Late Afternoon Snacks: Badgers ready to Brust brackets in March?
Feb 9, 2013, 4:35 PM EDT
AP Game of the Day
Wisconsin 65, No. 3 Michigan 62 (OT): By now you know that Ben Brust pulled a Rotnei to send the Badgers to overtime. That was the made-for-TV moment in this game, but the extra period was classic win-ugly Badger basketball. Holding the No. 3 team in the country to just a single Tim Hardaway, Jr. layup in a crucial extra period was big-time, and it’s why Wisconsin is once again a lock to make the tournament, and very likely to give higher-ranked opponents fits for the remainder of the season.
Meaningful Results
No. 20 Georgetown 69, St. John’s 63: Georgetown has been on a steady rise back into the national picture following an offensive dry spell that dropped them out of the top 25 for a while. With Otto Porter (19 points, 14 rebounds) setting the cruise control, and his teammates coalescing around him, this team is in good shape, but the challenges of the Big East are as powerful as ever. These Hoyas battle No. 24 Marquette and No. 17 Cincinnati in their next two games, and still have two games against No. 9 Syracuse on the horizon.
No. 8 Miami 87, North Carolina 61: Back when I used to listen to the radio a lot, I remember Casey Kasem would say a new single was “Number 8 with a bullet!” That was a way of saying that the song was rising up the charts so fast that it was a presumptive number one, but just hadn’t gotten there yet. That’s what Miami looks like right now. Duke may claim the spot based on the arcane math of polls, but Miami has the bullet on ther jerseys right now.
N0. 21 Missouri 98, Ole Miss 79: This game made headlines in part because Mizzou has found their offensive rhythm again, against a team that was recently making a case in the SEC. The other part was because of a fight that happened during the game. With a bit of a power vacuum behind Florida in the weakest BCS league going this season, this is a big win for the Tigers.
No. 14 Butler 59, George Washington 56: Playing in the A-10 hasn’t been a bed of roses for the Bulldogs, so this narrow win is meaningful. Butler would probably look better with a pass-first point guard who could dedicate himself to getting the ball to Rotnei Clarke, but Clarke hasn’t done too badly in the role. He didn’t turn the ball over once and dropped off four assists in between shots on a 14 point day.
Games of the Night
6:00 N0. 23 Pittsburgh at No. 17 Cincinnati (ESPN)
6:00 Iowa State at N0. 13 Kansas State (ESPN2)
7:00 N0. 12 Michigan State at Purdue (BTN)
7:00 Stanford at Arizona State (ESPNU)
7:00 VCU at Charlotte
9:00 No. 11 Louisville at N0. 25 Notre Dame (ESPN)
9:00 N0. 15 New Mexico at UNLV (NBC Sports)
10:00 Illinois State at N0. 16 Creighton (ESPN2)
11:00 St. Mary’s at San Diego (ESPNU)
-
VIDEO: Shaka Smart throws a strike, gets his own bobblehead
May 18, 2013, 9:00 PM EDT
photo courtesy of the Richmond Flying Squirrels
Friday evening, VCU head coach Shaka Smart did one of those things coaches do in the offseason. He took to the field in a minor league game to throw out a first pitch. It was an auspicious day for the Rams’ head man, as he was being honored with his very own bobblehead doll last…
-
AP
There has been a lot of change at Arizona over the past few months, with several players and even a coach leaving the program. Replacing assistant James Whitford, who became head coach at Ball State, was easy: Wildcat legend Damon Stoudamire came back home to round out the staff. But the personnel situation on the…
-
Report: Baylor coach told Griner not to talk about her sexuality
May 18, 2013, 5:20 PM EDT
Getty Images
Former Baylor player and current WNBA top draft pick Britney Griner made it quite clear recently that she has no problem talking about her sexuality. She spoke with Sports Illustrated shortly after her college career ended, and was candid about something that is, frankly, not really anybody’s business. We now know why she never mentioned…
-
AP
The Atlantic Sun tournament was played in front of a near-capacity crowd at Mercer’s Hawkins Arena last March. Hawkins was chosen as the tourney site ahead of time, and the whole event played out there. The reported crowd of 4,394 was packed with Mercer fans who simply had to roll out of bed and find…
-
Since he led Team USA to a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics in London, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has maintained that it would, in fact, be his last run at the head of the USA Basketball program. That may be changing, however. According to a report from Pete Thamel of Sports Illustrated, Coach…
-
Adreian Payne, Lacey Holsworth attended Dick Vitale’s gala on Friday
May 18, 2013, 2:32 PM EDT
Adreian Payne was a special guest at Dick Vitale’s celebrity gala on Friday night, but he wasn’t the star of the show. Lacey Holsworth was. If you haven’t heard the story by now, watch the video above. In short, Payne has befriended a seven-year girl, Lacey, who has been battling cancer for much of her…
-
Georgetown forward Brandon Bolden transfers to Kansas State
May 18, 2013, 1:15 PM EDT
After appearing in only four regular season games and registering five minutes of playing time with no statistics, Georgetown forward Brandon Bolden has opted to transfer to Kansas State, the Wildcats announced on Friday. The 6-10, 210-pound Bolden will sit out the upcoming 2013-14 season due to NCAA transfer rules, but will have three years of…
-
Report: Lipscomb hires a former Belmont player as head coach
May 18, 2013, 12:12 PM EDT
Lipscomb has finally replaced long time head coach Scott Sanderson, as they hired Stetson head coach Casey Alexander, according to a report. Alexander led the Hatters to a 15-16 record last season, as they finished 11-7 in the Atlantic Sun. Both records were the best for the program since the 2008-2009 season. But here’s where…
-
FIBA
Oregon State picked up a late 2013 commitment when 6-2 combo guard Malcolm Duvivier opted to sign his letter of intent on Friday after previously being a member of the 2014 class. Duvivier — a native of Toronto — was previously regarded as Rivals’ No. 116 player in the 2014 national rankings before filling an…
-
Report: Tennessee center Makanjuola transfers to UNC-Wilmington
May 18, 2013, 10:02 AM EDT
AP
Tennessee sophomore center Yemi Makanjuola has opted to transfer to UNC-Wilmington, per a Tweet from Brian Mull of StarNews. Makanjuola — a 6-9, 250-pound native of Nigeria — will have two years of eligibility remaining after NCAA transfer rules force him to sit out next season. Makanjuola will be eligible in the 2014-15 season and saw action…
-
Washington guard C.J. Wilcox undergoes surgery on left foot
May 17, 2013, 9:02 PM EDT
AP
One month after making the decision to return to Washington for his senior season, second team All-Pac-12 selection C.J. Wilcox underwent surgery on his left foot to stabilize a stress fracture that according to the Associated Press lingered for much of the 2012-13 season. The purpose of the surgery was to stabilize the fifth metatarsal…
-
AP
Last May 6-7 forward Sheldon Jeter chose to attend Vanderbilt, picking the Commodores over Penn State and Wisconsin and South Carolina with Pittsburgh showing some interest late but never offering the Beaver Falls, Pa. native. Jeter played 17.5 minutes per game as a freshman, averaging 5.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. And after one…
-
AP
In the immediate aftermath of Steve Alford’s decision to leave New Mexico to take over as head coach at UCLA, many wondered how much would he have to pay UNM in order to get out of his contract. While Alford and his representation argued that the coach, who led the Lobos to four Mountain West…
-
Reuters
A good week on the recruiting front for the Xavier coaching staff got even better Friday afternoon. 6-4 guard Remy Abell, who spent his first two seasons at Indiana, announced his decision to transfer to Xavier as reported by multiple outlets. Abell won’t be eligible to play this season per NCAA transfer rules, but he will…
-
Marshall bolsters backcourt depth with addition of Jaylen Brantley
May 17, 2013, 5:23 PM EDT
ny2lasports.com
With three guards, most notably leading scorer DeAndre Kane, deciding to transfer Marshall head coach Tom Herrion was in need of some extra depth for his backcourt in 2013-14. Thanks to a commitment from 2013 combo guard Jaylen Brantley, the Thundering Herd won’t go into next season shorthanded in that area. Brantley, who played at…
-
Report: Sandi Marcius transferring to DePaul for final season
May 17, 2013, 4:36 PM EDT
AP
Last month it was reported that Purdue forward Sandi Marcius was running into a major complication in regards to his decision to graduate and then transfer to another school where he would be able to play as a graduate student. That major complication was Purdue’s refusal to pay for the summer school courses Marcius needs…
-
Report: Nebraska to open Pinnacle Arena against Florida Gulf Coast
May 17, 2013, 3:21 PM EDT
Getty Images
Florida Gulf Coast was one of the best stories of the 2013 NCAA tournament, becoming the first 15-seed to reach the Sweet 16 and earning the moniker “Dunk City” (thanks to Troy Machir) with their attractive style of play and penchant for above the rim finishes. And next season the Eagles, under new head coach…
-
AP
After two quiet seasons at the University of Texas, sophomore Jaylen Bond made the decision to transfer. Bond, a 6-7 forward from Philadelphia, averaged just 3.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in just under 14 minutes per game during his Longhorn career. Friday, Bond announced his decision to transfer to Temple via Twitter and it’s safe…
-
WCC, commissioner Jamie Zaninovich agree to three-year extension
May 17, 2013, 1:43 PM EDT
Getty Images
In his six seasons as commissioner of the West Coast Conference, Jamie Zaninovich has helped the conference improve its brand in a variety of ways. Whether it’s been the addition of BYU (Pacific joins this summer) or the idea to move the conference basketball tournaments to Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, it’s safe to say…
-
Getty Images
While in Chicago taking part in this week’s NBA Draft Combine, former Kansas shooting guard had to answer some questions regarding the allegations levied by his former AAU coach, Darius Cobb, a couple weeks ago. In a story done by USA Today in early May, Cobb stated that he accepted $10,000 from a runner in…
