Games 648-650: Weekend tripleheader

650- Indiana State vs. UNLV
December 23 at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, HI
ESPN2

Jordan Barnes didn't attempt a shot until 7 1/2 minutes remained in the first half, yet finished with 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting in Indiana State's 84-79 win in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic.

The Sycamores (8-3), who will play either Bucknell or TCU in the final Christmas Day, have an excellent trio in Barnes, wing Tyreke Key (16 points) and 6-9, 255-pound post player Emondre Rickman (13 points, 6-of-9 FG). ISU, which came in leading the country in three-point shooting, hit 41% of their long-range shots Sunday, but took just 12 from behind the arc and had a surprisingly-huge night in the post thanks to players like Rickman.

The Sycamores look like a definite contender in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Nice nights for sophomore Amauri Hardy - 22 points on 7-of-11 from the field - and freshman Joel Ntambwe (21 points, 15 rebounds) in a losing effort for UNLV.

649 - William & Mary at Virginia
December 22 at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA
ACC Network

Other games watched:

Texas State at Arkansas
Winthrop at Southern Illinois


648 - Idaho at Santa Clara
December 21 at Leavey Center in Santa Clara, CA
wccsports.com

Nonsense

"went in amongst the trees"
"it's a foul fest"
"fundamental footwork"
"rainbow three"
"ladies and gentleman, see the Vandals run"
"he's a stretch three"
"trap game"
"the cozy confines of the Leavey Center"
"a cardinal basketball sin"

Game 416 - Indiana State vs. Auburn

November 16 at TD Arena in Charleston, SC
[Charleston Classic quarterfinals]
ESPNU

Indiana State routed in-state rival Indiana in Bloomington in the season opener, but game two went decidedly different.

Auburn was quicker to the rim offensively and played excellent defense, holding the Sycamores to 30% shooting in an 83-64 victory.

ISU knocked down 17 three-pointers in the win over the Hoosiers last Saturday, but had just 17 field goals total and were 6-of-20 from behind the arc Thursday afternoon. Auburn got 14 and 12 from Desean Murray, 15 points from Bryce Brown and seven assists from point guard Jared Harper. Six players scored at least nine points for the Tigers, who are still playing without suspended players Danjel Purifoy and Austin Wiley.

Based on how they looked Thursday and the fact that I'm assuming two of their rotation players will eventually return from suspension, Auburn looks to be a contender in the Southeastern Conference.

Brenton Scott made life miserable for Indiana - 24 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three - but was a non-factor against Auburn (3 points, no made field goals). Jordan Barnes, who had 18 points in the opener, led the Sycamores with a game-high 19 points.

It should be a good one in the semifinals as Auburn takes on Temple, a 76-65 quarterfinal winner over Old Dominion.

Game 291 - Indiana State at Bradley

February 8 at Carver Arena in Peoria, IL
MVC TV Network

I don't know what happened in the halftime locker room, but the hosts had a miserable second half and fell down on the ground, 56-54.

Bradley led by as much as 12 & built a 38-27 halftime cushion by shooting 45 percent from the field, but things went sour in a hurry.

Indiana State used a 14-1 run to open the second half to take the lead, and survived through an ugly final 20 minutes to snap a 13-game road losing streak in conference play (last win was January 6, 2016 at Drake).

The second half for Bradley:

1st possession: missed lay-up
2 - turnover
3 - turnover
4 - 1-of-2 free throws
5 - missed jumper
6 - turnover
7 - missed lay-up
8 - turnover
9 - turnover
10 - missed jumper
11 - missed 3-pointer
12 - missed lay-up/missed jumper
13 - turnover
14 - 1-of-2 FT
15 - 1-of-2 FT
16 - missed jumper
17 - 0-of-2 FT
18 - 1-of-2 FT
19 - missed 3-pointer
20 - 1-of-2 FT
21 - made lay-up [first field goal of second half at 9:42 mark)
22 - missed lay-up
23 - made 3-pointer [8:28 mark, up 48-45]
24 - missed jumper
25 - 1-of-2 FT
26 - missed lay-up
27 - turnover
28 - missed 3-pointer/missed jumper
29 - turnover
30 - made dunk [by Donte Thomas at 4:45 mark, last team FG of game ties score at 51-51]
31 - missed jumper
32 - missed 3-pointer
33 - missed jumper
34 - 1-of-2 FT (up 52-51]
35 - missed jumper
36 - 2-of-2 FT [by Thomas at 1:44 mark, last points of game puts Braves up 54-51]
37 - missed 3-pointer
38 - missed jumper
39 - missed 3-pointer as time expired

2nd half: 16 total points, 3-for-24 FG, 9-18 FT

Game 44 - Indiana women at Indiana State

December 8 at Hulman Center in Terre Haute, IN
espn3.com

Let me tell you about a young man by the name of Michael Odom.

Wow!

It could've been his first broadcast, or his 214th, we can't be sure. But we can be sure that he starts many sentences with the phrase "just like that". Let's take a look at Odom's just like that count (JLTC):

1st quarter
Total just like thats: 11

Notable JLTs

"Just like that, we're underway"
"And just like that, Indiana State ties the game"
"Just like that - what a block"
"Just like that Jess Walter takes too many steps"

2nd quarter
Total: 3

"Just like that, misses a lay-up on her own"

3rd quarter
Total: 3

"Just like that, a cut to the bucket"

4th quarter
Total: 3

"And just like that it's a turnover"
"And just like that it's a seven-point game"

Total just like thats: 20

After that incredible opening quarter, I was honestly disappointed in his effort over the final three periods. But just like that, I had to move on with my life.

And here's a list of what I like to call The Odoms:

"And her stroke is smooth as butter"
"They did have a nice hot game"
"Never doesn't give enough effort"
"And her swag meter is off the roof"/"to make this roof blow off the Hulman Center"
"Buss...she gets the home roll" (Tyra Buss plays for Indiana)
(With Indiana up 52-48 1:18 left in 4th) "Indiana has their backs against the wall"
"She battled the flu bug as well as the turnover bug"
"Put her defender in the spin cycle"
"They are booing and oohing and aahing"
"I had a chance to catch up to the Indiana coach" (the second use of 'to' instead of 'with' makes this a phenomenal sentence)

And let's not forget Odom's partner Abbi Malchow, who had some fine moments of her own:

"Make sure you make the shots that you hit"
"This Big 10 rivalry" (no)
"The Sycamore house"
"These last few moments are going to be very big for both teams, and also very detrimental" (pardon?)