Thursday’s Morning Shootaround: What a night

By Rob DausterJan 13, 2011, 9:40 AM EST

Florida State 66, No. 1 Duke 61: See here and here.

No. 2 Ohio State 68, Michigan 64: The Buckeyes moved to 17-0 on the season and 4-0 in the Big Ten with a win over Michigan, but once again Ohio State struggled to put away an inferior opponent, just like they did against Minnesota at home and at Iowa in the past week. OSU opened up a 53-41 lead in the second half with a 12-0 run, but Michigan scrapped their way back and cut the lead to two on two separate occasions. But four straight free throws from William Buford and Aaron Craft sealed it. Buford had 19 points and nine boards, while Michigan was able to neutralize Sullinger with their 1-3-1 attack, allowing him just 12 points, seven boards, and forcing six turnovers.

No. 3 Kansas 84, Iowa State 79: Marcus Morris had 33 points and 13 rebounds while his brother Markief added 17 points and 11 rebounds as the Morrii were able to pace the Jayhawks as they knocked off a scrappy Iowa State team by only five points despite never trailing in the game. Josh Selby bounced back from an ugly game against Michigan with 14 points on 5-12 shooting.

No. 4 Syracuse 76, St. John’s 59: The Orange are turning into an absolutely dominant defensive team this season. They held the Johnnies to just 36.8% shooting from the floor, while shooting 9-20 from three and putting four players into double figures.

No. 5 Pitt 72, No. 19 Georgetown 57: See here.

No. 6 San Diego State 55, UNLV 49: The Aztecs pulled out a tough, hard-fought Mountain West matchup that saw six technical fouls called and a brawl nearly break out. Kawhi Leonard had 15 points and 17 boards to pace SDSU while Malcolm Thomas also notched a double-double. SDSU improves to 17-0 on the season.

No. 7 Villanova 88, No. 17 Louisville 74: Corey Stokes had 23 points and Mouph Yarou had his best game since he’s been at Villanova, dominating Louisville’s big men with 18 points and 11 boards, as the Wildcats knocked off their second straight top 25 team at home. More impressive is the fact that Nova was able to win despite Louisville getting them to play at their tempo, forcing 18 turnovers, and hitting 12-25 threes. Corey Fisher and Maalik Wayns add 17 and 15, respectively. When all three back court players are hitting and Yarou is playing well in the paint, this Nova team is scary.

No. 12 Missouri 77, Nebraska 69: The Tigers bounced back from a loss at Colorado thanks in large part to Marcus Denmon, who had 27 points and hit five threes. Mizzou was never able to put on a run to put the Cornhuskers away, but the Tigers were able to maintain a two and three possession cushion throughout the second half.

No. 13 Texas A&M 71, Oklahoma State 48: Its a different post for a different day, but Texas A&M and Mark Turgeon are approaching Wisconsin-Bo Ryan and Pitt-Jamie Dixon territory. You just cannot count them out heading into a season. Ever. Nathan Walkup and David Loubeau both had 16 points last night to lead the Aggies.

Vanderbilt 73, Georgia 66: Travis Leslie had 21 points while Trey Thompkins and Gerald Robinson combined to add 33, but Vandy was just too much, as Fetsus Ezeli outplayed Thompkins (18 points, 10 boards) and John Jenkins had 18 points.

Northwestern 90, Iowa 71: Drew Crawford led four players in double figures as Northwestern jumped out to a 21 point halftime lead in a win they had to have.

Wichita State 68, Creighton 54: JT Durley led three players in double figures as the Shockers went into Omaha and knocked off the Bluejays. Impressive win, as WSU moves into second place in the MVC.

Seton Hall 78, DePaul 67: Jeremy Hazell scored 23 points for the Pirates in his first game back from a broken wrist and a gunshot wound.

SMU 64, Memphis 58: Memphis doesn’t look like a tournament team this season.

LSU 56, Arkansas 53: Umm, LSU is now 2-0 in the SEC.

Ohio 79, Akron 70: DJ Cooper’s line — 13 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds. Solid.

Other Notable Games:

No. 23 Temple 83, St. Bonaventure 55
Maryland 74, Wake Forest 55
Hofstra 74, Towson 60
Clemson 87, Georgia Tech 62
New Mexico 68, Colorado State 61
Arizona State 69, Tulsa 59
Cincinnati 74, South Florida 66
Alabama 57, South Carolina 47
Xavier 79, UMass 50
Missouri State 64, Southern Illinois 51
UTEP 69, Tulane 58
Dayton 65, St. Joe’s 59
La Salle 89, Penn 83
Southern Miss 81, Rice 78 OT
VCU 70, William & Mary 52
Bucknell 75, American 60
Wofford 74, Georgia Southern 65

Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @ballinisahabit.

Arizona State extends Hurley through 2025-26 season

Associated PressMar 22, 2023, 12:02 AM EDT

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TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State has agreed to a contract extension with men’s basketball coach Bobby Hurley that runs through the 2025-26 season.

The deal announced on Tuesday is subject to approval by the Arizona Board of Regents. Hurley’s previous contract was set to expire after next season.

“Coach Hurley has made our program relevant nationally with many significant wins and an exciting style, along with a firm commitment to the academic success of our student-athletes,” Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson said in a statement. “He has made it clear to us that he wants to be here and we have done likewise with him. We share a strong confidence in the present and future state of Sun Devil men’s basketball.”

Hurley led the Sun Devils to 23 wins this season and their third trip to the NCAA Tournament the last five times it has been played. Arizona State beat Nevada in the First Four before losing to Texas Christian on a last-second shot last Friday.

The Sun Devils have won at least 20 games four of the past six seasons. They are 141-113 in eight seasons under Hurley.

Campbell new TCU women’s coach after taking Sac St to NCAA

Associated PressMar 22, 2023, 12:00 AM EDT

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

FORT WORTH, Texas – Mark Campbell was hired as TCU’s women’s basketball coach Tuesday after the former Oregon assistant took Sacramento State to its first NCAA Tournament in an impressive and quick turnaround.

Sacramento State was coming off a 3-22 season when Campbell was hired two years ago. The Hornets won 14 games in Campbell’s first season, and then made another 11-win improvement this season while finishing 25-8 with Big Sky regular-season and tournament championships.

During his seven seasons on Oregon’s staff before that, the Ducks had some of the nation’s top recruiting classes. That included Campbell recruiting Sabrina Ionescu, who became the AP player of the year in 2020 before she was the first overall pick in the WNBA draft.

Campbell replaces Raegan Pebley, who stepped down after nine seasons as TCU’s coach with a 141-138 record. The Horned Frogs were 8-23 this season, including 1-17 in Big 12 play during the regular season.

TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati described Campbell as an elite recruiter and program builder.

“Similar to his success at Sacramento State, he was instrumental in Oregon quickly becoming one of the nation’s most successful programs, reaching their first NCAA Elite Eight and then Final Four,” Donati said.

The Frogs haven’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2010. That was their ninth NCAA appearance, all coming in a 10-season span without making it past the second round.

Boston College extends Earl Grant through 2028-29 season

Associated PressMar 21, 2023, 11:58 PM EDT

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

BOSTON – Boston College coach Earl Grant has agreed to a two-year extension that will keep him under contract through the 2028-29 season.

Grant took over as Eagles coach prior to the 2021-22 season and finished 13-20. Boston College went 16-17 this past season, but it had three wins over nationally ranked teams for the first time in 14 years.

“My family and I have enjoyed being a part of this amazing community,” Grant said in a statement. “Boston is a great city and we are glad to call it our home. I am thankful for the efforts of my staff to help move the program forward.”

The Eagles finished 9-11 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, their most wins in the league play since 2010-11. Quinten Post also became the first Boston College player to be named Most Improved Player.

In announcing the extension, athletic director Blake James expressed optimism about the direction of the program.

“Earl has done an outstanding job leading our men’s basketball program over the last two seasons and we are looking forward to him doing so for many years to come,” James said.

Pitino returns to big stage at St. John’s: ‘I’ve earned it’

Associated PressMar 21, 2023, 11:57 PM EDT

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

NEW YORK – The video banner above the entrance to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday read: “Welcome Rick Pitino.”

More like welcome back for the new St. John’s coach.

Back to The Garden, where he once coached the Knicks.

Back to the Big East, the conference that launched his stardom and where he won his last NCAA championship.

Back to big-time college basketball after a series of scandals made it seem as if that part of his career was over.

“So, when I went to Iona, I said that Iona was going to be my last job,” Pitino said at his introductory news conference at MSG. “And the reason I said that is who’s going to hire a 70-year-old ? No matter how much I think I’m Peter Pan, who’s going hire a 70-year-old?”

St. John’s gave the Hall of Famer a six-year contract to turn back the clock on a program that once stole New York City tabloid headlines away from the Knicks in the 1980s under coach Lou Carnesecca but has been mired in mediocrity for more than two decades.

The Red Storm once played most of their biggest home games at The Garden. Pitino said the goal is to have all their Big East games played there going forward.

“Lou built a legendary program. Legendary,” Pitino said. “I’m all in with everything that St. John stands for. I’m excited about it. I can’t wait to get started.

“And it’s going to start with a culture of work.”

Pitino, who was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island, has won 832 games in 34 full seasons as a college head coach, including NCAA championships at Kentucky in 1996 and Louisville in 2013.

The title at Louisville was vacated for NCAA violations, and another NCAA case related to the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball recruiting led to Pitino being fired by Louisville in 2017.

The final ruling from the NCAA’s outside enforcement arm on the FBI case came down in November and exonerated Pitino.

There was also a criminal extortion case in which Pitino was the victim during his time at Louisville that revealed personal indiscretions.

“Well, it doesn’t matter what you believe, what you don’t believe,” Pitino said. “The one thing all my players have said, because they all wrote letters for me: I’ve never cheated the game. I never gave a player anything that he didn’t deserve in life.”

St. John’s president, the Rev. Brian Shanley, said the decision to hire Pitino was his call.

“Yeah, sure, there’s some reputational risk because of things that have happened before, but I think Rick is at a point in his life where he’s learned from things that have happened in the past,” Shanley told The Associated Press. “I think he’d be the first one to tell you he’s done things that he regrets. Who doesn’t when you get to be that age? I know I have. I’m a believer in forgiveness and new beginnings as a priest, and I think Rick’s going to do a great job for St. John’s.”

Carnesecca, 98 and getting around with the help of a walker these days, sat in the front row of Pitino’s news conference.

“I think it’s a home run with the bases loaded,” Carnesecca said.

Carnesecca was one of the Big East’s brightest coaching stars, along with Georgetown’s John Thompson and Villanova’s Rollie Massimino, when Pitino became Providence head coach in 1985 at the age of 32.

Thirty-eight years later, Pitino’s Providence ties helped him land at St. John’s after three seasons at Iona, a small Catholic school in New Rochelle, just north of New York City.

Shanley previously was the president of Providence. He helped turn around a lagging men’s basketball program by hiring coach Ed Cooley and investing in facilities upgrades.

“If I wasn’t a Providence Friar, he would have never even considered it,” Pitino said.

Shanley attempted to lure Pitino away from Louisville and back to Providence years ago, but he didn’t know much about the coach personally back then. He said he talked to a lot of people about Pitino this time around.

“I’d say my behind-the-scenes wisdom person was Mike Tranghese, the former commissioner of the Big East,” Shanley said. “He got me Ed Cooley last time, and I think we came out pretty well this time, too.”

Cooley was hired by Georgetown on Monday.

Pitino said he’s bringing his entire staff with him from Iona, which announced the hiring of Fairleigh Dickinson coach Tobin Anderson to replace Pitino earlier in the day.

Pitino will try to become the first coach to take six different schools to the NCAA Tournament as he gets one more shot on the big stage.

“I deserve it,” he said, “because I’ve earned it.”

Tobin Anderson leaving FDU to replace Rick Pitino at Iona

Associated PressMar 21, 2023, 2:43 PM EDT

Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Tobin Anderson is leaving NCAA Cinderella Fairleigh Dickinson after one fairy-tale season and replacing Rick Pitino at Iona.

Iona athletic director Matt Glovaski announced the hiring a day after Pitino left to take the job at St. John’s of the Big East Conference.

Anderson led the No. 16 seed Knights to a win over No. 1 Purdue in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament last week, only the second time a No. 16 seed has knocked off a top-seeded team. UMBC beat No. 1 Virginia in 2018.

“Iona University represents everything my family and I were looking for in a school, a basketball program and a campus atmosphere,” Anderson said in a statement. “Our goal is to build upon the tremendous tradition of Iona basketball and elevate the program to greater heights.”

Iona of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference was knocked out of this year’s tournament by UConn on Friday.

“We have long known him to be a fantastic coach and an even better person,” Glovaski said. “Now, with his team’s impressive run in the NCAA Tournament, everyone paying attention to March Madness also knows this. We’re delighted that he will be at the helm of our men’s basketball program.”

Anderson led FDU to a 21-16 overall record and 10-6 in Northeast Conference play. The Knights lost to Merrimack in the conference title game but got the NCAA berth because Merrimack was ineligible to compete as a transitioning school from Division II.

FDU, one of the shorter teams in the 68-team field, beat Texas Southern in a First Four game and followed that with the upset over Purdue. Florida Atlantic knocked the Knights out of the tournament on Sunday.

FDU had a 4-22 record in 2021-22. Anderson was hired after running the program at St. Thomas Aquinas, located less than 25 miles (40 km) from Iona’s campus. In nine seasons, he turned the team into a perennial Top 25 program in Division II after inheriting a team that won just five games prior to his hire.

Anderson got his first taste of Division I coaching, serving as an assistant at Siena for two seasons from 2011–2013. Before his time at Siena, Anderson was a head coach at the Division III level at Hamilton College and Clarkson University in upstate New York. He worked as an assistant at Clarkson and Le Moyne College.

Anderson graduated from Wesleyan University in 1995.