia at N.C. State (UVA 66-65 in OT)
Mississippi State at Alabama (ALA 83-79)
ESPN2
Triple-double!
Always a rare treat to watch a player collect a triple-double and Tuesday, Michigan's Zavier Simpson was fantastic - handing out a career-high 11 assists to go along with 11 points and 10 rebounds. It's the sixth triple-double in Michigan history and it was a huge reason why the Associated Press No. 5 Wolverines turned a six-point halftime deficit into a 65-49 win.
That's 20 consecutive home wins for Michigan, which improved to 20-1 overall and 9-1 in the Big 10.
For us at 200 Game Season, we've had plenty of close calls & this was just our second triple-double after Georgia State's D'Marcus Simonds accomplished the feat in November, 2017.
Other games watched:
Virginia at N.C. State (UVA 66-65 in OT)
Mississippi State at Alabama (ALA 83-79)
Game 679 - Baylor at Oklahoma
January 28 at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, OK
ESPNU
Conference games pitting two teams close in the standings aren't supposed to play out like Monday's Big 12 contest.
Baylor (14-6, 5-2) completely dismantled Oklahoma, leading for the final 34 minutes and cruising to a 77-47 victory, the Bears' fifth straight win.
The Sooners had a dreadful night, specifically on defense, where the visitors had no trouble getting easy buckets at the rim (Baylor had a 38-18 advantage in the paint) and jumpers from any distance. Baylor shot 54% from the field and hit half of its 20 three-point attempts against a Sooners (15-6, 3-5) team that came into the night 11th nationally in field goal percentage defense.
"You don't have many nights like this (in the Big 12) and you're blessed when you do," Baylor coach Scott Drew told baylorbears.com.
The balance was extraordinary as well - no player scored more than 12 points (Makai Mason), but seven scored at least seven points in Baylor's most lopsided Big 12 road win since beating TCU 91-58 in February, 2014.
Let's not forget the Baylor defense, which was superb, holding the Sooners to 27% shooting and below 50 points for the first time since a 72-47 loss to Gonzaga in November, 2012.
ESPNU
Conference games pitting two teams close in the standings aren't supposed to play out like Monday's Big 12 contest.
Baylor (14-6, 5-2) completely dismantled Oklahoma, leading for the final 34 minutes and cruising to a 77-47 victory, the Bears' fifth straight win.
The Sooners had a dreadful night, specifically on defense, where the visitors had no trouble getting easy buckets at the rim (Baylor had a 38-18 advantage in the paint) and jumpers from any distance. Baylor shot 54% from the field and hit half of its 20 three-point attempts against a Sooners (15-6, 3-5) team that came into the night 11th nationally in field goal percentage defense.
"You don't have many nights like this (in the Big 12) and you're blessed when you do," Baylor coach Scott Drew told baylorbears.com.
The balance was extraordinary as well - no player scored more than 12 points (Makai Mason), but seven scored at least seven points in Baylor's most lopsided Big 12 road win since beating TCU 91-58 in February, 2014.
Let's not forget the Baylor defense, which was superb, holding the Sooners to 27% shooting and below 50 points for the first time since a 72-47 loss to Gonzaga in November, 2012.
Game 678 - Golden State Warriors at Boston Celtics
January 26 at TD Garden in Boston, MA
ABC
That's 10 consecutive wins for the Warriors, who got 33 points from Kevin Durant in a 115-11 win.
Golden State, back on top of the Western Conference with the victory, has now won nine straight on the road since falling at Utah last December 19.
Nice nights for Al Horford (22 and 13, 10-of-15 from the field) and Kyrie Irving (32 points, 10 assists) in a losing effort. Also a nice night for color commentator Mark Jackson who said "that's good basketball" after Boston missed a first quarter shot.
"That's good announcing."
- Derwood Morris
Other games watched:
Utah at California
Grand Canyon at California Baptist
ABC
That's 10 consecutive wins for the Warriors, who got 33 points from Kevin Durant in a 115-11 win.
Golden State, back on top of the Western Conference with the victory, has now won nine straight on the road since falling at Utah last December 19.
Nice nights for Al Horford (22 and 13, 10-of-15 from the field) and Kyrie Irving (32 points, 10 assists) in a losing effort. Also a nice night for color commentator Mark Jackson who said "that's good basketball" after Boston missed a first quarter shot.
"That's good announcing."
- Derwood Morris
Other games watched:
Utah at California
Grand Canyon at California Baptist
Games 676-677: Two on Saturday
677 - Bowling Green at Miami (Ohio)
January 26 at Millett Hall in Oxford, OH
The MAC on ESPN
676 - UT Arlington at Georgia State
January 26 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
ESPN +
Jeff Thomas!
My favorite Panther since current Boston Celtics guard R.J. Hunter delivered in a big way Saturday, scoring 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting in a 77-71 win.
Thomas reached the 1,000-point plateau with the first basket of the game (he's the 21st in school history to reach that mark), then was the only consistent shooter for GSU, which was out-rebounded 48-30 (UTA grabbed an absurd 21 offensive rebounds), and saw its best player, D'Marcus Simonds, score one point, miss all nine of his field goal attempts and basically sit out the entire second half.
It's a win, though, and it snapped a two-game losing streak and helped GSU (15-6) improve to 6-2 in Sun Belt play.
Great days for sophomore point guard Kane Williams, who came off the bench to score 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and Jordan Tyson, a senior, who got a rare start and had perhaps his best game in two years with the Panthers (career-high 11 points, five rebounds, three blocks, two steals).
January 26 at Millett Hall in Oxford, OH
The MAC on ESPN
676 - UT Arlington at Georgia State
January 26 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
ESPN +
Jeff Thomas!
My favorite Panther since current Boston Celtics guard R.J. Hunter delivered in a big way Saturday, scoring 27 points on 11-of-15 shooting in a 77-71 win.
Thomas reached the 1,000-point plateau with the first basket of the game (he's the 21st in school history to reach that mark), then was the only consistent shooter for GSU, which was out-rebounded 48-30 (UTA grabbed an absurd 21 offensive rebounds), and saw its best player, D'Marcus Simonds, score one point, miss all nine of his field goal attempts and basically sit out the entire second half.
It's a win, though, and it snapped a two-game losing streak and helped GSU (15-6) improve to 6-2 in Sun Belt play.
Great days for sophomore point guard Kane Williams, who came off the bench to score 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and Jordan Tyson, a senior, who got a rare start and had perhaps his best game in two years with the Panthers (career-high 11 points, five rebounds, three blocks, two steals).
Games 673-675: Thursday trio
675 - Charlotte at UT-San Antonio
January 24 at Convocation Center in San Antonio, TX
ESPN +
Play-by-play announcer Lincoln Rose with a phrase of the year nominee after a Jhivvan Jackson first-half rejection:
"Perhaps the only thing the fans like more than a Jhivvan Jackson three is a little rejection from the future post master general...insufficient postage from the 49ers!"
674 - Charleston Southern at Radford
January 24 at Donald N. Dedmon Center in Radford, VA
ESPN +
673 - Texas State at Georgia State
January 24 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
There was very little joy found on the main court - GSU was out-played and lost 81-66, its second consecutive Sun Belt defeat after a 5-0 start - so, sadly, the highlight of the evening was this old scoreboard I found at GSU's auxiliary gym:
January 24 at Convocation Center in San Antonio, TX
ESPN +
Play-by-play announcer Lincoln Rose with a phrase of the year nominee after a Jhivvan Jackson first-half rejection:
"Perhaps the only thing the fans like more than a Jhivvan Jackson three is a little rejection from the future post master general...insufficient postage from the 49ers!"
674 - Charleston Southern at Radford
January 24 at Donald N. Dedmon Center in Radford, VA
ESPN +
673 - Texas State at Georgia State
January 24 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
There was very little joy found on the main court - GSU was out-played and lost 81-66, its second consecutive Sun Belt defeat after a 5-0 start - so, sadly, the highlight of the evening was this old scoreboard I found at GSU's auxiliary gym:
Game 672 - LaSalle at Fordham
January 23 at Rose Hill Gym in Bronx, NY
ESPN +
The trio of Isiah Deas, new Scoochie Smith All Star Pookie Powell & Saul Phiri were a combined 11-of-18 from three-point range (LaSalle made 14 threes as a team) and the Explorers led the entire way and as much as 16 in winning 73-71.
LaSalle picked up its first Atlantic 10 win since its league opener January 5 at Massachusetts, while Fordham remained winless at 0-6.
It was also a great night of nonsense from the broadcast team of Mike Watts & Andrew Bogusch:
Bogusch:
[after LaSalle started the game on a 9-0 run] "take a nine-point punch in the face"
"you can't be Villanova at LaSalle, but you can be Villanova light at LaSalle"
"acknowledge that the mini-battle was lost...win the war"
"play 40 big minutes"
Watts:
"[after a 3-pointer got Fordham to within nine points with 12:19 left] "trying to make sure it's not too little too late"
"this is one of those every possession matters moments"
"LaSalle at times last year was pesky good"
"Ed Croswell, the lunch pail guy on this LaSalle team"
ESPN +
The trio of Isiah Deas, new Scoochie Smith All Star Pookie Powell & Saul Phiri were a combined 11-of-18 from three-point range (LaSalle made 14 threes as a team) and the Explorers led the entire way and as much as 16 in winning 73-71.
LaSalle picked up its first Atlantic 10 win since its league opener January 5 at Massachusetts, while Fordham remained winless at 0-6.
It was also a great night of nonsense from the broadcast team of Mike Watts & Andrew Bogusch:
Bogusch:
[after LaSalle started the game on a 9-0 run] "take a nine-point punch in the face"
"you can't be Villanova at LaSalle, but you can be Villanova light at LaSalle"
"acknowledge that the mini-battle was lost...win the war"
"play 40 big minutes"
Watts:
"[after a 3-pointer got Fordham to within nine points with 12:19 left] "trying to make sure it's not too little too late"
"this is one of those every possession matters moments"
"LaSalle at times last year was pesky good"
"Ed Croswell, the lunch pail guy on this LaSalle team"
Game 671 - Akron women at Northern Illinois
January 20 at NIU Convocation Center in DeKalb, IL
espn3
Northern Illinois is a top-20 team nationally in scoring (average of 80.8 points coming in), and while they fell short of that mark, the Huskies got a pair of great performances in a 70-59 win.
Gabby Nikitinaite was really impressive and finished with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting and was the only decent three-point shooter for the visitors, hitting 3-of-7 (rest of team was 1-for-10). Mikayla Voigt complimented that with a 10-for-11 day at the line and finished with 20 points.
Akron's a good defensive team-scoring defense is third in the MAC & top-95 nationally-so 70 points to NIU is about what I thought they'd give up. The Zips just didn't make enough shots-33% from the field in the second half and only 21 made field goals for the game-and turned the ball over 18 times.
espn3
Northern Illinois is a top-20 team nationally in scoring (average of 80.8 points coming in), and while they fell short of that mark, the Huskies got a pair of great performances in a 70-59 win.
Gabby Nikitinaite was really impressive and finished with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting and was the only decent three-point shooter for the visitors, hitting 3-of-7 (rest of team was 1-for-10). Mikayla Voigt complimented that with a 10-for-11 day at the line and finished with 20 points.
Akron's a good defensive team-scoring defense is third in the MAC & top-95 nationally-so 70 points to NIU is about what I thought they'd give up. The Zips just didn't make enough shots-33% from the field in the second half and only 21 made field goals for the game-and turned the ball over 18 times.
Game 670 - Tusculum at Wingate
January 19 at Cuddy Arena in Wingate, NC
espn3
Outstanding scoring game for Tusculum's Donovan Donaldson, but it was his distribution that ended up being a savior for Tusculum.
Donaldson scored a career-high 32 points, but his assist on Brandon Mitchell's dunk with eight seconds to go in the second half sent the game into overtime. Donaldson's final points - a long two at the end of the overtime - made it an 80-77 game and Wingate's attempt to tie fell well short as time expired.
Donaldson was 13-of-23 from the field and hit half of his 12 three-point attempts for the visitors, who won their fourth straight after an 0-4 start in South Atlantic Conference play (and snapped a four-game losing streak in the series).
Wingate, which came into the night tied with three other teams for second place in the conference, didn't score in overtime after Marco Haskins' two free throws put the Bulldogs in front 77-75 with 3 1/2 minutes to play. Tusculum's offense wasn't much better, but Mitchell went 2-of-2 from the line to tie the game at 77-77 with about a minute and a half to play, and his 1-of-2 trip with 51 seconds left gave the Pioneers the lead for good.
Basketball phrases/nonsense
Sam Hyman (pxp) and Eddie Lewis (cc)
"volume shooter" (2)
"Jakob Dawkins, Mr. Garbage Man himself"
"50-50 balls"
"a tear drop finisher"
"he motors across the timeline"
Also, we had this exchange:
Hyman: "he does the nitty gritty stuff to win games"
Lewis: "...and that's stuff you can't teach"
And, game tied, under two minutes to play. Hyman: "winning plays will be needed"
thanks, Sam!
espn3
Outstanding scoring game for Tusculum's Donovan Donaldson, but it was his distribution that ended up being a savior for Tusculum.
Donaldson scored a career-high 32 points, but his assist on Brandon Mitchell's dunk with eight seconds to go in the second half sent the game into overtime. Donaldson's final points - a long two at the end of the overtime - made it an 80-77 game and Wingate's attempt to tie fell well short as time expired.
Donaldson was 13-of-23 from the field and hit half of his 12 three-point attempts for the visitors, who won their fourth straight after an 0-4 start in South Atlantic Conference play (and snapped a four-game losing streak in the series).
Wingate, which came into the night tied with three other teams for second place in the conference, didn't score in overtime after Marco Haskins' two free throws put the Bulldogs in front 77-75 with 3 1/2 minutes to play. Tusculum's offense wasn't much better, but Mitchell went 2-of-2 from the line to tie the game at 77-77 with about a minute and a half to play, and his 1-of-2 trip with 51 seconds left gave the Pioneers the lead for good.
Basketball phrases/nonsense
Sam Hyman (pxp) and Eddie Lewis (cc)
"volume shooter" (2)
"Jakob Dawkins, Mr. Garbage Man himself"
"50-50 balls"
"a tear drop finisher"
"he motors across the timeline"
Also, we had this exchange:
Hyman: "he does the nitty gritty stuff to win games"
Lewis: "...and that's stuff you can't teach"
And, game tied, under two minutes to play. Hyman: "winning plays will be needed"
thanks, Sam!
Games 668-669: Thursday doubleheader
669 - Georgia State at South Alabama
January 17 at Mitchell Center in Mobile, AL
ESPN +
668 - Murray State women at Eastern Illinois
January 17 at Lantz Arena in Charleston, IL
Panthers Sports Network
What a performance by Rob Calhoun.
The play-by-play man is relentless in saying the word "basketball". Calhoun will say it multiple times in a possession if needed. Thursday it was said 116 (!) times in Eastern Illinois' 75-67 win.
Let's break down this record-setting achievement:
First quarter: said 26 times
Second: 32
Third: 24
Fourth: 34
Average per/game minute: 2.9 (!)
January 17 at Mitchell Center in Mobile, AL
ESPN +
668 - Murray State women at Eastern Illinois
January 17 at Lantz Arena in Charleston, IL
Panthers Sports Network
What a performance by Rob Calhoun.
The play-by-play man is relentless in saying the word "basketball". Calhoun will say it multiple times in a possession if needed. Thursday it was said 116 (!) times in Eastern Illinois' 75-67 win.
Let's break down this record-setting achievement:
First quarter: said 26 times
Second: 32
Third: 24
Fourth: 34
Average per/game minute: 2.9 (!)
Game 667 - Iowa State at Texas Tech
January 16 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, TX
ESPNU
Color commentator Tim Welsh - "off the bounce" count
8
First half: 5
Second: 3
Notable
"break you down off the bounce"
"he creates that space off the bounce"
ESPNU
Color commentator Tim Welsh - "off the bounce" count
8
First half: 5
Second: 3
Notable
"break you down off the bounce"
"he creates that space off the bounce"
Game 666 - Purdue-Fort Wayne at South Dakota
January 13 at Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, SD
Midco Sports Network
This was our first time watching Stanley Umude play and the South Dakota sophomore didn't disappoint.
Umude scored 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 11-of-15 on his two-point attempts as the hosts erased a first-half deficit of as much as 10 points to win 87-73.
Tristan Simpson added 19 points and three others were in double figures for South Dakota, which scored 50 second-half points.
Matt Weir was another sophomore who had a great night, scoring a team-high 20 points on 5-of-5 shooting from distance for Purdue-Fort Wayne. Weir was a big part of a 17-0, first-half run for the visitors that put them up 34-24 with 5:25 to go until halftime.
Weir's teammates struggled from behind the arc, though, missing all but four of their 23 three-point attempts.
Midco Sports Network
This was our first time watching Stanley Umude play and the South Dakota sophomore didn't disappoint.
Umude scored 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including 11-of-15 on his two-point attempts as the hosts erased a first-half deficit of as much as 10 points to win 87-73.
Tristan Simpson added 19 points and three others were in double figures for South Dakota, which scored 50 second-half points.
Matt Weir was another sophomore who had a great night, scoring a team-high 20 points on 5-of-5 shooting from distance for Purdue-Fort Wayne. Weir was a big part of a 17-0, first-half run for the visitors that put them up 34-24 with 5:25 to go until halftime.
Weir's teammates struggled from behind the arc, though, missing all but four of their 23 three-point attempts.
Game 665 - Louisiana-Monroe at Georgia State
January 12 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
ESPN +
Thank you, D'Marcus Simonds.
Simonds capped a 28-point day with a lay-up with .9 seconds left as GSU survived, 74-73.
The Panthers, who moved to 4-0 in Sun Belt play and won their sixth straight overall, blew a 21-point lead and Monroe took a 73-72 lead with five seconds left. After receiving the in-bounds pass, Kane Williams made a perfect pass to Simonds in stride, and the junior took it the rest of the way, got away with what looked like a travel, and saved GSU from what would've been a horrific loss.
GSU is top-20 nationally in steals and they had 10 Saturday, helping them build that big lead. But Monroe shoots a ton of threes (8-of-31 in the game) and they started making a few of them. Meanwhile, the Panthers again allowed far too many offensive rebounds (13), while the offense disappeared for stretches. That's how a 62-41 lead with about 12 minutes left turns into a deficit after Monroe's Daishon Smith converted a lay-up with five seconds to go.
Smith (11 points) was one of five Warhawks in double figures; JD Williams led the visitors with 19 points.
Nice day for Devin Mitchell as the senior scored 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting from three-point range.
ESPN +
Thank you, D'Marcus Simonds.
Simonds capped a 28-point day with a lay-up with .9 seconds left as GSU survived, 74-73.
The Panthers, who moved to 4-0 in Sun Belt play and won their sixth straight overall, blew a 21-point lead and Monroe took a 73-72 lead with five seconds left. After receiving the in-bounds pass, Kane Williams made a perfect pass to Simonds in stride, and the junior took it the rest of the way, got away with what looked like a travel, and saved GSU from what would've been a horrific loss.
GSU is top-20 nationally in steals and they had 10 Saturday, helping them build that big lead. But Monroe shoots a ton of threes (8-of-31 in the game) and they started making a few of them. Meanwhile, the Panthers again allowed far too many offensive rebounds (13), while the offense disappeared for stretches. That's how a 62-41 lead with about 12 minutes left turns into a deficit after Monroe's Daishon Smith converted a lay-up with five seconds to go.
Smith (11 points) was one of five Warhawks in double figures; JD Williams led the visitors with 19 points.
Nice day for Devin Mitchell as the senior scored 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting from three-point range.
Games 664 - Bethel College (KS) at York College (NE)
January 12 at Freeman Center in York, NE
espn3
The story was Jada Brown's 27 point, 14-rebound double-double and teammate Abby Schmidt's 26 & 14 in helping the visitors overcome a nine-point halftime deficit to win 76-62.
The senior Brown was sensational in the second half, scoring 23 of her points by mainly getting to the rim and finishing a number of possessions with lay-ups. Schmidt, a sophomore, lived at the line (14-of-21) and the pair were a big reason why the Threshers out-rebounded York 48-34.
York, which fell to a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference-worst 1-13 (Bethel moved to 9-5), scored the final 14 points of the half and led 38-29 at the break. The third was all-Bethel, though, with a 15-0 run to start the quarter the key push. York got to within 62-60 on an Amaia Diez jumper with about 6 1/2 minutes to play in the game, but that was the last field goal for the hosts, who scored just two points over the final 6 1/2 minutes.
Of course, the story for us at 200 Game Season was the work of play-by-play man C.J. Layton, who set an in-game site record by saying "dribble drive" just 12 seconds into this one. The 9:48 mark of the opening quarter? OUTSTANDING WORK, SIR.
Layton now sits atop our ever-growing list.
espn3
The story was Jada Brown's 27 point, 14-rebound double-double and teammate Abby Schmidt's 26 & 14 in helping the visitors overcome a nine-point halftime deficit to win 76-62.
The senior Brown was sensational in the second half, scoring 23 of her points by mainly getting to the rim and finishing a number of possessions with lay-ups. Schmidt, a sophomore, lived at the line (14-of-21) and the pair were a big reason why the Threshers out-rebounded York 48-34.
York, which fell to a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference-worst 1-13 (Bethel moved to 9-5), scored the final 14 points of the half and led 38-29 at the break. The third was all-Bethel, though, with a 15-0 run to start the quarter the key push. York got to within 62-60 on an Amaia Diez jumper with about 6 1/2 minutes to play in the game, but that was the last field goal for the hosts, who scored just two points over the final 6 1/2 minutes.
Of course, the story for us at 200 Game Season was the work of play-by-play man C.J. Layton, who set an in-game site record by saying "dribble drive" just 12 seconds into this one. The 9:48 mark of the opening quarter? OUTSTANDING WORK, SIR.
Layton now sits atop our ever-growing list.
Games 662-663: Two on Thursday
663 - Old Dominion at Florida Atlantic
January 10 at FAU Arena in Boca Raton, FL
ESPN +
Color commentator Mike Gillian on ODU guard Justice Kithcart:
"he's like a roller coaster - when he's up, he's up, when he's down, he's down."
662 - Louisiana at Georgia State
January 10 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
ESPN +
Let's quickly move past the free-throw shooting, which was horrid (14-for-24), and look at the second-half field goal shooting, which was incredible.
GSU hit 19-of-28 from the field in the second half (67%) and moved to 3-0 in Sun Belt play with an 89-76 win.
D'Marcus Simonds had 14 of his team-high 21 points in the second half and Devin Mitchell scored all 13 of his after halftime as the Panthers won for the sixth consecutive time against its league rival despite 36 points from JaKeenan Gant.
Gant, who was 14-of-21 from the field, is a really impressive player and I'm just glad no one else really helped him out. Justin Miller and Jerekius Davis combined for 24 points, but on just 8-of-22 shooting and Miller fouled out with just over five minutes to play. Non-Gant shooters were just 13-of-45 for the visitors.
GSU (12-4), winners of five straight overall, got great contributions from Jeff Thomas (17 points, 5-of-9 on threes) and Malik Benlevi (15 points, 6-of-8 FG).
Thomas was huge early, scoring 11 points, including three 3-pointers within the first eight minutes, while Benlevi was, once again his team's most consistent player and finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. The defending league champions are 3-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2013-14 team won its first 10 on the way to a regular season championship.
January 10 at FAU Arena in Boca Raton, FL
ESPN +
Color commentator Mike Gillian on ODU guard Justice Kithcart:
"he's like a roller coaster - when he's up, he's up, when he's down, he's down."
662 - Louisiana at Georgia State
January 10 at GSU Sports Arena in Atlanta, GA
ESPN +
Let's quickly move past the free-throw shooting, which was horrid (14-for-24), and look at the second-half field goal shooting, which was incredible.
GSU hit 19-of-28 from the field in the second half (67%) and moved to 3-0 in Sun Belt play with an 89-76 win.
D'Marcus Simonds had 14 of his team-high 21 points in the second half and Devin Mitchell scored all 13 of his after halftime as the Panthers won for the sixth consecutive time against its league rival despite 36 points from JaKeenan Gant.
Gant, who was 14-of-21 from the field, is a really impressive player and I'm just glad no one else really helped him out. Justin Miller and Jerekius Davis combined for 24 points, but on just 8-of-22 shooting and Miller fouled out with just over five minutes to play. Non-Gant shooters were just 13-of-45 for the visitors.
GSU (12-4), winners of five straight overall, got great contributions from Jeff Thomas (17 points, 5-of-9 on threes) and Malik Benlevi (15 points, 6-of-8 FG).
Thomas was huge early, scoring 11 points, including three 3-pointers within the first eight minutes, while Benlevi was, once again his team's most consistent player and finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. The defending league champions are 3-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2013-14 team won its first 10 on the way to a regular season championship.
Game 661 - St. Francis (NY) women at Bryant
January 7 at Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield, RI
espn3
Let's get a "basketball" count from the broadcast team of Craig D'Amico (pxp) & Pam Roecker (cc):
First quarter: said 18 times
CD: 10
PR: 8
Second: 9
CD: 5
PR: 4
Third: 4
CD: 2
PR: 2
Fourth: 11
CD: 4
PR: 7
Total: 42
Average 1.05/game minute
espn3
Let's get a "basketball" count from the broadcast team of Craig D'Amico (pxp) & Pam Roecker (cc):
First quarter: said 18 times
CD: 10
PR: 8
Second: 9
CD: 5
PR: 4
Third: 4
CD: 2
PR: 2
Fourth: 11
CD: 4
PR: 7
Total: 42
Average 1.05/game minute
Games 658-659: Thursday doubleheader
659 - Southeast Missouri State at SIU-Edwardsville
January 3 at Sam Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, IL
OVC on ESPN
Phenomenal night for freshman Cameron Williams, who scored a career-high 27 points in SIU-Edwardsville's 94-88 victory.
Williams, senior David McFarland (22 points) and junior Brandon Jackson (17) combined to shoot 54% from the field (24-of-34), part of a 58% team effort.
Southeast Missouri was just as good shooting the ball, knocking down half of its 26 three-point attempts and 51% overall. The Redhawks had 20 assists on 30 made baskets.
"dribble drive"
Got a nice, late-first half "dribble drive" from color commentator Colin Suhre, who said it with 1:45 to go until halftime.
Here's the full list.
658 - Georgia State at UT-Arlington
January 3 at College Park Center in Arlington, TX
January 3 at Sam Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, IL
OVC on ESPN
Phenomenal night for freshman Cameron Williams, who scored a career-high 27 points in SIU-Edwardsville's 94-88 victory.
Williams, senior David McFarland (22 points) and junior Brandon Jackson (17) combined to shoot 54% from the field (24-of-34), part of a 58% team effort.
Southeast Missouri was just as good shooting the ball, knocking down half of its 26 three-point attempts and 51% overall. The Redhawks had 20 assists on 30 made baskets.
"dribble drive"
Got a nice, late-first half "dribble drive" from color commentator Colin Suhre, who said it with 1:45 to go until halftime.
Here's the full list.
658 - Georgia State at UT-Arlington
January 3 at College Park Center in Arlington, TX
ESPN +
The wins don't all have to be pretty, and this one certainly was not.
GSU used an excellent perimeter defense - Arlington missed 23 of its 25 three-point attempts - and held on for a 63-58 win to open Sun Belt Conference play.
The defending league champion Panthers hit half of their 18 shots in the first half, but just 33% in the second and that allowed the hosts to get to within two with 30 seconds to play. Devin Mitchell, who hit three 3-pointers within the first minute and a half of the game, didn't score again until knocking down a pair of free throws, Kane Williams had a steal and two more free throws and that put the game away.
It was ugly - 19 turnovers, 60% shooting from the line - but I'll take a 1-0 start in league play after three consecutive losses in conference openers.
The wins don't all have to be pretty, and this one certainly was not.
GSU used an excellent perimeter defense - Arlington missed 23 of its 25 three-point attempts - and held on for a 63-58 win to open Sun Belt Conference play.
The defending league champion Panthers hit half of their 18 shots in the first half, but just 33% in the second and that allowed the hosts to get to within two with 30 seconds to play. Devin Mitchell, who hit three 3-pointers within the first minute and a half of the game, didn't score again until knocking down a pair of free throws, Kane Williams had a steal and two more free throws and that put the game away.
It was ugly - 19 turnovers, 60% shooting from the line - but I'll take a 1-0 start in league play after three consecutive losses in conference openers.
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