Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

LATE NIGHT SNACKS: No. 3 Oklahoma survives, No. 18 SMU still undefeated

Cullen Neal, Chase Fischer

New Mexico guard Cullen Neal (1) looks on as BYU guard Chase Fischer (1) dribbles in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Diamond Head Classic, Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Eugene Tanner)

AP

GAME OF THE NIGHT: No. 3 Oklahoma 84, Hawai’i 81

The Diamond Head Classic semifinal between the Sooners and Rainbow Warriors wasn’t on this path at the start, as Lon Kruger’s Sooners scored 25 of the game’s first 34 points. But Hawai’i was able to force some chaos with their defense, as Oklahoma turned the ball over far too frequently and took some rushed shots. The two teams went back and forth in the second half, but the Sooners managed to hang on despite having their 12 turnovers converted into 18 points on the other end.

Buddy Hield scored 27 and grabbed nine rebounds, and Khadeem Lattin added 17 and eight boards. Roderick Bobbitt led Hawai’i with a career-high 32 points, but his half-court shot to force overtime missed the mark.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

BYU 96, New Mexico 66: The Mountain West hasn’t accomplished a whole lot when it comes to quality wins, and Wednesday’s blowout loss by the Lobos represents another missed opportunity. BYU hit a Diamond Head Classic-record 16 three pointers, with Chase Fischer (41 points) responsible for nine of them. Nick Emery added 20 for BYU, which shot 52.5 percent from the field.

Wisconsin 84, Green Bay 79: Wisconsin picked up its first win under interim head coach Greg Gard despite struggling mightily over the final ten minutes with Green Bay’s pressure. Nigel Hayes led the way with 24 points and Ethan Happ added 16 and eight boards for the Badgers, who shot 49.1 percent from the field on the night. But those 26 turnovers show that they’ve got a lot to clean up ahead of the start of Big Ten play.

No. 18 SMU 70, Colorado 66: After Colorado went on a 14-0 run to grab control of the game in the second half Larry Brown’s Mustangs responded, going on a 12-1 run of their own and not relinquishing their lead. Nic Moore led four Mustangs (now 11-0) in double figures with 16 points while also dishing out four assists, and Shake Milton added 14 and five rebounds. Josh Fortune led Colorado with 15 points, and Josh Scott posted his sixth double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 boards.

STARRED

Chase Fischer, BYU: Fischer set Diamond Head Classic records for made three-pointers (nine) and points (41) in the Cougars’ 30-point beating of New Mexico.

Jack Gibbs, Davidson: Gibbs scored 41 points for the second time this season as the Wildcats held off Morehead State, 81-77. However, the turnover count (ten) was a bit high for Gibbs.

Jamel Artis, Pittsburgh: 29 points (10-for-14 FG), eight rebounds and four assists in a win over Western Carolina.

STRUGGLED

Kareem Canty, Auburn: One of the nation’s top scorers had a rough afternoon in Hawaii, as he shot 1-for-15 from the field in a 69-51 loss to Harvard.

Bronson Koenig, Wisconsin: Yes his team did manage to win, holding off Green Bay 84-79. But Koenig turned the ball over eight times against the Phoenix, something that can’t happen in future games.

THE REST OF THE TOP 25


  • No. 16 Louisville won the Billy Minardi Classic with a comfortable 98-68 win over Utah Valley. Anas Mahmoud made his return to the court after missing three games with an ankle injury.
  • Taurean Prince scored 34 points to lead No. 23 Baylor to an 85-70 win over New Mexico State. Pascal Siakam went for 26 and ten for the Aggies, but it wasn’t enough as NMSU committed 22 turnovers on the night.

OTHER NOTABLE OUTCOMES


  • Daniel Hamilton (11 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists) posted the 11th triple-double in program history as UConn rolled to a 99-52 win over Central Connecticut State.
  • Harvard advanced to the title game of the Diamond Head Classic with a 69-51 win over Auburn. Freshman Corey Johnson led five Crimson in double figures with 14 points, and Harvard limited the Tigers to 30.2 percent shooting.
  • Justin Robinson scored 26 points to lead Monmouth to a 78-69 win at Cornell. The 9-3 Hawks have played just one home game to this point in the season.
  • Michigan set a program record with 17 made three-pointers in their 96-60 win over Bryant. Caris LeVert led five Wolverines in double figures with 19 points while also accounting for five rebounds and eight assists.
  • Illinois nearly let an 18-point second half lead slip away, but they committed just seven turnovers and hit most of their free throws late to beat Missouri 68-63 in St. Louis. Malcolm Hill, Kendrick Nunn and Michael Finke combined to score 56 of Illinois’ 68 points.
  • Pittsburgh moved to 10-1 on the season with a 79-73 win over Western Carolina. Jamel Artis led the way with 29 points.
  • When discussing the Horizon League be sure to include Milwaukee with Valparaiso and Oakland as contenders. The Panthers moved to 9-4 on the season with a nine-point win at Minnesota. Jordan Johnson finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and ten assists.
  • Gonzaga moved to 2-0 in WCC play with an 85-62 win over Loyola Marymount. Kyle Wiltjer led the way offensively with 26 points and Domantas Sabonis added 15 and 13 rebounds.
  • USC rolled to a 100-64 with over Lafayette, and point guard Jordan McLaughlin set a school record too. McLaughlin, who scored 14 points, dished out 16 assists for the Trojans.
  • Joining Gonzaga at 2-0 in WCC play was 10-1 Saint Mary’s, as the Gaels won 81-59 at Santa Clara. Evan Fitzner scored 21 for SMC, which also received 14 and ten rebounds from Dane Pineau.
  • Northern Iowa bounced back from its loss to Hawai’i with a 63-59 win over Washington State.