Late Night Snacks: Arizona State, Harvard earn double overtime victories

By Kevin DoyleFeb 15, 2014, 12:32 AM EST

GAME OF THE NIGHT: Arizona State 69, No. 2 Arizona 66 (2OT)

A Jermaine Marshall layup with 14 seconds remaining in double over time gave Arizona State a lead it would not relinquish, with the Sun Devils adding a quality win to its NCAA tournament resume. Marshall finished the game with 29 points and Jahii Carson added 17 on a night that saw both teams struggle offensively.

Arizona shot 36% from the field and Arizona State wasn’t much better, making just 40% of its shots. But the Sun Devils made one more play than the Wildcats in the end, with a Jordan Bachynski blocked shot preserving the lead. Prior to Friday night Arizona State had never defeated a team ranked either first or second in the national polls.

IMPORTANT OUTCOMES

1) No. 23 SMU 77, Rutgers 65

SMU followed up their home win over Cincinnati last weekend by earning a road victory against Rutgers tonight; the Mustangs have firmly supplanted themsleves as a Top 25 team. This is the first win for SMU as a ranked team in 29 years. Nic Moore led all scorers with 21 points.

2) No. 13 Louisville 82, Temple 58

Louisville jumped out to a 19-6 lead after the first eight minutes, and never allowed Temple to get within single digits the rest of the game. Montrezl Harrell dropped in 22 points, and was one of ten Cardinals to score. The next two games figure to be easy for Louisville as they play Rutgers and South Florida, but end the regular season with four of their last five games coming against Cincinnati, Memphis, SMU, and Connecticut.

3) Harvard 88, Columbia 84 (2OT)

In one of the crazier games at Levien Gym in recent history, Harvard eked out a double overtime win against Columbia, moving to 6-1 in the Ivy League. Siyani Chambers and Steve Moundou-Missi combined to score 44 of the 88 points for the Crimson. With both Brown and Penn losing tonight — each now has three league losses — the Ivy League has become a two team race between Harvard and Yale.

STARRED

1) Alex Rosenberg (Columbia)

Rosenberg netted a career-high 34 points on 10-17 shooting from the field and 4-6 3PT.

2) Travis Bader (Oakland)

Travis Bader is draining threes — the sky is also blue and the grass is green. In an 83-82 overtime win against Detroit, the senior sharpshooter drilled eight three-pointers and was a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe, en route to a 30 point performance.

3) A.J. English (Iona)

English had 21 points in an 89-70 win over Monmouth, but what was most impressive were his 13 assists to just one turnover. Those are Scott Machado kind of numbers.

STRUGGLED

1) Temple

Fran Dunphy hasn’t experience a season like this in quite some time. The Owls, who now sit at 6-17 and 1-10 in the AAC, have lost 12 of their last 13 games.

2) Lipscomb

Casey Alexander has done a solid job in his first season at Lipscomb. The Bisons are 11-14 and 6-8 in the Atlantic Sun, but tonight they were thumped by conference leader Mercer. Lipscomb shot a mere 24.6% from the field, and trailed 43-16 at the half.

3) Keith McDougald (Jacksonville)

Jacksonville had a chance to move back to the middle of the pack in the Atlantic Sun, but senior guard Keith McDougald had one of his toughest shooting nights of the season going 2-14 and 1-7 3PT. The Dolphins lost to North Florida, 79-47.

NOTABLES

Cornell won their first game against a Division 1 opponent this season, beating Dartmouth, 70-67. It was the Big Red’s first Division 1 win since February 16, 2013 when they won at Brown.
Yale moved to 6-1 in the Ivy League and kept pace with Harvard as they beat Pennsylvania.
Oakland beat Detroit in overtime on a Duke Mondy jumper with 11 seconds remaining.
Chattanooga moved to 10-2 in the Southern Conference with an 83-73 win over Western Carolina. Gee McGhee had 16 points and 15 rebounds in the win.
Mercer stays atop the Atlantic Sun standings with a dominating win over Lipscomb, 79-48.
Jay Bowie hit a three-pointer with three seconds remaining to propel Marist to a 65-64 victory over Siena.

NCAA tweaks rules on block/charge calls in men’s basketball

Associated PressJun 8, 2023, 9:14 PM EDT

Jordan Prather/USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA is tweaking how block/charge calls are made in men’s basketball.

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved rule changes on Thursday that require a defender to be in position to draw a charge at the time the offensive player plants a foot to go airborne for a shot. If the defender arrives after the player has planted a foot, officials have been instructed to call a block when there’s contact.

Defenders had to be in position to draw a charge before the offensive player went airborne under previous rules.

NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee members made the proposal after NCAA members complained that too many charges were being called on those types of plays.

The panel also approved reviews of basket interference calls during the next media timeout – if the official called it on the floor – a shot clock reset to 20 seconds on an offensive rebound that hits the rim, and players being allowed to wear any number between 0 and 99.

A timeout also will be granted to an airborne player with possession of the ball, and non-student bench personnel will be allowed to serve as peacekeepers on the floor if an altercation occurs.

Charlotte head coach Ron Sanchez resigns after winning CBI title

Associated PressJun 7, 2023, 1:39 PM EDT

Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ron Sanchez resigned as head coach of the Charlotte 49ers.

Sanchez took over the 49ers on March 19, 2018, inheriting a team coming off a 6-23 campaign. In five years Charlotte went 72-78 under Sanchez, highlighted by winning the College Basketball Invitational championship this past season, the Niners’ first post-season tournament title in school history.

The 22 wins this past season are the most for Charlotte since 2001.

“Ron took over a proud but struggling program and carefully rebuilt it into a 22-game winner. He has led with class, dignity and devotion to our young men,” Charlotte director of athletics Mike Hill said. “His decision to step down from Charlotte was a difficult one for him and everyone associated with our program. We wish him and his family every happiness.”

Hill said the team has already begun a national search for a replacement.

“This is a bittersweet day for me and my family as I step down to pursue other opportunities,” said Sanchez, who came the 49ers after working as an assistant coach at Virginia under Tony Bennett. “It has been a tremendous privilege to lead the 49ers basketball program over the past five years and I want to thank Niner Nation for its support. I will be forever grateful to my staff, players and the university.”

Marquette extends Shaka Smart’s contract through 2029-30 season

Associated PressJun 6, 2023, 9:55 PM EDT

Adam Cairns/USA TODAY NETWORK

MILWAUKEE — Marquette coach Shaka Smart has received a contract extension after leading the Golden Eagles to their first outright regular-season championship and tournament title in the Big East.

Smart’s contract now runs through the 2029-30 season. This is the first extension Smart has received since signing a six-year deal when he took over as Marquette’s coach in 2021.

Marquette didn’t release financial terms of Smart’s deal.

“In a very short period of time, Shaka and his staff have done a tremendous job of establishing a winning culture, both on and off the court,” athletic director Bill Scholl said in a statement. “Shaka’s vision for the program is focused on extended, sustainable success. The individuals who interact with the team on a daily basis are able to observe frequent examples of growth and the excitement around the program is contagious.”

Marquette has gone 48-20 in Smart’s two seasons and reached the NCAA Tournament each of those years.

The Golden Eagles went 29-7 and won the Big East’s regular-season and tournament championships last season after the league’s coaches had picked them to finish ninth out of 11 teams. Marquette’s season ended with a 69-60 loss to Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 32.

Purdue’s Edey returning to school at NBA draft deadline; Kentucky’s Tshiebwe stays in

Associated PressJun 1, 2023, 11:17 AM EDT

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Purdue’s Zach Edey decided it was the right call to go back to school instead of staying in the NBA draft. His predecessor as national player of the year, Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, is sticking with his pro pursuit.

And Connecticut’s reign as NCAA champion will begin with multiple starters having left for the NBA draft and one returning after flirting with doing the same.

The 7-foot-4 Edey and UConn guard Tristen Newton were among the notable names to announce that they were withdrawing from the draft, the NCAA’s deadline for players who declared as early entrants to pull out and retain their college eligibility.

Edey’s decision came in social media posts from both the center and the Boilermakers program that earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament behind Edey, The Associated Press men’s national player of the year.

But Tshiebwe announced late in the afternoon that he would remain in the draft after a college career that included being named the AP national player of the year in 2022.

For the current champions, Newton (10.1 points, 4.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds) is returning after being one of four Huskies to declare for the draft after a run to UConn’s fifth national championship in early April. He scored a game-high 19 points to go with 10 rebounds in the victory over San Diego State in the title game.

The others were Final Four Most Outstanding Player Adama Sanogo, wing Jordan Hawkins and versatile guard Andre Jackson Jr. Sanogo (17.8 points) and Hawkins (16.3) have made it clear they have closed the door on their college careers, while team spokesman Phil Chardis said that Jackson (6.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists) would remain in the draft.

The Huskies have 247sports’ No. 3-ranked recruiting class for next year to restock the roster, led by McDonald’s All-American point guard Stephon Castle.

The NBA’s withdrawal deadline is June 12, but is moot when it comes to college players returning to school due to the NCAA’s earlier timeline to retain playing eligibility.

STAYING IN SCHOOL

TREY ALEXANDER: Creighton gets back a 6-4 guard who averaged 13.6 points and shot 41% from 3-point range in his first full season as a starter.

ADEM BONA: The 6-foot-10 forward and Pac-12 freshman of the year is returning to UCLA after starting 32 games as a rookie and averaging 7.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks – with coach Mick Cronin praising his toughness for “competing through multiple injuries for as long as he could” in a statement Wednesday.

EDEY: He averaged 22.3 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 1.5 assists while shooting 60.7% from the field. His presence alone helps Purdue be a factor in the Big Ten race.

JOSIAH-JORDAN JAMES: The 6-6 guard went through the NBA G League Combine and had workouts with multiple teams before opting to return to Tennessee for a fifth season alongside teammate Santiago Vescovi.

JUDAH MINTZ: The 6-3 freshman averaged 16.3 points and 4.6 assists for Syracuse, ranking third among Division I freshmen in scoring behind only Alabama’s Brandon Miller and Lamar’s Nate Calmese.

OWLS’ RETURNEES: Florida Atlantic got good news after its surprise Final Four run with the return leading scorers Johnell Davis (13.8) and Alijah Martin (13.4). ESPN first reported their decisions, while Martin later posted a social media statement.

TERRENCE SHANNON JR.: Illinois got a big boost with Shannon announcing his night in a social media post. The 6-6 guard is returning for a fifth college season after averaging 17.2 points.

SPARTANS’ RETURNEES: Michigan State announced that guards Jaden Akins and A.J. Hoggard have withdrawn from the NBA draft. Standout guard Tyson Walker had previously withdrawn in April, setting up Tom Izzo to have five of his top scorers back.

GOING PRO

KOBE BROWN: Missouri’s 6-8 swingman opted against returning for a fifth college season after being an AP first-team all-Southeastern Conference pick averaging 15.8 points last season.

JAYLEN CLARK: The third-year UCLA guard averaged 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while leading the Pac-12 with 2.6 steals en route to being named Naismith national defensive player of the year. Cronin called him a winner with strong intangibles who made UCLA “a better program because he chose to be a Bruin.”

BRICE SENSABAUGH: The Ohio State freshman averaged 16.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in 31 games before missing his final two in the Big Ten Tournament due to a knee injury. He’s a potential first-round prospect.

TSHIEBWE: The 6-9, 260-pound forward is a tough interior presence who led the country in rebounds for two straight seasons (15.1 in 2022, 13.7 in 2023) while racking up 48 double-doubles. But he faces an uncertain next stop and is projected at best as a second-round prospect.

North Carolina transfer Caleb Love commits to Arizona

Associated PressMay 31, 2023, 10:59 AM EDT

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Caleb Love is now headed to Arizona.

The North Carolina transfer tweeted, less than a month after decommitting from Michigan, that he will play next season with the Wildcats.

“Caleb is a tremendously talented guard who has significant experience playing college basketball at a high level,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said in a statement. “We look forward to helping Caleb grow his game at Arizona. And as we near the completion of the roster for the upcoming season, we feel great about how everything has come together. Now it’s time for the real work to start.”

A 6-foot-4 guard, Love averaged 14.6 points and 3.3 assists in three seasons at North Carolina. He averaged 17.6 points in seven NCAA Tournament games, helping lead the Tar Heels to the 2022 national championship game.

Love entered the transfer portal after leading North Carolina with 73 3-pointers as a junior and initially committed to Michigan. He decommitted from the Wolverines earlier this month, reportedly due to an admissions issue involving academic credits.

Love narrowed his transfer targets to three schools before choosing to play at Arizona over Gonzaga and Texas.

Love will likely start on a team that will have dynamic perimeter players, including Pelle Larsson, Kylan Boswell and Alabama transfer Jaden Bradley.