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John Calipari went with a boxing metaphor this week in the wake of his University of Kentucky basketball team's loss to Baylor. The Wildcats were plenty confident, he said, until the Bears punched them, figuratively (for the most part), in the mouth. Calipari's message: Be the one throwing the punches.
No. 10 Kentucky delivered — both blows and a much-need bounce back, considering a trip to North Carolina is next — in a 70-55 win over previously unbeaten Boise State at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night. The Broncos were an NCAA Tournament team a year ago, returned all five starters, came in with one of the most productive offenses in the country and were on the cusp of being ranked.
"They're coming," Boise coach Leon Rice said. "They are going to continue to get better. The loss to Baylor sometimes recalibrates, maybe opens up their minds to listen a little bit more. The more they trust him, the better they are going to continue to get."
The Wildcats (8-2) held the Broncos (8-1), who were second nationally in scoring at 91.9 points a game, 37 below their average on just 31.9 percent shooting. After getting clobbered on the glass against Baylor, Kentucky outrebounded a much smaller Boise team 43-27 and outscored the visitors 44-24 in the paint.
How big a factor was the size mismatch?
"Hahahaha, yeah," Rice said. "Some of the things they do, it's like me with my 10-year-old son in the driveway."
Freshman swingman James Young answered Boise star Anthony Drmic shot for shot — Young had 21 points to Drmic's 18 — and sophomore center Willie Cauley-Stein dominated defensively. Sporting a bleached-blond new hairdo, a sort of angular flat top that came to a right-leaning point, Cauley-Stein's game got all the attention once play began.
He won the opening tip, promptly drove from the top of the key for a layup, blocked a shot and grabbed an offensive rebound in the game's first minute. The eccentric 7-foot sophomore had six points, five rebounds and five blocks in just 11 first-half minutes. He finished with six, seven and nine in 25 minutes.
"I'm not the tattoo police and I'm not the hair police," Calipari said. "I don't care how you make your hair look. I will say this: Looking like that, you better play, Willie." There was a guy that used to do that to his hair. He also wore wedding dresses. But he killed you."
That was former NBA star Dennis Rodman.
"You can paint your hair all you want," Calipari said. "Just be like him."
Cauley-Stein blocked nine shots for the second time in three games, tying his own mark for second-most swats in a single game at UK. In the process, he has nearly caught up to the crazy pace of 2012 Cats star Anthony Davis through 10 games. Davis, who set the school and NCAA freshman records that season, had 44 blocks at this point. Cauley-Stein now has 43.
"You got to ball with it," Cauley-Stein said of his hair, before also revealing he has a sickle-cell trait that sometimes makes it hard for him to breathe and limited his minutes Tuesday. "I had to keep on telling myself, 'In and out.' I just tried to go as hard as I could when I could and come out whenever I felt fatigued."
He was a game-changer whenever he was in the game.
The Cats led from that opening tip through almost the entire first eight minutes before Boise State, led by Drmic, briefly surged ahead 14-13. That was the Broncos' only lead. UK answered with a 9-0 run, sparked by a pair of Cauley-Stein swats and two Julius Randle buckets in the paint, punctuated by a Young 3-pointer. Although the star freshman forward struggled to defend smaller players, Randle delivered 17 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double. He'd gone a whole two games without one. Young hit 4 of 9 threes and scored 17 points in the first half to answer Drmic, who came in averaging 20.4 points per game and had 13 at the break.
Neither Drmic nor any of his teammates had much luck after halftime. Cauley-Stein blocked or altered every shot within his reach – and yet the Broncos kept trying him in the second half. They were either swatted or missed badly. Boise made just 4 of 23 shots to start the second half. That and a 14-2 run, highlighted by Andrew Harrison's crossover and scoop shot, then a lob to Young for a sky-high slam, gave the Cats a 62-43 lead with 8:33 to go.
The Harrison twins, Andrew and Aaron, each scored 13 for UK.
The Broncos made one final push, an 8-0 run that got them within 11 points, but Kentucky squashed it with a driving bucket from Andrew Harrison and a put-back by Randle, who corralled the rebound after Harrison missed a free throw. Aaron Harrison and Randle punctuated the victory in the final minute when the former lofted an underhanded lob to the latter for a skying, rim-rattling slam.
Boise, which played in front of the largest crowd (21,565) in program history, was buried.
"I think we took a big step back from the Baylor game," Cauley-Stein said. "So we just back where we were at before that. And now we've just got to make sure this next game that we just keep it up and guard like that again … and just keep on building on little things until it just becomes perfection."
No. 10 Kentucky defeats Boise State 70-55
No. 10 Kentucky delivered — both blows and a much-need bounce back, considering a trip to North Carolina is next — in a 70-55 win over previously unbeaten Boise State at Rupp Arena on Tuesday night. The Broncos were an NCAA Tournament team a year ago, returned all five starters, came in with one of the most productive offenses in the country and were on the cusp of being ranked.
"They're coming," Boise coach Leon Rice said. "They are going to continue to get better. The loss to Baylor sometimes recalibrates, maybe opens up their minds to listen a little bit more. The more they trust him, the better they are going to continue to get."
The Wildcats (8-2) held the Broncos (8-1), who were second nationally in scoring at 91.9 points a game, 37 below their average on just 31.9 percent shooting. After getting clobbered on the glass against Baylor, Kentucky outrebounded a much smaller Boise team 43-27 and outscored the visitors 44-24 in the paint.
How big a factor was the size mismatch?
"Hahahaha, yeah," Rice said. "Some of the things they do, it's like me with my 10-year-old son in the driveway."
Freshman swingman James Young answered Boise star Anthony Drmic shot for shot — Young had 21 points to Drmic's 18 — and sophomore center Willie Cauley-Stein dominated defensively. Sporting a bleached-blond new hairdo, a sort of angular flat top that came to a right-leaning point, Cauley-Stein's game got all the attention once play began.
He won the opening tip, promptly drove from the top of the key for a layup, blocked a shot and grabbed an offensive rebound in the game's first minute. The eccentric 7-foot sophomore had six points, five rebounds and five blocks in just 11 first-half minutes. He finished with six, seven and nine in 25 minutes.
"I'm not the tattoo police and I'm not the hair police," Calipari said. "I don't care how you make your hair look. I will say this: Looking like that, you better play, Willie." There was a guy that used to do that to his hair. He also wore wedding dresses. But he killed you."
That was former NBA star Dennis Rodman.
"You can paint your hair all you want," Calipari said. "Just be like him."
Cauley-Stein blocked nine shots for the second time in three games, tying his own mark for second-most swats in a single game at UK. In the process, he has nearly caught up to the crazy pace of 2012 Cats star Anthony Davis through 10 games. Davis, who set the school and NCAA freshman records that season, had 44 blocks at this point. Cauley-Stein now has 43.
"You got to ball with it," Cauley-Stein said of his hair, before also revealing he has a sickle-cell trait that sometimes makes it hard for him to breathe and limited his minutes Tuesday. "I had to keep on telling myself, 'In and out.' I just tried to go as hard as I could when I could and come out whenever I felt fatigued."
He was a game-changer whenever he was in the game.
The Cats led from that opening tip through almost the entire first eight minutes before Boise State, led by Drmic, briefly surged ahead 14-13. That was the Broncos' only lead. UK answered with a 9-0 run, sparked by a pair of Cauley-Stein swats and two Julius Randle buckets in the paint, punctuated by a Young 3-pointer. Although the star freshman forward struggled to defend smaller players, Randle delivered 17 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double. He'd gone a whole two games without one. Young hit 4 of 9 threes and scored 17 points in the first half to answer Drmic, who came in averaging 20.4 points per game and had 13 at the break.
Neither Drmic nor any of his teammates had much luck after halftime. Cauley-Stein blocked or altered every shot within his reach – and yet the Broncos kept trying him in the second half. They were either swatted or missed badly. Boise made just 4 of 23 shots to start the second half. That and a 14-2 run, highlighted by Andrew Harrison's crossover and scoop shot, then a lob to Young for a sky-high slam, gave the Cats a 62-43 lead with 8:33 to go.
The Harrison twins, Andrew and Aaron, each scored 13 for UK.
The Broncos made one final push, an 8-0 run that got them within 11 points, but Kentucky squashed it with a driving bucket from Andrew Harrison and a put-back by Randle, who corralled the rebound after Harrison missed a free throw. Aaron Harrison and Randle punctuated the victory in the final minute when the former lofted an underhanded lob to the latter for a skying, rim-rattling slam.
Boise, which played in front of the largest crowd (21,565) in program history, was buried.
"I think we took a big step back from the Baylor game," Cauley-Stein said. "So we just back where we were at before that. And now we've just got to make sure this next game that we just keep it up and guard like that again … and just keep on building on little things until it just becomes perfection."
No. 10 Kentucky defeats Boise State 70-55
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Leave it to Bo Ryan to find fault with No. 6 Wisconsin's biggest margin of victory of the young season or tying its best start in 70 years.
But his players couldn't agree more.
Though Ben Brust scored 18 points and Frank Kaminsky added 16 as the Badgers remained undefeated with a 78-52 victory over in-state rival Milwaukee on Wednesday night, Ryan and his players weren't exactly thrilled with the effort.
Despite its reputation as a disciplined basketball team, the Badgers committed three straight turnovers after missing their first shot. Other than Brust, they struggled offensively to open the game. And they were 1-of-13 from behind the 3-point line in the second half.
Still, that might seem a little nitpicky to some considering all the other things they did well.
"We're going to see a lot in clips tomorrow," Brust promised. "There's definitely some things that we missed, the bad start. There's just spots throughout the whole game where we could have played a better 40 minutes altogether, but a good win. You can't be mad about that."
This is rarefied air for the Badgers. Going 11-0 to open the season matches their record to open 1993-94, the program's best start since 1943. They have also cracked The Associated Press' Top 5 for only the second season, with the 2006-07 squad reaching No. 1.
Not that Ryan is taking any time to really bask in that.
"It's like in class," Ryan said. "You do your assignments and then you get credit for them, and if you do them well, you get stars on your paper and a pat on the back. But if you stop doing them well, then everything else just kind of goes the other way."
Though Wisconsin was far from perfect, it used one run to blow the game open and then capitalized on repeated mistakes by Milwaukee (9-3) to make sure the game stayed out of reach.
Early on, only Brust was connecting. But he hit his first six shots, including four from behind the 3-point line. That was good enough to help the Badgers open a 22-13 lead more than midway through the first half even as his teammates opened 3-of-11.
Then the rest of the team found its stroke.
Wisconsin reeled off a 23-7 run that featured five 3-pointers by five Badgers to blow the game open, and the Badgers finished the half 9-for-13 from deep.
Sam Dekker and Traevon Jackson scored 12 points apiece for Wisconsin.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, couldn't get out of the hole it dug in the first half, when the Panthers turned the ball over 11 times and the Badgers turned them into 18 points. Things got marginally better in the second half, when the Panthers committed another eight turnovers that resulted in 10 more Wisconsin points. The 19 turnovers tied their season high.
Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter, a former assistant to Ryan, said the Panthers were trying to make "everything happen in one pass, one play."
"We just didn't have the opportunities that we needed to to give yourself a chance against a Wisconsin team," Jeter said. "Turn the ball that many times, give up 28 points, that's hard to overcome when they are shooting the ball the way they did in the first half."
Kyle Kelm scored 17 points to lead the Panthers, while Matt Tiby added 11.
Tiby came in as the Panthers' leading scorer, and though he finished in double figures, the Badgers played him physically all game. Kaminsky blocked Tiby's first shot and the Milwaukee forward was 3-for-10 and had six turnovers.
Milwaukee cut the Badgers' lead to 16 points once in the second half, but that was snuffed out by a quick 10-0 Wisconsin run.
"We knew he's a worker," Ryan said of Tiby. "We know he brings a lot of fire to the court. He's tenacious. So we just tried to match that and then some, just tried to make his looks tougher."
No. 6 Wisconsin rolls Milwaukee for best start in 20 years
But his players couldn't agree more.
Though Ben Brust scored 18 points and Frank Kaminsky added 16 as the Badgers remained undefeated with a 78-52 victory over in-state rival Milwaukee on Wednesday night, Ryan and his players weren't exactly thrilled with the effort.
Despite its reputation as a disciplined basketball team, the Badgers committed three straight turnovers after missing their first shot. Other than Brust, they struggled offensively to open the game. And they were 1-of-13 from behind the 3-point line in the second half.
Still, that might seem a little nitpicky to some considering all the other things they did well.
"We're going to see a lot in clips tomorrow," Brust promised. "There's definitely some things that we missed, the bad start. There's just spots throughout the whole game where we could have played a better 40 minutes altogether, but a good win. You can't be mad about that."
This is rarefied air for the Badgers. Going 11-0 to open the season matches their record to open 1993-94, the program's best start since 1943. They have also cracked The Associated Press' Top 5 for only the second season, with the 2006-07 squad reaching No. 1.
Not that Ryan is taking any time to really bask in that.
"It's like in class," Ryan said. "You do your assignments and then you get credit for them, and if you do them well, you get stars on your paper and a pat on the back. But if you stop doing them well, then everything else just kind of goes the other way."
Though Wisconsin was far from perfect, it used one run to blow the game open and then capitalized on repeated mistakes by Milwaukee (9-3) to make sure the game stayed out of reach.
Early on, only Brust was connecting. But he hit his first six shots, including four from behind the 3-point line. That was good enough to help the Badgers open a 22-13 lead more than midway through the first half even as his teammates opened 3-of-11.
Then the rest of the team found its stroke.
Wisconsin reeled off a 23-7 run that featured five 3-pointers by five Badgers to blow the game open, and the Badgers finished the half 9-for-13 from deep.
Sam Dekker and Traevon Jackson scored 12 points apiece for Wisconsin.
Milwaukee, meanwhile, couldn't get out of the hole it dug in the first half, when the Panthers turned the ball over 11 times and the Badgers turned them into 18 points. Things got marginally better in the second half, when the Panthers committed another eight turnovers that resulted in 10 more Wisconsin points. The 19 turnovers tied their season high.
Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter, a former assistant to Ryan, said the Panthers were trying to make "everything happen in one pass, one play."
"We just didn't have the opportunities that we needed to to give yourself a chance against a Wisconsin team," Jeter said. "Turn the ball that many times, give up 28 points, that's hard to overcome when they are shooting the ball the way they did in the first half."
Kyle Kelm scored 17 points to lead the Panthers, while Matt Tiby added 11.
Tiby came in as the Panthers' leading scorer, and though he finished in double figures, the Badgers played him physically all game. Kaminsky blocked Tiby's first shot and the Milwaukee forward was 3-for-10 and had six turnovers.
Milwaukee cut the Badgers' lead to 16 points once in the second half, but that was snuffed out by a quick 10-0 Wisconsin run.
"We knew he's a worker," Ryan said of Tiby. "We know he brings a lot of fire to the court. He's tenacious. So we just tried to match that and then some, just tried to make his looks tougher."
No. 6 Wisconsin rolls Milwaukee for best start in 20 years
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Marshall Henderson has not changed.
If anything, he's only getting worse.
He is clearly less demonstrative than he once was on the court and, by all accounts, Ole Miss' star senior guard continues to behave off-the-court in a manner that allows him to be on it.
But two days after Henderson scored a career-high 39 points and set school records with 10 made 3-pointers and 23 attempts it becomes prudent to examine Marshall Henderson the basketball player. And that version of Henderson has found a way to take his shot-happy ways to even another level.
Through seven games Henderson has taken 39.9% of the shots while he was on the floor, third nationally. This is an absurdly high rate for a player on a team from a major conference (Creighton's Doug McDermott is the only other one in the top 10), and Henderson currently sits some 40 spots higher than he finished the 2012-13 season.
This was at least somewhat expected: Ole Miss lost three key seniors, most notably Murphy Holloway, from the team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament's round of 32 and did not add a significant offensive piece in the offseason. The only freshman that played in a 115-105 overtime loss to No. 13 Oregon Sunday was forward Sebastian Saiz, who took two shots.
The only thing seemingly keeping Henderson from taking a percentage of shots that would approach Grinnell's Jack Taylor is upticks in production from guards Jarvis Summers and Derrick Millinghaus. But the Rebels (6-2) remain incredibly reliant on Henderson in late-game situations, and it's not always to their betterment.
During the final two minutes of regulation Sunday, Henderson took eight shots — or more than all but two teammates did during the entire game — and airballed as many as he made.
The two that did go in were nearly impossible shots (he was nearly out-of-bounds on the first, and double-clutched the second), and they did set up a Summers 3 that tied the game. But while he was missing the first four, Oregon kept scoring.
"He shoots a lot of balls," coach Andy Kennedy said. "The only way to stop him from shooting is to sit him down. I've done that a few times here and there, and I'll continue to try that. But he's a volume guy. He's been a volume guy from day 1, he was a volume guy when I recruited him. I realize that. I try to put him in a position where he can help our team and he's certainly done that."
The underlying assumption about Henderson's willingness to throw up shot after shot is that eventually a few do go down, and that can mean the difference between a win and a loss. The Rebels are 18-5 when he takes between 10-14 shots from beyond the arc. But after Sunday's 10-of-23 outing, Ole Miss is 1-4 alltime when Henderson shoots 15 or more 3-pointers.
There's a clear line where the percentages are no longer in Ole Miss' favor, though staying on the right side is difficult when you're talking about a player who is willing to accept a sixth-man role because his favorite NBA players, J.R. Smith and Jordan Crawford, have been able to come off the bench and still take a heavy percentage of their teams' shots.
"Sixth man of the year, that's an award I don't have," said Henderson.
Henderson has made improvements in his final season. An offseason spent working on a hard first step and dribble has made him less of a strict catch-and-shoot guy (and therefore more difficult to defend), and while he bristled at the notion of being a better passer his assist rate has improved.
After the game, during a roughly seven-minute conversation with local media that was limited by Ole Miss to only basketball-related topics, Henderson spoke at some length about the value of the past week. Despite losing to both Kansas State (Henderson missed a wild fall-away shot in the final seconds) and Oregon, playing such difficult nonconference games would prepare a young team for the rigors of the SEC.
"When those games are close we need to be able to get over the hump and win those games and grind them out in the end, or we'll be on the outside looking in," Henderson said.
But is the difference between winning and losing (and going to the NCAA Tournament or not) really about the rest of the Rebels, or more about how much of a leash Ole Miss is willing to give its star?
Marshall Henderson launching 3-pointers at torrid pace
If anything, he's only getting worse.
He is clearly less demonstrative than he once was on the court and, by all accounts, Ole Miss' star senior guard continues to behave off-the-court in a manner that allows him to be on it.
But two days after Henderson scored a career-high 39 points and set school records with 10 made 3-pointers and 23 attempts it becomes prudent to examine Marshall Henderson the basketball player. And that version of Henderson has found a way to take his shot-happy ways to even another level.
Through seven games Henderson has taken 39.9% of the shots while he was on the floor, third nationally. This is an absurdly high rate for a player on a team from a major conference (Creighton's Doug McDermott is the only other one in the top 10), and Henderson currently sits some 40 spots higher than he finished the 2012-13 season.
This was at least somewhat expected: Ole Miss lost three key seniors, most notably Murphy Holloway, from the team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament's round of 32 and did not add a significant offensive piece in the offseason. The only freshman that played in a 115-105 overtime loss to No. 13 Oregon Sunday was forward Sebastian Saiz, who took two shots.
The only thing seemingly keeping Henderson from taking a percentage of shots that would approach Grinnell's Jack Taylor is upticks in production from guards Jarvis Summers and Derrick Millinghaus. But the Rebels (6-2) remain incredibly reliant on Henderson in late-game situations, and it's not always to their betterment.
During the final two minutes of regulation Sunday, Henderson took eight shots — or more than all but two teammates did during the entire game — and airballed as many as he made.
The two that did go in were nearly impossible shots (he was nearly out-of-bounds on the first, and double-clutched the second), and they did set up a Summers 3 that tied the game. But while he was missing the first four, Oregon kept scoring.
"He shoots a lot of balls," coach Andy Kennedy said. "The only way to stop him from shooting is to sit him down. I've done that a few times here and there, and I'll continue to try that. But he's a volume guy. He's been a volume guy from day 1, he was a volume guy when I recruited him. I realize that. I try to put him in a position where he can help our team and he's certainly done that."
The underlying assumption about Henderson's willingness to throw up shot after shot is that eventually a few do go down, and that can mean the difference between a win and a loss. The Rebels are 18-5 when he takes between 10-14 shots from beyond the arc. But after Sunday's 10-of-23 outing, Ole Miss is 1-4 alltime when Henderson shoots 15 or more 3-pointers.
There's a clear line where the percentages are no longer in Ole Miss' favor, though staying on the right side is difficult when you're talking about a player who is willing to accept a sixth-man role because his favorite NBA players, J.R. Smith and Jordan Crawford, have been able to come off the bench and still take a heavy percentage of their teams' shots.
"Sixth man of the year, that's an award I don't have," said Henderson.
Henderson has made improvements in his final season. An offseason spent working on a hard first step and dribble has made him less of a strict catch-and-shoot guy (and therefore more difficult to defend), and while he bristled at the notion of being a better passer his assist rate has improved.
After the game, during a roughly seven-minute conversation with local media that was limited by Ole Miss to only basketball-related topics, Henderson spoke at some length about the value of the past week. Despite losing to both Kansas State (Henderson missed a wild fall-away shot in the final seconds) and Oregon, playing such difficult nonconference games would prepare a young team for the rigors of the SEC.
"When those games are close we need to be able to get over the hump and win those games and grind them out in the end, or we'll be on the outside looking in," Henderson said.
But is the difference between winning and losing (and going to the NCAA Tournament or not) really about the rest of the Rebels, or more about how much of a leash Ole Miss is willing to give its star?
Marshall Henderson launching 3-pointers at torrid pace
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Memphis coach Josh Pastner was disappointed with how his team played against Arkansas-Little Rock on Friday night.
Fortunately for Pastner and the Tigers, they found a way to win anyway.
Shaq Goodwin scored 17 points and No. 16 Memphis rallied for a 73-59 victory over the Trojans.
Joe Jackson also had 17 points for the Tigers, but was 3 for 11 from the field. Memphis (7-1) was tied with Arkansas-Little Rock with under 7 minutes to go, but the Trojans faded down the stretch.
"They kicked our butt that first half, really probably the first 30 minutes or so," Pastner said.
Josh Hagins led Arkansas-Little Rock (3-6) with 17 points, connecting on 6 of 11 shots. Will Neighbour scored 10 of his 15 points in the first half, helping the Trojans build a double-digit lead. "I thought our guys moved the basketball well in the first half," Arkansas-Little Rock coach Steve Shields said. "I thought we were aggressive versus their pressure. We weren't passive. We hit some cutters versus the press.
"I thought we got away from that a little bit in the second half, and we got a little bit tentative. Memphis will force you to do that."
Geron Johnson scored 13 points for Memphis, which shot 52 percent in the second half of its sixth consecutive victory. Goodwin also had nine rebounds.
The Tigers outrebounded the Trojans 41-32 and scored 28 points off 17 Arkansas-Little Rock turnovers.
But Pastner was so frustrated by his team's lack of focus that he didn't make any players available postgame. He doesn't have a lot of time to get the Tigers back on track; they play No. 19 Florida in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday.
Pastner mentioned players were dealing with finals this week.
"All I talked about was Little Rock and understanding you can't sleepwalk," Pastner said. "You have to be so ready to go. You can't give this team any hope.
"Our guys came out, and I don't know what it was. They thought they could go away from the system that has been working for us."
Arkansas-Little Rock played with more passion in the first half, and Memphis struggled on offense for much of the first part of the game. The Tigers missed 12 of their first 14 shots and were still at 20 percent shooting with 5 minutes remaining before the break.
"We wanted to be aggressive," Shields said. "We wanted to be sound, but aggressive defensively. We felt like we had to switch it on them some, and go some zone and switch it back to man. We were fortunate they missed some shots early as well."
The Trojans led by as many as 12, but Johnson helped Memphis put together a 16-4 run that tied at 21. Johnson had 10 points in the first half.
Hagins and Kemy Osse scored five points apiece down the stretch, helping the Trojans to a 31-24 lead at the break.
Memphis shot 28 percent from the field in the first half, but turned it around after halftime. Chris Crawford made a 3-pointer to give the Tigers their first lead at 42-41, then hit another one from long range.
It was back and forth for a while from there, before Memphis grabbed control with a 12-1 spree. David Pellom got it started with two baskets, and Jackson closed it out with five straight points.
The run gave Memphis a 58-49 lead with 4 minutes left, and the Trojans never threatened again.
Pastner was particularly critical of his four senior guards - Jackson, Johnson, Crawford and Michael Dixon - saying they didn't show leadership in getting the team to play hard.
"When they don't play well, our team is not going to be as good," Pastner said. "We need those guys to be really good every single time on the floor. We're counting on those guys to be elite - not individually, but collectively."
Fortunately for Pastner and the Tigers, they found a way to win anyway.
Shaq Goodwin scored 17 points and No. 16 Memphis rallied for a 73-59 victory over the Trojans.
Joe Jackson also had 17 points for the Tigers, but was 3 for 11 from the field. Memphis (7-1) was tied with Arkansas-Little Rock with under 7 minutes to go, but the Trojans faded down the stretch.
"They kicked our butt that first half, really probably the first 30 minutes or so," Pastner said.
Josh Hagins led Arkansas-Little Rock (3-6) with 17 points, connecting on 6 of 11 shots. Will Neighbour scored 10 of his 15 points in the first half, helping the Trojans build a double-digit lead. "I thought our guys moved the basketball well in the first half," Arkansas-Little Rock coach Steve Shields said. "I thought we were aggressive versus their pressure. We weren't passive. We hit some cutters versus the press.
"I thought we got away from that a little bit in the second half, and we got a little bit tentative. Memphis will force you to do that."
Geron Johnson scored 13 points for Memphis, which shot 52 percent in the second half of its sixth consecutive victory. Goodwin also had nine rebounds.
The Tigers outrebounded the Trojans 41-32 and scored 28 points off 17 Arkansas-Little Rock turnovers.
But Pastner was so frustrated by his team's lack of focus that he didn't make any players available postgame. He doesn't have a lot of time to get the Tigers back on track; they play No. 19 Florida in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday.
Pastner mentioned players were dealing with finals this week.
"All I talked about was Little Rock and understanding you can't sleepwalk," Pastner said. "You have to be so ready to go. You can't give this team any hope.
"Our guys came out, and I don't know what it was. They thought they could go away from the system that has been working for us."
Arkansas-Little Rock played with more passion in the first half, and Memphis struggled on offense for much of the first part of the game. The Tigers missed 12 of their first 14 shots and were still at 20 percent shooting with 5 minutes remaining before the break.
"We wanted to be aggressive," Shields said. "We wanted to be sound, but aggressive defensively. We felt like we had to switch it on them some, and go some zone and switch it back to man. We were fortunate they missed some shots early as well."
The Trojans led by as many as 12, but Johnson helped Memphis put together a 16-4 run that tied at 21. Johnson had 10 points in the first half.
Hagins and Kemy Osse scored five points apiece down the stretch, helping the Trojans to a 31-24 lead at the break.
Memphis shot 28 percent from the field in the first half, but turned it around after halftime. Chris Crawford made a 3-pointer to give the Tigers their first lead at 42-41, then hit another one from long range.
It was back and forth for a while from there, before Memphis grabbed control with a 12-1 spree. David Pellom got it started with two baskets, and Jackson closed it out with five straight points.
The run gave Memphis a 58-49 lead with 4 minutes left, and the Trojans never threatened again.
Pastner was particularly critical of his four senior guards - Jackson, Johnson, Crawford and Michael Dixon - saying they didn't show leadership in getting the team to play hard.
"When they don't play well, our team is not going to be as good," Pastner said. "We need those guys to be really good every single time on the floor. We're counting on those guys to be elite - not individually, but collectively."
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HOW THE WILDCATS WON: Arizona is the No. 1 team in the nation for a reason. Sean Miller's Wildcats have a perfect blend of talent, experience and poise, and it showed Saturday. Michigan had led most of the game — as much as 11 early in the second half — but Arizona continued to claw its way back into the contest.
With 2:32 left in the game, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson drove to the basket and was fouled. He made the layup and the subsequent free throw to give the Wildcats a 63-62 lead (its first since 7-5). There were five lead changes in the game's final two minutes in a wild finish that featured a Spike Albrecht three with two seconds left to pull Michigan within one — but Arizona hung on to win 72-70, thanks to its free-throw shooting down the stretch.
A quick look at Arizona's impressive resume thus far: wins at San Diego State and Michigan, a victory against Duke on a neutral court and a win over UNLV in Tucson. Kudos to Miller for putting his team through that gauntlet.
STAR WATCH: Michigan coach John Beilein told reporters earlier this week he was having his scout team players hold sticks up to simulate Arizona's length. Though the Wolverines were able to use their quickness to negate the Wildcats' strength for most of the game, ultimately that length/size inside did get to them.
Arizona freshman forward Aaron Gordon scored 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting, while adding five rebounds, two steals and a block. Center Kaleb Tarczewski and forward Brandon Ashley added 32 more points for the Wildcats. Once Arizona remembered its advantage in the paint early in the second half and began exploiting it, the Wildcats began to get themselves back into the game.
WHAT THIS MEANS IN A NUTSHELL: This is the Michigan team we thought we'd see this season. This is the squad that was ranked in the top 10 in the preseason, the one full of talent and athleticism. For weeks the Wolverines struggled for myriad reasons — Mitch McGary being out/injured, Glenn Robinson III not playing aggressively, everyone else adapting to a new point guard in the post-Trey Burke era. Michigan lost each of its "big games" — at Iowa State, at Duke — as well as a holiday tournament game against Charlotte.
Now, surely this loss will sting. And Michigan remains without a signature win. But there's still a lot to like about these Wolverines when Robinson plays well, McGary is healthy/in shape and sophomore guard Caris LeVert shows why he's one of the most improved players in the country. Who knows what this team will do in the Big Ten or in March ... but no matter what, the Michigan team that showed up on Saturday showed you'll never be able to count 'em out of any game.
TWEET THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES: Sean Miller often stresses the importance of scheduling tough during non-conference play. He said after the game that win or lose, his team got better Saturday. He's right.
4-point play: No. 1 Arizona holds off Michigan
With 2:32 left in the game, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson drove to the basket and was fouled. He made the layup and the subsequent free throw to give the Wildcats a 63-62 lead (its first since 7-5). There were five lead changes in the game's final two minutes in a wild finish that featured a Spike Albrecht three with two seconds left to pull Michigan within one — but Arizona hung on to win 72-70, thanks to its free-throw shooting down the stretch.
A quick look at Arizona's impressive resume thus far: wins at San Diego State and Michigan, a victory against Duke on a neutral court and a win over UNLV in Tucson. Kudos to Miller for putting his team through that gauntlet.
STAR WATCH: Michigan coach John Beilein told reporters earlier this week he was having his scout team players hold sticks up to simulate Arizona's length. Though the Wolverines were able to use their quickness to negate the Wildcats' strength for most of the game, ultimately that length/size inside did get to them.
Arizona freshman forward Aaron Gordon scored 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting, while adding five rebounds, two steals and a block. Center Kaleb Tarczewski and forward Brandon Ashley added 32 more points for the Wildcats. Once Arizona remembered its advantage in the paint early in the second half and began exploiting it, the Wildcats began to get themselves back into the game.
WHAT THIS MEANS IN A NUTSHELL: This is the Michigan team we thought we'd see this season. This is the squad that was ranked in the top 10 in the preseason, the one full of talent and athleticism. For weeks the Wolverines struggled for myriad reasons — Mitch McGary being out/injured, Glenn Robinson III not playing aggressively, everyone else adapting to a new point guard in the post-Trey Burke era. Michigan lost each of its "big games" — at Iowa State, at Duke — as well as a holiday tournament game against Charlotte.
Now, surely this loss will sting. And Michigan remains without a signature win. But there's still a lot to like about these Wolverines when Robinson plays well, McGary is healthy/in shape and sophomore guard Caris LeVert shows why he's one of the most improved players in the country. Who knows what this team will do in the Big Ten or in March ... but no matter what, the Michigan team that showed up on Saturday showed you'll never be able to count 'em out of any game.
TWEET THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES: Sean Miller often stresses the importance of scheduling tough during non-conference play. He said after the game that win or lose, his team got better Saturday. He's right.
4-point play: No. 1 Arizona holds off Michigan
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Kentucky's 82-77 loss to North Carolina here on Saturday night was not, in itself, an awful loss.
The Wildcats scraped and clawed. They outrebounded the Tar Heels. They got contributions from their bench. They had a chance to win. But they lost. And it is impossible to ignore the fact that this Wildcats team has played three games against very good teams this season, and it has lost all three.
And at some point you can't really look at losses as anomalies. At some point you have to realize that this simply might never become a great team. And coach John Calipari will tell you that right now they are not even a good team.
In this game, Calipari's frustrations began to boil over. He received his first technical foul of the season, arguing with an official. He brushed off his halftime interview with ESPN with a dismissive wave of the hand. He stomped and snarled, because once again things were just not going UK's way.
Calipari's voice was hoarse after the game. He asked to see a stat sheet, and then said he was unsure why he was asking because he didn't really want to look at it. He probably didn't want to see the 14 missed free throws or the 17 turnovers or North Carolina's 57 percent second-half shooting.
His postgame refrain was all too familiar. They're young. They have a long way to go. They have to get better. It sounded like the other losses. It also sounded a lot like last season.
All of that made sense, but I was curious if this is where Calipari expected to be at this point. I was curious if he thought they would be trending upward by now.
"My hope was we would be, like, the best team in the last 12 years," he said, perhaps mixing truth with facetiousness. "Reality says, until they get knocked in the teeth a couple of times and then accept responsibility for what happened ..."
The sentence trailed off there. He'd made his point and he'd also revealed the unspoken hopes and dreams he'd had for this team.
But for now, there's no reason to waste time contemplating this team's potential place in history. It's more realistic to start sizing up its NCAA Tournament portfolio — and everyone relax, because this team is going to the NCAA Tournament.
Speaking of NCAA résumés, there have been few November and December resumes more impressive than North Carolina's. The Tar Heels now have wins against the defending national champion (Louisville), the preseason No. 1 team (UK), and an in-season No. 1 (Michigan State). All without perhaps their best player, P.J. Hairston.
Anyway, Kentucky has just one more chance to snag a signature nonconference victory this season. Yes, it's the Dec. 28 game against Louisville at Rupp Arena.
After that, the uninspiring Southeastern Conference awaits. Besides UK, just two SEC teams are among the top 40 vote-getters in The Associated Press poll: No. 19 Florida and No. 24 Missouri. The Wildcats play the Tigers once.
"What we are right now is we're not a good basketball team, and we're not a good team because everything, our emotion, is all based on our individual play instead of our team," Calipari said. "Like, we just got a great stop, let's all five chest-[bump] each other and go nuts. We're not close to that right now. Our stuff is all based on 'Did I miss a free throw? Did I get beat on the dribble? Did I miss a shot?' "
Calipari, like so many other college basketball coaches, is prone to hyperbole. But in this case, the thought was honest. The Wildcats are not very good right now. And as December turns into January, the clock will begin to tick.
Kentucky's potential remains just that
The Wildcats scraped and clawed. They outrebounded the Tar Heels. They got contributions from their bench. They had a chance to win. But they lost. And it is impossible to ignore the fact that this Wildcats team has played three games against very good teams this season, and it has lost all three.
And at some point you can't really look at losses as anomalies. At some point you have to realize that this simply might never become a great team. And coach John Calipari will tell you that right now they are not even a good team.
In this game, Calipari's frustrations began to boil over. He received his first technical foul of the season, arguing with an official. He brushed off his halftime interview with ESPN with a dismissive wave of the hand. He stomped and snarled, because once again things were just not going UK's way.
Calipari's voice was hoarse after the game. He asked to see a stat sheet, and then said he was unsure why he was asking because he didn't really want to look at it. He probably didn't want to see the 14 missed free throws or the 17 turnovers or North Carolina's 57 percent second-half shooting.
His postgame refrain was all too familiar. They're young. They have a long way to go. They have to get better. It sounded like the other losses. It also sounded a lot like last season.
All of that made sense, but I was curious if this is where Calipari expected to be at this point. I was curious if he thought they would be trending upward by now.
"My hope was we would be, like, the best team in the last 12 years," he said, perhaps mixing truth with facetiousness. "Reality says, until they get knocked in the teeth a couple of times and then accept responsibility for what happened ..."
The sentence trailed off there. He'd made his point and he'd also revealed the unspoken hopes and dreams he'd had for this team.
But for now, there's no reason to waste time contemplating this team's potential place in history. It's more realistic to start sizing up its NCAA Tournament portfolio — and everyone relax, because this team is going to the NCAA Tournament.
Speaking of NCAA résumés, there have been few November and December resumes more impressive than North Carolina's. The Tar Heels now have wins against the defending national champion (Louisville), the preseason No. 1 team (UK), and an in-season No. 1 (Michigan State). All without perhaps their best player, P.J. Hairston.
Anyway, Kentucky has just one more chance to snag a signature nonconference victory this season. Yes, it's the Dec. 28 game against Louisville at Rupp Arena.
After that, the uninspiring Southeastern Conference awaits. Besides UK, just two SEC teams are among the top 40 vote-getters in The Associated Press poll: No. 19 Florida and No. 24 Missouri. The Wildcats play the Tigers once.
"What we are right now is we're not a good basketball team, and we're not a good team because everything, our emotion, is all based on our individual play instead of our team," Calipari said. "Like, we just got a great stop, let's all five chest-[bump] each other and go nuts. We're not close to that right now. Our stuff is all based on 'Did I miss a free throw? Did I get beat on the dribble? Did I miss a shot?' "
Calipari, like so many other college basketball coaches, is prone to hyperbole. But in this case, the thought was honest. The Wildcats are not very good right now. And as December turns into January, the clock will begin to tick.
Kentucky's potential remains just that
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Following Michigan's 72-70 loss to No. 1 Arizona on Saturday, the Wolverines have to reassess their season.
What was expected to remain a Top 25 team following last year's national title-game run now has an uncertain future after losses in four of the five high-level games the Wolverines (6-4) have played. The lone win came over an undistinguished Florida State team. "This season is going to be one where all year in the process these things are going to make us better," Michigan coach John Beilein said Saturday. "You looked at our schedule, you looked at who we are, we weren't going to come out of this 10-0 or whatever. We're going to have losses. While this could have been a great win (over Arizona) and would have meant something today, but it probably wouldn't have meant anything in January to us.
"We have to win in the Big Ten. We have to win at a neutral site against a super-talented but veteran backcourt again in Stanford (next Saturday), and beat Holy Cross, and then all of the sudden we're into it. It's all part of the big picture. A win here certainly would help you. But I don't think it decides your season if you lose it."
Beilein understands that the NCAA selection committee will evaluate Michigan based on its quality wins (Top 25 and Top 50) and, so far, they have none.
The Big Ten should provide plenty of opportunities, with two matchups each against current Top 5 teams Michigan State and Wisconsin, plus a pair against Top 50 candidates Iowa and Indiana. Michigan faces Top 5 Ohio State one time this year.
Asked if he expects Michigan to improve enough to beat those teams, Beilein was more hopeful than promising, especially knowing his teams are much better at home.
"That's our goal," he said. "(Reporters) have been around the Big Ten longer than I, and I'm just watching scores, and the parity and the programs that aren't in absolutely rebuilding, this year's going to be more competitive. So we better be. Because it's going to be this type of game, home and away — hopefully away. But it's going to be this type of game at home nine times in the Big Ten. So we better be able to win these type of games and just grow from it."
Michigan must reassess after elite status fades
What was expected to remain a Top 25 team following last year's national title-game run now has an uncertain future after losses in four of the five high-level games the Wolverines (6-4) have played. The lone win came over an undistinguished Florida State team. "This season is going to be one where all year in the process these things are going to make us better," Michigan coach John Beilein said Saturday. "You looked at our schedule, you looked at who we are, we weren't going to come out of this 10-0 or whatever. We're going to have losses. While this could have been a great win (over Arizona) and would have meant something today, but it probably wouldn't have meant anything in January to us.
"We have to win in the Big Ten. We have to win at a neutral site against a super-talented but veteran backcourt again in Stanford (next Saturday), and beat Holy Cross, and then all of the sudden we're into it. It's all part of the big picture. A win here certainly would help you. But I don't think it decides your season if you lose it."
Beilein understands that the NCAA selection committee will evaluate Michigan based on its quality wins (Top 25 and Top 50) and, so far, they have none.
The Big Ten should provide plenty of opportunities, with two matchups each against current Top 5 teams Michigan State and Wisconsin, plus a pair against Top 50 candidates Iowa and Indiana. Michigan faces Top 5 Ohio State one time this year.
Asked if he expects Michigan to improve enough to beat those teams, Beilein was more hopeful than promising, especially knowing his teams are much better at home.
"That's our goal," he said. "(Reporters) have been around the Big Ten longer than I, and I'm just watching scores, and the parity and the programs that aren't in absolutely rebuilding, this year's going to be more competitive. So we better be. Because it's going to be this type of game, home and away — hopefully away. But it's going to be this type of game at home nine times in the Big Ten. So we better be able to win these type of games and just grow from it."
Michigan must reassess after elite status fades
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The return of Dominic Artis has given Oregon a bounty of talented players, a problem coach Dana Altman is happy to have.
Artis, last year's starting point guard, returned from a nine-game suspension to score five points and grab eight rebounds in the No. 11 Ducks' 91-63 win over UC Irvine on Tuesday night.
The Ducks improved to 10-0 for the first time since 2006-07, when they started 13-0 and went on to win the Pac-10 and advance to the Elite Eight.
Altman said the addition of Artis to Oregon's deep roster is a "great problem" to have. "It's a long season, and you have all kinds of adversity," he added.
With the added depth, it's also easier to extend the defense with presses, Altman said.
When asked if Artis would regain his starting job over Johnathan Loyd, who has played well for the Ducks, Altman said he was more concerned with who would make plays and finish games.
"Having a lot of talent never seemed to be a problem on any team I've ever played on," said Mike Moser, who had 15 points for Oregon.
Artis and teammate Ben Carter were suspended for nine games for selling university-supplied apparel, a violation of NCAA rules. Artis led the Ducks with 3.2 assists per game last year as a freshman.
Joseph Young led Oregon with 18 points on Tuesday.
The Ducks made six of their first seven 3-pointers and led 28-12 after Young hit a 3 with about nine minutes left in the first half.
The lead grew to as many as 21 points and Oregon entered the break leading 48-29.
The game was never in question in the second half as the margin ballooned past 30.
"We got dominated," UC Irvine Coach Russell Turner said. "That wasn't much fun. I give Oregon credit for that."
Will Davis II had 20 points for the Anteaters (6-6) and Luke Nelson added 13 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Nelson is a freshman from England, but Turner said he wasn't surprised by his strong performance. "He's going to have a very fine career," Turner said.
Young entered the game leading the Ducks with 19.4 points per game. He and Moser are among seven transfers on Oregon's roster.
The Ducks ranked second nationally in scoring at 89.1 points heading into Tuesday's game.
UC Irvine was picked first in the Big West Conference preseason media poll for the first time in 12 years.
Last year, the Anteaters made the program's first postseason appearance in 11 years, beating High Point in the first round of the CIT before losing to Oral Roberts.
Chris McNealy scored 14 points for UC Irvine, which had four players averaging double figures coming into the game.
The Anteaters have two freshman over 7 feet, including 7-foot-6 Mamadou Ndiaye, the tallest player in the nation.
Ndiaye was limited by two early fouls, but finished with seven points, five rebounds and four blocks.
"Mamadou has an impact on the game, both on offense and on defense when he's out there," Turner said.
No. 11 Oregon tops UC Irvine 91-63 to move to 10-0
Artis, last year's starting point guard, returned from a nine-game suspension to score five points and grab eight rebounds in the No. 11 Ducks' 91-63 win over UC Irvine on Tuesday night.
The Ducks improved to 10-0 for the first time since 2006-07, when they started 13-0 and went on to win the Pac-10 and advance to the Elite Eight.
Altman said the addition of Artis to Oregon's deep roster is a "great problem" to have. "It's a long season, and you have all kinds of adversity," he added.
With the added depth, it's also easier to extend the defense with presses, Altman said.
When asked if Artis would regain his starting job over Johnathan Loyd, who has played well for the Ducks, Altman said he was more concerned with who would make plays and finish games.
"Having a lot of talent never seemed to be a problem on any team I've ever played on," said Mike Moser, who had 15 points for Oregon.
Artis and teammate Ben Carter were suspended for nine games for selling university-supplied apparel, a violation of NCAA rules. Artis led the Ducks with 3.2 assists per game last year as a freshman.
Joseph Young led Oregon with 18 points on Tuesday.
The Ducks made six of their first seven 3-pointers and led 28-12 after Young hit a 3 with about nine minutes left in the first half.
The lead grew to as many as 21 points and Oregon entered the break leading 48-29.
The game was never in question in the second half as the margin ballooned past 30.
"We got dominated," UC Irvine Coach Russell Turner said. "That wasn't much fun. I give Oregon credit for that."
Will Davis II had 20 points for the Anteaters (6-6) and Luke Nelson added 13 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Nelson is a freshman from England, but Turner said he wasn't surprised by his strong performance. "He's going to have a very fine career," Turner said.
Young entered the game leading the Ducks with 19.4 points per game. He and Moser are among seven transfers on Oregon's roster.
The Ducks ranked second nationally in scoring at 89.1 points heading into Tuesday's game.
UC Irvine was picked first in the Big West Conference preseason media poll for the first time in 12 years.
Last year, the Anteaters made the program's first postseason appearance in 11 years, beating High Point in the first round of the CIT before losing to Oral Roberts.
Chris McNealy scored 14 points for UC Irvine, which had four players averaging double figures coming into the game.
The Anteaters have two freshman over 7 feet, including 7-foot-6 Mamadou Ndiaye, the tallest player in the nation.
Ndiaye was limited by two early fouls, but finished with seven points, five rebounds and four blocks.
"Mamadou has an impact on the game, both on offense and on defense when he's out there," Turner said.
No. 11 Oregon tops UC Irvine 91-63 to move to 10-0
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HOW THE LONGHORNS WON: Credit a young Texas team for taking the fight to No. 18 North Carolina right from the game's start.
Texas dominated the rebounding battle (29-15) in the first half. It controlled an inordinate number of offensive rebounds and built a double-digit lead on the Tar Heels largely because of second-chance points. As a result, the Longhorns also dominated the Tar Heels in points in the paint. The 53 first-half points were the most North Carolina has allowed in a first half since giving up the same amount against Duke during the 2009-10 season.
This was a matchup of two of the nation's worst free-throw shooting teams, and North Carolina lived up – or down – to that billing. North Carolina was just brutal at the free-throw line.
The second half had the flow of a drive through congested rush hour traffic. But the young Longhorns had enough moxie to edge ahead in the final minutes, grab a critical rebound and score a key follow-up basket in the final seconds, and earn their most significant victory of the season to date, 86-83.
STAR WATCH: Four Texas players – Jonathan Holmes, Javan Felix, Demarcus Holland and Isaiah Taylor – all finished in double figures. But give plenty of credit to Connor Lammert, who pulled down 11 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. And Texas won this game in the battle of the boards as much as anything. Holland's free-throw miss, rebound and layup in the final seconds – all were obviously critical plays. (Oh, and Texas' free-throw defense was pretty good tonight as well.)
WHAT THIS MEANS IN A NUTSHELL: This was a huge victory for Texas. After missing the NCAA tournament for the first time under Rick Barnes, expectations were low for a Texas team that saw several players depart during the offseason. But Barnes was adamant before the season that he liked the personality of this team, particularly the players' "grit." He felt he could go back to actually coaching players rather than managing egos and dealing with some players who did not have a team-first mentality.
The victory against UNC was a large step forward for the Longhorns. The Big 12 is likely to see four teams – Kansas, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Iowa State – reach the NCAA tournament, with Oklahoma in the mix as well. The Longhorns have demonstrated all season – and especially tonight – that they could surprise some of the teams in the upper echelon of the Big 12. It's too early to know whether the Longhorns have a legitimate chance to reach the NCAAs, but the UNC victory will carry weight come Selection Sunday.
As for the losing team … In short, North Carolina is the most unpredictable team in the country, and it's anyone's guess what the Tar Heels are capable of during ACC play. They beat the top three teams – Kentucky, Michigan State and Louisville – in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Yet they lost to Belmont, UAB and Texas.
North Carolina's Leslie McDonald made his season debut after serving a nine-game suspension because the NCAA found that he accepted "the use of luxury cars, payment of parking tickets, a cell phone and lodging" during the spring and summer. McDonald received a standing ovation when he entered the game for the first time at the 16:14 mark of the first half. McDonald made four three-pointers in the game, including a much-needed one that cut the Tar Heels' deficit to four points with a little more than five minutes to play. But it wasn't enough.
P.J. Hairston, meantime, sat on the bench in a suit. It remains to be seen when and if Hairston, the team's leading scorer from last season, returns because of eligibility concerns. But the Tar Heels very much need his scoring punch and overall presence.
4-point play: Instant analysis on North Carolina-Texas
Texas dominated the rebounding battle (29-15) in the first half. It controlled an inordinate number of offensive rebounds and built a double-digit lead on the Tar Heels largely because of second-chance points. As a result, the Longhorns also dominated the Tar Heels in points in the paint. The 53 first-half points were the most North Carolina has allowed in a first half since giving up the same amount against Duke during the 2009-10 season.
This was a matchup of two of the nation's worst free-throw shooting teams, and North Carolina lived up – or down – to that billing. North Carolina was just brutal at the free-throw line.
The second half had the flow of a drive through congested rush hour traffic. But the young Longhorns had enough moxie to edge ahead in the final minutes, grab a critical rebound and score a key follow-up basket in the final seconds, and earn their most significant victory of the season to date, 86-83.
STAR WATCH: Four Texas players – Jonathan Holmes, Javan Felix, Demarcus Holland and Isaiah Taylor – all finished in double figures. But give plenty of credit to Connor Lammert, who pulled down 11 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. And Texas won this game in the battle of the boards as much as anything. Holland's free-throw miss, rebound and layup in the final seconds – all were obviously critical plays. (Oh, and Texas' free-throw defense was pretty good tonight as well.)
WHAT THIS MEANS IN A NUTSHELL: This was a huge victory for Texas. After missing the NCAA tournament for the first time under Rick Barnes, expectations were low for a Texas team that saw several players depart during the offseason. But Barnes was adamant before the season that he liked the personality of this team, particularly the players' "grit." He felt he could go back to actually coaching players rather than managing egos and dealing with some players who did not have a team-first mentality.
The victory against UNC was a large step forward for the Longhorns. The Big 12 is likely to see four teams – Kansas, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Iowa State – reach the NCAA tournament, with Oklahoma in the mix as well. The Longhorns have demonstrated all season – and especially tonight – that they could surprise some of the teams in the upper echelon of the Big 12. It's too early to know whether the Longhorns have a legitimate chance to reach the NCAAs, but the UNC victory will carry weight come Selection Sunday.
As for the losing team … In short, North Carolina is the most unpredictable team in the country, and it's anyone's guess what the Tar Heels are capable of during ACC play. They beat the top three teams – Kentucky, Michigan State and Louisville – in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll. Yet they lost to Belmont, UAB and Texas.
North Carolina's Leslie McDonald made his season debut after serving a nine-game suspension because the NCAA found that he accepted "the use of luxury cars, payment of parking tickets, a cell phone and lodging" during the spring and summer. McDonald received a standing ovation when he entered the game for the first time at the 16:14 mark of the first half. McDonald made four three-pointers in the game, including a much-needed one that cut the Tar Heels' deficit to four points with a little more than five minutes to play. But it wasn't enough.
P.J. Hairston, meantime, sat on the bench in a suit. It remains to be seen when and if Hairston, the team's leading scorer from last season, returns because of eligibility concerns. But the Tar Heels very much need his scoring punch and overall presence.
4-point play: Instant analysis on North Carolina-Texas
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HOW THE BLUE DEVILS WON: Let's get this out of the way: this game would not get characterized as a defensive struggle. And that's OK, because both Duke and UCLA have highly entertaining offenses (when shots are falling). There were threes and dunks, and lots and lots of fastbreaks. Duke jumped out to an early lead, which UCLA erased by the end of the first half. A 12-2 run by the Blue Devils early in the second half gave Duke a comfortable lead, which it maintained until the final buzzer for an 80-63 victory. The trio of Jabari Parker, Rodney Hood and Quinn Cook combined for 51 points.
Coach K and Duke players credited their improved defense for the second-half surge, and it's true it was better than the first half. Part of that was simply UCLA running out of gas and being unable to keep up with Duke's excellent athleticism and conditioning, too.
STAR WATCH: There were 45 NBA scouts on hand here at the Garden Thursday night – and yes, there are only 30 NBA teams – because there were multiple potential lottery picks putting on a show.
Duke's Jabari Parker (projected as the No. 2 pick in many a mock draft) showcased his incredible versatility once again. Though he did more damage from the perimeter, he did drive to the basket a fair amount. Duke coaches want to expand Parker's post game, so keep an eye on that moving forward. He scored 23 points and grabbed 10 boards to go along with five assists. In short, he was sensational on a big stage -- yet again.
Other guys the scouts were here to see? Duke's Rodney Hood, as well as UCLA's Jordan Adams, Zach LaVine and Kyle Anderson.
Anderson had the best night, stat-wise, of any of the Bruins. He nearly got a triple-double, with 15 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
WHAT THIS MEANS IN A NUTSHELL: Duke is a very good team, but is it great? Not sure yet. The defense is still suspect, especially along the perimeter. But this offense can do a lot, and this team has the potential to outscore just about anyone on a given night. Parker and Rodney Hood are a lethal combo, and when they are playing well and staying out of foul trouble, the Blue Devils will be hard to beat. If the defense can improve -- and Coach K believes it will during conference play -- then Duke will be a true national title contender.
UCLA, on the other hand, remains a bit of a question mark. The Bruins' non-conference schedule was weak – over 300 teams played tougher opponents, according to KenPom-com. LaVine struggled with his shooting, Anderson lost the ball a few times and Adams didn't impact the game like he has been lately. The jury is out on these Bruins, at least until a few conference games are in the books.
TWEET THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES: UCLA hung with Duke in the first half, but couldn't keep up with the athletic Blue Devils in the second half. It happened last time the Bruins played a good team, too.
4-point play: Instant analysis on Duke-UCLA
Coach K and Duke players credited their improved defense for the second-half surge, and it's true it was better than the first half. Part of that was simply UCLA running out of gas and being unable to keep up with Duke's excellent athleticism and conditioning, too.
STAR WATCH: There were 45 NBA scouts on hand here at the Garden Thursday night – and yes, there are only 30 NBA teams – because there were multiple potential lottery picks putting on a show.
Duke's Jabari Parker (projected as the No. 2 pick in many a mock draft) showcased his incredible versatility once again. Though he did more damage from the perimeter, he did drive to the basket a fair amount. Duke coaches want to expand Parker's post game, so keep an eye on that moving forward. He scored 23 points and grabbed 10 boards to go along with five assists. In short, he was sensational on a big stage -- yet again.
Other guys the scouts were here to see? Duke's Rodney Hood, as well as UCLA's Jordan Adams, Zach LaVine and Kyle Anderson.
Anderson had the best night, stat-wise, of any of the Bruins. He nearly got a triple-double, with 15 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists.
WHAT THIS MEANS IN A NUTSHELL: Duke is a very good team, but is it great? Not sure yet. The defense is still suspect, especially along the perimeter. But this offense can do a lot, and this team has the potential to outscore just about anyone on a given night. Parker and Rodney Hood are a lethal combo, and when they are playing well and staying out of foul trouble, the Blue Devils will be hard to beat. If the defense can improve -- and Coach K believes it will during conference play -- then Duke will be a true national title contender.
UCLA, on the other hand, remains a bit of a question mark. The Bruins' non-conference schedule was weak – over 300 teams played tougher opponents, according to KenPom-com. LaVine struggled with his shooting, Anderson lost the ball a few times and Adams didn't impact the game like he has been lately. The jury is out on these Bruins, at least until a few conference games are in the books.
TWEET THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES: UCLA hung with Duke in the first half, but couldn't keep up with the athletic Blue Devils in the second half. It happened last time the Bruins played a good team, too.
4-point play: Instant analysis on Duke-UCLA
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When North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham spoke to journalism faculty at an August retreat, he told them embattled wing P.J. Hairston would play this season but "not all the games."
Turns out Cunningham was a tad too optimistic.
North Carolina announced Friday that it will not seek reinstatement from the NCAA for Hairston, an outcome that appeared increasingly likely over the past few weeks.
One big clue came Wednesday when the NCAA cleared fellow Tar Heels guard Leslie McDonald to play but made it clear North Carolina had not yet submitted the requisite paperwork to get Hairston back on the court. The other clue came hours later when Cunningham promised there would be resolution to the Hairston case in the next few days once he had a chance to speak with the junior's family.
That North Carolina had yet to ask for Hairston's reinstatement suggested school officials believed he had accepted too many extra benefits for the NCAA to grant that request. And Cunningham could not realistically promise resolution within days had he intended to seek reinstatement for Hairston since that process was likely to drag out for at least a week or two, if not longer.
Concerns about Hairston's eligibility first popped up as a result of the cars he was driving during the offseason. He was charged with speeding in Durham on May 13 in a Camaro rented to a woman with ties to convicted felon Haydn "Fats" Thomas. He was charged with marijuana possession and driving without a license on June 5 in a GMC Yukon also rented by Thomas.
Cunningham acknowledged Friday that Hairston "made a number of mistakes that placed his eligibility at risk." In a joint review with the NCAA, the university decided Hairston's transgressions were severe enough that reinstatement "would not be possible."
"I am extremely disappointed for P.J., his family and our team as he will no longer be playing basketball at North Carolina," coach Roy Williams said in a news release. "P.J. made mistakes and I was very disappointed by his actions and now he is suffering the very difficult consequences. He is not a bad kid; he just made some mistakes.
"Since summer, P.J. has been outstanding with our basketball program and with his schoolwork. He went through an extremely intense conditioning program with flying colors. He has been called a 'perfect teammate' by one of our other players. He has dominated our practices and at times has been as good as any perimeter player I have ever coached, giving great effort to help our team. He cares deeply about Carolina and the basketball program."
The Hairston family released a statement through a spokesperson that they were "displeased" by the school's decision not to seek reinstatement. They'll announce Hairston's future plans in the next few weeks.
Hairston averaged a team-high 14.6 points per game as a sophomore, sparking North Carolina's late-season surge when he moved into the starting lineup midway through ACC play. He averaged 18.2 points during the Tar Heels' final 13 games, playing so well that he briefly considered entering the NBA draft this spring before announcing in mid-April that he'd return to school for his junior season.
Not having Hairston will probably have some positive and negative effects for North Carolina.
On one hand, North Carolina cannot replace his scoring punch from the wing even with the return of McDonald providing another outside shooter. On the other hand, Friday's news will finally provide closure to a saga that had to be a distraction for the current Tar Heels with "Free P.J." shirts and signs popping up at games and with questions about Hairston coming daily at press conferences and from fellow students on campus.
With the status of McDonald and Hairston hanging over their heads for the past six weeks, the Tar Heels have been the nation's most maddeningly inconsistent team, toppling Kentucky, Louisville and Michigan State but falling to three unranked foes.
Perhaps now that this is behind North Carolina, the Tar Heels can finally establish the consistency they've lacked thus far.
Y! SPORTS
Turns out Cunningham was a tad too optimistic.
North Carolina announced Friday that it will not seek reinstatement from the NCAA for Hairston, an outcome that appeared increasingly likely over the past few weeks.
One big clue came Wednesday when the NCAA cleared fellow Tar Heels guard Leslie McDonald to play but made it clear North Carolina had not yet submitted the requisite paperwork to get Hairston back on the court. The other clue came hours later when Cunningham promised there would be resolution to the Hairston case in the next few days once he had a chance to speak with the junior's family.
That North Carolina had yet to ask for Hairston's reinstatement suggested school officials believed he had accepted too many extra benefits for the NCAA to grant that request. And Cunningham could not realistically promise resolution within days had he intended to seek reinstatement for Hairston since that process was likely to drag out for at least a week or two, if not longer.
Concerns about Hairston's eligibility first popped up as a result of the cars he was driving during the offseason. He was charged with speeding in Durham on May 13 in a Camaro rented to a woman with ties to convicted felon Haydn "Fats" Thomas. He was charged with marijuana possession and driving without a license on June 5 in a GMC Yukon also rented by Thomas.
Cunningham acknowledged Friday that Hairston "made a number of mistakes that placed his eligibility at risk." In a joint review with the NCAA, the university decided Hairston's transgressions were severe enough that reinstatement "would not be possible."
"I am extremely disappointed for P.J., his family and our team as he will no longer be playing basketball at North Carolina," coach Roy Williams said in a news release. "P.J. made mistakes and I was very disappointed by his actions and now he is suffering the very difficult consequences. He is not a bad kid; he just made some mistakes.
"Since summer, P.J. has been outstanding with our basketball program and with his schoolwork. He went through an extremely intense conditioning program with flying colors. He has been called a 'perfect teammate' by one of our other players. He has dominated our practices and at times has been as good as any perimeter player I have ever coached, giving great effort to help our team. He cares deeply about Carolina and the basketball program."
The Hairston family released a statement through a spokesperson that they were "displeased" by the school's decision not to seek reinstatement. They'll announce Hairston's future plans in the next few weeks.
Hairston averaged a team-high 14.6 points per game as a sophomore, sparking North Carolina's late-season surge when he moved into the starting lineup midway through ACC play. He averaged 18.2 points during the Tar Heels' final 13 games, playing so well that he briefly considered entering the NBA draft this spring before announcing in mid-April that he'd return to school for his junior season.
Not having Hairston will probably have some positive and negative effects for North Carolina.
On one hand, North Carolina cannot replace his scoring punch from the wing even with the return of McDonald providing another outside shooter. On the other hand, Friday's news will finally provide closure to a saga that had to be a distraction for the current Tar Heels with "Free P.J." shirts and signs popping up at games and with questions about Hairston coming daily at press conferences and from fellow students on campus.
With the status of McDonald and Hairston hanging over their heads for the past six weeks, the Tar Heels have been the nation's most maddeningly inconsistent team, toppling Kentucky, Louisville and Michigan State but falling to three unranked foes.
Perhaps now that this is behind North Carolina, the Tar Heels can finally establish the consistency they've lacked thus far.
Y! SPORTS
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North Carolina announced Friday that it will not seek reinstatement from the NCAA for junior guard P.J. Hairston, a decision that ends Hairston's career with the Tar Heels.
Following a high-profile investigation that lasted more than six months, North Carolina issued a statement that did not specify any rule violations committed by Hairston, who had already sat the first 10 games of North Carolina's season.
"Unfortunately P.J. made a number of mistakes that placed his eligibility at risk and the university's joint review with the NCAA made it clear that seeking reinstatement for P.J. would not be possible," North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. "The university thanks him for his contributions to Carolina Basketball." The investigation had centered on Hairston's use of rental cars linked to convicted felon and Durham-based party promoter Haydn "Fats" Thomas, who has ties to athletes at several North Carolina schools because they attend his parties. Hairston led UNC in scoring last year with 14.6 points a game and made 89 three-pointers, the second-most in North Carolina single-season history.
"I am extremely disappointed for P.J., his family and our team as he will no longer be playing basketball at North Carolina," head coach Roy Williams said in a statement. "P.J. made mistakes and I was very disappointed by his actions and now he is suffering the very difficult consequences. He is not a bad kid; he just made some mistakes."
In a news conference Friday, Williams said that it was "probably the most difficult and saddest thing I've ever gone through as a head coach."
The Hairston family released a statement through New York-based spokeswoman Crystal Howard that said the family is "displeased" at UNC's decision not to submit a request for Hairston's reinstatement.
"This process has been long, and for (it) to end without having a final decision from the governing body is a shame," the statement read. "Despite our disappointment, we wish the team continued success. PJ will be making an announcement about his future plans within the next few weeks."
Jonathan Givony, the editor of Draft Express, told USA TODAY Sports that Hairston likely would have been selected anywhere between 15th and 25th in the 2013 NBA draft. Though it remains premature to project the 2014 draft, Givony said Hairston's projection depends on what he does the next six months competition-wise as well as the details of the NCAA investigation that may speak to Hairston's character and judgment.
"It depends on what he does the rest of the year," Givony, who is in Spain, said by phone Friday afternoon. "What if he goes to Europe? The NCAA is not the only place in the world a guy his age can play. He has options. If he wants to play in Europe, I am sure someone will look at him ... especially if you help him become a first-round pick."
North Carolina's announcement comes two days after the NCAA on Wednesday cleared senior guard Leslie McDonald to play following a nine-game suspension for accepting benefits from "numerous individuals" during the spring and summer of 2013. McDonald must repay $1,833.36 to a charity of his choice for accepting benefits that included use of luxury cars, the payment of parking tickets, a cell phone and lodging.
Playing without Hairston, the 18th-ranked Tar Heels (7-3) have been enigmatic. They have beaten the top three teams in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches' Poll — Kentucky, Louisville and Michigan State — while also losing to three unranked teams — Belmont, UAB and Texas, which beat North Carolina at home Wednesday when McDonald made his season debut.
For more than six months, the investigation of Hairston, whom Roy Williams initially suspended from July until September, has created unflattering headlines and prompted UNC fans to make "Free PJ" T-shirts, posters and even billboards. The perception throughout the summer was that Hairston would be reinstated at some point during the year, especially after Cunningham told a group of university faculty members during a question-and-answer session Aug. 15 that Hairston would play this season "but not all the games."
For Hairston, it was an offseason laden with off-court transgressions. Hairston, 20, was cited for speeding in May and then for possession of marijuana and driving without a license following a traffic stop in June. On both occasions he was driving rental cars linked to convicted felon Haydn "Fats" Thomas.
Hairston was stopped at a checkpoint on June 5 in Durham while driving a 2013 GMC Yukon that was rented by Thomas. The charges were dismissed in July after Hairston complied with the conditions of the court, which included completing a drug assessment and providing his current driver's license. Thomas, a Durham-based party promoter who has ties to athletes at several North Carolina schools because they attend his parties, said that he loaned the Yukon to Miykael Faulcon, a friend of Hairston and a passenger in the cars when Hairston was cited in May and June, on only one occasion because Faulcon did "odd jobs" at Thomas' home and wanted to drive to the store. Thomas, who says he has not interviewed with the NCAA, maintains he had no relationship with Hairston.
When Hairston was cited for speeding in May, he was driving a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS, which at the time was rented by a woman, Catinia Farrington, who shares Thomas' address.
Farrington rented the Camaro from April 25 through June 17, a period of 54 days, according to the rental receipt. She was billed $3,249.00. Thomas rented the same vehicle March 25 through April 15, incurring charges of $2,468.47, according to the rental receipt from the Hertz facility at the Raleigh Durham International Airport.
In addition, Trudy Faulcon, the mother of Miykael Faulcon, told USA TODAY Sports that she sat for a two-hour interview with two NCAA officials at an Atlanta hotel on Sept. 21, during which she sai
Following a high-profile investigation that lasted more than six months, North Carolina issued a statement that did not specify any rule violations committed by Hairston, who had already sat the first 10 games of North Carolina's season.
"Unfortunately P.J. made a number of mistakes that placed his eligibility at risk and the university's joint review with the NCAA made it clear that seeking reinstatement for P.J. would not be possible," North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said in a statement. "The university thanks him for his contributions to Carolina Basketball." The investigation had centered on Hairston's use of rental cars linked to convicted felon and Durham-based party promoter Haydn "Fats" Thomas, who has ties to athletes at several North Carolina schools because they attend his parties. Hairston led UNC in scoring last year with 14.6 points a game and made 89 three-pointers, the second-most in North Carolina single-season history.
"I am extremely disappointed for P.J., his family and our team as he will no longer be playing basketball at North Carolina," head coach Roy Williams said in a statement. "P.J. made mistakes and I was very disappointed by his actions and now he is suffering the very difficult consequences. He is not a bad kid; he just made some mistakes."
In a news conference Friday, Williams said that it was "probably the most difficult and saddest thing I've ever gone through as a head coach."
The Hairston family released a statement through New York-based spokeswoman Crystal Howard that said the family is "displeased" at UNC's decision not to submit a request for Hairston's reinstatement.
"This process has been long, and for (it) to end without having a final decision from the governing body is a shame," the statement read. "Despite our disappointment, we wish the team continued success. PJ will be making an announcement about his future plans within the next few weeks."
Jonathan Givony, the editor of Draft Express, told USA TODAY Sports that Hairston likely would have been selected anywhere between 15th and 25th in the 2013 NBA draft. Though it remains premature to project the 2014 draft, Givony said Hairston's projection depends on what he does the next six months competition-wise as well as the details of the NCAA investigation that may speak to Hairston's character and judgment.
"It depends on what he does the rest of the year," Givony, who is in Spain, said by phone Friday afternoon. "What if he goes to Europe? The NCAA is not the only place in the world a guy his age can play. He has options. If he wants to play in Europe, I am sure someone will look at him ... especially if you help him become a first-round pick."
North Carolina's announcement comes two days after the NCAA on Wednesday cleared senior guard Leslie McDonald to play following a nine-game suspension for accepting benefits from "numerous individuals" during the spring and summer of 2013. McDonald must repay $1,833.36 to a charity of his choice for accepting benefits that included use of luxury cars, the payment of parking tickets, a cell phone and lodging.
Playing without Hairston, the 18th-ranked Tar Heels (7-3) have been enigmatic. They have beaten the top three teams in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches' Poll — Kentucky, Louisville and Michigan State — while also losing to three unranked teams — Belmont, UAB and Texas, which beat North Carolina at home Wednesday when McDonald made his season debut.
For more than six months, the investigation of Hairston, whom Roy Williams initially suspended from July until September, has created unflattering headlines and prompted UNC fans to make "Free PJ" T-shirts, posters and even billboards. The perception throughout the summer was that Hairston would be reinstated at some point during the year, especially after Cunningham told a group of university faculty members during a question-and-answer session Aug. 15 that Hairston would play this season "but not all the games."
For Hairston, it was an offseason laden with off-court transgressions. Hairston, 20, was cited for speeding in May and then for possession of marijuana and driving without a license following a traffic stop in June. On both occasions he was driving rental cars linked to convicted felon Haydn "Fats" Thomas.
Hairston was stopped at a checkpoint on June 5 in Durham while driving a 2013 GMC Yukon that was rented by Thomas. The charges were dismissed in July after Hairston complied with the conditions of the court, which included completing a drug assessment and providing his current driver's license. Thomas, a Durham-based party promoter who has ties to athletes at several North Carolina schools because they attend his parties, said that he loaned the Yukon to Miykael Faulcon, a friend of Hairston and a passenger in the cars when Hairston was cited in May and June, on only one occasion because Faulcon did "odd jobs" at Thomas' home and wanted to drive to the store. Thomas, who says he has not interviewed with the NCAA, maintains he had no relationship with Hairston.
When Hairston was cited for speeding in May, he was driving a 2012 Chevrolet Camaro SS, which at the time was rented by a woman, Catinia Farrington, who shares Thomas' address.
Farrington rented the Camaro from April 25 through June 17, a period of 54 days, according to the rental receipt. She was billed $3,249.00. Thomas rented the same vehicle March 25 through April 15, incurring charges of $2,468.47, according to the rental receipt from the Hertz facility at the Raleigh Durham International Airport.
In addition, Trudy Faulcon, the mother of Miykael Faulcon, told USA TODAY Sports that she sat for a two-hour interview with two NCAA officials at an Atlanta hotel on Sept. 21, during which she sai
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The answer was simple and came without hesitation.
When Wichita State point guard Fred VanVleet was asked what makes North Carolina Central's Jeremy Ingram so difficult to guard, VanVleet needed only two words.
"The rules," he responded. Ingram lit up No. 9 Wichita State for a career-high 37 points on Sunday night, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Shockers' 77-66 victory.
Wichita State (12-0) extended the best start in school history behind four double-digit scorers, led by Darius Carter's season-high 19. Cleanthony Early had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Ron Baker scored 15 points, and VanVleet added 14 points and eight assists.
North Carolina Central (7-3) was outrebounded 37-22, including a 15-3 disparity on the offensive glass. Ingram was 12 of 21 from the floor and 7 of 13 from the 3-point line. He scored 27 points in the second half. When you can shoot from as deep as he can," VanVleet said, "and just put your head down to get a whistle this season, it's tough to defend."
While Eagles coach LaVelle Moton was impressed with Ingram's performance, he grimaced while looking over the stat sheet,
"We've got to have better balance," Moton said. "You can't beat the No. (11) team in the country with one guy scoring double figures. If you look at their box score, with four guys doing it, that's the paradigm for how it's supposed to be done."
The game started to shift with seven minutes remaining in the first half. After Ingram hit a 3-pointer to make it 21-19 Shockers with 7:06 remaining, North Carolina Central did not score for five minutes.
"They went to a zone," Moton said, "and we looked like we've never seen a zone before in our lives."
Carter scored six points in the ensuing 15-0 run, and Wichita State led 40-24 at half.
The Eagles could have folded after enduring so many travel problems over the weekend. Stranded in Atlanta on Saturday night, they were forced to practice in a hotel parking lot. The team then arrived in Wichita in three shifts on Sunday. Nine bags were still missing, the assistant coaches had to wear warm-ups and some players didn't have their shoes.
But that thought went away 14 seconds into the second half when Ingram converted a four-point play.
"It took a chunk out of our lead," VanVleet said, "and they had momentum."
It wasn't just that Ingram, who entered the game averaging 23.2 points, was heating up, it's that he was doing it against Tekele Cotton, the Shockers' top defender.
When Ingram hit a 3-pointer with 16:59 remaining to get the Eagles within 44-36, he already had 10 points in the half, 20 in the game, and had cut Wichita State's 16-point halftime lead in half.
"We were not doing the things we wanted to do defensively," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said.
The Eagles did not score again for four minutes but stayed within striking distance.
Ingram scored five straight points, and the Shockers led 54-46 with 8:21 remaining.
It was still an eight-point game when Early hit a transition 3-pointer and Baker followed with a steal that led to VanVleet's layup that made it 66-53 Wichita State with 4:57 to play.
But Ingram continued to make it interesting. His deep 3 with 3:10 remaining pulled North Carolina Central within 68-60.
The Eagles had it down to 70-63 when Wichita State patiently worked the shot clock and found Baker in the corner. He swished a 3-pointer for a 73-63 lead with 1:40 remaining.
"I challenged our guys to respond at halftime, and I thought we responded," Moton said. "But to their credit, they hit huge shots. Huge shots."
When the Shockers forced a steal on the other end, leading to Early's dunk, Wichita State could finally relax.
"There's a lot of pressure as a team being undefeated this late into the season," Baker said.
Marshall credited his team's rebounding with keeping the North Carolina Central at bay.
Wichita State holds off N.C. Central, stays unbeaten
When Wichita State point guard Fred VanVleet was asked what makes North Carolina Central's Jeremy Ingram so difficult to guard, VanVleet needed only two words.
"The rules," he responded. Ingram lit up No. 9 Wichita State for a career-high 37 points on Sunday night, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Shockers' 77-66 victory.
Wichita State (12-0) extended the best start in school history behind four double-digit scorers, led by Darius Carter's season-high 19. Cleanthony Early had 16 points and 10 rebounds, Ron Baker scored 15 points, and VanVleet added 14 points and eight assists.
North Carolina Central (7-3) was outrebounded 37-22, including a 15-3 disparity on the offensive glass. Ingram was 12 of 21 from the floor and 7 of 13 from the 3-point line. He scored 27 points in the second half. When you can shoot from as deep as he can," VanVleet said, "and just put your head down to get a whistle this season, it's tough to defend."
While Eagles coach LaVelle Moton was impressed with Ingram's performance, he grimaced while looking over the stat sheet,
"We've got to have better balance," Moton said. "You can't beat the No. (11) team in the country with one guy scoring double figures. If you look at their box score, with four guys doing it, that's the paradigm for how it's supposed to be done."
The game started to shift with seven minutes remaining in the first half. After Ingram hit a 3-pointer to make it 21-19 Shockers with 7:06 remaining, North Carolina Central did not score for five minutes.
"They went to a zone," Moton said, "and we looked like we've never seen a zone before in our lives."
Carter scored six points in the ensuing 15-0 run, and Wichita State led 40-24 at half.
The Eagles could have folded after enduring so many travel problems over the weekend. Stranded in Atlanta on Saturday night, they were forced to practice in a hotel parking lot. The team then arrived in Wichita in three shifts on Sunday. Nine bags were still missing, the assistant coaches had to wear warm-ups and some players didn't have their shoes.
But that thought went away 14 seconds into the second half when Ingram converted a four-point play.
"It took a chunk out of our lead," VanVleet said, "and they had momentum."
It wasn't just that Ingram, who entered the game averaging 23.2 points, was heating up, it's that he was doing it against Tekele Cotton, the Shockers' top defender.
When Ingram hit a 3-pointer with 16:59 remaining to get the Eagles within 44-36, he already had 10 points in the half, 20 in the game, and had cut Wichita State's 16-point halftime lead in half.
"We were not doing the things we wanted to do defensively," Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall said.
The Eagles did not score again for four minutes but stayed within striking distance.
Ingram scored five straight points, and the Shockers led 54-46 with 8:21 remaining.
It was still an eight-point game when Early hit a transition 3-pointer and Baker followed with a steal that led to VanVleet's layup that made it 66-53 Wichita State with 4:57 to play.
But Ingram continued to make it interesting. His deep 3 with 3:10 remaining pulled North Carolina Central within 68-60.
The Eagles had it down to 70-63 when Wichita State patiently worked the shot clock and found Baker in the corner. He swished a 3-pointer for a 73-63 lead with 1:40 remaining.
"I challenged our guys to respond at halftime, and I thought we responded," Moton said. "But to their credit, they hit huge shots. Huge shots."
When the Shockers forced a steal on the other end, leading to Early's dunk, Wichita State could finally relax.
"There's a lot of pressure as a team being undefeated this late into the season," Baker said.
Marshall credited his team's rebounding with keeping the North Carolina Central at bay.
Wichita State holds off N.C. Central, stays unbeaten
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Our long national nightmare is over. The tie for second is broken.
Well, OK, probably nobody lost any sleep over it — and it was only a week. But the new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll no longer has two No. 2 teams. Our long national nightmare is over. The tie for second is broken.
Arizona retained the top spot and its 30 No. 1 votes out of 32. Syracuse and Ohio State continued to receive one first each, but the Orange now hold a lead of nine overall poll points to claim the No. 2 spot alone. The Buckeyes, perhaps due to their close call against Notre Dame, are in third alone this week.
The top 10 remained otherwise largely unchanged, except for No. 8 Wichita State and No. 9 Duke swapping positions and Oregon climbing a slot to finally join the top 10.
Stock up: Baylor. With not much room for upward mobility, a three-spot gain qualifies as major movement this week. Several teams managed such a gain, with the Bears the highest ranked of that group checking in at No. 12
Stock down: Gonzaga. The Bulldogs took the biggest drop of the week, taking a six-position hit to No. 21.
Stock up: Florida. The Gators were another in the up-three club after their entertaining win against Memphis in New York City. The Gators and Tigers ended up trading places, with Florida now at No. 14.
Stock down: Connecticut. After falling from the ranks of the unbeaten, the Huskies also lost their perch in the top 10, sliding five notches to No. 15. Stock up: Kansas. The Jayhawks are back on the upswing with a three-spot climb to No.16. Others sharing plus-three honors are No. 18 Kentucky and No. 20 San Diego State.
Stock down: Memphis. It wasn't a bad loss by any means, but the Tigers still took a three-place dip to No. 17.
New kid on the block: No. 23 Iowa.
College dropout: UCLA.
Top 25 stock watch: Oregon finally cracks into the top 10
Well, OK, probably nobody lost any sleep over it — and it was only a week. But the new USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll no longer has two No. 2 teams. Our long national nightmare is over. The tie for second is broken.
Arizona retained the top spot and its 30 No. 1 votes out of 32. Syracuse and Ohio State continued to receive one first each, but the Orange now hold a lead of nine overall poll points to claim the No. 2 spot alone. The Buckeyes, perhaps due to their close call against Notre Dame, are in third alone this week.
The top 10 remained otherwise largely unchanged, except for No. 8 Wichita State and No. 9 Duke swapping positions and Oregon climbing a slot to finally join the top 10.
Stock up: Baylor. With not much room for upward mobility, a three-spot gain qualifies as major movement this week. Several teams managed such a gain, with the Bears the highest ranked of that group checking in at No. 12
Stock down: Gonzaga. The Bulldogs took the biggest drop of the week, taking a six-position hit to No. 21.
Stock up: Florida. The Gators were another in the up-three club after their entertaining win against Memphis in New York City. The Gators and Tigers ended up trading places, with Florida now at No. 14.
Stock down: Connecticut. After falling from the ranks of the unbeaten, the Huskies also lost their perch in the top 10, sliding five notches to No. 15. Stock up: Kansas. The Jayhawks are back on the upswing with a three-spot climb to No.16. Others sharing plus-three honors are No. 18 Kentucky and No. 20 San Diego State.
Stock down: Memphis. It wasn't a bad loss by any means, but the Tigers still took a three-place dip to No. 17.
New kid on the block: No. 23 Iowa.
College dropout: UCLA.
Top 25 stock watch: Oregon finally cracks into the top 10
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Duane Notice scored 15 points as South Carolina defeated Akron 69-59 in the third-place game of the Diamond Head Classic on Wednesday.
Sindarius Thornwell, Brenton Williams scored 12 points apiece and Michael Carrera, Tyrone Johnson each added 10 points off the bench for South Carolina (4-6). It was a season high for the freshman Notice.
Demetrius Treadwell scored 12 points and Quincy Diggs had 10 for Akron (6-4). The Zips held a 31-25 lead at the break, but were outscored 12-5 in the first 5 minutes after halftime.
The Gamecocks took over midway through the second half. Notice's basket started a 14-3 run as South Carolina rallied to take a 53-45 lead with 7:20 remaining.
A 3-pointer by Jake Kretzer and a three-point play by Treadwell helped Akron close to 59-56 with 4 minutes remaining. But Notice scored on the next play and then his steal and layup put the Gamecocks ahead 63-56 with 3:19 left. South Carolina then stole the ball on consecutive Akron possessions to seal the win.
Notice, who entered the tournament averaging just four points per game, had three-straight double-digit scoring performances in the tournament. He scored 11 in Sunday's win over Saint Mary's and had 13 in Monday's loss to Boise State. Both were his season highs at the time.
Notice was 7 of 12 from the field as the Gamecocks shot 41.7 percent for the game and made 81 percent of their 21 free throw attempts. South Carolina held the Zips to 22-of-58 shooting, including 5 of 17 from 3-point range.
The teams will face each other again on Saturday in South Carolina.
Y! SPORTS
Sindarius Thornwell, Brenton Williams scored 12 points apiece and Michael Carrera, Tyrone Johnson each added 10 points off the bench for South Carolina (4-6). It was a season high for the freshman Notice.
Demetrius Treadwell scored 12 points and Quincy Diggs had 10 for Akron (6-4). The Zips held a 31-25 lead at the break, but were outscored 12-5 in the first 5 minutes after halftime.
The Gamecocks took over midway through the second half. Notice's basket started a 14-3 run as South Carolina rallied to take a 53-45 lead with 7:20 remaining.
A 3-pointer by Jake Kretzer and a three-point play by Treadwell helped Akron close to 59-56 with 4 minutes remaining. But Notice scored on the next play and then his steal and layup put the Gamecocks ahead 63-56 with 3:19 left. South Carolina then stole the ball on consecutive Akron possessions to seal the win.
Notice, who entered the tournament averaging just four points per game, had three-straight double-digit scoring performances in the tournament. He scored 11 in Sunday's win over Saint Mary's and had 13 in Monday's loss to Boise State. Both were his season highs at the time.
Notice was 7 of 12 from the field as the Gamecocks shot 41.7 percent for the game and made 81 percent of their 21 free throw attempts. South Carolina held the Zips to 22-of-58 shooting, including 5 of 17 from 3-point range.
The teams will face each other again on Saturday in South Carolina.
Y! SPORTS
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Once a week, USA TODAY Sports asks its network of college basketball experts to analyze the biggest topics around the country.
This week, with the curtains closing on non-conference action, the panel debates which team is off to the most disappointing start in 2013-14 based on preseason expectations and returning talent.
Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports: I think Notre Dame was a team many thought would be among the best teams in the ACC (in its first season in the league). Picked to finish fifth in the league's preseason media poll, the Irish seemed to have the talent to perhaps finish as high as third. But as conference season approaches, Notre Dame is miles away from those lofty expectations. (The team was also ranked No. 22 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.) The Irish have four losses already — including to Indiana State and North Dakota State, both at home. Last Saturday, they blew an eight-point lead with 50 seconds left against No. 2 Ohio State in what would have been their first marquee win.
The future doesn't look bright, either. On Sunday, the Irish announced that leading scorer Jerian Grant (19 ppg) would be gone for the rest of the season due to academics. That's a huge blow for a team already struggling more than expected this year. Can Notre Dame turn it around in ACC play?
Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports: There are plenty of teams that are worthy of falling in the underachiever category, including Notre Dame, Marquette and Boston College. But one team, in particular, I'm surprised by the shaky start is Maryland. Mark Turgeon's group didn't have nearly the preseason hype as those other teams, but at 7-5 with two games left before ACC action starts, the Terrapins are nowhere near where they could be. Much of their losses have been due to the loss Seth Allen. Without a starting point guard, turnovers and an inability to control the tempo have plagued the Terps. A daunting home loss to Boston University is a résumé-stainer, undoubtedly. Can this group get it together and turn things on in conference play? Sure, but wins will be hard to come by with Syracuse and Notre Dame added to a slate that's included North Carolina and Duke. Unlike a team like Marquette that could drastically improve its NCAA tourney credentials, it's a much higher wall to climb for Maryland.
David Aldridge, Duke Report: No team in America has been more disappointing this season than Boston College. The Eagles showed promising signs as a young team last year and appeared ready to take the next step under head coach Steve Donahue, but they're moving in the wrong direction. While it looked like this would be a dangerous group built around Olivier Hanlan and Ryan Anderson, two All-ACC caliber players, there's been virtually no supporting cast around them. Boston College is 4-8 and has lost four of its last five games. The team's only wins this season have come against FAU, Washington, Sacred Heart and Philadelphia University — not exactly Murderer's Row. With upcoming games against VCU and Harvard, it will likely get worse before it gets any better for this underachieving squad.
Randy McClure, rushthecourt-net: I suspect several respondents will say that preseason No. 1 Kentucky has been the most disappointing team in college basketball thus far, but that's only if they actually bought into the notion of a group of mostly untested but talented freshmen stepping onto campus and congealing into a championship-level contender immediately. Since I didn't expect that at all, none of the Wildcats three losses have surprised me, and I see considerable room for improvement for the Wildcats over the next three months. The most disappointing team to me has instead been USA TODAY Sports' preseason No. 17 Marquette. With Buzz Williams' annually-proven success in crafting his pieces together in an effective way, it's too early to give up on his Golden Eagles now. But at this point, with seven wins against the dregs of Division I (save George Washington) and five losses against every other decent team it has played (Ohio State, Arizona State, San Diego State, Wisconsin and New Mexico), I'm starting to have some concerns. The primary issue is that Williams hasn't found a lineup that can shoot consecutive — while Marquette's defense is solid and seemingly improving, the Golden Eagles are among the bottom 100 D-I teams in three-point field goal percentage (30.9%) and free throw percentage (65.9%), and they're not making up for it inside the arc, either (a pedestrian 50.5%). Put quite simply, the starting backcourt of Jamil Wilson and Jake Thomas needs to be a lot better if Marquette has designs on competing with Villanova, Georgetown, Creighton and the others for a spot in the top half of the Big East standings.
Paul Gotham, Pickin Splinters-com:Boston College's Eagles have risen to the top of the most disappointing list. Maybe they were too aggressive in their scheduling. But when you return your three leading scorers from a team which won four straight late in the ACC conference schedule, 4-8 is a tough way to get out of the gate. Oliver Hanlon, Ryan Anderson and Joe Rahon have all improved their numbers, yet the Eagles have already lost three games at home. Top that off with a 77-67 loss to perennial SEC bottom feeder Auburn, and you have disappointment. Not to mention an upset stomach. BC gives up more than 78 points per game. The national average is under 71. It looks nice putting UConn, Washington, USC and Purdue on the schedule. Winning one or two or those contests should be possible especially when Purdue's only quality win is over a five-loss West Virginia club.
College Basketball Caucus: Debating the most disappointing team
This week, with the curtains closing on non-conference action, the panel debates which team is off to the most disappointing start in 2013-14 based on preseason expectations and returning talent.
Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports: I think Notre Dame was a team many thought would be among the best teams in the ACC (in its first season in the league). Picked to finish fifth in the league's preseason media poll, the Irish seemed to have the talent to perhaps finish as high as third. But as conference season approaches, Notre Dame is miles away from those lofty expectations. (The team was also ranked No. 22 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.) The Irish have four losses already — including to Indiana State and North Dakota State, both at home. Last Saturday, they blew an eight-point lead with 50 seconds left against No. 2 Ohio State in what would have been their first marquee win.
The future doesn't look bright, either. On Sunday, the Irish announced that leading scorer Jerian Grant (19 ppg) would be gone for the rest of the season due to academics. That's a huge blow for a team already struggling more than expected this year. Can Notre Dame turn it around in ACC play?
Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports: There are plenty of teams that are worthy of falling in the underachiever category, including Notre Dame, Marquette and Boston College. But one team, in particular, I'm surprised by the shaky start is Maryland. Mark Turgeon's group didn't have nearly the preseason hype as those other teams, but at 7-5 with two games left before ACC action starts, the Terrapins are nowhere near where they could be. Much of their losses have been due to the loss Seth Allen. Without a starting point guard, turnovers and an inability to control the tempo have plagued the Terps. A daunting home loss to Boston University is a résumé-stainer, undoubtedly. Can this group get it together and turn things on in conference play? Sure, but wins will be hard to come by with Syracuse and Notre Dame added to a slate that's included North Carolina and Duke. Unlike a team like Marquette that could drastically improve its NCAA tourney credentials, it's a much higher wall to climb for Maryland.
David Aldridge, Duke Report: No team in America has been more disappointing this season than Boston College. The Eagles showed promising signs as a young team last year and appeared ready to take the next step under head coach Steve Donahue, but they're moving in the wrong direction. While it looked like this would be a dangerous group built around Olivier Hanlan and Ryan Anderson, two All-ACC caliber players, there's been virtually no supporting cast around them. Boston College is 4-8 and has lost four of its last five games. The team's only wins this season have come against FAU, Washington, Sacred Heart and Philadelphia University — not exactly Murderer's Row. With upcoming games against VCU and Harvard, it will likely get worse before it gets any better for this underachieving squad.
Randy McClure, rushthecourt-net: I suspect several respondents will say that preseason No. 1 Kentucky has been the most disappointing team in college basketball thus far, but that's only if they actually bought into the notion of a group of mostly untested but talented freshmen stepping onto campus and congealing into a championship-level contender immediately. Since I didn't expect that at all, none of the Wildcats three losses have surprised me, and I see considerable room for improvement for the Wildcats over the next three months. The most disappointing team to me has instead been USA TODAY Sports' preseason No. 17 Marquette. With Buzz Williams' annually-proven success in crafting his pieces together in an effective way, it's too early to give up on his Golden Eagles now. But at this point, with seven wins against the dregs of Division I (save George Washington) and five losses against every other decent team it has played (Ohio State, Arizona State, San Diego State, Wisconsin and New Mexico), I'm starting to have some concerns. The primary issue is that Williams hasn't found a lineup that can shoot consecutive — while Marquette's defense is solid and seemingly improving, the Golden Eagles are among the bottom 100 D-I teams in three-point field goal percentage (30.9%) and free throw percentage (65.9%), and they're not making up for it inside the arc, either (a pedestrian 50.5%). Put quite simply, the starting backcourt of Jamil Wilson and Jake Thomas needs to be a lot better if Marquette has designs on competing with Villanova, Georgetown, Creighton and the others for a spot in the top half of the Big East standings.
Paul Gotham, Pickin Splinters-com:Boston College's Eagles have risen to the top of the most disappointing list. Maybe they were too aggressive in their scheduling. But when you return your three leading scorers from a team which won four straight late in the ACC conference schedule, 4-8 is a tough way to get out of the gate. Oliver Hanlon, Ryan Anderson and Joe Rahon have all improved their numbers, yet the Eagles have already lost three games at home. Top that off with a 77-67 loss to perennial SEC bottom feeder Auburn, and you have disappointment. Not to mention an upset stomach. BC gives up more than 78 points per game. The national average is under 71. It looks nice putting UConn, Washington, USC and Purdue on the schedule. Winning one or two or those contests should be possible especially when Purdue's only quality win is over a five-loss West Virginia club.
College Basketball Caucus: Debating the most disappointing team
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Second-ranked Syracuse University used a 20-0 run in the first half to dig itself out of an 18-point hole and held on to beat No. 8 Villanova, 78-62, in a matchup of unbeaten former Big East rivals at the Carrier Dome on Saturday.
The Orange (12-0) trailed 25-7 after nine minutes as the Wildcats (11-1) came out sizzling from 3-point range, making their first four. But as their shots started to miss against Syracuse's more active 2-3 zone, the Orange offense came alive.
Villanova dropped to 13-16 against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, the best mark of any team that's played 10 games under the Orange's Teflon roof, and 4-5 since Jay Wright took over as coach of the Wildcats in 2001.
James Bell hit a career-high six 3-pointers and matched his career high with 25 points to lead Villanova before fouling out with 1:42 left.
It scored the next 20 points, part of a 26-3 surge that gave it momentum and a 38-34 lead at halftime. It also got a crowd of 28,135 – the largest in college basketball this season – into the game. A 9-0 spurt early in the second half gave SU a 47-37 cushion. It maintained a comfortable lead until Villanova, which is still in the Big East while SU is playing in its first season in the ACC, cut its deficit to 56-53 with 7:02 remaining.
Shooting guard Trevor Cooney drilled a 3-pointer and C.J. Fair made a pair of free throws to restore some breathing room, 59-53, and the Orange held on for their 50th straight non-conference home victory. It was the first time the teams met in a non-Big East game since 1980.
"Whatever league we're in or not in it's going to be intense," said SU coach Jim Boeheim, whose team plays its last non-conference game on Wednesday at home against Eastern Michigan before starting the ACC schedule against Miami on Jan. 4. "We stepped up big-time today. This was really the first adverse, adverse situation where we were really down a lot but nothing fazed them."
Cooney made 5 of 8 shots from 3-point range and finished with a game-high 21 points. Freshman point guard Tyler Ennis added 20 points and was 8-for-11 at the line, as the Orange made 11 of 14 free throws over the final 3:41 to hold off the Villanova, which got 25 points from senior swingman James Bell (6-for-12 on 3-pointers).
Fair had 17 points and sophomore forward Jerami Grant added 11, as SU outscored the Wildcats 27-10 in the paint.
No. 2 Syracuse handles No. 11 Villanova in battle of unbeatens
The Orange (12-0) trailed 25-7 after nine minutes as the Wildcats (11-1) came out sizzling from 3-point range, making their first four. But as their shots started to miss against Syracuse's more active 2-3 zone, the Orange offense came alive.
Villanova dropped to 13-16 against Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, the best mark of any team that's played 10 games under the Orange's Teflon roof, and 4-5 since Jay Wright took over as coach of the Wildcats in 2001.
James Bell hit a career-high six 3-pointers and matched his career high with 25 points to lead Villanova before fouling out with 1:42 left.
It scored the next 20 points, part of a 26-3 surge that gave it momentum and a 38-34 lead at halftime. It also got a crowd of 28,135 – the largest in college basketball this season – into the game. A 9-0 spurt early in the second half gave SU a 47-37 cushion. It maintained a comfortable lead until Villanova, which is still in the Big East while SU is playing in its first season in the ACC, cut its deficit to 56-53 with 7:02 remaining.
Shooting guard Trevor Cooney drilled a 3-pointer and C.J. Fair made a pair of free throws to restore some breathing room, 59-53, and the Orange held on for their 50th straight non-conference home victory. It was the first time the teams met in a non-Big East game since 1980.
"Whatever league we're in or not in it's going to be intense," said SU coach Jim Boeheim, whose team plays its last non-conference game on Wednesday at home against Eastern Michigan before starting the ACC schedule against Miami on Jan. 4. "We stepped up big-time today. This was really the first adverse, adverse situation where we were really down a lot but nothing fazed them."
Cooney made 5 of 8 shots from 3-point range and finished with a game-high 21 points. Freshman point guard Tyler Ennis added 20 points and was 8-for-11 at the line, as the Orange made 11 of 14 free throws over the final 3:41 to hold off the Villanova, which got 25 points from senior swingman James Bell (6-for-12 on 3-pointers).
Fair had 17 points and sophomore forward Jerami Grant added 11, as SU outscored the Wildcats 27-10 in the paint.
No. 2 Syracuse handles No. 11 Villanova in battle of unbeatens
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Philadelphia, PA--- Boston University started the season very strong at 6-2 but since have dropped 4 of their last 5 games including a loss on Saturday evening to St. Joseph's 73-67. Tough loss for BU as they just went into Maryland and knocked off the ACC contenders.
BU trailed the Hawks by 9 with 1:25 left in the second. Maruice Watson scored 11 points in the final 85 seconds of regulation to try and pry the Terriers back into the game but St. Joseph's hit 8/10 free throws to seal the win.
Both teams both are without a true center but managed to grab 33 rebounds each.
For Boston University(7-6), sophomore guard, Maurice Watson Jr. had 21 points and dished out 7 dimes. Senior, Dom Morris, had 11 points and 7 boards to lead the Terriers. Senior guard, D.J. Irving struggled from the field only shooting 2/7 for 5 points.
For St. Joseph's(7-4), they really got a balanced effort from all their starters. Senior forward, Ronald Roberts III, scored 19 points and snatched 9 rebounds. The junior guard Chris Wilson, whom only averages 8.6 PPG scored 18 while Langston Galloway scored 16 with 4 assists. SJU only got 2 points from their bench coming on Pada Ndao's free throws.
Down 54-47 with 8:46 left in regulation, SJU went on an 18-2 run over the next six minutes to pull away. The Hawks shot 17-of-21 (.810) at the free throw line.
Boston University will play cross stare rivals, Holy Cross, on Jan. 2nd at 7:00 PM ET to begin Patriot League Play. The game will be a special one for BU as it marks their first game as a Patriot League member since leaving the America East Conference.
NCAAB: Boston University gets downed late by Saint Joseph's
BU trailed the Hawks by 9 with 1:25 left in the second. Maruice Watson scored 11 points in the final 85 seconds of regulation to try and pry the Terriers back into the game but St. Joseph's hit 8/10 free throws to seal the win.
Both teams both are without a true center but managed to grab 33 rebounds each.
For Boston University(7-6), sophomore guard, Maurice Watson Jr. had 21 points and dished out 7 dimes. Senior, Dom Morris, had 11 points and 7 boards to lead the Terriers. Senior guard, D.J. Irving struggled from the field only shooting 2/7 for 5 points.
For St. Joseph's(7-4), they really got a balanced effort from all their starters. Senior forward, Ronald Roberts III, scored 19 points and snatched 9 rebounds. The junior guard Chris Wilson, whom only averages 8.6 PPG scored 18 while Langston Galloway scored 16 with 4 assists. SJU only got 2 points from their bench coming on Pada Ndao's free throws.
Down 54-47 with 8:46 left in regulation, SJU went on an 18-2 run over the next six minutes to pull away. The Hawks shot 17-of-21 (.810) at the free throw line.
Boston University will play cross stare rivals, Holy Cross, on Jan. 2nd at 7:00 PM ET to begin Patriot League Play. The game will be a special one for BU as it marks their first game as a Patriot League member since leaving the America East Conference.
NCAAB: Boston University gets downed late by Saint Joseph's
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Joseph Young scored 24 points and No. 10 Oregon continued its best start in eight seasons with a 97-76 victory against Morgan State on Sunday.
Richard Amardi had a season-high 16 points in his first start of the season, and Damyean Dotson scored 15 points for the Ducks (12-0), who are off to their best start since going 13-0 in 2006-07. Justin Black scored 22 points for the Bears (3-9), and Anthony Hubbard added 15.
It had been eight days since Oregon defeated BYU in overtime and the Ducks looked more rested than rusty after the long layoff.
Oregon, the national scoring leader coming in, increased its average to 90.8 points per game and were a 3-pointer from a school-record fifth 100-point game this season.
The Ducks got there with a balanced and efficient scoring attack. Six players scored seven or more points and Oregon shot 54 percent from the field overall, 7 for 15 from 3-point range and 22 for 26 from the free throw line.
Young, who had three 3-pointers, was 9 for 13 from the field and Amardi made all but one of his nine shots.
They Ducks led 54-30 at halftime behind 17 points from Young and 12 from Amardi.
Oregon used a 16-1 run to lead 16-5 4 minutes into the game.
The Ducks put the game out of reach with one last surge in the first half, outscoring the Bears 20-6 over the final 5:30 to turn a 10-point lead into the 24-point halftime advantage.
Morgan State made the first two baskets of the game but went just 6 for 22 the rest of the half. The Bears made just one field goal after a jumper by Black made it 34-24 with 6:40 to play.
The second half opened with layups by Johnathan Loyd and Dotson as the Ducks extended their lead to 58-30. They led by as many as 30 points.
No. 8 Wichita State 81, Davidson 70
WICHITA (AP) — Cleanthony Early had 24 points and 10 rebounds to help No. 8 Wichita State to extend the best start in school history with an 81-70 victory over Davidson on Sunday. Ron Baker had 15 points for Wichita State (13-0) while Darius Carter scored 13 and Tekele Cotton added 10.
Tyler Kalinoski had 17 points for Davidson (4-9), while Tom Droney added 12 and De'Mon Brooks scored 10.
Wichita State was able to salt away the victory at the free throw line. The Shockers were 28 of 41 on free throws while Davidson was just 11 of 16. Three Wildcats fouled out.
Wichita State also had a significant advantage in points off turnovers, converting Davidson's 15 turnovers into 18 points. The Shockers had nine turnovers, which the Wildcats turned into seven points.
Roundup: No. 10 Oregon, No. 8 Wichita State stay unbeaten
Richard Amardi had a season-high 16 points in his first start of the season, and Damyean Dotson scored 15 points for the Ducks (12-0), who are off to their best start since going 13-0 in 2006-07. Justin Black scored 22 points for the Bears (3-9), and Anthony Hubbard added 15.
It had been eight days since Oregon defeated BYU in overtime and the Ducks looked more rested than rusty after the long layoff.
Oregon, the national scoring leader coming in, increased its average to 90.8 points per game and were a 3-pointer from a school-record fifth 100-point game this season.
The Ducks got there with a balanced and efficient scoring attack. Six players scored seven or more points and Oregon shot 54 percent from the field overall, 7 for 15 from 3-point range and 22 for 26 from the free throw line.
Young, who had three 3-pointers, was 9 for 13 from the field and Amardi made all but one of his nine shots.
They Ducks led 54-30 at halftime behind 17 points from Young and 12 from Amardi.
Oregon used a 16-1 run to lead 16-5 4 minutes into the game.
The Ducks put the game out of reach with one last surge in the first half, outscoring the Bears 20-6 over the final 5:30 to turn a 10-point lead into the 24-point halftime advantage.
Morgan State made the first two baskets of the game but went just 6 for 22 the rest of the half. The Bears made just one field goal after a jumper by Black made it 34-24 with 6:40 to play.
The second half opened with layups by Johnathan Loyd and Dotson as the Ducks extended their lead to 58-30. They led by as many as 30 points.
No. 8 Wichita State 81, Davidson 70
WICHITA (AP) — Cleanthony Early had 24 points and 10 rebounds to help No. 8 Wichita State to extend the best start in school history with an 81-70 victory over Davidson on Sunday. Ron Baker had 15 points for Wichita State (13-0) while Darius Carter scored 13 and Tekele Cotton added 10.
Tyler Kalinoski had 17 points for Davidson (4-9), while Tom Droney added 12 and De'Mon Brooks scored 10.
Wichita State was able to salt away the victory at the free throw line. The Shockers were 28 of 41 on free throws while Davidson was just 11 of 16. Three Wildcats fouled out.
Wichita State also had a significant advantage in points off turnovers, converting Davidson's 15 turnovers into 18 points. The Shockers had nine turnovers, which the Wildcats turned into seven points.
Roundup: No. 10 Oregon, No. 8 Wichita State stay unbeaten
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The 6-foot-7 senior forward has shown flashes since making the Big Ten all-freshman team in 2010-11. But consistency has been missing.
"It's been frustrating, because I haven't played up to my ability," Basabe said after recording his 13th career double-double in No. 22 Iowa's 92-59 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. "But I have yet to quit. This is obviously going to be the most important year of my career. Because now I'm on a ranked team, playing against top competition. I still have a whole year to finish off strong and leave a good mark."
Iowa was 11-20 in Basabe's first season, when he established career highs of 25 points against Michigan and 14 rebounds against Iowa State that still stand. Basabe's 12 points and 11 rebounds Monday helped the Hawkeyes improve to 10-1 heading into Friday's game at No. 16 Iowa State.
"It's a team with a lot of weapons, you can see that," Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said of the Cyclones. "They've got athletes, they've got shooters. They can beat you in a lot of ways. It's going to be a great atmosphere, a great environment. And we'll be ready."
A consistent dose of Basabe's energy and effort would come in handy Friday, and the rest of the season.
"He's obviously capable," McCaffery said. "But when he's playing with energy like that, it makes a big difference for our team."
Basabe was one of three Hawkeyes to turn in double-doubles against the Knights, now 3-9 overall. Backup center Gabe Olaseni matched a career high with 14 points and added 10 rebounds. Jarrod Uthoff had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The last time an Iowa team had three players post double-doubles in the same game was against Penn State in a double-overtime victory on March 7, 2009. Cyrus Tate had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Jake Kelly 22 points and 11 assists and Jarryd Cole 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The last time Iowa had three players post double-doubles in points and rebounds was against Cal-Irvine on Dec. 29, 1993. Jess Settles had 21 points and 11 rebounds, Jim Bartels 10 points and 12 rebounds and Russ Millard 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Peter Jok chipped in with 11 points and Zach McCabe 10, meaning four of Iowa's five double-figure scorers came off the bench.
"Not uncommon for our team," said McCaffery, whose Hawkeyes had a 54-32 rebounding edge. "Zach and Jarrod, for sure. They're two of our top four scorers. You can see it coming with Gabe. Every game, he seems to get better."
Basabe's double-double was his first of the season. He did it six times as a freshman and three times as both a sophomore and junior. He also scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time this season. He had 15 points in Saturday's 83-66 victory over Drake in the Big Four Classic.
Basabe said he's had several sit-down talks with McCaffery this season, an attempt by the coach to get the most out of his senior.
"My coaches are confident in me. Everybody is confident in me," Basabe said. "I don't consider this a special performance. I just consider it me doing what I'm supposed to be doing."
Senior guard Devyn Marble, Iowa's leading scorer, is Basabe's closest friend on the team.
"He knows this is his last go-around, and he's playing with a sense of urgency," Marble said. "He's playing with that energy and intensity he was playing with as a freshman. That's what the coaching staff has asked from him, and that's what we need from him. Hopefully, he can continue that."
No. 22 Iowa crushes Fairleigh Dickinson